The IamHere2Love 2011 Year-End Music Awards – Part 1: Special Achievement

For starters, thank you for reading this blog. It means a lot to me that you would take time out of your day to check out what I have to say.

Since the beginning of the year, I wanted to sum up my feelings on last year’s phenomenal music scene. 2011 played host to some big-time musical events: a heartbroken young British woman records an epic rant about her ex-boyfriend, a New York diva takes the time to tell us that we were all “born this way,” a king from Brooklyn and a king from Chicago unite to “take the throne,” and a “legendary” crew from Philadelphia tells us the tragic story of Redford Stevens. These four events will take center stage in Part 3 of this series (Top-Ten Albums); however, the first part entry in my Year-End Music Awards is dedicated to “special achievement” in music. By special achievement, I am referring to… who am I kidding – these are just fun awards, so let’s get started (by the way, all of the song titles are hyperlinked so you can check them out):

·         Most Listened To Song: My Last, Big Sean featuring Chris Brown

According to iTunes, I listened to this song 42 times. What is it about this song that I love? For starters, Big Sean’s flow is superb and his lyrics are some of the cleverest of the year (sorry, the big lyrics aren’t PG so I can’t post them here). Moreover, Chris Brown delivers what I consider to be the best R&B hook in a hip-hop song this year! “Like I never had it at all all all all, all all all all.” Most importantly, I feel as though this song reflects this period of my life so well. When I first heard this song, I was wrapping up my college career at Princeton and really took some time to celebrate and appreciate the moment with my friends and family – that’s what Big Sean is talking about in this song, boi!

·         Best Music Video: Far Away, Marsha Ambrosius

In my humble opinion, this is the most beautiful song I’ve heard all year; what Marsha Ambrosius does with the song’s music video greatly enhances the song’s emotional resonance. (Spoiler Alert, but if you haven’t seen the video please click the link and watch it right now) The video features tastefully, lovingly, and openly features a relationship between two black homosexual men one of whom tragically commits suicide after they are jumped in the park by a group of (presumably) heterosexual black males. That’s a lot to take in, but focus on the kids in this video. Aside from the love story, pay attention to how the kids embrace the couple and that’s where the irony lies: it’s the adults, not the children who are ignorant. Despite the tragedy at the end, every frame of the music video is beautiful, well-defined, and lines up perfectly with the song – well done!

·         Best Guest Spot: Andre 3000 in Beyoncé’s Party

“Kiddo says he looks up to me this just makes me feel old,

Never thought that we could become someone else's hero.

Man we were just in the food court eating guy gyros.

Yesterday that's the way,

Every single morning I try to pray!

Grandmama nem they never forgot, nothing else really means nothing to me.”
Wow, just wow. It is so rare that we actually here from Andre 3000 these days, but when we do, it’s totally worth it! By the way, Kanye West has a great part in this song too:

“You a bad girl and your friends bad too,

Oh, you got the swag sauce, you dripping swagu

You a bad girl and your friends bad too,

Oh, you got the swag sauce, you dripping swagu”

·         Guilty Pleasure Song: Cockiness (Love It), Rihanna

Just listen to the song… I’m PG now so can’t really go into this stuff, lol. Next please!

·         If I Could Choose One More Song: #Trending,  The Original 7ven

As previously discussed, the next entry in this series is going to be my Top-Ten Songs of 2011. If there is one more song that I could place on that list, it would be this hot record, #Trending, by The Original 7ven (aka The Time). The really neat thing about this track is that it combines the classic “Minneapolis Sound” and Time elements (Morris Day’s player character, Jerome, allusions to previous songs, and superb instrumentation) with a new and relevant topic: social media. It’s amusing to hear Morris Day, a performer who’s been around for 30 years, saying “Tweet it up y’all.” Also, for those of you who appreciate amazing guitarists, Jesse Johnson is on point here! In a year of such great songs, it is disappointing that I had to leave one of my favorites off the Top-Ten list.   

