"Who are you to judge the life I live? I know I'm not perfect - and I don't live to be. But before you start pointing fingers, make sure your hands are clean." ~ Bob Marley
She KILLED it! And oh yeah, this is Gabourey "Precious" Sidibe’s Mom, Alice Tan Ridley. She has spent the past 20 years singing in NYC subways...and she did it better than Beyonce. #imjussayin
FOLLOW ME on Twitter...and check out www.ignorant-intelligence.com I would've posted this over there, but Nerd would've prolly deleted it, ol ignant ass. Follow him too, he's hilarious (the ignorance) and my boy Ronnie (the intelligence) b/c he makes me believe that there is hope for men these days.
Today would be Bob Marley's 65th birthday. It's also my niece, Carina Renee's 7th birthday.
One year ago today I visited his birth/resting place in St. Ann's parrish, Nine Mile, Jamaica. It was an emotional as well as magical experience. I will never forget 02.06.09
I was posting photos on Twitter today sharing my Nine Mile experience w/ my peoples. I also uploaded a few videos to YouTube of that visit. Good thing I had good herbs to calm my nerves.
Pt III is hilarious! While in the jeep on our way back to the resort, my hat blew off of my head into the busy road. The driver BACKED UP on a Jamaican highway for Khalil to retrieve the hat. Jamaicans have notoriously dangerous roads - the drivers are no better.
I apologize in advance I could not blur my ex out of the videos. I'm not sure how he'll fell about it, I'll assume it's OK unless I hear otherwise? These were good times, for me anyways. And to KHH: “The stone that the builder refused, will always be the head cornerstone.” (c) BoB
Here are a few of the MANY pics I took out in Nine Mile, Jamaica that day.
“Conquer the devils with a little thing called love!” (c) Robert Nesta Marley
(c) Jay Electronica. So yeah. I woke-up today and had an epiphany. Kinda came to a conclusion. These skeletons have to go...it's taking up too much energy & emotion that doesn't deserve my attention. I need to clear these bones out and make room for good people, good energy and good times.
After many weeks (and in one case MONTHS) stressing out, trying to decide how to approach delicate, personal situations in a politically correct yet socially acceptable manner...I woke up today and 'unfriended' and 'unfollowed' these people. The dead weight. The new age way to let someone know - I ain't fuckin' with you no more. #iCant.
To the 'friend' who ran shit I confided in you about to the person I was fuckin' w/ and cared about: I hope that one night w/ him was worth losing my friendship. He's awesome, ain't he? Yeah, I know. Been there, done that (before you!). But I'm awesome too, bitch. And even though y'all did it AFTER I was done w/ him...it's still grimey & you're a ratchet ass 'friend'. I wanted to confront you for the longest - not fight you, not start no drama...I simply wanted to let you know that I knew. And see the look on your face when I put it out there. Yeah, he told me all about it. B/c we're still cool. Hell, I'm mad @ him too b/c that was some nut shit, but I'm done w/ him, he's not obligated to me. YOU were. We were FRIENDS. And a man is gonna be a man. I was not your little tag-along sometimey friend. I was your GIRL. No more. We have nothing to talk about, to work out, I don't wanna hear your side. I've seen you once since I found out months ago, you've reached out to me on FB and Twitter...noticed no response? Yeah. Kick rocks, bitch. I have no room for you in my life. And good luck w/ yours. You will never have successful relationships w/ women b/c you are insecure and immature. You won't be respected by men b/c you're running personal biz & then fuckin' behind your girls on top of all that...so continue to smile and play nice...what happens in the dark eventually comes to light. Karma baby.
"How people treat you is their karma, how you react is yours." ~ Wayne Dyer
To the 'former bew' who participated in the nut shit w/ the ratchet ass 'friend': WE, me & you? WE are not friends. We are not associates. We are done. But we have mutual friends and acquaintances...let's keep it that way. I never ran your shit, I never told others the things you confided in me about, I never kicked dirt on your name. You simply don't exist to me anymore, and that's fine. You no longer have anything to say to me or about me, let's keep it that way. You are so fortunate I am not one of those impulsive, vengeful, nut ass broads who would put all your biz on Front St. and have you on blast to all the people who's thoughts & opinions you worry so much about. What saddens me the most is not that you fucked her - and damn sure not that you're fuckin' someone else NOW - what saddens me the most is you are SO extremely talented yet so very insecure. Don't worry about who I know, who knows me or how. What you should have been grateful for is that I gave your ass some attention and invested time, energy & emotion into you...and all for what? You disappointed me. I thought we were so much better than that.
