Scorpeze explains it all…

One of my friends asked if Voodoo was on my favorite albums of the 2000’s list. I told her no. She said I should write about why I have excluded it.
I agreed.

Let me start by saying that I really do like Voodoo. It’s a good album. But its not great. Furthermore, its not terribly interesting. Granted, this is my opinion only.

Before Voodoo was released, those who had been involved or were present at the sessions engaged in a great deal of hyperbole taumbout how D’ was the heir to the throne and how this album was so deep and complex and would set your ass on fire. Bad move.

What we got 5 years after D’s rough hewn debut, Brown Sugar, was an album that is textbook example of style over substance. Yes, there are some inspired moments, and some glimmers of brilliance, but like I told a friend some years ago, this aint knockin Innervisions off the turntable.

Lemme explain.

The first problem is that in this age of lowered expectations, people saw fit to call D’Angelo a musical genius. I have not seen nor heard proof of this genius. What have we seen or heard from him that has not been done before or better?

Singing in falsetto? Marvin Gaye, Prince, Michael Jackson, Philip Bailey, Eddie Kendricks, Russell Thompkins, Jr. of The Stylistics

Fusing hip-hop beats/sensibilities with R&B? Teddy Riley, Dallas Austin, TLC

I sincerely hope that playing keys isnt enough to get you the genius tag.

Is it his songwriting/composition? Shit, Damn, Motherfucker is based on the first 5 notes of the E minor scale. Profound lyrics? Jonz In My Bonz aint gon get it. The song Brown Sugar uses the drug as a woman metaphor that has been around since drugs and women. Untitled, lyrically, was just hollow compared to the sensuality of the music that carries the song (“love to make you wet/in between your thighs…” is just not an appealing statement). But, I will admit that there were a couple lines on Voodoo that were well written

The fact that he’s a hood dude doing R&B? 99% of R&B artists are hood dudes.

So I’m left wondering where the genius tag is coming from. Well, no I’m not. The truth is that D’Angelo is a musician and we dont have those in popular music anymore. It blows kids minds just to SEE someone Black playing an instrument these days, nevermind if theyre any good at it. Black folks have become so detached from music itself that the actual craft of playing music is almost alien to them. The reasons for this are too numerous to go into here. In Black music, people only care about the vocalist. There are NO (not ONE) commercially viable Black bands. That speaks VOLUMES. The acts in Black music rarely accompany themselves with an instrument while they sing.The actual music part of the music industry isnt a factor anymore, at least not when it comes to Black folks. We think that all music comes from machines and old records. That’s just fucking pitiful and sad.

So when folks see a Black singer who accompanies themselves on an instrument, they figure that that person MUST be some kind of wunderkind, a prodigy,…even a genius. See Alicia Keys or John Legend.

I think Im the only person in the world to notice that Brown Sugar is made up of half-songs. The intro, verses, hooks, and bridges are done by the 2 min mark. Some of the songs LITERALLY have the first 2 min of music cut and pasted on after the singing is finished. Some of the grooves were cool, but nothing that would blow your head apart. The hype comes from the fact that here’s a dude doing music somewhat in the way it used to be done. Which brings up another problem with Black people and Black music–fetishization of Classic Black music. We are content to go thru the motions of making music like they did in the days when music was really good as the rule rather than the exception. We will play the instruments but we wont put forth the effort to come up with something not only satisfying musically, but original. Plinking out vanilla whole note chords on the Rhodes and playing really rudimentary stuff on bass and drums (“boom-clack/boom, clack” (c) Badu) behind it does not a soul legend make–just as playing dress up in your parent clothes doesnt make you an adult. Im not saying that D is guilty of this, but the acts who came behind him on the neo-soul bandwagon were.

Let’s remain clear: Im not saying that D’Angelo doesnt have any talent. He does. He had tons of potential. Unfortunately, that potential has not been fully realized. It takes time, study, and practice. Prince’s debut For You only hinted at his potential. Same with Stevie’s Music Of My Mind. How could we know that the guys who made the Dancing Machine album would make an album like Triumph? Sheeeit, Im sure Prince thought he had his stage shit DOWN until MJ sonned him on stage in front of James Brown in 1983. Look at Prince on stage before and after–there was a massive game upstepping in that period. Actually, Prince did the same thing to D’ after Voodoo dropped. Prince invited him on stage at Paisley Park and then proceeded to son him somn awful. I can see P like, “oh, you a legend???…you a genius???…well, let’s see if yo ass can hang wit me…”. Instead of learning from his sonning like P did, D’s spirit was broken and he hasnt been the same since.

That fact kinda backs up my theory that they dont make Jesses like they used to. You can break a new school cat pretty damn easy. Back in the day, Black folks had to be strong and rise to challenges cuz the world granted you no breaks, you had to sink or swim. My generation were the first Black kids that our parents confused nurturing with enabling, and it hasnt stopped. As a result, we have a nation of people, of all races, that are comfortable with excuses instead of achievement.

But I digress. What I gathered from Brown Sugar is that D’ liked girls, weed, hip-hop, and old records. So when the Black boho musical intelligentsia said that this next record was the real and true deal, I couldnt wait to dive in.

Upon my initial listens to Voodoo, I was happy to see the start of what I thought would be a musical talent growing before my eyes. We had been told that Voodoo was only the first step and that the music would keep coming to reveal the genius that lay within Michael Eugene Archer (where did the name D’Angelo come from?). Voodoo is a great first step, like Music Of My Mind, For You, Cant Buy A Thrill, etc. But we soon found out that that was it–there was no more to come.

While the album is enjoyable, the work within doesn’t justify a 5 year gestation period. This album could have been cooked up in a month, honestly. You want complexity and depth? Go check out Embrya by Maxwell. THAT album is some next level shit. Voodoo is a collection of simple, but nice grooves that are fine to groove to but doesnt re-invent the wheel. And D’Angelo is no musical genius on par with Prince, Stevie, James, Al, Curtis, etc. Now here’s the kicker. There is NOTHING wrong with that.

It is okay to be an above average musician. True genius is few and far between. I love the music of Hall and Oates. Are they geniuses? Hell naw. But they are very good at what they do. Roy Ayers? Love him. Genius? No. Commodores, Slave–great bands. Geniuses? No. Part of it is nature and part of it is nurture. It takes time to get to that master level. D was not given the time. His peers dropped a heavy crown on his head and left him to his own devices trying to wear it.

