WHERE ARE THEY NOW; THE MISSING MUSICIAN EDITION

I was thinking about some of the singers that made a blip on the map and then just as quickly as they came they disappeared. You know it takes more than just having talent to sing you have to have a work ethic, plus a drive to want it, and a willingness to do it by whatever means, and let us not forget you need a management team that will saturate the market and be about getting you out there to the masses ad nauseum plus it kind of works against you when your record company folds, or your group disbands, or you simply just didn't have what it took to make a lasting musical impression, but everyone that gets a music deal will simply not go on to become music legends you have to know your product, and if you are your product then you have to know if you are long term or fly by night. Some people making music now guaranteed won't be making music still in 2012 you won't even remember them unless you come across their video on youtube if that site is even still around in 2012. The music game is a cold hard mistress and she will love and leave that ass in a heartbeat just ask any musician who has been in the trenches for awhile. People are all starry-eyed and naive when it comes to making music and those who don't have a head for business while making sure that they protect themselves while in the music biz they will get done by the music industry and they will be left bitter and broken disillusioned and angry. The music biz is paved on the backs of one hit wonders and acts that never got out of the starting block.

Lets go through some of the people that the music biz has left behind in its tracks:

Dear Monifah where are you? Have you found the Lord, did you get married and push out babies? Where did you go come back home we miss you!


Dear Gina Thompson are you some where selling ass? Cracked out? Bitter and trying to stab puff pastry in the club if you see him? What you should do is stand outside of Bad Boy's new york office with a sign and a cup begging for spare change with a sign that says "I used to be on bad boy records this is your future!"




Dear Tweet you should have capitalized on the name twitter its too late now sucks, I bought both your albums...are you still over there singing back up and waiting for your big next wave of interest to many years have passed I hope you got some kind of knowledge or at least a deal working for someone that will allow you to put food on the table but as long as Missy let you carry her hats with hair attached to them you shall never go hungry.





Dear Truth Hurts, I always thought your jawbone was extra strong is that from using it excessively? Your album sucked donkey balls when I bought that shit it just pretty much summed up my day from there, that day will forever be marred in my mind by bad memories I don't even remember the dude I was with that day but he was a fail and my mind is blocking the memory thank God your album was like a bad cheeseburger the only thing that saved my day was a burger king burger that is the only bright spot I remember. I hope you at least got some section 8 housing because I remember you were trying to get your sister out of the foster care system. BTW the Indian video and beat you jacked for this song was hotter than what you tried to do here but I understand when you in a hurry to hit the music scene and make you a quick buck anything will do you should have tried a pyramid scheme like mona-vee but on the upside you made winding your body hot so big ups for that.



Dear NLT that is managed by Marcus Houston and Chris St(p)okes you might want to rethink your whole approach basically you sound way to R&B'ish but you're just coming off zesty all those intense faces you're making in the video makes my bowels lock up and its just not a good look. This is your 2nd single and...yea who really knows you? Your fan base is still small and you are in danger of being exploited and/whored by the marketing team of TUG and then what? Will it porn for you as well? Think about it, where's B2K, even Omarion you need to look at these peoples track record don't say I didn't try and warn you...



Dear Soul For Real I know that you have recently all been locked up with the exception of one of y'all that's sad. I know its hard to bounce back from having a little success and now being broke and doing credit fraud no one ever gives the artist a "what to do when you don't quite break out and be a successful act like they promised you act", don't worry Monifah is pissed off too maybe in jail you will come up with ways to still be relevant please don't drop the soap, watch each others back.



Dear Bilal I was digging you, are you some where wondering around under a bridge singing melodies only you can hear? Did you smoke up all your advancement money? Oh brother where art thou? OR are you hiding out some where because you believed your own hype turned into some sort of afrocentric love guru and tried to start your own tribe by knocking up all the "soul sistas" you could find hyping them by telling them you were going to start a cultural revolution, told them they should hold you down but you turned out to be some ole jive ass cultural pimp who is in turn a deadbeat daddy with leagues of children you don't take care of and now you some where living off a YT women who "believes" in you. You always did give me that sort of vibe I hope it hasn't come down for you like that but if it has damn shame on you. (UPDATE) Dear Bilal I now understand why you sat the fuck down from being on the music scene you can't sing worth shit. I can verify this because you were the one snag in the wonderful night that was the maxwell concert, you raped my soul with your damn caterwauling You have been found out and I'm spreading the word gone and go back to doing whatever else you were doing and shit besides singing because singing is not your calling!



Dear Subway you should have trademarked your name and inked a deal to sing all of subway sandwiches commercials you could have been filthy rich by now, instead you some where sitting in a subway bitter as hell or either you living with Michael Bivins in his who's who has been mansion for wayward used up talent aka the Biv 10 artist.



Dear Allure...Le-sigh I can't, I hope you ladies managed to find ballers, or got married or at least got a baby daddy check coming in.



Dear Next is it true you all fell out because of super head? Now you all sitting at the house sad and shit, you weren't without talent now look at you. Le-sigh Bro's before Hoes next time!



