Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Standards and Practices? I'm Sure It Is Nowadays...

While cruising Facebook the morning of July 25, 2011, My Brother from another Mother Ricarto Brazela posed this question on his page:


"Examples R. Kelly, Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill... Does the way they live their lives outside of the recording booth/stage impact if/how you view their music? What if their lifestyles contradict the music they put out? Should that matter?"


*Putting on the Pondering Face...*





Looking at the list of Artists that Ric laid out, two of these kids did similar wrong things. And one of these kids did a whole different level of wrong. Let's examine, Shall we?














Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill, and R. Kelly are MAGNIFICENT Artists, and I am confident that no person will dispute that fact. 20 Grammys between the three of them, and many other awards as well. Their music has touched many people and received a lot of airtime, and download props. Here are three great examples of their Skill:






























Add on Alicia Keys being a Philanthropist, Lauryn Hill being a Huge Influence to many Artists, and R. Kelly working with Many Artists and helping them Sky Rocket up the Popularity Food Chain, it is EXTREMELY HARD to Not Love their Musical Contributions (I may not have their CDs, Vinyls, or Download their Music, yet I do listen to what they do and Smile with a steady Head Nod).


Although their styles are different, Alicia Keys and Lauryn Hill both have done something that is so commonplace in this Era that I'm not even the least bit surprised:


Broke Up Marriages for THEIR Selfish Purposes.


Before ANYONE gets Episodic and Disown Me, DO NOT forget who is speaking on this; Andrew "Mr. Controversy" Boyd, AKA Phoenix, The Reborn© (Phoenix, The Reborn is a Registered Copyright of Andrew R. Boyd). You know I'm going to rub A LOT of people the wrong way with what I am going to say, and I welcome Anyone AND Everyone to "Drop Their Knowledge" on this topic. Your Rebuttals ARE Expected. Yet, I humbly ask that you all be open minded with what is coming out of my Mind and being written here.


I'm going to start by saying a quote that My Dad has been saying for Years, and is SO VERY Appropiate in this write:

"In this Day and Age, Women Believe that A Piece of Man is Better than No Man."


Let me start with Lauryn Hill...





For those that did not know, Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean dated through the majority of The Fugees early tenure, a relationship that friends have called "complicated". Then in 1996, she met Rohan Marley, a son of the Late and Great Bob Marley, who himself was already married. Even though he was married, they started a family; 3 Boys and 2 Girls (BEAUTIFUL Children!! Baby number six, a Boy, has been reported today that he is Not Rohan's Son). I'm sure once Rohan's Wife NOW Ex-Wife caught wind of the Extra-marital Affair (whether by his words or Lauryn's), she was not Farting Rainbows and Shitting Sunshine. And we have received confirmation that Rohan left Lauryn for 28-year-old Brazilian Model Isabeli Fontana. Here are a few pics of her:









She's Very Attractive, as is Lauryn. It seems apparent that Lauryn's indiscretions have come back to haunt her and Isabeli is merely stealing a page out of Lauryn's Play Book.


Or is that REALLY the case...?


When you think about it, I can honestly place blame on Rohan as equally as I would Lauryn, for the simple fact that he is A WEAK MAN (Damn Right I said it, and you can Quote Me on it, too!!). He allowed TWO Women to interfere in his Life the way that they did. A REAL Man, is a One Woman Man; Remember, Rohan was Married when he met Lauryn, and Rohan was in a Relationship with Lauryn when he met Isabeli.

Doesn't say much for Anyone's character here, does it?


Let's examine Alicia Keys...





To Summarize what is going on here:

Alicia Keys was friends with Swizz's Wife. She was Humping the Man like a Horny Dog all the while smiling in her "Girlfriend's" (Swizz's Wife) face (ALLEGEDLY). Swizz and Wife get a divorce. Swizz and Alicia date, Alicia got preggers, get engage, and are married with an ADORABLE Little Blessing named Egypt (REMINDER: Egypt didn't walk up to his parents and Ask to be Conceived or Born; EVERYONE walking this Earth didn't ask for that. So therefore, Egypt, as are we, ARE A BLESSING). Here's a pic of the Little Marvel:






Now, we have to see who Swizzy left so he could be with Ms. Keys...





Swizz's Ex-Wife is Very Attractive, just like Alicia. And she has a Brand New Little one, like Alicia.


Once again, is this a case of a Woman going after someone that was once unobtainable by being Deceitful, Dishonest, and all around Disgustingly Dirty in her Trickery and Methods, or another Weak Man failing to Prioritize in the Realm of the Heart?


