about.me/mattsimpson100 "Culture is far more than food, dress, and music. Culture is synonymous with lifestyle, values, history, purpose and direction..." - Jawanza Kunjufu
FRESH AND TRUE - Wizkid “Made in Lagos” Album Review
It’s hard for anything to keep our attention now days. There’s content coming at us from every angle. I try to stay on top of new music releases, but usually don’t get to sit on projects long. Then, last week (10/30) Wizkid released “Made in Lagos.” I can’t stop playing it! Had to write about it...
It seems like sometimes artists from the continent connect with major labels (Wizkid is signed to RCA), and you can start to hear them reaching to crossover. Production sounds forced, features are out of place...fortunately, that wasn’t the case here.
I was very impressed to hear an album sound so fresh but still stay true to that Afrobeat sound.
The three things I appreciate most about “Made in Lagos” are:
That Sound Grabs You And Does’t Let Go - Production is easily the best part of the album. The opening track “Reckless” is super groovy, great bounce to it, and the percussion just carries you. I looked up after 4 minutes like “damn, the song is over?!” I was wrapped up, got lost in the rhythms. But, the whole album is like that. Great contemporary sound, but it stays true. Love the splashes of Fela-esque horns throughout! Had to check the credits, and shout out to producer P2J!
Puzzle Pieces - I think about features between artists like puzzle pieces. I always enjoy when different pieces come together and create a nice picture. On “Made in Lagos” each feature seemed to fit really well. Going back to the major label point, these features didn’t feel forced or misplaced. Hard to pick a favorite - but H.E.R. stands out, Burna was great and I love Tems’ voice. But, they’re all really good to me!
Winning Affection - One reason I love Afrobeat is the lyrics. It’s always about love/relationships, or trying to impress and win the affection of a woman. Sometimes you get a story, or a message about our people overcoming struggles, but it’s mostly about women lol. Wizkid talks about enjoying life, and counting blessings too. I love all of it. Also appreciate that he didn’t make any cringy attempts at using slang or profanity. Again, kept it true - no reaching.
“Made in Lagos” is amazing. Puts me in such high spirits when I listen. For a little over a week now, it’s been my soundtrack - puts that battery in my back to push through long work days, home workouts and cooking for the fam. I don’t see that stopping soon!
(Pic from my final session with Dr. Norman Pfile. Also the day he told me he was retiring)
I’m sharing my experience to help commemorate Mental Health Awareness Month!
I turn 33 next month. That’s not a complaint about getting old, I’m actually excited about it! But living 33 years as a Black person in America has not been easy at all. Usually, I’m good about dealing with the stress and pressure. What I’ve learned to do is:
Think about the negative things that happen to/around me, and
Make a distinction between those things and my SELF, or the positive person that I know myself to be. ,
Like I said, usually I’m good, but Fall 2018 - Spring 2019 was much different. November 2018 was the start of court proceedings to clarify co-parenting arrangements for my daughter - the MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN MY LIFE. February 2019 my mother - MY CREATOR - passed away and became an ancestor.
(Reading a book with my 2 year old daughter, “Big” River)
These two life events really ROCKED ME, and the mental exercise that I mentioned above was not working. I was hardly sleeping, losing weight, and I found myself drinking a lot more. I didn’t feel like MYSELF at all, and it was affecting my job and my family life. I finally opened up about it to some people I trust. They helped me decide to seek professional help.
I’m very fortunate to have a “good job” with benefits that cover mental health services. I called and asked for a referral, and was connected to Dr. Norman Pfile. He’s older and has a much different background than me. I think that helped - I appreciated being able to share and open up to someone completely disconnected from my world and what I was going through. He also has children of his own, and almost 40 years of professional experience. This gave him more credibility in my eyes.
When the sessions got started, my expectations were WAY OFF. I was expecting to be blown away by earth-moving advice and psychological philosophy...and that never happened for me. Honestly, that’s really not what I needed either. Dr. Pfile asked questions and did more listening than anything. He also took a lot of notes, and shared a story/perspective of his own on occasion. This is what helped me.
