Don't Sleep | KnowItAll: Weekend Rapstar

On the precipice of the weekend, it is only apropos that I share my thoughts on KnowItAll's forthcoming debut solo album, "Weekend Rapstar." This past Sunday, I attended his listening party at his studio in East Oakland. Artists such as Vell Taylor, bandmate in League 510 TK Other Realm, Sean Bo, Krystle Azul, and one of the producers on the album Jeffro were also in attendance. Additionally, Rod Campbell of DopeOnly, DAGHE of Cre8tive Class, and DNas of Streets is Talking Radio came through to hear what Knowy says are his deepest feelings. For the first hour, folks were invited to enjoy complimentary Sangria, beer, and greenery to "get their minds right" for the music. KnowItAll donned a pair of coral jeans with a gray and coral glow-in-the-dark hoodie, and navy blue and coral Adidas. He chatted with guests, while playing a band he discovered while at SXSW recently, called Six60. The ambiance would only get more and more intimate as people showed up to the invitation-only event and crowded in chairs, beanbag chairs, and any place that they could find to sit or stand.

What I like most about this artist is that he will turn up to his music of his favorite music more than anyone else. He elevated the energy in the room by being super hyped. He's pictured right, turning up to Six60, among some of his other favorite artists in hour 1 of the Weekend Rapstar listening party.

When the project started, KnowIt preceded pressing play by saying "For many of us who do what we do part-time... we're all living our dreams part-time." He said that he wants to inspire all of the weekend artists: the weekend rapstars, the weekend dancers, the weekend poets, the weekend singers, the weekend writers, and anyone else who has to work a 9-5 to survive, but would really rather be pursuing their craft full time. There were a lot of nods and sighs of agreement in the room, and already, his purpose was resonating with the cozy audience. He showed the Weekend Rapstar trailer, and then we were a go.

A standout track on this album is "Rapstar on the Weekends" featuring your local R&B sensation 1-OAK. The first verse speaks about working a job through the week and hating it, but my favorite part comes in the second verse, when KnowItAll says that he doesn't sleep with the women he meets on the road, but instead makes them buy cds and tees to promote his music. I respect that unlike a lot of emcees out there, he uses the ladies' affinity for a budding star not to satisfy his own sexual ego, but to promote his music further. The production on this is also solid. One of my favorite tracks on the album is "One Night Only" produced by Jeffro. This is another song about being on the road and out living the life. This time, though, he talks about keeping it real with women he meets, if they do wanna take it there. He says, "And if you need to convince yourself that we're more than homies/Okay, I'll be your boyfriend... but just for one night only." This isn't your typical song about meeting a chick, getting her drunk, smashing, and leaving without not knowing anything about about her. How could he "know it all" if he didn't hang out with her, converse with her, become quick friends, and then... well, you get it.

I had an opportunity to sit down with KnowItAll after the listening party ended, and my first question was about a song on his project that samples "Sweet Dreams" by the Eurythmics, and has the same name. The song talks about depression, to the point of wanting to end one's life, and is one of, if not the best, songs on the album. I asked Knowy to talk about the space he was in for a song like that to be inspired.

"In 2011, I had what I'm calling a quarter life crisis. I asked myself 'What do I stand for? Is this music shit gon' work? This was the first time I questioned my faith, as well. I decided to quit smoking, after which I experienced more anxiety and depression. I probably was always anxious and depressed, and just didn't notice it about myself until I quit. I was in a darker space for the majority of that year. I kinda started having those 'would the world miss me? do I even matter?' thoughts, but it was never like the blade was to my wrist or anything. Mont left [third member of League 510], I was in a relationship and that ended, and my two outlets were now sparse: weed and music."

The interludes on Weekend Rapstar are snippets of an interview on Inside the Actor's Studio with comedian, Dave Chappelle, soon after his return from Africa. I asked KnowIt what the motivation behind the snippets were:

"They tie into the 'Sweet Dreams' period. He stands for something with his art and I identified in that sense. I'm like the Dave Chappelle of rap; trying to shed light on important topics, wrapped in a package that people can digest.

