Black Belt Jones aka Jim Kelly

"Man you come straight out of a comic book." Jim Kelly ( Enter the Dragon 1973)

James M. Kelly  also known as Kim Kelly was born May 4, 1946 in Paris, KY he began his athletic career in high school a true natural athlete he competed in track & field, football, and basketball. He earned a football scholarship to University of Louisville, he left after his freshmen year and began studying Shorin-ryu Karate. He was also trained in Okinawa-te-Karate under the leadership of Shihan Gordon. In 1971 Jim Kelly won the Long Beach International Karate Championships he opened his own dojo and credited Gordon for making him a world class fighter. Jim Kelly taught Joe Lewis karate and trained actor Calvin Lockhart for the thriller film Melina; a film Kelly also starred in.

Jim's most notable films are: Enter the Dragon (1973),  Black Belt Jones (1974), Three the Hard Way (1974), Take a Ride ( 1975), and Black Samurai(1977) just to name a few.

Other Facts: He was married once and divorced, he was professional tennis player for the UTSA Senior Men's Circuit. In 2004 he appeared in the Le Bron James's Nike Commercial "Chamber of Fear," a spoof of the Bruce Lee film Game of Death.

Jim Kelly died on June 29, 2013 at the age of 67 I was not alive in the 70's and 80's but I have had the chance to watch his films he was really talented and very handsome. RIP you will be missed.

That Hot Ish... Born Sinner

[Verse 1: J. Cole]
Ey yo, I walked through the valley of the shadow of death
When niggas hold tec’s like they mad at the ref
That’s why I keep a cross on my chest, either that or a vest
Do you believe that Eve had Adam in check? And if so
You gotta expect that to sip juice from the forbidden fruit and get loose
Cole is the king, most definite
My little black book thicker than the old testament
Niggas pay for head but the pussy sold separate
Same bitch giving brains to the minister
The same reason they call Mr. Cee “the finisher”
Forbidden fruit, watch for the Adam’s apple
Slick with words don’t hate me, son
What you eat don’t make me shit and who you f-ck don’t make me come
Put a price on my head won’t make me run, try to kill me but it can’t be done
Cause my words gon’ live forever
You put two and two together Cole here forever

"Forbidden Fruit" J.Cole feat. Kendrick Lamar

"It was just time for something new. I wouldn't have minded doing it again but I felt that I closed that story. "That metaphor and that storyline had really ended. Metaphorically I was just a kid working to get on this basketball team, got cut — that was The Come Up, then The Warm Up was like, alright I made the team, I'm on the team, now what? I'm not in the game, I'll just ride the end of the bench. Then Friday Night Lights was like 'come on man, you're still not gonna put me in the game? What I gotta do? Here, I'm gonna kill it in practice.Sideline Story was like, Wow, I really am starting now, and I feel like I ended that chapter when it's all said and done. Plus, this new theme is really more reflective of where I'm at and where I've been at for the past two years, so it was just perfect to move on." J. Cole

Track List

1.	"Villuminati"

2. "Kerney Sermon (Skit)"  
3. "LAnd of the Snakes"
4. "Power Trip." feat Miguel
5. "Mo Money (Interlude)"
6.  "Trouble"
7. "Runaway"
8.  "She Knows ( Amber Coffman)"
9. "Rich Niggaz"
10. "Where's Jermaine ( Skit)"
11. "Forbidden Fruit"
12. "Chaining Day"
13. "Ain't that Some Shit" (Interlude)
14. "Crooked Smile" feat. TLC
15. "Let Nas Down"
16. "Born Sinner" feat. Faunterloy

Toni's Thoughts: I love Kanye West but J. Cole was on to something when he wanted to release his album the same day as Kanye. I will purchase the album later this week he is really onto something. When you think about it we are all "Born Sinners" the concept is very creative and the lyrical content is strong. I love it.

The One That Started It All..... Dangerously In Love

Ten years ago this summer there was a song burning up the airwaves "Crazy In Love" I remember it like it was yesterday because I was in middle school. Beyoncé's first solo album was released and became a monster hit her record label said she would not have one hit from the album. Well instead she has five #1 hits she brought down the house at every award show,  she set trends,  and she set standards. Even though I was 11 almost 12 at the time the album was a wonderful piece of Contemporary R&B.  I was young but I was able to understand the lyrics and arrangements because I was writing songs and had my first puppy love at this time.I understand that one must evolve and reinvent themselves but I really want Beyoncé' to return to this genre of music. I'm still a fan but in my opinion this album and B'Day were her best pieces of work. The lyrical content was intimate and alluded to her relationship with Jay-Z who was her boyfriend at the time; I mean with songs like "Speechless" and "Gift From Virgo" you know who she is talking about.

