Saturday, July 11, 2009

Excerpts of My Life...Soundtrack by Michael Jackson - A Tribute to The King

With the passing of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, we have all been reminded of his impact on the world. I hate that we had to lose such an Icon, but I appreciate so much that he has been honored and respected in his passing by most of the media. I have thoroughly enjoyed being taken back in time through the memory of his music. With each song my mind replays a period of time in my life that has been mentally recorded and connected with his music. Travel Back with me...

He Rocks In the Treetop All nite Long, Hoppin and a boppin and singing that song, all the little Birdies on Jaybird Street, love to hear the Robins go.....Yep if you know the next 3 words then you have totally exposed your age and may also remember the "patty caking hand clappin" that little girls used to do to that song. The year was 1972, I was 4, however, years later I remember finding the 45 of that song in my mothers old record stash and playing it on the record player and loving it(Yep, RECORD PLAYER google it yall). I also remember clapping and singing that song on the school bus on the way to elementary school with my friends, I was 9 years old, my parents got divorced that year...This song made me happy. Hearing it and singing it removed me from the situation and allowed me to be a kid for just a little while longer.

Off The Wall - This album was released in 1979. I was a preteen/teenager during the course of its many hits. I was roller skating a lot at this point in my life and I dont know why. My daddy got me a HUGE JVC boombox (Like Radio Raheem's in Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing!) I used to sit that boombox on the curb in front of our apartment and roller skate in the street to Don't Stop Till You Get Enough. I remember just skating and spinning and feeling the sun on my skin with the wind on my face and MJ in my ears, being free...
-Rock With You - All Niiight...
-She's Out of My Life (always made me sad)
-Off The Wall...lyrics: ...Do, what you WANT to do, There Aint No RULES, its up to you... (Words to Live by)

Thriller - I was in high school and I remember with great excitement seeing the World Premier Video for this song on MTV. My whole family and some friends sat around our wood grain floor model tv (yes we was ballin yo) to watch this vid. Them was some of the best 14 minutes of my life. I dont recall ever seeing anything so awesome! Seems like the next day, every boy in school was wearing a "Thriller" jacket and a Jheri Curl, lol. I was also a cheerleader and remember creating dance routines to that song for pep rallies. Good Times

- I Want to LOVE you - P.Y.T - Pretty Young Thang - yep that was me...A PYT. Hey! I had it on the front of a couple of shirts, so it must have been true! Right?
- Human Nature - to this day I close my eyes when I hear this song...you have to if you want to truly feel it. (John Mayer tore this up on the BET Awards recently.)
- Beat It - And what do you say when you are ready for someone to leave your presence??? ahem -"Why don't you make like Michael Jackson and...BEAT IT!" lmao...High School, High School, High School...all I think about when I hear that song...and my silly high school sweetheart trying to dance to it...

(....The SistahChick sings, "...I said You Wanna Be Starting Something, got to be starting something"... as she types this...Do yall remember everyones translation of "Mama say, mama saw, mama coo sa"?? My friend swore that the chant went..."We'll Be Saved By The Sound of Michaels Song...")

BAD - Who's Bad?? Are you kidding me? By now I am in college and drinking my way through all of my issues and classes at IU...and humming "...Yo butt is mine..."

-The Way You Make Me Feel - "...Ain't No-Bo-Dy's Biz Ness but mine and my Baaabayy - Wooo"(in my best MJ impression)
-Dirty Diana - Wasnt it such a naughty song?
-Leave Me Alone - The press has been hounding MJ for years by now. He is tired. ...and me? Pregnant with my 1st child and dropping out of college...Seriously...LEAVE ME ALONE! I was so feelin this song MJ...

Dangerous - I am a single mother now, raising a 3 y/o boy, working AND clubbin like crazy...Do you remember, Remember The Time? and better yet, do you remember the video for Remember the Time? Iman, Eddie Murphy, Magic Johnson and the Great MJ just to name a few. Remember when he turned to gold dust at the end? Outstanding!

