I found this interesting article featuring British singer Estelle getting real about the blindness to black talent in the U.K. She is basically sick of the white soul singers getting all the press when they’re many of singers who are black who aren’t getting any shine. Peep this:
Singling out Adele and Duffy, who she knocked off the number one spot at the weekend, she says:
“I’m not mad at them, but I’m wondering – how the hell is there not a single black person in the press singing soul? Adele ain’t soul. She sounds like she heard some Aretha records once, and she’s got a deeper voice – that don’t mean she’s soul. That don’t mean nothing to me in the grand scheme of my life as a black person. As a songwriter, I get what they do. As a black person, I’m like: you’re telling me this is my music? Fuck that!” [READ MORE]
I get a lot of emails from my U.K. readers saying the same thing. So to all our British peeps, who should we look out for this year?
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Sean Levert and his mother earlier this year. (Wireimage)
What is going on?! Sean Levert (brother of Gerald Levert) was found dead in his jail cell over the weekend:
Levert, 39, was taken from the Cuyahoga County jail in Cleveland on Sunday night after suffering from high blood pressure and hallucinations, but died within the hour at Lutheran Hospital.
Cuyahoga County jail, warden Kevin McDonough said Levert had been sick and guards were watching him at the jail’s regular cellblock because he had been acting strangely.
“There was nothing that would show any of this,” McDonough said. “He had an illness while he was here and it turned into an emergency at that time.”
Last week Sean was sentenced to one year and 10 months in jail for failing to pay $85,000 in child support.
Sean was the second brother of the R&B trio LeVert to pass away. Gerald Levert was 40 when he died in 2006 of an accidental mix of prescription and over-the-counter drugs. [source]
Our condolences to the Levert family at this difficult time.
UPDATE:
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( Photos: Splash News / Wireimage / Filmmagic )
Will Smith brought along his daugther Willow and son Jaden to Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice Awards in California on Saturday. A lot of stars brought their young’ins out for the orange & green event. Looked like fun too. Guest included: Usher & Tameka, Nia Long, Chris Tucker, Rihanna, Eddie Murphy, Janet and more!
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( Screenshot: Splash )
On Friday, Sen. Barack Obama appeared on The View to address (yet again!) the controversial remarks of Jeremiah Wright, Obama’s former pastor of 20 years.
“I never heard him say some of the things that have people upset,” Obama said on the show.
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