5/30/2015
Austin Area Jazz Fest #AAJF
The Austin Area Jazz Festival, held at the 360 Amphitheater in the Circuit of the Americas, was one of the main festivals I was looking forward to attending this year. However, as the day grew closer, the weather had me fearing the event could possibly be ruined. Thankfully, this was not in the plans. While there were threats of having a rainy Sunday, it didn’t work out that way. The skies were a wonderful shade of blue and the sun shined all day long. As for the show itself, it was wonderful! I’ll be honest with you, the main act I wanted to see was the Grammy-nominated singer, Ledisi, who served as the headliner for the day-long festival. Sadly, I missed many of the day’s performers. I was, however, able to see legendary singer, Will Downing as well as Ledisi. So, I will just speak on those two performers. Mr. Downing has been performing for quite some time and his show made it easy to see how he’s been able to stay around for so long. He controlled the crowd easily as he sung his classic songs as well as some of his more recent material. He easily went from singing baritone to a near-falsetto tone (sometimes in the same song) and the crowd loved it! Not only was Will amazing, but his band was as well. It was a great moment in the show when each one of them was given solo time to really showcase what they were capable of. If the performances of Will Downing and the band weren’t enough, he had a background singer, named Carol Riddick, who will be a star in the music industry. Her voice was amazing and that was put on display when she sung a duet with Will. It was great to see all of the couples in the crowd holding on to their loved ones as the song progressed. Will’s entire set just made everyone feel good and with the music that’s out today, making the audience feel good doesn’t always seem to be on the artist’s priority list. Will left the stage and the crowd knew that Ledisi would soon be the one entertaining everyone. I don’t know about everyone else attending the show, but I had never seen Ledisi perform live, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I am a fan of her music, but great music doesn’t always equal a great show. In Ledisi’s case, as great as her music is, I now can tell you firsthand that it doesn’t compare at all to her live show! From the first note she sang, she grabbed ahold of the audience’s attention and she refused to let it go. She got so into the show, at one point, she left the stage while singing her hit “Pieces of Me” as she casually strolled throughout the crowd. She kept the song going as she inspired the women to not only support one another, but also not to worry about what other women are doing. Instead, she said for all of them to be confident in their walk and their actions. It was a great moment! I also thought it was wonderful that as she moved from the front row to the back, she told the security that they didn’t have to fear for her safety. She said on multiple occasions, “These are my people” and “I ain’t afraid of nobody here.” She said she just wanted to get closer to her supporters and entertain everybody and she certainly accomplished that. Her actions made me even more of a fan and I’m sure the same could be said for everyone there. As you can tell, even though I wasn’t able to see everyone who performed during the festival, I still had a great time! The weather was great, the environment was relaxed, the staff was accommodating, the crowd was excited and had lots of energy and all of the performers were all on top of their game! This was my first year going, but if this year’s show was any indication of how things will be, then it will certainly not be my last! Pictures and video courtesy of Global Genius Society Co-Founder and very talented photographer: Kokovisions
5/18/2015
The Artistic Life Cycle
Art, by definition, is simply an expression of one's imagination and creativity. Anyone who creates said 'art' is an artist. Simple, right? Well, not really. In the age where social media gives just about everyone the idea their opinion is more valuable than everyone else's, many people have become what I call 'art snobs.' I won't sugarcoat it when I say I hate 'art snobs' and if you are one, I hope you become a little more open-minded after you read the remainder of this article. Back in the day, I was one of those people I now hate, at least when it came to the artistic expression known as hip-hop. I would listen to the rappers who were known to be more socially conscious and hate on those who were not. I was closed-minded when it came to rap and because of that, I missed out on a lot of music. One day I was in the car with someone and they played some stuff I wouldn't normally pay attention to and I just remained quiet and listened. I heard the rapper spit out words that were actually clever, and that's when it hit me. Everyone has pictures, music and words inside their heads they want to get out to the world, but too many times the masses won't accept their 'art.' That's when I vowed not to judge things on how I thought they would be, I would simply see how they were. Now, it doesn't matter if someone is playing Waka, Common, Nicki Minaj, The Roots, Talib, Yasiin Bey (Mos Def), Soulja Boy, T-Pain, Too $hort, Lil' Kim, Drake, Jean Grae or anyone else because they all, at times, have clever lines. They all, at some point or another, say something that makes me think "How did they come up with that?" They all have a story to tell and art to share. It goes beyond music when it comes to 'art snobs,' though. In the world of paintings/drawings and writing, the problem of artistic acceptance seems to be even bigger. Sure, the work of famous painters such as Rembrandt and Michelangelo should be respected because they were great, but so should the work of lesser (internationally) known artists such as my father, Gregory Grovey, Sr (RIP). Sure, my opinion may be biased, but his work should be no less the subject of