Why bleaching the skin is simply more than skin deep

Ok, ok this is a complete deviation to things pertaining to urban, but I needed to get this one off my chest!

Skin bleaching is not a new phenomenon. It is popular within the Black and Asian communities and has been so for many years. Unlike most cosmetic alterations to the body, bleaching is irreversible and if done incorrectly, could lead to undesired consequences. Why bleaching has become such a hot topic in the urban world, is because dancehall legend Vibez Kartel has admitted to bleaching his skin. Whilst bleaching is typically done by women, there are a handful of men who also are known to have bleached their skin.

It could be argued that bleaching is no different to white people who enjoy tanning. After all, the aim is to alter the skin pigmentation to be either darker or lighter. Whilst this may be true, there seems to be a deeper psychology for people with dark complexions, it is as if being lighter would deem them being more beautiful or accepted.

Skin complexion has always been something of an issue in black communities all over the world. It wasn’t until recently that Brazilians who were of dark complexion are now considering themselves to black or indigenous. In the past, descriptions such as 'latte' or 'burnt coffee' would suffice in describing their complexion. In certain areas in Dominican Republic being dark and having an afro is tantamount to ugliness. It’s as if black people were running away from being black in order to feel human. In Nigeria, there is the notion that being fair skinned equates to being beautiful.

This unfortunate mindset goes back to the days of slavery and colonization where the lighter you were the more closer you were to being white and thus being more ‘civilised and human’.

Vibez Kartel has argued that his bleaching was simply for looking better and to show off his dark tattoos (yes, really), but even if this were the case, what message is he really conveying? That being dark skinned is not good enough and to be lighter really means to be beautiful?

As the cliché goes, eveyone is beautiful from every race, but time and time again messages conveyed by the media seeks to portray the infamous ‘lighter is better’ image thus effecting the self esteem of many people in Black and Asian communities, we don’t need to see our own also purporting this propaganda.

The Incident of Chris Brown: Forgiven or Forgotten?

 

Chris Brown seems to be on a roll at the moment. He has been gaining momentum from singles such as “Yeah x3” and “Dueces” as well as getting a lot of radio attention in the UK with the song ‘Champion’. However, if we were to rewind back the clock 2 years ago on the fateful night of the Grammys when he assaulted singer Rihanna, many people would have doubted that Chris Brown would have been able to make such a come back into the game as he has done.

The question has to be asked whether the urban world has forgiven Chris for his misdemeanour, or is it simply the case that he was placed in the media spotlight for a while, but we all knew that once the storm was over he will be back to doing music.

Given the noise people made about the crime, domestic violence is not something that is foreign in the world of Hip Hop. You don’t have to search for too long before you come across a record where an artist is benevolent about assaulting women or in most cases a ‘ho’. Eminem is notorious for rapping about assaulting women, he even raps about murdering his ex-wife. Dr Dre’s The Chronic album is littered with rap lines and antidotes talking about assaulting women. These examples mentioned are just some of the well respected artists who think it’s ok to rap about abusing women.

It therefore seems hypocritical that the prominent voices in the Hip Hop world can condemn Chris Brown for his actions and yet talk about the same things in their songs.

If Rihanna wasn’t the global pop sensation that she is now, would people have cared so much? The late Big Pun was also known by close circles for attacking his wife (even attacking using a gun) and yet had a successful rap career.

If art is simply imitating life, then there is a big problem. A study from 1993 to 1998 showed that black females experience domestic violence from the hands of her partner was 35% higher than their white counterparts. Domestic violence is a prevalent problem in the black community that needs firm addressing and seeing it being perpetuated by popular artists in the urban community is not helping matters.

Some would argue that Chris Brown has paid for his crime by apologizing, carrying out his sentence and having his image tarnished. So for him, to start afresh and focus on his music is a positive thing.

On a much wider scale however, this isn’t enough. What needs to be discussed is the role in which Hip Hop has and is playing in terms of domestic violence (also black on black violence) to ensure that young adults are not seeing these issues as a means to justify as well as glorify masculinity, but to see that only weak and insecure fools are the ones who go about beating up women.

