.

WELCOME TO

BLAQRAYN PUBLISHINGPLUS MAGAZINE

ISSUE 6

BOOM!!!

“I refuse to go quietly. I refuse to let themget the best of me...”

Crow

Have a dream of becoming a published author? Need a no non-sensepublishing company that is only interested in putting your work out

there with style and class and no drama?

Then make sure to contact us @...

www.blaqraynpublishingplus.org or

blaqrayn2012@gmail.com

ATTENTION:

Readers, Indie Authors, Bloggers, Reviewers, Editors and anyone else that has a businessin the Publishing Industry...

Indie Love Promotions hasthe promo opportunity of theyear! For only $10 you canget a FULL PAGE ad in theIndie Love Promotions 2014Indie Publishing Info Book!This book will be mailed andemailed to libraries, bookstores, book clubs and otherplaces around the world! Yes,we are going international!The book will be created inprofessional format with fullgraphics and editing! The leftpages in the book will be fullof info and tips for the IndieAuthor, the right pages willbe ads!

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The New CD from Eric“Crow” Draven...his firstin over a decade,featuring the muchacclaimed title track bythe same name...

INK!

4/29/14

Tribute to INK Stained Hearts 1

R. Angel & BlaqRayn Publishing 2

Featured Author: K. C. Blaze 3

Faith vs Fear with Aquarius Khan 5

Street Eyez Photography 7

Featured Poems 12

MAMA’S MAKIN’MOVES with Jayne Phlow 14

Featured Books 16

Featured Poet: Jason G. Pierce 18

It Was On My Mind with Muhjahid Quahhar 20

Cover Story: John D. Green Sr. 21

BlaqRayn Publishing Plus Magazine

Tribute To INK Stained HeartsHis ink spilled...traveling in rivulets through and around the cracks andcrevices in my heart...dead cells lapping at the black gold like water sold to aman dying of thirst and lack...my blood ran black and congealed...it wasfinished, no more stories to tell...no more lines to scribe...the devil had bet andwon the bribe...I was gone...lost in the deepest dark and alone...drifting to thecords of an unfamiliar song...not caring that the end was my own...then camethe ink. "Drink it like oxygen" my Soul spake from far away... "take and takeuntil the beat revives and your intellect once again thrives..."

My inner woman leaped with joy as the first beat pounded and resoundedthroughout my once living flesh...my unconscious mind woke to blink throughthe pain...searching the fog till it found the ink stain that had beckoned...mybody reckoned it was safe to feel but my mind restrained, "Is this really real?"Are we alive? Did we truly survive our ride to hell...awaiting the toll of the bellthat would summon the soul to eternal rest? Did we really face death or wasthis some infernal test of faith and will?

It was then that his ink was still and his words replaced the space the ink hadfilled. The sound of his syllables was like life to a dying me...my soul reachingout to embrace the smooth dialect...breaking free from the chains of neglect andcircumstance...my battered heart saw a chance and took it...like a flight toparadise... book it...that tasty fish on the line...hook it...never hesitate beyond aglance...for life is precious and to be treasured...every moment stored andmeasured against the day when the storm shall surely come and try to take itall away.

He spoke softly to my soul and the healing began...he spoke lovingly to myheart...”beat and live again”. For it was the pain of your passing and the hurtof your struggle that cried out to me, you see...it was my ink that first heard thee.Being bound by no distance or time, it raced to repair your breach and caressyour mind...to reach deep inside where the true you resides and pour forth it'sever altering force.

Since that day, I have truly been changed...my life and thoughts rearranged...transformed from all I thought was right and true. Daily into his words myteeth do sink...from the fount of his ink I drink, I drink...I Drink!

Ms. Wordetry1

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Featured Author

K. C. BLAZE

K.C Blaze also known as K.C.Baylor is the author of threebooks including PlatinumDust (Part-One) Currentlysigned to Just WrightPublications. She has markedher entrance into the literaryworld with her award-winningsite Urban Fiction Newsmagazine.

With a degree in Psychology and her love of the writtenword. she has always known she wanted to write booksthat not only inspired but took her readers on a mentaljourney unlike any they've been on before.

