The Two Girls and a Queen Morning Show

Miss Sophia, in my opinion - the funniest person on the planet has just been added to Atlanta’s Big Station, V103’s Frank and Wanda Morning Show.

And this isn't the watered-down version of Miss Sophia, palatable to mainstream radio, a dressed up version appropriate for the masses. This is the same ole Miss Sophia that I've been knowing and loving for over 12 years, since our first meeting when we both lived in Dallas. Yes, the same Ms. Sophia that eerily seems to have been replicated by Mr. Tyler Perry’s Madea character. Hush my mouth!!

She came on the show in rare form renaming the Frank and Wanda Morning Show. "The show is now called Two Girls and a Queen Morning Show" Miss Sophia playing on the kidz quizzing of Frank’s sexuality. Miss Sophia roared through the morning show as did all the queens and butch queens stuck in their cars listening, hanging onto every word of history in the making. One of Us has truly come up on a come up.

Why is this so important? It's one of us with an opportunity to represent, to the masses, AS IS!! This is not to be played with and the evidence unfolded within minutes of Miss Sophia’s presence.

Ironically, earlier in the day's show *08/23/05, there was a discussion about gay men being able to attend the upcoming Million Man March revisit. Ms. Lisa Clark, guest traffic host on today’s show was understood to have said that gay men shouldn’t come because it’s the Million MAN March, emphasizing man as if gay men aren’t men. I was furious. And it got worst as Frank Ski began to enquire about what she meant. She further put her foot in her mouth, attempting to back down from her original blunder by stating that she has heard many gay men say that they don’t believe they’re men, as if this homophobic traffic girl has gay friends to speak to, as if to say her comment was inspired by Us, gay men in the community. NO LISA GIRL! You just f**ked up, stating a comment usually reserved for your homophobic personal spaces - and you said it ON V103 RADIO, for the masses to hear. STUPID! And Miss Sophia is about to come on. What were you thinking?

Unlike so many other times where such comments are made and I fax, call my friends at the station, call my friends to fax and call and more faxing with no return calls or validation that my point has even been heard, Miss Sophia came to the rescue. Miss Sophia let Ms. Homophobe Lisa have it, naturally in a very comedic way. "I heard what you said Ms. Lisa girl. Don't be talking about Us. I don't care what you supposedly heard. Don't be talking about Us girl," Miss Sophia got with Ms. Lisa. But even if it were just comedy, I finally felt that my point of view was also heard and mattered because Miss Sophia has a voice, spoke and represented me at The Big Station.

And it may have even gone further as Miss Sophia stated at her show the next night - and I quote “Yesterday Ms. Lisa was reporting the traffic, today, she’s sitting in traffic looking for a job,” which explained why I didn’t hear her when I listened earlier in the day. True or not, I feel my viewpoint has been heard and matters. YES! YES! YES!

With it all said, I’m so happy and proud that another door for Us has been opened. And I hope that this doesn’t unfold as so many doors opened for us in the past. Now that this door has been opened, let’s actually walk through it.

Looking for Kanye

Kanye West says "gay" has become an antonym to hip-hop!!! And that it needs to be stopped. What?!!! That statement alone is like Whoa! This is revolutionary. That's why I'm looking for Kanye.

I wonder if Kanye even knows the depths of what this means. He has to know his position and influence in the industry but does he even realize the "hot seat" this places him on, what assumptions will be made about him because of his honesty. If he realized this before his comments, then WHOA!! This is what activism is all about. This is truly revolutionary.

I've been hot and warm on Kanye as an artist. I like him. I'm not goo-goo for him but I like his songs and have even seen him in concert. But I was never crazy about him....UNTIL NOW. Now, I love this man.

Here it is a successful rapper/producer who is really at the beginning of an already flourishing career, but surely more is to come and without apparent fear for loosing what's to come, states this truth. WOW! I've been asking the Universe for this for so long and have often wondered why more {{rappers especially}} haven't come out and spoken the same truth. This is someone who doesn't have to be on the hot-seat of all that will be assumed about him because of such ambitious and brutally honest statements, and he does it, says his truth, the truth about rap and the industry. I'm so impressed. He's the realest of the rappers for me right now.

