INSIDE MISTA VYBE's HEAD

Award-Winning Songwriter 🏆 Recording + Performing Artist 🎤 Producer 🔊 and Creative Visionary From the twin-island Republic of Trinidad & Tobago in the Caribbean! 🇹🇹🏝☀️ VYBEMUZIKK™ #MistaVybe This Tumblr is a just a quick journey INSIDE MY MIND, UNDER MY SKIN, BEHIND THE SCENES, BACKSTAGE, BETWEEN TAKES and BEFORE, DURING & AFTER THE MAGIC HAPPENS. FOR MORE ON MY ONSTAGE AND IN-STUDIO STUFF, FOLLOW @mistavybe on IG & Twitter AND ALSO Youtube.com/MistaVybeWorld 😉

[spin-the-wheel-polls]

you have won a lifetime supply of this

How do you feel?

good!

I CAN SELL THIS AND GET RICH

im drowning in my supply help

Eh it's okay

BAD. VERY BAD

results/other

Voting ended onJul 15

you would receive the supply once a month

the brand/type will vary so you could

you can sell the things you get/give them away but they will keep coming until you die

[mistavybe]

Shout out to @bubbles-burst cause I reblogged this after seeing it on her Tumblr 👋🏾

I don’t know if this lifetime supply is chocolate 🍫, fried chicken 🍗, lasagna 🧄🧀🍅🥩, or hot turkey sandwiches 🥪 lol! Maybe it’s all the above?

Anyway, my answer to the poll would be “good”! Any or all of the above would be great for me. And anyone that knows me knows that I can literally eat the same thing for days. Weeks even lol. Neurodivergence ftw 🙌🏾!

Honestly though, I’d much rather just win a lifetime supply of groceries! 😩

Have you seen supermarket prices lately?! 🫣

[soulsistrin]

I was tagged by @millerflintstone (thanks!) and I’m feeling to answer questions (more questions please!) so here goes:

Reading: I’m reading The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. I think it’s her debut and it was on a lot of lists of the best books of 2025. I’m enjoying it so far, she’s a very good writer. I’m also reading The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez. It’s a rom com and I’ve read one of her books before and really enjoyed it but I’m having some issues with this one. It’s weirdly sexist. I guess that’s why it was on sale on audible.

Last Series: The last series I watched… well it’s a limited series, was His and Hers on Netflix. Loved it. Definitely didn’t figure out who the killer was.

Last Film: The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert (1994). I watched it last night, picked it out while I was scrolling through Prime Video. I hadn’t seen it since it came out and thought it would be fun to watch Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving in their earlier days before their careers blew up. It didn’t disappoint. The costumes were as fabulous as I remember. And I found out that there’s a sequel in the making (Terence Stamp shot all his scenes before he passed)!

Last song: Blinding Lights by The Weeknd. Part of a random playlist on Apple Music.

Salty or Sweet: it really depends on what I’m feeling for. When it comes to snacks I’m more of a texture person. I’ll feel for something crunch or chewy or soft first and then decide if I want salty or sweet. That said I just remembered I have a donut in the kitchen. Sweet!

Coffee or Tea: I have a cup of coffee every morning. It doesn’t wake me up but it’s a habit I enjoy. I like tea too, I tend to have it in the evenings.

Currently Working On: Ideas about projects I want to accomplish but I’m not actively working on anything, it’s all in the mental morass of my mind stage (but past the research and collecting references stage). I’m also gearing up to start my last semester in a couple of weeks. Mentally my mind is having a bit of a hard time kicking into gear these past couple of weeks. I really enjoyed the mental space of the last few weeks where I didn’t have to think about anything.

Tagging @mistavybe @trinilikesalt @ladameblanc @quiyst @itsbadno @triniwindowseat

[mistavybe]

I was tagged by my bestie @soulsistrin so why the hell not?

Reading: I'm currently re-reading an old fave - The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Read it yeqrs ago and got the urge to revisit it this weekend to take my mind off things. No need to day much about it - it’s a classic. Comics wise, i’m currently the omnibus (AKA collection of a full story arc or run or a comic) for Strange Academy. Some plot points from it were included as Easter Eggs in last year’s Marvel series Ironheart (she’s basically a young black successor to Iron Man in the Marvel universe). I’m loving the book so far to the point where i’m deliberately taking my time reading it, to make it last as long as possible). I’ve always been a big Doctor Strange fan, and in this book Strange runs a special high school for supernatural kids in the Marvel Universe, whoch is wild!). By the time i’m done with this, i’m gonna need Marvel comics to put out a new Ironheart or Ms Marvel series… or at least do something new and fun with Black Panther, please and thanks?!

