Whitney Houston: The Icon Remembered

On February 11, 2011, the undisputed queen of pop, Whitney died on a Beverly Hills hotel the same night that she was supposed to sing Clive Davis's grammy party.   The world stopped and the media went crazy  with speculations on how she died and dug up all her personal demons.   I will not go into any details on how she died or any of her personal issues. This site will only honor her life by the beautiful musical legacy she has left behind. Whitney Houston is a arguably the best voice of our generation, a once in a lifetime talent. Nobody sang a song like Whitney, she could take a hit from an already established artist and make it her own and make you forget it was a remake.  "I Will Always Love You",  "I'm Every Woman",  "The Greatest Love of All",  "I Believe In You and Me"  all remakes that are now Whitney classics.  Thank you Whitney for being the soundtrack to our lives. My prayers go out to you and your family.  Whitney's funeral will be held on Saturday February 18, 2011, at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark New Jersey.

A Salute to Don Cornelius!

On February first I was at my desk checking out Twitter instead of working when I saw a tweet  that said  Soul Train creator and host Don Cornelius had died at age 75. What was more shocking was that he had taken his own life with a self inflicted gun shot to the head.  

You would have had to been under a rock for that last 36 years not to know how important Don Cornelius and Soul Train is to the music world.  Soul Train changed music television and paved the way for so many music programs that focused on black entertainment.  Before BET and all these music videos Soul Train was the place to see hottest  R &B, and HIP HOP entertainers.    I still have found memories of getting up on Saturday Mornings watching Soul Train. Who could forget the funky soul train  dancers, the crazy outfits,  the legendary Soul Train line and the coolness that was Don Cornelius.   Every Saturday he took us on the hippest trip in America.    Everybody is stunned at what the loss of Mr. Cornelius. 

“It’s just so sad, stunning and downright shocking and a huge and momentous loss to the African-American community and the world at large,"  The Queen of Soul,  Aretha Franklin said. "Don Cornelius single-handedly brought about a melding and unity of brother and sisterhood among young adults worldwide and globally with the unforgettable creation of Soul Train.”

The Rev. Al Sharpton, had similar sentiments.

"He brought soul music and dance to the world in a way that it had never been shown and he was a cultural game changer on a global level. Had it not been for Don Cornelius we would not have ever transcended from the Chitlin circuit to become mainstream cultural trendsetters."

"I am shocked and deeply saddened at the sudden passing of my friend, colleague, and business partner Don Cornelius," said Quincy Jones. "Don was a visionary pioneer and a giant in our business. Before MTV there was 'Soul Train,' that will be the great legacy of Don Cornelius. His contributions to television, music and our culture as a whole will never be matched. My heart goes out to Don's family and loved ones."

Rest in Peace Mr. Cornelius and thank you for bringing love peace and soul to television. Soul Train goes down in history as the longest running syndicated music program. It was on the air for 36 years and spun off the Soul Train awards which air every year on BET and Centric.

                                                   

Marvin Gaye - Abraham, Martin & John

Happy Martin Luther King Day. Remember The Dream.

Today we honor  a man who put his life on line for what he believed in.  A man who fought for justice for all.  We have come a long way but there is still much work to do to keep his Dream Alive.  Happy Martin Luther King Day.

Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum accused of racially insentive remarks.

Rick Santorum                   Newt Gingrich

Presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are fending off accusations that they made racially insensitive remarks at a New Hampshire town hall meeting last week regarding blacks and the nation's public assistance program. Newt Gingrich says that the media is taking the remarks he made regarding what he would say to the NAACP if invited to speak completely out of context.

 "The African-American community should demand paychecks, and not be satisfied with food stamps. Now there's no neighborhood I know of in America where if you went around and asked people, 'Would you rather your children had food stamps or paychecks?' you wouldn't end up with a majority saying they'd rather have a paycheck, and so, I'm prepared, if the NAACP invites me, I'll go to their convention and talk about why the African-American community should demand paychecks, and not be satisfied with food stamps."

Gingrich responded to his critics saying that his remarks were far from insensitive.

"I think you'd have to be nuts to read those two paragraphs and conclude anything except that I was saying that every young American deserves the right to pursue happiness," he said. "Every neighborhood in America deserves a chance to have paychecks instead of food stamps. And I was saying something which I thought for a Republican candidate would come as a refreshing positive, which is why I would be happy to go to the NAACP convention and talk about creating greater opportunities for all Americans."

Rick Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator came under fire for remarks he made in Sioux City, Iowa. 

 "I don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money. I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money and provide for themselves and their families."

Santorum denies making that statement.  I'm not going to call Gingrich or Santorum racist but I will say these kind of remarks are insensitive and completely out of touch. It's clear to me that neither has a clue about the African-American community's wants and or needs.  Both seem to be relying on old stereotypes to make a point. If they did they would realize that many African-Americans are hard working citizens like every one else in this country. If you are going to say something make sure you have sufficient evidence to back your claim.

According to 2010 Department of Agriculture data, 34 percent of food stamp recipients were white, 22 percent were African-American, 16 percent were Hispanic, 4 percent were Native American and 3 percent were Asian.  Instead of making broad generalizations and divisive comments both should have done some research.  I am so sick of  public figures who make these broad statements only to later deny ever saying them. I'm not only fed up with Republicans but also with Democrats. I am sick of both parties slinging mud, propaganda and generalization that have no sound basis. The best thing for voters to do in 2012 is to stop relying on political campaign commercials and embellished speeches and instead do sound research.