Lift OneSelf -Podcast
Confronting Generational Trauma and Celebrating Caribbean Culture: A Journey of Authenticity and Enlightenment - Episode 106
Have you ever stood at the crossroads of your own perceptions and the undeniable truths of the world? I, Nat Nat, along with a panel of insightful souls, including Reds Wizdom, Derek Perera aka Dawg E Slaughter, Captain and Special K, embark on an exploration of these intersections, uncovering the layers of reality that construct our personal truths. We navigate the delicate balance between what we believe and the absolute truths that govern our existence, such as the certainty of the sun's rise and set and how this shapes our inner and outer worlds.
Our candid dialogue traverses the terrains of honesty, spirituality, and the quest for authenticity, all while honouring the vibrant essence of Caribbean culture. We delve into personal anecdotes that reflect the challenges and triumphs of adhering to spiritual laws, the power of intuition, and the importance of creating safe spaces where our spirits can thrive. Our discussions reveal the intense journey of self-discovery and the courage it takes to confront generational trauma with the hopes of healing and growth. Through the pulsing rhythms of Soka music and the rich traditions of our heritage, we celebrate our culture's beauty while scrutinizing its keepers' responsibilities within the diaspora.
Closing the chapter on our enlightening discourse, we examine the collaborative spirit that enlivens event planning, the evolution of Caribbean music, and the critical role of community workshops. We highlight the significance of sharing such valuable conversations, extending an invitation to join us on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok at Lift One Self to continue the journey together. As we wrap up, let's remember to embrace our truths with kindness and a gentle spirit, for in sharing, we find the path to collective enlightenment and personal liberation.
Caribbean Flavour Radio station CHUO 89.1
https://www.instagram.com/soca613/?hl=en
Derek X-Caliber Pereira
Dawg E Slaughter
https://www.instagram.com/therealdawgeslaughter/?hl=en
Remember, the strongest thing you can do for yourself is to ask for help.
Please help us grow by subscribing to and sharing the Lift OneSelf podcast with others.
The podcast intends to dissolve the stigmas around Mental Health and create healing spaces.
I appreciate you, the listener, for tuning in and my guest for sharing.
Our website
Https://.LiftOneself.com
Find more conversations on our Social Media pages
www.facebook.com/liftoneself
www.instagram.com/liftoneself
Music by prazkhanal
Remember to be kind to yourself.
Remember, the strongest thing you can do for yourself is to ask for help.
Please help us grow by subscribing to and sharing the Lift OneSelf podcast with others.
The podcast intends to dissolve the stigmas around Mental Health and create healing spaces.
I appreciate you, the listener, for tuning in and my guest for sharing.
Our website
LiftOneself.com
Find more conversations on our Social Media pages
www.facebook.com/liftoneself
www.instagram.com/liftoneself
Music by prazkhanal
Have you ever stood at the crossroads of your own perceptions and the undeniable truths of the world? I, Nat Nat, along with a panel of insightful souls, including Reds Wizdom, Derek Perera aka Dawg E Slaughter, Captain and Special K, embark on an exploration of these intersections, uncovering the layers of reality that construct our personal truths. We navigate the delicate balance between what we believe and the absolute truths that govern our existence, such as the certainty of the sun's rise and set and how this shapes our inner and outer worlds.
Our candid dialogue traverses the terrains of honesty, spirituality, and the quest for authenticity, all while honouring the vibrant essence of Caribbean culture. We delve into personal anecdotes that reflect the challenges and triumphs of adhering to spiritual laws, the power of intuition, and the importance of creating safe spaces where our spirits can thrive. Our discussions reveal the intense journey of self-discovery and the courage it takes to confront generational trauma with the hopes of healing and growth. Through the pulsing rhythms of Soka music and the rich traditions of our heritage, we celebrate our culture's beauty while scrutinizing its keepers' responsibilities within the diaspora.
Closing the chapter on our enlightening discourse, we examine the collaborative spirit that enlivens event planning, the evolution of Caribbean music, and the critical role of community workshops. We highlight the significance of sharing such valuable conversations, extending an invitation to join us on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok at Lift One Self to continue the journey together. As we wrap up, let's remember to embrace our truths with kindness and a gentle spirit, for in sharing, we find the path to collective enlightenment and personal liberation.
Caribbean Flavour Radio station CHUO 89.1
https://www.instagram.com/soca613/?hl=en
Derek X-Caliber Pereira
Dawg E Slaughter
https://www.instagram.com/therealdawgeslaughter/?hl=en
Remember, the strongest thing you can do for yourself is to ask for help.
Please help us grow by subscribing to and sharing the Lift OneSelf podcast with others.
The podcast intends to dissolve the stigmas around Mental Health and create healing spaces.
I appreciate you, the listener, for tuning in and my guest for sharing.
Our website
Https://.LiftOneself.com
Find more conversations on our Social Media pages
www.facebook.com/liftoneself
www.instagram.com/liftoneself
Music by prazkhanal
Remember to be kind to yourself.
Remember, the strongest thing you can do for yourself is to ask for help.
Please help us grow by subscribing to and sharing the Lift OneSelf podcast with others.
The podcast intends to dissolve the stigmas around Mental Health and create healing spaces.
I appreciate you, the listener, for tuning in and my guest for sharing.
Our website
LiftOneself.com
Find more conversations on our Social Media pages
www.facebook.com/liftoneself
www.instagram.com/liftoneself
Music by prazkhanal
Welcome to the Lift One Self podcast, where we break mental health stigmas through conversations. I'm your host, nat Nat, and we dive into topics about trauma and how it impacts the nervous system. Yet we don't just leave you there. We share insights and tools of self-care, meditation and growth that help you be curious about your own biology. Your presence matters. Please like and subscribe to our podcast. Help our community grow. Let's get into this. Oh, and please remember to be kind to yourself. Welcome to the Lift One Self podcast. This is going to be our first in-person and we are going to get into truth and I'm going to introduce my guests at the table. We are Reds.
Speaker 2:Wisdom, derek Perera, affectionately known in the end team, and the team that will have Dougie Slota.
Speaker 3:Captain.
Speaker 1:And you know me, nat, nat, and so I'm going to start this dialogue with asking each of us to define what is truth for you. Oh good, Captain, you can start so you are, mr Slata, since you wanted to engage in some deep dives, you are the first one to step the stage and give us what your definition of truth is.
Speaker 2:So my definition of truth Truth is something that cannot be hidden. It is like oil to water. It is what frees us from that bind that holds most of us down, which is lies, which is fake, which is unreal. And truth is something most people would say that they could accept or handle. But the truth and fact is it's actually the opposite. But we'll talk about that little more in depth when we start to touch.
Speaker 1:And I just want to say, as a host, I forgot to introduce one other person because they weren't sitting at the table at the time.
Speaker 5:Hey, it's special day.
Speaker 1:I forgot to introduce one other person because they weren't sitting at the table at the time. If you didn't hear that special K, Okay, now Reds woman, let's hear what your definition of truth is for you.
Speaker 4:Well, as we talk about truth for me, and I know I see eyes rolling already. Maybe I am.
Speaker 5:No, I'm not Close the eyes.
Speaker 6:Is it possible to have two truths that are different at the same time, recognizing that what my reality looks like can be very different than what your reality looks like or your reality looks like, and so what is true for me for somebody else may be perceived to be a lie. So for me, when I'm looking at truth, like and they often say, there there's two stories, two sides, and then there's the truth in between, meaning that each person's quote-unquote truth is their perspective versus the actual truth itself, and the question is how do we get there?
Speaker 6:so, not really an answer it is more a reflection of truth for me yeah so let's go.
Speaker 5:Mr Wisdom, I think I view it opposite. I'm an absolute person. Truth just is what it is the sun rises is a truth. The sun sets is a truth. The sky is blue to me is a truth. It's my truth, so I don't necessarily go down the road of perspective. I feel there is a truth, and then you deal with how someone perceives that truth.
Speaker 5:I think truth hurts in some instances. I think truth hurts in some instances. I think truth heals in some instances, but again, for me it's an absolute. So my quest daily, my lifelong quest, is to find ways to accept truths and deal with truths that might not be in alignment with what I want or what I think, but being able to accept them and live with them is my perspective on it.
Speaker 1:There you go, sir.
Speaker 3:Well, in addition to whatever's been said before, I mean I have a lot of what's been said I agree with, but to me truth is a foundation. It's like you're building a house you have to get the foundation in to get the rest of the rooms right. So that's the truth. If the truth is wonky, then you're always you're not sure.
Speaker 2:The truth is, let me get my dictionary. Wonky Unstable I've never heard that word before. Wonky Unstable I've never heard that word before Wonky.
Speaker 3:If the foundation isn't built right, it's unstable, the house is unstable and it can fall at any moment, like we were talking about before, about people flipping off and just snapping. That could be why All the time stuff has been going on and then that's the last straw, whatever happened to cause it. So to me it's just a base, a foundation, and we can build from there. If we don't have the truth, then we cannot go any further.
Speaker 1:Ms Special K. What is truth?
Speaker 7:for you. I think that for what do we call the four guys? Does that spoke the panel, the panel of four people? I think I kind of sit within all four of you. I think that truth can be defined into different concepts. You have actual truth, which is what you guys talked about the sky is blue. But then there is acceptance of truth within my own self, as what Michelle had said. The perception of what is truthful to me may not be truthful to you, but it's how I accept that information. That is truth and it's defined by the two different concepts of truth. It will never be the same in everybody's eyes, but I think we have to separate it. Can they live together? Can they coexist? Can they coexist? They have to be there. It's like love and hate.
Speaker 5:So truth and perception is like love and hate you can't have one without the other, so you're correct.
Speaker 7:You have truth.
Speaker 5:I wasn't telling you wrong, I never really considered.
Speaker 7:Because there are things that are just factual.
Speaker 5:So truth and perception is like you can't have one without the other, so you're correct.
Speaker 7:You have truth.
Speaker 5:I wasn't telling you wrong, I never really considered.
Speaker 7:Because there are things that are just factual truth. I wasn't telling you wrong, I never really considered, because there are things that are just factual truth. It is just how the world and society is structured. But then there is also truth of acceptance within the individual and how they perceive certain things that cannot be changed. But how do they see it? So I have to be in acceptance to myself, my truth, because my truth may not be your truth.
Speaker 3:So are you saying that truth is like beauty, how you can look at something and see it beautiful? And I can look at it and say it's wonky, it lies within that acceptance yeah, yeah, I understand yeah. In a nutshell and yourself.
Speaker 1:So truth, for me, requires honesty and that is what is lacking in the world and to reveal our honesty and our vulnerability, to meet in that space where we have different perceptions. That's where truth lies. There's absolute truth. As you've mentioned the facts the sun goes up, we have gravity, we need our breath to be able to breathe and even in that, our definitions keep expanding because we're told you can, if you're not breathing at a certain amount of time, you're going to die. Yet other people have developed other experiences of not breathing for an hour and still living.
