“Two emcees can’t OCCUPY the same space at the same time”…

So if emcees ran for politicians and politicians could entertain to the world as well as reality shows- than perhaps we would be in a space fit for Capitalism and communism. It seems as if oxymorons have slithered across the page or perhaps Dr Seuss has been tongue-tied with Eminem, but no this would be the perfect step to a perfect world.

It was explained to me by Yan Ski of SOAR NATION- that China has actually figured it out a cross between Communism and Capitalism, if played the right way is the most successful source of government there is. Although if taken advantage of could lead to tyranny. China is now the second wealthiest country in the world, after USA and is on the rise for both economic power and political prestige.

Where does America stand in the spectrum of political and economical power. As these two powers go hand and hand- for with out economic power there is no power over the people and since we value and depend on money we depend on someone to regulate it, hence the use of a government. And by depending on something we automatically develop a sense of self-interest- for now we need that to live and we as species want to live. Right now our standards of living have become so selfish and the self-interest of “Having” and “needing” have made us turn as a people in to some disgusting beings. Please understand that I myself am an optimist and believe our world is inherently beautiful and good- but I do understand the implications of attaching value to an invaluable piece a paper claimed to be a dollar and telling people we need this to live.. I want to live.

With “Occupy Wallstreet” taking one-side of the Liberal extreme and the “Tea Party” taking the otherside of Liberal, we have developed an angle as “a people” to see real change. – That means real change in our living situation, in what we depend on- on what we need to live.

My immediate reaction is “What change?” and after watching and reading “We Are All Occupiers” with Arundhati Roy, we can see the shift needed in our spending habits as a country and on personal levels. We know as American’s that more money is spent on war than any other program in the United States- more money is made from war- wars started all over the world by us or with our help.. War is the biggest profit America has. We are stuck in a position where our community programs are slacking for the benefit of the Nation’s security. But how does one feel safe on a smaller scale when jobs are cut, houses are depreciating, the state of living is diminishing? At least we haven’t had a hijacked plane since 9/11 says the TSA.

I cannot claim that I have severely felt the affects of this crisis. As I selfishly endow in daily Starbucks, a gym membership and training as well as weekly shopping sprees at Trader Joes. I have planted my seeds of hustle and built a network of success, all around. I have seen the direct effects that not only our economic pitfall has caused I read and understand the disgust of our political  carnival and agendas. There are times I get so lost in the translations of our political propaganda that I too want to come out on top like a Beyonce in the making- a successful career and a leap higher on the food chain. I also understand the value of community and the beauty of education and how much stronger that makes us.. Training our occupiers and Tea Cuppers- who seem to have wonderful time on their hands to better themselves and the world (with much praise for fighting the good fight) to be engineers and economist instead of proving that a park is a place where they will be seen by people of so-called “Importance”. Rothchilds and Big Banks..

I guess in the end I feel we should all get the opportunity to shop at Trader Joes on a weekly budget and have a nice heated or cooled house, we should all know what it’s like get Starbucks coffee.. It’s those little things that I enjoy in life- but I feel everyone should have those opportunities.. I want to see a free market and the right to choose for everyone- not just anyone class of society but everyone. I want to be able to have equal education- but we all have to want it and see the value in it. we have to decide what we value as a whole. We gotta take our communities back in to our own hands.

“We are not fighting to tinker with reforming a system that needs to be replaced” Arundhati Roy. Let’s just replace it..

We truly need a leader at this point that can make this make sense and take this struggle in to a victory. Where is Tupac?

 

To end with “Forbes thought of the day”

“ Business is a combination of war and sport. ”

— Andre Maurois

Arundhati Roy article

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/nov/17/we-are-all-occupiers-arundhati-roy?fb=optOut

 

 

Ms. Hill got skills, that’s a gift, it’s real get ill, What you spit got the power to uplift a hill

The sign said Lauryn Hill will go on at 11:00, we wanted so badly to see such a legend in concert. Already this month I have been blessed to witness Usher on stage with a fractured rib, no complaints and still managing to honor Michael jackson with his infamous impression of the “moon walk”. I also got a chance to see Prince perform at Madison Square Garden alongside Maceo Parker, the Sledgesisters and “The Twins” (ohh my goodness the twins) and his highly complimentary band. As well as the after party with Sharon Jones and the Dap Tones. But all this could not compare to wanting to see Ms Hill Live and Direct.