Kanye West and Jay Z: The greatest collaboration ever...Or the greatest flop

The jury is still out regarding H.A.M., amidst the hype with facebook pages crashing and all, the song is alright, nothing exceptional just standard. And with this the question is asked whether questionably two of the greatest artists in Hip Hop, with a combined total of 24 grammys, can pull off delivering an excellent album.

Apart from the obvious ego stroking, there is no particular reason as to why this collaboration is happening. They don’t need to do this, they have achieved all what they need to achieve in Hip Hop; so this is merely a want. To be able to say that they have done a collaboration that will probably break some form of record. Hopefully, because of this want, the album should deliver to expectations. They have worked together for years on various tracks on each of their own and other artist’s albums, producing excellent pieces of work. However, rather than the odd one or two tracks, this will be a full album, trying to encompass both artist’s creativity. Therein lies the problem. As opposed to a group, each artist comes with their own ideas of creative direction to the table with some form of compromise. Groups tend to have an organic process of creativity, whilst the compromise is still there, it won’t be as apparent compared to two solo artists.

Who will play the role of Batman and Robin? Kanye with an ego as big as Alaska would be expected to let Jay Z take the lead on this project, but can such creativity be stifled to a man who arguably has the best album this year and has pushed the boundaries of Hip Hop to the extreme? Likewise, does Kanye expect Jay Z to go along with all of his wacky ideas? It may be fine if it were Kanye alone, but even the adaptable Jay Z, has a limit.

Two great artists doing an album together doesn’t automatically equal to critical success. Remember R. Kelly and Jay Z’s Best Of Both Worlds? A good album, but it didn’t do well as hoped. This could also be true for Kanye West and Jay Z.

During the next subsequent weeks, the urban world will be watching keenly at this joint venture, but until the album is dropped, all we can do is speculate.

Chart Buzz: Week 5

This week proved to be a good week in the urban world in terms of chart performance in the UK. Bruno Mars still retained the top position for the second week with Grenade.  Both Adele and Dirty Money gate crashed into the top 5 with Adele coming in at no. 2 with Rolling In The Deep and Dirty Money at no. 4 with Coming Home. Jessie J dropped 1 place with Do It Like A Dude at no. 3. Wretch 32 and Aggro Santos both made it into the top 10 at places no.5 and no. 8 respectively.

In Spain, Rihanna managed to climb up one place to no. 3 with Only Girl (In The World), Akon and Michael Jackson also climb up one place at no. 7 with Hold My Hand.

Bruno Mars managed to achieve two of his singles in the top 10 in the US. With Grenade at no. 2 and Just The Way You Are (Amazing) at no. 10. Rihanna is down 1 place at no. 4 with What’s My Name. Wiz Khalifa came in at no. 5 with Black And Yellow

Music Monday

In order to commemorate the start to the working week, Music Monday is where tunes from the present and the past will be shown to make Mondays less painful.

Devlin (feat Labrinth) – Let it Go

Devlin is probably one of the most understated artists in the UK. Famed for his clever use of wordplay and thought provoking verses, Devlin is destined to do great things. Let It Go is reminiscent of ‘Love The Way You Lie’ by Eminem but with a higher degree of realism that makes it much more easier to relate to.

Skepta vs N-Dubz – So Alive

I am not even going to lie; I was never overly excited about N-Dubz when they first came out. However, they have started to grow on me. This song in particular shows of the lyrical ability of the mc’s in particular Fazar who manages to outshine Dappy on this one.

Skepta, as per usual shows off his lyrical prowess in the song and I am sure many would have wanted this song to have been is entirely.

Lupe Fiasco’s Album Cover

The Chi Town rapper is to release his third album on the 8^th March under the Atlantic record label.

