Mansion Art Show

On Saturday I got the opportunity to be apart of a art/music show at this mansion party which was dope! But Earlier today I was cleaning out a space to make room for my paintings, and it just hit me that I really be out here painting lol I don't look at myself as a painter or artist really it's weird as hell, when I looked at a room full of my artwork I felt like " I did not make this shit" it's like someone else is making it and using my hands, I never planned to be a artist whatsoever, life is weird but I love it. No matter how many times I would stop drawing out of frustration it would always creep back into my life, and I think I'm finally ready to just submit and let creativity take over 📷 : @laurenersk thans!!

Freire Charter School

Today was a Good day! Me and Terrance Vann got a chance to speak to some art students at freire charter school , and it was fun!! Because middle schoolers are old enough to have grown up conversations with, we stayed after class for like 45 minutes just building on hip hop and work ethic, one of the kids said he'd put big daddy Kane and Rakim on his hip hop Mount Rushmore , he's 13!! I really be underestimating younger folk and what I think they listen too. We built on a lot of things and I actually think we inspired them because we were/are them. The whole adult grown up thing is a lie! Lol you just learn more and look older, we are all just trying to figure ourselves out. It's exciting to be around people who still believe in their dreams, don't give up on your self! Souljah boy didn't

We were all looking at different cameras lol
 

DNA Ancestry Results!!!

So this is like a super #tbt cause I found out where my DNA traces back to today! (DNA.ancestry.com) results are in

Africa 76% 
America 1% 
Asia 2% 
Europe 20% 

When I first got the notification that the results were in I was terrified it would say like 60% European or some shit and barely African at all lol because my mom kept trolling me saying "You know you white boy, look how lightskin I am" lol

The crazy part is about 6 years ago I had a dream and I pictured a guy with a stick on a grassy mound and I heard the word murungo (never hear words in my dreams) so I woke up googled and saw that murungo was the name of a God so high you don't even call on him (the book was about the Congo) on that same page I saw the word Zambezi and that's the name my uncle Lem gave my mother when he got out of jail in the 70s he held a naming ceremony and gave everyone a name. So at that point I was like alright bet I'm from the Congo! lol so the fact that , that's the second result on my DNA test is absolutely crazy. Also the 24% Benin/Togo (at one point in time the kingdom of dahomey) well there flag was a elephant with a crown on it, the same uncle Lem was the one that started my mom on collecting brass elephants because he told her they were good luck.(dont really believe in coincidences) he's one of the biggest reasons I create art the way I do, I could say so much but I'm just gonna say trust your ancestors/intuition gut feelings whatever

Overwhelmed with a bunch of good feelings , I'm just really excited to learn as much as possible and incorporate all of this into my artwork and lifestyle as much as possible. I genuinely feel different , I feel like I'm moving with a different kind of power.

 

Capital One Art Display

If you are in Wilmington feel free to stop by Capital One's Oliver Evans gallery on West 11th or Ben Franklin Building on Delaware Avenue @lafategallery and I have some work on display for a bit. It's still bizarre when people show love or recognize my work.

My First Podcast (10 Art Commandments)

Did a podcast today with Shefon Nachelle downtown! Talked about art and Wilmington and flat earth and what not I can't wait til the episode comes out! Right before we did it I made the 10 art commandments : 

1. You shall put nothing before your creative process
2. You shall make idols, as many as possible
( an image or other material object representing a deity or whatever you wish that may or may not be worshipped. 
3.You are the God of the world of creations you create , no one else.
(Thou shall not forget that)

4. Remember every day is Sacred and to keep it holy, you must create 

5. Honor those who have influenced and inspired you 

6. You shall murder anything in you that encourages doubt or fear 

7.You shall immerse yourself in anything that will inspire and cultivate your creativity (as long as it causes no harm to others) 

8.You shall not steal others ideas and concepts
(Inspiration not imitation, originality are your origins )

9.You shall not compare oneself to another creator
(The world you create is yours and can not be replicated) 

10.You shall not want or desire the style of another creators creations 

( I made these for me to stay focused)

 

Martin Luther King Day (Live Painting)

Besides hip hop, stand up comedy is my favorite art form, it takes so much courage and confidence to be up on stage by yourself exposing your thoughts and ideas of the world. Everyday I'm trying to think of more ways to really expose who I am and how I feel in a raw yet entertaining way. Because most art shows are all safe and shit, I wanna have a show that's so true to who I am I'm actually nervous about how it will be received. I just wanna be real , I don't wanna do fluff, some of the best comedians do a new hour of comedy a year or every 2-3 years, and get rid of the material and that's what I wanna do every year atleast one solid series that I'm super proud of. My favorite artist are
Dave chappelle
Andre 3000
Pac
Malcolm X
Mc Escher
I just wanna make people think or rethink about shit

*So I was invited to Live paint for this MLK Day event and I had no idea i'd be on stage in front of all these people
it was dope tho!

