Black Stripes Media is a full service marketing and multimedia company based in Houston, TX, headed by Toshay “Deuce” Harvey. The company is striving to be Houston’s leader in web and graphic design, photography, video production, printing and interactive media. Black Stripes’ sole purpose is to help you accomplish your marketing goals. Whether you have a small or large business, BSM will provide you with the complete attention and quick turnaround that you expect.

Harvey has strategically made BSM more than a fascinating multimedia company by joining forces with a group of super-producers, writers, and engineers to create a world-class recording studio. In the same facility, there are two top-notch studios that boast a tremendous sound and talent.

“I wanted to create a one-stop shop for artists. A place where they could come record, get top-notch production, have their artwork designed and shot, then going even further to handle their media releases. It makes it much easier when everything can be handled at one location by one professional team,” says Harvey of his innovative new venture.

Call Black Stripes Media today to see why they are Houston’s leading full service Media Company!

281.888.0336

If Beyonce was right when she said “a diva is the female version of a hustla,“ then R&B songstress, Just Brittany is definitely just that-A Diva.
The 20 year old, beauty was prompt for her Indy Magazine interview at 10:30 a.m. after getting off from her main job as a dancer at High Rollers Gentlemen’s Club at 5 a.m in the morning.

It’s no secret what Brittany does for a living and she is not ashamed to admit what she does. “I dance at night, in the studio during the day, doing what I got to do to get up out the game cause I’ve been dancing for over a year now,” Brittany shared about her current profession. Being an independent artist pushing your music isn’t easy, nor cheap, which is why Brittany remains in the industry she is in to pay for her dream “I really want to do music and so I’m dancing because I’m trying to raise the money to pay for what I have to pay for to get out of it…until then I will just continue dancing.”

A little over a year ago, Brittany says that she’d never stepped foot into a strip club until after a bad breakup with an ex. She says before then, the idea of dancing never crossed her mind. “I just walked in the club and I was just out of my mind and stressed over a past relationship so I (went) home and got some clothes, came back and just danced.”

Nevertheless, it’s always been a dream of Brittany’s to get into the music industry. It wasn’t until a year ago that she started taking her dream more seriously.

Shortly after she began dancing, she ran into promoter and artist C-Moe at a local beauty supply store selling his Cds. She admits that she has never been interested in buying cds off of the street, but after some influence from C-Moe, she gave in and purchased it. She was very impressed by what she heard. “His voice is amazing. I’ve never heard a man that can sing that good.” After a week of trying to contact C-Moe by calling the number listed on the cd she purchased, he finally gave her a call back. “He told me that he writes music and I told him I wanted to get with him and work with him and we’ve been together ever since then.”

Her first single, “Call me for that Good,“ written by The Narrators, has the potential to be a certified hit and top ring tone seller. The video, which can be found on YOUTUBE, is even hotter. The GO Djs, 90.3 Radio Hit List, and her manager, C-Moe have been pushing her single on a regular basis. At the time of my interview with her, her primary goal was to make it to Houston’s big hip-hop station, 97.9 The Box. “97.9 is so political, it’s more that what people think it is,” She explained about getting her song on the radio. “A lot of people have been asking why my song isn’t on the radio yet but everybody just thinks you make a song and it gets on the radio, it’s not like that. It’s very political.”

Well the votes are in and politics definitely worked in her favor. The station’s radio personalities expressed their interest in the song a few month’s ago. Now, Brittany’s song has peaked at #2 on 97.9′s countdown. Her next single will be a cover of the 80’s hit “Mercedes Boy” originally performed by Pebbles. “If you were to hear my music you wouldn’t know it was me. It’s pop, rock, R&B, hip-hop and rap. It’s just everything mixed together in one. I’m just so excited to let the world hear what I have to offer and I know I’ll be taking over all the radio stations.”

Follow Just Brittany on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/itsjustbrittany.  For booking info and more information please contact her manager C-Moe at 281-802-8222

(Article courtesy of www.controversialcutie.blogspot.com)

Follow Adrienne “A.D” Donnell at www.twitter.com/adiva5

For those of you that missed the “Alter Ego” Halloween party this past weekend at Posh Lounge downtown you certainly missed a treat. Costumes ranged from everything from priests, to sexy nurses, to Playboy Bunnies.

The event was hosted by nationally reknown photographer, Derek Blanks who was recently featured on “The Real Houswives of Atlanta.” Htownclubs.com was able to catch up with Derek’s alter ego, D. Blanks outside of Posh Lounge for an exclusive interview. He talks about the differences between his two alter egos, how the “Alter Ego” photo phenomenon got started, and he warns people to not be fooled by photographers that are attempting to duplicate what he made so popular today.

A.D.: Tell me the difference between Derek Blanks and D. Blanks

DB: Well, ok. Derek Blanks is the laid back photographer, that’s easy going, humble person. And then D. Blanks is the celebrity photographer that has his shades on at the club….