We drove down to Atlantic City, a depressed city, once ravishing with beautiful people, fancy streets and a Boardwalk Empire, ready to witness to musical heroine. Anticipating that Ms Hill would be late, as she begin her tour 3 hours late in New York City, I knew we could expect nothing different. With a sold out show, her audience was ready to participate, sing along and be apart of a Fugees experience. 40-minutes after it was supposed to be show time her band appeared on stage, audience applauded after a majority of boos and chanting rose from the crowd, still no Ms Hill. An hour after schedule when people were just feeling like she wasn’t coming in walked Ms Hill- starting the crowd with a legendary performance of “Forever Loving Jah”.

Her backing band was exceptional, anyone following the lead of an Idiot Savant, deserves recognition for being an amazing team. Her back up singers were perfectly timed and harmonized which added soo much to this talented stage. As she took us through an 8-minute reminiscence of Bob Marley’s classic (one of three covers taken from the respected legend) already the crowd seemed some what uneasy. I, myself, was entranced to witness such a musical luminary. With perfect pitch she took us through heavens and back to earth again. My overall experience was that this woman communicates directly with God. For all those who want the old “Do-Wop” Lauryn Hill you will not find her on this stage. All though her flow was impeccable, her words euphoric and her rhyming patterns on point, you will no longer find the disciplined- fashionable Lauryn Hill. The new Ms Hill is fully equipped with a jazzier, acoustic sound, an Angela Davis afro, African print cape, bracelets and over the top makeup.

Half way through her performance the crowd was walking out saying “I can’t believe she just keeps singing the same song”. “ohh she ain’t right”.. I couldn’t understand what these people were thinking. How could they not truly appreciate Ms Hill for who she is a musical genius. From Wyclef’s and Pras’s versus on “How Many Mics” to Roberta Flacks “Killing Me Softly” She planted a foundation for real music. She took this fad of a pop scene and brought back motown melodies mixed with musicianship. We just don’t see this anymore. A fusion of rock, pop, reggae, hip hop, jazz and soul, she truly defined fusion on stage, her band backed up every unplanned note. She was definitely on a higher ground and on point this performance- from the reviews I have read this was definitely one of her better shows. She even brought her beautiful family on stage to share the limelight.. oohhiee we better watch out for little Hill (Selah), as she can sing and is just as beautiful as her mother in her prime.

It seems this woman is too quick to be judged. Her path of music was so disciplined that perhaps we, as fans, expect it not to change, but as a musician I understand the idea of playing music for music, not for the fans. Although the fans make your success in the industry they do not make the true essence or feeling that music gives us. It is up to the performer. Ms Hill is not an entertainer, she will never be compared to Beyonce or Lady Gaga, nor should she be. She is in her own right a genius. As Einstein is to science, Lauryn Hill is to Music…

I feel blessed to have witness such an amazing and inspiring performance..

Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear

Where else would you see Cat Stevens (Yoseph) and Ozzy Ozborn on the same stage together competing between the “Peace Train” and  ”Crazy Train“, with the Roots as their backing band.

The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear was a historical moment to be remembered. Hundred of thousand Patriotic Americans gathered together to tell their story, represent their cause and show support to two of the most hysterical and political men of Comedy Central. John Stewart (The Daily Show) and Steven Colbert put on quite a show October 30th, 2010 kilometers away from the White House in effort to promote, prove and provide “justice and freedom” of speech “for all”… 

Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear

It’s fair to say that if the Hoffington Post reports an approximation of 250,000 attendees at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, then we can assume that hundreds of thousand proud Americans gathered together to prove…… well that we weren’t as clear about…

As Colbert was brought up from an “underground fear cave” in a steel chamber with a Chilean flag, dressed as “Super American”, attendees couldn’t help but smile, chant, cheer and laugh over the extremity in which Colbert and Stewart were willing to go to bring together hundreds of thousands of Americans in effort to show the effects that media holds on us. Butting heads, not on the basis of Democratic and Republican fews, but on the concept of being fearful Americans and those that read between the lines and maintain a sense of sanity in the media.

