MuslimPoet.com

Thank you all so much for your support.  As the new site gets ready for launch I will no longer be updating the blog.  I will keep it available at this address: http://brotherdash.muslimpoet.com for nostalgia purposes and because there is some good content in here.  I have enjoyed keeping you updated on my ramblings, comings and goings, and the occasional useful tidbit of information.  MuslimPoet.com and this blog have been very rewarding.  The new site however will change from www.muslimpoet.com to www.brotherdash.com.  The new url better reflects the content that will be on the site.  Being a poet is simply one aspect of what I am…it is something that I enjoy doing but in general I am a creative person and somewhat of a social commentator (hence the poet). I enjoy the Arts, Literature, Academics, Travel, Business, Social Activities, Events, Family, Spirituality and other pursuits. Muslimpoet.com only reflected a part of that.  Actually I had wanted to change the site to brotherdash.com over a year ago but I was in a bit of a communication struggle with getting the domain name (someone else had registered it).  But I finally have my name back woo wooooo! 

So now muslimpoet.com will be brotherdash.com. I will migrate the photos over to the new site (which is fairly easy since I use an online host for the photo album) and keep a couple of the youtube video links up on the new site as well.  I will keep some of the audio but only two poems will be available on the new site as far as text.  Links to the CDs will be there.  For those of you still interested in "Brother Dash" as a spoken word artist I have created a much easier to follow section that is just on me as a poet.  But there will be other content on the new site namely my new audio podcast dealing with Arts, Culture and Society where I talk with various personalities sometimes literally over tea on different topics that fit under Arts, Culture or Society.  Actually they do most of the talking.  You will be able to subscribe to my podcast soon.

www.brotherdash.com launches April 6th

1. New twice monthly podcast on the Arts, Culture and Society
2. New content including new audio, exclusive video and new poems
3. New full length articles
4. More advanced design, new colors, new navigation, funkier attitude!

Check out brotherdash.com! 

Really excited about the new site.  Should launch by April 1st!  Progress is below:

1. Design completed

2. 90% of content added

3. Finishing up remaining content now

4. Recording brand new audio content now

So the delay is really only for the new audio features which I think you're gonna like!

Hey Folks!

I know it's been awhile but I've been busy working on the new website. Those of you that have been with MuslimPoet.com for a long time know that I generally do a re-design every 12-18 months.  Well this will be probably the biggest re-design ever.  Not only will the entire look and feel of the site change but I will be adding some new features AND some free stuff for anyone that registers for the new site (of course registration is free…free is good!). I expect the launch within a week.  Stay tuned. 

Salaams,

I found out about this site that will show you what the web looked like as far back as 1996.  All you do is put in the url and it has several points where you can view the site.  So of course I put in MuslimPoet.com and wow!  I totally forgot what my own site looked like way back when.  Here's the direct link:http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://muslimpoet.com but you can go to the Internet Archive to view other sites.  Below are the earliest homepage images from www.muslimpoet.com back in 2000. Enjoy!

So it's Sunday morning…nice and sunny today here in Jersey.  Sittin' here sippin' my coffee in my daughter's MSA mug (she's not old enough for the MSA yet).  Anyway…I guess I'll get back to some of the more common updates.  I'm excited to announce that I have started working on the next album.  This album will be quite a departure from Poetically Speaking in many ways.  Most noticeably will be the inclusion of music in the form of mainly percussion.  I'm not sure how the entire album will sound but I was working on a track last night for a poem entitled Words.  It uses an old school hip-hop beat that I am building from scratch.  I don't plan on using much if any in the way of samples.  And the album isn't a hip-hop album.  It's still by and large Spoken Word but on the "next level" I'd say.  For those of you familiar with my work I have a rather naturally rhythmic a capella style anyway.  In fact I actually write in rhythm!  Inspiration for poetry often comes to me like it may come to a musician.  I write in "notes" so to speak or rhythms.  Think about Boom Chicka Boom for example (listen here).  That is a clear example of how alot of my poetry comes to me.  I may be inspired lyrically by what any poet is inspired by…world events, family problems, no money, racism, sexism, etc but the way the poems manifest themselves are often rhythmic.  So I decided to really explore that and see where it takes me.  So last night I worked on the bassline.  I already did the beat.  I will probably just add a couple of complimentary elements (hi-hat type stuff…simple steady background conga maybe) but I plan on keeping the album very simple musically.  The Spoken Word still must be the dominant element.  I've heard alot of albums where the vocals get lost in the music production.  I also don't want an album that is just a head nodder.  The point of this next album musically speaking is that whatever accompaniment I add is meant to accentuate the words not take precedence over it.  At the end of the day I'm a poet…but I am a naturally rhythmic poet so let's see where this goes.  The 2nd poem is already written and I'm in the middle of the 3rd. So if I end up with a 10-12 piece album I'm well on my way so far.  Release date?  Don't know yet.  I'd like to have it ready by Eid Al-Fitr (early October) or if I'm invited to GPU (usually November).  If not then I'd probably table it until 2009.  Ideally I'd like to come out with an album at least every 12-18 months. 

I also have this idea for a series of poetic novellas in the style of a graphic novel minus the comic strips.  Sort of an "un"graphic novel.  Believe it or not the hard part is done.  I have the story arc, main characters, and a really surprising ending all in my head.  There's a hero, a villain, comedic elements, dramatic elements, spiritual themes, philosophical themes, lots n lots of stuff that can adequately fill a 3-6 novella series.  That in and of itself is a large project without trying to do an album so I maybe be biting off more than I can chew but…what else is new right?

Lastly Andalus Media Group (the company I co-own with Hasan) is undergoing a major exciting change.  The new name is Andalus Live! along with a new url (www.andaluslive.com).  But the focus of the company will not simply be the live events that we have been doing.  I can't say what else we are going to be doing right now but it will launch later this Spring, God Willing so stay tuned.  So that is a major project too.  So that what? A new album, a book, new business and of course I have my personal life (which is another story).  Anyway…that's it for now.  Holla at me on MySpace, Facebook or through the blog.

Peace out,

Dash