[***EDIT: As I forgot this earlier, I'd like to go on the record as officially starting the Alpha Chapter of NWDGASATC (Negroes Who Don't Give A Shit About Tom Cruise). Our first order of business?? Banning him from every got damn black function. I don't get it. Why is he at EVERY BLACK FUNCTION. Shit, wasn't Garth Brooks enough...at least he had some soul!?!?! We're accepting applications now for more city chapters which also includes a "Fuck Tom and Katie, I like Pacey" bumper sticker!***]
The BET Awards were last night.
I watched them.
I don’t hate myself this morning for watching BET. In fact, I was, dare I say, entertained. Hell, even the commercials advertising the BET Awards were entertaining. Will and Jada are funny as two monkey’s gyrating on a merry go round together and made a great hosting team. And with Will throwing in white folk jokes all night long, well, I might have to call this award show a…success.
But of course its BET, so there were problems, which I’ll get to that later. BUT, as stated, the actual show was fine, save a few lackluster ass performances. Actually, just one lackluster ass performance:
Mariah Carey.
Good God.
I know SOMEbody got cursed out backstage after that piss poor exhibit of vocal craptasticness. She sounded like she mailed that performance in from Vallejo or somewhere, and had a big breasted chubby faced clone just stand there and mouth the words. She fought throught it and all but damn…Mike Tyson put up a better fight when he got his ass beat two weeks ago.
[***Sidenote: Admit it, wasn't Omarion's performance good??? Everybody was hating...but I learned ya!! The boy can dance his ass off. This makes me think that he and Usher need to have a dance off. I'm not saying that Omarion would beat Usher, I do think he'd give him a run for his money though. Also...did anybody notice that the chick from the "Touch" video somehow miraculously grew an ass for this performance? I was informed that it was because she had heels on which I guess adds some curvature, but I can't even watch the "Touch" video because her nosatal offends me so. What, was she the only video hoe available in Hollywood that day so you just settled??? Huh, Omarion?? Huh???? Sheesh.***]
[***Another Sidenote: Though the awards show was cool, we STILL got to do mo' better about who we nominate for awards. Good gotdamn. Anthony Hamilton, who released an album in September 2003 is still getting nominated for shit?? For real?? Kanye West STILL gets nominated for Best Gospel Song for "Jesus Walks". Somebody needs to be fired for this. Or at least dangled from a building Big Red style until they get the shit right. ONLY NOMINATE MUHFUCKAS WHO WERE RELEVANT IN THE LAST FISCAL YEAR. QUIT NOMINATING KANYE WEST FOR GOSPEL ANYTHING. THE NIGGA CURSES IN THE DAMN SONG, AND I GIVE A SHIT THAT ITS A QUOTE.***]
By the way, if you don’t get the Big Red reference, never ever speak to me in real life.
One particular performance though, brought to light a problem we have in the black community. John Legend performed “Ordinary People.” It’s a great song and he offered up a good vocal performance. Then all of a sudden you realize that somebody is still singing but John Legend’s mouth isn’t moving. What the shit?? Oooooooh…THIS nigga.
Dammit.
The lights come up and there he is in all of his head bobbing, longhairded glory: Steveland Morris AKA Stevie Wonder. Now I know its damn near blasphemous to speak ill of Stevie Wonder, but for real…
…can somebody retire this nigga’s jersey or something?? And while we’re at it, can somebody retire Smokey Robinson’s jersey too??
My people, these two negroes are proof positive that sometimes we just don’t know when to throw in the towel. I ain’t saying that Stevie can’t perform anymore, but just don’t sing. Shit. You sound like ass ducks…waddling ass ducks. You too Smokey. That falsetto ain’t so hot with age now, is it?? And since I’m pissing people off right now…I’d like to go ahead and say that I hate that damn “What The Fuss?” song.
AND…
…y’all niggas can’t tell me Stevie can’t see anymore. You see him doing the dance routine up there??? He only does that head bob thing now because that’s what we expect. Stevie can see. He had a coordinated routine!!!! He even hit that little, “i’m hard and still in prison” stance at the end of the performance, which looked less like he was hard and more like he was 4. But it was a good try.
This is a trend with our peformers though. They don’t know when to just lay down the gauntlet. I’ll admit, music today isn’t what it could be, but that is no excuse to feel the need to save us from ourselves when you don’t sound that good. For the record, Stevie Wonder never had the best voice.
Let me say that again for all you delusional people out there.
STEVIE WONDER NEVER HAD THE BEST VOICE.
But now it just sounds worse.
You know what…as entertaining as he is, this goes out to Maurice White of Earth, Wind, and Fire too. Ron Isley…fuck it…all old men singers. Most of the women can still blow. But to the old fogey ass men singers:
Just stop. Enjoy your riches and the legacy you’ve built and shut the fuck up.
Really, this is our fault, the younger generation of music lovers. We’re afraid to tell our elders that they can’t do something because they are the reasons we do what we do. Well, no more. Today, I say let an old person know that they can’t wear bodyshrits anymore, or short skirts, or sing, or swim, or eat a steak. Tell them the truth!!!
My people…it’s time to be honest and admit that some of our entertainers just don’t have it anymore. If we don’t do this, we’ll be doomed to twenty more years of Stevie’s crackin’ ass voice. Though I will say, Stevie does have one of the most stellar music careers so I guess he deserves SOME leeway. HOWEVER…I shall not be moved.
It’s time to retire the jersey old fogey’s everywhere!!!
Let it go…
And because there is just no better place to say this. GOT DAMN!!! Destiny’s Child (or as Will called them…on stage…Beyonce and ‘nem) gave LAP DANCES to Magic Johnson (who is one big nigga), Nelly (who has some shiny teef), and Terrance Howard (who is like the coolest light skinneded actor ever…LIGHT SKINNEDED NEGROES UNITE!). And Terrance Howard looked FOOOOOCUSED. I bet Jay got a little nervous. Terrance Howard got more work nowadays than hoes on Metropolitan Avenue in Atlanta, or hoes at Hunt’s Point in the Bronx. Either way, to Destiny’s Child, for not being too bougie, even Michelle’s ass, to give lapdances on national TV…I salute you!