R U nefTUNED? 11/17/2009 3:06am
So…how have You been? What have You been up to? Same ole, iiKnow. Hustlin hard for the next dollar and when it finally come so do a bunch more of we gotta pay for. Me too. Can You believe this? iiAm truly caught up in the frame and trying to maintain.
iiBet You’re wondering where iiVe been too. Well…me, too. iiVe heard a few people say that the age of 23 is the age of self-actualization for a lot of people. It’s when You really figure out where You are in this world and where You want to be. Ya Girl is definitely feelin it right now.
iiGuess iiShould stop bullshittin and get to the point…
Nov. 3, 2008, a little after 11:30 pm. Atlanta Performing artist, Nefertiti Akinyela aka nefTUNES, was driving with a friend on the way from the local convenience store to pick up a pack of clove cigarettes. Nefertiti had just lit the first cigarette when she was pulled over by Fayetteville County Police (Fayetteville, Ga) for a traffic violation involving a failure to signal a right turn.
nefTUNES pulled the car over to bright police headlights and flashlights shining into the car before any questions had been asked. Questions that included whether she had been doing drugs or drinking and what she was doing in the area. As the police questioned her about where she was going and where she had been, flashlights shone in the car. These flashlights, in the middle of the night, allegedly revealed a single marijuana seed to the officers involved. This marijuana seed was allegedly located on the floor of the backseat of the 1999 Nissan Sentra. The officers stated the alleged discovery of the marijuana seed in plain sight had given them probable cause and warrant to search Nefertiti, her friend and the vehicle.
Nefertiti was asked to step out of the vehicle, as was her friend. As they complied, the car was thoroughly searched and more police cars arrived. There were four by the time the search ended. Neither Nefertiti nor her friend was allowed to witness this search. This search allegedly turned up 3 more marijuana seeds. Nefertiti was searched twice, once by a male and once by a female officer. Neither search returned anything illegal. Her friend was also searched. Found on her were prescriptions made out with several different names, several false identifications, and 2 retractable knives. None of this was seized, nor was she placed under arrest.
At the completion of the search, the police informed Nefertiti that she was being put under arrest for the possession of marijuana, put her in handcuffs, and then directed her to the back of the police car, sans Miranda rights; the violation for a busted headlight, however, seemed just for giggles. After spending the night in Fayette County jail, singing and drumming to maintain, Nefertiti was bonded out the next morning, Nov. 4, 2008, the day that the first black president of the United States was to be elected….
At the arraignment and under the advice of her attorney, Nefertiti pled no lo contendre when she stood before the judge. The Fayetteville County court sentenced her to 6 months probation. April 27, 2009 Nefertiti was a “no show” for her first appointment with the probation officer.
July 7, 2009 around 9 am, there was a knock on the door at the Akinyela residence. Fayette County police had come with a warrant for Nefertiti’s arrest. Nefertiti could not be found at the residence at that time. As a matter of fact, Nefertiti could not be found anywhere for the rest of that day. She was located later that night by her parents who had been vehemently conducting a search for her throughout the day. Her parents convinced her that the best thing she could do at that time was turn herself in. That’s just what she did.
On July 10, 2009 Nefertiti reported to Fayette County Probation Office to be picked up by Fayette
County police. Her new attorney had made arrangements for a special hearing on July 14.
After spending 5 days in the County jail, writing, reasoning, and even singing for other incarcerated persons (there was a talent show on the first full day), Nefertiti stood before the judge once again. This time she was allowed to speak, but it seemed only for show as the municipal court judge clipped her answers to his questions with further accusations of criminal activity. She walked away with the freedom to walk the streets, but the judge had revoked her ability to drive them. Although Nefertiti had presented hours of notarized community service certifications stating that she was in fact a community activist through her artistry as well as an office manager to her day job in the mental health arena, no provisional driver’s license was granted. Nefertiti was released from Fayette County Jail that afternoon and returned home to a celebration of what she calls “true freedom” from her family. Of the lesson learned she said, “say no to no-lo…if you ain’t did it, just say you ain’t did it…if there is a reasonable doubt that you did it, say you ain’t did it”. Court is adjourned.
I know this doesn’t explain everything, but it’s a healthy portion of the meal. Having my license suspended has felt like a big blow to my career, or at least my immediate plans. Please believe that this was not in them. My plan is to pack my guitar bring you funky music for your inspiration wherever that may be needed. My plan is to blayzittup. See how the best of plans get messed up? At that time, I was truly involved in a situation that did not become me. That’s the simplest truth about it. I was associating with the enemy, and iiAdmit that at the time iiWas blind to it (and even liked it a little bit cuz it feels so good to be bad). Just when iiThought that iiHad finally shook that crook, it comes back to bite me in the ass. My uncle Timothy Tyler preached last night at Victory AME’s revival about how “Your past can attack Your present to destroy your future”, and iiJust about shouted.
Here iiAm a year later pondering where it all went and what just happened. I am an independent artist without my mobile independence. I am definitely taking this time to connect with myself more and learn all iiCan about what it is iiSay iiWant to do. iiKnow everybody ain’t for it, but it is what iiHave been Created to do. iiWill not deny me. You should not deny You either. Things are looking up though. Although iiVe been freed iiM still in a type of prison, so iiVe had a lot of time to read all of a sudden, lol…Ain’t that a positive, though? “Gotta give it time to simmer so delicious…”(Stream of Consciousness). Like Michael Jackson, I’m simmering right now, dawg. One is about to pop off for me though.
Have You heard about the Sistas4Assata Concert? That’s my next performance, which is really dope considering what iiM going through (mostly in my mind) right now. The show is at The 5 Spot (lil’ 5) on Dec. 5 (lol play dem numbers). Do You want to go? The tickets are $10 before 10 and $15 after 10. Artists Kelly Love Jones, Georgia Me, Ife Jie, Khalilah Ali, and Carla C-Sharp Simon will also be featured. It’s a tribute to Assata Shakur and Nehanda Abiodun, both of whom are black nationalist women in political exile. The proceeds from the concert benefit Kilombo School of Academic & Cultural studies in Lithonia (off miller rd.). Also, the nefTUNES performance will make you sexy(er).
I’ve also been working on some new tracks. I recorded a demo for a new song iiM working on. Let’s call it “Stickin Widdit” of that “Mainframe” (nefTUNES) and “I Get Out” (Ms. Hill) type of talk, so holla if You with me. Also some new fiyah fiyah tracks that iiCan’t wait to scratch my head about while asking myself how the f*&k iiM gon write to this.
I don’t know if any of You all know this, but iiCame out with an album called Revolution Music last year. It’s a natural progression of the nefTUNES persona with songs about positive thinking like “A Champion” and crafty gangsterisms like “Funky Drummer”. I know a lot of You may have heard about the album or these songs before, but iiKnow most of You don’t have it. How do iiKnow this? Because iiDon’t even have it. There are only 17 copies of this original CD in THE WORLD, CRAIG!!! Lucky for those 17 folks, iiAm planning a re-release of that album for early next year. Why lucky? Lucky because they get the first copies of the re-release FREE no matter what the format, and they can still keep the original as a collector’s item. Can You dig it? Is this You? Did You know this? What can iiDone for You?
U R nefTUNED. 11/20/2009 12:44 AM