Song of the Week

It’s warmer outside, flowers are in full bloom, and I’ve broken out my peep-toe heels. I thought Glow by Kelis and Raphael Saadiq would be appropriate.

Enjoy.

Song of the Week-Part 2

Because this needed its own post.

I’m not sure how I missed this long version of Jill Scott’s “Crown Royal” but…I heard it this morning for the first time and it is fantastic. Wouldn’t expect anything more from Jill though. What I loved about her last album is that it had a level of erotic sensuality that we hadn’t seen from Jill before. Audre Lorde’s “Erotic as Power” comes to mind.

This song is for grown folks…so make sure the babies aren’t around.

Song of the Week-Part 1

After much thought, I’ve decided to bring back the Song of the Week, featuring songs that by women artists (or guest starring women). It’s been a while so I will be posting up two in a row.

This week’s song is Chrisette Michele’s “Epiphany.” I shared with you in my Steve Harvey post that I recently ended a relationship.

Well, this was how I was feeling when it was just about over. Forget Irreplaceable, this is how a breakup song is supposed to sound.

Happy Friday.

A few Words on Chris and Rihanna

Cross Posted at Change.org

Most of you have heard about the Chris Brown-Rihanna domestic violence issue. There are several sides to this story, but I will say that violence against women is a serious issue and it is an issue that needs to be addressed in our communities.

Two members of Females United for Action – 15 year old Alex Pates & 17 year old Ace Hilliard – wrote about the Chris Brown / Rihanna case.  The group is hoping that the article will be used  for discussions around intimate partner violence and how the media frames the issue.

I am so glad that these two young women are speaking out about this issue. My hope is that this story will begin an honest dialogue about domestic violence among men and women, boys and girls, gay and straight.

This is not an easy discussion nor is it an easy topic for me to write about. The thing that really bothers me about the way the media handles the Chris-Rihanna case is that it perpetuated a culture of blame when it comes to domestic violence coverage. What did Rihanna possibly do? Bloggers and reporters started to ask. Maybe she dressed too sexy. Maybe she threw his keys out the car. OMG, she gave him herpes! 

All of a sudden, the blame game began. The media–particularly entertainment media and the gossip bloggers who benefit from it–were blaming Rihanna for what had taken place. Nevermind the fact that Rihanna was in pain, mentally and physically–it was her fault right out the gate. 

Many rape and domestic violence cases go unreported because no survivor, regardless of their sex, gender, race, or sexual preference, wants to be blamed for the abuse they have experienced. No one wants to be told that perhaps they “deserved” their abuse, and no one wants to go to court only to see their absuer let off the hook. 

We need to break out of the habit of blaming the survivor for their abuse. I will acknowledge that there are several sides to cases like Chris and Rihanna but I also we must realize that a honest dialogue means having compassion and sensitivity for our friends, loved ones, sorority sisters, neighbors, and coworkers who have survived any form of abuse. An honest dialogue means being careful what we say around our children–that if we continue to be insensitive and forwarding around pictures of Rihanna’s bruised face, we are only setting a dangerous precedent for them.

Women I love Part 3-Betty Wright

….hell yeah I’m still doing this. April has just started and Women’s History should be celebrated all year round anyway, as should Black History. so there! 😛

And with that, I bring you Betty Wright, soul sister extraordinaire:

Some of you may be very familiar with “Tonight is the Night”. particularly because of the hook: “Tonight is the night you make me a woman…”

And if you hadn’t guessed, the song is about “making love for the very first time” as she tells us in her humorous but matter-of-factly way during her classic two-minute monologue.

I almost forgot about this song until a friend of mine had the above link in her Gchat status….I fell in love with it all over again when I finally clicked the link after coming home from work. She speaks in a candid, sincere way about her first sexual experience in a way that very few female artists had done at that time, but in a way that was timely—this song was released in 1974, right in the middle of the Womens’ Movement.

Black female sexuality is a topic that I’ve explored both as an English major and as a womanist who is dedicated to women and girls’ advocacy. This song–aside from the sense of humor Betty Wright displays so well –reminds me of how important it is for women of color to embrace their sexuality in a positive way. More often then not, in the age of HIV, video vixens, and (sigh) men on the “down low” we forget that sex is supposed to be something beautiful and precious and–yes,–memorable. And that, to me, is just as important as learning about safe sex, abstinence, love relationships, and the like.

To switch gears, I thought I’d throw in another song by her. Here’s “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Can Do” :

I’ve been listening to this song on repeat for a few days…great commentary on the double standard…it’s true, girls simply can’t always do what guys do and get the same amount of respect. The more things change the more they stay the same.

On a lighter note, “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Can Do” was sampled by one Beyonce Knowles. I’m usually pretty good with samples but even I didn’t catch this one: