GODCHILD dubbed Album of the Year by Soul UK!!!

I just found out that SOUL UK awarded my album, GODCHILD, album of the year! Saying it is "certainly the most memorable debut album of the last the last few years"! God is good. Thanks to all of you who supported this album, it really means the world to me :) Thanks to SoulUK for the beautiful show of support for this project this year. I am most grateful. Click here for article.

Viva Kara Walker!

Ah....Black Love :)

this week i was inspired by art and love, and this is what came of it. I found recently discovered the blog called b.vikki vintage which documents all of these fabulous vintage photographs of African-Americans. A recent post on the Negro Romance Comics of the 1950s seemed to celebrate black love, which made me want to celebrate it too :) Enjoy!

Viva Charles Stepney...and I remain inspired!

New Black Barbies!?!

I have a dream, that one day, little white girls will be playing with little black dolls and calling them beautiful! I have a dream today. At long last, Black Barbies for everyone! Mattel recently announced that they are starting a new ethnic line of dolls called S.I.S. (So in style) that will have features that more closely resemble black women, with fuller lips and all. The three dolls, names Trichelle, Grace and Kara have little sisters and are varied in both personality and skin tone. Although I haven't seen any afro, corn-rows or braids yet, I am still excited to see the dolls. Baby steps, I guess :)

Gorgeous film of Egypt and Lebanon...*sigh*

Egypt / Lebanon Montage from Khalid Mohtaseb on Vimeo.

This is a gorgeous piece of film shot with a camera that I will wish into my hand :) It captures the beauty of Egypt and Lebanon in the most simple and beautiful sense. Enjoy!

click my heels and take me there!

it is no secret that I love boutique hotels! I love the pure luxury of it all, the unique edge it brings to a travel experience. When I came across this photo on life according to celia, i thought that I would lose myself. This, ladies and gentleman, is a photo from the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York! This place is fabulous, expensive, but fabulous. and you know that I am already trying to figure out how to reproduce this light installation in my house! And now to fantasize...

Santa Barbara Triathlon!

We swam, we biked, we ran, we conquered! Along with my good friends Jasmine and Jennifer, we united to formEARTH, WYND AND FYAH! (I was the FYAH!) On August 23, 2009 we officially let Santa Barbara have it! As part of only a handful of African-American Triathletes, we proudly ran the course in record event time (for 3 black women from Los Angeles, named Joy, Jasmine and Jennnifer ! :) It was a fabulous experience and a great achievement! Thanks to all who sent your words of encouragement! I'll let you know when the next one is!

Here is my new video "OVER"! Enjoy!

This video was directed by Coodie & Chike (Of Kanye West and Mos Def cinematic fame) along with the new film talent of The Soulful Fundamentalist! This is the 2nd single from my album, GODCHILD, and I hope that you all enjoy it! Many more to come!

New Little Dragon Video!!! "Swimming"

OH SO CUTE!!!

Joy Huxtable!

Is it too late to be like Claire Huxtable when I grow up? Man, she was the absolute best! So elegant, graceful, funny...like everything always fell into place. I still dont know how she was raising like 5 kids and working as a lawyer, but perhaps that was just the magic of television. In any case, in my world she was real! Love ya Mrs. Huxtable!

:::listen::: thecocknbullkid

i love this chick, and how she is so unapologetic in every way! enjoy!

Rock the Basquiats!

Thanks to miss modular for posting this. I am not ashamed of this blatant repost! Why? Because these shoes are the business and a must have...not just because I adore Basquiat, but because they have so much doggone attitude! That's right, we don't only rock sport stars on our shoes, we rock art starts! I love them! Nicely done Reebok! Enjoy good people...

Gangsta Grannies!

When I was in CUBA I was taken aback by how gracefully the women aged. I mean, this ladies would be 80 years old, smokin' a fat cigar (and I do not condone smoking) and cuttin' the meaning salsa move you have ever seen. during that trip I decided that I was just going to continue to get better with time. I would become more confident, less fearful and make a conscious decision to live as much life as could in whatever time I was given on this planet. I don't want to go out all diseased and decrepit. I want to dance my way out of here, ya dig? Anyhow, the faces of these women look as if they have lived some life and they ain't done, no time soon. Get it granny!

