Okay! I know I'm Late.

So if you know me, you could probably vouch that I have been desperately searching for new music.
I mean, there are only so many times one could listen to "Birthday Sex" or could care less about turning my swag on everyday when I wake up in the morning.
I have always been into different kinds of music, especially forms that are not familiar with mainstream success.
The Fugees, however are the exception. They have had both mainstream success as well as producing meaningful music that can make you dance and think at the same time.
John Forte, who is not apart of the Fugees but associated with them is the change in the music world that I seek.
John Forte's story is as follows:
Forte, was a rapper, producer who had a influential stake in the alternative hip hop scene of the 90's. In 2000, he was caught and arrested at Newark Airport for Possession of 1.4 million worth of liquid cocaine. He was convicted and sentenced to the minimum requirement of 14 years in prison.
Suprisingly, advocates for Forte believed that he did not receive a fair trial. After 7 years, he was pardoned by George W. Bush in 2008 and was released from prison a few weeks after. It is said that as soon as he was released from prison he bought a Blackberry, Ipod and Macbook (Go Figure).

Well we all know what happens when people spend long bids in Jail; they become a Hip Hop Intellectual. The only thing to do in Jail is read, gain knowledge and plenty of time to reflect on your life choices.

I am pretty sure Forte will become one of my fav artists. His lyrics are thought provoking and sincere and his musical ability is above any of the antics we have seen thus far in the entertainment industry. Not to mention he is nice to look at (dreads=love)

John Forte "Life Has Just Begun" from The ICU on Vimeo.

Truth about Somalian Pirates according to K'Naan

Dear L.A

I have been very disappointed with the way you have been representing yourself these past years! I have been finding it hard to claim you lately, with your expensive fashion sense and falseness I often find myself contemplating our relationship. Although I have never been to N.Y, it seems to be much more compatible with me.

I remember the L.A Riots, Conscious and "Gangsta" Rap, and Multiculturalism were your thing back when. Now its all about transient fame schemes and gentrification. The company you keep are just as sick.
I Thought we were cool but every time I come to visit you make me feel like I dont belong. Is it because of the way I dress? The music I listen to? the people I hang out with? or the change in my political ideologies?

Maybe we can work something out?

Chicago seems nice!

The Greatest

"We All Thought He Was Going To Live Forever"

I am ready!

So, today is my last night in Santa Cruz for the 2009 year and I am more than excited. These past 2 weeks have been hectic. No sleep, No time for people, parties and I have not been eating right at all. I have a thousand things to do before the day ends consisting of packing and washing clothes. I also have to do some chores around the house before i leave but I don't know!

I wish ( Carl Thomas status)

Sometimes I wish there was no such thing as love. Not to say that I am in love or that I am bitter or anything but whats the big deal anyway.
You wanna know the worse thing.

You meet a guy and then you feel all happy and warm inside and then just like that they can make you feel so so so bad. you can go from eating to much to not eating at all if that makes sense.

I remember I had a conversation with the roommates the other day about being in love and found out that when you first fall in love you dont wanna eat anything and you dont wanna go to sleep and then when they dump you, ironically the same cycle happens again only this time you are crying for days.

My other roommate is always breaking up and making up with her boyfriend which could get annoying because everyone around gets the blunt end of it as well. Man, that sounds draining!

I dont think boys know how much power they have when it comes to relationships. I would say when girls like someone or love someone they love hard. I have never been in love ( at least i dont think) but from the sound of it, it seems painful and very troubling.

I can never like a person w/out thinking about the future.It's very sad.

And then 4/20 Happened!

so Today is April 23, 2009 and Monday was the famous 4/20! The day that people with sense and some w/out smoke pot-marijuana-ganja-the herb-sticky icky, or whatever people call it these days. Everyone gathers at Porter Meadow on the UC Santa Cruz campus and lights' one up at 4:20 on the dot.

The school went far and beyond to hinder peoples urge to go to campus by only running certain buses and closing down the west-side of campus. IT DIDNT WORK!

It was one of the hottest days of the school year and to top it off everyone who smoked and had the munchies were at 711.

None of this bothers me at all but I have a real BIG problem when you bring my hero-legend Bob Marley into the mix.

everywhere that I went on campus someone was bumping Bob or playing one of his songs in celebration of this faux holiday!

