Category Archives: music

Here to Help: Nas, Life, and Complex Magazine

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I am already anticipating the summer’s sun and glow, the people’s shine and the contagion of joy that one only feels when it’s summertime (especially in NYC!).  The vibe that comes with eating an icee from the Hispanic ladies with their little push carts who ask if you’d like a $1 or $2 cup, or the sound of “brrrinnng!” coming from the local ice cream truck delivering the day’s batch of bomb pops, makes you feel as if you have no cares in the world.  And, in those moments, “Life is Good.”

Recently rapper Nasir Jones, or simply Nas,  sat down with Complex magazine for a transparent, well-written and candid interview, by writer Rob Marriott. The aesthetics for the interview captured by Kareem Black gleaned that I was in store for a vividly brilliant read.  For Complex Magazine to have selected one of my favorite emcees of all time for its cover during my birthday month (June) made it plain. Life is good.  Nas discusses everything from finances to fatherhood to failing at love over the course of an interview that reads more like a feel-good jam session at Black Velvet Mondays in the Village Underground with Cheryl Pepsi Riley and the Hot Chocolate Band. I have a front row seat into his personal life for a brief moment—I can hear the gritty, low timbre and overly enunciated New York vernacular flowing from his mouth in my mind—I’m getting to know Nas…again.

I’ve learned over the years that Nas has an appreciation for beauty, but I never knew just how much and in what capacity until now. While his affinity is consistent it has evolved to encompass the total package and not merely what meets the eye.  Additionally, I’ve learned that his appreciation has been cultivated over time due to maturity; beautiful to Nas are powerful, outstanding, and smart women like his late mother Ms. Ann Jones, and our own First Lady, Michelle Obama. These are women that have used their lives to make the lives of others better.  This is the type of sincere beauty that piques Nas’ interest and grabs his attention on any given day— “Michelle Obama is the most beautiful woman on the planet. She cares about people. All first ladies have their job to do but you can feel her sincerity,” is what he shared with Complex Magazine.  I can dig it.  I admire my momma/aunty (they’re twins) and our First Lady too! In that comparative moment for me, I think “Life is Good.”

As a parent, of both a son and a daughter, Nas has come to the realization that he has to sharpen his skills, reflect more on the job he’s done and aspire to give better advice and not the “worst advice” based on the problems he’s had. Frankly, parenting is no easy feat (I have yet to jump into that ring) and so many parents would rather not have their skills placed under the critic’s microscope. But, Nas is open to it and I can respect that.

When I first heard “Daughters,” it took me to a nostalgic place about what I know my father would have wanted for me had he lived past his tender 25 years of age; he was a smart, revolutionary man to have left behind video footage from 1978 as the living proof that my sisters and I were his pride and joy and that his very existence was designed to be a role model and a provider for mother, sisters, and me. Each of Nas’ albums has motivated me to think more, read more and to judge Hip Hop culture and music through a different set of lenses; thus, “Music is supposed to inspire (Lauryn Hill).”  What has softened me up the most is the vulnerability that Nas presents in questioning his role as a father.  Truthfully, there is a pervasive vulnerability in all of Hip Hop, but Nas tailors words with an unforgivable flow, and is the masterful architect of the kind of thoughts that fill my mind when I reflect on what my daddy may have written about me as his daughter. And, in that pensive place, “Life is Good.”

I’m always thankful for time as cumbersome as some moments may be. In actuality, time is our only consistent friend and is the judge by whom we measure our growth and place on this planet. Ten years prior, Nas was in a another stage of his career at different apex in his life. He had never experienced the hurt of divorce and the weariness of the hypothetical that has surely asked a thousand times, “What if you had done some things differently?”  I’m sure Nas would answer rhetorically, “What if? I guess we will never know.”  What I do know is that on July 17th, 2012 I will continue my journey with Nas on his tenth album as he illustrates in each track the many reasons why “Life Is Good.” Just to look at Nas at 38 “it aint hard to tell…”

Check out the full Complex Magazine and Nas article here: http://www.complex.com/music/2012/05/nas-cover-story

