I recently read an extremely noteworthy article via The Root about Haitians from the Diapora returing to their home land post earthquake to not only continue to rebuild Haiti, but also re-connect to their culture. Diasaster Brings Haitian Americans Back Home two young Haitian-Americans Samuel Darguin and Fabrice Armand, talk about their efforts in Haiti and how they plan to continue their work. Here are some key points that really stood out:

“For our parents’ generation, Haiti is the place they were forced to flee from in search of a better life. So for [many of Haitian descent], visiting Haiti was often discouraged because it was the land their parents had left behind. Yes, Haiti is a difficult place for some,” he points out, “and the luxuries of the West aren’t always available here. But Haiti is ours, and if we don’t take care of our inheritance, who will?” (Samuel Darguin)

Read in it’s entirety HERE. It’s and article that ALL Caribbeans in the diaspora should read and be inspired by to help those in your home land. It’s more than just embracing the culture abroad but reaching back to invest and help our own.

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Shaggy and Friends Charity concert will be streamed live online tonight starting at 7pm. The concert features headlining artist in Reggae, Dancehall and Hip- Hop. Proceeds from the concert will go to the Shaggy Make A Difference Foundation, which donates to the Bustamante Children’s Hospital in Kingston, Jamaica.

Performers include Shaggy, the former Ruff Ryders first lady, Eve (who steps in for R&B crooner Ne-Yo), Maxi-Priest, Half Pint, Cocoa Tea, Deniece Williams, I-Octane, Romaine Virgo, Assassin, Wayne Marshall, Tami Chynn, Gyptian, Mr Vegas, recently added Lauryn Hill and more.

Proceeds from this year’s staging of Shaggy and Friends will go towards the construction of a 15-bed intensive care cardiac unit at the hospital. The annual concert was initially staged in 2009 and again in 2010, there was no show last year. The previous two editions of Shaggy and Friends raised over JA$57 million for the hospital.

The stream is available through iTunes. Download HERE

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I like setting goals for the new year. Setting up goals are pretty easy, the execution plan is the hard work. I going to make a huge effort to dedicate more time to my passion for blogging from the Caribbean-American perspective and I hope you all enjoy my journey.

1. Blog More – I quite often get torn on what to blog about (especially when I sit down to post at midnight). I have a killer editorial calendar…I just need to follow it. I’d love to introduce more about food and travel as well.

2. Buy a DSLR Camera – I’d love to take better pictures in 2012, so I’m hoping to buy a new camera (and a tripod) at some point this year.

3. Take Risks - More opinionated posts, more fashion posts and pushing myself to do things outside of the box.

4. Video – Style & Vibes is a brand, but I want to show more about my personality. after all I am the key demographic. showing a little more insight to my lifestyle through video and incorporating it into the blog.

5. Promote – I’m actually kind of shy and modest about my blogging. I know I’m great at what I do, but I don’t talk about it often enough online and off. I definitely plan on changing that for 2012. Who’s going to promote me better than me?

Have any resolutions or goals for 2012 (blog related or non-blog related), I’d love to hear them.

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One of my first watches as a child was Guess watch; I now have a collection of about six of them and to be working with them is an amazing connection with a brand I’ve always truly valued. Along with a few other fashion bloggers, I’ll be an occasional guess blogger on the Guess Access Blog. Check out a feature they did on a few of us about the Holiday looks, personal family traditions and items from our Trend Boards. If you like Polyvore, The Guess Access Trend Board is very similar, easy to use and fun! It incorporates Guess merchandise and highlights the watch as a key item.

Check out a bigger image from my Holiday Look!

Dress & Ring: H&M | Tights: DKNY | Shoes: Calvin Klein | Necklace: Bought in Brazil from a street vendor a few years ago.

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Hip-hop artist Heavy D died Tuesday after collapsing outside his condo in Beverly Hills, and as the music community and other fans offered condolences, an autopsy was on tap to pin down the 44-year-old’s cause of death. (Source) The Jamaican-American heavy weight lover hailed from “Money Earnin’ Mount Vernon” (New York suburb) and had a successful career as a rapper, producer and actor.

