Brookey's Cafe Blog

So...last night...Sunday - what a GREAT way to kick off my birthday week!

I attended the Ne-Yo concert with Liz, Gleana and Monica. I know there are rumors, and hell, they may even be true - but I just want to go on record and say....Ne-Yo could get it! I mean, I never really looked at him like that before - but for real...he would get GOT.

...okay, back to that in a minute.

I scoop up Liz in Queens. We get to Radio City a little before 7p. We look for Gleana but she’s not there. Turns out Gleana is running snacks back from Duane Reade cuz Liz hadn't eaten all day...so sweet of you Glee! :-) We stand on the line waiting for Gleana while texting Monica letting her know we’re there. Monica is running a tad late because she thinks the concert starts at 8p. Gleana pops up on line and offers to wait for Monica in the lobby since she has the tickets. She hands Liz and I our tickets so we can grab our seats. I really wanted to make my way in because there was NO way I was missing Jazmine Sullivan!

We walk in and our seats are ALL the way down front. Awesome seats! Shout out to Gleana for the hook-up! Some wannabe Danity Kane group is performing...if you wanna call it that. The first thing we notice is that they were lip syncing. Cute girls though, a group called Electric Red. We barely paid them any attention as we watched the celebrities pouring in. I wasn’t sure it was Mary J. Blige until I saw Kendu roll up behind her. We sat a few rows behind MJB...and Anthony Anderson, and Kevin Liles, and The Dream. They all came out to show their support.

So Electric Red is finally finished. Gleana shows up saying that she just told Monica to text us when she got there since she was still about 15-20 minutes away. Gleana LOVES Jazmine Sullivan and wasn't trying to miss her, so she sits down next to me ready for our girl to come on.

Jazmine Sullivan killed it. I mean, gut wrenching, pouring out her soul KILLED IT. This young lady can SANG! She opened with “I Bust The Windows Out Your Car” and Mary gave her some fist pumps. The crowd was loving her, and so were we. This girl is the truth. A wonderful voice, a cute smile...her performance was amazing.

Monica got there just as Jazmine finished and we all felt bad that she missed her :-(

Next up - Musiq Soulchild. He has a cute mohawk, with his tiny self :-) He also gave a great performance - much better than the last time I saw him and better than I expected he’d be. He didn’t do much “talk-singing” as Amanda calls it, which was refreshing. I felt like he changed the melodies of a couple of his songs, so it was kinda hard to sing along even though I knew the words to every last song he sang. What can I say...being from Philly, I’m a fan. I like his style of music and his voice was great. He gave Mary a shout out and let his back-up singers sing her part in their duet. By the end of his set, Mary was up on her feet as he rocked out “B.U.D.D.Y.” Even Kendu was doing the wop :-) Musiq was wonderful!

So now we’re all waiting. Ne-Yo.

Laser lights, disco ball...his band was all dressed like it was the year of the gentlemen. He has a real horn section...aww sookie sookie now! He emerges and the crowd goes crazy! “We love you Ne-Yo!” Bunch of young girls behind us. How cute :-)

The first song...”My Addiction”...and we’re already standing up jamming. His voice sounds exactly the same as it does on his cds. And even though he’s dancing all around the stage sweatin' like a runaway slave, he doesn’t skip a beat or break a note. He’s smooth...and can dance his ass off!

What I loved about Ne-Yo is that he gave us a SHOW! He danced, ran around the stage, threw out roses, kissed women on the hand, told some funny little jokes and sang his heart out as he serenaded us. From “Sexy Love” to “Make it Work” to “Go On Girl” (I’m to fly to be depressed), slowly but surely I could see why all the young girls lost they damn mind...cuz I was now one of them. I turned to Gleana like, “let me find out Ne-Yo could get it!?”

His band was hot. They busted out into a funky jam session while Ne-Yo caught his breath and murdered it. Something about those horns did something to me, and you could feel the bass in your chest. Killed it!

So Ne-Yo asks the audience if we’re true Ne-Yo fans. I’m thinking, hell yeah...I know all his songs. But oh no no!...he doesn’t want us to sing the songs he’s singing. He wants us to sing the songs he’s written!

First one – “to the left, to the left...” We all know he wrote that for Beyonce.

"You look so dumb right now...."

wait...is that...?

"But it’s over now...go on and take a bow...” Oh snap! I didn’t know he wrote that song for Rihanna. Where have I been?! He gave her a shout out, “I love you babygirl!” No doubt showing his support after the Chris Brown incident.

But then he proceeds to sing Mario’s "Let Me Love You" and then Jennifer Hudson’s "Spotlight," both of which I had no idea he'd written. Ne-Yo betta go ahead and make that money! Every song he writes is a hit, and I was falling deeper.

After “Miss Independent,” all the women were on their feet. MJB was dancing all over the place - she wasn’t tryna be cute, she was getting her Ne-Yo on! He ended with “Come Closer” and he and his dancers tore it up! Standing ovation, clapping like a school girl screaming his name, I was hoping for an encore. But I guess he figured he'd given us what we came for after 75 minutes of pure Ne-Yo. I felt like he left it all out on the stage, and I was filled up by his performance. Great show!

