October 2005 Archives

Another one bites the dust it seems. Billboard.com reports that Tyrese will release a double cd titled Alter Ego. One disc will be R&B and the other will be rap with Kurupt already confirmed to appear.

I don't know how I feel about shit like this. I mean Tyrese has a great voice and all. Remember his Coca Cola commercial back in the day? Then there was the first solo album, the appearances in R&B videos and such. It was like an R&B great was in the making. We gave him a hall pass for trying to be an actor before locking down his skills as a singer. Hosting MTV Jams must have given him the on camera bug.... but I don't know if I am willing to feel Tyrese as a rapper.

He keeps messing around and we're gonna consider him another Ray J. Find one thing and stay in ya lane is what I say. Mofos act like being a rapper make can you hard and give you street credibility. Why is R. Kelly the only man in R&B that get respect from rappers without needing to become one?

Tyrese's last album, 2003's "I Wanna Go There," peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 16 on The Billboard 200.

Tyrese call us...

Ok so we know the Destiny's Child #1's album came out this past Tuesday. The video for "Stand Up For Love" has been out for a while. I kinda like it. A little dramatic, but I am sure they wouldn't have it any other way.

Me and a buddy of mine were having a conversation and was wondering... once all the footage is shot, it's been edited and the final product is presented to the girls.. does Kelly and Michelle ever say to themselves... "Damn Beyonce is shown by herself in more than 50% of the video." Do they ever say.. "Damn, I ain't get no face time."

Or better yet... in the editing room. You've been given instructions by the director... and you are piecing together this footage and you've got a hot ass shot of Kelly doing something but you were instructed to show Beyonce. Or Michelle looks real hot but she can't get that much face time. What do you do?

'Cause I watched that video and if that is the last Destiny's Child video since they are fulfilled and all, I would be pissed. But that ain't nothing new.... I just wanted to know... is it in the contract that Bey get more exposure? Is it in the contract that Michelle always gets the ugly dress? Is this written down anywhere or has it been going on for so long that is just par for the course?

Listen to the full cd and watch the video here.

The R&B music charts had some activity since last week, but no major shifts. Stevie Wonder's A Time To Love replaces Alicia Keys' Unplugged as the number r&b cd in the country. Other than Toni Braxton slipping a few notches (is that surprising) and Mariah Carey going from 3 million sold to 4million sold of The Emancipation of Mimi there isn't much change.

So lets run it down for those that didn't catch last week's commentary. The top 8 R&B albums in the country this week are:

8. Ray J - Raydiation
7. Dwele - Some Kinda...
6. Charlie Wilson - First Name Charlie, Last Name Wilson
5. Toni Braxton - Libra
4. Mariah Carey - The Emancipation of Mimi
3. Keyshia Cole - The Way It Is
2. Alicia Keys - Unplugged
1. Stevie Wonder - A Time To Love

Now, if you don't have anything else to do but stay in peeps business keep reading for a couple gossip items.

It's been a minute since I 've done an interview. I recently caught up with Kerry "Krucial" Brothers. Most of yall are probably like who the hell is that. Well he is the man who you may have seen in random candid shots with Alicia Keys floating around the internet. But more importantly, he is the man behind the sound, and I know ALL of y'all have heard The Diary of Alicia Keys. That's his work.... Alicia is great but how does the saying go.... behind every great woman is a man... or something like that.

Kerry more popularly known as Krucial was first known as a lyricist. He made a name for himself around the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and Lyricists Lounge before going on to blow up the music world behind the boards. So much of a lyricist, he plans on releasing his own EP after he puts the smack down on Rakim's new joint.

He's also laid it down for Keyshia Cole on "I Just Want It To Be Over" and if that wasn't enough, you heard him all up and through Usher and Alicia's duet "My Boo". He spoke briefly with me from his studio on Long Island.

What’s the biggest misconception about being a producer or should I say super producer in your case?

Ok, let me preface this by saying who cares?

Now lets do what we came to do. Here is SOHH SoulMan's Top 10 List About Janet's Daughter!

10. We need to stay up out Janet's business.
9. Is her name really Renee? or is that joke.
8. Was there that much shame in teen pregnancy in the 80s?
7. Janet lie too much.
6. Latoya tried to tell y'all years ago.
5. This is another testament of the Jackson curse.
4. That would explain the baby weight in the early years
3. Why da hell she keep sayin no comment
2. Why she make Rebbie raise the baby
And the number one thing I have to say about all of this is....
1. Thank God the baby wasn't Jermaine Dupri's... could you imagine?