Not only does she write books that read like movies butshe also uses music as a major component in her writing.

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Raheim is the son of a dead manand the woman who killed him. Hehas deep seeded hatred towards hismother for kicking him out at ageeleven simply for looking like hisfather.

With a fierce determination not toend up like either of his parents, heruns from woman to woman inhopes of avoiding love andcommitment until he runs right intothe arms of the one woman made tolove him.

One fateful night in a nightclub will leave Raheim runningfor his life and endangering the lives of those closest tohim.

Follow him on his path to forgiveness, redemption andwhat he hopes is a love made to last!!!

http://ow.ly/i/54R4E GET YOUR COPY NOW!!!!

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Faith vs Fear

Aquarius Khan

Peace and blessings be upon you my beloved brothers and sisters. Icome to you in the name of JAH Rastafari, H.I.M. (His ImperialMajesty) Haile Selassie I, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, ConqueringLion of the tribe of Judah. Upon His coronation in 1930, Heproclaimed: “I am the Father of all Afrikaans at home and abroad”The God of Ethiopia (Kush).

The subject of this article is ‘Faith vs. Fear’. The conflict betweenthese two human realities lay at the heart of the Afrikan LiberationMovement or the lack thereof.

Who or What is God? Whatever Force created the vastnessof the Universe is beyond human comprehension.Humanity’s most ancient spiritual beliefs revolve aroundsymbols meant to represent our creator’s attributes. Closerto human understanding, there is a Father God and aMother Goddess and this union brought Kemet (ancientEgypt) to a height of civilization once considered to be TheKingdom of God on Earth. It is important to note that bothGod and Goddess had their Temples- ministered by Priestsand Priestesses- these are who the Bible and Qur’an calledangels.

How many of us, since our cultural awakening, havewondered what catastrophe could have destroyed thisGlory? Who or what was this Serpent- this fallen angel-this rebellious son of God who chose a foreign people(Adam and Eve) to be his own? To teach them that portionof the Mysteries pertaining only to the material world(Freemasonry)? This rebellion attracted even some of thePriests. The images of a devil with horns and tail (animalnature) and his demons along with images of angels withwings (spiritual nature) are the imaginations of artists andto create a perception that these are not the same manner ofcreature that we are. What made them gods is that theywere intellectually and spiritually developed- in service toour Creator. In Genesis 3:22- when God says: “Behold- theman has become like one of us- to know good and evil…”Who is God talking to?

The great Gods of Egypt (long before the Pharaohs) wereOsiris/Ausar (Son of RA and their King), Isis/Auset(Daughter of Earth- Neter and Queen), Horus (their son andPrince), Toth (the Master Teacher)- the Greeks called himHermes Trismegistus- and Set- the Serpent-god. It is thissymbol of the Serpent that confuses modern scholars- itexists in all ancient cultures and might be best described asthe lower mind- whose energies are driven by emotions.The conflict between the races is based on the Aryan tribes(descendants of Adam and Eve) being led by disciples ofthe Serpent.

Further confusion and fear comes from these devils usingonce sacred symbols to describe their domains (Man, Lion,Eagle and Bull).

The first casualty of this conflict was the Mother Goddess-for the disciples of the Serpent felt the need to subjugatewomen in order to indoctrinate their children. Men wrote‘sacred’ texts not only excluding the Mother Goddess butmaking Eve the scapegoat for the ‘Fall of Man’. The ideaof a Divine feminine (the Womb) makes it impossible tocreate a new religion based on a male-dominated hierarchy.True Women’s Liberation is not to make her equal to fallenmen- but to recognize the Divinity of Women (Afrikanwomen- the mothers of civilization) and her own teachingsto the spiritual development of the daughters of theGoddess.

Judaism, Islam and Christianity all claim the ProphetAbraham as their forebear (and what was his faith?). Yet,the written holy scriptures (Bible and Qur’an) are tracedback to Moses- who got his story from Kemet- and thatstory began with a mysterious event that took place around4,000 B.C. According to Kemetian Priests, they observedthe disappearance of a certain star in the constellationDraco (the Dragon). All ancient civilizations read prophecyin the movement of the stars. This particular prophecyforetold the destruction of their civilization, the reign ofserpent-kings (6,000 years of darkness), and the Rebirth ofa God-King to restore civilization. This 6,000-yeartimetable became the Holy Bible.

