Black Beamin': The Anthem, the Affirmation & the Tee

The Inspiration

In 2020 not only did we suffer from COVID but more specifically the Black community suffered from the ongoing traumatic experience of seeing our people die to unjust & racist killings by Law Enforcement from all over the United Sates. George Floyd to Breonna Taylor are two of the most recent lives lost but we’ve lost many over the past few years. I’ve never had too many things to say on record (music) about this negative part of the Black experience due to me not being motivated these conversations into my art. I sometimes have the tendency to want to expound with care and careful dissertation and I feel as if three hooks and two 16 bar verses aren’t enough.

In addition, I’m more of a — vocal person via in person conversations with my Black & White peers, show my support via social media and with my money when the opportunity presents itself — kind of person. However, this time around I was inspired and encouraged by a solid homie & overall person within music culture to let my voice be heard in the art simply because “my artistic voice was needed.”

The Anthem

The first musical piece that I created during 2020 was the Take 10 Freestyle audio & visual. It not only addresses the racial injustice Black people face but also speaks to the white and non-Black population who don’t speak up for us but enjoy our music, style and culture (we call them culture vultures). It also speaks on the untimely death of Oluwatoyin Salau and the mental health growth I experienced during that time in my life in general.

Not too long afterwards, Black Beamin’ was written, recorded and filmed. I’d like to say it’s one of my best pieces I’ve made in my creative stay; written, co- & executive produced. In addition, I could NOT have completed this work without my friends & collaborators from DL Zene, theDeeepend, Southpaw Swade, J. Pelham and more! You can find the IG recap interview we did right below the official visual.

Black Beamin’ The Official Visual

Black Beamin’ Song + Video // A Creative Recap

The Affirmation

Two iconic Black artists both wrote incredible songs that would be both played out loud & verbally used at rallies, protests, schools and more to uplift Black people as a whole. Nina Simone’s “To Be Young Gifted and Black” and James Brown’s “Say It Loud - I’m Black & I’m Proud”. These aren’t the only two artists that have made affirming records for us but they are the first two I was introduced to as a teenager and that I’ll never forget.

Reflecting on this inspired me to issue a challenge to some friends & Black creative minds I know to help me create some content that can inspire, motivate & encourage all fellow Black people who come in contact. I’ll be sharing more of these here in this blog in the weeks to come. You can find the video/s below.

The Tee

I knew when I finished filming the video, I wanted to do a shirt. A shirt that was simple & straight to the point but also looked good on Black people and our allies alike. A shirt that we can wear and be proud of. Something that not only brings the phrase “Black Beamin’” to life but that is also a sign of hope, love and encouragement to our community.

AND .. something that is transferable to not just t-shirts but to other accessories and clothing alike.

I pitched an idea to my younger sister who is an incredible artist and creative mind. She loved it! We’ve worked on several pieces in the past so this was an easy layup.

The official Black Beamin’ T-Shirt is out, now! Shout out to my wife for the dope last minute pictures!

Click HERE to purchase the new t-shirt!

The Art Consumption - Everything In Three's, For Summer/Fall 18'

Yes, I know.

It’s been a while since I’ve written one of these. I really neglected my blog & I am truly sorry. That will not happen again. Although I can’t promise when I’ll update it, I will make sure I give my readers at least 8 blogs in a year. Two every quarter should be easy right?

As some of you recall, I started a blog series called “The Art Consumption” where I would highlight some kind of art whether it was music, paintings, sculptures etc (that’s actually all I got to). Well, I’m starting my 2019 with some insight to some music related content I put out last year.

From July 2018 to December 2018, I released 12 tracks. Most of them were songs and a couple were instrumentals, all of which I am very proud of. I am equally proud of the combination of photography & graphic Design I released surrounding them . And after I released the playlist of all of those songs that made it to Lyrical Lemonade, I felt obligated to give insight to the content surrounding the music. So, for this blog I want to highlight the thought process behind each artwork for each of the singles I released.

The Vision

After meeting with my manager Mike Luna in early 2018, we made a goal to put out an abundance of music following my 2018 EP, “black & mild: black wayne”. For many of you that follow me, you know that the main inspiration for my music (other than my own life) is cinema/film. One of the things I enjoy most when watching a movie is analyzing the color grading for each scene. I often follow Cinema Palette pages on social media to get more insight to how scenes & colors palettes are strategically built to be pleasing to the eye.

