Anyway, if you frequent these parts, then you’re pretty familiar with my magazine game; I GETZ THEM EARLY, LOL! This time, I didn’t hit my secret newsstand, I actually swiped it from an associate at an event several days ago. Since this issue doesn’t hit stores until February 17, I think I’m WAAAY ahead of the game with this issue. Others may have it (VIBE employees), but like always, your exclusive preview is available here……..FIRST!

Looks like VIBE is on that fresh sh*t because all the contents in this issue are geared towards the fresh and the FRESH ONLY. The Evolution of Andre Benjamin: FRESH! The White Tee: ReFRESHing! The Tattoo: SEXY FRESH! Terrence Dean breaks down The J-Sette (the dance routine seen in Beyonce’s, “Single Ladies” visual), while Memsor Kamarake rebirths and re-styles “The Black Model”.

Of course, an issue on Style wouldn’t be complete without the 31 Most Stylish individuals in the game. And since I’m not THAT much into the style realm, I’m not sure how valid these rankings are. Now I could sit here and reveal the entire list, but that would probably piss off B.W., D.Smith and the homey J.Cummings, so I’ll just list a couple names sans their rankings. Also, this list isn’t in any particular order, I’m just randomly naming the participants involved; Troy Polamalu (Pittsburgh Steelers), Kanye West, Alain “A-Trak” Macklovitch, Yung Dro, Vashti Kola (IM GOING TO MARRY HER), Wale, Solange, Lil Wayne, Rihanna, Travis McCoy, Keri Hilson, Estelle, Neyo, MIA, and many more!

Oh, and I can’t forget the cover girl herself, Keyshia Cole. This isn’t one those interviews (where’s your life at now, how is Young Jeezy doing, is your show scripted), this is a FRESH interview. Keyshia discusses the evolution of her style, the influences that make up her style and where she’s headed (style wise). Check out what she had to say……

Keyshia Cole on developing into the person she is now….

“I used to be real passive, no matter what it was–my performing, everyday living, a man, family. Now, it’s like I’ve got to put my foot down. I’ve come too far to keep accepting a lot of anything. I’m comfortable with myself.”

Keyshia Cole on her mother influencing her style…..

“Not necessarily, because my mom…..it depends. [My adoptive mother]Yvonne Cole, definitely. Definitely more than my biological mother because while I was around my mother my entire life, she was really gone. I’d see her, I would find her and in the next 10 minutes she would be gone. She was constantly moving. But Yvonne taught me everything about being a woman that I need to know. Everything. Don’t go to church without a slip. All of that.”

Think you feel fresh now, wait until you devour the entire issue. Once again, VIBE Magazine proves why they’re always one step ahead. (WHAD UP DANNY?).

Sincerely

Low “I’m So Dope Boy Fresh…I Think” Key  

The singer/songwriter/producer stopped by DJ Skee’s west coast radio show recently to discuss a plethora of issues. Sophomore LP: Check. Writing hit records: Check! Auto-Tune: Check! Mariah Carey: Check! Oh and collaborating with Kanye West on his fourth album: CHECK! Here’s what he had to say about Mariah, the Auto-Tune and writing Beyonce’s, “Sinlge Ladies”….

The Dream on the Auto-Tune…. 

“I get it, you know? It’s just one of those things, like ok I get it. It’s a sound. What it is, it’s a sound that you would probably hear in a keyboard and everybody does this keyboard sound for a couple years and then it kind of fades itself out. It’s just a sound now that’s put on top of the vocal because it really doesn’t distort what you’re talking about. Either you have a lyric, a great song or you don’t. What’s special with Kanye is that he had a great lyric; I understood where he was coming from beyond the Auto-Tune part of it. It’s like, ‘Ok, this is great, I get it, and you told a story’. That kind of helped me, melodically; understand where he was coming from.”

The Dream on working with Mariah Carey for MC3….. 

“I’ve been working on this Mariah thing for the last four days. Her working title for the next album and what I like to call it, it’s “MC3”. I love her. Mariah’s everything. She’s down, she’s cool, she gets it; she’s all the way in there. I told her, it’s not like how it used to be where you can wait to come out with album, so I told her let’s do it and she’s up for it. I’m trying to do the whole thing. I think it’s just about writing an album that includes the focus of all the hits that she’s had. I mean, you have “Endless Love”, “My All”, “We Belong Together”, “Touch My Body”; you have those types of records, so it’s basically like creating greatest hits without using those actual hits.”

