JAZMINE SULLIVAN

Her name is JAZMINE SULLIVAN…

Jazmine Sullivan is a FORCE of nature. Her voice soars across the highest mountains and sends shivers down the spine of anyone who listens to her. I finally got to experience her greatness in person during her ‘Reality Show’ concert for her new album.

When I arrived at the venue I was a few minutes late which was a bit of mistake on my part because there were very few seats left so I was forced to stand in the pit, but it ended up being a great decision. I was literally front and center to an artist I believe is the best vocalist of this generation. When she came out on stage the place was filled with screams and cheers as she sung her song ‘Famous’ from her ‘Love Me Back’ album. When I first heard her open her mouth I knew she was going to give us a show.

She started her set by performing some songs from her first album ‘Fearless’ she then transitioned into songs from her new album taking the crowd on an emotional journey. It was one of the best experiences in my life and definitely the BEST concert I think I have ever been to. I like to compare it to the feeling people probably had when they saw Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey in concert at their peak.

I advise anyone who is a fan of AMAZING music to check her out if she is coming to a city near you. I am telling you, you will NOT be disappointed. Check out a video that my homegirl from the website porshaputyouon.com did for me, it will give you a little taste of the concert.

— Mahogany

EMPIRE: Episode 8

I’m just going to skip my usual opening monologue about the episode and get straight into the review because there was SO MUCH going on:

#DitchTheBitch

So, Cookie gave Lucious an ultimatum on whether he wanted to be with her or Anika. From the look of things, I do believe that he still loves and wants to be with Cookie but the downside is that Anika has TOO much dirt on him and I don’t think he is going to leave her for Cookie that easily. This was shown when Anika confronted Lucious about sleeping with Cookie and she basically told him to announce that he is marrying her at the white party they hosted.

You’re So Beautiful

Cookie and Lucious recruited Jamal and Hakeem to record one of Lucious old songs called You’re So Beautiful for the white party. While, they were all together in the studio they all seemed like a big happy family, but of course Andre was excluded (not on purpose) but nevertheless he was still excluded and he KNEW he was excluded which did not help the issues he already has going on. Meanwhile, Andre and his wife continued to plot and scheme on how they were going to get Andre to run EMPIRE which eventually backfires on them both.

Shut Up Lucious

While, Lucious and Cookie are in the studio going over the song they previously recorded with the boys they begin to mess around with each other, but not until he promises Cookie that he will leave Anika. However, things DO NOT work out that way once they all get to the white party. While at the white party, Jamal and Cookie are talking and her realizes that Cookie and Lucious are messing around and he lets her know that he doesn’t have her best interest at heart. This was proven when he walked into the party with Anika on his arm, and when Cookie confronted him he blatantly told her that Anika and himself were getting married next week. When I saw this scene I felt as naive as Cookie probably felt, I mean I really thought he would make a change but we both were WRONG. After Cookie talks to Lucious, she walks over to Anika and let’s her know that herself and Lucious messed around in the studio the night before. This new information seemed like it crushed Anika and you could tell she would not go down without a fight.

Lucious’ Worst Week Ever

During the white party Jamal sings You’re So Beautiful and he uses the song as way to come out by changing the lyrics. When Lucious realized what Jamal had done he stood there with the same face Anika had when she caught him and Cookie sleeping together. Meanwhile, Anika meets up with Lucious’ nemesis to get back at him for sleeping with Cookie and basically his life seems like it is in a downward spiral. From the looks of next week’s preview, Cookie is still going to have his back even after all the crap Lucious has put her through. It’s crazy how much loyalty she has to a man that treats her so bad, but I definitely can’t wait to see what transpires between the Lyon’s on next week’s episode of EMPIRE.

P.S. Remember that I will be giving away the EMPIRE soundtrack to one lucky winner. All you have to do is “like” and comment on my Facebook page (facebook.com/behindthearts).

— Mahogany

OSCARS: Fashion report

Tonight was the 87th Annual Academy Awards and the stars did not disappoint with their red carpet looks. WHITE was definitely a trend at tonights awards. Many stars walked out on the carpet with different variations of white dresses and they all looked stunning. I did not see anyone who really missed the mark with their dresses. Now, let’s just get into the different looks on the red carpet tonight:

Kerry Washington, Lupita Nyong’o and Chrissy Teigen at the 87th Annual Academy Awards.

Many stars were also seen in colors that are perfect for Spring.

Emma Stone, Jennifer Hudson and Scarlett Johansson at the 87th Annual Academy Awards

In my opinion, the red carpet looks at the Oscars were better than the looks at this past Grammy’s awards. I loved what everyone brought to the table and I loved how classic and beautiful everyone looks. I would liked to give a HUGE congratulations to John Legend and Common for winning BEST Original Song for their song “Glory” it was well deserved.

Also, I still have the contest for a lucky winner to receive a free copy of the EMPIRE soundtrack going on. All you have to do is “like” and comment on my Facebook page at facebook.com/behindthearts.

