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Monday, December 19, 2005

My Skins SMACKED OUT the Cowgirls. What a way to begin the week! We needed that win like fish need water. I was hoping for a BLOW OUT, but I'll settle for a SMACK OUT (so nice I had to say it twice).

Now, on to the not so good. I'll just go ahead and admit it. This comes from my "I'm Not Being Nice" file. There is nothing nice about what I am about to say, and I was taught that if you don't have anything nice to say, to not say anything at all. But I just can't help this one. It has bothered me for a while and now I have a blog to get this mess off of my chest. Is It Me, or is this child just not cute? Note: I'm for damn sure NOT talking about T.I.

Pic courtesy of Cake&Ice-cream

Girlfriend must have some goooooood puddin' or she must have one of the nicest personalities this side of the Mason-Dixon line! I find that hard to believe, however, because she never smiles and always has the "Bitch don't fuck with me or my man" grill on when she takes pictures with him. Isn't the ATL supposed to be known for having some of the finest women? Well what in the hell happened here?

Yeah, you can go ahead and call it hate or whatever you want to call it. She underscores my point to color-struck negroes who just love them some light skin- Just because someone is light, bright, and damn near white, it doesn't mean that they are attractive.

D- Said It@ :: 2:06 PM :: 0 Said Something About It

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Sunday, December 18, 2005

Kelis: There Just May be Hope for a Sista

This is a follow-up to my previous post on Kelis. I always want to give credit when credit is due. I found a site that has a beautiful picture of Kelis. Check it out. You can also check the site out by clicking the pic.

She looks beautiful, sexy, and put together. Now that's more like it!!! I hope that this is a glimpse of what we can expect from her in the future with this new album and all. We'll just have to hope for the best and wait and see.

D- Said It@ :: 5:43 PM :: 0 Said Something About It

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Friday, December 16, 2005

DC Shine 12/16

Courtesy CakeandIce-cream

I figured that this may help other stragglers like me get in the spirit. If I wasn't engaged, Jada could be my Santa Baby. Happy Holidays, everyone!

DOUBLE POST

Happy Friday! I live for the weekend, so I am glad that it is almost here. Today is a good day to celebrate the place of one's birth, so I thought that I would give my hometown, Washington, DC, a little love. Chocolate City has produced many talented individuals. My new Friday list is going to give shine to some of the city's most famous and talented. It should be noted that this list includes a few people who were raised but not born in DC. I bet you will see a few on the list that you didn't even know were from DC.

Let's see. First up we have the beautiful and talented Taraji Henson representing the Sowfside, that's SE for all of you out-of-towners. She recently starred as the lead of Common's video, Testify. As a matter of fact, I read a rumor today that says that she is dating him. Interesting! Cute couple if it's true.

Also holding it down for Sowfeese is Regina Hall. Remember her as Candy in The Best Man? She is very talented and I would love to see her in a role that gives her a little bit of range.

Clifton Powell also represents for SE, although a website lists him as being from Yonkers, NY. He himself has said that he is from DC, so I don't know what's up with that.

I think everyone knows that Dave Chapelle is from DC. Dave and I both attended the Duke Ellington School of the Performing Arts as Theater majors. He's a graduate. I transferred to Wilson my junior year, so I am not.

Wrapping up my list for today is one of my top three male soul singers, the often imitated but never duplicated late great Marvin Gaye. Words can't really describe how great of an artist he is (I believe people live on through their music).

Next Friday, I'll give y'all five more.

D- Said It@ :: 10:24 AM :: 0 Said Something About It

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Thursday, December 15, 2005

Is it Really almost Christmas?!?!

Okay. Where in the hell have I been? Why are there only 10 days left until Christmas?!?! In my mind, Thanksgiving was just last week. And although I don't plan to do much shopping, I haven't done any yet so I guess I'll be in the stores this weekend.

This morning on my way to work, I heard one of my all time favorite songs, Everlasting Love. I absolutely L-O-V-E me some Chaka Khan, and when she was with Rufus it definitely was on. She is one of my top 5 favorite female vocalists. But, what in the hell happened to my Chaka? Take a look see...



Okay, we all know that Chaka was hurting 'em back in the day. Yeah, if back then was today, she would have been giving Beyonce' and any of them a run for their $$$. But what in the hell has happened over the years?



I'm so glad my Chaka can saang and was fortunate enough to lay the foundation of her career in the 70s and 80s when it was all about the music and not so much about looks. She is still a beautiful woman, but she definitely needs a makeover. I still love you, though Chaka - clown makeup and all.