·         Best Comeback Album: Condensate, The Original 7ven

Some people would say that we’re waiting a long time for Dr. Dre’s Detox to come out. Well, imagine waiting for 21 years for a reunion album… that’s what Condensate is. For those of you who are unfamiliar with The Time, they were Prince’s most successful side-project band from the early 1980s. Although the group was composed of very talented musicians, Prince would write, produce, and play most of the instruments on The Time’s albums; the only thing that Prince did not do was sing on the records (Morris Day). Eventually, members of The Time became fed up with Prince’s controlling attitude and left the band (If you ever watch a copy of Purple Rain, you’ll notice that Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam are not in the movie – that’s because Prince fired them prior to shooting). In 1990, The Time reunited to release an awesome album entitled Pandemonium, which was significant because it marked the first time the members of the band were playing the instruments and writing the songs.

In 2011, this past year, the band felt that it was just “time” to reunite and give the fans what they’ve been waiting for. The one issue was that Prince still held the rights to “The Time’s” name amongst other things, so they had to reform as the Original 7ven, a reference to the reunion of the band’s original members. This album proved one thing: The Original 7ven had not lost a step or missed a beat. This is a fun, “grown-folk,” and well-done album that I feel that is hard not to enjoy. Additionally, it has something for everyone as evidenced by amount of up-tempo tracks, slow-jams, and Jesse Johnson’s awesome guitar riffs. Condensate was just something that was worth the 21 year wait!

·         Best Mixtape: House of Balloons, The Weeknd

Regrettably, I did not download this free mixtape from The Weekend until the last week of the year, but as they say “better late than never.” House of Balloons ranks right up there with the best R&B albums of the year including Beyoncé’s 4 and Chris Brown’s F.A.M.E., but it may have one advantage over those: it’s free. Unfortunately all I can say about it is this: it is a memorizing listen and an awesome effort. Download this mixtape right now here!  

·         Best Surprise (Part 1): Betty Wright: The Movie, Betty Wright and The Roots

In Part 3 of this series, I’m going to give almost unlimited praise to The Roots’ Undun. In this section, I need to mention that The Roots had another incredible album come out this year in collaboration with R&B singer Betty Wright. Betty Wright: The Movie works along the same lines as 2010’s Wake Up! – the album that The Roots released in collaboration with John Legend. The thing that actually made this album a wonderful listening experience for me was not necessarily The Roots, but rather an introduction to the amazing Ms. Betty Wright! Betty Wright is an old-school soul singer who someone my age has to seek out (due to lack of radio play) and reminds me a lot of Sharon Jones. It was just delightful and unexpected to find this album on Amazon Mp3’s “Deal of the Day” and enjoy it as much as I did!

·         Best Surprise (Part 2): Lasers, Lupe Fiasco

I’m not sure which one I’ll remember more: the actual Lasers album or the epic struggle to get Lasers released. When Lasers finally came out, I was happy for Lupe (and proud of him) in that he won greater creative control over his future projects, but I was hesitant to actually buy the album. I did not think that Lasers would actually be a good album because, in many ways, it did not reflect Lupe’s true creative vision; what I did not remember at the time was that Lupe Fiasco’s previous works (Food & Liquor and The Cool) were pretty great albums, if not classics. Here’s a comparison: Michael Jackson’s 2001 album Invincible was actually a pretty good “grown-folk” R&B album, but because it wasn’t as good his previous releases, people thought it was bad. The same thing happened to Lupe. Lasers was a pretty good hip-hop album and if anyone else came out with that album, it would have been a good release from that artist; but since it was Lupe, we were expecting something out-of-this-world. Lupe still has the same challenging and thought-provoking tracks such as “Words I Never Said” and “All Black Everything,” but he’s also added a club-banger in “Out Of My Head” and a hip-hop anthem in “The Show Goes On.” In fact the last song mentioned was Lupe’s biggest hit ever! Not bad!