D has hinted that he feels a scary spiritual connection to Marvin Gaye. There are some obvious parallels, but one thing sticks out. Marvin Gaye thought of himself as a fraud. He didnt think that he was as good as everyone said he was (he was wrong). D has that same problem. All of his people are telling him that he is a musical genius of the highest order and that he is the Savior of Black music. The only part about that is that theyre the ones who are wrong, and deep in his heart he knows it and it tears him apart to try to live up to that expectation knowing that he’s not from that stock of musician. He fears being exposed, thus the lack of released work. What’s worse is that his peers point to his struggles as proof that he is a special breed, because all great soul men and artists are tortured, arent they?

Well, sorta. Alot of artists, great and not, are tortured. Some people are just tortured without the special gift part. Some greats are not tortured at all (see Stevie, Curtis).

The grooves on Voodoo are pleasant enough. Some of them touch the hem of funky. Some of them have a nice soulful feel. Some of them are just there. For an audience of lowered expectations, the fact that he fits the Johnny Bravo suit is enough to hoist D on their shoulders and call him the soul messiah.

As an artistic statement, what is Voodoo saying? What sentiment stays on our minds after the album has concluded. Well, we already know that D likes girls, weed, hip-hop, and old records. What does Voodoo tell us? It tells us that D likes girls, old records, and that he feels pressure to live up to expectations. Voodoo doesnt really have much of a perspective, whether inwardly or outwardly. Marvin let us know how he felt about the state of the world on What’s Going On. Stevie wanted to take us on a journey through life itself on SITKOL. MJ showed us how to make a perfect pop album with Thriller. It is my opinion that all truly great albums have some kind of statement, whether intentional or not-either overt or underlying.

Voodoo is the aural equivalent of a good ass sandwich. It does its job, doesnt offend, and gets you by. A great meal satisfies deeply, urges you to savor each bite, and stays with you for quite some time. We need both in our lives.

I say that if he chooses, let D continue to make good ass sandwiches. Without all the external pressure, maybe one day he’ll learn to be a great chef.

Robin Thicke – The Evolution of Robin Thicke (2006):

“…when you ask yourself/why me?/and why not me?…”

Robin Thicke’s first album Cherry Blues Skies aka A Beautiful World (2003) was a textbook example of trying too hard to please. Too often artists spread themselves thin by trying to appeal to as many audiences as possible. Thicke definitely had potential. His songs were charming, yet a tad immature. His sense of humor, while refreshing, was challenging to translate. His subject matter was definitely original. He wrote songs about being a bum (Be Alright), being a kept man (Suga Mama), and being in a bank robbery (Oh, Shooter-based on a real experience). It didnt help that he looked like what most people think Jesus looked like complete with long hair and a full beard.

Needless to say, he was a tough sell. The album was all over the placed. He tried to do soul, latin, rock, etc. with varying degrees of success. His lyrics were a sore spot–often times clumsy and silly.

When Thicke re-surfaced 3 years later, he had undergone a makeover. Gone were the flowing locks and messenger bag. The new Robin Thicke was clean shaven with a neat haircut, dressed in blazers, sweater vests, and crisp button down shirts. He was signed to The Neptunes vanity label, Star Trak. The first single was the boring Prince rip-off Wanna Love You, Girl replete with super glossy Hype Williams video. The song was produced and co-written by Pharrell–unintentionally revealing the fact that the super producer was working on fumes. The lyrics were still cringe worthy in their attempts to be clever and cute. I had not a lot of hope for the young man.

One day, on a whim, I downloaded (shut up) the advance copy of his new album. It was called The Evolution Of Robin Thicke. How apt that title would end up being. Aside from the lousy first single, the rest of the album was produced by Thicke and his partner, Pro J. What I found was a vast improvement on his previous effort.

The album I heard was sparsely produced. Most of the songs were backed by minimal live instrumentation–just piano, bass, drums and guitar. Some songs were just piano and vocals.

The composition had grown by leaps and bounds, and the ballads stood out the most. Using gorgeous chords and progressions, gone was the goofy cockiness of the last album. Here, we had a young man singing earnestly about his insecurities. Thicke sang about needing love in his life and being strengthened by the love he has received. He sang about growing up and being responsible. Some songs still contained the old Thicke persona (High School Man, Threesome) but those songs were washed away by moving odes like Superman, U Center Me, and Spend the Night With Me.

I guess I wasnt the only one downloading. When the album was released, most of the songs from the advance were pulled from the album and replaced with new and better ones. The album received a huge shot in the arm with the release of the second single, Lost Without U. A hushed, faux-samba that lit up the airwaves, Lost Without U was inescapable during the early months of 2007.

Again, the ballads were the standouts, but the new uptempo cuts were an improvement on the advance. On the subtly funky Ask Myself, Thicke challenges himself to rise to the responsibility of taking care of others in his life and leaving childish things behind. Even though it fits more in the textbook modern R&B mold, his duet with Lil Wayne called All Night Long is elevated by Thicke’s impassioned, pleading faux Michael Jackson falsetto. While Lil Wayne dashes off run of the mill sex rhymes, Thicke’s parts speak of an aching passion that cant be contained. it’s not so much the lyrics, but the almost desperate tone to his vocals that signify something more beneath the surface.

Would That Make U Love Me? sees Thicke asking for acceptance and understanding from the world around him. Like that song, the unorthodox subject matter is still a hallmark of Thicke’s music. He sings about the battle against the temporary balm for insecurity drugs bring in Cocaine, where he employs a pained Marvin Gaye sounding falsetto. He talks about his fantasy life on Everything I Cant Have over a clever sample. The last 3 songs on the album form the heart of the album. 2 The Sky, Lonely World, and Angels speak about trying to find your place in a unfeeling world. These songs along with an earlier song, Can You Believe, are Thicke’s letter to people who are seeking some kind of emotional healing.

It is rare that a modern R&B album abandons The Cool Pose and lays bare the vulnerability and emotions inside that people rarely show. This album, while not perfect, was a bold and risky step forward. In other words, a true artistic evolution.

Prince – The Rainbow Children (2000):

“wanna get lost in the mellow mellow of my mind…”

Watching Prince’s downward artistic slide over the past 20 years is nightmare that music fans cant wake up from. There will always be bright spots in Prince’s modern output, but the crap far outweighs the gems. We wonder if he’s lost the muse to the point that we assume as much. This album challenges that notion.

This album could have been a pure disaster. In fact, most Prince fans regard this album as an afterthought. They shouldn’t.The Rainbow Children is easily Prince’s best album since the blindingly genius run of his first 10 years as an artist.