(My Black angel, Darlene “Faith” Simpson and I at Rockford Art Museum)
There were two things (I would call pieces of game) he shared that helped me clear my mind and separate my SELF from all that was happening around me:
Love and Hate Come From the Same Place - Working through the family court system was a long and stressful process for me. It was hard for me to wrap my mind around why/how I got there. Dr. Pfile simply told me, “The thing is, love and hate come from the same place.” After he said that, it made perfect sense and I was able to understand what I was experiencing much better.
As a “Leader” I’m Gonna Find Myself Alone Often - A lot of my stress comes from the pressures of leadership. Dr. Pfile asked me to talk about what I’m passionate about and “what I do.” We talked about the role I have in my family, projects my business was working on, the college tour my non-profit was chaperoning over spring break, and my “W-2″ job. He shared his perspective, saying he doesn’t hear of many people doing things like this, especially at my age. He told me that I’m pushing out into new territory where not many people have been, and said “When you look around, you’re gonna be alone but people will eventually catch up. When they do, you need to push out there again.”
My experience with mental health counseling was great. It’s not that my problems went away, but the perspectives my counselor shared helped me get a hold of my SELF and remember that who I am is separate from what I’m going through. I had four sessions with Dr. Pfile, and it was exactly what I needed. Seeking professional help doesn't make you weak. It did the opposite for me - helped me put my foot back on the gas and regain the strength to hold everything together!
The only reason I sing at all is to honor my father. I wouldn't have ANYTHING - let alone a voice - if not for him. He would be 62 today! Praise and honor to our ancestor, the great Roy L. Simpson ❤️👑🙌🏿 https://www.instagram.com/p/BswXjp-n8EU/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1bxlmxure04ox
I remember celebrating the New Year like it was yesterday smh. Now, the season has officially changed from summer to fall. Looking back on the summer months, we made SO MUCH happen. I say WE because I’d be foolish to think I accomplish anything without my family, friends/business partners, and my community (and the ancestors, of course)! I had to take some time to unpack just how crazy the summer was, focusing on three areas:
My Work
My Hustle
My Family
My Work -
I’m very fortunate that I get to earn a living by working with people to help them solve local problems - big problems like safety and unemployment. It’s called DEVELOPMENT WORK officially. For the past four years, I’ve been working at the neighborhood level. Just before the end of the summer, I accepted a role doing Economic Development in my hometown. Awesome opportunity to have a deeper impact (I’m excited)! Outside of my W-2 job, our non-profit www.wabongo.org got busy this summer, too! The work I do in the community is fulfilling, and it’s so beautiful that - as a new father - I can bring my daughter to experience it with me.
Saw programs that I designed grow stronger (Black Male Initiative, Strong Neighborhoods Days Block Parties)
Wabongo accepted an award + we hosted the 1st ever reunion event for our annual college tour
Got invited to speak at the Boys & Girls Club summer block party + my alma mater Northern Illinois University, discussing the work I do
Black Male Initiative
4th Annual Strong Neighborhood Days Block Parties
IL Dept. of Human Rights “Dream Builders Empowerment Award”
Inaugural Wabongo College Tour Reunion
B&GC Summer Block Party
Norther Illinois University “Non-Profit Leadership” Guest Lecture
My Hustle -
Entrepreneurship is a passion of mine - a passion I inherited from my father. When I was a little boy, he told me, “there’s nothing wrong with having a job, but a man needs to have at least one hustle.” He was telling me that I have the power to be creative and solve problems, and I should use that power/creativity to make things happen. Today, I know that your hustle should be good for your family and your community, and you can have a lot of fun doing it! This summer I saw the most entrepreneurial activity around my entertainment services (karaoke DJ/band member), property management, and our company Eight Fifteen Capital, LLC.
Karaoke - I host a weekly karaoke event. this summer, the venue decided to have me DJ twice a week. Had a couple private gigs this summer too!
I sing in my brother’s band “Raju and the Freedom Fighters.” We performed at the Register Star’s news tower. It was dope!