(Both Laugh)

A.D.: Well I’m standing here with D. Blanks!

DB: Right, Right. (He’s) not as easy to approach, but you know, he’s cool too.

A.D. Ok. Well tell us some of the people that you’ve worked with.

DB: I’ve had the pleasure of working with celebrities such as Usher, Ciara, Jennifer Hudson, Angela Bassett, Tisha Campbell, Ludacris….just to name a few.

A.D.: Lot of people. So tell me how the whole alter ego thing got started. Let’s make everything clear, you were the originator of this, right?

D.B. Right!

A.D.: So nobody can come and claim, “No I was doing this before.” You were the originator, you put the trademark on the alter ego thing…How did it all come about?

D.B.: Right well you know, I am the originator of actual interaction between the two alters. It’s been done before but not how I’ve approached it. It’s been done before on like (America’s Next) Top Model shows and stuff like that, but there’s never been any interaction. It’s always been kind of copy paste,cut paste where there’s one subject on the left and one on the right. So after “Daughters of Man” which is a portrait of successful African American women and their fathers, I thought it would be cool to do my very own project….So I thought it’d be cool since I built up the clientelle of celebrities, to approach them about doing the alter egos. So, I approached the celebrities one by one, they gravitated to it and I thought it’d be different because people are intrigued by celebrities. So I thought it would be really cool to show the alter of that celebrity. So I started the project about two years ago, and I had a reveal in Atlanta and that happened to be the day that T.I. was released on house arrest so he decided to come by. So actually when he came by everybody came by and supported. It was on the blogs the following day. So it was great press for the project and it kind of build and build. In the meantime, I’ve worked with Nene from “The Real Housewives.” And she was so thrilled with her images, that I thought it would be a cool project to ask the ladies to do it, and also for it to be televised. So I thought it’d be excellent publicity.

A.D.: So the way that it looks on t.v. is that they all did it together. That’s not how it went?

D.B.: Well, they did it together, but I went and shot NeNe previously, where we kind of gave her a new look. I brought in the glam squad and we just did new publicity photos for her. So I thought it’d be a good idea to include all the ladies, so NeNe approached all the ladies. So originally I shot solo shots of Nene and then decided to do alter egos of all of them.

A.D.: O.K. And why did you decide to choose NeNe…Or how did NeNe become the director of everything?

D.B.: Well you know t.v. has it’s way of editing so I just let NeNe play on that. But you know, we actually came up with the ideas together and she coached the ladies on the set which was really helpful. But I had already planned their glam squads, hair and makeup and wardrobe stylists before hand. So it made it that much easier for NeNe to direct them on set and a lot of things she said, I actually agreed with. So she was a good help on set, I’m not gonna lie about that. But I’m just grateful that she gave me the opportunity to bring it to the “Housewives” cause it took the exposure of the project to whole ‘nother level.

A.D.: And what has the response been like since the show, cause you were already established before. But I know the show just pushed you out there into the mainstream past Atlanta……..

D.B.: Response has been great. Immediately after the show, we had about 100 emails and phone calls and anytime the show repeated throughout the week, we could tell cause we had numerous emails and phone calls. So everybody want an alter ego, and it’s kind of cool to be the originator of it because now I’m seeing knockoffs all over the country people are doing alter egos and the thing is, they may be able to do it now but I’m really the trendsetter for the project. And there are several knockoffs like the Louis (Vuitton) knockoffs, but you always know the difference.

A.D.: You know photographers are going to be biting you.

D.B. Right.

A.D. So what projects do you have coming up that you want to let people know about and how can people get in contact with you?

D.B.: I just finished Bebe and CeCe (Winans) their first album probably in about 15 years. I did Mo’Nique for Uptown Magazine. And the promo photos for her show as well as Monica’s show. I also did Monica for Upscale Magazine as well as Black Hair Sophisticate’s. I’m working with Jermaine Dupri’s artist and I’m the personal photographer for Jennifer Hudson just did her baby announcements photos which were published in People Magazine.

A.D. You did those?

D.B. Yeah

A.D. We have those on our website actually….

D.B.  O.K. that’s whats up. So I’ve been blessed to build relationships with these certain clients and pick them up as personal clients like Jennifer Hudson, I’m her personal photographer, Monica and several other celebrities want to work with me and I’m blessed and honored to be a part.

For more information on Dblanks:
www.Dblanks.com
www.twitter.com/dblanks

(As interviewed by Adrienne Donnell-www.controversialcutie.blogspot.com or Twitter.com/adiva5)

 

A.D.- Just tell me a little bit about yourself, where you’re from, how you were raised, family…..

