The first word that came to mind after hearing Carlos St. John rip a verse from his highly anticipated debut album, “The St. John Project,” was…FINALLY. Oddly there were no words of description that immediately filled my head. No eloquent metaphors to describe the way his deep routed lyrics moved my spirit as if they were alive; stretching and tangling around my mind like veins meant to pull me into the complex world of this gifted, creative, and ever so ambitious, Brooklyn native. There were no words of dislike or disbelief, no comparisons made between him and rappers that came before him. No flaws tacked themselves to the back of my mind. No thoughts of “decline,” “wanna-be,” “can’t,” or “will never be,” echoed after he rhymed. In the end, there was just…FINALLY.
It was a replica of an exhale. In fact, the moment that I said it, “Finally”, my entire body and mind felt at ease. After listening to St. John’s ill-gotten lyrics, I felt no more on edge from the theory that authentic rap would die on the shoulders of its all-star vets, but that it might live, and even thrive, with new blood grabbing hold of the mic. After the first time hearing this future icon, I began to foresee how rap may have a legitimate chance of surviving this futile stage that it has settled in. When most rap artists now perceive it as more of a hustle than an art-form, as their commitment to shine gleams more from their teeth and wrist than the polishing of their lyrical skills, Carlos St. John proves to be the exception.
Pseudonym
CSJ: I’m Brooklyn’s James Bond.
He says it with a certain confidence in his voice. Immediately, I can see how the pseudonym fits. The Brotha is that smooth, as are his lyrics and sense of style. With the looks of a ladies’ man and the hunger of a hustler, this quick slick rapper is no vanishing act. In fact, his skills proclaim that he’s eternal, classic, since the day he first put a pen to the pad. Whether draped in jeans, a hoody, and fresh kicks or decked out in designer linen, on the stage, Carlos St. John is Mr. oo7. I tell you, he’s that smooth.
Universe
CSJ: It spins on ambition, the good people in my life, and the music.
When Carlos was barely a teenager, expressing himself through rhyme, without a thought of ever making a living out of it, his universe went from living in a group home on the rough streets of BK to being ushered to Manhattan to stand in front of an executive model scout. From there, he was booked---not that this natural born lyricist could be satisfied on stage without a mic in his hand. Consequently, he returned to the humble life; surviving practically on the dreams in his head. Living in a quaint space, tucked away in a poet’s corner, writing rhymes while working to defy the odds of becoming a statistic. For most anyone else, the backpedal would be considered a setback. But for Carlos, the sacrifice only pumped a desperation into his veins that set him up to be that much better and that much more determined to be the prominent emcee he was born to be.
Leader
CSJ: Never been a follower, and don’t intend to start now.
There is no doubt that Carlos takes his own route in life, moving forward and upward. His growing number of fans follow him for one simple reason: they sense that he won’t steer them wrong.
Stepping Stone
CSJ: Each day I spend grinding out the business to get to the top. I’m nowhere near where I want to me.
He makes it very clear that every day of his life is served as a stepping stone for the next. Just by listening to him speak, I can hear his drive. An unstoppable force, Mr. St. John appears to be, as he relentlessly works to perfect his talents. Nevertheless, if the truth be told, it may very well be Carlos’ business mindset that will guarantee his incline.
Entourage
CSJ: No need [for an entourage]. True skills can stand alone.
You’ve never seen it, and I doubt that you will ever hear of Carlos St. John being represented by an entourage. When it has become a fad for today’s musical artist to define themselves by their crew, flashing them in videos as if the audience will buy their music based on association than individual appeal, Carlos has chosen to allow his lyrics to represent him.
Just listen to the St. John Project and soon you’ll realize, as I did, the possibility of there being a worthy alternative to Jay-z----one who personifies more than a gutter man’s hustle and flow, but a unique entanglement of talent, vision, and hypnotic swagger. Inevitably, you will come to grips with the reality that rap has finally birthed a descendent of the Greats------a lyricist, who, unlike most of his new age competitors, had not wildly crafted his lyrics to conveniently hold space between a seller hook (which would have made it best served as an instrumental). Instead, Carlos’ album drops hard, delivering healing and hope to the ears of rap lovers that yearn for deliverance.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
The Purpose Driven Life of Jody Banks / by: Lyric Dysin
“Life is a grindstone. Whether it grinds you down or polishes you up, depends upon what you’re made of.” -Jody Banks
She’s talented, sexy, and edgy. Her sophistication can be better glimpsed in the way she handles business than the way she walks out onto a stage. Yet, when she grabs the mic, restless crowds immediately erupt with cheer. She is no other than Inrage’s latest sensation, Jody Banks---a rap superstar in the making.
