I hate that I even have to highlight this, but racism has to be called out for the sin that it is…Last week, Darlene McCoy Jackson, a well-known gospel music radio host here in Atlanta ordered some food from Woody’s Cheesesteak in Buckhead, a ritzy area here in the A. Instead of referring to her by her name, an employee allegedly referred to her as “Darky” on the receipt. See for yourself below…
It was so very dumb of this employee to do this because Darlene is well-known in the community so of course the news of this incident was going to spread throughout the city and now throughout the country…Apparently the owner has apologized for the employee’s actions. Read the story HERE.
I’m going to be honest. I cannot name not one Kim Burrell song, but nevertheless she is a very popular gospel singer. And yet, despite singing the gospel she only seems to have negative press. And this latest story is no different…unfortunately…Most recently, it’s being being reported that she revealed a private conversation she had with Jay-Z aka Beyoncé’s husband which led to the creation of his song 4:44 on the We Sound Crazy! Podcast. Below is what she said…
“He called me and said, ‘Hey, when my wife is going through it, I always know because I hear you playing in the background.’ He’s says, ‘My wife locked up one day for 11 hours and I heard nothing but Kim Burrell for 11 hours. Here’s why I’m calling you. When she came out, she was better. She was so much better. He says, I’m calling you because I need to have a meeting with the person that made my wife better.'”
See the full interview below. The Jay-Z portion of the interview starts at about 33 minutes…
Now, some are bashing her because she revealed some of the personal life of the Carters, who seem to be as private about their personal lives as they can be given their celebrity status. Initially, I was thinking that way too but as I type this, I’m not sure if I feel it’s negative or not. Now, if someone shared information with you in confidence and you, in turn, shared the information with others, that is most certainly a negative as it’s a violation of trust. However, that conversation led to the creation of Jay-Z’s song “4:44” in which he apologizes to his wife for various infractions including infidelity…Since he put his business out there, I’m not sure that the conversation that led to him putting his business out there via his song, which features the vocals of Kim Burrell, by the way is wrong. At the very least, her revealing this conversation does make me think that maybe Jay-Z did cheat on Beyoncé. Because after reading her biography “Becoming Beyoncé: The Untold Story,” written by J. Randy Taraborrelli, I share his opinion about the matter…
“Now, I’m not a psychic, I’m a biographer, and I can’t say that Jay Z didn’t have a one-night stand in a tour bus a week ago, but I do know from my studying of Beyoncé [that] her personality is such that if in fact she was actually having marital problems, she would not be sitting down writing songs about it for the nation to dissect and interpret. That’s not who she is. She’s too private a person to handle her marital dysfunction for the world to see and examine. More likely what she’s doing is she’s possibly writing about her mother’s marriage and what she witnessed there. That sounds like Beyoncé.” Read the rest of this story on yahoo.com.
Given that this podcast episode was released in October 2022, I’m not sure why this excerpt recently surfaced, but that’s the power of these Internet streets. Something can be dug up from a decade ago and be poppin’ again…Be careful out here…Anywho…
What do you think about Kim Burrell and this latest headlining story?
First Song From the New Album 'One Name (Jesus)' Out Now...
Hello World,
On Friday, June 2nd, five-time Grammy Award-winning artist Naomi Raine will release her stunning debut live record “Cover The Earth” (TRIBL Records), which features a series of choir-filled performances recorded live from New York City and collaborations with nine-time Grammy Award-nominee Natalie Grant, Chandler Moore (Justin Bieber, Maverick City Music), Todd Dulaney and Lizzie Morgan (Maverick City Music).
Now, however, she shares the first song from the new album, “One Name (Jesus).” See the video of the song below:
“‘One Name’ is about Jesus and my total reliance on him,” says Naomi. “Over the past few years, people have listened to my music, experienced my ministry, and have begun to know my voice and my name. I just wanted to release a song about The Name that’s higher than every other name in a world where there’s so much emphasis on the names of celebrities and brands. I want to bring a message of hope, but not hope in me or my gifts, but in the God who gives them both freely and I pray that people find hope when they listen to the song.”
