Just My Thoughts: Heavy...

Just My Thoughts: Heavy...: First off this ain't no "woe is me" tale of being cold and hungry/ I grew up comfortably/ as a child of the 70's/ Kni...

Heavy...

First off this ain't no "woe is me" tale of me being cold and hungry/

I grew up comfortably/ as a child of the 70's/

Knick's jacket on my back/ I think I was 4/ 
My earliest memory/

Of Hip-Hop is when local DJ's were asking "Who was in the place to be?"

me.../

And the place to be/ for me/ and my family/
was mad narrowly/ and apparently/ systematically designed for blacks to live tragically/

A bum on the corner's yelling "Welcome to the ghettoooooooooooo!/

Far Rockaway Queens where young boys flash metaaaaaaaaaaal/

My folks would look calm but their hearts were unsettleeeeeeeeeed/

And why wouldn't they be/

Ronald Reagan's on the T.V./

Giving orders to the P.D./

To lock-up all niggaz they see/

You will have to excuse me/

That right there didn't happen till the 80's/

Right along with crack babies/

Drug dealers in Mercedes/ and other shit to make you crazy/

*Sometimes when I'm inspired to write/

I want to give a window into my life/

But there's other times where I feel like Naaaaaaaaaaaaahhh... y'all ain't really ready/

Other times I want to grab the mic/

And let you know where I learned how to fight/

And let y'all know why I live life light/

Where I come from is so mufuckin HEAVY/*

Gamblers/ Scramblers/ Pimps/ Pushers/ and Dope Fiends/

Hustle and Busselers/ addicted to vending machines/

Stick-Up Kids/ Cats home from jail bids/

Street poets telling it just how it is/

Fake Messiahs/ High niggaz that look tired/

Hard workers that got fired/ Because of bold face liars/

We moved to Hollis like the projects were on fire/

Homeless man was yelling "Welcome back to the ghettooooooooooo/

Jamaica Ave. Where Crack is cooked inside Kettleeeeeeeeeeees/

Made by Pyrex and they also pack metaaaaaaaaaaaaal/

And why wouldn't they pack/

There's so many people dying/

There's so many Mothers crying/

There's so many people trying/

Moved to South-side Queens in the 90's/

Guess what/ it was just as grimey/

My past doesn't haunt me/ it reminds me/

That surviving is a blessing/ even though I am confessing/ That I've had the hardest lessons/

*Sometimes when I'm inspired to write/

I want to give a window into my life/

But there's other times where I feel like Naaaaaaaaaaaaahhh.. y'all ain't really ready/

Other times I want to grab the mic/

And let you know where I learned how to fight/

And let y'all know why I live life light/

Where I come from is so mufuckin HEAVY/*

GB

Just My Thoughts: "Oh, it's you..." A special guest blog by "Black B...

Just My Thoughts: "Oh, it's you..." A special guest blog by "Black B...: Emotions denied after so many years/ Now comes back to life and leaves me with fear/ Fear of the power and the passion wi...

"Oh, it's you..." A special guest blog by "Black Butterfly"

Emotions denied after so many years/

Now comes back to life and leaves me with fear/

Fear of the power and the passion within/

Fear of my inability to contain them/

Who is this passion that awakens in me?/

A voice, emotions and beautiful memories/

Oh, it's you... I remember, it's you/

So long has my pen been silent/

Leaving blank pieces of paper that I hide behind/

No words written/

No thoughts spoken/

Who is this person that adds fire to my small flame?/

By sharing emotions or saying my name/

Oh, it's you... I remember, it's you/

Even through silence my love remained/

Just waiting for a time for it to be unrestrained/

The silence is over, there's no need to fear/

My voice shouts out as our hearts draw near/

Who is this passion, I've loved from the start?/

The one who unknowingly opened my heart/

Oh, it's you... I remember, it's you/ 

Black Butterfly.

Footnote: I have been asked time and time again about the courage it takes to put yourself out there in verse. It takes guts, balls and a dash of insanity. The battle to express yourself outwardly, ironically is fought internally. So I view this poem as a victory. It was sent to me by a poet who has no desire to have her own blog, book or bookings for shows. It was sent to me anonymously asking me to share. How could I not do exactly that in the face of such bravery?

