Watch what you say

Watch what you say because somebody might believe you. We often find ourselves making bold statements and announcements about what we’re gonna do without a actual plan in mind. It seems like Manifestation has become a buzzword. Speak it into existence is what is being said. Or at least that’s what I’ve been hearing a lot lately. An although I do believe it to be a lot of truth in that, most of the places I hear or read about that process isn’t saying that it will take a lot more than just making the announcement. Goals without plans just pile up in our to do list. An if we keep announcing to the world what our goals and dreams are with just the idea of Speaking into Existence, and no plan of action, soon our words become a little more meaningless by the day. Watch what you say. Because somebody might believe you. Until they no longer believe you.

What’s Next?

My 30 Days of Blogging Challenge is complete. I made it thru 30 days straight after taking years just to make my first post. Finally decided to stop it with the procrastination… finally decided to stop worrying if anyone would care to read it… finally decided to allow myself to be vulnerable through my writing. I’ve often allowed myself to be vulnerable through my music, but never through written form. But now, what’s next. I’m not sure if I’ll continue to post daily but I definitely plan to post frequently on here.

Something in me wants to continue daily blogging but I find myself asking should it come at the expense of tending to my works and projects. The 30 day challenge was very important to me so even on days where I lost control of the day or it just felt like I wouldn’t have anything to post, I dug deep and got it done, even if it took me hours to write, edit and share across my social media platforms. But the great thing about it was it being fun as well as a challenge. So now do I choose writing only when inspired since there’s no carrot in front of the rabbit, in the form of a challenge. Or do I write out of responsibility to myself. The only way for me to grow as a writer is to continue writing…right? Lol. If you have any suggestions or felt this dilemma I’m open to all ideas. But I am very excited and looking forward to seeing what’s next.

Never Forget Why

When I started making music, It was mainly a outlet for my passion of writing. It was the best way for me to express myself in the most honest way I can think of. And where I’m from, rapping was a easier sell to my peers than saying I’m a writer. From those passions, naturally I started to think of reasons of why I would want to be a successful rapper, artist or writer. Or why would I want to be a successful person in general. I had a few reasons that I wanted to “make it big.” One of the reasons was to start a record label and give opportunities to the people I grew up around because I felt they were just as talented as the artists who were all over the TV and Radio. Another reason was to help build a strong local music scene in Newark,NJ. Strong enough where we could create our own “Industry” similar to how they did it in Houston, Atlanta, and the Bay Area. But my main reasons for making it big was to provide opportunities for my family. Moving my Grandparents and Mother out of the projects was the BIG GOAL. But opening up a Restaurant for my Aunt Michelle was also right there in my top goals to do. I would always tell her “I’m a open up a Restaurant for you one day because the world needs to taste this cooking.” Lol. Especially the Baked Ziti. ESPECIALLY HER BAKED ZITI. 🍽. Wishful thinking of a 15 year old. But those were some of the reasons. That was part of the WHY. Build something for US. Take care of the people who took care of me, and create something that the family could own. Because if you don’t own something in the world, the world owns you.

Of course as a kid you’re gonna think of the material things you want too. But the things that you know deep down would make your soul happy are the things you never forget. Like helping to build a strong local music scene out of pure belief in the talent of my hometown. Like starting a family owned Restaurant because I, like every other person in the world feels like nobody can make that mac n cheese like my cousins 😋 or them yams like my sister. Lol. An if that’s not true, that’s ok. Hopefully it’s good enough and the story means enough to keep the business open for generations. That’s how one day you become Antoine’s Restaurant(New Orleans since 1840) or Jones Bar-B-Q(Arkansas since 1910) or a New Jersey staple like Hobby’s(since 1962). But this post isn’t about building a local music scene or a starting a family owned business. It’s about Purpose. It’s about WHY. Never forget your purpose or your why. It’s ok for the plan to switch up. It’s ok to fail and start over. It’s ok to fail again….and start over agaiiiiin. But don’t forget the purpose. Don’t forget the promises you made to yourself.

What if I walked from New Jersey to California?

You are your own biggest enemy. That’s not a myth. That’s not click bait. It’s a hard thing to admit to ourselves but it’s very important that we acknowledge it. WE ARE OUR OWN WORST ENEMIES. Now that we got that out of the way, let’s have a conversation.

Is it harder for some of us to become successful with our gifts? Yes. Is it ways to at least make it a little bit easier? Absolutely. Only if we would just get out of our own way. Figuring out how to make it just a little bit easier every day is better than being stuck forever.

If I wanted to walk from New Jersey to California, would it feel like forever? I’m pretty sure it would. Just the thought of it would feel overwhelming. But if we know our destination and plan accordingly how to get there, eventually we’ll make it. Even if it took years, the goal and the purpose needs to keep us motivated. Yes a bike would be a little faster. A car or train would be a whole lot faster. An of course a plane would get us there in a few hours. But if all we had at the moment was our 2 feet, should we sit there and wait or should we start our journey on our own?