More than a collection of songs, “Cover The Earth” is a full-blown worship experience full of upbeat and praise-worthy songs that blend pop, R&B and more, while delivering encouraging and uplifting messages across ten songs and four “flow” song transitions. The album was recorded in the heart of New York City and produced by Naomi with Adale Jackson.
To date, Naomi celebrated the release of “One Name (Jesus)” with an event in Jamaica on held March 18th. Another event will be in South Africa on April 1st with more to be announced.
On “Cover The Earth,” Naomi addresses how faith can free us from mental prisons (“Paul & Silas (At Midnight) [with Chandler Moore]”), fear (“Uncovering”), greed (“Costly”) and more, while also revealing the character behind her source of inspiration for the music. Naomi also sings of the courage it takes to be a light in dark places on songs like “We Agree (Flow),” in which she boldly roots herself in her faith despite modern culture, proclaiming “we don’t care what the left or the right is saying ‘cause we agree with Heaven.”
“‘Cover the Earth’ is a project about the goodness of God, his kindness and faithfulness,” adds Naomi. “It is a call to action for those that love God to seek Him and spread the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ everywhere we go.”
Naomi’s debut live record follows her vulnerable album “Journey” and its follow up “Journey: Acoustic Sessions,” which were released in 2022.
In the past year, Naomi has performed on the BET Awards, Grammy Awards and more. The Grammy, NAACP, Stellar, BET, Billboard and Dove Award-winning artist is one of the top songwriters in the gospel genre, and starting this April, she’ll co-headlining the first-ever all-female worship tour, It’s Time Tour, alongside Tasha Cobbs Leonard, TAYA, Natalie Grant, Tamela Mann and others.
“Cover The Earth” Tracklist:
1. Rest On Us (Flow) – Live
2. Cover The Earth – Live
3. Sing Hallelujah [with Natalie Grant] – Live
4. We Agree With Heaven [with Todd Dulaney] – Live
5. We Agree With Heaven (Flow) – Live
6. Drink Offering – Live
7. Uncovering [with Lizzie Morgan] – Live
8. Costly – Live
9. Paul & Silas (At Midnight) [with Chandler Moore] – Live
10. Paul & Silas (Undignified Flow) [with Chandler Moore] – Live
11. One Name (Jesus) – Live
12. One Name (Jesus)[Flow] – Live
13. VIP – Live
14. The Story I’ll Tell – Live
Naomi Raine on Tour:
Wed., Apr 26 | Bayside Community Church | Bradenton, FL
Thu., Apr 27 | Calvary Orlando | Orlando, FL
Fri., Apr 28 | Florida Theater | Jacksonville, FL
Sun., Apr 30 | James L Knight Center | Miami, FL
Tue., May 2 | Fox Theatre | Atlanta, GA
Wed., May 3 | Ovens Auditorium | Charlotte, NC
Fri., May 5 | Hulu Theatre | New York, NY
Sat., May 6 | The Met | Philadelphia, PA
Sun., May 7 | The Theater at MGM National Harbor | Washington, DC
Tue., May 9 | Wang Theatre | Boston, MA
Thu., May 11 | Toyota Oakdale Theatre | Wallingford, CT
Thu., May18 | Faith Church | St. Louis
Fri., May 19 | Transformation Church | Tulsa, OK
Sat., May 20 | Exodus Arts & Music Festival | Dallas, TX
Sun., May 21 | 713 Music Hall | Houston, TX
Mon., May 22 | Summit Christian Center | San Antonio, TX
Wed., May 24 | Saenger Theatre | New Orleans, LA
Thu., May 25 | BJCC Concert Hall | Birmingham, AL
Fri., May 26 | Landers Center | Southaven, MS
Sat., May 27 | Ryman Auditorium | Nashville, TN
Sun., May 28 | Grove City Naz | Columbus, OH
Tue., May 30 | Princeton Pike Church of God | Cincinnati OH
Wed., May 31 | Murat Theatre | Indianapolis, IN
Thu., Jun 1 | Grand Rapids First | Wyoming, MI
Thu., Jun 22 | The Rock Church | San Diego, CA
Fri., Jun 23 | Dream City Church Phoenix | Phoenix, AZ
Sat., Jun 24 | Masonic Theatre | San Francisco, CA