For 7 years beginning in 1993, Prince abandoned his birth name in favor of a unpronounceable glyph that combined the symbols for male and female. It was painful to watch his associates (read: employees) act like this was not strange at all. The rest of us were told that we could call him “The Artist Formerly Known As Prince” or “The Artist” for short.

In 2000, Prince reclaimed his name and revealed that it was just a highly annoying PR/business move (his publishing contract with former label Warner expired that year). During that time Prince met and became close to one of his musical heroes, Larry Graham. Graham impact on Prince was monumental. Graham is a devout Jehovah’s Witness and he successfully converted Prince to the religion.

In his first album as Prince after the Symbol years, The Rainbow Children is a based around the Purple One’s new spiritual outlook. The album opens with the 10 minute faux jazz epic title cut. The album is narrated by Prince throughout this song and in between the other songs using a drastically slowed down voice. There’s supposed to be a connecting fable in these molasses voiced ramblings somewhere. Points off for this. This bad start begs the listener to abandon the album early. If you hang on, then you will find Prince returning to his mid/late 80’s form.

Inspired by his new fantastically talented drummer, John Blackwell, Prince digs deep into the classic funk/soul/rock sound fans recognize from his glory days without retreading.

The songwriting is strong. The production is delightfully strange as it was on his 80’s records, chock full of weird ornaments that let us know that the Prince we knew and loved wasnt dead like we thought.

There’s a lot of Rhodes on this album, more than any other Prince album. Personally, I think this is his reaction to press proclaiming D’Angelo his heir after the release of the young artists’ sophomore album Voodoo earlier that year. Voodoo’s hit single was the unabashed Prince tribute, Untitled (How Does It Feel). The rest of the album is built on Blackwell’s drums, very funky bass, and P’s trademark rhythm guitars and searing lead guitar.

There are some misfires here. Wedding Feast is 54 seconds of absurdity. The Work, Pt 1 is another weak Vegas James Brown rip-off in the vein of Sexy MF (I truly cannot understand what people see in Sexy MF). Other than that, the rest of the album must be heard to be appreciated. The standouts are the George Duke styled fusion smoker Everywhere, the beautiful Santana-like instrumental The Sensual Everafter, The Erotic City-ish 1+1+1=3, and the sweeping (and too short) She Loves Me 4 Me.

The last 3 songs on the albums rank with some of the best music in P’s career. Family Name is a liquid funk track very reminiscent of Sly Stone’s funk era. The Everlasting Now is a tour de force of funk fueled by Blackwell’s incredible drumming. Last December is the kind of grand, anthemic Purple Rain kind of song that Prince had been trying to write unsuccessfully for years (previous attempts include Strays of The World and Gold). With Last December, he finally succeeds. These trio of songs will split your wig.

There is a ton of preachiness here as The Rainbow Children is intended to be a concept album/fable about the JW religion. Ignore that and enjoy the music. Prince has been preachy since early in his career, so fans should be well used to that by now. In many ways The Rainbow Children is the sequel to Lovesexy (1988), the last album of Prince’s classic period which was also a concept album about a spiritual awakening.

After an album as startlingly good as The Rainbow Children, one has to wonder what happened. Why was Prince hiding this kind of music during the 90’s and where has it gone since? I have a theory.

After scraping the heights of superstardom and artistic daring in the 80’s, Prince spent most of the 90’s wading through the underground after abandoning the spoils of a major label. After The Rainbow Children, Prince returned to the mainstream forefront with a pretty decent yet watered down album, Musicology, in 2004. It is my opinion that Prince’s gift is still alive and well, but he has chosen to cut the dope in favor of doing numbers in this musically retarded climate in order to maintain the acclaim and superstar treatment he is used to. The fact that he didnt promote this album very much at all leads me to believe that this album was made solely to get his artistic rocks off before marching back into the mainstream rat race.

After the pure wackness of Prince’s embarrassing last project, Lotusflower/MPLSound (2009), we can only hope that The Purple One finds his way back to his muse in the new decade.

Al Green – Lay It Down (2008)

Rest In Peace Willie Mitchell.

When a legend attempts a comeback long after their heyday, the emotions are mixed. We hope that they turn in an album that hangs with their best work. But knowing what usually happens when a legend attempts a comeback long after their heyday, deep in our hearts we know that that it isnt gonna go down like that. At best, they will turn in an album that is respectable. At worst, they will turn in an album that should be stricken from the record. Lay It Down is the ONLY album that I know of by a legend made long after their heyday that stands eye to eye with their best work.

In 2003, it was announced that Al Green would reunite with the producer of his best work, Willie Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell is credited for the success of Al Green as much as the artist himself is. Willie Mitchell is known for creating the legendary Hi Records sound–a folksy, bluesy, swampy Southern stew that is instantly recognizable as the essence of Soul music.

The reunion of Al and Willie yielded the album I Can’t Stop (2003). Expectations were high, but the album itself did not conjure the magic of those 70’s Hi Records hits. Al and Willie gave it another shot with Everything’s OK (2005). The magic still was not there.

At some point, Reverend Al crossed paths with two men who know the deepest secrets of Soul. Ahmir Thompson is best known as ?uestlove, drummer and leader of the hip-hop band The Roots. James Poyser is a gospel keyboardist turned music producer out of the same Philadelphia camp as ?uestlove. The two men refer to their production team as The Randy Watson Experience. ?uestlove is a music nerd, bar none. Obsessively learned about the smallest detail of the classic Black music of the last 40 years, he can accurately mimic any classic artist’s sound. Though he has done so sparingly throughout his career, it would be with Rev. Al that he would get to go all out.

Strangely enough, most legendary artists adamantly refuse to revisit the sound that built their legend. ?uestlove once related a story of putting together a track for Earth, Wind, and Fire. He meticulously re-created their classic sound. Upon hearing what he had come up with, EWF leader Maurice White was disgusted. He bitterly exclaimed, “THIS AINT 1975!” before handing ?uestlove his walking papers. Mostly because of age, and being reared in the era of true artists where competition was fierce, these legends fear being relics. They want to be included in what is going on right now. Worst of all, and understandably so, they want to capture the ear “of the kids”. They tend to ignore the fact that reaching “the kids” after you reach a certain age is almost an impossibility. They dont realize that it would be best to appeal to their existent fan base and do what they do best instead of trying to fit uncomfortably in a mode where they dont belong. A prime example: listen to Prince’s attempts at emceeing.

