Video Soul

"I say f**k the police, thats how I treat 'em
we buy our way out of jail, but we can't buy freedom
we'll buy a lot of clothes when we don't really need 'em
things we buy to cover up what's inside
cause they make us hate ourself and love they wealth..."

Soul Fixin'

Check Out Raphael Saadiq Live
As you may know Raphael Saadiq is hitting the road this fall along with John Legend. If you need a reason to check Mr. Saadiq out take a look at the video below. I came across the clip today, Saadiq is performing 'You And Me' in D.C at the Black Cat back in September.  Dressed in a yellow suit with a wife beater, Saadiq is accompanied by a band a group of background vocalists and the audience is loving every bit of it. Butta from SoulBounce was kind enough to upload the video for our viewing pleasure. Surprisingly, the video has been viewed 28 times. Be sure to head over to YouTube to catch some videos of your favorite soul artists. Vintage clips of artists from Aretha to Phyllis Hyman can be found on YouTube along with recent performances from soul singers such as Chrisette Michelle and Anthony Hamilton.

Video Soul

"I thank you for the two beatings that you gave me
cuz i know somewhere along the line, those two beatings saved me..."

Soul Fixin'

Maxwell Opens Up

Maxwell recently sat down with the Associated Press for a short but candid interview about his hiatus, tour, and upcoming project. The AP was nice enough to record the interview and upload the video on YouTube. Aren't we fortunate? Maxwell admitted he enjoyed his hiatus, "I just wanted to kind of be a regular person for a minute, and not have to live up to anything from before... writing this album, living life and enjoying anonimity after I cut my hair was great. I kind of enjoyed that." I won't tell you much more, watch the video and see for yourself.

Soul Fixin'

John Legend & Raphael Saadiq Will Tour Together
What do John Legend and Raphael Saadiq have in common? Not only are the two superb musicians and singers but the duo will be hitting the road together this fall. That's right, John Legend & Raphael Saadiq. It doesn't get much better than that. The 14-date trek kicks off November 19 in Minneapolis, weeks after the release of Legend's Evolver, due October 28. The soul brothers will be singing their way through Chicago, Boston, Philly, Charlotte, Detroit and other cities before wrapping things up in Durham, North Carolina. Hit up Billboard for the complete itinerary. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.

Soul Fixin'

Jazmine Sullivan Will 'Bust Your Windows'
I don't condone any female busting the windows out of any car but I'm really enjoying Jazmine Sullivan's latest video for 'Bust Your Windows.' Jazmine Sullivan can do no wrong in my eyes. The video is quite predictable but that isn't a bad thing. What would make a rational woman go insane and bust the windows out her man's car? There could only be two answers; she discovers that he is cheating or she comes across evidence that proves he has been unfaithful. That is exactly what happens in this video, Jazmine finds some suspicious panties tucked under her man's pillow. Hell have no fury like a black woman scorned. Jazmine's rage results in her destroying a few of her man's prized possessions. Unfortunately, we don't get to see Jazmine bust the windows out his car, but her man arrives home to work greeted by a trail of broken glass that leads to those damn panties.

Video Soul

"life's up and downs they come and go
but when I die I hope I live in the sky..."

Soul Fixin'

Maxwell Is Glad To Be Back
In a recent interview with the NY Post Maxwell opened up about his six year hiatus, current tour, and upcoming album. Maxwell revealed that he had begun to question his decision to stay away from music for so long, "Did I take off too long?...did I kill my career?" After his surprising and show stopping performance at the recent BET Awards, Maxwell said he knew he had to make a comeback, "right then I knew it. I felt the energy and was like, 'It's time to go out on the road and meet the people again." He did just that, he is currently on tour with Jazmine Sullivan. (D'Angelo, did you hear that?) While many are disgusted with the outrageous ticket prices, venue after venue has sold out and more dates have been added due to the high demand. Speaking of his highly anticipated trilogy, Black Summers' Night, his first new project since 2001's Now, Maxwell revealed that a list of producers have yet to be confirmed but he is in talks with Q-Tip and hopes to collaborate with Swizz Beats, Jazmine Sullivan, and Aretha Franklin. Maxwell and Aretha, sounds interesting. An Aretha album produced by Maxwell sounds even better. Moving right along, if you can't afford to see Maxwell live, enjoy the YouTube video of Maxwell performing 'Whenever, Wherever, Whatever' in Amsterdam.

