BET Awards, Frank Ocean, and other happenings

Hi Guys!

This past week has certainly been a busy one, both on the music front and personally (for me).

As you know, the BET Awards were last Sunday and I did get to watch it in its entirety. I will admit, I am not a big BET fan. There is not enough music on a so-called music channel and the music you do see lacks variety (in my opinion). But, after hearing about a Whitney Houston tribute, a Melanie Fiona performance, and a comeback performance from D'Angelo, I gave BET my undivided attention for about 3.5 hours.

Overall, the show was what I expected it to be: a little ratchetness, a little gospel, and a ton of wth moments! The moments I waited for did not disappoint. D'Angelo sounded EXACTLY like he sounded back in the 90s and I will be checking for him on tour!

Melanie Fiona looked and sounded amazing. She is not a household name quite yet, but I think her performance woke up a few people who have been sleeping on her :)

The best moment of all was, of course, the Whitney tribute. BET may get some things wrong, but they sure knew what they were doing when they put this tribute together. Monica and Brandy, both mentored by Whitney and mega stars in their own right, STOLE THE SHOW. Monica had me in tears and Brandy showed everyone just how powerhouse her smoky vocals truly are.

But, when Whitney's momma came out and sang (yes SANG), everyone was done. Soulja Boy, Beyonce, and majority of the people at the awards and at home were in tears. I think I saw Kanye and Jay-Z holding back tears... Peace and blessings to them all.

Now, about Frank Ocean. For those of you who don't know who he is, Frank is a rising R&B star who is affiliated with Odd Future, Tyler The Creator's label. Still lost?? It's okay, Google him!!

Anyway, his debut CD is slated for a 07/17 release, and he shocked quite a few people in the R&B/hip-hop circle by posting intimate details about his first love on Tumblr. Why are people shocked? Because his first love was another man.

Here is what I think. I think Frank Ocean is incredibly brave. Regardless on how I or anyone else feels about the LGBT community, we have to admit that he was very brave to be so honest about his sexuality, especially when he is apart of a community that largely frowns upon "being gay". And, as far as I am concerned, his sexuality is none of my business and has no affiliation with his musical genius. Will the music community stand behind Mr. Ocean? Only time will tell. But, I will tell you this...hate and judgement never wins. There ya go....

What else is new? Chris Brown has a new CD out and I will take a listen and have some commentary on it. I am working on a blog post about him, so look for it!

Prayers up for Rihanna (she lost her gran-gran Dolly last weekend) and Usher (he is going through a bitter divorce and now his former stepson is in critical condition after a 4th of July accident).

Trey Songz is heating up the music scene with two new releases from his upcoming album, Chapter V. "Dive In", a sexy signature Trey Songz record, and "Simply Amazing", another record where Trey steps outside of the box people LOVE to place him in, are both great records. I'm excited about Chapter V...this is going to be a CD full of hits!! Release date: 08/21/2012.

Love you,

-T. Amour