“The family f—cked my husband,” were the iconic words Vanessa Williams said as her character Teri Joseph in the '90s classic family drama Soul Food. The line came after Teri witnessed her husband cheating on her, and moments before she would attempt to stab her husband with a kitchen knife.
But can you believe that 25 years after the film premiered, there are people who still think Teri is the villain? The number of villains in Soul Food is endless: Diabetes for taking out Big Mama; Mel Jackson for playing yet another havoc-wreaking light-skinned; Ahmad for being up in grown folk's business; whoever let Lem's ex into him and Bird’s wedding; Lem for dancing with his ex at his own wedding??
Teri however, is not one of them. And even if she was the villain (she’s not!!), xoNecole has compiled a list of reasons as to why she’s justified to be.
1. Maxine stole Teri’s boyfriend
From very early in the film, we learned that Teri’s sister Maxine (played by Vivica A. Fox) stole Teri’s boyfriend and later married him. Imagine having to spend every Sunday dinner for the rest of your life watching your ex-boyfriend and your sister peacefully smackin' on yams and collard greens and fried chicken after betraying you in such a way and the rest of the family going along with it. And to top it all off, Maxine had the nerve to have beef with her sister?
2. Teri's husband took $5k out of their joint savings
There’s perhaps nothing scarier than thinking you’re married to a handsome, successful, educated, well-adjusted man only for him to come home one day and say “honey, I’m pursuing a music career.” Mind you, this was before the internet when you could upload your music to Soundcloud or TikTok for a chance to go viral. But this was the reality Teri had to live with her husband, whose audacity led him to take $5,000 out of the couple’s savings account just to pay for studio time. Imagine if an actual emergency arose. Oh sorry, I can't pay for a new car battery because my husband wanted to play the keyboard at his ginormous age!
\u201cTeri from Soul Food had every right to be sour toward her family. She was the oldest, took all the pressure, paid everyone\u2019s way, and her man cheated on her with her cousin. I would be a Bitch too.\u201d— the writer formely known as LEX (@the writer formely known as LEX) 1647557954
3. Cousin Faith f—cked Teri’s husband
I mean where do we even begin with this one? Your jobless cousin comes into town unannounced, crashes at your place for free, and then you walk in on your husband with his booty butt cheeks out as he’s breaking your cousin’s back. I would’ve stabbed both of them then and there!
4. Family expected Teri to pay for everything
It should be stated that I probably wouldn’t have tried to sell Big Mama’s house, but I also wouldn’t expect my sister to pay for all the expenses on the house either, ESPECIALLY after how cruel I'd been to her.
5. Bird being rude after Teri got Bird’s husband out of jail
As far as I’m concerned, Teri is the only real b—tch in this entire film. She thinks her sister Bird has been abused by her husband and the first thing Teri does is send her goons after him to rough him up. Weeks after Bird’s husband ends up in jail for the altercation, Teri calls a friend at the DA office to drop the charges, and instead of saying THANK YOU, Bird and that triflin' husband of hers instead chastise Teri.
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Exclusive: Melanie Fiona On Making High-Vibrational Music & Saying Yes To Partnership
Melanie Fiona is back! After taking a little more than a decade-long hiatus, she has officially made her return to music and blessed us with two singles, “Say Yes” and “I Choose You.” While both singles are very different from each other, they both reflect who she is today and the type of music she wants to make. In our conversation, the mom of two expressed what she learned during her time away.
“It's interesting, even when I said it is like coming back, I don't ever feel like I really left because I was always still performing. I've still been public. It's not like I went into being this recluse person or version of myself, but the thing that I really learned in this process is that I think things take time,” Melanie says in a xoNecole exclusive.
“I think often we're so caught up in it, being on the timing of demand or popularity, or, like, striking while the iron is hot and the thing that I've learned is that everything is on God's time. That's it. Every time I thought I would have been ready, or, like, things were taking too long, I had to reship some things, personally, professionally, in my life. I also gave myself permission to make a living, not just make a living, but make a life for myself.”