Honestly, Marley is possibly turning in his grave, upset that after all of the things he has been through and all the things he has done in life ( Uniting Africa, World Peace, Rasta equality, Self-love, Killing hate ideologies, demolition of "isms-skisms", peace and love) all that he is celebrated for is smoking Ganja by white people, and hippies.

Bob Marley taught me the importance of Africa and it's great history that is unknown to most people. It's funny that he does criticize some WHITE people in his songs but thats a whole different post.

Bob Is one of my heroes and I refuse to let his legend be jaded with thoughts of getting high all day/everyday to initiate world peace. The Red, green and Gold Liberation flag that has come to symbolize so much to not only jamaicans but to every marginalized oppressed group within the African Diaspora has now been recognized as representation of Marijuana Solidarity in this sick country. no Dice!

Am I ranting?

What Is a DJ If He/She Cant Scratch to A Ranchera?

Honestly all I could do is sit back and dream because it would take me years and a whole lotta skills to even be decent on the turntables.
DJing should be considered a spectator sport due to its high use of speed, rhythm, and table techniques


Cross Fade into Silence and enjoy this video.
Stonekutters are the stuff!

Do You Remember?

For some odd reason the Jem and Holograms theme song was playing in my head last night and I didn't know why.
Most Definitely am Down with Jems style but the Misfits are tight too.
Cartoons are not like how they used to be. Instead of having Gullah Gullah Island you have frickin' Hannah Montana. No more Tom and Jerry. No more Anamaniacs. No more Looney Tunes. No more Disney cartoons on the DISNEY CHANNEL!

I wish there was a channel that showed all old school cartoons from the 90s and earlier, it would get a lot of views im sure.

We're Takin' It All!!

Mama Africa!

So I have been accepted to study Abroad for fall Quarter in Ghana!
I'm soooo excited and have already ordered my passport which will arrive in 2 to 3 weeks. Ghana, for me is more than an exotic adventure, it's a return to my ancestral homeland and a place where a lot of history regarding the slave Trade took part (Elmina Castle). Although, a lot of us(people within the African Diaspora) will not necessarily know from which specific part of Africa that we originated from it means a lot to me that I have been granted the opportunity to be apart of this wonderful 6 month journey.

I dont "knowingly" follow a lot of Fashion Trends but..

I am liking Va$htie's clothing line Violette. With locations in New York, France and Las Vegas, I bet the line will be extremely popular this year. I like her clothes for the fact that it's simple and colorful, both things that i take into consideration when shopping for clothes.

Some of you may already know Va$htie, she is a video director and works in the Music Industry as a Creative Director for Artist and Record labels. She is a Trinidadian American(Big up!!) hailing from Albany, New York. She also directed Kid Cudi's Video, "Heaven and Night" as well as "Us Placers" by Child Rebel Soldiers aka Kanye, Lupe and Pharell( who i think she also dated for a while). but anyway shes tight!





Violette New York Launch- Check it Out Here

Yoooooooooo!

its been a minute since I last been on here.
So many things have happened, from getting a new job to going to the State of the Black Union--Life is good!well, almost.lol

My classes are killing me but I will try my hardest to pull through.
Im planning things for MCF and its a lot of pressure but you know what they say about pressure ( makes diamonds).

Im just sitting here waiting for class to start, got hella stuff to do but I will save that for later.
State of the Black Union was fun. I shall dedicate a post entirely to that later.

I was thinking...

When I first started this blogging stuff I was going for less "journal/diary" and more cultural discussions such as music, politics, you know--what's hot in the streets. So my goal from now on is to steer my writing into another creative direction.
I shall add video to my blogs as well, other than that I think I need more readers, Im doing Big things this year, making major moves and counting the days until Im out of here!

Deans List!!!

I Made it!!!
:-)

My President Is Black!!!

In the Words of Jeezy, " My President is Black, My Lambo's Blue?"
Well I dont have a Lamborghini, nor do I think I could ever afford one but one thing I do know for sure is that MY President is indeed Black and his name is Barack Obama!

With sleepy eyes glued to the television set,I watched the Inauguration of Obama which will go down as one of the greatest moments in history. Words cannot describe how I felt then and how I feel now. Never in my lifetime did I think I would see such a thing as I did yesterday Morning and I am only 20 years young.

