The<\/b> <\/b>Hip<\/b>–<\/b>Hop<\/b> <\/b>Socialite<\/b> recaps <\/b>the<\/b> hottest celebrity news and gossip of <\/b>the<\/b> last week, and drops a few exclusives\u2026.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Floetry\u2019s Natalie Stewart Talks Reunion Tour, Rumors Of Past Bad Blood Between Her And <\/b><\/span>Marsha Ambrosius And Possibility Of New Floetry Music<\/b><\/span>
\n <\/span>Natalie Stewart (‘The Floacist) and <\/span>Marsha Ambrosius <\/span>(\u2018the Songstress\u2019), collectively known as Floetry, are responsible for hits like \u201cSay Yes\u201d, \u201cGetting Late\u201d and \u201cSupastar.\u201d The duo first joined forces creatively in 1999, and eventually went on to sell over 1,500,000 records worldwide. Along the way, they also penned hits for the likes of <\/span>Jill Scott, Bilal and the late Michael Jackson.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span>In 2006, Natalie and Marsha branched off to work on projects as solo artists, and rumors of a breakup and bad blood between the two of them ran wild. During their individual journeys, Natalie <\/span>returned home to London, but still moved back and forth between the UK and The United States. Musically, she released albums like Floetic Soul<\/span><\/i>,<\/span> <\/i>The Floacist Presents Floetry Re:Birth<\/i><\/span> and Rise of the Phoenix Mermaid<\/i><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Last summer, Natalie reunited with Marsha \u2013 to the delight of fans \u2013 for a <\/span><\/span>North American tour. A second tour kicked off early last month in Sacramento, CA, stopped in Seattle<\/strong>,\u00a0and wraps up in a few weeks in Anaheim. During a recent phone call with Natalie, I got the \u2018SCOOP\u2019 on how the tour came about, the rumors of past bad blood between her and Marsha, and whether we can expect new music from the two of them as a unit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Check out highlights from our chat below.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>ON HOW THE REUNION TOUR CAME ABOUT:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>“I think quite simply how many reunion tours come about, you know. First of all, they come about at a moment when you realize that you\u2019ve actually got to a point of longevity, you know. People reach out, and the time just is right in so many different aspects and so many different ways. I think that\u2019s the most common denominator of all of the artists that go through that is just that the timing is just so very right. It\u2019s been the most lovely tour \u2013 this is the second part. We did a reunion tour here <\/i><\/span>in the summer of last year, and we\u2019ve been out now for four weeks\u2026two weeks to go.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

ON RUMORS OF PAST BAD BLOOD BETWEEN HER AND MARSHA:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMarsha is my sister, you know. We\u2019re all aware that the media much prefers to spread kind of negative connotations of stories, even articulation of a breakup. As creative individuals, Marsha and I didn\u2019t breakup \u2013 we evolved, blossomed, and did many things, you know. But there was always a push and a sway to want to describe that time as something negative because of course we we\u2019re introduced as Floetry, which is understandable. But, yeah, to answer that question, I\u2019ve known Marsha since I was ten years old, you know. It\u2019s a much further a line and relationship than just an articulation of Floetry, you know what I mean?\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

ON IF THERE WILL BE NEW FLOETRY MUSIC:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know it\u2019s interesting. One of the most beautiful things about Floetry and when Marsha and I decided to come together to join our art forms is that we really did it as a freedom thing, you know. It was outside of expectation \u2013 we create of an intention. So what\u2019s really beautiful is that\u2019s still in the future, you know. It would be lovely if so, and that\u2019s a definite possibility, but right now, we\u2019re just really enjoying the road, the live aspect, and just enjoying the balance within ourselves and what it is we do together. So, who knows? But we both have many, many projects that we\u2019re doing. It\u2019s interesting, when we created Floetry, we were young, entrepreneurial women, and now we\u2019re grown, entrepreneurial women and journeying further, so plenty of things to share, which is great.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

ON THE FANS\u2019 RECEPTION TO THE FLOETRY REUNION TOUR:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really been lovely everywhere, you know. We\u2019ve had a lot of sold out shows, beautiful gatherings of people \u2013 we\u2019re having a lovely time.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

ON WHAT SHE\u2019S WORKING ON OUTSIDE OF THE FLOETRY TOUR:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, many things. At the show, we kind of speak and share about ourselves, Marsha and I. And one of the things I\u2019m about to do is to come and share with some of my other friends from back home \u2013 singers, musicians. We\u2019re going to come over and do a tour over here. This is something that\u2019s been going on for a while, you know. Floetry, we weren\u2019t the first to come on this journey between the UK and the US – Soul II Soul, Loose Ends, Sade, Billy Ocean. So we\u2019re just highlighting that and celebrating that. So I\u2019m going to be bringing some of my friends over \u2013 so that\u2019s going to be happening. I also have an artist retreat that we\u2019re about to open in Ghana.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Natalie has many projects coming up, and to keep up with them, be sure to follow her on Twitter @The_Floacist. The Floetry reunion tour touches down in Orlando, FL on May 8<\/span><\/span>, New Orleans, LA on May 11<\/span><\/span>and Houston, TX on May 12<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Enter For A Chance To Win In \u2018The SCOOP\u2019 Bangles Giveaway!!<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