·         If I Could Choose One More Album: The Light of The Sun, Jill Scott

First off, a big thanks goes out to my good friend Maya who convinced me to give this another listen. The Light of the Sun is Jill Scott’s best album, bar none. This was Jill’s first album since leaving her former label Hidden Beach and the results were something special and from the heart. Just read this quote about what went into this record:

“We call it 'going in'. You go inside yourself, inside your spirit, and you explore. It’s exhausting. When we were done, there was a lot of whooping and hugging and high-fiving. It’s that kind of record.” – Jill Scott

Wow! And “going in” is evident from opening of the album in which Jill tells us about what’s going on in her life. I appreciate how personal and well-put together this album is. Among the tracks my favorite is Jill Scott’s collaboration with Anthony Hamilton entitled “So In Love” – it’s a nice type of R&B duet that many artists don’t do anymore. Also, “So Gone (What My Mind Says)” is such a smooth track! I think that if I had more time to listen to this album, I would have appreciated it more. There might be a review on this one a little later…

Alright, that’s it for Part 1! I’m looking forward to your feedback here, on Facebook, and Twitter @ReggieGalloway. Look out for Part 2 very soon! 

Back... Again

And we go again, lol.

I know I've been out for while, but I'm back thanks to inspiration from two good friends of mine. M and S have been producing incredible material on their blogs and other social media. Their "stuff" is so deep, personal, and sincere that I'm now inspired to do the same in my own way. I intend on using this blog once again in order (1) express myself and (2) let people get to know me a little better.

With that said, I have two big ground rules. First, whenever possible, anything I post is going to be positive. There is enough negativity is the news. If you have read this blog before (or look at the past entries) you know that I been through enough negative -ish already; I want people to come to this blog and enjoy themselves - maybe be entertained, informed, or even humored. The second ground rule is that this blog is PG (yes, the edginess still occurs, but it's now behind the scenes) and with that said there won't be any sex, profanity, or drinking references here... but hopefully, it'll still be a good read.

With that said, thanks for reading and enjoy!

Nelly Before Jay

Earlier today I had an epiphany: I was more familiar with Nelly before I was "properly" introduced to Jay-Z. How in the world did this happen?

In elementary school, I did not really listen to music; however, the music I was exposed to Top-40. During that period, some of the artists that dominated the airwaves were the Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, Britney Spears, and 'N Sync. My parents did not really allow me to listen to hip-hop music because they were uncomfortable with the featured themes of misogyny, violence, and inappropriate language for an adolescent boy. Looking back on it, I think they made the right decision for a few reasons. First, I was too young to really understand anything about hip-hop including the technique, metaphors, and most importantly the context i.e. where the artists were coming from. Moreover, coming from "the old-school" my parents probably did not understand too much about hip-hop either. Secondly, I attended a school with a fair number of suburban white kids (with actually soccer moms - not kidding) and hip-hop did not really have a place in the culture. My parents also did not want want me to be stereotyped for my aesthetic decisions.

Up until middle school, I had only heard hip-hop in passing or when it crossed over into pop/Top-40. For instance, I clearly remember Puff Daddy's (or Diddy's) "I'll Be Missing You" because it was played on Top-40 radio. And of course, my favorite rapper at this time was... Will Smith - so typical (Quick sidebar: Will Smith's first solo album "Big Willie Style" was actually a great album, but it was pop-rap). By the time I had entered 6th grade in 2000, I found that I was listening to more hip-hop, but yet it was still pop-rap. By "pop-rap" I am talking about hip-hop that is relatively radio friendly and appealing to a mainstream audience and for me, no artist better personifies pop-rap than Nelly.

"Country Grammar" - http://bit.ly/ripuWK

"Ride wit Me" - http://bit.ly/rv30Xa

"Hot in Herre" - http://bit.ly/r1Mr8o

"Dilemma" - http://bit.ly/n7kiB4

"Air Force Ones" (the WORST song ever, behind "Pimp Juice") - http://bit.ly/nis0xx

What do these five songs have in common? They all came out while I was in middle school (2000-2002) and charted in the Top-5 of the Billboard Top 100. Each record is catchy, but in my opinion, does not possess the rawness present in a lot of hip-hop music. Here's the key and it's something that I can't blame any rapper for: mainstream America either cannot relate to a lot of elements of hip-hop culture and/or they don't want to hear about something (borrowing from DuBois) so deeply entrenched within the Veil; so they make music that is accessible and somewhat relatable. By my standards, this is cool... as long as the rapper is willing to accept the label of being pop. So, I would have no problem with walking up to Nelly or Will Smith and calling them pop artists to their face.