Dahlia- Well, I’m originally from South Philadelphia….I actually moved to Houston when I was about 14 or 15 years old. I come from a strong line of hustlers, money makers. I’m not from your typical down to earth regular middle class family. I come from the ghetto streets of Philadelphia where everybody stood on the porch and braided hair. I went from that to moving to Texas to where we were the average middle class family. My mother was really abusive and after which I really pretty much got fed up and was like “I really can’t take this, it’s time for me to go” I never had a really great bond with my mom. I’ve always had a great bond with my family in Philadelphia and New York. But I’ve never had a strong bond with my mom. At 14 going on 15 years old I actually left home and I guess you could say that my family became the people that I met out in the streets you know out in the world and stuff like that.

A.D.- Where did you go at 14? Did you live with your extended family?

Dahlia- I went and stayed with a friend of mine who actually became one of my really good friends. Her mom was a minister at this time and were heavily, heavily into the church and they lived in the same apartment complex with us and they saw that my mom was really abusive- verbally, mentally, and physically. Her name is Artista Hicks and her sister Kaya Hicks who is actually one of Houston’s hottest singers right now. Around that time they moved me into their house…..I’ve actually been in that family since then. But I’d go and I’d come and I’d go and I’d come. I lived with them and from there, I’ve never been the type of person to like abide by the rules, I’ve always wanted to make my own rules so…I left that house around 16 so I started stripping….

A.D.- So you were in Houston at this time?

Dahlia- I was in Houston at this time…

A.D.-At 15 or 16 is that even a legal age to start stripping?

Dahlia- You know what? It’s not. And you know what? The club that I danced at, they got raided because someone found out that there were underage girls in there dancing it was…in Third Ward off Dowling and they got busted and when my mom saw me she was like “Oh you know I knew she was gonna end up doing this and I knew she was gonna end up doing that’ and it went really bad. Everybody in the family knew and I wasn’t ashamed. I wasn’t upset about it. I just said I gotta do what I gotta do cause I’m out here by myself. And then I had one guy who knew that I was living with my God mom and that I was out on the street and he was like you can come stay with me. And then come to find out, he was a pimp. So I was like “Oh no”. I’ve always had street smarts so I’ve always been the type of person, I’m not giving out my money. So I packed up my stuff and pretty much lived with everybody. Literally.

A.D. -So at some point in your life you started getting into meeting the celebrities and basketball players. How did that all get started?

Dahlia- Wow. That actually started when I was like 17 or 18 years old and I was with a friend of mine that was dancer that I used to hang with all the time and she said hey lets go to New York. Good. You know, I’m ready. Because I’m from Philadelphia so I know people from the East Coast and I knew I had family in New York and Philadelphia so we went to New York and we went to the strip club.And I was too skinny. I didn’t have the big boobs the big ass or anything like that. So we went to this one club and all the celebrities hung out there. So this particular day, Tupac, Shock G, Treach and a couple of other people were at this particular club. She was dancing and I was just like the watch out girl cause I wasn’t really built for this particular club. And its so funny cause I wrote Tupac while he was in prison about this story. They were interested in her but they were more interested in her to pretty much f**k with her. So they invited us back to their hotel and so she’s like ‘Hey we about to make some money I can do this and I can do that’ and I’m like 17 or 18 years old and I’m like no…I’m good. And so Tupac actually made a comment and was like “What the f**k are you gonna do, sit here and watch or are you gonna get the f**k out?” So we (began) verbally battling each other ending up with me sitting outside the hotel room until 7 o’clock the next morning.

A.D. -Wow!

Dahlia- And it was so crazy because when she came out of the room the next morning, I was really upset. I was mad cause I slept outside of the hotel room…in front of the door. You know she did what she did and whatever went on behind those closed doors is what she did. We ended up not being friends. We still see each other to this day we’re not friends. But from that day, I think like a week or two later, Pac and I ended up corresponding its kind of a long story and Im turning it into a very, very short story….We ended up hooking up….

A.D.- How did yall end up talking after that ordeal?

Dahlia – Where we were staying at in New York, he had a friend of a friend that lived in that area and they knew Poochie, which was my nickname, was over there. So they were you I know this girl named Poochie yeah whatever, whatever. I think what attracted (Tupac)to me or what clinged him to me or what clinged us to each other was my attitude cause I had a really funky attitude. I’ve always been picked on, talked about so I built myself to not care. So when I met him….I was like “Who are you? You’re nobody. Just cause ya’ll know celebrities ya’ll in videos and all this and that, I don’t care” And I think that’s what triggered something in his mind that was like she really got something, she really got something. So he came to my aunt’s house and I was like going off….and we started talking and he kept coming and he kept coming until finally I gave in. And so he was like, I really like you, you’re a cool person. And this crazy person that everybody was like he’s crazy, he’s loony…he wasn’t like that. He was like that in the beginning when I first met him but when I got to know him it was like ’wow’ this is a really heartfelt person he really has a lot to talk about. I endeded up, a couple of months later, I think about 9 months later I ended up moving to Atlanta with him they called it Thug Mansion. We ended up living in this house. And around the time he was with Keisha Morris, which was his wife, (she) wasn’t his wife at the time but his girlfriend, as well as myself. And it was hard cause I didn’t know (about the marriage)until it hit the media when he went to jail and we were both there for him. Both of us were there for him.

