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JESSICA BETTS: Most Likely To Succeed!!!

Cutty Shark — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:22:20 +0000

Story/Interview by: Timothy “Cutty” Sanders

Pure love and swagger seeped out of the pores of Jessica Betts as she melodically sang: “You steady texting me; steady calling me, cause you want me to Take You Back! What you crying bout; called my momma’s house, cause you want me to Take You Back! After all the stress; wanna send me gifts, cause you want me to Take You Back! Take You Backkk!”

A couple days after her amazing performance on 106 & Park, I got a chance to chat with Jessica Betts about her future, her past, and what is presently taking place in her life. “Its time! That’s what I feel. I feel like its time!” Jessica said. “Its been a journey, a lot of hard work. A lot of sweat, blood & tears, but through it all I just keep God first and just keep my eye on the prize. And that’s just getting the message out there.”

Although not at all new to the game, Betts is still considered a neophyte in the music industry. However, she is extremely ready for the big time. How do I know? Her passion, realness and love for what she is doing shines through during her performances. Jess has a way of pulling you into her heart when she sings. She has the knack of making you feel like she is singing to you. “You know you got to feel. I think what leaves the heart reaches the heart. I love music and I feel that you gotta feel the music and your heart has to be there. So I just go in on what I’m feeling and what I’m saying and that’s the deliverance.” Now, that’s a skill that you have to be born with.

With a hint of androgyny & muliebrity, Jessica’s entire aura screams ‘Superstar’! A mixture between Grace Jones, Mary J. Blige and Adele, she has a style, a personality and a voice that is much needed in the Industry today; tomorrow & forever. Plain and simple, the girl is bad!!!

We got our first glimpse of the mellifluous singer in 2005 on Missy Elliott’s ‘Road To Stardom’. Of course she won! Now it is her time to shine…

All good things comes to those who wait. And like Langston Hughes said, “Life for her has been no crystal stair.”

A native of the Southside of Chicago, Illinois, Jessica has endured a mountain of obstacles, heartaches & pains. But, she came out like the champ that she is, and now she is ready to live her purpose. “Throughout my journey as a Chicagoan and here in NY, its been a wonderful journey. I’m just here now doing my thing and making things happen.”

Since that fateful 106 & Park performance, Jessica has been flooded with interview requests, performance requests, collaboration requests, and the like. I personally say to Jess B.: “It’s your time to shine babygirl. We see you. And yes; we will – TAKE YOU BACK!!!”

Jessica Betts is currently performing throughout New York and preparing her debut album to drop on the world. It is guaranteed to be a banger. She is working with some of the best in the business. Not to mention, she is quite a prolific songwriter herself. You witnessed that with her single, “Why Me”. Keep your radars up for this young lady. You will definitely be hearing a lot from Jessica Betts!

“I like to think that I’m bringing a lot of genuine music back. You’ll get a lot of soul. We’re coming with some Rock and Pop. We’re fusing up most of the genres and just having fun. There’s some very talented musicians and producers that I’m working with. We’re really creating a masterpiece.”

Jessica Betts just released her first single, “TAKE YOU BACK”on iTunes. Go pick that up. Also check her out on Twitter and Facebook:

Twitter.com/JessicaBetts
Facebook.com/JessicaBetts

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/take-you-back-single/id489916523

Check out the live performance of Take You Back by Jessica Betts (Below):

***Extra special thanks to: Jessica Betts, Phil McGowan and Berka Ngong for really caring. Continued success!!!***

LISA RAYE: The Real McCoy

Cutty Shark — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 12:41:54 +0000

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After watching the premiere episode of LisaRaye’s new reality she: LisaRaye: The Real McCoy on TVone, I once again realized just how real she is. I love her take on interviewing, and why she goes into them cold. Really; if you study for an interview, is it really an interview? No, it’s a class! I also like to talk to someone from emotion to get the real; authentic feel of the person. That is exactly why my conversation with LisaRaye flowed so well. We just talked. There was no robotics involved. She is definitely – The Real McCoy.

