Corner Boy Jazz

I Was Mentioned in Best Music Writing 2011!

2012-01-08T08:46:00.000-08:00

My article on Wyclef running for president was listed in the "Notable Writing" section of The Best Music Writing 2011. Imagine that! I'm flipping through the book at B & N and bam, there's my name! Anyway, the list was also included in the Village Voice. I feel so honored.

Freedom: Short Stories

2011-11-10T20:57:00.000-08:00

Writer Mohammed Naseehu Ali put me on to this great collection. Some real good writers in it.

My National Book Award Winner Prediction

2011-10-30T20:43:00.000-07:00

Haven't read it yet, but I know it's about Hurricane Katrina and a poor family and a litter of prized pitbulls. You heard it here first.

Hip-Hop SAT Assimilation

2011-10-30T20:36:00.000-07:00

assimilation (n.) - the process of receiving new facts or of responding to new situations in conformity with what is already available to consciousness

"It's almost methodical, education is false assimilation..."
--Ras Kass, "Ordo Ab Chao" 1996

More Hip-Hop SAT

Rich People/Poor People

2011-10-15T22:23:00.000-07:00

Poor People Question: What are you wearing?
Rich People Question: Who are you wearing?

I'm Introducing Mohammed Naseehu Ali

2011-10-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

Hey Everybody,

This Friday, October 14th I'm introducing Ghanean writer Mohammed Naseehu Ali (The New Yorker, the New York Times, Essence) at KGB Bar in the village (85 E. 4th St). What am I gonna say?

Hip-Hop Thought of the Day #4

2011-09-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

"It's absolutely silly and unproductive to have a funeral for the word 'nigga' when the actions continue"
-Abiodun Oyewole of The Last Poets on Nas's "Project Roach"

Hip-Hop Thought of the Day #3

2011-09-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

"Yo check her, she the nectar the bee gets close to"
Mos Def from Black Star's "Brown Skin Lady"

Hip-Hop Thoughts of the Day

Soul/Hip-Hop Thought of the Day #2

2011-08-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

"No you won't naming no buildings after me to go down dilapidated."
Erykah Badu, "A.D. 2000"

Memory of Love...Aminatta Forna

2011-08-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

Representing my Sierra Leonean people. Winner of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. Check it out.

Sooo True...

2011-08-17T23:46:00.000-07:00

In the words of Lindsay's cousin, Dr. Strachan..."Chuck E. Cheese's is a casino". Think about it. The tokens are chips, the games are slots...lol.

Hip-Hop Thought of the Day (#1)

2011-08-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

They tryin to blame this rap shit for all of our ills
Like I can stick you up with a mic
Like I can rape you with a verse or use a verb as a knife
Like before Kool Herc, everything was alright
Like y'all wasn't callin black women hoes befo' "Rappers Delight"
Sheeeit~! That's just idiot talk, this whole shit is a farce
I refuse to be hip-hop's pallbearer
Had to tell my son cut that bullshit off
Them ain't videos nigga, that's psychological warfare
-Phonte, Little Brother

Gun Hill Road

2011-08-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

You should see Gun Hill Road. I saw it. It was good.

Hip-Hop SAT Word #3 Synthesize

2011-08-05T21:36:00.000-07:00

synthesize v. to combine (a number of things) into a coherent whole.

"Marley Marl synthesized it, I memorize it/ Eric B. made a cut, then advertised it."

--Rakim, "My Melody"

Hip-Hop SAT

Epiphany Reading

2011-08-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

I'm reading my short story "Dangerous Deliveries" Tuesday evening at a cafe in the village!

Poets and Fiction Writers mix it up at the Writers Read Summer Reading on Tuesday August 9th , 2011

WHO : ELINOR NAUEN (poet) author of So Late into the Night, a book-length poem from Rain Mountain Press (spring 2011) ,

Cars and Other Poems and American Guys as well as Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend: Women writers on baseball, Ladies, Start Your Engines: Women writers on cars and the road and the upcoming My Marriage A to Z: a big city romance (Dec. 2011)

Stephanie Dickinson, (fiction) publisher and editor of SkidRow Penthouse (with Rob Cook) and author of Half Girl, winner of the Hackney Prize for best unpublished novel - available in limited edition from Spuyten Duvyil.

Gene Albertelli (fiction) docent at the Brooklyn Museum, avid marathon runner who is at work on a collection of short stories.

Sidik Fofana (fiction) writes on Hip Hop and cultural politics for Source Magazine and okayplayer.com. His blog is www.cornerboyjazz.blogspot.com and he is currently at work on a collection of short stories.

Lizabeth Kingsley (poet) teaches poetry and fiction at NYC's Writers Studio, where she is also Administrative Director. Her work has appeared in the William and Mary Review and New Jersey Family Magazine

WHAT: A reading of original fiction and poetry

WHERE: Downstairs at The Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, NYC 212-989-9319 $7 cover includes one drink

SUBWAYS : WEST 4TH STREET STOP FOR B,D,V,F, C, E & A TRAINS

WHEN: Tuesday, August 9th at 6pm

White Girl With Crazy Flow

2011-08-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

Didn't know white girls could flow like this...

The Prep School Negro

2011-07-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

What happens when a 14-year old boy from the ghettos of Philadelphia gets a scholarship to a prestigious private school? A documentary years later...

Always Wondered... Question #2

2011-06-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

What language do the deaf think in?

Always Wondered...

The Deektionary Word #2 Thiefstorm

2011-06-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

thiefstorm (n.) the immediate group of people one automatically accuses of stealing something. (Derived from the English thief and brainstorm).

Example Sentence: When the college girl lost her cell phone at the house party, the black guy with the hoody was the first person in her thiefstorm.

The Deektionary

Lauryn Hill Covers Bob Marley's "Could You Be Loved"

2011-06-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

Cannot deny this...

Always Wondered Question #1

2011-05-25T12:14:00.001-07:00

What percent of insects die violently?

Michael Jordan vs. Kobe Bryant

2011-05-08T18:38:00.000-07:00

Just how I'm feeling...

Barack Obama Roasts Donald Trump

2011-05-02T18:32:00.000-07:00

Get at him, Barack!

Training for Gods

2011-04-25T16:27:00.000-07:00

You are in the third day of the God Workshop and already The Almighty is giving the class a pop quiz. You kinda half-assed the first couple of days, nodding off during the Powerpoint and drawing nude
cartoons in your notebook. You never wanted to be a god. You just died six months ago. You just figured you’d tried something new, so you got a copy of the White Clouds, and saw the listing for divinity training. But now, you’re thinking to yourself, “I paid three hundred dollars for this seminar, they should be giving me content. I shouldn’t regurgitating information from the first two days.” You look at your test sheet. It is a quiz on prayers. You know very little about this topic because that was
the point of the lecture when drool was dropping from your chin.

You read the first question: “If a seventeen year old earnestly prays to get laid, you answer that prayer…a) immediately b) never c) in conjunction with a matching seventeen year girl who is wishing the same thing d) on a case by case basis.” You narrow it down between C and D, but then miraculously remember that you were actually semi-awake when The Almighty was breaking down the categories of prayers. But wait a minute, is praying for sex fall under a granted? Think…does this qualify as a prayer that will answer itself? Well, kinda. Most seventeen year olds pray for sex and for the majority of them, sex will happen for them regardless of prayer. Sex is the purpose of life as the Almighty demonstrated during the ice-breaker. So, it is a granted prayer, and you know never to answer those prayers because they will someday answer themselves.

Why do you humans do that? Pray for things that can happen on their own? You did the same thing as a human. Rosetta said she would come to your room at 2:00 am to help you “pack” for your road trip and crash on your bed, next to you, and you still went into the bathroom and prayed that this would be the night.

Anyway, the first question jogs your memory. You remember that the opposite of granteds are zeros. Prayers that have absolutely no chance of happening. Like a grown ass corporate lawyer praying for his childhood days at Quinnipiac Lake to come back. Humans know the rules. They can’t go back in time to skinny dip in some random body of water that they visited in the 70’s. Zeros are like granteds; they never get answers. Which leaves the only coinies. Coinies are situations that can be arbitrarily decided…like with a coin toss. That helps you answer the question about someone praying to recover from a disease. That one’s easy: you use your discretion and choose whether or not you want to answer that or you just go heads, tails.

You guess on the next couple of questions, then you get to number ten. It reads, “A vagabond goes to a food pantry and is given a bottle of Poland Spring water, but wishes that it was a bottle of Jack Daniels. How do you answer that prayer?” You are sweating because you don’t want to fail and waste your 300 smackaroos. So you have to think of something fast. There, you’ve thought of it. Humans cheat, so can gods. You ask the student to your right what the answer to number ten is.

He huffs and puffs, but finally says, “That is a miracle prayer, dummy. The rule with miracle prayers is that if a god has performed the miracle before, it need not be done again because said god proved that it could happen and that’s all that matters. Water has been turned into wine before—a guy by the name of 'Jesus'. Ring a bell? Don’t ask me for any more answers.” He covers his paper with his elbow and shrinks away from you.

The Almighty signals every one to put their pencils down. The last question may have gotten you six out of ten. Although you are on the brink of failing, you turn your paper in, leave class early, and convince yourself that the greater lesson is that gods are not perfect anyway.

