The “Creative Foul”

“Flag on the play”, “foul, shoot 2…” Sports have penalties if rules/boundaries are crossed. Why can’t creative works have a “creative foul?”For the tone deaf, the unempathetic, the disconnected, and the overuser. There’s nothing wrong with being inspired by great works and trends, but let’s keep away from the unoriginal, deflated, and flat creative works. 

Anytime I see work that is disconnected from the culture or individuals it is supposed to represent, I want to have a big red button that stops it right then and there, with the words “creative foul” layered over the work. 

The “creative foul”, isn’t biased, it doesn’t discriminate, it can be found across all genres, disciplines, and fields. The thought that went into the work was not thought-provoking but malicious in nature. The utter disregard and disrespect for others is blatant when work is culturally deaf.  

Should the creative be responsible for misrepresenting the culture of a people?  Can the creative become resentful for people who find their work a “creative foul”? Should the creative be shamed? 

The creative is responsible for their creation. They made it, researched and put it together, it was their vision, their perspective. The problem is not the work but the biases they have are reflected in their work. How they feel about a group of people can’t be washed away with the colors, fonts or camera angles. The industry has had over 60 years to understand and apply the lessons and scientifically backed data showing how the entertainment and advertising industry has the most impact by spreading information and influence. Nevertheless, it hasn’t stopped; if anything, it appears to have snowballed into riches for the ones who disregard cultural boundaries. 

The creative shouldn’t be resentful, will that stop them, no. Take Kanye West and his current dealings with the public. He appears resentful, resentful of how he’s not receiving support like Kendrick, j.Cole and other artists. At some point the creative needs to see they have crossed a line, that line is not everyone’s ethics and understanding, it’s their own. There are some lines if you cross it must be done very carefully. Other artists like Puffy and R-Kelly’s thoughts had to be the same: “people love me because I make great work,” but then the people find out your work was one big “creative foul” on society. 

I saw a post that said, “Bring back shame.” Shame has been misused for many years against many individuals to make them feel bad for going forward with the opposite status quo. Is shame necessary in society? Unfortunately, yes, because the world has rules, now what those rules are and how people are shamed has completely changed over the last forty years. It’s not a shame, anyone, it’s called canceled. “Canceled” has the same effect as “you do wrong and the collective agrees it crossed the line.” Cancellation procedures are activated and initiated to remove or take it down. No one wants to be canceled, but “F around and Find out” is a great way to describe the response of an intentional “creative foul”. 

I’m AI it will be difficult to shame a bot, there no emotion, nothing to provide regulation of right and wrong, no consciousness. AI is not best for connecting humans, it’s not best for communicating authentic experiences. 

AI can be very useful for imagining a future of tasks, meaningless or not. It’s not for connecting (we’ve seen how that’s working out for Meta Instagram), communicating or building authentic relationships. Ai is a recycler of the original. It tries to connect, unfortunately, “creative fouls “, happen left and right once ai becomes “emotional”. Going off script, rogue from what it’s coded to do. The rogue becomes the “creative foul” with its responses. It’s not meant to tell the future, or be an emotional responder, it doesn’t need to replace human experience, intelligence or interactions because it will lead to many “creative fouls”. Why? Humans have difficulty providing culturally relevant experiences that they have not experienced themselves. AI is a bunch of code, and that codes have responses. if the responses are not from the person it’s representing, the response will be convoluted. 

It reminiscent of current events within the first 100 days of the new administration,  when JD Vance made untrue statements about Ukraine’s people, President Zelensky stood two feet down, letting him know “ he knew nothing about the Ukrainian people.  The outcome for each culture is left feeling dismissed and disrespected due to a misinformed understanding instead of life experience. No, what is done is research and ai now. All those actions taken still won’t provide the knowledge and emotional connection needed towards the people experiencing the encounter. 

Society and the creative industry can avoid “creative fouls” by understanding that realistic experiences come from the people actually living them every day. And no matter how much AI is thrown out there, if it’s not created by an individual who has first-hand knowledge know it will be called out for a “creative foul”. 

The conscious revaluation:

Juelz in pulp fiction played by Samuel l Jackson had a moment of clarity in the diner after a task gone wrong. He expressed two things: one, quoted Ezekiel 25:17 he always quoted he didn’t really know what it meant it; two, his near death experience . 

