Ahhhh 2010! I can’t believe that the year has come to a close. This year was Epic on so many levels; both for me personally and professionally, as well as in the world of music, movies and entertainment. With all the good naturally came the bad but overall, this was a positive and productive year. It was filled with interesting things and people, all of which is too much for me to include in 1 blog post, so I will try to summarize the people and pop-culture events that stood out to me the most.

iWORLD…

Lets start with all the amazing gadgets and toys of 2010. As always, Apple tops the list of amazing eye catching “I can’t live without you and don’t want to” products. Ahhhhhh the iPad! Need I say more. This “over-sized iPhone” (LOL) landed on planet earth and became the must have gadget of 2010. I thought for sure that this would be the first failure for Apple but I was wrong. The Illuminati (as I affectionately refer to this monster company) struck again with a vengance. Now I am simply waiting for Apple to come up with the “how to establish world peace App.” I mean…why not? They’ve figured everything else out haven’t they?And of course right behind the iPad was the iPhone 4G. I finally got hip to the iPhone, ditching my blackberry for it and what do they come out with about 1 month later? The 4G. And now as I touch away at my measly 3G, I feel a burning desire to upgrade. I’m holding back right now because I know that come March 2011, the Illuminati will find away to make the 4G even more appealing. I tell you folks, it’s not easy to wait it out but I’m trying! Sigh!

POLITICS

I told myself that I wouldn’t get to political or keep my political views to myself, but who can forget Tea Party shenanigans and the mid-term elections. All I will say is that the beauty of America, is that we have the freedom to think what we want and support who we want to support. I do wish and pray for more cooperation from all parties and I hope that the love for our Country will take a front seat to politician’s personal disdain for our President. Not everyone is perfect but I think that we can agree that there are some folks that want America to fail. Clearly our President isn’t one of them so let’s show some respect and do our part to keep America strong.

MUSIC & ITS MOGULS…

Now, lets review Music and its Moguls. Let’s start with Mr. & Mrs. Carter. 2010 was yet another boss year for them both. Jay-Z with his major business moves and new book “Decoded”. And right by his side but very much in her own lane was Queen B/Beyonce/Honey B with her Grammy’s, World Tours and $87 Milli; topping the Forbes list of female entertainers. They are the quintessential “Young, Gifted and Black (and I’m adding) Filthy Rich” couple of 2010 and I’m so proud.

I can’t mention bosses without mentioning 2 of Young Money’s most successful artists, Drake and Nicki Minaj. Drake dominated the rap game this year with his sing-songy hip hop and Nicki came in second in the Billboard rap charts, bowing only to Mr. Kanye West himself. Both have had a very impressive year. It seemed as though no other artist could do a song without having these two stars on the feature. I’m not mad at it.

While Drake has gained the respect of this peers, Nicki Minaj is still the object of controversy. They are calling her the Black, Hip-Hop Lady Gaga which seems quite appropriate considering her eccentric demeanor, fashion and music style. Like it or not, she is the only female rapper on the scene and although many take issue with her “character”, she appears to be more strategic and self-aware than most people think. There is no telling where things will go, but she has a solid team of believers in her corner…and what that spells out is….SUCCESS…and more of it to come. She mentioned in her MTV documentary that she wants to be the first Female Rap Mogul. Well, she certainly has the world’s attention and in this game…that seems to be the winning formula.

I can’t talk about stand out artists without mentioning Justin Beiber. This kid took the teenage heartthrob to a whole new level this year. You know you are somebody when in the middle of an award show with Jay-Z sitting in the front row, you can confidently say that Beyonce is hot and you want her. That’s real ballsy kid! LOL. But you know what, the kid appears to have some chops and is being molded by his mentor, Usher. So again, that spells out SUCCESS. I actually have to give Usher a whole lot of credit for being one of the few established artists who had the foresight to take a step back from his world, seek amazing talent, and mold that talent into a phenomenon. That takes a very confident person who is willing to share the spotlight. And share he did, gracefully competing with his very own protege in some major award winning categories. Much respect “Ursher” (as I throw up the deuces down sign!).

I can’t mention standout artists of 2010 without mentioning Rihanna. Most people don’t understand her success and don’t give her a lot of credit because she may not have the powerhouse vocals that people use to measure talent. But this year, Rihanna came out the gate ready to fire things up…literally and figuratively. Thought she was done after the Chrihanna debacle? Think again! With her fire red hair, Rihanna released her 5th studio album, topping the charts with at least 3 hot pop singles while simultaneously featuring on some major hip-hop records, and gracing the covers and pages of every viable magazine on the newsstands. Does she have talent and is she worthy? I say, you have to have something to achieve all this so whether it’s talent, a fascinating presence, or that fire red hair…the girl did the damn thing in 2010. And she did it while taunting “Oh nah nah..What’s my name?” Yea….whether you like her or not….you definitely know her name.

