Thoughtful Thursday - What Does It Matter If He Cheats?

Details

Parent Category: Onstage

by Lynda Spirit Baptiste

Hello Lovationship Readers,

Let me ask you a question? If you were aware that you could have the greatest Lovationship ever with yourself and the partner of your dreams, what would it look like? If you knew what a relationship between you and a partner looked like you could begin to expect it. Did you know that we create our life by our thoughts, our beliefs and expectations? It definitely is possible for you to have your dream life and Lovationship partner. I am sure you know someone who does and that means you can too! If you have a clear list of what that would look like for you and you understood what it may require to become your own “thought police” you could design and sculpt every good and great loving thing and person to happen in your life. If your love for yourself is not first and foremost the love you want to attract in your life will not happen either. (K) Begin with a list of your qualities; the positive ones and the ones that need to be polished (love all of you). (K) Make a list of all the qualities you want in your Lovationship partner; the positive ones and the ones he or she may need to polish. (K) Stay tuned to this article series to do continue to learn the keys to creating the love life and Lovationship Partner your heart desires and deserves.

Which DMV Artists Have Klout?

Details

Parent Category: Onstage

If you use social media, i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Google +, LinkedIn, you automatically have a Klout score. If you are in any way involved in the business of music be it as an artist, manager, promoter, on-air personality, publicist, etc. and you use social media for something other than taking shots at your baby mama, you may want to occasionally review your Klout score and develop a strategy for using the influence it indicates you have to advance your professional goals.

Klout is built around a simple principle; that everyone has influence, and that influence can be measured, analyzed, and used in productive ways to impact various audiences. Your Klout Score is measured based on your ability to engage others on social networks. This is an important and useful tool in the entertainment industry because there has been a sea change in distribution channels. Nowadays, entertainment professionals have as much control over who is aware of their offerings as do the old guard of industry insiders. The only question is; do they have as much knowledge about how to use their influence to get notice, sell music, draw crowds, and build their own brands?

We looked at the Klout scores of a number of DC area artists and the good news is that a high percentage of them have scores well above the average Klout score of 40 on a scale of 1 to 100. It should be no surprise that the region’s leader is none other than Raheem DeVaughn whose score is a stratospheric 85. This doesn’t mean the number is based solely on popularity, though popularity is a factor in compiling the score. The data, or “signals” used to calculate the Klout score are derived from a combination of attributes, such as the reactions you generate compared to the amount of content you share, how selective the people who interact with you on social media are, and how much engagement you drive from unique individuals. So, if you generate 100 retweets from 10 tweets, your score is higher than it would be from generating 100 retweets from 1000 tweets. Likewise, if 100 different people retweet your content, it gains a higher measure than you’d get from a single person retweeting you 100 times. Folks who rely on Twitter to get entertainment related messages out should pay careful attention to this.

#FashionFridays - B.Fly Apparel

Details

Parent Category: Onstage

The weather is finally breaking! This gives people a reason to start pampering themselves more and most importantly, it gives people a reason to spruce up their closets. #FashionFridays male readers, I am trying to find a menswear designer or stylist to interview and help out your closets but today it is all about my ladies. Although this is for the ladies, gentlemen I am sure there is a special woman in your life that you can shop for or at least suggest designers to, so I am here to help!

On April 11, 2013 I attended the Shecky’s Girls Night Out Tour in Washington DC at Constitution Hall. Sponsored by companies Veet, Sweet N’ Low , Smirnoff and more, this event was everything a woman needs after a long day at work. There were workshops for styling, self-esteem, health, and dating.  Not only could women attend workshops, but there were a variety of vendors there offering products from skin care treatment to clothing and shoes. 

Sophisticated Sunday - Sister Souljah

Details

Parent Category: Onstage

By Natasha T. Brown

“A lot of our souls yearn for something, but we don’t know the route, we need spiritual navigation.” – Sister Souljah

Sean Combs refers to her as the “Number one author of the hip-hop generation.” Jada Pinkett Smith said that Sister Souljah is “spiritually rewarding and powerful.”

I, like many young readers, were in awe and emotionally invested with the characters of Sister Souljah’s 1999 debut novel The Coldest Winter Ever. As a teenager who indulged in literature, hip-hop and the various facets of black culture, this novel was poignant in that it didn’t hide the truth of the streets, but it also didn’t glorify the negative culture and consequences of the drug game. The Coldest Winter Ever is the story of Winter Santiaga, the rebellious, spoiled teenage daughter of a notorious drug dealer in New York. This novel is one of the best that I have read to date. Fourteen years and three novels later, Souljah has published the sequel to The Coldest Winter Ever called A Deeper Love Inside – The Porsche Santiaga Story (Simon & Schuster, January 29, 2013).

On Wednesday, April 17, I met the author during a discussion and book signing for A Deeper Love… at the Oxon Hill Library in Prince George’s County Maryland. As a writer, her words and conversation reminded me of why as a kid I was attracted to this art in the first place and why as a reader, I was drawn to her novels. Souljah opened our eyes to her soul and shared practical tips for building as a community.

“I believe the maker who created all of our souls gives each of us a gift and an assignment (at least one). I believe writing was my gift and the books were my assignment,” said Souljah. “I can’t claim the credit for the writing, because it was a gift. [When people praise our work and it’s successful], the thing you can feel good about is that you obeyed your assignment.”

Many of the audience questions allowed her to open up about her thoughts, experiences and best practices: