This December has proved to be a bumper month for Pakistani-American rapper and musician Sullee J (Sullee Justice) as he unleashes a wave of new songs and collabs before the New Year kicks in. Fresh from the release of R&B flavoured serenade “On Repeat” a week ago, the Baltimore-based artiste has now unveiled his latest song “Word to the Wise” – a grand piece of what the young things of America like to call ‘dope music’.
Word to the Wise is a collaboration that extends across the breadth of hip-hip’s homeland, with the newest voice from the East Coast, Sullee J, bringing in another upcoming star from the West Coast, California’s Gin. Far from the often lethal rivalry between the Coasts that racked the commercial rap scene of the Nineties, here two rising stars of the 2010s scene have come together in musical camaraderie perfectly complimenting each other in their deliverance of a valuable life message we all need to hear.
Described as a ‘solid track’, that is a treat for the ears with its ‘brilliance and positive vibes’, the new single is all about pushing aside the negatives and rising to the sky. There are wise words aplenty and self-belief is something that is at the heart of this track’s lyrics. One of the main messages to take away from this positive ode to life is not to let negative people clip your wings and hold you back from your full potential.
Word to the Wise was released as a teaser for Sullee J’s upcoming Spiritual Bars Album and is also been made available for public viewing on YouTube on Gin’s channel The Real Gin. Check out this dope track on the video below.
Acclaimed Baltimore, US, rapper and lyrical master Sullee J has released a brand new single this past week, as the prolific artiste continues his rise to the forefront of modern East Coast rap. He released his latest track, “All I Know” featuring fellow rapper Marka on the 5th November. The song was produced by Anno Domini Beats.
All I Know speaks on the various scenarios which occurred on the come up of Sullee J, a story shared with many others of his genre. There is a distinctively retro feel both in the official video of the song plus the Eighties style hooks of the track’s beat. While lyrics flash up on the screen of an old TV set like we all had in our parents’ living room as children, Sullee J rhymes emphatically about the struggles, dealing with the haters, fake associates and hypocrites, while reaching for the top. Especially, it is a lesson for everyone not to let the two-faced bring them down and to chart their own success, and to understand who their true friends and supports are.
In the near future, Sullee J plans to release his new album, Spear, by the end of the year.
All I Know is available for free downloads and viewing via his YouTube channel, xxsulleexx, and through SoundCloud.
Baltimore-based Pakistani-American rapper, Sullee J, also known as Sullee Justice, has announced the release of a new single this month, made in collaboration with rap legend KXNG Crooked (Crooked I) and others. The fresh new banger, “Revolutionary”, has already been making waves, and is the latest in a long line of collaborations between the two artists these past few years. The song also crosses borders with an entrance all the way from Iran, Big Majazi (who raps powerfully in his native language, Farsi), and Great Britain’s Thir13en also providing vocal talent. Combining the instrumental hip-hop style of the 1990s with today’s trap beat, Revolutionary is a song that tells the struggle of life, while energising you ‘like a warrior’. The song aims to not only be a great track to listen to, but also as a vehicle to disseminate the truth. The song is now available for listening and download on various outlets, with proceeds going to charity.
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KXNG Crooked might be known to the masses for his role in former rap supergroup, Slaughterhouse, but he has always been supportive of up and coming artists. He has blessed many freestyle circles and cyphers over the years, proving to be one of the hottest rappers in the game. Today, KXNG Crooked, Sullee Justice, Big Majazi and Thir13een get together and release their joint single, “Revolutionary”.
Baltimore’s Sullee Justice has worked with KXNG Crooked on multiple tracks over the years, and is widely known for his philanthropy, cameos in music videos such as Eminem ft. Beyonce “Walk on Water” and major collaborations with artists such as Royce Da 5’9, Young Noble, D12, Canibus and more. He has an upcoming album titled “Spear” which is soon to drop toward the end of this year. Sullee J is known for consistently conveying a positive and powerful message in his music. He and Big Majazi from Iran designed the project behind “Revolutionary”. They recruited Thir13een from the UK for the hook. The track embodies each artist’s perspective on the world, lyrically over a tight beat.
As KXNG Crooked states in the song, “You can put a revolutionary in jail, but you can’t jail the revolution.”
After the successful release of his hit single “Slangin Knowledge” in February of this year, acclaimed Baltimore rapper Sullee J has once again linked up with fellow musician Don Streat to release a brand new track in the past week. Their latest collaboration, “Who Am I” also features the talents of Vietnam & Alyson Blaire. The music video was produced by Profitt Productions Films. It features the rappers in a tough and gritty urban scene of dereliction, interspersed with footage of children labouring in a Congolese mine and news footage of the recent riots in the US and disturbances in Italy. The song talks about the harsh realities of life and of those who went to make it big, only to get dragged deep under in a world of crime, drugs and destitution. Each of the artists comes forward to tell a story in powerful words to make you think about life’s struggles and blessings, while getting you to be awake and conscious, while Alyson Blaire provided the backing chorus, asking the inevitable question that every individual facing the struggle asks…. who am I?