Nubia and Asia would be devastated by multiple invasionsand wars- not only the first Pharaoh (Menes) leading anarmy into Kemet- but also the Aryan invasions of Assyria,Babylon, Persia and India- these are the wars spoken of inGenesis- and continued with the European and Arabinvasions of Kush (Afrika).

Inside this conflict, was born Jesus of Nazareth- who isalso given the title of Christ (The Anointed One).

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Some will debate about the pronunciation of his name-irrelevant. His spiritual lineage is related to Osiris and Isis(Ausar and Auset) and their son Horus. Another Son of godmentioned in the Bible is Melchizedek who met Abrahamas a Priest of the Most High God. This lineage of Blackgods also include the Pharaoh Akhenaton who tried torestore the belief in the One True God- whom they calledRA- symbolized as the Sun.

Jesus didn’t come to start a new religion. He continuallyvalidated Himself based on Mosaic Law. This connectionto Moses and by extension- ancient Egypt- is a reference toHis Father- God (many names). While He lived, theRoman empire claimed that their Caesar (Titus) was theGod-king and the Hebrews were afraid of his armies. Theywere allowed to keep their religion (like today’sChristians )- but Jesus claiming to be the Son of God cometo restore the fallen Kingdom was a threat to Romanauthority. It must be noted that the elite (preachers andteachers) rejected Him- and He was betrayed and handedover by His own people. What hangs on that cross is asymbol of a dead Black god- crucified because His peoplewere afraid to accept Him as King. Once again, to validatetheir own authority, Aryans/Caucasians/Europeans hidethemselves behind the Vatican and their churches- all theconfusion in the Christian world is because of all the deathand destruction brought with European kingdoms invadingthe non-white world- backed by the Church. Atheism andagnosticism is a rebellion of white Christianity.

We have a chance again with Rastafari- I can only ask youto search for the truth yourself- we don’t seek converts. Iam not the only one utterly convinced that he is the Son ofGod we were waiting for. Our re-awakening began withHim being crowned Emperor in Ethiopia- the only Afrikannation never colonized by Europe.

There are many who are familiar with these teachings- butit seems either they serve our enemies- or out of fear,choose to remain silent. Our people suffer from a lack ofknowledge about the forces that shaped this modern world.They hear whispers and rumors about ‘The Illuminati’ andfear makes them forget their faith.

Islam is a touchy subject regarding Afrikan liberationbecause Egypt, Libya and Sudan continue to be victimizedby Arab racism. If Afrikan/Black Muslims can accept theidea of gods (i.e.- the Nation of Islam), then perhaps therecan be some unity between Black Christians and blackMuslims and for that matter Black Jews. We are Afrikanbefore anything else- and must be rooted in our faith tobattle against all the strategies (including military) of thedisciples of the Serpent. For those of you who wonderwhether or not the war ended with Jesus dying for us-wonder why he would have to return. True Christians(Rastafarians included) must have our churches once againrooted in the traditions of Kush and Kemet (the ‘20’s and‘30’s saw us heading in that direction but was interruptedby WWII).

We need a re-connect with our Black Father God andBlack Mother Goddess- and the lifting of every voicemust be so overwhelming that any brother or sister failingto join us- would die of shame. Before any weapon israised, conquering our fear to be empowered by our faithlay at the heart of our revolution. This is what our enemiesare truly afraid of.

Aquarius Khan

April 15, 2014

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Street eyez Photography

"Terrain" & Danial Kla$$ic Peru

TANNON ROYALT MILLER

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My name is Tannon RoyalT Miller

I'm a native of MI, presently residing in Grand Haven,MI and I have been photographing people, places andthings since I was 8. I have seen the view of myimmediate environment and many people, places andthings across the country, through the lens of a camera.