admiration than the work of the others. Not just my father, but the countless other painters and talented tattoo and graffiti artists across the world whose work is often looked down upon because it never caught the positive attention of the snobs. Poets such as Big Rube, Saul Williams and Georgia Me don't get the attention they deserve because some may view what they say and write as 'street poetry' or 'urban.' If such is the case, what did they think of Langston Hughes? Contrary to how he is viewed now, Mr. Hughes' work was also looked down upon when it was initially created. Why? Well, he was also urban. His work and legacy are both looked upon differently as the years pass, though. This brings me to the actual point of this rant, which is the 'artistic life cycle.' Too many times, when it comes to art, we go through these artistic life cycles. The steps may vary, but the artistic life cycle generally goes like this: (1) Recognition (2) Persecution and then after death comes (3) Appreciation/ Understanding. Quickly explained, it goes like this. When a new artists becomes popular, or recognized, the majority of the people love him/her. They are like new toys in which we can't get enough of. We play and play until we start to notice flaws. This is the start of step two. After the initial phase of popularity starts to wear off, we start seeing things a little bit differently. The things we used to like about the artist are the things we grow to hate. We used to love the style and colors used by a particular artist, but now we can't stand them. We used to enjoy the southern slang and dialect of a certain rapper, now he just sounds 'country.' This is the persecution stage. This is the stage where most people's career goes downhill and they are never able to regain what they once had. Life passes and the artist continues to do what they love (sometimes), but it seems the people have forgotten about, or dismissed their talent. Then, after their life comes step three: understanding. This portion of the cycle is somewhat like a revert to step one when we recognize, accept and understand their talent. We dismiss the negativity from step two simply because we know we will not be able to get more work from the artist. We start to look at their work and life in a different light and we suddenly feel as though we understand the artist's struggle. We understand why certain words were used in verses. We can see why the artist used so much red in their later paintings. We buy everything we can so the artist will once again be appreciated, but the sad thing is, it's too late. The last thing that artist knew before his/her death is how the people who were once their fans, turned their backs, and in turn, seemed to stab them in theirs. I think this is why many times there is such an onslaught of support after an artist passes. Two major examples of this is how record sales for Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston shot up after their deaths. This trend actually saddens me. It seems too many times we fail to realize artists (even the famous ones) are still just human. They will make mistakes like we do. They will stumble and fall, like we all do, and just like the rest of us, they will need a helping hand every now and then. We should never be judgmental of anyone because of who we think they are. It is one thing to not like a person's art because we all have the right to do so, but it is wrong to actually say we dislike the person, especially when we don't know them. Let me also reiterate how we all need to be more open-minded when it comes to art. Step outside of your normal confines and more than likely, you'll discover something new that you truly enjoy. Don't be afraid of what others may think, just stay true to who you are and have confidence that your opinion is valid (but not more important than the next person's). All in all, I guess I am trying to say, we simply need to respect one another. We need to respect everyone's right to express themselves however they may see fit. We all have stories to tell, but we must realize everyone is not going to agree with our artistic visions. If we do these simple things, art criticism will be taken away from the snobs and the ability to appreciate every form of art will be given to us all. Not only that, but the artistic life cycle, that has been a part of so many people's creativity, will crumble. We should not wait to show appreciation and love to an artist once they are gone, we should honor everyone's artistic integrity while they are still creating. Life is art, so be careful how your picture is being painted.
5/12/2015
Exclusive Interview with Fiend
Many times when it comes to entertainers, we tend to generalize and make assumptions about who they are. We mainly base our ideas off of what we see on the screen, or what we hear on the radio. This seems to be especially true when it comes to rappers. It is not uncommon for fans, or those who critisize the art of rap, to hear words of drugs, violence and the bravado that normally is heard throughout their lyrics to feel we know who they are. We feel we know their level of intellect and every aspect of their lives, but this is not true. Recently, globalgeniussociety.com had the opportunity to have a conversation with the legendary rapper, Fiend (aka International Jones). As he prepared to put his youngest child to sleep for the night, he spoke to us not only about music and his latest release, #MFOK (Music For Our Kind), he also talked to us about fatherhood, being a husband, his dreams and some of the things he's had to deal with throughout the different stages of his epic career. With passion, great articulation, humor and laser focus, Fiend spoke words that will give everyone a much greater understanding of who he is as a man and how that impacts who he is an artist. Take some time to enjoy this honest and insightful interview with Fiend. interview
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