In An Arts Essence~ Off of Jamaica Ave.

On Tuesday, as the moon gradually crept from behind the clouds, the artistic New York City community sparkled of ‘Art, Food and Soul’. A nice crew of artists gathered for an open mic in the heart of downtown Jamaica, Queens. The event featured vocalist, spoken word and visual artists, and host Henry ‘Distinguish’. Humorously, he introduced talents to the stool.

 ‘Spit Fiya’, presented by Samantha Inniss and Jessie ‘Cypha’ Bowers was held at a petite art gallery. Cypha, curator a Gallery 161, measured it up as being the “forefront of the community.” The venue, shadowed by menageries of commercial, wholesale, retail and front rented structures, regularly acts as an outlet of creative expression for the arts. 

Outside of the gallery there was a convergence of enthusiasts chitchatting up aural ingredients from “back in the days” to “sugar loaded cereal boxes” which included enticing toys. Polite tones echoed “to lure children into a lifestyle of poor eating habits,” from a dread brother supporting a cased instrument on his back. As his wise, geeky pitch subconsciously rose to compete with the passing car vibrations of Rick Ross, we laughed. “Child stuffing McDonald’s fries,” he commented, made no ‘picture perfect’ sense but witted those listening.

On the inside, colorful trays of fruit, vegetables, and little pinwheel sandwiches were sold for donation prices. Water, wine, and a sparkling beverage called ‘Izze’ balanced the ambiance; adding to the nature of the night. Attire was casual and more or less your trendy, ‘Urban Outfitter’ with a shot of extra soul. Hip-hop cultured high-top ‘Gumby’s’, locks, ‘fro-hawks’, and low-fades flavored the artists personalities.

African-American modern-folk art colored the white spaces of the illumined wall. The artist, Kareem ‘Inf’ Hayes showcased his paintings depicting faces, bodies, earth, wind, flames, graves, skeletons and serpents. In the midst of a rich, black, grave background stood a rich dark brown Soul mother carrying implicit notice.  ‘Inf’ did not attend but visually his statement was silently telling.
 Poets and lyricists with bars and beats, left the audience fully “plugged in and tuned out,” as in one of the hooks of closing feature performer and artist ‘Sosoon’.

19 year old Taylor Pickett-Stokes introduced a spontaneous stage name ‘Soulful T’, upon her unexpected opening performance. She kicked two acapella verses of Jill Scott’s ‘A Long Walk’ before an unanticipated poem fluidly drew listeners closer to her emotions.


           

“Who I used to be… caused me to go blind every day,” Soulful T harmoniously expressed.  The man portrayed in the framed portrait on the wall sat right to the rear peripheral of her vocal release.  The audience faced the flames of passion that abstracted the anonymous man in the relative painting.
Feature performer, Element an Apollo Finalist, poet and artist with the Nuyorican Poet’s Café “went in”. His polished lines were as clean as his sharp cut, suited look. However, he got dirty when he spoke of the ‘South Jamaica Aphrodisiac’, where he referred to HIV and himself as “a condom in reverse.”  With sex ad’s avidly running wild and cigarettes being New York City’s new expressive assault, his poem promoting safe sex lit on a topic that momentarily has become a 'V', for “vintage” faction.

“Support and show love,” Cypha urged the attendees to continue supporting the creative arts and music in Jamaica, Queens. He brought notice to its going through a commercial metamorphosis’. Applebee’s may be the first sign of this “new and improved” downtown tang. However, “we are the geniuses,” he stated, “realize that they come into the hood to copy write our styles.” On Thursday, June 9, 2011 ‘Private Beauty’, by Jocelyn M. Goode, “a new series of nudes on paper” will be premiered at Gallery 161.  

Poet, Chris Slaughter asked in one of his poems, “when is it ever okay to live invisible?” His prose in perpetual motion led to the direction of responding “never!” Staying involved with the children, creative expression and the community is always a good way to penetrate positive social awareness.

Loui V Patented & Untested

     Fresh and fired-up Southside Jamaica Queens’ unsigned talent Loui V waits confidently for his moment, for his time to shine.  As he proclaims in his song “Changing The Forecast,” it’s time for a new routine.  Head bopping bars and hard punch lines seem to flow easily out the up and coming artist.  With rap being his motivation 22 year old Loui elaborates on his musical influences, feelings on hip hop, the music industry and artists past and present. 

      “My mom was a tomboy; hip-hop was the only music she ever listened to- like Big Daddy Kane.” 

        Besides hip hop no genre of music was ever played or listened to in his household.  Back then hip hop was heard more than it was seen. Listeners of hip-hop typically reacted to social circumstances and aspired to achieve recognition in order to relate with the culture.  Along with his fellow hip hop enthusiasts, Loui hoped to turn his dreams into reality. 

         Nowadays, as these dreams have been brought to fruition, Loui finds an industry heavily influenced by what it sees and driven by what artists are seen doing.
From buying the finest things to performing the most extreme and uncensored acts, Loui states “some people are crazy and really wanna reenact crazy (expletive).” Shaped by all sorts of phenomena music is an art that will constantly recreate itself.  Music is a sign of the times.
 
         In five years Loui V assures that he will have achieved fame and reached financial pinnacles.  He plans to retire by 2021.  Last year he recognized that it is his destiny to become a hip-hop artist. While his focus is on rapping his way to the bank, he suggests:  “just get it [money],” and go.  He doesn’t think that this is the type of industry you should hang around for too long. While rap star Lloyd Banks, member of G-Unit and Loui’s older brother was listening to Biggie Smalls, Loui was into Nas, Mobb Deep, “and believe it or not DMX. DMX was the first animated rapper that I felt.”
  
        He later compared his brother to Prodigy of Mobb Deep.  After deciphering and then contrasting lyrical styles between the two Loui equated that style of “rhyming without rhyming” and rugged, edgy rawness that Prodigy possesses with his brother’s style of rap.
The charismatic and poised Loui V maintains that a large part of being financially successful in the rap game is remembering where you come from.

       “You never know when you might have to go back to the hood! ” said Loui.

        When asked who he thinks the greatest rapper of all time is he proudly answered “Lloyd Banks, and not only ‘cause he’s my brother.”

        For his family and community his loyalty is profound.  Among his other faves are 50 Cent, Eminem, Lil’ Wayne and Jay-Z. Overall Loui expressed that his most significant project would be a “collabo” hit, with his brother. 
    
         When listening to Loui V’s tracks one can appreciate his blend of two hip hop worlds.  He “puts it down for his city,” rapping and spitting with a NY style that, he declares in his song he “Don’t Wanna Change.” Still, he was inclined to mention the respect that he has for the producers coming out of the south. His feelings for the dirty south beat-makers are nothing but love. Vibrantly nodding with a smile he said, “they get money.” He highlights that they are friendlier and have more fun than New Yorkers.
          
          “People go to the party to dance, nobody wilding, nobody grilling, and there’s way more girls. Up here they go to the party to stunt like they don’t listen and dance to music anymore.”
 
          The producers in the dirty south make beats that get people moving. It was Loui’s visualization of girls popping their butts to a beat that caused him to grin. In addition to the smile he said, “down south music be bumpin’…everybody moving, and sweaty. You gotta be bumpin’ to get the ladies down South.”
    
         “I don’t dance” he said.
  
          However, his smooth energetic spirit emanates over “dirty south” beats complimenting his NYC-styled lyrics and flow. Loui V is creating music that is meant to make “it” happen.