The Confident Queen

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | The Goddess Series,Who wrote this? I wrote this. | Monday 23 March 2009 5:13 pm
(“Oshun” By Unknown)

(Oshun, the Yoruban goddess, or orisha, of the rivers and fresh waters, represents all that is enjoyable in life… passion, sex, love, art, music, dancing, wealth, and fertility.  According to legend, Oshun fell in love with Shango, the orisha of fire, lightning, and unbridled passion, at a tambor, or drumming party. At first, Shango was not aware of Oshun, busy as he was drumming and eating. Never the one to be discouraged by a lack of attention, Oshun begins to dance seductively to Shango’s drumming and soon Shango is entranced. She dips her fingers in the gourd of honey, she held at her hip , meant to represent her sexuality, and quickly spreads it over his lips. Once he tastes the honey, she attains his undivided attention, thus beginning an eternal love affair between the two. Oshun is the power of attraction, the erotic impulse that leads to life. She is the passion, the confidence, and the ambition which is needed for creative and sexual endeavors. She teaches us to enhance our own lives by embracing those ambitions and passions and to be confident in terms of love.)

 

Taste the sweet of my honey on your lips…
Run your tongue over the nectar of my love…
and want me.

See the curve of my hips as I dance…
The swell of my breasts…
heaving from the exertion of my desire…
Watch the curls of my hair sweep across my shoulders…
And want me…
As I want you…
Unbridled and fiery…
to shred the garments of my inhibitions…
and push me to the limitsof my own internal ecstasies…

I want to write volumes about our trysts…
Want to carry the diamonds I find in your eyes around my neck…
and wear the gold of your skin across my wrists….
But I desire your desire for me….

So, I move here…
Undulating like river’s currents…
I dance for you…
I choose you to have the privilege of elevating me….

Let me be the artist to the glory of your creativity.

So, watch now…
as my body moves fluidly…
Rivers of me cooling the fires of you….

Lick your lips once more
and remember…
I taste as sweet.

For in me…
Lies the beauty of life…
My womb will hold the flames of your mind intact…
And I will birth lightning bolts
that etch our love across the sky…

And it is in me….
The honeyed sweetness of life lies in my heart…
and the perfection in my mind…
The life waters of my dreams I toss to the ground…
with every step of my dance…

I am the queen of my own regard….

So, I toss my crown of curls …
and turn my hips to face you,
clothed only in the regal beauty…
of my own mind, body, and soul…

So, want me….
For am I queen.

Love in My Eyes (Part I)

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | Love in My Eyes (4 Part Poem),Who wrote this? I wrote this. | Monday 23 March 2009 3:33 pm
(“Love -You” By Aniviel –www.deviantart.com)


Part I: The Sweet Beginnings

I would move mountains for you….
Push ranges askew so that you…
could see the heavens more clearly beyond the horizon…
You close your eyes…
And I inhale the moment with every fiber of my heart…
I trace the lines of your tattoos with my fingertip….
and wonder if this…is even real…
or is this the euphoric intoxication…
of some hallucinogen gone terribly wrong and I….
am just bugging the fuck out….?

How can this even exist?
These intimate moments where I can count your eyelashes,
the soft lines across your lips,
and the flecks of gold in your hair?
I feel as if I can’t breathe…
and all of the answers lie in your calloused hands…
Rubbing circles into the small of my back…

A smile spreads like sunrise across your face,
and you pull me closer to you…
and my insecurities wash away with the tears of contented joy
springing to my eyes and blooming across my cheeks…
My guarded heart’s door pries open
as you bury your face in my hair…
and the world shatters into a million pieces…
and we’re alone…
floating here on this cloud…

Give me the antidote to this delicious poison…
this savory torment
that makes me whole and rips me apart simultaneously.

Tell me what I’ve heard before to make this real….
Because I can’t believe this moment is all mine to hold…

My heart swells and pounds with you….
Beginning with you….
Ending with you….

