Courting Controversy: Lana Del Rey's 'National Anthem'

Lana Del  Rey

Have you seen this video? Balls + Guts + Nuts!! Lana Del Rey teamed up with Anthony Mandler for one of the boldest music videos of the year. 

Lana plays Jackie, to black rapper A$AP Rocky's John F. Kennedy. The pair rehashes JFK's 1963 assassination in startling fashion and she even takes on the role of JFK's side-chick, Marilyn Monroe.

She sings a haunting rendition of Marilyn's "Happy Birthday Mr. President" at the start of 7 minute long video.

Apparently, Lana's record label tried to stop her from releasing the video.  She, of course, stuck to her guns and told them to eat it. I ain't mad at her!

Check out some of the stills from the video, as well as the video in its entirety below:

 

A$AP Rocky plays JFK

Riding with her President, as Jackie

Their Bi-Racial family

Check out the awesomeness below:

Go 'head Lana!

- By SereNgeti x0x0

KEITH MURRAY: 'Man Child'

Top 2: Dead or Alive

Keith Murray is one of the most incredibly gifted lyricists of our time. I love this metaphorical genius with all my heart. He's my second favourite male emcee of all time, coming second ONLY to Pac (naturally). 

I'm really sad record companies choose to invest in rappers like Wacka Flocka Flame and 2 Chainz, instead of focusing their time,energy and cash on artists like Keith. It breaks my heart into a million little pieces also that such talent can be totally wasted on drugs. Keith Murray has admitted to dabbling in all kinds of foolishness, but claims he has everything under control - even after revealing he comes from "a long line of respectable druggies." Hhayi.... I don't know. His new mixtape 'Murray Madness' is crazy though! That I know for sure!! My boo still got it!!

I came across this video while I was  trawling cyberspace and it's too good  not to share. I'd be doing the world a disservice. This is Keith reciting a poem titled 'Man Child' on the Def Poetry Jam stage. An awesome moment in Hip Hop history, for sure. This man is soooo intelligent!! I am moved. Sooo DEEP!!

Keith  Murray - 'Man Child'

"...It's important that my understanding is understood, but it's more important that it's understood in the hood"... I absolutely love that!!


Check out my favourite song by Keith below:

 - By SereNgeti

MY BOO IS BACK...ONE MO GIN'

The Father of my 8  kids

Moment of silence for this beautiful man.....Yes...Uh Huh...*Sigh*...Ok....As you were....tltltl

This year keeps getting better! After a 12 year hiatus, the future father of my children, D'Angelo is on the cusp of a comeback! YASS!! And he's lost all that weight!! This is such a MAJOR air-punch moment for me!!

I love D'Angelo! That Untitled (How Does It Feel) video changed my life and the lives of millions of other women across the globe. The level of scrumptiousness is unrivalled. To this day!! Whooooooo *fans self* LOL! I'm relieved that he still looks sexy as all hell. I was a tad worried about him; what with all that boozing and cocain-ing (made up word! *Air punch*) as well as all that prostitute soliciting.

About a month ago, D'Angelo sat down with Amy Wallace from GQ for his first interview in years. Loved it! He's definitely in a great space creatively as he gears up for the release of a brand new album and looks like he has drop-kicked those demons that had us all worried.

Some of my favourite tracks from D'Angelo include: 'Lady', 'Brown Sugar', 'Send it On', 'Cruisin', 'Left and Right' and 'Higher'. Definitely staples at my crib.  Straight fiyah!

Excerpts from GQ Interview: 

Why his life turned around

What finally made him see, he says, was the passing of J Dilla, the revered hip-hop producer, on February 10, 2006. They'd just talked on the phone, D'Angelo says, when suddenly, J Dilla was gone at 32 after a long battle with lupus. It was like a blinding light had been switched on. Why did so many black artists die so young? He'd been haunted by this thought for years. Marvin. Jimi. Biggie. "I felt like I was going to be next. I ain't bullshitting. I was scared then," he says, recalling how shame engulfed him, preventing him from attending the funeral. "I was so fucked-up, I couldn't go."

Forces in the industry

"There's forces that are going on that I don't think a lot of motherfuckers that make music today are aware of," he says. "It's deep. I've felt it. I've felt other forces pulling at me." He stubs out his cigarette and leans toward me, taking my hand. "This is a very powerful medium that we are involved in," he says gravely. "I learned at an early age that what we were doing in the choir was just as important as the preacher. It was a ministry in itself. We could stir the pot, you know? The stage is our pulpit, and you can use all of that energy and that music and the lights and the colors and the sound. But you know, you've got to be careful.

