Tag Archive | Marvin Gaye

SiMH❤ Encore: The Purses and Suits of Happiness

WHERE DID ALL THE ROMANCE GO?

Excuse me but was I under a rock when the most romantic phrase became “Just throw it in the bag” as rapper Fabolous and the Dream teamed up to sing? I am confused and appalled at this because love seems to now be measured by how much a man spends on you and the price tag and label on what he buys. Money, as it turns out, can buy love!!

According to the world today, happiness is not pursued,it is bought. I will use rap as well as r n b as my case study. If one listens to most rap songs it is clear that money,cars and lavish living are the way to obtain happiness. Kid Cudi sang about the “Pursuit of Happiness” but now what I am seeing are the “Purses and Suits of Happiness”.

 

Even listening to a rap “love song” one is appalled at how love and money are put on the same level. From T.I singing “you can have whatever you like” to “I got a bunch of dollars so I can spend on her/so she can be my lady she can be my lover,” as Rick Ross sings, it is so clear that these men think buying expensive cars and purses is the measure of their love. Now don’t get me wrong, it is nice to spend money on your lady but don’t make it seem like it is the only thing you need to do to keep her happy. What saddens me  is that some women are happy with these kinds of relationships not realising that they are worth way more than that Hermes bag he just purchased.

I really  don’t know why women marry rappers. The message I get from most of their music is that they are super materialistic people who think success is measured by the suits they wear, and the price tag of the purse he bought his girlfriend. I heard this song by The Dream called “Make up bag”, in which this tragedy is applied. Besides the awful lyrics I actually managed to find something more appalling, and that is the meaning and message of the song. So basically in this song The Dream cheats on his girlfriend and she finds out.”I been out all night patroning/she sayin sorry won’t get it.”

The chorus is the killer. Firstly it says something about The Dream’s songwriting skills and more importantly it says a lot about the society in which we are living.

“if you ever make ya girlfriend mad/don’t let your good girl go bad/drop five stacks on a make up bag/”

Really? So if a guy messes up then buys me an expensive bag all will be forgiven? That really isn’t a compliment to us women. What connotations does this have on us? How do you even know if the apology is heartfelt? What an appalling song. Sadly,it isn’t just a concept or a song, some ladies would be happy to receive such an expensive apology. Are these the messages music should be conveying. It isn’t just hip hop that died, R n B and pop went with it. Sad day. Marvin Gaye must be turning in his grave. Mercy,mercy me indeed!

To answer the question at the beginning, romance has clearly gone from peoples’ hearts to their pockets. I am all for old school romance not this new type of love. If you really think about it how much thought does it take to charge a pair of Louboutins to your black American express card? Not much, coz your assistant probably does it for you. I am not fooled by this phenomenon, I see it for what it really is. An act, a cover up, a facade. If you think your bling will blind me, you are grossly mistaken.  In this case I will sing along with J.lo and say “my love don’t cost a thing” So as an independent woman I refuse to have my worth measured by that monogrammed purse you want to buy me. Actually I can buy it myself, thank you.

Underplayed and Underappreciated : Robin Thicke

Robin Thicke’s new album drops officially drops in a fortnight! Loud high fives all around people, this is exciting news. More exciting than Rihanna’s Talk that Talk release by far because here is a guy who actually makes real music (No offence Riri fans.) Yes, Love after War, Robin Thicke’s new will be in stores on December 7 (Merry Early Christmas!!). Two tracks from the album have already been released, and if Love After War and Pretty Lil Heart are anything to go by, we expect nothing but perfection when the album drops. The Love after War video is also out now so for those of you who want to see Robin Thicke’s good looks (or Paula Patton’s) check it out. You gotta love a guy who loves putting his wife in (a lot of) his videos.

Why do I love Robin Thicke, you ask? I have a thing for old school soul i.e Marvin Gaye and although I wasn’t in existence in Marvin’s time, Thicke’s music gives me that old school feeling. Robin Thicke is soul music personified and he has the moves and voice to back it up, so no, he’ not just a pretty face. I will always support artists who go against the grain and refuse to be changed by the pressures of the industry. The success of thump thump songs like Party Rock Anthem and We Found Love shows exactly where the music industry is at right now (music with a lot of shuffle and no soul). Artists like Robin Thicke forever stand out because they are unashamedly all about the soul. His music is deep, authentic and honest, and although the industry doesn’t give him the attention and respect he deserves I think he has 10 times the talent of The Billboard Top 10 combined.

I don’t understand how some people get so much attention and airplay when they don’t have the unique talent and presence to back it up. If you took away the good producers, autotune and bells and whistles there wouldn’t be anything special about them. Notice how I didn’t mention any names? I practised severe restraint here. For every 10  silly catchy thump thump songs there is one quality song. These songs are wasting airplay. Am I the only one who sees something wrong with that? Shouldn’t it be the other way round? Shouldn’t we have a plethora of good music then a few mediocre songs to balance it out? I am passionate about the music industry and what I want to see it return to a time where quality actually meant something. That’s why I fully support Robin Thicke and his music. He still knows what music is and refuses to be tied down by the current commercial pressures of music.

