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media and culture analysis – LAS thinktank

creativity, culture

Sounds of Resist! (EP Review)

EP Review: Ozulé’s Resist! – A Soundtrack for Revolution and Reckoning

Ozulé’s latest project isn’t just an EP—it’s a pre-apocalyptic transmission, a call to consciousness, and a battle cry wrapped in synths, basslines, and unrelenting lyricism. From the first track to the last, the record pulses with urgency, channeling the tension of a world at a tipping point while refusing to succumb to despair.

It all ignites with Burnin’ Toxic, a garage punk-meets-breakbeat hip-hop explosion that sets the stakes: ecological collapse, unchecked corporate greed, and the widening gap between those who see the fire and those who look away. That dissonance—between truth and denial, action and apathy—carries through the EP’s sonic and thematic core. Still Here turns inward, grappling with the fragility of survival in an era of uncertainty, while Rocketship finds Ozulé at a crossroads, weighing whether to escape or stand and fight.

Then, the descent into control and resistance begins. Puppet Master tightens the strings with an eerie, theatrical build, revealing the mechanisms of manipulation before unleashing a full-scale reckoning. By the time Red Blooded kicks in, the collective has taken the streets, and there’s no turning back. With its infectious pulse and anthemic call to action, it’s the EP’s heart—the moment where defiance crystallizes into movement.

But the true triumph is in its ending. Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us lifts its head toward the horizon, delivering an Afrofuturist victory lap that acknowledges the struggle while reveling in the unbreakable spirit of those who dare to fight for more. The bass knocks like a war drum, the lyrics shine like prophecy, and Ozulé makes one thing clear: the future belongs to those who refuse to be stopped.

Verdict: A masterclass in storytelling through sound, Resist! is a resistance piece, a reckoning, and a rallying cry all at once.

Resist! EP is available exclusively on Bandcamp for streaming and purchase: https://ozul3.bandcamp.com/album/resist

Now, let’s take you through each song, track by track:

Song Review: Ozulé’s Burnin’ Toxic Is a High-Octane Clash of Urgency and Denial

Ozulé isn’t here to ease you in—Burnin’ Toxic kicks off like a revving engine, launching straight into a world on the verge of collapse. Blending garage punk’s raucous energy with breakbeat hip-hop’s relentless churn, the lead single from Resist! is a pulse-pounding ride through climate anxiety, corporate greed, and willful ignorance.

The song’s structure is as gripping as its subject matter. Ozulé voices two characters locked in a battle of perspective: one panicked by the rising temperature—both literal and metaphorical—the other stubbornly oblivious, spewing streams of denials. The contrast isn’t just thematic; it’s embedded in the performance itself, with Ozulé shifting between a incredulous mezzo-soprano and a nonchalant tenor. The result? A volatile call-and-response that plays out like a musical tug-of-war, where the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Sonically, Burnin’ Toxic is as relentless as its message. The beat grinds forward like a machine refusing to shut down, while a distorted bassline rumbles underneath, creating a sense of impending doom. And just when you think the track might let up, the engine roars again—an unsettling reminder that this crisis isn’t on pause.

As the first glimpse into Resist!, Burnin’ Toxic sets the tone for what’s to come: a world teetering between action and catastrophe. It’s urgent. It’s exhilarating. And it demands an answer—will we slam the brakes, or crash headlong into disaster?

Song Review: Ozulé’s Still Here Is a Gritty, Grief-Stricken Battle Cry

If Burnin’ Toxic was the ignition, Still Here is the aftermath—the moment when the adrenaline fades, leaving only raw survival in its wake. A searing fusion of electronic and hardcore synthpop, Ozulé’s second track on Resist! plunges headfirst into uncertainty, grief, and the fragile thread tethering us to life itself.

“We know it’s not certain, we’ll breathe again, we’ll breathe again.” The haunting refrain carries a chilling double meaning, lingering in the air like a held breath. Written in the throes of 2021, when COVID-19 ravaged lungs and lives alike, the track wrestles with what it means to persist in the face of relentless loss. The production mirrors that desperation—grungy drum and bass elements pound forward, unrelenting, while Ozulé’s vocals cut through with a rawness that feels less like singing and more like pleading.

