Make A Statement

As you may now, I'm a HUGE advocate for West Coast Artists (non-mainstream especially) so when on of my favorite groups (and dear friends) Fly Guys put out a new music video for one of my favorite songs "Make A Statement", my first instinct was to blog about it (sorry that the right side is cut off. go here to watch it in full size and HD) :

My favorite line: "They say stay with the current but the current makes me sea sick" Anyone can be trendy, can you be a trendsetter? These guys are.

"Where ya zazz at?" Get the NEW After The Zazz Album HERE and Follow @FlyGuys

Now that I'm a "Female Rapper"...

Nicki Minaj + Lola Monroe + Vixen Ent. + CeCe

Please speak up if I offend you. Please speak up if you agree. "Speak your mind, Free your soul"

Tattooed PlayHouse EDITS

The little girl in me still plays house
Never stopped stuffing
Pretending to be pregnant
But now
Instead of pillows under my shirt
It’s penises under my skin
Boys behind my ribs because I have to let him in if I expect him to hold my heart
Despite what people claim to see in my eyes
Barcodes etched into my thighs show him just how much I think I’m worth

I hide the epic poem of my life behind fairytale book covers
Cinderella slippin my way between the soiled covers of a borrowed lover
I pretend to be illiterate
Not to read too deep into his silences
Not to read fast enough to see “wifey” sending him text messages
We both see monogamy as sentences
But where I see articulation
Structured expression
Shared understanding and talented construction
He sees punishment
Being locked up against his will
Though when he’s out he doesn’t get off the block anyway
I guess the adrenaline rush of a quick nut beats 3 hots and a cot any day
Apparently I’m too maternal for guys my age to appreciate

But he is like a masterpiece of acid tear marks covered by ink
His tattoos whisper volumes of poetry
His stories make murals on his skin
Begging me to dive in and learn their purpose
Because there is more to men than mistakes
And there is more to art than aesthetics

I am juxtaposed prose in a poet’s position
The irony of hoping to find Mr. Right by pretending to be accepting of all types of wrong
Every love song is a slap in the face that no one loves me that way
So I still play house
Looking for a man looking to be loved
And finding only boys looking to be fucked
Savages
Looking for a hunt
With the marks of a soldier but the heart of a civilian
His tattoos were beautiful but only skin deep
The only meaning seeming to be pleas for attention from everyone except apparently
Me
Hieroglyphic hopes to not be forgotten hand painted on his temple

A girl once burned down the chapel of his heart
So he became hard headed and thick skinned
With warning signs spray painted from needled cans saturating his surface
“Do Not Enter!” scream the pinup girls on his ribs because that’s really how he feels about the gift God made of him
Barbed wire on his biceps so I would not be tempted to lay in his arms
A lion on his left pectoral in case I dare go near his heart
Lips traced on his collar to assure me my kiss was nothing he didn’t already have
Countless stars so everyone knows he believes he is above them

He is like a flower
Plucked and placed on the kitchen table to be admired
It was being beautiful that brought him so much pain
I am sorry
But I am playing house
And isn’t that what grown ups do?
Decorate their home with priceless works of art that they won because at some auction they were willing to give more than everyone else
Something like how in relationships I'm willing to give more than myself
So I’ve stopped looking for a partner to write love poems about
And will settle for a prized possession to display in my play house

New Poem (UNEDITED!)

EXCLUSIVE
(I know its really long, but it's cuz I haven't had a chance to edit it yet...thoughts are much appreciated)
Tattooed PlayHouse

The little girl in me still plays house
Never stopped stuffing
Pretending to be pregnant
But now
Instead of pillows under my shirt
It’s penises under my skin
Boys behind my ribs because I have to let him in if I expect him to hold my heart
Despite what people claim to see in my eyes
Barcodes etched into my thighs show him just how much I think I’m worth

I hide the epic poem of my life behind fairytale book covers
Cinderella slippin my way between the soiled covers of a borrowed lover
He looks me over
Pegs me as an unclaimed lamb
Butters me up for the slaughter
Never checked for my marks
Never bothered to listen to my scars
Thought he was the only one with permanent expressions on his epidermis

I pretend to be more shallow than I am
Not to read too deep into his silences
Not to read fast enough to see “wifey” sending him text messages
We both see relationships as sentences
But where I see articulation
Structured expression
Shared understanding and talented construction
He sees punishment
Being locked up against his will
Though when he’s out he doesn’t get off the block anyway
I guess the adrenaline rush of a quick nut beats 3 hots and a cot any day
Apparently I’m too maternal for guys my age to appreciate

But he is like a masterpiece of acid tear marks covered by ink
His tattoos whisper volumes of poetry
His stories make murals on his skin
Begging me to dive in and learn their purpose
Because there is more to men than mistakes
And there is more to art than aesthetics

