Monday, September 19, 2011

Limitless

Dedicated to Amiri Barakas

Educated by a man speaking,
and talking, in a rhythm...
kind of old but smooth.
Kind of simple but complex.
Kind of fun but deep.
He seemed limitless.

Each time I heard the logic
behind his scene,
my head nodded.
He directed a scene of poetry.
He shot the angle he wanted
and when it was right,
the people could go home.
He seemed limitless.


Percussion is my thing
so when he started tapping his hands
I'm thinking i could spit to this.
His soothing and abrupt rhythm
made me feel the cross of his "T"...
or maybe the velocity when he pressed the key.
He seem limitless
And I powerless.
cause every time I hear another poet speak
I have no power, until their done.
I like this feeling.
It seems my limit is less.
When he finishes
my mind can see all the words to make my next sentence.
When she finishes
I know that's the kind of woman I need
behind my scene
to push this next power
to one man's destiny.
I am limitless.


There is no box to put me in.
There is no cap to screw me under.
There is no category to shove me in
unless its...poetry.
Unless its artistry.

Unless its limitless.
I watch to learn and I hear to be educated.
I'm high because of the grace
giving to words to continuously speak to me.
I'm glad I read his work, heard his work, and responded to his work.
Now I have something else
to add to my voice in color.
I too, am limitless.

Copyright 2011 By Jastin Batts

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Be Excellent at What You Are.

Beautiful people!!!!
It’s been a long time since my last blog. So I won’t write your head off this time; wait till I get my groove back.
I have finished my third album in two years, From Death to Destiny. This is an accomplishment for me for several reasons but the first is glad God gave me the strength and power to complete it. What’s more significant for me is coming back to N.C. A&T State University to finish my BA degree in Professional English; this is where I will start.
I arrived to school late which meant I had a lot of work to catch up on. I was a little frightened by this but knew God prepared me for everything I am going through.
So I drove from Wilmington, NC to Greensboro about 12:30pm. I was trying to make it to my 12:30pm class (Senior Seminar) and my 3:30pm class (Spoken-word) but by the time I got to Greensboro it was about 4pm. This was the same day as the earthquake on the east coast and it rained a bit. I was able to make it to my last class, which is my 6:30pm African-American Poetry. This is where elevation begins.
It was a pretty intense day but it felt great to be back on campus. It’s been five years since I stepped foot off of A&T campus; it is great to be back. Now it’s time for business. My African-American Poetry is meeting for the first time for this semester so I didn’t feel too bad. My teacher is on time and ready to begin. She begins asking questions if the class recognized any unfamiliar and not as popular black men and woman of African-American. These names I could not recite even now. She stated her disappointment of this by asking more questions about poetry and African-American culture. I sat in my seat with disbelief in myself mainly because I didn’t know those people as I felt I should. But there was something that changed in me as she continued with describing the class and what was expected of me in this class.
I felt this class among my Spoken-word, Hip Hop Discourse, and Senior Seminar would transform me into a brilliant person, a writer, and an artist. It’s what I’ve been missing since I had to come out due to a serve testicle injury. I realized God has given me the talent to create. As a creator we are inspired and provoked to create due to our region of residency, our race, our trials, and the way our closest relationships are conducted. With education one is more provoked by the understanding of one’s craft. Our craft is not just art. It’s anything that has chosen you to be who you are. Be excellent at what you are.
Learn your craft from an indie point of view, from your point of view, from an educational point of view, from a history point of view, and from God’s point of view. You can conduct life with no limits and no caps. A man, elevated is a man with no limits. A man constantly grows because he is provoked, he’s pushed, and he’s challenged consistently!! This moment in class I felt elevated. I Tag it for God’s Glory!
Men as always, I write this blog to elevate you; women too. I ask you all to continue education for you. If you attend college, well done; if you don’t; well done. For those of you who do not attend any schooling or so called “finished” with school please take time to challenge your mind. Read and dissect it to your understanding. You always have to time to learn and to grow. Anything that stops growing is dead. COME ALIVE AND BE EXCELLENT IN WHO YOU ARE.
Peace and Love.
P.S. Download my newest album From Death to Destiny: http://www.sendspace.com/file/cdc0lf

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Stand Alone

Men (and women) I thank you again for coming back to read this blog. I appreciate all of your support and I pray you continue to keep reading. This time I would like to take a different approach on this blog. I want to raise the question why men [and women] cannot stand alone? Why do we feel if we have a chick (excuse the expression ladies, no offense) under us, with us, or whatever the expression is nowadays we are not cool or aren't as successful? I will write briefly on this topic but please leave comments about this one. I would like you to explain your struggle with this whether it was in the past or it's still a struggle.

