Check out the latest installment of my Organix Mixtape Series.
Michael Jackson died a long time ago….and I was mourning him long before his physical presence was no more. I remember as a youngin’ my Mom taking me and my brother to see the Jackson 5 in the “Chi”. The venue escapes me but I remember they performed on a rotating stage…I was taken aback. This little dude had grown ass women swooning and men mesmerized. I saw Mike and his brothers again when their Victory Tour made a stop at Comiskey Park in October ‘84…we had seats on the field and the show did not disappoint. Black folk from Chicago and Gary embraced the Jackson Family because we all shared the same roots…worked in the same factories…dodged the same bullets…survived the same times. The Jackson’s belonged to US and WE shared them and Mike with the world…and that was the beginning of the end.
Mike became the “King of Pop” and in doing so shook off most of the folk that lifted him. The true soul in the music was gone which allowed other folk who didn’t look like him or share his scars gravitate to him. The Thriller LP was monstrous, soulful and seductive but after that Mike lost me…..and eventually himself. My favorite Mike album was Off The Wall…househeads in Chicago had been losing their minds in the clubs to “Get On The Floor” and “It’s The Falling In Love” (a duet with the incomparable Patti Austin) for years and it’s still a club banger to this day. The album also contained the hot joints “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” and “Rock With You”. When the Jackson’s signed with CBS Records in ’76 and worked with Gamble & Huff, creators of the “Philly soul sound” the marriage was magical. The union gave us soulful joints such as “Enjoy Yourself “, “The Good Times” (a Chi-Town Steppers classic), “Show You The Way To Go” and “Heaven Knows I Love You, Girl”. My all time favorite is “Forever Came Today” which was released in 1975….check your itunes and get it today…it wasn’t a Gamble & Huff collabo but it is the sh*t!
After Thriller came the plastic surgery, the infamous “skin disorder”, the monkey’s and giraffes and such, the child molestation charges and the less than stellar music…in my opinion. I still loved Mike and always hoped that he would right the ship…if any entertainer could do it he definitely could. When he changed his looks to not look like US I was hurt….we were the same nappy headed kids that mowed lawns and raked leaves to earn enough money to buy his records and he rearranged himself in an effort to not be mistaken for one of US. But I gave him a pass because I can only imagine that growing up the way he did and being in the limelight and having everybody tear away pieces of him deeply wounded him beyond repair. The last time I saw Mike in concert was April ’88 at the Rosemont Horizon. I took my girlfriend at the time Selika to the show and she undeniably lost her mind….man, I couldn’t even enjoy the show because I thought her little ass was going to fall over the railing….I was embarrassed but I understood. Mike was powerful, misguided, ingenious, troubled, masterful but most of all he was ours….I never really knew the “light skinned Mike” but the Mike with the chocolate skin, significant nose and afro was simply and unequivocally the absolute truth.
Tracy Cruz
Choklate
The Foreign Exchange
Lalah Hathaway
I read an article about a women’s group in Nairobi trying to organize a “sex strike” in an effort to resolve political turmoil…whatever that means. I think it’s a bit silly but to each his own. In my travels I’ve heard of so many women resorting to this type of tactic to resolve internal relationship issues or to just get some “get back”. I knew a woman who withheld the “cakes” for 6 months just to get an Infiniti truck. She eventually got it…it was a used whip which to me was a testament of the type of “cakes” she had to offer….used booty. If some of you ladies are contemplating trying to straighten your dude out by greatly limiting access to the “nappy (or shaven… whatever floats your boat) dugout” here are a few pointers:
1. First and foremost you have to be GOOD at the sexual circus or at least somewhat decent. If your performance is lackluster or half-ass you are already dead in the water. Hell, your man might even go a head and buy, do or apologize for whatever he did or didn’t do out of appreciation.
2.“Cakes” have to be handed out with some consistency. If you’re one those every 6 months broads….then…I mean really. What type of leverage do you think you’re working with?
3. You need to decide if whatever he did or didn’t do was that bad that you’re willing to risk the stability of your relationship. I mean…sh*t can go down hill real fast when folk start playing games.
In the end what have you really accomplished? That you’re not mature enough to communicate with you’re man in a civilized manner so you have to resort to “hood rat” games? You may get what you want but after it’s all said and done you have definitely lost the battle…square biz.
I was rummaging through some things and came across this poem I wrote damn near 10 years ago. Just thought I would share with y’all…enjoy.
desert soul swayin’ in the wind
soil colored eyes swallow antiquity
as open wounds bleed caramel water
tryin’ to feed my courage with black sunday’s and stray bullets
cultivatin’ tribal seeds in ghettoes and solemn spaces
as incandescent summers melt into the eleventh hour of autumn
to give birth to the dirty weather of winter.
balancing uprises of bedlam and contentment.
burying dead idols so that truth can ascend.
as righteous winds flow through every pore
men shall bow their heads and the gods will soar.
To rummage or not to rummage that is the question…
Had an interesting conversation regarding the right to “James Bond” your significant others belongings in search of contraband and the like. I’m kind of on the fence with that…I mean…I ain’t got nothing to hide but I would despise being treated like a convict on lockdown at 26th & California. The “whys” don’t really matter because the justification only has to be formed in the mind of the person doing the spying and that’s the rub. This allows whatever insecurities real or imagined to manifest and dictate the relationship. Most women I have talked to believe this to be an acceptable practice. They feel that they empower themselves by using these tactics to stay one step ahead. To that I ask one step ahead of what? I mean…once you find a phone number or a pair of thongs stuck between the seats of the Buick it’s pretty much a done deal…your following up on shit that has already transpired. In a sense you’re too late….more like a step behind. I understand that people have baggage and past experience or pain may trigger a flashback of some sort and you may want to engage in this behavior but you need to make sure that’s not your only contribution to the union.
Relationships have to be feed…they demand it…and if your starving it because your to busy dusting your man’s or ladies cell phone for fingerprints with your “my first CSI” kit then you have become a cancer to the situation. To me…you can check all you want but if we ain’t taking advantage of some alone time to have us a “Barry White” moment then we got a serious issue. You have just extinguished one of the bright spots of our relationship and if you ain’t got no Emeril-like chef skills our can’t do some tuckpointing around the house or install break pads on the whip…..let’s just say it ain’t looking good for you. Your usefulness rating has taken a hit….
My thing is if your handlin’ the business upfront then you won’t have time for the nonsense…if you got time to check every pocket, hack into some emails, call all the numbers in the cell phone that you don’t recognize then you can rest assure that you are damn sure lacking in every other category. So, don’t come to your mate with that ‘ol “who you on the phone with” or “you didn’t tell me you was going out” until you pull your shoes up and start being a participant on this journey and stop planning the demise of it.
I smell a conspiracy coming on….The media’s recent coverage of The First Lady’s sleeveless attire at recent White House events and the constant mentioning of her designer apparel and such has me thinking that there’s a deeper purpose to all of this then just fabric and Michelle Obama’s sense of style.
This recent flap started when Mrs. Obama posed for her official White House photos in a sleeveless get up. She was called everything but a child of God and I find that disturbing. I think it’s really just a collective sigh of hate floating about because let’s be serious…past First Ladies did not look like Michelle Obama. Could you imagin Hilary or Laura Bush in a sleeveless fitted number? Or how about Nancy Reagan?….Me neither.
It’s almost as if there is a movement from the disenfranchised of the establishment to label Michelle as a chocolate Barbie Doll with only the ability to create fashion trends and not policy. This effort to make her a sexy centerpiece and sabotage her intellect is unprecedented.
Black women have always been the sexual muse of white men since the Aurore made its inaugural journey through the Middle Passage. I believe that this is just an attempt to transform Michelle Obama into a simple sexual beast in the eyes of the American public and render her as a non-factor. I guess it’s just the American way…instead of dealing with us it’s just easier to demonize. Go figure.
