Submitted a few months later than expected, Boutzie finally sends us the visual to her single “Intoxico” featuring Baltimore artist Flu_X and Jimmy Apoet.
We know her best for her interview in our Doc’s Castle Media Blogger’s Rundown, where she lets us in on the journeys of her blog. Now the owner of Rebellious Rebel goes even further with showing us another one of her talents. Could Ms. Brianna Ragler have the potential of being an entertainer, too?
Located on the Dugout Dojo YouTube channel, the Boutzie single can be spotted. “Intoxico” was recorded at the Dugout Dojo Studios in 2014, and later was featured on Doc’s Castle Media as a Doc’s Thumbs Up Music Highlight. In more recent months the video was published under War Drumz Audio Art social media channels, which reminded us that we didn’t get to see the video in its original release. But there are no worries because we have it here, today.
Intoxico lets viewers in on the minds of people who use outside substances to cope with life’s blips and blunders. When life takes you on a ride down its crazed highway, intoxication is what keeps us from going under and drowning in its misery. Intoxico is where the intoxicated float on life’s edge.
Boutzie dances sensually to sounds produced by Jimmy Apoet. The video was directed and edited by videographer and recording artist Flu_x. This single is a work of art pieced together by each of these artists.
The visuals for Intoxico gives us a little of the reality of life when we’re afraid of choices. It shows how we naturally want to choose the easier choice out of life’s woes. Whether it be drugs, partying, or promiscuity, we subject ourselves to intoxication to decompress from the harshness of life.
What do you think? In a life so Intoxico, how do you cope with life woes? Tell us in the comments below.
Did you know Taylor “Doc” Walker released a mixtape in 2015 produced at the Dugout Dojo Studios? Listen to Songs From Da Dugout on Doc’s Castle Media.
This post was carefully selected for our #PrayforLove series because it addresses the meaning of love in intimate relationships. This excerpt was found on Facebook.com by Jepoy Pakundo.
During a seminar, a woman asked,” How do I know if I am with the right person?”
The author then noticed that there was a large man sitting next to her so he said, “It depends. Is that your partner?” In all seriousness, she answered, “How do you know?” Let me answer this question because the chances are good that it’s weighing on your mind replied the author.
Here’s the answer.
Every relationship has a cycle… In the beginning; you fall in love with your partner. You anticipate their calls, want their touch, and like their idiosyncrasies. Falling in love wasn’t hard. In fact, it was a completely natural and spontaneous experience. You didn’t have to DO anything. That’s why it’s called “falling” in love.
People in love sometimes say, “I was swept of my feet.”Picture the expression. It implies that you were just standing there; doing nothing, and then something happened TO YOU.
Falling in love is a passive and spontaneous experience. But after a few months or years of being together, the euphoria of love fades. It’s a natural cycle of EVERY relationship.
Slowly but surely, phone calls become a bother (if they come at all), touch is not always welcome (when it happens), and your spouse’s idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute, drive you nuts. The symptoms of this stage vary with every relationship; you will notice a dramatic difference between the initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or even angry subsequent stage.
At this point, you and/or your partner might start asking, “Am I with the right person?” And as you reflect on the euphoria of the love you once had, you may begin to desire that experience with someone else. This is when relationships breakdown.
The key to succeeding in a relationship is not finding the right person; it’s learning to love the person you found.
People blame their partners for their unhappiness and look outside for fulfillment. Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes.
Infidelity is the most common. But sometimes people turn to work, a hobby, friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances. But the answer to this dilemma does NOT lie outside your relationship. It lies within it.
I’m not saying that you couldn’t fall in love with someone else. You could. And TEMPORARILY you’d feel better. But you’d be in the same situation a few years later.
Because (listen carefully to this):
The key to succeeding in a Relationship is not finding the right person; it’s learning to love the Person you found.
SUSTAINING love is not a passive or spontaneous experience. You have to work on it day in and day out. It takes time, effort, and energy. And most importantly, it demands WISDOM. You have to know WHAT TO DO to make it work. Make no mistake about it!