"Whoever says it never rains or snows in California had never come near the places where I grew up,” hinted Banks, who admits that her life has been no crystal stair. Nevertheless, this Oakland born emcee is finding her way to the top. Driven by purpose, and riding on melodic beats and dope lyrics, this West Coast Bombshell is making a living out of defying the odds.
“I don’t do what I do to satisfy others expectations,” Jody explains, in the calmest of tones. “I am devoted to the music because I find purpose in it."
After spending some time conversing with the rap industry’s newest highlife entertainer, I sense that her elevation into the limelight can’t be tagged solely to ‘talent meets opportunity.’ Instead, I get the oddest feeling that it is her courage and her keen ability- to keep the intangible things of life in prospective- that is guiding her towards success.
"I rap about my life, which is about more than money, clothes, and hoods,” says Banks, who works to unwind in her LA home, after a long day of promoting her debut album, “Private Dancer.” With her young son not but ten feet away and an album release date seemingly closer, I immediately began to thank the heavens that my interview had no chance of being predictable, since Jody isn’t the typical rap star.
The Difference Maker
Unlike most of today’s emcees, at least the ones that have grab hold of the national spotlight, Ms.Banks hasn’t shown the desire to make the glamorizing of money, expensive clothes, and sex, her signature mark. Neither has she decided to run head first in the opposite direction in order to pound conspiracy theories into the heads of her listeners. Instead, Jody has seemingly made a conscious effort not to limit her audience to asymmetrical view point, but rather give them a balanced and broader perspective of who she is, day in and day out.
The Emcee (MC)
Whether thugged out or reflecting her more feminine side, Jody's lyrics are born certified. As like many rappers that flash in front of our TV screens, she, too, was raised on one of crime’s most vicious corners. However, unlike those entertainers, who share a similar background story, has chosen not to boast her hood for street credibility. She has rather disallowed any one part of her life to become her only lyric.
“No one wants to be depressed,” Jody laughs, as she describes how rap has always been her emotional outlet. Giving the people just one side of me is robbing them, and I’m no thief, she indicates, as a reasonable explanation for why several of her album’s tracks elude the street hustler’s theme and mirror a tender and sexier side of herself. “I want everything I write and perform to be emotional because my life is emotional,” she explains. “Where I am has come from blood, sweat, and tears. Where I’m going, I suspect will demand even more. If that’s not some emotional shit, I don’t know what is."
Raised with Hard Knocks
Jody was born to a partially deaf mother and domineering father that, with each drink, further pushed her mother out their apartment and into a destitute community. On and off throughout the years, her mother came and went, nurturing her the best way she knew how. They often hit the neighborhood streets to panhandle for spare change to purchase the basic necessities that they were lacking; whether it be food or clothes.
“We first lived in East Oakland’s Valencia Gardens,” Jody explained. “Then we moved to a project complex in LA,” both neighborhoods being notorious for their drugs and a high crime rate. “We didn’t have many material things, but me and my mom had each other.” Jody paused before saying another word, as if to dismiss any sentimental images that came to her mind. It was then that I realized that her current perspective of life isn’t based primarily on her current experiences. Instead, I suspect that they are founded mostly on the tragedies in her past that she had witnessed and survived.
JB: I had cousins that gangbanged. So growing up, I wasn’t unfamiliar to death. But when the streets took my mom, there was a moment, when I thought I would never recover.
The LOOK OUT
Living in a dungeon of danger, being forced to see those you love dying around you, would have been enough reason for many to settle in on the bottom and make a bed out of excuses. However, Jody rather searched for a way up.
"Finding out that my mother had been brutally beaten to death was the bottom for me,” she expressed, before painting a vivid picture of the Italian beauty that gave her life. She was a good mother that was scared of living for way too long, Jody insinuated, as the sound of her voice began to rattle with emotions.
My mom lived on the street of LA for ten years; homeless,” says Banks. “She was deaf, but somehow forced to hear the madness of the world. She didn’t deserve what happened to her. No one deserves that.”
"When I got into in the music, my sole purpose was to use it to finance a safety net to rescue my mom. In my early in my teens, I wrote rhymes in hopes to earn enough money to find her.
Banks who, at 18 years young signed a lucrative publishing deal alongside her brother with Sony Records, had figured that rap would save the day. “After signing the contract, I had all this money and the plan was to go with my brother and search Downtown LA until we found our mom," Jody explained.
LD: And did you two find her
JB: What we found is that our mother had died three years earlier, at the hands of some murderer who had no appreciation for her life.
LD: Was the murderer ever brought to justice?
JB: No one was ever booked for the crime
LD: And how does that make you feel?
JB: I try to focus more on overcoming the tragedy, instead of living in it.
Reincarnation
“Music gave me my life back,” says Banks, who considered her new record label, Inrage Entertainment, steer-headed by producer, Bruce “Automatic” Vandeerveer, her extended family. “They really helped me get back to me,” she says. Jody then took a moment to elaborate---describing how Automatic had granted her the freedom to heal herself, by not governing her tracks. Seems he allowed Jody to release her every emotion through her lyrics, until her pain had lost its weight.