"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people." ~
Eleanor Roosevelt
Finally, YOU, last but not least and straight to the point: You are a mofo LIAR. We both know you lied and what you lied about. But it's all good. Do you. Keep snappin', keep talkin' shit...it's fucking ROTFLMFWAO that you would lie to someone who was a genuine, supportive friend to you. I'm not some chick you had to lie to impress, we weren't fuckin' around! That little lie led into a big lie and you couldn't keep living it. Especially not when we were ending up in a lot of the same places, around the same people, doing the same things. Yet I never exposed you. I never called you out on your bullshit. But I wrote you off too. You don't deserve my friendship, my energy or the circle of people I put you on to. They don't need me to tell them who you are and how you are, they're already finding out on their own.
"It is always good policy to tell the truth unless of course you are an exceptionally good liar" ~ Jerome K. Jerome
I am not a perfect person, nor do I claim to be. I am comfortable w/ my flaws. But my flaws do not involve other people. My flaws don't include being a bad friend or a dishonest person. My flaws don't hurt other people or cause conflict. I don't have to lie about who I am, what I do or who I know to be 'down'. I'll leave it to these ratchet ass mofo's above who are doing a damn good job w/ all of that. You never hear of me in no he said/she said shit. You never see me snappin' on people or putting business out there. Because that's NOT who I am, not my twist. And those three mofo's are about to find out the hard way I say what I mean and mean what I say.
These things I am venting about on MY blog involve ME. And it's anonymous. If I was going to expose them, I would've done so a LONG time ago. After today I have no time and no room in my life for the negativity and the dumb shit. There will be no fights, no Twitter beefs, no pics or messages shared - these three people know who they are and what they did. As you were...
The day after my birthday, VA's own The Clipse came to Philly. Unless you've been living under a rock, you would know that their new album "Til The Casket Drops" was released 12.08.09. It's in stores now, cop that! And again, this is NOT a music blog. I can't keep you folks up w/ ALL the good music being released...there are music blogs, magazines & shows for that. But I do what I can :)
I headed down to UBIQ on 15th & Walnut w/ Ashley. I 'met' Malice on Twitter long before they came to Philly, and I looked forward to finally getting to meet him in person. Malice & Pusha T graciously signed autographs and posed for pics w/ fans. Freeway* came through, free Heineken for everyone, my homie DJ Ambush was on the wheels, I ran into a few friends and scenesters, I met The Clipse...all was good.
Here are some of the flics I shot @ UBIQ:
After the in-store me & Ash headed over to Byblos, a Greek spot on 18th St, to have birthday dinner and share cherry hookah. An evening well spent. Good music, good food, food people. My entire birthday week was awesome.
* Freeway's new jawn - "The Stimulus Package" - drops 02.16.10 Be on the lookout for that. He's gonna be performing in Philly @ The Troc on 02.15.10 as well. Where else would he release him album but PHILLY?! P.S.P. - Philly Support Philly (c) DJ NoPhrillz
Of course this was another two.one.five mag event. The 2nd Heineken Green Room Party I've attended thus far. Keep up w/ all the beautiful people and dope events over on their site.
January: New Year's I was w/ 'Boocifer'. We met up w/ his friends in U City, had drinks & left out to hit 'our spot'. We rolled out to Lemon Hill, but it was crowded and there were cars everywhere. We wanted some privacy but needed to be able to see the fireworks happening at Penn's Landing. And we were literally rollin'...if you know what I mean. So we hit the Plat, "...a place called the Plateau, that's where everybody go..." Well that's "Summertime"...this was New Year's Eve. And it was freezing! We sat in the truck and listened to Jimi Hendrix bring crazy, ecstatic life to 'Experience Hendrix' over & over. We had a great view of the fireworks, it was a great night. Magic. *That* inspired *this*... listen to Jimi. (R.I.P.)
February: 06 February 2009. Robert Nesta Marleywas born February 6, 1945 in the village of Nine Mile in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica. The entire country of Jamaica celebrates Bob Marley Day every February 6th all over the island. I had been to Jamaica before, but never to Nine Mile and never on Bob's birthday. I made up my mind that my trip to Jamaica this year would be in February and it had to be with 'Boocifer'. We arrived on the 5th and took a jeep safari to Nine Mile the following day. We planned to spend the entire day @ the Marley compound (where Bob was born & buried) and hang out off-resort. This was one of the most emotionally bonding experiences I've ever had in life. It was a truly dope, truly deep and truly defining day for me. I may re-post my Nine Mile blog for a more detailed description of the events & the encounters...it's sitting in 'edit' status being that some of what went down there is very personal and I'm not sure if I'm ready for all that out here on the innanets. #imjussayin. Know this: Bob Lives.