Growing up impoverished, I used photography as a wayto escape the harsh realities of many obstacles. I beganto photograph professionally in 2007, beginning a seriesof shots of graffiti throughout the cities I had traveled tobeginning with Detroit, MI...progressing into furthercities such as Scottsdale, AZ.,Phoenix, AZ., Tuscan, AZ.,Lake Havesu, AZ., Parker, AZ., Victoria, TX., Houston,TX., Irvine, TX., Austin, TX, San Antonio, TX., CorpusChristi, TX., Hoboken, NJ., New York City, SanBernadino, CA., while filling in the gaps in severalsuburbs, deserts, villas, and small towns throughout.

My first book called "Reflections" available for purchase in hard back form or download, is acompilation of shapes, grades, texture, and color; capturing many aspects of the environment around usthat we tend to overlook. So if you will, sip on your favorite drink, nibble on your favorite snack and letyourself imagine being a midst the sites, sounds, and savory scenery as you "C tha world thru MYArtistic Twisted Eye"

More of my work seen upon request...

Tannon and Luna

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11Photographs by Street Eyez Photography

Author /Poet Anthony Arnold

Featured Poems of the MonthMy Muse

She came to me in a dreamAn angel dressed in whiteWhat is the matter my sonYour voice has gone silent

I cannot writeMy muse is goneI have no wordsMy ink is coldShe was my rockMy GibraltarA life line

A port in any stormShe was my biggest fanMy ardent supporterShe would tell anyone

These words came from my sonYour words are needed

Your faith in your peopleA beacon of hopeA life an example

Who am I to speak out?To criticize injusticeTo educate anyone

To bring ancestors to lifeIf one is touched

If one is enlightenedIf one is helpedYour task is done

Looking at the angelWith tears fallingWho am I to speak?

How do I express my heart?With a smile that brightened the heavens

And a voice that rang with musicShe took my hand and saidMy son you already have

RIP my museMarolyn Martin1942-2014 ©aa2014 12

Our Star

Author/Poet Rosalind Cherry

I'm Your Flower~!

I was your floweryou found me

there I was for youin the rise of the morning

you kissed medesire.

For you wantedme as muchI wanted you

you had that wayeven I flirted with

you so youcaught my

heart.You caught me

by surprise when yoube the one

to place specialbeautiful flower toplace along sideof hair make me

smile.You call me

your special Rosehow I was radiantjust as beautiful as

in always youlook into my

eyes.Your words becamethe collections that

felt kept closeinto my heartsalways you aremy special lovethat I embraced

now.I'll be your flower

you be thatMan who love

given who makesme happy nowkiss me again

yes.I'm Your Flower~!

Let me giveyou that samelook that tookyou to come

to me brought lifeback into my

life that here tostay.

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MAMAS MAKIN’ MOVESMAMAS MAKIN’ MOVES is a monthly column by Tiffany D. Glover a.k.a.Jayne Phlow, that spotlights mothers making moves in the community and intheir careers. Now, not ALL of the women featured are MOTHERS, but theyare STILL hot MAMAS in their own right and deserve their piece of thelimelight as well. This column will do something that we, as women, shouldALWAYS strive to do among ourselves, and that’s LOVE on each other.

Jayne aka Tiffany

Since I didn’t have an interviewlined up this month with aMAMAwho’s MAKIN’ MOVES,I decided to pen an article aboutsomething that seems to be nearand dear to ALL of our hearts:SOCIAL MEDIA. Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, YouTube,Foursquare, LinkedIn, Pinterest,Yahoo, Gmail, Vine, Skype,OoVoo, Kik…..ALL of it. Mostof us have profiles on at leastONE of these pages and some ofus may be set up on ALL of them.

The question is, what exactly arewe using our pages for? Are webeing productive, or are wesimply wasting our time trying tostay in the know with whateverybody else is doing, which is,sadly, probably wasting time too?

Speaking from experience, I canhonestly say that I killed A LOTof my brain cells when I firstcame on Facebook back in 2009.Initially, I didn’t even WANT aFacebook page, but I finally gavein and allowed my homie/brother/friend to go on and setmy page up for me andoooooohhh BOY! It was ON andpoppin’!

