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.

Being the change we want to see

For some today is the day. The day that their world changes, maybe forever, possibly witnessing a day that many thought impossible. For others, it's just another day, maybe carrying a little extra weight because of this casting selection to the political theater we have been watching for the last 21 months. But it's just a Tuesday in November like so many other Tuesdays and Novembers that have come and passed. Whether the former or the latter, I encourage all to do something a little bit different today. Yes, get out and vote. Not for me, not for a particular candidate, but for yourself. Impact your lives by getting involved in politics, taking a stand, not being complacent. These are definitely interesting and definitely changing times we are living in. Don't let those changes pass you by or not be in your favor. Be a part of the world you want to see. Create it. Contribute to it. Live it and love it.

Beyond going out to vote, I also encourage others to do something different within their personal lives. Get up and go jog if you have been meaning to get in shape for a while. Go watch a movie if you have been meaning to get some down time and ease some stress. Invest in a project. Finish a project. Project your light unto the world. Once again, these are definitely interesting and definitely changing times we are living in. There doesn't have to be too much emphasis placed on this moment, but some acknowledgement should be there. On a personal tip, I voted for Barack Obama. Yes, I believe he is a change that we have been looking for, but I also believe in the change that is going on in the world. From better intercultural relationships on the 'people's level', to more confidence from Africans in being 'authentically' African, to my (young) generation assuming leadership positions in many institutions, organizations, and cultures, I believe there is a spirit going around, a fundamental shift that is occurring within the lives and the consciousness of so many people. Yes, indeed, there is more hope, more opportunity, more potential today than I believe there was yesterday. And I believed this before Barack's candidacy for president. However, his rise, effort, and accomplishments have only confirmed this belief. I can now see that not only is change something that I feel, it is something that a whole lot of people feel.

Now, how do actualize this change, this opportunity to grasp the better? Well, only we can answer that. It's like how we say in the capoeira world: Go with the flow but also control the flow. It's about balance. Point is, we can feel change and want change, but if we don't actually put some action behind it, some physical effort to match our mental trains of thought, then we won't be going anywhere with our ideas. It'll just be that: an idea. But if we do something, back up our talk, live in moment and not just live for the moment, we can be anything, and I mean and believe anything, we want to be. We are the ones we've been waiting for.

I won't write too much more right now. I just wanted to post something. I just wanted to record the fact that I am thinking about this right now. I just wanted to do something a little bit different this morning and write when the thought is fresh on my mind, like I have been meaning to do for a while...and be the change I want to see.

Going a little harder: Not settling for less

So, I'm on my journey, my path as an actor, musician, and cultural worker. I have left jobs that I liked and enjoyed to do this, possibly severing some relationships. I have taken a pay cut to do this, not necessarily struggling with the rent but finding it challenging to make the needed investments into the equipment and resources I need to be successful at my ventures. My faith is being tested on a daily basis, for walking this path brings up unexpected roadblocks, scenarios, and tests of endurance. However, I am still on it and still pushing forward. One thing that I am learning, or re-learning, is that tenacity is the key to prosperity. If you are to be where you envision yourself to be, you are going to have to plough through some tough situations.



Recently, a couple of tough situations have presented themselves to me to see how I would respond. First, my part-time job, the only "job" that I have now, has not paid me for the time I have worked so far this year. Now, it is typical when you begin a new job to have your pay witheld until you wokr a certain amount of hours, but when you are returning to a job you expect to get paid regularly just like how you did the year before (I work in the school system so we have summers off). Needless to say, also having recently moved to a new apartment I had trouble settling in fully because of this. It has been uncomfortable but it brought to light other issues with the new apartment arrangement that makes me see it in a new light. To make a long story short, I am considering moving again, although I have only been here for 2 months. My actions are not erractic or spontaneous given the circumstances (roommate melodrama), rather it is a test to see if I will accept what I am given and be unhappy or not settle for it and move on. Being a believer in people and the ability to transform, I will test it out for a little longer but if push comes to shove, I am already prepared mentally to do what I've got to do to be where I want to be, and that includes moving on up and out to a place I (wishfully) could settle in properly at.