But where the song could succumb to despair, it instead finds release. A warped, pitch-shifted performance heightens the sense of disorientation, yet the energy builds toward a defiant dance-break bridge—an invitation, however desperate, to shake off the weight of anguish, if only for a moment. Movement, even in mourning, is still movement.

With Still Here, Ozulé doesn’t offer easy answers—only the question that lingers long after the final synth fades: How do we keep breathing when the air feels too heavy to hold?

Song Review: Ozulé’s Rocketship Shoots for the Stars, But at What Cost?

Drifting between escape and devotion, Rocketship is Resist!’s most intimate reckoning yet. Where previous tracks thrash against the chaos of a crumbling world, this one lingers in the quiet ache of choice: Do we stay and fight, or do we leave it all behind?

Ozulé’s signature blend of crooning melodic rap and cosmic cloud production gives Rocketship an otherworldly glow—twinkling synths and dazzling sound effects stretch across the mix like stardust, while a weighty bassline keeps everything tethered to reality. The vocal delivery is solitary, almost abandoned, switching between a pensive lower-register rap and soaring high melodies. The absence of a second voice leaves a question hanging in space: What will the person on the other end of this plea decide?

The song itself mirrors its central conflict. Its structure loops back to where it began, orbiting the same impossible dilemma: is flight an act of survival or surrender? It’s a time-sensitive decision, one that pulses beneath the moderate tempo like a countdown clock.

More than just a love song or an escape anthem, Rocketship captures the crossroads of crisis and connection, where revolution isn’t just about the world—it’s about who we hold onto in the wreckage. And as the final notes fade into the void, Ozulé leaves us with the real question: What’s worth staying for?

Song Review: Ozulé’s Puppet Pulls the Strings of Dissent

If Burnin’ Toxic was the ignition and Still Here the reckoning, Puppet Master is where the illusion shatters—and the audience refuses to play along.

A fusion of eerie rock and sharp-edged hip-hop, the track unfolds like a theatrical confrontation. Its pacing is slow and deliberate, each verse tightening the noose as ghostly wails swirl in the background, whispering warnings from the shadows of those who saw the truth too late. The tension finally snaps as a gnarly, cutting guitar solo tears through the fabric of the song, a moment of sheer, electrified release.

“These acts are outrageous / Our silence won’t save us,” Ozulé intones, voice shifting from observer to instigator. The slow-burn delivery gives way to full-scale upheaval, the once-passive crowd now rising against the unseen hands pulling their strings. The song’s three-act structure mirrors the movement of a play—exposition, revelation, and a final plea to those still bound to the system. It’s a call to those still tethered—those dancing to unseen hands, unaware of the strings pulling them toward destruction.

Theatre and revolution collide in Puppet Master. With its theatrical flair and operatic intensity, Puppet Master doesn’t just expose control—it dares us to sever the ties. And as the final echoes fade, the lingering question remains: Will you take back your power, or will you keep dancing to someone else’s tune?

Song Review: Ozulé’s Red Blooded Sparks a Movement

If Puppet Master was the call to wake up, Red Blooded is the rallying cry. This dance-pop anthem pulses with the electricity of mass resistance, merging high-energy grooves with unshakable purpose. It’s the sound of feet hitting the pavement, voices rising in unison, and a future being written in real time.

Funky basslines and shimmering synths give the track a buoyant, almost celebratory energy—a revolution that moves as much as it marches. Ozulé delivers each lyric with emphatic conviction, weaving themes of corporate accountability, collective action, and radical hope into an irresistible chorus:

“Corporate accountability / Compassionate community / Family / Building what we wanna see / Piece together a remedy.”

The song’s rhythm is an undeniable force—one part protest chant, one part roller-rink anthem, all parts movement music. It acknowledges the weight of oppression but refuses to let it dictate the future: “As outcasts we’re targets, though together we’re powerful.” It’s a declaration, an invitation, a promise.

