Natural is Beautiful Expo goes to a whole new level by allowing their event goers access to a special field trip to their 3rd Annual Natural is Beauty Expo in New York via coach bus!
It’s just a few bucks to spend the day in the Big Apple. The expo is held smack in the middle of Times Square at the Marriot Marquis. Spend the day away from home while continuing to embrace your natural beauty. How about it this July 19th? For more Ticket information, make sure you check out their official Natural is Beautiful Events website.
I attended the Natural Hair Care Expo held in April 2014 and really enjoyed myself. To read more about my experiences, make sure to read 2014 Baltimore Natural Hair Care Expo on Doc’s Castle Media.
Now let’s learn to be more politically correct here. Knowing that the majority of my audience are 20-something-years-olds, a lot of the people I carry a conversation with lack awareness for what’s really happening in the media. Just the other day, I asked one of my friends were they going to vote and they didn’t realize there was an election going on. Now that’s a problem. That exact incident weighed heavy on my mind at last night event as I attended The Real News Network’s studio grand opening.
It was such a nice little shindig. Multiple people took part in the celebration and opening of the year old independent online news site in downtown Baltimore, MD. From rappers, noteworthy guest speakers, poets and even a special appearance from actor/film director Danny Glover, we all came together on one night to recognize what’s really important while streaming our concerns to the rest of the world from the Real News Network website. We’re came together to show that we care about our community’s well being. Along with the extravagance of being blessed with the presence of some very important faces, we still participated in celebrating something that I love so much, hip-hop. It was a very good night.
I saw some familiar faces, too…
As I attended the grand opening, I wrangled up a few important messages that caught my ear. The messages constantly being pushed at last night function by the keynote speakers were
“we should participate in what’s happening in our communities,”
“we should become the government that we want instead of bashing what we have,”
“we should always love who we are,” and
“we should work hard to become who we are and not let anyone stop us from doing what we love.”
With every speaker and performance, there was a sense of power that came with their presence; the kind of power that makes you want to leave from the event and create a masterpiece of your own. You can’t tell me I wasn’t ready to go write an opinion essay after I left out of there. My notebook gained 4 more pages worth of “scrap literature.” Praise be to the motivation!
I look forward to learning more about The Real News Network. It’s still pretty fresh to me. But when something is unfamiliar, I don’t hesitate to learn more about it. I’m thinking of a way to somehow volunteer my services for them. They’ve also mentioned the need for a lot of help from people in the community so you should find your place in getting involved with The Real News Network, as well.
Take a stand! The Real News Network will also be having their part 2 to their grand opening tonight. If you’re seeking to get involved sooner opposed to later, go check ‘em out! RSVP at the Real News Network’s event page on Facebook and follow the address below:
235 Holliday Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
Have you attended any of the Beet Trip events? Read Beet Trip is the New Wave on Doc’s Castle Media.
Finally! I have a new YTube Vid of the Week! It’s been a minute.
This week’s video was done by local hip-hop artist Solution. He’s come with some good ole spoken word.
Hip-hop artist Solution, reappears from his music hiatus with the release of his new spoken word “Footprints of a Mother.” This new release is a dedication to all mothers who have left lasting impressions on the lives of their children. Solution is currently working on a separate project expected to release later this year.
Honestly, this video should have been posted on Doc’s Castle Media around Mother’s Day. But would it have caught your attention today if I posted this video around the time that everyone published something about their mother? Uhh, no! SO…I had to be different, of course, and post a month and some days afterwards. Ha-ha. Are you still thinking about mom? You should be.
Never forget about mom! Do you love your mom? Comment with something nice you’d like to say to your mom in the comments below.
I can’t sit still for anything. Maybe that’s a good thing. But I always have to do something to occupy my time. It’s how I started writing blogs. It’s how I found all the internship experience in branding and marketing. It’s how I’ve decided how I want to complete certain things in life. While accomplishing all these opportunities while I’m young, I’ll be able to have lots of stories to share when I’m older. It’s what’s considered living!
Last week, I got some thinking done and I randomly thought about creating a bucket list for myself to keep my mind occupied from being idle. I did some research before making my list when searching the web. The Internet makes it seem like it wasn’t a bad idea.
