The Awkward Moment When... Tamar Braxton-Herbert Gets You Together on Facebook!

Known for her outspoken nature, singer, reality TV star and talk show host, Tamar Braxton-Herbert leaves no issue untouched -- or shall we say uncommented or replied to. Today she promoted a clip from the upcoming season of WEtv's #1 show - "Braxton Family Values" with the caption "#dontdoit" in reference to those who try to "come for" her super fans known as the Tamartians.  And of course, I had to chime in to make the bluntly real statement that Tamar's fans are in fact rather rude just like the favorite star.

Well Tamar was not be undone and unheard.  She quickly retorted with her signature line "#liesyoutell" and a "lol".  It's all in good fun and it seem as if she got the joke.  I was prudent enough to mention I do have love for her, so, with a slight hint of shade - remember we're in "shade anonymous". As a Tamar supporter, this wasn't a trolling comment and it seems her fans recognized the subtle truth in their comedic replies as well.  Well there you have it folks, the awkward moment when your girl and my new homegirl, and I can say that because she replied to ME lol, get you on together.  Point blank period.  And be sure to check out the latest Braxton family drama and laughter coming soon with the premiere of "Braxton Family Values" on WEtv August 14th!  And if you haven't done so already, be sure to pick up your legal copy of "Love and War" and retailers in stores now and online!  I bought the hard copy of the CD so I could get my life to all the pics and the liner notes -- I'm so old school with it!

[Photo Source: Facebook screen capture, used for informational purposes only, no copyright infringement intended.]

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Beyonce & Jay-Z: On The Run tour - Was Dallas NOT checking for the Carters?

Despite having the #1 concert tour of the year, it appears Beyonce and Jay-Z rang into a few snags during the Dallas leg of their hit "On the Run" tour. My insider source had a lot to say about the duo and the fans response shows they clearly were not happy with what they paid for!  The night begun with the tour starting over an hour late, after 9:00 PM and disgruntled fans were already beginning to leave by 10:15!  That is a shocker, as you may know, many have had to go to extraordinary measures to pay for tickets that reached into multiple hundreds up to over $1000 for tickets.  Some of them have forgone paying certain bills to be able to afford the astronomically high ticket prices for the concert, so they clearly were upset to just up and leave in protest. This I do know for myself, I checked ticket prices and even the "nosebleed seats" were still going for roughly $150.  I did find seats that were literally on the roof, sitting on the highest railing of the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home to the Dallas Cowboys and they were still $65!  That's just ridiculous!  We all love Beyonce, we enjoy Jay-Z but no man or woman is worth all of that hype!

My insider, who I must also mention is also a Beyonce fan, something we have in common, they revealed that the duo made the decision to not pay for the additional fee to have their performances shown on the stadiums Jumbo-tron which caused an uproar with fans.  According to the insider, stadium management told employees to tell customers that this was a "production decision".  As revealed by the insider the Jumbo-tron is not included in the stadium rental and is a separate maintenance cost and was not chosen by the executive management of the Carters.   It was commented the reason behind this may have been so that fans could not see up close the amount of lynching that was done in that day's performance.  The stadium was also rather empty selling less than 45,000 tickets (less than even less popular acts like the Jonas Brothers) even though the stadium actually has 80,000 seats and can hold up to 105,000 people including standing room for General Admission.  Imagine that -- literally HALF the stadium was empty!  Well, there you have it!  Dallas clearly was not checking for Beyonce or Jay-Z this week, maybe the next leg of the tour will have better ticket sales and reports from fans and concert promoters!  We still love the Carters but somethings gotta give!

[Photo Source: www.Beyonce.com - Photo used without permission and for informational purposes only, no copyright infringement intended.  If you are the copyright holder, please contact the Administer of this blog for immediate removal.]

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Music Review: Traci Braxton - "Last Call". The "BFV" and "Marriage Boot Camp" star is definitely "breaking out"...

Hey ya'll! I am happy to be one of the first to review WEtv reality star Traci Braxton's new single "Last Call".  If you are a fan of "Braxton Family Values" then this not exactly new to you.  On the show, it chronicled Traci's struggle to record her music, finding the approval of her sisters (in particular superstar big sister Toni Braxton) and honing in on finding her voice.  Well, I do believe she has succeeded!  In the words of her little sister and breakout music star Tamar Braxton -- "She won"!

It seems that the Braxton sisters have been fighting the industry curse of being the younger siblings of a legend for over two decades!  With a few notable but unsuccessful attempts, the sisters have tried their mightiness, though being super talented and unfortunate have failed until recently with new found success and exposure through their hit reality show.  Traci has been the most vocal in breaking out of the box of being known as "Toni Braxton's little sister" and has voiced her desire to sing.  Though her family may not have believed she would stick with it, put in the work and give it valiant effort, she has proved all naysayers wrong.

