So 2017 was a great year for me. I am so thankful for it. The last time I blogged I was less than halfway through my "Rhythm And Poetry" book tour. Being able to embark on that was like the heartbeat of my year. The tour ended in Wickford and it was so amazing.
This year I got my podcast back up and running, I am really doing this to keep my radio presenting skills from getting rusty. I intend to do radio again when the time and situation is right. In my last podcast of the year I went into more detail about my "Rhythm And Poetry" book tour and the things that happened. I also mentioned my top albums for 2017. You can press play and listen below.



I released a video for my song "Calm" in the middle of this tour in November. It was shot by Kimba of Black Jockey Entertainment back in August. I really loved how it came out. I love that song. My last proper video was in 2013. I had videos that I shot that I didn't release because I wasn't happy with the outcome. I am so happy that I am back to sharing music in a visual way. More will come in 2018. Press play and check out "Calm" below.



I ended the year after the tour on a thankful and calm note. As always we all get very reflective at the end of the year. I learnt a lot this year. It has been one of the best years of my life. Dropping my debut book and the best album I feel I have created in the same year has left me feeling grateful. In fact on a whim I went into central London and shot an impromptu video for my song "thankful" from my album. Check it out below.



The year wasn't all good. There are some things that happened personally that left me sad and confused. There were a lot of things that happened on the world stage that left me reeling and feeling very concerned. There were some things that I wanted to happen that didn't on a personal level. I am not going to gloss over those disappointments but I am not going to focus on those things at the expense of the good things either. In all things I give thanks and believe all things work together for my good and I am here for such a time as this.

As I move into the new year, I move in with my feet on the ground and a level head, a heart full of thanksgiving and hope and a mind projecting forward, anticipating great things. I know as always this moment of seasonal hype and new year enthusiasm will pass. At that time it will be about simply keeping my head down and taking one step at a time.

What an amazing couple of months I have had. First of all I just want to say I am so happy that Spring is here. Listen, I am not a winter person at all, I hate how it gets dark so quickly and even though it doesn't get THAT cold these days, I still can't stand it.

I did a 2 week tour and visited a lot of schools celebrating World Book Day. That meant travelling a lot of miles on lots of long train rides and sleeping in a few hotels. I found it ironic that I was doing such an intense tour with my book not being ready yet. I hit Banbury, Northampton, Norwich (where I did 2 days performing and running workshops in 6 schools. Very intense!), Wickford, Manchester, Stoneleigh, Ponders End and Hampton. I was really stretched but because I fed off the energy of amazing young people I met, I was able to maintain high energy and deliver. I will never forget this run ever. I was also firing new pieces off as well, I was going in! I performed a couple of new pieces including one where I tell a story backwards. It left a lot of them scratching their heads in Northampton hahaha.


I woke up after the tour with an email from my publisher telling me that I needed more poems and more stories for my book. I caught some inspiration and ended up writing 7 poems at a sitting with stories to go with them. This is a rare thing to happen by the way, I normally space my writing out. I sent them back and they loved it. After a lot of checking to see if all the spellings were correct as well as getting the cover art ready, I can tell you that I am now the proud author of a book that is ready to be released! I am so happy and can't wait for you to read it. "Rhythm And Poetry" my debut book of poems and short stories for young people in school will be out on April 24th and you will able to order it directly from my publisher who will deliver it to wherever you are. Even if you are not a young person in school this book is for you, it is a reflection on childhood and growing up from my point of view as a person who found love for poetry and lyrics via rap music and spoken word poetry.


In the midst of all this I have been in the studio a lot, it's like I can't keep myself away from recording. Even while touring I was recording lots of demos. One of them was this track "Backstage Banter" I just did it for the heck of it, it is not going to be on my new album or even an official single. By the way this whole track was created and mixed on my phone including the vocals. If I didn't tell you this I bet you would have never known.



I have completed my album but I am facing the challenge of deciding how many tracks to put on it. These days albums from big rap artists are getting longer like back in the day so I might be able to get away with squeezing a lot tracks on a deluxe version. I am trying to make sure I am happy with every track. The name of the album is "For Such A Time As This" and I will release it in the summer. It seems a track I made called "Aim High Stay Low" will be the lead off single, so keep your eyes and ears open!

A post shared by Karl Nova 🕶 (@karlnova) on Mar 19, 2017 at 6:37am PDT

Stream of consciousness alert! Stream of consciousness alert! I am not gonna start with what is becoming my usual way of beginning an entry. I have come to accept that there are going to be spaces in between entries. I won't apologise for that. These entries will arrive when they arrive. I really do appreciate you stopping by to check out my blog, like you actually read in a time when people just want short video clips or just check out headlines and click bait summaries designed to wind you up.

