Soul Fixin'

'Cadillac Records'In case you are clueless, the picture above is from the upcoming film 'Cadillac Records.' Yes, that fine high yellow woman is Beyonce. She portrays living legend Etta James in the film. Many, including myself, feel that a Jill Scott may have been a better pick. Regardless, I hope Bey pulls it off. Believe it or not, there is a bit of Oscar buzz surrounding Bey's portrayal of Etta. Back to the film. 'Cadillac Records' is the story of the rise and fall of famed label Chess Records. To tell the story of Chess is to tell the story of sex, drugs, violence, race, and rock 'n' roll in 1950's Chicago and those who lived it, Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Etta James, Little Walter and Howlin' Wolf and Elvis Presley--to name a few. MC and actor Mos Def stars in the film as rock 'n' roll pioneer Chuck Berry. The film hits theaters December 5. Check out the preview below.

Soul Fixin'

Paying Homage To Black Moses

VH1 decided to not only honor Cypress Hill, De La Soul, Naughty By Nature, Slick Rick & Too $hort, the network also paid homage to a man who created music that directly influenced hip hop and Southern rap in particular, at the Annual Hip Hop Honors show. Chuck D, Mos Def, Cee Lo, Scarface, and Estelle all took part in the musical tribute, performing songs that sampled the everlasting music of Black Moses. Scarface took to the stage at NYC's Hammerstein Ballroom and kicked his verse from the Geto Boys 'Mind Playing Tricks On Me,' which sampled Hayes' 'Hung Up On My Baby,' Chuck D concluded the tribute with 'Black Steel In the Hour of Chaos,' which samples 'Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic.' The show, hosted by Tracey Morgan, airs tonight at 10, following the finale of I Want To Work For Diddy. You'd be a fool to miss it.