I’m not much of a Taylor Swift fan, I mean I’m not technically in her demo of listeners…but when I heard she was coming out with a new song for her upcoming album release, I was interested in seeing where she would take her creative direction.

Then the internet blew up. Two Wednesdays ago, clips of her “controversial” single and press was released around Taylor’s new visual for “Look What You Made Me Do” and social media did not disappoint with there reaction. People were big mad. The memes were savage, and the think-piecies overflowed with criticism of Taylor’s whole victim-image and rip-off Lemonade persona. Dude, they even dubbed her video Minute Maid. And yes, I laughed because it was clever as all get out (#IAintSorry) but the criticism was so raw even Joseph Kahn felt the need to step in and defend their work.

You know what though…I love music so I watched it. Even past the whole “I don’t like your tilted stage” line (giggles). I’m sitting there like “ohhhh she really thinks she’s doing something.” I mean everyone knows they hate each other and we’re all sadly entertained by it but I was hoping it wouldn’t be all she would lead with. And I’m glad to say it wasn’t. Tay-Tay went all kinds of cray cray and with her video and there were secret messages galore. Exciting, I know right. If you’re a Swifty, you can check out a few of them HERE or HERE.

Now you might be wondering how I personally feel about the song and the clip. It’s not for me but I get it. I’m sure it’s already #1 on the charts, her fans adore her. The video did give me a few chuckles and it was not as Beyoncé-esk as one might think. Kahn was right. People call it genius, I just call it well directed. It’s not hard to reference things in the video if you follow her story. It didn’t use enough of my brain cells for me to think it was deep. I just know she’s definitely got a chip on her shoulder and is telling the world little nice Tay-Tay is dead. Now she’s sassy, edgy Tay-Tay that twirls with “the kids” and doesn’t need to play guitar or write hit songs for huge pop stars to prove she’s hot. Yeah girl, go you! And by the way…I still don’t know “what they made her do.” Kill her old self and bring out her inner tigress? I dunno, maybe that.

Anywho, give it a go for yourself and leave me your thoughts below! <3

-D.Wright

I was excited to hear about Diddy’s Apple Music documentary Cant Stop Won’t Stop earlier this year. You guys know how much I love all things nostalgic and Bad Boy pretty much provided the soundtrack to my super awkward, yet somehow-cool-girlhood. I was a tween jamming out to Biggie, Lil Kim, MA$E, Faith Evans, 112, and Total on the school bus – it was especially my favorite thing in the summer time. I listened to practically everything Bad Boy put out. Shoot I thought I was going to Howard University so I could be a Baby Diddy and start my own Bad Boy!

As for the doc, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop is a fun piece where the viewer gets to really see a raw version of Diddy and his anxieties as he prepares for his biggest project to date – a 20-year anniversary tour. The film starts with the 2016 reunion of former and present Bad Boy artists for the preparation of the tour and interweaves the story of this young intern turned legendary CEO.

Now don’t get me wrong, there are a few moments of overdramatized situations that come up, but it wouldn’t be Diddy if you didn’t have at least a little bit of drama. I also kinda wish they had gone further into detail on a couple of artist’s stories. Aside from that, it’s pretty cool to see where he has managed to go in his career and this documentary is a good look into a big piece of hip-hop music history.

Check it out for yourself. <3

-D.Wright

So what can I say that hasn’t already been said about the immensely talented Montina? I can barely collect my thoughts. I guess I’ll just start with the obvious… this girl can sang her face off! It’s no surprise why Beyoncé tapped Montina to join her team as a background vocalist over 13 years ago.

Montina has, since then, sang alongside Queen Bey and taken the world by storm with sold out tours and legendary performances a singer could only dream of. With all of her success and accomplishments, that didn’t seem to be enough. Montina released her 2016 project, simply titled, “Closer“ as a marker for where she was in womanhood and as testament to the life she lived. Shameless plug and humble brag: I was fortunate to write with her on two songs and she is more than freakishly talented, she’s a true sweetheart.