Mad Max- Fury Road (2015)

dir. George Miller

Star Wars- Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

dir. George Lucas

Django Unchained (2012)

dir. Quentin Tarantino

While on my visit in Chicago, I found the creative connection & began incorporating it into my picture post via Twitter & IG. Just to test it out and see how people reacted to it.

‪chicago's been great. i've learned so much & i have gotten so much inspiration. most importantly, i'm seeing how things work together.‬ . . . . #vsco #vscocam #music #art #film #beabsxlute

105 Likes, 3 Comments - pat junior (@iampatjunior) on Instagram: "‪chicago's been great. i've learned so much & i have gotten so much inspiration. most importantly,..."

Once I got the hang of it, I was inspired to create my own color palettes for my music. Each release would have 3 songs and each of those songs would have a color to go along with it that fit the song but also blended with the whole palette and “season”. Lastly, the small 3 color palette for each cover would be visible somewhere on the artwork. So, I called on two amazing artists who are apart of my creative team & who have helped shaped my brand to take on this task. Ryan Pham - Cinematographer/Photographer & Graphic Designer —Ruben Rodriguez.

For Summer 18’ (Part A)

For the summer I felt inspired to create music that hit hard, had bounce to it and something laid back. I already knew I wanted to use “bright” primary colors. However, I wanted to pick three items that represented the summer well, so that when people saw the cover, they knew immediately what they were diving into. I had the vision: in my head I saw 3 popsicles in my head melting. I already had the songs and so i just matched them with each appropriate color: Red (Pressure), Blue (Wouldn’t It Be Nice) & Yellow (Don’t Trip) — each of the colors had meaning as well Red = On Fire/Heating Up, Blue = Something Cool, Yellow = Slow Down.

LISTEN: For Summer 18’ (Part A)

During the shoot Ryan suggested the background, shifted my hands perfectly so that each photo would be identical (but slightly different for the “human” touch) and ever so patiently waited for each popsicle to drip so that he could snap a good picture. The last picture, (the first) was the hardest because I had to hold all 3 popsicles in my open palms. SUPER COLD! But it was worth it. If you look closely at the first picture, you can see the popsicle juice oozing past my fingers and under my hand.

Once we passed the pictures on to Ruben, he was responsible for taking the idea I had and bringing it to life with his style of design. This would be the template we would use for each season, only making small tweaks and refining the look along the way. I love Ruben’s BOLD designing mind. We went with a vintage/modern feel and he even added his own transparent sticker to each cover which gave each artwork an additional “modern” texture.

For Summer 18’ (Part B)

To close out the summer, I wanted to get a little more vulnerable with my pictures. The vulnerability was in line with the music. I had written about self love and an anthem about not needing anyone’s validation but my own. The songs had some bounce and “hardness” to the production but both were still “tender”. So I thought it’d be best to go with balloons. Pink (Love To Self), Royal Blue (Validation) & Pearl White (Free Peace). I believe the metaphors for these colors spoke well for themselves. In addition, this time around we decided to actually do more photos with the props to coincide with the theme. Here are some of my favorite pics from the shoot.

Ryan found all the spots and did an excellent job instructing me on how to pose for each shot. The first shot of me hiding behind the balloon was my only suggestion but despite the wind, he made sure we captured each shot as best we code. The editing came out gorgeous, too.

LISTEN: For Summer 18’ (Part B)

This time around, Ruben added a “18’” on the main cover with the color gradients to just to refine the design a little more.

For Fall 18’ (Part A)

The Fall is my favorite season. The warm but “dense” colors and textures that “fit” the season are just variants of their originals. They have such a bold & mature feel. For example: navy blue or forrest green. The music I released for this season definitely had that feel and contained similar content. Burgundy (Got It Good), Hold Your Own (Burnt Orange) and Forrest Green (Don’t Feel Right). Each had a mature and introspective look on certain topics, especially “Got It Good” (which is actually kind of a diss track to myself). For the same reason, I choice fruits and when we shot, we went for a more introspective look too. Here are some of my favorite pictures from this shoot.