The last video I saw was with him and Nia Long, but word is he was working on a comeback, hence his recent performance at the BET’s Hip Hop Awards with Tyrese, which I thoroughly enjoyed (name another big brother who could move like Heavy D!)  Here are a few of my favorites from Heavy Diddley Diddley D!

“Now That We Found Love”

“Big Daddy”

He also had a reoccurring role on the TV hit Living Single as Regine’s friend/boyfriend.

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Usain Bolt joined Hublot to celebrate their Beverly Hills Boutique opening. The watch maker enlisted Usain Bolt to co-host the “Hublot Race Challenge”, which took place at the grounds of the Greystone Mansion and was hosted by sports media personality Neil Everett; where every child that finished the race before Usain Bolt raised $10,000 for the foundation (I hope he let a few kids win the race).

In addition, Hublot and Usain Bolt announced a new program that will be created for STAR Education. The Hublot and STAR “Games” will launch their summer program in 2012 through track & field competitions to encourage an active lifestyle.

Usain Bolt also showed off his alternative talent as a DJ at the after party.

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Caribbean American Cultural Caucus Inc. presents the Caribbean Cultural Music Conference  at the Marriott Marquis, 1535 Broadway, New York, NY, 10036 beginning today through tomorrow Friday, September 23.

This conference has received official endorsements from the office of Brooklyn’s Borough President, Marty Markowitz, and the City of New York. In 2009 and 2010, the Caribbean Cultural Conference hosted a wide cross section of stakeholders including musicians, artists, attorneys, producers, educators, record label executives, music business students, and entrepreneurs, traveling from across the US as well as from Trinidad, Jamaica, Barbados and other Caribbean territories. Panelists and guests from ASCAP, COSCAP, VP Records, Golden Krust, Headline Entertainment, Tunecore, SoundExchange, SiriusXM Radio, IRIS, A2iM, The Orchard and RightFlow were also present. We expect similar support this year. Check out the entire program after the jump.

CARIBBEAN CULTURAL MUSIC CONFERENCE 2011 PROGRAM GUIDE
DAY 1       September 22, 2011 
 

Topic: INSIDE THE PRODUCTION BOOTH
Panelists: Computer Paul, ED Robinson, Mastermind, James “Bonzai” Caruso 
11:40 am – 01:10 pm: Plenary Session 2

Topic: A look at Publishing
Moderator: Michelle Arthurton
Panelists: Alex Holtz, Jonathan Jones, Erica Smith, Heather Cunningham
01:20 pm – 2:50 pm: LUNCH
03:00 pm – 3:30 pm: One-on-one interview:

PITCH IT! (Music Service Company)
Jamaicansmusic.com
03:40 pm – 4:50 pm: Plenary Session 3

Topic: Brand Building, Endorsements + Marketing – Your Music in a Digital Age
Presented by: ASOM Production
Moderator: Irwine Clare
Panelist: Jay Warsinske, Stacey Bethel, Trevor Smith, Mario Evon, Keishel Williams
04:50 pm – 5:00 pm: Closing remarks

DAY 2 – September 23, 2011

Topic: Artist Management
Moderator:
Panelists: Camille Evans, Victor Lewis, Shamita Carriman – Natasha Andrews
11:10 am – 12:40 pm: Plenary Session 2

Topic: Navigating the New Music Business. What are my options?
Moderator: Karen Marie Mason
Panelists: David Weiss, Steve Gordon, Tyesh Harris, Kelly Griffin
12:40 pm – 01:25 pm                LUNCH
01:30 pm – 02:30 pm:

Topic: Financial Management
Tips for Music Business Practitioners
Presenter: 
02:40 pm – 3:40 pm                    Plenary Session 3

Topic: The Do’s and Don’ts of Touring
Moderator:
Panelists: Oliver Millwood, Copeland Forbes, George Michailow – George Crooks
03:50 pm – 04:50 pm                  Plenary Session 4

Topic: The Changing face of radio
Moderator: Stan Smith
Panelist: Gary Bernstein, Pat McKay, Dubmaster, Sidney White, Kerry Dennis
04:50 pm – 5:00 pm        Closing statements