[Lyrics] Sade "Cherish the Day"

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | Lyrics | Monday 23 March 2009 12:42 pm


“You’re ruling the way that I move
And I breathe your air
You only can rescue me
This is my prayer
 If you were mine
If you were mine
I wouldn’t want to go to heaven…”

I’m on my love sh*t today…. LOL

Salsa in the Background

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | Throwback,Who wrote this? I wrote this. | Friday 20 March 2009 2:39 pm
(“Lavoe” By JeanZapata–www.deviantart.com)



(originally written August 23rd, 2004…I performed this with a small arts collective that was set up during the Chica Luna Productions spoken word workshop in 2005, named Alumnas De Anais. This remains one of my favorite pieces that I have ever written, mainly because it highlights my personal struggle with my cultural identity. I decided to post this because certain women have come into my life recently that are sparking conversations about identity amongst Nuyoricans. As Mariposa says… “No nací en Puerto Rico….Puerto Rico nacío en mi.” WORD!)





I never really got it…

I mean, there I was…

This little Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx…clueless.



Sometimes, my older brothers went with Dad

To his gigs…

Oozing Latin Jazz rhythms,

Vibrating bomba y plena,

Beating guanguanco…

Reminiscent of old traditions and faiths…

And I…I was at home,

Playing alone,

While Mami cooked, talking on the phone…

Salsa playing in the background.



So, I never really got it.

I hit seven years old

And watched rolled trees go up in smoke

For the first time,

And old arroz thrown out the back window

For the pigeons,

Until Mami saw rats in our building’s backyard…

Still playing salsa in the background

And I still didn’t get it…



Couldn’t speak Spanish like Mami, Dad, or Tita…

But could roll my r’s perfectly…

Arroz, Perro, Carro…

And remembered every “marícon” and “puta” on the block,

Bought maltas for 50¢

And tamarindo piraguas on Fordham Road

While salsa played in the background.

Yet I never really got it.



Learned how to dance salsa

But not how to turn…

Learned how to make rice by sight and shadows

And beans by sounds…

To NEVER use store-bought sofrito…

And ONLY use Café Bustelo or Pilón…

And never that Taster’s Choice porqueria…

Learned how to iron by watching Mami

While Dad waited in boxers,

Tapping conga rhythms on his knees

To the salsa in the background…

But I never really got it.



So, there I was, eleven years old,

With my white FAVYA skippies on…

You know, the ones with the rhinestones in the front

That always popped out?

Sitting there,

Asking why we only make pasteles for the holidays…

“‘Cuz they’re a pain in the ass to make,” Mami says

As salsa plays in the background.



By the time I hit eighteen,

I was the proudest non-Spanish speakin’ Rican

Any marícon or puta would ever run into…

Never missed the parade…ever

Read every Latina magazine out there…

Even though I didn’t match

The straight-haired, wide-faced

South American girls they used as models

And my ass NEVER looked like Jennifer’s…

Knew all about Taínos, Albízu Campos, Operation Bootstrap,

Hector Lavoe, the Young Lords…

And asthmatic kids in Hunts Point

Who grew up to be caciques of their hoods.

I tolerated bachata and reggaetón,

Ignored all the “¡Ay Mamis!” and “¡Preciosas!” in the street,

Grew to obsess over freestyle music

Wished I had my own “Clave Rocks” and “Boriqua Posse,”

Read “When I Was Puerto Rican” a total of 15 times,

“Down These Mean Streets” a total of 25…

Dreamt of performing at the Nuyorican,

Piñero’s ghost cheering me on…

Said “¡Bendición!” and “¡Ay Bendito!”,

And “¡Ay Diós Mio!” with the best of them…

And could only clean the house

With salsa playing in the background.



Cab ride home one night,

The Dominican driver…

Turns and asks in Spanish

“Where do you want to go?”