Ruben decided to follow up the design with a chocolate background color instead of black. We both ended up thinking it would fit well with the full color palette as a backdrop color.

LISTEN: For Fall 18’ (Part A)

For Fall 18’ (Part B)

Last but certainly not least is the second part of the fall series. I made some metaphorical references to coffee in my lyrics and the music had a theme of “wokeness” about one’s self and surroundings, so I thought mugs would fit well. I didn’t use navy blue in the last series and really wanted to make use of the color, so I definitely took the initiative to use it here. Navy Blue (Do or Die), Copper (ReDiscover Me), Grey (Still Kinda Grey). We definitely played on the “hipster/informed” look with this one. Here are some of my favorite pictures from this set.

Ruben and I both agreed that this set needed a grey backdrop. The color palette would really thrive on each one. Much love to my little sister Tavia for painting the mugs for me!

LISTEN: For Fall 18’ (Part B)

An Unscheduled Close

I initially had some really dope ideas for the Winter & Spring series but with the other stuff I have plan for this year, I had to cut it short. I really had fun creating these color palettes and it really evolved my eye for creating new visual textures. What’s really dope about this process is that once people saw the For Summer 18’ (Part B), they started to anticipate the next color structure and were eager to see what items I would use next. Some creatives even messaged me and even shared how they were really appreciative of what I was doing with my music and visuals and were inspired by the concept as a whole. Some creatives even low key copied my idea in their own way and released their music/announcements (Don’t even trip, I’m not mad. I’m really flattered haha). I still make an effort to do my color palette posts every 3rd post on my Instagram and people tend to really enjoy them. Will I do another music series like this again and have the color palettes accompany them? I really don’t know but don’t count it out completely.

Til’ next time,

pat junior

The Art Consumption - February 2016 - Concert Edition: Lupe Fiasco

What's up people?

I'm pretty excited about this addition of The Art Consumption as I had the pleasure of seeing one of my favorite artists live in concert for the first time.  My wife (the illest wife ever) bought be tickets for Lupe Fiasco's "A Tour for The Fans" tour for Christmas last year; we went to the Washington, D.C. stop since he didn't come to lil ol' Raleigh, NC.  I figured instead of dropping a blog in January, I made a mental note to do one about the concert because I just knew I would leave inspired. And I must say, I definitely did...

For the Concert Edition of the Art Consumption, we'll focus on the concerts I happen to go to and MABYE share some snippets from the live performance for you to jam to at the end of the post.

Let me start by saying, I'm thankful to have a wife who takes interest in my art and artistic inspiration.  She actually surprised me.  I had no clue what I was getting for Christmas 2015.  So Tamyra, if you get a chance to read this: I love you and thank you again.

The Introduction (If You Ain't Know)

When it comes to lyrical Titans in Hip-Hop, Lupe is one of the biggest.  I really believe God truly pre-destined Rap Genius to be created for dudes like him (ha!). Lupe not only challenges you to unlock his Rubix Cube like metaphors but challenges you to research about social injustice, political issues, racism, religion and other topics that the average person doesn't normally care to research.  And honestly, the dude is just incredibly creative.  I was introduced to Lupe when I saw the video for his first single "Kick, Push" on MTV after school one day and was hooked ever since. And of course, I purchased the album Food & Liquor.  It's one of his "less" complex songs lyrically but still a great song.

I must admit, I got a little lost with his work after The Cool (purposely) and then picked back up after his release of Food & Liquor II, which over all got mixed reviews but I enjoyed thoroughly. And of course, I have his latest Tetsuo and Youth, which I think is his best piece of work and the follow up EP, Pharaoh Heights.  Lupe Fiasco has and continues to have a great influence on my work as an artist and is easily one of the Top 5 on my list of MCs.

The Concert

The show was held in Washington, D.C. (in a nice part of town might I add) at the 9:30 Club -- and catch this -- on Super Bowl Sunday.  Now, a brotha was torn when the tickets had already been purchased and watched the Carolina Panthers muscle their way to the Championship game but like I said, I'm a fan. And Lupe was putting on "A Tour For The Fans" so how could I miss that?  However, the Super Bowl worked to our advantage because me and the wife were able to get really good seats in the upper balcony area.

