Staff Writer; Carla Shaw

This Queen speaks on education, technology, relationships, music, entertainment, and day to day life. Some conversations center around family, growth, or what is happening inside the community, while others simply reflect on the world people are trying to navigate every day.

She can be reached at; CarlaS@Akiit.com.

Many of the anti “Michael” the film critics are ticked off because it paints a way too sympathetic Michael, and skirts the damaging claims of child molestation, and his long drawn out well-documented legal woes. The fact that the film stopped in 1988 and could not even if there was intent cover the legal charges and allegations because of legal prohibitions didn’t stop the carping.

The film gives huge nod to his conflict with his tyrannical, all controlling father. But for the most part it’s a knockout music and entertainment film.

Still, the film does prompt another look at Michael the man, and yes, the controversy. The instant a promotional screening at the Sundance Film festival of an earlier Jackson film,  Leaving Neverland was announced in early 2019, the Jackson family loudly screamed foul. The family called the film a lie. The “lie” was a fresh claim that Jackson molested two young boys. Jackson’s defenders, along with the family, went down a checklist of facts about the pair that made their decades later claim of abuse seem the “lie” that the family charged it was.

However, the protests of Jackson’s family were maligned bumped up against some bitter facts. One was that it’s not legally possible to sue, shame or slander a dead man. Another was that Jackson was that dead man and he couldn’t speak or fight back.”

The bitterest fact of all, though, was that during Jackson’s life, and in the years after his death in June 2009, legions never stopped believing that Jackson was indeed the child molester that the pair claimed they were victims of. This made it easy to hype the documentary, and their subsequent appearance on a panel of sexual abuse survivors on an Oprah special, made the pair credible, and ensure that the taint on Jackson as child molester would remain firmly emblazoned on his name, dead or not.

The truth is that Jackson has always remained an inviting target of both fascination, speculation, and outright attack in death as in life. While the buzz and controversy around the documentary Leaving Neverland  and to a lesser extent “Michael” would come and go, the controversy around Jackson will not.

The Jackson name and the issue of child molestation would hang heavily as a damning indictment that feeds the gossip mills and gives an arsenal of ammunition to Jackson detractors. This is not a small point. The child molester claim doesn’t rest on Jackson’s trial and clean acquittal on multiple child abuse charges. The claim of Jackson as child molester never hinged as much on the allegations as on the prurient fascination with a celebrity that in life and death took on preternatural stature.

This fascination in turn was fertile ground for any salacious, titillating, morsel of gossip, no matter how disgusting. There’s still more to the latest Jackson beatdown.

No charge stirs more disgust, revulsion, and pricks more emotional hot buttons than the charge of child molestation. The accusation stamps the Scarlet letter of doubt, suspicion, shame, and guilt on the accused. The accused can never fully expunge it.

There is simply no defense against it. Under the hyper intense media glare and spotlight that Jackson constantly in life remained under, the allegation no matter how bogus would have been endless fodder for the public gossip mill. This would have wreaked irreparable damage to Jackson’s ever shifting musical career and personal life.

Many will thrill at the phenomenal, patented Jackson song and especially dance movements, as I did, in the film, “Michael..” They will applaud the sterling performance of Jaafar Jackson as Michael, as I do. However, that won’t quiet the whispers, doubts, and hostility that the name Michael Jackson still raises with many. No film no matter how entertaining on Jackson will ever silence that.

Columnist; Earl Ofari Hutchinson

One can visit this brother online over at; TheHutchinson Report.

Carlson long hated Trump in his heart while praise poured from his mouth. The war in Iran polls poorly as does Trump, and so Carlson uses the opportunity to inflate his diminished importance by blaming himself for making Trump possible.

“We’re implicated in this, for sure,” he said. “You know, we’ll be tormented by it for a long time. I will be, and I want to say I’m sorry for misleading people.”

On trying to mislead people, Carlson is expert.

In 1999, he wrote that Trump was “the single most repulsive person on the planet.” But when Trump was elected president in 2016, Carlson wrote a Politico piece headlined “Donald Trump is Shocking, Vulgar and Right.” In it he gave Trump the lightest of spankings. Trump was “imperfect.”

After 2020, Carlson expressed contempt for Trump but only privately. He had a job to keep as political pundit on pro-Trump Fox News. There he was paid more than $15 million a year to air fake opinions.

When Trump tried to overthrow the results of the 2020 election, Carlson sent private messages doubting the Trump camp’s claims of election fraud. “I hate him passionately,” he also texted.

On air, though, Carlson tiptoed around Trump’s phony assertion that Dominion Voting Systems software helped steal millions of votes. Instead, he vaguely stated that “something was wrong with the election.”

After Fox dropped Carlson as a legal liability as well as pain in the butt, he rebranded himself on social media. He was now a persecuted truth-teller focused on corporate power, demographic changes and other sprawling issues.

But when Trump ran for reelection in 2024, Carlson jumped right back in line and heartily supported him in public. After the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, Carlson said the shooting “changed everything.” That’s when Trump “became the leader of this nation,” he said.

Thus, a “commentator” who wrote in an email that Trump’s first term was “a disaster with no upside” started campaigning for him. As a warm-up act at a Trump rally, Carlson did his icky “Dad comes home” routine.

In Carlson’s recent telling, Trump has been manipulated by Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu into entering the war in Iran. If true, where was the strong patriarch Carlson had been heralding for a decade?

It is Netanyahu’s job to look after Israel’s interests. It is the American president’s job to look after America’s interests. Often those interests align, but sometimes they don’t.

Netanyahu had urged other presidents to strike Iran, but the other presidents declined. There may be an argument for stopping the exporter of terrorism from developing nuclear weapons. Too bad Trump’s big mouth couldn’t stop itself from hurting the cause with bloodthirsty threats against Iran’s civilization.

I share Carlson’s displeasure at Trump’s many character flaws, but I didn’t cover them up when Trump was more popular. Nor did I buy into the president’s vows to save Obamacare or “drain the swamp” of Washington corruption. Only suckers would believe a man who stiffed his workers, oversaw six bankruptcies and transparently lied about Barack Obama not being American born.

Carlson wasn’t a sucker. He knew, like Trump, how to play the chumps by selling himself as an honest man speaking his mind. Nonetheless, The New York Times just ran a long interview credulously titled “What Does Tucker Carlson Really Believe?”

Unbelievable.

Columnist; Froma Harrop

Official website; http://twitter.com/FromaHarrop

Before I go on, let me mention the Queen and the First Lady. They deserve a line in my assessment of this visit to America during these turbulent times. My observance may be nothing more than trivia, but the two are prominent in this royal visit. Queen Camilla, as British women often do, wore a beautiful hat, that turned upward on one side just in case King Charles wanted to throw a little kiss her way. Now our First Lady, Melania, on the other hand, took another approach. She stood as tall and frozen as military personnel do, with her hands firmly holding her sides so that the person beside her could not grab them and pretend they just can’t keep their hands off each other! She wore that hat, as usual, that basically said, “Don’t touch me. Keep your distance or my hat will hit you in your mouth!” I love the way she protects herself from having to endure a kiss in public.

Now, back to those over whom he rules, Trump must be wondering why he gets no applause for this war against Iran. It hasn’t gotten him the positive attention he had hoped he would get.It hasn’t made high gasoline prices any cheaper, nor lowered food costs, nor won any friends from other nations,nor helped Ukraine in any way, nor gained support from the citizens over which he rules, no compliments for his position on downgrading funds in the budget for childcare, housing, food, education, his argument with the Pope, his ballroom, attempts to place his picture on the money, on our passports or trying to build statues of himself. He has begun firing his staff that he selected because they aren’t getting positive results for him and his unconstitutional actions to succeed.

Of course, that didn’t stop his pal, Senator Lindsey Graham, from cheerleading for him by supporting a $400 million dollar contribution of our tax dollars to his White House Ballroom. He said it even while the Would Be King was telling us it wouldn’t cost taxpayers anything! I guess they forgot to share their notes on that matter!

It must have been a little stinger from a U.K. Ambassador about what he said a few years ago. As King Charles spoke and received a lot of applause from both sides of the aisle with no compliments to Trump, some will say, they didn’t clearly hear what he said, and they were just trying to be polite!

The real King granted the Would Be King no slack. He was gracious, but told no lies about what a “great job” the Would Be King is doing when he tries to put NATO down for not helping Trump with his unapproved, unprovoked war against Iran. His War Secretary admits to spending over $25 billion dollars and growing when President Barack Obama’s Administration already had a working deal with Iran about nuclear weapons! Sorry Would Be King, but maybe you should take a lesson from a real King, Charles, and a real President, Barack Obama!

Columnist: Dr. E. Faye Williams

Official website; http://www.efayewilliams.com/

All hail single moms raising kids they didn’t birth. Dedicated parents who shepherd children into adulthood. They’re saints.

It’s almost as if this family film’s theme was ripped from the headlines in this twisted era of demeaning mothers who raise youngsters that didn’t come from their bodies. Or people who pour their love and nurturing into cats, dogs and other alternatives. Call novelist Peter Brown prescient for writing his bestseller The Wild Robot. Call writer/director Chris Sanders (How to Train Your Dragon) right on time for his very touching adaptation and eclectic casting that pulls the world together. Kudos to the diverse group of actors that help tell this story that preaches the gospel of love and community in the face of adversaries and naysayers. They should all take a bow.

Somewhere out there a spaceship crash lands on an uninhabited island, that’s if you don’t count animals. The lone survivor is a robot, Rozzum unit 7134 (Lupita Nyong’o). Roz is programmed to assists others—to a fault. As she tries to befriend the animals on the isle, they’re either afraid of her or pushing her around. Fate has it that she stumbles across a nest and an egg. Providence hatches the egg and it’s a gosling. A baby goose. Slowly as Roz parents the bird it grows into a young goose named Brightbill (Kit Connor, Rocketman). She teaches him the importance of eating, swimming and flying. But is perplexed by her bond with the animal. Can’t put a name on it. But Pinktail the possum (Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek) clues her in: “As far as he’s concerned, you’re his mother!”

As time goes by the hodge podge of animals center their lives around Roz and Brightbill. They’re no longer afraid and forming a community. An extended family. Chief among the furry and featured creatures are Fink the fox (Pedro Pascal), who eyes the others as potential prey when his instincts get the better of him. Pinktail and her tiny brood. The big bear Thorn (Mark Hamill) and busy beaver Paddler (Matt Berry). The day comes when the boy goose must become a young adult goose, and his surrogate mom must let go. The day comes when hostile forces will threaten the animals. They will be tested.

Only the hardest heart couldn’t be touched by this story and its vulnerable characters all trying to survive, learn, grow and adapt as a family. The novel was written with middle grade children in mind, and that’s how the movie plays. Perfect for kids and tweens. The kind of film parents can take their kids to see and then teach them lessons about what family, parenting and children learning to be independent is all about.

From Roz’s first harrowing days on the strange island the script and Sander’s direction pulls you into her plight. She needs to be less subservient and more assertive. It’s a tricky balance, but it’s fun to watch her awkward giant steps forward. Also depicting the tech and AI age, with its advances but dehumanizing and menacing ways is also engaging.

Nyong’o brings a sweetness and naiveté to Roz that remains fresh throughout. All done with her voice. With inflection, phrasing, tone and a mix of joy and concern. As the robot becomes more empathetic and shows a wider range of emotions audiences feel the change. Pascal’s devilish turn as Fink is funny and biting. And the innocence and bravery displayed by Connor become more absorbing as he and his loved ones come under attack by the steely, cold hearted robot Vondra (Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All at Once).