I started building up my friendslist, taking pictures for my profile

pic and photo albums, started“liking” and commenting onevery single post from justabout every single person andeven had me a little farm goingon on Farmville for a while.

Throughout my first year onthe “Book,” my friends listgrew because you know,QUANTITY is everything; Istarted joining groups so thateverybody could see that I wasa part of SOMETHINGwhether I actively participatedor not, and I made sure that Iwas never too far away fromall of the “goings-on” on therebecause who really wants to beTHAT person that doesn’tknow what’s happening atALL times?

So basically from 2009, up toapproximately the middle oflast year, my time spent onFacebook was literally timewasted. So around July of lastyear, with the big 4-0 quicklyand steadily sneaking up onme in February, I knew it wastime for me to make aHORRENDOUS shift in myfocus.

I was already a member of ahighly productive women’snetworking group, LowCountry Women of Color, onmeetup.com, and it opened thedoor for me to join othernetworking groups, like theCharleston Power Connection

and the Charleston Travelers.

These groups presented me withthe opportunities to travel,participating in variousnetworking events and activitiesacross the city and beyond andeventually forced me to re-evaluate my current circle of“friends” by choosing tosurround myself with moreproductive sisters and brotherswho were using their Facebookpages for what I should’veALWAYS been using it for:NETWORKING.

From October 2013 up untilnow, I have gotten more use outof my Facebook page than IEVER have because I actuallyspend LESS time on there than IEVER have. As a now publishedauthor and working spokenword artist, I use my page to notonly promote my book but toadvertise any and all events Imay be performing in. Now yes,I do TRY to stay on top of all ofthe events going on in andaround town, as many randomconversations as possible andeven some juicy “gossip”here-and-there; but for the mostpart, these days, I miss A LOT,and I’m not necessarily upsetabout it either.

Sometimes it really does botherme when my notifications dingon my phone because as muchas I would LOVE to sit thereand respond to every single postor pic that I’m tagged in, I knowhow easy it is to get “stuck” for 14

how easy it is to get “stuck” for the nexttwo hours responding to those notifications.Before you know it, half of the day is goneand you haven’t done a THING you weresupposed to because you’ve been in and outof your inbox all day. Yes, you mostdefinitely feel like one of the “popularkids” because you’ve got everybodywanting a little piece of you, but at thesame time, if you’re giving all of your littlepieces away, what do you have left to dowhat needs to be done?

By no means am I telling any of you to shutdown your social media accounts because Ican almost guarantee that none of youwould do that anyway. What I AM sayingthough is, as with everything else we latchon to in this world, we need to practicesome form of moderation.

Whether we only allot an hour a day to allthings social media or whether we save itall til the weekend, we have to gain controlover the time we spend mindlessly scrollingthrough our news-feeds or re-tweetingeverything that we think will set our pageon fire. Staying “in-the-know" ISdetrimental to keeping you alive in thesocial media world, but it can be murder toyour reality, or lack thereof.

If you have questions/comments toor concerning any of our articlesor you would like to submit a topicfor discussion, please submit themto our email @blaqrayn.001@gmail.com andthank you for your continuedsupport!

The BRPP MAG STAFF

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Featured Books of the Month

Urban fiction AuthorTreasure Blue does it againwith this 5 Star Bangertelling “Rain’s Story”,another phenomenalcharacter in his powerfularsenal. Available at allonline retailers and fromTreasure Blue himself!

“Rat Hunters”, one of Bebo’sbest offering to the world ofUrban Lit is hard-hitting,fast-paced and a 5 starwinner, as you would expectnothing less from thisfascinating and originalAuthor. Make sure to checkhim out on Amazon,Amazon for Kindle andwherever good books aresold!!!

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Author Jayne Phlowbrings us this grippingbook of poetry thatspeaks from her Souland from the souls ofcountless women ANDmen dealing with reallife issues. This, herfirst offering to theliterary world, isamazing and weeagerly anticipatewhat she will gift to usnext!!! Available forpurchase on amazonand createspace!

