#29: New Rap Video "These Walls" - Content and Financing
"These Walls" - Assembled paintings used in the rap video
"What Now?" - Painting awarded through drawing to major contributors. Fellow Art Lovers:
My first rap video, “Head Held High,” which has been on YouTube for several months now, has had some success. It’s not the number of views, now well past 400, even though I see some celebrities and popular singers racking up huge numbers of views very fast. What is really important to me is the content of the comments from viewers. It just seems that “Head Held High” struck a chord for many people; they were touched by the story; and they were impressed by the artistry of the video itself.
Well, as you may know, I’m now working on a second rap video. This one is called “These Walls,” and it tells the story of an old man who has made himself a prisoner in his own home, because of his fear of guns on the street in his Philadelphia neighborhood. Why rap video no. 2? Yes, I was influenced by the reception of “Head Held High.” But also, the reasons for fighting gun violence remain just as valid, and I felt that dramatizing the life of an elderly man was interesting. And of course, I see a rap video as a good tool for me, because I’m able to tell a story and also use my paintings, which I try to make as dramatic as possible.
In order to find the resources to complete this rap video, I am using the website www.kickstarter.com, which is a fantastic tool for people with cultural or artistic projects. What www.kickstarter.com does is allow people with valid projects to post them on a recognized site and give reasons why contributors should help finance the projects. And believe me, a lot of valid projects are funded, and in this way, the cultural mix the world is able enjoy and learn from is enriched.
So, on www.kickstarter.com, I am giving what I hope are valid reasons, so interested people will help finance my project. To give just a little more information, I’m trying to raise $3,000 to pay for the video production and the marketing of “These Walls.” You can learn more about what I’m trying to do by going to www.kickstarter.com. I’m attaching a link directly to my project in this blog entry.
But I’d like to give one note of caution. Many of you have been true supporters of my work, through your comments and encouragement, your attendance at my shows and open-studios events, and sometimes through your purchases of my work. In this way, I feel you’ve already played an important role. And for this reason, I don’t want any of you to feel any obligation to make a contribution through www.kickstarter.com. You’ve already done your part. Just keep making your perceptive comments, and keep coming to my events.
There will certainly be more opportunities to offer input and come to events. I promise. How? Because I have a lot more ideas in the back of my mind. And I’m counting on you to keep me on the straight and narrow, artistically speaking.
For your information, as you see on this blog posting, I’m showing you the paintings that will be used in “These Walls,” which are above this text. And following this text is the entire text of “These Walls.”
Also, I’m adding a link to “Head Held High,” on YouTube.
As always, please let me know what you think, and let me know if you’d like to visit my studio to see the paintings in person or look at any of my other paintings.
Thanks, as always, for your support. And wish me luck.
Sincerely,
William Kosman
These Walls ©
By William Kosman
These walls, they don’t talk to me any more,
They used to ring with the sounds of life,
Our little world was new, and every day was bright,
The miracle when the boys were born, oh man, I knew it was right.
Your kid’s got a fever, and you spend the night,
Then with the coming of day, and the kid’s okay.
Life was squeezin’ us in that little place, but we had love there.
I want those days back, long gone past,
Gimme my life back,
Lemme start again,
I wanna feel the pride,
I wanna walk in the sun.
These walls, they don’t talk to me any more,
They’re just there, darin’ me to go out,
Gotta break outta here, gotta get through that door,
But I don’t know how, even knowin’ there’s more,
How can I do it, banging with my firsts?
How can I do it? Oh man, I’m losing my wits.
‘Cause I made this place,
My own little prison space.
Oh, gimme my street back,
Lemme stand up tall,
Lemme walk in the sun,
Lemme fear no gun.
These walls, they’re talkin’ new sounds now,
I’m hearin’ those punks, and the screamin’ cars,
I’m hearin’ the sirens of the cops, and the fireworks in the night,
The street’s dead now, and the life’s gone outta it.
We got new masters now, there’s no denying it,
They came, they saw, and they conquered,
They hooked, they sold, and they made folks bonkered.
Oh, gimme my street back,
Lemme stand up tall,
Lemme walk in the sun,
Lemme fear no gun.
These walls, they don’t talk to me any more,
They don’t talk any more, not like the days gone past,
I wanna see my neighbors, I wanna see the kids in the street,
I wanna get the smiles and hellos, from the folks I meet,
I don’t wanna be thinkin’, today I might die.
I’m so tired, oh God, don’t want that good-bye,
Oh, gimme my street back,
Lemme stand up tall,
Lemme walk in the sun,
Lemme fear no gun.
Oh, somewday I’m gonna walk down my street,
Gonna march with my neighbors, with the kids in the street,
We’re gonna cheer and sing, with all the folks we meet,
We’re gonna stand up tall,
We’re gonna walk in the sun,
We’re gonna fear no gun.
Today I’m lookin’ out my window,
And I know it’s up to me.
Today I’m lookin’ out my window,
And I know what’s gotta be.
Take me, shoot me, I don’t care,
I want my street back,
I want my life back.
I’m gonna show those punks,
Oh, you can’t do this to me, man.
Spread the word,
We gotta be heard.
Lemme stand up tall,
Lemme walk in the sun,
Lemme fear no gun.
Labels: people, urbanscenes
posted by William Kosman @ 1:19 PM
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