HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME....HAPPY BIIIIIIIIIRRRRTHHHHDAYYY TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.........
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME"!

Happy Halloween EVERYONE!
And yes, my birthday is on Halloween. I am turning 20 today and I am just so excited about it. It kind of makes me want to do a lil' dance and shout! lol......I really don't know how to feel about officially not being a teen anymore. I just feel very blessed to still be alive and being able to live life how I want to aiming to accomplish my dreams and what God wants me to do on this Earth.

Although I am getting older and just joined the DUB CLUB, I am just getting started. I have so much more things to do on this Earth that its not even funny, but I have to humble myself and take each day one day at a time. I know some of yall feel me out there.....

Just keep praying for me guys like I am praying for you all....

And remember one thing.......

LIVE YOUR LIFE RIGHT, AND KEEP GOD FIRST!

ONE LOVE!

P.S. Happy Halloween, again!

This man is far....FAR from amazing....He is beyond and above it. His music has always touched me in a special place; in my mind, body and soul ANYTIME it penetrates my ears.

I am talking about The Great: Mos Def.

This man has been delivering sick rhymes for the past two decades that makes people groove, shake their booty or sit down and think and rewind the dope line that he just spit. He is so on another level compared to what most rappers or so called "Hip Hop" artists are doing today, even after his first solo release in 1999 (Black on Both Sides, sick album) he has been able to stay afloat and well-respected in the game....Moreover....He still makes QUALITY MUSIC which is lacking in today's mainstream music.

It was brought to my sister's attention that there was going to be a show about him on Current TV this past weekend and that it was a must see. He was basically followed by a Current camera crew while doing some shows in Japan, since it was his first time back their in about 9 years. In the documentary, you see him performing some of his "oldie but goodie" songs from over the years and songs from his new album, The Ecstatic, which dropped this past June..But you have to see the kind of man that Mos really is.....I have always admired his sincerity, ambition and determination as a man. If he believes in something, he will go hard for it no matter what people say and this documentary shows that sense of pride within him.

Below is the documentary that I know if you are a true fan of REAL MUSIC will appreciate, I just had to drop this masterpiece on you guys and spread the love:



I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. Please keep the spirit of positive and loving music alive: WE NEED IT! Much love to Brotha Mos, always.

More information on Mos Def:
myspace
twitter
embedded@currentmusic

P.S., look at the album art from his recent album that I posted at the beginning of this entry...I love it!

MY PEOPLE OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA...WAKE UP!

So my good ol' friend from school who I have like minds with when it comes to our beliefs and interests; socially, intellectually, and emotionally, just referred me to a video. I was actually contacting her to put her onto this documentary on Mos Def that is on Current TV, but like always, she has something to put me on to in return that I appreciate...

There is a movie called "A War For Your Soul" that really depicts why African Americans live the way we do today in this American society. It shows the factors that have led up to our deadly and evil "trip" that led us to this land and how we have progressed and digressed as a people since then...

I don't want to talk too much without being biased and expressing my opinion too much, because I know that I could...So I would just like for you all, ESPECIALLY if you are African American to PLEASE watch this movie..It will not take too much of your time...

I just suggest for the Black people not only in America but all around the GLOBE to WAKEUP to who they are and what they are capable of...This is easier said then done but we have to start somewhere!

Special shoutout to Reggie Bullock, the creator of this wonderful movie that has blessed the eyes of over 1.5 million internet viewers all around the world. It takes BLACK MEN like him to bring things like this to our attention without being afraid of what ANYONE has to say.

Please be inspired by this, let me know how you feel...
Take care peeps...God Bless!

A War For Your Soul-Birmingham version from Erisai Films on Vimeo.

For more info on "A War For Your Soul" or Reggie Bullock:

Film's website

Reggie Bullock's Facebook

Reggie Bullock's Twitter

Song and artist of the week!

Ok, so I am officially in love with Amy Winehouse's music. My roommate has always been a fan of this songbird and for the three years I have known her, she has always swore by her music. Without even a hesitation, I always used to cut her up and say "wow, her music is not that great. Look at the woman and her life, she is a mess". Now, when I look back on how I used to be so closed-minded towards this girl's music, I don't understand why I was so anal in believing that she was garbage. But just recently, I have been listening to her music and it s**** on so many artists that its not even funny.



Her voice to me is the epitome of a soul; a soul that has been through it all. I feel like like I am her so much when I hear her sing; she has a universal voice that speaks to everyone in my opinion. Although the young lady has gone through many trials and shortcomings recently in her life, I feel that people forget that she is just human....Just like I did when she was first brought to my attention. And like the old church folks used to say, "trouble don't last always". I just pray that she gets it together soon. She has a true gift and it is shown through her music. The way she uses Nas's "Made You Look" beat and recovers it into a soulful R&B song like this blows my mind, not every kind of "singer" can do this......Only an artist with an eclectic ear for sounds can do this....And by God she did it! I listen to this song TOO MANY times a day.

