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Posts tagged as “Justin Timberlake”

MUSIC MONDAY: “Alright: The Essential Pharrell Williams” Playlist (LISTEN)

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Threads: @stlmarlonwest IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Bring It On Home” – A Famous Background Vocalists Playlist (LISTEN)

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)

Happy springtime from your friend and selector, Marlon!

Here’s a freewheeling playlist, and a seemingly random collection of tunes. Though what they all have in common is famous folks, sometimes uncredited, singing backup.

In some cases it is an established artist leading a hand, like Stevie Wonder contributing to Jermaine Jackson’s “Let’s Get Serious,” or a then-unknown protege like Lou Rawls singing behind his childhood pal Sam Cooke on “Bring It On Home To Me.”

In some tracks, you won’t be able to pick them out. Though in others you will never be able to hear the same again without recognizing them. Here is a breakdown of each song and who’s helping out in the background. Enjoy!

[spotifyplaybutton play=”https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Wiw3WvesSmopQpyuoTybK?si=7f4c79d723884010″]

  1. “Bring It On Home to Me” by Sam Cooke with Lou Rawls
  2. “Let’s Get Serious” by Jermaine Jackson was produced by Stevie Wonder (who also provided vocals)
  3. “Part-Time Lover” by Stevie Wonder with Luther Vandross and Philip Bailey
  4. “Don’t Lose Your Head” by Queen with Joan Armatrading
  5. “Step by Step” by Whitney Houston with original writer and vocalist Annie Lennox
  6. “Every Time I Close My Eyes” by Babyface with Kenny G, Mariah Carey, and Shelia E.
  7. “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell with Michael Jackson and Jermaine Jackson
  8. “Pink + White” by Frank Ocean with Beyoncé
  9. “State of Shock” by the Jacksons, with Mick Jagger
  10. “Young Americans” by David Bowie with Luther Vandross
  11. “Why Should I Love You?” by Kate Bush with Prince singing and playing guitar
  12. “There Must Be More to Life Than This” by Queen with Michael Jackson
  13. “This Is What You Came For” by Calvin Harris and Rihanna with uncredited vocals by the song’s author, Taylor Swift
  14. “Partition” by Beyoncé with Justin Timberlake
  15. “Chain Reaction” by Diana Ross with Barry Gibb

There are certainly others, but I’ll stop here. Though if there are glaring omissions, lemme me know, and I’ll make additions.

See ya next month, and as always: stay safe, sane, and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)

GBN Daily Drop Podcast: #JanetJacksonAppreciationDay (LISTEN)

by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson)

Even though most Americans think of today as Super Bowl Sunday, on GBN’s Daily Drop podcast bonus episode we instead celebrate what’s been the day’s other moniker since 2018 — #JanetJacksonAppreciationDay.

You can follow or subscribe to the Good Black News Daily Drop Podcast through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, rss.com or create your own RSS Feed. Or just check it out every day here on the main website (transcript below):

SHOW TRANSCRIPT:

Hey, this Lori Lakin Hutcherson, founder and editor in chief of goodblacknews.org, here to share with you a bonus daily drop of Good Black News for Sunday, February 13th, 2022, based on the “A Year of Good Black News Page-A-Day Calendar” published by Workman Publishing.

Although today is known by most Americans as Super Bowl Sunday, for the past four years, thanks to Academy Award-winning filmmaker Matthew A. Cherry, it’s known among millions on Twitter and beyond as #JanetJacksonAppreciationDay.

#JanetJacksonAppreciationDay is where fans of Janet Jackson (aka “#JanFam”) flood their social media timelines with loving GIFs, memes, and videos of the legendary “Rhythm Nation” performer.

This annual trend began in 2018 in reaction to Justin Timberlake being invited to headline that year’s Super Bowl halftime. In 2004, when Jackson and Timberlake performed together at halftime, Jackson alone bore the blame for the “wardrobe malfunction” that occurred when Timberlake ripped a revealing part of her costume.

The moment that came to be called “Nipplegate” sparked controversy and damaged Jackson’s career for years while Timberlake’s soared.

Today’s #JanetJacksonAppreciationDay is particularly special because just a few weeks ago, the four-part documentary Janet Jackson and brother Randy Jackson executive produced on her life and career aired in the U.S. on Lifetime and A&E. In it, Janet shared footage and information from her life and career that had never seen or heard before by the public.

The widely watched doc set off a current surge of appreciation for Jackson’s contributions to popular culture in the following ways:

  1. top ratings in the U.S. and airings across the globe
  2. soaring iTunes sales and streams of her singles and albums, with Control hitting the #1 spot on the iTunes pop album charts 36 years after its release.
  3. Twitter and IG filled with fan and celebrity tributes alike.

