Eminem may want to think twice about his public homophobia from here on out.  Upon his elevation to superstardom, Eminem became known amongst the most controversial rappers for his slander against pop artists and the gay community.  In a now different atmosphere than ten years ago when he began, his anti-gay lyrics seem to be the most out of place and even risqué in our growing and evolving world of sexuality.  In a recently leaked song from Eminem’s new venture with long-time and born-again friendship with Detroit compatriot Royce da 5’9″, he may have unintentionally waged a war he’s not equipped to battle… or did he?

Same-sex marriage is only performed in seven districts within the United States and eleven other countries; recognized in six; and counted as civil unions and partnerships in nearly 22 out of the 195 countries in the world.  The battle for equality in sexual orientation is far from over, but has made significant strides amongst the youth, if no one else.

Over three quickly passed years, Lady Gaga has proven the previous statement to be true even more than the phenomenon of Beyonce following the release of “Single Ladies.”  Gaga who debuted her first studio album in 2008 entitled Fame (2008), followed up with The Fame Monster(2009) and Born This Way(2011), was introduced into the industry amongst rumors and attacks about her sexual make-up.  Although dismissing allegations of being born as an intersex child, she revealed to Barbara Walters in ABC News’ 10 Most Fascinating People special that she embraces androgyny and expressed her love for those who do as well.   Achieving international success due to her popular singles “Just Dance,” “Poker Face,” “Bad Romance,” and her most recent “Born This Way,” she’s sold over 14 million records worldwide and simultaneously gained the hearts of the LGBTQ community.  Noted as the only celebrity of her caliber to attend both the Human Rights Campaign dinner and National Equality March all in the same weekend, she’s been appointed as the modern-day “gay icon of pop.”

Eminem, who returned from a five-year hiatus in 2009, came back during the escalation of Gaga’s career, including her becoming one of the very few featured artists of long-time reigning pop queen, Beyonce.  In a newly refreshed atmosphere more prone to speaking out against gay discrimination than when in his days of ridicule of N*Sync and Britney, it could be his best bet to eliminate his homophobic views from his material.  Or, at least, any talk about the beloved Lady Gaga.

In the fashion of Eminem’s nitpicking controversies, his newest song is no different.  Recently leaked entitled, “A Kiss,” the Bangladesh-produced track catches the audience with its catchy rhythm.  Partnered with the perfect matching rhyme patterns of da 5’9″ and himself, it’s not necessarily unexpected what he has to say.   In conversation amongst strippers, random women, and Katy Perry, Eminem goes on to recites the following lines:

“Tell Lady Gaga she can quit her job at the post office / She’s still a mail lady/ Wouldn’t fuck her with her dick / You heard it / The verdict’s in.”

Obviously making a pun regarding Gaga’s alleged sexual make-up, he calls her a male and alludes to the fact that he wouldn’t want to touch her or anyone similar (intersexed) who may also associate with her so-called lifestyle.  Maybe he’s relapsed?  At 2001′s Grammy Awards he made an effort of “reconciliation” with the gay community following a shocking performance alongside openly gay legend, Elton John.  So what does it mean now that he’s attacking the now number one gay icon in the country?

In the end, it doesn’t matter if it was meant as simply a personal attack against Gaga.  Since it also involves lyrics that assassinates her from a sexual stance, it’s a blatant disrespectful comment amongst the fight for gay rights and respect.  Unfortunately, for the hip-hop community, though it may mean much for many, it will also most definitely not be voiced as such on a large scale.  In an openly homophobic society that rap music continues to breed within African-American dominated neighborhoods, “gay” is often portrayed as a plague, not a way of life.  Eminem’s lyrics will most likely be recited upon play and reiterated amongst the youth as smooth as water in the ocean and slips of the tongue.  The most crucial response, though, belongs to pop culture.

