YASU has been enjoying “new” Motherhood. Her son is now 5 months and healthy! Though she has spent the last year with her family, she has still worked on a few projects…

Music

She is featured on “Afterlife” by D.C. MC Enoch 7th Prophet, produced by King Cee. It was the first single released from his 4th  album, Data Frequency (available online). Enoch is the host of Mental Salvation Radio which won Podcast of the Year **2008** respectively.  An independent artist, Enoch’s pod cast introduces its audience to Independent Artists from singers to authors to emcees. If you tune in, you will not only hear some of Indie music’s hottest rising artists, but you will have the opportunity to chat as you listen to the cast, call in, and also comment on the show. The topics range anywhere from how music affects children to relationship issues, and the business of independent music. Check out his Myspace page to see where you can hear him Live. To purchase his album please email enochtones@gmail.com. Check out the video below and feel this moving story.

Enoch 7th Prophet “AfterLife” feature Yasu & Lucille (Produced by King Cee) from Enoch 7th Prophet on Vimeo.

YASU has also collaborated with local MC Elevated Thinkin’, DJ Sid Deluxx,  and Producer Reed Russell to form the new group IndieSol Rey.

They have been recording since last summer and have a few songs in their catalogue. They introduced themselves in a live performance for SOUL-OH, a musical experience, showcasing Northwest Ohio’s Independent Soul Music artists, which YASU also hosts once a month @ The Ground Level CoffeeHouse. You can listen to “Perfect” written by MC Elevated Thinkin’, recorded locally. Mc Elevated Thinkin’ is the kind of emcee that speaks to the heart of any matter, whether it be social issues or the love of music. There isn’t an emcee who can illustrate a lyric as he, and you have to see him live to witness it for yourself.  The music of Producer Reed Russell is heard throughout the region and is contrived manually. He is a musician and demonstrates his skills from song to song. His data base is vast and he still creates new music daily! He is passionate about his work and is diligent in seeing things to its end. DJ Sid Deluxx has the respect of his listeners! Currently in Columbus, OH, he is spinning throughout this region! His timing is perfect! He captures his audience from the first sound that is projected from his hand! If DJing was a fine art, and it is, he would be displayed in a museum.  Also a producer, Sid has created some of the hottest tracks ET and YASU sing and rhyme to. Stay tuned to hear more from them.

Business

YASU also writes a column, The Solo Culture, for Reversed Ink Magazine. This online entity highlights The Hottest in Indie Recording Artists, Filmmakers, Authors and Models.

Let’s mention that since YASU has spent much of the last year on the home front, she has taken on the hobby of jewelry making. She is revamping her other website, but some of her first works can be seen and purchased here.

Last but not least, YASU is the resident host for Toledo’s SOUL-OH! A showcase for local independent artists, held once a month as a concert series. She has welcomed local gems, Leigh Ashley, Aye Dee, Darron Scott (all of UGE); Jesse Coleman Sr. (saxaphonist) Poets Naki Akrobettoe, and Melvin Douglas Johnson and IndieSol Rey.

An extension of SOUL-OH! is The Soul of Music Faith Edition which has showcased Toledo’s rising stars in the Gospel music Industry. Tymara Spears and Brotha Al of Project360 Records were recent features as well as Apphia and Heart Musik, MC/Poet Eternal Fiyah and Open Mic. The next Soul of Music Faith Edition will be Friday October 9th @ 8pm. Featured artists will be MC Kelsey Heard, Phillip Jay, Tiffanie Campbell, Monnie Soul, Poet Levarine, Pastor Bryann Rogers and Open Mic. You don’t want to miss this event!

This is all possible as YASU has taken on a role with  the events team for The Ground Level Coffee House co-owned by her husband Imani Lateef and Jesse Lipman. Lipman and Lateef are poets who have been featured throughout the region, Lipman making an impact in Hawaii and Chicago. Lateef has been host to local ciphers for over 10 years. The Ground Level serves locally roasted coffee, produce and pastries. Open Mic is on Mondays and Thursdays. The event room is available for meetings, reuinosn, Cd releases, theatre and more. Call for information 419.671.6272 or Visit them online www.groundleveltoledo.com.

Summer has gone, Autumn is here. Even this season seems to be breezing by with the dips in temperature as of late. Over the summer, I took time off to vacation with my family. At summer’s end we learned we are expecting a baby in the Spring! This is an exciting time for us.

In the coming months, I will not be doing shows, but may make appearances at special events, including the holidays. This week I will be at Friendship Baptist Church for their “Holy”ween Family Night. It is a time for the community to come together and have a safe, fun-filled night as an alternative to Trick or Treating. Friendship is located at 5301 Nebraska Ave. Toledo, OH 43615 and the festivities begin at 6:30pm. On November 14th, I will be at Crusaders for Christ 908 Woodville Rd. Toledo, OH 43605. This is a youth service, free and open to the public and begins at 8pm.

