MBB Theme Songs

Where Black Moms Matter

August 19, 2010

GET IT, PHARRELL WILLIAMS: Doing Big Things With Despicable Me

Mari and my nephew, Miles, were bored silly yesterday so I agreed to take them to the movies. The flick of choice: Despicable Me, starring Steve Carell. It’s about an evil, thick-headed villain who hatches a sinister plot to steal the moon, only to have three cutie pie, cookie-selling orphan ...

May 13, 2010

Nobody Wins A War

I was thoroughly turned out yesterday by neo-soul/hippie/rock star Raheem DeVaughn’s new album, The Love and War Masterpeace. I’ll tell you this much: that man knows how to make a sexy song and stretch beyond the cliches to make women feel good about listening to his music. He knows, too, ...

April 7, 2010

Word(ful) Wednesday: Janelle MonÃ¡e's "Tightrope"

Janelle MonÃ¡e and her extremely catchy tune, “Tightrope,” off her sophomore album, “The Arch Android,” are both just too cute for words. I especially love the lyrics, which, in my book, speak all-the-way truth: No matter how successful you are or how low you go, somebody always seems to be ...

March 24, 2010

Girl Crushing on Erykah Badu

I â™¥ Erykah Badu. Cop to being a total Stan… Because she’s fly…And clever… A master teacher…Dedicated to her art, her culture and her people… And it helps that she’s totally badass…Particularly when she tells him he “betta call Tyrone”… And she demands a window seat…So she can have a ...

January 6, 2010

Wordful Wednesday: Homage to a (Rare) Singer Who Loves Us Just the Way We Are

I’m not going to complain and moan about the sorry state of music today how it degrades and insults and reaches for the lowest common denominator. My complaints about such things are legendary. No, today, I want to sing praises. For Bilal. A ridiculously talented artist with a vocal range ...

November 11, 2009

Word(ful) Wednesday: Grooving to New "Princess and the Frog" Music with Anika Noni Rose and Ne-Yo

Oh man, when Dreamgirls hit movie theaters on Christmas Day a few years back, Nick and I hosted a huge gift exchange and brunch at my house, and then we all rolled to the movie theater 25 people deep to see Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson, and Anika Noni Rose light up ...

October 15, 2009

Living Without My Radio: What's Spinning On The (Kid-Friendly) MyBrownBaby iTouch

If you’ve read my post about MY BEEF WITH BLACK RADIO, you know I don’t get in the car without my special home made mix of kid-friendly/mom-approved music. I mean, I’d much prefer the babies groove to Chrisette Michelle’s “Be Okay,” De La Soul’s “Me, Myself & I,” or Michael ...

August 12, 2009

Wordless Wednesday Maxwell's "Bad Habits" Video

This video, Maxwell’s “Bad Habits,” from his new album BLACKsummer’snight, makes me feel some kinda ways. I’ll refrain from telling you exactly what kinda way that is, seeing as this is a family blog and all. But you’ll know instantly once you take a looksie. *fans self and clutches pearls* ...

July 9, 2009

What's Your Baby's Kind of Some Kinda?

I had some dear friends over for dinner last night, and while I was cooking collards, macaroni and cheese, candied yams, fried corn, and Nick’s smokin’ smoked ribs I was rocking out to the “Genius” mix on my iTouch, and stumbled across a beautiful poem that I’d never heard before. ...

July 7, 2009

MyBrownBaby Spotlight: Esperanza Spalding

You never know where inspiration comes from I realized I wanted to be a journalist when I saw NBC New York’s Sue Simmons interviewing New Edition. My sister-in-law Angelou was inspired to become an environmentalist while summering on her family’s 58-acre farm, not far from the Canadian border. My little ...