April R. Silver, President and Founder of AKILA WORKSONGS, Inc., has a formula for success that has endured for the past fourteen years. As one of the leading Black-owned and woman-owned companies of its kind, AKILA WORKSONGS, Inc. (AW) has earned a reputation for working with highly gifted artists and ground-breaking projects that reflect the company's belief that the cultural arts elevate and transform lives. AW was founded in 1993 and now specializes in artist representation, communications, and consulting. As a leading multi-service company in the arts and entertainment field, its distinguishing factor is its focus on arts and activism. Over the years, the company has represented or worked closely with countless artists, writers, and activists - from living legends to noted contemporary figures: Sonia Sanchez, Amiri Baraka, Bill Cosby, Malik Yoba, Common, Talib Kweli, Common, Afrika Bambatta, Chuck D, Sister Souljah, Doug E. Fresh, Jessica Care Moore, Toni Blackman, Kevin Powell, and Byron Hurt, among many others. I, Dyanne Davis, recently had the good fortune to interview April Silvers, founder of AKILA WORKSONG. The first thing that struck me was the warmth and bright spirit that came through in her voice. Filled with the duality of Gemini, the sign she was born under we chatted bout that for a bit. I had a feeling that being a Gemini, April had chosen the name of her company with care and for another less obvious reason, so I asked her. April, I'm intrigued by the name of your company. Was there a particular reason why you chose that name? APRIL: You're right about my reason for choosing the name, Dyanne. It was in part for myself. AKILA is pronounced, ah-KEE-lah. It's an Arabic- African name that means "she who is intelligent or she who reasons." I am an intelligent woman and I'm proud of that fact. That intelligence is my God given gift. Too many times people feel embarrassed to acknowledge those gifts, especially women. I'm also proud to be an African American woman. It is in part because of the duality of my Gemini nature that I chose a name for my company that combined two things. It is as much for the person I am as for the meaning. It's the epitome of balance between life and work. It's a way to go after your dreams while still doing the day-to-day practical things we must do. The song part of it speaks to our culture. I searched for something that had deep meaning and resonated with my spirit. AKILA WORKSONGS was it. Now you have to know I loved hearing an intelligent woman admit to that fact without shame. April got a "good for you." But that then brought us to the reason for the second half of the name and since this was an interview I asked. What made you chose the second half of the name of your company?" That's a good question. WORKSONGS was perfect for the second half of the name. In Africa, worksongs were traditional songs that people sang while they worked. Long ago in many African cultures the people worked with song. In the United States, however, worksongs became the kind of song that enslaved Africans sang on plantation fields to make the burden of slavery a little easier to bare. So, April, let's being by talking just a little bit about your company. I'll be happy to. AKILA WORKSONGS, Inc is a service company in the arts and entertainment field. The majority of our clients are the Hip Hop artist. I founded the company in April 1993. I was working at the time at my full time marketing job at a community health center in Brooklyn. In October 1998 I was encouraged by family and friends to leave my marketing job in order to run AKILA WORKSONGS . I truly believe that art and culture elevates and transforms our lives. The concepts of truth, justice, love and beauty are central to my company. True art speaks to those things. It's all a part of finding balance, taking the time to allow the beauty in while you work to provide substance. People need to know that in order to be healthy and whole they need to work toward balance. You sound like a teacher. I noticed that you have a column on your site, TWO CENTS, where you offer practical teachings. I was more impressed by that than by your phenomenal client list. Your very first advice was READ READ READ. I know that you're also a writer and a poet. Yet you spend so much of you time on your clients' dreams, are you taking your own advice and nourishing your dreams? Have you achieved that balance that you spoke of? I waited a moment while she laughed-an infectious sound- and I laughed myself. I am a teacher by nature. I taught 