How to Read Jazz Chords and Lead Sheets

 

One of the most common issues that beginning jazz guitarists run into is how to read from a fake book and properly interpret jazz chord symbols. In this lesson, you will learn how lead sheet changes are written. You will add chord colors and tensions to basic chord changes, and learn a sample comping study to help you take these ideas into your playing.

When first reading chord changes for popular jazz standards in lead sheet form, we are confronted with what looks like very plain chords, such as Dm7, G7, and Cmaj7. But, when you hear great players comp over these tunes they aren’t sticking to these written chords. Instead, they use m9, 7b9, 13, maj6, and other chord colors and tensions to decorate these changes.

These kinds of chords sound cool and are something many of us desire to add to our own playing. But, how do you take the basic jazz chords from the Real Book and make them sound as colorful as the great players’ chord comping?

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to play from a fake book, understand the changes, and comp over them in a musical and practical fashion.

Lead Sheet Chord Changes

The first aspect of learning how to read a lead sheet for guitar is to understand how chord changes are written in fake books such as the Real Book. The chords on jazz charts are often written in a simple style such as Dm7, G7, Cmaj7, Em7b5, A7alt, etc., rather than very specific chords such as Dm9, G13, C6, Em11b5, A7b9, etc.

It is up to us to play those basic changes in a more colorful way by adding chord extensions, tension notes and chord substitutions.

To get you started, here are the first 8 bars of Autumn Leaves:

• In the first 8 bars of the audio, you’ll hear the guitar player play the exact chords as written in the Real Book.
• in the second 8 bars the chords are interpreted in a more real-world fashion with colors and tensions added.

 

This will give you an idea of how the two approaches sound before moving on to studying the various chord alterations in the rest of this lesson.

 

Listen & Play Along

 

Adding Chord Colors to Lead Sheet Changes

One of the biggest misconceptions when first learning how to read jazz chords is that the chords you see are the chords you play, which isn’t necessarily the case. When playing through lead sheet chords, you need to develop the ability to see a basic chord and play it in a creative way by adding colors to the chord.

The first thing to know when adding chord colors to basic changes is the options you have for each of these chords.

To help you understand your options, here are the most common chord colors:

• Major 7 = maj7, maj6, maj9, maj6/9
• Dominant 7 = 7, 9, 13, 7#11
• Minor 7 = m7, m6, m9, m6/9, m11, mMaj7 (if in place of a tonic m7 chord)
• Half Diminished = m7b5, m11b5
• Altered Chords (7alt) = 7b9, 7#9, 7b5, 7#5, 7b9b5, 7b9#5, 7#9b5, 7#9#5

 

To give you an example of how to apply chord colors to a tune, here is an example over the first 8 bars of Autumn Leaves:

 

Listen & Play Along

 

To get this technique under your fingers and build confidence with adding chord colors to lead sheet changes, try opening the Real Book, pick a random tune and then a specific chord color to add to all of the chords in that tune.

For example, you could add 9ths to every chord, such as reading m7, 7 and maj7 chords and playing them as m9, 9, and maj9 chords.

Adding Chord Tensions to Lead Sheet Chords

Apart from adding extensions to lead sheet chord changes, you can also add tensions to these chords. You have to be more careful with tensions and make sure they resolve properly in your comping.

Some examples of adding tensions to a lead sheet chords:

• Playing G7b9 when you see G7.
• Playing Cmaj6/9#11 when you see Cmaj7.

Common tensions over Dominant chords would be the b9, #9, b5, and #5, or any combination of those intervals.

Over maj7 chords, the #11 and #5 are both common tension tones that you can add to your comping.

Here is an example of how you can add tension tones to the A section of Take the A Train, a common jazz standard and a great vehicle for testing out new approaches to comping.

 

Listen & Play Along

 

The Melody is King

While you do have the freedom to add colors and tensions to any chord you are playing, the one thing that will dictate specific chords in your playing is the melody line. Behind a soloist, adding a 9th, 13th, or 7b9#11 chord can be inspiring for the soloist and other band members to play with, but behind a melody line those changes can cause unwanted clashes.

When working on reading chords during the melody section of a tune, the first place to look for specific chord colors and tensions is in the melody.

For example:

• If you see a G7 chord and you decide to add a 13th, that could cause a clash if a b7 is played in the melody.  If you put a 13 on the top of your chord (the note E) and the singer sings the b7 (F), that half-step interval between you and them will cause an unwanted dissonance that might not sound good to the audience and make it hard for the melodist to tune at the same time.
• If you see a C major chord and you play a 7 on top of your chord (B), while the singer sings a 1 (C). The half-step interval between B and C will cause dissonance.

 

Here is an example of how you would look at a melody line and let the notes of the melody decide which chord colors you play.

