I Have... A Mic & A Dream
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
“Now is the time to RISE from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.” When I first read that line in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s speech “I Have A Dream” I felt like I had just begun to understand the full meaning of his dream. I realized he felt the pain his people were going through and rather than ignore what was being done to the African Americans of his time, he wanted the people to elevate themselves. Elevate, or “RISE” means to increase in value or to a higher point and to grow in strength, number, or importance. He used “dark and desolate valley” to describe the state that they were living in but he compared a “sunlit path” to the state they needed to RISE to. A few paragraph’s further into Dr. King’s speech he explained “We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must RISE to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.” “Creative protest” to me means to, in any way shape of form, displays your thoughts and/or emotions in a way that becomes an action. In the early 90s Public Enemy shouted “Fight the Power” over a record that played through most stereos owned by black folk. In the first verse Chuck D implied “Our freedom of speech is freedom or death”. After listening to that line it made sense to me that hip-hop poetry is an effective “creative protest”. A force that has the ability to display a mental talent with a physical action, a force that has the power to bleed into the way people think and act. As a young adult I witnessed many musicians take advantage of the force of poetry through toxic lyrics that poisoned the minds and souls of people young and old, black and white. I don’t believe that’s what Dr. King meant when he preached “…meeting physical force with soul force”.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Jamal “Rise” Williams is a celebrated musician, actor in both film and theatre, radio personality, live show host, loving father, and a devoted husband. In this young man’s life, financial struggle, coping with death, and life’s many tribulations have stood between him and his goals. He has made a way for himself in the entertainment industry by relaying his life stories through his music and the characters he has portrayed. As a minority in America looking from the bottom up, Rise remained determine to see change in America’s urban society. Even with the corruption in the entertainment industry growing parallel to the corruption in America’s political system, staying focus on his dream has come through the lessons learned in life’s many tests. Ironically, forty-four years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, the pursuit of a dream is still being defined.
About the Author
Jamal "Rise" Williams a celebrated musician, actor in both film and theatre, radio personality, live show host, loving father, and devoted husband. In this young 24 year old's life, financial struggle,coping with death, and life's many tribulations have stood between him and his goals. He has made a way for himself in entertainment by reliving his life stories through his music and the character he has portrayed. On May 27, 2008, Jamal "Rise" Williams released his sophomore album, A Mic & A Dream. Featuring guest spots from Mayhem Family, and Rastafarian Spice Defari, along with production from The Legion of Boom and others, the album delivers a striking blow to the recycled, generic drivel that has been clogging the urban airwaves. Arriving nearly three years after his debut album Pure Talent, the 17 brand new tracks on A Mic & A Dream showcase a more mature and thoughtful world view from Rise that reaches across age, race and gender barriers to relate to the listener on a personal level. The cd presents song after song of insightful lyrics, and musically rich production that encompasses broad sounds and live instrumentation. Rise sets the bar higher for all artists and for hip-hop in general. The first single "No Stopping Me" featuring Sef has been receiving regular rotation on central Virginia radio on WNRN's nightly hip-hop show "The Boombox." The second single "Be Yourself" looks to be a massive crossover hit. Rise doesn't forget about the streets either, as he recounts the struggle he and countless others have faced on the track "My Song Cry." With numerous live performances on the horizon, along with a feature spot on one of the internet's biggest hip-hop websites www.hiphopgame.com, A Mic & A Dream promises to take Rise to a higher level.