50 Cents, Fat Joe, Jadakiss,Lil Baby,Tank,Eric Bellinger Join Usher and Brown on New York Leg of Tour at Metlife Stadium in Jersey; Divas Ashanti, Mary J. Blige & Others Join Tour on Second Night

 

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Pray without ceasing

"We should always be praying"

"Unity in the Community" and "Prayer is Important" On Tour

Introductory Video Commentary by Rev. Cynthia D. Wilson

I have enjoyed following what has been proclaimed and has gained its rightful place as the biggest tour for Rhythm and Blues this year because of two of the biggest stars  Chris Brown and Usher are co-headliners. As a promoter of prayer and co-founder of Chaplain of Pop outreach  ministry of presence, through prayer and support, I was as thrilled to have been considered for the opportunity and happy to see the tour opened with prayer before Detroit's show at Ford Field last month by Rev. Gray.  He did a great job. Also, Chris and Usher facilitated an opening prayer by a local pastor before one of the Detroit shows as well.  I would have loved to have been present for such a monumental night giving the prayer myself or just being among the prayer circle. But due to unforseen reasons. I ask that you pray for me to get beyond and overcome these man-made obstacles.

I do look forward to attending in person in the future. In the meantime I  can always do a video as I have been constantly reminded. Though hugs and handshakes are more effective in person. I still have enjoyed some of the performances via live stream and have messaged short prayers and comments during the "live chats". Those  interactions are impotant as well.

 Live chat provides an opportunity for me and others to message prayers and comments throughout the show. Its was good to listen to the perspectives and opinions of fans and also see the concert "live" from a different angle. When you can't  be there in person to interview them or mingle for whatever reasons it is the next best thing. I really appreciated the setting even though intermittent loud and excited expressions from fans produced varied versions of the songs. The songs come off slightly different when overdubbed with exhilarated singing and shouts from loving fans. But I was glad to experience the concert all the more from that aspect. Though I would have preferred to be there in person even more. Working on it...!

The streamers are dedicated and very concerned about others being able to see the show, especially when the wifi connection is lost. The fade out happens but only lasts a few seconds usually. They demand uninterrupted continuity and flow of the show, as it must go on. A special "shout out" to the streamers who stood in the gap and also produced some entertainment of their own with their cheering and excited commentary. Though sometimes a bit risque  you have to remember that Chris Brown is a co-headliner of the concert. And  of course Usher's fans were as exhilarated from his performance as Brown's fans were of his. The tenor of the expressions and the language used varied a bit for each artist and was interesting to note. 

Chris Brown and Usher continued their excellence in delivery of great music with impeccable vocals and dance routines with some exciting surprises in their guest line up and dance performance changes in  the first night's show. 

There was a beautifully tasteful and giant black and white background photo display of  Chris Brown during the early days during one of the songs performed which provided a lovely touch.

Chris usually clad in chains, all black leather and all black pants when performing the "Under the Influence/ Take You Down" pole dance segment, the most sexually provocative scene of the show, was sporting overalls during the first night's skit which took the steaminess down a few notches. Also, the stage lights were dimmed during the ascending of the staircase scene after the pole dance interval leaving it to the audience's imagination, at least from my viewing angle. It was done in good taste though, in my opinion.

Check out this link for a terrific Instagram capture. Also you can go to Chris Brown or Usher's fan sites for other videos of this and other shows from the R&B Tour.

 New York's concerts on both nights of the R&B Tour also took on a whole new dimension with an exciting line-up of guest performances. You had rappers like 50 Cents whose surprise appearance had the concert audience welcoming him to the stage with thunderous applause. Other rappers making surprise appearances were Jadakiss and Fat Joe who joined Usher on stage for a performance of a long rap and R&B medley of music and verse. The impromptu performance was reminiscent of  homies in the neighborhood getting together and having a jam session of old friends. It was clear they and the audience were enjoying every second. 

In non-verbal language when Jadakiss and Fat Joe swaggered onstage after climbing the stairs to join their friends their entrance body language spoke loud and clear--we are your back-up and have your back in our neighborhood. After the three of them performed together, Usher gracefully yielded the stage to Fat Joe and Jadakiss who rapped a few numbers together. There was also a surprise rap performance by Lil Baby. I couldn’t help but speculate that Jay-Z may have sent them as emissaries to roll out a New York homage and welcome for the two r&b icons. After all Usher did make a surprise appearance at his concert at Yankee Stadium.

It was great to see an array of rappers joining Usher’s and Chris Brown’s R&B Tour party. Eric Bellinger and Tank also made guest appearances performing their popular rhythm and blues songs.

R&B crooners Mario and Eric Bellinger also showed up again for the second show. The biggest surprise came the second night of the concert when two Hip Hop and r&b diva-icons Mary J. Blige and Ashanti joined Usher on stage for outstanding segments. It was great to see the ladies join the R&B Tour  party. Rapper Fortune, Method Man, A Boogie made it as well.

Here's another nice video montage that was prepared of the special guests performing on day two.

Chaplain of Pop video updates forthcoming soon  at link.

