Random Note on Avatar

Disclaimer/Movie-spoiler-alert: If you haven't seen the movie and intend to see it, stop reading this right now. anyways. some questions need asking, some answers need questioning, and some movies are good but there's a trend here. Dances with wolves? The last samurai? erm...

This white messiah complex needs to kill itself already. I mean if the natives (indigenous people, or whatever synonyms u want to use) are so advanced and connected to nature, can't we just find the messiah in their midst? The great white hope slash great white Jesus must be such a compelling idea for it to keep recurring in movies. A story about marginalized peoples redemption is not complete, it seems, without that messiah-like outsider.

anyways, i enjoyed the flick otherwise. :). first time i saw a movie in imax. I Know i'm behind the times, but hey, there's always a first time.

Okay that's all.

peace

The Human Condition

It's vexatious to see someone celebrate in you moments of despair and grief. Doesn't matter that he/she is a total stranger and has cause to bask in the glory of their graduation or some other joyous happening in their life. It's the human condition. September 11 is many a man's birthday, anniversary, etc,- but we'd like to begrudge them the joy of that day though right?

I've had a few of those moments since the earthquake struck Haiti. Is is apathy? do people not care enough? Could everything just shut down for a few to address this cataclysm of epic proportions? Probably not. It's the human condition. I should know. I was born in circumstances that epitomized the polar chaos between joy and grief.

My Mom had a C-Section, much to my grandma's (rest her soul) dismay and worry. My father was grieving and burying my paternal grandfather the same day. Suffice it to say i made both a majestic and difficult entry onto earth in an emotionally strained time. Those of you who know me personally (or are my facebook 'friends') know that my middle name is Amet. Ametepee is the full thing. An Ewe name. Means in place of somebody or more metaphorically, stepping into the shoes of another. They were all happy i came i bet, but there were other mitigating factors, to put it mildly, that i'm sure made for a mix of joy and other emotions.

So no, i'm not making excuses for anyone; but its useful to motivate others to help alleviate in suffering that hits home with us rather than expect an immediate response from everybody. Tragic as this sounds, it's the human condition. Or more aptly the human experience.

on that note. My heart still really aches for Haiti. Dig into your pocket. I've donated... have you? Please do. Thank u. Thats all. Text Yele to 501 501 and $5 will be donated and charged to your next phone bill - toward earthquake relief in Haiti.

On a lighter tip. Are you watching the African Cup of Nations in Angola? Ghana's looking a bit shaky. I need to be more patient with the Black Stars. It's difficult though. Years of heartbreak, have made me an easily emotional fan of my beloved team.

Also, Peep this very moving song and video, that is making major virial rounds, from High School Students from the High School fo Recording Arts (HSRA): an alternative school in St Paul, MN. They decided to contribute their talents to support relief and healing in Haiti since they couldn't do too mcuh financially to help. Kudos.


"Two Africans and a Jew" is on the Horizon. Boom Bam. I'm out

m diggidy

fear of the mundane...

who works harder than a kayayo (pic below)?



End of '09 i put up a Facebook status: "been a year of extreme highs and extreme lows. still grateful. still hopeful. still terrified of living an 'ordinary' life." Really meant that. I realize it could have been easily misconstrued as perhaps me looking down on the hardworking 9to5ers (more like 8to6ers) amongst us. NOT so. I was working a 9 to 5 and simultaneously working on music full time for four straight years! A task and a half i tell you. so i can appreciate the working man's hustle.

But at what point do we make a choice between a vocation and working to survive? The merits of Adjuma (hard)work are undeniable; whether you have investment banker hours or do the graveyard shift reluctantly. Whatever our reason(s) no one can knock us. but awareness, intentionality, and choice are perhaps what advance us from being zombies to self-determining individuals. Hardwork is not an option or variable. its a constant. see Wayne's "the carter" documentary

Like all other years, I have every intention of making a living this year, not being homeless, and affording some of the luxuries of modernity: internet, blackberry, the occcasional movie theatre visit. But this will be the year i try to fully control my destiny more intentionally. I'm creating music, workshops (solo and with other collaborators), booking performances, panel discussions, speaking engagements, amongst other moves that exercise my talents and are hopefully gainful as well. Yup. Making sure i let inspiration meet my vocation(s) at ever single point in time. Good luck to me. it's a struggle. I'm bracing myself. Geeked though.

Best to you and yours in your works and vocation(s) this year.

Randoms:
There's an A.R.M.(my group with Krukid & Budo) song called "Fear of the Mundane." off our "Two Africans and a Jew" EP which will soon be near completion

Best hopes, thoughts and prayers to the kinfolk in Haiti. Wyclef (follow him on twitter) is doing an admirable job raising funds and visibility for relief. Let's be motivated by our humanity and how historic Haiti is for the Diaspora.

