afrobella » Hip Hop Heroines

Lauryn Hill’s Still Got It

bella — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:31:37 +0000

To this very day, I can count Lauryn Hill as one of the top five best concert experiences I’ve ever had. I saw her in 1998 at the Bob Marley Festival in Miami, and she blew everyone away.

She did the same thing last night in New Zealand. (Link courtesy my beloved Oh No They Didn’t)

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And she’s still spitting hot fire. How amazing would it be to have Lauryn pop up unexpectedly at a concert? I’m seriously hoping she joins the lineup of Lilith Fair — which is making its glorious return this summer. How awesome would THAT be?

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Melanie Fiona – Caribbean, Represent!

bella — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:52:26 +0000

Bellas, I am so tardy to the Melanie Fiona party!

I’ve been watching this beautiful young singer on the rise, but I guess I wasn’t paying close enough attention. All of a sudden, my mind connected the dots. The chick I’d seen on VH1 Soul with Questlove, was the vocalist behind that version of Sam Cooke’s Cupid that I heard at Starbucks! And the same artist I’d been reading about on Soulbounce forever! OH! This is Melanie Fiona!

It took me a while, but now I’m head over heels for her sound and her style.

Melanie Fiona hails from Toronto, but — according to Wikipedia – has parents from Guyana. Which perhaps explains the Caribbean influence that comes through loud and clear in her Subway Series. In this awesome clip, she performs her songs “Sad Songs,” “Please Don’t Go” and “Bang Bang” on the streets and in the subway stations of New York City.

So. Amazing. The sounds of steelpan gave me chills – such an amazing and underused instrument.

Melanie’s album, The Bridge, is available for sale right now. Show a real singer some love, if you’re feeling this!

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Call Her Dr. Roxanne

bella — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:43:23 +0000

Talk about a sweet revenge!

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I read the story of Roxanne Shante fighting the system and getting what she earned and deserved in the NY Daily News.

Of course being an Eighties baby, I was familiar with Roxanne Shante. The hip hop pioneer was one of the first ladies to rock a mic, and one of the first to experience the harsh realities of the recording industry. From the NY Daily News:

“This is a story that needs to be told,” Shante said. “I’m an example that you can be a teenage mom, come from the projects, and be raised by a single parent, and you can still come out of it a doctor.”

Her prognosis wasn’t as bright in the years after the ’80s icon scored a smash hit at age 14: “Roxanne’s Revenge,” a razor-tongued response to rap group UTFO’s mega-hit “Roxanne, Roxanne.”
The 1984 single sold 250,000 copies in New York City alone, making Shante (born Lolita Gooden) hip hop’s first female celebrity. She blazed a trail followed by Lil’ Kim, Salt-N-Pepa and Queen Latifah – although Shante didn’t share their success.

After two albums, Shante said, she was disillusioned by the sleazy music industry and swindled by her record company. The teen mother, living in the Queensbridge Houses, recalled how her life was shattered.

“Everybody was cheating with the contracts, stealing and telling lies,” she said. “And to find out that I was just a commodity was heartbreaking.”

But Shante, then 19, remembered a clause in her Warner Music recording contract: The company would fund her education for life.

She eventually cashed in, earning a Ph.D. in psychology from Cornell to the tune of $217,000 – all covered by the label. But getting Warner Music to cough up the dough was a battle.

“They kept stumbling over their words, and they didn’t have an exact reason why they were telling me no,” Shante said.

She figured Warner considered the clause a throwaway, never believing a teen mom in public housing would attend college. The company declined to comment for this story.”

Of course they did.

So what does Dr. Shante do now?

“Shante earned her doctorate in 2001, and launched an unconventional therapy practice focusing on urban African-Americans – a group traditionally reluctant to seek mental health help.

“People put such a taboo on therapy, they feel it means they’re going crazy,” she explained. “No, it doesn’t. It just means you need someone else to talk to.”

Shante often incorporates hip-hop music into her sessions, encouraging her clients to unleash their inner MC and shout out exactly what’s on their mind.

“They can’t really let loose and enjoy life,” she said. “So I just let them unlock those doors.”
Shante, 38, is also active in the community. She offers $5,000 college scholarships each semester to female rappers through the nonprofit Hip Hop Association.

She also dispenses advice to young women in the music business via a MySpace page.
“I call it a warning service, so their dreams don’t turn into nightmares,” she said.”

