Racism In An Elevator

I thought this was funny. Something that goes on everyday. You should check it out.
-ORIE

New Track Up

I just posted up a new track up on my Myspace page. You should check it out when you get a chance, and let me know what you think of it. It's a remix to Charles Hamilton's "Brooklyn Girls"

www.myspace.com/orietheproducer
-ORIE

Follow What Makes Your Heart Beat Faster...

“Laying Out Our Dreams” (A Forum With Hill Harper)

People would always ask him, “Why did you spend time getting all this education when you work in a field where you don’t even need a high school diploma?” Harper would respond with something simply as, “ I wanted to get my education.” His speech was very motivational to me. As a current college student at an art school, it’s very rare that you get to talk to not only a successful college graduate who got their degree and has become very successful in their field, but also an African-American male at that.
Harper was very inspiring to me. When I asked him his advice as to how I could possibly successfully run my record label as well as have a successful music production career, he responded with,” You can be a master of many things, but you have to be strategic in where you use your time.” I seriously began to think about this long and deep. Though it’s been less than 24hours since his visit at my school that I began to write this, certain important things had already began to sink into my head. I realized that I was brought here to make a significant difference in people’s lives. The average person wouldn’t understand, cause visually they couldn’t even imagine someone who seems to be “just like them” achieving such a huge success in many things. I also realized that the average person, was average, simply because they wanted to be average.
I had just gotten out of class, so I got to the forum about 20minutes, but I walked in as Harper was comparing our lives to that of a design made by an architect. He broke it down into four steps. 1) Blueprint, 2) Foundation, 3) Frame, & 4) Door were the four steps he listed. I think almost everybody has taken out the time to develop a blueprint in life, but most are full of unorganized ideas. It’s usually somewhere between the Foundation and the Frame where we all get lost. We seem to let our blueprint become so liquid of a substance that even the coldest day in Chicago’s winter couldn’t help to freeze it over into a solid Foundation. He went on to elaborate about the Framework of our architectural design. He described how he had ahouse made of wood in L.A. and a house made of brick in New York.. He then went on to describe how each was appropriate for where they were. How a brick house, was solid and great for cold NY weather, and how a wood frame was great for L.A. because it adapts to the stress that heat causes onto a building. He also went on to say, that we are often brought up to believe that we should have a solid brick frame in life. But the truth is, that everybody would be able to stand up so much stronger and taller with that wood frame, because we’d be able to adapt to the stresses and life that come and be physically prepared for it. However, while all of this is said, forget about even trying to put up a frame without a foundation. We’d be lucky if whatever we tried to frame up, without a foundation, lasted a solid few months. While this is all my interpretation of his architect concept, I believe this could apply to a lot of people in life.

By this time, I had become fully motivated, but he went on to leave even more motivational words. I guess for lack of better words, we began to talk about not always believing the hype, or as he called it, “False evidence appearing real.” He used Kanye West’s first album “College Dropout” as an example. He told us he was good friends with Kanye and had told this story before, and then went on to say that his album title should have been called, “College Dropout, but unless you live with a college professor, you should take your butt to college.”

I guess to sum up everything, we all can pretty much do whatever we want in life. We all seem to want to give up when times get a little rough or uncertain. I'd like to end this blog with a post from a famous poem called "Don't Quit." "So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit; it's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit."

-ORIE

Shoo, Mind. Don't Bother Me.

In a lot of ways, I view the mind as a place where an infinite amount of dreams, desires, questions, thoughts and answers can come together for a really cool intellectual shindig. A place of color and harmony; discovery and emotion; decision and conclusion. The mind I’m describing is one of optimism, when you’re having a “good day” kind of mind. Of course, everyone has those times where our mind gets the best of us and we proudly wave the “emo” flag for a while, as we sulk in our bonafide slump.



