30 Sep

Posted at 20:54h in Music, Throwback
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Most TBT selections are inspired by it being the artist’s birthday or just sheer love for the song. Every now and then, however, a selection is made as a matter of duty.

Earlier today on Twitter, a (presumed) Zoomer tweeted (with apparent surprise) that “that ‘Milkshake’ song” was sung by a Black woman.” As someone who was almost an adult when “that ‘Milkshake’ song” song dropped, I was taken aback. How was this not common knowledge? And how has “Milkshake” become one of those ever-present-yet-old songs that people know by heart and yet couldn’t pull its performer out of a lineup? What kind of dream is this?

I went from being enraged and embarrassed and disappointed to seeing this as the teachable moment it is. It’s gonna be alright. And to be honest, it does kinda sorta sound like it was sung by a non-Black woman. In fact, the song was initially offered to Britney Spears, who passed on it — and whose voice I could totally hear over that beat.

Released on August 25, 2003, “Milkshake” turned 18 years old a month ago. In other words, babies born at that time can now vote. It has been that long, so yes, I can imagine anyone under the age of 23 knowing the song and not the singer. Once upon a time, I couldn’t identify a single member of Journey, but best believe I knew all the words to “Open Arms.” It really do be like dat.

Anyway, back to “Milkshake.”

Written and produced by the Neptunes, the song was the lead single from Kelis’ third album, Tasty. The song was released at the height of Neptunes fever, and while it did have all the markings of a Williams/Hugo production, it was decidedly different from much of their other creations. The song would go on to become a global hit and Kelis’ biggest single by far, peaking at No. 3 in the US, No. 2 in the UK and Australia, and No. 1 in Ireland.

You know a song has taken on a life of its own when people know it by heart and yet can’t name its singer. We’re here to fix that. Click play.

30 Sep

Posted at 13:24h in Television
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In a post made a few hours ago, The Wendy Williams Show announced that the 13th season premiere is being postponed from October 4 to October 18. This season was initially scheduled to begin on September 20.

The announcement explains that Williams is “still dealing with some ongoing medical issues.” Word on the curb is that Wendy Williams may quit the show, with The Sun quoting sources that say she is “over it.” According to Page Six, the decision to postpone the season premiere for a second time was made within the last 24 hours.

28 Sep

Posted at 20:36h in Sports
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Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was arrested last Friday in Las Vegas for allegedly physically abusing his fiancée. According to authorities, they were called to Caesar’s Palace around 5am for a domestic disturbance, where they found Jones’ fiancée and mother of his three kids, Jessie Moses, bleeding from her nose and mouth. Jones was found walking near the hotel when he was arrested, after which he became irate and headbutt the cop car so hard that he left a dent and chipped some of the paint. He then reportedly threatened to sue the police department for arresting him on the biggest night of his life — one of his matches was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame just hours earlier.

Jessie Moses reportedly told authorities that Jon Jones only “touched the back of her head” and “pulled her a little bit,” and that her lips were bloody and swollen because they were dry. Fix it, Jesus.

Cops reportedly saw blood on Moses’ sweatshirt and on the bedsheets. Jones was arrested for misdemeanor domestic battery and felony tampering with a vehicle. He is due in court next month.

In case you were wondering, the cops were called after Jon Jones’ youngest child told hotel security to call the cops.


Jones has since released a statement of sorts via IG story, where he seemingly swears off alcohol and says that he will “turn this nightmare into the best thing” to ever happen in his life.

23 Sep

Posted at 12:12h in Music, Throwback
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Another week, another Jermaine Dupri production. This time, however, JD plays artist as well as producer.

Last week, we were motivated to honor JD due to Diddy’s disrespect. This week, we are motivated by the fact that today is JD’s 49th birthday.

In May of ’98, JD linked up with Jay-Z to make “Money Ain’t a Thang,” a timeless chune that samples Steve Arrington’s “Weak at the Knees.” From the ’80s sample to the boastful lyrics about money and material things, “Money Ain’t a Thang” is peak late-’90s hip-hop. Even its music video — which features former Miss USA and current Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore — is also very representative of that era.

“Money Ain’t a Thang” only managed to reach No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100, but was nominated for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the Grammy Awards the following year. Unforunately, it lost to “Intergalactic” by Beastie Boys, which was literally the worst song nominated in that category that year. Take all of this as more evidence that chart performance and — to a greater extent — Grammys don’t always say much about the quality of a song or how long its legacy will be. Click play.

20 Sep

Posted at 17:55h in Race
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In protest of the vaccine mandate for school staff in Oregon, a special education assistant at Mabel Rush Elementary School in Newberg, OR, came to school in blackface and explained that she was portraying Rosa Parks. She darkened her face with iodine.

