Sunday Praise & Inspiration

Neo Soul Saturday

Today, we're spotlighting a different form of Neo Soul called South African House Music. I first got hooked while on vacation in South Florida celebrating my 40th birthday a few months back.
Hope you enjoy.

*bio courtesy of djblackcoffee.org*
Durban-born Nkosinathi Maphumulo has been on the music scene for over a decade but only got his break a few years ago. Nkosinathi, otherwise known as Black Coffee, is popular for his smash hit remixes, most of which have dominated the airwaves in the past couple of years. He studied music in Durban because he felt that as a producer, he had to deepen his overall musical knowledge, develop his listening skills and advance his knowledge of music theory. When asked who helped him achieve his goals, he said "I have Massive Respect for Christos and Oskido for taking me around and giving me slots on their gigs". 2003 saw Black Coffee starting to put his first project together.

He has featured since at various clubs locally and Internationally like Taboo(SA),Cafe de Flore(Swaziland),Djoon(Paris), Scala(London)Ambassador(Lyon), Café Mugambo (Swaziland's New Year's Eve Parties)2008&2009 Miami Winter Festival,2008 & 2009 Ultra Music Festival(Miami),Sutra (Cape Town),In Namibia, Botswana, Barcelona, Lesotho, Cannes, Stratford, Birmingham and recently New York to mention a few. 

Health Tip From The Board Room

These lose-weight-quick gimmicks are just that, GIMMICKS.

It may help you lose weight in the short term, but long term it isn't healthy and the weight usually comes back.

Let's stop with the gimmicks and get healthy by eating right and exercising!

Now, excuse me as I go pound this iron and do my five miles on this stationary bike.

Black Tea Party Members Take On The NAACP

Black tea party members are planning to protest the NAACP at their 102nd convention this weekend in Los Angeles. The reasons: To stop the NAACP from committing genocide in the black community by supporting Planned Parenthood and to protest their OUTRAGE about the NAACP calling the tea party movement racist.
And we ALL know these great Americans aren't racist, right?


Give me a freakin' break!
 Honestly, I hate going down this road but these people sickened me to my stomach. I have no problem with black people being conservatives, voting for Republicans or having a different point of view politically. But when you have a movement of people who are openly racist and you defend them, that makes you worse than the slave catchers who used to hunt down runaway slaves for their masters. Some of them were forced to do it, but some did it because they wanted to show their masters that they were "good negroes"..........or as Herman Cain and Allen West likes to put it........... "not like the rest of them".
And that's exactly how I view black tea party members.

MSNBC Is Considering Giving Rev. Al His Own Show

While I would love to see more people of color given an opportunity in primetime on cable networks, I don't agree with the move. Not because I have anything against Rev. Al, but because I see this for what it is; a token gesture.
Let me explain:
CNN recently fired Elliot Spitzer and replaced him with E.D. Hill. For those of you who don't know who E.D. Hill is, she's the former FOX "News" anchor who once characterized Barack and Michelle's fist bump as a "terrorist" fist bump.....she later said she was only repeating what others had called it. (yeah, right)

 "Why would CNN hire a former FOX "news" anchor when they have T.J. Holmes and Don Lemon already on staff?"

That's the question I think members of the NAACP were asking when they threatened to protest the network for a lack of diversity in primetime.
Realizing they could be next on the NAACP "protest list", MSNBC hired the one person who would probably make the most noise, Rev. Al Sharpton. I like Rev. Al and listen to his radio show every chance I get, but there is no way he should have a television show on MSNBC. That should go to Tamron Hall, Eugene Robinson, Marc Lamont Hill, or somebody else.

Just my opinion............

"Slap A Bi*ch" Contest

*Meeting Called To Order*

Have you ever wondered why our young folks are so violent towards each other?
Have you ever wondered why they're filled with such anger and hostility?
Have you ever watched the local news or read the paper and said to yourself,
"Some black kids just don't know HOW to act!"
You haven't!?
Well, I have! 
A few weeks ago, I was watching the BET "Music" Awards. I don't know why, but I was.
During the commercial breaks, a local nightclub was promoting their new club event.

I think the commercial went a little something like this:
Ladies, do you want to make some money?
Has someone been getting on your nerves lately?
Is there a chick you been wanting to slap but haven't because you're afraid you might get in trouble?
Well, tell that bi*ch to meet you this Wednesday night for the "Slap A Bi*ch" contest.
That's wasn't verebatim but it was pretty darn close.
You think I'm making this up?
Ok, see it for yourself:
*warning*
(profanity and very graphic)

 (I'll give you a few minutes to pick your jaw up off the floor)
You good?
Ok, check this out:
 If you see a commerical like this being advertised in your city, please contact your local city council member, Mayor or whoever, and ask them to intervene to end this savage like behavior.

