Dakari Eli is the type of person that’s the living embodiment of art. She’s a poet, performer, trained and self-taught multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. Her musicianship and vocal ability are on full display on her album ‘Black Dove Blue Song’. A media personality also, Dakari hosts weekly podcast “The Bigger Picture with Dakari” and is Editor In Chief of URBAN Magazine. She took time out her busy schedule to answer our “2020 Twenty Questions” questionnaire! We hope THIS INTERVIEW entertains and inspires you.
On a scale of 1 to 10 how happy are you to be alive?
Ten! I couldn’t be happier with my life. Between living my purpose and having an 8-year-old daughter, I have been provided with the greatest blessings that anyone could ever ask for.
As a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
Between my love for science and my passion for animals, I wanted to be a veterinarian, marine biologist, or zoologist as a child. I remember watching Gorillas in the Mist with Sigourney Weaver and feeling outraged.
As I got to be an adolescent, I wanted to pursue writing and photography, so it was only natural to want to combine animals, writing, and photography. I used to look at the images in the World Wildlife Foundation magazines and dreamed of being a photojournalist for them.
What was your favorite cartoon?
It’s definitely a toss-up between Thundercats and Voltron!
Tell us your favorite song as a kid, as a teenager, and now as an adult.
Wow! This is tough! I grew up with several influences, from Jazz, Blues, Opera, R&B, Hip Hop, and Rock, so to try to list one song per decade of my life is impossible. What I can do is name the artists that I was influenced by instead.
As a child, Whitney Houston, Anita Baker, Patti LaBelle, Mariah Carey, Tina Marie, and Michael Jackson. As a teenager, Billie Holliday, Lena Horne, Mary J Blige, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Toni Braxton, Missy Elliot, Jay Z, Nas, Wu-Tang, The Roots, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, The Fugees, Evanescence, Rachelle Farrell, Jewel, Alanis Morrissette, etc. What can I say, my teenage years were amazing!
As an adult, add Alabama Shakes, Jessye Norman, Jill Scott, Lizz Wright, Nina Simone, Kanye [West], Kendrick [Lamar], and 6lack to my teenage list!
What’s an album that means more to you now than it did when you first heard it?
‘New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)’ [by Erykah Badu]. It means more and resonates deeper with each year that passes.
What are your 3 favorite movies?
My all-time favorite movie is Love Jones. Between the poetry, music, photography, and cast, I was in love with it the first time I saw it! The love story was bittersweet, which added a real feel to it as well.
Black Swan is my second fav. The story is dark, tragic, and thrilling! I love classical music and ballet, and the art forms are slowly being snuffed out. Everything that glitters most certainly isn’t gold, and the way Natalie Portman threw herself into that character was brilliant.
Lastly, Like Water for Chocolate! This story is intriguing and, again, tragic! I guess that’s my thing! The whole movie is in subtitles, so most people miss out on it. A true love story! Two other movies that deserve mentioning are Frida and La Vie en Rose, two films about 2 amazing women that give me inspiration!
What’s the last film that made you cry or almost cry, and what scene did it?
I cry at almost every movie – so embarrassing, so it’s not really uncommon to see my eyes welling up as I watch a film. I will tell you that I just watched Self Made on Netflix with my daughter, and I became very emotional throughout the series! Madame CJ Walker was a true warrior!
What’s your all-time favorite TV show?
I don’t watch too much TV because I’m usually writing poetry, playing my guitar, gardening, reading, or playing with my daughter. I do, however, watch documentaries quite frequently, and my favorites are about animals, environmental changes, and space.
Which character on that show do you identify with most?
[NOT APPLICABLE]
What makes you laugh out loud or smile uncontrollably every time you see it or hear it?
A memory. My business partner and publisher for URBAN Magazine, Be’n Original, is also my co-host for “The Bigger Picture with Dakari” podcast. We discuss topics that range from colorism and rape culture to dating culture and sex. On episode 3, Be’n Original tried to tell me that “Netflix and Chill” was okay for a first date! The conversation that ensued was HILARIOUS! Always makes me smile!
Who in your family served you the most delicious, unforgettable dish you’ve ever eaten?
