Can Chris Brown keep it DRAMA FREE?

 Article provided by SoulSummer.com

 By Kia O. Moore (kia@mingleberry.com)

I am sitting in the car, the air conditioner is broken, and it feels like 102 degree weather. The radio is on, but I am not really listening to it. The thick North Carolina humidity plus the usual Charlotte 5′oclock traffic jam has my musical focus turned way down. Then I hear, “Here is your No. 1 requested jam of the day: Chris Brown’s Deuces.” My ears perk up and a turn the volume dial on high.

A beat that sounded like a mellowed out, remixed version of LL Cool J’s 1995 hit Doin’ it blasted from my speakers.  My head began to nod. I had that feeling that said, “Okay, Breezy is back and the people are loving him.” Then my head nod began to slow down as I listened to the lyrics.

It is basically Chris, Tyga, and newcomer Kevin MaCall saying “Bye, Bye,” to some girl and moving on to the next one.  Then Chris said a line that made my head nod stop mid rock.

“She know just what I need. She know just what I mean when I tell her to keep it drama free.” - Chris Brown

His intonation strongly stressed the words DRAMA FREE.

Then I got to thinking, this sounds like a well-crafted double entendre that I don’t want to like, but can’t stop grooving to. My head nod resumed with slight hesitation.

That line felt like an upper cut in reference to “the incident.” MaCall even makes reference to the famous Ike & Tina limo scuffle. (Not the best reference to use in a Chris Brown song, even if Tina fought back during that domestic incident.) If one is listening to Deuces from a slightly rhetorical feminist prospective and psychological prospective, one can correlate that this song was a straight up upper cut to domestic violence and could be used as an example of the domestic violence cycle.

From a feminist rhetorical approach, I ask, “Why does he have to “tell her” to keep it drama free? Could he not “ask her” to keep it drama free? Could she not understand if he “say[s] keep it drama free”? The word “tell” gives off the feeling of control. When observing domestic violence, control is what it is all about.

From the psychological prospective, Chris Brown’s public behavior through social media and song lyrics can be associated with a typical domestic violence cycle. After “the incident” Chris made what seemed to be a well scripted and not so well rehearsed YouTube apology. Then his apologetic, please, baby baby, please song was released: Crawl.

Next, we hear reports of Chris lashing out on Twitter about his less than pleasing sales of his 2009 studio release Graffiti. On May 17, 2010 Chris unleashed the Fan of a Fan Mixtape featuring the now Charlotte, NC radio favorite Deuces. June 27th came along, and many music listeners forgave Mr. Brown when he performed his moving tribute to Michael Jackson and apologized to his fans at the 2010 BET Awards.

• Did anyone catch the pattern? Incident, apology, please baby, lash-out, apology
• Domestic violence cycle: Incident, calm, making-up, tension building, incident
• Chris Brown’s track record: “the incident,” YouTube apology,Crawl, Deuces, ….

Deuces‘ lyrics sound like the tension building stage of the domestic violence cycle. The question is, can Chris Brown keep away from the incident stage?       - Mingleberry.com blogger

Chris Brown’s Deuces is ranked No. 2 as the Biggest Jump on the Billboard Ringtone Charts. The single also broke into the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Top 50 at No. 48.

Check out the Deuces Video for yourself:

2010 BET Awards in Review: The Overview

By Kia O. Moore    (kia@mingleberry.com)

When BET announced Queen Latifah was going to host this year’s awards, I was not so sure about that decision. With past years being hosted by comedians like Jamie Foxx, Mo’ Nique , Steve Harvey & Cedric the Entertainer and others, I was not confident that Queen was going to keep me thoroughly entertained during those down moments between performances.  But the Queen was a class act, taking us down memory lane with her many costume changes: from her award-winning Matron “Mama” Morton from the musical Chicago to her latest character from the motion picture Just Wright.