Moving on, another tough situation has been dealing with women. I consider myself an attractive man (as many women concur :), yet I am not married and not in a relationship. Some ask if I know what I want in a relationship. Hell yes, I do! I know what I want so much that I even wrote it down and share it with people readily when asked (maybe that should be my next blog...or future blog). The tough situation is being presented with a quality woman with many good characteristics, but not feeling totally convinced that she is the right one. This has actually happened to me a couple of times. More recently though, I am dealing with that situation and I am being tested (I feel) on if I will accept her where she is, or keep the bar at the level I set it before and believe that another woman will come and surpass it. As stated, this issue has been somewhat reoccurring and at first I used to think that there was something wrong with me or my expectations. However, recently, I am feeling more confident and assured that there is nothing wrong with me or my expections and it's just that I haven't found "Ms. Beautiful" yet. Through analysis and acceptance, I have come to realize that a past girlfriend, my last long term relationship, set the bar at a certain level for what is expected from a women when in a relationship with me. Not finding that, or something close enough to it, makes it hard to just accept what I am given. So, rather than adjust my standards to fit the needs of women who I feel are not my soulmates, I figure that if I try just a little bit harder and have just a little more faith, I won't have to unnecessarily adjust my needs to meet her wants. Ms. Beautiful and I will meet each others standards (and possibly, probably exceed them) exactly where we are at, being naturally and comfortable who we are as individuals and members of society. Call me crazy, but I still believe in love, I still believe in happiness.

With all of this being said, tenacity is the key word for the day. Michael Jordan, Barack Obama, and Mahatma Ghandi all had to push a little harder in their own rights to get to where they wanted to be. They all had their faiths tested, yet pushed through until they were exactly where they envisioned themselves. And this should hold true for everyone else on the come up. You've got to push through. You've got to stay true to your beliefs and stick to them....even when you are vulnerable and weak. In fact, when you are vulnerable and weak but holding on is when you are actually getting stronger. So, be that. Get stronger. Don't settle for less. Believe in dreams, believe in your potential. Be strong and hold on. Your future happiness depends on it.

A good time for art

America's economy is in danger. A generation-defining election is a month away. And change in the U.S. of A seems inevitable regardless of the outcomes of the economy or the election. Across the Atlantic, South Africa is dumping its sitting president, Nigerian oil revolutionaries have declared war, all the while Zimbabwe is attempting to balance itself out with some sort of wobbly power sharing agreement. With a plethora of other shifts and turns going on around the world, I can conclude to only one thing: Right now is a good time to make art. Why do I say this? Well, when else is a better time to influence the direction of culture than when it is naturally (or unnaturally) moving on its own? Artists are cultural workers, meaning they influence and critique culture to a point where they could actually have an effect on policy. Thus, given the cultural climate of today's world, more specifically RIGHT NOW, there is plenty of room and opportunity for artists to mold, create, and contribute to new, dynamic cultures and ways of being.


This "Now" that I speak of is partially rooted in the idea that hardship is a catalyst for change. While it is not true that only hardship brings change, artistically speaking, it is true that hardship has always inspired the best art. When people's backs are against the wall they tend to do one of two things: become more conservative and fear-ridden, or they take more risks and let it all hang out. For those artists who have the confidence and courage to take on the world's problems while still dealing with their own personal problems, this could be what they have been waiting for. From fighting Jim Crow and injustice in America to fighting apartheid in the Free South Africa movement, artists have defined periods in history with their work when they chose to seize the moment. This could be ours. Imagine painting that picture of the faces and spaces and places that define our current reality: Obama and the "next generation"; drizzle and rain on a sunny day; the turn in the American psyche. Imagine penning that song that your children's children will sing, study, and enjoy, getting a feel of what it was like to be alive now right now. Imagine....just imagine.


