Donna Summer had the type of beauty that seemed almost effortless.
(Taken with instagram)
Artist: Azealia Banks
Song: Jumanji
Album: Jumanji
Plays: 6
Real bitch, all day. Uptown, Broadway.
While the world awaits the fall release of Azealia Banks’ debut full-length, Broke with Expensive Taste, the emerging femcee repping Harlem has continued releasing hypnotic tracks, including today’s release of Jumanji, a three-minute cut from her upcoming Fantastic mixtape, due this summer.
Jumanji, produced by the amazing Hudson Mohawke (Kanye West collaborator) and Nick Hook, sounds like the wild jungle. There’s something about Banks’ trademark flow over the steel drums and calypso rhythm that just has me going.
Extra Extra | M.I.A. has announced that a “Bad Girls” remix will be coming soon, featuring Azealia Banks, Missy Elliott and Rye Rye.
“ It seemed that you were put on Earth to show me everything I could not see.
Artist: Valure
Song: Hey Mama
Album: Valure
Plays: 19
Fatty Koo was a R&B and Hip-Hop sextet from Columbus, Ohio that made its way into the music industry in 2005. The group consisted of members Eddie B, Gabrielle, Josh, Marya, Ron, Valure (Kiana Allison). Their fame mostly came from their television show on BET, Blowin Up: Fatty Koo. Their debut album, House Of Fatty Koo, was released on July 12, 2005 by Columbia Records.
Hands down, the best song on their album was their second single Chills, which featured the vocals of Valure. I fell in love with Valure’s silky voice from the first moment I heard it. It was almost Lauryn Hill-esque. Wherever she is, I hope she puts out more music… but at least we have this track, Hey Mama, that I found from 2009. I’m not sure when the song was recorded, but I’m just elated to hear her voice again.
Enjoy.
“ Once upon a time black male “cool” was defined by the ways in which black men confronted hardships of life without allowing their spirits to be ravaged. They took the pain of it and used it alchemically to turn the pain into gold. That burning process required high heat. Black male cool was defined by the ability to withstand the heat and remain centered. It was defined by black male willingness to confront reality, to face the truth, and bear it not by adopting a false pose if cool while feeding on fantasy; not by black male denial or by assuming a “poor me” victim identity. It was defined by individual black males daring to self-define rather than be defined by others.
— ― bell hooks, We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity (via daughterofzami)
