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May 4, 2012 

FRIDAY FUN: Fashionably Late Fridays @ Dazzling Lounge

Last summer, a few ambitious folks got together and thought, “What is the Toronto nightlife scene missing?” Events that are not full of posed-up “industry” folks, parties that aren’t geared to the “I stole my 21-year-old cousin’s ID” crowd, jams that don’t end with hotheads scrapping over perceived disrespect…kinda hard to come by in general, but seem to be few and far between in Toronto. I’ve lived here for 5 years, and some say I’ve missed the golden era of Toronto nightlife – but I have to say, the good parties I’ve been to in the city have been GOOD PARTIES. Thanks to those ambitious folks I mentioned (the good people of R Flavour, This Is Your Conscience, and Goddess Intellect), Toronto has another good party series to coincide with the return of the good weather – Fashionably Late!

Summer 2011 found me at Dazzling Lounge nearly every Friday. Dope Asian fusion cuisine, yummy drinks, good company and hype music (shout out to main DJ Kold Fusion) – I had quite the time. I ran into old friends, met new ones, danced to Poison with Robin Givens and got holla’d at by Clifton Powell (aka Pinky from the Friday movies). Let’s just say, every Friday night was an experience.

Starting tonight (yes – TONIGHT!), Fashionably Late will regain it’s position as the Friday night place to be for a cool, sexy, and fun affair. Dazzling Lounge has just revamped its patio space, so I’m excited to do some patio photo shoots with the Toronto skyline as my backdrop! The Fashionably Late team has a ton of tricks up their sleeve to add to your party experience. It’s not just about a drink and a two-step – Fashionably Late plans to fully entertain you with special nights and pre-party happy hour events.

Speaking of special nights – the 2nd Friday of each month will be the Timeline party. DJ Kold Fusion will take you on a musical journey with an old school groove, taking us from current time to the mid 80′s in hip hop, RnB, reggae, soca, house, and anything else he comes up with (people have broken heels to Nirvana thanks to DJ Kold Fusion, so wear your good shoes, ladies!). Next Friday, May 11th, will be the first Timeline jam, and it’ll also be my birthday party! I’m calling it my Bee-Day Party, and I want you (yes, YOU!) there!  My actual birthday is May 10th, but I’ll be ringing in my new year at Fashionably Late on the 11th. If you want to come sip a drink or dance on a table top with me, shoot me an email! Hit me up on Facebook! Tweet me on Twitter! You know how to reach me :) I may be doing my own little event at an upcoming Fashionably Late, so I’ll keep y’all posted on that too…

Catch up with the Fashionably Late news via their Facebook page and Twitter – come shake a leg!

April 24, 2012 

VIDEO VIBES: ‘QueenS’ x THEESatisfaction

“Whatever you do/Don’t funk with my groove…”

One of my favourite writers and Twitter-folks is the incomparable dream hampton. I’ve been following her work for a long time, and haven’t been disappointed by following her on Twitter too! Without sounding like too much of a stalker, let’s just say I love dream. You know she works hard at everything she does (writer/filmmaker/pilot/mother/etc) but she makes it look so effortless. As I mentioned to her on Twitter the other day, she seems live the “entire height, width, and depth of life” – a tweet inspired by her latest job description, music video director. I tell you…this woman does it all, and then some.

Dream made her debut as a video director with an earthy, eclectic video for THEESatisfaction‘s single, “QueenS“. THEESatisfaction is a funky/psychedelic/hip-hop/RnB/jazz fusion duo made up of Stasia Irons and Catherine Harris-White, based out of Seattle. Their sound has been compared to Digable Planets, Ursula Rucker, Q-Tip and Erykah Badu, with cultural inspirations like Octavia Butler, Solid Gold, and Outkast. To be honest, I haven’t heard anything that really sounds like what THEESatisfaction is bringing, but I’m feeling it. QueenS is the lead single off of their debut full-length album awE naturalE, and has instantly become my new theme song. I play this track in the morning. I play it when I’m getting ready to go out with the girls. I play it when I’ve been in a sh!tty mood and need a pick-me-up. I’m digging what these ladies are doing, and can’t wait to hear more from awE naturalE!

Now, the video. I fell in love with the visuals that dream concocted. Did you catch that young Whitney pic at 1:30? And those sheer polka-dot gloves at 2:03? With fashion, I’ve been really getting into colour and texture and prints, and this video was giving me everything I needed. Plus, this video (like the Jesse Boykins iii vid I featured recently) makes me wish that someone with a dope apartment would throw a dope houseparty and invite me…hint hint.

