I had all the best intentions of waking up at 9am today to fix myself breakfast, & prepare for my 1pm photo shoot with Detroit rock group Fluxphonic.

In my head the plan was solid! Well, it all went to hell when I woke up at 11am.

I jumped out of bed, rushed to get dressed, packed my camera bag, gathered light equipment & loaded the car. Before you know it was 1150, everything was in the car & I was on my way to the set with a very empty belly.

I totally had no time to stop for a quick bite. Oh my!

I HATE working while hungry!

Well, none of that mattered because I had to make it happen.

Then… I get to the set & realize that I left a vital lighting accessory at home. Bummer! So I improvised like one should.

The clock tics & tocs & the shoot is going great; before you now it, we wrapped about 4:15.

Before heading home, I stopped at Popeye’s for a quick meal, which I later suffered from. BIG TIME!

Lessoned learned from today:

- Set 2 alarms, maybe 3
- Triple check the equipment checklist
- Pack snacks no matter what
- Never eat a Popeye’s spicy 3 piece on a totally empty stomach

With all this said, my clients never saw me sweat or heard my belly growl (I think).

Pictured above: Fluxphonic (Steffanie Chris’tian (Left to Right) Kris Wilson, Danny Lecours, Russ Dobson)

If you’re in the Detroit area Saturday March 27, you can see Fluxphonic at the Charles H Wright Museum of African American History “Black Women Rock! A Tribute to Betty Davis”

Side Note: Who is Betty Davis?

A wildly flamboyant funk diva with few equals even three decades after her debut, Betty Davis combined the gritty emotional realism of Tina Turner, the futurist fashion sense of David Bowie, and the trendsetting flair of Miles Davis, her husband for a year.

It’s easy to imagine the snickers when a 23-year-old model married a famous musician twice her age, but Davis was no gold digger; she turned Miles onto Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, providing the spark that led to Miles’ musical reinvention on In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew, then proved her own talents with a trio of sizzling mid-’70s solo LPs.

See a few more out takes from my shoot with Fluxphonic here.

I love when Negro pop culture blogs do those “who rocked it better” posts & always wondered if I would do that here. Well I’m not exactly out looking for fashion trends etc but I couldn’t pass this opportunity up.

So anyway, I ask you, who rocked “Island Life” best? Is it a toss up???

Behind the Island Life album cover:

Grace Jones’ former lover & photographer Jean Paul Goude took this photo of her in 1978 for a New York Magazine model profile.

Of the image, Goude has stated in his book “So Far, So Goude:”

“…unless you are extraordinarily supple, you cannot do this arabesque. The main point is that Grace couldn’t do it, and that’s the basis of my entire work: creating a credible illusion.”

The image is actually a composite of several photos stitched together to make this iconic image. Awesome work from the pre-Photoshop days!

When I was a boy, I used to make mix tapes all the time from the radio. I thought I was a pro at it! I never caught the commercials or the DJ talking. This made my mix tapes popular with the ladies.

Mix tapes required thought, good timing & effort. Making drag & drop playlists or CDs is just not the same.

Essayist Michael Resnick has said:

“With the CD revolution in the near past and the digital revolution at hand, our music collections exist increasingly on hard drives, computer software, and mp3 players, while vinyl and CDs collect dust in the attic. Simultaneously, the ‘mix tape’ has gone digital, the medium for which it seems it was always meant.”

I wonder if my children will ever reminisce over CDs or their vibrantly colored & shiny 8GB iPod Nanos?

My how times change!

2010 is shaping up to be the year of good Negro music. By now, the entire world knows that Sade released her latest album “Soldier of Love” last week. An album that was 10 years in the making & well worth the wait!

