Keeping Up With the Cast of Empire!

Let me first start off by saying how much fun I had with America’s favorite brothers this weekend. That’s right! I got the opportunity to see Jussie Smollett (Jamal on Empire) and Bryshere “Yazz” Gray (Hakeem on Empire). On their Empire Soundtrack Tour, the two made a much needed stop to the Nation’s Capitol…so of course I had to go see them in person (and let me say they look just like they do on TV).

Yesterday a friend and I went to the Empire CD signing sponsored by F.Y.E. After 2 hours of standing in the cold, my feet hurting, and just feeling fatigued from waiting so long I finally got to meet Jussie and Yazz. Jussie was a complete sweetheart, telling me I was beautiful and saying how much he loves me (LOL he probably said that to all the girls that reeked of desperation) but I really appreciated it in the moment, giving him a hug and everything. Yazz was something else. We didn’t exchange as many words as me and Jussie but I did get a kiss out of it all 😀 😀 (LOL).

And just when I was completely over meeting the cast of Empire. I woke up this morning to a few missed calls and text messages telling me Jussie Smollett was walking around my campus. So immediately I hopped out of bed, threw on some clothes and made my way out the door, on the prow for Jamal Lyon. My school must have been just as pressed as I was because all the girls were chasing him around campus and he simply replied, “All I’m trying to do is get a Howard University sweatshirt but it’s all good…”

Rolling through the campus of @HowardUniv where yall at? #HowardU pic.twitter.com/1qFBXPRJtQ

— Jussie Smollett (@JussieSmollett) March 30, 2015

Then I started wondering, all these people were lined up to meet their favorite TV characters and all these students chased him across campus or waited outside just to take a picture or say hello. But why? Why do we fawn over those 2 minutes we get with them when they won’t remember it like we did anyways? But I realized it’s because these are the people that inspire us. These are the ones we invite into our homes every Wednesday night because they were able to touch our hearts and tell our favorite stories.

So then I thought about my personal quest of becoming a Broadcast Journalist (in the entertainment industry) and how my main goal is just to allow the world to connect with the people that mean the most to them on a day to day basis. That’s really all I want to do is merge the gap between those watching and those lending themselves for the world to see.

Bet you didn’t know me fangirl-ing over Empire would end on a deep note. Me either! HAHAHA

Jussie Smollet visiting my campus

Jussie Smollet leaving my campus

Jussie Smollett getting in his car

Jussie’s interview with WHUR

A Journey Through Drake’s New… Album/Mixtape?

Thursday night was just like any other week night. I was on my computer laying across my bed, working on school work while simultaneously scrolling through twitter. Somewhere in the midst of refreshing my timeline, Drake decided to drop a mixtape. Just like that my normal Thursday night transformed into an unforgettable moment in Hip-Hop music. Now, to understand how significant this story is, you have to understand how invested I am in Drake. Some call it an obsession, but in reality its a mere appreciation for legendary music. Okay, I may refer to Drake as my husband every now and then, and I may be able to recite every lyric off of any album he’s released, but that doesn’t mean I have a problem or anything…right? Alright, it’s debatable! Obsession is a bit harsh, so let’s just call it a “deep admiration.”

Anyways, I frantically start searching the internet for this “said album.” I must have seemed stressed out because half of my contacts started texting me the link to soundcloud, and my roommate was trying to help me find it on iTunes. Eventually I get ahold of the mixtape “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late,” and before I know it, it get’s deleted from the internet, forcing me to preview it on iTunes. Now you know, If I preview it on iTunes, naturally I am going to buy it — because it’s Drake! Just like that, I become the new owner of a 17 track Drizzy compilation. I listened to it back and fourth, deeply analyzing and picking apart the lyrics until I realized that it was 4:00am and I had an 8:00am to go to the next morning.

At first it seemed to be unclear if his new body of work was an album or a mixtape. Some fans noticed that “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” was released on the sixth year anniversary of Drake’s last mixtape, “So Far Gone.” Other media sources speculated that this release was a last minute attempt to fulfill his 4 album contract with Cash Money Records so that when it was time to leave the label with Lil Wayne he would be more than ready. Whether we classify it as a mixtape or an album, we can classify it as a very interesting outlook on the current status of his life. I’ve listened to it straight through about four times and I can’t help but think Drake is coming from an even darker place than before. After hearing songs like “Legend,” and “Now & Forever” he seems to be referencing death a lot. Saying, “If I die I’m a legend” and “I’m afraid I’mma die before I get where I’m going.” Not to mention the title and cover artwork resemble a suicide note. Drake also raps about the uncertainty of his future and where life is going to take him. This mixtape definitely reminds me of a paranoid continuation of his last album, “Nothing Was The Same.” Nevertheless, this body of work doesn’t disappoint. Drake always manages to keep us surprised and entertained because we never really know what to expect from him. Sometimes he’s happy Drizzy, other times he’s singing-in-love-with-stripper’s Champagne Papi, and then there’s the anxious gotta-lot-of-enemies Drake, all of which we love.