9 Ways To Master 2019!!

Reflecting upon how positive and progressive 2018 has been for me and looking towards 2019, I just wanted to take a moment to share some of my thoughts with all of you. First I want to THANK all of you who invested time in reading these articles, researching the links/information I share via my Facebook Page, checked out and subscribed to my Youtube Channel (A.S.I.A. TV) and Radio Show (Atlantis Build Talk Radio), purchased my literature/music (Quanaah Publishing) and connected with me in whatever capacity we were able to. It is very much appreciated!! The numerous dialogues, testimonials, emails, messages, questions and constructive advice I receive on the daily lets me know that what I do is not in vain. It is serving my intended purpose; inspiring, empowering and educating people. There are some of you I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time this year and others I’ve had the opportunity to build/rebuild relationships from all over the world. None of us are in each others lives by chance and I look forward to what these bonds continue to positively produce for the future. I also want to THANK all of you for staying in tune with the renovation of the Atlantis School For Gifted Youngsters, the creation of my Animation Series that is now available worldwide on Amazon Direct and Boys As Allies Rights of Passage Program!! As far as Resolutions are concerned, I don’t have any. I am a work in progress so I am always exploring ways to improve myself so that I can be a greater resource to others. Living a way of life that includes the phrase ‘striving for perfection’ as a part of its fundamental principles is the essence of any/all Resolutions. Therefore, I will continue being as resolute as I have been.

Atlantis School For Gifted Youngsters Animation Series

   For those of you who making Resolutions for 2019, here are 9 Ways To Master this upcoming year:

1. Although it is your personal Resolution, your Resolution should be something that improves (progresses) you with the intent/consideration of making you a better resource to others and this world we share. Life is interdependent, we all play a role in how the world turns and there is a constant process of giving and receiving. This intent/consideration ensures that our Resolution is in tune with the universal order and is something that is sustainable -because we are actively providing a service (and/or products) that others, and the world, needs. If all we are thinking about is what we can get (keep), and not what we are able to consistently give, what we get (keep) will eventually run out. If you don't believe this, try it with your breath. Keep it to yourself and see how long it takes for your oxygen to run out...

2. Make sure your Resolution is real and obtainable. It is less likely that we are going to change EVERYTHING at once so it is important to work on what we can change, one goal at a time. Also, take things one day at a time... It took a while to create habits/routines and it is going to take time to change them. The smaller goals we accomplish serve as stepping stones; helping us build confidence and gain the tools and experience that are necessary to forge our larger goals. And with any goal, one of the first and most important steps we need to take, and habits we need to create, is to "get our day underway with a positive, productive attitude." That attitude sets the stage for our altitude.

3. Make your goals specific. Instead of saying something murky like, "I’m going to read more" say something more specific like, "I am going to read one book every month." This is called Specificity. This helps you better focus on your goals and encourages you to be more responsible and committed to those goals. If you were to say, "I want to be healthier in 2019" there is no sense of ambition or plan of action to achieve that goal. Now if you said, "I am going to only eat baked chicken once a week and go to the gym three times a week for 1 ½ hours" that has a sense of ambition and provides part of a plan of action to achieve your goal of being healthier in 2019. If it's not clear, our path won't be cleared. 

4. Set a projected time/date for your goals. Setting a time/date creates a sense of urgency, responsibility and accountability to meet your goals. If you don’t meet your time/date then set another one. Without setting a time/date then we are saying that our goals are not really a priority (important) -because under these circumstances they can happen any time and any day. That is not resolute, and if you don't have a time/date, there will probably never be a time/date. Keep in mind that "one day" or "someday" are not days on a calendar.

5. Write down your Resolutions. I have known people who had challenges with organizing their day, appropriating their time and focusing on achieving their goals. One of the solutions I shared with them was writing down their goals on index cards or signs and posting them in visible places around their home. This helped reinforce/remind them of their goals so they would not allow themselves to get lost in the hustle & bustle of each day.

6. Only share your Resolutions with those who have shown themselves to be supportive of you fulfilling them. If they are not there to help you, they are only going to hinder you. If they are not an asset, they are a liability. If they are not in your life to build, they will destroy. This includes the nice folks with the pleasant attitudes also. Just because they have a happy disposition it does not mean that they can automatically help. As cool as some people are, without sharing your vision they can become a cool obstruction.

