Ms. B. Discussions and Reviews

The official premiere of the new Malish music video is happening today. I’m not one to promote or big up anyone of anything that I don’t truly feel or like myself. Regardless of if you are my friend or not. I can’t be fake. When I support you, know that it is from the heart.

Malicious is from Montreal and with his latest video called Hometown featuring Adele; he continues to put Montreal on the map of hip hop world wide. Hip hop is not dead. It is alive and kicking in places you may not know exist. This video showcases some of the many areas of the city. Recognize that not every song needs a catchy hook or a rapper singing out his raps to be a hit. If you are like myself, send this video to your friends and post it on your social networks. At the end of this entry, you will see some icons like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and so on. You can share this post with one click.

Without further ado I present to you, “Hometown”.

In this edition of one of my series Montreal’s Scene I want to showcase a local photographer who has been making a name for himself for the last few years. Known by many as Murddock by many and as the resident photographer for Orchid Nightclub. He has been making the weekend crowd famous by capturing every unforgettable moment. Besides working at Orchid he has put his skills on display by snapping pictures at weddings, special events at the Casino de Montreal and concert events in the city of Montreal.

Looking for a photographer in the Montreal area? Professional and knowledgeable. Take a look at the official website. http://mpfirm.com . There you can contact him personally for more information and browse pictures from concerts and Orchid Nightclub. Orchid is located on 3556 St. Laurent, Montreal, Quebec. http://orchidnightclub.com 

It looks like the mainstream media and I more or less have the same opinion on the infamous Chris Brown interview. Two days ago he appeared on Larry King Live along with is mother and attorney. I watched with an open mind as to not judge him by my personal feelings. After the interview was over I did not understand why he spoke in the first place. He did not reveal anything new. When it came to the hard questions, he stuttered out what seemed to be his generic answer. He did not want to get into any detail because he felt it was a private matter between him and Rihanna and he wanted to respect her privacy as well. Fine. Keep the situation private. That is his prerogative. Just don’t go on Larry King thinking you will come across as remorseful with your baby blue sweater and bow tie to match. He may as well have not done the interview if he really did not want to or couldn’t answer any of the questions people/fans wanted answered. As he was trying to come up with answers to a lot of the questions, his attorney would interject and answer for him.

Now today another story has come out involving Chris Brown and Oprah! Soon after the incident took place with Brown and Rihanna in February, Oprah did a show on domestic abuse and young women especially. As you would expect, Oprah is very much against this.

Chris Brown: “I commend Oprah on being like, ‘This is a problem,’ but it was a slap in my face,” Chris tells People.”I did a lot of stuff for her, like going to Africa and performing for her school. She could have been more helpful, like, ‘Okay, I’m going to help both of these people out.’”

Oprah’s statement to TMZ: “Oprah is very appreciative that Chris Brown performed at her school but she takes domestic abuse very seriously. She hopes he gets the counseling he needs.”

I saw the Oprah show in question and it was not one sided. It was also about the abusers getting help to brake the violent cycle. When you get yourself in these kind of predicaments you can only defend yourself so much. Chris needs to just keep a low profile, stop taking interviews for a while, do his community service and councelling. He will not be condemed for life but for now, the best thing is to do what you have to do to improve yourself as a person and in the eyes of everyone else. It sucks that is how it is when you are in the public eye but it is what it is.

If you missed the interview, part one is here. You can find the other parts by watching on YouTube.

Mr. Legend will be back in Montreal on Monday, August 17Th 2009. This is a concert that will not disappoint. A few years ago, I attended his first performance in Montreal. At the time the fresh, new rising star a.k.a Ne-Yo, opened up for him . It was around the time John Legend’s Ordinary people was a hit single. I call him the little man with the big voice.

Opening are India Arie and Vaughn Anthony. The combination of the three will be amazing. The show will take place at Metropolis. Tickets are still on sale and are $50 in advance, $55 at the door. You can buy your tickets online at http://www.geg.ca or in person at the Metropolis box office. Doors open at 6:30PM. Show starts at 7:30PM. For more information go to the Metropolis website: http://www.montrealmetropolis.ca/metropolis/accueil_en.aspx 

India Arie: http://www.indiaarie.com/ 

Vaughn Anthony: http://www.myspace.com/vaughnanthony1

Montreal, Quebec is and always will be home to me. Being born and raised in Montreal I was fortunate enough to have to learn a second language. If you are from MTL you know that the English and French communities have a love/hate relationship. Sometimes more hate than love. When it comes to the black community, a lot has changed since I was a kid. Because of immigration there are a lot more than just the West Indian islands making up the black community in Montreal. Many Africans and Haitians have come to call Montreal their home too.

After living in Calgary, Alberta for 5 years I realized that I took my home for granted. Sometimes it takes leaving what your familiar with to really appreciate it. What gets me upset is when I hear my peers complaining about the city.

“There’s nothing to do here.”

“Montreal sucks.”

“There is no real music scene in Montreal.”

I could go on and on. The way I see it is, either do something to try and change things or move the fuck out! That goes for everything in life. If you don’t like it then make a difference or ship out. This is my contribution to the problem. I will be showcasing, promoting, anything that I feel is worth telling the world about in regards to Montreal. This blog can be reached by anyone in Montreal and around the world. Not doing it for money or for my own gain. It’s something I’m doing because I want to. Positivity brings change to those that welcome it.

This new ongoing series will be posted on this blog under the category, Today’s Montreal Scene”. For those in Montreal reading this, I encourage you to respond with your ideas. If you have party, music, book, art, store, hair salon, community center, anything positive you want the world to know and participate in then hit me up at melaniebrereton@live.com