Heaux Tales, The Comeuppance Of a Hard-working Black Womxn Artist
If you are just now hearing of Jazmine Sullivan with her latest project Heaux Tales, you are a bit behind, let me catch you up:
Sullivan, a Philly-born R&B singer and songwriter has been in the music industry since childhood. She’s notorious for her moving rendition of The Wiz’s “Home”, in which sis killed the Diana Ross classic at just the age of 11! Here is a clip from the performance if you wish to have your wig snatched, and keep in mind, Jazmine was in ELEMENTARY school.
Jazmine has made some noise in the industry over the past 12 year since the release of her album Fearless in 2008. You may recognize the album from its well-known songs “Bust Your Windows” and “Need You Bad”, among other singles. All of these were classics written by Jazmine but now let’s get on to the goodies at hand, the masterpiece that is, Heaux Tales.
The Tales
I want to start first with the Heaux Tales themselves. These were a collection of six spoken pieces from black womxn giving the sentiments of the struggles they deal with. These stories holistically embody the plights of black womxn as they fight to be appreciated and valued by society for their individuality and independence, rather than being objectified for their bodies.
Antoinette speaks on the liberation of the black womxn’s consciousness as they gain and hold agency of their bodies, while Ari confesses the essential “dick-matization” that one can receive from an excellent sexual encounter, which she promotes as “just my truth [her], this is just my [her] truth, its just my [her] truth”.
Donna preaches on the power womxn have with their bodies and their willpower to essentially get whatever they want out of their man, and how even in relationships and marriages this “heaux” behavior is normal and there is not a damn thing wrong with it.
Rashida shed some light on the fate that one has after ruining a relationship. She describes the devastated way you feel afterwards, even though you were the one that messed things up, as nothing returns to the way it was before the fuck-up.
Precious emphasizes the importance and sexual turn-on of a partner having money or essentially being able to contribute to her her as she stands in her own independence.
Amanda wraps up the Heaux Tales discussing body positivity (or lack thereof in her respective community) and her utilization of sex to sustain a relationship. She also expresses her discontent with not resulting to sex, in effort to keep up with society’s body standards and exaggerated social media expectations.
All the Heauxs speak their piece willingly and freely, as an ode to the lifestyle they’ve chosen and Jazmine shows us through the songs in between that she is all for the ‘hoetivities’, and so am I!
My Favorite Songs
Now to the music!
Jazmine cites Brandy, Changing Faces, Kim Burrell, Lauryn Hill, and the Clark Sisters as some of her main vocal influences, and it really shows with her skillful talented riffs and runs. The album features a few well-known artists including Ari Lennox and Anderson. Paak. I’ll only be discussing my top three songs because this album should be listened to front to back and I want y’all to take a listen and comment your opinions below!
Bodies – Intro
I mean what can I say? This is how you come into an album! Swinging a bat and knocking shit over. Jazmine, through the repetive and catchy lines, “Gotta stop gettin’ fucked up/What did I have in my cup?/I don’t know where I woke up/I keep on pressin’ my luck/I don’t know where I woke up” illustrates the reality of many college student experiences (well, pre-COVID) going to parties and letting the night essentially have its way with you. She then gives us a juicy yet cliché one-night party hook-up story but through her vocal talents your adrenaline is built up on every line she gives. 10/10. If you’ve ever felt like you might have stacked up a few bodies in the past, this one’s for you.
On It (feat. Ari Lennox)
*chefs kiss*. This song is vocally and provocatively DELICIOUS. You heard that correctly. The two unique voices of Jazmine and Ari combine for such a mellow yet seductive beat that I already know is going to be a new exotic performance song, among other things 😊. Ari Lennox is known for her vivid pictures painted in almost rap-like singing, and Sullivan tag-teams this theme perfectly. The song itself speaks to the desire to give one’s self away, but only after the receiver proves themselves worthy of the indulgent explicit practices which I won’t discuss in this blog post, but you can go give it a listen to enjoy those concepts for yourself.
Lost One
(*Bag Music Alert*)
I don’t even listen to bag music, but I’m sure y’all are familiar with bag music artists like SZA, Daniel Caesar, and H.E.R who help push the narrative of love in a more emotional ‘tug at the heartstrings’ limelight. This song does just that by putting me in the exact feelings I tell myself don’t exist. Coming in right after Rashida’s Heaux Tale, Jazmine puts her heart on the line with this one. The strong yet backgrounded strum of the guitar mixed with Jazmine’s layered harmonies makes for a piece that leaves me crying out to anyone I’ve ever loved and lost. The hook exclaims, “Just don’t have too much fun without me, don’t have too much, don’t have too much fun. Try not to love no one.” Her writing skills as well as vocals are expertly showcased in this vocal goodbye to a loved one. I resonate with this one a little too much, so I will not go into any more detail lest I wish to finish the post in tears.
Check It Out!
If you are anxious to hear the album, but don’t want to jump right to its fullness, check out her flawlessly executed melodic preview via the renowned NPR Tiny Desk stage.
Jazmine’s vocal and lyrical talent is truly one of the best out right now and if you are curious as to the difference between someone who can sing and someone who can sangg give her new album Heaux Tales a listen!
(Pro-tip, where legally permitted, a blunt goes well with any solo album-listening party)