March: Wow. This inspired "215's & Heartbreaks" (shout-out Regular Ass Ron, I promise Imma post it in the New Year...I'm almost ready, homie). I dumped 'Boocifer' after nine years of friendship, over three years of a relationship...it was the hardest and most disappointing thing I've ever had to do. So to call this a 'memory' would be an understatement. This 'memory' deserves it's own explanation, and it has one: 215's & Heartbreaks. I have had it sitting in here for months and every time I log in and glance at it, I read it, tweek it, read it again...I'm just not ready to share all that w/ the world yet. It's personal. It's private. Painful. And I am not proud.
I miss intimacy, but I love my space.
I love my anonymity, but I miss the familiarity...
I love the freedom I have experienced; 'single' opportunities that would not have been available had I been 'in a relationship' (lines *read* lines). But it's just not the same. I have to convince myself I'm better off, and that's not always easy, yet at the end of the day I know I made the best decision and I have no regrets.
"I gather up
each sound
you left behind
and stretch them
on our bed.
each nite
I breathe you
and become high."
poem #3 sonia sanchez
My love jones. That chapter of the book is finished now but w/ kind regard and great memories. It was very real and very valid. I have NO regrets.
April: Cali, New Mexico, Texas...I have such great people in my life. Moni Beth is one of them. Monika is from PA but moved out West over 10 years ago. She is about 9 years older than me and a longtime family friend. Monika was my gymnastics instructor when I was a young jawn. She taught me and my sister, Hezz, how to walk the balance beam and do back flips. She has modeled, worked for MTV, talked my ears off for hours countless times..she was really there for me through the break-up. I hadn't seen her since she was in Philly when her Dad died a few years ago, so we made arrangements for me to fly out West; spend a week out there in the desert relaxing and getting my mind right. Monika is no square, but she doesn't rasta either...if I was gonna be in Cali on 4/20, there was NO way I was NOT gonna get my rasta on while I was out there (she calls it my "Jamaican jumpoff", *smmfh*). And jumpoff I did. It was a beautiful, much needed, emotionally healing experience. I have mad files of photos we snapped and a journal I kept while I was out there. I'll post the photos for sure one day. The journal may never reach another person's eyes ever. That's probably what is best. Sangria, Native American reservations, dead snakes, authentic Mexican spots, ladies only clubs, steam rollers & vaporizers...good times.
THIS video dropped on 4/20, while I was out West. I blogged about this group, this video...I cannot say enough about The Foreign Exchange. If you don't know, #getfamiliar. A dope dude from Philly by the name of Matt Koza directed this. Some of my friends are in this video as well. THIS album, Leave It All Behind, helped me through some rough shit. They are now Grammy nominated. Love you guys. I left the West Coast on 4/21, my little bro's birthday. I text Bud that morning while I was on my way to the airport to wish him a Happy Birthday. He text me back to thank me and confirmed what I had known all along - Foxanne was pregnant and they were having a baby. I was pissed I had to find out like that, especially when I had asked him not long before that if she was pregnant?! Regardless, my little brother is now a daddy. Life is moving so ef'n fast.
May: Tanya Morgan. Wrote all about it HERE. Good times. #getfamiliar
June: 06.06.09 The 2nd Annual Roots Picnic. Epic. It went down, I was there. I went with three of my homies: Anwar, Malik and Manetane. WrittenHouse performed, PE, Santigold, The Black Keys...we were VERY close to the stage & Black Thought - *sigh* the lieutenant was definitely FRESH. Finally had a face-to-face w/ the homie @Carolinaware *hugs* Mark. Check his blog out HERE...he is so dope. Ran into Al, Tanya Morgan's manager, and his peoples. Pooh of Little Brother was in attendance. Met Asher Roth (he was wearing a Celtics jersey, my squad!). Kid Cudi flipped out on the crowd in one of the performance tents. Amanda Diva was doin' her damn thing. It was a great day for hip hop, art and good people.
