Where art thou to bring forth melodiuos music?

*If you cannot readily identify ALL the royalty in this pic, consider yourself dead* (Ok, maybe the bald guy may be a bit obscure, but you can find out. LOL)

You should know these righteous folks. 

Ok, maybe not should, but knowing of their existence will definitely enrich your common life that much more...I was thumbing thru a few of my old saved emails when I stumbled on my old faithful neo-soul site. The featured article of the day happened to be about my Soulaqurians. This pic was there and it just made me nostalgic and recall the airtight production team that had the Midas touch & took traditional neo-soul to a new & refreshingly unique level.

 In the late 90s to early 2000, they were a producing force to be reckoned with. The Soulaquarians are responsible for classic CDs such as D'Angelo's "Voodoo" & Bilal's "1st Born Second."(such a sleeper!) And most importantly, introduced me to my love of all things J Dilla. The team never put out a collective LP , but the lasting imprint they placed on the ever evolving genre will definitely be felt.

So my question is...where are they now? Individually, between real life & tragedies, the group sort of dissipated. But honestly, how dope would it be to get a word of a CD from them?!?! I myself would sell my spleen to get a project from the group. I know it would be high quality mursic!!  

What are some production people/teams that you would like to hear some new projects from?

 

CS Discussion // The (Dark) Skin You're In

I've finally watched a video that's been floating around the net for a few weeks that was addressing the topic of dark skin. I must say, being a darker toned woman, that the ideals & stories shared by the women & men reflect direct encounters I've experienced in my life. 
"You're pretty...for a dark skinned girl" 

and
"If only you were lighter"  

were statements frequently heard. I'm sure a few of you have dealt with such derogatory declarations, or maybe even worse, for yourselves. I hated feeling so worthless & was very shy due to my color. Even now sometimes, myself or other darker hued women are still subject to this type of atrocity...

For those who have not seen the video, here it is. Please view and share your thoughts on the self-imposed caste system we've bound our people to.

Dark Girls: Preview from Bradinn French on Vimeo.

Special Shoutout: The Anonymous Comment

Yes, we do special shout outs! 


Apparently, my last Playing Dress Up post, hit a soft spot.  I received an anonymous comment which stated: "WHAT KIND OF CHURCH DO YOU GO TO, THIS FIT IS TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE."

Disclaimer: Trust me, I'm not mad at all.  I just literally had these random thoughts from that one comment. (y'all should know that I have a bunch of randomness running through my head)  :~)


Here are my issues that came from YOUR comment:
1. The post had nothing to do with my church.  Next time, try sticking to the subject.
2. What kind of church do you go to?
3. So, did you like the outfit or not?  Lol.. Yes, I noticed you clicked Simply Bore, but was that toward my "church" or the outfit? Serious question.. I want to know.
5. How about next time we stick to constructive criticism instead of random put downs?
6. Maybe you should reconsider the church YOU attend, if any... just a suggestion.
7.  Can you please explain why this outfit is "totally inappropriate" for a church event, not a regular Sunday morning service.
8.  You brought up a completely different topic, but didn't even answer my photo shop question that I put in the post!!     
9.  If I was attending this Sweetheart's Ball at a club or something would you have liked the outfit then?
10.  Oh, and last but most definitely not least, the below picture is just for you! 

I'll be ordering this one soon!  And guess what, I promise to do a What I Wore post on it, just for Anonymous!  God bless!

For more JCLU items, click HERE.

~Cash

Random Thoughts // Maya Angelou

"If you have done the best you can do and if you have gotten all you could extract from something -- you have given all you had to give. Then the time has come when you can do no more than say thank you and move on."

 - Maya Angelou

"Dancing is the Poetry of the Foot."

Dance and I have a long history together! I started African dance in the 7th grade and I mostly do modern and liturgical dance. I did just a niddle baby bit of tap and hip hop, but those were waaaay too technical for my liking. I stopped for a while 8 years to be exact but my gift of dance has been awakened and I am completely ready to use it!

Moral of this story, don't let go of your gift for people that don't appreciate it or don't understand it. What God gives to you, ain't for everyone to like, love, or understand! I let go of it, like I said, but I thank God that He allowed my gift and talent to stay with me! Maybe I'll start recording myself to upload on my YouTube channel. (I have to lose a couple of lbs but we'll see.. maybe!)

Anywho, with all of that being said, I really just wanted to share a few pics and one of my favorite videos from the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre. They are the absolute best!! Enjoy!

“We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for screams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams.” ~Unknown

Quote of the Day: Rob White

This is actually the second quote I've shared from Mr. White:

"A mistake is only a mistake for he who cannot face the consequences of the action.. For those who CAN face the consequences, it was merely a choice..." - Rob White



I can dig it...

Status Update

I feel like people put waaaayyy too much of their business in their Facebook status updates. To avoid being one of those people, I usually choose famous quotes to reflect my mood. That way, I "don't have to" spill my life story in 400 characters everytime somethings going on with me. LOL

So, here's the quote I used today:

“The most essential factor is persistence - the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come.” ~James Whitcomb Riley

I've been feeling a little discouraged lately, but at the same time, I know that discouraging feeling means to keep pushing myself. Discouragement also means to me that the outcome (of the situation) is most likely to be a great one... So, with that being said, I better turn this frown upside down and go chill with my little homie for the day!

