Lady Vee's Lair

Lady’s Faves ~ Jamla closes out 2011 with a BANG!

2012-01-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

I had to take the time out to dedicate this entry to Jamla Records. Yes, they are my friends and yes I’m a part of the Jamla Army so I may seem biased but I’m trying not to be. Biased or not, there’s no denying the artists and producers of Jamla had an incredible 2011! For lack of a better reason, I was overwhelmed with a number of things at the end of 2011 and wasn’t able to post the last few

Lady's Faves: Sean Armstrong ~ Who Got The Nottz?

2012-01-17T09:10:00.003-05:00

The wait is over! I spoke about Sean Armstrong in my last post and as promised I give you his new EP! Entitled "Who Got The Nottz?" is Sean's tribute to Norfolk, VA based producer, Nottz. "I did this to pay homage to one of my favorite producers while he's still alive." explains Sean when asked about the EP.This is just a taste to Sean's upcoming album, Marble Cake Diaries which is scheduled to

Talented Friends ~ Sean Armstrong

2012-01-08T23:06:00.017-05:00

With the arrival of the New Year, I'm starting a new segment called Talented Friends. These posts will include anything from new music, videos and downloads from folks I know personally and want to give them some SHINE! Are you ready??? Here I go! First up, my boy from BMore, Sean!I first got to know Sean as DJ Face from the True School Corporation. He also hosts a weekly show on his ustream

Low Key In NC..October 2011

2011-12-05T01:31:00.027-05:00

For my 3rd and final trip this year, I found myself in North Carolina once again. This was planned very last minute as a quick getaway while my boss went on vacation to China. I also planned it around a show at The Cat’s Cradle that featured 9th Wonder, Phonte, HaLo, The Away Team, Rapsody and Median.This was probably my most low key vacation. I planned the trip with Michelle. I met Michelle

Lady’s Faves: Rapsody ~ For Everything

2011-12-05T00:51:00.012-05:00

Rapsody is no stranger to my blog. I’ve written about her and music numerous times here and I’m proud to call her a friend.This Snow Hill, North Carolina native has recently released her latest mixtape titled For Everything. It’s currently ranked the #1 mixtape on DJBooth.net which is where it has been available for free since November 15th.Rapsody fans will definitely not be disappointed by For

Ear Candy: pHoenix Pagliacci ~ Books, Bucks & Beats Volume 1: Holla At A Schola

2011-11-28T00:00:00.007-05:00

pHoenix Pagliacci is a sassy rapper/singer hailing from Toronto who’s name is based on Phoenix, the bird that never dies and always comes back and Pagliacci, the clown with the dark, sad life. She explained the meaning as “The Bird that flies and the clown that cries.”Books, Bucks & Beats Volume 1: Holla At A Schola, pHoenix’s first project, was released on Nov 11th. I have been looking forward

Catching Up....

2011-11-23T01:09:00.011-05:00

Boy oh boy, have I been slacking! To be honest, your girl has been going through some really rough patches lately. I haven’t been at the capacity to write more than some quick reports and reviews and I apologize for that. This will be a summary of a few things of note that have happened over the last few months.First off, the Canadian premiere of director, Kenneth Price’s film The Wonder Year

Ear Candy: 9th Wonder ~ The Wonder Years

2011-11-22T09:10:00.000-05:00

Whether it was planned or not, I think it was pretty fitting that both 9th Wonder and Phonte, 9th’s friend and fellow Little Brother member released their highly anticipated albums on the same day, September 27th which they said is the same release date of Little Brother's classic album, The Minstrel Show.I really looked forward to The Wonder Years and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. Even

Lady's Faves: The Sol Kidd ~ The 7 Day Weeknd: Sol Overdose

2011-10-28T09:37:00.002-04:00

I first got to know The Sol Kidd via twitter earlier this year I believe...or perhaps it was while I was working 9th Wonder's ustream. I just knew him as this kid from Toronto that produces beats...dope. We clicked, he'd play me beats and give me sneak peeks into stuff he was working on and I was impressed. In the midst of all this, he somehow started calling me Auntie...I have no memory as to

Manifesto 2011 ~ Live at the Square

2011-10-13T12:27:00.010-04:00

The Manifesto Festival in Toronto celebrated its 5th year in existence. It’s a festival that celebrates hip hop community and culture. It last for about a week or so filled with some competitions, film, seminars and all types of love shows. Every year it ends with a big bang by having a free all day outdoor concert on its last day. I didn’t go last year which had Jay Electronica and Black Thought

Ear Candy: Phonte – Charity Starts At Home

2011-09-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

The highly anticipated Phonte solo album, Charity Starts At Home has finally arrived. Would it be a singing album? After all, Phonte’s main focus for the last few years has been his group with producer, Nicolay, Grammy nominated The Foreign Exchange. Or wait, perhaps he’ll go back to rapping since he reconciled with his Little Brother group mate and friend, Grammy Award winning producer, 9th

Heat Stroke!!! ~ NC In June…

2011-08-02T03:30:00.004-04:00

I’ll be blunt…May was very rough and busy month. It started off with my mama’s birthday and Mother’s Day just days apart from each other. I’ve basically just come to terms with the fact that the month of May will always be tough. People say it gets easier with time and it’s all still very emotional for myself and my family. I’ve also been dealing with a lingering writer’s block which is why I

The Jamla Army Podcast!!!

