Queen Latifahfrom my blog: I am... chase.
I opened up Crunk + Disorderly yesterday morning and was confronted by this post about Cyndi Lauper & Lil' Kim's recent performance at the Nelson Mandela concert. Kim looked fantastic (better and better, certainly an improvement on recent years, with her weight back down and her face not looking so exaggeratedly plastic), and I was intrigued to watch the performance.
I was blown away.
Okay, Cyndi Lauper sounded like a goat at the start, and I'm not used to hearing the classic "
Time After Time" over a hip-hop-lite beat. But then Kim opened her mouth and sang, and my jaw dropped to the floor. Kim is a fantastic rapper, and the undisputed best female we have (especially since Foxy Brown, Eve and Lauryn have all but vacated their seats) in the current game. I remember ordering her Notorious Kim album from amazon, and bringing it to school on the day it arrived and causing a storm because I was listening to explicit material (I was 14! but it was a private school, so who knows ;) ). I did feel a thrill in playing it to my friends and listening to a woman spit explicitly sexual rhymes over exciting space-pop-hop beats, and ultimately I've become a fan of hers who possesses all her albums. Her records are never anything less than lyrically complex and sonically thrilling. But between albums, Kim doesn't seem to be so consistent with her promotion nor her other ventures, so this video of her singing "Time After Time" was a beautiful surprise. As was the fact that, although she sounded a little shaky (although she's gotten flack for 'singing' on her rap records, she generally keeps in tune and the songs are always fun and playful), her voice was beautiful and hit the notes more or less consistently through the performance.
When it segued into "Lighters Up", and Kim and Cyndi both traded rhymes, I was impressed at both of them for fusing their styles into something heartfelt and potentially classic: it was an unforgettable moment. I hope you enjoy the video, because after her run on Dancing With The Stars was unfairly cut short, Kim seems much more dedicated to proving just competent and talented an entertainer is, and showing us more facets of who she is other than through rapping. It was something a little different, but taking risks does pay off, and Lil' Kim proved she is a veteran of the rap game who can do things other rappers just don't do (Lauryn Hill did, but not anymore... I guess Missy Elliott andQueen Latifah are also exceptions, but then they're also veterans too, in their own ways). I hope you enjoy the performance as much as I did.
This goes to show that the truly talented can never be counted out: Madonna, Mariah Carey, Jay-Z, among many others always have a fanbase to come home to, as long as they keep displaying their talented and the reason why they are legends. Whitney Houston's new album I Look To You will drop in August, and I have a feeling it might be her turn now... although the leaked tracks from the record don't sound amazing, the set looks like it will sound classy and restrained and come from an emotionally mature place following her troubles of the past few years. At the end of the day, if you still have it, then you have nothing to be afraid of because nobody can take your talent away; you have to surrender it. And in the long run, it's the veterans who never give up.
I opened up Crunk + Disorderly yesterday morning and was confronted by this post about Cyndi Lauper & Lil' Kim's recent performance at the Nelson Mandela concert. Kim looked fantastic (better and better, certainly an improvement on recent years, with her weight back down and her face not looking so exaggeratedly plastic), and I was intrigued to watch the performance.
I was blown away.
Okay, Cyndi Lauper sounded like a goat at the start, and I'm not used to hearing the classic "
Time After Time" over a hip-hop-lite beat. But then Kim opened her mouth and sang, and my jaw dropped to the floor. Kim is a fantastic rapper, and the undisputed best female we have (especially since Foxy Brown, Eve and Lauryn have all but vacated their seats) in the current game. I remember ordering her Notorious Kim album from amazon, and bringing it to school on the day it arrived and causing a storm because I was listening to explicit material (I was 14! but it was a private school, so who knows ;) ). I did feel a thrill in playing it to my friends and listening to a woman spit explicitly sexual rhymes over exciting space-pop-hop beats, and ultimately I've become a fan of hers who possesses all her albums. Her records are never anything less than lyrically complex and sonically thrilling. But between albums, Kim doesn't seem to be so consistent with her promotion nor her other ventures, so this video of her singing "Time After Time" was a beautiful surprise. As was the fact that, although she sounded a little shaky (although she's gotten flack for 'singing' on her rap records, she generally keeps in tune and the songs are always fun and playful), her voice was beautiful and hit the notes more or less consistently through the performance.When it segued into "Lighters Up", and Kim and Cyndi both traded rhymes, I was impressed at both of them for fusing their styles into something heartfelt and potentially classic: it was an unforgettable moment. I hope you enjoy the video, because after her run on Dancing With The Stars was unfairly cut short, Kim seems much more dedicated to proving just competent and talented an entertainer is, and showing us more facets of who she is other than through rapping. It was something a little different, but taking risks does pay off, and Lil' Kim proved she is a veteran of the rap game who can do things other rappers just don't do (Lauryn Hill did, but not anymore... I guess Missy Elliott andQueen Latifah are also exceptions, but then they're also veterans too, in their own ways). I hope you enjoy the performance as much as I did.
This goes to show that the truly talented can never be counted out: Madonna, Mariah Carey, Jay-Z, among many others always have a fanbase to come home to, as long as they keep displaying their talented and the reason why they are legends. Whitney Houston's new album I Look To You will drop in August, and I have a feeling it might be her turn now... although the leaked tracks from the record don't sound amazing, the set looks like it will sound classy and restrained and come from an emotionally mature place following her troubles of the past few years. At the end of the day, if you still have it, then you have nothing to be afraid of because nobody can take your talent away; you have to surrender it. And in the long run, it's the veterans who never give up.
