Respond/React: Failed Ideas in Hip-Hop

Okay so today I am ishing on Hip-hop and its horror…. Tomorrow I’ll plug in a new topic… Officially – Tuesdays is Shit on Hip Hop Tuesdays. Big Tuesdays…..

Respond/React: Welcome to Unemployment, Miss Jones….

As you may have heard, Shot 97’s Miss Jones has been handed her pink slip.

Finally!!!

Now I have been following Miss Jones’ career since she stepped out on the scene with Doug E Fresh and Ron G with hood single “Don’t Front” {black and white video, MJ stomping through the hood biting off Mary’s swagger – cropped jacket with a full bodysuit}. She then lost a chunk of weight and brought her sexxxy back with “Where I want to be boy” {to the uptown crew, nuff respect}. She even grace the classic AZ joint “SugaHill” quite lovely with superb vocals. And finally, she guest-spotted Biggie’s Classic Video “One More Chance” – where anybody who was anybody during the Golden Era of Hip-Hop was there {Jonesy rocked the FUBU hockey jersey and black ponytail with cascading curls}.

And then, she was on the radio – blessing Hot 97, when it used to be hot, Sunday Mornings early, like 8-11, or something like that. She used to beg for people to call her up because everyone was drunk asleep from partying the night before. My cousin and I used to call her up and ask questions about her album and getting into the industry. She didn’t even know we were still in Jr. High School, too young for grown folk parties but we wished were there.

Eventually, people started catching on to her show and she stopped taking long phone calls but we were happy for her. She left all of a sudden and we heard through the grapevine {wendy williams} she was in philly doing sister station radio, Power 99.

One day, years later, I am hearing her voice on the radio again with Ed Lover and Dr. Dre with Miss Jones in the morning. I was content to hear her voice again, always giving the feminist view. But I was as faithful.

Later I heard her again. This time with another man’s voice – who was so abrupt and yet commanding {Star} that I was compelled to hear what he had to say. Her force with his brash seemed like the perfect sweet and sour. I made it a point to listen. But after a while, I can feel through the airwaves that she wasn’t 100% down for the Star and Bucwild team. The truth was she wasn’t – so they replaced her with Prozac Girl.

I followed Star to his new station and even took notice of Miss Info, Miss Jones’ rival (though she didn’t say this, I assume this – I hear it in her voice dammit). Miss Jones bragged about her friendship with Wendy Williams but out of nowhere it turned sour. I rooted for Wendy because Miss Jones was getting out of hand.

When Hip-Hop changed, radio and their personalities changed with it. Miss Jones included. She didn’t miss an opportunity to “stab someone in the back” when issued her own show, for ratings sake. Miss Jones, who refused to ride with Star’s inappropriate take on the death of Aaliyah, became vicious and conniving, joking and teasing the victims of the Tsunami. She hung up on other artists and ridiculed others’, let alone their parents. She became her very own enemy.

As Hip-Hop downgraded, Miss Jones plunged too. Her ethics and mannerisms were superficial. Shame to hear from such a college educated girl. She taunted NEW YORK for her baffoonery, but she, herself, was much of a joke as well. She lacked accurate reporting and when she couldn’t deliver,she would conjure things up just to make due. I am certain her shucking and jiving had more to do with the radio station than her herself. They probably paid her well to be a coon. And at the end of the day {like Lil Kim would say} they cooned her out, compromised her and spit her back to the unemployment line of where she came from a little over 10 years ago.

I can believe she didn’t see it coming… Didn’t she watch Brown Sugar? Didn’t she catch a hint when her counterparts like Ed Lover, Star and Wendy. Whatever happened to Sunny? Anywho, she should have consulted her 97.1 counterparts who have radio shows on Sirius Radio and Mtv… Hello – can you spell progress, my sistah Syracuse grad?

No! You can’t because you would rather follow in the footprints of everyone else {just like your singing career} and do a tell-all book about you spreading your legs to rappers and ball players with wives. You would rather ish on Beyonce for trying to act like she has virtues while yours wither away with age and your diet {note: B.K. Carter HAS an explosive singing career and you just remake her songs for comedic purposes}.

