Today’s #MusicMonday was all about Ryan Leslie. I guess he was top of mind after I watched his live streaming chat last Thursday. When I walked into the office this morning, he was the first and only music I wanted to listen to. Ryan’s self-titled album + Zer0 7’s Destiny was the extent of my #MusicMonday until I reached 2pm and listened to BeeHiveFM.com (post coming soon about how this online radio station is changing the game).

I’m STILL mad that MySpace has not fully integrated Imeem playlists into their platform. I still have no way to embed a full album playlist that someone else created…As I sit here and struggle, trying to determine a video to include below, I chose one that shows how talented Ryan is to play the instruments in the background of the song, sing, AND produce the track! The video is bananas! At the end, when Ryan is playing the keyboard and says he will have a 60 piece orchestra behind him playing, ahhhhh it made me want to go to one of his shows SO BAD! I knew he was talented, but not like this. I’ll be looking up his schedule *right now*!

by Erykah Badu: After years of wondering when this musical genius would grace the world with her uniqueness again, we were recently rewarded with her new track titled Window Seat. The single is Erykah at her finest: soul, flow, and smoothness. I immediately knew I would play it on repeat. I L-O-V-E this song! When I saw her video for the track this weekend, I was shocked and didn’t really know what to think.

First, I was confused. The video has nothing to do with the song! At what point does an artist say I want to walk down the street naked for my video? I don’t get it…well actually I do get it because her new album, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh), comes out tomorrow. So, the video could clearly be seen as a marketing stunt.

Yet, the video has such a deeper meaning. This is creativity with lyrical and visual expression. So many would automatically stereotype Erykah for her actions in the video (including myself), which is the whole point of the video. Towards the end of the video, she is shot and falls near the same grassy hill where President Kennedy was shot in 1963. The words “groupthink” can be seen leaking from her head onto the sidewalk and in an overlay you hear:

“They who play it safe, are quick to assassinate what they don’t understand. They move in packs, ingesting more and more fear with every act of hate on one another. They feel more comfortable in groups, less guilt to swallow. They are us. This is what we have become, afraid to respect the individual. A single person within a circumstance can move one to change. To love ourself. To evolve.“

Enough said.

P.S. Even though the purpose of the video was to generate “groupthink” or encourage change, I question whether this video will really cause a positive movement to promote individualism.  It takes a woman stripping down to her natural state for such a conversation to begin. It will take so much more for the movement to occur.

by Ly$$i: This is the latest and greatest from Luam. This song is straight fire! It really makes me want to get up and dance. With the weather changing, this track is sure to be added to a mixtape so it can be blasted with my top back! The choreography is on point as always! It’s cool that the two guys in front adapted the moves to their own style. But, there is something about Luam that makes her the center of attention. She dances with so much heart and can stand alone by herself. Watching the other dancers as though they were solo, I question what they are doing and if they can feel the music. So – I choose to stick with Luam.

by Earth, Wind, and Fire: I was searching on YouTube today for a video and came across this group called Pomplamoose. The group is comprised of Nataly and Jack and I love them already! Although, Nataly’s blank stare while singing kinda freaks me out :/ I love the Indie Rock feel. I love how they play their own instruments, sing, and combine it all to make one track. Every song they sign they turn into their own style. This is true talent with the ability to edit it and make it look pretty – I’m impressed. I was going to post the Beat It video, but when I saw Jack’s grandma dancing, I had to choose this one. This video is extreme humor. I seriously laughed out loud! I hope you watch and find humor too! If you feel so inclined to buy the group’s album, you can do so here. However, if you are like me and the last cd you bought was 2002 or before, you’ll find another way…

by Lady Gaga ft. Beyonce: I don’t even know where to begin with this mess. I remember when Lady Gaga came out about a year ago, and I really liked her music. After the MTV Video Music Awards when she came out dressed in bizarre outfits and blood all over her body, my liking of her began to dwindle. I feel like she, or anyone else for that matter, shouldn’t have to do all the extra-ness to get people to listen to her music or be interested in her. To talk about her? Maybe…but it’s not necessary! The music alone should speak for itself.

This video presents her biggest debacle to date! I heard a few people mention this video a few days ago but I thought nothing of it. I really thought people made the mistake of calling the video Telephone when they really meant Video Phone – which is Beyonce’s previous single. I finally became intrigued enough to search for the video today, and I was shocked. To even watch the video you have to be 18 or older and have a YouTube account to login. That’s just to watch the video…because it’s that explicit!

