So, tonight i'll be doing a short set with the lovely ladies of Brown Girls Burlesque! It should be quite dope!
Brown Girls Burlesque (BGB) is a company of women of color dedicated to creating their own reflection in the art form of burlesque. BGB takes their right place on the stage to celebrate their cultures and their sexuality with fierceness, artistry and humour.
Brown = All women of color = All self-identified women of African / Black/ Caribbean, Arab, Asian & Pacific Islander, Latina/o, and Native/Indigenous descent.
So, I go on assignment for CentricTV to interview Jay Electronica. On my way there, I get HELLA lost...I'm strolling through the Red Hook projects with my full paycheck, that I had just cashed (super smart, I know), cats are looking at me like "I know she ain't from here..." and i'm thinking to myself that I just want to go home. Forget it all...but you know, Nebs ain't never been a quitter, so I keep trucking and I finally get there! I'm drenched in sweat and rain and hop right into the interview.
It went pretty well. I've gotta say, Mr. Elec is waaaaaay more approachable and kind than a lot of rappers, new or legendary that I have met in the last few years. And he takes this personanble approach to whole new levels 1. he give's his BBM out on Twitter (even I am not willing to do that) and 2. At all his shows, he gives a few emcees a chance to share the stage with them! So, he calls out to the crowd "Where the Emcees At?" Now you know, I wasn't trying to go up there at first, but everyone around me starts pointing at me saying "Her, Her! Get Nebs up there!" So before I can decide, the stage manager is escorting me on stage. Then, something magical happened. Watch for yourself!
On Sunday night, I had the pleasure of interviewing SWV at BB Kings for CoCo's 40th birthday celebration for CentricTv.com. I was also on assignment as their personal photographer for the night. I've gotta say that being around these women, hearing them sing the songs I grew up singing made me realize how important they must be to anyone who grew up listening to RnB and hip hop in the 90's. They had a track with Wu-Tang before it was "the thing to do" and let us all know why three part harmony was so beautiful! Plus, when the performed the "Anything" remix, they knew, and shouted every WU verse at the top of their lungs! *This is a self portrait of me, LeLe, the awards they were presented with and CoCo's B-day cake* I've gotta say that in working with Centric these past few months, and therefore, being more aware of the mainstream than I would even like to admit, I can't help but notice that today, there are very few singers in the mainstream that are darker than a brown paper bag. The women of SWV are undeniably black and beautiful! They have the energy of your best homegirl that you grew up with or your favorite auntie! Here are some pics from the night! Enjoy the interview too! I've got to admit, it wasn't my tightest interview, but it's SWV, so you should enjoy it anyway!
