By Bill Vaughan
Entertainment Writer
On the heels of her third season debut as Hillary Banks on Peacock’s “Bel-Air,” Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter Coco Jones has released new music for her legion of fans.
The ear-popping, anthemic “Sweep it Up” on High Standard/Def Jam Recordings follows first single “Here We Go (Uh Oh)” as lead ins to her anxiously awaited new full-length album, coming soon.
Says Jones, who was just nominated for her first ever MTV VMA Award for MTV Push Performance of the Year for her breakout single “ICU”: “‘Sweep It Up’ serves as a warning to those playing with others’ hearts, that if they can’t figure out what they want in time then somebody else may swoop in and steal it from them. I am so excited to give the world an up-tempo R&B bop. … I’ve been waiting on this for a while.”
Also releasing new music this week is multiple award-winning singer, producer actress and entrepreneur Mary J. Blige.
The single “Breathing” featuring Fabolous was co-written by the featured artists and Jocelyn “Jozzy” Donald, PurpleKBeats and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, whose “I Put A Spell On You” is sampled along with “Kick In The Door” by The Notorious B.I.G. Blige was additionally inspired by Nina Simone’s rendition of “I Put a Spell on You.”
It showcases her unparalleled vocals and intimate lyricism, delivering a song about what she promised, being happy where she is and reveling in it. Blige once again proves why she was heralded as the “Queen of Hip-Hop Soul.”
TASTY QUIP: “The first time I heard ‘I love you,’ it was Sean and Leigh Anne [Tuohy] saying it. When that happens at 18, you become vulnerable. You let your guard down and then you get everything stripped from you. It turns into a hurt feeling. I don’t want to make this about race, but what I found out was that nobody says ‘I love you’ more than coaches and white people. When Black people say it, they mean it.” – MICHAEL OHER (the football player whose story was filmed as “The Blind Side”) to The New York Times Magazine
CLIPPETTES: Diesel (aka Shaquille O’Neal) spins at The Shrine on Aug. 23 as Rich Medina does the same at The Moroccan Lounge …
Other performers that date include Jazz Attack (Rick Braun, Richard Elliot & Peter White) at Hyatt Regency Newport Beach, Lettuce at The Novo, Son Little at The Venice West, Elvin Bishop & Charlie Musselwhite at Lobero Theatre …
Two-night stands also begin for Pink Martini, featuring China Forbes, at the Hollywood Bowl and Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band at Catalina Bar and Grill …
Aug. 24 kicks off with an afternoon screening of “In the Hour of Chaos: Hip Hop Art & Activism with Public Enemy’s Chuck D” at the Grammy Museum to be followed by a discussion with H. Samy Alim, Joan Morgan, and Bryonn Bain, moderated by Schyler O’Neal …
Later, Kane Brown headlines a country music card at BMO Stadium while Peacock Live hosts Lost 80’s Night with A Flock of Seagulls, Wang Chung, The English Beat & Oingo Boingo …
It’s gonna be a house party Aug. 25 as the legendary Fred Wesley & The New JBs blow at The Venice West …
The Grammy Museum welcomes Inglewood’s own SiR to discuss his new album “Heavy,” featuring Anderson .Paak, Ty Dollar $ign, Isaiah Rashad), career, and creative process, with a performance to follow on Aug. 27 …
That evening also has Sweet Baby J’ai at Vibrato Grill, and Lucky Daye’s Algorithm Tour at the House of Blues before moving the next night to The Greek …
Santana & Counting Crows: Oneness Tour comes to The Forum on Aug. 28, while Jazz Is Dead celebrates The Mizell Brothers with Gary Bartz, The Blackbyrds, Melanie Charles & Katalyst at The Ford …
Additionally, Talib Kweli with Kottonmouth Kings take the stage of The Fonda Theatre while Christopher Cross is at Lobero Theatre …
Common & Pete Rock – The Auditorium Tour hits The United Theater on Broadway on Aug. 29 as Amanda Seales is at The Novo, and Alice Smith at the Peppermint Club.
