Erykah Badu: New Amerykah Part Two- Return of the Anhk

20 feet tall was a song that speaks to the soul… I think we have all been there! Destroying walls, realizing your strength.

Ok… Window Seat is… Window Seat. I love this song so much… the vibe, her voice, its so classically Badu I can’t stand it. PERFECTION

[owwwww] Agitation is musically so SICK. Wow...

Gone Baby, Don’t Be Long sounds like a follow up to the Otherside of the Game (“I know you have to get your hustle on…”)

Loving me was one of those Badu-esque moments on an album when ur like wha?!?!? But then you realize it’s an interlude (like the first time you heard Afro on Baduizm)

Fall in Love is a rip from Eddie Kendricks' 1977 song "Intimate Friends” (which I actually remembered from Alicia Keys Unbreakable and had to google the original… don’t judge me.) It’s the song I find myself humming all the time… Maybe its just my sinister side… “slow singing, flower bring if your burglar alarm starts ringing…”

Incense is the song that was playing on the website when I was up at 3:32 AM waiting for window seat to premiere (ONLY for Badu… I love her so)

Out Of Mind, Just In Time is just giving me Green Eyes all over again… one of my favorite Badu songs/ stories. I have woken up many a morning needing to hear this song before I could start my day.

Overall, this album is more classic Badu than Part One. I heard her say on the radio she wrote both at the same time and Part Two is the feminine side and Part One the masculine. I took the time to listen to both together and I get it, but I’m feminine so I like Part Two better. This album is like all of her previous albums combined. It’s no Mama’s Gun (my favorite) but I love it and have been playing it regularly since it’s release.

Janelle Monae: Tight Rope Video

I adore this chick!!! I love her style, her voice... she is EVERYTHING!!! This video made me smile endlessly. SN: she really does tightrope walk. Can't wait for the album... MAY 18TH!!! (gotta find some saddle shoes to rock in her honor... and maybe I'll do my hair like hers too.... ya'll know I will!!!)

Monica: Still Standing

I’m having another Corinne Bailey Rae moment…. Don’t know what to say other than I love it. REAL R&B IS BACK PEOPLE!!!

“Still Standing” is such an anthem!! I just get in such a zone when its on

“One In A Lifetime” is perfection….

I like “Stay or Go” with it’s hip hop undertones… that’s as much hip hop on a Monica album (no more rapping Mo.)

“Everything To Me” reminds me of her cover of “Misty Blue” on The Boy Is Me… her voice is so classic that she slips so easily into old school R&B

I liked “If You Were My Man” but it seemed a bit misplaced, like it should have been on a different album. The album did change pace a bit at the point... more electronic sounds. So it served its purpose

“Mirror”, “Here I Am” and “Believing in Me” were solid

“Superman” & “Love Over Me” were so beautifully sexy.

One thing about Monica is she will make a short album, get her point across and sit down somewhere. I LOVE THAT!!! It was 10 songs, short and to the point. Great Album.

Sponsor at Tiffany's

I heard Teairra Mari's sponsor a little while ago (and the video released a couple weeks ago). Immediately, I was struck by the song's candor. All the normals, even the most self sufficient among us, have dreamed about being taken care of, be it by a sponsor, a spouse or a trust fund. Let's face it, it would be nice to be able to lollygag and galavant without a care in the world.

One of my favorite movies is Breakfast at Tiffany's where a "kept" man and woman fall in love with each other, seemingly a bad life choice since they are both broke on their own. But it was glamorous... Holly (Audrey Hepburn) in her fab black dresses, extravagent accessories having parties in her quaint apartment for no other purpose than to find a new sponsor. Not to mention her stealing money from men, under the guise of "needing money for the powder room" and at $50 a pop. Paul, a well dressed struggling writer being sponsored by his married "interior designer" who left his money on the table.





For me the biggest draw to old movies is innuendo. I know that at the end of the day they were both tramps, much like what is condoned in modern music, but they did it with such elegance. There were no moments where you see naked people rolling around, or cheap talk of what they could get from their sponsor. It was all done very subtly. Maybe I'm just a shrew, but I think there are some things that should be left to the imagination. I also think there are some things a lady should not say, even if the lady does the things she doesn't say ;-)

Raheem DeVaughn: The Love & War Masterpiece

Album cover is quite cool and delish. I like :D

Opens with Cornel West, this can’t be bad. I hope.

