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Teedra Moses’ Classic Album ‘Complex Simplicity’ Turns 20: I’m So Happy My Worst Musical Take Ever Has Apparently Disappeared From The Internet

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Over the past twenty years of writing on various platforms—my first blog post was June 3, 2004—I’ve shared my thoughts and opinions 1000’s of times on a wide selection of topics. I’ve written about race, politics, culture, music, movies, family, etc. In fact, if I had access to all of my writings, I’m sure I’d find loads of passages that will make me wince and others where I’d be thrilled to know that my younger self had said something my older self still believes. What I also know of course is that I can’t recall the overwhelming majority of opinions I’ve had on any variety of things I’ve written about.

There are just a few exceptions to this rule, though. I remember just a few songs that I wrote that I wish I had never written. I believe the response to those songs has made them my go-to memories of my writing journey. And there are just a few musical opinions that I’ve had at different times that I just can’t consider I ever had. One of those opinions is one which I shared with people in 2004 about Teedra Moses’ debut album Complex Simplicity, released on August 10, 2004, making it 20 years old.

I vividly remember telling folks that I assumed this album was bad. I do know this because I remember having heated arguments with two specific individuals who loved it and couldn’t consider how absurd my opinion was. (They also remember the arguments and agreeing that my opinion was absurd.) Since this album got here out after I began blogging, and since I often drew inspiration from my personal conversations, I’m 90% certain that in some unspecified time in the future, somewhere, I wrote a blog post or something expressing my dislike of this album.

Younger me was an idiot.

Here’s how I do know my younger self was an idiot. At this point in my life, Complex Simplicity is considered one of my favorite albums, possibly ever. I’m undecided if it’s in my top ten, nevertheless it’s definitely in my top twenty. Any album that has a song (like “You will never find”) starting with the words “Ooooh cat daddy”, should be something I take seriously. The album’s opening track, “Be your own girl” might be considered one of my favorite album openers, partly because I really like the Ahmad Jamal sample “Awakening” but additionally because I really like how Teedra gets right to the purpose; she’s like, “Boo, what’s up with you and me…your girl’s gonna be okay!” Who hasn’t thought that about someone they didn’t know? Damn, Christina Milian must be glad social media wasn’t a thing after I had a crush on her, because otherwise I’d be texting her lyrics to this song daily. I’m a romantic. Or a stalker—it is a wonderful line.

And do not get me began “Care,” by far my favorite track on the album and literally the song I’ll be listening to until the nice Lord calls me to glory. And even then after I hit those pearly gates I’ll be asking if “Caution” is offered on whatever platform they use to stream music in heaven.

Look, I can try this with every song on this album. I really like all of them. I absolutely love Complex Simplicity. Along with How I Do, Res are two of probably the most defining R&B albums of my 2000s. Each of those records lived within the CD changer in my automotive. When I believe of Panama Jackson within the mid-2000s walking around New York or Washington, D.C., or traveling to Los Angeles or wherever, I actually have songs from each of those albums in my head. Complex Simplicity is just a beautiful and enjoyable singer to take heed to, and her voice is gorgeous.

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That’s why I’m so excited to know that I can not find written proof that I made profane and meaningless negative comments about this album. Now, I got into a little bit argument with Teedra Moses just a few years ago a couple of review I wrote about how she set the blueprint for 2010s R&B that was less subtle and more intrusive. While I believe my sentiment was spot on, I believe my approach was reckless in a way that got here across as insulting, which was my calling card — the goal was more essential than how I got there. I can also’t find that clip, mostly because while I remember writing it, I can not pinpoint after I did it, and a few of those older tracks are just about inconceivable to seek out and not using a date to assign them to. That works great for me, because I hate reading things I’ve written that I now think are silly. Cheers to growth. And do not be silly, Panama.

As a music lover and someone who would find albums that touch my soul, it makes me very sad to know and do not forget that I ever considered a Teedra album to be anything lower than a fantastic murals that makes the world a greater place. That’s how I feel now and I believe that is the suitable solution to feel about it. To know “Complex Simplicity” is to like “Complex Simplicity” and there is simply no other solution to perceive it. Even 20 years later, the music sounds as fresh and sonically jamtastic because it did within the 2000s, aside from in the future after I didn’t prefer it.

Today is just not that day because today is the day I admit that I really like “complex simplicity” and I’m so joyful that it continues to be a component of my life, 20 years later.


This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Janet Jackson recalls another major wardrobe mishap she experienced on stage

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Janet Jackson, Rhythm Nation, Janet Jackson style, theGrio.com

Janet Jackson once almost showed her full moon to the Queen of England.