WTF ART BASEL

Yo this was an insane moment right here ! We walked into a private brunch that we were lucky enough to even get in thanks to @goldendreaded and got a chance to show Russell Simmons some art and our books! He recognized Alim's art and thought mine was super dope too so he told us to pull out our art for a pic and we didn't even ask and he posted it! One of the most humbling moments ever and now Russell Simmons has some of my art. Def a dream come true right here so huge shoutout to @unclerush ! #art #artist #artwork #illustration #dreaming #artbaselmiami #artbasel2015 I Alim Smith am eternally indebted to @goldendreaded for being a real one! Go follow her and check out her work she's niiiceee and @terranceism cause I wouldn't even of known what artbasel was if it wasn't for him lol #partnersinsuccess #wtfamidoinginflorida #thankful

Art Basel Surprise!

So me and @elouinia decided to hit up the Bacardi show and check out the scene and the art was dope!! So We walked towards the back and I heard whispers that Alicia keys and Swizz were in the back and In my head I was like I'm not moving!!! I kinda could see him through the curtains and I waved some prints and he signaled me to come In and @maxwell was there lol told em bout the art and they offered to take a picture wit my work and this is life?!? Lol so random so dope so grateful

Chance The Rapper

The homie @yungnambiti0us said he could get the picture to @chancetherapper he did ! I've know Dre since I was like 3! I remember like 5 years ago we were having a rap battle on Facebook and he said "you just draw pictures of pictures, they got photographers for that" lol on the inside that shit really hit me cause I wasn't using color or nothing like that back then lol that battle definitely influenced me to use more color and not draw faces the same lol @yungnambiti0us is like the most creative person i know, he put me on to quantum physics in highschool and fucked my whole head up lol shit I'm just thankful to have some goodass friends #thankful @chancetherapper

Tonya Pinkins!

Commission for @divadivu Tonya Pinkins who I met at the Mocada for the oriinu trailer premiere. I was nervous to meet her at the premiere cause I knew her from above the rim a movie I seen a million times , but she didn't really allow me to be nervous cause she just started talking to me and periscoping my painting out of nowhere asking me questions about my painting techniques lol so fast forward today had my first painting class with her and she killed it and she bought a piece. Then we just talked about food and bad movies for a couple hours lol life is weird, buts it dope ( I might be reaching ) but my first serious girlfriends name was mileeka and she told me to give up this art shit and get a regular job lol and @divadivu character in above the rims name was malika and she's my first celebrity client lol that's trippy to me
What is life lol
#thankful

Solange

@hvckavelii got the Polaroid of the night!! He got 2 but this one was everything! Eternally in debt to this man and @jazzybelle__ who invited me to the party! I was just told to wear green , I had no idea it was a wiz themed event! Met so many cool people there and had a great time! Alan was mad cool to talk too! Me and Solange were posing for the picture and like 3 people had cameras out and I thought out loud " damn you do this a lot huh? " lol and she laughed @hvckavelii & @jazzybelle__ 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌 if you see this picture and we met , hit me up

Solange owns a piece of my artwork

No words lol @saintrecords thank you — at B R O O K L Y N!*.

 

Oshun

#wcw 
At Afropunk I was able to give the sun burning to @oshunnyc ! If you don't know who they are get familiar! One of the reasons I fuck with them so tough is because I really really really care about music and value it! I think it's the strongest art form and I'm a very tough critic cause I'm comparing everything to the greatest music I've ever heard, like Stevie wonder and shit , so any way I came across them on YouTube mad long ago and I was really fucking with the song and I showed a couple friends and told my homie Paul we need to do the male version of this , yada yada @ucancallmela my connection to all things New York were apart of a event that @madidangerously invited me 2 be apart of my first ny event and I met 2 girls who wanted to interview me and it was 2 loud at the event to do so and I was super tired and they actually let me nap a little before I drove back to philly to have my in living color show at their place , and we get to their place and oshun is there lol and I'm acting cool but bugging out inside because what are the odds of meeting a group you truly appreciate in such a random ass way and the appreciation was mutual! They had knew about my art before they knew me 2 and that shit was just crazy honestly. I have the coolest weirdest experiences in New York. Don't sleep on them, I know I focus on the geminis impact on the music industry even tho I'm an Aries, oshun are also fire signs Aries and Sagittarius that's pharrell and jay-z, Aries are known for innovation , Sagittarius have ridiculous lasting power and influence. Don't sleep on fire signs my nigga. And now thinking about it makes the burning so much more befitting
photo by @madidangerously

And I don't have a dead eye lol idk where I was lookin

 

Had a Seizure :(

Sooooo..... I had a seizure this morning, I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I turned 18, and the seizures are triggered by lack of sleep for the most part , I don't have them often unless I'm just wearing my self out , which I have been recently , along with not taking my medicine consistently. A big part is that I've been slacking on my medicine , which I won't be doing anymore lol , so I basically woke up In the hospital , my mom and Christy found me having the seizure. Epilepsy is a weird disease because it effects the people you know more than the patient , they are still freaked out from seeing me have one. So in closing "I'm fine" and artist out there , take care of your fucking self , don't wear yourself thin , your health and sleep is just as important as your craft. Thuglife!!!! Lol everything's fine , still mobbin ‪#‎health‬ ‪#‎epilepsy‬ ‪#‎artist‬ ‪#‎seizures‬