“Aim to Please” is his newest single from his latest project entitled The Schemata, which can be downloaded here.

My beautiful and talented friend Khaleeqa, of Paparoxi.com, recently featured me in an amazing short documentary but now it’s her turn to be in the spot light. She was just featured by Black Enterprise about how she utilized her passion to get over unemployment. Check her out:

Happy Monday! Be inspired and enjoy the rest of your week.

I get sent a lot of stuff by artists promoting themselves and honestly, most of it just becomes a blur. If you know any thing about this blog you know that I give more priority to artists who have substance behind their creations and who actually put their soul into their product. In this case, I present to you Black Girl’s Hearts in a Poem. It’s a poetry book written by Tira Adams (Brooklyn, New York), Deanna Clark (Newark, New Jersey), and Shanta Duck (Saint Albans, New York) in an effort to shed light on the ups and downs of what it is to be a Black girl in the world we live in today, but the purpose is to come from a place that relates to women of all backgrounds.

Here’s an excerpt from the press release: Sonia Sanchez once said, “Poetry is subconscious conversation; it is as much the work of those who understand it and those who make it”; as such, the poems expressed by these three authors in Black Girls’ Hearts In A Poem are indeed pertinent for young women and readers alike.

All too often, young women, especially young women of color, are forced to deal with harsh realities such as rape, molestation, insecurities, abandonment, mental and physical abuse, untrustworthiness, disloyalties, and so much more. While these unfortunate circumstances are prominent in their households and communities, for whatever reason, there is very little dialogue and effort to address such matters. The unfortunate reality is that many young women are shameful of their troubles which consequently hinder the movement of social change and societal enhancement. The poems written in Black Girls’ Hearts In A Poem will provide a sense of guidance and inspiration for young women; it will provide a sense of comfort allowing readers to know that they or whomever they know are not alone when facing such ill-fated experiences.

This is the first book published by Kani Publishing Inc.

Check out the promo video below:

The books retail for about $7.95.

I was invited by the Las Vegas board of tourism to visit Sin City last September, and it was one of the most memorable trips I’ve ever taken, which says a lot considering that I’ve traveled a bit! I was with a group of journalists who were treated to the best of what Vegas has to offer like food, shopping, Cirque Du Soleil, immaculate hotels and more shopping–basically, the point of the trip was to show us that the culture of Vegas was changing and that patrons could experience entertainment beyond just the stereotypical gambling and debauchery. I love to shop but from what I saw, shopping in Vegas is either geared toward high rollers or the economy shopper who enjoys the run of the mill stores like H&M, Bakers, etc. While, I enjoyed my trip, the shopping didn’t appeal to me because I don’t have a budget that can accommodate Christian Louboutin and stores like H&M and Bakers are everywhere at home. However, my disinterest shifted when I ended up in the Miracle Mile shops and serendipitously discovered Betty Page–a vintage shopper’s paradise.

More about Betty Page after the jump….

Betty Page is a vintage store dedicated to 40s and 50s style where retro enthusiasts can live out their ultimate girly fantasies of dressing like Lucille Ball or a sexy pin-up girl. What I love about how women dressed in those eras is that they were sexy but were also classy and sophisticated, and what I love about the store is that its unique. I nearly tripped over myself trying to get inside to try some clothes on. Check out pics from my experience below:

Of course, there had to be a jukebox present!

The prices ranged from $40-$150.

I ended up not purchasing anything because the one dress that was within the budget I set for myself had a defect and it was the only one they had in my size. Such is life but anyway, you won’t waste your time at Betty Page so, next time you’re in Vegas, grab your girls and check it out!

You can read more about my Vegas favorites over at VIBE Vixen.

When I interviewed model Erica Mena for VIBE.com, I had no idea that it would lead to my first  TV appearance. Technically, I’ve been on TV before if you count web TV where I’ve hosted segments or gotten interviewed, and even random appearances on the news as a kid for whatever program I was a part of. However, this was my first time on a major network actually being featured. It’s definitely something that was on my bucket list and that I will hopefully do again–but better.  Yet over all it was an interesting learning experience.

Back Story:

I interviewed Erica Mena for VIBE.com shortly after the super trailer for VH1′s Love & Hip-Hop was released. At that time, most people saw a brief clip of Kimbella and Erica engaged in a vicious fight and wondered who the heck Erica was because she was a pretty face entangled in a brawl. My boss, Datwon Thomas, was good friends with Erica and figured that she would make a good interview. I reached out and Miss Mena had no qualms about speaking her mind. Little did I know, my interview ran as the girls were still taping the show and it sparked more beef. That’s when I got a call from Mona Scott-Young about recreating the interview for TV. So, what no one except for the parties involved knew was that the interview was taped so that viewers could have a frame of reference for what the heck Kimbella and Somaya were talking about. Peep the interview, along with more insight to how it all happened after the jump…

Our interview begins at 3:23, excuse the quality. I had to troll YouTube in order to find it because Vh1 took the original video down smh.

