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!

Call For Producers....

Hey ya.
I'm guessing by now you might've figured out I'm not yer standard hip-hop chyck...I have waaaaaaaaaaaaay too many influences for that, and I'm in want of some more variety.
I need trax that go all over the place. I specifically want reggaeton on purpose, but it has to be different than what is on the radio.
I need something w/a punk/ska flavour. If you dunno what that is, No Doubt and Madness are a good place to begin. But--BUT it has to sound hip-hop too...elements from the culture. I also want some stuff that will keep people moving.
I want something w/a Jazzy Bains feeling, some bellydance stuff, some Ting Tings stuff. Some stuff like you'd hear off of SSX3. Benny Benassi stuff...yet still sounding hip-hop and funky!
I could also use some remixes of the current stuff. Techno, dubstep, industrial, darkwave, rock, whatever. What do you hear? How do you think you can improve on it? I wanna hear it too!
So...anyone up for the challenge? Mail me or catch me on Twitter. I'd love to hear from you. Srsly!!

A Post For Future Reference...

I'm just gonna say this, so it's documented and folx can come back and view b4 they come w/criticism:

I don't have vacuous lyrics, but I'm not gonna be deep/heavy all the time either.

Not gonna market my t&a to you... but I'm not nunning up cuz s/one thinx I should.

I'm not and will never claim to be squeaky clean/wholesome, but I'm not/won't be the slutspawn of satan.

I'm the Naughty Kitti but I am a person with a good heart and a conscience. You can't box me. Don't try.

Expect a broad spectrum from me. I might make you dance and 4get your troub for a bit....the next I'll be dropping message bombs and intellectual land mines. I'm weird like that.

And while I may stand out visually, and come off toon that is not to be read "coon" or "buffoon". Don't get "Bamboozled".

Some of you may like me, some of you will hate me. But all of you CAN--not "will" or "should"-- respect me because 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. 

Except when I'm portraying a character or having to lipsynch or s/thing due to dance-heavy. Then all bets are off . (^_^)

That said... I will do my best to honestly entertain you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I plan to.

I Love My Freakin' Hair...Get OVER It Already!

Don't get me wrong--I'm hoping yawl read past the title of this and see what I'm really about to say.
There is a video that has gone viral from the geniuses at Sesame Street, featuring a girl of colour singing her heart out about how she loves her hair.



The first I heard of it was this news report, and it made me smile. I loved that this man loved his daughter so much, he came up with a way, through his work , to show his little girl that her hair is beautiful just the way it is. I tracked it down and downloaded it for my little Grrl Cub (who at this point could care less that the Muppet loves her hair, she just cares that it's a Muppet), and so my whole family could see it. I am surprised at the strength of my feelings about this. I wish that something like this had been around when I was a Gatita. Had there been, perhaps I wouldn't have ever chemically altered my hair within an inch of its life, I dunno. Perhaps my mami wouldn't have ever taken me to the salon to get it done for the convenience and ease of styling it (for her). I thought it was a brilliant masterstroke from the head writer, Joey Mazzarino. Sesame Street has always been a game changer, from how children were taught, to how the death of a loved one should be dealt with. They have always had the balls to change the game. And they're doing it again...and people are pissed.

The main complaint I am hearing is that Sesame Street shouldn't have made it a "race thing", that it should've been a message for everyone with kinky hair. What these people fail to realise is that the song was mainly made for a little girl who didn't like her hair...a little AFRICAN girl.

 Go back and read the article, watch the news segment, and the video. I'll wait.

I can't believe how many people are bugging over this. I actually commented on a story featuring it, because I was so fed up w/the ignorance--the literally "not-knowing-ness" of those who just didn't get it:

For those of you "concerned" about this being a message geared towards ONLY African-American girls, I think you ought to see the backstory on why this song and video happened to begin with:
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/sesame-street-writer-inspired-daughter-creates-love-hair/story?id=11908940
For those of you that can't view that...Joey Mazzarino is a longtime Sesame Street writer, and he and his wife adopted a girl from Ethiopia. And like many of us girls with Afro-textured hair, she was bombarded w/images of Barbie and women with straight hair, which in this society, is deemed the beauty standard. She wondered why her hair wasn't straight, and she wanted hair like that to the point her father decided to make something for her to show her that her hair is beautiful the way it is. And it worked, according to him. She no longer feels that way. So, technically, YES--it WAS made for someone w/ Afro-textured hair, but ended up being a universal message for ANYONE WHO CAN IDENTIFY WITH IT. I think many of us would agree that if this segment had been around when we were in our formative years, we would have accepted our hair as is and learned to love it...like Joey's daughter.
For God's sake, stop getting all hung up on who it's aimed at and accept the message? Please?

Even after writing that, people still were bent on "it shouldn't be limited to black girls--it should be for everyone!" Whatever! What I said above is how I really feel on the subject. Yes, it was made for someone with Afro-textured hair. SFW?! If you can identify w/the message because you have bad unruly kinky hair, is it really such a big deal to you that it wasn't a little Latina/Jewish/Caucasian Muppet singing the damned song?
The only reason why it was a (presumably) African-American Muppet is because Joey's daughter needed someone who looked like her that she could identify with. Gawd. Get OVER it.
The ultimate message is: LOVE WHO THE HELL YOU ARE. Hair and all. Take it, drink it in, use it, and have a nice frosty bowl of STFU. Quityerbxtchin.



