Nicki Minaj: A Love/Hate Relationship

By ChinaBabe of J9's MusicLife

As you all may already know I have a love/hate relationship with Nicki Minaj.  Actually it’s more like HATE/Love/Hate (lower case like)... my point is… she’s growing on me…

**looks down at keyboard**

In fact, I believe that most women, over the age of 25, have the same issue that I have with Nicki… I just don’t get it.  If you are talented and smart then playing dumb is not received well by women.  In all honesty, I want to love Nicki… I think women, the adult women who adore hip hop would love to embrace her, but we do not understand her.  We don’t play with dolls nor do we need the whole host of characters (voices) that are Nicki Minaj.  We like our female rappers (femcees) strong, sassy and independent.  We can see a little bit of ourselves in each of them...I am Missy, I am Eve, I am Lil Kim (at night, in my mind) and I want to be Lauryn when I grow up (pre-mental breakdown).  When I hear Nicki Minaj, Nicki Lewinski, Harajuku Barbie, and Roman Zolanski they all seem like a cast of characters that are NOTHING like me.

Well, since I just mentioned it...let's discuss the multiple personalities of Ms. Nicki Minaj....

1. Nicki Minaj, the sassy alter ego of Onika Tanya Maraj (Nicki's real name)
2. Nicki Lewinsky, the sexified mistress to President Carter (A wink to former President Bill Clinton and his mistress Monica Lewinsky)
3. Harajuku Barbie, the dumb blonde with the baby voice (A little nod to Paris Hilton…the baby voiced prostitute)
4. Roman Zolanski, the best character…and according to Nicki, Roman is the gay boy inside of her.  Roman’s rap style is what I wish Nicki (whoever) would be all the time!!! (Okay, the Roman Zolanski character loosely based on Roman Polansky a director from the 70's who was charged with rape of a 13 year old girl, but pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor and fled the country to avoid prosecution.  I'm not really sure where Nicki is going with this one.

Someone once said that the mark of a great femcee is women want to be her and men want to be with her.  Most girls want to be Nicki, women not so much.  Young girls see Nicki as accessible and fun, visually.  She's a pretty girl, she looks like a doll.  I don't know about you, but when I was a little girl I use to pull the heads and arms off the Barbies and throw them out the project window… well, at least that’s what I did with Barbies...

To read the full article, click here.

'McQueen is Dead. Long Live McQueen!' Fashion World Moves On

(L-R) Singer Eve, designer Alexander McQueen, and actress Joy Bryant arrive at the Alexander McQueen store opening held at the new Alexander McQueen store on May 13, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.

By MAEVA BAMBUCK

Ten days after the passing of British designer Alexander McQueen, a stunned fashion world has gathered for the traditional autumn/winter collections in London. McQueen's suicide at age 40 shocked the fans of his clothing label, as well as the many friends he made over his career of more than 20 years.

"I think the death of Alexander McQueen has carved a big shadow on every one," said Vassi Chamberlain, Conde Nast fashion editor.

"He was probably technically the most creative designer. The construct of his clothes was incredible. It wasn't just about fairy tales, it was about something a bit stronger and longer-lasting, and we'll see his influence for a long time."

That thought was echoed by Brix Smith-Start, a singer and owner of London's Start boutique. "The mood is good but there is a cloud of sadness," she says. "But life goes on, fashion goes on, he would have wanted it to."

McQueen had often drawn on the macabre to inspire his collections. "I've always been fascinated by the Victorian period of death where they used to take pictures of the dead," he said when he showed off his spring/summer 2010 collection.

"Everything has an end. The cycle of life is a positive thing because it gives room for new things to come." McQueen was devastated by the death of his mother earlier this month, and took his life the day before her funeral.

On the board dedicated to him, the fashion community posted condolence messages. Among the notes of sadness and shock, some winked at the designer's talent.

To read the entire article got to: ABC News

Whose that Gurl???

See if you can guess who I am... LOL

So for Halloween this year me and my bestie decided to go out in DRAG... Yes DRAG... I decided that I would go as the superstar rap sensation EVE!!!! How did I do? (By the Way... Eve ain't that light... Don't let those Hollywood ligts fool you... LOL)

Now whose that gurl????

Eve Jihan Jeffers (born November 10, 1978), who performs under the mononym Eve, is an American recording artist and actress. Her first three albums have so far reached 7 million copies sold world wide. In 2003, she became the star of her own TV show, Eve, which lasted for 3 seasons. The rapper/singer/actress has also achieved success in fashion as she started a clothing line titled "Fetish." She ranked number 48 on VH1's "50 Greatest Women Of The Video Era" show list.

Dishin' it with Dwight--- Triple M- MOVIES, MUSIC, MTV Madness

So don't know if you have gotten to the movies recently, however there are some great ones that I have checked out. You must see "Orphan" when I tell you that this orphan in this movie did everything but turn her new family loose, it is the truth. Get your butts out to the movies ASAP... Coming soon are a few new movies and I am highlighting Tyler Perry's "I Can Do Bad All By Myself" starring Mary J. Blige and Taraji Henson it looks really good and Tyler Perry is really doing his thing at producing his stage plays into films I declare him as an honorary THE Future Member... Check out the trailer and let me know what you think...

Also Eve is going to be seen in a new film and word on the street is she will be dropping a new album very soon as well... UMMM Tambourine was very hot two years ago and I cannot wait to hear what tops that, can she do it? Only time will tell... As for the film Eve skates her way through Whip It, Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut starring Ellen Page (Juno) and Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live). Eve plays a roller derby girl named Rosa Sparks. Coming in October, until then check out the trailer here:


And last but not least you must see Mariah Carey's remix video to her hot new single "Obsessed" I know some of you hate it and there are always rumors about her, however I think the song is hot because she addressed the issues with her stalker, we all know who this rapper is and this man of THE Future thinks he is totally overrated. Personally a song for him was not worth her time, however I can imagine my own obsessed one in his place... Check out the Music Video with Gucci MAN, which I guess that's code for GOOD MAN, because I recently learned that Gucci means Good... Check out and and leave a comment if you think its GUCCI or NOT...

Congrats to MTV, Jalia who is representing the transgender community on Diddy's Making His Band reality series. Also revealed was America's Best Dance Crew first-ever transgender dance group, Vogue Evolution. Lets keep pushing our community toward the success we all deserve... Thanks MTV!!!