I drove Gleana and Liz home to Brooklyn - can’t have my girls on the train late at night. Monica drove herself in, so she was straight. After I dropped Liz off, I found my Ne-Yo cd and blasted “My Addiction” like it was the very beginning of his concert. I thought I was a fan before, but now, I’m probably his BIGGEST fan. He can’t just write a mean song or make us swoon with his satiny voice. He can PERFORM. He’s an ENTERTAINER. And I’m hooked. I’m gonna be crushin' on him for AT LEAST another couple weeks.

Did I mention Ne-Yo could get it? ;-)

-b

Happy Monday!

"I bust the windows out ya car..."

I was discussing this song with my boy Reggie last week and decided to kick off this Monday's discussion with the topic. I don't know how many of you are around, but I hope enough of you read this today so I can get your opinions on the subject.

Amanda burned the Jazmine Sullivan cd for me and I love it! When I first heard her voice, she reminded me of Lauryn Hill. I miss L-Boogie (damn Marley's made her crazy), so Jazmine is giving me my fix.

Now, this song right here...well, watch the video.



This song might as well be called "The Fastest Way to Get Your Ass Whooped!" Busting windows out of cars? First of all, how can you do that and not get caught? Wouldn't breaking glass create A LOT of noise and draw crazy attention? Where is this car located that no one would stop you from busting out windows?

I bust the windows out ya car
And no it didn’t mend my broken heart
I’ll probably always have these ugly scars
But right now I don’t care about that part

Second, why play yourself? Usually when women do stuff like this, it doesn't hurt the man, it just makes you look like a psycho! We should leave revenge up to God - but I know we're human, so we may feel the need to get revenge ourselves. So if you're going to get revenge, try to hurt his feelings - not make him angry! You might turn up missing and then they'll find you chopped up in a bunch of itty bitty pieces if he catches you busting windows out his ride. I'm surprised Left Eye's behind didn't get choked out for burning dude's house down! WTF? Ladies, ladies, ladies...

I bust the windows out ya car
After I saw you laying next to her
I didn’t wanna but I took my turn
I’m glad I did it cause you had to learn…

Now, don't get me wrong, I know men wild out too. But I think women are more likely to tear up a man's ish than simply leave his punk ass alone. I know you're angry that you caught him laying up next to some chick - I get that. But busting windows out his car? Get yourself killed if you want to...I'm not the one! I wanna live!

I must admit it helped a little bit
To think of how you’d feel when you saw it
I didn’t know that I had that much strength
But I’m glad you see what happens when…

Men, keep a close eye on the women you mess with and watch how you treat them. If you know you're doing dirt, you better make sure you either don't get caught, or are dealing with a sane woman who will not bust up your stuff or pour bleach on your favorite throwback jersey when you DO get caught....cuz chances are, you WILL. Or better yet, just don't do dirt. How bout dat?

You see can’t just play with people’s feelings
Tell them you love them and don’t mean it
You’ll probably say that it was juvenile
But I think that I deserve to smile

Also, if you're dealing with a woman who is combative, argumentative, vindictive, violent or spiteful, you might want to get rid of her BEFORE she catches you - or else busted windows won't be the only thing you have to worry about. She might try to hurt YOU. We always hear about men hitting women, but there are women out there who are just as ruthless. A woman can bust dat ass just as quickly as a man can. TRUST!

I bust the windows out ya car
You should feel lucky that that’s all I did
After five whole years of this bullshit
Gave you all of me and you played with it

I know first-hand it hurts to get cheated on. I know it hurts when we've been lied to. I can see wanting to bust up his car if he did you wrong. I know. But hurt and bitterness, like love, creates after it's own kind. Our resentment and acts of revenge rarely disturb the person who hurt us, but rather it destroys the host - emotionally, spiritually - and potentially physically.

But it don’t comfort to my broken heart
You could never feel how I felt that day
Until it happens baby you don’t know pain

When we seek revenge on someone who has wronged us, we wound ourselves.

Even though all that you did to me was much worse
I had to do something to make you hurt, yeah
Oh, but why am I still cryin’?
Why am I the one whose still cryin’?

The women who bust up cars usually end up looking crazy to the men who hurt them. Men don't think, "oh wow, I messed up, she really hates me and I'm wrong." No, no, no! They think, "I'm glad I got rid of that crazy b*tch!" So now you've been hurt AND you look like a nut. Not a good look!

You broke my heart
So I broke ya car
You caused me pain (You caused me pain)
So I did the same

You want to really get him back? Forgive him - and then leave him alone. The best way to get over pain is to choose love - it heals everything in its path. Living a happy life (without him) is the best revenge.

When we're mad and want to get back at someone, rather than allowing that anger to lead us to lash out, ask the Spirit to guide you. See what it is we can learn from the experience. Keeping our cool in the face of anger and pain is the key to self mastery. Don't let anger consume or control you. Let it go.

I know it's easier said than done, but remember - God takes care of folks MUCH better than we can. Let the universe deal with it - and keep yourself from getting your ass beat in the process!

-b