eyeWatch: The Miss-Education of a Barbie

The greatest thing about being HUMAN, is being able to have an opinion, a voice. Jasmine Mans is a young lady no different from the rest of us, but she does have a way with words. When playing the game of "Truth or Dare", many of us opt for the easy way out and say "truth"; while some are brave enough to take on a challenge. I'll say that Miss Mans knocked out two birds with one poem on the topic of Nicki Minaj and her "Barbiefication". “The Miss-Education of a Barbie" is a call to action not only for Nicki Minaj but, to all women in the entertainment industry. Jasmine says: I do not want Nicki Minaj to be the next Lauryn Hill or MC Lyte, I want her to rap as if women like Assata Shakur and Toni Morrison exist. The "Miss-Education of a Barbie" questions the message that Nicki Minaj is relaying to her listeners. If Nicki Minaj seeks to simply entertain audiences with shallow concepts then my poem can be written off as irrelevant to her and her fans alike. However, if she seeks to make a difference in musical history and in the lives of her fans around the world then my piece questions her methods of doing so.

Jasmine goes on to say, My poem targets Nicki Minaj because I am a long time fan and follower of her work. I recognize and applaud her lyrical abilities and the affect she has on women older and younger than myself. If we, as an audience, do not hold up a mirror to our artists, then who will? Her "Barbie" image is an objectification of womanhood. How can we expect our male rappers to pay homage and respect to women when the voice that is representing us is tainted with sexual innuendos and “child’s play?”. W.E.B. DuBois said all art is propaganda and should be used to uplift and challenge the African American community, and if art does not do such it is useless. Nicki Minaj is too powerful to be useless. I dare Nicki Minaj to be a PHENOMENAL WOMAN and not a phenomenal "Barbie." Take a look at Jasmine's performance of "The Miss-Education of a Barbie". Happy watching!

Video Link

Was she not speaking something we a lot of people were thinking?! Please COMMENT!

To check out more of Jasmine's videos, click here.
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eyeAsk: How Do You Define Change?

[[to become different, to become altered or modified, the substitution of one thing for another, to transform or convert, a balance of money that is returned when the sum tendered in payment is larger than the sum due, to give and take reciprocally]]

C H A N G E
I hear it often, that the only thing that is constant is change. It's true. Things are constantly changing; the way we sleep, the way we treat others, the things we believe in, the questions we ask, the answers we receive...nothing on this earth is the same everyday.

"People change, it's inevitable. Whether they're changing for better or worse is not for you to decide. Change is growth." Words said by yours truly and although it was a random thought, it provoked a thought from one of our followers on Twitter: "...Or the reverse of growth. I may grow from it, but what about the one who choose to make it a bad situation?" - @NixonNyce

Is there a reverse? Even if you change and regress into your old ways, your situation will still be different due to what you have learned from your previous encounters. You may get into a bad situation, but you'll learn from it and grow. There are so many different directions you can take on this topic, but one that stuck with me most was from Lauryn Hill on her MTV Unplugged 2.0 CD:

"And as I grow, you’re going to meet me a little bit more. You’re gonna be exposed to the real me a little bit more. I can tell you I had to reintroduce myself to everybody I know. My mother my father. Listen, y’all never knew me. I want to introduce you to me. I’m just getting to know me. And you know what, anything that’s not growing is dead, so we better be changing. You know, people would say to me, they would hold me hostage. And they, seriously, emotionally hostage, and they’d say, Uh, she’s changing. The money’s changing her. And I’d say Listen, the money’s not changing me, God’s changing me. I’m changing, because that’s a natural part of life. We’re all supposed to change. Who wakes up and is the same way tomorrow and the day after that? Nobody is. Let the experience teach you and be real, man. And, um..there’s gonna be warfare involved. Because there’s some people who prefer deceptions, see…"- Lauryn Hill

How do you feel about Change? COMMENT!
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Loss of a Legend: Lena Horne

R.I.P. Lena Horne
Born June 30, 1917, Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress and dancer. Not only that, but she was an inspiration for some of the greatest female performers of our current time. Ask Alicia Keys (who was set to play Lena Horne an upcoming biopic produced by Oprah Winfrey), Beyoncé or Lauryn Hill who their musical influences are and I'm sure one of the names will be Lena Horne. She lived a long life of 92 years and her legacy will live on. Take a look at what made her who she is...Happy reading!

Horne joined the mike chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the films Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather. Due to the Red Scare and her progressive political views, Horne found herself blacklisted and unable to get work in Hollywood.

Returning to her roots as a nightclub performer, Horne took part in the March on Washington in August 1963, and continued to work as a performer, both in nightclubs as well as television, and releasing well received albums. Horne announced her retirement in March 1980, but the next year starred in a one woman show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, which ran for more than three hundred performances on Broadway, and earned her numerous awards and accolades, and she would continue recording and performing sporadically into the 1990's (via Wiki).

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Songz Unplugged

Besides the fame, fortune & success, what do Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys, and Jay-Z have in common? Their MTV Unplugged performances. New to that list is R&B sensation Trey Songz. I love the vibe of the MTV Unplugged specials and I think it's great that they are showing younger artists. I love the live bands and the strings showed out during Trey's set. I'll let you all see for yourselves. Happy watching!

Trey Songz Unplugged Part 1

Trey Songz Unplugged Part 2


Trey Songz Unplugged Part 3


Trey Songz Unplugged Part 4


What did you think of Trey's performance?

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eyeSpy: Miss Hill

It's been nearly 12-years since the release of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and although we've seen her in the press prior to this, she didn't look nearly as good as she did last night. Lauryn Hill hit the scene last night at the Tanzania Education Trust New York City Gala. She looks great and well put together. I'm glad to see her back to being "herself". Hopefully we can expect some music from her soon - fingers' crossed! Take a look at these pictures form the red carpet.



What do you think of Miss Hill's look? COMMENT!

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*Photos - rapup.com

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