A.D. -What year was this because he’d been to jail so many times?

Dahlia (laughs) I met him in 93 and actually around the time he went to jail was around 95. I hold my letters so dear to me. I’ve had people steal letters, steal pictures that he’d written to me that he’d taken for me….pictures that I had of him even marrying Keisha. I wasn’t there but I have the letter that he wrote to his cousin about why he wanted to marry her because she was there. Both of us were there but she was there before me and I was younger than Keisha. It was crazy because I’m not gonna say he built me, but I guesss he molded me because everything that goes on in the music industry now, I know.I know stuff that people don’t know. I see stuff that people are about to go through that I watched him go through and that transition that he made. That transition that he made, I made right with him. And he told me stuff like, “you’re not gonna live life until you actually fight this war called life and you’re not gonna be a soldier until you lose” and I was like what are you talking about and he was like “You’re gonna go to jail, you’re gonna get in trouble.” And everything that I’ve gone through, I’m not saying he was a psychic or anything but he actually knew because I think we connected as friends. It was crazy. That’s actually how I ended up being in the celebrity realm because he took me around it….

A.D.- So he was pretty much the first one that you dated…

Dahlia- Yeah

A.D.- Now you were telling me that you also served some time…

Dahlia -I did

A.D.- For what? when was this? Was it around the Tupac time?

Dahlia- Actually around the Tupac time I did get in trouble but it wasn’t more like the case I just recently got. Ive been to jail several times. I’ve probably been to jail about 8 times and I have one federal case. I started going to jail when I was about 17 or 18 years old. You know dancing in the clubs and stuff like that and then it went from that to writing hot checks to it got bigger and bigger and bigger. To where it was like I’m not making money and I didn’t want to be a stripper any more so I was like ‘What do you do’. So I started hanging around people that had money. And by them having money I wanted to make money so I met somebody, I can’t really disclose her name,,,,,,,that worked at a bank and she was like, I can make you a millionaire. And I was like ”Really? What do I need to do?” And I went to prison for identity theft, money laundering and bank fraud. And I went to prison for Nine and a half million dollars.

A.D.- Whoa for how long?

Dahlia- I went for 2 and half years. They offered me 30 but I had a really good lawyer, big up to Mark Carter who is now a judge. But my case is I think is actually what my case, and a couple of other cases is what put him on that seat cause he was awesome. I was supposed to spend 30 years in prison, I got 2 and a half. I got 5 but I ended up doing 2 and a half because of different programs that the federal facility had. And I had already had a lot of stuff going on but I never finished them. I had started a magazine, Id started doing different stuff, I wanted to model but I was caught up in the hype of what the industry was about cause I was brought into it by Tupac so I was like I want that I want to drive those cars, I want to live that lifestyle….

A.D. -By any means necessary

Dahlia -And I did. I didn’t care. It was like, I’ve been shot at, I’ve been stabbed all of that. I face book about it I Twitter about Im still standing. I mean all of that you know those are my trophy scars cause they just remind me of where I came from and the struggles of what I had to go through to get where I’m going cause I’m not there yet.

A.D.- Now when I first met you Dahlia, one of the first conversations that we had over the phone you told me “I’m gonna tell you now, people might be saying things about me I have past they may say I’m a groupie or this and that but that’s behind me” you really just put it out there in the beginning. Do you do that with everybody that you meet that comes into your circle and why do you feel that its important to do that?

Dahlia- Its important because people say evil stuff. And I’m a firm believer that if you say something evil about me if its true, I’m gonna correct it. If its not true, I’m just gonna laugh at you and I feel that I have to tell people that because I’m an open book. First of all I love to talk but I don’t want to give anybody room to lie when I’d rather put it out there myself. I’m working on my book right now and its about my life. My life is an open book and I tell people because I never know who’s gonna say something. The business that I’m in you know the industry, music industry, the magazine industry, editorial, you being a journalist….You pretty much have to do a lot of talking to people. If people don’t take you serious, if you and I are talking and I want to venture off and do business with you…..if we’re trying to make this business happen then after our conversation you walk out of the door and someone says ’oh you can’t believe anything that she says, she’s just talking or she’s a joke.’ I feel like I need to put it out there before anybody else has the opportunity to slander my name. Why let someone slander my name when I’ve already done it myself?

A.D.- Back to the time or around the 2 and half years that you spent in jail what were some of the things going through your mind and what were your plans for when you got out? How have you changed since then? Or did the change immediately happened when you walked out of those doors?

