I was visiting a couple of friends today and we were working on tracks. One of my friends, I'll call him Matt (because that's his fucking name), began to describe for me how he wanted his project to sound, and I thought that it was the most ridiculous things to be discussing. First of all he put an established artist's music on and said he wanted tracks like those. I thought to myself (but didn't say it aloud), "Then go have whoever did his tracks do yours. Huh? What was that? You're broke? Ok then just take these."
The point that I tried to make to him was that first of all, music doesn't necessary work that way. You can interfere with creative process by trying to write like someone else. Music has it's rules, but as long as you adhere to them and know when to break them, anything is possible. But non-musicians don't understand that. They don't understand that sometimes tracks actually write themselves. Most of the time something happens that surprises me. I don't have a clue how I ended up where I did, but it sounds tight.
My other point simply was that the music business is a BUSINESS. And it doesn't matter to me if I work with a one-legged Ukrainian playing a Ukelele or him, as long as I am making money, I couldn't care less. No matter what you're doing, you should be trying to make a buck at it. We too damned broke as a people to not focus on that. But he said, and this was when the permanent separation occurred, "I don't care if I make money off of it.....I just want to complete my own project." (Pregnant pause....let that marinate for a minute). I won't bore you with the rest of the conversation, but suffice it to say that he talked about how hard he was going to work to stay broke-how much effort he was going to put into being someones human resource. The logic of being financially independent I couldn't get him to wrap his brain around. Now let me tell you how the conversation ended, he picked up his cell phone as I was talking and dialed a number, and then began talking nonsense about girls with whoever was on the line. And we wonder why the black woman, the white woman, the white man, the Asian man, the Hispanic man and woman don't respect us.
I work with a 6' 3" Asian man who is wealthy and has introduced me to more multi-millionaires than I've seen on TV. They stop by our office from time to time to visit him. I met a nondescript Asian gentleman who was worth $50 million easy. Some of these men were self-made, others inherited money. My boss, the 6' Asian guy, is wealthy in his own right. He spends every moment at work trying to increase the bottom line. He has taught me that resources are limited. Sure we can all say that we understand what that means, but in reality do we? When you're at work and you stop to talk on the phone to a friend that calls to see how you're doing, do you realize that you are wasting company money? They pay you to work while you're there. Most of my friends know not to call me at work. They are simply interferring with my ability to put food on my table. Unless it's business, I don't want to really waste my time talking about the Patriot's game. All of the Patriots are wealthy. And I don't need to fuck off my earning time to talk about rich people. I'm trying to get there myself, and unless I'm getting compensated for talking about whether or not Jay-z really retired or not, call me after work hours-and even then be cautious because I parlay that time too.
I know that sounds harsh, but if you do the math, perhaps you'll agree with me. Let's take a look:
•There are 24 hours in a day
•9 of those hours belong to your employer (10 if you have a 1 hour commute)
•8 hours (if you're lucky) are spent rejuvenating your body or sleeping)
•The other 6-8 hours are usually used to take care of responsibilities.
Time is infinite but our lives are finite-waste a day and it won't be added to the end of your life.
Most people get about an hour or two a day to themselves. So why would you waste the time you should be using to earn enough capital to buy the rest of your life back chatting with idiots? Now if you're working a job that can't get you enough money to take the rest of your life off, you'd better be doing that shit in your own time. Otherwise you'll be slaving for someone else for the rest of your life. And this is what my friend was telling me his goal was. "You see, I have second interview with Crate & Barrell and I'm going to parlay that into.....". Don't get me wrong, I love Matt. Matt is my brother-I consider him my family. But I wasted so much time with Matt in the 90's writing tracks, producing tracks, staying up late at night recording him and having to get up early the next morning and commute an hour and 10 minutes to work. If I knew that you were doing this for self-agrandizement, I would have used that time for either my own projects or to get a few extra hours of sleep or to spend time with members of my family.
Matt's wasted enough of my time-and enough of his own, but if that's what he wants to do, it doesn't mean I have to join the circle-jerk.
Heaven Help Us.
The Prince
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Monday, October 23, 2006
Even In Death Lay Wins
First and for most, let me say that I don't believe that Ken Lay is any deader than...I don't know, any of you who might read this blog entry. But I heard some of the most shocking news today on KPFK, (yeah, I listen to that left-wing, listener supported rhetoric). It appears that since Ken Lay died of an apparent heart attack, his estate won't be touched in spite of his criminal activity. All the money he stole from the state of California; all the money he stole from companies that Enron bought and cannibalized; all the retirement funds he and his hoods looted will remain within his family's possession. What kind of country is this? It isn't one at all-it is a modern day pirate's cove whereby the populous are fooled into worshipping the pirates that rob and exploit them daily.
Any gain that is realized from criminal activity is to be forfeited-that's the law. But, in my opinion, not only did they fake K. Lay's death, they've now made it possible for him to keep all the booty. You have to ask yourself, how can they look themselves in the mirror? What types of human beings are these (that's if they're human at all). I am so sad that I had 4 children. This world is not the type of place I would want my children to be raised. To know that I can't even protect them from the harm that may come their way angers me. I know that there are other places much worse, but most of those places are in the condition that they are in because of what this country is responsible for.
