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Erykah Badu & India.Arie Exchange Some Unpleasantries

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:00:00 -0500

Although this didn't happen in real life, Erykah Badu and India.Arie had a rather heated exchange as seen in the following cartoon, which had folks rolling on Twitter last night--even Ms. Badu herself who shared the link. Utilizing the Xtranormal text-to-movie program, an enterprising (and hilarious) individual created this fictional meeting at the grocery store between Erykah and India that will have you CTFU from the ish that these toons are poppin'. Once you get past the animated characters looking and sounding nothing like who they're supposed to represent, you will still get a hearty laugh. Just press play and trust me on this one.

Wyclef Wants The 'Warriorz' To Come Out And Play

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:00:00 -0500

How fitting to get some new music from Wyclef Jean with this being Fugees Week on Morning Soul and all. Clef returns to the scene with "Warriorz," which can be found on his upcoming Toussaint St. Jean: Coming to America mixtape with DJ Drama. This mixtape is the warm up for his next album, Wyclef Jean, which is scheduled to drop in January but he's already giving fans a free preview on his blog. And by free we mean he's actually giving four songs from the set away for download. Hop on to Wyclef's blog to add to your music collection and nod your head to this track below.

Wyclef Jean: "Warriorz"

AFTA-1 x GAS'D Mixtape Is Compelling Evidence That 'Love Is Real'

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:00:00 -0500

Though this is the third volume of an ongoing series of mixtapes by AFTA-1 and GAS'D, it feels like the first time. It's simple, it's fresh, it's engaging. Love is Real Vol. 3: Selections of Audible Love unfolds smoothly, featuring great tracks by SoulBounce faves like Dilla, J*DaVeY and PPP. It also brings attention to more (unnecessarily) obscure artists like Shuanise and OP Swamp 81, whose hypnotic "Another Day" is arguably the highlight of the mix. AFTA-1 crafted Selections of Audible Love's melodic, synth-rhythmic flow masterfully; complex enough to hold the interest of an aficionado but approachable enough to be enjoyed by anyone interested in lovely music. Head over to GAS'Daily to download your copy.

OP Swamp 81: "Another Day"

AFTA-1 [MySpace]

New Whitney Channels Old Whitney In New Single

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:00:44 -0500

Let me be the first to say that I cannot stand Pop ballads nowadays. Every time one of the current crop of divas goes this route, it never feels sincere, and I always think to myself "This only works for Whitney." Luckily, La Houston's new single, "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" is produced and written by David Foster and Diane Warren, and harkens back to the classics that made Whitney a chart-topping sensation. There's a noticeable difference in the effectiveness of her vocals, but we suspect there are enough people out there not only grateful for the message here, but her return as well. [LBS]

Whitney Houston: "I Didn't Know My Own Strength"

'It All Started With...' The Jackson 5ive Cartoon

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:30:28 -0500

Back in the 1970s, I lived for Saturday mornings. Yup, even as a toddler, I can remember running to the great big television set in the living room whenever I heard the intro to the Jackson 5ive cartoon. The half-hour episodes, complete with laugh track, showcased the music of Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael as kids, something that was unprecedented. Also figuring prominently in the show were Michael's pets, a snake named Rosie and two mice, named Ray and Charles. The official first episode, entitled "It All Started With...", aired on September 11, 1971, and chronicled how the group was discovered by both Diana Ross and Motown founder and president Berry Gordy. Sure, this may seem like revisionist history for some, but really, it doesn't matter how they were found. Thank goodness they were. The cartoon is below, with Part 2 after the bounce. Happy Friday!

Maxwell In The Mix

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0500

With Maxwell's newest opus, BLACKsummers'night, mere days away from finding itself in our hands, the homie Supa Qool DJ Uncle Q has blessed us with a mix of his older material to tide us over until then. Featuring uptempo cuts and slow jams, and singles and album cuts from His Mellosmootheness, this mixtape is gonna provide the perfect soundtrack for this weekend and beyond. If you happen to be down in New Orleans for the Essence Festival this 4th of July, then you might be lucky enough to get your hands on a limited edition CD of this mix if you run into Uncle Q. Head on over to his blog to download the mix and also check the tracklisting out after the bounce.

Supa Qool DJ Uncle Q: Maxwell Mix [Download]

Behold Eric Roberson's 'Music Fan First' Cover

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:00:00 -0500

After all of the bad/sad news of the past week, leave it to Eric Roberson to turn my frown upside down. Not that Erro has to do much to achieve that feat in general, but with the unveiling of his new album cover, I can't help but show all 32. He debuted it on his website last night, and I nearly broke my finger clicking on the link in my RSS feeds to see what the cover to Music Fan First looked like. It's everything and nothing like I expected. Erro looks über-cool on the cover chillaxin' on graphically enhanced asphalt with an old school record player and the fruits of a cratedigging excursion surrounding him. I'm loving this for the simple fact that this means that the album is coming sooner than later--August 25th to be exact. There's still no tracklisting or a first single, but I'm a patient woman.