2011-07-17T12:41:00.005-04:00

Just a lil' tidbit before I start hitting y'all with a bunch of posts this week :)I've been told many times that I have a great voice...by friends, family and even patients at work have said that. I've also been told that I should start podcasting because of my voice and my love of music. I was always curious about podcasting because growing up I always wanted to be on radio but never really

Catching Up....

2011-07-04T02:00:00.006-04:00

Greetings everyone! I apologize for disappearing. The only reason I have to give without getting too personal is that life’s been getting in the way lately and it’s affecting my creative mind and motivation. This entry is hopefully the start of more posts with music freebies and a post about a recent trip to NC coming soon! In the meantime, I have a bunch of things I’d like

NC March 2011: My Home Away From Home

2011-04-19T01:30:00.002-04:00

Every year for the last 4 years or so, I take a trip to North Carolina. Last year, I even went twice! This year, I stayed a bit longer than I normally do…why? Because I can! Lol! I got a really great deal this time around and was able to get direct flights! I was extremely happy about that!For the last 3 years in about March/April, I’ve stayed with my girl, Kimmie and this year was no different.

Lady’s Faves – Videos

2011-03-29T23:23:00.003-04:00

(Reminder: Don't forget to pause the mp3 player on the top right before pressing play!)Carlitta Durand – iCarli The sultry songstress from NC is back with a new one! I love the simplicity of this video much like the song. Carli’s beauty is apparent…the track shows off her voice and the visual showcases her look and style! If you like this song, it’s available for free in

Glenn Lewis in Toronto

2011-03-22T00:32:00.002-04:00

I adore Glenn Lewis. He’s such a talented artist and it’s a bonus that he’s from Toronto! Glenn had a show here back in February and I’ve wanted to share these videos for a while now but things got quite hectic for me shortly after. It was my 2nd time seeing him live and was excited for this show since he released his new single, Good Love not long ago. It started off with my boy, DJ P Plus

Lady's Faves

2011-03-14T23:08:00.003-04:00

These mixes are sooooo good that I had to give them their own Lady’s Faves entry! All of these came to my attention within a week or two span and all I have to say is, very few can do it the way a T-Dot DJ does!!!To view the tracklist, listen or download any of the mixes I write about here, click the cover art! ;-) DJ Mensa – Hibernation DJ Mensa has been a favorite of mine for a long while. I’

What I’ve Been Up To...

2011-03-03T01:53:00.002-05:00

It's late...almost 2am. If you know me, you know that it's normal for me to be up this late. Tonight is different...I have to wake up at about 6am because I have a plane to catch!!I just wanted to quickly check in and let y'all know that this lady is in dire need of a vacation and basically that's what I'm about to do! Battling stress, different levels of being unwell and possibly a bit of the

Ear Candy ~ Yoshi

2011-02-24T01:30:00.003-05:00

Yoshi (Kiyoshi Shelton) was born in Saginaw, Michigan and is now based in Ann Arbor. He began as a poet at 14 and at 17, he gained fans while competing in local poetry slams. In 2009, Yoshi released his album, The Talent Show which included production by Yoshi’s older brother, Akira. It received rave reviews and accolades including Favorite Hip Hop Album of the Year on whutupdoe.com. This is when

Ear Candy: The Floacist ~ Floetic Soul

2011-02-14T22:08:00.001-05:00

(side note: This review is quite late. I started it just before I was hit with writer’s block last year. Instead of purging it, I decided to finish it off and post it.)I have to admit, I was a bit apprehensive before I heard this album. I was a big fan of Floetry so when Marsha Ambrosius and Natalie Stewart aka The Floacist went their separate ways, I was sad. Since they broke up, Marsha had

Ear Candy: HaLo ~ Heat Writer II

2011-02-07T23:51:00.001-05:00

Yet again, I am here to introduce you to another talented artist from 9th Wonder's It's A Wonderful World Music Group. This North Carolina based rapper's name is HaLo, pronounced like ha-low. To find out his story in the words of 9th Wonder and HaLo himself, watch the video below: (Friendly Reminder: Don't forget to pause on the mp3 player on the top right before pressing play!)Although we've

Lady’s Faves

2011-01-31T23:20:00.000-05:00

Actual Proof - The Talented TenthIt’s seems not long ago, Actual Proof blessed us with their first FREE EP…wait a sec…it WAS not long ago! One of my fave rap duos is back with another one! The Talented Tenth was released on January 15th which was also 9th Wonder’s birthday and is 20 tracks strong! Yes, I said 20 tracks and all for FREE!! Featured artists include Laws, Kendrick Lamar and members

Looking Back…2010 - Part 2: LV’s Year In Music

2011-01-19T01:59:00.001-05:00

I’m running behind in my summary of 2010 but there was so much music and video that released last year that I had to do a separate post! In no particular order, here are a few of the EPs,albums and videos that I fell in love with...PLEASE NOTE: I didn't wanna bombard the page with ALL the music I loved so this is just a limited list ;-)Click the album art to see either my post about the album or

Looking Back....2010

2011-01-18T23:39:00.000-05:00

Thinking back on this passed year briefly, at first I was like, yeah it was alright…fairly uneventful. The year ended roughly with me going through a lot of stress and emotions that led to a HUGE writer's block. In fact, I'm still somewhat struggling with it. Then when I REALLY thought of it, I realized I had a pretty decent 2010. There were fewer shows this year but they were great ones and I