Speaker 1:So these truths that they have created as absolute truths, we go to explore, to see. Is there more depth to it? Yet to get to truth, because we all are connected in the one self, so we all have that knowledge and wisdom. Yet we have to go within ourselves to get to that wisdom and most of us have been led to not trust ourselves and to inquire and be curious of what is truth. Yet you need that honesty and vulnerability to be able to go in this uncertain, unknown territory and also reveal yourself to another person in your raw truth, which may not be accepted by another person. So, as Keisha said, I have my truth and somebody else has their own truth. Yet can we coexist without trying to robe each other up because we don't like what we're seeing or what we're feeling? And that requires a witnessing of pain Because, yes, truth has a sharpness to it, because there's things that we're lying to ourselves or that we don't know how to feel to come into that fear.
Speaker 2:Go ahead when you finish. I want to say something.
Speaker 2:So this podcast today, obviously we'll be doing a lot of interactions. I believe in raising up my hand when I want to say something. It's just an old school trait. I was raised like that. What's nice about this panel is that everyone seems to have a journey behind them. I could see it, it's almost like I could feel it around this table. I could watch your face, I could feel it, I could watch you, I could watch he, I could watch everybody here and get that sense that we have had great times, happy times. We have had some of the worst times. We understand pain. We cried a lot. We know where it is the bones back after. Even the people that would have that we thought had our back. So was in our corner, the man was doing the back. You know, but, but. But all of this is the part of the journey which makes the now great.
Speaker 2:A friend of mine said something that I never forgot. He said if the bitter wasn't as bitter, then the sweet wouldn't be so sweet. Wouldn't be so sweet. You know, you just said something about perspective, which is a very good point moving forward. I don't know how long you would want to stay on certain topics, but I just want to add something to that. Everyone has a different experience, but the one thing that stands out to me is children will be listening to this, so I'll say it in old people's language. My grandmother and elders that I met Said something to me that made the most sense. They always say If you have Chocolate or charbonnet, it will be chocolate or shadow Benny, but if you take that and you roll it in shit, it is still shit. With shadow Benny or chocolate, it is still shit.
Speaker 2:So, respectfully, I say that to say the truth can be nothing else, but the truth, it can be nothing else. And the perception of the truth, we're still coming back down to the base of it, which is it's truth or it's not truth. And if it is truth, then we have to be willing to say you know what? I never looked at it like that. Your approach was nice.
Speaker 7:He went real harsh but Wanky, I was going to say that's where Nat Nat, I agree with Nat Nat. Honesty really is the key word in that, in what you just said.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I totally agree. I was going to say that too. So honesty has a major part to play. Yes, sir, the truth. Now the perspective again still boils back down to honing in and highlighting the truth, because if we deliver perspective respectfully, we could be here all day talking about tomato, tomato and fighting we want to get to the core, which hopefully we, because you mentioned truth. I wasn't expecting that.
Speaker 1:So, on the topic of truth, you have to have honesty, and honesty even more so within, before everybody else yourself the thing about truth is you have to be able to see things about yourself that you may not be willing to see. To get to that truth, and if you want to grow, a lot of people say they want to grow, yet they do not do the warrior work of facing themselves and going through that pain of acceptance of. Oh, I actually do that Because I have a perception of myself that I may be really kind but I won't accept that I might tell somebody off.
Speaker 3:No, I just have a question I'm going to ask for the people Like me who aren't too bright.
Speaker 2:Don't say that.
Speaker 3:The difference between truth and honesty Are they Do they interact? Like how? How are they different? They're not different.
Speaker 1:You need to get to the truth. You need that honesty and a lot of us have these defense mechanisms that have blocked us from truth, because we don't know how to be vulnerable Like you just said, I'm not the brightest one in the room or that you don't feel Many people wouldn't be able to say that to want to learn, because truth doesn't know that you are an absolute and you know everything. Truth shifts and shapes, because life is impermanent. What we knew as as children and what these children are growing up two different worlds, yeah, for sure. So truth has changed in that. Yeah, what's absolute? The sun comes up. Our winters are different. What we knew knew how winter was, yet these things evolve and that's where we're supposed to evolve and adapt. Okay, so truth is there and it's always engaging of. Are we being honest? Are we feeling? Are we able to have dialogues to see our different perspectives, so that we can come into innovation, not stay archaic? Okay.
Speaker 1:How can we repollinate and grow with each other?
Speaker 3:I just asked because you asked us about truth and we all answered truth, but you answered about honesty, so I thought there was something different.
Speaker 1:Because nobody spoke about honesty of if you want to get to truth you need that honesty, okay, but a lot of people will put this persona or defense mechanisms of well, it's only like say, for instance, I conduct meditation or energy healing and when I come and present to people of religious status, they will not hear nothing about that because my belief system tells me that that's the devil. I am not even willing to engage to hear anything about that. I am not even willing to engage to hear anything about that. So these things do not allow us to engage of let me just listen and let me have some honesty of let me share my perspective without you trying to tell me that my truth, my experience, is wrong. So it comes hand in hand. It's not one or the other's to get to like a truth needing that disrobing. And let's engage of our messiness, of our naked truths, of really exposing our experiences, exposing our pain and allowing us to teach us but I want to suggest something, excuse me, oh sorry oh no.
Speaker 7:No, it's okay, he can go ahead. She kind of touched a little bit on what I was going to say. I was going to say yes, she's correct. I don't think there's a difference between truth and honesty. However, we sometimes know something to be truthful, but because we cannot be honest to acknowledge the truth, then it becomes a different entity, until you can merge them together.
Speaker 5:Watch husband and wife tag team.
Speaker 7:I think truth is the first step. So once you can be honest, you can be truthful. Honest, you can be truthful, and from there everything is bills truth, self-love, self-peace, happiness, respect, love everything else stem from the foundation right.
Speaker 7:So but she kind of said most of what I was about to say so no you're, you're a gift and it really depends on your journey and where you're trying to get to. And so I know, like off topic a little bit, so I'm on your journey and where you're trying to get to, and so I know, like off topic a little bit, so I'm on a journey right now, which I started during COVID, of self-peace. And how do I not allow others I don't know if it's their story, but others to inflict on that and then in return, kind of saying okay, well, can I take in this? Will this interrupt my peace? And I will tell you hey, I can't deal with this right now because I'm trying to build this and I still need to get. I'm trying to build this and I still need to get, but I think it's all connected together. So yeah.
Speaker 5:So I was going to say now half of what I said was we're going to say what's said. But in terms of the honesty, most people have a perception in their head. So you were saying sometimes it's the person's unwillingness, or so I would say to you it's not always that the person cannot see or didn't see. They saw, but their percent or their idea of what they saw is different than what actually is. So I always tell, I laugh and say to people you ever see when people make their avatar for for on a phone or whatever the case is, and then you say that don't look nothing.
Speaker 5:So true right but in their mind they're cute, you know what I mean like that's. That's not you, but they. You know, I believe that's me the filters. So an artist came here once and he said um, on your worst day, when you're having the worst day, strip naked, put on your favorite song and look in the mirror and dance singing your favorite song. And because at that point there's no lies, you cannot lie about what you're seeing in the mirror. You might not tell someone else what you saw, but what you see is what you see and it, for some reason, magic takes away that.
Speaker 5:Because you're vulnerable, you're honest, you. You cannot lie that. This is truth. I'm looking at what I'm reacting to and there's no again what you tell someone outside. Man, you know how good I look, well, you know what I mean, but that's raw truth. So most times I would say, when people say they didn't see, they saw, they just didn't accept what they saw and there was no check and balance, to say, oh no, you're saying A, but it was actually B, because everyone is okay. If that's what you saw, that's what you saw. You're saying A, but it was actually B, because everyone is okay. If that's what you saw, that's what you saw. But like you said, when you become honest, when your perception is reality, then sometimes that story starts to change, and not everybody's ready for the other story. So I built my story.
Speaker 1:That's the story I'm going with you. Got Michelle next. No, no. Okay, you're next. No, it's you.
Speaker 6:You're next.
Speaker 2:No, no, okay, you're next um, let me stay the pot a little bit now. I like to stay the pot, but before I stay that I just want to say everybody, if you're listening to this podcast, special cable, want nobody putting their glass on the table. So that is the truth and I'll be understanding I was very honest.
Speaker 2:But so in In In the pot, I would say this so there is the truth, to whom and what type of truth we're speaking about, because they have relevant Truths and they have the others that we may not deem as relevant. So that's the next serious thing, because me saying to everybody, I feel like it's the best thing, but it's different than me saying to my other half or significant other listen, I really have good intentions towards this and I love it to work and I want to be truthful and this is how I think I can do it and if you could add something to it that could help me to be a better head of the house.
Speaker 5:Let's sit on top as an ex.
Speaker 7:That's a whole podcast on it so then the truth here would have to necessarily be the truth of self-improvement. Not necessarily you know what I'm trying to say like because it's your truth is so huge, right, but I think I'm getting from the broadcast is like it's more what is the truth? That I need to grow outwards and inwards.
Speaker 2:So this way it narrows it down a little bit. Well, yes, but again I would like to see the pot again, so it has Big pot. This pot is bigger than them pots where they just cook while meeting. There's truth within ourselves that can help us attain peace of mind, mental health, these things. But then there's also oh gosh, look at where I can't go here now what are you doing, man?
Speaker 2:There's also the truth between us and the Creator, because the truth that the Creator sent the ordinances through is a different truth than that of the world and the Mosaic people they hear and do. They do question, because when I look at people try to question the Mosai, I just be, I just laugh to myself and I just be looking at the Mosai, tell all they what to do in the ordinances and things and all they just use it conveniently because, it's how everybody's use scriptures conveniently yes, they're eating pork, they're eating shrimp, they're eating all the things that he tells them to eat, but when they're eating them, they're Lord, you know.
Speaker 2:So it's a serious thing, because the Creator tells you to hear and do and you're questioning him even when everything is before you Because, trust me, it's before you. I was telling Mikey earlier that your spirit, it's trying to depart from you when you're doing the wrong thing against the Messiah. You know. And if you're doubting what I'm saying, let me go back to times when we was about to do something and see, we own spirit, we grandmother, we praying mother. Somebody called me and said listen, you're going there, don't go there for a minute, please stay. Stay now, stay home today, don't go nowhere. Just happen to say. But we're dressing still and we're going at the most high because the spiritual man and the conscious man and the physical man is a monster there. Sometimes, when you dress to go out and death waiting there for you, the most high is to sleep up on you and you end up. You dress all the time. You don't miss a party. But that night here you, oh gosh, you wake up seven minutes morning here you're a God girl trying to be chill, but I don't have money to buy a car. It's because the car crashed into all of them and you were supposed to be there. Shooting happened in the club and you should be right there and preserve your life because he has something else for you to do.