As hip-hop has largely become one of the most popular genres of pop, it would be interesting to see the response if the song were to be released as a single… but I’m sure they know better than that.   Other than any hype that may surround the song, the audience for which it was recorded will most likely not participate in a movement against the discrimination it depicts.   This is something that may only be addressed by the gay-straight alliance of fans within the pop community.  Not to negate the fact that there are millions of hip-hop fans who are either gay or not homophobic, since a movement has yet to begin within the community, it must begin without.

Eminem, much more-so than Royce da 5’9″, has ironically become a rap icon within the pop community.  Most definitely belonging to a different percentage of it, his words remain to reach far and wide throughout the world wide web.  It’s possible that if the alternating realities of pop music speak out against this reality of homophobia, then, and only then, may things actually begin to change.  This is not an issue of race, but of preference; Not rappers against singers, but fans of alike music coming together to make a change for the better for all.  Even more-so today than any other time, rap music is not belonging to a secluded radio station or television station.  But the homophobia remains unchecked because it hasn’t been checked by its consumers.

It’s about time consumers and members of the hip-hop community–which also belongs to all walks of life, races and sexual orientations– make the choice to protest and demand change.  We, too, are affected; Straight, gay and the inbetween. Gaga, as someone who isn’t so easily silenced or softly hush-mouthed, may choose to lash out.  And if she does… Roman, you may have a problem.

Listen to the full track below, or the entire verse which begins at the 2:21 mark

Any Comments/Thoughts Bubbling?

Yet, my outlook on love remained romantic.  I fell in love.  Meeting whom I thought (up until two month ago) was the love of my life, always and forever, I allowed myself to fall in love and stay in love from the 11th grade, throughout our so-called (not-so-much) two years off during college, and our rekindling a year and a half ago. Almost six years.  Love.  What is love?  I thought I knew.  I always thought that if we were to break, it would be because of the long-distance that came into play after high school.  I figured it would be due to an issue like growing so far apart we couldn’t bare but to move on.  I assumed it would be mutual.  That’s if it happened at all.

In reality, it turned out to be neither.  He neither wanted to stay nor wanted to go.  He neither wanted to date others nor let me go.  But he made the choice to do so because “we weren’t ready for this commitment.”  What commitment?  Is love not a commitment?  Is this thing called loved so evanescent that you can let it go and find the exact same thing in another?  Who’s to say that one is to have “experience” before finding the “one”?  I thought I had the one.  I still struggle with my belief that I had the one.  But I’m left to find another… while he’s willingly moving on.

So where do I go from here?  The pain is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.  Worst than my six-year-old experience of accidentally falling face-up into a boiling pot of grease; worse than my eleven-year-old experience of having a best friend tell jokes about my personal woes to a class full of crushes; worse than the moment I consoled my mother on a bare floor when she felt helpless and defeated.  Nothing compares to this feeling.  The best friend I’ve grown to love, trust, and confide in no longer wants to love me.  He wants to love someone else.  He wants to hold another girl’s hands, kiss another girl’s lips, hear another girl’s laugh… he wants to spend his free time, his money, his new experiences with someone who isn’t me.  He may or may not have in mind with whom, but it hurts all the same.

Through my transition, I am allowing myself the open mind to understand his longing for new experiences and to keep him in my life.  I don’t want to neglect the friendship we’ve worked so hard to build and effortlessly cultivated.  I don’t want to throw him out of my life, even through the excruciating pain.  But I still haven’t found the middle ground.  I still cry after every text conversation, whether he or I initiated it.  I still check the ever-emotional-murderous social network of Facebook and see who has written on his page, what they’re saying and what he’s doing.  I still care.  But I don’t want to.  I still feel, even as I pray not to.  I still love, and I can’t decide whether or not this is good thing; all I know is that it’s killing me.  And the worst part of it all may be my belief that he doesn’t feel the same as I do.  I assume that now that he’s gotten it off his chest—his worries about our future and his need for a variety in experience—he’s feeling more free than he’s felt in some time.  I’m angry, hurt, paranoid, and saddened by not only his happiness, but the hate that I feel when I think about his happiness.  Some part of me says it’s selfish while the other says it’s normal.  One day I’m feeling Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” and the next I’m crying over Tweet’s “Smoking Cigarettes,” wishing I were a smoker, waiting for his phone call… the one that says he’ll always love me… the one that says he’s finally came to his senses… the one that says I’m the only girl in the world he’ll ever want and ever need… the one that may very well never, ever come into fruition.