-Sidik Fofana

Really Cute Short Film

2011-04-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

Was at a screening for Rooftop Films in Park Slope, Brooklyn and saw this awesomely done film. It's called Bike Race directed Tom Shroeder and it's essentially about a debate to determine the greatest bicyclist of all time...and a love triangle. Check it out...

Hip-Hop SAT #2

2011-04-16T06:48:00.000-07:00

purgatory n. (in Roman Catholic doctrine) A place or state of suffering inhabited by the souls of sinners who are expiating their sins before going to heaven.

"Method for all--suckers I maul, they fall and crawl/ Into a pit of purgatory" -- Guru, Words I Manifest (Remix)

Hip-Hop Sat

Serena Williams Commercial

2011-04-05T20:23:00.001-07:00

I think I know the marketing aim on this one.

Lupe Fiasco with Tavis Smiley

2011-03-29T03:07:00.000-07:00

Enlightening to say the least.

Beat by Ev.

2011-03-29T03:03:00.000-07:00

Simply hot.

Sly Riddim by Ev.

Ev.

Uncle Tom Article by Jesse Washington

2011-03-21T03:39:00.000-07:00

On point.

‘Uncle Tom’ remark exposes pain in black community
By JESSE WASHINGTON/AP National Writer

     Jalen Rose grew up poor in Detroit, the son of single mom and an NBA player he never met. He helped transform basketball culture as a member of Michigan's iconic Fab Five team, then earned more than $100 million as a pro baller.

     Grant Hill came up wealthy in the D.C. suburbs, the child of an NFL running back married to a corporate consultant. He helped establish Duke University as a paragon of success and virtue in college basketball, then overcame terrible injuries to enjoy a long NBA career.

     So which one is the "authentic" black man?

     The question may seem irrelevant. But when Rose said that he considered black Duke players like Hill "Uncle Toms" when he was a teenager, he exposed a sensitive and longstanding issue for many African-Americans: If blacks succeed in a white man's world, and do not conform to certain assumptions of how blacks should act, are they less black?

     Rose's comment — aired Tuesday in an ESPN documentary Rose produced on the five black Michigan freshmen who rode their wave of talent, hip-hop style and trash talk to the 1992 championship game — inspired to a response from Hill on The New York Times website. Hill's riposte spent several days atop the Times' most-emailed list, and more than 96,000 people shared it on Facebook, stoking a free-wheeling debate on the Web and in print over which basketball star had the better point.

     "I hated everything I felt Duke stood for," Rose said in the documentary, describing his feelings as a 17-year-old high schooler. "Schools like Duke didn't recruit players like me. I felt like they only recruited black players that were Uncle Toms."

     Hill responded that "Jalen seems to change the usual meaning of those very vitriolic words into his own meaning, i.e., blacks from two-parent, middle-class families. ... To hint that those who grew up in a household with a mother and father are somehow less black than those who did not is beyond ridiculous."

     Chandra Guinn, director of Duke's Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture, said the argument went far beyond sniping between college hoops stars from decades ago.

     "There are bigger issues here," she said. Among them: the denigration of children from single-parent homes, and adults damaging the self-esteem of black boys. Guinn also senses "a moment of revelation about black men's hurt. There's often a feeling of being 'less than.' It seemed to me that both of these men, for different reasons, have felt that way."

     Duke junior Julius Jones resents suggestions that "success somehow challenges your blackness. That if you go to school, get good grades, matriculate to an elite institution, that somehow makes you less black."

     Jones grew up in Portland, the son of an electrician and an accountant, and attended a majority white elementary school. In middle school, black kids saw Jones with white friends and told him, "You're an Uncle Tom, you don't want to be black, you talk white, you act white," Jones remembers.

     When Michigan met Hill's Duke team for the 1992 championship, the Blue Devils were the clean-cut defending champs, and started three white players. Duke crushed the Fab Five by 20 points. ("I am proud of my family. I am proud of my Duke championships and all my Duke teammates. And, I am proud I never lost a game against the Fab Five," Hill concluded his blog post, with a gentlemanly flourish of trash talk.)

     Two decades later, Duke is still known as the rare school that mixes high academic standards and graduation rates — for both black and white players — and powerhouse basketball.

     "The bottom line is this: (Duke does) recruit a certain type of player ... a lot of players from private schools," Rose observed while explaining his comments in an ESPN interview.

     Kenny Osakwe, a black Duke student, did not disagree, but suggested Duke players should not be tarred merely because they are fortunate. "I'm friendly with a lot of the team, and it's true, most of them do come from relatively affluent families," he said. "That's the culture here at Duke. And you never hear of any recruiting scandals, everything is done the right way.

     "Duke didn't have their Final Fours reneged," Osakwe said — an allusion to the games Michigan forfeited after it was revealed that some players, including Fab Five center Chris Webber, had accepted money from a Michigan booster.

     But by operating in that fashion, the school is open to claims that it is elitist — and that the players it recruits are merely black genetically.

     "Why doesn't it seem like Duke ever takes a chance on a guy from a background like Jalen's, instead of giving an opportunity to someone who was born on third base?" asked Reginald C. Dennis, a black journalist and basketball fan.

     He remembers being angered by sports columns in the late '80s and early '90s, when hip-hop was merging with sports culture, that disparaged swashbuckling players like Rose.

     "Grant was the one they liked," said Dennis, who was raised by married parents in a New York City housing project. "They always want to separate the good negro from the bad negro. Grant was used as the example."

     Dennis once owned dozens of hats featuring the names of various college teams. "I didn't have a Duke hat," he said. "I never even saw a black person with Duke anything. I wore my Michigan hat until the M fell off."

     "Black people have been saying for 20 years what Jalen Rose said. This is just the first time it was done so publicly," said Dennis. "It shocked white people who didn't know the conversation was happening."

     "That's what this is all about," agrees Ron Miller, author of "SELLOUT: Musings from Uncle Tom's Porch." "There's an ongoing discussion in the black community about what constitutes authentic blackness."

     Miller, a black conservative, describes the meaning of the term Uncle Tom as "a boot-licking apologist for white people, someone used by white people who is subservient to their whims and desires."

     He notes that although the term originated with Harriet Beecher Stowe's classic anti-slavery novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin," the book's character was a heroic figure who refused to divulge the location of escaped slaves. White minstrel shows then changed him into a lackey often played by whites in blackface, Miller said.

     He said he does not know any real-life Uncle Toms. "Most of the people I know who have had that label cast upon them are simply trying to play by the rules," Miller said.

     "Rather than trying to force an entire race to conform to a single model, we should celebrate the variety and energy that comes from people across the spectrum."

The World's Fastest Band

2011-03-10T20:37:00.001-08:00

I love this colorful commercial...

Racist Abortion Ad

2011-03-06T15:50:00.000-08:00

A colleague put me on to this atrocity. Ever notice how right-wingers love building platforms with shock tactics? As if thatsabortion.com didn't know who they would offend. It's one thing to be pro life, it's another thing to be just plain racist.

Interview with Aloe Blacc

2011-03-06T14:40:00.000-08:00

On a forum about the HBO TV show, How To Make It In America, an anonymous commenter wrote, “The star of the show ain’t even a cast member. It’s Aloe Blacc, the theme-song singer.” Okay, so I was the commenter. But the sentiment belonged to many. Meanwhile, Good Things, the third album from this reinvented Stones Throw signee, has had time to officially unpack and, of course, OKP is on the welcoming committee.

OKP: Where did you learn to sing?

Aloe Blacc: I learned it writing songs and practicing. I had a vocal trainer for about a month, who helped me learn certain ways to sing and then from there it was finding the type of sound and style that fits my voice best.

OKP: How did you support yourself while doing music at first?

AB: Before I started doing it full time in 2003, I went to school for four years at USC. When I graduated, I was working at a business firm consulting for a couple of years. By that time, I had already developed a fan base.

OKP: At USC?

AB: I had the following since high school.

OKP: Really?

AB: Instead of doing sports or playing video games, I was making music. Mixed it, mastered, manufactured it. Then we just went to the stores and sold them. We got shows on consignment.

OKP: Remarkable. What made you quit your consulting job?

AB: I was caught up in a round of lay offs. I figured I could do music for a little bit before I didn’t have any money left. I shared a house with other musicians, went off and did music.

OKP: Where was this?

AB: This was close to Downtown LA. Close to University Park. Right near USC.

OKP: And all of a sudden there’s this show How To Make It In America and you have the hot new theme song to it. How did you land that?

AB: The songs were recorded and ready to go. They contacted Stones Throw and the label sent a bunch of different stuff. They ended up choosing my song. I was excited. I felt it was a good way to launch to an audience.

OKP: So, do you prefer singing to rapping now?

AB: I’m doing both actually. I have another [all rap] album coming out shortly. I prefer singing because of the songwriting. It’s much more musically evolved. There’s a lot more melody and harmony. It’s more attractive to a larger audience. As a musician and an entertainer, I want my music to be appreciated by as many as people as possible.

Erykah Badu's "Gone Baby, Don't Be Long"

2011-02-28T04:09:00.000-08:00

You already know

Erykah Badu - Gone Baby, Don't be Long from beeple on Vimeo.

