The Pencil

July 26th, 2010 | By Yesi

Last year, i read “The Alchemist”, by Paulo Coelho and was greatly moved and inspired by the story. I have been trying to digest as much material by the author ever since.

The below is an excerpt from his book, “The Flowing River” that was posted on his blog. http://paulocoelhoblog.com . Enjoy.

Yesi

THE STORY OF THE PENCIL

A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter. At one point he asked:

‘Are you writing a story about what we’ve done? Is it a story about me?’
His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson:
I am writing about you, actually, but more important than the words is the pencil I’m using. I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.’

Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn’t seem very special.
‘But it’s just like any other pencil I’ve ever seen!’

‘That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.’

‘First quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us according to His will.’
‘Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpner. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person.
‘Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.’
‘Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.’
‘Finally, the pencil’s fifth quality: it always leaves a mark. in just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action’

Yesi Freestyle Session – Blooper Reel

June 24th, 2010 | By admin

Freestyle Session – Blooper Reel.

Yesi having a hard time staying focused and getting frustrated… comical bit.  A.O. Frantz (Amy) on the camera.

Behind the Scenes – Freestyle Outtakes from Yesi Music on Vimeo.

Four Seasons

June 23rd, 2010 | By Yesi

I got this on my BBM and thought to share it with you…

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly, so he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in the summer and the youngest in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first  son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second said no, it was covered with buds and full of promise. The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with bloossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and dropping with fruit,  full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one seaoson in the tree’s life. He told them that you canno judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that comes from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it’s winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall…

This message just happened to coincide with me reading about Dustin Brown , Jamaican Tennis player who overcame numerous challenges to make Wimbledon, and further reinforced the message.

I fuel myself in a similar way… so many times I have pondered why I do this. I guess I  sense that the harshest winter chill is past, and I eagerly await the spring…

-Yesi

From That Thing To My Thing

June 8th, 2010 | By Yesi

“The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark.”  – Agnes De Mille.

So there’s that one thing that has always interested you.You might occasionally browse or inform yourself about it, or perhaps you avidly follow it. In fact, you might admire those who are currently doing that thing, but secretly feel you can do it better than them, if you applied yourself. You want to make it your thing. But It will require a commitment of time, effort and resources not to mention the million and one other “buts” that remind you how crazy of an idea this thing is.

Don’t over-think it, just do it.

Sure, there will be self-doubt and uncertainty. You will constantly be tortured by the imminent fear of failure and looking foolish after you put yourself out there. You might hit a couple I’m-way-over-my-head moments, and ever so often, the why-am-I-even-doing-this brick wall. But understand that the fear is expected because leaping-in is counter-intuitive to human nature. Since birth, we’ve internalized the prudence of caution and “looking before you leap.” Even the education system punishes mistakes and rewards precision.
I have found that there’s a certain emptiness when you live in the precision of your comfort zone. I think the real reason is because life is not an exact science, it is more like art… and art is the exact opposite of precision. The real reason to leap into the dark is because you cannot understand the meaning of light without experiencing darkness. You cannot gain anything if you risk nothing.
Of course, It is easier said that done. It takes guts and conviction. People will question your intentions. Obstacles will push you to the brink, and you will make mistakes. Ultimately, you have to embrace these tests because they reveal how bad you want that thing to become your thing.

-Yesi

Images from Coronation Launch Party

May 30th, 2010 | By admin

Some pictures from the Album launch party… Enjoy

Coronation Launch Party

May 18th, 2010 | By admin

Yesi Drops 2nd Single Off Coronation: “Aura”

May 17th, 2010 | By admin

“Aura,” the second single off Yesi’s much anticipated album, “Coronation,” was released today. On “Aura” Yesi waxes lyrically about the interaction between men and women. Essentially, he poignantly captures how a woman’s “Aura” captures a man’s attention seven days a week. “Coronation,” is slated for release on May 25th. You can listen to “Aura” in the media section of this site or CLICK HERE TO LISTEN.

Yesi – Aura

Yesi Releases “The Breakoff” Mixtape

May 16th, 2010 | By admin

With a week to the launch of his highly anticipated debut album, “Coronation,” Yesi has released a 10 track mixtape titled “The Breakoff: Prequel to Coronation.” Yesi delivers a rendition of “Pon Pon Pon” in tribute to fellow artiste Dagrin, who died recently from wounds sustained in an accident. Other songs on the album include Surgical (Produced by Kid Konnect), Main Event, Steroids, and Just Doin’ Me. The mixtape is free and can be listened to on the media section or downloaded via the various links on Yesi’s twitter page: www.twitter.com/yesimusic

Yesi Releases G.R.A off Upcoming Debut Album “Coronation”

April 17th, 2010 | By admin

April 17, 2010

For immediate Release

Newcomer rapper Yesi releases G.R.A (Gidi Reserved Area) off upcoming independent album Coronation. Born and raised in the historic Nigerian city of Ibadan, Yesi’s education took him to Orlando, Florida, and eventually New York City where he currently resides.

Yesi seamlessly blends 3 languages- English, Yoruba and Pidgin – delivering impressive lyrics over heart thumping Hip-Hop beats.

On G.R.A, Yesi switches up the definition of the acronym from Government Reserved Area to Gidi Reserved Area. In his words:

“Historically in Nigeria, Government Reserved Areas represent neighbourhoods reserved for the wealthy and connected. Gidi (Home) denotes the inclusivity that invites everyone to partake of that which is Yesi Music.”

Yesi’s debut album, “Coronation,” is due to be independently released May 25, 2010. Also upcoming is a video for G.R.A which has been shot and will be released in May 2010.