Best Part of Oscar Night February 25, 2008

The Best Part of Oscar Night by far was the performance by Jamia Simone Nash and Impact Repertory Theatre from Harlem with a song called Raise It Up from the soundtrack/film August Rush.

The trailer for August Rush really hadn’t evoked significant interest in seeing the movie but after the choir’s performance last night, I’m a believer. August Rush is the story of a young boy who is abandoned at birth and later discovers that he is a musical prodigy. Rush uses his gift in hopes that his parents will return to him.

The song Raise it Up, which was written by three young African American males was nominated for Best Original Song. Although it didn’t win, the exposure to the local choir, song writers and 11 year old Jamia Simone Nash, will surely elevate all their careers.

You might remember Jamia as the little girl who sang a fierce version Alicia Keys “Fallin” on several talk shows. She also appeared on a dedication to MJB on the Essence Awards and on My Wife and Kids as Franklin’s (piano prodigy) little sister Aretha.

Check out the music video below.

 

LYRICS - Thanks Mariah!

No father figure in the house
and i’m wonderin’ how i’m gonna work it out

oh my friends keep on tellin’ me how i don’t need that man but they don’t really understand

there’s far too many presures in reality but dealing with the pain and stress and poverty
and i gotta be myself because there’s nobody else for me (ohhhh)

(heading there with me)sometimes it takes a different kind of love to raise a child
(so don’t give up)so don’t give up
(when presures come down)sometimes it takes a different kind of dream to make you smile
(so raise it up)so raise
(hang in there with me)sometimes we need another helping hand to show the ways
(so don’t give up) so don’t give up
(when presures come down)sometimes it seems inpossible and that’s why we pray
(so raise it up) we raise

[HOPE] seems to be nothing left for me mommas gone daddy didnt wanna be and now im all by myself wonderin where is love or
should i just give up

life falls down on me, cuts into my soul but i know i got the strength to make it throgh it all cause im still standin tall
breaking throgh this wall im gonna give my all

[HOPE] feelin like a motherless child hankered into my soul its bringing me down cant find my smile on a face of a
motherless child
im gonna break down these walls gonna give it my all ya know
yeah yeah yeah yeahhhh
(hang in there with me)sometimes it takes a different kind of love to raise a child
(so dont give up)so dont give up
(when pressures come down)sometimes it takes a different kind of dream to make a smile
(so raise it up) so raise it up
(hang in there with me) raise it up
sometimes it takes another helping hand to show you the way
(so dont give up, when presures come down)
[HOPE] sometimes it seems impossible thats why we pray
SO RAISE IT UP

Passport to Africa February 11, 2008

Every year Wayne County Community College District (WC3D) hosts a Passort to Africa event. This year’s gala was held on Saturday, February 9, 2008. I was there to support a friend and vendor who was selling her books.

The crowd was bustling with anticipation as hoards of students from local elementary, middle and high schools filled the indoor atrium on the first floor. The vendors displayed everything from jewelry, shea butter, stained glass art, to self-feeding plants (one of the coolest things I’ve seen).

The highlight of the event was of course the drummers and dancers from the Alkebu-lan Village and the most unique duo of stilt walkers (pictured) called The Zulu Connection. The New Orleans-based duo danced, walked, jumped and even started a london bridge game with the kids who ran between their legs. I have no idea how high they were but it wasn’t something that I’d like to try before I leave this earth. One of the stilt walkers even picked up a couple of the kids while he danced around on the stilts.

I highly recommend that you check out the event next year. I took business cards because I went empty handed and was unable to purchase some of the really cool items that I saw. However my friend did get me a pair of earrings with the Jamaican flag colors of yellow, green and black.

Alicia Keys Rocks the Grammys! February 11, 2008

My personal take and ramblings about last night’s Grammy Award Ceremony…

Who was your favorite performer of the night?

I personally felt like Alicia did her thing…

I wasn’t as excited about Tina and B as I hoped to be. Some folks on the radio were even saying they felt like B held back so as not to outshine Tina.

Kanye was rude…he had already been given the stage/time during his performance to give thanks to his mom.

Amy Wino did really well…I hope homegirl is getting the help she needs.

Fergie’s performance was “forgettable” as Simon Cowell would say. I like when she’s hype.

Detroit’s own Dwele received his first grammy nom! Yay!

What was up with that sideshow that RiRi and Jay-Z were having? RING THE ALARM!

Menina and I actually enjoyed the classical performance featuring Herbie Hancock. Nina clapped on her own at the end. She also clapped at the end of Alicia’s No One performance.

Carrie Underwood was really stiff but homegirl can sing.

