Remembering Black Men United's "You Will Know"

Its safe to say that R & B reached its unadulterated peak in the 1990s. From its humble beginnings as a purely African American affair in the 1940s till it finally succumbed (like so many genres did) by the early 2000s

Unlike today where they are rarely notable, movie soundtracks were just as if not more popular in the 90s as the movies themselves and in 1994 the movie Jason's Lyric was released and while it wasn't much of a commercial success despite Jada Pinkett and Treach (from Naughty By Nature) the music from the film was great, the most brilliant was the anthem by Black Men United, a collaboration of the best R & B crooners of the day and probably the best we will ever see again.

The song is now twenty years old and is a time capsule of 1990s black music. It is a reminder  of how far creativity has fallen from the days when you had guys with real talent and powerful voices singing their hearts out without studio enhancing tools like voice filters and vocoders that produced questionable acts like T.Pain and Nicki Minaj. Back in the 90s you were either a great singer or you were not and could never become a star. 

'You will know' was written and composed by D'Angelo and produced by Brian McKnight. These two men were the creative henchmen behind Black Men United that included Boyz II Men, Tevin Campbell, Christopher Williams, R Kelly, Keith Sweat, Gerald Levert, Silk, H Town, Aaron & Damion Hall, Portrait, Mint Condition, D'Angelo, Brian McKnight, Usher, Lenny Kravitz, Lil Joe, Al B Sure and Tony Toni Tone among others (the biggest acts at their peak all in one song!) 

An inspirational 'coming of age' song for the underdog black youth. A classic if there ever was one. You will know...

Nigerian Armed Forces Day Feature: The Battle At Mammy Yoko Hotel, Freetown On 26th May 1997

A Nigerian soldier takes aim from the rooftop

Nigeria has played a dominant role in ensuring the stability of the West African sub-region and its troops have shown exceptional valour in taming some of the most savage conflicts including the Sierra Leone Civil War. An outstanding show of bravery and iron-like tenacity took place at the luxurious Mammy Yoko Hotel in the Sierra Leone capital of Freetown.

Rear view of the Mammy Yoko hotel, a day before the siege

Six years after the brutal start of the war in 1991 between the government and bloodthirsty rebel army, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), a military coup by Sierra Leone Army (SLA) officers overthrew then President Tejan Kabbah and brought Major Johnny Koroma to power. Astonishingly this new regime invited the RUF to help it capture Freetown from forces loyal to Kabbah. The RUF had since the beginning of the war engaged in mutilation, mass rape, looting and unspeakable evil that elevated the horror of war to a new level. The RUF accepted the invitation and helped the regime, known as the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) capture Freetown. With this done, a wave of death, mutilation, torture and rape swept the capital.

Nigerian Bank Customers Soon Free To Deposit Cash Through Any Bank

Nigeria's premier electronic switching company, Interswitch Limited, is set to take advantage of the cashless policy to make life even easier for the banking public. This is courtesy of its partnership with cashless banking backbone agency, Beyond Branches. 

The impact of this latest "igede" is simple. People who need to make deposits in a particular bank need not labour or journey to locate their own bank to make the payments or deposit cash. They can pay money into any bank and the account will be credited. Simple as ABC! This is similar to being able to withdraw cash from ATM machines whether it belongs to your bank or not with no extra charge. Imagine lower transport costs, shorter journeys, and (my personal favourite) avoidance of banks with notoriously long queues among other benefits.

It is worthy of note that this service shall run only on the Quickteller platform developed by Interswitch Ltd. Though the take off date isn't out of the bag yet it looks set to start in the first quarter of 2014. 

Escaped Prisoner Begs To Return To Jail To Escape Cold

North America is currently experiencing a record drop in temperatures among a couple of other records of sorts including a convict who successfully broke out of a Kentucky State prison and begged to be re-arrested the next day.

Robert Vick

Robert Vick, 42, escaped from a minimum security prison in Lexington, Kentucky, USA and fled into the harshest weather conditions Northern America has seen in decades. Vick took refuge in a barn on a night that Arctic winds plunged temperatures to -20 degrees. 

Survival being a greater priority than freedom it seems, had the escapee report to a nearby hotel and begged the manager to call the cops to take him back to his warm cell.

Lexington Correctional Facility where Vick escaped from

Our Top 10 Best Wedding Songs Ever

A Wedding day is one event that every married person never forgets and the wedding songs have a way of sticking in the minds of couples. Even after many years, hearing the song played at your wedding always jogs your memory to the day you got hitched.

Kizaro's Blog has compiled our very own 10 of the best wedding songs of all time. Enjoy and let us know your favorite wedding song.

10. Drake - 'Hold On We're Going Home'

Canadian rapper, Drake had the idea for a wedding song that would last for ever. While its just a few months old, its classic retro 1980s synth-pop beat and syrupy lyrics has made it hugely popular and the choice of many wedding Dj's and marrying couples alike.

9. Tosin Martins - 'Olo mi'

Gospel artiste, Tosin Martins gave us this masterpiece in 2005 off his debut album and it was in heavy demand at almost every Nigerian wedding for years.

8. Cameo - 'Candy'

Popular 1980s R & B/Soul Band , Cameo released this in 1986 and while it was a good love song, the band were known more for their less emotional and more raunchy material. However the 1999 romantic comedy movie "The Best Man" shot the song back into reckoning when the main characters performed a charming dance routine at the end of the movie. The movie spawned plenty of copycats routines in a couple  of weddings this writer attended .

Fresh Prince Of Bel Air Actor James Avery Dies At 65

Actor James Avery, most popularly known for his role as 'Uncle Phil' from 90s hit TV series "The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air" died on the night of new year's eve at a Los Angeles hospital. Avery reportedly died as a result of complications from open heart surgery he had undergone earlier in the year.

Though a prolific actor on movie screens as well as television including "Dr. Dolittle 2", he was best known for his role as lawyer 'Philip Banks', a stern but loving and doting father figure to his children as well as naughty nephew played by Will Smith. His character was rated among the greatest on-screen father figures of all time alongside the likes of Bill Cosby's 'Cliff Huxtable' from the "Cosby show".

Alfonso Ribiero, who played Uncle Phil’s son Carlton on “Fresh Prince,” took to social media to express his anguish. “I am very saddened to say that James Avery has passed,” he said in a Facebook post. “Even though he played my father on TV, he was a wonderful father figure to me in life. He will be deeply missed.”

May his soul rest in perfect peace. Amen