Who Is Luke James?

I know I'm a little on the late freight with featuring this R&B newcomer, but I'm pretty sure many of you have not heard of him or maybe, you heard his music and didn't know his name, nor his face.  Well, the wait is over!  I was blown away by this guy when he performed on "Verses & Flow," a new show on TVOne that features talented spoken word artists a la Def Poetry Jam.  James, originally from New Orleans, tore down the stage with his strong, yet silky smooth vocals and dynamic energy.  Little did I know that he was responsible for one of my favorite R&B songs on the radio right now, "I Want You," where he declares his love for his dream girl.

Below is a video of "I Want You":

Here is a video of James' performance on "Verses & Flow":



In "Guilty Pleasure," James sings about a love that is so wrong, yet so right and I love the energy he brought to the stage.  Luke James' pre-release album, "#Luke," will be released on Def Jam.  Besides his musical dealings, he has been featured as the leading man in several videos, such as, Melanie Fiona's, "4 A.M.," Beyonce's, "Run The World," and has penned songs for the likes of Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown and more.  I'm excited to see what this vibrant newcomer will bring to the R&B scene.

Here are a few more pictures of Mr. James:

You can find him on Twitter @WhoIsLukeJames

Luke James' Official Website: www.whoislukejames.com

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

What do you think of Luke James?

Have you ever heard of him?

Would you buy his album?

Would you like to see more from this new talent?

Video Spotlight: Lupe Fiasco - Bitch Bad

My BornTooBlog readers know I've spoken on this occurrence of the confusion between a man wanting a "bad bitch", but also wanting her to possess the qualities of a "good girl".  In my previous post, Men Say They Want A Good Woman, But Chase Bad Girls, I explained my confusion with men who think they can have both and laid out some general definitions of what these perceptions really mean.  Now lyricist/activist Lupe Fiasco has put it in a song called, "Bitch Bad". 

Lupe speaks on this reoccurring contradiction in Hip Hop music as he raps:

Now imagine there's a shawty, maybe five maybe four
Ridin' 'round with his mama listening to the radio
And a song comes on and not far off from being born
Doesn't know the difference between right and wrong
Now I ain't trying to make it too complex
But let's just say shawty has an undeveloped context
About the perception of women these days
His mama sings along and this what she says
"nigga I'm a bad bitch, and I'm bad bitch
Far above average"

First he's relatin' the word "bitch" with his mama, comma
And because she's relatin' to herself
his most important source of help
and mental health, he may skew respect for dishonor

Sure enough, in this little world
The little boy meets one of those little girls
And he thinks she a bad bitch and she thinks she a bad bitch
He thinks disrespectfully, she thinks of that sexually
She got the wrong idea, he don't wanna fuck her
He thinks she's bad at being a bitch like his mother
Just like that, you see the fruit of the confusion
He caught in a reality, she caught in an illusion
Bad mean good to her, she really nice and smart
But bad mean bad to him, bitch don't play your part
But bitch still bad to her if you say it the wrong way
But she think she a bitch, what a double entendre
Check out the video:

I'm glad Lupe has spoken up on this underlying contradiction that has become so popular in rap music these days.  He's received a lot of flack for the song, as well as, his anti-Obama views, but I am still a big fan of this young and talented artist and I'm glad he's sharing his perspective on the subject and various other subjects.

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What did you think about the video?
Do you agree with what Lupe Fiasco is saying?
Do you feel its a contradiction for a man to want a "bad bitch" but also want a "good woman"?
What are your thoughts on the song and lyrics?

Music Monday: Daley - Alone Together feat. Marsha Ambrosius

I just saw this video on Centric (BET) over the weekend and was blown away by this newcomer by the name of Daley who has featured Marsha Ambrosius on his song entitled "Alone Together". If this song doesn't evoke any sensuality or sexuality in you with one listen, then, maybe its time to see a sex therapist. LOL



Daley is a British soul singer from Manchester that was signed to Polydor Records.  "Alone Together" comes off his Those Who Wait mixtape released in April 2011.  This song takes me back to the late 90s/early 2000s neo-soul era.  I'm looking forward to seeing more from this cat.

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How do you like the song and video?

Would you like to hear more from Daley?

What about the song/video spoke to you?

You can also find him online here:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/daleymusic

Mixtape Download: http://daley.tv/ 

Online Music Store: http://www.last.fm/music/Daley

Video Spotlight: J. Cole feat. Missy Elliot - Nobody's Perfect

All of my avid BornTooBlog readers know that I am totally a J. Cole fan.  I've done a few features on him in the past and now I am back with the video for his 4th single off his debut album "Sideline Story".  J. Cole's song "Nobody's Perfect" featuring Missy Elliot takes me back to the days when Missy was doing her thing almost about a decade ago.  Elliot has for the most part remained behind the scenes working on various projects, until now, with her new feature on J. Cole's debut album. Its classic Missy and Cole truly compliments her on this track.  The video is artistic and definitely not your cookie-cutter representation of popular music today.