When asked what one thing is that he wants people to take away from Weekend Rapstar he answered:

"Most societies are built in the fashion that everyone's role is to contribute to the benefit of the whole. When that's programmed in, we learn not to do enough for ourselves... There's only two ways to attain the American Dream: something super illegal or work until you can't anymore, make someone else a millionaire, and hope that you have enough crumbs to live on for the rest of your life. There goes 50 years of your life making someone else rich. What did you do for you, though?"

His beliefs, struggles, heartbreaks, triumphs, random thoughts... everything about him is basically crammed into an hour of music. I ended our talk by asking him if he wants to be famous:

"I hate that question -- that's a double-edged sword. My message is meant to reach the masses, and the only way to do that is through fame. I don't know if I'm ready for some Kanye shit... can't go anywhere..."

He pauses to think.

"I want the power of being influential. I don't wanna be famous... but I might need to be."

WEEKEND RAPSTAR by KnowItAll:

A+++

Weekend Rapstar drops THIS MONDAY, APRIL 15 just in time for tax season, on his Soundcloud. Check it out! 

THIS IS DOM JONES SAYING...

Never Gonna Break Up: My Ryan Leslie Experience

When Terrell told me that he was taking me to Ryan Leslie during my visit to Boston, I turned into this weird, squealing chick. Anyone who pays attention to me at all will probably hear me mention Ryan Leslie at least 10 times a day. So when I found out that he'd be coming to the Bay as well, as sad as I was to go without T, I bought a ticket anyway. I had to. It was R. Les.

Here I was with two tickets to two shows on two coasts without ever having seen him perform live before. That's how diehard it got. In Boston, I stood towards the front, almost touching the stage. Mr. Leslie came out with a bandana over his face and dark shades. He was on his Black Mozart, "let the black flag fly" hype. His band was solid with an electric guitarist, bassist, and drummer, and Ryan rounding everything out on the keys (I think he had a Triton or a Motif, can't remember) and a Korg on the side for all that synth loveliness. His performance was flawless, except for one thing. I noticed that he was catering to the white boys and the Kim Kardashian looking broads when giving love to the crowd. I was standing next to two plus sized black girls, and when he came to reach out to the crowd and shake hands, we all reached up. It looked like he intentionally skipped shaking our hands. There was a pause, a look, and a step to the left. My first thought was that I was tripping.

Until I watched the other side of the room. There were a couple of pretty young looking black boys on the other side. Again, the pause, look, and step to the left. "That's really peculiar," I mumbled to myself. Terrell was too into R. Les singing "Gibberish" to notice. Overall, at the Boston show, I had a good time, but for some reason, that feeling just stuck with me.

I decided to get there early for the SF show at Slim's and was about seventh in line at 7:20 for an 8:30 show. His opener, Anya and The Get Down, was pretty weak, so let's skip over that. He came out around 10:30, and I was SO glad that I was right up on the stage, so that I could lean on it for the three hours I was waiting.

He came out looking FLY, of course, and started his set. It only took me until the middle of the second song to realize that this would be the exact same set from Slim's. I get it, I guess. When you're on tour, you have to build a set and stick to it, for convenience's sake. I still hoped that he might throw in something different.

When he started singing, of course I knew all of the words. Song after song, I was top-of-my-lungs Dom. At the point that "Quicksand" came on, I was going crazy. THAT SONG IS MY ISH! Side-note: The Bay Area is WAY more "turnt up" than Boston. For that reason, this show was more fun. I was standing next to some Kim Kardashian chicks who were getting more turned up because of how hype I was getting. We were dancing and waving our arms in the air. I swear, they tried, but it seemed like they thought they were too cute to turn up too much for the Don Dada R. Les. Not me! I was at my favorite church, music, and I was catching the spirit early in service.

Around the third song, Mr. Leslie turned toward my side of the stage and said, "I like what y'all are doing over there." While looking towards (what I thought) was me and the three Kims. I guess he felt the need to clarify, so he walked over and stood just out of where I'd have been included, and put his hand out above the Kims saying, "Right here in this area right here." Cars screeched to a halt in my head. WTF?

