ok ,really times have changed,where was i 1992 was in secondary school,computers still felt like sci-fi(at least in Nigeria) except my father's hand held casio and now things have gone far beyond my imagination,tried playing catch up a couple of times picking up all technologies along the way,hey i did not even go beyond play station one,to get involved in an rpg on wii right now will set back my productivity by 10 years.
Thank God for his small mercies blogging don't cost me that much and with my laptop,really good bandwidth and you tube,i can be locked temporary in a world of contemporary poetry listening to asa's jailer while writing as the muse dictates.
Monster.com is such a monster all i have to do is build one resume and make a million applications,ok maybe not a million,just 100,you never know when i'll get a call(thought it would be easy studying engineering).
Just downloaded 'The matrix' and it cost me just a bit,and thanks to wiki i just found out other titles by keanu reeves i can watch and i also found out that the movie borrowed from concepts of several beliefs including Buddhism, Christianity, Gnosticism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and Atheism.
wiki also has the other cast which i can easily check with imdb for other movies they have made,who is Carrie-Anne Moss ?
i have to go to bed,have to be at work by 7,but first i have to check out my high school crush tosin,wonder what she is up to,is she on face book?
if i had all this as a kid in 1992 would probably be at an internet boot camp,trying to deliver my self from internet information gluttony. oops is my spelling of gluttony right?,let me check,I'll just google it.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
ASA,ASA,ASA,asa,asa,asa,asa
I LOVE ASA,i love asa,i love asa,do you wonder why ?
here is her biography
Asa was born in Paris. Her early life in the City of Light left the little girl with only the
vaguest of (happy) memories, since she was no more than two years old when her family
returned to live in Nigeria. Paris was just one stage in the life of her courageous and hard-
working parents. But her fate was tied up with the city: it was to Paris that Asa returned
twenty years later and where her life as an artist took wing.
Asa grew up in Lagos, a city teeming with people and buzzing with energy but also home to a
deep-rooted spirituality. Islam thrives shoulder to shoulder with Christianity in an atmosphere
of tolerance, the young imitate America, and the turbulent city moves endlessly in an infernal
and yet harmonious ballet of love and hate, laughter and violence, poverty and wealth.
“Lagos is the New York of Nigeria. If you want to get anywhere in music, that’s where you’ll
find the best opportunities, as well as the worst pitfalls.”
Asa was the only girl in the family and had to share her parents, not often present, with three
brothers. At a tender age she began to look after the house during her father and mother’s
frequent absences. That is when Asa started to sing. The desire to sing came to her and didn’t
go away, carving out a permanent place in her soul. So Asa sang her heart out. She preferred
singing to talking, improvising endlessly — until her mother made her stop! Over the years
her father had built up a fine collection of records featuring soul classics and Nigerian music.
The little girl grew up to the sounds of artists including Marvin Gaye, Fela Kuti, Bob Marley,
Aretha Franklin, Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey and Lagbaja and went on to draw inspiration
from them. Asa was a lonely child. The family, her brothers, Africa....and yet: she didn’t fit
into the usual clichés and was often sad, feeling out of place in childhood, even more so in the
world of adolescence. She was different, and music became an escape route as well as a
daydream. Asa would sometimes go to the park with her bothers to sing and dance, but more
often took refuge in an imaginary universe that was her’s alone. Decked out in a wig
borrowed from the maternal treasure chest, a tube of cream serving as her mike, revelling in
the freedom of no one watching her, she sang Michael Jackson and Bob Marley hits and
greeted an imaginary crowd...
“I was a tomboy and when I was a teenager I became very shy because people made fun of
me...in my own way, I was already attracting attention! I got in the habit of never doing
anything like everyone else. People didn’t understand my low-pitched deep voice, the choirs
didn’t want anything to do with me. I had to get to church first if I was to have any chance of
getting near the mike!”
