Quality over Quantity

Happy New Year! 2010 is now. I am looking forward to not only a good year, but a great decade. Moving forward I will spearhead many projects and initiatives. I find it important to emphasize and remind myself of the philosophy that will reside at the essence of these efforts: Quality over Quantity. It is a simple idea but one that gets lost in the shuffle of trying to keep up with the Jones' or stay abreast with the Smiths, yet I have to remember that my surname is NWABUKWU. I am different. I set my own standard. I play by my on terms since I have decided to participate in this game of life and living. So even if it takes more time to produce a great work then so be it. At the end of it all, the product and process is more important than the payout. You don't get Nwabukwu by hastily throwing together some letters. There is meaning behind the name, thought in the preparation. Besides, if I produce enough quality I'll eventually have quantity. It's that simple.

Forever Young

Just how I'm feeling right now.

African Underground Pt. 1

The Africans got next.



It's a great time in history for children of Africa. Hope is abound. Obama is in office. Nollywood is telling African stories by and for Africans. And African hip-hop is on the come up. While not all of these factors equate to a definite change in the African reality, it does prove that the possibilities for a better, brighter, and bolder future are more within our grasp than ever before. It is up to us to re-create tomorrow in our own image.

Some of the brave soldiers making this attempt ascend from the world of Hip-Hop. They come from Africa and are not ashamed to say that. In fact, with their positive, clever lyrics, soulful rhythms, and mesmerizing melodies, they are bringing more and more people along for the ride of the new African musical bandwagon. Some names to check for are Krukid, K'Naan, Nneka, Asha, Somi, Madarocka, and X Plastaz. There are many more to name and to discover so do your research.

One artist I had the pleasure to (re)discover recently is Ghanaian emcee M.Anifest. His newest release, The Birds and the Beats, restores my faith in good hip-hop the African way. He and others like him are pushing, pulling, and probing listeners to rethink what they know about Africa and how Africans should look, sound, and think. Download his music for free at www.manifestmc.com and hear it for yourself. You won't be disappointed.

I'll be posting new findings and time-tested African artists up here for your enjoyment and enlightenment from time to time. Check in to get the scoop.

Udo.

Tomorrow is Here

"Tomorrow is here, the moment, the now/
when you stop wondering why, and start wondering how/
how to get ahead while not afraid to be dead/
true to what you said, it's your word and your vow..."

These words are the beginning of my verse for a hip-hop track I recorded earlier this year with some friends. And those words are ringing truer and truer in my ears these days. Tomorrow is here! There is no other way to say it, no other way to interpret it. Simply: Tomorrow is Here.

This means a lot to me on many levels. For one, a new year is coming...is here. Sometimes I laugh to think that I decade just went by. How fast! But even moreso, more importantly, I am living the life I have been wanting, striving, and sacrificing to live. I am a working artist. I am an educator. I am a writer. I am a student. I am a world traveler. I am centered and grounded. These are all the attributes I strove for yesterday. And today I am living it.



This path has not come without its challenges. There were many roads to travel and many mountains to climb. The truth is that there are still more roads to travel and even more mountains to climb. However, I am on the path. I am on my path. No longer am I trying to get on it, trying to be somewhere or do something. I've already done it. I am already here. Now, it's just about doing it better.

How does that song go again:

"...now that life is demanding me to earn my pay/
I sacrificed yesterday for returns today/
give thanks for tomorrow and then be on my way/
into a new day, it's ya boy CHIKE!"

(Come on)

Just a reminder: How to climb mountains

I've been tested lated. My resolve, my will, my endurance, my intention. The road has not been easy, but I have kept on. I am finding strength in the little things, and not giving so much attention to the big things. It's all about balance.

I am re-reading Paulo Coehlo's book of short stories, "Like the flowing river". Many passages contain insightful lessons, thoughts, and experiences. I thought I'd post a directional entry from one of them, as just a reminder. Maybe I will remember these the next time I come across a barrier that seems insurmountable. Then again, maybe I won't. I just know that I am on my journey and there are peaks and valleys...yet I keep, keeping on.

How to climb mountains

1. Choose the mountain you want to climb
2. Find out how to reach the mountain
3. Learn from someone who has been there before
4. Dangers, seen from close to, are controllable
5. The landscape changes, so make the most of it
6. Respect your body
7. Respect your soul
8. Be prepared to go the extra mile
9. Be joyful when you reach the top
10.Make a promise
11.Tell your story

