"No two people are alike . . . No two leaves are alike-no two snowstorms-no two sets of fingerprints. No two lives are alike, yet each life holds a divine pattern of unfoldment, a great and holy destiny, rich in achievement and honor. As you live true to the pattern of yourself, that deep, inner self, you will unfold as perfect, as joyous, as naturally beautiful as the tree will reach its full measure of fulfillment. No one can keep you from reaching your highest destiny if you will follow your own true pattern of life. No one can live your life for you, for only you hold the key to your own pattern of sublime, glorious, complete fulfillment. Such is the destiny written in the soul of every man and woman who comes to earth. None are without it, that completely individual highway of full expression and glorious achievement."
www.TowerRecords.com
Also, this isn't ours, but, still.. go check out the Street Level Nine, original urban styles, especially if you love graffitti, and you love HipHop culture, period:
"HipHop is to music what JKD is to Martial Arts, we decided to take the good and improve on it, we took the bad and discarded it. The result was not simply music but a philosophy or an approach that has or will ultimately redefine the art-form forever." ~ RaSun
More information about myself and The Renaissance Movement and The Renaissance Entertainment and Management Group//Soul Of A Generation below:
The Renaissance Movement is an “edutainment†group that supports local crews and organizations in any of their positive endeavors. The Renaissance focuses primarily on HipHop parties, battles, showcases and discussion, which help develop the local scene. We also emphasize a connection with the conditions of the Hampton Roads community and abroad (activism) and maintains local artists’ responsibility to the rich history of HipHop culture (the 4 elements, plus knowledge the 5th) through workshops, lectures, panel discussions, movie nights, editorials, and mixtapes.
Soul of a Generation is a not-for-profit sub-division of The Renaissance, which focuses on multimedia and the liberal and performing arts as a means towards personal growth and community awareness. Mr. Brayboy, its founder, has been instrumental in various related projects, including E.R. (Elemental Renaissance) Camp, which used the 5 elements of HipHop (Break dancing, Turntablism, Writing, Master of Ceremony, and Knowledge) to teach the children the importance of education. This event was held within various local public schools and colleges, with an audience ranging from elementary school through high school. Another similar event was “Hug Life,†which promotes fatherhood through father and child outings at the park on Sunday afternoons. Finally, on the last Tuesday of every month, he facilitated a panel discussion called “HipHop Analysis,†about HipHop within the context of various social problems that we must challenge (gangs, misogyny, health, racism, etc).
As a common practice, all events by The Renaissance direct a portion of the proceeds towards a charity or non-profit organization that is relevant to the theme of the event.
Zanillya, Esperanza, Tasha ft U Name It & Rivelino
"Living The Dream"
J. Major
"True Saveyahs" Savin the Culture
J. Major
"No Make Believe"
Hasan Salaam
"15 Minutes"
WOMB OF WISDOM
Inner-, Under-, and Over-standing the paradigm of Today, the Womb of Wisdom is an answer back to the call of this Universe -- growing ever more apparent -- for Supreme Balance to be acknowledged, that it is restored through our due diligence.
Khalil Gibran wrote that, "A woman whom Providence has provided with beauty of spirit and body is a truth, at the same time both open and secret, which we can understand only by love, and touch only by virtue" and "From a sensitive woman's heart springs the happiness of mankind, and from the kindness of her noble spirit comes mankind's affection," he was not only attempting to put his own experience into words, but a Principle that has permeated indigenous culture for as far back as We as well as our DNA can remember; Mother is and has been not only a reality, a water-bearer, a creative and cultivative force, but also a symbol and state of contemplation that is so simple and yet so complex in her qualities (both subtle and apparent) she confounds all who think not with heart~and mind~and body~and Soul~and Spirit, harmonized alike to her rhythm. That is like the drum beating, equal to the pulse, that is equally the evidence and evident, instrumental of our Life itSelf.
Where it is further explained, "Women opened the windows of my eyes and the doors of my spirit. Had it not been for the woman-mother, the woman-sister, and the woman-friend, I would have been sleeping among those who seek the tranquility of the world with their snoring," it shows and proves that the call to fully appreciate and nurture the Divine Principle called "Feminine," is likewise a call to "Awaken!" even as beautiful as the Griot speak his/her parable or the muezzin calling a nation of many, to bow their heads as ONE, in recognition of a Universal Truth, that we are innately called towards our Justice, which is our job, to uphold what's Right and True.
