Hair Care for My Brothers: I'm Just Saying; Why I Like: Bill Cunningham & Rethinking Genius with Elizabeth Gilbert

I’m Just Saying: Hair Care for My Brothers

If you’ve been reading The Genius Syndicate from the beginning then you know the “I’m Just Saying” segments are my opinions/questions/perspectives/rants and if I offend anyone that is not my intention. But some things just need to be said.

As a black man I think I have had just about every hair style imaginable [except the frohawk…I refuse] and there was NEVER a time in which I felt it unnecessary to take care of my hair. I understand that having more texture is in style now. We got everything from shags, to the mini fro, Mohawk, frohawk, and I could’ve sworn I saw Bobby Valentino with a rat-tail a few months ago. That’s all well and good but please take care [wash, brush and moisturize] your damn hair!!!

We as a people usually have drier and more brittle hair than our counterparts and while others wash the natural oil out of their hair we need to add moisture to ours. Does this mean run out and get a jheri curl? I can’t cosign on that but you need to commit to keeping your hair looking healthy [healthy= clean + moisturized] if you’re going to let it grow. Oh and please don’t make the mistake of thinking just because you got Indian [or whatever else] in your family you don’t have to subscribe to black hair care rituals like greasing the scalp. Get over it bruh. We men don’t have as many grooming responsibilities as women so when we let one thing go unkempt it makes a loud unflattering statement.

I’m just saying.


Why I Like: Bill Cunningham

When I lived in Brooklyn my Sundays were pretty routine. Church in the morning, brunch with friends, stop by the wine store, check out Bill Cunningham’s slide show on NYT.com and have a feast for dinner with my boy Carlos. Well, since living in Chicago I’ve found a church, still need to work on brunch, I get my wine from the grocery store (so convenient), have feasts for dinner with my brother (the future chef) and still catch Bill Cunningham’s slide shows on NYT.com. I’m a creature of habit.



Mr. Cunningham does an amazing job highlighting fashion trends but more importantly he crafts weekly stories based on people’s attire. I think it’s fascinating. The only thing that would make his slide shows a little more gangsta is if your boy was featured in one. Until that happens I’ll just have to settle for checking out the slide shows every Sunday. I ain’t mad. Check out Mr. Cunningham's work [especially the Nov 4, 2008 feature] when you get a chance.


Rethinking Genius with Elizabeth Gilbert

I was strolling through the TED site today [as usual] and found a great little ditty from the TED 2009 get together. Elizabeth Gilbert is a best selling author but unlike other creative types she refuses to be tormented by the pressure that comes with being a successful creative soul. Her liberating take on what it means to “have a genius” and transcending the physical into the beautifully creative supernatural is breathtaking…and funny. Take a twenty-minute break and listen to what Elizabeth has to say. If you’re a creative soul I highly recommend this.




Quote of the Day


“Three words: Black, Muthaf*ckin, President. Hey now.”

-David Allen Grier

Macy's Catch the Designers, Do You Eat Like a Man or Woman?, Good Friends = Good Health, The New: Kierra Sheard & Real Spit from Pastor Rick Warren

Macy’s Catch the Designers

Not only is Macy’s a great store, you can always come up on something in Macy’s {I found a blue cable knit Nautica sweater which retailed for $100+ and I bought it for $10 homie!} but it’s a great brand too. I know y’all have seen the new advertising that’s been running for over a year {courtesy of J. Walter Thompson} and to me it seems as if the new advertising jumpstarted the new Macy’s. I’m impressed {and before you even think about it Macy’s didn’t pay me for this...but if anyone from Macy’s is reading…} and it looks like I’ll continue to be as long as the behemoth retail chain keeps doing things like Catch the Designers. We all know that the fashion industry is in a love/hate relationship with people of color. White designers love into tap ethnicity for inspiration but devote 1% of their troop, shows and company to cultivating ethnic talent {yeah I said it}.

The folks at Macy’s have built a site that showcases up-and-coming as well as iconic ethnic fashion design talent across the Asian American, Latino American and African American landscapes.

Catch the Designers is a portal for all of us who want to be exposed to interviews, profiles and event calendars for designers who represent our heritage and style in impeccable ways. Etu Evans, Gentleman Jim and Shaka King are a few of the African American designers featured on the site and I think this is a good look.

