The Day

Well, it's finally here!  Tomorrow I'll be launching www.niqspeaks.com.  To some people, it might not be a big deal, but I really need this right now in my life.  I was pretty disheartened when I moved back home in March, and with the job recession, I didn't have anything going on for me.  Then it was starting to look like I wasn't going to get into grad school either, so I had to come up with something that I could pour my creativity into!  Thankfully, I was encouraged to pursue my blogging and now, I'm learning how to work my way around the "innanets"!  I'm excited ya'll.  This is big to me.  I just wanted to thank everybody that has visited this site, and has added liked the NiqSpeaks facebook fan page.  I'm almost at 100 subs or likes or something, but yeah, it's awesome.  I made a video yesterday, the final trailer for the site.  I hope you guys enjoy it.  And don't forget,

It aint over till... NiqSpeaks!

Sunday Special: The Post-Contemporary Praise of B.Slade

Good afternoon Jesus children of America.  I really can't go through a full week without sharing  more than one post with some type of music for you.  I'm sorry.  I really am a music addict!  Well, I posted this link a couple of weeks ago on my personal Facebook page, I wanted those of you who hadn't seen this to get a chance to see it

The video is a band warm-up featuring super-androgynous Brian Slade. For anybody who listens to gospel or contemporary Christian music, it might take a couple of minutes before you realize it's the "Make Me Over Again," and "Since Jesus Came," song creator, born Anthony Williams, stage name Tonex, renamed TON3X, but this is him, now. I have been following the "evolution" of Ton3x for about a little over a year or so now, but I did not see the Brian Slade ultra-ego coming.  It's definitely a different sound for Ton3x, and I must admit, he seems to be reaching new heights in his vocal and creative abilities.  (IMO) I'm feeling his sound.  I'm a fan of his, and I will only continue to support him through his musical journey towards audio-euphoria.

As Always,

No Disclaimers.  NEVER.

Niq' :-)

p.s.- What do you think of Ton3x's Brian Slade's new image?  New sound?  Speak up!  I want to hear what you guys have to think.

Textbook Tuesday: Niq's Required Fall 10' Texts (Update: THE BOOKS HAVE BEEN PURCHASED)

For those of you who may or may have not been following the blog since last fall, you may remember I was frantically trying to apply to graduate programs and gather portfolios showing my writings, etc.  Well, I was accepted into Regent University's graduate program for this fall, and I have to say I'm very excited.  It's definitely a great opportunity for me to hone in on my craft, and produce some important pieces.  I have a lot of ideas floating around in my head, and I'm eager to get them out in a presentable format!  With all of that being said, grad school is not just a gift, it is a curse, lol.  For this semester, I'll be responsible for my tuition etc, because I'm coming in under academic provision.  They want to make sure I'm not a slacker, which is reasonable.  Once I wow them, they'll put me back at a no holds acceptance status, and I'll be able to apply for fellowships and grad assistant positions.  In the meantime, I have to pay for things myself, and, yeah... I'm broke!  So, um... who wants to buy me a textbook?  Seriously, here's the books I need.  :-)

If you can't donate a book, comment and let me know you care about my plight! Lol.

~Niq' :-)

        Media Studies: A Reader -- 3rd Edition


   

Music Monday: Billie Holiday

A Young Lady Day

Melancholy horns blow mournful cries as the lady begins to play her own soulful instrument,

"  Southern trees, bear a strange fruit..."

Billie Holiday, born Elinor Harris, recorded "Strange Fruit" after receiving the song from a nightclub owner in Greenwich Village, New York in 1939.  This haunting tale, born out of poetry written by Bronx school teacher, Abel Meeropol, went on to be Holiday's most famous recording.  It is written that Holiday would end each set with this soul-stirring performance.  Waiters would cease serving and house lights would dim.  I can just imagine being in the audience when that raspy, weary soul would start to croon. Oh how bitter that cup must have been, crashing against the sweet the sounds of her magnificent voice as she pitied the deaths of not so distant ancestors.  Holiday was a tortured soul who suffered loss and heartache, and every wretched emotion spilled over into her music.  Singing often of cheating lovers and loves lost, her music reflected her life, and her life... full of woes and not many days.  Gilbert Millstein of The New York Times, wrote on her tragic death at the age of 44,

"The worms of every kind of excess – drugs were only one – had eaten her."