As he conversed with Vincent a realization about the job he just did  would be his last.  As he spoke about why he had an a conscience revaluation Vincent face built up with questions . He discovered if he didn’t change his position , it will eventually take him out. 

In real life we all have these conversations, conversations shining light on who we are as people. In society there’s a tendency to deny the revaluation and act as though there’s nothing that needs changing. “If anything the only change that needs to happen is go back wards”, is how it being proposed to the collective .Unfortunately, the change that occurred (good or bad) it needed to happen. No one deserves to have bad things happen to them, the by product of those bad/wrong things are meant to initiate a revaluation, an epiphany towards making life and the life of others better. 

His moment of clarity is not a faint dream, but a reality that starts with acceptance. Then a final “you know what I’m not doing this anymore.” This applies to all aspects of personal and non personal affairs. When he expressed this to Vincent, Vincent reaction like most is why? Why change now things? aren’t things good? Aren’t you wealthy?. Even though juelz already explained why, he reiterated  again. This scene is a small mirror into reality. The people set out to change ready for their conscious revaluation  want to do it without feeling doubt or guilt. 

The knowing what no longer served him is attributed to his near death experience, the wanting to be apart of society without the destruction.

Why would anyone want to challenge their own comfort? The reasons vary, some reasons come from knowing there is something more to their life, others do it for health reasons,emotional reasons, reasons that honestly don’t need explanation. The only need to know is, change the individual wants will happen.That’s what Juelz did after delivering the case to his boss, telling him he was out of the game. 

Juelz is like society right now, there’s a conscious revaluation going on it’s small but mighty. People did and have wanted change but they never understood what that really meant.

How did he get there, remember prior he had a near death experience. He couldn’t explain how or why he wasn’t hit with any of the bullets. He felt like it was a miracle,and even in miracles people questioned why. Those moments / miracles happened everyday sometimes it ignites a clear mind. A reset, placing everything in perspective. In society the  appearance of conscious revaluation shows in policy, how policy can change people’s lives for the better or worse. In current history policy is not based off of conscious revaluation but on personal devaluations, denial and projection. A stagnant economy and dismal public services is a clear indication of how devaluations are now valued as revaluation. It’s not and humans know it’s not, they are able to see the past and now aware of their future, starting up their own conscious revaluation, revaluation of their beliefs, biases and devaluations. 

Juelz just like so many other characters in movies,music and cultural expressions show humans they can have a conscious revaluation  without shame, without fear and with confidence. 

“Now all you gotta do is…”

Getting into the creative industry is not as easy as it sounds or looks. Creatives have worked on their craft for years - constantly. While some receive encouragement others continue the process without a shoulder to lean on. 

In the last 20 years social media has changed most people’s perception about being a creative.Before social platforms became popular, to be an artist means to become a contemporary artist,clothing designer or by the 1950’s advertising. Others were not provided knowledge of either direction. Cultural influence played a major role in curving the creative inside. Older generations would  “advise” to the next generation “ya don’t want to be a struggling artist all your life, become a doctor, lawyer,someone that will make some money and we can be proud of.” Whoever expressed these ideas didn’t realize, that child already knew what they wanted to do in life, instead of discouraging it, encourage it. Water their inspirations make it grow with positive and realistic goals. With the avenues available they can reach for their dreams. 

Exploration of expression creates a confident, and conscious individual. 

To be a successful creative is not an over night success, (when it is, it doesn’t last long) , it’s a consistent experience of trying-failing and trying again. The easy is saying it, the difficult is continuing regardless of situation and circumstances. 

The down side to exploring each avenue a person runs into,“All you just got to do is” a ridiculous statement, because there’s always more to it. Sometimes starting is difficult, the not knowing where to start, whom to ask, or even what to start with. Sometimes it mental road blocks keeping the person off the starting line. It could be the environment is toxic, there’s no encouragement only discouragement. Maybe it’s a skill holding the dream back.Maybe just maybe it’s a person’s fear that’s holding them hostage. No one will know, and to be honest it doesn’t matter, what matters is how you help guide them to their destination. No one really needs to hear “all ya got to do is”, instead  a more open, realistic statement maybe “whatever you do don’t stop until it happens,if I can help I will.”