6th and 7th grade for a time. As for the balance, I am still striving for that, but everyday I make steps toward it. I did have some poems published while in college and I still write poetry and feature many of my poems on my website. I also have several essays. I have one that means a lot to me concerning Don Imus and the remarks he made. When the media went to find people to give feedback they left out the segment of the population that the comment was aimed at, the African American woman. They went to everyone else. The black man, the white woman, no one asked the African American woman her opinion. Since I'm an African American woman one who makes no apologies about that or for my pride in myself and my race I decided I would give my own opinions on the matter of Don Imus and his remarks. As to the business part of my life and my working toward the perfect balance, I've made decisions. Right now my priority is having a venue for artists to be heard. I want to have a place for those who may not have as easy a time to get themselves and their work out there to gain an audience. My company is so committed to this that an artist doesn't have to be one of our 'clients' in order to find our services useful to them and their careers. Many people may not know this but we offer what's called an email blast and we make it extremely affordable. The Internet is now the best way for any artist and especially the Hip Hop artist to gain attention of those who may not have heard of them before. We get over eight thousand hits per day. April elsewhere in this issue we're going to give the readers an opportunity to read your entire essay on Don Imus. I think it's an amazing piece. But then again it seems you're into doing many amazing things. I was recently talking with a friend of mine, Angelique Justin. She's a huge fan of yours. She mentioned that you were instrumental in getting her a meeting in New York with New Orleans mayor, Ray Nagin. Besides that I'm aware that you help to put together a showcase of artists from the gulf region. Would you like to elaborate on that? Dyanne, I'm glad you said gulf region, because it wasn't just about New Orleans. I wanted to do something to help the artists that came from the region, something that would give them hope, something to make them feel something other than displaced victims of Hurricane Katrina. So on the anniversary the storm hit we celebrated these musicians. There are so many layers to you, the social entrepreneur, activist, writer and poet. Some say you're the next Sonja Sanchez. I waited while April laughed at my comment. She was pleased but rushed to explain her thoughts on that. Sonja is my friend and mentor and has encouraged me greatly in my endeavors. She has read my work and I'm honored by her comments. I've also had a lot of great feedback from some of my trusted clients on my own work. While I love the thought of being compared to her and hope that my actions for the things I feel passionate about leave a mark, there is but one Sonja Sanchez.I would say you're well on your way to leaving your mark. I am definitely impressed by you. I take personal pride in young African American women accomplishing such goals. Did you ever doubt you could do this? I never doubted for a moment. My parents raised me with a can do attitude. And the pride that you spoke of, that also came from my parents. I always knew exactly who I was and the world that I lived in. They were very clear about how the world ran. Having to learn that confidence and self worth and find my value at school or church didn't happen, because it happened at home. I'm as proud of my parents as they are of me and I'm glad they're able to be here to share in my success. If you could speak the words and have your wish come true other than world peace what would you wish for? Since I can't wish for world peace, my wish would be for justice for the African Community globally, because the African people have been done wrong simply because they weren't white. That has created a ripple effect on so many generations of Africans wherever they might reside and call home. The treatment just wasn't fair. So yes, my wish would definitely be for justice. April, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me. I guess I need to wrap this up considering I know I'm going to be going way over the word count. I want to end this by saying how proud I am as a black woman of your accomplishments. Thanks, Dyanne. Don't forget to let your readers know that they just don't have to be about hip hop to take advantage of being put on email blast. www.akilaworksongs.com

