Today, the NFL announced two-time Grammy award-winning emcee LECRAE as the third artist to be featured in its “Songs of the Season” series. Lecrae’s “Get Back Right,” which is off his album, Let the Trap Say Amen (a collaborative album with award-winning producer, Zaytoven), will be heard throughout the NFL playoffs across several telecasts. See below for song and sample broadcast clips:
“Throughout my entire career, I have always hoped that my music would inspire and uplift. It is an amazing honor to partner with the NFL and its Inspire Change initiative to combine our platforms to change the communities we call home.”
Lecrae
Songs of the Season is a multi-tier, season-long initiative that will highlight stars and emerging artists of all genres. The series showcases musicians that deliver a song to be integrated in all NFL promotions during the season. Songs have debuted during in-game broadcasts and have been released to all digital streaming platforms (DSPs) worldwide.
A best-selling author, entrepreneur, speaker, thought leader, philanthropist, and Co-owner/President of Reach Records, Lecrae has been recognized for his social justice/restorative work in the community. He has partnered on several major projects to develop Atlanta’s English Avenue, an area known for its rampant drug trafficking and violent crime statistics. He also serves as a member of the Board of Advisory for Peace Academy, the first school in the English Avenue area to be opened in more than 20 years. In addition to the restoration of community through academic ventures and real estate acquisitions, Lecrae is promoting healthy families continuing two media campaigns – “Man Up” and “This Is Fatherhood” – encouraging male urban youth to remain responsible and active in their children(s)’ lives.
“The ‘Songs of the Season’ initiative is just one of the ways we shine a light on the great work NFL players and clubs continue to do as it relates to social justice,” said ANNA ISAACSON, NFL Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility. “An award-winning musician and adamant social justice supporter such as Lecrae is a perfect pairing for ‘Songs of the Season’ and will help amplify the great work being done in our communities.”
All revenue generated from Songs of the Season will support Inspire Change grant recipients as part of the NFL’s social justice initiative with focus on the following priority areas: education and economic advancement, police and community relations, and criminal justice reform.
Lecrae is currently in the studio recording his 9th studio album, Restoration, and writing “I Am Restored,” a follow-up to his best-selling book, Unashamed.
Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]
On yesterday, with the announcement of the final vacancies being filled, Stephen A. called out the NFL and its owners for seemingly circumventing the beloved “Rooney Rule” which is basically affirmative action for black head coaches. And, who better to say it that the sportscaster who signed the equivalent of a “super-max” contract at ESPN, just months ago.
In the last decade, Stephen A. Smith has revolutionized televised sports reporting. His outlandish, uninhibited commentary has both endeared him and vilified him with watchers and listeners. His is perhaps the 21st Century holy grail of journalism-the ever running mouth, much more than merely a talking head. Stephen A. is synonymous with “face time” because much more than being sought out for what he has to say, he is always talking regardless of whether or not he has ‘something to say’!
This tirade was vintage Stephen A. It was good great television! It was like watching Jordan hit that corner jumper in his last All-Star game. Like watching Jerry Rice catch a touchdown in a Seahawks uniform or even watching Grandpa sprint past all the kiddos who swore he’d lost a step! This was good, but it was also problematic!
This is the same brother who invalidated Colin Kaepernick’s viewpoint and dismissed any credibility of his national anthem protest. When the NFL dubiously invited Kap to a workout late last year, Kap and his legal team sniffed out alarming inconsistencies that eroded their confidence in the fairness of the workout. Kap moved the workout and spoke disparagingly about the NFL afterward which led Stephen A. to call out Kap saying that he just doesn’t want to play. This didn’t fair well with many viewers who pointed to Mike Florio‘s (a sports writer and also a lawyer) reports which debunked much of what Smith had to say. On his show “First Take” the following Monday, Smith doubled down on his ridiculous rhetoric.
What Stephen A. must not be aware of is the fact that these are the same owners who won’t sign Kap! How can he so incredulous that there are no more than three black head coaches! Owners and GM’s are not tuned to the sports acumen of black quarterbacks, black head coaches or black interest, it seems. Well, the late Dan Rooney (former Pittsburgh Steelers owner and former chairman of the league’s diversity committee) did and that’s why the NFL adopted this rule league-wide.