Other artists that stole the spotlight this year? Michael Jackson, Kanye West, Rick Ross, Trey Songs, Katy Perry, Lady GaGa, Erykah Badu, Ke$ha, Keri Hilson, Taylor Swift, Eminem, Lady Antebellum, The Black Eyed Peas, Susan Boyle, Bruno Mars, BOB and Michael Buble, Sade. I’m personally looking forward to hearing more music and seeing more commercial success from some of my favorites like: Maxwell, Jill Scott, M’Shell NDegeocello, Amel Larrieux, Chrisette Michelle, Janelle Monet, Marsha Ambrosius, Brandy and Ledisi, as well as music from my favorite indie artists like: Darien Dean, Jaye Watts, Tshombe Sekou, Paradyme, Epiphany, Floyd Boykin Jr. II, just to name a few.

CINEMA…

While 2010 had many news worthy releases, I have to mention Tyler Perry’s film “For Colored Girls” based on the 1975 experimental play by Ntozake Shange “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf.” Tyler Perry certainly no stranger to criticism bravely tackled this film, recruiting some of the best black actresses in Hollywood. Kudos to him for even having the nerve to go there and once again for employing black actresses and actors. Some say, it was his best film to date. I’m not a movie critic so I don’t know for sure, but I have to applaud him for stepping outside of his own box.

THE “WOMP-WOMP MOMENT OF 2010

Womp-Womp: adj. 1. Horrible, not cool, embarrassing, shameful, wrong, whack, negative. 2. The theatrical sound you hear when a really negative thing occurs.

BULLYING! Bullying goes down in my book as the Womp-Womp Moment of 2010. The bullying of teens over the internet and through social networking websites like FaceBook was at an all time high this year. Following the suicide death of Rutgers University student, Tyler Clementi, the world finally paid attention to the effects and consequences of bullying. His death sparked so much sympathy that celebrities around the world participated in the “It Gets Better” campaign, encouraging lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgendered youth to hang in there and know that they never have to chose suicide as a way out. Kudos to all the celebrities and people that got involved. Let us all never forget that no matter what your orientation, we are all human. We are all “one”; imperfect beings made of flesh and blood, born with the right to happiness and love.

FASHION: SHOES & COSTUMES…

2010 was the year of the shoe. In my world, everyday is the year of the shoe, because I’m what I like to refer to as a “Shoe Admirer”. Ladies, when all else is not going right, doesn’t a fabulous pair of shoes make everything right? Ok, so maybe it didn’t mend your broken heart when you discovered that your boyfriend cheated on you but it still felt good to slip on a pair of designer stilettos and paint the town red…LOL. Well, this year was no exception. The ladies of music and entertainment did not disappoint with their shoe choices this year.

This year was also the year of the outrageous GaGaloo inspired performance attire. It seems as though Gaga has inspired a slew of recording artists to outdo each other in the “who can wear the most outrageous and uncomfortable” costumes. All I could think as I watched these insane outfits from artists like, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, GaGa, Fergie, Will I am and Nicki Minaj, was, what happens if any of these people need to use the bathroom? LOL. I’m just saying.

RAE ROCKS WELL IN 2010

I can’t close out my own blog without a summary of all the wonderful things that happened to me in 2010. It’s called shameless self promotion. In addition to releasing a new single “Falling” and “Falling Feat. Tshombe Sekou“ on iTunes & CD Baby,  I also released the official video, directed by Neil Bacchus of Stealth Productions.  Shortly after releasing “Falling” and continuing to promote “Walk With Me”, I was blessed with the opportunity to join a 9 city tour in France as 1/3 of the legendary soul/funk group Sister Sledge opening up for non other than Kool & The Gang. Check out the 8:36 Min Retrospective here. And as if that wasn’t enough, I joined the UK Tour with Sister Sledge performing with Kool & The Gang as well as several other legendary 80’s bands such as Go West, T’Pau, ABC, Howard Jones and The Christians. My last day in Europe was spent touring Rome, Italy and taping a live performance on the “I Miglion Ann” TV show which has a 6 million household viewership in Europe. Talk about Epic? The icing on the cake in 2010 were 2 BlogTalkRadio interviews with The Spot w/ Paradyme & Epiphany’s House and last but not least, a 1 page feature in SpokenVizions Magazine.

I am still nearly speechless and feeling so blessed for these life changing experiences. The best part about it all, is that I have met and become close to so many amazing people this year that my heart is full. I am so inspired and encouraged by everyone in my life and I am so happy that I had the strength to weather all the storms and disappointments that lead to this feeling of fulfillment and happiness.

WHAT’S NEXT?

2011 is right around the corner and I’m sure it will be an eventful one. I certainly plan on working on new music, dusting off my electric acoustic, collaborating with some amazing live musicians and writers, performing live and releasing some new tunes among a host of other things.

GRATITUDE…

I can’t close out 2010 without sending a huge THANK YOU to everyone who supported and encouraged me this year. I want to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR and much success and prosperity in 2011 and the years to come. Thanks again for taking this journey with me and I look forward to seeing you all next year. Cheers!

Bless, Rae.