The Billboard Awards Needed Michael Jackson…

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Last night I watched the Billboard Awards and I was quite excited watching Chris Brown; he was a marvel to see—his dancing was electrifying in the sense that I looked forward to seeing what new contortions would escape from his body with every shake, spin and flip.  On most people these moves would never be flattering, but with Chris Brown’s execution, they looked like moves I even wanted to try (See Chris Brown’s performance by clicking the link below).  But, that was just the dancing.  Nevertheless, Chris Brown was excellent.  The evening’s full package performances, however, were missing something altogether different–the energy and vigor that Michael Jackson would have packed in the place. I miss him more than anyone will ever know!  June 25th, 2009 marked the expiration date of true showmanship and the artist’s ability to produce an unadulterated live event.  Remember Motown 25 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XZGJiY2a3o&feature=player_detailpage)?  Remember When Michael Jackson showed up on BET to honor James Brown in those sequined silver pants (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN48lsXL1oA&feature=player_detailpage)? Remember when Michael Jackson wore the baby blue shirt with the black buckled pants on his Bad World Tour singing, “You’re Just Another Part of Me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vwHQNQ88cM&feature=player_embedded)?”  Ahhhhh…those were events.  That’s what was missing from Billboard’s efforts last night.

It is time for artists go back into the Michael Jackson arsenal; hire breathing coaches and personal trainers so that they can build up their stamina for singing and dancing.   Although Michael Jackson will never be the average artist, and no other artist will ever rise to his level of artistry [he is an artistic anomaly in every sense of the word], he learned his craft the same way most people learn—one step at a time and with practice, practice, and more practice.   There were times in which even this 8th wonder of the world was forced to lip sing (Motown 25), but I am sure it took twisting his perfectionist arm.  What was missing from the Billboard awards though was a genuine humility from the artists that the world had tuned in to watch their display of talent.  From my vantage point, a lot of pomp and circumstance was given to the aesthetics, but very little attention had been paid to the artistry. It doesn’t even look like they love performing nowadays.  While I will never ridicule artist that lip-sync (It makes me tired just to jog and hold a conversation) I will advise every artist to be more dedicated to their audience.  Believe it or not, the audience is providing the favor by being attentive.  Micheal Jackson, the best ever, understood this “secret.”

So, thank you Stevie Wonder (James Brown would have rocked out too!) for saving the day!  I am certain Berry Gordy sat in that Las Vegas audience as a proud professor because it was from his school [of performance] that Stevie Wonder, award presenter Gladys Knight, and Michael Jackson graduated.  Seasoned artists seem to show a level of gratitude that appears to say, “Even after being in show business for 45 years, you still think I got it; and, I appreciate how much you believe in my gift.”

The Billboard Awards were entertaining, but they clearly needed to perform a séance to summons Michael Jackson—his spirit was missing.

Chris Brown’s Billboard performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMP0FScVqgU&feature=player_embedded

The Sobriety of Truth

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“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”—Buddha

This may be my last blog about Whitney Houston, but I really can’t promise it as I continue to lament on her artistry that I loved so much. Just like you, I have been watching the news, reading the papers, getting the latest updates on the Whitney Houston tragedy via text messages and twitter and Facebook. Glued to the outlets is definitely an understatement as I try to come to grips with the fact that this woman, mother, daughter and person is no longer with us. The craziest thing however is that I am not shocked that she sufficed to her own demons. Whitney is mostly to blame for her own demise–I make no excuses for her.  On the other hand, I am outdone because the people she entrusted to do for her what she didn’t have to strength do for herself were so negligent in their duties.  She didn’t have honest people on her payroll or in her inner circle.  Whitney Houston and many of the high-profile deaths we’ve witnessed over the years of beloved stars had several things in common—they all traveled with large entourages, maintained exorbitant payrolls, and were severely intoxicated from the lies of the people closest to them on a daily basis.

I watched a video with singer Kelly Price in which she was speaking on a Grammy Red Carpet about her last encounter with Ms. Houston the Thursday before her death. Kelly Price recounted their final meeting as if she had been living in a dream, really telling the story the way she wished their encounter had actually happened rather than telling it the way that it was. In her testimony she relayed that Whitney Houston was “happy” and that she was “celebrating.” She also continued to say that Whitney Houston was “sober,” but in the very next sentence she stated, “She may have been a little tipsy…” This paradoxical account from Kelly Price suggests that she too was in denial about Whitney Houston’s condition because there is no possible way anyone can be both sober and tipsy. Alanis Morrisett wrote a song about incidences like these and called the song “Ironic.”  Furthermore, Whitney Houston had just recently been seeking rehabilitation for her substance abuse which means she should not have been anywhere remotely close to any champagne.  Although we live in a culture determined to “keep it real,” a phrase that even Whitney Houston used in her song “Try it On My Own,” Kelly Price did not speak the truth. Whitney Houston was not okay. She was not sober.