My properties were threatened by a flash flood this summer. My niece and I walked in the flood to assess our property damage #adventure
Eight Fifteen Capital - three major projects we pulled off this summer: t-shirt launch, granita flavor, + our annual Gala on the Rock event
Karaoke Night at Westmor Lanes
Salter Family Reunion
Stepping Stones End of Summer Celebration
Eight Fifteen Capital x Rockford Art Deli All Made Press Conference
Eight Fifteen Capital x Rockford Art Deli Collaborative T-Shirt
Eight Fifteen Capital x Zammuto’s Peachy Lemon Granita Collaboration
Eight Fifteen Capital x KORT Gala on the Rock 2018
My Family -
Family is supreme in my life. It also includes more than blood relatives for me. I’m very fortunate to have a great group of friends from my childhood that I consider brothers. I’m also a member of Master Builders Masonic Lodge. These brothers are like uncles and father figures to me - sharing “game” and wisdom to help me work through life. This is my family as well.
In my family, I’m the problem solver and provider. It gets hard being responsible for so many people, especially as a young man. But it brings GREAT JOY to my life. I feel love and support from my family, and would’t have it any other way! Some of my favorite memories from the summer came from spending time with the most important people in my life!
FATHERHOOD!
Celebrating my 1st Father’s Day and my 31st birthday in the same month
Plenty of family outings (planned and organic)
Park Village/Hood Reunion 2018
Took the Jogging Stroller Out on my 31st Birthday
My 1st Father’s Day Was Amazing
Kendrick Lamar Concert w/ My Brother
Pulitzer Kenny
2018 Simon Family Reunion - My Baby’s 1st One
My Daughter and My Twin Nieces From D.C. Met Each Other This Summer
Received a Service Award From My Lodge for the Master Builders Mentor Group
Annual Family Pilgrimage to the African Arts Fest in Chicago
My Niece Got Called Up to Play Club Level Soccer This Summer
Big Bro’s 40th Birthday Celebration
There’s so much happening in my life, and sometimes I feel like time is passing too fast! I remember this quote that said, “time is hard on those that are stagnant, and kind to those that are active.” When I think back on these memories and look at the photos, I feel better about the way time is passing.
I’m looking forward to the rest of 2018 and the rest of my life!
In 2014, I did an ancestry DNA test and learned that my DNA matches the Akan people of West Africa. I was so excited to learn this about myself, and immediately started doing research and sharing the news with my friends and family. One friend, who is also Akan (Ashanti, specifically) - Dr. Sarah Owusu - extended an invitation for me to travel to Ghana with her on one of her annual trips home for the holidays. Last year (December 2017), I took her up on that offer!
Just before Christmas, I spent five days in Ghana. The trip was WAY too short, but thanks to my friend and her amazing family I was able to have a very rich experience in my motherland. I wanna share my three favorite things about my trip to Ghana!
Ete sen? Eye! - This is the Twi greeting of “How are you? I am well!” that I learned. My favorite part of the trip was interacting and communicating with people day to day. It was amazing just being there - being in Ghana, surrounded by black people (black people that reminded me of my family and friends!). I was received very well by the people I came in contact with. For the most part, if I didn’t open my mouth to speak, no one noticed that I was American. Everyone was impressed that I had researched my ancestry and then invested in traveling back to the motherland - especially the elders. They were kind of excited for me! I did learn that there is great disparity in income and opportunities in Ghana. But I was impressed and inspired by the HUSTLE that Ghanaian people displayed in the face of this inequality. I saw so many people working hard to make a way, and very few people seemed destitute or pitiful (which I think is the narrative that we’re fed about Africa). In place of pity, I saw grace, strength, dignity and pride! Such a beautiful sight! I loved talking with the shop owners, restaurant workers, and I even met Hamamat Montia!