Interestingly enough, even the hip-hop world has been feeling Sade’s comeback. Rakim recently told “NY Mag:”

“I grew up on soul music, but when my pops introduced me to Sade just before Diamond Life hit, it was a revelation. That voice and her style just took out even the hardest hood at the knees. ‘Smooth Operator’ may have been a smash for everyone worldwide, but that was my track, and you can catch me referencing what she was trying to get across from Paid in Full up to my new album. Being in the biz for about the same amount of time, I respect and try to emulate how she floats above the industry … one of the few that can do things on her own terms, knowing her fans will watch out for her. To this day, she’s one of the artists I can listen to with 100 percent admiration. I can’t wait to get my hands on this album and congratulate her for continuing to build her already iconic place in the world.”

You gotta love that coming from one of the best hip-hop MCs ever.

As I had anticipated, I immediately fell in love with the entire album.  And frankly, as far as I’m concerned, Sade just cannot do any wrong. I’d drink this woman’s dirty bath water. I’m that deep in.

“Soldier of Love” follows the musical pattern of the rest of Sade’s releases, so if you’re looking for something wild & unexpected, it’s not here. What you do get is a 10 tracks that take you on an emotional ride of love, loss, triumph & of course sexiness.

The runaway hit is obviously the very strong & sultry “Soldier of Love” but backing that up are “Skin” a very modern smooth reflection of what Sade offers best, “The Moon and the Sky” an intensely sing drama with a sleek Spanish vibe & “The Safest Place’,” which is where you find warmth & love through melody.

If it takes another 10 years to get another album from one of my favorite song birds, I’m OK with that because “Soldier of Love” will get me through that “Long Hard Road.”

On more musical goodness, we also have José James’ 2nd full LP “Blackmagic.” Because I already knew José was the business, I was not tripping when I fell in love with this album upon 1st play.

“Blackmagic” represents the type of music that we need to hear more of on the radio’ it needs to be championed! It’s fresh, to the point, hypnotic & captivatingly sexy. The tempos float between jazz, beat laden R&B & some of that silky stuff your momma used to tell you about.

“New York Times” jazz critic Ben Ratcliff recently opined about José & “Blackmagic:”

“José James is a young American jazz singer who’s gotten most of his reputation making moody, post-D’Angelo R&B in Europe. He has traces of Gil Scott-Heron and Joe Williams in his voice; he can swing hard, murmur, sing ballads and chant cosmic chants. He still hasn’t made the serious jazz record my ear can imagine, but perhaps “Blackmagic” is fresher than that anyway.”

I wish I could pick a favorite from 14 tracks but it would be very difficult to do. Each track builds upon the next until you reach a totally lush eargasm. Fella’s if you need something to make your night to go swell with your boo, pop this album on, hit repeat & the rest will be history. Especially once “Love Conversation” & “No Tellin’” play! I’m so serious!

The last LP that I must mention is Robert Glasper’s 2009 “Double Booked” album. I’m late on this one yes I know, but better late than never. I’ve been a fan of Glasper’s since his last album “In My Element” so I’m not sure how this latest joint went below my radar.

Glasper explains the concept of “Double Booked” as:

“Most people, if they have different bands, they do separate albums,” says Glasper. “But I felt I’d be making more of a statement if I put it all on one joint.” The result, in essence, is a snapshot of Glasper’s life. “This is what I’m dealing with,” he continues. “It’s not like I play jazz but I also play hip-hop now and then. I’m in it, for real, both sides of the spectrum. That’s my life. A lot of people go in stages they might focus on trio for a long time, then they change or whatever. My thing is both, all the time.”

With that said, I now know that “Double Booked” is a must have for the jazz piano enthusiast. This album goes from trio style to soulful experimental jam session while inserting interesting hip-hop elements all in the stroke of a few keys.

The runaway jam on the album is “All Matter” which features a VERY unique emotional vocal performance by soul star Bilal, on jazzier side of things, I’m in love with “Yes I’m Country (And that’s O.K.)” & “Butterfly” prove to be gems than can be played over & over. As a matter of fact, I played the entire album on repeat last Friday & it helped me get through my work day.

Robert Glasper just can’t do any wrong. And no, I would not drink his dirty bath water.

One a single note:
Si*se, one of my favorite Latin bands is making a comeback March 12th with their release “Gold.” In the meantime, they have given a sample of the goodness to come with their single release “This Love.” Totally fucking hot!