Sullee J (a.k.a Sullee Justice) has announced that he and Don Streat are also commencing work on a new project called The Reprogram, and have been actively recruiting other musicians from the Baltimore hip-hop/rap scene to produce music with a greater purpose. Who Am I is one of the first fruits of the new project’s labour, and has given a platform for upcoming artists like Vietnam and Alyson Blaire to show the world about themselves in their respective verses while displaying several realities across the globe that cover famine, police brutality, corruption and more. The Reprogram is now opening more opportunities for local artists to become involved with Sullee J and Don Streat and bring out meaningful messages in their bars.
A Facebook post I shared five years ago. It reads “When people ask me to share the candy I’m eating, I give them the flavor I don’t like” and comes with a forever alone type meme. Truth be told, I just share the sweeties regardless of flavour, unless I’m eating Quality Street, and they’re someone I don’t like, then in that case, they get all the toffees!
Two children ride along on a beige-coloured horse, the same colour as the sands on the pathway. Three more kids, excited and full of activity run after the steed towards what appears to be a cow farm. A photo captures their exuberance. This photo, and many others, forms part of an online gallery by web magazine Mashable. More famed for their millennial-angled technology journalism, Mashable instead travelled back in time to a simpler age, showcasing a series of photos taken on various Native American reservations and nearby towns in 1972.
In 1972, the United States federal government, which was looking into the conditions of the (currently) 1.4 million people living on lands set aside for the First Nations, employed the services of photographer Terry Eiler to visit the south-west of the country and give an outsiders view into the lives of some of the most disadvantaged of Americans, many of whom had their lands seized by white settlers during the ‘Wild West‘ days of the 19th century and were herded onto the reservations, often poor-quality and non-arable land allocated by the federal government and administered by the nations themselves under the auspices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Nowadays many Native American communities struggle with lack of employment and amenities, as well as social ills such as extreme poverty, alcoholism and drug abuse.
Back in 1972, as the Native American rights movement was in its earliest days, Eiler visited three reservations belonging to the Navajo, Hopi and Havasupai reservations. The Navajo nation‘s reservation was the largest, about the same size as the US state of West Virginia. The photographer also visited the village of Supai, nestled in the Grand Canyon of Colorado, said to be the most remote human habitation in the southern ’48 states’ region and accessible only by an eight-mile hike through rocky terrain or via helicopter.
Eiler’s photo project provides an snapshot into a part of America few outside the First Nations have even seen, let alone understood. He shows a world that was becoming modernised and similar to mainstream America but at the same time, was still clinging tenaciously to their traditions, forged over millennia. His subjects are natural and act as themselves, a stark contrast to the wooden and forced appearances of Native Americans made to pose in the sepia photographs from the ‘pioneer days’.
His photos cover a wide range of subjects, from a sheep paddock in the desert sands of the Navajo reservation in Arizona, a retinue of cute lambs staring back at the camera, their white wool contrasting strongly with the ochre ground underneath their hooves, to a Navajo woman in a bright red blouse standing for a quick snap near the Arizonan town of Shiprock.
Others show Native American families and men out and about, gardening, horse riding and being at home. While clearly getting on with life, it is obvious that the living conditions were at times very different from most American communities, but also shows the industriousness of the Navajo and other peoples, whether cramming into a truck to get to work, training as teachers, or selling bead necklaces to tourists visiting the reservations. Local scenery, especially the Havasu Falls of Arizona, also makes a frequent appearance in Eiler’s collection.
The Eiler collection is now part of the U.S. National Archives. You can view all the pictures by clicking HERE.
“Kindness should become the natural way of life, not the exception.”
Kindness is one of the most beautiful aspects of humanity. Doing good things for each other, helping others and being there as a shoulder to cry or rest on. However there are a lot of dark things happening in this world, and at times, it well seems kindness is in short supply.
Let’s move from hatred, discrimination, warmongering and violence and learn to treat each other more with kindness and understanding. Let’s make it our natural way of life, not just something to be unwrapped only for special occasions.
Life is a journey. It can be a smooth dual carriageway with no traffic, or it can be a decrepid country lane full of potholes. Ultimately it has to move on and you have to be prepared to move on with it. Things can be tough at times, and you may have had a difficult life or have gone through some turbulent events, but there is always the future to look forward to. Sometimes chances and opportunities may present themselves in your life, and it is up to you to exploit them and turn things around. Each of these golden chances is a chance to make things fresh.
I have seen people get divorced, get hurt, lose important things and people in their lives. I have seen people suddenly witness their health go into decline, or fall helplessly into a dark and soulless pit of despair. For them, I can try and say to them with reassurance that life still can have its good moments, its positives, that there is still something to live for, while being extremely sympathetic to their current or past situation, of course.