What is a bucket list?
For the many people who are unsure of what a bucket list is, I want to address the basics to you. It’s a list of goals you’d like to complete in your lifetime. A list of things that you’ve always thought were possible for you to do before you die. When I watch television shows or movies, whatever I’m watching usually gives off the intent of a person making a bucket list when they’re close to death. Well, I’m not close to death. Why wait until then? I already know a lot of what I want to accomplish now.
I do not have any serious sickness. I just wish to live a more fulfilling life while I can.
Doc’s Bucket List
First, my plan to make a bucket list was about trying to do things before 2014 comes to an end. I don’t believe I can do that with my list. It’s a bit much. It is a list that needs to be done before I die, most definitely. I have a list for starters that I may eventually add more to. Currently, there’s only one thing I’ve scratched off of my list. Take a look…
I’ll get all of these things done! Eventually, I want to do everything, preferably before I have children and get married. Ha-ha! I can make it happen. As I complete whatever is on my bucket list, I want to keep my readers up to date on what’s being completed. So stay tuned to my post about my bucket list as time progresses.
Alright, everyone is a rapper. I know, I know. I guess you’ll throw me into the mix after you finish hearing my track that was released Friday evening May 30, 2014 (My Birthday).
When it comes to expressing myself, I sometimes need to find new ways of releasing how I feel about something. I have to let things be known creatively. I’ve always experimented with different techniques. While growing up, it can be said that I could be caught journaling, drawing, dancing, writing poetry, writing songs, creating clubs, or joining clubs. I’ve always had to stay active. As you know now, I’ve made a bucket list of tasks to complete.
These past two weeks, I’ve been dabbling in writing a song because it was a task on my bucket list. I’ve always wanted to write my own song, as if I was making a soundtrack for my life. I watch music videos on television sometimes and think that I have the skills to create something like it. So I made a song so that I could make a music video, too. Yay!
Jose (Liquor Talkin) is a page out of the diary of Taylor Walker, a song about an event in my life that I wanted to creatively express my thoughts about. There was no biting my tongue when it came to writing it. It was exactly how I felt about something I believed to be inhuman. It was my first time recording a song and I discovered talents about myself I didn’t know I had.
I have bars! That was surprising.
I may be writing more songs. I have a lot of things that I want to get off my chest that blogging won’t be able to fulfill. So, I guess, I’m making music until I find something new to experiment with. It’s fun.
One thing off of my bucket list is complete. Time to move on to the next!
The Baltimore city’s music scene is getting bigger and bigger by the day. I’m not saying this because everyone seems to want to be a rapper these days, but because if you really indulge in the hip-hop scene, you’ll learn that there are some really gifted individuals taking apart in something worth sharing about. Two of those very gifted individuals are this week’s Music Highlight.
The Mighty Third Eye are two sibling rappers, who are freshly new to the Baltimore hip-hop scene. They caught my attention sometime last month when I attended an open mic night and was granted a T-Shirt from one of the members, Divine King, during their performance. He definitely gave his shirt to the right person because it wasn’t too far after I approached The Mighty Third Eye about being today’s feature.
I met with the two at Terra Cafe, which was also my first time dining in the local restaurant. (I’ll talk about my dining experience another day because the food was good y’all.) But once I met up with them, we kicked it and I learned a lot about these Milwaukee natives. We chatted about their start as a duo rap group, the type of music they consider themselves to make, Love Truth’s view on women in the industry, and much, much more.
I started my interview by asking the two how they began. It came to be that the both of them already were writers growing up. But Divine King, while inspired by NWA, began rapping in high school with his friends. He often made beats as a hobby, as well. It wasn’t until 3 years ago; he would faithfully send beats he made to his sister Love Truth for review. At the time, Love Truth was into writing poetry rather than the art of rap. But she expressed that from life’s obstacles and tribulations, she was inspired to begin writing over beats her brother orchestrated. After a while, it became a thing they loved to do, or as they say “it kind of happened organically,” it wasn’t planned at all.