On the other hand, while I was in middle school I got my first snippets of Jay-Z. The very first hip-hop song I fell in love with was Jay's "I Just Wanna Love You" - http://bit.ly/pjnmj1 - I just had to listen to this track even chance I got! Also, the track's smooth hook also made me a fan of Pharrell and the Neptunes. I didn't understand what Jay-Z was rapping or anything - it was just my track. While I was exposed to Jay-Z in pieces, there were two more hip-hop acts that really broke through into the Top-40 scene: Eminem and Outkast. Of course as a white rapper (a lot of his biographical and socioeconomic background could easily be black - easy) Eminem was a fascination and it's easy to see why he broke through into the Top-40: he was an anomaly and was as a creative a storyteller as Slick Rick. Outkast was so smooth with "So Fresh, So Clean" and "Ms. Jackson" (http://bit.ly/ruchLf) that they had to break through. Both of these artists had tracks that any one could relate to, i.e. the familiar themes of "hating your mother" or "getting a girl pregnant" - the difference between artists like Eminem/Jay/Outkast and artists like Nelly or Ja-Rule was that whereas the latter made rap-pop tracks to make Top-40 hit money, the former's talent and ability drew the mainstream to their material; Eminem/Jay/Outkast did not change a thing (at least not at that time).

By the time I had entered high school, I was actively listening to and learning more about hip-hop music. One thing particular moment that stands out in my mind was the day I went to Circuit City and brought my first two hip-hop albums: Outkast's "Speakerboxx/The Love Below" and Jay-Z's "Black Album."

But of course, there's another level to this story and that involves The Roots, but that's for another day!

Where I've Been and Occupy Wall Street.

It's a fortunate situation when you can just pick up where you've left off: that's what I'm doing by writing this blog entry two months removed.

I also blessed that I've been able to come home and pick up right where I left off. First and foremost, I'm grateful to my parents for their unconditional love and support (even though they're probably not reading this). It's thanks to them that I'm able to take this time right now to explore my options and really "take it easy" for a bit.

After my folks, I need to give a shout out to my friends Matt and Roxy who have shown me that fun does indeed exist after college, lol.

So, where have I been? I've pretty much replaced my Facebook status updates with Tweets and am spending most of my days in the library studying and exploring my options. And I've learned that I have a lot more in common with the "common folk" than I assumed and timing is everything.

One thing that is really on my mind right now is my relationship with Princeton as it relates to the Wall Street Movement. Although I do not see myself as an investment banker (or in a related field), I am connected to a lot of people who either are or are pursuing careers in this field. Moreover, Dr. Cornel West - one of my greatest teachers and favorite professors - was arrested this past Sunday as a form of protest. Here's the irony: Dr. West is protesting against the institution that many of students sitting in his class (my former peers) are primed to enter.

I am not an economist and I am not aware of the specifics of this economic recession, but I know that many Americans who are working hard and are "doing the right thing" have been cheated by the actions of a few. My question is this: will my friends and former classmates who are about to enter Wall Street roll with the status quo or push for reform.

From another vanish point, I am also connected to men and women who have either (1) been "laid-off" from their jobs or (2) are struggling to find a job. It's rough... to feel their pain and I imagine that they may even experience a sense of powerlessness. My father once told me that one of the unique aspects about being black is having a "nexus" to those who are well-to-do and those that are struggling - I'm feeling that right now. Yet, there's a different type of nexus at work right now in that I feel empathy for everyone out there who is struggling to find a job or to keep one. People bond and come together over shared experiences; this type of pain caused by the current economic recession is an experience that people all around the world are sharing - it transcends racial, ethnic, nationality or other types of identifications.

If I had a to pray for something right now, I would ask God to bestow the necessary awareness upon those in power so they might be enabled to do what's right for all of us.

One more thing: Jared and Maya - thanks for your support and insights! Keep 'em coming!

Experiencing Love in Miriam's Kitchen

Sometimes the best moments in life occur when two things happen: (1) when we least expect it and (2) when we throw all caution to the wind and dive in. I’ll admit this first sentence is very cliché but it exactly describes my experience volunteering at Miriam’s Kitchen earlier this morning.

