It’s the first day of rehearsal with Cabaret Clandestine and Karen’s in for a huge surprise when she learns how she’s been cast in their gala performance.

Welcome to chapter five of Bump and Grind. If you’d like to listen, rather than read, CLICK HERE. The ceiling in the subterranean rehearsal hall was surprisingly high. At one end of the room thick ribbons of silk dangled next to a large hoop rigged for aerial acrobatics. A table was set up along the mirrors, where Bruce and Eureykah sat with a stack of notes before them. A lone cameraman from the E-Network had set up a tripod off to the side of the table. There was a sunken lounge and a small kitchenette at the opposite end. It…

Welcome to chapter four of Bump and Grind. If you’d like to listen, rather than read, CLICK HERE. I’m in some kind of hammam, judging by the hanging lanterns and ornate mosaic work. I shed my clothing and step into the warm water.  A woman with perfect brown skin and the regal bearing of a queen stretches out on her belly, trailing her hand in the steaming bath.  Another woman, pale and curvy with a fire engine red bob, slips out of a beaded robe and crouches to dip her feet in the pool.