Singer/actress Solange recently gave a very candid interview to Vibe Magazine, in which she opens up about everything from STILL getting compared to her sister to breaking down during the recording process for her new album. Check out a couple of notable quotables below:
Are you ever tempted to put up a middle finger to those fans that said you were just being weird to separate yourself from your sister Beyonce?
I could really care less what Suzie B. fan, who fits a certain profile and only shops at a certain place and only goes to the spots that blogs tell her to go to, thinks. Those people have never driven me. I wouldn’t take back any of the things I did because I gained the people who I needed to have on my side. The people who don’t understand that don’t have the integrity that I want anyway. I felt really good that my songs were at the Best Of The Year-End lists in places like Pitchfork and Spin. I get my love. It may not be what everyone else’s perception is, but I definitely get respect and I feel really good about that.
You surprised a lot of people when your 2008 album Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams was lauded as one of the years most critically acclaimed works. What was your reaction to all of the positive press?
I felt really good about it. I felt like I established myself as an artist with the people that I needed to and I weeded out the people that I never intended to have as part of my fanbase. Being able to tour and actually see and touch the people who are trying to really hear and feel your music is how you actually see what your fanbase is made of. These folks were not just people who wanted a radio song or wanted a particular record just for the catchiness of it. I had the people who were true music lovers; those kinds of fans will grow with me. If I want to do something more adventurous they wont abandon me.
Was there one moment when you knew you were accepted beyond just being Beyonce’s little sister?
I think that moment was when I was five, really [Laughs]. I never had to have this moment of where I felt accepted. I’ve always felt accepted. There was no big church-bell-ringing moment for me. I’m always finding out more and more about myself and about the people who respect what I do. I can tell you what I really love. When I run into people on the street that tell me they have connected with my music.
(SOURCE)
Read more of Solange’s interview after the jump.
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Many people were shocked several months ago after it was announced that VIBE Magazine would end production. Now the magazine has been purchased and relaunched, and helping the struggling magazine with their first issue is Chris Brown and Drake.
The two are featured on a double cover, with an “Everybody Hates Chris/Everybody Loves Drake” concept.
Chris brings up what I think is a pretty valid point in his interview. He says that “it’s never okay to hit a woman” but he also states that it’s never okay for woman to hit a man. For once, I agree with Chris. There’s definitely a double standard when it comes to domestic violence.
To see more about this double issue, head over to VIBE.com.
Check out the queen of Hip-Hop/Soul Mary J. Blige on the cover of the latest issue of Billboard magazine. In this issue, she talks about her new record “Stronger” and her involvement with the soundtrack for the amazing film Precious.
She looks great!
Rocsi does Honey Magazine
Rocsi, co-host of BET’s 106 & Park, is in the new issue of Honey Magazine, and she is opening up about everything from all the hate she has received via blogs to what she’ll be for Halloween — Lady Gaga, she says. (Love it!) Check it out:
On negative attention from blogs:
I think a lot of these Web sites need a story. They need to find somebody to pick on, and I just so happen to be one of those girls. I’ve always had that coming up against Free on a black network and not being black. I got where I’m at because of my work. I never had to lay on my back to get where I was. I come from a Latino background where family and the way we were brought up was very important. That’s how we conducted ourselves as ladies. And that’s a very important thing to my family, so yeah, when these blogs come out and they start talking shit — you’re messing with what my parents instilled in me. And I know it isn’t true. But I’m glad I have great family members who know that I wasn’t brought up that way, to not be blinded by this industry… Internet gangsters are so tough. They’re so tough.
On the dating rumors:
With men in my life, I’ve always made good choices. I would love to think that. It’s just really hard to trust people, and that’s just coming from not knowing everybody’s intentions… I just went out last night, and I had a genuine good time. I hardly ever really go out. And the next day its ‘Rocsi’s dating … popping bottles with Trey Songz … tryna get with …’ I was like ‘What?! No, I wasn’t even sitting at his table!’” If I take a picture with somebody, I make it a point not even to put my arm around them. And it’s so hard because people just want to pick on you. I’m like ‘Dude, you don’t sleep with everyone you take a picture with.’ Like, come on. I think it’s getting to an ignorant stage.
On being strong in the industry:
I mean it’s real bad when it gets to the point where everything’s so unbearable. You really got to have that strength, because if I didn’t have that strength in me, I would kill myself. There are some days when I’m like ‘How bad do I want to kill myself right now? What is the point of going on when so many people despise me or hate what I do?’