"Last Call" is a surprisingly a very sensual classic R&B record, with an 80's, early 90's throwback vibe while still being very contemporary in today's demographic of Pop and crossover Hip-Hop\R&B that seems to reign the charts.  Traci is heard pouring out to her lover that it is her last call to keep asking for what she desires in their relationship and she does so with vocal ease.  Her sound is surprising not as heavily Braxton influenced as expected.  We all know the sisters sound amazing together in their 5-part harmony, but that familiar Braxton sound is not overly present -- she isn't trying to sound like famous sisters Toni or Tamar, but allowing her own inner diva to shine.  The target audience of this song definitely seems suited for an over 25 crowd; it has a nice Adult Contemporary flair without being somber, it's fresh enough to still be played on Top 40 radio stations and your favorite Quiet Storm station.

While there was many things I loved from this song, there is only point of criticism that I have to offer -- the overt use of auto-tune throughout the song.  As a fan of "Braxton Family Values" we all know Traci can in fact really sing, she has a very strong contralto voice that has the ability to soar and stand out even in group harmonies. The musical style of the song "Last Call" purposely uses reverb to match the vocals to the electronic R&B beat, it makes sense, it sounds great but from a marketing perspective I think that it could hurt Traci's exposure, especially with this being her first single.  To an untrained ear, the use of reverb, which is used primarily throughout the verses and chorus, would allude to much needed vocal correction like many singers of today who are more breathy and nasally than actually vocalists, but Traci doesn't need auto-tune to sound great.  Her natural voice does however shine throughout her adlibs, pre-chorus' and the songs bridge which seems to be less studio enhanced and allows the listener to truly hear her vocal ability without distortion.

I grade this song with a B- for it's strong debut, pleasant vocals and overall listenability. Be sure to download your copy today from legal music retailers today!  I downloaded my copy from Itunes for a well worth it $1.29.  I am definitely looking forward to hear more from Traci in the near future.  Until then be sure to catch her on the current season of WEtv's "Marriage Boot Camp" and the new season of BFV coming in August!

Photo Source: iTunes.  No copyright infringement intended, used for informational purposes only.

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RHOA Star Porsha Williams Strikes Again...

UPDATE - @Porsha4Real responds to @JustusTakesOn
Well at least we know Porsha has a sense of humor and can take a light-hearted jab!





ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Atlanta's home-girl Porsha Williams formerly Porsha Stewart of The Real Housewives Atlanta has struck again! Still reeling from the infamous "underground railroad" debacle, she's making headlines again due to a recent Instagram post.  I'm starting to believe she's doing this on purpose now, is this her gimmick? She's just your typical beautiful bimbo but she means no harm! She's just as sweet as she can be, but this girl said STUARTIST instead of STEWARDESS!  Rickey Smiley please come get yo girl! I can't deal.

[Photo Source:  @Porsha4Real (Instagram) & @JustusTakesOn (Instagram) No copyright infringement intended, used for reference\informational purposes.]

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Top 4 Things Justus is NOT Here for in 2014... so far, that is!

4. "Made up Words" -- I dunno who gave people the creative literary license but it seems like 2014 is full of popular sayings and made up words. Examples -- ratchet, THOT, the Nae Nae, yeet, baddies, etc. So can someone please explain to me why has it become so popular and accepted to be ghetto -- I thought that's what you rise FROM?  Maya Angelou did not die in vain for this. *deep sigh*

3. "Blue Ivy's Hair" -- I don't know what's worse the fact that I agree that Blue Ivy needs some Blue Duchess hair grease and a stiff brush, the fact there was actual online petition for Beyoncé (or Blue's personal hairdresser) to finally comb her knotted roots OR the fact that the petition actually worked and little Miss Carter has been rocking tamer natural hairdos ever since. And they said celebrities don't read the blogs! Mmhmm...

2. "Deeming this Generation as Icons or Legends" -- it used to be so that a legend was someone who had a lengthy maybe 25 plus career with undeniable impact and a trail of success. Now it seems popularity without proper credentials is deeming everyone legendary or iconic. Case in point, the American Music Awards naming Rihanna an icon, people suggesting that new generation stars like Chris Brown and Justin Timberlake are suitable replacements for Michael Jackson's legacy and let's not even get me started on Kim Kardashian.  I have love for Chris, I think he is an amazing dancer and performer and has a great studio voice, but lip-syncing or shall we say really BAD (catch the Michael reference?) lip-syncing really shows he is not on legendary status -- case in point his two 2014 BET Awards performances, just really mediocre at best vocally.

1. "Ridiculous Reality Shows & their So-called Stars" -- now I love reality about as much as the next reasonable viewer but the plethora of needless reality shows is reason enough why I bypass certain cable stations. There's only so many spin offs, wedding specials and one night only returns (Kate PLUS Eight) we can handle. It's to the point I feel people are just getting married, divorced and remarried just for the sake of having a show. Even worse the borage of unnecessary characters errr "real people, celebrities". Top mention includes former Destiny's Child singer Latavia Roberson. I think Latavia may have a compelling story to tell about her overcoming addiction, her fall from popularity, her struggle to maintain focus in an industry who may not be entirely checking for her, but she's not wanting to talk about that on the new season of R&B Divas Atlanta. Nor does she want to sing in front of her fellow divas! I can understand apprehension, stage fright and self doubt but she DID realize she was signing up for a show about women who sing -- right? Her constant refusal despite loving and even a lot of pushy encouragement from her fellow divas was such a waste of time and vetted energy. Like an angry Tyra Banks, Latavia "we were all routing for you"! Such a bore and a let down.

