CEDTalks

Twerking .  With its recent explosion to mainstream media, just the mere mention of the word causes a multitude of opinions and emotions. It has become a pastime of sorts; women can now do the dance for leisure, recognition, or even income. Their public displays are an enigma; they can simultaneously  be enthralling yet demeaning and embarrassing; though the dance can be considered in many ways classless, it is also incredibly erotic and very hard to ignore.  This sight causes more hypocrisy in men the political office. I commonly find myself torn on how I feel about twerking.  From an early age, my elders taught me not only to treat a lady with respect and act chivalrous, but seek women who acted with class themselves. Despite this, it would be deceitful to state that watching a woman (especially a nice-bodied woman) gyrate is not arousing. Men love this ability for a woman to express her sexuality to almost degrading levels; we just desire that in re...

Girls Dem Sugar is a reggae fusion song by Jamaican deejay Beenie Man  (nee Anthony Moses Davis) and features singer-songwriter Mýa. The track was produced by The Neptunes for Beenie Man's 2000 studio album Art and Life and was inspired and conceptualized from his 1997 Jamaican hit single "Who Am I (Sim Simma)". "Girls Dem Sugar" was written by Davis, Chad Hugo, and Pharrell Williams.

Who takes the crown in the battle of heavyweight R&B female groups, SWV or Xscape? Xscape Xscape was a female R&B quartet from Atlanta which began as a quintet. The group produced several hit songs during the 1990s. The original lineup of the group consisted of sisters LaTocha Scott and Tamika Scott, Kandi Burruss, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, and Tamera Coggins, though Coggins departed the group before their debut album was released. Signed to the popular music label So So Def by Jermaine Dupri, their hits include "Just Kickin It", "Understanding", and "My Little Secret". Xscape- Who Can I Run To? Xscape- Just Kickin It SWV Hailing from New York City, Sisters with Voices, better known as SWV, is a Grammy nominated trio that landed several Top Ten hits among the R&B and Hip Hop charts. SWV became one of the most successful R&B groups of the 1990s, through such hits, including "Weak", "Righ...

"Racism is taught in our society, it is not automatic. It is learned behavior toward persons with dissimilar physical characteristics." -Alex Haley "It's hard out here for a pimp." Stories like Fruitvale Station (starring Michael B. Jordan, above) offer chilling descriptions of some of the elements Black still face today. While there are more sophisticated ways to describe the daily challenges of life in America as an African-American in 2013, the phrase synonymous with the critically acclaimed film   Hustle & Flow   sums up Black life in a honest and relatable manner. In fairness to our predecessors, society has made great strides in civil rights and the financial and career ceilings for Blacks are considerably higher than in previous eras. Despite this, the quandary of creating and maintaining a high quality of living looms large for Blacks individually and collectively. Social issues wage war on the African American family; the  Black u...

"The Battle" is a famous scene from the 1990 New Line Cinema comedy House Party. House Party starred Kid and Play of the popular hip hop duo Kid 'n Play, and also featured Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell-Martin, AJ Johnson, and Robin Harris.

When the Perry men get together it usually results in interesting discussion over modern day issues and the values of life. Take a listen to some of the highlights of a recent chat between myself, brother Malcolm, and Charles Perry: On employment: "You have to work in life. It's no way around it. The average person is going to work until they're 60; if you don't save your money, you're going to have to work until 70! Unless, you dedicate yourself to a field where you make six figures. So it's work hard or work long...you still working."   Charles Perry "Jobs are not about being fun. Careers are different. Even middle-level jobs have perks. If you working a school job, or a job that cost you money to take off, it's not about fun;  it's about money. Calling out for you for your birthday might mess around and get you a REAL vacation."    Cedric Perry Myself, Charles Perry, and younger brother Malcolm. On priorities:...

As a writer and filmmaker, I love watching television. For me, watching television (specifically sitcoms) serve as a study session of sorts, an opportunity to dissect some of the industry's techniques and see areas where my projects can be innovative in our own light. In addition, it is a chance to identify what are the elements of a great show. Arguably the most popular facet of a show is its theme song. The song kicks off everything, and helps create a brand. Take a look at my Pick 6 of intros, 6 of my favorite theme songs of all time! Each features a background on the show and song, with a brief insight from me. Be sure to comment and post your own! Night Court N ight Court is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984 to May 31, 1992. The theme tune composed by Jack Elliott, featuring Ernie Watts on saxophone. "Night Court" is a cult classic, which carries ties to popular modern tv (Family Guy) to late 90s hip-...