So now what is Ms. Montina up to? She’s taking no prisoners with her newly released, gut-punching ballad “Grass is Greener.” Montina is laying it out there for women who have experienced heartbreak and infidelity with a clear message…

[su_quote cite=”I made sure, my grass was greener next door.”][/su_quote]

You hear a rawness from Montina that breaks away from her legendary cool tone and smooth vocals. Montina is stepping out in more ways than one and I’m excited to hear what she reveals for her follow up. Click here to download the song on iTunes! <3

-D.Wright

Photo courtesy of Getty/Michael Loccisano.

If you haven’t checked out HBO’s The Defiant Ones by now, you are truly missing out on a gem. It’s a revealing look into the lives of music’s most influential dynamic duo, Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine. TDF is a four episode mini series that leaves no subject about the “power-bros” off the record. You want drama, comedy, romance, and amazing freaggin’ music – it’s all there for you.

Why I enjoyed it…

The Hits
The soundtrack to this thing and insane. Sure I might be biased because I grew up with the music these guys put out and felt super nostalgic, but it was truly epic. It’s easy to forget how many hits these guys were apart of but with the retelling of their story, it’s all inspiring to hear. You have the likes of N.W.A, Dr. Dre, Snoop, Ice Cube, Nirvana, Bruce Springsteen, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Gwen Stefani and No Doubt, U2, Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac, and so many other artists featured. Off the music alone, I think you’ll enjoy it. Like seriously.

Photo courtesy of G L Askew II, via HBO

The Videography
Allen Hughes did a phenomenal job with the direction and filming of this docu-series. It was shot beautifully and he really managed to get revealing interviews from everyone their team spoke with. You feel like you’re literally listening to your folks tell this bomb story about your family history – in glossy, Hollyhood music video format though. The detailed shots are so intricate that you could sense even the smallest emotional queues and this is just from the cut aways people! It’s as if he’s speaking through the cinematography. Watch it, it’s truly mesmerizing.

Photo courtesy of Joe Pugliese /AUGUST/ HBO

The Truth
These interviews are jaw dropping. I sat there like “Noooo, nooooo this couldn’t have happened. This wasn’t a thing.” Guess what, it did and it was. This thing is scandalous in the best of ways. There are stories of crime, abuse, drunken debauchery, drugs, sex, and the list goes on. Legendary artist dropping eff-bombs is just the icing on the cake folks. A viewer is made privy to personal details on historic music industry incidents from over the last 20+ years. You finally receive your “welcome” behind the velvet rope.

The Comedy
Snoop Dogg has to be my favorite person out of all of this. I mean everyone had humorous moments, like the story of when Dre almost ruined his Apple deal with ONE drunken Facebook video, or when Eminem revealed his annoyance with slinging Beats headphones in the early days. But that held no comparison to the comedic relief Snoop Dogg provided throughout the entire documentary. He’s awesome and yes he’s high as a kite, but he does not bite his tongue in the least. You know he’s telling the truth. So here’s the real lesson, you want to find out what was really going on…ask Uncle Snoop.

Watch it, it’s totally worth a good binge on your couch. They truly did it for the culture. <3

-D.Wright

About two weeks ago, Jay-Z released his anticipated 13th album “4:44″ on his music streaming service, Tidal, and the Sprint mobile platform. (And yes, I was one of those people who re-downloaded TIDAL to use the free trial. Don’t judge me…I helped him go platinum.) I listened to this 30 minute hip-hop masterpiece and was immediately enthralled by the arc of his story. Of course the big media tagline seemed to be “Jay-Z cheats on gorgeously fabulous superstar wife, repents, and atones”…but I felt there was more. I knew that writing a thinkpiece out of the burning excitement of it all would be shallow commentary and a waste of your time. So I took a bit to let it marinate and thought of some real takeaways for myself.

Jay-Z Taught Me:

• Never be afraid to evolve
• Allow yourself to think outside of the box financially
• Don’t let anyone condition you to accept their bad behavior
• Never let anything come between you and the people you love

Never be afraid to evolve

[su_quote cite=”Cry Jay Z. We know the pain is real but you can’t heal what you’ve never revealed.”][/su_quote]

Jay-Z with or without the hyphen…With or without the space? Who knows, but it obviously means something to him. We’ve seen this guy bare his soul with slick lyrics over hot beats for decades at this point. He’s gone from a chauvinistic, drug-dealing hustler to a reformed, grown man working to be financially sound and loyal to his family. If you’ve paid any attention to his career you would know he’s always put various versions of himself all out there for the world to see. He’s admitted to dealing (drugs) and not knowing the power of his dollar, sucking at love, mindlessly blowing his money, being the father he wished he had and practically ruining his life for nekkid Virginia (you’ll catch that later). He’s been honest about his humble beginnings from Marcy and his journey to becoming a billionaire. This guy is never afraid to shed old skin, old habits, or old friendships and he continuously reveals his evolution in his work. He shares his growth as an artist, business man and (now) family man throughout his body of work. He takes risks on himself and makes no apologies for it. We should all be unapologetic in our growth and embrace our evolution.

