Man, I'm with Kanye on this one. Killing some wack shit. And excuse my language, but it's truth.
Folks don't fight no more huh? Man I remember memories of Cooley High fights where dudes in tight ass leather jackets and old school hats fought; and be it wrong or right, nobody ended up dead...well, most of the times.
Not anymore. Seems to be that our generations are quick to shoot. Shoot first, ask questions never. Too many of us swear that human souls are bullet proof. And love is a gun.
And guns are these punks fists out here. They killing babies, grandparents...themselves. Pretty soon, there's not going to be anymore generations to prepare for and raise. They are all due to parish by bullets in the next decade or less. At mass amounts.
Killers most of the times pull that trigger because they're confused. And angry. And mislead. And because of stingy budgets for after school programs. Neighbors who'd rather watch than call the damn police. Haters who can't channel their own insecurities so they take a life to validate their own. Young, lazy ass daddies and momma's too busy "doing them" and not protecting their children. Crooked police....The list goes on. And on. And on.
I blame all of us. Even me.
What are we going to do? We're like the machines and the guns took the form of human life in our streets. They speak for our pain and misunderstandings. And the madness is everywhere. People laying each other down with no respect of life and the life that our Lord gave us. His only begotten son out her getting sprayed by 16s and 38s. How that make you feel? Because it hurts me. Like hell.
So who has a solution? Because I spend my nights thinking about a movement where I can help keep my baby alive out here in these streets. And your babies, too.
So initially, the sole purpose of From Vee to You, was to spread love...my way. Here's my part...I've always been better with words on paper. And of course it's not enough. But it's my start. Because my fear is rising for our babies out here yall. And they're not safe to even go outside and embody their innocence. Hell, neither are we. We have killing with no remorse, depicting a life my ancestors lived hundreds of years ago. And gun shots travel with harsh winds and end lives on petty dealings and mistakes where the bullet wasn't even intended for the young man whose momma won't sleep tonight. And I don't want to be that momma. I don't want it to be my momma. Or yours.
Be serious about what you can do to take your hood back. Because it sickens my stomach to turn on the news and hear about it. I get tired of logging on to Facebook and Twitter "RIPs"... And in Chi City alone, our summer has taken so many souls. I call it trigger happy season.
Wonder what the next season will bring...and just thinking about the possibilities hurt the depths of me. Because as you're reading this, gunfire is ending somebody's future.
Love,
Vee
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Marty Mart LOVES the KIDS
They're our tomorrow. And today, that's my biggest fear.
Besides this writing thing, I've always had a heart for children. Even as a child, I was the "momma" of the crew. I've always noticed how they'd flock to me. And as much as I'd front like it drove me crazy, internally, it made me feel good. I knew, like my passion for words, it was a gift from God. One that I had to use.
But it's something about young people today that's not so innocent. And hidden inside of their premature souls are tales of growing up way too fast. Learning the hardships of life, when life should be carefree. Dealing with parental issues while their parents are still battling the lines of adulthood.
And most kids these days miss out on just being a kid. Whatever happened to just going outside as a kid with no worries of losing your life before the street lights came on? No worries of someone taking advantage of your innocence. And no one challenging your youth. I hear so many grown folks whine that if they could do life all over, they would. But Vee, well, I beg to differ. In today's times, I wouldn't want to be a kid again. Hell, it's just as hard as being a damn adult these days.
Most kids I teach and mentor are so angry. And the adults in their world call it bad attitude problems. Or flip ass mouths and disrespectful behavior. But do we, society, have any idea where all this anger comes from? Do we know why so many of our young people are bullies to their peers and why so many of them have hatred that we can't seem to explain?
Well here's why: they're hurting and damn near nobody listens! They're alone and damn near nobody's there. Instead we blame them, we cuss them, we label them, medicate them, we whoop their asses and turn away. Not many people utilize the patience that is needed to nurture the pain that these kids can't quite articulate themselves. Pain that turns into attention seeking and anger issues. Pain that leads most of them in juvenile detention centers, street gangs and in bed with each other to create more unwanted beings with blurry visions of life and love.
So sick of seeing so many young, frustrated mommas whoop their kids in public for crying or asking for something. News flash: kids cry and ask for shit!! The pains of young parents tryna make dollars out of dimes has become the pains of kids wanting a way out. But let's remember, that kid didn't ask to be brought into a world of chaos. So their peace should be well deserved.