— Mahogany

EMPIRE Review: Episode 7 with a special giveaway

This week’s episode of EMPIRE answered many of the questions myself and viewers had last week after all the drama that occurred, but it also brought a lot of skeleton’s out of the closet. Let’s jump right in and talk about it and stick around to the end for the giveaway I will be doing. 😀

Lucious’ hospitalization

We found out at the beginning of this episode that Olivia is actually Jamal’s ex-wife, which was apparently a sham marriage that was orchestrated by Lucious to help protect Jamal. In the mist of that interesting information, we also see Lucious preparing for the EMPIRE concert he is hosting for the company, but it becomes problematic when he passes out in front of Cookie due to the stress of preparing for the concert. While, at the hospital doctor’s informed Lucious that the drugs he has been taking are making his condition worse. During Lucious’ hospitalization we see tension continue to build between Anika and Cookie.

Tensions build

Lucious chooses Elle Dallas (played by Courtney Love) to open the EMPIRE concert despite opposition from Anika. Meanwhile, Jamal and Hakeem refuse to get along while they are preparing to perform together for the concert. Cookie has a talk with them and tells them how much the concert means to their father and that they need to get it together for ONE night. On the night of the concert, we see Elle looking pumped and sober for the concert until she sits down and has a talk with Anika. While they’re talking Elle gets up to take a picture with a fan and Anika spikes her drink (she was trifling as hell for this). I could not believe she would do something like that, but then again everyone in EMPIRE is trying to get ahead of the competition, so it made sense unfortunately. When Cookie sees Elle in the bathroom she immediately realizes that she is high and she tells her she cannot open the concert. Instead, Jamal and Hakeem open the concert and they do a great job. It seemed like they actually listened to their mother about getting along.

Meanwhile, Lucious is seen having complicationS with his speaking due to ALS and he asks Cookie to speak on behalf of EMPIRE despite opposition from Anika (once again, lol). She delivers a wonderful speech to the investors and as Anika and Lucious are watching backstage he whispers “I love you, Cookie.” and of course Anika was very SALTY and I couldn’t care less about her attitude.

Y(our) man

After the concert, Anika has to leave to take care of some business and the rest of the family meets at Lucious’ house where he tells everyone that he has ALS. Andre seemed to take it the hardest and he goes completely NUTS and just leaves. Hakeem and Jamal took the news a little better and they finally begin to bond after hearing the news.

This is where things get VERY interesting…

After Hakeem and Jamal leave the house, there is just Cookie and Lucious left. Of course with heightened emotions, sexual tension AND alcohol… they begin to make love (which is what EVERYONE has been waiting for). While they are in the bed together, ANIKA walks in. Myself and everyone on social media were so excited because we knew she would walk in on Lucious and Cookie. When she walked in on them I couldn’t help but think… KARMA.

This episode was one for the books, I absolutely loved it and I cannot wait for next’s week episode. I’m interested in seeing what will transpire between this love triangle with Lucious, Anika and Cookie. What are your thoughts on this week’s episode? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts with me.

GIVEAWAY TIME

I will be sending someone a copy of the EMPIRE soundtrack which is currently available for pre-order through iTunes. For your chance to win a copy like my Facebook page (facebook.com/behindthearts) and leave a comment.

Best of luck,

— Mahogany

EMPIRE Review: Episode 6

This week on EMPIRE there were so many bombs that were dropped that had everyone on social media glued to their television screen. Let’s just jump right in and talk about everything that went down…

The episode started with Cookie preparing to meet up with Lucious, which she thought would involve just the two of them, she was WRONG. When she arrived at the meeting all of her sons and Anika (Lucious’s fiancé) were sitting down waiting on Lucious to make an announcement. To the surprise of Cookie and the rest of the family, Lucious announced that he proposed to Anika. Cookie was livid because she felt as though Lucious was playing with her emotions. After Cookie finished speaking her mind about the proposal she stood up, lifted the back of her fur coat, and smacked her booty while telling Anika “This is an ass,” she then strutted out of he room like the boss lady she is.

Following this meeting, Lucious finally admits to Vernon that he killed Bunkie. Honestly, while watching this scene I could not believe Lucious was so forthcoming about the killing. I thought he would take that secret to the grave and fight the allegations as much as he could, but from this episode it was definitely best that he came clean with truth.

Time for a bomb…

COURTNEY LOVE was on this episode and she played a character named Elle. I thought Elle fit in well with the plot of the show so far. Elle was once the top-selling artist on EMPIRE’s roster, but now they were considering dropping her from the label. However, Cookie was not going to let that happen. She agreed to become Elle’s manager. Unfortunately, Cookie did not know all the baggage that Elle came with from drugs, arrogance and her diminishing vocals, but in the end she was able to work on Elle and get her the studio to record a song that turned out pretty damn good considering the circumstances.

During the episode we also saw the tension that was building between Jamal and his partner. Jamal is a budding star and his lover slowly keeps fading into the background and he KNOWS it’s happening. It became even more apparent when Jamal did an interview with Sway and did not reveal that he was in a relationship when he was asked about his love life. During this part, I felt so bad for Michael (Jamal’s partner) but sometimes that’s just the way it is when people get pushed into the spotlight — things change and people change.

