Ra SHAWN-DA-PROFESSOR

Ra SHAWN-DA-PROFESSOR

Thursday, April 2, 2009

CELEBRATING MARVIN GAYE'S BIRTHDAY

70 years ago, Marvin Gaye had entered this world to touch the world with his music. Sadly his time on earth was short-lived, people still play and dance to his music as well as provide it as the theme for hot love making sessions. The first song I heard by Marvin was "Got To Give It Up" and I would have visions of people rolling skating to that song, having fun without a care in the world. 5 years later, he released his comeback single "Sexual Healing" and people would always try to figure out what he was singing. One of my cousins was saying he sounding like he wanted to take out his heart and cook it. Turned out that Marvin was hot and horny and he needed somebody to help him ease his sexual tension so he wanted have to resort to self-pleasuring himself.
After doings countless research on him and listening to his music, it seems that Marvin wanted people to celebrate their lives as well as have the freedom to expess themselves without feeling guilty.
That's what fans do whenever they play her music; they dance, laugh, reminisnce and make love. Not war.

How does Marvin music impact my life

1. Appreciating the love of music and not confirming to rules of society and ignorant people-As mentioned in earlier posts, I've always loved different forms of music, and it seems that Blacks are only supposed to listen to R&B, and Hip-Hop. Espcially hard-core and gangsta rap.
Like many artists who were born in the early 1900's, they were exposed to Gospel, Jazz, Blues and standards, and Marvin loved all those types of music and when he signed by Motown, he wasn't fond of getting up and shaking his ass. He wanted to be the Black Sinatra, and while he did record many ballads, they remained unreleaased until his death, and when he performed at The Copacobana, he was excited, and got excellent reviews, but the label inisted he record comptemporary material.
As I mentioned in earier posts, I loved all genres of music and I was criticized by kids and adults for not liking music and artists who they thought were hip.
I remember purchasing MC Hammer's classic selling tape "Please Hammer Don't Hurt Em" and one of the members of the youth group got pissed at me for doing so. He felt that I should have been listening to hard core and political rappers like N.W.A. and Public Enemy istead of Hammer who many felt was a sell out. One of my friends was like 'you listen to what you want to because it was your money you used and they wasn't cutting you a check.


2. Doing what makes you feel comfortable and what works for you. Marvin was known for being a loving, yet stubborn man, and while his stubborness was a pain in the ass for some, many realized that it worked for him.
Many Gay/SGL men are known for loving House music and voguing. I like to listen to House music, but I enjoy going to clubs that plays R&B, Hip-Hop and Reggae music and has exotic dancers. I recall meeting this Black ignorant ass moron who was raised in a Muslim/5 Percenter household, and he was attracted to me, until he learned what my likes were. Being versatile, reading, writing, music, looking at adult films and magazines and going to clubs that played R&B and Hip-Hop. This jackass freaked out and told me I was a slave because white man created sex and porn and that I wasn't being the nerd I was supposed to be. Nerds aren't supposed to be hip; in his ignorant mind, I was supposed to be dorky, and going to clubs where people vogue, and did runway. I have my dorky moments, but that doesn't mean I have to cater to what society wants me to like. I later met other people who are nerds, but you wouldn't tell because they don't act like Steve Urkel and Screech.
The first time I went to a gay club, they played different genres of music and though I like House music, nothing beats being a club that plays some nice R&B (though it would be nice if the set list would include some slow jams so the kids can learn how to slow dance and grind initmately).

3. Discovering and maintaining your creativity. Marvin was very excellent at creating melodies and lyrics as well as arranging harmonies, and when he decided to produce and write his own material, he decided that he wasn't going to be limited. When he recorded the classic "What's Going On" album, the executives refused to release it due to fear that Marvin would injure his sexy-symbol status. Marvin told them that he didn't care about his image and that he wanted to touch the souls of men and if they didn't release the album, he wouldn't record for them again.
I would write stories from time to time, but I didnt take it seriously until after I took my editing classes at junior college. Whenever I would tell people I wanted to study film, many asked would I have any gang-banging in my stories, and when I told them no, they'd be shocked. They assumed that because I lived in the ghetto that I was suppossed to write about drugs and gangs. The area I grew up at, I never saw people carry guns and if people did drugs, they did it very discreetly, and yet I was in high school when the crack epidemic occured, I never saw people smoke the stuff in front of me. Plus I saw many different aspects of life and from what I was told by mamy writters, you write what you know and you tell your story.