Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE music! Over the last several months, I have been jumping on the bandwagon of posting videos and song lyrics on my Facebook page. More often than not, there is a theme associated with all the songs I post on a given day. One friend even jokingly called me “DJ Cool Cee” – a name which has stuck.

But posting this music, and “collecting” YouTube videos made me really stop and think about the impact music has made on my life. For me, music is mostly about lyrics and mood. The lyrics to a song can make you laugh, cry, or remember good or bad times in your life. Let me share with you my life’s soundtrack…

Stevie Wonder – The Musical Genius – my absolute favorite! If I had to live on a desert island with only one artist’s catalogue of music on hand, it would be Stevie, NO DOUBT! His earlier love songs walked me through the teen angst years, namely “Too Shy to Say” – which is that song you know was written JUST FOR YOU!

You make me smile, you make me sing

You make me feel good everything

You bring me up, when I’ve been down.

This only happens when you’re around.

And I can’t go on this way, with it stronger every day.

But being too shy to say, that I really love you.

OK y’all…give me a moment to get it back together…I’m back…you see what I mean??

Gospel – keeps me focused on  God – encouragement for the soul. Memories of my days in the choir and all my crazy choir friends as we sat around clowning and singing at each others houses after church. Classic Jazz – the genre introduced to me by my father – brings back memories of him and the music he loved so much. The music that often played in the background as I studied in college. Classic Soul – The music of my parents, who often talked of their dating days in the 50’s –  from house parties down South, to dances at the Savoy when they moved North. R&B/Funk – The Elements – Earth, Wind and Fire, the Commodores. It was the music of my sister’s generation – she had EVERY Parliament-Funkadelic and Ohio Players album! I mention them specifically because they had some of the baaadest covers EVER. P-Funk, with it’s awesome and coloful illustrations, and the Ohio Players with their four-part fold-out photographic album covers! House – just makes me dance! Visions of college – dancing in the hallways of the dorm, dancing at the parties, just dancing…period! Every once in a while, I shut my office door and take a dance break! Classic Hip-Hop – Wow…where to start? I feel privileged to have come up in New York City during the birth of Hip-Hop. It was the music of my peers, the music we rapped along with, danced to, listened to, and simulated beats of during our days in Junior High, and especially High School. I get misty just thinking about it. Then I get angry thinking of the sour turn much of it has taken today. Click here to read “Maybe HipHop IS Dead After All?” It was a time of  Afrika, Herc, Sugarhill, Marley, Lyte, Latifah, LL, Run DMC, BDP, Juice Crew and countless others.

I encourage you to pay attention to the poetry and prose of good lyrics. Music tells a great story. What’s the soundtrack of YOUR life?