Felicia_Pride's Blog

I was just notified that my book has been nominated for an award. Yay!

But voting ends midnight tonight. Can you help a sister win? Thanks!

Felicia Pride, author of The Message: 100 Life Lessons from Hip-Hop's Greatest Songs has been nominated for WEEN's Pink List (see more about the list below). Please logon to www.weenonline.org and vote for The Message so it can win in its category - Print Empowerment. Voting ends at midnight...vote today...and pass the invitation along to others!

Please note: You must register with the site to vote.

What is WEEN's Pink List?

Each month WEEN members will be able to nominate any artist and/or forms of media that support and empower women! After the nomination list is closed, members have 48hrs to vote. Votes will be tallied and the top two winners in each category will make the PINK LIST! All winners will remain on the pink list for one month while WEEN members strongly patronize and support them for reflecting our mission! By patronizing WEEN approved artists and media, you will enable positive entertainment to receive the access, exposure and support needed to help promote the balanced portrayal of women in society.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2008
Bronx, New York
Bronx Museum
Here Comes the Remix: Listening Party and Signing for THE MESSAGE: 100 LIFE LESSONS FROM HIP-HOP'S GREATEST SONGS by Felicia Pride and SONGS IN THE KEY OF MY LIFE by Ferentz LaFargue
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Here Comes the Remix. Music. Books. Life.

The Bronx Museum of the Arts proudly presents its monthly First Wednesdays book signings featuring author Felicia Pride and Ferentz Lafargue. Ms. Pride will be signing copies of her new book The Message 100 Life Lessons from Hip Hop's Greatest Songs, which has been called "Chicken Soup for the Hip-Hop Soul." It uses the best of hip-hop culture to empower the hip-hop generation and reveal what we can learn from the music. <o:p>

Joining Ms. Pride is Ferentz Lafargue, author of Songs in the Key of My Life, a memoir infused with popular songs that shaped his life.<o:p>

Ms. Pride and Mr. Lafargue are creators and developers of "Here Comes the Remix," a new initiative using music as a tool to engage and empower individuals.

1040 Grand Concourse @165th Street / 718.681.6000 / www.bronxmuseum.org

For more information visit, www.feliciapride.com, www.ferentz.com, www.herecomestheremix.com. <o:p>

To celebrate Hiphop Appreciation Week which took place last week, I asked bloggers, writers, hip-hop heads, former hip-hop heads to tell me their song. That one song (although most had more than one) that does it for them, holds meaning, or continues to spark important memories. And when you asked a dope cast of folks, the responses are naturally just as dope. Allow me to share:

Eisa Ulen, writer, author of Crystelle Mourning, blogger, thinker, teacher, remembers the music that meant freedom. She explores a few classic cuts. I'm sure you'll agree:

Lauryn Hill immediately comes to my mind. The Mis-Education of Lauryn Hill not only honors one of our most important historians, Carter G. Woodson , but it also articulates a fresh vision of Black female life. Every cut on this album is a classic. It is perfect.

I love "If I Ruled the World," Hill's duet with Nas. The confluence of male and female voices at a time when Hip Hop and Black folk truly needed substance beyond bling and booty-wopping helps to keep the freedom thang rolling. Read the rest on Eisa's blog .

Todd Craig, hip-hop head, teacher, intellectual, and author of the newly released tor'cha, a hip-hop novel, connected several lyrics to his graduate experience. The result is dope. Here's a portion from his blog:

I wrote this piece and felt like it really did the trick for me and the beauty of it is that it engages a few songs within my favorite era, but also places them in a certain context. When I was in grad school getting my masters, I realized that the world of academia presents this thing I like to call "the ever-changing rules" basically, the rules continue to switch on a by-the-minute basis the problem is, no one tells you the new rules until after you've followed the given guidelines from the old rules of 60 seconds ago and the process becomes harder because you are constantly trying to stay in the game and in the loop, but the rules keep switching every time you think you've gotten it right so I tried to permanently document and fix the rules for a minute - and what better way to do that than with hip-hop of course, Big Poppa B.I.G. lead the charge for me (yeah, so what, I'm from Queens, but Brooklyn came through on the concept hate me later!!!), and I was able to move through this piece really thinking about how some rules change while others just stay the same Read the rest at Todd's blog .

Tara Betts, the present and future of poetry, riffed on Digable Planet's "La Femme Fetal." Check it:

There are so many hip hop songs that have shaped the landscape of my self that it's difficult to choose one. I emailed Felicia about at least four songs before I decided on one that was actually a b-side to a hip hop group that yielded one classic on their debut album reachin' (a new refutation of time and space). Digable Planets was better known subdued yet bass-laden homage to jazz "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)", but if you got past the jazzy riffs, the Charlie Parker and Coltrane references and even bouncier cuts like "Pacifics" circling its hook " New York is Red Hot" or "Where I'm From," the second half of what was then a cassette for me in 1993 yielded a more urgent loop undergirded with bass that sounded like hustling to get to a friend's house. The song "La Femme Fetal" began with Butterfly reminiscing how it was 8:49 a.m. on the ninth day of July (shortly after what America deems Independence Day ) when his homegirl Nikki calls him to vent and seek some guidance from a friend like I have done with many friends before this song and long after it. Read the rest at Tara's blog .

Unique Fraser, an educator helping to raise the next generation of leaders, and Brooklyn Bodega contributor, chose one of my favorite songs, Slick Rick's "Hey Young World." Read her thoughts about the seminal song:

In 1988, London-born, Bronx raised Richard Walters released one of hip-hop's signature albums. Penning and rhyming under the name, "Slick Rick", the critically acclaimed album "The Adventures of Slick Rick" pioneered a witty story telling approach filtered through fresh and hard hitting beats. The album was indeed a lyrical adventure bridging East coast youth culture with British sensibilities.