Asa fought back. Against rejection, against the ups and downs of a life where, to achieve what
people call happiness, she had to sacrifice everything. She was twelve when her mother sent
her to one of the best schools in the country. But educational excellence had a bitter taste: five
years of studies and hardship. When she came home, she discovered Erika Badu, D’Angelo,
Rafaël Saadiq, Lauryn Hill, Femi Kuti and Angélique Kidjo, in whose footprints she dreamt
of following. At 18, Asa was very familiar with frustration. The university was on strike, the
choirs were snubbing her. Nevertheless, she managed to get her voice heard on a few radio
talent shows and her first applause brought her boundless pleasure. She then signed up, in
secret, for the Peter King’s School of Music and learnt to play the guitar in 6 months.
Music and independence: Asa was insatiable in her desire to live life to the fullest, to meet
people, to be immersed in music.
Asa, in her own opinion, is not a commercial product and not a sex kitten. But she is
dazzlingly talented and gifted with a will of iron. She began to feel the wind of success
blowing in her direction. A wind strong enough to sweep her away, but that would be
forgetting that Asa does, after all, mean little falcon, a nickname acquired following a running
away incident in childhood. She was offered contracts, concerts and money, but Asa was
determined to make her music just the way she wanted. In 2004 she met her manager, Janet,
who introduced her to Cobhams Emmanuel Asuquo, who in turn became her musical partner.
And enabled Asa, the free spirit, to find her bearings: songs in English and Yoruba, music
falling somewhere between pop and soul, inspired by her musical heritage — with particular
care paid to the melodies — and reflecting the feeling she puts into it. Her texts talk about her
country, the things in life, the things in her life, all delivered with feigned naivety and real
irony.
“I like writing or thinking about my texts on the bus, or the molué, as we call it. 49 seats, 99
passengers standing up, as Fela described it. Everyone’s squashed up together and mini-
dramas break out all the time. And, at the end of the day, we still manage to laugh, that’s
where our strength lies ...”
It was at this stage of her life that Asa finally returned to Paris. This was her chance to test out
her talent on the French musical scene, playing with artists such as the Nubians, Manu
Dibango, Doctor L and Tony Allen. In the meantime, back in Nigeria, her first single, Eyé
Adaba, then Jailer, were beginning to get airtime. MTV chose her as the ambassador for
South Africa, her popularity was growing and, when she went back, she opened for Akon,
John Legend, Beyoncé and Snoop Dogg amongst others.
Asa talks to the people.
“I want my music to touch people. As an African, I want to give hope back to my people, but
also to speak in their name. I want to show the world that something beautiful and positive
can come out of the black continent and inspire young people all over the world.”
Asa soon signed to the Naïve label. Partnered by Cobhams, and with the new involvement of
Christophe Dupouy, she produced a magnificent eponymous album: the music’s grace reflects
its tempo, humour is never far from emotion, the melodies are unstoppable, the young singer’s
voice and energy testify to her enormous talent. The flautist Magic Malik is also featured,
shedding his light on the eleven tracks, where the almost magical simplicity of the way the
melodies get under your skin should not hide the richness of the arrangements: elegant strings,
perfectly placed drums and percussion, guitar — her favourite instrument — along with the
Hammond organ playing the field between funk and soul. R&b rubs up against pop, with
reggae also making an appearance on Fire On The Mountain, the first track released from the
album, an impertinent and barely-disguised metaphor for an ignorant and indifferent world.
