your gift will make room.
a few thoughts using your gifts + reads & vibes for your weekend.
It’s been a marathon of a week but we’ve made it, friend! I spent last weekend & the first part of this week in Philadelphia for The Roots picnic, and in New York City for work. My lungs have recovered from the smoke, thankfully. Let’s jump right in.
thoughts at large.
Have you ever seen someone so deep in their giftedness that it inspires you to get deeper in yours? That happens to me often. Most recently, I’ve been inspired by the work that Teyana Taylor has been doing in various disciplines.
A little background. I was first introduced to Teyana when she was 16 years old via My Super Sweet 16 on MTV. She was newly signed to Pharell’s Star Trak label, and she had an incredible sense of style to be so young.
Over time, I became a fan of her music and watched her develop into the artist she is now. She dances, choreographs, writes, directs, sings, designs, and acts. She’s truly a renaissance woman. All of this talent hasn’t been widely respected - and to be honest, she’s retired from releasing music as an artist and has started focusing on providing creative direction to younger artists who need that support in collaboration with CoCo Gilbert, through their company “The Aunties”
Teyana, to me, is the Debbie Allen of this generation. She’s supremely talented, and could honestly continue her career as a performing artist if she wanted to, but is instead channeling her gifts in different ways, and pouring her knowledge and expertise into the next generation of artists through music video and creative direction.
When her career as an artist didn’t pan out the way she expected, she could have faded into obscurity, but she didn’t. Instead, she leveraged her skills and let her gifts make room for her in other ways. I think that’s the lesson we should all take to heart.
Each one of us has been gifted with something that we’re supposed to share. Those gifts aren’t for us, they are really for other people. Once we come to that realization, all of us need to make sure that we’re not hoarding our gifts for our own gain. We can’t be so married to the way that we think we should be using our gifts that we miss an opportunity to allow our gifts to be a blessing to someone else.
This weekend, I hope you’ll take a little time to assess how you’re using your gifts, and how those gifts can be used for the benefit of someone outside of yourself. We only have one life to live friend, and we should make it count as best we can. Share the gift, and don’t be afraid to let go of the way you thought things would go for the newness that you can see on the horizon.
Love you, mean it!
As a bonus, check out this fairy-tale-inspired commercial that Teyana dropped for her recent collaboration with Jordan Brand. She stars in it alongside Jalen Hurts (😍) and she directed it herself.
need you to know.
Donald Trump got federally indicted in the classified documents case.
Cornell West is running for President. So is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Wildfire smoke is still wreaking havoc on the eastern United States.
The Supreme Court ruled that Alabama discriminated against Black voters, a major victory for the Voting Rights Act.
A White Woman Has Been Arrested for Shooting Her Black Neighbor, finally.
ATL City Council voted 11-4 in favor of building a “Cop City” training facility, despite weeks of protests against it.
reads & vibes.
Usher & Jazmine Sullivan grace the 2023 Roots Picnic stage together - via Revolt
Tupac Shakur receives Walk of Fame star via Andscape
Takeoff’s Mother Sues Venue Owners Where Rapper Was Killed via Rolling Stone
Mary J. Blige’s new movie, based on her song, “REAL LOVE” premieres on Lifetime on Saturday at 8/7C. Check the trailer below:
Janelle Monae’s new album “Age of Pleasure” is streaming on all platforms. I’ve got you on Spotify & Apple.
NPR Tiny Desk is doing it big for Black Music Month - they’ve kicked off a series of concerts featuring Black artists. We started the week with Charlie Wilson [Watch here] and we’re closing this week with Babyface, supported by Chante Moore, Avery Wilson & Tank. You want to talk about SANGIN’SANGERS? This is the one. Watch below:
That’s it for this week, friend. Have a great weekend. As a reminder, next weekend is Father’s Day and Juneteenth weekend. If you need to shop, prioritize that this weekend! TTYL!
Love this. I was just talking about how Teyana really doesn't get her flowers. Such a talented and versatile artist.