The Dream on writing “Single Ladies”…… 

“It’s actually a lot of research involved because I really take it seriously. There’s really nobody else to sing “Single Ladies” but Beyonce. It wasn’t a record that I was holding for anyone. I got to Roc The Mic Studios with nothing and that’s the record we walked away with 25 minutes later, “Put A Ring On It”. That was for her. I do that with every artist. There’s no song I’m passing around to everybody. I get in, we don’t know which record we’re going to do and we do that record which is specially designed for them.”

Hmmmm, interesting. What are your thoughts on Mr. Dream?? Is he what Mariah’s missing from her creative life????

Sincerely

Low “The Dream is alllllllllllllright in my book” Key  

Alright ladies and germs, let’s get one thing clear, this list is dedicated to those who DESTROYED (in a good way, except the last 2 lol) 2008. This is not a list showcasing my undying hate for these specific individual(s), it’s more like a bevy of reasons on why they should take a 365 day breather so either their proteges can get some breathing room or so they can take a VERY well deserved break. I’ll keep it short and to the point, but I know a majority of you will feel the same way, so please, don’t hesitate to chime in below in our wonderful comments section that you guys LOVE to play in lol.

1. Kanye West 

Despite the death of his mother and severing ties with his OH SO gorgeous fiance, Yeezy did the inevitable and took to the stage and the studio to conquer every Billboard chart and iTunes list there was to conquer. He showed us the real meaning of “Stadium Status” by embarking on a nationwide excursion as well as an international expedition for his Glow In The Dark set. Though it was incredibly hard for him at times, Ye proved he was stronger than most, but showed a bit of vulnerability on stage when he couldn’t stomach the memories of his loving mother. In that process, 808’s & Heartbreak was conceived, which argubally could be Kanye’s best work to date. If Kanye has anything left to show, it would be amazing, and since he probably does, I suggest he save it for 2010…I’m sure we’ll be yearning for another extraordinary project from the “Voice of our generation”.

2. Beyonce 

As most of you may know, I HATE Beyonce….HAHAHAHHA (Some of you have NO sense of humor, I swear). Regardless of what I’ve written about the “Diva”, Mrs. Carter devoured the latter half of 2008, WHOLE. And judging by her major promotional blitz earlier last month, it’s only going to get worse in 2009. A international tour commencing in April, several movies in the works and of course MORE offerings from I Am…..Sasha Fierce, I’ll probably be suggesting Beyonce to fall back in 2010 as well. I have to hand it to the “privileged” mamacita, she knows how to get it done, but, for some odd reason, I can year Young H-O (Jay-Z) in the rear WISHING she would just sit the hell down (again, I’m just joking lol).

3. T-Pain 

I was sort of on the fence about putting the Tallahassee Titan on this list, but he too is in need of a well deserved break. If I’m not mistaken, this kid was on 37 at ONE TIME??? How the hell do you accomplish that without burning out? Maybe this was the year for him to prove that ugly people can also be successful (Zing…Ok, I’m sorry). He produced, composed, and performed for just about each of his superstar friends and a majority of them returned the favor on his third offering, Thr33 Ringz, which for the most part served the industry to it’s mainstream liking. I can’t imagine the ish he has in store for 2009, but, it would be a blessing to see him just FALL BACK behind the curtains for 365 days because since the birth of the Auto-Tune, every moron with a microphone thought it would bring joy and prosperity to them as it did for him. We’ll miss you, Pain…but not that much because we have PLENTY of material from you that’ll last us until 2012.

4. Diddy  

Ahhhh Diddy. Maybe his NYE proposal was his own way of telling the world he was hitting the behind the scenes market so he could focus more on his empire. But since that didn’t pan out like originally planned, his plague will now infiltrate our souls for ANOTHER 365 days (pegged as The Gift and The Curse). We all witnessed his “Diddy Blog” web series first hand, observed the inner rumblings of Danity Kane and watched him parade two beautiful baby girls in the media as if they were prized Turkey’s over the course of 2008 and oddly enough, he’s only getting started. Diddy+T-Pain= UGH! Yes, I’ll be front and center when that project hits the masses, but I’m not sure that’s the best route for Mr. OrangeJuiceInMyFruitLoops. The T-Pain collaboration train left the station a LOONNNNG time ago. Ciroc Obama (I hate that name more than Barack does himself, lol) loves the spotlight, but the real question is….how much does it love him and for how long?