After being uploaded for only seven days, there are already more than 20+ MILLION views! And the video is almost ten minutes long! That’s a mini movie – like the kind Michael Jackson used to make back in the day. Yet, this mini movie is straight clownery. Lady Gaga has no self respect and with 10 layers of makeup on, she looks ridiculous. I’m trying to figure out what made Beyonce want to be a part of this song/video!?! I can understand the ‘you be in my video, I’ll be in yours’ deal they probably made, but sometimes you have to put your foot down. Bey just lost some cool points and entered a lower class level in my book by being in this video. My guess is that her hubby, Jay, pushed her to be in this video due to the publicity she would get by being associated with Lady Gaga. Yep – that’s my story and I’m sticking with it!

I could dwell on so many parts of the video that are whack…. the name of the Bey’s truck (Pu**ywagon – what the hell?), Tyrese’s guest appearance (dude – are you really not getting any more movie roles that you have to stoop so slow and be in a LG video?)…I won’t even say anymore. I’ll let you watch this craziness below.

I checked in with Luam’s YouTube page to get the latest and greatest in her choreography. I’ve been slipping because I have clearly missed 3 videos being uploaded! This is the first and I didn’t get past this one to see the rest. This video is a great portrayal of how Luam brings all different races, sexes, and ethnicities together all for the love of music + dance. The choreography is on point as always but the song choice literally made me get up out of my seat and dance. I hadn’t heard Freakum Dress in a hot minute. The choreography made me want to put on my heels and parade around the house – minus the freakum dress…I’ll leave that for my weekend outing.

I’ve said for months now that Trey’s social media strategy is on point! Whoever provides his back end strategy and comes up with his non-traditional/traditional marketing tactics gets two thumbs up from me. Take yesterday for example:

First, Ludacris premiers his new single Sex Room featuring Trey Songz. The brilliance behind the release was the only place you could listen to the track was on Global Grind. I tried to YouTube the track and I found it. I tell you – by the time I listened to the track and copy/pasted the link to send it to my friend, UMG had pulled it down. When my friend told me she couldn’t listen to it, I thought she was joking. UMG must have had numerous detectives or insiders at YouTube monitoring to make sure people were not leaking the record too soon!

Instead, the track went viral instantly after Jo Jo (@YoungSimmons), the editor of Global Grind, sent a tweet that the track was available on Global Grind. Trey’s thousands of groupie girls went bananas and sent RTs informing their followers of the new single. I, personally, sent a tweet because I LOVE the track. It’s triple X-rated, but it’s the bomb diggity! I’ve had it on repeat for the last 24 hours.

Sex Room was a solo hit until…Trey premiered his video for Neighbors Know My Name, which is like his sixth edition of soft porn. The release of this video was brilliant too – although very weird. I’m not sure why, but the video premiered on Power 105.1 fm . I’ve never heard of that radio station before a day in my life and the website of the radio station had exclusive access to Trey’s video for a full day. Then, he uploaded the video on YouTube today. If you didn’t know the video premiered, there was no way you could miss it! On the homepage of YouTube.com, Neighbors Know My Name is the first video listed on the Videos Being Watched.

Trey is getting far more publicity than other artists I know, and the good thing is it’s all safe pub. You haven’t seen him robbing anybody, jumping anybody in the club, or engaging in illegal behavior. If you don’t like Trey, I feel sorry for you because 1. you aren’t the norm and 2. it doesn’t look like Trey is going anywhere!

Still feeling Slow Wine from Sunday, I was in a real Tony Toni Tone mood for #MusicMonday. Tony Toni Tone mood for me means tunes that embody love, calming, soulful harmonies and my song selections reflect just that…

This Monday, I posted:
Slow Wine by Tony Toni Tone
Let’s Get Down by Tony Toni Tone
Just Me and You by Tony Toni Tone
Voyage to Atlantis by The Isley Brothers
Rapture of Love by Anita Baker

I choose to blip my choices for #MusicMonday so they can all be viewed in one location at any time. You can go to my dj page on Blip.fm to listen to these and all other posts in a playlist. Visit this page throughout the week to get a glimpse into what I’m listening to or check back in on Mondays for my #MusicMonday selections.

by Tony Toni Tone: Slow Wine with an e; not Slow Wind with a d. This song came in my head yesterday and my boyfriend, who had never heard this song, argued me up and down that it was wind and not wine. But, oh no! I knew the word ended in e, although I couldn’t figure out who sang the song. My initial thought was a group, such as Guy, but I was wrong. I searched on YouTube and the results only showed videos for R. Kelly. Negative! Knowing a couple lines of the lyrics, I was thankful for Google. With a few power searches, I was informed that Slow Wine; Slow Wine; If I Could Wine You In My Arms; From Left to Right; Slow Wine was the 90s hit by Tony Toni Tone. My boyfriend had the nerve to say Raphael Saadiq isn’t the lead on the song and that’s the reason he had not heard the song. Only thing I have to say is…I won that bet!