Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Tha Artivist Presents...Words, BEATS AND Pix!!! @ Zora's was even sweeter the second time around…

Tha Artivist Reports...
"The Blacker the Berry the Sweeter the Juice."

On Thursday night Nov. 17 Tha Artivist Presents...Words, Beats and Pix!! @ Zora's Lounge was definitely tooth achingly, cavity producing great in an afrocentric black berry sort of way!!!

Or as the late great Professor X of the X Clan would have said…
"IT WAS VANGLORIOUS!!!"



Once again those in attendance received a treat of artastic excellence…I, R2C2H2 Tha Artivist was given a warm, generous if a little comical introduction by my brother the creative genius in training also known as Mr. Jordan Hayes…I then attempted to warm up the crowd with my comic relief efforts…


The first act of the evening was spoken word and martial artist Rasta (pronounced Hasta) a.k.a Da Fourth Letta…He proceeded to serve some lyrical and sensual hot chocolate from his new anthology of 70 plus poems entitled Soul Searching for Chocolate Lovers…The charming Rasta with his seductive green eyes definitely had the ladies demanding hot chocolate with a side order of smores…Make sure to check out Rasta/Da Fourth Letta's website at http://www.poemsbyd.com and buy his book…

Rasta also teaches the martial art form known as Capoeira was originated by enslaved Africans in Brazil which combines dance, fighting and ritual…Go to his website at http://www.ncapoeiramemphis.com and sign up for classes today!!!



Yung Blac, a fixture at Tha Artivist Presents…Words, Beats And Pix!!! @ Zora's, blessed the audience with another helping from his toe tapping mix tape Money Matt 2 Yung Blac…Introspective and crunktrospective at the same time I look forward to seeing and hearing more from this yung gun in the near future…
Make sure you check out Yung Blac's website @ http://www.myspace.com/yungblacmusic and get his c.d.

Not to be outdone another regular and crowd favorite, rap delight Foley rocked the mic with offerings from his new c.d. The Hostile Takeover Vol. II
With his usual swagger Foley takes the audience on a ride combining Nelly's crowd pleasing charm with the lyrical command and dexterity of a Big Daddy Kane in his prime...Check out Foley's website @ http://www.myspace.com/digichilddlife
and buy his new c.d.


I wouldn't be surprised if those two were nominated for a BET Hip Hop Award or two sometime in the near future…Yung Blac and Foley definitely have the skills and presence to match some of the best and well known in the Hip Hop game…No K Fed!!!


The audience was offered a rare and special treat when Mr. Ekundayo Bandele a.k.a. "The Moses of Hattiloo Theatre" laced the audience with one of his original spoken word performances impromptu…Although a novelist and playwright at heart Mr. Bandele definitely have the presence and command of a true thespian…My favorite piece of his or as I like to call it "Diary of a Mad Black Man" was definitely a highlight of the night…It's very exciting because it involves direct interaction with the audience…When Ekundayo said "beep, beep" the audience said "honk, honk"…The purpose of this interplay was to simulate a person getting caught up and trying maneuver his car out of an Atlanta traffic jam…Bandele wrote this piece while he was teaching classes at the prestigious Morehouse College in Atlanta…The piece really is a metaphor for life as a young Black artist trying to make a way when others and circumstances are saying no way…Although he haven't recited this work in awhile and he had a "false start", the end result was truly beautiful and heartfelt…Beep, beep!!! Honk, honk!!! Power to the people!!!


To add more frosting to to a very sweet desert, the audience was treated to an historic and artastic collaborative effort when Rasta now Da Fourth Letta (rap persona), Yung Blac and Foley decided to do a group freestyle…None of these artists worked together before and so it was a pleasure to know that my event created an atmosphere which provided for a special and history making night…


And last and certainly not least providing the proverbial cherry on top, the talented Mr. Andre Miller put the exclamation point on the evening with his beautiful improvisational painting which paid homage to jazz…

I met Mr. Andre Miller when we were both featured artists at the Delta Fine Arts Evening with the Arts @ The National Civil Rights Museum

A former Memphis City Schools teacher, a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
and Memphian with historic and vast knowledge of the city and its surroundings, Mr. Miller wowed the audience with his amazing skills with paint, brush and canvas…If you are interested in finding out more about the Mr. Miller please feel free to contact him through the following e-mail:
andremiller06@hotmail.com

Although Tha Artivist Presents…Words, Beats and Pix!!! will not be seen this December, please be on the lookout for this unique showcase in January…No one show is ever the same so be ready to support and be a part of history while having a qualitative 'edutaining' time!!!

