Afro Inspired

Glenn Ligon and Jason Moran: Jazz and Contemporary art

2010-03-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

In so many ways, Glenn Ligon’s art productionsare like illuminated manuscripts. The 49-year-old Bronx-born artist is probably most famous for his text paintings, which he’s made since the ’80s, appropriating words by everyone from Zora Neale Hurston and Ralph Ellison toRichard Pryor. Sometimes a line floats in the center of the canvas, and other times it repeats manically from top to bottom, covered over in paint until it’s almost aggressively illegible. Such sentences that flicker in and out of abstraction include: I do not always feel colored and Iwas a nigger for twenty-three years.

I gave that shit up. No Room for advancement. Clearly, Ligon relies heavily on the legacy of writers, but he also actively engages with the history of abstract painting. In other pieces, however, he takes that fight between readability and revolt away from the canvas and the oils—particularly in a number of neon works, where the white neon bar is covered over in black, giving the simultaneous sense of illumination and blackout. Recently, the artist even entered the film business. His piece The Death of Tom is an abstractionist restaging of the last scene in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the silent movie filmed by Thomas Edison’s studio in 1903. Ligon asked experimental jazz musician Jason Moran to create the soundtrack for the film—“playing to the shadows,” as the young musician puts it. Here, the two talk about the importance of learning things that aren’t always written down.

ason Moran: When did you figure out that art—with a big “A”—was an option for a lifestyle, versus, say, working for ups?

Glenn Ligon: You know, it took a long time to figure that out, because there wasn’t any precedent in my family for being an artist. Although, ironically, when my mother was younger, she wanted to be a singer, which I found odd because I never thought she had a good voice. [both laugh] But at some point she must have had a good voice. I remember seeing pictures of her from the ’40s, when she’d just gotten married. She was very glamorous, very stylish, and being a singer once must have been a possibility for her. When I started showing artistic talent at a very young age, she was encouraging.

Moran: What was your artistic talent?

Ligon: Drawing, mostly. But I also had a deep interest in literature, which became a big part of what my work is about. But back then I was just filling up notebooks with sketches and drawings. So my mother sent me to pottery classes after school. At this point she had separated from my father. My brother and I were going to private school on scholarship. There wasn’t a lot of extra money, but there was an attitude that money could be spent for anything that bettered us—in that black, working-class, striving kind of way. Culture was betterment. Anything we wanted to read was fine. Pottery classes or trips to the Met were fine. Hundred-dollar sneakers? No.

Click the link to read the entire interview:
http://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/glenn-ligon/

Or Watch the interview
http://www.interviewmagazine.com/media/video/8887

YMIB: Daily Inspirations

2010-03-15T13:47:00.000-07:00

YMIB is an inspirational networking website that enables women to reach out to each other and discuss/learn about new crafts/ways of living/cooking/fashion/etc. The majority of the women on the site are of african descent and therefore a lot of topics circle around afrocentric ideas and perceptions. JOIN!

Janelle Monae: The Wave of the Future

2010-03-12T22:21:00.000-08:00

Janelle Monáe, Girl from Another Planet

Open your minds, earthlings, and prepare to be launched headfirst into an alternate universe. A place where robots fall in love with humans. Where your tour guide into this alternate realm is a demure lil thang with a bold set of pipes. "I'm an alien from outer space," declares Janelle Monáe on the first song of her debut album, Metropolis: The Chase Suite (Special Edition). Yes, Toto, we are no longer in Kansas anymore. Or even planet Earth.

Suspend disbelief for a moment, as you're dropped mid-pursuit into a soaring sci-fi soundtrack. The lush orchestration experiments with elements of musical theater, funk and the dirty south. At one moment, Monáe's voice takes on the metallic trill of Shirley Bassey, the next she's an ethereal siren, followed by a bluesy soothsayer. "No alter ego for me, this android definitely exists," says Monáe of Cindi Mayweather, the heroine of The Chase. Mayweather, she explains, is an "Alpha Platinum 9000 android." She is on the run because she's fallen in love with a human being, a situation that is verboten in the future landscape of Metropolis.

If this all sounds like a bit of a stretch for the imagination, it's just another day in the life of Ms. Monáe, who has always lived by her own compass. Growing up in Kansas City, Kansas, she found an escape from rough surroundings through the excitement of her own imagination. "My father had a drug addiction," she explains. "Though there were plenty of good days, it really damaged my family. There were times when mentally I had to create my own world."