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In this issue we welcome Sean "XLG"Mitchell author of Throw Ya Hands In The Air, The Funky Evolution of Hip Hop. Sydney Proctor: You were once a recording artist, what inspired that decision?Sean " XLG" Mitchell: I got started in hip hop back in 1979 when I first heard "Rapper's Delight". I was young and at an age of being impressionable at that time and I got hooked into it and this was before I knew anything about the hip hop movement. Ironically, I had a passion to want to invent something to shock the world at an early age so as soon as I heard the Sugar Hill Gang which was something new and unique I just knew that hip hop was for me. That's when I started rapping and writing songs and right now I've written about 1,500 rap songs to date. What exactly motivated you to write a book about the evolution of hip-hop? What exactly motivated you to write a book about the evolution of hip-hop?What motivated me to write about hip-hop was the distortion that I often hear about rap from mainstream media and other sources. The original artists that laid it down are always overlooked and under- appreciated. When people talk about the greatest M.C.'s they never mention the first gods on the mike like Melle Mel, Caz and Moe Dee. When they talk about story tellers they start with Slick Rick but story telling was old by the time Slick Rick came into the game. When they talk about intricate lyrics they start with Rakim but Kool Moe Dee is the one that invented the syllabic rhyme scheme and rhyming two words with one which is where Rakim developed his style from. Big Daddy Kane patterned his punch-line rhyme style after Grandmaster Caz. The thing about rap is that it didn't gain mainstream popularity until the Run-D.M.C. era so the brothers that were in the forefront of hip hop before that time went largely unnoticed so that's what motivated me to write "Throw Ya Hands in the Air". How do you feel hip-hop has changed since it began in the late 70's, early 80's? Hip hop has changed quite a bit since it began in the late 70s'/early 80s' and to be honest the game has improved lyrically than what it was at that time. Alot of the early M.C.'s were absolutely wack in terms of lyrics but again the ones that did it at the highest level at that time were more advanced than any M.C. I've heard in the last 15 years. Now you have to understand what I mean when I say advanced. Back then rappers had more versatility in their subject matter. Remember, Melle Mel and those guys were doing messages like "White Lines", comical rap like "Go See the Doctor", party songs like "Freaks Come Out At Night" and then you had fun types of songs like "Roxane, Roxane" by U.T.F.O. and "Summer Time" by D.J. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. So all in all, M.C.'s could come at you from every different angle but that's not what you see in the game today. So how did you go about doing your research for the book? Did you interview some of hip-hops legends like Run DMC, Heavy D, The Fat Boys, Whodini, etc.?The research for the book came from a lot of different sources from knowing a lot of the artist that were out at the time and working at a radio station and hanging out at concerts. Did any of the information come from your own experiences as an artist? I would say a lot of information came from my own personal experiences as an artist where I had the opportunity to work with and meet a lot of the groups that were out at the time. If you were to write another book, what would it be about?That's a good question. Right now I'm in the process of developing the category that I created called Adult Contemporary Rap which is bringing back the style of rap from the 80s' and using it as a mild blueprint to recreate rap for an older, mature hip hop audience today. Rap music right now is geared towards the younger age bracket from pre-teens to twentysomethings. That means there's an entire generation of hip hop heads that are 30 and older that would like to groove to sounds like the hits from back in the day with artists like Salt-N- Pepa, Heavy D, Whodini, KRS-One and P.E. So I would say most of my concentration aside from the book now "Throw Ya Hands in the Air" is focused on getting Adult Contemporay Rap off the ground. Nevertheless, I'll probably write a follow up to "The Funky Evolution of Hip Hop" by early next year and hopefully I'll be releasing the first "Adult Contemporary Rap" single at the same time.

