Chicago – On the notoriously eerie date of Friday the 13th, Easy O’Hare fused horror and hip-hop in a way only he could, with the release of his latest album, Nightmare O’Hare. Held at The New Jo’s Bar and Grill in Merrillville, Indiana, the release event transported fans and peers into an immersive experience where sound collided with storytelling in a night full of adrenaline, ambiance, and authenticity.
For centuries, the number 13 has carried a reputation for bad luck, and when it lands on a Friday, that superstitious energy hits different. The fear is so widespread it has its own name: paraskevidekatriaphobia. Pop culture took it even further in 1980 with the horror classic Friday the 13th, introducing Jason Voorhees; the silent, masked killer who haunted Camp Crystal Lake and slashed his way into horror history. Since then, the date has come to symbolize fear, suspense, and rebellion; making it the perfect backdrop for Easy O’Hare’s latest creative strike.
His statement? It’s giving serial killer energy.
And he’s killing these other rappers especially when it comes to the way he curates his musical projects.
Nightmare O’Hare captures that chaotic yet calculated vibe. It’s raw, cinematic, and deeply unsettling in the best way. The album rides moody production and vivid lyricism, exploring the gritty realities of urban life, survival, and the kind of darkness you face when you’re moving a certain way.
When I rap it gets scary for the competition and we chose a beat selection that fit the mood of how scary it can actually get. With this project I was showing I can pop up outta nowhere with new music at any given time after my listeners hear Nightmare O’Hare they’ll definitely go download the past projects to get all the way tapped in with me.
The theme originated from a past rap beef where I had to switch forms from Easy O’Hare to nightmare
-Easy O’Hare
The Performance
Easy’s stage presence brought the music to life with gritty emotion and undeniable power. And the supporting acts? Just as heavy. The room was charged with energy, filled with people who came to show love and stayed to be moved. It was a whole vibe and yes, the chicken was fire too.
The Artist
Rico Moneyy
Kdoug Jr
Aboog
D’kno Mr.KNOITALL
ESC Deez
Fly cool club
Big Nastee
Easy O’Hare
Coldhard
The Bigger Picture
With Nightmare O’Hare, Easy doesn’t just drop music, he curates experiences and releases projects with precision. He proves that there’s room for 40-year-old rappers who trap 🏚️🪤 with strategy, successfully. This isn’t a moment; it’s a method.
Nightmare O’Hare is now streaming on all major platforms.
Stay tuned for visuals, BTS moments, and more drops by following him on Instagram: @easyohare_
Will the legacy of our generation be a series of broken promises?
Nelson Mandela
Mama’s talk today highlighted a number of ways African women had become to their detriment. From their relationship with each other to the role mothers and mothers-in-law now played, which is usually seen as negative. I was surprised to learn how negative mother-in- laws were seen as that had not been my expectation as we in the West see African families in a more positive way.
When she spoke of the challenge of the “feminine, that up to now, we have never had women solving the problems of women or humanity.” And how this disconnection came about it was a sad awakening for many.
The lack of a female messiah was another observation raised, as well as a call for women who could help to address the needs of women to the Kings, Queens and First Ladies of Africa. A continent where few women seemed to rule. She asked why? Why did we think we should not and why were we not capable? She correctly highlighted that men have been making the decisions for the continent and it was clear that the outcomes were poor. She saw this as women becoming cowards, because here they were blaming men for everything but not standing up and demanding their right to do something about it. Taking control of their destiny required their action not someone’s approval. And failure to take action would mean that eventually women’s lives would get worse not better.
She tied this to the lack of women identified as Messiahs and the need for women to become messiahs. Why did we accept that only men could be a messiah? Why did we mimic other races in everything except success, and look at the outcomes. As she cataloged our bad behavior as women she asked the question, “With the beginning of a Renaissance: Was it our choice to make new history or repeat history.”