She discovered a talent for the arts during school, eventually leaving Kansas City for New York's American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Making the rounds of auditions in the Big Apple proved to be frustrating, though. "I wanted to create my own world. I didn't like that whole typecasting thing," she explains. On a whim, she left on a flight bound for The Netherlands that fatefully had a layover in Atlanta. "I had an intuition about Atlanta. I knew that really creative people like Outkast had come from here, so my subconscious was telling me that I should stay. I felt like this could be a place where I could start my own movement."

That movement now has a name, The Wondaland Arts Society, operating as a studio and collective as well as Monáe's record label. A chance meeting at Def Poetry Jam introduced her to soon-to-be Wondaland co-conspirators Chuck Lightning and Nate "Rocket" Wonder. Together they've fallen into a starry-eyed creative shorthand, staying up all night to dream up songs. "It was almost like we were connected from another land and God sent us all to work together," explains Monáe. While Wonder is the musical genius and production guru, Lightning collaborates on the lyrics and the project's zany sensibility, bringing a cinematic passion to the soundscape. It was Lightning who introduced her to the project's seminal inspiration, the 1927 silent film Metropolis. The Wondaland Arts Society is an independent record label and mystery school that designs capes for superheroes and art for aliens. Ms. Monáe is credited as one of the society's chief founders.

The mutual admiration shared by the three has opened up new avenues of inspiration. "There's something slight of hand about the way her voice works," says Wonder. "We've always wanted to tap into lots of different sides of her. Her fearlessness coupled with the quality of her voice makes it easy for me to try new things. It's like having Judy Garland and Lauryn Hill team up on a record."

Atlanta has provided a rich soil for Monáe's blossoming in other, no less fated ways. It was there that she happened to meet Outkast's Big Boi at a local music event. Considerably impressed with her talent, he invited her to lend featured vocals on "Letting Go" from his Got Purp? Vol II mixtape. With a growing local fan base, it wasn't long before Sean "Diddy" Combs contacted her via MySpace. Sure that she was the target of a practical joke, Monáe ignored his message until Big Boi confirmed that it was indeed the real Puff Daddy who was hitting her up.

Combs was taken with her first single, "Violet Stars Happy Hunting" streaming online. "He fell in love with the overall concept," says Monáe. The exchange led to her current record deal with Bad Boy Records, which allows her full creative control. The Bad Boy deal has allowed the team to create a new framework for releasing music. "Janelle Monáe is one of the most important signings of my career," says Diddy. "There is no doubt in my mind that Janelle is the kind of artist that changes the game. She is a true visionary, with an original sound and a mesmerizing presence. I can't wait to watch her future unfold."

The Wondaland team are also working on video and film projects to come out in conjunction with the upcoming releases, as well as a graphic novel, inked by New Zealand artist Chad Weatherford, who created artwork for Suite I. In April 2008, the Atlanta Ballet interpreted several of Monáe's songs when they debuted "Big with Antwan 'Big Boi' Patton," an original work of dance with songs from various Purple Ribbon artists.

Monáe has carved out her own path by following her instincts. "I want to be looked at as a leader and a businesswoman," she says. "I really feel that music and artists have a huge influence in the way we think. My goal is to help bring as many people as I possibly can together with my music." But it isn't solely about the music. "With regards to the way that I dress, to the things that come out of my mouth, I'm really trying to give a different perspective." Considering for a moment, she adds, "and I think there are a lot of young girls out there who are like me."

She may be living in a fantasy world of her own creation, but Janelle Monáe is confident you won’t want to leave once you’ve visited.

CHECK OUT HER WEBSITE: CLICK HERE

MANY MOONS Music Video: CLICK HERE

El Anatsui: Recycled Art

2010-03-12T21:42:00.000-08:00

Throughout his career Ghanaian artist El Anatsui has experimented with a variety of media, including wood, ceramics and paint. Most recently, he has focused on discarded metal objects, hundreds or even thousands of which are joined together to create truly remarkable works of art. Anatsui indicates that the word gawu (derived from Ewe, his native language) has several potential meanings, including "metal" and "a fashioned cloak." The term, therefore, manages to encapsulate the medium, process and format of the works on view, reflecting the artist's transformation of discarded materials into objects of striking beauty and originality.

The metal fragments that constitute the raw material of Anatsui's work have had a profound impact on the West African societies that use, reuse and finally discard them. Several of his metal "cloths" are constructed with aluminum wrappings from the tops of bottles that once contained spirits from local distilleries. The three-dimensional sculptures are made of the discarded tops of evaporated milk tins, rusty metal graters and old printing plates, all gathered in and around Nsukka, Nigeria, where the artist has lived and worked for the last 28 years.