I loved the consciousness that is Bulletproof. I’m feeling very male Badu with this one.

Not crazy about Greatness. It’s a good song in theory. Beneath all the superficial there’s greatness, but it comes across kind of simple. But I do love Wale. Hi Virgo!

I Don’t Care is a feel good track. I have other issues with people saying “hate,” “haters,” etc. every other line. However, I like the vibe so I’ll let it ride.

Black & Blue deals with domestic violence a bit. Can’t be mad with addressing the issue.

Mr. Right is young and makes me smile. This seems like this is his comfort zone. I like this love song space for him.

Of course we know he can do a slow song. I want to like Fragile but it’s really just ok.

Hit his stride around track 10. B.O.B. is comically true. Now this is different. Bob is a vibrator. Bob stands for Battery Operated Boyfriend. Little reminder that a man is different from a vibrator. LOL. I could have done without the random shout outs to all the songs Bob can’t play, but I like the song. Bedroom, Microphone, and Garden of Love are very sexy without being vulgar.

Love the Nobody Wins a War with its neo-soul all-star cast. It could have been the new we are the world. LOL

Revelations 2010 w/ Damian Marley was cool. One of my fav Jay-Z songs in the background… Can I Live (yes I know that too was a sample but he says Can I Live over and over again so…)

When I looked at the track list and saw 16 tracks I thought this can’t be good. I personally think 12 tracks is plenty… but he had 2 interludes and an Intro so it was only 13 tracks. I’m not a big fan of interludes. I think Cornel West was enough just once at the beginning, even though some of the things he was saying were hella deep. It didn’t feel long or boring so that’s definitely a good thing.

The album left me wanting more lyrically, especially My Wife. Some of the album just seemed a bit elementary even though he was talking about adult topics such as marriage and domestic violence.

His lyrics and music don’t always match so well. That’s the only thing that bothers me about Raheem DeVaughn. When you listen to it you will understand, particularly on Black & Blue. Another slight annoyance is his songs don’t always sound like songs. Sometimes they sound like poetry, which doesn’t always translate. Sometimes it just felt like he was just talking.

Again, I have to give credit for carrying out a concept- lots of love songs, some consciousness to deal with the war side. I get it. Still, the album lacked a bit of the cohesiveness I like. I could definitely see it growing on me, the second time I listened to it I liked it way more than the first. It’s worth a listen. Support REAL music!!!

V.V. Brown: Travelling Like Light

So I’ve decided Kelis + Janelle Monae + Amy Winehouse = VV Brown… there really isn’t much more to say. Here are a few specifics…

Quick Fix gave me a Pink vibe

Game Over was a rebellious song with an alternative/hip-hop sound and free spirit

Shark In the Water sounded Amy Winehouse-ish, both lyrically and vocally (which is not a bad thing- I like Amy when she’s not on crack. LOL)

Her vibe put Janelle Monae to mind, especially Leave!, Bottles, Crying Blood, however, I think vocally Janelle Monae is so much stronger. Even the album cover is Monae-esque

I did really like I Love You and Traveling Like Light

It wasn’t particularly innovative. I feel like I’d heard all the songs before or they could have been on other albums I own. It’s ok.

My Stupid Mouth

Yes John Mayer, “[your] stupid mouth has [gotten you] in trouble”- again. “Another social casualty,” this time with a particularly unforgiving crowd- black women. Here’s the interview in pertinent part:

“PLAYBOY: If you didn’t know you, would you think you’re a douche bag?

MAYER: It depends on what I picked up. My two biggest hits are “Your Body Is a Wonderland” and “Daughters.” If you think those songs are pandering, then you’ll think I’m a douche bag. It’s like I come on very strong. I am a very…I’m just very. V-E-R-Y. And if you can’t handle very, then I’m a douche bag. But I think the world needs a little very. That’s why black people love me.

PLAYBOY: Because you’re very?

