Songs that make ME....: "Call ME"- Slum Villiage feat Dwele

I have been listening to this song on repeat for 4 days...

It's so applicable to some situations and circumstances I'm dealin wit right now...

Listen and LOVE it...

Put on 4 my city: 9 4 9- nine questions for Matthew Stanford

HOLA folks! I have'nt been here in a loooonnnngggg azz time, but I'm bizzaacckkk! I'm comin atchu with my FIRST interview EVER! I'm going to start doing interviews with people that I admire and are doing their thing... This interview is with Matthew Stanford of Design + Reason Communications, check it out!

9 4 9
nine questions for Matthew Stanford

OnE- State your name, gangster. what is the name of your business and what do you do?

math+hue+matics=9

peace.
Matthew ToddUncommon Stanford is the handle.
I'm also known as Matthew Matics
and some people call me nine. (which has to do with Numerology... *sooo spooky isn't it?* smh haha)
I pray, design, study, analyze, educate, entertain, inform, inspire, and [most importantly] I drink.
my business' name is Design And Reason Communications, a full-service design consultancy specializing in products, graphics, interiors, wayfinding, and interfaces.
http://www.DesignAndReason.com/

TwO- Soooo math.hue, what is design to you?

design+reason=communication

Visual communication design is the science of conveying visual messages (I use this phrase as a slogan). while, indeed, design involves art, so much of it has to do with user analysis, communication, and application of theory that it cannot be considered art. typically, an artist is portraying some emotion of their own. this is not the case with design as designers must remove themselves from the equation and communicate the client's message. this involves much more than the ability to express oneself, but to express someone else's abstract (and sometimes even undercooked) ideas visually.

Thr33- Ok ok, what initially sparked your passion to design?

time+thoughts+talent=passion

to BYONEST (plug), there aren't really any kids who say, "I want to be a DESIGNER when I grow up!" it just doesn't happen that way.

as a boy, I spent lots of time alone with my thoughts. some of the people I grew up around confused me so I chose to stay to myself a lot. this, of course, allowed for quite a bit of down time as there was only so much tv I could put up with (even then, I knew that a lot of what I saw on tv was a lie). I got into the arts: writing, music, and drawing. I suffered from stage fright so becoming a poet or musician was ruled out immediately. once I got deeper and deeper into drawing and painting, I found that I was exceptionally talented at drawing letters. CCAD accepted my portfolio submission after I graduated from Mifflin and off I went.

F0uR- What in life inspires you?

God+prayer=inspiration.

I'm fully aware that I'm not your typical Believer as my beliefs are quite rare (Uncommon) but I do believe in all the basic principle of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc. which is: "do unto others as you would have others do unto yourself." this is why so many people know me as a source of inspiration, assistance, and guidance when possible.
Nas says, "to receive's great, but I lust giving."
I really feel him (pause) on that line because that's the way I've felt for most of my life. and, of course, there are always those who try and take advantage of me and for them I pray to the Almighty that they'll shake that spirit of greed.

FiV3- In your line of work, what do you bring to the table that other designers can not?

good question. everyday, I'm reminded that I'm only a beginner. as far as I've come as far as education, accomplishments, etc. it doesn't really matter. everyday I meet at least one designer from whom I can learn a great deal. shout out to Michael Lipscomb (22 March!) of Phenology , everybody at JWORK LIMITED (heeyyyy Ms ButterPecan! haha), and of course my big brother Brandan Craft (I owe you!) and everybody who supports Athlete Shirt. these (as well as many, many) other Black designers are really doing their thing.

but I guess its not really so much a matter of am I bringing something to the table that designers can not, I believe I'm bringing something to the table that many designers simply do not. I'm not some extraordinarily gifted person (aside from how many people probably believe I view myself), I just think I enhance certain interests of my own. specifically my spirituality, my love for hip hop, and the design principles which are instilled in me. you won't catch me compromising any of the three for any project. ever.

SiX- I feel you on that math! What are 3 major influences on your work?

afrocentricity+hiphop+demand=influence.

my roots will never leave me. no matter whether I deny my heritage or embrace it fully; its there. if you haven't guessed by now, I am African American (and damn proud!) and I love African American culture. African Americans have been through so much (from being forced to building the White House to running the White House) and I believe the journey has only just begun meaning, there's much more to benefit us than we can imagine in the future. I believe we can quicker reach this destination by loving one another and simply helping out when possible. for instance, if your brother or sister needs money for an admission fee to college, help them! in this case, it won't be very expensive unless they're applying to Harvard or Yale. if by chance that's the case, that's all the more reason to help.