As you know, I write in different genres, but my main focus is on life situations. Recently, I began working on an idependent project with a few local artists, Elevated Thinkin’, ReediusMaximus and Sid Deluxx. Together we four are called Indie Sol Rey. The root of our collaboration is a combination of sounds, hip hop and neo soul; and lyrics that are relatable, realistic. New music may be released soon so stay tuned. If that weren’t enough, I am outlining a book that will be published in the near future.

The Yasu Embassy is the umbrella for all of my endeavors. YASU is a Japanese nickname, the actual name means Peace and Sound. And embassy is housed with ambassadors (people on missions). It provides a home for me to explore my ideas and passions and gives me a vehicle to share them with you. My mission is to write and sing about my life in as many ways I possibly can, and I am always endeavoring to live in peace with a sound mind.  The Yasu Embassy is the ink that illustrates this for me.

If you haven’t heard my album yet, you can hear samples here. As always, I am grateful for the support from near and far I have received this year. There is still a lot that can be done with the album, so I will continue promoting it. I have also been writing, lately the tunes have been leaning more to Worship Music, which is most dear to my heart. I also have written about more life situations, some of which will be recorded with Indie Sol Rey and some as a solo project. I am also accepting track submissions. Please e-mail me for further information: yasuembassy@gmail.com.

Finally, if you are in the Toledo, Ohio area and are looking for a recording studio or producers, check out Project360studios and OPM Music Werx. And if you love fine art and/or need an artist to custom design a logo or website, please visit Lateef In Stereo.

Photos from my Summer Shoot are courtesy of Brooks Photography. You can see them here.

Thank you stopping by The Yasu Embassy. Please check back for more updates!

Peace and Sound,

YASU

YASU RADIO X Doww Jones, T.Roe (WXUT)!

My New Year always seem to begin in the Spring. So I actually celebrated mine last April. It just so happened that in April, I also began my studio journey for The Imitation of Life. Until then, I was just writing songs that were never sung anywhere, let alone being recorded. I have always written based on where I was in life at the time. It is not a coincidence that my New Year will begin again in the Spring, since my album is to be released then.

I have had time to reflect as I was on vacation the last two weeks. The Holidays often seem to bring out the best and the worst of folk. You think about where you have been, what went wrong and what went well, then you make the best of the Holidays, mending broken areas, spending time of quality with loved ones and friends, and you ultimately endeavor to “do better” the next year. But what if “next year” doesn’t arrive at its expected time? Or what if time just stood still?

I stopped making New Year’s Resolutions some time ago. I find it hard enough to complete a to do list, let alone set a goal for the New Year. But I do make long term goals that tend to have a longer expected date than it may actually take to get it done, and I do set short term goals. However, I work best under pressure, when there is a deadline…most of all, I try to practice being realistic more than anything else. I am not trying to be a Superhero even if my nature tends to sway in that direction. I’ve ended the saga of being the “be-all” and there are no re-runs of “make everyone comfortable and happy”. There is no script; my story is divinely composed and directly implemented by me.

The lyrics I write, the melodies I compose, all come from life experience. My timetable isn’t synchronized with any watch or calendar. The tales I write and sing of are true to my life, and are most closely fashioned to neo (which means new) soul.

I am both excited and and apprehensive as the The Imitation of Life is becoming. Like the birth of child, you do all that you can to prepare yourself for its arrival, yet you are afraid of the unknown during and after childbirth, but you have the will to go for broke to be the best parent you can be. That is my approach in music. I care not, to be the best there is, but to be the best at what I do. The hardest labor I had was 72 hours and that child is healthy. The shortest labor I had, produced a preemie with preemie health issues. In childbirth, sometimes that cannot be helped. Nevertheless, I desire not to produce something that is released before its time, therefore I am grateful for the length of labor and hopeful for its livelihood once it arrives on March 20th!

Everyday that I wake up is a “New Year”. Everyday I live, I am myself.

-YASU

The planet of 360 revolves around professional needs from web design to creative business packages to audio/ visual production. Then came the SONIC BOOM when Gavino, Yasu’s cousin and aspiring producer, introduced her to Jcole.

When Gavino sent an instant message to YASU one day, he wanted her to hear a track he had produced with Jcole. Before it could get through the first 8 bars, she was hooked! She wrote to it with her youngest daughter (age 6) before completing the entire song that evening.

Listen and smile here:

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Faster than the earth’s orbit, Yasu was beamed up to Project 360 Studios with five new songs and a first class jet to her debut! Jcole has produced songs that contain the mantle of The Imitation of Life, whereas OPM is the core. With a state-of-the-art facility on the edge of T-town, Project 360 Studios is a niche that Yasu has been carving out hits for the universal ear.

It’s just a matter of time before the YASU community can hear for themselves.

His name is Wyze-Pro! and OH-MAN, he is Ohio’s secret weapon. He’s got that soul in his beats that drives YASU to delve into her soul and pluck out melodies that penetrate the mind and bob the head. A collaboration like Ohio has never seen! The isthmus between music and lyrics, Imani Lateef is the mastermind behind this duo, as with all the producers YASU works with.

