Gimmie the bridge now...

This post is overdue but hey man, I'm editing like crazy and dealing with life. For the first time in months, the motivation is at an all time low. I'm so used to being an inspiration and encouraging everyone I meet. The last few days have been shitty though. But it is what it is. I can't dwell on it. I especially can't dwell after watching one of the tightest documentaries ever in life. "The Nine Lives of Marion Barry." So many emotions ran through me as I watched...

• Anger-because I had no clue that he was a such a transformational figure; prior to this documentary, my memories consisted of a. everyone saying he was the greatest Mayor ever and b. a grainy FBI tape of him smoking crack
• Disappointment-He was on his way to becoming the next MLK back in the day prior to the drug charge.
• Pride-because he LITERALLY transformed the DC area. He is the reason that the Metro area has the largest affluent black class in America. He opened the doors of the government and black folks have been chillin there with the bomb benefits ever since.

I was blown away at his civil rights participation and his education. Not that I thought he wasn't educated but Mayor Barry was well on his way to becoming a doctor prior to his foray into politics. He dropped out of his Ph.D program to join the civil rights movement!


The documentary was tight as hell and I felt so inspired and motivated after watching it. I'm not judging that man for being on the junk. Coke and crack are hard as hell to quit. Not saying it was right for him to be on the junk and run a city but hey man, there are plenty of people running corporations and holding political offices that are on prescription drugs. Prescription drugs are just as bad, if not worse than the illegal drugs. And actually, "illegal" drugs are legal as hell. If they aren't legal, how do they get into our country so easily? Might as well legalize all the shit and let the sales boost our raggedy ass economy.


I'm digressing though... I just want to say I love Marion Barry for pulling a Michael Jackson and "being that man in the mirror." I'm not going to walk around feeling sorry for myself. I gotta make major moves like my man Marion "Mayor for Life" Barry.

Gimmie the bridge ya'll! You know they featured the quintessential gogo classic, Bustin Loose by Chuck Brown. Happy Belated B-Day Chuck!

"I'm on my grind, all the time"

So this morning I was on the train reading a "Start Your Own Self-Publishing Business" book and listening to my iPod on random. First, the book is off the chain. I'm nervous about the self-publishing experience but I have complete faith that everything is going to work out, especially since I have a book chock full of self-publishing tips and a grip of friends that are down for my cause. Second, my iPod is my boo and I love how the random feature will find all types of songs I've forgotten about.

As I swiped my fare card at the terminal, one of my Rick Ross (Rawse) classics, "On My Grind" blared through my earphones.
  

"On My Grind" used to get constant play about a year ago when I was "on my grind" trying to find a new job. Now it has a totally different meaning as I am "on my grind" as a first time author and self-publisher. I walked up the street towards my job, and thought about Ricky Rawse and how that song and how his experiences as a former C.O. turned rapper parallel my experiences as a corporate girl turned artist/entrepreneur.

I used to hate on Rawse for being a former C.O., not because he was a C.O. (i think that is an admirable, thankless job) but because he lied about it. It's not just Rawse though, on principle it bothers me that damn near every rapper is a former/fake "hustler." I know the labels like that shit and it pays the bills to talk about drugs but as Phote says, "there's gotta be more to this generation than drinkin and smokin all they weed up"

However, when I think about it, Rick Ross and I aren't so different. We're both "on our grind all the time." We both saw an opportunity and seized it. When I first decided to write my book, people asked "oh are you gonna do an urban fiction or erotica?" I was taken aback but when I thought about it, that's the main avenue for most young black writers.

I decided to take the road less traveled and do a horror story set in the suburbs. Why? Because 1. I'm suburban like shiiii. I don't know anything about hustlin on the block and 2. I LOVE horror films. Am I a punk and hide my face in my date's arm at the movies? Lol yes but I still love the suspense and gore. I'm always amazed what constitutes as a Rated R movie theses days. I know when I was younger, freakin Hostel 2 and The Last House on the Left would've been considered NC-17. But, the ratings system and what our kids view on basic cable these days is another story (better yet thesis) for another day.

Rick Ross decided to bank on an option that has worked for years: rap lyrics about hustling+bling+hot ass beats= $$$... hey man I can't hate on that one. Gangsta rap does pay the freakin bills. You may not agree with the message but you cannot knock the hustle.

• Should Rick Ross write positive lyrics and beat it with his constant mantra of "I'm so great cause I (used to) sell drugs? Maybe.
• Does he have the right to rap about whatever is on his mind? Absolutely.

 The same thoughts came to mind when I decided to write a horror.

• Should I write something uplifting and positive sans graphic violence? Maybe.
• Should I write whatever the eff I want to write and make it entertaining as hell? Absolutely.

That's the point though, it's entertainment. People who take this stuff literally need to pop a Valium and chill out. If your kids take it literally then as a parent, you need to be smacked for letting your kid listen to/watch/read matter that is too mature for their young eyes. I have a strong feeling that people will blast my book for it's violence and gore but I really don't give an eff. I'm following my dream and I don't have time to worry about what people think. There is so much more to my book than the horror aspect and I hope people will realize this long after I publish.

That's all for now. I was a little long winded with this one but it's my first blog :)

~K.Reid