For some background, Miriam’s Kitchen is a non-profit organization that “provides individualized services that address the causes and consequences of homelessness.” One of the unique aspects that I appreciate about Miriam’s Kitchen (and keep in mind, I just became aware of this today) is the holistic and individualized approach its takes towards each of its guests. This organization’s three areas of programming are meals, case management, and art as a form of therapy. In some ways, Miriam’s kitchen takes a full service approach in that they have food, activities, programs, clothing, and toiletries for their guests. More importantly, Miriam’s kitchen provides its guest with a community to go to everyday which gives them recognition: I believe that to recognize or be recognized is the greatest, most powerful type of human interaction that exists. For more information, please check out their website: http://www.miriamskitchen.org/

Now to reference the beginning of this reflection, this time yesterday afternoon, I was not planning on volunteering at Miriam’s Kitchen. As a member of the Princeton Club of Washington, I received an “urgent” email requesting volunteers to join in the contingent that we send every month to the Kitchen. In some ways this email came from “left field” and felt totally random – “we least expect it.” Next, I was on the fence because our group’s shift was from 6:00 AM to 8:30 AM. This meant that in order to get there, I would need get up at around 4:15 AM and head out for the Metro at 5:00 AM – which is when the first trains depart; I decided to throw “caution in the wind and dive in” – and it was worth it!

The first thing I noticed when I walked into Miriam’s Kitchen was that all of my fellow volunteers were white and I was the only black one. In the grand scheme of things this does not matter; however, I majored in Anthropology and African American Studies which means that I pay attention to details and people because it may speak to a larger cultural/societal trend. After this initial observation, I later asked one of the security guards who was also black if “brothers volunteered here” and he responded “all the time.”

My primary task during the day was to work the door. In this role, I was responsible for greeting each of the guests and handing them numbers that corresponded to the order in which they would be served breakfast. The 90 minutes I stood at the door, I had the opportunity to greet and interact with some genuinely awesome people. There are two people that stick out in my mind. First, there was a guest who had creative artistic skills and drew pictures of the casts of two Tyler Perry sitcoms and the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Second, there was another gentleman who came up to me and pointed me out as a college student. He asked where I attended school and I told him Princeton. Then he responded “Ok congrats, that’s a nice school” – that was a nice moment there, but fortunately one amongst many.

During my time at the door, I had the opportunity to hand out numbers and greetings to about 120 people (the others lined up early outside for numbers before I had even arrived). Each of these interactions were simply refreshing and fun. Moreover, when leaving a lot of them thanked me even though I didn’t do too much. Guests came in steadily throughout breakfast time and came together to form a type of community. In this modestly-sized room, over 100 men and women ate breakfast together. In addition to breakfast, I saw glimpses of the Kitchen’s full-service approach: the case managers making the rounds to each table, the volunteer in the corner handing out toiletries and vitamins, and the lawyer to consult with the guests. Add this visual to a soundtrack of 60’s Motown music and that’s quite an aesthetic!

All-in-all, this was a special experience for me. Aside from being my first post-college volunteer experience, it was an amazing instance of experiential learning. Although I did not talk in depth to any of the guests (being at the door, I did not have the time), my preconceived notions about homelessness in Washington D.C. were further shattered. For instance, in terms of diversity, I interacted with people of every race, men and women, people who were dressed in different ways, and veterans. In terms of the veterans and homelessness, I am somewhat sensitive to this matter because of my belief that anyone who has served our country in the military should not have to experience homelessness. I would like to learn more about this particular relationship and find out if it’s due to a failure of our Department of Veteran Affairs, or perhaps our country’s general unawareness of the issues returning soldiers face upon returning home.

I would like to thank Miriam’s Kitchen for this wonderful experience and opportunity. It was good and uplifting to see so much love – agape type love – so wonderfully generated and concentrated in one place. There was love from the guests who appreciated being recognized and loved, there was love from the volunteers who lovingly prepared and served the food, and there was love from the staff who coordinated this communal gathering – I felt the love all around (note: the blog is entitled “I am Here 2 Love”). I’m looking forward to returning in the near future.

