SO! As mentioned in a previous post, I've recently been cast in my first professional musical theatre production! I'll be part of the chorus in Nicole Brooks' Obeah Opera, presented by b current and Theatre Archipelago.
I attended my first workshop/rehearsal this past weekend where Ms.Brooks (the play’s creator) introduced us to fellow cast & crew members, shared the story and inspiration behind Obeah Opera and even sang through the entire first act so we could hear the music we’ll eventually be performing ourselves. Oh, and they served split pea soup & hot apple cider during the break. All VEGAN! I am home, lol.
I’m so grateful to be a part of a show with such a generous theatre company, brilliant creators and a colourful, talented cast of women! This includes celebrated songstresses Joni NehRita & Saidah Baba Talibah in starring roles. I am a HUGE fan of both of these ladies… such an honour to be placed on stage with them and the other artists I have yet to meet but have already heard so much about.
So let’s go! The play opens at 918 Bathurst in February 2012, but EARLY BIRD TICKETS are already on sale! You can pick yours up or read up on the play itself by going here: http://www.obeahopera.com/ .
Damn. Don't we all wanna be successful? But I think we all want it in different ways. Some keep the bar low, some know that they're greatness is real and the sky's the limit. Wherever you set the bar, the truth is the bar doesn't exist. The sky ain't even the limit to what you're capable of. But I digress.
It's so easy to forget how free we really are, and so we hold back our own dreams with fear and doubt in ourselves. I still have many fears about being successful, but I'm no longer ignorant of them. I've seen them for what they are and so now I can conquer them one by one.
I'm inspired by artists who've accomplished much for themselves, in the name of success... the good old-fashioned way too. Hard work. Dedication. Perserverance. Belief in one's self. And all for the sake of: "Money. Money and the Cars. Cars and the Clothes... I suppose." - Drizzy. AKA Successful-M*tha-F*c*a
I hadn't really heard of Aubrey Graham as a rapper until the release of his hit single "Successful" with Trey Songz. So in my mind, this is the song that made this actor/singer/rapper blow up.
There's something about the way this track speaks to everybody. At first listen, you might shrug it off as another MC talking about all the superficial crap he wants to get his hands on. But when Drake says it, you realize the song is about you! We all want something (and probably, a bunch of somethings), and that includes the things we 'shouldn't' want. Like Money. Cars... clothes... power... sex... success. Right or wrong, if there is even such a thing, we all can relate to that on some level. On Successful, Drake told us he wanted it all, and how much he strived for it. He craved the good. The bad. The unknown. Just like the rest of us. Except, he got it.
Which is why this is still my favourite song by the Young Money millionaire, so many years and hit singles later (this track was released in 2009). It has all the elements; tight vocals (by both Drake and Songz), the right hook, percussion you can feel... and a music video with a badass quote on the last frame.
"Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it's not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won't. It's whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere." - Barack Obama
So in some way, even Obama is on side with Drake's sentiments ;-). "Making your mark" and "Having it all" are synonymous phrases, to me. Just different ways to measure success.
