Rihanna, Evelyn Lozada, K.Michelle,; Domestic Violence and Celebrity Priority.

(ThyBlackMan.com) Last night marked the end of the first season of Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta. I’m sure many Black women, young and old, tuned in to watch the final episode of the ratchet fest whether they truly wanted to or not. The episode was promoted to be a big bombshell with K.Michelle once again expressing her pain and rage over being beaten by music industry insider and husband to Toya Carter; Memphitz.\

The timing of K.Michelle’s “final” words on the subject comes at a time where domestic abuse captures headlines and makes for ratings bumps. Oprah’s heart to heart with Bajan bombshell Rihanna Sunday night has had tongues wagging since news of the interview became public. Everyone knew Oprah would ask about “the incident” and unlike in other interviews it was highly likely Rihanna wasn’t going to be too quick to reveal her explosive temper; which she didn’t.

But K.Michelle and Rihanna are not alone in their struggles with overcoming domestic violence. New to the club no woman should ever be apart of is Basketball Wives’ reigning bad girl Evelyn Lozada. The fiery tempered Latina  was inducted into the female society of shame after getting into an argument with her new husband Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson. A head butt later and Ochocinco is minus endorsements, a spin off, and a wife while Evelyn Lozada must contend with the head butt and how to handle it in her personal and celeb-reality life.

 

These stories of abuse have raised comments far and wide as to what really happened in every scenario. No one will know what happened between Rihanna and Chris Brown Grammy Night 2009. But we saw her battered face. No one will know what happened between K.Michelle and Memphitz but we saw her all dolled up in a wedding dress with makeup recreating wounds from her abuser as she spoke through clenched teeth and tears about becoming her lover’s punching bag. No one will know what happened between Evelyn Lozada and Ocho but the released 911 call from a neighbor implies at the very least a dispute occurred.

The only people who will know what happened in these instances are the people involved. Yet speculation abounds over how the actions of these well known celebrities affects those inclined to live their life by the celebrity playbook. In an hour long interview the best soundbyte gotten from Rihanna after appearing on Oprah’s Next Chapter is she still loves Chris Brown. The clip has been played on every morning show, entertainment news show, cable news entertainment segment, and embedded in blogs and websites. It would seem as if Oprah asked one question, Rihanna gave one answer and the interview was over.

Similarly with K.Michelle, her story arc on Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta focused more on the abuse she endured from year’s ago then her struggle to break into the music industry as a viable R&B artist. The girl can sing. Her talent was showcased on the show but it was the opening act for the main event; constant pain and rage and defending the truth of what happened to her.

As for Evelyn Lozada, she’s made a career out of snatching wigs, throwing bottles and jumping off tables. Now the table’s are somewhat turned and she finds herself a victim of some of the same verbal and physical brutality she’s bestowed on others.

Each incident these women have gone through will now forever follow them and their careers. It is the infamy they will forever be associated no matter what they do in the future to leave their past behind.

We don’t think of Tina without Ike and “Eat the cake Anna-Mae.” We won’t think of Rihanna and not remember her hospital photograph. We won’t think of K.Michelle without hearing her ranting and raving about her painful past. We won’t think of Evelyn without maliciously thinking she finally got what she deserved? Yet while we’re all caught up in thinking about the abuses these celebrities endured we don’t think about the abuse not publicized.

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Epic Fail Of The Day: NY Senator Demands Apology From Lil’ Wayne For Saying “I Don’t Like New York”

 

This publicity hungry NY Senator wins the crown for today’s Epic Fail Of The Day. Senator Malcolm Smith is holding a rally in Times Square today at 3PM to demand a public apology from Lil’ Wanye for allegedly saying, “I flat out don’t like New York.”

Our friends at HipHopWired got there hands on a portion of the Senators press release which throw a few low blows at Weezy, even mentioning his gun charge. Check out a portion of the press release below:

 

New York City is the birthplace of the Hip Hop music movement. Millions of New Yorkers listen to his music every day. His comments is outraged his local fans and residents. The group today will be demanding an apology of the hip hop star. Lil Wayne has had misfortune in New York with recent gun charges and a jail sentence.

Wow, as a true NY’er would say, “is this the type of sh*t my taxes are paying for!”

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I NEED AN AROUND THE WAY GIRL: Can Women Return To Their Hip-Hop Roots?

So here we are – in the age of everything Nicki Minaj, and not too far removed from when it was all about Foxy or Kim. Female rappers have always had a place, but never quite seem to stay in first place. In a male-dominated genre, it seems harder to find a female artist who keeps her street and radio marketability, without being too far left field. R&B seems to give fans more covered ground than rap does; more of those women seem to give off intelligence, modest sexuality, and strength at the same time.

Maybe Hip-Hop should take notes and make a fresh start back to where it began.