Most importantly, the Womb of Wisdom movement is a movement that says, keep rising and keep shining. Be who You are, the best and brightest YOU, in-fact and in-deed.
We Are TRUE And LIVING.
PEACE!
~Ra
To give you the short explanation, I consider myself an asset and ambassador for artists and grassroots organizations. Flyer design and event management are my two areas of focus. I do a bit of marketing and promotion for those artists whom I really have confidence in, but my passion is putting together community festivals, workshops and HipHop, Reggae, Soul, Ol' School shows and parties. It's all towards building this nation. Our expression, understanding our power is our key to better conditions, first and foremost.
I have been involved in so many events and organizations, just in the past 3 years, not even looking beyond, it amazes me at times. I give thanks for being able to have such endurance and opportunity. To give an example of some of the events I've organized, co-founded, been a part of, collaborated on, OR contributed to, here is a brief list with short explanations:
THE Ol' School ____ Party is a series of social events brain-stormed by myself and my partner Ramel. We've done every theme imaginable, including tributes to Dilla, James Brown, the Nation of God and Earths, Bob Marley and more. It has become a 757 institution, and I hope to take its format around the world and back again. Shouts to The Soul Students, Derek 320, Jhunnipuz, Kazi, League of Extraordinary Breakers, Lyricist Project, Sima-Lee, Hasan Salaam, Amir, Black Culture, DJ Fingatipps, DJ Raheem, DJ Aron, DJ Disko Dave, Meen, I Self Ra and everybody who made it what it has been. Womb of Wisdom is a Celebration that WE the Black and Brown Men of Hampton Roads Virginia created to celebrate Our women and show our appreciation. Of course, a sista named it. Shouts to DPE. Also, have to give my love to Jeanie Bryson, the daughter of Dizzie Gillespie, who blessed our First installment. We jad a show featuring some of the best and brightest female artists in R&B/Soul, HipHop, Jazz, Poetry. Of course, the brothas represented and gave love, as well. Shouts to Godchild. It was in celebration of Women's History Month the first time around, last year. However, I don't want it to be bound or pigeon-holed. We will have WOW events anytime and any month, our women are to be celebrated year-round and as such, it will probably be in a different month each year. Though, March (WHM) is certainly a staple.
Katrina/Southeast Asia Relief Fund, we collected 9 Large kitchen bags, a few hundred pounds, worth of clothes, toothbrushes, soap, batteries, flashlights, water purification tablets, et cetera. We've done the same for children in Sudan, Haiti, Kenya, Congo, and Ethiopia. Back-To-School is actually a family tradition, which I have done with my mother since I was too young to goto school mySelf. We have bought, raised, and distributed school supplies and backpacks through The World; all over the Eastern United States, the Caribbean, and Africa. Rush Hour 3 was the brainchild of myself and a friend (Peace Raymond), who was president of the local chapter of APASU (Asian Pacific American Student Union) and the president of the local FASA (Filipino American Student Assocation). The two of us, along wit various speakers (Peace to Dan Tres and Ms. Universal), covered the historical interconnectedness of Black, Brown, Red, and Yellow Human rights movements, throughout the world. From the Katipunan, to the Panthers, to the Dalit Panthers, to the Yellow Guard, to the American Indian Movement, including a presentation the Moorish/African presence in the Filipines and Early America. Golden Age of the Moors is an economic and institutional empowerment seminar that I did with my brotha Hakim Bey, focusing on just that: self-sufficient Economic networks, trade lines, and institutions, amongst Black/indigenous people and nations. The Building Session(s), a series of community discussions, held on Fridays at the African-American Cultural Center, each with a different topic on the floor, moderated by Everyone -- we have done too many of these to count. The aim is healthy debate, indeed. However, tangible plans for immediate and long-term action and solutions is the main focus; even if the plan is only further dialogue, on a more subjective topic. Etymology / Etymology 2.0 is a series of Open Mic Night events, each with a different theme, to break the monotony of your everyday-average Open Mic. Some are strictly poetry, however, each has a feature DJ, with an expertise, we've had "4 Elements of HipHop" Night featuring the League of Extraordinary Breakers and Jhunnipuz Elite, "Reggae Night" featuring Jhunnipuz and Nat Burna, "Ol School Night", Step Show Night w/ the fraternities, Women's History Night, "A Man's Apology" Night, Black History Night, so on and so forth.