Dear Isyss, I liked this song, never bought an album though, and probably won't buy one but thanks for this song.



Hey Jesse Powell what you doing where you at? I really loved the song You, after that you just kind of fell off what happened? Did they try and fuck you over your contract? Where you not sexy enough to make it mainstream? I mean you a little shorty with a bird chest but you could sing your ass off I wouldn't fuck you but you could sing to me on a regular basis and I would feed you and slide you some snack cakes so you could get your weight up a little bit. I'm just saying but thanks for this lovely song that will forever live in our memories.



Uncle Sam hey where are you? Are you bitter and mad at the industry and shit like everyone else that used to sing and got dropped after they did a couple singles? I mean I liked your song but maybe you better off where ever you are right now. I mean you did really look like someones uncle so I mean are you running a daycare, or maybe an after school program helping the wayward kids and shit out in your neighborhood now perhaps you are providing music lessons and shit. Did you move to Iceland? What's good withcu uncle sam if you google yourself and see this post hollar at me leave me a comment because I really am interested in what your doing now a days.



Hey Az Yet, damn Laface records fucked up everybody hope y'all made a little change cause ummm yea this was the jam but damn where did y'all go? I hope y'all writing songs are at least working in somebody mail room...Do y'all still talk to babyface cause he ain't really putting out no music either maybe y'all can hook up and do like a traveling music show and put on a Laface revival musical it could be great get Toni B in there and just make it a well rounded show I'd go see it maybe if y'all give me like some comp tickets since I did come up with this brilliant little idea for y'all it's the least y'all could do.



Hey guys from Shai where y'all at and shit I mean I know Garfield was at cal state northridge taking classes and what not but what else y'all doing? What happened to your flannel outfits and baggy jeans do you still have them outfits? Do you ever take em out the closet and just be like damn I used to sing what happened? Is Garfield the only one that went and got a degree? Lawd how many of y'all had a crush on Garfield? light skinned dudes had a good run didn't they!!! (LOL)





I think you get the gist of where I'm going with this but if y'all see an old musical act or have any info on them leave it in the comment section cause I care about these people in my own way and I just want to make sure that they alright and not singing up under the freeway or worst. Hell if the girl from family matters can get her 5 minutes of fame back then let these one hit wonders be great as well. I'm just saying let's remember them in their short lived glory hey day and keep your eyes peeled you never know who might be working at your local walmart and shit. Read more...

LETS HAVE A ONE SIDED CONVERSATION

I'm 31.

I'm black, single, no kids, female, and 31...

I may never get married and the realest shit is I have never been in love!

I have said I love you to many a "boyfriend" because I thought I was supposed too and I thought I meant it at the time but looking back after the fact after all the dust has settled I didn't love any of those dudes.

I was going through the motions...I have never really let anyone in.

I have a brick wall guarded by an electronic fence around my heart with vicious guard dogs standing guard. I think my immunity to bullshit has inoculated me from even wanting to get with or pursue anything with these guys. It all sounds the same to me, once a dude finds out your celibate then they start talking shit about how they have the cure for what ails me or they make many offers to fuck the lining out my vagina and tear down my walls but that's all they're coming with. They don't think past their dicks.

If I wanted to have meaningless sex then I would be fucking why don't men get that? Besides the truth is sex is overrated, wack, and I can do better by myself. For those women who have had the fortune of having great sex in their life times they are the exception to the rule. Most men couldn't hit the spot with detailed directions and a step by step map. The truth is most men don't give a shit about making a woman feel good they are going to nut regardless.

I look at these movies and I think this is all fiction not fact no one believes in love anymore, no one stays married until death anymore, no one is this devoted in their unselfishness. Most people are just trying to get over.

For every electronic means of communication we have lost the art of real communication, we have lost the art of listening, and we have lost the art of fostering loving relationships. There was a time when family was important, there was a time when being loved and in love was important now its on the back burner but that new job, that new status symbol and that vacation in the Southampton's is the mark of happiness.

Society has turned in its dance card with love.

I feel like I was born in the wrong era I feel so old school in a time when I don't understand the interactions between men and women. Everything is instant that's why its unforefilling you can't make a roast instantly it takes time for the meat to cook and marinate, no one has the patience's for love anymore that's why when the infatuation stage wears off its on to the next person.

I am so jaded that nothing surprises me anymore, one of my twitter bff's said to me you need something good to happen to you and I totally agree with her but I'm not one of those good things happens to type people. I'm quite the opposite I suppose.

It kind of surprises me now when people get married...especially black people. I guess that's why I love weddings its because I've been to a total of two in my entire lifetime. So the awe and the beauty is still intact.

Think of this post as more of a one sided conversation feel free to talk back in the comments.
Side note I was really thinking about becoming a lesbian this week, that's how tough my nerves were worked by the opposite sex. I even was on the brink of crossing the color line...yep I know but the interesting thing is a man is still a man which means an asshole is still an asshole and he turned out to be fraudulent like all the rest. He didn't even get out the gate fell off in just two days.