7. Look into networking with people/organizations that will help you fulfill your physical and mental health goals. If you want to cut back on the substances you’ve been using like drugs/alcohol, or have some mental health issues going on, reach out to any local, regional, national organizations that specifically deal with drug/alcohol abuse and mental health. There are no Resolutions when we don't have your health!

8. Keep a positive outlook! Some days it will be easy to maintain a level of positivity and other days you need ‘social equality’ (fellowship) with others who share the same goals and are just as resolute as you are about positivity. This means, whatever religious, cultural, or secular organization you are a member of or affiliated with, invest the time to be there and learn as much as you can about the positive principles/values they are sharing with you. This is part of your foundational network and will help you maintain a positive outlook when you need the support, which we all do.

9. Your Resolution is not the end all be all. Some people live to have a wedding while others strive to be married, have a family and etc.. While the wedding is a place, a marriage is a state. So although your Resolutions may help you arrive at a place, the ultimate goal should be to achieve a state of existence. And this state of existence should set the stage to help you achieve even higher/greater goals! It’s all about constant growth and elevation, not stagnation. Life is constantly changing & evolving, and so should the living.

PLUS DEGREES: 
*"Be a shark, not a peacock" as one of my homegirl's would say. When a peacock walks into a room with its feathers fanned out everyone can see it. It's not necessary to be showy and strive to get attention. You also attract predators that way. Sharks move in silence and by the time you see their fin it's too late. In many cases staying below the radar and not revealing what you're doing until it's actually done is a sure way to be successful in your undertaking. When we talk a lot we're also subject to the expectations of others which are usually unrealistic. If you tell people you're writing a book and you know you don't even have a manuscript yet, they may assume you're going to be publishing a 300 page book next week and expect it. Now when you obviously don't deliver, people begin to look at you like the boy/girl who cried wolf. Always remember that light travels 186,000 miles per second and sound only travels 1,200 feet per second. People will see what you're doing before they can hear what you're saying so your reputation proceeds you. So talk less in 2019 and let your work speak for you!

*Just say "NO." Sometimes we put too much on our plate because we don't know how to tell people "NO" and we feel guilty about it when we do. Here's the thing, if you literally don't have the time, you don't have to agree to do it. Let time be the reason that you are literally not able to commit to something. It's unreasonable for someone to expect you to create more than twenty-four hours in a day. Just. Say. NO.

   In closing, I want to will every one of you and our families a very safe, happy, healthy and productive 2019! I also will that while reflecting on this past year, we consider those negative things we have held fast to that has not only destroyed our ability to unify with others but undermined our ability to accomplish anything significant on our own. Begin your new Gregorian calendar year with the right mindset, on the right foot and making the right decision to move forward. We’ve all had challenges within ourselves, and with others, this past year, and I will that 2019 is much more positive and progressive for us all!

Peace,
Saladin

1-36: What is English Lesson No. C1?

     As a follow-up to my popular Five Percenter Table Talks Interview with Paul L. Guthrie I recently had a build with him regarding language and other topics. You can listen to it HERE. During that build we discussed 120 Lessons, the Supreme Wisdom book and I wanted to take a moment to expound upon that, particularly a part of 120 Lessons known as the 1-36.

   Along with the chronology highlighting the English involvement in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, the segment of 120 Lessons known as the 1-36 [English Lesson No. C1/English C Lesson] exposes us to what is known as an Advanced English or a C1 Competency Level. According to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) that defines and explains the different competency levels of oral and written expression and comprehension, a person with a C1 Competency Level is able to:

*Understand a wide range of more demanding, longer texts, and recognize implicit meaning in them.

*Express themselves fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for the right expression.

*Use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes.

