People Forgot That Serena Was From Compton

I am a BIG Serena Williams fan & I think that she is a successful black woman who is a positive role model for young women...

That being said, I thought that it was HILARIOUS that Serena went OFF on the line judge @ the US Open after a blatantly wrong call that cost her the match and potentially the championship. People forgot that she is from Compton, California, a city that has a reputation of being one of the most dangerous cities in the United States. Don't let the Nike endorsement fool you...LOL :-)

I admit that she was wrong for blowing up, but I don't really blame her for it because she was in an intense moment of the match where she was trying to come back and win. I think that it was just a display of RAW & intense emotion.

It is also a BIG misconception about what was said by Serena. She did not curse @ all, even though it was bleeped by the broadcasters. She might have threatened her, but I highly doubt that she would carry out any threats in the middle of a match on national TV. I just think that the lady got scared when she saw 5'9"& 150 lbs. of solid angry black woman coming @ her...LOL.

This is nothing new in the world of tennis. John McEnroe used to curse & yell @ line judges and officials all of the time. Even the men's #1 player, Roger Federer, was cursing in the finals match @ the same tournament, but did not get disqualified for it. I don't want to make everything a race or gender issue, but sometimes things like this are so BLATANTLY out of order. SMH :-(

"Get Your Money Right" Hip Hop Summit

I attended the "Get Your Money Right" Hip Hop Summit @ Greensboro Coliseum today & I had a great time and learned a lot about becoming financially stable. Russell Simmons, MC Lyte, Rosci (from 106&Park), DJ Drama, and a few others were on hand to give their tips about managing money.

I talked to Rocsi and she was more open to questions & conversation that I thought she would be. Russell Simmons left really quick after the event, & I was unable to get a picture with him, but I did get some with DJ Drama & Dr. Ben Chavis, the Co-Chairman of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network.

I got the chance to talk to MC Lyte, one of the pioneers of hip hop as we know it today. She is a really smart & cool lady, to whom I have dedicated the theme music of the blog.
I asked the question:

What advice would you give to young women who are going out into the workforce and into the real world in general & have goals and dreams that they want to accomplish???



















& of course I hit up the RED CARPET :-)

Oregon Unfair in KO Suspension

I do not think that LeGarrette Blount should have lost his ENTIRE senior season just for punching Byron Hout in the game. Despite his previous problems off the field & his actions after the altercation, he should not have been suspended just for the punch, when there are so many other issues in college football & sports in general.

First of all, I do not condone violence in any form @ any time. However, being a former athlete, I understand the craziness that goes on in a game, from the trash-talking to fights to technical fouls or flags. Athletes are in a very volatile state when they are on the playing field, and the slightest thing can tick you off, especially if you are losing.

I understand that the guy from Oregon was talking junk all week about the game and the Boise State players knew about it. I also understand where the Boise State player was coming from in the fact that he wanted to let the other player know who's house it was.

I agree that the Oregon player should have been the bigger man and not retalitated to the comments that the other player was making. However, & this is the BIG "HOWEVER", I do feel like the Boise State player should have used "self control" as well and not thrown salt in the open wound that was the 19-8 loss. We will probably never know exactly what was said by either player, but all I have to say is that if he would not have said WHATEVER he said, he would not have set off the fuse that led to him getting knocked out.

Also, I feel that this is not a race issue but an issue of the meaning and perception of race. I can't help but think that the penalty would have been lighter if he had punched a black player...SORRY :-(

I Finally See What Beyonce' Sees in Jay-Z

One of life's unanswered questions to me has always been:

Why did Beyonce' marry Jay-Z???

I know that you are "supposed" to marry someone for love and not looks. However, I always wondered what great things the Shawn Carter offered personally, because I have never met. I am a fan of Jay-Z's music, but I never thought of him as FINE.

