The Double Scoop

THE 2016 BET AWARDS RECEIVES RAVE REVIEWS

Author: Amy Nicole

Over the last few years the BET Awards has been pretty mediocre in my opinion but this year the show was the best that it has ever been in years!

The award show opened with a performance by Beyonce which I was very surprised by because she usually doesn’t attend the BET Awards. Her set started with dancers walking towards the stage wearing African attire while an audio speech from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. played from the speakers. Beyonce appeared onstage standing in water and the dancers joined her in place on the stage. She performed the song “Freedom” from her album Lemonade which is more of a revolutionary song. She joined the dancers performing a traditional African dance and Kendrick Lamar joined her onstage for what became an epic collaboration! Their tribute to African culture and the black lives matter movement was amazing. After the performance was over the camera zoomed in to the audience and you could see the proud faces of celebrities like Spike Lee and Samuel L. Jackson nodding and smiling with satisfaction. I was definitely proud to see my generation use their platform to help evoke positive change!

Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson hosted the show again this year. They started off the show with a parody skit of Hamilton, singing current rap songs from artists Desiigner, OT Genasis, and The Weeknd. Personally I found the skit to be very corny but I’m a huge fan of Tracee so she could really do no wrong in my eyes LOL!

I thought production did a great job of blending new and older artists for the music performance line-up. Some of the performers included Fat Joe, Alicia Keys, Future, Usher and Byson Tiller. I think it was a good blend of artist to target various age groups. Most of the performances were pretty good. Alicia Keys’ performance was my favorite.

One of the top and most talked about award categories of the night was the humanitarian award which was awarded to actor Jesse Williams. If you don’t watch the show Grey’s Anatomy you probably weren’t too familiar with who he was, but aside from being an actor he is also a well known activist who is known for speaking out about controversial issues regarding the oppression of black people. When Jesse accepted his award many people were expecting him to give a brief thank you but surprisingly he turned his acceptance speech into a full out church sermon addressing the injustices of black people and calling out our flawed and bias judicial system. When Jesse left the stage just about the entire audience was standing on their feet applauding him. I was even on my feet watching his speech from my television screaming “Yassss Jesse”! One of the most memorable quotes from his speech was, “Just because we’re magic does not mean we’re not real”.

The highlight of the 2016 BET Awards which I think most viewers would agree was the Prince tribute. I can’t say that I am a die-hard Prince fan but I do enjoy some of his music and I realize how much his music has impacted and influenced many of the artist that our out today. Instead of doing one long tribute all at once the performances were blended into different sections throughout the award show. Some of the performers from the tribute included: Erykah Badu, Bilal, Jennifer Hudson, Maxwell, Sheila E. and Janelle Monae. Each artist performed a different Prince classic and added their personal touch to the song. My favorite tributes were from Janelle Monae and Bilal.

Although the show was pretty lengthy (3 hours) it was definitely worth watching. This year the BET Awards took on more of a polished and sophisticated tone which I really liked. I’m hoping they will keep this new format up in the years to come.

Photo Credits: Billboard, Rolling Stone– Kevin Winter/Getty

DRAKE HITS DOUBLE PLATiNUM WITH “VIEWS”

Author: Amy Nicole

Drake’s latest album Views has officially been certified double-platinum by the RIAA, racking up over two million in sales. I wouldn’t say I’m a diehard Drake fan but I do enjoy most of the music that he releases. Views has several hit singles including the popular radio hits: Controlla, One Dance, and the ultimate club banger Hotline Bling.

Drake gets a lot of slack from male listeners who criticize him singing on albums but I personally think he is the only rapper who has successfully mastered being able to do both on an album cohesively. He has the style of rap that a guy can listen to but that a woman can appreciate too.

At 29 years old Drake is old enough to appreciate and reference old school samples from previous hip hop artists but he is also young enough to appeal to the younger culture. On the song “U With Me” he samples DMX’s song “How’s it Goin’ Down” while still making the song authentic.

Overall Views is a good album. Drake is successful because his music is able to appeal to listeners outside of the hip hop community and because he has commercial appeal. The RIAA has revised the certification qualifications of albums to include streaming as part of its album award determinations. Since the revised certification qualifications went into effect only 28 rap albums have earned a gold, platinum, or multi-platinum award; 5 of them being Drake albums. This fact alone speaks volumes about his talent as an artist.