   In considering the information contained within the 1-36, this was the first time many black people learned about this part of our chronology in North America, its implications and how to effectively express it in different social, academic and professional arenas. Developing this cultural competency and insight into the power dynamics in North America, this is one of the reasons COPYING/RECITING THE LESSONS, READING, SPELLING and SPEAKING THE LANGUAGE was emphasized in The Instructions Given To The Laborers within the Supreme Wisdom Book compiled by W.D. Fard and Elijah Muhammad. Problem No. 13 in this book also states, "There are twenty-six letters in the Language and if a Student learns one letter per day, then how long will it take him to learn the twenty-six letters? There are ten numbers in the Mathematical Language. Then how long will it take a Student to learn the whole ten numbers (at the above rate)? The average man speaks four hundred words - considered well." We also learn in one of our lessons in the 1-14 that the devil teaches and keeps our people illiterate [ignorant]. Why? To keep us blind to ourselves, mastered and used as a tool and also as a slave. There is a relationship between this conversation called the 1-36 and cultural competency.

     When it comes to a competent vocabulary and literacy, did you know that children 6 years old and under from impoverished communities may hear up to 30 million fewer words than their privileged counterparts? Did you also know that this vocabulary gap sets a cognitive, social emotional and economic trajectory that widens between impoverished and privileged children as they grow? Scientists in the area of Neurocognition, Psychology, Neonatology, Biostatistics and others have only recently concluded in their research that there is a direct link between potential mental and physical health outcomes and a child's language development, including disparities between communities and their access to resources. Research such as this informs us that a preschoolers vocabulary predicts 3rd grade language and reading skills. Thus these reading scores at the ages 9-10 are strong predictors of high school graduation rates, soft skills, employability, future earning potential, susceptibility to crime and other indicators. So by speaking to our children and introducing them to words that expand their vocabulary we also change the above trajectory. Through a data driven study that determines the size of Rap artists vocabulary the Wu-Tang Clan and Wu-Affiliate Killah Priest were at the top of the class. Ironically, some people thought Ol Dirty Bastard of the Wu-Tang Clan was crazy for interrupting the 1998 Grammys and announcing, "I don't know how ya'll see it but when it comes to the children, Wu-Tang is for the children. We teach the children, know what I mean? Puffy is good, but Wu-Tang is the best. O.K.? I want ya'll to know that this is O.D.B. and I love you all. Peace!" after losing in the Best Rap album category to Puff Daddy & The Family. As we recently celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Wu-Tang Clan's classic album Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, we also celebrated Ol Dirty Bastard who released Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version and returned [died] at 36 years of age, as Clan member Ghostface Killah reminded us in their new documentary For The Children: 25 Years of Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). In our language of Allah's Five Percent, the segment of 120 Lessons known as the 1-36 or English Lesson No. C1 means, "our knowledge (1) to understanding (3) equality (6)" according to our Supreme Mathematics. Thirty six (36) is understanding equality and that equals the #9 which means born or completion. The 9th letter in our Supreme Alphabet corresponds to the letter "I" which means "I Self Lord And Master" and "In Self Lay All Mathematics." Is all of this coincidental and was O.D.B. just crazy or did he and other perceptive people intimately understand what these Scientists and Rap Reporters had to verify about lyricism, access to vocabulary and trajectories related to Advanced English or a C1 Competency Level? Are the Five Percenter's Supreme Mathematics, Supreme Alphabet and 120 Lessons of the Five Percent a true manifestation of the Mathematical Language that is mentioned in Problem No. 13?

     The 1-36 reads like a conversation between W.D. Fard and his student Elijah Muhammad. Conversations are a part of serve and return social transactions that support cognitive and social emotional development, especially for children. As a C1 Competency Level it means a person is a proficient user of "the language" and is able to take part in lengthy conversations. Although the 1-36 and our other Lessons are written in English, "the language" being communicated consists of words and expressions used and understood by a specific group of people with a similar experience in North America as Elijah Muhammad; descendants of people who were enslaved. This does not mean that others cannot learn or relate. It means that the 1-36 is a unique narrative that references us, black people in North America, as W.D. Fard's uncle; his father's brother. It is from that vantage point of view that we learn more about W.D. Fard's purpose, the backstory of how some of our people arrived here in North America and how this impacted our growth and development. Anyone who does not share this unique experience must ask themselves, "What would be my 1-36? and "Is it also an English lesson or is it Spanish, Portuguese, Belgium or etc.?" As I have mentioned, the 1-36 is the knowledge to understanding equality and a partial means to change our cognitive, social emotional and economic trajectory as a people. 

