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Beyoncè’s #Homecoming

Beyoncé’s #Homecoming film chronicles the singer’s 2018 Coachella music festival performance. Beyoncé was scheduled to perform at the 2017 Coachella music festival, but was pregnant with twins Rumi and Sir Carter, and had to postpone her performance to 2018. The Coachella music festival held in the California desert was way too expensive for my budget, so I was happy her performance was live-streamed on YouTube to watch for FREE! I was so hyped to be able to see an amazing performance from the comfort and air-conditioned atmosphere of home. I remember April of 2018 setting my alarm to wake me up so I could watch Beyoncè’s highly anticipated Coachella performance on YouTube. As soon as the drum line and band and dancers came out I screamed in excitement! Beyoncé’s epic two-hour 2018 Coachella performance had a live Black drum-line and many other band members, dancers, and even cameos from her husband Jay-Z, her sister Solange, and her Destiny’s Child group members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. One of my favorite parts was when Beyoncè and the band swag surfed and danced to O.T. Genesis’ “Everybody Mad”, and oh so much more! As an HBCU graduate and Beyoncè fan, I felt so proud and validated that she paid homage to Black college and band culture during her 2018 Coachella performance and she is financially giving back to HBCU’s!

I remember in high school some questioned my choice and looked down on me when I said I was going to a historically Black school for college. My college experience at Fort Valley State University gave me opportunities to travel the world from NYC to Italy and has helped to shape me into the person I am. I wanted to see more of the behind-the-scenes of Beyoncé’s iconic and legendary performance. I may be biased, but Beyoncé’s work ethic is phenomenal! I’ve been blessed to have seen her in concert four times and she gives her all on stage! Who else can sell out stadiums in seconds, make award-winning albums, make films, have a family, and go on a world tour all within a short time span?!?! With that being said don’t forget to watch ” HOMECOMING” on Netflix and listen to the “Homecoming” album as well as my “As-I-Amber” podcast episode available on Spotify, iTunes/Apple Podcasts and other podcast platforms.

 

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What is Lent?

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Many people contemplate what to give up for lent, but do they actually know what they are celebrating and why they are giving up certain pleasures?  Traditionally, Catholics and some Christians observe and participate in this season by fasting in remembrance of the 40 days and nights that Jesus spent fasting in the desert while also being tempted by the devil. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. Ash Wednesday is a Christian holy day of prayer, fasting, and repentance. Ash Wednesday derives its name from the placing of repentance ashes on the foreheads of participants to either the words “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”

Lent is a time to focus on God and be more disciplined in order to further one’s relationship with God. Some people temporarily give up certain foods, social media, and certain words and behaviors. It’s also a time when many Christ followers prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline. The purpose is to set aside time for reflection on Jesus Christ- – his suffering and his sacrifice, his life, death, burial, and resurrection. So if you’re participating in Lent what are you giving up?

Here are some examples: (Choose to pick one thing or more if you desire.)

  1. Comparing Yourself to Others
  2. Complaining
  3. Social Media
  4. Gossip
  5. Clutter
  6. Negative words
  7. Wine/Alcohol
  8. Procrastinating
  9. Smoking
  10. Coffee
  11. Television
  12. Sodas
  13. Shopping
  14. Fried foods
  15. Dining Out
  16. Bad Habits
  17. Video Games
  18. Sweets/candy/desserts
  19. Criticizing Yourself and/or Others
  20. Talking About Yourself (unless someone asks you a direct question)
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What about JoJo?

Before Ariana Grande and Tori Kelly became stars our parent’s generation had Teena Marie, and us millennials had Christina Aguilera, but whatever happened to pop and r&b star JoJo?! In 2004, JoJo was only 13-years-old when her debut hit single “Get Out (Leave)” was on the pop charts. JoJo also released songs like ”Baby It’s You” and ”Too Little Too Late” and made appearances in films like “Aqua Marine” and “RV” and released another album, “The High Road” back in 2006. 

However, according to a lawsuit filed by JoJo her former label, Blackground Records, ran by the late singer Aaliyah’s uncle Barry Hankerson, would not release another official album. Blackground Records wouldn’t release any of JoJo’s music on streaming sites. The label pretty much “owned” her voice and she wasn’t being treated fairly. JoJo talks more in depth about this in a short documentary on YouTube by Uproxx. 

JoJo was released from her contract, but has covered different artists songs like Drake’s “Marvin’s Room, T-Pain’s “Can’t Believe It”, SWV’s ”Weak”, and Anita Baker’s ”Caught Up In The Rapture.” JoJo also dropped free mixtapes and EP’s like “Agape”, “Can’t Take That Away from Me”, ”Love Jo, and “Love Jo 2” before being signed to Atlantic Records.