According to a statement from the school, the staff member — named Lauren Pefferle — has been put on administrative leave.

File this one under IKYFL.

17 Sep

Posted at 21:20h in Music, Throwback
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Today in 1991, Mariah Carey released her sophomore set, Emotions, which came just 15 months after her self-titled debut album. She was fresh off a four-No.1 streak on the Billboard Hot 100 and had sold 15 million copies (and counting) of Mariah Carey. She had also won two Grammys earlier that year, including one for Best New Artist. In summary, Mariah Carey had arrived.

After the success of her debut album, Carey was granted a little more creative control. As she did on the previous album, she co-wrote every single track on Emotions (and was the sole lyricist), but this time around, she also produces all of the album’s 10 tracks. On this album, we see a deepening of Carey’s partnership with Walter Afanasieff, with whom she had first worked on “Love Takes Time,” which he produced. The two co-produced half of the album’s tracks — four of which Afanasieff also co-wrote — including “Can’t Let Go,” the LP’s second single. Four of the remaining five tracks were co-produced with Robert Clivillés and David Cole (together known as Clivillés & Cole), the latter of which inspired the writing of “One Sweet Day” after his passing in 1995.

Emotions is by no means a gospel album, but there are gospel influences on a number of tracks, most audibly on the Carole King co-write, “If It’s Over,” and the decidedly religious “Make It Happen.” Sonically, the album leans heavily on older, more traditional styles of R&B, and even samples a few songs from the ’70s, including Alicia Myers’ “I Want to Thank You” (on “Make It Happen”) and The Emotions’ “Best of My Love” (on “Emotions”), the latter sample was initially uncredited and the subject of a lawsuit, which led to an out-of-court settlement.

The throwback style of Emotions indicated a somewhat impressive disregard for what was happening on the radio in 1991. However, in the midst of all the throwback-ness, MC keeps it very current on two standout tracks: “To Be Around You” and “Can’t Let Go,” which samples Keith Sweat & Jacci McGhee’s “Make It Last Forever.” On these tracks, we are reminded that — despite the very mature-sounding voice — we are listening to a 21-year-old woman.

Speaking of vocals, Carey is generous with the whistle notes on Emotions, most notably on the album’s lead single and title track. “Emotions” would become her fifth No. 1 in a row, making her the first artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 with their first five singles, breaking the previous record set by The Jacksons in 1970.

While Emotions bears similarities to its predecessor, MC shows a willingness to chart new creative territory with the freedom she was granted. And in doing so, she allows us to gain a better understanding of her musical identity. Conventional wisdom (courtesy of white music journalists) may suggest that Emotions was one of her many pop albums before she did the “Fantasy” remix and discovered R&B, but the truth is that it is arguably one of the most soulful albums in her catalog.

Carey suffered the dreaded sophomore slump on Emotions, but one artist’s sophomore slump is another’s best seller. The album sold over eight million copies worldwide and spawned three top 5 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 (include the aforementioned “Emotioned,” which topped the chart).

I want to sit here and lie to you that the best song on the album isn’t “Emotions” (because that would be too obvious), but dammit, she ate that.

16 Sep

Posted at 22:44h in Music, Throwback
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Earlier this week, we watched Ja Rule put Fat Joe in the washing machine during the utter mismatch that was Tuesday night’s Verzuz. The obvious and more fitting opponent for Ja, 50 Cent, would never do a Verzuz with him because he knows he will lose, so I guess we’ll take what we can get.

As exciting as it may have been, the biggest headline from this last Verzuz had nothing to do with either Ja or Joey Crack. Jermaine Dupri — songwriter, producer, label exec, legend — who was in attendance at the Madison Square Garden (where the matchup went down) challenged Diddy to a Verzuz battle, to which Diddy responded with disrespect, explaining that JD’s arms were “too short to box with God” and that he didn’t have enough hits. He also added that Dr. Dre was the only worthy competitor for him.

I would’ve thought Diddy was too rich to smoke crack, but here we are.

A cursory review of all three men’s production discographies (here, here and here) will quickly reveal that JD not only has enough hits but has more than Diddy and Dr. Dre combined. And I won’t even bother discussing the gratuitous and not-so-veiled heightism that accompanied that ridiculous claim.

It is unclear why Diddy said what he said, but in honor of the gawd that is Jermaine Dupri Mauldin, this week’s TBT selection is the very first No. 1 hit he wrote and produced. Released in February 1992, “Jump” was the debut single by rapping duo Kris Kross, who were 13 years old at the time. The song would become a global hit, topping the chart in multiple countries and ruling the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks — a record for a rap song at the time.

Nearly 30 years later, “Jump” is a staple at career, in movies, and in commercials. And in that time, JD has crafted countless other classics.

In other words, stop playing with Jermaine Dupri.