Madness ! ! ! ! !

D-Natural "Madness" >> http://artisticvisionzproductions.bandcamp.com/track/madness


What's up yall ? ! ?

It's yours truly D-Natural , back with another installment of this blog mines ! ! As usual, I've stayed on the grind and have recently had a huge surge of creative energy ! ! ! I've decided to dismantle my Poetic Soul EP , opting instead to release a few singles from that project seperately , while throwing the rest from that period in my vault . I've been thinking of things a lil bit differently now and have gone through some changes lately . This has me desiring a new approach to what I'm going to release at the beginning of this year . Don't worry though , you will see a Poetic Soul EP surface among the handful of complete projects I'll be releasing this year ! It's just right now I just feel like creating new things and releasing brand new things ! ! It's like I feel I have to keep up with my ever evolving sound ! That's the only way I'll write the best songs for myself as an artist, giving you the most accurate pieces of me ! I like to call my solo singles appetizers, because they are designed to keep you happy until I hit you with the full course !

Fortunately, as taste of things to come, we are gonna kick off some of my new solo material with my brand new single "Madness" . It's my very first release via the very awesome Bandcamp website ! In "Madness" , you find me getting my thoughts off my chest of how people and certain things in life annoy the hell outta me . When you have a mission and a goal in life to fulfil, one like me just desires to just grind without the drama of haters and other fools . But hey that's life, and even though they can be fustrating, you need such challenges so show your potential and allow you to grow. I simple give my response to such matters in my song here . I hope everyone enjoys it and if it's something you think you might wanna bump in your whip or your iPod, I encourage you to download  it for a recession-friendly price of 50 cents ! Your investment will be well appreciated ! Starving artist like me, need the support of our fans to continue to blossom so that we may continue to give you the great art you deserve .

Along with my new single "Madness", you can probably hear some brand new spanking beats I've recently released, on my widget player to the right of the page ! ! > > > >

These new tracks include "Sam" (named in honor of my dog Sam, who just passed after 18 long years of life!) "Simple" and "KeriKnowles" !

"Simple" and "KeriKnowles" were made after a friend of mines challenged me to make a some tracks in a certain amount of time . Since she was a fan of Beyonce and Keri Hilson, I decided to make a few joints in that type of vibe . .

As for other things, I've been working on more new beats/songs of course, more new poetry of course, new live video and other goodies I'm not goin to expound on right this moment . Just know I'm working, and now as you can see, I'm ready to start delivering ! !

Sam

I would like to dedicated this blog post to our beloved family dog Sam, who has finally gotten his wings after an amazing 18 years of life ! I took this photo of Sam during Thankgiving weekend last Novemeber . Little did I know , that would be the last time I could visit my brother from another mother ! !

 My mother first got Sam for my stepfather, when I was in the 7th/8th grade ! ! I just turned 28 years old , on the 25th of this month ! Mom called me to report that Sam passed away the day after my birthday . This was a huge loss to my family . Your pets become like members of your family . He was with us for 18 strong ,wonderful years ! That's alot of history and memories with an animal !

We can can learn alot from them ! The unconditional love, respect, protection, and care they give you can never be matched . They accept you with all your flaws ! I will be writing a song about Sam and putting it on one of my albums this year ! In the meantime, I've named one of my new beats "Sam" in honor of him ! I think that beat gives a nod to the type of spirit and personality he had ! ! He will will be missed but not forgotten ! I'll play fetch with you again boy, when I get up there ! ! RIP little brother . . .

Til the next time, keep the faith, and keep chasing your dreams ! ! Peace and Love


D-Natural, AVP

D-Natural @ The Legendary Nuyorican Poet's Cafe, NY (Sept/2011) [HD]

What's up , what's up ?? ! !

Rockin the legendary stage at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe was unreal ! ! I had first learned about the place through watchin the movie "Pinero" that starred Benjamin Bratt ! I was so taken with Pinero's story and the history of the cafe that I wanted to know everything about them ! ! Last year my chance came to actually rock the stage ! You can read more about my time at the cafe and NY in my September/2011 post ! Until the next time . .

D-Natural, AVP

D-Natural on drums . . .

What's up everyone !