GB.

Just My Thoughts: "Show" Business.

Just My Thoughts: "Show" Business.:      "The cream rises to the top"       Many have heard this phrase and agree with its content without any debate...

"Show" Business.

     "The cream rises to the top" 

     Many have heard this phrase and agree with its content without any debate or question. If you give this phrase a quick glance or this sentence a quick read, there's really not much to debate at all. It's hard to debate a cold, hard fact. 

(although man has clever ways of doing so) 

Let the truth be told however "cream" (in reference to standing milk) actually does rise to the top. The phrase itself often pertains to those with exceptional talents or gifts that make them stand out from the crowd. Yet still, even in its metaphorical state, there's not much to debate here either. The best do stand out from the crowd like a very large forehead opposite a receding hairline. So since there is no debate here as well, I will not do so. The cool thing is that my job as a writer is not necessarily to debate or argue. My job as an artist is to provoke thought. My job as an artist is to point out the details that may be missed by an untrained eye. My job as an artist is to make sense out of nonsense. That being said, I believe that looking at only one side, one element or dynamic of anything to be "nonsensical" So yes, the cream rises to the top; but only with the support of the fluid it floats on. Yes the exceptional stand out from the ordinary. But if everyone where exceptional, the exceptional would become ordinary. My point is this; you cannot have one without the other. The boldness of a stripe depends on its contrast with colors it lays beside. Can you see a white stripe on white paper? Not very well at least. The team or support is critical to any individual in the same circle. That being said, I want to underscore this type of relationship of words with a pair I deal with a lot.

     The "Show" and "Business" of "Show Business" share this exact same relationship. You cannot have one without the other. Just like the beginning phrase above, many look at this term with a quick glance and an untrained eye. Glamour has many artists and entrepreneurs alike putting on more "show" than "business" I see too many promoters, musicians, writers and performers all looking the part for the show and not handling the business on a sustainable, lucrative and respectable level. Simply giving yourself a title doesn't make you that which you call yourself. The tongue does have power, but not in that way. Dressing the part doesn't do it alone either. I have a laundry list of examples that proves my point.

• Rappers that can't freestyle.
• Figure heads that are not focused.
• Promoters that talk about themselves more than the artists they represent.
• Cats that politic with you all night, exchange numbers with you and won't return your phone call.
• Cats that say they represent the same team but they never communicate with each other.
• Writers that are too shy to read a paragraph aloud to a trusted friend.
• DJ s that don't own turntables.
• Poets that don't own mics.
• Musicians that carry instruments they can't play.

     I can go on... but you understand, I'm sure. Someone once asked me "How I memorized so much?" Pertaining to my poems, lines in a book I wrote or a clever line in a great movie I wish I wrote. "Practice" I replied. I write, I read what I wrote, I rewrite and then read again. I practice poems in the mirror. I watch movies to study camera angles and study great exchanges in dialogue between two strong characters. I have also been asked; "When do you sleep?" My reply was "When I can" I have a scheduled that I write down, a calendar to keep it in order and a hungry group of folks around me to see that things get done. In short; I'm about my business long before the curtains are pulled to the sides to reveal the show. I maybe confident to the point where some ask if I'm cocky. But my humility does its best to keep the Glamour in check. I have seen glamour get in the way of many great people and I do not want to be one of them.

• Glamour makes you feel like no one can tell you anything.
• Glamour prevents you from being a student of the new ways of the game you play.
• Glamour makes you feel like you've made it, when you're not even close.
• Glamour makes you feel like your success is imminent, knowing deep down that nothing in this life is guaranteed.
• Glamour makes you lose focus due to a warped perception of where you're actually looking at.
• Glamour makes you feel you can do it all by yourself without help. Even though every success can be linked to an extraordinary team that pushed them.

In closing I would like you to ask yourself a few questions from time to time on your way to the the top.

• Am I about my business or am I about the show?
• How about those in your circle?
• What effort do you think it will take for you to break through?
• Do you honor your word?
• Since the cream rises to the top; do you see any cream when you look at your team?

Until next time kids...  

GB