D- Said It@ :: 8:21 AM :: 0 Said Something About It

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Tuesday, December 13, 2005

All My Chil'ren

Well...I got my wish. We did get a snow day on Friday. However, I was hit with a bad cold and a horrible case of tonsilitis and that is why I haven't posted in a couple of days. And to top it off, of course I didn't take any days off. I don't teach at a school where calling in sick is cool, so I have learned to act like I'm in the NFL and play with pain.

I want to send much love out to Fresh. She linked one of my posts on her page and now people actually know that I am alive. :0)

I found a pic on the net that just reiterates my point about Kelly and The Chil'ren. In case you missed the latest award she received, go here. Compare the look on Kelly's face to the look on Michelle's. Too funny!

D- Said It@ :: 7:22 AM :: 0 Said Something About It

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Thursday, December 08, 2005

Grammy Nominations: WTF?

I'm starting to get excited. I am actually learning how to make my blog look the way that I want it to look! If anyone visited my blog when I first started it, you can see that I have come a long way!

I am not going to post too much today. I have lots of work to do. The weather man has forecasted snow for our area, so you know that I am praying. I need a snow day! My students and I work very hard and we need one more long weekend. So keep your fingers crossed.

DOUBLE POST

Okay. So I am visiting one of my favorite blogs and there is a post about today's Grammy nominations. I just have one question. Why in the world is Beyonce' nominated for an award as a solo artist?!?! You don't believe me check it out for yourself. See that's not cool. I really like Beyonce' as an artist, but this nomination makes it look like there is some type of C-O-N-spricacy going on. And they have the nerve to nominate her for the song she sings on her perfume commercial!!! Come on, man. Then they need to nominate MJB for her rendition of Best of My Love from the Gap commercials. I just needed to get that off my chest.

D- Said It@ :: 11:27 AM :: 2 Said Something About It

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Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Kelis: Girlfriend, You MUST Do Better!!!

DISCLAIMER: The following may appear to be hate, but it's not. It truly comes out of a place of concern for a fellow sister. It is important to remember that at some point in our lives we all fall down and can get back up, but sometimes we need a sisterfriend to pull us up. From the way the sister below has been looking, she must not have a friend to offer a Pull Up, so I am playing surrogate girl to let her know GIRLFRIEND, YOU MUST DO BETTER! (although we know that the likelihood of her reading this is slim to none, so I am wishing her the message). lol

Now, I have heard about women getting comfortable and falling off a little bit once they are in a long term committed relationship or married. But, DAMN!!! What in the HELL has happened to Kelis?!?! She is a beautiful girl naturally, but she has taken Miggady Mess to the next level as of late. Check out Exhibits A - C.

Exhibit A

Now this is a crying shame. What was she thinking? First of all, unless your cup size is an "A", you MUST wear a bra. Women out here who know they need a bra but still let their ninnies hang down low kill me. Kelis even suffers from a problem that many women do. Her left breast is bigger, thus a little droopier than the right one. She DEFINITELY needs a bra. Sh*t like this is for when you and your man are in the house! And we won't even go into the fact that the leather corset in no way, form, or fashion goes with that necklace. Last, but not least, is girlfriend's hair. Why must her hair look like a clown wig without the rainbow colors? Now I am all for the natural, curly look. Lord knows in the summer that look gets a sista through. However, one must avoid the Tia and Tamara Mowry Sister, Sister look at all costs (for a refresher on what the twins used to look like go here). Not to mention, the bleached blonde on the top is screaming damaged. This is just a travesty and girlfriend just must do better.

Exhibit B

Are those my Nana's Easter drapes?!?! What in the hell is Kelis wearing?!?! You can not tell me that sh*t does not look like somebody was trying to badly recreate a Gordon Gartrelle (I know you remember that episode.) What is that green strap? Just too many questions! This look screams I GOT THE MAN AND I JUST DON'T GIVE A F*CK ANYMORE. Once again, girlfriend needs to do better.

Exhibit C

This is the most recent photo of the three and the least troubling. However, there is still a problem. This was taken at the VH1 Big in '05 Awards (and why was she there because her last hit was in '03, but I digress). Please cut it out with the corsets! And the skirt is just inappropriate and hoochie! She is a married woman now. No one is saying that she can't dress sexy anymore, but skank must now be reserved for the bedroom only. The necklace, handbag, and lipstick aren't that bad. But, they would have looked much, much better with another outfit. Of course, I hate the hair, but it's still much better than some of the other looks that she has tried to pull off. Will someone get a stylist to help this girlfriend do better?!?!

UPDATE: I am glad to know that I am not the only one, check this out.

D- Said It@ :: 1:11 AM :: 7 Said Something About It

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Monday, December 05, 2005

She Won't Deny It, She's a Straight Rider...

Last night, my aunt and I got into a long conversation about Gayle King, Oprah's best friend and Editor-in-Chief of O Magazine. Damn I wish my best friend was one of three black billionares in America. Do you guys remember when she had a talk show?? Poor thing! She, nor Oprah, could make the show work.