Interview with Paul L. Guthrie discussing Language

     There has often been a debate on the order of 120 Lessons. Some Five Percenters received their 1-36 first and then their 1-14 while others received their 1-14 first and then their 1-36. The order I received 120 Lessons is as follows: 1-10, 1-14, 1-36, 1-40, Actual Facts, Solar Facts and I was also given the Twelve Jewels. Because the 1-40 was given to Elijah Muhammad on February 20th, 1934, this along with the text within our Lessons are chronological markers that inform us about what year each segment of our Lessons were written and in what order. Here are some of those markers and their corresponding Asiatic and Gregorian Calendar Years that explains their order:

Lessons 1-10

Asiatic 15,019 --- Gregorian 1933 

"Christianity 551 years old" (10/1-10)

1933 - 551 = 1382: John Wycliffe "Earthquake of Synod"

Lessons 1-14

Asiatic 15,019 --- Gregorian 1933 

"It was 6,019 years ago" (4/1-14)

"In the year 1, 15,019 years ago" (4/1-14) 

15,019 - 6,019 = 9,000 (Yacub was said to born in the year 8,400 and it took 600 years to make a devil)

"We took this city from the devil about 750 years ago"

1933 - 750 = 1,183. Jerusalem was taken by Saladin on 1187, 754 years from 1933

Lessons 1-36

Asiatic 15,020 --- Gregorian 1934

"My uncle was brought over here by the Trader 379 years ago" (3/1-36)

25,000 - 379 = 14,641 (1555 is said to be the year the Transatlantic Slave Trade began, not 1619)

Lessons 1-40

Asiatic 15,020 --- Gregorian 1934

"Koran will expire in the year 25,000, 9,980 years from the date of this writing" (1/1-40)

25,000 - 9,980 = 15,020 (1934)

     I don't debate the order that Five Percenters received 120 Lessons. My interest is our cultural competence; how well we know and understand the principles and values that defines our way of life. Are we proficient users of the language that supports these principles and values or are we using? Regardless of the order, are we utilizing these Lessons and language to order righteous steps? Are the 1-36 like conversations we have, especially with our youth, an investment in becoming more culturally competent?

Peace,

Saladin

PUBLIC STATEMENT: 21 Savage Wearing The Five Percent Nation Universal Flag

Re: 21 Savage Wearing The Five Percent Universal Flag

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

On Sunday October 28th in Atlanta Rapper 21 Savage held a Halloween/26th Birthday Party at a mansion designed to look a Brooklyn corner store. Savage wore a replica of the custom designed Dapper Dan jacket the artist Rakim Allah wore on the cover of classic his 1988 album Follow The Leader. While some were impressed with this display some took offense, particularly some members of the Five Percent Nation, because Savage's jacket also displayed the Universal Flag of the Five Percenters.

In a Facebook/Instagram post on Tuesday October 30th I communicated the following points:

"Although this isn't the best display of our culture via the Universal Flag on 21 Savage's jacket, I also think that some rap artists who have worn this flag, claim our culture, or borrow some of its cultural elements, have not best displayed our culture either. What can we do about it? Teach, particularly our youth. 21 Savage's actions create a great teachable moment for our Millennials who may have no clue what symbol he is displaying on his jacket and what he is essentially paying homage to. It is also a teachable moment for some of my peers and elder Generation to learn who 21 Savage and other Millennial artists are... Some of us are out of tune with what is currently going on and have no real time relationships with our youth. Use this opportunity as a positive teachable moment."

I further elaborated on these points in the Vlog below:

In summary, I understand and appreciate the concern that some of my Five Percent family have with 21 Savage wearing our Universal Flag, even if it was paying homage to the artist Rakim. 21 Savage may or may not know what our Universal Flag means and the personal responsibility that comes along with its public display. Over the years there have been other Rappers who have also worn our flag and they have not always been the most dignified displays as well. That has been a concern of some of the Five Percent since Allah was presented with and accepted the Universal Flag that was designed by Universal Shaamgaud Allah. It is sacred, to many of us. Willfully this and other Five Percenter content about this subject will reach 21 Savage that shares this perspective and welcomes him to learn more about our way of life. As I've mentioned, this is a teachable and learning moment.

Peace,
Saladin

Nicki Minaj and Cardi B: Here We Go Again...