Billie Holiday was the essence of jazz.  Her voice was mesmerizing.  Her message was powerful.  Her music is timeless.  If for any reason, there should be one among you who have not witnessed the audio-spiritual revival that is Ms. Day, I implore you to Google, Youtube, Facebook, Amazon,  do something concerning your ears and her sound.

Go with God and let ♥ guide you to everlasting....
~Niq'

NiqSpeaks.Com Trailer

After some serious issues with my computer, I am pleased to announce that I worked out a little logo idea and a new promo video for the blog!  I literally thought my computer was going to die a couple of times tonight! Lol.  My poor Acer.  Oh yea, if you feel like making a tax deductible charitable donation of a new MacBook  to the NiqSpeaks Education Fund, by all means, do you boo boo!  :-)  Enjoy the promo and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

~Niq' :-) 

Saturday Special: WAKE UP!

Album Cover for the Collaborative Album 

and Hip Hop Album of the year, Yes, I'm calling it already! 

I know I just talked about The Roots on Monday, but I have to say something!  I just listened to "Wake Up Everybody", which is the title track to the upcoming Roots and John Legend album set to release on September 25th, 2010.  Here's the tracklist for the album, and if it will work correctly, the link to download the title track!  

1. 'Compared to What'
2. 'Hard Times'
3. 'Little Ghetto Boy'
4. 'Wake Up Everybody' (featuring Common and Melanie Fiona)
5. 'Our Generation'
6. 'Love the Way It Should Be'
7. 'Hang On in There'
8. 'I Can't Write Left Handed'
9. 'Wholy Holy'
10. 'I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free'
11. 'Shine'

Forward Thinking Friday: P Poppin' in the South

These three words... are brought to you by the letter "P".  

*Learn them 

*Use them in a sentence 

*Impress your friends

Then tell those jealous bastards you found them @NiqSpeaks!
...j/k. :-)  *No I'm not.

Pontificate (v.) - to speak in a pompous or dogmatic manner: Did he pontificate about the responsibilities of a good citizen?


Proclivities (n.) -natural or habitual inclination or tendency; propensity; predisposition: One of my friends has the proclivities of traveling three days a week for work and spending two hours a day in D.C. traffic.


Polemical (adj.) - Controversial; argumentative: This whole Mel Gibson racism scandal is indeed polemical, but nowhere near the Johannes Mehserle verdict.   



*If you're interested in more vocab words, especially if you're studying for your GRE, or MAT, I highly suggest you get The Princeton Review Essential GRE Vocabulary Flashcards. 




Sorry, I have absolutely nothing to write about today!  I racked my brain last night around 11 PM, and again when I randomly work up at 1:30AM.  My sleep patterns are wacky right now.  I definitely need to look into getting a real job, so I can start sleeping like a regular person again.  Oh well, I'm definitely applying everywhere that looks legit, but it's really hard to find a job right now.  For now, I'm looking forward to a few upcoming events.

8.1.2010 is the official launch date for www.NiqSpeaks.com! I'm uber-excited about that.

8.23.2010 is my first day of grad school classes!  *Sidenote* If you'd like to help me pay for my books this semester, that would be awesome.  I'll send you a link... hmm (idea for next blog post).

9.16.2010 is only ... 60 days away... give or take?  Either way, it's my 25th birthday!  It's really coming quickly.  I'm not so sure what I'll be doing, or who I'll be spending the day with, so if you have anything awesome you wanna do for my birthday, feel free to do so! :-)

Well, that's all I have for now.  Everyone enjoy your weekend, if you can. See you on Monday with the new music blog.


~Niq' :-)



*Have you checked out the Wibiya toolbar at the bottom of the blog?  It's pretty neat.  You can like the blog, see everything from Niq' Vids to Twitter activity, access the Facebook Fan Page, and share single blog entries or the entire site with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, or other social networking devices.  If you are a blogger, I highly recommend it!