I wanted it to all be in my head, but it was the same pattern. Shout out to the turned up white boys. Star-swoon over the Kims. I stopped myself, and a thought came to me. This show wasn't for me. It was for the mainstream, I only listen to the songs he makes videos for or features on with a bigger artist crowd. It was apparent in the songs he performed. This wasn't for the East-Oakland, dark skinned, natural black girl who listens to every song in his catalog and Youtube crate digs looking for songs she's never heard, but wants to know by heart. The industry has its idea of what the mainstream looks like, and even though he's independent now, so does Ryan Leslie. The marketplace isn't ripe with urban folks making artists go platinum, so they say... so they think. R. Les is an Economics major from Harvard, so though his sound appeals to the hood and the 'burbs alike, his mentality is Ivy League... upper-crust, even.

I wanted to be pissed, but by the time Gabe Lambirth, Ryan Leslie's guitarist, started singing "Purple Rain," I was back at church, overtaken by the spirit of sound. What musician worth their salt can stay mad when good music is on? Plus, Lambirth is mad cute. Lol... I got over it, with a note to myself that if I ever attend another Ryan Leslie show, I should know that he most likely won't perform many of my favorites. I did get to hear "Zodiac," "5-minute Freshen Up," and "Ups and Downs" which, I guess was enough, for someone who isn't as greedy as I am.

There was a point in the night where he asked for requests. Three main songs were shouted by the crowd, which fit with the set he had already done in Boston, anyway: Gibberish, Diamond Girl, and Addiction. I was the only one in the crowd yelling, "Out of the Blue!," "Consequences!," "You're Fly!," and of course, my favorite (which I yelled so much, so loudly, the drummer started laughing) "Never Gonna Break Up!" He didn't do any of these songs, and it made me kind of sad, but the show was still awesome. Towards the end of the night, he came over to my side of the stage to shake hands, again. I was super hesitant, based on my experience, but I heard Terrell's voice from the Boston show in my ear, like "You better touch that man, girl!" I laughed and reached up. Leslie took my hand, looked down and said, "Thank you."

His music is for me. The sound obsessed chick who someday hopes to open for him. The smart girl, who couldn't afford college a few years ago, but had now applied to Harvard. The producer inside who wants to learn his chords, and movements, and doesn't think he needs to call himself "Black Mozart," since he's ill under his own moniker.

Now his shows? Those are for those folks who don't really love him like I do. They couldn't hear the sharps and flats of last night (and yeah, I gave him the side-eye when he hit a couple of off notes). So...

Dear Ryan Leslie,

I still love you. You have flaws. It's okay. Your music is near flawless. Love, Dom Jones.

DONT SLEEP | Deja Bryson: Just A Woman

When I first heard Deja Bryson a few years ago, it was amongst a slew of female artists in the Bay who were making a run for it; it being success. There was Netta B (now an Atlantic recording artist), Siaira Shawn (who has moved to NY and is rocking with For The Lovers), Viveca Hawkins (who is touring internationally with her band The Memorials), and many more.

Deja's aesthetic stood out to me, then. She was kinda this rocker, pop mix, reminiscent of Pink. I liked it.

Her voice was a hit or miss for me at that time. Her then single, "Move Along" underwhelmed me, and because there was SO MUCH MUSIC coming out at that time, I thought, "Sweet girl, nice look, I'll see what else she does." and kept it moving. After her big event, the Power Party, Deja all but disappeared. I wasn't hearing a lot from her, and I was curious as to why that was. It seemed as though she had been building momentum, and now all of a sudden she was not just out of the spotlight, but silent. When I heard that she was gearing up to release a new single, "Just a Woman," I was happy to stop by her release and hear what's new.

Cafe Leila was abuzz with family, friends, and fans of Deja when I arrived last Sunday. I was directed to the back of the cafe, where she was just finishing sound check. I was offered food and wine (which I declined, as I like to have my wits about me when reviewing music) by the host of the night, and there were lots of announcements as I waited for about an hour and a half before the show started.

By the time the show started, it was standing room only, and I ended up glad that I had arrived at the time the event was slated to start. Background singers emerged and started singing and, finally, there was Deja.