- Black or White - another awesome video, all of the morphing thrilled me! showing all of those different cultures intrigued me. By now I am beginning to learn to love myself and my culture. Becoming proud and loving who I am began to shape me to be the person that I am today. Sharing the positive aspects of the African American culture has become a part of my life...and who knows maybe that video had something to do with it.
I could go on FORever with my personal tribute to MJ. Just sitting here and going through these memories has brought about a flood of emotions...They say you dont know what you got until its gone...He is gone, but his imprint has been left on the planet and he will live in my memory and heart forever. Rest In Peace MJ.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009

The Steve McNair Murder - Real Talk

We have all seen the headlines. Steve McNair - Murder/Suicide. I really dont want to sound judgemental, but this situation has opened up a conversation about fidelity and marriage that needs to be discussed. All respect and condolences to Mrs. Mechelle McNair, who i feel is the real victim in all of this. I have read some really horrible blog posts about how maybe Steve wasn't getting what he needed at home, or how Mrs. McNair had to know about the affair, etc. All of that is irrelevent to me. Because guess what??..this woman now has to bury her husband who has publicly disgraced her and her boys in his death. Mr. McNair was married and his responsibility was to his wife and kids. Not to some random hottie that he met at a Dave & Busters 6 months prior. Now his sons must grow up without a father over what? Some poontang? (yeah I said "POONTANG") Was she worth it? I doubt it. IMO married men that cheat on their wives are selfish, insecure, losers. I don't care how it's justified. My thing is, why get married if thats not what you want to do? I mean its a choice. right? So why do it, and then cheat? If you dont want to be in the marriage, why not get a divorce? Why put everyone through the drama of an affair? I have seen firsthand how lives can be ripped apart due to infidelity within a marriage. My own dad cheated on my mom and got the other woman pregnant. OF COURSE he told the other woman that he was going to leave my mom... and when he didnt the other woman attempted suicide. I'll never forget it, I had to be about 10 maybe and suddenly there I was at my grandmother's house being introduced to a 2 year old boy, my brother, because his mother was in the hospital. I will never forget the look on my mothers face when she came to pick us up that day. She took one look at the boy and in that instant I knew that something was wrong. She divorced him that same year and I am glad she did. Instead of letting us grow up in a house of lies, abuse & infidelity, she chose to raise us by herself with the truth. My dad ended up shacking up with the other woman for many years after the divorce and had 2 more children, he never married her and was very abusive to her throughout their relationship (physically, mentally and emotionally). He never even gave the 3 kids they had together his last name. You get what you ask for and the grass always seems greener on the other side, right? This is why the McNair story hits me so close to home. My father is dead now, may he rest in peace, my momma actually grabbed the other woman's hand during the funeral and held it as a show of forgiveness and closure (that is classic behavior for my mother, she is a real queen). but when I think of the countless lives that he negatively affected with his infidelity, abuse and lies... and I dont even want to talk about the BAGFUL of issues that came about for me because of this...

So here is my wisdom for the day...you can take it or leave it.

GUYS: If you want to still sleep around in this age of HIV and seriously psychotic women...DON'T GET MARRIED! If you are already married and are cheating, STOP IT or at least be a man about it and give your wife the chance to choose whether she wants to be with your sorry cheatin ass! And especially if there are children involved. If you think that kids cant feel whats going on, you are mistaken. They are more perceptive than you think. You are teaching your daughters that its ok, to allow a man to use and abuse her, and you are teaching your sons that its ok to be disrespectful to women

LADIES: Young and old, if you are messin with a married man STOP IT. There are a million reasons why you shouldn't, but I will just give you a few. #1 if he truly wanted to be with you..he would. #2. Have some respect for youself...dont let this guy use you like that. trust and believe that he IS using you. A woman deserves to be with a man that truly wants to be with her. #3. If he will lie to his wife by being with you, what makes you think you can trust this guy with your heart?

Warning Signs
-If you have been dating him for months and have never been to his house...he's married
-If he has you on a visitation schedule, meaning he only comes to see you at certain times specifically...he's married
-If he is always MIA during major holidays...He's married
-If he says that he is leaving his wife...for you? please..that is the oldest line in the book, dont believe it.




In the event that he leaves his wife to be with you, remember how you got him, cause you will probably lose him the same way

If the untimely murder/death of the brilliant football star Steve McNair doesn't sway you, pick up a copy of Steve Harvey's book "Act Like A Lady - Think Like a Man".
Remember if you choose to ignore what's obvious, you get what you deserve...and Karma can be a mean bitch.

Spiritual Messages:
- Deepest condolences to Mrs McNair, may God give you the strength to raise those boys without their dad and also pray that God see fit to bless with a man that wants you and only you, one day.
- RIP Steve McNair OF COURSE i dont know you, but my hubby enjoyed watching you play, and you kinda put us all in your business...soooo, if you see my dad, whereever you are, tell him that I said, "What's Up!?"


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