Monday, June 22, 2026

Alicia Keys' Joins in the Celebration of New York Knicks Fans with Performance of "Empire State of Mind"

Video Courtesy of YouTube.com

 Native New Yorker mult-platinum, multi-Grammy Award winning , r&b-pop music mega star Alicia Keys, joined City officials including New York  City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on the platform outside City Hall and performed her very popular hit song "Empire State of Mind: before an enthusiastic  crowd of New York Knicks fans.


Saturday, May 30, 2026

Thousands Expected at Roots Picnic This Weekend


 Jay-Z having earned by street cred, record sales, numerous Grammy awards and accolades,  recognition as the "greatest rapper of all time", headlines the popular Roots picnic today and tomorrow. He is celebrating the 30 year anniversary of the studio release of  his debut album "Reasonable Doubt".

 According to news reports 80,000 are expected at the venue and ticket sales have soared. Other stars joining the line-up include Erykah Badu, Brandy, Kehlani, rapper T.I., DJ Jazzy Jeff, Jermaine Dupri and Friends, Mariah the Scientist and more. See the following poster for a full list:



I'll be following for updates on the possibility of a live stream of the event. In the meantime catch a video update which will include some commentary on the performances, well wishes and prayers for the pinic organizers, musicians and attendees.





Peace and blessings,

Rev. Cynthia Wilson, Founder
Chaplain of Pop



Sunday, May 24, 2026

Welcome to the Class of Distinction:Congratulations Dr. "Breezy" Brown


 Chris Brown joins a select group of r&b, Hip Hop and Rap artists who have received honorary doctorates distinguishing themselves over the years for outstanding contributions to their fields.  Brown who has been blazing a trail in the arts with his grafitti art, film, video productions, dance and music for decades has won a number of awards including Grammys, American Music Awards, BET Awards, and an NAACP Image Award. This  latest honor was bestowed upon him by Harvest Christian University located in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Again, a very warm congratulations!

Others receiving this honorary bestowal at various educational institutions throughout the years include:



  • Usher: Received an honorary doctorate of music from Emory University.
  • Missy Elliott: Received honorary doctorates in music from both Berklee College of Music and Norfolk State University.
  • Queen Latifah: Received an honorary doctorate of fine arts from Rutgers University.
  • LL Cool J: Received an honorary doctor of arts from Northeastern University.
  • Chance the Rapper: Received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Dillard University.
  • Busta Rhymes: Received an honorary doctorate from Harvest Christian University.
  • Sean "Diddy" Combs: Received an honorary doctorate in humanities from Howard University.
Other notable names who have collected this academic honor include Wyclef Jean, Trina, Trick Daddy, and Boosie Badazz.

Saturday, May 16, 2026

Chris Brown's "Brown" Part 1 LP Reviewed

 

Photo  Credit Wikipedia

Finally had a chance to listen to the entire album and enjoyed a good number of the songs. While perusing both the fan, critic reviews and opinions regarding Chris Brown's latest album release "Brown", one question stood out amid often glowing and mixed reviews. The question was "What Chris Brown era did you like best? I thought that was a really important question. It definitely resonated with me. Because Brown has 12 studio albums under his belt and many songs as a prolific songwriter and collaborator with other songwriters and has recorded several deluxe albums. Some albums containing nearly 27 songs on a single release.

If you have been following the artist since his career began with his debut album release self-titled "Chris Brown" on May 29, 2005, there are some differences in musical styles as well as vocal changes throughout the years that are as captivating as they are thought and concern provoking. 

There are subtle and sometimes patent variations in both his vocal and musical styles. Depending on the era, the delivery and tenor of the lyrics and predominant themes are distinctive from the early career days or as some have come to refer to it as the "Young Chris Brown" era. Some changes are of course to be expected as a young teen star grows and matures into an adult superstar. But innate talents, energy/auric fields, dancing gifts and other unique qualities that becomes a star's signature and presence don't vary that much once adulthood is reached and they project a certain image. It becomes or is unique as the fingerprint.


Motivated and inspired by some of his earlier songs from the Young Chris era like "Run It", "Excuse Miss", "With You" I decided to listen to songs from his extensive discography and the video interpretations of those songs leading up to his current album. Because I don't think you can do "Brown" justice unless you review the music through a comprehensive musical lens. I didn't listen to the albums in chronological order. Instead I began my sound variation listening  journey with the 7th studio album "Exclusive" containing "With You", "Kiss Kiss", "Forever" three of his most recognizable songs from that disc. It earned a quadruple platinum certification by the recording academy and charted highly on the Billboard charts. All three songs are high energy love songs in different tempos. They give a good window into the quality and variety of the sounds. None are as sexually explicit and graphic as some of the songs that follow on subsequent releases. 

Now, fast foward to F.A.M.E.,which Chris explained in an interview with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America was an acronym for the phrase "Forgiving All My Enemies" and in the alternative, "Fans Are My Everything". His 4th studio album soars and is the perfect combination of sensitively, beautifully crafted, acoustic passionately and purely sung love songs like "All About You", "Next to You"(feat. Justin Beiber), All Back, "Up to You"


To be continued...

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