In My Ears.

Now I believe that everyone is entitled to their own musical opinion but how could you really love some crap that in on the radio. I'll be frank and express that I even tune in to some music on the radio because I hear it so much, you might as well listen to see the hype. But don't believe the hype. Not to rant on like the average parent. Whatever happened to some REAL, good music that everyone could appreciate. That is where preference comes in. For example, all BS aside, R&B is my first love. I love R&B, soul, neo-soul , jazz. etc. It is straight up feel good music. I even did my 4th grade history project on Billy Holiday. The soothing sounds of a piano and bass got the blood tinging in my veins. As I grew up in a musical family into many genres and listened to R&B , it influenced me to gain a love for hip hop. Not rapping about money, women, and drugs, etc. REAL hip hop. Philosophy. I remember one of the first times , I got a taste of real hip hop. I was just chilling with my dad. We always listened to Sugar Hill Gang, Whodini, Run DMC, The Furious 5Kurtis Blow, Public Enemy, Eric B/Rakim.etc.And my mom would jam Dr. Dre back in the day/  But that one time, my pops broke out an Krs-One CD. Mannnnnnn!I was blown away..I never heard such intelligience, rawness, and just amazing rap in my life. Just that classic hook to "South Bronx, South South Bronx" got me hype. It was original, fresh, dope, not about ole girl around the way.It was poetry. "Many people tell me this style is terrific. It is kinda different but let's get specific"  I felt like in Castle Hill or Tremont myself making my own Boogie Down Production. But on the real, it is just unbelieveable and a rush when you get that first taste real hip hop. With that, I moved on to Biggie, Tupac, Mos Def, Nas, The Fugees, Common, Little Brother, Talib Kweli, Etc. Not Lil tunechi and Khalifa. Not the sellouts used to have an inch of originality. Rap about some sense and substance..not the drug. Now every good rapper is going to rap about daisies and Persians like Nas but you will get a pinch of the growth, happiness, struggle, and authencity of who they are as a person and their purpose.

A Late Summer Playlist

No Specific Order.
Just some songs I like to jam to on summer days

1) Estelle- "Fall in Love" ft. John Legend

2)Common- "Go" ft. Kanye West

3)Kanye West- "Champion"

4) Lupe Fiasco- "Paris, Tokyo"

5) Adele- "He Won't Go"

6) Jay-Z- "Lost Ones" ft Chrisette Michele

7)Pharrell Williams- "Number One" ft Kanye West

8) Jay-Z-" Change Clothes" ft Pharrell Williams

9) Snoop Dogg- "Nuthin But a G Thang"

10) Musiq Soulchild- "WhoKnows"

11) D'Angelo-"Anything"

12) Maxwell- "Ascension"

13)Kelly Rowland- "Daylight"

14)Michael Jackson- "P..Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)"

15)Kelis- "Get Along With You"

16) Lykki Li- "Little Bit"

17) Corinne Bailey Rae-"Is This Love"

18) Lauryn Hill & Bob Marley- "Turn Your Lights Down Low"

19)Corinne Bailey Rae-"Breathless"

20)Joell Ortiz- "Call Me"

21) Al Greene- "Call Me"

22) Groove Theory- "Tell Me"

23) Groove Theory- "Never is Enough"

24) Toni Braxton- "Making me High"

25) Arrested Development- "Everyday People"

26)The Roots ft. Erykah Badu- "You Got Me"

27)Incognito-"Deep Waters"

28)Madonna-"The Holiday"

29)Rakim/ Eric B- "Paid in Full"

30) Marvin Gaye- " Turn on Some Music"

Shooting out!

I am currently on a model adrenaline rush , so I am just gonna shoot out some models that I think they get enough credit.

Noemie Lenoir
Sessilee Lopez
Coco Rocha
Yasmin Warame
Michelle Alves
Arlenis Sosa
Re'l Dade
Ubah Hassan
Ajuma Nasanyana
Liu Wen
Jourdan Dunn
Agyness Deyn
Ariel Meredith
Joan Smalls
Lily Taylor
Marquita Pring
Nate Gill

Is it a shortage or a drought?

