Kanye West, the Drunk Guy at the Party

Kanye West proves that he is indeed an artist advocate. Well, at least he believes he is. The internet, in particularly, the Twittersphere, is all a buzz about Kanye's post-Grammy awards commentary. In case you don't know what 'Ye said, here it is:


I don’t even know what Beck said. I just know that, the Grammys, if they want real artists to keep coming back, they need to stop playing with us. We aren’t going to play with them no more. "Flawless." Beyoncé’s video. And Beck needs to respect artistry, he should have given his award to Beyoncé. At this point, we tired of it. What happens is, when you keep on diminishing art, and not respecting the craft, and smacking people in the face after they deliver monumental feats of music, you’re disrespectful to inspiration. We, as musicians, have to inspire people who go to work every day, and they listen to that Beyoncé album, and they feel like it takes them to a different place. And then they do this promotional event, and they’ll run the music over somebody’s speech, the artist, because they want commercial advertising. We aren’t playing with them anymore. And by the way, I got my wife, my daughter, and I got my clothing line, so I’m not going to do nothing that would put my daughter at risk, but I am here to fight for creativity. That’s why I didn’t say anything tonight, but you all knew what it meant when ‘Ye stepped on that stage.




At the awards show, Kanye nearly took the stage to accept the Grammy for Album of the Year instead of Beck, causing a horrified look on Jay's face. Have you ever been to a party and there's that ONE guy who always gets totally drunk to the point where he's not only obnoxious, but he has a tendency to "say how he feels" no matter what anyone else thinks? Yeah, Kanye West IS that guy. You never know what he's going to say. You never really know what he's going to do. You DO KNOW that the night won't pass without him doing or saying SOMETHING.

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The Lost Art of A&R (Inspired by Gawvi)

This past week, my partner, Jblaze, and I had the opportunity to sit down with Reach Records' in-house producer, Gawvi (Twitter: @Gawvi). The meeting and interview was very spontaneous - literally planned and executed in a 2 week time frame. He was just as excited to sit and talk with Jblaze (Twitter: @Jblaze305) on camera and also for #TheJblazeShow, as we were. Perhaps this is what made the interview and time spent with not only a formidable producer, but a long time friend, that much more rewarding.

Off camera and off record, we talked about current artists and the state of the urban Christian music industry. While many of the artists we talked about I can't and won't discuss here for obvious reasons, one of the things that we agreed upon is that there are a lot of new records coming out with some great music. The tide of the urban Christian music industry is changing and there are a host of hot new artists coming out practically weekly.

But there is a major piece that is missing: Proper A&R direction for many of these artists and their projects.

For those that don't know, A&R stands for "artist and repertoire". A&R is a function of every major and independent record label. In their basic function, an A&R person was responsible for providing direction for artists' projects - overall sound, look, and feel. An A&R was responsible for helping artist create a sound, look, and feel that was in sync with each other to form a seamless musical brand. A&R took their positions seriously because they knew that the success (or failure) of an artist they were working with depended largely in part to their own ability to give artistic and brand development direction. Examples of great A&R people: Legend Clive Davis, Andre Harrell, Sean Combs, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Sylvia Rhone, and Antonio "L.A." Reid. These people forged the careers of iconic artists like Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Missy Elliott and a host of others.

We are in an age where independent artists are in vast abundance and putting together sonically good records. However, albums released now are steeped more in rigid musical structure than in the art of having a cohesive theme and story. The reason for this is because there is no one "outside of the mix" to ask the simple questions like, "What does this song have to do with the first song we recorded?" or "How does this song fit with the overall theme of the album?" or "Does this song have us going off on a tangent?" Instead, they are more focused on the amount of features (usually from other artists the artist has no relationship with whatsoever) and flooding Twitter timelines rallying supporters to help them to be #1 on the iTunes chart on release day.

Right here deserves an honorable mention. I recently listened to Sean C. Johnson's new album, Circa 1993 (you can see our review here). I like the album for simple reasons: great production, solid lyrics, and great vocal production. What REALLY has me liking the album is its solid and interesting back story and theme that every song on it is powered from. It is not just a myriad of songs thrown together. It is 3 years of thought and preparation (Sean's last album was released in 2012, but he has released some singles between albums) and it is evident in the music. It's like watching a movie and just like a movie I really like, I would watch - or in this case, listen to - it over and over again.

While this may be the age of the independent artist and great music being released, let's not forget that even a high priced car is just wasting gas if it has no destination and directions on how to get there.

