Alright so 2020 my goals were to release a cassette tape/ t shirt on Valentine’s Day. Quit my second job since my parties were picking up and not be sick anymore because I was doing the iodine treatment for my thyroid. Literally my only goals.

Here is what actually happened:

In addition I had a short filmed/commercial planned around my tape/merch release. I wanted to land at least one magazine article too.

So here we go! January I throw my first fashioned themed party of the year! “2001” with @__mystylist & Jamie

This was my biggest party up until that point! And EVERYONE stayed in theme! I like that this party brings together a straight and gay crowd with no mf problems ever! Literally people dancing all night too

I invite host by style so if you match the theme I’m thinking of I will reach out to you. Most times the host are stylist/ designers themselves so they usually say yes (even though I get no’s)

This party went so well that I got asked to take on two nights a month. I say YES!! If the 2nd party grows like this I’m for sure getting rid of my 2nd job. I spent a year building up this party so I knew adding a 2nd completely different party would take time.

2/20:

So I had been sitting on cassettes I had made since November. I was trying to get merch printed for tees but the guy I found was giving me the run around. So I missed my Valentine’s Day potential release . In the meantime one of my collaborators asked to interview me.

I thought this was dope because I was chosen amongst all these creatives I looked up to. Like wtf? I’m being listed amongst this greatness?? Oh and there’s @__mystylist again! So talented! My first ever write up centered around me btw!

So for the next theme @__mystylist accepted my offer of being more hands on @__mystylist played a big part in helping this party grow! and when we came up with latex and leather as well as they chose the perfect co host to team up with for the night! There’s @TYDRYN btw

So latex and leather went GREAT. At this point I’m planning on quitting my second job and April all the while @AuntieAyla who was there Dj’ing with me from the start is cheering me on like DO IT. And helping me organize my cassette launch etc. Honestly she’s been the best!

Then the wonderful @djfaucet_ invites me to Dj for her new after hours party Pls n Thanx! I come spin and I also bring out the photo booth and this night was a huge success for her I’m still proud!

3/2020

@djfaucet_ invites me back for the next month and @__mystylist picks a birthday theme!!! Both parties land on the same day! It also ends up being the day after we get covid news and they are talking about shutting down LA

So because of the Covid warning slot of people wanted to be careful and stay home (understandably so) lol but. @__mystylist @djfaucet_ both were like nah we ain’t shutting down our parties. Lol I ended up Dj’ing 6 hours at mine and 2 at faucets both were hella fun

So the next day they shut LA down. A week later I do the radioiodine therapy for my thyroid in the middle of having a flare up from Graves’ disease. It was like perfect timing because March / April I couldn’t walk around my house without being short of breath.

I honestly just existed the rest of March and April. I held onto both jobs full time because I didn’t know what to expect during the shut down. I had intentions on filming a short commercial for my release and couldn’t do that. So I was really just bummed out.

Then @AuntieAyla gave me the pep talk to just release my cassettes because everyone was still spending money and at home. I honestly needed something creative to do, I also wanted to celebrate hitting two millions streams on my SoundCloud. So I started working on the release.

so my game plan was to film one of those late night 90s r&b infomercials. But I couldn’t because lockdown so I had to be resourceful. I took clips from Boyz II Men - I’ll make love to you video and asked Twitter did anyone think they had a smooth voice. I chose @1Rylic !

The things you can do without being face to face with people! Lol plus he nailed it!! I am really big on packaging. You open something you paid good money for online you should feel SPECIAL when it arrives. You should feel like you purchased something timeless!

Photo credit above ( @TheGentnyc) so before the release I did get some negative feedback. “People don’t own cassette players” “no one buys those” from a friend but I already had everything ready to go. They sold out in 8 days

I’m never gonna forget that feedback cause he was deadass serious. (He Purchased one tho) lol but honestly moving forward with that release was the best thing to happen to me. It was like someone put a battery pack in my back.

So we in June 2020 now and my friend of many years tells me she closed a artist deal with universal and she finished her EP and that she wants me to help her. First things first she’s a feature on a song and needs a promotional photo. She lets me take it . They use it!