I am juxtaposed prose in a poet’s position
An angel on a Saint’s mission
City-switchin
To-Do list wishin
I am a genius of oxymorons
Staring at the make-up
Looking for the balance between putting more on
And wiping away the lies
I’m not going to find Mr. Right by pretending to be accepting of all types of wrong
Every love song is a slap in the face that no one loves me that way
So I still play house
I’m the mommy and the daddy and the nanny
Looking for a man looking ro be loved
And finding only boys looking to be fucked
Savages
Looking for a hunt
With the marks of a soldier but the heart of a civilian
His tattoos were beautiful but only skin deep
The only meaning seeming to be pleas for attention from everyone except apparently
Me
Hieroglyphic hopes to not be forgotten hand painted on his temple

A girl once burned down the chapel of his heart
So he became hard headed and thick skinned
With warning signs spray painted from needled cans saturating his surface
“Do Not Enter!” scream the pinup girls on his ribs because that’s really how he feels about the gift God made of him
Barbed wire on his biceps so I would not be tempted to lay in his arms
A lion on his left pectoral in case I dare go near his heart
Lips traced on his collar to assure me my kiss was nothing he didn’t already have
Countless stars so everyone knows he believes he is above them

He is like a flower
Plucked and placed on the kitchen table to be admired
It was being beautiful that killed him
I am sorry
But I am playing house
And isn’t that what grown ups do?
Decorate their home with priceless works of art that they won because at some auction they were willing to give more than everyone else
Something like I give more than myself
So I’ve stopped looking for a partner
And will settle for a prized possession to display in my play house

FILM REVIEW: Precious

WARNING! This is not an obese (no pun intended), plot focussed review.

Precious was NOT the typical Hollywood movie which is refreshing, but the focus on the emotional shock value depleted the ability to relate to the story line. Except in the generic sense that "sometimes bad stuff happens to good people and then right when it starts to look like its getting better it gets worse" there is very little that the average person can identify with. In fact it seems as if a message that "you shouldn't complain because it could be worse" is the main goal of this movie. The problem with comparing struggles is that everybody is a different level of strong. What could ruin the life of one person could be completely trivial to another. It is all based on the individual interpretation of the person experiencing the struggle. My dad used to tell me: "I am upset, not by events, but rather by the way I view them." (someone else said that before my dad, but I don't know who...) There is no one way to judge the pain of a situation, it all depends on the perspective of the person experiencing it. That being said....you should go see the movie for yourself....bring a tissue and a hand to hold.

Rihanna Rated R

I give it (drum roll pleeeeaaase)
5 OUT OF 5 STARS!!!!!

I've never been a huge Rihanna fan, but I've never been a hater against her like so many seem to be inclined to do, but this album definitely caught me off guard with how much I enjoyed it. As a poet I think the fact that 80% (disclaimer: not an actual percentage, just a rough estimate) of the songs are extended metaphors (i.e. Cold Case Love, Fire Bomb, Russian Roulette....ok those might be the only ones) and 100% (an actual percentage, not just an estimate) of the songs are conceptual. There is a clear theme to every song and every line supports the chorus which could be considered the thesis.

The beats are tantalizing, border line entrancing. Comparable to Trey Songz's Anticipation album, the instrumentals have a lot of depth to them and Rihanna's exotic accent only accentuates (ironic, right) them.

I don't agree with or relate to everything she says on the album (she definitely exposes herself as a whole other level of crazy) but I can understand where she's coming from and THAT is the mark of a good artist: How well they can express they're insanity-eh I mean, artisticness to normal people.

Well that's my opinion. Go find out for yourself! (I had to take the link down because THE MAN caught me lol)

Oh and uuhhh....HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYBODY!!! :)

Thoughts of a Slacker

I know I haven't been updating my blog like I said I would be, but I have been trying to. There's a lot of updates. I've dyed my hair blue (its wet in this pic so it looks more blue than it actually is. its more purple like my header)-->

I've made a new YouTube channel which you can check out www.YouTube.com/RoyalAndPoetic
and you may notice that I'm a rapper now :) But yea. It's 1:25am and I just wanna blog about whats on my mind. More to come I promise!

"CeCe. you've put in a hoop nose ring and dyed your hair blue. What are you doing?"

This question was actually posed to me today and it caught me EXTREMELY off guard and I found myself extremely upset with my lack of a clever response for about an hour after. Well my smart ass answer to you guys is: "Me. I'm doing me. Is there a problem?" My more thorough answer, though is that I wasn't happy with who I was attracting so after asking God for the "Courage to change the things I can" I changed my definition of attractive. I took the advice of the beautiful Thea Monyee and stopped worrying about being the pretty girl. I'm just worried about being a BEAUTIFUL PERSON.

KNOWING HOW BEAUTIFUL/ROYAL YOU ARE DOES NOT MEAN YOU THINK YOU ARE BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE!

