Month: July 2015

How RiRi knocked AMG for the #1 BBHMM Anthem or I used to be on the fence but then I saw RiRi Shine Bright Like a VVS Diamond in the Sky…

Don’t get caught up in the lengthy and didactic title, just know that it tells you every thing you need to know about how AMG won my confused teenage heart over two decades ago and has led to multiple documented occurrences of me karaoke rapping that shit since… Until Rihanna came through like a mutha fuckin G with a muthfuckin anthem, that basically summed up the singular sentiment of my IC heart and that I could rarely access the lady balls to articulate…

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I have been an Independent Contractor (IC) for most of my life and I am counting Hairstyling in that most… But probably even before then in the depths of soul I wanted justice. And justice looks to me like “Pay Me What You Owe Me”. Without getting too personal, let me put this out. I have personal debt and I have karmic debt. And I am sure if some businesses could figure out a way to get out of me what they think I owe… I’d always be in debt. My biggest debt,however, it a debt of gratitude to  RiRi, that spunky, disturbed Island-Child for finally releasing me from the mantra of misogynoir that I have been chanting all these years…

All I really wanted to say was “Bitch Betta Have My Money!” Because a $4.25 minimum wage wasn’t shit. Because I wanted to get paid all of my monies for braiding all of your hair or doing all of your nails or posting all of your bills… But the infectious DJ Quik beat and rudimentary 90′s lyricism of AMG drew me in and there I stagnated repeatedly rapping from place of a stinging womanist self-loathing. The ratchet in me could bust down every verse, word for word,a nd line for line… The conscious woman in me was woke and couldn’t sleep on the negativity of what coming out of my mouth… I was spitting pure unadulterated, unethical pimpin…

Then while I was sleeping literally… this happened…

I heard the song and have been singing the song and slowly driving out the archaic lyrics that had long ago taken up residence (for free might I add) in my brain… It  didn’t take long for RiRi’s BBHMM to take root in my mind, heart,soul, and spirit… But then this stunning visual and commentary by the Great George Arnett Dowdy (read it here) incited a Viking Funeral for AMG’s version and Shrine built in Honor of Our Lady RiRi of Get Yo Muthalovin Monies! Slaymen!

In brief Brotha Dowdy broke it down like this:

1. Yazzz! She aesthetically slayed! #BlackGirlsAreMagic

2. And while serving some activism realness on white male patriarchy, black woman body and financial agency, reparations, and attacking the archetype of fragility and innocence. #BlackLivesMatter #BlackWomenMatter #BlackMoneyMatters  

3. It’s still problematic because Violence and Money…

And Our Badass Lady RiRi gave the really, real, realness in this video, letting us know that “If you thought this was just about an accountant skimming from the till, Acquire your entire existence, edges, and eyebrows together.” As Brotha Dowdy reminds us… “WE have bigger fish to fry.”

Lost Files… DJM Brand Guru

So…The homie… My frand, my family…The Brand Guru (don’t buhleeve me, just watch)… Dana James Mwangi and I had an EPIC co.work day with the Baroness of the Royal Court of Excessive Activities, Giovanni N. Dortch… #weDOthings #manyThings well… But I digress… During this session I turned their attention to the GQ cover I ran up on thanks to Okay Player and Dana says something like “Really? I did that as a school project 10 years ago…” with absolutely 0 shade… and I’m immejutly like “Pull that up because I wanna write bout it…” But alas it wasn’t my story to tell… I just knew it needed to get out there!

Now then less than 24 hours later that story is on the Cheers Creative website blog and I’m gonna break down for you right quick why it’s important…

1. Because yesterday was Women’s Empowerment WINSday and this is an example of the type of #winning that comes with being in the company of people who are GREAT and actively reciprocate the love and support they are shown. In April of this year Dana actively became one of the counsel of Motivators who motivate The Motivator (that’s me). And if you’ve been paying attention, the growth you’ve seen in PH & C was a direct result of that! YAZZZ!!!

2. Beyond being my branding guru and growing me up in these marketing.branding.blogging streets Dana and I became friends  FRAMILY… I trusted her with my baby (PH &C) and she in turn has been an awesome doula and co.parent… Enter Giovanni N. Dortch… When the stars aligned perfectly and the GAWDS saw that the student was ready The Teacher. The Scholar. The GioD entered the picture and I sit at her feet and soak up real organizational prowess. I’m talking life planning. business planning. get MY stuff done with a plan on paper stuff! The combination of these two added to my branding/business planning has been DOPE! However the addition of these women to my family has been beyond words phenomenal! And this is why #YesNewFriends. Their honesty, trustworthiness, support and love propelled me forward in a way that I had been trying to reach for years and that people who have real friends understand well! I haven’t always been a good friend. I haven’t always trusted or been trustworthy. And shonuff have to tell the truth that I haven’t always been honest because sometimes the chaos, the ugly cry face, the excessiveness can be overwhelmingly unpretty and it feels safer to keep it to  yourself myself! Thank awlada GAWDS, #theUniverseisMYHomegirl and I had another chance to learn about this friendship thang! New friends added to the list of old friends and reconciled friendships have been the cornerstone of my strength during some rough terrain, deep valleys, and troubled waters.

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Jim Rohn

If there is any truth to this quote–I know there is– then I am gonna be GREAT because Bay-Bee that’s gotta be the average of excellence and the five people I spend the most time with… YAZZZ!!! 

3. I am not exaggerating in the least when I seem to be waxing poetic about the people that I am honored to call Friends and Family… Doctors, Doctoral Candidates, Young Entrepreneurs, Teenagers, Lawyers, Educators, Singers, Artists… The list is pretty darn exhaustive. And they have one thing in common THEY ARE VISIONARIES, they don’t stop at seeing the world as it is. They see it as it can be and they are actively working towards achieving the VISION… And that’s what the article really represents. It represents Dana seeing into the future, hers, mine, and yours (if you give her a chance) using her creativity to paint to portrait (sometimes literally) that announce you are already there! 

And another thing… all of us sitting at that table had some trepidation about the who, what, where, when, how, and why of it all and one of us said to the other at some point… I see you and I know you got this, YOU are necessary… DO IT! Even if you’re scared, RUN TO THE ROAR! 

XOXOXO