(bangs gavel on the table)
Meeting adjourned!

Sunday Praise & Inspiration

Neo Soul Saturday

Those of you who have been Board of Directors for a while, know I love Neo Soul. In my opinion, Neo Soul is the only vibe of music that can save R&B, because today's R&B has officially turned into B&S.

This week we're spotlighting Kimberly Nichole.
Some of you saw her on the BET Awards wearing a ballerina dress.(Yeah, I know-it DID look crazy but that's her style).
But regardless if you were feeling the ballerina dress or not, this girl can SANG! 
Check out her bio then check out her performance from a couple of years ago in Atlanta. I was in the audience that night and this girl put on a show!
Expect BIG things from her in the very near future.

*This is the bio is courtesy of Soul Tracks. Check them out at soultracks.com

**Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, the city that spawned legends Jimi Hendrix and Quincy Jones, Kimberly'Nichole has always had a talent for music and lyrics. She began singing as a toddler, learning to play the clarinet at ten and writing songs before she even hit her teens. Motivated to experience life outside of her hometown after high school, she enrolled at Atlanta, Georgia's Spelman College, one of the top liberal arts institutions of higher learning for women.
Atlanta provided Kimberly'Nichole an opportunity for academic growth, but simultaneously fueled her passion and flair for music. Her personality and energy have brought out the best in bands of all genres. She's complimented the likes of hip hop/R&B band, Sol Factor and the ol' school soul sounds of The Heit Band. Part of her allure is due in part to her exceptional writing ability. When you combine vibrant vocals with a penchant for going against the grain, you gain the musical stylings of the dynamic soul stirring songstress known as Kimberly'Nichole.

Don't Ignore The Warning Signs

This past week in Atlanta, Irene Mickens was murdered at the hands of her cowardly estranged husband. The two were set to go to court Thursday to finalize their divorce but on Tuesday, this punk man called her and said their 5 year was very sick and she needed to get there ASAP. Like any mother would, she rushed home to take care of her baby. But when she arrived, he put a 9mm to her head and blew her brains out. Then he killed himself, leaving their 5 year old and 7 year old children without a mother AND a father.

HOW COWARDLY CAN YOU GET?

I know quite a few people who knew this beautiful mother, sister, friend and dedicated educator. And they all say the same thing, "I saw it coming."
For years, this man tried to control this woman, telling her who she could and couldn't talk to. I read where she had to sneak on the phone just to call her family and friends.

Listen, whether you're a man or woman- if your mate has a problem with you being you.
If they want to control your every move or always want to know where you are.
If they give you signs that they "might" be controlling, don't walk-RUN away from them.

Those are warning signs that you should NOT ignore.

UCONN Rescinds Acceptance of 13-Year Old Child Prodigy

Autum Ashante is a 13-year old from the Bronx who speaks four languages and has an IQ of 149. I'm too stupid to understand how smart that is, but the University of Connecticut wasn't. Last month they agreed to let her enroll as a freshman this upcoming fall but shortly afterwards, they changed their minds.
They claimed she wasn't "prepared" for college life.
While that may be true, surely they took that into consideration when they agreed to accept her.
So what else could have happened to make them change their minds?

Well,  I did some "investigating"and this is what I found.
(For the record, I'm not an investigative reporter. I just play one her in The Board Room.)
When Autum was 7 years old, she lead a group of students in reciting the following:

"White nationalism is what put you in bondage
Pirate and vampires like Columbus, Morgan, and Darwin
Drank the blood of the sheep, trampled all over them with
Steel, tricks and deceit.
Nothing has changed take a look in our streets
The mis-education of she and Hegro — leaves you on your knee2grow
Black lands taken from your hands, by vampires with no remorse
They took the gold, the wisdom and all of the storytellers
They took the black women, with the black man weak
Made to watch as they changed the paradigm
Of our village
They killed the blind, they killed the lazy, they went
So far as to kill the unborn baby
Yeah White nationalism is what put you in bondage
Pirates and vampires like Columbus, Morgan, and Darwin
They drank the blood of the sheep, trampled all over them with
Steel laden feet, throw in the tricks alcohol and deceit.
Nothing has changed take a look at our streets."
-The New Black Panther Party calls this the "Black Child's Pledge"

Well, I don't know what that means but I do know that this type of stuff shouldn't be coming out the mouth of 7 year old.
But can a poem she recited 6 years ago cause UCONN to rescind her acceptance?
As far fetched as it may sound, I say it's possible.