Hit Singles: " Crazy In Love," "Naughty Girl," "Baby Boy,"  "The Closer I Get to You," and "Me, Myself, and I."

Grammy Awards: She earned 5 Grammy Awards for this album and she did an amazing performance with Prince that night.

Oh Paula

I know that is Black Music Month but I felt as though I would share my thoughts on this whole Paula Deen scandal. Here is the thing I do not believe Paula Deen should have admitted to using the infamous "N-word" and other racial slurs but then again at least she was honest. Paula Deen is an elderly white woman from Albany, GA why in the hell are people so surprised. I use profanity but I do not use the "N-word" and I think that is foolish that many people use the word especially my fellow African Americans say the word and then get mad when people use the term against them. Another thing for all of the Black people that say they like her recipes you should because they come from your ancestors kitchen.  You damn well her family owned slaves wake up. Like Paul Mooney said " During slavery these folks couldn't boil but now they got all these cooking shows. "Paula Deen is no different and she also admitted that she wanted her sons "Southern Plantation Style Wedding" to have all the Black people be servants. Yes this  is racist, but I'm not mad because she is a product of the Deep South. My advice to her is to retire or try to write books she has  enough money to sit down and live out her golden years. I guess sometimes honesty isn't the policy.

The Grandfathers of Rock N Roll

Little Richard

When you the term Rock N Roll what do you think of? The Beach Boys or The Rolling Stones.
Rock N Roll is an art form of music created by African Americans this genre of music was stolen from African American musicians with white musicians and singers such Pat Boone, Elvis Presley, singing the music of Little Richard and Chuck Berry without their permission. Pat Boone stole Little Richard's music and Elvis Presley used to attend Black clubs in the South and steal the singing and dancing styles of Black people and took it to the mainstream. He would often steal the performing style of Jackie Wilson known as "Mr. Excitement." He even had the nerve to call Jackie Wilson "The Black Elvis."

"It started out as rhythm and blues. There wasn't nobody playing it at the time but Black people myself, Fats Domino, and Chuck Perry. White kids started playing more attention to this music, white girls were going over to this music, they needed somebody to come in there like Elvis."

Chuck Berry

African American recording artists that wanted to sing and perform Rock N Roll instead of Doo-Wop, Soul, Funk, Pop, and Disco music have faced a hard time gaining support from the recording industry, this industry is bittersweet the marketing style tends to pigeon hole black and white artists but especially Black artists. Most people do not know that The Rolling Stones got their name from an old Muddy Waters song and borrowed a lot of their swagger from Black artists; although I respect The Rolling Stones because they admitted it. Many African Americans that want to embrace and perform rock music are met with dislike and hostility.

"When I was shopping my tapes around in my late teens, record companies would automatically send me to the guy in the black division, they would listen and say, "We hear your talent, but you really can't make this music." Lenny Kravitz


Toni's Thoughts: I really like rock music my favorite Rock artists of my generation is Lenny Kravitz as well as Prince because Prince gets down on that guitar. More people need to know that African Americans created this genre of  music. Just trying to keep you informed.

Hip Hop What Happened to You?

“The people in control of Hip Hop are so f___ing white and so f___ing Jewish, they don’t give a f__ about what the culture is about. I want to make this as offensive as possible for the old ass punks who are running the record labels…and dictate what the black community hears. I hate that s__t it pisses me off. There no f___ing way you can tell me it’s not a conspiracy. You put out a bunch of records that make us look dumb and stupid. You brainwash a generation of Hip Hoppers with this f__ing crud. Hip hop is white now.”

May 7, 2013 Scarface

Hip Hop has been stolen like Rock N Roll

 

I will be writing a post about Hip Hop at another time this month but for what it is worth I agree with Scarface's comment. Today J. Cole and Kanye West dropped their new albums. I love Yeezy but I feel J. Cole will get the critical acclaim he deserves for this new album Born Sinner this album is a Grammy winner.