Anyone who refuses to pay attention to the sparks will have no choice but to run when the fire
breaks out. The fire, it’s the conflicts we neglect because there is no oil at stake, but it’s also
the paedophiles, domestic violence and poverty on your doorstep, and so on. Asa expresses
her bittersweet point of view on the realities that move her in different forms, from daydream
to nose-thumbing to SOS. Her aim is, of course, to transmit positive values, but also to put
words to the things that hurt: Jailer, another highlight of the album, reinterprets the old adage
“you reap what you sow”. This emblematic song with its irresistible refrain opens the album
by denouncing modern slavery in all its forms. Asa combines these committed pieces with
messages of hope: Eye Adaba (dove in Yoruba) where her voice takes on a fragile air to echo
the acoustic guitar, 360, Peace, No One Knows... So Beautiful, a vibrant homage to her
mother, Subway and Bi’Banke which take an original and insightful approach to love, full of
strength and sensitivity. Sensuality intertwines with spirituality, rebellion with wisdom, on an
inspired and optimistic first album. Highly personal and totally universal, Asa’s music will
undoubtedly cross all frontiers, not just geographical, but also those of the heart and soul.
Africa, like the world’s pulse...
Africa, like a troublemaker...
Africa, like a cry of hope ringing in your ears...
Africa, like Asa.
from http://www.naive.fr/sites/asa
her version of the redemption song
360 degrees -lovely yah
here is her biography
Asa was born in Paris. Her early life in the City of Light left the little girl with only the
vaguest of (happy) memories, since she was no more than two years old when her family
returned to live in Nigeria. Paris was just one stage in the life of her courageous and hard-
working parents. But her fate was tied up with the city: it was to Paris that Asa returned
twenty years later and where her life as an artist took wing.
Asa grew up in Lagos, a city teeming with people and buzzing with energy but also home to a
deep-rooted spirituality. Islam thrives shoulder to shoulder with Christianity in an atmosphere
of tolerance, the young imitate America, and the turbulent city moves endlessly in an infernal
and yet harmonious ballet of love and hate, laughter and violence, poverty and wealth.
“Lagos is the New York of Nigeria. If you want to get anywhere in music, that’s where you’ll
find the best opportunities, as well as the worst pitfalls.”
Asa was the only girl in the family and had to share her parents, not often present, with three
brothers. At a tender age she began to look after the house during her father and mother’s
frequent absences. That is when Asa started to sing. The desire to sing came to her and didn’t
go away, carving out a permanent place in her soul. So Asa sang her heart out. She preferred
singing to talking, improvising endlessly — until her mother made her stop! Over the years
her father had built up a fine collection of records featuring soul classics and Nigerian music.
The little girl grew up to the sounds of artists including Marvin Gaye, Fela Kuti, Bob Marley,
Aretha Franklin, Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey and Lagbaja and went on to draw inspiration
from them. Asa was a lonely child. The family, her brothers, Africa....and yet: she didn’t fit
into the usual clichés and was often sad, feeling out of place in childhood, even more so in the
world of adolescence. She was different, and music became an escape route as well as a
daydream. Asa would sometimes go to the park with her bothers to sing and dance, but more
often took refuge in an imaginary universe that was her’s alone. Decked out in a wig
borrowed from the maternal treasure chest, a tube of cream serving as her mike, revelling in
the freedom of no one watching her, she sang Michael Jackson and Bob Marley hits and
greeted an imaginary crowd...
“I was a tomboy and when I was a teenager I became very shy because people made fun of
me...in my own way, I was already attracting attention! I got in the habit of never doing
anything like everyone else. People didn’t understand my low-pitched deep voice, the choirs
didn’t want anything to do with me. I had to get to church first if I was to have any chance of
getting near the mike!”
Asa fought back. Against rejection, against the ups and downs of a life where, to achieve what
people call happiness, she had to sacrifice everything. She was twelve when her mother sent
her to one of the best schools in the country. But educational excellence had a bitter taste: five
years of studies and hardship. When she came home, she discovered Erika Badu, D’Angelo,
Rafaël Saadiq, Lauryn Hill, Femi Kuti and Angélique Kidjo, in whose footprints she dreamt
of following. At 18, Asa was very familiar with frustration. The university was on strike, the
choirs were snubbing her. Nevertheless, she managed to get her voice heard on a few radio
talent shows and her first applause brought her boundless pleasure. She then signed up, in
secret, for the Peter King’s School of Music and learnt to play the guitar in 6 months.