That Video
Paul Hunter, the director hired to make the video (Untitled), says his work was misunderstood: "Most people think the 'Untitled' video was about sex, but my direction was completely opposite of that. It was about his grandmother's cooking."  (Um..Okay! LOL) The video may have looked like foreplay, but it was actually about family, Hunter insists—about intimacy. Later, when I tell D'Angelo this, he says, "It's so true: We talked about the Holy Ghost and the church before that take. The veil is the nudity and the sexuality. But what they're really getting is the spirit."

Welcome back boo!! :) Here's a throwback  for all you ladies (and a couple of gents too hehehe) to help us celebrate the return of all that yumminess. You're welcome!

PS - Keep in mind that this vid is about his grandmothers cooking....*SMH* If this is what her cooking looks like, I need to find her *Waves Plate* Tltltltl

VIDEO : D'Angelo - Untitled (How Does It Feel)

 

 - By SereNgeti

Images and Excerpts -GQ

Video: TUPAC SHAKUR HOLOGRAM

If you know me, you will know I f*x with Pac. From Day 1! With this in mind, you can imagine how excited I was when I first heard talk about Dre bringing the legend to the Coachella stage.

I will be the first to admit my excitement did not prepare me sufficiently for the kick *ss-ness that is the performance itself. I'm in awe! This concept is sooo dope, I'd sell my left boob for even half a share in the market stock. Lol!

Seeing Pac being 'raised from the dead' - in not so many words - is sooo surreal. I swear I shed a tear watching it. (Not many tears. Just one - Hehehe)

This is definitely the highlight of the DECADE for me, in as far as music is concerned. INCREDIBLE!

If you've been living with the Flintstones and have not seen the performance, here ya go :)

I RIDE for Pac! #AllDayErrDay

- By SereNgeti

Image: Fader

Hot New Artist Alert: LANA DEL REY!

Here for the crown: Lana Del Rey

 
What do you get when you mix a generous helping of indipop soul, with a gorgeous, moody and very hungry specimen with legs that go on forever and a day? Well…you get model/singer/glamazon Lana Del Rey, that’s what! Believe me when I tell you that this bright, new star is nothing to play with! I put my granmomma and ‘em’s life on it (Sorry gran! You know I love you right? Lol)

With a bang ‘on-trend’ retro style, a delivery that’s as sadcore as the blues will allow, an attitude that's unashamedly ballsy (she calls herself a 'gangsta' Nancy Sinatra) and a voice as bewitching and captivating as they come, why shouldn’t Lana be Sexysomething’s new girl crush? I've been on this girl's trail for a couple of months now and am glad that people have stopped taking Zzz's on this New Yorker :)



Hi. I'm a real 'G'. You?



Hop on over to YouTube and take a listen for yourself if you think I’m trying to sell you lofty pipe dreams. See if you are not affected by her power. (Well, and the fact that she’d give your man more than an ‘amber alert’ in his pants hehehe) Lana's brand new album is called 'Born to Die' and has spawned hits such as 'Video Games' and the title track 'Born to Die'.

Sometimes sounding jaded, she bewilders the senses by managing to be overwhelming and refreshing...ALL at the same time. Whose child is this?



'Amber alert' in your man's pants!



 This girl joins that boy The Wknd as one of my ‘Hot New Artist’s To Watch In 2012’!

She is, without a shadow of a doubt, on ‘the come-up’!!

I loooove you Lana!!!

- By Ngeti Dlamini aka SereNgeti

Images: Blackvinylmag, Fashandme

RUMOUR HAS IT: Rapper J. Cole Headed To Our Shores!

Good news kids! It looks like Grammy nominated Hip Hop star J. Cole might be headed to the motherland. Only problem though is we don’t know WHERE in Africa Mr. Cole is headed to! Oh the torture!!

The gorgeous American rapper confirmed this news in a brief chat with the gorgeous Dineo Moeketsi (who is actually friends with J. Cole *The Jealousy* tltltltl) on the Grammy Awards red carpet (as seen on V-Entertainment). We’re not sure whether he’s coming to South Africa or whether he is headed to Naija, Ghana or Swaziland (because these countries have definitely stepped it up with regards to bringing international acts to the continent).

However, what we do know is that he’ll be here in May. Whoo!! The way groupies will be dusting up their thigh high boots, shem! Lol! We’ll definitely keep our eyes peeled in the coming weeks to see if there will be any new developments surrounding the young rapper’s trip to Africa.

