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- Actualist
I like to deal in the facts first, and not someone's interpretation of it.
- Auteur
An auteur is a person who does things their own way, maintaining total control over whatever it is that they are doing. I
would say that is me.
- Author
Three books down, and about four more currently in the pipeline. I write, and I don't stop even when I want to.
- Filmmaker
One documentary down, and a lot more that I want to do on the horizon, not including some film shorts, and maybe a full length.
- "Hitch"
Okay, this one designation is funny. My "sister' Ashabi saw the movie Hitch and after watching it, told me that the role was not
Wil Smith, but me in actuality. Since my focus is on men and relationships, I can be seen just about anywhere that I am talking
with men about relationships. In the gym, a couple people consider me the male version of Oprah.
- Musician
I always wanted to play the xylophone, marimba and vibraphone as a child... but that didn't happen.
While in elementary school, I joined an afterschool music program and started learning those small xylophones. The next
time that I experimented with music was when I played French Horn in the school orchestra during fifth and sixth grades. In
college, I started playing beats on drums for the "African dance" classes. When I got back to Philadelphia, I wound up happening
upon an African dance and drumming class by mistake.
In the end of this, I wound up playing for dance classes in Philadelphia and New Jersey and dance performances as well. I learned
to play the djembe, djunjun, kotero, sonba and kinkine from Hodari Banks of Oakland, California. He came to Philadelphia via Washington,
D.C. having been a member of Konkoran there, and Jaasu in Philadelphia. His initial training was under Zakkariyah Kufh, a director of
the National Dance Company of Senegal for 14 years. While learning under Hodari while he was the co-director of the Ibeji Performing Arts
Company, I would later be a member of his Children of Shango Dance Company.
Later on, I would learn additional instruments from Brazil and the Caribbean from such people as Joseph Bryant and Nana Karantenma
Abeyoafo.
Currently, my music experience/knowledge includes African, Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Caribbean music, spanning more than seventeen instruments.
Additionally, I have done jazz and jazz fusion with the aforementioned styles, from the position of performer, arranger, and engineer.
I am always open to working with other musicians.
- Photographer
This is something that I used to do, but I am actually getting back into it. I used to be a photographer for my high school
yearbook during my senior year. I learned on some Chinon cameras and started shooting black and white [like just about
everyone else]. In college, I borrowed a friend's Chinon and started back up again. While there, I got to like shooting with
Kodak TMax P3200 film, Fujicolor 1600, and some Ektar 1000.
Right now, my tools of the trade are a Canon EOS 1-n, two Canon EOS A2E's, and one Nikon FM2 paired with an MD-11 motor drive.
I do have an assortment of photo projects that I would like to do, mainly in black and white, and hopefully soon, I'll be able
to start working on them.
- Zen Policeman/DragonSlayer/Problem Solver
It's funny, because I used to have the titles of Zen Policeman and Dragonslayer on my old business cards. It's one of
those things that stays in people's heads years later when they meet me.
Summarily, each title has a deeper significance to me, but both of them represent the roles of those that get order out
of chaos, save damsels in distress, and help people out of problems. Conversely, I am a problem solver, professionally in
the field of information technology.
- My creed
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