Starting On A Good Note

2011-01-02T18:31:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year, everyone!! Hope your holidays were great. As I mentioned in my previous post that I'd be back in 2011...here I am! I usually start off the New Year with an entry looking back on the year that was but that will come later because of 2 reasons: #1 - I've been extremely sick for about a week now and have spent more time in bed on my blackberry instead of at a computer AND reason #2

Holiday Blessings

2010-12-21T22:38:00.001-05:00

First, I'd like to apologize...I've been M.I.A. the last little while. Without going into too much detail, things have been rough for this lady...my world has gotten a lil' hectic and at times, too much to handle. Most of all, I'm dealing with the mother of all creative blocks right now. I don't call it "writer's block" because it's beyond just writing. Please know that your girl is okay and

Ear Candy: The Beast ~ The Freedom Suite

2010-11-30T00:00:00.002-05:00

I’ve known about this EP for a few weeks now and I’m not sure what took me so long to post about it. First I want to shout out my friend, Duane Powell because his blog, SoundRotation is where I found The Freedom Suite.The Beast is a progressive hip hop/jazz quartet out of North Carolina which consists of emcee Pierce Freelon, pianist Eric Hirsh, drummer Stephen Coffman and bassist Peter Kimosh.

Ear Candy: Heather Victoria ~ Victoria’s Secret

2010-11-22T22:51:00.001-05:00

Here comes yet another FREE release from 9th Wonder’s It’s A Wonderful World Music Group. Heather Victoria is the lone female singer in IWWMG and comes with a style that 9th says is reminiscent of Mary J. Blige’s classic album, What’s the 411. Get to know her by viewing the video below:(Friendly Reminder: Don't forget to pause on the mp3 player on the top right before pressing play!)Victoria’s

Time Flies

2010-11-20T00:17:00.001-05:00

My mama pregnant with me...our first pic together :) I now wear the necklace she has on here every dayOn this day last year, November 20th at exactly 6:30 pm, one of the most important people in my life passed away…my mother. I’m not going to go into detail because I’ve written about her and what happened before. If you’d like to see my previous posts, click here and here.All it takes is one

Lady’s Faves

2010-11-16T23:28:00.000-05:00

Fave VideosThe Foreign Exchange ~ Maybe She’ll Dream Of MeOne of my fave groups, The Foreign Exchange released their video for Maybe She’ll Dream Of Me, the 1st single off of their album, Authenticity. Once again a great job from director, Matt Koza. Like the song? You can still download it for free by clicking here. Be sure to cop the album Authenticity…it has not left my rotation since it came

Road Trip Part 2

2010-11-15T01:08:00.000-05:00

Let’s see…where did I leave off from Part 1? Hmmm….After the movies, we decided to go to Cold Stone for some ice cream. As Darien drove, I decided to film another video. I’m so glad I did because it actually turned out quite funny! See for yourself: (Friendly Reminder: Don't forget to pause on the mp3 player on the top right before pressing play!)Lou met us at Cold Stone and we ended up hanging

Ear Candy ~ Rapsody

2010-11-11T00:51:00.000-05:00

All who know me know that I’m an advocate of good music especially independent artists. I also love to spread the word about folks that I feel should be heard…I created this feature, Ear Candy, to do just that!A while back, one of my Facebook friends posted a video of Bahamadia stating something to the fact that she needs to come back because all the current female MCs suck. I beg to differ….Let

Lady's Faves

2010-11-06T14:31:00.007-04:00

Fave FreebiesDJ Phaze ~ 90's Dancehall Mix & 1980's MTV Flashback MixMy homie, DJ Phaze based out of Baltimore released a couple of mixes that I absolutely love! These ones were available on GrownFolksMusic.com. I've always had a soft spot for reggae and Phaze's 90s Dancehall mix had me whining in no time! LOL! The MTV Flashback mix really takes me back to the days when I was growing up watching

Happy Birthday Fave!

2010-10-30T00:57:00.001-04:00

Today marks the ??th birthday of my friend, Trel aka Fave from The Friday Favecast. Not only is he an award winning podcaster, he is a musician, designer, photographer AND the mastermind behind the web comic, A Pug Named Fender. Fave is also great friend so I just wanted to do this post as a thank you for all the love and encouragement he has given me. :-)For his birthday, Fave asked his friends

Darien Brockington Updates

2010-10-28T22:57:00.007-04:00

I’m most known for being part of Darien Brockington’s team so I thought why not do a post of what’s going on with him.First I’m proud to say I got my copy of The Cold Case Files. I’ve had it in mp3 format for awhile but I finally got the actual CD when I was down in North Carolina. Darien signed it, of course but getting the CD meant a lot more because I’m mentioned in the thank yous! Yeah, I

ROAD TRIP!!!

2010-10-26T00:18:00.009-04:00

October long weekend, Rica and I decided to go on a road trip to North Carolina. We were both in desperate need of a mini vacation and thought it would be fun to visit Darien. When we started the planning process the plan was actually to fly but prices went wayyy up by the time we were ready to book. Mapquest claimed it would take us about 13 hours or so to drive down to Durham, North Carolina.

