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!