A Beautiful Joy Jones article just appeared on Clutch Magazine!

Thanks to the good people (at the very stylish) Clutch Magazine for writing this great article! It was very well written and made my heart smile!
If you want to take a peep into my world, take a few minutes for a very satisfying read!

Article: Joy Jones:Beatutiful

NY POST features Joy Jones!!!

ARTS+SCIENCES=FUTURE

                               

Man, when I came across this talk that Dr. Mae Jemison, (physician/dancer/astronaut) recently gave at a TED event, I was like "Yes, this is what I've been trying to say, for so long". All my life I've been trying to juggle my love and passion for the arts and sciences. Walking the tight rope that is my corpus callosum (the bridge between the left and right brain), feeling like this artsy nerdy freak of nature. But thanks to Dr. Mae, my anxiety can begin to dissipate. I can be artist and scientist! Singer and healer...thinker and creator, because creativity is a divine gift, it is all one in the same. My favorite quote from this talk is "I like to think of ideas as potential energy. They're really wonderful, but nothing will happen until we risk putting them into action".

You betta preach a work Mae, you betta preach a word!!!

P.S. Thanks to the blog: blankbareclean, for sharing this link

It's Finally Here! My album, GODCHILD! I have no words!

 and if you think that you might like it there (wherever you are), then click here (smiles):

iTunes

Amazon

enjoy my loves!!!

P.S. and big ups to my favorite blog  Fly for deeming me the Fly Girl of the Week!!

A LITTLE GET UP AND MOVE MUSIC...Courtesy of Me!

Sometimes you need a little help getting moving in the morning! For a quick solution, try a little Joy Jones with some James Brown. It's good for whatever ails you and without that nasty after taste. no preservatives, no artificial color...and most importantly, no corn syrup (because you know what they say about corn syrup, right?...lol!). Anywho, where ever you may be on this fine morning...A good morning to you! Have FAB day!

Download (click link):

http://www.zshare.net/audio/62096114cf3abb39/

BUZZWORTHY ART!!!

How bonkers is this! This man, Hilary Berseth, makes art...well, she actually pimps these bees and they make the art and she gets the fame! lol! In any case, the sculptures that this collaboration creates is nothing less than fabulous and is the perfect art/science hybrid experiment! The shapes and forms that the hives take are very mathematical in nature. I know that I'm the biggest nerd, but this is amazing! Anyhow, just wanted to share.

To see the actual article, click below:

MICHAEL JACKSON Rest In Peace

MERRY HALF CHRISTMAS!!!

Today is one of my favorite days of the year! The only thing that could make it better would be if I was off from school, but alas, the world has yet to adopt half-Christmas! That won't stop Keith and I! We've got our tree up (we trimmed it last night), the stove is fired up for our feast and the Evites have gone out for tonight's HALF CHRISTMAS "OFFICE" PARTY! We will start off with our traditional viewing of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and then we will have a marathon of the office (which is my favorite TV show). Great fun will be had by one and all! Gotta run, my macaroni and cheese is ready! Seasons Greetings!

Enjoy this holiday clip!

My Ode to Nina Simone: Free Download

Ask just about any female eclectic soul singer who they are inspired by, and they are almost sure to mention Nina Simone. There is no question that she has one of the most fearless and iconic voices and presences to grace black music. This is why I decided to cover her song "Be my Husband". What I appreciated most about this song was that she was able to convey her strength and vulnerability simultaneously. Not to mention, can we just have a moment of silence for her fabulous sense of style! That woman was too much! So Nina this is for you!

Thanks to Honey Soul Magazine for helping to share this song to others. To get the free download, go to:

www.honeysoul.com
http://www.honeysoul.com/wp/2009/06/joy-jones-covers-nina-simone-free-download/


Enjoy!

The Scientific Artist - The Artistic Scientist

Emilie Faif is an artist and visual designer who makes incredible stuffed art that makes me smile. This is my favorite piece from of hers! I am all about the intersections on art and science. In fact who said that they should be separate genres? I think that they should just be part of one long continuum. ya dig? Anyhow, since taking my finals yesterday I have much more time for philosophical thought! lol! Let the blogging begin!