Who knows how Thompson and Poyser convinced Rev. Al to go back to the essence and stay true to the Al Green sound. The result is Lay It Down. Listening to the album is like stepping into a time warp. Everything you remember from Al Green classics is there. You could easily slip the vinyl for Lay It Down into the jacket of any 70’s Al Green album an confuse an old head. For commercial reasons, Rev. Al is forced to share the spotlight with some contemporary artists guesting on the album. Anthony Hamilton, John Legend, and Corrine Bailey Rae show up and distract us from Al’s show. The only worthy guest is Hamilton. Hamilton’s voice is mined from the classic soul tradition, so when he and the Rev trade verses it sounds natural instead of forced. Hamilton knows that he’s in the presence of greatness and approaches his guest spots knowing that he must justify sharing a track with a legend. Even on Green’s classic albums, songwriting could be a problem spot. Thompson and Poyser remedy that by writing songs with the Rev. that are fully formed and stand on their own outside of the context of the album. The standouts are the aching title track Lay It Down, You Got The Love I Need, and Stay With Me (By The Sea). Luckily, the public and the music press were hip enough to appreciate a true return to form by a living master. Lay It Down debuted in the top 10 of the pop charts and has become the Reverend’s most successful album since his days of dominance in the 70’s. No matter what age you are, if you love soul music, this album is must-have. Hopefully, the Rev. has the good sense to not block the blessings and continues to lay it down.

Sy Smith – One Like Me (2002)

Sy Smith is an underground musical journeywoman. TV, film, commercials, stage, records, etc., she’s been there, done that. She is the only artist on this list whose catalogue I am not familiar with. This EP is the only work of hers that I’ve heard all the way through. Sy wrote, produced, and released this EP on her own with help from long forgotten 90’s producers Somethin’ For The People and Bay Area jazz/soul group Soulive.

Each of the 5 songs are winners. They show her versatility and talent for writing. Smith crafts a proud and playful persona on the EP. Backed by live instruments, Smith resists the temptation to go retro, it all sounds current. She gives up on love and becomes a female mack in the opening cut, Lover’s Crime. She teases a reluctant lover (without being vulgar or trying too hard hard to sound sexy) on the strutting groove Bad On You (featuring tastefully restrained backing vox by Anthony Hamilton). The title track is a clever mediation on embracing one’s individuality without the smarminess that female artists tend to indulge in on these type of songs. Love and Peace is a flowery ballad that showcases a more traditional vocal approach. The closing track, Found A Place, alternately floats and thumps over gorgeous chord progressions.

Again, this EP was self-released and little heard so I dont know where you would cop this from if you wanted it. But its definitely worth the effort to find. It’s an easy accessible listen that you’ll be glad you found. Maybe if you hit her on Twitter she’ll hook you up.

The Mars Volta – De-loused In The Comatorium (2003)/Frances The Mute (2005)

Some would say that it would be extremely unfair to call The Mars Volta the Led Zeppelin of the new millennium. So we wont say that. But goddamn if the shoe dont fit.

The Mars Volta is a rock band consisting of vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala and mastermind/composer/producer/guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. The whole thing is Rodriguez-Lopez’s brainchild. Omar is a tiny Latin man whose creativity knows no bounds. After breaking up their critically acclaimed band At The Drive In, Cedric and Omar created The Mars Volta so that they could stretch out musically. It was also a way to deal with their newfound drug-free lifestyle. After many years of abusing heroin and crack, the duo decided that if they wanted to live they had to get clean. At least for Omar, this new musical freedom replaced the drugs. Omar writes music constantly. Seriously. He has released about 10 solo albums in the past 5 years alone all while doing albums with The Mars Volta.

Coming from the El Paso, TX punk scene, it can be said that Omar and Cedric are very weird dudes. They are all about abstract art, mysticism, and what lies beneath the surface. Cedric frequently writes and sings Spanish lyrics that are largely just made up words (check the song titles for reference). Even though there are loose themes, no one really know what Cedric is talking about, including Cedric himself. Most of it is just poetic free association designed to keep the listener searching for a meaning until they ultimately make up the meaning for themselves. Omar is even more far out than Cedric. But the real point to it all is that their music grooves harder than a motherfucker.

The thing that separates TMV from its peers is that the hardcore rock that Omar writes is armed to the teeth with Latin soul and complex funky rhythm. The easiest way to put it would be to fuse Santana, Fania Records, and Led Zeppelin–what you have will be pretty damn close to The Mars Volta. Im sure they would hate for it to be that easy, but its the truth.

Even though you couldnt call them retro, you cant help but to be reminded of the groove laden rock of the 70’s when listening to TMV. Yes, the guitar is the core, but you will just as often hear marimba, congas, organ, and piano. Instead of just power chords, you can hear Omar scratching out a funky ass lead guitar line.The icing on the cake is Cedric’s voice. Vocally, he is the son of Robert Plant. He emits a soulful high-pitched howl that reeks of a classic rock vocal tone. Dude is a bad ass singer, seriously. For these albums, the drummer was a Haitian brother by the name of Jon Theodore. If Omar’s funk psychedelia under Cedric’s soul wail wasnt enough to get you thinking about hedgrows and black dogs, Theodore’s rhythmically serious pounding pretty much excuses you for wanting to bust out Physical Graffitti after these albums are done.

Dont get it twisted, TMV are definitely not biters or clones. The soul they spill is far more authentic than Zeppelin, and much more dirty and dangerous than Santana’s Latin rock brew.

With all that these boys have going for them, they do suffer from one Achilles’ heel. They. are. pretentious. as. fuck. The wigged out concepts, the 15 min songs, the psychedelic babbling, the made up words, the dungeons and dragons nerdiness of it all can easily put one off. And it has for me. These first two albums are as good as they get in my opinion. The albums that have followed see the boys becoming far too indulgent in their weirdness. The focus is on being strange now rather than rocking the shit out of you. Its what happens when the artists takes themselves way too seriously and spend too much time trying to think above their audience’s heads. The success of De-loused and Frances gave Omar license to pump out loud mystic drivel that only makes sense to him and Cedric.

The rest of the band is along for the ride. Surrounding themselves with top-notch musicians such as the aforementioned Theodore, bassist Juan Alderete, keyboardist Ikey Owens and whoever the hell else is around (which includes Red Hot Chili Peppers Flea -who played all the bass on De-loused and John Frusiciante-who appears on every TMV album, and Theodore’s replacements Deantoni Parks and Thomas Pridgen), TMV albums are a clinic of fine playing. After De-loused and Frances, the grooves went missing and messy weirdness was left in its place.