Wow. Honestly, I don’t see why people throw shade at her much. Are people still bitter about AJ and Free leaving? I mean come on, it was bound to happen. They’ve moved on, so should you. Rocsi does a good job on the show, and I admire her and Terrence J’s grind. Meanwhile, check out more shots from Rocsi’s Honey Mag spread below:
Michelle Obama looks amazing on the cover of ‘Glamour’
First Lady Michelle Obama is featured on the cover of Glamour magazine’s new women of the year issue. She looks great!
Nia Long covers Honey Magazine
Actress Nia Long recently sat down with Honey Magazine and talked about being a mom and finding the right roles in Hollywood, among other hot topics. Here’s a few excerpts:
You were once featured in the print version of Honey a couple years ago and in it you said you were the type that disappears and when you come back, you’re stronger and better. Are you currently gaining strength in a hiatus or are you working on projects right now?
Right now, the business has changed tremendously in the last couple of years. I recently got rid of my entire team and took about six months to rehire everyone. Every now and then, that is something so necessary to do. I’ve been wanting to do it for a while, but when you’re working, it’s hard to do that. It was such a stimulating thing for me to do because it really made me refocus my agenda. Now, it’s just all about nurturing the new relationship and finding that next project that makes me feel good about the next phase in my career. I try to be selective because there is a lot of garbage out there. The business is starting to get back on its feet again. I’m always working on my own personal projects.
What type of personal projects?
I have a documentary that I’m working on right now. That’s all I can say about that at this point. It has to do with fashion. That’s a big area of interest for me and why is there such a lack of black models. How does having a First Lady that’s a black woman in the White House change the fashion world’s take on black beauty? That’s a work in progress; it’s going to take some time because we’re covering a large span of time, but it’s my pet project — my little baby, so we’ll see what happens.
You’ve always had a strong opinion on how Hollywood portrays beauty, so what do you think beauty is?
To me, beauty is about feeling comfortable in your skin and being able to wake up, be you, do you, not worry about what the rest of the world is doing and stay true to your authentic self. That’s a hard thing to do because Hollywood isn’t really set up that way.
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Serena takes it off for “The Body Issue”
Serena Williams is one of several athletes who got bucky naked for “The Body Issue,” a multiple cover special edition of ESPN Magazine that hits newsstands tomorrow, Oct. 9th.
Head over to The Huffington Post to see the other covers, which feature Dwight Howard, Sarah Reinertsen, and others.
Solange in the latest issue of Honey Magazine
Everybody’s favorite little sister, Solange is on the cover of this month’s Honey Magazine, and she is definitely creating her own identity — she’s no longer just Beyonce’s sister. In the issue she talks about everything from the infamous haircut to being a mother in the industry. Here’s some clips from the interview:
On the haircut:
The first picture of me when I cut it off — I had no idea that there was any photography going on. I was looking like someone taking their kid to school at 7 o’clock in the morning in jeans and a top and no makeup on, no earrings, no nothing. That reaction was very harsh, very negative. I think it was the initial thought of change in someone that freaked everyone out. As a society we equate beauty with the images that have been placed in front of us since we were little kids. Every Disney movie, every fairy tale, every pop star typically has a certain aesthetic and look. I think that anytime we see something different, it freaks us out. The more people warmed up to it, and they saw more images of me with it and dressed up with my earrings and a little something, something on my face, I think then people were more willing to conform and accept it. Now, it’s interesting how the first day I had it, I had nothing but negative, evil, cruel things in my inbox and then yesterday [after Oprah aired] I had 300,000 people saying ‘Oh my God, you looked amazing, so beautiful, and you made us proud.’ People were able to hear my reasoning, which is good and bad because we should be able to just express ourselves.
On being a working, single mom
I think balance is the essential key to motherhood. I think it’s a really hard rhythm to find, but if you learn how to capture it, it makes the rewards so beautiful. I try not to ever be away from him unless he’s with his dad. We have equal custody, so we work together on it, but it definitely gets hard when I have all these opportunities coming at me. I have to say no to a lot of things because at the end of the day I know that no matter how many awards or accolades or praise or money I get, the one thing that really is a judgment of me is what kind of mother I am…
(SOURCE)
She looks good. Check out some more shots from the magazine below.
