AN EARLY GOODBYE

Gone, at 54 years old.

Fifty. Four.

That's so young...

Teena Marie is a legend.

And it seems like as the years progress, the artistic outlets that once breeded the revolutionaries, non-conformists, critical thinkers and articulate speakers are being cashed in for sex, lies, and idiot-tapes.

This is precisely why I don't listen to the radio anymore...

and I barely watch t.v., all because of the fact that there's a great lack in integrity that 

artists like Teena Marie achieved.

Old school tunes are all that I listen to nowadays.

It was in those eras before my time that music was a form of 

emotional release, profound intellect, and movement making.

Yet everyone is stuck on people like Miley Cyrus and Souja Boy. 

O_O 

Sad if you ask me.

Though I am quite young, classic artists like Teena Marie will always have a place in my heart.

And though she is gone, she will be truly missed.

I hope that people really take a look into her music as well as the countless careers of other legends that have seemed to disappear with the time, so that they know of the greatness that existed 

despite what we have today.

Here's a few of my all-time faves from Teena Marie! :)

Rest In Peace.

INDIGO CHARLIE

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

The discovery of genuine friends is a special rarity that comes with life.

Though my circle is not the biggest,

I'd rather have a few good friends than tons of...

the flakey ones,

the backstabbing ones,

the always-borrowing-your-clothes-and-never-giving-em-back ones,

the boyfriend stealers,

the tell-your-secrets-to-the-world-and-might-as-well-start-a-blog-or-

write-a-book-about-what-everyone-doesn't-know-about-you ones,

the swagger jackers,

the liars,

the thieves,

the always-want-what-you-have-yet-are-unwilling-to-go-out-

and-do-something-for-themselves ones,

the bad advice givers,

the snobs,

the always-crying-broke-when-you-ask-to-borrow-a-few-dollars-

even-though-you-always-help-them-when-they-need-it ones,

and the

the floozies.

I'm so thankful that God has plucked out all of the weeds in my life and has sewn seeds that are blossoming into amazing friendships with beautiful people.

I love my posse,

my ride-or-die-

always-stick-by-my-side peeps.

I adore them all because they are each very different yet are all extremely talented,

intelligent, and bring something new to my life in their own little ways.

One of these fab friends of mine is Chelsea, better known as Danni Rouge.

Though I had an obsession with redheads far before we met,

she's the dopest one I know. lol

She's the designer behind the accessory line Bullets&Bows,

and is an uber-talented singer and songwriter.

She recently did a vid covering Bruno Mars' song "Grenade,"

which I never heard prior to hearing her sing it and now I love it! lol

Enjoy!! :)

WHIP IT REAL GOOD

Soooo I love Willow Smith. lol

I didn't really understand what all of the hype was about surrounding her,

but after watching her highly-anticipated vid for her single "Whip My Hair,"

I've officially hopped aboard the Willow train lol

Not only is her swagger out of this world

--especially considering the fact that she's 9 years old--

but she's just so friggin' cute! lol

The entire time I was watching the video, I kept getting flashbacks of Jada and her dookeybraids in her Menace to Society days.

I'm so thrilled to see such a positive role model for young black girls.

Finally the days of looking up to rump-shakin' video vixens and risqué female entertainers

are OVER!

Now, black girls have someone that they can actually relate

to that promotes embracing and celebrating your individuality.

I really hope that Willow doesn't become a product of the industry like Miley or Britney lol

So I'll stand in her corner until she shows otherwise.

Aaah! This little girl is just too dope for words!

BACK TO THE BOOKS

Thursday was officially my first day of school being a senior.

It feels so weird to say that. lol

I can't believe three whole years of college have really passed me by!

Where has the friggin' time gone?!!?!

Though I am {partially} glad school's back in session,

I know this quarter's load of intense creative writing classes combined

with an ancient African history class will be quite the challenge,

but I'm just gunna have to suck it up, take one for the team, and duke it out.

To kick off the school year, UCR hosted its annual Block Party concert

exclusively for all new & returning students.

We were allowed to bring one guest, so my bf Kevin came along

to indulge in the festivities.

This year, The Cool Kids, J. Cole, & Estelle

were the contenders to rock the stage.

OF COURSE I was gungho about seeing The Cool Kids,

but the crowd was acting pretty lame since they were the first act.

I felt like me & Kev were the only ones who knew the words

to about every single song!

Yet by the time Mikey Rocks & Chuck Inglish spit their last song,

everyone wanted more. :)

J.Cole was up next buuuuut I'm not a fan of him. lol

The girls were going I N S A N E, and oddly enough,

so were most of the guys! hahaha

I don't think I've ever been to a live performance where the guys are that ecstatic....

maybe that's just me.

..unintentional, yet ironic and interesting..

Since it was ridiculously hot out, I was over standing amongst

crazed--and some obviously drunken--fans...

and after waiting for about an hour for Estelle to come on, I was ready to bounce.

But I knew you all would want to see all of the action,

so I sucked it up to snap a few pics of her when she finally started her performance.

For some reason I expected Estelle to be.....

well, civilized. lol

But after a few hell yeahs and a slew of f*** this and that's,

my predetermined expectations went completely out the window!

I guess I just expected her to transcend black stereotypes and be some kind of posterchild

for English women of color, but that ideal was a failure.

While she did manage to prove to me that she was not the tea & crumpets chick

that many alike myself initially perceive her to be,

Estelle definitely knows how to rock a party

& make everyone in her presence have a good time.