And I've already seen the chat room discussions, heard the conversations that now questions Kanye's sexuality. STOP IT!! What does it matter? And why not save that for closeted rappers that help perpetuate the problem of homophobia in hip-hop along with the hip-hop homophobes and industry leaders that refuse to challenge this huge problem. Direct that attention to the closeted rappers that Wendy Williams has been so on-point about. {{And I know she's on point for countless reasons - doubtfully another blog because I'm not about the spirit of outing people, even to further our causes.}} Let's not make it harder for another brotha, for another rapper to speak this truth, to combine with Kanye's truth and eventually so many others that will get it that eventually, the problem can be disbanned. Let's not play yet again our own enemy by even engaging in this defeating discussion.

West says hip-hop was always about "speaking your mind and about breaking down barriers, but everyone in hip-hop discriminates against gay people." He adds that in slang, gay is "the opposite, the exact opposite word of hip-hop. Not just hip-hop, but America just discriminates. And I wanna just, to come on TV and just tell my rappers, just tell my friends, 'Yo, stop it.'" Man, I'm buzzing!

This is so great to hear especially after I attended the Atlantis Music Conference here in Atlanta and got somewhat discouraged about the closeted industry that tells me I'm "not going to be accepted as a mainstream artist" because I want to speak my truth about my sexuality within my songs. This and other homophobic messages coming at me from not only straight industry professionals, but sadly US, gay-but-closeted-with-no-plans-to-come-out industry professionals that are afraid of supporting Anthony Antoine and others like me because that support may "out" them. There are US in the music business that have suggested that I go back in the closet in order to be more accepted. This suggested made as the huge pink elephant sits in the room that this nonsense is being spoken by one of us. Does this make any sense? This is coming from US.

Some of us don't even do what Kanye did for ourselves, place ourselves on the hot seat of allowing the stereotypes to be assumed of us in order to change perceptions, a facilitation of social change, showing by example what it truly means to be gay. Some of us don't even challenge homophobia. Why is this? I've said the reason so many times, that we are privledged {{especially black}} folks trying to hold on to our little piece of pie, the piece of pie we so happy to have and afraid to lose. And we don't do these revolutionary acts, say these revolutionary statements because of fear, especially the fear of loosing our tiny piece of pie. And our pie is even smaller than Kanye's but we hold so tight to it. BUT WE COULD HAVE SO MUCH MORE.

If only we would take a chance. If only we wasn't holding on to that little piece of pie. But not Kanye with his statements. Kanye took a huge risk, took a chance. Kanye spoke the truth regardless of the outcomes and he didn't just say it in some small way so that twelve of us would hear it, he said it on MTV. That's why Kanye is so on point for his comments.

So if you run into Kanye, tell him that I'm looking for him. I'm looking for him to say thank-you, thank-you for being about the true essence of hip-hop. Thank-you for saying what so many others in the industry won't say, not even US in the industry will take a chance to say and challenge. Also, tell him I'm looking for him because Kanye's just the type of industry professional that will understand why Anthony Antoine is a premiere jewel of independent artists that exist to combat the very problem he spoke about on MTV. Kanye's just the industry professional to realize what mainstream industry has slept on in Anthony Antoine - and all for the wrong reason.

Damn homophobia in not just hip-hop, not just the music industry, but in life.

Another Millionaire In My Phone

Today, I added another millionaire's phone number to my phone's address book. Why is this important or worth blogging about? I really don't know yet. Honestly, I'm stepping out on a term I learned earlier today called "The Tipping Point," that point that transitions an apiring artist to the point of achieving and living the dream.

I learned this term from someone who works at So So Def Records and the context of why I'm writing was not only motivated by him, but also by my mom who is often entertained by the people that I meet and the places I've been. My words are also inspired by the seemlingly perfect alignment of the stars that has facilitated chance "meetings" of famous and successful singers, song writers, producers, record label executives and more- those who are living the life that I want to live for myself. As explained to me, this is a part of how you achieve the dream, by associating yourself with those who are already living it.

For example, six months ago, I missed a flight from Atlanta to D.C. not because I wasn't already at the airport way early (chillin' and reading a book waiting) but because I looked at my boarding pass incorrectly transposing numbers which caused me to be at the wrong gate. By the time I realized that I transposed the numbers (something that never happens to me), I rushed to the correct gate and missed the flight. I asked myself "why did this happen?" as I was being switched to the next flight out an hour later.

