I'm Ready To Go Right NOW

John Legend is a true performer. His show this past Friday at the Tower Theater was fabulous. Everything was perfect. More than his band, the system in the Tower was working splendidly. With a voice like his, all creamy raspy Frank Sinatra like, with some Nat King Cole sprinkled in for good measure, having the proper acoustics is essential. It just so happened that his band did happen to be phenomenal. He had a three piece horn section that killed it the entire show. He must have went into someones Black Lilly-esque event in Detroit or something to find that trio. They were high energy the entire show and they sang. Not sing, saaaaaaang. I have to go pick up some copies of the paper today, but in the mean time, here is the link that ran in today's Philadelphia Inquirer if you want to check it out.

Unfortunately, Raphael Saadiq's show opening performance didn't go over so well. He looked great, sounded good, but the crowd response wasn't there. I think people wanted to hear some more old stuff. Not that his new old sounding stuff isn't cool, but I think if he may have dug in the crates more, people would have been into it. The crowd seemed to jam the most when he did "Dance Tonight", his single with the group Lucy Pearl.

I know one thing, the appreciation I had for seeing those guns when he took off that sharkskin suit is ling-er-ing! . That brother is in goooooooood shape.

Johnny has been on my brain since the concert. You get two for one goodness on "Greenlight". Andre 3000 is the man.

It Never Rains...

...in southern California. A metaphorical song about love using rain? Can you beat that on this rainy Sunday? Tony, Toni, Tone is one of my all time favorite groups. Their 'House of Music' is one of my favs. Lovin' You? What?!! Loves it.



I finally got some new music and picked up John Legend's 'Evolver' and Esperanza Spalding's self titled debut 'Esperanza'. I'm still giving both a good a listen. Sometimes with new purchases, I tend to listen to the songs that catch my ears on repeat then give the others a chance. Esperanza gives me that bossa nova type vibe a la Astrud Gilberto with a bass guitar. John Legend is John Legend. I've always found the combination of his voice and lyrics captivating. Almost like a positive spell being cast on me. I think he could sing peanut butter and jelly over and over and I'd like it. Speaking of Legend & Saadiq, I'll be reviewing their show this Friday with Raphael Saadiq for the Inquirer. I'm a big fan of Saadiq and hope he sings the cuts I love from him as a solo artist and with Tony, Toni, Tone. I still rock to Instant Vintage. Often. In the mean time, I'll leave you with one of my favorites from him. You know you used to sing it...




One mo thing. I got Ledisi's disc last year from the program director at a radio station and really liked it. If you havent heard of her check out this vid from a recent performance. Then get the disc.

Ledisi singing "Use Me"

Thanks Anthony Hamilton & EWF

You gotta press play on the vid to read this... (but only if you believe that dreams can become reality)




You ready for some big news? I just came back from picking up the newspaper. Actually, I picked up six copies. Six copies of todays, November 17th, Philadelphia Inquirer. For my Philly friends, go pick up a copy. Section D. Page 8. Why you ask? Today marks my debut as a freelancer for the Philadelphia Inquirer! Not only do I freelance for the Inquirer's Image section (nothing published-yet) but also for Arts & Entertainment. Thats how I got over to the music section and the opportunity to review the Anthony Hamilton concert. The details will come, but for now, share my excitement. For those not in the area, here is the link.

Yeah baby!

Change, Made Me Wanna Hustle-Pt. Uno

First, press PLAY and let the music take you through this post.

Yeah I know the Donald Byrd song is Change-Makes Me Wanna Hustle, but I'm way past that. Change made me want to hustle. I'm living with, in, and on my changes and it feels sooooooooo good. I quit my job to make more time for writing. I got an excellent freelance gig (I'll save that for next time) to add to the mix too. With all my changes, I'm hustling hard, but living happier for sure. You'll get filled in on the details soon becaues I'm in the middle of composing what will be my 'updated because I've been away so long post', so just hold on a little while longer.

In the mean time, be thankful for the change and chance I hope most of us took last Tuesday. If you are thinking like me, I hope Barack will be the man that can continue to keep us all as politically ignited as we've been this year and on board the change train. In the mean time, I'll leave you with this vid. I wish it were a more interactive video, but right about now, the lyrics are just hittin me. Change, nothin' stays the same....



Back soon. For REAL this time.

I Didn't Forget

I'm waiting to tie up a few more loose ends before I make some BIG announcements! Big as in HUGE life changing type stuff. I'll be back...

Its Coming

Things have been HAPPENING in TLA's life and I'm long overdue with filling you in. Everytime I said I would post, something else would happen and the list kept (and keeps) getting longer and longer for news. But now that things are settling down I'll be back after these commerical messages....