If you are interested in being a featured artist for future installments of Tha Artivist Presents...Words, Beats and Pics!!! please click on the following link:
http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2006/11/r2c2h2-tha-artivist-is-looking-for.html

Check out the following links to view summaries of past Tha Artivist Presents…Words, Beats and Pix!!!:
http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2006/10/tha-artivist-presentswords-beats-and.html
http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2006/09/artivist-brings-legacy-of-artastic.html
http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2006/08/we-shall-be-overcomedwith-joy_07.html
http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2006/08/word-of-art-tha-artivist-and-brothas.html

Monday, November 27, 2006

"Why Community Service?" event serves purpose


On November 4 from 9am-1pm 200 plus people received the answer.
"Why Community Service?" was an event organized and visualized Ms. Callie Herd, the founder of I. A.M. (Inspiring Academic Motivation) educational services and the award winning http://www.ctherd.blogspot.com which lists millions of dollars worth of opportunities in scholarships, internships and jobs. Over 20 plus representatives from colleges such as Rhodes College, Christian Brothers University, Knoxville College, http://www.utk.edu, Southwest Community College, Tennessee State University, my alma mater Wash U. to community organizations such as Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Greater Memphis, Alpha Memphis Youth Leadership Development Institute, Youth United Way Program of the Greater Mid-South, ARIZE and NIA…Even the U.S. Army was on hand to recruit…

Mr. Willie Brooks, Chairman of the FedEx African American Network gave the Welcome to the audience to get them ready and prepared for one of the greatest events on earth...


Popular local DJ Nappy Wilson now proud owner of art by R2C2H2
Mr. Marlon "Nappy" Wilson a popular local DJ on the Hip Hop radio channel Hot 107.1 fm was the Moderator/MC…He did a wonderful job in keeping folks jovial and focused by blessing us with his own brand of comic relief and sincere enthusiasm…

We also had an illustrious program panel representing various aspects of College readiness...

One of the key highlights included longtime Tennessee State Senator Steve Cohen (now Congressman-Elect Cohen) making a stop during his busy and last campaign weekend to discuss the TN Lottery Scholarship program he helped to create...He is known as the "Father of the TN State Lottery"...The then Senator now Congressman urged students to put the pressure on Tennessee lawmakers in Nashville to allocate more money from lottery earnings to increase the scholarship fund along with increasing the income limit to $45,000 (approximately)...He provided an overview on how the Lottery program works...What made Mr. Cohen's stop even more special was the fact that he made it a priority to speak at this event which actually cut time into his meeting with Martin Luther King III, the son of the legendary American Civil Rights Icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. @ the National Civil Rights museum…I am proud to say that Mr. Cohen was a part of the historic Democratic takeover of the U.S House and Senate and is now known as U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen who represents the grateful District 9 of Tennessee…We all wish him well on his new endeavors and I have no doubt that he will do us proud and honorable…

Christian Brothers University Assistant Director of Admissions Ms. Tela McEwen provided an inspirational speech which told all in attendance to dare to be different by defining your own life and defying low expectations…She told her personal story of how she went from being an underachieving High School student with 1.50 GPA to graduating from college and owning her own house at the age of 25!!!


Community leader Clint Anderson now a proud owner of art by R2C2H2
United Way of the Mid-South Impact Manager and K97 Peace Achiever of the Month (November 2006) Mr. Clint Anderson stressed the importance of knowing and serving your community and your community knowing and serving you...Two members of the Youth United Way (YUW) program shared their experiences with us on how the YUW program helped them to step out of their comfort zone into challenging yet rewarding leadership roles...

Mrs. Rhonda L. Martin of Southwestern Community College was on hand to talk about her alma mater's Knoxville College's Work Program which gives graduating high school students with low GPA's, but a burning desire to improve themselves a second chance through a post-graduate work program...The work program gives the students internships in their field of study and promises 100% job placement post-college, if completed...
Mr. Kenneth Carpenter of the Alpha Memphis Youth Leadership Institute was on hand to talk about the program and how leadership is an important role in preparing students for community service and life...He also promoted the leadership program that will be starting in January 2007.