The Roots' new album How I Got Over should be out in the new year. It was set to drop in September '09, but it got pushed back. You can keep up w/ all things Roots and read ?uestlove's blog over on #thatsite aka okayplayer.com In the meantime, enjoy this: (props to www.onsmash.com, where I lifted the video from)
Also notable as a June #09Memory - the King, the Legend, the Idol, the Icon, the Superstar who was Michael Joseph Jackson died June 25, 2009.
I sat at work and bawled my eyes out watching his funeral on CNN along w/ the rest of the world. I will never forget listening to Motown and The Jackson 5 as a young jawn - my Mom used to blast MJ & his brothers every weekend when I was growing up. I'll never forget watching the Thriller video for the 1st time w/ my sisters and my Uncle Steve being amazed and afraid all at the same time. And then begging my Mom for the Thriller coat in the video, which I received and am still looking for the pictures of (my parents moved a few years ago and every time I bring it up my Mom breathes all hard at the thought of going into the attic or into storage to look for old photos). I remember the 1st cassette I ever received was MJ's Thriller; playing it repeatedly & pausing it to write the lyrics down. He sang and we all listened, loved even those that hurt him, danced and we all imitated and made his own private Heaven while he was here in Earth. He was an inspiration to many and will be missed by all.
The text portrait above was created by RALPH UELTZHOEFFER. To read what the content of the portrait says, click HERE. It's very interesting. He's created these portraits for quite a few celebrities, most still living. Spike Lee directed this video, props once again to www.onsmash.com This video is ill.
July: 24 July 2009. EASILY one of the best nights of my life!
THANK YOU Denaya and Shamara. I will NEVER forget that night. I have seen The Roots live 13 times and attended both picnics. Everyone who knows me knows I am the biggest Roots 'Stan' EVER...this was the best show thus far. Aside from the rowdy white boys who kept bumpin' me and spilling beer all over the place...I had thee best view and thee best seat ever. Aside from being on stage? But check out my prior posts for details, I've included the flics again.
#CMONSON - just LOOK at this man. *sigh*
R.I.PTitus "Baatin" Glover (March 8, 1974–July 31, 2009) There is a great write-up along w/ videos, photos and links HERE. If you don't know who Baatin is, you need to step-up your music game. Seriously.
August: 08.15.09 SUMMER ADRENALINE ISSUE LAUNCH PARTY
Check out the details HERE. I did a write-up of the day on a previous post. Here's some footage I got after the show of Kush clowning around. Good times.
*Shout-out Princess Z...it's always a good time when you're around, Zarinah. xo All my hip hop heads check out her radio show every Sunday and her music HERE. She's dope.
R.I.P.Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein (March 30, 1973 – August 28, 2009) There was a memorial fund established after his death on his website to help those struggling w/ addiction. It was a passion and a cause that DJ AM dealt w/ personally and he was in the process of helping others at the time of his death. You can learn more about that HERE.
September: 09.12.09 WrittenHouse & MURS @ North Star w/ Ashley. I heart this chick: for her taste in music - she burned me ALL of the Wale mixtapes, her maturity, her BLOG, her advice and her good sense. Good times.
I have blogged about WrittenHouse before, I know those of you who follow me on Twitter see me tweeting about them and to them...I cannot convey enough through words or photos how DOPE these dudes are. Truly talented brothas doing something different. If you have the opportunity to check out one of their shows live, DO SO. Follow them on Twitter, become a fan on their Facebook page, download their mixtape Sunshine Philadelphia Vol 2: The WrittenHouse Effect HERE, #getfamiliar.
The hype man, Sleeves, was absent and missed during the show, but Dame did his best to fill-in. Here's a dope interview/vid the homies did w/ this chick Krissy Carlson (formerly known as Cosmik Krissy) out of Providence, R.I. This was filmed outside of The North Star Bar in North Philly.
*Shout-out DJ Ambush, who calls me 'Double T'. He DJ'ed their set that night @ North Star. I got a lot of love for that dude right there. He's involved in a lot of hip hop projects around the City other than DJ'ing. Check out his Living Proof Radio show w/ the dude MARS every Thursday from 10pm-12am HERE and *FOLLOW* him on Twitter. xo Beezy.
October: 10.23.09 New York City w/ Ashley.