Overall it was a pretty decent show. I hadn’t seen an interesting award program in a long time.

PHOTO: From Associated Press

A ray of Sunshyne in Detroit January 25, 2008

January is National Mentoring Month and yesterday, January 24 was actually National Mentoring Day. So what a special treat it was for Sunshyne from FM 98 WJLB Detroit to drive all the way up to Rochester Hills to meet with one of my mentees.

Once a week I mentor 3 eleventh grade girls at Pontiac Central via the Winning Futures program. One of my students, Ciara, is interested in pursuing a career as a music producer and one day owning her own Hip Hop record label. However, she feels somewhat discouraged by people who’ve told her that white girls don’t have a place in Hip Hop. I’m not a music professional, so I wanted to find a non-African American person in the industry to talk to her. Sunshyne (Born in Bosnia, Europe) from WJLB was the first person that came to mind.

I emailed Sunshyne not knowing what to expect, but to my surprise she was eager to meet Ciara from the get go. It really meant a lot to Ciara and a great deal to me that she would take time out of her busy schedule just to meet with a 16 year old from little old Pontiac. If you don’t know, Sunshyne works M-F at 10pm as host of the Quiet Storm. She also hosts a daily music TV show that comes on WADL TV 38 at 4pm.

Sunshyne shared her personal experience about breaking into the radio industry. She’s only 23 years (her birthday is next month February 17) and begin interning at the station at 18. In order to become a DJ, she was advised to take a gig in a smaller market first, which she did by commuting to Lansing everyday and continuing to intern at WJLB for Bushman. Two years later she was on the radio hosting her own show.

A self-described wild child, Sunshyne really connected with Ciara on many of the struggles she’s dealt with as a teenager in an urban community. She encouraged Ciara to stay on the straight and narrow and begin her career after high school by enrolling in college/vocational school and to get an internship at a record label. Sunshyne told Ciara that she had high hopes for her and encouraged her to keep in touch.

Sunshyne is officially the best deejay on Detroit radio in my book!

Mos Def “Umi Says” January 24, 2008

Mos Def made a special appearance at the University of Michigan on MLK Day to pay tribute to J Dilla (1974 - 2006), one of Detroit’s most revered producers who died from lupus at 32 years old.

Although I wasn’t able to attend, I thought that the event was worth mentioning because I love and respect Mos Def as an actor and music artist. Known to most people as a socially conscious hip hop artist, Mos Def has managed to hold true to his art and beliefs about the positive things in black culture.

Did you happen to see HBO’s Lackawana Blues a couple years ago starring Terrance Howard? Well Mos Def made an appearance as as singer and guess what– the brother can sing…it’s available to rent on DVD by the way.

On the morning after MLK Day I was listening to Suga Rae from HOT 102.7 Detroit on my way to work. She debuted Mos Def’s joint called “Umi Says”… a very interesting name for a song, but I strongly recommend that you check out the YOU TUBE VIDEO. You won’t believe your ears! This song is absolutely beautiful. Several people called in to the radio station to thank Suga Rae for featuring it on her playlist.

“My Umi said shine your light on the world, Shine your light for the world to see, My Abi said shine your light on the world, Shine your light for the world to see, (I want black people to be free, to be free, to be free)”

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think about the song…

African Footprint comes to Detroit January 22, 2008

Saturday, February 19, 2008 -Since I missed a recent appearance of the theatrical version of Disney’s THE LION KING, I made up my mind that I would definitely check out AFRICAN FOOTPRINT at the Detroit Opera House. I learned about the show through an announcement in African American Family Magazine and was reminded via an email from The Michigan Chronicle.

AFRICAN FOOTPRINT is South Africa’s longest-running show and this year was their first American tour. According to the website, the show tells the vibrant and diverse history of South Africa through a blend of Afro and Euro-centric music and dance. The cast is made of 30 amazing dancers, singers and drummers. Footprint began in 1998 via the vision of Richard Loring.

For those who love the music from The Lion King or the film Sarafina, this show is an opportunity to get up close and personal with a powerful display of African culture. When I decided to purchase my tickets last week for the performance at the Detroit Opera House, I stumbled upon an announcement for a special FREE performance on the 19^th at Borders bookstore in Dearborn.

I figured the FREE show was a better deal because I’d get to meet the cast and take photos. So I packed up my daughter, Enesii Menina and my mom and headed for Borders to make the Noon show.

We were among the first people there and didn’t waste time securing seats inside the music section. The crowd slowly trickled in and was comprised of mostly elderly African Americans, which I didn’t expect, but there were also quite a few European Americans and kids scattered here and there. There were probably about 45 people total in attendance.

