Don't Make It Rain, Make That Change!

Janelle Monáe, 27

"Janelle Monáe—the inimitable, award-winning, songwriter, performer, producer, Cover Girl and avant-garde funkstress gives an “emotion picture” through her music to the masses. Monáe found herself increasingly drawn to the stories and experiences of the strong women in her life, and their ability to electrify and inspire individuals to do the right thing. 'At some point I realized that the true heart and glue of the community were the women. My mama and grandmamma and my aunties and who to this day, are some of the most powerful beings on the planet. Under their guidance, I went from cleaning houses everyday in my maid outfit to the world-traveling performer I am today. They made me believe in myself enough to move from Kansas and pursue my dreams. A lot of folks think I work hard onstage because of James Brown. But they’ve never met my mother!' Inspired by her mother and other matriarchs, Monáe began to write lyrics and songs about rebel women who refused to be marginalized and dared to live their life boldly and unapologetically in a distant future."

In this video Janelle Monáe gives insight on the behavior that has been passed down and accepted in today's society but it is our duty as women and men to overcome and reject this type of behavior. Janelle Monáe is one of the few women in the spot light that has remained true to herself and what she believes in. She is aware of the concept that "a nation can rise no higher than its woman" a quote from the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad by not only maintaining a modest image but also refusing to let her mind be consumed by the indecency of this world. We, as women, have a duty not only to ourselves but to society to be the change it needs. For example, if a man approaches you with the intent to sleep with you just say no. Don't accept that type of behavior. Women are the vessels God uses to produce life, and with the power God has blessed us with comes responsibility. We are responsible for maintaining life. If we do not change, this cycle will continue.

In order for someone to accept a new way of thinking they must first be willing to listen. We all know how hard it is to get someone to listen to what we have say especially when it is opposite of what that person thinks. Once you get someone to listen, they have to understand what it is you're trying to say. At this point, they can either accept or reject it. If they accept it, they then have to come to terms with what they have been taught their whole life was incorrect. As soon as they learn to accept this their behavior will start to change. This is not a one day fix; they did not learn it in a day. It could take years for someone to change their mindset, especially when it's all they've known. Music has a way of reaching the soul of a person, well at least it used to. Positive artists like Janelle Monáe are trying to bring back the power, consciousness, and love that was once in music but it will not be an easy task. They are going up against a 400 year old mindset that is still being enforced today. We, as a people, have to realize that we have the power to use thought to create the conditions, surroundings, and other experiences of life but this all depends on our habit of thinking. What we do depends on what we are and what we are is the result of what we habitually think. We do not have to accept the way this world is. In the words of Michael Jackson, "if you want to make the world a better place take a look at yourself and make that, change!"

I encourage everyone, both men and women, to give their opinion on this topic and the previous topics. Just post a comment right below this article! Please keep your comments respectable and refrain from using any profanity. Thank you!

Source: http://www.jmonae.com/#

Wazeer Talks About Modesty in Music: Blurred Lines Tell Lies...

Wazeer, 20

Wazeer is a 20 year old independent hip hop artist, producer, and cinematographer. He is a Houston native, but has a sound and message in his music that stretches far beyond this region. He began his rap career in the winter of 2011 but has been a musician since 2004 at the age of 11 as a trumpet player and continued until he graduated high school. He now attends HCC (Houston Community College) majoring in Audio Engineering in order to fine tune his craft and build his various businesses. His goal is to redirect hip hop back to its origin of serving the people and true expression and to take the genre to a place the world has never seen. He is a man of the people and a man of god.

During Wazeer's interview I asked him the following questions, with the music of today being absent of anything positive how do you keep your music modest aka conscious and positive? What do you believe the difference is between your mindset and the mindset of other rappers? What is the inspiration or purpose behind your music? What tips can you give others that are or would like to be in the same field as you?