June I start trying to get into twitch because Instagram live only works for D nice lmao so @AuntieAyla is sharing the stuff she’s learning. I play around on it Dj’ing to 5 people lol I used my projector to play movies while I dj’ed but by July I start moving back into themes!

My first theme is the one and only Brandy! She announces her album release and I’m like omg I can revisit her whole catalog before it drops and give away a vinyl! I reach out to some fan sites because i need to reach out to other Brandy fans for this and one reaches back!

I always want to make things fun , engaging and interactive! So this was perfect @legallypierre wins the vinyl and I for the first time have more than 10 people watching me at once! I learned so much that stream and I’m definitely going to do all Brandy again!

My friend calls me up! ASCAP heard her song and wants her to be apart of their online summer series they are doing. She asks me to come take behind the scenes photos/footage. They choose one of my photos for a publication story on her and I become published for the first time!

I get back to my merch and planning to make my tees. I worked with @Kia_Kin for the artwork and I love it so much and did not want to move on till I made my tees! The homie gives me a new printer to reach out to and 7 days later the tees are done! I start planning the lookbook!

In the meantime I reach out to @vitakari_ who makes her own IG filters and ask if she can make a idea I had possible. A randomizer of my most popular SoundCloud mixes! It will eventually stop on this mix and I encourage users to go listen to the one it lands on! This was a HIT!!

08/20

At this point I have so many ideas for twitch, for YouTube, for merch! I plan on doing all Toni Braxton this month on twitch the same week she drops her new album! Which was perfect and even got her attention and I hit over 20 viewers that stream!

My friend drops her first official single and chose me to do the cover art!!! This was a dream of mine I still can’t believe came true!! (I did not photograph her just did the graphics)

I Did photo retouching too!

So next I need to shoot my Lookbook! I photograph it myself and @djfaucet_ who goes up for me no matter what accepted my offer to model!! @NoeyDuran came in to assist in styling and pose!! which he did a amazing job and I can’t find tres Twitter

The same day @laurenenriquezz comes in to shoot video footage of my friend @ThatsRoebaby for a platform I’m starting called “her selections”
And @Aime_mua does her usual and kills the make up on both models!!

We did all that in like 4 hours Chile it was a hectic evening! The shirts release and they are all sold out by October.

Big ups to my dj friends wearing it during their twitch sets, on movie sets, dance sets. Y’all are the real MVPS

September comes and my sister gets married!! I fly to Maryland for the extra small wedding and I coordinate and film it for everyone to watch via twitch! Honestly the most beautiful thing ever!!!

I don’t even stream September. twitch sends the requirements to be a affiliate and I decide to step my game up! I choose Mariah for the next theme and even give away her book! This brings in more viewers and I consistently stream every Saturday of October and become affiliate!

I get invited by @ThatsRoebaby to be on set for her next video and shoot behind the scenes!! I called out of work and spent the day assisting her!! It was so much fun

She calls me to do my second cover art for her!!!! I’m excited but real talk she gave me like two hours to get it done lol

Here we are November and I see the themes bring in the most viewers so I dedicate November to themes only!! They also help me build my serato library. This time I put more effort! I get a green screen and dress up !

Since doing so my stream jumped from 60 followers to over 200. ppl tip so well even if it’s a dollar so hopefully as my twitch grows I can for real quit this second job like I planned to earlier this year! I still work 16 hours days and I stream the only day I have off a week.

I launched @HerSelections on YouTube and twitter! Dedicated to women who make r&b and hip hop! Follow to keep up to date for more original content 2021!

Shout out to ebony for turning my story into a whole coffee table book!!! My favorite gift ever

That was my year! Probably the best and worst year of my life but I got so much done once I really focused. I don’t encourage anyone to work 2 full time 9-5’s tho! I just take care of myself and others so I do what I have to do! I also fund my own releases so that’s that too.

Thanks for coming to my Ted talk! Now ima bookmark this thread and come back to it next year

Book: @Ebo_kneee
Photos: @TaRiiOoo