Jazzin It Up

"Jazz is restless. It won't stay put and it never will." J.J. Johnson

Jazz music is a genre of music created by African Americans in the Southern region of the United States. Restrictions along with the lack of opportunities due to segregation made Blacks find another avenue for employment, which was entertainment. African American musicians were able to provide what was considered "low class" entertainment through  minstrel shows, dance, vaudeville most of their audiences in bars, clubs, and brothels. The genre known as ragtime was the predecessor to Jazz and appeared as sheet music African Americans made this genre popular. Scott Joplin would become known as the "King of Ragtime."

 

Down to the Bayou....New Orleans
The brothels and bars n the red-light district around Basin Street also known to New Orleans's natives as "Story Ville," this neighborhood was significant to the early days of New Orleans jazz. Marching bands and dance band instruments would become the basic instruments of jazz.

These instruments include brass and reeds used  by the European 12-tone scale and drums small bands mixing self-taught and well educated African Americans, most of them performed in the lavish funeral-procession role in the development of early jazz, traveling throughout Black communities in the Deep South and, from 1914 on Afro-Creole and African American musicians that performed in vaudeville exposed jazz music to Western and Northern regions of the United States. Jazz has created many sub genres within the genre and Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong are jazz music favorites.

Sing A Song: Meaning Behind Negro Spirituals & The Origins of Gospel

Jump down turn around
Pick a bale of cotton
Jump down turn
 
Pick a bale of hey
Oh lordie pick a bale of cotton
Oh lordie pick a bale of hey


Lyrics that derive from an old southern field hand song these lyrics can be heard on the Ludacris song "The Potion"

Negro spirituals have been known and defined as traditional African American spirituals, prior to 1865 the beats of Negro Spirituals as well as Gospel songs were influenced by the music of their actual and cultural environments respectively. The early Negro Spirituals were inspired by African music even if the tunes were not far those hymns. This is where term "shouts" were accompanied with typical dancing including hand clapping and foot tapping that you may see in a Black church on a Sunday. At this time the religious singing style of African Americans was very distinct and the sounds resembled a "moan" and or "groan." Although these sounds did  not always indicate that they suffering from pain these sounds were actually intended to be blissful and often a rendition of a song would be mixed with humming and spontaneous melodic variation.

Later by the 19th century African Americans became more involved in the "Second Awakening." They met in camp meetings and sang without hymn books. Spontaneous songs would be composed this way, eventually these songs would become called "spiritual songs." The spirituals appeared for the first time in the book "slave songs of the United States" ( Allen, Ware, Garrison, 1867). Another little known fact was that African Americans used to sing outside of churches.



During slavery and after slavery ended, slaves/ workers that worked outdoors in the fields were allowed to sing what was called " work songs." Even the Black prisoners used to sing the famous "chain gang" songs when they worked on the road and construction projects. Slaves/ workers were used by the drivers to entertain them with quiet songs that did present lyrics of rebellion. These songs were used for self expression and used for cheering one another up.

All About That Code Switching.... Slaves would sing songs that had "secret messages" these songs were used as various forms of communication in church services, meetings, work, and home. Most of the meanings behind the songs were intended to be covert; therefore only Christian slaves understood the message that the lyrics conveyed and ordinary words were used to reflect the personal relationship between the slaves and God. The main gist of these codes in the negro spirituals often discussed freedom in another country. Two words that were often used in the songs were "chariot" and "train."


The Negro Spirituals "The Gospel Train" and "Swing Low," "Sweet Chariot" this refers to the Underground Railroad which was an informal organization who helped many slaves escape to freedom. Spirituals were sung at churches with an active participation of the congregation. These were often embellished  and the were also called either "church songs" or "julibees" or "holy roller sings."


Toni's Thoughts: These genres of music are very important to the African American community because they have helped us communicate, bond, and escape the physical aspect of bondage. A couple of years back I told my friend that it was inappropriate for the BET Awards to allow Gospel performances on the annual summer award show and then I realized what I said was foolish. Gospel music is very important to the African American community our best singers learn their skills in the church especially if you are from the South.
 Therefore it is very necessary for this genre to be recognized and celebrated on the annual BET Awards. Although I will not say I do not like this form of Gospel out right now that is trying to compete with other mainstream music. I may not go to church but I prefer to here old school Gospel. Have you ever noticed that Mary Mary song "The God in Me" sounds like Jamie Foxx's "Blame it on the Alcohol?"