FiyaStarter.com - Educated Lady of Soul

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“My team ALWAYS plays better
at home. We don't travel well.”
-The Good Doctor
...with a sex reference

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--graduated Howard in 2000 as a double-major in Sociology and Music History
--graduated NYU in 2003 with masters in English
--was offered a staff writer position with every major entertainment publication to be their music reviewer for R&B and rap. She turned down; Ent. Weekly as "wanna-be hipsters who 3 months late on everything people," Spin as "buzz-hungry geeks who think they're on the frontline in the never-ending War of Cool, but they don't have any ammo," Rollingstone as "a fucking relic that has never come close to its potential," The Source as "every issue since 1995, an exercise in obsolescence pub," XXL "an office filled with the "Inferiority complex folk, because of their obsession with The Source," and finally Vibe "a magazine run by space cadets, saditty sistas, sluts and slags who know nothing about hip-hop other than who'd they'd fuck, who they wouldn't fuck and what Jay-Z tells them." So why would she join the staff of a start-up who can only pay her $300 a month? "Because I can write what I want to write and not feel any pressure to sweeten any of my reviews."
Nope, don't sweeten anything Erykah. We want you to be your brutally honest bitter self.

FiyaStarter RATING = 0 Fiyaballs... Yup, none :(

Album Review

John Legend - Get Lifted
We'll Save You the Suspense: It Sucks
by: Erykah Lauryn Scott, for Entertainment

Never did I think I'd once again be in the position of potentially panning a monumentally-anticipated, supremely-hyped debut project from the pupil of one of today's premier producers. But, alas, here I am, faced with the same task I faced in high school.

Whereas the Dre'-laced Doggystyle barely escaped my wrath, because of Snoop's charismatic and original presence (time-tested and, therefore, justified), John Legend's Get Lifted, produced by Kanye West, leaves me no choice. This album signals the death of "Neo-soul," a genre born in the mind of an evil marketing exec a decade ago.

It's not that Legend doesn't have any talent. He does have some talent. But, on this stunningly overrated album, he doesn't display the kind of talent that suggests he'll be around any longer than Bilal, Musiq Soulchild, Rashaan Patterson or any of the other stars orbiting the Neo-Soul galaxy that once shone so brightly but have long since burned out. The praise heaped upon Legend and those similarly semi-talented Neo-soulsters is a direct result of the sad state of Rhythm and Blues. There is an entire generation of wannabe Marvins, Stevies, Donnies and Curtises being signed by record execs looking for the next Prince and prematurely celebrated by critics looking to keep their jobs, by remaining in lockstep with the zeitgeist.

The lead single, Used To Love U, is garbage. When a song opens with "Maybe, it's me/maybe I bore U/No no, it's my fault, 'cause I can't afford U/Maybe, baby, Puffy, Jay-Z/would all be better for U/'cause all I can do is luv U" most discerning music listeners know it is to be immediately discarded, and that is exactly what the general public did, as the single tanked hideously. The follow-up, Ordinary People, has fared much better on radio, which I find amazing, considering that it lacks the character and depth--and is, therefore, not better than--of what can be heard in the lounge area of quality hotel.

The rest of this album doesn't even warrant mention. It's stained by unevenness, immature lyrics and blatant pandering to its potential purchasers' hip-hop interest.

If I had been assigned to review this album, I would have been insulted after the first spin. But, I chose to review it, because my reader's deserve the uncut truth. That's why I'm here.

Please note that I spared you the puns on Mr. Legend's name. It's beneath me and you.