Music Diaries: Azealia Banks

Interscope records has done it once again.  Azealia Banks, one of their newest artists, is starting to blow up, and for no other reason than her raw, unadulterated talent.  Ms. Banks can be best described as as a little M.I.A., a dash of Foxy Brown, a slice of Lil' Kim, and a nice alternative to Nicki Minaj. 

Trend Alert: Stop Being so Damn Trendy!

Spring is here and it's time to bust out your inner "fashionista".  Do you live and breathe fashion? Is your face is always buried in the latest issue of vogue or other fashion magazines? Are you thirsty for a life-time supply of "red-bottoms"?  Do you have your pulse on every single trend before the season even hits?

Zimmerman Can't be Racist, Right?

The more and more I hear about the death of the Trayvon Martin, the more and more messy it gets.  The whole story stinks from beginning to end.

African American Interests

I live in Barnes and Noble.  As a lifetime bookworm, I find solace in my second home that houses thousands of books begging to be cracked open, whether it be travel guides, fiction, or how-to books for everyday life.  Although I love club B&N, there is one thing that peeves me about this place. Aside from the fact that the Starbucks Cafe/unofficial library is inexplicably packed at all times of day, I can't ignore the nagging feeling I get every time I lock eyes with the African American Interests section. 

Music Diaries: Why I Love M.I.A.

I am a picky music listener.  It's very rare when someone has the power to come along and inspire me to become a fan; M.I.A. has done just that.  My first conscious exposure to M.I.A. was in 2007, when the video for her single "Boyz" popped up on VH1 Soul.  I was intrigued, to say the least, as the rhythm of the afro-beat forced my body to move involuntarily and the colorful patterns spun around on screen, casting a dizzying spell.  From that moment on I was hooked, looking up video after video of this hidden artist, wondering, why am I just finding her out?

M.I.A. is great not only because her beats are hot, but she (at times superficially) infuses seemingly meaningless lyrics with political messages primarily about the 3rd world. She also has the looks and the rap swag to boot. In celebration of  this amazingness that is M.I.A.,  I have listed my personal top 5 M.I.A. songs. Enjoy!

Back Home Blues

      

I just snapped.

There was no real explanation for it and I couldn't control the words coming out of my mouth.  My mother had uttered the words "time is passing and years are going..." and I didn't even hear the rest. 

"Real" women have curves

There's been a growing trend lately that seeks  to put an end to the classic image of the model: The tall, rail thin, size zero woman who does not represent the majority of women.  While I'm on board with the movement and do think that the fashion industry upholds a very rare and impossible to achieve standard of beauty, I also HATE when people counter this message by saying "Real women have curves." This phrase only serves to put others down while lifting up a certain demographic.  It makes it seem as though women who aren't a size zero should be THE standard, not included in it.