OpenEntrance - What’s Really Going OnWhat’s Really Going On

Is what fell through my household as Eddie LeVert, Gladys Knight, Yolanda Adams and Patti LaBelle paid tribute to the late, great Gerald LeVert. I’ll be honest, I’m not big on award show performances these days. Mainly because I get tired of watching rappers prancing around stage and I can’t understand a single word they’re saying. And singers who can sing and dance, but can’t do them both at the same time (Usher and Beyonce are about the only ones I can think of that can). After years of that it just gets old. The BET Awards, however, always forces me to tune in because I know there will be at least one memorable moment, if not more, worth watching for. And last night, for me, it was the tribute to Gerald Levert.

As I looked on, I sat in complete silence as an unforgettable tingle ran through my entire body. I watched four great singers pour out their love for a son, a brother, a friend and a true singer. It made me reflect a little on what music used to be and what it is now. I’m not saying that everything out there these days is a mess, but if you can “wipe me down” while my “Krispy” self says “A Bay Bay…” well I think you know what I’m getting at.

Is it fair to call Gerald LeVert a legend, I don’t know. If not now he will be in that category one day. He always held it down whether he was “Just Coolin” or answering his “Private Line.” And Gerald LeVert didn’t have a problem telling his “Baby Hold On To Me” or admitting that he wasn’t much on “Casanova.” What he did was without a doubt music that made you dance or grab hold to the one you loved, and his sound will be missed.

Thanks BET for that tribute. It was obvious that Gerald LeVert touched so many of his peers and fans alike with his music, personality and unforgettable smile. It’s a shame he had to go so young, but he will not be forgotten…missed but definitely not forgotten.