I am still researching her music at this time, so I will update you on more findings about Amy, her life and her music in the future. Just know that she is a British singer that has been highly influenced by the Jazz, Soul and R&B music of America. She has released two albums; one called Frank in 2003, which was re-released in America in 2007 and her more recognized album Back To Black, which was released in 2006 that won her 5 grammys. I love this girl's music so much. Enjoy!

Check out these other songs of her's that I love:

Reading is Fundamental

While in a friend's room conversing with her on the topics of Woodstock '69, our love for Michael Jackson and the city of Philadelphia....She pulled out a little book that she told me that her mother gave to her as she is on a journey on her own into womanhood and how I should really consider reading it.

The book is called "Just Who Will You Be"?

Now I am not a "book reader", I may read a magazine here or there but I mostly look at them to examine the pictures and anytime I begin to read a chapter book unless I have to for school...I rarely make it to half of chapter 1. But for some reason I just wanted to read this, to partially break the habit of not reading enough books and to just challenge my intelligence to learn somethng new....and boy, am I glad that I did.

This book, written by Maria Shriver (an offspring of the Kennedy family, wife of Arnold Schwarznegger, legendary journalist, and best selling author to say the DAMN least lol), really showed me how you can never be too old or too young to really discover what you want out of life. Maria was basically going through a midlife crisis when her nephew asked her to speak at his high school graduation. She had lost her job, which led to her losing confidence in herself, what she wanted out of life and it just left her alone....searching and wondering for what would make her life worth wild again..

Sure, she has kids, a husband and a family known for their dedication to service (I mean her mother created the Special Olympics, Uncle was one of the most beloved presidents of the U.S. and other Uncle was one of the most influential Governors of our time)...But these things had nothing to do with her acknowledging her own self-worth. She was a true workaholic and did what was expected from her mostly all of her life and she felt that it was time for a change.

So three fourths of this book is the complete speech that she made to the graduating class that she had the worst time writing and the other half is just pure reflection or the aftermath of her speech. The things that Maria said in this book that stook out to me the most were these two quotes, "fame is not a goal worthy of living your life for" and "just because someone knows your name, does not mean they know who you are". The power of those two quotes just hit me so hard.

Fame is not something that you should live for, it is something that is forced upon a person when they are known or seen as a person of greatness. According to Maria, you should live to be happy and in order to be happy you must be a postive person that does positive things..Fame is nothing more than an illusion, built by the foundation of a want of self-wroth and recognition. These things cannot be given to us by the world, they have to be experienced and learned throughout life...And there are so many people in this world whose names that we know so we assume that we know all about them, but we must remember that you have to walk in that persons shoes before you assume anything about them. Just like her, it is assumed that Maria is a happy, famous person...Full of joy because her family is famous and her husband is the governor of California.......You would never think that someone that has it "as good" as Maria would be questioning her destiny in her 50s...but names can be deceiving...You have to look at what's behind that name sometimes...



What I learned from reading this book is that there is a time in everyone's life where we must stop and think about just who will we be in the future. Not what you have been wanting to be since you were 5, not what your mama and daddy want you to be...And not what you THINK you MAY want to be.....Just what kind of person will you work towards being that can make you say at the end of the day "Damn, I am so happy and blessed with my life and what I am doing"...I think this should be a universal dream for all mankind but we all must take this road in our own due time.

Please go pick up this book, its a very small read....Under 100 pages...If you are in need of some reflecting of your life's purpose or may want to be inspired by someone elses...please read this book...It is very inspiring... God bless! P.S. Don't you just love the cover art? It may seem so simple but I just love the color blue and just seeing the balloon makes me feel like I am that balloon flowing in the sky...on my way to wherever the wind may take me... Reminds me of a song...

No introduction needed...

When I was around 6 0r 7 years old, on the weekends I would get very bored. I had a couple friends in the neighborhood to play with and also an older sister, but sometimes they don't always want to play and maybe doing their own thing....So I would just sit around and just think of things to do until I realized.....hmmmm......I still have nothing to do lol...

So in the tv room in my house, my mother had a lot of vhs tapes with many labels on them...I payed them no mind until that one day that I got so bored and chose to go and search through them...I discovered many old movies, shows, soap operas and tv specials dating back to the late 70s that my mother had taped (I also think my dad taped a couple, like days at the park when my sister and I were little and would play around etc...)....

I saw one in particular that said MOTOWN 25 on the label written in pencil, I popped it in and saw this....




I could not believe my eyes and what I was seeing...so much talent, irresistible music, excellent dancing.......I was just addicted immediately to what I saw, I could not keep my eyes off of what I was witnessing, even a whole decade after the show was recorded....Then, I saw this right after that............



