What are you Invested in?

I recently completed an 8 month development program at work.  The commitment, the tears, the dedication, and most importantly, the work have been well worth the effort.  I have grown so much in the past months at my job, professionally and personally.  I can say it has been one of the most important INVESTMENTS I’ve made in a while.

The best investment we could ever make is in ourselves.  I have heard so many people complain about not getting ahead in life because of prior mistakes, FEAR, and ignorance of resources.  In a discussion that I attended, the panelists spoke out about resources that are available in our communities on a local, state, and federal level.  The problem, they said, is that most people don’t show up to events to get the knowledge and tools being offered, for free in most cases.  “Housing Fair”, “Grow Your Business”, “Gain Financial Literacy”, etc….Most of the time when people see events like this, they never attend.  We don’t want to take the time on a Saturday morning to learn about government grants for small business, learn how to manage our debt, the steps needed buy a home, and other services that are offered.  I bet if you got an email saying that your favorite store had a 50% sale at 8am or that you could get into the club free until 11pm that you would be the first in line! (#Hello).  After you purchase those new shoes or party all night, what have you gained the next day? How has your value improved?  By no means, am I perfect and everyday I struggle to make these decisions.  Believe me, sometimes I’d rather shop or hang out then go to a boring seminar or class! At the end of the day, material possessions fade away with the seasons.  But if you have a solid foundation of knowledge, you’ll be able to conquer your biggest dreams!  Read books, talk to your elders, go to those free courses you may see advertised at your job or school and educate yourself!  There are plenty of resources available to build your wealth, you just have to ask about them and seek the information.  When you invest in yourself, others will gain from your knowledge and understanding.  Go INVEST in something today!  Here are a few tips to help you get started below:

Tips to Invest in Yourself

           

-GrannyBee

Radio B Interview/Listening party

It’s a Thursday night around 11:30pm.  Nickelus F and an 18 year old producer by the name of Cashby are sitting in front an iMac with headphones on, head bopping to the music only they can hear.  They are busy putting the final touches on RVA’s own Radio B’s upcoming album “Whole Foods” that releases on Tuesday, Nov 12, 2013.  We’re in the “War Room”, Radio B’s home studio.  A mic, keyboard, desk, and a lamp decorate the interior of the room but it’s the soul and creativity within these walls that gives the “War Room” its character.  Radio B and Nickelus F are eager to talk about their upcoming projects. 

“Whole Foods” is the album dropping on Tuesday.  The concept “started as a short EP project.  Vintage golden era 90s sound and heavy beats.  I have new producers involved,” says Radio B.  “It’s organic, nourishing, food for thought, no preservatives; pure music…gets back to the basics of why I started rapping”.  On this album, Radio B reached out to about 20 local Richmond, VA artists to participate in a cipher, which is broken up into 3 parts on the album.  Radio B also names Nickelus F as the biggest driving creative force, producing and mixing a large portion of “Whole Foods”. Listeners can expect features from Nickelus along with the legendary DJ Lonnie B and Michael Millions.  Radio B also reached out to 18 year old VCU freshman Cashby for production whom he met backstage at a Joey Badass concert.   Other producers include OhBliv, Stoop Kid, the duo Trac-qaeda, and NameBrand, who produced the title track.  “Mostly all of his prior, known music was done by me, but this is a great, dope project. I was able to be a fan, only producing one track”, NameBrand says.

It’s obvious that Nickelus and Radio B have a strong connection, like brothers.  The two have been friends for the last 10 years, meeting at an event hosted by DJ Lonnie B.  “We’re kindred spirits as far as music…it’s always respect, a foundation built on the talent.  We’ve grown together, did shows up and down the east and west coast, lived, and fought together,” Radio says, speaking on their relationship.  “I won the rap battle that night, by the way. But Nickelus wasn’t in it”.  Turning the conversation to Nickelus F, he speaks on his upcoming projects: “I put out Vices, Petey Petey, and Yellowgold 2 this year… I’m focusing on visuals for all of my projects, doing shows, and I’m releasing an album the top of 2014”.  So I ask, is he trying to go mainstream, after all the success he’s had? “I would like to be as successful as possible; but I like where I’m at.  Took me a while to find my voice and what direction I wanted to be.  The goal is to make every song as popular as possible”, says Nickelus F.  “I just want to make bunch of money, some how, some way”.  He plans to make physical copies of his recent work, putting it on cassette tapes by the end of this year.  Both Radio B and Nickelus F are surprised of my reference to Raekwon’s critically acclaimed Purple Tape!

Radio B seems to be surrounded by positive energy all the time.  As he puts it, “We’re just a group of talented friends… We have a list of commandments with the number 1 rule being that none of our issues are public”.  His mantra is “Live Good, Be Great”.  As he explains it, it is “something that people can apply to their own lives.  Every individual can relate to it… I want to inspire and motivate people”.  As far as his vision for “Whole Foods” Radio B just wants to expand his audience independently and generate some income.  The album drops Tuesday, November 12, 2013 online at www.radiobmusic.com.  It will also be available in BK music and iTunes soon.  You can get Nickelus F’s music on iTunes and Spotify.  Also, check out clips from the listening party that took place on Saturday, Nov 9 at SneakerBar, Richmond VA.

                       

-GrannyBee

www.radiobmusic.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpeAgG67utk