Until then, be on the lookout for me to talk about day job changes(YES ITS FINALLY HAPPENING!), what I've been up to on the writing grind, my vacations, movies, music, and the fantastic old school Hip-Hop show I went to in Central Park on Friday! Somebody say hooooooooooooooooooooo! Stay tuned!

Super Tuesday

I promise to come back and provide all the details, but my latest went up today on HipHopDX of the red carpet coverage I did this past Sunday on the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network event in Philly. I have a few more things in the works and I'll fill you in soon.

Until then, all my Pennsylvanians GET OUT AND VOTE!

I Stay Woke

I know, I know. Its been a minute since I last posted. Sometimes I think I delay posting so I can feel like when I do post I have something worthwhile to say. Not that I don't usually have worthwhile things to say, but I have to ask myself if its blog worthy or not. Its like that phone call you don't make until you have a chance to compile some interesting info to ensure the worth of the call for the recipient. Should I share the boring minutia just like I share the exciting things? I'm still not sure yet and I'm already on the seventh line. What I am sure of is that I predicted 2008 was going to be great for me and my life as a writer. This first quarter is proving that I must have a little Dionne Warwick psychic friends network blood flowing all up and through because its turning out to be so true.

The first big news is that today my undercover shelter piece for the Philadelphia City Paper was finally published here. I made both the print and on line editions and its been pretty exciting. Its been a long time coming but well worth the wait. I love the entire process of writing; from thinking of an idea, pitching it, having that pitch accepted to writing, editing, and finally seeing the end result in print. Going through the editing process was also very positive which isn't always the case. Sometimes an editor can chop up and rearrange your words beyond recognition. Luckily for me this wasn't the case because I had an editor who worked well with me. When I read the almost final draft I could both see and feel my voice which is very important for me as a writer. Check out the story and let me know what you think.

Since my last post I interviewed a relative new comer to the Hip Hop game, Rocko, for HipHopDX. Although a lot of folks have no appreciation for his rhyme style, all the feedback left in the comments is a good look for me as the writer. Con-tro-versy. I also had the chance to interview Guru from the legendary Hip Hop group Gangstarr for Scheme Magazine. You can kill all your dreams about ever seeing another Gangstarr album because based on our conversation its never going to happen. Guru is back on the scene with a new partner and ready to move forward in a new direction with a new sound. Check out the interview that his new partner MC Solar (not the French MC Solaar) tried his best to dominate. Good thing I know how to keep things moving.

I just got booked to speak at MC3 again in May. Last time went well although it didn't go exactly as I would have liked. Someone actually sat facing left the entire time I talked. It took everything in me to keep my sarcasm about his rudeness to myself. But now that I know what to look for as far as keeping the listeners attention I can step my presentation game up and have those students thinking they were listening to Maya Angelou up in that piece. Well maybe not Maya, but close enough.

On the music front, I have picked up a few CD's in the past couple of months. Of course I had to get my girl Loretta Brown AKA Erykah Badu's New Amerykah Pt. 1: 4th World War. This is Ms. Badu on her other world Parliament Funkadelic vibe. She has never sounded this refreshingly far out. I'd have to say one of my favorite cuts, (aside from the bonus track Honey of course) is Master Teacher. (I stay woke too EB) When Badu starts harmonizing her brown sista power philosophies over funk filled tracks you can't help but get caught up in her matrix. Pt. 2 drops in July so pick it up. My man Johnny Legend has a live CD out (only available at Target) that was recorded at Philly's Tower Theater. If you are already a Legend fan you will appreciate the subtle changes made to some of his songs. I loved how he got straight gos-po-delic on 'I Can Change' which didn't have me missing Snoop's verse at all. There is a duet of 'Where Is The Love' that of course can't top the original version by Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack but I give him and Corrinne Bailey Rae a 'B' for effort. Not that I don't have enough (can you ever?) Stevie, but his #1's in all its eco friendly packaging was the big selling point. Just kidding. I haven't gone all the way green, but I did think that was a cool thing to do. Last night I was riding, blasting 'That Girl' and thinking, "Damn, Stevie had some serious feelings for That Girl." Ever listen to the lyrics? That brother went there with his feelings and put it in a song. You have to admire people that are able to express their feelings in song, put music to it, and make a classic. Keep trying Neyo.