The creative industry has been turned upside down with creative and social platforms. No more pay wall stopping talent. There are ways now to create and live off the creation. No it’s not a “all you got to do” but it is another avenue. There’s a saying if the door won’t open knock it down, if it won’t break , climb through the window. Knowing there are possibilities increases the ability to take that one step. If that one full step is difficult take a baby step. All steps add up and move you forward. Creative evolution is like a new baby learning how to move, how to think, and how to communicate to the world. It’s not a fast process, it takes years, ( even as adults) people still go through the growth cycle. 

Growth doesn’t happen with “all ya gotta do” it happens with one step at a time, encourage from oneself, and mission to knock down whatever walls need to be broken. 

The Creative breath

When I used to travel a lot, I ran into eccentric individuals. I thought maybe it’s their profession, no, I was wrong, this is the case even in the educational system. They would say,” Never thought of myself as creative”, my usual response, “everyone is creative”. I typically receive the most astonished look. It’s all a perspective, what we tell ourselves. What’s said inside is not positive, especially when comparisons are everywhere.

When I would go to a museum, I could see only beauty, but when I expressed my creative version, I didn’t see the same. Those voices, tapes keep people from breathing, breathing creativity into their lives.

Human creativity is waking up every day to figure out how to make it work for them. In this daily grind, a new way of seeing the world and how their world is manifested through the creativity of solving problems.

When rules and regulations are introduced to limit breathing creativity into the world, people become rebellious. Rebellion against what is limiting their expression as a human.

Expression breathes life into the mundane, the boring. Perfect example of expression: clothing; layered and odd shapes, colors, sizes, mimics nature. It all falls in creating a more authentic world for themselves.

People want to feel unique but part of a group, different but the same, connected and independent. People are not a one-size-fits-all; they are ever-changing, like art, like music, because we’re not meant to stay the same. We are meant to evolve, look at our mistakes, and make the proper adjustments.

The world we live in was created from a breath. When we wake up, the trees breathe, the animals breathe, everything breathes a new day. A new day to make something beautiful, to be beautiful, to spread beauty. Whether it’s crunching numbers or making an advertisement, know you are breathing creativity into the world.

Everybody got a role aka “The niche”

Social media has fully assimilated into society, the role social media plays has now out way the scholastic media; The Landscape has completely changed. How information is reported now may fall under false information, disinformation, or misinformation. Media outlets are abiding by their oath as an agency to provide relevant, factual, and documented information. Media outlets like CNN, MSNBC, ABC, New York Times are now overshadowed by “public opinion”; unfortunately, public opinion is exactly what it expresses, an opinion. Yes, some opinions become fact because evidence confirms. That still doesn’t make it a fact,

merriam-Webster's Dictionary Definition:

a

: something that has actual existence

space exploration is now a fact

b

: an actual occurrence

prove the fact of damage

2

: a piece of information presented as having objective reality

These are the hard facts of the case.

3

: the quality of being actual : actuality

a question of fact hinges on evidence

A fact is actual, it wasn’t created out of thin air. The existence of evidence can be disputed turning the assumption to fact, Its like science when they ask to offer your theory and then you present the evidence to support that theory.

The current power structure also exhibits and is playing its role in society as the villain, the villain who is trying to change the facts to match their opinions.

The people combating that role are the truth tellers, the fact checkers, and just like a bad dream, or a replay of devastating history, they are being silenced through various means.

The tale of fact vs. fiction lives because everyone continues to play their role.

How is this connected to “Everyone Got a Role to play?” Let me get to the point, people have chosen which role they want to play, the opinionator or the fact checker. They choose consciously, basing their approach of being one or the other on financial gain, fame, or companionship.

Remember in Higher learning, the Young White male who was socially awkward gravitated to a group of people who made him feel included. Their inclusivity confirmed his biases/opinions against a group of individuals because of his low self-esteem. Creating a false feeling of being embraced, finding his tribe.

Social media is “the high learning” of society; it has created pockets of positive tribes and people able to find their role. On the other hand, it has shed light on the opinionator and the fact checker; they are not called that on social media, they are called the Hater and the congratulator. Honestly, the Congratulator is a dying breed,

If an individual has never experienced social media and decides to sign up, they will try to stay in the gray, using their discretion on what’s believable and what’s not. Eventually, it will lead to the hater or the congulator and that will become their niche, their everybody got a role, they will play that role very well because they will receive the attention, positive or negative, it’s all the same, it gets you paid.