Erykah Budu last week released her 1st single (I’m not counting “Jump In The Air” because it sucked) “Window Seat” & I’m not able to get enough of it. It’s classic Badu & it totally has me feenin’. March 30th (New Amerykah pt.2: Return of the Ankh’s release date) cannot get here soon enough for me.

Julie Dexter recently dropped “Transitions,” a new single produced by Zo! This is one of them songs that makes you move, snap your fingers & head bop no matter where you’re listening. There is no word of an album on the horizon but I hope that there is and is along the lines of “Transitions” because this shit is HOT!

Gil Scott-Heron is back like a mofo with “I’m New Here;” his 1st album in 16 years. After listening to “I’m New Here” many times, its clear that Gil still has that magic with his powerful rough but smooth voice proving that he’s still powerful, relevant & on pint.

The release has 15 cuts & is a hot 28 minutes long but it packs a powerful punch with poetry, re-memories, hip-hop beats, blue grass themes & the devil!

“Me & The Devil” was the 1st single from the album & it really is a soul stirring, head bopping song that reminds me of why I LOVE Gil Scott-Heron so much. A musical bro-mance if you will. And damn the song’s video is almost too good. It’s just as raw as Gil himself & equally intense.

“On Coming From A Broken Home” (Part 1) & (Part 2) are haunting like “Home Is Where the Hatred Is.” These are the kind of pieces that makes me stop, play, process & repeat.

It’s no surprise that critics from NPR to Soulbounce are enjoying Gil’s latest work, because this shit is just all that; true amalgamation of musical & poetic deliciousness.

I’m happy that www.gilscottheron.net released a free preview! Check it out cause it’s so worth your time.

I’ll tell you, Feb 9, 2010 is a day of great musical releases. Gil Scott-Heron & Sade! Who could ask for more?

Full Crate & Mar – She Was Fly from Full Crate on Vimeo.

Love this video, because its visual magic. Love this song, because it’s aural magic. Hate having to wait until the “Conversations With Her” EP by Full Crate is released in January. I guess I can marinate on this single for the next few weeks in anticipation. From the quick snippets, I know that It will be hot!

It’s been a six months since I’ve done a music post & that’s making me feel a little trifling right about now. Since then, I’ve been meaning to but the lack of time as a resource prevailed.

So I’m now back now to catch you up with the new new!

Hot Singles:

Sade – I would be a fool if I did not suggest that you get a hold of the Sade’s NEWEST single, “Soldier of Love” from her forth-coming album of the same title. “Soldier of Love” is beyond hot & I cannot stop listening to it. Oh & the drums on this cut are out of this earth!

“I’m at the borderline of my faith
I’m at the hinterland of my devotion
In the frontline
of this battle of mine
But I’m still alive…
I’m a soldier of love
Everyday am I
I’m a soldier of love
All the days of my life”

There’s just something magical about Sade that makes me want more no matter what she releases. Unfortunately, I like the rest of the world have to wait until Feb 08, 2010 for “Soldier of Love” album to be released.

If you like are I excited about this album, you may want to pre order now. In the meantime, download the “Soldier of Love” single while the link is hot!

Vikter Duplaix – Like electricity? Like love? Well, you will more than LOVE Vikter Duplaix’s hot new single “Electric Love!” I’m a big fan Vikter’s music & this R&B throwback is a clear indication why. The strong vocals, lush groovable instrumentals make “Electric Love” the perfect aural storm!

If you act fast you can cop the single for free at Vikter’s website! Nothing like free & hot music! BTW, no word when the next full release is going to drop.