"Hey Young World" was the album's definitive song for me and would also become one of my most important songs in hip-hop. In the late 1980's, Slick Rick knew that the world around him was not enough; society was not promising enough for young men such as himself. Like many young people before Rick, he too was searching for the answers, trying to fulfill society's lost promises. With brazen insight, Slick Rick remarked "Society's a weak excuse for a man. It's time for the brothers rap is tryin' to take the stand." Rick instinctively felt that rap would be a strategic tool to address the unfulfilled promises society made to other young men. He knew that youth were in crisis. He found solace and reprieve in rap. "Hey Young World" made this clear.

My proverbial ghetto head nod was perfected with "Hey Young World"! I was that headphone wearing, walkman toting youngin', my cassette tape about to bust from extensive rewinding. While "Hey Young World" has a special place in me, the entire album carried a series of carefully interwoven messages about life. Slick and fresh like his name, Slick Rick used storytelling to both celebrate and expose the various narratives that society scripted for young people. "Hey Young World" embodied the hard past and enormous potential our hip-hop generation (still) has. For this, I am forever grateful.

Will Wharton, who helps run OnLoq , the online underground hip hop television network ,found it hard to narrow his response down to one song. So he picked an album:

So many to choose from, but I'll go with De La Soul's "Me Myself and I". First, I'll say that album, 3 Feet High and Rising was near the beginning of a great movement in hip hop and the song seems like a perfect description of it. De La had a style we'd never heard before and most couldn't really figure them out. Rumor has it they actually ended up in a lot of fights because guys would test them, thinking they were soft because of their laid back style. They also found ways to make "message" music fun.

"Me Myself and I" is definitely fun, message music. Thinking back to the time it came out, I was definitely one of millions of teens who needed to hear that it was ok to be who you are. It hits on so many levels.

Want to know some of mine? Check out THE MESSAGE.

Soon, I'll be announcing the three winners of the What's Your Song Contest. I got a lot of entries from folks across the country telling me their song. The top three responses will be awarded an autographed copy of THE MESSAGE.

Although the contest is over, I'm always interested in hearing about other's songs. Hit me up at feliciapride.com.

Ghandi once said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." I'm calling all hip-hoppers to do just that. Be the change you want to see in hip-hop by showing the world what hip-hop is all about.

In celebration of Hiphop Appreciation Week which takes place May 18-25, I want to hear from you. This year's theme is empowerment and while hip-hop music is constantly being attacked for violent, sexist, and materialistic lyrics, what about all those songs that empower, motivate, and teach? What about those songs that articulate how you feel, those songs that you grew up on and those that made you fall for hip-hop?

I wrote THE MESSAGE: 100 LIFE LESSONS FROM HIP-HOP'S GREATEST SONGS to show the multitude of meaningful hip-hop songs that have tackled real world issues, provided wisdom, and articulated the joys and pains of life.

Now I want to hear from you. Send an email to felicia@feliciapride.com or comment below with the name of that one hip-hop song. Tell me how it?s motivated you, pushed you in the right direction or taught you something valuable. Hey if you want to get creative and tape yourself, and include a video link, go for it! Be sure to include your name with your email or posted response.

The top three most thoughtful responses will win an autographed copy of THE MESSAGE: 100 LIFE LESSONS FROM HIP-HOP?S GREATEST SONGS.

Let?s show that there is power in the music.

Reminisce Over Hip-Hop
Book Signing and After Party for THE MESSAGE
Book signing: Wednesday, April 30, 6:30-8:00 pm
Busboys and Poets
2021 14th Street, NW DC 20009

THE MESSAGE After Party
Wednesday, April 30
Play Lounge
1219 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC
Doors open at 9:00 pm
RSVP at info@thebacklist.net to get on the list .

If you've ever did the wop, wrote down lyrics to your favorite hip-hop song, or had Word Up! posters plastered on your wall, come celebrate the release of Felicia Pride's first book, THE MESSAGE: 100 LIFE LESSONS FROM HIP-HOP'S GREATEST SONGS.

Music speaks to us. In author Felicia Pride's case, the unique storytelling of hip-hop music has ushered in life lessons and articulated many of her personal experiences from being broke while living in New York to understanding why friends (How many of us have them?) are hard to find. THE MESSAGE is a collection of wisdom touching on themes of love, spirituality, success, business, relationships, and politics, culled from your favorite hip-hop songs. From Public Enemy to Queen Latifah, A Tribe Called Quest to Nas, Main Source to Big Daddy Kane, THE MESSAGE is an eclectic literary mixtape written with you in mind. It's no wonder why THE MESSAGE has been hailed as "Chicken Soup for the Hip-Hop Soul."

Hip-hop legend CL Smooth called THE MESSAGE, "An amazing book. Definitely informative and a great read!" Sister 2 Sister magazine wrote, "...it'll remind you of why you fell in love with hip-hop." On the 30th, come and cop a copy of this one-of-a-kind book, unwind after the end of another work day, and reminisce over the hip-hop songs that make you feel somethin' somethin' every time you hear them.

And don't miss the official after party at Play Lounge. Have a drink with the author, tell her how long it took you to perfect the cabbage patch, and actually do the cabbage patch.

Tell a friend. Forward to a friend. Bring a friend. For more information visit www.feliciapride.com. Email: info@thebacklist.net.