Reyality: The True Hollyhood Story
THE MAN OF MANY NAMES, TALENTS AND PERSONAS.
MONDY JOURDAN
I was born Mondy Jourdan on the 9th of May in Cambridge, MA. My name change would be the first of many intentional changes throughout my life. Different interests, different hairstyles, different fashions, different weight… And one thing that still remains the same is my passion for challenging myself to always try something different.
THE CHOIRBOY
I have spent a large portion of my lifetime around music. In the fourth grade I was selected to enter a Choir School that changed my life and opened my eyes to various forms and uses of music. My experiences gave me the opportunity of performing with the Boston Opera Company, the Tanglewood Festival Orchestra and the Boston Symphony Orchestra:
DWAYNE WAYNE
I graduated from Boston College High School where I started to perform with a Hip-Hop/R&B group. We called ourselves Blackrain. And we were like brothers, so we’d hangout together and performing was a bonus for us. Every crew has their secrets, one of ours was getting into restricted places, well let me explain.
MR. POPULAR
In high school me and my boys often went to college parties and somehow [cleverly] got inside. The funny part is that even after being of age, we rarely paid at the front door to get in any event. For those who want to attempt the same, I have two words for you, Not Happening, no I’m just kidding, Public Relations.
DO-RE-MI
Thanks to the group I began to experiment with my own style of rap and spoken word poetry that took on the persona, I called, doremi the MC. The group aspirations would fade away with the separation of our members [me, Akintayo, Tony, Justin, Wallace, Lester and Courtney], who were all heading for different colleges.
COLLEGE DROPOUT
The week I was scheduled to start at the University of Maryland, I made a last-minute decision and I chose to accept enrollment at Howard University instead. After spending two years in Washington, DC, I began to get serious about rap and spoken word. My only problem was paying for tuition since we hadn’t saved up, and financial aid (for this out-of-state student) was a joke.
THE POET
Upon returning home I began to travel the underground rap scenes and the poetry circuits performing at different colleges and lounges. It was also around this time that I won first place in a Motown Talent Show sponsored by WILD AM 1090, a local radio station. I’m still waiting to hear from you, Mr. Andre Harrell… what do you mean he’s not with Motown anymore…
REYALITY
As I continued to search for that comfortable place in entertainment I began to look and create from within using real-life experiences to express myself, while taking on the new persona of Reyality. It was also around this time that I would meet my partner in rhyme, Rene Guity a.k.a. Renaissance. We clicked from jump, it was like we were living parallel lives, soul brothers.
BROTHER FROM ANOTHER
We shared similar experiences and had common interests, the main being emcee-ing. Our similar vision of Hip-Hop led to conscious rap creations like, “Black Male” and “First Comes Love.” In our lyrical journey together, as Natural Forces, we quickly saw the trials and tribulations of the Hip-Hop underground, but we gained something much more valuable, our friendship.
THE GRADUATE
I then decided that I wanted to finish college, so I transferred my credits from Howard and some courses I took at a couple of community colleges to UMass Amherst. It was there that I met the four gentlemen [Andy Dejean, Rodney “Fazu” Lartey- Otoo, and George Papino-Wood], along with our manager [Paul Williams], that would make up the singing group Nostalgia.
THE MUSIC MAN
In this group we focused more on harmonies and vocal abilities, pushing ourselves to a high level of professionalism. We performed all over campus from singing drive-bys and personal special requests to opening up for comedian Arnez J. Once again the changes that come with life separated our paths, but the experience was well worth it.
DADDY
I graduated with a BA in Education and it was also at UMass that I met the mother of my beautiful daughter, Nerissa Rae Jourdan. And here’s what happens when you are a new parent with a camcorder:
EMBARRASSING VIDEO COMING SOON!
THE FIGHTER
I want to share that on August 12th of 2002, I was returning from Canada with two of my boyz (Rodney and Andy), when we got into a car accident resulting in me being paralyzed from the chest down. But as you may guess, my new challenges will not prevent me from continuing to live life to the fullest, off or online. I truly thank all of you who have written with their concerns and support. Through physical rehabilitation I have been able to regain some limited use of my right arm, specifically my right bicep muscle, which allows me to control devices that aid in my independence: like my power wheelchair.
THE AMBASSADOR
I’m currently a regional board member and spokesperson for Easter Seals Massachusetts, and I have worked with their Assistive Technology department on ways of making my environment more accessible. After evaluating my environment with a technician from Easter Seals (Eric) and funding assistance from the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, I have been using a remote device which allows me to control my TV, DVD player, telephone, lights, and even bed.
THE WEBMASTER
And of course, I cannot forget to mention my computer which I was able to purchase through a grant I received from the Travis Roy Foundation. With some voice recognition software and special equipment I have been able to write my poetry, surf the net, keep in contact with family and friends, write a children’s book as well as put together this entire website.
MOTIVATIONAL ARTIST
I am currently doing speaking engagements and spoken word poetry at various venues in and around Boston. And now after completing my first children’s book, I hope to do some book tours in the near future. I plan to continue spreading my positive message of being able to “keep moving” in the face of challenges, adversity and tragedy.
