The Coffee Cave Mural: Compromised "Historical Character"?

Personally, I have yet to go to the Coffee Cave, but I have passed the place and had their food at the Halsey Street Block Party. I've seen the mural they had painted on the facade of the building, and I think it's wonderful. Unfortunately, the New Jersey Historical Society seems to think the mural sux, and has ordered Coffee Cave to remove it.
From John Murray's notes on Facebook:



The Newark Historic Society has asked that the Coffee Cave mural at 45 Halsey Street be removed because it compromises the historical character of the building.  I am asking that you email your letters of support for the mural and what it represents.  Please send emails to john.jd.murray@gmail.com.  Please include your name and address in your letter.

If you would like to support further, please let your voice be heard when we appear in front of the historic board,  details tba.

Thank You All

If anything, I think the mural blends history with progress very well. It also represents the beauty and diversity and renaissance of the art/cultural scene in Newark, and should be allowed to remain.
If you feel the same way, please send emails to the above address, telling of your support for the Coffee Cave Mural. I will be sending one myself. 
This is a promo video made for the Coffee Cave w/o its mural on the front: 

Losing Too Many Icons!

Nate Dogg died way too young. I wasn't a huge fan, but he left his mark, and helped, along with Warren G., introduce a different style of hip-hop...sung hooks blended skillfully with sampled classic pop, courtesy of Michael McDonald.


 Forties is too young to die. It's funny how forty looks so old when you are in your twenties, but rappers who hit forty are still giving it to us hard.

Now...Loleatta Holloway. How many parties and clubs have I been to where this song was NOT a staple? I mean, c'mon--even Marky Mark sampled it!







Black Box just straight ripped her off  ahem...paid tribute as well:





I wouldn't be surprised if any of these songs enjoyed a renewed popularity due to their passing. Thank you, Nate, for your voice. Thank you, Loleatta, for giving us an iconic track to continue to blast at house parties, clubs, and festivals. (Thank you for coming to Newark and gracing our Lincoln Park Music Festival. Somewhere, there's footage of my Nekoboy, Peace, dancing for one of her performances, but I have yet to locate it...)
Wow. Tomorrow (to use a hackneyed--but true!--phrase) really isn't promised.

The Passing Of An Icon...

Elizabeth Taylor was bigger than life. Vivacious, savvy, and beautiful, she commanded respect in an age of classic films and earned her place among the stars who did things just as they liked..with no regard of what anyone thought.

Oddly enough, one of my favourite things she's done is a commercial. It's SO her...maybe that's why.
Rest in peace, Elizabeth. Maybe you can give Michael a hug for all of us.

Skull/Crossbones...

I was watching Janet being interviewed by Piers Morgan and he was commenting on her skulls jewelry. I kinda rolled my eyes because I'm often critcised for wearing skull and crossbones motif. Janet had her reasons, and I have mine, which I am about to share.
The skull represents a few things to me. One, it reminds me of remaining empty. I don't mean "empty" in a bubbleairhead sense. I mean "empty" in the sense that you cannot fill what is already full. How can you learn when you know everything? They remind me to be open.
Another thing they represent to me is death, obviously (again, empty) but with the promise of rebirth, like winter into spring. With decay will eventually come growth. Things die and are reborn.
The big thing they represent to me is pirates. Yup--I said it-- pirates. Bear with me...
Thievery, scurvy, and killing aside, pirates that we were told stories about were cunning, clever and creative when they had to be. They knew how to beat the system that doomed many to fail. They took chances and went against the grain. They were the outcasts, the ragtag bunch that people looked down upon, and pulled themselves up and did what they had to do. It may not always have been right, but they did SOMETHING.
They took destiny into their own hands and they made something happen. They made a society for themselves.