Lady's Faves

2010-10-25T23:13:00.003-04:00

Fave Beat Tape: DaiKatamy ~ DaiKatamyIsGone3One of the wonderful things about the internet is the people you get to know and meet. My homie, DaiKatamy is one of them. We first met in a ustream chat and our friendship spilled on to twitter. He had me cracking me up, first claiming that I'm some sort of artist, producer, A&R or manager...all of which I'm not! LOL! Now he affectionately calls me HIS

Artist Feature & Review: The Foreign Exchange ~ Authenticity

2010-10-18T22:27:00.007-04:00

The Grammy Award nominated group, The Foreign Exchange…I love saying that! It’s hard to believe that 2 years ago, my friends of The Foreign Exchange family released their last album, Leave It All Behind in 2008…mainly because I still have it in rotation as if it came out yesterday. So many great things have happened for them since then: music video releases, a tour that included a show in my

Lady's Faves

2010-09-23T23:54:00.016-04:00

Fave Videos: Yahzarah ~ Cry Over You Featuring Phonte & Carlitta Durand ~ Lost Love Featuring JabeeThese 2 videos come from 2 very talented and beautiful ladies who I’m lucky enough to call friends. Cry Over You is Yahzarah’s next single from her album The Ballad of Purple St. James. If you don’t have it, GET IT!! Trust me, you won’t be disappointed! It’s available on iTunes and on

Lady's Faves

2010-09-05T23:40:00.004-04:00

Back again with another installment of Lady's Faves. This was long overdue...kind of took it easy this week but I'm back ;-)Fave Song: In A Song (Featuring Middle Child) ~ DJ CenterSo I'm listening to the new Episode of Gordon Gartell Radio by Phonte and DJ Brainchild and a song catches my ear. I recognized the beat from my fave PM Dawn song, Paper Doll. I honestly don't know too much of DJ

REVIEW: Ear Hustler ~ Geno Young

2010-09-03T01:04:00.004-04:00

The wonderful thing about being a part of the SoulTracks.com web team is discovering music/artists I’ve never heard before…Geno Young is one of those artists. SoulTracks featured a review of his album and I was assigned to spread the word on him. How could I spread the word on him if I didn’t check out his music? I ended up on CD Baby listening to the album snippets and about 10 minutes later, I

VIDEO: Darien Brockington ~ Rain

2010-08-31T01:29:00.014-04:00

Photo courtesy of JAS PhotoThe time has finally arrived! Darien Brockington's first solo music video is now available for your viewing pleasure! His single, Rain from The Cold Case Files was initially released by an internet stream on his official website, http://www.dbrockmusic.com/. The buzz was so great, the site crashed!!Now today with the release of his video for Rain, D-Brock plans to get

What I’ve Been Up To...

2010-08-25T00:08:00.003-04:00

I just thought I’d give a bit of a personal update on what’s been going on with me…If you’re a regular, you can see I’ve trying to step up my writing in the last few months. I went through the absolute WORST writer’s block you could ever imagine. I wouldn’t even call it writer’s block; my whole creative mind just disappeared and had no desire to write or do anything creative at all. Some of you

Lady’s Faves

2010-08-12T22:36:00.011-04:00

I decided to start a new feature where I will post anything from a fave song, artist, music, DJ or even food of the moment. The plan is to do this at least once a week!Since this is my first post, I have a few things to share with you….Fave Song: Love Calls – Darien BrockingtonD-Brock recently re-released his mixtape called The Cold Case Files. The first version was available for a short period

Inside Look: Darien Brockington - Rain Video Shoot

2010-08-12T21:33:00.006-04:00

Well, you heard me mention that Darien Brockington recently filmed his first solo video shoot for his single, Rain. The video is still on "COMING SOON" status but I thought I'd give you a glimpse of what went on behind the scenes to tide you over. All the photos were shot by John Stevens for JAS Photo who was the Director of Photography. I think you will agree with me when I say he did a great

REVIEW: Rain ~ Darien Brockington

2010-08-04T00:06:00.005-04:00

I remember when I first got this song. It was a late night back in June and I was on twitter when Monty, Darien’s manager, hit me up telling me that he was going to send me D’s next single. After swearing me to secrecy, Monty sent me an email with the file attached saying “Warning! This one’s a panty dropper!” I brushed off the warning at first but after my first listen, I realized he was so

REVIEW: Zo! ~ SunStorm

2010-07-26T22:22:00.005-04:00

July 27th marks the release of SunStorm which is what talented producer and musician, Zo! calls “the biggest release of his career”. The anticipation is high for the album and rightfully so. Feedback from the first free available song “Greatest Weapon Of All Time” and SunStorm’s first single and video for “This Could Be The Night” left everyone wanting more.The journey into SunStorm begins with “

Big Lights Will Inspire You ~ NYC 2010 (Part 2)

2010-07-15T00:28:00.024-04:00

Alright, now it’s time for Part 2 of my New York City adventures. In case you missed it, see Part 1 HERE. Hmmm, now where did I leave off…Sunday came and I was moving very slowly. I had a bad morning, waking up really upset from a dream but eventually got myself moving because Rica and I were so excited for this day. That night we were going to see The Foreign Exchange at BB Kings and I was

Video: Eric Roberson ~ Still

2010-07-13T23:04:00.008-04:00

Photo Courtesy of EricRoberson.com“…familiar streets I cross as if I am lost. I guess I am, I can’t find my way; even home feels like an empty place. She still can hurt me from so far away, still reaches in and pulls my smile away….” ~ Still by Eric RobersonAlongside Dwele, John Legend and Darien Brockington, I claim Eric Roberson as one of my most favorite current male singers. The song Still is

