What happens while you're busy making other plans: July 2012

Rise up this mornin',
Smiled with the risin' sun,
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin' sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin', ("This is my message to you-ou-ou:") - Bob Marley
Actually, that's not how my morning started. I woke up to a tweet, though not of the bird-type, from @Elv8scott, the founder of Official Global Attack Mixtape Series. It's the morning after my deadline for "Grammy Bound With You" and I'm feeling a little bittersweet already. Though I didn't reach my goal of $65,000, I did receive over $2,400 in donations through the site and even more in cash/ check donations. I woke up feeling grateful and anxious to take the next steps towards my dream.
Before I even got up to brush my teeth, I looked at my phone and found the following tweet from "Elevated Scott,"

‏@ELv8scott

@KFHox You do realize average record label spends about 250,000 dollars behind a record to push for a Grammy. #justsayin#wishfulthinking

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It was a low blow to receive as the first thing to look at the day after making some great strides towards my dream. I sat there for a moment, wiping the sleep from my eye, thinking of the best way to respond...or if I should respond at all. For the sake of time, I'll leave out the commentary for now and just re-trace the conversation as it took place:

‏@ELv8scott

@KFHox HAHAHAHAHAHAAH YOU HAVE ALL THE RIGHT ANSWERS DONT YOU?

‏@KFHox

@ELv8scott I don't have all the right answers, but I'm willing to make mistakes till I get to them.

‏@ELv8scott

@KFHox hahahah

And I guess he must have deleted the conversation since I can't pull it up on twitter, but luckily I took a screen shot of the conversation so I have it documented:

@ELv8scott: @KFHox well ur gonna be stuck in that box until u surround yourself w the right ppl and not ppl just attempting to go through the motions

‏@KFHox

@ELv8scott Again, thanks for the info. I agree, but understand I'm not "stuck" around anyone. I choose the people I surround myself with.

@ELv8scott: DOWN WIT BROWN ALL DAY SE HOW FAR THOSE PPL GET YOU*
(*the spelling errors are his, copied verbatim from his tweet)

I'm not a woman who's easily taken out of character, but this last tweet pushed me over the edge. As Kanye once notably said, "Racism's still alive, they just be concealin' it." And by deleting his tweets, this is @ELv8scott's way of concealing his BLATANT racism.
As an independent, up-and-coming artist, I understand that my response to this does not come without repercussions, but I know who I am, what I represent, WHO I represent, and what I want to do with my platform within the music industry. For this reason, I am COMPELLED to respond to these tweets and spread the word about @ELv8scott's position on "Brown People," as he would refer to them.
Truth be told. this is NOT my first interaction with him, that has echoed these RACIST undertones. It started back in April after I met him and his GIRLFRIEND at an event he invited me to in the city. I attended, along with the director of my video, Rodolfo Duran and his assistant, Sha-la Hollis, of DoneRightDigital.com, very talented young men making strides themselves within the production side of the entertainment industry. Shortly after meeting him in person for the first time, along with his girlfriend, I received the following correspondence via Facebook:

- April 27
  Elevated Scott
  we should hangout sometime soon...
April 27
Kathryn F Hoxie
I'm in OD grind mode, but definitely keep me posted. Would love to link up and talk shop. As I told you before, I'm always up to support your movement. I stand behind your grind and your dedication to help artists on their path. You'll surely be blessed by all that you're doing.
April 27
Elevated Scott
yea im talking more personal than biz

but either or would be great
April 27
Kathryn F Hoxie
To be honest, I'm 100% business at this point. The task at hand allows for nothing less, but I'm flattered and I'm definitely down to help however I can.
April 27
Elevated Scott
no doubt

April 27
Elevated Scott
Well keep doing your thing

It seemed like it was no big deal and that he respected the fact that I'm working day and night to make things happen for myself. I didn't bother to ask about his girlfriend that he introduced me to at this his event, www.mixtapeseries.com Launch Party.
A short while later, I started receiving tweets (PUBLIC tweets, not DM's) that began to demonstrate his feelings about me being "Down With Brown:"

‏@ELv8scott

I have figured it out. @KFHox will not entertain a date cause shes only dates black dudes? lol jk

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‏@KFHox

@ELv8scott I don't base relationships on color. I believe in one race...the #human race. I base relationships on character and chemistry.

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‏@ELv8scott

@KFHox hahaha no doubt

View conversation

‏@ELv8scott

@KFHox So i guess that answered that question pretty clear...#downwithbrown

View conversation

26 Jun

‏@KFHox

@ELv8scott you missed the point.

View conversation

Reply

el

I had originally brushed off this past correspondence as I figured it was attributed to a bruised male ego. I let it go in hopes that it was nothing more than that, but even as I received those tweets, I could feel myself growing tense and uncomfortable about the correspondence between us. I figured, if anything, the tweets were public so if anyone questioned where I stood, the proof was right there in plain sight. But now today, as I re-trace our conversations and look for the documentation, I realize that he second-guessed his words...words that he PUBLICLY tweeted to all 57,218 of his Twitter followers...that have since been deleted.

Understand the great significance of his stance on RACE within his position in the music industry. He is the FOUNDER of Global Attack Mix Tapes. When you think about the irony of his stance on race in dichotomy with his business in music, it's ASTOUNDING. The same MAJORITY of people who are featured ON his mixtapes and download/ purchase his products are the same demographic that he is putting down in his tweets to me!

I learned something important from the legendary HIV/ AIDS activist, Maria Davis ("Cant' Be Silenced"), who re-affirms my notion that as an artist (and any person with any kind of notoriety or celebrity for that matter), has an OPPORTUNITY and RESPONSIBILITY to say something...something important, something positive. As up-and-coming leaders in the music industry, it's our BLESSING to be in a position to have a platform. Today, I'm using my platform to say that RACISM is WRONG...it is not and will not be tolerated by me or anyone that's part of my movement. I believe that we can all do much more together than we can on our own and that creating divisions in people only brings us further apart. One of the main reasons I want to make it in music industry so badly and work towards it relentlessly everyday is because I recognize the opportunity that music creates. I want to do the most amount of good with my time here on earth and music is my vehicle to do that. I want to UNIFY people with music and music is the only thing in the world that truly has that capability like nothing else really does.

So when someone steps to me about being "Down With Brown," I MUST respond in like by saying that I'm down with EVERYONE regardless of race, creed, age, income...whatever...we are BORN this way and I am unapologetic about the color of my skin or anyone else's. At the end of the day, we all breathe the same air, walk the same earth, and no one makes it out alive. I walk by faith everyday as I fight to make a name for myself and my music and I refuse to be silenced about the people who support me, love me, encourage me, and help me get to the place where they believe I belong, which is all the way at the top in the music industry. My dream is no longer about me anymore...I owe it to every single person that has joined me on my journey...and ‏can see where those people get me. *kfh ox*

What happens while you're busy making other plans

Friday, July 6, 2012

"Down With Brown:" A Response To Elevated Scott