She began singing a song called "Love Sounds" and I instantly thought, "Who is this?!" Her tone and riffs had improved drastically. The song itself was very catchy, and the production was on point. As an added bonus, she had two dancers set the stage w/ Erk Tha Jerk and D. Bledsoe joining the dancers as male props, if you will. Deja's showmanship really shined through as the performance continued.

After an intermission and performances from students of Deja's non-profit of choice, to which some of the proceeds of her event would go, she returned in a stunning cream sequin gown, pictured above. Now was the time for the debut of her new song, "Just A Woman." What's the grade?

JUST A WOMAN by DEJA BRYSON:

A

This is a beautiful love song, folks. It's where R&B SHOULD be, but is not. A nice touch to the event, each seat had the lyrics to the song for the audience to follow along. I appreciated Deja's intro, where she talked to the audience about our moral failures in relationships: how women chase spoken-for men and how men lie to their women about where they are in life (whether they want to be attached or not). She crooned, REALLY crooned, as though she were groomed as a part of the Motown sound, and really gave the audience a show. I appreciated the clear vocal and performance work that she's done in the interim between her first project and this one. I think that other emerging singers should keep an eye on her, watch what she's doing, see the reaction. It's important to evaluate one's potency as an artist and adjust accordingly, and that's just what she's done. Deja Bryson is clearly on her way to being "just a star." 

You can purchase Just A Woman on iTunes today!

THIS IS DOM JONES SAYING...

Life Is Living Festival 2012: The Standouts

For the past several years, literary arts non-profit Youth Speaks, has illuminated Oakland's rich culture and need for sustainable living with its Life Is Living Festival. They've had everyone from Mos Def to Los Rakas to Talib Kweli to Jennifer Johns, the latter two being performers in the festival this year. Life Is Living is held in West Oakland at Defremery Park





Hosting the main stage this year was the consummate Youth Speaks Alum and West Oakland native, Chinaka Hodge. Having just recovered from a severe neck injury, Chinaka displayed fortitude, cracking jokes and seamlessly introducing the acts. Being a performer herself, she burst into poem, during an elongated break between performers as bands switched out. Just one example of her skill in hosting. In an endearing moment, Hodge's brother came on stage to re-introduce her properly, as she had introduced herself earlier.

ZAKIYA HARRIS

The first act in the Isis Rising tribute to Nina Simone (to include Zakiya Harris, Ama Evolution, Antique, and Jennifer Johns), Zakiya set the bar high with her exhilarating performance. Her band and background singers kept up with her high energy, as she performed songs with topics ranging from her people's brilliance to black love. When she began singing about the latter, she vamped "Black love ain't easy, I've got nothing to prove..." She tackles topics that everyone thinks about and speaks about effortlessly with style and integrity. 

In case you didn't know, Zakiya is also the founder and Executive Director of Grind For The Green, a Bay Area non-profit which "acts as a communicator of current environmental policy issues and sustainable lifestyle choices to diverse communities." A champion for sustainable living education in urban communities, a fierce emcee, singer, and performer, Zakiya is a force to be reckoned with. I was glad to catch her performance today. If you missed her performance you can catch her at Oakland's First Fridays performing at the larger than life Grind for the Green booth.

THE ATTIK

Do DAT (pictured left), Sandman (pictured center), and I.Amani (pictured right) are three emcees close to my heart and who comprise the legendary Bay Area hip hop group The Attik. Performing today with the Mik Nawooj orchestra, they reminded me of everything I've been missing and longing for in hip hop: fresh musical perspective, clear and skilled lyricism, and well... camaraderie. I caught Sandman and DAT laughing with each other onstage as they performed, and this deep brotherhood is what makes their music so consistent. 

It's been years since they performed together. Many of us remember their debut (and only to date) album, Jungle Electric, as one of the most forward hip-hop albums of its time. I am so, so, SO happy to see them coming back together to give us more of their brilliance. If you missed them today, you can catch them this Friday at Era Art Bar and Lounge. Details on the flyer below. 

All in all, I had an awesome time today! It felt like a family reunion, as I saw so many artists from my past, present (and future). Shout out to everyone who performed on any of the stages! Dom Jones, signing off...

