I found this group called Brown Rice Family to be quite inspiring creatively and holistically! Hope you do to! Not only are they an amazing band, but they make amazing soap as well. Check out the video below to hear their music and above for their interview with Etsy.com on the inspiration behind their organic soap!

How lovely this video is! It does not get any better than Sade, pretty colors, and poetic lyrics! You can read the lyrics to the song below the video. So beautiful! It makes me so happy to see positive images and words about our fathers!!!!

Lyrics to Baby Father :
We were waiting for the bus
No-one much around but us
Then I see this young boy cut a look at me
I’m stunned
In a daze
He had the whole street set ablaze
It’s only love they say
Makes you feel this way

She liked his eyes she wanted more

Janelle is so incredible and I hear that her performances are well worthy of an encore! Here is one of her latest called "Tight Rope" featuring Big Boi! If you missed our interview with Janelle a while back, then be sure to check it out Janelle Monae Interview with YMIB.

I love Erykah Badu's video for her song "Window Seat". This is such a breath of fresh air from the redundancy of Ga-Ga's, and Soulja Boy's, and Lil Waynes, and Gucci Manes. LOL. I love when music can go even beyond the lyrics we hear and be brought to life with artistry for the eyes and right knowledge for the ears. Now if only we can get our fellow indie artists who have yet to be seen to get some mainstream air time and create some beautiful images to go along with their lyrics..then all will be right with the musical world in my opinion; and if you are not familiar with the term "Group Think" in which Erykah talks about at the end of the video, then Click Here For A Pretty Good Definition. Ok, that's enough of my rambling. Enjoy!

This song will forever be a classic and purely makes the statement of what we need more of in our universe...right along with Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes "Wake Up Everybody".

For the times when you just don't know how to say it yourself...

"The Fact Is (I Need You)"

I can pay my own light bill baby
Pump my own gas in my own car
I can buy my own shoe collection
I've been blessed thus far
I can kill the spider above my bed
Although it's hard because I'm scared
I can even stain and polyurethane
But some things just don't change
I need you yeah
Sometimes so hard to say oh
I need you
Some things remain
I could buy my own groceries baby

Sometimes New York can give, and sometimes it can taketh away..LOL. This is dedicated to those who have had their love move away from them!

Every now and then I will be posting these "Lyrical Love Letters" here on ymib. I cannot get enough of poetry within music, and so many times the best of words are enriched within a song. My husband and I do this often..saying what we mean through music, and I must say that it is a calm and loving way to communicate your emotions when you just don't know how to say it.

So, when you are just at a lost for words, try playing a lyrical love letter for the one you love, you want to love, or use to love! Lyrics are below the video.

So, as I was using one of my favorite pass time social tools aka twitter (click here to follow ymib!) I saw a tweet by CaliNative about the upcoming film Precious starring Monique, Lenny Kravitz, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, and introducing Gabourey Sidibe as Precious. I must say that this film (a Lee Daniels film presented by Oprah Winfrey & Tyler Perry...need I say more) looks intense and artistically performed. I have not had the chance to read the book in which this film is based on entitled "Push" by Sapphire, but from what I have heard & read, it is an intense read as well!

"Music has truly evolved while at the same time staying the same, and we can all relate to older music that brings back those schoolgirl, puppy love, family gathering, fun time memories!"

Take note of the cabbage patch...LOL! Supersonic by J.J Fad popped into my head and I just had to post it. It never fails to amaze me how easily one can forget about the songs that made us so happy and hype back in the day!

I am totally loving the sound of Blue King Brown and vocalist Natalie Pa'apa'a is such an inspirational beauty! We love her not only for her passion that she pours into her music, but also because of the amount of passion that she carries and shares with the world when it comes to activism!

Her voice is pure passion. Concha Buika carries such a great voice that will captivate your senses! be sure to grab one of her albums to add to your creative collection of music!

We are celebrating a bit of Togo today, so to get some island inspiration in you today have a listen to one of Togos favorite songstress Bella Bellow and try the Togolese Cous Cous Recipe In Peanut Sauce below!

Togolese Cous Cous In Peanut Sauce

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 chicken bouillon cube

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp freshly-grated ginger

450g chicken legs and thighs

1 large tomato, blanched, peeled, de-seeded and coarsely chopped

So, which one was your boyfriend? I love these songs..both of them are true classic gems!

There is no doubt that when you pair up a beautiful songstress such as Corinne Bailey Rae and a classic musician such as Herbie Hancock, that you will get nothing but beautiful melodies. This Christmas inspired song is so lovely! Find the lyrics below!

Lyrics to River :

It's coming on Christmas

They're cutting down trees

They're putting up reindeer

And singing songs of joy and peace

Oh I wish I had a river

I could skate away on

I am not sure of how many of you are familiar with Senegal singer Baaba Maal, but I definitely wanted to share his music with all of you who have never heard of him before. I first heard Baaba Maal while I was spending a couple of weeks with a family member in Washington D.C. I was very young, but the tone of his music definitely resonated with me. One of my favorite albums is entitled "Nomad Soul". So, I suggest you pick up a copy, as it makes a great companion around the abode! The last video below is one of my favorites from the album called "I Will Follow You".

I think this video of Jamie Foxx & Taraji P. Henson is super cute, and sounds good too. It always makes me laugh especially at the end!

We ran across a beautiful UK duet called Indigo Brown(Soul & Nayla) recently and have not only become hooked on their beauty, & bubbly and funny personality, but they have got two magnificent voices which blends together so eloquently. There is no album, and there is no website other than their myspace page(which you can hear a few snippets of their work on their music player), so we are on pins and needles waiting for these two song birds to come out with an album or at least a single! We will be first in line for our copy that's for sure. Yes, they may remind you of Floetry, but check the video below(they totally crack me up in this video), for their thoughts about that! Nevertheless, this is a group that is definitely in bloom, and we can't wait to see what's next for such a talented duet of sisters!

So, how can you not love Sarah White! Not only does her artistic style speak so eloquently but she has a beautiful smooth voice, and on top of that she is an artistic mom, who obviously surrounds her little one with creativity, and for that alone, we love her! Her music and fashion style would be best described in my opinion as conscious, funky, electric, and soulful!

The tone of songstress Susheela Raman is like that of the "Om" sound...tantric, meditative, eloquent, just simply beautiful!.

"This woman is philanthropic and believes in the power of love. As a humanist, her voice’s vibes are in between harmony and chaos emotions." sistaclarisse.com

Once you get past the striking natural beauty of Congo songstress & Paris residing Sista Clarisse, you will most definitely fall in love with her cool as water voice. My favorite is definitely her song "Supernaturelle". The video is quite lovely! I have not found a place to actually buy her album/songs, so for all of our readers from the UK, please feel free to chime in if you happen to know where we can buy her songs!

Danielia Cotton has such a beautiful voice and some rocking lyrics to go along with it, not to mention a beautiful set of locs! "Appearances aside, like male counterparts Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone or crossover icon Tina Turner, Danielia not only has embraced the notion of Black Rock--she has redefined it." My absolute favorites from her latest album entitled Rare Child, would have to be "Bang My Drum" and "Make U Move". Just Click The Player to listen!

The story of Indian singer Marya Rupa is quite inspirational. Not only does she carry a fun and enchanting gypsy style of musical melodies along with her band "Rupa & the April Fishes", but she also works by day as a medical doctor.