At its core, Red Blooded isn’t just a song—it’s a moment for the movement. The soundtrack to bodies in motion, hearts on fire, and a collective ready to make good trouble. Will you step in?

Song Review: Ozulé’s Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Ends on a Triumphant High Note

After the fire of resistance in Red Blooded, Ozulé’s Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us lands like the first breath of dawn—a moment of victory, even in the face of struggle. Dripping in cloud rap’s signature dreaminess, this track floats above the wreckage, eyes set on the limitless horizon.

Producer Persian lays down a beat reminiscent of Pi’erre Bourne and Playboi Carti, where rolling basslines push forward with quiet insistence. The song’s energy is steady, yet unrelenting, a rhythm that knocks on the door to the future and refuses to be denied.

“Though we’ve seen hard times, dark times / Day be in sight / Covered by night / We learned to fly.”

There’s no naive optimism here—just an unshakable knowing. The lyrics acknowledge the weight of history but declare, without hesitation, that the future is already in motion. It’s a celebration of Black pasts and Black futures, of survival and transcendence, of shining under pressure. As Ozulé proclaims:

“When you see us, you gon’ know we the diamonds.”

Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us isn’t just an outro—it’s an affirmation. The resistance doesn’t end. The movement doesn’t falter. And the future? It’s already here.

Resist! EP is available exclusively on Bandcamp for streaming and purchase: https://ozul3.bandcamp.com/album/resist

accountability, culture

Amanda Seales: You Are Not Too Much.

These people love telling Black women to be quiet and stay in place. The notion is so pervasive and damaging, so I’m here to drag this as the tired, misogynoir laden, crud-on-the-bottom-of-the-shoe mess that it is.

++++

Context and Controversy: What’s Happenin’, Amanda?!

Amanda Seales, actress/comedian/multi-hyphenate social justice advocate widely known for her performance on HBO’s Insecure, recently posted a video thanking fans for being consistent supporters, because her peers in the Black entertainment industry have not been as inviting. Amanda mentioned several Black mainstream outlets such as Black Girls Rock, Essence, and the NAACP Image Awards that have not invited her to awards shows or recognitions, even when she has contributed to those shows previously.

In response, the video has started going viral, and at least three headlining articles were written by prominent media outlets, with two response articles on The Root (1,2), and one from Essence (3). The op-eds essentially doubled down on their stance that this was an Amanda problem of her own making, since she is supposedly difficult to work with and unlikeable.

My Take: Let’s Look At The Bigger Picture

I take issue with this being framed as an individual’s self sabotaging demise. The framing here minimizes larger social dynamics at play and makes this into an individual level problem. Rather, we need to recognize the pattern of discrimination and group pressure Black women face to be palatable. Particularly, it is Black women with strong opinions, confident demeanors, and no-nonsense standards who end up being scoffed at, shamed, and otherwise ostracized for their public presentation. This framing also obscures how “likeability” is coded for how much someone can align with hegemonic standards in service of imperialism (read: siding with racist, cis/sexist, classist, nationalist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist ideals and norms). 

These articles considered this as possible explanation, then chose to stand on the weaker, person-centered position. When issues are approached from an individual level, it’s considered a personal problem and a failing of character. However, this is a phenomena not only socially experienced among many Black women, but structurally entrenched in how Black women are able to navigate their position and exercise their power in society.

Black women are multi-faceted and deserve space to show up in their full and flawed being. In this society however, Black women aren’t afforded space to have strong characters, especially outside prescribed and familiar tropes like Mammy and Jezebel. 

Yes, Amanda uses “big words” and has a high standard of quality. These are qualities that contribute to, not take away, from the authenticity of her message and ability to show up fully. She has a master’s degree in African American Studies from Columbia University. Her variety game show is Smart, Funny, and Black – this is her brand! 

From AmandaSeales.com and the AmandaVerse Patreon

Give Black Women Space to Express

There’s a difference between someone being intimidating and someone feeling intimidated. The first is a perception of energy, the second is how one reacts to that perception.

