Hi folks. I am up to my eyeballs in boxes right now, but I figure I have time for a quick Pop Rock Nation post as I unpack all the stuff I should have thrown out years ago. Some of my readers know that my husband is a former member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have never been LDS, but my husband’s brief affiliation with the Mormon church has caused me to learn more about it. It’s not often that my interests in music collide with Mormon culture, although I have found that a lot of Mormons and former Mormons have really good taste in music.
Anyway, this week I was very surprised to read a news article about rapper LL Cool J, otherwise known as James Todd Smith, and the Mormons. It seems that this week, LL Cool J tweeted “Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds.” Then he attributed the quote to former LDS president, Gordon B. Hinckley. Hinckley served as the Mormon church’s living prophet from 1995 until his death in 2008.
It’s not that I don’t agree with Hinckley’s quote or LL Cool J’s decision to tweet it. It’s just that I went through a very brief LL Cool J phase back in the mid 1980s. I bought a copy of his 1987 album, Bigger and Deffer and remember the songs on it because I used to listen to it all the time. Let’s just say that I never would have guessed that LL Cool J would be interested in anything Mormon. Granted, I know that people change and I’ve seen evidence that LL Cool J is not quite the same guy he was back in the 80s and 90s when he rapped songs like…
“I’m That Type of Guy”
And
“Kanday”
And
“Around The Way Girl”
And
“Mama Said Knock You Out”
Wow… I haven’t heard these songs in ages and now I’m thinking it’s time to revisit them. I’m not a big rap fan, but I do like LL Cool J.
LL Cool J definitely has a way with a groove and I hear he’s a decent actor, too. But none of the songs I’ve heard by him suggest that his work and Mormonism have anything in common. He is getting older, though, and maybe he’s becoming more conservative. LL Cool J has been around for a long time now, which means he must be doing something right. I’m sure hard work has a lot to do with his success, too. I gotta start paying more attention to Twitter. Sometimes it yields some fascinating insights into the lives of famous people.
Anyway, back to unpacking. Have a great weekend, everybody!
Whitney HoustonIt’s the 54th edition of the Grammy Awards. And with the sad passing yesterday of Whitney Houston, I imagine it’s a much more somber celebration than usual. Our own Paul Lorentz wrote a nice piece on Houston earlier this morning. I participated in Popblerd’s appreciation piece earlier today as well.
They always say the show must go on. And it will, though I’m not sure I’m ready to remember Houston yet.
LL Cool J is the host for the show. Yes, a guy who was one of the first hip hop stars is hosting the music industry’s most celebratory day. I don’t imagine many would’ve predicted that when DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince won the first ever Rap Grammy in 1989, that 23 years later, a hip hop star would be hosting this show.
(While this show has already happened since it started 3 hours ago and I get the West Coast tape-delayed version, I’m going to pretend this thing is live.)
7:59 – How many times will LL lick his lips tonight? I think the over/under is 100. I’m going over.
8:00 – The Boss opens up this show. I count three earrings. I once had an earring too … when I was 18. Come on Bruce, the gray hair, receding hairline, and earrings together aren’t a good look. Plus, you don’t need them bruh.
8:04 – In a matter of seconds after the Boss finished his song, the cameras cut to Katy Perry with blue FU Russell Brand colored hair, Lady Gaga wearing a veil, and before I could anticipate it, Fergie’s face popped up out of nowhere. I could take Perry and Gaga, but I haven’t been that scared after seeing Fergie’s butter-face since watching The Poltergeist.
8:08 – LL just gave a classy speech about “his sister” Whitney. Who says hip hop can’t be classy?
(I’m not sure how I’m going to make it through this show with all these Whitney clips.)
8:15 – Holy ****! Bruno Mars just sold a whole lotta albums tonight with his performance.
8:16 – And can we just be clear about one thing? Mars’ pompadour is nothing more than the Brandon Walsh/Dylan McKay hairdo from 1992. I may have to bust that out too. It’s coming back.
8:23 – The first Grammy Award is for Best Pop Solo Performance and it goes to Adele. I think Miss Adele is going to have a big night tonight.
8:25 – I go away to check on my dinner and I miss Chris Brown’s performance. Oh the horror. Chris Brown has a very special talent. His talent is to do some pretty impressive and athletic dance numbers and make them seem so unimportant. I don’t remember any MJ performance ever being so insignificant.
8:36 – Kanye West and Jay-Z win for Best Rap Performance and you’re telling me Kanye isn’t there? Well, he did get screwed by not being nominated for Album Of The Year. I guess I’d skip too.
