Client iLL-Literacy
Date 2007 – present
Service Provided PR Management (07-08), Advisor (present)

iLL-Literacy is a band. Our music project iB4the1 conjures funk & fantasy for a transformational musical experience. iLL-Literacy is a show. Our live production USBUiLLD merges performance, visual & media arts to connect people through narrative. iLL-Literacy is new ideas. Our curriculum CampusBuiLLd advocates imagination as a vital asset to higher education & political movement.

www.ill-literacy.com

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’ve been watching the iLL crew work on this musical project for over a year now, and although I haven’t been as involved this time around, watching from the outside has been just as exciting.

iLL-Literacy always seems to impress me with not only their artistic direction, but their business savvy thought process.  For the release of their first album (ever), they took their promotional campaign to the digital streets, and created a viral campaign that values QUALITY over QUANTITY.

Discussing this with Drizzletron the other day, we both agreed that getting a feature on a blog, magazine, etc., has more value when the person writing about the album actually listened to it, as opposed to just copy and paste features.  With over 50 blogs invested in iLL-Literacy for this campaign, the sonic virus that is iB4the1.1, is sure to make a few folks iLL out there. (sorry, i can’t help making these puns!)

I’m excited to see how iB4the1.1 pushes iLL-Literacy to the next level in their career… watch, listen, partake in all that is iLL…

iLL-Literacy Experience: The Live Show from ill-literacy on Vimeo.

screen shot from iLL-Literacy website

Ruby left for New York today… (yay!)

All this moving to New York preparation with Ruby the past few months, has given me the chance to revisit the process I had went through six years ago I when moved to New York.  A few days ago, I found an essay I wrote shortly after I had moved there, below is an excerpt from that writing:

…Growing up in the Bay Area (Northern California), I have been exposed to many cultures, sounds, and experiences, but I truly believe that my decision to move to New York is the deciding factor in my future.  My passion for retail and the fashion industry has led  me to the fashion capitol of the world – New York, to pursue my education and career.  This will be one of the most significant experiences in my life…  - winter 2003

Six years after I wrote that I find myself back in the Bay Area, right where I started, full circle!  Being able to reflect is a trip…  I guess you can say that’s what I’ve been doing lately – A spring cleaning of the soul, an emotional cleanse, and a detox from the computer! (although I have an iphone, which is technically a computer, right?)

Soooo, I guess it’s time for me to formally say – I’m NOT moving to Los Angeles after all! (siiiike! LOL)

While  in the process of making moves to get to LA, I ended up realizing that I can have everything I want right here, in the Bay – my home area, right where I started!  That’s not to say, Los Angeles isn’t in the cards for the future, but now is not the right time, and I’m glad I was able to recognize that before it was too late.

Lesson to learn – It’s all about timing, and knowing when it’s the right time to make your move, literally and figuratively.  Part of that is navigating yourself through the process of making the right decisions (ie. listen to your instincts), and everything else will fall into place.

The rest of the iLL-Literacy crew  - Adriel, Nico, and Dahlak will also be moving to New York this year!  I’m excited to see what moves are made while they experience the “city that never sleeps”.  I’ll be holding down homebase in the meantime…

SAVE THE DATE  - MONDAY JUNE 1st:  
iLL-LITERACY site relaunch!
www.ill-literacy.com

ps. wouldn’t it be dope if we had a Devil’s Pie NY edition…?! hmmm…

www.devilspiesoul.com

“In our obsessive wish to arrive, we often forget the most important thing, which is the journey.”  – The Pilgrimage, Paulo Coelho

Working with iLL-Literacy for the past two years has been a blessing and an amazing journey.  I often get on them about not taking the time to reflect on their accomplishments,  but hey, I can’t knock the hustle and the never ending determination to maximize their potential as artists, educators, and entertainers, which often leaves minimal time for reflection.

So let me take you through iLL-Literacy’s journey in 2008 and give you a brief summary of what was accomplished, the lessons learned in the process, the achievements, and what my role was in the adventure.

- “iLL-Literacy” name and logo legally trademarked 
- iLL-Literacy experiments performing with a live band and writing songs as a collective
- Dahlak (and I), negotiated (our first!) licensing deal with mycypher.com
- Ruby releases her first published work “Miss Universe”
- Dahlak releases mixtape “Live From The Boondocks – Commencement, A Kanye West Tribute”
- Ruby has earrings designed for Miss Universe by MADE Jewelry
- Ruby’s first feature on the cover of a magazine (OAKBOOK)
- Ill-Literacy tours nationwide on the “Natural Electricity” Tour

hmmm…. I might be forgetting some things, but considering I took a personal hiatus for more than half the year working with ANY clients, I must say that iLL-Lit did quite well with minimum help from Papa Lo. 

I want to highlight one particular accomplishment which actually began back in 2007 when I first signed on with iLL-Lit.  The first thing I did as their PR manager was to help them trademark their name and logo.  This process takes about a year, and we really couldn’t have picked a better time, because early 2008 iLL-Literacy was sent a cease and desist letter from another group with a similar name.  To make the long story short, iLL-Literacy was proactive and thorough with their paperwork and now legally own the name and logo “iLL-Literacy”!

For me personally, if I don’t ever get them on the cover of Fader Magazine, or a clothing sponsorship with Creative Recreation, or help them get booked on a stage at SXSW, at least I did help them secure their brand and gave them peace of mind, that no one can take away the name they have worked so hard to build. 

As an independent artist, the smartest thing you can do for yourself is to make sure you OWN all your work.  From your name, your logo, website, lyrics, beats, etc., legally owning all your work should be the first step you make when you’re ready to really make this a lifelong career.  The process is time consuming and can be very confusing, so you have to be serious about yourself and your art, or else you’re just wasting a lot of time and money.

Overall, 2008 was a good year for all of us, we worked hard, we played hard, and we continue to push each other in our careers and personal relationships.  Every year there is progress, which is a positive sign that independent artists DO NOT need a label to be successful.  What is needed, is strong management skills, open communication, accountability, organization, and a dope graphic designer (thank you soooo much Adriel!).  It is a team effort, a community effort, and although there are struggles, there is comfort in knowing that compromising yourself and your work is not a factor in the success.  I’m not saying, that getting signed is a bad thing, but you are definitely going to be trading off some freedom for luxury.   But why trade in your freedom, when you can have your cake and eat it too…

Check it out!! The Natural Electricity Tour hits SF this Sunday along with the release of Ruby’s book “Miss Universe”.  Listen in to the interview with iLL-Literacy to get a sneak preview as to what Miss Universe and the tour is all about and all the projects the crew has coming in the near future:

LISTEN HERE on HARD KNOCK RADIO

www.ill-literacy.com
www.hardknockradio.com
Hard Kock Radio Archives on KPFA - http://kpfa.org/archives/index.php?arch=29013

Beautiful feature on imeem‘s home page today of iLL-Literacy! Great way for them to start their Fall Tour!  As I write this, they’re on their way to Fresno… and it gets oh so naturally electrifying! 

To find out the rest of the “Natural Electricty” tour dates check HERE

www.imeem.com
www.ill-literacy.com