Dahlia -(exhales) I didn’t have any plans. My plans were to hit the ground running and when I got out that’s what I did. I started doing illegal activity again. Because I didn’t have a car. I was going back to my boyfriend in his little one bedroom apartment, he was a teacher. But he supported me. And that’s not the lifestyle I wanted to live. I’m accustomed to Fendi, Prada…I went from wearing Payless to Prada, from Guess to Gucci. I was so materialistic to the point where I couldn’t distinguish between reality and this façade. I couldn’t do it.
What actually changed me…I got pregnant. That was by God. Cause I got out I was making money, I had three cell phones….straight out of the penitentiary….I got my hair done, I’m tryna to get a car everything, I can’t be broke. But my child is what grounded me. If it wasn’t for me having that baby, I’d probably be in a federal penitentiary.

 

 

A.D. And your child is by the teacher that you were living with?

Dahlia Yes. My little girl was a blessing and it was like she came out of nowhere cause I didn’t think I could have kids. I had done so in the world that…it was so crazy cause I was like I got have a baby by a basketball player, I got have a baby with somebody that got some money. That’s not who I really wanted to be it was because I saw so many people that had it going on. I hung with the it girls, the go to girls of Houston. Im not gonna name no names but I hung with the go to girls and it was like I want what they got how do they get to hang with celebrities, how are they doing this how are they doing that? But when I got behind closed doors, and I saw what really goes on I was like uh-uh. I had this clock in my brain that was like tick-tick-tick-tick stop. Let’s start over. And that’s pretty much what I did. I had to look at the fact that had this little bitty beautiful baby…. And I said ok ‘you’re either going to be a mommy or your gonna be a hoe.’ So which one are you gonna be? I don’t think I was a groupie cause I never, never approached any celebrity any person that I’ve ever dated or talked to, slept, whatever, they’ve approached me. I’ve never been the type of person to approach them. I’ve always been at the right place at the right time to be approachable. But I’ve never been the type of person to be a groupie to rush to their door, bang on their door or you know run up to them. I was always the one that stood out. I wore something that would stand out….I was approachable.

A.D. How do you feel about the possible comparisons to Karrine Steffans once your book comes out and what do you feel the difference between you two is?

Dahlia I knew you was gonna ask that question because its been asked so many times by people that know I’m writing this book. I don’t feel that Karrine and I are comparable. Because number one, I know her son’s father, Coogie Rap and his wife. I’m not gonna talk about her and her book but we’re very different. I don’t know what she really went through but people around me here in Houston know and can vouch for the things that I’ve gone through. What makes us different is that I didn’t sleep with the entire industry. I’m not here to display who I slept with, how I slept with them, how big of a hoe I thought I was, or how big of a hoe everybody else thought I was. That’s what makes us different because she’s displaying all of her celebrity business when I’m actually turning my situation around and turning it into a positive situation so somebody else can say ‘You know what, she went through something. And I don’t want my daughter, my mother, my cousin, to go through that.’ I’m not trying to get recognition for the people that I know. I’m not trying to get kudos or big points or stars for the people that I slept with cause that’s not what its about. What it’s about is learning what somebody else went through because when we lay down with people whether they’re celebrities….first of all celebrities are real men. They have real dreams, they have real goals, they have real lives. I’m not displaying, how I did it. I’m simply speaking on what I learned out of that experience. What makes us completely different, number one I’m older than she is, number two I’m not a hoe and that’s what makes us different. We have hoes and we have hoe types and we have people that just happen to be in the right place at the right time.

A.D. -So how do you define the word hoe? Everyone has a different definition, I’ve heard them all….What is Dahlia’s definition of a hoe?

Dahlia- There are several different definitions of a hoe. You can be hoe on the street prostituting. Number one if you’re sleeping with three guys at one time, you a hoe! I don’t feel like you’re a hoe if you put on something sleazy and slutty. That’s not being a hoe, you’re just trying to get attention. So I truly feel like the whole definition of a hoe is if you’re just putting yourself out there in a really nasty, slutty way. You can be hoe with your boyfriend. You can go behind your own closed doors and be a hoe with your man. So it’s not necessarily saying that everybody else thinks you’re a hoe but you may be that behind closed doors.

A.D.- Would you consider yourself, in the past, a gold digger?

Dahlia- No. I’ve always been on my own grind.

A.D. -So how is it that most of the men that you’ve dated, have all had money?

(both laugh)

A.D.- I’ve never been that lucky Dahlia.

Dahlia- Because I’ve always been introduced to them by somebody else. It wasn’t by force. I’ve never forced myself to meet this basketball player, or I’ve never forced myself into somebody’s room. It’s always been a homeboy like Tupac’s cousin introduced me to this one particular basketball player who I have been knowing and still been talking to, we’re not dating, but we’re still friends for ten years….I met him, everybody in Houston knows who he is. I though he was awesome, now don’t get me wrong that big ass house attracted me. But I think that once he and I started hanging out…I mean I have a nurturing spirit. I’m the type of person that loves to cook, I love to clean, I love to cater to the person that I’m with. This person has never really given me anything. I lost a car once, he didn’t buy me a new car but he gave me down payment on a car. I almost lost my apartment once, he didn’t buy me a house, he gave me the money to get an apartment . So the people that I’ve dated were never men who just spent, spent, spent money on me. It was moreso like, I was a hustler. I was doing illegal activity I had my own money so I’m not with you cause you have money. If anybody digs up my past they’ll know I started from the entertainment business as far as stripping, I dated Tupac Shakur. I mean I’ve dated people…I mean I dated them before they were anybody. I mean the basketball player I didn’t date him before he was anybody but I dated Pac before he was really anybody. I dated a couple of other people before they were actually singers or….they didn’t have anything. I contributed to a few causes, studio time, stuff like that. Gold digger? I’ve never been. I’ve always been a grinder. I’ve always been the type of person, I gotta go get it myself because you can always take it back from me (if it’s given).