Tim Gibson the Associate Director of Rhodes College Admissions spoke on Diversity and what role it plays in preparing a student for Community Service and college...He also provided information on Rhodes Tuition Reduction program for African American Students wanting to attend Rhodes College...Rhodes College is so interested in recruiting more students of color to the predominantly white academic institution (which is ironic considering Memphis more or less is a chocolate city no Mayor Ray Nagin) that they will meet 100% of demonstrated financial need for all accepted African American students...See link for overview: http://ctherd.blogspot.com/2006/07/rhodes-college-tutition-deduction.html


Ms. Janice Ousley gave parents and students alike a blueprint for creating a college portfolio...


Ms. Lou Conley provided a parent's overview on preparing students for college...

Mr. Charlie Folsom who represented http://www.utk.edu recruitment efforts in Memphis through PowerPoint shared the admission process of UTK as well as explained the dos and don'ts on making a positive first impression via your college application...

I, R2C2H2 Tha Artivist, humbly represented the Wash U. John B. Ervin Scholars program of which I am proud alumni …I informed the audience about the wonderful life and legacy of Dr. John B. Ervin who was the first African American Dean of Washington University in St. Louis…I also told them about the decision to make the program, once exclusive to students of African American heritage, open to all qualified students regardless of race and ethnicity two years ago in response to the Supreme Court decision concerning Affirmative Action…In spite of these turn of events I urged them to create their own gravy when the gravy train ain't coming no more…I encouraged the students to stay competitive and to create opportunities out of seemingly dead end or hopeless situations…I also promoted the NIA arts organization, the only Black Artist collective in the Memphis-midsouth area…

A truly sober and moving moment came when Ms. Callie Herd a.k.a. "The Straw That Stirs The Drink" took the podium to address the theme of the event and promote her resourceful website: http://www.ctherd.blogspot.com ...The blog provides an infrastructure on college readiness, scholarships, internships, summer programs, FAFSA, ACT/SAT, and much more. She also highlighted briefly "Why Community Service?" was important, especially with the recent Supreme Court decision on "Affirmative Action" that was a result of the University of Michigan's Law School case...She gave an emotionally charged and direct speech on how important that each one of us play an important part in the development and success of our youths…We shouldn't expect for others to help if we don't first help ourselves…She stressed with affirmative all but rendered useless by the courts that we must be accountable for creating opportunities for our own by sharing information and inspiring academic motivation(which is coincidentally the name and purpose of Ms. Herd other business venture I. A.M.)…Basically the point of Ms. Herd's speech from what I can gather is that it takes one to start the change process, but it takes a committed group or village to keep it going...Also, she emphasized that the members of the audience were the seeds being planted for others to learn about "Why Community Service?" is so important...

Mr. Tedarrell Muhammad was the keynote speaker for the program...Mr. Muhammad is the founder/visionary and co-owner of Everlasting Spring Water Company...In just 5 short years this company went from a small business to a multi-billion-dollar money making machine...The spring water that Everlasting produces is considered among the best tasting in the world...One of the owners in the Everlasting Spring Water Company is former NBA superstar and $82 million dollar man Larry Johnson...Mr. Muhammad who is also a devout member of the Nation of Islam headed by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan is a very civic minded and socially conscious businessman. His Everlasting Spring Water brand was the official water beverage for the 2005 Millions More Movement in Washington, D.C….He also sent truckloads of his great tasting water to Hurricane Katrina survivors...He talked about how it was very important to have a strategy or plan to whatever you are trying to accomplish…Mr. Muhammad stated that although he was making $10,000 a month selling bottled water when he first started his business he wasn't maximizing his inherent potential or capabilities...His wonderful wife Deidre Muhammad (who has a MBA degree) told him that he must run his business like a business if he wanted to succeed to the fullest in the long term...In other words one must have or create an infrastructure and plan in order to receive the full benefits of one's business venture. He also stated the following: "True education is not measured by degrees, but how well one uses his/her resources to create opportunities for growth and wealth"...Mr. Muhammad eloquently stated how it is necessary to create opportunities to make money and create wealth for brothers and sisters graduating from college as well as returning from prison so that they can immediately become productive and contributing members of society...Mr. Muhammad warned that if we don't then we will just be feeding the American Prison Industry Complex more of our valuable young...
Mr. Muhammad also wanted students to know the other side of his background to help them see that doing negative things are not the best, but to strive to be excellent within being honorable and legitimate...Although not college educated, Mr. Muhammad declared he earned his degree majoring in street smarts...Mr. Muhammad, a man with much integrity and character, did not try to hide the fact that he did time in federal prison for selling drugs...Mr. Muhammad always had the gift for selling...He was so successful at selling drugs that he made anywhere between $20,000 to $30,000 a day...He was also good at deception especially when it came to deceiving loved ones…His mother whom he loves dearly was kept in the dark about much of his illegal activities…He mentioned that he used to hide is fully loaded luxury car around the corner from his mother's home so see wouldn't see him driving it...Mr. Muhammad stated that when he went to prison was when his true education began and he learned how to be a man...He discovered his spirituality and humanity and decided from that point on to commit himself to a life of legitimacy and excellence...He stressed the importance of putting one's priorities in order...He stated that before one can help anyone else that one must take care of one's own needs first, the family second, the community third and then the world fourth...Overall, the charismatic Mr. Muhammad's hopeful and passionate message left the audience feeling rejuvenated (like one would feel after drinking Everlasting Spring Water) and ready to take on the task at hand and succeeding in their career goals...


