Willow Smith - Red Table Talks

How many of you remember being told, “You don’t know what you are talking about!” or “Stop being dramatic!” when you attempted to express yourself as a kid? Well, I do and certainly Will Smith understood when he penned the adolescent anthem “Parents Just Don’t Understand.” Now the multi-talented entertainer’s daughter, Willow Smith, is showing us just how her famous parents are breaking those parent-child communication barriers.  

In this intimate conversation between Willow, her mother Jada Pinkett-Smith and her grandmother (Jada’s mother, Adrienne Banfield-Jones), we get to see three generations of women openly discuss their relationship with one another.

I found it extremely important that I share this video because I was truly touched and appreciative of the type of dialogue that was shown between Willow and her mother and grandmother. In this talk they allow Willow to freely express her perspective, her feelings, and her hopes. You see Jada and Adrienne taking in what Willow has to say, inquiring further, and giving her time to work through her emotions. For me it is a brilliant moment of parenting and love. 

Conversations like this need to be happening in more homes between parents and children. I especially hope this video inspires African-American parents, who I personally find to get caught up in the habit of telling our children to “Shut-up!” Young African-American females are already often the last to be acknowledged and respected in American society overall, so beginning at home we should at least be shown that our feelings and perspectives matter. Teaching our children (all of them) that their thoughts are not silly, but instead come from their thinking, growing and observant individuality will impart on the world more confident, creative and free-thinking adults. 

Hey, still whoop your kids, but at least let them express what they learned afterwards. I am simply speaking from my childhood perspective. Watch it and think about it.

If this video is only one of a series, I am looking forward to hearing what else these ladies lay out on the table.  

-SHELL

Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

LeBron Earns His Ring: End of Hater Fuel…For Now

So, the Miami Heat just won the NBA Championship and the love from the fans is pouring all over the web. Even the haters, whom I mentioned in the “The Most Epic Day Ever” post are showing love. Take a look at some of the admiration and praise below, followed by a link to hater fuel that brought the Heat to this point. I don’t suspect this is the end of the anti-LeBron talk, but it will certainly calm folks down a bit. #PEACE

 - SHELL

Peep the Hater Heat Fuel HERE

June 9th, 2012 - The Most Epic Day Ever

I don’t know if the government injected crack into the water last night or if something was in the air, but last night (and early morning today) was pretty eventful. From angry boxing fans to the death of one of hip-hop’s greats, stuff was seriously going down. Let’s see:

1. Heat Win Eastern Conference Finals

With all the Heat haters popping up like zombies now days, kicking the Boston Celtics out of the Championship line-up by winning the Eastern Conference Finals is a big deal for the Miami team. I won’t pretend to know much about sports (I’m a Sixers fan anyway :(), but I did take note of all the social media craziness surrounding this game. Take a look at what some of the nutty sports fans had to say HERE.

The game also got record TV viewer ratings, according to the Associated Press. Read HERE.

2. D’ Angelo Surprised Bannaroo Attendees with His First U.S. Performance in Over a Decade

According to THIS MTV article, ?uestlove brought another epic performance to the states with a 90 minute set with D’ Angelo in Manchester, TN. As you can tell from my past post, I am excited that D’ Angelo will be blessing our ears once again with his amazing talents. Can’t deny that I am a little salty that he made his first U.S. performance in Tennessee instead of the Big Apple, where he is not only currently living, but working on his new music. I didn’t move to NYC for all the cool stuff to start happening in southern states! #haterfallsback . 

3. Manny Pacquiao Loses Fight to Timothy Bradley, Breaking His 7 Year Streak 

Seems like this morning folks were yelling “Boxing is Dead!” like they had Paul Revere syndrome or something. Based, on the commentating and articles, Pacquiao had made a clear, but no remarkable win. This allowed the judges to name Bradley the winner by a small margin. It seems even Bradley wasn’t positive he won the fight, suggesting he would review the tapes to see who won. Boxing fans are pretty angry and considering this a major strike against boxing. I call BS. The way I see it, the boxing business has always been as much of a game as the sport itself. I won’t speculate on who probably got paid off, but at the end of the day because of this fight people are talking about boxing more than the Heat game and D’Angelo. Now all of those who didn’t pay to see the “injustice,” will pay to go see the possible rematch. #C.R.E.A.M.

Also, calm down.