All in all, I thank God I’m only 21.

Why, oh why
Gave you several years of my life
And it just ain’t right
What’s your perception of love
Now, how many times did we say it was over
And how many times did we not leave
There’s no sense in this love hangover
Please come back to me

Cuz I can’t forget your ways
I still remember our first kiss
I’m nervous and tremblin’
Smoking cigarettes at night
Wondering where you been
Smoking cigarettes at night
I can’t cope with this
Smoking cigarettes at night
Your the one to help me quit
Smoking cigarettes at night

In the midnight hour
Late midnight hour
I see the etch of yo face
And it makes it hard for me to breathe
What can I do to change your decision
Please work with me (me, me)
Sometimes my eyes won’t close from weepin’
And sometimes I can’t wake up from sleepin’ (why)
Cuz you keep callin’ me, keep callin’ me in my dreams

I can’t forget your ways
I still remember our first kiss
You got me nervous and tremblin’
Smoking cigarettes at night
Wondering where you been
Smoking cigarettes at night
I can’t cope with this
Smoking cigarettes at night
Your the one to help me quit
Smoking cigarettes at night

Newport’s, Winston’s, Salem’s, Marlboro Lights
Don’t matter what the kind is
Cause you got me smoking out on you
Got me puffin’ ’bout a pack a night
And I know it ain’t healthy

Nervous and tremblin’
Smoking cigarettes at night
Wondering where you been
Smoking cigarettes at night
I can’t cope with this
Smoking cigarettes at night
Your the one to help me quit
Smoking cigarettes at night

Nervous and tremblin’
Smoking cigarettes at night
I’m nervous and tremblin’
Wondering where you been
Smoking cigarettes at night
I can’t cope with this
Smoking cigarettes at night
Smokin’
Your the one to help me quit
Smoking cigarettes at night

No it ain’t healthy
Smokin’
Gotta quit
You’re the only one

Up in the club, we just broke up
I’m doing my own little thing
Decided to dip and now you wanna trip
Cause another brother noticed me

I’m up on him, he up on me
Don’t pay him any attention
Just cried my tears, for three good years
Ya can’t be mad at me

Cause if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it
Don’t be mad once you see that he want it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it
Oh, oh, oh

If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it
Don’t be mad once you see that he want it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it

I got gloss on my lips, a man on my hips
Got me tighter in my Dereon jeans
Acting up, drink in my cup
I can care less what you think

I need no permission, did I mention
Don’t pay him any attention
Cause you had your turn and now you gonna learn
What it really feels like to miss me

Cause if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it
[. From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/b/beyonce-lyrics/single-ladies-lyrics.html .]
Don’t be mad once you see that he want it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it
Oh, oh, oh

If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it
Don’t be mad once you see that he want it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it
Oh, oh, oh

Don’t treat me to the things of the world
I’m not that kind of girl
Your love is what I prefer, what I deserve

Here’s a man that makes me then takes me
And delivers me to a destiny, to infinity and beyond
Pull me into your arms, say I’m the one you own
If you don’t, you’ll be alone
And like a ghost Ill be gone

All the single ladies, all the single ladies
All the single ladies, all the single ladies
All the single ladies, all the single ladies
All the single ladies
Now put your hands up, oh, oh, oh

Cause if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it
Don’t be mad once you see that he want it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it
Oh, oh, oh

If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it
Don’t be mad once you see that he want it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it
Oh, oh, oh

Tracee Owo, a Nigerian-American singer-songwriter and model from DC is releasing her first promo single, “LayAway” with Kapitol Productions.  Pleading against the trials that come along with a complacent lover, Tracee (who both wrote and arranged the song herself,) proves her talent through both her vocals and lyrical skill that will cling to any heart familiar with the plot.  Download this single and check back soon for her second if you’re in the mood for a more up-tempo clubby feel in “Elevator High” featuring YP.