Once we get started you never know what will happen. Worst case scenario. WE WILL DIE. But we knew that already. Best case scenario. We get to our destination and find out for ourselves if the journey was worth it or not. The main thing is to start moving. Maybe someone will see you and offer to drive you a few miles. Maybe even a state or 2. Maybe someone will offer a train or plane ticket. Maybe. MAYBE. We’ll never know if we never put that first foot in front. The only thing we do know for sure is we won’t live forever. But hey, we can just sit here and play it safe. That’s 100% our decision. Or we could decide to take a risk. We can decide to take a chance. But 1st we have to stop being our own worst enemies. Trust yourself for a change.

It took me 10 years to read the Bible

For the past 10 years one of my top New Years Resolutions was to read The Bible from front to back. TEN YEARS. Each time ending in a failed attempt. And that wasn’t the only failed New Years Resolution. Almost every other resolution ended prematurely. But this year I made a commitment to myself. Honestly, the commitment was made in late September, Early October right around my Birthday October 6th. A commitment that saw me cut down on alcohol consumption, a 30 Day Cold Shower Challenge, a 3 day water fast and finally reading The Bible from front to back. I’m not the most religious person by any stretch but I do believe you can build a closer relationship with God. So reading The Bible was a personal goal for me that always was supposed to be one of the highlights of my New Years Resolutions.

Year after year. Notebook after notebook. 1st page with bold letters. NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS. And like clockwork, somewhere in the top 3 read something like ..”Read The Bible Completely.” Somewhere in between “Write a song everyday” and “Spend more time with my sisters.” The song everyday was wishful thinking but spending more time with my sisters has been happening throughout the years. Not as much time as we could, but always enjoying every moment.

After many years of starting and stopping in my attempt to read The Bible completely, and some years not even starting at all, this needed to be the time it all changed. These last few months I’ve been really working on my discipline and mental strength, so this was important to complete and avoid disappointing myself again. Most days I would wake up at 4-430am so I can read it without distractions. Usually stopping once I had to wake up my Wife and Kids to get ready for their days. Even on the days I didn’t get up that early, I would try to get at least 15-20 minutes in. Some days I got ZERO minutes in but I didn’t let it stop me from getting back to it. I started in the beginning of October an I probably would’ve finished sooner but I was taking notes as I was reading. A lot of things that were Eye Opening. A lot of wisdom. A lot of knowledge. But the main thing is I finally read it in full. An it only took 10 years lol 🤷🏽‍♂️. 1 day at a time. 1 chapter. 1 verse. Early morning. Midday. Night time. I just kept going. Then, this morning, I got to the Proverbs and started to get excited. It felt like a big monkey was coming off my back. These last few months have been so motivating for me to see what I can accomplish once I commit myself. Only time will tell if it becomes more transparent in my life.

Choose Wisely

10,000 Hours sounds like forever. If someone asked you to do ANYTHING for 10,000 Hours you would probably look at them like they’re crazy. But what if meant mastering a skill you always wanted to master. What if it was the difference in living out your dreams or living with regrets. It’s been a long running theory that it takes about 10,000(+ some natural ability) to become a expert at something. I’m not a math expert so bare with me lol. At a normal work schedule of 8 hours a day that means in 3 1/2 years you COULD become a master of a skill. Now 8 hours is probably overwhelming for some especially those with kids an other duties of life that consume most of our time. So what if you break it down to half. 4 Hours a Day for 7 years? Are you willing put yourself and your dreams 1st for at least 3-7 years. I meeeean, we’ve put ourselves and our dreams 4th and 5th for waaaay longer. Life does get overwhelming at times but that is what defines our legacy. Who was able to beat the odds when everything pointed to Quitting being the “easy option.” Are you willing to put in the 10,000 to master your craft. Master your gift. Master your skill. We all have choices.

Life comes down to decisions. Doing or Not Doing effects more people than we think. Our decision to put our passion into our dreams might inspire a person that sees us everyday. It might influence someone who comes across your work online. It might spark a kid to train harder at basketball practice or read more books outside of school. Of course we want to think that the things we do only effect our homes. Newsflash. We have a community that is depending on and needs each other. But we have to decide are we willing to put in the work. 10,000, 5000, 1000 hours. But I know for too many years it has been 0 hours put in. There’s a whole world out there waiting for each other to decide. You can be that spark that gets it going. I can be that spark that gets it going. But it’s time to make a move. Life is about choices. Choose wisely.