There are some new social media apps combating the current landscape of everybody's role. It’s slowly changing what side people want to be on in history and society.

Think about what your role is in the social landscape, changing how society moves. Once upon a time, one person didn’t have an impact on a larger scale; now, just a click away, you and anyone else can make a difference. So, which role will you play

Where are all the Characters?

Where are all the Characters?

“You are not your characters, but your characters are you.”

– Raymond Carver

It’s a person, place, or thing; it all carries a personality. Like Bugs Bunny, "Bugs was not the creation of any one man; however, he rather represented the creative talents of perhaps five or six directors and many cartoon writers”, including Charlie Thorson.

They constructed a complex, funny, witty, and clever character. Yes, I believe he’s complex- his intelligence allows him to detach from his feelings. Keeping him one step ahead, to detach, there’s a constant need for thought, quick thinking keeps him alive. The problem is that most believe he doesn’t care or have feelings; he shows how much he cares anytime there’s trouble or some form of bullying involved. That’s another aspect of his character, being the hero while feeling like no one can help. Being helped by Bap’s bunny is a shocker to him. He’s also accepting. Usually, being the one playing with love in some way, but this in-love is different because he now becomes the damsel in distress, adding another layer to his complexity.

You’re not the character, you're the creator of that character. The creation is a mesh of different parts of society. The character mimics characteristics of human experience.

A perfect example is in the Matlock episode:

“The Legacy” aired November 19, 1992. - Plot: “Ben Ponders a 40-year-old link between his father and the playwright’s murder”

There was a scene where Charlene Matlock (Matlock’s daughter and a lawyer) asked one of the suspects a few follow-up questions: one question in particular was “ How can you write about something you have no experience in?” The suspect responded, “The teacher told me to write about what I don’t know; it allows our imagination to explore.” anyone who is reading this please don’t write about experiences that occur shouldn’t come from the imagination. That will step on peoples culture, and also will be tone deaf to the audience) .

That’s what makes the best kind of character the experience. Experience can teach more than reading, watching a video, or visiting a facility with cultural knowledge. It’s like Kendrick Lamar says it’s not Enough. The writer is doing an injustice to the character's evolution if they don’t experience what they are writing about.

Characters all around, characters are not only human:

How about a font? A font is simple, right? Yes, a font can appear simple-looking, but what it expresses is much louder than what it looks. It reminds me of a little girl with a booming singing voice, it’s not what it appears to be. Fonts are like puzzles, one has to figure out how each angle, slant, and weight fits into the puzzle called a brand. The choice of font is a meticulous task; if chosen right, it will bring the story to life ( possibly positive to say, Judge a book by its cover).

Font can be perceived as unstable, Happy, sad, curious, sneaky, or horrific. The font tells a story before the story is daybude, the stories will tell themselves, it becomes effortless, Spot lighting the story/brand, while the people it connects with feel included and inspired to continue the story they want to tell.

• Characters are in everything, everywhere, all at once. See what I did there ( I chuckle, anyway), a character is not only the person but it's everything, the color, the font, fabrics, patterns, animals, trees, birds, and the bees. It’s all the characters in this story called the world, and every interaction. So next time you look at an object, person, or place, think of the character it will express.

What the F*ck Kanye

What the FUCK KANYEEEEEE? 

Is he a foe or friend?

