Trenton365 : May 2016

Monday, May 23, 2016

Last Poet Standing by Neisha Kelly

Last Poet Standing

Neisha Kelly

Capital City Book Fair took place on Saturday, May 14, 2016; it was beautiful day that seemed to envelope the city with an illustrious mixture of sunshine, love, and support.

On Warren Street it was busy and bustling with authors sharing their work with the capital city. It was a book fair and tables were surrounded with books and people. Authors had a platform to showcase their talent, network with other authors and various movers and shakers in the industry. Good food and the trolley served as an amazing back drop.

The arts are really thriving in our community. Trenton is ready to take the world by storm whether musically, lyrically, and any other artistic ability we possess.

There was also Trenton’s 2nd Annual Poetry Slam taking place on Warren Street. The weather seemed to want to pour on our heads but the rain stayed away as poets left their all on stage. Todd Evans hosted this event with his lovely co-host Latrice Marianno. The judges were Shakur Towns, Marvin Lewis, Marisa Benson, and Marion Parish. The time-keepers were Yolanda “Landy” Robinson and Gregory Bell, Sr. (affectionately known as Ice).

The participants were, in no particular order, Janae Stewart, Stacey Williams, Margaret Brown, Ada Ugoma Opara, Raul “Polo” Cortes, Jr., Neisha Kelly, Logic Johnson, and last but certainly not least Judith “Aunt Judy” McKnight. Special guests included: Janelle T. Harvey, Unknown Poet and Queen, and Afro. They each shared a piece of themselves with us beautiful songs and verses soon followed. Afro ended it with making you contemplate on the raisin in the sun and its fate.

It was quite the line-up yet it never felt like a competition. There were no big I’s and little U’s. We each cheered one another on. We are a tight knit family with an unbreakable bond. The 1 st round gave the audience a chance to wet their palette for a delicious variety of poetry. Each poet had a unique and innovative style that kept the audience informed, engaged, and of course entertained.

Up first was Aunt Judy with Christian values and wisdom. Next, there was a socially-conscious and very much aware Polo. Then, there was me the quiet and unassuming poet. Ada tore the stage up with her special brand of love. Logic made you pause while his words permeated into your brain and made you reflect and also think of his interesting take on life. Stacey was reflective and his testimony was inspiring and uplifting. Margaret was full of wisdom and her words not only resonated with you but they made you do some serious introspection.

As the rounds went on we started to become smaller in number. Although the group of competitors was decreasing the audience presence grew. In the end, three remained Stacey Williams, Raul “Polo” Cortes, Jr., and me. Stacey and I gracefully bowed out and applauded Polo on his win.

The top prize was $150 gift card and studio time with Exit 7A Studios. This is the second year Todd Evans has put on this remarkable event but each year the bar will be set even higher than the last. I anticipate next year I will see all of you there to see who is the Last Poet Standing?

Some audio captured during the Capital City Book Fair

https://soundcloud.com/trenton365/chad-leisse-author-billy-bear

The following images were captured by Amans Brindled during the Capital City Book Fair 2016

A Mogul’s Mindset by Trenton 365 Contributor Neisha Kelly

A Mogul’s Mindset

Photo Credit Shawn Smith Instagram Shawnsy15

Neisha Kelly

We know that there are 24 hours in a day. How do you spend your time? What will you

accomplish? What will you chance and save for tomorrow?

We think of moguls as..."a person that is his\her own boss and makes executive decisions at

any second without any semblance of indecisiveness. It is done with assurance, confidence, and

with much built upon knowledge.

On Thursday, May 12, 2016, I had the pleasure of interviewing a mogul made from birth. One

would say his development into a mogul was innate there was no avoiding it. He comes from a

long line of moguls. Tim McRae wears many hats; he wears them with pride and courage. He is

not afraid to make an executive decision. Upon, meeting him one would notice his flair for

being unapologetically himself the mogul, the man, and there is no myth about the fact he is a

hard-working man.

Tim was born and raised in Trenton, Jersey where he learned about the value of money at an

early age. He also knew early on that he would not fit in at a nine to five. It was then he knew

he was born to stand out as a mogul. He has never been one to follow the trend he sets the

standard.

His family, the McRae’s, are known in Trenton since 1954 for their excellent business acumen,

knowledge, and prestigious customer service. The first black owned business in Trenton McRae

Brothers Laundromat, and/or McRae’s Oil Company. Like generations before and after him Tim

knew how to run a business from the ground up. He was taught at an early age the value of

money and how to attain financial longevity in an era where many are looking for a come up

and don’t really ruminate on a long-term stay in the bowels of success. He wanted his own

business one that was his baby, his own legacy, he wanted to stand on the shoulders of

generations past and carve out his own niche. He has McRae Management where he delves in

music; he himself has an eclectic palette for many flavors of sound. His ear is wired for an

indelible sound, one that etches itself on the memory bank and permeates it goodness deep

into your soul.

You may also be familiar with his food truck, WTF, the acronym stands for Where’s the Food

and trust me after sampling his food you will be repeatedly searching and longing to taste

WTF’s flavor. Little known facts you may want to know food trucks are inspected more

frequently than restaurants. Eating food from a food truck is completely safe.

To reiterate an earlier point Tim wears many hats and knows that a true mogul has multiple

streams of income. He values all of his businesses and works hard on all of them daily. Some

nights he is only surviving on five hours sleep. He is paving the way for his legacy. He is an

innovative thinker always thinking ahead of the next big thing coming. He is always focused on

long-term goals. He will always be relevant because he always ensures he is ahead of the curve.

Like some he became a parent at an early age, 21, and he had to make long-term decisions fast.

His son had no time for dad to be indecisive. His son in essence saved his life and he credits

fatherhood to shaping him into the man he is today.

Despite his love for many things his first love has always been music. He can find a hit in any

genre. He has an amazing ear for good music. He feels the current state of rap music is in the

hands of a generic generation void of real talent. The lyrics are both disingenuous and lack

depth. These artists lack empathy for their music and are not intimately connected with the

audience nor their respective genre. The current state of rap music is on the brink of extinction.

They need to be much more conscious of what they say and do. They have the opportunity to

reach the youth and let them know that black lives matter to them. This will serve as a

reminder to the youth that black lives matter is more than a movement it is something that

needs our empathy. Our lives need to matter to us. They need to be accountable for what they

say and do. Tim says that they need to watch what comes out of their mouth. Drug use is on the

rise among the youth and there is no more respect of man.

Tim is a man that is always focused on the horizon and beyond. He has three major goals to

achieve on his bucket list. The first one is to turn the WTF truck in a brick mortar in Virginia

where artists can perform live and give club goers true VIP treatment. He would like a new

wave Studio 54 type of ambiance. His second goal is for his artists B. Devinchi to win a Grammy

and his whole crew is there to receive it, with him. Speaking of B. Devinchi he will be

performing at “Art All Night” a half-hour set on June 18, 2016. The third and final goal is to own

his dream house and dream car. Since childhood he has had an affinity for cars. He was an avid

collector of Matchbox cars.

I will end this article with a few sage words from Tim, always know your worth. No one will

believe the hype if you won’t. For all you dealing with the financial woes, decrease your debt

and increase your income. For more info on Tim McRae check him out on:

@mcraemanagement (instagram)

@wtf_foodtruck (instagram)

WTF? FOOD TRUCK (facebook)

WTFFOODTRUCK@youtube.com

Twitter: WTFFOODTRUCK

Twitter: MCRAE MNGT.