"When I'm coming up with song concepts I'm driven by human experience and raw emotion. All I want to do is create a clear image in the listeners mind that shows my perspective of the world around me; exposing the injustice, lies, deceit, and give clarity on who they are and what they are capable of. For instance, in my song entitled "G Like Me" I emphasize the fact that I am a God, capable of creating the reality I please, but it is intended for the listener to sing along in the self empowering chant. I do believe that there are artist who share my mindset but there are also a multitude of rappers, if we can even call them that, that are only interested in gaining capitol at the expense of their audience and the art form as a whole. Songs are now taking on the form of jingles promoting materialism, criminal behavior, dehumanization and degrading of our women, and alcoholism and drug use. We must take back our genre from our enemy, whose current control makes profit off of it, and return Hip Hop/Rap to its natural form of expression and feed the souls of the people. This is my mission and I won't quit until we are successful.

My advice to anyone aspiring to be a rapper or obtain any occupation in the Hip Hop industry is to decide what you want to do, find out how to do it, hone in on your craft and never take a day off. Some forward progress has to be a daily goal. Always speak the truth in your lyrics and remove fear completely and your success is inevitable."

Thank you Wazeer for taking time out of your day to share your experiences with us and allowing me to feature you on my blog! I pray Allah (God) continues to bless you in your endeavors!

Blurred Lines Tell Lies!

So, we have been talking about the importance of being modest, which is the consciousness of the mind and the body. But let's go in to more detail about why immodesty is so popular in this world.

Everything you see and everything you hear has some kind of sexual suggestions, no matter if it's blatant or subtle it's there. There are examples of this everywhere, such as suggestive images in commercials, billboards, music, etc. What does a half naked woman have to do with perfume? Sex continues to be the focus of mainstream advertising not only for females but for males as well, so much so that the general population truly believes that this is normal. When someone speaks against this behavior they are seen as being "old fashioned" or anti such and such. From the media to the music industry they all have their hand in the pot. Advertising plays a significant economic role in the music business, it's how the industry sells their products and/or artists. The suggestive lyrics of songs promotes the sexual behavior we see on television. What we hear on the radio is reinforced in what we watch. In these music videos today, you often see artists dancing provocatively and on top of that most of the time it has nothing to do with the actual song. The music industry has created this requirement for females to be sexual. It reinforces in both the artists' and the fans' heads that in order to succeed in the music industry one must rely almost entirely on their sexuality. They try to blur the lines to skew our perception of what their goal is; to make indecency fair-seeming.

There’s a reason the quality of mainstream music has decreased significantly since the early 1900s. The more so-called musicians continue to use sex to promote their work, the more it changes our focus from their music to sex. It's not the quality of the song that attracts us to buy their music it's the videos and the erotic images pasted over it and woven into it that will sell it for them. We went from Run DMC to Waka Flocka, Lauren Hill to Nicki Minaj, and Marvin Gaye to Ginuwine. Do we really want our daughter's or son's and little brother's or sister's to be corrupted by people like Miley Cyrus and her video “Wrecking Ball”? Or Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” music video? Both of which blatantly demeans and portrays women as sexual objects. There's a saying that goes, what you surround yourself with you become. We have to strive to overcome, not succumb.

I encourage everyone, both men and women, to give their opinion on this topic and the previous topics. Just post a comment right below this article! Please keep your comments respectable and refrain from using any profanity. Thank you!

Kiana Muhammad talks about Consciousness in Modesty...

 Kiana Muhammad, 21

Kiana Muhammad is from Gary, Indiana but currently resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She is a senior at Southern University and A&M University with a major in Arts Management and Technology Sis. Kiana is the Co-Owner of Kreative Krafts and the Vice-President of the Nation of Islam Student Association (NOISA) Southern University Chapter.

During Sis. Kiana's interview I asked her the following questions, what type of mindset do you need to have to establish your own business? What is the difference between being your own boss and having a regular 9 to 5? What are some tips you can give others who want to start their own business? Here is her answer...

