Source: Quick Meme.com

Dear Readers,

While cruising YouTube a while back I decided to watch Brandy’s “Put it Down” video.  I was extremely impressed.  Brandy looked good, her sound was fresh, and the video was very colorful (and that’s good for someone like me who likes to be entertained by vibrant colors).  So it was a win all around the board.

However, when I read the comments, one person did say something that honestly was in the back of my mind.  They agreed about how they liked the video as well, but were expecting something a little more mature from her seeing that she’s a grown woman and has a daughter in double digits.  Though some people threw shade at the comment, citing how (I won’t say her name, because people are “over-saturated” by her) still dances after having her baby, and no one objects to it.

It did make me want to observe people and myself, as a mother, a little closer, and I have noticed that some parents do experience a little bit of a second wind after having a child.  There’s a saying that “children keep you young,” but now that’s also being proved by science.  An experiment by a Norwegian scientist along with Arizona State University put aging, elder, dementia and Alzheimer-ridden bees back in the role of caregiver, and found that within days the bees were back to their old vitalized selves, with a lowered rate of dementia and Alzheimer.  What does this mean for humans?  Well, bees and humans’ brains are very similar and have the same Prx6 protein in it and scientists are beginning to think that taking care of children is what keeps some parents young at heart for a few more years.  (Caveat, please do not try to heal your family and friends who suffer from these diseases by letting them babysit your children.  Further research is needed.)

So, this explains why I bump into nervous looking parents while we awkwardly walk around the junior’s department and exchange those lies we both mutter to each other in passing:  “Yeah, well, sometime these jeans/shirts fit me better…”

But, when you look at the children/teens, it just seems as though they are at the complete opposite of the spectrum.  They want to grow up too fast.  Which was an argument that came out in the comment section of Keke Palmer’s “Dance Alone” video.  We knew that this blossoming actress wasn’t going to stay a child forever, but people were concerned that she was trying too hard to prove that she was no longer a child and people should accept her as the 19 year old that she is.  In all honesty, Keke was just the soundboard that people were using to object to what they’re observing in the general population: the younger generation growing up too fast.  We see children and teens make unsound mistakes, hoping to prove their agency, while only making their caregivers look bad in the progress.

But, being in the entertainment business is different, and there’s pressure for the women to be seen as young and fresh, and the older teens to seem able and ready.  Maybe it’s unfair to hold Brandy to this standard.  Expect her to sit on a stool and single demurely about adult challenges, while “She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” grooves like nobodies business on stage (no hate, I’m a fan of both).

What does this all mean?  One thing my mother is quick to say (while I occasionally bump into her in the Junior’s shoe department as well) is:  “Age only tells you how long you’ve been on this Earth, that’s it.”  But, I would like to encourage anyone who is under the age of 21, to please enjoy your youth.  There is nothing to rush to as an adult.  As my old pastor used to say:  “The grass is always greener on the other side, until you go over, examine it, and find out that it’s astro-turf.”  All of this is being typed by a woman in an off the shoulder Snoopy and Woodstock sweater…

Kendra Koger is wondering if “She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” needs a background dancer to do the robot awkwardly in her upcoming tour.  If so, she can tweet her @kkoger. 

Source: www.rap-up.com

“No gimmicks. Real R&B music,” is how Brandy describes her sixth studio album to Rap-Up.com.

Is it just me or does Brandy just SOUND so READY both in the press and in these last few singles she’s released? While I have to admit that the duet (“It All Belongs To Me”) with Monica was not my fave, the collab with Chris Brown “Put It Down” had me sitting in the car even after I had reached my destination just to hear the song in its entirety.

About a month ago she released “Wildest Dreams” a nod to the love she’s found with music exec, Ryan Press, and a few days ago she released two more singles off of her upcoming album, including, “No Such Thing As Too Late” and “Let Me Go.” And I must admit – I haven’t been disappointed yet.

Maybe it was watching her whole story told on VH1’s “Behind The Music.” Or maybe it’s simply because I always saw her as a vocal beast and role model from “Sittin’ Up In My Room” up to now. Maybe it’s just a solid mix of the two, but without a doubt I am completely ready for Brandy to take her place sittin’ on top of the charts again. She’s had a rough go of it with albums that just weren’t quite there sonically or were overshadowed by her serious bouts with depression, a publicly failed relationship and a tragedy of a car accident which left vicious bloggers and commenters calling her a “murderer” when in fact, she had not been completely at fault in the ordeal.

It seems the media and fans/haters alike got so caught up in her personal life that they forgot how ridiculously talented and perfectly human Brandy is. She was never a drug addict or a serial dater. She had no leaked sex tapes and never fought in public. But somehow the very human mistakes of her life were blown so enormously out of proportion that her voice and passion for her craft got lost in the melee. So yes, I’m ready for her to put it down on the charts with her new album, Two Eleven, which is set to drop today. To this day I have never heard a teenager riff with the maturity and ease that Brandy had on her debut album back in 1995. Her tone, range, honesty and humility have long been missed. She didn’t need sex to sell because she was just the beautiful girl next door who could SANG. That alone pushed her further than many of the other singers of her era.