They had the skull and crossbones to show they were dangerous and deadly...but to me it represents freedom. Once you decide to grab your destiny and change your life, go against everything you were taught and programmed, to stop waiting for someone to help you and you just DIY--as far as I am concerned, you, my friend, are a pirate. Yo-freakin'-ho.
The minute you decide to not have your life dictated to you and to live it as you see fit no matter who likes it, you have joined the ranx of piracy...just not in the sense that you are stealing and wreaking havoc.
Or maybe you are.
Maybe you're stealing your life back. Maybe you're wreaking havoc on a suffocating system that wants you to die and would chew you up and spit you out and have your guts for garters. Maybe you are making the best waves, and sailing them for all they are worth. If this is you, my pirate hat's off to you.
So...that's why I wear 'em...that's what they mean to me.
Sorry for the lack of eloquence on this-- I was just jotting down a random thought...

Repost of a Blog on HHS

Something I wrote on Hip-Hop Sisters...

So, yeh. I haven't been here much because I just couldn't get ahold of a consistent connection to save my bloody life, but I have one now...so maybe I can stop lurking so much and say a little more.
Also, I've been going thru quite a bit lately, balancing raising my cubs and recording and battling building management and staying sane...it ain't always pretty, but I get it done.
But, it loox like the fruits of my labour will be shared soon: my first effort is looking at a March release. I'm signed to a small DIY label and I'm just happy I get to share my organised chaotic noise with someone.
I will never profess to being the deffest femcee ever (did I just say that?). It's just the medium with which I have always expressed myself, besides writing, and angry stressed-out photoshop manipulation.There is, I notice, a lot of pressure to be "THAT" girl...but I'm just another rapper, just like there are singers enough to throw a stick at, I'm part of the femcee ranx. I'm not playing house; this is what I do. I just do it differently.
The album is more...dance oriented than I expected it to be (I will be honest and say it wasn't planned that way at all; I just kinda followed where the trax took me). There are, however, a few more rhyme-based tracks there...some w/no catchy singing hooks (thank God/dess because my singing blows, LOL) and some funny interludes...I even delve into some Japanese at some point. The thing that makes this genuine is that it does explore my influences, gives you a glimpse into my personality(ies), and hopefully allows the listener to have some fun, which is partially what I was hoping for. I love to dance, so I wrote dance stuff. I'm cartoonish, so you'll hear cartoonish trax. I have insecurities, so you'll see that too.
I know there are some people that I am automatically gonna get compared to, but I can't help that. I can only show you how I'm different from them, continue to follow my creative path, and come up with more content. I'm not trying to change the world, just trying to create some stuff. I know people are gonna dismiss my shxt as disposable pop, but I had to actually classify myself in the pop category primarily w/hip-hop second, because where else would it go, really, w/all that dance stuff? LOL... I haven't even begun to touch all I wanna do. I guess that will have to wait for next project or exclusive online releases (hint hint). I set out to have fun on this, and I did, contrary to my collaborators' opinions at times. You'll see the deeper parts later, for sure.

There was a time during all this that I admit I was skeptical. I am a product of the "I-do-not-believe-shxt-until-I-see-it" philosophy; I admit it. There have been many times I have been told that I was the next big thing (sure), that my time had come (right), and that I was gonna blow up (uh-huh). My tendency to not be arrogant about my abilities kinda damps that down too much for me to get a swelled head on such things. There have been people that said they were gonna do this or that for me, and didn't follow thru for whatever reason...I have been so close to a "deal" I could almost touch it...but no dice. So I just learned to wait (and, totally said "I don't give a fxck anymore about a record deal"--and meant it, LOL) until I actually see something that loox promising, like this does. But even then, I don't get too excited. Perhaps it's a defence mech.
At this point, I'm just happy to be committing something to "wax", as it were. Something tangible that people can actually hold in their hands and listen to. Something that can actually open doors to other things. Maybe even get me and my cubs the hell outta this freakin' neighbourhood and into a place where we can all breathe. I can dream, can't I? LOL
I'm excited and happy cuz there are people who are actually waiting to hear something else from me, besides what they find online. They are who I did this for. If other people like it, yay, good shxt. I have my fears and insecurities: I won't be taken seriously, people will hate it, people (especially my own) will think I'm too weird, hip-hop purists will think I'm contributing to the problem by not talking about anything conscious, per se, the alt community is gonna be pissed at me if I go mainstream, EVERYONE is gonna be pissed at me if I go mainstream, people will auto assume I'm biting off of someone else, blah, blah, blah. It's easy to say that if I have haters, I'm doing something right. I have always had haters just cuz I am who I am, and always will. It is a vulnerable place to be. But, at the same time, it's also empowering in that my vision of who I am and what I choose to be is strong enough to survive all that negativity. I tend to not conform by default. (I may compromise a bit, but if it's totally against what I believe in, fxck that.) I will not go so far as to say everysinglething I've done/worn/tried I came up with; I just know what I like, and I throw things together and hope it sticks. DIY...it's always been my way. If I can't buy/find/collaborate with it, I figure it out on my own.
Okay, enough sharing for now. I do hope that people do dig on this, and can look past their first impressions and see my truth. It'll be interesting to see where this leads.
I stand by my promise yawl, that I tweeted so long ago: "I'll do nothing less than be true to myself and who I am. I won't put on airs. You will get GATA straight-no-chaser."