After we brush our hair for a first time in a few evenings or actually decide that more fast food won’t allow you to see the sun shine any sooner, most usually snap out of it. The most that I’m speaking of see the light eventually, and let the previous issue roll off their back. Whether they recognize it as trivial and unnecessary to even worry about, or have come to a decision they can move forward with, they jump back into that “good day” kind of mind. Realizing that everything can be a lesson, they understand that sitting and thinking about exactly why or how the negative bee that stings our brain on various occasions, clouding that “good day” kind of mind with bee venom… or whatever they carry, isn’t going to get them anywhere fast.

The most that I’m speaking of learn to limit if not prohibit their struggles from overtaking their entire existence, not letting themselves put a hinder on any progression that needs to take place. The most that I’m speaking of take what they can from each situation faced, bringing the essential moral of the story with them to their next journey. At the very end of the day, they enjoy life for its beauty and amazement, and its joy as well as its priceless magic.

I say most because I tend to view myself as the only one, the anomaly. I truly feel that I’m alone in all of this. A reject of the beloved club I previously mentioned, desperately wanting to belong to such a care-free group of life-accepting people. So much of the time, I completely throw away the invitation to the described shindig without thinking twice. Actually, without thinking at all. The reason I don’t even considering attending is because I’m guilty of being the official poster child for all of the things these beautiful people don’t do. I’m guilty of doing all of the above without question or reason, just because title I’ve unwillingly yet very voluntarily have taken on an incredibly demanding title.



This isn’t a title that would sit neatly on one of those wooden name plate thing-eys that are on desks of lawyers and guidance counselors or the kind of title they put under a washed-up producer’s name from 1982 on a Behind the Music special. It’s actually a title that I haven’t written down before now. Its one I’ve grown to resent, one I clearly don’t appreciate and wish would disappear without notice.

Not to be too wordy, I’d call it Hyper-Analytical Mentally Consumed Thought-Junkie. Sounds super cool, right? Whatever the opposite word of cool would be...Logically, “un-cool” seems to fit. Super whack to be really casual.

This title has somehow stepped into my life, even though I’m sure it’s been with me in some form since at least 3rd grade, it’s now at a point where the crew of Intervention is desperately needed. I’ve allowed my thoughts to be the sole controller of my day, my night and even my early afternoon. Nitpicking at every facet of a situation, analyzing the theme, concept, sub-theme and sub-concept, pondering the reason behind it even appearing in my life. Becoming an active participant in my mind’s flips, turns and tumbles while being completely paralyzed at the same time.

It’s become my Ike Turner, Joe Jackson and Ms. Trunchbull [Matilda] all in one disastrous combination. I haven’t been thinking in a way that’s actually get me anywhere, while a number of my mental journeys have all the power to do so. I just sit and I think. I go back and forth for minutes, hours, sometimes days about the same topic, the same brainteaser that I’m trying to solve. Instead of taking proactive steps to conquer that puzzle of madness, or so it feels like a lot of the time, I’ll just stop all action, to think. To think. That’s it. I’ll wonder if doing this action will take me in this direction, and what will the end result be. I’ll imagine where I can go if I just make a decision, if I just pick a side and act, but I don’t actually move to that desired destination.



My mind takes overbearing control of the smallest issues in my life to the deep issues that actually carry a lot of weight to me. Whether I can’t figure out if I should tell a boy I like him because I haven’t even come to the conclusion of whether I like him or not, to just sitting down and actually writing instead of being the biggest wimp this side of the Rio Grande and the freaking Mississippi, simply fearful of where it will take me, to even being upset with myself for thinking about why I’m upset with myself for thinking! Exhaustion doesn’t even begin to describe the hell I put my brain through on a daily basis.

With all of this said, wishing I could give my mind a well-deserved water bottle, I have to stop. I have to stop this craziness, this uncontrollable maze of death I continue to partake in. Well, not death; but the message is clear. So often, I know what I need to do and have figured out a plan of action, but my thoughts hold me back. They inhibit me from progressing in any direction. In order for me to really start living, I need to tell my mind to shut up. Shut up, mind. Shut up.



Make a decision. Come to a realization or conclusion.
And if I don’t come to that conclusion at that very moment, move on!
I’ll eventually figure out life’s great mysteries, and if I don’t, you know the saying.
Oh, well.

