3 birthdays. 1 weekend. unlimited trouble.
say hello to some of my favorite people who are turning a year older on fabulous halloween weekend!
sexy beeatch #1: tola.
why i love her: she steals all my fans…without even trying.
sexy beeatch #2: nancy
why i love her: she knows how to reel in the fans. (i take notes)
sexy homie #3: rome
why i love him: he takes sexy photos. i’m a fan.
found this old flick and almost died laughing. don’t know what my parents were thinking when they dressed us but they were probably as clueless as we were. gota love that REFUGEE STATE of MIND–take what you got and RUN WID IT!! haaaaaa!
peep our swag:
FASHION FLASHBACK:
big sis (to the left) is rocking a canary yellow party table cloth with mini bats (maybe it’s a witch dress, but looks all the same from here). topped with a sheet of some sort (cape, perhaps?) with purple blue hearts and stars. now throw on the roadrunner mask…bada bing!
to the right, the baby me is rocking a sweet pair of red PJ’s, awesome checkered tie and funny people’s glasses. my mom was a fan of charlie chaplin…resemblance?
oh, and y’all peep that BRADLEE’s bag?!?!?! whatchu kno bout bradlee’s!! that was the home of lacoste before shit blew up and become coOooOOoLL!! hahaha
SWAGFORWARD:
we so grown now, mean muggin’. still killin’. no scary masks necessary.
hollywood holt–another fresh face from chi-town coming up on the radar. extra fresh and hella fine. came across one of his old tracks but it reminded me of the spirit of HALLOWEEN so much, just had to put it up!!! you gota give the kid props on this one. a MUST DEFinite listen:
this is what happens when you don’t write poems for hella days. hella shades become hella blank. thoughts dangle sideways. nothing pops off the page. so most of the time i gota hit rewind. when better words run dry i revert to whiny rhymes about why i can’t write poems for hella days. haha. writer’s block becomes an excuse for i’m just lazy. but that’s not really the case ’cause i’m never just straight chillin on the couch being plain lazy. always looking for something better got my hands full with paints and paint brushes, always that same dilemma about the colors or the letters. i want to fill my world with words pour my heart out to whoever’s listening, want to get better at my craft there’s always a beginning to every great happy ending, but i never want my shit to end just want it to keep continuing, like the masterpiece continuum never a finished product left untouchable but always a blueprint to build up better ones. gota keep pushing the innovation in me and everyone around me. it’s amazing how fast i can forget my purpose. sometimes even when madd affirmations will remind me (i’m thankful) but still i can sink so swiftly like quicksand in the unthinking thoughts nobody really verbalizes but myself because even ego is a race to beat the other person in beating it down, for the sake of saying i’m still a winner because i beat you in beating my own ego down, haha…if that makes any sense.
boys & girls (and everyone in between), i am MF’in exhausted. 5 hours of non stop painting got my arm feeling like a limp piece of pulp. and that still wasn’t enough time. near the end, i found myself racing against the sun to clean my shit up and throw on last minute touches before it got too dark to take pictures. it’s not everything i want it to be, but imperfections can motivate us to go harder next time. could you imagine how boring life would be if everything was all goodygoody perfect?
RUNDOWN: this piece was inspired by the memory of childhood and the feeling of imagining. before imaginations were tamed. before outlandish dreams were filtered through sustainable models. before we surrendered ourselves into the “professional” world. more than ever i realize the profound meaning in the disney classic, “peter pan”. GADDAM, pete is on some real shit. peter pan is my homie for life. i did a rendition of “where the wild things are” by creating a new character combined with all my likings: lobster claw, bear paw and mermaid body. i threw a little asian girl into a dino suit. together they are flying off into a wonderful place.
i wana get lost with the lost boys.
boston lobster claw.
friends forever.
the little girl you see here is not me. it is a throwback of my older sister many years ago.
this is her now. the blond bombshell:
oh they grow so fast.