Oh well… I guess its another lesson – reap what you sow.

Blog Day #1 – Wendy Williams vs Nicole Spence

I have been a devoted listener of my girl Wendy Williams since she was rocking the airwaves with DJ Red Alert at Kiss FM. I was a teenager at the time, waiting-practically salivating for her evening show to hear the scoop on prominent Hip-Hop artists like Diddy, Jodeci, Mary J, etc…

She moved over to Hot 97 {bka Shot 97}. She beefed with Angie supposedly over some scoop about who Angie was creeping with… Emmis Communication shipped her out to Philly’s Power 99. I was only able to hear her when I visited my friends Lynn and CJ at Fort Dix in South Jersey. But she was still bringing it.

Eventually she brought her fatty over to WBLS-where she should have been from the jump… She hired Nicole Spence {a former high school classmate of mine} as her celebrity booker/assistant. My last memory of Nicole was her walking off RCC campus talking about moving back to the Bronx with her cousin to make it in the music business hopefully as an A&R assistant or something. I never really engaged in conversations with her in high school but at “The Rock” she seemed more mature and down to earth. I wished her luck and success and she was on her way…

Fast forward, I peep Wendy’s show one day and hear a familiar voice on the mic. I knew Wendy mentioned Nicole’s name but I didn’t think it was the same girl… When I check WW site and saw her pic – I was proud to see she made it far. Its cool seeing your peers make it somewhere…

Anyhow, I was disturbed couple months back to hear the news that Nicole was suing the ish out of Wendy because of her allegedly trifling husband. I guess it was a shocker since Nicole seemed to have a tight relationship with Wendy. They go out and eat together, go shopping… Nicole got that Essence deal – 30 days 30 dates, or something like that. I thought it was all good. But when I browsed on Sandra Rose and other blog sites for details regarding the charges, Nicole started recounting incidences that happened while on air – while I was in my car or at home listening to the show.

Nicole accused Wendy of persuading her to go shopping for new clothes, look more sexy, etc to help her Bushwick goon get his rocks off… Hell, I feel disgusted if Wendy was in fact saying that crap on air to help get her husband off… I feel even more guilty than disgusted for blindly witnessing that kind of harassment. I always thought it was odd to have the ruff Mcgruff on the airwaves during bonus hour. He would be soooo out of line – it boggled me why she would air him out and have him in the spotlight. He’s her manager, play the background, stick to your role nucca. Then all of a sudden, he was no longer on the air – THANK GOD! His chi was off…

I even recall odd silent air just when the commercial breaks ended as if she just got back from the bathroom late. But now in my mind, I imagine her hubby hemming her up against the pink walls, grappling her by her neck. She would clear her throat like the dry air has knock out the moisture in her esophagus when really she was probably readjusting her t-neck cashmere sweater to cover her bruises.

For the record, I do wish that Wendy – the friend in my head – is actually not in an abusive relationship {though she jokes about being choked up for sexual pleasure} and that Nicole – a quasifriend from childhood – works out a settlement out of court for putting Wendy on blast. In my heart, I want Wendy to be alright, but my core kind of tells me, that Nicole is probably telling some truth. She might have dramatize a few details but something tells me that Wendy and her oger stepped the boundaries at some point. But Wendy should have her people sign a disclaimer – to protect her and them. The Experience is not an average working environment. She pushed alot of buttons over the years – why am I not surprised this would occur.

Then a few weeks ago, the blogosphere exploded with video of Mr. Wendy Williams explicitly have coitus with a jump-off. I don’t know Kevin personally but hell, what I have seen of him in photos, its him on the tape. Yeah maybe he doesn’t have the tatts like he has now, Wendy but he wasn’t born with tatts either. He obviously made the video montage before the ink. Giving you even more reason to run out to Montclair Women’s Center and demand a HIV test. But that’s all my opinion…

Anyway, today is June 4th and Wendy is on air now, announcing her Fox TV show. I am sure it will be eventful and entertaining. I will be watching but curiously and inquisitively checking her neck for an abundance of cover-up to disguise those bear marks.