Inspiring and wonderful. Roxanne started out as a pawn in the rap game, and now she’s achieved her dreams and is doing everything in her power to assist her community. There’s even a film about the Juice Crew in the works, and brilliant young actress Keke Palmer is set to play Roxanne. I love it!

Click here to visit her MySpace page. Kudos and big respect, Dr. Shante! Your story is infinitely inspiring!

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Seasonal Scents

bella — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:31:47 +0000

Summer fragrances are such sweet respite from the realities of the season — when it’s hot, steamy, and sweaty out there, there’s something so refreshing about a light scent. While it’s still warm out you should check store shelves for these luscious perfumes — they’ll make you smell some kinda delicious regardless of what season we’re in.

Last week I was spritzing myself with Calvin Klein’s 2009 Eternity Summer and my mom in law literally stopped in her tracks as she was walking by. “Mmmmm! You smell gorgeous!”

Why thanks, Mom! Yes. Yes I do.

Eternity Summer will win you over if you’re a fan of Calvin Klein fragrances in general – it hews close to the formula of clean, fresh and floral. The initial spritz is sweet, but when it all dries down, it’s a mild, clean floral at heart. It’s a pleasant scent, but didn’t make my heart skip a beat.

I found Calvin Klein’s Euphoria Spring Temptation to be far more heady, delicious, and me. Now Smell This did a great rundown of the fragrance notes: ” lush pear blossom, guava leaf, fluid waterfall accord, pink lily, dewy violet, white sandalwood, pure frosted musk and untouched amber.”

Heavens to mergatroid.

All of that sounds fancy enough, but I am not so complicated when it comes to fragrance. Does Euphoria Spring Temptation smell good? YES. It’s fruity yet floral, feminine and refreshing. And the bottle looks gorgeous on my dresser. Spring, Summer – who cares! I’d gladly repurchase this when my bottle runs out. It’s perfumey without being overpowering.

Which is not what I can say about Queen Latifah’s debut fragrance, titled simply – Queen. Its a notable and regal blend, alright — incense, musk, sandalwood, cognac and golden tequila are among its notes.
This is a heavy, very womanly, very I AM WEARING PERFUME kind of fragrance — far more a Fall fragrance than a Summer scent. I found it to be reminiscent of Eighties era fragrances, but not in a bad way.

It took me back to the days when my mom wore a power suit and had a batallion of very ferosh perfumes at the ready. Feminine, sexy, don’t eff with me. If you like less noticeable scents, you might not be down with Queen. But if you want to remind yourself and others that you are woman, hear you roar, you’ll probably love it! It hits shelves in August.

Need more recommendations? My homegirl Sicka Than Average came up with a killer list of summer fragrances herself!

Have you tried any new fragrances lately? Tell me about them!

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Afrobella of the Month – Amanda Diva

bella — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:59:17 +0000

My question is, is there anything Amanda Diva can’t do?

She can rap. She can sing. She can spit a mean spoken word verse. She’s a blogger and a cable television personality, and an internet television personality and an artist. She’s a hip hop diva with Caribbean roots who isn’t afraid to blaze her own trail.

To say she’s bold and ambitious is an understatement. She’s exactly the kind of role model I’m looking to in my own time of transition.

All this and more makes her a perfect Afrobella of the Month for these ever-changing times.

I interviewed Amanda forever ago, in like mid-2008. But I saved a stash of awesome interviews for the time when I could bring them to life in a fuller fashion.

Thanks to the incredible skill of my video editor Gisele Parson, we’re finally able to make that happen.

Bellas, I present to you the tour-de-force that is Amanda Diva.

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I know I’m biased, but I need to shout about it — I love what Gisele is doing with the images! Please show her some love if you feel the same. And my next task is to work on getting better quality audio for my interviews. Apologies for the volume level and clarity there.

For those of you at work who can’t peep the video, we chat about the cookie cutter image of women in hip hop, being asked to alter your image in the music industry, and defining yourself when you do so many things so well.

Amanda Diva is an inspiration to me as a Caribbean woman, as a writer making her way in an everchanging media landscape, and as a bella with a head for good music.

Peep her style in Q-Tip’s video for ManWomanBoogie.

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LOVE her hair in that video. Amanda cited one hair product as her absolute favorite — Let’s Jam!, and when I interviewed her, she declared her video for Windows Over Harlem as her absolute favorite. HOW much fun must that video shoot have been?

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Diva is the definition of a hustler, and nobody can knock that. By carrying herself as an intelligent, beautiful, outspoken MC in the ever-shrinking female rap spotlight, she’s automatically set herself apart from the pack.