Speaker 2:But let me go back now for a little bit, before I cut it short, on the laws. We have laws to follow. We have laws to follow. We have laws to follow. We know that Even when we don't know, we spread this guide. We just know, we just feel it. The spirit does move different. Mouth to ears is physical, spirit to spirit is something that the spiritual aspect does move with and you just feel it All your pores. Just raise Some people. Just call you know my vibes, yeah, call it what you want. You just know the difference with something physical and something spiritual. There's no difference.
Speaker 2:But yet we wouldn't question the laws of man, because the police, which is man, the judicial system, just tell you, if you drink and we catch you on the road, you'll get a ticket for a thousand dollars or you could be sent to prison for six months. We don't question that because after we first time and realize, oh shame boy, this is boy. Oh god be good. Good money, we say, for the vacation, babes, look, you have to pay in ticket now. But when it comes to the most, I hear you now. Um, so, why, why? Why one can't?
Speaker 5:cover their head. Yeah, who says? So yeah, I think what so?
Speaker 2:no, we live in another world. Now wait people even. Oh god, look at where, queen. Hmm, look at me. Why let me get no, continue, please. It's true, all right, continue. All right, I'm going. It's true, all right, continue. All right, I'm going. I know somebody who listened to this. Go hang me in the square, but when they see a woman not supposed to use super 30 over a man, no, or they're unlearning everything that they're learning before.
Speaker 2:I say this humbly because I want to get that certain understanding. I'm saying this to the beat because everybody has to know the work right. A husband can't beg for your wife on judgment. The parents can't beg for children, right. Okay, when that was meant. It don't mean that a man had advantage of silencing women. No, right right.
Speaker 2:If you want him to be the head of the home, that will be really to himself. But look at where they have going. Some men just get it right and some do get it right and they will fall down plenty. But you have to stand with him until he gets it right.
Speaker 6:And then when you were talking about sitting in your peace. It reminds me so for myself as a codependent in recovery.
Speaker 5:Special care.
Speaker 6:Special care so for myself as a codependent in recovery. When I've been at my healthiest is when I feel like I'm sitting in the eye of the storm. The world around me could just be whipping around, there could be all kinds of hurt and things going on, but it does not rock my peace or my joy and I'm able to stand in that for myself. And along those lines, when you talk about connectivity and connectivity to self, but also connectivity on a larger scale, tying into what you said about messages and listening it's in those moments where I have heard messages they're not necessarily messages for myself, but messages for others and I remember I woke up a day and I'm like I need to talk to so-and-so. I haven't talked to them in years, but I need to call them and I call them up. I haven't talked to them in years, but I need to call them and I call them up.
Speaker 6:And you know chit-chat, very brief and I say you know what? I have a message for you. I'm like, I know it'll sound weird, but I'm just telling you. You need to hear me and take it and do what you need with it. I said but there's somebody in your life that says that they're a friend. They're not a friend, you know, and they may apologize, but they're not your friend and there's something that they're doing behind your back and you need to be careful. And the person stopped and they said how do you know? Because I'm dealing with that right now.
Speaker 6:I'm like I don't know. I just got this message and I just had to share it with you and I find when we are in that space of connectivity, then we hear what is meant not necessarily for us, sometimes for us, sometimes for others, but it's only in that space of calm, peace, openness, vulnerability and truth that we get that. The busyness of the world is what keeps people from connecting into that, because I believe we all have that. I don't think it's reserved for one over another. There are times in my life I'm so far from it I have no clue, and there are other times where I'm so close to it where I can foresee death and miss it.
Speaker 7:Can I say amen, you've literally hit a nail. And it's not that I don't think everyone has it, I think everyone does, but I don't think everyone is willing to accept the energy of it. And I also believe that when you're in that space of peace, I can be more helpful to you. If you're dealing with something, yes, because I can learn how to you if you're dealing with something, yes, because I can learn how to separate what you're dealing with with my peace. I don't think if I am not strong, I cannot help you.
Speaker 7:The way it's like you know the mom, you know, do you save yourself first or do you save your child first? Well, if I am dying, I cannot save my child, right. So I think that it's interesting because I get I don't want to go too deep with it, but I get that that you just talked about. You know, and for the longest time I was telling Mikey, a couple of weeks back, I go, something is going to happen that will rock our world beyond imagination, just or thing. And two things have happened. Back to back In walk doggy slaughter.
Speaker 7:When it all happened again, it was the same thing. I was in such a clear space that I was able to receive that information.
Speaker 7:I didn't know who, what, when I just have a general. So I typically talk to him about it, you know, and then we see it unfold and sometimes you know we can get, I can get a stronger feeling and be able to go, I think. But again, are you willing to hear me if I came to you Right To say ABC, it's, it's, it's such an interesting thing because it's all about this connection.
Speaker 1:we've shared that experience, michelle, um reds sorry, reds, reds I have come to you and I've shared um certain things. I have blocked that part of me for a very long time to be able to belong with people, because when you are going to share things that people may not want to receive the message, there is a disruption that happens and the connection gets severed. So the wanting to belong trumps over the truth of what you've been given as a vessel. And the thing that is why we get so caught up of not being in our peace is that safety and we seek that safety. And right now we're creating such a space of safety that more and more we're opening and we're letting things be revealed so other people can have that safety within themselves and not think, oh, is it just me?
Speaker 1:Because we all have, like I said, we all have that connection with the one self, higher power, whatever name you want to call it.
Speaker 1:Yet we've been disconnected from it to go into the worldly world, and our return back home, into our body, into that connection, allows all this thing to come so naturally that we're like, whoa, is this woo-woo, is this made up? Yet you see the connection and it's palpable and at a certain point you're no longer going on the outside to get validation, you are just listening to the guidance of what's needed. And what is? You're this transmitter of a radio? And I go to another point where it's been challenging these past few weeks. Yet I've delved into it, because those from the other side of love come and channel through me and speaking messages for other people, and that has been with me. Yet I haven't allowed it to come out, because I understand how disruptive it can be for people. Yet I present it in a way where it's like it's just the other side of love and the emotions that you've been feeling, have blocked that signal to really feel that presence of them.
Speaker 1:And once you start really interacting and feeling that, then you're able to feel that presence without needing to go on the outside. That presence without needing to go on the outside yet, it's that safety piece of our nervous system to regulate so that we can validate ourselves.
Speaker 1:yet we've been looking on the outside for so long to get that safety of co-regulation and just creating spaces like this that we can dive deep and nobody's attacking each other or telling them and it it's like, okay, if I don't believe in or don't see it the way you are, I'm not going to shut you down, I'm going to digest it to see is there something that I can see differently? But to see safe spaces that I'm cultivating, especially with this podcast, that we can dive deep and we can start being our natural selves.
Speaker 2:Funny doctor mentioned oh sorry, it's okay, Anyone had their hands up. No, no, no. Special case Special case no, no, no.
Speaker 6:Special case Special case.
Speaker 7:Can you edit my name out?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, but um it's funny that you mentioned the next word that I wasn't expecting you to mention, that word safe space. That's such a vital, such great importance, because safe space is something that a lot of people touch on but it already going depth with and it's a very serious thing. And, coming from the Caribbean, I would admit that a lot of people in the Caribbean Trinidad and Tobago, especially other countries as well, I'm sure, but in China a lot of people are traumatized.
Speaker 2:You know listen life, how we know it in the Caribbean, is totally flipped upside down and it's become a normal thing. It's a normal thing for your grandparents to tell you. Well, when I was small, my mother used to beat me and let me kneel down on a grater. Are you mad? You ever kneel down on a grater? I have, I have too. Would you really like your children to go through that? Yeah, and they would use this because their grandparents and their parents handed that down. So you have a whole generation that grew up learning how to approach things.
Speaker 6:the wrong way. Well, it worked for them, right. Look at me. Look at me. I am so good now, so now it must work.
Speaker 2:Yes, but what they don't tell you is the other stories. Our next common thing in the caribbean uncle touching niece, father touching daughter. The other is that this man one time I go into this studio, this, this mash me up because I couldn't understand that my father said doggy, you see all the daughters and I had it. I said yeah. He said see the father saying down there say he said see what the children say, yeah, we're here, grandchildren.
Speaker 2:He said grandchildren yeah, yeah, his father and grandfather, yeah on a bad day he's grandfather, and on a good day he he's their father.
Speaker 6:Well, my mother talked about how her father's friends had said to him you don't mind cow for other people to milk? Wow.
Speaker 2:And these things hold on a minute and these things are common. Now, when you watch the crime situation in China today, people say no, god, china, they're so bad.
Speaker 2:It's the people I didn't talk to and say, oh, they'll be careful when I go there. Nah, them thing happened to me until it happened to them. And you know what they just do. They go. No, China, that game. They robbed me, they killed my husband. This is the. But they just do. I mean, we're not sure that I gave it. They rock me to kill my house one day. This is that. But I was telling her at all the time. I was saying to be careful, because I was telling her to be vigilant. I was telling it open my eyes. They never did right.
Speaker 2:You have people that committed acts. No, and if you really ask them, we doing this one who's in it to fight this war? And when you watch the father, the father get murder, the sons get murder, their son sons get murder, everybody get murder. It's from a water stem, like the grandfather went and sleep with the neighbor wife and the neighbor come and chop here and this happened, that happened. And then you have a lot of people dealing in necromancy.
Speaker 2:Let me tell you something if, if you plant good seed, you will reap good fruit. And if you plant wicked seed and you're hiring wickedness, sometimes you're watching people hey, other people will hate you and it's nothing that you do them. There is a thing about that. You just going about your thing, you're praying, you're handling your business and them just find you're not supposed to be there, you're not supposed to get a promotion. Forget that. Why she get it instead of me. They're going by somebody to do something, plant something, buy a house and that kind of thing, and don't ever be naive and think you have evil out there.
Speaker 2:It really can't happen.
Speaker 1:It's living proof of that, we know it's within ourselves. Look how you treat yourself sometimes, true, yeah. Look how you berate yourself, where you're not even able to engage with certain emotions, and how you attack yourself.
Speaker 5:So if you're willing to do that to yourself what can you? Expect from someone else.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's being able to engage, to understand how powerful the duality that goes on inside ourselves All right. Yet having these conversations allows us to wait. Let's surrender our defenses and create the safety of let's talk about this and let's actually not even talk. Let's feel, because that's what we've been doing around this table.
Speaker 2:I love this table. This table has plenty to say and I know when we start to touch the things I know it's going to have more to say. And that is what I want them to hear.
Speaker 7:That's why we use a coaster, so you can love the table.
Speaker 6:Wow, wow, that's what I mean. You can love the table longer.
Speaker 1:That's what it's supposed to Amen, so let's get into. You said about the Caribbean.
Speaker 2:It's funny that you mention that, because I came prepared for this particular topic, so um.
Speaker 5:Hold on for a minute. Oi Olle, take your eyes. You're good now, you're sure you're good.