My first thought, men we are going by what we see. If daddy or your best friend or your uncle or even better, the entertainment world shows you women as the "complete assets" then it's a must you need to have it too. Now, I'll be the first to say I love women; they are some interesting but beautiful creatures of God. But do you have to have a lady when you are not a man; I don't really think it is the best idea. Women push you and back you up. They help support the man you to make you a better man, much like this blog I am writing. But what can a woman push and support when you're lazy, no manners, no assertiveness to fulfill your ideas as something concrete, or even no education? I'm sorry but if you don't have the requirements then you need to stand alone.

My next thought is a common answer; searching for love in the wrong place. Now as a black man I understand men to be all about food and sex. I find it true in most cases but what has bothered me for years are why is getting a lady such a competition? Have your fun sure but why is it such a game? We do all these things to impress them to just get one or two things from them? Don't you want ALL of what a woman can offer? What she can give? I am firm about this. I am talking about a woman. Not a girl! A girl is someone still growing into a woman. You have to decipher this as she does with you; are you a boy or a man? I feel this need to want to be with a woman whether it's for sex, she cooking you meals like she owns a restaurant, or whatever reason you live and die by is a waste of time if it's not for the reasons God made her. Now if you have an understanding and agreed to certain terms equally then good for you; be careful though. That's not an easy situation either.

Love is fully dressed, intelligent, fun, disciplined, and refined. If you are not giving yourself some of these specific characteristics then you're not looking for love. You're looking for a temp job to hold you over because you cannot allow yourself to be alone. Again, if you're young have your fun. If you're an adult please feed yourself love and love will find you. No need to be in a relationship just to be in it.

I want to encourage you, my brother, and even sister…please look at being alone as a moment not a lifetime. Think of standing alone as being whole. Think of standing alone as a tree of life. Standing alone is one of the wonderful joys of life or at least it has been for me. As you have to learn someone else to be seriously involved with them you have to become just as involved with yourself. Spend qt with yourself. By doing this it helps elevate the struggle of today's typical relationships; HELL! I don't say this loosely and excuse the language but understand how much pressure you take off yourself as a man when you know what you want when you have the HD quality of being a man.

I encourage you to understand who you are. If you have reached a point in your life where "running game" on women (which is really just running game on yourself) is getting old and you are truly ready to stop, try standing alone. If you still enjoy standing with someone but enjoy the unnecessary struggles because you and/or your significant other cannot stand alone. Let me know how it turns out. I'm open to hear what I am missing.

Until next time. Peace and love.


 

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Decipher the Signs

To make a choice is to decide; to decide is to make a decision. Once a decision is made we must live with that decision but so many times we cannot. Why, because we did not decipher the signs God showed us. We didn't listen to our inner spirit. We wanted to be assertive on our own understanding because we feel we always know best. In order to make it to the next checkpoint or the higher level we must decipher the signs God shows us and move forward.

Recently, I heard a story about a relationship that extremely disturbed me. I cannot go into great detail of the story but I will say this; the couple was linked up for the wrong reasons and suffered a great loss. This makes my heart rate beat faster than it should because I know if each party analyzes their relationship they both would agree they should not have been together. I don't want to break this down too elementary but I WILL.

First, men (and women) why can't we gradually evolve with a person? We all seem to be instant relationship seekers. No one wants to even try to be friends first, then boyfriend and girlfriend, to then be married. We just go from she's fine to we're together and later we break up, literally. I don't get it. What I do get, not many of us are deciphering the signs. Here's what I mean…

Men, if you see a woman and she is the most beautiful thing you've seen, especially in a long time, and her attitude does not match the innocent and pure beauty God created her with, she's not it. If a woman only does for you from time to time and once in awhile she'll show you some appreciation, she's not it. If a woman cannot be 100% supportive but she gets on your case about supporting her every chance you get then she's not it!!! Ladies your turn…

If a dude cannot trust you and he has no reason not to, he's not it. If a man is not pursuing any goals in life but expects so much out of you, he's not it. If a man is not trying to do the small things for you when you are in a committed relationship, you can only imagine what else he will not do; thus he's not it.

Men, we must change this. I know we see the gold diggers, the high maintenance, or the Ms. Independence. We have to learn how to see the signs God shows us and stop ignoring them. If you know you are at a checkpoint in your life and the person you are interested in is CLEARLY at a checkpoint behind you and is not working on getting to the next level in her life…why date her? Why leisure in pleasure with her? Why make yourself committed to someone who is not committed to you? If you have a woman and she holds a grudge against you, she argues with you because she wants to be right every time, or she has no respect for your goals, beliefs, and value, why submit yourself to such a woman?

