is true seh

[Gamma]

etta james cuss off beyonce?

[Mosiah]

mi hear bout it last night. heh heh! cat fight! wet dem up deh!

[Westman]

On the radio this morning they said the reports of the bust up were overhyped and that it was not quite as bad as it was reported. She did say that Beyonce's rendition could not be compared to the originial and she did make some tough remarks about Beyonce performing for the President. Many said most of the remarks were tongue in cheek. Her son said his mother saw Beyonce's performance and liked it as it happened.

Etta James has always had a chip on her shoulder. She has had a very rough life from the beginning and the dysfunction led her to serious bouts of drug use.

She was born to a 14 year old African America mother about 70 years ago. Her father was the legendary pool player Minnesota Fats. In the early years he provided some support to keep "Jamesetta's" mom quiet. If she were born in these times, Fats would be playing pool in prison for many years.

[Mosiah]

Then why is she not Etta Fats?

[Lazie]

etta james cuss off beyonce?

Not a Beyonce fan ... but lets be honest. If Beyonce didn't do that song and portrayed her in the movie Cadillac, who would really know who she was? I for one thought she was dead anyway. She need fi crawl back to where she was hiding.

[Assasin]

especially when the song was written long before Etta sang it and performed it.

[Westman]

You being funny on a serious argument. She was born Jamesetta Hawkins in 1938. Back then times were different. Her mother was 14 and black, her father was 25 or 26 and white. If it happened now it would be a different story. Usually the children of such young teenagers, especially in that time, lived through a lot of dysfunction and turmoil. Complicate it with a white parent who wanted the whole thing to "go away." Whike I do not excuse it, I am not surprised that her life has included severe depression and habitual drug use.

[Westman]

Lazie, that is so unkind. She hails from an era of unequual treatment, frequent mixed-race teen parentage, etc. I know you are reasonable enough to think differently if her life if put in the proper context for you.

[Mosiah]

Sorry.

[Lazie]

Lazie, that is so unkind. She hails from an era of unequual treatment, frequent mixed-race teen parentage, etc. I know you are reasonable enough to think differently if her life if put in the proper context for you.

Just keeping it real Westman. Her being from an era of unequal treatment, mixed race teen parentage etc. is no excuse for her ridiculous outburst. If Beyonce got the rights to perform the song in the movie and on the soundtrack, she has every right to perform the song. When you walk down the road ask passersby if they knew who Etta was prior to her outburst?

[Westman]

To you and Mosiah.....it aint personal, but you can just call me a liberal. I always try to see the other side of these hurting people because it is usually some untreated or unmanaged hurt that causes them to be as they are.

I have managed and supervised a lot of people over my few years and I have a special understanding for the older African Americans who came up just like she did. Many were born to mothers who were between 13 and 15 years old at the time of the children's birth and the children allegedly and apparently had white fathers. They were often outcasts on both sides and the abuse of drugs and alcohol as well as paranoia over what is theirs is a common theme. They cling to what is theirs or what they think is theirs and have irrational outbursts in defense. But when you take time to look beyond all of that, they are beautiful people who just have lingering hurts that have never been dealt with. In our time we frequently go to the other extreme in dealing with it because we have so many counselors, shrinks and general encouragement. Also, the old stigmas no longer apply.

[Mosiah]

How me come into it?! I fully understand what you are saying, Westman, despite my corny joke, which had nothing to do with anything.

Unlike many Jamaicans, who cannot appreciate that our upbringing was/is a lot different than African Americans', I do believe once we show more understanding for the differences in cultures, lifestyles, societies, we would be less abrupt with our African American brothers and sisters.

[Assasin]

When i understand her misfortune it gives her no right for that kind of outburst especially when the song was performed long before she recorded it.

I understand someone stealing her thunder but a so the entertainment business run. I can just imagine many other people also perform that song as well. The best we can hope is that some royalty is paid to her if so be the case.

[Westman]

I tried to say it nicely, but let me say it another way. This is a woman who has used hard drugs for a extended periods of her life and may or may not be using them now. whenshe started using, they were much stronger and more potent. It is alleged that she has had some permanent damage from using them and the effects persist even now. Some effects include outbursts and irrational talk. Alleged.

[Gamma]

what is alleged? the use, the outburst or the effects?