We filled you in a couple days ago on the fact that Essence has a MAJOR lineup in order for this summer’s annual music festival. From Beyoncé and Jill Scott to Maxwell and Brandy, the hitmakers are headed to NOLA this July. And did we mention that their recent cover boy, LL Cool J, is also performing as well? Here’s to hoping his performance will be a bit more entertaining than what he did at the Grammys….Anyhow, we now can add Bey’s sister Solange and R&B stud Trey Songz into the mix, as Essence just revealed that they have been added to the lineup. They’ve also tapped the very underrated Tamia and Faith Evans to perform as well. While Solange and Trey will probably hit a main stage, Tamia, Evans, as well as the additions of Mali Music and singer Rachelle Ferrell, will perform in the festival’s superlounges.

And if you’re hoping to take part in changing that body from within instead of just shaking it down to the ground, the festival will of course have opportunities to speak with and learn from life coaches, fitness experts, members of the clergy and more through something called the Essence Empowerment Experience. There you can get fed with the help of the brilliant Iyanla Vanzant, as well as Steve Harvey, and I don’t know, maybe get some business advice or something from Kenya Moore (?) of Real Housewives of Atlanta. They’re also bringing in other big names to help, including John Lewis, Denise Warren, Karen Peterson, Kim Burrell, Kurt Carr and many others.

Once again, if you’re trying to be a part of all this fun, the Essence Music Festival is from July 4-7, and weekend packages are already for sale online. Get moving!

Source: photobucket.com

We really enjoy listening to Tamia’s music, not only does she have a great voice; but we can just about guess who she’s singing to…hubby Grant Hill. The fact that these two have been able to maintain their love affair let’s us know she’s thinking about her baller husband when she sits down to write another hit. Check out the love song she wrote called “Can’t Get Enough.” It’s an old song but let us know if this is your jam.

PNP/Tamia

We all know that celebrity relationships and marriages just don’t seem to go the distance. I mean, we have another one “biting the dust” on an almost weekly basis. But there are a few – just a chosen few – relationships that we’d be really upset to hear about if they called it quits. A couple of these may surprise you but trust me, there’s a reason behind everything! Check it out!

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I’ve been perplexed and dismayed for a few months now when thinking about the current state of music. We’re living in the era of music that relies too heavily on free downloads, more beats than thought-provoking lyrical content and shocking ‘announcements’ to drive album sales.

I just started listening to the radio again at the beginning of the summer. Was I happy with what I was hearing? Meh, maybe 75 percent as opposed to the good 90 percent of the late 90s and early 2000s. The cause, I realized, was that every song pretty much sounded the same. If I wanted the depth and relatable sounds I had grown up on, the SWV, Jagged Edge, Guy, Brian McKnight, Aaliyah, and Joe, then I would have to dig deep, reach back and pretty much forsake much, if not all of what is being played right here and now in 2012.

R&B was a mainstay for me growing up. There was soul there. Though I couldn’t completely relate to Faith Evans telling her man that she would never let him go, or Babyface outlining just exactly how fierce his girl’s “Whip Appeal” was, I saw R&B as a goal. I wanted to know love like that and yes even in some silly way I wanted to know the heartbreak of it too. R&B was what we came home to after pop, rock and rap amped us up for the day. Now, the house is no longer a home because R&B has been kicked out to fend for itself outside the realm of the mainstream music industry.

It’s been kicked out by everyone in the house: First of all, consumers. We complain that “Don’t nobody sing about nothin’ no more,” yet we twiddle our thumbs and look everywhere but to the music shelves in our local retailers when great R&B albums are released. When do we come out of pocket? For a Jay & Yeezy concert? Okay, that’s cool if that’s truly your preference. But honestly, Carl Thomas and Tamia, two of the brightest voices of R&B for YEARS, have put out absolutely phenomenal albums this year and I had to go in search of reviews for both. We say we want it, but do we support it? I’ll never forget how people used to wait in line to buy whole albums. To get that CD in their hands. To support the artistry that spoke the most into their lives. Now we pick apart these artists’ hard work and effort, barely ever spending that little $9 to $12. I’m guilty of it.