Peace and Love!

Random Thought: Johnnata Walker

"I stand before her humble, vulnerable, unsure & afraid at times. She stands before me with a reassurance of my strength, beauty, loyalty & intellect. She sees through an outer appearance and embraces the love within. She reminds me that I am in a better place & blessed beyond belief. I am in love with her. I admire her for everything she is and everything she's not."

**A Reflection of Greatness**

//Food For Thought//

Another great status update; really made me think about some things going on in my life!

Shout out to my FBF Aric for posting it!


"The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing and becomes nothing." - Unknown

Random Thought // The Sleep Lady

"Worry is a lack of faith and

a waste of energy."

And her advice for people that like, or have a need to worry: take 15 mins a day, by writing all your worries in a notebook. After those 15 mins are over, move on and live your life!

The Color on My Mood Ring...

"Melancholy maybe, not sad.... there's a difference, I think." ~Darius Lovehall

(or for those that may not know, Larenz Tate in Love Jones)





Damn, I really need to go buy a Charlie Parker's Greatest hits...
*sigh*

Random Thought // Skin Deep

It's 2010, why are we still having the "light skin" vs "dark skin" debate? As much as folks wanna misconstrue the "issue", here are 3 points that my friend Eboni pointed out that ring true:

1. No matter what your complexion is as a black person in America some people look at you and only see a "nigger".

2. Everyone has a preference and that's okay, but comparing and contrasting is not.

3. Its so sad that the Willie Lynch mindset is still so effective today.

People, please remember it IS a hit on our self pride as a whole by dissecting ourselves from something as trivial as tone.

All in all, one factor remains:

BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL.

Food For Thought: The Sankofa

Alot of people tend to notice my Sankofa bird tattoo, and I always get asked about its meaning. Sometimes, I will take the time to actually explain it in full. Luckily, I'm in the explaining mood and just felt like sharing the meaning with you...

"Sankofa" teaches us that we must go back to our roots in order to move forward. That is, we should reach back and gather the best of what our past has to teach us, so that we can achieve our full potential as we move forward. Whatever we have lost, forgotten, forgone or been stripped of, can be reclaimed, revived, preserved and perpetuated.

Visually and symbolically "Sankofa" is expressed as a mythic bird that flies forward while looking backward with an egg (symbolizing the future) in its mouth.

Most people usually get the other symbol, made popular by Janet Jackson, (you can see it HERE) but I think mine is unique and stands out... Does that remind you of someone? Me! LOL

Plus, I got to doll it up with my favorite colors, pink and green. I'm actually thinking of added to the tail, maybe a bracelet to symbolize Karma.. to have the "what goes around, comes around" meaning to it. But, I'm not sure about that, just yet...

Random Thought: Rob White

My friend Rob put this in my cell phone back when I lived in Kansas. I've never had the chance to share it with anyone until now...

"The other end of the spectrum is always opposite of the nearing, but also equal.."

Tell me what you think it means?

Random Thought: Mrs. Roosevelt

I have declared this, one of my new favorite quotes:

"Do One Thing Everyday That Scares You"

~by Eleanor Roosevelt

Definitely something to end my night with!

Random Thought: A Facebook Musing

"Letting go doesn't mean you stop caring. It means you stop trying to force others to."

~Anthony Davis

Love you Cash. We got this. :)

Quote of the Day: Samantha Smikle

I always find myself getting caught in a trance while browsing the pages of O.M.O. Writes! Samantha Smikle is definitely one of my favorite bloggers! I dont think I've ran across any outfit that I didn't love (on her)!! A lot of my outfit inspirations come from her so, whenever I try to "copy" (for the lack of words) one of her fits, I'll be sure to share with you to compare and show you my twist on the outfit.

Anywho, while trying to pull myself out of the hypnosis, I ran across the cutest, eye opening quote from her Way Too Dressed Up post:

"But whatevs! At least I felt special and that's way better than feeling average."

~Samantha Smikle

Love it, Samantha! Love it!

The Dream is Real People

Another Facebook status worth sharing:

"Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.”
- Karen Ravn




Blogger Templates

Random Thought: My College Advisor

Today, while finishing up a session of NOT enrolling back into school, something in my spirit nudged me to ask my college advisor (I just cannot remember her name) what church she attended.

Sidebar: Let me tell you, this lady is so sweet! Whenever I see her, she always refers to me as beautiful or gorgeous or some other name to bring my spirits up. Not only does she talk to me that way, but she talks to everyone that comes in her office the same exact way! This is what may have led me to question.

Back to the story: So, I asked and she states, "well, I go to *insert church name her because I can't remember she said* every now and then, but not that often." And I said to her, "wow.. you seem like you are really into church because you're so positive and uplifting!" She says to me, here's your quote, "well, honey I just let the God in Me shine through"

That to me made me think alot! You don't have to be in church 24/7, because we all have God in us! So let's allow our lights to shine! Amen? Amen!

With that being said.. one of my favorite songs, Mary Mary and KiKi, God In Me:








Blogger Templates

Random Thought: Mrs. Roosevelt

“Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people”

~Eleanor Roosevelt

 Damn, if that ain't it, I don't know what is.