And the Beat Goes On...

You know the feeling.

You hear a song for the first time, probably one you’re driven to listen to because it’s by your favorite artist/band. The song is amazing. It’s a great marriage of harmonious melodies, beats, and personally meaningful lyrics. For approximately 2 to 3 minutes, you’re one piece of a musical bond. You wade through the song’s second verse, bridge, and hook; automatically preparing yourself for the ending of the song. You’ve already made up your mind that you’re going to put the song on repeat to enjoy it again. And then it happens…

The singer’s/band’s vocals drop out.

The volume doesn’t fade, but steadies at its current pace.

The instruments spread their wings and soar across your heart, leaving an incredibly warm, resounding feeling behind. It’s as if they were using the song as a mere warm up.

And it’s beautiful.

And surprising.

And nourishing.

Even after the fiftieth time you’ve taken this journey.

It’s like the artist has given you a gift. As if he/she trusts the song’s melody enough to turn away the steady, watchful eye of their voice and allow it to roam and reverberate. The listener undergoes a tiny bit of sadness when approaching the end of a song.

But here, the melody is like a lingering kiss before the goodbye.

I love that feeling. It’s one of the things that I live for in music: when the beat goes on.

Here is a list of my favorite songs that do just that…

1. Do I Do – Stevie Wonder

2. Woman – Maroon 5

3. Papa Was a Rolling Stone – The Temptations

4. Got to Give It Up – Marvin Gaye

5. When Everything Is New – Little Brother

6. Kings and Queens – 30 Seconds to Mars

7. Waking Up – OneRepublic

8.  Surrender Saved My Life – This Beautiful Republic

9. Don’t Wait – The Foreign Exchange Feat. Darien Brockington

10. Red Letters – DC Talk

11. Dangerous – Michael Jackson

12. Moment In Life – Musiq Soulchild

13. Love Stoned/I Think That She Knows – Justin Timberlake

14. I Keep/Still Here – Jill Scott
15. Umi Says -- Mos Def

When You Believe (My Go-To Inspirational Playlist)

It's funny how a single song...3:34 minutes of music...can change your whole perspective of a situation. That's the beautiful thing about music: it can mold, as well as express, a mindset. Most of the time, this is a negative thing, but I like to think that music was meant to inspire.


Inspire well-being, peace, and determination.

Granted, I do get in those moods where I only want to listen to Coldplay, James Blunt, and Sam Cooke. My deep melancholy is expressed in the music playlist of my choice. As it is when I'm in a romantic, praise-oriented, or thuggish mood. So, I figured I'd share my all-time favorite inspirational tracks. God knows with the cold, frigid weather we could all use a little warmth.

1. When You Believe - Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston (Prince of Egypt Soundtrack)

2. World's Greatest - R.Kelly (Ali Soundtrack)

3. I Believe - Yolanda Adams (Honey Soundtrack)

4. Hero - Nas (The N Word Album)

5. I Believe I Can Fly - (Yep) R Kelly (Space Jam Soundtrack)

6. Declaration (This Is It) - Kirk Franklin (The Fight of My Life Album)

7. Stand Out - Powerline/AKA: Tevin Campbell (A Goofy Movie Soundtrack)

8. Not Afraid - Eminem (Recovery Album)

9. Tightrope - Janelle Monae (The ArchAndroid Album)

10. In the Light - DC Talk (Jesus Freak Album)

11. Warm It Up (With Love) - Brandy (Human Album)

12. Black or White - Michael Jackson (Dangerous Album)

13. Lovely Day - Bill Withers (The Very Best of Bill Withers Album)

14. Dare You To Move - Switchfoot (The Beautiful Letdown Album/A Walk to Remember Soundtrack)

15. It's My Life - Bon Jovi (Crush Album)

16. Good Life - OneRepublic (Waking Up Album)

17. I Believe - Fantasia (Self-Titled Album)

18. River Deep, Mountain High - Celine Dion (c/o Tina Turner) (Let's Talk About Love Album)

19. Optimistic - The Sounds of Blackness

Honorable Mention: Whip My Hair - Willow Smith

 Did I miss any?

New MaryMary. :)

Walking by Mary Mary Music

War.

Raheem DeVaughn 

Feat. Jill Scott, Bilal, Anthony Hamilton, Algebra, Chrisette Michele, Shelby Johnson, Ledisi, Citizen Cope, Dwele, Chico DeBarge & Rudy Currence

Do Yourself a Favor...