And in case you're wondering...yup--I have hair under my synthlox. And it is natural. Why the synthlox, you ask? I like them...end of story. I love that I can make my hair just about any colour--and I like my wild colours....I can do this w/o damaging it. I'm always changing it because I get bored easily. For some reason, I feel really at home in the synthlox. I get laughed at-- I got laughed at before by people when I wanted to install them ten years ago, only to see the same people go and get loc extensions themselves. It's okay, though. I don't wear them for anyone but myself.
Right now, I'm into this look... and growing my natural hair--which is to my shoulders when pulled taut--out underneath. Maybe someday I'll run around w/it permanently. Maybe I'll put a texturiser through it (it really hurts to comb my hair sometimes, LOL, and I can get it to still look Afro while making it easier on my comb). Who knows? Who cares? It's my freakin' hair...and I do love it.

I.A.I.R.A Nod....

I had NO idea about this, LOL...just found out: 

"The International Association of Independent Recording Artists, IAIRA, recognizes and honors artistic achievement, technical proficiency, and overall excellence in sound recording by monitoring chart activity as published in various reporting charts from around the world. According to our research, on 09/16/2010 the above referenced release; I Feel U, by ThaGataNegrra, had attained The Number 5 Position on at least one of the charts monitored and verified by IAIRA. On the basis of that research, IAIRA has qualified the aforementioned release as eligible for Certification as an International 'Top 10'." 

NICE!! I'll take it! LOL

Yes--I Know What It Means...Duh.

I was asked why the word "otaku" was used in "GataNegrraotaku", when the meaning is derogatory-- especially in Japan, and when Westerners use it ignorant of its meaning. Well, frankly... I wasn't the one who came up w/it entirely; it was kind of an inside joke.

The fan group founder (who, by the way, is Japanese) and I were sitting around shooting the shxt and talking about how Adam Warren had used that word in an issue of Dirty Pair where there was a Dirty Pair convention, calling the fans KYOtaku. We thought that was funny, since "otaku" is the honorific for house, but in Japan it means basically, you have such an obsession, hobby, or whatever that you don't leave your house... and therefore you are kind of a loser. We thought that it was cute how Western kids were trying to reclaim it as a positive thing, tho' if you went to Japan, they would prolly laugh your ass right out of the building or shake their heads in reproach and pity at the stupid "gaijin" (or "kokujin" in my case). At first we were using it in conjunction w/another project I was involved in (and thank God/dess I'm not anymore), but later just used it for me. We knew full well what we were doing. We figured that the fans I did have were totally in the closet, and prolly on the DL...there seemed to be so few of them. We imagined guys eating ramen and checking out gore shots of me and fun indie movies, buying pics, watching my lipsynchs, etc., and possibly never leaving the house. Ever. Why? Because it wasn't cule to be a fan of ThaGataNegrra for various reasons (she's fat, she's weird, she's crazy, she's lame; pick one and go w/it). Why even show your face? So, we also decided to claim it in irony. We thought the very idea was hilarious.

On the GNOtaku page on my former site, I just simplified the "dictionary" meaning: "Japanese colloquial term meaning 'obsessed fan' (which is what they said in the Dirty Pair mag, I might add); formerly used in a pejorative manner, but now accepted amongst otaku in an attempt to claim it in a positive light." Which is true, especially here. We also reasoned that there were people who were proud to be GNOtaku, that it was cule to be uncule, and basically nerds rule the world because w/o them I wouldn't be writing a blog on a computer that runs on electricity, now would I? W/o nerds, we'd be in the stone age, and totally not entertained at all. Geeks, nerds, and yes, otaku are good things. Who wouldn't be proud? But who'd admit it? Very few people...which is why the first GNOtaku slogan was "The Few and Proud", also a joke and homage to the Marines, LOL. We had a contest recently to change it because, hello? Trademark infringement much? LOL...

We absolutely knew what we were doing, believe me. I still think it's a funny, albeit true, joke. I am uncule...and to a lot of people, that makes me very cule because I choose to be who I am. The same can't be said for many people: I have been told by such folx I'm brave and whatnot for doing so; that I have balls. W'ever. I'm not trying to go out of my way to do it...never did. I just was/am that way. It's not a big deal.

So...the name GataNegrraotaku sticks. I'm not trying to insult anyone. In a way it's self-deprecating; in another it's saying "fxck you-- I'm fxcking proud to be lame!" Either way, I think I'll keep it.
Besides...it rolls off the tongue so nicely! (~_^)

Public Service Announcement....

To all those who think me an imitator and not an innovator...
To all those who label me "wannabe" as opposed to "gonna be"...
To those who think I will just sit and take shxt when I could go and break shxt...
To those who think they are my left hand knowing what my right hand is doing...
To all the haters, naysayers, deserters, nonbelievers, fakes, phonies, assholes, liars, judgmental dicks and outright pussies...
and anyone else who is on my shxt list...