SWAT rocked a hot piece, as usual.
ill wid it!
check out my pencil sketches i did at work tonight (4pm-midnight shift). please excuse the poor scan quality. lead doesn’t always show up da best. tomorrow i’m gona turn these crappy sketches into a bangin’ wall piece!!! holla
if it looks like i didn’t spend too much time on it, it’s cause i didn’t. i always skip the sketching step when i’m approaching a painting. always been a bad habit of mine since i was little. =\
swizzy and i jammed out at the PLAYING FOR CHANGE concert tonight. the show was amazing. music truly has the power to transform and uplift. i feel alive again…yet drained from the energy exchange. weird, yet beautiful. trust, “PLAYING FOR CHANGE” isn’t as corny as it sounds. they are a collective of global artists on a mission to connect the world through music. at first, i was a hater and thinking, “aw damn is this bout to be another hippie music fest…”. then they started jamming and i started believing. they even had blind “Grandpa” rocking out on stage. say what? yuppityup. you don’t gota see it to believe it. you just gota feeeeel the music. (har, get it?) now they got me believing in them. felt like i was living through a contemporary bob marley. all about positivity and love and shiiiiiiet. i can dig it.
after a long ass day at work, i was pretty damn tired. but then this concert got me all juiced again. like the refresh button, but better. music, it’s the best way to charge up. fuck redbull. then me and swizzy partied til the AM at goodlife. YEEEEEAAAA
check it:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6zQG4cJqzo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1]
listen:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xjPODksI08&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1]
listen:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1]
check them out: www.PLAYINGFORCHANGE.com
DANNY THE MAN DANDIGGITY YES BIGGITY LE!
why he’s fucking awesome:
1. best asian afro i’ve ever seen in my life
2. writes dope poems
3. eclectic taste in muzak
4. dancing machine
5. loves to love
6. knows how to live
he’s a finalist. but always and forever a winner in my book. holla at him.
Hyphen and the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC) present the fourth annual Mr. Hyphen competition on November 14, 2009, celebrating the men of the Asian American community. Each year, Hyphen and OACC celebrate Asian American men who devote themselves to worthy community causes. While structured like a pageant with rounds of talent, fashion and Q&A, Mr. Hyphen turns stereotypes on their heads in front of a sold-out crowd. Striking a blow for equal-opportunity all-in-good-fun ogling, Mr. Hyphen is an energy-filled evening of fun and charity. Rounds will be decided alternately by an audience vote and by an illustrious panel of judges. The man who is crowned Mr. Hyphen wins a $1000 cash donation to his nonprofit organization.
introducing the newest addition to my *categories* widget. if you’re looking to impress somebody, title dropping usually works. holla.
current book on my reading rainbow:
won’t lie. one of the more challenging books i’ve read in a while. but challenging in the most neuron-twisting-reality-dissecting-introspective-intergalactic-existentialist-crap kinda way.
so i didn’t finish the painting i was shooting to get done by this weekend. the deadline got pushed back to november, which works out way bedda cause i was NOT feeling satisfied with the crunchtime crank i was tryna pull. i was originally only given a week to finish this painting, and i hella tried, but when it came down to it, i needed more time…I SAID MORE!!! i’d rather not have my painting on tv at all than send off a half-satisfied piece to meet a shoot deadline. now, the shoot date got pushed back to mid november…so everybuddy wins!! holla
this is just the palette…not the painting
two snapshots of my painting in progress:
finished product coming soon! stay posted. buck yea.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwt2fLOzMsk&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1]
kanye west’s short film, “we were once a fairytale”. dir spike jonze.
he’s the MF’in man. love him.
pulled this one out for the kids…
my blog might be a budding caterpilla now, but soon enough it’s gona be a BANGIN’ BUTTAFLYYYYYY!
CSS on WORDPRESS
aite yall, i know my blog ain’t perfect. “the white is too hard to read.” “the black ain’t much better.” “that gaddam BLUE is KILLIN’ MY EYEEEEEEEESZZ!!” normally i’d respond with something like, “YOU GOT AN EYE PROBLEM? if you DON’T LIKE WHATCHU SEE, then DON’T LOOK!” but hey, I’M WORKIN’ ON IT!! i’m new to this bloggin’ bidness so yes, please keep reading. :^)
SIDEBAR SNAZZY
i switched up the sidebar a little bit.
but chea, don’t know nothing about CSS coding. so thanks for being patient while i hook this mama up! i’m learning…thinkin about how this baby can be better and different, so any more ideas? complaints? holla.