Speaker 1:Okay, as we're talking about the Caribbean and truth we were discussing yesterday in regards to the culture and how some have hijacked the culture and changed it, whereas where are the people with the actual culture and the depthness of it. So the floor is yours, Mr Salata.
Speaker 2:I actually prepared myself before we came into this podcast, because there were a few things that we needed to highlight, because we must understand the root of a problem or else we'll just be spinning top and bottom. So a few things that I managed to highlight that we could also speak on and we could speak based on truth, on facts, is is there a monopoly or a series of monopolies that deals with this particular cultural aspect of Soka and Kaniban? Is there a mafia?
Speaker 2:The growth and understanding. The growth of this genre is something we need to definitely discuss today, and everybody who is listening to this podcast will be able to learn a lot of things that they might be just sweeping under the carpet. The origin is important the education, passion, understanding the culture, understanding what is music and the business of music, what can be done, what isn't done, music and the business of music. What can be done, what isn't done, telling the history and understanding that it is much more bigger than we can imagine so realistically, we have to keep it real to ourselves and know that it's going to take a lot to fix it, to put it where it needs to be. It's a very serious thing. I hope we have enough time within this hour. So you pitch, it's an open floor and let's take it from there.
Speaker 6:Well as you talk. For me, what comes to mind as a first-generation Canadian is growing up in a community where the Trinidadian community was strong, so much so that it was still a very big part of my life. I went home to Trinidad every year. It always felt like it was a part of me, and here we'd have caravans and we'd go to this thing, go to that thing and we'd do Toronto and Montreal all together as a community. And yet when I look at my younger brothers, they don't have that same connection. But when I look at my children six years old and one of them done already tell me when may I move into Trinidad? That's where I'm going to grow up. That's where I want to live. Other, listener.
Speaker 2:is this where I in the hot seat and I have to answer some questions? No, no, I'm make it sure I don't want them to treat me deadly. I need to go inside and have a ring of fire, better drink the last one. I just need to make sure.
Speaker 6:For me, it just really ties into preserving the culture, and how do we ensure that it's there every? Last drop, every last drop. How do we preserve the culture not only for ourselves but on the larger society scale?
Speaker 2:it's funny that you mention that because I can speak on experience and I've been very fortunate to be one of them that came in with the elders and that entered this generation to understand them. A lot of things have changed from back then, yet some things remain the same. Um, okay, there we go back in the days there was lord kitchener I won't say a lot with little wounds. Right back in the days there was lord kitchen and mighty spot, lord kitchen and mighty sparrow. If you speak to elders on kaisu and calypso to this day and they say who was somebody most prolific or some of the greatest, kitchener sparrow sometimes left to be at the beat until it convenient that Shadow come into it, and then they will mention Shadow. Or until an artist dies and they will say you know, he was really good in truth, boy. When he's dead, eh, when he was alive, they never gave him his flowers. I see it. You name them, from Shadow to Brigo to Tambu to Andre Tanker, to all of them.
Speaker 2:I had the chance to meet a lot of them and sit and talk with a lot of them and a lot of them were disgusted with how the people treated them and always put Kitchener and Sparrow in front. Now I'm great. So I'm good sons with Kitchener. I'm good friends with Kitchener son, I'm good friends with Sparrow son. So true, but I with Kitchener, good friends with Sparrow and Sancho. But I believe in truth there were many others, but Kitchener and Sparrow ran the monopoly at that time and the people who were doing the events and the fans who was following these events were fans of Sparrow and Kitchener who got caught up in the conundrum of it and they went with all kinds of things and this, that and that was said and this was said and all kinds of things and if you stood up for yourself back then they would blacklist you Shadow went through it many times.
Speaker 2:He went through it many times and when I listen to these people's story, I keep saying to myself are promoters really knowledgeable of the power that they have? Do they really understand what it means to be a promoter? What is the purpose of a promoter? To make money by the door? You're wrong. You go to the back of the class. You are more. You are much, much more to learn.
Speaker 2:You are the person who is in the position to say listen, give my key play, give Captain E play, or give Nats and Special K, give all of them the play to create a level playing field. Now, when you have people this generation, now you know the purpose of brass, or you know what brass used to do for people. Brass is how me, bonji, maximus, all of us come and the person who couldn't be on brass again committed something to topple brass and cripple it and got it out of the door. Alright, answer me this question. Every year, statistics more than 5,000 songs just come out Every single year. Why are we constantly listening to 20 songs, 25 songs, all the time Speak? It.
Speaker 5:I don't want to, because now, now with this?
Speaker 2:No, they weren't talking.
Speaker 5:No, no, no, no, I want to say now it's going to start to snowball In line with what you're saying, those 20 songs. The problem is, like we were saying earlier, the legacy of thought. Now, as a DJ, if I play number 21, everybody vexed.
Speaker 5:What happens to my 1 to 20?. You're not a good DJ because you're not playing number 1 to 20. This is what we've taught people. We've come away from you know what this is a really good tune. Let me play this really good tune and have people respond to this really good tune. I won't stop you, partner.
Speaker 2:I just noticed that. I won't stop you, partner. Now, coming back to the lady, she mentioned something to me. She said that when she looked at it, she keeps seeing a lot of things that just connect. However, her younger children, who are much more Trini-oriented- they want to hear why. Because Trinidad and Tobago what I mean.
Speaker 2:Let's be real. We're talking truth. When you talk about Reggie, you talk about Jamaica. When you talk about Soka, you talk about Trinidad and about you. When you talk about soccer, you talk about trinidad and, by extension, the little islands with this, who have significant presentations yeah, they have on the table. They gave you good liquid, courage too but there's nothing wrong and I say this with without apology there's nothing wrong with Soka music. Soka music is fantastic music. It's great music. How much history and homework we just do is a whole different topic.
Speaker 2:It have a nice set of people called Trinidadians and Tobagunians who gave us a perfect example of what not to do when your country running with a title Because all the islands looked at Trinidad and they saw we had a beautiful carnival and we had great songs and Sukkha Mundaq and this, that and title and accolades and everything. But when you watch to Trinidad and anywhere you go in the world other than Trinidad and Tobago, for some strange reason they take great pride in pulling down one another. You go in e party, me go in e party. What you doing in e party? If you go in e party, I fix you there everything. And when the world sat and realized the music is so nice, the culture is so sweet, why are you fighting? It's because we forefathers have been doing that. So if you think we could come and change that tomorrow, think again and that is why that's the person, vincent stepped up.
Speaker 2:We need a step-up and Tiga all over stepped up. You know, back in the days, what something that changed, which in it that I've never changed with Jamaica? Actually, two things. One is when.
Speaker 2:Jamaicans put out music. They do ask John Holt when's the last time he sing a song? No, they listen to catalog. They glad when they feature them with we, with we. When is the last time she sing something? You ever you ain't sing nothing. So they will forget all the songs that you ever poked Barbados do not ask what Alison Hines sing. They don't ask.
Speaker 2:Beckett? When was the last time he bring out a song? They don't ask these things. So we in we mindset that was set. So we in we mindset that was set and we never broke that curse. If a Jamaican have a concert anywhere in the world, a mussy artist from Jamaica flying, if it have a soca fete, you don't have to bring a triniade in. That was Skinny Fabulous'. Eat Up the Food, oh shucks. I ain says eat up the food. Oh shucks. I ain't supposed to, oh shucks.
Speaker 3:Drink up, man Drink up.
Speaker 6:It's amazing to see how that Is in business, because you see when we see Each other in different places. So I'll give you an example, I'm in Tel Aviv doing a tour and I hear this man speak and I said but wait, he's a Trini. He said yes, that evening, before we finished the tour, he then set up dinner with other Trinis living in.
Speaker 2:Tel Aviv.
Speaker 6:And everybody connected. There was just this instant connection as people. But yet on the business side it is. We're operating from a space of scarcity, like there isn't enough to go around, and so I must take from you to get ahead. But for me too, when I look at the Trinidad, I knew growing up. When I look at the Trinidad, I knew growing up and I look at the Trinidad now, the piece that was kind of that tipping point for me was cable. When we introduced American cable we went from getting to see a little snippet at night to watch the scary movies to full scale.
Speaker 6:I found as night to watch the scary movies to full scale. I found, as trimmings, we tried to be more american than the americans. What went away was that sense of community. In this, the little dead end road where my grandmother lived, you couldn't go hungry if you didn't your neighbor somebody sending food. You need shoes for your child, you need clothes for you. What like we had?
Speaker 2:you want to know something funny? I come from where you're talking about you see when I started to live in tongue I had to change that mindset tongue will come and sit down by you.
Speaker 2:No, listen, listen, listen, listen, not everybody. No, not everybody, not everybody, not everybody, not everybody. Terrible, let me make that clear. But we have to highlight the things that is people do address. If, if somebody who's that is true, that is true is called along, that is truth. And wait, now I'm going to kill myself with the devil. I will write a book, the podcast, the podcast I get him for talks. Look at the podcast down here in the house Table.
Speaker 3:Trash, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 2:But I got the nutrition.
Speaker 1:The energy came out.
Speaker 3:No, as soon as he saw it, he didn't watch me. No, I was telling you something.
Speaker 1:You know what? Though Energetically I have two hands, up Two hands. That energy, though, showed what goes on just by saying the town and country.
Speaker 7:That is the mentality, so we're engaging with the energy right now, of course the mentality.
Speaker 2:So we're engaging with the energy right now. Of course, if you go in tongue and when I say tongue we're not judging, we're not criticizing, but it's facts and you go around this generation in tongue and you have four different foods here, they will eat out all your fruits and leave. No one will leave back a food for you and your family, and that is just the mindset of how we live in. Now. We, we became a greedy people. They used to say god is a trinity, god is not trinity. Again, god, pack up your thing and don't move on. That's really that. It's a serious thing. It's like like we laughing, but it's a serious thing and it's going to take a lot to really change that. We have at least seven to eight generations that weren't philippine coming up in chantebego, because I was set before him you know that right it's not going to change.
Speaker 2:It's not going to change. All right, you want to know what's heartbreaking for me? They give every genre of music, happily, every job, every song, and so can still, within an ink, every John, every John. And Soka is still waiting and isn't bust the way it's supposed to bust and have a feck on the world. Yet Down to Afro, come with some wee essence.
Speaker 3:Of course.
Speaker 2:Why do you think Afrodisks play in Soka Fet so easy? Because it's rhythmic. You could remember when Africans used to try to do reggae and some Jamaican. Oh God, all you come now. Don't make me I as a DJ with a lot of history.
Speaker 5:Don't make me come and tell already the history yeah.
Speaker 3:Afrobeat is groovy.
Speaker 2:And when, when people realize, especially in England and these foreign countries, because a lot I don't know why, sometimes, you know, sometimes I just feel like I worship it here why, if I could sit down as a man who's not too bright and see, okay, england, how much million? Canada, how much million? This one, how much million Canada land? We love 1.3 million, we're really 3.7 million why we don't take this thing and, instead of everybody looking, focus on this side. And we didn't take it and focus on this side.
