"FROM THE CONCRETE JUNGLE OF OAKLAND CALIFORNIA TO MILLENNIAL SOUL DIVA”"

I must admit, I wasn’t a Keyshia Cole Fan, due to only being familiar with the hits, and not knowing if the talent, persona, and celebrity was real. Nothing to do with the artist, just me being jaded by cookie cutter artists (they all sound the same) who’ve dominated music & celebrity since the early 2Ks. Some consider those of us who prefer QUALITY & SUBSTANCE over gimmicks, analytics, streams, likes, popularity, and sales, to be MUSIC SNOBS. In some instances, it’s true, however, having STANDARDS is not a bad thing.

Once upon a time, Black Music had ROOTS. All Black genres of music were connected or influenced by the previous style…in one way or another, from The Enslaved Jubilee singers to HipHop (the most current Black Musical Genre). People get things misconstrued due to not witnessing the PAST GREATS of music in their prime, or in real time, not having awareness of the artists who came before them (past eras), falling for mainstream programing derived from analytics, or being caught up in the fandom of the artist, and not really being a fan of the music, but the antics of the artist…who they dating, feuding with, drama, what are they wearing, while living vicariously through the artist. The aforementioned, among other attacks on the CULTURE had temporarily severed the ROOTS.of Black Music in the MAINSTREAM. Nonetheless, there are many young musicians with great talent making music and striving for excellence. Hopefully, we can have another Neo Soul type resurgence in Black Music. All that said, I do understand that music is subjective. If you like it, I love it for you.

Now, back to Ms. Cole’s, "This is my Story.” & Her artistry. I’ll start off by complimenting her on being THE TRUTH, and keeping that GRITTY, HEART FELT SOUL MUSIC alive, and being herself, not giving in to changing her style or persona for commercial appeal…having faith in God, her abilities, and producing true artistry for her fans.

Keyshia Cole is literally the ROSE that bloomed from the cracks of THE CONCRETE JUNGLES of Oakland California. Watching her biopic schooled me on her unique situation growing up in Foster Care and dealing with a drug addicted mother. The dynamic between Keyshia & her mother and the unconditional love and longing for her mother to be free from addiction was what made this movie a worthwhile watch for me. Keyshia put on a great acting performance…not bad for her first role. Yes, this article is about Keyshia Cole, but I must complement Iconic Actress Debbie Morgan (Good Times, What’s Happening, All My Children, Eve’s Bayou, Roots, Coach Carter, Our Kind of People, and much more) for her portrayal of Frankie Lons, Keyshia’s mother. No matter what situation of addiction her mother found herself in, Keyshia was always there for her, trying to support and assist her mom in kicking her addiction.

All of this plus more will be in her Bio-film tonight, which will premiere on Lifetime at 8 PM, ET