SECTION D


August 25-31, 2010


Reflections By Steve Holsey A disappointed dad One would have to look far and wide to find


someone — with common sense — who does not understand Laurence Fishburne’s disap- pointment, embarrassment, hurt and anger fol- lowing his daughter’s decision to make a porn video that is now being widely distributed.


Of course, Montana Fishburne is of legal age (19) and has a right to make her own decisions


Billie Holiday


Curtis Mayfield


Marvin Gaye


MUSIC WITH A Montana Fishburne and Laurence Fishburne.


regarding her career choice and everything else, but she is apparently not aware of all the ramifications. The fact that she admires Kim Kardashian, who also made a sex video and, like Paris Hilton, is famous for basically noth- ing, speaks volumes about her values.


Also, Ms. Fishburne was incredibly naive to


say, “I believe in time my father will view it as a positive.”


Not a chance! This is not a condemnation of X-rated


material. That kind of entertainment has its place and always will, but there are many other factors involved when a person pondering entry into that field is the offspring of someone famous and highly respected.


FAITH EVANS, known for hits from “back


in the recent day” such as “Love Like This” and “All Night Long,” has been mostly under the radar lately, but she will have a new album available in early Octo- ber titled “Something About Faith.”


So many recording Faith Evans


artists are diversify- ing these days, which is a good thing since the public is buying far fewer CDs. Nelly, for example, how has a radio show on Hot 104.1 FM in St. Louis. Nelly was raised in St. Louis although he was born in Travis, Texas.


There is a possibil-


ity of Usher and Chris Brown touring together. That would be a hot ticket — and the audience would be at least 75 percent female.


Got a kick out of President Barack Obama’s


automobile analogy when describing the differ- ence between Democrats and Republicans. He said when you want to go forward you shift to “D” — which also means “Democrat.” To go in re- verse the driver shifts to “R” — which also stands for “Republican.”


Can you remember the


first album you ever pur- chased? Mine was “Two Lovers and Other Great Hits” by Mary Wells. That was in 1963. I bought it at the Sears store on Gratiot and Van Dyke.


By Steve Holsey A Barack Obama JAY-Z is not likely to ever come up short in


the financial department. In the last 12 months he has made $63 million, enough to put him on the top of Forbes magazine’s “Hip-Hop Cash Kings” list. He made the money from a com- bination of the sales of his “The Blueprint 3” album, a stake in the NBA’s New Jersey Nets, his 40/40 nightclub chain and a world tour.


Sean “Diddy” Combs


came in a distant second with $30 mil- lion.


Jay-Z


Sorry to hear about the passing of singer/


actress Abbey Lincoln. Fiercely loyal to her


race, Lincoln, who was at one time married to jazz musician Max Roach, was not hesi- tant about criticizing some rappers, comics and filmmakers for denigrating Black people to make money. Lincoln made her last album in 2007.


Rihanna’s huge


popularity was proven again when she sold out New York’s 20,000- seat Madison Square Garden.


All aspiring artists


— or people in any field — should heed the words of author/motivator Alan Cohen: “If you


See Reflections Page D-2 The Staple Singers Stevie Wonder The O’Jays


t a time when most popular songs deal with matters of the heart and/or the flesh, or just having a good time, it is interesting to reflect on the fact that music can be and has often


been used as a human rights and ethnic pride tool. This kind of music was, in fact, an essential ele-


ment during the Civil Rights Movement, which in turn laid the groundwork for other social movements that were to follow.


One of the most prolific and successful proponents


of socially conscious music was Philadelphia Inter- national Records, headed by famed producer-writers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The company slogan informed the world that there was “a message in the music.” Oftentimes, you could dance while words of inspiration were being ingrained.


AMONG THE foremost Philly International repre-


sentatives was the O’Jays. It was they — Eddie Levert, Walter Williams and William Powell — who warned about “the love of money” and “backstabbers”; who in- formed government that “you’ve got to give the people what they want”; who expounded on the joys of the family reunion; who laid it on the line regarding the slave trade with “Ship Ahoy”; they even admonished, “Don’t call me brother” if you have evil intentions.


Meanwhile, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, with


Teddy Pendergrass up front, captured the seriousness of the time with “Wake Up Everybody”; the Intruders said we had to “find a way to save the children”; and Billy Paul believed the time had come for an apocalyptic “war of the gods.”


There was even a group project. Several Philadelphia Inter-


national acts — the O’Jays, Lou Rawls, Dee Dee Sharp-Gamble, Teddy Pendergrass, Billy Paul and Archie Bell — recorded “Let’s Clean Up the Ghetto” in 1977.


There was plenty going on outside of Philadelphia International as well. NINA SIMONE never pulled any punches when it


came to singing and recording songs with something im- portant, even urgent, to say, such as “Backlash Blues,” “Four Women” and “Mississippi G------.”


One of her most powerful songs was the musical ad-


aptation of Lorraine Hansberry’s play, “To Be Young, Gifted and Black.” And one of her most poignant was “Why? (The King of Love of Dead),” recorded three days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and written by her bass player, Gene Taylor, as soon as he heard the tragic news.


When Nina Simone said, “I ain’t playin’ — never was,”


people knew she meant it. CURTIS MAYFIELD made many contributions to


“the cause,” starting with the Impressions and strong compositions such as “Keep On Pushing,” “We’re a Winner,” “This Is My Country” and “Choice of Colors.”


He continued as a solo artist, ironically, making


some of his strongest statements by way of the “Super- fly” soundtrack, including the anti-drug opus “Freddie’s Dead.”


PERHAPS no group delivered more messages than


the Staple Singers, often with a religious slant in keep- ing their gospel roots: “If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me),” “Respect Yourself,” “I’ll Take You There,” etc.


Pop, Mavis, Cleotha and Yvonne also recorded a song


that proudly proclaimed, “I like the things about me that I once despised.” In another they asked, “When will we be paid for the work we’ve done?”


Mavis Staples is still oriented in that direction. Her


latest studio album is entitled “You Are Not Alone,” and the one before it was “We’ll Never Turn Back.”


HIP-HOP artists have seldom been known for songs with con-


structive messages, Public Enemy being an exception, when the unique group was not going over the top. And then there’s Grand- master Flash & the Furious Five with “The Message,” their un-


See Social Conscience Page D-2 SOCIAL


James Brown


Abbey Lincoln


CONSCIENCE


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