The 10 Commandments of Music

While browsing through articles from a music digest I subscribe to, I came across this. I think it gives EXCELLENT advice for artists. To all my hyper-sensitive Christians, no, I don't find it blasphemous. It creatively makes 10 great points. :)

The 10 Commandments Of Music 2.0

1. Thou Shalt Not Worship False Prophets - Neither a record deal or auto-tune are your saviors.
   
   
2. Thou Shalt Worship Only One God - He (or she) is called The Fan.
   
   
3. Thou Shalt Giveaway Free Music - Like Jesus and the loaf of bread, give your flock a gift that multiplies as they pass it around.
   
   
4. Thou Shalt Not Steal - Borrowing a beat is one thing, but stealing…
   
   
5. Thou Shalt Blog - Your flock wants to know what you’re doing.
   
   
6. Thou Shalt Create Profiles - Wherever your flock may go, you must be there.
   
   
7. Thou Shalt Upload Photos - Staged, unstaged, backstage, from the stage and at every stage of a project.
   
   
8. Thou Shalt Upload Videos - Longs Ones. Shorts Ones. Tall ones…you get the idea.
   
   
9. Thou Shalt Share Thy Bounty. Share gigs. Share ideas. Share with your fans.
   
   
10. Do Unto Others As You Would Have Others Do Unto You - You meet the same people on the way down that you did on the way up.

By: Nis Bogvad

Take care!

Shanelle Gabriel

Get a free download of my remake of Drake's "Best I Ever Had" at www.shanellegabriel.com/music and http://shanellegabriel.bandcamp.com

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Original Article:
http://nisbogvad.wordpress.com/2009/07/06/the-10-commandments-of-music-2-0/

Free Download/ Listen to My Version of Drake's "Best I Ever Had"

Check out my new track. It's a remake of Drake's "Best I Ever Had." I'm trying to make you all replace his version with mine! Free download at http://shanellegabriel.bandcamp.com



Chorus:
I do a bit of everything
And all I ever wanted
Is to do it real big
Bigger than they've ever done it
Put y'all on to new stuff
One day y'all gon' thank me for it
I'ma last forever
I put blood and sweat and tears on it

Cause I hold it down
Every time I hit a note
And when I write, it's like my soul was in the middle of it
I bless the mic and ya gotta give it up
So you say the same thing every single time

You say, "Nell-E, you the best"
"Nell-E, you the best"
"Nell-E, you the best"
"Nell-E, you the best"
"Best I ever heard"
"Best I ever heard"
"Best I ever heard"
"Best I ever heard"

Superhead Movie: "Kiss and Tail- The Hollywood Jumpoff"

I'm actually interested in seeing this movie. Not for obvious reasons, but as a female in the entertainment industry, I am confronted with what some men consider "opportunities to get ahead," and I'm curious to know how a woman could utilize that to further her career.

I remember speaking to a well-known producer in the biz about how a certain R&B artist was known for sleeping her way to the top. I said, "That's terrible, and to me, it's an insult to my craft if I have to use sex to get ahead. My talent and personality should be enough." His response was, "Sis, you do what you have to do. I'm not saying I get down like that, but the way I see it, most women are gonna give it up to some broke dude in the hood that they happen to be dating or some cat that will only be in your life for 3 months. At least make who you have sex with count."

He was dead serious.

Makes sense? I guess. But for someone like me who WON'T give it up to some dude in the hood or some cat in my life for two seconds, this wouldn't apply to me. While many people know me for poetry, understand that I focused on my singing career way before Def Poetry Jam. I used to be the only female in all these studios, at the rap showcases, and with all these guys around. It took a while for me not to be surprised when guys who wanted me to sing a hook on a track switched it up to trying to get down. Once a guy introduced me to Sizzla as "Shanelle, she sings...oh and she's legal. *wink*"

I wish that things weren't that way, and that females can get a head not because they give it. The ones that do make it hard for the ladies like myself who are insulted when someone looks past their talent and sees them as just another chick to screw. Fellas, come on. At least let us RECORD something THEN talk about you and I. lol.

One thing that Karrine said that I agree with is that, "You can only sleep your way to the bottom." While a select few have made it pretty far, understand that if sex got you there, the moment someone new comes along who offers the same thing, you're gone. I don't know if that message will come across in this movie, but from what I know, Karrine Stephans a.k.a. SuperHead learned that the hard way.

Shanelle's Blast: Partying it up in July [Birthday Show- 7/8 + Nuyorican - 7/17]

Hello all!

I write this email blast to you a year older than the last one! Thank you to all the people on Facebook and Twitter who wished me well on the anniversary of my birth. I have two opportunities for you to celebrate with me: One is for the 21 and up crowd & the other is for all ages.

(Also, save the date: Yours truly will be performing at Club Santos on August 7th! More info to come!)

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New York, NY- July 8th, 2009 @ 6:30 PM

While my actual birthday is June 27th, I'm celebrating it on July 8th at the ever-so lovely Negril Village Rhum Lounge. It'll be a night filled with 3 things I love: performing, dancing, and cool people. Come celebrate and rock out with me and my band. No charge at the door, so bring me a gift. J/K. Your presence is a gift.

Negril Village
70 West 3rd Street
Bet. Thompson and LaGuardia
New York, New York 10012
Cost: Free

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New York, NY- Friday, June 17th, 2009 @ 9:30PM

For all my under 21 folk who can't make the party, come out to the hottest place for poetry in NYC and see me feature at the legendary Nuyorican Poets Cafe. I'll be sharing new poetry, so come and hear it first. Doors open at 10pm, but get there early. It gets PACKED quick!

Nuyorican Poets Cafe
236 East 3rd Street
New York, NY
Cost: $7

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Stay Blessed!

Shanelle Gabriel

www.shanellegabriel.com

www.twitter.com/shanelleg

New Poem/Song? "Heart Speaks"

I wrote most of this a while back, but my heart told me to revise it. Here you go.

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HEART SPEAKS

When the sun isn't shining
It's hard for raindrops to turn into rainbows
When life is out of place it's hard to find
Where the silver lining goes

When it's silent around you
It's hard to turn a deaf ear
To the loneliness whispering that
No one around you cares

When you bend to much for everyone
You tend to break
When you're too cautious
It's so easy to make a fatal mistake
When you think it's all figured out
You'll find a piece is missing
When you get everything you want
You still can't stop wishing

So when is it enough
When will it be enough
To settle down?
I'm looking for the missing part of me
Trying my best to do what's best for me
Will I ever be complete?
I'm waiting to hear my heart speak.

I'm sending my prayers up
Praying for an answer to come down
Preaching to the lost
When I'm the one who needs to be found

Doubting my intuition
Even though it's always right
Holding myself back
When I know I'm meant to reach great heights.

How am I trying to change the world
When I need to change myself
Want to do this on my own
Yet I know I need help
But it seems easier to rely only on self
Cause you've been let down so much by everyone else

But no one reached great heights
Without standing on some shoulders
I've climbed some mountains in my life
But I'm struggling with boulders
One day it'll all make sense
I guess when I'm much older
But for now I'm fighting
To keep my heart from growing colder

So when is it enough
When will it be enough
To settle down?
I'm looking for the missing part of me
Trying my best to do what's best for me
Will I ever be complete?
I'm waiting to hear my heart speak.


I can hear it talking to me
Talking to me
I hear it saying "listen to me, listen to me"
I hear it saying "trust me, trust me"
It's telling me to believe in me, believe in me.

Now I've had enough
It is enough
Time to settle down
I've found the missing part of me
I'm gonna be the best me I can be
In myself I can be complete
But it's okay to need company.
The hurt, I can set free.
My past is what made me.
I recognize when my heart speaks.

I listen when my heart speaks
I act when my heart speaks
When God speaks to me my heart speaks.

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Copyright © 2009 Shanelle Gabriel
Do not reproduce without Shanelle Gabriel's permission. Thanks!

My Birthday Wish List...

I doubt I'll get half this stuff, but in a perfect world, for my birthday this year (June 27th), I'd open my eyes and see this:

1) The KODAK Zi6 Pocket Video Camera so I can keep up on my blogging and my posts.

2) A certificate for 3 months of guitar lessons.
I have the guitar, just need a few lessons to get it down.

3) Tickets to No Doubt's concert on June 26th.
My most favoritest band ever is performing at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ!

4) Cash money always works and I'm not talking about Lil Wayne & dem. :)
They can be in envelopes that say: "Studio Time" or "Logo" (cause I need one) "Promotional Stuff" or "Travel Expenses." Shoot, a gas gift card works!

AND MY BIGGEST WISH...

5) A packed house at my birthday party/performance at Negril Village
July 8th, 2009
Come out to my free show at 70 West 3rd Street between LaGuardia and Thompson.
Doors open at 6pm, show starts at 7pm.
You get to hear some of my new music/poetry with my live band and have some cake.
Afterwards, we party the night away to the sounds of a great DJ!

My dope Photoshoot

I was on Facebook one random night when I got a message from a friend of a friend named Abasi. He asks if I model. I say yes, but I don't do it often. He asks if we could possibly do a shoot together since he's a photographer. Looking at the outdated photo on my business cards and my website, I check his other work out, and I agree. I get to the point. "Set it up, tell me when and where, and I'll make myself available." Surprisingly he gets back to me a few days later. Through our contacts, we put together a team, and a photoshoot was born.

We set the scene at Stir Lounge in NYC. Abasi brings in Jolene Phillips to assist him with photography and lighting. I phoned my friend Dennine Dyer to be my stylist, and she brings her friend Martin as an assistant. My make-up artist was Tracy Pairis. Praise God, she was a hair stylist. (My regular hairdresser chose this week to come down with the flu, sigh.) While playing my iPod's Hotness playlist (which includes "All That I Can Say" by Mary J, "Be Ok" by Chrisette Michelle, "Exposed" by Wayna, "As" by Stevie, and many more), we put together three different looks. I love being doted on and fussed over.



A few of the items used in accentuating my beauty...

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Tracy doing my make-up. She's niiiice with it!
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Finally dressed, with the help of Dennine. Just putting the finishing touches on the first look.

We did two more looks before we wrapped up for the day. Here's a quick video. (Notice the fly eye shadow). :)



Check back next time for the photos! :)

Stay Blessed