Last Series: Over the last weekend I finished Pluribus on Apple TV (amazing Sci-F / Drama series- which is typical for Apple shows) and also His & Hers (mind blowingly good Murder Mystery Thriller on Netflix). I’m actively watching a bunch of other series at the moment, including Law & Order (the OG series & SVU), Will Trent, Percy Jackson & The Olympians (on Disney+), Fallout (on Prime Video) and The Pitt (on HBO Max). Looking forward to starting new/upcoming series like Marvel’s Wonder Man (Disney+), season 2 of Marvel’s Daredevil Born Again, season 2 of Hijack (Apple TV), season 2 of Cross (on Prime Video), season 2 of Paradise (Disney+), A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms (new Game Of Thrones spin-off on HBO Max), and Star Trek Starfleet Academy (this actually started airing this week but I haven’t watched yet). And those are just a few. What can I say, TV is my only real vice these days - it keeps me insane in this increasingly crazy world.

Last Film: The last movie I watched was the recent live action version of How To Train Your Dragon. I love it just as much as I loved all the original animated Dragon movies and shows. Looking forward to several blockbuster films latee this year including Michael (the Michael Jackson biopic starring MJ’s nephew Jaafar), Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Supergirl, director Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated new film The Odyssey, The Mandalorian & Grogu (finally a new Star Wars film 🙌🏾), Dune II and (probably my most anticipated movie for 2026) Avengers Doomsday.

Last song: It’s the middle of Carnival season here in T&T, so i’m listening to a lotttt of new 2026 Soca tunes. One of my Projects should be relasing any day now 🤞🏾. You can click here listen to my fave releases for the year so far in my 2026 Soca playlist if you’re interested 😉. The last song I listened to is my absolute fave (and the most popular song for the season thus far), Respectfully Yours by Full Blown.

👇🏾

Salty or Sweet: Could be either one for me, depending on the mood i’m in. When I feel for something sweet it’s probably going to be chocolate (my absolute fave is 3 Musketeers or Mars bars but neither of those is sold in T&T anymore, so I have to settle for second best, which would be Cadburys Dairy Milk, Toblerone or Ferrero Rocher). Salty would would probably be either Chee Zees (a local cheesy snack, kinda similar to Cheetos) or Pringles (the classic Original flavour is fine, but truth be told my go to is usually Sour Cream & Onion). I also love a savoury snack, like my favourite local (Trini) traditional treat, tamarind balls - assuming I can find decent ones to buy and eat (sigh). Back in the day you could purchase good tamarind balls at the nearest parlour (small family owned shop usually located at the front of a neighbour’s house that sold basic necessities along with homemade local snack delicacies) around every corner in T&T. These days parlours are few and far between and hardly anyone consistently makes good quality tamarind balls, which breaks my heart cause I love them so much smh. Oh, speaking of snacks, I also love a good donut.

Coffee or Tea: I’ve never been a fan of either coffee or tea, tbh. At breakfast i’d quicker have grapefruit juice (or orange, if need be). I know lattes etc are all the rage these days, but I’ll pass on the Starbucks - I prefer to get my daily doses of caffeine from Coca Cola, thanks.

Currently Working On: As I said, it’s Carnival season here so i’ve been writing new Soca songs to pitch to various artists - one project in particular should come out any day now, Godwilling 🤞🏾. Carnival aside, i’ve promised myself that I’d finally make some progress as far as me working on the production of tracks for artists and for maybe even for myself (in addition to songwriting). I’ve been saying I want to branch out into being a music producer for years now - time to get past the Imposter Syndrome and just get it done this year.

Tagging @entirely-of-flaws @ropeandcoffee @trini76 and @trackabandoned

[oldsoul61]

17

[kkfromtexas]

11

[sweetreddelicious-59]

11

[johndoe-401]

2

[kangamommynow]

8

[ohhelloholly]

8

[millerflintstone]

4

[causticgrip]

3

[soulsistrin]

5

[mistavybe]

6

[mistavybe]

36 ODD THINGS ABOUT YOU!

36 Odd Things about you! Learn 36 things about your friends, and let them learn 36 things about you!

1. Do you like Blue cheese?

Nope. Cheddar, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Gouda, Brie, Edam, Havarti, Pepper Jack, Swiss… Ricotta is great in lasagna. I like a lot of cheeses but NOT blue cheese, goat cheese, cream cheese, or cottage cheese.

