Monday Madness...

"Don't believe the hype!..."  Public Enemy - Don't Believe The Hype

I know, the quote was just too easy today - sorry.  I hope all the mother's out there had a fabulous Mother's Day.  

And here's Monday Madness, last weeks news that made me cringe, cuss or just shake my head.

1) Snoop Dogg on One Life To Live:  Alright, I am not a hater, at least I try not to be.  But Snoop on OLTL?  Oh no no NO!  I didn't have a problem with him performing his nauseating song "Sexual Seduction," (that's the original name) after all that is his bread and butter.  But when dude went and literally jacked up the show's theme song, I was quite irate.  His version did not even come close to anything remotely good.  Shame on those producers and such who allowed Mr. Dogg to do that to their theme song.  If it's one thing that I give Snoop accolades for, is his ability to spin anything and use his marketability to profit from it.  But THIS was some 'ish.  I am one for change, anyone that knows me is aware of that, but this was certainly a case of - if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

2) R Kelly and his pedophile ass:  I am hoping that this is the last time that I even have to give any kind of attention to this idiot on my page.  I do not and have not supported this man on his musical journey for a very long time now–genius or not.  I believe the last album that I own from this sicko is The Chocolate Factory and that's only because I had to review it for a magazine.  There is no way I would spend money to help his defense team get him off!  So to think that this idiot had the nerve to try and get his trial delayed YET again, just proves to me that he has something to hide.  And now news surfaces about a young lady who is going to testify to being a participant in a three way with The Pied Piper (he obviously didn't think out that nickname properly) is on the horizon.  Oh boy, Robert–just say it was you and deal with the consequences that your peeing-on-young-girls nasty self got into.  Dutty, just dutty.

3) Dereon's new girls collection:  Well when I saw this!!  This doesn't even need a link, just check out the picture below for yourself.  Tina and Beyonce need to quit with envisioning women with any sense, dressing their little daughters like hoochies in training!!  High ass heels and jeans with embroidery with heavy lip gloss on a five year old? WTF?!  There's the illusion of being a child imagining dressing up like mommy, but to have my kid in an ad looking like a two dollar ho ready for her booty shot is NOT becoming at all.  This is DUMBASSIDBRIE and BITCHASSNESS to the highest degree.  You think Jay would want his daughter looking like this?  B–get your independent ass outta here!

4) Arrest warrant out for crazy girl on Atlanta train:  This is what happens when your kids are exposed to crap on the radio like Soulja Boy.  This young lady basically verbally abused and berated an elderly woman on the train, she just lost control and went off on the unsuspecting woman and everyone else around her as you will see in the video.  Now there is an arrest warrant out for her...

But according to the update, her outburst was due to her being diagnosed as bi-polar and this is the result of her not taking her meds.  She is now in custody at the DeKalb County jail.  It is really sad to watch and her breakdown is not a joking matter.  That situation on the train could have gone so many ways, but thank god it didn't.  The whole situation was bad enough to watch.  I hope that she gets the help that she needs really, cause at this point that is the only way to go.

And that's all I will be reporting today y'all.  Here's the flashback of the day, one of my absolutely favorite musical geniuses.  Mr. Stevie Wonder doing his thing...

See y'all soon...

Tha Connoisseur 

Mellow And Chill, That's The Key...

"I can let my life pass me by, or I can get down and try.  Work it all out this lifetime - work it all out this time."  Lifetime - Maxwell

As I sit here mellowed out by Miles Davis' "I Fall In Love Too Easily", I reminisce of my early exposure to music and how it changed my life.  Not to be dramatic, but we should realize that music holds the key to a lot of meaning in life.  It was not a joke now and wasn't a joke then when Stevie Wonder named his album just that.  Music is scientifically shown to heal and teach in many ways.  Commercials are sold to you by jingles = music.  Music is also used in different types of therapy = music.  There is an actual American Music Therapy Association, really there is.  It's the feeling that music has on your brain, your body and your soul, it's inexplicable.  You try explaining to someone how you felt when you first heard your favorite song.  Or how your wedding song makes you feel when you hear it in passing.  Uh huh...that's what I thought.

I have digressed a bit from my train of thought!  As I was saying, my early exposure to music was from my Dad (god rest his soul).  I would awake on a Sunday morning by the sounds of Otis Redding, Booker T. and the MG's and of course, his woman Aretha Franklin (I did mention previously I have a sibling named Aretha).  You better believe it was every Sunday like clockwork.  And his favorite line to me would be - "Kid, you don't know good music like this!" That statement alone was a challenge for me (I love a challenge!) to learn about the good music I didn't know.  My Father's collection is full of goodies - every Aretha album under the sun, Carla Thomas, Donnie Hathaway, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan, Al Green, Marvin Gaye and others that I never even heard of.  And it was not just soul music alone.  There was soul, rock, calypso, soca, reggae.  Name it, it was in the house.  As soon as the music bug hit me, I had my second teacher, my older cousin, teach me about the best in the late 70's into the 80's.  A bit of Debarge, Prince, The Jacksons, Millie Jackson, Luther Vandross, Teddy Pendegrass, SOS Band, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam and then some.  Being inundated with such talents really brought my love of music to new heights.  Like many aficionados out there, I meticulously collected  8-tracks, vinyl, cassettes and CD's.  Making sure to try and not buy anything to tarnish my collection.

I then became a student of piano and later vibraphone.  Of course feeling like I was the only person in the world who played a vibraphone, I was quite content to learn that the great Roy Ayers was a master at his instrument of choice.  So I figured, why not me?  Looking back, music runs right through my family.  I have an aunt who is a Calypsonian, a younger brother who plays a mean alto and tenor sax (and is studying Music at the moment), a cousin who writes, sings and composes music and an older brother who was a DJ.

The whole point of my tirade is that music for some of us out there is life.  We live, breathe, and feel music.  Our love comes in many forms - as a music writer, producer, promoter, publisher, label owner etc and most of all FAN.  Remember in I'm Gonna Git Ya Sucka, Jack Spade was told that every hero's gotta have some theme music?  Well I think that goes for everyone.  Music is the soundtrack to our lives.  And when I reach the end of my journey, I want my soundtrack to be vibrant, expressive and a reflection of the person that I have evolved into because of my Dad's Sunday morning teachings.

Here is the video flashback of the day - this one is for my Dad.  I miss and love you.

That's all for today y'all, see you on the horizon.

Tha Connoisseur