Ladies be your own mic

The hip hop industry can be very bias towards women that are trying to make a brand for themselves. Although there are women hip hop legends like Salt and Pepper, MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, and Queen Latifah who has set the standards for women to demand respect by the men who like to call women the B-word and her comeback with a strong lyricist voice "Who you calling a b***h". Women in the hip hop game always had to work 10 times harder mostly in that particular industry just to gain the respect by men that likes to try them and feel that "oh that's not women like" oh you should look like this and spit these type of lyrics. Women needs to have their own voice, their own image on how they would want to appear to the fans to establish their own brand and hustle for themselves just like the men in the industry does.

Lil Kim for example does very well in how she recites her lyrics she has that strong voice and how she projects will have people be attentive to what she is saying. But based off watching the Notorious movie; she kind of did anything just to make a name for herself in the industry. The people in the industry who she was associated with told her to spit these types of lyrics, you should look like this (raunchy image). Lil Kim was being controlled by someone who wanted to make a profit off of her; didn't have respect for her as a women, cared more about how she puts it down in the bed room and the vulgarity that comes out of her mouth. That person took advantage of her vulnerability just because she was desperate to have that stardom. Lil Kim is used as an example to show the mistake she made for not being true to herself. For the ladies who are inspired to be an respected hip hop artist needs to set the standards for themselves. Ladies you need to become that independent women; become your own executive/CEO/producer of your label for women that share that drive and ambition like you, brand yourself. Just be true to yourself and you will see who respects your talent.

Hedonis Da Amazon who is famously known from the reality show Miss Rap Supreme that premiered on Vh1 in the spring of 2008. Hedonis is an unsigned hip hop artist, very intelligent even though her presence come off as being "street" to others "ghetto"; her You Tube clip below explains her passion and how business minded she really is about the industry as a whole and how women should portray themselves. She also stated about the reality show Miss Rap Supreme how she felt that the show was exploiting the ladies in a negative manner by making them look stupid. Hedonis felt like the show shouldn't be about teaching women how to rap, in her eyes they already know how to rap. She felt that the show should of have been on some Trump show level; by teaching the women who inspired to be in the hip hop industry how to handle their business; in selling their own records,learning how to read contracts, how to dress and put on make-up and many more insightful value points Hedonis said on this YouTube clip below. Check out the clip below and I hope that the ladies that are reading this blog and viewing the clip will  inspire you to be your own mic.

Dr.Tererai words of wisdom from her mother

"Write those dreams down on paper and bury them and if you truly believe in those dreams, then you will see them grow and grow and grow. Cover those dreams with a rock because that rock will always call you were ever you are in the world".

What an intern is there for

 An intern is there to help and assist the supervisor of the respected work that is given to them to complete a task. The interns are there to learn about the business that is of their interest that they have been reading in text books and researched with a twist of hands on training. An intern is not the employer doormat; so the intern should not be demanded to get the employer and the executive team coffee if its not at the will of the intern. The intern should also not be demean to the point that you damaged their character.

The intern must know that they are a great asset to the business; they are there to help it grow. Business uses interns for a reason and one is to share ideas on what will help the business grow and two companies don't have to give a pay check and benefit packages on the interns cause its a temporary position. Interns must know that you are there to do a job that you have an interest in what can be an inspiration for them to be the Chief executive officer (CEO) of the business. Remember that "you have to crawl before you walk" the hands on training that intern is getting may be tough at the beginning; after the work is done and your internship is up, the intern should feel confident in taking on a new task given to them. The confident and courage should be so high, that when the intern is officially applying for a career position they come in saying to themselves that's my job. 

Employers, supervisors and executives remember that interns are there to be educated and inspired. They may just end up becoming your top employer one day that have gotten the business out of downfall financial break. Treat your interns as if they really work for you. Show them the ropes of the business, don't expect them to know everything, remember they are working for very little pay to no pay; so its a passion and dream of theirs. The interns are doing your business a favor; bring the best out the interns you will find that they have brought the best out of you.

Talents left in the dark

Talents are the abilities of ones gift that possesses the qualities of what they were born with. Talents can come from different walks of life; the question is what the talent scouts are looking for. In most cases they are either looking for someone that is profitable, someone that will sale off the magazine rack, like the look, weight and the height.

Their have been many people that get the recognition of what there talent is either because they are an heir or heiress of the family fortune or they come from a family that has the income to allow them to take classes to help enhance the talent. The question is why are the same types of talents overcrowding our cable channels and entertainment industry instead of those found in poverty-stricken neighborhoods? Why aren’t the talent scouts going to community events for the arts in all neighborhoods? Many are hungry to make it in their respective fields yet the entertainment industry lacks support for “different” artistic styles. Countless artistic organizations are suffering due to tremendous budget cuts because they are deemed unimportant. Lately many schools faced with these budget cuts are forced to remove the arts from their extracurricular activities while there are organizations like save the music foundation by VH1  stressing the importance of music education in the schools. The bottom line is if there aren’t enough motivators and supporters who care about the community and are striving for excellence many talents will be left in the dark. When talent is left in the dark, it brings hopelessness to the people. When talent is left in the dark originality dies.
   
As Langston Hughes implied a dream deferred dries up, sags like a heavy load then explodes. When talent is left in the dark as the talented could choose another option, which could be negative. The youth, the ex-cons, impoverished neighborhoods, homeless shelters need to have organizations that will help nurture and bring light to their wasted talents. A bit of inspiration and support from the community can help establish the future stars of tomorrow. People who are looking for talent need to be objective and receptive to different ideas. Some may have a voice like Luther Vandross others may have excellent writing skills like Maya Angelou. These talents will never be found if so many are overlooked. If schools continue to neglect the arts, it will be nearly impossible to find the next Maya Angelou or the next president of the United States.

Many fail to realize the arts can help someone find their voice and build their confidence.  For those striving to find success in the entertainment industry don’t lose hope because someone will eventually recognize you. Never forget the beauty within yourself and the talents you possess. The following video below titled the Talented Crack head is an example of what can happen to a dream deferred. it’s not unlikely that he lost motivation because he had no positive inspiration. You are never too old to be mentored. With guidance, this guy could learn more about the music industry.