A friend reckons it is highly unlikely that J. Cole would come all the way out just for a solo gig, especially considering that he just came out of the Hip Hop sidelines 10 minutes ago. Hhhhmmm…could Kanye and Jay Z be headed to our shores for a ‘Watch The Throne’ date? Just throwing it out there!! Lol! We’ll see!

Check out one of my favourite cuts from that kid J. below!

J.Cole feat. Drake - 'In The Morning'

- By Ngeti Dlamini aka SereNgetty
  
x0x0

Image: Sohh

FOCUS: Grammy Red Carpet Fashion




Black and Yellow : Amber and Wiz

 Some stepped out looking like they waylayed, then subsequently jacked Lil' Red Riding Hood *Side eyes Nicki Minaj*. Another bunch seared our cornea's with really bold choices (see above). Others...well, they plain ol' forgot their pants at home! Tsk, tsk! We round up the stars' 2012 Grammy red carpet looks!

We kick it off with Amber Rose and her boo, Wiz Khalifa (up top). Even though I want to scrub Wiz's chest with Omo and a scrubbing brush  (those tats-sigh), the 'look' was dope. His girl Amber went for a bright...No. Let's make that a REALLY bright yellow dress! Even though my eyes were shocked into action, she looked good. Grown and sexy for a change. Very becoming! We like it Amber :)



My Humps: Fergie

 Fergilicious and her lovely lady lumps stepped out in undies and an orange lace curtain. The cut of the dress is gorgeous but hhayi, I don't understand. It probably was really hot in LA on Sunday *shrugs*



Kelly Rowland

 Kelly Rowland looked stunning!! Love, love, love her!! Soo pretty :) Go on 'head girl!



Rihanna

  Rihanna's look was on point. Basic black, no frills, just a mile of leg and a looooong 'dive' of cleavagery *Tee hee* I'm so silly :) PS - I love her hair! It looks like Ri and Alicia Keys have the same taste in footwear. Both rocked up in the same shoes!

Is it me or does Swizz Beats look like he is trying hard to stop himself from screaming "It's showtiiiime"? Lol! I keeeeed!! Swizzy and Alicia Keys walked the red carpet looking like Hip Hop royalty. I LOVE accessories, so you are kindly advised that my heart is attached to that neckpiece Egypt's mom has on!!!




'The Pope' and Nicki Minaj

 Your girl Nicki Minaj commited sacrilege in the name of fashion on Grammy night. *SMH* Damn you Gaga and your egg thingamabobin!!



David Guetta and his baybay


All I'm looking at are Mrs. Guetta's pants.....Why Mrs. G? Whyyyyyyy??!!!



Annie V and Adam Levine

 Annie V almost showed us her V *Hides* She forgot her pants at home....again! Annie!




J.Cole and his date


 Jay Z's protege J. Cole took the red carpet walk with...his mommy!! Ncaaw! Sweet!



*Cough*

 Robyn was there...

*Cough, Cough*

So was this lady....*SMH*





Carrie Underwood


Carrie Underwood looked sensational in white!




Paris Hilton


So did Paris Hilton!! Looking good 'P'

Taraji Henson....




Toast to the winners!!


C Breezy being congratulated by Stevie Wonder! Congrats Chris! We love yeeewwww!!! Now take your top off!! Lol!

My baby!!

My future baby father, Drake looked hella fine in that tux!! Whooooo!! *Fans Self* I love you Aubrey! Lol!

All in all, it definitely was a great night out for the stars!! Everyone (except Cough...and Cough, Cough -Lmao) looked incredible!!!

- By Ngeti Dlamini aka SereNgetty

x0x0

Images: Getty, Rap Up, Yahoo

RIP WHITNEY: One Of The Greatest Voices Of Our Time Silenced Forever!





RIP Whitney 'The Voice' Houston

  

“Sometimes you’ll laugh. And sometimes you’ll cry. Life never tells us the when’s or why’s. But when you’ve got friends to wish you well, you’ll find your point when you will exhale”.

Powerful words from one of my favourite Whitney Houston songs, ‘Exhale (Shoop)’, written by the super talented Babyface, for the ‘Waiting to Exhale’ soundtrack.

I join millions of music-lovers across the globe, to mourn the tragic and utterly shocking passing of one of the greatest songstresses of our time, Whitney Houston. If you – like me, are a funky 80s baby, there will be absolutely no doubt in your mind that Miss Houston was HBIC (Head Biatch In Charge) at the time, running circles around other female vocalists, without so much as breaking a sweat on the microphone! With THAT voice, it is more than understandable.

