Month: April 2019

Beyoncé and Kirk Franklin: Two Performers on Opposite Ends of the Game who Know Something About Turning-up the Heat on their Dreams

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It’s been only a few days since Easter and the temperature is already turnt-up. Not so much the air outside but the buzz around town and on social media after Beyoncé pulled another surprise album drop. This time it’s a ‘live’ recording from her recent Coachella Festival concert set, with a remix on a classic.

Her version of the old Frankie Beverly & Maze track ‘Before I let go’ is setting records and exciting fans. She even caused another ‘breaking of the Internet’ with dance challenge videos to the track. Then as if to follow that with even more madness, her Lemonade album is now streaming worldwide on all platforms.

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That’s the story from the R&B/Pop side of the game. And then there’s Kirk Franklin who’s going from the studio to the road with his 13th album along with a U.S. concert tour. He’s already made waves and set records as a gospel artist. He’s even got Amazon’s ‘Alexa’ on the case to help bump his streams.

Beyoncé and Franklin are two performers on opposite ends of the game who know something about turning-up the heat on their dreams. Since Bey had to skip her previous Coachella performance the year before due to the ‘baby bump’ many were looking forward to her bringing a world-class stage show.

She’s the first black female artist to headline the event. Franklin’s the first gospel artist to have a music video on MTV. Their journeys have had bumps in the road where they reinvented themselves a time or two. Their performance side is lit, their biz side is legit, having taken their dreams through the phases of:

  1. Formation

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One takeway from the Homecoming show on Netflix is that Bey handles the details from the creative to the expressive sides of her performances. As an artist, she’s thinking about her craft in the band as much as she’s thinking about herself as a brand in taking her dream from conception to mass distribution.

  1. Resolution

There’re probably three key times in the year when people use the calendar to help propel their dreams or other social agenda. Whether it’s because the ‘new-year rush’ is over or the career thrill is gone, people will use Spring time or early Fall to make a kind of dream resolution for taking things up a notch.

  1. Correction

Most dreams go though an ‘up and up’ phase in building clout. Then something happens that becomes a setback or shift in strategy. Beyoncé and Franklin have had moments where the business caused them to make adjustments or life caused their dreams to make slight course corrections as planes do on autopilot.

  1. Appreciation

It took three years for Beyoncé’s decision on releasing the Lemonade album to all streaming platforms. This will give fans a greater appreciation for her work. Not as if the Beyhive wasn’t already on board with her music archive. But fan appreciation is sort of the best ‘tell’ of the impact of someone’s dream work.

Sometimes a dream takes a while to come into formation or full view. Other times it happens right before our eyes as we’ve seen with these two artists. To fans, Bey is like an angel and they show her major appreciation. While Franklin wants his dream to be like a gospel soldier for the ‘MHG – Most High God.’

Tip: Sometimes a dream takes a while to come into formation or full view. But when it takes off it goes from conception to fan appreciation.

Talkback: What’s the difference between a fan club and the Beyhive?

Tracks: Shaggy ft Rayvon – Angel – https://youtu.be/XWJrPzAUzAs

Destiny’s Child  – Soldier – https://youtu.be/qFJ3VKnwmJw

Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union Show How the Grind is More than Just Make a Living Because of What Hustle-Love Can Do

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The regular NBA season is about to end. Some fans are getting ready for the game to go to the next level. The playoffs start in a few days and sports commentators are busy ranking a team’s chances to win it all. It’s the first in a long time that Lebron James will be missing and watching from the sidelines.

Another streak that‘s about to end is Dwyane Wade’s NBA career. He’s played for 16 seasons during which he’s won championship trophies, MVP awards and scoring titles. Wade’s been savoring the moment with his ‘One Last Dance’ tour in NBA cities, swapping jerseys with other players along the way.

Wade has become an icon to many for his hustle-love on and off the court. He’s been teaming-up with his wife Gabrielle Union in doing more than just the grind but also encouraging us to be who we were meant to be. They’re parents of a new girl born by surrogate that’s been its own life-giving story.

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As Wade’s career takes a shift, Union is charting new ground in her career as a judge on America’s Got Talent. They’re both seen in TV commercials pushing each other on the treadmill but maybe even more importantly, inspiring us to grow in mind, body and spirit. They’re good examples of life beyond the grind.

Wade’s personal and professional journey is seen in a special video that is a big tear-jerker. He’s thanked by five people with their appreciation for what he’s meant in their lives. In the video we learn how Wade sees the game, the grind and the gift for making a difference. His hustle-love has been driven by:

  1. Pain

The story behind the man is heard from his mom. She remembers falling short in caring for him due to her own substance abuse challenges. But when Wade showed love to her even then, she saw him as more than a son. Hustle-love can turn pain into gain, into something that’s paying or even a payback.