My Ode to Neo-soul

If rap music was a man, he would be the cocky, flashy, guy who get’s all the attention, basically the life of the party. Rock music would be the heavily tattooed, chain smoking sex god. Soul music would be the cute but shy guy sitting in the corner having a deep meaningful conversation. This guy mostly goes unnoticed but if you’re looking for love advice or some wise words he would be your first port of call. Imagine soul music as that old wise uncle who always knows the smoothest lines. Now neo-soul would be the youngster who has had his uncle’s knowledge passed down to him and he’s put his own spin on everything he’s learnt. So basically, although soul music doesn’t get the same amount of attention as its louder counterparts, it is still a powerful inspirational part of music.Soul music has an incredible legacy, the likes of Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin are just a few of soul’s greats. When I say Neo-soul I’m talking about the new school of soul music, which saw a rise in the mid 90s. The fusion of soul and contemporary is Neo soul. When I think of this genre, 3 names come to mind Maxwell, D’Angelo and of couse Erykah Badu. These artists and their albums Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite, Brown Sugar and Baduizm changed the game. Now I tend to be all over the place when it comes to music but my love and respect for soul music will always remain and will probably continue to grow. Last week I watched Maxwell on VH1 Storytellers and I marvelled at his talent and passion as well as the fact that his music is timeless. For him it’s not about the trend or the “in thing” he just makes music from the soul. His performance got me thinking about soul music, it’s beauty it’s growth and it’s depth.  So with this in mind, today’s post is dedicated to Neo Soul and these are some of my favourite songs artists.

1. MAXWELL

 

 

 

 

2. ERYKAH BADU

 

 

 

3. LAURYN HILL

 

4. D’ANGELO

 

 

 

 

5. JILL SCOTT

 

 

6. MUSIQ

 

7. FLOETRY

 

 

 

 

8. HEATHER HEADLEY

 

 

 

9. BILAL

 

 

 

10. ANTHONY HAMILTON

Lesson 1:The Purses and Suits of Happiness

WHERE DID ALL THE ROMANCE GO?

Excuse me but was I under a rock when the most romantic phrase became “Just throw it in the bag” as rapper Fabolous and the Dream teamed up to sing? I am confused and appalled at this because love seems to now be measured by how much a man spends on you and the price tag and label on what he buys. Money, as it turns out, can buy love!!

According to the world today, happiness is not pursued,it is bought. I will use rap as well as r n b as my case study. If one listens to most rap songs it is clear that money,cars and lavish living are the way to obtain happiness. Kid Cudi sang about the “Pursuit of Happiness” but now what I am seeing are the “Purses and Suits of Happiness”. Even listening to a rap “love song” one is appalled at how love and money are put on the same level. From T.I singing “you can have whatever you like” to “I got a bunch of dollars so I can spend on her/so she can be my lady she can be my lover,” as Rick Ross sings, it is so clear that these men think buying expensive cars and purses is the measure of their love. Now don’t get me wrong, it is nice to spend money on your lady but don’t make it seem like it is the only thing you need to do to keep her happy. What saddens me  is that some women are happy with these kinds of relationships not realising that they are worth way more than that Hermes bag he just purchased. I personally think this is all just an act. Without all the trappings of success,where would these men be. R.Kelly sings,

 “If it wasn’t for the money, cars and movie stars and jewels and all these things I’ve got I wonder,would you still love me?” 

That is a very good question because it seems some women are only with some rich men because of the wealth and the lifestyle attached to it.Rappers label women as gold diggers because it seems that what women are after in a relationship nowadays is material appreciation as opposed to love and affection.  

I really  don’t know why women marry rappers. The message I get from most of their music is that they are super materialistic people who think success is measured by the suits they wear, and the price tag of the purse he bought his girlfriend. I heard this song by The Dream called “Make up bag”, in which this tragedy is applied. Besides the awful lyrics I actually managed to find something more appalling, and that is the meaning and message of the song. So basically in this song The Dream cheats on his girlfriend and she finds out. Here are some of the words.

 

“I been out all night patroning/she sayin sorry won’t get it.”

The chorus is the killer. Firstly it says something about The Dream’s songwriting skills and more importantly it says a lot about the society in which we are living.

“if you ever make ya girlfriend mad/don’t let your good girl go bad/drop five stacks on a make up bag/”

Really? So if a guy messes up then buying me an expensive bag will make me forgive you? That really is not a compliment to us women. What connotations does this have on us? How do you even know if the apology is heartfelt? What an appalling song. The concept of it is just disgusting. Sadly,it isn’t just a concept, some ladies would be happy to receive such an expensive apology. Are these the messages music should be conveying. It isn’t just hip hop that died, R n B and pop went with it. Sad day. Marvin Gaye must be turning in his grave. Mercy,mercy me indeed.

To answer the question at the beginning,romance has clearly gone from peoples’ hearts to their pockets. I am all for old school romance not this new type of love. If you really think about it how much thought does it take to charge a pair of Louboutins to your black American express card? Not much, coz your assistant probably does it for you. I am not fooled by this phenomenon. Even through my bootleg Ray bans,I see it for what it really is. An act, a cover up, a facade. If you think your bling will blind me, you are grossly mistaken.  In this case I will sing along with J.lo and say “my love don’t cost a thing” So as an independent woman I refuse to have my worth measured by that monogrammed purse you want to buy me. Actually I can buy it myself, thank you.