Now I will say that this site may not be brand new but it’s new to me and who am I to keep something this cool to myself. Catch up on new talent and even do a little eye shopping via the perspective designers’ profiles when you check out Catch the Designers.


Do You Eat Like a Man or a Woman?

I’m just going to get this out of the way. I eat like a woman. Well according to this research featured on About.com I eat like a woman. Now before you even ask me what a woman eats like check this out:

“The studies suggest that women tend to prefer vegetables like tomatoes and carrots, plus fruits, especially berries and apples. Whereas men like the spicier flavors like jalapeno, chipotle, horseradish and wasabi, women prefer sweeter flavors such as chocolate, vanilla and cinnamon. Women are less likely to eat risky foods like undercooked eggs and raw oysters, but women are more willing to eat alfalfa sprouts.”



Now I do eat tomatoes and carrots but don’t get it twisted homie cause I love my raw oysters and wasabi too. As long as I’m eating I’m not mad. See what your food profile is when you take the quiz here. Now the quiz isn’t exactly the most scientific but it’s fun to see if you eat like a homeboy or a homegirl. Now where are my berries?

Good Friends= Good Health. I Ain’t Lying

As we descend into a new holiday season I'm sure the fact that great friends are a part of life is being reinforced. I’ve noticed how more and more people today are saying they don’t have friends they have “acquaintances”. There’s nothing wrong with that but since I have a choice I choose real friends over acquaintances any day. And to be honest, I’m not loose with the term “friend” anyway so I never have to make the distinction between friends and acquaintances. Either you’re a friend of mine or you’re not. With all of that said, I dedicate this TGS tidbit to my friends; people who hear me out when I complain and help me celebrate when things go great. So who are your friends? Do you have a lot? More than 10 or do you play it cool and keep a limit on your support network? Either way having friends in your life can increase your health in more ways than one.

Having good friends and being a good friend to others goes beyond receiving emotional support from family and significant others. The meaningful interaction with a good friend can lengthen your life, add more fun to your life and help you deal with stressful situations more productively. This is even true for the animal kingdom. “Stressed-out hamsters with skin wounds who were paired with other hamsters healed faster than those left alone to heal. The hamsters with friends also produced less of the stress hormone cortisol, which has negative effects on mood and immunity (source).”

Now I know you’re probably snickering and saying to yourself, “This ninja is tripping. I ain’t no damn hamster” but honestly these results heavily correlate to humans as well. Think about it, when you are emotionally and physically down and out interactions with good friends help…emotionally as well as physically. Damn it if it’s good enough for hamsters it’s good enough for yo’ ass.

Friends also help stabilize and boost your immune system. Think about it. If stress has been confirmed to weaken your immune system and great friend support networks help to avoid and alleviate stress then its safe to say that your good friends are the 2nd line of defense when it comes to staving off stress-related illness (some where between your antibodies and herbal supplements). I think it’s a good look if your homeboy can calm you down, lift your spirits and boost your immune system. I have a feeling some of y’all hard-headed rascals are still fighting me on this so I’m gonna have to go to church on you. Even the Bible promotes friendship in the book of Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 New King James Version. “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls for he has no one to help him up.”

And that is your word for the day. If Jesus can’t convince you that friends are a blessing then I give up- sort of. To read more about the health benefits of friendship check out this and this.

Now I give up.


The New: Kierra Sheard

I’m a preacher’s grandkid {which is equivalent to being a preacher’s kid if you knew my granddaddy} and I’ve been surrounded by gospel music pretty much all of my life. I remember when there was a period when I could not STAND traditional gospel. I’m out of that phase now but I still prefer the contemporary stuff. I just do. Dave Hollister, Jessica Greene, Tye Tribbet and of course my home girl Kierra Sheard.

Kierra’s new album Bold Right Life dropped last month and it’s the truth. Aside from having music in her genes you can tell singing is a God-given gift. Speaking of her genes, her brother {J. Drew Sheard II aka JDS} serves as a producer on this album {as well as prior albums} and I swear every track he did is my jam. Last week I traveled between Milwaukee and Chicago for work and bumped her cd the entire trip on both days. It’s just that good {Love Like Crazy is a banger!!}.

If you’re not a KiKi {family nickname} fan you will be. Her new take on gospel is bringing a fresh take on Christianity to the next generation and she’s not holding back.Check out Kierra Sheard and her music here.