As a #JanFam member myself since childhood – from Good Times, Diff’rent Strokes, the early albums and on – well, today I personally would like to appreciate Janet Jackson who, since 1989, has used her music to tackle and highlight issues such as racism, sexism, illiteracy, domestic violence and homophobia.

I wrote a piece on Good Black News about it last year and created a playlist to which I’ve included links in this episode’s show notes.

But I also appreciate Janet’s decades-long contributions to charities and causes such as the NAACP, the United Negro College Fund, Feeding America, and the American Foundation for AIDS Research, among so many others.

Currently, Janet is selling her vintage tour swag on The Real Real to support the non-profit organization Girls Leadership, which teaches girls to exercise the power of their voices through programs grounded in social emotional learning.

Some other sources that can help you get your Janet Jackson appreciation on are the incredible book in the 33 and 1/3 series dedicated to Velvet Rope by Ayanna Dozier, and Janet’s own 2011 part memoir, part health and lifestyle bestseller True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself written with David Ritz.

There’s also an awesome podcast called Janet Today, Janet Tomorrow, Janet Forever where cousins Courtney and Kam discuss Janet’s music and videos song by song, as well as conduct fun and informative interviews with musicians, dancers, stylists and the like who have worked with Janet throughout her career.

There’s also Janet Jackson’s own Instagram, her IG stories and Twitter, the hashtag #janfam to see posts from her devoted fan base and the hashtag #JanetsLegacyMatters, whose creators helped organize the grassroots push for Janet’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which happened in 2019.

And of course, you can always jump on social yourself and add to or check out the #JanetJacksonAppreciationDay tributes that are all for her! Links to everything I mentioned and more are provided in today’s show notes.

Additional sources:

This has been an extra-long bonus daily drop of Good Black News, based on the “A Year of Good Black News Page-A-Day Calendar for 2022,” published by Workman Publishing, and available at workman.com, Amazon, Bookshop and other online retailers.

Music used in today’s episode includes “The Knowledge” off Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation: 1814 album, “Control (The Video Mix)” from the Control: The Remixes album, “All For You” from the 2001 album of the same name, and “The Pleasure Principle (Dub Edit – The Shep Pettibone Mix)” from Control: The Remixes.

For more Good Black News, check out goodblacknews.org or search and follow @goodblacknews anywhere on social.

Btw, GBN’s Page-A-Day®️ Calendar for 2022 is 50% off at workman.com with code:50CAL until 2/28/22!

(paid links)

Born on This Day in 1958: Michael Jackson, the Incomparable King of Pop

Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas has launched the #MJWeAreOne campaign in conjunction with MichaelJackson.com.
Fans worldwide are urged to use Instagram by sharing videos — using the hashtag #MJWeAreOne — honoring MJ and sharing ideas of how to make the world a better place.
The MJ Global Party has fans celebrating Jackson’s birthday in live-time around the world using the hashtag #MJGBP2014. Check out the website here.
The fifth annual Michael Jackson Tribute Festival of the Arts is underway in Jackson’s birth home of Gary, Indiana. The three-day festival celebrates Jackson’s life and career while helping revitalize part of Gary.
So on this day, remember the King of Pop in your own way. Listen to your favorite MJ song. Watch your favorite Michael video for the thousandth time.
Below I’m posting one of my all-time favorite Jackson songs and videos, the John Singleton-directed “Remember The Time” and I know I’m going to shake my head (for the thousandth time) when Magic Johnson says “Behold, great Pharoah Ramses!”, laugh (for the thousandth time) when Eddie Murphy’s eyes bug out at Iman crushing on Michael, stare in awe (for the thousandth time) at the dance moves, and lose it (for the thousandth time) when Michael sings the “Rah dah /dah dah dah / What about us, girl?!” part because it is just so uniquely Michael, uniquely musical and uniquely inspiring.

article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)

Michael Jackson Makes Top 10 History with New Single

Watch Michael Jackson’s “Love Never Felt So Good” video

Jackson “returned” to the stage as a hologram, performing last weekend at the Billboard Music Awards. His performance ended with a standing ovation.

article by Kyle Harvey via thegrio.com

Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake Storm Onto Hot 100, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Charts with "Love Never Felt So Good" (AUDIO)

Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake Storm Onto Hot 100, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Charts

It’s a royal return for the King of Pop to the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. Michael Jackson‘s “Love Never Felt So Good” with Justin Timberlake makes splashy debuts at No. 20 on the Hot 100 and No. 6 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The track (heard below) is the first single from Jackson’s posthumous album “Xscape,” due tomorrow (May 13).

