Tag: Hip Hop Heroines
Oh Hi, Lauryn!
Just when I get to wondering where she’s been, she pops up someplace random. Like Australia. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf7Q_G0D0xQ And most recently, the elusive Miss Hill popped up on the red carpet in Manhattan, for a special charity event. It’s like seeing a unicorn! Thanks to my Twitter amiga Divalocity of Afrolistas and the City, I got [...]
Lauryn Hill’s Still Got It
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 [...]
Melanie Fiona – Caribbean, Represent!
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 [...]
Call Her Dr. Roxanne
Talk about a sweet revenge! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsaepyi8MR0 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 [...]
Seasonal Scents
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 [...]
Afrobella of the Month – Amanda Diva
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 [...]
Oscar’s Bellas
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 [...]
Throwback Thursday — One in a Million
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 [...]
Throwback Thursday — A Decade Since Miseducation
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 [...]
Rock the Bells with SanDisk and Afrobella!
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 [...]
One Night on South Beach, Two Up-and-Coming Celebrities
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 [...]
Big Up, Jazmine!
This week is beating me up, bellas! And already, it’s Thursday. I’ve got some big writing going on behind the scenes and I’m working on the kind of post that makes me wonder if I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. Oh, politics. I’m gonna take my time on this one and chew before [...]
Makeup Inspiration — Missy Does Her Best Best
It’s no secret around here — Missy Elliott has been one of my beauty inspirations for a while now. The magic of Billy B made her features come alive in the earliest videos from Supa Dupa Fly. I loved Missy then — as a full figured girl looking for media affirmation that she too could [...]
Accept No Substitute
In April I gave a shout out to the chic and elegant Estelle, and I shared my favorite cut from her album Shine — her cover of No Substitute Love by reggae legend Half Pint. Via my favorite music blog Soulbounce, I learned that it’s her third single off the album. AND there’s a new [...]
Friday Flashforward — Estelle’s My Girl
I love her music, I love her message, and I absolutely love her style — British import Estelle has been making big stateside buzz finally, and she’s made an impression on me as a style icon to watch. Here’s why. Estelle is an unconventional beauty. She’s got distinctive features, and she doesn’t try to be [...]