I recorded this video of myself performing my duties as a drummer ! This is from the Christmas Day service we had at my church . Look 4ward to sharing more videos just like this one here ! I really had fun getting down on this joint here ! Featured on keys is the legendary Norman Weeks ! Enjoy and stay tuned for more new music and poetry ! It's on for 2012 babe !

Until the next time, peace and love !

D-Natural, AVP

Happy New Year from D-Natural & Artistic Visionz ! ! !

Happy New Year ! ! !

Been BUSY in the lab writting new songs, creating new music, writting new poetry and handling the usual music biz details ! I'm back this time around with my newest poem I wrote a few weeks ago . I thought it would be cool to start off this year with the second version of a poem I wrote a few years ago. It's a poem describing my current state of mind . I wrote this very fast and furiously in the middle of the day, like the mad man I am . I ended up writing it in 3 small acts, which I've never done. But that's how it came out of me that day. Kinda shocked myself when it came out that way. But my mind is very complex, so I guess it was needed to describe how I was feeling at that moment . Well until my next post , Enjoy ! !

Mid Day Question ( My State of Mind Part 2)

By: D-Natural

ACT I

Feel me in my friend
What type of mood should I be in ?
It should be a good mood right ?
That is, should it be ?
While in my mind, clowns laugh uncontrollably
How can it be ?
On such a beautiful day
I'm alive, someone must have prayed
Cuz last night I misbehaved
And this morning continues the rave
wayyyy down, deep in my batcave
where my thoughts make me my own slave !
Oh Behave
Austin Powers
Outside I look fine, but inside my soul's tattered
I know I'm not ugly, but I still make the mirror shatter
Shards of glass scrape my conscious
Whats all the science behind this madness ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Or Can it be ?
My mind is blossoming beautifully
However, old habits die hard
Perhaps that's why I get cut by the glass shards
Fools walking around thinking they hard
Walk in my shoes, and if you can, you will be my rockstar
Time amazes me with it's illusion
It flirts with me, by showing me benefits of my wisdom
The very nature of my fighting stance
Allows me to defeat any foe that wants to dance
But yet I remain
Trapped in the middle of the day
Confused with my blues
Can't play a song, if the instruments out of tune
I am a baffled buffoon
But don't judge me dude
The Now has yielded me
New chances of mortality
Every breath gets thee
Closer to being wealthy
But is it riches I seek ?
Maybe I have them already
In my mind where clowns laugh uncontrollably

ACT II

My soul is my horse to ride
I'll create a beautiful life in each stride
Though current reality confuses my paradise
My lush life awaits me when the time is right
But yet, time is after all a trick
My day doesn't have to be like this !
Wake up every morning to drown in my own abyss
I admit, I am intrigued by the extacy of the Devil's kiss
How guilty must I feel to embrace the slightest of it
But I was born a warrior for this battle
And I love dancing to the music of the serpent's rattle
Riddle
Why do all the question continue to come, when I know the answers ? ? ? ? ?

ACT III

I sometimes seek guidance
Speaking in tongues through my pen as I write it
Inside the are all the bad urges, no matter how hard I try to fight it
Can't give in to all the sensation
The reward must be in my resilience
Can you detect my pain in all this ?
Can you read the confusion I feel, as I write this ?
Do you think God will still allow me mercy, but without the pity ?
Why must I feel this way ?
To have so many question in the middle of the day

Norman Weeks - I Love to Praise Him

Happy Holidays yall ! ! !

Above is the new single and video for my bandmate Norman Weeks ! Google and please check out his music ! ! I am featured playing drums on this song , in which we cut in th studio a few months back . .

Stay tuned for more new music/poetry on the next blog ! I hope everyone has a great holiday season ! I'll get back atcha very soon ! ! !

D-Natural , AVP

Mu$ic, New York, Redskins .......

What's up world ? ! It's your man D-Natural, checking in with the latest in this crazy adventure I call my life ! As we wrap up the month of September, I can reflect and say that this has truly been a very productive and inspiring month ! It was a month of expanding my Artistic Visionz brand to new territory ! It was a month of meeting beautiful new people ! It was a month of creation and hard labor in the studio !

