When Did Madonna Get Black?

It's funny. Around the same time that fellow writer Clay Cane was saying Madonna Goes Black (Again), I was wondering exactly when was it that she ever got black. I had written a post then, but sat on it for reasons I don't care to mention at this point. And while I now know that Clay thinks Madonna is black after her 106 & Park appearance with Terrance and Rocsi, I still want to know how and when. So my post still has legs, even though this episode is over like a fat rat.

Granted, if you're an old head like me, Madonna was always a part of your record collection. She made danceable risqué, club music and her dancers and background singers always felt familiar and soulful -- read black, or at least mostly black. And if nothing else, the black kids got them. No not kids -- family -- as in LGBT. Madonna pumped at the Garage and Warehouse (you old New York heads know what I mean) just as much as Colonel Abrams ("I'm Not Gonna' Let You") and Marshall Jefferson ("Move Your Body"). Granted, "Borderline" was hot, but it was not black. Not at all. Not even octoroon.

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Video: BlogHer Biz '08 - Moving from "Should" to "Can"

YouTube Video: BlogHer '08 Break Out Session #1 Part 3

Break-Out Session #1
Moving From "Should" to "Can"
Track: Social Media Creation Best Practices

You've heard all the reason you're supposed to have a company blog and more. But let's talk about moving from "should" to "can." From technology choices to time management, community policies to common pitfalls, this session is designed to help you figure out what will give your company the greatest comfort level and potential for success when launching a blog, podcast or online community. Technologist and author Susannah Gardner moderates this discussion. Fast Company's Lynne d Johnson will talk about the why and how behind Fast Company's recent evolution from magazine web site, with blogs, to a more interactive social community. We'll also get insight on how PBS Parents is making the journey from "should" to "can" by talking to the Director of PBS Parents, Jean Crawford, and one of her blogger/consultants, Jen Lemen...someone who is associated with the most authentic and creative aspects of the blogosphere, but is helping organizations tap into their opportunities to be a part of it.

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Amy DuBois Barnett, Get Yours! Book Signing

Video: Amy DuBois Barnett, Get Yours! Book Signing shot on a Nokia N95

Was up in Harlem today and ran into Amy DuBois Barnett at Carol's Daughter on 125th Street. She was there conducting a book signing for Get Yours! How to Have Everything You Ever Dreamed of and More.

Photos were being taken by Piper from that photographer reality show on VH1 -- The Shot. Piper's been working with celeb photog Johnny Nunez of Nubuzz photo, who also stopped by while I was there.

It was funny running into Amy as I we were just working together about a week ago when James Andrews and I hosted Carol's Daughter Blogger Roundtable, and she moderated the interview between the audience and Lisa Price of Carol's Daughter. It was good to see Johnny too.

Tim Moore has superbly edited video of the roundtable on his site:

Carol’s Daughter Blogger Roundtable pt1
Carol’s Daughter Blogger Roundtable pt2

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Usher Goes Viral

It's cool to start seeing some of these established artists follow what youngins like Soulja Boy, Lil Mama, Tyga, and Teyana Taylor already know -- social media is good for promoting your project. Before these Internet gangstas even had albums, they were using MySpace, YouTube, Mobile, and widgets like it was second nature. I don't even believe that most of it was any label's input, it was all too genuine.

So what happens when an established artist goes viral?

Well first off, you get something like this widget below:

It comes prepopulated with "Love in this Club" Part II Featuring Beyonce & Lil Wayne, his video library, a photo of him, and a tool that provides code for embedding on blogger blogs, MySpace, Friendster, and Xanga. What no Facebook? Hopefully that comes in another widget, or at least a Facebook fan page.

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Lynne d Johnson on Black Thought's 75 Bars

My 2 minutes on Black Thought's 75 Bars on The Roots Rising Down CD

Mobile post sent by lynneluvah using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

To see how I get down musically, check out:
my last.fm profile
my muxtape

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Update to the Real Rock Stars of (Black) Blogs

Yesterday, I posted The Real Rock Stars of (Black) Blogs and received a lot of feedback. All positive -- thank the spirit.

But, it has come to my attention that Anil Dash truly played a major role in getting the first Blogging While Black panel off the ground. He had been attending SXSWi and saw the need for bringing diversity to the event, as did Hugh Forrest, the event director of SXSW Interactive.