                         
Lately, I been dipping into older articles featuring models from the early 1900s just to get a feel of the spectrum and change of the looks of models from then to now. One thing that I did notice is the of course-- the nonexistent amount of black models. What is up with that? It seems like if you are not from Brazil or name is along of Gisele or Adrianna, you are just not happening. Don't get me wrong, there has been black women who broke through the industry and claimed that black too is beautiful. Tyra, Naomi Campbell, Beverly, Iman, Pat Cleveland, Donyale Luna, Naomi Sims. But who do we have now? Yes, we have Chanel Iman, Selita Ebanks, Liya Kebede, Joan Smalls., Sessilee Lopez, Lyndsey Scott but that is very few. Black women have been modeling for decades but you won't exactly get a black woman with a deeper , darker skin tone on the cover of a German Vogue too easier. For example, Ophelia Devore, a black model, was able to gain contracts in Europe because she could pass for Norwegian. Now in America , black women may not be appreciated much . However in France, many Black women such as Norma Jean Darden, Alva Chin, Charlene Dash, Bethann Hardison was able to get their shine on working for the great Yves St. Laurent, legendary Givenchy, and the fab Christian Dior . Paving the way for other current black supermodels, the epidemic of a shortage of colour in the industry was not stopped.Yet you can go on for hours, days on the amount of White women who are dominating the fashion industry. Now, I am not saying that Black is better than the rest and we deserved 100% of the light but it would be nice to see more women of color. There is gorgeous women of every color. It really is not fair to know that models all over the world are being discovered in a McDonalds or down the street knowing that so many beautiful black women are strutting with their model behavior waiting and looking for that chance too. This is the reason why so many black women face self hatred because not many women who look similar to them walking down the runway. Here I am a young black women standing 5'10 and wondering why I too is not catwalking for Zac Posen. Life is just really crazy sometimes. At this time period, you would people would be breaking barriers in other things than race . IT TOOK THIS LONG. Why did just recently Lyndsey Scott made history being the first black woman to land a Calvin Klein Exclusive. You would think by 2011, a dwarf would be modeing for Valentino. Ha! But it is not just the models. It is the deisgners too! Name one top Black  couture designer?  *silence* Exactly. With shows like Project Runaway, there should be a brotha or a sista's fashion line on the racks of Neiman Marcus and Bergoff Goodman. Yes, there was a turn out for blacks in the industry with the urban wear such as Rocawear, Baby Phat, G-Unit, etc. had a nice turn out for a decade or two. But it only reached towarded the a certain group of people. You wasn't exactly seeing Rihanna rocking a Baby Phat tee. Though money makes the world go round and many urban wear designers were not necessarily worried about the audience, I would like to see a fashion line go global and have everyone wear which a range of prices. As a black woman trying to breakthrough into this harsh yet breathtaking industry, I am prepared for the best, the worst, the turn-downs, and the chances. I hope that one day race will not be a issue on the determination on a persons beauty or fashion. There is beauty and disgust within every face or stitch of fabric. A bit off topic though, I strongly encourage all black women to embrace our beauty and withstand the statistics and percentages. We deserve to be on that runway and in the stores just much as anyone. Our strength ,range of colors and downright charisma can overcome any setback. It is time to live and strut. beyond the stereotypes. My black is beautful. xoxo

IDEAS

Sometimes I get so many ideas in my head and I want to put them to show but I do not know if I have the time and resources to do it. OH BOY!

Diffculty needs to jog a mile.

Recently I have been interning for the summer for the government. I have encountered MANY different people and got a real deal of working in the real world. And with all honestly, nothing changing from grade school. The workplace is still as catty as your high school cafeteria. Now you are not just working and turning in assignments BUT you are getting paid for it and living off your working experience.  As an average teenager, of course my parents and many adults surrounding me embedded in me knowledge , wisdom, and most importantly--TRUTH. But as much as they embedded it in me, I caught them in their acts. Which is somewhat odd after seeing them as a high figure in my life well besides God. Growing up and getting older, I'm noticing and appreciating more and more that I have. I can't think God enough and my parents and godmother too for all the resources but whoa..can't believe I am really getting closer to my dreams..*tune of Goapele's voice*. This summer I have got the opportunity to experience a taste of what I will be encountering in just a short year. And let me tell you---people are diffcult and nothing nice. Here I am being raised in by way of the deep, deep south. Seems like I always lived an euphoria since I came up there. I have never dealt with the criticism of where I come from especially when I lived a lot more comfortably then from here (no snob intended..but it is the truth). It is just a whole different world and a lot of hate to mention bitter. What was expected of me being a quote-on-quote "southern girl" was totally opposite than my perspective. I mean, I was just brought up to be Kagan. Nothing less, nothing more. Don't get wrong , there was growing pains and identity issues, But I am happy to who I am today. It has definitely been a wake up call to how life will bite you in the face. Truthfully, I felt invincible back home but here I felt not too much of something. Just a speck on the map. At times of this trip, I really wanted to just go home and cry to my mom because people can be so cruel. I couldn't cope with the fact that i might have to throw my southern hospitality in the dumpster for a bit just to gain "respect" or "control"...whatever! If I am going to get played and walked over because of my fabolous upbringing so be it., I have something called dignity. Never let a region or part of the world, change who you are. I will walk down any avenue of DC or New York with a smile on my face if I want to because I am glad my mom invested thousands into my braces. Sheesh! At this point, I feel like just spilling out a whole bunch of feelings. You know what I hate? When someone tries to tell me about me and my mother's relationship. Seriously!?? Ah getting a bit off topic. Or when everything you say is taken to heart and becomes offensive. But anyways, That is exactly was is so diffcult about being a kid. You can not tell anyone squat because if you do, that is your tail. And let me tell you. If I got the chance to say half what I wanted to say while I am up here, I will be on the first flight back to Houston. Diffculty. Holding your tongue. Isn't that a headache. Trust, half of what wants to spit of my mouth is not sass, just pure annoyance. I have never dealed with such bitter, annoying, and never satisfied people in my life. I wish they would do me a favor and just shut up but all on the brightside..It is just preparation. The word, "preparation".  has kept me sane this whole trip.

WTP: What the Plank

Lately "planking" has become a huge movement perhaps all around the world with people leaking pictures of themselves in planking position via social network. I have even 'planked' it out on a few objects and in yoga postition a few times! I mean---I thought it was just harmless fun .  Planking which is usually done as a form of exercise has now been traced back 400 years ago  into slavery times when African Slaves were forced to 'plank' as they were packed on slave ships. NOW, yes that may be true but however the trend or fad was not began to simply harrass or manipulate a harsh, negative piece of history. I believe it is wonderful for people to be aware of their surroundings and their history but to connect a harmless movement  started by some Australian guys to something people are doing out of fun is absurd. Honestly, you guys are just being party poopers. Secretly inside, everyone wanted to 'plank it out' every now and then. But Please be safe!

Here's a couple pictures of some dope planks i ran across