When I heard about K. Lay keeping the riches he so blatantly stole from common folk who busted their asses for 20-30 years-scratching and saving for their retirement, I was extremely saddened. Can you imagine, getting up everyday, going to work, saving and watching your nest egg grow-and then comes along these thugs in Brooks Brother suits, wearing smiles and expensive ties. They promise you the heaven and deliver you hell. Every quarter you've received a report on how your money's growing. You know that there's only about 2 years left and you'll be able to buy that lake house and fish for trout all day every day. And one day there's an announcement that you're being bought by Enron and everyone's happy. Why? Because their stock is going through the roof. They must be doing something right...right? Wrong. They're staying afloat because they've been behaving like locusts-descending upon crops, devouring them, and moving on to the next. And when you're government, who's only purpose is to protect you is called into play, they fake his death and let his estate keep the ill-gotten goods. Why shouldn't the rest of us behave in kind? When your reward for doing what is upstanding and right is a dick up your ass compliments of the U.S. government-what incentive does one have to do otherwise?
Today is a sad day in the history of mankind.
The Prince
Any gain that is realized from criminal activity is to be forfeited-that's the law. But, in my opinion, not only did they fake K. Lay's death, they've now made it possible for him to keep all the booty. You have to ask yourself, how can they look themselves in the mirror? What types of human beings are these (that's if they're human at all). I am so sad that I had 4 children. This world is not the type of place I would want my children to be raised. To know that I can't even protect them from the harm that may come their way angers me. I know that there are other places much worse, but most of those places are in the condition that they are in because of what this country is responsible for.
When I heard about K. Lay keeping the riches he so blatantly stole from common folk who busted their asses for 20-30 years-scratching and saving for their retirement, I was extremely saddened. Can you imagine, getting up everyday, going to work, saving and watching your nest egg grow-and then comes along these thugs in Brooks Brother suits, wearing smiles and expensive ties. They promise you the heaven and deliver you hell. Every quarter you've received a report on how your money's growing. You know that there's only about 2 years left and you'll be able to buy that lake house and fish for trout all day every day. And one day there's an announcement that you're being bought by Enron and everyone's happy. Why? Because their stock is going through the roof. They must be doing something right...right? Wrong. They're staying afloat because they've been behaving like locusts-descending upon crops, devouring them, and moving on to the next. And when you're government, who's only purpose is to protect you is called into play, they fake his death and let his estate keep the ill-gotten goods. Why shouldn't the rest of us behave in kind? When your reward for doing what is upstanding and right is a dick up your ass compliments of the U.S. government-what incentive does one have to do otherwise?
Today is a sad day in the history of mankind.
The Prince
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Marjorie's Dowry
Some years ago I worked for a telecommunications company and received a promotion to a department that earned me a ton of money over the course of about 6 years. Of the 5 people hired, I was the only black and the only male. The other individuals were female. I came to know (not in the biblical sense) them quite well as we went through training and navigated our careers. One of the young ladies was named Marjorie. She wasn't a strikingly attractive young lady. In fact she was relatively nondescript. If she walked into a room, she wouldn't draw very much attention. But she was a very nice girl who had a plan.
Majorie and I were amongst the few people who poured a majority of our salary into our 401k plan. One day I asked Majorie what motivated her to allot so much of her salary to 401k and she said, "It's for my dowry."
"Dowry?" I asked. I knew exactly what it was but in my lifetime had never heard anyone speak of or much less have one.
"Yes, dowry. If I'm to be taken seriously by my husband, I must bring something to the table."
I looked at Majorie long and hard trying to assess the words that she had just spoken. All of my years I had heard about how and why men should be taking care of a woman, and all she had to do was show up. She didn't have to bring anything to the table, and furthermore, once married, she didn't have to do much else. No cooking, cleaning, or caring for the children, (the man had better earn enough for her to stay home and not work AND pay for some cleaning lady to come and take care of the household). She was the prize and you'd damn well better take care of her or else she will pack up the kids and take half of what you might have already had before she came around. Majorie and no such disillusion. I really cogitated over what she said to me. It struck a nerve. Here was a woman who refused to buy into society or the media's false inflation of a woman's worth. She, first of all, knew that she wasn't the most attractive woman on the planet. But not only did she have a clear sense of her own value, she also knew the value of all women.
She didn't allow herself to become disillusioned over beauty-we all know that eventually that fades. She came bearing gifts. And if a man is supposed to support you solely, shouldn't you bring something to the table? There was a time when a family put money aside so that the daughter would have something to offer the husband when they wed. Nowadays, she just comes with the clothes on her back and laundry list of things YOU need to do. And if she manages to assemble a nugget or two, she won't let you forget that she brought all of this to the table and you brought nothing. Or she will discriminately eliminate you as a candidate because you ain't got shit.