(M.A.S.S.) w/ Pastor KRS-One

 KRS-One with his new divinity, "The Gospel of Hip Hop"

Home Page for Gospel of Hip Hop 

KRS-One Speaks on Hip Hop Religion

I've actually been meaning to write on this for some time now.  I was perusing the internet a few months ago, and in the usual fashion of browsing on YouTube, one video leads to the next.  Well, I found myself watching clips of KRS-One and "followers" exclaiming over this Hip-Hop bible,  "The Gospel of Hip-Hop: The First Element.  At first I believed it was an anthology of the great things that have come out of the short life of the hip hop movement, but then, as I continued watching his videos, I realized that he was starting a new-age religion, the church of Hip-Hop!  In these YouTube videos, he calls his believers "HipHoppas", asks them to assemble in the "Temple of Hip-Hop", and quotes scriptures from this self-scribed manual of hip-hop living.  He claims that in the next 100 years, his book will be a part of one of the many practiced religions around the world.  In an interview on youtube.com, KRS-One had this to say on the temple of hip hop.

"The reason you would join the Temple of Hip Hop is so that you could get specialized knowledge. You need the facts in order to be successful in any part of Hip Hop. Whether you advertise it, perform it, be it, live it. You need the truth. The truth is not out there right now. The truth or what is being called the truth is techniquely rap music folklore. We're focusing on rappers and their schedule of releases and we're calling that Hip Hop history. That's cool for the public, so that the public has the freedom to call hip-hop what they want. But when you get serious, then you need to get specialized knowledge."

Yeah Kris... o_0?

Well, that's all I have for now.  I just couldn't let this story sit in my drafts folder forever.  I have my own thoughts on this, but I'd really like to hear what you think about the "Gospel of Hip Hop" along with the Teacha, KRS-One's new belief system.  I've posted the link to some of his YouTube videos and the book's primary website under the main blog post image.  PLEASE feel free to watch them and draw your own conclusions.  Speak up.  I want to know where you stand on this... new religion.  I'll gather your responses and attach my viewpoint later on this week.

No Disclaimers.  Never.

~Niq'

Music Monday: The Roots

This Music Monday selection is long overdue! For those of you who don't know but should and those of you who do know, and share, today's Music Monday pick is the Legendary Roots Crew from Philly's new album, How I Got Over.

This album is everything hip-hop has been missing. It's zero parts Soulja Boy Tell'em, three parts lyrical genius by Blue, Porn & Dice Raw, four parts live instruments, one part soulful crooning, with guest appearances by John Legend, Patty crash, and Monsters of Folk, and 100% relevant to the new generation of audio-revolutionaries. I commented on Twitter a few days ago about how…

"HIGO is so ... it's a sexy album. It's mature. It's the wine you can't find at Kroger."

And that's exactly how I feel. It's a straight through listen. There's no need to press fast-forward. Black Thought constantly delivers punch lines, and after-the-punch-line lines, filled with intellect and insight, social perspective, and urban honesty. “The Fire” stands out on the album as a Rocky Rasoul updated “Eye of the Tiger” inspirational track, while the title track, HIGO, breaks out with Quest Love’s sharp precision percussion, followed by Black thought’s provocative lyrics,

“When you on the corner, its too much drama. When you got the police right behind you, it’s always more than a slight reminder. We’re living in a war-zone like Rwanda.”

In “Walk Alone”, he challenges his listeners to re-analyze their consciences with lyrical concepts like

"The Devil want me as is, but God He wants MORE,"

And one of my personal favs from "The Day",

"...And I finally understand my right to choose. My preacher man said it could always be worse. Even a three legged dog still got three good legs to lose."

The Roots brings an ear-gasm of musical creativity that I just do not think I can properly express in this blog. If you haven’t heard it, and desire to elevate in your knowledge of what hip-hop is supposed to sound like and how it's supposed to make you feel, PLEASE go out out and get this album! It is Niq’ approved, and I highly suggest that you GET ADDICTED!

Headline News

Good morning Jesus children of America.  

I couldn't bring myself to write on this, so enjoy this PSA.  

~Niq'

Working Wednesday: Blog Updates

Hey ya'll!  The Music Monday post got pushed back for later this week, but I did want to give you a working Wednesday update.  I just purchased the domain name and three months of hosting "FA DA LO," woo-hoo!  Over the next two weeks I will be transitioning the blogspot into the official NiqSpeaks website! I'm so excited.  Thank you guys for your support!  It's really because of the page visits and subscriptions that I've decided to advance to the next level in my writing and build the blog.  You guys rock!