For most, the ’80s stood out as a period where ladies went outside their usual box and began to find a voice in rap. Unlike some of the newer generation of ladies in Hip-Hop, they weren’t automatically stuck on all things sex or fashion – they conveyed real messages like their male counterparts. Many may recall Roxanne Shonte’s “Roxanne’s Revenge”, which was a diss to the original “Roxanne Roxanne” record by UTFO. She started a powerful movement for Hip-Hop. Other artists began to surface such as Salt N Pepa, one of rap’s first female crews. They also started out with a response record. In this case it was “The Show Stopper”, which played off of Doug E Fresh and Slick Rick’s uber-classic, “The Show”.

Around the same time, artists peaked in their own way and positioned themselves as lyricists to watch for. They took individual approaches that fans found appealing, simple, and more relatable. Some examples are MC Lyte with the hardcore, pull-no-punches role, and Queen Latifah as the strong, empowered woman. They gave listeners real insight into a woman’s massive potential in rhyming. They were followed by Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott, and Eve, to name a few, all creating different forms of success and originality, while remaining true staples of quality. That formula, as of late, seems harder to come by.

From the beginning, the subject of disrespect was at the forefront. Now, it seems the men don’t have to talk about it; many of the women put it all out there themselves. The times have transformed the thought processes of some female MCs, producing songs that would rather add to the insulting and downgrading, instead of lifting up. A lady naturally gains attention through sex appeal, but its when she speaks, even through verses, that she has the chance to change the opinions of those expecting nothing more from her than what they normally hear and see.

The voices of women can’t be limited to that of a particular artist or group, but the masses shouldn’t get stuck with the usual, cookie-cutter types that often make it to the mainstream. Female MCs who break the mold do exist. The fans are waiting for a real everyday woman with raw talent, minus the typical expectations put on her craft.

The ones they once heard more of. The ones from around the way.

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Brandy Wants to Bring R&B Back With New Album

Brandy wants to bring R&B back. Yesterday afternoon, RCA and Chameleon Records invited select media to preview 11 tracks from Brandy's upcoming sixth album, Two Eleven, dropping October 16th. It's Brandy at her most realized: romantically shaky, vocally sharp and musically sound, thanks to an honors corral of producers and songwriters spanning Sean Garrett, Bangladesh, Frank Ocean, Mario Winans, Hit-Boy, Ester Dean, Harmony and more.

Over the course of her decades-long career, Brandy has become a woman before our eyes, outgrowing the baby-lamb naiveté of 1994's Brandy and assuming the role of self-actualized woman (2002's Full Moon). But it was with 2004's Afrodisiac that she faltered in her steps, openly wallowing in a bitter divorce, before rising above the dancing flames on '08's Human. On Two Eleven, she juggles heartache and romantic solace, a nod to past delusions filtered through the hindsight of 33-year-old reticence.

Chameleon CEO Breyon Prescott emceed the session. "I saw music going someplace else," he said. "I was like, the only way Brandy should come back is bringing R&B music back. I see everyone doing dance music, and I was like, we can't do this," said Prescott, who acknowledged side work on Dr. Dre's mythical Detox, promising its imminent release.

"We gotta stick to the core, which is R&B. I got to bring you back to 2012 with hard beats, but the melodies are soft, and the content of the songs are going to be Brandy."

Throughout Two Eleven, a nod to her birthday and the date of mentor Whitney Houston's death, Brandy is as quick to pledge allegiance to lovers as she is to scorn them. On the upcoming Sean Garrett-penned single "Wildest Dreams," the follow-up to lead track "Put It Down" (featuring Chris Brown), the emotional rug is pulled from under her: "Never in my wildest dreams did I think someone could care 'bout me/ Not just the way you love me, but you know I'm emotional (sometimes)," she croons over a thwacking beat courtesy of Tha Bizness.

Producer Bangladesh helms the wobbly, club-geared "Let Me Go," which features an interpolation of Lykke Li's "Tonight," as well as the oiled slow jam "So Sick," written by Garrett, where the singer shoves off a violating lover ("How far do you think I'll let you push me before I cross the line?"). Mike WiLL Made It, known for ratchet anthems including Meek Mill's "Tupac Back" and Gucci Mane's "Too Sexy," shows his softer side with "Do You Know," where Brandy cuts down her man for failing to return her affections.

Elsewhere, Brandy acknowledges that her own emotions have betrayed her on "Wish Your Love Away," written and produced by Mario Winans. Over a piping pan flute and serrated drums, she bemoans a man who played her for a fool – "Remember that you told me you were with it, and all them other bitches you could do without?" – but she can't shake the spell.

Rico Love and Jim Jonsin lace the pecking mid-tempo ballad "Hardly Breathing," where she suffers as her lover walks away, while Hit-Boy blesses the smoldering ballad "White Flag," an admission of emotional defeat.

Two Eleven, still a work-in-progress set to include 15 tracks, also features the Frank Ocean-written "Scared of Beautiful," which will become a duet pending the Odd Future singer's vocal addition. Over double-time instrumentation, Brandy stops seeking reciprocity and focuses inward. "I wonder why there's no mirrors on these walls no more/ You can't tell me why you're so terrified of beautiful," she sings. She's looking only to herself – no man to safety-net her feelings – and she is ready to face her reflection.