The Roots ~ How I Got Over

2010-07-13T22:28:00.006-04:00

I’ll admit that I’m not the most knowledgeable fan of The Roots but plain and simple, I am a fan. I love the fact that they are a Hip Hop band, there’s something about live instrumentation that always gets me. I also love their diversity, making folks listen to different genres of music. An example of that is one of my favorite songs off of their album Phrenology, The Seed 2.0 which is a guitar

Video: Zo! Featuring Eric Roberson, Darien Brockington & Rapper Big Pooh ~ This Could Be The Night

2010-07-06T23:11:00.011-04:00

Photo Courtesy of Zo! ~ The Musical ArchitectI just finished singing praises of Zo and his upcoming release here, saying that he and the boys Eric Roberson, Darien Brockington and Rapper Big Pooh were just in Philadelphia shooting the video for Zo’s album, SunStorm’s first single and now it’s out! Zo premiered the video which was directed by Matt Koza, on twitter earlier today! Zo even posted his

Big Lights Will Inspire You ~ NYC 2010 (Part 1)

2010-07-05T00:21:00.011-04:00

Ahh, traveling….oh how I love thee! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there’s something about going on a trip that rejuvenates me. This time it was no different. Again, I found myself at my wits end and in the midst of burn out. I was stressed, depressed and over tired. My bff, Rica and I have been trying to go away together since early this year. She was supposed to go to North Carolina

A Storm’s Comin’ ~ Zo! –SunStorm

2010-07-04T23:35:00.004-04:00

Big things are happening for the Foreign Exchange family! First the success of my girl, Yahzarah’s album, The Ballad of Purple St. James which has currently been on the R&B charts. Now it’s time to prepare for the storm….SunStorm, that is! Zo’s first album from Foreign Exchange music, SunStorm is set to release on July 27th and I expect nothing but greatness from my homie! Not only does he have

Happy Birthday To Me…

2010-06-23T23:36:00.006-04:00

Yep, another year has gone by…it’s bittersweet to me. I received a bunch of calls, voicemails, emails, texts and Twitter and Facebook love that has really made me smile and lifted my spirits up. I’m not down about growing older mind you…I just really miss my Mama.My celebrations started a little early. The weekend before was a long weekend here and my girl, Rica saw to it that I went out for a

Catching Up

2010-06-23T23:26:00.001-04:00

I haven’t written anything in a bit. Main reason why at the moment is because I’ve been really sick for over a week now with Bronchitis and Sinusitis. It is no joke! I am down for the count and I’ve been hit with some major breathing problems and sinus pain which cause me constant headaches. I guess that’s what I get for celebrating my first birthday healthy in 3 years. Yep, for the last 3 I’ve

Kam Moye: Movin' On....

2010-06-03T19:47:00.011-04:00

So it’s official. My good friend and rapper Kam Moye aka Supastition has called it quits. He spoke to me about it a while back but secretly I wished it was just a phase he was going through and hoped it would pass. He announced on his website on April 24, 2010 that he will no longer pursue music much to the dismay of many fans. On his Facebook fan page, people posted words of encouragement and

Miss St James Is Here! ~The Ballad of Purple Saint James - YahZarah

2010-05-04T00:00:00.011-04:00

****SO SORRY ON THE DELAY OF THIS ENTRY...IT WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN BACK IN MAY BUT FOR SOME REASON WASN'T PUBLISHED! ****May 4, 2010 marks the highly anticipated release of YahZarah’s The Ballad of Purple Saint James. Both YahZarah and the album are well deserving of the buzz around them. The album is this Durham, NC based artist’s first release with Foreign Exchange Music. The Ballad has

Happy Birthday, Mama

2010-05-02T00:56:00.006-04:00

Today is my mom’s birthday. It’s been almost 7 months since she’s passed and it hasn’t gotten any easier. I know that sounds impatient but do not get me wrong, I will never get over losing her and I’m not trying to rush the grieving process. I think about her constantly and miss her so much that I never thought it was possible to miss someone this much. I cry myself to sleep constantly…that is if

Little Brother Thoughts ~ Left Back

2010-04-26T22:51:00.011-04:00

The anticipation of Little Brother’s final album, Left Back was pretty crazy. A lot of people were sad about it, curious about it and looking forward to it. Websites and bloggers are paying their tributes, doing write ups on their history and accomplishments and I know that there was no way of me NOT doing a piece on them. Instead of stating what they’ve done because I assume we’re all fans and I

Just What I Needed ~ North Carolina

2010-04-19T19:16:00.027-04:00

It felt like I was waiting forever for this trip to come! Since the start of the year, I had been dying to go away. I needed a break from work...actually, let me take that back…I really needed a break from my every day life! I’ve stated before that while I did have a few good times, last year was THE hardest year of my life. I’ve been overstressed, overworked, physically, mentally and emotionally

Prelude To The Ballad ~ Yahzarah

2010-04-19T18:01:00.004-04:00

May 4, 2010 marks the release of the highly anticipated album The Ballad Of Purple Saint James by my good friend, Yahzarah.For those who don't know of her, Yahzarah's previous releases include Hear Me (2000), Black Star (2003) and The Prelude (2008). She was also a background singer for Erykah Badu, appearing in the video for Bag Lady and made contributions to Badu's album, Mama's Gun. She has

Food For The Soul: Adriana Evans ~ Walking With The Night

2010-03-16T00:34:00.004-04:00

I remember when I first discovered Adriana Evans…it was years ago and I was at a downtown music store. I stumbled upon a listening station in the R&B section with her CD and decided to check it out. Within 15 minutes, I was at the cashier buying her self-titled CD. Since then, Adriana Evans has released a few more albums: El Camino, Kismet and Nomadic; the first album being my absolute favorite.

