The Coolest Things About Meeting Celebrities

Okay guys,
So I have encounter a good amount of celebrities in my life since I left high school. I remember the first official celebrity I met was AJ Calloway from BET 106 and Park when I was still in middle school, if you still count him as one. But nonetheless, here are some of the things I learned when encountering celebrities in life.

1) There are normal people, but some can be alot more egotistic than others
I learned that the hard way when dealing with people such as Fabulous. So disappointed that he only cared to get out after a concert at Trinity College. At least Juelz Santana was alot more of a genuine person when I interviewed him a few years ago. But everyone else that I met as celebrities seemed to have struggled from some point in their lives and push to get to where they stand today. My advice is that not all celebrities appear to be egotistic. However, some like Stan Lee would indulge you with many conversations and stories of his work, before I was asked to leave by the manager.

2) The star-power we give in the United States may not exist in other countries.

I was in Trinidad and Tobago for Spring 2011 and I was impressed with how famous Trinidadaians such as 3 Canal and Kes the Band could walk freely around their native country without being chased down by adorning fans, compared to the United States. I never forget how Kes was enjoying the Panorama Finals and only took pictures with fans instead of being chased down by girls. The same goes for 3 Canal when one of the students in my study abroad group to Trinidad got the chance to work with one of the members of the band. Crazy, huh?

3) How passionate they are in real life than in television, especially if they have written books.
Stacey Ann Chin was perhaps the first celebrity I ever met that would ever make me late for any class since her writings are so interesting, personal, and deeply honest that I forgot about class for a second and thought about my life. The Other Side of Paradise by Stacey-Ann Chin is currently my favorite book as of today. KRS-One's "The Gospel of Hip-Hop" is the philosophical masterwork of KRS-ONE set in a similar format as the Christian Bible. I was fortunate to get both books signed as well as read them.

4) By any means, if your lucky, party like a Rockstar with celebrities!!!
Just make sure you eat lots before you do. Partying with Kinetics and One Love was perhaps the coolest thing I did on campus. After filming on stage with them for a while, they invited me back to chill with them. I never knew that I could finish a flowing cup of Jack Daniels in less than 5 minutes. Jesus Christ, thank god my video equipment was safe and sound. The Cool kids are cool too!

Without further ado, here my list of celebrities I met/ would like to meet!

So far I met...

1) Juelz Santana
2) The Roots
3) Lauryn Hill
4) Ne-Yo
5) Stan Lee
6) Mario
7) KRS-ONE
8) Kes (Trinidad)
9) Elephant Man
10) Kinetics and One Love
11) The Cool Kids
12) K'naan
13) AJ Calloway
14) 3 Canal (Trinidad)
15) Maury Povich (for a quick second)
16) I kinda met Fabolous, but he only stopped when he gave George an autograph
17) Stacey Ann Chin

Would Like to meet:

1) Lady Gaga
2) Deadmau5
3) Tiesto
4) Armin Van Buuren
5) David Guetta
6) Netsky
7) Arnej
8) Chinua Achebe
9) Oprah
10) Genevieve Nnaji

2010 International Hip Hop Festival

Okay, so I have not responded from my first post in over a year but I would like to start my adventures with my first encounter of my series of events, adventures, and travels. My journey starts with the The 5th annual 2010 International Hip Hop Festival held at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. This is my second year filming the 3 day event and I must say that this year was alot more busier and challenging, but worth the experience. I remember filming the 4th annual Hip Hop Festival my freshman year as I solely filmed the 2-night concerts at the Austin Arts Center. Each night the concerts ran from 9PM to 1AM, but Saturdays are usually more packed since the festival featured the main act of the festival. 2009 was the year K'naan took the stage and wowed the Trinity crowd with his hits such as TIA (This is Africa, woot) and Wavin' Flag. I was lucky to grab an autograph from K'naan and talked with him for a sec after his tour bus broke down. I have no clue where I placed my autographs like many of the autographs I got from artists. (I put a list of artists I met/vs I would like to meet next time)

Fast-forward to 2010 Hip Hop Festival, shall we? This was a bigger task at hand since I was not only assigned to film the 2-night concert, but also in-class lectures, official b-boy battles, and talks from International artists. I had a pleasure with the opportunity meeting and working with Magee Mcilvaine, one of the pioneers of the International Hip Hop Festival. Usually, he works with people who are at least are upperclassmen from what I was told from people working at the Hip Hop festival, but as an underclassman I guess I prove to be reliable person in terms of doing videos properly. I guess, I was an exception? I never forget my weekend (April 2nd and 3rd of 2011) and it was such a dedication of putting some kind of effort in getting as much footage of everything festival-related as I could. However, I did not do this task alone. I had help from my best friend and partner in crime, George, Chris, and Malcolm, especially since both Malcolm and Chris was involved in the festival a lot more longer than I have been. Although filming the lectures, discussions, and talks was not that difficult, doing this the entire Friday (from morning to concert time) with little time to relax was daunting.

With fatigue, filming the b-boy rounds was alot more difficult since I was close enough to get my jaw and camera shattered and I had to be more careful. The contestants were spinning and break dancing at very rapid speeds. I did got slightly injured when one of the b-boys foot did hit my arm that was filming the event, so I jokingly pretended that I was missing a tooth (Note: I lost a tooth a long time ago) because a b-boy kicked my face. I was only kidding. Throughout the lugging the heavy camera equipment from one end of campus to another, running back and forth for tapes, stuffing any kinds of food I could get, it was all worth it in the end. The second night of the concerts playing was well worth it. I had the chance of filming the finales of the b-boy battle, until I was asked by one of the event organizers to interview the main act himself, KRS-ONE. It was a good thing that George followed me to the press room since I can not speak on camera if I were to interview him. The press room interview conversation was quite long, but it was so worth it! I was given his new book: "The Gospel of Hip Hop" and signed my new copy, although he took my sharpie marker and never gave it back. I never forget George gave the last question to ask KRS-ONE, his idol or the pats on the back for filming on stage. I guess this is my start to my adventures afterall.