In 2016 JoJo released an album titled “Mad Love” and went on tour. I had an opportunity to go to JoJo’s concert that stopped in Atlanta, Georgia back in April of 2017 at Buckhead Theater and it was awesome. The sold-out standing room only concert’s atmosphere was cozy and full of her diverse day one fans. JoJo’s opening act was rising star singer-songwriter, Stanaj, who sang a few songs and even took pictures with fans.

(Singer-Songwriter, Stanaj and I)

JoJo performed her older hits, cover songs, and newer songs from the ”Mad Love” album. In August 2017, JoJo announced her departure from Atlantic, in conjunction with announcing her new music venture, Clover Music, in a joint deal with Interscope. In April 2018, she announced the Leaks, Covers, & Mixtapes tour, which began in May.

Despite everything, JoJo’s been through in life battling depression and the loss of her father, and the ups and downs of the music industry she’s remained resilient and is still talented. JoJo recently re-recorded her older albums and they’re now available on streaming sites. Check out her Instagram @iamjojo. More recently JoJo and PJ Morton’s “Say So” won a Grammy and her newest album “Good to Know” comes out May 1, 2020. Don’t forget to watch the short JoJo documentary on YouTube below.

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The Strong Friend

This was heavy on my spirit this morning. We all are trying to figure out and live life and do not always have time to see certain people as much as we’d like, but a simple phone call or text can really brighten a person’s day. Communicate with others not just because you want something from them. Listen to what people say and watch their actions or lack thereof. If you’re “the strong friend” you at times need someone to just be there for you for once. Reciprocity is so important! Realize that friendships and communication are a two-way street. It’s not fair to a person to always be there for others, yet when they’re in need or tables turn one isn’t there for them. Friends do not have to agree on everything, but tell one another the truth in love. Some people are friends for a season and others friends for a lifetime. Okay, rant over.😊


#supersoulSunday

#friendships

#proverbs

#friends

#relationships

#friendship

#reciprocity

#thestrongfriend

#browngirlbloggers

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One Music Fest 2018

This weekend was The One Music Fest held in Atlanta, GA. This year the music festival was at Central Park in Downtown and the music festival is now divided into two days. I only attended the first day (Saturday) of the festival. I got to the venue late afternoon to see singers H.E.R. and Miguel and rappers Big Sean and Nas. These artists were at two different stages in the park. For example one artist may be performing at 6pm and another artist at 7pm at another stage in the park.

I enjoyed all the artists however there were some sound and technical difficulties. Some artists sets were delayed and some artists were at different stages and the times to see them overlapped. For instance in the middle of singer Miguel’s performance the rapper Nas was beginning his set on another stage in another area of the park and you could see the crowd leaving in the middle of an artist performance to go hear the other artists music. Despite those issues the diverse eclectic millennial crowd seemed to have enjoyed themselves.

Miguel is an amazing live singer, and performed hit slangs such as “Adorn” and “Sure Thing”. H.E.R. also did great and she performed her hits “Best Part” and “Focus”. Big Sean performed many of his hit singles and features such as “IDFWU”, “Blessings”, “Bounce Back”, and “Big Bank”. Nas also performed songs like “I Can”, “Hate Me Now” and “Oochie Wally”. During the concert sets most people stood up or had blankets or yoga mats sitting down on the lawn because there were no seats this year. Each artist had about a forty minute set on stage.

This is the kind of outdoor concert where you should dress comfortable and not wear stilettos. Prepare to sweat, stay hydrated, walk, and be in large crowds. The park had food trucks, bars,and water stations, but the lines were super long. I took Uber to the venue because there was very very limited parking. I’ve been to a lot of concerts, but this outdoor festival in the park had a different energy. There seemed to have been more people this year, but a lot of the musical artists who were originally on the line up pulled out of the show last minute. Cardi B, Jeezy, and Brandy were suppose to be performing, but were replaced with other artists such as Monica, 2 Chainz, Big Boi, and T.I. who are scheduled to perform on the Sunday show.

This was my third year going to One Music Fest and I must say I liked it better when it was at Lakewood Amphitheater where there was reserved seating as well as a lawn area. The old venue seem to have been more organized and had more space. Maybe from a business perspective Central Park could’ve been cheaper. I’m not really sure, but it made for a beautiful backdrop of the downtown Atlanta skyline at night. It should be interesting to see if it’s at the park in 2019.

To know more about the annual concert, see pictures, and how to purchase tickets check out http://www.onemusicfest.com or follow the hashtag #OMF2018 on social media.

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Podcast Episode: #OTRII Concert Review