The Deekticionary Word #1 Fecsia

2011-02-19T05:31:00.000-08:00

Another new column for me. It's basically words I make up. Ever notice that there are all these phenomena out there for which there are no words? So, every time I have a feeling, thought, idea which lacks an adequate vocabulary word, I put my thinking cap on and come up with a brand new term for it.

fecsia (n.) -- the moment after a bowel movement and urination when one forgets if he or she has flushed the toilet. (Derived from the English fesces and amnesia)

Example sentence
His boss went to use the stall right after him, and he had a brief moment of fescia before he left the bathroom.

Corinne Bailey Rae: Peaceful Renditions

2011-02-11T15:52:00.000-08:00

My interview with the one and only...

In the video for her 2006 breakout hit “Put Your Records On” off her Grammy-nominated self-titled debut, Corinne Bailey Rae is bicycling through the woods on a sunny day. A red ribbon flails off one of the handles. Her tone is upbeat. Everything is irie. Fast-forward a few years to the video for “I’d Do It All Again,” the lead single to Rae’s follow-up album The Sea. All of a sudden, the British chanteuse is in all black. The bike is gone, replaced by a solemn gait, and her tone reduced to reserved optimism.

Corinne Bailey Rae is very familiar with triumph and tragedy. In 2008, She won two Grammys as a featured artist on Herbie Hancock’s River: Joni Letters and lost her husband to an accidental overdose weeks after. Although The Sea reflects that turmoil, her newest release The Love EP balances it with a batch of cheerful covers. Corinne sits with OKP and breaks down her inspiration for each track.

“I Wanna Be Your Lover” (1979) Prince.

“I never heard it the year it came out because that was the year I was born. I probably heard it sometime in the ’90s at a party. I remember thinking wow, this song is hype. It’s really thrilling. I like the playfulness of the lyrics, ‘I wanna be your father and your sister, too.’ Sexy Prince stuff. I remember hearing it out and getting into him when I went to see him play in London. I saw him play it at Abu Dhabi. It just reminds of the few times I’ve met him.”

About her own version, Corinne says “We wanted to make it a little bit trashy. We used a live drummer, where it’s not so tight. It’s a bit looser. I really wanted to bring in the live elements with that late 70’s, early 80’s production. I wanted it to be fun. I felt like my last album was really intense to record and really intense to sing night after night. This is kind of an escape from that. Sing the kind of thing I wouldn’t normally sing and be playful.”

“Low Red Moon” (1993) Belly

“It reminds me of being in an indie band. I was the lead singer and played electric guitar. My two best friends played bass and guitar, and my boyfriend at the time played drums. It just reminds me of being a teenager, doing your own thing. Your music is really simple, but people get into it. You play these songs in the club and people keep coming back. You’re building a little reputation. It just really felt homemade, winning acceptance and growing a fan base. It’s that quiet-girl, family, do- it-yourself era.”

“Is This Love” (1978) Bob Marley

“My earliest memory of this song is when my mother was cleaning the house, maybe a Sunday, and you can see all the dust particles in the air because of the light going through the windows. I remember exactly how my front room used to be set up in my parent’s house. I just remember my mother cleaning to this song off of Bob Marley’s Legend. She loved listening to Bob Marley. Now what I wanted to do with it was just appreciate the song. A lot of people think of the righteous vibe and sweet voice, but it has really gorgeous and poignant lyrics. That’s how I felt about this song. Someone has got nothing to offer you but their single bed. It’s like you’re charming, young, teenage, early twenties and you got no money. It reminded me of that phase in my life so that’s why I wanted to cover it.”

“My Love” (1973) Paul McCartney

“So the first time I heard ‘My Love’ was this year. I was invited to play at this event for Paul McCartney. He was honored at the White House. He was winning the Gershwin Award. Stevie Wonder was there. I was playing with Herbie Hancock. Dave Grohl was there and Elvis Costello, all these famed musicians. The night before, we watched some classical performers play some McCartney songs. I heard this piece played by a string quartet and I was real blown away by it. It had this soft ascending melody. I listened to it, watched it on YouTube, and saw Paul and Linda sing it together. When I was covering it, I really wanted to bring in some other influences. Stevie Wonder gave a speech where he wished him love. When I was recording this song I was really thinking about Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder, how long their relationship has lasted. I wanted to bring some Stevie elements into the song, those Stevie soulful harmonies.”

“Que Sera Sera” (1956) Doris Day

“The version of ‘Que Sera Sera’ I know is the one by Sly & The Family Stone. I love Sly Stone. He is one my favorite singers and one of my favorite performers. I just love his whole vibe and I love the fact that they were these black hippies and white soul musicians. It’s a nice mixture. That’s how I feel about my background. The band I play with is a mixture of men and women, black people and white people. That’s an important thing to us. We’re into rock music. We’re hippies who like soul music as well. Sly and the Family Stone are a massive influence to the whole band. I was playing this song in the break between the two albums when I wasn’t working. I was playing it off the radar. When we started playing live, I knew this was the song I wanted to bring into to the set. It wasn’t one of mine but I felt like it was really heavy.”

-Sidik Fofana

Hip-Hop SAT Word #1

2011-02-08T03:44:00.000-08:00

New column for me.

mercenary n. one that serves merely for wages; especially : a soldier hired into foreign service

"Lace em with lyrics that's legendary, musical mercenary/For money, I'll have these motherfuckers buried" -- Tupac, Ambitionz as a Ridah

Egypt Editorial

2011-02-02T20:11:00.000-08:00

Interesting piece from the Boston Globe...

Obama should take steps now to help speed Egypt’s transition

PRESIDENT OBAMA delivered the right message Tuesday evening when he stressed that only the Egyptian people can choose their leaders, but also said he had just told President Hosni Mubarak that “an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful, and it must begin now.’’ Since Mubarak had just told Egyptians he intended to remain in office until presidential elections are held in September, Obama’s statement was a pointed rejection of Mubarak’s stubborn stand — and a gesture of support for Egyptians who have taken to the streets to demand an end to Mubarak’s regime.

Especially after yesterday’s attacks by pro-regime forces against protesters, Washington can no longer ignore the contradiction between its longstanding partnership with Mubarak and Obama’s pledge to “stand up for democracy and the universal rights that all human beings deserve, in Egypt and around the world.’’ To show he means what he says, Obama should appoint a special envoy — or perhaps a few — to open up channels of communication with the disparate groups and factions in the Egyptian opposition.

There is no shortage of veteran diplomats and others who have contacts among the various Egyptian opposition figures and groups. The Obama administration needs to engage with them all — including the Muslim Brotherhood. One consequence of Mubarak’s silencing of nearly all political opponents is that their precise values and aims are not widely understood. Without judging the groups itself, the United States can help identify the new players in Egyptian politics and what they want.

America will not be able to determine the outcome of the current upheaval in Egypt — nor should it try. But the administration retains influence with senior military figures in Egypt who are likely to be making the key decisions about a political transition. Obama could win a modicum of trust from the new players in Egyptian politics if he can persuade the military leaders who are currently in power to immediately implement reasonable demands for reform coming from the opposition.

Obama should be ready to back two demands in particular for constitutional changes. One would eliminate the requirement that presidential candidates be members of the council of parties deemed legal by the Mubarak government. This article of the constitution prohibits both Muslim Brotherhood members and the military brass from running. The other key revision would be removal of the article that allows a president to run for an unlimited number of terms.

It will not be easy to overcome Egyptians’ mistrust of Washington for having turned a blind eye for so long to Mubarak’s police-state repression, but Americans, Egyptians, and their neighbors all stand to benefit if Obama makes that effort.

Coon Bidness Literary Magazine

2011-01-31T10:22:00.000-08:00

January 31st, 2011, 7pm
Coon Bidness Literary Magazine

Launch Party

The Kitchen

512 West 19th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues,

New York, NY 10011

Admission: FREE so ya'll can FREE your minds peoples

Deftly blending writing, art, and politics, Harlem-based literary publication Coon Bidness hosts an evening of readings, video, mash-ups, and performances by contributors to their inaugural CRITICAL ASS issue which features work by Wangechi Mutu, Michael A. Gonzales, Iona Rozeal Brown, Miles Marshall Lewis, Douglas Kearney, Marilyn Minter, L'Oreál Snell, Sanford Biggers, avery r. young, Krista Franklin and Siddhartha Mitter.

Founded and edited by writers and musicians Greg Tate and LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, Coon Bidness—named after an album by the conceptual jazz composer Julius Hemphill—hangs out dirty laundry and celebrates a renegade African cosmopolite spirit in a well-woven series of surreal short stories, Facebook threads, poems and scintillating visuals.

The evening will feature readings and performances from Xaveria Simmons, Edwin Torres, Paloma McGregor, Ataa Papa, Urayoán Noel, Lucman Brown, Quincy Troupe, Paula Henderson, Iona Rozael Brown and others.

Admission: FREE so ya'll can FREE your minds peoples

The Kitchen

512 West 19th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues,

New York, NY 10011

For more info on the magazine, go to: http://blackadelicpop.blogspot.com/2010/09/coon-bidness.html

Musiq Soulchild feat. Swizz Beats "Anything"

2011-01-27T20:08:00.000-08:00

Granted the beat of this Musiq Soulchild tune---produced by Swizz Beatz---sounds like it was sampled from either the studio ready-made accordion button or a soundtrack to some extinct Super Nintendo game, but by golly, it works. "You can ask me anything/ Who I'm with/ If it happens to be some other chick," Musiq sings. The notes are too melodious to call his bluff. But what say you? HIT or MISS?

