By Tai Saint Louis
R&B superstar Ne-Yo, who is currently riding the Billboard Hot 100 charts with rapper Plies on the single "Bust It Baby Pt. II,” will treat a select group of mothers to a private concert and brunch on Sunday (May 11), in celebration of Mother’s Day.
The singer, who is preparing his forth coming third album, Year of the Gentleman, hopes to live up to the release’s title with the Ne-Yo’s Mother’s Day Brunch Serenade in the Castleberry Hill section of Atlanta, for 60 metro-Atlanta foster and single mothers.
The event is being hosted by Ne-Yo’s charity organization The Compound Foundation, McDonalds, and Hip-Hop/R&B station V-103 (WVEE-FM).
“I made an assessment of what I personally view this industry as, today," Ne-Yo told AllHipHop.com. "I want to bring the integrity back to the game, from the look to the essence. If you take things back to the days of Nat King Cole and/or the Rat Pack [Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin], you couldn't call yourself an entertainer, unless you were a special type. Your suit had to be dressed, your tie had to be pressed and your shoes [had to] be shined up."
The guests of honor at Ne-Yo’s Mother’s Day Brunch Serenade are a mix of exemplary women chosen by the Georgia Department of Human Resources’ standards, who have demonstrated a positive record of service to children in Georgia.
"This group seldom gets the attention that they deserve, because they are not troubled, they are just good mothers," said Ne-Yo, who was raised by a single mother. "They wake up each morning and go about the day’s activities selflessly, sometimes forsaking their own needs. We hope to bring attention to state of the foster care system in America and to honor mothers that deserve recognition."
A select number are mom’s are also guests of the Ronald McDonald House in Atlanta while their children are receiving treatment at nearby hospitals.
The mothers will also be joined by winners of a week-long contest held by V-103 on-air jock Porsche Foxx, who will also host the brunch.
"Nowadays, you look at rappers and you look at R&B singers and you can't tell the difference,” Ne-Yo told AllHipHop.com. “I'm not saying that clothes make the man, because that's not always true. But I do know that a gentleman knows the importance of dressing for the occasion.”
Ne-Yo’s new album Year of the Gentleman is due in stores June 24.