The Whole Delivery

Before major label troubles that showcased how she was certainly the opposite of a soft, cookie cutter pop princess some wanted to carve her into, Jojo really appeared to be someone who would have the status that Taylor Swift occupies now. Back in 2004, "Leave (Get Out)" was a powerful enough beginning for her, with this video retired on MTV's TRL thanks to the quality production of Danish R&B/soul producers Soulshock & Karlin. It reached #12 on the Billboard 100 and was a force across the world, especially Down Under in Australia and New Zealand. Though Jojo now hates how this song and the rest of her first album sounded, she's still appreciates it enough due to it being her start in the game. And though she has never built on that early promise thanks to the aforementioned label struggles, along with the occasional difficulties for many childhood stars to keep their illumination going into their young adulthood, Jojo is certainly not giving up hope ...

(Viewer and listener discretion is advised, especially if you aren't black and/or lived in an American hood). A song near and dear to my heart, since it was filmed in my neighborhood 15 years ago. It's the crowning moment of M.O.P's respectable career (and before they went the disastrous G-Unit route). It's the North Brooklyn hood classic that gave so much energy to Tompkins Park when they shot the video in the area during that 2000 summer. It's the unapologetic  "Ante Up," your first Flashback Friday video of the day. More to come from TWD Friday, stay tuned. 

It's always going to be an embarrassment when CNN hosts any debate in this era when they have largely been exposed, day after day, year after year, of being centrist media clowns laughably desperate to appear being the network that actual holds anyone accountable. And after Anderson Cooper's latest, constant interruption of a Democratic debate to make it seem like he's a real journalist when he is just a fraud, the network went and got its usual fact check hack Tom Foreman to try and pull a fast one on Bernie Sanders. Only, it failed miserably. It was centered on of course the gun debate, the one topic where centrist media fools like CNN will think that they can show Sanders as having the usual duplicitous politician tactic of possibly "flip-flop" on their weakest topic just like everyone else. Now, we can discuss whether his D- rating for NRA or his preference to not want gun manufactures to be sued under UNKNOWING circumstances (I capitalized that beca...

The best Obama impersonator ever, one Alphacat, has decided to make another classic parody song, this time with Aubrey's "Back to Back" beat and having it be 100 times better than Aubrey's diss at Meek. It's "Back to Back" Obama style, and it is another classic from what maybe the greatest parody person ever. He is that great. It's the happy return of the Music Wakeup Call at TWD. It's just so timeless, so many classic lines and facial reactions like this:  

Flashback to 20 years ago when one Monica Brown came out and was one of the freshest talents in the game, with this hit that got its deserved respect for a number of years but has been forgotten lately considering how Monica has been off the radar. It's the Dallas Austin produced classic from then 15-year-old Monica, "Don't Take it Personal (Just one of Dem Days)", your (late) Flashback Friday choice for this week. TWD, your home for music's best nostalgia moments.

After today's first Flashback Friday selection , we keep it 2000 related with the legend Janet Jackson's effort from the Nutty Professor 2 soundtrack. It's the enjoyable and fun "Doesn't Really Matter."  This really was a quality music video.  More to come at TWD. 

Welp, Roberta Vinci really will officially become the prime enemy of Williams' fans for good after irrationally and angrily calling out Venus Williams moving on match point in the Wuhan Open semifinals today (Wuhan is 12 hours ahead of the ET zone). Here's the match end. Vinci would have already looked bad if she said it in English. But the fact that she said "what the f--k" and then asked Venus if she wanted tea or coffee in Italian makes her look more cowardly here. Roberta truly is a fun, fiery person, but this was really a lame move from her. Even more bizarre would be if she did not complain about Venus' time during the match. Either way, another huge win for Venus in a great week at a big tournament, where she will play Garbine Muguruza in a quality final to salvage a prestige event that has been hurt by absences and laughably bad attendance.

One of the truly great songs of not only a magical and timeless 2000, but really ever, with a video that perfectly matches it. It's Common serenading his then wifey at the time in Erykah Badu with the special song that is "The Light," from 15 years ago. It's the first of several flashbacks today on Flashback Friday. More to come in a bit.