  1. Project

He didn’t go to school to become a fashion designer, but he’s caught the ‘style and fashion’ bug. His line of socks is sold through Amazon. It’s something he began as a side project. His hustle-love on the court is seen in game-winning shots. But hustle-love is also in learning something you didn’t go to school for.

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  1. Passion

Wade’s not sure what’s next after basketball. He’ll likely pitch products beyond his sneaker line. If socks became his passion project, then wine testing is becoming a possible business passion. He says there’s something about the feeling around the ‘wine & dine’ experience with others that gets his juices flowing.

  1. Purpose

He knows things could have gone differently as a child. There were times of lack and lost opportunity. But people gave him a helping hand and he wants to do the same. That came through in the video for how he’s fulfilling his purpose. Hustle-love through purpose means ‘hustle & love’ to serve the people.

During the last week of the season fans came out to show love. Union defended him against those wanting to dim his shine. NBA coach Gregg Popovich said Wade’s hustle-love is bigger than the game of basketball. And President Obama put in a word saying “Wade’s done us proud” grinding all his life.

Tip: Showing up for work is more than just making a living. It’s bringing hustle-love through the pain in a project or where passion can serve a larger purpose.

Talkback: How has Wade changed the game after teaming-up with Lebron and Bosh?

Tracks: Nipsy Hussle – Grinding All My Life – https://youtu.be/nHLKEHnfo9c

Ne-Yo – Champagne Life – https://youtu.be/gqayCgvI_uI

Steph Curry and Tiffany Haddish on Turning Good Breaks into Dance Shakes While Keeping Their Game On High Performance

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The NCAA Final Four teams are set with a few one-seed upsets. The two Carolina teams Duke & UNC are out of the dance. Virginia is still in the mix while Texas Tech beat west coast favorite Gonzaga to reach the Final Four for the first time. For die-hard fans, some of those games were hard to watch.

Another North Carolina boy has his eyes set on a different upcoming series. Steph Curry is gearing up for the big push of the NBA playoffs. He’s been on a run lately that is simply other-worldly. Meantime, Tiffany Haddish is trying to reset her comedy game after a New Year’s Eve show that went off the rails.

They know something about turning good breaks into dance shakes. You see it when Curry runs a fast break or hits a 3-point shot so far out he might as well have taken it from the parking lot. Haddish does her dance shake when she pinches herself and realizes the path taken to becoming a hit in Hollywood.

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Curry says he’s still working on some things in his game. That’s why when he named his top-5 NBA players in the past 20 years, he says his name wasn’t on the list because he’s still a work in progress.  Haddish says she learned the reason why her show bombed. She partied too much the night before.

What drives them is the stuff they’re doing to make their game and life story come alive even more. Curry remembers times when people said he was overrated. He puts in the work to silence the doubters. Haddish says she’s back to doing comedy right. They’re keeping their game on high because of the:

  1. Dream

Your dream is deeply-rooted in some inner vision for your best self or is connected to someone else’s dream for a better product, service or world. Curry’s dream probably came from watching his dad play ball in the NBA. As a kid, he’d be on the court learning the plays of the game and the tricks of the trade.

  1. Flow

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When you watch Haddish she seems like a boundless flow of energy. When you watch Curry, he’s just hitting shots in the flow. Everybody’s got their own flow. But one reason why fans might attend their games or stand-up comedy shows is to experience and enjoy the magic of their flow.

  1. Brand

Curry started his own production company to work on other projects that help fulfill his true calling and broader purpose. What he does in the game is good for scoring points and celebrating championships. What he’s doing off the court is good for building his brand and defining his life’s work.

  1. Destiny

Usually in the professional game folks are driven by something to prove. Maybe Curry felt doubted and had to prove he’s got game. Maybe Haddish felt slighted as a child and had to prove that ‘she ready.’ But even beyond having to prove to others in the game, is their hope to fulfill their destiny.

Once the NCAA tournament is done the NBA playoffs begin. Curry’s looking to do something not done since Kobe Bryant and the Lakers with a three-peat. Haddish is working on her stand-up game for Netflix projects. They keep performance on high, driven by the dream, flow, brand and destiny ‘cause they’ll be around.

Tip: Great achievers keep performance on high, because of the dream, flow, brand and fulfilling their destiny.

Talkback: Who you’ve got for taking the crown at the NCAA Big Dance?

Tracks: Cee-lo ft Timbaland – I’ll be Around – https://youtu.be/TatmBrl8Y28

T.I. ft Chris Brown – Get Back Up – https://youtu.be/B9qZz-m6BL4