Over the last couple of weeks, Kanye West aka Ye has been the spot light of everyone's conversations, Normally, his rants and brief blowouts afterward seemed to take a backseat to his creativity. The African American populous has looked over, shoved under the bed, and even dismissed Kanye's behaviors since he let the world know of his Bipolar diagnosis. He has gotten pass after pass from disruptive outbursts, but when and where does society draw the line between mental illness and toxicity? How can one tell if someone has used their diagnosis and creativity to manipulate a situation in their favor? What is normal behavior in today’s society with the back-and-forth banter from supposed leaders boasting and bragging about how they can a lone help the American people? How about the abnormal behavior of crossing boundaries? When has it ever been okay to purposely hurt or defame to get what one wants, it could be money, power, or the complete opposite they want to be left alone, they are screaming for attention, self-sabotaging, ready to end it all sometimes. Is that what Kanye West is doing, to be frank Kanye,; well no one, will know what Kanye is up to except for Kanye West. What can be said is Kanye appears to have a plan in the works, now I don’t know if this plan is well thought out for the exit strategy from different contractual obligations, but what is known is that he has some behaviors that have always been called into question. Those behaviors backlash ( or what I like to call Black lash-being in the media’s reel when exhibiting deviant behaviors longer than the counter people.) For a while, he then goes on the record about what he was going through. Now, there was a real sympathetic outpour of support because we all know mental health is nothing to play around with, unfortunately at this point is it still an excuse to perpetuate non-productive mentalities against any ethnic group. I’m not going to say Ye is all wrong what I can say is he is wrong about how he is going about whatever situation he’s trying to get rid of.  It’s not okay that hurt people hurt people, it’s not okay to displace one’s anger on a group of people. African Americans have seen, experienced, and still fight to this day for this maladaptive behavior to dissipate. Instead, it appears he is using the same tactics as the prior US President. Providing imaginary power to any bigot, or racist who felt unsure if it was truly okay to speak whatever came to their mind (out loud) with “I’m fighting racism with racism.” Slavery was a choice, how about white Lives Matter Shirts? Okay, Kanye we understand for one to wants to be apart of the game one has played the game, but is he playing too close to the fire?  Kanye’s History has told us yes he’s dangerously close again but every time something saves him, ask yourself does that make him right? 

The White Man Complex 

Before you shoot the messenger white culture has been the epicenter of behavioral interaction. From how One shakes hands to how a person looks down to the color of their skin. Black men over time have appeared to act, do, and sound like white men, mainly for protective purposes eventually gravitating towards the sunken place. We all know it’s difficult to keep one self dignity, integrity, and self-efficacy intact when assimilating into a particular group of people. Why should a black man have to, anyway, because society has continued to defame, project, and misplace information which becomes a stigma to be black and a man.  

Black people have struggled to find their place in a world that seems to throw them away when they are unable to provide some kind of service that they seem fit. In a society where being yourself was deemed illegal laws against dress, hair, and other things deemed black where put into place. The black fight to become another active person in society has yet to end. 

Since this fight has not ended some black men appear to take the saying “if I can’t beat them, join them”, to a whole new level. They are walking, talking, and spreading maliciousness because that’s what they see/hear to obtain this power and respect their counterparts are experiencing. We can’t expect enough white men in power at this time to show up and show out, we can only expect the majority of them to be out for themselves, and how they can benefit from whatever opportunity. For Black men, this perspective does more harm than good. Pushing their homeschooling away while accepting to be the token boy. Don’t believe for one moment that all black men are leaning towards this White man Complex. There are LeBron James, Denzel Washington, Harry Belafonte, James Baldwins, Kendrick Lamars, Jay-Zs, and Lil Babys out here in the world more than the switcharoos. That doesn’t make the switcharros any more dangerous to the culture. It’s dangers because it opens a door that black people have been slowly closing for years, being bigotry and hate don’t live in these walls.  

The door which I’m referring to is the door of the Freedom to be. Be whomever and whatever one wants to be with no red tape. Now, from the outside looking in, white males and people, in general, are treated differently versus people of color, it can be obvious if one wants to see it. There’s no excuse for why, fortunately, there are a lot of white people calling out their white culture's wrongness it’s unfortunate there’s not enough. Because now people of color have to deal with House Negro as Malcolm X would put it, people turning against a cause that’s been in play for over 400 years. 

This brings us back to the conundrum is Kanye West a Friend or Foe, well we don’t know, he says he doing this for the people and he wants the people to follow the right ways, he’s here to help the people but doesn’t this remind anyone of a manipulative friend. You know the one that says “I did it for us” but you don’t benefit at all. 

All I know is Kanye West has put something in the air and friends don’t create more trouble for their friend intentionally. Friends also don’t let friends drive drunk, friends also need to know when to let the friendship go because it’s toxic. Whatever your relationship is to Kanye take a good look if his “out of the box” ideas are worth the egregiousness that sometimes follows. 

