entertainer – The Double Scoop

TEMI

Author: Amy Nicole

I wouldn’t be the first to say that the state of R&B music has become stagnate. I like some of the music played on the radio today but I don’t think the newer artists are as innovative with their lyrics or sound compared to prior artists. I recently came across the profile of an artist named Temi (pronounced) Tay-Me and his music was a breath of fresh air. Instantly listening to his sound I was reminded of the old school soul music from the late 90s and early 2000s. I wanted to learn more about the talented artist so I reached out to him for an interview.

Amy Nicole: We get a lot of music submissions but your music really stood out to me. I really like your sound.

Temi: Thank you, I appreciate that.

Amy Nicole: You have like an old school R&B sound similar to the music of the late 90s and early 2000s. When I heard some of your songs it reminded me of artist like Joe, Tyrese, and Avant. Have any of these artists influenced your sound?

Temi: Yes they have. It’s funny that you mention Tyrese because I try to mimic his singing but with the vocal ability of Tank.

Amy Nicole: So you grew up in Toronto but you live in Atlanta now?

Temi: Yes I grew up in Toronto; I’m actually here now working on some music. I travel back and forth between Toronto and Atlanta. I definitely want to tap into the music scene here, Toronto is a big mecca for music especially with the success of artist like Drake.

Amy Nicole: You were actually in a group called “Untitled” and were signed to Ludacris’ record label DTP. How was that experience? Were you able to collaborate with any of the other artists on the label?

Temi: It was a great experience and I learned a lot from the group. I’ve performed songs with Ludacris, Lil Scrappy, and a few other artists.

Amy Nicole: You know a lot of people complain about the kind of music that is out now. What are your thoughts on the state of R&B today?

Temi: I respect all music but I do feel that there is a gap in soulfulness. I think just like with the Trey Songz and the Ushers, the music will eventually resurface itself. People want to hear talent.

Amy Nicole: I really enjoyed your singles: “Love It”, “Alright” and “Fire”. What was the inspiration behind these songs?

Temi: I was talking to an A&R one day and he asked me “Are you going to make the ladies fall in love?” So with my music I’m trying to make the ladies fall in love again.

Amy Nicole: Are you working on any new projects?

Temi: Yes I’m working on my second EP which will soon be released called “Stellar Evolution”.

Amy Nicole: It was great speaking with you.

To find out more about Temi visit his website and follow him on his social media sites below.

Instagram/Twitter: @temi_music

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/temimusicrnb

Temi- “Love It” Video

LEMONADE REVIEW

Photo Credit: Billboard

Author: Amy Nicole

I’m not shy to admit that I’m no die-hard Beyonce fan. I think she’s talented and I like some of her music, but I’m far from a being a member of the Beyhive. Beyonce recently released her visual album Lemonade and of course just like with every project she releases she pretty much broke the internet! Since I finally got some free time over the weekend I decided to see what all the hype was about.

I listened to the audio album before watching the visual so that I could really grasp the lyrics in the songs. After the first time listening to the album I thought it was decent but nothing extraordinary. After I watched the visual album I will say I appreciated the album a lot more and some of the songs that I initially didn’t care for I ended up enjoying them better the second time around. The album is delivered as a unique short film. My top five songs included: Pray You Catch Me, Hold Up, Sorry, Love Drought, and the song which has finally grown on to me Formation.

“In Pray You Catch Me” Beyonce sings:

You can taste the dishonesty, It’s all over your breath as you pass it off so cavalier

Prayin’ to catch you whispering, I’m prayin’ you catch me listening

In “Hold Up” Beyonce still sings about a cheating spouse but does so with more of an angry tone. The song has calypso instrumentals and a poppy Caribbean feel to it. In the video Beyonce walks around the streets in a yellow dress and heels with a bat breaking windows and smashing cars. In the song she repeats the chorus lines:

Hold up, they don’t love you like I love you, Slow down, they don’t love you like I love you

In one line from the song she sings:

I smell your secret, and I’m not too perfect

To ever feel this worthless

How did it come down to this?

