Jackson Free Press

By now if you're reading this Ive already made the gruelling flight back to the states and have touched down safely in Jackson. Reading some of the responses to my last blog post, it apparently will be to a few people's chagrin LOL.

I can honestly say that this experience has been life changing. Lookout folks! the winds of change are a'blowin and some things are going to be different..at least for me. You know, sometimes you pray and ask God for answers. Those answers may not always come in the form that you wish them but they DO come. Sometimes instead of just revealing them to you God elects to drop you in a situation that will make the answers more clear to you. In other words, sometimes you've got to work for it. For me, thats what happened. A lot of folks dont realize that Ive been struggling lately trying to find my place and my purpose. Is it rapper?, teacher?, preacher?, manager?, counselor? Why am I here? Or better yet why do some things happen for others and not for me. I realized in my month-long tour that I have been...and in many instances...still am a work in progress. But this trip was a part of my education. Kinda like a grad-school course for me.

Sometimes folks it takes you getting out of your comfort zone to really see what you're made of. In Jackson, Im the man. Everyone comes to me for advice. Im the resident hip-hop artist/historian/businessman in residence. Things come easier for me here. My kids are accesible. I know my way around town blindfolded and I count millionaires, local buisness owners, politicians, and other VIP's as my colleagues. However, in the Czech Republic, Kamikaze was not yet a proven commodity. It was funny. At this stage of my career, I had to go to another country all together and make my mark. and I must say I passed with flying colors and Ive got footage to prove it LOL. Europe will definitely know that I was there.

...And because of that, Mississippi will know that I was here when it is all said and done. Because now, this music thing is only but a stepping stone to much greater things. No longer will I be confined to a box. It is my next mission to make sure that my kids know that there is a bigger world outside of Jackson, MS or Memphis(where my daughter stays) and then let these close-minded artists here know that there is a world outside of Jackson. There's a hip-hop world that exists unblemished by the corporate structures of MTV, BET, or Clear Channel. A world where they expect you to get on the mic and speak your mind without fear of retribution from the "man" or the media. A world where 20,000 screaming hip-hop fans stood in the mud to listen to hip-hop from artists, some of which they had NEVER heard of or could even fully understand, and didnt care if they're shoes got muddy or if they're outfit got soiled. They camped out in tents and cars for four days, drank beer, and fellowshipped without ONE single shooting, stabbing, rape, overdose, police beating, or regular fist-fight! It indicates to me that me and my colleagues have a long way to go...or a long way to return BACK to really. I saw what the world could be capable of.

Previous Comments

ID

114334

Comment

Cant wait to tell ya'll what I came RIGHT back into folks...stay tuned. You wont believe this!!!!

Author

Kamikaze

Date

2007-09-02T13:36:28-06:00

ID

114335

Comment

Glad you got in safely. Congratulations on a successful trip and a new outlook on life. :-)

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2007-09-03T20:41:47-06:00

ID

114336

Comment

Excellent column. I welcome the coming of age of kamikaze. You're already an outstanding person in so many ways. The minister last Wednesday taught on the subject of finding your place or calling. He said, and I agree, that when you find your true calling or place everything will become easier and natural. It will look like you're not evening working yet everything will just fall into place for you. At that point you're in God's perfect will for you. We can find this in different places. I couldn't find this being a corporate lawyer or insurance lawyer. I don't like corporate or insurance people and wasted too much of my life working for them. I had to represent poor folks against the system. Fighting the big and abusive system comes naturally to me. It's what inspired me to be a lawyer in the first place. I gave up on trying to get rich and figured out I didn't even have the stomach, heart, mind or soul to do what it took to get rich. I'm no Fifty Cents who argues "get rich or die trying."

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2007-09-04T10:28:58-06:00