The movie character that stole the show was Cleeo from Set it Off. Cleeo was the comic relief when T.I. and she transitioned into one of the many BET performances. As Cleeo made a motion that looked as if  she was reaching for a gun tucked in her waist, T.I. jokingly made reference to a flashback of his bad run-in with gun possession charges and award shows. But, what really won me over on BET’s decision to have Queen Latifah host the show was when Queen let the MC out and spit over Drake’s radio-beloved track Forever.

The host was not the only great selection the BET Awards producers made. The individuals they selected to represent the New Era of Hip Hop were top notch. Drizzy Drake’s performance on the main stage was passion-filled. Fayetteville-native J. Cole had a snippet of a performance on the side stage during a transition to a commercial. Although it was short, his performance exuded the same intense passion as Drake’s did.

This year’s BET Honorees were a great choice that truly represented the best of black music: Prince Rogers Nelson for the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ and John Legend for the ‘BET Humanitarian Award.’ The tribute performance to Prince was quite a delight. Janelle Monae, Esperanza Spalding, Alicia Keys and to conclude the harmonic tribute: Pattie Labelle (the only performer to bring Prince to his feet prior to the end of their performance).

Prince may have been a tough music enthusiast to crack, but the vast majority of the BET performances put smiles on people faces, kept people on their feet and inspired them to groove.

The 2010 BET Awards gets a 9.2. (Hey, next year they may top this award show. I got to give them room to grow).

To get the dish on the Top 10 BET Awards Performances click here.

2010 BET Awards in Review: Top 10 Performances

By Kia O. Moore   (kia@mingleberry.com)

It took ten years, but after a decade of practice BET executed its Award Show in an exquisite manner. The nominees, the honorees, the sets, and YESSSSS the performances made 2010 BET Awards one you won’t mind watching repeatedly throughout the year. (This is BET we are talking about. You know they are going to play the BET Awards 10, like, twice a day until March 2011.)

To get the overview of the overall show click here.

BET Awards 10 | Top 10 Performances

The performances are what made this year’s awards show the best of all the BET Awards Shows of the past decade. Mingleberry.com put together its own awards list for the BET Awards 10 performance. We welcome your comments, so add some categories of your own.

Most Memorable Performance Award: Chris Brown’s MJJ Tribute

Copy, Paste, and Publish my words: “This performance revived Chris Brown’s barely breathing career. ” I would have sworn that the BET Award Producers, Jermaine Jackson, and Chris Brown held a séance seconds before Young Breezy went on stage. Every move Chris made was all Michael Joseph Jackson: Chris Brown was no longer present. The kick then leg tap, the crotch grab then hunch, the Motown 25th Anniversary Moonwalk routine; MJJ was alive in the body movements of CB.

Then Chris closed the performance with, what seemed to be sincere, crocodile tears. Singing Man in the Mirror must have resonated with the young singer. A song “asking him to change his ways” combined with him paying tribute to a man that people around the world love may have helped Chris “crawl back to [the] love [of his fans]” and move  his public persona from the seemingly cold and heartless Brown many came to know after “the incident.”  Later that night he won the Fandemonium Award, and award based on fan participation in social media voting.    (To see the performance click here.)

Chris Brown channels the spirit of the greatest entertainer that ever lived: Michael Jackson.

Most Dazzling Performance Award: Diddy-Dirty Money “Hello Good Morning”

The BET Awards truly raised its budget this year. All you needed to do was checkout the Diddy-Dirty Money performance. (Yeah, Diddy changed the name of the group from Dirty Money to Diddy-Dirty Money. Did anyone else notice that?) The performance was FIRE, literally. Every stanza and drum slap was accented by a flashing light or pyrotechnical blast. Everyone knows that Diddy is a flashy guy, and BET made sure he got all the pyro flash he needed.