JB: At first, all I wrote was painful music. Everything was about the anguish and struggle. But now, I think I’m at a point in my life where I can infuse some of that pain that I overcame into my songs, along with tracks that makes me feel good. Cause, again, no one wants to be depressed.
LD: With the rap game being practically dominated by males, do you feel as if the rap world is fully accepting of women in the rap game right now?
JB: I think right now, everyone is at a point where they just want good music, regardless of who’s putting it out. Being that the rap game isn’t fully set on conscious or gangsta rap right now, I think people are just into what makes them feel good. I doubt if they care if it’s a male or female that bringing them the feeling.
LD: And what rappers do you put high on your list?
JB: Tupac and Nas. For me, some of Nas’ earlier work, lyrically, is just amazing. And as for Tupac, I don’t care if he’s talking about His Momma or whatever, the man was just emotional. And I like that."
Jody goes on to talk more about rappers of the past and present, but not excluding herself, of course. “Music has assisted me to this place in life, where I can once again concentrate on the things that matter.” She smiles, glancing at her child. I sense she has found her peace there--- in between motherhood and lyrical artistry. Everything happens for a reason,” she proclaims. "I’m better now lyrically and as a person, because of all I’ve been through.”
The Future
LD: So what's next for Jody Banks?
JB: Well, there is the push for the Jody Etzler foundation, which is my foundation. It’s organized to assist the homeless, as well as battered women and children, to find a safe haven.
JB: Yes! One is an independent movie called, “The Third Generation Gangsta,” which is real hot. The other is actually a Western called, “Jessie’s Girl,” where I star alongside Jon Voight.
LD: Wow! Jon Voight, the academy nominated actor. Are you the slightest bit nervous about sharing the big screen with Angelina Jolie’s father; a veteran actor with more than fifty films under his belt?
JB: I’m more nervous about this LA city girl learning how to ride a horse.
LD: Well, like most everything in your life, I doubt you will let this fear stop you.
JB: How right you are.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
The Star Amongst US! Introducing Melvin Jackson Jr./ Written By: Lyric Dysin
The CREATION:
Destined, may just be the perfect word to describe Melvin’s admission into the career of acting. For as a child, born a scenic route away from the ever popular White House, undoubtedly this country’s signature for politics, Hollywood seemed an unlikely avenue that he would take. One would think that, if he were lucky, his future would consist of town hall rallies, motivational speeches, and political campaigns. Or if following in his mother’s footsteps had been his way, he would have most certainly landed a lucrative career within our government, in an effort to protect our country from war. However, if it’s one thing that Melvin Jr. has taught us in the past six years, is that he’s his own man, created to go his own way, which just happens to be straight to the top.
Q. You are being referred to as the “The Star amongst Us,” as many of your fans predict that you are well on your way to humble Hollywood, the minute the golden script falls into your hands. Does knowing that your impressive body of work could send this life changing script your way, the main reason why you remain so devoted to acting?
A. No. Good scripts, or golden scripts as you call it, are very important to the expansion of an actor's career. Yet, I am very passionate about acting because I believe that it is an art that is bigger than just something I do.
Q. Bigger?
A. More important. For instance, acting can build bridges to better places; not just for the actor, but for those that he or she can help across.
On the Right PATH:
“I haven’t arrived, but I’m on my way.”
The word circulating around Hollywood is that Melvin Jackson Jr. was born to be the actor that other actors admire. It’s that same quote that flashes in front of every camera the precise moment that he slides in front of its lens. “I work to consume whatever character that I play,” says Melvin, who prides himself on being the constant professional. However, it’s not his professionalism that has created the industry buzz. To put it plainly, it’s his talent and fearlessness that is drawing the eyes of Hollywood. Some of his co-stars have even tagged his success to a subtle confidence that they call his swagger, claiming it settles in his shoulders and resonates through every line he delivers.
Q. In a business that is known for transforming great talent into stars that often drift away from normal society, how is that you are able to stay grounded?
A. I hear the talk about where I could go in this business. But talk without work is chatter. It’s this reality that keeps me grounded, and working so incredibly hard to stay working.
Melvin isn’t just an actor. He is also CEO of Urban Vision Entertainment, a company he started during his freshman year at Bowie State University. When most students his age where just figuring out who they were outside of their parent’s residence, Melvin was head strong on finding musical talent, and pushing them into the mainstream.
A. Diddy.
Q. Sean Diddy Combs?
A. Yes. Growing up, I looked up to him.
Q. What was it about Diddy that grabbed hold your attention and respect? Please, tell me it wasn’t his dancing. (laughs)
A. (Laughs) No. I saw Diddy as the business man who showed me that its never too young to start a business, and that you’re never too young to be an entrepreneur.