“Kingsbridge Road, in the Bronx,”

I reply in English…



“Where are you from?” in Spanish…



“Puerto Rico, but I was born in the Bronx,” in English…



“¡Ay! What a disgrace…you’re not really Puerto Rican…

If you can’t speak Spanish!”

In English, as if I hadn’t understood his ass before.



I felt the red anger rush to my temples

And hot raw tears spring to my eyes…

Wanted to cry…wanted to tell him…

If I wasn’t what I am, then what am I?

And then…

I heard the salsa in the background…



“¡Yó…soy el cantanté!”



And with those first words,

All of the beauty in me was realized…



Because like salsa…

Undeniably ever-present in my memories…

I was undeniably Puerto Rican

Lincoln Hospital, South Bronx born

Non-Spanish speakin’…

Arroz con gandules making…

Puerto Rican, Nuyorican…

Dancing to the salsa in the back ground.



I never really got it…

Until it was given to me.

[Artist] Will Murai

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | New and Local Artists | Friday 20 March 2009 11:06 am
(“Underwater”)
I was doing my normal blog browsing this morning… taking a look at different artists and such, and I found Will Murai on “Tha Hotness” blog (http://springcart.typepad.com/) . I love the colors and the pin-up imagery (you already know, its my thing…LOL). My favorite is the top one called “Underwater.” I love the blue and the way he did her hair…it just looks phenomenal to me. Like his work? He sells prints and other items on his site, www.willmurai.com

(“Hannya”)

(“Grand Piano”)

(“Cyber Feeling”)

[Lyrics] Nas – "One Mic"

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | Lyrics | Friday 20 March 2009 9:33 am
(“Hip Hop is Not Dead”- By Hawaiian Punch–www.deviantart.com)

“All I need is one blunt, one page, and one pen
 One prayer – tell God forgive for one sin
 Matter fact maybe more than one, look back
 at all the hatred against me, f**k alla them..”

I’m Here For This Reason….

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | The Goddess Series,Who wrote this? I wrote this. | Thursday 19 March 2009 2:34 pm
(“Live_Laugh_Love” By ShinyUmbrellas–www.deviantart.com)

(The legend of Amaterasu, the Japanese goddess of the sun, and Uzume, the goddess of mirth and dance, signifies the healing power of laughter and the importance of friendship and sisterhood. Their myth says that Amaterasu, devastated from a violent rampage brought on by her jealous brother, Susanowa, the god of storm, goes into hiding, causing the sun to disappear and the people to go hungry. Uzume, out of concern for her people and for her friend, finds Amaterasu hiding in a cave and begins to dance and joke, until laughter brings Amaterasu out of her hiding place, thus bringing the sun back to sustain the rice paddies that feed the people.)

It’s dark in her soul…
and so we all feel the cold without her beautiful golden smile
Her pain is wretched and she cowers in her sadness and despair…
My heart cracks in the corners for you…
A mind swept with the thorny branches of confusion…
A heart tossed in the winds of storm…
Feeling your pain…
I swear I’ve caught thousands of your tears in the palms of my hands….

So, my friend…
I shun bad thoughts from your mind….
I wash away regrets and lost dreams…
Dust away heartaches and disappointment…
and put a mirror to your face…
so you can shine…….

Dance in circles, sister….
Leave the sadness in the sand….
Dance until your feet are bruised with the joy of your stomping….
Your hands stinging from your clapping…
and your throat parched from laughing….

May you remember the joy of our celebration…
and smile once more….
Knowing that….
NO MATTER WHAT…YOU WILL BE OKAY….

So, dance and laugh and move forward…
step by step…
And I, my dear shining friend…
will be by your side….


[Side note] The Hardest Thing…

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | Lemme Holler Atchu For a Second | Thursday 19 March 2009 1:53 pm
I have ever had to learn is this. Turning the page can get quite complicated if you keep looking back to the last chapter thinking you missed something….or will miss something. Life doesn’t work like that…there’s peaks and valleys…. and lows and highs… nothing is perfect, except the lesson learned. Change is scary but it is also inevitable… a bittersweet pill to swallow…..