Turn the Lights On: Did Usher Just Pull a G move on Trey Songz?

Trey Songz' new single "Dive In" versus Usher's new single "Dive." What do we think? We think Usher is making a run to reclaim his throne against a formidable opponent, Trey Songz. First, I'll tell you what I think of each song. Then, I'll tell you why Usher is purposefully chasing the wrong opponent.

TREY SONGZ - Dive In

Let me apologize in advance to my good friend, Alexandrea, who is a die hard Trey fan. This is a typical song from Trey, talking about his supposed sexual prowess, modernizing (yet clearly biting) the swag of R. Kelly. It'll work for the ratchets, what can I say? I'm not inclined to allow him to dive in or to allow anyone else to do so while this song is playing. The production is solid, but the song is just something that seems to have come off of today's R&B assembly line. Meh... moving on...

USHER - Dive

The first line pretty much sums it up: "These waters can get a little busy, but I've got experience..." This song will trump Trey's because vocally Usher is killing, lyrically his writer's arrange a complex composition that will appeal to R&B AND Pop fans alike, and Usher knows how to control his vibrato (lol... singers know what I'm talking about). This marks yet another song that documents Usher's arduous climb back to the top of the male singer's totem pole... but Usher... c'mon, son... Trey isn't the real competition. In my opinion, Usher is picking on an easier target. The real target is someone who (though his personal life is ridiculous) can trump Usher DANCING and dare I say can stand up to him vocally:

 

That's right, ladies and gentleman, it's this generation's Ike Turner: Chris Brown. While Chris' anger issues and lack of remorse for the brutal beating of girlfriend, Rihanna, is deeply disturbing, that doesn't negate that the kid can sing and dance. I in no way support his music, but... the kid can sing and dance. To me, it was clear when Usher performed at the same awards show as Chris and chose to sing a BALLAD (that he still did some awkward dance moves to)! Yes, yes, Usher is a bit older, but I seem to remember James Brown and Michael Jackson dancing well into their 40s and 50s, the crown of which these two are trying to take. So why would Mr. Raymond come for "Trigga Trey?" Simple: easy target practice.

I find it funny. What do you think? Dom Jones signing off...

© October 2012, Dom Jones Music

The Day I Went Straight...

 Last week, I decided to conduct a social experiment and straighten my hair for the last three days of the week. Wednesday, I knew I had to give a very important speech at a business event, and I wanted to see if I'd be treated differently among my colleagues, executives I was just meeting, and friends. Most people have never seen me with straight hair. I went natural at 19 and never looked back, but for the occasional press during that first year or two. Some of the men I've loved have often tried to coax me into straightening my hair, a request I always meet with a long spiel about how I refuse to bow to the European standard of beauty. My language, my (specific) origin, and much of my culture has been stolen from me. They can't have my hair. My hair is mine. So, Tuesday night when I sat between my mother's knees and listened to my hair sizzle in her straightening comb, I struggled to hold back tears. I struggled with the idea that I was succumbing... but I sojourned on because I just had to know... would people REALLY place more value on my humanity from a simple hair style change? Surely, they would see that I was the same Dominique I've always been... just as hardworking, dedicated, caring, blah blah blah... right?

Not so much. The "compliments" were staggering. I'll highlight the ones which stood out the most. Comment number one almost made me laugh and cry simultaneously: "Oh, wow, you did your hair?!" *insert car screeching to a halt sound here* Um... sooooo my hair not being straight means that I don't do my hair? Lol... oooooooook. Let me preface the remainder of this blog by saying that I allowed myself to have whatever reaction (inside my own head) that I wanted to have... but my outer reaction was always polite and thankful. Any-who... comment number two: "Wow, you look really beautiful." This one almost broke me down. A (male) friend and colleague who I know for a fact prefers women who are not natural and who mostly relinquish whatever may be their personal style to the media's depiction of what beauty is tells me that NOW I look really beautiful. Why now? Nothing else about me changed! I have the same clothes, no makeup, same personality... and what really bothered me was that deep inside there was a part of me that was enjoying the attention. Damn, I thought, the psychological warfare of body image runs deep. Why the hell did I decide to use myself as a lab rat? Too late to turn back...