Toronto DJs Are The Best! ~ Love Letters/Broken Hearts by DJ P Plus & DJ Lissa Monet

2010-03-02T23:36:00.008-05:00

I felt compelled to write and give reasons why I love DJs especially the ones in Toronto. Yeah, the statement in my title is a bold one. Yeah, I might be biased because it’s the city I live in and I know a number of DJs in my city personally but I do not care! Lol! Don’t say I’m wrong until you’ve come to Toronto and hear DJs like P Plus, BoogeyMan, Starting From Scratch, Wristpect, and Sean Sax

Random Ramblings Volume 12

2010-02-27T23:28:00.004-05:00

Sometimes I feel like I’m losing myself. I don’t want to be known as “the person who lost their mom”. While I appreciate the love, concern, prayers and well wishes, I just wish things were back to normal…although I know they never will be.One day at work, I had a room full of patients and one of them loudly says, “So Vee, I heard that you lost a parent…” I immediately felt all the eyes in the

Eric Roberson In Toronto ~ January 25, 2010

2010-02-09T22:51:00.007-05:00

This was my first concert of the year and I can’t think of anyone better to start with then Eric Roberson. It was on a Monday night and for those who know me personally, I generally don’t go out on Mondays (I have to get up for work at about 5:30am on Tuesdays). With Eric being 1 of my top 4 current male singers (the others are Dwele, John Legend and Darien Brockington), I made the sacrifice and

2009 ~ The Year That Was

2010-01-17T23:09:00.007-05:00

Yeah, I know it’s already mid January! I’ve been kinda slacking on this one because I had to collect my thoughts. My mind’s been all over the place and reminiscing on the year takes me through a whole roller coaster of emotions.This is the year that I traveled the most. January, I went to Chicago. I ended up going there for a weekend on kind of a whim because I found a great deal for a flight and

Greatness By An Even Greater Person ~ The Cold Case Files - Darien Brockington

2009-12-31T00:11:00.022-05:00

So my boy, Darien Brockington released his mixtape, The Cold Case Files on Dec 29th. Is this a big deal? Of course it is! It's been 3 years since Darien put out anything. His first album, Somebody To Love came out in 2006. I've already written my professional review of the album so this will have a more personal touch. Before I get into it though, let me share that review with you: click here.

Foreign Exchange @ BB King's NYC

2009-12-06T11:02:00.011-05:00

If you know me or are a regular visitor here, you know that this is not the first time I’ve had the pleasure of taking in a Foreign Exchange show. This show was extra special for me though. First, I was in a city that I’ve always wanted to see. Second, this was my first time seeing them since they added Carlitta Durand to the lineup and lastly, the show was at a legendary venue, BB King’s. When I

Heaven Has A New Angel…Her Name Is Olivia

2009-12-05T00:06:00.006-05:00

Olivia OngpaucoMay 2, 1937 – November 20, 2009These last few weeks have been the hardest in my entire life...actually I take that back, this year has been the hardest in my entire life. I don’t even know where to begin with this. All I can say is there is a sadness and pain in my heart that I know will never totally go away.My mother left us on Friday, November 20, 2009. She went in to see her

Bobby Brown @ BB King's NYC ~Oct 23, 2009

2009-12-05T00:04:00.009-05:00

Back in the day, I wasn’t the BIGGEST New Edition fan. I’m not saying I wasn’t a fan at all, I did like their music but I wasn’t “fanatical”. When Bobby Brown left NE to pursue a solo career, I was a big fan of his music. I remember playing his music a lot, learning all the dance steps in his videos especially for Every Little Step! When my friend, Ann Marie said that the one and only Bobby Brown

Empire State Of Mind ~ NYC Oct 2009

2009-11-29T17:53:00.016-05:00

I’ve wanted to go to New York for awhile now. Since I’ve been so stressed with what’s been going on in my world, I decided to see if I can plan a trip. My girl, Ann Marie offered to be my guide and then everything pretty much fell into place from there. I also found out that there was music festival going on when I planned to go. My friend, Kam Moye aka Supastition had a show and so did Foreign

Zo! – Just Visiting Too

2009-11-09T23:13:00.005-05:00

I interrupt catching up on my blog for an important announcement.....Last week, my boy, Zo released his EP called Just Visiting Too and what an EP it is! It’s a collection of covers featuring more of my friends Darien Brockington, Yahzarah, Phonte and Carlitta Durand. The best part is that it is available as a FREE DOWNLOAD! Here’s a bit of a breakdown:Perfect Angel Featuring Yahzarah - What a

Manifesto

2009-10-26T14:03:00.003-04:00

A little while back, a friend of mine, Grammy award winning producer 9th Wonder told me that he and his boys will be in town for a party called Hip Hop Love which would be a part of the annual Manifesto Festival. It’s a festival that Toronto has to celebrate hip hop music and culture.Once I found out the date and location, my cousin, Jojo, friend, Rica and I got tickets. I was so excited because

New Music , Video & Mentions

2009-10-18T00:36:00.006-04:00

Just sharing a few things with you...First, D-Brock released a brand new single!!!! It's called Here We Go Again and it's produced by Karma Fullmetal and Keno. It's from Darien's upcoming mixtape entitled The Cold Case Files. Although the song is not available to the public yet, I'm proud to have it streaming right here on my site! (Thanks, Monty!!) Also website is online....check it out!! http:/

What I'm Feelin...