Musiq Souldchild ft swizz Beats - 'Anything' by yaadsyndrome

The Jackson 5

2011-01-23T07:33:00.000-08:00

Was this the American Dream?

Inna Modja

2011-01-23T07:30:00.000-08:00

Me and the misses are always on the look out for cute natural people...

Life on Record by Nas

2011-01-20T19:57:00.000-08:00

Nas brings it back to the old school and breaks down the ABC's of the TDK...

Night Catches Us Trailer (Score by The Roots)

2011-01-18T03:56:00.000-08:00

They were working on a flick and asked could the clique do the score...

The quintessential Black Panther film.

The Art of S. Ross Browne

2011-01-15T06:09:00.000-08:00

This brother is bad...

See for yourself

Alicia Keys feat. Eve "Speechless" Documentary and Audio Track

2011-01-06T17:52:00.000-08:00

Fresh out of the newlywed vault, Alicia Keys' new hubbie-produced single teeters in that space where feelings go beyond words. While Alicia and Ms. E-V-E trade lulling testimonials about how love killed the poet in them, Swizz Beats gives Kanye a run for his money with his spin on this Smokey Robinson and the Miracles sample.

Also, check out this documentary video of the making of the track below:

Alicia Keys - Speechless ft. Eve by MusicAndWei

9th Wonder & David Banner "Silly" feat. Erykah Badu

2011-01-06T17:47:00.000-08:00

9th Wonder is all bifocals and blazers in the halls of academia, but give him a chance to rock over his own spacey beat and watch the big time producer's Southern twang burst out of the seams. Erykah Badu's four-word hook keeps the cipher rolling while David Banner takes crunk to the nth power with abrasive rapping that suggests that his inner pop star might need one baseball bat to the head before he's completely dead.

9th Wonder & David Banner's album, Death of a Pop Star, is in stores now.

David Banner & 9th Wonder - Silly (feat. Erykah Badu) by EssuavemeediaOnWordpress

What say you: HIT OR MISS?

Hardest Interview Questions

2011-01-02T18:59:00.000-08:00

Lifted this off a Huffington Post van...

Goldman Sachs - Analyst position
“If you were shrunk to the size of a pencil and put in a blender, how would you get out?”

Aflac - Sales Associate position
“What is the philosophy of Martial Arts?”

Boston Consulting - Consultant position
“Explain [to] me what has happened in this country during the last 10 years.”

Capital One - Operations Analyst position
“Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 how weird you are.”

Google - People Analyst position
“How many basketball[s] can you fit in this room[?]”

Bloomberg LP Financial - Software Developer position
“Out of 25 horses, pick the fastest 3 horses. In each race, only 5 horses can run at the same time. What is the minimum number of races required?”

New York Life - Sales Agent position
“Why do you think only a small percentage of the population makes over $150K?”

For the rest of them...

Happy New Year from Corner Boy Jazz!

2011-01-02T18:49:00.000-08:00

Happy turn of the planet, y'all! How ya feeling? You know what time it is. Time to see if Corner Boy stacked up to its resolutions from last year. When we last left, the blog had five challenging but doable goals for 2010. You can read last year's post here. Anyway, let's get down to business.

First let's see how we did with last year's goals:

1. 100, 000 hits by January 2011

(Shattered that. Corner boy clocked in 239,506 hits by the new year)

2. Syndication on a media website

(Was working on a deal with okayplayer.com. Didn't pan out)

3. 100 subscribers

(57...but growing)

4. Adding two more publications to my list of places my byline has appeared

(I added the Centric TV blog, which is a really cool gig. Check that out if you have some free time one of these days)

5. Having fun...

(Oh yeah. Fa sho.)

Well, 2 out of 5 with progress on the others ain't bad. Now for 2011's goals. Yummy! Here are Corner Boy's resolutions for 2011.

1. One millions hits.

(Yep, it takes a set of brass ones, but hey the world might end soon, right?)

2. An average of 500 hits per day

(Right now, we're hovering around 200-250. Let's put it in relative overdrive, right?)

3. 100 Subcribers

(Let's keep that on there. I can't believe I didn't get that one last year. That's like bringing your prize German Shepherd to the national competition only to find out he can't even fetch a stick. Or maybe not.)

4. More stories and personal essays

(I'm a fiction writer, too for god's sake. Y'all don't wanna keep reading about famous musicians all day, do you? You want to read more about me and what I think, not about some magical celebrity with a gorgeous intriguing life.)

5. More Retweets and Comments

(That would be oh so lovely!)

But I digress. Real talk, it's been a great year. Corner Boy has been up and running for a year and a half now. I've gotten a 200 page blog book out of it and the site is listed on over 20 blog rolls and counting. Thank you to folks who visit my blog regularly. Thanks to those of you who read my ish on the down low and those of you who are always forwarding me stuff that I could blog about. It's been a wonderful 2010 and I think, if the world doesn't end, 2011 will be even greater.

Peace,

Sidik

20 Of The Funniest Exam Answers Of All Time

2010-12-27T08:07:00.000-08:00

This joint had me rolling...

50 Best Songs of 2010

2010-12-27T08:01:00.000-08:00

Rolling Stone Top 50 Songs of 2010: Best Singles of the Year

1. Kanye West ft. Pusha T: “Runaway” (from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy – review right here, download it right here)
2. Cee Lo Green – “F*ck You” (from The Lady Killer - review right here, download it right here)
3. Sade – “Soldier of Love”
4. Katy Perry – “Teenage Dream”
5. Arcade Fire – “We Used To Wait”
6. Mavis Staples – “You Are Not Alone”
7. Vampire Weekend – “White Sky”
8. Janelle Monae ft. Big Boi – “Tightrope”
9. Broken Bells – “The Ghost Inside” (from Broken Bells – review right here, download it right here)
10. Kanye West feat. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj and Bon Iver – “Monster” (from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy – review right here, download it right here)
11. The Black Keys – “Everlasting Light”
12. Mark Ronson and the Business International feat. Q-Tip and MNDR – “Bang Bang Bang”
13. The Dead Weather – “Hustle and Cuss”
14. Big Boi ft. Cutty – “Shutterbug”
15. Drake – “Over” (from Thank Me Later – review right here, album download right here)
16. Cold War Kids – “Coffee Spoon”
17. LCD Soundystem – “I Can Change”
18. Jenny and Johnny – “Scissor Runner”
19. The New Pornographers – “Your Hands (Together)”
20. Best Coast – “Boyfriend”
21. Sleigh Bells – “Infinity Guitars”
22. Rick Ross ft. Styles P – “BMF (Blowin; Money Fast”
23. Jamey Johnson – “Macon”
24. Eminem – “Not Afraid” (from Recovery – review right here, download it right here)
25. Nicki Minaj – “Did It On ‘Em” (from Pink Friday – review right here, download it right here)
26. Robyn – “Dancing On My Own”
27. The National – “Bloodbuzz Ohio”
28. Band of Horses – “Laredo”
29. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – “The Trip to Pirate’s Cove”
30. Jakob Dylan – “Nothing But the Whole Wide World”
31. Gil Scott-Heron – “I’m New Here”
32. Die Antwoord – “Enter The Ninja”
33. Wavves – “Post Acid”
34. Gorillaz ft. Mos Def and Bobby Womack – “Stylo”
35. Massive Attack ft. Hope Sandoval – “Paradise Circus”
36. Drake ft. Nicki Minaj – “Up All Night” (from Thank Me Later – review right here, download it right here)
37. Lloyd Banks ft. Juelz Santana – “Beamer, Benz or Bentley”
38. Spoon – “The Mystery Zone”
39. The Gaslight Anthem – “The Diamond Church Street Choir”
40. Kanye West – “Power” (from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy – review right here, download it right here)
41. Junip – “In Every Direction”
42. Surfer Blood – “Floating Vibes”
43. B.o.B. ft. Bruno Mars – “Nothing on You”
44. Neil Young – “Love and War”
45. The Rolling Stones – “Plundered My Soul”
46. MGMT – “Congratulations”
47. Kid Rock – “Born Free”
48. Das Racist – “hahahaha jk?”
49. Elizabeth Cook – “El Camino”
50. Ke$ha – “We R Who We R”

Source: http://www.bloginity.com/blog/2010/12/13/rolling-stone-top-50-songs-of-2010-best-singles-of-the-year/#ixzz19L8HczBH

Footage of Alf Using the N-Word

2010-12-23T21:52:00.000-08:00

Bugged out...

Create Dangerously by Edwidge Danticat

2010-12-23T21:47:00.000-08:00

The take home message in Create Dangerously: everything is cultural and everything is politics. Like when your prodigal cousin dies of AIDS and his body cannot be shipped back to Haiti until his alien status is legalized. In this collection of essays, Edwidge Danticat stresses reading and writing as a revered civic duty and a productive act of defiance. Though centered around pivotal Haitian events like the executions of Marcel Numa and Louis Drouin as well as the 2009 earthquake, Create Dangerously is a call to all immigrant artists to write until masses are galvanized and societies are changed for the better.