WEBBYWEB SIZZLE UPDATE
so you KNOW im DEF NOT on that flash magic. hence the daily updates via bloggyblog. but my monthly website update is due soon. my homie mikey master g is back in town so i should be linkin up with him asap. watch out for NEW WEBBYWEB SIZZLE updates VERY VERY SOON.
ME RECAP
speaking more of me, this has been a crazy ass MF’in week. been swamped with work at the studio, and grinding at night on a commissioned painting i gota get out by SATURDAAAAAY. the pad it’s going to is about to shoot for MTV Cribs early next week. so HEEEEEEY, y’all know what thas about.
holla.
on the promo tip, been sending out my new promopacks for performance bookings. if you know somebody interested, holla.
i know folks love to skip the text to git to the flicks, so here are some for your viewing pleasure. it’s a caterpilla little kimmy found in our vegetables. his name is charlie the eighth. we didn’t think he would last long, so we didn’t get a crawling shot. but he looked something like this:
i recently caught up with sabela grimes–one of them “real official homie without a real official website” (don’t let the web exposure, or lack thereof, be a testament to his success and talents). described in the LA Times as “the Los Angeles dance world’s best-kept secret”. he’s currently out in switzerland doing his thing, so def wanted to send a warm shout. he’s got the bald steez going on. can you guess? oh, did i mention it’s the bald steez with the extra shine for the extra fine…(hi sabela…yea you already know!!) =P
there are those people in this world where when you meet, there is an awakening gravitational pull–and sabela is one of them. sabela has this incredible energy that blows you over then reels you in. he is crazy talented. his body pumps a passion and thirst for life–most especially on the creative and unwalked path. i admire him for his ability to embrace a range of talents. he is a dancer, singer, choreographer, writer and above all–a storyteller. he is mosdef an OG in the hip hop dance world, and what i love about sabela is seeing his evolution as an artist to shape, transcend and create new genres.
he once said to me, “escape from the land of or”. ’nuff said.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX-G0CicTI0&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_profilepage&fs=1] above: sabela turns up the volume WITH HIS OWN!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmLRUt_rhmQ&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_profilepage&fs=1] watch his body tell a story
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUw61YWByM8&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_profilepage&fs=1] busta busta move
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V718YMWU2s&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1] beautiful
meet The Soul Collective…featuring one of my all-time favorites, JANELLE MONAE!!!
KIA got together a gang of cool artists to do a gang of cool things, like put on FREE CONCERTS!! check out the BEANTOWN LINE-UP:
buuuck yea! the perks of being the new MISS LIT at this joint. all access baby. honestly, can’t front…never heard of these bands before. but HEY! anything miss monae related is COOL BY ASSOCIATION! (oh dang, she’s powerful…) plus, its goin down where i work. we got the GREENEST building in the city. the only PLATINUM certified LEED around town. check out our sexy angles:
i work in da best building in the whole wide world. click the building to VISIT US!!
peep details about the free concert this weekend. click below to be redirected to the kia soul collective site.
boston is my cradle. NYC is my playground. the empire state is a destination in progress. until then, im building up a better me in boston. and until then, i like to make frequent getaways to the big apple…where the selection is delicious and fishing reels in the good times. ohhhhhh yeaa!
it was a relaxing and refreshing weekend…filled with bar hopping in L.E.S., the new museum, late night crepes, kool-aid packaging, and more.
me and big sis legitimizing a vietnamese beer garden…the restaurant was way too hip for the homeland.
delicious music. we were up til 3am packaging these babies. peep their site for more deets: iLL-Literacy
more photos coming soon!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRNsl_0AZOs&hl=en&fs=1&]
mama gaga speaks out. “ARE YOU LISTENING?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!”
congratulations to president obama for being awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize this morning. he is a magnificent example of a human being.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1tNenRCrSk&hl=en&fs=1&]
1.4 MILLION DOLLHAIRS?!?!!?!? that’s wasup! who says being a good person doesn’t pay off!?!!? not that money should be a main motivation for doing good in this world!! heart of gold. holla.
yo, i’ve been so caught up in the craziness that is life that i haven’t really gotten a solid moment to reflect with y’all on what’s been going on. i know i opened up a new conversation a few posts back about a crazy MF’in MF’er, but for personal and legal reasons now, i won’t be making any more comments on it. nevertheless, thank you to every one who opened up their hearts and reached out.
all bullshit aside, i been busy busy busy on the grind y’all. life is really good and i feel very blessed. by day, i’m the new MISS LIT helping kids get their write on. by night (and everywhere in between), i been working on a gang of new projects and promo. so please excuse me if i don’t got a lot to show yet but SHIZ. IZ. COMING!!!
