Meet R&B Songtress Rochelle Jordan

Working in the college music industry, I was introduced to Toronto singer Rochelle Jordan about four years ago when I previewed her meaningful single "Shot".  Also known by the moniker Rojo, the beautiful, big haired singer-songwriter has been connected to her Canadian counterparts, Drake and one of our personal faves, The Weeknd. Don't get it twisted though, this lady has been putting in years of work to get her music heard despite her obvious industry connections. 

Jordan began her stint in music like many promising artists, by uploading her songs to the almighty YouTube. After garnishing thousands of hits, she decided to pursue music full time with tours across the U.S., Cananda, and France. Her vibe is reminiscent of early Aaliyah but with a little more edge which is evident in her release aptly titled, ROJO, in 2011. 

Now living in the Los Angeles area, Jordan's 2012 project, PRESSURE, silently garnered critical success and many R&B enthusiasts hailed it as one of the best R&B debuts in a while. Still fighting to claim the notoriety of her peers like Jhene Aiko and Tinashe, Rojo is cutting her own path through the dozens of pretty R&B singers. Check out some of Jordan's pieces below and be sure to support if you like what you hear. 

The Secret Behind N.C's Low Quality, Cheap Superstores

The state that I love dearly and have called home for most of my life is currently under extreme reconstruction, literally. Politics in North Carolina can be a slippery slope and honestly I can not name one politician that I trust to make sound decisions that are in the best interests of the people that they supposedly serve. No political party in the United States is truly favored over the other and each election informed voters are pretty much choosing between the lesser of two evils. The majority of North Carolinians are straddling the line between poverty and barely grasping at middle class status, yet these are the people most affected by policy and laws that have been rushed through the current state legislation. 

Art Pope, of Variety
Wholesalers

To go into detail of the horrific and almost Jim Crow like laws that are being enacted in N.C would be too daunting and may make me bust a blood vessel. Surely the press that our state legislature has received from The New York Times, The Washington Post, L.A. Times and countless other medias has given you some insight into the battle that we are fighting for all of our children, teachers, elderly, our gay population, and anyone not making hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. 

Many of these people find themselves on strict budgets, forcing them to shop at low end stores such as Roses, Maxway, and countless others that provide items that are low quality or just outright rejects from the companies that make them. Did you know that Art Pope, whose company Variety Wholesalers owns Roses and Maxway, is also the deputy budget director for the state under Governor Pat McCrory? The levels of conflict of interest of having Pope oversee the state budget that has slashed funding to education, unemployment benefits, and assistance to the poor are all types of wrong. NAACP's Reverend Barber has done his best to expose the ills of what these policies are designed to do. In essence, when you are struggling to make ends meet you buy cheaper items and guess what? In North Carolina, many of these low quality, cheap superstores are owned by Art Pope's company. 

N.C NAACP Pres.
Rev. William Barber

This is not a knock at free enterprise but it is necessary that the rules of commerce and free enterprise are on a level playing field and not designed by the powers that be to keep the disadvantaged from achieving the same success. I challenge all North Carolinians to check your dollars and spend them as wisely as possible. Refuse to support those who do not support you by purchasing from small and minority owned businesses as much as possible. Hell, is it too inconceivable for us to pool our resources and provide for our own needs? Read labels, research business owners and shops, and choose to spend your hard earned money at places that provide the most good to the communities in which you live. Tell your families and friends to do the same as much as they can. It is past time for us to build our own businesses and communities by funneling our money into the right places. This may fall on deaf ears but as of yesterday, I pledge to support only those that support me. 

The Carolina Chocolate Drops: A Modern Take on an Old Timey Style

If you have an eclectic ear for music, then you would most likely enjoy, the Grammy award winning folk/bluegrass band, The Carolina Chocolate Drops. Hailing from Durham, North Carolina, this string playing group are breaking down genre walls with their modern take on a genre that is not usually associated with young black people. More and more black artists are tearing down barriers on what types of music we are expected to play or listen to. 

Formed in 2005, the band originally consisted of members, Rhiannon Giddens, Justin Robinson, and Don Flemmons. The group found great success with their cover of Blu Cantrell's single, Hit Em Up Style that was featured on their debut album, Genuine Negro Jig. The album reached #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass charts.  Their creative interpretation of the song was hailed by critics as refreshing and inventive(as far as covers go), proving that music really has no boundaries. 

Their latest release, Leaving Eden (2012) despite the stale release is just as imaginitive as the first project. It contains the stand out singles Country Girl, Leaving Eden, and my personal favorite Ruby, Are You Mad At Your Man? and it also showcases two accompanying members, Hubby Jenkins and Leyla McCalla.

To learn more about The Carolina Chocolate Drop you can visit their webpage at http://www.carolinachocolatedrops.com/albums.