A while back we talked about Chris Brown. He is the new kid on the block over at Jive. His single/ video for "Run It Remix" features Julez Santana (bad choice). This lil 16 year old boy must have that alter ego thing going that some performers claim to have. You how they have one personality in real life and then they become someone totally different when they perform? 'Cause up close and in person... he is a hyper, youngin from VA. But once ole dude hits the stage he gets all grown up (well, a little).

BET has been runnin the video for a good while now, but it's just been added to MTV rotation. I saw the video like twice this morning already with a SPANKIN' NEW label in the corner. If he gets that MTV love then all the exaggeration his label has been doing might pay off. You know them white teeny boppers will send you platinum in just a blink of an eye.

Watch the video here.

Alicia Keys keeps them all at bay this week. She's got the number one R&B album in the country with her mediocre, over rehearsed installment of Unplugged. The artist that you think will murder an unplugged experience tend to just be ok. When are they gonna give an Unplugged special to R. Kelly? Mary J. Blige would kill it and so would Beyonce.

Billboard is the sales chart bible and them dumb asses combine R&B and hip hop on the same chart as well they have a separate chart for Rap that just extracts the R&B acts. Toni Braxton's Libra is the #2 R&B album in the country but it's #8 on the chart.

Keyshia Cole follows with the #3 R&B album, then the triple platinum Mariah Carey at #4 with Emancipation of Mimi. Can someone explain Dwele to m?. I've tried and I don't get it. As for R&B he comes at #5 but is #16 on the charts followed by the #6 from R&B legend Charlie Wilson and then Ray J with Raydiation who rounds out the charts at #20 but he actually has the #7 R&B album in the country.

Me the interns here at SOHH Soulful wanna give a shout out to peeps like Lela James and Syleena Johnson. They both have great music out right now, but didn't make this chart.

I'll be posting the charts every Thursday going forward. What are you listening to that is current but didn't make this chart?

Check out the hip hop chart here.

Last night I checked out the Keyshia Cole/Musiq SoulChild concert at the Nokia Theater here in NYC. I'd seen her perform a very rough set before in Atlanta back in June. But since then, she's released "I Just Want It To Be Over" and of course "I Should Have Cheated".

It was kinda cool. Keyshia's on top of the world right now but somethings wrong. She announced that her album had just gone gold which is hot. She sang her ass off. What I love the most is how she keeps it real for the fans. She interrupted her own set a couple times until the sound engineers made it "sound like a hip hop concert!!!" Her gulliness reminds me of a young Mary J. Blige. The old Mary that would keep you waiting all night, do two songs and walk off the stage.

Her BET/106 & Park peeps were up in there deep to support. But back to the "somethings wrong" thing. For Keyshia to be so talented vocally, fuck the fact that she ghetto (she admits to being the most ghetto person up in any piece and any given time).... WHY HASNT IT POPPED OFF BIGGER FOR HER?

I don't know the answer... but as far as she is concerned... I got my lighter up!

As we discussed before, Beyonce is honey dipped on the cover of the Vanity Fair hip hop issue. Fox News however is charging that VF didn't do any fact checking. In the article Beyonce claims to have written several number one hits for Destiny's Child and herself as a solo artist. But that isn't exactly the case.

In a brief investigative piece, they expose Miss Knowles as a hog for taking credit for things she only added to or threw in a word or two here and there. Now y'all know Beyonce is a friend to the room, but this is ridiculous. We love Bey like Jay love Bey... but the one thing me and the interns here at SOHH SOULFUL won't put up with is a bunch of mess. We ain't having it y'all.

Roger Friedman of foxnews.com writes:

In fact, Beyonce did not write her big hit "Crazy in Love," or even conceive of it. "Crazy in Love" â€" its horns, percussion, chief melody and overall "feel" â€" was written by the late and very great Eugene Record of the Chi-Lites (he died this summer). The group recorded and released it in 1969 as "Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)."

The Vanity Fair article, however, makes it seem like Beyonce is a genius songwriter who came up with all this stuff. Knowles says, without her veracity being questioned: "'Crazy in Love' was really hard to write because there was so much going on … I mean, I had written â€" what? â€"seven, eight number one songs with Destiny's Child, in a row." Of Jay-Z's added rap: "I knew the song wasn’t complete because the horns were so old school…"

In the meantime read the full article while this all gets sorted out.

Related Link : Fox News

I'm not sure if there are any hits like "Rocket Love", "Master Blaster" or even "Summer Soft" on this joint but anytime Stevie Wonder releases an album, it's a must have. The new cd is called A Time To Love. You can get a full listen here. Fortunately, Stevie is still on the label and is releasing music with the support of his peers. Too bad we can't say the same for Patti Labelle.

Also, I heard that Jaime Fox's cd Unpredictable is still slated for a Dec 6th release. Apparently the title track features Ludacris. Until then you can always go get Keith Sweat's Candy Store.