+ i’m working on a new commissioned painting. i can’t say for who yet but shizniz is gona be hot!! we’re tryna get it done, shipped and hung in time for MTV Cribs to shoot the homie’s pad!! holla
+ me and swizzy got a paint date to bang out some crazy wall pieces next weekend! so watch out for flicks!
+ still working on my chapbook to be released this december. my mentor giles is suppose to edit my poems but i wonder if he forgot…
+ getting my write right on. i got so many ideas for poems/songs/pieces but time keeps playing me
this old ass track off my itunes popped up today. “to bob ross with love” by GCH off the papercut chronicles. travis totally captured how i’ve been feeling a lot lately. this has always been a constant battle of mine, the visual versus the writing/performative. my time and creative energy is split in so many ways–painting, writing, music, performing and beyond. i know the areas where i want to grow and explore. there are so many creative fronts i’m eager to venture into. and i know we can never run out of time. but i still want MORE.
this was the only youtube vid i could find with this track. if you wana skip the “live banter intro”, go to 0:43s :
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z5-5K6O6h4&hl=en&fs=1&]
i think i been feeling some placement anxiety (did i just make that up?). well it’s the feeling of never wanting to physically stay in one area for too long. like in my house. or never wanting anyone to predict where i’ll be and when. like on my jog route. so i’m always out and about. in motion baby. that’s why i am SO READY to get the FUCK out of HERE. NYC this weekend baby. don’t get me wrong. i love boston to death. boston has been good to me. but this getaway couldn’t come sooner.
THREE EXHIBITS TO DEF CHECK OUT THIS WEEKEND IN NYC!
“kandinsky” at the guggenheim (uh huh, say it with me):
“harlem is…” at the dwyer cultural center:
“emory douglas: the black panter” at the new museum:
oooooooooooohh YEA! it’s party time sunshine.
when wyclef jean and alicia keys accepted their humanitarian awards at this year’s BET Awards, they had every other artist sitting in the audience looking like a bunch of greedy MF’in slack ass jack asses!! they’re out their saving the world while their counterparts are getting iced and singin’ about some dumb boy likes girl shit. (just kidding! calm down…i like boys (and girls) toooooo!). on his globetrotting travels to sing songs for the soul and bring empowerment to the people, wyclef is making a pit stop in BOSTON to finish his degree at BERKLEE COLLEGE of MUSIC. holla. ima go audit some music classes now.
wyclef is easily another one of my favorite artists. and if you listen to his music, you’ll easily know why. he’s kind of like a modern day bob marley–a therapeutic voice sharpened with a quick and fiery perspective of the world. politics, suffering, poverty, corruption–whatever it is that’s going on in our world, he’s not afraid to talk about it. and he doesn’t just talk about it, he gets down with it. wyclef is a no bullshit social activist committed to shifting the inequality of haiti’s social landscape. wyclef exemplies the stature a successful artist can rise to while maintaining a grip of dignity.
if you’re gona cut the man off, don’t do it before the 2 minute mark. somebody ring the alarm…or wait, was that just it?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDamiltM56A&hl=en&fs=1&]
DENIZEN KANE is one of my favorite artists of all time. his talent will blow your mind outa the MF’in atlantic. with music as timeless as the galaxy, the earth will crumble before we know where we are. i remember the first time i met denizen back in 2005, he told me to keep writing. since then, denizen has continued to be a source of strength and inspiration in my creative process. from admiring him as an untouchable icon on the stage to exchanging enlightened conversations with him over coffee, denizen exemplifies the kind of artist i hope to grow into: elevated yet still very much in touch.
the release of his new album meets the anticipation of a highly awaited comeback. except he was never really gone. just testing our patience to savor the juicy goodness that was marinating in months of creative labor.
this is the album you’ve been waiting for. click on the pic ABOVE or HERE to DOWNLOAD NOW!!!
Hard Knock Bidnas. Holla.
23 Original Poems | Click to download
Click to enlarge