The most important time in history is now. As artists, it is our job to interpret and reinterpret the times that we are living in. Though hardships and unforseen changes are eminent, we can turn this into a cherished moment in time. We need to take chances and step out of the box, out of our comfort zones. We need to let it all hang out, invest in the moment and behave like tomorrow is not promised. We can do this and stay above the fray if we keep moving, keep producing, keep creating the newness that we seek. Right now and anytime is a good time for art. However, because the "Now" is loaded with so many other variables I believe it should be responded to with more factors if we are to balance the equation. Artists should respond by giving more of their hearts to their work and working their hearts out to touch hearts. We can inspire others to capture this moment, unveiling creative energy and expressions that have been suppressed, witheld, untapped, or just unseen until now. And when we do, when all of this is realized as more people allow themselves to be empowered by choosing creativity, we would not have only captured the moment and owned it, we would truthfully and sincerely be being the change we want to see...Now.

The Art of Backflipping

For years now I have been trying to do a backflip. I can dunk a basketball and walk across a room on my hands, still to jump backwards and over was a feat I dared not attempt. The fear has been paralyzing. What made it worse was seeing people who were less athletic than me complete the task, yet not wanting to fall or hurt myself kept me from even trying at all. Imagine fervently wanting a car but won't buy it because you are afraid to crash it. Well, I broke free the other day and finally gathered the courage to purchase that vehicle and take it on a test drive. I didn't crash once, though I swerved a few times.

Last Wednesday morning, at Far Rockaway Beach in Queens, I jumped backwards and over. I lept into the air and I trusted. I trusted myself, I trusted the universe. Though nerve-wrenching at first, I eventually completed the feat enough times that I felt comfortable doing it. By doing so, I didn't only complete a back hand spring but I conquered a phobia: the fear of falling. I know that the fear of me falling from a back flip is directly related to my fear of falling while trying to do artistic acrobats. As charasmatic and out-going as I am, sometimes I get nervous about standing out from the crowd, to do something that someone else can't do -- or chooses not to, and live with some excitement and dare in my life. Although I know that I am capable and probably even positioned to do so, I can be conservative with some of my expressions for fear of not getting the unique one correct. But this thinking doesn't make sense. Why would you have all that potential if it was not meant to be used? Why should you be strong if you are not meant to be powerful? It is this question that has nagged me and challenged me to keep trying, keep moving. I understand that backflipping is an advantage, an edge, another option. Owning its execution opens the gateway for more exciting and empowering opportunities. But I'll never know these opportuntities unless I believe I can get them. So I must go for them without fear, not being afraid of falling because I know how to get up and I am focused on where I am going. The mind can conceive what the body cannot yet acheive. Thus, as long as you are not physically paralyzed, there is no reason to mentally paralyze yourself too because there is still work to do.



I have come to find that the art of backflipping, the discipline of creating new options for yourself, is about having faith. You can have all the abilities in the world, and then work and prepare and plan for as long as you want to do something about it, but if you don't have the courage to act on your potential then you will never be satisfied. Your movements don't have to be as fancy as a backflip, they should just reflect the creativity and courage you possess inside of you at that particular moment in your life. And then when it's time to do your own interpretation of the "backflip," remember why you are doing what you are doing and how you will feel if you don't. Then just do it. Choose faith over fear and you will make it there...wherever that there may be for you.

But seriously...

