Time is Illmatic

Time Is Illmatic, a documentary film that explores Nas’ 1994 debut album, Illmatic. The film is set to debut at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 16 and will hit theaters shortly after. This documentary was Directed and Produced by a friend of mine, One9, and pretty much since I made his acquaintance he has spoken about this project.

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As a hip hop fan (the 90’s was my era), I can’t wait to watch the film and for my friend, I am thrilled and excited for him to finally get to share his hard work, dedication and passion for “Time Is Illmatic” with the world! Watch the trailer below…

Time Is Illmatic is a feature length documentary film that delves deep into the making of Nas’ 1994 debut album, Illmatic, and the social conditions that influenced its creation.

Twenty years after its release, Illmatic has become a hip-hop benchmark that encapsulates the socio-political outlook, enduring spirit, and collective angst of a generation of young black men searching for their voice in America.

Time is Illmatic tracks the musical legacy of the Jones family, handed down to Nas from his jazz musician father, Olu Dara. It also examines the social conditions and environmental influences that contributed to Nas’ worldview.

Along the way, Time Is Illmatic shows how Nas—with the support of his Queensbridge neighborhood crew, the loyalty of his younger brother Jabari “Jungle” Fret, and sacrifices of his mother, Ann Jones—overcame insurmountable odds to create the greatest work of music from hip-hop’s second golden era.

With support from Ford Foundation & Tribeca Film Insitute.

PhilanthroFest

Philanthrofest has made a huge impact on the South Florida community. The event, now in its third year, connects 1000’s of South Florida residents to valuable resources and services in the areas of Business & Economic Development, City/County Services, Civic Engagement/Community Improvement & Capacity Building, Cultural/Arts/Humanities, Educational, Environmental, Health/Human Services/Disease Prevention, Poverty/Welfare, Animal Related, Food/Agriculture/Nutrition, Recreation & Sports, and Youth Development & Services.The PhilanthroFest Community Engagement Festival features more than 100 South Florida non-profits and community agencies, art, music and dance entertainment, a kid’s zone, a community stage, healthy living section, and other family friendly attractions.

PhilanthroFest is FREE and open to the public with the goal of connecting volunteers and donors to not-for-profit organizations while creating an environment that promotes civic engagement, deepens community connections and sparks the philanthropic spirit of South Florida.

3 ways YOU can support PhilanthroFest TODAY:

GIVE

Donate to support the PhilanthroFest 2014 Festival and we will include your name on our donor recognition page and donor activation at the festival. DONATE VIA EVENTBRITE!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/philanthrofest-2014-tickets-10897953071

VOTE

Cast your vote for PhilanthroFest in the KIND “Do The KIND Thing” Challenge: VOTE NOW! http://projects.kindsnacks.com/project/philanthrofest-2014-civic-engagement-festival/

SHARE

Share your #PhilanthroSMILE with us and be featured in our social media campaign: SHARE YOUR #PHILANTHROSMILE
http://www.philanthrofest.com/philanthrosmile

On Set with Comcast Newsmakers

I want to share some of my latest interviews as a Host for Comcast Newsmakers in Florida. The segments are great because I have the opportunity to talk with a diverse group of Public Servants, Lawmakers, Community Leaders and other “newsmakers” about a variety of topics that affect so many of us…. You can see all the current newsmakers segments online at www.comcastnewsmakers.com

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Below you can just press play to see some of my most recent on set interviews!

The Miami HEAT’s official DJ and founder of the Irie Foundation, DJ IRIE!

Estrellita Sibila of Philanthrofest

Discussing the topic of stroke with Dr. Tiffany Sizemore-Ruiz

SunFest of Palm Beach County with Paul Jamieson

GNO: Justin Timberlake Concert

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I took a trip to the Bay Area this past weekend and it just so happened a group of my girlfriends were planning to all attend the Justin Timberlake concert for his current 20/20 Experience tour, in San Jose for a Girl’s Night Out (GNO)! It could also have been dubbed Mommy’s Night Out aka Mommy’s Gone Wild! haha! From pre-gaming at Mau’s place to catching the end of teh NFC Championship playoff at San Pedro Square…and the walk to SAP where the concert was being held…..FUN!!

At any rate, JT concert was fun…although I am so unfamiliar with his newer stuff, it really kinda made me feel “dated.” Good times for sure…thankful for the opportunity to get out with the ladies who’ve I’ve known for DECADES… Check out some of the photos from our night of shenanigan’s below.

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Raiderette LOW PAY Lawsuit – MY THOUGHTS!!!

Yes, I was an Oakland Raiderette…and am still a proud alumni! So news of a lawsuit by a current – on her way out former Raiderette from the most recent season has hit the media, and I couldn’t resist giving my 2 cents, okay it’s more like a lot of SENSE!! And this all comes on the heels of a new petition on behalf of ALL NFL Cheerleaders (completely unrelated) to get MORE PAY!