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Picture of me at Lupe Fiasco's "A Tour For The Fans" [Picture by The Wife]

The concert started of with a few decent opening acts from artists who were from Chicago, IL (Lupe's hometown) and Billy Blue who hails from Miami, FL.  Billy actually was featured on Lupe's latest album Tetsuo & Youth on a track called "Chopper".  Lupe actually came out during Billy's set and they performed both of their verses, which I thought was pretty cool.  I think I enjoyed Billy's performance the best out of all the opening acts which were overall decent.

When Lupe came out to perform with Billy Blue, he already mentioned that he was tired from "this tour life" but then said, "But, we do this for the fans right?"  **Note To Self: Artists need to be in shape and build endurance for touring and doing consistent shows.  Get it shape young fella!** So, when he came out to perform his set, you could tell he was worn down but he still put on a good show.  He started off with performing "Mural" from his latest album --

Wait, let me stop right there. Do you understand how amazing this is? Let me help you understand:

That is almost 9 minutes of STRAIGHT BARS. No hooks.  Not mention, there's metaphor, after metaphor, after metaphor, AFTER ANOTHER CRAZY METAPHOR...you get my drift.

Well, Lupe performed this song as tired as he was all the way through. Epic, to say the least...at least I thought so. Then he followed up with "Dots & Lines" a song about not signing to a major Record Label and the troubles that come with signing.  I haven't been able to dig deep into this song so please, do yourself a favor and check out the annotated lyrics on Rap Genus.  I'd actually check out "Mural" while you're at it too.

Afterwards, the whole concept for "A Tour for The Fans" came to life.  Lupe's DJ would play a voicemail recording from a fan, DJ friend, radio personality or artist friend stating their name and what their favorite Lupe Fiasco song was and then he would perform that song.  Simple, but genius.  I mean, you're talking hit, after hit, after hit with every person singing and rapping along. Of course, at this point, everyone had shown up towards the last opener's performance and the place was jammed packed!

The show was definitely an enjoyable and learning experience.  Below, you can take a listen to some of the live action (and me and my wife singing and rapping along to some of the songs).

Song Titles in Order: "Mural", "The Coolest", "Day Dreaming" and "Go Go Gadget Flow"

Peace!

The Art Consumption - November 2015

I'm going to do my best not to make this post about me...

After the release of my latest project "Just Because I Wanted To Give You A Short Mixtape To Listen To", it was impressed upon my heart to share some of my inspirations as an artist.  My latest project was heavily inspired by artists of various genres (not just Hip-Hop) and was a homage to art as a whole.  Plus, I thought it'd be dope to highlight local and distance contemporaries that I think should be highlighted.

Anyway, every other month, I'll be posting everything from music, movies, design, paintings and other genre's of art that are or have been a strong source of inspiration for me.

This month:

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Tony G

Tautology [Beat Tape]

Tony G and I have been good friends for some time now and if there's one phrase that I can use to describe his work ethic it would be: Consistent Growth.

Tony G is not only a talented MC but he's an excellent beat smith.  I remember a few years ago, I went to go visit Tony at his apartment to check out some of his tracks just for the heck of it.  They were pretty good even back then but I'm so glad he got rid of that producer tag (inside joke lol).  Since then, I've seen him grow into an incredible artist who has an ear for great textures when it comes to producing -- I would dare to say his production is just as good or better than some of your favorite "Boom-Bap" producers.  And the plus? He's not Xeroxing someone else's style.

Tautology (isn't that a dope name?) is a beat tape that combines a little bit of Hip-Hop nostalgia and some great Hip-Hop production.  Wondered what some of your older favorite Hip-Hop jams would sound like over good gritty and out of the box production? [Click that link!]

Next...

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Travis Scott

Rodeo [Album]

What? P.A.T. Junior listens to Travis Scott? Yes.  This album is incredible for so many different reasons.  Due to the fear of my inability to keep my feelings about this album short and to the point, I've provided a review from one of my favorite music reviewers on the net.  In short, Travis Scott took what we've coined "Trap Music" to a different level.  It's super melodic, the textures of sound on the production match immaculately, the lyrics are well written and the harmonies in this mug?!  This album is the Oscar De La Renta of Trap-Esque Music.  I'll let Anthony take it from here: