Busy summer for Brown

Earlier this week  Chris Brown made news for once about music instead of his legal woes.

Granted he accused his former manager Tina Davis of leaking his music but overall it's been quiet or him. Now that he has completed his 90 day rehab stint in anger management he is back to making music and getting ready for two big releases. His new album "X" which will be released on May 5, 2014 he is also teaming back up with Tyga to release Fan of a Fan 2. The mixtape he released with Tyga helped bring brown back into the spotlight after being shunned by the industry after the Rihanna fiasco back in 2009. That album produced great tracks such as "Deuces" and "Aint' thinking about you". They are looking for that same magic and recently released the song "Bitches". I'm not a fan of the tittle but the song is a club jam. I'm sure the radio version will be just as good lol.

Here is to new music from Chris Brown. His personal issues are crazy but his music never
 disappoints to me.

Back to the basics

I'm old enough to remember when Hip Hop/Rap wasn't mainstream. I'm old enough to remember when just rhyming about your radio became a hot song. I'm old enough to remember when Hip Hop made you feel good and also had you cuttin up on the dance floor.

Now Hip Hop has fallen victim to being over hype. What I mean by that is Hip Hop today is no longer about feel good music, about lifting up your block, about fighting the struggle. Now Hip Hop has turned into a battle between clothing labels, paychecks and sex. In some songs you get all three. Outside of a few artists Hip Hop has turned into a production battle. It's no longer about the rhymes and lyrics but it's about beats and production. Who cares what they are saying in the song as long as the beat is hot and I can shake my ass.

Or better yet. What ignorant catch phrase can we make hot from it.

I'm not the biggest hip hop head but even I felt some kind of way by the recent release of Nikki Minaj's "Lookin Ass Ni@@A". After I heard the song and seen the video I scrolled down my social media timeline to see people hash tagging #shedidthat #Nikkiisback  and other phrases that was spoken in the song. I don't want to be a hypocrite because I've used the words before and still do on occasion but to have an entire song just spittin that one word is pure BS. This is not music, and this is damn sure not HIP HOP.

I need the days back when Hip Hop just made you feel good.This foolishness that's played now is far from. Almost every song is depressing and all about drinking, getting high, degrading women. It's become mindless music.

I can only listen to certain artists now. I can only take seriously J Cole, Nas, Kendrick Lamar, and on the rare occasion old school Jay Z. Nobody else is speaking anything. Nobody else has a message, nobody else is daring to be different. All of these up and coming artists want to sound just like what they hear on the radio but sadly that's the problem. Be your own person, create your own style. And for God sake...have a little depth to your craft. You can entertain the class being a clown but you can gain a nation by speaking substance.

Nine Lives

I know it's nothing new for celebrities to get special treatment. I know it's nothing new for them to do horrible things and not go to jail but how many times will the legal system give this man a free pass?


I'm a fan of Chris Brown and his music and as much as I don't want to see people go to jail...HE NEEDS TO GO TO JAIL. It's one incident after another and until a judge finally says we have had enough he will not learn his lesson.

Recently an L.A. judge declined to put Chris Brown in jail and elected to send him to 90 days of anger management.

HE'S ALREADY BEEN THROUGH ANGER MANAGEMENT.  I think a few times at this point. He is on probation still from his run in with Rihanna's face back in 2009. Most people break the rules of their probation and you automatically get thrown into jail. He now has had 3 to 4 run ins with the law and still no jail time. He will never learn...and sadly it's not us as the public that suffers. It's him as a person.

Love, Marriage & Divorce

For months now we have held our breath waiting for that 90's music again. Waiting for music to have melodies, catchy hooks, powerful lyrics and above else great singing. What we were not prepared for was to have two of the 90's biggest stars come together to give it to us.

Love, Marriage & Divorce is a duet album by Babyface & Toni Braxton. This is Toni Braxton's first album since 2010 and first in nine years for Babyface. I for one am pleased.

This CD is like jumping into a time machine and going back to a time when music was really music. It's like coming home from a long day of work and slipping on your favorite pajamas. Unlike the title of the album it's all about the ups and downs of relationships. The roller coasters of emotions you go through and the bitter battles that can come from it. This is not a "youngin" album. This right here is for the grown man/woman he can truely relate to these life experiences. Toni as always sounds great and Babyface still has it. One of the few singer/songwriters who can not only write hits for others but can churn a couple out for himself. His emotions always bleeds over a song and the best representation of that on this album is "Where did we go wrong". My favorite track on the entire album.