A.D. -Now another infamous relationship that we discussed on your show was with Ginuwine. Tell me how you met him and how long ago that was.

Dahlia- That was many, many, many years ago. That was when Pony actually first came out. And I guess you can say, it was o.k. I can’t really say it was a relationship because how can you have a relationship with somebody that when you see each other you pretty much just….you know what I’m saying….see each other. (laughs)

 A.D.- “Know each other”

Dahlia- Know each other(laughs). He’s a really good friend and I really can’t speak on that right now because he and I have had a talk and I promised I would never say anything ever again because I have to respect his marriage. We are really good friends. We were really good friends. Things did happen between us, I write about it in my book. But out of respect for him and his family and the fact that some of his children….

A.D.- But at the time “Pony” came out he wasn’t married was he?

Dahlia- Noooo. We met in Florida at a club called Liquids and it was on South Beach…..he was with Missy, Timbaland and Magoo, you know the crew, and he had somebody walk over to me. I was real skinny, I didn’t have no breasts, I was frail build.

A.D.- So the breasts must be bought then…

Dahlia- They’re store bought (laughs). I did bring you a picture of that actual day. (Dahlia opens wallet and shows picture of her and Genuwine looking very happy together)

A.D.- Oh look at you, you were skinny!

Dahlia -Yes both of us were skinny.

A.D. -You two look cute.

Dahlia- And he looks nothing like that now.

A.D. -No he doesn’t.

Dahlia-…..Everytime he comes to Houston we keep it strictly business, strictly friends. I’m not gonna say, Oh my God that was my boyfriend. When really when reality kicks in, they’re not really our boyfriend they’re just guys that we meet that just happen to be in the industry. A true relationship is someone you can call on the phone and kick it with. (With Genuwine) it was always I see you when I see you , we hang out. I think that we moreso had a good friendship. A good stable friendship. Like when he came to Houston recently I was like ‘Oh my God’ and people were looking like “Is she a groupie?” I literally had to turn around, but before I could say anything, he had grapped me and just embraced me like ‘Oh my God its good to see you’ and I asked him how are the kids how’s the wife. And I have to respect the fact that people are gonna be asking about that and I’m like ummmm….uhhhhh. It’s nothing. It’s strictly, strictly innocent. I recently posted up some pictures of us, when he came here to Houston and I got a call like “D…ummm. We know you’re doing a magazine….but.” In certain pictures things can be taken out of context . I think that the pictures that I posted were taken out of context. Like I told him, I don’t want to be in media takeout because there were people taking pictures of us cause I actually hugged him in his truck while they were leaving. So instead of standing outside of the truck, I actually got in and hugged him and the door was still open and the way that we were sitting if you’re taking pictures from an angle, it actually did not look like that was appropriate. So I had to take the pictures down and people started asking and I was like I can’t answer that question for you just out of respect. I can’t say who I got the call from…….Because he was going through something with Lisa Raye people making accusations and speculating that he and Lisa Raye had something going on. So I had to respect that. We’re cool.

 

 

A..D.- Now lets talk about Drama Scene Magazine now. How did that get started? Now you’re doing a blog talk radio show now but it started out just being a blog right?

Dahlia- What Drama Scene Magazine?

A.D.- Yeah

Dahlia- Nooo. Drama Scene Magazine actually started in January of 2000. It was around the time that I was starting to make some money and I was dating this particular basketball player. And I wanted to do something different. Because you can’t see this particular basketball player and be a stripper, be a groupie. You know you can’t be out there like that. So I was like I had to change my image. So I started Drama Scene Magazine and it did good. I got a issue, one issue cause I wanted to complete something. So I started it and was like ‘O.K. whatever.’ So I did a few parties, I did something with 97.9 The Box when we had Lil Zane come……But we threw a few parties and that was before a lot of the promoters here in Houston were really promoting and I was just like bam this is really my time to shine. But again, I’m in Houston. People don’t want to see other people succeed. So I was so scared of what other people were going to think if I failed, I started doing other stuff. I went out and started making me some real money. I went out and got me a BMW, went and bought me some nice clothes, started traveling, going out of the country going to New York. And I was doing it really, really big cause I was like if I’m gonna step out, I’m gonna step out right. And I felt like I had something to prove to other people. So it was like Drama Scene Magazine came…and I was like ‘whatever.’ But now, I’m at a point now where it’s like ‘Dahlia you’ve had this magazine since January of 2000, what are you gonna do with it?’ So I have friend of mine who is one of the big girl’s over there at Groove’s and she stay’s on me, she’s younger than me but she was like ‘look you have to clean up your image….you have a multi-million dollar company.’ I have Drama Scene Magazine, I have Drama Scene Live which is on blog talk radio I have Drama Scene Live which is on YouTube and also have Platinum Touch Publishing which is my publishing company…..It actually started as a publication in 2000 and I’m just rebuilding from where I left off.