Despite all of that, TMV has hardcore devoted fans. Some feel that the subsequent albums are improvements. Let them enjoy. For me, when I want to hear some truly exciting, soulful, funky, and blistering rock music, these are the albums I will reach for.

If I said that there was alot of music released in the last 10 years that I loved, I’d be lying…

I witnessed people hype up not-awesome stuff and pretend like they loved that music more than their own mothers in a effort to put on a brave face in the musically barren landscape were faced with these days…

but that’s another post…these are the albums (in no particular order)that really hit me as great fully formed artistic statements in the 2000’s…

Res – How I Do (2001)
Doc must be a fucked-up person. I say this not based on any inside knowledge, but just looking at the fact that he was the driving force behind 2 of the most well done albums in recent years (the other was his collaboration with Esthero, Breath From Another) and the artists he created these works with wont have anything to do with him after the fact. This album was a 3 pronged attack–Doc brought the music, Santi White (aka Santogold–yuk.) brought the lyrics, and Miss Shareese Ballard(aka Res) presented it all to us.

Doc served up music that was far beyond the neo-soul curve of the day. It wasnt quite R&B, not quite hip-hop, not quite rock, not quite pop, and not quite soul. It was all of those things at once, but without having the seams showing. But it grooves. Doc’s songwriting and production walk the tightrope of genre bending without trying and excels. Santi White’s imaginative lyrics are thought provoking and poetic without being pretentious and cliche–which is also amazingly difficult. But this doesnt take away from at all from Res herself as the singer who seals the deal and makes it all work.

With her limited vocal range, Res lets us into the world of a very different kind of chick. Not the one who dresses and acts strangely in a forced effort to makes you think she’s different. With those types, you ask them why theyre different and they dont know. It’s all a charade and ultimately just a plea for attention. Res, on this album, comes off as an aloof and observant coffee house philosopher. A young woman who’s not content to just wring her hands over her feelings and seek pity. She takes her emotions and experiences and analyzes them to their logical conclusion and is fascinated by it. She does not whine, pout, or feel sorry for herself. She takes a picture, pulls on her cigarette, and keeps it moving. Her slightly lower register and detached delivery gives the lyrics just the color they need to feel real.

She comments on the sheep mentality in “They-Say Vision”. She refuses the material gains of her criminal lover and walks away in “Ice King”. She casts a critical eye on the pretty, popular, rich guys in “Golden Boys”(oh, yeah, he song was inspired by Will Smith, not Mos Def). She knows that those guys have no depth, and even though the average girl dreams of being with those guys–she’s not impressed at all.

Since then, Doc has fallen off the face of the Earth. Res has drifted around–forming a retro 80’s rap duo with another girl, singing backup for Gnarls Barkley, released a internet only follow up album that no one really cares about, and currently is in a trio w/Talib Kweli and former Doc protege Graph Nobel called Idle Warship. Interestingly, the only one of the trio that made How I Do to get some limelight is Santi White, who broke up her tolerable faux-punk combo Stiffed and reinvented herself as M.I.A. clone Santigold. The Santigold project made Miss White a hipster darling–too bad the music is fucking terrible.

Q-Tip – The Renaissance (2008)
After Q-Tip’s solo debut, Amplified (1999), horrified and hurt the Black Boho nation that he fathered, he decided to try to find his roots again. Amplified, although a fine album musically–rubbed our faces into a grim reality. That reality was that the Black Boho movement was about to die a quick and violent death. The Q-Tip of Amplified was no longer a playful, witty, and warm quasi hippie, but a cynical leather clad street poseur who only interest in his sisters was purely lecherous. The charming young man who once sweetly wooed Bonita Applebaum became a guy who just wanted to fuck you in the back of his jeep. It was just one blow in a series that laid to waste the hope of a young Black culture that wanted to go against the grain and prove that Black was indeed beautiful. The final blow was the mixed reaction to D’Angelo’s much ballyhooed sophomore opus, Voodoo, and D’s subsequent retreat from public life and tragic descent into drug addiction and paralyzing insecurity. The saddest bookend was the death of Amplified’s chief collaborator and the Black Boho generation’s Quincy Jones, James “Jay Dee/Dilla” Yancey in 2006, a young sonic genius from Detroit that Q-Tip discovered and pulled out of obscurity.Q-Tip hired a band and cranked out 2 albums (Kamal the Abstract and Open) over the decade that his labels refused to release. The Black Boho backlash had trapped Q-Tip in artistic limbo.

In a show of pure Aries artistic will, Q-Tip finally saw record store racks with technically his 4th solo album, The Renaissance, released in late 2008. It was here that Tip’s musical evolution finally gelled. The Renaissance streamlined the clunky band experimentation of the 2 previous albums and blended it seamlessly with the beat science that made Tip a studio legend.

As an emcee, Tip had reached a new level. Dispensing his world weary wisdom and experienced musings with a dizzying display of both complex lyrical dexterity and homespun simplicity, Tip literally sparkles on the mic. Musically, Q-Tip responds to the absence of groove in today’s music by stuffing his record full of tasty soul riffs and funky rhythms using both samples and live instruments to maximum effect (see if you can guess which is which). Tip’s production treats the listener with tastefully sUbtle tricks that make one marvel at his attention to detail.

Most of all, what makes this album beautiful is its unabashed display of heart, soul, and maturity. Tip wears his emotion on his sleeve proudly and shows us that a fully realized man is not an emotionless caricature. He’s telling us that warmth and love for one another does not have to be preachy, sappy, or over affected. Love at its best….just is.

Tip writes a tender poem to a young love interest who seeks validation through society instead of the love he offers on Getting Up (the lyrics call to mind a certain person in my life to a T). He celebrates the presence of another lady (the music as love metaphor)on the Norah Jones duet Life Is Better. Hands down, this is the finest Jones has sounded outside of her own debut album. He finally pays a heartfelt, yet upbeat tribute to special people who have passed on in the closing track Shaka.

The Renaissance is a master class on what Hip-hop should sound AND feel like in this new millennium had our generation not lost its way.

Maxwell – BLACKsummersnight (2009)
Poor Maxwell. Even though he is technically a very successful artist both critically and commercially, he cant win.

His audience, while devoted, doesnt get him. He is far too advanced for them. His music is far more cerebral than anyone will ever notice. He is called “The Male Sade” and Im sure that makes him want to break shit. He is seen as the ultimate R&B loverman, and his art is simply reduced to a soundtrack for lovemaking. While it is that on the most superficial level, Maxwell is trying to speak to much more than that in his work.

He made the mistake of thinking that his audience was as intelligent as he is on his sophomore album, Embrya (1998). A staggering work of ambition and sheer genius that flew so far over people’s heads that it was considered a failure even though it still went platinum.

Each Maxwell album is built around a theme. Embrya’s theme was Max’s theory that until we find real love, we are not fully formed. Only when you experience true love do you grow into all you are meant to be. At the same time, it was an elaborate love letter to a woman that Max felt was THE ONE. The album was so far ahead of its time musically and conceptually that people didnt start to get it until many years later. It was then that the album started to get the acclaim it deserved.

Unfortunately, the relationship that inspired Embrya imploded and the next album was the breakup album Now (2001). Forced by the perceived failure of Embrya to connect, Max dialed down his maverick sensibilities. Even though he made things simpler, most people have no idea that Now is about a failed relationship. Maxwell dumbed down was still too complex for his audience to handle. The album debuted at Number 1 on the pop charts and sold platinum but still was viewed as a disappointment. Max responded by taking a very long hiatus from music.

Stories that Ive heard but will not repeat here suggest to me that Max needed to get himself together. Reeling from losing the woman that seemed to be a dream come true and and facing an unsure future in music, Max went underground to deal with things. Luckily, he came out on the other side unlike his soul brother in music, D’Angelo.

Max finally returned with what is said to be the first of trilogy entitled BLACKSUMMERSNIGHT. The album, which is actually titled BLACK, sees a more seasoned and reflective artist than the one who left at the beginning of the decade.

Max’s voice resonates with experience and gained wisdom. The music on BLACK is less eager to please than on previous albums. it coaxes rather than confronts. The tracks simmer to a boil rather than bursting from the gate. The stellar first single Pretty Wings showcases this approach. A subtle and gauzy track that cuts to the core of the listener with its earnestness rather than a fireworks display of emotion. This a new texture to Maxwell’s music that suits his new perspective.

The other standouts here are the almost U2-ish Help Somebody. The song is an urgent plea to recognize how being present in the lives of those around us unselfishly rather than thinking and feeling solely about ourselves all the goddamn time is a duty we should take more seriously. Love You is also a plea, but to a woman. He is asking her to let love grow naturally and just be cool and give him a chance.

The first two cuts, Bad Habits and Cold, hint coyly and pointedly to issues Max was struggling with during his absence. Bad Habits opens the album as Max apologizes for some of his more roguish behavior during his lost period. Cold, on the surface, is written as if its about a woman. All I will say is that its about something else and the woman is pure metaphor.

He employs a crack band here, but the other star of the album is gifted drummer Chris “Daddy” Dave of Mint Condition. Dave’s drumming articulates every mood and point with stunning accuracy.

Most people I know have shrugged this album off, but I guarantee they will get it in a few years. Poor Maxwell.

It debuted at Number 1 on the pop charts and has almost gone platinum (a feat in this industry climate).

Here’s hoping that the next 2 albums in the trilogy appear and that one day people will realize how truly bad this cat is.

Time is a mutha aint it?

Let’s be real, Tony Manero would get smoked in a REAL discotheque(Saturday Night Fever marked the infiltration and subsequent destruction of disco)…but still from that to this? LOL

I make jokes, but I’ll still send peace to JT, he’s going thru a thang right now after losing his son. I guess he’s pulling even closer to his daughter…

Stay strong, Tony Manero…one day you’ll strut again…

You know ya boy Scorp keeps his eye out for women in media that are not only beautiful but actually have some poise and class about themselves. A large percentage of the women I give the Thumbs Up to go on to do big things. Some of them turn Hollywood and have disappointed the shit out of me, but that’s just how it goes.

Ladies like Salma Hayek, Gabrielle Union, Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson, Queen Latifah, Beyonce, Zoe Saldana, and Serena Williams have all been past Scorp Under The Radar picks. You’ll notice that alot of aint nowhere NEAR under the radar now. But when I peeped them, they were..

Side note: WordPress has a new bug in it and it doesn’t allow linebreaks and that has fucked up my posting style since I use a bunch of media in my blogs. I found a quick fix but its still not as organized as I’d like.

Side note 2: In choosing pictures of the ladies I picked for this entry, I found that the camera shafts alot of people (I wont say which ones), not just me. I suggest checking these ladies out in action to get the full effect of their thang.

For reasons I wont get into, I’ve had to drop recent favorites Gabrielle Union and Zoe Saldana from this list. Jessica White REALLY had to go. But here’s what’s good now under the radar.

 

 

 

 

 

Tamara Taylor – She’s been puttin in work for years in movies and on TV.  I first noticed her as “The AT&T Girl” in a series of telephone commercials in the early 90’s. These days, she is on the Fox TV show, Bones (which I’ve seen but not really watched). I also happen to really like the name Tamara. Bonus points. Thumbs Up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tracey Heggins – Just saw her in a great indie movie called Medicine For Melancholy. Check out the film and check her out, too. Hope she goes on to a great career. Thumbs Up.

 

 

 

 

 

Carmen Ejogo – Another supporting role warrior. Last seen in the film “Away We Go” with John Krasinki and Maya Rudolph. She played Sally Hemmings in title role of a TV movie some time ago. She’s married to a Black man. *gasp* MAD bonus points. A rarity for Black actresses. Thumbs Up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Viola Davis – They usually scruff her up real good in movies so you cant see how beautiful a dark skinned Black woman can be. Nominated for an Oscar last year. Thumbs up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sy Smith – I cant vouch for how cool she is or isnt. All I know about her is that she stays on her grind musically. I’ve only heard one of her records in depth–and its one of my favorite records of the 2000’s. Its called One Like Me. 5 songs, all dope. She pays her rent as one of the backup singers in the American Idol band. Check her out on my man Zo’s new FREE EP project, …just visiting, too (<< link). She’s on vocals for the remake of The Purple Guy’s rare groove, Crazy You. Besides being talented, she aint bad to look at. Thumbs Up.