I have been thinking about starting a series within this blog and today is its premier. Its called WTF. For all my cybertext talkers, you know what it stands for. Today's WTF is being brought to you by the Rev. Pat Buchanan. After you read this nonsense you'll probably ask yourself is this the same Rev. Pat that said, "Hitler's success was not based on his extraordinary gifts alone."? Yep its him. Can the same mouth used to praise Hitler be the same one that bashed Obama's former pastor Rev. Wright so strongly? But guess what? I'm using a direct Buchanan quote and making it seem as if he just praised Hitler today. The quote is actually from 1977 but media has a way of making controversial words seem fresh. Maybe I didn't agree 100% with Rev. Wright's 'God Damn America' or his 'The Day of Jerusalem's Fall' speeches, but who hasn't already heard (or maybe even said) what Rev. Wright has the courage to discuss with his congregants? Nod your head if you feel me.

I got a signed copy of James McBride's, author of 'The Color of Water', new book 'Song Yet Sung' a few weeks ago. I just started it last week and thus far its pretty good. I never gave much thought to how slaves used multiple ways to plan escape like codes and songs, but they did. Although the book is a work of fiction McBride included lots of factual information which has made the read thus far very interesting. When I'm done, I'll review it here.

Saw a bunch of good Netflix rentals as of late. Sometimes I hit a bad pick spurt, but lately I've been thinking that my power to select good movies skills are coming back to me. I enjoyed The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford and Gone Baby Gone which both had Casey Affleck as its star. I see Casey is trying to get out of the shadow of his brother Ben and I like it. How was anyone going to know he had the skills if he didn't ever get a chance to flex them? Yeah, Ben directed Gone Baby Gone, but so what. Both were good flicks. I watched No Reservations with Catherine Zeta Jones too. Rom coms (that's movie talk for romantic comedy ya'll) aren't my favorite genre of film, but since it had the cute little girl from Little Miss Sunshine in it and my man Aaron Eckhart from Thank You For Smoking . I gave it a chance. Bad move. One word. Yawn. I'd have to say the best pick of the bunch had to be Sean Penn's Into the Wild. The way the story was both told and filmed were superb. Strong performances and good cameo appearances just added to the film. The movie was adapted from the book of the same title, so if the movie peaked your interest you can read the true account. Two thumbs up for sure and I didn't need Ebert or Roeper to cosign that fact.

I gotta run but I promise not to stay away too long this time.

First of the Month Musings & More

Wake up wake up wake up, Its the first of the month, get up get up get up so cash your check and come up. Who remembers the fast flowing rhyme stylings of Bone Thugs & Harmony? They are the group responsible for one of, if not the only, best songs about the greatness that the first of the month holds for millions. I'm sure for some its the 15th and 30th that makes them excited, but that wouldn't sound right in a song now would it?

Last night I had a very interesting conversation about music. A good friend of mine let me know she checked out the new E. Badu video. I told her I was really looking forward to Erykah's return to the music scene because it needs a jolt of something new right now. Finding good music to listen to isn't easy. With the influx of weak rhymes and vocals flooding the Top 40 airwaves, we asked each other, "Who are we going to be listening to when we're older?" Who are those artists that will be able to sustain a career long enough to make it on to PBS for the annual fundraising specials? Which songs will be included on the 2028 version of 'Smooth Grooves' or 'Lets Dance'? Yesterday, it all seemed to make sense about why our parents still love the music of the 60's, 70's, and 80's. Its for the same reasons we hold dear our late 80's and early 90's Hip-Hop and R&B--Good music is hard to find. Sure it's out there, you just gotta dig for it.

Guess what month it is? Thats right boys and girls--Black History Month! Time for the libraries to display the books on our great Afro-Americans (yes, I said Afro! Someone said it to me the other day. An afro is a hair style, no?) Its time for profiles in newspapers and magazines on all the contributions we've made to society. What am I looking forward to this month? Henry Lewis Gates' PBS special on the genealogical history of some notable black folk. I'm talking real life Roots ya'll. I watched when this special last aired and it brought tears to my eyes. Imagine being able to learn who your people are through documents and pictures? Seeing the handwriting of someone who bought and sold your great great great great grandparents? Check it out if you can--its going to be good.

Last week week I had the pleasure of interviewing lesbian Hip-Hop group KIN for AHH and it turned out great. Both the group and I received a lot of feedback about the interview for obvious reasons, but these ladies really do have skills. Check out the interview here and read some of the comments too. I knew when readers saw lesbian Hip-Hop group in the byline it was going to bring attention, but who knew it would be this much. In addition, USA Today's popular Pop Candy Blogger Whitney Matheson chose me as the reader of the day. Check out my profile and read some of the comments.