Five Cities in Five Days - As I mentioned, I was very very fortunate to have a friend that helped me travel to different sites and get around in Ghana. S/o to Dr. Owusu and my brother (her cousin) Kwabena! For this reason, I was able to see SO MANY amazing sites and different communities in a short period of time. I had been doing research on Ghana since I learned of my ancestry, and the history of the nation (I mean before independence in ‘57, and before European interruption) was very heavy on my mind as we traveled from place to place. And my connection to this history was even more heavy on me! We started in Accra, visiting Independence Square and the Nkrumah Mausoleum. Next we drove to Cape Coast and Elmina to visit two of the infamous slave castles. Kumasi followed, where we toured the Manhyia Palace (Ashanti Palace). Then, we drove through Bonwire, the home of the kente cloth production facilities. I spent my final day back in Accra in Labadi and Nima. I had such a rich and textured experience in each of these cities. There really is no way for me to put it into words, but I can say that I felt it on a spiritual level. I was immersed in culture the entire time. It was so moving to me because this was MY CULTURE!
Always Eat - I know I already said that interacting with the people was my favorite part of the trip, but the GREAT food I had came in a very close second place (being able to eat with my hands was a major contributing factor). I think I see these two as so closely related because I was usually enjoying conversations with people over food! Everything from the breakfast prepared at the places we stayed, to street food we picked up between stops, down to the dinners that we sat down for - everything was SO good. All the meals felt very healthy, and by this I mean two things 1) everything was hearty and flavorful, and 2) most meals were made with lots of herbs and spices. I remember eating Fufu and feeling my eyes water and nose open up - like I had an intense breathing treatment! Coconut water on side of the highway after driving for four hours was awesome. Sugar porridge and fried sweet bread for breakfast hit the spot, Papaya, Tiger Nuts, boiled egg with onion and seasonings, roasted plantain…so much amazing street food! My favorite meal was probably Banku. The peanut soup was perfect, and the goat meat was everything I’ve ever wanted. the beer was great too! BUT I did end up going to the hospital the night before I left after drinking some “local drink.” That’s another story…I can not wait to get back to that food!
It’s been a month since I’ve been back. It felt like I was searching for words to describe the experience forever, but it’s come to me recently. My experience in Ghana was like a baptism. The baptism ritual is about being submerged in water as an act of washing an old identity away to step out as a new/different person. Traveling to Ghana as a man with Akan DNA, feeling the sun on my skin, tasting the food, dancing to the music, speaking with the people - MY people! It was like stepping into the water for me. I learned so much from being “in the water” and it really has made me a new man. There were so many conversations and observations that I’ve brought home with me. I was so excited to get back home and share the experience with my friends and family! I feel like a major part of my identity has been made whole. And this makes me SO happy! But for some reason, I’m even more hungry for information on my lineage. Now, I need to find out how my family got from Ghana, to Mississippi…….
NEW HEAT!! Great discussion w/ two powerful sisters - Francisca French & Queen Imani - on being Black in Corporate America. Lot of gems in this one, but two key take-aways were 1) self awareness is make or break & 2) keep at least two side hustles! ------- #podcast #talk #people #learn #power #help #support #young #leaders #pop #culture #conscious #blm #blacklove #blackexcellence #corporate #corporateamerica #blackfaces #whitespaces #relationships
One of my favorite social media moments of 2017 happened last weekend. It was when Lebron tweeted at Trump calling him a bum.
This was hilarious to me for a few reasons:
The phrase bum in the sports context is so funny because its an attack on the opponents skill level. It’s like saying “you don’t have talent.” This is how I feel about Trump (as evidenced by his inability to build coalitions and accomplish legislative goals).
Bron - being such a high level personality - taking aim & rebuking in this way completely undermined Trump’s validity. It seems that Trump tries to leverage bombastic personality & fame as validity. From a leadership perspective, there is no validity/authority in these things. He should be undermined for that.
It was a great public push back against the guy’s habitual obtuse blabbering. Building on comments from my previous point, It’s very hard for me to take Trump seriously as a world leader. He’s like a real life Johnny Bravo, but 70 years old. He seems completely tone deaf, he legislates via Twitter...etc, etc..
I laughed so hard when I saw Lebron’s tweet. But on top of the comedy, it seemed to be part of a set of incidents that sparked a wave of demonstrations during NFL games over the weekend. Discussing this “wave” would have me writing a whole ‘nother article. This is basically a s/o to Bron for his timely twitter fingers!