Speaker 6:We didn't get that focus on this side. It's such easy maths.
Speaker 2:But then you have to ask yourself who are around the table that make the decisions, who have the input? Who could really stand up and say, hey, listen, alright, guys. I hate to tell you this. I am a Marshall fan too, but if Marshall had to take Soak on the next level, he would have done it already. I hate to tell you this, right, sorry.
Speaker 1:Well, it was on Grayson. No, that was Bungie on Grayson Open up the gate.
Speaker 7:That's it.
Speaker 2:You could take the best footballer In the world. When you put a good footballer With a good team and put him with a good team, he will score real goals and the team will perform. If you take that one player by himself and put him up against the shittiest football team with children, the children will beat him up.
Speaker 6:That is common sense but how much of it is ego? Is it ego that gets in the way in terms of it doesn't allow for somebody to say I'm here to help you all come through and to create those opportunities and open the door so that more can come through. But as I say that I know you had two hands up, I don't want to forget your two hands I don't know where to start anymore from the beginning.
Speaker 5:From the beginning In the beginning.
Speaker 7:I think you had a load of awesome points that I think we just kind of we need to kind of wheel back a little bit, just to focus a little bit more on a certain segment. I'll probably start with the parents. So the Caribbean is changing because, as Michelle said, the introduction of the different technologies is going to change, but does it necessarily mean what the culture means to us has to also change? And I think that's where the gap is right now is how do we bring in the outside influence but also keep some of the traditions and build new tradition, and how do they blend? What does that picture looks like? So you're correct that, like when I went to jamaica a couple years ago, I went to where I grew up and, as I was telling michael at the time, I went to where I grew up and, as I was telling Michael at the time, I felt like I was walking into a pole stamp.
Speaker 7:Nothing looked like it had changed, but some of the people and the young kids had changed, because we weren't seeing as much of the kids working on the farm because they went to the city, they went abroad, and so we saw a lot of the. The elders are working the farm and it's kind of going where the young kids you know their face are, in the, in the technology, in the ipad and the iphone. So I could definitely see that portion of the culture no longer there when, like, I was a kid and I didn't expect it to be the same. But I think that we are lacking that merge. How do we merge, come together and still have both aspects of it as one when we come to Canada? Michelle, you were very fortunate to have parents that kept the Trinidad culture, because I'm sure you grew up in Ottawa feeling like you were in Trinidad in your house. They had the cooking, they had the music, they took you out, similar to what you're doing with your girls right now, but not necessarily.
Speaker 6:But I fought it tooth and nail. My mother had to make two different sets of food. She'd make craft dinner for me and stew chicken with beans and rice from my father and my brothers would take. That You're more than good.
Speaker 5:But it's okay, mine wasn't cooked too well, that's okay because she cooked it. That's what I was saying. It was still present, so you could still see it, you could still smell it, you could still hear it, it was present in your life. There's people where it's non-existent.
Speaker 7:They let it go. So there's people where it's non-existent Right. So you are raising your kids in that footstep and I think that is what's also missing today. It's that you have families who are now second and third generation Canadians and along the way you're losing that essence of the culture. Now, for us, why I feel Caribbean flavor is so important, it's that we try to bring it a bit of that music mm-hmm for them to at least hear through right.
Speaker 7:A couple years ago we had a friend, for example. We were making cornmeal not cornmeal, corned beef and rice for the kids and the friends looked at us at the time and said that's poor people Caribbean food. And I said no, it's not. It's food, because I was in Toronto a couple years prior and paid $25 for corn beef and rice in the restaurant. Why is this a poor people Caribbean food? I would never let my kids eat that in Canada and I think that is the mentality. That's a part of the issue. And because you have parents that are like that, they're not cooking, they're no longer going Sundays, it's dinner at the table. We're no longer doing that. We're no longer changing the curtains at Christmas, the things.
Speaker 7:That was the Caribbean, and I'm not saying it was the best way of culture, but that's what we grew up with. You don't see that anymore and I know in Ottawa we to some degree had depend on the different Caribbean associations, but as COVID happened and a lot of that disappeared and is now trying to rebuild. They're not getting the support as well, and I think that's kind of where we need to work on to say, hey, I want to raise my kids in Canada, I want to be in Canada, but I also don't want to forget my culture. I don't want, more importantly, my kids to forget their culture. How do we bridge this and that's the first question in terms of that culture changing, and how do we think the next thing I kind of wanted to talk um, so the music. The djs are playing that 20 songs, because I think a lot of djs are afraid to go outside of the box. As michael said, play number song 21. You as a dj has so much power on that dance floor.
Speaker 7:I have seen DJs of the past, without calling any names, take a song that nobody knew and says to the crowd I'm going to play this song and I want to see we're dancing to it and the hype that they brought in and seeing people I'm like what is this song? Let me go look up what this song is and that is a part of the job of the DJ.
Speaker 7:Right, if the DJ say, the song is going to be a hit it can be a hit, but I find today they're afraid to go outside of that box. How do we change that perspective? Right, right, and how do we teach the young dj yes, as much as music is like, it's like this. Nobody, you know, we're no longer driving to new york to get the newest songs. I remember those days going to toronto record to buy, the buy the new marshall album coming out. Going to new y York to get stuff.
Speaker 7:It's right like this, but I don't think the responsibility is also here as well those are the things that we need to kind of work on and kind of get how do we fix that?
Speaker 2:right right um it easy, stop booking your friends, stop booking your friends.
Speaker 6:Book people who could actually come and do the job but it also comes back to when you're talking about before, like is there a mafia, is there a group controlling?
Speaker 3:like when we look at I don't want to lose my train of thought. No, because of what you were saying. Me and Wisdom have talked about this. How? Thank you for saying Wisdom.
Speaker 5:Yeah, my baby, because everyone says that my government name, they call it.
Speaker 3:Wisdom, thank you. How the relationship with music? Now is not the same as it was when we was coming out. So you know how you say that DJ was coming out. So you know how you say that the DJ can make the song. Well, if the people was in to just enjoy themselves, it doesn't matter what the DJ is playing. If I go to when we go juvie, I couldn't tell you what music was playing because I was just at the other time.
Speaker 3:If I'm sitting back going what is he playing? I never when growing up, I didn't remember going anywhere and saying what is dj, what is this? I'm going to enjoy myself. The music is playing, like how you get in the accident. The music was playing and you're in it. But if you're standing back waiting to critique what's going, what's playing, then you're not there to enjoy yourself but nothing that's how we were talking about how the relationship is different with music. Now, Hold on give me two seconds.
Speaker 5:Yesterday in the green room, we had touched on this and I'm going to say it now so that it is in.
Speaker 2:You sure you want to say it? Yes, I'm going to say it now.
Speaker 5:A promoter promotes and a DJ plays music. It's the promoter's job to put the right people inside of an event and create an energy or an environment of what the night is going to be, and then he hires people who can play music.
Speaker 2:Who's competent enough? Who is?
Speaker 5:competent enough to play the music to support that environment and the people too.
Speaker 2:They and all need to change the mindset. Everybody knows this Goethe party. It does open at 10. It locks off at 2. The Egyptian party has past 12 or 1 o'clock to get it last hour. But when you reach there you expect to get.
Speaker 7:Come on, but that's also a cultural thing, is it not? Well, it used to be, because that's been going on forever.
Speaker 2:Well, I'll give you a joke. If you ask typical people In Trinidad Having a fit in Mayaro, you're coming so far, let tribe only say we're doing tribe in Mayaro. Watch me. They say it's a cool fit. From 3 to 9, tribe say it. People, they have past 2 in the car, drinking, getting ready to go inside. From the time they say, hey, what's open? When tribe say the gate opening three o'clock and at four to three, no more coolers inside or you have to pay 150 dollars. Listen to me, people in the car waiting. By the time you see everybody line up, they're going inside.
Speaker 6:They don't buzz already they were lined up at least a good hour and a half before the gate opened. They weren't waiting in the car.
Speaker 2:So again, it's a mindset, it's a mentality. I'm talking to people here. In the same agreement we were talking about Ottawa Carnival and prior to that I was talking about Montreal Carnival. Now, watch out something, watch out something, right, I don't know. All right, you have two set of people that could take charge Of something like that the people and them who, strictly, are making money, who just, who don't care, but not more the culture, and they want to make the money. But all is still to blame, and when I say all, I mean you, I mean me, I mean he, I mean she, because we allowed it to happen. We allowed it to happen. We allowed it to happen.
Speaker 2:If we stick together, listen the people much stronger than you think you know, If the people say, hey, no, we're going to unfollow, so, but you have to be seen. This is why people who just get tired with the new age style of marketing I just laugh Because it come like every 10 steps you make forward, we make about 30 steps backward. Hear, why Did you know that billboards are?
Speaker 7:still effective.
Speaker 2:But when you ask people no, I'm not spending money on flyers. People, they're pelting flyers, they're pelting this. They're old things. I'm going on Instagram. Oh, no, I'm booking this artist. Hey, for those of you listening to this podcast, listen to this right For those of you listening to this podcast. Listen to this right. The artist does not make the event. I know people who book Marshall and book Top Act and boss. The artist is the icing to the cake, but the party? You can't tell me.
Speaker 7:Mikey, Mikey. Sorry, you can't tell me Mikey having a party.
Speaker 2:You can't tell me Mikey have a party and Mikey depending on Marshall to ram his numbers. No people come in the event because it's Mikey party and Mikey bringing Marshall on board. You what? Never? Let's make it nicer, but never make the party be about a particular DJ artist, just so and pour that power so what go up with the artist or DJ? Follow to tell yeah what you.
Speaker 1:I think what's missing is that the promoters are not creating intentions of what is the energy for the atmosphere and, like you said at the beginning, promoters are focused on the money. Yet if we understand energy, money is a currency.
Speaker 2:So anybody could bring a shit and put it in a party for all of you to listen to and all of you will take it, smile and walk away saying no, let your voice be heard. If the DJ come and hear you up to standard, say boo, get off stage.
Speaker 5:Boo, that's how they start serving Heineken.
Speaker 2:we're not taking that understand what I'm saying now, if you sit down and you very displeased and you hear him play a set of shit and you but Mikey God, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why. The rest of the party people get loud, be vocal when you vocal. Now listen there. I ain't telling you but Bontaya and Troupetea, I ain't telling you that, I'm not telling you to do that.
Speaker 2:I'm saying put it out there and, if need be, do the event for yourself. Team up with people that are like bringing all the city to make all the city look good. Because, I'll be honest, before I come to ottawa I hear boy out there but they say ottawa, don't vibe it, lame it, this, that. But but I I hear it from one end and I know what that mean, so I laugh and I say hey, hear what man blaine, I was coming in sunday.
Speaker 2:I said I want to come in before that line up some interviews for me.
Speaker 7:Just what I said to him.
