January 01, 2010
December 31, 2009
RANKED: 50 Greatest #1 R&B/Hip-Hop Hits Of 2000-2009
This decade in music saw a healthy competition for the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B/Hip-Hop across all sub-genres of urban music. From pop divas to R&B crooners and east coast emcees to southern-slanged rappers and in between, over 100 songs topped the aforementioned charts in urban music. G-Magazine Now compiled a list of the 50 top-charting singles that changed the game, made lasting impressions upon listeners and deserved their spot at the top. Check out the list below.
50. "I Remember" by Keyshia Cole (2007)
49. "A Milli" by Lil' Wayne (2008)
48. "So Sick" by Ne-Yo (2006)
47. "Foolish" by Ashani (2002)
46. "So Gone" by Monica (2003)
45. "Try Again" by Aaliyah (featuring Timbaland) (2000)
44. "I'm Real (remix)" by Jennifer Lopez (featuring Ja Rule) (2001)
43. "Oops (Oh My)" Tweet (featuring Missy Elliott) (2002)
42. "All For You" by Janet Jackson (2001)
41. "Always On Time" by Ja Rule (featuring Ashanti) (2002)
40. "Bootylicious" by Destiny's Child (2001)
39. "Love Of My Life (An Ode To Hip-Hop)" by Erykah Badu (featuring Common) (2002)
38. "Low" by Flo-Rida (featuring T-Pain) (2008)
37. "He Wasn't Man Enough" by Toni Braxton (2000)
36. "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child (2000)
35. "Live Your Life by T.I. (featuring Rihanna) (2008)
34. "SexyBack" by Justin Timberlake (featuring Timbaland) (2006)
33. "S.O.S. (Rescue Me)" by Rihanna (2006)
32. "You Don't Know My Name" by Alicia Keys (2003)
31. "Let's Get Married" by Jagged Edge (2000)
30. "Need U Bad" by Jazmine Sullivan (2008)
29. "I Wish" by Carl Thomas (2000)
28. "Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani (2005)
27. "Bag Lady" by Erykah Badu (2000)
26. "Stronger" by Kanye West (2007)
25. "Ms. Jackson" by OutKast (2000)
24. "Blame It" by Jamie Foxx (featuring T-Pain) (2009)
23. "Boom Boom Pow" by Black Eyed Peas (2009)
22. "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" by Beyoncé (2008)
21. "Irreplaceable" by Beyoncé (2007)
Continue reading "RANKED: 50 Greatest #1 R&B/Hip-Hop Hits Of 2000-2009" »
G-Magazine Now Remembers Iconic Musicians Who Left Us This Decade
Soul music has lost many valuable talents this past decade. While a few had yet to reach their ascension, all these artists created milestone that left blueprints for the R&B singers and hip-hop musicians to follow. These following artists are no longer with us physically, but their contributions in urban music will be remember for decades beyond their lifespan.
Aaliyah - the sophisticated R&B/hip-hop princess was poised to blossom into an entertainment queen
Barry White - the velvet-smooth voiced baritone made couple make love and dance to his timeless hits
Big Pun - the king-size Puerto Rican rapper led the way as the spotlight on talented Puerto Rican emcees emerged in the late 1990s
Eartha Kitt - not just a soulful sex kitten, but a fashion icon whose style never faded away as she aged
Gerald Levert - R&B soulful crooner from a legendary family of musicians who swooned many ladies under his spell
Ike Turner - may have been a notorious Rock 'N Roll bad boy, but he did introduce us to the Queen of Rock 'N Roll
Issac Hayes - the creamy-bass crooner brought street soul in the 1970's with one classic album after another
James Brown - instantly became the Godfather of Soul and rightfully kept that crown until his death with an enormous catalog of R&B hits
Jam Master Jay - the legendary deejay who transformed the world's greatest hip-hop group into rap music legends
June Pointer - one part of the 80's golden female group with vocals that rival the best of all time
Continue reading "G-Magazine Now Remembers Iconic Musicians Who Left Us This Decade" »
RANKED: Let's Ban These Overused Phrases Of The Decade
In 2010, let us all advance our everyday verbal communication. There are countless numbers of overused words of expressions that has limited our thinking abilities in speaking. In fact, some of these overused phrases sounded dumb the moment they became popular.
Check out this list of 75 words and phrases I deemed as overused, improperly used and must be substituted for more intelligent expressive thoughts.
- _________ brought sexy back. (It was only cool when Justin Timberlake sang his hit in 2006.)
- _________ is my Facebook friend. (By now, not EVERYone is your "friend" on Facebook.)
- _________ is the new black. (Shouldn't Blacks take offense to this phrase. All of a sudden, we're kool?)