There’s much more coming from Tracee as she pursues her music career and continues her fashion studies in NYC if you miss out on this train, you only have yourself to blame. Tick Tick…….

Follow here HERE on twitter
Or keep up with her HERE on her official website

Just the other day, I was tweeting about my love for Rick Ross’ new album “Teflon Don” when this interaction occurred:

I didn’t mind the comment at all, instead, it triggered a further contemplation of “coke” aka gangsta rap for me.  I’m a person who takes pride in the fact that I don’t know every song on the radio, or care what the instructions are for the latest dance craze to hit the clubs.  I am, however, more proud of the fact that I don’t discriminate when it comes to music.  From “progressive” rap to “gangsta” rap, I love it all.  Although I prefer the more advocate-derived music for my motivation, I find a piece of gold in just about every sub-genre of hip hop.  I mean, I can simultaneously be inspired by Lupe Fiasco, Erykah Badu and Nas while knowing a bit of Jeezy’s snowman references, Lil Wayne’s cup infatuation, and the overall blissful ignorance of Lil’ Bossie.

No, of course no one should be endorsing drugs. But yes, more of us are in jail for selling than using–so what does that mean?  No, we shouldn’t be carrying around illegal guns.  But yes, many impoverished neighborhoods are flooded with them–so where do they come from?  Coke rap is not the opposite of progressive rap… it’s just different.

What I’m saying is this—we as a people are contradicting ourselves because the lifestyle we are raised in is a contradiction to man.  Why should I pay for water when it’s a necessity for life and to “be free” is always associated with the natural Earth?  Why are we so easy to submit to the police when the entire “objective” of their existence is to serve us?  What then, is wrong with rapping about drugs and guns when it’s a constant aspect of some of our daily lives, whether we choose it to be or not?

Gangsta rappers, for all I’m concerned, are the most important musicians for our mental and spiritual uprising.  Who hasn’t listened to an old school NWA track and wished you could break someone’s face?  And not just for any reason, but due to frustrations, hurt, confusion… Are they not the most feared?  Have you ever wondered why?  Is it not time for people to get angry?  Have we not had enough Oscar Grants and Sean Bells?  I can sit and listen to Freddie Gibb’s “National Anthem (Fuck The World)” ten times back-to-back because what he raps about isn’t only selling drugs and busting guns, but why.  The violence in our streets isn’t going to resolve itself by ignoring them.

Opinions are always weak from those who categorize “gangsta rappers” as ignorant artists contributing to the downfall of our society, because they’re based upon skewed facts.  If anything, they’re the key to finding a forum for these larger issues in society.  With every gangsta rapper comes politics because no matter what you do–you can’t escape it.  Yes, there’s awful artists in every genre, but true artists cover all aspects of the lifestyle.  This is evident in artists from Ice Cube to The Game, Vado to Nipsey Hussle…

Look, You a blood,I’m a crip/You a Tre, I’m a O/If you was raised off Slauson, You would be one too/Ya homeboys get low when they see me come through/And they say that I ain’t got crack/And that would be untrue, but every now and then I figure we can get back to/That black shit instead of killing and banging for crack shit/

PayBack by Nipsey Hussle.

Let the people speak until the people react.  If you’re tired of hearing about drugs, find out why so many sell them.  If you’re sick of hearing about killing and shooting, find out why so many people are angry.  Rick Ross’s “Tears of Joy” featuring Cee-Lo is my favorite track on the album because he speaks about overcoming the need for dependency of a criminal lifestyle.  We have so many kids seeking this feeling today that it’s rare to meet an impoverished black boy under 16 who isn’t aspiring to be a rapper or athlete.

