Chew on This: Rihanna Talks to Diane Sawyer about Abuse

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I watched this video and was quite taken aback. I expected to see Rihanna reading a rehearsed script orchestrated by her Publicity team. Not to say, this interview was not arranged in certain ways.  I will definitely check out the remainder of the interview when it airs Friday night on ABC.  Rihanna was actually fighting back tears – that really got to me! I’m glad she is able to finally say her piece and I’m glad she is choosing to speaking out. My favorite line: “Eff Love….because Love is so blind“. Ladies. I hope some of ya’ll are listening.

*Sidenote: Now that Rihanna has spoken out, she does realize she cannot take Chris back right?  Career-wise, people would never let her live it downn if she took him back at this point. What did ya’ll think??

Published in: on November 6, 2009 at 4:14 am Comments (1)
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Hot ChokLit! Trey Songz – I Invented Sex

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Ok…so I’m a day late, but I had to watch the video 20 a few times to get my most accurate reaction. There is not much to say on this one. Its all laid out for you. I remember when Trey first came out and Chickens individuals were hatin on Mr. Songz and his then birdcaged chest and sweet, not-yet-raunchy vocals. But I had pegged him as my B.D. from the jump! Now these hens ladies are eating their words :P

Just playin. I really like the….song. And the video compliments the song …very well.  Also Trey’s tattoo artist should be…commended.

The beautiful girl in the video is a actually a Canadian model from Quebec so big ups! At least one of these male sangas is still feelin’ the sistas… I just like how Trey appears to have control over his career; the music he puts out and his image as well. If Mr. Songz did not have your attention before, I believe he does now….

*Edit: If video does not show up at first, click the widescreen button below.

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Music News ROLO: 4th Quarter Music Plus Videos by 50cent & Ne-Yo, Jay-Z & Alicia, Chris Brown

So I mentioned I would try to keep up with everything so lets run the Music ROLO!

First off, My dude over at The Doc Report did a nice Rundown of the what we should expect music-wise for the fourth quarter(year end) in music. There are some exciting releases from artists like Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Shakira and Britney Spears all being released November 23rd (which he dubs ‘Super Monday’). Also Amerie and Ryan Leslie are releasing albums today (November 3rd)! R.Kelly will be dropping Dec. 1st, while Usher will battle Robin Thicke and Gucci Mane come December 8th. And of course the last push before Christmas will see releases from Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, Lil Wayne and Rihanna’s ex, Chris Brown. Heavy. Make sure you check out the list in its entirety. I didn’t even know about some of these…Usher, are you really ready to come back for the crown again?? Hmmmm.

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50 Cent & Kelly Rowland make beautiful music together – oh yeah, and Ne-Yo!

Cute video and a good look for Ms Rowland who looks cute as ever! Kelly has the most beautiful skin! I thought the song was going to be better than this – more hood, gutter 50, but this is actually a nice change for him. And damn, he is lookin right in the video too! Maybe its the new grill? Ne-Yo is forgettable to me in this song. Why is that?

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Published in: on November 4, 2009 at 3:41 am Leave a Comment
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Sweet Tooth: R.Kelly’s Echo

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There is a lot going on right now in Urban music. A lot of Artists are pushing for that elusive 4th quarter sales push, so bear with me as I try to keep up and maintain my sleeping habits at the same time…

R.Kelly has released his second single off his forthcoming Untitled album, titled Echo. This is the song I’ve been hearing was the hit record off his Untitled album so I am glad they have finally released it. Mr. Kelly does not disappoint this time around! Although it is in the same vein as Number One (#thegreatestsex) lyric-wise, Echo has a catchier chorus, complete with full on yodeling.

Kelly sings, “I’ll be waiting for you right there baby/I’ll be waiting to go f*ck like crazy…I hope you’re ready to scream and moan like Yo deh leh eeh ooh“

Ok so not the most innovative lyrics, but it works for the song. Now, this definitely isn’t the first time we have heard Kelly yodel so it is a bit of a throwback for his fans. The material is repetitive but I am glad Kelly has abandoned his T-Pain/rapper aspirations and has gone back to his R&B roots. I think his fans will like this one.

R.Kelly – Echo

Untitled will be released November 30th and will be long-awaited for the embattled singer who has not released an album since being acquitted of the child molestation charges back in 2008.

Published in: on November 3, 2009 at 3:48 am Leave a Comment
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Butta of the Week!: Alicia Keys – Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart

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A few weeks back we premiered Alicia’s first single, Doesn’t Mean Anything from her new album, The Element of Freedom (great title!) arriving December 1st. The song had yet to grow on me, or on the charts in general so Alicia’s second single has been prepared in a hurry. Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart is a great song! It has a totally different sound for Alicia, with eerie keyboards that give it a cheesy 80s sound – but in a good way. Alicia’s voice is timidly quiet as she sings, “I’m gonna find a way to make it, without you…I’m gonna hold onto the times that we had” The lyrics are especially poignant as she sings about being strong enough to get through the lonely, sleepless nights without her lover no longer being in her life. The song is produced by 808 & Heartbreak collaborator Jeff Bhasker and Alicia.

Of course, all over the Internet, Alicia is catching flack left and right for her personal issues involving her relationship with producer/artist Swizz Beatz who was once (still is!) married to singer Mashonda. Mashonda and Swizz have two children together and Alicia is being viewed as a home-wrecker for being involved with a married man. People are going as far to say they will not support Alicia nor purchase her music because of her love life. They are condemning this song as a slap in the face to Mashonda who is possibly going through the same situation Alicia is singing about.  Hmmmmm. Hard for me to say, I’m no fan of home-wreckers, but as my girl Cinnamon will say, “Life is complicated” so we never will know what had transpired between the three of them involved. That being said, at the end of the day, I like the song and the ChokLitFactory is about the music so I will continue to post on Alicia’s new project. Enjoy!