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Thanks to her Twitter, blog, DivaSpeakTV, her YouTube channel, and her MySpace page, fans can stay in the loop with all things Amanda Diva. She’s a multi-talented media master, for real.

Click here to download her latest “freEP”, Spandex, Rhymes & Soul, and click here to buy her album, Life Experience.

Dynamic, talented, and going places. Amanda Diva is proof that it’s possible to do it all. Thanks for the interview, Amanda — congratulations, you’re Afrobella of the Month! Keep on doing big things and making us proud!

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Oscar’s Bellas

bella — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 22:46:27 +0000

Did you watch the Academy Awards this weekend? I live tweeted the whole thing, but still I want to shine a light on the beautiful bellas walking the red carpet. This was quite a year for black actresses at the Oscars!

First of all, Taraji P. Henson absolutely took my breath away in her Roberto Cavalli gown. Her skin tone glowed in that glorious dress, and her necklace! So up my alley. Just Jared revealed a closer shot of her vintage-style diamond necklace. Gorgeous. Couple that with the sleek, asymmetrical hairstyle, and she was a total showstopper.

As BellaSugar points out, her look is very fresh, soft, and pretty, but with a fierce modern look thanks to that smoldering smokey eye. To achieve the look yourself, I just gotta shout out the Benefit Smokin’ Eyes kit once more, and that bronzy deep peach cheek reminds me very much of PUR Minerals pressed mineral blush in Burnished Bronze. Which is a GREAT shade for accenting deep brown skin.

Can we talk about Miss Viola Davis? She was a vision in a gold Reem Acra gown. Or at least I thought so — apparently the idiots on E’s Fashion Police disagreed and called it “too Motown.” Whatever the hell THAT’s supposed to mean. The fabulous Project Rungay gave her kudos on the fit of the gown, and I agree — she looked incredibly luminous and happy.

Bellasugar pointed out her gold eyeshadow and raspberry lip, and gasp — a reader noticed that her foundation is a tad too light and not blended to match her neck. That’s happened to me often with mineral makeup, so I feel her pain. And I gotta say, for a glorious golden eye, I still love love LOVE b.l.a.c minerals. Don’t sleep on their Carnival mineral eye pigment, and for a berry lip that lasts all night, you could do no better than Valana Minerals Berry Bliss. This lipstick glides on and lingers like a lipstain. And yo, the sample sets for $5.99 are a GREAT deal that last for a while.

I didn’t love Alicia Keys’ makeup — LOL, Gigglesugar compared her to Mulan! I blame it on an overeager hand in contouring and eye makeup by her makeup artist. This was the kind of look that probably looked amazing in person but translated into way! too! much! for viewers on TV, IMO.

Her artist explained, “I was inspired by Veronica Lake, Lena Horne and the women in Hollywood in the 40â€™s and early 50â€™s so bold lips, luminous skin, strong brows and sultry eyes are all a MUST!!!â€

I see. And I respectfully disagree with the choice of eyeshadow for Miss Keys. The pale peach shadow, dramatically lined eye, and bold red lip was retro-inspired overkill IMO. And please note I am not being as snarky as the funsters at Project Rungay, who said — and I quote — “She looks beautiful but she’s so done up she kinda doesn’t even look like herself. Like she’s a drag queen doing an Alicia Keys tribute named Felicia Sleaze or something.”

Meow! Feel free to disagree in the comments!

I must admit, I didn’t love Queen Latifah’s dress — on Twitter I declared that the sharply pointed bodice reminded me of Ursula from The Little Mermaid. But I DO love that Queen La always keeps it real with her makeup. Eye 4 Style reveals that Sam Fine used only Cover Girl makeup, and created her eye look with Golden Sunrise, which is currently on sale at Drugstore.com for $3.47. Give it to em, Queen!

Who wore it best? Who rocked your favorite Oscar look? Did you LOVE Angelina’s earrings as much as I did? Dish!

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Throwback Thursday — One in a Million

bella — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:12:27 +0000

Seven years ago, on August 25, 2001 — the music world lost one of its brightest up and coming stars. Aaliyah’s death affected me profoundly then, and still her shadow looms so large over the music scene now. Who can blame lesser emulators for trying to jack her swagger?

I just spent the evening browsing around YouTube, watching countless Aaliyah videos and wondering what could have been. There are some wonderful Aaliyah tributes out there, but I found myself becoming super depressed. It’s almost impossible for me to choose just one Aaliyah video. So here are three of my faves.