The Dallas Cowboys check the “Rooney Rule” box and bring in highly publicized head coaching candidates with each vacancy. This year, it was Marvin Lewis, former coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. It was unclear how Lewis would function as coach, but Mike McCarthy has been the choice for the next phase of Dallas Cowboys football. But why can’t coaches like Marvin Lewis get hired? Why are there currently only three black head coaches in the NFL? To use Stephen A.’s logic in the Colin Kaepernick argument, one would surmise that perhaps the coaches didn’t interview well or that they somehow want to be seen and not employed, thus the acceptance of an interview albeit via enforcement of the Rooney Rule.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K31DPxVijFg
The Rooney Rule, subject of Stephen A. bloviation has been reduced to about as much a joke as Kap’s offer of a workout. With this latest rant, Stephen A. has found his way back into the good graces of black viewers who hung him out to dry late last year. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, but you have a bigger problem than a clock, if you’re relying on it to tell time for you!
Stephen A. is RIGHT. He’s spot on, what he seems to have missed or miscalculated is the fact that the culture change he is now calling for would have probably benefited Colin Kaepernick, as well.
An undrafted college football player has a 0.3% chance of making it to the NFL and three years is the average length of time in the league. With just one year of college football under his belt at a historically Black college in the south and a year in the Canadian league, Brown managed to beat the odds…twice. In 1999, he successfully entered the NFL as an un-drafted free agent and goes on to spend 9 years in the NFL…but how?
It’s simple. Brown’s one year of collegiate experience was spent under the tutelage of legendary coach Eddie Robinson. The historically Black college was Grambling State University. As the head coach at Grambling State University for fifty-six years, more than 200 of his players went on to play professional football; to include several NFL Hall of Famers and the first Black player quarterback to win the Super Bowl. Between 1960 and 1990, Coach Robinson recorded only one losing season and in 1985, he surpassed Coach Bear Bryant of the University of Alabama with 324 wins to become the winningest coach in college football history. Joe Paterno, the head coach for Penn State surpassed Coach Robinson’s record in 2011 with 410 wins. According to Coach Paterno, “…nobody has ever done or ever will do what Eddie Robinson has done for the game… Our profession will never, ever be able to repay Eddie Robinson for what he has done for the country and the profession of football.”
“Success occurs when preparation meets opportunity…” Henry Hartman As fate would have it, Brown’s first year as a Grambling State University Tiger would be Coach Rob’s final season as head coach. Amid the changes made with the coaching staff, Brown quickly found himself without a spot on the team for the upcoming season. Suddenly, he was forced to acknowledge the fact that his dream of making it to the NFL would most likely remain a dream. However, a phone call from Coach Robinson rekindled the possibility. During the conversation, Brown was advised to, “stay in shape and wait for me to call you back.” The rest was history.
The Last Recruit With the distinction of being the last Eddie Robinson recruit to make it to the NFL, Brown attributes much of his success to the lessons that he learned from “Coach Rob” both on the field and off the field, “… I learned enough in one year to last a life time,” says Brown. In addition to his fateful encounter with a living legend, an intense desire to take care of his family was the driving force behind his accomplishments.
“It is an honor to be connected to the legacy that he left behind…he is truly one of a kind.” https://www.smore.com/ux7da
Introducing the powerful new single, “NFL” from the naturally-gifted and multi-talented writer/musician/producer/vocalist BEE BOISSEAU (last name pronounced “boy-so”) featuring three-time Grammy nominated recording artist Raheem Devaughn, member of the Hip-soul conscious group CrossRhodes – Wes Felton (@WesFeltonDC) and Billboard charting saxophonist,Vandell Andrew.
The thought-provoking song is lifted from Bee Boisseau’s debut upcoming project, “Raheem Devaughn Presents – Bee Boisseau’s BACK TO LOVE“, set to be released via the DMG (Devaughn Multimedia Group) imprint, in the spring of 2019.
“NFL” was written by Raheem Devaughn and Wes Felton and produced by Bee Boisseau, while Vandell Andrew is on saxophone.
“As four conscious artists and musicians of black and brown color that celebrate the hashtag #LiveWoke we have created this anthem in solidarity and honor of our brother, Colin Kaepernick,” mentions Raheem Devaughn.