Real Spit from Rick Warren

I went trolling through the TED vault the other day and came across this 2006 video of Pastor Rick Warren {The Purpose Driven Life}. He's dropping some serious knowledge and ain't too much I can say to set this up so enjoy.

Quote of the Day

"The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams."

-Oprah Winfrey

Hyperdunk Recovery, 8 Secrets of Success, Pandora, Going Green with the Simmons Jewelry Company and R.I.P: Isaac Hayes & Bernie Mac

Hyper…crazy…dunk Recovery by Nike

I’ve been blessed enough to be presented with great advice in my 28 years walking this earth. My uncle Billy told me to never laugh at a joke if I didn’t find it funny. My granddaddy Basnight told me not to wait on a woman to cook for me because I’ll never eat. My mom told me to make things happen for myself and never rely on others to make my dreams come true and my brother, Terry, told me that I had to sit down and watch the new Nike Hyperdunk Recovery commercial during an episode of AND 1 Street ball Mix tapes and I’d be damned if he wasn’t right {as usual}. Nike and Wieden + Kennedy have done it again with a great spot about Nike’s new Hyperdunk sneakers woven into tales about dudes who fall victim to furious spins and beastly dunks on the basketball court. The humiliation of being dunked on by unsuspecting kats is so disheartening that dudes literally have to go into recovery…hence Hyperdunk Recovery.

There are two spots on Youtube {even though everything I’ve read about the spots said they were banned from TV but I saw the first spot on ESPN…go figure} and both are freaking fawsome {funny + awesome}. Shout out to Levels barbershop in Brooklyn, NY for being featured in the first spot. Some of the tightest haircuts I’ve had have been made in that barbershop {shout out to my boy T…BK standup!!}. Check out the Hyperdunk Recovery spots and then become perplexed about the fact of Nike and a predominately white ad agency doing better work featuring African-American talent and storytelling than most African-American ad agencies.

Yeah I said it.

To me everything about these spots is spot on. The music, the stories, the casting and of course the kicks. I’ll be picking up a pair of Hyperdunks soon. I don’t play ball but they kicks look fresh.

Nuff said.

St. John’s 8 Secrets of Success

I’ve found another gem in the TED vault. While winding down after a long day last week in Irving, TX {just ask me about the drama and I’ll tell you later} I decided to check out the TED site and once again what I found delivered on offering inspiration. After watching the video I immediately wanted to share it. This one goes out to all of my people who are continuously grinding their way to success. If this ain’t you then you might want to jump to the next feature cause we don’t need your bad vibes. {What? You still here? Girl, if I got to tell you one more time…}.

Richard St. John had what I call an IQM {innocent question moment}. An innocent question moment is when an expert {or just a regular dude} is caught off guard by a very simple and innocent question. Although thinking of an answer should be easy it isn’t because if the response isn’t presented in a manor as straight forward and innocent as the question was then it’s worthless. {A clear question deserves a clear response}. An innocent question moment immediately leads to the expert saying “I don’t know” but it often lays the foundation for a great idea and/or relationship to take place. I had my IQM during my first year of grad school with Jon Steel and I’d like to think the question and moment turned out great for both of us. {Whaddup Jon!}.

The by-product of Richard St. John’s IQM is the focus of his TED presentation. After being asked what leads to success he went on a journey that took him through hundreds of interviews with successful people over 7 years as he developed an anthology of success and was able to identify 8 themes of success that all of his interviewees shared. These 8 secrets are like a hurricane. Alone the elements are somewhat impressive {nice temperature, wind, rain, a flying cow…big whoop} and we can appreciate them but when the right elements assemble at the right time they create a force to be reckoned with and you’ll never be the same once you witness the end product.

St. John identifies 8 core attributes of success within a 3-minute presentation to the TED audience. The importance of Passion, Push, Service and Ideas are but a few of the secrets featured in his presentation. Give it a look and I challenge you to share it with friends, loved ones and the youth in your life. Richard’s presentation surely fits right up there with the great advice I received from my granddaddy.

Pandora’s Box…be Rocking

Pandora, streaming internet radio, has been up and running for some time now and I will not sit here and tell you that I was one of the first kats to find out about this site although it feels that way because there are still people who haven’t heard of Pandora. For someone who loves music {and Greek mythology} Pandora is nice thick cut of “cool” placed between two slices of bread waiting to be washed down with a nice cold glass of “say whaaaat?”