While a global movement for women's rights to bring about an equitable society gains momentum, the bitter rap feud between Nicki Minaj and Cardi B is still a trending social media topic. That in and of itself should do more than raise an eyebrow in regards to its social engineering implications for Hip Hop culture, marginalized women within that industry and the plight of black women across America.

There’s nothing new about rap beefs. They go all the way back to Hip Hop’s cultural inception when the first Emcee picked up a microphone and proclaimed themselves the best. Regardless what career field of industry that we’re in, as soon as we claim to be the champion we’ve just created the number one, two and three contenders. Hell, that’s the driving force behind Capitalism; competition. We must not forget, Hip Hop came directly out of New York City gang culture and as an alternative to violence youth began to slowly advocate peace, unity and having fun superimposed over a new musical genre called Rap. Movements of social consciousness, youth advocacy and community outreach such as the Five Percent Nation and Zulu Nation are primarily credited with making this paradigm shift happen.

Roxanne Shante' and Marly Marl

The first female rap beef goes all the way back to 1984 to a young 15 year old girl named Lolita Shante’ Gooden AKA: Roxanne Shante’. One of the first females to be recognized for rocking the mic, Shante’s song inspired over 50 responses from both male and female artists. The brainchild behind Shante’s song was legendary producer Marley Marl who wanted to create a record for his Rap Attack radio show. Marl took the instrumental of the popular song Roxanne, Roxanne by UTFO about a stuck up girl named Roxanne who rejected all of the members of the group. Marl’s idea was to tell Roxanne’s side of the story and this song became the birth of Roxanne’s Revenge. Roxanne Shante’ recorded it off of the top of her head and this birthed one of the most notable battles in the chronology of rap music. Marl released it and instantly sold 5,000 copies throughout the city of New York. When UTFP heard it they issued a cease-and-desist based upon Marl’s use of their instrumental so Marl re-recorded it over a different track and sold over a quarter of a million copies. While there were various responses to Roxanne Shante’, with UTFO’s Real Roxanne being the most notable, the lowest response to this 15 year old girl was an artist named Ralph Rolle who recorded Roxanne’s a Man in 1985.

Just like the rap beefs we see today, artists got involved in the 80’s to get a piece of the action. However, things were much different prior to Rap’s Golden Era. Hip Hop culture, as a localized community of DJ’s, Emcees, Dancers and Graffiti Artists in NYC, functioned as such; a community. Everybody pretty much knew or knew of everybody. They went to the same parties, frequented the same record stores, danced in the same neighborhoods, patronized the same stores for supplies, gear and accessories and developed names and reputations for themselves as DJ’s, Emcees, Dancers and Graffiti Artists. Rap music wasn’t a nationally recognized and respected genre at this time and people had limited places where they could go to even hear it. In fact, rap was often referred to as "jungle music" and mainstream radio would not play it. From Hip Hop culture's inception, its elements were considered dissonant, vandalism, criminal and counter culture by the mainstream society. As the DJ and Emcee eventually took center stage as growing park jams spread throughout NYC, record labels began to see the marketability of a new music genre called “Rap.” While some record labels were genuinely interested in giving artists a platform, many simply saw it as a trending money grab. This symbiotic and often parasitic relationship between artist and record label began in 1979 when Curtis Blow recorded the first solo album on the Mercury label. For some, this environment bred competition for stardom and coveted record contracts. The rap beefs that did come out of this era such as Busy Bee vs Kool Moe Dee, MC Lyte vs Antionette and Roxanne Shante’ vs Everybody were not vulgar nor did they result in funerals. Another difference then, in comparison to now, is that we didn’t have an international audience. Just like when children fight in school yards, the bigger the audience the more people tend to put on a show, today that audience is the worldwide web and social media. Instead of a few friends instigating a fight in a school yard, there are millions of people using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snaptchat and other platforms to instigate feuds such as this one between Nicki Minaj and Cardi B. People instigating fights used to be frowned upon in our communities but nowadays people make a living monetizing drama as talk show and radio hosts, bloggers and vloggers. So to see two young women who are within the top 5 female artists within Hip Hop today, tear each other apart in a male dominated industry that already marginalizes them is not inspirational or empowering for other women; especially young black women who are striving to self-actualize their potential. As artists, and black women who share a common plight in America, there is much more they could accomplish with unity. Willfully this negativity exposes them to the downside of public feuds like this and inspires them to humbly learn from elder sisters; Queens such as MC Lyte, Salt-N-Pepa, YoYo, Heather B, Monie Love, Boss and of course Roxanne Shante’. Not only can their wisdom help Nicki Minaj and Cardi B navigate these treacherous waters, but it equips them to teach and train the next generations of women how to effortlessly walk on those waters. Both of these women do some amazing philanthropic work in various communities and it would be beautiful to see more coverage of that, perhaps even on a unified front. This beef, past beefs and any future beefs are ultimately lucrative for corporate controlled Hip Hop and the thousands of businesses and gossip columns that make a living off of the narrative of our drama. Culturally speaking, in a community where the highest value lies in our relationships, this is not good for the brotherhood and sisterhood of Hip Hop.