Okay, so I've been living in New York for almost a year now. It's been an interesting journey so far, comprised of stories of exploration, concentration, and self-determination. I moved to NYC to be closer to the theatrical world, to find my place in it, to create my role within it. Despite the the challenges that I face and have faced, I believe am doing just what I set out to do. After a three week trip to California this summer, which was a much needed getaway and active meditation, I'm back in NY (just moved to Brooklyn, baby!) and more determined than ever to make my mark through my art. Specifically, I've printed out business cards and I am networking like crazy. The result: I'm being offered more roles for acting and other creative gigs. It could also be because I am approaching everyday life with more confidence, secure but not overbearing, feeling empowered by the process and possibilities of this discipline of expressing myself. In the meantime in between time when I am not involved with the theatrics of playmaking, I am playing percussion and starting to record vocals again. The result: I'm beginning to gig as a percussionist around NYC and I am finding producers and all sort of musicians that I'd love to work with....and we're actually following through on the process! So, the question is, with all of these opportunities brewing, raising my value in my own eyes as well as in the eyes of others, how seriously I should take myself? I mean, pretty seriously, right?


I am a theater artist and musician. Playing a character in a production is a lot like playing an instrument in a band: you are going for one voice, one theme, one sound, one story. And after watching Barack Obama's acceptance speech last week, I was reminded of what I felt were the four most important words of his speech, "It's not about me."



All of this is to say that I shouldn't take myself too seriously. For one, there is always someone out there who is better than me at something. And two, taking myself too seriously ruins the notion of working together, in communion, with my fellow collaborators. I am not a solo artist, though I could perform alone. What I mean is that I represent something that is bigger than me, something more profound than any group of words I could string together. I represent a culture, a lifestyle and perspective, shared by a new generation of thinkers, global citizens, and cross-cultural workers. I once told a good friend of mine that while on stage I don't want people to look at me, I want them to look at the world we live in. Similarly, choosing to study and play and instrument is reflective of the importance I put on the sound of the collective, only emphasizing the individual's voice as an addition to the whole, not as a whole onto itself. Consequently, my individuality allows me to be whole. My connection to the whole allows me to be an individual.


It is my belief that artists who take themselves too seriously have lost, or are loosing, their connection to the whole. I don't want to become like that, although I understand how it can come to be. However, I try to stay grounded by doing things to humble myself, like remembering my family overseas and being thankful for all that I have here on this side of the Atlantic; bigging up a partner's performance to take some of the attention off of myself; and/or controlling impulsive urges to remind myself that discipline determines distance you will travel, just to name a few. In either case, no matter how many breaks come my way and no matter how successful I am at those endeavors, my intention is not to ever take myself too seriously. I know that I am only here because of those who came before me and because of those coming after me. So, at the root of it all, I am only playing a part, I am only a piece of a continuum. My role is just as important and unimportant as a character actor: the other characters in the cooperative are dependent on me for the story to exist but the story is not focused on me. It's as simple as that. Play your part, and play it well, but recognize that there are more parts, more stories, more expressions than the one that you occupy. You are only as important as the importance of your collective. I guess the key to balancing it all, I believe, is to master your solos and monologues, for that is when you can be just as important as you want to be. But even then it probably won't be as serious as it seems.

On Money

“I was told that cash rules everything around me
And I should get the money…”

Quoting myself (with a little help from Wu-Tang), I wrote these words a few years back to begin a lyrical poem about making money. I called it “Money for the Movement”. My inspiration – besides growing debt, bleak job opportunities, and the desire for less stress due to cash flow – was to express my reasoning of why getting money is so important in today’s world…if not yesterday and tomorrow’s worlds as well. You see, at the time, I was fresh out of college and still heavily influenced by a predominantly pure socialist way of thinking. Having studied political science, I became aware of the so many immoral actions and ill-gotten gains of countless people and nations in the name of money. Consequently, I rebeled against the idea of such behavior, surrounding myself with like-minded thinkers and building up a united mental front towards the philosophy of capitalism. To add fuel to the fire, I traveled around the “Third World” for my last semester in college (Semester at Sea, Spring '02) and concluded that with a two month stay in Nigeria, my bloodline roots, of which I had taken a decade and a half long hiatus from (not of my own doing). In Nigeria, I re-experienced what it was like to not have the resources you needed when you wanted them. It took a little getting used to again, but some things I never got used to and just wanted them changed for the better...forever. Yet, not even then was I fully convinced that making money needs to be a high priority. What really got my going about this whole idea of making money was coming to terms with my creative self and the desire to make art, and starting to calculate what it would cost to actually actualize some of these ideas.

