Ludaris Speaks on Battle Of The Sexes Concept.. I was right..

I Seriously need to write stories for some major website or magazine because I did a post last week about how I expected Luda was using this "Battle Of The Sexes" album to bring Female MC's back on the mainstream of rap.. In The Above video he gives his reasons behind the project...

Point Blank Female MC's go hand in hand with Male artist.. No female MC has ever been successful without their male counterparts (well in modern rap post Latifah/Lyte). That's why Nicki Minaj is so hot right now because she has one of the hottest and well-known guys pushing her and that's Wayne. I'm interested in seeing how people like Trina, Eve, and Nicki fare back in the game. Kinda sour there is no Missy or Foxy on this but I'm glad nonetheless.

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This Barbie Stuff Is Really Going Overboard...lls

So I'm assuming which I don't really like to but this Nicki Minaj aka Harajuki Barbie craze has taken over like a wild fire.. I see various twitpics, twitter names, facebook accounts and other outlets all celebrating their "inner barbie" lol.. Now things have and ventured over to youtube.. I swear this video is sad and funny at the same time.. 5 Star Chick Tho?




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Kanye West - "Coldest Winter" video..

KANYE WEST "Coldest Winter" Directed by: NABIL "ITUNES link below" from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

A Sore Loser Even With A Silver Medal...SmH

Evgeni Plushenko's long, delusional journey continues. Just days after the silver medalist for men's figure skating denied that Evan Lysacek is the true champion of men's figure skating, he has apparently awarded himself a platinum medal. From his official website:

It reads, "Silver of Salt Lake, Gold of Torino, Platinum of Vancouver." What's impressive here is that not only has Plushenko's website team fabricated an Olympic medal, it designed a platinum medal, too. Bravo. That's commitment to a delusion.

Previously, Plushenko ripped gold medalist Evan Lysacek for not attempting a quad jump, and even Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin weighed in on the controversy, saying Plushenko "performed the most accomplished program on the Vancouver ice." Lysacek responded to the criticism with class, but Plushenko clearly hasn't come to grips with the fact that the gold medal eluded him in Vancouver.

This is the true definition of being upset...smh


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J.Cole - I Get Up..

I downloaded this yesterday and It's been stuck in my head every since.. I hope this dude drops a mixtape very soon cause from what I heard J. Cole is dope. Signed to Jay-Z's "Roc Nation" I'm looking and anticipating great things from Jigga's new first signee.. Let's just hope we don't end up with another Beanie Sigel fiasco...

Fashion Spot Monday : It's All In My Vest..

Ok.. so when it comes to fashion I'm not posting what's the hottest threads on the market I wear what looks good on me and what I feel is the hottessness.. This is however the "BlancoEXperience..lls

"I Set Trends/Don't Follow Them"---Teedra Moses


Anyway my obsession with cardigan's have escaped to vest.. I've always had a great deal of appreciation for a nice vest and they can worn in a variety of ways not to mention you can pull off a semi dressy yet comfortable casual style.. In my goings and coming on this past weekend I stopped in a men's shop to browse and just see what they had that would intrigue my fashion itch. My homeboy had just copped a new pair of "Jay's" and I guess he put me in the mind frame of buying something fresh. So after being in the store for a good little while nothing really caught my eye that is until I see this Cardigan and the fit was perfect after putting it to the side this grey vest pulled me in and well the rest is history.. lol

Basically I'm a t-shirt/jeans/snicker kid.. but I'm getting older and I wanna put my money into clothes that will last not to mention pulling off a grown and sophisticated look. Woman appreciate a guy with fashion sense who not only smells but looks good as well. My mother said a guy who keeps himself maintained and has the great smell good could get the world..lol.. She so crazy..

The Above Vest can be found on http://www.neimanmarcus.com retailing for $101.00

Guys don't sleep on style we gotta represent as well..

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BP3 Kickoff: Jay-Z Feat Young Jeezy - Real As It Gets

I Really wanted to see this tour but due to the powers that be I won't be able to experience live.. Hopefully Jay puts out a Dvd.. Anyway this is footage from his live show last night in Florida for the kick off the BP3 Tour...

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Hill Harper... Letters to A Young Brother..

My mother recently gave this to me as a gift and for any young man who deals with pressures of accomplishing goals, managing money, school and so much more than this book is a definite good read. I heard about the book a while back and I was honestly interested in reading it. Now inbetween school and other things I'm gonna get into and read it... I'll have my review of it in a few weeks (hopefully lls)


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Black History Film: Blaxploitation....

In 1965 the young black actor Sidney Poitier starred alongside Anne Bancroft in a thriller called 'The Slender Thread'. The job of scoring the film went to Quincy Jones, a jazz trumpeter from Lionel Hampton's band. He had completed scores for 'The Pawnbroker' and 'Mirage' by this time and was set to score a number of television series. He said of Sidney Pollack, director of 'Slender Thread', that he was 'a modern guy who didn't get shocked when he heard a far-out piece of music'. This gave him the artistic freedom to experiment outside of the traditional jazz score. The track 'Big Sir' which closes the album gave a hint at what was to come. Uptempo, with a strong 'four' feel, it captured the evolving soul sound using full, brassy instrumentation.

Poitier went on to star in the racially-charged 'Guess who's coming to dinner?' in which he played white middle-class Katherine Houghton's boyfriend to the mixed reactions of her friends and relatives. 'In the heat of the night' saw Poitier playing a cop coping with Rod Steiger's racist redneck sheriff. These films showed Poitier in a presentable, middle-class light, tolerated rather than accepted by the white society in which he found himself.