Peace,

Saladin

Eminem Is Not My Rap God

   This week about three different people told me Eminem is Top 5. Not Top 5 in 2018. Top 5 since Rap music existed. One person was a child who didn't even know who Rakim was so I shrugged my shoulders. The other two were adults. One of them mentioned Big L in the same sentence and the other person didn't even acknowledge The Notorious B.I.G.. Although Biggie wasn't one of my favorites I have enough sense to mention him as one of the greatest to ever touch a mic. I understood his brilliance and learning that he simply listened to the music and wrote in his head, it puts his almost peerless quality into perspective within such a competitive industry. Let me just say this right off of the rip, Eminem is not my Top 5, Top 10 or even Top 25. I've seen and experienced too much over the twenty plus years of experiencing Hip Hop culture, and its element of Rap, to think otherwise. In fact, Posdnuos from De La Soul is more lyrical, witty, conceptual and substantive than Em. Fight me. See, I came of age in the 1980s and mid-1990s during the Golden Era of Rap music. From that time onward I have witnessed some of the most diverse, creative and substantive music this genre has ever produced. I've also witnessed strait up trash. Now I wouldn't go as far as saying that Eminem is trash. I think he is quite good in terms of rhyming words. If Eminem played basketball and words were ball handling skills he'd be like The Professor. Yet he IS NOT NO Kyrie Irving, Zeke, A.I. God Shammgod, Kenny Anderson or Tim Hardaway. 

   Hearing debates like this often indicates to me how poorly educated people are about Hip Hop culture, its chronology and Rap music specifically. Artists that we personally like is a matter of opinion. When it comes down to critically analyzing and articulating the Artist's music, its content, delivery, social impact and creativity that's a strata above some people's intellectual pay grade. Unfortunately, it's often that opinionated demographic who has the acultural platform to share opinions veiled as facts. The above video of Shock Gee explaining the technique of some Artists is an excellent example of what some folks don't even perceive who have a very topical, generic, voyeuristic approach towards Rap music and Hip Hop culture. I'm talking about the kinda folks who will wear an NWA or Wu-Tang Clan t-shirt because it looks cool, but would not be caught dead, their pun intended, in these artists' communities or with its community members. Some may think this is pretty innocent. On a local, every day, "It's Hip" kind of way it may seem harmless. When you start talking about Hip Hop culture and the element of Rap music in the larger global context and the Who, What, Where, When and How its narrative is controlled, framed and interpreted it doesn't seem so harmless any more. 

   For example, Seatsmart.com, one of the biggest ticket brokers in the world published a study in 2016 that stated Country music is Most Intelligent genre in the last decade and yup you guessed it, Eminem is the Most Intelligent Hip Hop/RnB Artist in the last decade. Let that sink in. On the other hand you have a much more legitimate data driven study that determines the size of Rap artists vocabulary and not surprisingly the Wu-Tang Clan and Wu-Affiliate Killah Priest were at the top of the class. In fact the GZA, host of Liquid Science, was second only to Aesop Rock. You can check out the study here: Rap Artist's Vocabulary.