The performers made quite and entrance with singing, shouting and beating on the tradition West African djembe drum. The ladies and men were wearing vibrant colors and with full energy began stomping and thrusting their bodies. The first preview was short and sweet and just as quickly as they entered they left. Two of the drummers remained behind to talk to the audience and answer questions. Through that presentation we learned that many of the performers had never been to the States and that the youngest member of the group was 18 and the oldest 39. They also told us that they all spoke different languages including Zulu and Xhosa and the older drummer even demonstrated the “clicking” sound used in his native tongue.

The djembe drummer went on to explain that during apartheid, South African miners communicated by patting and stomping their rubber boots referred to as gumboots. The style of dance is the ancestor of the Greek steppers from black fraternities and sororities in America. I talked to two of the dancers and found out that they were from Johannesburg, South Africa…they also said that they are scheduled to perform during the 2010 World Cup Soccer Tournament in SA next year. Some friends of mine are hoping to go to the world cup.

I am very excited about the autographed DVD that I purchased because even though I didn’t attend the live performance at the Opera House, I’ll be able to watch it any time I want. AFRICAN FOOTPRINT will return to Michigan on Tuesday, February 5 at The Whiting Theatre in Flint. Tickets are $18-38.

Michael Eric Dyson celebrates MLK Day January 22, 2008

I discovered Michael Eric Dyson as a student at the University Detroit Mercy while taking an African American Literature class. The professor, a young black male with traditional locks, assigned us the task of writing an essay on some aspect of black culture and for a number of reasons I decided to write about Hip Hop.

It was during the research process that I learned about Dyson’s perspective on the positive influence and intellectual criticism of Hip Hop music, Tupac Shakur and others. I began reading his columns when he worked for the Chicago Sun Times on a regular basis because I was fascinated with his views on current events and how they impacted black culture and thought. If you haven’t heard him speak or read his writings, then you should know that he has an amazing and one-of-a-kind lyrical prowess reminiscent of a spoken word artist…and the man definitely has a way with words. But he approaches speech and speaking in such a way that any one can relate.

With that said I had my husband, Uli, who is a fan of Dyson’s Holla If You Hear Me, and my bestfriend, Tiesha, who is down for whatever, to join me on the Orchard Ridge campus of Oakland Community College in Farmington Hills to hear him speak. It was OCC’s 4th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Convocation.

Fifteen minutes before the event was scheduled to begin I was surprised at the number of empty seats, knowing full well that Dyson is the type of speaker that easily draws a full house.

Dr. Jacqueline Shadko, president of the Orchard Ridge campus and chair of the college-wide diversity committee gave the welcome and extended the invitation for three members of the Marvin L. Winans Academy of Performing Arts to lead the audience in the national black anthem, Life Every Voice and Sing. The entire choir would later sing two Negro spirituals.

After being introduced, Dyson stepped to the podium and explained that he was somewhat immobile and in pain after throwing his back out. He joked that he had a “sexy story” about injuring his back and proceeded to reveal that he had actually been sitting at his desk for 17 hours working on his next book…an attempt to lift his leg for support left him with strained muscles in his back. It was obvious that he was a little distressed as he made small movements with his neck and swayed side to side in an effort to possibly increase his comfort.

Dyson took a couple of jabs at the controversy surrounding the Michigan primaries along with our local ties to republican candidate Mitt Romney. He said that he supports BarackObama in his campaign trail, but warned the audience that the installation of a black president would not omit the need for people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton because racism will continue to be a problem. According to Dyson, Dr. King didn’t want people to transcend race, but to transcend their beliefs about race. He reminded the audience that we don’t celebrate MLK alone on that holiday, but everyone who stood for justice and equality.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to stay for the entire keynote and my tape recorder malfunctioned but I thoroughly enjoyed his presentation. I had to drag my husband out of the auditorium and when we got in the car, he immediately called his closest friend and gave Dyson rave reviews.

If you’d like to catch Michael Eric Dyson the next time he visits Detroit, you’re in luck. He will visit the campus of Oakland University on Monday, February 18 at 7 p.m. in the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms. His wife, Reverend Marcia Dyson will join him.

Hello world! January 15, 2008

Welcome to The Mocha Chronicles, my personal blog featuring entertainment and event coverage about all things black and African in Metro Detroit. I am a calendar queen and love going to event and telling people about positive things that reflect black culture. This journey was inspired by my sisterfriend Erika Washington and my student worker Calvin Moore. Sit back with a hot cup of mocha and enjoy the journey!