The feeling still maintains its freshness over 15 years later. I remember it like it was 5 minutes ago – my mom and I were sitting downstairs on a Saturday afternoon. She was folding warm clothes straight out the dryer as I played with my brand new bright yellow Tonka truck. All afternoon we had been watching music videos on VH-1. Everyone, every genre, every artist from recent years came on the screen; Whitney Houston, Guns and Roses, Janet, Prince just to name a few. They all stuck out, but not like Michael. Michael Jackson’s rhythmic beats, vocals, and of course his dancing struck such a nerve with me at such a young age. Forget the Tonka truck – “I want to learn how to dance, just like him Mom.” She looked at me with a smile and continued folding. You might ask “well, what video was it?” The Michael Jackson video that made me an instant fan was “Remember the Time.” Michael’s Egyptian themed video was my first encounter with the King of Pop. Despite all the music that my parents played in my childhood, Michael Jackson’s was the one that without fail that gave me some form of a feeling. It made me dance; it made me sing-a-long. It made me want to be like Michael – an entertainer.

Think back to the first time you ever saw the music video for “Thriller” which was truly a mini-movie. Well, let me tell you about mine. Beside the fact of me thinking and believing that Michael’s love interest Ola Ray was really Whitney Houston – at the time on my list of scariest moments, it was number 1. Half way through the video I ran upstairs in terror. My fear of the wolverine that Michael transformed into must not have been too strong because I found myself watching through the panels of my banister on my steps. I probably wasn’t able to sit through the entire video until I was about 13. I’ll never forget the challenge I made for myself; “Yo, you getting too big for this. Just sit through it.” Scared to death to do it, but I sat through it. Now every time I hear “Thriller” it’s a reflex to emulate the dance moves. Let’s not even get me started on “Rock with You,” probably my favorite song from the Legendary, Iconic Entertainer.

Gracing the scene in the late 1960’s singing alongside his five brothers, Michael Jackson was a natural born Star – in every sense of the word. As a little boy the moment he sang this huge soulful sound came from the shy boy. His voice had this “texture” that radiated through every song that played on all speakers. It wouldn’t be until the late 70’s that Michael would venture out as a solo artist releasing worldwide smash hits that were played in every home – across the world! Albums like Off The Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous, Invincible and countless Greatest Hits Compilations, his music changed the music industry forever. Thriller sold over 25 million copies and garnered eight Grammy awards – simply unheard of. No other album in the history of music has ever been able to achieve that success and probably never will. Throughout his life he has inspired so many to emulate his style of music, dance, and fashion. The void that has been placed in the hearts of so many and the world of entertainment will never filled after the passing of one of the Greatest to ever, have and done it. Often times when I think of Michael, I’m taken back to Arsenio Hall’s show which featured Minister Louis Farrakhan who said “Michael has the Essence of God in his soul,” and it was definitely shown through his music.

And When The Groove Is Dead And Gone — You Know That Love Survives — So We Can Rock Forever On…

MICHAEL JACKSON

if you didn’t know, you should know that Michael Jackson is the quintessential entertainer of all time. both his timeless and genius music spans all generations and affects all listeners in provoking them to emulate his dancing style and vocal ability.

the other day on twitter my homie  Jordan a.k.a. MISTA23 from S.A.B. Radio in Boston, tweeted that he could listen to “lady in my life” from the THRILLER album. So in the words of lloyd, i immegeately went to listen to the album. YO, i swear that was sunday night. i have not listend to anything else since. i went as far as to put it on my blackberry so when im on the road it’s always handy.

the instrumentation, simple lyrics and catchy beats are impeccable and compare to none other. 25 years after the original release, Michael’s Thriller album remains the number one selling album of all time. ALL TIME.

the album’s 9 songs have you wanting more and more everytime. michael, super-producer music extrordinare quincy jones, former member of heatwave rod temperton, soul singer james ingram and even former beatle sir paul mccartney teamed to write so many classics. want to be startin somethin’, the girl is mine, thriller, beat it, billie jean, human nature, p.y.t., and lady in my life.

if you don’t have you need to go get that ASAP! the album garnerd mike 8 grammy awards.

AMAZING

let’s run down a few favorites…

smooth operator, sweetest taboo, is it a crime, and so many more.

Sade is back. Recently Sony announced the Nigerian born singer and three member band titled after she, will release new material by fall of this year. the last full album released was 2000′s lover’s rock which earned a grammy nomination forthe single by your side. not one for the paparazzi and the public eye, born helen folasade adu, regularly takes breaks from the music scene to focus on her family. a former fashion design student and print model, sade grew up listening to soul legends marvin gaye and donny hathaway. the recipent of four grammy’s, fan’s like myself know more are in store!

crazy!

]]> http://thetonefactor.wordpress.com/2009/04/27/322/feed/ 0 damostincredibleantonio http://thetonefactor.wordpress.com/2009/04/26/the-bar-analogy/ http://thetonefactor.wordpress.com/2009/04/26/the-bar-analogy/#comments Mon, 27 Apr 2009 04:40:30 +0000 damostincredibleantonio http://thetonefactor.wordpress.com/?p=320 ]]>

imagine this. you’re at a bar filled to capacity. you’re surrounded by all different types of people, all here for different reasons. james, sitting to the left of you is here to meet a young lady he’s been talking to for several weeks and robin to the right of you is here to drink away her stressful day in the office. while you on the other hand are here to see what all the buzz is, surrounding the cities newest and hottest night spot, of course you have to indulge in the “tahitian sunset,” the drink of the night. basically despite the difference of intended goals, you all are here to get a good drink and an even better time.

i equate this to college. despite all the hundreds of thousands of people, numerous majors, and all that goes into being a student; we all share the same common interest which is to obtain a degree. just as in the bar, we often times have to sift through the crowds of people to be around those who are like minded and share a similar pursuit.

the older i become, the more i realize that not everyone around me shares the same agenda. despite the many people here it’s extremely imperitive to be connected to those who not only want the same drink as you [degree] but have your best interest.

here’s a snip of the ap story that ran on forbes website:

Officials say three men are hospitalized after an overnight shooting in a dormitory at Hampton University in Virginia.