Naija on my mind

Recession or Renaissance

...and the world keeps turning. People are loosing jobs left and right, yet new opportunities are being created everyday. Conservatism is attracting people back to their comfort zones, yet liberal thinking is encouraging people to explore new horizons and accept new discoveries. There is an aura of fear in the air for what is going to happen next, yet the times are full of hope and possibilities. Are we in a recession or a renaissance? Actually, I think the answer to that question is personal. Only you can answer that for yourself: Am I in a recession or a renaissance? For me, a little while ago, the answer varied depending on the day you asked. Money was up and down, opportuntiies were here and there, excitement and bleakness swoped places freely. However, I started writing a script recently and it has been inspiring me through the process. One of the main themes is choice and thus I am taking it upon myself to choose my direction. It's like even when hope seems lost you can choose to find it in the minute things. When you are having a bad day, you can choose to laugh at yourself and your situations, knowing that nothing is permanent. For example, banks are not giving as many loans these days and foreclosure is on the rise, yet they say now is the best time to buy if you would like to own a new home because the market is so bad. I am not in a position to purchase property at this time but I like this type of thinking: See the opportunity where there seems to be none. Choosing to act on it could just make you better off in the long-run...and it could be a very long run. Of course, I am not saying that is easy, I am just saying that it is possible. It is possible to choose better, see better, be better. It's all up to you. It's your choice. So, on that note, the answer to the question posed earlier, without a doubt, is Chike Nwabukwu is experiencing a Personal Renaissance...because I choose to do so.

O que e Mandinga

So many things are going on right now: acting gigs, teaching, performing music, applying to grad school, women, seeking the right type of employment, and of course, capoeira. It gets hard to manage them all. Even more so, how to manuver in and out of these different disciplines and be in the moment, giving them the attention they deserve, is even harder. However, something from that mystical game I play, capoeira, is showing me the way. They/we call it mandinga. It's hard to explain exactly what it is. It's almost one of those things that "just is". But if I were to try to translate it into English or layman's terms, it would be something near the equivilent of street smarts mixed with cunningness with a side bit of charm. Add in the Hand of God guiding you and this is getting close to what Mandinga could be interpreted as. Mandinga is moving with grace in the face of terror, exuding the confidence that you will be all right when it's all said and done because everything is always all right. Mandinga is feeling hurt and in pain but rising to each and every occassion because you don't know how to do anything else [Please note that rising to every occassion doesn't have to mean winning every match. It just means not loosing].

I could offer a million definitions of what Mandinga is but none will completely capture its essence. Rather, I am simply giving thanks to the Great One for dashing me with a little bit of this magic potion to be able to make it in this crazy world. With all that I am handling, and being nervous about the state of my job/finances, I still feel confident, clear-headed, and progressive. I know the Great One didn't bring me this far to fall short on my journey. Thank You. The game of life is gaining in intensity right now but I am still able to "jogo bonito."

I...

I write because I write
I learn because I do
I create because I am culture
I am because we are.

Congrats

Congrats to Barack and Michelle Obama for being inaugurated as the 44th President and First Lady of the U.S. of A. Not only is Barack Obama leading by example the way the country and our moral characters should go, but his union with his beautiful wife and family is just as inspiring and worthy of admiration. Hats off to you President Obama. Indeed, this is change we can believe in.

Dealing with Haters

It is good to be cordial and communal yet I prefer not to shake the hand of a Hater. Rather, simply give them the finger. We don't see palm to palm.

NY is getting smaller

...at least for me. That big, gigantic, intimidating place that everyone says New York is supposed to be is feeling smaller, more intimate to me these days. Granted I don't hang around Times Square that much (any more), and stay away from other touristy spots, but still, other boroughs are just as crowded yet I'm not feeling cramped.

I have found my own niche, my own lane in NY and maybe that's what allows me focus in the crowds. Or it could be my travels around the world that play a part in this, constantly reminding me through memories that the world is bigger than this big city. But I am not even sure that either one of them is it. I think in the end, NY is a city like any other city. It may look grand and mysterious at first, but once you settle in and get to know your way around some of that mysticism looses it touch. Eventually, you run into people you know on the streets, go to house parties where everyone knows your name, and are able to give directions to other newcomers to the city. This is a very interesting observation for me. I am at home...no matter where I am at.

Black Jack

I've been real busy lately...and tired, as there is always work to do. I have started a couple of posts that I didn't complete but really want to post something because this year I am challenging myself to post at least once a week. So, this one's for me....

Just recently got cast to play the lead role of Jack Jefferson in a rendition of "The Great White Hope". I won't lie, as tired as I have been, researching more about this brother gives me a boost, a little bit more energy to face the world with tenacity, courage, and audacity. So, this one is for Jack too. That's it.

A Nu Book

A wise man told me recently, "Forget about starting a new chapter in your life. Start a new book....'cause things will never be the same again." I've taken these words to heart and I am living their truth day by day, moment to moment.

2008 was a character building year. I dealt with death (R.I.P. Aunty Chinwe), financial trouble, and uncertainty in my career and purpose. I also experienced new life through new works, financial recovery, and a extreme amount of clarity in my choices and future. I am thankful for it all, but I know things will never be the same again.

Moving forward, I recognize today is a new day, an opportune moment for me to be my best self. That self is different from who I was yesterday...and may be different from who I will be tomorrow. What I do know about that self is that NOW is the moment to be it. If 2008 built character, then 2009 is about living in that character's skin, to put it in acting terms. 2009 is about fully breathing and becoming that character. And with any character, there is a back story, a future, experiences, memories, a life that is built around him. There is a book.

Thank God for today, the yesterdays to come, and the tomorrows that have passed. Here is to a nu book. My story.