Love is NOT a mystery. There are specific things you can do (with or without your partner), Just as there are physical laws Of the universe (such as gravity), there are also laws for relationships. If you know how to apply these laws, the results are predictable.
Love is therefore a “decision”. Not just a feeling.
Remember this always: God determines who walks into your life. It is up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let GO! ♥
This Facebook post was published in April 2013. Three years ago these words were written and continue to go viral on the social site today. There’s a reason this post continues to circulate online. So many people agree with what the author had to say. Love is a decision many people must learn if they’re willing to sacrifice a part of themselves to keep them happy and a part of your life.
What do you think? Do you agree with the author? Tell us how you view love and relationships in the comments below.
It’s one year after the ISIS terrorist attack on Paris. News outlets from around the world are giving their annual recap of what has changed since the attacks. Many still live in fear of what happened that night as over 130 people were killed from acts of terrorism enacted by ISIS. It became one of the deadliest attacks the country has faced in many years and the country is still working to recover from the eerie night.
In my Facebook memories, I was reminded of the tragedy and how it affected many people around the world. My social media timelines looked divided while people argued over whether to change their profile pictures to the French flag. People screamed about such coverage by our news stations in America covering those attacks as being a distraction from issues happening around our country. There was a fear that if people paid more attention to issues outside of the nation rather than the issues within, America would continue to fall by the wayside like there wasn’t enough compassion to go around. There was a lot of bickering between folks trying to persuade others on how they should feel about terrorism.
Experiencing the social effects of the Paris attacks brought me to the realization that many people are selective in what they choose to have empathy towards. I went on to share my thoughts on Facebook about what I believe could help us move past the grief. What I expressed to my Facebook friends is still relevant so I thought I’d share it again on Doc’s Castle Media as the first excerpt to #PrayForLove series, which is 8-months overdue. (haha) The attacks on Paris also was my motivation to start #PrayforLove.
Drawing by Alissa Fere. Nov. 13, 2015
Doc’s Facebook Post:
I see everyone’s point that’s being made about the Paris attacks yesterday. There are no right and wrong answers or statements, here. These are all opinions. I’m happy it has people talking about violence and making everyone think of ways to reduce these issues.
Actions are louder than words, and what these attackers are doing is making everyone speak! That is an action! It’s starting there. But we need to speak these thoughts so loud enough that it provokes people to make a move. We should talk about all the problems we’re facing in the world today so much it’s sickening; that it makes someone want to do better and it makes someone want to Lead as an example. We should challenge ourselves every time we hear about these horrendous acts to LOVE and to not argue who’s right or wrong! Talk about love. Love our neighbors, families, co-workers, pedestrians, strangers, and friends so we can BE BETTER people. Let the thoughts of being better people consume us every day by acknowledging every problem in the world and doing the opposite of what’s expected. There is no distraction from anything!
Y’all make me laugh saying this is a distraction from other stuff happening. Do y’all only want to focus on only one thing or something? Are y’all not capable of seeing more than one issue at a time? Is one place more important than the other? Who makes the decision on what is more deserving of everyone’s attention? It doesn’t even matter because change starts in the mind and body. It starts from within ourselves. It starts with a simple understanding of a word. It starts with understanding the meaning of Love.
The distraction is when you choose to think you’re right and someone else is wrong, and then y’all arguing about it, completely missing the point, and displaying the total opposite of what love really means. Get it together! Respect and love everyone, period.”
With that being said, there should be an exception to love.
How did you feel about the Paris attacks last year? Were you one of the many who changed their profile picture on Facebook to the French Flag? Leave your thoughts below.
Every Halloween, I have to go all out and do my best to dress up as whatever the hottest trend of the year may be at the moment. For 2016, I decided to be the loveable Tina Belcher from Bob’s Burgers.