Our conversation lead us to a new invention, The I'm Ridin' for My Girl All the Way to The Bank Award. Of course, Gayle is the first recipient. Look at her in the pic above. She is cheesin' hard as she steps out of the chauffered SUV carrying shopping bags with expensive treats. Life is good for Ms. Gayle and she dare not bite the hand that feeds her.

The second recipient is one of the original Chil'ren, Miss Kelly Roland...

With the exception of Beyonce', (who doesn't count anyway because it has always been her group) Kelly is the only original member of Destiny's Child. Remember how she was never grouped with those other chicks. When they alleged that they weren't getting paid, Kelly started looking at them like they were crazy because she was all good. She sticks by her girl's side like white on rice and as we can see, it has paid off well for her. Doesn't she look beautiful in this picture? I hate to admit it, but as my Granny would say what a difference some hair makes.

Can you all think of a few more ladies that should be added to this list?

D- Said It@ :: 2:32 PM :: 1 Said Something About It

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Thursday, December 01, 2005

Am I Still Ready 2 Die?

I love music. I don't even know if love is a strong enough word for how I feel about it. I cannot imagine my life without it. Music is me. I feel like there is a song for every day of my life. Music helps me to survive. It is my soul. It motivates me. It sustains me. It soothes me. It heals me. I come from a family of music lovers. My grandfather was a saxophone player. Three of my five uncles were DJs in the 80s. One of my great uncles was even a member of KC and the Sunshine Band. Love of music is in my blood and in my bones. After a love of reading and learning, I think it is the best gift that my family has ever given me. I know all of this sounds so dramatic, but it's that deep for me and has always been this way. Even as a child, I would rather listen to my radio/tape player than watch TV.

I have always thought that I was lucky because I was born in 1979, the year Hip Hop left the parks and parties of NYC and hit airwaves and record stores everywhere with the release of "Rapper's Delight." And although true hip hop heads will tell you that "Rapper's Delight" isn't a true representation of what real hip hop was back then, I thank God for it because without it that sound may have never come all the way down 95 to North East DC where I grew up. I already told you that I love music in general, but hip hop is like my first love. My love of other genres of music grew out of and with my love for hip hop. It seems that everywhere I go I hear people talking about the present state of hip hop. I too have really been thinking about the state of hip hop lately and how it relates to my life as a thinking, grown woman.

Over the past month, I have only been listening to hip hop created before the year 2000, with the exception of Flo'Ology (which some call Neo-soul, but it's all hip hop to me). I decided that I needed to listen to things that I listened to when I was at a different maturity level to see if I still feel the same as I felt when I listened back in the day. I have had Biggie Ready to Die, Eric B. & Rakim Paid in Full, A Tribe Called Quest Low End Theory, NWA Niggaz4Life, Salt & Pepa Hot, Cool, Vicious, Jay-Z Reasonable Doubt, and Mary J. Blige My Life on rotation. Here is how I feel about the Notorious B.I.G.'s first album today vs. how I felt when the album first came out.

Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die (shout out to Eskay over at Nah Right for the wonderful XXL article on the making of Ready to Die)

This album is still my sh*t!!! It's a classic-Period. I was in the 11th grade when this first dropped. There was a Wiz (that was a record store for you youngsters) right across the street from my highschool, so you know it was on and poppin' whenever something new and hot came out. I still remember paying $8.64 with tax for the tape. Those were the days! Anyway, when I listen to it today, I still love it. Some of the violence, glorification of selling drugs, and misogyny stands out to me more today, but the pure artistry of the album kinda overshadows those things for me. Aight...

1. Things Done Changed - I would listen to it in its entirety when I was younger. Now, I still like it. But, I skip over it because I like the next song better.

2. Gimme the Loot - Very violent imagery! I mean Big talks about robbing pregnant women! But the song is so creative. Big is so thorough as an MC that he is able to make it seem like a conversation between co-conspirators, but it is all just him. He is clever, his delivery is impeccable, and his words perfectly paint the picture of the mentality of someone who is on a paper chase by any means. Classic! Although the song promotes violence, you can't hate but so much because of the artistry. Back in the day, my favorite line was Goodness gracious the papers/ Where the cash at? /Where the stash at?/ Nigga pass that! It remains my favorite line from the song.

3. Warning - Still bangin'! I remember this being played at my cousin's Memorial Day Cookout in '95. It rained that year so the party had to be relocated to the basement. My sister came downstairs and turned the music down for some reason and heads got heated. This was definitely a banger when it was out and it still is. From the first drop of the beat, the song is on. I think the lyrics from this song are some of the most memorable from the album. Big is a great storyteller and this was the world's first glimpse at just how good he was at it.

