Apex Coture Magazine : ACMD TV: REP YO BRAND EXCLUSIVE PICS AND FOOTAGE (VIDEO)

WE DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU WERE IN THE WORLD NOVEMBER 30TH IN BETWEEN 5PM-10PM BUT IF YOU WERE NOT AT THE JACKSONVILLE YOUTH WORKS AND SUADE OUT ENTERTAINMENT'S "REP YO BRAND" EVENT AT THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND HISTORY THEN YOU WASN'T DOIN NOTHIN.

It's like this, when you log on to www.apexcoture.com you will most likely read a lot about black owned businesses and entrepreneurship. This is why this event and ACMD went hand and hand. This is what we promote and what this event was based on. S/O to Javon Williams for cordially inviting us out to cover it.

We often go into stores and spend money on things we want and need. But black people are who hold this country up by being the biggest consumers. They sell it, we buy it. We keep the economy boosted and basically built this countries economy but so many of us are still at the level of poverty. Why? There are many reasons. You go into CoCo's hair store here in Jax and you will notice that there are black faces plastered on the walls and decor, there may be a cute young black lady working the floor.

But when you reach the register, there's a Korean man or woman that checks out your purchase. So the target consumer is us but we don't own the place. They get rich, we get minimum wage on our face. That shit has to stop. There are black owned businesses growing more and more here in Jax and in our nation. The problem is we don't support black owned they way we support white owned, Korean owned, Indian owned etc.

How do we fix this problem? Simple. Spend money with the small black owned businesses. Create more black owned businesses so that we may hire our young black youth and inspire them to start their own and keep the cycle goin. Also, get the quality of our customer service, services, goods and professionalism up. We need to kill all that ghetto shit because we continue to embrace shit that was taught us.

We actually believe that we are supposed to act ghetto but I don't know who told you that shit. We'd rather work for them than be the CEO's that have them working for us. Stay with me y'all. It's easier. We like easy shit. Clock in. Clock out. No management of funds, inventory or employees. Just do your job then go home. You like how that shit sounds don't ya? Well guess what? That is why we are at the top of the food chain. We ain't even got no money but the lil money we do have we go take it straight to them. We don't own any electric companies. We gotta get our lights from them, food, clothes I mean the shit we need. But it leaves us right where we are and our kids have nothing to be passed down to them but go to school and get a damn job.

If we had a family business passed down to us, don't you think that would keep us out the street, teach us responsibility and values. Don't you think our way of thinkin will be subject to a more progressive and productive way of thinkin? If all we have to look up to is dope boys, niggas that rob, girls lookin up to hookers and hoes, and fuckin crackheads in our hood then what you think we gon be? This shit is an on goin cycle and can't nobody change it but US! Wont nobody change it either because they love the fact that we can't afford to pay our bills but we can't wait to bring our lil money to them for some punk ass rims and the engine and transmission in the car ain't worth shit. Then you gotta go to them to get the shit fixed. Nigga yo ass gone be forever broke!

Let's start pouring our lil bit of money into our own businesses and let the dollar circulate in our communities. Let's clean it up.

Oh and when you get hired by a black business owner, respect your boss like you respect them white folk. Stop treating their business as "less than" because you were taught to hate yourself so you see no value in a black owned business since it's not fortune 500. How will we ever get there if you niggas continue to think like niggas talk like niggas and act like niggas.. You black but that don't mean you gotta be a nigga nigga!

Rep Yo Brand and stand up for small businesses whether they strive to be large or just in the community. It's all worth it.

Also support the young music artists that pour their hearts into their music. That's their work. You get paid when you go to work. What makes your well being anymore important than theirs. We all gotta live and eat. Just because you don't like their music don't mean that they or their families should suffer. We give it to you Blood Raw here at Apex Coture. It's time for a change.