If You Try

If You Try

Friday, October 10, 2008

New Routine

It's has been a minute since I last blogged. Hopefully I still got it. Me and my wife to be are just settling into our new life together in sunny southern California. It feels good to be back on this side of the rain clouds. I didn't realize how much I missed it out here. Besides the bad traffic, litter, and smog, I can say that I'm happy to be living here again. You can feel the opportunity surrounding you just when you step outside. With that said. I got a lot on my mind creatively and I cant wait until it finds itself on some paper in a song or some other creative expression. I feel like some masterpieces are on the way. I feel as though I have crossed the threshold of childhood to manhood officially. I got new muscles to prove it. Lol.


I GUESS I STILL GOT IT. More coming soon!

Monday, August 11, 2008

Change is Necessary

My father often told me when I was younger "Don't wear out your welcome". And I think I am just now starting to understand what he meant by that statement. In life, we tend to stay in places, positions, relationships, and mindsets longer that we are sometimes supposed to. In a sense, we wear out our welcome because we should be moving on to new experiences. A sign that it is time to move on generally is when things turn sour or dry up where you are at. We are to find new wells of water to drink from and new territory to build upon. People are terrified to death of change because it is uncertain and it forces them to adjust (into becoming a better person) and perhaps let go of something(s) that they hold dear. In this season of change in my life I have battled daily with overcoming fears that would try to keep me from venturing into new places and arenas. The truth is, without change there can be no growth. Another thing that I am learning is that in life, there is no such thing as security, only opportunity. Life was never meant to be bottled up and held in the same position forever. It was meant to take on new dimensions and depth. So as I stand on the horizon of change, I welcome it with open arms.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Long Over due...

Man I have been away from this blogging thing for a minute now. Life is so different not being in school and my schedule is way less structured now. For those reading this, I am happy to announce that I just proposed to my girlfriend last Friday at the I.T.M. awards. It's a good feeling when you know that you have found your soulmate. Me and my lady plan on tying the knot on New Years Eve. Honestly I can't wait. I am enjoying this manhood thing. In other news...

Have you ever had one of those nights were your creative ideas wake you up in the middle of the night. Well, I am having one of those nights right now. I tried to lay back down but so many ideas kept pumping thru my head that I had to get up and write something down. I hear this is the time of the day that God really can connect with man. I guess its because there are less distractions this early. I'm not sure but the concept is dope. Alright I'm going to try to get one more hour of sleep, then it's off to the gym for my daily workout. Peace.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Smarten Up

I got into a conversation with one of my relatives yesterday about some rappers that he knows personally. These rappers are considered to be legends in the genre of hip hop they belong to. The sad thing is that they are broke. Now that may not be a big deal to some people but it is to me. It is a sad day when you look back on your career, all the shows you've done, albums sold, autographs signed, etc. and don't have anything to show for it financially. All you have is name recognition and that won't hold long when the next cats get into the game and make people forget about you. I got the thinking, why does this happen to so many rappers. I'm sure there is a plethora of reasons. But one really stands out to me. Most artists don't plan for the future. Unless you are blessed with some kind of special power that keeps you young forever, you more than likely will not be rapping for the rest of your life. And who would want to? I certainly don't want to "have" to rap past the age of 32. And I'm definitely not going to be trying to rap (at least professionally) when I hit my 40's and 50's. With that said, it is important for today's 20 something year old artists to think and look past the microphone. Learn about investing, real estate, and other business ventures that will ensure your families financial security in the future when you call it quits. Don't be 30 something years old still chasing the dreams you had when you were 20. That day is gone. It's time to man up and go on to the next thing. I know that sounds harsh, but it is good advice. Take it or leave it.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Exciting Stuff...

I am super pumped about the opporutunity I have to perform at this year's Freedom Fest. It is one of Washington State's largest music and arts festivals. This is the first year where they are making a big push to get more exposure for hip hop in the event because it has mainly been rock thus far. I feel blessed to be one of the artist representing the Northwest on this tremendous platform. It is a big deal. For those interested in more information about this concert, check out http://www.freedomfest.org.
Hope to see you there.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Life Goes On...

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know that the Lakers lost the championship. And I take my hat off to Boston. They played their hind parts off. For those that know me, know that I am a die hard Laker fan even before the Kobe era. So I take the games a little personal. But I do have to still commend my team for having a monster season. It says a lot when a franchise can make that kind of turn around in one season. I'm not going to make excuses why the Lakers lost, though I have many. I'll just do what most champions do and say congrats to the winning team. I'm speaking prophetically now though. The Lakers will win the championship next year. Mark my words haters!

Saturday, June 14, 2008

New Chapter of Life

I am now an official college graduate. No more papers to turn in, tests to study for, or group projects to do. It's almost surreal. Even though I will always be a student(I plan to learn for the rest of my life), I feel that my school days have come to a close. I might pursue a masters degree in the future, but as of now I'm focusing on other things. It's exciting to know that I have more time on my hands to chase what I am truly passionate about. Now the trick is to find that new structure for my life now that school is no longer there to provide that for me. A lot of extra time on ones hands can be dangerous if not used wisely. It's going to be interesting to see how things play out in this life of mine.

Friday, June 6, 2008

One day from Graduation

I am on count down! Tomorrow is my graduation and man has it been a long time coming. I am so fortunate to be graduating with a bachelors degree in business administration. Even more than the formal education I recieved, I think I gained the most out of school by learning about myself. These past 4 years have helped me identify what direction I want to go in life and helped me to realize that it is okay to be unique. Most people that make great changes in society are the ones who don't fit into the sqaure pegs and round holes that the world designs for us. I am super excited and am glad that I get to share this moment with my family, friends, and those of you reading this blog. Please keep me in your prayers because I feel like the real hard work is ahead of me and I am ready for it!

