Brandy - Two Eleven

Words cannot describe how excited I am for Brandy's new album Two Eleven due out on August 28. You can check out her latest single from the album Put It Down ft. Chris Brown here which is a certified banger! The accompanying visual has been shot for the song and it should be premiering soon. The album title is a representation of her birthdate and the day that her idol and very dear friend Whitney Houston died. It has been 4 long years since she has released an album and the wait is almost over. The album will feature production credits from Rico Love, Bangladesh, Danja, Jim Jonsin, Timbaland, and Noah "40" Shebib, and songwriting credits from Chris Brown, Frank Ocean, Sean Garret, and Drake. I am a huge fan of Brandy and feel that she has not reached the level of success that she is destined to have. Granted, she has been very successful throughout her career I just feel that she has so much more to give to this world beyond just GREAT music! If her past albums are any indication of what is to come from Two Eleven then I must say we are about to be knocked off our feet by Ms. Norwood! My favorite album of hers is Never Say Never! Brandy sung her heart and soul out on that album and it is still in heavy rotation to this day along with Full Moon and Human! Speaking of Human, that album was Brandy's most underrated album to date! Her Human album was flawless from beginning to end and my favorite performances from her comes from that album era. You can check them out here and here and be as wowed as I was! Also check out my girl doing her thing at this year's BET Awards where she performed during the tribute to Whitney Houston! She killed it and I was so proud of her for showing up and showing out! I know it was hard for her but she did Whitney very proud! I am so ready to be wowed during this new era! Brandy always delivers! She hasn't let me down yet! Don't forget to purchase your copy of Two Eleven when it hits shelves and online retailers on August 28! I can't wait to get mine!

Note: The above picture is not the actual album artwork for Two Eleven; it's fanmade but gorgeous nonetheless!

Frank Ocean Is Happy

So recording artist and songwriter Frank Ocean revealed on July 4, 2012 that he was gay through a beautifully written letter that he posted on his Tumblr page. I posted my very first blog entry on Frank Ocean and marveled about how great of an artist he is, which you can check out here! Me, personally I do not care who he wants to love because I am here for the music and the music only! But what a way to celebrate Independence Day by declaring his own independence! Now with him revealing that, one has to wonder how this will affect his fanbase and his music sales. His debut album, Channel Orange, will be released on July 17, 2012. Homosexuality is slowly becoming more of a norm in society but he is in one of the most homophobic music industry communities, which is the hip-hop community. I guess in the coming weeks we will see if his coming out will affect his record sales. This is huge! I mean he is like the first person ever in the hip-hop community to openly admit to being homosexual! Some may consider that to be career suicide; but I see it as being a career birth! I guess that’s the optimistic person that I am but I honestly believe that! The support from some of his industry peers has been awesome but will they really look past his sexual preference and see his talent instead. The picture that I used for this post was uploaded by Beyonce on her Tumblr page to show her support for the singer. I applaud him for opening that door for people like us. He really just started a movement. Yes, there are openly gay men in the industry but not the hip-hop industry…until now! I applaud him for having the courage to bare his soul like that in such a judgmental society. This is great for people in the gay community who didn’t have the courage to stand up and be who they are. He just gave all of those people hope! Thank you Frank Ocean! You’re kind of like a hero man!

The RIAA

The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) works to protect the intellectual property and First Amendment rights of artists and music labels; conduct consumer, industry and technical research; and monitor and review state and federal laws, regulations and policies. The association is also responsible for certifying Gold, Platinum, Multi-Platinum and Diamond sales awards. Its members consist of record labels and distributors as explained here. Since I want to start up my own artist management/music production company, the RIAA will play a major part as it has the 4 major music labels, EMI, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and Universal Music Group, as members of its association. I ultimately will want my artists to be signed to one of those labels or a subsidiary of one of those labels. Although it is kind of disheartening that there is only 4 major labels that controls the music industry, I still want to pursue my dream. I know that I will have to come up with something new and fresh to compete with what is already out there. Listening to the radio today, I know that the kind of artists I would like to manage is not anything like what you hear on the radio. I want to break away from the repetitive sound of today’s music and put a spin on the music that I love, which is R&B/Soul! The RIAA will also keep me up-to-date on the economic status of the music industry and also the threats to the industry. I can access charts as to the genre of music that sells the most from year to year and also the demographics that are relevant to staying relevant in this industry. It also helps in regulating the piracy threat that has plagued the industry for many years now and how piracy is the major staple that has caused the major decline in the music industry over the years. So, with me trying to break into this industry I have to take in all of that and come up with a way to not let that factor affect my business in every way that I can! I am up for the challenge because music is my first love and passion and I will do what it takes to make this work and with the RIAA providing much needed information at my disposable I know I can do this! 