 

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Esperanza Spalding – The jazz bassist, composer, vocalist, music professor, and 2009 alternative music It Girl made a big splash with her sophomore album entitled Esperanza last year. Killin shit at 25 years old.  Hope all the success don’t go to her pretty little huge Afro’ed head. Thumbs Up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Choklate – Based in Seattle. She sings. Well. Get to know her. Thumbs Up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marlyne Afflack – Fans of The Wire will remember her as Council President Narese Campbell-a lady you did NOT want to fuck with. Supporting role warrior. Besides The Wire, she’s been on NBC’s Kings and Damages on FX. Thumbs Up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jasika Nicole – I’m not a fan of the middle name as last name stage monikers, but Ill let it slide. Might be a hipster w/no soul whose favorite band is The Sea and Cake. Let Scorp take you to Norf Carolina for the family reunion. We shall see.  She’s on the Fox sci-fi mystery Fringe. Thumbs Up-for now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sophie Okonedo – She first got noticed for her role in Hotel Rwanda opposite Don Cheadle. Last big movie she was in was The Secret Life of Bees (Synopsis: Little white girl gets not one but FOUR mammies! – *smh*). Hopefully, we’ll see more of her. Thumbs Up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jurnee Smollett – First breakthrough was in Eve’s Bayou when she was just a youngin’. Now she’s grown into a fine young lady in more ways than one. Turns out that Miss Smollett puts action behind her beliefs. She threw herself headfirst into the campaign to elect Obama. I mean like, in the trenches. Speaking at rallies, enlisting the manpower of others, working voter registration drives, working the phones, taking it to the streets. You would think Hollywood would be all over her because of her exotic yet fair skinned appearance, but sadly she’s been regulated to the supporting player sidelines. However, Denzel Washington gave her a chance to shine in the second film he directed (his first, Antoine Fisher, is a CLASSIC), The Great Debaters. The oratory gift that she possesses in that film is real according to her friend ?uestlove (drummer for The Roots).  He told a story of going to an Obama rally with Jurnee and being in awe as she delivered a Malcolm-esque performance at the podium that had Jesses testifyin’ and shit (why are the light skinned ones the MOST militant??). She is also active in the fight against HIV and AIDS both at home and in Africa. She has also traveled to Africa to work with youth there. Here’s hoping she stays on the path and finds a way to balance her passion with her art. You can see her on the current season of NBC’s Friday Night Lights. *Sigh*. BIG Thumbs Up.

 

 

 

Paz Vega – I expect to see Paz getting her due at any time now. She gained notice in the erotic Spanish film Sex And Lucia. From there, she turned in awesome nuanced performances in Spanglish, a comedic drama opposite Adam Sandler, and a smaller film called 10 Items or Less (a fantastic film) opposite Morgan Freeman (great performance by him as well).

Haven’t heard much from her since then. Maybe its because her accent is still thick, and she hasnt fucked anyone noteworthy in Hollywood like Penelope Cruz (but Paz’s English is much better) did to overcome that problem. Maybe she’s still just too Latin for Hollywood. She has no problem taking her clothes off for the camera (most Latin actresses dont) so I dont see what’s holding up her progress. She’s one of the few women I’ve seen with a cleft in her chin. I like that. Keep your eye on her. Thumbs Up.

Feel like I missed somebody or just wanna talk shit about my picks? Holla at the comment section.

Im out…

*drops mic*

lemme throw you a bonus:

Kasi Lemmons – former actress, you may remember her from her cameso in the Spike Lee film School Daze as the first woman Half-Pint asks to come back to the Gamma House with him. She was also in Silence of the Lambs as the friend of Agent Clarice Starling. Now she is a film director. Her feature debut was the critically acclaimed Eve’s Bayou (starring the above mentioned Jurnee Smollett). She followed it with The Caveman’s Valentine starring Samuel L. Jackson. Most recently, she directed the excellent biopic Talk To Me, about controversial Washington D.C. radio personality Petey Greene starring Don Cheadle in lead role. Thumbs Up.

“…Man, that shit I told her just fucked her up. She was so fine that she was used to men just falling down over themselves to get her. But I wasn’t like that and have never been like that. Just because a woman is fine don’t mean nothing to me and never did; I’ve always had fine women. For me to really get into them they also have to have a mind and think about something other than how fine they are…”
-Miles Davis, from “Miles – The Autobiography”

I read Miles Davis’ autobiography once, maybe twice a year. It’s obviously one of my favorite books. I usually pull it out when I need some inspiration. I was alot like Miles when I was a teenager. I simply said what I thought without really thinking or caring abt what people felt abt it. I think alot about getting back to that state of mind, and I think I’ve finally become comfortable enough with the idea to do it.  Each time I read the book, I catch somn that I hadn’t before. The above passage stood out this time.

I can’t lie. People on a whole disappoint me somewhat. But as I’ve gotten older, I dont let it get to me as much. We seem to be regressing socially, IMO. Women especially perplex me. I understand how they work in theory, but when it comes to dealing with em, I keep falling back on logic. As any one who deals with women knows, logic gets you nowhere. LOL.

The passage from Miles book hit me like a ton of bricks. A few weeks ago, a woman I know and am not involved with told me flat out, “You never pay attention to me!…”. Her saying that kinda shook me, because I think like Miles does. Even though I’m a Joe Schmoe lookin’ mofo, I’ve been fortunate enough to have spent time with some really physically beautiful women. What man doesn’t like fine women? It’s like good food-everybody likes it! But the outer beauty of a woman is only icing on the cake that decorates her inner beauty. Now, I’m no snob. I’ve been with women who may not be model material, but were otherwise were very attractive in their own way and that’s because of the substance of their character. The same goes for the fine ones, what really attracted me was what was going on inside of them.

A few weeks before that, I heard kinda the same thing from another woman. Now both women I heard this from are stunning and have dudes knocking shit over to get to em. So, Im thinking, “how much MORE validation do you need?…how much is enough?…”. But there I go again with the logic.

The answer is there’s NEVER enough. Women are insecure by nature, and need almost constant validation–ESPECIALLY if theyre young. You kinda have to feed it to em selectively. Give em just enough to keep going, but not too much cuz then they start getting egotistical and stuck-up. I always fuck that part up because I want them to know that Im into them for more than what’s outside, and I figure my attention, patience, and understanding will show what they mean to me. WRONG! WRONG! {(c) Charlie Murphy} I think Chris Rock said something to the effect of, “women need 3 things to survive: food, air, and compliments.” He may be right.

Which is why so many women strive to be entertainers. It’s a woman’s wet dream to be universally adored, envied, admired, and lusted after. Every woman dreams of walking into a room and having everybody stop and stare.

The thing that most people miss is that this kind of craving for attention is based in low self-esteem. The lower the self esteem, the further a woman will go to get the attention she craves. Once she gets it, its like a drug. She cant get enough and will do whatever it takes to keep it coming.