ARTIST SHOWCASE CLOSING PARTY
6:30 PM – 11:00 PM
LIVE Performances By Ed Robinson, Lyrikal, Mario Evon, Mastermind
Artist Showcase Contest, Caribbean Dance off, PLUS invited celebrity guest and host
MUSIC BY:  Road International
WEBSTER HALL @ THE STUDIO
125 East 11th Street NY N.Y 10003
ADM: $15.00
Sponsored By: RedStripe Tower Isles VP Records Road International ASOM

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With over 400 people in attendance, the Emerge! Runway Showcase, which showcases new designers during fashion week,  brought together the best of what fashion has to offer.

The night opened with designer Tracy Reese presenting the 2011 Fashion Innovator Award to Constance C.R. White, Editor-in-Chief of ESSENCE Magazine.  The audience applauded as White took the runway and expressed her gratitude to the fashion industry and confidence in the Emerge! production.

Jamaican born, Constance White was recently took on her current role as Editor-in-Chief at Essence Magazine earlier this year, but she has been a staple in fashion for some time. Prior to joining Essence, White served as style director for eBay, where she developed content and strategies for women. Additionally, White is the author of Stylenoir, a book on black style. Her work has appeared in British Vogue, Glamour, Essence and the Herald Tribune.

The Collections – September 2011 Runway Show featured designers Adriana Osorio Lugo of Adriana Osorio Lugo Designs, Kirk Johnson of b.-Vain Couture; Berny Martin of Catou; and  Borris Powell of Borris Powell Designs, Oscars Designer Challenge 2011 Winner.

The audience included fashion icon Freddie Leiba, Tamron Hall of MSNBC, Rebecca Crews, ESSENCE executive editorial staff, fashion executives, buyers, bloggers and socialites.

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Rihanna gets sexy for her Armani Exchange ads. The pop starlet is modeling for both their jean and lingerie lines.

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“It doesn’t matter if you have a 3-person operation of 650 million dollar business we all have a struggle that we have to get over.” Joe Zee at the IFB Conference

Blogging has become big business (part or full time). For most of us it starts as a hobby, but once you get really into making your blog stand out visually and textually you envision ways to take your blog to the next level. Blogger networks and conferences are a great way to connect with other bloggers and learn about how to grow your blog. Books, tool kits and conferences on blogging didn’t exist a few years ago. Now there are a number of resources you can reference online and off. As a member of the Independent Fashion Bloggers Network, this was the perfect opportunity to attend a local conference to see what I could learn and apply to Style & Vibes.

The IFB Conference, created by Independent Fashion Blogger’s Network and blogger of The Coveted  Jennine Jacob Sponsored by Milk Studios, KMS Califoria, Pose.com, Magnum, Unilever North America and Aldo, the panels included successful bloggers who have turned the hobby into a career as well as brands and other industry leaders who are content providers.

There were a few key elements that remained consistent throughout the conference:

1.) Develop a unique voice.

Content is still king. Providing great content to your readers in your voice is important to maintaining integrity. Your voice may change over time as you develop as a person, so does your blog. People want to read your blog because of how you deliver the information.

2.) Your social media brand is just as important as your blog.

Sure you can write, but that doesn’t mean people will read it, and that’s ok, if that’s your goal. Social media is the easiest way to find your audience and connect them with your blog for free. You can connect with brands, celebrities, bloggers, marketing agencies etc. It’s the best way to keep in touch with your readers as well. (Tip: Make sure your social media outlets are all branded the same way to maintain consistency)

3.) Dont sell out, but sell yourself.

Don’t be afraid to monetize your blog, but when you begin to connect with brands, connect with real brands that make sense for you and your audience. You have an audience for a reason!

4.) Be confident in your abilities.

 As bloggers we have to be confident in our ability to deliver. If that translates in to other kinds of work, be sure not to sell yourself short.

The interview with Joe Zee was inspiring in the sense that he really embraces bloggers and the digital media space, coming from a traditional print background that is a big deal. He recognized that bloggers and magazines can co-exist, we deliver content just differently.

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