Shuffle Post 11/25

I've been pretty sick today but my first song in this evening's shuffle is "Words" by Anthony David & India.Arie...

I love this song, its lyrics are just super real, the piano accompaniment is beautiful, and I think the two artists complement each other pretty well. 

It's hard to even pick a favorite part of the song, but there's one part that's always kinda jumped out at me:

"Got my mind made

I don't plan to leave...

'cause you are meant for me.

Simple, that may be...

Why be complex?

Loving you is so easy..."

The last couple lines hit home, I feel like sometimes we make love so complicated and...extra. And it really doesn't have to be. We impose so many rules and expectations on something that, in its purest form, should really be easy. We make it complicated because we don't allow love to develop and flourish on its own. We want it to fit a template that others have laid out, when really love isn't some one-size-fits-all type of deal. Sometimes it's unorthodox. Sometimes it's beyond explanation. And, well...Sometimes you just gotta let it be.

Shuffle Post 11/24

So I have this thing. It's grown into somewhat of a compulsion actually lol. But every time I wake up, I have to start a new shuffle on my phone's music library. I almost feel like something bad might happen if I don't. I do this every time I get into my car, as well. It's weird. But whatever. 
Anyway, the thing is...I love to really listen to the first song that plays in the shuffle. I feel like that song has some kind of meaning for coming up first on that particular day. 

Today my first song is "Woman Like Me" by the Creole Queen herself (Mrs. Carter if ya nasty). Now I loves me some Bey. This songs has been a fave of mine for awhile, because it's reminiscent of how I feel when I start feeling a guy lol. I'll just post my fave verse.

"Do you think

You could fall for a Woman Like Me...?

'Cause I find it hard to trust

And I need too much

And I really don't believe in love, no no...

Do you think

That I could be the girl of your dreams?

Sometimes I don't let things go,

I get emotional...

And sometimes I'm just out of CONTROL..."

Far Away....

"Tear stains on my pillow, 
Trying to forget YOU,
Don't know what I'm gonna do....
Four days and countin', 
I've been laying here staring myself in the mirror all alone in my room.
I can't feel this way again...
Gotta think with my head,
'Cause my heart is what got me here..."


"I was by your side when we were meant to be; I guess it doesn't matter now that you're so Far Away..."
--Ms. Marsha Ambrosius. ♥

This Song...

is EVERYTHING to me right now.... I love every note & lyric of it.

Day 23--Letter to the Person I Last Kissed.♥

Note: I know some may say it's cheating to use song lyrics as my letter...but f**k that, this is my blog! I promise, this is eXACTLY how I'm feeling right now...
To My Chocolate,
It's not so easy 
Lovin' me....
It gets so ComPlicated....
All the things you've gotta be.
Everything's changing....
But you're the truth.
I'm amazed by all your PaTienCe...
Everything I put you through.
And when I'm about to fall 
Somehow you're always waiting with your open arms to catch me.
You're gonna Save Me from Myself....
My love is tainted...
By your touch. 
'cause some guys have shown me aces,
But you've got that RoyaL fLusH.
I know it's crazy....
Everyday.
Well tomorrow may be shaky...
But you never turn away...
Don't ask me why I'm crying,
'cause when I start to crumble...
You know how to keep me smilin'...
You always Save Me from Myself.


Love, 
Your Peanut Butter.
(via Christina Aguilera: "Save Me from Myself": Back to Basics)♥

LyricsILove.♥

You've hurt so long...Reward comes to those who've cried.

Real. Love. Purified

--SWV "Use Your Heart" ♥

Believe♥

"I ain't like them others you done dealt with in your past....

Just have some faith,

That's all I ask...

Believe in Me."

--Raheem DeVaughn. 'Believe'. The Love Experience. ♥

Untitled. ♥

"Wife...you deserve the label, but you've been hurt before so you're sore and don't feel you're able..." --Wale {Diary} ♥

So anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm hopelessly addicted to this song...I just love it. By far my favorite Wale joint ever. Marsha Ambrosious killed it too. Anyway...I'm listening to this as I type, with the volume as high as it'll go...on repeat...and it's just got me thinking about so much stuff...not necessarily personal stuff. Just in general...How many of us know someone who's let past relationships negatively affect our present relationships {or potential relationships}? A lot, right? My heart hurts for that person who isn't willing to let love back into his/her life, all because they let it in before and someone left them damaged...experience has shown us that usually it's easier to break something than it is to repair it...why would the heart be any different? It's so bad that it's gotten to a point where younger generations are being raised by bitter, damaged single parents...and are being taught not to believe in love in the first place, all because of the possibility of being hurt...On one hand, I can understand a parent's desire to keep any and all types of harm away from their children...but how can we know what joy feels like if we've never been exposed to pain? 
I'm also thinking about how people have this cycle...and half the time, they don't even realize it. We choose partners who either possess traits that we are used to being exposed to, or the opposite. Whether positive or negative...sometimes we're too used to something to objectively decide it's bad for us. Other times, we realize what's unhealthy, and aim for the furthest thing from it...but when every person you enter a relationship treats you the same way, or every relationship has the same outcome...you're engaging in a cycle. I think about so many people I know who jump from one partner to the next, and in the end everything turns out all bad...reinforcing the assumption that all men/women "aint shit"...but if trial and error doesn't teach you to modify your standards...aren't you partially to blame? It just seems as though those of use who have been hurt have a tendency to prejudge every subsequent person who approaches us...and rejecting those people {because you think all men/women ain't shit} could very well lead them to believe that all men/women ain't shit as well...so they'll go on to treat their next partner like crap...virtually just one big presumptuous, prejudiced domino effect...and all because we don't want to hurt. It's easier to hurt others than to let ourselves succumb to being the victim. It's quite the phenomenon, actually...
It's not only something that affects our interpersonal relationships... it affects self-esteem, as well. Being hurt has a tendency to make people think they deserved what happened to them...or caused it. That they don't deserve better. I think this is the reason for the whole cycle...why else would one continuously put their self in the position to be hurt?
x0x0♥

My New Absolute FAVE Quote... ♥

"They play it safe; are quick to assassinate what they do not understand. 

They move in packs, ingesting more and more fear with every act of hate on one another. 

They feel most comfortable in groups...less guilt to swallow. 

They are US. This is what we have become. Afraid to respect the individual...

A single person within a circumstance can move on to change...to love herself... to EvolvE." 

--Erykah Badu ♥

Spring Break! ♥

I'm officially on Spring Break...as of this past Thursday evening.

I'm loving it! I plan on doing absolutely nothing...well, besides the few days I have to work, which I won't complain about since this skeezer FINALLY got the ax resigned from her position. Life IS indeed good...
Anywho, since I already took my lil' mini vacation (lol) I'm just maxxin and relaxxin...listening to the new Raheem DeVaughn ,shuffled in with the old, forever-emblazoned-in-my-heart Raheem, of course. I don't know what it is about that man's voice but it does warm, fuzzy, heart-fluttery things to me...and I love it! In the car, at home, wherever! That's called quality music...I know I used this pic in my Valentine's Day post, but I think it's so adorable that it's definitely worth posting again lol :-)
I'm currently working on an essay about how the Black Family is under/misrepresented in the media, and how this under/misrepresentation is effecting upcoming generations, which are coincidentally ALL wrapped up in the media. It's a topic that just kinda came to me, as I was looking at a photograph of this gorgeous, young married couple I know. It's crazy because if one were to rely on the media's representation of Black Love, they'd be led to believe that...well...there is no love. We're just a bunch of unwed, unloved, unloving babymamas/daddies running rampant. There ARE loving relationships among a lot of Black people. There ARE couples who marry, and raise beautiful families, and live the so-called American dream. But again, one would never know that if they relied on the media's representation of our people. So...yeah. I'm excited to write about such a topic. 
x0x0♥

The Price of Fame...♥

I just had to post this link to Kanye's latest blog post... 
I promise, I've loved Kanye's music for so long, and consistently...I miss him! The College Dropout never left my earphones the since the day it was released. It went from the CD player, to the first mp3 player, to the iTunes and the iPod. That, lyrically, is one of my favorite albums. That's just my opinion. Say what you will about him, but the man has words for days....
These gossip sites give him a lot of BS, but when you really sit and read his words, Kanye is probably one of the people (mainstream celebrity-wise) with the most knowledge to offer. I don't think he's crazy, I think he's been through enough ish that he has to sit and just write sometimes. I know the feeling. His mom was his rock. It's funny how the website I saw this link on (which I won't name, because I don't deem them worthy of the shout out) is like soooo many other celeb-based blogs and forms of media. One minute, a person is everyone's favorite. They're on top, and their creative mind is getting this high that they've always dreamed of. The next minute, they're hated, being dissed and criticized by the same people who boosted them up onto the very pedestal they're being knocked off of. The mind and ego are, in my opinion, two of the most fragile components of human beings. Hollywood and the media have seen the birth and death (literally and figuratively) of so many celebrities who, in the end, just wanted to be heard, and accepted, and...well, loved. It's funny how media has the power to do so much good and so much evil. It's also funny how hard it would be for some to decide which is more entertaining: the positive, uplifting messages or those that beat down the very essence of one's being, just to restart and repeat the cycle all over again the next week. I don't think I could afford the price of fame... it costs too much.
x0x0

This...

is what I would want for Valentine's Day... lol if I weren't so desperately in love (insider) Lol. For now, I'll just stick to having his amazing music on repeat 24/7... literally lol. Happy Valentine's Day, lovers and loves! 
x0x0♥ 