I have started a new venture and extended the “Verbal Water” brand to delve into my first love…music. Verbal Water Music is a podcast that I created which includes some of my best nu-soul mixes. There’s only one mix on the site now but there is more to come! Take a gander and take in the musical ear-scapes.
Res – They Say
Incognito – Still A Friend of Mine
D’Angelo – Send It On
Brownstone – 5 Miles To Empty
Good morning Stephen (MadPoetic),
One of my girls hipped me to your blog a year ago and I have been a fan ever since. I love your straight to the chase, no bs approach which is why I have written you this letter. A sista need a little advice…see, I think my husband maybe stepping out because lately I’ve noticed a change in his demeanor towards me. I, mean, he just seems like he’s not that into me anymore sexually. Let me give you a little background. We’ve been married for 8 years and we have 2 beautiful children. My husband is very, very affectionate…he would always hug and kiss me at anytime and anywhere. He made me feel like a princess and I loved the attention. Since my youngest child was born 5 years ago I have felt very funny about having sex in the house. My husband has complained several times about this and I do understand but it is still a struggle. I compromised and decided to institute a date night about once a month were we would go out and get a nice room downtown and share a romantic evening. Since are last date night in June (yes it’s been over six months) he has been very unaffectionate and spends most of his time planning various activities with our children (he has always been an excellent father) and hanging out at a friend’s house watching the football games. He doesn’t hug or kiss my nearly as much as he used to which has made me suspicious. So man to women, do you think he’s cheating? Should I be worried? Help me out.
Worried.
Dear Worried,
There is no way I can say for certain that the brotha is stepping out…but I can affirmatively say that you needs to be worried. I can only concluded from what you have told me that every other aspect of your marriage is fine and that intimacy is primarily the only issue. If this is so than I have some questions/statements for you…
1. What is your hang up with sharing and intimate moment with your husband in the same home you share with your children? Do y’all live in a 1 room house? Do your children ever go to sleep or do they stay up drinkin’ coffee and takin’ No Dose? If you got a bathroom, living room, kitchen, family room…hell, garage then there is no excuse. And I assure you that this is the conclusion your husband has already mulled over several million times. See, folk do what they want to do…period. We put time and effort into the things that bring us joy and we go out of are way to make it happen. If my boy Dave called me and said he got 100 level section Bulls tickets for tonight I would make it happen no matter what. I would walk my ass down Madison Avenue in a pair of Stacy Adams in the snow to the United Center after work. That’s just how much I love basketball. Now If you’re anything like my wife, I’m sure your husband has seen you politicin’ on a pair of Seven jeans or a North Face Metropolis coat or a pair a True Religion jeans or some expensive ass purse. He’s seen you call every Macy’s, Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdales in a 60 mile radius of the city, had the sales lady put the shit on hold and then watch you hop your happy ass in the whip and drive to WhereTheHellAreWe, IL to make the purchase. He’s seen the dedication you display when you WANT something. He’s wondering why you refuse to show that same zealousness when it comes to intimacy.
2. Focusing on whether he’s cheating or not is irrelevant, the main concern is that he’s not touching YOU and you already know why. You have managed to loose the affection of an affectionate man and that shit is huge. See, I can relate to him because affection is built into my DNA. It is something that can’t be bought, learned, traded for…it’s just is. You have managed to snag a person who thinks you are sexy and beautiful just because and takes every opportunity to remind you of it. You should be spending time cultivating it instead of rebuking it. Affectionate folk show affection because they have to….it’s an unconscious natural act. I would get up in the morning and see my wife making coffee with her head wrap and would grabbed her and kiss her because I want her to know how she affects me. She would always give me that “what the fuck is wrong with you” look. Half the time she don’t appreciate it but it really ain’t about her….it’s about my joy and my need to show her that there is no one else I would be rather be with. Most folk do shit because they want reciprocity but affectionate folk are only concerned about giving joy to others that’s why the whole “if he ain’t touching me than he most be touching someone else” logic has no place here. You have continued to drink from the well without having a plan or desire to replenish it.