Alicia Keys – Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart

Published in: on November 2, 2009 at 3:40 am Comments (3)
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Melt In your Ears: Rihanna – Russian Roulette

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Rihanna is back! Ms Fenty released her new Single to the Internet yesterday to mixed reviews. Russian Roulette, written by singer/songwriter Ne-Yo is a bit unexpected from the Umbrella singer. The song is her first singer on her new album entitled Rated R. She definitely has improved on her vocal skills, which is always nice to see and hear from an Artist. The lyrics are very well-written as well. I listened to the song last night and I wasn’t blown away, but thought it was Ok. Today, when writing this post, I played the song again to get a more organic reaction to the song. I must say, the song improves vastly upon each listen. You appreciate it more. Also, though the chorus is not catchy, it has that same emotional yearning Rihanna achieved with her other hit song, Take a Bow. I can safely say I am excited for Rih’s Rih’s return, especially after such a tumultuous year. Methinks there may be a new Queen in town…

What do you all think?

Rihanna – Russian Roulette

Published in: on October 21, 2009 at 10:28 pm Comments (4)
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Music News ROLO: New videos by Alicia Keys, Mario,

Here’s a couple of new videos for ya’ll to catch up on! Click on the links below to watch!

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Alicia Keys – Doesn’t Mean Anything

ChokLit’s Take: This song reminds me of No One. And just like No One, it took me a while to warm up to it. Alicia looks great in the video, and that’s about all I can say right now. It is a nice song, but I’d rather watch paint dry. And I mean that in the nicest way possible!

Mario – Thinkin’ Bout You

ChokLit’s Take: LoL. I like Mario this time around because he gives me so much to comment on. Can I mention homie’s hairline without sounding like a hater? I’m just sayin…it looks like he’s using Jamie Foxx’s barber..but Mario does look better with the hair. Thinkin Bout You is the Runners-produced follow-up to his smash hit, Break-up. Needless to say, this isn’t the best follow-up song. J Records must have known this. Does this mean we cannot expect much from the album? Thinkin’ Bout You doesn’t scream Single material to me is all. Mario always drops the ball, in my opinion on his second single. It is what is holding him back from the Usher-status. But I will still hold up for a third single from Mario. The video is nicely styled and is directed by Chris Robinson. It features the beautiful Audra once again as well as a beauty straight of Bollywood. Mario is taking it international, I guess.

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Published in: on October 20, 2009 at 1:14 am Comments (6)
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Laffy Taffy: Whitney Houston performs Million Dollar Bill on X-Factor

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The Internets are a-buzz with Whitney Houston’s latest performance on British TV show X-Factor from last week. Ms Houston preformed her hit song, Million Dollar Bill for the live audience. Unfortunately for Whitney, her bra straps suffered a bit of a malfunction as they snapped (gasp!) during her performance. But that was not the worst part. Whitney is STILL not looking in good shape! I’m sorry, as a fan, I really cannot afford not to notice it. I mean, she looks great. But her singing, while on key, was sporadic and she realized very heavily on her back-up singers. The notes she did manage to belt out were surprisingly quite good..they were just the wrong ones. She missed the last big note of the song and left that one up to her backup singer (who is NO Whitney). During her hastened small talk with the show’s host after her performance, Whitney looked a little belligerent and confused. She mentioned that she would be touring in April. Of course, we all know the tour is the real moneymaker these days, so if she cannot get it together by then, she will not make the tour at all. I for one hope she can because I will be in line for tickets when she does!

Check the video below!

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Oldie Butta GoodieBar: City High – Caramel

CityHigh

For some reason I was reminescing on this group the other day. City High consisted of three artists, Ryan Toby, Robbie Pardlo and Claudette Ortiz. All three met each other in high school in Jersey city, where they formed City High. Later they were signed by Wyclef Jean and released their popular single What Would you Do, back in 2001. Caramel was their second and most popular single released off their self-titled debut album. I posted this song on my Facebook page and got a pretty favorable reaction. I always liked Claudette’s voice. Alongside her beauty, her voice had a really nice tone to it. She seemed poised for super-stardom, but I think drama and jealously led to the group’s demise. Claudette married group member Ryan Toby and gave birth to 2 sons with him. Last year I read a VIBE article that hinted Claudette’s return to the music scene (alongside her husband who had been attempting a return for years). According the Wikipedia’s report, Claudette recently gave birth to another child that was not her husband’s. Do not quote me on this rumor.  Regardless, this is a really cute song that showcased the savvy hood-meets-pop music production style that was Jerry ‘Wonder’ Duplessis. I hope to hear more from Claudette in the near future!

Published in: on October 19, 2009 at 1:17 am Comments (1)
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ChokLit Fresh: Rick Ross feat. Robin Thicke – Lay Back

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Please forgive me, but sometimes I can not resist a Rick Ross video. Yes, they seem to all feature Dade County’s finest dressed in his best mob boss attire, with many bikini-clad Miami women flaunting all over Ross and his R&B-featured guest. But 8 times out of 10, I do enjoy the song, so here we go again. Lay Back is not particularly catchy, but the production is pretty solid and Robin’s voice sounds great on the track as well. I noticed how animated Mr. Thicke is acting in this video! I have never seen him so coordinated and lively! I got a chuckle the first time I saw the video, but now I have to give him his props. Maybe his wife versed him in some much-needed lessons in Swag. Nevertheless, Mr. Thicke wears it well. Lay back is the first single from Ross’ new group Maybach Music from his joint Label with Def Jam. How do ya’ll like the song?

 

*video link being fixed – sorry for inconvenience

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