2. Have you ever smoked cigarettes?

Tried it when I was in my teen / early adult years and was not a fan. I already have respiratory issues (asthma, nasal drip, sinus issues), so smoking cigarettes only made it worse.

3. Do you own a gun?

No. But I have lived with a gun owner most of my life and fired guns before.

4. What flavor Kool-Aid was your flavor?

Pink lemonade all the way! Or regular lemonade if pink isn’t available.

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?

Not really

6. What do you think of hot dogs?

They are yummy, but I rarely eat them, after watching a documentary about meat/sausage processing that traumatised me for life 🤦🏾‍♂️

7. Favorite Christmas show?

Gremlins (movie) and Gremlins 2: The New Batch

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?

Grapefuit juice or coca cola (not a fan of hot drinks and never been a coffee drinker) 🥤.

9. Can you do push-ups?

I can do a few. Not as much as I could have when I was younger though 🫠.

10. What's your favourite piece of jewelry?

Silver stud earrings.

11. Favorite hobby?

Watching tv/movies.

12. Do you have A.D.D.?

Definitely neurodivergent 🤦🏾‍♂️

13. Do you wear glasses?

Yep. Extremely short sighted 🤓

14. Who was your childhood idol?

Blue Boy (now known as SuperBlue) and Prince.

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment:

1. I should probably get some sleep 🙄

2. Wish I could win the Lotto

3. Random melody playing in my brain (as usual).

16. Name 2 or 3 drinks you regularly drink.

1. Coca Cola

2. Water

3. Sorrel/Mauby

17. Current worry?

Money.

18. Current hate right now?

The state of my country politically. Also how US politics makes our situation even worse here in Trinidad (and the whole Caribbean region tbh, with this current US military aggression against Venezuela 😩).

19. Favorite place to be?

At home. I’ve always been a homebody.

20. How did you celebrate your birthday?

Had some cake with loved ones. Just chilled.

21. Where would you like to go?

Nigeria, Egypt and Japan.

22. Do you have pets?

Not at the moment. My family had multiple dogs over the years. Last one passed away during Covid. RIP Queenie 💔

23. Do you own slippers?

Yes. Adidas slides for life!

24. What color shirt are you wearing?

Purple

25. Do you like satin sheets?

Yes. Need to invest in some tbh.

26. Can you whistle?

This is embarrassing to admit as a professional musician, but no.

27. Where are you now?

Bed.

28. Would you be a pirate?

No thanks. The hygiene issues and food alone are deal breakers for me. Plus I get sea sick 🤢

29. What do you sing in the shower?

Whatever song pops into my head.

30. Favorite girl name?

Amaya

31. Favorite boy name?

Amani

32. What's in your pocket?

No pants on at the moment 😳

33. Last thing that made you laugh?

Watching tv earlier

34. What car do you drive?

Suzuki S-Cross

35. Any major surgeries?

Only ever had minor surgery, never major.

36. How many TV's in your house?

One - in my living room. Many screens though (iphone, ipad, macbook pro, widescreen video monitor in my studio) 🖥️📱💻.

[boyd-stevens]