 

Listen & Play Along

 

To take this approach further, take any lead sheet out of the Real Book, look at the melody and then work out chord colors based on the notes of the melody. Doing this slowly with a lead sheet at first will then allow you to do this in real time during a jam or gig.

Adding Chord Subs to Lead Sheet Changes

Along with chord colors and tensions, you can also add chord substitutions to any chord progression you are reading through.

For example, if you see a ii-V-I chord progression in a lead sheet, you could use a tritone substitution (ii-bII-I) over those changes in a soloing situation, and in a melody situation if it doesn’t clash with the melody.

You can also use other chord substitutions over common changes, such as playing iii-VI-ii-V over a I-vi-ii-V turnaround, or Countdown subs over ii-V-I chord changes in the style of John Coltrane.

Here is a sample of a tritone sub being applied to the first 8 bars of Autumn Leaves, over the V7 chord in bar 3 and bar 6 of the changes.

 

Listen & Play Along

 

Sample Lead Sheet Comping Study

To finish your introduction to reading jazz guitar chords, here is a sample comping study over the standard Summertime. In this study, you will see how the chord changes are written in a lead sheet style, but the chords have been colored.

Each chord color or tension is labeled so you can see how the lead sheet chords were interpreted in the real-life comping example.

 

Listen & Play Along

 

After you have learned this chord study, try playing over Autumn Leaves on your own, adding chord colors and tensions in a similar style along the way in order to expand your ability to interpret chord changes in a practical, musical fashion.

If you need help with this lesson, leave a comment below…

 

The post How to Read Jazz Chords and Lead Sheets appeared first on Jazz Guitar Online | Free Jazz Guitar Lessons, Licks, Tips & Tricks..

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Drew Dixon Speaks: 9 Takeaways from Russell Simmons’ Rape Accuser Interview

Russell Simmons/Drew Dixon

By Brenda Alexander

At just 24 years old, Drew Dixon was a rising A&R executive at Def Jam Records at the pinnacle of rap’s rise. Under the influence of hip hop mogul Russell Simmons, she produced platinum-selling albums, arranged tours and promotions and was responsible for the classic duet between Method Man & Mary J. Blige. But according to Drew, none of her career success was enough to prevent severe sexual harassment and “alleged” eventual rape at the hands of her boss. As a follow-up to her profile in The New York Times, in an interview with Buzzfeed News, Drew detailed how she went from Stanford University graduate with NYC record label dreams, to a victim of abuse and isolation, leading to her eventual exit from the music industry altogether. Here are 9 takeaways from Drew’s story.

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She Was At Russell's Mercy From The Start
Russell wasn’t the head at the label, but he was an isolated entity and a powerhouse who was left to run his own show outside of the regular operations of the company. He was trusted in his capabilities because he was the only gatekeeper at that time who knew the hip hop world. Drew was hired without the president of the company’s knowledge. The company was so ill-prepared for her arrival that there was no workspace available to her, no adequate equipment to do her job, and more importantly, she had no real job description or sense of direction, leaving her in an unorthodox work environment under her boss, Russell, who rarely worked in office and opted for nontraditional desks at bars, at his home and from his car. Pissed that he was kept out of the loop with bringing her on board, the President of the company (Lyor Cohen) once blatantly told her, “I don’t want to have anything to do with any of Russell’s skinny bitches...when you see me, move out of the way.”

She Thought She Was Different
When asked if she thought she was hired for her looks, Drew answered no. Usual Russell hanger-ons were young models, not Ivy League graduates who like Drew was “a hip hop head who used slang and wore timberland boots with baggy clothes.” Adding to that was the fact that an ex-girlfriend of Russell's was the one who pressed him to hire her, so why would he think they had any chance of a romantic relationship?

Drew Dixon during Arista Records Tenure

Split Personality
Drew says that though working with Russell was uncomfortable from the start, it was hard to recognize that she was a victim of sexual harassment because she experienced two vastly different sides of him: On one hand, he was her champion at work who believed in her vision, gave her the opportunity to produce records and even stood against the President of the company when he shot her down - but it all came with a price. In the same breath, Russell is accused of being sexually provocative. “After conference calls, he’d comment on how turned on he was by me handling business.” It got so bad that Drew says he got bold enough to expose himself in her office, corner her in private spaces, rub against her and continue to be sexually suggestive.

Managing Russell’s Advancements
Desperate to keep her job and dedicated to prove to Russell that she couldn’t be persuaded, Drew strategized how to block his progressing advances. “I told a colleague about him locking my office door and cornering me to expose himself. I gave that colleague a key and told him that if I called him, to rush to my office and unlock the door. That stopped that scenario. Whenever I’d go to public meetings with him, I’d bring a friend to show him I was there for business. It seemed to calm him down."