While Poitier set about taking the Hollywood screen by storm, Jones meanwhile was in considerable demand as a soundtrack composer. Amongst his most well-known works are T.V. themes such as 'Ironside', 'Sanford and Son' and soundtracks for a number of later major Hollywood releases like 'The Heist' ($) with Warren Beatty and 'The Italian Job' with Michael Caine.

Although Poitier's films, mainstream Hollywood creations at best, suggested that it was possible for blacks to be accepted into white American society, the reality for many was harshly different. Race riots had broken out in cities across the US. The Black Panthers, with a large following in deprived areas of the big cities, were advocating militant action. Regardless of Poitier's positive influence on society through his films, they simply did not reflect life for the black majority at that time.

By now, major 'black' artists such as Funkadelic, the Impressions, Sly's multiracial Family Stone and even James Brown were producing music which carried a serious political message on the back of an angular, forceful groove. The R&B charts proved that demand for 'music with a message' was at a high. Black audiences wanted cinema that reflected their daily experiences in the same way.

As the 1970's began, these wants were met in two dinstinct forms. The first, following Poitier's lead, provided a mix of comedy and serious drama which happened to include black lead roles. Bill Cosby, Flip Wilson and later Richard Pryor started their careers in this way. The music in these films also tended to be 'acceptable' to the white-owned studios, produced by Motown-style soul artists such as Curtis Mayfield. Vocal duties tended to be taken up by Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight or one of the Staples Singers. The subject matter reflected the big studios' unease with handling the pressing social issues of the time.

The films which produced the most innovative music, if not plot, were the black alternative to these mainstream offerings. Now known as 'blaxploitation' films, they satisfied the demand from inner-city audiences for movies made by and for blacks. It should be noted that the term 'blaxploitation' refers to the films' continuation of the trashy 'exploitation' films of the 1960's rather than the film studios 'using' black actors.

Early examples tended to follow a typical James Bond style. 1969's 'The Lost Man' (Quincy Jones soundtrack) and the British 'Uptight' (Booker T & the MGs) provided two notable early soundtrack albums.

As these films saw a commercial release the talented black director Melvin Van Peebles was working on a comic drama in which a white bigot wakes up to discover he has black skin. Released in 1970, 'Watermelon Man' proved to be a hit and propelled Peebles into the Hollywood limelight. Hoping that success would allow him to make a film closer to his experiences, he began to produce a film written for the black audience and quickly discovered that the major studios wouldn't touch it.

Called 'Sweet Sweetback's Badaaass Song', it was vicious and uncompromising and deemed inaccessible to whites. Peebles went ahead and produced it anyway, financing it largely himself. Unable to show the film in many cinemas, he persuaded a few black cinemas in Detroit, San Francisco and New York to show it. The response was incredible. People queued in their hundreds to see what was essentially the tale of a promiscuous black antihero as he makes his way towards Mexico to evade the white police. Peebles wrote his own score and enlisted the assistance of a newly-formed group called Earth, Wind and Fire who happened to be friends with one of his production crew.

Almost simultaneously, MGM Studios were shooting the first big-budget Hollywood blaxploitation film, 'Shaft'. The studio had been struggling and badly needed a hit movie to revive its flagging fortunes. In the film, according to MGM's synopsis, a 'black, muscular, fine-looking' private detective called John Shaft (played by Richard Roundtree) comes up against a variety of mobsters, hustlers and kidnappers, proving himself handy both in bed and with a gun. White critics proclaimed that it was a true reflection of life on the streets when it was really nothing more than a slick thriller that just happened to feature black actors.

MGM were delighted when 'Shaft' went on to win an Oscar. The statuette was awarded to long-time Stax records artist and arranger Isaac Hayes for his 'Theme from Shaft'. His appearance at the Oscar ceremony had as much of an impact as his music. He appeared on a floating piano in a shirt made entirely of chains.

The theme is one of the most memorable and enduring pieces of music written for film. Beginning with a toppy, tight hi-hat rhythm complimented by a superbly edgy wah-wah guitar, the theme told the entire story of the film inside three minutes. The lyrics, thanks to Hayes' accomplished songwriting backgound, simultaneously satirised and glamorised the hero. The whole score was strong, following cinema convention in that slow ballads accompanied intimacy and brass and drums were used for the chase scenes. The difference was in the funk; gritty but danceable, the album went on to sell in the millions and remains a classic.

Most of the soundtrack albums that followed, in the same way as 'Shaft', provided a number of hit singles in their own right. Shaft's soundtrack, and the film itself, set the style of black movies for the next five years before the genre died out as it became increasingly ridiculous.

'Shaft' was quickly followed by a sequel, 'Shaft's Big Score', for which the soundtrack was written by the film's director Gordon Parks, with help from O.C. Smith who provided the vocals. The third, and last, in the film series was 'Shaft in Africa' which blended Johnny Pate's jazz background and experience as arranger for The Impressions with African rhythms and a hefty slab of the funk. The Four Tops provided a great theme and hit single, 'Are You Man Enough', for the soundtrack. This album features many strong tracks and is well worth seeking out. 'Shaft' also spawned a TV spinoff series.
1972 saw the artistic peak of the blaxploitation soundtrack. Several of America's biggest black artists were working on soundtracks simultaneously. Marvin Gaye's superb 'Trouble Man' album, much covered and respected, provided the only significant outlet for his jazz aspirations of his career, and allowed him to include several instrumental funk tracks. Bobby Womack, assisted by jazz soundtrack veteran
J.J.Johnson, showcased some of his finest soul tracks on 'Across 110th St.' The highlight of this period was undeniably Curtis Mayfield's 'Superfly'. Only four years previously Mayfield had been producing upbeat, happy songs for The Impressions. He had by now absorbed the rhymical influence of James Brown's music along with the melodic feel of Marvin Gaye and was producing music wide-ranging in mood. 'Superfly' was as violent a movie as you could find. It romanticised the antics of a drug dealer antihero, Priest, played by Ron O'Neal. Mayfield's beautiful and compassionate songs completely undermined the apparent message of the movie and represent his finest work.