Shortly after she recited this "pledge", some people on the "radical" right picked up on it and began attacking her if she was a 30 year old terrorist. The heaviest attacks came from that nutjob of a racist Michelle Malkin, who wrote this.(Click on this link below)
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmichellemalkin.com%2F2006%2F03%2F15%2Fmeet-the-7-year-old-racist-poet%2F&h=6AQB9u_nY

Last weekend, I read many of those same whack jobs were taking credit for UCONN's decision. It appears they asked people to flood the phone lines at the admissions office to protest the University allowing a "racist" into school as a child prodigy".
I'm not sure if that's the reason or not, but it's quite possible that the above "pledge" caused this talented young lady a once in a lifetime opportunity. If so, shame on the people who phoned the admissions office and shame on her parents for instilling these beliefs in this beautiful child's heart.

Help, I'm Clueless!

For the last month or so, I've had problems logging into my blogger account under my user name.

I can't edit my posts nor can I add a comment.

Whenever I try, it always tell me to log in.

Well, when I log in the exact same thing happens.

I'm clueless as to what I should do.

Suggestions?

"Yup, I'm A Racist"

This is for all of you tea party supporters, especially you black supporters.

I hope this makes you proud!

You know, this reminds me of the 50s and 60s when white folks were afraid they were losing their country because the government was making them integrate!

These people.....SMH..........

My Brief Take On The Casey Anthony Verdict

From the justice system that brought you the Rodney King verdict and the O.J.Simpson verdict.

 I now present to you, the Casey Anthony verdict.

After hearing testimony that this woman waited 31 days to report her daughter missing.

After hearing that this woman had orgys while people searched for her daugher.

Even after hearing experts testify that a year after her daughter's disappearance, the trunk of her car STILL smelled like a dead body had been in it.

Casey Anthony was acquitted.

But let me pose this question to you:

If CASEY Anthony was CAMISHA Anthony and the prosecutors had the same evidence against CAMISHA as they did CASEY?

Do you think the verdict would have been the same?

Just asking the question............

The State of New York Approves Gay Marriage

Last week, the state of New York became the 6th state to recognize gay marriage. It was a glorious time as people celebrated the fact that this country was finally starting to come around on the gay marriage issue.

Well, I hate to break up the party........but.........

EVERYBODY IS NOT CELEBRATING YOUR VICTORY!

I'm not one of those people who will go out of my way to protest gay marriage, but I'm sure as heck not one who will sit by quietly and watch it happen. I believe a woman was created FROM a man FOR a man. Therefore, I believe marriage is between ONE MAN and ONE WOMAN.......PERIOD!
If you want to have "civil unions" ......fine, have at it!
But don't tell me I'm discriminating against you because I oppose your right to do something that I don't think is natural.
And can we PLEASE stop with the Civil Rights Movement comparison?
While it's true gay people have been the victims of hate crimes, I have yet to see where there was a systematic effort to prevent gay people from voting or getting an education. I think it's disrespectful to the many men and women who lost their lives fighting Jim Crow to compare it with the gay marriage movement and I wish more people would speak out about it.
Then again, nobody wants to risk offending anyone. Which is probably why the blogosphere has been dead quiet about this issue over the last week.
Sorry, I'm not one of those people.
I have nothing against gay people but let me be clear:
I DO NOT SUPPORT TWO PEOPLE OF THE SAME SEX MARRYING EACH OTHER!

Sunday Praise & Inspiration

Neo Soul Saturday

Today we're spotlighting Neo Soul artist, Green Tea.


DC-based singer Green Tea cut her musical teeth singing in church. But as a teen her interests extended beyond Gospel to include soul, jazz, blues and even opera. Her debut album, Have a Cup of Green Tea Dosage I: Shades of Green won for her a solid local following. She followed it with the poetic 2008 release, Dosage II: Choices, which again highlighted her personal, relationship-based lyrics and deep resonant voice.

-This review is courtesy of Soul Tracks and was written by Chris Rizik

Hard To Believe It's Been Two Years

It's still hard to believe that Michael Jackson isn't with us anymore. Enjoy one of my favorite performances from the "King of Pop"

Allow Me To (Re)-Introduce Myself

Judging from the almost 1,000 hits this site has had since Monday, I'm guessing many of you are finding yourselves here for the very first time. So on behalf of the regular Board of Directors, thanks for stopping by. Let me give you some background on why I started this blog movement called The Board Room.