People think that because I call everyone in my life King/Queen that it loses its meaning. I say there are BILLIONS of people in the world that I don't refer to as royalty. If you are in MY life, even if only for a moment, my Royal path has brought us together and you are capable of nothing less than God-Like perfection. Embrace your beauty. Embrace your Queen/Kingdom.

GUESS WHO'S BACK Back back....

wellll it sure has been a while since I've blogged....

I am no longer in Los Angeles. I have moved to New Orleans and am 3 weeks into my freshman year at Tulane University. I am enjoying myself beyond what should be allowed as legal and often times isn't lol

Well I WANTED to come back with a BANG i.e. a video, buuuut since it's 1:11am here and I just got the urge to blog typed will have to suffice. Here is my poem about my personal feelings about coming to New Orleans. I LOVE CALI, but I gotta love me more first ya digg? Here it is:

Please forward my mail to New Orleans, Atlantic
I mean
New Atlantis, Louisiana
I mean
That graveyard we abandoned
Where survivors were left to scavenge for scraps in the aftermath of levee damage
But 3 years later we pull 700 billion out of our asses
I wanna learn government magic

How to turn street cars into surf boards
How to bury every dream in the muddy streets of the 9th ward
How to steal from people so poor they couldn't even afford to evacuate when they were warned about the storm
Tell me
Is is still bad to bite the hand that feeds me if that hand forces bullshit down my umbilical chord?

Children all over America were being born into snow globes of hope
While others were dying in the Super Dome
But that's not what they showed
I was told "THOSE PEOPLE" murdered and stole
The truth was my fellow Kings and Queens were trying to use their thrones as boats to float above the city they called home

And I learned that the hard way
Riding the metaphorical waves of a poet that drank that rain
There is nothing OK about putting a price on the lives of people caught in the mistakes of an underestimated hurricane
But I think I finally went sane at the front door of Tulane

I'll take the 504 over the 405 anyday
So I left LA the city for LA the state
Goodbye, Angels
Hello, Saints

PHOTO JOURNAL!!!

110 South.

Picture Perfect @ West LA

Pictures from near my calculus class which takes place from 7-10pm



Pictures from near my calculus class which takes place from 7-10pm

Bible Study (Genesis and the Fall of Man)

These are just notes that I literally wrote while I was reading the Bible. They make sense in my head, but that doesn't mean they are coherent at all. If you have n e questions or would like to spark a discussion please feel free to comment or contact me on Twitter (SCeCeW), Facebook (CeCe CynthiaMarie) or my email (cece.cynthiamarie@gmail.com)

Genesis 1
-The repeated use of the word “good” to describe God’s creations. God sees they are good and yet he continues to build on it. Good does not mean no room for improvement. Good means it is just what it needs to be to prepare for the next step. Can things be perfect even if only for that moment?
-Genesis 1:25-27“God said, ‘Let us make man in our image’” Perhaps speaking to everything he has created. He could not be the Creator had He not Created. That is to say He is a reflection of the “good” that he has created and so He is not creating man from a vision like everything else, but rather in an image as in to fit what has already been created.
-Genesis 1:28 “rule over” Isn’t there a scripture about man “ruling over” his wife???
-Eve could have children from the beginning

Adam and Eve
-Begins on the 2nd day? Vegetation came on the 3rd day, but it says “no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up,” (Gen. 2:5) But “streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground-“ (Gen. 2:6) Even though there was not ground until the 3rd day?
-“It is not good for man to be alone.” So there is such thing as “not good” within God’s Creations.
-What is the significance of man naming God’s creatures? Proof of love? Proof of power?
-Does Adam name himself?
-“A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” Does this imply woman will not leave her father and mother until her husband is ready? Does this imply “soul-mates”? There is a flesh that will make our bond tangible?
-What if it had been written in present tense?
-Why does Eve misquote God??
-“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was…desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.” (Gen. 3:6)
-Why are wisdom and knowledge so forbidden?
-What did the Serpant have to gain @ the fall of man? POWER?? ←Theme??
-To know good and evil means you can choose good or evil. But everything God made was “good”…
-“Your desire will be for your husband and he will **rule over you” (Gen. 3:16) to be ruled is punishment.
-“He must not…take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” (Gen. 3:23) Humans were always meant to die.

PHOTO JOURNAL!!!

We Had An Awesome Sunset The Other Day!!!

PHOTO JOURNAL!!!

Sorry I've been slacking on the bloggage. I've been thinking about documenting the questions that I come up with as I read the Bible. Yes, cover to cover. I would hope for some feedback and conversation. You guys think we could do that?

But as for now, here we go with more pictures. And as you may have noticed, my title image has changed, and yes, that is the boo. BTW he's FRIKKEN FRAKKEN AMAZING! You may recognize him from the 2007 YouthSpeaks Bay Area team. He is now a member of the 2008 Compton Youth Slam Team. He won our slam last night with TWO FREESTYLES! While the rest of us were going over poems we've been practicing for about a year in our head....he FREESTYLED and beat us all! How great is he?