When he appeared on "Real Time with Bill Maher" on August 28th, he opened my eyes to a whole different side of him. This man who was interviewed , apart from the legendary rapper that I knew, was funny, intelligent, and clever. He made me see him in a completely different light. He was able to make funny jokes & still keep some sort of responsibility to the culture of hip hop.

He made some very intelligent points about the history of hip hop & where it is going, the exploitation of the east coast-west coast rivalry, and music in general. He made a very valid point about how hip hop went from artistic competition to a egotistic and exploitable mess. I agree that it has taken a negative turn because of how people view it as a way to make money as opposed to a form of expression. He said that he has had 10 #1 albums and NO #1 songs because his body of work is better, which is true when you think about the Soulja Boy's of the world have a hit song but that is the only good song on the record.

My favorite part of the interview was when Bill Maher said, "The king of rock & roll is Elvis Presley...the king of pop is Michael Jackson, & the king of hip hop is...". Jay-z cleverly gave the answer, "I guess I need some life insurance." LOL

Jay-Z is one of the greatest...& Blueprint 3 is a GREAT album...go get it NOW!!!!!

Trey Songz is "Ready" for the BIG Time Now...

Trey Songz has arrived!!!!!

After several successful mixtapes were released by the Virginia native, "Ready" is probably his best work on an actual album.

I happen to LOVE him now that he cut his hair, & I must admit that I was suprisingly satisfied with the "Anticipation" mixtape, and the name served its purpose, because I thoroughly anticipated his new release.

I figured that this one would bring the same sexually-charged yet mature tracks as the mixtape, and I was not robbed of that particular content. However, there are some other songs that are worth a listen. Many of the titles speak for themselves.

Immediately, I was hit with "This right here's a panty dropper", from the song of the same name. It is a good intro for the album and if the last line of the song is any indication, someone will "be making babies tonight". The next song, "Neighbors Know My Name", is a slow groove that implies exactly what the title suggests. Songz describes a passionate night where his "female friend" screams his name so loud that the neighbors can here. The same can be said about "I Invented Sex", which features singer/rapper Drake, and Songz makes some pretty blunt remarks about his "skills"...LOL.

The official first single from the album, "I Need A Girl" is creeping up the charts and tells what knid of woman that he is looking for and how he wants a serious monogomous relationship. Also, "One Love" is another more mature song in which he tells a woman that he thinks that she is the one.

Perhaps my favorite song from the album is "Does He Do It", a mid-tempo track where he asks if your man can do it like him. Again, this is one track that shows his confidence about his capabilities in the bedroom. I just love the way that he describes the way that he can love you and then basically says that your man ain't loving you right.

"Say Ahh" is a club-banger type of song that descibes a night at the club and how he tries to get a girl home. "LOL :-)" is not my favorite song from the album, because it features Souljah Boi & Gucci Mane...but anyways the song is catchy after all. Even though I wouldn't want to send any sexy pics through Twitter...now that needs an LOL :-)

"Ready To Make Luv" is sort of like an intro to "Jupiter Love", in which he compares his love experience to that of the largest planet. "Be Where You Are" is a suprising song to me because it is an up-beat dance song but I like how he describes how his dream woman would prepare to go out. "Successful" is the Drake song that he was featured on...it is a haunting beat that carries a deep message of their wants and needs.

"Black Roses" is another one of my favorites, and it was a BIG suprise for me that it was a rock-inspired song with deep lyrics about a break-up. I would hate to get black roses from a guy because that means that the love is "DEAD" :( "Love Lost" reminds me of Michael Jackson's "Human Nature", and he talks about how much ot hurts to not his love in his life anymore and how he took it for granted. Kudos for the Aerosmith reference of their hit, "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing".

Overall, I think that this is his best album to date, but I have heard some people say that his mixtapes were better. I think that they were too, but if you wanna go by just albums that were released, this is his best. I hope that the excitement for the record shows in the album sales because he deserves his spot in the forefront of R&B music. I enjoyed it & I will be buying it for my car :)