Ruminations with Rumi
Versed on November 23, 2008 by ja.nice
District Streets Covered
Poetic Paradise
Ode 314
Those who don’t feel this Love
pulling them like a river,
those who don’t drink dawn
like a cup of spring water
or take in sunset like supper,
those who don’t want to change,
let them sleep.
This Love is beyond the study of theology,
that old trickery and hypocrisy.
I you want to improve your mind that way,
sleep on.
I’ve given up on my brain.
I’ve torn the cloth to shreds
and thrown it away.
If you’re not completely naked,
wrap your beautiful robe of words
around you,
and sleep.
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Me and H.E.R - Hip Hop (pt 1)
Versed on January 27, 2008 by Free Will District Streets Covered
Virtuoso Verses
I could start the beginning - and speak about how we met, the first kiss, first time etc. While I will get to all that, I rather start at the end. Since we are currently at a cross road. In all honestly I’m fed up with her. I don’t know what happened, but ever since Common spoke about her until now - she’s changed in a way that even I can vouch for.
According to an article I agree with, the media uses her name the way that politicians and fear mongers used Nig…well you know, to scare the masses into agreeing with their respective message and keep things the way they ‘used to be’. Sadly its easy to see why. I don’t agree with how she’s portrayed and how only the negative images bubble to the forefront. Similar to anything else out there, there’s more than meets the eye. At first I thought - well maybe I’m getting old and just don’t get it. Similar to how people 5 - 10 years my senior felt in the 90’s when she was crossing over, getting more attention about going beyond the urban neighborhoods to majority America. Then I realized a few things. Its not me, cause I can still find new talent that I enjoy and find refreshing (though even they don’t respect the history of the game which is galling and upsetting). There just is a ton of garbage out there. I also realized that any time some thing negative happened - she just happened to be in the middle of it.
If someone black and to a lesser extent Hispanic was involved and it was not considered to be acceptable by anyone’s standards - it became HER fault.
In retrospect maybe I should break this verse up into a few parts. Cause our history deserves a verse unto its own. Anyway - what exactly is my problem? Here’s my problem:
The death of the ‘album’. Mind you I’m not talking about the CD - thats a whole different verse for a different time. I’m talking about the artist inability to make a complete album. There was a time when I’d listen to a new album and like 3/4 of it. Today I can barely get through 3/4 of a song before I realize this shit is trash. No body makes classic albums any more - the conundrum is simple. In order to stay signed by a major you have move units - Today’s album buying population won’t even give you a second look unless you have a radio aired or viral video led single or your an established artist with a loyal beyond reasoning following. Therefore ringtone music is now the new focus. Being the best isn’t proven by having a universally accepted classic, but rather by saying your the best and having a hot ringtone out. bleh
The rise of the producer. While I wasn’t quite aware during the time of 2 turn tables and a mic - I was around for the time when the man behind the boards became almost more important than the man in front. With the internets the curtain has been lifted so that we know everyone alot better than we used to. So who your signed to, who’s doing the production and who your crew is matters almost more than the fucking song itself. I mean when did having a Dre beat mean a classic album? When did a former back up dancer who primarily experienced most of success with performers under 21 and under 5′5 become more important than the song itself. It may be my east coast bias, or just because I love poetry, but what you say is as if not more important than all the other bullshit around it. True great production can only enhance a song, but it isn’t everything.
While there are a few more I’m trying to hit on major points. And none is more major than the media ignoring the whole picture. While this doesn’t effect my love for H.E.R it doesn’t impact that image of those of us who love her. Its like Tip Drills of the world are the only thing that is hip hop
Its like nothing else exist? Is that the case or do we not want to recognize what else is out there. A question thats constantly raised by false leaders and the media is where is the positivity in Hip hop? All I can say is its right there, but yall refuse to see it.
Pt 2 coming soon..
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Desculpe…
Versed on October 23, 2007 by ja.nice District Streets Covered
Mingling Minds
My apologies for the extended and inexcusable absence. Issues regarding self-realignment came to surface and my focus was shifted a bit. But now I’m back.