8:58 – I could say that Rihanna’s wig is very Tina Turner-esque, but I’m going with Farrah Fawcett’s dry perm. I think I just dated myself twice. By the way, if you didn’t know based on the hook that was repeated about 75 times, “We found love in a hopeless place.”
9:14 – The Foo Fighters win for Best Rock Performance. New York Giants wide receivers Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham presented them with the award. I wish they had numbers on their suits so I could tell who was who.
The Grammys, where Maroon 5 does “Surfer Girl” and everyone dies a little inside.
9:37 – From Paul McCartney to Common shouting out Gil-Scott Herron? This must be 2012.
9:37 – Chris Brown wins R&B Album Of The Year and shouts out Team Breezy. Yawn. El DeBarge was robbed.
9:45 – Give out more awards, give us less Taylor Swift performances.
9:51 – Adele and producer Paul Epworth win Song Of The Year. Epworth says that he couldn’t have done it without Adele. Really Paul? You mean you couldn’t have won this without Adele’s star power and voice?
9:59 – Lady A won for Country Album Of The Year and I’m happy just so that we don’t have to see Hillbilly Taylor come up with her banjo again.
10:10 – So Adele performed and she put boots to asses on everyone. It’s her night. She better win the whole damn thing.
10:24 – Talk about catchy. “Like a rhinestone cowboy…” From @IAMJericho:
Watching McCartney clapping along to Glenn Campbell is true class. #rocknrollisfamily
10:31 – Carrie Underwood is on stage singing “It Had To Be You” with Tony Bennett. Another Tony, Tony Romo just pointed at the TV and said, “Me?”
10:33 – That’s how you pronounce Bon Iver? And I’m so confused how they are a new artist, but oh well.
10:45 – I really wanted to like Jennifer Hudson’s performance and I’m sure it came straight from the heart. But I don’t think it was very good and it was the wrong song to sing. Also, Melanie Amaro channels Whitney better than Jennifer does.
11:04 – Common presented earlier and now it’s Drake’s turn. Sweet. I mean, um, yeah.
11:08 – I think Nicki Minaj thinks this is her Lady Gaga moment. Sadly, it’s not.
11:11 – This is Adele’s year. You can’t stop Adele. You can only hope to contain her. She also wins Record Of The Year.
11:21 – And she wins Album Of The Year. She gives a raw reaction and not something preconceived or prepared, unlike a lot of what’s wrong with music in 2012.
11:25 – Sir Paul McCartney goes HAM to end the show. See you next year.
We Are The World 25 For HaitiToday, the We Are The World 25 For Haiti music video was released. Lionel Richie was on Oprah Winfrey earlier to talk about it.
According to MTV.com, Richie told Oprah how Michael Jackson would be included in the song and video.
He said:
We have Michael singing that exact part [the chorus] and Janet singing along with him.
Without further ado, here is the video along with a few comments from me underneath:
– Justin Bieber sings Lionel’s intro?
– Is that Nicole “The Terminator” Scherzinger singing next to Jennifer Hudson?
– Putting MJ and Janet together was very classy and cool. I’m proud of how they included him.
– Babs Streisand? Tony Bennett? I guess they had to average out the age because of Bieber and Miley Ray Cyrus.
– I think Enrique Iglesias had a hard time escaping our love.
– I think they should’ve had Jamie Foxx do Brother Ray’s memorable part.
– I get Wyclef being a part of the song, but they should’ve told him to save the “someone please call 911” voice.
– I thought Stevie Wonder came back for round two, but it was really Adam Levine.
– I’m surprised Pink wasn’t singing in the air and twirling around.
– Lionel: “Hey Usher, see, what we want you to do is do Huey Lewis’ part.” Usher: “Who is Huey Lewis?”
– Thankfully, I didn’t enlarge the video, or else Fergie’s face would’ve made me fall out of my chair. As it was, I only hid my eyes.
– Nicole “The Terminator” Scherzinger gets two parts? Is Lionel gettin’ that?
– Look at Toni Braxton with the 1980s skater hair-cut. Someone un-broke her heart.
– In the case of Lil’ Wayne, this time I approve of the Auto-tune.
– In the case of Akon, I don’t approve of the Auto-tune. Dude can sing a little bit.
– In the case of T-Pain, well, I would’ve rather seen MC Hammer on the track.
– Well, I guess I got my wish with Jamie singing Brother Ray’s part.
– I love that Uncle L, future of the funk, is leading the hip hop section. But um, where’s Kanye? And is that Tyrese with the rappers? Black Ty?
– Ok, there’s Kanye, but what is will.i.am doing standing with Kanye. Dude can’t hold Kanye’s jockstrap in a suit case.
There it is. I thought Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie did a really good job with the song, blending the original with some hip hop, and Wyclef’s Haitian sound.