To celebrate the return of \u2018The SCOOP\u2019, I\u2019m collaborating with the LIVEINFASHION Collection for a giveaway of one of my favorite fashion accessories \u2013 bangles!!!<\/span><\/p>\n

The LIVEINFASHION Collection is the brainchild of Michelle Akers, who started her fashion journey by launching an own online boutique in 2009. After spending the next five years learning the ropes of how to run a business, developing relationships with other female entrepreneurs and heading many pop up shop events in NYC, Michelle decided that she wanted to pursue another dream of hers – creating her own women’s collection. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From that dream LIVEINFASHION was born, and sequin, sparkle and shine are the foundation of the collection. Their handmade bangles are handmade in Delhi, India, and no two sets are the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

To enter for a chance to win your own set of bangles from the LIVEINFASHION Collection, simply tweet, \u201cI just got the \u2018SCOOP\u2019 from the @HipHopSocialite via @seaspotdotcom” (or you could just copy and paste it) byThursday, May 12<\/span><\/span>. A winner will be announced via Twitter the following day, Friday, May 13<\/span><\/span>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Good luck, and keep checking \u2018The SCOOP\u2019 for additional giveaways!!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018The SCOOP\u2019 On Formerly Penelope Luxury Tresses: A Product Review<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m the type of girl who\u2019s always on the hunt for quality hair for my weaves and wigs, and in my search for the best extensions, I discovered and fell in love with the virgin hair at Formerly Penelope Luxury Tresses!!<\/span><\/p>\n

According to their website, Formerly Penelope sources its hair through a network of suppliers dedicated to finding the best quality hair from around the world. The company asserts that they are very selective about their hair products, and will reject hair that does not meet their rigorous standards. Those high standards and expectations were immediately apparent when I received my four bundles of Formerly Penelope 28 inch \u2018Penelope\u2019s Natural Wave.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

When I first received my package, I do what I always do when trying out a new brand of hair \u2013 I ran my brush through it. Before doing this it\u2019s important to make sure your brush is completely free of any strands of hair because you want to be able to see if any hair comes out of the weft of your newly purchased hair as you brush it. A few strands here and there is to be expected, but if several strands come out during this initial test, that\u2019s a bad sign. With Formerly Penelope hair, little to no strands of hair came out.<\/span><\/p>\n

I decided to have my Formerly Penelope bundles made into a long wig, and when I took it to my stylist, he gave it glowing reviews. He loved the texture and luster (not so glossy that it looks like Barbie hair, but not so dull that it looks like it\u2019s in serious need of a deep hydrating conditioning treatment), and he was elated that the wefts weren\u2019t so thick, that it made securing the ends of each track onto the wig cap a difficult process.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was happy with how my \u2018Formerly Penelope wig\u2019 turned out, and two months later<\/span><\/span>, I\u2019m still satisfied with the quality of the hair. I wash and wear the wig often, and I haven\u2019t had any issues with tangling, which is something I can\u2019t say for some of the other hair brands I\u2019ve tried in the past. I would recommend Formerly Penelope hair to anyone, but particularly to someone like myself who wants their hair to look good in spite of not having the time for the recommended maintenance on it. To order your own Formerly Penelope hair products, be sure to visit their website at FormerlyPenelope.com.<\/span><\/p>\n

To keep up with Mara the Hip-Hop Socialite, be sure to follow her on Twitter @hiphopsocialite and Instagram @thehiphopsocialite.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Hip–Hop Socialite recaps the hottest celebrity news and gossip of the last week, and drops a few exclusives\u2026. Floetry\u2019s Natalie Stewart Talks Reunion Tour, Rumors Of Past Bad Blood Between Her And Marsha Ambrosius And Possibility Of New Floetry Music Natalie Stewart (‘The Floacist) and Marsha Ambrosius (\u2018the Songstress\u2019), collectively known as Floetry, are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2311,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","content-type":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[],"tags":[38],"class_list":["post-2310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-the-scoop"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/staging.seaspot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Natalie3.png?fit=496%2C500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Seaspot - Celebrating 24 Years Online!","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/staging.seaspot.com","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.seaspot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.seaspot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.seaspot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.seaspot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.seaspot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging.seaspot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2310\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.seaspot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.seaspot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.seaspot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.seaspot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}