4. Canibus Loses a Pay-Per-View Rap Battle to Dizaster; Makes It Worse by Pulling Out Notepad

I am not quick to laugh at stuff like this because it is upsetting to see a legend dig his own grave. Canibus is a rapper that gained respect because of his battle rhymes and back-breaking lyrics. When he forfeited this battle and then pulled out a notepad, hearts were broken. My stomach literally churned as I watched the majority of the battle.  Then I almost chocked when Canibus said “Mama-say mama-sah ma-ma-coo-sah” for no apparent reason. Sad. What makes it worse it that Dizaster did a beyond outstanding job ripping Canibus to shreds. Dizaster was ready for war, but arrived at a public suicide. 

I’m sure most who have listened to any of Canibus’ most recent music weren’t too surprised by the loss. It was far worse than one could predict though. Watch the post-notebook part of the “battle” HERE.

- SHELL

Wondering who this Madd Ilz is that Canibus said 99% of the rappers resembled? He is an emcee out of the Ozone (Orlando) and CEO of the hip-hop battle league, Grind Time Now. 

Behind the Scenes Video of D’Angelo Singing Funkadelic’s “Soul Mate”

Music has been under water for a long time and here is some proof that it just might have a chance to breath again. I feel energized by it, just like the night I got to slow dance to D’Angelo’s “Lady” with someone other than my reflection. Even if his come back ends poorly (which I doubt), any good that comes from it will be worth it. Don’t you forget that people fail, falter, and fade away from our expectations… but not the impression of their music. Am I silly for simply being thankful for the music D’Angelo has already done and grateful for the possibility that there could be more to come? Once you feel it, how can anything else become a factor? It perfectly lingers on. God is good…and music is a joy. #feelinggood #criticsneednotapply

- SHELL

Based on the Funkadelic throwback D’Angelo chose for this video, I imagine he feels the same way I do about the music he loves. Who knows. #DoesntMatter

(Source: GQ)

Slow Jam the News with the President

This is AWESOME. I know folks are enjoying this because it’s funny, makes Obama seem cool, or because you want attention brought to that particular education loan interest issue. BUT ME? I’m excited because The Roots Crew is on a top Late Night show performing with the host and the President of the United States. I feel proud of my Philly brothers for finding a way to bring a truly talented hip-hop band into the homes of mainstream America. This is probably how Louisiana, Brooklyn and jazz kats felt when Branford Marsalis joined The Tonight Show. Every time Black Thought opens his mouth on that show, it is like man taking steps on the moon for me. Granted, I still don’t think they are a household name yet like P. Diddy and Snoop and Thought doesn’t seem to rap that often on the show, but I’m looking at the silver lining, people. Maybe they need to take it back to underground promo and start wearing t-shirts on the show that say “The Roots” #justsayin

Well, what do you think? Are The Roots a household name yet, or does that even matter?

- SHELL

(Source: youtube.com)

Baby Kanye

THIS. IS. CUTE. Though while watching this, I prayed the little kid didn’t know all the words he was saying (or that he wasn’t saying them at all). It’s not every day that you get a kid that looks just like Kanye West together on camera with an actress (@JasminMarilena) desperate enough to jiggle beside him. It’s funny and made my mind jump back to B.I.G.’s “Sky is the Limit” video. This is one piece of viral goofiness I enjoyed. S/O to Ashley Smith (@Ash_Innovator), the director, for this. See more here: http://vimeo.com/ashleysmithfilms/videos

- SHELL

The New Kid: Pinterest.com

There is a new kid on the block and his name is Pinterest. This is a fairly new social networking site that allows users to post (aka pin) images of items of interest, hence the name. Pinning images is a way for users to share with the world (and their followers) what items, products, and images they find inspiring and would like to recommend. These pins are organized into groups known as boards. As you can see above, I just started my own Pinterest a couple weeks ago. I have a lot of pinning to go, but I am projecting that this is going to be an interesting social experience that will really teach us a lot about our friends and loved ones in a way that the over-crowded Facebook hasn’t allowed. And, as I plan to explain to you in a future post, I feel that a social tool such as Pinterest will be another great way for small businesses to get their products out to the masses. Just when I think social networking can’t get anymore interesting, they pin this one on me! (Sorry, the pun was calling me :))

-SHELL

—Feel free to photo reply with a screen shot and link of your Pinterest so we can connect!