Hot Like Fire was my JAM back in 97, 98. Freshman year of college. Man, oh man. Memories.

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At Your Best (You Are Love) can bring tears to my eyes to this very day. Aaliyah’s voice is so crystal clear and so sparklingly beautiful on that track. Love it.

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And of course, One in a Million. That stuttering bass, her angelic voice floating over it. Your smile, your style, so fly, I can’t deny. This track never gets played out.

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There were some cool online tributes to Aaliyah this past week. Fashionista 101 did a great Aaliyah-inspired beauty makeover. Her eye shadow blending skills are sick! Spinner did a clash of the cover songs, featuring Aaliyah’s original version of Are You That Somebody versus The Gossip’s cover. In tribute to Aaliyah, The Fader is featuring an exclusive freeload by DJ the Honorable Caps titled U R Missed. If you’re a fan, you should check it out.

Click here to visit the Aaliyah memorial fund. At just 22 years old, baby girl left us way too soon. I know I’m not alone in wondering what could have been.

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Throwback Thursday — A Decade Since Miseducation

bella — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:49:19 +0000

The Root just did an amazing trilogy of Lauryn Hill tributes to commemorate a decade since Miseducation dropped.

Rebecca Walker asks five questions (including the one everyone has been asking for almost a decade now, Are you coming back?), The Confessions of Lauryn Hill — lyrical analysis that revealed her true feelings about fame and the music industry long before she left it all behind, and An Analog Girl in a Digital World, a portrait of Erykah Badu as Lauryn’s successor. I can’t believe it’s been a decade since Miseducation dropped. If that makes me feel old, I can only imagine how it makes Lauryn feel. I wonder if that decade feels like a crushing weight, or if she finally feels free from the trappings of the industry.

All I know is, I miss her. As an admirer of what she meant to the music industry, as a natural haired black woman, as a fan of her undeniable and enduring songs. I hope she chooses to bless us with her presence again someday. Until then, we’ve got Miseducation. So few artists can say they produced music of such lasting quality. This isn’t even a real video, just audio of one of my favorite songs off that seminal album.

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I mean, for real. It still gives me chills. Sometimes I listen to Lauryn Hill and my heart just aches, because I want so much more. As a fan it makes me feel a tinge of guilt, just like I did when I read that brilliant D’Angelo article in Spin. Guilty for being a simple fan who’s hungry for more music.

Miseducation and her remarkable, raw Unplugged album stay in regular rotation with me to this day, and I already can’t pick a favorite Lauryn Hill song, but damn if I don’t want more to choose from. Damn, if I don’t want another album or two, or three — if what Rohan Marley says is to believed, Lauryn’s got music oozing out of her pores but no indication of releasing any of it anytime soon. Damn.

I had a hard time choosing a Lauryn Hill clip here, and I found some rare live performance gems. If you’ve got time on your hands and nostalgia in your heart like I do, check these out.

– An emotional Lauryn sings “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” in London

– Turn Your Lights Down Low at One Love: The Bob Marley All-Star Tribute.

And one of my favorites off her Unplugged album, I Find It Hard To Say.

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We miss you, Lauryn. But you already know that.

Do you have a favorite Lauryn performance, bellas? Share with me in the comments, I’m soothing my soul with her music all day today.

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Rock the Bells with SanDisk and Afrobella!

bella — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 04:13:31 +0000

I’m back, bellas! Chicago was FABULOUS and I have a big wonderful love letter to the city coming up as soon as I can upload photos. I practically just got off the plane! And I have a truly top of the line giveaway that’s time sensitive. Here goes!

Anyone who’s been reading this site for more than a minute knows, I love me some live music. Doesn’t matter the genre — just this year alone I’ve seen Pearl Jam, Erykah Badu and the Roots, Robert Randolph opening for Eric Clapton, the Dave Matthews Band, and almost every hot reggae artist I can name off the top of my head. Going to concerts is absolutely my favorite thing to do. And I want to spread the live music love!

The next hot show I’m going to — literally, an outdoor festival in Miami in the month of August is NO JOKE — will be Rock the Bells. What is Rock the Bells, you ask? Only the sickest lineup of classic hip hop artists imaginable.

A Tribe Called Quest. Nas. Mos Def. The Pharcyde. Method Man and Redman. Raekwon and Ghostface. Little Brother, De La Soul, Immortal Technique, Dead Prez, and Murs. Wale, The Cool Kids, Santogold, Spank Rock, and Kid Sister. And that’s not even all. It’s going to be ridiculous. And I want you to go too!

