Black Excellence

twenty thirty years ago. It was lit, it was hype, and it was all about black excellence, celebrating the our culture in the biggest and baddest way possible at the b ET Awards ceremony which is this week. So what they what they have done was uh, they promoted all week. So it was all week event Lee eating up to the war ceremony and Malik Books had an opportunity to interview people and talked to the audience about culture and

about you know, blackness, about black excellence. Um, we were in an eye spend black booth the BT built as a pop up and invited us and actively black and the BT store and this other um um fragrance company that was black owned, and it was all about celebrating

being who and what we are and promoting economics. On this segment, you're gonna hear some of the people I interviewed at the b the House of BT that is, and on Sundays the War Ceremony and where they honor uh like excellence for their achievements, UM and their endeavors in their industries. So that's taking place on Sunday. So I knew going into this week it was gonna be a long week because um, I was gonna be on site president networking, meeting people, greeting people. I mean, I

met Candy Berg's I met her husband Todd. You know Candy is on and Todd is on the Atlantic Housewives, Um Housewives of Atlantic that is, and they also have their own spinoff called Old Lady Gang. So I gotta took some photos, got some sound bites from him. Also, I met a young lady named Gail whom is a new character on what they called this show called on Stars. I believe it's called Pee Valley, so they were president of you. Another young lady Brook Valentine. She came through

brought some books. So I was able to meet some celebtran into Lamar Oldham. Um, but I got a chance to also attend, you know, some of the concerts where I heard Neil, while I heard Elder Bars, while I heard some other artists up and coming as well. And it was lit. It was it was rocking. They had I mean, BT supplied the community with a lot of fun, lot of engagement, a lot of you know, free food, free drinks. It was lit, it was hype. I had a good time. Um, I'm running on gas rooms. I'm

running on gas rooms. I mean I couldn't. I mean, I had to pull out of that event, which it was over on Saturday, to get ready for another event at the Hollywood Bowl formally called the Playboy Jazz Festival. Well, so today Sunday at the Hollywood Bowl, they having a beautiful jazz concert and they asked us to participate in an exhibit here, a jazz exhibit here at the Hollywood Bowl. So we're curated a lot of beautiful books about jazz

and jazz musicians, coffee table books. So today I had to shut up at the jazz festival at the Hollywood Bowl and your boy time. But I gotta do what I gotta do. When you pray for something, you can't complain. When you get it. You You asked for success, you asked for to be in the community and be engaged, and then these are the kind of things that happened. And I'm blessed. I'm I'm surrounded by I mean, black artists.

These the art is impeccable, incredible, all these beautiful pictures of black musicians and artists in the entertainment UM skills, mad skills. So I'm gonna interview a few of them. I'm gonna interview a few of them, UM about their work and about their achievements and greatness and their contribution in our culture. So they're playing a little jazz in

the background. I hope that you're not annoyed by that, but it's it's a good play because that's why I'm at I'm at the jazz concert here at the Hollywood Bowl and my podcast as a podcast that I take on a role UM, and I talked about things that I think is relevant and right now, our culture is relevant, and I think that things we're doing and how we're doing is relevant. Like the House of Bat where we're given honor to some of our celebrities and stars in

the community. All I ran into Ray J and his wife princess at the House of BT. And now today I'm running into all of these black artists, which some of these artworks can be found in many, many homes all across America. So stay tuned for episode thirty. I'm at the House of BT. I'm gonna ask the community that thoughts about this experience at Las Lit. We're here at the House of B a T. I just rolled up on someone. Tell me how you feeling the atmosphere

and everything, My brother, atmosphere is great, it's wonderful. I was just telling my friend over here, BT them out. We got all types of shades and colors and just beautiful people and just all different forms of black excellence, but excellently. That's what this is all about. We surround it where black culture lives. Absolutely, where black culture lives, where black dreams flourish, where blacks is worldwide, worldwide, world wide.