Speaker 2:I said line up some interviews, because, one, I ain't ready for quite some time and two, I want to break that curse for them, certainly because I know them as shit, excuse me. And the following day, my vexaco calling me all the dogs take chain of easy. No, no, but. But on a serious note, these are the things that all you have to change because, at the end of the day, yes, it have djs, yes, it have artists, yes, it's not promoters, but there's also the people. Mm-hmm, yeah, all they have to be happy in all their own home too. Yeah, that's important. Yeah, oli had to be happy in Oli's own home too. You know, that's important, you know, and Oli had the right to say no or yes or well done or try better. Mm-hmm, you understand. Now, it's one thing to criticise and you ain't doing nothing. So, oli, make sure that when you step up to the table, you have things that you're offering. When you step up to the table as well hey boss, you have a party.
Speaker 2:We see you trying give me some tickets to sell. We little committee have a little 40 people, 50 people just follow me. We come in. We come with a big flag. We will tell other people. We're gonna be able to do this. Hey look, mikey on the radio. Don't want to ask mikey to do it for you for free. He on radio. But, mikey, go, treat you nice with a two package. Mikey, I want you to take a package by you to advertise. Talk to me. Well, this is the price, but when you take it I will be able to do it, and that's how the thing does work.
Speaker 1:That's how it should work.
Speaker 2:That's how it should work.
Speaker 1:Collaboration is very challenging in this city for some reason.
Speaker 2:So you think it's different than Montreal? No, no.
Speaker 1:I understand that. Yet Ottawa, when people talk about the different Shilos that we have here, I don't understand where I know some people have tried yet the power that this city has. If the people would grow and come together, it would be a totally different thing. Yet everybody is amongst of having this association, that association, that association, that association, rather than where are we going as?
Speaker 2:a collective. I want to ask you a question. Yes, as a matter of fact, I'm asking all of you because I'm ready to take off my belt and get all of you out of bed. All of you. Yes, just like that. Yes.
Speaker 1:Getting lashes.
Speaker 2:Listen to this how much committees all are wrong. How much committees From here, from here, how much committees all around. How much committees from here, from here, go straight back around what? What committee you're wrong? Yeah, you're wrong. The, the, the caribbean association. You, you're on the committee who does go tax the government for funding wrong, wrong carnival time? You're wrong. The, the, the, the um, the, the toronto montreal organization to look at and say, hey, listen, we need things to be coming into here as well when we're running it so and running it so we need it. And here is the nice thing about Ottawa Ottawa is an hour and a half from Montreal, montreal is an hour and a half from here.
Speaker 5:So all the- Excuse me, sir, two hours, two hours, two hours. Okay, we're not trying to encourage stealing here.
Speaker 2:Right, sorry, two and a half hours, thank you, thank you. Two and a half hours, because we pause and repeat Two and a half hours. So that means Montreal could party with Ottawa and Ottawa could party with Montreal Mm-hmm, that with me, or something like that, or if you say it and in all, honesty.
Speaker 7:It used to be similar to that back in the day.
Speaker 3:Some people used to come party here, so something has changed over the years.
Speaker 1:You know me, as a patron, what I don't like seeing that there's seven DJs that are supposed to play in three hours and then you know what happens behind there. The DJs all want to perform at a certain time.
Speaker 5:Nobody wants warm up the one tune playing six times.
Speaker 2:Exactly the same song playing over, that is why all of you have to start to get more involved. Now, what can you do to make people come out? Well, let me give you a few things from a Duncey Bat. You know what's a Duncey Bat? A Duncey Bat is somebody who ain't see. But I don't see. But there's somebody who went to bright. That's me right.
Speaker 5:Let me tell you where it is. You serve free food, free pay loud, free, doubles free payout.
Speaker 2:Free doubles from three to four. The party start three and go until eight. From three to about half four. Five free doubles and people like the belly. They're coming. Here was our next thing. Who is offer to give back the? I've been saying this since yesterday. Most people are give back enough. Everybody's want to get, nobody don't want to give back.
Speaker 1:Nobody want to give up yeah, implement these things Alright.
Speaker 2:Everybody just think that a committee is supposed to be five people. Are you mad? Five people in a committee, hold on. So all you want to sell is 600 tickets among five people, but your committee must have at least 200 people, 250 people, and each one of them working to sell five tickets. I'm gonna sell a five ticket again. Them plus one. I come die to. Comes so much people in a party when I sell them five tickets, how much nice, easy months.
Speaker 5:How much is that special key?
Speaker 2:200 people selling, selling 5 tickets is how much Calculate?
Speaker 5:it for me, please, a thousand, a thousand people.
Speaker 2:A thousand people. You think that they're going to sell 4 or 5 tickets to collect organization of an event.
Speaker 1:What about the patrons? The patrons are making it difficult, also for the DJs and the promoters, how they're not coming out. No, they're not, but you have to find ways.
Speaker 2:They're not coming out. No, don't say that.
Speaker 7:But you have to find ways to get them to come out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, you guys just said, if I don't play the 20 songs that they want, they're complaining. So how are we going to engage them to expand?
Speaker 7:So it's a matter of how to play the 20 songs, but in between the 20 songs Beautiful.
Speaker 1:No, I understand that. I'm just saying I'm being the devil's advocate of. Okay, you're speaking on one side. As patrons also, we have our part too.
Speaker 2:You see, the same 20 songs were special. Can you come and play? I come and play too. You know, If I really want to run with the engine, I do it and I play it in the same order and I put some songs in the middle. That is it so.
Speaker 6:I'm still doing the same thing, but I think part of what you're talking about is like I sit there and I think about oh, so-and-so's playing. I know I'm going to hear these songs in this order because they play it the same way all the time. So why am I bothering? I already heard it and it doesn't really. Unless there's like something about another dj on the list, that whole dj, that whole promoter can sour my whole experience to say I'm not coming out. Am I hard?
Speaker 7:so I think, yeah, I think overall, the system has to change. So the promoter has to promote, the DJ has to play the music, learn the music and repost your flyer and bring out a mixtape like long time right. The people need to come out and when you come, be ready to be engaged, be ready to yeah, how can I get you engaged? The DJ need to look up and look at the audience in front of them thank you for that.
Speaker 6:Thank you for that.
Speaker 7:Carnival Tuesday on the road figure out how to engage, because it's half and half. I can come with my energy, but if you're the DJ playing the music and yes, I'm looking at you because that, yes, I'm looking at you, because that's what I'm looking at you to help me give me the other part of the vibe.
Speaker 2:And your head down in the laptop.
Speaker 7:Your head is down Listen, you're not even rocking to your own music that you're playing.
Speaker 2:That is why. Alright, so let me give you your next belt. I want to take a special care of this belt now. That is why you just book DJs and not people who are looking for a side hustle and DJing is one of the side hustles in the country.
Speaker 3:Talk to me A professional so.
Speaker 7:I think everything needs to change.
Speaker 2:Yes, it's not just one aspect of it.
Speaker 7:And I think then the people will come out and then the people will support and I know Ottawa is hard because Ottawa is known as the government city- so it may be a little bit hard, because you're right in between Toronto and Montreal and similar to what you were saying in Trinidad.
Speaker 7:Yes, we have a lot of people that will drive to Toronto to go to a party not even a concert to a party and people will drive to Montreal to go to a party. But when you have something in Ottawa, the same people are going to tell me I'm too tired. I was in Toronto last weekend, man, this weekend you're going to stay home, but you went to Toronto to listen to a DJ play. So what can change it.
Speaker 2:Let's find the solution. If I want to go to a party and you just have a regular party, I'm not going to go. But if you make it, if it are the wow factors and I could sit down and I could so in marketing, because we do events too. When we sit to do events or we sit to deal with projects, we just sit down to get the wow factors. A wow factor is something that could be simple.
Speaker 2:You know if I buy a $100 lottery ticket, quick pick, a quick pick here. How much? $3. Gonna say someone about three dollars. Two dollars, how much? Because five bucks, five multiplied by a hundred yeah, you gotta do um I go in and buy some quick picks and I put it on my flyer.
Speaker 2:Somebody get a chance to walk away. 25 million, you don't know is my marketing tactic. You're going on study that and this place like money so you go in and come, not even understand any night. I just give out the first hundred people, 100, quick. I like to tell you that I like it.
Speaker 5:No, but your perception and it's an excitement you're building. There's a whole different thing if I say free phone.
Speaker 2:Ladies, the first hundred ladies, roses and for a rose shot, chocolate bags. You coming If I say hey, this month at some one lucky person and I release you and I can get five sponsors, $5,000 cash for one lucky person. You think they ain't coming. I want to find the solution. So let me ask you a question how come the fellas don't get nothing? I'm serious, you know the fellas can get Johnny Swing a bottle of Hennessy. Your question how come the fellas don't get nothing, I'm serious.
Speaker 3:Anytime you see something, it's always, always around the women. Women come together no women come together. No, because remember fellas all right, fellas.
Speaker 2:I know we just followed you. No, exactly, that's the whole room. Let me tell you some more fellas, fellas, like, like a peacock. But let me ask you something women don't follow man yeah, but but but and I don't follow men yeah, but, but but no, that's a good point. No, it's true. Because, I've been to Feds already. Oh God, thank you, you see, thank you. No, no, she makes you stand up.
Speaker 3:Yeah, she makes you stand up.
Speaker 6:This is what I've been telling him since he came. Yeah. But he circles it around.
Speaker 1:Oh, you're not open to truth. Oh, seriously. You're kind of wonky, you know, Remember you came to open it up now the shame.
Speaker 2:No, but watch this, right, you know. I've been to events where men walking up to women Excuse me, no, no, no, were you drinking? Come and them buying bottles. So you're right, buy your drinks.
Speaker 3:You say bottle, not drink.
Speaker 2:Bottle too. It's a bit, it's a bit, it's a bit. These women, I can't give a fuck.
Speaker 5:You're walking with your wife, no. Hey it happens.
Speaker 2:If you have women, we'll buy tickets faster than men. But here's what men will do. We like peacock show. We will spend the money that we have to impress women. Yes, from the beginning of time. Yeah, so once I, if you walk in a dance and you see 21, a team and you look in a new, say, a partner, nothing did not my kind of party. I look in a book, but you know, if you're walking up in a party, I thought for 10 min, a hundred women, you gonna look. The bio bar, you're gonna. It is, it's just the nature. Now, to everything there's balance, to everything there's balance. Once you have good music, you have a party that promoted well. You have a party and when I say promoted well, not with five people, like I say, the more people buzzing about your party, the more people under your committee, the more subcommittees you have is always best. So it has to have balance.
Speaker 7:And once you have that, balance.
Speaker 2:You'll be surprised you will start seeing different results. But who is the balance? Because when I ask Kay to bring her son, I don't party with children. Them bringing a whole different market and it's better than party with you, yeah, and when you try to bring your niece on there, you want a party with them. So how? So how we expect the thing to grow right. We had a little thing grow back in the days we used to party with we uncle and aunt and them, we mother and them we support.
