I miss the kind of multicolored feminism that was so popular in hip hop music in the early Nineties. It was definitely embodied by many of the participants in Freedom, that all-star soundtrack song I featured last week. So many of those musicians came to blossom in an era when female pop stars could make…
Jams
I Love an Old School All-Star Jam
Were all-star jams a phenomenon that peaked in the Eighties? Of course, there was We Are The World and Do They Know It’s Christmas, but the songs were never catchy to me. I just grew up loving the all-star jams on Video Soul, like Self Destruction (LOL at Kool Moe Dee’s stunna shades) and We’re…
Today’s Your Day
I just got off the phone with Mama Bella and my mother-in-law, so now I’d like to wish a happy mother’s day to all of the hardworking, beautiful mothers who read Afrobella. Lots of love to you all on your special day, and I hope you spend it in the company of family and the…
Worth a Click
Just look around you, it’s easy to see — there’s nothing we women can’t be! Ten points for you if you remember that song. I could only find a link to it in Dutch, which is kind of hilarious. (an aside — I had a pretty depressing YouTube realization the other day. I rely so…
Lost Ones — Dinah Washington
Whenever people think about all-time great jazz divas, the order typically goes: Billie, Ella, Sarah, Nina. Dinah Washington doesn’t necessarily get that first-name recognition, but she should. Because she was one bad bella. Even if you’ve never heard of Dinah Washington, you might know one of her songs without realizing it– that Doubletree commercial that…
Mighty Mahalia Jackson
On days when I feel low, I need to step away from my usual routines and get in touch with my spiritual side. Although I’m not a regular churchgoer (in fact, I am still referred to as “the little heathen” by a much-loved family member who shall remain nameless), I do have one. I’m not…
Worth A Click
I’m number two! Allyuh.com, Trinidad and Tobago’s user driven social content website, ranked Afrobella number two in the list of top ten Trinidad and Tobago blogs, right behind Saucydiva’s perennially popular Trinidad Carnival Diary. I’m beyond honored to know that so many people at home are reading, and to share the spotlight with so many…
Worth a Click
Heavy sigh. Here we go again… Oh Akon. I was so happy and proud when you incorporated Trinidadian rhythms into your video for “Don’t Matter.” So you can imagine how disappointed and disgusted I was to see this article in the Trinidad Express. And then the video of you practically mauling a fourteen year old…
Aretha, Young and Gamine
I found this video on the ol’ You Tube and was transported back to 1965, when Aretha Franklin was fresh and new. She had a pixie-like hairdo, and rocked an A-line dress like none other. I miss the days when dreamy harmonies stood in place of histrionic over singing. That’s right, I said it. I…
An Open Letter to Hip Hop
Aww, Ludacris is such a cutie, playing with his daughter Karma in the park. She’s so adorable with her afropuff. So sweet, so innocent. I wonder if Luda lets his little girl listen to his music? “Shake, shake, shake your money maker, Like you were shaking it for some paper. Took your momma 9 months…