childsplay: September 2010

Name Khalisa Rae Williams

How would you describe your art form??

I consider myself a performing artist ( in runs thought my blood). I come from a long line of artists including my dad, sister, and brother. My parents swear I have been performing since kindergarten. When I was old enough to speak I started singing and since then I have trained in all the performing art genres. Spoken word, dancing, singing, acting, and the stage have always been my passion. I started writing and studying plays, books, and poetry when I was in middle school and have been in love ever since. In all my forms of expression my goal is to deliver a message and to impact someone else's life. I also strive to encourage other people, specifically women to be bold and speak out through art because I believe everyone has a story to tell.

How did you get your name??

The name I go by came from my parents. They nicknamed me Kelly when I was born and my middle name is Rae. Put the two together and you have Kelly Rae.
Kelly means warrior woman, aggressive, strong woman with a lively spirit. Rae means Doe or docile, feminine. These two name embody the two sides of me and represent who I am as I person. I try to include these character traits in my poetry and my versatility on stage in my performances.

How did you start??

I started performing when I was very young. I loved music and sang and performed at school, in church, and at home. I was always fascinated with movies, books, and story telling, so I began to write at a very young age as well. My dad and my siblings are artists so they encouraged me to express myself by putting me in every art class possible: drama, poetry, painting/pottery, dance, and choir. I never stopped performing through high school to college. The more I more I learned, practiced and got better the more people told me I was good at what I did and I decided to make it a career.

Favorite place you’ve performed??

Favorite place I performed on stage (in a play) was at UNCG for the production "For Colored Girls Who Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Not Enough" Honestly I can say that is the most powerful production I've been in and that’s probably why Tyler Perry has decided to make it into a movie this fall. My favorite place I've performed poetry has been at the end of the semester show case with the most phenomenal poetry professor, my adviser, and friend, Dr. Ahmad at N.C.A&T this past spring. I performed the best I have in years and the crowd loved the show. I felt like I was super confident and connected so well with the audience.

What is your inspiration??

Honestly my biggest inspiration to write is music. I love music and it seems to give me so many ideas about topics to write about and the flow and style that I try to mimic is very musical. Artists such as Jill Scott, Floetry, and India Arie. My inspiration to perform are strong black women with morals in the entertainment business that stand for a purpose and a greater goal to make a difference in the lives of their viewers. My motivation to make this a life career is my sister. She has accomplished things some young black people will never dream of. One of the youngest and only black women to work for Dream Works, Paramount Pictures, and Nickelodeon. I aspire to accomplish what she has at such a young age.

What are your goals or what do you hope to accomplish with your art??

My goals are to have my written worked published in the forms of books and cds. My goals is to be a stage/film performer. I also hope to use my spoken word to speak nationally about serious topics such as women empowerment and African American social issues. My biggest aspiration is to have my own art organization and under that company give back to the community in many ways.

What is your favorite piece you’ve done??

My favorite piece is the piece I dedicated to my Grandfather that has passed away and I hope to expand this piece even more. It is dedicated to his love of jazz music and is called "Let me be the history of Jazz"

Who is your favorite artist??

One of my favorite writers is Ntozake Shange she is the author of "For Colored Girls" which infuses poetry and play writing . My favorite contemporary poet, writer,actress and singer would have to be Jill Scott. I am one of her biggest supporters because she is so talented and such a beautiful role model.

Where can you be heard or seen??

I perform all over the triad area, which includes Greensboro , Winston Salem, and High Point at open mics, show cases, and poetry slams. My writing can be seen on Facebook, on my blog, poet.she7@tumblr.com, and on the online magazines www.thegingerfly.com and www.examiner.com/greensboro. My poetry can be found on facebook.com under Kelly Rae.

What are your upcoming projects??

My latest projects are a poetry cd I am recording which infuses singing and poetry . It is my ode to all the things I love, jazz, my home town, and family. I am also creating a poetry book to be published and go along with my cd. I just recently started a group called POET.SHE that is a budding organization for female writers, vocal artists, and spoken words artists. Our mission is serve as an umbrella for all the female artists in the area to highlight their talent and showcase local artists by throwing creative events. We also strive to inform the community about local art events taking place so that all the art endeavors can be supported.

What is your favorite quote or quote you live by??

Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.
Pamela Vaull Starr

Message to fans

INSPIRE.CREATE.DREAM.
Please contact me via email and Facebook if you would like to share poetry or be involved in any of the projects or local events I have mentioned.

Do you have a twitter, Facebook, or other way to be contacted??

Kelly Rae- Facebook
Lisaraexoxo - Twitter
email : amateuractress@yahoo.com

Let Me Be The History of Jazz
I am Billie Holiday's diaphragm expanding and releasing sweet harmonic notes dipped in honey 
I am the microphone that catches the refrains and countless bridges of Ella Fitzgerald
 inside me lives the secret to her effortless sound 
I am wet lips wrapped around Dizzie's Gilespie's trumpet,  triumphant groans, whining and beckoning you to stay
 I am the misty quick breaths of Nat King Cole, seeping into your parted lips reviving your spirit, breathing life into your motionless chest
 I will be the space between Louis Armstrong's cheeks push me out and make me his hypnotic bellows that slap you across the face 
I am the commanding tones of Duke Ellington choking your collar, shortening your air, backing you into a corner with no where to run
 I am the sinking chords of B.B. King's blues, forcing you to down beneath the surface of bad memories and love lost 
I am the bruised fingertips of Coltrane pounding D Flat, A minor, F sharp, with every punch of the key, I sacrifice and am in pain to give you dreamy nights of slumber
 Can I be Miles Davis and you be Scott Joplin and we take too imperfect harmonies and blend them into something extraordinary? 
Together we make history.....
Let me

Cleveland, Ohio rapper/actor Kid Cudi has pleaded guilty to drug possession charges, after he was busted with liquid cocaine in X.

According to TMZ.com, Kid Cudi, born Scott Mescudi pled guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the 7th degree, on Friday (September 24th) in court.

The rapper was sentenced to two days of community service and must avoid any trouble for the next six months.

Kid Cudi, who is signed to Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music, was busted in June after an altercation with a woman in New York.

Police responded to calls after Kid Cudi allegedly destroyed the woman's phone during the incident and kicked down her door. Arriving officers searched the rapper and found him to be in possession of liquid cocaine.

"I had a new found respect for T.I. and Wayne," Kid Cudi told Spin in a recent interview. "I only spent 15 hours in there! I was scared straight, going through the shakes, having no food, being held captive. It didn’t matter who I was in the world.”