Family Tides

These are photos from my cousin JAY, who graduated from SUNO, graduation party.

May 10th 2008

Me, Alicia, and Darnell

Me & Sister Alicia F. Wiley, Model

Arike' & Sister Patrice

Darnell & Denise

Me & Cousin Jay

Enough is Enough

OMG! BEEN SO LONG SINCE I BEEN ON HERE. I JUST BEEN REALLY BUSY, BUT I HAD TO TAKE TO TIME TO VENT AND THIS IS MY HAVEN FOR THAT.

I WON'T TELL MY REAL AGE BUT I AM OLD ENOUGH TO REALIZE THAT "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH". I MEAN BOUNCE IS COOL AND I AINT SAYIN THAT I AM QUITTIN 100% BUT I KNOW THAT IT COMES A TIME WHEN U GOTTA LET IT GO. I MEAN WHAT IMMA LOOK LIKE 30 YEARS OLD TALKIN BOUT "WHO RUN THIS BITCH"! NO DISRESPECT TO OTHERS BUT THATS NOT WASSUP TO ME. YES IT PAYS THE BILLS BUT MAN.....WHATS GONNA HAPPEN AFTER? WHEN THE CLUBS BURN, YOU LOOSE YOUR VOICE, NO MO GIGS, NO HIT SONG, AND WHEN BOUNCE FADE? WHATS GONNA HAPPEN AFTER? WHATS NEXT?

NOW DONT GET ME WRONG I GO OUT FROM TIME TO TIME AND WHEN I HAVE TOO BUT I PUT ALL THAT ON THE BACK BURNER AND STARTED TO FOCUS ON ME AND LIFE....WHICH THAT'S ALL THAT MATTER TO ME. I ALSO MADE TIME FOR MY FAMILY AND MY ELITE CIRCLE OF FRIENDS WHO I TALK TO DAILY AND OUR RELATIONSHIPS HAVE GOTTEN BETTER.

SOME JUST CANT UNDERSTAND WHY I MADE A CHANGE.....WELL ITS SIMPLE...I DEPEND ON ME. I CANT DEPEND ON A CLUB TO PAY ME. NEVER DID REALLY.

Westbank Arike' - Live @ Da' Vibe Video

It is done! After months of drama / from running niggas down to get the final copy - all the way to the editing process its finally done! MY VIDEO “Westbank Arike’ - Live @ Da’ Vibe”. The purpose of me paying out of my pocket for this event is just to let people see what goes on in New Orleans "Bounce World", and at this club with no backdoor profits. I had few local producers who wanted to pay for the production cost and put it out, but I wasn’t trying to sell or package it. My overall thoughts of the video is dull. I felt like it could have been better but It served the purpose. Will I do it again….I strongly doubt it. It was simply something I craved and I tasted, but it left a sour taste in my mouth. MY microphone kept going out, lol, MINE…..and it just got out of order from the way I set it up, but I love the editing feature. I just cut it out, lol. As for the people who think I was “drowned out” in my own video…well I desired to take the back set. I was never one to crave the spotlight for anything, so again I desired to let it be hosted by someone else and I backseat. But at any rate if you want to obtain a free copy of this video, and you are out of state, just email me your FULL mailing address at westbankarike07@yahoo.com and I will send it out to you free of charge. NO TEA NO SHADE!

ENJOY LIFE!

Am I "TOO MUCH"?

Some would say I think I am “too much” or just plain ass “stuck-up”, which is clearly not the case! I am the most open minded person god could ever blow breath on. Anybody that’s know me personally could say that. For me not to like a person you MUST have did me something personally for me to feel like that which is a hard thing to do. Even people that scorn me in the past I still speak, and even converse with @ times. I cant seem for figure out why people think I am “too much”, lol. Arrogant is also something have been called. I can agree I am VERY arrogant and u should be too. The meaning of this 14th century word arrogant I means that you are proudly contemptuous. Just showing SELF-IMPORTANCE or disregard for others. Now I care about people so don't get it twisted, but I come 1st. So if putting me 1st is arrogant then by all means I am. It must be the fact that I am shy, don’t care what people think about me, a loner, and quite. Or maybe it’s the fact that I don’t speak to people I don’t know, I dress ok, I have changed from what I used to be, or the fact that I walk with my head high with reason to. But I think its just that I am different from the rest. When people see me I guess because I fucked with bounce I should jump to the mic or get mad when my name not on an event or when my name isn’t called. I am ME which is all that’s matters. I can't be what people want me to be, and if that makes me “too much”, or “stuck-up” well…lol then I am!

ENJOY LIFE!

Legendary?

LEGEND......
I was at a concert in New Orleans 2 weeks ago that one of my good friends hosted and I was introduced as “ The legendary Westbank Arike”. I was upset at that moment but I really didn’t know how to take it. Good Wishes or Slang? I was like……. Legendary? What? I took it as me being old, washed up, and plain ol’ DEAD. As I sat down and thought about it legend is not a bad word. Webster’s defines Legend as somebody famous admired for a skill or talent. Now that I look at my immense track record I am going to embrace the words legend/legendary more than what I do and not get dismayed hearing it. True, I am pretty last season BY CHOICE, but I rather be up there with legends than new jacks any day. Legendary people make sense while new jacks make hits. That’s just my thoughts. For 2008 I am taking the reserved side of bounce, the side most don’t understand. The side I feel I deserve. I have had songs written about me, D.J.’s not playing my shit, no shows or producers because of my sexuality, slang’s about me in songs and mixxes, OMG the list go on. The funny part is I am nowhere near what I used to be, and not trying to be and STILL going through the same shit, lol. I only show up for certain events by certain people. Its not about the money at all anymore. That’s so 2002. Its all about respect. I respect those who respect me. Mc Shakie, D.J. Lil Man, Calliope Preist…is some of FEW who can call me and I am there at ZERO!

Enjoy Life

Mardi Gras 2008

Mardi Gras 2008 was like the LAMEST to me. I saw some people I haven’t seen in years, some of which I thought was dead. These was some of the people I grew up with and they still on the same ol’ shit stuck in the same ol’ town. Still talking about people and holding on to grudges. Me, I feel like life to short for all that shit. In the words for my father, “There comes a time when you gotta let it Go”. These people need to let some of this shit go.

As far as the clubs…a dump. Rockafella 2.5 was ok and a few other parties was cool, but Club Fusions…..a dump! $20 a night to sweat and to get your $200 plus shoes stepped on, lol. I was there a few nights only because friends was there from out of town. I mean this cub has no entertainment nor excitement. CL-10 a D.J. there is pretty good, but for the most part I stood in the back all night on my SideKick. Fashion wise…..everybody was cute. The Local New Orleans kids was on they game, but then u had your out of town fools with 40 colors, 9 materials, and tights on one outfit and SWEAR it was fashion! Its not! Now I am not Joan Rivers, but I can say “Fashion is Simple”, and some people (from the state capital) take it too far. FOOLS! On a scale from 1 to 10 this club gets a ZERO!

This weekend I also realized no matter how much you give your all for people it still is in vain. So now I have the disposition like fuck you!