I'm not saying we should go back to the days where a woman came with a dowry, but keeping in mind that at one time there was an intrinsic value assigned to her via a dowry, what is a woman's true worth today?
The Prince
Majorie and I were amongst the few people who poured a majority of our salary into our 401k plan. One day I asked Majorie what motivated her to allot so much of her salary to 401k and she said, "It's for my dowry."
"Dowry?" I asked. I knew exactly what it was but in my lifetime had never heard anyone speak of or much less have one.
"Yes, dowry. If I'm to be taken seriously by my husband, I must bring something to the table."
I looked at Majorie long and hard trying to assess the words that she had just spoken. All of my years I had heard about how and why men should be taking care of a woman, and all she had to do was show up. She didn't have to bring anything to the table, and furthermore, once married, she didn't have to do much else. No cooking, cleaning, or caring for the children, (the man had better earn enough for her to stay home and not work AND pay for some cleaning lady to come and take care of the household). She was the prize and you'd damn well better take care of her or else she will pack up the kids and take half of what you might have already had before she came around. Majorie and no such disillusion. I really cogitated over what she said to me. It struck a nerve. Here was a woman who refused to buy into society or the media's false inflation of a woman's worth. She, first of all, knew that she wasn't the most attractive woman on the planet. But not only did she have a clear sense of her own value, she also knew the value of all women.
She didn't allow herself to become disillusioned over beauty-we all know that eventually that fades. She came bearing gifts. And if a man is supposed to support you solely, shouldn't you bring something to the table? There was a time when a family put money aside so that the daughter would have something to offer the husband when they wed. Nowadays, she just comes with the clothes on her back and laundry list of things YOU need to do. And if she manages to assemble a nugget or two, she won't let you forget that she brought all of this to the table and you brought nothing. Or she will discriminately eliminate you as a candidate because you ain't got shit.
I'm not saying we should go back to the days where a woman came with a dowry, but keeping in mind that at one time there was an intrinsic value assigned to her via a dowry, what is a woman's true worth today?
The Prince
Monday, October 02, 2006
OHIO PLAYERS
Thursday night, the band borded a flight headed for Detroit Michigan. We were picked up by a stretch hummer and whisked off to Toledo Ohio. We had a gig there that, I must admit, was really a waste of time. We played a total of 3 songs. But I have to admit that I partied my ass off! The Henessy was flowing, the 420 was burning. I need about a year to recover.
It was cool kicking it with the band but today when we touched down in Los Angeles, we received a text message from our keyboard player stating that he quit. Pretty chicken shit but so fucking what-there are more keyboard players out there. It would have been cool if he would have let us know ahead of time and give us an opportunity to find another keyboard player but you can't have everything.
All in all I guess I understand his departure-he just graduated from college, he's got a new job and money for the first time in his life-and we are a part of his past I'm sure he wants to forget-good riddance. I don't know how black people think that they will get anywhere as individuals if they can't go anywhere as a group. I'm so disappointed in my people. It's as though they can't do a damned thing as a group. Oh wait, they fight a lot and act like crabs in a bucket, but I don't consider that a positive group activity. I think crisis brings people together and black people are in a crisis. But we've been there so long we've normalized our awful condition (and even consider some of it cool). So even though we are in a bad state, we can see it. And we infight with each other instead of building something positive. That young man is going to find out that white folks will hang you out to dry. If it can happen to Mike Tyson, Mike Jackson, OJ Simpson (ok maybe OJ was guilty), it could happen to you-wet behind the ears, green horn. God hasn't blessed you brother, and if he has, you'll find out that you've misused that blessing. Do I say that because you left the band? No, I say it because I remember how you were prior to your graduation-now you're too hot for TV-life will explain this to you one day.
RCP
It was cool kicking it with the band but today when we touched down in Los Angeles, we received a text message from our keyboard player stating that he quit. Pretty chicken shit but so fucking what-there are more keyboard players out there. It would have been cool if he would have let us know ahead of time and give us an opportunity to find another keyboard player but you can't have everything.
All in all I guess I understand his departure-he just graduated from college, he's got a new job and money for the first time in his life-and we are a part of his past I'm sure he wants to forget-good riddance. I don't know how black people think that they will get anywhere as individuals if they can't go anywhere as a group. I'm so disappointed in my people. It's as though they can't do a damned thing as a group. Oh wait, they fight a lot and act like crabs in a bucket, but I don't consider that a positive group activity. I think crisis brings people together and black people are in a crisis. But we've been there so long we've normalized our awful condition (and even consider some of it cool). So even though we are in a bad state, we can see it. And we infight with each other instead of building something positive. That young man is going to find out that white folks will hang you out to dry. If it can happen to Mike Tyson, Mike Jackson, OJ Simpson (ok maybe OJ was guilty), it could happen to you-wet behind the ears, green horn. God hasn't blessed you brother, and if he has, you'll find out that you've misused that blessing. Do I say that because you left the band? No, I say it because I remember how you were prior to your graduation-now you're too hot for TV-life will explain this to you one day.
RCP
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