Ready for another bomb?

It looks like Cookie is getting a love interest. She was very flirtatious when she met the new head of security that Lucious hired for the company, and I cannot wait to see what this leads to. I can already tell it is going to get VERY interesting.

Time for an ATOMIC bomb…

RAVEN SYMONÉ was at the end of this episode (her character’s name is Olivia). Oh, and by the way Jamal might be the father of her child.

This episode was AMAZING from start to the finish, and I love the direction they are going in especially with all the new characters and story lines. Like, is Jamal really a father? Will Lucious be cured from his disease? Will Cookie finally get over Lucious or will she get back with him? I have so many questions and I’m sure a lot of you do as well. I just hope the writers are able to keep up the momentum of the show. Leave a comment down below and let me know what you thought of this week’s episode.

See you guys next week for my review of episode 7 of EMPIRE.

— Mahogany

Black is the new black

Orange was NOT the new black at the the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. This year, many of the stars looked past the colors in their closet and opted for black ensembles and most looked stunning. From Ciara to Beyoncé to Nicki Minaj, the color black was on all of their radars and they did not disappoint.

Nicki minaj at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards wearing Tom Ford.

Beyoncé wearing Tom Ford at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.

Other artists dazzled in dresses that were not black, and they still looked beautiful.

Ariana Grande wearing Versace at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.

Jhené Aiko in a Alberta Ferretti number at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.

Some artists missed the mark when it came to their ensemble.

Rihanna wearing Giambattista Valli Couture at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.

Iggy Azalea wearing Armani at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.

Overall, everyone looked beautiful at the Grammy’s and I’m excited to see what everyone brings to the red carpet during the rest of the awards season. Congratulations to ALL of the Grammy winners!

— Mahogany

Nail Art

Nail art has become very popular during the last couple of years, and it’s becoming one of those pieces that can sometimes make or break an ensemble. There are so many nail art gurus on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter who show simple ways to create beautiful designs from emoji nails, valentines day nails, christmas nails and the list goes on and on. So, far my favorite nail art guru is CutePolish — she makes everything look so easy. I always use her designs when I need inspiration when I do my own nail art designs

Recently, I began giving my nails a break from doing them everyday (I’ve kind been slacking a little bit) but before this break I was obsessed with doing my nails because it is such a therapeutic process and it helps me wind down after a long day of school and work. I’m going to put some pictures below of the nail art designs I have done, and you guys should see if you can try them out. Maybe, I’ll post a tutorial in the future of how I do my nails to give you guys a better idea.

Below, you will see my interpretation of ombre nails, hello kitty nails, and nails with gold accents.

— Mahogany

SZA

So, like I said in my previous post I have been going to many different shows and just overall experiencing the beauty of the arts, but the best experience I had was going to a SZA concert. For those of you who do not know who she is let me just give you a brief biography of this amazingly talented artist:

SZA is the first female artist signed the label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) who has of a rooster that includes people such as Schoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar. I don’t really know how to explain her music besides a mixture Enya, Lauryn Hill and all things holy. Her voice is just so soothing and it puts you in a trance, and I recommend that all of you look her up on Youtube and experience her greatness (I will leave a few links at the bottom to some of her songs).

Now that you know a little about SZA, let me tell about the sold out concert that I went to in Atlanta, GA during MLK weekend. In three words: IT. WAS. AMAZING. The entire audience was going crazy when she came out, and when she finished her hour-long set everyone was still begging for more and she came back out and gave MORE (three extra songs to be exact). It was an awesome experience and if she ever comes to your town I advise you to go to her show!

Best,

— Mahogany

I’m back…

Hi guys,

I know I have been gone for awhile but I’m BACK and better than ever. I’ve been to many different plays and art events over the past few months and I am definitely going to share my experiences going to them with you all. Stay tuned and I will talk to you all soon.

— Mahogany

Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art

I recently visited the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art and it was amazing to see all of the artwork from so many different countries. In the museum there was artwork from Asia, Africa and some contemporary artwork from here in the United States. Some of the art included sculptures, paintings and photographs. I was intrigued by the diversity of the museum, and how the museum took you through a journey by showing artwork from all over the world.

Photo by Mahogany Brown

Another great aspect of this museum is that it shows many different cultural values through the artwork and sculptures that are presented in the museum. Looking at the Asian inspired artwork was a completely different experience than looking at the African inspired artwork. When you moved throughout the museum there was a different ambiance to the different places you visited.

Photo by Mahogany Brown

My favorite part of the museum was the contemporary art because I felt like I could relate to the art presented in that part of museum better than the African and Asian artwork. Shown to the right is an example of some the contemporary artwork I saw at the museum, along with an African art piece that I found to be very interesting.

The best aspect to this museum is that it is free to public and they only ask for a small donation of at least $5 if you are willing to donate to the museum. It is also right next door to the Florida Museum of Natural History where they offer the Butterfly Rainforest. So, if you are looking to be immersed in the art world the Harn Museum of Art is an inexpensive place to go with your family and friends.

— Mahogany