The Assault
Following the album release party for the soundtrack “The Show,” which Drew co-executive produced successfully on her own, she ended up in Russell’s apartment under the impression that he wanted her to listen to a new demo for her next project. She thought nothing serious of it as she often worked with Russell in odd settings. “He knew that was my trigger...work. He praised the success of the album, telling me that the parent company was so impressed with me.” While in the apartment, Drew says she was lured to his bedroom where he told her the CD player was. While trying to look for the record, she says Russell emerged naked and violently attacked her.

Scared Silent
Outside of the belief that no one would believe that Russell Simmons raped her, Drew cited history as her reason for not coming forward publicly sooner. “I was 20 when Anita Hill came forward and 22 when Desiree Washington filed a suit against Mike Tyson. I didn’t want to be excommunicated from my community.” Analyzing it from a 2018 worldview, Drew says, “The vilification of Russell Simmons hurts innocent black men because it adds credence to the mythology of the predatory black man...For 22 years I stayed silent because I didn’t want to add to that.”

Thoughts On #MeToo
Drew knows accusers coming forward are rocking the boat and are targeted because of the potential consequences. With that in mind, the movement can not afford to have accusers with sketchy passes. When asked about her thoughts on Asia Argento who was later found to have consensual sex with a minor, she expressed her disgust. “It’s too risky and we already have enough people who doubt us. We can not afford spokespeople like this.”

3rd Time's A Charm
After quitting Def Jam a week after the assault, Drew went on to work with Clive Davis at Arista Records, where she says she thrived and was awarded a safe and productive work environment. LA Reid took over after Davis left for J Records and things went downhill from there. Although she says she didn’t experience physical abuse, she was still harassed. Instead, Reid was not subtle in her rejection of him and took it out on her work by shelving albums she worked on or denying her projects altogether. She left the industry after that.

Why She Feels Abuse Is So Common In the Music Industry
“Music industry is the cousin of nightlife with clubs and parties,” Drew says. “It’s the soundtrack to socializing and informal by design, so that makes room for a very relaxed and non-traditional environment.” As a result, Drew feels women are conditioned to accept harassment, even in the slightest form and in a way have become enablers of it due to staying silent and victim shaming. In order to move forward, Drew believes more women need to be in positions of power and vocal against those types of behaviors.

Drew's story appears credible as there are more than a dozen other women who have come forward to accuse Russell of similar abuse. Considering Russell’s reputation of being a philanderer attached to young and impressionable models (he started dating his ex-wife Kimora Lee Simmons when she was 16 and he was in his mid-30s) and someone who creates stressful work environments by verbally abusing his staff, the idea that he uses his power and access on a string is not far-fetched.

Drew Dixon is slowly making her return to the industry with her independent label, The Ninth Floor, named in honor of the floor she worked on at Arista Records, which she says is one of her happier periods in the industry. Hopefully, she'll give others the courage to speak and continue to tell their stories. More importantly, I pray she finds healing. Since Drew’s claims are outside of the statute of limitations, she gains no financial benefit from speaking out. Watch her full Buzzfeed interview below.

Do you believe Drew?

 

Brenda is a Philadelphia native with a love for Marketing, Creative writing, wine and Jesus. Her work has been featured on Mayvenn’s Real Beautiful blog and she is the co-author of the book Christmas 364: Be Merry and Bright Beyond Christmas Night (available for purchase on amazon). Follow her on IG @trulybrenda_ and trulybrenda.wordpress.com

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“Your Behavior Diminishes Your Message” Iyanla Scolds Tamar Before Exiting Braxton Family Values Finale

Iyanla Vanzant

 By Veronica Wells

I’m waiting with baited breath for the day WE tv shows the meet up between Iyanla Vanzant and the Braxton sisters. To put it simply, the Braxton sisters have a lot of things to work out and Iyanla has the type of no-nonsense, honesty that the family could use a lot bit more of. 

For the past few weeks, we’ve been hearing rumblings about what transpired on the season finale of “Braxton Family Values.” Tamar accused Vanzant of sex shaming her after she revealed she was molested by family members. (Vanzant mentioned that she could sue her for defamation of character.) Then, there was footage of Iyanla walking out of the session with the sisters—and their parents. At the time, we didn’t know what that was about. But a new clip from We Tv seems to add a bit of context to the walkout. 

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Products Your Daughter's 4c Hair Will Love

NaturallyTiffany

By Erickka Sy Savané

Figuring out the right products to use on my two daughters' 4c hair has been a struggle for this mom. Even though their hair is short, keeping it moisturized has been the biggest challenge. Fortunately, I've been able to find some holy grail products that work, along with a few videos that have made my job much easier. Take a look!

