I recently had a conversation with one of my friends concerning the laughable notion of Rick Ross being considered a sex symbol. Yes ladies, I know it’s hard to believe but if you hadn’t heard, Ross was plastered on the cover of Vibe’s sex issue a few months ago plus there’s been recent rumors of him having a sex tape. I pray to God this isn’t true because seeing him bare chested without his push up bra is not the “Free Willy” sequel I want to see. Now some women may find the concept of Ross sprawled in his nakedness to be sexy, my fantasies, on the other hand, have always required *ahem* more DEFinition, if you know what I mean. With that being said nothing fits that description more than Uncle L himself, LL Cool J. After accepting the I Am Hip Hop BET Hip Hop Award this past October, LL has a new single recently released on the TV drama, “NCIS: Los Angeles” entitled “No More” featuring Ne-Yo and produced by Jim Jonsin and Rico Love. Now forgive me in my delay because this was released earlier last month but take a listen and tell us what you think?
This editorial comes to us from Al-Lateef Farmer who has written articles for written for SoulTrain.com and Eurweb.com to name a few as well as his own blog which you can find at WorldAccording2Teef.com We’re looking forward to seeing more of Al-Lateef’s writing here at GFM in the future.
My earliest recollection of Hip-Hop is “The Message” from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. There was something hypnotizing about the beat and the chorus ingrained itself in your mind, but it was Melle Mel’s last first that really drew me to the song. Yeah, I was like four-years-old, but the authority in which he spit his rhyme really made me listen. I didn’t understand 99% of what he was talking about, but the way he was saying it, made me believe it to be powerful. Nearly thirty years later it is still my favorite verse, you know, it’s the one that starts, “A child is born with no state of mind/Blind/To the ways of mankind…”
I’ll give you a few seconds to finish the rhyme… (more…)
I cannot tell you all how excited we are here at GFM to celebrate the music of New Edition this month. Now, having said that I feel I should let you in on a secret(pun intended). (more…)
In this our finale of our three part in-depth interview with JoJo McDuffie former lead singer of The Mary Jane Girls: JoJo talks about being a pioneering girl group in the 80′s, the real story behind the name of the group, the large number of artists who have sampled The Mary Jane Girls catalog and how many of these artist have not cited JoJo as an influence both in the media as well as in person. There is a very interesting anecdote that JoJo has about the LL Cool J hit “Around The Way Girl” which features JoJo’s vocals in a very prominent role. This is a must listen!
Ok, east coast classic hip hop fans, DJ Phaze has a treat for you this week. If this one doesn’t bless your ears, then we’ll have to revoke your ‘I am Hip Hop’ card. The perfect companion for your daily commute, workout or block party…. This one is fire!! Check the tracklist after the break.
Hola mi amigos!!!! Once again, it’s that special time of the year!! A time for lovers to come together to celebrate that funny little thing we call L’ amour. In celebration of this “unofficial” holiday, I decided to share some Grown Folks love songs. Now, please understand these songs are not in any particular order nor do they encompass all I would like to share – we’d be here forever if it did. However, they’re just a few songs to make you think about the one you love or wish to be with. :) (more…)
Intro: A generation can be defined as: “A group of persons living contemporaneously”. In this state of contemporary living there are many factors that serve as “Signs O’ The Times” (pun intended). Economics, politics, religion, the media etc., all play an integral part in influencing the music of every generation. Often, there is a disconnect between the music and the messengers of different generations which often pits members of different generations on opposing sides of the musical landscape. Interestingly enough, if we delve deeply enough into the subject matter of songs from purportedly opposing generations, often there is more that unites us on a human level than divides us.
In the spirit of the season we would encourage members of different generations to get together to discover and discuss the music of a different generation. This should be a time to put away the bias divides us and create an environment whereby each generation might learn from the other. As different as 1979 is from 2009 there are many similarities in how we relate to one another that should unite us.
Over the next few weeks we will compare and contrast songs from different eras that fall under a similar subject matter heading. We will examine topics ranging from relationships to materialism to simply having a good time. This is not a best of list or a popularity contest list but really it is a tool to spark some meaningful conversations, full of constructive debate that should lead to some “teachable moments”.
This week’s topic: Relationships
Miss Independent-Ne-Yo/Around The Way Girl-LL Cool J
The Message
With declarations like “Cause she walk like a boss talk like a boss manicured nails to set the pedicure off” from Ne-Yo to “Silky, milky her smile is like sunshine that’s why I had to dedicate at least one rhyme” from LL Cool J, these songs reside in the infatuation aisle at “I’d like to get to know you better” Mart. Yet, at the same time these songs serve as an ode to the independent woman. (more…)