For more new music check these sites:
honey soul
ejflavors

Beyonce is honey dipped on the cover of the new Vanity Fair. She was gonna hit the October cover but Paris beat her out. So they inappropriately put her on the cover of the music issue. This isn't the first time they've put her on the cover of the music issue. This time it's inappropriate because this music issue is dedicated to hip hop.. she's just got a big story in music.

There is a big rage that Vanity Fair bleached out Beyonce's face for the cover and inside shots and how she is increasingly becoming a white-washed black girl. Fuck that... who cares how light she gets. The chick is bad (just ask Usher). I just think she is all wrong for the hip hop issue. Besides, this already 'light complected sista" has been de-Blacking her commercial appearance for years. And for the type of success she wants it's smart. If she looks multiracial to damn near white that just makes her desired by more people. Kinda the same way white men in Hollywood don't see Halle as a black woman. Anyways....

All in all the issue has quite a pictorial. You got a bangin shot of Lauryn and the fellas of the Fugees which could have been easily the cover shot. You got Mary J. Blige who's pictorial could have been the cover as well. But they went with the more exciting , lovable, sexy diva of the moment. She's the first black woman on the cover solo since Tina Turner.

I don't think that Vanity Fair bleached out Beyonce... she has been doing that over the years her damn self. I think she must have heard the rumors around Vanity Fair that black girls don't sell magazines.... not even white-black girls.

Related Sites: Radar Magazine / Crunk & Disorderly

One of r&b's thinnest had a THIN party last night to promote his new album. All of about 25 people showed to run it with Ginuwine.

No Miss Jones wasn't there. Anybody remember that highly publicized infatuation the NYC radio personality had with Ginuwine? She use to bash Sole way back when. That was eons ago and we really aint heard from him since "Differences".

His new single is "When We Make Love". Check out the video. Thin man doesn't have a hit on his hands but at least we got another male r&b crooner at it again.

He was on 106 & Park yesterday and one of the audience members even asked him his pant size. And although there was sexual under tones... lil man could use some reverse Trimm Spa.

Aiight enough heat for today. Check out his new video and come back Monday when we go over "Making The Band", and I will post interviews with Floetry and Kerry "Krucial" Brothers.

"When We Make Love" - Ginuwine
windows media
real audio

Faith Evans is said to be releasing a Christmas/Holiday album in a couple weeks. The new joint titled, A Faithful Christmas should hit the shelves around the 25th of this month. It's a good look for Faith, but is she back on them stupid ass vanity titles for her cds?

Her current cd, The First Lady is the first cd where she doesn't put her name in the title. Her others are Keep the Faith and Faithfully. I hope she doesn't go back to her old school Bad Boy interludes circa 1995.

I wonder if she is sampling anything.... we already know she dug deep in the r&b treasure chest for James Brown's "Soulful Christmas" and Stevie Wonder's "The Day that Love Began".

I wonder if she will be sending Lil Kim a Xmas care package with the cd included.

If she doesn't you can always send one to Kim:

Kimberly Jones / 56198-054
FDC PHILADELPHIA
FEDERAL DETENTION CENTER
P.O. BOX 562
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106

I've been wondering where the hell Ashanti has been these past few months. With lawsuits, label switches and a ton of Ashanti clones hitting the airwaves, where has the Princess of Hip Hop Soul been? (now, y'all know I don't really believe Ashanti is the Princess of Hip Hop Soul). Well apparently chica has been hawking her perfume line to the many misguided young ladies that aspire to not only be like Ashanti.... but smell like her too.

You'll recall the last time we heard from Ashanti she was coughing up $630,000 to a producer that her mom struck a deal with years ago. Well I guess she is recoopin' her losses with the release of Precious Jewel, her perfume line.

Did anyone see Oprah yesterday. Ricky Martin performed his new hit for Oprah's white housewives. After four years off he came back and did his thing. The surprise was the new song has a verse by Amerie. Towards the end of the performance out pops Amerie. She sings her verse, dances as if she is a part of the rhythmless nation and then disappears. I am only mentioning because ya probably missed it.

Over the weekend I caught up on "Making the Band". So Diddy moved the girls into the Soho loft. The three chicks from the last season get to meet all the new girls of this season. I will say this, the new girls can sing. There are definitely a higher quality of girls on this show than last season. It's too early in the season to remember anyone's names or what have you, but there is a chick on there who looks like a chubby version of O SO KRISPIE. She can sing but she frowns her face up when she hits notes... the sad part is she lost 10lbs to be on the show and will probably get kicked off anyways. Be sure to tune in on Thursday at 10pm. But also watch Run's House at 10:30... I am sure Hashim or Byron Crawford will be offering some interesting commentary.