You won’t break My soul

Beyoncé-Renaissance Album- Break My Soul

Now, I just fell in love

And I just quit my job

I'm gonna find new drive

Damn, they work me so damn hard

Work by nine

Then off past five

And they work my nerves

That's why I cannot sleep at night

The above lyrics tell a story most people know so well, bondage of situations that drains/burnouts because of peoples’ and places’ parasitic behaviors. Break My Soul represents the men and women who metaphorically believe they're handcuffed. The constant fighting against systemic conservative perspectives and ideologies ultimately manifesting into sleep disorders, negative self-identities, paranoia, and other self/communal sabotaging traits.

Currently, the fight to defeat laws like the ban on adoration -Heart Beat Bill, Don’t Say Gay, banning Critical Race Theory, attacks on school books seems never ending. For instance, banning books started in 1624 because an English businessman Thomas Morton wrote a scathing tell all book (English Canaann, published- 1637) about the Puritans. The book was banned do to harshly criticizing the Puritans’ customs comparing them to crustaceans as well as other things. Constructing current regulatory situations into a replay of what the conservative majority doesn’t want people to do- CRITICIZE while making people aware of the contradictions and fabrications. 

The unchecked appears unchanging for minorities, contentious attack on minorities' way of life; limiting the constitutional freedoms (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness) of a diverse and inclusive community. Over the past couple of years, the collective appears to have initiated breaking free from the continuous projection of conservative conformities. Eliminating the need for external validation, and code-switching, while telling the rest of society it’s their power and they are taking it back, from politics to home matters.

Beyoncé's ability to gracefully serenade this message to the world is what musical artistry is supposed to do; reflecting the navigation of societies’ situational constraints. 

 I'm takin' my new salvation

And I'ma build my own foundation, yeah

Got motivation (Motivation)

I done found me a new foundation, yeah (New Foundation)

I'm takin' my new salvation (New salvation)

And I'ma build my own foundation, yeah (Own)

Speaking of all the struggles, and leaving it all behind, rebuilding. Rapper Big Freedia's rememberable voice backs it up with a powerfully difficult word, RELEASE, leaving it to vibrate the conscious.

Each law feels like an attack on current cultural norms. These laws like“Killing being Woke” with an Act in Florida called Stop Woke Act materialize as  containment against attacks the conservative norms. Instead of assimilating the culture norms, it’s created more divisive interaction and  volatility among the people. Dismantling interaction instead of evolving it with daily toxicity. When the world began to open they were thrusted back into daily perniciousness instead of peace. The Foundation for a Better Life has tried to combat this reminder of being grateful with its Pass it On campaign. The people deserve better, their souls not to be broken. To realize, yes, your phone is broken doesn’t mean your spirit should be giving power and efficacy one needs to keep living their best lives.

Release ya anger, release ya mind

Release ya job, release the time

Release ya trade, release the stress

Release the love, forget the rest 

Cleaning house your house so to speak, cleaning out all the negative. Release which doesn’t serve the greater purpose.Freeing you up to just BE, free to be who your really are a Rich Spirit.

Kendrick Lamar prolifically revealed this in his new Album Mr.Morale & the Big Steppers- Rich Spirit 

Rich nigga, broke phone (Ah)

Tryna keep the balance, I'm stayin' strong (Ooh)

Stop playin' with me 'fore I turn you to a song (Yeah)

Stop playin' with me 'fore I turn you to a song (Ooh)

Ayy, bitch, I'm attractive (Ah)

Can't fuck with you no more, I'm fastin', ugh (Ooh)

Bitch, I'm attractive (Ah, ah, ah, ah)

Can't fuck with you no more, I'm fastin', ugh

This is not just an internal mirror to what people want it’s an overall world view. People are tired and drained of society’s rules which bind them from succeeding. From a plane’s eye view, the majority of people are asking for change. Changes in the way negative perspectives have become the norm. 

Heart Vs Mind

Heart vs Mind 

The Game’s new album Drillmatic- Heart vs Mind, he takes us down a road we all know well, the world of CHOICES.

Loyalty, lawyer fees

Gas prices, oil fees

Passive aggressive pastors cheating you out your royalties

Whippin' the Fivio foreign

All offers show money

More money, more problems is better than no money

Your money is your money, it's not mine

So why would I rob you of your manhood and your grind?