Drawing on the aesthetic traditions of his native Ghana and adopted Nigeria, as well as contemporary Western forms of expression, Anatsui's works engage the cultural, social and economic histories of West Africa. Through their associations, his humble metal fragments provide a commentary on globalization, consumerism, waste and the transience of people's lives in West Africa and beyond. Their re-creation as powerful and transcendent works of art--many of which recall traditional practices and art forms--suggests as well the power of human agency to alter such harmful patterns.

Bilal: Full of Soul

2010-03-11T16:05:00.001-08:00

Bilal is by far one of my favorite artists. You can almost see the words when he sings and softly smile because of the warmth that overwhelms your heart and that tingle when he reaches a high note. A voice that is totally satisfying ( personally but I'll let you be the judge). Furthermore, seeing him live makes it even better. From his facial expression to his body commands your entire attention filling his words with even more heart.

Bilal Music Video
Soul Sista
Love It

CDs:
Love For Sale
1st Born Second

Bilal recently won his first Grammy because of his part in Robert Glasper's amazing CD Double-Booked ( CLICK LINK to listen to Bilal's collaboration w/Glasper "All Matter"). Click HERE for an interview with Bilal from OkayPlayer.com's website. Click the link in order to read the entire interview. It is a good read and gives you knowledge of Bilal's education while in NYC ( For all you New School Students).

Nneka: Africa is the Future

2010-03-11T15:25:00.000-08:00

When your heart is as big as your Afro, when your talents stretch from teardrop soul-singing to freestyle rapping to a first-class degree from a top Continental university, when you’ve got so much to say about so much, then you are in it for the long haul.

Every year since her musical career took off in 2005, this Afro-German warrior princess has built on her successes, stretched her muscles, and widened her range. Her debut album Victim of Truth (released in the UK in 2007), an inspirational mix of hot loops, black consciousness and 21st-century soul music - was garlanded with praise by the British media. ‘As good as The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,’ said UK’s The Sunday Times.

Her sophomore release was every bit as lush and visionary as her first. A record where brains, beauty and beats collide No Longer At Ease made its mark across Europe and beyond. It’s a record that Lenny Kravitz and Lauryn Hill both heard and said: ‘I want this girl opening my show!’

It’s easy to see what got Lauryn and Lenny so animated. Nneka’s music has still got a big splash of Bob Marley in the recipe, a measure of Nina Simone and a lick of Erykah Badu.

But this time around there’s more of the best ingredient – Nneka herself. Her first US release, Concrete Jungle ( CLICK IMAGE to listen to Africans single from Nneka's CD)is a collection of songs that put the singer/songwriter at the forefront. This album is an offering of love, hope and optimism dedicated to the people of Warri & the Niger Delta of Nigeria. Holding it all together is the emotional focus of her beautiful voice, located in a place somewhere between yearning and rage.

“Righteously bold and heartbreakingly fragile.” - SPIN “10 To Watch in 2010 & “Songs You Must Hear Now!”

“Nneka is pure hotness.” - Rolling Stone 2010 Breaking Artist & Hot List

“Feisty, charismatic.” - Time Out New York

ON TOUR NOW:

Wednesday, 1/27 – San Francisco – Red Devil Lounge
Friday, 1/29 – Los Angeles – Hotel Café
Saturday, 1/30 – Los Angeles – KCRW Grammy Brunch
Tuesday, 2/2 – New York – S.O.B.’s & Official Release Party
Wednesday, 2/3 – New York –David Letterman

Appearance
Thursday, 2/4 – Cambridge, MA – Middle East Restaurant & Nightclub
Friday, 2/5 – Philadelphia, PA – World Café Live
Saturday, 2/6 – Baltimore – Sonar Club Stage
Monday, 2/8 – Birmingham – WorkPlay Theatre
Tuesday, 2/9 – Atlanta – Vinyl
Thursday, 2/11 – Nashville – 3rd & Lindsley
Saturday, 2/13 – St. Louis – The Gramophone
Sunday, 2/14 – Chicago – Double Door

Camille Yvette: Multi-Faceted Wardrobe Stylist

2010-03-10T20:11:00.001-08:00

Above is one of many beautiful photographs of Camille Yvette Lee, a multi-faceted wardrobe stylist. This image captivated my attention simply because of the vibrant colors, the touch of lipstick on her lips and of course the regal shaved head.

CLICK to view Interview with Persona Magazine

CLICK for Camille Yvette's Online Portfolio