I got this email the other day with links to download all these hot old R&B performances. There is some Chaka Khan, Destiny's Child when there were 4 members, Monica and Brandy on the MTV Awards singing "The Boy Is Mine". Now I don't know if they are all still available, but I did download the Syleena Johnson video for "Hypnotique". So over the weekend, for all of y'all that need to catch up on your R&B history and need visuals these downloads will be a good waste of your time this weekend.

Also... we gotta get our weekly chat about Making The Band 3 going on. So if you missed last night's episode then make sure you catch the repeats or go to mtv.com to watch the shows. Every week we gonna be tracking this show. Don't forget.

Oh ok... back to the downloads.
Amerie feat Eve - 1 Thing Remix Video

Mariah Carey singing 'Emotions' @ 1991 VMAs

Aaliyah - Are you That Somebody Video

Aaliyah - The One I Gave My Heart To Video

Aaliyah - More than a Woman Video

So I just caught the new Trina video featuring Kelly Rowland. What a mess. Trina was on 106 and Park to deliver a video from her album The Glamourest Life. Yes y'all she spells it G-LA-M-O-U-R-E-S-T. Apparently she stopped off at the Fantasia school of word use. So in the new video Kelly Rowland awkwardly tosses her hair and over acts and looks out of place cause for the first time in a while she is actually the baddest bitch and not the blonde in the shot.

I guess Kelly thought a trip through Miami would do as much for solo rep as a trip through St. Louis when she hooked up with Nelly. I don't know how things will go this time around, but I doubt they'll be seeing a hit from their partnership.

Keyshia Cole was hosting the show. Now we have talked about Keyshia Cole her album, her video, her two tours... but I'm kinda feeling her on 106 and Park. She does well hosting that show. She's a natural with ampin' the crowd. But sometimes she be looking like she just got out the bed. No matter what, if you gonna watch THE BLACKS! then pray Keyshia is in the studio as oppose to boring ass Julissa.

Seems like so much has been happening lately but at the end of the day we all know that its much ado about nothing. We got Beyonce who will finally make the cover of Vanity Fair denying rumors that she is not legally Jigga's concubine and that she's been being bootylicious for him just for kicks. She does however admit that her relationship with the Jigga Man has helped her go from writing songs like "Independent Women" to writing songs like "Cater 2 U". In other words some where in between their busy schedules there are pink cookies in a plastic bag that are being crushed by buildings (that's an old school LL COOL J reference, y'all ain't know I could be hip hop did y'all?)

Then as we already discussed, Fantasia won't be reading this blog any time soon. But she will be pimping her new book at a talk show near you. (link of her on a talk show may become disabled)

Toni Braxton debuts at like #4 on the charts with her cd Libra. That's according to Hits Daily Double. Billboard will make things official soon. That's pretty good considering also in sales competition was Lil' Kim and Sean Paul who both have buzzworthy cds out. Good for Toni. That cd is damn good.

Gerald Levert has a listening session over at AOL Music thats worth a listen.

There is a whole bunch of other stuff but again, it's all much ado about nothing.

Remember the black chic, Tamyra Gray from season one of American Idol who we all would be mad as hell that she didn't win if Kelly Clarkson didn't turn it out. Well ole girl is gonna be in that new flick The Gospel.

Musically Tamyra made a wack cd and was never heard from again til she appeared on a few episodes of Boston Public. She was dropped from her label for 'being difficult'. Apparently she wanted more creative control on her album, but American Idol execs had it all planned out.

from her interview with Jawn Murray:
"I did hear that I was difficult," she confessed. "What happened was, basically, the songs that I was given are the same songs that are on Fantasia's album. Can you imagine me singing the 'Baby Mama' song?"

Now we all know them idolers have no control but Tamyra wanted to go down the Alicia Keys road.... well, honey was given the boot and American Idol found a new black girl to tout their kind of music... they found Fantasia. NOW THAT WE KNOW SHE CAN'T READ IT ALL MAKES SENSE!

Tamyra did land on her feet, she wrote Fantasia's hit "I Believe". She secretly wrote the song and got it accepted by execs before her team admitted it was from her.

So Fantasia admits on 20/20 that she cannot read or write. The timing on this is odd for me because I was just having a conversation with some one who thought Fantasia sings "ugly girls songs". I defended Fantasia as a damn good entertainer. The girl can sing.

Funny thing is, I just heard from a pretty reputable source that R. Kelly too isn't that familiar with pen and paper either. Heard he dictates all of his lyrics and directs his in house producers in the studio. Damn, dude is genius... for the hits and phenomenas he has created. It must be like speaking english when everyone around you speaks japanese. And y'all wonder why dude is crazy too. But then again, music is universal.

But back to Fantasia...