Let me take y’all back a few years, back to 1997. Remember the first time you saw Erykah Badu’s video for “On and On”? I do. She strutted on the screen in that green headwrap and commanded us to listen. Erykah was – is- such a breath of fresh air in the game. She seemed…
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Afrobella of the Week- Dr. Loretta Long
All this talk about the definition of natural hair got me thinking about my own hair journey. I thought way back to my childhood, before I got my hair straightened for the first time. That brought back memories of my very first hair idols. When I was six, I wanted to be Diana Ross as…
Afrobella of the Week, Hip Hop Heroine – MC Lyte
Back in 1984 MC Lyte released 10% Dis, a hard-hitting track that destroyed her then-rival, Antoinette. Lyte’s boasts proved prophetic: Others write your rhymes, while I write my own, I don’t create a character, when I’m on the microphone, I am myself, no games to be played, No script to be written, no scene to…
Ask Afrobella: Mama Bella on Fake Eyelashes
Heyo! I got an e mail from Davina, with a question that made me laugh. “How do I put on/apply false eyelashes? I’ve always wanted to wear them but just haven’t because I didn’t know how. I am going to a Christmas party and want to do something extra to my look.“ Davina, thanks for…
Afrobella of the Week: Lauryn Hill, the ultimate Hip-Hop Heroine
I don’t know what to make of the fact that the song on Lauryn Hill’s official MySpace page is Talib Kweli’s “Miss Hill,” a song lamenting her distance from hip-hop. It obviously means she knows that her fans miss her, but I don’t know if to interpret the use of the song as “yes, I…
Ask Afrobella – Questions for The Makeup Girl!
Since I positioned myself as the go-to bella for random beauty questions, I’ve started to get questions that are sometimes out of my league. When a particularly difficult one came my way, I just had to ask The Makeup Girl. And in her quest to find the best answer, she deferred to her friend Avin…
Beautifully Aging AfroBella: Shirley Bassey
So I know my original series was intended as a five person tribute, but I spotted this photo over on DListed (which is like, one of my favorite blogs out there) and had to share. Lo, the one and only Dame Shirley Bassey at the Casino Royale premiere in London. Talk about aging like fine…
Afrobella of the Week, Afrobella of a Lifetime: Nina Simone
When I am at my lowest emotional ebb, no music speaks to me more than that of Nina Simone. There’s just something about her voice, the songs she chose to sing. Nina can bring me to tears. Then she can bring me back up out of the deepest funk. She can inspire you, break your…
A Tribute to Beautifully Aging Afrobellas – Diahann, Ruby, and Chaka
When I originally conceived of this tribute to aging Afrobellas, I envisioned highlighting five brilliant women and ending with a big interview. But so many other afrobellas who have influenced me kept coming to the forefront. It became stressful to choose just one more. Then I realized I don’t have to choose one, I can…
Afrobella Of The Week – The one and only Jill Scott
Alrighty, I know calling this Afrobella of the Week is a total misnomer for two reasons. 1. I run out of gas by Friday or wind up too busy, so it really winds up being Afrobella of the Fortnight. But that doesn’t have the same ring to it, now does it? and 2. Jill Scott…