The Raah Project – I became familiar with the Raah Project after hearing their cut “All of Your Things” on Osunlade’s “Yoruba Soul Radio” podcast. Upon hearing the lead in, I stopped the podcast & went straight to iTunes to download this wonderfully moody tune from Australian duo Tamil Rogeon and Ryan Ritchie. The vocals & 17 piece orchestra makes this song a must have for the eclectic music lover who desires more from music! Download from iTunes

Albums That I Can’t Quit:

Georgia Anne Muldrow – I will admit that I never really understood Georgian Ann Muldrow’s music or artistry until I heard her on Erykah Badu’s “Master Teacher.” I guess since then I have been a convert but not totally. I say not totally because her “new” release “Early” is really not new. The songs were all written when Georgian Anne was a mere 17 years old. If you are a current fan of hers, then you know the artistic metamorphosis that she has undergone in the years since…

With all of that said, “Early;” is HOT, really hot! “Runaway” was the 1st cut off the album & it’s a very lovable fresh & upbeat tune with a GREAT video reminiscent of the 70’s.

Of the 10 cuts on “Early” my absolute faves are:

• “Runaway”
• “Break You Down”
• “Keep It Real?” (skit)
• “In Love Again”
• “Let It Go”

I’m now revisiting some of her more recent work so that I can stay woke. Check out “Early” on iTunes. If you’re not yet ready to take the leap, shame on you, but you can enjoy this free download of “Runaway.”

Zo! – “Just Visiting Too” produced by Zo! is one of the best ensemble releases this year! This EP features some retooled hits from the 70s & 80s such as Qunicy Jones/Patti Austin’s “Somethin Special” performed by Yahzarah, The Isley Brothers’ “The Highways of My Life” performed by Darien Brockington & Bobby Cladwell’s “My Flame” performed by Phonte of “Little Brother” & “Foreign Exchange” fame.

There just is not one thing to complain about here and I’m almost ashamed to admit how many times I rotated each of the songs in getting my hands on them, especially “The Highways of My Life” & “Somethin’ Special”.

So in the interest in keeping it short, download this now and for free here!!!

Hmmm, why is some of the best music free???

N’dambi– Just mentioning the name is enough said! I love N’dambi so much, I’d sip her bath water! OK, that was TMI but you know what I mean.

When the 1st single, “Can’t Hardly Wait” from her album “Pink Elephant” dropped, all hell broke loose with how insanely awesome it was.

So when “Pink Elephant” officially dropped, I went into a music educed trace because this shit had me hypnotized! “Can’t Hardly Wait” already had me twisted but I was just not ready for what N’dambi had in store for her fans & stans!

The 12 cut release is filled of win! From troubled relationships, personal happiness, independent growth & love, the album takes you on a wonderful journal leaving you totally satisfied. I have all 4 of N’dambi’s albums & I can easily say that “Pink Elephant” is my favorite. It sensual, sophisticated, & energetic; making it a very indulgent piece of art!

Of the 12 cuts on “Pink Elephant” my absolute faves are:

• “Ooo Baby”
• “Can’t Hardly Wait”
• “The World is a Beat”
• “Nobody Jones”
• “Take It Out”

I’m totally anticipating seeing N’dambi live in Detroit. I just have to see how see magnifies these songs on stage. She’s amazing live!

Download from eMusic or iTunes

OK, this is long enough & I have 3 more recommendations, but I will save them for an upcoming post.

Like millions of others yesterday, I stopped my life’s goings on to take part in one of the biggest celebrations of life that we may ever see for our beloved and sometimes misunderstood Michael Jackson.

Watching the celebration online was totally surreal & I can only imagine what the energy inside the Staple Center must have been like.

I was moved many times almost to tears but I stayed strong plus, I did not want to be all crying in public. I do have a rep to maintain.

Anyway, the point I almost lost it for the first time was when my boo Queen Latifah read Maya Angelou’s poem “We Had Him”

“Beloveds, now we know that we know nothing, now that our bright and shining star can slip away from our fingertips like a puff of summer wind.

Without notice, our dear love can escape our doting embrace. Sing our songs among the stars and walk our dances across the face of the moon.

In the instant that Michael is gone, we know nothing. No clocks can tell time. No oceans can rush our tides with the abrupt absence of our treasure.

Though we are many, each of us is achingly alone, piercingly alone.

Only when we confess our confusion can we remember that he was a gift to us and we did have him.