hip-hop is one of the only things I can say I never left alone through-out my whole life. I remember, as a boy, sneaking into my older brother's bedroom to listen to Public Enemy and N.W.A. on his stereo (I would always get in trouble but it didn't matter) and even to this very day, I get chills when I hear the intro to "Fight The Power" by Public Enemy. lots of people say old-school hip-hop is better but I think that's like comparing apples to oranges when you look at artists like Elzhi of Slum Village, Papoose, and many artists out of Columbus, OH. this music is much different than what's constantly played on the radio; I guess if you compare the radio "hip-pop" of today to the radio hip-hop of the eighties, yeah it was better then but otherwise, there's no way to judge.

inquiries about a new project come daily. I'd say out of 20 people, I might get one new client. this is probably because many people don't quite understand the necessity of contracts and how payment schedules function (not in a lump sum, but over phases... usually a month or two). its very unfortunate that I've had to decline projects that I'm interested in due to monetary disagreement(s). if it were up to me, no one would have to pay for design but love and generosity (as necessary as they are) simply don't pay bills!

SeV3n- As far as design, what role do you see yourself in when given an assignment?

I would like to be more of the background organizer but I'm usually the organizer as well as the manager and designer.

EiGhT- Could you describe a recent accomplishment regarding one of your recent projects?

A+A+A+S=success
OSU's African American Alumni Society approached me a while back needing a flyer and website design. I ended up doing a visual identity (logo, stationery, examples of flyers / posters / etc) and a website design. I came to many huge ideas during this project and I found that it was the most fun I'd had on a project in years. probably ever.
http://www.alumni-osu.org/aaas/

NINE- Lastly give me 3 words that describe you...

learn+teach+work=math

that's the best way I can summarize my days.

Just becuz I'm bored... My BP profile info lol

Yeah so this is from my Blackplanet page I had not too long ago haha. I had to delete that joiint tho because for one, it brought TOO much drama and two ppl are only on the tryna get some booty yo... Lots of things have changed about my mindset and approach to people and interacting since then, I found that not to be the place online for me! lol So enjoy the info... also peep the song quotes lol***DISCLAIMER- If you have the energy to look @ my page I wanna hear from you! Send me a note or sign the Guestbook baby! If you are adding me as a friend send a note or you may be declined! Just a fair warning, I'm not on the 500+ friends thing lol***

Heyyyyy there BP! If you came to find beauty, and class wit a lil bit of sass you've found it!! I'm on here to meet new friends, catch up with old ones and network! I would like to try some plus-size modeling! Peep the pics tell me what you think...!

I'm eclectic, classy, and just alltogether different as far as my style (see the hair) lol and just the way that I carry myself. I am confident, have high self-esteem, always have a smile on my face, and love myself. I like to entertain, I keep people laughin to ward off the bad energy life sometimes brings us. I want to have someone that respects me for my mind and uniqueness, and appreciates the gift that I am. Once you get to know me, you'll love me, but you already do, don't you!

"You used to hold me, told me that I was the best / Anything in this world I want I could posess / All that made me want is all that I could get / In order to survive, gotta learn to live with regrets/(when I was young)"

"Now when it comes to styles, I got several

Sharper than the swagger, dagger or metal"

"Got my, gold watch and my, gold chain

with my fancy car and my diamond ring

with my, ghetto broad and she

so plain got couple scars and one of those long names

she a fight a nigga and cusses with no shame

and her Ex-man had her bagging up Cocaine but she

yea, yea she love it over here

Its just yea, yea she love it over here"

"Yesterday I saw a B-girl crying, I walked up and asked what’s wrong, she told me that

the radio’s been playing the same song all day long…"

"What you do is crazy babe

Not like you belong in an asylum

Crazy babe,

Like the sun in the morning

And the moon at night

Like the rain falling from the sky

Like the trees growing from the ground

I'm astounded babe

By your love for me

And your touching me

And your trust in me

Like you do "

Music! ahhhh what more can I say?! I love music music and more music....! I can listen to pretty much anything and fall in love. Especially Lyricism! MY FAVORITE rap artist is JAY-Z, his swagger is just off the chain! And I also admire his entreprenueral span because this man has his hand in just about everything! I prefer R&B, rap, neo-soul, gospel, pop and I listen to a lot of other stuff. I looove Eric Roberson, The neo-soul rockstar Raheem Devaughn! Noel Gourdin, MARVIN GAYE, ATLANTIC STARR, Jill Scott and many many more.. I also like to sing too, love going to concerts and listening to live performances. Just gimme some headphones and I'm good!

This man played that freaking guitar!! And he put it down @ Glastonbury, despite the haters

Put on 4 my city: Phenology Clothing!

