Today is Earth Day. It has been a 40 year journey of bringing awareness about environmental issues that affect our lives here on earth. It’s hard to live in an industrialized world and always remember to be earth friendly, but I think that it’s important to respect that which has given us the ability to thrive and live. We can’t just take from the earth and not give back. Even if you don’t believe in Global Warming, you can’t deny air pollution, landfill trash, and the draining of natural resources for human consumption. Let’s take a moment to reflect on some ways that we can respect the earth: (Energy efficient lighting, eliminating plastic water bottles, recycling, etc.). Celebrate Earth Day in some way…everyday.

For more information about the core issues facing our planet and ways that you can get involved check out www.earthday.org/take-action.

TAURUS (April 21 – May 21)

Patient and reliable, warmhearted and loving, persistent and determined.

As my birthday approaches, I can’t help but think about how blessed I am to see another year. I’m somewhat relieved considering all the madness that goes on in the world.  Life is truly a gift, privilege and honor and I believe it’s everyone’s responsibility to live it to the fullest. With that being said, I have decided to create a birthday wish list that reflects my desires, hopes and dreams in no particular order:

1. Travel: I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel around the world. I have been to Russia, The UK, Ghana, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Aruba, Bahamas, Jamaica, Amsterdam and Canada. This year, I hope to visit one of the following countries: India, Brazil, Italy, France, South America and Japan.
2. Family: I have family all over. The UK, Nigeria, London, Canada, Florida, Boston, California and Jamaica. I would love to bring everyone together at some point for a good old-fashioned family reunion over some traditional West Indian cuisine, a pitcher of Sorrel and of course we can’t forget some Beres Hammond and Sanchez playing in the background. Good vibes…fun times.
3. Friends: There is no substitute for a good friend. Good friends are simply good people who are compassionate, supportive, great listeners, honest and genuine. They come few and far between. I feel blessed to know who my friends are. My wish is for us all to remain close and I pray that we continue to achieve what we want out of life.
4. Good Health: The body is a temple and in order to accomplish all the things we wish to accomplish, it is imperative to be kind to it.  I hope to remain consistent with my workout and health food regimen.
5. Godchildren: I hope to spend more time with my Godchildren, Nya Langlais and Madison Smith. These girls are absolutely beautiful and like their mothers, I see so much potential in them. I want to be there for them as much as I possibly can.
6. Music: I’m so excited about my current projects. Even though I already write, arrange and engineer my music, I am looking forward to getting more involved with composing and producing. I am excited to begin the process of building music from scratch. I am already working on a pop/rock track with my mixing engineer, who is also a very talented musician. I’m so excited!
7. Band: There is nothing like the live music experience. I look forward to working more with live musicians and developing a band as I pursue touring opportunities.
8. Shopping: It’s not what you think. Granted I love a nice new pair of fabulous shoes, I’m more interested in shopping some of the music I created to established artists. My dream would be to place a song with one or many of my favorite recording artists.
9. Duet: It was on last year’s Christmas list but I still want that duet Ne-Yo and/or Maxwell. I already have the song. It’s called “Let Me” and trust me, it’s the bomb.com. So Ne-Yo and Maxwell…have your people call my people…wink-wink!
10. Goals: As I continue to pursue music, I hope to also check off a few additional items on my list of goals. They say, once you have accomplished a dream, you just keep dreaming bigger and the list gets longer. Well, it appears to be true, at least in my case. There is much more work to be done.

Shout-out to all my Taurus babies! Tell me what’s on your B-Day wish list this year.

I am saddened by the news of Soror Dorothy Height’s passing. She was the epitome of courage, determination, compassion and strength; a Civil Rights Icon who fought for women’s rights and the rights of African Americans. She lived a long, purposeful and admirable life. Rest in peace Soror Height. You will be missed.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local-beat/Civil-Rights-Icon-Dorothy-Height-Dies-at-98-91581204.html

March 31^st marked the end of Women’s history month but the past few months have seen a major up tick in female fierceness particularly in music and the arts. I am especially struck by the diversity and fearlessness that these women are bringing to a male dominated industry.