The films that followed became more formulaic as the seventies progressed. Plot-wise, most of them were either 'private detective takes on the mob' or 'dealer becomes king of the pimps'. Record companies fought to add their biggest stars to any soundtrack they could get space on. Virtually all of the major soul artists and many minor stars of the period can be found on a blaxploitation album.

James Brown, ably assisted by regular JBs trombonist Fred Wesley, provided scores to 1973's 'Black Caesar' and 1974's 'Slaughter's Big Rip-Off'. The latter was a sequel to 'Slaughter', which had no soundtrack LP but featured a Billy Preston theme song. Interestingly, James Brown's best written-for-film album, 'The Payback', was rejected by director Larry Cohen for 'not being James Brown enough, y'know?'. The film was 'Hell Up In Harlem' and eventually featured an Edwin Starr soundtrack.

Solomon Burke wrote music for 'Cool Breeze' (1972, with assistance from Gene Page) and 'Hammer' (1973), for which an album was never issued. Allen Toussaint scored 'Black Samson', released in 1974. Gene Page, with the Hues Corporation, wrote 1972's 'Blacula' soundtrack while Roy Ayers produced the superb 'Coffy' in 1973. The Blackbyrds made their contribution with 'Cornbread, Earl and Me' while The Impressions provided songs for 'Three The Hard Way'. Barry White wrote music for 1974's 'Together Brothers' which included some solid stripped-down funk instrumentals. Even drummer Bernard Purdie wrote a score to an erotic film called 'Lialeh' in 1974, subsequently issued on a scarce LP.

Motown's Wille Hutch provided two fine albums in the form of 'The Mack' (1973) and 'Foxy Brown' (1974). J.J.Johnson, a veteran jazz musician with a strong ear for soundtrack composition, often wrote his best work in collaboration with other artists. 1971's Bill Cosby western 'Man and Boy' saw him working with Quincy Jones and Bill Withers. The superb 'Across 110th Street' was written with Bobby Womack. Johnson also wrote the music for 'Willie Dynamite' (with Martha Reeves) and 'Cleopatra Jones' which included a hit theme from Joe Simon and vocals from Millie Jackson.

A relatively early blaxploitation release, 'Come Back Charleston Blue' features an interesting 1920s style soundtrack thanks to Quincy Jones. This album also includes Donny Hathaway's soulful classic 'Ghetto Boy'. The 1973 sequel to 'Black Caesar', 'Hell Up In Harlem' had a theme song by Edwin Starr while Barbara Mason sang the theme to 'Sheba Baby' in 1975. The unlikely choice of Osibisa provided the 'Superfly' soundtrack sequel in the form of 'Superfly T.N.T.' in 1973.

Many of the best blaxploitation soundtracks were issued on major record labels, for which the collector should be thankful. Sales figures for these albums were invariably respectable but failed to live up to those of the original 'Shaft' LP. In addition to the mainstream releases there were a number of notable independent issues. The Fantasy label issued the soundtrack to the adult cartoon 'Fritz The Cat' and followed this up with 'Heavy Traffic'. Ed Bogas and Ray Shanklin, responsible for the original material on these two albums, wrote a further soundtrack to a serious black drama 'Black Girl' on Fantasy with the assistance of a number of great studio jazz musicians including Bud Shank. The Rimshots, studio band of the Platinum / Stang label, contributed tracks to the Stang label's 1976 score to 'Patty'. Bizarrely this all-soul album was taken from a film about Patty Hearst.

In a fitting close to the mainstream blaxploitation genre, Isaac Hayes provided soundtracks to, and performances in, two films in 1974 and 1975, 'Truck Turner' and 'Three Tough Guys'. Although both albums have good funk moments (check out 'Tough Guys Theme' and 'Pursuit of the Pimpmobile' from 'Truck Turner') they're not as vibrant and consistent as 'Shaft'.

The cinema genre had effectively ended as a creative force but the musical influence continued. Curtis Mayfield produced the soundtrack to 'Short Eyes' and appeared in the film, and arranged 'Let's Do It Again' for The Staples Singers and 'Sparkle' for Aretha Franklin. War made a late appearance with the soundtrack to 'Youngblood' in 1978.

The proliferation of action and kung-fu B-movies during the late 1970s provided source material for several notable special-pressing soundtrack albums to accompany the original films. The obscure Happy Fox label gathered a number of small-time soul artists to score 'Black Fist' in 1977. In the same year the abysmal action movie 'Bare Knuckles' spawned a superb soundtrack album on the tiny Gucci label scored by Vic Caesar, one of the stars of the movie.

It should be noted that, surprisingly, a large proportion of blaxploitation film soundtracks were never issued on commercial soundtrack albums. The movies for which a soundtrack was issued were not necessarily those with the biggest stars or highest budget, a fact that may dismay blaxploitation film enthusiasts. A limited selection of tracks from otherwise-unissued scores can be found on sound library or special pressing LPs.

Many of the soundtracks to these movies, like the films themselves, disappeared into obscurity during the 1980s. The recent revival of interest in cinema and 1970s culture has lead to a corresponding desire to explore the music of the blaxploitation genre, and with it the long-overdue acknowledgement of the huge influence of its artists on modern music.

Timbaland Feat JT - Carry Out..Music Video

One Of My Favorite Tracks From "Shock Value II".. Great single and in my opinion should have came out 1st followed by Say Something feat Drake.. But Hey What Do I Know? lls

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Ralph Bunche.. Moments In Black History..