Bobby was my drug

Whitney was what I like to call #BadBad!! Believe me, Paula Abdul and them know EXACTLY what it feels like to be served up a delicious plate of Whitney dust on the charts (sorry Paula! I Love you Lol!) At a time when there was a clear line of demarcation lodged firmly between popular black music and other genre’s at the time, Whitney successfully bridged that gap and…in dramatic fashion! I really do not want to talk about her time with ex husband Bobby Brown. We all know how that turned out! “Bobby was my drug. I wasn’t getting high by myself”, she infamously said in an interview.

Whitney dressed in traditional Swazi attire

I choose to remember Whitney Houston for that incredible voice, silenced too soon and not the demons she battled in the last years of her life. God speed Whitney!! Thank you for touching our souls and for your unparalleled contribution to the arts!

Take a look at Whitney at her AMAZING best!!  LIVE at the SuperBowl in 1991!! *Goosebumps*

Whitney Houston's Star Spangled Banner rendition!

We love you Whitney!!!! RIP!!

-By Ngeti Dlamini aka SereNgetty
x0x0

VIDEO: The Weeknd - 'The Knowing'

One of my favourite artists right now is The Weeknd. I first stumbled upon his music about two months ago when I was cruising Youtube. Damn is all I'm going to say about this artist!! I am SUPER excited right now because he has just released a DOPE music video for his first single, titled 'The Knowing'. This video is giving me EVERYTHING!!! I love it!!! Check it out!

It's safe to say we'll be hearing more from this talented musician. Next year, this guy will blow up shem. He'll be everywhere! #Trust! He already has a nice lil' feature on Drake's new album 'Take Care'. Come to think of it, some of the stuff on 'House of Balloons' (Weeknd's album - which was released in March 2011) sounds like some of that Drake stuff. Luv, luv, luv this guy!!

- By SereNgeti

Round Up: The Channel O VMA's!

From sexy West African rappers, to larger than life divas with even larger weaves, the Channel O awards had it all!

First things first, it would be criminal of me not to give Africa's musicians a hand for pulling out all the stops at this years O Awards! I have always been a fan of a lot of the stuff Nigeria's consistently churning out (blame it on those sexy Naija boys) However, Uganda, Namibia and them definitely kicked the door in and made their presence felt this year. If you didn't watch, here's what you missed (or didn't) tltltl

Tiwa Savage - I love me some T.Sav!! 'Kele Kele Love' goes hard and I've always loved how phly this girl is. However, no one prepared me sufficiently for that girl's live performance. She gave me EVERYTHING! Whooooo!! She deserves that Grammy nomination! Vocals were on point! Nigeria stays stuntin'!

Tiwa Savage

Lizha James from Mozambique on the other hand, needed to pull her 'Hair Guy' to the side of the stage for a serious conversation about her weave. It made her look like she was on her way to buy bread and milk at the Ponta D'Or Supermarket! Who did that to my favourite Mozambican queen?! Mnxm!

Lizha and her hair...

Channel O's Dineo did a great job as compere/host. Co-host Banky W on the other hand looked and sounded like he wanted to make love to himself the whole time lol! Great guy but hhayi lol!

FOREPLAY:Banky touching himself lol!

I STAN for DJ Cleo! He can have everything I own, that guy. I don't care what anyone says about him. He works hard and has an incredible mind! I know this because I interviewed him earlier this year and I left that place totally inspired! This is the reason why I won't say anything about his hair.

Cleo performs

My hubby Naeto C made me smile when he won an award for our wedding song, 10 over 10. Lol! My granny was more fascinated by Naeto's shades, a similar pair which she owns. Now she thinks she knows music because they share the same taste in eyewear *smdh*

My gran's fave glasses!

The highlight of the night was without a doubt Flavour's performance. That 'Nwa Baby' song of his is my 'Song of 2011'! You should have seen the action at my house during his performance. I was dirty dancing and grinding the stove, while my granny straddled my mother's pot plants tltltl! I threw a shoe at the TV screen at some point though because whoever was behind the camera wanted to show us Flavour's face, which we did not give two rat's a**es about. All Africa wanted to see was the guy gyrate. Damn!!!

Flavour gyrates...

And then there was Shaa. Nkosi! She made me hide under the table when she fluffed her lines. It was so awkward shem and my heart broke for her. I then proceeded to roll on the floor, with my breath threatening to leave my body when the audience packed up laughing when she apologised to her mother. Shem, my heart was so sore for that girl. Be Strong wherever you are my nubian sistah *sigh*

I was sad until KB mounted the stage to present an award. The producers should have paired him with Dineo. That joke about 'Blacks, flasks and booze' made my night. He's brilliant!