My Favorite Love Song. Ever. In Life.♥

I've loved this song since as long as I can remember, and I had to share since I've been ranting about it to any and everyone who will listen. I heard Mya's cover of it, which I adore. You'll definitely recognize the melody from LL Cool J's "Hey Lover" (also, one of my all-time faves)...and though I don't do award shows, I watched Ne-Yo perform this song on the BET awards this year. Love him! I don't care what anyone else says, he did this song justice in my heart! Anyway, for those who choose to listen (or who already know and love the song), hope you enjoy the song as much as I do. I wish it were one of his more popular songs, but it's a #1 hit to me, regardless!! My heart won't let me go without having this song somewhere on my blog. That's how much I adore it!!
x0x0♥


PS: Here is a link to Mya's cover of the song, as well as LL & Boyz II Men's classic 'Hey Lover' ♥

Where Are You?!♥

Does anyone remember this song? Before her milkshake started bringing all the boys to the yard, Kelis made me a lifelong fan with this song. I don't care how hot of a mess she is, this song is fire to me! She's such an underrated artist, in my opinion, and even though this was one of her singles, she has a lot of music that hasn't been heard by most people unless they've bought her albums. Anywho, I love Kelis. I think Kaleidoscope was her best album, and I wish she'd make more music like that again! 
x0x0♥

"Do Me a Favor...

...don't do me no favors, I'll Handle Mine"
--Hov.

{Yes, I adore Jay-Z. Do somethin'.}

x0x0♥

Spotlight: Raheem DeVaughn♥♥♥♥♥

If you don't know who this man is by now...we'll let it slide for today, because it's Tuesday.
But you really need to get to know him. Or at least his music.
Raheem DeVaughn is amazing.
That is all.

PS: I've had his song "Bulletproof" on repeat for weeks. Love it. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure, here it is...

x0x0♥

I Miss Alicia Keys...

“A man just a man if he ain’t man enough to love you when you’re right, love you when you’re wrong, love you when you’re weak, love you when you’re strong (take u higher) when the world got you feelin’ low….He’s givin’ you his last ’cause he’s thinking of you first…gives you comfort when he’s thinking that you’re hurt…”

---Alicia Keys; “When You Love Someone”; Diary of Alicia Keys
x0x0♥

The Best Love Letter I've Ever Read...♥

The video below pretty much speaks for itself, but for those who just don’t get it, this artist, Jasiri X, is dedicating this piece to Debra Lee, the current CEO of Black Entertainment Television. Jasiri X is ON POINT, if you’re into the whole truth-speaking, consciously lyrical thing. If you aren’t, you need to wake up.
Listen to the track. Support the artist. He embodies what real hip-hop was and still is, no matter how miniscule the mainstream attention is. Here's his YouTube. Google him. Whatever you need to do... You won't regret checking him out!


We spend so much time listening to what we’re TOLD is “hot”, instead of listening to real music and deciding for ourselves. I touched on the issue of conscious hip-hop artists not selling in a previous post, and this is why. It’s hard to hear what’s real in a world run by white corporate men who make their living off of making Black people look like damn fools on a network that’s supposed to uplift us and celebrate our culture. White men who stick a few token Black faces on their payroll but still remain behind the scenes making all the decisions that affect what we see on TV everyday (if you choose to watch the foolishness). I mean honestly, have you ever thought about the limited images of us that are presented on television? We can argue all day long that there are images of white people on TV that are pretty disgusting, but does that correlate with the number of hot-mess images of black people on TV? No. Especially when you can count on one hand the networks that actually represent us as a whole... and the images we put out are the Frankies, Neffies, and such... I know those are supposed to be representative of "real" Black people, but gosh...We could do and be so much more… yet we’re limited to what puts the most money into the pockets of certain people. Unfortunately, modern day shucking and jiving are the cash cow these people are banking on, and even more unfortunate is the fact that we’ve been too brainwashed to even want to see it.  Even the Black faces who have the power to change things seem to be content with these representations of our people, and there you have the above video dedicated to the lovely Ms. Lee.
We’ve bred a whole new generation of kids who don’t see anything past the surface, because that’s all today’s media shows them. Champagne-sipping, booty-shaking, money-tossing niggas, bitches, and hoes.
So who’s to blame? The networks for airing it? The artists for making it? Or the viewers for not knowing any better?…
x0x0♥

Random Lyrics i Love♥

“Shorty paint her face like a clown, but can’t take away the frown found under the makeup.
I asked her what’s her passion, answer was the paper; she sleepin’, they don’t want her to wake up.

Maybe then she realized her own beauty, baby you’re a star, not just the star of some dude’s home movies…”
---Talib Kweli; "Soon the New Day"

x0x0♥