My favorite, the festivals, included Kwanzaa, which the fam has done for nearly the past 10 years, Sankofa, a celebration of World indigenous history, our history, and Unity Fest, each featuring poets, artists, authors, workshops, vendors, speakers, chefs, and other special guests. I have had the pleasure of collaborating with brilliant minds, such as: Mwalimu Baruti, Anthony Browder, Dr. Nettles-Bey, Sh. Hakim Bey, Ashra Kwesi, Keidi Awadu, Capoeira Uhuru Association, Roda Axe Capoeira, Matunde Sakili African Dance, Suwabi African Dance, the Ogun Shrine, the Imani Foundation, Mahood Thru Uplift Rites of Passage, Dr. Yosef ben-Jochannon, ASCAC, the NOI, the NGE, the Universal Zulu Nation, and many other great minds and movements, about the business of uplifting our people. Zulu Analysis / HipHop Tuesday was a collaboration with another one of my own groups, Universal Zulu Nation: Solar Flare Chapter 30, on a panel discussion held the last Tuesday of every month.. we tried to cover topics that the mainstream discourse was very weak on: "Wholistic Health and the HipHop Generation", "HipHop, The Media, and the Representation of Katrina", "HipHop and Gangs, in its History and Present", "HipHop and the New Political Movement", "HipHop and Spirituality???", "HipHop and Responsible Financial Management", "HipHop and the Definitions of Women in Society."
I've done a myriad of Unity Dinners and events with the local Black and Brown Student Unions, the Black and the Latino Student Alliances, respectively, as well as the African Carribean Association and National Society of Black Engineers and National Assocation of Blacks in Criminal Justice, as well as, the Women's Center, Backpacks for Love, Community Care Day, Victory Junction, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, American Heart Association, Battered Women's Center, the Park Place Homeless, Ausar Auset Society, Uhuru Movement, Jhunnipuz Elite Poetry Organization, D.P.E, LIB Radio, shelter among hundreds of other events. Also haffi shout out The Collective, founded by Brother Manifest in Richmond, whose floor I've slept on and planned, plotted, strategized many an event. The Black History lectures at the Black History Museum of Richmond and many others. Make sure you check out Happily Natural Day, on my friend list. An event I've had the pleasure to help with and attend and see grow and evolve and become one of the hottest joints in the Region.
Recap of Womb Of Wisdom 2007 and the W.O.W. Movement
A Women's History Month Celebration
By Renaissance Entertainment and Management Group & Diversity Poet Educators
To All The Good People and Artists of Conscience
GREETINGS:
This is a respectful invite for all to participate in the 1st Women's Appreciation Festival and Concert, “The Womb Of Wisdom,†during Women's History Month in Portsmouth, VA; we will be having this event on Saturday, March 31st, 2007 at I.C. Norcom High School.
The event will be broken into two portions: a day-time portion that features various speakers, workshops, vendors, art displays, independent film presentations, children’s activities, and performances by middle and high school age bands and step teams. The night portion will be a concert, featuring some of the most talented women in various genres of music, celebrating their womanhood and the beauty of all of the qualities, which or women exhibit before the world.
Both portions of this event will be geared towards all ages and communities and will be sponsored by Renaissance Entertainment and Management Group [founded by Larry "EL Presidente" Brayboy Jr and Ramel (Robert) Hunt], Soul Of A Generation, Minds About Progress, The Universal Zulu Nation: Solar Flare Chapter 30, and Diversity Poet Educators.
The Renaissance Movement is an “edutainment†group that supports local crews and organizations in any of their positive endeavors. The Renaissance focuses primarily on events that utilize positive HipHop, Jazz, and Soul music as well as showcases, art displays, panel discussions and ad campaigns, which help develop the local scene, as well as, attract youth and raise their awareness about the importance of education, especially reading, math and science. We also emphasize a connection with the conditions of the Hampton Roads community (activism) and maintain local artists’ responsibility to the rich history of HipHop culture (the 4 elements, plus the 5th: Knowledge) through workshops, lectures, panel discussions, movie nights, editorials, mix tapes, celebrations, and commemorations for important figures in Black History.