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Eden BodyWorks Natural Cleansing Co-Wash from the Coconut Shea Line

Eden BodyWorks

Just a small scoop makes this cream lather my daughters' entire head. It also smells nice with just a hint of coconut. One wash usually gets their entire head clean, but not squeaky. I usually follow it up with the Natural Cream Conditioner from the same line. It's sulfate-free and one jug will cost you just $8.99. Eden has free shipping on orders of $40 or more, which is great because the products are extremely affordable so you can get a lot of bang for your buck, and have it shipped for free.

Eden BodyWorks Natural Hair Balm 

Eden BodyWorks

This product has been a lifesaver because finding a leave-in conditioner/hair grease that gives their hair actual shine and moisture, without just sitting on top of the hair shaft like a slippery mess, was a challenge. This product not only gets into the shaft, because it’s infused with coconut oil and shea butter, it also soaks in without making the hair frizzy. So you can do a pick-out, rub it into the hair in a circular motion for a nice twisty look, or apply it to your defined curls. I apply it to my daughter’s wet hair daily and one of these jars last well over a month and that’s with three heads (I use it too)! It also has a very mild coconut scent so people won’t smell you coming from a mile away. Since I like to stick to what works I bought 5 containers online because they’re only $5 a piece!!!

The Melanin Shop: Tree Naturals- Natasha's Growth Butter

The Melanin Shop

They call this every Curlies holy grail and I couldn’t have said it better! It’s a triple threat, meaning a butter blend of Fair Trade Shea Butter, Cupuacu Butter, Horsetail Butter, along with a bunch of other stuff like meadowfoam oil, perilla seed oil, tea tree and rosemary essential oils, sweet almond, avocado and more. This cream is decadent! I like that it soaks into dry hair like a sponge, and it smells great, without setting off any alarms. I use it as a daily hair dress on my girls' hair. Do yourself a favor and try it for yourself. A jar will cost you $14.99.

How to Style & Moisturize Kids Dry 4C Hair! | NaturallyTiffany

In this video, NaturallyTiffany shows how she moisturizes and styles her daughter's 4c hair. My daughters' hair is shorter than the girl in this video, so I can't really do the style, but I like to see what other moms are doing to give their daughter's hair moisture. She also lists the products she uses so if you like what you see you can go out and cop' em!

How I moisturize my daughters 4C hair mid-wash week plus a quick re-style | Type 4 natural hair kids

This mom shows how she does a remix on her daughter's hair in-between washes. She uses way more products in one video than I've used on my daughters' hair their whole 6 and 9 years alive, but I love that it gives me an idea of the possibilities. Maybe us simpler moms will be inspired to try something new. I really love just how much moisture can get into the hair shaft. Check it out and maybe you'll be inspired to step out of your comfort zone too.

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What products do you use on your daughter's 4c hair?

Erickka Sy Savané is managing editor of CurlyNikki.com, a wife, mom, and freelance writer based in Jersey, City, NJ. Her work has appeared in Essence.com, Ebony.com, Madamenoire.com, xoNecole.com, and more. When she’s not writing...wait, she’s always writing! Follow her on Twitter, Instagram or  ErickkaSySavane.com

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Some Folks are Calling Geoffrey Owens Rude for Donating Nicki Minaj's $25,000

Geoffrey Owens & Nikki Minaj

By Erickka Sy Savané

At this point we all pretty much know the story of how former Cosby Show actor Geoffrey Owens was working at a Trader Joe's in New Jersey when a customer tried to work shame him. The world came to his defense, job offers came pouring in, including a 10-episode stint on the Haves and the Have Nots from Tyler Perry, and a whopping $25,000 gift from Nicki Minaj! Talk about things changing overnight. Obviously, his Trader Joe's gig is history along with his $10 hour. So maybe that's why he donated the $25,000 that Nicki gave him to charity. And while many people are applauding his generosity, some aren't so happy. In fact, they're calling him rude and ungrateful.

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First, he didn't donate it to just any charity (though it would be within his rights), he donated it to the Actor's Fund. As an actress myself (not so much now), I can attest that this organization is a life saver. During my time in LA, when I was in-between TV commercial work, and struggling to make ends meet, the organization was there. They helped pay my rent, utilities and health care, in a way that allowed me and my family to stay afloat so that we could continue to pursue acting work. And they treated us with dignity. Not like something was wrong with us for falling on hard times. They have my FULL support and I WISH I could cut them a $25,000 check as a token of my appreciation. I suspect that Geoffrey has probably leaned on them as well, so this donation likely means a lot to him.