Joy: Maker of Fine Films!

So Keith and I shot the footage for the single, Promised Land, coming on my debut album GODCHILD! Let me tell you, it was no small feat! The concept was loosely based on that dude that was in the news last year for tying tons of balloons to a lawn chair and taking flight. I thought that was the best idea ever! So we got about 80 balloons and headed to the beach. I can't wait for you all to see it. We shot it on film, which is being processed as we speak, I hope it comes out well. No fear, I will post it as soon as it is done. Until then, enjoy the clip of the film's inspiration below. Up, up and away!

Kehinde Wiley is Bonkers with the Art!

So I have been following Kehinde Wiley since my boy Ali Evans, from the Studio Museum in Harlem, put me up on him. Up until last week, I had only seen his work online and in books. I've always appreciated the portrayal of young black men represented as renaissance royalty. Something about it warmed my heart and really captured the beauty and strength of my folks. Then last week, my artsy fartsy friends and I swooped in on the Roberts & Tilton Gallery (http://www.robertsandtilton.com/) in Culver City, CA to see Kehinde's art, up close and personal. First of all, not only is it even more stunning in person, but the pieces are massive. Like mural size! I wasn't ready for the scale of the art, but it only added to the grandiosity that is Kehinde and his work. This particular exhibit was entitled The World State, and in this third installment which has also covered West Africa and China) he plays artist/anthropologist and takes us with his to Brazil. The colors are incredible and if I win the lottery I am buying on of those pieces, for sure! If you are in LA, please don't miss a chance to check out his work before the end of May. Did I mention that he is originally from LA, maybe that is why he is so dope! (smiles)

Triathlon Here I Come!

As you may remember, one of my resolutions this year was to participate in a triathlon. Well, good people, I officially got my bike today and I don't know what to do with myself! I feel so doggone official. Let me just say that financially this triathlon business is not for the faint of heart. You have to buy shoes, a good bike, an outfit, helmet, wetsuit, goggles and it just seems like the list never ends. My hope is that I will become addicted to it and that this will just be the first of many! Wait til you see the helmet I want, it is uber-chic, and screams "get outta my way, suckas!", lol! I think it might make me look a little like the predator with my locs and whatnot, but I guess that will just make me all the more intimidating in the race! gotta love it! I'll keep you posted

The Break/s: A Mixtape for Stage

Saw a great play the other night at the REDCAT theater downtown LA. It was called "The Breaks: A Mixtape for Stage". The artist was Marc Bamuthi Joseph and it was a performance piece exploring hip-hop through personal memories of travel, relationships and introspection. As an anthropologist, I really enjoyed the cultural reflections and he was so physical. i felt like he never stopped moving, which kept me engaged for the full hour. I plan to make more time to do things like spend an evening at the theater. Yeah, yeah, I have a billion things to do, but life is all about balance, isn't it!

Feliz Sabado! Happy Sabbath to one and all!

It's a beautiful Sabbath in Los Angeles and I am on my way to the park to have lunch with some friends!
I am glad that it has gotten warmer and I have the time to sit and enjoy it. I feel so blessed!

Winter Music Conference!

Ok, I know I am hecka late, but I just need to say that WMC was the absolute best! First of all, it is funny how you have no idea of how badly you need a vacation, until you are on the beach in Miami and can't think of a single thing that you need to be doing at the moment! (gotta love it). But trust, this was still a working vacation, and the Future Soul Record/Love Jones Recordings family definitely put in work. We played at the Giant Step Sunset Soiree, along side Duplaix, Anjulie, Wayna, Rye Rye and K'Naan! It was nice to be in such good company. Then we went to the Raw Fusion party and did a PA with Daz-I-Kue (clearly the hardest working DJ on the planet). That was my favorite because it felt like an old school house party. It was hot and dark and loud. Folks were dancin and singing and just having a fabulous time.

I met some fab folk at WMC, including DJ Junior (it was my first time meeting him in person although we have talked often on the phone), Taylor McFerrin (solid folk), Cecilia Stalin (my new dance partner...look out Taylor, we are comin for ya), DJ Simbad, DJ Dhundee, OP!, Kissey Asplund, the Giant Step Crew, the BagPak Crew, DJ Stylus and the entire DC Crew, the ATL massive, the Detroit folks, Europe massive and too many people to name, but really solid folk.