Welp here's the photo journal as promised :)

As you may or may not have noticed, I've kind of started including pieces of the car in the image. Do we like this more or less?

My Eyes Are... (FREEWRITE)

My eyes are what Pecola picked at scars on her heart for
Secondary colors always seem to be secondary witnesses
And all she wished for was pretty eyes
She wanted to see the pretty in people
But my eyes are what Pecola sold herself for
And can honestly paint pictures of people's ugliness more accurately than most because they are two-way mirrors
Showing me myself in their flaws
I am the D.A and the Defendant Accused
You think I'd be used to seeing in hazel by now
But hazy memories of my blue eyed childhood seem to resurface as colors blur into Halos
My eyes are 20/20 with an astigmatism so I literally see figurative Halos above even the most malicious bodies if they stand in the right light
But my x-ray contact lenses see to their souls
And maybe I don't really wear contacts but I felt the need to make that metaphor because my gaze makes contact with everything Pecola didn't know she didn't want to see

You'd think it was Christmas if you saw all the times green lightbulbs contrasted red garlands on my skin
Lost seaweed drowning in saline break water on my eyelashes
What your eyes look like effects you see
I see envy comes in brown, black, and white
Not just green
And I see contact lenses that give you a chance to see like me
But you are on the shore
Visualizing my journey with crushed emeralds for kaleidoscope imitations of my telescopes
I'm out at sea
Searching for pieces of something more than what I'm seen as to build myself with
I will not be the reincarnation of Pecola's dreams
But I cannot be what I cannot see
I cannot love what does not love me
Lucky me
This world loves light skin, light eyes, and hair that can pretend to be European
But the stories that come with those are banished so I swim after them
Gotta keep my head above water so my high beam eyes don't get wet
Shining in reflective hues
So when you look at me...you're really seeing you

Distance (ROUGH! FEEDBACK PLEASE!)

You can leave your feedback here or email it to cece.cynthiamarie@gmail.com

As defined, distance can be between 2 times
As in the distance between the moment I decide to kiss you and the moment you decide to kiss me back
So slight we hardly notice it
Except that one time
In Jack in the Box
When you refused to lend me ur lips to taste and it all seemed like a game but really....
That thought scared the shit out of me.
We sat there for hours laughing as I held your nose in an attempt to claim a kiss in the split seconds you struggled for breath
The speaker box of a spoken word artist gaping for a time almost as slight as the distance between those decisions
All I wanted was to use my saliva to leave my love behind
Behind, firstly, as in after our lips parted…after my car left your driveway
And behind, secondly, as in behind your cheeks
Inside the sacred temple that is your mouth
Where words boil 2gether and trade connotations for contexts and we end up with painfully delicious depictions of the world as seen by a genius
Your mouth is more of a melting pot than my blood line

The distance between my great great great great grandfather who got on that boat from Germany as a Jew and got off as a Protestant and I who won't even sacrifice my religion for love.

Proof that distance can also be between beliefs.
And this, too, is by definition.
In fact the dictionary gives the example "Our philosophies are a long distance apart."
As in, that one word:
His name,
Puts you a Grand Canyon’s walk away from me
And I don't have the heart to make that journey without you
And I would never ask you to walk that distance for me
So listen closely to what I'm about to request from you
For us
Can you believe in your heart that Jesus is God
And that when I say God I mean Jesus
Even if I don't know it.
I don’t have the heart to walk this distance without you
And I'm trying to beat on the keys of my phone to create some replacement rhythm but my battery can only last so long
The distance between that last breath you took and when I started holding your nose is too long
You need to breathe
And distance is supposed to give you the space to do that
But I don’t want you to have to breathe
Let me kiss you and like inexperienced exes pump carbon dioxide into your 3rd chamber of the organ that leads the choir of my body
But I never got past the C in CPR:
Cardio
My heart
Is hurting
And I know yours is too.
You love me
I know you do
And I know you love Him too
But I love you
And it looks to me like ur doing what you hate that they do
They hated in the name of Jesus
They hurt in the name of Jesus
They killed....
In the name of Jesus
I'm hating myself
In the name of Jesus.
You are hurting me
In the name of Jesus.
You're killing us...
In the name of Jesus.
And I don't have the heart to walk this distance without you but I would walk this journey on my hands with you
For us
I will come to you if only you would stop pushing me away
You're referencing the wrong Will Smith movie
You're Benjamin
As in the great souled Thomas
Not Hancock
Decreasing this distance will not make you weak

I thought you were God's treat to me
Apparently this was God, teasing me
His mirage built into the depths of this Grand Canyon
So when I was low and I thought I couldn’t get any lower
There was salvation
But the only soul salvation I really got
Was a portable foot massager in a church raffle

Non-believers r not worthy of feeling happiness
Just the temporary sensation of taste
And so I will savor the taste of your morning breath as my memory of unconditional companionship
Because loss is the glossy finish on the gates of my hell
When my dad was smoking crack he used to say,
"What the fuck do I care about going to hell? I've been to hell and back more than once. I've been broke as hell, cold as hell, high as hell, mad as hell, and everything in between."
And if this...
Losing you....
Is Earth....
Hell will be my vacation

Even the fact that I can say that
Brings us to the most simple definition of distance
Space
The vast space between Brentwood and LA
The immeasurable, unimaginable distance between the good and bad place
You can be Huck Finn if you'll let me be Jim
Best friends
From 2 worlds a solar system's distance away
I'm the slave about to be shipped to New Orleans
You're the Eagle amongst cocky chickens
But that weekend
The simple distance was closed
And we found each other on that same remote island
Of Jack in the Box
And we started on this journey together
Because when our lips finally touched, time stopped and let us cross Commitment street in the bay
And when we hit that fork in the river we were on the same raft
We went the same wrong way when we were alone in that box
And we felt the same new kind of safe with all those people watching in Jack in the Box
The mountain was never expected to go to Muhammad
But I don’t have the heart to make that journey without you
You are my heart
And how can I get over a mountain I cannot get in proximity with
How can we be close if we can’t close any of these distances?

The Misplacement and Miseducation of Generation X

What’s wrong with Gen X?

Gen X is the first major generation that were heavily effected by the Nuclear family - millions upon millions of children that were left to their own devices after school, weekends - when the single parent or both parents work, no one is there in that vital age to teach these children the more subtle and essential lessons on how to be a fully functioning adult.

So as a recovering Gen X that has had to increase his emotional age, his sense of identity as an adult, from about 13 to about 30. My parents both worked and with some help from alcoholism, neither parent was there. Repeat this millions of times over and you get a very lost generation that missed out on essential parental lessons like how to make friends, how to take care of yourself, how to feel content or how be self-motivated. Whether we blame baby boomers or not, Gen X is the first ever generation that literally had to bring themselves up as children…en mass.

Now what does this have to do with protesting and railing against the corruption? Well, Gen X (as well as Gen Y, Z and Millenials - who are all in this same non-parental boat) don’t have the skills to confidently go out there and take over the world or at least be able to stand up for what they believe - the Gen X I know and see every day, the Gen X I work with in recovery cannot and does not know how to protest, how to get worked up and have no idea how to ‘act’ on these feelings and how to organize and self-motivate.

Wanting this generation and the ones that followed to do some original thinking and acting is sad because they can barely get out of their own way, let alone care about and act upon things in our society. I am confident that down the line they will be better people (in the end) but for now, they are at their advanced ages, just starting to wake up to their own power.

But when they put it all together, they will be a force to reckon with. I just hope it’s sooner rather than later.

Poetry Practice Free Write

"In the beginning
There was me"
Because her life prior was
Constantly heading towards and end
Until it began
With one egg
One sperm
2 minutes
2 fools
And theres talking so I can't write freely
Back into my thoughts

"In the beginning
There was me"
Thighs parted to the sky
Tail bone tucked under
A young mother
9 months had finally got her to the starting line
At 10 pounds 6 ounces I kissed the scales of justice on the determining side
That is to say
I was born to make my own decisions
I am the immeasurable
I am the independent variable
And yet
I know there is no way I can be who I was that day when this all started
None
I have shed my skin more times than my 20/20 eyes have tried to stare at the sun
I have pulled out enough hairs that I have grown new follicles
I have replaced infinite possibilities with mortal mistakes and I have lost every chance somewhere in that hospital's hallways
So the beginning
Is today
Because in the beginning
There was me
And today's me is not the same as yesterday's
Too many men think they are in their prime when really all they are is them
Primed
As in annotated as a derivative of that which came before
And what came before me
Was man
Too high to care that he was on top of
Inside of
A little girl
But that little girl gave birth to a new beginning
Her chance to make things right
Which is why I got a whoopin when I tried to be left handed
Somehow that me that came prior to this beginning knew that the left side of the body is controlled by the right side of the brain
Somehow knew
That the right side of the brain controlled creativity
I somehow knew
Prior to my prime that I was supposed to write poetry
But that me did not know that poetry existed
What it could do for the soul
That me
Did not know that she had a soul that needed tending to
So she treated her thighs like tender serloins
But that me is over
Finished
Ended
And in the beginning there was me
When beginnings end there is me
Because I am what sees
With 20/20 hindsight
It's clear to me
That the beginning is nothing but a new name for the end
This is the end of this poem
The beginning of the activity of the areas of my mind this freewrite has exposed

The start.

Kanyativity: The art of bringing other ppls genius to the public eye.

So...I happen to be a HUGE Kanyè fan. I love most of his work, but recently I've been disappointed with the trends associated with him. First, I hear "Shutter-Shades" aka Kanye's are actually a popular trend that was prevalent in Chicago before the rapper/producer brought them onto the scene.

As far as the most recent feat, the Heartbreak Video, I was EXTREMELY disturbed when THIS VIDEO by a band called Chairlift was brought to my attention. I find NO originality in Kanye's work, but what I CAN say is that he brings the achievements of others to the attention of his fan base. I wish he would give more credit, but since he doesn't this is my request that we DO OUR OWN RESEARCH!!! Kanye never SAYS that these were his ideas, but the fact that he uses them and people haven't seen them before leads them to believe that it was his idea. Much like with the classic song "Killing Me Softly." Many people not only associate that song with the Fugies, but believe it is THEIR song. Even worse, they think it is Lauryn Hill's song, when in actuality it is Roberta Flack's song (and as much as I love Lauryn, I must say Roberta does it best) If you are one of the people who was unaware of this, please go look up the song, and feel free to research anything else you think is original.

I invite you to watch the making of Ryan Leslie songs such as "Gibberish" (which will be posted below) to see what REAL originality looks like. Until then, Kanye is the equivelant of the media. All publicity is good publicity, right? Keep working hard, Chairlift and other un-recognized bands. Someone like Kanye will steal ur idea and all of a sudden you'll be cool. Just be patient. The American Way will prevail!!

As promised, here's the video:::

GUEST BLOGGER IMMANUEL :-D

well people of earth;; life is likee..............bananas. its hard on the outside; but inside everyones trying to accomplish the same thing; to stay alive and live easy. or at least to me thats what the world iss. <33. the world is life; which is creatures; which are species's; which are tons of cells coexisting amongst one another; helping each other and keeping each other going; which takes time. time is centuries; decades; years; months; days; hours; seconds; millaseconds etc. and so as you can see; were all meant to be happy and peaceful. or so i believe. so what do i think about everything as a thing? i think its there. and we should leave everything there. i think that we should coexist with the natural things in life; and i am hungry, thats another thing i think. its one in the morning; and fourteen year olds are supposed to be in bed at this time. but im with my seventeen year old cousin; who accidentally seems to stay up this late regularly. but even her stomach is grrgling, as if to remind her that this is out of its ordinary bodily function. people are easy, tummys are hard. but yes, live live live live live live thats all i have to say, more like coexist coexist coexist coexist! yay(:

-Graciee. DOOD!<3 (: SmileFreshHappyFacesAtPeopleOnTheStreet.

Traffic Photo Journal

Hey there blog readers!!!

So! Heres the dealio...I spend a GREAT deal of time sitting in traffic. Even in San Fran! I seem to attract it, and I have decided that it's for a reason. The BEST reason of all time: ART!!!

So this is the beginning of what I hope can turn into a visual saga of my last few months in LA....that's right people...only 6 months left before I'm livin in New Orleans!!! YAYYYYYY!

Well until then, please tell me what you think. I'm not going to caption them because I want people to take them for what THEY see them as, un-tainted by my prejudice eye......

Enjoy:::

Old Edited Picture

I like my title images so I'm keeping them here for your peeping pleasure :-)

Much love and please keep coming through. If there's n e thing u wanna read about please request it and feel free to comment....

Thanks,
CeCe

Had A Show Last Night

So I was requested for a poetry show last night (yes. I got paid. :-) ) It was for a bunch of investment bankers for Black History Month. But I wanted to share the poems I performed with you all.

1) I Am From. This is a poem I wrote in 2007. It was a school assignment and grew into a favorite. Not so much mine any more, but it still gets my message across.

I am from swift hit it quit decisions with no safety provisions
And grown men who find pleasure in the thieving of young girls innocence
I am from the hating of self and ALL that shapes it
I am from mourning for stolen flowers when all others negate it

I am from a brother
Who met and dated his sister in public
Because their dad could never remember exactly where he stuck it
And so they get to talking and happen to land on that little subject
Only to find they are from the same paternal punishment

Eyes flooded and burning I pray God forgives him
And protects me from the repercussions of his many sins
Because I am from a mother who tries with all her might
To allow a bountiful future to be within my sight
And though I am from mistakes and fallen dreams
I am from integrity that rises like steam
I am from friends and family that stay on my team
I am from people who hold me when my soul bleeds

Though I am from pain and fear
I am sure to learn from every dropped tear
And to never act if my fog of anger has not cleared
Because I've seen the results of hate enacted
And clearly felt the emotions contracted
When evil feelings are left to be active

I am from 9th and 10th cavalries
Buffalo Soldiers always battling
On real or steel horses we stay traveling
Not running from our past but establishing
That we are running to our future that will be lacking
In drugs hate and other things damaging
And abundant in love hugs and laughing
I throw up "peace" signs when I see Harley's passing
Because I am from a Buffalo Soldier daddy

I am from addicts, users and abusers
Families built on drunken stupors
I am from holding grandmas hand believing I'd lose her
As I watch the chemotherapy slowly dilute her

I am from the overstanding that everything has a price
And though it hurts to look back on my life
It gives me all that much more reason to hold my future tight
Because where I am from
Is
NOT
Who I am
But if I hadn't fallen
How could I stand?

2) Education This is a modification on the FIRST spoken word piece I ever wrote. Honestly I remember writing it. I don't know where it came from and I had no idea what it would come to be, but I wrote it and I shared it and here it is now:

My teacher asked me if I was paying attention
Said she needed me to listen to the information being given
I replied
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said the reason school takes 13 years to finish
Is because that’s how long it takes to break a child’s spirit
Especially of us minorities
But let me tell you something:
We are the majority
That’s if you think of us as one human race
This world is a disgrace
We separate based on the color of our face

“Education” teaches us kids to be racist
Acting like it’s the basis for humor
These days is built on the evilness of human to human relationships
Race to race relationships
Brother to sister
Sister to sister
Brother to brother relationships
Our African-American
Latino-American
Asian-American families should be on vacation
Not lists for deportation
But we must limit liberty in order to keep this a free nation

Apparently, loving truth puts me on a blacklist
But, I’m tired of hearing you’re too black that or you’re not black enough this
Because what I do has reasoning deeper than my flesh
I refuse to let schools exploit everything my ancestors achieved
Even those challenged pigmently
It’s very likely I have ancestors of Hitler decent
And though I don’t agree with the games they played
You have to admit: Nazis worked hard to spread their love of hate
Though nowhere near as hard as my slave ancestors worked to get to those free states

But somehow
Now, color is influential beyond skin
5 years ago my brother wouldn’t be caught dead in red
Cuz he was a ShoLine crip
Now he’s on his Choir Boy tip
So move over Tookie
He sings for Jesus now
Before he would die for me without a sound
Now he lives for me and screams about how he loves his little sis
And hopes my life is filled with bliss
But he’s sure to stress:
Get this
If they won’t love you until the caskets closing, they won’t love you in sheep’s clothing
So screw society and the immortal fluctuation of rumors about what is beautiful
Look within you
That is beautiful
Look next to you
That is beautiful
Look right here
I am beautiful
I am CeCe
This is me
No playing
No faking
Just me
And I’m bearing my mind for this audience to see
So excuse me if I’ve been speaking of you evasively
If your conscience stings when I mention discriminating
Then stop judging by looks
And never settle for what you’re given
Because the answers aren’t in the textbooks
The answers aren’t in the pigment
The answers are in your heart
Will you choose to listen?

My First Political Post

I must admit. This is a video of Obama, but I am only posting it because for some odd reason..I felt like he was talking to me :-/ I guess it's part of his charm, but honestly I don't care too much about this stuff so don't expect too much more....

THIS SATURDAY!!!! U-N-I mixtape release + Grammy afterparty

When? Saturday February 7, 2009
Where? Beverly Hills Hilton- Trader Vic's Lounge/Poolside
9876 Wilshire blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA

MTV LA Artist of the year U-N-I hosts a mixtape release pool party in Beverly Hills.
You're invited by those that keep it fresh like produce:

Broccoli City & the Weekend Warriors www.broccolicity.comwww.blog.weekendwarriors.com



ElevatedLA www.elevatedla.com




Paul Finamore & Yousef Abukhdair Booky Entertainment www.Bookyent.com



Taj Tashombe www.Thesuigenerisgroup.com



Kenya RK Entertainment Group



music taste provided by

DJ Spill(RK Ent. Group)

DJ Junkfood (Elevated LA)

DEE Jay 7( Bounce Rock Skate, RK Ent. Group)

DJ Arkatect

Special Guest DJ's

Kaleem (Bounce Rock Skate, EA Sports)

Destroyer (Bounce Rock Skate, Strictly Social LA/NY)

DJ Kiilu (KPL AllStars)

.......more...

Special JDilla aka Jay Dee Birthday Tribute as well....


let us know you're coming by emailing:
rsvp@rkentertainmentgroup.com

1st Title Image

Who is this Dez Hope character?

Wellllll I'm glad you asked. I'd be even more glad if you would read the poem he inspired (found below titled The Moon) and give me feedback.
If you don't have a blogspot feel free to send CONSTRUCTIVE criticism to cece.cynthiamarie@gmail.com

Buuuuuuuut if you are not the reading type then perhaps you would like to LISTEN to genius.
Dez Hope is an unsigned singer, songwriter, crowd-pleaser from Los Angeles who, unlike many performs with a live instrument, his beautiful guitar.
AND unlike DAMN NEAR ANY! he often utilizes a loop machine to record the melody, hook, or harmonies LIVE ON STAGE! Not only is this DOPE AS ALL SHIT! It's also aesthetically pleasing to the ears and admirable by the eyes.
His inspirational lyrics are, like The Bible, applicable to all walks of life for any celebration or depression. Yes. I just compared his songs to a holy text. He is my hero. Get over it.
This here is a video of Dez Hope in 2006. For more info on him or to contact him for booking or to buy a CD (which I HIGHLY recommend) click HERE:::

The Moon. First Draft of a Freewrite.