Hip Hop sells out (again)

Hip Hop going commercial in the respects to product endorsements is nothing new. From Diddy flaunting his fragrances, to Jay Z flashing his Ace Of Spades alcohol in every music video that he has. We Hip Hop fans have been accustomed to the fact that Hip Hop will never be in its pure form in the days of Afrika Bambaataa and understand that the genre is big business. Recently, however, I have been irritated by the new product endorsement that has taking place these past couple of months. Artists are now selling their own range of earphones. To be fair it makes complete sense to have artists endorsing this kind of product, as it is pretty much incorporated in their ‘day jobs’. When Dr Dre came out with his ‘beats’ range, I admit I was suckered into getting them. It was ‘made’ by a guy who knew his music, so I thought that the much anticipated product should be of good quality. Don’t get me wrong, the sound quality of the earphones is better compared to most, though I wouldn’t say that it is miles better than its nearest rival and it definitely isn’t a true reflection of the value that the earphones are priced at (£90 for in-earphones). What annoys me about this is the whole jumping on the bandwagon in this market. Dr Dre, Lady Gaga, 50 cent and now Diddy. For any other product related to music, I would be cool with that. They want to establish their empire, that’s cool. However, with the selling of music products other than albums or singles, it seems as though they seek to further devalue the genre, in particular selling overpriced earphones that don’t really do much to edify the listening experience.

I know I am just being extreme in my view on this, however these artists have already exploited every other commodity to achieve some form of surplus monetary gain. At least let music be.

Shake My Head: Kanye West and Gucci Mane

It’s not even April yet and already we are seeing some fools! Firstly let’s start with Gucci Mane.

Whether you like tattoos or not, you would expect that whenever someone goes through the trouble of permanently scarring their body with ink, there would be some significant reason behind the it. Well this is the not case for Mr. Mane:

What the heck??? Ice Cream??? On your face??  Maybe Gucci Mane should be referred to the psychiatric hospital after his stint in prison.

To call Mr West arrogant is beyond an understatement. He is seriously talented, but gosh he does have an ego. The news that he purchased a $180,000 watch with a picture of his face encrusted in diamonds speaks volumes of his vanity as well as the fact that he has more money than actual sense

Rising Stars: Labrinth and Skylar Grey

2011 has kicked off with a bang in terms of the urban scene. We have seen both Tinie Tempah and Jessie J stealing the limelight in the UK, and the likes of J. Cole making noises in the US. Two artists in particular that I predict will be making big noise this year are Skylar Grey and Labrinth.

Timothy McKenzie, famously known as Labrinth is looking to do big things in 2011. Already achieving 3 hit singles in the UK charts before he has even brought out his debut album. Signed to Simon Cowell’s (founder of the X Factor) record label Syco, he is the first non-contest act to be signed to the record label in 6 years. Labrinth truly is a jack-of-all-trades as he is a song writer, music producer as well as singer; collaborating with the likes of Gorillaz, Devlin and Professor Green. His first single, “Let The Sunshine” came in at no. 3 in the UK charts and his new album looking to drop this year.

Skylar Grey is another person who hasn’t even got an album to her name but is still able to be making some noise! She is currently Grammy nominated; co-writing hits such as Eminem and Rihanna’s “Love The Way You Lie” and Dirty Money’s “Coming Home”. She is currently signed to Alex Da Kid’s record label called Wonderland Records. Her vocals are also on the Dr Dre’s forthcoming single “I Need A Doctor” which is rumoured to be released on 1^st February.

New ways in which music can be purchased

From February 1^st, two of the biggest record labels in the UK are going to roll out an “On Air, On Sale” Policy which allows customers to download music as soon as they hear it played on the radio. It is a known fact that piracy is the bane of the digital world, so Universal and Sony Music are seeking to address this issue by releasing singles as soon as they hit the airwaves. Songs are usually released 6 weeks after radio and TV promotion, but this timeframe is considered too long as impatient music lovers want to download the song sooner resulting to illegal downloading

Opinion

As a person who is usually impatient and hates having to wait weeks before I can download tunes that I like, I view this as a huge step. The only thing for concern is how this will affect the music charts. The normal build-up before a single/album is formally released gives an accurate reflection to the reception of the music. What we will soon see is disproportionate chart positions, as songs initially entering the chart will arrive at low positions in the first week, only to climb the charts further down the line. There will also be the problem of widening the gap between the major record labels and independents. Major record labels can afford to pay for heavy airtime rotation to ensure that their songs are heard enough to ensure sales, independents however may not have the cash to compete hence making it harder to shine.