(born Aug. 7, 1904, Detroit, Mich., U.S.—died Dec. 9, 1971, New York, N.Y.) U.S. diplomat, a key member of the United Nations for more than two decades, and winner of the 1950 Nobel Prize for Peace for his successful negotiation of an Arab-Israeli truce in Palestine the previous year.

Bunche worked his way through the University of California at Los Angeles and graduated in 1927. He also earned graduate degrees in government and international relations at Harvard University (1928, 1934) and studied in England and South Africa. In 1928 he joined the faculty of Howard University, Washington, D.C., where he set up a department of political science. Meanwhile, he traveled through French West Africa on a Rosenwald field fellowship, studying the administration of French Togoland, a mandated area, and Dahomey, a colony. He later did postdoctoral research at Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill., and at the London School of Economics before returning to Africa for further studies in colonial policy. Between 1938 and 1940 he collaborated with Gunnar Myrdal, the Swedish sociologist, in the monumental study of U.S. race relations, published as An American Dilemma in 1944.

During World War II Bunche served in the U.S. War Department, the Office of Strategic Services, and the State Department. He was active in the preliminary planning for the United Nations at the San Francisco Conference of 1945 and in 1947 joined the permanent UN Secretariat in New York as director of the new Trusteeship Department.

Asked by Secretary General Trygve Lie to aid a UN special committee appointed to negotiate a settlement between warring Palestinian Arabs and Jews, he was thrust unexpectedly into the principal role when the chief mediator, Count Folke Bernadotte, was assassinated in 1948. Bunche finally negotiated armistices between February and May 1949.

Elevated in 1955 to the post of undersecretary and two years later to undersecretary for special political affairs, Bunche became chief troubleshooter for Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld. One task he undertook was the UN program concerning peaceful uses of atomic energy. In 1956 he supervised the deployment of a 6,000-man UN neutral force in the area of the Suez Canal following the invasion of that area by British, French, and Israeli troops. In 1960 he again found himself in charge of UN peacekeeping machinery—this time in the Congo region. Finally, in 1964 he went to Cyprus to direct the 6,000 neutral troops that intervened between hostile Greek Cypriots and Turks.

Attracting some criticism for seeming to neglect the Civil Rights Movement at home during the 1950s and '60s, Bunche began to speak out more directly on U.S. racial discrimination. In addition, though not in the best of health, he participated in the 1965 civil rights marches in both Selma and Montgomery, Ala., and also served as a board member for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for 22 years. Ralph J. Bunche: Selected Speeches and Writings was published in 1995.

Does Rejection Make You Want The Person More?

Nobody on any level loves the idea of being "rejected". Whether it's a job, family member, friend, or romantic interest nobody wants to feel rejected and left out in the cold. But on the flip side of that when in the position of feeling or being ousted are those moments ammunition to want to play harder to obtain the attention of the rejecter? Sure if a job rejects you it gives you the will power to be able to work harder to improve your skills to hopefully catch the eye of a potential employer.

So I'm watching the talk show "Tyra" which I rarely watch and this particular episode dealt with how people had a difficult time getting over their ex's and one female guest said it's not that she wanted to be with her ex but the fact he rejected her and basically he erased her from his life.. she didn't take "rejection" so well and it made her want to be with him even more. I for one feel as tho when I'm on the outside looking in and it confuses me with a big question mark on my forehead lol.

Sometimes we tend to pursue things not good or important to our life but because the certain person or persons deem us "uncool" to be in their company we seem to work harder to vye for the attention along the areas. Is rejection really important to you?

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It's Gonna Be Hard But I'm Riding For My J-E-S-U-S

So today is Ash Wednesday and for the next 40 days I plan on giving up red meat and sweets.. It's kinda hard with the sweets cause I love ice cream, cake, and cookies... candy not so much but the 1st three are a given.. red meat comes and goes but I figured I'd comply with that.. I'm just gonna stay prayed up and ask God to get me through.. I'm looking at this as a personal sacrifice for God and not myself... It's gonna get me closer to him and his word...I'll Make It..


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Ludacris new album "Battle Of The Sexes" bringing Female Rap Back?

When I heard Ludacris was doing a battle of the Sexes album with Shawnna I kinda frowned upon the idea of not expecting the two to carry an entire album. After [Shawnna] jumped ship again from DTP Luda decided to align a whole female cast to be featured on her cd. The 1st single "How Low Can You Go" feat Shawnna was welcomed with lil to no buzz and a very lackluster video. Now switching gears Ludacris has dropped 2nd single "My Chick Is Bad" feat rap new comer Nicki Minaj.

I'm kinda excited because from what I'm hearing the album will feature Nicki, Lil Kim, Eve, Trina, Ciara and Diamond formally of Crime Mob. While the list is not "over the top" it does give hope to bring female MC's back to the forefront and make rap music sexy like Kim and Foxy did back in 06.... would have been nice if Foxy Brown, Missy, and maybe few others joined in on the new album..

Musical Revolutionary..: Issac Hayes

Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008)^[1] was an American singer-songwriter, actor and musician. Hayes was one of the main creative forces behind southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served as both an in-house songwriter and producer with partner David Porter during the mid-1960s. Alongside, Bill Withers, the Sherman Brothers, Steve Cropper and John Fogerty, Hayes & Porter were named to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of their string of successful hit songs for Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas and others In the late 1960s. Their hit song "Soul Man" by Sam & Dave has been recognized as one of the best or most influential songs of the past 50 years by the Grammy Hall of Fame, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Rolling Stone magazine, and the RIAA Songs of the Century.