Tightrope (Wondamix) Janelle Monae feat. Lupe Fiasco & B.O.B.

Maxwell's cover of MJ's "Lady in My Life"

Thanks to Ms. Jonesin Eb for this one...

How I Feel (Lyrics Version)

I've come through many hard trials
Through temptations on every hand
Though Satan's tried to stop me
And to place my feet on sinking sand
Through the pain and all of my sorrows
Through the tears and all of my fears
The Lord was there to keep me
For He's kept me in the midst of it all

Not because I've been so faithful
Not Because I've always obeyed
Noo, It's not because I trust him
To be with me all of the way
But it's because He loves me so dearly
He was there to answer my call
He was there always to protect me
For He's kept me in the midst of it all

--From "In the Midst of it All" Yolanda Adams

How I Feel (Music Version).

Hallelujah.

"How I Got Over". The Roots.

The Roots - How I Got Over (Directed by BBGUN) from bbgun on Vimeo.

My Life According to [Jill Scott]

I adore this woman.
Her outlook on life, love, pain, and triumph speak to me.
I love the way she performs. How she professes to be a poet before a singer.
I appreciate how well she blends sophistication and unkempt passion.
Rage and Melancholy. Beauty and Humanity. God and the rest of us.

I copped this idea from N.Steven . The rules are: Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as "My Life According to (BAND NAME)"

Pick Your Artist:
Jilly from Philly (BKA: Jill Scott)

Are you a male or female?
Fatback Taffy (ha!)

Describe yourself:
Can't Explain

How do you feel:
Talk to Me

Describe where you currently live:
Celibacy Blues

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
The Rain

Your favorite form of transportation:
A Long Walk Home

Your best friend is:
My Love

Your favorite color is:
Golden

What's the weather like:
Love Rain

Favorite time of the day:
8 Minutes to Sunrise

If your life was a tv show, what would it be called:
Slowly Surely

What is life to you:
Not Like Crazy

Your relationships:
I Keep/Still Here

Your fear:
Gettin in the Way

What is the best advice you have to give:
Easy Conversation

If you could change your name, you would change it to:
Honey Molasses

Thought for the Day:
Wanna Be Loved

How I would like to die:
God Bless the Child

My soul's present condition:
Let it Be

My Motto:
The Fact Is (I Need You)

My Jam For the Moment...

Rest In Peace...

to Michael Jackson.

1958-2009

Forever the King of Pop.

Random Thoughts about Hip Hop.

Call me a hard-core Hip Hop preservationist, because the music is still precious to me. I have a standard for Hip Hop because I know what she can do in the right hands. Those with artistic integrity are swept underneath the rug, while the legions of gimmicky acts make all of the money. And those who well manipulate the industry are dubbed as legendary; their fans quoting lyrics that enslave rather than emancipate the mind.

...but they can keep their money. The gimmicks can keep their radio play and their ringtone royalties. Because in 20 years, no one will remember them. Never earning a column in Hip Hop's history book. Let them have their temporary fame, because real Hip Hop will always stand the test of time. It's original voice/message transcends from one generation to the next; weighted on the shoulders of chosen Renaissance men/women. Listener and Emcee alike...we all have a part to play.

And I, for one, intend on passing on the tradition.

My Heart Beats for Soul Music.

Saw this on Vh1 the other afternoon. Her albums do not do her justice...she is a must-see live. I was speechless @ around 5:36.

God bless.

A Black Man Invented Music...and I Bet He's Turning Over in His Grave.

June is Black Music Month.

Proclaimed [ironically] during Bush's administration back in 2002, Black Music Month is meant to establish that Black Americans, more than any other race, have made the most innovative contributions to Music. The very notion of rhythm can be traced back to ancient tribal practices of the early people; largely Africans.

During the slavery period, music kept the slaves' spirits high above their current mistreatment. If you are knowledgable about the Negro Spirituals, though we may sing them today in memorandum, you'd know that most were actually code (I bet you remember that fact from an episode of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, right?). Slave music was actually the foundation for what became known as "American Music": blues, jazz, and [yes] rock n' roll.

However, the invention of American Music was attributed to Whites once it was formulated, packaged, and sold to the consumers of mainstream. Though many Blacks were recognized [solely] for their talent in these genres, they were never given the props that was certaintly deserved.