Bonus: Adjuma video by ultra-talented M3nsa.

How to Book M.anifest in 2010: An Easy Guide

Being that I'm all over the internet informally, folks are often confused about how to get business done with me: i.e. how to book me for shows at your university, night club, conferences, workshops, speaking engagements, etc., or to do interviews for your magazine, website, etc.

For all intents and purpose you can use booking@manifestmc.com or call 612-208-2033 (Contact:Ashanti Abdullah) for all your inquiries. But below are specific and alternate email addresses to make sure you can reach me and my management so we can get work done. Feel free to share with friends and business colleagues who might be interested.

Book M.anifest for Shows: booking@manifestmc.com or armmgt@gmail.com

Media Inquiries (Interviews): manifest@manifestmc.com or booking@manifestmc.com

Other Inquiries: manifest@manifestmc.com

You are also welcome to book A.R.M. - my amazing group with Krukid and Budo - using these channels. Looking forward to coming to your city, town and what have you in 2010! Let's make it happen.

Peace Peace

m.anifest
My Official Website

The Joy is in the Journey...

Overlooked, under-booked, overwhelmed, underpaid. These are The overs & unders of the "upcoming artist." The joy is in the journey. it must be, cause otherwise a lot of us would have fallen into oblivion yesterday or the day before it. I mean even Lauryn Hill who we've now immortalized got booed at the Apollo - she persisted tho and won them over at the end- as a young teenager. So who are we mere mortals to be discouraged when we meet roadblocks.

Granted I've been very very fortunate to have been very well received since my debut record in '07 and had some really great opportunities come my way ever since... but ladies and gentlemen of the jury, there's lotsa bumps on this road. Brushes with opportunists, janky promoters, bills, false promises, redundant collaborations, snaky middle-men, frustrations with music outlets and media, non-musical businessmen at the helms of power, a lack of capital capital capital! etc. without enjoying the journey many of these factors can be dream-killers and unnerving.

everything in good time tho'... everything. And its amazing how some total strangers become the strongest allies and supporters without asking for a dime eh. i love it.

Reason I'm having this retrospective? I'll be speaking to students of the High School for Recording Artists (HSRA) in Saint Paul this Wednesday about my journey and how I'm utilizing social media in my journey as an artist. Had me thinking of the good, the bad, and the fugly of the journey. to be uncompromising sometimes is necessary on this journey, hence why i made a song like "Pardon me" on the birds and the beats.

woe to them that are picking up this artistic journey for the wrong reasons; ye shall experience shock and awe. But not to worry, everything in good time... everything.

Peace peace
m diggy

PS: i despise the term "upcoming artist" anyway. when does one stop upcoming and just be? when you make your first millie? do tell.

The Burden of Genius...

The idiosyncrasies of a brilliant mind are rarely met with warm embraces. Somehow we've thought it normal to mock the peculiar ways of the gifted amongst us. Its amusing and its human chale. And it should be comforting to the rest of us 'normal' Joe earthlings that its okay when our moments of brilliance are met with giggles. Einstein probably suffered that every day.

Van Gogh died broke, Galileo was prosecuted and convicted for defending Copernicus' challenge of geocentrism when he suggested that the earth goes around the sun (not vice versa), and somehow i bet you the guy that came up with the idea to build a spaceship was more steve urkel than stefan urkool.

Its okay to be brilliant and to do all those little funny things that somehow allow genius to reside in you. If you murmur to yourself on long promenades every day, keep doing it. If you're like my friend kubolor and your bare your soles daily keep doing it. If you're Lauryn Hill and you want to strum your guitar and sing brilliant painful poems unplugged, do it. Hopefully i can medicate myself with this advise in the moments i need it most

the burden of genius? That would be ridicule.

monkey see monkey do

Imitation is the highest form of flattery, but damn originality should count for much more, no? culturebully.com asked me to participate in something that had me retrospecting with amusement on the many "hot" trends that came and disappeared quicker than vanilla ice's career. remember crunk? remember hyphy? remember the sped-up chip-munk soul sound? remember rims? platinum jewelry? autotune is damn near on its deathbed. the featuring-lil-wayne trend is still booming thanks to dwyane's prolific output and intriguing personality.

the irony in all of it is that, a lot of these trends are intrinsically original, and the locals/natives that organically came up with it deserve mucho kudos. But immediately an idea gets a glimpse of the spotlight and catches fire, a zillion imitators and another zillion so-called devout followers emerge out of the blue. monkey see monkey do.

i can't wait till the "get-an-african-doing-tribal-raps-on-your-tracks" becomes the in-thing. we'll milk that cow for every penny the short-sighted music business folks will offer. amen.

sincererly yours,

africa-man-original - mr tribal raps