Photo by Google Images
In Doc’s Castle Media history, I’ve dressed as some pretty questionable characters; as “ratchet girl” and “Tyler, the champion of courage.” This year I took an easier approach to finding a costume, partly because I procrastinated on buying the costume I really wanted, which was Donald Trump’s musty toupee. But I mainly ran with the idea of being Tina because I knew everyone would “get me” for simply being her.
Bob Burger’s has taken the Fox Network by storm. The show is on its 7th season, and it’s going strong holding it’s 7:30 pm ETA spot Sunday evenings on Fox with other longer running shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy.
Everyone loves Tina Belcher because she is so weird but absolutely loveable. How could anyone not love her? A Tina fan cannot help but root for her as she lusts over Jimmy Junior for a lengthy 7 seasons. Or how about when she’s put in charge as baby sitter of her two younger siblings Jean and Louise? We just know that something is bound to go down because of her leniency to care about the consequences of her actions while horseplaying with her little brother and sister. Tina can be confused as the responsible one, but she’s just as fun as the rest of the Belcher family.
When I went out for Halloween as this spunky teen, I received so many compliments. Whether it be that I nailed her look or people confessed their love for her character on the show, everything was so positive. Those kind of reactions make me love participating in Halloween. It’s the only time of the year someone can dress up as anything and not be rejected by their peers for it.
Awesome!
It wasn’t enough to simply dress like Tina. I have to share my Three Awesome Reasons I’m Glad I Choose to Be Tina Belcher for Halloween, of course! So here it goes…
If I had to choose role model of a cartoon character from what we know to be an adult cartoon, Tina Belcher would have to be the best candidate. Unlike Haley Smith from American Dad and Meg Griffin from Family Guy, Tina Belcher doesn’t try to be beyond her age. She’s only 13 years old, that’s around middle school years, while Haley and Meg are a few years older and well off in high school. Tina doesn’t annoy us with bickering hatred or whiney slurs towards her parents like the stereotypical television teenager. In place of that, is a burning yearning curiosity and imagination; something we never want to die within ourselves. She keeps any kid who’s spectating down to earth in a reality suitable for their age.
Two: No matter how weird Tina may be, she always ends up being true to herself.
This analogy can actually be addressed to Tina’s entire family, but to remain focused, Tina does this exceptionally well to be only a preteen. When dealing in shenanigans with her frenemy Tammy, she always unbothered with Tammy’s insults. She fails to get embarrassed easily whenever in a moment of uncertainty. But if there is a time she’s feeling threatened emotionally, it’s only for a split second as Tina is reminded by her Belcher family of her greatness. It’s amazing, and also makes Tina more funny because it’s like she has blinders on whenever a moment you’d expect her to react go completely left field. It’s those periods when she shows us how to remain true to ourselves. She leaves us with the message that being real with ourselves makes us happier, always.
Three: Tina is an aspiring author.
Tina is a writer, just like me! Tina spends her time writing erotic fan fiction about herself, her biggest crush, and her friends in her journals. She keeps her erotic stories in her composition notebooks with aspirations to share her work with peers one day. I can relate to her unyielding ambition because I journal too. Tina being a writer fit so perfectly for me because I can still take on role-playing her and carry my journal along the way if I need to jot something down.
Tina is the new sexy in these three ways so much so animators should model their future characters off of her spunk. What do you say? Who’s your favorite Belcher? Tell us in the comments below.
MDMA Cobain is back from hibernating under a rock and ready to give us his best and very long overdue radio voice with his new podcast #CutThaCheck. His show is bigger, better and brighter this time as MDMA Cobain provides us with new talent from artists in the DMV and more music by the most talented of Baltimore’s barrel.
MDMA Cobain, better known as Frank the host of this quite swanky show, gives us the jewels with his first podcast from his new series with co-host RonRoc, music producer of the MDMA Lifestyle Brand. In this interview, we become familiar with Baltimore Blogger Shae McCoy, hip-hop duo HollidayShellz, and MDMA Lifestyle artist Relloe1489.