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wnuTGGuAVs&w=560&h=315]

“Good” sold 80,000 downloads in the week ending May 4, according to Nielsen SoundScan, after only three full days on-sale. The song went on-sale in the evening of May 1, after it premiered on the iHeartRadio Music Awards the same night. It’s available as both a duet and as a solo track from Jackson, although sales of the Timberlake version drive 80 percent of its combined sales.
Powered by hourly play across a multitude of Clear Channel-owned radio stations on May 2, “Love” debuts at No. 38 on the Radio Songs chart. It bows with 34 million in audience for the week ending May 6, from 358 stations, according to Nielsen BDS. “Love” is Jackson’s biggest Radio Songs hit since “Butterflies” peaked at No. 14 in early 2002.
The debut for “Good” is handsome not just because of its sales and airplay figures, but also thanks to its streaming numbers. The tune collected 1.9 million U.S. streams in the week ending May 4, according to BDS. It arrives at No. 41 on Streaming Songs.
Bringing Michael Jackson Back: The Inside Story of ‘Xscape’ (Cover Story)
“Good” arrives as Jackson’s 49th Hot 100 hit (not counting his entries as part of the Jackson 5). He nets his highest Hot 100 rank since “Butterflies” reached No. 14 (Jan. 26, 2002). He also ties for his third-highest debut: “You Are Not Alone,” his 13th and last No. 1, launched at the summit (Sept. 2, 1995), almost three months after “Scream,” with Janet Jackson, started at its No. 5 peak. “Good” matches the bow of his classic “Thriller,” which began at No. 20 on Feb. 11, 1984 and rose to its No. 4 highpoint three weeks later.
“Good” becomes Jackson’s 33rd top 20 Hot 100 hit, tying him with Rihanna for the seventh-best sum in the chart’s 55-year history. (Jackson was born the same month as the Hot 100: August 29, 1958, or 25 days after the chart’s inception.) Elvis Presley leads with 48 top 20 hits, followed by Madonna (44), the Beatles (42), Elton John (40), Lil Wayne (39) and Stevie Wonder (36).
On Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, “Good” is likewise Jackson’s highest-charting entry since “Butterflies,” which reached No. 2 on the ranking. He lands his 33rd Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs top 10. (James Brown boasts the most top 10s all-time, 60, followed by Louis Jordan, with 54, and Aretha Franklin, with 52.)
Timberlake, meanwhile, tallies his 21st Hot 100 top 20 and 10th such hit on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
article by Keith Caufield & Gary Trust via billboard.com

 

Toni Braxton to Star as Darlene Love in OWN Biopic

Toni Braxton
According to Variety.comToni Braxton will star as singer Darlene Love in OWN’s biopic of the famed pop vocalist.  My Name is Love: The Darlene Love Story is slated for a December premiere, and the telefilm revolves around Love’s long career in the music industry, starting out as the key voice behind Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound hits from the 1960s. OWN’s first scripted movie was brought to the network by Morgan Neville, the documentarian who was behind last year’s Academy Award-winning feature, Twenty Feet from Stardom, about Love and other well-known backup singers.
OWN has also announced it’s set Octavia Spencer to star in a miniseries revolving around a journalist investigating the notorious mass murder and cover-up in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921. Tulsa comes from drama veteran (and Oklahoma native) Nancy Miller (TNT’s Saving Grace).
Additionally, OWN has ordered 20 more episodes of Tyler Perry’s hit primetime soap The Haves and the Have Nots, bringing it to 56 episodes to air through 2015. A new Perry drama series, Single Mom’s Club, is set for a fall debut with a 20-episode order.
Justin Timberlake is lined up as the first guest on the new season of Oprah Winfrey’s interview series Oprah’s Master Class, to premiere May 11.  Another programming tentpole planned for next year is the seven-part documentary series Belief, examining the origins of faith “through the eyes of believers.”

GBN MUSIC REVIEW: Quick Love for Pharrell Williams' "GIRL"

pharrellgirl

Review by Lesa Lakin
Review by Lesa Lakin

In our quest for great music, we didn’t hesitate to add Pharrell Williams‘ latest release GIRL to our must-have list.  He is, after all, the man who makes us “Happy.”
GIRL celebrates women in this insightful, sultry, melodically delicious album.  Giving the ladies much more than a superficial “I get you” wink, Pharrell lyrically dedicates this album to all the amazing women he’s ever come across, and had me swooning from track one.  Listen closely to “Marilyn Monroe” — he celebrates ALL females and all of our differences.  In our current climate of technology-based put downs (social media rants) and the ever-increasing desire for perfect beauty, Pharrell thoughtfully doles out the love no matter who you are or what you look like.  He wants a different girl… and it’s refreshing.

