The past couple of weeks have been intense in learning, my interactions with different people, and trying to find my way. It’s my Jordan year, and by that I mean, this year marks my 23rd year of life. I feel like what’s been happening to me as of late has been showing me all these different diverging paths, and that I’ve been given the foresight, along with the wisdom imparted to me by my many friends who are mentors to me, to see what could potentially lead me where.
If you’ve never been to a Fundamentals jam, then you’ve seriously been missing out on your chance for me to capture you with my drunken photography. Honestly, you think it’s easy to take photographs while juggling a drink in your hand and potentially already being inebriated upon party arrival? AND make everyone look good?!
Hahahaha. I’m totally joshin… (Who says that?!)
#FACT: Char Loro takes pictures better when she’s hammered. #FACT: Black-Rap and Classe Nouveau are the only party promoters (thus far) who fully back that ish up. #FACT: Fundamentals therefore has the funnest pictures I’ve taken at parties. #FACT: Fundamentals has the funnest people I’ve ever taken pictures for at parties.
The rules are simple.
1. ‘Stush’ is not welcome.
2. Don’t pose. There’s nothing to front.
3. No, I will not ‘Show you’ the picture after I take it. Do you remember what film used to be like?! Wait in anticipation. You look gooooooood, girl!
4. If you’ve having fun, I’ll be sure to capture it. If you’re having toooo much fun, Hahahaha I will Deeefinitely capture it.
Stay tuned for the next Fundamentals jam, featuring your resident DJ’s Big-Jacks and Mensa, new guest DJ’s, and hosted by Black-Rap and Classe Nouveau. Once a month at Augusta House. Bom bom!
A couple of months ago, my dude DJ Nana hit me up and asked me to be part of a very special weekend — Maureen ‘Ma Dukes’ Yancey, aka J Dilla’s mom, was coming down to Toronto for the first time and would be screening Suite For Ma Dukes. [For previous blog post, click HERE.]
A short film about an incredible composer who took Dilla’s most beloved hits, this man had an orchestra perform them, alongside some of our favorites: Common, Bilal, D’Angelo, and more.
Tomorrow is a special art showcase where all our footage and photos that we documented during that weekend, will be on display, a collaboration of other artists who have re-worked our pieces.
**Update: I will be working at RapCity tomorrow night for the opening reception party, BUT I will be there afterwards for the after party endeavors! The exhibit will be running on Friday and Saturday as well. For full facebook details, click HERE.
You can’t fight when you know what you know. A conversation of compromise takes place in your head and all of a sudden everything becomes justified. But nothing, and nobody, can tell you that that gut feeling in the pit of your stomach is nothing but hard digestion. Yes. Hard to Digest. Because something doesn’t feel… quite… organic. Natural. Real. REAL.
It’s hard to learn your way when everything around you seems like a possible path… some more tempting than others. Some seeming more rewarding than others. Some you want to negotiate… position yourself.. yes, it’s about Positioning, where you are benefitting… but at what cost? Your soul? Your spirit? Your creativity? Your freedom? Your expression?
Environments shape you, and those environments are created by people. Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who You are.
And this is when I say it comes back to Awareness. Be very, very attentive to what’s taking place around you… because it’s so easy to get caught up in it. So easy.
Being Aware. To know where, why, who, what, when and how. But to also understand that what you feel, doesn’t always coincide with what you think. Too many times do we associate “I feel, therefore I am,” when the power truly exists in “I think, therefore I’ll become.” The truth is, moving Forward is not easy. To Move Forward means to leave something else behind. Sometimes we get down on ourselves thinking that we never really made any progress if it was that easy to revert back to old habits. The first step, I always say, is Being Aware.
Today, I Feel. But it is not what I Think.
I Think Forward. Despite what I feel, I still Think Forward.
Yagga yagga yagga. I know I’ve been absent but I promise you I haven’t been slacking. Char’s gettin’ her actress on! Starting tomorrow, I’ve got two performances in the play titled Tempting Remo, which was written by Jo SiMalaya Alcampo, Myk Miranda, Arlene Paculan, and Flerida Pena. The all star cast for this play reading includes Christine Mangosing, Ben Brilliante, Regina Simon, and Cole Alvis. Tomorrow at 8pm, and Sunday at 2pm, all being held at the Theatre Centre, Queen and Dovercourt. Tickets are $15. I’d love for you to come watch!
Finally, the cold, long, and hard fight to finish my last semester of 2nd year is over. After many a late nights, back aches, and editing sessions… I am now free to assess how exactly I want to make the most of this summer. What better way to celebrate last Thursday, the 28th, then to party it up with my sisters at the Crawford for Beetle Brit’s 22nd Birthday?!? Better yet, let’s jam out to TFHOUSE’s Superior Taste Mixtape release, AND the launch of my boys’ artist collective, DSTRY, aka the Destroyers. I danced like a bafoon. I shot bullets into the air every five seconds, made gun noises with my mouth and boomed them into the ear of the DJ. I sang all the wrong lyrics. I was kind of feeling awesome. Then, I went home and munched on Montreal bagels. Life in 2011 ain’t half bad, folks.
Here are the flicks from that night, starting with Beetle Brit’s surprise brunch — Lox and Cream cheese on a Montreal Bagel… with a Rickards Tall Boy, of course! Enjoy.