Photo Credit: Independent

The song “Sorry” which is probably my favorite song off the album will definitely be the independent woman song of the summer. In the song Beyonce lets her cheating partner know that she is done with the drama and isn’t going to apologize for it. In the video Serena Williams twerks and dances alongside Beyonce. Serena received some backlash for her role in the video but I think the point was to show her embracing her muscular physique which she is often criticized for. The video is fun and shows women enjoying life and having fun without stressing over a man. So many songs and videos portray women crying and depressed over a guy so it was nice to see women putting themselves first for a chance.

In the song Beyonce says:

Sorry, I ain’t sorry, Sorry, I ain’t sorry

Middle fingers up, put them hands high

Wave it in his face, tell him boy bye

At the end of the song Beyonce drops the infamous line:

He only want me when I’m not there, He better call Becky with the good hair

Most fans speculated that she was referring to Rita Ora or Damon Dash’s ex wife Rachel Roy who have both been rumored to have had affairs with Jay Z.

Photo Credit: WowOne

Love Drought” is another good one off the album. The song is about a spouse losing interest in the relationship.

“Ten times out of nine, I know you’re lying, But nine times outta ten, I know you’re trying

Tell me what I did wrong?

Feel like that question has been posed, I’m movin on

The majority of the songs on the album are about betrayal, heartbreak, and infidelity which is why many people speculated that Beyonce was airing her dirty laundry about her husband Jay Z. The album also includes songs like “6 inch” featuring The Weeknd which is about an independent successful woman. Another song “Freedom” which features Kendrick Lamar touches on institutional racism and encourages women empowerment. In the video the mothers of Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin, and Eric Garner make an emotional appearance holding the pictures of their slain sons. There is also the song “Daddy Lessons” which is a song that pays respect to Beyonce’s dad for helping her become the woman she is today.

Photo Credit: Fader

Overall the visual album helps sells the entire project. I give respect when respect is due and Beyonce is a marketing, artistic genius. The short film is broken into different sections which include: intuition, anger, apathy, emptiness, accountability, reformation, forgiveness, resurrection, hope, and redemption. Beyonce recites poetry in between each section and also adds personal clips of her family and documentary footage. The visual album is beautiful and definitely pays respect to the black woman. It also encourages sisterhood and highlights the diversity of beauty among women of color. Throughout the entire visual there are women dressed in antebellum attire and women uplifting and encouraging each other. The album includes many celebrity appearances including Serena Williams, Zendaya Coleman, Quvenzhan’e Wallis, Amandla Stenberg, and Winnie Harlow.

Photo Credit: Bone Magazine

Photo Credit: Vogue

Photo Credit: Bone Magazine

The last song on the visual album is “Formation”. Initially I did not like the song but just like with the entire album the visual makes you appreciate the song more. In the video Beyonce addresses the Black Lives Matter Movement by sitting on top of a sinking police car which signifies the loss of respect for authority that many people (specifically black people) are starting to develop due to a bias judicial system. The most popular lyrics from the song are:

I like my baby heir, with baby hair and afros

I like my Negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils

In these two lines Beyonce is letting the world know that she embraces her blackness.

Photo Credit: Slate

Many people were curious to know why Beyonce named the album lemonade and she addresses this question in the album. In the short film a clip is shown of Beyoncé’s grandmother-in-law Hattie giving a speech at her 90^th birthday party. In the clip Hattie says: “I had my ups and downs, but I always find the inner strength to pull myself up. I was served lemons, but I made lemonade.”

Lemonade is a very uniquely creative album. Beyonce has been in the music industry for a long time and now she seems to be taking on more of a political/revolutionary approach to her music. Many people have argued that she is not doing enough to support change in the black community but I think she is making a change in her own way the best way she knows how. At 34 years old Beyonce is a musical mogul and she has definitely earned the title Queen B.

Jay Smith

Author: Ashley E.

When you decide to pursue your passion or dream, it can cause you to make some serious sacrifices. You might risk losing relationships, stability, income, and even peace of mind. Jay Smith is an upcoming comedian and actor who decided a few years ago he wanted to pursue his passion. He got his start in the industry as a student at Jackson State University when he joined the MADDRAMA Performance Troupe. Over the years he has made a name for himself in his hometown and has also built a pretty large social media following. You can even catch a glimpse of him in the latest James Brown biopic Get on Up.

