//
Femmixx.com Announces
Tachelle "Shamash" Wilkes pens a dope novel for young adults. She is the owner of one of the largest and oldest Hip Hop websites dedicated to women Femmixx.com
What happens when you take a positive message for young girls and place it inside of a novel filled with a crack addicted mother, an unlikely role model, and a juvenile detention center?
Brooklyn, NY, July 2, 2009 – Author-Educator, Tachelle “Shamash” Wilkes tackles these questions and more in her debut novel Amanda’s Ray. This unique novel fills a void in hip-hop where uplifting messages for young girls are far and few in between. Wilkes hopes to close this gap by using the backdrop of hip-hop while tackling issues of self esteem and identity in this Brooklyn coming-of-age story.
Narrator, Amanda Raye, is a sixteen year old aspiring rapper who is obsessed with her idol, Kendra Star-a female rap star who eventually catches a serious charge and is sent to prison. The turning point takes place when the budding young rapper gets in an altercation which lands her in the Albany Detention Center. While on lock down Amanda reaches out to her idol and Kendra Star shares how her tragic upbringing and poor choices landed her in prison. Ultimately the rapper tells Amanda that she isn’t one to follow and urges her to look within herself for positivity and strength.
As an accomplished publisher and hip-hop journalist, Wilkes combined the glitz and glamour that she has seen as a media insider, with the gritty truth that she has faced as a public school educator.
“I have seen so much in city schools-homelessness, abuse, serious self esteem issues- so I know first-hand that young people need something positive and tangible to hold on to,” Wilkes says.
Understanding the power of the pen, Wilkes wrote Amanda’s Ray to not merely entertain, but as an eye-opener intended to affect change, even if it’s one young mind at a time. Amanda’s Ray will be released on Enaz Publications July 20, 2009 and is currently available for pre-sale at: www.femmixx.com
I’m studying young adult lit in my info-sci program…interesting!
I don’t know if I want my nine year old daughter reading that, but keep writing to inspire, Sister.
On another note – I saw you, Davey D, on on Fuse Tv’s “Beef: The MC Battle” Wednesday night. I don’t know if I mentioned this, but I’m a Rapologist-Critic so you know I got to speak my piece. Hip-hop (Helping Ignorant People – Hurt Our People)! I knew they show was goingto be whack how it started with the white guy doing all of the hisitorical crap. When I saw you, I was suprised, but thenn when I saw Ice T in the beginning of the program I said this is some whack stuff for the white people, and sure enough… Let me break it down how Hip-hop is simply “Helping Ignorant People – Hurt Our People” – Davey D, if there is no “video” of Black history in Rap Music or what they created called “HIp-hop”, there is no history. Have you ever noticed that? Okay, the Moe Dee vs. Busy Bee – classic, but that wasn’t the first battle. The SugarHillGang vs. GMF Furious 5, but I guess you all friends ain’t hav e no video on that one.
And to show how they always use the same video takes of Black people to tell “their” story about “Hip-hop” they always jump up to KRS-1 vs. MC Shan. Davey D, wake up! You can’t talk about battle rap without talking about “The Romantic Fantastic 5 Emcees and the Colc Crush Brothers. I knew when they skipped to MC Shan you all was on some old stay on the Bronx dick stuff. Probably didn’t get permission to get the video footage from “WildStyle”. Its fucked up how you all trry to tell Black history by using white people’s video’s without giving the people the facts. All that stuff about Africa and Jamaica is rhetoric. Glad to see you on the program and working, but, Davey D, that was truly “Hip-hop” (Helping Ignorant People – Hurt Our People) – the commercialized patented hip-hop version packaged with video rhetoric creating a distorted video history of our people. The control the images, they dictate you alls history (hip-hop).
Rap Music and emceeing are two different things. I never listened to Busy Bee because he could not rap. But I listened to Kool Moe Dee with The Treacherous 3. Those of us who know Rap Music know the difference between a party rocker and a rapper in the industry. Their a difference. An emcee like Busy Bee can rock a crowd, a rapper like LL Cool J can sell records to millions of people. That’s the difference. Now, when you let emcees come on record and sell ignorance – that’s jews selling records – NOT” talented Black people. You people ain’t ready for truth! Glad to see you working, but let’s not continue to helpignorant people – hurt our people, lets educate our people and others with the facts. Just because “we” don’t have a video on the shit don’t mean it ain’t happen, God damn!
I got to find out who owns that Fuse Tv, they just recycling videos to make a series. I knew with Ice T the program was going to be week. Then they go into the Gangsta Rap history – negroes please! Tell them I said, I said – If they ain’t start with Sugarhill records, Cold Crush and Fantastic 5,they on the same old hip-hop (helping ignorant people – hurt our people) Jew level. And you right with them, Davey D. But you gettin’ paid, right? Like I said, I knew it was whack when it first came o with the white guy talking and then I saw Ice T. Stop the commercialize hip-hop video story telling. Niggers ain’t got no history if they don’t have a video, I see. Black people better read and stop spirting out what David Toop and them keep telling you all. Rating of the show – video re-run just on another station. They can’t wait to get to 50 and Jay z with that crap. Learn and tell the truth, Davey D.
Hip – hop (Helping Ignorant People – Hurt Our People)! And you all West Coast rappers never could rap, they was just battling over “money”, honestly. I don’t know what that last west coast gangsta piece was really about. I guess as they saw sell “controversy” because we short on talent out there. You all know I won’t be watching the rest of that crap. Just here to tell you all as a Black Man – stop falling for the okey-doke. The “truth” will set you niggers free, trust me!
The book is EXCELLENT people! I just want people of all ages to check it out (I’m 27 and I learned from this book). By the way Robert, I believe the book is more for late middle school/high school age kids, so it wasn’t necessarily written for a nine year old.
I’m an avid reader, of all genres, and I definitely put a stamp on Amanda’s Ray.
Daki, do what you all do continue to “Help Ignorant People – Hurt Our People” promoting that non-sense. What you read in that book is not what will be remembered by the images on the screen. And oh yeah, when you was about nine or twelve I wrote my first book – “The Origin of Rap Music”. Written for “a nine year old”.
Daki, my bad, I thought you were defending that “Beef: MC Battle Crap”. I’m quite sure the lady’s trying to help with “her” book, I thought you were saying there was a “Beef: MC Battle” book. Alright, ladies, I’m about getting tired of apologizing.
My name’s Lakeisha Gardner and I’m sixteen years old. I would like to introduce to you a new author, Tachelle Wilkes, and her book Amanda’s Ray. Ms. Wilkes really wants to put books on the market that young people like ourselves can really relate to. There’s a great need today for books that are specifically written for readers our age and she is confronting the issue.
Amanda’s Ray centers around the life of a teenage girl who has a deep passion for writing music. Left to live with only her father and younger sister after her mother’s death, she turns to music and is instantly fascinated with the talent and persona of a well-known female MC, Kendra Star. As she intently listens the lyrics of her songs, Amanda discovers that she feels such a connection to the artist’s music because of the similar experiences that they’ve had, particularly concerning losing their mothers. The story shows how even those who are thought to be just another statistic can overcome the odds.
All youth today should be exposed to such a inspiring story because it provides empowerment and courage to push forward. Just because someone expects the worse from you due to your circumstances doesn’t give you permission to give up. No matter what, chase your dreams and make them a reality. Amanda did.