Pandora is the lovechild of the Music Genome Project and the brainchild Tim Westergren. 8 years ago Tim and his team collected and analyzed thousands of songs and broke them down into “hundreds of musical attributes or "genes" into a very large Music Genome. Taken together these genes capture the unique and magical musical identity of a song - everything from melody, harmony and rhythm, to instrumentation, orchestration, arrangement, lyrics, and of course the rich world of singing and vocal harmony {www.Pandora.com}.” Because listeners of Pandora are able to customize their personal radio stations, based on genre or musical artists, they are always presented with music that falls into their particular taste.

For instance, I have a Dwele station on Pandora and every now and then it’ll play a cut from Dwele but it’ll also play music from other artists that shares the same musical genes as a Dwele song. So on a given day I can listen to artists I know {like Mary J. Blige or D’angelo} and artists I never would’ve thought about listening to {like Solange or Politik}. To me Pandora is an amazing invention and, Tim; if no one has said it I will…thank you for creating Pandora.

Going Green with the Simmons Jewelry Company

You can’t be an eighties baby like myself {although I was born 1979} and not be inspired by what Russell Simmons has accomplished. What he’s done for hip-hop can be compared to what Alexander Graham Bell did for the telecommunications industry but what he’s done for enterprise has been phenomenal. Every time I see him on Run’s House Russell is grinding away at something and I can honestly say that dude is my inspiration but as of yesterday something he’s spearheaded has mesmerized the hell out of me.




The Simmons Jewelry Company has a great portfolio of jewelry that anyone would want {I’m surprised my mom hasn’t asked for anything in the Brown Sugar line} but the Green initiative portfolio is what I’ll be focusing on today and one piece of jewelry in particular. Yesterday I picked up my malachite and rough diamond bracelet and it was worth the travel and the wait. The malachite and diamond bracelet {better known as my welcome to Chicago present} is a stunning piece of jewelry that looks good and does good because a portion of proceeds goes to the Diamond Empowerment Fund which raises money for the “development and empowerment of the people and communities in Africa where diamonds are a natural resource.”



Check out the entire Green Initiative product line and be sure to tell Russell I said whatsup.


R.I.P: Isaac Hayes & Bernie Mac

The Genius Syndicate would like to send our condolences to the families of two remarkable men who have helped the world groove, laugh, reflect and love. Thank you Isaac Hayes and Bernie Mac for sharing your gifts.

God bless.

Quote of the Day
"Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today."

-James Dean

The New: Tamir Rock and Ra-Re Valverde, Summer Stylin' for the Fellas, Kick...baallliiiin!!, Crack Economics, Why I Love: The New Bentley Joint

The New: Tamir Rock & Ra-Re Valverde

As I walk to the train station in the morning I often listen to music. Besides setting my mood for the day it’s kind of therapeutic but today it was different. With every step and every toggle of the “next” button on my iPod I realized that I need some new music. Badly. I’m always frustrated around this time in my life {which comes frequently} because I know how challenging it is to find music that I really like and the radio {no matter where you live} is utterly useless. I search for new music so fiercely that I feel like I’m looking for the Holy Grail.

Unlike those kats who unsuccessfully search for the Holy Grail I’ve found my treasure. No doubt. Your boy stays within arms reach of The New and today I’m glad to say that I’ve hit the jack pot. I’ve found two musical artists that exemplify what The New is and they are Tamir Rock and Ra-Re Valverde. Now I’ll be the first to say that these artists are new to me and some of you may have known of them for a minute but dammit their still new to me so keep reading.

Interesting names aside both artists are incredibly talented, distinctive from mainstream dribble that is shoved down the public’s throat and are incredibly, freakishly, stinking, stupidly talented. Trust me.

Tamir Rock

I can’t even take credit for finding out about this kat. Tamir {pronounced Tah-meer} was presented to me by my personal new music genie who’s actually a really good friend. Tamir hails from Richmond, VA {RIC stand up!!} and has managed to create a unique style that is far from a gimmick. Another strength of Tamir’s is that his rhyming surpasses all of the “shawty shawty” “drop it like its hot” stuff that populates the charts right now. My personal favorite is “Confess” and the track is mean. Everything he’s touching on is relevant and it’s easy to see that dude has a lot of artistic character. I’ll definitely keep my eye on him as he develops and eventually blows up. It’ll happen sooner rather than later.

To check out some of Tamir’s work visit his myspace page but stretch your neck before you make the jump cause I guarantee you’ll be bobbing your head for a good 20 minutes—non stop.