Distance doesn’t halt the creative process, either. The excitement surrounding the release of The Imitation of Life, has everyone producing beyond the space the disc will allow. And that is ok, cuz if there is a debut, there’s got to be a sophomore, and you know it’s in the works.

So keep your ears tuned for the hottest segways and nu-soul tunes you’ll be humming in the very near future!

Takin’ a break to pose in the great town of Toledo, YASU is smilin’ big because she is pleased with the progress on her upcoming project, The Imitation of Life. Not relaxing too much, however, she has been on the move since earlier this year when her quest began, as far as recording is concerned…

At OPM Music Werx she has been working with the Best in the Midwest DJ Chalie Numbas and Symonphoenix. (After all, they did work with pop sensation, Amanda Mills)They are the Pillars of her Production and Engineering team. It has been like Mission Possible as they have collaborated to create some of the most diverse, and powerful hits Toledo has ever seen!

“You write like a rapper!” stated Numbas at a recent session. Yes, it’s true. YASU produces lyrics like a factory outlet. She sets the ink to the conveyor and rolls out song after song. Although she feels most comfortable singing live, she has grown more accustomed to the studio each session. She has familiarized herself with the booth and works hard at laying trax like brick and mortar. Layer after layer she stax her trax and moves right along. She doesn’t spend all the day and night workin’ at it either. She goes in to do what she came to do and she exits, just like that. No Tom Foolery!

Whomever it is she is workin’ with, YASU is recording a new sound and she is excited to share it with the T.O.L and beyond. Are you ready?

Its delivery has been labor-intense
and shall prove to be worth the weight I have
carried for many moons. I am excited
to be presented as Singer/Songwriter and Storyteller-
of haunting, daunting and enlightening tales.
I will journey the roads less traveled with my voice.
I will chant, whisper, shriel, wail, lament and belt
my interpretations of
The Imitation of Life.

-YASU

Track Listing

1. Creation
2. Heartbeat
3. Y’all Don’t Hear Me
4. Happyness (Dj Aotobon Mix)

All Tracks are Written and Arranged by YASU for The Yasu Music Suite. “Creation” produced by Yasu. “Heartbeat” produced by OPM Music Werx; “Happyness” produced by DJ Aotobon.

Visit the Music Page for more information.

Artomatic 419 Lite Breathes Life into Fort Industry Square
By Micheal Hayes
Minister Of Culture
Pic by R. M. Rayford

(Toledo, Ohio) Artomatic 419 last year was amazing, but this year the paired-down version may have actually outdone the original in many ways.

Born in DC, Artomatic is a clash of local art of all kinds under one roof for a few weeks. After years in the chocolate city, this event made its way to the Glass City last year. But this year the venue alone was enough to pique my interest.

Fort Industry Square.

It’s sad, but I guess I’m so much of a Toledo person that maybe I shouldn’t be surprised when other folks don’t know about this historical landmark.

Downtown on Summit St. directly between the Maumee River and the Seagate Center is a block-long brick four-story building that is probably one of the oldest usable structures in the state. Fort Industry Square is a beautiful building.

I’ve always dreamed of having our record company headquarters in that joint.

But, anyway, Artomatic 419 Lite made 2007 a vast improvement by filling three separate wings of Fort Industry Square. On the Water Street level, an art for sale gallery and an open sound stage greet visitors. Live music courtesy of local acts such as neo-soul singer/songwriter Yasu as well as rock band Phantasmagoria and hip-hop collective Great Lakes Crew were all on point.

I witnessed all of those acts personally and I can tell you, they were all amazing. Each gave the type of show that made you say “Damn, I wish more people were here to see this.”

Oh yeah, while those acts and many others were on stage…. there was a tattoo artist at the back of the room laying down ink on whomever wanted it.

Upstairs, Hylife Media was hosting poetry.

Spoken Word heavyweights Imani Lateef and John Dorsey blessed the spot as well as a newcomer … I can’t remember her name (sorry) – but she was amazing.

She’s a regular at Hylife’s Monday night Poetry at Club Prestige… she does this piece called “C.O.P.” – my favorite official favorite poem of 2007.

And then on the fourth floor there was even more visual art.

And I mean literally amazing pieces of any type you can imagine.

Photography. Still life painting. Pencil drawing. Anything! I was in Ashley Eichner’s gallery for a while and I was amazed.

The whole event was punctuated by that atmosphere down there at Fort Industry Square. Right on the water with a view of the downtown area, it was easy to appreciate all our city has to offer.

Some would end up saying “you almost forget you’re in Toledo… this is really nice.” But for those in the know…. going to an event with forward-thinking individuals who have created an atmosphere of expression and power… that sounds like the Toledo I know.

And that was the point.

Good job, Artomatic 419!

(Marc Folk – get at me !! … got idea for this art district)