So, what’s new? Aside from my struggle to learn Portuguese and drop the habits I’ve developed from Spanish and Italian, I’ve been glued to some alternative publications online that quench the thirst for fresh perspectives on life’s stories that’s come close to being stale at the hands of persistent pettifoggers. Fortunately, the discovery of two publications scooped me up from my slow descent into, what I hate to admit… apathy.
UTNE Reader: Thinking Ahead is a prize in more ways than one. UTNE doesn’t miss a beat and the articles echo the pulse taken by a cultural stethoscope that’s close to the heart of things. The reader compiles reprinted articles from a diverse collection of publications. Along with original articles that truly “think ahead,” the magazine dishes up the info on politics, food & health, music, art and culture.
The Sun Magazine should be a staple, a permanent fixture on desks, in libraries, in cars, in waiting rooms, on those pamphlet holders, in between reams of white copy paper and in purses/back pockets. The independent magazine publishes creative nonfiction and celebrates the extraordinary within the ordinary. The Sun gives life to personal stories and cultivates human relationships by spreading awareness and fostering understanding. How else can we learn about each other but by hearing out the stories that so many people have to tell (their story, their way.)
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Art in Motion: Life is Music
Versed on October 8, 2007 by The Rational Investor District Streets Covered
Art in Motion
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TRI Mingles with 3:10 to Yuma
Versed on September 9, 2007 by The Rational Investor District Streets Covered
Mingling Minds
Fair Decency Warning: This verse contains spoilers that reveal the movie’s ending. If you’re reading about a movie before you see it you’re wasting your money anyway. This verse assumes you saw the movie, if you don’t want to pay to watch it, get a girl to pay for you (like I did), or just watch the trailer below that tells you every damn thing important to the movie.
After finishing up with 3:10 to Yuma I had ample time to ponder the purpose of 3:10 to Yuma since I was waiting for my *CENSORED* to finish rearranging her makeup in the ladies room. Despite the environment I was pondering in (which was Downtown Disney, a place for mid-teens to waste their lives away and convince each other that they understand what ‘cool’ is), my mind fished for ideas like I was chilling with a fishing rod on my lap at Walden pond. First let me say that I am entirely biased towards Westerns and War movies. No other art medium and genre plays with the boundaries of morality as these films do.
So in the last sequences of the flick we learn that Ben Wade’s mama left him, a la Moses, with a Bible on his lap. While the movie brushed over this far too quickly, the rational mind can pick up the symbolism involved. You have a young bwoy Wade growing up with no moral compass other than the book in his lap. Several times in the movie Wade quotes the Bible with specific reference to Proverbs 21:2 “Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts.” So Wade believes morality is relative and that the Almighty is the only judge of his actions. He also has a strong disdain for pussies. Not the cats, but men who are weak-willed. He proves this disdain by shooting one of his gang members and toasting to the shooting by calling him weak. See, Wade hates pussies. Evans convinces Wade he’s not a pussy by not pussying out like the other pussies in the posse. So when Evans gets him to the train and Wade’s gang shoots the mark to pieces, Wade is given the “hands of god” (his gat) and mercs his entire crew. The big question is why? The small answer is his crew was a bunch of pussies that couldn’t stop a lame rancher from getting him to the train, and they still unloaded on him when his back was turned. Straight puss. The smaller answer is Wade hates pussies.
Wade was thinking with his heart, not his mind, to justify his “right” on the weigh scale of the Lord. Since he felt Evans was stronger willed and stronger hearted than his crew, they had no right to shoot him. Using the “hands of god” he separated right from wrong a la his proverbs verse.
On a side note, the movie makes sense being a western because westerners, at least I feel, have to deal with the loneliness of man roaming and trying to find himself in the desert. The prime canvas for fucking around with morality’s colors. Plus it would have been corny as hell seeing a modern day remake of this flick. What are they going to do, make Evans a disabled vietnam vet that joins the U.S. Marshalls? Corny. So kudos to the production team choosing for keeping it western. Jeers to the production team for allowing the psychopathic self-murdering Owen Wilson’s brother a role in the film.