Similarly, on her Small Doses podcast, Amanda talks about how a group of roommates from college collectively decided they didn’t like her, with the lead of the group saying she didn’t like how Amanda was a show off (4). First, this is subjective and a matter of perception, much more likely a reflection of the person who initially said it. And well, that characteristic certainly would have been to Amanda’s benefit as an entertainer and stage performer. We are quick to demonize qualities in Black women that aren’t submissive to social hegemony and hierarchy. So, in their eyes, they experience her as a woman who shows off or is full of herself or narcissistic… or any other snide remarks that are used to demean and devalue confident and assertive Black women.

Am I saying Amanda is a faultless saint? Not necessarily! To be honest, I don’t really know her like that. From what I’ve seen of her shows, she is honest about her shortcomings and growth areas, mentioning at one point how she lost her fuse because a pillow color wasn’t what she requested (4). The bigger discrepancy here is that this characterization and blackballing justification comes off as disingenuous. It’s odd that people can name the ways Black women are largely limited to expressions that appease the quo at risk of being ostracized, then in the same breath turn and propose that Amanda is the exception to acknowledged patterns of misogynoir in society! 

What’s Really Happening Here, BFFRRN

Of all the people who Hollywood accepts – countless abusers and harmful people – the towel is being thrown in at Amanda? For being *checks notes* …unlikeable? (3)

What seems more likely to me is that Amanda is a woman with brains and bite, has a high caliber of execution, knows the game, and certain dusties wanna bring her down a peg, into the mudslinging games she no longer wants to or has to play (5). She’s creating avenues of independence as Black women often do. And when she’s gone, the industry will miss her. She’s unabashed, forthright, incisive, clever, and speaks truth to power. So much so that I think she makes people uncomfortable to reckon with how they’ve bended and balked to secure their position in the industry. 

Solidarity

So I stand with Amanda and all the Black women who are told they have attitudes, who are pitted against one another and told there’s only room for one, who’ve been asked (or threatened) to turn down their volume and quash their fire, who have had passion mistaken for aggression.

I don’t know Amanda Seales but I do know what is said of Black women. I have seen how Black women have been dragged through hell while striving for public success and curating a delicate balance of so-called likeability. And I do know how dusty muhfuckas love to “humble” a woman who dare make a name for herself without their approval. So these antics are getting my full side-eye and garnered my immediate suspicion. As I dig further the brows furrow more deeply and the glare intensifies.

At best, this seems like an unfair evisceration, not comparable to the scale with which this is picking up steam. There was a comment on Threads that stood out to me, essentially asking: ‘what are “we” mad at her for?’ Essentially this person was poised to pile on to the witch hunt without even knowing why. And my use of witch hunt here is purposeful. The witch hunts were essentially a campaign of patriarchy to disempower and annihilate women who were seen as “too powerful” “too strange” or “too much.”  

Am I Too Much? Or Are You Insecure That You Aren’t Enough (oop)

Amanda gives it to us straight in her most recent three-part Small Doses podcast, talking about the notion of being “Too Much.” And while she addresses this topic more widely from the vantage point of her life growing up and in society at large, it’s clear this is correlated to her current treatment in the industry and how she’s perceived and interacted with, especially in the past week.

Let’s name what’s really likely at play here and keep the focus there. Say misogynoir, the hatred of Black women. Say racism and sexism in the entertainment industry. Say anti-intellectualism and rampant white supremacy culture. Say anti-Blackness and respectability politics. Say anything other than a lukewarm ‘I dunno… I just don’t like her, you know?’ Say you standin on oppressive social expectations and keep it a buck. 

Whether intentional or not, this campaign to discredit and disarm Amanda hurts all Black women and does not advance us. It really doesn’t. Because these denouncements show we are not allowed to be fully realized people. We aren’t allowed have dissenting opinions. We cannot complain or want to see conditions for ourselves and our people improve. It’s a load of bullshit.

I stand with the people who aren’t having this old tired mess anymore. We’re done with it. You’re gonna miss us when we’re gone.