2009-10-09T19:58:00.000-04:00

I know I always have some reason as to why I’m not posting often and this time, I will be straight and blunt. I haven’t written much because I have been really low since the beginning of September, so low that I don’t have the desire to do anything. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not gonna do something drastic. I know what’s wrong, I’m trying to keep my spirits up but, it’s really hard at times.I

Birthday Greetings

2009-09-14T21:23:00.006-04:00

On September 14th, two of my favorite people celebrate their birthdays: Darien Brockington and V AKA Honey from HoneySoul.com. Just wanted to write a lil’ blurb on them in honor of their special day.These 2 people are the epitome of what I say all the time: It’s funny how people from far seem to be there for me more so than the people that live close.Wishing the two of you the best on your

Spread Love

2009-09-09T23:10:00.003-04:00

“There’s no good music out there anymore” is a complaint I’ve heard many times before by folks who are dying to hear some good R&B/Soul and Hip Hop music. I beg to differ...I feel that it’s out there if you look for it. One major problem is the complainer is looking on the radio or God forbid BET! STOP!! The best place to discover new music/artists is the World Wide Web and word of mouth…at least

Happy September!!

2009-09-09T22:48:00.002-04:00

Okay so I yet again disappeared from the blog and for that I apologize. So much crap went on in the month of August that if I actually wrote all about it, you’d think I’m making it up! A quick summary of it all:Emergencies at work where in one situation, we actually had to call the cops! A patient actually lunged at me and managed to grab my shirt!Trouble with my Blackberry then no home phone,

Honorable Mention

2009-08-01T02:25:00.005-04:00

I'm late in posting this but...So I'm listening to my boy, Fave's weekly podcast called the Friday Favecast like I usually do once a week. This week in particular, he had my homie, Zo on for an interview. I'm here enjoying the music and hearing my two boys talk then suddenly I hear my name! What??? Did Fave say Lady Vee in Toronto??? I rewound it a bit and there it was...my jaw dropped. Yeah, it

Writing, Writing & More Writing/Updates

2009-07-10T22:24:00.003-04:00

As you can see, I’ve been trying to keep on top of things lately. I’m now caught up with the blog and plan to post more regularly. I was also requested by Darien to create his Wikipedia profile which I just finished last week and I’m actually quite proud of it. I didn’t have any clue how difficult it would be to do it. The write up itself wasn’t difficult. The list of his collaborations took

YouTube Request Line

2009-07-10T22:17:00.002-04:00

I’m a little late in posting this but Darien posted this up on his youtube channel. It’s in regards to the YouTube Request Line that we have in our FB group. Basically, members can request ANY song and Darien will record a video singing it to you! This is the first installment. He sings one of his original songs, Be Ya Lover and dedicates it to 2 members that requested it. ENJOY!

The Way You Make Me Feel

2009-06-26T23:48:00.008-04:00

Michael Joseph JacksonAugust 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009And when the groove is dead and gone...you know that love survives so we can rock forever... - Rock With YouEven as I type this, I cannot believe he’s gone. He’s amazed and touched so many people with his talent. I knew his passing would affect me but had no idea it would be this much. I was out, downtown with my sister when I first saw the

Chillin’ On A Saturday Mornin’

2009-06-26T23:17:00.005-04:00

It was sometime after 3am when I dropped Darien off at the hotel. He and I were talking about when we could film this video blog we planned for our FB group. We didn’t have the chance to do it before the performance because of the events that happened before the show. We concluded that the only chance we’d have is if we did it in the morning before they check out at noon. Darien’s a morning

Hi Hater!

2009-06-24T00:34:00.002-04:00

I don’t think this is going to be a long entry but just wanted to put this out here. First, I wanna say: Darien, if you’re reading this, you may be a bit surprised about what I write here. I don’t think I’ve gone into that much detail with you about this but really, it’s not a big deal. I’m definitely trying to let it roll off my shoulders…..In the last few months, I’ve received some ‘hate’ notes

Good People, Good Lovin', Good Music In My Life...It Makes Me Happy, Sooo Happy!

