I had no idea what they were, but I knew I had to have one. My favorite musical act of the moment, the uncensored, unapologetic and, to every suburban mother living in 1992, unacceptable ladies of TLC said they were a must. What exactly were these things? I remember thinking that they look like small packages of mustard. They were everywhere on the members of the group: placed on jeans, up front and proud on their chests and one even decided to rock one over her left eye simply because she thought it was the right thing to do. At 8 years old, I had no idea what safe sex was, but through their outlandish costumes, TLC kept the idea of it at the forefront of my mind.
While things have definitely changed since the days of baggy pants and combat boots, the need for safe sex and artists like TLC who are willing to push the limits to make everyone understand the importance of it has not. It takes a lot for me to accept a new artist. I have to feel a connection to them. What is it about you that would make the kid inside of me want to run out and buy an issue of Right On magazine in hopes that your poster is hiding somewhere within the pages? The voice can’t do it alone. You have to have something to offer outside of vocal acrobatics and clever wordplay. Enter Marsha Ambrosius. She almost had me at “Far Away.” Halfway through the clip, you get the understanding that this isn’t going to be your typical RnB visual. Two men kissing and holding hands in busy NY is something that will definitely draw attention and garner YouTube clicks. Was this really her being an artist or was she just using the current climate of “No Hate” campaigns and “it gets better clips” to push her own agenda? Either way, I watched it over and over hoping that the ending would somehow magically change and the two hearts would find a way to make their love acceptable.
30 seconds into “Late Nights and Early Mornings” I changed the channel. I just knew it was the same old RnB clip. This is what eventually happens when label heads and iTunes chart positions interfere with an artist’s creative vision. There would be no investment into Ambrosius. No Facebook rants with me detailing how incredible an artist and activist she really was. As I scrolled through one of my favorite message boards, I see people raving about the same clip I put off a few days ago. Five minutes later, the rave is back and an investment is made. You’re either one of two artists today: the politically correct one or the asshole extremist that pushes the limits to help save lives and further them. Ambrosius proves why being the later will not only get you a hit, but keep your ideals and message ringing in the ears and hearts of listeners for years. *runs to clip on my yellow mustard condom.*
