Cue the Music...

Moving Crowds + Connecting Souls through a Cultural Lens

[cinkynard]

💛💛💛🍁❄️

On this wintery Thanksgiving wishing you all a warm one full of love laughs and joy. Best reason for the season is being #thankful for all we still have and Love. #grace #peace #love

[cinkynard]

Cindy Kynard

❤️THIS! Song for You by Donny is so powerful. The man ooozed soul and vulnerable strength through his love songs. And Ailey always spark

[cinkynard]

I must’ve stood looking at these turntables for 5 mins before touching them! Been a loooong time since I really played. And back then it was all smooth grooves, no scratching. The tech wasn’t as high as this but the beats were the same. This game tested how well I scratched with the video. A little AI tech combined with ole skool. Guess how well I did? Next time ... 😉😂 🎧 #HadMoreFunGoofinvsScratchin #rememberingWSRN #SugarnSpiceShow #JazzHead (at Intel House at Fast Company At 415 Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpRtc7ul0AsJz6w9JC0cSA4ULJ3TgfPlt3Zhw40/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=e04mlkn9qyzl

[cinkynard]

When I saw this piece last month I couldn’t completely explain why it drew me. Now I think I know....

Wives of Sango by Jeff Donaldson, 1971, is at Brooklyn Museum (from NMAAHC). "Oshun, Oba and Oya, are the three wives of Sango the god of thunder in the Yoruba tradition of Africa. In one story, Sango’s wives taught him how to fight and made him stronger in battle. By depicting three women who look ready for battle themselves, Jeff Donaldson paid tribute to women who had important leadership roles in Black liberation movements.” This art spoke to me on many levels, as a black woman and as a lover and protector of life and all that flows - like the ocean. Oshun and Oba are water goddesses and their tales with Oba and Sango are well known across Caribbean, Latin and West African culture.

Today, as I reflect on the politics and power struggles of men, I feel the calm knowledge that like MLK said “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Unity, especially amongst women, has to prevail. If these women could find solidarity why can’t we? Legend and art imitate life. We have power, we just need to unleash it. #votelikeyoumeanit #meditativemoments #peoplevspower #cultureshift #therevolutionisvideotapedandtelevised #faith

[cinkynard]

Our stories are being told and celebrated 🙌🏾 Now young (black) ambition has more windows and models to affirm their dreams and beliefs. #yeswecan #ava #griot

[cinkynard]

The night was a HIT!! After months of walking through fire to manage expectations and agonizing over whether my “clients” would enjoy their event and raise $ - I gotta lotta love tonight. AND I saw my old friends from college AND found money in front of my house when I got home. 🙏🏾#thankful #whatendswell #isallwell #done #blessedandlucky!!! ❤️🧡💛

[cinkynard]

Miss his wisdom but what a timeless pearl to find him here tonight #watchingoverus #ineededtohearthis #sayingnotostatusquo #yestochange (at General Assembly West)

[cinkynard]

"How are you gonna be a revolutionary if you're such a traditionalist? You hold onto the past, but jazz is about the future." - Keith (John Legend) speaking to Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) in the movie, La la land ❤️

[cinkynard]

This is what I’m talking about...succession planning! #jazzahead #powergeneration

[cinkynard]

[cinkynard]

4.21.16 the day we lost a great one. The moment was bizarre, feeling like I lost a "special" cousin I hadn't seen in a while. It was a shock that became more painful as I reminisced over photos, film and music who and what we lost. I took his life for granted and see even more now how powerful, generous, funny, clever, sweet and gracious he was. His brilliance is bar none. A wise and intuitive spirit - we can learn from how he lived musically and socially helping others. Remembering the legacy and the lessons. #movingforward #tbt

[cinkynard]

[cinkynard]

Wrote the soundtrack to many of my 80s and 90s memories. Created and influenced the careers of the Family, Sheila E, Wendy & Lisa, Tamara and the Scene, Vanity, Apollonia, and the Time to name a few. Loved his sound and lyric. Sexy muthafucka he was - I couldn't deny it as I got older. Always relevant, always present - for the artists and the fans. Sad I didn't get to hear him live recently. His presence at an awards show always signaled something greater than the commercial. And he always gave more than you expected. A living legend like others who've passed too soon this year. Rest in Purple Reign - jam on with the funky greats in heaven. #prince #yousexymuthafucka

[cinkynard]

[cinkynard]

Heard this voice behind me singing: "If our dreams are falling down to the ground..Let them fly..Let the rain keep falling down..'Cause baby I'm high" ❤️ #staythisway #brandnewheavies #wheresthiskindamusictoday #latergram

[cinkynard]

#hiphophackathon Kids are introduced to how #tech is used in #hiphop. Dig their #priceless joy for making beats with vinyl vs a computer -#timelessart (at Spotify)

[cinkynard]

I heard the wonderful Michelle Obama speak about her education initiative Let Girls Learn with Queen Latifah, Missy Elliott, Sophia Bush and Diane Warren at SXSW. When you hear folks speak of the “O” effect it could be about a couple of things - likely about Oprah. But this year it’s about the Obamas. I gotta say, Mrs. Obama and her husband have really been making me proud and nostalgic with their last year in office. They’ve been a bridge to youth culture and emerging trends that impact our economy more than any other presidency in my memory. Michelle is especially magnetic with her fierce poise and heart for the community. So when I heard that she was a keynote for the music conference I was on it!

Some notable sound bites included that educated women raise healthier families and promote higher GDPs. There are currently 62 million girls around the world unable to receive an education. FLOTUS has partnered with the Peace Corps to drive a global grass roots effort to enable girls to receive a full education. Her mission at SXSW was to spread the word and kick off funding with the release of the charity single “This is for my Girls” written by Oscar nominated Diane Warren. The girl chat with the aforementioned ladies made it even richer. I watched friends feed each other and the audience with empowering words on how to create a better life for our communities, giving a lesson with each story told. They had the type of rapport and bond the View and other talk show mimics wished they could produce.

And then Michelle said this “inclusion enables empathy and change.” She asked that when men found themselves alone at the table - to include women, minorities and people with lifestyles different from their own. The Queen agreed with this point - “as with Hip-Hop, what’s missing is women. When you remove a woman’s voice from anywhere you are lacking. There are so many things we can do better, together.” Yes! THIS is what (re)inspires me. We have so much to offer if we just work together. That and Michelle then saying she’s going to continue to impact people after the White House for though her 50s are phenomenal, she expects her 60s and beyond to be blazin! And expects to be dancing just like the 106 year old Virginia McLaurin did in the White House. That’s right sis 😉!