I want to thank Mama for her message today on the courage lacking in our women today. It’s an observation I have also made in my years as an activist. When I would go before the School Board or community groups to speak about our failing schools and children I would tell community members that being a woman, a mother, someone who carried a child 9 months in the belly, suckled and raised that child, who else should speak on behalf of our children? Who else should be upset when a police officer who did not know your child, abused or killed them? I found it very frustrating how Black women in the USA were the only women who were expected to not feel for their children, themselves or their communities. So I spoke up.
When I hear you speak on the observations I myself have made as to the state of our affairs it makes my blood boil. And I heard your request and want you to know, sign me up. For you are correct when you say. “who but women should speak on women’s behalf?” Who should call our sisters out, and model the behavior needed while empowering women to be the change they wish to see in their lives? That has always been my motto. I AM the change I wish to see.
In 2013 I did my Master’s Thesis on Maternal Mortality in Africa (“DISCRIMINATION TO DEATH” Exploring the Issue of Maternal Mortality in Africa). It was part of my research as I looked at so many factors (The MDGs) impacting African life which the world did not seem to care about.
My passion for Africa was born a long time ago my children say, but for me it became crystal clear when I attended a Global Poverty Forum in Denver, Colorado in 2008 and heard one of the speakers proclaim “that in the year 2050, the average income for the US would be $90,000, the average income for China and India would be $45,000 and the average income in Africa would be $1,800. And that Africa had the richest resources in the world.” Immediately I questioned, how could that be, that forty two years from now the world’s expectation for Africa would be so low? How could it be that the richest continents inhabitants could still be so poor? Who was using the resources and what was causing this delay in Africa’s development?
There began a quest for me to understand more about this continent called Africa, one whose portrayal always links the mind to images of corrupt leaders, strongman dictators, military coups, civil war, HIV/AIDS, malaria, disease, starvation, malnutrition, dying children, lack of infrastructure, foreign debt and genocide. Yet Africa has the richest resources in the world, so why weren’t they being used to benefit her people?
Even as I documented so many challenges I had to focus on one item for my thesis and so I chose Maternal Mortality In Africa, because the numbers were so outrageous (US 11/100,000 live birth- white /33/100,000 Black and in Africa many places over 500 -900/100,000 even as some of the things impacting us now our ancestors had already conquered hundreds of years before. Like C- sections.) It was clear to me no one cared about Black women dying in Africa, similar to the response in the US, where the death rate was minuscule compared to Africa, but still disproportionate.
And it broke my heart that Nelson Mandela in 2002 asked “will the legacy of our generation be a series of broken promises?” and that from then they had already predicted Africa would not meet its Millenium Development Goals by 2015, with 13 years to go. I am here to say YES, that is Africa’s legacy, “A whole series of broken promises” “ organized chaos” and incompetent and disingenuous leadership. And we should be ashamed to have allowed it to get so bad.
My presentation on why we need an African Development Plan looks at these critical issues, health, education, infrastructure etc. and lays out some of the things needed to unite our people around common causes concerning us. Even designing something we labeled as a Kingdom Project as short term solutions to restoring Kingdom relevance on the continent.
I know your frustration for I have created and sent my work to fools claiming they were interested in development of our people and most of them were men, happy with their big titles and positions who were accomplishing nothing. It has been a frustrating journey, so I am happy to meet you and Baba. Your passion is my own and your effort is similar to mine except yours is spiritual and I had not included that in my calculations even as I would say “this is a spiritual war we are fighting.” It took this last year training under Rev Kwame to understand what that truly meant. Its as if my mouth would speak hoping my ears would hear. Thank God it’s hearing now.
I am here to sign up for your classes and efforts and help create the plan of action. I agree we need to say and do more and I don’t lack courage. It is a joy to finally meet some people of true courage and big hearts. Who have lived experience, not just book knowledge.
Your summary of the situation was very sad. The mechanization of sex, children, lovers, lack of desire for each other, replacement of humanity with toys and robots. How far we have sunk these last few decades as others have risen and our population of consumers are enamored with all of this foolishness, to our detriment.
So thank you Mama for once again being a breath of fresh air. Do not cry anymore for some of us are here to help you. We heard your cry and we do plan to do something about it.