After I saw that performance, I knew that I was officially in love with music and its many aspects...but most importantly; I was a Micheal Jackson fan (as well as his brothers, LOVE them)....

Michael Jackson's passing has not been very hard for me to cope with surprisingly, probably because I am very optimistic and believe that the time will come for us all to go to the other side one day in our life but moreover because I am still in denial and I don't understand what it means when I think about "Michael Jackson being dead"....The man who put me on to music, which is my savior....Something that I love more than anything else in the world.....The man whose whole life was equivalent to no other human's on this earth......The man who could bring all people together of all races and creeds under the name of music....The man that caught every person's eye that ever witnessed him moonwalk in person or on tv..............NO.............I don't WANT to believe it, but YES...I do understand that he is not here any more...Physically.....But spiritually he lives on through not only his music....but ALL music......His influences on so many other artists is countless....

Since MJ's passing, I have been watching his and his brothers videos everyday, downloading more of his music everyday, collecting memoribillia when I have the money to do so (LOL) and so on. I feel kind of bad that these past years I haven't really been looking into what was going on with Micheal and that I wasn't as into him as I was in the past....But when life's responsibilities like college and work come around...You don't have the time to many things that you want to do or wish you had the time to do, especially being a college student......But I just want Michael to know that I love him, I will never forget him, that I dedicate and pledge my life to teaching the world about the GOOD man he was, no matter what the media says.......He was the most loving, giving and respectful artist of all time......Not to mention the King of Pop....

I could go on and on about how much Mike has influenced me and how in 7th grade after his 30th Anniversay Celebration TV special came on I went to Circuit City to buy the Off The Wall, Thriller and HIStory album and took them EVERYWHERE and how on the way to school on the bus I would have my headphones on...Just in my own world.....floating through music and its heights of wonderment......He also got me hooked on the move The Wiz....LOL....But I refuse to continue to babble on and on because only God and I know how much he has influenced me and if Mike ever knew me...Then he would know too....

I leave you with some of his videos; some favorite songs of mine...Some songs of his that I just discovered after his passing that I love, some interviews and some collages that I have been making recently that are straight from the heart, please click on the images in order to make them larger so you can see them clearly (they look so much better that way, damn you blogspot lol).....I love you all, and I hope Michael has affected you in some kind of way that he did me....Enjoy!
























I hope you all enjoyed this tribute as much as I do, I really could post more but I will stop myself....
God bless you all, and God bless Mike...I MISS U MIKE AND LOVE YOU SO MUCH! THANK YOU FOR THE INSPIRATION! I also have other collages and I am in the process of making more so if you all would like to see more just let me know...

Been around the world, and AY-I Y-I..

Hello EVERYONE.......

I know that I have not posted anything on here in a while and that is due to the fact that this summer has been TREMENDOUSLY busy and hectic for me....

From working at the Museum to being in summer school, everything is....EVERYTHING lol

I am happy to see that I have a couple new followers that have come to my page and liked what they see....This is motivating me to stop by more often and share more of my thoughts with you all about things that are going on in my life and in the world......I feel kind of bad, i've been so neglectful to my poor blog (lol)....But we all fall by the wasteside sometimes and get sidetracked.....

I KNOW you guys will understand....SO...

UNTIL NEXT TIME....

Peace, love and HAIRGREASE!

p.s. LOOKOUT FOR THE MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE, IT WOULDN'T BE RIGHT FOR ME TO NOT DO ANYTHING FOR ONE OF MY BIGGEST INSPIRATIONS NOW WOULD IT? lol

HARDwork pays off!

Hello, everyone! I recently received an internship with one of the greatest institutions within my city, The Cincinnati Art Museum.



I feel so privileged to be able to work at a place that is seen as a school in a sense of education for the community through art. This is something that I have always wanted to do and to be chosen out of a bunch to do it makes me feel great.



What I will be doing is working with their Art For Life program. I do not know the exact details, but I know that I will be going into the Cincinnati community teaching people from 1 to 101 year of age about art through different, activities, programs, seminars etc...



I am so excited and I cannot wait to start. When I get a camera, I will begin to take pictures of their different collections to share with you all.




This painting is one of my favorite works of art that was at the Museum's recent exhibition called Aesthetic Comfort which displayed the art of Ryan McGinness.

http://www.ryanmcginness.com/index.html

Being that I love colors and symbols so much, this painting talks to me in a way that no one else could understand. It speaks to me about life, inspiration and LOVE in different ways.

I know some people find art very boring. But I know that everyone in the world has seen some kind of object, statue, painting or subject that speaks to them in sort of way.......This means that the creator of the subject is an artist in their own right. I urge all of you to go to your local museum and or art gallery in your neighborhoods to learn more about your city, culture and history through ART.

To learn more about the Museum, click here ...