Happy Birthday, JMJ

When I learned you were gone, I cried like I lost my best friend. I wish you were still with us. You gave us some great music, and unforgettable sound. You were a pioneer, an innovator, a trailblazer, and an inspiration. I will never forget you. The hip-hop culture is in your debt and is poorer without your presence.
We love you, Jay! Happy Birthday, and rest well.--<3, GATA, 1-21-11

Getting Close to the End/ On Santa's Myth...

So... another year is coming to a close, and I'm due to bake and cook and be Domestic Goddyss; Punk Rhyma today, LOL. Amidst all the prepping to make it yet another special holiday for my new little glaring/clan, I'm finishing up my album. It's been slow going, as it seems that EVERYTHING is trying to get in my way, but it is coming together quite nicely, and the more time I spend working w/my brother, the more inspired I get--which is good! I admit have some concerns that my 1st effort will sound a little commercial (eek), but I can only blame that on where the Universe took me w/some of the songs. I didn't write or dumb it down for anyone to guarantee myself and my team a slew of hits, I just followed the path PoppaRAzi's trax led me, and the ideas we came up with. I know I am staying true to myself and my brand, in that I am making "an eclectic style that runs the gamut from danceable ear candy to mind-searing aggression". So you can't say you weren't warned! You really cannot get more hip-hop than staying true to who you are. Run-DMC did it w/ "Walk This Way"...they took the gamble and it paid off for them. They stayed true because they really did use the first few bars of "Walk This Way" (the break beat) when they used to rhyme in the park; they just expanded on it at the urging of Rick Rubin. They were among the first--if not the first-- to use hardcore guitar riffs in hip-hop and make it more of a rock sound...but I digress.
If you hear more "mind-searing aggression" on my next effort, DO NOT run around bxtching about "GATA sold out!" -- cuz I totally didn't. I just decided to show you my shadow. I am a lot of things...I don't subscribe to any one label. You will see a lot of stuff from me, because I was exposed to a lot of different things growing up...and I'm simply utilising ALL my influences. I don't think there's anything wrong w/that. If it felt like I was doing something that wasn't "me", I'd have to put down pen and mic and leave. I wouldn't even bother because it wouldn't be fair to you, me, or anyone. I will never give you anything less than what I am if I can help it. I love to dance and have fun, I love my boyfriend w/a passion, and I have a lot of issues and insecurities I deal w/ thru music. These are a lot of what you will hear...and in some cases from a slightly exaggerated or extreme POV (I'll explain later; I can't really get into it before the album's released). It's not at my expense, it's just to tell the story, but it does come from a genuine place in my life.
Anyway...I'm having a great time recording. And I'm totally squeeked! I can't wait to share it w/you. I hope you like it.