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"Miami Lights"

Well, today ends my almost week long stay in Miami with my partner, my friend, and my brother, Jblaze to the world, but known as Manny, to me.

As I packed my bag, I shared with him that this past week and weekend has been the most rewarding yet of my visits here to the "MIA" (as I affectionately call it).  Not only did we begin this strong  first step into a new venture that is sure to impact another aspect of media; but we further cemented what our purpose and destiny is in and on this  platform known as media.

We have received high exposure this weekend.

During our event, The Expo, Pastor Gaby Gauthier (@ChampionDNA) spoke for a few minutes about the term exposure.  Used in relation to the lense of a camera, exposure is the total amount of light received by a photosensitive surface or an area of such a surface, expressed as the product of the degree of illumination and the period of illumination.

Simply put, this past week and weekend we allowed ourselves to be sensitive to what God wanted to do and in doing so, He illuminated what we we did for His Glory and His Honor and it showed up in many ways that has me going back home with and in overflow.

I am and will be forever marked from this past week and weekend.  This was more than just business as usual. This was a set up of divine design and I for one am very glad that I was able to witness it.

Know that The Father wants to give you a high exposure too. Will you be sensitive to Him so He can illuminate Himself thru you? That's all He wants to do.

Let Him light you up, so the world can see your light.

Unconditionally,

Andre

Categories: Christian , excellence , exposure , mark , Miami

Life is Like...

"Life is a roller coaster, we are the passengers, and God is the seatbelt..."

My oldest daughter is amazing...

...she sat across from me at the kitchen table one morning as we ate breakfast before church and she made this statement to me.  She was full of all excitement - as if she bumped into her favorite star.  The statement made me sit back in my chair and immediately think about my life up to that very point of the statement.

Our lives our constantly bombarded with the issues of life that causes us to make choices and decisions that are often split seconds apart. We go through steep drops, sharp curves, and loops at speeds that seem so fast that it's blinding. We're secured by either a harness or seatbelt, one that oftentimes has us wondering whether or not it's going to keep us. Yet and still, we go on the roller coaster knowing this. Such is the perseverance that is in all of us.

Isn't it awesome that Jesus provides us with the same security when we accept that it's Him that can provide that through The Father God?

So, as I sit and think about the roller coaster that is known as life in the eyes of my baby girl, I am forever grateful that He has secured me to not only ride it, but enjoy it.

Unconditionally,

Andre

Categories: growth , life , perseverance , purpose , secure

Aborting the Dream

Have you ever had a dream? I mean, the vision, thought, and desire to do what it is you REALLY want to do? Like that thing you have such a passion for, there's no real price tag on it?

Yeah, I think we all do at some point.

So why don't we pursue it? Better yet, why don't we "give birth" to it?

Is it because we're concerned with complexities of life that include making money, taking care of one's family, the challenge of the financial market; friends, family, and other peers chalking up your dream to a "figment of your imagination"...?

So as a result of all of these pressures at different points, you throw up your hands and say, "you know what?! I can't deal with this! Forget about it! I was crazy for even thinking about it!" And so, that's what you do, you give up on it - you "abort it".

I remember I once asked my mom why did she name me what she did (my full name is Andre Wendell Mullen). She said, "I thought that you were such a wonder, so I took the 'A' and the 'W' and used those two initials." I just looked her and thought she was corny, but now I got something very powerful out of that.

Like a woman, we each have the right to choose whether we will give birth to the dream - the purpose that we believe we have been called to fulfill. He created each and every one of us to fulfill the mandate on our lives because someone NEEDS what's inside of you.  We give up -make the decision to abort - because we don't see how the dream addresses the complexities of life. We get scared because it isn't the stat quo - everyone isn't doing it to demonstrate that it works. When we make the decision to abort, the very thing that you was passionate about in your quiet times; the very thing that would make you smile as you would envision it; the very thing that you KNOW would and could change the way people think; the very thing that you truly believe would take and make your life feel like it has purpose...

...you abort because you don't see how you could make it happen...

...did you ever think that you weren't designed to "make it happen"? Did you ever think that that thing that you dream about - the thing that He put in you - is what He wants you to accomplish in the first place?

That is, if you let Him show you...

When you abort the dream, you rob the world of seeing the greatness, the goodness, the awesomeness of God. What He put in you was designed to drastically affect and change someone's life. Don't abort the dream because you don't see how YOU will bring it to pass. It's bigger than you and not designed for you to do that anyway.