The weekend of August 11, 2017, I took a road trip with one of my day-1 homies. We go back to 3rd grade Mr. Mule’s class at Washington Elementary School! His family moved to Tennessee when we went to middle school he lives in Memphis, TN now, so we don’t get to connect much. Since we both turned that “30 ball” this year, we decided that it was the perfect time link up for a road trip! I took plenty of pictures and videos during our jaunt - most of which is staying in the vault... BUT, we learned a lot and it would be a crime if I didn’t share some of it.
The route was Memphis, TN - Kansas City (MO & KS) and Omaha, NE. My focus on these road trips is to “do my history” which is Black American history. It seems random, but I chose Omaha because:
It’s the birthplace of Malcolm X, and
there is NO CITY IN AMERICA that black people have not left a lasting impression. Our history is alive all over this country.
The trip was amazing, and I hope you enjoy!
Memphis 8.10.17
I took a 1-way flight to Memphis Thursday night. Made it into town just in time to hit an after work happy hour. This one happened to be on the roof of the Peabody Hotel - a historic hotel downtown. There was a band playing rock music, and I was pleased to hear them do a couple Chuck Berry classics (Berry is a brother from STL that invented Rock N’Roll).
The most amazing part of the night was striking up a conversation with this group of sisters - there were six of them. It started with small talk, and eventually we learned that it was a group of SIX BLACK FEMALE LAWYERS studying at the Univ. of Memphis! They were out celebrating their homegirl’s 30th birthday...real life #BlackGirlMagic. I thought that was dope!
We ended up walking Beale St. for a bit before heading back home to get some rest before the trip.
Kansas City (KS & MO) 8.11.17
We hit the road for KC at about 8:30a (two hours later than planned). After a good 7 hours of driving, we made it to KC. Interesting thing about KC is there are two sides - KC Missouri (which was a slave state) and KC Kansas (a free state). Our first stop was on the Kansas side. We drove straight to a neighborhood just west of the Missouri river called Quindaro.
Quindaro was a boom town started in the 1850s. Since it was right on the river in the free state of Kansas, it eventually became an underground railroad stop for Black people escaping slavery. We visited an overlook structure built at the top of a hill where you could see the Missouri River valley and the trail that people took as they left the river en route to Nebraska - which was the next stop on our trip! An inscription in the overlook described the fight that ensued to preserve Quindaro and keep it from becoming a landfill! It was powerful just being there!
Quindaro was also home to the Quindaro Freedman’s School, which opened during reconstruction after the Civil War. The Freedman’s School eventually grew to become Western University, an HBCU run by the AME church.
In 1911, the AME Bishop granted Western University funds to erect a statue of freedom fighter John Brown on the campus. When we walked down to view the statue, the wildest thing happend. A man named Leo was out walking his five dogs (none of which were on leashes). Leo turned out to be a retired teacher, and he told us all about the statue - as well as Quindaro!
We were crashing with my homie’s family that night. After we left the Quindaro site, we got cleaned up at his people’s crib, and hit the KC Chiefs v. SF 49ers preseason game. The tickets we bought were cheap, which means we got bad seats. We didn’t get to Arrowhead Stadium until the 4th quarter, and by that time, the ushers weren’t really trippin about people moving to different seats. Instead of going up to the nosebleeds, we went down to the field! The down side is, they weren’t selling beer anymore either (they stop selling at the end of the 3rd qtr)...
As far as the game, the Chiefs were pretty much imploding when we got there. We walked in on the 49ers scoring a 2pt conversion to tie the game 17-17. The 9ers went on the score a couple more times and it was a wrap. The stadium atmosphere was amazing though! It was my first time seeing an NFL game!
After the game we went downtown KCMO to check out “KC Power & Lights.” It was cool down there, great to see how they redeveloped an old power utility into a performance venue with bars and restaurants.
The next day, we got up and knocked out the 3 hour drive to Omaha, NE.
