Miss Keri baby is dropping some knowledge this Friday afternoon when it comes to women and relationships — or not depending on your view of the male/female dynamic.

According to Necole Bitchie, innocently, or so it seemed, Keri Hilson uploaded the image above to Instagram seemingly offering an inspiring word to women and girls about their dealings with men. But it didn’t take long for people to zone in on the fact that Keri appeared to be putting all the onus on women when it comes to men treating them right — and that people did not stand for. Seeing the 200-plus comments she received on the posts (mostly in the negative vain) Keri backed up her message with this advice:

“Interesting comments on my last IG post…quite a stir. But I don’t see the confusion. Ladies don’t get it twisted. It DOES start with YOU!! Unfortunately, every man doesn’t possess some standard high amount of respect for every woman they encounter…just as every woman doesn’t exude the same amount of confidence, class, or self respect. This is not a perfect world, where men treat “hoes” with the same respect they give “ladies” just because their mother taught them well.

Bottom line is, a man will treat you according to the “messages” YOU put out there. That’s the way of the world…reality. If you exude sex, you will attract men who want that from you. If you exude self respect, you will attract the type of men who respect women. In this world, you attract what you exude. Ladies, WE set the tone!! NEVER forget that!! We have the power to change our experiences w/ men.”

Keri’s message certainly isn’t wrong, but I’m sure there are plenty of women out there thinking I treat myself with respect and demand it from others and I still can’t find a good man, so don’t act like this advice is foolproof. Or they feel like this commenter who told Keri her message is nothing but “Patriarchy at its finest & many women can’t even see how they buy into and/or perpetuate the oppression.”

I definitely believe we all show others how to treat us, but I, for one, am tired of the notion that women have to teach men how to be men. Some men will attempt to walk all over you no matter what signs you put in the universe. At that point all you have control over is how long you tolerate the nonsense.

What do you think about Keri’s message?

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I think we can all agree that when it comes to black women and the music industry, there are probably less than a handful that get their fair shine and respect without people acting as though they’re wannabes or trying to steal someone’s shine. While a Beyoncé, or Rihanna can have their stans and all their notoriety without people hounding stories about them with shade, other talented singers get treated like the busted stepchildren from the moment their name is mentioned, for instance, a Ciara, an Ashanti, and a Keri Hilson.

Hilson has been the butt of many jokes and spitfire negative comments over the last few years, even when she’s just doing her. And it seems that she’s finally found herself at the end of her rope with the haters, and decided to lash back at them on her Twitter page. Per the usual, read from the BOTTOM on up.

Hilson is most likely coming for the stans of other singers who she has had some diva moments with since she’s stepped out of the shadows of being a songwriter and into the spotlight as a singer. There was the remix to “Turnin’ Me On” that people thought was a shot at Ciara and Bey, and the whole Juicy Mag drama at the 2011 Soul Train Music Awards, as well as a slight diss to the music of pop singer Ke$ha (aye, but that girl’s music is a mess though). All in all, it hasn’t given Hilson the cleanest reputation in the industry, and she’s been low key pegged as a drama queen. But why people attack her at every turn for everything? No real explanation for that. But sadly, this is the new part of being a celebrity nowadays and how things go with the expansion of social media and everybody jumping big and bad behind their laptops and computer monitors. But it’s refreshing to see celebs check people from time to time, and do so not on a negative level, because some folks know they need and deserve it.

It’s not an easy feat to sing the “Star Spangled Banner” for big games and events. For years, the top singers and performers have been trying their best at it, and while many have been amazing, others…? Not so much. And after watching Alicia Keys try something different with her rendition of the national anthem this past Sunday, we thought we’d go through some of the best of the best, the hottest of the messes and the performances that piqued our interest for different unique reasons. And boy was it fun! Check out these 10 takes on the national anthem and decide if you agree with us about who killed it, who should have sat down somewhere, and who made us think a stepper’s jam version of the “Star Spangled Banner” wouldn’t be so bad…

And no, Roseanne Barr is not on this list because she HAD to be joking…

Mariah Carey

One Of The Best

In 2002, with her long blonde hair and tiny frame, Mimi stepped on the stage and killed the national anthem (in a good way of course). Her notes were on point (especially the very high one she did when she sang “freeeeeeeeee”), and with the dramatic music done in the background by the band, it was just perfect. And it wouldn’t be a Mariah Carey performance without her signature hand movements. It’s one of the few renditions of the “Star Spangled Banner” that I can listen to as if it’s an actual top 10 hit on the radio.