From Beyonce’s 6 Grammy Wins, The rise of Lady Gaga, The Gaga and Honey B Collaboration on “Telephone” & “Video Phone”, Monique’s Supporting Actress Oscar win for “Precious”, Gabourey Sidibe’s nomination for Best Actress in “Precious”, the rise of Nikki Minaj to Erykah Badu’s controversial video for “Window Seat.”

I want to take a few moments to speak about Erykah’s video for her single “Window Seat”. Now, don’t get me wrong folks. I do not claim to know everything but as a woman in music, I am always seeking inspiration and paying attention to what’s hot, different and new. This entry is not about likeability, nor do I claim to condone behavior that is deemed illegal but I am particularly struck by her motivation for expressing her art in this controversial way.  I found it easy to draw something even deeper from it than what we see on a superficial level.

Erykah explains the meaning behind the song and video very eloquently.  She says: “Window Seat is a song about liberating self, shedding layers, creating a new self out of everything that you’ve learned., creating new possibilities and evolving.” She says that it is usually at the point of evolution when generally a person’s character is assassinated by the group as a result of “Group Think”:  Group Think occurs when people are afraid to express themselves out of fear of being ostracized by the group, so they simply follow along.  She says that there is no way to protest group think because it’s innate but that by defining it you can find who you are, what you are suppose to be and your place in it.

The video for “Window Seat” was shot like a guerrilla style, social experiment that ultimately proved her very point about Character assassination when it was finally released. Walking down the path of JFK’s route, Ms. Badu marches along stripping herself layer by layer of her clothes until she is fully naked, where at the end of the route she imitates being shot and falling to the ground.  The controversy manifested itself on several different levels: she did this in real time on the crowded streets of downtown Dallas, with families and children around.; she was nude, she is a black women, and she walked down the assassination path of the beloved JFK. The nerve! Many balk at and criticize Badu for involuntarily subjecting innocent bystanders and young children to her nudity.  While I can completely understand why people are offended, I found it to be extremely captivating. Like most people, I too was wondering why she would do this before I knew the real meaning and symbolism in her actions.  While I think that Ms Badu’s decision to go fully nude in public was bold, risky, and extreme, I admire her gusto. She put her own fears aside to do something different, already fully aware and conscious of the “Group Think” backlash. Knowing immediately how easy it would be for society and people to ostracize her for creating a new self and evolving. Now, the average person would not dare do this and I respect that too because frankly, it was out the box. Was it attention seeking? Yes, but not in the same way that we are use to seeing controversy play out. Badu has always been eccentric and revolutionary in her dress, music and ideas. While Window Seat appeared bold even for her, I found her self-expression to be very genuine and not a far stretch from the vulnerable and ever evolving artist we have come to know and love.

Similarly, In Monique’s Oscar acceptance speech, she thanked her husband for instilling in her that “sometimes you have to forgo what is popular, in order to do what is right”. Monique conquered a very unsavory character “Mary” in the film Precious, breaking the world’s perceptions of her as only comedic actress.  She took a risk and played a character that forced her to address her own childhood abuse.

Gabourey Sidibe continues to amaze people with her upbeat, confident attitude while most expect her to be as sad and unhappy as her character, Precious.  Many are now on the hunt to help Gabourey lose weight because it’s hard for people to believe that a women her size can actually be happy and confident. Much to Hollywood’s “group think” dismay and surprise, Gabourey is happy with her size and it doesn’t appear to be a deterrent as she continues to land movie roles, adding fuel to her budding acting career.

I’m sure if you look really closely at your life , you can think of moments when you may have been subjected to “group think” backlash because you decided to forgo what was popular to do what you felt was right, for you. I can think of a few moments in my own life where I too was assassinated for going against the grain, not sitting back and settling with being agreeable, speaking up for myself and bringing new ideas to the table. Sometimes you just have to be willing to go there or you will never really know your full potential. My cousin A-Nadyah, brought me to a revival service at Calvary Baptist Church, Queens, NY, a few weeks ago and the guest pastor, Freddie Haynes, drawing from a familiar hip-hop reference stated, “There are 3 types of people: 1. People who make things happen. 2. People who watch things happen and 3. People who wake up saying, ‘What happened?’”

Clearly all of these women know how to make things happen and I consciously made a commitment to myself years ago to live this way as well. I would rather be awake, conscious, disciplined and an in control participant than a reactionary participant, allowing others to dictate my truth.