Geoffrey said in a statement:

"I would like to give this donation of 25k to the Actor’s Fund in memory of the late, great Earle Hyman -- who played Cosby’s father, ‘Russell’ on “The Cosby Show" -- who lived his last many years and died at the Actors’ Home, (funded and run by the Actor’s Fund). I am extremely grateful to Nicki Minaj for enabling struggling actors to continue pursuing their dreams."

Actors' Home

Now because I get around, I can personally attest to the blessing that the Actors' Home is as well. Located in a residential area in Englewood, New Jersey, this place is the BUSINESS. It's for men and women up there in age who dedicated the majority of their lives to the entertainment industry. I discovered the place years ago when a friend and I, he was an actor as well, would go there to entertain the old folks. They loved it and would pretty much entertain us with colorful stories of working in the entertainment industry. I'll never forget one woman in her 80's who used to work as a theater actress who never left her room without a full face of makeup. She was the epitome of glamour and showed that once a performer, always a performer. So yea, once again Geoffrey knows that this money is going to be put to great use!

Now for those who may feel it's rude to give money that someone generously gives you. I get it. It almost feels like re-gifting at Christmas. Someone gives you something you don't need and you give it to someone else. Honestly, we don't know how different things would be had Geoffrey not gotten work following his stint at Trader Joes. Maybe he would have deposited the funds into his bank account, said thanks, and kept it moving. Fortunately, things turned out different. What makes Geoffrey not a shmuck in this case is that he never asked Nikki for the money. She chose to make a public declaration of her gift. (Which honestly, I find to be tacky. If you give, why do you have to let everyone know? Just call the man's people and cut him a check...but maybe that's just me because I grew up in a time before everything was a social media event). So be salty at him if you choose, but guess what? Even Nikki is positive. 

She said in a statement:

"I'm happy to be a part of a great cause. I wish Geoffrey much success and want him to know how loved he is. Rest in Peace to Earle Hyman."

See, all is well. Kudos to Nikki and Geoffrey because thanks to their generosity more actors will be given the opportunity to follow their dreams. With dignity.

 Would you be mad if you gave someone money and they gave it away? 

 

Erickka Sy Savané is managing editor of CurlyNikki.com, a wife, mom, and freelance writer based in Jersey, City, NJ. Her work has appeared in Essence.com, Ebony.com, Madamenoire.com, xoNecole.com, and more. When she’s not writing...wait, she’s always writing! Follow her on Twitter, Instagram or  ErickkaSySavane.com

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I Don’t Give AF That Bill Cosby Is Black, He Deserves to Rot in Jail

Bill Cosby

By Brenda Alexander

By now, we know that Bill Cosby received a 3-10 year prison sentence after being found guilty of sexual assault. Social media has been lighting up with mixed opinions on his verdict. Half are happy there was some justice and the other half are charging that the only reason his verdict was such is because he’s a black man of a certain stature and that unlike other abusers who have been accused during the #MeToo movement, he is the only one to be given any real punishment.


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Before I delve into why the later is nothing more than another example of our commitment to “not kick our black men down” culture, let me say this: I attended an HBCU my freshman year of college because of my love of A Different World, a product of Bill Cosby. I transferred and graduated from Temple University with honors with Bill Cosby as an inspiration as he too is a TU alum. I beamed with joy at my college graduation while Bill Cosby gave our commencement address, sitting amongst my fellow graduates proud that this successful black man who instilled in his fans the importance of education was proud of a young black girl for doing things the “right way.” All the while, that said black man was a vicious and menacing predator to women who were similar to me.

Bill Cosby is the same as the other accused predators within the #MeToo movement, with the exception of his skin color and the public persona that he perfected as moral, educated, cultured and charitable. America’s favorite dad transformed into an elitist who disapproved of his own people. Adding to an already hurtful disposition, he thought that he was above the law and superior to women, that he deserved whatever it is he wanted and if refused, he took it - claiming the souls and voices of his victims along the way. That my friends has nothing to do with race and everything to do with ego.

While the public version of Bill Cosby expressed disgust with the millennial black community, deeming us promiscuous, stupid, women beaters, lazy, bad parents and whatever else he felt appropriate - he was cheating on his wife. While the public version of Bill Cosby scolded young black men for using profanity and having multiple baby mamas, he was slipping women the date rape drug. While the public version of Bill Cosby ministered about the importance of college degrees for the black community to have an equal playing field and advance within society, he was using his position to lure women with the promise of career and academic advancement.

So, while Bill Cosby has spent his entire career as a philanthropist who caters to the black bourgeois while also vocalizing his disdain for the black ghetto, I’m supposed to keep my equal amount of disdain for him as a sexual predator suppressed because he’s a black man?!

In the words that a holier than thou version of Bill Cosby would find disparaging: You niggas kill me!