- _________ whore (e.g. attention, clothes, shoe, etc.)
- 24/7
- 97% fat-free (Why can't the products be all-the-way fat-free, if they made to 97%?)
- a hot mess
- alliance (Every reality-TV game show has one.)
- amazing (Learn more synonyms, Katie Holmes.)
- anti-gay
- at the end of the day (The only thing that really happens at the end of your day is sleep.)
- bareback
- battleground states (It's just the Republican-biased media who used that term to scare Barack Obama voters during the presidential race.)
- beef/feud (This is worst than high-school drama, especially in the hip-hop community.)
- begs the question (Just ask. There's no need to beg.)
- bi-partisan
- bling
- Breaking News!!! (All of sudden, all the blogs and news outlets have the same breaking news.)
- bring _________ to justice
- brokeback (The gayest term of the year almost got confused with the word "bareback," especially in porn.)
- bromance (It is just a way to say we're closer but not gay. Whatever!)
- brother from another mother/sister from another mister
- carbs (One of the diet fads that scared people for no reason.)
- Clearly.
- cougar
- diva (A title that the gays give away to easily and Beyonce ruined. What is sadder is that the gays give the title to themselves.)
- douche/douche bag (The white people's only term to call a bad person without cursing.)
- e-_________ (e.g. commerce, trade, etc.)
- edgy
- flip-flop (This only sound good for sex.)
Continue reading "RANKED: Let's Ban These Overused Phrases Of The Decade" »
RANKED: 10 Hottest Social Media Websites Of The Decade
Without the luxury of online communications, the world would be without a multitude of things we take for granted now. We would have difficulty in finding old acquaintances and classmates who moved thousands miles away. We would be unable to network with people who share similar interests or help us to network in ways we cannot do locally. We would pay to mail simple letters, photos and resumes. We would not have the opportunity to view the people we communicate with in real-time. You get the point?
While there were many online services that aided or piqued our communication needs, these are the top ten social media websites that many of us could not live without.
10. Skype - August 2003
Skpye escalates online and teleconference communications to higher levels. Combining videoconferencing, teleconferencing and instant messaging made Skype the forerunner of online audio/video communication.
9. Flicker - February 2004
Among all online photo storage website, Flicker is the most used and searched of all. People can set up accounts through Flicker to share photos from special occasions, vacations and random acts or ideas. The need to print photos are minimized, and the ease of sharing your favorite memories with friends and family worldwide can take place on Flicker.
8. LinkedIn - May 2003
For those who want the sophisticated and most exclusive competition to MySpace and Facebook, LinkedIn fulfilled those needs. LinkedIn prides itself into become the world's most trusted website exclusively for networking and job hunting. Instead of creating profiles based on a person's favorites or thoughts, professional endeavors and resumes are only allowed as an user's introduction to the world.
7. Twitter - March 2006
As the ultimate website for the self-absorbed, attention-needing maniacs, Twitter became the website for those who feel the urge to update their "followers" on whatever is on their minds in real-time. While having that same feature as Facebook, Twitter allows people to submit their updates on at least ten times the applications than Facebook.
6. G-Mail - April 2004
When people with free e-mail accounts from Yahoo and Hotmail complained about receiving too many unsolicited e-mails from porn companies to business schemes in their inboxes, Google's G-Mail system launched with a almost fool-proof method of separating the spam e-mails from the intended. Soon, the number of G-Mail accounts grown exponentially, even influencing the paid e-mail subscribers to switch to a free G-Mail account.
Continue reading "RANKED: 10 Hottest Social Media Websites Of The Decade" »
December 30, 2009
Rush Limbaugh Gets Hospitalized
It looks like Rush Limbaugh may be on his way to hell. America's angriest, racist white male, who is also an admitted drug addict, deservedly gets hospitalized.
Conservative talk show host Limbaugh was taken to a hospital after suffering chest pains and was resting comfortably Wednesday, his radio program said in a statement.
"Rush was admitted to and is resting comfortably in a Honolulu hospital today after suffering chest pains," the statement said. "Rush appreciates your prayers and well wishes and will keep you updated via rushlimbaugh.com and on his radio program."
Kit Carson, Limbaugh's chief of staff, said he had no further information on Limbaugh's condition.
He said the 58-year-old left for his usual Christmas vacation on December 23 and is due to return to his show on Janurary 4. Carson didn't have any information on whether that schedule would change.
Limbaugh's three-hour weekday show is heard on some 600 radio stations across the country, and more than 14 million people listen to him at least once a week.
Honolulu television station KITV reported Wednesday that paramedics took Limbaugh to The Queens Medical Center in serious condition from the Kahala Hotel and Resort.