Do you plan on being in Miami on August 2? Do you want to go to this incredibly sick concert? Alright! Leave me a comment and let me know which artist you’re most psyched to see, and why. I will randomly pick a winner, who will get TWO general admission tickets to the concert and one SanDisk Mobile Ultra microSD card — a sweet memory card that can add up to 8GB of additional digital storage to your celly (which, for the digitally impaired like myself, equals up to 1000 songs, 1200 photos and 21 hours of video). The peeps at SanDisk are sponsoring the show, by the by. Sweet.

So if you want to rock out at Rock the Bells, get to commenting! I’ll close this on Thursday 31 at 9 a.m., announce a winner, and e mail said winner ASAP! So if you are the chosen one, CHECK YOUR E MAIL and call me back come Friday — that way we can make sure your tix and your SanDisk card are waiting at WillCall!

The whole lineup of Rock the Bells looks great to me, so I fully plan on being out there baking in the hot sun from early on to catch as many acts as possible. One performer I’m particularly looking forward to seeing is Santi White, AKA Santogold. If she does this song right here, I will be breaking it down — regardless of how searing the sun is over Bayfront Park.

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Holla back, bellas and fellas! Time is of the essence!

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One Night on South Beach, Two Up-and-Coming Celebrities

bella — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:52:08 +0000

At this stage in my life, I am a homebody to the core — so don’t look for me at a club or hotel pool deck. But last night that’s exactly where I found myself for about an hour or so — at the Raleigh Hotel on South Beach for the kickoff party for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Swim. Yeah.

I was supposed to interview a Smashbox makeup artist for Pretty in the City, but due to my screw-up, I not only misplaced this person’s contact info, but barely managed to get into the party to begin with. Welcome to my world.

Anyhoo, I got in, wandered around, sipped cocktails and wondered what the hell a bella like me was doing at a scenester place like this… then the band Chester French took the stage. And during their performance, they brought some girls on stage to dance with them. I recognized two of them RIGHT AWAY — Teyana Taylor and Janelle Monae!!! It was kind of awesome. Teyana can definitely groove, and that big fabulous mane of hair makes her stand out like a superstar. Janelle was wearing sunglasses and her adorable asymmetrical hairstyle, white shirt and black shorts. She sang a teeny bit and shook a tambourine — the dancing on stage seemed totally impromptu so they were probably as unfamiliar with the music as I was, LOL.

After the band finished and photogs swarmed them for photos, I hung out at the front of the stage like a stalker and waited. Teyana was near the front and fans were greeting her, so I waited my turn. Teyana is just beautiful in person, BTW. The hair is HUGE, and her makeup was flawless. She was very friendly, and when I told her I had a website called Afrobella and I wanted to interview her, she simply said, “that’s my mother,” to the beautiful woman standing next to her. Then she went back to dancing, LOL! So I started chatting with her mom and the publicist, (Teyana Taylor’s mom has absolutely GORGEOUS skin, BTW. She is lovely). But I got sidetracked bigtime when Janelle Monae came by. I hope I wasn’t rude to any of them…but I definitely squealed “OMG, Janelle!” when she walked over.

Janelle is teeny tiny and just adorable. Like a little doll. You know when you stand next to someone who looks just perfect, you feel suddenly aware of your difference? I started feeling all big and cumbersome, and sweating like a racehorse — of course standing outdoors in Miami during July will do that to you anyway, and I was wearing a LBD. But the presence of Janelle made me all sweaty and starstruck. She shook my hand warmly, and I told her hey, I’m Afrobella… I mean, I have this website, Afrobella… and she smiled and nodded like she was familiar with my site. (perhaps from being Afrobella of the Week in 2006?) She was super sweet, and we hugged before she was whisked away for her performance at The Florida Room. YAY! I met her manager, so hopefully I can hook up an interview soon! Janelle is the bomb and meeting her made my night last night. After that I was good to go. Farewell, South Beach! Just had to share with you bellas — I don’t get out enough so when I do and something exciting happens, I gotta blog about it.

I found out via Concrete Loop that Many Moons will be Janelle’s first single from her new EP (which will be released August 12). I think Many Moons is the ish — the beat really reminds me of Hey Ya or something, it has that Outkast retro shimmy. But my favorite Janelle Monae song today is Lettin’ Go.

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Why today? Cause it’s Friday and it gets me in the mood to kick back and have a good time. I am L-E-T-T-I-N-G-O today. Happy weekend!!

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