   Speaking of vocabulary, did you know that children 6 years old and under from impoverished communities may hear up to 30 million fewer words than their privileged counterparts? Did you also know that this vocabulary gap sets a cognitive, social emotional and economic trajectory that widens between impoverished and privileged children as they grow? Scientists in the area of Neurocognition, Psychology, Neonatology, Biostatistics and others have only recently concluded in their research that there is a direct link between potential mental and physical health outcomes and a child's language development, including disparities between communities and their access to resources. Ironically, people thought Ol Dirty Bastard of the Wu-Tang Clan was crazy for interrupting the 1998 Grammys and announcing, "I don't know how ya'll see it but when it comes to the children, Wu-Tang is for the children. We teach the children, know what I mean? Puffy is good, but Wu-Tang is the best. O.K.? I want ya'll to know that this is O.D.B. and I love you all. Peace!" after losing in the Best Rap album category to Puff Daddy & The Family. Was he crazy or did he and other perceptive people understand what these Scientists and Rap Reporters had to verify about lyricism, access to vocabulary and why Wu-Tang Forever should have won Best Rap Album in 1998?

Although I was a teenager when the Wu-Tang Dynasty began, both of my Queens [daughters] experienced it during their early childhood development years; I took them to Wu-Tang concerts and sometimes had them on stage. The Wu expanded the vocabulary of every day people, and for those of us who had KOS [Knowledge of Self] it built upon a rich vocabulary and culturally coded language that existed in Rap music since its inception that we were fluently speaking in urban America for almost 3 decades. Although my Queens' Mother and I intentionally built upon their vocabulary and helped provide access to resources and developmentally appropriate practices to assist in their growth, their background music played a critical role in their cognitive journey. Today our eldest is a Forensic Psychologist and our youngest is a Chemist [Scientist]. Brain development is experiential and none of that was happenstance. 

   One of the most powerful inventions of this generation is the word "Hater." It's the forerunner of the Active Denial System (ADS) the U.S. military developed to stop protesters hundreds of over 3,000 feet, almost a mile, away. Yes some people strongly dislike who we are or what we do, and may have a legitimate reason why they think or feel that way. Calling a person a hater is often used to invalidate and not acknowledge their perspective, which may be right and exact. This empty expression can literally be worth the weight of the wind it's carried on out of someone's mouth, yet its effect can leave a person as toothless as an old tiger in captivity. Why am I sharing this? Welp, just to say that just because Eminem is not in mine or others Top whatever, it doesn't mean that we are hating on him. If he is not my Rap God.

Peace,

Saladin

WHAT ARE THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF THE HIDDEN MASTERS?

   

An excerpt from my Introduction: 

"...what lies within these pages are frequencies of enlightenment within the range of human hearing that the masses have been socialized to not perceive. The word Hermetic comes from the Latin hermeticus, meaning “sealed or airtight.” Hermetic also goes back to Mercury of Rome, the Greeks Hermes and Tehuti in Kamit [Thoth in Egypt]. While we have seen segments of the human family veil paths of enlightenment in secrecy, the process of enlightenment is naturally hermetic and does not require a veil. In other words, when a person does not have the proper attitude, aptitude and altitude, there are certain frequencies or principles of life that will not be within their range of perception. This is what is meant by a person being blind, deaf and dumb or mentally dead. Not physically, only mentally. This is the purpose of the Kamitic Per t E m Hru, the Book of Coming Forth By Day [Egyptian Book of the Dead] and Tibetan Book of the Dead; to resurrect a person from that state.

   Along the chronology of humanity, starting with the original man, there have always existed those among us who have served as sound-like engineers among their people; teaching and training others not only how to perceive those frequencies or principles in life within their perceptible range, but other frequencies beyond the range of human perception to elevate their consciousness. These people had many names but their role and responsibility has remained the same. 

   All quests for knowledge are rooted in the questions that we ask and our willingness and ability to get an answer. The root word of a quest-ion is quest. This is the cognitive point of origin of a never-ending inner journey. Although our form has a said birth date, time and geographic location when and where we came into this physical plane, we are endogenous; incarnated consciousness dwelling within a form."

PURCHASE HERE

SECRET TEACHINGS OF THE HIDDEN MASTERS

Peace,

Saladin

Atlantis School For Gifted Youngsters Animation Series!!

I am proud to announce the upcoming release of the Atlantis School For Gifted Youngsters Animation Series Vol 1 via Amazon Prime Video Direct in HD/SD in the United States and the United Kingdom [incl. Closed Captions]! GO -HERE- TO CHECK IT OUT

This Animation Series is designed to globally inspire, empower and educate people, especially our youth, to think creatively and critically about the world around them.