Speaker 7:I remember the first party I went to in Toronto with my curious dad and they were women with strollers and this was a huge fit Like Buddy was there, marshall was there, name it. They were there and it was just an amazing thing to see. Party with the children and. I'm sure those kids grew up. They will grow up liking it. Yes Party with the children.
Speaker 2:Party with your family. They will grow up liking it. Yes, that is the solution, Not when you watch everybody me and you like everybody think they are the other. They're secret. No Party with one another. Have fun again. When's the last time you? Went to a party and the little party went when, when.
Speaker 6:No, it'll be tonight Little party wet.
Speaker 7:Hey, take your phone, take your phone. Well, I did last week I did last week, in all honesty, the dj music was. This was sweet.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, nice man when I put it down to cook it leave your phone but in your car or in your glove compartment, come to the party and when you reach, start a thing. All right, everybody's been on social media, start a network of friends. What's up your friends? Hey, you're looking to have a party. Go on tonight. You know we're going to go. You know, you see that's okay, man. Let me go Bring them out.
Speaker 7:Somebody has to start the fire. Fire. That's the other element as well for me. I will stand to the side once I see people, camera going up because I don't want to get caught on social media yeah, you know so that's another part as well, that is now in the equation as well
Speaker 2:go and tell the engineer, tell my kid, tell him. I also want to do my favorite. Come to enjoy yourself, and I really want nothing, I want my wife to enjoy, she said yeah, yeah, yeah, that's fool.
Speaker 3:Yeah, jam it, jamming signals Jamming signals. Yeah, jamming signals, so the cat is the fool.
Speaker 7:A quick question for the panel, though when was the last time you heard of a party that you went out to get your hair done, get an outfit to wear to the party, because you're so excited for that event that is always happening and Because you're so excited for that event. That is always happening, and I'm always curious today if people still do that, because back in the day I used to remember you weren't catching a female going out to that fence unless she went to get her hair done, her nails, her outfit ready.
Speaker 6:I wasn't that girl, I wasn't that girl and I wasn't that girl. But I have.
Speaker 1:But, I had friends that would do all of that. I would go get shoes and an outfit, the hair and the nails and all that, but it is true, of course.
Speaker 5:When last men iron their clothes.
Speaker 4:Yes, yes, I would say, the last time I got an outfit Was for something but it was not a fit.
Speaker 6:It was something for work. It was a social event and it's like I want to show up in that space and I want to represent and feel good these parties are therapy.
Speaker 1:That's basically what you're doing and you're releasing and freeing up yourself. That whatever is the heaviness, that you're able to shift that perception. Yet I'm mindful of time right now, so I want to come around the circle because, yes, we brought out some points, yet if we want change, what are the solutions? So, each person come up with what do they see as a solution. I want to start. Solution four Of how we bring the change. What do we bring back? And also not just bring back what's the innovation?
Speaker 2:Special care.
Speaker 7:One more thing she wanted to say yeah before you wrap up Because you know you break my thought process earlier, I just wanted to kind of quickly go back a little bit.
Speaker 7:Back to the music, because when you're talking about the creation of the music and that 20 people, another thing I mean we won't need to address it today but I think another thing in order that we need to talk about as well is the quality of the soca music that is being put out today. So, yes, sadly, you have the 20 songs, you have the handful of artists that are producing good quality music, but even though there's 5 000 songs across the caribbean that come out every year, do you know how difficult it is to find 200 songs that are clean and is really playable.
Speaker 7:And that, to me, is a huge issue.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, no, no no, you might have to go kill it.
Speaker 5:No special care.
Speaker 2:I'm not taking that. Give me anything else.
Speaker 7:So perhaps that's for another broadcast? No, I want to talk about that. I want to talk about that. Give me anything else and not. So perhaps that's for another podcast? No, I want to talk about that now. I want to talk about that now. You can't talk about it now. Yes, yes, yes, yes, we'll talk about it offline. I'm supposed to run to.
Speaker 2:Montreal. I'm not going to even run because of that waste. Let me tell you why I'm not going to run Because for dance hall, this new, this new Steamer Dancehall and Trinibad music, people didn't listen to radio to know these songs. They just go and type it up and find it and play it, and then radio just do so. Who's that playing there? Oh, daddy Big 2? Right. And then radio just go and get it. The people have the power. Go and do all your homework.
Speaker 7:Because there's a lot of songs that are coming out that does not have clean version to the song. You think them.
Speaker 2:Trini Bad and Jamaican songs are coming out now clean.
Speaker 7:Listen, but I'm not playing. I'm not playing that song.
Speaker 2:No, I'm not saying you, but if you really want to get somebody who are pro tools and get it and play it.
Speaker 1:But why should? Why? Her, as a DJ, has to do that. Why are the artists not?
Speaker 2:offering the two. That is the wrong mindset and wrong approach, not how come and? Hold on, I want to get it. Why? Why? If you want to play something, you go get it and edit it and why?
Speaker 7:why it's your package you as a singer.
Speaker 1:You're gonna tell me I'm gonna go into your store.
Speaker 2:You know how much songs I get that I clean up, and when I clean up, men hear me play it.
Speaker 5:Yeah yeah, all of that you know what songs?
Speaker 2:no, I understand that I take it upon myself and when I take it, I just even be so nice after costing them in my mind, of course because when they ask me, I'll say I can't edit it for myself. Look, because I understand the major goal. The major goal is to get the music across. No, I could do like everybody else and see what me are doing and me are taking, but I would just be adding to the problem.
Speaker 1:Yeah, where's the accountability of the person that's putting on something, but it's?
Speaker 2:to general, it's to all people we deal with. I don't know about that. Are you not Wait? Where are you coming from? No, are you not Wait? Where are you coming from? No, I come from. We say in the, but not everybody.
Speaker 7:Cut the same cloth.
Speaker 1:But how do?
Speaker 2:we grow it. Hey Again, this is something that's going to take years.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's the start To build.
Speaker 2:And when you build it and when you get it done, then they wouldn't give you the credit. So be ready.
Speaker 5:So I will tell you Exactly how you said. Tell you exactly how you said. It is exactly how I am. I get them, I clean them. But the difference between me and you, you cuss them in your mind, I just cuss them out loud yeah, I tell them when I send it back for them, I say yo, your engineer could do this in 30 seconds. It takes me five minutes. Why am I doing the work for?
Speaker 5:free when you could have paid an engineer a little ten dollars, yeah, and clean up the tuna and it's not done, because you're on it because no, no, when you're done, just edit the last part.
Speaker 2:Just edit it Right. I discharge men. When I send them, I take a sip and I go do all that work. I's a fool, or what my mother shit me off.
Speaker 7:However. However, the difference here Is that you both Are DJs you two, I'm a radio.
Speaker 5:No, you're a DJ. What I mean? You're a DJ, get DJs you two, I'm radio.
Speaker 2:Is that you both are DJ? What do I mean? You're a DJ.
Speaker 5:Don't do that.
Speaker 2:Don't do that. Why are you limiting yourself? No, no, no, don't do that. I'm not even going to Nice.
Speaker 3:Thank, you Nice, don't do that, don't do that. Stand up straight, stand up straight.
Speaker 5:Don't do that. It's in type A.
Speaker 7:You're graduating a? Okay, I won't go and do that, however, because I have had issues with Soka music for a while. I love Soka music, but I also think that the artist also has a responsibility to what they've put out there, because the music has shifted and necessarily not always in a positive way. So when you had Sparrow Kitchener, shadow, calypso Rose, all the older guys and females, when they came up with a song, the play on words were more creative.
Speaker 7:I got the message, but it was more creative so I could let my five-year-old listen to spring garden without them actually knowing right under. So but today today they're coming out with stuff which are direct, explicit, that I cannot play for my five-year-old because it's so explicit and I find the music is going down that road, whether there is a change that needs another shift. So when Lord Shorty did the shift, is there another one? That is, do you, do we categorize explicit soccer songs Under the umbrella as so compassion and then you have a room for soccer music.
Speaker 2:That's special key. I might look like a zebra. You're copying, by the way, but I'll sell my sword because your car get gal flicks time to have six and your car get I'm push it anything and I can do do my To do my. We still find a way to edit it. We still find a way to put it up.
Speaker 5:We still find out with the thing. So here's what I would say to kind of bridge the gap.
Speaker 2:I got a husband.
Speaker 5:See you to two worlds. I. Feel you can happy with this fashion that I can play on. No, you said that the creation of it. Let it be created, it has a place.
Speaker 7:But give me a clean version.
Speaker 1:Some of those songs can't be clean versions.
Speaker 5:There is an instrumental with beeps.
Speaker 1:Like, honestly, it's just the instrumental that they want the beep, because you can't put the lyrics. Some of this stuff where I'm listening and I'm like people are singing this and I'm like we have to have a drink here because we can't take it to do any good.
Speaker 7:So we have to have a drink all I'm trying to say is that, overall, we also have to we also have to look at the evolution of where the music is going, and is that where we want it to go? Do we still have control over where it is naturally going right now, or do we need to have another?
Speaker 3:We need branches Right.
Speaker 2:That's a difficult thing, because that's creativity you are correcting everything that you are saying you are saying it now at this age as special key, but you remember the music we used to listen to back then. We used to say it's rubbish and it's dope, isn't it?
Speaker 2:You remember that, right, but you remember the music we used to listen to back then we used to say it's rubbish and it's dope the slack. So it's just a different page for now and we will say the same thing. We will say the same thing in time to come, if we take time to dwell on it. Understand everything you're saying. You have very valid points. Nothing is invalid, but it's either we can play it or we don't play it. Don't make me chill and party and play the Young Brother and Gabby before you hear it, because I'm going to mash up the bass more than you, because that's when you're trending.
Speaker 7:Don't worry, we have the cat that can't talk for them already, so it's no good. You see but understand what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:We have to always be 10 steps ahead with the solution, and the solution until better can be done is that we grab it, edit it, share it amongst ourselves, pass it over and when we get a chance to sit with the artists now, if we ever have the chance to reason with them we say boss here's what I'm gonna sing.
Speaker 7:I'm gonna sing it and my daughter can't listen to it. I like it.
Speaker 2:my daughter can't listen to it, so, daughter, can listen to it, so I can play it around my children, and then it's a real Sorry, it's a real kiddies carnival. I just play it, so I just can't play it, so. So I need a chance, send me some Children friendly thing or make some children friendly music, because, remember, you don't know how to teach, you need to. You might go to tell you that you might offend him.
Speaker 1:But you know what? Not all djs are having that mindset, because some of them are now playing it around the children and they're making it. That's another, that's a whole other.
Speaker 7:Yes, honestly, it's a very big topic. It's that.