Omaha, NE 8.12.17
After checking into the hotel, we hit the streets of Omaha. I researched this place called the Great Plains Black History Museum and that was the 1st place we visited. Their original building is in disrepair, and they moved to a retail space at the Crossroads Mall as a temporary show room for some of their artifacts. There was a volunteer on hand named Frank Hayes. He showed us around the space and we ended up having an AMAZING conversation with the brother. Turns out, he’s the founder and principal of Nebraska’s 1st Black owned accounting firm!
http://www.hayes-cpa.com/go/home/
Him and my homie kinda got into a debate because they fall on two seperate ends of the political spectrum, which was hilarious to watch! No pics here, unfortunately.
We left the museum and stopped at the site of Malcolm X’s birth home. The house in no longer standing, but there is a foundation named after brother Malcolm that’s developing an 11 acre plot of land into a museum, garden and outdoor amphitheater.
While we were there, another wild thing happened. We ran into a guy named Jed. Jed was from Omaha, but had never visited the Malcolm X site. He said he was a single father that found some free time and decided to stop by. We talked a little about the Autobiography of Malcolm X, and how when Jed read it in college it changed him as an individual. He said that “with everything that happened in Charlottesville today, this is the day I needed to come here.”
Our next stop was to hit N. 24th St - I wanted to see the Omaha Star building. The Omaha Star is the last black owned newspaper in Nebraska, and one of the only ones left in America! The paper was founded in 1938 by a sister named Mildred Brown! Thought it was significant in the age of FAKE NEWS, that this sister created a media platform for us by us!
Across the street from the Omaha Star was a small blue building with a long awning. There was no real signage, but the front door was open and music was coming out. There was a little sign hanging next to the door stating that NO ONE UNDER 30 YEARS OF AGE IS PERMITTED TO ENTER. Us being two new members of the 30 club, we had to investigate. It turned out to be a sort of juke joint called Jesse’s Place. The brother at the bar carded us immediately. He didn’t quite get the math right on our ages, saying that we were “close enough,” before happily serving us both.
We sat and talked with a couple of older ladies for a bit. I struck up a conversation with a sister named Marilynn Devereaux (last name is pronounced this way, not sure of the exact spelling. She made it clear that her name didn’t have an “A” in it like the white folks lol). Marilynn was happy to learn that we were traveling to connect with Omaha’s Black history. She told us that her family is one of the first three Black families that came to Omaha in 1905. She introduced us to a number of people including Mr. Union, who was in his 80s and a member of another one of the oldest Black families in Omaha. According to Marilynn, he was also thee Gabrielle Union’s great uncle!
Definitely had a great time talking with the OGs at Jesse’s! Here’s a picture of Marilynn below. The sister that took it for us was kinda tipsy:
It was already a long day, and I was feeling every bit of my 30 years but we were on a roll! We stopped for food at Time Out Foods for some wings, and headed downtown to Old Market. I learned that this part of downtown Omaha was a former meat packing district that was redeveloped into an entertainment district. There were lots of bars and restaurants to choose from. We found a spot that had a pretty good DJ and kicked it!
Omaha, NE 8.13.17
We got up Sunday and visited St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church, the first black church organized in Omaha! When asked, we stood and introduced ourselves, and were very well received by the congregation. I was impressed and pleased by the minister delivering a message that addressed the Charlottesville terror attack that had taken place the day before!
After service, they served burgers and peach cobbler down in the basement of the church (it was left over from a function they hosted the previous week). I got to talk with some of the elders about the church’s history. One sister gave us a tour of the church’s “history room!”
After church, we hit the highway to end our road trip, headed back to our hometown Rockford, IL.
Rockford, IL 8.14.17
I took the day off Monday, but still had A LOT of stuff to take care of back home. One of the biggest things was to do some work for my “W-2 job” (I have about 6 other jobs too lol). I organized a job fair in the Ellis Heights neighborhood (west side Rockford), and needed to do some last minute canvassing ahead of our event. My boy got up and helped me hit the pavement to get the word out about my event! (The pic is him and my sister’s bf)
The weekend was a whirlwind! As dead tired as I was, I enjoyed every minute. It was great learning that rich history - I’m always so motivated by our people and our story! But it was even better getting to reconnect with one of my childhood friends. The midwest road trip is one we’ll never forget!