Crossing the Heart of Africa by Julian Smith

2010-12-23T21:28:00.000-08:00

The real "heart" in Smith's book is the love story that palpitates behind his cross-continent journey through the motherland. More than just a copycat of Ewart Grogan, who made the trek over a hundred years before, Julian Smith is an historian and an adventurer. This magical account reminds us that sometimes the farther we travel, the closer we come to home.

Do You Tip for Pick Up?

2010-12-17T19:45:00.000-08:00

I asked several of my colleagues this question over the past few weeks and all of them said no. Only for being waited on a table. But, I could have sworn that the servers at the restaurant across the street from my apartment were giving me the stinkeye when I picked up a swordfish entree to go without greasing the cashiers with a few dollars. Or maybe it was just me. I have to admit I get this overwhelming urge to compensate for stereotypes. As a black man, I never want to get caught in the no-tipping zone. That's why in taxis, at hair salons, for deliveries, I always give a little extra something than normal. I don't want to be that stereotype "perpetuator" so to speak. Maybe that urge has got me paranoid. What do you think?

Mentos/Coca-Cola Experiment

2010-12-14T02:55:00.000-08:00

Remember a little while ago when people were going crazy over that phenomenon of dropping Mentos in a bottle of Coca-Cola to make it fizz? Well, here's some old footage (I got my braids in it!) of me conducting that little science experiment in our living room...good times.

Need something more official, eh?

Keri Hilson's "No Boys Allowed" Track List

2010-12-10T03:31:00.000-08:00

Keri Hilson's tracklist for her December 21st album No Boys Allowed is now out of the wrapping paper. Judging by the guests on Keri's 12-song lineup, we're in for a smorgasbord of sounds. Vocally, there's Chris Brown. Lyrically, there's Rick Ross, J. Cole, and Kanye West. Sonically, Ne-Yo, Polow Da Don, Timbaland, John Legend and others. Talk about jab, uppercut, jab. Check out the song titles below.

1. Buyou (Feat. J. Cole) [Produced By Boi-1da]
2. Pretty Girl Rock [Produced By Ne-Yo & Chuck Harmony]
3. The Way You Love Me (Feat. Rick Ross) [Produced By Polow Da Don]
4. Bahm Bahm (Do It Once Again)/I Want You
5. One Night Stand (Feat. Chris Brown) [Produced By Durrell Babbs & Kevin McCall]
6. Lose Control/Let Me Down [Produced By Stargate]
7. Toy Soldier
8. Breaking Point [Produced By Timbaland]
9. Beautiful Mistake
10. Gimme What I Want
11. All The Boys
12. Pretty Girl Rock (Remix) (Feat. Kanye West) [Produced By Ne-Yo & Chuck Harmony]

How to Fold Your Shirts the Japanese Way

2010-12-06T03:53:00.000-08:00

Would you clown me if I said that this has changed my life?

Skip It!

2010-12-06T03:49:00.000-08:00

From the reminiscers who brought you My Buddy, here's Skip It!

I used to promise my sister to buy her this if she did all my chores. How inhumane of me.

Let's Pause and Remember "My Buddy"

2010-12-02T03:11:00.000-08:00

Rest happily, little tike. I know you're somewhere rotting peacefully in some throwaway metaphor...

Miguel "Sure Thing"

2010-12-02T03:09:00.001-08:00

The tunnel is bright for Miguel as he teases us with another single "Sure Thing" off his new album All I Want is You that hit stores yesterday. The screwed ad libs provide a nice touch on this romantic recliner. Listen to the track and cop the album.

Miguel - Sure Thing by Kexster

Photography by Seree

2010-11-26T09:36:00.000-08:00

If you ever have an event and need an ill photographer...

Keyshia Cole "A Long Way Down"

2010-11-26T09:33:00.001-08:00

How dare you have a conversation about R&B stiletto-wearing-street-sweet divas and not mention Keyshia Cole? No one makes heartbreak more sexier. For her newest video "Long Way Down" off her forthcoming album in December, Keyshia gives in to the whims of a tatted up bad boy who tries to restore her faith in men. Listen to those luring pain-soaked vocals and it's no secret why so many men are dying to break her heart and put it back together again.

Bilal "Think It Over" (Exile Remix)

2010-11-26T09:32:00.000-08:00

It's been a couple of months since Bilal arose from years of audio slumber with his latest album Airtight's Revenge. It's no surprise the singer is releasing remixes in full torque. This particular one is a folky button by Exile (nice and chopped lest you forget the West Coast producer's Hip-Hop leanings). Check it out and SOUND OFF in the comments below.

Bilal - Think It Over (Exile Remix) by Hypetrak

Catch Bilal perform on Soul Train Awards 2010 airing this Sunday November 28th at 9pm est on Centric

Nativo Watches

2010-11-21T17:23:00.000-08:00

I'm obsessed with these watches. Like I'm really about to start a collection. The company is Ecowrist founded by husband and wife David Handy and Marguerite Hamden. All their watches are hand-crafted out of natural products like bamboo, tagua nuts, acheera seeds, coconut, wood, cow’s leather and cañaflecha (reed in English). The wood is highly specialized too: teca, incienso, granadillo and macana. I have the green one and Imma wear it every day, dammit! Anyway, you probably can catch these environmentally safe watches at the next SoHo street fair or just if you're just dying for one of your own right this minute, you can click here. Don't say I never did nothing for you.

My joint.

Allen Iverson in Turkey

2010-11-21T16:47:00.001-08:00

Put him anywhere on the globe and he will dominate. Just needs a little time though...

Jennifer Hudson: "Winnie" Trailer

2010-11-21T16:38:00.000-08:00

Looks like Jennifer Hudson might be nudging the Academy again pretty soon. The young singer is starring as Winnie Mandela in the upcoming biopic Winnie alongside Terrence Howard who plays her husband and celebrated South African activist Nelson Mandela. The film is due to hit the festival circle in early 2011, but peep the trailer below.

Ameriie "Outside Your Body"

2010-11-21T16:36:00.001-08:00

If there's one thing that got us tripping, it's Ameriie's (formally Amerie---she changed the spelling of her name) new song "Outside Your Body". The Euro dance hit from the Grammy nominated singer's fifth album Cymatika Vol. 1 throbs with a contagious sensuality. "Promise before the night is over/ You're gonna live like it's your last," she sings oh so seductively. This track feels like dancing on a platinum stage. Check it out:

Ameriie - Outside Your Body by EPinfluences

Cute Breast Cancer T-Shirt

2010-11-18T11:59:00.000-08:00

...if this doesn't move you, i don't know what does...

Talib Kweli Releases "Cold Rain"

2010-11-18T11:55:00.000-08:00

Just in case Talib Kweli's "ill-ness" was forgotten, here's a bookmark. "Cold Rain", a dope two-and-a-half minutes of political casserole, hovers regally over a Ragtime piano riff as the Brooklyn wordsmith talks about Reganomics, Islamophobia, and how emcees are "endangered species like manatees." Catch this hot track on Kweli's upcoming album, Gutter Rainbows due sometime in December.

Talib Kweli - Cold Rain by moderncartel

Erykah Badu "Soldier (Sam Champ Remix)"

2010-11-18T11:53:00.001-08:00

How do you remix someone who always remixes herself? Sam Champ found a way with this mellifluous re-stirring of Erykah Badu's New Amerykah Part One: 4th World War hit "Soldier". This jam, with its trippy keyboards, floats on a canopy of other-worldliness like no other. Look out for Sam Champ's remix EP to drop in December.

Soldier (Sam Champ Remix) by samchampion

Photography by: Vickey Ford of The Couch Sessions

Behind the Scenes of Bruno Mars' "Grenade"

2010-11-18T11:52:00.000-08:00

Took a little while to believe that this young whipper snapper was for real, but Bruno Mars brought his silky voice to the set of his new video "Grenade". In a behind the scenes preview, the young singer/songwriter explains why he is hauling a piano across town in this new heartstopper. How romantic! Bruno's debut album Doo Wops & Hooligans is out right now.

Jazmine Sullivan's "Ten Seconds"

2010-11-18T11:50:00.001-08:00

Wait, is this another "I'm Goin' Down" cover? Jazmine Sullivan's opening notes on her latest single "Ten Seconds", off her forthcoming album Love Me Back, certainly sound like the classic Rose Royce heart-wrenching ballad a la Mary J. Blige. Kidnapping, bombs, and ferocious vocals. This is the ultimate get-'em-back song. But wait, is it that really a bomb or a Radio Shack timer? Check out the video and SOUND OFF in the comments below.

The Revolution Will Be Tagged

2010-11-14T12:13:00.000-08:00

Billy Wimsatt: Movement Tagging

Over fifteen years ago when his first book, Bomb the Suburbs came out, author and social activist Billy Wimsatt was a 22 year-old anti-establishment graffiti monger. Today, he’s willing to help make the world a better place with anyone who will listen and the title of his new book Please Don’t Bomb the Suburbs reflects that sentiment. “Someone needs to laugh at how my generation of hot-blooded anti-everything rabble-rousers has turned into boring normal adults who aspire to own a house, have kids, and buy ecological smoothie makers,” he admits in the introduction. In the new book, Wimsatt still stands on the progressive side of race and social equality, but instead of championing a total upheaval of the system, he’s advocating the creation of a super movement within it. “There’s a least a million of us out there who have the potential to be our own version of the Obamas,” says Wimsatt. “Our job is to do it in our own neighborhoods, our own blocks, and our own precincts.”