He came to us from the creator, trailing creativity in abundance.

Despite the anguish, his life was sheathed in mother love, family love, and survived and did more than that.

He thrived with passion and compassion, humor and style. We had him whether we know who he was or did not know, he was ours and we were his.

We had him, beautiful, delighting our eyes.

His hat, aslant over his brow, and took a pose on his toes for all of us.

And we laughed and stomped our feet for him.

We were enchanted with his passion because he held nothing. He gave us all he had been given.

Today in Tokyo, beneath the Eiffel Tower, in Ghana’s Black Star Square.

In Johannesburg and Pittsburgh, in Birmingham, Alabama, and Birmingham, England

We are missing Michael.

But we do know we had him, and we are the world.”

Maya’s (like we’re on 1st name basis) words are always on point and right on time. Her words are magical & legendary!

While watching the event I Tweeted live & it was awesome sharing this experience with others in real time from across the globe. A few of my Tweets:

• I’m sure the Staple Center will be filled with people just ready to jump into MJs casket. I hope they have it on lock down. #casketjumper about 14 hours ago
• This service would be over the top if Aretha came out singing “Trouble of the World.” That would break all the way down. #imitationoflife about 11 hours ago
• I’ll never forget when Lionel’s wife beat his ass. I haven’t cared for him since then. But I love the old music. about 12 hours ago
• When are they gonna open the casket? about 11 hours ago
• Al Sharpton either has a tapeworm or he got a gastric bypass. No matter what, he keeps it real & the perm is always fully coiffed & spritzed. about 11 hours ago
• Lets be honest, we’ve never seen a Negro’s funeral run this smooth. NEVER!!!! Its almost unnatural. about 11 hours ago
• I want one of them damn gloves! I must have one. Seriously!!! about 11 hours ago

You know me, it’s hard to stay serious when things are hectic. I have to resort to bullshitting.

So after work, I jumped in my car to head to Detroit to record the vibe at the Motown Museum/Hitsville USA. Have a look at my completed photojournal, which also includes photos from Harlem’s Apollo Theater. The pictures tell far more than I ever could.

Since we got the news well over a week ago, I have submerged myself into a Michael Jackson/The Jacksons/Jackson 5 musical coma while fighting back my emotions.

On the day the world stood still, I had a hard time keeping myself together but I managed. I tried to focus on all of what Michael represented. I thought about how my aunt gave me the “Bad” LP for my birthday when I turned 14. I thought about how I love to work out to “I Can’t Help It” & how I sing aloud without a care in the world.

Like millions of others in the world, I did not know Michael but I feel like did. Maybe its because he was a part of my life musically since I was a baby.

Shit I remember my momma having the “Off The Wall” & “Thriller” albums displayed on our living room wall, along side some of her other favorites of that time.

I remember so much & I only have good memories.

I remember teasing after the “Pepsi commercial” when I was in elementary school.

“Michael Jackson went to town thinking he was pony down. Pepsi Cola burnt him up, now he’s drinking 7-Up. 7-Up had no caffeine, now he’s singing Billie Jean.”

Who made that shit up & why was it so funny back then? We may never know.

So anyway, last week, while on vacation in NYC, I made it a point to visit Harlem so that I could experience 1st hand the frenzy of love circling the Apollo Theater.

When I walked upon the theater, it was hard not to get emotional. I almost had to detach myself from my personal being to work as a photojournalist. It was not an easy task as I’m a very emotional person anyway.

I can only imagine what Harlem will be like today (July 07, 2009).

So, it’s the day that I never thought would come but here it is & I guess finally considering all of the drama being reported out. I mean, Michael converted to Islam months ago & here he is still above ground. I feel that he has been totally disrespected in so many ways.

Will his soul ever be able to rest?

I’ll miss Michael but from the looks of things, he will continue to grace us with music for a long time to come. I’ll be there for every release. I am a fan & I’m not afraid to say that I LOVE Michael Jackson, no matter what.