MAYER: Someone asked me the other day, “What does it feel like now to have a hood pass?” And by the way, it’s sort of a contradiction in terms, because if you really had a hood pass, you could call it a nigger pass. Why are you pulling a punch and calling it a hood pass if you really have a hood pass? But I said, “I can’t really have a hood pass. I’ve never walked into a restaurant, asked for a table and been told, ‘We’re full.’"

PLAYBOY: It is true; a lot of rappers love you. You recorded with Common and Kanye West, played live with Jay-Z.

MAYER: What is being black? It’s making the most of your life, not taking a single moment for granted. Taking something that’s seen as a struggle and making it work for you, or you’ll die inside. Not to say that my struggle is like the collective struggle of black America. But maybe my struggle is similar to one black dude’s.

PLAYBOY: Do black women throw themselves at you?

MAYER: I don’t think I open myself to it. My dick is sort of like a white supremacist. I’ve got a Benetton heart and a fuckin’ David Duke cock. I’m going to start dating separately from my dick.

PLAYBOY: Let’s put some names out there. Let’s get specific.

MAYER: I always thought Holly Robinson Peete was gorgeous. Every white dude loved Hilary from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. And Kerry Washington. She’s superhot, and she’s also white-girl crazy. Kerry Washington would break your heart like a white girl. Just all of a sudden she’d be like, “Yeah, I sucked his dick. Whatever.” And you’d be like, “What? We weren’t talking about that.” That’s what “Heartbreak Warfare” is all about, when a girl uses jealousy as a tactic.”

What killed me is not the “white supremacist” comment- I’ll get to that in a second. Rather, his first mention of black people was completely arbitrary and came from nowhere. The interviewer had to clarify where black people even came into the mix. He could have given that interview without mentioning black people at all and it would have been typical John Mayer antics. But once his foot was already in his mouth, the interviewer just kept feeding him questions to set the rest up. I thought he cleaned up the N-word quite nicely. It was inappropriate but I understood where he was going.

As for the “white supremacist” it is clear he has a preference for “All-American” white girls. Jennifer Anniston is as blue blooded as they come. Most of us have a preference and there’s nothing wrong with that. The word choice was just so poor. Some things just should not be said, not even in jest. The “Benetton Heart” clean up attempt failed miserably. Why he couldn’t just say I have a Benetton Heart but prefer white women or have never dated a black woman is beyond me. Undoubtedly, he has crossed the line, but then again, the cleverness in his wordplay is what makes him so appealing as an artist.

I read the entire article (and encourage you to do the same before you make a judgment) and found this little tidbit at the end an accurate summary, and frankly, understandable:

“PLAYBOY: You said you were just exiting the phase of your life when relationships make you feel guilty. What’s the next phase?

MAYER: People are lining up around the block right now to watch me play music tonight. If some kid called me a douche bag on his terrible blog, I don’t really care. I’m letting myself out of my own prison. I’m not going to be a prisoner to a warden I can’t see. From now on I’m just going to pretend that people really dig the shit out of me. I’ve been so afraid of rocking the boat that I’m not sailing anywhere. I’ve been trying to prove to people I’m not a douche bag by not dating, by keeping my name out of Us Weekly. That’s fucked up, man. I’m not dating. I’m not even fucking. So now I’m going to experiment with “fuck you.” In 2010 my goal is to get more mentions in Us Weekly than ever.”

The whole article just led me to believe his self assessment in “Rolling Stone” was correct. He's slightly crazy, and likes the sound of his own voice. People like him don’t think before they speak and end up saying really ignorant things and alienating a lot of people. So unfortunate.


Shortly after my post, John Mayer posted this on twitter:

Re: using the 'N word' in an interview: I am sorry that I used the word. And it's such a shame that I did because the point I was trying

to make was in the exact opposite spirit of the word itself. It was arrogant of me to think I could intellectualize using it

because I realize that there's no intellectualizing a word that is so emotionally charged.

And while I'm using today for looking at myself under harsh light, I think it's time to stop trying to be so raw in interviews...

It started as an attempt to not let the waves of criticism get to me, but it's gotten out of hand and I've created somewhat of a monster.

And a singer. And a songwriter. Not a shock jock. I don't have the stomach for it.

I wanted to be a blues guitar player. And a singer. And a songwriter. Not a shock jock. I don't have the stomach for it

Any thoughts?