3. What’s up with this date night “about every month”? Translation: about every other month so basically y’all doing the nasty about (6) times out of 365 days in a year??!?!?!? That is madness! I’m all for the date night but in order for me to see any parts of the ass I got to wait for a month and then I got to drop $250 or so on a room at the Hotel Sax or the Amalfi???….that shit sounds depressing as hell. See, shit like that should entice and enhance what you have already established sexually. It’s like being relegated to playing pick up basketball games in a shitty gym on the West Side and then having the chance to ball at the United Center….It means more because all the practice has paid off and here’s a chance to share your skills on the big stage. The thing is if I can’t get a little loving in the confines of my own home then I’m not going to be all gung-ho to go all out especially when I know it won’t carry over into our ordinary lives.
4. Dude ain’t cheating on you he just gave up hope. He’s focusing on other factions of his life in order to keep sane. Hey, if he’s already worn out the grooves of that porno movie or he’s tired of pulling the sticky pages apart of that old ass Black Tail magazine tell him I got a couple of websites for him…just holla at me. Side note: I hate when dudes get all testy if there lady has some “toys” in her possession or some ladies get all shitty because dude visits a couple of “nekkid tail” websites. I say grow up…especially if you know you ain’t been handling the business. I feel when you make the decision to remove yourself from any important aspect of the relationship then you ain’t got shit to say about how your mate deals with it.
5. I’m proud of you because you didn’t let ego or pride get in the way and decided to reach out for advice. Most folk in your situation wouldn’t have the intestinal fortitude to do just that. They would rather adopt a “it must be you, not me” attitude then to accept responsibility for the sinking ship. The ball is in your court…..you know your man better then anyone else and you already know the issue. If you want your man to look at you with eyes of affection once again than you need to give him something to look at. You need to restore his faith and not punish him for wanting to intimately show you freely how much he loves you. Nobody wants to do the “snake dance” every damn day but every other month….c’mon now… you couldn’t possibly thought that was a good idea.
MadP
Rachelle & Will…nuff said
Another Rachelle joint…
Alexander O’Neal
Champaign
The Jones Girls
2008 was a pretty shitty year for me in some ways. It started off on a bad note with my accident on January 26, 2008. Right off the back I had wrecked my vehicle and spent the next six months getting poked at, sliced open, rehabbing and choking down a daily bushel of prescription medications . My wife would shake her head at me every time she walked past with that “look at what the hell you did to yourself” look. I couldn’t even be mad…I felt useless as hell. Now that’s love….when your women is willing to bring a cup to your beside to pee in because by the time you maneuver your crippled ass to get out the bed you would’ve wet yourself. Then in August some “drive-by shooters” broke up in my spot and tore the joint up….bastards! But when your at the bottom ain’t no where to go but up…
In 2009 I want to reconnect with my spiritual essence. Me and my boy Jesus go way back….we’ve been through a lot but I must confess we haven’t chatted in a while and I miss him. He’s a good brother. I want to be a better husband because my dedication to my marriage is a journey and I got my hard hat on and sleeves rolled up…I stay on the matrimony grind! Hell…if you want a chance at peace and joy you have to. She’s my rib, my love, my friend. I remember when I first saw her walking around campus with her hair all did up and this bag ass Coach bag that was bigger than her…I thought she was going to tip over. And then there I was a skinny dude with a fetish for Jordan’s, Mad Dog 20/20 and loose cigarettes….who’d a thunk it. I want to be a better father….I want to live up to the “super dad” title my son has placed on me. It’s amazing how he thinks I can move mountains and for him I’ll move heaven and earth. It’s unexplainable the way he has changed my life and without him I wouldn’t even want to be here…and that’s real. His smile, his mood changes, his smart mouth, his inquisitive mind, the frown he gets on his face when I tell him no (which is rare as hell), the trips to Toys R’ Us, the pride he feels (as well as the somersaults and back flips by his parents) when he makes the honor roll, his love of Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Pokemon, Digimon, Bakugon, dinosaurs and ani mals our the precious moments that give me purpose. In the end I just want to BE. BE amazed, BE purposeful, BE passionate, BE loving, BE insightful, BE strong, BE joyous, BE unyielding, BE unmoved, BE challenged, BE a friend, BE irreplaceable, BE dedicated, BE unsatisfied….BE ME!