Q. Do you still manage any of your artists now or any musical acts?
A. No. When my acting career began to launch, it just became too difficult to give my artists the 100% representation they needed. Regardless, I was committed to trying to make it work. It took the artists to tell me to go ahead and focus on the acting, and that they supported my dive into that art, for me to walk away from what I considered my responsibility. I tell you, that was a hard move.
Q. Now your entertainment company is more geared towards writing and producing films, correct?
A. Yes. The company allows me to pull others in front of the camera, so that their talents can be noticed and appreciated.
The ROAD to get there.
Moving up is everyone’s dream. But what happens when the upward move requires relocation to another country?
At age of eight, Melvin’s eyes had never lost sight of the stars, but his footprints had lost touch with this country’s busy streets. The rumbling of sounds, and mixer of races and cultures gathering in the city’s square at noon, marketing their own art and/or commercial products, sparked by their individuality, intelligence, and freedom, was long gone. Suddenly, he found desert all around him. Vast areas of hot sand stuck to Melvin’s feet, and stretched as far as his eyes could see.
Q. What effects, if any, has living out your childhood in Pakistan and Turkey had on your life?
A. Well, for one, it has made it difficult for me to take the normal things that I have here in America for granted.
Q. And by normal things, you mean--?
A. The daily requirements of a normal American; like having my own space, fresh water to drink, and the right to date and marry the lady that I chose. Growing up, it was normal for me to see five or six in a small hut trying to survive. I’d see people washing their bodies and clothes in water they drink from, and young men and women being forced to marry a complete stranger due to their cultural traditions.
Q. Did seeing people have no control over their lifestyles set you in gear to control your own?
A. Absolutely!
Melvin’s desert days vanished when he and his family moved back to the States and settled on the East Coast in Capital Heights, Maryland. There, he attended Fairmont high school-- a place that he found much different than the schools he had attended across seas.
Q. After returning to the States, you mentioned that there was a time that you felt like a foreigner in your own country. Why is that?
A. I may have looked the same as most of my peers, but I talked differently.
Q. You didn’t speak English?
A. My English lacked the slang of city neighborhoods.
Q. I see. With High School being classified as the place where teenagers are known for spotting differences and either mocking them or admiring them, and peer pressure to be accepted drives most young individuals to conform his or her thoughts to blend in with the norm, I wonder how is that you were able to remain “You?”
A. Actually, I wasn’t the “You” that people see today.
Q. Really?
A. No. I got into a little trouble trying to seek attention my way.
Q. So what made you turn your trouble seeking days around?
A. Me! I just woke up one morning and decided I didn’t want to travel down a negative path. And with the power of God, I was able to change things.
Q. That’s great!
A. It’s real. I just made up my mind one day that I was going to be better, and become someone that I can respect. I wanted to be that someone that people, who also want to be better than they are, can look up to.
THE INSPIRATION
Q. Your work in comedic scenes and dramatic roles come across so naturally, which makes you remind me of an early Don Cheadle---being not afraid of taking risks. Is there a particular actor that you model yourself after?
A. Will Smith. I look up to him, and not necessarily for the time and talent he puts on the screen.
Q. Then what for?
A. More so for the Man he is within the acting circuit.
Q. You’ve met him?
A. And shared a few conversations with him, and I must say that it’s really rare for a mega star, a 2-time academy nominated actor, like Will is to be so down to earth in this business.
Q. So Will’s persona isn’t far removed from what viewers glimpse during his daytime interviews and late night appearances on TV?
A. I had no clue until I met him. I mean, I watch TV like everyone else. And from the television, Will gives off this magnetic personality that seemingly makes him approachable to anyone. But by being an actor, I know that what is seen on the screen is usually far from the truth.
Q. And in Will’s case?
A. The brotha is as advertised. Somehow he hasn’t let all the success and fame get to his head. He actually cares what those who are speaking to him are talking about. Each time that I talked to him, it was apparent to me that he was listening. That told me a lot.
Q. About Will Smith?
A. And about the type of actor I strive to be.
THE MISSION
Q. Every path has a desired end steered by someone with purpose. What purpose is driving you towards success, and what defines success to you?
A. Being able to continue to do what I love to do (acting, producing, managing), till I gain a certain status that will allow me to help others do what they love to do is success to me. This is why I don’t plan on ever spending all my time just in front of the cameras. I desire to also be behind the cameras to be in a position that could help other inspiring actors, producers, or screen writers jumpstart their careers.
Q. You definitely come off as a man that makes his own steps; not waiting on anyone to lay them out for you. Is this true?
A. Absolutely.
Q. Do you figure that your footprints will make it easier for others to find their way to success?
A. That, Ms. Lyric, is my ultimate mission.
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