Marvel's confirmed that Sam has already assembled his team. Meaning whatever publicity stunt is going on, there are Avengers who are formed, who probably have a base, who are already operating in the background already. I'm a 100% sure, his team ain't posting for photoshoots, but Joaquin's instagram is surprisingly full of random images of their base, the Cap cave, and the other teammates. Here are my predictions on who I think is going to be on his team and why: Joaquin - This is a given. This is Sam's partner, the kid he's mentoring, and Joaquin is THE Falcon. (Can we please give his suit some claws like he has in the comics? That shit would be so cool!) Bruce Or Jen - I think Bruce is pretty much still around. We got that confirmation at the end of Shang-Chi. He's still doing Avengers things, he's in contact with Carol/Wong. I think both Bruce & Jen should be part of team. And if not Bruce, I'm sure Bruce will point out his cousin. Thor - Hear me out, I know a lot of people think he's not gonna be on Sam's team. Hell yes he is. This man has been trying to fight with his teammates for like three movies now. He fought with the guardians, took directions from Quill, and then I think during his movie, after losing Jane and finding love he's at that space where he probably wants to be a part of something bigger. I don't know if Thor is earthbound, but if he is, it's a fucking given he will follow Captain America to the heart of every battle. Shang-Chi - This is a given. Absolute given. Marvel has done nothing with him and you know Sam's seen the bus footage. Also, he has connections with both Wong and Bruce, which means he will absolutely get recruited. Shang-Chi is the one I'm sure about, and I'm so excited to see how their dynamics will be. Black Panther - I think this is another given. Lemme tell you why. Sam's relationship with Wakanda is thriving. He has had multiple upgrades to his suit. He's been operating as Captain America for two years, and we've seen what that suit can do. It's incredible and it sure as shit wasn't that advanced at the end of Falcon and the Winter Soldier. He got the nanotech/vibranium helmet, he literally flies faster than a jet, and his suit is built to carry extremely heavy loads, his wings literally has blades that can slice through metal easy -- like all these upgrades didn't come out of nowhere. Shuri has been upgrading his suits, his tech, and everything is so entuned with him, so you can tell he's been at this for a while with how easy he wields the tech and fights. So yeah, him and Shuri probably have a really close bond off screen. Otherwise, the smartest person in the world ain't got time to be doing all of this. Okay back to Shuri and her role. So far, everyone I listed is broke as shit. Including Sam. Shuri is going to take up Tony's mantle (and I'm pretty sure T'Challa was the financial backer of the Avengers in the comics, right?). She's going to be the money person, the tech person, and the absolute asskicker as Black Panther. She's gonna be the heart of the group, I can feel it. And with a team -- I think she's gonna start to find herself again. Give me scenes with Joaquin and Shuri, PLEASE, I will bleed for crumbs. Ant-Man - We cannot forget Tic/Tac. Sam and Scott go way back and they're close friends, you can tell with how many times he was name dropped. But I'm sure we won't get the Wasp because Evangeline Lily quit acting (good, she's a scientology weirdo and antivax). --- Also I think the Avengers Compound they are using, isn't the one upstate. I think because Shuri's funding them, it's going to be in Wakanda and that works because Sam's Avengers aren't in the public view, they are working in the shadows, so it makes sense. IDK Maybe I'm giving the Russos too much credit for hoping for this, but we will see, but judging by the fact that Anthony is filming with the main cast + RDJ, I don't think they're going to sideline him.

[mistavybe]

Totally agree with this lineup… except I think it’s missing a few people… starting with Carol Danvers!

Captain Marvel is an obvious choice for Sam, given that they both have military backgrounds, and that he knows first-hand how powerful Carol is after her immense contribution to beating Thanos at the end of Endgame (not to mention towing Tony’s spaceship home from outer space).

I’m sure during his time working for the US government/military, he would have at some point been in contact with Carol even if she was off-world…

Plus, we already saw Wong having an Avengers level holographic Zoom meeting with Carol and Bruce Banner when he dragged Shang-Chi out of the restaurant in the Shang-Chi movie’s end credit scene. So even if Sam couldn’t reach Carol directly on his own, he def could get on to Carol through either Wong, Banner or just ask Nick Fury to call his homegirl!

The only way Captain Marvel isn’t on Sam’s team IMHO is if Carol happens to be off-world when something pops off on Earth and she couldn’t get back in time 🤷🏾‍♂️.

Also, in addition to Thor, Valkrie is right there on Earth along with the rest of the Asgardians… so I wouldn’t be shocked if she’s on Sam’s Team as well 😉.

And finally… either Wong or more likely Dr. Strange would definitely be on Sam’s Team given that Strange and Wong are such powerful sorcerors, they could prob take on both of the new Avengers by themselves tbh.

[mistavybe]

Just realised I totally forgot to post these two interviews I was featured on recently…

They’re long but i’m told a good watch!

👆🏾PART 1

👆🏾PART 2

[mistavybe]

👆🏾 100% agree with this.

Friends - IMHO - is a tragically unfunny white washed knockoff of the classic 80s black sitcom Living Single. Periodt!