Heart versus mind

Choices where everywhere during elections and pandemic; unfortunately the outcome of those choices led to 6.45 million global deaths ; 1.4 million in us according to The New York Times. The vaccine being beacon of light needed to move forward was short lived.Instead of freedom from death; society bent the corner right back into trouble. Over 300 Mass shootings reported by the Washington Post, fraudulently, unethical behavior-January 6th Insurrection, firing employees for creating a unions Starbucks and Amazon, deception-misinformation, and financial struggles-inflation. The cherry on top- global warming ( did anyone ever apologize to Al Gore). Continues to trend towards destruction impacting and displacing vast amount of people. It was a choice to follow the loudest voice and not the smartest voice in the room. 

“The seat of knowledge is in the head, of wisdom, in the heart."--William Hazlitt 

The knowledge society receives through multiple outlets feeds the head, gravitating towards the heart, making whatever choice one believes is the best for their personal life. Unfortunately, sometimes forgetting the ripple effect. Would you choose to rob knowing in your heart it’s wrong, knowing it will harm? 

JID on DiCaprio 2 - Westbrook- JID & A$ap Ferg Outro

The philosophical moment brings attention to watching someone else, becoming envious of what they have, rather than looking at what you have and making that grow, and no it probably won’t be easy. 

You got two niggas sittin' down to eat, right?

Niggas sittin' down at the table to eat

And they got the same food, and they got the same utensils

You dig what I'm sayin'?

One nigga let his food go cold watching another nigga eat

You know what I'm sayin'

And that's how all this shit be starting, envy

Another nigga lookin' at what another nigga

Wanting what another nigga got when he got utensils

And a share of his own, you dig what I'm sayin'?

All this started, when a nigga get in power and a nigga be shittin' on a nigga

That where all this shit be stemming from

Would you choose to treat others disrespectfully if you knew in your heart whoever didn’t deserve it? These are all thoughts the choice you so choose comes from the heart. Society can choose to become separated with thoughts that align with biases, ego, and lack of love or choose to be a collaborative compassionate, understanding, state of peace. The wisdom (heart) will provide the long-term consequences I guess that’s why the Egyptians weighed the heart against a feather. When choices are only made from knowledge they can become corrupted due to wants, ego, and other materialistic means.  Both must come together to make the best choice for the future.

Andre 3000 talked about choices in a new campaign for Supreme Clothing. It’s the choice of choosing to go on a path that’s right for you. The Heart vs Mind appears in so many other hip-hop artists’ music. 

Clifford Harris Jr. aka T.I in T.I vs T.I.P. It’s a constant battle with self figuring out what direction to take in solving a situation; truly being a conversation with self. Self-reflection is a micro-level view that can also be applied to society as a whole, analysis, history, and societal empathy. In an accumulation of heart and Mind, there’s no in-between, if there is an in-between it still comes down to doing the right thing for the best long-term consequences. 

Let the Church say God Did!

Can we say GOD DiD, the merge of hip-hop and spirituality seems seamless and Forever store. The intertwining spiritual teachings and street knowledge has not always been apparent in Hip-Hop. How did we get here? First, I don’t believe this was in anyway detrimental to hip-hop. It was bound to evolve into a new way of bringing the gospel. Before you get upset or start sending me hate messages hear me out. 

 Jesus, Muhammad, Abraham, Buddha, etc were all teachers who they got the people to follow they spoke the people’s language. If you want to connect with the people you must know their language. That’s only one part of the second part they lived with the people- of course, this was of a different time. For current times it’s the same as doing constant work in low socioeconomic neighborhoods. This is God, Dj khali is not the first artist whose hidden spirituality among their words, Jay-Z Kanye West, Wu-Tang, OutKast, DMX and so many others made it acceptable to speak about believing in a higher power. 

They wanted us down, ooh-woah

But look at us now, oh

They counted us out (Time to say a prayer, M-M-M—)

They didn't think that we would make it, oh (May we bow our heads)

They didn't believe in us, oh (Huh)

[Chorus: Fridayy & Rick Ross]

But I know God did, God did (Oh, yes, He did)

Oh, God did (Oh-oh, Khaled)

Oh, yes, God did (Oh-oh, Khaled)

Oh, God did (God is great)

But I know God did

DJ khali- God Did lyrics are about if anyone believed God Did, as well belief in self. In hip-hop the meaning of God is more than external, something people of color have used to guide them through traumatic experiences. People of color have cared a Scarlett’s letter around for many centuries now. Fighting against biases, bigotry, racism, mass murder, among many other negative perspectives people of color hold on to the belief God will make it work if anyone hasn’t understood their troubles God did. 