It's the Day After the Inauguration and I am still receiving text messages quoting passages from Obama's speech. Maybe now since he is officially President Microsoft Word will automatically add Obama and Barack into their dictionary instead of offering spell check everytime!lol

Still one could see the pessimistic attitudes in the air as if it was the cold flu, (check out my argument with Jesse Warren on Facebook, Lame)but I guess the Haters are inevitable.

He spoke the truth, something that is priceless and worth more than gold to me,(especially coming from a politician)when he said :
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

greatness is never a given. It must be earned.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Warriors!!!!

On Monday, MLK DAY, I drove all the way to Oakland to see My cousin, Nick Young play!
It was exciting.
I picked up my friend Olivet from San Leandro and took the BART down to the ORACLE arena.
My seats were pretty good and Ironically I was sitting next to a lot of Washington Wizards fan in a Stadium packed with Warriors. I think Butler's Baby Mama was sitting behind me and a Grandmother was sitting in front of me, it was awesome.
Security didnt let me go to the back so I just left.
Fun Times though.
I cant wait until the All-Star Game and the Slam Dunk Contest, Yee!
Oh and By the way I dont care to mention the score!lol

"When the Dog Bites, When the Bees Sting" For all You Boppers Out There.

I have grown up with Jazz Music.
Residing in a Household where Latin Jazz and John Coltrane were regularly played I have grown to appreciate the art form of Jazz a lot more these days.

There is something about Jazz that makes me mellow and pensive while allowing me to daydream a lot more then I should
The other cool thing about Jazz is that due to the lack of lyrics in most compositions it allows one to perhaps make up a story in their head about what the different melodies and notes could represent or whatnot.
One more thing is that depending on what type of Jazz music you are listening to the different instruments such as the trumpet or the saxophone could embody different emotions and feelings.

One of my favorite Jazz songs of all time is "My Favorite Things" By John Coltrane.
Not only is this song a remake of the famous giddy song sung by Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music but the way that Coltrane plays it makes it seem sadder and gloomier than usual. There is something about Coltrane's version that gets me every time; the way that he plays the main chorus line, "these are a few of my favorite things" makes you feel warm inside and is so beautiful it makes you want to cry.

This song really needs no explanation, Its so unique in itself.

an Oakland Killing!

It Disgusts me how much injustice there is in this world.

On January 1, 2009, Police Officer Johannes Mehserle fatally shot an unarmed African American Man, Oscar Grant as he was detained by the Cops and Laying face down on the cold cement.

Oscar Grant pleaded over and over again, "please don't tase me, Please don't shoot me" but I guess that wasnt enough to save his life.
I cram to Understand how you could be held down by 5 cops but yet still be considered a big enough threat to get wasted like that. More like a public execution to me.

Seconds later, police put Grant face-down on the ground. Grant appears to struggle. One of the officers kneels on Grant as Mehserle stands up, tugs at his service weapon on his right hip, unholsters it, and fires one round into Grant's back.

People and Citizens in the Bay Area are expressing outrage over the lack of action that has taken place

Watching the Video and just gathering more information about the Incident has literally made me sick to my stomach. Oscar Grant was a Father, a Friend, a Son and a Human Being, to think that his life was lost at the hands of a benevolent BART Cop who devalued a young mans life is the cause of all of this.

This Video is Explicit:

New Years Re(s)(v)olutions!

2008 has come and gone, now its 2009 and I think its about time for a change.

The Number one Resolution I have for myself is to just say "No"!
Now, I am not in no way saying that its hard for me to say no, but I often times mislead people into thinking that I am toooo nice and that's where the problems begin.

learning that I cannot please everybody and that I must do what I feel in my heart is the right thing to do.

Of course college is the time for partying up before you cant anymore, being at every party has never and will never be my scene. Therefore, I must not give in to peer pressure.

Just being myself. A lot of people are so messed up and confused that they are not even aware that they are imitating someone else, claiming that as their legit identity. not being caught up in the hype that surrounds me will make me into a better person.

and of course

Drinking more water daily, less junk food if none at all( since I had the Diabetes Test).

Back to Reality

Well
Im back in Santa Cruz and this time I drove my car up here. It took us a good 6 or 7 hours to make it back, we even got lost somewhere in Gilroy but its still all good. Im looking forward to getting all A's this quarter so that I could go to NY for Spring break.

On another note, i think its funny how people already have plans for my car( meaning that for some odd reason "my" car has turned into "our" car!

but

w/e

Glad to be back while waiting patiently for it to be over.