Police say the suspect is an 18-year-old Richmond man who shot a 62-year-old Hampton man and a 43-year-old Hampton man and then turned the gun on himself. No students were injured.

School spokeswoman Yuri Rodgers says that police believe the shooter is a former student, and that one victim is the night manager of Harkness Hall.

Officials do not know the motive for the shooting, reported around 1 a.m.

All students, faculty and staff were notified about the situation via text message and e-mail.

The school remained on lockdown Sunday morning while police investigated.

this type of behavior just goes to show that some dorms need extremely tight security to keep students safe and students need to approach situations maturely and not as savages.

of course when you think about the month of april, several things come to your mind. let’s name a few shall we? st. patricks day, of course the resurrection of our Lord, april showers, hitler’s birthday, and for all those who are interested, 4/20.

yeah, i know 4/20. what is this brand new underground holiday? no one really knows what is, except for those who kinda get down with the get down. so allow me to school you young bucks on the one day of the year where all who take part feel no worries and become closer to the earth.

There are varying theories on the origin of 420. Some say that 420 originated from a police code that announces marijuana use is taking place. Yet another story is that a group of guys (Waldo’s) in the 1970′s made 4:20 their official meeting time to smoke marijuana after school. Whether or not 4:20 p.m. is the best time of day for your first hit depends on your own body, your own needs. Some folks feel that waiting until 4:20 enhances ones appreciation of the herb. Of course, your mileage may vary.

In the 21st Century, 420 is firmly established as a code amongst tokers, a time of day and even sort of a toker’s New Year’s Day. It’s in our culture now and only time will tell where it ends up.

April 20th (4/20) is another usage, meaning that it is time for to plant before the summer.

Whatever the real story is, 420 has been an important part of the marijuana culture since the 1970′s. The significance of 420 has been kept underground and is mostly known only among marijuana smokers. Many non-smokers aren’t aware of the symbolism when they see someone wearing a T-shirt or baseball cap that says 420 across the front.

When the 420 icon is somehow discreetly worked into a mainstream product like a film, marijuana users take notice. The film Pulp Fiction is rumored to have had all clocks throughout the movie set to 4:20. Marijuana smokers familiar with the symbol picked up on it—most people, however, did not.

While some marijuana smokers are using 420 as a code that enables them to openly speak about marijuana in front of parents or teachers. 420 has been to some, a sacred symbol for nearly 30 years.

Simply put, 420 is a symbol of cannabis and its culture. Today, April 20th events are international, and 4:20 pm has become sort of a world wide “burn time“.

Known 420 Myths

Police dispatch code for smoking pot is 420.
The number 420 is not police radio code for anything, anywhere. Checks of criminal codes suggest that the origin is neither Californian nor federal. For instance, California Penal Code 420 defines as a misdemeanor the hindrance of use of public lands.

There are approximately 420 active chemicals in marijuana.
Actually, there are approximately 315 active chemicals in marijuana. This number goes up and down depending on which plant is used.

April 20th is National Pot Smokers Day.
Well, it is now ; but that wasn’t the origin.

April 20th is Hitler’s birthday.
Yes, it is his birthday. But, as 420 started out as a time, not a date, his birthday had nothing to do with it.

The date of the Columbine school shootings.
This happened after the term was already in use.

4:20 is tea time for pot-smokers in Holland.
Tea time in Holland is at 5:30 pm, or is it 2:30 pm? Seems no one is quite sure when the wonderful people of Holland drink their tea.

the countdown to summer break has been going on ever since the beginning of the semester, well at least for me. and it’s finally coming to a close, that we all can see. for me, my focus is trying maintain all my grades and finish strong. so to stay on top of everything work extra hard to keep your motivation up. cling towards those with like minded traits who want to get their work done. like my dad used to always tell me; it’s not how you start out, but how you finish. you may not have all the time in the world, but you can flip it to your advantage. failure is never an option and neither is throwing in the towel, they are basically one in the same!

number 1 being of course the king of entertainment, michael and all the dance moves.

secondly, my crush on iman [probably one of the most beautiful woman in the world]

third, magic johnson’s aweful acting skills.

and lastly when mike says “what you want to chill wit me” [classic]

one of my role models since way back has always been fonzworth bentley. homie definitely steps out of the box and always comes with his original style. recently he was featured in giant magazine, one of my favorite reads. in the magazine the article really gives you an in-depth portrayal of who he really is. one of the most interesting pieces in the article is how he exactly recieved his moniker and the way he formed the relationship with entertainment powerhouse mogul sean combs. he breaks down a few rules in how to be successful in the industry, no matter what your field of choice is.

i think many people see him on mtv’s from g’s to gents as the “gentlemen” truly unaware of the morehouse graduates story. interestingly in the magazine we find out that bill cosby was his mentor and prior to working closely with diddy, mr. bentley became affluent in many social circles in both atlanta and new york. throughout the week, check back for all the tips that derek watkins gives.

 i’ll be on the cover very soon. just wait.