Rock on.

Ra-Re Valverde

Okay I can’t even lie. I was at work when I stumbled upon Ra-Re {pronounced Rah-Ray}. I was gathering materials for an upcoming creative briefing while listening to some Rahsaan Patterson on YouTube. YouTube is addictive too. You watch/listen to one thing and before you know it you’ve listened to 12 other videos related to that one you looked for. I was watching Rahsaan, Trina Broussard and Ra-Re jam and I could not take my eyes off of her and it didn’t hurt that she has an amazingly smooth voice {her and Trina sounded great to be honest}. After listening to that 2 minute jam session at least 30 times {when I like something I really like it} I decided to look up Ra-Re online and was excited to see she has an album {A Beautiful Mess available on iTunes and Amazon.com} and she features a few samples of her music on her myspace page.

I have been listening to “B With U” non-stop for two days straight. No lie. This track has a groove to it that is infectious and you don’t know whether to sway or bob your head. I honestly do both. Ra-Re, like Tamir, is a distinctive artistic soul that offers a fresh perspective on the musical experience. “Love Will” featuring Peter Hadar is another crazy track that speaks THE TRUTH about love and struggle. The first time I listened to this track I couldn’t stop saying “ummm” and “I know that’s right”. The truth indeed.



Ra-Re is a straight up and down cutie pie {luscious lips and fly style} and I plan on telling everyone I know about this sister. Check out Ra-Re’s talent on her myspace page.

Tell her The Genius Syndicate sent ya.

{It ain’t like she knows who I am or anything but I always wanted to say that.}

Summer Stylin’ for the Fellas

In terms of clothing options women have it easy. Damn right they do. I love summer but the wardrobe, especially the work wardrobe, doesn’t offer too many options. The temperature has been in the 90’s lately and I know my fellow male counterparts have been punished in the heat while wearing pants, long sleeve shirts, blazers and the occasional neck tie. A few minutes outside and your brow, neck and armpits are soaked.

So what do you do when it’s too hot to wear jeans but you don’t want to look like you totally surrendered to the heat? I got you. One of my favorite stylists, Clinton Kelly {TLC’s What Not to Wear}, has put together a road map to summer style for the fellas and if I must say it will definitely get you through the rest of this blazing season no matter where you live.

In the summer months try a little linen on a casual Friday if you can swing it or even some seersucker. A seersucker jacket and a nice pair of jeans is a nice summer look and to let the feet breath throw on a pair of flip flops.

Pattern is another way to fight the khaki brigade. I have nothing against my brothers in Dockers but every once in a while you should break free. Clinton suggests you “try a gray pinstripe trouser with a lavender checked shirt and solid yellow knit tie. Do something to distinguish your self from the clones!” Amen dude.

Fit is one of my pet peeves with a lot of kats these days. The summer time doesn’t give you free range to throw on a 3 X shirt and a pair of baggy shorts all day and please don’t wear shirts that hang below your crotch. That -ish is aiight when you’re 15 and you get your fashion tips from 106 & Park but any grown man shouldn’t be dressing like a teenager. I’m just saying.

To read Clinton’s full list of tips for summer style go here.

Kick…baaaalllliiin’!!!!!!!

Mainstream sport is over rated. Give me the days of competitive hide and seek, freeze tag and 1 2 3 red light. Those days of are long gone or are they? Imagine my surprise when I found out about the World Adult Kickball Association. Kickball is the quintessential game that anyone {granted with feet and eye-foot coordination} can play and like we used to do in the projects you can use ANYTHING for a base. An old bag of Wise potato chips, a tree stump or a piece of cardboard will do. You get creative when you can’t afford to buy real bases but who needs real bases anyway?

WAKA is the “international body encompassing WAKA kickball divisions across the globe. Each WAKA division contains a maximum of 16 teams of 26 players each and is run by a President, other division officers, and a Board of Directors.” This thing is real. For about $60-$70 registration you can sign up for a team in your city {WAKA has divisions in cities across the U.S and even India} and join the team that suits you best.

There’s even a WAKA pod on Current TV. To get a real feel for what adult kickball is like check out the video.

Steven Levitt and Crack Economics

When I was growing up it seemed like everyone I knew was on drugs or selling them except me. That’s not a hint of envy your reading it’s actually a sigh of relief. I’m glad the crack game never touched me directly but I can’t say the same for family and friends. I’m a firm believer that crack {whether smoking it or dealing it} has removed an entire generation of Black people from the planet and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the effects of it.

