Black Tie Lounge

U.N.I Clothing Co will be in the buidlingat Top Notch 2012, the premier B-boy event in D.C. put on by Lion of Zion and Words, Beats, & Life Inc taking place Sunday April 22, 2012. I got a chance to cross paths with Toyz since I mentor two of the b-boys that he teaches through WBL, Inc. It wasn't until I peeped his blog and facebook that I realized how internationally known this cat is. So to all my readers. All 11 of you, if you are in D.C. April 22, make your way over to the Atlas Theater and check out the genius. U.N.I Clothing Co. will be there in full effect.

WBL Inc. is back at it again. What you might ask? Nothing, I just thought that was a good way to introduce this post. I'm going out on a limb this time around and deciding to give back in a way that is a little extra for me. I work with students all the time, so you'd think I'd be tired of being a mentor-type figure. Not exactly. I decided to work with a couple of youth with Words, Beats, & Life as a college materials coach. I meet with my mentees, Ron aka Kid Havoc and Naasir Ali once a week and help them accomplish a goal. Both of them are aspiring b-boys, which I know nothing about except the fact that I dig the culture. I'm in this thang trying to figure out what I'm doing, but the guys have some great personalities. We had our second official meeting/ third meeting today and we recorded some introduction videos for their artistic portfolio. I must say that it really brought my spirit up to interact with them. Honestly! Me meeting with them is as much ...

So tomorrow after work I'm going to head up to DC to assist with WBLInc's Remixing the Art of Social Change . I'm helping out with the Hip Hop Philanthropy Luncheon at Busboys and Poets . I'm excited about that. Members of the Ludacris Foundation, J Dilla Foundation, Yele Haiti and the Nathan Cummings Foundation. Earlier this week I got up with one of my homies to go to a panel discussion and book signing on Adam Bradley and Antoine DuBois's The Anthology of Rap , an event that featured guest appeareance by Common, Kurtis Blow, and KB, Jr. Suprisingly Common got up and spit a verse to one of his classic's I Used to Love Her Kurtis Blow and his son suprised everyone at the end by having a jam session where they performed old school hip hop hits. It was pretty sick. That was earlier this week and here's what else is happening tomorrow after I leave Busyboys: Later on that evening I'm going to my 4th model call, this time to audition for DC's Urban Fas...

I'm so glad that I found out about this organization. I'm also glad that after close to 6 months of trying to connect with someone there--mostly out of my own laziness and schedule conflicts--I have gotten through. Words, Beats & Life is an arts organization that uses hip hop to mentor and empower youth. Those are my words about the organization and not the official statement as written by WBL Inc. I'm big on the arts so I'm glad to have found one in the D.C. area that has a focus on hip hop. Now onto what they do. Through what is refered to as the Urban Arts Academy , WBL Inc., offers courses in hip hop elements such as DJing, graffitti, emceeing, and breakdance for youth as young as 5 and as old as 23. From what I've learned these courses are more than just a hobby, but a way to emphasize literacy, push the youth to get better at their craft, and find ways to use that craft to seek higher education. I think it's pretty sweet. I also learned about opport...