“The Search for Substance” isEric “Crow” Draven’s 4th book ofpoetry and he simply tells it likeit is. His poetry almost reads likean urban fiction novel andwraps you in his soul and hisjourney as you read his words. Ifyou have ever found yourselfsearching for substance, purposeand meaning in life then thisbook is for you and about YOU!!!All Crow’s works of poetic art canbe found on amazon,Author-house and whereverbooks are sold!!!

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J.G. Pierce 1818

Featured Poet

Jason G. Pierce

Jason G. Pierce was born in Gary Indiana and attendedLSU, where he earned his degree in anatomy. He’scurrently in the air force. He currently resides in LancasterCA.

Multi faceted, Jason practices massage, kickboxing and DJs in his spare time. His favorite quote of "acceptance isfailure" will always drive him forward in being a wellrounded individual.

J.G. Pierce 1918

His current work derives from pure unbridled emotion.Like a raw nerve he reacts only to what he perceives.Which wrought the creation of his 1st book "Bordello ofthe Subconscious." Depth in every line. Emotion inevery phrase. Jason is a master of erotic writing!

He pens as Brandon Heat/ArikFrost

Muhjahid Qahhar

It Was On My Mind

Illusion of Success

It seems the higher we rise on the economicscale, the more reasons we find not to havechildren. The more education we garner, themore excuses we make to not have children.Really, there is a peculiar logic that seems toaccompany what is being taught to our peoplein college that somehow shines a positivelight on black people not reproducing.

It has become acceptable for the career drivenblack woman or man to hold off on breedinguntil they're in their late thirties, even earlyforties. This is even encouraged, peoplemarrying their career.

I understand the concept of it, but it is hardlyAfrican. This manner of thinking wasadopted, it was not native to us. What is soironic about it all is the fact of the so-calledsuccessful, educated ones among us are thevery people who need to be reproducing. Youall are the people who have the most to offerour children. You're smart, disciplined,driven...but in many cases not veryintelligent.

Knowing that 2+2=4 is smart. Understandingthe power of numbers and how to make themwork scientifically is intelligent.

On the contrary, those of us on the lowest endof the economic and educational scale seemto have no problem breeding. We're spittingout babies left and right while being criticizedby the black intellectual for...in my opinion,keeping our race alive, though that is notwhat they call it. Let them tell it, many of usshouldn't be having children. We're not fit todo so, and that may be so.Lebron James' mother was probably not fit to

Lebron James' mother was probably not fit to be having children,but she was woman enough to let him live and come into thisworld. Look at where her boy is now, all because she gave him achance at life. Not a fair chance, not even a decent chance, just achance. It is really simple arithmetic, Ethiopia and Somaliaunderstood it.

Years ago when they would show us the images on TV ofEthiopians starving, bellies swollen, walking the dry, parched land,looking like there was no tomorrow, I would always wonder, whydo they continue having children when they clearly have no futureto offer them?

Decades later I realized that if they would have stopped breeding,they might not be here today. They couldn't wait around for theperfect conditions to have a child, it was about survival. Andhere we are crying about we don't have a big enough house, I'mnot earning enough money yet, I haven't earned my Masters yet,I'm not where I want to be in my career yet...Meanwhile, our raceis falling apart, and the only reason we're even still here isbecause of those among us who are not scared to have children nomatter their circumstances; 50% of viable, black pregnancies endin abortion.

As a black person, it requires a lot to just make it into this worldtoday, and even more to survive unscathed. In a nutshell, thismessage is dedicated to our educated, career minded, successfulblack folks. HAVE SOME DAMN CHILDREN. Have as many asyou can. Bring them into a loving, structured, nurturingenvironment. Give them a real shot at a future...or otherwise keepyour mouth off of those among us who are at least selfless enoughto reproduce.

Shout out to the parents, good or bad, because of you, at the veryleast, black people will always be around.

Muhjahid Qahhar20

John D. Green Sr.His Movies...His Music...His Rise

John D. Green Sr. was born May 14, 1971 in St. Louis,Missouri. He was the 2nd youngest of 10 children, 5 boysand 5 girls born to Geraline Green a loving, hard-workingdisciplinarian. As a small child he moved to the South Westside of Detroit where he spent many years in childhoodcultivating his love for music. Even in early childhood,John was captivated by the choir at catholic school, thestreet corner do-wop singers, the glee club and the soundscoming from his older siblings radios. Of course the biggestinfluence was watching his mother and her sisters playingon the piano and singing.