We begin with my studio session for the legendary Norman Weeks . As you can see from my last blog post we had been rehearsing to go in and record the song for Norman's lead single off his upcoming album . It was alot of fun as it usually it with Mr. Weeks . I fell in love with the studio we were in and plan to record a ton of my music there beginning next year, including all the songs for my first official full length debut album titled " The Sigh of Relief LP " ! !

Along with recording with others, I took advantage of the break I had from school to record songs for my long overdue forthcoming EP "Poetic Soul" ! ! Gonna be shooting the music video for my first single off the EP called "Madness" very soon ! ! The album will be what I consider a short appetizer to everyone at 6 tracks . It's just a brief introduction into the world of D-Natural ! ! The albums that will follow will show more of my range as a music producer and artist ! ! Also I'll soon be rocking more open mics & other events around the DMV in efforts to promote my " Poetic Soul " EP while gearing up to release other projects as well as collaborations with other artist from all over . Recording and creating has been great lately ! ! Even wrote the lyrics for one the songs off my "Poetic Soul" EP while on the way back from New York City ! It was my first time in the big apple and I must say , I truly had a blast and came away inspired and more confident in my abilities ! !

New York was amazing ! I took this photo within the first hour after I arrived . As you can see toward the middle of the photo, people were protesting among the hundreds of people there about the justice system, Troy Davis and other things going on in society . Almost had the chance of doing a spontaneous performance later on that week for the Occupy Wall Street protest , but my homie Kilusan and I didn't quite get too with our schedule . Seeing all this reminded me of the similar protest that go on here in DC . I went up there in effort to support a great friend of mine, the very talented, Kilusan Bautista, as he performed an outstanding 3 day run of his one man play " Universal Filipino " at the legendary, the historic, Nuyorican Poets Cafe ! ! It was amazing building with brother Kilusan ! Seeing his grind as I assisted throughout the run of his play, truly inspired me . It passion for his art just moved so much ! ! I enjoyed meeting his family and many people that came to his performances ! ! Not to mention I got some dope pics of everything ! ! I had such a wonderful experience . Little did I know among the several blessings that happened to me while I was up there, that an opportunity for me D-Natural, to perform some my own art at the historic Nuyorican Poets Cafe would arise ! ! I had a blast as I shared the stage some incredible talent ! ! I do plan 2 be back there soon !

Kilusan Bautista, http://www.youtube.com/universalfilipino

Performing at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe was an amazing experience and I met some incredibly talented people !

Host/Poet Nathan Pearson

Poet Lyvonne "Proverbs" Briggs

Visual Artist Alicia C. Cobb, www.artsimplicated.com

Poet Jason " Phenix " Hall, http://www.reverbnation.com/phenixtheartist

Shanna T. Melton (www.PoeticSoulArts.com), Phenix and Proverbs

It was great to share the stage and getting to know Phenix, his sister Proverbs and another great poet/artist Ms. Shanna T. Melton at the event evening ! ! Please check them out ! ! I'm looking forward to building with them and so many others in the future ! !

While I was there, Phenix blessed me with a copy of his new album entitled "Yahweh's Paintbrush", which is nothing short of awesome ! !

Jason "Phenix" Hall, Yahweh's Paintbrush

New York was such an awesome experience and I hope to return soon and perform even more and see of the city ! To have my music and my poetry respected by everyone up there meant so much to me !

After the incredible month of September I just had, it's nice to start of the month of October with my Washington Redskins (3-1) off to a fantastic start ! ! ! We sure have been getting the job done on the field and I'm proud of my home team ! ! Hopefully the players will be able to get some derserved rest this upcoming week and continue the momentum as we go deeper into the season ! Somehow I don't think they will have a problem clipping the wings of the Eagles a little more the next game they play ! Hey, u heard it here first !! Go Skins !!

Until the next time everyone keep chasing your dreams & keep the faith ! Please be sure to check the next short blog after this one soon, for I will release a couple of beats out the vault ! I've been promising all my dope Twitter followrs (@ArtisticVisionz) I will release some new music until my "Poetic Soul" EP is finished ! ! So I will deliver as always ! Thx everyone sooooooooooo much for their support of this blog, D-Natural and the Artistic Visionz Productions brand ! ! You guys have no idea how much you the love and respect for what I do is felt ! ! ! Peace and Blessings . . .

D-Natural, AVP

Grinding in the key of D-Natural . . .