Testing the Ice

Everyone loves to cheer on the brazen person willing to speak up and say what everyone else is thinking. That’s what Amanda does. These people simultaneously decrease the risk for the group while gaining wins for the group. But inversely, these people take on a lot of risk, and in turn see little allegiance when it’s time to take up a defense or find themselves in need of protection. Psychology researchers called this the ‘testing the ice’ phenomena. 

To dig deeper into what this phenomena means, imagine being on a frozen lake, unsure if the ice will hold. One person goes onto the ice to test its ability to hold weight. The testing person inches forward at the perimeter of the unknown, claiming more and more ground and gaining confidence. Their teammates cheer them on to keep going while standing safe on shore. If the ice breaks, will their team rescue the one who dared venture out? That’s an uncertain tossup. 

The concluding recommendation of the researchers who discovered this phenomena was to not venture so far out into untested waters without having a support team (i.e. those that provide more than vocal praise and verbal encouragement and who will take up your mantle when called upon). Work with people who have skin in the game with you. Because let’s be real. Hollywood entertainers are removed from the issues of the majority of everyday people. Class and socioeconomics create a rift between these worlds that makes it easy to turn a blind eye or pay lip service without putting any real skin in the game. 

Final Thoughts

Amanda is trailblazing and saying things that speak truth to power and ruffle feathers of the elite. She has a platform and she’s using it to uplift causes that matter, such as our collective voting power, spotlighting candidates, and calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza. Let’s give space and grace to this Black woman who has dedicated a career to being a truth bearing light in the community and the entertainment industry. 

In Amanda We Trust.

References:

1 – https://www.theroot.com/if-everyone-says-the-same-thing-about-amanda-seales-co-1851348276

2 – https://www.theroot.com/snubbed-by-the-naacp-image-awards-is-amanda-seales-bee-1851346291

3 – https://www.essence.com/news/money-career/amanda-seales-competence-likability-career/

4 – https://youtu.be/muz-RdvvcBk 

5 – https://youtu.be/uIIrONxc2yQ

culture

Janelle Monáe at the GRAMMYs

I’m tempering my disappointment because Janelle Monáe did not win the Grammy for Best Progressive R&B Album and Album of the Year.

I happened to tune into the live pre-show, scoping the multiple vantages of the camera – entry, red carpet fashion cam, backstage, and main floor awards – hoping to get a glimpse of them on the red carpet, and more importantly, hear their name called for their nominated category.

From what I witnessed from IG stories and felt through the passion of the tour, the FAM put a lot of love into the Age of Pleasure. The Age of Pleasure is a sensual moment of ecstasy, a rolling climax that lingers in the most delightful of ways. This energy still lives on! We’re not done living and loving, exploring and being free. There’s still so much to be experienced, and so many layers to peel back and savor. There’s so much more to this than the Grammys (though it would’ve been nice!)

Through this, I’m learning how we have to define our own measures of success. We cannot wait for other people’s validation to celebrate us and our journey. Especially when our ways are avant guard and off kilter from the lockstep of the mainstream. When we are liberating, educating, and celebrating who we are. There is a certain confidence we have to cultivate in knowing we are ahead of common knowledge and modern consumption. Being a trailblazer, sometimes you get burnt. We have to love ourselves enough to see ourselves first, regardless of if we are seen and received by the masses.

What we are creating is longstanding, eternal, deeply and authentically rooted. Crazy, classic lives.

Janelle has been contributing to a lot of different projects, continually magicking in the background, only to astonish us at the forefront in unexpected ways. From the recent Adobe visual art pieces for Only Have Eyes 42 and Haute, DJing parties, directing a film about an intersex teen, headlining with Coldplay in Europe, and so many other things behind the scenes we don’t know about yet, Janelle is entering a season of prolific and dynamic creativity. This is a moment of celebration and awe! What an artist!

So, we’ll be sad for a moment to not take home a Grammy dedicated to the highly melanated arch-android orchestrated, but we’ll continue with our heads high knowing the impact of Janelle’s vision, decision, and prolificness. The concert tour changed my life, made a notable shift in how they were able to breathe life and sensuality and passion and presence into my existence, and the lives of so many people. How Janelle embodies the Spirit of Soul, in the most Bazaar ways. And with so many recognitions that underscore Janelle is just now entering a prime light of experience and acknowledgement from the art world and fandroids alike.

