Jason Derulo's new album, Future History, comes out on September 27, 2011. Here's a short video showing some of Derulo's dance moves from his newest music video.

This reminds me of a quote from Save the Last Dance:
"The whole world ain't enough, you gotta take ours too." - Chenille, played by Kerry Washington, is talking to Sarah, played by Julia Stiles, who is dating her brother, Sean Patrick Thomas.  The tense topic is interracial dating.

Maybe I'm too possessive of hip hop, or too ignorant of "grime rap" in the UK.

I have a few friends that would say neither Black people nor Americans have dibs on hip hop and rap music.  We originated it, but we don't own it.

I typically think they are wrong. But maybe I'm the wrong one?

What do you think?

I just read his message (via XXL) to fans and supporters and was thinking: if I didn't have so much pride, I'd be right in there with all those fans.  I can be a pretty good encourager when I want to be, but I find that I often don't because people don't respect it.

When you give a lot of love, folks say you're jockin'. I've always been the type who wants to give props every time they are due, and every time I feel inspired.

When my pastor quotes "big thangs poppin'/little thangs stoppin'" I want to shoutout to Tip even though that song is hella old.

But then, I wonder, if all we do is encourage him and love on him and send him cards and tweets and stuff while he's locked up, will it have any impact on his tendency to violate his parole? Like maybe if the only thing he saw while he was in there was other FREE artists succeeding, he'd be motivated to stay on the outside.

But maybe I'm overestimating the force behind a fan-base.
I think Lupe would tell you the fans can do anything: release a record, put a chink in the armor of The Record Labels, keep you alive ("Beautiful Lasers"), keep you out of jail...
But you have to make your own decisions too.  If his family doesn't motivate him, his fans probably can't either.

Music heads, agree or disagree?

For more info: Urbanroots.tumblr.com, Urbanrootsdeepdeuce.com, Twitter.com/UrbanRootsOKC

“Eat. Drink. Live.” is the motto at Urban Roots in Oklahoma’s historic Deep Deuce district (near Bricktown).  The café and gallery prides itself on bringing unique arts-inspired experiences to the community with the help of “fresh, artful…dining alternatives.”

From the “Clockwise Jazz Series” to “The Listening”, music is integral to the venue’s fabric. Curator Arif Smith works with a few others to put together all of the special programming.  He said they aim to have a weekly live performance or showcase.  “We use music as a way to create accessibility and break down barriers,” Smith said.

On Saturday, July 2, the venue will present “Second Line on 2^nd Street, “a New Orleans-style second line celebration in honor of Civil Rights activist and community leader Clara Luper.”  The funerary procession turned parade and tribute will end at Urban Roots in time for the New Growth Jazz Quartet to play their second installment of Clockwise.

The next Friday, Jeff Mims (who performed for The Listening on June 17) is curating the first installment of Counter.Clockwise, a “blues jam session” featuring artist, Soupbone.

It’s clear that live music is the bread and butter of this venue, but that’s not all it has to offer.  They also feature visual artists. Eyakem Gulilat, a photographer from OU by way of Ethiopia, has an exhibit up on the gallery’s walls.  The unveiling of the photos, featuring the historically Black town of Boley, Oklahoma, brought Gulilat and the Urban Roots family a lot of good feedback.

Tuesday, June 28, the venue will “present ‘All That Remains,’ a documentary short about the historic town of Boley and the generational evacuation that has riddled its landscape.”  Following the screening will be a discussion led by Smith and Gulilat.  Other featured artists are Alex Kathilu, from OKC via East Africa, and his set of paintings titled “The Soul of Jazz”, and Zumani’s mixed media images, which were arranged into a timely exhibit around Earth Day called “Recycle.”

Urban Roots seeks out opportunities to bring the community experiences they may not have had before.  They host a discussion forum once a month called “Truth Be Told” as well as weekly zumba, yoga, and cultural dancing classes.   Their Visionary Artist Series, curated by local poet and activist Lauren Zuniga, featured Denise Jolly and teamed up with TEDxOKC (a nonprofit committed to “Ideas Worth Spreading” and focused on technological and creative endeavors) to bring New York poet Sarah Kay to OKC in April for show and a Q&A session.

Smith was reluctant to pick a favorite event that the venue has put on.  He said, “Different experiences are differently rewarding.”  But he did mention being proud of the Active Arts workshops that they host to “develop youth and community interest in the arts.”  He remembered teaching bomba (a Puerto-Rican style of dance with roots in Africa) to children and watching them create art from recycled materials.  He said he loved seeing their “eyes light up” with “validation” and insight.

Their website says, “we find value in the intersectionality of our diverse communities” and I do too. After all, you can dance at any club, but not often to the sound of a live band.  You can eat anywhere, but not always while hearing important and culturally relevant tunes from our past and those more current.  You can go to any college campus and hear a lecture, but not in an atmosphere as convivial, festive, welcoming as this one.

Urban Roots is where you go to see something beautiful, to hear something moving, to do something different, and to meet someone inspirational.

Atlanta, GA, October 1, 2009—When it comes to preparing for school each year, many parents struggle to provide school clothes and supplies for their children. Students go to school underprepared and unequipped to successfully excel. Year after year this remains a problem and a solution has yet to be found that will send every student to school with what they need to be successful.

For the second year in a row, M.A.C. Ent. has gone directly to the community to find a solution. “We believe that when there is a problem within a community, whether it is poverty, homelessness, or lack of education, it is the responsibility of that community to find a solution,” says M.A.C. Ent. CEO Jamal James. “Our mission is to create opportunities for people to live out their dreams. The More About Caring drives are just one way that we are working toward creating those opportunities.”

This year’s school supply drive brought in more than twice the amount of supplies, uniforms, and monetary donations than last year’s drive. Donations were collected for three consecutive weekends at Main Edge Barber Shop in Midwest City and Phillips 66 on NE 36th and Kelly.

With the help these businesses and members of various Oklahoma City, Midwest City, and Spencer, Oklahoma communities, Friday, October 9, M.A.C. Entertainment will be delivering schools supplies and uniforms to the following schools:

• Dunbar Elementary
• Willow Brook Elementary
• Martin Luther King Elementary
• Moon Elementary
• Kipp Academy

“Expanding our reach to more schools wouldn’t have been possible without partnering with likeminded organizations whose missions are aligned with that of M.A.C. Entertainment.” says M.A.C. Ent. CEO Jamal James. Oklahoma businesses and organizations who participated in this year’s charitable drive were: Black Young Professionals of Oklahoma, US Productions, Sir Spears Entertainment,  Impressive Memoriez Mprezive Promtionz, Trinity Presbyterian Church, The Touch 890AM, and Talk Radio.

As M.A.C. Entertainment continues to host events that bring awareness of school-readiness and issues surrounding poverty, it is expected that each community event will garner more giving and larger efforts by other organizations. M.A.C. Ent, LLC held its prior More About Caring community events during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Labor Day holidays.

They donated $1000 worth of food, clothes, and toys to both the Salvation Army and Jesus Shelter. M.A.C. Entertainment, LLC is a record company based out of Atlanta, GA, and owned by Oklahoma native Jamal James. The T.E.A.M.M. lives throughout the Atlanta, Oklahoma City, and Dallas. This is a Hip Hop record label with a strong focus on providing assistance to those in need and maintaining strong presence in the community.