Kids won’t squirm through this fantasy because editor Mary Blee knows how to keep a beat. The scenery looks fresh and colors vibrant because production designer Raymond Zibach and art director Ritchie Sacilioc are on the job. Cinematographer Chris Stover’s sense of lighting and composition are right on the mark and Kris Bowers’ music intensifies the ups and downs that make this film a roller coaster.

Sanders masterfully turns a book into a compelling family film. A modern, animated parable audiences will relish from beginning to end. If there is an imperfection it is not in the production but more in the timing. There are sequences of Brightbill and the flock he’s joined, led by Longneck (Bill Nighy), that feel too similar to the recent animated movie Migration. That’s a note, not a dealbreaker.

Otherwise, all hail this single mom and bird lady movie that proves once and for all that families and parents come in all sizes, shapes, species and robots.

Trailer: 

Columnist; Dwight Brown

Visit NNPA News Wire Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.

In an effort to uplift and sustain these traditions, BeyGOOD has been partnering with the annual Bill Pickett Rodeo, a historic event that has been the heartbeat of Black cowboy culture for four decades. The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, recognized as the longest-running Black rodeo in the United States, is a crucial gathering for Black cowboys and cowgirls to showcase their skills and preserve their legacy. Through its Equestrian program, BeyGOOD has committed $500,000 in grants to support these communities, demonstrating a strong commitment to ensuring that this important cultural heritage is not lost to history.

According to WBLS, the BeyGOOD Foundation has already made a tangible impact by participating in the Los Angeles and Atlanta stops of the Bill Pickett Rodeo. At these events, the foundation awarded $25,000 in grants to various organizations that are deeply rooted in the Black equestrian community. Among the recipients were Urban Saddles, Love This Equine and Horse Rescue, The Black Cultural Enlightenment Society/Black Cowboy Festival, the South Carolina Black Farmers Coalition, and SOOFA Ranch. Each of these organizations plays a vital role in promoting and sustaining Black equestrian and agricultural traditions.

Founded by Beyoncé in 2013, BeyGOOD started as an initiative to support global causes and has now evolved into a 501(c)(3) public charity, known as the BeyGOOD Foundation. Over the past decade, BeyGOOD has engaged in numerous humanitarian efforts, from providing scholarships to addressing the water crisis in Burundi, and aiding families affected by Hurricane Harvey in Houston. Beyoncé’s vision for the foundation is to continue building partnerships through innovative programs that have a lasting impact on communities around the world.

One of the youngest beneficiaries of the BeyGOOD Equestrian Grants is nine-year-old Kendall Rae Johnson, the youngest farmer in Georgia and the owner of Green Heart. Her success story is a testament to the importance of nurturing the next generation of Black farmers and equestrians. The support provided by the BeyGOOD Foundation is crucial in helping young entrepreneurs like Kendall Rae continue their work and inspire future generations.

The significance of this initiative cannot be overstated. By supporting these grants, the BeyGOOD Foundation is not just providing financial assistance; it is affirming the value of Black agricultural and equestrian traditions in the broader American story. These efforts ensure that the legacies of Black cowboys, farmers, and ranchers are recognized and celebrated, rather than forgotten. To learn more about the recipients and the work of the BeyGOOD Foundation, visit BeyGOOD.org

October 4, 2024, at 7 p.m. as part of his “Big Dad Energy” tour.

Known for his signature bowtie and clean comedy, Goodwin has garnered fans nationwide with his refreshing, expectation-defying humor. His performances blend hysterical laughter and heartfelt inspiration, appealing to audiences from corporate events to church functions and everything in between. “I wanted to do comedy where you can bring your grandparents, your parents, and your children,

generational kind of comedy, where you don’t have to be on edge. I just want folks to come out and enjoy themselves and have a great night,” says Goodwin.

