Black in Latin America - Brazil

Unlimited Vision

Swizz Beatz, the world famous producer/beat maker, has big plans for 2011. This 31 year old artist is well known for his musical talent but he's showing the world that as an artist he is not limited to music. When he's in his Greenpoint, Brooklyn art studio he goes by his real name, Kasseem Dean.

Visual art is just as much one of his passions as music and he does not plan on giving up one for the other. Why should he when he's very capable of doing both? He has even painted on his wife Alicia Keys, before the new year, and said that she is the best canvas that he's ever painted on. In this piece "Love" is the predominant word painted on her body.

Swizz donated all of the money earned from his very first painting to charity. He seems to have gone through many stages of styles and does not plan on stopping anytime soon. The piece where he uses Alicia Keys as his canvas definitely reminds me of one of his inspirations, Keith Haring.

He has released a glimpse of his first painting of the year called Young Brazil. I wonder if he paints with those shades on too haha...if so, that's pretty great that he can produce that piece with them on. I think it's a lovely piece and there's great emotion in the children's faces. I also think it's safe to say that Swizz Beatz is on the verge of being a genius.

Read more to see more art pieces by Swizz Beatz and an interview by the NY Post.

The Real Happy Feet

I saw the movie Happy Feet for the first time in Portuguese on my way to Brasil a few years ago and I had no idea what was being said but I knew it was an awesome movie. I love pretty much all cute animals but I find penguins to be very fascinating. I later saw the movie in English and that confirmed my feelings about the movie and penguins.

A great video of a penguin dancing and jumping around in excitement while snow fell was posted on youtube a few days ago. It's interesting because the penguin should be used to the snow given where its habitat is. A few of the other penguins appear to be a bit confused but don't have much of a reaction beyond that.


Courtesy of Nicole Tremblay

After seeing Happy Feet I've always wanted my own pet penguin. I have it all planned out where once I get my own house, I'll have this large walk-in freezer where the penguin will stay. I don't mind the cold so I will be glad to go in and play with it whenever. I tell people about this idea and they think I'm a little crazy. Little did I know, there is an old man and woman in Japan living out my dream. They have a 10 year old king penguin from the antarctic and are caring for it like a regular pet. There's still hope for me to have one too!


Read more to see a video on the pet Japanese penguin.