Our kids need us. And not just the ones in your family or on your block. These babies are all of our responsibility. They need our guidance and we can't guide them if we're lost ourselves. They're our future leaders. Our world.
So before I start sounding like an old school MJ record, allow me to make my final point. The love of tomorrow solely depends on our kids. So let's try harder to understand them. Nurture them. Love them.
Love,
Vee
Besides this writing thing, I've always had a heart for children. Even as a child, I was the "momma" of the crew. I've always noticed how they'd flock to me. And as much as I'd front like it drove me crazy, internally, it made me feel good. I knew, like my passion for words, it was a gift from God. One that I had to use.
But it's something about young people today that's not so innocent. And hidden inside of their premature souls are tales of growing up way too fast. Learning the hardships of life, when life should be carefree. Dealing with parental issues while their parents are still battling the lines of adulthood.
And most kids these days miss out on just being a kid. Whatever happened to just going outside as a kid with no worries of losing your life before the street lights came on? No worries of someone taking advantage of your innocence. And no one challenging your youth. I hear so many grown folks whine that if they could do life all over, they would. But Vee, well, I beg to differ. In today's times, I wouldn't want to be a kid again. Hell, it's just as hard as being a damn adult these days.
Most kids I teach and mentor are so angry. And the adults in their world call it bad attitude problems. Or flip ass mouths and disrespectful behavior. But do we, society, have any idea where all this anger comes from? Do we know why so many of our young people are bullies to their peers and why so many of them have hatred that we can't seem to explain?
Well here's why: they're hurting and damn near nobody listens! They're alone and damn near nobody's there. Instead we blame them, we cuss them, we label them, medicate them, we whoop their asses and turn away. Not many people utilize the patience that is needed to nurture the pain that these kids can't quite articulate themselves. Pain that turns into attention seeking and anger issues. Pain that leads most of them in juvenile detention centers, street gangs and in bed with each other to create more unwanted beings with blurry visions of life and love.
So sick of seeing so many young, frustrated mommas whoop their kids in public for crying or asking for something. News flash: kids cry and ask for shit!! The pains of young parents tryna make dollars out of dimes has become the pains of kids wanting a way out. But let's remember, that kid didn't ask to be brought into a world of chaos. So their peace should be well deserved.
Our kids need us. And not just the ones in your family or on your block. These babies are all of our responsibility. They need our guidance and we can't guide them if we're lost ourselves. They're our future leaders. Our world.
So before I start sounding like an old school MJ record, allow me to make my final point. The love of tomorrow solely depends on our kids. So let's try harder to understand them. Nurture them. Love them.
Love,
Vee
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
LOVE the way you LIE
Telling lies, for some, are just like breathing. The shit is natural. But lies can sometimes be bullets to the soul...the soul of the liar and the soul of the person receiving the lie.
Truth is, there is not truth in it at all. One lie can simply lead to another, which needs another just to make sense. It becomes complicated to keep up. And hell, by the time you're done telling the lies, you've forgotten the truth... as you live a lie... that you can't live down.
And we all do it. There are no saints that can deny the use of lies. They've gotten us jobs, saved our marriages and sometimes helped us save face. And we could sometimes live in a river of lies that flow from our mouths to a stream of temporary satisfaction, but with permanent pain. We convince ourselves to believe what we know to be untrue...
Because like they can save our jobs, they can be the cause of losing them. And while lying could be the saving grace to a rocky marriage, lying could also serve your ass with divorce papers. So when is it right and when is it wrong? Well, it's one of those battles we fight and lose since lying is one of those wrongs that can be conveniently right. And like most wrongs, the act consumes us.
The truth. Trust yourself enough to risk telling it. Love yourself enough to embrace it.
Love,
Vee
Truth is, there is not truth in it at all. One lie can simply lead to another, which needs another just to make sense. It becomes complicated to keep up. And hell, by the time you're done telling the lies, you've forgotten the truth... as you live a lie... that you can't live down.
And we all do it. There are no saints that can deny the use of lies. They've gotten us jobs, saved our marriages and sometimes helped us save face. And we could sometimes live in a river of lies that flow from our mouths to a stream of temporary satisfaction, but with permanent pain. We convince ourselves to believe what we know to be untrue...