In the late 1960s, Hayes became a recording artist, and recorded successful soul albums such as Hot Buttered Soul (1969) and Black Moses (1971) as the Stax label's premier artist. In addition to his work in popular music, Hayes was a film score composer for motion pictures. His best known work, for the 1971 blaxploitation film Shaft, earned Hayes an Academy Award for Best Original Song (the first Academy Award received by an African-American in a non-acting category) and two Grammy Awards. He received a third Grammy for the album Black Moses.

In 1992, in recognition of his humanitarian work, he was crowned an honorary king of Ghana's Ada district. Hayes also acted in motion pictures and television; from 1997 to 2005, he provided the voice for the character "Chef" on the Comedy Central animated TV series South Park, and Gandolf "Gandy" Fitch on The Rockford Files (which ran on NBC from 1974-1980).

Lady Gaga.. She Sick Wit It....lls

I must admit aside from the fact Lady Gaga has a pretty nice voice her style game is on another level entirely! Usually when I see this type of stuff I laugh and keep it going but homegirl is in a whole other league all by herself. Known for her over the top performances and outrageous outfits here she is with my pop queen and sex symbol Beyonce' on the set of Gaga's new video "Telephone"...

It's amazing cause when she's giving interviews she's like a totally different person.. Would love to meet her one day...

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Black HERstory...Wilma Rudolph

Athlete, Olympic track and field champion. Born on June 23, 1940, in St. Bethlehem, Tennessee. Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field events at the Olympics. But the road to victory was not an easy one for her. Born premature and sickly as a child, Rudolph had problems with her left leg and had to wear a brace. It was with great determination and with the help of physical therapy that she was able to overcome her physical disabilities. Growing up in the South during days of segregation, Rudolph attended an African-American high school where she played on the basketball team. A naturally gifted runner, she later recruited for the track team.

While still in high school, Rudolph qualified for the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. At the age of 16, she was the youngest member of the U.S. team and won a bronze medal in the sprint relay event. After finishing high school, Rudolph enrolled at Tennessee State University where she studied education. She also trained hard for the next Olympics.

Held in Rome, Italy, the 1960 Olympics were a golden time for Rudolph. She won the 100 meter, 200 meter, and sprint relay events, making her one of the popular athletes from the games. This first-class sprinter became a sports superstar, celebrated around the world for her achievements. She made numerous appearances on television and received several honors, including being named the Associated Press Woman Athlete of the Year twice.

After retiring from competition in the early 1960s, Rudolph worked as a teacher and a track coach. She shared her remarkable story with the world in 1977 with her autobiography, Wilma. Her book was later turned into a television film. In the 1980s, she was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and established the Wilma Rudolph Foundation to promote amateur athletics.

Rudolph died on November 12, 1994, near Nashville, Tennessee, from brain cancer. In 2004, the United States Postal Service honored this Olympic champion by featuring her likeness on a 23-cent stamp. She is remembered as one of the fastest women in track and as a source of great inspiration for generations of African-American athletes.

Interracial Dating.. Does It Bother You?

I was having a interesting conversation with a friend of mine and we were discussing interracial dating. I know some people don't have issues with it but will state they won't date outside their race. I know for me it's not a big deal and even though I've never did it I'd be open to anybody who makes me happy and will love me for the person I am rather then the skin on my back. I believe beauty can be found in a variety of color, shapes and sizes. As I get older I view people differently and Love should not be limited to ones own race... How do you feel?


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My Special Valentine's Day Message 4 The Ladies..

Happy Valentines Day.... lls

NEW TEEDRA MOSES "ROYAL PATIENCE"

New Music From One Of Music's most underrated R&B artist..This woman is the truth and her music speaks volumes...Please go and support and download her new mixtape "Royal Patience" from her website http://www.teedra-moses.com It's a great listen and worth every minute of whats about to poured into your ears..

Teedra aka "Sunshine"...I love when I call her that!


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Dear To Whom It May Concern...

I see things still haven't changed and I guess you still hate me but it's cool and I'm ok and I'm still getting all the things God has entitled for my life. Instead of running from chick to chick I've been working on me both mentally and spiritually. I've been hearing your still the same, mad and upset with the world. From what I've been told you stay depressed and entangle yourself with guys and wonder why you get the same results.. How unfortunate :( I'm sure you still blame others and never yourself but it's ok it just gets worse as you get older. I'm good though and in a few months I'll be relocating and graduating with a degree in Surgical Technology and working as a Surgical Technician not to mention I'm still on my barber grind. HA HA...Success is the sweetest revenge...and I love every minute of it...


Sincerely,

Blessed and Highly Favored...

I'm High Off Living Living Life

It just hit me.. Well not exactly but I'm blessed beyond measure and I have no reason to stress over situations that don't mean a hill of beans.... My Life Is So Beautiful and I'm surrounding myself around some great people..God is the head and everything else is flowing in great directions... This song just got me in a great mood... I'm O'Ding Off Of Biggie Today BTW..




Blanco

World Premiere: We Are The World 25 For Haiti..

My Blackberry... She Lives In My Lap

I've had every cell phone known to man.. Everything from those Nokia Phones with the detachable faces to the flip phone craze and of course stalking Ebay for a Sidekick II... While I've enjoyed every possible cell phone I've owned The Blackberry holds a special place in my heart. lls. It's so convenient for my everyday life and I can manage everything from emails, to calender planning, updating Facebook, and keeping everybody entertained from twitter. The best feature of all is the classic BBM (Blackberry Messenger) BB owner exclusive it's our own IM network which resembles yahoo in many ways. I just recently updated to the new Blackberry Curve and I Love It! It's not Tech Tuesday But I figured I'd introduce you to my new toy!