If you’re mad about it - fight me 🙄

[REPOSTED from my Threads account because honestly fuck Friends and all the ppl who hype it up and overrate it constantly]

[mistavybe]

It's my 15 year anniversary on Tumblr 🥳

Wow! I can’t believe i’ve been on Tumblr for 15 whole years!!! 😱

Even though I don’t post here nearly as much as I used to, I still check in on this platform often to see what everyone is up to.

I’m so thankful for Tumblr.

It gave me a safe place to talk, share things I find important or meaningful (like all my BLM posts).

A place to vent about things that piss me off (like my Viral post about Tim Burton being a racist prick)…

Or somewhere to unapologetically mourn the loss of icons - like Prince’s untimely death 😢.

Plus, I got to share my unbridled joy when one of my all-time favourite comic superheroes (Black Panther) got brought to the big screen by Marvel Studios.

And then I mourned again when Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman passed away 😭.

Most importantly I met so many great souls on here!

Some of them no longer post here (I still miss seeing content from @mars4004, @red-oman, @sheenabobeena @notmybesttry, @renouncingtosca, @tsaphanbabe, @antarcticabysea and so many more) 🙏🏾.

Others (like @soulsistrin, @entirely-of-flaws, @trini76, @darquev, @vixentt1, @diaryofawolfqueen) became IRL friends and loved ones. ❤️

And there’s fascinating folks with a special place in my heart who are still active here either periodically or daily (@ropeandcoffee, @trackabandoned, @bubbles-burst, @julierthanyou, @trinilikesalt, @myselfoverme, @heartonthefloor, @teslagirl31415, @hofornaps, @glitterordeath and way too many more to mention).

Thank you for everything Tumblr! Despite all the ups and downs you’ve always been my Safe Space online. And God knows i’ve need that safety so many times smh.

I’m gonna end this on a high note, by posting a link to a lil ditty that’s sure to put a smile on your face 😊. I give to you the TikTok Remixed version of an already timeless classic. Enjoy! 💁🏾‍♂️

[mistavybe]

Just realised I hadn’t posted the two new songs that i’m credited as a Songwriter on!

This one is by performed by emerging artist Sherisse Collymore, and is one of the songs on the Bess Ting Riddim - released for Trinidad & Tobago Carnival 2025. 🎭

💎💎💎 Sherisse Collymore - Pressure 💎💎💎

#SONGWRITING BY Mista Vybe! ✍🏾

PRODUCED BY N.M.G Music, BadJohn Republic, XplicitMevon and AdvoKit

[mistavybe]

Just realised I hadn’t posted the two new songs that i’m credited as a Songwriter on!

This banger is already a big hit here in T&T and wherever else Soca music is played 🙌🏾. It’s one of the more popular songs blazing on local radio right now and in fetes (Soca parties) and clubs etc as well. Super proud of that.

Talk about a perfect combination of the old meeting the new. The song is performed by emerging artist LucratiV, alongside Trinidad’s veteran Calypso and Soca legend, Lord Nelson! 🔥🔥🔥

LucratiV (feat. Lord Nelson) - Disco 🪩🕺🏾

#SONGWRITING BY Mista Vybe, Joel Joseph (AKA LucratiV), Kyle Phillips (AKA Badjohn Republic) & Robert Nelson (AKA Lord Nelson)

Background Vocals By Gena-Marie Bereaux

Produced & Mixed By Badjohn Republic

Live Guitar & Brass Arrangement By Kenny Phillips

Tenor Sax By Oral Rodriguez

Trumpet By Roger Jaggasar

Trombone By David Jacob

Mastered By NMG Music

[mistavybe]

Sooo I was all excited to see Tim Burton’s new movie (“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”), and then THIS happened… 🙄

Now I feel dotish (Trini slang meaning “foolish/silly”) for not realising how bleached and pale white ALL his films were before and reading between the lines.

So now I gotta stuff him in the same category with Marc Jacob’s ignorant, racist ass smdh.

Why Tim, Whyyyyy?! 😩

[mistavybe]

Just reviving my classic “Tim Burton’s movies are racist” Tumblr blog from 2016 (over 20,000 Notes and counting) alongside today’s Twitter/X post from the Hollywood Reporter about him getting a Star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Because we as POCs can #NeverForget what we learned when Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children came out back in 2016.

It is now 2024 and Tim Burton has STILL never apologised for his anti-Diversity statements back then or even showed any kind of remorse or empathy for POC to this day, just FYI.