ABOUT BEE BOISSEAU: It has been long suggested and sometimes documented that following one’s true passion can instinctively and naturally lead one into circumstances and places – amongst like-minded people –that ultimately guide a person to their truly determined successes in life…sometimes resulting in a series of full-circle experiences. Bursting out of the musically-fertile D.C. area (which actually comprises the so-dubbed “DMV,” which also entails metropolitan Maryland and Virginia), naturally-gifted, multi-talented writer/musician/producer/vocalist BEE BOISSEAU (last name pronounced “boy-so”) knows of this phenomenon all too well, having rode the wave of a childhood steeped in musical encouragement into a young adult life of honing his craft and not-so-by-chance encounters (most notably with veteran R&B star Raheem DeVaughn) that placed him squarely where he needed and was destined to be. The culmination of his lifelong musical journey of following his passion all lie within the oh-so-contemporary, musically-rich fusion of modern-day R&B, hip-hop and jazz that comprise his forthcoming DMG (DeVaughn Multimedia Group) debut set, Back To Love.Born and raised on the south-side of Richmond, Virginia during the ‘80s, BEE was amongst the first generation of kids actually raised on hip-hop. Though it may have initially been hip-hop and later smooth jazz that opened his eyes to the possibilities of being involved in music-making, his first actual introductions to music were in the church and at the family piano. “The family figured out early that I had musical ability because we had a piano in the house,” BEE recalls.
“My Mom would be in the kitchen saying ‘Who’s playing the radio?’ And it would be me [legit]. I would hear something on the radio and play it on the piano by 6 or 7 years-old.” At the suggestion of his live-in great-grandmother and grand-mother, his musical interests were fully encouraged, resulting in learning other instruments (including violin) and being enrolled in contests. As it turns out, it was the reaction from audiences that made him catch the “entertainment bug.” “Truthfully, I liked the applause of it all,” he recalls. “I was like ‘Ok, I can do this.’ I thought it was fly that people would applaud me and all that. So I kept doing it.” This early epiphany and newfound confidence would soon thereafter be applied to the hip-hop music he found himself exposed to by older family members and friends around the way. “You had those 12” hip-hop records back then,” recounts BEE. “My Mom bought me a Smurf record-player that I could play those 12” records on. I had things like the Fat Boys, the Rappin’ Duke and my own Kangols at like 6 or 7 years-old…I was that dude! And I could rap too. I didn’t really understand it all until I was a little older. But I was smart, I could put ideas together and my memory was good. I was doing things in school like reciting Martin Luther King speeches and all that other type of stuff. I was quick; if you showed it to me I got it. That was a gift I didn’t realize until later. So hip-hop came along and I was all in.” Once word of his reputation for dropping good rhymes circulated at school, a young BEE found himself being sought out as “the one to beat” for battles with other rap wanna-be’s at school. Nevertheless, even as a youngster he kept his focus on the creative aspect instead of the competitive aspect.
While merging his newfound love for performance, applause and hip-hop, he linked up with a local partner named Justin, who exposed him to making music on computers. “I totally lost my mind,” he recalls of that learning experience. “And then I found out that you could make money doing it!”Consequently, his passion and fixation on music and performance followed him to college, during which time he was focused on his keyboard playing. “A good friend of mine introduced me to this band called the Fuzz Band,” BEE recollects. “Ironically, the keyboard player was leaving the band to move to D.C., so they were in a search for another keyboard player.” Though he admittedly didn’t quite yet have the professional musician mentality, he jumped at the opportunity to simply get on the scene, meet more ladies and possibly make some connections. Hence, he auditioned, hung out with them and played a couple of gigs with them. Although he wasn’t exactly crazy about their “kinda bourgeoisie,” khaki-wearing Hampton University style, playing with the Fuzz band afforded him the experience of playing for the likes of Lauryn Hill, Faith Evans, Avant, Jill Scott and other notable music names. “Anything coming through the ‘757,’ we were on it,” fondly recalls BEE. “The Fuzz Band was very well-known in that area. I was amazed with the gigs and clothing endorsements this band was getting.” Having made some firm connections, he soon found himself propositioned with the opportunity to do some shows in Denver, Colorado, where he not only gigged regularly but stayed to live for nearly ten years. “I made good connections [there] on the smooth-jazz circuit,” he recounts, “and that’s how I got respected on the professional circuit in general. I was playing with the likes of Nick Colionne, Gerald Albright and Jakiem Joyner…just major smooth-jazz artists.” Soon thereafter, a cruise ship gig with Eric Roberson resulted in him making the acquaintance of actor/wordsmith Wes Felton (one half of the socio-conscious hip-hop/R&B duo The CrossRhodes, alongside Raheem DeVaughn).