An earliest childhood memory, he tells of a time when hismother left the home to go visit her sisters. He was hangingout with some friends but couldn't control the temptationto play the forbidden Steinway piano and decided to bangaway on the keys. As he was playing and singing, heneglected to notice the room got awfully quiet, it was toolate, his mom, who strictly played gospel music, wasstanding behind him with a "its whoopin time" face on.The direction of his music career would change at thatmoment, when she told him to move over to the higher 88sand started playing boogie woogie with him. Who was thiswoman sitting next to him? At that time she had just beenhis mom, a lover of God and gospel music and there shewas playing Jerry Lee Lewis "Great Balls of Fire" withhim. That was the start of the creation of the man he wouldcome to be.

John was in band, glee-club, and Ms.Champion's Dance Club. He played theClarinet in Band (not very well, he adds). Hiscousin, Raphael Bonner spent a lot of timewith Pastor Davies at Mount AbramMissionary Baptist Church. Raphael used totake him to the pastors home where thecousins were allowed to play the uprightacoustic piano and Hammond B 3 Organ. Atthat time John's cousin told him that he shouldstart putting together the pieces of hiscreations to make songs.

High School was a different story, a whole newdirection for him. In his high school years hedidn't spend time working on music in school.His music "education" came from hanging outin the parks, hitting the different clubs andexperiencing music from the streets. It was alife shaping experience. Music was everywhere.There were so many different influences,nationalities and genres, which helpedinfluence his sound. Detroit was alive withmusic. That is when he joined his first group,"Total Control" which consisted of his cousinRaphael, and a young lady named ViolandaMccuuin. They wrote a lot and they practiceda lot, but they spent more time writing andpracticing then they did performing.

This and many more experienceshave shaped and molded this youngman into the musical performer andcomposer that he is today. But likelife's lessons are ongoing, so is musicand creation and evolution's lessons.He is ever growing-ever experiencing- ever evolving.

Article and interview by:Tannon RoyalT Miller

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1. ROYALT: What are your future plans in this industry?

JOHN: To work behind the scenes composing music for radio and film.

2. ROYALT: If you could choose a single artist from the past to work with, who would it be?, and what do you thinkyou would gain by working with them?

JOHN: Scott Joplin -- ex-trone discipline of focus and music perfection.

3. ROYALT: What has been the most fulfilling part about your career thus far?, and how has it impacted your life?

JOHN: Composing, Arranging, and performing with my son, music that has reached the world; its been such abonding experience, growing together as musicians.

4. ROYALT: Is there someone specific that keeps you focused and pushing you through rough times? like, forinstance, moments that seem like your dream won't become a reality? How are they making adifference in your life now?

JOHN: MyWife, Children, and grand children, they always have something positive and uplifting to say whenI'm feeling less than motivated... lol

5. ROYALT: What is the most difficult obstacle you have faced pursuing your career?, and what did you do toovercome this obstacle?

JOHN: Maintaining originality and staying true to what feels right in my sound. NOT, conforming to society'sidea of a "hit"

6. ROYALT: If you weren't pursuing a career in music, what would be your chosen profession?

JOHN: Fire Fighting

7. ROYALT: If there was one thing you could change about this industry, what would it be?, and how do you thinkthat change would make things better?

JOHN: I would get rid of the, "Who you Know" factor... and hopefully, it would be about the music and not justwho is getting backed and promoted.

8. ROYALT: (When asked these two Questions, John just kinda laughs to himself and drops his head as to letme know that he would just rather keep the answers to these two close to the chest... Not, to saythat he is doing anything bad... but just to keep this part of his life to himself... )

JOHN:

9. ROYALT:

JOHN:

10. ROYALT: Do you have any, "shout-out"/ or, announcements you would like to share?

JOHN: Mrs. Ruby Roberts, My no.1 supporter and dear friend... "Much Love Ruby!"

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John D. Green Sr.

MUSICIAN

PERFORMER

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The

Actor25