Within minutes of sitting down at my new gate, Jermaine Dupri sits down less than 20 feet away from me. Huh? Now Jermaine Dupri sitting down next to someone who doesn't love music as much as I do OR MORE IMPORTANT - someone who isn't hustling independent music in hopes to end up in a position like a Jermaine Dupri, this means absolutely nothing. But to me, this is another chance, another break that I had to work. As I'm typing this, I realized that this wasn't the first time that I've met Jermaine Dupri. The first time that I met Jermaine Dupri was April 29, 2004 at approximately 5:00pm driving down Ponce de Leon Ave. on my way to Xtreme Entertainment's first Woman of Soul concert. See, this is what I mean. How many of you are simply driving down the street and Jermain Dupri pulls up next to you with his window down, boppin' his head to music. These are the kinds of chance meetings that happen to me on the regular. Naturally, on both occassions, I got to pass some of my music and have a quick conversation. Yes, even on Ponce.

Same thing happened today. I did expect to meet a few music business folks being that I am attending the Atlantis Music Conference. Most people attending the conference are meeting the esteemed panelist from all aspects of the music business. But let's just say that not only did I meet this millionaire, I was cruised by this millionaire, not knowing who it was. The end result once I made the connection was to have a conversation about my new CD Closets on Fire and how he could help to make it a success. We've since exchanged numbers and now talk on the phone.

This was truly confirmation to what I heard earlier about "The Tipping Point" and how you'll know it's the tipping point for you when "without effort (notwithstanding preparation), the people you'll need to know will begin to show up and not just show up, but they will be people in your cell phone, people you have access to, people that will eventually be a circle that you'll run in and be very familiar in." Exact words, "if you want to be a millionaire, surround yourself with millionaires. If you want to be a successful recording artist, surround yourself with successful recording artist. And don't just be around them, these are the people that should be in your cell phone." These exact words (with elaboration) were just said to me earlier today.

When it was said, I went to my phone's address book and counted seven. Seven people that I know and have access to that are living the life that I want to live, successful in the fields that I aspire to be successful in, seven millionaires in my phone that are on the other side of the tipping point. What a blessing!

How many millionaires are in your phone? Which is truly a metaphor for how many people do you know, that you keep in touch with, that you spend time with and associate with that are living the life, the dreams that you have for yourself? If it's not many, then as explained to me, it's a piece of why you're not living your dream.

Pieces of My Dream

Today, I heard my song "How To Tell If Your Man Is On The Down Low" on the radio. Atlanta's top rated radio show "The Frank and Wanda Morning Show" played the song for the first time during a trite discussion with J.L.King.

Once I realized what the show's topic was about *call from my boo Dereck,* I called V103's Assistant Program Director Tosha Love to remind her that she has my CD and at least could play it during the discussion. Then I called radio personality and friend Jean Ross who works at WAOK - V103's sister station that's housed in the same building to ask her to take a copy in to the morning show. Props to her because she's the first person on radio that I know of that played the song and another song "Shake Yo Body" from the CD. Then I called J.L. King on his cell phone (his alter ego "33" and I are friends - blog on this soon to come) during one of the commercial breaks and told him to make sure that the show played it. But at that point, I was at a loss as to what else I could do to make the play happen.

So then I decided to go down to the station and sit in their lobby in hopes to meeting with someone who could help me achieve a piece of my dream. I followed employees of the radio station into the bathroom and passed them a CD to take in to my favorite morning show. I badgered (not really but really - Janet Jack is sooo sweet and hardworking) the receptionist and noted to everyone at the station within my voice that I wasn't leaving until my song was played. After being in the lobby for about 45 minutes (naturally, no one would meet with me on the spot) and after passing about 8 copies of my CD "Closets on Fire," AND a whole lot of prayers (momma taught me to pray) my phone began to blow up.

First my friends and co-workers at ARCA called. Then my friend and dancer Coy called in which I could hear it blasting in the background. Then my best friend David called and I could still hear it in the background. Then about thirty more calls came in from friends to say congratulations and that they heard the song. How hot is this?

I jumped. I danced. I shouted. I thanked God. I celebrated with the rap group visiting the station early in hopes that Tosha would listen to their new CD and song, in hopes that V103 would do for the them the very thing that they were doing for me, PLAYING AN INDEPENDENT ARTIST'S SONG. For this group, I suddenly moved from a fellow independent artist to expert on how to get a song played on V103. This was a great feeling.

So with a lot of perserverance and nothing short of a blessing, I've achieved another piece of my dream. I hold on tight to soon, and hopefully very soon (a brotha got some bills to pay and a daughter to put through college) very soon, these little pieces are going to add up to a dream fulfilled.