Yes, I have finally come to terms with a simple fact… just as if I was in a rehab 12 step program, I can now stand up and say…”Hi, my name is Lisa” (this is where you say “hi Lisa”) “And I directed the music video video, “So Icey”, and I have been clean from directing “wack” music videos for over a year now.
The blurry picture you see above was taken on the set of ”So Icey” (I’m in the green baseball hat). At the time I was at the worst physical, mental and spirtual state of my entire life. I weighed a whopping 230 pds. I slept 2 maybe 3 hours a night on a regular basis. I would go days without any sense of spirituality, that means no church, prayers, meditation…nothing. I say now when I try to sum it all up…I was simply ABSENT FROM MY TRUE SELF!
The SECRET HERE is more relevant than ever before…ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD (OR ICE). I was in a place where I wanted to turn that corner again with my career, it was time to “show and prove” “make a move” because all eyes were on me. I was more worried about what my family thought and everybody else that I had lost complete sight of what I really wanted. I was stressed about my finances and needed a way out. The world I was living in but did not come from led me with mottos that were clear “Money Power Respect…the Key to Life”.
One day I was at my producer’s house after having just finished the 2nd edit for BET for the video “So Icey” when I got a 911 call from my mom to come to the hospital and see my dad before he passed away. I never would take my moms call back in those days when I was working, but that day I did, and then raced out to say goodbye to the greatest man I ever knew! A man who stood for everything that was opposite of the way I was living my life at the time. Ironically just one day before we would bury my dad my entire family who was in town for his funeral would sit in the living room together at my mom’s house and at 6pm turn to BET and wait for the new joint of the day “So Icey” directed by Lisa Cunningham.
Only 2 weeks after my dad passed, I was called to do a video for Jeezy called “Trap or Die”. This is a video for a song many have heard but no one has seen because Jeezy was so disgusted by the outcome, it was never released. That day was the worst shoot of my career. The police actually shut us down! They made us pack up and leave. The same police who always let us bend the rules a little were not budging this time and we couldn’t understand why. I had to go onto Jeezy’s tour bus and give him the final word. I left and went to my car and just cried with what I thought was failure. I didn’t know the secret. The next day on the news we would see why the police really had shut us down because they had just found a dead body from a shooting involving Gucci Mane which implicated Jeezy in a set up plot. My “So Icey” video footage was all over CNN.
Remember, on any given day with any given event in your life, there are so many forces coming together that may influence the outcome, THE WAY IT LOOKS ON THE SURFACE MAY NOT BE WHAT IS AT THE CORE, be careful not to draw the wrong conclusions. For many people these are hard economic times. Friends, family and co-workers might be acting differently; and you yourself might find your morals and values tested like never before. Get back to the core of your “true self” and your SECRET will reveal treasures MORE VALUABLE THAN GOLD!
That’s right…Tameka Foster, Glover, Raymond once made me cry on the set of a video for a short lived group called the ATL. We were already 3 hours behind and she was not allowing the group to get dressed because…hummm…her creative vision AS A WARDROBE STYLIST was being compromised! I believe that was the line she gave me! I was the second assistant director and my SOLE job for the day was to the get the Artists’ and the models to set, and of course they couldn’t get there… if they didn’t have their clothes on! I begged and pleaded with Tameka which seemed to only fuel her fire. She insisted I go get the Director’s, the Fat Cats… IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SHOOT she wanted to go over the creative vision for the group and video once again!!!
That was in 2003 and boy I didn’t know the SECRET then. The SECRET in this entry is a bit complicated but let’s try to walk through it. You see there is a thing in life called the path of LEAST RESISTANCE, the more I pushed, the more she resisted. Have you ever used a screwdriver and actually the pressure ended up “stripping the hole”? However, if you had just used a more calculated slower force, the result would have been better. Well, people like Tameka are much the same. Now some negative folks may say she is a CONTROL FREAK; I would prefer to say that she is a person who “needs to feel in control”. You see people who need to feel in control are usually out of control in other areas and are “overcompensating” for their feelings somewhere else. THE REAL SECRET HERE IS: let’s stop bitching about peoples habits and start learning how to deal with them so that we don’t CREATE NEGATIVE COPING MECHANISMS of our own!