(“Turning a Page” -By ItsOnlyArt –www.deviantart.com)

As For Me?????????

I am on a fresh new sheet of paper… clean and blessed with no other responsibilities but myself and my family. That to me is spectacular. A wise person told me once (hey, girl)… that no matter what, you will be okay and be exactly where you need to be when you figure out the lesson being taught… He works in mysterious ways after all…

I am ready, universe…. my arms are opened completely and I am ready….for the joy and the pain and the love…. completely and totally prepared for it… and I have tears and smiles to spare….

Bring it on!

[Tocarra] Plus-Size Model

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | Friggin Fierce Women,Look And Likes [Fashion, Photography, Models, Art, etc],One of the Greats | Thursday 19 March 2009 12:47 pm
Okay, so I just want to acknowledge that women of color are beautiful and thick and sexy.
I remember the episode of “America’s Next Top Model” when skinny plastic Janice Dickinson tells Tocarra…”You need to lose some weight,” and how proud I was of Tocarra’s confidence and swagger, despite being criticized constantly for being the plus-size model of the cast. Though I am not a fan of KING magazine, they say her cover was one of the fastest selling issues (besides Mya’s cover). And in the hood (and to my brothers…LOL) that is pretty friggin’ hot!
Here, shown in the photos she took for the All-Black Issue of Vogue Italia…she is sinous, sexy as shit…and yes y’all… thick as a mug..LOL! Ladies, let us celebrate our curves instead of conforming to European concepts of beauty. I love Tocarra for representing us thick and beautiful women of color in the best possible light….fiercely! YOU GO MAMA!!!!!!!



[Lyrics] Sade "King of Sorrow"

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | Lyrics | Thursday 19 March 2009 11:29 am
(“Sade Gold” By The Pearl Diver—www.deviantart.com)

“…The DJ’s playing the same song
I have so much to do
I have to carry on
I wonder if this grief will ever let me go
I feel like I am the king of sorrow, yeah
The king of sorrow…”

Imperfectly Regal

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | The Goddess Series,Who wrote this? I wrote this. | Tuesday 17 March 2009 2:10 pm


(Sedna, the Inuit goddess of the deep sea, was an extremely important deity to the Inuits. Because of the harsh temperatures of the Artic, the food sources were mostly attained through fishing. Legend has it that Sedna’s own vanity was her demise, when she deemed herself too good for her other suitors, she elopes with a fulmar bird only to become his slave. When she escapes, her and her father are attacked by a flock of birds and she is dismembered; her severed limbs forming the sea animals which the Inuit people rely on for food. In her sorrowed rage and guilt, Sedna becomes the ruler of the deep sea and in order to ensure she provides the people with a plentiful food supply, she must be pleased, no matter her physical or internal flaws. Her myth teaches us that despite our infirmities and mistakes in life, we are still worthy of love and respect and have every right to expect and demand that we are treated well, no matter what)

Forgive me….
I allowed the heady smell of seduction to allow me to believe that I…
was going to be a queen of a golden palace
that shimmered and shown in the glory of the sun…
Yet here I am…
torn limb from limb in the depths of my own vanity…
I am ashamed… maimed and humiliated…
You were all right…
The ocean of my heart was much too shallow at the end…
and now I float in the abyss of my own making….
alone and cold…

Yet…
do not fear me…
do not look at me with pity…
do not tempt me to make the icy tides swell….
and the animals you feast on cower in hiding…
I am still the queen of a different palace…

and this one is my own…

Do not believe the rumors of my daily anguish…
I am still beautiful despite my heart’s mistakes…
singing my soul to the frosted glass of my mirror…
brushing ebony silk hair and laughing at my own stupidities.

For you see,
my errors have only made me that much more regal…
more wise…
more precious and beautiful to behold…
And I have learned to embrace my torn fingers and hands…
and if by chance you still deem me unworthy of your love…
I pose this question to you and all….