“He came and did a show, they called me to play and we just remained in contact. Wes took me to New York City and I did some shows with him. So when the time came for somebody to sub as a keyboard player [for The CrossRhodes], he already had me in mind. It wasn’t by chance; it was divine…everything happened in an order I can’t explain.”Hence, that scenario of following one’s passions into the right environments at the right times resulting in meeting the right people proves true. As it turns out, connecting with The CrossRhodes lessened the fabled “six degrees of separation” between BEE BOISSEAU and Grammy-winning R&B star Raheem DeVaughn. Though they had mutual friends and had met each other in passing a few times, they finally made a real connection. “I had a rehearsal to perform with The CrossRhodes,” BEE remembers, “so when I re-met him we were doing a sound-check at Bowie State University. I guess I did a good job because afterwards he asked if someone had my contact info.” By the time The CrossRhodes played at Chicago’s House of Blues just barely over a year ago, Raheem suggested that it was time for a BEE BOISSEAU record.
“It’s really his passion for the culture and for the music,” says Raheem of his decision to sign BEE to his DMG imprint. “I knew right away that “I’ve gotta work this dude, whether it’s with artists, production or whatever. As it relates to Bee, this is how we preserve the culture. Invest our time to the art and other people. There are people out there we can throw the assist to that aren’t really appreciated – but worth it – who have the talent and have the chops. For me, it gives me the opportunity to make a bold statement for the DMV [as you call it]. I’ve felt for far too long that they won’t let us in. So we have to form our own family and mutual closeness here in the city.
Hence, BEE BOISSEAU’s soon-to-be-released Back To Love serves as not only an introduction to his multi-faceted talents and musically-rich “jazz-soul-hop” sound, but those of other fast-rising, soon-to-be-noteworthy talents coming out of the D.C./Maryland/Virginia area. Be it the “Me Too”-friendly hip-hop/soul of the title track (featuring Raheem DeVaughn, Dwele and Eric Roberson); the brisk-paced, jazz/spoken-word/drum ‘n bass-fused “Young Bumble Bee” (featuring Roscoe Burnem); the dreamy and atmospheric vibe of the simmering “Potion” (featuring Yahzarah); songstress Carmen Rogers’ featured vocals on the neo-soul-reminiscent “Moon;” or Bee’s vocoder-laced vocalizing on the chilled funk/R&B groove “Rock With You,” Back To Love has got something to titillate the ears of contemporary music listeners of real music. Previewing the set with a most timely message atop a chunky hip-hop/soul beat is “NFL” (featuring lyrical commentary from The CrossRhodes’ Wes Felton) which is told from the perspective of a player.
“The message is not so much about the National Football League; it’s about the injustices and police brutality against people of color. I don’t want that message to get lost at all.” Meanwhile, core fans of Raheem DeVaughn will no doubt delight in “Stay the Night,” an intoxicating, Marvin-esque collabo with BEE which the award-winning R&B star describes as “something special. It’s like Gil Scott Heron, Marvin Gaye and modern-day Jill Scott making art together!”“Everything comes full-circle,” says BEE BOISSEAU, while reflecting on his Back To Love debut set. “It encapsulates my experiences before really becoming a professionally-minded musician, and then my experiences with the band as a professionally-minded musician. A lot of the influences from all of the places that I’ve learned, things like church, were my earliest influence. Then jazz and being a hip-hop head….all of that came full-circle with what you hear on Back To Love. When I listen to this record, it’s the first time in a long time I really love my craft. CONNECT WITH BEE BOISSEAU: Instagram: @BeeBoisseauTwitter: @BeeBoisseau