I think the getting to know you and seeing if that person is what you want needs to go down in one conversation stop having more than one conversation that builds hope you should know by now what the hell you're looking for and that should come across in one conversation. Put a questionnaire together and stick to that ask the important shit up front then fill in the filler stuff in other conversations. But the basics the things you're looking for, the things you need, and your expectations need to go down in one conversation!

But that only works when two people know their own mind and they know what they want and what they are seeking! It doesn't work when one person is saying all the right things just to get some ass...

Dating is ridiculous...the getting to know you phase is redundant, love is obsolete, and I am internally frustrated with the whole situation...

Someone once said that we were broken rocks or stones and we had a second half to our person but they were some where else in the world and it was our job to find that second half...but since women out number men...

I THINK I HAVE LOST ALL HOPE FOR MYSELF... Read more...

YOU'RE FIRED!

I've never gone into the specifics for what happened to me when I was working for one of the biggest medical facilities in southern California. I really had thought that my life had finally taken a turn for the better and that finally God had smiled on me and heard my prayers. Everything was just falling right in line I had even bought my first car off the lot by myself. I was coasting on the fumes of success when bam, I got thrown headfirst into the wall of dashed hopes and dreams.

I was in my third month and I was coming in to train in one of the more problematic departments I remember I got there and put my lunch that I had just purchased from the grocery store in the fridge in one of the common eating areas for the employees. Then I reported to my station when one of the secretaries tells me that HR had called down and I was to report upstairs immediately now if you know like I know anytime they tell you to report upstairs immediately before you can even log in it means trouble. So I get on the elevator and go upstairs and the door to HR is wide open and there is the main HR lady and then her flunky the main HR lady tells me to come in and sit down and then she ask me if I had already signed my union card, I tell her no and she breathed a huge sign of relief then she tells me she needs my ID card and my parking access card which were both hanging around my neck. Then she tells me that she is letting me go.

The whole time I am trying to come up with why I am getting fired when everyone that has trained me up until the present point said I was a quick learner and that I was efficient in my job and that they had heard good things about me. Furthermore I was never written up, never reprimanded, never given a warning, no evaluation of performance NOTHING! And to top it all off the supervisor over my department wasn't even stationed on the medical campus that I was working on. I had called her, paged her several times asking her when I was going to get my access code so that I could use my DAR and check patients in but I never got an answer, needless to say anything else from her. So as I'm sitting there with my face cracked and my mind scrambling grasping for answers I manage to stammer out well what did I do? The HR lady was exasperated at this point she was like well when we hired you we told you that we had the highest expectations of Customer Service and you failed to meet that, I was like okay is there a specific incident that you can give me, at this point she just wants me to leave she then says well I don't have to give you specifics you just failed to meet our standards. At this point I am still frozen and in disbelief, fired for no damned concrete reason I look from the HR lady to her flunky and her flunky is clearly the bouncer if I get out of hand or emotional.

They are both looking at me like bitch will you please leave, so I take my final check sign my exit paperwork and talk that long walk of shame out to the parking lot which I have to find a fucking guard to let me out of because they have taken my parking pass. As soon as I drive out the parking lot I call my mother and just burst into tears, her first response was well what did you do? I was like I don't know they didn't give me a specific incident or anything they just said I failed to meet their high expectation of customer service. I was in a panic because I had just gotten a car and of course a car note. I didn't have any other job prospects lined up because I didn't even know I was on my way out and I had left a job to take this dream position so I thought.

To compound matters I called around to see if I could apply at a different location but because I had been fired I was banned from ever applying at the company again! WTF, I don't even know why I was fired in the first place, but not to be able to ever apply to the same company again ever in life what the hell. I even tried to see my employee file to see if there was something in there about that would explain why I was fired, and I ordered it from the record department I set up an appointment to review my record, and I got there and waited for two hours just so the lady that was in possession of my record could tell me she possibly had misplaced it, or shredded it and she would have to send for it again, then she asked me why I wanted to see it. I told her I simply wanted closure I wanted to know why I was fired specifically, and why I could never again apply to the hospital again. She was trying to softball me and say well maybe it was just a case of over hire I was like yea I don't think so. She said she would order my employee file again and call me when she had it. She ended up calling me later that evening and telling me that because I was no longer employed with the hospital that I wasn't allowed to see the records because they were now company property and that I since I no longer worked for them then I wasn't allowed to see the records.

That was four years ago which if you think about it wasn't a long time ago I was almost there, to the top of that hill of adulthood when the rug was pulled out from under my feet and I still haven't managed to recover. I was almost there I could have tasted it, I was going to build a foundation I was going to finally be able to feel like a real adult. Sigh, this must be how people end up living on the streets it really just takes one day to be knocked on your ass and have your whole world turned upside down with no regard for your well being. But shrugs no one in this lifetime gives a shit, its a dog eat dog world. Read more...