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What do you think of THEESatisfaction’s QueenS? Are you feeling the sound? Did you like the visuals? What is your theme song these days?

 

February 29, 2012 

Video Vibes: Newness From Teedra Moses & Jesse Boykins iii

Photo sources (1), (2)

Two of my favourite artists dropped new videos in the last couple weeks, and I HAD to share them here with y’all. The music video game isn’t what it used to be – I remember staying in on Saturday afternoons to tape every single video that came on X-Tendamix. I memorized dance sequences, got hair/makeup/clothing ideas, and lived for nearly any Hype Williams video created.

Maybe it’s due to the fact that I’m older and have a ton of other things going on, but I haven’t been as on top of the video world as I used to be. However, when I found out that Teedra Moses and Jesse Boykins iii had new visuals out, I had to take a peek!

Teedra Moses has been one of my favourite artists and ‘friends-in-the-head’ since she came out with her album Complex Simplicity back in 2004. She’s now with Rick Ross’ infamous Maybach Music Group, and dropped her first MMG video with labelmate Wale. Teedra’s style is ALWAYS on point (she was a celebrity stylist prior to launching her music career), and she serves up a hot plate of sexy in the video for “Another LuvR”:

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Directed by Philthegod

Jesse Boykins iii is another musical gem of mine. This dude’s voice is like butter melting on silk…just smooth. I found his debut album The Beauty Created and fell in love with his music and his vibe. The video for “B4 The Night Is Thru” is like the dopest houseparty ever. It gave me authentic earthy sensuality, and had me wondering how I could get an invite to the next jam. Oh, and I was lovin’ all the natural styles all up and through:

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Directed by Dr. Woo

Are you feeling these tracks? What are your favourite music videos? Biggie’s “One More Chance” is one of mine – an ensemble video that looked like the BEST PARTY EVER? Yeah, I was lovin’ it. What say you?

February 6, 2012 

Happy Birthday, Bob!

February 6th will always hold a special place in my heart. Today marks the birthday of the man who has been one of my biggest sources of inspiration. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels a connection to Robert Nesta Marley and his music, but my bond with him is almost familial.

You see, Bob Marley bears a striking resemblance to my paternal family members – so Baby Bee thought that the portrait we had of Bob in our living room was one of my own father. Mom tells me that when I finally understood that it wasn’t my Dad, I figured he was my uncle. Dad would play his music every Sunday, and I would listen, look at the photo, and point and smile – thinking that this man was connected to me by blood. As I got older, I came to understand that this man and I were not directly related – but by then I had learned enough about him to know that family or not, an indelible connection was there.

Bob’s music has been part of my life’s soundtrack for as long as I can remember. His quotes have both calmed and motivated me. He satisfied a thirst for knowledge that I didn’t know I had when I started researching Rastafari. He showed me the complexities of the human spirit – who else could come across as an ethereal otherworldly being and a flawed, earthly man at the same time?

Y’all don’t understand – or maybe you do after this post – but I love this man.

I’ll leave you with one of my favourite Bob songs – it was one of our first dance songs at my wedding (I say “one of” because we did this mash-up thing, and…yeah. I’ll explain another time!), and it’s one of the best songs to play first thing in the morning, in my humble opinion. Happy birthday, Bob!

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Do you have a favourite Bob Marley song? I swear I call about 90% of his songs “my favourite”, but I have issues when it comes to Bob and the Wailers :)

January 26, 2012 

How Does It Feel: D’Angelo Is BACK!

I almost can’t sit still long enough to type this post, so I’mma make it short.

D’Angelo is back.

Y’all don’t hear me though. D’Angelo is back.

Rumours have been floating around for the past few years that my first love was doing new music, but the comeback trail has been riddled with legal troubles, car accidents, and rehab stints. I had almost given up hope and was ready to go buy a new copy of Voodoo (my original is pretty much played allllllllldaway OUT), until I saw some news today that made my insides tingle.

First, I saw this link to a story about D’angelo’s upcoming European tour. I saw the pic. I said, “Ok, my boo piece looks healthy and ready to go!”

