free website hit counter Spiced Tea & Letters: September 2006

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Crazy Dream!

Okay, rarely do I share my dreams. Here is a crazy one.

I was on my way to the beauty salon to get my new growth twisted. So, I get there, sit in the chair and this West African dude comes out the back and begins to do my hair. There are no mirrors around so I dont see what he is doing. he finishes my hair and hands me a mirror. I look in the mirror and what do I see? He has combled all of my locs loose! My hair was bone straight. I was like, dude, why did you comb my locs out? I worked so hard to loc my hair, wassup?!?! And he simply said, I didnt like the way dreadlocs look on you. I was so heated that he combed my locs out, I began to beat him up. I got on my cell and called by my boys from the block so they can beat him up even more. I was so pissesd and sad. I tried to go to the party that I was planning to go to that night but I didnt want to show up with my hair loose and straight. I jumped in a cab and we drove across the Manhattan bridge and the driver let me off in Chinatown. Then I woke up. Strange.

Monday, September 25, 2006

Top 10 Ipod tunes

Here is my itunes ballad playlist top ten as of a few days ago - pre-ramadhan.

1. Je Vous Aime (I Love You) - Donny Hathaway
This song is amazing! I've been playing it over and over and over and over

2. Love Ballad - Jeffrey Osborne & L.T.D.
This is the epitome of a love song. I love his voice it is so robust and earnest. The guitar is just so right.

3. All For Love - Bilal
Bilal, please come back to SOBs and sing this song! Stared at the sun till it burned out m eyesight...

4. Baby Come to Me - Regina Belle
Sung like a women serious about lovin her man...great, great voice

5. Baby Come to Me - James Ingram and Patti Austin
Here is a duet that will stand the test of time. James Ingram is another king of the love song. Wouldn't you want him to sing to you?

6. Can't Let Go - Anthony Hamilton
Love the dude. This song is a healthy 'not letting go song', I can dig it

7. Can't Let Go - Mariah Carey
This song is very sad. But it has it's place. Don't listen to it when your down, it might make you do something real crazy... It's not like Anthony Hamilton's at all.

8. Holding Back The Years - Angie Stone
Angie stole the song, for real! A great remake. She broke...move over Mr. Simply Red...

9. Hypnotized - Linda Jones
Okay, I love love love 60s love ballads. Listen to this song, find it on Itunes or whatever. Listen to it day and night and tell me she isn't talking about the real deal

10. The Love We Had (Stays On My Mind) - The Dells
Another beautiful, sad, love song. Love it...

Friday, September 22, 2006

Passed Away

So, my friend passed away. 25 years old.

Eureka passed away Sept 6. One of my last memories of her was when we were at BranchBrook skating ring in Newark and I asked her if she was going to skate. Underneath it all, she was truly humble. That is the truth. A good heart.

My cousin passed on a few weeks ago. Last memories, eating french fries in the rain cause we didn't have the key to Ameenah's house and she wasn't home to let us in.

Saturday, September 16, 2006

South Africa's got that swing...

Seriously. I have heard jazz from all over the world: Sweeden, Hong Kong, Barbados, France but I am telling you that South Africa has got that swing! Brazilian samba and more recently bassa nova has a swing but it's a Brasilian swing, kinda like you have to educate yourself in their swing to fully understand it. It's beautiful when you hear it (João Donato & Deodato, etc...), it prompts you to do some research in order to fully understand, which is a good thing. What Fela was doing def has a swing, but, again it's an amalgamation of all these other things and if you want to understand it in deeper way, you need to educate yourself. But South Africa's swing, it's the most Black american swing I've heard outside of America. I was listening to my Sheer Sounds compilation CD and every song kicks ass! It just brought me back to Cape Town during the jazz festival when it seemed like all the buildings were swaying from side to side (like the Floetry music video) jazz does something to a city! But, still the South African's got that swing down pat, its like something in the water over there. Like the spirit of New Orleans has somehow rooted itself in the land. I don't know a South African jazz musician that I dont LOVE (RIP Moses Khumalo (suicide @ 26, whoa), I love u to death - bumping your music on the nano, you really represented for us 20 somethings carrying the torch of jazz) Even Marcus Wyatt is the man, him and his white chocolate trumpet playin self. I am dying to go back to Cape Town and Durban to check out some live shows, that was just amazing. Anyway, I'm just really appreciating South African jazz at the moment...

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Tupac RIP

Could you believe that Tupac was just 25 when he passed? 25. When he was alive he seemed ageless, there was something out of this realm about him, hard to describe, like he was otherwordly as a living being...

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

DVD addiction

Ever since I got this computer I've been watching DVDs. I love it. DVD's have been all i shop for lately. I order all the movies that I never got a chance to see and watch them over and over. My favorite so far is Shaft with Sam Jackson, what a GREAT movie. Everyone in that flick is great, It was cool to see Ruben Santiago play a bad guy, Busta is CRAZY and Peoples just stole movie.

So, I got Oceans 11 and Shaft in Africa for 98 cents on Amazon.com marketplace...watched Shaft in Africa and I have no words, I'm still processining some parts of that movie..Roll bounce should arrive soon and Devil in a Blue dress is next on my list.

I did a Netflix account but the only thing with that is I dont want to send the movies back! I want to keep them. I can watch a movie over and over and so far all the movies I've purchased were good. BUt, there are some flicks I might have to preview via netflix before i actually buy them.

Monday, September 11, 2006

I hate AIDS...

I don't know if I'm coming or going right now. I have been watching my friend slowly succumb to AIDS this entire summer. My old school friend, like from back in the day, like playing skully in the middle of the street and free lunch and sour power candy, dang. Earlier this summer, like in June he was mad sick, I begged him to go to the hospital to see wassup. So, in June he went to the doctor and the doc said he had FULL BLOWN AIDS, I''m like what?!??! I'm like, we gonna get thru this, nevertheless

July, he got sicker. August, got sicker. And, now it's Sept and I pay a recent visit to him, and you know what he tells me on his death bead, with all these tubes hooked up to him: he says he's known he was HIV POSITIVE for 6 years!!!! I'm like speachless, like a current thru my body.. I sware I did know what to say. i wanted to hug and strangle him at the same time.

I have seen 3 people die from AIDS, I have friends who are HIV + but they are fighing like hell, taking that medicine like it aint funny.

Part of me is so upset that he knew and did nothing to treat it, for SIX years. he's lied to himself, his fam and to me. My god, each time I visit, the docs are like start making arrangments, I'm like he's not f*cking dead yet.

he has requested that he is NOT put on life support...no words...

I went over there to the hospital this weekend and what does he tell me: he has cancer! I almost fainted. Said the cancer has spread to most of his body...

AIDS - i hate it, it is a thorough killer. What kinda disease is it? It makes SURE that you have no weapons at all to fight back. None...It's like when you have aids you can die from a cold..

I wish AIDS was a being, or something tangible so I can kill it, or destroy it, something. They should call it the hate disease, because I am sure sure sure that that is its origin: HATE.

God, I can't contain this. I can't loose another person to this thing...I want to live....

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Mos Def Katrina Clap show and arrest

a break

no more blogging for a minute. Speaking to folks, communicating face to face, spoken word. It's the best thing.