The funny thing is the issues that I believe are great mysteries are petty little predicaments that can easily be solved with some good ol’fashioned rationale. The issues that I plague my brain with aren’t even problems that should go under the category of “Problem”! I put them there, when that visibly shouldn’t be their place.
Not only do I need to learn how to separate the important things from the miniscule, but I immediately need to get “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” tatted somewhere, and somewhere soon.

In no way am I endorsing a stop to all intellectual thought or a belief that thinking is bad. Obviously not, if I’m writing on this blog...

Great thinkers are what make the world go ‘round and truly taking advantage of what your brain has to offer you is a wonderful thing. I enjoy being more than mentally mediocre, when the outcome isn’t so debilitating.
But it’s to what extent is that thinker suffering more from their thoughts than succeeding?

This has probably been one of most tiring years of my life, and I need to take a nap. A mental nap. No, I’m not overly depressed or lonely and I don’t walk around dressed in black while listening to old Jewel songs as my bangs make it difficult for you to see one of my eyes.
I can be the comedic life of the party and I smile a lot and have a lot of “good times, good times”. The problem is when I’m alone, well my brain and I, and the evil thoughts come a’ lurking.
Well, no more you mean, mean mind of mine! No more.
It’s time for change, in more ways than one. How can I support Obama’s progress when I don’t even support my own? It has to stop. And it will.




As long as I start RSVP-ing to those shindigs I’ve been instinctually declining so often and begin to realize life’s priceless magic like the most I spoke so highly of, I know that the battle with my brain can soon cease.
Deep down, I know that “good day” kind of mind will be in attendance.

I think I actually can reply to the invitation on-line .
E-vite.com or uh, ...

-Regina Selma

Artist: Louisa Giffard
Obama Artist: Michael Murphy

School Boy

Have you ever wondered how celebrities got their big break? I think about it everyday. So my boy M.I.C. had me watching one of the newest trailers for Biggie's upcoming movie "Notorious." There was a clip in the movie where a reporter walked up to Big and asked him what he did, or something like that, n Big was just like "I'm a rapper. I'm gonna be the greatest rapper alive one day." And little did he know, 5 years later, he was right where he said he was gonna be. Crazy right?

I guess i've just been kinda thinking about that, because i'm always telling people, i'm "ORIE" and i'm gonna be famous pretty soon. Or thanks for letting me borrow the $5 man, you know when i'm famous I got you back stage into my concerts right?lol.

Well neways, I guess I got a little off-topic. But yeah, I wonder how some celebrities got their big break. I mean, there isn't a school you can just go to, and just become famous, or  better yet, a lot of famous people in the music industry didn't even go to school in the first place. I guess that's what's been kinda difficult for me lately. Realizing that i'm trying to make history, by accomplishing so many goals while still in college, but then go on to accomplish so many goals post graduation in the music industry. I've been listening to Ryan Leslie a lot lately, and checking out a lot of his YouTube videos. I know everybody's kinda on him right now on the underground scene but i've just been kinda following his career trying to see where he's headed.


As an up & coming producer/artist/ceo myself, i'm always evaluating what people are doing in the industry and what I can do to improve on what they may have messed up on. Neways, I was reading up on him a little bit, and I thought it was kinda cool that at the age of 15, he took his SAT's to get out of the lifestyle of a military brat(correct me if i'm wrong) and got a perfect score. ( I know....crazy right???) So he went on to apply to schools such as Harvard,Yale, Stanford..all those good schools, and was excepted into all of them, except for Stanford, but only cause socially they didn't think he was ready...but i'm sure he met all of the other qualifications. So, long story short he enrolled into Harvard, and graduated at the age of 19. That's one year younger than I am right now, and he'd already had his degree from one of the best, if not the best school in the nation. 

So, I guess to kinda sum up this blog, I just wanna say, that if right now you're in school, but you're trying to get on your grind, but graduate at the same time just know that it can be done. Unfortunately, people like myself or anyone else in similar situations don't have time to sleep, cause there's just so much work to be done. And last but not least, never let somebody tell you you can't do something....

Well, i'm out.

-ORIE