Inspired by Dez Hope

This is my poem to The Moon
The only friend I had when I shot failure up through my veins
You think my blood runs blue
But it runs pain
Runs from being sane
Runs on me being insane
And I refrain from demonstrating my resent
But I FUCKING HATE the present
Somehow she never gets things right
Always lets someone get left behind
And she pushes away everything to come
I just want to go

To The Moon
I think you're beautiful
Want to look like you
So I carve your light into my epidermis
Let knives kiss my dermis
How have I endured this distance?
How are you so far
But still right here on my mind?

You're supposed to expose time
But I see you all day and close my eyes at night
Open this straight jacket called my skin to let You in
I want to shine like you
But I fail
Barely glowing
Just going through the motions
So the scars won't be so potent
I'm even a failure at being a failure
That's why I can't own up to it

The Moon
I just wanna float up to it
Gravity and me
See
We never really got along
She used to trip me as I ran along trying to catch a clue
I already know I'm running from me
But what direction do I turn if I want to run into you
I used to think it was up
But I'm stuck in the bottom of this cup of Cali Sun
And I'm tired of following pre-laid paths
So I cut my own
Hacked at the only thing I had ever owned
Sacrificing skin cells for sanity
I'm right handed any way
And what a story to tell:
"I left my left hand behind last time I prayed. Told God I didn't know how to give thanks. Apologized for only knowing how to think everything I wanted to say. So now only 1 hand remains. Oh and the remains? Hopefully they remain in their place because it was always their place to hold my pain but a couple of drops must have escaped because as I say this I feel my right hand shake. The sign of a fiend with a desire to replace past tense with the present. Did I mention, I FUCKING HATE the present."

Write poems on my left...
Arm not available
I guess that's what Dez meant when he said "drawing dreams on your legs/it makes sense"
And I hope I reach the end before my GPS realizes I don't know where I'm going
And if you ever wonder why I look up while the foundation is being pulled from below me
It's cuz I know I'll be fine
As long as The Moon is showing

Project One=AWESOME!

If you are 14-18 years old and live in LA and want a career in music THEN u should DEFINITELY hit this up:::

This is a county-wide search for musically talented youth, ages 14-18. Everyone who attends Pro♪ect:One’s free songwriting workshops and trainings will have a chance to write and perform songs that could lead to a professional recording opportunity. This means working with some of the top GRAMMY Award-winning musicians out there...

Here's how it works:
You must attend at least one of the PHASE 1 Sessions below to apply and qualify for PHASE 2. All sessions are free.

PHASE 1: "Music & Dialogue" Sessions, where youth learn the power of using knowledge and life's experience into the music they produce. Hosted by Human Relations specialists and professional recording artists and producers.
January 24, 31
February 7, 14, 21, 28
10 AM - 1 PM/ 9 AM Registration
***I, CeCe ATTENDED PHASE ONE THIS PAST SATURDAY AND IT WAS REALLY DOPE! YOU BREAK INTO GROUPS AND DISCUSS CERTAIN ISSUES SURROUNDING MUSIC AND THE MUSIC INDUSTRY TODAY. YOU WILL GET TO SHARE YOUR IDEAS AND HEAR THE IDEAS OF FELLOW TALENTED PEERS. THERE IS ALSO FREE FOOD!!!!***

The next Phase One session will be in West LA THIS SATURDAY FEBRUARY 3, 2009. Email or call the contact below for details and to RSVP.

PHASE 2: Songwriters' Workshop, where selected students will create songs with award winning artist and producers to inspire the ideals of understanding, mutual respect and human dignity.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
***This requires an application but you can send in a beat, melody, rap, song, or poem. You can do it by mail or e-mail. Simple for you talented folks.***

PHASE 3: Project: One Concert, featuring music written and performed by youth from Project: One and special guest artist performances.
June 2009

For info on locations, attending and to RSVP:
Call (213) 974-7615 or Email: projectone09@gmail.com

A Note:

Just a random note about the image behind the title. That is a picture I took on a lonely hour drive to Corona. I was going about 7mph in LA traffic. I love it tho. It's peaceful and it's what I see. Welcome to my world.

Now on a larger scale. I tend to drive A LOT when I'm driving. There's been days where I've drivin 160 miles. And it all seems completely necessary at the time. Everything seems necessary at the time right? Well it's not. And I'm gonna leave it there for your imaginations for fear of this turning into a rant about this man made conception we call time.