Love always,
~Niq'

Ah Shama Lama Bama & a side of Hashbrowns

I just CANT!!! iCANT!!! I don't know how many of you follow me on Twitter, but the other day I was in Panera Bread hogging the free wi-fi, and I vaguely thought I heard someone speaking in tongues. I think I tweeted about it. If you don't know what tongues are, when referring to a language, then Google it.  I'm not guiding you there this time! Well, tonight I met up with some friends at the iHop after hitting this little open mic night in Norfolk, and no sooner than we sat down did I hear it again!  This time I wasn't making it up.  The two young men that we passed on our way to our table, adorned in pointed shoes, bow ties, express button ups, and the official gay lisp, were Hash-i-tash-i'n all over the place!  I fired a dart at my shotgun for the night, who instantly shot me the same, because our table mates had already announced that they went to the same church.  After about a minute or so, they quieted down, and went back to laughing and joking at a moderate indoor level, and we went on to order our food. 

I tried to let it go, but I couldn't help but wonder, what unctioned the Holy Spirit to send them into a gibber jabber frenzy at iHop at 1:00am?  It's the craziest thing, but about five years ago, seven at the most, people never broke out speaking in tongues in common places such as eateries, banks, cafeterias, computer labs, etc.  I  have NEVER understood why/how people could 1. feel so privileged as to break the sound barrier when and wherever they chose with these outbursts of indecipherable language. and  2. STILL NOT REALIZE THAT IT IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE PRACTICE, NOR DOES IT DRAW OTHERS TO YOUR RELIGION!

I remember those nights in Lynchburg, when someone in a group I had gone out with would randomly break out into a line of Ah Shama Lamas and I'd just cringe.  I remember being in the computer lab freshman and sophomore year and seeing the group of minority students all huddled around each other, "shouting" in the lab because one of them had just barely passed a GNED quiz, or speaking in tongues because a friend bought them a strawberry smoothie from Jazzman's cafe.  I've never found it to be cute, nor attractive.  I honestly believe that these people are the same people who come early to the club to enjoy the buffet.

I personally believe these people, who find the Cross, instead of the Christ, are just as lost as they were before their "transformation."  I do not believe that there has been a Damascus Road experience for them.  I think they've seen too many episodes of Bobby Jones' Gospel, and attended too many Gospel Fest weekends at Kings Dominion.  I've always held firm to the fact that when you are in a real, personal relationship with Jesus Christ, something in you becomes connected to the Father, and you want to become better.  Sure, we are all human, but I suppose there is an inherent desire to get as close to that earthly perfection as possible.  I don't believe that this perfection includes wearing doilies, spirit cloths, sack cloths, kippas, starch white usher uniforms, or GINORMOUS CHURCH HATS!!!  When this perfection mutated into a conformed model of dressing like a member of a contemporary gospel group, growing dreads, wearing nerd glasses, becoming trendy beyond stomaching, and being a snot nosed brat who hides behind Christian speak and a church shout perfected in a full length mirror to match any speed, tempo, or style of shout beat,  I have no idea.  I must have missed it, and God how glad I am that I did.

Do I feel like there is hope for this current generation of "trendy Christians?"  Sure I do! I just feel like the objective of Christianity is being replaced with something out of an Entertainment Weekly headline.  Stop being so "Flashy for Christ!"  I'm sure if you read, you'll notice Jesus was actually poor when he was doing his most important work.  He never toured with any singing group, or tweeted with his friends during service about people in church who didn't wear nice enough clothes or sing on-key.

(Whatever was in this paragraph, something bigger than myself decided it wasn't time to write it.  The entire paragraph is gone.  I'm heart broken.  It was my absolute favorite.  I'm never writing posts directly in the blog site again.  Sad day indeed.)

What I'm trying to say here is... just be honest with yourselves!  There's so much to be fake about these days, and it just works my last nerve that people in the body of Christ feel such a need to participate in pretending perfection.  Who are you faking for?  Other people who have fallen short of the glory?  Oh.  God already knows your heart, so why lie to those around you?  Stop hoarding all of that crap inside your temple and putting "In Jesus Name" on the front door!  

I'm gonna close now, because it's after 4:30 AM, and I could sadly and  honestly go on about this forever. But before I go,  I want to leave you with a verse by one of my favorite preachers, Shawn Corey Carter.    
  

...No matter where you go, you are what you are, player
And you can try to change, but that's just the top layer
Man, you was who you was 'fore you got here
Only God can judge me, so I'm gone
Either love me or leave me alone.

No Disclaimers, Never.
~Niq'



*The explanation you seek cannot be found.  Go with God, and be blessed.