OKP: What are the most important issues today?

Billy Wimsatt: Jobs, jobs, jobs. Whether you are a college graduate or a high school dropout, the job market is statistically similar to the Great Depression. All the issues are connected. The people who are trying to screw young people, people of color, gay people, the environment, on and on are the same folks.

OKP: You wrote in your book that a lot of progressive people avoid leadership because they think that power corrupts.

Billy Wimsatt: So who went and got power? The people who weren’t worried about getting corrupted by power i.e. the people who were most likely to be power hungry, egotistical, selfish, and greedy. I’ve noticed a lot of people who read my books want to be artists, teachers, or community leaders. Those are all important, but we need good people in real estate. We need good people being CEOs, lawyers, politicians, and doctors. We gotta get power. We gotta govern.

OKP: How young were you when you developed your political conscience?

Billy Wimsatt: When I was in fourth grade, my teacher said, “There are nuclear warheads pointed at us in Chicago” I was like, What?! Hold on, let me understand this. Someone could press a button and blow up my city? That was the moment when I realized the so-called “grown-ups” did not have their shit together.

OKP: Why is it always the smart, middle class people who join movements and not working class people?

Billy Wimsatt: It’s a reflection of the way society is set up. A lot of times it’s the middle class kids and college grads who have the privilege of getting a paying job that gives them the time to develop as leaders. The thing to keep in mind is that there are a lot of people living in survival mode, who are smarter, more deserving, and who have just as much to give as the people who have jobs working in the movement.

OKP: Have you found that’s it harder for white progressives to be effective because race gets in the way of your work efforts?

Billy Wimsatt: Some white people who have sincerely good intentions are not doing their best because they think their every move is problematic because they’re white, rich, male etc. Progressive people are shooting ourselves in the foot and doing a disservice to the world because we’re so self-sabotaging.

OKP: How can Hip-Hop continue to change the world?

Billy Wimsatt: We need to go beyond what Bambataa, Flash, and all these originators of Hip-Hop did. They were taking on the challenges of being a kid in the South Bronx in the 70's. We have to take on that plus living in a global, 21st century world that is on crack cocaine and speeding forward recklessly like some drunk teenagers in a car. We need to grab the steering wheel and be like, Hold up time to be adults. We can’t just crash this car. This is our only car.

-Sidik Fofana

Raheem Devaughn's "All I Want is You"

2010-11-14T12:09:00.001-08:00

Don't dismiss Raheem Devaughn's "All I Want is You" as one of those bandwagon covers that artists do to latch on to the latest craze. The R&B heart throb is a perennial hit maker himself and comfortably renders Miguel's uber-smash like it was just another day in the park. "This is not a conscious song," he ad libs in the beginning. "I wanna take you to the bedroom." Then, he proceeds to do so.

Raheem Devaughn's mixtape Jackin 4 Beats, Vol 1 drops November 22nd.

Celebrity Chekhov

2010-11-11T07:32:00.000-08:00

Until you read this book, you thought Chekhov was for nerds. You didn't think you could plug in the names of some celebrities, reimagine a few details here and there, and voila, out pops an updated batch of stories that provides just as much insight today as it did in 19th century Russia. Well, New Yorker editor Ben Greenman did and the result is rather illuminating. David Letterman discovers a baby at his door step and thinks it's his. Nicole Ritchie and Paris Hilton find themselves suspended in a jealous reunion. Britney Spears retells the story of love long-withered. Stuff like that.

Celebrity Chekhov by Ben Greenman

John Varvatos Celebrating Ten Years

2010-11-11T07:07:00.000-08:00

I love this ad...

Chrisette Michele "So In Love" feat. Rick Ross

2010-11-11T06:43:00.000-08:00

"My heart is saying 'boom, boom, clack, clack'", sings Chrisette Michele in this twinkly number about love's oh so ambivalent butterflies. The onomatopoeia is golden, but it's the Grammy-winning singer's coy delivery that eventually steals this show. Despite a pinch of "goon" from Rick Ross (who can't resist rapping about kissing a girl in the rain and making her wetter), "So in Love" radiates with that warm feeling of untainted affection.

Chrisette Michele's album Let Freedom Reign comes out November 30th.

Chrisette Michele ft. Rick Ross - So In Love by J Christine

Beyonce Gets Her Own Comic Book

2010-11-11T06:41:00.000-08:00

What do Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, and Beyonce have in common beside millions of dollars in record sales? You guessed it, they've all have been immortalized in a comic by Bluewater Comics (okay, maybe you didn't guess it). The company has announced the completion of Fame: Beyonce, a 32 page comic book depicting the chart topper's life and rise to fame. The unauthorized biography written by CW Cooke and drawn by Alex Lopez will be available in January 2011 and on sale for $3.99.

Faith Evans Talks Florence Ballard Bio Pic, Book Writing and Owning Her Own Label

2010-11-11T06:39:00.000-08:00

The late Florence Ballard may finally get her time to shine! Spirit of Life Films is currently working on Blondie: The Florence Ballard Story, a biopic about the original lead singer of The Supremes that is set to star R&B songstress Faith Evans in the title role. Based on Peter Benjaminson's book, The Lost Supreme, the movie will delve into Ballard's rise to fame as well as the jealousy and betrayal that obscured her name and led to her untimely death.

Blondie:The Florence Ballard Story premieres Summer of 2011.

Refugee For Prez

2010-11-07T12:28:00.000-08:00

The Source Magazine was supposed to run this, but you know how fast the news changes so just posting it somewhere...

Refugee For Prez

By Sidik Fofana

On February 6, 2004, rebels stormed into Gonaives, Haiti’s fourth largest city setting the police station ablaze and demanding Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s resignation citing corruption and his general failure of the people. Two weeks later Wyclef Jean publicly supported the coup d’etat in progress urging Aristide to step down so that there could be “some form of negotiation with the opposition force.” Stern words from Haiti’s most famous musician to Haiti’s first democratically elected president.

Six years later, after Aristide has been successfully deposed and his successor Rene Preval has completed a full term, after an earthquake of 7.0 magnitude ravaged the country’s capital city Port-au-Prince causing over 250,000 casualties, Wyclef invokes the same spirit of democracy that allowed Aristide to lead as he campaigns for the presidency of Haiti. “We suffered for over 200 years,” Wyclef told CNN. “Now that our country has toppled, it’s a chance to rebuild from the bottom on up,”

Wyclef’s road to presidency is as duplicitous as they come. On one end, it’s a heartwarming story of the Haitian born mogul’s maturing patriotic love. Over Jean’s nearly two decades as a public figure, he has transformed from Haitian griot to philanthropist to now political hopeful. Wyclef himself would attest that these changes were born more from necessity than personal growth. “He said ‘Na, man, you know what kind of responsibility, what kind of problem that is?’” says Brooklyn native, Allah Smalls, who did EMT work at the general hospital in Haiti and playfully suggested that he run for office. “He was basically saying I don’t want those kind of problems because then I can’t help the people the way that I want to help the people.”

When it comes to Haitian pride, very few can question Wyclef’s authenticity. Ever since Jean moved from Haiti to Brooklyn, New York at the age of nine and went on to a become three-time Grammy winning member of the Fugees, he has arguably fulfilled the role of the world’s greatest spokesman for the impoverished nation. Songs like “Hold On” beam and Yele Haiti, his non-profit organization, has raised over 9.1 million in relief funds for the struggling nation, including over two million dollars to aid the victims of the 2010 earthquake. By 2007, Wyclef had become such a devotee to the Haitian cause as well as a shining example of success to the youth of Haiti, that president Rene Preval appointed to the high office of roving ambassador. “The young people support him,” says Akbar Muhammad, Minister Farrakhan’s former internal representative and acquaintance of Jean’s. “He went through the streets when I was there and asked the young people. They say he represents their new Haiti.”

With overwhelming popularity among young people, Wyclef sees his bid for presidency with the Vive Ansanm party as the best way to stabilize Haiti’s future. “"If I can't take five years out to serve my country as president, then everything I've been singing about, like equal rights, doesn't mean anything," Wyclef told Larry King early August. "My decision is a draft. I've been drafted by the youth."

Although Jean believes that he can boost Haiti’s dismal literacy rate and serve as liaison between the citizens of Haiti and the Haitian diaspora, who currently account for approximately 2 billion dollars in contributions to Haiti’s economy, the transition from beloved entertainer to reputable politician has been a rough one. Hours after Wyclef announced his presidential bid, several high profile celebrities stepped forward to voice their disapproval. The decriers included Wyclef’s former crewmate Pras who supports Haitian bred musician Michel “Sweet Micky” Martelly, Miss Haiti, and actor Sean Penn who called Jean’s run for office “very suspicious”.