And before any of the racist trolls ask: NO, i’m not gonna give him a pass just because he cast white adjacent Latina actress Jenna Ortega in his Addams Family reboot series Wednesday on Netflix and in his Beetlejuice reboot movie 🙄.

As far as I’m concerned nothing has changed with him. Actions speak louder than words. Once a racist, always a racist. 🤷🏾‍♂️

#ThatIsAll #ThankYouForComingToMyTedTalk 🙏🏾

[mistavybe]

Happy Birthday to me! 🥳🎂🎉

[mistavybe]

X-Men Reversible Bomber Jacket for Men by RSVLTS | Disney Store

You'll graduate with honors in style from the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning when wearing this bomber jacket from RSVLTS. The reversib

Need! 😫

[mistavybe]

[mistavybe]

30 Day Song Challenge

Day 21: “A song you like with a person’s name in the title”

Prince had many controversial songs, but perhaps the first (and inarguably most historically controversial of them all) was a song that wasn’t even released as a single. It was Prince’s now-infamous “Purple Rain” album track, “Darling Nikki”.

I can still remember the first time I played Prince’s “Purple Rain” album and stumbled on to “Darling Nikki”. The graphically vivid lyrics blew my 13 year old mind. 😐

“I knew a girl named Nikki

I guess you could say she was a sex fiend

I met her in a hotel lobby

Masturbating with a magazine

She said, "How'd you like to waste some time?"

And I could not resist when I saw little Nikki grind

She took me to her castle

And I just couldn't believe my eyes

She had so many devices

Everything that money could buy

She said, "Sign your name on the dotted line"

The lights went out

And Nikki started to grind”

Seems like I was far from the only person who was shocked by “Darking Nikki” at the time. 👀

Even though the song was not officially released as a single, many DJs (and fans of course) began to play it out of either plain curiousity or a rebellious spirit, causing the spicy album track to gain worldwide notoriety because of its intensely sexual lyrics, and especially because of its explicit reference to masturbation, sex toys and BDSM.

As a matter of fact, “Darling Nikki” became so controversial that it wound up being the reason that those “Parental Advisory” stickers even exist! 😱

Let me explain... 😏

The story goes that when Tipper Gore (wife of former US vice-president Al Gore) heard her 11-year-old daughter listening to “Darking Nikki”, she became so outraged that she wound up starting the Parents’ Music Resource Center (PMRC) to fight against songs with what they saw as offensive lyrics.

Led by the Tipper and several other wives of US politicians, the PMRC went as far as to lobby for and eventually get official senate hearings on the issue of “objectionable content” in Pop music at the time. 😱

Many musicians like Frank Zappa, Dee Snider and John Denver spoke out against any form of censorship in music and Tipper herself was vilified by many people who supported the right to free speech.

In the end no laws were actually passed restricting lyrics on records. BUT...

All the controversy did lead to a voluntary system where all the major record labels agreed to put “warning stickers (which read ““Parental Advisory: Explicit Content”) on albums and singles containing “explicit” content - so basically all vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, etc that existed at the time. 👇🏾

In the ensuing years several prominent acts got sucked into (and mostly raged against) the “obscenity” vs Freedom Of Speech firestorm, particularly Hip Hop acts like 2 Live Crew, NWA and Ice T, who all railed publicly against being “Banned In The USA”, as per the infamous 2 Live Crew song.

Later on in 1991, when Walmart announced that they would no longer sell any albums with warning stickers, many artists began releasing both “clean” and “explicit” versions of their albums. 😐

And that, my friends, is how Prince changed the recording industry forever with a little song called “Darling Nikki”! 💁🏾‍♂️

Okay, gotta leave you guys with a few bonuses before I end this so here goes...