As a side note, your girl won best dressed on WMC and had some of the hottest tracks/set of the event, according to Fusicology and other WMC blog sites. I am so glad that I went and I cannot wait to go back next year once the album has actually dropped!
Bring on the tours! I'm ready to see the world! Let the movement begin!

presence.

today's post is all about presence. you know, that enigmatic "it" quality that silently commands respect and attention. some say you are born with it, but i think that it can be acquired. in my opinion, the only difference between the haves and the have nots, is self-confidence. when you are confident, you don't have to try so hard. you are just fabulous. most of us have glimpses of this power, but never seem to harness it. you know, you get a new outfit, you just had a big accomplishment or something, and next thing you know, you are walking a little straighter with a touch of swagger in your step. perhaps, if we do little things to make ourselves feel fabulous, we can have this feeling all of the time. tell your self that you are beautiful. take yourself to dinner. get a pedicure. have some pictures taken of yourself. go to the MAC cosmetic counter and get a full makeover. whatever it takes, but i promise, if you take care of yourself, you will wake up one day and say to yourself...self, look at you and how far you have come. this week i got some lash extensions, and i must say, i am cute. the day i got them, i was like, i can't be stopped. folks were looking at me differently and interacting with me differently. not just because i was so cute, though i was, but because i felt good about myself, and ain't nothin sexier than that!

World on Wheels

I missed a skate party last night and I am so sad that I did (Happy B-day Jessica). Now, I have the flattest feet on the planet, so I can only skate for about 7 minutes before I am in pain, but I remember those as being the best 7 minutes ever. There used to be this place that we used to go to as kids, called World on Wheels. It seemed like everyone wanted to have their birthday parties at that spot! We would sit on the side (because my 7 minutes was up) and pick out a cute guy and watch him go round and round, daring somebody to go bump into him. Those were the days. I think they shut World on Wheels down because folks were gettin shot (man, we can't have nothin') but the memories will live on! Good thing we still have that dude at Venice beach who rides around with his ghetto blaster and shiny suits, lookin like Bootsy Collins! Long live that dude as well for keeping the lost art alive (although I think he's on some kinda illegal substance)...oh well, details. bye for now

T I M E L E S S : A SUITE FOR MA DUKES

So, it is 12:46 am and we just walked in from an incredible night at the Luckman Theater in LA. We saw a 40 piece orchestra, under the direction of uber-hip conductor, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, do a symphonic tribute to J-Dilla and his work. It was amazing! The place was packed and the arrangements were so fabulous that words could not describe how beautiful they were! Halfway through the show I found myself thinking, "Self, you are part of a beautiful collective moment"! The work was called, "A Suite of Ma Dukes", Dilla's mother. Ma Dukes was not only in the house, but sitting a few seat away from me. We spoke briefly at the intermission and she gave me a big hug. I asked her how she was feeling about seeing her son's work like this. She said, "This is an historic moment. This is something that we never get to see and I am completely overwhelmed by the amount of love that I feel from this work and everyone here". It is true, that we rarely see the art form of hip-hop "elevated" to the orchestral level, but hearing Dilla's work portrayed this way made so much sense...probably because his music was so melodic. Some of hip-hops luminaries came out to be a part of the event as well. Common, Posdenous (De La Soul), Dwele, Bilal, Illa J, J*Davey, Amp Fiddler, Shafiq Husayn (Sa-Ra), Kareem Riggins and Talib Kweli all made surprise cameos which only made the night more stellar! ZEven better, almost everyone signed my poster of the event! There is one last event in this trilogy of events in honor of Dilla and I suggest that if you are in town, that you come out and support. For more info visit: www.artdontsleep.org.

Entropy- A Measure of K-OS

I think that K-OS and I are kindred, some way, some how. From the time he stepped on the scene, i felt like we shared some strange wavelength. Like he was my long lost twin. Maybe more like an older brother. I appreciate that he seems to cut his own path and puts love into his every creative expression. It is clear to me that his strategy is very thought out without coming off contrived. His videos are the best and his music makes me smile and dance. Here is a fun one that I thought I would share. (This song is great to get dressed to in the morning!)