Best Use of Set Award: Kayne West “Power”

With Kayne opening the show, you knew he would set the bar with the use of his stage set. Performing his latest single Power on top of a mountain that looked like the Nickelodeon GUTS Aggro Crag was a great attention grabber.  With every line he spat, the mountain spewed out red clouds of smoke that accented his Kool-Aid red, skateboarder-tight jeans and matching jean jacket.  Kayne took audience members and viewers on a powerful ride over the top of mountains as a background movie screen showed IMAX size movies with cameras panning over snowcapped mountains.

Kayne West perfoms his latest single "Power" on top of the BET Awards mountain.

The “No Y’all Didn’t BET” Award: El DeBarge

Wavey hair, soft high-pitched voice, and suave charm that make the ladies swoon: Who is it? Young Money’s Lloyd would be a great guess, but you got to go back about two decades…I am talking about El DeBarge. Yeaaaaaahhhhh Man! Black Entertainment Television took it back to the Video Soul days with the hazel-eyed Donnie Simpson. (If you don’t know what I am talking about, then you need to get your Soul Music IQ together.)  El took us on a DeBarge old school soul montage with songs All This Love and Rhythm of the Night, just to name a few.

Best Tribute Performance Award: Janelle Monae and Tyrese

BET Awards 10 could be known as the “Night of the Tributes.” Two tributes that stood out, besides the obvious Michael Jackson tribute mentioned above, were Janelle Monae with her rendition of Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” and Tyrese with his Teddy Pendergrass medley. Monae fidgeting around on the stage with her eccentric flare and ended her performance by being dragged from the stage. Her performance just transmitted that entertainment aura associated with his Purple Greatness. Tyrese unleashed his soul man sexy and drew panties out of pockets at he sang the songs of Teddy P. (the real Teddy P., not the Auto-Tune minstrel-show-like character we have come to know since 2005.)

Janelle Monae gives an insane performance as she sings Prince's "Let's Go Crazy."

Black Ty get in touch with his inner Teddy P.

Most Forgettable Performance Award: Eminem

I guess Em was out to reconnect with his black audience, but uhhhhh, he lost one.  Believe me, Em used to be in heavy rotation in my portable CD player back during his LP days: Slim Shady LP and Marshal Mathers LP to be specific. From 1999-2002, I could recite every lyric to every song off of both of those albums as soon as the beat dropped.  However, Em dropped the mic on this one and I cannot give you any details about his performance because I lost interest and changed the channel. If you can enlighten me and the other readers about the Eminem performance please leave a comment about it.

Eminem goes back to black as he raps to a predominately black audience.

Most Energetic Performance Award: DJ Khaled “All I Do is Win”

With a barrage of people on stage, an amped-up beat, and a dance instruction based chorus, audience members and viewers could not help but get energized. Everyones hand’s were “Up….and they stay[ed] there.” Then they proceed to go “UP. DOWN. UP. DOWN. UP. DOWN.” DJ Khaled and his crew: Ludacris, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Diddy, Nicki Minaj, and T-Pain definitely won the crowd over with this song.

Mixtape DJ/Hypeman/Mr. We Da Best: DJ Khaled

‘I expected more from you’ Performance Award: Usher “There Goes My Baby”

All I can do is shake my head from side to side when I think about this on this one.  I can understand why Ush went with the more R&B friendly “There Goes My Baby” instead of the upbeat MTV favorite “OMG,” but the performance was boring. The element that kept me most intrigued was the special effect the BET crew used to make it look like Usher was standing on a cloud. Come on dude, I was more captivated by a cloud than your performance. Now that’s a problem.

This is not the Usher that I know and love. I have been rockin’ with Ush since his Call Me a Mack days. See, I grew up with an Usher-obsessed older sister and Usher and I share the same hometown (Chattanooga, TN), so I  can’t help but ride with the R.A.Y.M.O.N.D. However, this performance forced me to get off the Usher ride. His performance was for the birds, but it was nothing to tweet about.

Usher performs in the clouds.