A.D.- So your book…Have you come up with a title?

Dahlia- I actually just re-titled my book. The name of the book was called The Coin’s Edge and the subtitle was Black and White is easy but it’s the shades of grey that change me. I actually changed the name of the book to ‘I Testify’ because I feel like what I’ve gone through is a testimony. I’m not talking about me being a ‘Superhead’ I’m not talking about me being a Superhoe. I’m talking about me being a Superwoman. And so I testify is talking about where I am now because I feel like I have something to testify about because I’m not supposed to be here. Literally, I’m not supposed to be here. I’m not at the point where I’m at a finishing point because I haven’t reached the end. I’m a testimony that you can walk out of this industry, out of the entertainment business, walk out of that strip club, you can walk out of that drug house, you can walk away from that abusive relationship, you can walk away from your mother and still live and that’s what I Testify is about. It’s not me talking about me talking about who I know as a celebrity, who I’ve been with, how I met them, I mean I talk about it, but I talk about what I gained from it. I learned from certain people. I met Nelly and I heard some really, really bad things about that meeting with Nelly. And I had to come out and say, ‘I did. I slept with Nelly.’ But in no way shape, form, or fashion was it like that, how it came back to me. Because it came back from DMX and DMX’s D.J. like ‘did this happen?’ I was like ‘no.’

A.D. -What did they say happened?

Dahlia- Oh My God. They were saying that I pretty much was hookin up with everybody. And Tupac taught me the game so I can’t really say what I told their bodyguard, but I said, this is what would happen, and I promise if I hear it again, we’ll be in court. So you can only imagine what I said to them for me to say, we’ll be in court if I hear that I supposedly knew all of ya’ll like that. I never heard it again from that day. Tupac taught me, if someone says something about you, turn it into an experience where they’ll have to pay for it. I’ve taught myself not to be in those situations anymore cause I’d hate to have to take someone to jail for something that I lied about because if you lie on me, I’ll lie on you.

A.D. -Can you talk about your negotiations with B.E.T. and your reality show?

Dahlia -We sent over a synopsis through my V.P. and was like this is what I want to do, this is my idea. Right now, everybody on reality tv are celebrities and I really feel like we need a reality show of a real person. So we’re building from the ground up. So we sent over a synopsis and we’ve spoken to several people nothing has been concrete nothing is set in stone.

A.D. -What do you think would make Dahlia happy?

Dahlia -I’m happy with the fact that I have a beautiful, beautiful daughter. That’s a touchy subject. I think if I’m going to learn to be happy, I have to be happy with myself. I haven’t truly learned to look in the mirror and say, “I love you.” I get to a point where, I look at myself and I’m not happy with where I’ve been and I feel like its gonna crumble in but every time I feel like it’s gonna cave in God says ‘Wait a minute, I got your back.” I’ve always felt that I’ve needed a man to make me happy. Like I’m in a relationship right now and it’s like I’m trying to build this empire but it’s like, ‘How can I build this empire when the person that I’m dating is in the industry and their numb and every time I turn around my phone is ringing off of the hook because he’s in the strip club, or he’s in the club or he’s out of town doing something.’ And it’s like ‘What do you do Dahlia, to get to that level of happiness?” That point of I can be happy without all of this and sit at home and be o.k. and I’m not there yet. But I’m getting there.

The line had slowly come to a halt.  Stretching around the inside of the church were hundreds of people, who had come to this holy place of worship to pay their respects to the life of a sixteen-year-old young man.  Outside on the street corner, on this cold, crisp autumn day in Chicago, were a group of Muslims from the Nation conversing about the deteriorating conditions of the Southside of the Windy City.  Inside this old, run-down yet beautiful cathedral, I sat ten rows back for hours watching old people, young people, families, wheelchair bound seniors, crying babies, come and go…stop for a moment, some would cross themselves, others unable to even look, but all would at some point, move on.  But, then the line stopped.  Someone wasn’t able to move on.  Someone wasn’t aware that there were hundreds waiting in line.  Someone didn’t care about the Muslims taking their positions for the arrival of the Minister.  Someone needed time.  And no one said a word.  We all just watched.  We watched this precious, beautiful eight-year-old angel stand over her cousin’s open casket and hug him like she may never see him again.  We watched this child gently touch and caress the face of another child, yet one was living and the other had passed.  We watched her father, dressed in a black t-shirt and a Jesus piece gold medallion chain, stand next to her, staring at the ceiling in utter pain, but clutching his precious princess by his side.  We all just sat and watched and pretended that we weren’t in the room, so this child who walks with God could have her one last moment with her hero.  She kissed him on the forehead and clutched her daddy as tight as she knew how, and slowly walked away down the aisle, with tears streaming down her swollen face.  We had run an iconic photograph of her on Global Grind all week long, so in my mind I thought I knew her, but she had never seen me before.  And as I turned around to witness her powerful exit, the young man’s entire family was standing at the front doors of this congressional hall of God awaiting their entrance.  We rose to our feet, with deep respect for their pain and suffering, and stood motionless as they walked down the center aisle, led by some of the most powerful men of faith of our land.  And now, as the mother of this sixteen-year-old young man had told me on the phone on Wednesday, they could “put this baby to rest.”