We had a helluva ordeal getting from Philly to NYC....and getting home. The rain. The hotel in Yonkas (EF YOU, Chaundon!). The cabs and the trains. I forgot my belt (ANY belt!) back in Philly and had to wear a dress that requires a belt w/out one! It was NOT funny @ the time, but it's funny now looking back. While we were there, we had a BALL. We watched the entire show front row, I snapped some flics and after the set we hung out w/ the crew.
I've blogged before about their Grammy nod; I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they win and get the recognition they deserve. SUPPORT great music and talented musicians. The members of The Foreign Exchange have an extended family w/ solo projects and other releases. Check my blog for those as well.
November: 28 November 2009. 10:14pm. My brother's son, Jackson Thomas, was born. Clearly the BEST day of 2009. He's healthy, he's adorable, he's perfect. I am in LOVE. And I call him "Jax".
December: 16 December 2009. Heineken Green Room Party.
I met Tariq Trotter, aka Black Thought, of the l.e.g.e.n.d.a.r.y. ROOTS Crew !!!
Do you want more?!!!??! If so, check out the flics and the blog HERE. Of course, it was written.
Shout-out Vickie...the lieutenant IS fresh, indeed. Thank you for sharing my joy w/ me, LOL. She is a dope photog and you can check her stuff out HERE.
I also need to shout-out my girl, @FreedomReeves. She is one of the most beautiful people (inside AND out) I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and honor of getting to know. We went to the party together, and she is my WITNESS I did not act a fool or show my ass. I love that woman, check out her site. Good times.
THIS is just my favorite Roots song EVER...
*EDITED b/c I SHOULD have included this prior to posting BUT...there are MANY people - both old & new friends I have had the pleasure of meeting, hanging out w/, learning from, buggin' out w/ - who encourage me to keep writing & keep sharing my thoughts and my experiences w/ y'all. There are too many to name them all, but I'd like to name one more who is consistent and ever present on my back and in my head pushing me to post my blogs...xo Sherm. You're the best, bew. As long as you keep reading, I'll keep writing.
Last week, me and Nic's lives were forever changed as The Foreign Exchange's "Daykeeper" (feat. Muhsinah) was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Urban/Alternative Performance category.
We haven't come forward with a personal press release or statement of any kind because truthfully, the past week has been a whirlwind of events and its taken us awhile to really wrap our heads around all that's happened.
Needless to say, we are both filled with feelings of shock, wonder, amazement, nervousness, humility, and extreme gratitude.
We have prepared a short video (with the help of our frequent collaborator Matt Koza), that describes the FE story and gives an overview of our journey from random obscurity to fully independent Grammy nominated artists. Consider this our pre-Grammy acceptance speech...lol. We encourage all of you to pass this along and spread the word, as we feel our story is a big inspiration to artists everywhere. Every once in a blue moon, the good guys do win.
We thank all of you for our continued support, and wish you a safe and blessed holiday season.
Peace,
'Te and Nic
I contacted Aimee to congratulate the team and requested some promo materials. The stuff I rec'd from them when they were here for the video shoot is gone - I gave a lot of it away putting other people on to FE. I rec'd that yesterday. Thank you. Shout-out A-Flint!
I have posted the nominated song/video/lyrics in a previous post. It's my favorite song on the album. If you click the "Daykeeper" link in Phonte's statement you can download the song for FREE. The album is FIYAH start-finish. #getfamiliar
Here's a dope video I came across checkin' out FE buzz on the internet. It's from Subsoniq Radio, they're affiliated w/ Sirius. You can *FOLLOW* on Twitter and visit their site here. Check the video out:
I'm so happy for the FE team; getting the recognition they deserve from their peers and the industry; all the hard work is paying off...and now maybe everyone will know just how dope FE is.
Ashley and I left lunch in Times Square and we headed to Grand Central Station to catch our train back to Philadelphia. As we entered the station, I noticed all these camera and flashing lights. Here comes this big procession of zombies, some of the costumes were VERY creative. I filmed a lot of it, they smelled really bad too...like the fake blood & makeup/latex smell. It was strange. Sooooo random and funny as hell!
I posted it on YouTube and some dude commented on the page: "lol my brother and his friends were here :D i wish i was :[" I got a lot of hits already, wild! Just thought I'd share w/ everyone. This could ONLY happen to me, ONLY in New York. Listen to my commentary, HILL-LARRY-US.
Ash also has a vid she filmed and posted on her blog, check it out HERE. Good times in NYC.