In addition to opprobrium from his peers who take issue with his vague political platform, Wyclef has had other setbacks to overcome. For one, he still holds the high ranking office of goodwill ambassador, a title for which he must obtain a discharge before he can run for any other office. Also, even more crucially, he hasn’t lived in Haiti for over three decades. The Haitian constitution mandates that presidential candidates must have at five years of residence in the country, a technicality that Jean hopes to have waived or dismissed with his electoral card from last election.

But the thing about politics is that everything in the past now becomes public record. Jean’s past support of the Aristide coup, his shaky Creole, the fact that he dropped out of college, and even the lyrics to his well-known song “If I Was President” where Wyclef sings, “Instead of spending billions on the war/ I can use some of that money to feed the poor” become political fodder.

Naturally, Wyclef's finances have also been under heavy scrutiny. Besides owing 2.1 million in taxes to the IRS, records implicated Wyclef has pocketed over $400,000 dollars in relief funds from Yele Haiti. "I freely admit that missteps were made when Yele was in its infancy as a grassroot movement, before the earthquake," Wyclef wrote in an email. "The administration of the group was a bit naive, but once we started getting donations from around the world, the first decision I made was to reform management."

$400,000 may not even be 0.5% of Yele’s net revenue, but when discussing an election and government that has been historically wrought with corruption and embezzlement, this mismanagement becomes that much more salient. Add to that skepticism about the legitimacy of the election itself (98% of eligible voters boycotted the recent senatorial race because the country’s most popular party Lavalas has been banned from running in all elections) and more clouds swarm over Wyclef’s leadership abilities. “The first thing any president would have to address is that the country is being militarily occupied by United Nations,” says Kim Ives, editor of Haiti Liberte and frequent commentator on Democracy Now. “Not only does Wyclef have no inkling of changing that, but in fact, supports that and seems to feel that Haiti should become Puerto Rico or a colony some sorts.”

Wyclef also has to worry about the 33 other candidates, of which Leslie Voltaire, former prime ministers Yvon Neptune and Jacques Edouard Alexis, as well as Wyclef’s own uncle Haitian Ambassador Raymond Joseph pose serious competition. Not to mention the potential violence that can stem from a controversial election. Days after Minister Farrakhan warned Wyclef of “the tiny group of people who study you”, Jean received several death threats from dissenters who demand that he “get out of Haiti”.

Later in August, he received even more stunting news. Of the 34 candidates names in the election, Wyclef’s name appeared on the ineligible list. As of press time, Wyclef and his lawyer has publicized their intent to challenge the decision.

Still, despite the encumbering critical eye on his campaign, Wyclef continues to sharpen his agenda for a better Haiti. He’s drafting a plan to restore the export trade of cocoa and sugar. Though some analysts fear that the big time sponsorship Wyclef would most likely attract will mold into a puppet for corporate interests, many see him as the household name that can broadcast Haiti’s plight to the rest of the world, especially the ones who haven’t yet made good on their pledge to aid Haiti after the earthquake. “I still feel like he can do it. I think he should do it,” Smalls says. “That’s the most popular Haitian in the world right now and he’s an intelligent guy. He’s a get-it-done type of person.”

Wyclef may not be Haiti’s next Toussaint L’Overture, but he is not surely powerless to affect political change as an entertainer. If an actor can govern California and a wrestler can govern Minnesota, who’s to say a rapper can’t govern Haiti?

Still, things are not as sunny in Haiti as they are in California.

Janelle Monae's "Without A Fight"

2010-11-07T12:17:00.000-08:00

It's hard to imagine Janelle Monae---with her pompadour swirl of 'tude---giving up at anything. So as far as her chants of "Imma reach for the sky/ Try to 'till I get it right", she's not telling us anything we don't know about her. But being that the track is for Tyler Perry's For Colored Girls, Monae may or may not had a scene from the moralistic film in mind when she put together this upbeat doosey. In other words, just imagine one of Tyler Perry's strong black characters needing a surge of female empowerment and it all makes sense.

Janelle Monae - Without A Fight - (New Track) soundtrack for the film "For Colored Girls"... by MusicMan70

Chrisette Michele Gears up for New Mixtape

2010-11-07T12:15:00.000-08:00

Soul singers put out mixtapes, too. Or at least Chrisette Michele can. The Grammy-award winning vocalist plans to release Love Thy Brother, a mixtape that she has been brewing with her brother Lem Payne for quite some time. The compilation features many never released cuts which, for some reason or another, never saw the public light of day. The mixtape showcases an eclectic Chrisette who goes from "Aston Martin Music" to giving her two cents on African-American boys growing up in America. Love Thy Brother drops this Friday and Michele's third solo album Let Freedom Reign is due at the end of the month.

Here's "Miss Audrey" from the mixtape to whet your appetite.

CHRISETTE MICHELE F/ LEM PAYNE – ‘DEAR MISS AUDREY’ by U.E Radio4

Minorities ride GOP wave to historic victories

2010-11-05T03:29:00.000-07:00

New stuff from Jesse Washington...I don't know whether to be happy for the minorities or sad for the
democrats :/

Minorities ride GOP wave to historic victories

BY JESSE WASHINGTON

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The historic Republican wave also produced historic results for minority candidates, from Latina and Indian-American governors to a pair of black congressmen from the deep South.

In New Mexico, Susana Martinez was elected as the nation's first female Hispanic governor. Nikki Haley, whose parents were born in India, will be the first woman governor in South Carolina, and Brian Sandoval became Nevada's first Hispanic governor.

Insurance company owner Tim Scott will be the first black Republican congressman from South Carolina since Reconstruction, after easily winning in his conservative district. Scott, a 45-year-old state representative, earned a primary victory over the son of the one-time segregationist U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond.

In Florida, military veteran Allen West outfought a two-term Democrat to win his House race. He is the first black Republican elected to Congress from Florida since a former slave served two terms in the 1870s.

The last black Republican in Congress was J.C. Watts of Oklahoma. He left office in 2003. There were 42 black Democrats in Congress this term.

Several Latino Republicans defeated incumbent House Democrats. In Texas, Bill Flores snatched a seat from Democratic Rep. Chet Edwards, who had served 20 years in Congress, and Francisco Canseco beat 11-year veteran Ciro Rodriguez. Jamie Herrera became the first Latino congressman from Washington state.

Opposition to President Barack Obama's agenda fueled Tuesday's GOP surge, and many also connected Obama to the rise of minority GOP candidates.

"Color is becoming less of an issue," said Richard Ivory, a black Republican political consultant and founder of hiphoprepublican.com. "There was a time when the white electorate saw race first and made judgments based on this alone. While black Republicans and Obama disagree ideologically, both are candidates whose message surpassed pigment."

Mark Sawyer, a UCLA professor and director of the university's Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Politics, said Obama's election pushed the GOP to adjust to a more diverse electorate by seeking out minority candidates.

But he noted that almost all the victorious GOP minorities were elected in majority-white areas and opposed measures such as comprehensive immigration reform that are favored by many Latinos and blacks.

"This election does not show a substantive embrace of a minority agenda," Sawyer said.

Fourteen black Republicans were on House ballots nationwide, almost double the number in 2008. The largest number of black Republicans in Congress since Reconstruction has been two: Watts and Gary Franks of Connecticut, who left office in 1997.

On the Democratic side, Terri Sewell became the first black woman elected to Congress in Alabama.

Haley, who was backed by the tea party and Sarah Palin, is a 38-year-old state representative who was projected to win easily in conservative South Carolina. She faced unproven accusations of infidelity and questions about her finances and experience, and State Sen. Vincent Sheheen made the race closer than anyone expected. She is the nation's second Indian-American governor, after Bobby Jindal in Louisiana.

Marco Rubio, a Republican and Cuban-American, won a Senate seat in Florida. He will replace the retiring Mel Martinez, another conservative Cuban.

Jean Howard-Hill, a black Republican who lost a House primary in Tennessee, was cautiously optimistic about the future of minorities in her party.

"We're going to jump up and down because we have two African-Americans going to Congress?" she said. "There are still opportunities for advancement. But I think we have a good platform to do that now."

Quincy Jones and Amy Winehouse "It's My Party"

2010-11-04T07:44:00.000-07:00

"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to," Amy Winehouse soulfully slurs in a remake of Lesley Gore's 1963 hit. But, is her drawl the product of creative spin or the side effect of her semi-synthetic highs? Either way, the re-interpretation produced by Mark Ronson and off Quncy Jones's forthcoming album Q: Soul Bossa Nostra shimmers with a fresh take on the era.

Look out for Quincy Jones's Q: Soul Bossa Nostra featuring Akon, Jamie Foxx, John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige and others on November 9th.

Amy Winehouse - It's My Party (feat. Quincy Jones) by dirus

Literary Tattoos

2010-10-31T07:25:00.000-07:00

I've never been one for tattoos (surprisingly it's the only rebellious thing I haven't done), but this trend of literary tattoos has me intrigued. This astounding book, The World Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos from Bookworms Worldwide was born from a call Justin Taylor (Everything here is the best thing ever, The Gospel of Anarchy) and Eva Talmadge (Co-editor of HTML Giant) put out the summer of 2009 to those with literary ink on their skins so to speak. Flipping through this book was a re-acquaintance with what inspires bookworms. Tattoos ranged from references to Harry Potter and Twilight to lines from T.S. Eliot and Emily Dickinson back to scenes from Shel Silverstein and Harriet the Spy. I think mine will be a quote from James Baldwin or something. Check out some of the images from the book.

