So much lyfe happens at the cafe: And, it’s insulting when they call our locs braids. In my opinion braids are not umbilical cord commitments. A young white girl at my local coffee shop said, I like your braids. I had some before. I said, my hair is not braided, it is loc’ed. Matted growths of hair. An umbilical cord commitment. She said, oh my god what does that mean? It was irritating because she was white, previously had locs and didn’t even know it, and kept asking me many questions. Her lack of depth and totality about what is a natural phenomenon of rooted goodness for my hair made me almost intolerable. Yet, I smiled and indulged her because she didn’t shame me and was respectful, more for the sake of love and understanding though. She said, so I had locs, not braids for a couple of years then? I said, sounds like it. She told me about how she couldn’t hang with them. How she felt tortured and weighted down my them. She shaved them off and got instant relief. She asked my advice on what I thought had happened with the ‘real’ reason she shaved them. I told her that its been my experience from having loc’ed hair that they are more alive than dead (although regarded as dead hair). Locs have energy and feed off of the energy of the body, and the bodies spirit- circumstances. Loc energy is alive and well.
They remind me of a baby in the womb mother process. To me each loc symbolizes an umbilical cord connecting us to the mother and the mother symbolizing (god, the creative, spirit). Just as a baby receives life source, nutrients, health and wellness from umbilical cords. Locs are the conduit between you and ‘the creative’, elevating you in the same fashion. And instead of one umbilical cord there are many (locs). Locs are moody and vibrant, and strong like any other living being. They feel, covet, release, confront damn near everything-and at the same time are protective and loathe when their space is invaded, interrupted, stifled. And just as living beings hearts become heavy by changes in life, so do locs and they will often stop growing, cause sensations in the scalp, forcing one to sever the cords. They demand basic living rights and that is to be acknowledged and respected on their journey. They live and die that way. The bond between the creative is a permanent one, even after locs are shaved from the head. I like to think of this connection as spirit-body, sensory, untouched, highly intuitive love frequencies that can’t always be felt, seen or touched. Locs always, always teach us something. I told her that perhaps her locs existed only to bring her to this moment and this moment alone. Her face was grateful and her words matched. I’m please that her and I stuck it out and talked things through. -Gracie
Elated to be supporting local artists, photographer Mike Sutherland, and models of color. I’m certainly no model, but it was fun playing in front of the camera. Some of the photos from the shoot will be featured in the August issue of a revamped version of this magazine. The overall mission of the magazine is about empowering local female models and artists and that basically includes a lot of photos of modeling content and some artwork. I believe the magazine is in transition. Get into it. Ps: Forgive my ashy ass knees lol! I ain’t wanna oil up hahaha!
It’s not a wrong thing
To be addicted to the microphone like a heroin fiend
I’ll tell you one thing:
You’ll never catch me fronting
As I proceed to give the people what they wanting
[Opio] You’re making some green…
[A-Plus] But not for glamour or fashion
I’m stacking cash until I can get Moms a mansion
[Opio] All from rapping?
[A-Plus] Nah, man, there’s many plans
Like investing in land
It started all from impressing the fans
With brand new flows
And you know
All the way from gangsta clones to weirdos
Fools used those
But we ain’t tripping
Give respect when you see this
You need us
Or your rhymes underdevelop like a fetus
[Pep Love]
Those that know not doze
And it shows
When we broke out the knock
Hoes hopped out they clothes
That’s positive feedback
Yep, The Prose
I’m poised, we never pose, you’ll never know
]From ’93 til infinity we’ve been inventive
Creating the bump is our only incentive
And it’s been a long time since I feel I’ve been felt
But the only thing I fear is fear itself
So you know what we gots to do
Maybe could we keep it within the crew
Like it should be?