The point of stages in relationships is to see how the person reacts to life with you in it. If you are going thru the worse hell of your life and the so called "friend" aka soon to be boo is not there why would you elevate the relationship to making her your girlfriend? Right, you don't. If a person shows they are not lax with putting effort to get to your checkpoint in order to reach the next checkpoints with you that is the sign to not involve yourself. If we could better decipher these non-puzzled glued together fake picture perfect relationships we would not have secret abortions, STD'S, materialistic marriages, and unbalanced spiritual relationships.

Men know what you want. See the signs. Decipher. Let God lead you to the spiritual woman you deserve. The only thing to decipher then is how much better tomorrow's love is than todays.

Until next time.

Peace and love.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Choose Wisely

I am used to having the providing side of being a man because I always had a job and good ones too. My resume is stacked with great and interesting positions. So then I only worried about having the rest of the traits of being a so called good man. I.e. being kind, loving at all times, fixing a car, or even getting the mouse in the house. Lol At this current point in my life I acquired what I was scared I would never have, in order to be the so called good man. "I'm nice but I'll never be that nice." On the contrary, I was recently told I have everything except stability in my life where my finances work for me. And I agree but it still hurts because I'm not working right now not because I said "forget it" or I'm a lazy black man. I'm not working because I was laid off. I'm not working because one of the toughest injuries of my life came back and my job could not be flexible with me. I have never been in a position to not work except for attending North Carolina A&T State University. I may have struggled and didn't have extra money often but I have always worked. I find a good feeling in being self-motivated to work but it's been hard dealing with not doing what I always do, especially when it wasn't by choice. I did not make this current position a choice but I still have choices and decisions to make. As I move forward, I will choose wisely.

I am deacon at my church and a recording artist. I made those choices. I was chosen and I accepted. Physically, my pain hurts so bad when I breathe it hurts me more. And don't ask me to take a deep breath!! Lol "ooookk!! "Standing, sitting, laying down, rhyming, guitar playing, or even writing this on my blackberry...it hurts. Even added stress will make me cry like a baby. Yes I receive unemployment and EBT...both is a first time in my life but I still have a choice. My music ministry means the world to me because I realize God has given me the power to help people inside and outside of music. So I still have a choice. My church ministry is even more important to me; therefore, I choose to be in service as much as I can. It's a choice. And I live with the outcome. The outcome has been very fruitful.

Now I have made another choice. I will live with this pain as long as I have to if that is in Gods will. I will do what is best emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

I am healed.

My mind is at peace.

My mind is strong.

I accept my struggle in order to receive and live in my greatness.

Men you have choices. You may have made tough choices before but that is expected. If you are preparing yourself correctly your choices will not be ill advised or out of emotion or out of anger or out of ignorance. Choices are to be made wisely. Men I ask when we are living our daily lives we make the right choices as we are lead by the spirit of God. Consider what is right and not what feels good. Consider what is right not what you'll receive from it. Consider what is right because your word is your bond. Consider what is right because God made you the man and the head of the house. Men we should be tired of making decisions in our own will when we know we are not truly happy or living up to the title that was given to us by God. I know we will make mistakes and no man is perfect but choose your actions, reactions, and your words very wisely.

Until next time gentlemen...

Peace and Love.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

boys to Men


"1Co 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things."

I am Jastin Artis, first time blogger. I am a Christian Recording Artist in Wilmington, NC. As my first blog I just want to take time to enlighten you, the man, of what this blog will be about and praying it elevates you. As an artist, I am the bridge from where you are to where you want to be and I intend to do the same through this blog but directed for men; specifically the younger generation.

Please, take in consideration I am no expert in what is a perfect man, however, I feel strongly about elevating a man and how to be better; not only for ourselves but for the ones we love. Men the scripture above states "when I was a child"; I'm sure most of you reading this are no longer a child, right? So I cannot help but ask why do we still act, live, speak, and dress as a child? Even as a Hip-Hop Renaissance artist my love in hip-hop is and always will be my first love, although, I have realized years ago hip-hop is knocking on the door to the age of 30 like the police. There is no way to run from that but we still are acting as if we were in the 80's or early 90's when everything was about fun and being the best at what you did but with respect. I'm not saying not to explore fun or not have fun at all but when will we act our age? When will hip-hop become that big brother Jay-Z is to Kanye?

Thus, my conclusion; men stop living like you still live with moms and she dresses you, cooks for you, and gives you lunch money. Even if you do live with moms, be accountable for your actions, be assertive, and be a doer!!! Be A Man, Elevated.

Until next week gentlemen,

Peace and Love.