INCREASE-DECREASE

Today we went to see the great blues legend, Olu Dara. Some may know him as Nas’s father, but beyond that, he is a monumental figure in music history, and one that should be praised regardless of the fame of his son.

Anyway, at the concert I heard some amazing stories, and learned some valuable lessons, that I like to call “Olu-isms.”

1) “Dont worry about a woman’s hips, look at her lips. A woman’s hips will always change, but her lips will stay the same!”

2) Olu, about racing Wilma Rudolph in college, ” By the time I made it to the football field, she was already there eating a green apple! Shortly after I found out, she was the fastest woman IN THE WORLD!”

3) How Olu introduces himself to women, “Hey sugar. You not one of my daughters are ya? ‘Cause ya never know! Just in case, tell your mother I still think about her.”

4) Olu about coming to New York, “I wanted to go somewhere where I wasn’t the only Black in the band. So I figured either Chicago, or New York.”

5) On James Brown, “So, James Brown was performing and I had a little vial with me and I scooped the sweat off his left breast! I saved it, and told my wife that one day there was gonna be something called D-N-A.”

6) “I’ll take you home. But I wont take no highway. I’ll take you through the wilderness.”

7) The most important, “Okra and green peanuts, makes a man strong, make him last all night long!”

Some pics from the event…

How excited we were to go!

Griffin and one of New York’s finest emcees Chen-Lo. This dude is incredible! It was good to see the young musicians come to celebrate the elders!

The man. Olu Dara.

By the way, he plays the horn…BIG TIME!