Girl, You So Well Spoken!

The Bad Brains could be described as the "godfathers" of hardcore punk, introducing fast tempos and elements of metal and reggae. Random, right?

Not really. While searching for the lyrics to Santogold's "Icarus", I came across a cover she did of The Bad Brains' "Right Brigade" ...

A lot of people think that doing a cover of a song, or using someone else's beats, or sampling a track shows a lack of originality and your limits as an artist. I disagree. It shows the depth and breadth of your musical appetite. It shows that your experience with music transcends genre and time.

Today's hip-hop critics don't seem to understand that hip-hop is bigger than "my nigga", that before Kanye West and Santogold and Lupe Fiasco there was The Clash and The Bad Brains and Jimi Hendrix etc, etc, etc. 80s Hair Bands have as much to do with what hip hop is today as NWA does. French house music can inspire a song just as much as Nina Simone can influence a genre.

Music is just another aspect of life that comes full circle. We're all motivated by freedom of expression and by wanting to be heard. And everything is subject to interpretation. Music is art in the same way that a painting is. Kanye West sampling Daft Punk, Santogold covering The Clash, and artists with that "sounds like..." aspect to their music are doing the same thing Picasso did when he reinterpreted Velázquez's Las Meninas.

We all have different styles, we all worship different gods, we all live different lives, but we all rock to the same beats.

If I wasn't an illegal immigrant with a green card, I would totally vote Republican. Wanna know why?? Watch!

No, but on a more serious note, it has occurred to me that regardless of my inability to vote, my life can still be greatly affected by legislation approved or passed during the next Presidential term. As long as I'm not a naturalized citizen (and even, actually, if I am), they can still put my @ss back on a boat and ship me to my home country. Furthermore, you and I have witnessed atrocities that can occur to non-American Americans during times of war or fear... While I doubt that England will become any enemy of the USA anytime soon, you never know...

My point is, I'm still a black woman in America. Which means what happens in November will affect me. So brace yourselves Bust-It-Babies... it's about to get political in hurr!

Oh Gary... as I was watching CSI reruns on Spike TV this morning, a commercial came on that truly touched my soul. So what did I do? Googled it of course! I found even more f*ckery to feast my eyes upon. I thought I would share.

But first, a word from our sponsors... lol:

too bad I couldn't find the commercial where he says, "Whatchu talkin' bout Cash Call?!" ... I can't...

This just reminds me of those Dave Chappelle skits... it would be all the more hilarious if it spiraled into a horrible turn of events--album sales bomb, homegirl gets booed off stage by fans holding signs that say "Talk About Bey-Z!" and subsequently, must move back in with Mama Tina. The upside to all of it: An All-Access pass to the Wig Crypt. For a girl like Solo, that may not be so bad :)

Behold the "realness" for yourself:

I said I wouldn't date anyone.
I said I would just focus completely on myself.
I wear a ring on my left hand ring finger so often that I have a noticeable pale line around it when the ring is absent...
Yet and still, I'm not doing what I should.
Not that I'm seeing anyone.
But I just know I'm not doing what I should.
Because there are "him"s that I still think about.

I hardly write poetry anymore
and right now I'm reading a book about a Sudanese Lost Boy
I realize now that I don't really understand where it comes from
so sometimes its all there
and other times its just...
not there at all
people don't inspire me
feelings do
not the usual kind.
like, love doesn't inspire me.

The other day I was sitting in the airport...
and I was waiting to fly standby on flight from Pittsburgh to Atlanta
(it was literally the other day)
and there was this energy
it was like...
warm sunshine
and I just wanted to smile
and laugh
and sing
and dance
and chill
all at the same time.
so I wrote a poem
I don't really consider myself to be a poet
I feel like a real poet is inspired by everything.

You know what else?
We flew through the most incredible cumulus clouds.
I wanted to cry.
Is that weird?
Sometimes I'll think something is so beautiful it brings me to tears.

My friend is a singer/songwriter
and I hadn't seen him in forever.
And I saw him again, and he played me this new song he had.
I started crying within the 1st 20 seconds.
The entire moment was so...
beautiful.

I'm inspired by moments.