Because like they can save our jobs, they can be the cause of losing them. And while lying could be the saving grace to a rocky marriage, lying could also serve your ass with divorce papers. So when is it right and when is it wrong? Well, it's one of those battles we fight and lose since lying is one of those wrongs that can be conveniently right. And like most wrongs, the act consumes us.
The truth. Trust yourself enough to risk telling it. Love yourself enough to embrace it.
Love,
Vee
Monday, June 6, 2011
We LOVED HIM, cuz In HIM, We Saw Some of US...
...From the mouth of Jay-Z to the heart of billions...our generations are living a vicious cycle...
And I'm scared. I'm scared that the streets are going to take my only brother, maybe my daddy...perhaps my future husband or my future son. And leave their memories blowing in bad winds that I don't even want to brush my damn skin. I worry that we, society I mean, have validated and allowed a lot of the same systems that keep the male mentality down, and we glorify this shit, re-live this shit and leave it for upcoming generations to mimic. It's sick.
And I speak solely about the man because they are indeed the functional aspect of society that shall rule: at least according to the God that I serve. And they are the part of life that has given me life. I am the rib of man. And because of this, the cycle begins with them. They should be head of their homes so that families can positively build, thrive and survive. And of course behind him, on her throne...a woman that mirrors his image.
However society has showed that our generations are doomed for failure. Partly because we don't know better. And this is because generations before them has not done their part. Not Cool.
Examples: Statistics say that it is pretty damn likely that if a man's daddy spent most of his kds' childhood life behind bars, so will his son. And if a man grow's up with a drug ridden daddy...how likely is it that that same kid is going to Harvard...or even community college? And it's very likely that if a man never steps up to the plate for his son and teach him manhood...he'll struggle looking for what real manhood is. Perhaps he'll find it in the streets...the same place his missing daddy found it.
And NO, I'm not saying odds cannot be beaten...I beat them bastards on a daily. But what I am saying is that we are regenerating these same lives in our children, because we're too irresponsible for change. And sometimes we notice how our lives are now the lives of the impressionable minds around us. And we look into the lives of our sons...hell our daughters too...and we're looking at our own choices; good or bad.
And we love them...cuz in them...we see some of us. But the cycle continues, until our dying days.
Love,
Vee
And I'm scared. I'm scared that the streets are going to take my only brother, maybe my daddy...perhaps my future husband or my future son. And leave their memories blowing in bad winds that I don't even want to brush my damn skin. I worry that we, society I mean, have validated and allowed a lot of the same systems that keep the male mentality down, and we glorify this shit, re-live this shit and leave it for upcoming generations to mimic. It's sick.
And I speak solely about the man because they are indeed the functional aspect of society that shall rule: at least according to the God that I serve. And they are the part of life that has given me life. I am the rib of man. And because of this, the cycle begins with them. They should be head of their homes so that families can positively build, thrive and survive. And of course behind him, on her throne...a woman that mirrors his image.
However society has showed that our generations are doomed for failure. Partly because we don't know better. And this is because generations before them has not done their part. Not Cool.
Examples: Statistics say that it is pretty damn likely that if a man's daddy spent most of his kds' childhood life behind bars, so will his son. And if a man grow's up with a drug ridden daddy...how likely is it that that same kid is going to Harvard...or even community college? And it's very likely that if a man never steps up to the plate for his son and teach him manhood...he'll struggle looking for what real manhood is. Perhaps he'll find it in the streets...the same place his missing daddy found it.
And NO, I'm not saying odds cannot be beaten...I beat them bastards on a daily. But what I am saying is that we are regenerating these same lives in our children, because we're too irresponsible for change. And sometimes we notice how our lives are now the lives of the impressionable minds around us. And we look into the lives of our sons...hell our daughters too...and we're looking at our own choices; good or bad.
And we love them...cuz in them...we see some of us. But the cycle continues, until our dying days.
Love,
Vee
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Before You LOCK my LOVE Away
Yesterday I spoke with my cousin who's locked up for quite sometime. My voice cracked and my sould ached when I told him I missed him and hope he'd been staying up. And shit, he sounded more optimistic than I did on the phone. He seemed more in tune with his spirit than a lot of people out here in these streets. But I knew if he had his way, he damn sure wouldn't be in there.