A native of Camden, South Carolina, Goodwin’s life experiences shape his relatable comedy. He holds a master’s degree in education from the University of South Carolina, he served in the U.S. Army, and he worked in primary and secondary education. His ability to combine insight with laughter has made him a sought-after entertainer across the country.

“At the core of Mike Goodwin’s comedy is a profound understanding of the power of Laughter to bring people together,” said Morgan Stills, executive director at BPAC. “Mike’s humor connects with people from all walks of life. We’re excited to bring his comedy to BPAC’s Owens Auditorium.”

On NBC’s “Today,”, Goodwin commented, “Some of the most hilarious people I know don’t use [adult] language, like my grandmother is hilarious. And I’m that family member, that friend that has long been in your life who’s funny, and you just have a great time whenever I’m around.”

Goodwin’s comedic journey has led to appearances on platforms such as America’s Got Talent, BET, Dry Bar Comedy, and the USO Europe Comedy Tour.

Discover the enchanting beauty of the Sandhills Horticultural Gardens before the show. Their guided tours offer a serene escape and a unique opportunity to appreciate the natural world. Register for a 45-minute docent-led exploration of this vibrant campus oasis when purchasing your tickets. Sills enthuses, “For the first time, we’re partnering with Sandhills Horticultural Gardens for fun and informative pre-show walks before certain BPAC events. Now, you can visit Sandhills Community College’s gorgeous campus, take a walk in the gardens, head to BPAC Concessions in the Owens Auditorium lobby for a pre-show drink and snack, and then enjoy an evening of laughter. That’s a lovely, unique afternoon and evening right here in the Sandhills.” A link to sign up for the free garden walks is on the TicketMeSandhills event page.

Bradshaw Performing Arts Center (BPAC) was dedicated in 2019 and is the Sandhills region’s premier venue for live entertainment; Oscar, Emmy, Tony, Grammy, and Golden Globe Award winners have appeared on the stage of BPAC’s Owens Auditorium, along with Pulitzer Prize winners and Kennedy Center honorees. Tickets for Mike Goodwin’s “Big Dad Energy” show are available now, with reserved seating and concessions provided. Doors will open at 6 p.m.

Purchase tickets in advance at TicketMeSandhills.com. Mike Goodwin’s YouTube Channel

Contact:                                                                             

Kit McKinley, Agency Director First Flight Agency

910-693-2502

kit@firstflightagency.com

Jomilla, known for her candid storytelling and authentic voice, draws from her own life experiences, including surviving trauma and finding her way back to God. Through heartfelt conversations and thought-provoking monologues, she shares her journey of overcoming adversity, battling depression, and reclaiming her spiritual path. *JOMILLA DENAE* is not just a podcast but a safe space for listeners who are struggling with their faith, life challenges, and personal growth. 

“I wanted to create something that speaks directly to people who feel like they’re trying, but not perfect,” says Jomilla. “This podcast is for anyone seeking healing, inspiration, or a reminder that they are not alone in their struggles.”

With 10 years of marketing experience and a background in journalism, Jomilla Denae brings her storytelling skills to the forefront, offering a mix of personal anecdotes, faith-based reflections, and interviews with other individuals who have faced their own battles. *JOMILLA DENAE* will cover a variety of topics, including faith, resilience, mental health, and the importance of community in healing.

The podcast will be available on major streaming platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Listeners are encouraged to subscribe, follow Jomilla on social media, and join the conversation with the hashtag #JomillaDenaePodcast.

### **About Jomilla Denae**  

Jomilla Denae is a Nashville native with over a decade of experience in marketing and journalism. She has worked as a managing editor for Nashville Pride Newspaper and hosted several shows, including the successful MASSCTV podcast. Her upcoming podcast, *JOMILLA DENAE*, is a reflection of her personal journey, blending faith and resilience into powerful storytelling.

For more information, please contact Jomilla Denae at Contact@JomillaDenae.com or visit JOMILLADENAE.com.