Having called upon the talents of some of the most noted producers in the industry to work on Two Eleven, including Rico Love, Frank Ocean and Sean Garrett, Brandy is ready to put it down, not just for herself but for fans and the memory of her longtime mentor, the late Whitney Houston, whose passing on February 11, 2012 (also Brandy’s birthday) was also the inspirati0n behind the album’s title.

“It brings significance to my life… I wouldn’t say it was never there before, but now I feel like I have a bigger responsibility to not only dedicate my life to my family, but my music family as well,” Brandy shared in an interview with Hartford’s Hot 93.7.

There is a huge outpouring of support from fans worldwide as we anxiously await the full return of B-Rocka.

Are you a fan of Brandy? Are you excited for her new material?

Check out Brandy’s latest single “No Such Thing As Too Late” here and follow her on Twitter: @4everBrandy.

Image: Raw-Hollywood.com

Watching Brandy unveil her video for “Put It Down” on 106 & Park this week, it’s easy to see why the world fell in love with her in the first place.  In her early thirties, she still has the sweet likeability of an innocent 15 year old that makes you want to smile with her.

That makes this that much harder.

She looks gorgeous in the video. Her close-ups are undeniable proof the woman hasn’t aged since Never Say Never  in 1998. But, it wasn’t “Thriller.” And to warrant three months of hype – the song hit the blogosphere in April – it needed to be “Thriller.”

“Put It Down” is the lead single for Two Eleven, the singer’s comeback album slated for release in October. I want Brandy to win. When I heard the single, in April, I was fully on board. But, she’s not going anywhere if she doesn’t pick up the pace. By the looks of things, she and her team are living in 2001.

“Put It Down” dropped on April 26 , but was not available on iTunes until May 8. For twelve days people downloaded her song illegally. Hardcore fans may have gone back to buy the single, but the rest of us kept it moving as illustrated by the song entering Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart at number 98.

Filming for the video started on July 10^th. What was Brandy doing for three months? She received a lot of attention for her July performance at the BET Awards. Brandy’s tribute to Whitney Houston was arguably one of the best performances we’ve ever seen her do. This would have been a good time to release a video. The purpose of content is to extend the conversation around your brand. It’s a great tool for prolonging buzz. But, it would be another month before we saw a glimpse of the clip.

For two weeks the four-minute clip was parceled out. Video stills on August 1, a trailer five days later, and a preview the week after online and on 106 & Park. It was a valiant effort to sustain interest in the song. But keep in mind a whole summer has taken place, countless dramas have unfolded, and Brandy is still talking about “Put It Down” repeatedly. It was the equivalent of someone who keeps interrupting your conversation talking about the same thing. If you’re not bringing anything new to the table, your content is worthless. Audiences can see through repackaging.

When a brand struggles in an area, it is a smart business move to look at what other brands dominating that area of the industry are doing and learn from their success. I want Brandy to learn from Rihanna. Rihanna has mastered the changing nature of the music industry and content in general. She doesn’t have a number one album, the classic measurement of an artist’s success, but she is the best-selling digital artist of all time. Rihanna’s last single, “We Found Love,” premiered on September 22, 2011 and was available for digital download on the same day. The music video was shot in late September, and premiered shortly after on October 19.

I don’t know what the personal issue is for Brandy, but the handling of this single reflects a strategic problem many brands, especially older ones, struggle with. Old models don’t work. The news cycle is too quick and our attention spans are too short.

The level of success Brandy once had now requires that she provide more new content, more often. When done correctly it will extend the work she puts into her music and performances. For her second single, let’s hope she gets it right.

Cortney Cleveland is a freelance writer and content strategist in New York City. You can follow her on Twitter @CleveInTheCity and visit her personal column The Red Read.

Source: Idolator.com

Brandy might really be back, ya’ll. I know some of the hardcore fans are saying, “but she ain’t neva left,” but we all know it’s been a hot little minute since Brandy had the music world’s undivided attention. She just make have that again with her new single and video, “Put It Down,” featuring Chris Brown.

There may be two R&B singers on the new track but Brandy and Chris Brown’s collabo is more hip-hop than anything with Breezy laying down a few raps and Brandy singing a catchy chorus. Plus the video is super fun and just makes you want Brandy to win so bad. Shout out to Hype Williams for doing his thing with the visual element as usual.

The new single will appear on Brandy’s upcoming album, “Two Eleven” which has just been given a release date of October 2. Check out the track here and tell us what you think. Is it a pass or play?

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Source: eurweb.com

From eurweb.com

Brandy shared photos of her latest video shoot for “Put It Down”, featuring Chris Brown.

Shot by Hype Williams,  the video is supposed to hit by the end of August.

Check out scenes for her video at eurweb.com

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