Morning Soul: It Could All Be So Simple

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:00:00 -0500

Mase has been inspired to return to the studio in the wake of Michael Jackson's passing. Welcome back. [HHDX]
A Man's Thoughts, the first release from Ginuwine in four years, tops the charts. [SR]
Lil Wayne's thoughtless BET Awards performance raises larger concerns. [CTH]
Methinks Soulja Boy shouldn't get our hopes up by threatening to quit. [RU]

Ryan Leslie's Dis Track Is A Winner

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:30:00 -0500

Somehow dis tracks translate so much better when placed in the context of smooth yet catchy R&B grooves. Think how much nicer Portrait's "Here We Go Again" went over compared to RUN-DMC's "You Talk Too Much." Despite some people's disdain for my love of certain of Ryan Leslie's tracks, I have to say that next to "Diamond Girl," his new track "You're Not My Girl" is steadily gaining new ground for his track that I have played the most. Is he really telling a girl that they can be friends but "remember...you're not my girl"? Yes, he is. Plus, there's a lot of sonic elements present on this track, some disco, some Pop, and some R&B. Very Summer-worthy.

Ryan Leslie: "You're Not My Girl"

Spike Lee Remembers 'The Love, The Joy' That Michael Gave Us

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:25:00 -0500

How fitting is it to have Spike Lee, one of the foremost directors to tackle racial relations in this country, comment on Michael Jackson who was beloved by all people, yet had an interesting relationship with Blacks in this country and worldwide? Spike speaks of a scene in Do The Right Thing where an openly racist character says he dislikes Black folks, yet loves Michael Jackson because he "is more than Black." Spike also speaks on many of our issues that we had with Michael mostly being swept under the rug, since to many of us Michael was like family--the eccentric, wealthy, just strange cousin who showed up, showed out, and left everyone flabbergasted. Spike's interview with Katie Couric echoes much of how we all felt when Michael passed. Press play and see. [H/T: OKP]

Beyoncé Van Cartier? Sister Mary Carter?

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:15:00 -0500

It's rumored that between performances for her I Am...Sasha Fierce tour in the UK, Beyoncé stopped by a performance of the musical adaptation of Sister Act playing in London and really liked it. A lot. So much, in fact, that she may be pushing for the musical to be transposed to film and for her to take on the lead role as Deloris Van Cartier, a.k.a. Sister Mary Clarence, originated by the incomparable Whoopi Goldberg. Allegedly, this idea is being shopped to Disney and is prospecting Meryl Streep for the role of Mother Superior. Right. It's extremely early to tell where this is going, the speculative shooting dates aren't until 2011, but rest assured that Sasha will not stop trying to convince us all that she is an actress. This news could definitely use a prayer. [MO]

Is This Video The 'Best' Drake Could Do?

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:00:38 -0500

The video for Drake's "Best I Ever Had" dropped yesterday. As did my jaw when I first saw it. Directed by Kanye West, the clip feels like an adolescent fantasy, filled with big breasted girls and um, not much else. I guess you could insert your own Degrassi: The Next Generation jokes here. Seriously, the video is lacking...everything. I expected more from Ye and his high-concept imagination ("Flashing Lights," etc.). Instead, he left nothing to the imagination. Shame.

The 22-year old tried to explain it away in an interview with Complex magazine:

"Basically we decided, as opposed to taking ourselves super serious, we just wanted to have some fun with it. Myself, being a young man, a young single man at that, I kind of wanted to be real about the way I function with women at this current point in my life. Which is, I don't have one woman that I call my girl. There's different girls in my life that play different roles and I see at different times, but collectively they kind of make up the roster of happiness for me [Laughs]."

Well, I guess that "kind of" makes sense. With that said, though, Drake... come better next time. [No Laugh] Video after the bounce.

Morning Soul: Ghetto Superstar That Is What You Are

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:00:00 -0500

Whatever the funeral plans, Quincy Jones won't be in attendance. [CONTACT]
Greg Tate breaks it all the way down regarding MiJac in this week's Village Voice. [VV]
Maxwell's rib popped out before last night's show in Austin, and he still went on with the show. Wow. [TWITTER]
The Tallahassee Boys Choir needs help to make it to NOLA and Essence. [TALLA]
Sasha Fierce for Dereon, anyone? [IDOL]

Do We 'Want' What Consequence & Kanye Are Cooking?

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:00:30 -0500

Consequence's anticipated "Whatever U Want" featuring Kanye West and John Legend has finally arrived, and while it's not a particularly bad song, we're not as open as when we first heard "Callin' Me" or "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly." But, in spite of this sounding like one long b-section, it's great to hear Kanye perform rap verses. Also, we're not sure if this is the completed track or even an official single since it clocks in at 2:36. All that aside, we're still waiting for the definitive Consequence banger of 2009.

Consequence feat. Kanye West & John Legend: "Whatever U Want"

'I Wanna Be Where You Are' Tribute From Erykah Badu And The Roots

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:00:00 -0500

Because, of course, all the good stuff happened during the commercial breaks during Late Night with Jimmy Fallon when The Roots and Erykah Badu were paying tribute to Michael Jackson last week, most of us were left wondering about the lengthier covers that happened. Thankfully, there was a brief studio session during which a few covers were recorded. Their rendition of "I Wanna Be Where You Are" with its funky and soothing bittersweet upbeat-ness is completely welcome. It doesn't stray too far from the original, which is nice. And simple orchestration, in part born of necessity, takes on the wonderful quality that each of our tributes, written or sung, internalized or shared, has encompassed: earnestness. Raw and inspired. [H/T: OKP]

Erykah Badu and The Roots: "I Wanna Be Where You Are"