BEATS and RANTS

Remembering the 'Bad Girl': Donna Summer (1948 - 2012)

 

I know I'm terribly late with this obituary, but I would be remiss if I didn't pay tribute to the "Bad Girl" Donna Summer.

Now I'm talking about "bad" as in good. And in the case of Donna Summer, she was absolutely dynamite. As far as I'm concerned, she was the true sex symbol of the disco era. Next to Blaxiplotiation queen Pam Grier, Donna Summer was my chocolate fantasy. Sadly, this truly gifted artist is no longer here with us.

Can we please have a moment of silence for...

LaDonna Adrian Gaines, better known as Donna Summer, who passed away on May 17 at the age of 63 after a long battle with lung cancer. The veteran songbird died her home on Manasota Key in Englewood, Fla., after a battle with the disease. Summer was laid to rest on May 23 in Nashville. Among the A-list mourners in attendance included Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Barbara Streisand, Stevie Wonder and Lionel Richie.

"Donna was a wonderful woman, who was a force to be reckoned with," said Summer's biographer Mark Eliot. "She changed music and was a good family woman and good Christian. She will be missed."

Born and raised in a religious Boston family, Summer became the Queen of Disco at the age of 27 with the 1975 song "Love to Love You Baby," which was produced by the Italian disco pioneer Giorgio Moroder. The song became a global sensation -- 17 minutes of a woman moaning in a state of ecstasy -- and for awhile, was banned on radio. Summer also made waves in the disco era with her chart-topping dance anthems "Last Dance," "Hot Stuff," "Bad Girls," "On the Radio" and "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)."

By 1983, she'd moved past the disco sound and into R&B/pop sound with the girl-power anthem "She Works Hard For the Money."

Summer is a five-time Grammy Award winner and was the first female artist to have three consecutive double albums reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She also received two Golden Globes, six American Music Awards, one NAACP Image Award and was the first black female to receive an MTV Video Music Awards nomination. Sadly, although she has been nominated for induction into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she hasn't been selected.

New Video: Nas - "Daughters"

Father's Day is not too far away (in three weeks), so the message in Nas' video for "Daughters" is real important. In the end, what Nas is stating is that if fathers maintain a strong bond with their daughters it will help them build their self-esteem. The P.O.V.-styled clip was directed by Chris Robinson and features Nas' real-life 17-year-old daughter Destiny Jones. It's a great video for a great song. I wish more rappers would get more personal in their songs. The materialistic boasting is wearing me out.

Nas' tenth album Life Is Good is due out on July 17.

New Music: Goodie Mob - "Is That You God?"

 

Now this is what I'm talking about. The newly-reunited group Goodie Mob returns with a new song called "Is That You God?," which is slated to appear in the indie flick The Obama Effect. The song is reminiscent of Mob's hip-hop and gospel-tinged sermons featured on their classic 1995 debut LP Soul Food. This is way better than their previously-released track "Fight to Win."

As for the movie The Obama Effect, it stars Charles Dutton as an unhealthy 50-year-old insurance salesman who becomes obsessed with getting Barack Obama elected into office and gets heavily involved in the 2008 presidential campaign. However, his extreme obsession with Obama soon takes a toll on his family and on his failing health.

The Obama Effect will open in theaters on July 13.

 

spotted: SC

The Godfather of Go-Go Chuck Brown Dead at 75

 

We can please have a moment of silence for...

Chuck Brown, a pioneer in Go-Go music, who passed away at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore on May 16 at the age of 75. The legendary guitarist-songwriter, who had been hospitalized for pneumonia, died from complications related to sepsis, according to his manager Tom Goldfogle.

Brown (with his band the Soul Searchers) was a major figurehead of go-go and its music scene in the Washington, D.C.-area, which inspired countless of local bands including Trouble Funk and Experience Unlimited (aka E.U.). A few of his classic songs like "Bustin Loose" and "Blow Your Whistle" were sampled by rappers Nelly (for 'Hot in Herre') and Eve ('Tambourine'), respectively. In the '80s, tunes like "We Need Some Money," "Run Joe," and "Go-Go Swing" became mainstay anthems in the go-go scene.

Mr. Brown continue to performed tirelessly before his death. "I'm not retired because I'm not tired," he told the Washington Post in 2006. "I'm still getting hired, and I'm still inspired. As long as I can walk up on that stage, I want to make people happy. I want to make people dance." That he did.

Among Brown's last performances was with the Philadelphia band the Roots at the "Wawa Welcome America" concert in front of the Art Museum on July 4, 2010. Mr. Brown would later jam with the Roots again at their 7th annual Jam Session in conjunction with the 2011 Grammy Awards Weekend Series in Los Angeles. "Damn DC: Long Live The Legacy Of The Immortal Sound of Mr Chuck Brown!" tweeted Roots drummer Questlove.

Brown's final album was  his 3-disc CD/DVD set We Got This, which was release in September 2010. The lead single from the collection was "Love" featuring Jill Scott and bassist Marcus Miller. "Ohhhh Chuck!!!!! R.I.P., Dear friend and lover of the original beat, your music captivated and lifted. You will be MISSED!!!!" wrote Jill Scott.

Brown described go-go music as a love affair between him and his fans. "It's about love, the communication between performer and audience," he said. "When you're on stage, the people put that love to you and you give it back. There's no other music like it."

Chuck Brown is survived by his wife, several children including two sons Wiley and Nekos Brown, and daughter Cherita Whiting, and several grandchildren.

New Music: Childish Gambino - "Fuck Your Blog" (F/ Flynt Flossy x Yung Humma)

 

Apparently, Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover of Community) has some issues with the blogospere. Granted, the blog culture has changed considerably since I started blogging back in 2003. But it's all good. My thing is this: You learn to move with the times and not fight against it. I just try to post the hottest rap songs on here that catches my ear. No politics, no dick riding, just dope beats and rhymes. That's it.

Having said that, this song is, um, okay, but nothing stellar. Interestingly, the track also features Yung Humma of "Lemme Smang It" fame. I thought dude was an imaginary figure that the Internet created. Who knew he had bars?

No word on where this unfinished song will turn up, but press play and enjoy.

 

spotted: Couch Sessions