You want me to be understanding and sympathetic towards him because of his age and consider the biases within the judicial system because I’m a black woman...meanwhile, many of Bill Cosby’s victims were black women. And not just victims in terms of intimacy. This is the same black man who threatened to end the career of a black woman, Wendy Williams, after she did her due diligence as a journalist and reported on the allegations years ago.

I don’t know Bill Cosby personally, but I have interacted with enough men who posses similar traits. I’ve crossed paths with men who achieve success and career access who look down upon those who lack etiquette in certain social settings and instead of mentoring them, they dismiss them. As a black woman, I deal with entitled and disrespectful men on a daily as I walk down the street and am cat-called by men who undress me with their eyes unable to control their tongue or desires - nor care to. I’ve been harassed at places of employment by men in power who thought that I was naive enough to give into their advances and when I refused, tried to intimidate me in other shady ways. And though I thankfully have never been physically assaulted, what I’ve experienced is damaging enough.

So no, I’m not the girl who views this case as black and white as many of my peers do. This is not a racial inequity debate.

 He’s admitted to these acts in interviews, standups and even in court depositions. Bill Cosby the man is a no for me. All that preaching the past decade plus about black men and women presenting ourselves as uneducated beings who are jail prone; yet, he failed to take his sentence like a man and posed for his mugshot with his eyes averted away from the camera while looking down and somber. My how the tables have turned.

I owe Bill Cosby NOTHING!

Do you support or reject the Bill Cosby sentencing?

 

Brenda is a Philadelphia native with a love for Marketing, Creative writing, wine and Jesus. Her work has been featured on Mayvenn’s Real Beautiful blog and she is the co-author of the book Christmas 364: Be Merry and Bright Beyond Christmas Night (available for purchase on amazon). Follow her on IG @trulybrenda_ and trulybrenda.wordpress.com

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Apple Cider Vinegar for 5 Days: The Results are In!

JustCHANEL

You may have heard about the awesome benefits of apple cider vinegar, but never tried it yourself. Well, vlogger justCHANEL gave it a go for 5 days and is here to tell us all about it! Give it a watch and let us know if you plan to give it a try!

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IrieScents: The Skin Care Line that Helps Eczema & Cancer

IrieScents

By Brenda Alexander

Many successful businesses begin by chance and for IrieScents owners Yolanda Washington and Samyra Lyles, their journey was no different.

Both lost their jobs and sought career changes that landed them in the same massage therapy school in Atlanta. After meeting and finding out they both hailed from Baltimore, they clicked, and later discovered they were actually blood cousins! Through an assignment to create a dual purpose massage product, they discovered the benefits of soy candles, along with a mutual love of skincare, and began to explore a product line together. Eventually, IrieScents was born.

I spoke to both Yolanda and Samyra on the benefits of their products and how it even helped when both battled cancer! From our chat and after testing the products myself, IrieScents is definitely here to stay.

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IrieScents Owners Samyra and Yolanda (left to right)

How did you come up with the name?
Yolanda: Irie is a Jamaican term that means good feeling and good vibrations. When on vacation in the islands, you feel amazing, which is how we want our customers to feel when they use our products. We put the best intentions into our products when creating them, I even pray that whoever uses them are given the best that life offers.

What’s IrieScents offering currently and the product benefits?
Yolanda: Our whipped body butters can be used on your full body for external moisture and depending on hair texture works great for natural hair styles, like twist outs. The brown sugar scrubs exfoliate the skin and we encourage clients to use while in the shower to make skin silky soft and smooth. We recommend you take our foot scrubs to your pedicurist versus using what they have at the salon because it lasts longer. Soy candles are dual purpose to scent a room and used on skin during a massage on areas prone to crack such as the hands, elbows and feet. Our wax melts have the same effect but can be put on oil burners and candle warmers. A couple of clients use them in their car for scents - when the sun hits them, they melt.

What ingredients are in your products?
Samyra: It varies by product. For our eczema butter, we use neem oil heavily. Both of our daughters eczema flare ups stopped with our products. For others, we use nut butter, almond, avocado, vitamin e, etc. We also stress that a balanced diet is taken because certain foods affect the skin differently. The idea of “you are what you eat” is 100% true. You have to work the skin from the inside out.

IrieScents Body Butters

What are some outcomes you’ve seen?
Samyra: The greatest benefit is the decrease in dry and flaky skin. As people of color, our skin is more prone to that, specifically in the winter because we may not drink as much water as there is not much heat. We’ve also seen tremendous outcomes when dealing with severe skin disorders.

Could you share those testimonials?
Yolanda: My father was terminally ill and diagnosed with dementia which left him bedridden. As his caregiver, I used our butters after bathing him to prevent bed sores. His nurse was amazed at how even as his skin aged and began to break down, it remained soft. I was devastated after I put him in a VA hospital for 6 days when I traveled to Baltimore for a family visit. He came back with one bed sore after all the work I’d done to avoid that. Luckily, we cleaned it up in no time. His nurse began to use it on other patients of hers after realizing the healing effects it had on my dad.

Samyra: I was diagnosed with skin cancer during massage therapy school, which isn’t a common type of cancer within or community. The cancer was within the layers of skin and not the topical layer. Doctors had very little answers for my case. Radiation burned my skin, it was multiple layers darker. I was given a topical cream but opted out of using it because my skin was already vulnerable. I used our body butters instead and changed my diet. My color came back completely and my doctor was amazed. He attributed it to the cream and was shocked when I told him it was our products. My doctor said that my skin looked better than any other patient post follow up.

Yolanda: I went through breast cancer 3 years after Samyra’s diagnosis. I learned from her experience to not even try the topical creams given by the doctor during treatment and to use our products instead. As a result, my skin remained in tact as well.

IrieScents Body Scrubs

That’s phenomenal that your products worked that well!Samyra: We complicate things so much. Sometimes keeping it simple with natural remedies work.

How are you looking to expand?
Yolanda: We are working on perfecting the scents for our essential oil candles, they will be released within 60 days. Also in production are beard oils and beard balms for men and soaps. You can purchase IrieScents online.

Would you give these products a try?

 

Brenda is a Philadelphia native with a love for Marketing, Creative writing, wine and Jesus. Her work has been featured on Mayvenn’s Real Beautiful blog and she is the co-author of the book Christmas 364: Be Merry and Bright Beyond Christmas Night (available for purchase on amazon). Follow her on IG @trulybrenda_ and trulybrenda.wordpress.com

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Why "Colorblind" White People are the Worst

By Ta-ning Connai

If paying bills and having food in my fridge weren't such a priority, I would spend my days watching videos of warm belly puppies and chubby babies that make my heart explode. Recently, I came across a video of a cute little girl eating. But when that beat kicked in, her bowl hit the floor and dance moves from The Motherland bounced off her teeny body! It was the cutest thing ever!

So, I go to the comment section and brothers and sisters are chiming in with joy times 10! Everyone felt uplifted, inspired, excited, moved and filled with great pride in the fact that she was representing her beloved Africa and had not experienced the separation from her culture like so many African-American children (and adults) do. We all took her on as our own black girl magic. Then straight outta nowhere, “white fragility” shows up and a moment of celebration turns into a heated debate.

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White lady: When I see this little girl, all I see is a beautiful baby dancing. I see no color and it saddens me that so many people do. I find these comments very discriminating. We are all God's children and racism will never end until we become colorblind.”

Me: “Most comments that reference color is because so many black people have been stripped of their heritage. So when we see a child, a beautiful African black child, expressing her culture freely, we want to celebrate it and make mention of it.”

White Lady: “But you are dividing us when you mention color. God doesn’t see color.”

Me: “So sad that you don't see color, but when you go further by putting that on God you are ignoring His masterful creativity. We learn to love and appreciate each other when we acknowledge the differences that make us all special, NOT by trying to blend everyone together.

Do you prefer we all be the same and conform to your standard of regularity? You don't really care to embrace those that are different than you UNLESS they lay down those differences. This is not a competition (don't know why you said that!), but you can either celebrate with us or go home. This little girl is not just a child, she is not just a beautiful child, she is a black African child. Don't strip away all that she is. You have a culture that you hold dear, so let us have those very rare moments to do the same. Thanks.”

Another White Lady: “Why are you all so full of hatred? Why can’t you see love? I give up. I try to be a good person and love everybody but comments like these divide us all.”

Me: “You are experiencing white fragility; you take great offense to anything that doesn't include YOU. And instead of you all LISTENING to us, you bring the conversation back to yourselves and how “holier than thou” you are for being color blind. You all spend your entire lifespan watching your own race grapple at superiority and you have nothing to say about it. We are denied jobs, mocked in the media, killed by police, underrepresented in film, TV, beauty, education and politics, all the while none of you "colorblind" people are bothered by the inequality.

We watch our culture get misappropriated, white girls making millions off of features that used to be considered undesirable, white superheroes (until black panther), black r&b singers have been replaced by Adele, Bieber, Ariana Grande and Sam Smith, and yet we are the ones demanded to become colorblind?

This went on and on and to my dismay, not one white person seemed to understand. I am happy to say that there is at least one white man (although I'm sure there are others) that fully understands the dangers of white fragility. Tim Wise is a long-time civil rights activist that describes “colorblind" as a way to shift blame and responsibility onto victims rather than confront or acknowledge the racist himself.