This movement was started in December 2009.
It wasn't started as just something to do or a place to voice my opinions.
This was a vision given to me to achieve a specific purpose for the Kingdom of God.
Calm down, calm down.......I'm not about to start preaching or anything like that.
No, that's not my assignment-in this platform.
My assignment, in this platform is to challenge you to engage in mature dialogue about social, political and religious issues as it relates to the African-American community and our society as a whole.
(All races are welcomed here in The Board Room.)
My views come from a unique perspective.
I've been up and I've been down. I've had it all, lost it all, got it back, and lost it again.
It was at that point that I realized, God had a plan for my life.
But when I decided to follow that plan, things became interesting because I was trying to do things the right way for the first time in my life.
*Sidebar*
Have you ever tried to do the right thing but all the wrong things kept happening?
(My bad, I said I wasn't gonna preach, right?)

One thing you may have noticed by now is that I am very opinionated and don't bite my tongue mence my words for ANYONE!
That's not in my DNA!
So if you disagree with anything I write- and trust me, you will. All I ask is that you be respectful. I have to ask that because over the last few days, I've been called all kinds of crazy stuff. One woman even called me a "sell-out". THAT may be the funniest thing I've ever read on this blog.
Lady, one thing I'm not is a "sell-out." I just refuse to sit on the sideline and watch the destruction of an entire generation's mindset who thinks it's cool to walk around with their pants sagging.

I've also received some emails that have been...........let's just say, "button-pushers".
(I guess y'all didn't like the blog I did about "Single Mothers" for Father's Day, huh?)
I DON'T CARE! lol
I'm laughing, but I'm so serious............I really don't!
I was raised by my Great-Grandmother, Grandmother, Mother and Aunt and not one time did I ever hear either of them tell the other "Happy Father's Day."
What's next?
Single Father's wishing each other "Happy Mother's Day" because they're raising a child by themselves?

Regardless if you think I'm a 'sell-out" or too militant.
Regardless if you think I hate women or I'm an advocate for fathers.
I hope that you will stick around and join this movement. I pray that somehow, someway, something is said or written that inspires you to get involved and make a difference in our community. Because this next generation needs all of the difference makers it can get.

Again thanks for stopping by and welcome to The Board Room.

Join our FB page by clicking on the badge to the right. 

Another Senseless Murder

Kim Crawford of the Bronx has been charged with murder and manslaughter in the beating death of her 5 year old son. Police say she admitted to hitting 5 year old Jamar twice in the back and twice in the stomach after he.....
Are you sitting down?
BROKE HER NINTENDO Wii !!!
"It was an accident. I didn't mean to hit him that hard. That's the hardest I've ever hit him", she cried while telling the police what happened.
Simple case of a mother becoming upset and hitting her small child too hard, right?

WRONG!

Ms. Crawford watched Jamar vomit and roll around on the floor crying in agonizing pain for FIVE DAYS before deciding to take him to the emergency room.
She said she was afraid that the authorities would see all of the bruises on the child's body and arrest her.
I guess that's a valid excuse.
I take that back.
THERE IS NO VALID EXCUSE!
What kind of parent would watch their child vomit and scream in pain for FIVE DAYS?
And what kind of parent punches their FIVE YEAR OLD in the stomach?????????

Unfortunately, there are probably more Kim Crawford's out there.
 Let's just pray that someone who witness abusive behavior will contact DHR before we have to report Another Senseless Murder .

I Didn't Find A Damn Thing Funny!

This past weekend, Obama impersonator,comedian Reggie Brown made an appearance at the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans. If you're not familar with what I'm talking about, check it out:



If you thought it was funny, go ahead and laugh, other people thought he was hilarious too. But as for me, I didn't find a damn thing funny!
Call me sensitive.
Call me unable to take a joke.
Call me whatever you want to call me, but I'm not feeling this clown's routine and here's why.
During the summer of 2008, I worked at a place where I was the only black person on staff. Almost everyday, many of my former co-workers would gather around their computers and laugh at disparaging emails and offensive photos of then candidate Obama.
Some of those same photos were used by Reggie Brown in this video.
-The picture of the President that was darkened to make him look like a thug, while standing there with 6 or 7 cigarettes in his mouth.
-The picture of Fred Sanford fighting with Aunt Esther as a portrait of how Barack and Michelle will look in the future.
 Hell, I'm surprised he didn't use the one of Michelle looking like an ape. I'm sure they would have loved that one too. (I almost got into a fight over that one).
I'm not saying there's something wrong with his impersonation of the President, it was spot on.  But I strongly disgaree with the use of those photos as part of his routine and his willingness to openly make jokes that had racial overtures to them.
To me, it almost amounts to being "A SELL OUT".

Later in his routine, the crowd turned on Mr. Brown and he was physically escorted off the stage because he started making jokes about GOP presidential candidates. But honestly, by the time it got to that point, I had stopped watching.
Because I didn't find a damn thing funny in the first place!