Music and independence: Asa was insatiable in her desire to live life to the fullest, to meet
people, to be immersed in music.
Asa, in her own opinion, is not a commercial product and not a sex kitten. But she is
dazzlingly talented and gifted with a will of iron. She began to feel the wind of success
blowing in her direction. A wind strong enough to sweep her away, but that would be
forgetting that Asa does, after all, mean little falcon, a nickname acquired following a running
away incident in childhood. She was offered contracts, concerts and money, but Asa was
determined to make her music just the way she wanted. In 2004 she met her manager, Janet,
who introduced her to Cobhams Emmanuel Asuquo, who in turn became her musical partner.
And enabled Asa, the free spirit, to find her bearings: songs in English and Yoruba, music
falling somewhere between pop and soul, inspired by her musical heritage — with particular
care paid to the melodies — and reflecting the feeling she puts into it. Her texts talk about her
country, the things in life, the things in her life, all delivered with feigned naivety and real
irony.
“I like writing or thinking about my texts on the bus, or the molué, as we call it. 49 seats, 99
passengers standing up, as Fela described it. Everyone’s squashed up together and mini-
dramas break out all the time. And, at the end of the day, we still manage to laugh, that’s
where our strength lies ...”
It was at this stage of her life that Asa finally returned to Paris. This was her chance to test out
her talent on the French musical scene, playing with artists such as the Nubians, Manu
Dibango, Doctor L and Tony Allen. In the meantime, back in Nigeria, her first single, Eyé
Adaba, then Jailer, were beginning to get airtime. MTV chose her as the ambassador for
South Africa, her popularity was growing and, when she went back, she opened for Akon,
John Legend, Beyoncé and Snoop Dogg amongst others.
Asa talks to the people.
“I want my music to touch people. As an African, I want to give hope back to my people, but
also to speak in their name. I want to show the world that something beautiful and positive
can come out of the black continent and inspire young people all over the world.”
Asa soon signed to the Naïve label. Partnered by Cobhams, and with the new involvement of
Christophe Dupouy, she produced a magnificent eponymous album: the music’s grace reflects
its tempo, humour is never far from emotion, the melodies are unstoppable, the young singer’s
voice and energy testify to her enormous talent. The flautist Magic Malik is also featured,
shedding his light on the eleven tracks, where the almost magical simplicity of the way the
melodies get under your skin should not hide the richness of the arrangements: elegant strings,
perfectly placed drums and percussion, guitar — her favourite instrument — along with the
Hammond organ playing the field between funk and soul. R&b rubs up against pop, with
reggae also making an appearance on Fire On The Mountain, the first track released from the
album, an impertinent and barely-disguised metaphor for an ignorant and indifferent world.
Anyone who refuses to pay attention to the sparks will have no choice but to run when the fire
breaks out. The fire, it’s the conflicts we neglect because there is no oil at stake, but it’s also
the paedophiles, domestic violence and poverty on your doorstep, and so on. Asa expresses
her bittersweet point of view on the realities that move her in different forms, from daydream
to nose-thumbing to SOS. Her aim is, of course, to transmit positive values, but also to put
words to the things that hurt: Jailer, another highlight of the album, reinterprets the old adage
“you reap what you sow”. This emblematic song with its irresistible refrain opens the album
by denouncing modern slavery in all its forms. Asa combines these committed pieces with
messages of hope: Eye Adaba (dove in Yoruba) where her voice takes on a fragile air to echo
the acoustic guitar, 360, Peace, No One Knows... So Beautiful, a vibrant homage to her
mother, Subway and Bi’Banke which take an original and insightful approach to love, full of
strength and sensitivity. Sensuality intertwines with spirituality, rebellion with wisdom, on an
inspired and optimistic first album. Highly personal and totally universal, Asa’s music will
undoubtedly cross all frontiers, not just geographical, but also those of the heart and soul.