The past can hurt. Believe me, more than most people out there, I can tell you that. Even the present can drag on and on, leaving you feeling perhaps a bit despondent. But you can never entirely predict the future. Or what is around the corner. Nevertheless you must keep on living life if you want to solve the mystery of what your life plans to bring your way. Don’t give up hope.
The past is another place and of course, another time. Dwelling on it will not get you anywhere. It can, and does, teach you some important lessons, but do not let the past define you. Always look towards the future and always keep the faith.
Via W. Thompson
Life goes on….
Whether you choose to move on and
take a chance in the unknown.
Or stay behind, locked in the past,
thinking of what could’ve been.
This inspirational quote and image was made available by Will Thompson. He is an affiliate marketer living in the Western United States.
For her English lessons at school, my youngest sister Anjali was asked to do an assessment task of her story-writing skills. This involved penning a short piece of prose using writing with ‘conventions and composition’ and the teacher required it to be written in the first person. Her Unit 3 Writing Assessment won critical acclaim from her English class teacher, who described it as ‘very reflective’ and a ‘compelling piece’. I recently invited her to contribute this short story to the Half-Eaten Mind and after finally managing to get the original sheets from her teacher, I now present Anjali’s short story here, for all to see.
It is the emotional and profound recollection of a woman remembering her past, the decision she made in finally coming to terms with a horrible event that took place when she was younger. Confiding in the one person she trusted most, it was a decision to escape from a traumatic event, from which she rose stronger, wishing for a better and happier future.
My sister was marked as a Grade B+ and a Level 6 for this assignment, and I can see she is a born fiction writer.
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DECISIONS
It was a split second decision. I knew almost immediately it was the wrong thing to do. Reflecting back on this made me think….wonder….how can I be so stupid? Fall for such a thing. Maybe I just liked having the attention for a while, as I hardly ever had it upon me. When I do, I feel special, cared for,….loved. But after the situation was over, I didn’t feel that sort of vibe anymore. It was the complete opposite, hate, being despised by many. I felt like killing myself to get out of the pain inside me. But I couldn’t do that. People will wonder why? Ask questions. The memories I leave behind won’t be pleasant at all, I think. The whole town would look down at my family, even on my silent deadly soul, if I died. I wouldn’t rest in peace (R.I.P.) in my coffin, I’ll rest in trauma…shame….feeling like I belong here, in the dark. By myself.
I share this pain with nobody. At all. I’ve tried once to someone who was my so-called “ex best friend”, but she couldn’t give a flying toss. She just acted like if she cared. I saw it in her eyes. She didn’t care…just wanted to walk away…expects me to be all fine after she “tried” to make me feel better… Who are your real friends, eh!?
(c) anitapeppers
My whole life just changed. I don’t think I’ll be able to tell anybody yet. Ever. Maybe when I’m a few years older and get all my exams out of the way. Telling someone who might make a big fuss over it, will just apply more stress on me. I mean, I can’t even write it down on a piece of scrappy paper…No. I can’t. I wouldn’t.
There are some experiences you would live to forget but somehow just can’t…probably never would. I don’t know… Will I ever be happy? I try…life is too short, so I hope I lead a good life, despite my horrid mistakes. God, please forgive me. Hoping I get a good job, a great husband and kids, a house….just be normal and lead a regular life like everybody else.
I reached breaking point. I sat down and talked with my boyfriend. Explained EVERYTHING that’s happened in my past life. He at least deserves to know. I can’t hide this from him. It’s tearing us apart.
I tell him about how I was sexually abused as a teenager. I explain how I was raped in my own house. How I’ve always felt like I wasn’t worthy of living. I explained it all. Finally.
In front of somebody who is very special and important to me. I broke down, screamed, cried, in pain, whilst recapping my terrible childhood, upbringing and social life.
I felt a waft of relief. Finally, I’m letting it all out. He understood. I couldn’t believe it.
He hugged me hard, held my hands, listened to EVERYTHING I had to say. He looked directly into my eyes as if he was searching into my soul, reliving my story with me. I was as shocked as he was.
But he helped me. He really has. I was so, so, so glad to have him in my life. I trust him and he knows it. I’m extremely lucky to have him in my life. He’s supported me from day one, ever since that time I told him. Most people out there in society nowadays will laugh it off, thinking that I’m lying or they simply don’t care. That’s how messed up some people are. But not him. And I’m forever grateful each day. He’s encouraged me to carry on living again, made me join support groups, the lot.
I’m 27 right now. My boyfriend and I decided to get married a few months after I told him it all. The best decision I ever made. We now have two children, a boy and a girl. They’re perfect. Looking back on this (not that I actually do, thanks to my husband!), I’m glad I finally let it out. What happened to me was NOT my fault. Yes, I was stupid not to fight back, but now I know that I’m the VICTIM. Not them….me.
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Written by Anjali Shah.
Editing by Ms. Raen and Vijay Shah.
IMAGE CREDIT:
“camsunsetlake_copy.jpg” – anitapeppers, morgueFile LINK