If you were to hear a Mighty Third Eye track, you’d be reminded of “soul-hop,” hip-hop music with a hint of conscious meaning that reaches the inner soul. Artists whom I would consider in this category of music would be Lauren Hill, Mos Def, or the Roots. They have a sound of which I believe has run scarce in the industry, today. As I’ve mentioned to them that their music reminds me of music from the 90s, they’ve expressed that many others have placed them in the same genre. Divine King wouldn’t want to say they focus on a specific era of music though many compare their music to artist from the 90s. Their aim is to deliver a certain message and to add value to the culture. Both aren’t too fond of the “turn up” music that’s so often promoted in the music industry, so they see the 90s comments from others as compliments because it’s an era of music they enjoy, and an era of music they take pride in listening to.
Female MCs are hard to come by in the Baltimore Hip-Hop Scene? Males dominate the culture but women still find ways to form a presence. As I went on expressing how I rarely see female rappers at open mics in Baltimore, the conversation led into a discussion about females and how they carry themselves in the industry. I asked Love Truth if there was reason for why she chooses to represent herself the way she does; in a conservative-simple manner. She went on to say “I don’t feel compelled to sell sex through my music. I feel like I’m going to shine no matter what. I don’t feel I have to use my body to get somebody’s attention because my intelligence and other things are going to be able to carry that.” She’s aware that she’s entering into a male dominated industry and believes there are choices people make to represent themselves the way they do. Every choice has a consequence. She chooses the path that won’t exploit herself in ways that will make her feel uncomfortable living with those consequences. I believe that’s always the way to go!
I asked the Mighty Third Eye’s about the idea behind their logo. Love Truth explained it represents their name. I didn’t realize how obvious it was until they elaborated on the design. The logo is composed of three gold letter “I’s” and a black crescent moon. The colors represent the gods and the earth. The logo is both simple and thought-provoking, which I believe is the best way to go about having a logo because a person who’s viewing the design doesn’t have to dig any deeper into figuring it out; as if it’s a puzzle. Divine King and Love Truth just thought it was cool to have a something to represent them because Wu-Tang Clan did it. Why not?
The Mighty Third Eye set the pedestal as one of the most unique groups I’ve found to be active in the local hip-hop scene. How often is it that you see a rap duo who are twins? They deserve a lot of the support that’s given, if not more. I encourage anyone who’s looking for some new soul-hop to speak into their inner conscious, or rather anything worth listening to as they go about their day, to consider downloading The Mighty Third Eye’s album Let Em See. Add it to your hip-hop collection. Also, if you’d like to see them perform live, attend one of their shows held every Tuesday at St. Mary’s Restaurant’s for Love and Hip-hop Open Mic Night.
Here’s a submission from Baltimore native Tavvon Reynolds. He’s looking for people to vote for his animation to win a chance to air this Saturday on WNET New York Public Media Network. Let’s support this young artist reach his goal to have his featured on television.
To vote for Amulet, you must visit PBS Reel 13 at thirteen.org. You have until 5 pm est. time Wednesday, May 21, 2014 to get your votes in. So spend the rest of you day pushing that vote button on Reel 13! I will be.
I felt like I traveled back in time for a few hours to the 1980s yesterday, except there was a slight millennial twist in my Back To The Future moment. I attended for the first time Beet Trip, a beat and rap cypher event held at The Living Well, just few block north of Baltimore’s Station North Arts and Entertainment District. Last night’s event was Beet Trips 15th episode.
I wish I could have had the opportunity to grow up in the 80s to hear MCs battle it out in cyphers to human beat boxers. But the closest I could get to that was last night when I experience young Baltimore MCs form a circle while taking turns passing the mic to exchange freestyles to new age beats created by 3 star Bmore producers. I regret to have not grab such talented producers names or information. But I’m sure to be spotted at this event again. I definitely won’t make the same mistake. If you recognize anyone in any of these photographs, let them know that they’re now Doc’s Castle Media’s anonymous stars!