To see other images that I captured at the Michael Jackson Tribute Memorial at the Apollo Theater, click here.

Updated 7/6/2009 – Well this image has been up for a week & yet, Ive posted no story. Well thats because I was thinking long & hard trying to figure out how I could spin a positive story & I’ve been able to come up with nothing.

Truth be told, no one that I know who attended the Chicago or Detroit Rock The Bells Festival had much positive to say. I talked to one of my peeps in Chicago who was working on writing an open letter to the Detroit Rock The Bells Festival organizers & she wanted my POV from a media aspect. This is what I sent her:

“From a media perspective, I have very little to offer on the Rock The Bells Detroit in terms of concert content. As a photographer & blogger covering the music, sharing my experience is going to be difficult because when you’re shooting, you cannot focus on anything other than getting the shot.

With that said; 1st off, I was able to photograph through the first 3 songs of each performance, which is pretty standard. However, after those first 3 songs I was escorted out of the venue with several other photographers. The only way we could go back in was if we were to put our gear in out cars between acts. This would have been a complete hassle a) because of the distance b) breaking down gear & having to put it back together is time consuming etc.

So basically, my whole purpose for going & driving 95 miles each way mostly a waste. I got great photos but could not report on any music.

Then there was the fact that Bustah Rhymes canceled his performance. This was a huge let down! The acts got shuffled around & I missed two performances because of BRs cancellation & subsequently tweaked artist line-up.

Annnnnd then, there was the fact that I was not able to photograph any of Damian Marley’s performance because he came on after Nas’ 3rd song. The media contact at DTE Music Center was not movable or willing to let any of us capture Damian, so I just left at this point disappointed & wondering if I should have bothered to even attend.”

So later on in the evening after I responded to my girl, I decided to contact my RTB media contact directly with a regurgitation of what was said earlier:

“Hi XXXX,

Thanks for setting me up with access to the Rock The Bells Festival in Detroit. I thought that I would share with you the fact that I had a awful experience covering the event as a photographer and blogger.

1) I was escorted totally out of the venue after each and every performance. I was only allowed back in if I put my gear in my vehicle, which was parked a considerable distance away making it virtually impossible.
a) The initial directions that I received did not indicate where to park or which entrance to access etc. This was a minor annoyance.

2) I was not able to observe any of the musical performances, as a result I’m lost as far as writing a story for my blog and readers. I felt that the overall point of my coverage was blown.

3) None of the photographers were able to photograph Damian Marley at all because he came out on the 4th song performed by Nas. Many of us considered Damian Marley a big draw and we were allowed no coverage as we were escorted out again.

I have to say that I was greatly disappointed as a new media member. I truly think that the process at the DTE Energy Music Center could have been handled much better…

Tafari”

Much to my surprise, I got an almost immediate response back. Which read:

“Tafari,

I am sorry to hear all this and that you had these issues and did not enjoy your experience at Rock the Bells. You were only confirmed for a photo pass as the amount of press tickets available to us was limited so we could not fulfill your full request. Photo passes only grant access in and out of the photo pits – without a ticket, you are not allowed to roam the grounds to observe the show. I’m sorry you were not aware of that prior to the day but tickets were available for the show.

In regards to shooting Damian Marley, we have already been informed of this issue, which was news to both us as well as his publicist. Standard photo rules for all artists is the first 3 songs. Damian and Nas, as we were all informed, were performing together with their new material so the fact they did not appear together until song 4 was shocking. We have since discussed this with both of their parties to make sure that issue does not happen again for the rest of the tour as you are correct in that these 2 together is very big draw for the tour…

Again, my apologies.

XXXX”

I really appreciated the response back & it looks like it all breaks down to communication, communication, communication, & more communication. Too bad I feel like I was on the losing end of the gap.

Even with the drama that I encountered, I’m sure as a fan in the crowd, I would have loved the festival because all of the performers gave tremendous energy & the crowd was mos def feeling every act.

So since I do not have a more positive & comprehensive story to offer, please enjoy the images that I captured, which tell a different story. A hip-hop story!