4. Ready to Die - Title track. I used to skip this one when I was younger. It wasn't my cup of tea. I always liked the part of the chorus that samples Mary from What's the 411?, though. As an adult, it's a bit too violent for me, and the lines aren't catchy enough to make me want to ignore everything else. So..I still push next. I should note that Jubb (my fiance') loves it and gets pissed when I don't want to hear it.

5. One More Chance - My bestfriend and I used to love this one. We would sing the chorus all of the time. I always thought that the messages in the beginning were funny because they seemed so real (remember I was in highschool when this first came out). As an adult, I think that the beginning of the song is unneccesary and sad. I hate that they used a little child to say that horrible message. People think that sh*t is cute when the child is little but want to knock their heads off when they say the same thing when they are 10 years old. And the voicemails from the women are just as sad, but I guess there are women who leave messages like that out there, so it's still real to someone. I still love the beat of the song. I am a serious DeBarge fan, so the sample of All This Love was on point. My favorite verse is still the first verse. This one was so hot that the King of Remixes created not one, but two for this song. I actually like both remixes better than I like the original.

6. The What - Classic! Still great! The first part of one line screams at me now - B*tches I like them brainless/Guns I like them stainless. Of course I hate that part. I think a lot of men would agree with it, though. That's probably what bothers me the most. But the song is still on. Back in the day, I loved it. I don't think I even thought about the aforementioned line back then because Big and Meth were on this one, and I loved me some Method Man.

7. Juicy - Who in the hell would ever have something bad to say about Juicy?!?! It kind of makes me sad when I hear it now because it reminds me of how you just knew that he was going to blow when you heard this. Why did his life have to end so soon? But anyway...Of course, I still pump this one as loud as I can stand it. It's really a feel good song. Many, many memorable lines. I don't even know if I can pick my favorite.

8. Everyday Struggle - This one was my shit back in the day!! The beat is still hot. My grandmother died the July before this cd came out, so I was already in a zone. Life was hectic and I was not doing very well inside. I could really feel the chorus back then. Now, I still like it. But it feels so negative. I avoid listening to things like this now because I really think music gets in my spirit and I don't need to feel like this. That's how people end up dead or behind bars. All in all, it's still a good song, though.

9. Me & My Bitch - Puffy's little skit on this is still funny to me. As a woman, I'm kind of thinking is this supposed to be a love song? It's a bit much. I hate when men refer to their women as their bitch, but I know folks with this mentality so although I can't relate I can understand. I still let it play, but I'm not as attentive as I am when other songs are on. The part when the girl is like Ain't no jokes is funny, however.

10. Big Poppa - This was my favorite song on this cd even before they released it as a single. I just love the beat to Between the Sheets. It's so smooth, and so is Big's flow on this one. Again, full of classic lines. I'm still lovin' it.

11. Respect - What in the hell ever happened to Diana King? No one ever heard from her after the horrible Shy Guy. I still like this one, too.

12. Unbelieveable - All I have to say is Primo & Big - ridiculous!! Again, who in the hell would say something bad about Unbelieveable?!?! The beat is just sick!! Big's flow-crazy! He told y'all already- Biggie Smalls is the illest! From the very first line, Big is murdering. Classic!

13. Suicidal Thoughts - I always skipped this one and I still have to skip it most of the time. It's just too much. It's too raw. It hurts to know that people really think like this. I am sure that Big didn't feel this way or he never would have become who he became. But, there are so many people who feel this way about themselves and life in general. I am sure that this was very powerful for them. This is just an example of how the word rapper is just inappropriate when it comes to describing The Notorious B.I.G. Big was so much more than just a rapper. Chingy is a rapper. N.O.R.E. is a rapper. Big was an artist and this song shows you why the term rapper falls short. And when you read the article in XXL about how he was so committed to truly painting this picture, it just reiterates that.

D- Said It@ :: 11:36 PM :: 0 Said Something About It

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OK Houston, We Have a Problem!

My Pentium at home crashed. So I am now using my work IMAC and the pages on Blogger don't load the same. It doesn't give people like me, who don't really know HTML, the cheat features. So this will look nice and plain until I get a chance to get to a Pentium. I haven't posted in a while. My weeks vacation was cool and I spent time with the people that I rarely get to see or talk to anymore. Thanksgiving was cool and very laid back. There are many, many things to be thankful for, so it was all good.

I really want to write in this blog more often, so I am planning to make sure that I post at least three times a week. I have given up on writing exciting, entertaining entries for others to read. I have decided that I will just write like I am the only person who will see this (well to a certain degree) because it looks like I am the only person who is seeing this. But anyway, I think that I was caught up in the blog hype for a minute, but I am refocused now.

D- Said It@ :: 12:22 AM :: 0 Said Something About It

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