Chicago born and bred Actress/former First Lady LisaRaye gave it to us real from the first minute of her show. I actually felt that same spirit while talking with her the day before the show aired. She is just so Chicago; so Southside. “There’s a strength about me that has allowed me to have a certain hustle about myself that makes me not have time for the bullshit. So for me, I’m very cut and dry! LisaRaye said affectionately. “I do have this Southside; no nonsense; around the way type of personality.” LisaRaye is not to be played with. She loves being an entertainer, she loves home, and she gives it to you straight; no chaser!

Now, Back 2 Business: The show! According to LisaRaye, TVone is very excited about the show. So much so, that they bought an entire season no questions asked. This makes this the biggest contract that they’ve ever had. “So to move forward with LisaRaye: The Real McCoy; coming off the scandal of the divorce and having such a public divorce, it was me going through the journey of being a celebrity, turning into a first lady, back to doing what I do; being an entertainer.” LisaRaye is the first African-American actress to ever become a first lady. “This is the first time we’ve seen it! This is the first time it’s been done! So, there is no blueprint to it!” LisaRaye expressed. You’ve heard everybody’s opinion on her story: the gossip blogs, internet, and the rumors. Now it’s time to get the real story from the person who has been through it. “This story is important for women, and for cleansing for me; to hear my side of the story. For that to happen, you will have to hear the story from the horse’s mouth. And… I am that horse.”

More than being about LisaRaye being the First Lady of Turks and Caicos, this show is about growth & rebuilding of a great life/career. It’s about the real person who loves her family. We will see her daughter, Kai whom she loves dearly, and is her pride & joy (who will be 21 next year. Wow). She will visit her sister, Da Brat; whom we all love. “I go see her all the time. She has accepted the responsibility of being in there, and how she had to be still for a while to learn things about herself that’s gonna help here in the future, LisaRaye said. “And that’s not just from me, that’s from her.” Basically, LisaRaye: The Real McCoy shows the world a real person from Chicago, Illinois, who grew up to fulfill her dreams, watch them crumble before her eyes, then rebuild herself to be a better person than she could have ever imagined.

Tune in every Thursday @ 9 p.m. EST to LisaRaye: The Real McCoy on TVone.

LisaRaye has a Social Networking Organization called B2B, which stands for Back 2 Business. She is doing a Back 2 Business Mixdown for Memorial Day in San Juan, Puerto Rico on May 28 – May 31, 2010. “It’s empowering seminars, networking and massaging your relationships: utilizing your friends & positions to barter. We’re having concerts, comedy shows, spoken word, etc. It’s gonna be fun! My twitter family can hit me to find more info on www.twitter.com/therealLRaye.
Also, on my website @ www.LisaRaye.com.”

I’m trying to be there to cover the event. Looking for me a sponsor. Seriously!

“Thank you Tim. I really appreciate this my Chi-Town buddy.” LisaRaye ended.

Of course, I had to print that… LOL

CHICAGO’S OWN – DREW SIDORA – ‘JUKE IT’: The Cover Story

Cutty Shark — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 00:20:24 +0000

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Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Drew Sidora has been making her dreams become a reality since the age of 9-years-old. That’s when Sidora got her first role in the Fox-TV movie Divas, and that was the beginning to no end of hard work & paying dues in the Entertainment Industry. To this; she can only say, “God is Good!” Amen.

“It was so much fun! The song was called ‘Til the Dawn’. It was actually an Earth Wind & Fire sample. People loved it. It’s so crazy, because when you’re shooting you never know if people will like it or hate it. I was just happy that people liked it.”

-Drew Sidora on her stage show clip on the movie, STEP UP-

***CHECK INTERVIEWS/STORIES TAB FOR COVER STORY***

#TEAMDREW Y’ALL