5. Soulja Boy 

Give it a rest kid, it’s over…for now. The Sophomore Slump slapped you harder than Maino did Yung Berg and you have YET to recover from the travesty. 46K in seven days??? Yep, it’s time for that career intervention….fast! Beefing with Ice-T was cool, but it went down hill when you decided to give Charles Hamilton a tongue lashing via your YouTube channel. Not taking anything away from CH, but tell me, how many cool points were you really trying to gain from that? Funny how that little situation hit the light several weeks before the release of your album. Come on dude, you have to be a BIT smarter than that. Don’t worry, the kids STILL love you, but step up your marketing game, we’ve heard it all before. Oh, and that home invasion thing you have going on right now….you better have a good story to follow up with that one, the world is WATCHING.

 Honorable Mention

1. Jim Jones.

2. Lil Wayne (only because the sight of his face tattoos keep me tossing and turning at night).  

3. Busta Rhymes (You can blame “Arab Money” for that, Busta).

4. DJ Khaled (You are the best, but only in limited areas).

5. Frankie (I could list 546546465 reasons, but I have places to go today).

6. Ron Browz (Until he translates the chorus of “Arab Money” he’s not allowed out of his studio).

Sincerely

Low “One more person to say 200Mine is going on this LIST…SUPERSTAR OR NOT” Key 

Lists’ like these are always difficult to construct. On one hand, you’re attempting to remember every song that was forced down your throat and actually considered “hot”. But then, on the other hand, I’m trying to keep in mind that just because I liked that song, doesn’t mean the entire universe had to fall in line with my opinion.

Either or, these songs held a significant amount of weight in 2008. Whether it was the impromptu love for the hook, the infectious beat or the illegitimate lyrics that made not 1/3 bit of sense, but you just HAD to recite them, these songs will be known as 2008’s Top Tunes. Oh, and if I’m missing any, don’t be shy…go head and add them in the comments section. ENJOY

10. T-Pain ft. Lil Wayne- Can’t Believe It

This track not only forged a BFF alliance between the two, but it EASILY took over radio DIRECTLY after its release. Soon after, the dread headed twins conceived “Got Money” and their highly anticipated joint Lp, He Raps, He Sings. I can’t believe it….no seriously…I CAN’T!

9. T.I.- Whatever You Like (Produced By Jim Jonsin)

“Whatever You Like” did some extraordinary damage on the Billboard charts thanks to a little help from “Lollipop” producer, Jim Jonsin. And thanks to T.I., every tender roni I encounter thinks she can have whatever she likes. Sorry ladies, keep that sentiment to yourself.

8. MIA- Paper Planes (Produced By M.I.A., Diplo and Stitch)

Though 2007 marked it’s official crash landing on earth and February 12 marked its official US iTunes release, “Paper Planes” didn’t gain official commercial and U.S. acceptance until it’s appearance in the movie trailer for “Pineapple Express” back in June. Shortly after, pretty much EVERY rapper and their sidekicks tried their hand at remixing the catchy tune. Oh, did I mention it snatched a Grammy nod for Record of the Year?

7. Alicia Keys- Superwoman (Produced By Alicia Keys)

A song dedicated to EVERY strong female in the world? Hell yeah it’s on here as well the list of nominees for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards (Best Female R&B Vocal Performance). I bet you Barack hears this song every time he glances at Michelle…

6. Neyo- Miss Independent (Produced By Stargate)

Neyo gained so many brownie points from the females because of the songs context and he ALSO gained an EXTREME amount of cool points from the fellas because of the bulky amount of eye candy trotting through the visual. It also didn’t hurt that he invited Jamie Foxx and Fabolous along for the remix. Only sad thing about this is every female with a debit card thinks she can claim independence….it’s ok to ask for help babygirl, we got you.

5. T.I. ft. Kanye West, Jay-Z & Lil Wayne- Swagger Like Us (Produced By Kanye West)

Only reason why this isn’t further down on the list is because A.) It was a late bloomer and B.) It wasn’t officially pegged as a single from T.I.’s project but played through every club, radio and ipod speaker on God’s green earth. Sidebar: Since “Swagger” is a word I sincerely hate right now, A HUGE thank you is in order for Kanye West and MIA.

4. Usher ft. Young Jeezy- Love In This Club (Produced By Polow Da Don)

First time I heard this lil ditty, I was hooked. I even thought Usher was heading in the direction of Confessions, but of course, I was let down to 8th degree. Regardless, Jeezy came correct, Polow did his thing, and Keri Hilson will FOREVER be my mistress of choice…sorry future Mrs. LowKey!