Soul Fixin'

Kanye Premieres Video for 'Love Lockdown'

The 2008 VMA's were highlighted by Kanye's performance of his new joint 'Love Lockdown.' In the hours that followed, that's about all anyone could talk about. Some thought the song was a stroke of genius while others hated it with a passion. 'Love Lockdown' found the Chicago rapper actually singing, well sorta. Nowadays, everyone is a singer thanks to auto tone. In an unusual move, Yeezy premiered the video for 'Lock Lockdown' on The Ellen Degeneres Show. I'm a big fan of Kanye's videos but this one leaves a lot to be desired. One minute Kanye is chilling decked out in all white when all of a sudden a group of tribesman appear banging on drums. Confusing, to say the least. Take a look and judge for yourself and let us know what you think.

Video Soul

"every girl at ya school had the new extensions
even gangstas was dancing like New Edition.
cause the house parties stayed rockin all night,
niggas came through and shot it up but it was alright,
cause after the cops left it was a party then,
you down with OPP then bring Naughty in.
they say it never rains in southern California, Tony Toni lied.
Sit back, watch Game throw his money in the sky..."

Soul Tracks

Great rappers have the ability to not only tell a story but take you, the listener, along for the ride. Jay took us on an emotional ride with 'Song Cry.' Scarface forced us to face the grim realities of death on 'Never Seen A Man Cry.' Brooklyn born MC Biggie Smalls took us on a journey 'from negative to positive' on the track 'Juicy.' Nasir Jones gave us a glimpse of life in his childhood stomping grounds, Queensbridge housing projects, also home to Marley Marl, MC Shan, and Roxanne Shanté. 'Project Windows' was recorded for Nas' 1999 release, Nastradamus, widely considered his weakest piece of work. However, our focus is on the mind-blowing track 'Project Windows.' Nas channeled the spirits of literary geniuses Langston Hughes and James Baldwin: "Black hoods, cops and projects/Sewers flooded with foul blockage/The gutter's wild and every child watches/Chains and top locks get ripped off hinges." Describing the projects as a 'mental slavehouse,' Nas touches on "the life of every kid, lookin' out project windows," from dope fiends and drugs to hustlers and hoes. Ronald Isley's heavyhearted vocals add to the brilliance of the track.

Soul Fixin'

Lady Bey Does Etta James

Last Thursday while many of us were anxiously anticipating the weekend, Beyonce was enjoying the beauty of Bermuda as a featured performer at 2008 Bermuda Musical Festival. During her set, Lady Bey sang the enduring Etta James classic 'At Last.' I am far from a fan of Bey but I was impressed with her performance. Beyonce also informed the adoring audience that filming for the movie in which she portrays Etta James, Cadillac Man, is done. The film is based on Leonard Chess, the founder of the legendary blues label Chess Records. Initially, Etta wasn't thrilled about Beyonce portraying her in the film, but after witnessing Beyonce's performance of 'Proud Mary' with Tina Turner at the Grammy Awards, Etta felt confident that Beyonce could pull it off. Be on the lookout for Cadillac Man. In the meantime, enjoy a little Lady Bey.

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.

Soul Fixin'

A. Keys + Lady O = Superwomen

Soul star Alicia Keys made an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show last week, along with the 'Secret Life of Bees' cast, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Dakota Fanning, & Sophie Okonedo. Each lady got a little one on one time with the Queen of Daytime TV. While chatting with Ms. Keys, Oprah asked Alicia if she was as comfortable behind the camera as she was behind the piano, Alicia responded "I never want to find myself too comfortable anywhere...because I don't think you can grow if you are too comfortable...I like to do things that I'm not quite comfortable with because it pushes me to do better." Words of wisdom indeed. At the end of the show, Alicia took center stage and performed her anthem of feminine empowerment 'Superwoman.'