Chicago, IL– National Teachers Day and National Teachers Week are dedicated to honoring and appreciating the contributions of educators in the United States. The history of these observances’ dates back to the 1940s.
Early Advocacy: The idea for a day to honor teachers was first proposed by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1953. She persuaded Congress to set aside a day to recognize educators.
National Teachers Day: In 1980, the National Education Association (NEA) and its affiliates began discussions with Congress about creating a day to honor teachers. The NEA and its affiliates continued to observe Teacher Day on the first Tuesday in March.
Presidential Proclamation: In 1985, the NEA Representative Assembly passed a resolution declaring the first whole week of May as National Teacher Appreciation Week. In 1984, the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) established Teacher Appreciation Week as the first entire week of May.
Official Recognition: In 1980, Congress passed legislation officially designating National Teacher Day as the Tuesday of the first week of May. This became a national day to honor teachers.
Continued Recognition: National Teachers Day and National Teachers Week have been celebrated annually since then. Schools, communities, and organizations nationwide use this time to thank teachers for their dedication and hard work.
Global Observance: While the specific dates and names may vary, many countries worldwide have similar observances to recognize the contributions of teachers.
These observances allow students, parents, administrators, and communities to express their appreciation for teachers’ vital role in shaping the future.
Photojournalist: TSA Media @ Tim Streetz Winter Solstice Release Party
Dear School District 163 Community,
I am thrilled to embark on a new chapter of my professional journey as the Communications Specialist for School District 163 handling all your public relations & communications needs. From the moment I stepped foot into our vibrant community, I knew that I was stepping into a world of boundless possibilities, where every interaction, every conversation, and every connection has the power to make a difference.
Joining School District 163 fills me with an overwhelming sense of excitement and purpose. As someone deeply passionate about effective communication and community engagement as a social scientist, engineer, and entrepreneur, I am eager to leverage my skills and experience to serve our district and support its mission of academic excellence and student success.
Communication is at the heart of everything we do, and I am committed to ensuring that our voices are heard, our stories are shared, and our community is united. Whether it’s through crafting engaging content, managing our digital platforms, or collaborating with stakeholders, I am dedicated to fostering open, transparent, and meaningful communication across all levels of our organization.
But beyond the day-to-day tasks and responsibilities, what truly excites me is the opportunity to be of service to each and every member of our district. Whether you’re a teacher, a parent, a student, or a community member, know that my door is always open, and my ears are always ready to listen. Your ideas, your feedback, and your concerns matter, and I am here to support you in any way I can.
As we embark on this journey together, I am filled with hope, optimism, and a deep sense of gratitude for the opportunity to serve such a dynamic and diverse community. Together, let us embrace the challenges, celebrate the successes, and continue to build a brighter future for School District 163.
I look forward to getting to know each of you, learning from your experiences, and working together to make our district the best it can be. Together, we are stronger, together, we can achieve greatness.
Below is some general information on my system and ways that we can collaborate.
Thank you for welcoming me with open arms, and I am honored to be a part of this incredible community.
Friday, September 7, 2018 King James (Jesse Stringer) and Saint “The Good Boy” (Lennell Davis) was looking for a party during after hours when they approached 79th Phillips and seen a building on fire.
I was told by a source that The Chicago Fire Department was on location and did not immediately respond to the fire. That’s what sparked both guys to go into the building on a rescue mission. Source reported that Jesse asked the Fire Fighters what were they waiting on to go into the building and one of the Fire Fighters responded by allegedly telling him to “go ahead and go in”.
I received a call from Saint shortly after they finished the rescue. For more information on the story, click link here, to get CBS2 Chicago’s account. They awkwardly produced their story deliberately stating that the The Chicago Fire Department’s Fire Fighters immediately responded, when I was told by a source, who was present, that they did not.
Nonetheless, it’s great to know that I have great friends/humans around who will sacrifice to ensure the well being of others. They could have kept riding and assumed that because the Chicago Fire Department was present they would take care of it. This is a good example of leadership and being an active citizen.