3. Beyonce- Single Ladies (Produced By Tricky Stewart)

It’s an amazing sight to witness when you’re standing by the bar, the first 12 seconds of this record comes on and you see EVERY female (Bartenders, waitresses, female janitors and female security guards included) go APE sh*t, gyrating in every way possible known to mankind. True story, I once saw a married woman secretly take off her wedding ring for 3:13 JUST to call herself a single lady and then put it back on as if the song never existed. DAMN YOU, BEYONCE

2 . Young Jeezy ft. Kanye West- Put On (Produced By Drumma Boy)

Everyone…and I mean EVERYONE (yup, even her) thought they were from Atlanta when Jeezy unleashed this massive hit to the public. It gave you the sense of urgency to rep WHEREVER you were from (yup, even her again) whenever this song tickled your ear drum. This was also the first time we heard Kanye exercise his right on T-Pain’s golden apparatus. I PUTTTTTTTT ONNNNNNNNNNN!

1. Lil Wayne- A Milli (Produced By Bangladesh)

1. Lil Wayne- Lollipop (Produced By Jim Jonsin)

Really…..do I NEED to explain myself on either of these?????

Sincerely

Low “At least ONE of these songs gets some kind of burn in my day to day operations” Key

Ummmm, WHAT????? Wait a god darn second…did Beyonce just unleash one of the most blasphemous statements against one of the families she probably studied during her “snooty” up bringing.

You know what, I’m going to give shorty the benefit of the doubt. I’m going to cease fire on this attack and assume her words were misquoted because there’s no way in the hottest day of Satan’s residence that she would be so quick to fly off at the mouth about this but wouldn’t utter Jay-Z’s name whenever someone said, “So, that guy you’re hanging out with, is that you’re love interest?”

On top of that, I heard Ms. Jackson isn’t too ecstatic about Bey’s illegitimate remarks. I’m sure Beyonce would love to have “Rhythm Nation” chasing that ass down. Anyway, what do you guys think? Did Beyonce step out of pocket with this one??????

Sincerely

Low “When keeping it ‘Diva’ goes wrong” Key

P.S. Papa and Mama Knowles, please come get your child!

So, today, the next offering from Ciara’s, Fantasy Ride mixtape hit the masses and I must say, I’m pretty surprised she tackled this track. Though she did follow the same flow as Beyonce, she sounds a bit more free on her verses; sort of like she didn’t give a flying fudge what people thought about her effort.

I’m going to cease on anymore commentary because I’m DYING to see who you guys think did better over the Bangladesh soundscape. So, “Who does “Diva” its TRUE justice; Ciara or Beyonce????

Beyonce- Diva

Ciara- Diva

Sincerely

Low “Stop side eyeing me, I didn’t make Ciara cover Beyonce’s track….she did it on her own” Key

Yesterday, I issued my opinion on shorty’s new video, “Diva”, which to many of you was perceived as hate. Of course I enjoy Beyonce prancing around in her lil outfits looking incredibly scrumptious with every move, however, I feel it’s something we’ve seen already (cough “Single Ladies” cough). But, that still doesn’t mean it wasn’t entertaining.

Halo, to me..and this is just me, seems like a continuation of “If I Were A Boy”. By the looks of things, it seems like the fighting ceased and now they can’t stop gazing into each other’s eyes. I can’t knock it, though……shorty’s in love, so why not show it. Alright, I’m ready for the “WHY YOU KEEP HATING ON BEYONCE” banter, bring it on. And while you’re doing that, enjoy her video below.

Sincerely

Low “I wish Beyonce would invade my personal space like that” Key

Beyonce- Halo

Though I thoroughly enjoyed every second of the clip, me and some of my blogging cohorts were still left unsatisfied. Now don’t get me wrong, I love me some Beyonce, but I was expecting something completely different. Dancing/walking/strutting in back alley’s isn’t as interesting as it used to be.

What if they showed Beyonce waking up for a full day of work, you know, we follow her from picking out her clothes in the morning, to shooting a video, then rehearsing for a movie, then conducting a board meeting for her clothing line in which right after, she hits the stage for a dope performance showing the true meaning of a “Diva”? Tell me that ish wouldn’t be a sincerely dope experience? Maybe I should be a video director, hmmmmmm??

Anyway, check out Beyonce’s new video, below!