Making a life for herself included getting married to Grammy-nominated songwriter Jared Cotter, starting a family, and embracing new landscapes, such as podcasting as a co-host of The Mama’s Den podcast. She also began doing more spiritual work and self-care practices like meditation, sound healing, Reiki, acupuncture, and boundary setting, which allowed her to get in touch with her inner voice.
“I wasn't putting out music, and I wasn't experiencing a number one record, but I was being a number one mom,” she says.
“I was experiencing things that were allowing me to heal and get in touch with myself so that I could make new music from a space of joy and freedom, and excitement again because I definitely feel like I did lose some excitement because of just politics and industry and what it can do to your mental health and even your physical health. So giving myself the space to really just say, ‘Hey, it's okay. Everything's right on time.’”
The joy and excitement are felt in one of two new singles, “I Choose You,” which is more of a lovers rock vibe, a tribute to Melanie’s Caribbean roots. While the Grammy award-winner is known for ballads like “It Kills Me” and “Fool For You,” she is becoming more intentional about the music she makes, calling it high-vibrational music. She says her music is a “reflection of my life,” as it captures every facet, from hanging out with friends to riding around in her car.
“Say Yes” has the classic R&B vibe Melanie is known for. However, both songs are inspired by her relationship. Melanie and Jared got married in December 2020, and the Toronto-bred artist dished on their relationship. Fun fact: he is featured in the “Say Yes” music video.
“When we first started dating, I had come into that relationship post a lot of self-work. I had gotten out of a long-term relationship, I had a year and a half to date and be by myself and do a lot of work on myself alone. And when we met, I remember feeling like this has to be my person because I feel it,” she says.
“And so when we went into that relationship, and we started dating, I was very clear. I was like, I know what I want. I'm very clear on what I need, and I'm not going to withhold my truth about myself in this process because of pride or fear of rejection. I know you love me, but I'm coming with my heart in my hand to let you know that if we're gonna get there, we have to put fear aside and say yes. So that was kind of like my open letter to him, which is why the video is us having a conversation.”
Melanie also shares that saying yes to her partner has empowered her in many ways, including motherhood and showing up for herself. Her new EP, also titled Say Yes, will be available at the top of 2025.
Check out the full interview below.
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There's nothing like a dynamic duo, and SZA and Kendrick Lamar are ones that don't get talked about enough. While both of them are musical geniuses in their own right, they have also made musical magic together multiple times while signed to TDE. Their music collabs have led to them receiving Grammy noms, Golden Globes noms, and Academy noms.
Now, it's just been announced that they are going on a joint tour in 2025. In honor of their latest collaboration, we take a look at all the times SZA and Kendrick have teamed up together.
SZA Ft. Kendrick Lamar- "Babylon"
The first time we heard the two collaborate was in 2014 on SZA's EP, Z. Their song "Babylon" marries both of their sounds best and forecasts what fans can expect from the pair going forward.
SZA Ft. Kendrick Lamar- "Doves In The Wind"
Kendrick showed up and showed out for SZA again, this time for her 2017 debut album Ctrl. Their song "Doves in the Wind" is a dreamy song, and the Compton rapper's delivery was a chef's kiss.
Kendrick Lamar Ft. SZA- "All The Stars"
This time, Kendrick called up his sis to assist with the song "All The Stars" for the Black Panther album, which he also produced. The song was nominated for multiple awards, including an Oscar.
Kendrick Lamar Ft. SZA- "luther"
Kendrick surprised everyone when he dropped GNX in November. SZA appears on the album twice, including "luther," which samples the late legend Luther Vandross' song "If This World Were Mine." This song instantly became a favorite for Instagram Reels and TikToks.
Kendrick Lamar Ft. SZA- "gloria"
GNX closes out with "gloria," a song dedicated to Kendrick's love of writing rhymes. SZA's voice fills in beautifully between Kendrick's rhymes and ends with her singing, "I see you, you see me, both see what we want."
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Feature image by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Coachella