I have a When I think of my own difficulties something keeps me going the belief what you are doing is right, if no one understands now God did. Music is a spiritual praise regardless of how it said it’s what is said that matters. How one praises or gives thanks through creativity is providing a piece of themselves to bless everyone with their triumphs and trials. To make it in the music 

JID new album The Forever story was a look into  One song in particular hit something that said to me God Did that in him. 

Oh what a handsome gift, to live in a land of sin (yeah, uh)

Runnin' with bands and bricks, and my lil' nasty chick (uh, yeah)

That's what I asked of him, told me he'd grant my wish (yeah)

You dance with the devil, you never dance again

Dance now, dan-, dan-, dan-, dance now

Dan-, dan-, dan-, dance now

Dan-, dan-, dan-, dance now (I'm not a)

Dan-, dan-, dan- (I'm not a, uh)

Dance Now- bopping ditty with its not stop energy; putting something in ya feet kind of song but important song has a message of dancing with the “devil”, dancing with temptation when things are good or bad. The parts of one’s life that don’t believe it’s deserving self-sabotage outcomes that have been so tirelessly put in place. 

Can the art overshadow bad behavior?

It was four in the morning and hoped into a Lyft. The young lady in the car was so nice, transportation, it made me think about how we ride and share; share and ride. The plethora of communication slung back and forth would seem limited being so early but instead there’s positive energy.
While in the car she playing Station on pandora it was vibbin I started to wake up now normally that early I would listen to my motivational mix to get me going. Instead I didn’t put my ear phones on this time. As I grooved to the music it hit me was that, The Baby, I had to confirm “ who is that playing” , “ The Baby” ,
“ oh yeah” I said astonished “okay, I can dig it” showing respect for the art. She mention some of the other artists she just getting into, one artist Kodak BLAC. Both artists have had controversy projected throughout their music, has this stopped people from listening, yes and n?. I limited my listening. Yes, it was some of the situations, but it was also about seeing what their response would be. As I’m listening the conversation switches to something I struggle with open- mindedness Usually it’s automatic, slip on my headphones and turn on one of my favorite artists. It had me questioning my ability to have na open heart to differences, it penetrated my psyche quickly because I never

I usually converse with people who have the same interest in a particular artist. It created images and negative publicity each artist has received in their current careers. I started to ponder as we talked about my judgements and perceptions of individuals. “How does one know if an artist is a good person, or should one even care?” Once I arrived at my destination she said something that I believe answered my question, artistry is an outlet away from the trauma. Now she didn’t quite say it in that way but it made sense. To be an artist is nothing but an expression of one’s trauma. If one knows how to disconnect from the trauma then relieving it through artistry is one of the best doses of medicine.

Not Talking about mental health in HIP-HOP

Hip-hop for the last decade has exploded and changed culture forever. As each artists expresses their pain and pleasures they also have a tendency to completely engulf themselves in those pleasures or pain, the repercussions are jail, death or decline/loss of career. Once an artist looses control they have many chances to make changes, the question is, why they don’t? One answer is their mental health is rocky. The inability to deal with the constant stress of being an artist, some may say well they asked for it, yes this may be true that doesn’t change each artist is human with stressors, problems and goals. When the person merges their personas together they become this person which they either need for protection or comfort. That persona doesn’t reflect the true nature of the person, unfortunately, media catches these actions on tape, hurt people hurt people like Kendrick Lamar states in Mr. Moral and the Big Steppers. All the pain, and trauma bubbles to the surface projecting out asking, begging for help. The problem is people don’t listen hard enough all they want to do is vibe. There have been so many incidents in the present day and the past that could have been stopped. Instead, the situations transpiring are perpetuated by constant speculation thrown back and forth. Like with Kanye West, the black community knew something was off with Kanye with is outbursts and unpredictable behavior, years later it came out that he was bipolar. Once that came to the surface communities joked but also accepted his behavior, does was the turning point in hip-hop, after the realization of Kanye’s mental health, gradually other artists would mention they have received the services of a therapist. Even though this is happening within the hip-hop community it doesn’t appear like it is happening fast enough. It still too many hip-hop artists who carry a negative stigma regarding mental health wellness. Bring the idea back to hurt people, hurt people