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RIP Pavarotti
Versed on September 6, 2007 by ja.nice District Streets Covered
Virtuoso Verses
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Art in Motion: Mr. Rogers Convinces U.S. Senate to Keep Funds in PBS
Versed on August 26, 2007 by ja.nice District Streets Covered
Art in Motion
Magical.
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(Day) Trippin’ in L.A.
Versed on August 21, 2007 by ja.nice District Streets Covered
Mingling Minds, Art in Motion
I’ve never thought of Los Angeles as an exciting vacation destination spot. Unless you are privy to a lifetime membership to it’s various swanky socialite clubs, there are only a few places of value that the smog ridden place has to offer. 
I live no more than 20 minutes away from downtown but because of constant and heavy traffic into the city, only very special occasions actually compel me to go (i.e. shopping spree at fashion district.)
A visitor once said that once malls are erected in downtowns, everything starts to look the same as everything else and this is pretty much how I feel about Los Angeles. Somebody else also once said that “you ain’t shit unless you got money to shop” and around this neck of the woods, nothing is more true. As far as I know and for as long as I’ve lived here, there is really only one thing to do in L.A. and that is to shop. It’s shops after shops and a galore of more shops that vie for everyone’s attention here in the palm-tree-lined streets of this California metropolitan. There is no escaping the strip malls and rows of boutiques where overly-tanned orangelinos dwell. Well, when you’re on a beer budget, that is not the most exciting thing to do… more like the most torturous really.
Fortunately, my idea about L.A. was changed and this new perception was ushered in by a talented performer whom I had the pleasure to see at L.A.’s Grand Performances event. Last Saturday, a day trip to L.A. actually proved that the city has got some nice perks if one only cared to look. Alex Cuba and his band performed in downtown Los Angeles for free to crowds that truly represent the multifaceted quality of this diverse city. 
The event reminded me that Hollywood and Beverly Hills aren’t the only places in L.A. and that there are worthwhile cultural activities around that are far removed from the well known notion of L.A. superficiality. The best part was that it was free and the performers are really good. Guitar riffs and Afro-Cuban drum beats is perfect for any given sunny California noon. It was certainly a pleasant surprise and now I am actually looking forward to making some new discoveries in this old town.
Check out Grand Performances for more information about free performing arts events.
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A Modern Sonnet
Versed on August 21, 2007 by ja.nice District Streets Covered
Poetic Paradise
The following is an ode to that which is truly loved.
“Lost in the Darkness”/“Living without the Light”
by: Kriselda Bautista
I recall the days that I was younger
So foolish and naïve is how I felt.
Sat upon the couch, waiting in hunger
A situation waiting to be dealt.
I stood and walked into the other room
Adorned with food and all edible goods.
As I walked to the fridge my eyes saw doom
A sight that put me in a real bad mood.
Right there in front of me I saw no light.
The food within had spoiled to a rot.
I shut the door to rid me of the sight,
But still a stomach with food it had not.
I turned to the pantry, looked in the back
Reached in and grabbed myself and Easy-Mac.
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Water
Versed on August 8, 2007 by ja.nice District Streets Covered
Art in Motion
Written and directed by the talented and relentless Deepa Mehta, Water is a movie that is as endearing as it is powerful. The intertwining life stories of the women in colonial India in the 1930’s and under the tradition of widows living in ashrams, segregated and socially isolated, is the subject of Canadian director Mehta in this 2005 film. Production was stalled the first time around as conservative groups in India opposed the film due to what was perceived as anti-Hindu messages in the script. A number of items on the set were damaged due to incidents of hostility. Threats on the lives of the crew and Mehta herself forced the film to be shot in Sri Lanka instead.
The movie explores Hindu tradition and the toll it takes on the lives of three different women who each represent a quality to be admired in their quest to survive and find mere happiness in a place and time when it is increasingly difficult to reconcile what the heart feels and the mind believes.
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