Check these links for background:

Busted Coverage – Cheerleader Sues Raiders for Withholding Pay & Not Paying Minimum Wage **this article contains a copy of the actual lawsuit paperwork filed**
ESPN – Cheerleader Files Suit Against Raiders
Pay Petition – for all NFL Teams Cheerleaders

But seriously, this is sparking so much debate among Raiderette Alumni and people in general, that I just had to put my thoughts down and share…so here goes…

YES…being a PRO TEAM Dancer/Cheerleader is a low paying job…I’ve been on 3 teams in the NBA and NFL. Do I believe the compensation should be more, yes, that would be nice to be paid for my time and talent, but here’s the reality (from my dancing days):

  • Cheerleaders (Raiders) are paid a per game stipend, practice is not paid and certain community/charity events may also be non paid. There are other paid appearance opportunities and you are always told the pay, location and summary of all events before you sign up. Other pro teams do receive a minimum wage for practice. You also receive tickets for the game as part of the compensation.
  • Team members sign a contract acknowledging and agreeing to the terms of pay, attendance, expectations (hair, makeup, nails, citizenship, etc…), duties, hours, and it is often a requirement for those selected to hold some type of job or be a student outside of the team.
  • Members are required to maintain and meet fitness/appearance requirements, all of which are discussed and agreed to…gym membership and stylist discounts are also given by sponsors. And while some of the ladies may take that as required weekly manicures or regular haircuts and color, those are optional expenses the ladies incur at their own discretion…again they AGREED to this.
  • Travel to appearances may sometimes be out of area, but if you sign up to drive 90 miles, I’m saying, don’t complain about it.
  • Fines are incurred when you are late for practice, games, events or if you forget required equipment, attire, etc… I have no issue with this, money is the best motivator to get people to stay on top of their game.

So my thing is, at auditions… candidates are WELL AWARE of what it takes to make the team and what the job entails, if selected among the HUNDREDS, sometimes THOUSANDS of hopefuls. I think the general public assumes it is a full time job and doesn’t realize the reality of what goes on behind the glamour – hours of practice, appearances and prep, but truth be told, after all the hard work, hours of sweat, all the tears shed, dedication and miles driven, what you take home doesn’t even cover gas costs! However, the majority (if not all) of the ladies in the pro ranks aren’t doing it “for the money.” What this job offers are priceless memories and friendships, unique experiences and once in a lifetime opportunities. As a pro team cheerleader I was able to network and meet countless top level executives from a wide range of industries, work alongside community leaders and influencers, travel and represent teams in the most elite sports leagues and given the platform to be part of game day entertainment in front of tens of thousands of adoring fans!

Honestly, this gets me worked up because I am protective of the “sisterhood.” I do see the point of being paid more and it would be well-deserved, but the reality is that being a Raiderette or part of any pro team is a privilege and honor, that is priceless!! IF this suit is successful, I think a few things could happen. It may be possible that teams do away with cheerleaders altogether or make it a volunteer job with NO stipend. However, since the cheerleaders are vital to branding and bring in millions of dollars for the team, maybe they shrink the squads down to only a dozen or less, to make them full-time staff.  But, let’s be honest, the hundreds of women that try out would do it for free, and these days the spots are so coveted that they enlist the coaching of people like me, through Going Pro Entertainment, to give them advice and pointers on how to make a team!

It will be interesting to see what happens. I worked full time outside of my position as a pro team cheerleader/dancer, with each team I was lucky enough to be a member of…and I would do it all over again for the same “low” pay.

LUV-A-BULL Proposal

I kept seeing this video pop up on my social media feeds, but I had yet to click the play button, until tonight! This was probably one of the best “clicks” I ever made…watching this Luvabull (NBA Chicago Bulls dancer), be proposed to on the court during a performance, has to be one of the sweetest things I’ve ever seen. I was moved to tears!!!

And while it’s been a minute since my NBA/NFL dancing days, I can only imagine how insanely intense, confusing and surreal that moment must of been for her! Props to her man for getting it done and best of luck to the happy couple! Watch the video of the surprise marriage proposal below…

Touch Dolls: Deliano Fashion Show

Last night I attended a fashion show to benefit the Children’s Home Society at Touch Dolls boutique in (MiMo neighborhood) Miami. My gorgeous friend Constances Jones of WPLG was the host for the evening… and the owner of Touch Dolls was showing off her new Deliano designs collection!

Here are a couple more pics from the event of me and the girls hanging out!

above (l-r): Adrianna, Jessica, Constance and Me

To see all the photos from the event, please visit the Soul of Miami website!

In The NFL Today…

I LOVE this image from the NFL today as Seattle Seahawk Doug Baldwin takes the field… I applaud him for bringing more awareness to the need for more support in Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda relief. The Philippine flag (even if it is upside down) never looked more brilliant, beautiful and proud! 🙂