My Reflections on SlutWalk

(While reading, please keep in mind that these are only my reflections; I do not claim to have any expertise here)

Yesterday, I attended SlutWalk DC; it was one of the most uncomfortable and insightful experiences of my summer. Imagine just sitting poolside with your feet and part of your legs in the water. You're in the water, but you're not submerged in the pool - that was my experience attending DC's SlutWalk. I was there, but wasn't all-in.

"SlutWalk" is a worldwide movement, to amongst other things protest and reject the practice of victim blamming regarding rape/sexual-assault. Moreover one of the central missions of the movemnent is to reject the power of the word "slut" and the notion of shaming based on personal expression or lifestyle choices. For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SlutWalk

So the first question is "why did I decide to go?" There are two reasons here: (1) I support women's and LGBT rights in the sense of people should be free to express their sexuality in any manner they desire and (2) I enjoy attending cultural events (marches/protests/etc.) in Washington D.C.

I came on the scene at 11 AM for the opening rally in Lafayette Square (it's actually across the street from the White House). If I had to do this again, I would have brought a friend along; however, this time I rode solo. And instead of interacting with other attendees, I just chilled from a bench in the square. During the time between the rally and the start of the march, to the area of the program proper, I simply watched what was happening right in front of me. I saw men and women in their underwear and other revealing clothing, which made an intriguing contrast with the tourists in their uniform family reunion blue t-shirts.

In My Notebook (while sitting down during the rally): "Why am I here? I'm just sitting on a park bench,taking it all in.

When the marching began, I took a while to join in. At first, I was just going to not march and skip ahead to the stage where the program would take place, but I decided against this because walking with the people in solidarity is part of the experience. Although I marched with the people, I remained silent the entire time. While others were shouting chants such as "consent is sexy," I was silent. Once again, I took it all in - police officers on motorcycles to my left, tourists and vendors to my right, and allies/fellow marchers in front and behind. Unlike the other marchers, I had no sign in my hands or no words in my mouth.

In My Notebook (while marching): "There's a big diff btw working in a campus center for LGBT rights and marching for it"

When we came to the Sylvan Theater, there was a good 30 minutes before the speeches began. I stood around on the grass and watched people with all types of bodies and who came from all sorts of places congregate for a common purpose - a good purpose. I was captivated by the signs - all direct, most of them clever. I took photos of the signs and walked around a bit. There was an overcast in the skies...

The SlutWalk program was powerful and perhaps the greatest illustration of this power was the combination of the wind, rain, and thunder. For me these natural elements were a reflection of the power and importance of this gathering for social justice. I decided to Tweet during this program:

Tweets between me and J:

J: " @ReggieGalloway Oh man, Reggie, how did the #Slutwalk go?"

Me: "@j I'll be honest J, it's powerful to hear the testimony and strength of rape survivors - but as a man, there's something uneasy here"

J: "@ReggieGalloway I'm sure. I think it's similar to what @r told me about listening to James Cone talk about #black #liberation."

Me: "@jit's never easy for a member of the transgressive group to hear and sincerely listen to the victims but it needs to happen justice"

While writing the last Tweet, I thought about how white allies of black civil rights activists must have felt during the movement back in the 1950s and 60s. I imagine it must have been difficult for them to hear about the atrocities and injustices committed against people of color throughout the country. In my situation, as a man, it was difficult to hear the testimony of rape survivors who had been sexually assaulted. There was one testimony that particularly shook me.

Before leaving the program, I listened intently to a speaker who was thrice a victim of rape. One of the three times she detailed occurred during the 1974 Race Riots in Boston. She talked about how she – an individual who worked to end segregation – was raped by a black man. I was shook, as if she had found me, looked me in the eyes, and told me that story. And she specifically said that the racial identities do matter in this story – why? I still don’t understand that and how race specifically fits into this larger issue – because tragically, sexual assault is a global issue that occurs in all cultures and racial groups (I also still have images of black youth in London and Philadelphia fresh in my mind).

