A Tribute to the Canceled Michael Baisden Show

Recently our nation became a little less "grown up".  If you are a fan of "real" R&B, Soul and Hip-Hop music, I'm sure you have heard by now that one of the most popular syndicated radio shows in our country has been canceled. "The Michael Baisden Show", created and hosted by its namesake,  aired for the last time on Good Friday, March 29th. Baisden couldn't reach a contract agreement with the show's syndication partner Culumus Media.

Baisden, a self made entrepreneur and author, started his radio career with a local afternoon program at 98.7 KISS-FM in New York City nearly 10 years ago. He quickly became popular due to his "grown folks" content; a mix of social, political & economic talk along with old school and "neo-soul" tunes. His show went against the grain and proved that there was a thirst for what he was offering as he held his own as a newbie against veteran radio personality Wendy Williams' gossip based radio show, which aired in the same time slot at rival 107.5 WBLS-FM. Baisden's show became so popular that he eventually became syndicated across the country and added millions of listeners to his "family". The show's popularity garnered Baisden a tv show, "Baisden After Dark" which ran a few episodes on cable station TV One. His radio show also helped inspire numerous parties, special events and his own social network website, "Mingle City" a place he created to help his "family" connect and find like minded folks for purposes of business and pleasure (this was well before everyone had Twitter and Facebook accounts).

Over time Baisden developed a strong and loyal following nationwide. He kept his audience engaged with lively discussions about relationships, sex, health, money, politics and more. People also knew they could count on Baisden to play solid music. Folks that were frustrated by a lot of the "junk" that is produced today got some musical medicine from "The Michael Baisden Show". Baisden's playlist featured everything from funk, to disco, to golden era hip-hop, to classic R&B ballads and everything in between. It was nothing to hear Frankie Beverly & Maze, Eric B & Rakim, Chaka Khan, Chubb Rock, Chuck Brown, Donna Summer and Luther Vandross all in the same show. Baisden played a lot of current artist too. He prided himself in playing artist that was making new quality music like Jill Scott, Raheem DeVaughn, Musiq Soulchild, Angie Stone and Brian McKnight. And Baisden also helped to open people's eyes (and ears) to more lesser known outstanding artist like Ledisi and Conya Doss. He pleased the ears and souls of many "grown folks" across the United States and helped educate some of the younger listeners who wanted to learn about more mature styles of music.

I felt compelled to write this piece as a small tribute to Michael Baisden and his musical contribution and influence to many of his listeners. People loved his show because he "kept it real" whether it was "real talk" or "real music". I don't know what Baisden may have up his sleeve next but with his determination and the technology we have today, I wouldn't be surprised to hear "The Michael Baisden Show" reappear somewhere again. So to his "family" out there, I wouldn't say "goodbye" to the show - like many of the storylines in his books, it's just the end of a really good chapter.

RIP Amy Winehouse - Tragic Ending - Gone Too Soon

British singer Amy Winehouse was found dead in her home this past Saturday. At this time, an autopsy and a toxicology report has been performed but it is too early to determine her actual cause of death. This certainly hasn't stop public speculation as to what killed her. Unfortunately before her death, Winehouse's name had already become synonymous with drug abuse, so the assumption is she overdosed on something. Her struggles with drug addiction had been well documented.  Her name seemed to appear more in the press for rehab stints, fights and arrests than it did for record releases, concerts and awards. The last thing that garnered attention in the media for Winehouse was merely a month ago when she appeared to be under the influence on stage at a concert in Belgrade, Serbia. She mumbled, stumbled, and forgot lyrics as her band struggled to help her get through the set. Winehouse had a soulless look in her eyes and she constantly kept embracing herself. It was truly, truly sad; she looked and sounded absolutely awful. That may have been the worse thing I have ever seen on stage at a concert. Sadly and ironically, it was her very last concert appearance.

Winehouse rose to international superstar status in 2007 with her multi-platinum, multi-award winning soul album "Back To Black". In 2007 and 2008, Winehouse was debatably the biggest artist in the world. I honestly must say I wasn't totally sold on her. From the singles she released, I thought she was good but I couldn't understand the big fuss. I finally bought "Back To Black" after getting recommendations from several people who music taste I trust.  Along with that album, I also bought her first studio album "Frank".  I personally thought "Frank" was a much better project that "Back to Black". On "Frank" I saw her potential and things that I guess others saw on "Back To Black". "Frank" is what really made me respect her as an artist. Though the talent was definitely there, it was hard to ignore her bouts with alcohol and drugs; especially when her signature song is titled "Rehab" and part of the hook of the song is her insistence that she's not going ("no, no, no") to go get help.

I didn't personally know Amy Winehouse but I was saddened to hear about her passing. Just absolutely tragic. No one that young should ever die. She didn't come close to experiencing life.  Frankly I am a bit sick of seeing artist continuing to wreck their careers and lives with drugs. It has been happening for decades and it really needs to be addressed (pressures, highs & lows, isolation, etc). The reputation of drugs and alcohol being associated with being cool (ie "drug, sex & rock & roll") needs to be frowned upon as well. But as long as drugs persist in society it will in the entertainment business too. Drugs destroy lives of "every day" people everyday. No matter how many people try to help addicts, nothing will change until they are ready. Addicts make choices to indulge and it's only when they make the serious choice to stop can they begin to recover. Unfortunately for many, like Amy, they never get a chance to make that choice.

RIP Teena Marie

For about the last hour or so there have been rumors online about the death of R&B soul singer Teena Marie. Roland Martin via Twitter shared with his followers that this rumor is indeed true, as he confirmed it with Teena's manager, Mike Gardner. WDAS radio in Philadelphia has also reported this story to be true. At this time, no details have been given about the cause of death.

At this moment I would just like to briefly reflect on a woman that had one of the most distinguishable and soulful voices in R&B over the last few decades. Folks who truly love soul music love an artist that is authentic in the way they sing soul music. This is the reason I think that so many lovers of R&B loved Teena Marie. She had a poignantly soulful voice that made you feel her authenticity. She was TRUE to R&B and soul music and you felt it with every note she sang. Though she was well known for her musical and personal association with R&B funkster Rick James, Marie certainly had a following all her own. Fan favorites like "Square Biz", "I Need Your Loving", "Lover Girl", "Oh, La La La" & "If I Were A Bell" still get heavy rotation on many folks Ipods & MP3 players today (Her ballad "Fire & Desire" with James is indeed a classic, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention it). She was also a gifted writer, composer and producer as well.

Over the next few days, we will certainly hear tributes dedicated to "Lady T" -  for those of you who don't know her music I urge you to listen. A most unique singer of our lifetime has left us with some great music to listen to. I'm sure that after sampling her work, you will be compelled to own some of it. For those who know her music well, I know these times will be filled with reminiscing your good times and appreciating her gift. Thank you Teena Marie.