I better be careful about what I write because last week Ireceived word from Jigsaw, that I got my life threatened. Two other writers from AHH also received threats, so I didn't feel alone. Initially I was a bit shook because I could only recall writing one piece that may have had the slightest bit of controvesy to it, but who knows? From what I've been told a police report was filed and I shouldn't worry.

I finally saw Juno last week and I really enjoyed it. The combination of acting and writing were perfect. Since I'm in one of those frequent movie watcher clubs, I earned a free ticket when I saw Juno, so I'll be checking out Atonement with my solo ticket as soon as possible. I'll probably go when the Superbowl airs; it will be like my own private showing. Or at least only filled with fellow football haters.

Will the Groundhog see its shadow? Does anyone still believe this has anything to do with season control? Winter will do what it do baby.

Until next time....

I'll Take You There

Hotep! All my former BSU members may remember that greeting from our leather Africa necklace wearing fight the powers that be heyday. Its Friday and a long weekend for some of us, so whats not to love about today? Not much. MLK day is being celebrated on Monday and if you are looking for a place to honor the memory of MLK, you'll find some useful information here to let you know where to get your service on. I can still remember my fifth grade speech in front of the class about Martin Luther King. (You know it was in February too, but thats another story) For a little extra added oomph, at the end of my presentation I read his 'I Have A Dream' speech. Perhaps I was channeling MLK with my voice because the spirit of his words moved me so that my voice cracked and I started to cry. What a great man. Not a perfect man, but a great man. I wish he were here to address this mess. Maybe Sharpton will jump on it because Tiger Woods has already said its all good.

TLA has been biz-zy with the writing as of late. I've still got two pieces to put to bed and another lined up to complete on Monday. A few people have been wondering about the topic of my piece for the City Paper. Well believe it or not I stayed the weekend at a homeless shelter. They wanted me to write a piece on my experience and any connections I may have made while there. You will have to wait until publication to read all the details, but I can say that it was one of my most humbling experiences. I had a lot of time on my hands since I made a commitment to spend as much time inside the shelter as I possibly could. I finished Walter Mosley's latest in between scribing over 20 pages of hand written notes. It's going to make a good read for sure.

I'm set to make my radio debut tomorrow between 11 and 12 noon. I'm going to confirm my appearance tonight, so if you are in the listening area, tune in and check me out. Lots of horehound tea for me tonight to try and rid myself of this lingering cough. Can't clear scratchy throats live on air. The Hot Boyz showed me that.

Has everyone seen Steve Harvey's new look yet? I don't know if he was really rocking an Afro wig or what, but I think the new look does him some justice. What do you think?

I caught No Country For Old Men recently which I highly recommend. Javier Bardem, who won a best supporting actor Golden Globe earlier this week, was the highlight of the film. Next on the list is Atonement and There Will Be Blood. I may have to see Atonement sans my #1 muse, but he's always down for a Daniel Day-Lewis flick.

I copped Raheem Devaughn's new CD this week. I haven't given it a full listen yet, but what I've heard so far I like. I have a couple of his mix CD's and his first disc, which grew on me immediately. I love his voice so I'll give his latest time to get under my skin. Lyrically, he doesn't tend to be overt with his sexy red light bulb lyrics which I appreciate as a lover of lyrical subtlety.

Positive quotes are posted around my desk to keep my mind right so that I don't let evil TLA creep out on the some of these folks I come in contact at the day gig. Someone almost tried to take me there today, but Rev. Run's words calmed me. What did he say to me you ask? He said, "Patience, humility, and the willingness to eliminate what isn't really working will always free you up." Stay willing.

Let Me Tell You Something Right Quick...

Hey hey hey, it's TLA. I bet you thought I was going to say Fat Albert didn't you? Nope.

Although many of us may assume that white men have all the 'kill and eat the victim' jobs on lock, a brother has officially applied. I guess for some its just not enough to kill a person. Its so much more personal (and insane) when you straight ingest a victim. Sad that a fictional character named Hannibal made folks think humans might make a tasty treat.

Congrats to Obama for winning the Iowa caucuses. That win has given him the edge he needed to separate himself from his closest competitor, Hillary Clinto, for the upcoming New Hampshire primaries. Hillary's polling lead is rapidly falling, so she better step her campaign game up and get back in it if she's really trying to win it. Giving away shovels may not be enough. But you know like I do she won't win. And Barack may not either. Black Man? Bill's wife? Change the world? More of the same? John Edwards it is! Its still nice to dream about change. And whats a world without dreamers?

The changing of the guard in Philadelphia politricks happened today as the city inducted its 98th mayor, Michael Nutter, at the Academy of Music. He got the crowd riled up with his chants of, "We can do this!" as he vowed to cut the homicide rate. We'll see. I feel hopeful because his wife reminds me of someone I know very well. And with a wife who looks like this, he's bound for greatness I'm certain.

This is the weekend I'll be off completing my undercover newspaper piece. I'm wrapping up the research portion and ready to not only report on my findings, but experience them as well. I have a story to complete for Scheme this week interviewing a member of one Hip Hop's most influential duos, so be on the look out for that in the coming weeks. For all my Hip Hop heads, the hint is in these words that I manifest. Guess who?

TLA is finally going to make it on the airwaves in two weeks. As far as I know, I'll be talking about Hip-Hop, R&B, and whatever else comes to mind with the on air DJ I'm sure. I'm excited and hope that the final remains of this cold are gone before I have to bless the world with my melodious voice. I almost let this opportunity get away from me, but I'm glad I decided not to go with my gut and pursue it. Patience pays off.


2008 is going to be great. I can feel it.

Brand New

HAPPY NEW YEAR! If your 2007 wasn't all that you wanted, needed, or expected, I still hope you were able to get at least one thing out of it. Nothing like a year spent without a single life lesson learned. One of my themes for 2007 was FOCUS. I learned that staying focused is more easily said than done, but definitely attainable. My 2008 theme? Let's Get It. Let's as in let us. You and I. Me and You. Your momma and your cousin too. Whatever goals you are setting out to reach, get it. Higher level of thinking and understanding? Get it. That home, career, education, man, woman--whatever. Get it. Its 2008. Its time to put the excuses, negative attitudes and detrimental relationships, to the side and make things happen. In the inevitable words of Outkast, Get up, Get out, and Get something. How can you make it if you never even try? Whats meant for you, will be yours and that's all there is to it. Don't make obstacles excuses.

Its 2008 and I'm feeling great. Ten days off from the day gig has served me well. So well in fact that I got a cold that had me in bed for five days. Mom said my busy schedule caught up with me and took it out on my body. Who knew positive stress still had the same effect on the body? And I thought giving a teenager a ride to the mall on Christmas Eve was the final straw. I had no business being in the mall although I took an unusually odd pleasure in watching last minute shoppers scramble for gifts while sipping on a vanilla soy decaf latte from Starcrack's. You know that stuffs addictive right? Big time.

I spent the last month of 2007 doing my part to make sure that the writings of TLA go even farther in 2008. I have been spreading my wings and networking, so I'll be sure to let you know when my work is up at HipHopDX, AHH, Rap Pages, and Scheme. I also pitched a piece to the Philadelphia City Paper, so be on the lookout for that too. It will be my first newspaper feature and I'm pretty excited. I'll be going undercover for 48 hours to complete the story so hopefully the read will be as intriguing as the topic. After its done, I'm sure you'll let me know. This news paper gig is me letting the world know that TLA isn't just Hip-Hop and R&B. I'm broadening my publication and professional horizons this year so don't be surprised at the places you'll find my work or find me working. New Years eve ended my regular schedule at the radio station but I'll still be working with the Hot Boyz here and there this year. I may even make it on the airwaves (finally) with another DJ at the station, but we'll see. I'm patient.

We'll know in a few days if Obama's is the man after the outcome of the Iowa caucuses. Although he is in the lead right now according to a poll released this morning, it going to take a little more then the backing of the big O to get Barack in the White House. In the mean time, make sure your not only registered to vote but that you actually get out and vote. Its too important.

For all my fellow 'The Wire' fans, its back. I already checked out the Season 5 premier episode and its top notch as usual. The writing, characters, and subject matter of this HBO gem make it one of the most compelling dramas on television. I already know I'm going to love this fifth and final season because one of the story lines involves the role of the media and its coverage (or lack thereof) of longstanding political, social, and economic issues that affect all of us in one way or another. The Wire isn't just another show depicting lives of the haves and have nots. Its real life, right now, with the benefit of actors to soften the blow of reality. Check it out for yourself and rent or buy prior seasons (1-4) series on DVD. You won't be disappointed.

I got the new Mary CD and I'm loving it of course. I'm loving how she is on her grown woman ish right now. I'm so feeling that these days. Lyrically, Ms. Blige is doing it for me as she always does. For those of you looking for that brown hued, honey voiced soul fix, check out Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. Jones and Dap King's tear it down 60's soul style and hit you with the old school horns reminiscent of the Earth, Wind, and Fire horn section. Yeah like that.

Until next time, its not too late to start compiling that 2008 to do list. And tomorrow isn't too early to start checking things off.