Allow me to re-introduce myselfy...my name is...

Pink lip-gloss lathered on our lips, it matched the ensembles we wore. Jeans skirts on the both of us, she wore a white top, and I wore a black top. Our tan lines shown, but all we cared about was our golden skin from hitting the beach earlier that day. Black heels dug into the uneven cement street as we walked to the entrance to talk to a bouncer. We had no ID to get in, but that didn’t matter we weren’t even old enough to get in to the biggest rap concert of 1997, featuring the Wu-Tang Clan. Not only were we too young, it was sold out. It didn’t stop us, nothing did. At the prime age of 16 turning 17 with no care in the world, operation admission into the Wu-Tang concert was about to commence.

It was one of those things, where we had to go.  On a hot humid night, we approached the entrance, “how much it cost?” I asked the bouncer. “Sold out,” he says. Yeah right, I thought. My best friend and I were not going to let that minor detail bum our night. Talking to the bouncer I asked, " Hey, do you know OC?," He was one of my bouncer friends who was the head bouncer of all the clubs. He ended up knowing him, and next thing he said, "eh, put your hand out." He placed the green band on each of our wrists. We coolly walked towards the door, gliding thru the entrance. As soon as we got in we jumped up and down and cheered, "Yes!"

Wu-Tang Clan came on fashionably late as any rap group would. The venue was packed, hot and we couldn’t see over the heads of the packed crowd. “Damn, how we gonna see?” I asked my friend. We looked throughout the venue and wondered where can we get the best view? As each rapper came on the stage we frantically tried to find our best vantage point. My eyes locked on a big speaker directly across the stage. “Right there, lets climb on it and stand on it.” I said. We climbed on the big speaker and had the best view in the house; it was as if we were on the stage with the Wu-Tang clan.

Every time I see the Itz Yours video that has clips of The Wu-Tang’s concert we attended I always look for us, in back on top of the big black speaker directly across the stage. I see my friend and I dancing up a storm enjoying the sold out concert that we had no tickets to, no 18 year old ID, but our love for hip-hop got us admission into the best rap concert of 97’. Operation get in Wu-Tang concert mission complete.

With a love of hip-hop, a passion for graffiti, poetry, creative non-fiction, my path has lead me to where I am today. Whether I have gone thru good or bad has built character. I wouldn’t take any of it away, I cherish the battles I have gone thru in my life as those have built my successes.  I don’t measure success by how much money one has; I look at success as being measured by the value of one's character.  What we do for others is one’s true wealth. 

My values are relevant to my audience because my audience are passionate people who hold the same belief system as I. We want what is most important, life experience. How that is achieved best is by going thru shit, basically living. Each day we wake up and we think whatever it's only another day, but each day is another opportunity, imagine that…. Another opportunity to live and learn about what is most important in your life.

What have you done to achieve what you wanted when obstacles stood in your way? How have you overcome failed attempts? How have you been triumphant?

It’s Yourz video, look for us in the back we are standing on the BIG Speakers. 

No matter what obstacle lie in your way don’t stop; don’t give up on what you want in your life. Tap into your passion let it guide you to get you what you want and how you want it. Where there's a will there is a way. The best things in life are free and it isn’t til’ you experience failure can really know what success is, and it isn’t how rich you are, it isn’t the big house, the nice car. You tell me what success is to you?