Soul of a Generation is a not-for-profit sub-division of The Renaissance, which focuses on multimedia and the liberal and performing arts as a means towards personal growth and community awareness. All of these things have proven to be an immense success for us, however, we need your help!
Minds About Progress is a small grassroots organization in the Norfolk, VA community that undertakes various initiatives involving education and empowerment for youth and for adults. Their stated purpose is, “to promote growth and development of better students and better leaders for the future, through grassroots organizing, volunteer work, and charity.â€
The Universal Zulu Nation: Solar Flare Chapter 30 just celebrated its 8th anniversary at the end of last year; they sponsor various projects in the Hampton Roads area. The main project is called E.R. (Elemental Renaissance) Camp and its purpose is to teach the children the 4 main elements of HipHop, plus knowledge. They especially aim to penetrate into the neighborhoods and public schools where children are not exposed to proper history, especially not the history of HipHop or positive events, which encompass all of the original 4 elements. Solar Flare also sponsors smaller programs such as Hug Life, which promotes fatherhood through father and child outings at the park and Zulu Analysis, a panel discussion on the last Tuesday of every month, about HipHop within the context of various problems that we face in society (gangs, misogyny, poor health, racism, etc).
Diversity Poet Educators is an artisticly based organization dedicated to community service that uses art and literature to mentor to youth and young adults; implementing self-expression through spoken word/poetry, visual, and performing arts. DPE also focuses on volunteering to aid other programs and organization in their efforts, hosting events, festivals, and workshops to utilize their programs. They also teach various art forms and operate open mic venues to promote freedom of speech. The group came together in February 2005 working as volunteers on The Word Up Poetry Festival in Norfolk, Virginia. Eager to promote art to the community, after the success of the festival, the group of volunteers started a movement: The Diversity Poet Educators; a non-profit community outreach organization dedicated to touching lives through all forms of art, which takes their entrepenural leadership to the youths and the community and creates a positive outlet for the masses that seek inspiration.
As a common practice, all of our events direct a portion of the proceeds towards a charity or non-profit organization that is relevant to the theme of the event. For Women's Appreciation, we will be making a donation to the Family Resource Center in Richmond, VA, which is a 501(c)3; The Dwelling Place, a shelter for women, and a clothing collection center; as well as, the Food Bank, which services food to all of the local homeless and battered women’s shelters in the Hampton Roads area. The latter partnership will be met with a discounted rate for all those attending who bring a non-perishable good to be donated to a representative from the Food Bank.
We will utilize every positive media avenue available to promote this event. We will also create and distribute professional (glossy) flyers throughout the Hampton Roads (7 Cities), Richmond and N. Virginia, DC, Maryland, North Carolina, New York, and New Jersey areas.
For More Information on W.O.W, please email: [email protected]
CLOSING
Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
EL Presidente
Co-Owner – Renaissance Entertainment and Management Group
Founder – Soul Of A Generation
Former President & Adviser - Minds About Progress
Council Member - Zulu Nation: Solar Flare Chapter 30
Business Email: [email protected]
Direct Email: [email protected]
In affiliation with several other VA based organizations, including but not limited to, L.O.B Entertainment Group, Happily Natural Day, and Diversity Poet Educators.
Features:
History of the NGE (DVD) featuring Umallah from Allah's School in Mecca on Who Is The 5%? A History of Harlem, NY; "The Father"; the birth of the Nation of Gods and Earths; and his experiences with "The First Born." See this, more than 3hr long, jewel on one of the most influential groups on not only HipHop culture but Black Culture, in general.
7-City Cipher Lounge Vol. 1 (DVD) featuring Hasan Salaam, Jhunnipuz, Soul Students, Sima Lee & The Lyricists Project, Kaze, Derek 32Zero, The League of Extraordinary Breakers, Dan Tres Omi, Godchild, DJ Al Bumz, and more... The OFFICIAL Ol' School HipHop Party 2 DVD, with James Brown Tribute.
*Pre-Order and recieve it as soon as it's available*
Need Promotions, Planning, Booking, Graphic and Web Design?
Visit The Renaissance on Myspace OR On the web.