Limbaugh was seen golfing at Waialae Country Club — a country club next to the hotel — earlier this week, KITV said.
Americans said in a poll last month that Limbaugh was America's most influential conservative voice.
With his sarcastic putdowns of liberal policies, off-color parodies and bombastic self-promotion, he began capturing conservative listeners in the 1980s and grew to become the highest-rated radio broadcaster in the U.S. Recently, he's found a renewed purpose and has boosted ratings by railing against Barack Obama's presidency.
In 2001, Limbaugh reported he had lost most of his hearing due to an autoimmune inner-ear disease. He had surgery to have an electronic device placed in his skull to restore his hearing.
Two years later Limbaugh acknowledged he was addicted to pain medicine. He blamed the addiction on severe back pain, and took a five-week leave from his radio show to enter rehab.
December 29, 2009
Baking With The Most Important Ingredient: Love
When you think of cheesecake, does your mind picture sweet potato, rum raisin, banana pudding, or red velvet? Well what your mind may not be able to conceive your palette can readily experience. Annie Mae Cheesecake and Moore is a pastry lover’s dream come true.
Proprietor Chef Danielle Moore established Annie Mae Cheesecake and Moore in 2005; the business was part catharsis, part labor of love, and part preservation. Annie Mae Moore introduced her granddaughter Danielle to the art of baking, shortly after the teenager developed discipline problems at school. "If I'm going to harbor a fugitive then I might as well put her to good use" the wise matriarch announced. She understood that spending time was the best investment he could make in her granddaughter; and soon Danielle was helping her grandmother bake for family and friends, especially during the various holiday seasons.
After high school Danielle began to pursue a career as a veterinary nurse, coupled with starting a family, she became too busy for baking. It wasn’t until her beloved grandmother lost a seven-year battle with breast cancer on October 19, 2004, that Danielle rekindled her love for baking. “I felt honored to continue the legacy, which was left to me by my grandmother,” says Chef Danielle.
Annie Mea Cheesecake and Moore is a “boutique confectionary”. Cheesecakes are produced to satisfy the most discerning taste, and these culinary creations can be purchased in various sizes from eight inches cakes, to bit size treats. In addition to cheesecakes, cookies are also available. Chef Danielle also caterers events including bridal and baby showers, birthday parties and special events. “Any event large or small is a piece of cake”, confirms Danielle.
Danielle recently formed the Kiddie Cookie Academy to share her grandmother’s gift with young people citywide. “Our goal is to help cultivate your child’s artistic skills through cookie designing. We have two rules, safety and having fun”, joyously announces Chef Danielle.
Continue reading "Baking With The Most Important Ingredient: Love" »
64 Year Old Van Morrison Has Another Child
Singer Van Morrison became a father again on Monday at the age of 64 after his
manager gave birth to a son he described as "the spitting image of his daddy."
Watch this child get picked on at school for having the oldest father in the
class. Imagine having an 82 year old father, not great-grandfather, at
your high school graduation. I rather not.
Lil' Wayne Performs Final Shows Before Imprisonment
Lil' Wayne performed his farewell concert last night. Though the bad news is that he will serve jail time, the good news is that other music artists will have to rely on their own talents than featuring Lil' Wayne on every song possible. Additionally, the growing population of Lil' Wayne's seeds will be put on hold for a while.
Check out this news piece from AP News:
Lil' Wayne emerged as a top-selling musician known for his clever wordplay and risque lyrics, but like rappers before him, he's staring down a year behind bars at the peak of his career.
The artist returned to his hometown of New Orleans for a performance Monday on what he's calling his farewell tour. The 27-year-old rapper, whose real name is Dwayne Carter, pleaded guilty in October to a weapons possession charge and will be sentenced February 9. His plea deal calls for a year in jail.
The charge stemmed from a 2007 traffic stop of his tour bus in New York when authorities said they smelled marijuana, and as they approached, he tossed aside a bag with a loaded .40-caliber handgun.
In a separate case, he also faces trial in March on felony drug possession and weapons charges in Yuma County, AZ. More recently, he had to postpone a show one day after authorities stopped two of his buses in Texas and found marijuana. The case has been referred to the sheriff's office.
As thousands of fans filed through the New Orleans Arena doors Monday, many said they were disappointed with the rapper's legal troubles.
"It's kinda sad, the stereotype and that he fell into it," said 19-year-old Lee Farrell of New Orleans.
Lil' Wayne is set to follow some of rap music's biggest names — from Tupac Shakur, Lil' Kim, Beanie Sigel and Shyne to New Orleans natives Mystikal and C-Murder — who have served a few months to several years behind bars for crimes committed after they became famous.