The complexities of life are created to cause you to abort the destiny of The Father's greatness that is in you. 

...birthing His Purpose is your right to choose...

Unconditionally,

Andre

  

Categories: desire , dream , goodness , greatness , motivation , purpose , vision

What It Really Means to Love...

"Love, the nights that I cried you loved me,
When I should have died you love me,
I'll never know why you love me,
It's a mystery to me now I'm glad I see Jesus,
When all hope was gone you love me,
You gave me a song that you loved me,
Now I can go on cause you love me,
It's a mystery to me now I'm glad I see Jesus."

-Kirk Franklin




This blog is totally dedicated, totally written for and to, and expressed with unfathomable love, for my wife....

"Beautiful...

There are times in our lives, where words cannot truly express the deepest and most intimate thoughts of our heart. I find that this is one of those times, but I have this overwhelming feeling and need to tell you...

...I love you. More than any box of chocolate, card, diamond bracelet or ring, could ever convey. In you I have seen so many examples of what the definition of a wife truly is. And despite my own shortcomings, faults, and falls, you have kept me encouraged, you have set me straight, you have prayed me through, and you have continued to persevere and love on me in a way that many women would and could not ever imagine...

...while those that don't know you will say that you are weak, you have demonstrated time and time and TIME again your God-given ability to speak to the storms and defeat the giants. You have proven countless times your loyalty and allegiance, not to me, but the God in me, even when I haven't had the same level of loyalty and allegiance to you.  Being the strong Latina that you are, the strong woman of God that you are, you changed not. For that, I'm glad that you showed me the mystery...Jesus....

...you've given me three children that may look like me, but have your gentleness, your compassion, and our love. They are loyal and trusting of their dad, just like their mother - you - are trusting of me. In spite and despite it all, you have continuously fed them the vision of our family even when it seemed like I jumped ship. For that, I am eternally grateful...

...there's a saying that "love makes you do the craziest things". I believe that only when you don't know The Father's Love. You have shown that you know that The Father cares for not only you, but for our family...

...you are the love of my life. On this earthly plane, you, mi amor, complete me. You, mi amor, truly have my heart. You have proven time and time again that your love for me is unwavering and unconditional and real. Others may have said the same, but your actions have been louder and more loving than their words...

...the power of media is a beautiful thing. I'd shout from every single website and social media platform how much I love you...


...so on this Valentine's Day, I commit to a new beginning of honoring you everyday of my life. Your love - His Love through you - has and is continually, shaping me into the man that I am destined to be...


...te amo, mi amor...con todo lo que soy y todo lo que soy para convertirse en...

Categories: beautiful , belief , Christian , love , relationships , Valentines Day

The Motivating Vision

"I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. 

                      -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

 

This morning in my devotional time, I saw something that came as the result of a question. I wondered, "Why is 2012 the year that everyone is sounding like they REALLY are moving forward? Why they are REALLY forgetting 2012?"

Well, simply put, you only really make the statement that you're moving forward when a. You see and feel that time is passing and you haven't accomplished all you said you would and/or b. the previous year was horrible, filled with disappointments, let downs, anger, strife. Summed up in one word: DRAMA!

So here is 2012. Off to a good start so far, but my question becomes: What keeps us moving forward?

Look at this: When you get in a car, for the most part, what motivates you to drive? A destination. When you cook - even if you like to - what motivates you to do so? You want to eat or at least see other people eat. When you are attending college, what motivates you to attend class? You getting a degree or certification. As a business owner, what motivates you to make deals? The fact that you see that it will be profitable to your business.

In all of those examples of moving forward, there are two essential pieces: motivation and vision. Without either one, saying you're moving forward is just words. The vision should motivate us to move forward. Therefore, if you don't have a vision - particularly a STABLE one - your motivation suffers tremendously.  It's like cooking for people who don't want to eat.

A stable vision is what is needed for consistent and constant motivation. You can say money is a good enough vision to motivate, however, it fluctuates. That means that you're motivation does too.

I realized today the importance of continuing to make Jesus my vision: His Love and sacrifice motivates me to love and sacrifice selflessly. His Love for me - us - hasn't changed and His Vision for us is the same as The Father's: that we would be all that He originally intended.

Jesus said it best: "I Am The Way, The Truth, and The Life." (John 14:16). The motivation was to have life. The vision is Jesus. 

So, food for thought: what's your vision for 2012 and does it really motivate you to move forward where you don't want repeat 2011?

Unconditionally,

Andre

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