In a 3 hour live performance John Stewart and Colbert battled each other in an effort to prove that the only thing America has to fear is the media itself. Co-mingling wit with intelligence, these two used celebrities such John Legend, Cat Stevens, Ozzy Osborn, The OJays, Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow, Tony Bennett, Kareem Abul Jamal and several others.

Confronting issues on the fear of Muslims, fears of gays, the misguided media and their controversial points, John Stewart stated:

“The country’s 24 hour political pundit perpetual panic conflictinator did not cause our problems but its existence makes solving them that much harder. The press can hold its magnifying up to our problems bringing them into focus, illuminating issues heretofore unseen or they can use that magnifying glass to light ants on fire and then perhaps host a week of shows on the sudden, unexpected dangerous flaming ant epidemic. “

He continued, “If we amplify everything we hear nothing. There are terrorists and racists and Stalinist and theocrats but those are titles that must be earned. You must have the resume. Not being able to distinguish between real racists and Tea Partiers or real bigots and Juan Williams and Rick Sanchez is an insult, not only to those people but to the racists themselves who have put in the exhausting effort it takes to hate. Just as the inability to distinguish terrorists from Muslims makes us less safe not more. The press is our immune system. If we overreact to everything we actually get sicker and perhaps eczema.”

With no political agenda, except that of re-sensitizing us to the media, there was no major news cameras there, besides Fox, which means it is up to us bloggers and all independent media to blast this rally out to every major chainwave of social networks that there are..

With amazing signage and participation from all over the world, it seems that us proud Amercians must take back the media we so easily gave up-

As Americans one thing is certain our freedom to choose. Our choices keep living in fear of what the public has to show on mainstream, or regain our sanity and realize that media is just that- a source of entertainment.

 

The Roots and Obama

Obama’s using music (hip Hop) to rally US together is it working? The Roots have backed everyone in the industry, as a matter of fact if the Roots haven’t backed you then it seems you are not apart of the Musical elite (difference between elite and pop culture). Back at the beginning of Obama’s presidential campaign the Roots were a major influence on those of us who were not registered, saying we need to grab others and register, never mentioning Obama but hailing his campaign.

Days before the election The Roots, DJ Diamondkuts and Obama rallied together to bring strength in numbers building the change they needed. Voters whom have never voted before came out of the wood works and put Mr Barrack on the map. From College students to music lovers alike we all went out and voted to “Make Change”. And it worked.

Now Obama is using the likes of Common to gardener support and get people amped about politics once again. Will it work? It seems that when we want to incorporate politics in to our music pop culture and billboard charts are not interested in what we say, but when Obama brings music in to his politics all the sudden everyone wants to listen.

Having Jay Z and Beyonce perform at your inauguration may have been a wise move for the president to garnish respect from Hip Hop and music fans, but is it enough to give him another 4 years in the oval office?

On another note I love bringing political view points in my music and incorporating facts with the pop culture- is it too much?

Let me know what you think of a song like this- the lyrical content? does it make you want to push repeat or go to the next Nikki Minaj track?

Legacy

Legacy Featuring Akil the MC and J Ross Parrelli from album “Lov’n Mak’n Music”…

“Too Diva Or Not Too Diva”

Always a thought in my mind- how do you give all you got without selling your soul- and really what is selling ones soul.

Where do you draw the line- Bikini, soap, car fantasy? pop stars singing about cell phones and radios? Shaking hands with Clive Davis?  Sleeping your way to the top?

 

Has Drake sold out?

 

Or what about Lady Gaga, is that sell out?

and what is the definition between selling out and pop culture?  or being a successful musician?

The morality in the industry where does it lie?

If we start breaking down culture, music makes up a huge percentage of our definition- not just the music itself but the message it carries, the image is glorifies. It describes the morality of our society. If the mainstream is “all up in the Club”, “Dust Your Shoulders off”, “Poker Face” type-of-people what does that say if anything about who we are? Or am i simply looking to deeply in to a Blockbuster society that changes like the movies we watch. A stern reflection to a simple Answer-

What is selling out?

Last 5 minutes on earth

If there was 5 minutes left on earth and you had all the music at your fingertips (or i-pod) what song would it be? Hip Hop? Soul? Funk? Reggae?