Summer was beautiful. This was probably one of the best summers I can remember. The weather was hot! hot! hot! I got to travel not just to Germany but also to Canada. You can see pics that I took while I was in Germany here and pics I took while in Canada here 2 totally different places and my first time in both of them. Travelling is good, it expands your mind and helps you understand the world, yourself and life better. It is so easy to get caught up in your own bubble and forget there is big world out there to explore and experience.

I hit the ground running this Autumn, I am back performing and doing workshops. In fact the day after I touched down from Canada I visited a college in South West London for a performance and did it while I was still jetlagged! The great thing is the performance actually went smoothly without any hitch whatsoever. If you are wondering what type of stuff I perform in schools you can check out a poem below which will be in my new book which is going to be out soon.



I got to do a workshop in Plymouth. It is on the southern coast of England and it is a beautiful place. I stayed overnight in a hotel and got to check out the city. I took quite a few pictures. You can check them out here the performances and workshop sessions I did at the school were great. I will never forget that experience and I am actually getting to go back there next year!

If there is one thing on my heart and mind lately it is the feeling of being determined to be the best I can be at what I do and to positively affect as many people as I can. I am staying focused on my own path and just continuing on my journey. It is easy to get distracted by things that cause you to focus on what people think about you or if they rate what you do but the truth is that doesn't actually really matter. I am just thankful to be here doing what I love and loving what I do.

The very first official single I released for sale was "I Still Believe (take 2)" featuring Kirsten Marie and Kiwi. It was produced by Victizzle. It came out on my birthday September 13th, 2008. For me it was a major step.

I Still Believe take 2 feat Kirsten Marie & Kiwi by Karl Nova

That single was the lead off single for the original version of just as I AM: The Prequel and this was the album cover

It was released in April 2009, It was my baby and folks liked it, it went to no. 49 on the itunes hip hop chart with hardly any promotion but I was advised by close folks that due to some of the songs having uncleared samples I should pull it or get sued (well maybe) so I did and released the songs with some other songs as my Deleted Scenes Mixtape

In between those 2 projects I released "Skanksgivin' EP" which had dance tracks. I was really into the whole funky house/bassline/dance thing in 09. It went to a whole other level when I went to a Basement Jaxx concert, in fact after that gig I went into the studio and banged out like 4 tracks in a session! You can still get "Skanksgivin" on itunes, amazon and all digitalstores and even listen to it in full on Spotify.







So for me the journey continues. I have since learnt how to make my own beats. This is going to take me in a whole new direction. I am very excited! Watch this space! (As they say ha!)

We arranged to meet
Face to face
To go toe to toe
Like in a great debate
We named the time
We named the place
It was all set up
You were on your way
You got there first
I came a little late
When I arrived
I was amazed
I overheard you
Rehearse your case
Then it hit me
Right in my face
For other reasons
Is why you came
This was all part
Of your game
You weren't here
To hear me out
to know what I am
All about
I now know what
You came here for
You came to see
A man of straw.

I’m plugged in to those who are unplugged
I’m tuned in to those who have tuned out
I’m connected to the disconnected
Empathetic to the apathetic
My attempts to be heard
so far have been pathetic
I’m picking up the pirate signal being broadcast
Frequently on a frequency blocked out
By those who wish to control the airwaves
So I became an amplifier, a loud speaker
I’ve been an unpaid piper
So I’m not always a crowd pleaser
I’m wired to transmit
Connected to the power source
They say the medium is the message
So I unwrap this rhapsody
Wrapped within me
So actually I’m not rapping
But unwrapping
Revealing more than just a gift of the gab
And empty yapping
I speak the naked the truth
Clothed in see through verses
I’m offensive to some even without curses
Hurling truth out like a javelin
And it unravels and keeps travelling
With more velocity than a bullet from a barrel
Faster than assumptions are projected from hearts
On the screen they watch so attentively
They assume that they know your intentions
But fail to see it’s about them starring
In their own movie
Because they cant face themselves
So they scapegoat using bitter tasting quotes
But it doesn’t matter, the elected stay elected
With no votes
My religion is still lost and I don’t wanna find it
But I still have a speck of faith,
seeing not blinded

A new day is born
Bright light overcame the night
Life goes on for now

The sky above me
The earth firm beneath my feet
For now my heart beats

My thoughts were scattered
But as I stand they gather
Thoughts are seed, deeds fruit.

Written in the stars
Some say there are signs for us
I seek the Author

All living things were
Created by your power
Made for your pleasure

In your image made
Male and female to mirror
The brightness of you

The day is over
Now I'm laid to rest in peace
I wake up again

If it was left to me.