To be Very Honest, we don't know what the EXACT Circumstances were when it came to these two situations and more than likely we NEVER WILL. Just know that What is Done in the Dark WILL Come to Light. There may be a day where the Truth will come out, but do not hold your Breath.


Looking at these two situations, they remind me of the "Family Guy" Episode "The Cleveland–Loretta Quagmire," Where Cleveland Brown's Wife Loretta had an Affair with Cleveland's Best Friend, Glen Quagmire. The End Result is Loretta and Cleveland Divorcing after Loretta left him, and he and Quagmire closed the show reminiscent to "Rocky III".










Only difference, Boys and Girls? No Children are in the Mix and this is a Cartoon. Actual Lives as well as Families are Fucked Up and Destroyed because of Selfishness ALL ACROSS THE BOARD. There is no way that ANYONE can Justify this Madness between those two. If anyone can, it'll lead me to believe that You Yourself are a Man-Jacker or a Woman-Jacker (NOT Judging; I am ASSESSING. Please don't confuse the Two).


Bottom Line: The True Victims are the Children Involved in this Bullshit, and I pray for their Young and "As Innocent as Possible" Souls.








Robert Kelly AKA R. Kelly AKA "The Pied Piper of R&B" :


Riddle Me This, Mr. Kelly:

With all that you have accomplished in the World of Music, as well as garnering the Love and Admiration of So Many People (Myself Included), WHY OH WHY did you pee on that Girl AND Video Tape it?


I feel a couple of References coming on...






Chappelles Show
R. Kelly's "Piss on You" Music Videos
www.comedycentral.com
Buy Chappelle's Show DVDsBlack ComedyTrue Hollywood Story












"R. Kelly is mad at me! That ain't a Joke; That Nigg@'s MAD! He came up to me asking, 'How are you going to do a Video about me peeing on somebody?!' Nigg@, how are YOU going to make a video about peeing on Somebody?!" -Dave Chappelle


February of 2002, R. Kelly was accused of making a video, allegedly showing him engaging in sex with an underage girl. It was released by an unknown source, and was sent to the Chicago Sun-Times; the newspaper that broke the story. Now, from what was rumored, he was looking DEAD INTO the camera and proceeded to turn an underage girl into a urinal. And who better to do that to than Sparkle's Niece? Sparkle: YOUR PROTEGE!!!

Let me get this Right: Sparkle's Niece, YOUR Protege's Niece, is peed on by You AND You Video Taped the whole thing? And to top it all off, it was either someone you screwed over in the past and kept around you, or a Jilted Ex (Let's clump them together and say "Someone with A NASTY Grudge against You") that took That Tape to the Press, and you got your Tardy Ass Arrested.


To be BRUTALLY HONEST, Robert Kelly IS a Pedophile. Look at his Track Record:

-1994: Kelly meets his future wife Andrea Lee when she auditions to be a dancer for the 12 Play tour (she was 20 at the time). However, he first marries 15-year-old Aaliyah (using a falsified marriage certificate that lists her age as 18) in August.

-Dec., 1996: Suit Filed Against Kelly; Tiffany Hawkins, 20, files suit against Kelly, saying he picked her up at his old high school in 1991, had sex with her when she was only 15. Then in Jan. of 1998, R. Kelly pays Hawkins $250,000 to drop her lawsuit (I'm not Legal Savvy, BUT I do Believe that Payoff is an Admission of Guilt).

-April of 2000: R. Kelly begins a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old record-label intern named Tracy Sampson, according to her 2001 lawsuit. In December, the Chicago Sun-Times publishes an article about the investigation and Kelly's "pattern of pursuing underage girls for sex." The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services launches a probe.

-January 2003: R. Kelly is arrested on 16 additional charges of child pornography in Miami when authorities say they found photos of a nude underage girl while searching his residence during the previous arrest. The Florida charges are later dismissed due to an anomaly in the search warrant. Despite Kelly's failure to phone his probation officer while shooting a video in January in Florida, Judge Vincent Gaughan overlooks protests from prosecutors and grants the singer permission to leave the state for two brief tours, one in August and one in October.

-January 2008: Ne-Yo sues for breach of contract for being fired from the Double Up tour, while the judge orders Kelly to cancel a show so as not to miss a court appearance the following day. In February, Regina and George Daniels clarify that Kelly had a sexual relationship with their college-age daughter, whom the singer has known since she was 7 (College-Age could mean either 17 or 18; dependent on Age of Consent in the State at the time, R. Kelly COULD have been in the Clear).