BET Reminisce Award: Love Jones Reenactment

The BET Awards 10 stole my heart when they reminded me of “the sweetest thing I’ve ever known”: poetic black love. Nina Mosley and Darius Lovehall were in the building and the Love Jones was still strong between them.  The beautiful Nia Long strolled on stage in a  flirty cocktail dressed and begin to recite the final poem from the classic black love romance movie Love Jones. Larenz Tate was planted in the audience and armed with a mic. He responded to Nia’s Nina’s poem with Darius’s well-known and highly seductive lyrical verse. Tate ended the reenactment on the stage with his eyes transfixed on Nia’s blues-filled left thigh trying to become a funk-filled right. And that was alright with me! (Coffeehouse snaps for a wonderful poetic performance.)

Nia Long momentarily revives her role as Nina Mosley from "Love Jones."

Most Memorable BET Presentation Award: Terrence J & Rocsi

Another male/female duo that stole the show with their “so-called performance” was 106 & Parker’s Terrence J & Rocsi. While presenting the final award with a fan, the fan asked if the two had a lil’ something, something going on between them. Terrence J and Rocsi proceeded to kiss each other passionately and turn to the fan and said, “No,” in unison. Terrence J seemed to enjoy it and Rocsi had a hard time finishing her presentation after the kiss.

Cutty-buddies? Couple? Co-workers? Your guest is as good as mine.

Those are all the awards I have to give out. You ladies and gentlemen come up with some. Just leave your comment below.

2010 BET Awards in Review: BET & El DeBarge Throwback

Check out the video below to get your Soul Music IQ up.

Donnie Simpson’s Video Soul Interview w/ El DeBarge

Flava Factory Sneaker Sale ($10 and up)

Find sneakers like these on sale at Flava Factory.

by Kia O. Moore (kia@mingleberry.com)

Tomorrow kicks off Memorial Day Weekend, which translates to barbecues, parties and sales. Urban clothing store Flava Factory gives you all three in one spot. Head down to 2041 South Blvd., Suite D, and get the weekend started off right.

Every shoe in the store is on sale from Friday, May 28 to Sunday, May 30. Sneaker freaks will burst with excitement upon entering the Factory. Jordans, Nike, Creative Recreation, Reebok, Alife, Adidas and more are priced to get the stock out of the door. Prices range from $50 to $75.

In the Factory, time saves money. Throughout Memorial Day Weekend, from 10am to noon you can purchase brand named, unique sneakers for $10!!! (Yeah you read it right.) Is there a catch, you may ask? Slightly, shoes are a season or two out of date and every shoe size is not available. But come on, $10 for some slightly old Jordans, Nikes, and what not…you can’t beat that.

Flava Factory understands that sneaker shopping can take a lot out of you, so they plan on feeding shoppers. Down-home soul food from Chicken Coup and finger-licking food from Mac’s Barbecue will be served. If you need something light, cold food selections will be available. Free drinks and wine will be served as well.

Like any Memorial Day gathering, well dressed folks, good food and tasty drinks is not complete without good music. There will be a in-store DJ all weekend. And you know a good party, or good sale for that matter, does not end until early in the morning. From Friday through Sunday, Flava Factory will be open until 2am.

Come out to Flava Factory’s Sneaker Feast and buy, eat, drink and be merry.

________________________________________________________

Where: Flava Factory

Location: 2041 South Blvd., Suite D

When: May 28-May 30

Time: 10am - 2am (all weekend)

What: Sneaker Sale ($10-$75)

Why: Brand named sneakers, Soul food, Barbecue, Good Music

Website: www.flavafactory.com

Contact: (704) 529-3900 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (704) 529-3900      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Inside Flava Factory South Blvd. location

Meet Charlotte’s Most Eligible Bachelors

Woman Is Expecting Two, but Not Twins

By LAUREN COX
ABC News Medical Unit
Sept. 24, 2009

A pregnant woman in Arkansas surprised doctors twice over when she went in for a routine ultrasound this June.

Doctors successfully located Todd and Julia Grovenburg’s growing baby girl Jillian, but then discovered another smaller baby — what could be Jillian’s younger brother — growing beside her.