One thing that always intrigued me was the disconnect between the gloried image of selling crack {e.g. Nino Brown} and the busted, dusty dudes I saw and still see standing on the corner. Some how young black dudes were convinced that selling crack was the short cut to financial stability and that’s just not the case. Even if someone does work his/her way up the crack corporate ladder they don’t hold on to their money for long. I always was able to do the math in my head and I made sure my brothers and sisters knew that having a steady check coming in every two weeks was a lot stable than waiting on the corner for days on end hoping for the next crack head to stroll through with their little $10.

Steven Levitt {co-author of Freakanomics}, the economist, presented some information pertaining to the economy of crack dealing in the south side of Chicago at TED in 2004 titled “Why do crack dealers still live with their mothers” and what he has to share is pretty interesting. I don’t want to steal too much thunder from his presentation but from Steve and his partner’s research they found out that the foot soldiers or the dudes on the corner make a little over $3.50 an hour selling crack. That’s far below minimum wage even in 2004. To add insult to injury a lot of the young dudes recruited to slang them thangs on the corner was duped to believe they would work their way up only to hit the crack glass ceiling or succumb to violence, incarceration and/or death. Some job.

Steven’s presentation is a little over 20 minutes long but it’s so freaking interesting those 20 minutes will fly by. Give it a look. It definitely makes you think twice about hearing these rap kats talk about making so much loot off of selling crack. Somebody’s lying but I ain’t trying to figure out whom. I have a legit full-time job to focus on.



Why I Love: The New Fonzworth Bentley Joint

Luckily I’m secure enough to say why and why not I don’t like a particular thing so with that said I really am feeling this new Bentley cut. A few years ago I got a sneak peak of some of his music and I was feeling it then. He has an all-star line up for his debut track “Everybody” with Andre 3 Stacks, Kanye and my boy’s Sa-Ra {I love these kats. They stay on rotation in my crib.}.

To be successful in music today {especially black music} all you have to do is be different. Lord knows we need some variety. There are only a few kats adding to hip-hop at the moment and R&B has been dying a slow death for some time now. I think Bentley adds a new perspective and mos def brings back some fun.

I guarantee this video concept will be featured in somebody’s step show by October. Watch my word. Check out Bentley’s video with Kanye, Andre 3000 and Sa-Ra at Kanye’s blog below.

Quote of the Day

“Give me a place to stand and I will move the world.”

-Archimedes

Hip-Hop Theatre Festival, Commonwealth, Black History's History, Social Atelier & TED's Sir Ken Robinson

Hip-Hop + Theater = Goodness

A month ago I was in church and a guest pastor was delivering his sermon. All in all he was pretty good but something he said kind of rubbed me the wrong way. He had a 5-8 minute monologue about language and more specifically how young kids have butchered the English language with slang. His examples (rather out-dated) were "bad meaning good", "dope meaning exceptional" and the phrase "sick, crazy dude" meaning a guy who is remarkably impressive. Funny, right? Some what. Although the entire church laughed and enjoyed his jokes about slang and his admittance to being out of the loop I realized that the entire church congregation was made of people at and over over the age of 40. Then something happened. When the pastor continued with another anecdote he said the word sucker-- "sucka" to be exact.

The inquisitive cultural observer and challenger of authority in me quickly pulled out my phone, got online and looked up the definition of sucker.

Sucker- A shoot which arises from an underground shoot or root of a plant. He didn't use sucker in that context. Here's the definition of sucker the pastor was referring to; Sucker- Slang: any person or thing.

I was shocked {and delighted} that the pastor who just finished passionately politicking about how we should denounce the use of slang and how we should come together as a country to reclaim our common language {which isn't really ours anyway much like everything else in this country} just dropped a big ole slang bomb without it even occurring to him he did so.

That's when it hit me. The issue wasn't with the use of slang, it was with the use and creation of slang words he doesn't understand. It wasn't a slang thing at all it was a generational thing. This chasm between my generation and the pastor's isn't anything new but I am impressed at how one organization in particular is bridging the generational gap in an artistic way-- the Hip-Hop Theater Festival. I know the theater may not be for every one but I would like to think that the number of potential theater-goers in my generation would increase if they knew depictions of relevant subject matter was being created and performed with them in mind. That's the beauty of the Hip-Hop Theater Festival.



