Braille.... from Washington, PA

So here I am in a Panera Bread again.  Haha.  This last week has been an adventure.  We drove from Rockwall, TX strait to Chicago, IL.  Look at a map, it's a long drive.  We stopped half way somewhere in Missouri.  We were staying at a Comfort Inn and Gabriella wanted to play instead of sleep after such a long car ride.  The next morning we continued on our drive and arrived in Chicago about 20 minutes before the concert started.  Gabriella was restless after spending two days in the car.  Nikki couldn't really stay at the show, because Gabriella needed some alone time before being surrounded by tons of youth.  

I performed at a spot called The House in Chicago and they were doing a Stop the Violence special.  It was an honor to be part of the event.  They were offering free AIDS testing to the community and spoke about some of the violence issues happening in the city.  Many young people loose their lives way to early from un-necessary gunfire.  We can't blame any ONE person for these social ills, but we all can play a roll in helping to bring PEACE.  Before I performed I had to run to my van to grab some CDs.  The neighborhood we were in didn't have many white people.... and while I was walking I crossed paths with a black guy.  (please excuse my use of "white" and "black" because I know they are very bland terms).  Anyway... I said "what's up" as we passed and he reached out to shake my hand.  He said "that's right, we gotta stop this racism stuff".  It was a short moment, but it was definitely significant.  Unfortunately, there is still racism happening in the U.S.  I don't witness it very often, but every now and then I'm reminded that it still exists.  In some areas two people of different colors shaking hands is no big deal, but in some areas it's still very rare.  I've always been friends with people from all different nationalities, racism has always seemed ignorant and pointless to me.  I don't judge people by the color of their skin.  If someone does me wrong... that's between me and that person.  I don't hold it against their community, their skin color, their race or their family.  The history of the U.S. is littered with hateful things that have taken place... .a lot of racism and separation.  In some communities you still see the effects of things that happened 30 or 40 years ago.  It's painful and I definitely want to play my role in loving both sides of the fence and help bring healing.  While walking around this neighborhood in Chicago, there was a lot of broken glass on the concrete, kids running out of buildings at full speed, broken windows with boards.  I'm really thankful for The House and the work they are doing to bless the community and invest time in the youth.  I was glad to be a part of it.  Shouts to Pastor Phil Jackson!!!

I also met another guy at my show in Chicago who took a Greyhound Bus from Michigan just to come and check it out.  At a few of my shows people have come from long distances to see the concerts, give me words of encouragement and just build.  It's been incredible.  The next day me and the family celebrated Mothers Day in Indiana.  We had a Jacuzzi room at our hotel... and although me and Nikki didn't get a chance to soak in the tub together - the Jacuzzi was the perfect size swimming pool for little Gabriella.  haha.  My show in Indiana was also very significant because it was a mothers day event.  The crowd was small but I was able to share the stage with YSG Timothy (who I've talked with via email in the past) and some other artists from within the region.  Props to DJ Rhino for setting it up and blessing the Mothers who were in attendance.  It was a real fresh night.  After the show I took my wife out to eat so we could close out Mothers Day with a bang.  Earlier in the day I also took her shopping for some new clothes - .... I still think shopping in the mall is more exhausting then rocking a show.  haha.  While I was in the mall I picked up a June issue of The Source magazine.  They did an interview with me in the "Under The Radar" section and also reviewed my record.  I used to cut out pictures from The Source and hang them on my wall when I first started rapping.  It was an honor to finally be featured in that magazine.  www.rapreviews.com also reviewed my record this week - so it's been a pretty exciting time.