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Gone Too Soon…Tupac Amaru Shakur

“…If you wanna get away with murder, all you gotta do is shoot somebody in the head and put a demo tape in their pocket! ”  Chris Rock

Hello World,

I’m not gonna pretend that Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996) was a saint or had he lived he would have been the next Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X or the first black president. I don’t know all that…But I do know that Tupac’s death was a tragedy, and I cannot believe that all of these years later, there are no suspects in the shooting deaths of Tupac, Biggie & Jam Master Jay…It’s almost inconceivable actually…and then again, maybe it’s not- which is the real tragedy…

Had Tupac lived, this Thursday, June 16, would have been his 40th birthday! Can you believe it! He was 25 years old when he was killed. Now, I think of 25 year olds as kids…To this day, Tupac is my favorite hip hop artist ever! He was a rare  combination of street braggadocio (swag) unquestionable  intellect and straight talent. And I’m not gonna lie – Tupac was something to behold with his chocolate skin and doe eyes! Yes, I know that he wasn’t perfect. Some of the lyrics in his songs were foul, and he was accused of horrible things.

I saw Tupac once. He performed at a concert as a part of Clark Atlanta University’s homecoming back in the ’90s. Me and some of my girls at the time had driven to Atlanta from Athens (I went to UGA) and snuck into the concert. Tupac was wilin’ out because he wanted to smoke weed on stage as he performed, but he wasn’t being allowed to do so. He enlisted the audience to help him convince the powers that be to allow him to get his smoke on…And basically, he threatened that he would not perform if he couldn’t smoke…He eventually did perform though, and if I remember correctly, he did not get to smoke…And at the end of the concert, he invited the ladies back to his hotel room…What can you say? He was a boy/young man at the time…

I’m not excusing all of his behavior…but the world is a better place for his talent, and he was gone too soon…My favorite poet Nikki Giovanni was also a Tupac fan and wrote a poem about him…

All Eyez on U
(for 2Pac Shakur 1971-1996)

as I tossed and turned unable to achieve sleep unable to control anxiety unable to comprehend why
2Pac is not with us
if those who lived by the sword died by the sword there would be no
white men on earth
if those who lived on hatred died on hatred there would be no KKK
if those who lived by lies died by lies there would be nobody on wall
street in executive suites in academic offices instructing the young
don’t tell me he got what he deserved  he deserved a chariot and
the accolades of a grateful people
he deserved his life
it is as clear as a mountain stream as defining as a lightning strike
as terrifying as sun to vampires
2Pac told the truth
there were those who called it dirty  gansta rap inciting there were
those who never wanted to be  angry at the conditions but angry
at the messenger who report:  your kitchen has roaches your toilet
is overflowing your basement has so much water the rats are in the
living room
your house is in disorder
and 2Pac told you about it
what a beautiful boy graceful carriage melodic voice sharp wit intellectual
breadth what a beautiful boy to lose
not me  never me  I do not believe east coast west coast  I saw
them murder Emmett Till I saw them murder Malcolm X  I saw
them murder Martin Luther King  I witnessed them shooting
Rap Brown I saw them beat LeRoi Jones  I saw them fill their jails
I see them burning churches  not me  never me  I do not believe
this is some sort of mouth action  this is some sort of political
action and they picked well  they picked the brightest freshest
fruit from the tallest tree what a beautiful boy
but he will not go away as Malcolm did not go away  as Emmett
Till did not go away your shooting him will not take him from us
his spirit will fill our hearts his courage will strengthen us for the
challenge   his truth will straighten our backbones
you know, Socrates had a mother she too watched her son drink
hemlock   she too asked why but Socrates stood firm and would
not lie to save himself  2Pac has a mother  the lovely Afeni had
to bury her son it is not right
it is not right this young warrior is cut down  it is not right for
the old to bury the young  it is not right
this generation mourns 2Pac as my generation mourned Till as we
all mourn Malcolm  this wonderful young warrior
Sonia Sanchez said when she learned of his passing she walked all day
walking the beautiful warrior home to our ancestors I just cried as all
mothers cry for the beautiful boy who said he and Mike Tyson would
never be allowed to be free at the same time who told the truth about
them and who told the truth about us who is our beautiful warrior
there are those who wanted to make him the problem who wanted
to believe if they silenced 2Pac all would be quiet on the ghetto
front there are those who testified that the problem wasn’t the conditions
but the people talking about them
they took away band  so the boys started scratching they took away
gym  so the boys started break dancing the boys started rapping
cause they gave them the guns and the drugs but not the schools and
libraries
what a beautiful boy to lose
and we mourn 2Pac Shakur and we reach out to his mother and we
hug ourselves in sadness and shame
and we are compelled to ask:
R U Happy, Mz Tucker?  2Pac is gone
R U Happy?

Deep huh? If you are in the A, you can actually help celebrate Pac’s 40th b-day. Erykah Badu will be the headline act at the Tupac Shakur Foundation concert this Thursday, June 16,  7 p.m. at Atlanta Symphony Hall. Other artists Roy Ayers, Eric Roberson, Too $hort, Bun B and 8Ball & MJG will also be in the house…Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur, and comedian Mike Epps will host the concert. Tickets are $45 to $150. Go to 16thofjune.com for more info.

