Lady T

I'm not back from my blogging break yet but I woke to the sad news this morning that R&B songstress Teena Marie died yesterday at just 54 years-old. What an incredible loss. Teena Marie was a unique and powerful presence in music. But she has left behind her legacy of amazing music for us to enjoy.

Lady T will definitely be missed.











Read more about Teena Marie here

Hitting the road and Brandy was robbed!

My fiancee and I are going to be taking a nice and well deserved vacation. We are going to do a little traveling! We are going by train and as some of you know I love traveling by train, even Amtrak.

Yippee!

My fiancee isn't as enthusiastic about trains as I am but I'm going to make sure she has a wonderful time so she'll begin to love train travel as much as I do so that we can do this again and again. (keeping my fingers crossed)

So I will be taking a break from blogging for a bit. 

I don't celebrate Thanksgiving but I'd like to wish those of you who do and everyone else a warm and safe holiday filled with love and good times!

But before I go.

Brandy (Norwood) was voted off ABC's Dancing With The Stars last night. What a travesty! I wasn't an avid watcher of the show but I saw enough to know that what's-her-name Palin, Sarah's daughter, was not a better dancer than Brandy. In fact Brandy was about 100x better. But there was a conspiracy, apparently the Tea Party set up a website to show Tea Party people how to vote for what's-her-name. And looks like it worked. This show is a sham. Last time Mya lost to some dude named Donny Osmond and now this?!

That's it for now, talk with you soon.

Photo de Jour: Same ish, different year

This photo of a Black man was taken in 1935 but it could have been taken today as the unemployment rate for African Americans remains at twice that of the general population.

Some things just never change.

Japanese electronics company Toshiba thinks women are bitches and hoes

T-Pain/ Toshiba TV commercial

Have you heard that rapper T-Pain, real name Faheem Rasheed Najm, now has an endorsement deal with Japanese Electronics company Toshiba? That's right, the rapper, whose lyrics are below, is now representing a supposedly reputable Japanese electronics company. The T-Pain/ Toshiba TV spot can be seen above.

Lyrics from T-Pain's song Mr. Downtown

Bust it open. Ca-ca-call call me Inspector gadget go-go dick.
Up and down on the hoe, like a pogo stick.
Go stupid, retarded but don't go sick.
Don't put me on the couch like its 106.
(gasp!) now its hard to breath.
if i fuck her on the floor I can call it shag carpeting. (get it?)
and shes a freaky thing. if i ever wrote song about her it'll be hard to sing.
she got my, tongue tied ima give her the noose.
triple cider apple phone. gotta bitch gettin loose.

It seems to me that Toshiba is saying loud and clear that they are no longer interested in having women as their customers. What else can one think when a company hires a man to represent them who makes his living referring to women as bitches and hoes?

I won't ever be buying any Toshiba products. I don't do business with companies that hire misogynists to represent them. Nor with companies that think that women are bitches and hoes as Toshiba obviously does.

Sometimes there is a price to pay for your associations. Maybe not a big price, losing one customer for a lifetime, but a price none-the-less.

Verses by Val - Kick and Punch and Fight

Kick and Punch and Fight by Val

Being depressed is like being in a box
Everything is dark and still and tight
There's no air
The only way out is to kick and punch and fight

But the harder you kick and punch and fight the smaller the box becomes

That's when you realize that you have to breathe
You have to relax
You have to visualize your freedom

Then you feel the box fall away
You see the light
You feel the rush of fresh air

It's gone again
For now

I'll be ready the next time
I'll remember to breathe
To relax

But I'm sure I'll kick and punch and fight

Flashback Friday: Donell Jones featuring Left Eye - U Know What's Up

People always seem to forget Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes when discussing the greatest rappers of all-time. She has one of the best flows ever. She definitely makes this song.

Beautifulness: AK in Vogue Italia

Here is a shoot Alicia Keys did for the November Vogue Italia magazine. I love these shots they're very unique. And Alicia looks astoundingly beautiful as always!

I like this shot the best.