These days, far too many women confuse sexual liberation with sexually exploiting themselves. They put themselves on display for the attention of men. In the process, they reduce themselves to mere sex objects. Not fully formed people with hearts, minds, and souls-just willing sexual conquests with nothing more to offer than the easy access to their vaginas. Ladies, Im’a tell you a secret. A lot of you dont look beautiful, confident, or alluring. You look like a whore. That’s what us guys are thinking when your skirt is above your thighs and you’re making your ass clap on the dance floor. What do we do with whores? We fuck them and and forget about them. Im not trying to be mean, its the truth. We wont tell you that because were tryna gain access. But once we talk to our boys, thats what we say.

Dont get it twisted. Aint nothing wrong with confidence or sexuality, or confidence in sexuality. But that sexuality has to be balanced with respect for one’s self, being aware of reality, and a personal depth that would make someone be interested in more than just a casual sexual encounter. Like Chris Rock said, you may not be a hoe, but you might have on a hoe’s uniform. I’ll add to that that you may not even be aware of how well you play the hoe role. Depth is sexier than any streetwalker dress you can squeeze yourself into. Sexiness comes from within.

I dont even think there’s anything wrong with casual sexual encounters as long as both people involved have some level of respect for each other and are mature enough to know what they will get out of it and what they will not get out of it and can handle the encounters with discretion and class. Unfortunately, that too often isnt the case.

This new desperation naturally pops up in our entertainment.  Our popular female entertainers have no qualms about presenting themselves as tawdry objects of sexual fantasy.

I just saw this video a few weeks ago:

Yes, Beyonce is a beautiful girl. We get it. However, you can cut the desperation in this video with a knife. She gives us this empowered woman rap all the time, but before you know it, here she is doing a stripper routine. Rolling around on the floor, spreading her legs and sticking her ass out. What am I supposed to respect about that? Does the fact that she’s rich make it any classier or evolved than if the chick at the hood club is doing the same thing? Nope.

The Single Ladies video concept was sexy, but it was restrained and classy. As a music video, it works. In real life, it looks kinds hoe-ish. The slope is slippery. It obviously wasnt enough to toe the line for Mrs. Knowles-Carter. Not knowing when to quit, you can see her above stepping over the line. As slutty as that looks on screen means that it looks 100 times sluttier when you bust these moves.

Or we can look at Rihanna. I saw her say in an interview abt how she decide to quit Chris Brown because of the message that would send to young girls and that she realized that her decision was more than about just her. I gained some respect for her upon hearing that. Then her new album comes out and she’s everywhere in various stages of nudity. What message is that?

At this point, you’re going beyond entertainer. When everytime I see you, you are topless, nude, walking around with your nipples showing in a see thru shirt, wearing short skirts with no panties, or doing any other common raunchy shit and your music/acting/modeling is secondary to your image at BEST– youre not an artist, youre a hoe. A hoe in media. An E-hoe.

Even Madonna scaled it back when she took it too far with the Sex book and the world told her, “Madonna, you a hoe…”

These days, even straight up hoes have become celebrities. They just eschew the pretense of having some kind of talent and just get down to the nitty gritty. “You wanna fuck me, and Im going to use that to make myself well known.” From Pamela Anderson (whose recent antics as woman in her mid 40’s who is the mother of 2 young boys are just sad), to Superhead, to Tila Tequila, to Jenna Jameson, to video hoes, to internet models. Let’s not even talk about “models”. Models used to serve the purpose of demonstrating fashion. Now, youre more likely to see a model butt naked than modeling any clothes. Making your ass, titties, and pussy the MOST interesting thing about you has become a legitimate way to get people to take interest in you. It’s gotten so bad that even GUYS do it now. You got dudes walking around shirtless and greased and showing off their pubic mounds on social networking sites.

Remember that jag-off from Pretty Ricky flouncing around in his draws on You Tube? When women do stuff like that, we men admire the ass and what have you, but we still clown yall in secret the way yall clowned that dude openly.

I’m WELL aware that a good number of guys dont think about it that way. They just wanna get off on the masturbation/fantasy fodder. When they see Miss Non-Celebrity at the club dressed like a hoe and and doing hoe shit {(c) Fresh}, they scheme on the very real possibility of fucking. What they wont tell you is that they dont want their mothers, wives,  sisters, nieces, and daughters doing anything of the sort. That says something.

This culture of e-hoein’, or cyber-hoein’ is not only sad but disgusting. For the women and girls out there who are not public figures, that e-hoein’ too often turns into real hoein’. The rapes, the beatings, the abandoned children, the sexually transmitted diseases, and the short lived sex worker “careers” are the results. Next time you pull som hoe-ish out of your closet or set out to the dance floor to simulate sex with a stranger, remember–everyone in the room and everyone who sees you is clowning you in their heads. The guys are thinking of ways to swindle you out of some quick pussy and the other women in the room who arent participating in the hoe-style activities are repulsed by you. If youre lucky, someone might pity you and wonder why you dont love yourself enough to do better.

The huge irony in all of this is that the folks who are into this kind of new age exhibitionism sometimes turn out to be not very sexy people at all. its just role playing and copycatting. Get them in bedroom and you feel like you could have had a V-8.

“Beautiful as Betty was physically, she didn’t have any confidence in herself as a person. She was a high-class groupie, who was very talented but who didn’t believe in her own talent. Jackie and Marguerite didn’t have that problem, and so I was relaxed with them…”
-Miles Davis, from “Miles -The Autobiography”

Nothing I will say will change any of this, but hopefully more often than not, young women will come to realize that the thing that REALLY gets our attention is intelligence, elegance, class which blends to form true sexiness. THOSE are the women that turn heads in the room. Any man whose worth a damn will recognize it, too. The type of cats you meet doing hoe shit, naturally wont be worth a damn.

“See Betty was too young and wild for the things I expected from a woman. I was used to a cool, hip, elegant woman like Frances or Cicely, who could handle herself in all kinds of situations…She [Betty] was raunchy and all that kind of shit, all sex…I just didn’t pay much attention…the kind of shit she would do and with the other stuff she was doing I just got tired of it…”
-Miles Davis, from “Miles – The Autobiography”

Again ladies, Im not tryna to put anybody down, I just think you’re better than that. Bad bodies and pretty faces are a dime a dozen. Find out what you have going for you that really makes you special. Let that be the thing that draws people to you. Nothing is black and white,  and a small touch of scandalousness is healthy–but at the right time and in the right place.

…and I say it with love. L-O-V-E.