The 58-year-old music icon opened up about an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction she had within the ’90s, in addition to a few of her most memorable fashion moments. British Vogue. When the “That’s the Way Love Goes” singer stepped out for a photograph in her iconic “Rhythm Nation” jumpsuit, she said, “Funny story about that jumpsuit: I was performing for the Queen of England and we were playing ‘Rhythm Nation.’ And sure enough, as soon as I crouched down, my pants ripped right down my ass crack. And I mean that very seriously.”

Jackson was in disbelief, she said, adding: “I thought, ‘Oh my God.’ And then I started feeling air in there, so I knew it had actually happened.”

She coped with the style faux pas by never turning her back on the Queen. When the choreography required her to show, she said, “I just looked straight ahead.”

“Can you imagine what it would be like if I showed myself to her for even a second?” she asked.

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Elsewhere within the film, Jackson takes viewers on a journey through her childhood looks within the Nineteen Seventies to her more memorable stage looks from throughout her epic entertainment profession. She admits that she was a tomboy who often needed to argue her viewpoint when it got here to her mother’s clothing decisions. She preferred wearing suits and trousers, while her mother favored dresses and colours like pink.

But, Jackson noted with a sly smile, “I’ve gotten my way in a lot of cases.”

She added: “It was just about being myself and being comfortable.”

In another photo from her teens on the American Music Awards, she wears a red ruffled taffeta dress and a pair of hoop earrings, one in all which has a key hanging from it. She explained that since she didn’t carry a key chain, she needed to get creative when it got here to keeping her keys on her person.

“I was in charge of the animals, and we had animals: giraffes, mouflon sheep, pheasants, toucans, cockatoos, dogs,” she said, adding: “That’s why I kept the key there.”

She also noted that she hadn’t seen the dress for the reason that ’80s, when her older sister LaToya wore it herself.

“Sisters,” she said with fun.

The video ends with a scene from her current tour designed by Tom Browne.

“There are certain designers who are just brilliant to me. Thom is right up there. He’s a genius and he did this for me on tour,” she noted of the designer she called a friend.

“I think he did it, but he did it, and I did it,” she said of the tuxedo jumpsuit look.

Discussing the present tour and her fans, the music legend said, “You know, it’s people who have grown up with my music since the beginning and their kids. It just lets me know that my music has stood the test of time, which would be any artist’s dream.”

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Kendrick Lamar’s first song since ‘Not Like Us’ shows the contemplative side of black Air Force 1 energy

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thegrio.com, kendrick lamar, pop out show, not like us, super bowl

One day last fall, while I used to be in school at Howard University, I felt a bit uneasy about the work that several of my students had become me. I don’t have to go into detail, but let’s just say I felt something like — RIP to Rich Homie Quan. My class felt it, so I closed the class and let everyone leave early. Anyway, I showed as much as my next class wearing triple-black (otherwise often known as all-black) Nike Air Force 1 Lows. One of my students, who can also be a sneakerhead, noticed my shoes and said something like, “Oh, what era are we in?” I began lecturing my class about how kindness is weakness and that they were confusing my desire for them to succeed with my willingness to just accept mediocre work. Although it wasn’t a fun class that day, all of us got here away with a clearer understanding of my expectations and their efforts. I had shown the black energy of the Air Force 1, they usually knew it.

The black Air Force 1 is a legend in the footwear industry. While the all-white Nike Air Force 1 Low is a beloved shoe worn by people from ages 8 months to 80 years old, when people think of its black counterpart, they think of sinister, mean, indignant, and destructive behavior. Anyone who wears black Forces just isn’t committing against the law, but anyone who does commit against the law is wearing (or has worn) black Forces. That last statement might be not true, however it could thoroughly be true. Black Forces are synonymous with the type of one who is above things and living that life; either they’ll show you that they’re serious, or they already are and you understand you shouldn’t mess with them anymore. The black Air Force 1 is the shoe of a one who stands as much as the system and every little thing in it.

That’s why I wasn’t surprised when Kendrick Lamar posted an untitled single on Instagram (the streets call it “Watch the Party Die”), which featured a worn, battered black Air Force 1 cover. It’s Kendrick Lamar’s first song since his summer heater and potentially the best diss album of all time, “Not like us.” The shoes in the Instagram post could thoroughly be the ones he stomped on Drake’s credibility and coolness; Kendrick’s entire record series criticizing Drake’s post “Yes,” gave the black Air Force 1 energy.