Allow yourself to think outside of the box financially

[su_quote cite=”Financial freedom my only hope. F**** living rich, but dying broke.”][/su_quote]

Many of us have been singing this same song of financial freedom for quite some time now but it was pretty cool to hear an artist of his caliber candidly take on the subject. His no hold barred verses called out colleagues, industry peers, and his fans on the the reckless mentality we’ve held in relation to the dollar. How is it that we’re deciding to monetize our work? How is it that we’re deciding to invest in ourselves and build our communities? How is it that we live rich and die wealthy? “The Story of OJ”, “Caught Their Eyes” and “Legacy” really emphasize the importance of generational wealth and financial empowerment. I’m just now getting to a place in my life where I’m working towards generational wealth. I realized it’s not too late and will continue to invest in myself so that I can make a larger impact in the economy. It’s inspiring to see artists changing the relationship they have with money and helping their fans become more financially literate. It’s high time we start discussing stock options, bonds and other forms of investment.

Don’t let anyone condition you to accept their bad behavior

[su_quote cite=”You egged Solange on, knowing all along all you had to say (is) you was wrong..”][/su_quote]

In Jay’s opening (“Kill Jay Z”), I think Solange taught me this lesson. She obviously takes no crap and I love it. I joke with my friends all the time and say “Solange is the sibling you want in your family.” She’s definitely the opinionated, keep it real type who you don’t want to eff with. I know you should never put your hands on anyone but I really admire her no nonsense, I might just put these paws on you if you act up, attitude.

Mr. Z and Ms. Yoncé have been together for quite some time, and it’s been speculated that he ultimately conditioned his young tender to deal with his bologna. What he probably didn’t realize was that she’d actually snap out of it and had a tribe of ride-or-dies who wouldn’t let it go on for much longer. In the title track, “4:44″, he finally reveals coming to a sobering realization. This is all supposition of course, but ladies you know how we are. A good girlfriend/sister will never let you, or anyone else, make a fool out of you. She got to the point where she played “the fool no more” and I definitely think Solange had something to do with that. Sometimes that’s all we need. Sometimes we need that person closest to us to help us stick up for ourselves. Bad behavior is unacceptable. We have to fight for ourselves and never be blinded by whatever it is to the point where we let people mistreat us. Even if we love them. And if by any chance these bad behaved weasels slip through the cracks, find your Solange.

Never let anything come between you and the people you love

[su_quote cite=”Let me alone Becky.”][/su_quote]

This guy legit rebukes everything that attempts to come between him and his family, and I’m not mad at it. He’s openly going to the mattresses for his village. To me this is deeper than his relationship with Beyoncé – it’s about everyone around him who lifts him up. He doesn’t want to disappoint the people who have helped him become the person he is. He cares about his family honor. He of course references the strength of his wife, the loyalty of his best friend, the courage of his mother coming out, his children…he knows he has a lot to lose if he doesn’t continue to strive for greatness as a man. I think that’s huge.

I stay inside of my head a lot and sometimes forget about the feelings of the people I love. I forget how much they love me and want to see me win. I forget how much I’ve appreciated them during my darkest times but I want to make sure to become more mindful not take any of them for granted. It’s easy to do with this world we live in. We’re all so used to the thought of people being around that we don’t frequently acknowledge how integral they are to who we’ve become. In this new age of digital communication, we don’t connect as genuinely as we used to and we stay distracted with both superficial and self-serving things. It’s time to free ourselves of those diversions (whatever your Becky is) and focus in what’s important – the people you love and the work that brings you fulfillment.

Never let a “Becky” come between you and your true happiness. <3

-D.Wright