Photo via http://www.soulculture.co.uk

Then, even better – Questlove of the Roots tweeted a video of D’Angelo reprising “Sh*t, Damn, Motherf*cker” live in Stockholm today (or yesterday, however the time difference goes). If you haven’t heard it yet, here you go (not much to see, but just sit back and listen):

Siiiighhhhhh…that voice! Hopefully he’s back for real, and is in a healthier physical and mental space – I’m ready for some of that sexy, sensual, grown folks music.

*presses play on that YouTube video again…and again…*

Are any of you out there D’Angelo fans? I’ve been loving this man since his chubby-hide-behind-the-piano-in-a-long-leather-jacket days…holla in the Comments section if you’re as happy as I am about this news! 

December 20, 2011 

Living Life The Way It Should Be: Things You Only See On The NYC Subway

I don’t know about you, but I needed a good laugh today, and this was it…

The title of this post came from my Twitter homie @seanpadilla (check his site C. Spaniels to get familiar with his music!). I think it epitomizes exactly what the dude in the following video is doing:

If you’re watching this at work or around small children, turn down the volume…he decides when he will and won’t censor himself!

Don’t get me wrong – I rock OUT when I’m good and ready…but my man took it to a new level! Reminds me that while the subway might not be the best location, I definitely need to “free up myself” every now and then (© the homie Lincoln Blades)!

December 16, 2011 

Open Call: Are You The Next MuchMusic VJ?

Who out there remembers MuchMusic VJs like Monika Deol, Master T, and Namugenyi Kiwanuka from back in the day? If you ever wanted to follow in their footsteps, your time is now! Well, technically it’s tomorrow:

“SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17TH @ 10AM to 5PM ET MuchMusic is holding an open casting call to find the next MuchMusic VJ!  Come on down to 299 Queen Street West in Toronto, be yourself, chill out and show us why you’re the person we’ve been looking for.

‘Cause we know you’re out there.  We even know a little bit about you already.  We know you have:

A love of music and youth culture: Your calendar’s littered with Nicki Minaj’s new album release date, the premiere of the The Dark Knight Rises, Rihanna’s Talk That Talk tour dates, Beyonce’s next video premiere, etc. An addiction to pop culture: It’s your poison. You’re such a pop junkie you’ll know the minute Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez break up. An active social media profile: You’re literally a cyborg – constantly tweeting, instagraming, flip caming and stuff not even discovered yet A love to meet and talk to new people: You can chat the pants off people Great style: You look, breathe, talk, walk, laugh, dress and smile LIKE YOU! High Energy and enthusiasm: you don’t need a Redbull to have a good time

AND, most importantly, you know so much about music that you just have to share it with others. Impress us!

Please remember to bring a recent photo of yourself and a resume.  Also, you’ve gotta be 18+.

Don’t forget to bring YOU - your personality, your charisma, your smile – that’s who we want to get to know!”

~ MuchMusic

Does this sound like you? If so, head here to read the details, then get yourself ready for tomorrow’s open call! Good luck!

November 15, 2011 

Are You A “Bacchanalist”? Kerwin Du Bois Is Looking For You!

For all my Toronto soca lovers – Kerwin Du Bois is looking for you! The search is on for the ladies and gents of Toronto to be featured in his new music video for his single, Bacchanalist.

When I read this casting call on Toronto-Lime.com, I immediately thought of all the sexy ladies (and men – don’t get it twisted!) who get down at Socacize every week! Feel like you can put those winin’ skills to use and represent as a “Bacchanalist”? Check the info below!

I can’t wait to see the finished product and point out all the Toronto folks I know ;)

CASTING CALL

Bacchanalist Video Shoot 

Got attitude? Got style and sass?

The search is on for male/female models and dancers for “Bacchanalist” Video Shoot with Kerwin Du Bois.

We are currently seeking young, determined, beautiful, sexy women and vibrant men who have the “It” factor to tear up the smashing new video for “Bacchanalist”.

“Bacchanalist” is the #1 played track on TORONTO-LIME.com

for the 3rd straight week 

Please ensure that you submit two (2) photos; one (1) full length swim suit photo and one (1) portrait photo, along with resumes and contact information to kerwinduboisbookings@gmail.com or weliminpromotionsinternational@gmail.com 

Participants MUST be eighteen (18) years and over in the Toronto area.

LISTEN TO THE SONG: http://www.toronto-lime.com/music/index.php?songid=6176
www.twitter.com/1kerwindubois

DOWNLOAD THE RINGTONE: http://www.toronto-lime.com/downloads/ringtones/2012%20SOCA%20RINGTONE%20-%20Bacchanalist.mp3