This music is necessary, not progressive.  Each needs each other or else the argument will disappear and the problem will forever remain the same.  Until both worlds can function as one, let’s reach for understanding to make the changes we need to see.  We’re all responsible.

-Bubble Thoughts By @BubbleMami

Voice Your Opinion. Is This Bubbling, or Should It Be Popped?

While attending a free concert in Queens (thanks to SummerStage) featuring Ryan Leslie, I was introduced to R&B newcomer Miguel. Miguel is a singer/songwriter from Cali who co-wrote Musiq Soulchild’s #1 single “If U Leave” and also worked on Usher’s albums Here I Stand and Raymond V Raymond. He performed his debut single “All I Want Is You” which features J. Cole and a possible next single titled “Quickie.” We were given an album sampler of his debut album titled “All I Want Is You” which comes out this September. Besides his single that’s already out, the sampler features 4 tracks, “Sure Thing,” “Quickie,” “Go (You & Me),” and “I’ll Still Try.”

Pop That Bubble For The Sampler Review

& A Peek At His Newest Video

The sampler opens with “All I Want Is You” which is a mid-tempo song that features Hip-Hop newcomer J. Cole. Miguel sings about wanting his old girl back since she left and how the other girls don’t compare. This song has been on repeat since I have heard it.

The follow-up track “Sure Thing,” which was supposed to be his first single, is a slow-tempo song that reassures his girl that their love is a sure thing. He opens saying, “Love you like a brother/Treat you like a friend/Respect you like a lover.” Then he lists different analogies and correlates them to him and his girl. It’s a very cute song and I can see it being played whenever there is a doubt in a relationship, just for reassurance.

“Quickie” is a raunchy mid-tempo song that gets straight to the point of telling the one he lusts after “I don’t wanna be loved/I just want a quickie” and he goes on to say “Knock on this wood/Get rocked by this thunder.” This song shows off Miguel’s flirtatious/bad boy style and is sure to make the ladies yearn for more of him.

“Go (You & Me)” is another mid-tempo song where a plan is proposed to get away from everyone else. “Cause I just wanna be with you/And I don’t care what they say/We can run to the sun and forget this place/Cause they’ll only tear us down if we stay.”

“I’ll Still Try” is my favorite song and I absolutely adore the lyrics. This mid-tempo song will make all the ladies say, “Awww,” because we all want a man that will cater to us when we’re having a “down” day. “Cause when you’re feeling low/I just want you to know that I/Still think you’re beautiful and I/Still think you’re wonderful though I/Though I’m still just a man/And I’ll never understand/I’ll still try”

As a new face to the mainstream, Miguel is a sigh of relief that R&B is not all about sex, but about love, making a woman feel good about herself and a man who knows just how to do it. Miguel is a fresh breath of air to today’s R&B. He is not one to disappoint, if you are a true fan of R&B. He also shed some light on how he wants people to feel/think when they hear his music: “I want them to say ‘Thank Goodness!’ I want them to feel like this is what they been wanting and this is what they’ve been waiting for. It’s so new and so different. I know there’s a place for it. I know there’s a market for it. People will hear it and feel like it’s so different yet still relatable.”

If you haven’t seen or heard “All I Want Is You” I have it here for your viewing pleasure.

And since he’s album doesn’t come out until September, I have the link to download his mixtape he dropped last year, which is titled Mischief: The Mixtape. Mischief: The Mixtape

—Bubble Thoughts by @TarnishaLaShell

What is art? I’ve been asked this question thousands of times from the start of my high school career (at a performing & visual arts school) throughout the time I’ve spent thus-far in a liberal arts college. For me, I think of art in terms of musicians. What is it that you’re creating? Why? What are you trying to say? Do you have anything to say, or are you simply exploring the possibilities of creation?