Who would ever wish to have an imbecile for a queen?

A quote from Isabel Allende…

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | A quote from... | Tuesday 17 March 2009 1:47 pm

“For women the best aphrodisiacs are words. The G-spot is in the ears. He who looks for it below there is wasting his time.”

Ahhh, Truer words never spoken.

Take heed brothers.

:o )

[Solange Knowles] Singer

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | Look And Likes [Fashion, Photography, Models, Art, etc] | Tuesday 17 March 2009 12:58 pm
Okay, so sometimes her outfits are not always sooooo superb… but her eclectic taste is definitely what I love about this girl. The fact that she is not trying to emulate the “diva” of her sister…to me, her retro electronic soul sound is divine. Is her voice as powerful as Beyonce? No. But it is unique and molds to all of the songs comfortably, in my opinion. One of my favorite songs on the entire album is “Cosmic Journey” with Bilal. I check her blog every day for updates and look forward to one day seeing Solange perform live.
Her blog, for those interested: http://blogs.okayplayer.com/hadleystreet/


[Sculptor/Designer] Dave Cortes

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | Look And Likes [Fashion, Photography, Models, Art, etc],New and Local Artists | Tuesday 17 March 2009 11:27 am

I was introduced to Dave Cortes’ work “Pugzee Redhook,” through a friend and promoter for the arts, Frankie Velez. He handed me a sticker of the above, and I was immediately in love.
Dave Cortes has been in the Toys & Collectibles industry for years, having worked for MacFarlane Toys and designing dozens and dozens of items, including the Tormenter collectible from “Spawn” comics, as well as Samuel L. Jackson as “Shaft”…Pretty dope!

An incredible artist and visionary, Mr. Cortes has now created his own line, beginning with Pugzee Redhook, a pug dog from Brooklyn rumored to be the dog of an infamous gangster, framed and jailed by his jealous cohorts. Pugzee escapes from Riker’s Island on the belief that he can stop the gentrification in his old stomping grounds….Wanna hear more of Pugzee’s story?? Check out his website, listed below.

I am definitely going to invest in a Pugzee collectible… yep yep…

SUPPORT LOCAL ARTISTS!!!!!!!!!!!

www.pugzee.com

The Release of a Rainbow

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | The Goddess Series,Who wrote this? I wrote this. | Monday 16 March 2009 2:57 pm
(“Wreck of the Rainbow” By TOOLaree–www.deviantart.com)

(Ix Chel, or Lady Rainbow, was the Mayan goddess of the moon and of weaving, who legend says escaped from her volatile relationship with the sun god, Kinich Ahau, by transforming herself into a jaguar. By refusing to become a victim of oppression, her myth teaches us to face negative forces in our lives and to assert ourselves against physical, mental, and emotional violence that may hinder our growth and deteriorate the beauty of our inner selves.)

She wove her own soul…
Threads of blood red…purple like velvet night…
Green like the fronds of growth at river’s edge…
Indigo streaks of sky and bright marigold…
Her soul is rich with the colors of life….
She bore the liquid fruit of the gods in her womb….
and molded them into the four corners of the sky…
alive and breathing into the jar of her bounty…
overflowing to enrich the lives of others…..

Yet his scorching love frays her work….
Burning its edges and singeing her dreams….
and she is tossed from her skies to the jealous tombs of his love…

She breaks free from the oppressive rays of the sun….
and escaping from his blaming licks of fire…
prowls away in feline silence….
Stealing away on velvety limbs…
stealthily maneuvering past his suspicious eyes….

Yet, lightning crashes as the old marks the new…
And the songs of hundreds of iridescent dragonfly wings,
flutter against her cheeks and revive her….
She is running back to find only the searing flames of his rage….
Morning stars she has never seen on her search for his golden limbs…
yet he scorches her with his furious accusations….

