"You're not more ethnic if you're darker..." - Taken from OWN's 'Dark Girls' Series Premiere
Does it take a White man to tell Black folk what we should have been saying to each other for decades? Perhaps so.
'In Dark Girls, Hip-Hop author and journalist Soren Baker, a white man who's married to an African-American woman, describes his early attraction to women of all races-and shares his father's reaction. Plus, another man in an interracial relationship discusses his wife's skin tone.'
- OWN
'Dark Girls' premieres this Sunday, June 23, on OWN, at 10/9 PM CST. This ought to be good. Oprah might just have as many fellas watching this show on her network.
It's been a busy time for the reigning best DJ in Ghana. He scooped 3 awards at the Maiden Ghana DJ awards early this year. He recently finished a stint as a Woodin Ambassador. He is a brand ambassador for Smirnoff. Just two weeks ago, he was named with Lydia Forson as Social Media Ambassadors for DStv. Clearly, his hit radio programmes on Joy and Hitz FM and his close to 60,000 likes on Facebook and 36,000 and growing Twitter followers have made him a brand name and an influential entertainer who has the ears of the youth and businesses are taking notice.
Additionally, this DJ who is the host of the Open House Party on Joy FM has rocked the Big Brother House a few times in the past also made news recently with nominations in three categories for the recently postponed African Global DJ Awards- Best Western African DJ, Best Radio DJ and African DJ of the Year.
While MC's for the Ghana Music Awards are changed, it's impossible to think of another DJ taking over his slot on the annual show. From the Chris Brown concert to 020 Live to Ghana versus Naija, he is the big man for the big shows. He doesn't only do foot-stomping mixes, he also has the voice to carry a show and also do those infectious and attention-grabbing jingles on radio. Most DJs can only play music. Mr Black can do much more.
His show on Viasat 1 which exposes the lyrical prowess of different musicians, DJ Black's Cypher, is about to start screening season two from 29th of July at 2pm. His first season of the Cypher featured the who is who of rappers in Ghana - Sarkodie, Jay-So, D-Black, Manifest, Okyeame Kwame, Kwaw Kese, Eazzy, Caroline, Stay J, Papi of Five5, Stay jay, etc
This week, DJ Black has been in the news again - as the only DJ among a list of 20 most influential entertainment personalities in Ghana earning the 6th position ovrall as compiled by Smiles Magazine and News One.
With all these accolades and corporate collaborations, one wonders what is next for this energetic and multi talented entertainer. Find out more on June 29 as DJBLACK'S CYPHER returns on your screens or follow on www.twitter.com/djblack
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Rhyme Scheme was recently interviewed in Boom Bap Universe to talk about his forthcoming album All Black, his opinions on Hip Hop, favorite emcees and MORE!!!
A few months back I watched an interview with Kanye West where he jokes about white people always using the word "juxtaposition" to describe his music and how he has no clue what the word means. This may be the best example of how hip hop criticism can often come across as a bit of a spectator sport; music critics using the words and tools of the academia to comment on artists who often have never taken a college class. No matter how many polysyllabic words and hip references a young, white liberal drops in their review they will never understand the struggle most rappers have dealt with. The difference between sympathy and empathy is experience, and we can never empathize with Kanye West. Never.
"As long as I'm in Polo smiling they think they got me, but they would try to crack me if they ever see a black me," he astutely commented on "Gorgeous" from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasty, regarding his changing appearance in the media. I sometimes forget the Ye from a decade back in the pink polo, Louis Vuitton backpack strapped tightly on him, eyes focused but damp from tears as he performed "Jesus Walks." Within that decade he's become the most universally loved and hated artist out today simultaneously, not to mention the most magnified rapper in the media. There has never been an artist who has dealt so strongly with both the pros and cons of the new media and its twenty-four-hour celebrity binoculars. Despite his lack of understanding of the word, there truly is no better word to describe his life and music than "juxtaposition." From the duality of hatred and adoration he experiences everyday outside of him, to the arrogance and insecurities it has manifested within him, Kanye West is truly a walking paradox. And these contradictions are what have made him the most interesting and contentious artist of the past decade. He's despised for his arrogance, castigated for his outbursts, and hated for his self-pity. This is all despite the fact that not a single one of his detractors know what it's like to be Kanye West.
