Now im finally back at home! Harlem New York City! Im happy to be home, but at the same time Im a little sad that I had to leave Japan. I have been to Japan at least 6 times, but this was the first time I travelled all over Japan! I had many live shows in many different cities from Tokyo all the way to Sapporo! It was amazing. People would ask me; "where do you live?" and I would say........"Shinkansen!" I took it so much it was like living on it! Some of the shows venus were very big and some were really small, but no matter where I went people had a great time and so did I! I especially liked the smaller clubs because i felt closer to my audience. One club didnt even have a stage and that was really kool because they had a wireless mic and I could walk around and rap directly to my audience. I thought That was really kool. I would always try to speak a little Japanese at the shows to get the crowds attention. I noticed every time I said "mada mada kore kara!"the crowed went crazy! So I used that line every time I had show. This time around with all the performing and travelling I noticed the Hip Hop community in Japan has become a lot stronger, knowledgeable, and the talent much better! The only problem I felt was there were way too many wanna be gangstas. People need to get this straight. Hip Hop is not about being a gangsta. Its a culture, its a feeling, its speaking what you feel at a particular time, its many things. But its not about being gangsta! I will tell you guys a little something. I grew up in the projects in Brooklyn near Coney Island (marlboro houses). I didnt have much money, food, or much of anything nice. My mom was abused by my stepfather all the time. she was choked, punched in the face, cursed at etc. I dont even remember ever seeing my mom and my dad together. My stepfather used to curse me and hit me for no reason and he made his son who was younger than me look like a god all the time.At 13 years old I was carrying guns to school just to protect myself. at 15 I tried to kill my stepfather for beating up my mother and my mother calls the police on me! She has been getting beat up for more than ten years and now I am finally able to help her and she calls the cops on me! So at 15 years old I left my house and lived on the streets! and did what I had to do whether it was robbing, fighting shooting, stabbing, stealing etc just to survive! I saw two of my best friends killed in front of me! I could stay here for days talking about my crazy life when I was younger but I think you get the point. So there was no money, no food, and no love and not much of anything! So before you think you wanna be a gangsta take a long look in the mirror and ask yourself why?Being a gangsta is not kool! its a very dangerous way of life.
I also got to teach dance to some amazing kids in Tokyo! They are all sooooo cute and I was very surprised by their skill level, potential, and ability to be creative! It was 16 girls from the ages of 7 to 13 They loved my class so much and I loved them too. My class is a little different then most dance classes. I was not interested in teaching them so much about technique. I taught them about feeling. I taught them how to understand music and really feel what they were listening to and to be able to show that feeling to me through their dance. Some Japanese dancers are amazing, but there is only one small problem most of them have. Its feeling most of them never learn how to develop good feeling for music. So the technique is amazing but theres no feeling. The reason for this is that they practice way too much and rarely take time just to enjoy just dancing to the music. What I mean by this is, when they go the dance studio the practice their technique for hours, look in the mirror and and try to make perfect the technical parts of their choreography. Then they co to the practice spot at the park or the building which has mirriors and do the same thing. Then they go the club and again the same technical practice with some more choreography! So when is there time to develope feeling? Im not saying its not good to work on technical parts of your dance because its very good but you need to sometimes Just dance! and forget about the technique.And this is most important when you are at the club. I see soooo many people in Japan practicing at the club. The Dj is giving the gift of good music to dance to but most people are way too busy with their practice that they arent really feeling the music. So yes technique your improves but now you look like a dancing robot! So please take some time in your busy schedules of technique and choreography just for feeling music. I know someone is gonna ask "well How do you that?" its very easy! next time you go to club to dance, no counting, no choreography,and definitly nooooo looking in the mirror! Just feel every sound coming out of the speakers and let it flow through your body. The more you do this the more good feeling you will get! My class learned this very quickly which made me very happy because they are so young. It was a great time and I enjoyed every minute of it and so did they! Before I left Japan they gave me this picture as a present. It was so sweet of them. I will definitely teach them again when I come back to Japan!
My stay in Japan was lots of fun but it wasn't always fun. I found out three of my friends who I thought were close to me were just fake! Especially one of them when they were in New York I always looked out for them and took care of them and helped them with problems that they had. I always there for them no matter what! Now that I was in Japan this person was just totally changed like a totally different person. At times i was treated like a stranger! Amazing the person who I had cared for so much, now that I am in japan is acting like this to me. I couldn't believe it! The final thing that ended the friendship was when this person said to me "I don't always care about my friends". Then I said "well i don't need friends like you!" The second friend use to talk so much shit when he was here in New York. Always saying "hey man when you come to Japan just come stay at my house man its all good!" I actually had some serious problem when i was coming to Japan and I didn't have a place to stay and I called him then he started giving me excuses about how his apt was maybe too small yada yada yada. So I just stayed in a hotel for some time and that friendship was ended. Then the third friend....well I always knew he was fake because he use to live here in new york but I just was still a friend just not so close, but in Japan they guy was ridiculous I mean he was more fake than plastic fruit! So now I don't even wanna have nothing to do with him at all! Its a shame you are so nice to people sometimes then they act the fool! But with the lost of those few friends, I gained many new ones! and hopefully these friendships will be true! To all the so called friends who were fake to me... F--K YOU! and those who kept it real... I love yall and I will never forget you!
So this trip to Japan was very interesting for me. I got to travel so much performing! I got to eat so much of Japans delicious foods! I got to make new friends! I got to teach dance! and especially when times were hard. I got to see which friends of mine were true!