It is done…

It is over…

The sweet release of her freedom leaves her triumphant…
Overcoming a fear more powerful than her love….
She trembles with the beauty of her own bravery…
Realizing the strength in her own voice….
She turns her face to the sky and says,

“I am Lady Rainbow….
more vibrant than you have ever wanted me to be….
See my colors spread to the others…
more brilliant in them than ever in me…”

[Angelina & Brad] Fuego!

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | Look And Likes [Fashion, Photography, Models, Art, etc] | Monday 16 March 2009 2:38 pm


I think they are absolutely gorgeous..the both of them…. this will probably not be the last time you see either Angelina or Brad as I think they are the bee’s knees…LOL. I found these pics while I was Googling and I am drooling at how lovely they are.
.



A quote from Eartha Kitt

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | A quote from... | Monday 16 March 2009 2:01 pm

“The river is constantly turning and bending and you never know where it’s going to go and where you’ll wind up. Following the bend in the river and staying on your own path means that you are on the right track. Don’t let anyone deter you from that. “

…[A Brief Mind Vacation]…

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | Uncategorized | Thursday 12 March 2009 11:46 am



(“Relax” By HelloXDarling234 –www.deviantart.com)

Taking a little vacay from the poetry (only until Monday…LOL)…to re-assess my thought process. I have run into some new potential creative projects and I am in the midst of my brainstorming with my co-conspirators. Monday there will be two poems posted (I am pushing for three…LOL) to make up for lost time.

Patience, mah darlings…the wheels continue to turn……

& the writing continues…..

The Inner Discord of Eris

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | The Goddess Series,Who wrote this? I wrote this. | Wednesday 11 March 2009 1:32 pm
(“Eris” By =Aegis_Strife–www.deviantart.com)

Written: March 11th, 2009 @ 2:30p.m

(Eris is the Greek goddess of conflict and contention-myths say when she was denied invitation to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, in a rage, she threw a golden apple inscribed with the words “To the fairest” amongst the goddesses. Of course, this began an immediate rivalry and legendarily brought about the events of the Trojan War.)

The wind picks up…
gusts tangling her hair…
she stares wildly at them in disbelief…
her lips curl back in a snarl…
The world, pulling at her arms…
She’s trapped in the whirlpool of her own anger…
Chiffon ribbons of contempt sweep over her like waves…
gray and black, seething red….chaotic and beautiful……

She’s done giving a fuck and lets her fury take over…
She casts composure aside…
She throws her cool away…
Simmering in her imbalance,
she glides through this moment
on a tar-colored current of emotion…

Heart blackened with hurt,
She turns to the solidity of her rage…
before ever succumbing to the ache in her soul.

How dare you, she seethes…
How dare you think I am any less of a soul than you…
Ignoring the pain clawing at her spirit…
Ignoring the sorrow of her abandonment…

She shrieks in her invocations of the Furies,
her fingertips lit with flame…
She tosses a golden apple…
Fight over your own vanities, she yells
to the beauties who shun her…
the mornings taken and the nights a blur…
his kiss of venomous deceit…

She avenges her own heart with pure, merciless rage…
Hiding her shame behind her blood-red cloak…
and flaunting her distaste for the world…

Naked and vulnerable only to herself….

Her anger is her mask…

Her rage is her facade…

Her anguish she dispels with her fists…
covered in the tears of her despair…

She’ll never show her pain…
She’ll only avenge it.

[Edie Sedgwick] Style Icon

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | Look And Likes [Fashion, Photography, Models, Art, etc] | Wednesday 11 March 2009 11:26 am
Edie Sedgwick, cousin to Kyra Sedgwick (Kevin Bacon’s wife), and muse to famed visual artist Andy Warhol…she is the epitome of 60′s party chic….cool and trendy…me likes!