First off, here’s a very comprehensive video recap that the New York Times did about Tipper and tbe whole PMRC movement. 👇🏾 (You can skip to 1:35 if you just want to hear Tipper’a right hand woman in forming the PMRC, Susan Baker, talk about how Prince’s song led to Tipper lobbying to ban Popular music in America 😉)

Fun Facts: Susan Baker was the wife of US Treasury Secretary James Baker at the time, so her presence alongside Tipper in forming the PMRC led to increased media attention (as well as actual poltical follow-up) for their cause. Also, Prince’s song “Darling Nikki” ranked Number 1 on Tipper and Susan’s official “Filthy Fifteen” list (15 songs that the PMRC deemed so obscene they should be banned in America by the government). 😐

Here’s a quick snippet of Beyoncé singing a lyrically altered version of “Darling Nikki” in praise of rapper Nicki Minaj as part of their landmark first Live performance together of their joint single “Feeling Myself” (at the Tidal X: 1020 concert in 2015). 👇🏾

Speaking of rapper Nicki Minaj, here’s her song “Blow Ya Mind”. It was an album track from her “Pink Friday” album) in which she heavily sampled the music for “Darking Nikki” and also uses an interpolated version of the lyrics and melody for the song’s hook. 🤔

And last of all, I leave you with the Foo Fighters featuring Cee Lo and lead vocals, jointly performing “Darling Nikki” at the 2007 MTV VMAs! 🙌🏾

[mistavybe]

Reblogging this post because today is Prince’s birthday. The Purple One would have turned 66 years old today.

This month also marks 40 years since the release of his Purple Rain album. And so it’s also 40 years since “Darling Nikki” made Tipper Gore (wife of Vice President Al Gore at the time) launch a political campaign that is the reason all commercially released music has Parental Guidance stickers for Explicit Lyrics lol.

Happy Birthday to Prince Rogers Nelson! 🥳🎂🎉

[mistavybe]

🎶 It’s our Anniversaryyyyy… 🎶

I honestly cannot believe i’ve been on this app for 14 years today! Kinda wild to think it’s been this long tbh 😱.

It has been a crazy ride, but in retrospect I wouldn’t have it any other way, for better or for worse 🙏🏾.

Some of the most important people in my real life now like @entirely-of-flaws and @soulsistrin I actually met first on this app, and for those blessings alone I will be eternally grateful.

I’m also grateful for some of the posts i’ve done on here that wound up becoming downright infamous on this here platform lol… anybody remember my viral Tim Burton post back when that problematic Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children came out?

👇🏾

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Thanks to this post of my opinion about the subject, I had literal Nazis in my Inbox and Replies arguing with me for like… years lol! Tbh I still get occasional Alt-Right pushback on this one up to now which is wild considering the original post went up in 2016. 🤦🏾‍♂️ (Feel free to peruse My #TimBurton Tag for more on that lol)

Tumblr was also where I came to process my grief after losing legends that I admire(d) whose sudden passings rocked me to my core 😥.

RIP Prince! And RIP Chadwick Boseman! 🙅🏾‍♂️

Anyway, I say all that to say “Wow! Can you believe i’ve been on Tumblr for 14 fricking years?! 😱”

Thanks to everyone who i’ve met on or offline from here, to anyone who has read and/or interacted with any of my Posts or Reblogs… thanks to my Tumblr community.

RIP to those I encountered on here that are no longer with us in this life 🙏🏾.

And long live those of us who continue to persevere on this particular platform and on the Hellhole that is the Internet in general.

Here’s to… another 14 years? Do we think Tumblr will even be around that long? I kind hope so tbh. Here’s to many more years!

Now go stream “Anniversary” by Tony Toni Tonē and have a great day/week/month/life! 🔊🎶

(Fun Fact: Tony Toni Tonē’s now-classic song “Anniversary” was actually recorded in my country - Trinidad And Tobago - back in the early 90’s, along with the test of their iconic album Sons Of Soul. I actually got to meet the Tonys while they were here recording because we worked out of the same studio at the time and they were bice eboufh ti let mr and my crew bzck then sit in on some of their sessions, which helped me learn so much and become the musician/songwriter that I am today! 🙌🏾)

[mistavybe]

I used AI to cut together highlights from the various videos and IG Stories I was tagged in over the last week or so… 🤖

It’s been just about two weeks now since I sang on a truck on the road as part of iconic Soca Music Producer & Bandleader Carl “Beaver” Henderson’s all star Soca band, and as you’ll see from this Highlight Reel, a time was had! 🚙🔊🎭

Shout out to all the musicians in the band, technical crew on the truck, Kinetic Mas camp crew and of course the masqueraders who jumped and wined and danced and kept us feeling the love all day (and night) long on Carnival Monday & Tuesday. 🙏🏾

Fun fact: the mas band (Kinetic Mas) that we played on the road for wound up winning the title of Band Of The Year - Medium for 2024! 🏆

These two days of street partying were win/win for us all around. 🥇