I will never forget the feeling I had on a conference call one day in 2000 when I worked for Tommy Boy Records and my boss the Sr. Vice President of Promotions said that we were changing our focus. He said that the group known as the Crooked Lettaz were no longer a PRIORITY for us. I was in shock!Never being afraid to rock the boat, I did the unthinkable and objected to my bosses new order. I told him we should give the group more time…I told him how amazing the lead guy was. His name was David Banner. This guy would get on stage and during the course of one of their songs called Firewater, he would actually blow real FIRE as if he was performing in a circus! It was a sight to see! My boss silenced me almost as soon as I had begun and ended the phone call with an even more heated tone! THE CROOKED LETTAZ…ARE NO LONGER A PRIORITY FOR US!
I’m not sure how David Banner got the news delived to him or maybe he just simply saw the signs. He called me repeatedly on my cell; I would not answer. He caught me one day on my home office line and addressed me sounding as desperate as John Q, saying “You are taking food away from my families mouths!” I was silent, I could say nothing and he hung up that day not knowing that I was not the reason.
The label and it’s hope for the future left with acts like David. Adding insult to injury for me I had heard that David was spending alot of time in Atlanta. We would loose touch and I would hear of him sleeping on peoples couches recording anywhere and everywhere like a rapping Gypsy. Years would pass and something special would happen. You see…DAVID BANNER KNEW THE SECRET ALL ALONG; IN LIFE, YOU MUST ALWAYS MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE YOUR OWN PRIORITY. When we all forgot about him, when I felt pity and shame, David Banner was somewhere FEELING HIS OWN STRENGTH, STAYING FOCUSED ON HIS OWN PRIORITY, WHICH WAS TO KEEP HIS FAMILY FED.
The picture taken above was only months ago, I sat with David on his tour bus as he was about to leave for Germany, that’s right Germany. He looked like money! For those of us who knew him back in the day…David was always dusty. (smile) But not now, the Mississippi clay was now absorbed into his glistening regal skin. He had the aura of a man whose family would be eating good for generations to come!
It may not be headlines like when Jay Z split with Irv or Snoop with Dre but one of my favorite groups in Atlanta has always been the Youngbloodz and to know that they are not a duo anymore puts me in a melancholy state of mind. Now the fan in me is MAD AS HELL, I love their swag as a rap group, I knew they were having their difficulties but damn if Dre and Big Boi can do it then why not the Youngbloodz. The picture taken above was from one of their last videos Chop Chop, I was the assistant director and it was a long cold day but somehow, I just didn’t mind because I love these guys. I supplied talent for their Presidential video and didn’t even have to come to set that day but I did because I wanted to. Ya’ll get the picture.
But when I stopped being selfish for one minute I realized the SECRET TO THIS ONE WAS VERY SIMPLE - FOR EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON.
Now, I can recall a night at 112 a few years back; it was an album release party for Ludacris and all of Atlanta’s royalty came out to support. The VIP was an Atlien who’s who list. I was sitting down near Michael Vick and my friends were asking me if was I going to follow them back to his house. I declined and really I was barely listening to them because I was witnessing a dramatic moment that no one was even paying attention to. See, at that time Bigg Gipp had released “Stepping Out” and the Goodie Mob had just come out with an album titled “One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show” which of course was a diss to Ceelo; and here in the back of the VIP Bigg Gipp and Ceelo saw each other for what you could clearly tell was the first time in a very long time. I watched them at a comfortable distance from the first hug, to the awkward first dialog to the heart to heart that must have lasted 30min. These niggas were not fighting, there were no girls involved but the drama of that moment and the intensity I felt from them was soooo powerful. These were two black men having an “amicable coming to Jesus” right before my eyes. It was obvious their paths were supposed to cross that night. You see, it was TIME for that conversation to take place. Life DOES have it’s seasons.
I was there on the set of Ceelo’s teletubbie video in 2002 for the song “Getting Grown” as well as his collaboration with Timbaland in 2004 on “I’ll Be Around” and even his moment with Jazze Pha in 2006 for the “Happy Hour”. But who really knew that he was going to keep having his moments in TIME until he collaborated on one of the biggest songs OF ALL TIME, “Crazy”. Now, If he had stayed with the Goodie Mob, we might not have ever had that song.
So, I say as fans and as people, let us love our artists, family and friends no matter what TIME it is in their lives, because it is all a part of life’s necessary changing seasons. Right now, I feel Spring in the air!!!! And as for the Youngbloodz, I will always have my “U-Way” and Damn” and look forward to their bright future ahead!
Sometimes people get a hold of some new philosophies or a new way of looking at the world and start to forget some of the principals that we all grew up with that DO still make sense. Many people who flock every Sunday to Creflo Dollar and Eddie Long’s church in greater-metro Atlanta can often quote what their pastors say, but what about the good advise “grandma” or “nana” or “mama” had and still has for us.