Photo Credit: Rap-Up

MILESTONE

Author: Amy Nicole

Chrisette Michelle is back with her 5^th studio album Milestone which is the first album released from her independent label Rich Hipster. The album title celebrates Chrisette being in the music industry 10 years and it mostly centers around the singer’s relationship with her former music manager Doug Ellis, who has recently become her fiancé.

The couple met over 13 years ago while in business school. The two started working together which led to a romantic relationship, but shortly after their union the relationship turned hostile ending with both of them suing each other over money issues related to music production. The legal situation led to them not speaking to each other for over seven years.

When Chrisette started working on content for “Milestone” she reached back out to Ellis which led to their reconciliation and recent engagement. But here’s the shocker, Chrisette was in another relationship during her and Ellis’ reconciliation. The album intimately details the couple’s reconciliation and even explains how Chrisette broke the engagement news to the man she was in a relationship with at the time.

My favorite song’s on the album are: Diamond Letter, Steady, Soulmate, Equal, These Stones, and Meant To Be.

In the song “Steady” Chrisette claps back at haters who downplay her success letting them know she has been in the industry for over 10 years and that she has the paper to prove her success. She also reveals that she is running her own label now. In the song she sings:

You say I’m underrated,
Don’t know why I got this paper
Don’t know why I’m so hated
I think I’m must’ve made it

I think I’m must’ve made it
Ten years and counting
Shawty running label

After Chrisette became engaged to Ellis she had to take on the difficult task of explaining to the guy she was in a relationship with that she couldn’t be with him anymore because she was in love with someone else. Chrisette actually wrote her partner a letter delivering the news that she was engaged to someone else. This led to the single “Diamond Ring”. In the song Chrisette sings,

Yeah I’m writing you a letter
With the diamond on my finger
No, you never did me bad
Someone else can do me better

In the song “Soulmate” Chrisette sings about the separation between she and her fiancé and how after reconciling she can’t be apart from him anymore.

My heart ain’t whole
Just me without my soul
My being needs you
I’m just part of what makes one of two
I’m just one shy without my right side
Lose my backbone without my right side
I’m just one half without my soul

On the song “Equal” Chrisette reconnects with Rick Ross and delivers what seems to be an Aston Martin sequel. Rick Ross raps,

I’ve been in love with you for six years
Since Aston Martin Music
Drizzy came behind you on that smooth shit
So iconic with the wordplay
It’s ironic I’m in first place

In the song, “Meant To Be” Chrisette sings about the feeling of falling in love.

Baby I don’t know how we fall in love
Now, I don’t usually do this
Baby I don’t know how we fall in love
Now, I ain’t used to the feeling

In the song, “These Stones”, Chrisette responds to the critics who have something to say about her new relationship.

Haters watching me, wanna catch me slip
Yeah, I’m back with my old new
Yeah, your ‘Gram comments be rude
I still get more likes than you
Yeah, I live my life
I live it like it was my last one
Yeah, we getting down with
Any suckers, tryna catch
These stones, can I live my life?

Overall I enjoyed the album. On Milestone expect Chrisette’s usual sultry vocals mixed with a little hip hop flare and soft R&B.

Some fans don’t like Chrisette’s new sound on the album and feel like she is trying too hard to become mainstream. I disagree, I really like the new sound. I believe as an artist you have to evolve to a certain extent in order to stay current in the industry, and I believe Chrisette did a great job with evolving while also staying true to her sound and who she is as an artist.

Photo Credit:

Bloggaz With Attitude

Urban Bridgez

Mill City Nights

Soul Train

MEET THE DOUBLE SCOOP

Get to know more about Ashley E. and Amy Nicole of The Double Scoop by checking out the Vlog below.

MS Left Me Out Premiere

Author: Ashley E.

Last month I had the opportunity to attend the premiere of the documentary film short MS Left Me Out. The documentary shows how strongly policy affects the lives of people, and it also gives viewers an inside look into the lives of people who were directly affected by the decision of legislators not to expand Medicaid in Mississippi.

MS Left Me Out actually started off as the name of a campaign that brought awareness to the healthcare system in the state. I wanted to get more information about the making of the film so I reached out to one of the producers, Kristian Weatherspoon and the director Roderick Red for a short interview.

Kristian was the leading force behind the film. Having previously worked for the Mississippi Health Advocacy Program, she assisted individuals with healthcare enrollment after the Affordable Care Act law was passed. It was during her experience with helping people with enrollment that she realized how detrimental not expanding Medicaid was to the state of Mississippi.