Cultures are dynamic,and we cannot understand a relationship by only looking at two individuals’motivation, action, and behaviors (Flores, Martin, Nakayama).
Martin, J. N.,Nakayama, T. K., & Flores, L. A. (2008). Thinking about intercultural communication: dialectical approach to intercultural communication. In Readings in intercultural communication: Experiences and contexts (pp. 3-12). Princeton,NJ: Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic.
Mexican Culture and Chinese Culture
I visited a few cultural spaces this semester, and I was able to observe natural sociocultural in these spaces. I’m going to compare and contrast two cultural spaces and time by music, foods, language, what I observed them do to past time, family, arts and craft.
Cultural Celebrations and Beyond
Mexican Culture
Cultural Artifact from tour
When it comes to Mexican cuisine, it seems to always be filled with spices, especially hot spices for some Mexicans who hold true to their “roots”. Even some of their candy is spicy. While at the restaurant in Little Village, the cashier explained to me how spicy the Mexican hot chocolate was. She explained to me that the chili powder added is what makes it spicy. To my surprise, it was really good and fulfilling. It had a tingling spice to it, kind of like mint when fresh.
Tamales are another popular food of Mexican culture, along with tacos, enchiladas, their fresh tortillas chips and tostadas.
Mexican hot sauces
Mexican Day Parade, took place on September 9th this year.
“The Mexican Day of Independence from Spain is September 16 (not May 5) (Gonzales & Rivera, pg. 165).” It’s assumed that Mexicans celebrate independence on Cinco De Miyo, which is May 5.
González, A., Chen, Y., &Willis-Rivera, J. (2016). Hispanic heritage month: not for members only.In Ourvoices: Essays in culture, ethnicity, and communication (6th ed.,pp. 165-173). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Family is very important to the Mexican culture. It’s a main focal point of their life. They’re interdependent of their members across generations
(González, A., Chen, Y., &Willis-Rivera, J., 2016).
Touch, affection, and greeting rituals are means of affirmation. In the Mexican American family, the formality given to greeting rituals is intended to keep both familiarity and distance.
González, A., Chen, Y., &Willis-Rivera, J. (2016). The rhetoric of la familia among Mexican Americans. In Our voices: Essays in culture, ethnicity, and communication (6th ed.,pp. 165-173). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
In spite of social and historical differences, there is a sense of cultural commonality among the societies of Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. The latter can be seen in aspects of social life as diverse as literature, music, television, political rhetoric, and oral storytelling.
González, A., Chen, Y., &Willis-Rivera, J. (2016). The cultural experience of space and body: a reading of Latin America and Anglo-American comportment in public. In Ourvoices: Essays in culture, ethnicity, and communication (6th ed.,pp. 165-173). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
While I was walking through the community, I noticed most families were with multiple family members. Some sets were made up of a daughter, grandmother or older aunt. It was a son and mother couple at the street food cart, they were purchasing fruit with cayenne pepper sprinkled on top. They were standing in close proximity of one another. The mother at one point leaned over to communicate with him. bending over speaking very close in his face. She didn’t seem upset but it was a personal relational act.
I spoke to everyone, and they were distant but they spoke and went right back to their task. I noticed churches that resembled roman catholic religions. I listened to them speak in Spanish and coming out of one of the retail store where there were cowboy boots being sold, was Spanish music. They were selling figurines of Elmo, Winnie the Pooh, and other American characters favorable to children. This expressed their Mexican American transnational culture.
La Famila Among Mexican Americans
BK (I), in front of the Little Village Arch
Chinese Culture
Chinese Lunar New Year 2018 started February 16, 2018. They had a Chinese Lunar New Year Dinner on February 20th and a parade on February 25th of 2018(Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce).
While strolling through, I didn’t notice any street food carts or people vending on the streets, as I did in Little Village. Most merchants had storefronts where they sold their miscellaneous products such as vases, oriental glass items in the shape of pigs, cats, elephants, and china women.