Cynthia Wilson, Chaplain of Pop

BET Awards: The Great ‘Youth’ Hope

www.wikipedia.org

The 17th BET Awards was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California on June 25, 2017. The ceremony celebrated achievements in entertainment and honored music, sports, television, and movies released between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017. The nominations were announced on May 15, 2017. Beyoncé led the nominees with 7, followed by Bruno Mars with 5. Beyoncé won the most awards with 5, including Album of the Year and Video of the Year.1

Sunday night’s live broadcast of the BET Awards offered up some promising young influencers of culture, with a Leslie Jones cocktail chaser thrown in for contrast, raw outrageous humor and texture. It offered about panoramic glimpse into what the future holds for blackbculture and society, and particularly in the r&b, soul, RAP,genre-bending and Hip-Hop music scenes.  If all the activists awarded can be multiplied to the nth power, we will be in good hands. If Chance the Rapper’s honor for his humanitarian efforts so far is any indication, our prospects look bright. 

From the "Beautiful While Being Black" Award honorees to the Humanitarian of the Year award, it was refreshing to witness so many fresh talented voices picking up the relay baton, expressing their awareness of the social climate through music, poetry and art, while being recognized for their inspiring contributions to community.  The panoply of baby stars was balanced out by such established artists as P. Diddy, Maxwell, Mary J. Blige and Chris Brown. Bruno Mars and New Edition also brought the house down. See videos of rehearsals and lead ups to the show here.

It was a great broadcast from start to finish.

1 www.wikipedia.org 

A Song for Kanye: It's About Forgiveness and Class. Hooray to Taylor for Letting it Shine Through Her Music!

I watched the Video Music Awards last Sunday on MTV in anticipation of an engaging program filled with spectacular pop performances. I was also eagerly expecting some suprise performances. From the list that had been broadcast in previews of the show, the line-up did not seem to be well rounded. But the show came through and most of the performances were good. There were several which were very good,despite the industry's subconscious or conscious attempt to echo GaGa-esque music filled with that muffled speaker type echo. I honestly don't know the technical musical term for it,but most of you know what I am making reference to if you've listened to the songs in the  pop music top 10.  Most of them have that same sound effect...and beat. I do enjoy the outlandishly creative Ga Ga outfits though. She is a creative genius in image design to say the least.Anyway,enough of the introductories.

All of the performances were entertaining. There was one performance that night with which I was thoroughly impressed. Taylor Swift's song was beautiful. I thought she projected her sweet youthful energy and song writing talent,which was showcased by the song and the ambience created with her bare feet,white dress and innocence. I have to admit that I did not know that the song was about Kanye West. When I made that discovery,her stock rose exponentially in my book.  To tell you the truth, I am glad I did not discover this fact until after the performance. It took away any pre-conceived notions and prejudicial brownie points  that would have accumulated if I had known in advance. So my opinion is really unbiased as it is based purely on the strength of the song and Taylor's lovely performance of it. In a world and industry filled with glorified nastiness and tit for tat psychological rough housing by way of snarks and dissing, 9 times out of 10 for the pure shock value of it all, in eforts to gain attention,the song was refreshing. I found myself analyzing the lyrics,especially the mention of the 32 year old who was still an innocent. That phrase in the lyric made me think of someone other than Kanye. At the end the song closes with a reference to using a bicycle instead when crossing the tightrope. Well, hopefully you get the picture.  The bottom line is , if like me you were not in on the 'inside info, it was still just a beautiful song that appealed to the imagination. The fact that it was a song for Kanye  ups Taylor's ante in the class department. To all the naysayers out there,forgiveness is not something you do to increase your popularity. It is transformative action and gift from the divine which is as beneficial to the one forgiving as it is for the one being forgiven. It is an action that  wipes the slate clean if forgiveness is actually acomplished. It allows people to move on with their lives emotionally,spiritually and physically. In fact, some have been afflicted with illness and disease because they've held onto grudges and misdeeds performed by others against them or someone else close to the point that they become physically sick. So in the spirit of Christianity and Yom Kippur in Judaism,please let the forgiveness begin.

Other Class Acts:

Drake who brought in Swizz Beatz and Mary J. Blige for a fabulous rendition of "Fancy".

                                          
The young brother definitely has it going on. The lyrics to his songs are not only thought provoking,but he also has that artistic integrity that you root for enthusiastically from the sidelines. Drake is a conscientious  and thoughtful rapper that you want to see win. The performance with Mary J. Blige and Swizz Beatz was one of the highlights of the show. Mary delivered a powerfully soulful rendition of "Fancy" with Swizz Beatz demonstrating his grand piano skills. I found myself wondering if Alicia was going to join him on the piano. The stage choreography augmented the Rat Pack theme that Drake was aiming for and the well lit and positioned "Drake" sign in the background added to the class. I found myself intently listening to the lyrics and witnessing the new hip hop standard for being fancy unfolding with swagger and subtle panache...if there can be such a thing.


Eminem and Rihanna

As the show opener Eminem's performance bordered on the "hip hop" spectacular. The drum orchestra in the background,stage set up and enthusiastic audience contributed to the excitement generated.  He is a talented rapper indeed.His creativity and command for catchy and thought provoking storytelling was aptly showcased in "Not Afraid", an inspiring rallying cry.

Usher

Top notch.

Forgiveness and class won out in my book. What more can I say?


Well done.