I'm packing to go to NYC tomorrow. Yeah, I'm going to NYC w/ Ashley after work tomorrow. We're going to see The Foreign Exchange @ BB King's. I'm on the guest list, I'm kinda excited about this. Plus we got a room, we're staying overnight. We're gonna spend the day in NYC Saturday, eat at some great restaurant, look around, people watch...maybe I'll take some photos? Who knows.
I have the "Leave It All Behind" album playing. I'm kinda nice. I had 2 mixed drinks @ dinner @ Nay's tonite. It's people like her and nights like this that remind me there is better out here to be had, nothing is hopeless...sometimes it takes living w/out something to really appreciate having it in the first place...something like that?
Everytime I hear this song I think about ;€ (no one knows what/who ;€ is). I can't say enough about this group. The Foreign Exchange. My blog is not a music/hip hop blog. It's for me, about me, by me. If that happens to be music @ that moment, then that's what we have here. Music is such a big part of my life; it's hard not to relate it in everything I do and feel.
I'll have more to write about after the show tomorrow. In the meantime, here are the lyrics and the video...get familiar.
I can’t sleep at night Cause they won’t see me Running from the daylight To where she keeps me
And when the sun rises, she watches over me
Waiting for the daylight Cause then she’ll keep me In the safety of her arms She never leaves me
And when the sun rises, she watches over me
He tells me all his secrets He thinks nobody knows We lay together in daylight I love him so
And when the sun rises, he watches over me
It’s not like it was before And she can’t keep me anymore She loves me…
Why don’t you stay here with me I pray that our morning won’t leave Let me keep you, then you’ll see Don’t hide the truth from yourself It’s you that I’ll love and protect Let me keep you here with me
*This is what I would tell you if I could talk to you right now. Pay attention.
Here it is, I am in this video! Look closely @ the 2:55-59 mark, HA! You can see me & Jesse behind the chick who kissed Phonte (sidebar: she was from NJ and we were talking to her outside before the scenes were shot. She had NO clue who Phonte, Little Brother or The Foreign Exchange were! She was a friend of a friend and was invited to be in the video.). This scene was shot in and outside of a.k.a. music (27 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia)...and heavily edited :(
A lot of my homies came out to be in the video or were there for the wrap afterwards: Tayyib, Hezekiah, Sonny James, Mikey McFly, DJ Aura, Young H and I probably forgot a few. I also got to meet a lot of cool new people: Milosz, Noah, Julia, Matt and the shoot photographer, Stephen Stewart. You can view stills from the video shoot HERE, on Stephen's site.
Here is one he sent me of me & Jesse outside talking to Phonte.
It was cool seeing how the video process works, meeting Nicolay and his wife Aimee (if you go to her Twitter page, note her default flic is the one I took of her & Tayyib, HA!), talking to Muhsinah, kickin' it w/ Phonte again and just being a part of this dope project. I bought the ONLY copy of the album in the store, so in the video when they are all signing the CD, that is my copy. I even got the director, Matt Koza, to sign the CD.
I took a few flics of my own afterwards. Check 'em out.
This is 1 of 2 videos The Foreign Exchange shot in Philly recently. "House Of Cards" is on their new album: "Leave It All Behind". This is not the video I am gonna be in, but a few of my peoples are in here (shout-out Cha-ka, Zarinah & Shawanda).
The video was shot in Philly by Philly's own, Matt Koza. He's also working on a Little Brother doc coming soon, looking forward to that. I'll update info on the blog as I know more...
I plan to attend one of their upcoming East Coast shows, none are scheduled in Philly as of yet. If you don't know about The Foreign Exchange, get familiar.
Unless you're fortunate enough to be at the show at Madison Square Garden in NYC tonight, you are like me and most of the hip hop and cable-having world...we're tuned into the Jay-Z LIVE concert on Fuse right now.
Community service is an important aspect of maintaining and sustaining our communities. I have been a volunteer since I was young. My parents instilled in me the importance of helping the less fortunate, to be grateful for my middle-class life, to be aware of what is going on in the world around me...and most importantly to value my time and spend it wisely. From clothing & toy drives, to Girl Scouts, to tutoring kids in Math after-school at the Boys and Girls Club, to helping flood victims complete FEMA applications, to a runaway teen hotline, to a youth homeless shelter in Germantown, to the Northern Home for Children in Manayunk...community service gives me awesome personal satisfaction.
I have met so many like-minded people and beautiful souls through my years involved in various community service programs. The experiences are priceless, the encounters numerous, the relationships irreplaceable.