The atmosphere was, like I said, “old school with a new age twist” and the crowd was extremely exceptional for it to be held in an art gala like The Living Well. I assume Beet Trip was the absolute place to be if you’re big on attending Baltimore Hip-Hop events because I spotted plenty of familiar faces in the Baltimore Hip-Hop Scene. To name a few people:
Today, May 10, 2014, Howard University in Washington DC held their Spring 2014 commencement ceremony for their 2014 graduating class. Congratulations to all those lovely graduates who’ve conquered that major milestone. But what I really want to talk about is Howard University’s decision to choose Sean “P. Diddy” Combs as the honorary graduate for the ceremony.
The debate that’s been circulating since Howard announce that their keynote speaker was Diddy revolved around the idea that he didn’t complete college. But yet, he’s being honored with a doctoral degree in humanities. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? Diddy dropped out of school to pursue a career in the music industry. Obviously, he made history making such a big decision for himself.
But the real question is “Does this man deserve to be granted with such an acknowledgement or to even receive this honorary award at all?” People took to Twitter after hearing about the news expressing annoyance towards the school’s decision. One student wrote, “Can someone explain why Diddy, a person who never graduated from Howard, is speaking at graduation?” Another tweeted: “diddy is gonna make the commencement speech at Howard but what is he gonna say. ‘Well I dropped outta here & got rich but good luck (sic).” (Source)
Is this the way to react after hearing who’s your graduation keynote speaker? Come on now, it’s Diddy! He’s millions of people’s inspiration because he’s so successful.
I can see the frustration that many people are having with this guy becoming the spokesperson at their graduation. But I believe he deserves this award just as much as any of those graduates sitting in the audience. He graduated from the school of life by experiencing first hand the ends and outs of a dream he took head on. For many, that’s tougher than taking a couple of college courses.
In my post “What I Really Learned While In College,” I share my opinion about how I believe life experiences will teach you more than the classroom setting. It pushes you to learn for yourself and motivates you to do better when its something that you want to do. Sometimes, college is someone’s dream. But we really go to school to learn how to pursue a dream in a career we would enjoy doing maybe for the rest of our lives. So what really wrong with Diddy receiving a reward for achieving a goal he had while attending Howard University?
The real reason for why people are so bummed about this man getting this award is because he didn’t have to pay for all those years of schooling people would normally pay for a doctoral degree. But I say, mind your business because he paid it the right way. He paid by dedicating his time to what he believe is worth it. Anyone who’s going after what they want should be congratulated for perseverance. That’s not easy to do, especially when someones trying to work within a field like the music industry. If many people were granted with degrees for actually going after what they wanted and obtaining the level of success that deserves such recognition, don’t you think people will be more willing to learn more about whatever it takes to get to where they want to go? Knowledge should have never became something we must pay for, anyway.
Diddy made a way for himself to become successful without a structured system, like a university, telling him how to go about doing what he wants. What he did, by dropping out and going after his goals, is how I feel about getting a master’s degree. I believe I can be successful without it because I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get me where I want to be. If someone has the mental strength to achieve, they will.
So what I’m leaving you with is the thought: Is it really necessary to have degree if your field of work doesn’t require you to have one?Tell me in the comments below.
So the wheel that’s supposedly going to help clean Baltimore’s Inner Harbor for residents to fish and swim in was revealed to the public today. Here’s the picture that Baltimore’s Fox 45 News posted to their Facebook page.
Efforts to have the water swimmable and fishable are said to be complete by 2020. That’s SIX years away. The wheel will pick up litter floating down the Jones Falls River. The wheel is in part powered by sunlight and water. What do you think this new change will do for Baltimore?
I don’t know about anyone else, but I will never in my lifetime dip my caramel skin in that BLACK water. Water isn’t meant to be black. I hope the city will clean it as much as possible, but you will not find me swimming in that water. There’s a period during the year where I see nothing but dead fish surfacing that water. Boats that leak oil are stationed in that water. The harbor’s water alone sinks!
Growing up in Baltimore and seeing the water never look its original color may be tainting my ability to believe the chances of the harbor being clean is possible. If I see it’s coloration change during my lifetime, I will THINK about testing the waters though there’s no guarantee that’ll change my mind.
So what do you think? Will you take your chances with the Baltimore Inner Harbor in the year 2020? Leave your comments below. I’m betting I’m not the only one who’s hesitant.