Now, the holidays: I've trimmed my tree (fresh. Love fresh trees, and it's been awhile since I had one), I'm cooking my ass off today and tom'w. 20 lb bird going in the oven tonight for sure. I'm doing my trad of making cookies and decorating them w/my cubs, and we celebrate all month because December is special. My oldest cub was born in December, I found the love of my life in December, and most of my life lessons are learned in December, when I take inventory. I really am tripped on far I've come.
My brain's on overdrive too-- people just keep setting off my tendency to think hard and go off on storms. I've had storms on anything from Beyonce's cover of "You Oughta Know" to...well, this. Recently, one of my buddies on Facebook asked in her status what age was appropriate to tell her kids there was no Santa Claus. I saw some appalling answers that seemed to reflect selfishness, and some good ones. I offered up how I handled it:
"I told my son at about six or seven that Santa was more of a concept than a person...that was why there were people dressed as him in stores and on street corners and such. I told him he was the physical representation of philanthropy and kindness, and that these qualities could shine through any person at any time. One yr he had written to Santa and a few days later these women from like, East Hanover showed up w/all this awesome stuff for him. Illustrated my point perfectly. I told him most parents were automatic Santas...and that giving was more important than getting...worked for me. (^_~)"
I notice a lot of people disgusted w/this time of year, due to mass consumerism and what have you...people are still in the "whoever dies w/the most/best toys wins" mentality. One person was saying how Jesus and Santa were a "conflict of interest". What?! I disagree. I sort of addressed it here. I was answering the above buddy about the "house-w/-no-chimneys" obstacle Santa would face... but then, of course, brain kicked in and off I went:

"The movie "The Santa Clause" does a great explanation of how Santa supposedly does what he does, even in homes w/no chimneys, LOL... I was really impressed w/ how they handled the mythos of Santa's rounds. It was brilliant, creative screenwriting at best, but a nightmare for parents whose kids are hardcore Santa freaks!
I don't think that Santa represents consumerism and the evils of the season...most people seem to think he does. Blame that on the department stores and advertising. The Father Christmas/Sinterklaas story is as old as it gets, but he always gave and gave and gave. The only stupid part of the myth is the coal/beatings thing. And if I'm not mistaken, as far as the image of Santa that everyone is used to seeing (red gear/black belt ensemble), that was invented by Coca-Cola. Lemme check...
Yup, totally Coke's fault, LOL. That's prolly the only commercial bastardization treatment he received. Funny how things catch on...
I only believe the myth's good for teaching that it's good to give, even if you get nothing in return, though some would argue that Santa gets mad cookies and milk and crap...LOL. But think about it. Santa just gives and gives, and he's about love and children...it is possible to instill those traits in children w/o making them believe in a "myth". I think the image just makes it easier and more fun for them."

Of course, this was just my opinion. YMMV. I can't say I share in the belief of "Jesus is the reason for the season" because I was taught otherwise. But my dad said it really wasn't important when He was born (people were talking about when it really was). "He could have been born in summertime," he said. "The thing is, he came and said what he needed to say and did what he needed to do. He left his message...and the world changed. That's what's important." He's right (he often is).

I always thought it was fun to imagine that Santa was some young hockey-playing dude that used technology to his advantage, LOL...some alcohol company gave us a "Meet Klaus" campaign a few years ago and I thought that was so funny for some reason. He was a younger hipster Santa. Hilarious...

I am hoping this year that everyone has the holiday they deserve, whatever you celebrate. I hope each of you sees Santa in another person, and that you can play Santa to someone else. We've seen/done a lot of that this season, and it's beautiful. I love this time of year because you can feel the good energy more than the bad, and it is infectious when you do feel it. I wish people could be this compassionate and altruistic all year. That's what Santa's myth is about, and that is what makes him seem real.
Have the happiest of holidays, everyone. Make the most of what you have, share with others if you're able, and enjoy yourselves. Love each other.
And for corn's sake-- unplug your damned lights at night before you go to bed! I don't know how people sleep at night w/o doing that--I'd be afraid of a short or something. Be safe!