“Many of the individuals that were trying to get enrolled had to be turned away because they fell into coverage gaps. People that fell into coverage gaps made too much money to qualify for traditional Medicaid but were not making enough to qualify for tax credits that would assist them in paying for market place/ACA insurance. Without those tax credits the insurance offered was too expensive and it left many individuals in an unfortunate dilemma of not being insured.” ~KW

For those that are unaware, in 2008 The Affordable Care Act also known as Obamacare was passed. Under this law every state had to expand their Medicaid programs so that low income people could get Medicaid. A Supreme Court decision gave states the option of not expanding and Mississippi was one of the states that decided not to expand. Some state legislators felt that it was unconstitutional to force Medicaid expansion even though the federal government was willing to pay for expansion.

“People have this misconception that many individuals needing coverage are lazy but these are some of the most hardworking people. They are the service workers, fast food workers, construction workers, barbers and hair stylists. Some of them are working two or three jobs just to maintain. I was touched the most when I met a lady that had a lump in her breast but she postponed seeing a specialist because she couldn’t afford it. Her mom had died from breast cancer. This woman worked every single day but when it came down to buying food and providing for her family she had to put her health to the side. I broke down in tears after hearing this lady’s story.” ~KW

Director Roderick Red of Red Squared Productions got on board when Kristian reached out to him after seeing some of his previous production work.

“Filming took about a year and during that time I learned more about the healthcare process, coverage gaps and I gained a better understanding of the Affordable Care Act. I’m very optimistic that the documentary will bring about change or at the least provoke conversation.” ~RR

The premiere took place at the Jackson Convention Complex in Jackson, Mississippi. There was a nice turnout and attendees were treated to hors d’oeuvres before the screening. The event concluded with a brief Q&A panel discussion that consisted of policy professionals, legislators and healthcare officials in the state. On a personal note I found the documentary to be very enlightening. Even with my education background in public health and working in the health field I was still very unaware of a lot of things regarding healthcare. I asked Kristian what were her hopes for the documentary and she had the following to say:

“I really wanted to put a face on the issue. I want this documentary to serve as an educational tool for constituents and individuals not educated on policy. I want them to know the decisions their legislators are making on their behalf. Healthcare shouldn’t be politicized; it means life or death for many people living with chronic illnesses. The process of making the documentary was exciting as well as eye opening and it gave me a new appreciation for the things I take for granted.”

Click the links to learn more about the Mississippi Health Advocacy Program and the documentary MS Left Me Out.

TINDER 101

Author: Amy Nicole

I recently moved to Charlotte, North Carolina where I don’t know anyone so I decided to join Tinder. Tinder is known as a hook up site so I definitely wasn’t looking to fall in love; I joined more so to meet new people that could help me get acclimated to the city and to have a little fun.

Well if you’re not familiar with Tinder it’s a dating app mostly used by young professionals in their 20s and early 30s. To use the app you set up a profile and tailor your dating search criteria by selecting your age range and location preference. After you set your preferences you can start seeing dating potentials. If you’re interested in a person you swipe to the right and if you’re not interested you swipe left. If you show an interest in someone who is also interested in you then you would become a match and can start messaging each other. Seems pretty easy right? You would think so but now Tinder has an option where you can link your Instagram account to your dating profile. I had a couple of instances where guys who I didn’t match with tried to slide up in my DMs! LOL you ain’t slick!

After you get matched up with potentials that is when you can start the weaning out process of who is actually looking for a relationship and who is just looking to hook up. I noticed that the guys who actually wrote a bio about themselves were more sincere about wanting to find a relationship. What I also noticed is that if a person messages you first they are genuinely interested in you but if you have to message them first they most likely have plenty of other options to choose from. I avoided guys who had too much to say on their bios, especially the ones who complained about being a good guy always being overlooked. That was an indicator that the issue of them being single was most likely because of them. In all I matched with about 14 guys. Of the 14 guys I went on two dates.

Now the fun part….Date night!

So to keep the guys anonymous I’m going to give them nicknames.