Now I can recall several occasions when my “mama” has said the phrase “baby…you got to…pick and choose your battles”. Wow, these are words to live by! And she served these types of quotes up for me without a collection plate attached, more often than not she had a plate of home cooked joy she offered along with this brilliant advise. And one day, not too long ago I was able to use her advise to the fullest.
It was 9:00AM on Monday morning of the last week of school before summer vacation and I sat in the principals office. No this was not years ago, just a few months ago, I sat in Principal Middleton’s office at Banneker High School in College Park, GA. The band director, Mr. Mills, thought that he had clearance to allow his students to participate in the new Young Joc video “Coffee Shop” scheduled for later that VERY same day; however, when principal Middleton got wind of this after school caper, he firmly vetoed the entire plan. So it became, Lisa Cunningham to the rescue! I sat in his office and listened to words like “school board” “PR person” “superintendent” and “content” cringing at the thought of everything falling apart and then I remembered my mama’s words and I appealed to the principal. I looked him straight in the eye and said, “Principal Middleton, this may be one of those times when you have to “pick and choose your battles” I told him it was better for him to end the year on a glorious high note, so that when the new term started and he had to be firm about policy, the kids would still be able to recall a point and time when they felt as if the school had supported them and connected with them on a more human level. Well you see me smiling in the picture above and you can see the students below, it all worked out.
No, the content of Joc’s song and album is not PG13. But at what point do we pick and choose our battles so that we can start to make a real difference and bridge the gap in our children’s and teens lives. MY MOM KNEW THE SECRET ALL ALONG!
Wow, they told me it couldn’t be done; I couldn’t gather all of these girls, VIDEO VIXENS, into one place and let them speak their mind. HAHA shame on you guys. These women wanted to be able to have a voice and talk for themselves for the very first time. I brought 20 video vixens to a 10 million dollar location and let the cameras roll. What you will see is just a few clips, the best is yet to come. THE SECRET here is simple…if you build it they will come. Check out the result, Viacom…Holla.
Since the above clips were NOT EDITED I decided to upload a clip below of some of my edited work from a TV show I directed, co-produced and co-wrote called THE ENVY LIFE. The SECRET here is…you don’t need money to produce a quality TV show.
The truth will set you free! It was shortly after I took this picture with Jim Jones on the set of his “Ballin Remix” in Atlanta, that my life finally began to start having some real meaning. It was my first BET Access Granted appearance since losing soooo much weight and I was flyin high…no lie… with a new hair cut, custom gear and more swag than Jim, Diddy, Tip and Baby put together. Ohh my stories were endless and the youtube and myspace Access Granted montage of me in all my glory was posted for everyone to see. WHAT A FOOL I WAS!
I was caught in the matrix, you see, of a world I love but now relate to a bit differently. I wasn’t “Ballin” however, Jim was, and Diddy and Baby and so on and so on. But here is THE FIRST PART OF THE SECRET: DON’T LET THE HYPE OF OTHERS FOOL YOU INTO LYING TO YOURSELF. What happened to me that day is; for some unknown reason I began to think I was ballin too, I was no better than the hype man at a rap show. My bank account was not BALLIN, and what did BALLIN really mean to me anyway. Jim said it best that day “if you are still living in the projects but you’re driving a fly whip, you’re not ballin!” I made $1500 for that days work as assistant director. However, the Director, Rage (a guy I really do like) came in from New York and directed a video that any capable Director out of Atlanta could have directed with his or her eyes closed with a hangover, as we all had that day after the BET Hip Hop Awards (including Rage). That was the beginning of Rage coming to Atlanta and scooping up alot of the hot videos because he had put in years of work, found a way to take things to the next level and was now executing his plan so that he too would be…that’s right…BALLIN! So, ladies and gents the 2ND PART OF THE SECRET is crucial on this one. See the average Black Joe or Jane is somewhere mad about the above fact when really the key is to just find a way to execute your OWN DAMN PLAN (sorry for the curse word). Later, I will talk about how I did just that!!!!BALLIN
Most of us have done it before, and some of us do it daily, the snooze button has become a part of our life and culture. Or in my case, i was even worse. I am a former “serial alarm setter”. That’s right I confess, at my worst I would set as many as 5 consecutive alarms in order to wake up. That all changed for me one day when I could no longer postpone the inevitable.