Peace & Love!
The media is having a field day bitch slappin’ Gov. Blago but I think folks need to tread lightly. “Pay to play” is a sexy phrase for good ‘ol fashioned politics…you hook me up and I’ll scratch your back so on and so forth. Nepotism, doing favors, hiring your boys, using your clout to get shit done is the American way; I think Blago pissed of the wrong folk and that’s why he has a bulls eye on his ass. Apparently this dude has been under scrutiny since he took office back in 2003. It seemed like once a month some new scandal appeared on the horizon and everyone would ooooh and ahhhhh and then the shit would just disappear. So it just seems mad shady that the only thing they could find on this cat was some tape recording or some shit of him trying to cut a deal??? Are you serious??? After all this damn FBI, NSA, NWA, CIA, probing and this is what they come up with? And what’s up with Jesse Jr.? Dude claims he was an informant for the government for the last 10 years. Giddafuckoudahere! He was just salty because he tried to put his wife on some special lottery commission but got shut down because his paper wasn’t staking right. The last time I checked the government didn’t approach innocent folks to wear wires.
Dude, if I had the golden senate seat and had the authority to appoint whomever I saw fit….man, if you ain’t talking ’bout handing a brotha six figures, a record deal, some black, red, green & yellow Air Force Ones, a bag of tropical flavored skittles, tickets the Grammy’s, American Music Awards, The Hip Hop Honors and the BET Awards, drinks by the pool with Halle Berry and Nia Long, a North Face puffer coat, a Rodeo Drive shopping spree for the misses, one on one soccer instructions for my son by David Beckham, a special appearance on Soul Train, Ugly Betty, Grey’s Anatomy, Gossip Girl (so I could smack the shit out of Blair and Chuck Bass) and 30 Rock, a black ‘74 Buick LaSabre ragtop (I love the classics), a snow blower, some landscaping around the crib, finish my damn basement, a backup singing gig with Goapele, Norah Jones, Lalah Hathaway, Rahsaan Patterson and Lenny Kravitz…then you can kick rocks. Next!
The genius Raphael Saadiq w/ Lucy Pearl
Retro Angie Stone w/ Vertical Hold
One of my favorite Method Man joints w/ D’Angelo
I love Goapele…one of the most overlooked artist on the scene. This is one of my favortie joints from her
Next to Chicago Deep House music neo-soul, nu-soul, organic soul is by far my favorite genre of music. Aside from the fact that it is probably the only variety of music that still offers live instrumentation it goes well with my “grown man swagger”.
My list of nu-soul essential artists:
1. Raphael Saadiq
2. D’Angelo
3. Angie Stone
4. Amel Larrieux
5. Jamiroquai
6. The Brand New Heavies
*Number 5 & 6 are more Acid Jazz but I’ve included them anyway.
7. Erykah Badu
8. Maxwell
9. Eric Benet
10. Eric Roberson
11. Angie Stone
12. Musiq Soulchild
13. Jill Scott
14. Liv Warfield
15. Goapele
16. India.Arie
17. Davina
18. Pru
19. Jazzyfatnastees
20. Adriana Evans
21. Ursula Rucker (spoken word artist)
22. Rhian Benson
23. Res
24. Anthony Hamilton
25. Bilal
26. Rahsaan Patterson
27. Lalah Hathaway
28. Dwele
29. Sy Smith
30. Ledisi
31. Conya Doss
32. Big Brooklyn Red
33. Julie Dexter
34. Square Egg
35. N’Dambi
36. Joy Denalane
37. Joi
38. Angela Johnson
39. Cooly’s Hotbox
40. Kelli Sae
41. Kindred The Family Soul
42. Eric Lau
43. Traci Chinwah
44. Frank McComb
45. Wayna
46. Maysa
47. Brittany Bosco
48. Nikka Costa
49. Lizz Wright
50. Soul:ID