Continue reading "Lil' Wayne Performs Final Shows Before Imprisonment" »
December 28, 2009
SONG REVIEW: "Love Again" by Tweet
R&B songbird Tweet, a.k.a. Charlene Keys, has been absent from the mainstream for four years. A new album titled Love, Tweet has been hyped up since 2008 with false promises of a release. Fans like us could not wait for a follow-up to the disappointing sophomore effort Its' Me Again. Leaked tracks "Anymore" and "Real Lady" were the rumored first singles in early 2008. Since then, the news about a new album being on the horizon was quieted. Now, a new song "Love Again" has surfaced. It is not confirmed as a single for the upcoming Love, Tweet, which now has a May 2010 release date, but it sounds like a great slow jam, almost like an extended interlude.
Check out "Love" as it will keep us Tweet fans anticipating for a new album just a little while longer.
SONG PREVIEWS: Snoop Dogg | Beyonce | Mary J. Blige | Paris Bennett | Ne-Yo
Check out these recently leaked tunes by your favorite music artists. All you
have to do is press play to enjoy them.
Play "Feet Don't Fail Me Now" by Snoop Dogg (featuring Charlie Wilson & Nelly)
Play "Brand New" by Mary J. Blige
Play "Poster" by Paris Bennett
Play "Bedroom Walkin'" by Ne-Yo
Snoopy Is America's Favorite Pop Culture Dog
The "Peanuts" comic strip character Snoopy was named the top
dog in pop culture by the American Kennel Club as part of its 125th
anniversary celebration, beating out a college sports mascot.
Nearly 76,000 online voters chose their favorites from a list of pop culture
dogs drawn from television, film, literature, sports and art, the kennel club
said.
Snoopy was the pensive dog whose best friend was a bird and who seemed to be smarter than his human master in the comic strip created by the late Charles Schulz, who died in 2000.
"Peanuts," which for close to five decades served as a mirror for the baby
boom generation, appeared in 2,600 newspapers in 21 languages. Its daily
readership was believed to be the most of any comic strip in history.
Second place went to Texas A&M University's mascot Reveille,
followed by Scooby Doo, the television cartoon character.
The Top 10
1. Snoopy
2. Texas A&M's Reveille
3. Scooby Doo
4. Eddie from the TV show "Frasier"
5. Pound Puppy toys
6. Painting Dogs Playing Poker
7. Song "How Much is that Doggie In The Window"
8. Georgetown's Jack the Bulldog
9. The song "Who Let The Dogs Out"
10. Brian Griffin from the animated TV show "Family Guy"
What happened to Old Yeller or Buck from "Married With Children?"
Hooray! Tyra Banks Pulls The Plug On Her Talk Show!
Could the end of Tyra Banks empire be near? TV's most obnoxious talk show host will throw in the towel in spring 2010. Banks, who has been known to hire actors to become guests on her show, has exclusively told People magazine that she will end her talk show after the end of its fifth season.
"The Tyra Banks Show" has won two Daytime Emmy awards during its five seasons of girl-power topics and beauty makeovers. The show has also been lampooned by critics and comics for Tyra's incessant and shallow need to overshadow her guests' stories to make a point that is all about her. Banks has also been criticized for centering most of her episodes around what she knows best: fashion and beauty. Also, her moves in the industry has widely criticized to follow the steps of her mentor Oprah Winfrey rather than creating and following her own niche.
Suffice to say, it sounds like the news of her plummeting ratings because of the new and hugely-popular "Wendy Williams Show" is the culprit to Tyra's decision. Making news of choosing to end the show to "pursue other projects" rather than letting the ratings cause a cancellation is a great way to save face. Maybe the real details about this will come to light.
At least she has another dramatic-filled season of "America's Next Top Model" to continue.
Oprah's Book Club Picks For 2010
Have you set your book reading goals for 2010? The ever-popular Oprah's Book Club has a created a list of its ten most anticipating books of the new year. If Oprah Winfrey puts her stamp on anything, you are certain to know it is a good thing -- including books.
Check out this list of ten must-have books of 2010. Get a great head start on your reading collection.
CLEAVING: A STORY OF MARRIAGE, MEAT, AND OBSESSION
By Julie Powell
320 pages; Little, Brown
The Julie and Julia author sets her sights on fresh meat—in a butcher shop
FOOTNOTES IN GAZA
By Joe Sacco
432 pages; Metropolitan
A comic book that gives new meaning to the term "graphic novel": about critical
conflict in the Middle East
STONES INTO SCHOOLS
By Greg Mortenson
448 pages; Viking
The Three Cups of Tea author focuses this time on education in Afghanistan
U IS FOR UNDERTOW
By Sue Grafton
416 pages; Putnam
The latest installment in the hugely popular Alphabet series. Only five more to
go
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