A quote from Rita Hayworth…

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | A quote from... | Wednesday 11 March 2009 10:57 am
(“Rita Hayworth” By Melobot–www.deviantart.com)

“We are all tied to our destiny and there is no way we can liberate ourselves.“

RIP Ralph Mercado (1941-2009)

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | One of the Greats | Wednesday 11 March 2009 9:38 am

On March 10, 2009, Salsa promoter Ralph Mercado passed away after a battle with cancer. Born in 1941 in Brooklyn, this Boricua-Dominican was a renowned name that brought Latin acts such as Marc Anthony, La India, Tony Vega, Tito Nieves and the like to the forefront. His promotional skills and talent for discovering and nurturing budding acts brought him 30 years of success in the music industry, accentuated by his personal and professional relationships with radio personalities, press outlets, and others of the Latin music industry.

Honored with a Lifetime Acheivement tribute by Billboard magazine in 1999, Mercado is noted as the first promoter to bring salsa music to Africa, South America, the Orient and Israel.His dynamic concert presentations “Ralph Mercado Presents..” and Latin music concerts at such prestigious venues as Radio City Music Hall; Lincoln Center’s Avery Fischer Hall; the Beacon Theater; and Madison Square Garden are to be remembered in his illustrious career. In 1976 Mayor Beam presented Mercado with a proclamation establishing the September concerts, currently in its 31st year, as the “Official New York Salsa Day” and in 2005, Mercado was honored with yet another proclamation from the Mayor of the City of New York.

I still have ticket stubs from a concert my mother and I attended years ago… faded and loved… it is one of the best memories of my adolescence. I can clearly recall watching people dance to the music in the aisles of Madison Square Garden. Latinos took over the Garden that night and the clave of our hearts beat in unison. And this is all in thanks to Mr. Ralph Mercado and his vision.

Deepest condolences to his family at this time, who hopefully are comforted by the profusion of love from his fans. You will be missed, Mr. Mercado.

[Tattoos/Art] Black Ink Gallery

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | New and Local Artists | Tuesday 10 March 2009 2:38 pm

When people ask me where they can go for a good tattoo, I immediately send them to Black Ink Gallery (or B.I.G.). I have five tattoos myself (going on six) and every single one of them was done at Black Ink. I have the pleasure and honor of knowing all of the gentlemen that work there and I vouch for the space and for their superb work.

Located in Harlem, the spot was set up in February 2007 by three ambitious young men who used their love of art and tattoos as inspiration. Half tattoo shop and half art gallery, Black Ink Gallery holds art openings for various local urban artists (Ewok5MH, KeL5MH, Eddie, etc) and has tattooed some pretty big names (Harlem rapper Jae Mills, Micheal Jennings from the New York Giants and Los Angeles Laker guard Smush Parker).

They were featured in Issue#83 of Urban Ink (August2008) and will be featured in the new reality series “Harlem Heights” which airs Mondays @ 10PM ET on the BET channel. A custom tattoo shop, they encourage their customers to get unique and distinct tattoos, which I love. Minimum for tattoos begins at $50 USD.

As they say “Go B.I.G. or go home!” Owww! LOL!
SUPPORT MY HOMIES!!!!

Check out the newest art opening on Thursday, March 19th , 2009 @ Black Ink Gallery
from 7pm to 11pm,
featuring the artists Vicki Pages and Initial H.
If you’re looking for a spot to get tatted, or you’re an artist looking to showcase your work, peep their website www.blackinknyc.com for any further information.
Or call (212) 665-5800
Located @ 55 Lennox Ave (btwn 112th and 113th street)

A quote from Pablo Neruda…..

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | A quote from... | Tuesday 10 March 2009 2:01 pm


“I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other way.”

(Wouldn’t this just be divine coming from the person you love? SiiiiGh!)

[Drew Barrymore] W Magazine

Posted by @Imani_Sublime | Look And Likes [Fashion, Photography, Models, Art, etc] | Tuesday 10 March 2009 1:39 pm
Drew Barrymore has always been one of my favorite celebrities… a free spirit always…I love that. These photos from April 2009′s W magazine are fire. She looks phenomenal! Oww! Go Drew!!!


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