What a week this has been already. My phone broke on sunday night and I’ve been out the matrix for the past few days… With that said, if your looking for me for the rest of the week you can find me in the BAY!!!

Headed to San Francisco to link up with my Red Bull Music Academy family. This is just a taste of what I’ll be getting into. Looking forward to seeing all my San Fran famalams, and hopefully I get the chance to ghost-ride somebodies whip. HA!

I’ll be sure to take some cool pics and hit you guys with a Blog update when I return.

This past Friday night I was headed home after linking with the homie 4-Ize when I jumped on Twitter to see “R.I.P. Gil Scott-Heron” posted on somebodies page. My first thought was PLEASE let this be a rumor… Unfortunately about 30 mins later I found out it was official.

I first discovered Gil Scott when I was in high school. By then he had already amassed a nice catalog of albums for me to decipher and study. GSH, along with the Last Poets, and James Brown all represent what an Emcee was pre Hip Hop. Bold, Thought-Provoking, Entertaining, Intelligent, and great with words. I found out years later as I got older than even my father is a big fan of Gil’s work.

I am extremely fortunate to even have gotten a chance to meet GSH a few years back while he was in ATL. I walked up too him and saluted him. I told him my name, that I was emcee, and thanked him for not only inspiring me, but for not being afraid to speak his mind, and share his true feelings. That’s something I strive to do as an artist everytime I record a new song. He smiled, and thanked me for keeping an open ear. Gil was super cool, very laid back. I asked could I take a picture with him to show my pops and…

So with all that said, I was deeply saddened to hear the news of Gil’s passing. He was only 62 years old. I also didn’t see a lot of info about his passing in the news or media. I guess he was right, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”

Rest In Peace Gil Scott Heron… Thank You For Your Contribution To Black Music.

THIS JUST IN:

The 2011 Red Bull Music Academy will be held in Madrid, Spain this fall. RBMA was originally going to be held in Tokyo, Japan but has been moved. Please check out the press release for all the info as well as answers to frequently asked questions about the application process.

CLICK HERE for more info. Also make sure you hit Redbullmusicacademy.com to download the application for the Academy. They are due on April 26th.

Earlier last week Red Bull announced that the 2011 Red Bull Music Academy will be taking place in Tokyo, Japan. The applications are now available online.

The RBMA is a world traveling workshop, and a platform for artists, musicians, producers, etc. of various genres around the world who shape our musical future. It’s a place to meet other artists from around the globe, learn, work on music, network, and hopefully become better at what you do. In a nutshell, it’s every motivated musicians wet dream!

If you are an musician, singer, emcee, DJ, producer, etc. I STRONGLY encourage you to apply for RBMA. It does not matter if your an artist who makes music from your bedroom for fun, or if you’re a Grammy nominated musician, anybody is eligible to apply.

So… how do you apply? Feel free to check out this video below to give so some more information on the application process. If your ready to go, head over to RedBullMusicAcademy.com where you can download and print the application.

I just received in the mail some copies of the new Frank 151 Magazine, Chapter 43 “The Bug Out Issue” aka The Ricky Powell Issue. I’ve been getting phone calls and text messages about this issue for the past month now. Well… It’s out, and I have only a few copies, so if you need one make sure you get at me.

Check out this video of Ricky Powell interviewing photographer Joe Conzo.

To get more information of Frank Magazine chapter 43 the Bug Out issue. CLICK HERE

Recently at the Nike Store Lenox in ATL I had the chance to work on an event with the 411 Brand. Created by John Thomas in 1992, the 411 Brand fuses music, sports, and entertainment figures with education to teach kids the importance of proper decision making. Since the 90′s the 411 Brand has hosted sports camps (Basketball, Golf, etc.) in urban communities across the country, as well as conducted successful panels. The 411 brand has worked with major music artists such as Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Goodie Mob, LL Cool J, Usher, and many more over the years.

“The411 Brand Program was created for the sole purpose of bridging the gap between successful individuals and a generation striving to become successful. We currently live in a world where many young people measure success by the amount of material things you have. Although this could be an indication of your accomplishments, it is by no means what makes you successful. We believe that, success comes from setting a goal and completing the journey it takes to achieve that goal. Each of our programs are designed to provide an opportunity for young adults to hear some of the most amazing journeys by some of the most successful individuals in our world today.” – John Thomas

This past weekends event featured Eshe of Arrested Development, Lamman Rucker (Actor: Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married 1&2) and was hosted by Big Lez (Former host of BET’s Rap City / Choreographer).

I got a chance to speak to the kids ages (16-24) from local Boys & Girls Clubs, and Clark Atlanta University about Nike I.D. and came up with trivia questions to make sure the kids were being attentive. Later in the event we raffled off a Nike I.D. experience to one lucky winner.

Check out some pics from the event…

Me speaking to the youth about Nike I.D.

Big Lez hosting

Lamman Rucker and Big Lez

L to R: John Thomas, Eshe, Big Lez, Lamman Rucker

Growing up as big fan of BET’s Rap City in the 90′s it was an honor to meet Big Lez.