Olive & black floral scarf {worn as headband}:: Forever 21, Multi-chain necklace:: Forever 21, Vintage silk color block top:: Goodwill, Brown woven belt:: Hollister, Levi destroyed denim shorts:: Urban Outfitters,

Brown strappy heels:: Reflections

**Random side note** I've been debating on whether or not I want to switch

from Blogger to Tumblr...no particular reasoning, just ready for a bit of a change.

Lemme know what your thoughts.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

This weekend's festivities were priceless.

Friday night, Brittany & I headed to Redlands for a party,

yet once we seen the ridiculously long line, we didn't even make it out of the car lol

And the fact that there were plenty of hoochiemamas on the scene was an even bigger reason

for us to go elsewhere.

We made a pit stop for some gas and then made our way to Pomona's Fox Theater for rapper Kent Money's mixtape release party.

The event was a rooftop shindig....definitely more my scene, lol

full of fashion savvy guys & gals.

Upon our arrival, I spotted soooo many people that I knew!

After grabbing a tasty concoction of a beverage from the bar,

we linked up with my girls Yesenia {of Saucie Garments},

BreeAnn and Chelsea {aka Danni Rouge of Bullets & Bows}.

Rica Cupcakes, Ms. Keek Marie, and a few other pretty gal pals were with them,

and once that music started bumping... IT WAS ON! lol

Neon t-shirt {made into a headband at the last minute! lol}:: Forever 21, Black sequined vest:: H&M, Black & white striped dress:: H&M, Multi-chained necklace:: Forever 21, Black studded bracelet:: H&M,

{Not pictured} Black & neon pumps:: Forever 21

The infamous Don Cannon was the DJ for the nite

and was the master of keeping us on our feet.

Many including the uber talented guys from Audio Push came out to support Kent Money,

who performed a few tracks from his mixtape just as the event got underway.

Things got a little on the wild side...

but for good times with good friends,

I wouldn't trade it for anything.

BETCHA WANNA SEE THIS BOOTY BOUNCE

Tuesday night {after a long day's work}, my b.f.f Brittany & I got all dolled up

to go to Hollywood's infamous Dim Mak Tuesdays at Cinespace.

The streetwear queens of L.A.'s very own Hellz Bellz were hosting the Hollywood Boulevard hotspot to promote the release of DEV's music video for her dope track, "Booty Bounce."

Filled with tons of fresh threads, the styling of the vid was all thanks to Hellz.

After premiering the video,

we nabbed a spot front & center as DEV took the stage to perform a few hits,

including my all-time fave, "Fireball."

The diverse crowd was full of hipsters and free spirits,

all grooving the night away to indie pop jams.

We had a good time, even though we ran into a few weirdos lol

But hey, it comes with the territory.

Black headband, Black tunic w/ sheer sides, Grey splattered dress {worn underneath}, Multi-chained necklace, Army green grommet belt, Black lace-up booties. *All from Forever 21*

RIDE OR DIE

Words can't express the way my heart almost jumped out of my chest when Kevin called

to tell me he spotted my hand-made bustier on Nicki Minaj

in the August 2010 issue of Black Men Magazine!

Yes ladies and gents, she's rockin' the hell out of my designs! lol

My speech was a bit flustered since I couldn't come up with anything to say,

so I just blurted out a scream of joy instead. lol

And the first chance I got, I rushed down to Barnes & Noble

to snag what came to be their last copy of the mag.

Ms. Harajuku Barbie herself looks quite fierce in her 20-page spread, toting guns and putting the medal to the medal on tricked-out motorcycles.

I must give a HUGE shoutout to my friend and amazing celeb wardrobe stylist Mr. Bradshaw for putting my clothes in good hands!

Aaaah! I'm still excited! lol

Now things can go nowhere but up!

Watch out!!!! ;)

Pictures via Nicki-Minaj.net

A LITTLE BIT OF GOLD AND A PAGER

On a last minute venture, my sister Taylor, Kev & I all headed over to

The Glasshouse in Pomona to see The Cool Kids!

Chuck Inglish & Mikey Rocks are hands down my favorite emcees,

so I had to jump at the opportunity to see them again!

After getting inside the venue and landing a spot in the front,

my sister met up with some of her good friends and we all waited for the show to start.

Things got kicked off with the Inland Empire's own Fontana rapper Epic,

then came Donnis and The Kids in the Hall!

All of the guys were dope, buuuut I was getting rather antsy to see The Cool Kids lol

After much anticipation, they finally made their way to the stage,

performing a handful of tracks from their newly-released mixtape "Tacklebox,"

along with plenty more of their classics.

I almost died when the bass for my FAVORITE song "Jingling" came on!

I think I was the only girl rapping every single lyric right along with them.

All in all, we acted a bit crazy & got our boogie on,

which adds up to nothing but a good 'ol time lol

I'd be more than down to see my boys

Mikey 'n Chuck ANYTIME, ANYPLACE! :)

Oh yeah!

And by the way, I have long hair now! :) lol

As much as I love the edginess of my haircut,

I'm SO over damaging it and the lack of variety in styles that short hair brings.

Believe it or not, I've had my hair chopped for the past 3 years!

So it's most definitely time for some changes.

Everyone at work has been telling me how weird it is to see me with long hair

because I've rocked it short for so long.....but I love my new locks!

Hope you all can dig it!