Artivist brings a legacy of artastic expression to Legacy Books and Café in St. Louis with Tha Artivist Presents...Words, Beats and Pics!!!

Tha Artivist Reports...

On August 20, 2006 from 3pm-6pm artastic history was made!!! Once again seeds with potential bountiful fruit were planted with the artist known as R2C2H2 Tha Artivist acting as Johnny Appleseed…In a follow up just 21 days after the successful Tha Artivist Presents at MO's in Memphis, Tha Artivist took the message on the road…This time to Legacy Books and Cafe in St. Louis…Different technique, different venue, different mix of performers and artists but same results…The show was a beautiful experience acting as a catalyst for not only self expression, but also self revelation, salvation and appreciation as well!!! The event had the usual but beautiful suspects...R2C2H2 Tha Artivist's visual art offerings and Oscar Donahue's beautiful one of a kind works of art were on display...Mama D, Wilma Potts, Marie Chewe-Elliott and the Sister Nineties Youth movement Yari Yari were encouraging the crowd to think on a higher plane with their visual arts offering for the eye's and mind's sensory palette as well as searing social commentary with a literary consciousness and poetic lyricism...Please check out Sisters Nineties new website at http://www.sistersnineties.blogspot.com to get a better picture of just how talented these indivivduals really are!!! In addition many surprises were enjoyed as well which included:

As the anxious crowd waited in anticipation...

Ms. Freida Wheaton, fellow Wash U. Alum, corporate lawyer, St. Louis arts patron and all around great woman got on the mic and spoke her mind's eye about the Hurricane Katrina fiasco and the finer points on being a strong, opinionated and liberated woman of color.

The Hip Hop artist Woo Child's powerful song "I'm Guilty" which creatively told the perspective of the Hurricane Katrina tragedy from the viewpoint of Pres. George W. Bush, hit some emotional cords with many in attendance.

St. Louis Hip Hop and Spoken Word Artist Caesar bared his esoterical soul and share his sensitive side on a poetic journey which made rest stops at reflecting on love, good and bad relationships between men and women and coping with love lost…

A Love Supreme: Brother Danny Brown(on drums) and his All Stars (featuring members from his group On The Curb as well as David Jackson the program director of the Legacy Books and Café on "talking drums") was literally off the chain blending and fusing soul and jazz classics with their mid western swing…What was beautiful about this nearly 30 minute moment of ecstasy was the fact that Mr. Danny Brown although he was very much suited and booted and ready to jam for his folks' 40th Anniversary wedding celebration that day was willing to get funky and sweaty along with his bandmates for Tha Artivist's cause before they did their thang for Danny's folks…On top of that they weren't even paid for this gig!!! Man that's love that goes beyond just doing a favor…I thank the Creator for the Browns for creating such a beautiful, talented and giving son!!! They even let me play my trumpet on Miles Davis' classic composition "All Blues" and I was the hypeman for the free style song "Take A Ride"…Be looking out for Tha Artivist Presents documentary and you will see me act a fool doing what it do!!!

Sister Nineties' own Mamma Collette read her hilarious reaction to purchasing and reading the Life of a Video Vixen by the video model and groupie known in the music and entertainment industry as Supa Head.

Many thanks go out to Mr. John Nichs, the owner of Legacy Books and Café for letting us use his beautiful venue as the meeting place for this dynamic event and David Jackson the programming director of Legacy for letting us have the 3 hours worth for artastic expression!!!

Another beautiful aspect of these Artivist outings is the fact that I get to see folks that I haven't sometimes see in years come out and support…


Thanks to the both equally talented and humble team of Bobby Flynn and Loren Lee, my Wash U. Art School buddies, for coming out to see Tha Artivist and his friends do their thang, although their ride from Massachusetts to St. Louis may have been a "bumpy one" in more ways than one…Haven't seen them both in 4 years since our graduation…

Another classmate from Wash U, philosopher and just brilliant all around good guy Cris Nathaniel Gualberto showed up with his beautiful mom all the way from Quincy, Illinois...I haven't seen Cris since May 2002 when we were both packing our things and getting ready to leave campus after graduation…In 2002, Cris joined the Peace Corps and went to Africa for two years...He is currently working on a political campaign in his home state of Illinois…I see a lot of great things in Cris's future so make sure you remember you heard it from Tha Artivist first!!!

D. Hurt's beautiful mom,Debra (Ma D. Hurt), and beautiful sister, Brandy (B. Hurt), came all the way from Hannibal, Mo to catch a glimpse of Tha Artivist Presents…I recently met and befriended these beautiful women at D. Hurt's beautiful wedding ceremony...It was a pleasure to see good folks supporting other good folks in a positive cause…By the way D. Hurt's sister, Brandy, is an amazing artist like her brother…If you don't believe then check out the pic above this paragraph...Remember you heard it from Tha Artivist first!!!

Two music moguls in the making, music promoter extraordinaire Mr. Antonio Rodriguez and Hip Hop artist extraordinaire Woo Child


Tha Artivist and Woo Child, two talented red brothers making it happen one creative accomplishment at a time!

True WU Alum Love: When you got beautiful people like these supporting you, how can you go wrong??? Thanks (from left to right) Bro. Tony Stephens, Bro.Byron Lee, Sis. Meagan Jones, Bro. Woo Child, and Sis. Rochelle Evans for their continued support and love!!! Also let me not forget my brother from a another mother who isn't pictured here, but is here right below...

Bro. T-Mac!!!

Beautiful African Flower and the Black Johnny Appleseed together at last: The Beautiful Chinyere Oteh posing with Tha Artivist…She's also a fellow Wash U. alum and is all about vibrating higher!!!!

Three Classy Brothers from three different classy Ervin Classes…It's all about family here…Antonio Rodriguez (Wash U. and Ervin Class of 2008), R2C2H2 Tha Artivist (Wash U. and Ervin Class of 2002), and Tony Stephens (Wash U. and Ervin Class of 2000) reppin'…Watch out for us in the future…Assembled our talented brothers with the ambition and will to succeed against all odds!!!


Bro. Antonio in the process of recording history…


Civil Rights Movement Pioneer and legendary feminist Ms. Sheila Michaels giving Tha Artivist props for a job well done, but a job which could have been done better if it was done by a woman…It was an honor to have this phenomenal woman in attendance...By the way she also invented "Ms." If you are not sure what I am talking about please click here to find out!!!

Please mark your calendars for the next Tha Artivist Presents…Words, Beats and Pics program which will be Thursday Oct. 12 starting at 8pm at the Hattiloo Theatre, the new and only Black Rep. Theatre in Memphis, Tn!!! Also check out Sister Nineties Literary Group's new official website at http://www.sistersnineties.blogspot.com