Teargas and Liquid Deep then made my granny reach for her High Blood Pressure pills when they came out to accept their Most Gifted Duo/Group Video for 'Born for this'. She couldn't handle all that 'swag' in one place at the same time. Those boys looked good! *Swoon* However, I suspect two of the Teargas guys were drunk! The little one was soo entertaining Lol!

Teargas

I couldn't understand a word Samklef said on stage, so I concentrated on the flower pinned on his pretty co-presenter's dress. It was yellow.

Professor tore the house down (as usual). I chuckled though during his performance because his dancers thighs tried their best to outshine him. They were all over my screen! I boo'd the way when my favourite Kwaito artist Brickz lost out to a guy from Namibia called 'The Dog'. Mnxm! The way Brickz makes my life! I secretly wished he'd pull a Kanye and tell The Dog "Whooooohwwwww!!" and then walk off the stage Lmao!

The producers should have let JMartens and Fally Ipupa perform! They would have killed it on that stage! That's all I'm not happy about.

Anywhoo..Congrats to all the winners! Don't sleep on Africa and it's talent!! So proud!!

PS - My pic uploader is hungover, so I'm not able to caption the pictures the way I'm supposed to *sigh* Askies-ini ke?! lol! Mwaah!!

-By SereNgeti
Pics- Channel O, Naijafilm.com

IDOLS ROUND UP: Boobs & Wood!

South Africa has a new IDOL kids! His name is Dave (Of course he's not black. This is NOT Coca Cola Pop Stars)

Can he sing? Hhmm...The jury is still out on that one. All I am prepared to say right now is that um,I like his skinny jeans…tltltl

#WINNING: Dave being his strange self

*Okay, first things first…Unathi’s boobs. Shem Hhayi *round of applause* I want them! They distracted me the whole show and certainly upstaged that Proverb guy. They looked alive! I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a job, pay taxes and go shopping for Wonder bras on their own.Next time, the Producers should just hand those breasts a Mic so they can present the show! It’s called cutting costs hehehe

*As soon as I heard Proverb announce the Parlotones would be hitting the stage with some of the Top 10 contestants, I bolted and found myself in the passage. I don’t know where I was going but I can assure you wherever it was had to be as far away from the damn TV as humanly possible. Every week, it’s been Parlotones this and Parlotones that. Hhhayi. As I was standing there in the passage, staring into a spider’s eyes, I heard an all too familiar croak. It was my FAVE Idol contestant…Freddie! Lol!

Freddie and his hair are my heroes shem lol

He and that mop of hair on his head need to start a band. Seriously!He is such a Rockstar and has that ‘I do coke on strippers boobs’ look down to a tee! FredStar did his thing on stage with two black guys (I forget their names) who looked bored out of their minds. They looked like they couldn’t wait to go back home and smoke weed shem.

*Liquid Deep then tried to warm up the crowd with their funky “You Don’t Have to be Alone”. Mnxm! Sadly, I felt alone throughout their performance because Mr Yummy Vocalist Guy decided he was too shy to look at the audience, or even the camera’s! I was totally mad at him. But not for long. His dimple made everything alright. All is forgiven boo boo!

*Dave looked high (as usual)! I knew he would take it. He has ‘the look’- whatever that is. I can’t help but notice he tries to channel Pete Doherty (Google him baby). Mark was by far the better vocalist of the two. His weight however, did him dirty.

*The whole ‘Introduction’ bit by Lira’s band during her 50 second performance was a little OTT. By the time she started singing, I had knitted 12 scarves and half a sweater with my Grandmother *Yawn* She made up for it though with an energetic performance. I love her. She pulls you in every time. I’m still on the fence though about her orange gear. Looked like a naartjie threw up on her backstage.

Lira's intro made me and my Granny knit *Yawn*

*I lol’d and almost peed on myself when Zandri mounted the stage to accept her ‘Wooden Mic Award’. Yhoooo!!!She looked like she had just rolled out of bed with that hair. She then decided to kill me dead when she sang that damn Celine Dion song. Lawd! I still feel  Peter what-what was robbed shem! He will forever have a place in my heart for his flawless, pitch-perfect and totally inspired rendition of Josh Groban’s “You raise Me Up” Hhayi! GIVE THAT MAN A BELLS!! Lmao!

If you don’t know what I’m talking about…

PEEP THIS VIDEO : Usher! Eat your heart out!

*Dead*

That concludes my FIRST EVER BLOG POST! :) *Does the Stanky Leg* Excuse me if it's crappy! I'm sure it'll get better once I get the hang of this!

Peace and Love xoxo

SereNgeti

Video and Images: IdolsSA website