May they continue to share their brilliance with the world, and we are ever blessed to witness to transformation of Janelle Monáe.

creativity, culture, healing

Age of Pleasure Tour 2023.

(My swirling mind… teased and titillated and triumphant and tearful and to’ up and tickled and t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t)

2.5 hours of BELTING

“Be present”

Impregnated

On the floor

Intoxicated

Inebriated

Incapacitated

Jubilant and overheated

Undoctrinated

Liberated

Elevated

Revolution

FREE ASS MOTHAFUCKAHS!!!

I can’t help but break into song

Upon remembrance of you…

Upon remembrance of what we did together

The moments we shared

Hallelujah

HALLELUJAH!

When I try to put words to my experience, my words fail me

And the soothing melodies flow

They sang me to a blissful end

Enraptured

Quickened

Awakened

Alive

I feel… grateful

I feel… stretched

I feel…sexy

I feel…flyyy

I feel…my feet on freedom’s road

A performance evoking the most wistful of poems

The most delirious of dreams

The cries and croons of a person so deeply infatuated a mere whiff of their ambrosia sends me overfull

How can I describe…what just happened?

I said ‘Oh my god’ as a babbling chant

Struck by… admiration, dedication, belonging, wholeness, fun, love, the magnitude of it all

Here we are, alive and living

In this present moment

Janelle performed their azz off, in, up, roundabout, into awards, into my heart, into the ceiling, the sky, the stratosphere, the nebula, the black star void…

What. A. Show.

What a production.

What an experience.

What an elevation.

What an inspiration.

What a man, what a man, what a man…

What a mighty good man

Oh baby

Their look impregnated me

My core is full and overflowing

There is a certain mistrust of our memory

Of our ability to retain all that we’ve experienced

The joyous moments

Can we recall – without video evidence? Without breadcrumbs to trace back?

And yet, Janelle called us into presence

Be here, with me

Be here, right now

We are not in the past, nor the future

We are here, now

We will always be in the now

So be with me, now

Her call beckons…

I answer.

Age of Pleasure Tour 2023.

creativity, culture, healing

AM I pregnant? I think I’m pregnant…

[Chapter I]

I need to take a pregnancy test…

I’m floating

We were on the floor, and at the tops of our lungs, on the tip tips of pink pink cloud dreams…

A dream?

A memory?

I woke up in a garden, the bees flitting in their playful and determined way. Flirtatious. Communal. These Free Ass Muhfuckas… We Free Ass Muhfuckahs!

Self love

A sustainable, abundant source of energy

Our joy

Our nectar

Our divine melodies

I feel feverish

Caught up in holy dances of the flesh, skin to skin sacrament, witnessing our rapturous delight

Us – you, me, they and ze

My lungs are full of air

To sing and scream and cheer and beckon you closer

My body aches with all this lovely lust

Touch me, smell me

A splash of fragrance

Dive in

The water feels fine

Download your memories into me

Sensual digital bite mark

And kisses all over my thighs

Ooooo

(Sigh)

We’ve got all night

Take your time

To feel

And be present

You are welcome

You are phenomal

And your pheromones are seductive

Succulent seductress

Aereola and nipples come to play

Washed away in this fever dream

Spent and giddy

We lounged in the meadows

Eschewing our responsibilities for another day

Today we play

Today we celebrate

We are here

We survived

Not everyone did

We are alive

And so it is

[Chapter II]

To the lives we lead…to the dream we chase…to the moments we gon make… and the FUCKED UP SHIT we can’t erase…ashé.