You are NEVER an Official Celebrity until you have a Mugshot! *Rolling Eyes*


I don't care how Hard you defend this dude, fact of the matter is Robert Kelly has a LAUNDRY LIST of Pedophilic tendencies. I'm on my knees BEGGING for someone to Justify Mr. Kelly's Heat Seeker being set to "Teenage Girls". What, R. Kelly: Is it the fact that Women your age are a Challenge and you are Fucking Lazy, or is it the Fact that you have a Sick, Warped, and Twisted way of Manipulating Young and Naive Minors for your own Sexual Satisfaction and Gratification? TELL US, SIR!!

Maybe I answered my own question, I don't know....


To be Fair and Objectionable in this debate, those Little Girls could have looked at R. Kelly and said "No!" Instead of doing that, those "Little Women" chose to be "Grown Up" in their actions, they got what they paid for (LITERALLY); A Media Circus and Labeled as Victims (Other Words come to Mind, but that would be Low, even for Me). And to add onto it, I'm throwing in a "Boondocks" Reference:










Riley is DEAD ON; the girl could have Simply MOVED OUT OF THE WAY!!!



The One Thing that we MUST Keep in Mind is that there are two sets of individuals:

There is Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill, and R. Kelly: THE ARTIST, THE PERFORMER, AND THE POSITIVE ROLE MODEL TO THE COUNTRY, IF NOT THE WORLD.

And there is Alicia Keys (Alicia Augello Cook, born January 25, 1981), Lauryn Hill (Lauryn Noelle Hill, born May 26, 1975), and R. Kelly (Robert Sylvester Kelly, born January 8, 1967): THE PERSON BEHIND THE MUSIC.

Ladies and Gentlemen, PLEASE Learn to Separate the Two Individuals; the Performer and the Person. That is Common Logic 101, and Common Sense 101.


Bottom Line: No Matter Who You Are and What Your Status is in Life, you are a HUMAN BEING First! And from my Point of View, from what I have Observed from Afar, as well as What was Presented to the Public via our Great Media Coverage *Rolling Eyes AGAIN*, They are No Different and No Better than Anyone Else that pulls the EXACT SAME SHIT! They have Pull, so the Rules DO NOT Apply.


*Sarcastic Applause* Just Fucking Awesome.


Let it be one of us Common Folk, with NO PULL at all; we would be Labeled AND Condemned for what we have done in regards to what they did. No Ifs, Ands, Or Buts About It.


My Question for You, Those that lump ANY one of them as The Performer, Artist, AND Person: If you are such a Huge Supporter of their Music, does that Mean You Condone what they have done outside of the Studio and Off of the Stage as well?




~© 2011 Andrew Boyd~

18 comments:

Caprice Starbrite said...

I have to say that I condone no one for their actions as a human being. I always say that one thing has nothing to do with the other (i.e., performer...human...Michael Jackson). People are going to do what they do when they do it, and no matter how it's played out, will STILL do what they do! *I'm the riddler but you get the jist* No one REALLY knows the absolute truth because we all know the media are WHORES for a story. I mean, you have artist, FAMED...ICON artists who have paved the way for today's artists...(i.e. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, etc.) and what did they do?? I don't need to answer that question. My opinion, as I said above, one thing has nothing to do with the other!

RiBraz said...

Good read man! good read!

ABoyd378 said...

I totally see where you are coming from, Caprice!

At this Stage in Life, sometimes we Need to Separate, yet at the same time, another reader in a Group that I posted this Blog stated a few Valid Points herself ("...I try to stay open minded and believe people learn from past mistakes. I also believe true performers do not separate who they are as an individual verses their artist title. ...I do this to see the positivity in the messages their music is trying to portray..."

I LOVE the opinions of Others; we can learn a lot from one another and I enjoy learning from you all!


Thank You again!

ABoyd378 said...

The Man of the Hour!!

Sir... *Shaking Your Hand*

This was Truly a STELLAR Challenge, and I Love You for this one! You pushed my Limits in the Blogging aspect with your Question. In two Days, this came out, and I couldn't be Prouder of this write!

Thank You!!!

Caprice Starbrite said...

I completely agree and she makes a valid point, BUT...we as fans put these people on a pedestal! Are they worthy of that pedestal because they write "positive" lyrics but yet live the life of darkness?? Do we conform to the "hero" complex because of what "sounds good?" Many points and questions can be raised in regards to this subject.