Blackberry

Jesse Owens...Tack Star ★

born September 12, 1913, Oakville, Alabama, U.S.—died March 31, 1980, Phoenix, Arizona) American track-and-field athlete, who set a world record in the running broad jump (also called long jump) that stood for 25 years and who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. His four Olympic victories were a blow to Adolf Hitler's intention to use the Games to demonstrate Aryan superiority.

As a student in a Cleveland, Ohio, high school, Owens won three events at the 1933 National Interscholastic Championships in Chicago. In one day, May 25, 1935, while competing for Ohio State University (Columbus) in a Western (later Big Ten) Conference track-and-field meet at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), Owens equaled the world record for the 100-yard dash (9.4 sec) and broke the world records for the 220-yard dash (20.3 sec), the 220-yard low hurdles (22.6 sec), and the long jump (8.13 metres [26.67 feet]).

Owens's performance at the 1936 Berlin Olympics has become legend, both for his brilliant gold-medal efforts in the 100-metre run (10.3 sec, an Olympic record), the 200-metre run (20.7 sec, a world record), the long jump (8.06 metres [26.4 feet]), and the 4 100-metre relay (39.8 sec) and for events away from the track. One popular tale that arose from Owens's victories was that of the “snub,” the notion that Hitler refused to shake hands with Owens because he was an African American. In truth, by the second day of competition, when Owens won the 100-metre final, Hitler had decided to no longer publicly congratulate any of the athletes. The previous day the International Olympic Committee president, angry that Hitler had publicly congratulated only a few German and Finnish winners before leaving the stadium after the German competitors were eliminated from the day's final event, insisted that the German chancellor congratulate all or none of the victors. Unaware of the situation, American papers reported the “snub,” and the myth grew over the years.

Despite the politically charged atmosphere of the Berlin Games, Owens was adored by the German public, and it was German long jumper Carl Ludwig (“Luz”) Long who aided Owens through a bad start in the long jump competition. Owens was flustered to learn that what he had thought was a practice jump had been counted as his first attempt. Unsettled, he foot-faulted the second attempt. Before Owens's last jump, Long suggested that the American place a towel in front of the take-off board. Leaping from that point, Owens qualified for the finals, eventually beating Long (later his close friend) for the gold.

For a time, Owens held alone or shared the world records for all sprint distances recognized by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF; later International Association of Athletics Federations).

After retiring from competitive track, Owens engaged in boys' guidance activities, made goodwill visits to India and East Asia for the U.S. Department of State, served as secretary of the Illinois State Athletic Commission, and worked in public relations.

BH

Tupac Throwback... All Eyes On Me...

The Wednesday Windown...YEAH!!!!!!!!!

This song is like crack to me! It gets me going for some odd reason? lls. I think dude is growing on me like Gucci Mane did back when he 1st came on the scene..

Denmark Vesey..Activist

Insurrection leader. Probably born on St. Thomas, West Indies. The property of Captain Vesey, a Charleston, South Carolina, slave trader and planter, he spent 20 years sailing with his master. In 1800 he purchased his freedom (allegedly having won a lottery), took up carpentry in Charleston, and prospered at his trade.

By 1818 he was preaching to slaves at plantations throughout the region and, drawing on the Bible, he told them that, like the Israelites, they would gain their freedom. Although he would later deny it, he allegedly held meetings at his home to collect arms for an uprising he was planning for as many as 9000 African-Americans in South Carolina. The plan was betrayed by several fearful slaves and he and others were seized.

He defended himself ably at his trial, but was sentenced and hanged along with about 35 blacks; some 35 others were sold to West Indian plantation owners. It would have been the largest slave revolt in U.S. history, but its end result was the passing of even stricter laws against African-Americans.

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Dorito's House Rules Superbowl Commerical..

Doritos - House Rules @ Yahoo! Video

Dorothy Dandridge...Hollywood's Golden Child

Singer, actress. Born November 9, 1922, in Cleveland, Ohio. Dandridge’s mother, the actress Ruby Dandridge, urged her two young daughters into show business in the 1930s, when they performed as a song-and-dance team billed as "The Wonder Children. Dandridge left high school in the late 1930s and formed the Dandridge Sisters trio with her sister Vivian and Etta James. They performed with the Jimmy Lunceford Orchestra and at the famous Cotton Club in Harlem, where Dandridge—who had a mixed racial heritage, early on confronted the segregation and racism of the entertainment industry.

As a teenager, Dandridge began to appear in small roles in a number of films, including the Marx Brothers film A Day at the Races (1937) and Drums of the Congo (1942). In 1945, she married Harold Nicholas of the dancing Nicholas Brothers (with whom she performed in the 1941 Sonja Henie musical Sun Valley Serenade); during their turbulent six-year marriage, Dandridge virtually retired from performing. A daughter, Harolyn, was born with severe brain damage in 1943; as Dandridge was unable to raise her herself, she placed the girl in foster care.

After her divorce in 1951, Dandridge returned to the nightclub circuit, this time as a successful solo singer. After a stint at the Mocambo club in Hollywood with Desi Arnaz’s band and a sell-out 14-week engagement at La Vie en Rose, she became an international star, performing at glamorous venues in London, Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, and New York. She won her first starring film role in 1953’s Bright Road, playing an earnest and dedicated young schoolteacher opposite Harry Belafonte.

Her next role, as the eponymous lead in Carmen Jones (1954),a film adaptation of Bizet's opera Carmen that also costarred Belafonte, catapulted her to the heights of stardom. With her sultry looks and flirtatious style, Dandridge became the first African-American to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Though many believed she deserved to win, Dandridge eventually lost the award to Grace Kelly (The Country Girl). Still, after the phenomenal success of Carmen Jones, Dandridge seemed well on her way to becoming the first non-white actress to achieve the kind of superstardom that had accrued to contemporaries like Marilyn Monroe and Ava Gardner. In 1955, she was featured on the cover of Life magazine, and was treated like visiting royalty at that year’s Cannes Film Festival.

