Fabulous New Music, hmm...maybe

June 5th, 2007 marks the release of R&B/Pop princess Rhianna's third studio album. Yes, folks it is her 3rd album in three years. It would seem Rhianna maybe taking a page from Mariah Carey's bag of tricks. In the 90's Carey dropped an album about every other year; Rhianna says, "I can do better, how about a new album every year." Although I love and appreciate new music, being the Cancer that I am, I long for the days when you had to wait at least two or three years for a pop star to release new material. Remember the anticipation; you could not wait for that new Prince or Micheal Jackson album.

Anyway on to the new Rhianna album, well, I have only sampled a few tracks on itunes, but it sounds very promising. The beats are current and hip, the Jay-Z influences are very noticeable. Whether or not her music has grown in three years, I am going to take a wild guess and say, um NO. All these songs could have come from her first album, let's face it she's only 19; how much growth can you get in two years? But, I will give "Good Girl Gone Bad" the benefit of the doubt until I can hear every track. So far my initial knee-jerk reaction, 3 stars, stand out track "Shut up and Drive".

July 3, 2007 look forward to Beyonce's Children..oh sorry Destiny's Child's founding member Kelly Rowland to release her second solo project appropriately titled "Miss Kelly". If the first single "Like This" is any indication of what's to come; I am going to love it. I have always loved Kelly's voice and often felt she was overshadowed by Beyonce's insipid vibrato. Maybe this is Kelly's time to shine. Simply because I like her, without even hearing the material, I'm going to give it 3 1/2 stars. Of course, I am known for changing my mind; I'll keep you posted if I do.

Mythical Paragons

I just read an article entitled "Who Says all Gay Men are Stylish" in the June/July 07 issue of Details magazine. It is about gay men and fashion. I have to admit; it hit the nail on the head. Sure, there are many gay men whom are very fashionable fashionistas if you will. But, images in popular culture would have you believe that gay men are all florid icons of fashion. Think Carson Kreesley of "Queer Eye For the Straight Guy" a show devoted to helping straight men realize their inner metro-sexual. The author quotes fashion designer Issac Mizrahi who says fashion experts like most authorities on various topics are schooled and trained. Style is a personal thing and it's very subjective; so asking your best gay friend for fashion tips may not always be a winning combination. If you are a gay man maybe you can relate; or if you a straight man or woman, I bet you think know a gay man with "great" fashion sense. This article helps debunk that myth. That's right folks, myth. You know myths, those generalizations we tend to associate with certain groups, simply because we know people who often really fit the stereotype. You know cultural myths such as all Black people can dance, or all Asian students are smart. I am sure that everyone out there is aware of these myths and you don't buy into them. Of course, at some point we are all guilty of thinking it. How can we help it; our pop culture has its roots in sustaining and perpetuating myths about certain groups of people. For example take recent popular movies such as "Bring it On," "Stomp the Yard," or "The Rink," all depict young urban Black teenagers engaged in some type of dancing activity. Yes, some Black folks have tons of rhythm, but a lot don't. When I am going to see the movie about the Black kid with two left feet? Okay, I slightly digress, but my point is that these myths/stereotypes we see in popular culture seem to serve only one purpose-maintaining very flawed representations.