[Photo Source: @JustusTakesOn -- Copyright 2014]

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Top 13 Crazy Moments from the 2013 BET Awards

13.  Why was Chris Brown’s background singers singing better & louder than him and doing all his adlibs?

12.  Why did Chris Tucker have them mailman pants?  And why is his go to impression always MJ?

11.  Who gave Paula Patton a molly?  SMH… that was just sad… embarrassed herself and her husband.

10.  Speaking of Robin Thicke… I appreciate his superb live vocals but his lack of rhythm was distracting!

9.  And why was T.I. hitting the “Grand-daddy”?  TIP went off like he was saying “come here gurl…” with one pant leg rolled up like ole Otis on Martin.

8.  Why every year on the BET Awards that maximize air time of each big name performer they have by having them do at least 2-3 performances a show with different artists? Nick Minaj – 2, Miguel – 3, Pharreal – 3.

9.  Mariah Carey-Cannon just a lip-synching for her life… too bad she flat-lined!

8.  Why was R. Kelly trying to be young with that leather studded outfit and new song which sounded like something Rihanna would do?  Nobody ain’t come here for that!  He redeemed himself with a  medley of his classics!

7.  Why my girl Tamar Braxton gotta get her award in the pre-show?  Shaaaaade?!  I mean after all she did win the Centric award which is BET”s special award category for breakout artist.

6.  I may be cruel for this but somebody needs to let Stevie Wonder know it’s time for them braids to go… I mean from the front profile he looks bald… I know he’s blind but don’t let a brotha go out like that!

5.  Why they always pick the most ghetto, ratchetess girl to be the viewer co-presenter, I mean at least give her etiquette pointers like don’t pop gum in the microphone, refrain from saying “oh my gaaaaawd” and pushing the other presenter out of the way so you can be on camera.

4.  Why was Meaghan Good ole trifling behind wearing that dress, I mean napkin, presenting the Gospel award?!  I mean really?!  …and on top of that’s she’s a minister’s wife!  That wasn’t sexy to me.

3.  Why was Justin Timberlake selected to present to Charlie Wilson?  Who the heck is JT?  He ain’t the next generation of R&B!  And he could have kept that performance too!

2.  Why was 2Chainz wearing a leather skirt of over his jeans and a leather fringe jacket that made it look like his locs were 4 feet long? 

1.  Why was Debra Lee more concerned about being able to strut like the young celebrities and promising to watch out for her next year instead of using her platform to focus on empowerment and up building positive images for the community?  I felt she is such bad representation of educated Black women, CEO’s and business people.  Just a total NO from me!

[Photo Source: www.bet.com  No copyright infringement intended.]

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Iyanla, Fix My Life: featuring DMX…

...I finally saw “Iyanla, Fix My Life” featuring DMX and his son Xavier and I must say, Iyanla is amazing... yes she can go off on these higher thinking rambles but she gets to the root of the problem and I am SO proud of Xavier for not allowing his father to manipulate their relationship any longer.  Amazingly, he was able to see that on his own.  Iyanla hit the nail on the head when she said DMX uses people to make himself feel better and he is definitely using his son, their relationship and the fact he did try to be a good father to overshadow the fact he hasn't accepted responsibility for his actions whether conscious or not!

One of THE most important relationships a child can have is knowing and feeling their father’s love.  It’s natural, it’s intuitive, it’s how we were designed.  When young women do not have positive relationships from their father they tend to make poor decisions, allow men to use them and take them for granted.  The same with boys, without a father, they become lost, they do NOT know what is is like to be a man.  How sad that existence is and I pray that no other young boy or girl has to feel that pain, but inevitably many others will.

DMX needs our support in the meantime.  Now is not the time to bash him, to keep agitating him and his reputation with what is already clear and obvious but he needs our love and prayers.  Drug abuse and alcoholism are mental disorders – DISEASES.   They are engrained in the DNA and can be almost impossible to cope with and conquer.  Many environmental and social factors can contribute to these disorders and unfortunately Earl Simmons, DMX, has had a lifetime of these sad factors.  To show your support, help Iylana Vanzant in her campaign to support him using #SUPPORTDMX on Twitter along with an encouraging thought. 

Mr. Earl Simmons, I challenge you to do better, be better and hold yourself accountable to honor your son in his only request to his father!  How dare you tell him “see you at my funeral”… in that moment something resonated deep to my core that made not judge, nor pity but humanize your experience, knowing that you most certainly need all the love and prayers we can offer up for you.

[PICTURE SOURCE: The official “Iyanla Vanzant” Facebook page.]

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