Anil connected Monique Judge (who now has started blogging again at coffeenated.org) with Hugh, and the idea for Blogging While Black took off. Unfortunately, Mo could not participate in 2005 or 2006. Cecily was also supposed to participate one of those years. In 2007, we took a break, and many of the original participants sat on other panels at SXSWi and some even went on to build their careers in media and the Web. In 2008, I ended up bringing the idea of Blogging While Black back through the Where Are the Black Tech Bloggers? panel.

The OGs of blogging should not be forgotten.

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The Real Rock Stars of (Black) Blogs

There's been a bit of talk about me on the Interwebs lately, and though I'll take the shine, I've got enough sense to know I can't take all the shine on my own. There are people who influenced me, especially in the blogging game. Those who offered advice and friendship, and even connections. Those who always answer IMs and emails, no matter when they get sent.

He won the first Black Blogger Achievement Award in the Black Weblog Awards. He goes by the name of George Kelly and his blog is allaboutgeorge.com. I met George on Afrofuturism, probably in 2000 or 2001. I had been working at BlackPlanet.com, then the top social networking site -- period. After being laid off, I put up this Web site, but it looked differently back then as this is version 3 or 4.

Long story short. The site, originally, was like my business card, portfolio, and resume all in one. But I had this idea of starting an online diary, and flirted with it casually at first. But I started looking into what George was doing and talking to him about it, and quickly became fascinated by the idea of blogging. I learned about blogging from him. He gave ideas about comments and structure. And I was grateful. And still am.

In fact it was he who first started the idea of the Blogging While Black panel at SXSW. He and some of the others put together the proposal, they just happened to select me as the moderator. It was the first time many of us had met in person, but we were all immediately -- family. We had shared so much, for so long -- online.

He's always been my blog father because of this. So if I had to have a blog father, I had to have a blog mother too. Her name is Cecily Walker. Her original blog URL formica.ca was taken over by the Formica corporation. I was salty when that happened. There was history there in a rich blog. One I had learned so much from. I not only learned from her blog, but from her as well. We shared some histories in our technology backgrounds and love of Macs.

George and Cecily were out there way before I ever was. And they offered sage advice and guidance to several bloggers (black, white, whatever) back in those early years.

And then I had blog brothers and sisters too. All who contributed to this evolution. All who hip me to as much technology and Web services as I do them. All who hip me to as much music and culture and ideas as I do them. And here we all are, seven and eight years later, still vibing. Still being a blog fam. Maybe I just lean a little more to that spotlight than they all do, but they all deserve it just as much.

I may miss some in this shout out. But this list goes in order of those I came to know first in this blogging game. There were others, who don't have as much of a Web presence as they once did, but I've got lots of love for them too.

Brothers and Sisters:
Jason Toney - my blog twin
Monique Judge
Jay Smooth
EJ Flavors
J Brotherlove - my blog baby daddy (which would really mean we're incestuous wouldn't it? and that's not even the real kee kee.)
Tiffany B. Brown

And my sons:
Rocka
Kevin R. Scott
Novaslim
Karsh
Corey
Hashim Warren

And my newborn baby daughter:
Angela

And then don't forget...

People like Donald, who played a role because he helped me get my site from hand coding it myself into MT, but I've known him since before the Web. Back in those Brooklyn Kokobar Cafe days, the first urban Internet cafe. Fellow writers and speakers like Keith Boykin had an influence in terms of us both learning to build online personal brands around the same time. And another fellow writer Jimi Izrael, who came to the blog game on his own kind of late, but was always an inspiration -- yep, prior to his blogging.

And finally, if it wasn't for George and MT, I would have never known Anil Dash (who until recently I didn't realize thought so highly of me). Anil is like the consigliere of this here blog game. And I don't mean that in a negative context -- I just mean he is the consummate blogger, and he's been doing this for many years, and I've been following him for all those many years. And with that, I've built a lot of blog entries off of his blog entries over those years. I've watched him shake and move in a predominately white, male blogging and Web 2.0 tech world in a manner that I've come to respect -- and well, yes, learn from. He, also being of color, has managed to find a way to not lose himself in the Web world.

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