Rev. Jesse Jackson was approaching the pulpit, when a younger teacher of God, took to the microphone first.  Minister Louis Farrakhan had just delivered one of the most powerful speeches I had heard in my young thirty-one years on this earth.  Father Pfleger had just passionately spoken the words of scripture and questioned the entire congregation about our commitment to be keeper of our brothers.  But, Bishop Tavis Grant wanted to make one acknowledgement before the service continued.  He wanted to make sure that the congregation of over 1,000 people knew about the efforts of a community.  The efforts to spread the story of this young man around the world.  The efforts of a website called GlobalGrind.  The efforts of people like Nas, Reagan Gomez, Bow Wow, Ludacris, Russell Simmons, and the numerous others who did their part.  He spoke of a young man who was committed to making sure that everyone knew the name of this sixteen-year-old whose life we were celebrating today.   And then he said that young man was me and asked me to stand.  And I did.  But, when I stood up, I stood up for every single person who cares.  I stood up for every person who blogged or tweeted or re-tweeted or facebooked or myspaced or went on the radio or told a friend or told their child or commented on a story…I stood up for the staff of Global Grind, who this week, tirelessly made it their mission to make this local, Chicago story a national issue.  I STOOD UP FOR HIP-HOP.  I only stood up for 10 seconds….but all of these things raced through my mind as I waved to the mother and humbly bowed in her presence.

As the service ended, I placed my hand on the casket as it rolled by, going to a better place, a place to rest and be at peace.  And as I stood outside the church after the service, I was approached by many people who thanked us for our work.  One man in particular, who is a cousin of the sixteen year old, told me that he follows Global Grind on twitter and he knew every artist who had re-tweeted our messages and was so thankful to all of them.  I was proud.  In this tragic situation, our community came together and fought to make sure that this young man’s life would not be in vain.  I was proud because we showed this week that we have a tremendous amount of strength if we want to use it properly and positively.  So, thank you Global Grind community for hearing our call to action and taking it on in more ways than we could have ever imagined.

However, although I am proud and thankful, I know we have much work to do.  I know this is far from over.  I know a 13-year-old kid was shot in the head and killed on Friday in Queens, New York.  I know this is not about “stop the violence” marches or candlelight vigils.  I know it is much deeper than that.  I know we need to begin the dialog about the core issues that have brought our nation to its knees.  I know we can and we will do better.  But, for a moment.  Just a moment.  Let us remember, that this sixteen-year-old young man who was killed on September 24th in Chicago, Illinois has a name.  And his name is Derrion Albert.

And if we can just remember that knowing his name means a lot to his family, then we will not let him or anyone in the future become another statistic, because they all have names.

Rest In Peace Derrion.

-Michael Skolnik
Political Editor, Global Grind

Follow Michael on twitter @michaelskolnik

globalgrind.com source

Houston get ready for the 1st annual Underground Music Feast of 2009!!! We are calling out all underground artist, musicians, poets, producers, recording lables, and music fans to come out to 90.3 The Underground Hitlist 1st Annual Underground Music Feast at Club Krystal’s VIP Lounge Located at 6909 Hilcroft & Bellaire!!!!!!

If you are a underground artist that looking to be heard and looking to network this is the place to be…  There will be speacial preformances by Just Brittany, Teddy B., & many more.  It will be hosted by Fiya AKA Ms. Core DJ with Go DJ Dreamkast in da mix!!!

So be there October 3, 2009 Club Krystal VIP Lounge @ 9:00 pm, Located at 6909 Hilcroft & Bellaire!!!

Out of shear curiosity. What would be your ideal part in Houston? What about going out at night makes you go out in the first place? Is it the women? Is it the men? Is it to be seen? The drinks? After answering all these questions to yourself, tell us what would make the best combination for party or event that you could see yourself attending on a regular basis…..

Tempted by the Temptation Lounge? I bet you are after seeing this layout and decor!! Temptation Lounge  has one of the hottest layout for a club that you will ever see!! Its sexy, sophisticated, grown, private, and the place to be! Oh yeah and its “OPEN BAR” !!!