Anybody that knows me knows that I like to dress... I keep my fly and high and my fresh the best! That's why when I first visited PHNLGY.com I felt like I was at home! (BTW the music playlist is BOMB!)

So me being the investigator that I am had to find out what the deal was with this Phenology... Who was the brains behind this operation and what they were about... Well I was pleased to find out that not only was Phenology a local line, but I was already Facebook friends with the "brains". Soo long story short as I do with everybody, I became good friends with Mike. Mike is one of the most personable, smart, cool people I know (besides myself that is haha) and he definitely has a longtime customer in BeShayBE (I already copped 2 pieces this month)!! Wanna know more??? Read below baby....

What is the concept of Phenology?

A lot of people get it confused with the study of the brain which is phrenology. But Phenology is the study of biological things that happen naturally and organically. A good example is flowers and leaves growing, you know what I’m sayin’? But we flipped it and applied the same concept to fashion. It’s a brand that has a naturalness and organic feel to it. It can’t be fabricated man, it just is.

By definition Phenology is the study of a natural phenomena that recurs periodically due to climate change. So with us being the phenomena we look at it as the consumer studying us. Our fabric, our fit, our choice of colors, etc. and with every season our phenomena recurs in the form of our Collections. And also with that Phenology is doin’ our part to conserve the earth by making a conscious effort to manufacture earth-friendly products and garments. We specifically seek out companies that fit that mold.

READ MORE OF THE ARTICLE!
Rance Rob's Article on Phenology

Some of my FAVORITES...

Make sure you visit PHNLGY.COM and check the latest!!!

Put on 4 my city: Mirrolove Productions- Drake concert

Drake was here in Columbus on Fri April, 24th! I missed it :>(

But we have the footage here courtesy of MirrorLove Productions, enjoy!

BTW the concert was sponsored in part by Phenology Clothing (Next POST!)

DAMN

Soo last night @ mmmm bout 6 am I couldn't sleep... Well actually I was sick yesterday so I had been sleep since 930, 10 o'clock so I just woke up... Anywho I was looking @ statuses online and I saw one that confirmed something I knew was coming down the pipes for a while... (Long story short) this guy that liked me and I liked as well basically is talking to someone else now... And with him when he puts stuff like that out there, its serious not play play... At first my feelings were hurt!

Then I realized that I was the one that stopped the negotiations for a relationship... I was all like aww I'm not ready, aww I don't wanna hurt you when really I didn't want to be hurt... I was being selfish, because I wanted to do ME, when I could have doing US... Its the whole "What you want might make you cry, and what you need might pass you by if you don't catch it..." In retrospect it looks like I messed up, but I chalk it up as if it's meant to be it will be... Maybe, but this is how I was feelin @ 6 am...

I knew I'd miss my train someday
It hurts my heart to see you go this way
I did u wrong and I know for a fact
I shoud have hopped on when I had the chance
Reminds me of when I used to miss the bus
I fooled around knowing you would leave the station
Knowing fully well that the time of departure was upon me
Scrambling at the last minute tryna gather up my things
The baggage was too heavy I wanted to let go of it
Needed to lighten my load, but I couldn't sort out my shi*
At first I walked steadily, then I broke into a jog
Slowed down again, bags weighing me down
I made it the the station but alas to my dismay
I made it just in time to see you pulling away
And now I'm filled with regret turning back the hands of time
If I had left 5 mins earlier... the thought weighing on my mind
I'm the only one to blame because life has its schedule
And if you don't adhere, you'll be eating the dust
Sittin here salty as they come, head in my hands
The voice in the back of head echoes the word DAMN...

Bring The Rain...

A lot of people think rain is a bad thing. Not I says ShayBE lol... Just the water streaming the the window and the sound it creates, soothes me sometimes...
At one point in my life I was frightened of rain, I hated thunderstorms!!! I was scared of rain, My relaxer! But now as an adult I appreciate the rain. Thunderstorms? Don't frighten me anymore! My hair? Pffftt I'm natural now, my hair laughs in the rain's face lol. Rain is necessary. Rain encourages growth and change. Growth and change are necessary.



Bring the Rain

Rain is inspiring, cleansing my thoughts
Rinsing away worries unclutters my thoughts
So gentle the pitter patter the beautiful plops
The steady rythym slow fast slow, don't stop
Any impurities inside me the rain draws out
Purity the rain reveals as it carries it away
Flow down my face so peaceful and serene
Tasting the droplets so peaceful and serene
I pray the rain won't go away because there's beauty in tears from heaven
Coming down for me, to sooothe any aches, water my sad world
So that the beauty within can spring forth from the dirt
Pressing forward pushing past any strife and hurt
Yes sunshine is good but right now I need the rain
Please save the sunshine for another day, Bring on the rain...