this one’s for my mama.

you can check out the article online here.

did you know that the MOMA is free every friday @ 4Pm this summer?

well, what a treat, because a few friday’s from now, Saul Williams will be performing, and I’m hoping to make it out. More info here.

The Museum of Modern Art

11 West 53 Street  New York, NY 10019 (212) 708-9400  info@moma.org

ps. the last time I went to the MOMA was during BESTIVAL 2009 (bestie tezzzy’s short visit and fun times galore), pics to come soon.

*one of my fav pics i’ve taken in nyc.

this is my childhood friend Genebie, who let me stay in her apartment for the entire month of June for FREE. isn’t that the nicest thing ever? now that’s a pal. for life. man im lucky.

now none of you can ever stay in Gen’s place for free, but she did help me find many more things for you, the rest of the world, to do in the City that are indeed, free! everything from concerts to restaurant weeks to open bars to museums! free free free!

the world’s favorite word.

FREENYC.NET: GO! (and sign up for their newsletter too. i’ve gone to a few things there, and all of them have been pretty darn cool. and yes, free.)

This Thursday, Vice Magazine is holding a photo exhibit event, and I’m going to check it out! I got it from Martini (thanks love!)

Now I have to admit, I always feel like I’m a Care Bear or something when I read Vice Magazine; I’m not really big on homemade drug concoctions with battery juice and car oil- you know, I’m more tulips and cotton candy and Harry Potter wizards, but I do appreciate a lot of the articles in Vice, and find their artistic direction pretty darn fascinating. Plus, Terry Richardson is showing!

JULY 16, 6 PM

Spencer Brownstone Gallery

39 Wooster Street, NY 10013

i hope so! i hope you missed me! even just a little.

thank you for your patience. love.

Oh, I love Brooklyn. And one of my favorite things about BK so far is BAM, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, who puts on a freeshhh film/music/art fest every year- Afropunk! This year, I had the pleasure of partaking in the funk, and danced, sang, and watched Zoe Kravitz and Janelle Monae rock the hell out of the stage. I was so inspired!

girl skaters are soo rad.

i rolled in with my lovely Aussie  friend, Martini Connelly (the PR wonder from down under), and recent Cali transplant, photographer and med school student Chris Rafie (doctor Rafie, what a load!):

was in awe watching Zoe Kravitz and her band, Elevator Flight, rock the stage-i didn’t know what to expect, but she was quite amazing, i must say.  she was effortlessly charismatic, raw, and the writing is good. not to mention she’s gorgeous. but i guess if Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet were your parents, you kinda get blessed with the some of the raddest genes ever. lucky.

the immaculate Janelle Monae. Need I say more? I don’t think so. You already know.

because this is after all the glamourbaby trails, I of course had to snap some stylish peeps that i found along the journey! how lovely is this tulle bow by Jasmine (left), and here is an unforgettable duo who I had to include: Yasin and Zoe, artist brooklynites who I enjoyed talking to.

And well, Ladies and Gents, I present you my finale pic of the freshest people in Brooklyn, Yasin and 14 year old Kasim, who btw holds a 92 percent grade point average and is probably cooler than most adults I know. 14 and already a photographer, aritst, skateboarder, beautiful spirit, and did i mention he has has 92% grade point average? Do they make em fresh out here or what?

turnin this mutha out,

rubizzle

Adriel said it best….”a world without Michael Jackson is like one day realizing the metric system is gone”. For the first time in my entire life, I have to consider a reality without MJ…I’m not sure how, but this morning, I’m giving myself the opportunity to re-live my childhood and love the music all over again.

Because we could never really say goodbye:

I can’t stop feeling so sad. Mourning and celebrating Michael’s life, watching videos over and over, seeing it all over television and watching people tweet and comment on youtube videos, I keep tearing up. When I heard someone walk by talking on their phone proclaiming “Michael Jackson is Dead!” I turned in shock and felt my heart drop. What? Michael Jackson??? Are you sure? Are you kidding me?

Then I found it was true. And my heart sank. All those songs that defined pivotal moments in my life…the creator of those masterpieces, gone home to God.

We’ve lost something bigger than a legend. Bigger than an icon. Bigger than a generation. We’ve lost an artist who single-handedly changed the entire world with what he created. There’s no one else more famous, more influential, more iconic…I mean, his music defined my entire childhood. I don’t even know how to imagine a world without MJ. I really…I don’t want to. In a time where we are constantly asking where the true artists are, where the true music is, losing him makes me feel more fearful.  I feel so thankful that I can understand the the true talent and legacy of Michael Jackson- yesterday I thanked God over and over that he let me grow up during  Michael’s glory days.

His music helped us feel young, electric, alive. His inspiration spawned hundreds of other artists to attempt to do the same.

It is unfortunate that we scrutinize our celebrities to the point where we drive them to some kind of insanity. How we fervently love and hate them at the same time, watching every move with a magnifying glass, loving them deliriously one minute, then snap back to ridicule them as soon as we find something to laugh or gossip about. How we dehumanize them like they’re not real people. There are some people who only know Michael Jackson for the things people mock him for, without understanding the true meaning of what he brought into the world. Without understanding the kind of sacrifice it takes to spend your entire life being publicly watched, being photographed, offering much of yourself to everyone else leaving not much else for yourself. Privacy is a luxury we don’t often recognize. Discretion costs more than some of us can ever understand.

Thank you Michael, for having the ability to make me feel forever young.

Welcome Home.

Hey hey now, don’t worry Mom, it wasn’t like that. I did, however, dance all day for reggae artist Terry Lynn’s new video, “Jamaican Girls”, directed by Nabil Elderkin, the same guy I posted about just a few days ago.

Location:  The Charleston Bar, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Here are some photos from the day:

there was a lot of waiting. so we checked our phones, sat on the stoops, posed for our cameras…

then came the paint. and the black light. and glow galore. the guy with the beard is the dj. he was doing it real big with that paint, yo.

Left: that’s Terry! Right: Nabil and I between takes

and I had the pleasure of meeting these lovelies!

Tish, Jennifer (aka St. Agnes), Me, Hanna, and Venus! You can even check out Jennifer’s recounts on her way cool website, Worship Worthy- one of my faves!