Michael Jackson is Forbe's Top Earning Dead Celebrity

2010-10-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

According to Forbes, Michael Jackson made more money than any other deceased celebrity in 2009. The late pop singer topped a list of twelve dead earners with $275 million dollars grossed--more than the other eleven combined. Jackson also posted a higher income last year than any living superstar largely due to increased records sales, money from his estate, investments in music from Sony/ATV, and proceeds from last year's movie This Is It. Here's how the other dead celebrities stacked up to Mike:

Forbes Top Earning Dead Celebrities:

1. Michael Jackson - $275 million
2. Elvis Presley - $60 million
3. J. R. R. Tolkein - $50 million
4. Charles Schulz - $33 million
5. John Lennon - $17 million
6. Stieg Larsson - $15 million
7. Dr. Seuss - $11 million
8. Albert Einstein - $10 million
9. George Steinbrenner - $8 million
10. Richard Rogers - $7 million
11. Jimi Hendrix and Steve McQueen - $6 million each
12. Aaron Spelling - $5 million

Common, Lupe Fiasco, Jennifer Hudson and No I.D "We Can Do It Now"

2010-10-31T06:58:00.000-07:00

Chicago stand up! The windy city's finest have come up with an anthem that gives Alicia Keys and Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" a run for its money. The track is for Season three of Gatorade Replay and No I.D. is behind the boards providing some steamy blues riffs. The Verdict: They hit this one out of Comiskey Park (White Sox reference)

Lupe Fiasco, Common, Jennifer Hudson & No I.D. - We Can Do It Now - rhymethat.com by Rhyme That

Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self

2010-10-29T02:55:00.000-07:00

The young ladies in Danielle Evans' bedazzling collection of short stories may not always respond valiantly to racism or their own insecurity for that matter, but they do have the courage to stare at both dead in the face. Equal parts humor and personal revelation, Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self takes us into the minds of protagonists whom society has left out and has not bothered to observe their struggle to fit back in.

Dwele Live!

2010-10-29T02:32:00.000-07:00

Check out this short music video by Dwele. A few taps here and there and, voila! The singer/songwriter spins a hot beat spins in thin air. The song, "Watch Me", is a dash of Soul and Hip-Hop melded into a cool love child. Dwele's newest album Wants. Women. World. in stores now.

Dwele - Watch Me found on Hip-Hop

Jamiroquai's "All Good in the Hood"

2010-10-29T02:30:00.000-07:00

The funk just oozes off Jamiroquai's brand new single "All Good in the Hood". Freaky guitars and a groovy bass give the track that night-at-the disco appeal that Soul has been void of lately. This jam is off the forthcoming album Rock Dust Light Star, so take this song as blissful anticipation or torturous teasing. The golden age is back!

Jamiroquai – All Good In The Hood by isaidahip

Cee-Lo's "Bright Lights Bigger City"

2010-10-28T19:38:00.000-07:00

Cee-Lo Green is like a mad scientist always coming up with concoctions. Except these concoctions aren't evil, but funky. His newest single, "Bright Lights, Bigger City," just might be that new slick nightlife anthem we've been waiting for. "Friday's cool but there's something about Saturday night/ You can't say what you won't do because you know that you just might," he sings over a synthy chord progression. We dig. What say you?

Cee-Lo Green - Bright Lights Bigger City (CDQ) by Newmusic132

Dont forger to cop the album The Lady Killer on November 9th.

Humpty Dumpty

2010-10-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

Humpty Dumpty

by Sidik Fofana

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

All the king's horses and all the king's men

Couldn't put Humpty back together again

WHY? 'cause he had NO health care

Living in the slums, mom on welfare

While he's drinking quarter waters on a project stare

Trying to overcome the man and his own despair.

He quit school, got a job at the yard

With a hard hat on, moving dozens of logs

It was only part time, but he was supporting his mom

Even though he was worked like a warthog.

One day, they had him paving bricks on a building wall

He had a slip, took a trip, and had a little fall

He cracked his skull, his spine is misaligned,

He's having migraines and his vision's off.

What transpired next was a series of events

Humpty had a huge bill of which he couldn't pay a cent

He couldn't go to work, so he couldn't pay the rent

All because the man got sick.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

All the king's horses and all the king's men

Couldn't put Humpty back together again.

"But I'm only part time!

I got a migraine plus a misaligned spine"

His boy said, "Yo, you better take the M5

And go down to the clinic and wait in line."

So Humpty planned a visit to go down to the clinic

But when he got in it, it was less than exquisite

Everybody was in pain, everybody needed stitches

They waited several hours, but only seen a couple minutes.

The doc finally called Humpty to the back

But before he touched a thing, he had him filling out an app

Had him writing all these things about his medical past

Explaining the pre-existing hump that he had on his back.

The doc said, "If you're hurt and you need an anesthetic

You're gonna have to tell us if your old or diabetic

Plus, if you want a good medic, you're gonna need good credit

Especially for prosthetics because those are cosmetic."

Before the doc could say, "So Mr. Dumpty--"

Humpty grabbed all his things and got up to leave

Now he's in his room in apartment 1B

Like, "Damn, I lost faith in my whole country."

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

All the king's horses and all the king's men

Couldn't put Humpty back together again

Wyclef Jean Releases "Election Time" and "Death Threats"

2010-10-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

The ballot or the bullet? ‘Clef chooses both for his upcoming album If I Were President: The Haitian Experience. The former Haiti presidential candidate dishes out “Election Time” and “Death Threats”, just in time for the November polls. The latter, comes off a bit ominous as Wyclef sings, “All I wanted to be was commander-in-chief/ But it seems like they wanna see me six deep.” Hope the Haiti saga is behind him. If not, “Election Time” could at least galvanize us Americans for the midterm races.

In Case You Missed N.E.R.D.'s "Nothing On You"

2010-10-24T18:17:00.000-07:00

Is that N.E.R.D.? Of Course it is. The signature guitar patterns. The funky transitions. Pharrell’s charming falsetto. This new sneak peek, “Nothing On You” comes from the group’s forthcoming LP Nothing. The marching band drums keep the pulse rapid throughout. This rousing tune here sounds like the soundtrack to an intense after party.

N.E.R.D - Nothing On You by URBAN EMPIRE ENT

Yale Anthology of Rap

2010-10-21T02:36:00.000-07:00

So I burst in the room mad excited and say to my girlfriend, "Pick any popular Hip Hop verse or song you know and start rapping the first couple of lines." She takes a second. Then she goes, "I got 99 problems, but a bitch ain't one." I take out the book and flip through a couple of pages. Once she catches on to what I'm trying to do, she immediately recants. "Oh that's a newer rap, it probably won't be in--" I turn to page 436 and go, "I got the rap patrol on the gat patrol/ Foes that wanna make sure my casket's close.."

That's The Anthology of Rap for you. Edited by Adam Bradley and Andrew Dubois, both professors of English, this collection is all encompassing resource for Hip Hop's most canonical lyrics. Everybody's in there from Lauryn Hill to Biggie to KRS One to Jay Electronica. Henry Louis Gates Jr. wrote the foreword and Chuck D, the afterword. Look out for the book to be released on November 9 through Yale University Press. Cheers to Hip Hop becoming more firmly entrenched in academia.

Prince's "Rich Friends"

2010-10-21T02:22:00.001-07:00

While you’re clicking refresh button on ticketmaster.com until those Welcome 2 America tour go on sale, here’s a little something to nibble on. The song is “Rich Friends”, a brand new gem from Prince’s deluxe version of 20Ten to be released via his NPG imprint. Enjoy.

Rich Friends by nutteeee

Track List for Cee-Lo Green's The Lady Killer Album

2010-10-21T02:21:00.000-07:00

So far there hasn't been a song released from Cee-Lo Green's The Lady Killer that wasn't a pure audio treat. If the rest of the CD is anything like those innovative singles,"F*ck You" and "Old Fashioned" we're in for quite a special album. Here's the tracklist for the album which is due November 9th.

TRACKLIST
1. The Lady Killer Theme (Intro)
2. Bright Lights Bigger City
3. Forget You
4. Wildflower
5. Bodies
6. Please (Feat. Selah Sue)
7. Satisfied
8. I Want You
9. Cry Baby
10. Fool For You (Feat. Phillip Bailey)
11. It’s OK
12. Old Fashioned
13. The Lady Killer Theme (Outro)
14. F**k You

Ne-Yo Teams up with Stan Lee for Comic Strip

2010-10-21T02:19:00.000-07:00

Spider Man. The Hulk. Ne-Yo? Yes, the R&B balladeer is going the superhero route. With the help of Stan Lee, legendary writer for Marvel Comics, Ne-Yo will transform into Jerome, a man who obtains superpowers in exchange for an inability to fall in love. The first three singles from his new album Libra Scale (“Beautiful Monster”, “Champagne Life”, and “One in a Million”) will be adapted into animated episodes starring the young hero. So look out for Jerome leaping tall buildings in one full note.

I Love My Hair

2010-10-19T02:19:00.000-07:00

Next time your baby girl stares too long at that blond-haired, blue-eye Barbie doll, show her this...