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He was one of the greatest blessings of my life, and also one of my greatest sources of pain.
My mom was born Carolyn Elaine Bright.
My imagination is my gift, and when it merges with my work ethic, I can make money rain from the heavens.
“Never argue with a fool, because from a distance, people can’t tell who’s who.”
Sharan Seetharam liked this
my childhood I had an imaginary friend named Magicker.
What kind of kid stays in bed while his grandmother has to fight monsters in a graveyard at midnight?
Lover Boy.” That was her nickname for me.
Gigi didn’t make a distinction between your burdens and her own. She truly believed the message of the Gospel. She saw loving and serving others not as a responsibility but as an honor.
He instilled in me an ethic that “It’s better to die than to quit.”
My mother: education. She believed that knowledge was the irrevocable key to a successful life.
Gigi: love (God). Whereas I tried to please my mother and father so I wouldn’t get into trouble, I wanted to please Gigi so that I could bathe in that transcendent ecstasy of divine love.
These three ideas—discipline, education, and love—would fight for my attention throughout the rest of my life.
“The Shadow of Your Smile,”
Psychologists have written about how our relationship with our parents in childhood and early adolescence creates our “map” for understanding love in adulthood.
To me, love was a performance, so if you weren’t clapping, I was failing. To succeed in love, the ones you care for must constantly applaud. Spoiler alert: This is not a way to have healthy relationships.
my first hit single, “Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble,”
Be sure you are using your gifts to uplift others.
“It is better to be a warrior in a garden, than a gardener in a war.”
We never really talked about it, never really made it official, but that wild November night in Judy Stewart’s basement, he became my DJ, and I became his rapper. From then on, we were DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, just two kids from West Philly—partners, friends, brothers.
no one can accurately predict the future, but we all think we can.
certainly we’ll hold a spot for him. If his album doesn’t work out, he can attend next year. That’s no problem.”
“And we’re back, with the ‘Power 9 at 9’ Countdown! Tonight, we have a newcomer to the countdown
It was my voice. That was me. On the radio. Me. My rhymes. My voice! I wanted to call people, but I didn’t want to miss it.
famous rapper, a Grammy Award winner, and a Freshly minted millionaire (pun intended).
be nice to everybody you pass on your way up, coz you just might have to pass them again on your way down.
We got paid to laugh, joke, play, create, debate, grow, and love on each other.
Sheree loved to cook and feed people—she was the only person I’d ever met who could turn scraps into a delicious feast the way Gigi could.
My definition of love was protection and provision, securing the family’s physical and financial future.
maybe one day you’ll be worth something,” I said, slamming down the phone.