I should hold these standards of art to all music I listen to, but mostly I expect it out of singers. It’s the voice. The soul. The truth that flows through every note held, every word vibrated, and pushed out onto a world who’s day-to-day life is far less than harmonious. It’s the sound of soulful singers who can bring life to a vacant track.  Artists who do this for me is a long, alternating list (depending on the era) from Erykah Badu, Otis Redding, Bilal, Nina Simone, Smokey Robinson, James Brown, Etta James, Jill Scott, and Lauryn Hill to name a few.

As of late, I was slow to join the bandwagon of Janelle Monae simply because I hadn’t taken out the time to give her a chance. To say the least, with the release of her latest album, ArchAndroid, I was fed all I needed and wanted at the very moment I allowed myself to.  But now, with her latest video, I question her ability to challenge everyday norms and live up to the responsibility her artistry demands.  And it just so happens that the song for the video, “Cold War,” became one of my Top 3 favorite tracks (alongside “Say You’ll Go” and “Dance or Die”) from the album.  The lyrics are captivating:

So you think I’m alone?
But being alone’s the only way to be
When you step outside
You spend life fighting for your sanity

This is a cold war
You better know what you’re fighting for
This is a cold war
Do you know what you’re fighting for?

If you wanna be free?
Below the ground’s the only place to be
Cause in this life
You spend time running from depravity

The uptempo beat demands movement; action.  The words promise possibility; change.  The video.. simply.. does not.

“Disappointed” does not describe the feeling.  The most I feel about it is confused.  With all of the hype surrounding it after its release, I envisioned a statement.  A statement BIGGER than the song.  But the plain imagery, (dolled up in make-up), black background, and a simple head shot that neither compliments nor multiplies the message of the song.  In comparison, let’s take it back to Erykah Badu’s recent video for “Window Seat.”  The song– on the surface — was a heartfelt rant about a woman’s love who longed for a confined space (sometimes) in a world full of calamity.  But the video heightened the song to another level–adding the elements of groupthink and challenging her listeners to go deeper than what’s on the surface.  This is the artistry all artists should strive towards.  You don’t have to get naked to do it.  You just have to take hold of your art.  Be your art.  What does your art mean to you?

This video for “Cold War” does not evoke anything in me.  If it were a love song, I didn’t feel the love.  If it were a hate song, I didn’t feel the hate.  More-so I felt mild-entertainment in what should have been more like adrenaline, anguish, fear, hope, strength.  The tear felt out of place and the turning of the head was too calculated.  I wanted to look at this video and say “YES! WE ARE LIVING IN A DAMN COLD WAR AND IT’S M-F’N TIME WE REALIZE WHAT WE’RE FIGHTING FOR!”  Instead, the dull video drowns out the lyrics.  Her playful eyes makes me forget to listen to the song, and I get caught up in the wondering how she got her eyelashes so perfect.  (Say what you will!) In the end, it comes off as completely contradictory to the true art of the song.

All I’m saying is that it’s time we take our artistry to the next level.  If you’re going to push the envelope, GO ALL THE WAY!  Push buttons and don’t stop until they fall off!  Call out others and keep the momentum going until others join!  Am I the only one sick of mediocre music?

Music may not be the way to a new world, but I know for sure that it’s the first step.  If we’re living in a cold war, I just want some coffee with my pain for now.

Today marks the 9th year of the fatal airplane crash that lead to Aaliyah and 8 others death in the Bahamas after they filmed the music video for “Rock The Boat.” I decided to do a special “Before They Were Stars” in her honor. She truly was a talented individual with a big voice at a young age. Below is a home video that showcases Aaliyah when she was younger.

It was really hard for me to choose a favorite song of Aaliyah’s that I like, because I love them all. So I chose the song when I was first introduced to Aaliyah. Enjoy.

Zora Howard is a Harlem native who is attending Yale University this year and is New York City’s first Youth Poet Laureate. Zora performed her poem “Bi-Racial Hair” when she was 13 years old at the Urban Word NYC Teen Poetry Slam in 2006. It was the first poem I saw her perform and I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy and be enlighten.