For everything there is a season September 17, 2009

I remember where I was when I heard “Cell Therapy”, it changed me.  It made me feel so proud to be an Atlien, so proud of this mainstream record company LaFace for actually having artists like the Goodie Mob and Outcast mixed with my favorite group TLC.  I was devested when the group broke up, but one day I decieded to stop being selfish for one minute and was able to realize the SECRET TO THIS ENTRY, ITS VERY SIMPLE – FOR EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON.

Now I’m gonna take you back to a night I can recall at Club 112 some 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’m celebrating the return of the Goodie Mob and I will enjoy this season in their lives for as long as it lasts.

JimiFlixx Pics – Living the Dream Award – Chilly-O October 24, 2008

Long before Big Boi was rockin his t-shirts in music videos, there was a man named Chilly-O giving away his brand to anyone who would take or buy it… but most importantly wear it! He is an entreprenuer, a hustler in the good sense… this man named Chilly-O.  He is another transplant in my city of Atlanta, GA and no I don’t mind because he is one of the few who I feel are really carrying on the legacy of our great BLACK AMERICAN FOREFATHERS.  He has the heart of King and the soul of X and instead of being another “negro” who came to MY CITY and leeched off of the land and the women, this man took root and did as our FOREFATHERS AND MOTHERS DID… he owned something!  And even WHAT he owned put him inside the BLACK MANS IVY LEAGUE of sorts. He owned his name… and he sold it with the persistence of a “J” and the plan of a “CEO”.  His t’shirts have a message; therefore he is also selling his agenda…and when I really respected this BLACK AMERICAN MAN  was when I went to Las Vegas to the national fashion trade convention called the MAJIC SHOW, and amongst THE SEAN JOHN’S, ROCA WEARS AND APPLE BOTTOMS there was a booth for Chilly-O.

Back in the day, our BLACK AMERICAN MEN believed in their dreams, stood up for them, they were never perfect men, yet they still found a way to lead… to get us here today and there are still some left who are passing the torch…who know the SECRET: DARE TO LIVE YOUR DREAMS UNTIL THEY COME TRUE!  Check out his new spring collection  at http://chillyo.com/

The Jumpoff March 17, 2008

It’s about time we looked passed Cranking That, the 2 Step AND the 1, 2 Step and went deeper than names like Soulja Boy, DJ Unk and Ciara…diving deep into Atlanta’s buried history.  Atlanta is a city that is constantly growing and reinventing itself, but in order to understand the present you must learn about its past.  My first record label job was at Ichiban Records, home of MC Breed, Clarence Carter and Kilo…what a combination of music!  We were fueled in those days by artists that were authentic to their respective lifestyles.  Bass music was a phenomenon, not fueled by Celebrity Rappers walking into clubs at 2AM to stay in the VIP and collect their final payouts.  Atlanta’s urban culture was not built on Rappers, just like our northern brothers and sisters, it was built on DJ’s and MC’s.  Mr. Collipark has had much success with his Soulja Boy project and the Yin Yang Twins but how many Atliens or others worldwide know that the Yin Yang Twins member D Roc had one of the biggest “bass music” songs of all time THE BANKHEAD BOUNCE in 1993.  And Mr. Cameo… Mr. CEO…MR Collipark himself was once a man named DJ Smurf who had records like “Ohh Lawd”.  There are others out there like Devyne Stephens who are now more known for discovering Akon and driving Phantoms than for simply being one of the best damn dancers and choreographers of all time.  These men had celeb status in their teens and have built empires off of the hard work that first started with the “narrated beat and the above all else…the dance.”  AND HERE LIES THE SECRET IN THIS ENTRY, TO THE YOUNG KIDS OUT THERE WHO PLAY THE LOTTERY OBSESSIVELY, WHO PRACTICE 30 MIN AND ARE ON PLAYSTATION 3HOURS, I BEG YOU… JUST PUT IN THE WORK, DEVELOP YOUR CRAFT, BE RELENTLESS IN YOUR PURSUIT AND MAYBE I WILL BE WRITING ABOUT YOU IN TEN YEARS.   I am filming for my upcoming project THE JUMPOFF, looking for dancers old and new, the time is now for our city to have its “Rise”.  I am a native of Atlanta, a filmmaker and I am committed to the DREAM that got us all here.  “We Started This and We are Gonna Finish It!”  Just check out the exciting clip below!

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