Instead of beating us over the head with slogans like “all lives matter," "we need more love not hate," "let's talk about what brings us together, not what tears us apart," white folks ought to make sure that black lives DO matter, that there's a demonstration of MORE love than hate and that the things that tear us apart get CONFRONTED so that MAYBE we can then come together. In 1 Corinthians 9:20-22, Paul said he “became” like the people around him. In essence, he was saying he walked in their shoes. Oh how I pray that people will do that for us. Until then, our self-pride will forever be misunderstood.

How often do you encounter white fragility?

TA-NING is a former model and clothing designer who one day got the "call" to leave the fab world of fashion behind. While in Bible College, she discovered her knack for mixing her quirky style of writing with her gift to teach. TA-NING'S TELL IT TUESDAY is a weekly column that uses doses of pop culture to tear down the walls of churchy tradition, change the face of Christianity, and present it's message in a lively way. Ta-ning resides in Santa Monica (by way of BK).

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Postpartum Hair Shedding is Real & a Lil' Traumatic: Vlogger India Shares Her Story

MyNaturalSisters

Pregnancy has a way of bringing on the thickness! Hair thickness that is. However, it also has a way of bringing on postpartum shedding. If you've ever been there you know it can be very traumatic. Well, you're not alone. Tune in as India of MyNaturalSisters shares her story.

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Insecure Got Us Wondering If Your New Boyfriend Can be Your Ex?

Jay Ellis

By Mwabi Kaira

A petition floated around the internet demanding that Lawrence return to Insecure when it was assumed that he wouldn’t appear on Season 3. Team Lawrence championed hard and fans of the show were pleasantly surprised when Issa ran into him at the 7-11 while she was at Coachella. Lawrence has been on every episode since then and his story line has been interesting to watch. To get over Issa he got on top of a lot of women, and a visit to the doctor scares him right on over to Church. Although both Issa and Lawrence have moved on and agree that friendship is the best thing for them right now, this week’s episode has them getting coffee and reminiscing and we are reminded of why they worked when times were good. The episode ends with viewers wondering if they’re going to give their relationship one more shot.

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Nathan & Issa

I want to be excited for them but I love how open Issa is with her new Boo Nathan; she really shows up as her whole awkward self and Nathan accepts her just as she is. Let's be clear, I’m mad at Nathan for appearing to be the perfect boyfriend then disappearing without explanation and putting Issa through such unnecessary changes. Had Nathan not ghosted Issa she would not be sharing time and space with Lawrence and reminiscing about their good times together. The same goes for Lawrence, his scare, and newfound salvation search. If they hadn't happened he’d still be mad at Issa. Issa and Lawrence default to the familiar because they know how it feels and it is safe. Accepting that Nathan has possibly walked away after awakening something in her she didn’t know she possessed, is a hard pill for Issa to swallow. Lawrence tries to do what his boys do and wild out but it has never worked for him and he prefers to be a one-woman man. When things with Issa were good they were really good and he yearns for that again and not this mess he has created for himself.

Is it possible to get back with your ex after so much bad history is shared? The simple answer is absolutely, but only if you are both willing to do the work. No one wants to be kept in the prison of their wrongdoing by having it be brought up all the time. Since cheating was involved, getting trust back will be an issue for them as well. Couples get back together all the time but major conversations have to be had to get through the hump. On one hand, you know exactly what works for you both, but on the other hand, you’re signing back up for those things that bothered you to the nth power that may have been kicked up more notches since you’ve been apart.

Issa & Lawrence

Am I here for Issa and Lawrence 2.0? I can’t see them shutting out the noise that will come from their friend circle. It will be cute for a minute and then the moment one of them comes in late, accusations will fly. Yes, I’m a cynic but I have lived and learned and seen it all. Unless couple therapy is involved, I don’t see it for them. They became better versions of themselves while they were apart for a reason. Issa would have never had the courage to quit her job and follow her dreams if she hadn’t met Nathan. Lawrence would have never manned up and gone after the great job he has now and gotten his house had he stayed with Issa. It’s not either of their fault, they just got in a relationship rut that they couldn’t climb out of. They decided to end things after trying everything to salvage it. Coming together now only because they’re confused is just another very insecure twenty-something moment. Getting back together for the wrong reasons is never a good idea.

Insecure’s season finale will air on September 30 at 10:30 PM.

Should you go back to an ex once you've moved on?

Mwabi Kaira is an African girl navigating her way in an American world.  She is of Zambian and Malawian heritage and moved to the USA in 1993.  Writing has been her passion since she could put a sentence together on the page. Mothering her sons is her pride and joy.  She has been an avid runner since 2013 and has run 10 half marathons and a full marathon.  Keep up with her athttp://africanbeautifulme.blogspot.com

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