Secondly, R&B has been kicked out by the new generation. And to be fair, it’s not entirely their fault. When I was coming up, R&B was good music because it was relatable. People were in love. It wasn’t corny or foolish to put yourself out there for the sake of love. It was real, honest, respected. Grown folks could see themselves in the music and us young folks had something beautiful to look forward to. Nowadays, people mostly look to music to live a life vicariously that they’ll never get to experience firsthand. I will never know the life of a bada** rockstar. I’ll never know the lifestyle of a foul-mouthed, bootylicious Barbie but Rihanna and Nicki Minaj give me an all-access pass into that world. No shade. They’re getting theirs. But the depth they’ll deliver to me is few and far between. And so it is with the newer generation. “Love” and all of its highs and lows is for the birds to them. It’s wack. They can’t relate to a love song, but they can sure get with a jam about sex. People who thought the 90s were hyper-sexualized and overly gaudy are probably crapping bricks right now. Where we used to love music we could relate to, we now love music we pretty much know nothing of the lifestyle except in fantasy. People are not openly proclaiming that they are in love and everyone is cynical about the possibility. The real R&B artists who are STILL MAKING MUSIC, as an amazing musician friend of mine pointed out, aren’t being supported and won’t draw a cult following like Nicki Minaj because nowadays the masses want crazy, flashy sex in their music instead of easy, sweet adoration. We cling to heavy beats and synths instead of deep, poetic lyrics.

Thirdly, the music execs and DJs have abandoned R&B. Raphael Saadiq’s Stone Rollin’ album last year was the bees knees. It brought a sense of balance from new and old school back to today’s music. How much press did he and his ridiculously talented band get? How much promo did he get? How much air time did he get? DJs play the same four songs in the heaviest of rotations DAILY. Where’s the pressure for them to be more open to a wider range of music? DJs have a larger amount of power than they let on and we, AS THE LISTENERS, even believe.

The blame can’t be placed on any one group. All of us, consumers, execs, DJs, lovers and friends have done our part to push R&B out to make way for anything and everything that will “cross over.” Anything that will make a fist pump, and anything that can become a dance jam for a club where they twirl around glow sticks and dance off beat. It’s time we start making our way back to the artists who are still making music of substance before we look up and realize too late that one of the greatest genres has become extinct.

La Truly is a late-blooming Aries whose writing is powered by a lifetime of anecdotal proof that awkward can transform to awesome and fear can cast its crown before courage. Armed with the ability to purposefully poke fun at herself and a passion for young women’s empowerment, La seeks to encourage thought, discussion and change. Her blog: www.hersoulinc.com and her Twitter: @AshleyLaTruly.  

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Source: centrictv.com

So last Friday, I was at the Liberation Tour featuring Mary J. Blige and D’Angelo–by myself. Yeah I know, it sounds pretty ambitious to go to a concert by yourself. However, Groupon was offering tickets to the show at a deeply discounted rate and this isn’t the first time, or even the second time, I have went alone to a concert, so I said why the heck not? And, once you get over the initial “Oh my God, I’m here jamming by myself,” it’s not so bad. Plus, little bottles of tequila that you ingeniously snuck in through one of the many zippers on your purse helps to settle nerves you may have too. But that’s a story for another time.

So I’m sipping on some tequila, passing the time until the show started, when the announcer told us to put our hands together for Melanie Fiona. The crowd let out a half-hearted clap – all except two older ladies, sitting three rows before me, who were hooting and screaming from excitement just a little too much to be believable. I suspect that they too had been indulging in too many well-hidden spirits.

Anyway, I’ve seen Fiona perform before – in Miami during this party for the American Black Film Festival, which I attended. And yet, I didn’t remember if I liked her or not. In fact, I was drawing a blank as to what songs she actually sung – or even what she looked like. But I think I liked her – I think. Back to this concert, Fiona hit the stage with blonde hair in an all black getup with a long black train. She did the whole, “how you doing Philly” introduction thing before the band started playing. Her first song was something I kind of knew and thought I heard before, but didn’t know (but later found out that the name of the song was “Wrong Side of Love“), which received small applause and attention from the audience, who were either still making their way to their seats – you know – CP time and all – or milling around too much to really pay attention. Undeterred, Fiona led into her second song, “It Kills Me,” and I swear to God, I heard a collective “Ooooh” like everyone had the same epitome about her identity at the same time. Now hands were swaying in the air and the folks who were still making their way to their seats put a little extra bop in their step. She followed that song with “Give it to Me Right” and then proceeded right into “4AM.” Now folks were standing, doing a little two step, talking about “that’s my song,” and mumbling through the lyrics that they didn’t know before busting out in full ensemble of the chorus, which they did know.