My first date was with “Sergeant of Arms” because he was a military man. Well prior to going on our date we didn’t talk on the phone, we only communicated through texts and Tinder messaging. The night of the date he offered to pick me up from my place. I was skeptical because I didn’t know him but I was new to the city and we both felt it would be more convenient if we rode together. I let him pick me up in front of my building but didn’t tell him my apartment number. I also made sure to send my friends and siblings screen shots of him in case I came up missing. When I saw him in person he wasn’t bad looking but he definitely looked better in his pictures. He was also very cocky and arrogant which is a huge turn off in my book. As soon as I got in the car with him he looked me up and down and said he needed to make sure that I looked the way I did in my pictures. I was annoyed but I brushed it off.

For the first part of our date we went to a chill bar type of restaurant. Our initial conversation felt more like an interview because he pretty much went down his whole list of requirements of what he wanted in a woman. He also explained to me that he was still single because he was very picky. I just sipped my drink and listened. By this point I definitely knew I would not be going on a second date with him. After I had a couple of drinks I started to loosen up and the date started to get better. He was actually a cool guy but not really my type. Later that night we went to play pool. I didn’t really know how to play but he taught me the basics so I had a pretty good time. Overall the date was cool but I didn’t really feel like we were compatible.

My second date was with “The Tattooed Musician”. I had actually talked to him on the phone a few times before we went out so I had a better feel of his personality. The night of our date we met up in the music/art district of town called NADO. He told me that I should some-what dress up so the night of the date I wore a cute and simple day party dress. When I showed up he was dressed very casual so I was a bit annoyed because I didn’t feel like we complimented each other. He also looked very different in person to the point where I would not have recognized him if I would have saw him prior to us actually meeting. The date was cool; we had some drinks and we ate at one of the nearby restaurants. After we finished eating he bought a bottle of Moscato and we went back to his place to watch tv.

I thought we would have watched a movie but instead we watched episodes of Family Guy….. (I will leave it at that). While we were drinking and watching tv I heard someone moving around upstairs. I asked him if he had a roommate and he said he was living with his mom temporarily to save up money for a new tattoo studio. In an effort to not scare me off he explained to me that he and his mom had an agreement that when he had guest over she would stay upstairs or leave the house. (Ummmm that didn’t really help).

But hey I’m not judging, I’ve had to move back in with my parents before too. That information just would have been nice to know prior to me coming over to his place. Overall the date was cool but again just like with the first date the chemistry wasn’t there for me.

Overall Tinder was a decent experience but I realize that online dating just isn’t for me. I don’t think you can get a good feel of a person’s personality through the internet. I would rather stick to meeting someone in person where I can actually talk to them before deciding if I want to exchange numbers or go out on a date.

Meet The Double Scoop!

Get to know more about Ashley E. and Amy Nicole of The Double Scoop by checking out the Vlog below.

Bizarre Arcade 2 Is On The Way

Author: Ashley E.

Ray Kincaid has become one of my favorite rising hip hop artists out of Jackson, Mississippi. From his unique sound and delivery to his clever word play, it’s hard not to take notice of the young artist. He recently released his album Artistic Depression but is already busy working on another project titled Bizarre Arcade 2 which he hopes to release a little later in the year.

I got a chance to hear two exclusive tracks off the upcoming album; “Shameful Turn Up 74” and “Proving Ground.”

“Shameful Turn Up 74” is actually the prelude to “The Shameful Turn Up” off of his previous album.

Ray decided to put his bars to the side for this track and showcase his vocals. The track was definitely 70’s influenced as you can hear in the funkadelic and disco sounds, and if you’re a fan of Texas chopped and screwed music you can appreciate how the vocals are chopped and screwed. It’s a fun, chill, summer track with an ole school feel but still very much new school.

Shameful Turn Up 74′

In Proving Ground Kincaid brings the bars. The “hip hop Clark Kent” as he calls himself is ready to put his cape on and go to war with these other rappers using his lyricism. The word play in the song was dope and humorous at times.

Freight train f*ucking the rap game

It never ever came

So I guess I gotta go a little deeper to reach her..

I’m not a teacher

I’m not a preacher

I’m just tryna give you something new

Tryna feed yo mind with this lyrical voodoo

Proving Ground

Just on those two tracks alone I’m sure the finished project will be a musical masterpiece.

Check out Artistic Depression here.

Empire Season 2 Review

Author: Amy Nicole

To be quite honest I had completely lost interest in Empire after watching the first half of season two. The storylines were all over the place and I felt that the series was starting to lose its authenticity. My interest for the show returned after I watched the winter finale last December. The finale ended with a pregnant Rhonda getting pushed down the stairs.