This CD is GOLD and you would be a fool not to go BUY this album.

Top tracks



Where did we go wrong
Hurt You
Reunited
Rollercoaster
I Wish

Does Parenthood change an artist?

Having a child is one of the most sacred experiences a woman can have. And on of the greatest repsonbiblites a mother and a father will ever have. 

With that being said for an entertainer it can also become a crutch in this new word of keep the hits coming. Some artists have a niche of being cold, calculating, and at times weird, what becomes of this artist after they have children. Do they change there music altogether or do they stay true to them and there fans. It's common sense that once you have a child you put your child first. Nothing is more important then your child. This misconception is that you are supposed to change everything about yourself. You must fit this stereotype of what a mother and father are supposed to be. Your idenity is no longer your own...but just a side story to your new bundle of joy.

One person this rings so true with was Madonna. Madonna has always been known for her over the top personality. She has always been hyper sexual and done whatever she could to push the envelope. When the world learned she was pregnant rumors and hateful lies were spread. People clutched there pearls wondering what kind of mother would she be. Months after her child was born and she embraced this newness she swore that certain songs she would no longer sing. She no longer wanted to relive a part of her life that seemed so different from the woman she had become. Ray of Light is one of her most critical acclaimed albums and one of my favorites. It was very much a far cry from her previous work yet almost on the same level. Gone was the super sexual Madonna and a more spirtual, more calm woman. As time went on some of the songs she swore she would no longer do crept back into her song list. I'm sure record execs had a hand in this because how can you tour without doing your biggest hits. How can you expect to sale your music when you have become somebody totally different. As years have gone by the sexual Madonna has come back but to a respectable level lol.

Usher in recent years has lived in baby momma hell. His ex wife constantly taking him back and forth to court and along with losing a step child has not been the best for him. The one thing different for men who are parents is that it's not frowned upon for men to continue to be hyper sexual and flirtatious. Even though Usher's music has gone more pop the sexual content has not changed. His night exploits in the media has not changed but from what we can see he is a great dad and spends as much quality time with his children as possible.


Part 2 coming next week.

Beyonce Backlash

By now everyone has formed there opinion on if they are a Beyonce fan or not. Some people hate her because she's always in the news, others hate her because she's still on top while thier artist is hovering around retirement. Either way Beyonce isn't going anywhere...infact she has recreated herself every step of the way and is more relevant then ever.

Her impressive reemergence at the end of last year with her self titled album "Beyonce" caused a super nova in the music industries. Love her or hate her the power move that she made is unmatched. To release an album without any indication is unheard of but for her it became a #1 album right out the gate selling over a million copies within the first week on sale. Sounds realistic for an artist of her caliber but to think it sold that much off of just Itunes digital sales takes it to a whole new level.

The new album showcased a more urban Beyonce...a Beyonce we haven't really seen since the BDay era. This time around though it was more of a "statement" then an era. With this being her first album since having her daughter, and coming right off of one the most successful tours of the year the direction of her music was unknown. This visual album is more like the leaked song from earlier this year "Grown Woman". She is super sexy, unforgiving, and in your face like never before.

With this new "persona" her "Drunk In Love" single soured up the charts. Without any real promotion of her album The Grammy's would be the first time on a national stage her music would have a voice. To open the Grammy's is a big deal and who better to do it then the Queen of Grammy's herself. The performance not the best but not the worst turned out to be something new to down her about. I will agree that "Drunk in Love" was not the best choice for the performance but considering it was killing urban radio and it's sung an viral everywhere she would've been a fool not to do the song.

Unfazed though she performed the song again a few days later to better fan fare.

Beyonce the woman people love to hate but her relevance has not gone away. She is a power house in the industry and it won't change anytime soon. People hope to still be in the game for almost 12 years and still have this level of success.

Unlike her song...she is not flawless, she's human. Everyone has an off night, but can many artists count on one finger how many times they have been off.

Bruno Mars breaks record

TrueFAN doesn't cut for Bruno Mars however you got to give it up for the record he broke last night during the Superbowl.

Most of the night people compared him to what was a larger then life half time show last year when Queen Beyonce tour it down. Two different artists, two different kinds of music. Bruno got the last laugh though when his numbers not only shattered Beyonce's show but the record holder Madonna as well. His 115 million mark is the new record and even though I'm not a big fan his show was entertaining. I'm sure it helped that he was joined by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers as well. Congrats Bruno, you get a well deserved standing ovation.

Below is the full show.