To our joy, ashé

To our dreams, realized – ashé

To being seen in the way we want to be seen – ashé

To loving who we want to love, how we want to love, ashé

Dance, cuz there ain’t nobody else in this bitch like you

I’m dizzy, drunk on your love, your lovely musk, your lovely you

I can’t think straight, and I don’t want to neither

We’re the QTs baby – that’s QUEER AND TRANS, BB

Better yet we the BLACK QTs BB

Church raised

Bosom fed

Hip gyrating

Crop top wearing

Sweaty

Shouty

Ohmigohdohmigohdohmigohd chanting

That mmmnnnghhhh

That oooooooouuuugghhhhhhh

That fuuuuuuuuuuuck yeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssss

That thigh clenchin’

Cheek wrenchin’

Grab my shit and bust me out

Real good, Good Good

All my bitches baddies

Riding with my bestie

Ain’t no stoppin’ us

Don’t you come for us

Best not try ya luck

We all for one

Raise your hands

Get lo

Real real lo

[Chapter III]

A glimpse of the taboo, dashing before us

Emerging from back rooms and hidden doors

May all your dreams come true, tonight

May all our dreams come true

Each chapter reveals a new facet

Revealing visionary dazzle, impressive and spectacular

Layers upon layers of oozing gooey chocolate

Fudgy and creamy and so so sweet

I may have a sweet tooth or two

Put it on my tongue

Dance across the room

There ain’t nobody else in this bitch like you

Rapture and rush

Crescendo and gushing waterfalls,

Stomach crunching, toe curling, oh my fuck yes here it comes

Flowing down your mouth

Dance with me

An invitation to sway together for a moment,

The present moment

All its pains and attractions and loudness beckoning – be here, be here now

In your body

With me

You had to be there…

[Chapter IV]

And we march on

Rods and rafts

Surfboards

Boogey woogey baby!

Scoop diddly woop, boom boom oh yeah

Ain’t nothin’ ever felt like this

Like your kisses

Like the way I blush when our eyes meet

Like the smell of fresh twisted locs brought me straight back to you

Nutty oils and cocoa creams that sat sweet in your cracks and crevices

Incredible

How the universe brought me to you

How we defied every odd, every oppressor that dared to stand before us, every wound we nursed, every scar we bore, ever whisper shared, every bellow from our guts, every creak, every groan, every sigh…

Everytime I think of you…

And I’m no longer there…

[Chapter V]

Starting and stopping, stooping,

Pass me some water?

We waxed ourselves silly

We laughed and howled and barked and sang sang sang til our lil hearts were full on love

Plenty of love here

Enough for us, all us

Ain’t nobody gettin’ left

We remembered all yall

Cuz all yall us

We all here, we all here

Got here by way of the ancestors and icons and legends and low hands and high brows raised, questionin’, askin’, darin’…

And the hands doin the graspin’ and searchin’ and pattin’ down

We had us some times mighty fine

A riotous righteous right ole good time

Sho nuff we did

And ain’t a one who can stop we

We be free

We the ones that be carryin’ on

We the ones ain’t got the good sense

We the ones them others ones whisper bout

Ain’t a one who can stop we

Sacred body, flushed, spent, aching, empty, in between, far beyond…

Mind, and spirit immaterial, so divine, and carnal

Walking contradiction guess I’m… blessed

No stress baby, no stress

I wanna put on my housedress and go to bed

Rub my feet

Drink my tea

Put on a soft melody to ease me to sleep

With you, it all feels like play and rest

Nevermind we just spent 2.5 hours belting at the tippy tops of our lungs

Vitality, energy, another day,

Living, breathing, waking, being

Free as the bees

Free as we bee

Put a lil honey in my cup

Lemme sip that nectar once more

Hydration for my parched tongue

Wet my lips, lubricate my insides

There’s enough to go once more

Leave it all open, written on your collar, in your funktrail, on your heartstrings

We

Are

We

Were

We

Forevermore

culture, healing

John Vietnam – JVN

“Could you give your life for the sake of another?”

That was my introduction to John Vietnam. Except, I knew John longer before I knew his story.

In 2018, I attended the Argyle Night Market where local performing artists from Andersonville, Edgewater, and Uptown performed for neighbors and friends. The crowd was friendly, offering encouragements to the emcees, djay, and bboys that took the stage. One performer’s opening really caught my attention. He said, “When the time came, could you give your life for the sake of another? That was John Vietnam – my friend, our brother.”