When Empire resumed last month it was revealed that Rhonda had lost her baby. In a very emotional scene the whole family is crying and comforting Andre after he learns the devastating news that his child died. This scene in my opinion definitely shifted the tone of the show. I felt the series started to become more authentic again like it was in season one. Although the Lyons are a dysfunctional family, their love for one another is undeniable. I especially love the relationship that Cookie has with her sons.

The second half of the season touches on real and relatable issues. Rhonda struggles with her faith in God after she loses the baby which causes conflict between her and Andre. I thought this was a great topic to address because so many people deal with similar issues. People try to sugarcoat religious topics so it was great that Lee Daniels provoked this type of conversation.

Mental illness is also addressed more in this season. Andre suffers from bipolar disorder and he discovers that his grandmother had the same disorder. For years the family thought that Lucious’ mom Leah Walker was dead but they later find out she is still alive and that Lucious had been secretly paying to keep her confined in a mental health institution. Andre is outraged and has his grandmother released from the facility in hopes that they will be able to establish some type of bond due to the fact that they have the same mental illness.

What the family doesn’t know is that Leah has a more severe form of bipolar disorder. As a child Lucious was physically and mentally abused by her which sheds light on why he has the type of personality that he does. Lucious can come off as uncaring and flat out evil at times so by introducing his mother to the show you find yourself having more empathy towards his character.

I’m glad mental health was addressed more this season because in the black community we tend to overlook the severity of the disease and fail to seek professional help.

Although this season touched on some heavy topics there was still plenty of drama to keep fans in suspense. Anika reveals to the family that she is pregnant by Hakeem and Rhonda realizes that Anika is the one that pushed her down the stairs.

The finale leaves viewers with plenty of cliffhangers. Hakeem is left at the altar by Laura, and Lucious and Anika get married to prevent Anika from having to testify against him in court. Although this is only a business arrangement to help protect the family Cookie lets it be known that she is done with Luscious for good. The biggest cliffhanger happens at the very end of the episode. Rhonda attacks Anika while she is standing outside on the roof of a high building. As they wrestle back and forth hanging over the balcony the camera cuts to Andre as he runs out and screams with a look of horror on his face letting viewers know that one of the women have fallen to their death……. (Now that’s what you call a season finale)!

I definitely like the new direction the show seems to be going in for season three and I’m looking forward to tuning in when it returns in the fall!

Dolla Black’s “All Day” Gets Picked Up By ESPN

Photo Cred: The Bestest Lexis

Author: Ashley E.

Almost every aspiring artist lives for the moment they see their hard work and sacrifice pay off. That was the case recently for Jackson, Mississippi rap artist Dolla Black. His single “All Day” which was produced by Super Jay was licensed for use by ESPN. The single is a high energy summer track that makes you just want to have a good time. I caught up with Dolla for a quick interview about the exciting experience and opportunity.

Ashley E: How did you and Super Jay end up collaborating?

DB: Super Jay and I met through our management having ties and being really good friends. We both have been around and/or with the same managers for about the same amount of time so it was bound to happen at some point. Jay came in town one week and his manager reached out to me to see if I was free to be able to come and meet Jay for the first time, and the rest is practically history! #AllDay lol!

Ashley E: Tell us a little bit about the single “All Day.”

DB: Well, Super Jay had the concept prior to us going through tracks to attempt to create something. He had the chant down and the instrumental, and told me how crazy and high energy he thought it would be. We lingered around it and ended up going to a different record that we were going to attempt to complete, but it just seemed like we kept talking about and playing the instrumental for All Day. So we came to the agreement to focus on that as the record of that day. Crazy how it came out and the ground that it’s covering.

Ashley E: How did you find out that your single was licensed by ESPN and what was your reaction?

DB: I found out via text message from the management team that the record was being licensed by ESPN, and to be honest, I was, and still am in disbelief. I mean, this is the station that I grew up watching, still watching to this day! And to know that I have music being played on that station is a dream come true! Back in my basketball days, I would always say that I would one day be on ESPN …. and how crazy it feels to be true, but in a different way than I imagined! Then to later be picked up by Sports-center?? Amazingly humbled, and ecstatic all in one is still my reaction.

We met Dolla for the first time a few months ago when he was a guest on our podcast, and right off the top we were drawn to his charismatic personality. His dedication and passion for his music was evident so I’m glad to see him reach such a huge career milestone. Much love and continued success to you Dolla!

For more information about Dolla Black visit his site.

Check out “All Day” below