Embracing Me

Thandie Newton gave a riveting speech (here) on self and how it gets in the way of the essence of our being. She talked about how she felt she was a nobody being born to a white father and a black mother in the 70s and dealing with the abuse that came from that. She spoke on how she felt so free when she became a dancer and an actor because she was no longer her self but something else entirely that she breathed life into. She spoke about her bulimia and having to see a therapist because she was confused and she felt that her self was not any good. I can totally relate to that feeling of not belonging and being an anomaly because I’m gay-a social outcast! While growing up I endured so much verbal and sometimes physical abuse because of who I was. My getaway was through music. I used music as a way to transfer all of my emotional expression to it. I am a singer so I sang my pain and frustration away. I let it all out through my voice. Eventually I had to learn that I was so much more than what people labeled me as. I knew I had a lot to offer the world and I was not going to let anyone put out the light that is inside me. My essence means more than my self. I love my self but it gets in the way sometimes of what I know I can accomplish through the essence of me. I just wish that we could get rid of the boxes that society places upon us and just be ourselves. It does not matter what race we are, what religion we believe in, or status; we are all one! If we could get in touch with the oneness that Thandie spoke upon. Where we become one with each other and ourselves and get rid of that heavy burden of self. Let’s live up to the essence of who we are!

Why Hello World, It's Misha B!

Misha B! Where do I start with this amazing singer, rapper, and lyricist? She helms from Manchester, England but the world will soon come to know just who Misha B really is! She received her start on the 8^th season of the UK’s The X Factor season 8 where she ended in 4^th place. I did not watch the show but I was cruising YouTube one day and came across her performance of “Rolling In The Deep” (here) on the show and was absolutely blown away! The performance was dope! The arrangement of the song and her styling were flawless! I wanted desperately to know who was this girl with these crazy skills!? She sings, raps, has great stage presence, and not to mention her eccentric wardrobe choices! I was so intrigued by this girl that I watched every video I could find on her and was amazed at this young lady’s talent! I mean at only 20 years old I see a major career happening for her if she has the right people backing her. I was like where has she been hiding? She has had many comparisons to Missy Elliot and is working with the hip-hop legend on her debut album.  That’s major right there because Missy brings that heat! Misha B just recently dropped a mixtape entitled “Why Hello World” and it is just a teaser of what is to come from her! I am so excited to see what she comes with next because it has been a long time since a singing/rapping female has graced the industry and actually does it oh so well! There is no word yet on if she has been signed yet but I’m sure she has already and it just has not been revealed yet! After being eliminated she went on SBTV and dropped a hot 64 (here) and absolutely killed it! This girl will be talked about in many, many years to come you just mark my words! I know talent when I see it and Misha B has tons of it! Follow Misha B on Twitter @IamMishaB!

Artist To Keep Your Eye On: FRANK OCEAN

Frank Ocean is best known for his hit song “Novacane” (here) than being one part of the group OFWGKTA (Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All). He is a singer-songwriter who has written songs for Beyonce, Brandy, Justin Bieber, and John Legend. He released his amazing first mixtape, Nostalgia, Ultra on February 8, 2011. The mixtape really showed the type of artist that Frank Ocean is. He did not hold back at all lyrically or musically. The mixtape seemed effortless and flowed very well. This is definitely like timeless music to me. I can see myself still playing this mixtape in the years to come. Standout tracks include “Swim Good”, “Novacane”, “We All Try”, and “Nature Feels”. He has been giving the Hollywood stamp of approval by the likes of Jay-Z and Kanye West. He worked on Jay-Z and Kanye’s joint album “Watch The Throne” and contributed vocals to the songs “No Church in the Wild” and “Made in America”. He also has been backed by rock band Coldplay, who he will be opening up for on the leg of their European tour later this year. He is signed to Def Jam Recordings with his debut album set to drop later this year. When I first heard “Novacane” on the radio, it was just so refreshing to hear. It was different, engaging, and lyrically genius. I mean in this day and age you do not have many male singers out and on mainstream radio that sings and writes like Frank Ocean does. I would love to sit in on a creative session with him doing what he does best: writing and singing. That would be freaking awesome. Frank initially wrote a song for Roc Nation artist Bridget Kelly titled “Thinkin Bout You”. Frank’s version of the song leaked and people fell in love with it. So he decided to keep the song for himself, re-mastered it, and intended to be included on his upcoming, as yet untitled debut studio album. Check the video out here! It's pretty weird and dope! Frank Ocean is definitely one to keep your eye on. I feel like he has major things in store this year and I am ready and excited to follow his journey through his music. Follow Frank on twitter @frank_ocean and like his fan page on facebook www.facebook.com/thefrankocean!