Hands down my mom. Anything my mom makes is bomb. Whether it’s a formal family dinner or something she has thrown together, she can cook her behind off. But there’s a catch: she only cooks when she feels like it. Growing up, my dad cooked our meals regularly – which by the way, he is an excellent cook as well – and my mom cooked for the holidays. I was blessed to have both parents in my household, and they both loved to cook!
Tell us the most nutritious thing you’ve fed your mind.
Meditation and The Dhammapada. Meditation makes room in your consciousness, which makes space in your heart and spirit. It’s so important to clear away any psychic debris that’s been left hanging around, cluttering up space in your mind. It affects every facet of the “you” that is trying to grow. You can’t replenish your spirit if your mind is littered with garbage, so it’s imperative for you to clean house regularly. Follow that up with reading The Dhammapada, and the empty spaces that lack maturity refill itself, as well as the soul beautifully.
When did you start to understand your value?
I had amazing parents and teachers when I was a child, so I grew up knowing that I had a lot to offer the world. But it wasn’t until after I had my daughter that I truly realized that I had a purpose in this world far greater than I realized. Through much spiritual journeying, I became aware of the gifts that I had been unknowingly sharing with people.
Through every facet of my being, I am a spiritual artist aka healer. Truthfully, many of us have the ability to heal others as well as ourselves. It takes awareness and discipline to exercise this type of blessing.
Who is the G.O.A.T. of your profession?
Dear Lord, G.O.A.T.??!!! In my totality as an artist and human, I would say Frida Kahlo and Nina Simone. I know it seems odd to name Frida Kahlo who was a painter when I’m a writer, poet, and vocalist, but I find more similarities than differences. Both her poetry and songs are on canvas, while I paint colorfully through words and sound. The relationship that she had with herself and the rawness of her artistic expression is something that I respect. She was involved in political and social agendas during a time when women were told to be silent.
Nina Simone was an extraordinary human being – period. Her talent alone was remarkable, classically trained pianist with a complex contralto voice. No one can duplicate her sound and almost virile energy on stage. Nina was artistically innovative and socially outspoken. She, like Frida, had a rawness about her that most women are told to tone down. Both artists used their art to tell their stories and to create political and social change in the world.
Do you aspire to be like them or more like someone you have a stronger personal connection to?
I strongly identify with them and I feel like that is largely in part due to the relationship I have with my mother. She exhibits similar qualities, such as integrity, hard work ethic, social and political awareness, and a rawness in her demeanor that demands respect. Like the artists I mentioned, my mother never lacked determination and sense of self, and that’s why I aspire to be like all 3 of them.
Recall for us the first time you failed. What lesson did you learn from that?
I was on the Apollo stage and there were six busloads of elementary school children in the audience. My song selection of “Summertime” was not what they wanted to hear. So, you know how that went down. It wasn’t the first failure, but it was the biggest one in my performance experience to date. I learned to follow my own instincts and not allow anyone or anything to stop me from pursuing my dreams.
In what way have you evolved over the last 12 months?
I have learned that you can’t plan every detail of your life. Nor should you want to. You have to leave room to “wing it” because some of the best experiences occur when you improvise.
When was a time that someone you didn’t know did something nice for you? What did they do?
About 2 years ago I was in a drive-thru line picking up lunch with a friend and the vehicle in front of us paid for our order! We were shocked, surprised, and very grateful! There are still sweet people in the world paying it forward.
How would you explain to someone the importance of valuing their time?
There is a remarkable quote that has always stuck with me: “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time” by Leo Tolstoy [from his novel] War and Peace. Once you understand the correlation between the two and how much they affect our world and perspective on life, you’ll see how important it is to not spend time on trivial issues. You’ll also understand how pertinent it is to respect someone’s time because it’s something that you can’t give back. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.
What’s been the biggest blessing of your life?
My daughter. She is my everything. My perspective on life has so much clarity now that I have her. I thank “Source” every day for her bright beautiful “Soul.” |THIS.
[By Mr. Joe Walker and Alex aka Grand Kai]
New “2020 Twenty Questions” INTERVIEWS every Tuesday at 7 PM EST.