As I plainly stated in the first paragraph there is simply no way I can empathize with Ye; all I can do is posit assumptions based on what knowledge I have of his personal life, which is quite a lot seeing as how publicized it is. It seems to me that when you are as strongly hated and loved as he is, with little to no middle ground and even less privacy, it can be quite easy to not know who to trust. "Am I really this good? Am I really this bad?" It fuels nothing but simultaneously growing ego and insecurities, and, ultimately, you end up trusting no one but yourself. You look inward constantly, become self-obsessed, overly self-aware, and even more overly self-conscious. Now add extreme wealth to this already tumultuous mindset. All you get is more arrogance from yourself and more hatred from others, but, as the old aphorism of the art goes, "mo money, mo problems."
This brings us to "New Slaves", the first song premiered from his upcoming album Yeezus. In it Ye frustratedly contemplates issues such as the privatization of prisons, rampant materialism in hip hop, but, most endearingly, what it means to be a rich, famous, black man in 21st century America.
"You see there's broke nigga racism, that's that, 'don't touch anything in the store,', and then there's rich nigga racism, that's that 'come back and please buy more.' 'What you want a Bentley, a fur coat, a diamond chain? All you blacks want all the same things'."
You can toss it aside as first world problems and vexing self pity, but it's important to remember Kanye wasn't born into wealth. This isn't to say because he earned his money he's also earned the right to whine about the problems that come with it, but rather an attempt to better understand his perspective. Before all the money he was alienated in high-end stores due to his lack of wealth, surmised to be a thief; however, now that he's rich he's experiencing a new fo
Black Hippy was spotted in the studio with Eminem and Royce Da 5'9". These pictures were taken and then posted on Ab-Soul's Instagram. What do you think? Is this the beginning of a new friendship? Could we possibly see a TDE x BME collaboration sometime in the near future? Either way, these photos are still pretty incredible
Horace Mann is quoted as saying, "Jails and prisons are the complements of schools; so many less as you have of the latter, so many more must you have of the former". No one can debate the fact that...
Horace Mann is quoted as saying, "Jails and prisons are the complements of schools; so many less as you have of the latter, so many more must you have of the former". No one can debate the fact that...
The London Bridge Experience or as I would call it "horror tour from hell" still has me messed up. Let me unbox this for you:
Whilst in London, I spent a few hours at the Tower Bridge.
Make Sure that You Get All of the Blog Posts Inspired by my #ClassyBlackGirlDoesLondon trip! ->>> READ THEM NOW!
The Tower Bridge is the "London Bridge" that you usually think of as the London Bridge. I know that now. The scenery around the Tower Bridge is beautiful, the people watching is incredible and the mayors office is located right on the Thames so I got an opportunity to mostly "man watch." Don't Judge Me. I even went to court that day...
So back to The London Bridge Experience This was Scary as H*LL!
I decided to go on this horror walking tour UNDER the London Bridge. You know the tourist trap type of establishment-I always love those! What can I say, I'm a tourist!
Man, I'm not going to ever be right again. I am a connoisseur of horror movies. I just eat horror up. I like being a little scared and curling up tightly under my sheets.
But this show was CRAZY!!....First of all lets just get it out of the way NOW...this tour is NOT for pregnant women, people with weak bladders or heart problems. I almost ran out a few times when I saw the exit sign, but I pledged....and I wasnt trying to drop or leave my friends who I started with. *forgive my college greek talk*
Why The London Bridge Experience was So Scary! You learn the gory story of the London Bridge, how and why it burned several times and why Londoners are so proud. Who knew that people actually LIVED inside of the London Bridge?... and that it was a "gated community?" These stories are told to you in fast talking riddles in great British accents. You participate fully by walking, talking, war calls against the Romans and of course with your poor heart as you encounter the enemies of the London Bridge. I even got to hold a dead turkey. You gotta see the show to understand.
Bound and Skinned!
And then it happens. They line you up, take you in a tiny cell of a room, and tell you that if you need to step out now-you can. Two people dropped....damn it was about to get scarier?