There are many times each of us has wished that we were not dealt the bitter taste of truth, but hindsight has provided a reason to be thankful.  In emotional tirades, egos are bruised and our pride pokes its angry chest out a little further when the truth presented is not what we are ready to receive. But, in the moments when our ability to be rational is compromised by the distraction of self-gratification, is when we need the anchors of our friends the most.  On Saturday February 11th, 2012, Whitney Houston didn’t have anyone. There was no one to check Whitney’s already fragile and insecure ego. Unfortunately, for people like her, there is always a buffer or a handler to soften the blows preventing the smack to provide her with the impact she may have needed.  Whitney Houston suffered from addiction like so many of us. Although most of us don’t consume drugs and alcohol, we are addicted to gambling, sex, consumerism, or something else. In addition to Whitney’s drug addiction, were the compounded pressures of people-pleasing and fulfilling a $100 million contract even when she may not have been ready to make a “comeback.”  Truthfully, she didn’t need to make a “comeback.”  Whitney Houston had never gone anywhere. And, there was nothing for Whitney to prove.  If she had never sung another song after the Bodyguard or Waiting to Exhale Soundtracks, she had already used her talents well beyond what most of us do with the blessings of our gifts. Once again, as the truth about her readiness was withheld, the more the pressure was applied.

As the pieces of the story behind Whitney Houston’s rocky journey in the music business are put together, I find myself going through an emotional requiem. I never had the pleasure or maybe even the displeasure of meeting Whitney Houston (I simply say displeasure because I don’t know what our encounter may have been like.), but I still feel a grave loss in society without her.  At her best, she contributed so much feeling and passion through her music and her smile. At her worst, I’m certain she contributed a lot of pain and anger.  I really wish humility were more of a prevalent part of human nature than denial and defensiveness.  As I often do, I surround myself with many good and mostly seasoned mentors because I always feel that they are going to steer me in the right direction. One of several mentors I’ve been blessed to have is battling mental illness. Monday night she became upset with me because as she relayed one of her many tales to me, I just couldn’t commit to taking this journey of make-believe with her any longer. I couldn’t listen to her as we stood on the platform of the bus station and allow her to believe for one minute that I was an accomplice to the fantasies of her mind because reality was whispering something different to me—it was telling me to tell her truth.  In frustration, she looked at me and said, “I don’t know why I am even telling you because you think I am crazy.”  I simply looked at her and said, “Lady (not her real name) I don’t think you’re crazy, but I do believe you need to be treatment for your mental health illness immediately.”  She retorted that I had disappointed her and that I didn’t know what it felt like to not have someone believe you.  As I began refuting the fantastical tales she was weaving, I saw her eyes harden upon me and she began looking at me as if she were looking into the eyes of Beelzebub.  Of course I was disappointed and hurt, but I felt relief.  She needed to know that she was showing signs of paranoia and being delusional. She also needed to know that I would be there to support as she supported herself by getting help. Ultimately, she needed to hear the truth from someone she trusted.*

If celebrities continue to entrust their lives into the hands of staff members like assistants and bodyguards, these people have an obligation to be truth tellers. The staff’s livelihood depends on keeping these celebrities alive and well, but lately it seems as if they have been doing such an awful job!  Celebrities have the resources to employ a plethora of people from usually one source—their gifts. The pay offs are enormous in show business; thus, whatever a star wants he or she can pay for. But, usually what the celebrity needs is free of charge and nothing more than plain, unadulterated truth.  Alcohol and drugs can dull the pain but for so long. Truth, while hurtful initially, has a way of empowering us so that we can be better than we have ever been in our lives.  This is when we become sober.  NBC used to run a public service campaign called “The more you know…”  The more we are exposed to truth, the better we become. I want to be better.

*As of Tuesday, Lady* was admitted into a mental health facility for evaluation and treatment.