**Contact:**  

Jomilla Denae  

Email: contact@jomilladenae.com

Phone: 615-800-8160

She sold her soul to the devil.  Now she wants it back.

It was too good to be true. Frida (Naomi Ackie), a clumsy cocktail waitress at a classy fundraiser for rich folks, eyes the main attraction. It’s tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum). Think Elon Musk, but handsome. They flirt. He seems attentive in a room full of women who are lusting after the richest catch they’ll ever find, if they can land him. It comes as a shock to the young woman, who can’t muster enough money for this month’s rent, when she and her equally poor roommate Jess (Ali Shawkat) are invited to King’s private island for an endless visit. “We’re going to my island for a few days. You guys want to come?” Think Jeffrey Epstein, but no one is underage.

The script by writer/first-time director Zoë Kravitz and co-writer E.T. Feigenbaum pairs the two up again, after they worked on the 2020 series High Fidelity. The setup fits the superficial desires of many young women who were raised on MTV and developed envious fantasies of a hard-partying lifestyle filled with permissive behavior, rich life wannabes and zero responsibility. That and the selfishness of the devious men who baits them is the cautionary tale Kravitz, as a director, tells in dazzling visions.

She’s assembled an expert tech crew who make every single frame look like a fashion shoot or big-budget commercial. Credit production designer Roberto Bonelli for the dazzling Yucatán location and a resort type setup that makes you want to book a trip to Mexico ASAP. Set decorator Fátima Díaz Oliver supplies the curtains, furniture and incidentals that are meticulously placed. The color themes created by art director Derek A. Heckler Díaz emphasize deep shades of red, rust and orange and billowy whites. While costume designer Kiersten Hargroder’s clothes the cast in tropical wear that’s perfect for the destination. Magically cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra (The Last Black Man in San Francisco) captures every detail, lights scenes exquisitely and saturates the footage with the richest hues. It’s all accented by a hip playlist (“The Boss” by James Born, “Ain’t Nobody” by Rufus and Chaka Khan), musical score (Chanda Dancy) and precise editing (Kathryn L. Schubert).

For a while the audience is as seduced as Frida, Jess and all the other guests at Slater’s enclave. Lounging at the pool. Drinking exotic cocktails. Downing hallucinogens. Eating Michelin-star quality meals served by the neurotic chef Cody (Simon Rex). Hard to believe? Yep! Jess: “did we just jet off to a billionaire’s island with a bunch of strangers?” Minutes pass into hours. Hours into days. Something is a bit off. Something nags Frida and makes her feel like she’s been through this before. Slowly Slater’s fantasy island world unravels, and the ultimate host turns out to be the ultimate, sexually, emotionally and psychologically exploitative heel.

Most viewers who hitch a ride on this mind-binding mystery/thriller will be OK with the appetizers but not the entrée. The main course includes the rape, abuse and torture of women in cryptic flashbacks. Graphic enough to be repulsive and make you wonder if there wasn’t another way to express and depict these crimes. Credit the screenplay for trying to tell a feminist tale about women being exploited and seeking revenge. The problem is you’re teasing the abuse like a commercial for porn and exploiting the female characters in the process. Oddly the distinct characters and their dialogue are far stronger and more interesting than the basic narrative and its theme.

The young twentysomething market is a target audience. Women are a target audience. The multiracial cast will appeal to multiracial demographics. All sought will sit down to watch this display of rich people’s excess and then be treated to women being traumatized. No matter what happens in the end, for some viewers the moral of the story won’t be worth what you have to witness. It’s like making a movie about racism and watching Black people be victimized for a majority of the film. There has to be a better way to make the point. This is where audiences may blink, more than twice.