Sincerely

Low “Shawn Carter, when you see me….WALK THE OTHER WAY!” Key

BD
by yardie4lifever2

Beyonce- Diva

Barack Obama is almost one month away from being sworn into the White House and the question still remains: Who is going to perform at the Inaugural Ball????? A couple weeks ago, Beyonce’s name was thrown into the mix, and now I’m hearing A.Keys is now being considered to take on this historical moment.

During an episode on The Tyra Banks talk show, Keys was pressed by Banks as to whether or not she was performing. Though she didn’t confirm or deny, she did seem optimistic about the alleged rumor.

So, I pose this question to you; Who would you like to see perform at the Inaugural Ball in January and why??? Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Keyshia Cole,  ____(Fill in your choice).

Sincerely

Low “It doesn’t matter to me, as long as they do a good job” Key

In the case of me having to actually pick between the two; I probably would pick Neyo…only because his first album was during my last relationship and it basically told the entire story of how it played out. Just had to let you guys know lol…

The only difference, statistically, between the two is Neyo’s album count is already at three, so experience already ways heavy on the side of the Arkansas native (yes, Neyo is originally from Arkansas). In the past 2 years, both Neyo and The Dream have massacred writing pads with their unique penmanship showing no mercy for each other or the competition.

Neyo’s infectious material has channeled more so the opposite sex’s perspective more than the male’s, at times. Beyonce’s, “Irreplaceable” became a massive female anthem signaling every dishonest man to the left. And let’s not forget his breakout hit, “Let Me Love You” crooned by Mario back in 2004.

But on the other side of town The Dream, who began his writing tenure in 2003 after penning “Everything” for B2K, has also kept dance floors packed and radio airwaves filled via Rihanna (“Umbrella”), J. Holiday (“Bed”), Mariah Carey (“Touch My Body”), Mary J. Blige (“Just Fine”) and more recently, Beyonce (“Single Ladies”).

 Both are capable of writing hits for themselves and others, but it’s something distinctively unique about the both of them. Neyo’s material is more relationship driven; the heartaches and pains deriving from that particular situation. While The Dream, who can also channel the relationship commentary, has a bit more fun laminating the raunchy side of things (See Usher’s, “Trading Places”, lol). But hey, those are just my observations.

Time for the debate: Who Is A Better Songwriter; Neyo or The Dream?????? Having a hard time deciding? No worries, I’ve listed a throng of joints both artists have written in the last 3 years. ENJOY!

Songs written by Neyo

Mario- Let Me Love You (Turning Point, 2004)

Rihanna- Unfaithful (A Girl Like Me, 2005)

Neyo- So Sick, Stay, When You’re Mad (In My Own Words, 2006)

Beyonce- Irreplaceable (B’Day, 2006)

Rihanna- Hate That I Love You (Good Girl Gone Bad, 2007)

Neyo- Because of You, Can We Chill, Addicting, Go On Girl (Because of You, 2007)

Mary J. Blige- Work In Progress (Growing Pains, 2007)

Leona Lewis- I’m You (Spirit, 2007)

Usher- His Mistakes  (Here I Stand, 2008)

Rihanna- Take A Bow (Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded, 2008)

Neyo- Fade Into The Background (Year of the Gentlemen, 2008)

Jennifer Hudson- Spotlight (Jennifer Hudson, 2008)

Ciara- Supernatrual (Fantasy Ride, 2008)

Janet Jackson- This Can’t Be Good (Discipline, 2008)

Songs written by The Dream

Britney Spears- Me Against The Music (In The Zone, 2003)

Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne- Gimmie What You Got (Exclusive, 2007)

Ciara ft. Ludacris- High Price (Fantasy Ride, 2008)

J. Holiday- Bed (Back Of My Lac, 2007)

Janet Jackson- Greatest X (Discipline, 2008)

Karina Pasian- 16 @ War (First Love, 2008)

Raheem DeVaughn- Customer (Love Behind The Melody, 2008)

Mariah Carey- Touch My Body (The Emancipation Of Mimi, 2008)

Mary J. Blige- Just Fine (Growing Pains, 2008)

Beyonce- Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) (I Am……Sasha Fierce, 2008)

Nivea ft. Lil Jon- Okay (Complicated, 2005)

Rihanna ft. Jay-Z- Umbrella (Good Girl Gone Bad, 2007)

Usher- Trading Places (Here I Stand, 2008)

The Dream- Living A Lie, Nikki, Playin In Her Air, Falsetto (LoveHate, 2007)

Come on….make the decision; Neyo or The Dream??????? 

Sincerely

Low “I’m Soooooo Sickkkk of love songs” Key