Source: WENN

Remember over a year ago — yeah we’re still holding on to it — when Keri Hilson was doing an interview with Juicy magazine on the red carpet at the Soul Train Awards and the mag asked her to hold up an issue with Beyonce on the cover and she said, “No, I can’t do that. I’m sorry”? Well, that little move was just icing on the cake that was already supposedly baking between the two who were said to have major beef as a result of some lyrics Miss Keri Baby penned back in 2009. Word was she took shots not only at Bey, but also Ciara, with lyrics like:

“Your vision cloudy if you think that you da best/You can dance/she can sing/but need to move it to the left… She need to go have some babies/she need to sit down she fake/them other chicks ain’t even worth talkin’ bout”

and

“Go head tell these folks how long I been writing your songs/I been putting you on/check the credits hoe!…If you want me you can find me in Decatur hoe.”

Sounds pretty specific, right? Well not if you’re Keri Hilson and looking to do damage control. Recently Hip Hollywood caught up with the singer at a Gillette event in LA and when they asked her what’s up with all the  beefin’ she said this:

“I don’t have a beef with any female artist. I think its just interesting that we live in such a gullible world. Anything that’s written, anything that is posted, and a picture that is interpreted one way, is truth. It’s like Bible now. You can Photoshop something, put it out and everyone believes it.  I’m human and it is hurtful. It’s not okay to make up something about someone in their personal lives especially. Professionally, fine. Scrutinize me all you want, I know I can’t please everyone. But, personally let’s just leave it alone, it’s going too far.”

I wonder if what’s hurt is her career, as many speculated Keri’s super quick rise to fame and equally rapid demise was a result of her being blackballed by the powers that Bey, if you know what I mean. It also could’ve been that way over the top “Way You Love Me” music video. Then again, maybe she’s just happy going back behind the scenes to pen those songs she’s talking about. Just hope whoever buys them credits her this time around, lest they end up in another lyric.

Do you think Keri Hilson’s backtracking on her shade throwing or is her supposed beef all fabricated?

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Did you check out Vh1 Divas last night? If you didn’t, that’s okay, because we know the lineup of performers weren’t all that exciting at first glance, but there were definitely some interesting and mad entertaining performances! No worries, we’ve got the clips here for you if you’re wondering how everybody did.

Out of all the people who put on a show on the main stage, the most interesting performances, in my opinion, came from Ciara, Kelly Rowland/Keri Hilson/Adam Lambert, and Jordin Sparks/Melanie Fiona/Ledisi. For some reason, the show about divas took the time out to show some love to Michael Jackson, and to do so, they asked Ciara to put on her best moves to imitate MJ’s classic “Billie Jean” performance from the “Motown 25″ special from 1983. Definitely some HUGE shoes to fill, but I can’t hate, Ciara actually did the damn “thang.”

She opened up with the moon walk and reinterpreted some of Michael’s classic moves in a feminine way, but she knew JUST the right moment to quit, as she broke out into a performance of her single, “Got Me Good” soon after. Loved it! Plus, as usual, her body was looking especially fit, which I know was inspiring some ladies watching last night. And on a positive note, she finally left the “matrix” move of yesteryear at home. Say what you want about the girl, but with her long limbs and especially great dance moves, she can definitely put on a show.

If that wasn’t enough for you, there was also a performance done as a tribute to the late, great Donna Summer. With Kelly Rowland singing “Bad Girls,” Keri Hilson doing “She Works Hard For The Money,” Adam Lambert (yes, the host of the night and former “American Idol” star performed multiple times actually) doing “Hot Stuff,” and the trio doing “Last Dance,” it was a VERY interesting performance to say the least. From Keri’s voice sounding like she was whining, to Kelly squealing and making some random noises and Adam almost falling down when his part began, it was all a bit all over the place. However, they pulled it all back together for “Last Dance,” where they were all hitting some good high notes and stopped being so cheesy. But the first few minutes? Yeah, probably could have gone without it…*Kanye shrug*

Last but not least of course, Jordin Sparks, Melanie Fiona and Ledisi paid tribute to Whitney Houston with performances of “I’m Every Woman” by Sparks, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and “It’s Not Right, But It’s Okay” done by Fiona, and Ledisi doing “How Will I Know.” Out of the three, I was actually pleasantly surprised that I was grooving the most to Ledisi, as she proved once again that homegirl can SANG! Plus, her dance moves weren’t too bad either. Sparks wasn’t bad of course (and she looked fab), and though she was moving around a bit too much instead of really singing, I was digging Fiona’s performance of “It’s Not Right, But It’s Okay,” probably because it’s one of my most favorite songs ever. Kudos to the ladies for trying some very difficult jams, but delivering. And shout out to Brandy for introducing them and looking gorgeous!