Never givin’ out
We’re livin’ out our dreams
If there’s something I can’t live without
That’s my team
You never knew…
[Phesto]
Hieroglyphics
Hip-hop is vintage
Underground like silos
Launching long-range ballistics
World-renowned, we ground-breaking
Musical boundaries
Runnin’ circles around emcees
[Del]
Del — been rhyming for more than a decade
Onto the next stage, while emcees need aid
Stay paid, I’m still grade-A
None of that tomfoolery
As you can see this shit ain’t nothing new to me
Utterly hovering over other things material
You’re stuck in the here and now
Plus you’re sweating profusely — here’s a towel
Your fears are now reality
When I take your dream states
And elaborate on how your team’s fake
Like phony IDs, but sometimes I feel like
Only I see through the charade you’ve made
In today, but hey, tomorrow it’s played
And then they got a new fool in your place to be okayed
[Tajai]
Hieroglyphics
Hip-hop is vintage
Invented in days back
Rekindling in ways that many thought was lost
In this contemporary maze of methods to floss
We finding trees and trails to blaze
Boundaries to cross
We can be found beyond the bounds of reason
Or earthbound, heatin’ up the Coliseum
[Opio]
They rushed the stage full-throttle in Chicago
Our brains interlocked
Where fakin’ emcees get caught with the 40-bottle
Or get their chains snatched, pronto
We unstoppable, droppin’ flows in Toronto
Maneuverin’ through Vancouver and on to Japan
Where they put major grands in my hand
Follow…
[Phesto]
Straight from the heart we set apart from the rest an’
Our perfection on the microphone was predestined
World-renowned, we ground-breaking
Musical boundaries
Runnin’ circles around emcees
Rest in love my baby. I think of you in seconds, never minutes, sometimes for hours. You were powerful in your waking life-lived til you died, so now I bid you love in your rest. You would’ve given your arm to be broken, been kicked by a mule to have anyone love you. I brink on the same reality, only in the dark. In the light I smile-best to covet my need. Sadly, I find myself looking to strangers to fill voids as if they owe me a damn thing. We are not so different after all. We lived to trust, be vulnerable, yet there are limits to this shit. Hard to accept that your eyes see more than mine now. I never wanted that. I always wanted to see for you, carry you, lay down my heart, so you could walk over trouble. Rest in love lil big bro. -Gracie
I went to the local Turkey HIll today hoping to purchase a newspaper highlighting Maya Angelou’s death or at the very least a literary work in celebration of her iconic contribution to humanity. Given the weather today and being in somewhat of a hurry I searched haphazardly looking first to the front page of my local newspaper for an article, a blurb, or something about her and nothing. So on my quest I searched a variety of newspapers and happened upon a beautiful front page article by USA today who had done an honorable job highlighting her life. Can someone in Lancaster Pa please help me understand why Maya Angelou’s death didn’t make front page news here? And perhaps I’m over reacting, but I don’t understand how this can happen in 2014 when other icons who’ve passed on have been honorably mentioned on the front page, for example Mickey Rooney who died back in April. I mean she was an internationally respected, African American author and poet, publisher of seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and several books of poetry, and was credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning more than 50 years. Respectfully, I would like help understanding why she didn’t make front page news? And more curiously if she is mentioned at all in your carbon copy publication aside from the online publication? As a woman of color, deeply affected by her death, and an avid support of the Lancaster Newspaper I need help understanding this. -Gracie
It’s their own inadequacies that they seek to blame, not hers. They are suffering on the inside with stolen dreams from childhood. Had to grow up too fast to survive. And like mama Lou said, “The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise.” I triple dog dare them to try that on for size. Come up out ya heart see how you livin’. -Gracie
“I just read a post on Instagram that said, “Yesterday you all were twerking and posting half naked pictures and looking for your baby daddies. Suddenly today, you’re phenomenal women?” I’m going to say the same thing here that I said there — YES. That is one of the most important lessons of Dr. Maya Angelou’s life. You can be ALL of yourself, stumble, fall, rise again and still be phenomenal. If he’d read any of her books (or Wikipedia, for goodness’ sake), he’d know Maya Angelou was a stripper, madam and teenage mother before becoming a world renowned poet, teacher and writer. That woman LIVED! Let’s stop the unrelenting policing of women’s choices under the guise of being “respectable”. Live your life. Learn your lessons. Teach what you know. Leave everyone else to their own journeys. That’s all any of us can do anyway.”
Click on link to watch video: White man tells black lady to get to the back of the bus….What is this world coming to???? 2014 May 5, around 4:30pm ..Brooklyn B35 bus. By Nostrand and church ave this happened. I tried reporting it to the news but the media says there’s nothing really they can do about it
Mouth wide open! I think I would’ve followed the sound advice of baba Malcolm and got his racist ass off that bus by any means necessary. His mind ain’t right. Can’t be, acting like that.
Video link-https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=766529320045926
“What a wonderful bday present! Yes today is my birthday and I am on the cover of @TIME magazine. I realize this is way bigger than me and about a tipping point in our nation’s history where it is no kinder acceptable for trans lives to be stigmatized, ridiculed, criminalized and disregarded. This is for my trans siblings out there and for anyone who has ever been told that who you know yourself to be at your core is not legitimate. You are who you know yourselves to be.” -Laverne
GirlrillaVintage the Blog 