Books That Influenced Me

I'm not what you would consider, by any stretch of the imagination, the religious type.  So it's surprising to most, when I list the Bible as one of, if not the most influential book that I've ever read.  Growing up in my house, my parents did not emphasize religion, or going to church every Sunday.  I often opted to go to church with my neighborhood friends and their families.  Even then, it was mainly to hang out with my friends and kill time.  Plus, Sunday's were not known for having kid friendly television.

Soon before you know it, I was actually starting to learn passages and scriptures from the bible.  I still didn't fully understand all of the words, but I grew confidence in remembering them.  I guess indirectly, I became a Christian.  I was 10 years old, and my salvation was the last thing on my mind.  Still every Sunday, there I was in Sunday school with my neighborhood friends, subliminally becoming a Christian.  I finally made sense of it all when I got older.  After years of turmoil at home, and going through some growing pains, I started to rely on the bible for spiritual guidance and encouragement.  I realized that the bible for me, was a motivational tool that allowed to accept my life and it's conditions, for what they were.  I read somewhere in the bible, " The last shall be first." To this day, when I feel down about my status or position in life, these words give me a sense of hope an optimism.  Though I've grown to look at the bible, and other religious books with some sort of skepticism, I still agree with the overall intent of the scriptures.  My believes, have been shaped by my experiences, and my knowledge is still in progress.  I don't believe that there is one true religion, but I do believe in the human spirit.  Sometimes the right set of words can lift your spirits and change your perception.  For that reason alone, the bible was the first and the most influential book  in my lifetime.

East Coast/West Coast Rap Beef

  In the the mid 90's, hip-hop reached a new level of success and global dominance, that was never imagine in it's early beginning.  Record companies were being owned and ran by artist, and record sales were at an all time high.  " Gangsta Rap" " West Coast Rap" was at the hight of it all.  Many East Coast artist, fans, and even media companies were not in agreement of this dominance.  Since blogs or social medias were not created yet, rap fans depended heavily on magazines and even rap albums to let them know "the word on the street."  The word on the street on the East Coast was obviously different from that on the west coast.
   Death Row Records, was the biggest grossing independent record company during this time.  Bad Boy Records, was an upcoming independent record ran by Sean "Puffy" Combs.  The two companies crossed paths in via the media at the 1995 Source Awards Show.  During an acceptance speech for Death Row, Suge Knight, president of the company, made a comment aimed at Sean Combs.Suge Knigt's Acceptance Speech, was televised, and subsequently blamed as the catalyst for the East Coast/West Coast Beef.  The Source, who also ran a hip-hop magazine, reported on the beef and covered it heavily as their magazine experienced record sales. Soon other magazines like Vibe, Murder Dog, and even Rolling Stone picked up the story and would report multiple articles on the subject.  Video compilations and eve music compilations were produced that spoke on the issues.  The " East Coast Bias," a term reserved for sports, was adopted by West Coast artist and fans alike.
   Since most of the magazines and hip hop record companies were based on the East Coast, a lot of the country was subjected to music and opinions from New York.  This was a fact ever since the creation of hip-hop.  By 1995, the marriage of music and controversy was peaking.  Tupac Shakur, a West Coast artist born on the East Coast, was incarcerated in New York at this same time. Soon before his arrest, he was robbed in a New York recording Studio. Sean Combs, and Biggie Smalls, a Bad Boy recording artist, were both in the building when this botched robbery took place.  Biggie, and Tupac were friends prior to this event, yet Tupac Shakur blamed Biggie Smalls for having knowledge of the robbery and not stopping it.  While in jail, Suge Knigt made Tupac an offer to sign to Death Row Records.  Tupac came out jail with a vengeance, and recording "All Eyes On Me" which addressed the robbery and flamed the wildfire which was now dubbed the "East/West Rap Beef."

Media Autobiography

   As a toddler, I was fascinated by music.  My heavy musical influence was due to the fact that all of my uncles and aunts, were involved in the recording industry in one fashion or another.  I never paid attention to the words, but more so the feeling of each song.  My father said that I would watch him and his group practice and mimic the lead singer.  I was always fascinated by artist and performers alike.  As soon as I was able to start reading, my literature of choice was always rock and roll magazines or albums.  I would read the credits and lyrics of every album that my father or uncles owned. Everything from Vicente Fernandez to Marvin Gaye
   Most of us can remember our first kiss, first day at a new school, or where we were when there was catastrophic event.  Me, I can still remember the moment I first saw my first music video.  I was already introduced to the radio, books, and television programing prior to this. But it might as well of never happened, because after this moment, all I wanted was to watch MTV and BET all day long.
The first music video that I saw was "We Built This City" by Starship.  I was six years old and could not make
 sense on why the "Built this city on Rock & Roll," but I loved it.  After that, I was open to any type of music that had a great video.
   This love affair with music, and music videos carried me well into my teens.  By then, technology had advanced so much further than I could of ever imagined.  At this point I was more interested in writing, recording and performing music. I was also deeply into writing poems, short stories and screenplays. I felt I had message to share with the world.
   The next big medium to come into my life was when I was thirteen years old.  Yes, internet.  I was at friend's house watching MTV, when I noticed his small size computer.  At first I thought it was a small game consul.  I never heard of the world wide web, and for the most part neither had the rest of the world.  So when my friend said he was chatting with someone in China, it blew my mind. Later, when I was in college, I got my first email account with hotmail and started living in the Martrix.
Now I'm much older, I'm a father of three sons, and rarely have the time to watch music videos.  I actually spend more time on the internet researching schools or kids products, than I do watching videos. The world sure has change since 1985.  Yet I still enjoy the simple things like a baseball game on the radio or classic music video from the 80's.
  I've been lucky to have the access to record music as well as help others achieve their goals in the music industry.  I hope to one day influence one of my kids to use their musical talents to share their message.  I love writing, and I know whether it's writing a song or a document, words and communication are my passions