02.08 EDITOR's LETTER
REQUEST LINE
I love a good love song. Whether Sade is singing it, or Keyshia Cole, J. Holiday, Rihanna, Teena Marie, Mariah Carey, Ne-Yo, Janet Jackson, The-Dream, Michael McDonald, Anthony Hamilton, Bow Wow & Omarion, Heatwave, Shai, Aaron Hall, Jodeci, Robin Thicke, Ginuwine, Tevin Campbell, Prince, Aaliyah, Christopher Williams, Beyoncé, Boyz II Men, Xscape, Chris Brown, or Trey Songz— it does not matter. As long as the artist sings like he or she means it, as long as they are not too cool to really show emotion, as long as the words make me yearn, or cry, or miss someone, or appreciate someone, or think of my love in a whole new way —I get all caught up in it. And, clearly, so do you. YOU crave them, use them as ringtones, request them from your local radio stations…love songs say what we can't say. It's why we adore real singers and songwriters so much — there's courage involved in just…putting oneself out there. It's why Mary J. Blige is Mary J. Blige, why she, in celebration of her new Growing Pains, appears on our cover for a record-breaking ninth time: Mary is fearless. She sings how she feels. She sings how it is.
And if you don't believe celebrities feel love (and hate, and drama, and everything else) like you do, look at our special Valentine's Day edition of V Mix, our snapshot spot. Nelly and Ashanti may not talk about their relationship in interviews, but look at their smiles, their eyes — that sure is love, or something like it. Look at Jennifer Lopez and her husband, Mark Anthony, Jay-Z and Beyoncé, Swizz Beatz and his wife, Mashonda, Nas and Kelis. No one knows what goes on behind closed doors, but the pictures this month make me think that maybe even in this bizarro world — a world where a popular artist like Jah Cure can blow up while serving time for a rape conviction, a world where Spike Lee still struggles to get complicated stories of African America to the screen — love still matters, still gives us insight and strength, still fights its way through phoniness and celebrity, through poverty as well as the mo' problems that sometimes come with mo' money, through the cynicism and facetiousness we use to armor ourselves from pain. Love still comes booming through speakers through some fearless person's voice, and we have reason to slow dance, to dream, to remember, to rejoice. If only for a minute. If only while the song is on.
Danyel Smith
Editor-in-Chief
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Comments
1.
steveawwstin says:
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This issue was the shizznit . The hot bag page was dope dope . I'm feelin that R*Kives NYC bag with the houndstooth print .www.rkivesnyc.com they were limited too ..hot brand for shizzzzzyy !! Good Luck Public School NYC hot gear for the NYC state of mind !!
July 9, 2008 at 10:43 pm
2.
IgZotic says:
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Yo stop being haters....see you all had a very tall glass of that drink. Do ya thang Mary you look damn good for your age! Keep pumping the hits and making REAL music. She's obviously doing something right.... 9 times she has graced the cover.
Don't hate(BUSISIWE) the way you look you shouldn't have even posted your pic to your profile ...but you did anyhow! KICK ROCKS!
Oh yea and you dont have to buy this copy cause millions of her fans will. Your participation not needed.
Thanks!
January 25, 2008 at 10:29 am
3.
syrus80 says:
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How many times are ya'll going to put this woman on the cover? I'm sick of seeing her face and reading her tired story about overcoming drama.
January 17, 2008 at 11:15 am
4.
GLOWP says:
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This is a really great article and the pics are fabu! Mary looks so good! Thankyou for this one!
January 9, 2008 at 3:16 pm
5.
Busisiwe says:
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How many times dear editor are you going to have Mary J Blige on the cover????? I am NOT buying this copy....I just saw Mary J and I knew Nooooooo NOT again. You are NOT the only one to blame though, magazines have the tendency of having the same face on their covers...over & over again. And what do I do??? I DON'T buy that copy.
January 8, 2008 at 8:27 am