In its 9th year The Harlem Books Fair, founded by Max Rodriguez (who is also the founder and publisher of QBR The Black Book Review since 1992) continues to draw over 50 thousand attending and approximately 200 authors eager to display and sell their works. Make no mistake it is the premier literally event. What is equally impressive is the thought provoking, sincere and entertaining panel discussions. This year some of the panelist include, ZANE, Paul Robeson Jr., Walter Mosley, Paola Soto, Troy Johnson, Herb Boyd, Rev. Dr. Susan Newman, Omar Tyree, June Cross and NY1's Dominic Carter to name a few. AMAG Salutes the Harlem Book Fair in its 9th Year!!! Check the site for extensive information

Creating Money by Sanya Roman and Duane Packer Date: Mon. June 25, 2007 - Mon. July 30, 2007-Part 2.- Date: Mon. Aug. 20, 2007-Mon. Sept. 24, 2007 Time: 9:00-10:00 pm This is a teleclass requiring registration; please email at cleopatrawrites@yahoo.com for conference number. Something New!!! ASK COACH CLEOPATRA Bell We are so excited and delight to feature our new column ASK COACH CLEOPATRA Bell. We invited Cleopatra Bell, Artistic/Life Coach, to engage your questions about love, life, money, career and more. If you have a question, email Cleopatra at archangelcleo@yahoo.com, put in the heading ASK COACH CLEOPATRA Bell . If you would like to know more about Cleopatra click here http://askcoachcleopatrabell.blogspot.com. If you would like to learn more about coaching, go to www.coachu.com or www.blackcoaches.org. CLEOPATRA Bell, Distinguished Toastmaster, Artistic Coach, Keynote Speaker, Workshop Leader, and Author of Be A Thriving Artist, Not A Starving Artist -- future release--

Curls is a premium, ethnic hair care company whose purpose is to deliver quality products that cater to the unique needs of today's multi-ethnic market. It is the first line of hair care products truly created specifically for biracial/multiracial women and girls with naturally curly hair. Mahisha Dellinger, a multi-ethnic woman and the founder of Curls, understands the need of naturally curly hair. Her passion for hair care began at an early age. Finding the right products for her curly hair type posed an interesting challenge…a challenge that was rarely victorious, but always costly. The products that claimed to be THE solution for her curly hair were not created with her hair type in mind. She became exhausted from her search for the "right product" for her naturally curly hair. While the multi-racial population continued to grow, there were not any products on the market created just for mixed women and girls. Therefore, Mahisha was forced to create her own kitchen concoctions to meet her hair care needs. Soon friends and family began to request samples of her homemade coconut oil treatments, jojoba moisturizer, and leave in conditioner. Over the years, she spent thousands of dollars on hair care, but she never found a complete line for her hair type…so she created one! Mahisha collaborated with leading cosmetic experts to develop Curls. Her intense desire to create a remarkable line for a growing, yet overlooked audience, coupled with the extensive chemistry background of her colleagues proved to be a winning combination. Curls (and Curly Q's) products contain an exclusive blend of natural oils and quality ingredients, such as aloe leaf juice, panthenol, mango, shea and murmur butter. We’ve included a new, patent pending ingredient - a derivative of the primary lipid found at the hair surface. This important ingredient restores the integrity of your hair, protects the hair from environmental stress, and replenishes the protective layer bound to the hair cuticle. After CURLS launched and gained popularity worldwide we realized that our customer base was not only multi ethnic curlies but were also Caucasian, African American, Latina, Asian and more. So we decided to change our focus and direction to include the entire Curls family.

No matter what summertime activity you choose to participate in - some fun and games with family or friends at the park, a refreshing swim, or a backyard barbecue - those hot and humid days can take a toll on you physically, as well as present some hidden dangers. Here are some tips on how you can manage the heat and keep cool during the dog days of summer. Tips on Managing the Heat The risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke rises along with the temperature and humidity. Heat illnesses occur when the body's cooling mechanism becomes overloaded. When the heat starts to rise - slow down. Regardless of your activity level, drink more fluids - your body needs water to prevent dehydration during warm summer days. Stay away from liquids that contain caffeine, alcohol, or large amounts of sugar. Stay indoors or in shaded locations; wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing; and limit your outdoor activity to morning or evening hours when it is cooler outside. Signals of Heat Emergencies Heat exhaustion is a milder form of heat-related illness that can develop well after dehydration occurs. Those most prone to heat exhaustion include the elderly, those with high blood pressure, and children. Some symptoms of heat exhaustion include: cool, moist, pale or flushed skin; muscle cramps; heavy perspiring; nausea and sometimes vomiting; weakness; dizziness; dry mouth; and a headache. Heat stroke is a life-threatening situation. It occurs when the body is unable to regulate its temperature. Heat stroke can occur within 10-15 minutes of the first symptoms. Signs of heat stroke include: very high body temperature (above 103 degrees); hot, dry, red skin; no sweating; nausea; dizziness; confusion, disorientation, hallucinations; or loss of consciousness.