R.I.P Left Eye 1971-2012

Today is the ten year anniversary of Left Eye's death. I don't have much to say about it but I know that Left Eye deserves a post for the contribution she made to society and music. 

Here are some snippets of an interview that Chilli and T-Boz gave to Essence about the anniversary of her death:

ESSENCE.com:Today marks 10 years since we lost Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes in a tragic car accident. What do you remember about that day?
T-BOZ:She died a day before my birthday. I remember everything. I was with security in my Porsche and I said to them, "I feel like I’m going to get in a wreck and I want to go home." The driver said: "Well, that’s on the other side of town." I didn’t care; I wanted to go home. I just felt something was going to happen to me, but it wasn’t me — it was Lisa. I was sitting in a rocking chair in my daughter’s room after putting her down when I got a call from Chilli. She was screaming. I had just gotten out the hospital from fighting sickle cell so I had to be careful about getting upset. Everybody was trying to keep me calm.

I remember staying up all night and Patti Labelle and Missy Elliot calling me. Whitney Houston was at Lisa’s funeral. She sat behind me and rubbed my shoulders for two hours, while telling me, "It’s going to be okay, it’s going to be all right." Right before that, I remember Lisa played a trick where she went missing and nobody knew where she was. This was the one time I wish she was joking and doing one of her stunts, but she wasn’t. 

ESSENCE.com:People playfully identified her as the crazy one in the group because of the notable fire in 1994, among other things. What’s the biggest misconception about Left Eye?
T-BOZ:That’s the part that sucked. The fire could’ve even been stopped if they stopped acting like little girls and put the fire out. That really could’ve been settled differently. I just really wish people would’ve known her for the sweet passionate person she really was. She was very creative, too. I remember I was in the hospital for four months and she sent me a clock that she made and the clock read: “Take all the time you need.” She really put thought into things.
CHILLI:People didn’t understand how much of a heart she really had and how passionate and giving she was. She might have come across as someone who wanted to start trouble all the time, but that wasn’t it; she just had a lot to say. Sometimes when you speak what’s on your mind — I’m talking everything on your mind, and people can get a misconception of you. So because she spoke her mind, all of the time, it caused people to misjudge her.


ESSENCE.com:A lot of people believe TLC was feuding when Left Eye passed. What was your relationship like at the time?
CHILLI:It was actually very good; we had started working on the last album. We all had solo deals. I was just like, “We have to do another record” — I was willing to put everything on hold. That was the last time we got to spend quality time together before she passed. The relationship was good; she was acting silly again, playing pranks on people. Her death was very devastating for us, but I can look back and say I was happy about what our relationship was like, at that time.
T-BOZ:No matter what, everyone will go through a disagreement — that’s what makes us all different. So it’s unrealistic to tell anybody that we all agreed with everything that everyone did or said. That doesn’t happen in a real relationship. At the time, she just didn’t agree with what the record company was doing with the project, so she felt strong about standing up about it. It had nothing personal to do with the group members. I didn’t have a problem with that.

Mag Covers

This is only one of T.I.'s double covers, I like this one the best. Both poses are the same one has glasses and the other doesn't
I see the sexiness that Essence is going for but they could have done a better job. The clothes are basic and this looks photo shopped.
(concreteloopandybf)

Essence Editor-In-Chief responds to controversy

Essence's Editor-in-Chief Angela Burt-Murray broke her silence about the controversy to blackvoices.com, issuing this statement.

I understand that this issue has struck an emotional chord with our audience,” says Burt-Murray. “However, I selected Ellianna, who has been contributing to the magazine on a freelance basis for the last six months, because of her creativity, vision, the positive reader response to her work and her enthusiasm and respect for the audience and our brand. We remain committed to celebrating the unique beauty and style of African-American women in Essence magazine and online at Essence.com.”

Race and Publishing

For a post racial society, race still matters. More than we will ever admit. For the last week or so, Essence has been the subject for controversy for hiring for a white fashion director. Needless to say, black women are pissed and maybe rightfully so.

Time Warner has a 49% stock in Essence, so that already has black women nervous. A magazine that is dedicated to showing us in a positive light is now owned by a white company. Do these people know us or do they only know what they think we should be? Najwa Moses, a fashion media personality, recently spoke to Clutch magazine about the subject,“I can think of a few qualified Black women, and men too.My picks would be celebrity stylists Patti Wilson, June Ambrose, Kithe Brewster, Memsor Kamarake and Sydney Bolden.”Najwa also goes on to say that a white woman cannot show a black woman how to dress. Interesting.

Does this signal an end of an era or the beginning of post racial America? According to the comments about the hiring decision, I would have to go with the former. Maybe it is time to take these magazines of a pedestal and start deciding for ourselves who we are and what we plan to be. Essence is a business and they brought in the best person to advance their business. It's not personal, it's just a business decision.

Although I understand the negative feelings, I feel like we should give the woman a chance. She may be more talented than you think. I plan on hiring people of many races and ethnicities based on their talent. If I'm weighing a black writer and a white writer but the white writer is more qualified, then I'm going with the white writer. It's not about being a sellout or not supporting my people, it's about having the best brand possible.

http://http//clutchmagonline.com/lifeculture/feature/essence-hires-white-fashion-director-leaves-loyal-readers-asking-why/,