Marketing efforts across the board will have to ensure that listeners have an awareness of the songs, so that they are better judged to buy the song or not. This might be the time whereby MySpace can get its mojo back??

Chart Buzz: Week 4

In the US Nicki Minaj manages to fight off Bruno Mars to the no. 2 with her "Pink Friday" album. Bruno Mars “Doo-Wop and Hooligans” came in at no. 3

In the singles chart in Spain, Rihanna and Black Eyed Peas retain their positions for another week at 3 and 4 respectively. Oceana came in at no. 15 with her re-entry of “Cry Cry”. Lucenzo and Don Omar are down 4 places to no. 20 with their club banger "Danza Kudro"

In France, Rihanna is still riding the charts as she is at no. 6 for her single “Only Girl”. Usher is surprisingly still in the top 20 with “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” up a place to no. 13. Lucenzo is down 2 places to no. 16 with the song “Baila Morena”

In the UK Bruno Mars new single “Grenade” came straight in at no. 1 beating Jessie J to the top spot. Katy B is a non-mover at no. 4 with “Lights On”. David Guetta climbed 4 places to no. 6 with “Who’s That Girl” feat Rihanna

Music Monday

In order to commemorate the start to the working week, Music Monday is where tunes from the present and the past will be shown to make Mondays less painful.

Diddy – Dirty Money – Coming Home ft Skylar Grey

When Puffy Diddy first came out with Dirty Money, I wasn’t too sure how this would pan out. I mean, do really want an album with Diddy singing?  God no! However, the group (if that’s what we're to call them), has grown on me. The fact that they are different, but not blatantly pop, helps to fill a gap that has been tried and failed (I am looking at you Black Eyed Peas)

Last Train To Paris; Diddy’s fifth studio album to date and the first for the group, received mixed reviews though it exceeded the expectations of most by selling 101,000 copies so far. One of the better songs on the album, "Coming Home" featuring Skylar Grey, is never going to compare to I’ll Be Missing You, but it’s definitely up there with in terms of sincerity and self reflection which is all too missing in the world of Hip Hop.

Bruno Mars – Grenade

There is no stopping this boy at the minute! From when he exploded into our ears singing the chorus for Nothin' On You, his popularity has grown, working with the likes of Cee Lo Green and Travis McCoy. He comes with his second single, Grenade off the album Doo-Wops & Hooligans which is to be released in the UK today.

Jesse J – Price Tag

In the urban world, there is an unfortunate lack of females representing. Even less still in the UK. So it was exciting to hear of Jesse J who is looking to be a permanent fixture in the urban scene.  Though she has been around for some time, writing for the likes of Justin Timberlake and Alicia Keys, her buzz only started to grow late last year. Her current single "Do It Like A Dude" is looking to top the charts today, but this song was chosen for Music Monday as it really shows off her vocal ability.

Aaliyah – Back and Forth

Yesterday was the late Aaliyah’s birthday, who would have been 32 years old. Ever since her tragic death in 2001, the urban world has never been the same. When R&B was so clichéd, Aaliyah sought to bring out originality and truly was in a league of her own. In her short career, she managed to sell 32 million albums worldwide and won numerous awards. This was the song that really started it all for Aaliyah. We Miss You R.I.P.

Peace!!!

HOT OFF THE PRESS: Big congratulations to Tinie Tempah for his four BRIT Nominations!

Tinie Tempah, born Patrick Junior Chukwuem Okogwu garnered nominations for ‘best single’, ‘best breakthrough act’, ‘best male artist’ and the most coveted off all, ‘best album’. He released his most successful album to date Disc-Overy last October, which went straight to number one in the UK charts. The hit singles include ‘Written in the stars’, ‘frisky’ and the banger that got his fame rising ‘pass out’. The winners will be announced on February 15^th



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As the title suggests, this blog is all about what is going on in the urban world. From New York, to London, to Barcelona; this blog is dedicated to delivering the latest news.  So if you are looking for your next fix as to what is happening in the urban world, look no further than Urbana Junkie. 

Peace!!!