Soul Fixin'

VH1 Crowns 'Fight The Power' # 1
VH1 wrapped up its' countdown of the '100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs' Friday night. Public Enemy's militant anthem 'Fight The Power' proudly claimed the number one spot. If you were able to catch all five episodes of the countdown, I'm sure you were proud to see that many of hip hop's pioneers have not fallen by the wayside and are doing quite well. Wasn't it surprising to hear that Roxanne Shante is now Dr. Roxanne Shante? Yes, Roxanne Shante is a psychologist, with her own practice in Queens, NY. I'm sure no one was shocked to see that Biz Markie is still silly as hell.  I'm sure we were all quite satisfied with the Top 10, but I'm sure we were all surprised with some of the other songs that made the list. My side eye was in full time jack mode at times. While Lil John & The Eastside Boyz club banger 'Get Low' sounded great in the club, is it really worthy of being on the list?. What the hell was VH1 thinking when they included Camron's 'Oh Boy,' L'Trimm's  'Cars With The Boom, 'and Three 6 Mafia's 'Hard Out Here For A Pimp' on the list. Are these people serious? Tupac made an appearance on the list, 'I Get Around' ranked in at #14. Am I the only person that knows that 'Brenda's Got A Baby,' 'Dear Mama,' and 'Keep Your Head', to name a few, are far greater than 'I Get Around.' Kanye's 'Gold Digger', Missy's 'Get Ur Freak On' and 50's 'In Da Club' were all in the Top 20. WTF?? Did the girls from Rock of Love have a hand in making this list? When it was all said and done, I stared at television in disbelief when I realized that Southern rap music pioneer and every rappers' favorite rapper, Scarface, was absent from the list. I give VH1 credit for including 'Mind Playing Tricks On Me' but my hip hop side eye was in full effect. VH1 owes 'Face an apology and his own reality show. Hopefully, my side eye won't rear its ugly head tonight while watching VH1's Annual Hip Hop Honors show.

Video Soul

"back when I was nothin'
you made a brother feel like he was somethin'
that's why I'm with you to this day, boo no frontin'
even when the skies were gray
you would rub me on my back and say 'baby it'll be okay'..."

Sunday Soul

Saturday Soul

Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 [GIANT]
Remembering Norman Whitfiled [VIBE]
Vote for Your Favorite MJB Cover[Soul Bounce]
Obama Talks Hip Hop [MTV]
Jay-Z Is Honored [MTV]
Blacks Are To Blame For Economic Meltdown...Say What?? [AOL BlackVoices]
What Happened to the Female MC? [Soul Bounce]

Soul Tracks

Today's Soul Tracks selection may sound a bit familiar. More than likely you've heard Mary's brilliant remake of the song on her late 90's release Mary. The original version belongs to a group of brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma, The Gap Band. The group was originally known as the Greenwood, Archer and Pine Street Band, streets that formed the black business district of Tulsa, better known as Black Wall Street. Charlie, Ronnie and Robert recorded the alluring love song for their 1979 self titled release. The album, the group's third shot at fame, proved to be successful thanks in part to the hit singles 'Shake' and 'Open Your Mind (Wide).' Clocking in at a little over 5 minutes, the simple yet beautiful 'I'm In Love', finds the Wilson trio in a reflective mood, reminiscing over a loved one. A sweet melody indeed.

Soul Fixin'

R.Kelly's Latest Disaster

If you have nothing better to do for the next four minutes and fifty seconds take a peek at R.Kelly's latest video for his latest single 'Skin'. Granted, the man has embraced his inner grown man and ditched the gold braids and the gazillion diamond and platinum chains but the video is incredibly corny. Actually, corny is an understatement. I don't know where to begin. This video is far from a visual treat. It's more like a visual misstep. Lately, R. Kelly's career has been full of missteps. His post-Chocolate Factory releases, Tp. 3 Reloaded and Double Up, are clear examples. When the leaked track 'Heaven Chose You' hit the net, I was quite pleased, the song possesses that classic R. Kelly sound, a sound that has eluded his recent albums. However, the self proclaimed 'Pied Piper of R&B' went in a different direction with 'Skin.' The wrong direction. The auto tune direction. The direction that has made so-called singers T-Pain and The Dream famous. How is it that R. Kelly is following in the footsteps of T-Pain and The Dream? 12 Play: Fourth Quarter is due to hit stores soon. Quite frankly, I could care less. I won't be plunking $9.99 down for a Kellz CD any time soon.