What keeps me so intrigued with MDMA Cobain’s branding techniques is his unique parodies that come along with the show. During #CutThaCheck, we hear a parody about a woman who is “Clique Bait,”which is a female who’s been around town if you catch my drift. Usually the music shared on Frank’s podcasts are artist’s originals, but you’ll hear the occasional Juicy J, Project Pat or rapidly emerging Flatbush Zombies via the podcast, as well.
So what do you think about this new local show? We surely hope to hear and see more from the MDMA Lifestyle brand. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
For you to keep up with the MDMA Lifestyle music follow their soundcloud, here.
At 11:30 AM, the rally outside of the convention was scheduled to begin and was reported by news outlets such as Fox 45 News and WJZ CBS Baltimore. Though Trump was not expected to speak during the convention until 1 PM, all the action took place on public property in front of the National Guard Convention.
Across from Pratt Street on the opposite side of the Convention Center stood the Trump Supporters with their vote Trump and “Make America Great Again” signs. There they stood, a group of majority white-collared professionals sprinkled in with a few ignorant rednecks who arrived in a white and blue school bus, foreign to natives of the city. Adjacent to their street corner of choice at the intersection of Charles and Pratt Street, stood the hopeful and high-spirited protesters with their many signs expressing their freedoms of speech.
For a total of four hours, the groups battled to get their points across. Trump supporters reciting policies that Trump promises to implement once in the office while protesters chant “Fuck Trump.” The atmosphere was at odds.
For the most part, the rally held Monday morning was peaceful. But as expected, there were Trump supporters who became too passionate and chose to resort to violence to get their message across. One supporter hopped on his bicycle riding at full speed towards the protesters in hopes his salivating mouth would gain its relief, as he aimed halt spit in the direction of a protester’s face. He did not succeed. Baltimore City police officers intervened pulling the Trump supporter away from the crowd.
The heat was on the moment protesters viewed police officers protecting the supporters instead of being the protectors of everyone. Even while Trump supporters aggressively wiggled their way towards protesters, Baltimore police continued to remind the day’s freedom fighters to remain calm and away from the Trump supporters. Frustrated by this, the majority of Protesters left the opposing corner of Charles and Pratt to be on the same side of the street where Trump Supporters stood.
For the remainder of the event, a political whirlwind rested between Bank of America and Baltimore Convention Center until crowds died down. Trump was never spotted.
Donald Trump did not speak publicly to crowds outside the convention center. But he was spotted in Dundalk Baltimore, MD on social media.
How do you think Donald Trump should have responded to the rally that took place outside of the Baltimore Convention Center? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Today’s YTube Alert is a viral video that most of you might have already viewed on Facebook. This is the full video of Elizabeth and Sabrina from the Lizzy Wurst YouTube Channel eating the world’s hottest pepper.
I don’t know where this phase of completing challenges to post for people to watch online came from. But as far as I can remember, it’s been the craze since 2014. Even I have taken the time to complete a challenge to bring awareness towards a deserving issue. Associate editor of Doc’s Castle Media and author of Hide and I’ll Seek Blog Series Kendyl Walker challenged me to the Ice Bucket Challenge in respects of those who are battling for a cure for ALS.
These challenges are very fun to do and it’s a great way to get a message across for important topics. But some challenges can go too far and could cause serious harm if people aren’t careful with what they’re doing. I’ll never forget when the fire challenge suddenly became the craze on the Internet.
This week I spotted a video going viral of two young girls completing a challenge to try the world’s hottest pepper. The world’s hottest pepper is the Carolina Reaper Pepper. It originated in Rock hill, South Carolina and was named the world’s hottest pepper August 7, 2013 by Guinness World Record.
In the video, Elizabeth and Sabrina each take a bite of the raw pepper and immediately catch the shock of a lifetime. It may be a shock that they surely regretted.
If you haven’t checked out this funny channel, you’re missing out. These girls spend their days completing many challenges. I think their challenge to take on the Carolina Reaper is their funniest video, yet.
What was the crazy challenge you watched on YouTube? Comment them below.