“So now my eyes are open to the words that were spoken/
Money makes a man go to having it from hoping…”



Actualize. That’s what did it for me. From thinking up an idea to funding it to distributing it, actualizing your intentions takes money. I’ve witnessed this truth on all fronts, whether personal or not, ranging from independent music projects or budgeting for a movie, throwing a party or holding a fundraiser, money is needed in some form or another to see your dream turn to reality. And so, I’ve changed my mind about having it, using it, acquiring it. My philosophy now is that money is not the root all evil. People are the root of all evil. Our lack of self-control, self-awareness, self-respect and self-love make us act evil to each other because we don’t see ourselves in each other. We fight over crumbs and stiff our neighbor to get a bigger piece of the “pie”, yet it is that same neighbor that we will need in a different situation that will remember the wrong doing we’ve done to them and not trust us enough to help us out. It’s an age old scenario. The East calls it karma. I guess this would be bad karma. I believe in it. I also believe that using money unselfishly, yet still investing into Self, brings about good karma.

“I need this money for the movement/
Paper for the purpose/
Equity for evolution to watch my dreams surface/
I got fam overseas yall that need to eat/
And still got fam in America need relief/
I got a heart from the poor but don’t come from the streets/
Just know that: too many starve, while too few feast”

I am still a student of political science. I still want to, and will, live in the “Third World” (starting with Nigeria again) and seek to influence their policies and culture. Yet, settling in on a career in the arts has challenged me to be more about what I am saying, express this intent through action. In doing so, I have had to reexamine my relationship with money and figure out how I will fund my ambitions of being a bi-continental cultural worker and agent of change. What I have concluded is that money is going to play a big role in succeeding with this ambition. Does this make me evil? No, I don’t think so. It can’t. Because the intentions in my heart are not evil, they are pure. The intentions in my heart are good and just, thus the way I handle my money will be the same. Thus, I am rededicating my mind to thinking about getting this money. I used to think that I would feel guilty for having a lot of money, but I would willingly accept millions today if it were offered to me. Money will help my mother retire from her three jobs she works at 58 years old. Money could pay for the college education of my younger sister. Money could build in schools and feed my cousins, aunts, and uncles in Asaba, Nigeria, the place I call home in Africa. Money can create more jobs by investing into industries, small businesses, and new ideas. Money could decrease crime because basic needs and wants are met, lessening the temptation to stoop to one's lower self to get them met. Money can do a lot of good in the world if our minds and hearts are in the right places.



“Let’s be real/
Love makes the world go ‘round/
Money only makes it easier for us to exist in it/
If we know we are the children of God and can hold it down/
Why accept being broke and all its inner limits”

How you get money is just as important as getting it. I don’t condone stealing, robbing, killing, lying, or cheating to get money. At the end of the day, being a good human being and treating others the way you would like to be treated takes all precedence over getting money. However, once those things are in place, I say that you go full force about getting, receiving, acquiring, obtaining, attaining, and holding onto money in the moral manner that you see fit. It can, and probably will, make a world of difference. I write all of this today as a reminder to myself, and anyone else who reads it, to give ourselves permission to be financially well-off. If you work hard you should be rewarded. It just so happens that many of those rewards come in the form of money these days. So why not accept it? You are not a bad person for doing so. A lot of good can come out of it if you will it to. And so, if you already have the will to make the world a better place, go ahead and make a little money to help you in your mission. I guarantee that it will help.

Well, there's really not much more to say. I’ll simply leave you with the last line of the poem:

“Get that money yall”