Speaker 1:That in itself is another thing of where are we understanding the boundaries and the freedom of speech and freedom of expression and creativity? Yet now it's going in a space where it's like, whoa, yeah, I'm going to come back again. I love it, the table I love it If we can all give a piece of a solution that we see moving forward. That would help contribute to bring us back into village, into community, into collaboration I think definitely something that has worked for me over the many years that I've been in this is workshops.
Speaker 2:You can never have too many workshops. Workshops is what real good it is. Make people get more involved culturally. It will educate them. It will show you. I did see something like this here with our podcast there. Could you imagine this room with 40 50 people?
Speaker 2:yeah yeah, could you imagine this? And then let grow in numbers, invite people to come. More things people like to feel when they are part of something. You may think that they might not. All you have to do is just invite them, touch it. Hi, look, we have something happening here cultural workshop. Come and be a part of it, man, come. And I say they may be reluctant at first, but once they realize there's something good, they will be a part of it. When you do. Would you like to know? Fun fact you know who was part of barbarous and poisoning? The parents of the people who now govern all the bands and children out on tobiko. So when, when their parents was going to poison and barbarous? The children who are now tribe and bliss and all of them there was going playing mass with mommy and daddy.
Speaker 2:You see why, showing you right all right. I won't touch our next thing, that very important. Have any one of you in this room reached out to anybody in Toronto who is do mass or bands or anybody in Montreal and say, hey, let's collaborate, let's do something? Any one of you guys forget everybody else in this room. Yes, ever reach out to you, yeah what was?
Speaker 6:what was the response? What was the outcome? The outcome at that time, the person was stepping back from it, so we have not re-engaged since. There is now how much years that was it was before the fall apart before my children.
Speaker 2:How much years that was. It was before the fall apart before my children.
Speaker 6:How much years, is that Seven?
Speaker 1:years Seven years. Well, let's also consider COVID really destroyed a lot of things.
Speaker 2:COVID destroyed a lot. However, when you had to pay your bills, you couldn't go to electric or gas and tell them COVID.
Speaker 6:Life had to move on you still had to pay.
Speaker 2:They couldn't go to electric or gas and tell them, covid.
Speaker 6:Life has to move on. It's not okay.
Speaker 2:So we have to understand what is important in moving forward.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:And that is the truth. The most I can do is tell the truth to them, because I wouldn't sit here and mum a guy, nobody or like anybody.
Speaker 2:You understand it can be done. I'm not going to say that it's going to be easy and can get it done in a snap of a finger. It's going to require a lot of work, but let's work smart and not just hard alone. You can have to. We want to work smart. We alone can get it done. This is something that is great as a as the initiation. After this, we have to see this grow from these numbers to 20, and then from this to 80, and then this to 100, and then we could safely say yeah, progress.
Speaker 3:But we have to make sure, when we bring in the additional numbers, that we bring the youth in. Yes, 100%, because they we're talking about, you know growing it and how we make it. We have to listen to them when they talk and don't say, ah, ah, good point, right, we have to gotta listen what they want.
Speaker 3:We could do for us very easy, but they could tell us every year. Very good point, the little ones you see downstairs, you see yesterday playing marston's day, one year. Bring them my oldest daughter playing marshal, you know, and every year she bring more and more friends. My sister was telling me something the other day more and more friends, my sister was telling me something the other day I could belt myself, because I just belt myself too.
Speaker 2:She said why you don't focus on kiddies things too yeah, because the children listen. It have real children wanting to go and the parents don't have a choice but to carry them. Does Ottawa do have a choice but to carry them? Does Ottawa have a children match or a children thing? Who does do it?
Speaker 1:Listen, that's the one thing I've been saying about this city. The teenagers have nowhere to be able to have their expression.
Speaker 2:I don't see this, Babe. What are you showing me now? Juve, June, children thing in. Toronto.
Speaker 3:We're talking about that since I reached.
Speaker 2:Canada. But I just didn't get a chance to sit with nobody yet Because, remember, I'm moving forward, scrutinizing who I'm dealing with and who I'm having a conversation with today.
Speaker 3:So we just play with Salina every year and a partner of mine just brings me section we just play with Rodney every year. It don't matter what color, what what, what? What, what? Guys, we section and every year we just talk to people and bring them on Grow. We be part of the section. In turn, we recruiting people to come.
Speaker 2:You hear what he said. Say it one more time we recruit 10.
Speaker 3:No we bring, we just bring people inside and then they bring two more.
Speaker 2:You see how that does work right.
Speaker 3:You see how that does work.
Speaker 2:Somebody just has to bring somebody, somebody brings somebody. But when people come to your meeting, you have to let them leave being enlightened, because if it's just a life and we're just talking shippiness we're not going to make no progress systems.
Speaker 3:You things into the little ones is tell me, dad, nobody in school knows about God. I say well, there's your job. You're gonna teach them as you go, exactly, and they will know exactly.
Speaker 2:They could hear the music that can save carnival culture yeah that is spread it they have to spread it that
Speaker 2:can save it. Let me tell you something right when we saw to try meetings, I think try, put yourself on the map. I think Ron put yourself on him because they had a core team. Everyone understood the mission and everyone did what they are expected to do and they moved forward. We cannot expect Ottawa to have presence if Ottawa does not have the presence. So we have to wave some flag, think of something that nobody will do. And when they say we are the Ottawa crew, they are in front of us. We are in when they say we're the autobah crew.
Speaker 3:They're in front of the ottawa company, in front we in front pelton, hear me, I say we say we are but guys, you all, you all, you all see where we're going with it.
Speaker 2:Like we have to be real strategic. We can't move by, guess. We have to put things in place and, like I said, it's not going to be easy. It's going to require a lot of work. So you need as much team players with you, we need as much we need to market. We need to be in the face, you need to get in and around boards and be able to lobby for things to happen. Nobody might be showing interest now and all of them might feel that all of them are the power. All of them only get in the ears of the minister, or the equivalent of the minister called Jeff Autogana, and let them say all this is about the carnival. Well, send the proposal. And they say listen, we bring in. This is what we intend to do. We will start to do and we market it three places.
Speaker 1:And watch Mr Wesson, do you have any solutions?
Speaker 5:I think it's all been spoken to already. The only I don't want to open up another.
Speaker 5:Let's dry it out. Man have things to do and places to be. I would say this and I say this very reservedly and I say it very universally the mentality Change that I would want to see With regards to our culture Is a shift In mindset that says If I am going to make this, I don't want to use a number. But let's say X, I'm going to make X, I shouldn't be vexed that someone else is making X. If I can make my X and the next man should make an X, we should all be happy with X. Let me finish.
Speaker 2:I want to add it the next man to make an ex. We should all be happy with ex, so let me just add to this. Let me finish. I want to add it. I want to add it.
Speaker 5:I think the mentality that has to be lost Is the. I'm going to stop you from making ex.
Speaker 2:Just to secure my ex, but if that will be written on that will not happen.
Speaker 5:But listen to what I'm saying. It's a shift in mentality because it all has to happen at once. That's not going to happen here. What I'm telling you, the reason, the city. Now you see, you say you want to jump in things and give up and dish out legs.
Speaker 5:The reason this city is in the state that it is is because every time someone has an ex, when someone else come out with an ex, the person with with the ex is stopping and saying, instead of me making my ex better, I'm just going to focus my energy on stopping your ex so that I can keep my ex.
Speaker 2:So I have a question to ask. Go ahead. They just collaborate, this person that you're talking about.
Speaker 5:I'm not speaking of anybody, no no no.
Speaker 2:Sorry, no names, just an example these people, these groups, this reference, these people, is God of it? No, because God is the only person that can stop you from doing something. Yes, let me tell you something In my whole life they always tell me no. It had this one time I was bringing up a rhythm called the Trample Rhythm and I really wanted Marshall on that rhythm and Glenroy Watson at the time heard my idea and said I'm investing in you, go ahead. And I said Marshall and Voice, not knowing the rhythm and all his songs.
Speaker 7:I said me feelin to put it out.
Speaker 2:Yet he said he's a jack. So what I said? What you mean? I said that you want the rhythm that the king has spoken. So if he ain't jump the shredding, you go and cancel your song, this one song, that one song, that one song, that one song.
Speaker 2:I say well, here he say well, these are jackass, I need to pull away from you, and that's all he had to say to me. And after that, give them a little. Trample was one of the biggest songs in the world. So what if I didn't say well, boy me a, put in it out and stand by that. The moral of the story I'm trying to tell is you see what you could do, do Everything else that you can't do. It has somebody else fighting behind you who don't even know. You can't even see fighting boy, you understand what.
Speaker 2:I'm saying I'm not going to sit down to study, nobody who want to stop me because I know my god bigger than them. Okay, I sure about that. When I come out I read him, they tell me no. When I come out at carnival, I love you. They say no when chinese laundry and blackball me and saying do promoters if all your bookie or like I think and I still, you, crazy you mine, you's crazy, sorry, sorry.
Speaker 3:I thought it was everyone, sorry.
Speaker 7:Sorry, I see friends he can look like the artist Chris T.
Speaker 6:You weren't there for that yesterday.
Speaker 1:Oh God, don't make him.
Speaker 2:Oh, we'll tell you after my apologies I didn't know, but anyway, the hair will come out and everything.
Speaker 7:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:But the moral of the story is psst.
Speaker 5:Don't study them.
Speaker 2:What's coming bigger than them and it's coming at the right time, hmm.
Speaker 5:I want you to. I hear you you have work to do?
Speaker 3:yeah, I hear you remember you was asking us last year about the perfect, the perfect fit. Yeah, and I was like as long as the music playing. We could fill in all the rest I don't know not about october, right?
Speaker 2:I don't know nothing about Ottawa, right, I don't know nothing about Ottawa. They might force them in, but I'm someone that studies people, studies things, studies systems. I naturally like that and I come in here. Forget about the event that's going on later. I don't see where people are shivering and frightening already, but all you can see, I see it already.
Speaker 7:You want to know how I see it. Go ahead. I hear how.
Speaker 2:Because a particular person say Otowu was lame with vibes. If someone lame with vibes, you will rush to cut my game. But as soon as the flyer with this did come out, I see a flyer come out one time with them same people who say that. Okay, we're done hey same people who say that, okay, we're done. Hey, oh, not our next word we're done, bye-bye, that's it. Good night. I thought, I thought, I thought it lame.
Speaker 6:Anyway, I enjoyed the podcast.
Speaker 2:Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:My name is doug hey, you made it all the way here. I appreciate you and your time. If you found value in this conversation, please share it out. If there was somebody that popped into your mind, take action and share it out with them. It possibly may not be them that will benefit. It's that they know somebody that will benefit from listening to this conversation. So please take action and share out the podcast. So please take action and share out the podcast. You can find us on social media on Facebook, instagram and TikTok under Lift One Self, and if you want to inquire about the work that I do and the services that I provide to people, come over on my website, come into a discovery, call liftoneselfcom. Recall LiftOneSelfcom. Until next time, please remember to be kind and gentle with yourself. You matter.