According to China Highlights, the most popular dishes you should want to try is in Chinese Cuisine:
Sweet and Sour Pork
Kung Pao Chicken
Ma Po Tofu
Wontons
Dumplings
Chow Mein
Peking Roasted Duck
Spring Rolls
Cantonese cuisine is very popular in Chinatown. I spotted over 10 Cantonese restaurants.
Spring rolls
Dumplings Chinese herbs and spices
Let’s talk family, values, and acts.
Mandarin Character that represents “family”
Chinese ethical values are based on how man should live life. They highly value their traditional and national value.In my video you can see a purple sign that reads K-Pop, the east side of Wentworth. If you didn’t know what street that was, now you do. So go check out some K-pop in Chinatown.
K-Pop has been flowing, and is proof that Chinese are proud of Asian culture.
Chinese sell and use a lot of herbs. When I visited the stores, majority of them including the restaurants sold green tea and ginger root. Arcana, the store I purchased sprilulina and ginseng from, was stocked with raw, dried, and liquid herbs. All products were in mandarin language with slight translations in English, except the lottery sign. Inside the store it was a small group. They seemed like family; it was two middle-aged Chinese women, two little girls, and a little boy. The two women were talking and looking at a product, while one of them were holding it for review.
My partner and I dined at a Cantonese restaurant called Emperors Choice. We ordered crispy green beans vegetables with mushroom and garlic sauce, spring rolls, egg rolls, and hot sake. Sake is a Japanese but it’s popular in Chinese culture, as it was available at the Cantonese restaurant as a beverage choice. The food was filled with authentic Asian spices. They served us hot tea, which is a Chinese known drink, herbal green tea.
Sake being served warm in traditional canister
Sake chilled
I reflected culture while being still, I realized that they dine with family to past time. Definitely not the only way but seemingly one of them. It was a big group of about 10-13 members, the eldest member being a grandmother. The youngest was a baby between the ages of 1-3 years old. They were in a tight group in close proximity with one another.
What do both cultures have in common?
They share the same perspective values in their human kind. Family is important to them, business, historical and ideological culture too. They came to Chicago and made it home, through local renaissance movement, flowing their roots wherever they migrate to. They create expressions that reflect their ethnic, social, and culture values. Never losing what makes them special in this “race” of human communication, sharing elements.
The obvious differences.
They share English language and have different traditional languages; Mexican Americans speaking Spanish, and the Chinese Americans speaking mandarin. This automatically gives them their own space for authentic cultural differences in music.
González, A., Chen, Y., &Willis-Rivera, J. (2016). In Ourvoices: Essays in culture, ethnicity, and communication (6th ed.,pp. 165-173). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Procrastination can sneak up at the wrong time, and sometimes, at the right time. It can help you avoid something’s or give extra time to make better decisions; or worse ones.
I was inspired to write this because my Mother told me that I had been “procrastinating” lately, and I agreed with her perspective. After thinking about what she said and going inside of my self to see how it aligned, I learned; I am calculating my steps more in the private and public sphere.
Personal perspective of 💩
I don’t know 🤷🏾♀️ what the fuck it is 😂. I ain’t gone lie, I don’t even think it’s procrastination, it’s like a procreation of something else in theory. I think I’m slowing down and following my intuition more.
But
Taking the time to evaluate the situations I want to be in and experience; seeing if they are congruent with my mission and vision.
I believe that I will not get caught in a jam, if I do. Studying Communication and analyzing everyday life has been a little too damn much at the moment.
I’m literally applying everything as I’m typing (and you’re reading) this. Educational institutions and the workforce overloads us with information including our environment with less opportunities to experience the things they teach/share.
I need more action to happen, people creating more opportunities for themselves (independently or an organization), because all this “talk” the institutions are spreading into flows, is a hoax.
So, I am relaxing and regrouping self because it’s easy to get lost out here. Especially, subsidizing someone’s dream instead of building your own.
With that being said, I’m picky. I see my vision “clearly”. I learned that nothing is instant but everything is calculated.
Communications Generalist | Cultural Strategist | Data & Business Analyst 