It's a beautiful rainbow of people here black. It's beautiful. We're saying rainbow because somebody just walked by with a I was standing outfit that's extremely colorful and he is pulling it off right now. Yeah, yeah, I would get out of double take two. Thank you, My brother absolutely enjoy appreciating black excellence. The House of BT is lit. I got another lovely young lady here at the House of BET. This is all for Malik's bookshelf, bringing the

world together with books, culture and community. This is about community. So I'm just interviewing people as I see and I just want to get you on the record. Hi, my name is Nicole. I'm here with Malik's books. We need more black bookstores. Literacy is highly important. We know that they build school prison beds off of fourth grade literacy rates. So big believer in reading and the power of literacy. And it's great to have Malik's presence here at the

BT weekends. So much black excellence, black shine, black joy. And yeah, we're doing the damn thing shop black. You in the booth call I spend black. Yes, you just mentioned something about, uh, some prisoners and bids. Yeah. So um. So there's the such thing called the school to prison pipeline, meaning that black and brown youth are more likely to

be funneled into this pipeline. The schools are more likely to give black and brown students suspensions, and in some states like Florida, instead of getting suspended, they'll actually send you to juvenile hall for a day, which once you're in the system, it's more likely that show return. And

literacy rates are often are connected to UH. Basically, prison systems use literacy rates to to predict how many folks are gonna be in jail in the next and fifteen years, and black folks are really um Our literacy rate nationwide is very low, and so we as a community needs to be reading to our youth, reading to our neighbors, to our friends, to our kids, and just making sure that um we're all around and have access to books and we're growing and increasing our literacy because it matters,

It matters. I always say books bring a world of opportunity. Read to achieve. You got any final thoughts because you dropped some bombs on Melik's book showst um No, just shop with Malague read and shop from black bookstores. You know, when it comes to spending dollars in the black community, it's not about convenience. It's about we're going where your dollars gonna have the most impact, and your dollars always going to have more impact at black owned businesses like

Malik's bookstore. So shop love the plug, Thank you dropping bombs on Melik's book show. Thank you, Here we go, Here we go. I got another one. Meliek's bookshelf is at the House of BT, and I rolled up on a young lady who just visit our booth here and so tell me all about this Bet House of BT experience. The House of BT experience is awesome. It's amazing. The commodity here, the people, the energy, it's amazing. Emiliek's got

some really great books. So if you'd like to read, you really need to go buy Melik's bookstore because he's got some great reading materials. It's all about black excellence. What you got to say, my brother, I was just here to support the culture and my people. So gay pride and um black pride as well. You know, it's it's our month and it's our time, so I just came to celebrate. It was awesome, wonderful, wonderful. Thank you, Thank you for both of your kind world. We appreciate you.

Malik's bookshow, bringing the world together with books, culture and community. That's what this is about. Just a community, right, this is all about the community. Thank you, thank you. I'm just getting a few sound bites. I'm in the community that I'm up with Rocky Millieue books. But this is the community and BT is bringing us out and droves out here. It's a lively atmosphere and I just want to get your thoughts about the whole experience right now

at the House of BT. Absolutely, I came here for the Black Excellence. I came here specifically to see earn your leisure because I'm all about building my wealth. So I love how Beef he's bringing us all together, teaching us, entertaining us, giving us inspiration. So I think it's just good, a good event, a good even a good weekend. I'm happy to be here, and I'm happy you're here too. Thank you, thank you. I appreciate you. Enjoy the show.

Black Excellence, Ladies, lady ladies. I just need some comments. Were in the House of BT, and I just want to get some comments anybody would like to say about the experience here, just for my my podcast called Melik's Bookshow Bringing the World Together with Books Coaching Community. I'm just going out to the community now. I haven't been here, though you've been here. Somebody tell us what's going on. No,

I think it's really cute. I feel like the set up and like everything that they're you know, trying to do, it's coming across assistance and flation. The Martin said, Um, I think it's like really tapped into the culture and like giving us exactly kind of what we would want if you wanted to be immersed in the culture. And so it's really cute black Actually, anybody else you got any comments? What about you? My sister. Um, it's a great time. I'm actually working the events, so it's good

to kind of see the back end of all the productions. Um, the music is now coming alive. I'm excited about that because it right on time. Um. But yeah, I just love to be in the in the ambiance of black excellence and black people tonight. So yeah, well, thank you. I appreciate you. Just gonna be on my podcast, Meliek's Books Show. Thank you, thank you, thank you. My brother, my brother. You can't you rolled up at Malik Books

and you said you're author. You always have to bet event And I'm just you know, I'm talking to the community. It's all about community. Yes, sir, we are alive and direct. I pulled up surround about a bunch of beautiful black people, a bunch of beautiful black books, the whole nine yards. I am where I need to be right now, that's for sure. It ain't no coincidence. Brother, you got a book were Malik Books. I'm Malik himself. I'm doing a podcast. This is for Malik's book show, and you're gonna be

part of it. My brother. I'll tell you what, Malik, you were doing the good work out here. Man. It's not a lot of black of us out here in the book space too much, whether it's the authors, the book sellers, the retailers, whatever you had, it's not too many black people in this space. So I appreciate what you're doing, giving all these black authors, black beautiful people their stories of platform and the whole nine yards. Keep

doing what you're doing. Thank you. That's black excellence. You heard it at the House of b E T. Thank you, my brother. How's your experience out here at the b T House of bt UM? I work here and I planned that, so it's good to see it. But you ain't in the black you know, everybody had to actively black ool that our brand. Okay, okay, well I'm part of that. I ain't spend black. I'm in there Malik Books and this for my podcast, Malik's Bookshelf, bringing the

world together with books coach your community. And I'm just trying to get information, you know, from the community about this wonderful experience. We got anything to say here, my sister, No, I'm not good with all that when you heard it live here at the House of bach So, I just pulled up on one of the renowned community artists. It's been an artist for how many years? My brother about two weeks now. Don't listen to that, you know, it's

some decades. This, you know, this brother's rooted in the community. Mirrors all over the place. This is Mohammed Bark And I tell my artists on release Bookshelf, my brother your journey as an artist? Oh well, you know I started. I've been drawing on my life and I started painting. In nineteen seventy. I hooked up with David Moseley, who was is my mentor. David Moseley is the uncle of Sugar Saint Moseley, world champion fighter, and I met him in nineteen seventy when I was eighteen. He is one

of the most greatest artists in this town. Unsung hero from Watch that was your inspiration, my mentor mentor, and uh, I hung around David after I left it Black Panther Party in nineteen seventy, and you know, start learning a lot of stuff. And then I had he going on one vacation at the club fit and it was why I was on my vacation that I really developed it

to where I can make something out of it. Once I came home and I noticed that a lot of your paintings and drawings are all characters, you know, black cultural figures, incredible mirrors and so forth. Why why did you target those types of figure so as black as beautiful? Hello? And you know with me, it's a black thing, black art from a black artist of black people. And uh, you know, people can see what they want to say, but if if it ain't done by a black artist,

it's not black art. Hello. We'll talk a lot of people. Yeah, I mean, you know, for example, there's a group of black girls who on a man, I want a dispensary on Crenshall b the world. That's right, that's right, and right on the corner of Crenshaw with a seven eleven is they got a wall in the parking lot that they had some white folks and some Mexicans paying a mural to advertise their business. Why not called Mohammed or Kenny Gatewood in quantity or Mike Norris Because black artists

not as short. You know, we have many, We got too many people that look like us. They got talent and ability that are not tapped into that. You know, that's a conscious thing, isn't it. Yeah, to me, it is. I mean, you know, uh, they can say what they want to say, but if it ain't done by black people, it's not black art. Black real talk, Real talk, Real talks. Nineteen seven. I've been artists all my life, but I've been painting since nineteen seventy. Yeah, that set the record straight.

I've been drawing all my life, but I started painting using colors and mixing paint together, you know, to do what I do since nineteen seventies. Your work, your paintings look so real, lifelike. Will I try to make it like that, you know, because a out of great artists and mirrors around the city. At I got a couple of man I got especially downtown Compton, at the Compton City Hall, on the outside of the city Council chambers and on the inside of the lobby of the chambers.

The city commissioned me to do murrors that the landmarks of the city and the history of the city of Compton. Uh. Go to the A. C. Bill Brew Library on El Segundo and Maine l a County library. Inside there. My works are in there. Oh and thanks my good friend Mark Billy Thomas, who's going through a lot of stuff right now. Well, I tell you you you you know, paintings, these things last for hundreds and hundreds of years if preserved correctly, So you just preserve your legacy for centuries

to come. Yeah. Well, I want to leave my mark because there's a lot of young people that are gonna come after me. They don't want to be like me. And uh, this is the best way that I can, you know, pass it on to them by leaving the works that I do. And and I want to appreciate you, brother, taking the time out to share with the Lease's book shelf audience. You know your passion, your craft, your artistry, and your genius. Brother. Thank you, brother, very much, Thank

you very much. May a laws, peace and blessing be upon you and maybe you have continued success in what you do. Thank you. My brother appreciate it. And this is a quite a surprise. Um, just my brother just wrote up on me and asked me, and you maleague I said yeah, And he started talking to me about me having his book in his store. So I let him. I'll let him tell you. Because his name is Lee Walker R. Walker pH D. I don't want to forget about that, but so I want him to tell you

this story. I thought it was very you know, unique, and and and get one of my podcasts. They're here because not often I hear somebody they remember me twenty years ago or more. Yeah, but Leka is very very nice to see you. Man. It's for a long time when I did my first books because pepper Rick Conversions of Wisdom, you know, you helped me out with that.

And so he's getting your books, sir. I can't say you really was getting started, but you really you had a starting book story that everybody respected back in the day and everything. So now I'm did a new book called Shorty Blue and so that's it in five books and sin. But in the meantime, I like, I always remember you're what you got right now, that pleasant personality and one of innovation, and that entrepreneurship and for me to see you here still going on, still promoting. Now.

I don't know what else you do, but I do know about your book side, and the book side always been something I've always enjoyed, and I enjoyed seeing you here right now looking healthy and also meeting your lovely wife. And so I wish you the best, young man, and you continue on to do what you're doing. And after twenty years, I see you. You're still looking good. Bro.

It's not always often that is that I run it up someone that has supported me, because I consider authors, you know, very important and significant, and you supported me, and I supported you. And you remember me going decades ago in the mission that we've been doing and how we've been serving the community and in fact just protecting a segment that I'm doing. It's about the community everything.

I've been talking to the community here at the Jazz Festival, and you're gonna be tending the Jazz Festival and listening to some good music, and so I've just got the opportunity to talk with you, and you remember all the work that we did that case ago. So I had to get you on my podcast. I would like to say one more thing, just for a second, not to go over extended. And now I'm gonna leave you guys and this podcast for one thing. And something somebody said,

you never forget kindness. You never forget kind for years down the road. But if somebody was nice and kind, that will always resonate with you. And I remember you because you're kind and you're still kind. You got that spirit, young man, and I wish you the best. Thank you, my brother, thank you. And you heard it. You heard her from pH D Dr Walker. Let me tell you about this new book that just came out written by

Tory Roberts called Balance, Positioning Yourself to do all Things well. Now, for those who don't know anything about Tori Roberts, he's married to Sarah Jake's. Obviously, who is she, well not, She's the daughter of T. D. Jake's, you know, the one dude sellout stadiums all across America that has done women tours mentors. So t D j He's a big, big time minister, well known both domestic and nationally. So uh, Tory Roberts wife is Sarah Jack who's also an author.

So anyway, back to Tory Rocks, who wrote the book Balance. He's this you know, a national bestseller. Um, we get you know wis and Watt selected this book because I just like books that position yourself to do all things well, which is the subtitle of his book. Um. This particular

book has game changing chapters. The Power of Note, which unpacks why no is the most powerful work in your vocabulary There's no team in I and explanation of the difference between being selfish and the transformational quality of what Robberish calls self flew. Five signs of imbalance. You know,

being imbalanced. You know, you gotta be imbalanced because when you're out of balance, you know, you're waving from one side to the next side, and you're rocking back and you're rocking forth and and you gotta bring that to a level where things are flowing equally and that you're able to prosper along the way because when you're imbalance

and things happen in our lives of the turbulent. So this book addresses five signs of imbalance, which helps your which helps you quickly identify imbalances in your life and effective response before crisis hits. And then another chapter that is a game changer is balanced after the blow. A step by step guide to get back on your feet after experiencing an unexpected setbacks which all always happening. We

already know that things are going to happen. You'll be going one way, one direction one day and boom, something different happens and you gotta directly change your course. So this book is a book about balance and bringing a wholesome and enlightening and powerful and meaningful you know, position yourself to do all things well. So pick up your copy of Violence by Tory Roberts. It's a great read

and I think that you're loving peace. Thanks for listening to Malik's Bookshelf where topics on the Shelf, our books, culture and community. Be sure to subscribe and leave me a review. Check out my Instagram at Milik Books. See you next time.