Example: The supposed King of Rock n' Roll is none other than the late, great Elvis Pressley. However, he had a predecessor and pioneer: the grandaddy of rock n' roll, Chuck Berry. But when you think early Rock n' Roll, the mind automatically goes to Elvis.

Blacks continued to stir up their creative juices by breaking new ground, with the creation of three new genres of music:

Gospel
R&B
Hip-Hop

Other sub-genres were created by combining genres: (Ex: Soul is combined gospel and R&B -- i.e. Ray Charles). Pop music (a lighter form of rock) even has a Black man as its top contributor: Michael Jackson -- and his 42,537,000 albums sold makes him the highest selling artist OF ALL TIME.

Blacks used to use music ONLY as a way to escape oppression. However, the current state of Black music is attempting to undo what has been accomplished since the late 1800's. I'll target Hip Hop music, specifically....Here are a few personal reasons why:

1. Sean "P. Diddy" Combs is currently one of the most savvy, highest paid music moguls in the music industry, but is secretly thought of as a JOKE.

2. In 2007, 50 Cent became the highest selling hip hop artist ever.

3. Hip Hop is referenced as being a "business".

4. The Source [Awards & the magazine] (They lost my complete respect when both the Roots & Juvenile got 4 mics in the same issue.)

5. B.E.T. (period)

6. People will illegally download Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, but will spend $5.99 a month on a "Stanky Leg" ringtone.

7. The formula for selling records is based on invisible gimmicks. (I.e. Swagga)

8. Rap artists, who claim to have great free-styling skills, having ghostwriters.

9. Too much sampling, which leads to an decrease of innovation.

10. My nephew can quote the lyrics of Soldja Boy, but couldn't tell you who Pharoahe Monch or Little Brother are.

I'm not naive. It's up to the people to make Black Music as productive as it once was.The cliche awards show speech holds true:
"I'd like to thank the fans, because without you, we wouldn't be here."

...Chuck Berry, Sam Cooke, and Ella Fitzgerald knew one thing for certain: Black music reflects the people. Our people. Somewhere along the line, we've forgotten that.

Thank you to those who've paved the way.

Happy Black Music Month

Amazing Grace: Just the Black Notes...

This brought tears to my eyes...feel free to comment.



My personal comments:
The words to this well known song speaks louder to me than ever before. The grace of God is for us all. Black and white. Victim and oppressor. Free and slave.

Money Over B*tch*s (READ)...Hip Hop Slang Part One

Even if Nas, Talib, and KRS-One dropped 4 albums a year, people still wouldn't learn the lessons in their bars. We will still continue to indulge in the self-destructive behavior that is keeping us from accomplishing on a community level. Few make it out, but most keep the mentality of poverty in order to maintain street credibility.

Hip hop, sadly, is slowly moving from the streets, courtrooms, and classrooms, and into the club. This is the reason why people get weary of conscious hip hop...we sound like broken records because no one seems to be listening. What are we listening to? you ask...Let's take the slang that young adults and teenagers seem to have adopted as their religion:

"Money over b*tch*s".

I'm not going to take a purely feminist role on this one, so I'll simply say this: the only way to advance in life is through knowledge, because when you die, the only people that will care about how much money you had, plan to inherit some of it. Most black people were forced to overlook education simply because it wasn't an option, and it was only to meet basic needs.This message teaches us, not ambition, but greed and self-absorption.

Then there is the ongoing battle of the word "b*tch" in the hip hop culture. It's referred to a weak man at times, but mostly used towards women. Look at this equation:
Woman is to B*tch = African American is to Nigger

It is amazing how similar they are (if they could fit the description of you). Both are oppressive forms of slang used, 99% of the time, to demean and slander, and NOT to make a proper judgment. I don't feel that using nigger (or nigga) is appropriate in any situation, and I feel that b*tch is either. Simply because a young man might adopt the same mindset that white people growing up adopted, that most, if not ALL women (black people) are b*tch*s (niggers).

Malcolm X said "I taught brothers not only to deal unintelligently with the devil or the White woman, but I also taught many brothers to spit acid at the sisters. They were kept in their places — you probably didn't notice this in action, but it is a fact. I taught these brothers to spit acid at the sisters. I taught the brothers that the sisters were standing in their way . I did these things brother. I must undo them."

But excuse me.....all hail the King of Crunk.