In the years that followed her success with Carmen Jones, however, Dandridge had trouble finding film roles that suited her talents. Her only other great film was 1959’s Porgy and Bess, in which she played Bess opposite Sidney Poitier. She turned down the supporting role of Tuptim in The King and I because she refused to play a slave. It was rumored that she would play Billie Holliday in a film version of Lady Sings the Blues directed by Orson Welles, but it never panned out. In the racially disharmonious 1950s, Hollywood filmmakers could not seem to create a suitable role for the light-skinned Dandridge, and they soon reverted to subtly prejudiced visions of interracial romance. She appeared in several poorly received racially and sexually charged dramas, including Island in the Sun (1957), co-starring Belafonte and Joan Fontaine, Tamango (1959),in which she played the mistress of the captain of a slave ship,and Malaga (1960).

While making Carmen Jones, Dandridge became involved in a heated, secretive affair with the film's director, Otto Preminger, who also directed Porgy and Bess. Their interracial romance, as well as Dandridge's relationships with other white lovers, was frowned upon, not in the least by other African-American members of the Hollywood filmmaking community. She married her second husband, Jack Denison, in 1959, and lost the majority of her savings when his restaurant failed in 1962. He left her soon after.

As her film career and marriage failed, Dandridge began drinking heavily and taking antidepressants. The threat of bankruptcy and nagging problems with the IRS forced her to resume her nightclub career, but she found only a fraction of her former success. Relegated to second-rate lounges and stage productions, Dandridge's financial situation grew worse and worse. By 1963, she could no longer afford to pay for her daughter's 24-hour medical care, and Harolyn was placed in a state institution. Dandridge soon suffered a nervous breakdown. On September 8, 1965, she was found dead in her Hollywood home, an apparent suicide from a drug overdose.

Her unique and tragic story became the subject of renewed interest in the late 1990s, beginning in 1997 with the release of a biography, Dorothy Dandridge, by Donald Bogle, and a two-week retrospective at New York City's Film Forum. In 1999, the actress Halle Berry won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Dandridge in an acclaimed HBO movie, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.

Erykah Badu.. Can I Get A "Window Seat"....

Badu is back with her new single from her upcoming "New Amerykah" Pt.2 album due in March. I'm excited because the 1st installment was crazy. I love this single because it takes it back to the old "Badu"... Window Seat is very soulful and mellow. Very great for this type of weather where you just wanna sip on a lil somethin and let your mind run free...

Mary McLeod Bethune..A Woman With A Mission

Mary McLeod Bethune Biography

(1875–1955)

Educator and civil and women's rights activist. Born July 10, 1875 in Mayesville, South Carolina. A child of former slaves, she began her life picking cotton, but a scholarship to Scotia Seminary in North Carolina in 1888 launched her long and distinguished career as educator and activist.

Believing that education provided the key to racial advancement, she founded the Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute, Florida (1904), which through her persistent direction as president (1904–42) became Bethune-Cookman College (1929). An activist, she mobilized thousands of black women as leader and founder of the National Association of Colored Women and the National Council of Negro Women.

A national figure, she served in the Roosevelt administration as adviser to the president on minority affairs and director of the Division of Negro Affairs within the National Youth Administration (1936–44). Through her efforts to promote full citizenship rights for all African-Americans and her feminist perspective, she came to symbolize the dual role black women played as activists for the rights of blacks and women.

Throwback Thursday: Where's The Beef?

That old lady was hilarious... lls.

Hiram R. Revels....Making Political History..

Born Sept. 1, 1822, Fayetteville, N.C., U.S.—died Jan. 16, 1901, Aberdeen, Miss.) American clergyman and educator who became the first black citizen to be elected to the U.S. Senate (1870–71), during Reconstruction.

Born of free parents, young Revels traveled to Indiana and Illinois to receive the education that was denied him in the South. He was ordained a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1845 and eventually settled in Baltimore, Md., where he served as a church pastor and principal of a school for blacks. Soon after the Civil War began (1861), he helped organize two volunteer regiments of blacks for service in the Union Army. Two years later he joined the Federal forces to serve as a chaplain to a black regiment stationed in Mississippi.

After the war Revels settled in Natchez, Miss., to preach to a large congregation. Despite some misgivings about entering politics, he accepted appointment by the military governor as alderman (1868) and was later (1869) elected to the state senate. Although Revels was a Republican, he was anxious not to encourage race friction with white Southerners; he therefore supported legislation that would have restored the power to vote and to hold office to disenfranchised members of the former Confederacy. In January 1870 he was elected to the U.S. Senate to fill the unexpired term of the former Confederate president, Jefferson Davis. He performed competently in office, advocating desegregation in the schools and on the railroads.

On leaving the Senate, Revels became president of Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College, a recently opened institution of higher education for blacks, near Lorman, Miss. In 1874, however, he was dismissed from the college presidency. In 1875 he helped overturn the Republican (Carpetbag) government of Mississippi, defending his action on the grounds that too many politicians in that party were corrupt. He was rewarded by the Democratic administration, which returned him to the chief post at Alcorn in 1876, where he remained until his retirement.

Wednesday Wind Down!!!!! : Flava In Ya Ear (remix)

Just A Lil Something To Get You Through The Rest Of The Week.. Good Music Always Keeps Me Going..

Black History Spotlight : Arthur Ashe

Arthur Ashe was a top ranked tennis player in the 1960s and 70s. Raised in the segregated South, he was the first African-American male tennis player to win a Grand Slam tournament. He was much more than an athlete though. His commitment to social justice, health and humanitarian issues left a mark on the world as indelible as his tennis was on the court.

