(Akiit.com) A couple of days ago my colleagues at VIBE magazine were sharing their opinions in a webcast on the “We Are the World” remake, which both celebrates the song’s 25th anniversary and aims to raise money for Haiti. I decided to check out the video as I hadn’t seen ...
(Akiit.com) Technological changes in the last decade made it so that you could fit your entire music collection, thousands of songs, into a contraption the size of a credit card. But beyond the boom of MP3 players, iTunes and the Internet, pop music itself changed dramatically, especially the sounds that ...
(Akiit.com) Now I’m gonna say, right out the box, this might not be a column you want your children to read—or maybe you will. I know my publishers usually don’t like profanity laced commentary, and Lord knows black people have had a reason to cuss lately, but I’ve always been ...
(Akiit.com) Lately I’ve been thinking about the man accused of killing Michael Jackson. I try to imagine what his life has been like since June 25. Can he savor a meal? Is there such a thing as a “good day?” How do you lose yourself in a movie, the Internet ...
(Akiit.com) President Obama on rapper Kanye West: “He’s a jackass.†Amen to that, Mr. President. But it took you four years to realize it? Didn’t West’s outburst from 2005 give you a clue? Allow me to refresh some memories. In late August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf ...
(Akiit.com) “All his peoples moved on in life, he’s on the corners at night with young dudes it’s them he wanna be like It’s sad but it’s fun to him, right? He never grew up 31 and can’t give his youth, he’s in his second childhood†-NaS on “2nd Childhood” ...
(Akiit.com) In 1965, my “big” brother Gerald returned to Oklahoma City from his freshman year at Southern University in Baton Rouge. One of the first things he pulled out of his suitcase was a collection of blurry Kodak images he’d snapped during a campus concert of the Four Tops. I’d ...
(Akiit.com) LEVI’S LEGACY *The Four Tops signature tune “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)†is my favorite song of all time. I was three years-old when that legendary Motown jam soared to the top of the charts and to this day I get happy whenever I hear it. ...
(Akiit.com) Washington DC — Determined to stop the entertainment industry from portraying negative images of black men and women, the “Enough is Enough!†Campaign will hold its first rally and demonstration at the Washington DC residence of Debra L. Lee, Chairman and CEO, Black Entertainment Television Networks. The demonstration will ...
(Akiit.com) I have been attending live stageshows of my favorite artists since 1991, & I must say I was thoroughly impressed by many of them. Some were good, some were great, & some were impeccable. That’s how I’ll describe the most recent performance I’ve visioned to date – impeccable. Thursday ...
(Akiit.com) Before there even was a Biggie Smalls in existence, I remember another fat genius emcee from Brooklyn by the name of Chubb Rock. Not only was Chubb Rock a cerebral wordsmith, but he also knew how to make us rush to the dance floor with fanatical hits such as ...
(Akiit.com) The Effect of Music Hypnosis! 9/11 is an important day in the lives of many Americans. This year marks the sixth anniversary of the largest enemy attack on U.S. soil–over 3000 people lost their lives, the twin towers fell to the ground, the Pentagon was badly bruised, and a ...