Thursday, June 5, 2008

My feelings about Obama

I have a huge imagination, but there are some things that even I never imagined would happen in my lifetime. And I am talking about the possiblity of having a black president. Senator Obama is to be admired for many other traits besides his ethnicity. He is a visionary, articulate, a man of Christian faith, intelligent, smooth, and confident. Color aside, I would vote for him based on these traits wether he was black or white. But I must say that him being black is a big deal for me and I'm sure for many other young black men across the country. We have been oppressed for so long and treated like we are inferior even after slavery was abolished. People like Obama prove that we are more than the media and mainstream culture has painted us out to be. I thank God that my young eyes have witnessed this time in history, even if Obama doesn't win. Him getting this close shows that we are getting closer to a world that realizes that ALL men are created in God's image. I'm not trying to sway anyone's vote. These are just my thoughts. Take them or leave them.

Peace!

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Diet Tip of the Day

My beautiful and gracious girlfriend hit me up with a great diet tip via text message this morning. The text message word for word is this " Don't eat fruit two hours before or after you eat. It will stop you up. Always eat fruit alone and never with nuts!"

Me and my girl are on this major health kick. We both want to live a long time and have a high quality of life in old age therefore we exercise regularly and do our best to eat healthy. I read an article that says that you are not active unless you are working out in the gym at least three times a week. No matter how much running around you do, you are considered inactive if you do not work out. Working out and eating healthy also gives you more energy and helps to fight off depression.

Do your research on the internet, there are so many studies that link eating right and regular work outs to being happy.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Growing Pains

Today I met with my mother at this restaurant called Paneras. If you've never been, you should really try it. They have great food. Not to get side tracked from my original topic, the reason I met with my mom was just to discuss all the transitions that are going on in my life as I'm growing as an adult. I know that this process has been extremely difficult for her because I am her youngest. I don't think I've ever had a heart to heart with her like we did today and it was a little painful. Not painful in the sense of us being harsh to one another, but painful in the sense of knowing that our relationship as mother and son is changing. I know that I will always be her child, but now I am a man and am fastly moving from under her wings. I almost had to hold back tears as she expressed her feelings to me about the current situation we are in. I was truly at a lost for words. I'm glad that we communicated though rather than letting our thoughts and feelings stay under the surface. It can be a little frightening when you decide to strike out on your own and leave the nest, but it is necessary in order to grow into who you are meant to be. So for any of you reading this who are going through the same thing, just know it will all work out, just be sure to keep your parents updated on what your plans are and don't shut them out of your new life.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Had an interesting conversation about Christian rap...

I had a very interesting conversation about Christian Rap with a good friend of mine yesterday. The whole conversation came about when this young lady who was in the same room as us asked me when I started doing "Christian Rap". I told her that I was not a Christian rapper and my friend seemed confused by my statement. "What do you mean your not a Christian Rapper?" he asked. So I had to break it down for him like this. The reason why I am not a Christian rapper is because my audience does not solely consist of Christians. If I were to take that title it would pigeon hole me into that particular genre demographic and keep me from reaching people outside of it. I asked the young lady what came to her mind when she heard the title "Christian Rapper". She said it sounds like it's going to be some cheesy preacher, rapper guy trying to convert me. Lol. I've heard this response on several occasions.This represents how the outside world views Christian Rap, rather the emcee with that title is weak or not. Now I'm not downing those emcees and rappers who wear this title with pride. It is obvious that you are in your lane and have found a home for your artistry. I think artist like me are a rarity because we have what I like to call convertible flows. I got this term from a business concept known as convertible bonds. These types of bonds can be changed into stocks when they need to be. The same goes for my music. I am able to rock the church as well as the club and with the same songs! I think young people, especially those in the church are happy to be able to show their friends who aren't in church, music that is good and also upholds their beliefs at the same time.

I think many(not all) Christian rappers use God and their higher moral cause as a crutch for thier lack of skills and artistry. I've heard some say I dont care if you think my music is garbage I'm preaching to you. What?! As a musician, I CANNOT UNDERSTAND THIS. The funny thing is that most of these artist who said this were garbage and their music sucked. What's the point of doing music if people don't feel it? You might as well give up music all together and fulfill your true calling which is preaching. I think we in place to much emphasis on titles all toghether. What really matters is the message we deliver to our audience. Jesus often told his disciples to not tell anyone that he was the Son of God. Why did he do this? I think it's because he wanted the Father to reveal it to those he ministered to rather than toot his own horn to make it known that he was God. Jesus was definitely into the element of suprise.

I think that emcees need to get back to the art of just making good music again. Stop trying so hard to prove that you are a Christian Rapper or Secular rapper. Whatever is in your heart will come out in your music and God will use you if you just make yourself available to him. More times than not, he uses us when we don't even know that he is.

Saturday, May 31, 2008

What do you want out of life!

I'm on this whole kick of discovering what I really want out of life. As I've gotten older and matured, the things that were once important to me don't hold as much weight. This is an especially exciting time for me because I am about to graduate from college in a week and I keep getting the question "So what are your plans after college"? Even though still a little fuzzy, I am happy to say that I have some options open to me. All during my college career I've stayed consistent with my music and during my Junior year of college I started R.E.B.E.L. Firm, LLC. Therefore I had already begun the process of laying down a foundation of success before I graduated. I didn't know I was doing this at the time. Right now is a time of adventure and exploration for me. One thing is fure sure, I'm planning to move onto bigger and better things. I hope that you continue to stay updated on my journey and learn more about Sharp Skills the person, not just the musician.