Mr. Charles Settle of the TSU Memphis Alumni Association presents the prize to Mr. Carlos Jones.
In addition to the above a fully loaded HP laptop computer courtesy of Sylvester Tate of Tate Computer Systems along with donations from FedEx African American Network (AAN) and TSU Memphis Alumni Association was given away to a deserving student...The winner of the computer was Carlos Jones of Wooddale High School.


As show of appreciation for their time, input and wisdom the majority of participants were awarded plaques courtesy of Bill Kinkade and Champion Awards and framed art by R2C2H2 Tha Artivist.

Afterwards everyone who participated (including the audience) in the food for thought event were invited to taste the culinary stylings of Home Cook Catering…Just like a mind an appetite is a terrible thing to waste or ignore!!!

The sponsors of the event were the following: (please click to view - http://ctherd.typepad.com/AfroAmerCollegeStudents.ppt)

Tedarrell Muhammad - Everlasting Pure Spring Water
Dean James McLeod - WUSTL John B. Ervin Scholars Program
Sylvester Tate - Tate Computer Systems
FedEx African American Network (AAN)
Charles Settle - TSU Memphis Alumni Association
Bill Kinkade - Champion Awards
Clint Anderson - Youth United Way

*A very warm thanks to Mr. Andy Rousseau for being the official photographer for "Why Community Service?"...All photos seen in this article is courtesy of his talent...
© 2006-1104 Andy Rousseau/Penha Photography.*

Special Thanks goes to the following individuals:

Dr. Bill Adkins, Overseer Marion Douglas, Pastor RaDontae` Ashford (Youth Minister), Karen Mallory Boozer - Greater Imani Church, Melvin Jones and Dr. Sybil Mitchell -Tri-State Defender, Bernal Smith - Memphis 100 Black Men, Chancellor Robinson - City University School, Trevor Campbell, Tracy Bethea and Michael Andrea Davis of 95.7, Hot TK of 107.1 FM, Tom Dees of Good Morning Memphis, Alex Coleman of Live @ 9, Kristopher Burke, Delnise Moore, Ardia J Cunningham, David Warren, Keith Williams, and Jeff Higgs - Knoxville College, Janice Maddox - Hope Scholarship, Craig Dulniak - Congress-Elect Cohen's office , Joann Towry - Champion Awards, Nadia Wilson, Home Cook Catering and the Planning Committee (Ronald Herd, II, Debra Westbrook, Lizzie Taylor, Dorothy Mason, Audrey Maxwell, Lou Conley and Callie Herd (organizer))

Also,Ms. Herd have updated her website with new opportunities for 2007 Summer Programs along with new and expiring 2007 Internships ( http://www.ctherd.blogspot.com ). As always share with others.

Is "Kramer" (actor Michael Richards)a racist???

You Decide.
The infamous rant:


Michael Richards Public Apology:


Victims' response:
With Matt Lauer on the Today Show


On CNN


The Great Comedian Paul Mooney's response:


Inside story about Michael Richards from Davey D Hip hop Journalist:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=15116190&blogID=196423721&MyToken=29791e3a-b286-4a7d-aebb-23af8e7f9338

Dressed in purple, Levert fans mourn him

'DUKE THREE' SUPPORTERS BELIEVE BLACKS ARE ''WHITE-HATING RACISTS''