The Grovenburgs may have conceived their son Hudson a full two-and-a-half weeks after Jillian, according to statements given to KFSM-TV in Ft. Smith-Fayetteville, Ark.

Different from identical twins or fraternal twins, the Grovenburg babies would have separate due dates and are considered to be a rare medical occurrence.

“When the woman had her ultrasound initially, they saw one sack, one baby developing, and that baby had a certain gestational age; then they noticed a second heartbeat in a child that was much, much younger developmentally,” Dr. Karen Boyle of the Greater Baltimore Medical Center, told ABC News’ “Good Morning America Health.”

Boyle said it’s uncommon for fetuses to differ so widely in size and development early in pregnancy, even though babies may differ widely in size at birth.

“It does really sound like this is a true case of different conception times for these children,” said Boyle.

Reports of superfetation, or conceiving while pregnant, are so rare that Boyle said, “There is no prevalence or incidence in the literature. I could only find about 10 reported cases.”

Grovenburg’s obstetrician, Dr. Michel Muylaert, confirmed to KFSM-TV that the Grovenburgs may be dealing with the extraordinarily rare case of superfetation.

“Mrs. Julia Grovenburg is pregnant with twins and there appears to be a discordant growth pattern, possibly due to superfetation,” Dr. Muylaert wrote in a letter to KFSM-TV.

“This is an unusual and rare condition, but the possibility is real. It can only be confirmed after delivery by chromosomal and metabolic studies on the babies. She was evaluated at UAMS in Little Rock for this condition and they confirmed the suspicion of superfetation,” he continued.

Could Superfetation Happen More Often?

Yet, while superfetation is rarely documented, Dr. Donnica Moore said it may be impossible to tell if this happens more often — but with a shorter time period between conceptions.

“For these sorts of cases, I have to say, most of our bodies don’t read the textbook,” said Moore, an obstetrician and president of New Jersey’s Sapphire Women’s Health Group.

“I would say [it's] extremely rare, but then again, we would never know how often this happens. If the children are born at the same time — it might be that they were conceived at different times.”

Depending on the time between the two conceptions, Boyle said superfetation could be dangerous for the younger baby, who could be born prematurely.

“It [the second conception] can happen up to 24 days later than the first conception, and then you’re putting the second baby at risk for lung development problems,” said Boyle.

However, in the Grovenburg’s case, Boyle said the difference of two weeks would not put the younger baby at much of a risk for health problems.

“The interesting thing in this case is if these children were actually born on their due dates, the older child would be born at the end of 2009, and the younger child would be born in the beginning of 2010,” said Boyle

Do You Want To Look “Flawless”? Flawless MakeUp Art Launches Membership Program

CHARLOTTE, NC-July 27, 2009- For some women, applying make up can be a tiresome chore; however, with a new Flawless MakeUp Art Membership, ladies all across Charlotte can treat themselves to affordable luxury. Created by Joy Randall, proprietor of Flawless MakeUp Art, this membership awards a variety of image conscious women—professionals, socialites and fashionistas alike, the convenience and exclusivity of having their own personal make up artist and beauty consultant at their disposal. 

For an annual fee of $150.00, members will receive the following: monthly member only events, makeovers, seasonal beauty consultations, personal make-up shopping, discounts and specials from affiliate companies, free samples, special birthday gifts and more.   Whether you need a full makeover for a special event, a big date or a girls’ night out, this is the perfect program for any budget. 

The membership program officially launches Sunday, August 2, 2009 in conjunction with the grand opening of the Flawless MakeUp Studio located at 516 E. 15^th Street in Charlotte, NC. Attendees will enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres and wine from 12:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. while touring the studio.  The space also houses YM Designs, a photography and graphic design studio and Loc’d Natural Hair Design, making the new studio a true “one-stop shop.”  Those interested in purchasing a membership will have the opportunity to complete an application during the grand opening festivities. 