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The song itself is interesting since it almost feels like the thoughts of a man walking down the street whose favorite shoe is a pair of black Air Force 1s. Kendrick is sick of, well, all of you. Maybe even me. He’s annoyed by fake individuals and folks who haven’t got anything to do with anything, men here who don’t have anything to supply women there. Now he’s a considering man who’s on a mission to destroy and rebuild the game because, well, possibly he seems like he’s the just one who can do it. That’s definitely the black energy of the Air Force 1.

He can also be conflicted. He desires to have empathy for those individuals who just don’t appear to know any higher. He wants to wish for them, but… he’s wearing black Air Force 1s. He’s about motion and pushing boundaries for many who matter most to him. He also knows that the price of his fame, celebrity, and artistry is his peace of mind. The same con artists who’re a threat to the community through their music and their lives will attack him because he has something to supply.

Again, Kendrick feels like a person whose job and actions are about purpose and getting the job done, and he’s stuck in an industry full of individuals who care about nothing but destruction. He needed to get rid of Drake for being the epitome of that thing. Look, I do not know if that is what Kendrick actually thinks about every day when he goes into the studio (or in any respect), but when we later discovered he’s rapping in the same shoes he’s wearing on the cover of this song, I wouldn’t be surprised. This is a person who has every little thing, and who also knows what meaning. That’s what I got from this song: Kendrick, who may or might not be on the point of drop a brand new album — he tends to drop songs as precursors to his albums — is drained of everyone.

Now I can be remiss if I didn’t mention that Kendrick is an artist and he just competed in and won the biggest rap battle we have had in ages. He’s having the best 2024 ever, it seems. AND NOW he’s a Super Bowl headliner in New Orleans. But I feel that is the point; regardless of how high you’re, you possibly can’t stop being yourself, and Kendrick is willing to place that work into all of you who’re making the game worse for many who are coming up.

Kendrick says it is time to look at the party die. I’m guessing he’ll do it in his black Air Force 1s because that is 100% the energy he’s giving.


(*1*)


This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Kendrick Lamar to headline 2025 Super Bowl halftime show

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kendrick Lamar to hit NFL’s biggest stage next yr: Grammy winner to headline Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime performance in New Orleans.

This NFLApple Music and Roc Nation announced on Sunday that Lamar will host the halftime festivities at Caesars Superdome on February 9. The rap megastar, winner of 17 Grammy Awards, he said he cannot wait to introduce hip-hop to the 2022 NFL Championship Game, where he guest-starred alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and Eminem.

“Rap music is still the most influential genre to date,” Lamar said in a press release. “And I will be there to remind the world why. They chose the right person.”

Lamar, 37, has enjoyed massive success since his debut album “good kid, mAAd city” in 2012. He has since won 17 Grammy Awards and have become the primary non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album “DAMN.”

The rapper’s most up-to-date album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, was released in 2022. He was featured on “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin on the track, which spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this yr. He also scored one other hit with “Not Like Us.”

In 2016, Lamar gave a shocking seven-minute performance of songs like “The Blacker the Berry” and “Alright” on the 58th Grammy Awards. Lamar dazzled as a gap act two years later on the Grammy Awards, performing performance of “XXX”.

In June, Lamar turned his Juneteenth “Pop Out” into celebrating the unity of Los Angeles. It got here to on the heels of his rap battle with Drake throughout the three-hour concert, which featured emerging Los Angeles rappers and stars including Tyler, The Creator, Steve Lacy and YG.

Roc Nation founder Jay-Z called Lamar a “once-in-a-generation” artist and performer.

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“His deep love for hip-hop and the culture informs his artistic vision,” Jay-Z said. “He has an unparalleled ability to define and influence culture around the world. Kendrick’s work transcends music, and his influence will be felt for years to come.”

Roc Nation and Emmy-winning producer Jesse Collins will co-executive produce the halftime show. Creative direction for Lamar’s performance can be provided by pgLang, the creative firm founded by Lamar and Dave Free — who previously directed the rapper’s music videos.

“Kendrick has proven time and again his unique ability to create moments that resonate, redefine and ultimately shake the very foundations of hip-hop,” said Seth Dudowsky, NFL music director.

Last yr, Usher shined with a star-studded show featuring guests comparable to HER, Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon, Ludacris and Alicia Keys.

“The Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show is a celebration of the music we love and the incredible artists who create it, all on the world’s biggest stage,” said Oliver Schusser, vice chairman of Apple Music and Beats.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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