"Owning a business is quite challenging. It has it's pros and cons but it first starts with your mindset and mission. What is it that you want to accomplish by owning a business? Are you willing to sacrifice money and time? These are some of the questions I asked myself before I made the big move into becoming an entrepreneur. First and foremost, you have to have a conversion with Allah (God) asking Him for guidance, endurance, and faith. Without that conversation owning a business is a waste of time, and you don't just have that conversation once. Once you have yourself together then you're ready to roll and that's how's I got started. Now, myself along with two other sisters, Naomi and Khadijah Muhammad make up Kreative Krafts. It began with me owning my own business and Sis Naomi owning hers, then we decided to combine our skills and became Kreative Krafts. After that we added Sis Khadijah because we felt her skills were a great asset to our business. I would say working with these wonderful sisters and creating creative products for everyone is way better than working a 9-5, no offense to those out there who are. Seriously though, you work at your own pace and have your own schedule, you're engaged with your work and your customers, and the best part is you can't get fired! Back to the pros and cons, the pros are like I stated you're the boss, you control the setting, work, etc. The con is that you can not get lazy, you are in charge so all the pressure is on you. All eyes are on you and if you mess up the world is watching, not saying this to scare anyone but it's real. You are your business so everything you do has to reflect your business even if you're not working. A modest mindset is necessary. Disappointment is going to happen so be prepared for that. You can not please all of your customers. I take it as a learning experience because it will prepare me for the next person or give me another scope from the outside. Over all owning a business is fun if you're in it for the right reason, especially if you're in the business with other people. I want to thank all of those who supported Kreative Krafts and those who will. We would be nothing without you all."

If you would like to purchase items from Kreative Krafts follow them on IG, twitter and facebook.
Instagram: @Kreativekrafts
Facebook: Kreative Krafts
Twitter: @kr3ativekrafts

Thank you Sis. Kiana for taking time out of your day to share your experiences with us and allowing me to feature you on my blog! I pray Allah (God) continues to bless you in your endeavors!

Tariq Muhammad talks about Fashion in Modesty...

Tariq Muhammad, 22

Tariq Muhammad is a 3rd year civil engineering student at the University of Houston. He was born and raised in the Nation of Islam and with his knowledge in civil engineering he aspires to build a better world for his world by starting from the ground up. He also has a passion for teaching, piano and tutoring math. 

During Bro. Tariq's interview I asked him the following questions, what have been your experiences in school and/or in your everyday life with being modest? What do you think about the trend among most young men who sag their pants? How do you make modesty work for you and do you have any tips you can give to others? 

"First, thank you for this opportunity and platform for young adult leaders to be of guidance to our peers in the world of fashion.

Let’s first define modesty. Modesty is a mode of dress and deportment intended not to encourage sexual attraction in others. Therefore, being modest does not conclude that you cannot be attractive. When someone looks at you and your attire they should want to approach you to discover your mental characteristics not your physical characteristics.

It is extremely important that men, especially black men are dressed modestly because nowadays we (black men) have so many odds against us. Majority of the time this world has a visual picture of what a young black man looks like, which is baggy clothes, sagging pants, and unclean facial features (hair, skin, teeth, etc.). In order for us as black men to be released from this worldly stereotype, we must first start dressing like the civilized men we were created to be. We believe and know that the black man is God. Therefore, we have to start thinking, acting, and dressing like the gods that we naturally are. No, you don’t have to wear a suit and tie everyday (but it definitely does not hurt). If men want to attract a real woman of God, then he can’t have his pants hanging down below his behind and expect to attract a woman that is godly divine.

I love bow ties, neckties, suits, blazers, hard bottoms, loafers, and button down shirts because I desire to be a leader for my people, I want to attract leaders, and people who have the same mindset as me. I want to look my very best when I’m amongst my people at work, at school, and elsewhere. Being modest in my attire has opened many doors in all aspects of life. Also I love to express myself through my clothes. I love mixing colors, patterns, and fabrics while still being able to have dinner with any head of state."

Thank you Bro. Tariq for taking time out of your day to share your experiences with us and allowing me to feature you on my blog! I pray Allah (God) continues to bless you in your endeavors!