Currently I am registered with Greater Philadelphia Cares. This organization is involved in various programs all over Philadelphia - youth, inmate, elderly, immigration, athletics, arts & crats, etc. Once registered they will send you a newsletter and email updates for upcoming events. You contact the assigned project leader for the project you are interested in participating in, you show up, there - you volunteered. It's THAT easy. And so worth it.
Tayyib Smith, one of the founders of two.one.five magazine and the COO/founder of Little Giant Media Inc., contacted me a few weeks ago about a project he was involved with and interested in. It's a great cause. I wanted to use my small voice and my blogging abilities to spread the word and share with you all what is going down and how you can help out and be a part of it.
The primary initiative of United We Serve is to “expand the impact of existing organizations by engaging new volunteers in their work and encourage volunteers to develop their own “do-it-yourself” projects”. In order to contribute to this initiative, video vignettes highlighting individuals and organizations that are making positive impacts in the Philadelphia region will be composed and distributed to various viral media outlets. Every day starting on September 1st and ending on the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance, an individual or organization will be highlighted. Each subject will be asked a series of three over-arching questions: 1) Why do you volunteer? 2) How has service brought about change in your life and the community? 3) How can someone get involved in your service project? This series will bring to light those that are agents of change in the Philadelphia area and inspire others to do the same in the region and throughout the country.
Please contact Tayyib above if you have anything to contribute - if not your time, then your ideas, your exposure, your influence on others to expose this initiative and generate interest in community service and giving back to the communities we live in.
We elected a community organizer and very involved community servant in Barack Obama this year, folks. It's time for everyone to do their part and get involved. Don't talk about it, be about it. You might be surprised at who you meet, what you know, what you learn and where you end up.
Budweiser and Rock The Bells had an audition @ 941Theater on Wednesday 06.24.09 to battle for the opening spot at the Rock The Bells concert. I went out to support my fab chica, Zarinah, and the homie Cymarshall Law. You can find Zarinah here on Twitter and MySpace.
Dice Raw hosted and he was not playing any games w/ the contestants. He is a tough critic and hard to impress. DJ Aura and I met up and attended...w/minimal transportation drama, but we made it nonetheless. Zarinah was on stage when we arrived, so we rushed in to catch the rest of her set.
Zarinah killed, Cy did his thing, alas some dude named "Big Worm" won (I think it was more for his dance and crowd hype than his lyrics alone) He scored 9's from all 3 judges, so his score of 27 won the battle.
After the battle at 941 we all headed to Silk City for the Bee Eater Showcase, hosted by Mars. Met Mars at the Jay $tay Paid Dilla Mixtape release party @ Johnny & Brenda's a few wks ago...what a small world we hip hop heads in Philly travel in.
I met and clicked w/ a lot of talented artists, musicians, rappers, etc. Here is a slideshow of some of the many photos I took that night. A dead battery is a serious FAIL when attempting to properly document an event, but I did my best w/ what I had.
Recording Cymarshall Law's entire performance was no good for my almost dead battery, but worth every minute of it. Plus the photographer drawin, he kept getting in the way, but it was all good. Check him out here in my YouTube video, he's also on Twitter and MySpace. Very talented rapper...keep your eyes and ears open for him.
SUPPORT talented musicians and REAL hip hop, folks. Get out & get involved.
Props to two.one.five mag for the heads up...it was great FINALLY meeting Tayyib. If you don't know who he is, you live under a rock. Follow him and check out his mag/his site. He is the hip hop/Philly night life guru. So glad I went out on a Wednesday...
ev * o * lu * tion [ev-uh-loo-shuhn] noun
1. a gradual process in which something or someone changes into a different and usually more complex or better form. 2. a continuing process of change from one state or condition to another.
The 2nd Annual Roots Picnic. Epic. It went down, I was there. I went with three of my homies: Anwar, Malik and Manetane. WrittenHouse performed, PE, Santigold, The Black Keys...we were VERY close to the stage & Black Thought - *sigh* the lieutenant was definitely FRESH. Finally had a face-to-face w/ the homie @Carolinaware *hugs* Mark. Check his blog out HERE...he is so dope. Ran into Al, Tanya Morgan's manager, and his peoples. Pooh of Little Brother was in attendance. Met Asher Roth (he was wearing a Celtics jersey, my squad!). Kid Cudi flipped out on the crowd in one of the performance tents. Amanda Diva was doin' her damn thing. It was a great day for hip hop, art and good people.