The Bmore Beat Club lit the corner of Charles Street and North Avenue over the weekend with their 2nd Annual Celebration at The Ynot Lot. Hundreds gathered at the lot participating in festival activities by watching producers, rappers, and MC’s collaborate in a hip-hop experience unique to Baltimore’s Art Scene.
Bmore Beat Club is an open mic organized by The Lineup Room with a purpose of bridging relationships between MCs and producers. It’s not your commonly found Open Mic in Baltimore, either. At BBC, producers bring their best compositions to the forefront while rappers reveal their true lyricism in collaboration with producer’s beats. Everything is done on stage in front hip-hop fans. This unique experience takes you back to a time when hip-hop was first birthed in New York City, but BBC delivers with its own Bmore twist.
Over the weekend, locals made cameo appearances in celebration of BBC’s second year running. Baltimore artists such as DDM, Icon Tha God, Chase Ultra, Doowy Lloh, Donnie Breeze, and many more graced Ynot’s corner with a fiery presence and lots of thriving energy. The night’s turnout was beyond what was expected, and the crowd welcomed the raw talent with love and respect.
It was just a tiny hump during the show, but The Lineup Room continued to prevail. There were miniature electrical malfunctions that may have stolen 10 minutes of the festival’s time. But evening’s innovators turned downtime into time travel, as rappers quickly formed a circle center of the crowd sparking an old school cypher. It was a spectacular save, and the night was at hip-hop’s original state, once again.
At that moment, the turn-up became real and electrifying performances of talent from different corners of the city showed everyone what they had to offer. In seeing all the positivity, there was no doubt the open mic was a success.
The Lineup Room awarded the winner of the open mic with an EP record deal, 100 CDs, music video, and public relations services. A great package for the determined and goal-driven recording artist.
The open mic ended promptly at 11 PM, but the celebration was far from over. Bmore Beat Club after party was held at The Crown, just 3 doors down from The Ynot Lot. So event-goers could mingle some more and not make huge commutes outside of the Station North art grounds.
Each year, Writers in Baltimore School recruit middle and high school students into a one- week summer reading and writing program to help promote proficient reading and writing skills within Baltimore City Urban youth. To end their annual closing ceremony this year, the student’s mentors and writing coaches encouraged students to read projects they worked on throughout the summer to their family and friends a Red Emma’s Bookstore and Coffeehouse on North Avenue.
Students took turns performing front and center at Red Emma’s mic to recite their best work on various topics. Beautiful and thought-provoking pieces on subjects such as love, respect, and inspiration. Some students even opened up to sharing their thoughts on deeper topics like heartbreak, death, and injustice. These youngsters showed their versatility with words.
The students of Writers in Baltimore School let their listeners in on what’s happening in their heads. While listening to this talented group’s thoughts, I had to take a step back and admire what these kids were contributing. As adults, we can easily overlook what these students care about. We forget that the decisions that our society makes affects them, as well. Hearing the stories and poems of how these students felt about their communities and culture stuck with me.
Our children’s future matters. They’re our decision-makers for how we will live later down the line. So what happens in our society should make enough sense for them to understand because they live in cohabitation with the rest of us. I sometimes wonder how these kids end up getting the short end of the stick from the adults who make the decisions for them? To think when we make decisions to discontinue grading homework in our Baltimore County Schools or when we abolish after school programs and recreational centers because of lack of funding, how it can do more harm, than good. Writers In Baltimore School programs bring us back full circle in reminding us that the youth is who matters.
Writer’s In Baltimore’s mission as stated on their Facebook page states:
“WBS seeks to provide middle school students with a vibrant environment for literary development through in-school, afterschool, and summer creative writing workshops taught by Baltimore writers and college students. Compared to higher income peers, the reading assessment scores of low-income Baltimore students drop significantly between grades 5-8. WBS believes that by supplementing low-income students’ middle school language arts learning with an intensive program in literary reading and creative writing, these students can enter high school with a renewed interest in literature. WBS steps in where the traditional language arts classroom falls short by giving students a smaller, more participatory setting to hone reading and writing skills.”