“Service to others is the rent we pay for living on earth” – Muhammad Ali

This Weekend

Tell your friends you can’t go out this weekend. You’re working on your dreams. Tell your spouse “Let’s cook in instead of going out for dinner this weekend and start saving for our dreams.” Tell your kids to give you 10 ideas this weekend. Make that dream thing a family thing. Tell your job you can’t do voluntary overtime this week. You need this free time to work on your dreams. Tell your TV it gets no love this weekend. Falling down the rabbit hole of just FINDING something to watch is not an option. Nope..not this weekend. Tell social media you’re gonna need 2 days to lock in. Just 2 days. You’ll be back on Monday recharged. 2 Days. This weekend. Not next weekend. Not New Year’s Eve. Not the 1st. No New Year New Me. That way didn’t work the 1st 12 times. Well at least for me it didn’t. I dont even know if this new way of trying is gonna work. But the old way didn’t. And they say the first sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. As long as the purpose remains genuine, the plan should be flexible. But start NOW. Make this weekend be the weekend you decided to show yourself how important you are.

I Am Ishmeel (continued)

I Am Ishmeel Blakewood

I Am Broadway Blake

I Am The Founder/CEO of Vibes In The City LLC in Newark,NJ. Vibes In The City LLC provides platforms for independent Talent and Creatives. We launched in January 2016 and produced over 150 shows and showcased close to 1000 artists since launching. Vibes In The City is my Passion Project. I would probably be miserable without it lol. Seriously.

I Am a long time Wrestling fan. Long long time. My earliest memory is Wrestlemania 4. That’s when Macho Man won the tournament for the Heavyweight Title. I was a big time Hulk Hogan fan back then so yes a part of my childhood was ripped away when the tapes of him going on a rant of racially provoked language was leaked. I’m not sure if I fully got over that yet but it doesn’t really bother me anymore. Mid 90’s Wrestling is my favorite era. Hollywood Hogan. Stone Cold Steve Austin. Four Horsemen(Arn Anderson is so underrated) Black and White Sting. As I got older I gained more appreciation for Bret Hart. I do believe he is the GOAT. I’m still a fan of Wrestling today but I’m not nearly as invested as I once was.

I Am a Long Time San Francisco 49ers fan (Montana final years before the Steve Young Transition)

I Am A Long Time Ohio State College Football Fan( Eddie George Days)

I Am A HUUUUGE PENNY HARDAWAY FAN which lead me to be a Die-Hard Orlando Magic Fan(Nick Anderson 4 missed Free Throws in the Finals against the Rockets still haunt me. I was a kid what do you expect)

I Am A Long Time Seattle Mariners Fan(The Kid. Ken Griffey Jr. Days. Can’t forget Young A-Rod. Buhner. Edgar. Big Unit.)

I Am So Jersey but for whatever reason as a kid. I didn’t connect with the local pro teams. But I did fall in love with that 2001 Seton Hall Basketball Team that was led by Shaheem Holloway. And Yes I do fell like they would’ve made a stronger push to the Final Four if he didn’t get hurt. Even though Ty Shine held it down. I also Love Jersey Highschool and Youth Sports. If we can find a way to keep the talent home our College Programs will start to get mentioned with Duke, Alabama, UCLA, Miami,Texas etc.

I Am a Big Barry Sanders Fan an I think he’s the best Football Player to EVER PLAY. Just my opinion lol.

I Am A Big Hip Hop Fan. 2Pac was the 1st Rapper I felt a emotional connection with. Biggie, Snoop and Bone Thugs were the 1st Rappers where I realized how important Flow was. But Ma$e was the 1st Rapper where I said that right there is my favorite and that’s who I wanna be. Only as a kid though lol. Not now. I only wanna be the best version of me now.

I am a HUUUUGE fan of local music scenes an its something that I have studied and researched since I decided to be a artist. It’s a really big reason that I started Vibes In The City.

These first few Posts on my blog is me pretty much introducing who I am to people who don’t know me and even the people who do know me but don’t know a lot about me. But I’m looking forward to tell more stories about why my Goal was to aim for Russell Simmons, Quincy Jones and Berry Gordy status instead of Jay-Z and Nas. Of course over time Jay and Nas…especially Jay have become much more than Rappers since then. But Def Jam. Motown and just about EVERYTHING Quincy was doing was my initial aim.

I’m also looking forward to just posting random thoughts and experiences. It might turn into a daily blog. It might not. But I have a story to tell an I have stories to create.

Broadway

I Am Ishmeel

I Am Ishmeel Blakewood

I Am Broadway Blake

I Am A Father. I Am A Son. I Am A Husband. I Am A Brother. I Am A Friend.

I Am A Leader. I Am A Visionary. I Am A Creative.

I Am A Rapper. I Am A Writer.

I Am giving myself Permission to Pursue My Dreams. My Passions. My Purpose. My Goals. My VISION. My WHY.

I Am Accepting Responsibility that If I don’t Pursue those things with Persistence. With Perseverance. With Faith. With A Sense Of Urgency. Then My Time Here Was Wasted.

I Have A Story To Tell. I Have Stories To Create.

I wanted this to be my first post to always give myself a reminder of when I DECIDED to LIVE.

“The Saddest Thing In Life Is Wasted Talent” – A Bronx Tale

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