When I heard that Louie's album was nominated, my first thought was....

When I heard that Louie's album was nominated for a Grammy, my first thought was, "where am I going to put my first grammy award?" LOL!


Wow! Everybody uses that word these days. Wow! Oddly, most people are using it to express feelings of disappointment. 
A friend called me recently and left a message that said "Yo, I can't even get a call back? I been calling and you won't return my call? Woooooooowww!!" LOL!
What I've experienced over this weekend at the Grammy awards was so amazing that the word "Wow" just doesn't quite articulate what I felt. 
Every day that led up to the Grammy's was kind of normal. Nothing crazy. No butterflies. No anxiousness. My mind has been on the projects we have going on at the studio really. I didn't get crazy till I got dressed to meet Louie and the family. 

There's so much going on and everything is moving fast. But I think the most important thing I wanna tell you all is that everybody, and I mean everybody there was human. Let that sink in for a sec. 
I'll wait... 

Every artist that was nominated wanted to win. None of the stars there had any superhuman powers. 
Speaking for myself, I can be a little starstruck. 
Yes. I'm guilty. I can be enamored with my jazz heroes and songwriting geniuses. If I met James Taylor, Pat Metheny or Sting, I may pass out. HOWEVER, these people are all normal human beings. And that's something I appreciate even more after meeting a few. 
Soooooooo..... I'm at the Grammy Awards. This is an event that most artist dream of attending. Most artist, at one time or another, practice their acceptance speech. 
I've practiced my acceptance speech since I was a child. 
I'm feeling good and extremely grateful to be here. 
Facebook friends are posting about our brother Louie's album featuring all of the wonderful artist. I'm wearing a tux. LIFE IS GOOD RIGHT NOW. 
Louie and Anane look awesome. Zuleica's suit and shoes were so dope that I threatened her.

Louie's son Nico looked very handsome and Christian wore this fancy jacket that looked like it had tails. We were all amped. 

But then reality hit. 
The Grammy's. This is Hollywood. 
I saw so many things. There was this one woman, who looked like a goddess. She wore a burgundy lace dress with absolutely nothing on underneath. Anane busted me looking at the woman. But come on... Give me a break. She was beautiful! And very naked under that lace! Somehow she did it well, and tasteful. And then there was this other woman wearing a cheaply made, neon red, lace dress. Something out of "Fredericks Of Hollywood". She was very skinny with implants that resembled softballs. They looked very hard and dry. It was like her skin was brittle. The split in her dress was so high that one could fully see her panties. Full frontal. She was unaware that one of her vaginas was hanging out. Lawd I'm scared. The panties were too skinny at the crotch!!! She needed a Labia reduction. I got nervous! I swear I did. Did she see that I saw it? Should I run or act normal? Where would I run? Wait.. Why am I thinking of running? I didn't do anything!! This is just bizarre. But this is Hollywood. And she's OD'ing on it.
Random thought... when women get implants that make their breast all round and grapefruity, what happens when they turn 80? Is that ok?
Anyway. There's people here that are working hard to make a mark on the world. They want to do music that heals, and changes lives. And then there's a more "synthetic" group of people here. Those overly concerned with their toupee, hair dye, face lifts, and Botox. People that can barely walk in their shoes. Anane and I saw a woman walking past us. Her feet were hurting so bad that she walked with her knees buckled. The synthetic crowd is always so entertaining. What would this world be without them. We, as hard working people, need a good hearty chuckle sometimes. 
I saw a guy that looked like he stole a bottle of shoe polish and painted his beard with it. Awww man. It was like poetry! I loved it. 
Seriously though, there's definitely people of all walks around. I saw these Native people perform at the premiere ceremony. I couldn't tell you what they were saying in their song, but whatever it was, it resonated deep within me. It was something very spiritual. They sang from a deep place. It wasn't just a performance. This song had meaning. The way they sang was as though they weren't concerned with the crowd. They seem to be focused on the song itself. My heart was touched. After the ceremony I met them. And they were soooooo nice. They talked to me without having an attitude. I didn't feel brushed off. It was wonderful. 
Lady Ga Ga redefined professionalism for me. That woman was amazing! She did a duet with heavy metal band Metallica. The lead singer from Metallica microphone was out. Lady Ga Ga shared her mic with him. But she did it while dancing and performing. It was seamless, unrehearsed and awesome. Sometimes, artist get soooo annoyed when something goes wrong on stage that they have to let it be known to everyone. Lady Ga Ga handled this with such a profound sense of control. She took responsibility. And handled the problem. That may have been the highlight of the performances for me. I was so glad to see Gregory Porter win a Grammy. He's a very talented dude. I admire his career so much. Robert Glasper was very kind. He went out of his way to shake my hand after I called his name. He could have just waved his hand but he made it his business to properly say hello. That was nice. Things like that will increase an artist's fan base. I'll surely buy the next album for sure. 
When it was time for Louie's name to be called, we were all tense. 
We wanted this for more reasons than having a Grammy. Louie's album would have been a win for everyone doing music under the umbrella of soulful house music, as well as independent artist everywhere in every genre. What I'm mostly impressed with is his independence. What this means is that we all can start a proper label, do an album and get nominated for a Grammy!
Independent of a Major Label. 
My humble suggestion to those with aspirations to start labels is this, have a way to get the music done. Don't start a label and have no way to get product finished. It's a waste. 
Soooo......
Let's talk about Bobby Rush!! (I can almost hear you all in my head. Bobby who?)
BOBBY RUSH!!!!!
I saw a documentary on this blues legend, Bobby Rush. And like you, I didn't know who he was either. But the documentary drew me in. He's an independent blues artist. He's walking right next to me!!! Bobby is 83!!!! So I feel all my manhood ooze out of my pores, and like a school girl, I skip over to him with my thumb in my mouth. And I say, "Mr. Rush, I'm a fan of what you do, and most of all I admire your hustle! He introduced me to his lovely wife who had to be in her 40's. He thanked me and told me he loves me for saying that to him. We took a picture, and I was on cloud 9!

He later won a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues album! Wow!!!!!!!
We went to the dinner/performance thingy they had after the awards ceremony. As we're eating and just kinda chillin, Brenda Russell sits down and just chills with us!! Brenda "Piano In The Dark" Russell!!! Songwriting Royalty!! A legend! Someone who's career we all admire!!! She's sitting with us chatting away! This is heaven.

Anyway, I'm inspired. I'm grateful. I'm blessed. But I have to get back to work. The experience was unlike any other. Thanks Louie for letting me tag along. Love you bro!

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