My personal favorites on the album are “Hunter”, “Come Get It Bae”, “Lost Queen” (I love when he sing/talks on this one), “It Girl” and a fun song with Justin Timberlake called “Brand New” — all great turn-it-up-and-blast songs.  There’s something about the smoothness of Pharrell’s voice paired with his incomparable, artistic use of beats, lyrics and vocals that make me want to run, bounce, dance, drive… MOVE!   Simply put, this album will make you… yes, I’m saying it again, but in all caps now – HAPPY.  Additionally, Alicia Keys lends her vocals to the inspirational track “Know Who You Are.”  Great beats for the boys with melodic compliments to empower the girls.  This man pleases all while provoking deeper feelings.

And seriously, when I heard there was even a controversy about Pharrell’s choice of cover models (hysteric claims of no brown girls)… I sighed. Who doesn’t know that Pharrell likes brown girls, all girls… and why do we even care what models he chose?  Slow your roll haters and get your facts straight — Williams is extremely inclusive.  P.S.  there is a black model featured.    
GIRL is non-stop fun and a timeless keeper which should capture audiences of various ages.  I’ve been arguing with my youngest sister for years over who the original Pharrell fan is in the family.  She actually tried to claim that she’s loved/known about “Skateboard P.”  the longest.  It’s pretty cute but I can’t ever let her have this.  I’ve been digging Pharrell since, well… I’m not going to date myself.  Just trust that Mr. Williams has been making me dance for quite some time and there are no signs of him stopping any time soon.

Oh, and about Pharrell using “GIRL” as the album’s title before everyone starts — yes, of course sometimes calling a woman a “girl” can be condescending and even worse, derogatory.  But that’s certainly not Pharrell’s intention here.  It’s a fun, inclusive and tender use of the word, and truth be told, I don’t think there is a woman out there who doesn’t want to be somebody’s girl.  I’m winking back… thanks, Pharrell.

GIRL by Pharrell Williams – GBN highly recommended

First Listen: Pharrell and Rick Ross’ New Albums Streaming for Free

This Jan. 26, 2014 file photo shows Pharrell Williams on stage at the 56th annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Oscars producers say in a news release Tuesday, Feb. 7, that Williams will sing his nominated song “Happy.” The Oscars will air live March 2 on ABC with Ellen DeGeneres as host. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, File)

Two of the bigger albums of 2014, will be released next Tuesday, March 4th, but eager fans can listen to Pharrell  and Rick Ross’ new projects now for free.  iTunes launched the G I R L radio station last night which will be streaming The Neptunes frontman’s 10-track second solo album.  Featuring appearances from Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys, Pharrell’s looks to carry his 2013 success into the new year.
Rick Ross’ Mastermind is the Boss’ sixth album of his career, but he’s never been in a position to prove so much to so many. His public image took a huge hit after rapping about slipping Molly into a woman’s drink. Despite offering a delayed apology, the flap cost him a lucrative Reebok shoe endorsement.  Ross is due for a comeback and with a track list featuring, Diddy, Meek Mill, Jay Z, and Houston legend Scarface, he will be carrying the MMG flag in 2014.
Will you be purchasing Mastermind or G I R L?  Click on the links below and let us know what you think in the comments.
Pharrell – G I R L  stream
Rick Ross – Mastermind stream
article by Kyle Harvey via thegrio.com

Beyoncé Reveals Artistry, Herself on "Beyoncé" (REVIEW)

beyonce_beyonce
Beyoncé pulled off a coup late last Thursday night when she released a terrific self-titled “visual album” – containing 14 songs, each with an accompanying video – straight to iTunes with zero advance warning or fanfare.  The record is expected to easily top the weekly album chart despite being released midway through the stanza, and according to Apple, the album had already sold more than 800,000 digital copies by Monday morning. Not only does Beyoncé rank as the year’s most accomplished and engaging mainstream pop album by a rather laughable margin, but its calculatedly shrugged-off release strategy can’t help but read as an imperious kiss-off toward the singer’s competitors for the 2013 crown — Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, and even her husband Jay Z — all of whom worked up gallons of sweat and employed every eyeball-grabbing trick in the book to move their product, only to be upstaged by Beyoncé’s abrupt digital data-dump.

“I’ve been climbing up the walls, ’cause all this shit I hear is boring,” she sings on the album’s second track, by way of explanation. “All these record labels, boring.”
Of course, like Radiohead’s “name-your-price” release of In Rainbows in 2007, this is the sort of trick that can only be pulled off by an artist who has already spent decades tirelessly feeding the publicity machine, and it’s unlikely Beyoncé’s December surprise will “change the music business” any more than Radiohead’s did. Competition is Beyoncé’s lifeblood, and coming off of the commercially disappointing 4, it’s easy to see this as a gauntlet thrown down. Far more personal, confessional, and flat-out filthy than anything the singer has released in the past, Beyoncé offers some striking windows into the star’s personal life, while audio archival snippets from her early years shuttling between beauty contests and kiddie singing competitions are sprinkled throughout, hinting at the lifetime of rigorously maintained perfection and pageantry to which much of this record is a reaction.