Africa, like the world’s pulse...
Africa, like a troublemaker...
Africa, like a cry of hope ringing in your ears...
Africa, like Asa.
from http://www.naive.fr/sites/asa
her version of the redemption song
360 degrees -lovely yah
Saturday, November 17, 2007
AYO LIVE in france......
stumbled on her on youtube thought i should share,think i love the vocals and excellent mood,would not mind a girl singing this to me lol......
check her official web site-http://ayomusic.artistes.universalmusic.fr/
check her official web site-http://ayomusic.artistes.universalmusic.fr/
black is good,white is evil
For a while i have been reading about a lot of racist remarks
on the web and on the papers for instance a statement made by james watson
which he told the sunday times.
Dr Watson told The Sunday Times that he was "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" because "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours – whereas all the testing says not really". He said there was a natural desire that all human beings should be equal but "people who have to deal with black employees find this not true".
and a lot of stuff by some other chaps who claim the black race has invented nothing and are a lazy bunch.
personally i think all men where born equal,but into different circumstances which help in shaping or determining what they would become.
history still claims that civilization started in egypt which is in africa,when egypt was run by a group of blacks or a dark skinned race, before the present arabs ever got there,history has also mentioned great black cities such as ethopia and timbuktu and great generals such as hannibal(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannibal) and shaka zulu(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka_Zulu).
There have been several nobel prize winners who were black,one to note is wole soyinka (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wole_soyinka) who got the nobel prize for literature and a notable scientist is Philip Emeagwali (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Emeagwali) and the list goes on
It hurts when every one brands africans as lazy and as crooks when some of the greatest crooks of all times where caucastians,i mean look at al capone,or why dont we check out who invented weed or cocaine or stuffs like that .
there have also been some time in caucastian history where they where regarded as poor and improvished asides that ,there still are some poor caucastion countries that require aid today,so i wonder why africa is so bad.
that is not to say that there are no bad people in africa,there are ,but i want to stress that these people are not bad cause they are black.
on the web and on the papers for instance a statement made by james watson
which he told the sunday times.
Dr Watson told The Sunday Times that he was "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" because "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours – whereas all the testing says not really". He said there was a natural desire that all human beings should be equal but "people who have to deal with black employees find this not true".
and a lot of stuff by some other chaps who claim the black race has invented nothing and are a lazy bunch.
personally i think all men where born equal,but into different circumstances which help in shaping or determining what they would become.
history still claims that civilization started in egypt which is in africa,when egypt was run by a group of blacks or a dark skinned race, before the present arabs ever got there,history has also mentioned great black cities such as ethopia and timbuktu and great generals such as hannibal(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannibal) and shaka zulu(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka_Zulu).
There have been several nobel prize winners who were black,one to note is wole soyinka (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wole_soyinka) who got the nobel prize for literature and a notable scientist is Philip Emeagwali (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Emeagwali) and the list goes on
It hurts when every one brands africans as lazy and as crooks when some of the greatest crooks of all times where caucastians,i mean look at al capone,or why dont we check out who invented weed or cocaine or stuffs like that .
there have also been some time in caucastian history where they where regarded as poor and improvished asides that ,there still are some poor caucastion countries that require aid today,so i wonder why africa is so bad.
that is not to say that there are no bad people in africa,there are ,but i want to stress that these people are not bad cause they are black.
resurrection
been damn,bizzy,lazy,reading,worrying,in combinations and apart so the blog lost out,but guess im back,hoping to be a bit more fun and focused and trying so hard to work at google,ah it dont matter,below is one video that blew my mind the moment i saw it's nijas own asa..................................
so what do you think,would love comments,gives me that lauren hill,tracy chapman feel,i love this song,dont know about you...
so what do you think,would love comments,gives me that lauren hill,tracy chapman feel,i love this song,dont know about you...
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