Aaliyah's Reviews

Song - What's Luv

2004-11-11T15:34:00.000Z

Lyrics: What's Luv
Sung by: Fat Joe
Featuring: Ashanti

This rap song features big time, rap artist, Fat Joe and Murder Inc's R&B Princess, Ashanti. It's all about Fat Joe thinking that he must be unfaithful because what is love, and Ashanti is trying to tell him it's all about trust. Which he can't understand. What's luv is a sexy rap song with a little R&B soul.

Well one thing I can agree on is "What's luv got to do with it".

Website - CSSZENGARDEN.COM

2004-11-10T15:12:00.000Z

The ultimate CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) web ring. CSSZENGARDEN is the home of the designers ring. Designers are creating website utilising CSS techniques and properties.

On the left hand side of the web page you can click on many of the links to other sites created using CSS (these sites have the exact same content on). You can also access an archive, find out more about CSS, information, tips. And if you want to and have the talent, you can create your very own site, using css. Just download the HTML file and CSS file to tips. Then set about creating your masterpiece and once you are happy with the design, test it, and submit it. It will look great in your portfolio.

CSS Zen Garden | CSS Vault | CSS Vault Review | Web Consortium

Song - Miss You

2004-11-09T14:34:00.000Z

Lyrics: Miss You
Sung by: Aaliyah | Aaliyah I Care 4 U

I Care 4 U's first single, an unreleased track, aptly entitled Miss You, premiered on AOL's first listen on the 28^th October 2002, is a poignant ballad of love and loss. Aaliyah's pioneering sound, sultry voice and trend-setting style made her one of the most influential and innovative artists in popular music. Miss You is a continuation of Aaliyah's musical legacy and a chronicle of her short but legendary life in music.

The video features a compilation of images and clips of Aaliyah and previous video's. Included in the video are her friends and family miming to her music and DMX making an heartful declaration in the beggining. Miss You is a beautiful song, very melodic and heart wrenching.

Song - You Got Me

2004-11-09T14:14:00.000Z

Lyrics: You Got Me
Sung by: The Roots
Featuring: Erykah Badu

This song happens to be the only one I remember from The Roots, actually I only remember that Erykah Badu featured on it. So thats why it has taken me 2 years to actually find it. Today, I found it at Launch Yahoo.

I used to listen to this sexy rap song while sitting with my boyfriend in his Mercedes Benz. We would drive around, listening to music and talking. I remember doing more than that, but thats another story.

"If you were worried 'bout where
I been or who I saw or
what club I went to with my homies
baby don't worry you know that you got me"

In Profile: Ashanti

2004-11-08T16:03:00.000Z

Ashanti: Murder Inc.'s Hip Hop/R&B Princess
Ashanti Daily | Ashanti Style | AJM Records | Murder Inc.

Ja Rule. J. Lo. Big Pun. Fat Joe. She’s worked with some of the industry’s best—writing lyrics and singing hooks that help their records reach the top of the music charts. Now it’s time for 21-year-old Ashanti Douglas to take center stage and shine on her very own self-titled debut, the much-anticipated Ashanti. In April, Ashanti hits the scene as the first R&B vocalist on Murder Inc. Although this is a departure for the hip hop powerhouse label that has a roster including rappers Ja Rule, Vita and Charli Baltimore, all indications show that the transition has been more than smooth and successful. Ashanti’s lead single, “Foolish,” has already made waves at radio—getting heavy rotation on urban stations and galvanizing fans to demand an earlier-than-planned release of her album, a tantalizing blend of edgy hip hop groves and subtle R&B styling. With Ashanti’s clever lyrics and slick production by Murder Inc.’s president Irv Gotti, “Foolish” immediately reminds music lovers of the Notorious B.I.G.’s popular “One More Chance” remix. (True old school heads will remember the familiar melody from DeBarge’s 1983 hit “Stay with Me.”) Either way, you’re sure to be hooked. And that’s what Irv’s depending on.

“Ashanti's album is full of ‘one-listens’ like ‘Foolish’,” says an exuberant Gotti, whose passion for this project is palpable. “When you hear this song, and other songs on the album like “TK,” which is based on one of Scarface’s old cuts, you remember it, you’re bopping your head to it and you immediately get it.”

Making sure people “get it” and truly feel where she’s coming from is also of the utmost importance to Ashanti, who penned all 12 songs on the album, most written on-the-spot in the studio. “I want to create something so real and reflective that people just sit back and listen like, ‘damn, was she in my window last night, because this really happened to me,’ ” says the eldest daughter of a dancer and singer. “Everyone has gone through something that’s on this album, and I want to be able to articulate their feelings.”

With cuts like “Happy,” “Baby” and “Rescue,” which detail the ins and outs of relationships, the precocious Long Island native is sure to make her mark with streetwise sophistication similar to the reigning queen of hip hop soul, who first blended hardcore beats and heartfelt lyrics in the early nineties. “Mary paved the way,” says Ashanti, who began pursuing her singing career at age 12 and also cites Ella Fitzgerald and Blue Magic as influences. “I didn't want to sing only slow songs and I didn’t want to be spittin’ rhymes. But Mary put those concepts together. She cleared the way, and now I’m following my own path.” Says Irv, who executive produced the project, “I want Ashanti's album to pick up where Mary’s My Life left off. By no means are we trying to take Mary’s slot because she’s undoubtedly the queen. But Ashanti is Murder Inc.’s princess—with a gansta feel to her.

I really want men to champion this album,” Irv continues. “Usually, with an R&B record, women pioneer it or champion it before anyone else. I want men, thugs, ganstas—I want them to hear the record and be like, ‘yo, this shit is hot.’ That’ll make women like it even more. Ashanti flips the hardcore songs and makes ‘em sweet, so she appeals to both sexes.”

Ashanti’s already well established track record has placed her on the sweet road to success. (Ja Rule’s “Always On Time” has broken history as Def Jam's top selling single. Her contribution to J. Lo's “I'm Real” helped give the former fly girl-turned-actress-turned-singer urban credibility.) With her own album, Ashanti continues the saga that is sure to gain her the hip hop/R&B princess crown. And the impact she hopes to make during her reign is simple: “If you’re a person who has trouble expressing yourself, all you have to do is pop in this album and it’ll speak for you,” she says with all sincerity. “When you listen to this album with your man or your girl, everybody will be on the same page.” Says a much more boastful Gotti, “Ashanti delivers at the highest level. And she has this personality that makes people love her. She’s got too many people feeling her, too many hit records and too much heat for her to stop,” he praises. “She can’t lose.”

Website - GOOD-TUTORIALS.COM

2004-11-06T17:06:00.000Z

GOOD TUTORIALS

With almost 5000 assorted Photoshop tutorials this website is growing by the minute. The Photoshop tutorials featured are: Effects, Test Effects, Photo Effects, Photo Retouch, Web Layouts, Web Graphics, Color, Buttons, Textures and Patterns, Drawing, Basics, Animation and designing. Which makes this website a worthwhile place for a Graphic or Website Designer, who wants to learn more or submit their tutorials.

I personally regularly make use of this website for my college work, as well as whenever I need to create a design for a client. They've had over 33 million page views since opening in August 2002 as Photoshop Design. In Feburary 2003 they moved to GOOD-TUTORIALS.COM, and in November of 2003, they underwent a complete redesign.
Since then they are the largest Photoshop Tutorials resource on the web.

Resources:
Good Tutorials

My Top 5 Authors:
Depiction
Pure Photoshop
N-Sane Art
Heathrowe
Al-ex.net

In Profile: Aaliyah (1979 - 2001)

2004-11-06T12:16:00.000Z

Aaliyah rose to fame at the age 14 with the release of the album, Age Ain't Nothing But A Number. The first single, "Back and Forth", was a Top 5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and a No. 1 R&B song. The follow-up single, a remake of the Isley Brother's "At Your Best (You Are Love)" reached Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was number 2 on R&B radio. Following the success of her debut album, Aaliyah released her multi platinum second album, One In A Million in 1996. "If Your Girl Only Knew", was the first single from the album which went double platinum and features Timbaland's signature syncopated beats and Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot's lyrics. In 1998, Aaliyah scored a massive hit with "Are You That Somebody" from the Dr. Dolittle soundtrack. Produced by Timbaland and written by Static, the song is infectious and sonically groundbreaking, known for its clever sampling of a baby crying.

Aaliyah made her motion picture debut in Romeo Must Die in 2000. Co-starring Jet Li, the film was a box office success. Taken from the movie soundtrack, the Timbaland-produced single "Try Again", propelled the album to double platinum status. "Try Again" earned Aaliyah two MTV Music Awards for both "Best Female Video" and "Best Video in a Film."

The self-titled album, Aaliyah, was released in July 2001, which showcased her maturity and growth as an artist and debuted at number 2 on the US charts, selling 2.4 million albums worldwide. Aaliyah featured the smash singles "We Need a Resolution", "More Than a Woman" and "Rock The Boat."

On December 10, 2002, Blackground Records released I Care 4 U a definitive collection of music from megastar, Aaliyah. Included on the album will be Aaliyah's greatest hits "Try Again," "Back and Forth," "One In a Million," "Are You That Somebody," "At Your Best (You Are Love)," "More Than a Woman," and "I Care 4 U" as well as 6 previously unreleased tracks. The initial shipment of I Care 4 U will also contain a DVD of her biggest music videos like "Try Again" and "One In A Million." A portion of the proceeds from I Care 4 U will be donated to the Aaliyah Memorial Foundation which benefits the Revlon/UCLA Women's Cancer Research Program and Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Harlem.

I Care 4 U's first single, an unreleased track entitled "Miss You," which premiered on AOL's First Listen on October 28, is a poignant ballad of love and loss. Aaliyah's pioneering sound, sultry voice and trend-setting style made her one of the most influential and innovative artists in popular music. I Care 4 U is a continuation of Aaliyah's musical legacy and a chronicle of her short but legendary life in music.

Resources:
I Care 4 U Official
Aaliyah Official
Timbaland & Magoo
Missy Elliot Official
Jet Li Official

Singer - MC Lyte

2004-11-03T16:31:00.000Z

Since releasing her debut album Lyte As A Rock at the age of 16, Brooklyn's MC Lyte has been widely regarded as the first woman to leave an indelible mark on rap music. In a hip hop world where the male gender dominates and fame is fleeting, MC Lyte gave women a strong voice in rap and fought her way to longevity and respect. And she got plenty of respect with her seven albums, including 1995's Bad As I Wanna B, which featured two chart-topping gold singles, "Keep On, Keepin' On" and "Cold Rock A Party."

Links:
MC Lyte Official
Sylkie's MC Lyte
All The Lyrics
Starpulse Features
MTV MC Lyte Archive

Website - BLOGGER.COM

2004-11-03T15:05:00.000Z

BLOGGER.COM must be the best diary system I have used, ever! It's so easy to operate, making composing and deleting an article - really easy.

They have several templates available to use, you can host your blog on another website, or you can use your own template. You can also visit ERISFREE.COM - which has a template generator - and get a pre-made template there. The template are excellent, and on the page you can select that you diary is hosted with blogger/blog*spot.

Blogger also allows you to compose you diaries using HTML or simple text. So you don't need to know HTML. And you still have a cool site. This page is one of the templates offered.

So if you are in need of a diary, Blogger.com is the website for you.

Resources:

Eris Free Generator
Francey Free Generator
Hip To Be Square Generator
Ms Dicks Generator

In Memory of Aaliyah Dana Houghton

2004-11-01T16:01:00.000Z

Dear Aaliyah

Whenever I hear your beautiful melodius voice over the radio, television or when I'm listening to my CD's I think of your lovely smile and how terribly tragic that an angel is not with us, to comfort us with your voice.

I know your memory will live on, because you really were a ledgend. Definitely more than a woman, more than a ledgend. You were a dream, an angel from heaven. Your music would soothe and your smile would heal.

Every single day, I think of you, I play your music, I live my life. I hope that you're watching over us, smiling.

And in the words of DMX "I Love You ... I Miss You"

Dearest Sweet Aaliyah,
I have trouble accepting the fact that your gone, so I wont ...
It will be like we went for a while without seeing each other
But I can understand, why God would have wanted you close to him,
Cause you truly were an Angel on earch and in my own special way
I love you ... I miss you

With Love,
Aaliyah Timberlake

Website - CSSVAULT.COM

2004-10-29T11:51:00.000+01:00
CSSVAULT is a well presented website, using CSS as their main scritpting scource.

Once the page loads, your first reaction should be WOW, the simple liquid design, is easy to read and simply breathtaking. With the clever use of Greys, Blacks and what we designers call "whitespace", the design of featured artists catch your eye. The bold, beautiful colours, give inspiration and hope for accessible and beautiful design using Cascading Style Sheets (W3 Consortium).

Why not check out the Gallery Archives, or utilise the CSS Resources available to visitors (Articles, CSS, Javascript, Demo, Hacks, Image Techniques, Layouts, and more). You can find out more about CSSVAULT or if you are in need of a good place to advertise your business or services, they have over 5000 unique visitors daily and their prices are reasonable, starting at $70 a week or $250 for a month.

This is a great site, for those seeking inspiration, guidence and advice. So its worth visiting. And if you think you website is up to scratch - submit it!

Film - Love Song

2004-10-29T07:48:00.000+01:00
Monica (R&B Singer), a young, privileged medical student finds herself torn between a fellow med student who has won her father's approval and a struggling blues musician (Christian Kane - known for his role as Lindsay on Angel) who has won her heart.

I thought this story was very romantic with a musical touch. I'd watch it again.

Aaliyah's Fanlistings

2004-10-29T05:52:00.000+01:00
Here is a list of the fanlistings that I've joined that are about Aaliyah. As soon as I've completed the list, I will add a pop up page with the list, but until then.

Film - Romeo Must Die

2004-10-28T22:23:00.000+01:00
In ROMEO MUST DIE - Jet Li stars as a jailed cop named Han who hightails it to Oakland, California, to seek revenge for the gang-related murder of his brother. What he finds is a fierce war between his father's syndicate and that of Isaak O'Day (Delroy Lindo) for control of the city's precious waterfront land, as both groups are trying to make a deal with a corrupt football-team owner to build a new stadium.

The political shenanigans are basically just a backdrop for the kick-ass action, and to give Li a number of enemies to lock limbs with. It also provides him with a love interest, Trish (hip-hop star Aaliyah), who's O'Day's daughter and like Han, the only straight arrow in a family of crooked mobsters. Li and Aaliyah have a teasing, gentle chemistry, and when they're onscreen together, the movie lights up and glides along smoothly. Li even finds a way to work Aaliyah into one of his action set pieces, using her arms and legs to fight a female adversary because "I can't hit a girl!" However, when these two aren't onscreen (and that's a fair amount of the time) the movie plods along, despite a stately turn by Lindo and Isaiah Washington and Russell Wong as two family allies who may not be as loyal as they seem. Li's action, though, is still phenomenal as ever, from his prison breakout (as he takes out a platoon of guards--strung upside down by one leg) to a knockdown-dragout fight with the agile and dangerously sexy Wong. And despite the Romeo and Juliet overtones, this is one mighty chaste romance, albeit one with a happy ending for the star-crossed lovers.

Websites:
Aaliyah - I Care 4 U
Romeo Must Die
Aaliyah - Official Dutch Site
Aaliyah Photo's
The Ultimate Jet Li Fansite

In conclusion: I really enjoyed this film, so I suggest if you like action, romance with a bit of comedy thrown in. Don't miss it.

Magazine - Gaytimes (Bad Lads & Homothugs)

2004-10-28T22:03:00.000+01:00
Why can't I be a gay man? Why can't I be a man?

Wouldn't being a man make life easier to find a high powered, well paid job.
No need to worry about that time of the month (cheeks turn red in embarrasment), or carry a baby, get stretchmarks, hot flushes (during monopause) - which I might add is a long way away for me.

Being a gay man in UK, you have access to great looking guys, like the one on November's issue of GAYTIMES UK 2004. His name is David Chase and he portrays all that is sexy in a Bad lad. The artile "Bad Lads" is followed by a string of words, displayed through several pages of sexy images of David and says "We know they're wrong, but they feel so right, we know we shouldn't, but we can't help it, we all want ... TOUGH LOVE".

Whilst looking throught the magazine I can't help but feel heartbroken, that the models used (mostly gay), wouldn't look twice at me. Not because of my looks, but because I'm not a man. I'm not saying they wouldn't think I'm beautiful, just not sexually appealing.

On p39 of the issue talks about HOMOTHUGS, from behind a smoke screen of homophobic Hip Hop, young black and Latino Homothugs are finding their way out of the closets in New York, and paving a way for themselves in the spotlight.
All the guys featured are incredibly sexy and straight acting. They don't identify with the words "gay" or "bisexual".
From Hip Hop's hyper-masculine aesthetic, Homothugs create an environment where they feel safe to explore their homosexuality. It's a complicated balancing act.

It's definitely worth reading (even to look at the guys). Don't pity me too much, I'm sure I'll find myself a bad lad, someday. Interested in more? Visit the Gaytimes website VISIT THE SITE

Film - Menace II Society

2004-10-28T21:04:00.000+01:00
First released in 1993 MENACE II SOCIETY was originally banned for its brutal portrayal of growing up in a bad area around bad people.

The film, chronicles life in the Los Angeles "hood". Similar territory was covered in the equally commanding "Boyz N The Hood". but what makes this cautionary tale stand out is not only the Hughes brothers' forceful story, but the naturalness of then-newcomer leads Turner as Caine, Larenz Tate as O-Dog, and Jada Pinkett as Ronnie. They are so realistic - occasionally frighteningly so - that the repressive universe of violent ghetto life is captured so effectively.

s a very young boy, Caine witnesses his dad murdered over something inconsequential, and watched his mom OD on drugs. His is a world where respect comes from intimidation, power from violence. Despite his understanding of right and wrong - passed on by a good friend, his kind grandparents, a caring teacher - his life and its entrapments are too much to overcome

Official Synopsis
Action drama based on the life of Caine, a young man living in a rough world where death is only a breath away...

I would definitely watch this film again.

Film - Set It Off

2004-10-28T08:56:00.000+01:00
SET IT OFF benefits from a sharp understanding of its well-drawn central characters. They are a group of four young African American women in Los Angeles (Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise), all struggling against the system that seems designed to prevent them from realising their dreams. The movie tells the viewers of their circumstance with realistic attention to emotional detail, making their decision to rob banks believable, so as to give the ensuing plot its inevitable tragic outcome. This film conveys genuine compassion for its characters, which makes the group strong - especially Queen Latifah - a brash lesbian whose fate is as certain as her forceful attitude.

SET IT OFF gives us a real sense that these women have been close friends for years, and that lends the film additional impact, even when their transition to crime and violence feels somewhat forced and superficial. A romantic subplot involving Pinkett and Blair Underwood (a social-climbing banker)is too contrived to be convincing, and director F. Gary Gray tries too hard to combine hard-hitting action with social relevance (a weakness shared by Gray's following film, The Negotiator). However, Set It Off, effectively avoids passing judgement; its emotional complexity transcends simple notions of right and wrong, injecting vitality - as well as a kind of betrayal and honour - into the traditions of a familiar plot.