I thought about how the hell it is that he's surviving in prison. And how the hell anybody can survive that life. Damn. I don't think that life is for anybody. And in every jail cell around the world, there is a soul waiting for a breakthrough. There is a fragile mind in an idle state. And there is a human; caged like an animal and controlled by man.
And I'm very certain that it is the penal system that has destroyed a lot of our families, from all over, of all kinds. It is the penal system that took some of our daddies, raped so many of our men, and turned out too many of our mothers. In my opinion, it is this very system that has brewed hatred, racism, socioeconomic differences, homosexuality and a financial crisis. And these things have us all behind bars, locked away from what's real; outcasted from the truth.
On the surface of things, society says we need jails. We need laws that say when someone screws up to the highest level, there needs to be some sort of sought consequences. But looking inside the penal systems make me wonder what it is that "law" is taking away from "criminals"? And what is it that both are bringing back to our society? The penal system, I believe, has locked away a lot of hope and caged many of us as wingless birds. Birds that will never be able to take flight in a sky that may always resemble hues of gray.
Dead or in prison-that's where most say our young generation will end up. And if you ask me, there is no difference. Because a prison can kill your spirit as if you've met death. And although some come out with a better understanding of life, sometimes more in touch with their spirituality or just more cognizant of reality...time was still stolen from them. And time can never be replaced.
Love,
Vee
I thought about how the hell it is that he's surviving in prison. And how the hell anybody can survive that life. Damn. I don't think that life is for anybody. And in every jail cell around the world, there is a soul waiting for a breakthrough. There is a fragile mind in an idle state. And there is a human; caged like an animal and controlled by man.
And I'm very certain that it is the penal system that has destroyed a lot of our families, from all over, of all kinds. It is the penal system that took some of our daddies, raped so many of our men, and turned out too many of our mothers. In my opinion, it is this very system that has brewed hatred, racism, socioeconomic differences, homosexuality and a financial crisis. And these things have us all behind bars, locked away from what's real; outcasted from the truth.
On the surface of things, society says we need jails. We need laws that say when someone screws up to the highest level, there needs to be some sort of sought consequences. But looking inside the penal systems make me wonder what it is that "law" is taking away from "criminals"? And what is it that both are bringing back to our society? The penal system, I believe, has locked away a lot of hope and caged many of us as wingless birds. Birds that will never be able to take flight in a sky that may always resemble hues of gray.
Dead or in prison-that's where most say our young generation will end up. And if you ask me, there is no difference. Because a prison can kill your spirit as if you've met death. And although some come out with a better understanding of life, sometimes more in touch with their spirituality or just more cognizant of reality...time was still stolen from them. And time can never be replaced.
Love,
Vee
Monday, May 23, 2011
LOVE the way you MOVE it, Got ME in A TRANS: EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE with WALE
King. He deserves the title.
Wale is damn sure one of the hottest in the music industry right now. And as of lately, his music has many cities on lock…including Chi City.
Just a few weeks ago, on May 14th, Wale Folarin graced Chi City with his sexy presence and draping dreads. He performed that night at MGM Grand, 2230 S. Michigan. And that night will most definitely go down in history as one of Vee’s best. My purpose: to work…and play.
So I did.
I arrived at little after 10:00 p.m. The night was about as young as me. With me were two of my best friends, one who just so happens to be one of Wale’s biggest fans. We shared excitement but my heart was happier for her that night. But once we received our VIP wristbands…our excitement was equivalent. And Vee was ready to put in work.
As a product of D.C., Wale was born to Nigerian parents. So what does this tell Vee? That the man’s a hustler…and he doesn’t stop…
And Wale has not stopped since 2006 when he released his first hot single “Shake It”, which became popular in D.C. Afterward; he began to record music for a regional audience and got discovered by producer Mark Ronson who signed Wale to Allido Records in 2007. Under this label, Wale released several mix tapes and the press began to recognize his talents.
In 2008, he signed to Interscope Records and debuted his album Attention Deficit. And once he got our attention, he never lost it. He is currently signed on with Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group.
And now…like the press did a few years back…I’ve recognized his greatness. He showed his ass in Chi City that night, and I am forever grateful to have been in his presence. And even more grateful to share the moment with you. Below are exclusive videos of Wale in Chi City…From Vee to You…
Love,
Vee
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