It could be cliché for me to say this quote, but I can wholeheartedly attest there is truth behind the phrase, “Reading is fundamental.” Reading can take a person places they’ve never been. It can make people experience things they’ve never done, and provide opportunities once someone unlocks knowledge from the pages read. While listening to the students talk of the summer books they read, and of the short stories and poems they wrote, I learned what each individual had experienced personally. I believed their summer classes changed them in a way that helped them grow. The experience was fundamental.
Writers In Baltimore Schools hold a variety of workshops; in-school, after school, song-writing, and theater themes. Would you say programs like WBS are helping our community and youth? Share your thoughts below.
Self-starter journalists from around the Baltimore and DC Metropolitan area came together for a 3-day weekend conference to share knowledge and resources at the first annual When The Press Link Up event at the University of District of Columbia in Washington, DC. The event was held as a networking gathering for underground media to come together and share tips for how they create content, share stories, and build a brand following.
The event was hosted and organized by journalist and owner of PRWiz, LLC, Mindy Jo. According to the event’s website:
“The purpose for When the Press Link Up is for aspiring and current social media enthusiasts and entrepreneurs to gather, network, and engage in dialogue. An opportunity to learn new techniques through educational workshops, awhile enhancing current creative content productions. The goal of When the Press Link Up is to establish a scholarship fund to aid Media Arts students in the United States, along with assisting Teach for Madagascar nonprofit education program.”
The conference was a very resourceful opportunity that Doc’s Castle Media took part in. I was the welcomer for Saturday’s festivities. So I opened the event greeting everyone and sharing my thoughts on the current climate in Baltimore since the death of Freddie Gray, and since charges been dropped in his case in late July. I also shared a few words about Baltimore’s new addition to police brutality victimization, Korryn Gaines.
Attending When The Press Link Up was an eye-opening experience. It brought me to the realization that though we all come from different places, there are similar problems occurring in our neighborhoods. We must work together to try to report a truth that will bring positive change. Most journalists in attendance were chasing stories off pure passion and weren’t getting compensated for any of it. That tells me most journalists that attended are like me. It’s good to know that I’m not the lone wolf working to make a change simply through writing about it. There are more people willing to go above and beyond to share all sides of a story, rather than the side that’ll gain profit.
Events like When The Press Link Up brings us together to brainstorm ways of resolving community issues. Days prior to the conference, a victim of police brutality Korryn Gaines was killed in Baltimore County, Maryland. During When The Press Link Up, underground media discussed meetup spots in Baltimore where they could get involved with what was happening to help her family and friends protect her story. Most importantly, the journalist discussed how to listen out for clues to tackle stories by large media outlets who provide us with information. We learned to determine the difference between having information fed through mass media to represent “fact” versus being shared to form an opinion within the community. We networked and congregated on our perceptions of what we believed to be true journalism. The event seemed to have met its mission purpose.
I was a little disappointed in the turnout. There weren’t enough people there that registered for the conference who wasn’t already a creator or entrepreneur of their own brand. Everyone I met already knew the basics of building a social media brand. Similar to my early years of blogging when I saw nothing but the performers in venues with a small audience, the conference room that housed When The Press Link Up was as deserted as open mic night at local Baltimore arts venue on Charles Street The Depot. Yet again, I was at another event where there’s a lack of support from the community? It did nothing but bring my frustrations towards a society that does not support what’s going on around them because of their lack of community awareness. It’s always the events that have the potential to bring societal change that gets overlooked.
According to PRWiz, LLC, this will not be the only time When The Press Link Up will happen. The event will be held again in the future for more media entrepreneurs to share their experience in media. I hope that I’ll be invited to the next one, and there’ll be a larger audience yearning to gain new knowledge of what it takes to be an underground social media journalist.
Do you follow any social media journalist on your social media sites? List a few that you know in the comments below.