TASTY QUIP: “I’m the only person in hip-hop culture that has produced any hit television. Why wouldn’t I be the person to produce [a docuseries on Diddy]? And I’m not on the tapes. See, some of the people who have been around in the culture who are not saying anything — that’s because they’ve been to the parties, [and] they don’t know what part of their experiences are on tape. So it keeps them quiet and it looks like I’m the only guy, but I’ve been [saying] for years that something’s not right.” – 50 CENT to US Weekly
TC ON TV: Aug. 23 – “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat” (Hulu): Sanaa Lathan, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Uzo Aduba star as a trio of old friends in this adaption of the 2013 novel by Edward Kelsey Moore (who co-wrote the screenplay with Gina Prince-Bythewood and the film’s director Lynn Mabry). “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1” (MAX): The Kevin Costner-led western which got ovations at Cannes but flopped at the box office comes to where it probably belonged. Production and acting are top notch, but it plays like a mini-series. Two more are to come including one featuring Glynn Turman. “The Killer” (Peacock): Director John Woo remakes his classic 1989 film this time with Nathalie Emmanuel (“Fast X”) and Omar Sy (“Lupin”). “Good Morning America” (ABC): Sofi Tucker “Friday Night Vibes” (TBS): A Will Smith double feature of “The Suicide Squad” and “Wild Wild West.”
Aug. 24 – “Terry McMillan Presents: Forever” (Lifetime): This romantic drama stars and is executive produced by Taye Diggs (“How Stella Got Her Groove Back”) and Meagan Good (“Divorce in the Black”).
Aug. 25 – “Serengeti” (Discovery+): A third season of the Lupita Nyong’o-narrated African nature series. “Deadly DILF” (Lifetime): A harmless flirtation between a college freshman (Sofia Bryant) and the hot dad next door (Curtis Hamilton) turns deadly when the young girl becomes obsessed with him and tries to destroy his marriage. “Ol’ Dirty Bastard: Tale of Two Dirtys” (A&E), “Hollywood Black” (MGM+): In the 1990s, a new generation of Black filmmakers and megastars are embraced by the studio system. Yet independent and female filmmakers who diverge from mainstream portrayals of Black life still struggle for recognition. “Raising Fame” (TV1): Shaquille O’Neal
Aug. 26 – “Celebrity IOU” (HGTV): “Danny Trejo’s Backyard Domination” “Great Escapes with Morgan Freeman” (History): “Escaping Devil’s Island” “Nick Cannon Presents: Wild ‘N Out” (VH1): Tasha K, Hitman Holla
Aug. 27 – “Only Murders in The Building” (Hulu): In season four, the podcasters hit Los Angeles to solve the latest slaying bringing on guest stars Eva Longoria, Melissa McCarthy, Zach Galifianakis, Eugene Levy and Kumail Nanjiani. “Breathe” (Paramount+): Jennifer Hudson, Common, Quvenzhané Wallis, Milla Jovovich, Dan Martin and Sam Worthington are featured in this sci-fi tale of an East Flatbush mother and daughter, barely surviving in an oxygen-less world, who must band together to protect each other when intruders arrive claiming to know their missing father.
Aug. 28 – “In The Arena: Serena Williams” (ESPN+): After giving birth to her daughter Olympia, Williams returns to the court before announcing her retirement from the game of tennis ahead of the 2022 US Open. “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” (ABC): Reggie Watts & Ron Funches
Aug. 29 – “Gary” (Peacock): Follows Gary Coleman’s rise to fame as the child star of “Diff’rent Strokes;” his struggles with fame; and the controversy surrounding his tragic death at the age of 42. “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” (Prime): In advance of this second season premiere, the first season may be viewed for free through Aug. 28 at Samsung TV Plus. “Who’s Cheating Who?” (BET+): Wendy Raquel Robinson (“The Game”) makes her feature directorial debut of this tale of infidelity starring Apryl Jones, Cynthia Bailey, Blue Kimble, Darius McCrary and Reggie Gaskins. “Kaos” (Netflix): This genre-bending series with Jeff Goldblum and Aurora Perrineau puts a modern twist on Greek and Roman mythology, exploring themes of gender politics, power and life in the underworld. “Represent” (Netflix): The return of the series about a Black Parisian youth center leader who becomes a candidate in the presidential election. “Terminator Zero” (Netflix): An anime addition to the sci-fi franchise featuring the voices of André Holland, Rosario Dawson and Timothy Olyphant.
END QUOTE: “I believe that the privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.” – VIOLA DAVIS
As featured in the Los Angeles Wave and Independent, Tasty Clips is one of the leading entertainment columns in the nation, serving nearly one million weekly readers. Bill Vaughan may be reached at tastyclips@yahoo.com, via Twitter @tastyclips, or Instagram @tasty_clips.