For complete details about the Flawless MakeUp Art Membership program or the RSVP for the grand opening celebration, call 704.975.9526 or email flawlessmakeupart@gmail.com.

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About Flawless MakeUp Art

Joy Randall is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of Flawless MakeUp Art. She is an experienced and published Make-Up Artiste’ as well as a licensed cosmetologist wardrobe stylist with more than six years of professional experience.  Joy currently resides in Charlotte, NC and specializes in Body Art, Commercial, Editorial, Fantasy, Film, Glamour, Runway and Print work. www.flawlessmakeupartgroup.com / www.modelmayhem.com/joy360degrees

What the F@#&…Swearing is good for you?

By Kia O. Moore

Shawn eagerly places the key in the front door and turns the knob. He cannot wait to get inside to put on some comfortable clothes, curl up in the bed and release some stress by checking the stats on ESPN. As he is kicking off his shoes he hears a low moan. Shawn walks to the bedroom door and the moaning is now accompanied by a repeated squeaking sound. He swings open the door to find wife getting it on with the Stanley Steamer man. What are the first words you think he will say?

I am sure we all can agree that it would NOT sound like this, “Sweetie…please tell the young man to get off of your naked body.”

According to research found at the Keele University School of Psychology, located in Britain, the most satisfying reaction that would lessen the pain of seeing his wife cheating would sound like this:

“B**CH!!!!Who is this MOTHER F**KER with his GOT D*MN dick all up in my SH*T?!!!!”

Shawn’s next reaction would probably be to beat the guy down.

Research found that there is an unexplained link between swearing and fight-or-flight response. Swearing seems to initiate the fight-or-flight response which accelerates the heart rate, fills the body with adrenaline, and increases aggression.

Shawn has no fear of getting hit back. If he swears through the whole fighting process, the hits he will endure won’t hurt as much. Research found that swearing suppresses weak behavior and builds up the more pain-tolerant machismo within.

Dr. Richard Stephens and his colleagues, John Atkins and Andrew Kingston hypothesized that swearing would actually decrease the individual’s tolerance of pain.

To test their hypothesis, they used 64 undergraduate volunteers. Each person was asked to submerge their hand in a tub of ice water. They were told to keep their hands in the water as long as possible while repeating their favorite curse word. In the next test, the participants were asked to put their hands back in the ice water, but now they had to use a more socially acceptable word which they would use describe a table. Dr. Stephens and his research team was surprised that the participants who repeated the swear word kept their hand submerged in the ice water longer. They believe that the accelerated heart rates of the volunteers repeating the swear word may indicate an increase in aggression.

So the next time you feel the urge to swear, go ahead, especially if you are about to experience some form of physical pain or plan to inflect some.  Just make sure you are in the appropriate setting and with the appropriate people.

Patrick Cannon Files For City Council At Large

WHO: Patrick Cannon

WHAT: Filing for Charlotte City Council At-Large

WHEN: Monday, July 13, 2009 at 12:30 p.m.

WHERE: Board of Elections (741 Kenilworth Avenue, suite 202, Charlotte)

BACKGROUND:

Cannon previously served for 12 years on the Charlotte City Council, including four years as mayor pro tem.  He began his political career as the District 3 representative before being elected to an at-large position.

“We’re at a pivotal time where proven leadership is needed to continue our progress while ensuring we are fiscally responsible.  I’m honored to once again offer my ideas and proven leadership to the Charlotte community,” says Cannon.

During his tenure, Cannon compiled an impressive list of accomplishments including:

• creating a Homicide Taskforce to work to reduce such-high level crimes;
• approving a $32 million bond referendum for neighborhood improvements;
• opening the first Joblink Career Center to provide basic job and work skills training to Charlotte residents; and
• advocating for street bonds to provide proper road infrastructure.

Additional information about Cannon’s leadership, accomplishments and focus areas may be found by visiting www.patrickdcannon.com.