What's up world ? ! It's your man D-Natural 1nce again comin atcha with the latest of Artistic Visionz ! I know it's been awhile since my last post . As I've said b4, when ya don't find me bloggin, I must be hella busy & I am . . . . . .



Moca DC Art Gallery, Georgetown ( www.mocadc.org )

Let's begin by rewinding back to last weekend, where I headed to Georgetown to the beautiful MOCA DC art gallery for an awesome exhibit put on by my homie Darryl Bennett and his crew Tokyo 13 ! I had a great time and made some cool new friends ! I appreciate art & the people who create it . Some great art has inspired alot of my music .



Darryl Bennet ( www.tokyothirteenarts.com )



Darryl and I were talking about how it's crazy that it seems that the art and the music community don't connect more . It makes sense being that both musicians and artist create art and we should come together more often to have an even greater impact in the industry . Well I'm gonna be one of the cats to change that . Some things will be in the works with artist like Darryl to help further unite the art and music worlds . I've got some great ideas on some events I wanna do, so as usual I'll keep you guys updated ! The Moca DC art gallery was such a beautiful place and full of cool art . Not the mention the owner David Quammen is one cool cat ! It was great getting to know him and the history of the gallery . Who knows ? a D-Natural concert may just be here in the future . . Hmmmm . .

                                        

A couple of days later that Sunday, after rocking on stage at church as usual, I headed to rehearse with the DMV's legendary Norman Weeks. I'll be playing drums on his next single for his upcoming album ! ! It's always a pleasure to play with Mr. Weeks and it's been great having him as one of my mentors in the music business .  It was blast playing on his last album Norman's Dream . That happened to be my first time being credited as a session musician on another artist's album, so that was truly a great moment for my career . I look very much forward to recording on his next single for his new album and that it also will be made into a music video ! ! A cameo from D-Natural in the video ? Hmmmm . . We'll just have to see !




Norman Weeks ( http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/NormanWeeksandGrooveTyme )

 We all met of at this church around the corner from my house in Southeast, DC to rehearse . The other musicians were real cool guys and could really play ! It's fun to play with people that know what they are doing and know exactly how to groove . We are getting it in really funky on this this next single ! ! I can't wait to record it with them next month !

So after a weekend packed full of grinding and networking, I decided to kick this week off by heading downtown to finally catch the A Tribe Called Quest documentary movie, Beats, Rhymes and Life, which has been out for a minute now . Due to the fact that it's been doing really good in the theaters, it was still showing in my area ! I meant to see it earlier in the month when it first hit the theater but things got really busy for me . For all my A Tribe Called Quest fans and just fans of real hip hop period, you guys should definitely check it out . It was worth the wait. The E Street Cinema downtown is the only one still showing it in the DMV area so you gotta hurry !

A Tribe Called Quest taught me to much about hip hop and the directions that you can take with jazz . They have had such and influence on me as an artist and musician . If you have noticed, some of the title of this blog page is from the title of one of thier albums Beats, Rhymes, and Life . It was my way of paying homage to them and just real good music in general . It's also a phrase that desribes alot of what my Artistic Visionz Productions brand is about . Little did I know that they would title the movie of them with the same phrase as well . My favorite A Tribe Called Quest album has to be the Midnight Marauders joint ! I remember buying that joint on cassette tape back in the day . The film was cool in showing you the origins of the group and giving an up close and personal view into the lives of the members . I learned so much about hip hop as well as how the music business can tear even the best of friends apart behind the scenes . Hopefully the guys will give the world another album one day but if not, the groups contribution 2 music will be appreciated for generations to come .

As for your man here, I've been hanging in there . I'm still at work writing verses to the tracks I've made for my Poetic Soul EP, which will be the first album I release this year . With a heavy school work load , I've been getting kinda fustrated because I can't always record when I want . But just know that it will be out very soon and as I've said before, it will be worth the wait ! ! In the meantime , on my next blog I'll release some unreleased beats to keep yall ears satisfied until then so please stayed tuned ! As always, I appreciate my fans and everyone's constant suppport of what I'm doing . As you can see, I'm still everywhere as usual, making moves  . So just know that you man is getting it in and getting things done . Until the next time, keep the faith and keep chasing your dreams ! Peace & Blessings

D-Natural, AVP