Man that girl can really sing. I mean her voice is on point and sounds just as it does on the radio. Not to mention her great stage presence and the undeniable catchiness of her songs. In fact, most of the songs she belted out at the concert receive great radio rotations. So why isn’t Fiona a bigger star than what she is?

This is a question that has always bewildered me. It seems that some singers like a Rihanna or a Beyoncé become household names while others like a Fiona or a Heather Hedley or even a Tamia, as demonstrated by this article, simply can’t break the ceiling of stardom – no matter how many number ones they have under their belts. Heck even Keri Hilson has more name recognition than Fiona and we all know that Hilson can’t sing her way out of a shower with great acoustics.

Tamia hasn’t aged one bit since hitting the scene, marrying Grant Hill, and birthing two kids, has she? Madame Noire had the luck of catching up with the singer at this past weekend’s Essence Music Festival, where she gave us the lowdown on the misconceptions of NBA wives, her new album and her very supportive fans. Check it out.

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Source: toyazworld.com

One of our favorite underrated singers, Tamia is back on the scene! (And looking fabulous, we might add. You would never know she’s battled Multiple Sclerosis.) Now the Canada-native has released a video for her latest single, “Beautiful Surprise.” Her album, which bears the same name, will be released in August. Check out this video starring her baller husband, Grant Hill. Don’t you just love these two together? We’re feeling this romantic cut and hope the rest of the album will display the undeniable talent this mommy of two has showcased ever since she hit the scene back in the ’90s.

What do you think of the song? Are you feeling it?

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Source: Bossip

By now we all know that what we see on VH1′s “Basketball Wives” is far from reality, but sometimes you need an insider to tell you what life really is like being married to a basketball player. The Huffington Post caught up with singer Tamia, who’s the wife of NBA  player Grant Hill, and she gave her thoughts on how much of the show is real, and brought up an interesting point about how women aren’t the only ones who look bad on the show. Here’s what she said:

“I think the perception is definitely not a reality. I think, to be fair, a lot of those women [on the show] aren’t wives. And I’m good friends with Shaunie. And as far as business is concerned, I applaud her, but I think that it’s definitely very misleading in terms of what our lives are about.

“I do have a lot of friends who are married to athletes, and a lot of these women are involved in charities, doing all kinds of things behind the scenes and are supportive wives, and — believe it or not — have supportive husbands who are really great guys. I think not only for the women, but I think it just paints a really bad picture about the men as well. I think for athletes in general, people are like, ‘Why would you want to marry an athlete?’ And that goes back to what I was saying to you: what works in one person’s marriage, may not work in the next. So keep your eyes focused on yours! I guess it’s interesting TV, but it’s definitely not reality.”

Tamia has a good point. When any woman has drama with a basketball player, we typically think, well, what did you expect hooking up with a pro athlete, and we forget that every man with skills on the court isn’t a dog when he steps off of it. So how do Tamia and Grant make their marriage work? Here’s what she said:

“I always say, “What works in one marriage may not work in the next. So definitely keep your eyes focused on your own relationship,” she said. “I think it’s important to understand that you guys are going to grow. Obviously, I’m not the same person that I was at 24, and he’s not the same person that he was. But we also together allowed each other to grow as well and stay connected at the same time. And I think that’s important. And obviously, communication is super important. And at the end of the day we just love being with each other and being really good friends”

Well, she said it twice for a reason. If you want to make it work, keep your focus on your own relationship and not everyone  else’s.

What do you think about what Tamia said? Does “Basketball Wives” uphold negative stereotypes about the athletes as well?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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“My family all worked in factories. It`s a factory town. So, I didn`t have dreams of Hollywood. I just loved to sing.” – Tamia

Do you do what you love? You might not be able to do for a living, but you need to make time to do the things you love in order to take care of your soul. Whether it is singing or dancing salsa, this special type of “me time” is essential to your well being. An equally important question is: Do you know what you love? From personal experience, I know what it is like to go through many years not knowing what is of critical importance to me. It is easy to get caught up in the pleasures of family and friends, and it feels wonderful to be part of a loving community. But there are some things that are meaningful to one inherently — and it is important to find out what those things are, even if you have to go through a lengthy process of trial and error. So discover what you love. Know what activities, passions and environments automatically make you feel good. And do everything you can to participate in them regularly. Just as Tamia “just loved to sing,” that’s the only justification you need for focusing as much as you can on what is important to you.

Take the time to shine and enjoy what makes your soul soar!