Career Highlights

Won the ATA National Championship for boys 12 years and under in 1953.

Graduated 1st in his class from high school.

Earned a full scholarship to attend college at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Elected as President of ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) in 1974.

Selected as captain of the U.S. Davis Cup Team in 1981.

Inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985.

Named Sport Illustrated Sportsman of the Year in 1992.

He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993.

After Ashe died in 1993 his body was displayed at the Governor's Mansion in Virginia for public mourning. The last time this was done was for Stonewall Jackson, a general of the Confederate Army during the Civil War.

The main stadium at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park, is named Arthur Ashe Stadium in his honor. This is where the U.S. Open is played during which the annual Arthur Ashe Kids Day is held.

In 2005 the United States Postal Service released an Arthur Ashe commemorative postal stamp, the first stamp ever to feature the cover of a Sports Illustrated magazine.

Also in 2005, TENNIS Magazine put him in 30th place in its list of 40 Greatest Players of the TENNIS era.

In 2007 Arthur Ashe was listed at #14 in USA Today's list of 25 Most Inspiring People of the Last 25 Years

Numerous honorary degrees were bestowed on him during his life and posthumously including ones from: Amherst College, Barnard College, The College of William and Mary, Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Hartford College, Haverford College, Kalamazoo College, Le Moyne College, Le Moyne-Owen College, New York University, Northeastern University, Princeton University, Saint John's University, Trinity University, University of Delaware, Virginia Union University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Wake Forest University, Yale University

Tech Tuesday : Sims 3 High End Loft (Expansion Pack)

Create the Ultimate High-End Loft Lifestyle for Your Sims Transform your Sims’ homes into sleek, edgy lofts with The Sims 3 High-End Loft Stuff. Upgrade your Sims lifestyle with sophisticated furnishings, must-have electronics, and cutting edge fashions. FEATURES Add a sleek, high-end, tech-inspired look to your Sims bedroom, living room, bathroom, office and den. Upgrade your Sims’ wardrobes with forward looking apparel, tailored suits and sophisticated outerwear. Transform your Sims’ homes into cutting edge spaces with contemporary inspired furnishings, eclectic art and modern designs. Give your Sims coveted electronics including high-tech, ultra-slim TVs, video game systems, stereos and more. As a special 10th Anniversary gift this pack includes three coveted items from The Sims and The Sims 2 games: The heart shaped vibrating bed, the electric guitar, and the aquarium.

I'm so addicted to this game.. They just released their 1st "Stuff" expansion pack today... I'm gonnna chill and do a digital download..

Black History Spotlight: Maggie Lena Walker

I thought today blog entry would take a look at a native of my hometown Maggie Lena Walker. I was honored to have visited her home in Richmond, Va and learned of her legacy as the 1st black female self-made millionaire..

Maggie Lena Walker, the first woman in the United States to become a president of a local bank, was born July 15, 1867 in Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A. She was a daughter of former slaves, Elizabeth Draper Mitchell and William Mitchell, who worked in the mansion of the abolitionist Elizabeth Van Lew. After a few years of living at the mansion, her father got a job as the head waiter at the Saint Charles Hotel and the family moved to a small house in town. Her father was murdered, presumably a victim of robbery and her mother supported herself and her two children with her laundry business while Maggie helped with the chores. In addition, Maggie attended the Lancaster School and then the Armstrong Normal School. After graduation in 1883, she taught at the Lancaster School until her marriage to Armstead Walker, Jr., a building contractor, in September 1886. They subsequently had three sons, though one died in infancy. She also became an agent for an insurance company, the Woman's Union.

Since the age of fourteen, she had been a member of the Grand United Order of St. Luke, an African-American fraternal and cooperative insurance society founded in Baltimore in 1867 by a former slave, Mary Prout, with headquarters established in Richmond in 1889. The order had been established to assure proper health care and burial arrangements of its members and encouraged self-help and racial solidarity. Walker worked her way up until, in 1899, she became the executive secretary-treasurer of the organization, now renamed the Independent Order of St. Luke. The order was in debt at the time so she accepted a reduced salary of eight dollars per month.

In 1902, she started publishing a newsletter, the St. Luke Herald to increase awareness of the activities of the organization and to help in the educational work of the order. The following year, she opened the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank and became its president. The bank's goal was to facilitate loans to the community. By 1920, the bank helped purchase about 600 homes. By 1924, the Independent Order of St. Luke had 50,000 members, 1500 local chapters, a staff of 50 working in its Richmond headquarters and assets of almost $400,000. The Penny Savings Bank absorbed all other black-owned banks in Richmond in 1929 and became the Consolidated Bank and Trust Companany with Walker as its chairman of the board.

In 1912, she helped found the Richmond Council of Colored Women and served as its president. The council raised money for the support of Janie Porter Barrett’s Virginia Industrial School for Colored Girls and for other philanthropies. She was a member of the International Council of Women of the Darker Races, the National Association of Wage Earners, National Urban League and the Virginia Interracial Committee. She also cofounded the Richmond branch of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).

Walker suffered more personal tragedies in her life. In 1907, she fell on the front steps of her home and injured her knees. The damaged nerves and tendons continued to trouble her for the rest of her life. She also suffered from diabetes and was confined to a wheelchair after 1928. Her husband died in 1915 when her son, Russell Ecles Talmage, mistook his father for a prowler on the porch and shot him. Russell was acquitted of the murder charge, but he never recovered from this ordeal and he died in 1923.

Walker died in Richmond, Virginia, on December 15, 1934. The cause of her death was listed as "diabetes gangrene." The house her family occupied from 1904 to 1934 is now a Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site and is located at 110 1/2 East Leigh Street.