Anyone and anything that manages to be dually productive and inspiring.
Anyone who is passionate about something.
..
Coltrane, Jill Scott, Joe Sample, Floetry, Mos Def, Portishead, Nina Simone, Donny Hathaway, Sam Cooke, Steely Dan, Cassandra Wilson, Algebra Blesset, Bilal, Bush, Tool, Aerosmith, Al Green, Isley Brotherrs, Dead Prez, Ceelo and Goodie Mob, Feist, Fiona Apple, Biork, Jessye Norman, Platinum Pied Pipers, Georgia Ann Muldrow, Maxwell, Tweet, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey and The Messengers... the list evolves with the music...
Best Man, Memoirs of a Geisha, Lets Do it Again, Menace II Society, The Color Purple, 40 Year Old Virgin, Godfather I& II, Scarface, Goodfellas, Heat, Seven, Virgin Suicides, Suicide Club, Love Jones, Best Man, White Oleander, Noises Off, almost anything except musicals... save My Fair Lady.
All about TV1... they have all the good shit in syndication: Good Times, Living Single, Martin.. Girlfriends, Project Runway, Tyra Banks Show, Oprah, Family Guy (I got turned out), Boondocks, Chappelle's Show, Wife Swap and Trading Spouses, Supernanny...
Oxherding Tale, Gloria Naylor books, White Oleander, Bluest Eye, Waiting in Vain, Infants of the Spring, Autobiography of Malcolm X, Atlas Shrugged, The Blacker the Berry, any Jamaica Kincaid,.. still enlightening...
My mother and my sister. They are strong, intelligent black women who shatter all stereotypes because of their character, diligence, and pride and integrity shown in their work, and through it all still remain true to themselves. I hope that I always bring nothing but positivity and motivation to anyone I encounter, especially to my black people, like these two women continue to do.