Our first road trip was in June 2001, in a red hatchback Honda Civic that had no air conditioning. Steve and I were dating, deeply in love, about to start our lives together. I knew I wanted to do my MFA in Creative Writing somewhere. Steve wanted me to see more of America than Miami…. read all
I’m not usually one for reality show singing competitions, but two main factors can suck me into any kind of television programming. #1 – show me a competitor with true, raw, undeniable talent and #2 – let me know that someone on the show is from the Caribbean and is proud to represent our… read all
This post is sponsored by COVERGIRL! Last night BET aired the annual Black Girls Rock! awards and I was SO thoroughly entertained and inspired. I’m so taken with Beverly Bond’s creation. Her organization goes so much further beyond glitz and glamour. It’s about reaching back and lifting up our sisters, it’s about recognizing our accomplishments… read all
Beautiful, talented, enigmatic and introspective – an in-person experience with Janelle Monae gives you unique perspective on how the petite singer has ascended the pop music throne. When you see Janelle Monae in person, you’re awestruck at her gorgeousness and when she opens her mouth to speak or to sing, you’re compelled to listen. That… read all
This week kicked off with a BANG for me. Fresh from my trip to New Orleans, I had to attend a very special event. Thanks to my friends at COVERGIRL, I was invited to the special, exclusive listening party for Janelle Monae’s new album, The Electric Lady! And not only that, I got to bring… read all
Tonight on Twitter the news spread like wildfire that Chris Kelly, one half of the 90’s rap duo Kriss Kross, passed away. According to ABC News, reasons are as yet unconfirmed. I can’t deny that this news made me immediately sad, and brought back so many memories of a particular era of my life. The… read all
She’s got a gorgeous face and a heavenly voice, and the kind of full, fluffy hair that inspires awe and admiration when you see her. And I can report from experience, when you meet her she is lovely, sweet, gracious and friendly. In a nutshell, Andy Allo is awesome. Who is Andy Allo? She’s a… read all
The stories rumbling around the internet about the upcoming Nina Simone biopic have been intriguing, confusing, and contradictory. Let me bring you up to speed, if you’re not yet caught up. The biopic was apparently supposed to feature Mary J. Blige as the star but now they’re saying Zoe Saldana is to play Nina Simone…. read all
I spent this past weekend with hundreds of thousands of music fans and festival lovers, tromping through the mud at Chicago’s own Grant Park. And it’s basically taken me two full days to recover. That was me on Saturday. My tee is by Detroit’s own, indie teeshirt label WordPlay. Check them out – they’re awesome!… read all
Picture this. 1994. A young Afrobella is living in Trinidad, still in high school, and watching videos on BET and MTV every day. One day the video for Patra’s Romantic Call comes on the television. “My property is my property!” declares a stunningly beautiful black woman with thick braids sprouting from her head like a… read all