The artist was Usher’s new group, One Chance, the Director was the elite Norwegian, Ray Kay, and I was to be his assist. dir. on a music video that was a two day shoot of magnanimous proportions. I lived very far out at the time and in an attempt to make sure I would have no mishaps with traffic or natural disaster I decided to stay at a friends house only blocks from the location the night before.
How smart I was making such a calculated choice. I was no slacker, I was preparing for my work day properly…so I thought. The night before, I set my usual alarms and went to sleep. The next morning I awakened in HORROR…the alarms had gone off…I had pressed dismiss each time…and after the last alarm…I went back to sleep only to finally be awakend by my phone actually ringing with my Producer on the other end wondering why “the coach of the football team” was not there at the start of the game. I came onto set and had the type of day like the Falcons kept having without Vick, everything went wrong and I took my beating like a girl and yes… I cried my eyes out.
But here lies THE SECRET: WHEN YOU PRESS SNOOZE OR DISMISS ON YOUR LIFE YOU ARE JUST BUILDING A FOUNDATION ON FEAR AND IT WILL CRUMBLE.
I set myself up for failure with the fear of being late, the fear of oversleeping, I was anticipating the worst and trying to prevent it. But the REAL SECRET TO THIS ONE IS EVEN DEEPER. YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH MANY LAYERS SOMETIMES TO FIND YOUR BREAKTHROUGH. I really was simply afraid of the high pressure day to come!!! I had booked myself as casting director and assistant director. That is why my mind, body, and soul stayed sleep that day. IT WAS ALL FEAR.
When you delay waking up each morning, you are saying, I DON’T WANT TO WAKE UP, I DON’T WANT TO DEAL WITH LIFE. Those few extra minutes of sleep are not good ones! Remember you have already awakened and have disconnected from your rest, and it takes a litte while to get back there. So you are really doing more harm than good. Get up and get in the game of life each day, with a “gameplan” that leads to victory not defeat!
*I couldn’t resist…below is a copy of One Chance, “Look At Her”.
The first music video, I ever got paid for was TLC’s “What About Your Friends”. One of the locations for that video was what is NOW the Cabbage Town Mill Lofts in Atlanta. At the end of the night I got paid a whopping ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS and I couldn’t believe I made that much for one day’s worth of work (smile). Well, What About Your Friends was, and still is, one of my favorite songs. It has lyrics I think we all need to revisit from time to time: (feel free to sing along)
Every now and then I get a little crazy
That’s not the way it’s supposed to be
Sometimes my vision is a little hazy
I can’t tell who I should trust or just who I let trust me (yeah)
What about your friends
Will they stand their ground
Will they let you down again
What about your friends are they gonna be low down
Will they ever be around or will they turn their backs on you
Well is it me or can it be I’m a little too
Friendly so to speak hypothetically
Say I supply creativity to what others
Must take as a form of self-hate
Only to make an enemy
Which results in unfortunate destiny
They dog me out then be next to me
Just cause I am what some choose to envy
Every now and then I get a little easy I let a lot of people depend on me
I never though they would ever deceive me
Don’t you know when times got rough I was standing on my own
I’ll never let another get that clost to me
You see I’ve grown a lot smarter now
Sometimes you have to choose and then you’ll see
If your friends is true they’ll be there with you
Through the thick and thin
(repeat chorus)
I called a FRIEND tonight only 45min after she had a car wreck, she was STILL in the car on the side of the road stranded and waiting on… a FRIEND who said she would come to her rescue only after she finished picking up some wings she had ordered. Now my FRIEND was about to be late for work and her anxiety stricken voice was more shaken by her lack of quality FRIENDS in her life than by the accident itself.
Just as with our angel “Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez, no one knew that the trip she was on, the car ride she took WOULD BE HER LAST. The SECRET here is WHO ARE YOUR FRIENDS…WILL THEY LET YOU DOWN, ARE THEY GONNA BE AROUND, OR WILL THEY TURN THEIR BACKS ON YOU! AND MORE IMPORTANTLY WHAT KIND OF FRIEND ARE YOU?
I couldn’t resist here is TLC BELOW… PERFORMING “WHAT ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS” you gotta watch!!!
I have a new program that I am starting and it is simply based on the premise that in order to “grow you have to find your inner glow”. My friends seem to have caught on because they are spreading the word and have convinced me to have weekly video blogs to support it. We will even be having community video blogs “at sexy venues”. (imagine that…sexy venues..life changing…wow! ya’ll ain’t ready). The following clip is not technically apart of these blogs but I found that when I was talking to the “video vixens” at the Power Summit, I was already starting to plant the seed for my new way of life.