Check out the video below:



Here are a few cool lyrics from the song:

Smokin' weed on the beach as my mind workin' like Plato
Analyzin' the world, fantasizin' bout girls
I'm handin' diamonds and pearls and vandalizin' her curls
Sweating her weave out, moans as she breathes out
Fuck I'm doin' in parties with Hov and Steve Stoute
I step over piranha, death over dishonor
They killin niggas for J's, that's death over designer
Hey Cole heatin' up like that left-over lasagna
Remember when I used to be stressed over Dawana
Now a nigga only text and get stressed over Rihannas
I'm talkin' tens and better, hood bitches in Timbs and sweaters
And we always argue about the same thing
Tell me why we gotta argue about the same thing

I LOVES IT!!!!

Share Your Thoughts

What do you think about the video?

Do you like the song?

Does Missy bring more credibility to the track?

Are you a fan of J. Cole?

Have you heard Cole's "Sideline Story"?

Happy Hump Day: Video Spotlight: CJ Hilton - Cold Summer

I've already introduced you to R&B newcomer CJ Hilton in a previous post Video Spotlight - CJ Hilton - So Fresh and now he's back with another song that I absolutely love entitled "Cold Summer".  I listed several of CJ's musical influences in the previous post and you can hear them come out on this song even more. 

Check out the video for Cold Summer:

Just a little something to get you over that hump ;-)

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Do you like the song?

Can you point out his musical influences in the song?

Who does he sound like most?

Are you a fan?

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS!!!!

Video Spotlight: Don Trip feat. Cee-Lo "A Letter To My Son"

I recently heard this song on the radio and was taken aback by the honesty and realness of the lyrics.  This song is my first introduction to Don Trip, a street poet from Memphis, Tennessee, who's mission is to be the voice of the people in these difficult social and economic times.  Don Trip enlisted the voice of one of my favs, soulful Cee-Lo Green.  Cee-Lo is known for bringing deep emotions out of songs and elevating them to a platform that speaks of the struggle in a way that is not only socially conscious, but also pleasing to one's ears.

The song entitled A Letter To My Son displays a father speaking to his only son, expressing the difficulties of raising the son, when all his mother wants to do is use him as a bargaining tool due to their failed relationship.  I spoke about this occurrence when I initially started my blog in the post Where's Daddy?  Too often, young fathers find themselves struggling to build relationships with their children due to the mother being difficult, caddy, messy and down right selfish.  I never understood why a mother would want to keep her children from their father.  Most children in urban neighborhoods barely get a chance to see their fathers, let alone see them at all.  Naturally, when I see mothers keeping their children away from their fathers who want to be in their lives, it makes me angry and confused.

There are so many fathers out there that are going through this, which is why I wanted to highlight this song to give a voice to the proud fathers who will have to wait until their children get older in to explain their misunderstood absence.  Mothers might think they have all the power, but ultimately, once the children realize what's going on, they will now be subject to the inquiries and judgement of their children.  Who really is winning in this situation anyway?

I appreciate Don Trip for bringing this occurrence to the forefront, in the hopes that some mothers will recognize the error in their ways and finally put the child first.  As I said in my previous post on this subject, if the father is violent or a detriment to the child, by all means, restrict his access to his children.  However, I will never justify keeping a man from his children due to their lack of funds or even further, a failed relationship between the child's parents.  It is no excuse and these women need to stop it immediately before they ruin their relationship with their children altogether.

Take a listen to the song and check out the video:

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What do you think about the song and video?
Did Cee-Lo make a nice addition to the song?
Do you relate to the issue Don Trip is addressing in this video?
Have you experienced a jealous/hurtful/selfish baby mother who won't let you see your children?
How does this song make you feel as a father in this situation?

Video Spotlight: J. Cole - Lost Ones

You all know I L-O-V-E J. Cole and his new album Cole World: The Sideline Story which debuted at #1 in its first week of release selling 217,000 copies.  Not bad for the North Carolina native who started this all off with a "dollar and a dream".  I'm very impressed by the subject matter, metaphors and lyrical content on the new album, especially on songs like Lights Please where he discusses a women's preoccupation with sex while he is only trying to get to know her, Breakdown where he talks about the pain of not having his father in his life, and Dollar And A Dream when he speaks of the hard times he experienced in his life. 

He keeps the balance with dance/club tracks like Can't Get Enough and Workout, but Lost Ones speaks to the experience that both a young man and women who are in love undergo once the girl finds out she is pregnant.  Cole personifies the thoughts and fears of a young man encountering this situation, as well as the abandonment a women feels when left to make the decision whether to keep their baby.

I've been pumping J. Cole for awhile so I'm happy to see the success that he is receiving after his debut release.  If you haven't heard the whole album yet I highly urge that you go out and get it and see what all the hype is about.  People are always saying that Hip Hop needs more diversity and intelligent topics, well here you go Hip Hip critics! Hopefully, this talented lyricist is here to stay.

Check out the emotional and profound Video Spotlight for Lost Ones:

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Did you enjoy watching the video?
Was the subject matter on point and current with today's times?
Would you like to hear more music like this?
What are your thoughts on J. Cole as an artist?
Have you listened to the album, and if so, what are your thoughts?
What are your thoughts on abortion?