Luv Me Some Tupac! Happy Birthday Tupac!

Any thoughts?

P.S. I love sooo many Tupac songs…but this one seems to fit today….

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Halfway There…

Hello World,

Guess what? Today is the first day of the first week complete in June…At this point, you are probably like, yeah and…Well y’all, it means that, believe it or not, 2011 is halfway over! So if at this point, you realized that some of your New Year’s resolutions and or goals have gotten lost in the shuffle of life, it time’s to renew your commitment to realizing your resolutions and or goals for 2011.

Thankfully, I have completed one big goal for 2011, but I still have plenty more that I’m trying to accomplish before the year is over. And I know, through Christ, all things are possible! So move, get out my way, because I’m coming…

If you are experiencing some inertia as you contemplate your resolutions and or goals for this year, I have swiped some helpful tips for achieving them from Dr. Phil’s website!

Seven Steps to Reaching Your Goals

Successfully executing any personal strategic plan for change requires that as you develop your plan,you effectively incorporate these seven steps for attaining each and every goal.

1. Express your goal in terms of specific events or behaviors.
For a dream to become a goal, it has to be specifically defined in terms of operations, meaning what will be done. When a goal is broken down into steps, it can be managed and pursued much more directly. “Being happy,” for example, is neither an event nor a behavior. When you set out to identify a goal, define what you want in clear and specific terms.

2. Express your goal in terms that can be measured.
How else will you be able to determine your level of progress, or even know when you have successfully arrived where you wanted to be? For instance, how much money do you aspire to make?

3. Assign a timeline to your goal.
Once you have determined precisely what it is you want, you must decide on a timeframe for having it. The deadline you’ve created fosters a sense of urgency or purpose, which in turn will serve as an important motivator, and prevent inertia or procrastination.

4. Choose a goal you can control.
Unlike dreams, which allow you to fantasize about events over which you have no control, goals have to do with aspects of your existence that you control and can therefore manipulate. In identifying your goal, strive for what you can create, not for what you can’t.

5. Plan and program a strategy that will get you to your goal.

Pursuing a goal seriously requires that you realistically assess the obstacles and resources involved, and that you create a strategy for navigating that reality. Willpower is unreliable, fickle fuel because it is based on your emotions. Your environment, your schedule and your accountability must be programmed in such a way that all three support you — long after an emotional high is gone. Life is full of temptations and opportunities to fail. Those temptations and opportunities compete with your more constructive and task-oriented behavior. Without programming, you will find it much harder to stay the course.

6. Define your goal in terms of steps.
Major life changes don’t just happen; they happen one step at a time. Steady progress, through well-chosen, realistic, interval steps, produces results in the end. Know what those steps are before you set out.

7. Create accountability for your progress toward your goal.

Without accountability, people are apt to con themselves. If you know precisely what you want, when you want it — and there are real consequences for not doing the assigned work — you are much more likely to continue in your pursuit of your goal. Find someone in your circle of family or friends to whom you can be accountable. Make periodic reports on your progress.

Any thoughts?

P.S. Tonex’s “Make Me Over” is a great song to listen to as you contemplate moving forward with the second half of 2011. Enjoy!

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Living Single – The Panel Discussion, The Poem & The Show

Hello World!

It’s the first day of June which means that half of the year is over…Wow…I’ve have said this before, but I will say it again: Time flies the older you get…Anywho, you may be wondering where I’ve been for the last week or so…Actually, my family and I traveled to the Annual Christian Women’s Retreat which was held in Springfield, Illinois over the Memorial Day weekend. We made the 10-hour trek on Thursday and traveled back on Sunday. Last year, the retreat was held in Atlanta where I was the keynote speaker.

This year, I was asked to speak on a panel on singleness which I was wasn’t too excited about for a couple of reasons: I’m kind of tired of thinking about it all, and I don’t feel like I’m the poster child for model singleness anyway. But I did what I was asked to do…And I’m glad I did for a couple of reasons:  It gave me the opportunity to comprehensively reflect on my single journey and clarify why I’m finally ready to move on to a married journey, and I was able to meet some new people at the conference that I hope to stay in touch with as I continue to attend the Annual Christian Women’s Retreat.

One of the women I met reminded me about this dynamic, Christian spoken word artist and poet that I had heard about a few months ago. Janette McGhee, who is better known as “MissTerious Janette…ikz” (pronounced mysterious genetics), wrote and performed this awesome poem about waiting for right man that God brings instead of trying to make any ole guy the right one. The poem is titled, “I Will Wait For You.”…Take a look…it is worth the time to check it out…

Apparently, the 31-year-old spoken word artist and poet performed this poem at the at P4CM (Passion for Christ Movement) Lyricist Lounge earlier this year…I know this word isn’t in rotation anymore, but her poem was dope..her lyricism was reminiscent of the artistry that was old school hip hop before the bling bling and uninspired misogyny took over…I would go on, but that’s a topic for another day…

If you want to know more about this talent, read an article about her here and check out her website!

Any thoughts?

P.S. The new show “Single Ladies” premiered on Monday… I forgot to watch, but I heard it’s off to a not-so-good start…What y’all think?