I would have nothing to do with

issues of the heart

questions of faith and fate

deep conversations that almost leave me

drowned in an ocean of emotion



If it was left to me

I would not be

born at all

thrown into the midst of a drama

that was being acted out

badly

before I came



If it was left to me

I would rather be

all alone

quarantined

so that I would not infect

anyone with my brokeness

I would gladly chose loneliness

and maybe blindness

in case the virus was hidden in my Iris

and I have a look

that can kill



If it was left to me

I would choose Ignorance

they say it is bliss

but knowledge and wisdom

has kissed

my mind

now I have understanding

which brings pain

as well as gain



But it isn't left to me

there is no turning back

I am here

in the midst of life's drama

and I must tread the boards

even though sometimes

I act the fool

and mess up my lines

and miss my cues

I am part of something bigger



It isn't left to me

and I am not

left

alone.

"fantasy is what they want but reality is what they need" -- Lauryn Hill



I have been thinking about the music business and entertainment. I mean it’s normally all in my thoughts. I have been thinking "why is it so important to us human beings?" The one thing word that stands out to me is the word “escape” or more accurately “escapism”



I used to work a day job I hated, this is over a year ago before recession caught up with the company and I got laid off. It’s not that the job was bad, it was BORING and for someone like me with such an overactive imagination it made it 10 times worse. I wrote a lot of poetry, songs and raps and blogs while at that job (I was a market research executive) and that was how I “entertained” myself and “escaped” boredom. Thankfully I'm self employed right now and free from that though it's a hustle everyday.



That’s what entertainment does, there’s nothing wrong with escape and taking a break from one’s everyday life, we actually NEED it because it’s how we unwind and at the best of times get recharged and inspired. You might watch a great movie that fires up your imagination or hear some music that lifts you up. You then return to the task of everyday living feeling renewed (sometimes) or even with a whole new outlook on things (well possibly) You might even feel more alive.



This is my theory, deep down inside we sense that life is more than we can see, hear, feel, touch and taste and art at it’s best be it music, the theatre, movies or whatever reminds us of that sense of life being more. This can happen to you whether you believe in God or not. We all wanna get away from the mundane and everyday same ol’ same ol’ thing and break that monotony and even more so when life gets harsh. This is one of the reasons why the most frivolous and shallow entertainment sells more than what we consider “wholesome” That which has more content and truth doesn’t seem to compare with that which is pure fantasy and fakeness.



In some people’s minds the line between reality and fantasy is very blurry, some can’t even tell the difference. We’ve all heard of actors in soaps like “Eastenders” sometimes seen in public and people actually forget they play a created tv character and act like they are indeed the character and not a real person! Some have even gotten cursed out in public because they play the role of a baddie and folks seem to forget it is entertainment and not reality. It is make believe.



It’s from this point of view that I wrote the piece below.


“Escaping from Escapism”

We all want to be free, but isn't it amazing

How escaping through escapism leads you to seek

escape from escapism

it becomes another prison you seek to escape from

some seek escape in the club getting their groove on

some seek escape in the church getting their praise on

i've tried both and this is my conclusion

they can both be the same thing with Gods exclusion

reality is harsh, it overloads my senses

weighing down my heart weakening my defenses

when reality bites fantasy gets more alluring

but it really is a weak umbrella when the rain is pouring

I sought freedom in my spirit by loosening my flesh

but that only left my innerman gasping for breath

my guilt trip almost took me to a point of no return

I found out I was ego tripping I had to relearn

the truth I knew in my head and felt in my heart

the truth that molds and shapes my art

I love beauty because my world's been ugly

I've found Gods fingerprints all over the lovely, things,

people and moments I encounter on my journey

this road less travelled twists and turns me

this world like night is fallen but we keep on living

outside is dark

but in my heart the Son is risen

Conspiracy theories
are making souls grow weary
The fear of the unknown
has got people feeling eerie
We have a lot of information
but very little truth
A lot of speculation
but hardly any proof
it's like people think
everything is true on youtube
it's no wonder that
perceptions are skewed on cue
some people think
everything has a message subliminal
But if you say God is in you
how can you continue
To live in fear and remain paranoid?
Tossed to and fro by
distractions and decoys
it's lack of knowledge of the truth
that destroys
Sadly empty vessels
still make the loudest noise
There's a lot of information
but little revelation
That's why there's hardly any transformation
of many situations
So what are you buying into?
What holds your attention?
To focus on the Most High
should be our main intention
Or haven't you heard?
eternal is the Kingdom
As above so below
heaven and earth are linking
When we believe in our hearts
And speak with our mouths
And face our fears
and overthrow our doubts
And not buy into the lie
that seems so true
The lie that claims to be stronger
than the truth
It only takes a little light
to pierce the darkness
So this little light of mine
will shine regardless
Life sometimes feels
like a movie to me
So these are just a few
of my deleted scenes