The As-I-Amber Podcast & Blog
I think when artists sample songs that they are generation gap connectors and a way to introduce older songs to younger generations. It’s also a way for newer artists to pay homage to the great artists before them. SAMPLED SONGS Playlist Links below. What’s your favorite sampled song? Check the playlist below on Spotify and YouTube. Apple Music users click here and Tidal users click here.
I moved away from my hometown in Columbus, Georgia for a job in South Carolina back in August of 2019. Then BOOM THE PANDEMIC! If you would have told me that a global pandemic would happen and that by the end of 2020 I would actually be back in my hometown due to the office closing due to remote work and then becoming a caregiver for my Dad I probably would not have believed ya!
There is nothing like having an opportunity, getting out of your comfort zone, and moving to a different city with No close friends or family there. Whew Chile! It’s been an emotional journey. These past 4 years have shown me how to stop relying on myself so much and to rely on God more, and trust His plan and not my own.
Starting a new job position in the middle of August 2019 and having to quickly find a nice affordable apartment in a more expensive city AND moving all within a two-week time span, to meeting new people, making new friends, and adjusting to life in a new city and state, then moving back has been a lot. On top of all this back in October of 2019 I was in a car accident that totaled my car. I was fortunate enough to walk away without any physical trauma, and I was able to quickly get another vehicle. Praise God!
I feel like I’ve gotten a little bit closer to God and am becoming an even stronger person that is blossoming into more.
Sometimes it takes going elsewhere to really see what you’re capable of. It makes you more appreciative of certain things that “home” offers like never having to use a GPS device or always having somebody nearby if an emergency happens and oddly you see who really is your “friend” when you are away in a different phase of life. I also see how certain people are your friends for reasons, seasons, and life times.
Thank God for technology like text messages and video chat apps like iPhone’s FaceTime and the “old school” phone call. Sometimes living in a different city is a fresh start for better and more opportunities and a new chapter in the book of life for lots of people. I’ve never been afraid to explore or go on adventures, but it’s a difference between visiting a place for a short time for a vacation versus living there.
Some already have their groups and cliques in smaller cities and if you’re new or have a different mindset or life it can be a challenge to fit. Some take the cost of living or having a village for granted though. Having a network of people or connections are vital, especially in smaller cities where its more so who you know and not what you know.
Years ago I went to college in-state at Fort Valley State University, which is only an hour away from my hometown. While I was a senior in college I studied abroad through a scholarship award in various Italian cities. After graduating from undergrad I’ve traveled to different U.S. cities and European cities and not speak the language, but to up and leave everything I know to go elsewhere has been exciting, scary, lonely, and fulfilling all at once. Living in a smaller city like Columbus, GA all my life things were in my comfort zone.
I am NOT bashing my hometown or the people there because it’s helped in shaping who I am and who I am becoming, but consider that sometimes certain cities lack certain industries or scenes for people of certain age brackets, and more or better opportunities for better salaries or different mindsets exist elsewhere.
Of course, if all you do is go home and to work and never do any activities outside of that or try to go places or participate in things or make the place better or do things that interest you then ANY city you’re in will be boring or easy to complain about.
There are pros and cons to anything in life, and so many creative, talented, smart individuals from smaller cities and towns leave because they may feel limited or want better for themselves or maybe they’re tired of running into the same people they had middle school math with at the grocery store or the same people or cliques running things and doing the same things all the time.
You get my drift. Overall moving was beneficial for me and I would recommend anyone whoever has a good opportunity to go! I know it’s scary, but life is so much bigger than your town and you can always visit or even move back like I did.
So many people live in regret, but you only get one life. Never forget or be ashamed of where you come from and as The Notorious B.I.G. said: “Stay far from timid, only make moves when your heart’s in it and live the phrase sky’s the limit.”
| Number of Adults | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|
| 1 Adult | $35 per person per hour |
| 2 Adults | $45 per person per hour |
| 3 Adults | $55/hr per person per hour |
| Groups of 4+ |
If additional time is needed, it is billed at the same hourly rate. Clients are always asked before continuing. Payment is due at the end of the session.
Travel Fees (Outside Columbus,Ga)
Here is a Millennial Mix playlist taking you back to homeroom and MySpace Top 8 and 106 & Park days. 🎶 Also, available on #AppleMusic under “asiamberjamz.” Click here for the playlist.
Amber and Solomon discuss the 2026 BET Awards, music, and more! Like, Share, and Comment
I like the choice of wearing my hair in different styles. Most of the time it’s because I get bored easily and other times I just don’t feel like doing my thick hair or permanently having my hair look the same everyday like a cartoon character. Some say “it’s just hair”, but to me, it’s not. Haircare is a multi-million-dollar industry and hair is sensitive and controversial topic. Even comedian, Chris Rock, did a controversial documentary back in 2009 called “Good Hair” about black women and their relationship with natural hair, hair straighteners, and weaves and more recently a Hulu documentary called “Hair Tales” talks about the generational and cultural differences between Black women and hair. I have always noticed how some people treat others differently based off of their hair texture, hair color, hair length and hair style. I have also been treated differently or receive more or less attention depending on how my hair looks.
More recently film maker, Matthew A. Cherry’s , animated short film “Hair Love” about a black father styling his daughter’s natural hair won an Academy Award. More and more black people are embracing their natural curls and coils. However not every person, workplace, or environment is as accepting. The state of California is one of the first states to ban discrimination based off of ones natural hair, with The Crown Act, but other places have currently not followed suit. Recently I’ve read dozens of articles on how some people have been suspended from schools, sports teams, fired from jobs and even told they would not be able to walk at graduation ceremonies, not because of the content of their character, but simply because of their hair texture, hair color, or hair style preference. Why are we judging someone solely off their natural hair and not their character?
In our society depending on the community or culture hair that is straighter or wavier or long is considered ‘good’ and anything that is not like that is considered ‘bad’. I had relaxers (chemical hair straightening) for 14 years of my life and at age 19 I decided to stop getting relaxers and “go natural” (stopped using chemical straightening). I decided to go natural because the stylist I had been going to moved and I was away in college in another city and didn’t feel like experimenting with any more different stylists who said they did relaxers, but ended up damaging people’s hair. I was also curious how my natural hair looked because I couldn’t remember a time when I didn’t have relaxers. I also did not want to cut all my hair off so I transitioned by getting weaves and braids. 
I have now been relaxer free for 12 years. I get my hair blown out and flat ironed and I sometimes wear it un-straightened. One thing that I’ve noticed is that my natural hair is healthier and thicker than it was when I was getting relaxers. I still like to wear braids and weaves simply because I think they’re pretty and less maintenance, especially when exercising. There is nothing wrong with wanting versatility in hair. Just because you choose to wear your natural hair chemical free, just because you choose to get relaxers, just because you choose not to wear weave does not make you better or less than. How do you know someone isn’t battling an illness or dealing with hair loss? Not everyone that wears their hair straight or weaved is bald or hates themselves. I find it interesting that whenever I have my hair in a certain style I attract certain people or get more or less attention. I often wonder why this is. I wonder if people think about that when they’re speaking to a person. Whatever happened to style preference and upkeep? What if you want your hair straight today and curly next week? What if you want length and don’t have the patience to wait until it grows a certain length? What if you want to have short hair without actually cutting your own hair? All I want to say is let’s focus not only on hair style, but what’s underneath, like our hair health and spiritual health.
Here is the Apple Music Playlist for Hair & Self Care and Spotify playlist below.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5yYxskT0n2wixFXoTqRrtF?si=BS86ddF2RXScHatTXYfeUw
The As-I-Amber Podcast & Blog 