Stampede at Alicia Keys Concert

Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys and others performed at the North African Mawazine Music Festival in Morocco recently and the concert ended in tragedy. On the last night of the week long celebration, 11 spectators, who were among a crowd of 70,000, were crushed to death when a metal stadium fence gave way after fans rushed to leave. You can view pictures [not of the stampede] and concert footage here.

Horrible. Folks just can’t have a good time anymore.

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Random Pics: Fugly Oscars Edition

Looks like she’s going to her quincenera and her madre made this dress out of some curtains she bought from the bodega down the street. How was this a good idea? Give me some satin sheets and I could whip this up with a stapler and some paper clips.
This looks like the Barbie Holiday dress circa 1998.
When bad wigs happen to good people…
Oh wait, I spoke too soon. Just when I thought Vanessa had the award for best Quincenera dress….

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School Daze 2?

Spike Lee has been in the works of developing a “School Daze” sequel starring Kanye West and Alicia Keys. But those plans have to be put on hold because he can’t get any funding for the film.
He says, "The film takes place at the same college but 25 years later, but the powers that be didn't want to tell that story. It was gonna have Kanye in it and Alicia Keys." Source
Some things just can’t be remade. Or maybe they didn’t want to tell the story because it’s stupid. Just a thought.

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Swizz "Clears the Air" About Alicia

Producer Swizz Beatz has finally spoken out about all the rumors that singer Alicia Keys was the main, or at least a large factor in the break up of his marriage to wife Mashanda.
He says, "I can no longer ignore the harmful rumors, that my friend Alicia Keys is in any way linked to my marital circumstances or to the decision that Mashonda and I have made to separate. I am disappointed that some have chosen to try and tarnish Alicia's reputation by irresponsibly implicating her in a situation that she has absolutely nothing to do with. This experience has been one of the most difficult times in my life, and as was stated when we announced our separation several months ago, I ask that you continue to respect my privacy in dealing with this personal matter."
Who knows who’s telling the truth here. My mama always says, “what is done in the dark will be brought to the light.” So if Swizz and Ms. Keys were, in fact, disrespecting the glorious sanctimony of marriage then may God rain down his fiery judgment on them both.

Krucial/Keys is Makin' It Official?

Star Magazine is reporting that Alicia Keys and her boo Kerry “Krucial” Brothers are planning on getting hitched this fourth of July. Supposedly the Oheka Castle in Long Island has confirmed that a couple booked a them for the 4th of July weekend but won’t say who it is. Hmm… Source
I hope she’s not pulling a Whitney and getting married just to get folks to stop calling her a bulldagger. In any event, congrats!

Alicia's Got A Lot to Say

Alicia Keys was sharin' her theories on gangsta rap and the east coast west coast feud. She said, “Gangsta rap was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other. Gangsta rap didn’t exist.” She also said that the feud between biggie and Tupac was fueled “by the government and the media, to stop another great black leader from existing.” In addition she says that she’s been reading autobiographies of several Black Panthers and wears an AK-47 pendant ''to symbolize strength, power and killing 'em dead,'' This surprised her mom who said, ''She wears what? That doesn't sound like Alicia.'' Source
Ha! She sounds like me my second year of college when I started taking Africana studies classes and became more “aware” of myself. But be careful my fellow mellow yellow. Wear your dashiki, raise your fist, but know when to keep your mouth shut. You keep flappin' your gums like that about the gubbament and your gonna end up swimming with the fishes.

You Don't Know My Name...

Shocker! Alicia Keys isn’t her real name (please insert sarcastic tone here)! Her real name is Alicia Aguello-Cook and she uses Keys as her stage name. She says that when she was first looking for a name she thumbed through the dictionary and came upon Wild. She was going to go with Alicia Wild until her mom said, "It sounds like you're a stripper." Gotta Love moms for their unfettered honesty. I'm so glad she listened to mom dukes. Then again I suppose wild ain't so bad. Since she was using the dictionary for a name she could have come across any number of unsuitable monikers. What about Alicia Acne, or Alicia Dyke...those could have tanked her career before it ever got off the ground.

Excuse me while I go sit in the corner for that last comment. Sighs...