Casting Ackie (Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody) in the lead role was a stroke of genius. She doesn’t look like an unapproachable model or movie star. More like the girl next door or in the apartment down the hall. She has her own beauty, and the camera loves her face, body and skin tone. Ackie never over does it. Not even when it’s time for Frida to retaliate. Tatum plays the billionaire in a titillating way. Flaunting looks, money, charm and sexiness. Easy to see how Svengalis like him get over on victims. Other cast members who play hangers-on and abettors do their jobs quite nicely: Christian Slater, Adria Arjona, Haley Joel Osment, Levon Hawke, Liz Caribel, Trew Mullen, Geena Davis and the very smarmy Kyle McLachlan as Rich the therapist.

Kravitz exhibits the keen eye of an artist or fashion photographer. She should get plenty of offers to direct commercials. Or movies. What she might not get are other offers to write scripts, as the major flaw in this almost-a-gem thriller is the story and the huge miscalculation that watching women get abused is worth the price of admission. Hard to imagine audiences wanting to see this film over and over again, even with the fancy visuals. And that is likely not the intended effect.

Trailer: 

Columnist; Dwight Brown

Visit NNPA News Wire Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.

With this week’s passing of Frankie Beverly, his impact on Houston, the South, and the world has become crystal clear. We have all become accustomed to publicly displaying our grief when we lose one of our icons. The obligatory “this one hurts,” on social media has become an overused, common refrain. But honestly and at the risk of sounding cliché, for me, this one hurts.

To best explain what Frankie Beverly meant to many of us, I will explain what he and his music have meant to me. It is almost reflexive to think of Frankie in relation to family reunions, card parties, and festive concerts where thousands of people knew every word to every song and sang every note louder and more passionately than any one person ever could, including Frankie himself. Many people I know have seen Maze at least a half dozen times as it was an annual rite of passage for decades. To be in an audience of 10,000, mostly black folks, of all ages, singing “Joy & Pain” to the top of your lungs is an experience of unity and community that is joyful, rare, and indescribable. There simply isn’t anything like it.

Frankie Beverly. Credit: Screenshot But for me and many others, Frankie’s music meant so much more than just the parties and concerts. Frankie Beverly was the voice of my soundtrack as a young teenager navigating the emotions of a first crush. His songs were the guidance when figuring out how to say what I felt in ways that my words alone could not explain. His songs helped me to understand that relationships are not easy but oh so worth pursuing.

When Frankie sang, “We got our love and no matter how it’s said or done…we are one,” it put all the strife and bickering in perspective. When Frankie passionately proclaimed, “You know there is nothin’, nothin’, nothin’ I would not do, before I let you go!” I had asked, myself, have I tried hard enough? And when Frankie melodically bared his soul singing, “And you’ve given me a reason…you’ve given me a reason to love one more time,” I felt romantic hope and redemption despite never losing love before in my life.

But there is even more. Frankie’s music offered reflection with songs like “Golden Time of Day” and the need for universal love with “We Need Love to Live” and “Happy Feelin’s.” I could go on and on and never truly capture what his rich, beautiful, honest voice did as it conveyed what I felt. What you felt. What we feel!

The bottom line is that he had a long, glowing career of art that did what art is designed to do, move us. His songs were personal and universal at the same time. His voice offered intimacy and community all at once. The music of Maze and the voice of Frankie Beverly is still evolving as I have navigate my way through relationships, love and life. He somehow knew how I felt then and helps me understand what I feel even now. With him, it is not just the words. It is not just the melody. It is the real, raw emotion that tapped into something in all of us.

As the years go on and the long list of important icons in our lives dwindle, I can’t help but feel a sense of gratitude. I am grateful to have had the relationship with Frankie Beverly’s music that I have had. With so many incredible artists and so much great music, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly is still a nostalgic refuge to enjoy a road trip, a gathering with friends and family or alone with my favorite beverage reflecting on the past. But in his own words, why do the things that make us happy, make us sad…seems to me it’s like joy and pain, sunshine and rain. Rest in peace Frankie.

Columnist: Devin Wade

Official website; https://Twitter.com/wadesword