Over the course of the night those at the mic led us through chants to honor John’s legacy. John. Vietnam. John. Vietnam. JVN! JVN! But who was this young man being honored – and why does his legacy speak to me so?

The stage-crew began handing out various CDs. Being a fan of music, I wanted to see what it was about, but by the time I reached the front, all the CDs had been given away. A man saw me without, and reached out with a CD he’d just received in his hand. He said something to the effect of, “Here, you can have this. You probably need it more than I do.” I backed away a little, declining. “Really, have it.” Then, he biked away into the night. Emergence. I felt grateful that a stranger would see me and offer me a gift. I felt curious about this JVN and soon returned home too.

CD players were not easy to come by in 2018 – stereos were outdated, and laptops no longer hand built in players. Finding a way to play this CD in itself felt like a ritual. Emergence, the CD I’d been gifted, is a collection of unreleased and remixed songs curated and crafted by friends of John Vietnam post-humously. The 20 tracks paint a vivid picture of John’s philosophy and benevolent action of community building, love, and compassion for the afflicted and oppressed.

John was a young man defining himself in an existence between worlds. In his documentary, his friends tell of how he struggled and came to terms with his identity as a son of a Vietnamese mother and a white father who met during the Vietnam war. John’s legacy is rife with these connections out of contradiction. Rather than lament his difference, he used his power to build bridges and amplify voices of people on the margins.

John died saving a friend from drowning in 2012. “When the time came, could you give your life…?” In 2008, I had begun writing a short story with a similar premise – two lovers find respite on the beach, when one of them begins to drown, and the other jumps in to save her, not really knowing how to swim herself. The story continued on to follow their joint yet separated paths navigating life after death – one in the earthly realm, and the other in the spiritual realm.

Utada Hikaru’s Sanctuary was the theme song for this story, and more widely known as the theme song of the Kingdom Hearts series. Kingdom Hearts brings characters across the Disney franchise under one roof in fantastical adventure settings. In a similar way, I feel my story crosses paths with John Vietnam.

In 2019, I began writing lyrics and recording songs to instrumental tracks, seeing music as a way to heal, express, and creating loving community. Inspired by music’s transformative power, I was finally hooked when I saw a person (who I thought was timid) freestyling solo with a confidence and bravado that shook me. Everything I thought about this person came undone at the revelation of his emceeing ability. And so, I began to find the power of my voice through music, too.

John was a community activist who put his ideals for a better world into rhymes and clever wordplay. Many of his music videos are shot with the vibrant Uptown community where he lived featured in the background. John connected people living in different worlds, and his music continues to inspire people to live better lives.

While I never knew John, his story and the legacy of his life continue to deeply affect me. I hold his legacy – and the way he carried himself while on this earth – in high regard. His life is a reminder to me to live vivaciously, to savor every moment, to give freely, to be true to my word in spirit and in deed. It’s hard for me to express why this story resonates so profoundly with me… so hopefully, you feel it too. Words don’t need to describe what the heart intuitively knows.

I hope this blog post will give rise to a new generation of people that learn of John’s legacy and connect in their dedication to live honestly, truly, and with a heart of compassion.

Tonight, at the 2023 Argyle Night Market, I briefly met John’s mother. And what could be said of a loss so deep and intimate? Words failed me at that moment. I bought a book of his collected poems and a small laminated picture of him. Then, once home, I began writing this post in reflective homage while people outside drummed hip hop rhythms in the night air.

Rest in power, JVN. You are missed, but your spirit lives on.

creativity, culture

Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us (A Black History Month Tribute)

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Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us prod. Persian

Prompted by the wisdom of the Akan people of Ghana, Sankofa means ‘go back and get it.’ I created Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us to celebrate my people’s resilience, determination, and rich heritage. This song is dedicated to those determined to progress into the future with understanding regained from the past.

We insist on our dignity, ability, purpose, and power. We are an unbreakable people. We harness the wisdom of the ancients through the elements of the earth. Knowledge of ourselves and who we are as a people is central to our continued existences.

Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us (A Black History Month Tribute)

Photo credit: Dobromir Hristov, Pexels