I found out about this amazing initiative while watching Current TV {if you aren't watching Current by now you have missed the train} and my mouth hit the floor. I was so drawn to the connection this organization was making between hip-hip culture {CULTURE people not the corney "bling-bling, make it rain, rolling on dubs" simpleton antics crammed down our throats over radio stations} and performance art. To me the strength of the Hip-Hop Theater Festival is their understanding of their target. They work with and speak to members of the hip-hop generation while serving the young, urban communities across the U.S and around the world. Check out the website to learn more and if you have a short attention span jump over to the Hip-Hop Festival Current TV pod. Lazy rascal.


Commonwealth: Anything but Common

Anyone who knows me KNOWS I likes to look good which means I pay attention to clothes. All kinds. Personally I call my style "Project Preppy" because I switch it up from jeans and sneaks to loafers and a vest any day and pull it off everyday. Of course I stuck out like a sore thumb in my little small town and there really weren't too many places to shop so we all ways hit the malls up in VA. I wish Commonwealth was open then.




Commonwealth {owned and operated by cousins} is a fly retail space in downtown Norfolk, VA {not even an hour from my hometown} and they also have a spot in Washington D.C. If you value eclectic pieces, original design and underground street fashion labels then Commonwealth is the spot for you. In addition to dressing those who love to dress {including me in the near future} they also hold events so if you're in the area check them out. There is also a great interview of one of the co-founders {Omar Quiambao} written by Michael Bercasio with Inquiringmind Magazine. It's a great read so check it out and get your browse on at the same time.

VA stand up!!!


Black History's History

I, for one, don't relegate the accomplishments and contributions of my people to this country to 28 days {or 29 depending on the year}. I always find a way to celebrate Black history everyday. Hell, I even started the Black History Quiz Bowl at my high school {whether they continue it or not I don't know but your boy is to thank for that one *wink*}. Much to my surprise I was slightly disappointed and ashamed at how little I knew about the origins of Black History Month itself.

This is when my good friend Current TV {I told y'all don't sleep on Current} stepped in and gave me the rundown on the come up that was Negro History Day, then Negro History Week and eventually Black History Month. Check it out.




Social Atelier: Fashion as Change Agent

I've already confessed my affinity for fresh clothing {see Commonwealth} but the combination of fresh clothes and social change makes elbj a very happy boy. Social Atelier is a company that uses fashion to increase social awareness and increase change pertaining to key issues facing our culture(s) today like war, AIDS, global warming and poverty. The SA donates a portion of their proceeds to certain causes and this season's proceeds of SA sales will be donated to the Solar Cooker Project. "This project significantly improves the safety and survival of women in the refugee camps by alleviating the need for them to go out and seek cooking fuel, an action that puts them at severe risk for assault, rape, and even death. (http://www.socialatelier.com/Awarness.html)".

Check out video of Social Atelier's latest collection. Social Atelier is an example of social entrepreneurship and fashion at its best...that is until I step onto the scene. Y'all ain't ready for that yet.





TED & Sir Ken Robinson

I have to admit when I heard about TED I thought it was some dude who had an amazing ego and demanded people spell his name with all upper case letters. Don't ask where I got that from. Much to my delight TED is far from that. TED has been going on since 1984 and stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. Since inception TED has been an organization and conference which brought bright minds from all three of those fields together to share their wisdom. Over the years what started as a humble conference has turned into a global powerhouse of intellectual, cultural, technological and inspirational resources. I really want to go to TEDAfrica later this year...hopefully a brother can get his pockets right. {Yeah I said it}.




Yesterday a good friend of mine {whatsup RoRo!!} sent me a link to someone who has the potential of being my next Man Crush {see last post}. A midst a daydream, reading about flood insurance and customizing my Legos Sir Ken Robinson {right} inspired me with his talk of children, creativity, intelligence and how we, as a people, teach the creativity out of our most precious resource. He was speaking my language and I watched his video 5 times in a row. It's the bomb but don't take my word for it. See for yourself. I may have to induct Sir Ken into The Genius Syndicate Hall of Fame.


If you are one who is motivated by insight and inspired by truth then you will absolutely enjoy what Sir Ken and the rest of the TED Talks have to offer.






Quote of the Day

“A fully functional multiracial society cannot be achieved without a sense of history and open, honest dialogue.”

-Dr. Cornel West