Watch My Video that I recorded right after my London Bridge Experience!
"Whut?" I contemplated leaving because I was already at my thresh hold for fear for the day, but I paid 16 damn pounds (not dollars) for this-I was in it til the END!
This wild and crazy tour only gets worse(in a good way), while it may sound corny people jumping, chain saws and gunshots had me so turned around when the show was over that it took me an hour to find the underground(The London version of a subway system)
Travel Hair: This is an article specifically for my ladies who wear extensions, wigs, weaves, clip ins or anything of the like. How do you travel and "give good hair?"
I was chatting with a friend of mine about a week before my trip to London.
I was telling him that I would be doing video and that I wanted to get a weave so that my beauty regimen and travel hair would be simpler and so that I could quickly tape when I needed to. He argued me down that I should have natural travel hair because it would be less to fuss with and when you travel the minimal amount of fuss is absolutely desirable.
I gave him the side eye over the phone and commenced to figuring out what color my fave blonde is so that I could keep my Barbie look updated. The color is 613 by the way and ridiculously hard to find!
My Travel Hair Started "Good!"
I would like to plan another international trip within the next 90-120 Days. I will probably decide to wear my natural, big curly mane instead of my weave...well maybe.
Here are a few things that to consider when making the all important decision of your travel hair being wig, weave or natural:
1. Photographs. I know that this may sound a bit silly, but you want to show your photos off for years to come and hair is part of the total package for most of us. While this is listed as number one, its not the most important factor.
2. Ability to maintain your extensions look is also very important. I actually ended up going to the drug store and buying some hair products to take my hair back to its natural state after being weave bound. My weave was literally coming apart at the seams. It went from silky to hot mess.
3. Ease after late nights. When on a vacay you are usually going to have a little more wine than you might normally have. You will probably come in and you could misplace your scarf or hey, "passout."
You Can See The Fuzzies, Travel Hair Going BAD!
->>>If you are wearing a wig, you can throw it off. But if you have a weave, you gotta be at 100. You gotta wrap that up, twist it or follow whatever directions your stylist gave you. You aren't doing ANY of that after 5 drinks and a salsa competition.
Stay Updated on the Lastest on FOOD, WINE, TRAVEL, FASHION & BEAUTY - Tweet with Me! @ClassySharelle
4. Think about the amount of products that you are going to need to bring to maintain your style, how they need to be packed and if you are going to be in a location that will have additional products that you can buy if you need to.
This Hair Ended Up All Bad. Tracks Showing...Big Sigh
->>> I was in London looking for natural hair products. I'm sure that there are probably awesome ones in the city. In fact, Im positive of it. But I dont know where they are and I ended up grabbing some products that were NOT my regular products OR cheap. 20 pounds....that day that was about 40 bucks for stuff that I have, but didnt bring with me because I was weaving it up...or so I thought.
Truthfully, I think that a happy medium would be a cute wig that you could put on if you want some diversity, but staying natural most of the time.
Police brutality and racism rears its ugly head in Jasper, Texas and few people are surprised, given the history of the police department and the resident of the town known for its brutality and...
The recent claims of some Pentecostal ministries on British TV, that believers should stop taking their medications because God will heal them, has come under attack from leaders of Britain's Black churches.
The Black church leaders, led by Bishop Joe Aldred, secretary of the Minority Ethnic Christian Affairs (MECA) of the Churches Together in England (CTE), met with Ofcom, who are the broadcasting standards watchdog, and complained that the actions of some Pentecostal ministries was endangering peoples lives.
Duo Tensei hits listeners with a barrage of instrumentation for their latest production. Seems to work though. Listen to the producers' work - "Black Gold" - below.
With the NBA playoffs in full swing, ad agencies are ramping up their efforts to catch the eyes and ears of rabid NBA fans. So it's only right that Atlanta heavyweight production team SweatBeatz and the enigmatic collective knows as The Black Opera were commissioned to join forces to create a number made to fit right in with this time of year. We know the NBA finals and the NBA draft are both right around the corner so this goes out to the NBA fanatic in all of us, "It's that lights, camera, NBA action".
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