But you is a good writer boy! Yes you are! LMAO

ABoyd378 said...

Yeah, we do; Even if they do not realize it, they are Set to a Higher Standard because they are in the Public Eye much more than we are (We are Seen, yet Unseen).

"Are they worthy of that pedestal because they write 'positive' lyrics but yet live the life of darkness?? Do we conform to the 'hero' complex because of what 'sounds good?'"

VERY Debatable!! I'm sure we will have Varying Ideals on the answer to this.

*TEE HEE!!* LOL!!

Anonymous said...

I propose this question for those that don't feel one applies to the other..
If your uncle Tommy raped your teen cousin would you still invite him to Sunday dinner?
Prolly NO!
When your cousin Nikki started dating that married man, did you cut her off?
What about when you and her were at the mall together and the wife jumped out on you two.
Didn't you jump in?
So what makes celebs any different?
Michael wrote the pedophile blueprint for R.
Alicia & Lauryn just doing what their selfish hearts desired..
I hold them accountable, if not.. I'd be just as guilty as they are.
I'm happy for them but dislike the broken hearts they've caused..

I have NOT purchased another R. Alicia Hill album or single cause I hold them accountable for their actions.

ABoyd378 said...

Rated R, THAT was a Mouthful! And VERY Strong Points as well!

Biggest Point of them all: Accountability. People (Read CELEBRITIES) forgotten about that word, esp. when they are doing them and making loads of Cash to pad their Exorbitantly Luxurious Lifestyles.

I guess the rules are Never Applied to the Rich, Famous and Powerful... *SHRUGGING*


Thanks for Reading!!

Niecee said...

Priceless, detailed and to da POINT only you can drop info, resources and much needed Game!

ABoyd378 said...

Thank You, Niecee!

This was Fun to Write, and I had to make sure I did my Homework on this one; I would have been Eaten Alive if I didn't! LOL!!

JustDG said...

Good read Mr Boyd...
I think that our society as a whole does not look at celebrities as sinners...their popularity and $$$ gets them out of trouble 99.9% of the time (my own prediction, not a statistic).

ABoyd378 said...

Thank You, Just DG!

Money + Popularity = Power, and I'll Drink to That!

Hynotiq Seductress said...

WOW!!!(eyes wide open, jaws remain dropped as i write this comment) this was very informative, and i can clearly see that you've done your RESEARCH!! i see you're abit like myself,not good with SUGAR COATING ISH... i myself love each one of these artists. however, you have gotten your POINT across BRAVO!!!!

ABoyd378 said...

LOL!! Thank You, Hypnotiq! :-D

I always make sure that when I write on Big Topics and naming people, I NEED to Research and do my Homework. If not, we are all misinformed, and I would be the Biggest Offender for misleading and setting myself up for a Downfall.

Yeah, the BS is NOT the Business! There are many times where we MUST Go Hard! If not, people will believe their BS and call it the Gospel.

NAH! Cannot Allow that!

Thank You Again!!

No Labels said...

I definitely feel where you are coming from. It is what happens when celebrities are held to a higher standard when in reality, they are human beings. It also is not cool when crimes non-celebrities would commit and get all sorts of hell for celebrities get either a slap on the wrist or get away with it.

It all goes back to the saying, "Do as I say; don't do as I do." Whatever happened to words and actions matching?

Wonderful blog.

ABoyd378 said...

Thank You, No Labels!

That is a HUGE Point that you made here. Celebs are getting away with Murder (O.J. Simpson)! People can get away with running someone over and not worry about doing Jail Time (Halle Berry). I mean, people can make threats against people because they are a different Religion than they are and come out clean on the other end(Mel Gibson).

Just Ridiculous!!!

Reggie said...

Excellent read......and hysterical too!!!

When I used to hang out on Yahoo 360 the single most popular post I ever wrote was called "Shouldn't he be pissing on someone in jail?"

I took a lot of heat for that from Kelly fans, but I honestly didn't care. Clearly the man has some issues. I just hope he gets some help. I would have liked to see him get his help in jail though, because that's where I think he belongs.

ABoyd378 said...

Thank You, Reggie!

MAN!!! You and I are on the SAME Page; Same Sentence, even! Like I said up there, Mr. Kelly is a Pedophile, and cannot hold his own with women his age!

WHO KNOWS!! He MIGHT find a woman who likes to receive Golden Showers and Cleveland Steamers...