The Mississippi native recently moved to Atlanta, Georgia to broaden his career, but his journey to chase what he loves has been met with some highs and lows. I caught up with Jay recently to ask him a few questions about his dream chasing journey.

AE: When did you realize you were interested in comedy and acting?

JS: I always liked pretending as a child, making up little stories in my head and acting them out. I played Joseph (Jesus’ father) in a Christmas play when I was five haha..I guess it’s been a while.

AE: Does anyone in your family have a background in either of the two?

JS: My dad and his whole side of the family are funny. My dad has a dry wit/ asshole-ish in a nice way personality. I definitely inherited that personality. I have a cousin who does standup. As far as performing period goes, my dad was in a funk band in the 70’s and 80’s called Freedom so performing is in my blood.

AE: Do you think people underestimate how difficult stand-up comedy can be? I remember seeing you for the first time probably about a year ago at a show and thinking I would be so nervous. You have to stand in front of a room of people and demand their attention. I’m sure a 10 minute show could feel like an hour when all eyes are on you especially if the crowd isn’t feeling you.

JS: DEFINITELY….comedy is so hard, so hard that I don’t even tell people I’m a comedian…I say “I do comedy” lol. When a show is going well every second feels better than sex. Well not better than, but AS good as some good sex…and that’s really all you can ask for. When it’s going bad, the worst part is that you already know it’s going bad. It usually doesn’t get better when it’s bad, and that’s the worst part…knowing that it might get worse.

AE: What has been your worst show so far? I’m pretty sure you feed off of the crowd’s energy so I can imagine if the energy from the crowd is low than your performance isn’t the best.

JS: YEP…I was doing a contest to perform for Katt Williams when he came to Jackson. My material was geared toward people around 25 -40 years old. Everybody in there was way older than that and I wasn’t comfortable enough with my act to deviate from it. They didn’t know nothing about the stuff I was talking about. My neck was burning and voice was shaking. It was like being in a burning house. I just cut it short and said “that’s my time.”

AE: Are there any comedians in particular that influence you?

JS: Yes. Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Louis CK, George Carlin, Paul Mooney…man Paul Mooney is that guy. I listened to Paul Mooney going to sleep every night for like a year and some change.

AE: Explain T.R.U.S.T and F.I.N.E. You use those 2 words a lot in your videos.

JS: So, TRUST is something that came from a crazy teacher at JSU I had. He stuttered severely and had a very smart mouth. After he made a point he would say “TRUST”. It turned into a hashtag on twitter, lol. Me and my classmates all followed each other and made fun of him on twitter and always ended the tweets with #TRUST. It then turned into something deeper after a few life experiences along with people outside of our class wondering what TRUST meant. TRUST then went on to mean having peace and TRUSTing the process of getting down whatever road you’re traveling in life. TRUSTing your intuition, TRUSTing the struggle.

F.I.N.E. is something that started with me and my friends at Hinds Community College in Raymond back in 2005. Basically a daily mantra to live by in acronym form. (Focused Intelligent Negro Excelling).

AE: I watched your most recent you-tube video and I see that this past year was pretty challenging for you. You ran into a lot of obstacles: being broke, not having a job, having to move back in with your parents, a failed relationship, being arrested and moving to a new state are major life events. Do you ever feel discouraged about following your dreams and question if what you’re sacrificing is worth it?

JS: Honestly yes, I don’t know if that’s something that’s going away anytime soon. I have a feeling I’ll be by myself because my dreams aren’t the most secure career path to go about. Chicks don’t really line up for unpredictable situations. Sometimes I wish I’d be happy living a “regular” life but I know I wouldn’t be right now, at this point. I just try to look around and remember how unhappy other people are with everything that society says you should have and it reminds me I’m making the right choice. I pray. I know my personal relationship with God and I feel like I wouldn’t have the urge, gift, or opportunities to do this if it wasn’t meant to happen.

AE: How far do you want to take your comedy and acting career?

JS: I just want to reach my full potential. The goal isn’t to be rich or famous. The goal is to make a living doing what I love to do.

AE: Being that so many people are in those fields of work, do you find it difficult to find a place in the industry?

JS: I think if you truly are yourself and no one else then there can’t be another you. Thinking like that, I don’t really think about trying to find a place.

If you want to know more about Jay and his work check out his sites below.

Instagram

Twitter

Youtube