First and foremost, music is what rules my life in every aspect. I love to write it, read it, sing it, perform it, dance to it, record it, mix it, track it. Music is my everything! IWhen it comes to performing, acting for theatre and film are definitely loves of mine. But I guess most important of all, Hip Hop culture, crate digging (at least tagging along with Dolo!), reading & writing poetry and performing spoken word are all a huge influence on the person I am & these elements keep me grounded and push me to stay true to myself & remain authentic in my art forms.
J-Live, Masta Ace, Ghostface, Gangstarr, 9th Wonder, Dave Ghetto, Alchemist, Rich Harrison, Jel, Bahamadia, S.K.I.P., Si*Se, Slick Rick, Pharoah Monch, Talib Kweli, Common, Mos Def, Grey Matter, Jill Scott, John Legend, Musiq Soulchild,Indie.Arie, D'Angelo, Anthony Hamilton, Primo,Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Fugees, Solilloquists of Sound, Malakai, Coldplay, Sade, Aaliyah, Saddiq, Roberta Flack, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, John Secada, Gloria Estefan, Rey Ruiz, La India, Tito Puente, Yerba Buena, DJ DOLO, Hector Lavoe, Celia Cruz, Marc Anthony, and all those who have influenced me to keep making great music and pushing my limits!
I like all different kinds of movies. Some of my all time favorites include Sex and Lucia (foreign film), Amores Perros (foreign film), Ocean's Eleven, Moulin Rouge, Dance With Me, Ghost, Dirty Dancing, Warriors, The Gooneys, Floor Lords, Love & Basketball, Waiting to Exhale, Brown Sugar, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Como Agua Para Chocolate, Maria Llena de Gracia, Scarface, The Devil's Advocate, Sweet November, Fools Rush In, You've Got Mail, The Truman Show, Farenheit 9/11, Bowling for Colombine, City of God (foreign film), The Net, Pelican Brief,The Bourne Identity, The Harry Potter series, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
When I do turn on the tube, I'm usually catching up on some Nip/Tuck, Family Guy, Penn & Teller's Bullshit on Showtime, The Wire & Oz on HBO, Chappelle Show, Da Ali G Show, SNL or MadTV, Oprah, and yes, even Dr. Phil!
Raquel Cepeda's' "And It Don't Stop : The Best American Hip Hop Journalism of the Last 25 Years", Russell Simmons with George Nelson's "Life And Def: Sex, Drugs, Money + God", Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist", William Cooper's "Behold a Pale Horse", James Redfield's "The Celestine Prophecies", Spencer Johnson M.D.'s "Who Moved My Cheese", J.K. Rowling's "The Harry Potter Series"
All those before me who opened doors & paved the way for the few who are courages enough to overcome their fears & follow their hearts!!!