That evening, I changed clothes at work for the event at which I was to give a speech. I really went all out. A dress, stockings, heels, accessories. Most know that I don't wear heels and I'm somewhat averse to dresses. When I met up with the colleague who would accompany me to the event, comment number three was born, not really of words but of a solid 90 seconds of "Mmmph... mmmph.... mmmph..." Yes. I'm serious. Was this supposed to be complimentary?! I was thinking... SAY WORDS!!! I wanted to allow myself to feel sad in this moment, sad not for myself, but for a people which has bowed down so far that making our hair bow down as well is considered a sign of beauty... but I had a speech to give, and schmoozing to do. An executive who I know and respect was in attendance and said, "You changed your hair. I like it." This was the only comment that seemed... unloaded. Simple. A matter of aesthetics and not centuries of oppression. It helped me breathe easier through the night and only when walking to BART from the event did I unlock the chamber of my emotions and cry all the way home. I missed my naps... but I still had two more days to go.  I was beginning to feel lost. The past world when I had a perm, and had never even considered going natural, was colliding with my naptacular existence. 

The following two days weren't much different. When I called my older sister to vent about it, she told me that I was taking everything too personally. She said that my natural hair wasn't a novelty, and people were just reacting to the change. She's such a silver-lining, rose-colored glass thinker. In this case, I can't try to think the best of people. My own family reacted crazily when I first went natural, calling it a phase that I'd eventually get over, instead of what it was: A life choice to reclaim my roots. To embrace the African I am.

Over the past year, I've spoken with several young women who tell me that they are afraid to wear their hair naturally, for fear of being ostracized by their families and communities. They ask me how I do it. I tell them that I accept myself first... I internalize the fact that THIS IS HOW I WAS MADE. There is great beauty in accepting and EMBRACING my coarse hair. There is pride when I rock it with dignity and swag. It's crazy that my straightening my hair left me feeling ostracized by... me. I felt cast out of my own body, yet the world in which I was living was saying "Yes! This is what we want!"

I'm washing the press out today. I can't wait to see and feel my hair recoil underneath the water, but I'm left with a feeling of dread. Will they still love me... tomorrow?

I guess that goes into the need for reassurance from any other human being besides self... but we'll save that for another blog.

A "Note to Self" is an Admonishment to All: Sojari Bradley's Debut Video

It took me a minute to really sit down and listen to/ watch this video because I knew that there would be lots and lots to think about afterwards. I have known Sojari to be the kind of writer who plunges herself and her listeners into a straightforward kind of honesty that one can be taken aback by. You don't get to hide your skeletons in Sojari's house because she so willingly lays hers down in an offering of prose. This song, accompanied by her first musical video as well, didn't disappoint in the least. I'm really, really proud of the strides that she has made as a woman of color, a writer, a performer, and seriously... a BEAST on the mic! I should move this first paragraph to the end. That would be proper... but I kinda wanna say all of this stuff from the start, so that you know... she's pretty much awesome.

NOW. I'm sitting here, and the beat starts, and I sigh in frustration... I'm thinking A SAMPLED BEAT?! Lol... for those who have read my blog for any length of time, you know that I'm all about forward production. I gave the song a chance, and the lyrics definitely follow a soulful kind of honesty: "...battling my demons/now I'm coming out swinging/catching these poets sleeping/they ask me what's the recipe/I tell 'em... this is destiny..."

"While some are in it for self/I'm in it for common wealth..." This line reminded me of how pure it used to feel to write. I met Sojari as my distaste for the world of poetry and slam poetry had grown so severe that I just walked away from being in the scene. A lot of us forget that the success we gain comes YES from ambition and YES from luck favoring the prepared, but that we never did it for anyone but US. That's what makes an artist authentic. Sojari pretty much sums it up in her new song, so please, have a look at her video, and if you were like me a few years ago (in need of a friendly reminder that your art is from and FOR you), let this be your perfect "Note to Self." Sojari Bradley can be found on FACEBOOK and TWITTER.