2009-06-23T21:28:00.006-04:00

June 5, 2009 marked the Canadian debut of The Foreign Exchange and it took place at Revival. It was a highly anticipated show. There was a huge buzz in Toronto before and even after and I couldn’t be prouder of my friends. It was a sold out show and although I was inside the venue before the doors opened, I heard that the line up to get in was HUGE!While the event was amazing, there was one major

My Vows

2009-06-22T22:23:00.001-04:00

Lately, I have not been taking care of myself. For the last month, I’ve been averaging anywhere from 0-4 hours of sleep per night. My energy is low, I’m grumpy and snappy at times and overall, I’ve been feeling like crap. At first, I blamed it on still recovering from being sick for almost the whole month of May. Things have been crazy busy with Foreign Exchange being in Toronto for a show and

Tears Of Joy

2009-05-27T23:50:00.009-04:00

Ok so I have like 6 minutes left...lol...Today's my bday! Yep dat's right....a few years ago on this day, I WAS BORN! (like how I won't say how many years ago? LOL!)Anyway, not much to report so far except the amount of love I've gotten from everyone on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter was amazing. I just finished responding to over 60 wall posts on Facebook!I'll probably do a more detailed report

My NC Vacay

2009-05-17T20:20:00.013-04:00

Wow, where to start! I may have to make this a two part blog! I went to North Carolina. I was going to relax, distress and spend time with my girl, Kimmie and see Darien. I knew I would have a great time but everything was wayyy beyond my expectations.First I want to say a big thank you to Kimmie and her son, Qadir for letting me stay with them and making me feel at home. Y’all are amazingly

My NC Vacay ~ Part Deux

2009-05-17T20:10:00.013-04:00

*SIGH* Now where did I leave off in Part 1…Kimmie and I had an amazing time at the Cat’s Cradle. We didn’t get back home until pretty late and even then, I had a hard time falling asleep…I’m always extremely hype after I see a live show (now you know why I love concerts so much!). Because of that, the next day, we were pretty drained. The original plan was to go out to Charlotte (a couple hours

Magnetic

2009-05-17T20:10:00.012-04:00

The weekend after I was in NC, Darien was in Detroit filming his 2nd music video. It was for a song D did a hook for called Magnetic by a rapper from Ann Arbour named Yoshi. I have this song streaming on here at the moment so y’all hear it. I really like the song and look forward to seeing the video which Yoshi told me, will be released in June.Darien sort of caught the video blogging bug and did

Updates Updates Updates!!!!

2009-04-23T20:36:00.007-04:00

Yeah, ok, spank me now…I haven’t blogged since I took my trip to Chicago and that was the end of January!! Things have been quite stressful and busy at this point. We had a death in the family in February (RIP Tita Lit), mom’s has gone through radiation treatments (she’s finished now and went thru some tough side effects. At the end of this month, she’ll be going thru tests to see if it’s worked

Kick Off Your Shoes, Take Off The Blues And Come To Me....

2009-02-03T22:45:00.009-05:00

Wow, what a great little vacay I had. I have a smile on my face, I'm calm, relaxed and that heaviness/tightness in my chest has almost completely disappeared. It goes to show you what time off, good friends, music and laughs can do.A bunch of little things didn't go my way the day of the Foreign Exchange show that I won't really get into. The main thing that really upset me was that we got to the

Mama Updates

2009-02-03T22:31:00.002-05:00

I haven't written in a really long time. Haven't felt much like writing or doing anything for that matter. So much has been going on in my world that I don’t have time or energy to do a lot of things that I want to do. I usually do a blog in the New Year summarizing the year that passed, hopefully I’ll do that soon so until then that is postponed or I may not do it at all.2009 hasn’t started off

Random Ramblings Volume 11

2008-12-16T22:35:00.002-05:00

Mom goes in for her biopsy tomorrow morning. I'm so freaked out about this whole thing still. I don't people realize how much it's affecting me. I'm hoping and praying for the best. Thanks to everyone who's sent me emails, text msgs and called.I know I’m not perfect. I know I’m not ALWAYS easy to get along with. If I do something wrong, it’s not hard for me to apologize. I can be emotional,

Prayers Needed

2008-12-06T02:37:00.001-05:00

Right when I thought things were going fairly well with my family, another thing hit us this week.My mother had a routine chest x-ray by my boss and there was an abnormality. We immediately referred her to a respirologist just to be sure that it was nothing to worry about. She went with my sister and they arranged a CAT scan. The doctor said that he would be in touch before the week was out. The

Loving The Legend

2008-12-06T01:59:00.004-05:00

Everyone who knows me knows that my favorite singer is John Legend. I’ve been to a number of his shows and was lucky enough to meet him a few times. He just released a new album, Evolver. I featured a few of my favorite tracks on the mp3 player to the right. Of course, a new album means a tour and I went to see his show at the Roy Thompson Hall November 28th.I splurged at got the VIP ticket

Random Ramblings Volume 10

2008-11-11T20:43:00.001-05:00

I started having a new pain in my left leg on Saturday. Usually my pain is associated with my knee cap. It either shifts out of place or pops every time I sit down or stand up but now, I get a sharp pain on the lower left side just below the back of my knee. It makes me feel like my leg is going to give way and I either have to stop walking for a minute or sit down right away because I feel like

Little Brother Show Oct 19 @ Mod Club

2008-11-06T21:44:00.004-05:00

My cousin, Jojo and I went to check out my boys, Phonte and Pooh not long ago. Darien wasn’t with them this time around so it was strange not to him on stage but they put on a great show nonetheless! We got there a bit early and manage to get right in front, to the right side of the stage. Because of the position we were standing, I didn’t take much video. I took a bit but I just felt that the

My Kind Of Town…Chicago Is

2008-11-06T21:04:00.004-05:00

I’m a little mad at myself because I wanted to write sooner but things have been so crazy! I’ve been so busy @ work, home and with the music promo, I haven’t had the chance to do anything else!Boogi, Jojo and I took a road trip to Chi Town on an extended Thanksgiving long weekend. We were there for 5 days. I had a decently good time. That may not sound very convincing but there were some hang ups