Peace,
Saladin

Mental Health in the 21st Century

   I grew up in a household with a DSM-III. Because my Ole Earth was a Social Psychologist she referred to it often. As a child, my younger siblings and I simply knew it as "the big book" among the many other books in our small library. I didn't understand its importance and how my parents orientated us until I got older. I'm not saying that the DSM is the Bible. My Ole Earth once said, "Psychology is the white man's Bible. You need to study everything you can about it." So in my household words and phrases like Transference, Self Mutilation, Schizophrenia and etc. were common place and I developed a working understanding of these concepts at a very early age. Being exposed to this at an early age also means that I was exposed the world of mental health. I recall an incident where my Ole Earth, a Case Manager of a Mental Health Agency at the time, was summoned to a Hospital because a client who suffered from Schizophrenia came to the Hospital with a pair of 24" hedge shears, locked himself in the bathroom and castrated himself because the voice in his head instructed him to do it. I could literally write a book about the experiences my Ole Earth shared with us about her work within the mental health field. In fact, my upbringing and gaining KOS [Knowledge Of Self] is one of the reasons I published the book Explorations of God/Earth Mental Health.

   Why am I mentioning all of this? Because it is my assessment that we are not having enough conversations about how our mental health has been and is impacted living in this society. None of us grow up here unscathed and there are various degrees along a psychological spectrum from folks using healthy coping mechanisms that foster mental stability to outright institutionalized mental illness. People fall somewhere within that spectrum and typically people have not been assessed or clinically diagnosed, especially within black communities where this type of thing is a taboo. Growing up, and even as adults, some of us have always just called uncle so and so, cousin so and so or other families members who displayed and display mental health issues as "crazy." And in regards to the behavior we see, all we often know is; they always been a lil touched, ever since they came back from the Army they ain't been right, they was smoking that sh*t, somebody slipped them a mickey, they ain't been the same since the funeral, ever since they broke up with so and so or a host of other reasons that may hint at a psychotic break or even a deteriorating mental state, yet not a formal assessment of what we're seeing. While people are judged, what you usually don't hear is societal judgement; the quantifiable impact society has upon shaping one's mental state, especially when that impact is an indictment. Among the clinical professions the traditional narrative is that a person's mindset and behavior in society is their own and needs to be addressed. The institutions, laws and cultural norms in this society are often not assessed, held accountable, modified or even removed that helped produce and maintain the very mindset and behavior we see people display. While this perspective of personal responsibility is true. The societal impact on one's psychological state coping with institutional racism, sexism, a chronic scarcity of resources in impoverished communities, redlining and various other social dysfunctions are equally true. So while we are indeed personally responsible for doing something about changing our condition, we are equally responsible for helping change the institutions, laws and cultural norms in this society that continue to shape the mindset and behavior of people. 

   Asili is a Swahili word for nucleus or origin. In order to understand an origin or nucleus we must take an etiological approach. Meaning, we must be dedicated to investigating the cause. In terms of mental health, even though the nucleus or centrally important part is a person's mental state, this mental state is centrally important to their role within their family, community and society. The institutions, laws and cultural norms in this society, good or bad, are the direct result of a person's mental state. There are countless examples of institutions such as Nambla, laws such as slavery and cultural norms that indicate mental instability on the part of those who were involved in creating them and those who maintain(ed) them. In many instances, that mental instability is viewed as standards normalcy. Consider the countless cases of mass shootings where it's not a given but arguable whether the perpetrators were insane. 

   The first step in assessing and addressing mental health is to start making this conversation normal, especially in communities where this is considered taboo. Simply having conversations like this makes it easier and resources more accessible. The next step is broadening this conversation to assesses and address the societal impact upon mental health. Having this conversation also makes it easier and resources more accessible. Lastly, we must commit ourselves to acting upon the things we are discussing, not simply for personal development but also in changing institutions, laws and cultural norms. Be an Advocate! This does not require us to build our own institution, although we can. Simply support those institutions who represent the stability you connect with. It does not mean that we have to run for public office, although we can. Vote for, volunteer and support candidates and legislation that your principles and values align with. 

Peace,
Saladin