All in all, the show was all right. There were times when it seemed they just called anybody to come and get on stage. They’d shout a name and you would think, “Who!?” Plus, some of the twists they put on classic songs like “Bad Girls” wasn’t really my cup of tea (let’s keep it simple next time). Definitely wasn’t like the Divas programs that folks like Mary J. Blige and Whitney Houston used to kill, but it was fun enough. What did you think of the show though? If you haven’t seen the whole thing, check out these clips and let us know what you thought way down below!

When we ran a post yesterday about rappers without babies some people didn’t understand what the big deal was and why there were no women on the list. The truth is, the same stereotype about male entertainers knocking up a bunch of women doesn’t follow female artists, but that doesn’t mean they don’t get criticized for other reasons. As one commenter pointed out, for women, instead of supporting the fact that they aren’t having a baseball league of babies, people ask, what are they waiting on?

Well, these ladies aren’t worried about that at all. Just like many of us non-famous gals have other things on the brain besides baby bottles and booties, these celebs are enjoying non-mommyhood to the fullest and debunking that old tired line about all black women having a bunch of kids by a bunch of different men. Here are 14 girls in the game who are not about that baby life — right now at least.

WENN

Don’t hate Keri Hilson because she’s beautiful, ya’ll! The “Pretty Girl Rock” singer is clearly doing big things even if it has been a while since she’s put out new music, because world-renowned modeling agency, Wilhelmina International, Inc, just signed the 5’9″ star as one of their new models. Hilson is joining a long list of beauties who are also singers, including folks like Fergie and rapper Iggy Azalea. According to Juicy Magazine, Hilson is still working on music even as other opportunities open up, putting together her third album as we speak.

But don’t get it twisted, Hilson is signed to the artist management division, so you won’t see her walking the runways or anything like that, which she made clear on her Twitter page:

I am not a model. Nor do I aspire to be a model. I’m signed to @WilheminaModel Artist Mgmt division. Very excited about our new venture!!

But under their management division, Wilhemina will try and secure a bevvy of things for the talented chick, including the opportunity to be a spokeswoman for different products (like how they got Iggy Azalea to be the face for House of Holland Eyewear), they will try and get her endorsements, product lines, sponsorship and more, so expect to see her face just about everywhere very soon. With her height and her frame (which she can thank years of swimming for), I have a feeling Keri will get a lot of work and make a lot of moves. Either way, it’s a great look for her as a black woman and as a musician, because we know in the industry it’s more about pushing yourself as a brand since albums are NOT selling. But anywho, congratulations Keri, aka, Ms. Keri-Ba-By!

WENN

Keri Hilson

Miss Keri baby is back! The pretty singer/songwriter attended the premiere for the Lifetime movie, Steel Magnolias, in NYC this week looking like a fancy ornament. Hilson arrived on the red carpet rocking a long-sleeved minidress covered in white, maroon, silver and dark blue sequins. To accessorize, she wore gold pumps, a satin blue clutch and a turquoise and gold necklace. Have to show love to the great haircut and bold red lip. But while she looks good, I’m not really a fan of the prints on this dress, and I feel like she could have done more with this look. I don’t know, if you’re going to go for the straightforward bodycon dress look, that dress has to have some pop! This doesn’t though…Regretfully, I say stop.

WENN

As celebs age, they become beautiful, gorgeous, glamorous, and plenty of other adjectives. But, behind every female black celebrity was once a young girl who was cute, sassy, and full of dreams. Here are 15 pictures of well known female black celebs when they were young.

tumblr.com & zimbio.com

Kerry Washington

While jamming to your favorite songs, do you ever wonder about who wrote your favorite tune? Okay, probably not. But it’s still cool to see who helped put some of today’s major hits together, and most of the time, it’s  people who you didn’t expect. We started looking into the names behind some popular tracks back in March, and now we’ve compiled a few more. Here’s a list of some major songs by major artists that were created with a little help from their famous (or at the time, soon-to-be-famous) friends.

Graphic by Desire

“Baby” Justin Bieber feat. Ludacris (2009)

The-Dream/Tricky Stewart/Christina Milian

The song that threw Bieber into pop’s stratosphere, and was his highest charting single until 2012′s “Boyfriend,” was put together by former lovers The-Dream and Christina Milian and Dream’s writing partner Tricky Stewart (who has penned songs for Beyoncé, Rihanna, and more). The Dream claims that Milian only helped with the melody of the song- but there’s no way you can just get a royalty check and credits off a melody right? If so, then I stand corrected. Either way, it’s the jam folks of all backgrounds and ages can’t help but sing to, and it’s the song that pretty much made Bieber a household name.