Oh Sesame Street! Such Good times!

What better way to start the week, but with a lil bit of Sesame Street! Oh, the memories. Waking up at 7 am, dancing along with fluffy friends with no noses (many without blinking mechanisms). There was even the occasional celebrity sighting (They obviously threw that in for the adults, because there is no reason that I should have known who Richard Pryor was when I was 3 years old)! Anywho, here is a blast from the past. Feel free to share your favorite Sesame Street memory with me!

sidenote: Is it just me, or does something seem very Rated R about Richard Pryor's alphabet. Like, I know it is just letter, but I feel like he's about to cuss or something! (lol!)

Undone by An Okra!

So, last night at 11:35 pm, while i was minding my own business in the produce aisle of my friendly neighborhood Ralph's market, I was attacked. Not by man. No, not even by beast, I was humbled by a mere okra. How can that be Joy? (you ask, feigning interest). Well, it happened like this. I was walking by the brown onions, thinking to my self "self, you should get some strawberries so that you can make gingered berre-aaaaaayyyy". That's when it happened. In a flash, the okra had planted itself under my left foot and took me down in one fell swoop. My first thought was "Ow! Tha hurts?" My second thought was " oh know, this fall has been immortalized in Ralph's store camera memory for ever. " I looked down and saw a green streak left behind of the kamikazi okra that gave its life to destroy me. My husband helped me up (and didn't laugh, which really impressed me because if i didn't hurt so much I would have laughed at myself).  To make matters worse, the manager brought me a motorized shopping cart to roll around in and complete my shopping. I could figure out the controls, I nearly ran into the fresh egg display...it was a bad bad scene. Several hours later, after I left the emergency room for a wrist and ankle sprain, heavily sedated from ibuprofen and fatigue I thought to myself, if my life were a movie, it would be a comedy. Moments like this remind us not to take ourselves too seriously and to know that you will never be so great that you cannot be taken down, by an okra!

Viva Frida!

It is not so secret that I love Frida Kahlo. It was not just her artistry that captivates me, but it was her unapologetic living. Her life was no authentic and because of her candid nature, she was able to open our eyes to her innermost feelings. I strive to do this not only in my music, but in my everyday walk. It is hard to not use others as a measuring stick, to not conform or shrink to make others more comfortable (in the words of Mandela). The beauty of it all is that her life shows us that it is not easy, but that it is worth in, both in the quality of life and in the legacy left. Viva Frida!

all hail the chief!

what an amazing day! I cannot believe that after all that this country has been through, that we have arrived at the day when we would have a black president. i remember talking to my grandfather, who passed away about a month ago at 96 years old, and telling him all about PRESIDENT OBAMA. "you mean to tell me, there is a colored man running for president?" he asked, and then he rubbed his ears just to make sure that he heard me correctly. here, a man who lived through the segregation, the tulsa riots and was a trailblazer in his own right in so many ways, was able to see the face of a black man who today assumed the highest position in our country and is sure to impact the entire world. 

you might be wondering why i choose this particular picture of PRESIDENT OBAMA to post. it is because it is a snapshot of just an ordinary man who has know idea of what the future holds for him. he is just in the moment, living his life, doing the best he can, not knowing how his life is being divinely orchestrated for something so much bigger than his mind could ever conceive. that gives me hope. hope that as lofty as some of my dreams may seem and as far short as i fall from time to time, what GOD has for me is for me and nobody can do anything about it...and that is a beautiful thing.

MLK Bay-bay!

in honor of the great Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  i will officially announce my top 10 personal dreams for 2009. Here we go.

1. i hope to create 7 short films

2. my album GODCHILD will come out and be fabulous

3. i will do a mini-triathalon (the reference to "mini" is up to my discretion!lol)

4. i will use the mixer my mother-in-law got me to make fabulous butterflake rolls

5. i will get my sewing machine out of storage and make at least 1 thing

6. i will visit new york

7. i will take an international trip (i am sooooo overdue)

8. i will invent something

9. i will learn conversational arabic or tongan

10. i will love, live and laugh as much as is humanly possible

Thanks to Dr. King for helping to make it possible for little brown girls, like me, to feel like anything is possible!