I can’t reveal everything about the behind the scenes action from the show, but here are a few of the most interesting lessons I learned from my experience:

1. You think you know reality TV but you don’t unless you do it. It’s not scripted as in people memorizing and rehearsing lines–contrary to popular belief–but it’s outlined and highly manipulated. Now I see how these women end up fighting and acting a general fool. It’s because they’re forced to create and/or dwell on moments over and over again for the sake of TV. And you watch. I’m not saying you as in you, but the numbers don’t lie. If there wasn’t a demand for the drama then more people would tune in to watch women actually being about their careers as opposed to who whispered behind their backs.

2. Mona Scott-Young is a muhphuckin’ boss! Seriously, her presence is a force. We didn’t really talk beyond setting up the interview, saying hello and her giving me direction on where she wanted the interview to go but from that small interaction I can see why she’s so in charge. I can’t explain it better than that, you just have to meet her.

3. I want to do more TV and I need to do better. It’s not that I think I did a bad job but I wasn’t as on as I could have been (this is not self-deprecation it’s just an honest opinion of myself). I need to find a balance between being laid back, which I am most of the time, and a little more animated, which I can be when I want to be.

4. Erica and I didn’t just sit around talking about Kimbella all day, which is what it looked like. We talked about a range of topics but it was edited down because that was what producers wanted to focus on. In addition, don’t think that editing is a valid excuse for acting a’fool on TV. I noticed that a lot of reality TV stars try to say that editing made them look crazy…nah son. Editing may cut out back story, splice clips together, or focus more on one particular thing, but it’s not the culprit in how someone behaves (I mean, how could it be?). Your behavior is the sum of your choices and actions. Speaking of behavior, I laughed at my facial expressions. It’s sorta my thing to be viscerally expressive and seeing it on TV made me see what people around me talk about when they laugh at something I may do with my face as an extension of my thoughts.

5. Something about seeing someone we know on TV makes us really, really excited. I don’t know why, it just does (I’m guilty of it too). Folks really think you made it and for me, that’s not the case yet. I’ve got a long way to go but I appreciate the love just the same and I appreciate going through that experience.

I want to be on their level one day!

I absolutely love this!

Teresa Scott is the creative director in the publishing industry by day and a health-conscious entrepreneur who hops in the ring by night. Scott trains women ranging in age from 14-70 in boxing. The certified USA boxing coach founded the Women’s World of Boxing, Inc., a for-profit organization designed to provide women with a safe, comfortable and uplifting environment to learn the sport. Women’s World of Boxing is currently hosted in someone else’s gym so, in addition to helping women and girls get in shape and develop better self-esteem, Scott’s goal is to raise enough money to open up her own gym in the near future. Check out the video for more information on Scott’s program and how you can get involved.

Boxing, among two other fighting techniques are on my list of fitness routines I must try next year. Talk about inspiration!

I’m a product junky, so I was thrilled when I was invited to check out some holiday goodies from the The Body Shop. The picture above displays some of their newest makeup products. It’s lip gloss, a gold smokey eye kit, a black smokey eye kit and glitter. And if you continue past the jump…

Behold “Candied Ginger” body wash and “Spiced Vanilla” body scrub. These products are amazing! They make the perfect stocking stuffers or self-indulgences. The Candied Ginger really smells like Candied Ginger. A lot of body washes smell artificial so this speaks volumes to the fact that The Body Shop likes to keep their ingredients as pure as possible. So, if you’re a fan of ginger candy like I am, this is right up your alley. The Spiced Vanilla scrub has a pleasant smell as well. Then again who doesn’t like vanilla?

As far as the makeup…

I got some swatches for you!

Gold Smokey Eye

This is beautiful for a natural but shimmery smokey eye effect.

Silver Smokey Eye

For when you want to be more dramatic.

Glitter

Be careful, the bottle that contains this stuff is like a shotgun! Pump with caution. I’m weird about wearing glitter on my face if it’s not in a shimmery eyeshadow because my skin gets oily fast and you know…oil x glitter = no bueno. However, a cool tip I picked up was that if you keep the glitter restricted to that space between your temples and the corner of your eye then you should be fine because that area is least likely to get greasy.

Lip Gloss

What are you waiting for? Head over to The Body Shop and get to shopping!!!