My Tweet: “Just heard the testimony of a white female rape survivor who was sexually assaulted by a black man back in the race riots of '74 - shook me”

After that, I couldn’t take any more, it was a lot to take in and think about. The rain had stopped and I put on my headphones in order to escape. I put on something familiar in order to get lost in the music – Big Sean’s “My Last.” I think that specific testimony was something that hit me from left field and disrupted my understandings of the complicated interactions between black men and white women; it was the realization of the worst possibilities of miscegenation from D.W. Griffith’s A Birth of a Nation: the black savage man ravaging the pure white female. Big Sean’s lyrics offered me a moment of escape and fantasy (and ironically, its chorus is sung by Chris Brown):

Looking back on the Slutwalk, I’m glad I went. I learned a lot about how our society creates and perpetuates the conditions in which victims of rape and sexual assault are held partially responsible for what happens to them because of how others perceive them – and of course this is wrong. Self-expression is a right and no one’s body should be threatened as a result of exercising that right. I think the best way we can help is with two practices:

1. Zero-Tolerance for unwanted sexual advances.

2. Letting go of our preconceived notions and stereotypes regarding what a “slut” (clothing, sexual behaviors, etc.). For the most part, these are unfair burdens/double-standards placed upon women and even though it’s going to be difficult, these need to go.

Thanks for Reading.

Reggie's Slow Jams

First off, I'm back and (believe or not) I graduated!

In college, I did almost everything I wanted to. One of things on my list, that I never got to do was to make a slow jams playlist and exchange it with my friends. When I originally had this idea, I was thinking about composing a playlist of the most ridiculous, over-the-top songs just for fun. The type of song that would have made this original list would is Prince's "Do Me Baby" - which is actually a great track, but it's just really too much. Here's the thing: during the course of college, I fell in love and began to realize that a great slow jam can really capture and express sincere emotions of love (while being a great soundtrack to.... lol).

Also just thinking about it, the name of the blog is I am Here 2 Love so... makes sense :)

With that said, here are 5 of my favorite old school and contemporary slow jams (in no particular order):

Old School:

• "The Lady in My Life" - Michael Jackson (Thriller)

http://bit.ly/Lxq8r - "I promise you tonight that you will always be the lady in my life..." This is MJ at his smoothest and most tender!

• "I'll Make Love to You" - Boyz II Men (If)

http://bit.ly/9urq5Y - "Girl your wish is my command, I submit to your demands..." The thing about Boyz II Men is that they always gave the ladies what they want.

• "The Beautiful Ones" - Prince (Purple Rain)

http://bit.ly/m8pK07 - "What's it goin' to be baby, do you want him or do you want me? Cause I want you!" This is one of my favorite Prince tracks and it's awesome because he lays it all on the line (honestly, how many of us guys do that?)!

• "Let's Get It On" - Marvin Gaye (Let's Get It On)

http://bit.ly/DdJ2N - "Let's Get It On" It's THE song, the Standard, nuff said

• "Something" - The Beatles (Abbey Road)

http://bit.ly/6CwsTm - "Something in the way she moves attracts me like no other lover" This George Harrison (Beatles) track is a bit different in that the singer is not directly addressing his love interest, but it's probably the Beatles' greatest love song and in their top 10 overall songs.

New School (No song quotations for these)

• "Shut it Down" - Drake feat. The Dream (Thank Me Later)

http://bit.ly/cl6Le3 - Drake and The-Dream: a lethal combination!

• "You and I" - Lady Gaga (Born this Way)

http://bit.ly/qgrvWQ - I love this track because it's about two people who have been together and together through a journey. This is also a great bar songs and example of storytelling in music.

• "There Goes My Baby" - Usher (Raymond v. Raymond)

http://bit.ly/cpTF51 - Usher just takes it to another level here - everything here is perfect!

• "Customer" - Raheem DeVaughn (Love Behind the Melody)

http://bit.ly/qLffGS - Please pay attention here! Raheem DeVaughn just doesn't get enough credit for what he does, i.e. he makes all his music for the ladies. Once one of his slow jams is played, it's game over.

• "Until the End of Time" - Justin Timberlake feat. The Benjamin Wright Orchestra

http://bit.ly/3Q522y - JT is talking about commitment; big thing there pal, especially when it's until the end of time and all that, lol

That's my list! Thanks and I hope you've enjoy reading!