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Love Is the Labor: What Quincy Jones Teaches Us About Building Legacy Through Chosen Devotion

Quincy Jones Here's what everyone knows about Quincy Jones: he produced Thriller , the biggest-selling album in human history. He worked with everyone from Count Basie to Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson. He has 79 Grammy nominations and 27 wins. He helped break MTV's color barrier. He organized We Are The World . He's a living legend. Here's what almost nobody talks about: Quincy Jones built the most sophisticated love-based production system in music history, and he did it

Tricky Sol

17 hours ago10 min read

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Did You Want to Fuck the Priest or Did You Want to Fuck God?

A throwaway line from Fleabag's therapist turned into an existential crisis. Turns out, the science of why we're attracted to religious figures reveals something profound about sacred longing, forbidden desire, and what we're all actually searching for.

Twerking Is Spiritual

'You know that's spiritual, right?' I told my roommates as we watched women dancing at a Caribbean carnival. They laughed, but I was serious. The twerking they saw as purely sexual connects to West African sacred practices—embodied wisdom about healing trauma and honoring the divine that the Western world has deliberately forgotten.

Imma Take the Passport, But Fuck You!

While renewing my passport, I confronted an uncomfortable truth: this little booklet represents both extraordinary privilege and a deeply unjust system. I need it to move through the world, yet every border it crosses reminds me that these lines weren't drawn by mutual agreement—they were imposed through colonial violence and maintained through power.

TRICKY SOL

A South Florida-raised, Haitian-American navigating life's complexities with curiosity and contradiction. I'm Solén, the voice behind conversations that begin unexpectedly yet leave you wanting more.

My blog is where nuance meets authenticity, where I share the depth behind my sometimes unexpected perspectives. Through my writing, I invite you to witness my journey of self-discovery while perhaps uncovering something about yourself along the way.

Stay tricky, be open-minded, and get curious.

ABOUT ME

Latest Commentary

Deep dives into the things that shape us

Love Is the Labor: What Quincy Jones Teaches Us About Building Legacy Through Chosen Devotion

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

17 hours ago10 min read

The Black Godfather: What Clarence Avant Teaches Us About Building Legacy in the Shadows

Every time that front door gets slammed, find the back window left open. But here's the revolutionary part: you can make it better than what was behind the door. The back window isn't second-best. Being forced to find another way forces innovation that improves on the original. Clarence Avant didn't just find back windows—he climbed through them and built something better. Rejection becomes information. Barriers become redirects.

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

2 days ago18 min read

The Grit Behind the Glove: Michael Jackson and the Cost of Vision

His work reminds me that the space I claim for myself isn't given — it's constructed. When I feel that surge of recognition listening to his music, I'm not being reminded of who Michael was. I'm being reminded of who I can become when I stop negotiating with my vision and start executing it.

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

3 days ago4 min read

The Art We Make in Dark Times: 'Sinners' and the New Harlem Renaissance

What is the price of freedom?' Ryan's answer comes in layers. Community—you can't be free alone. Vigilance—stay alert to who's at your door. Gatekeeping—protect what's sacred. Being willing to say no to the money when it comes with chains. But there's another answer: 'Find something you're willing to die for and then live for it.

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

4 days ago16 min read

As Soon as the Money Changes Hands: Understanding the Metaphor We're Living

They were fucked the moment they bought the mule.' In Sinners, the vampires aren't the real threat. The system already had them marked for death. The vampires just sped up what was always going to happen. And if you think that's just about the 1930s, you're not paying attention.

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

5 days ago12 min read

The Blues We Carried: What 'Sinners' Teaches Us About Ancestral Memory

We can't build a future if we don't know what we're building from. We can't reclaim our power if we don't know where that power comes from. Sinners isn't just about vampires in Mississippi. It's Ryan Coogler excavating our inheritance—the music, the magic, the old ways they tried to make us forget. This is what saved us.

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

6 days ago11 min read

I Just Want You Around

"I don't wanna kiss you, I just wanna feel you." This Snoh Aalegra line finally makes sense to me. I want someone to experience life with—palm trees, beach views, Innervisions on replay. Some level of consideration? Yes. But am I taking you into consideration when making decisions about my life's direction? No. And that's not cruel—that's honest. There's a difference between wanting someone and needing them, between experiencing and possessing. I just want you around. Not nee

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

Feb 44 min read

Never In Vain: What The Clark Sisters Taught Us About Building A Life That Lasts

There is a kind of legacy that doesn't announce itself with fanfare. The Clark Sisters built that kind—the kind that lives inside the way other people sound, move, and understand what it means to give everything to something that matters. Five sisters from Detroit who refused to shrink, turned reggae grooves into gospel anthems, and proved that legacy isn't built in moments of fame. It's built in the dailiness of devotion.

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

Feb 39 min read

You Belong Anywhere You Want to Be

At five years old, Tina Knowles heard: "You don't belong here." Her first teacher looked at this pretty, poor Black child and decided to break her spirit. Decades later, while creating iconic costumes now in the Smithsonian, fashion insiders told her the same thing. But Tina transformed that wound into wisdom: "You deserve to be anywhere you want to be...you got to welcome yourself." This is what it looks like when someone decides the wound stops with them—and builds a legacy

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

Feb 26 min read

ALL BECAUSE I LOVE YOU...

Halle's "because i love you" captures something we don't talk about enough: when love becomes permission for chaos. Watching Olivia and Fitz spiral through Scandal, I see it clearly now—their chemistry wasn't the problem. The problem was letting "I love you" excuse their worst behavior instead of inspiring their best. Real legacy means asking: what am I doing because I love you? Testing patience or protecting peace? Proving you'll stay or proving I'm worth staying for?

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

Feb 17 min read

Your Life, Your Rules

It's 2026, and despite the chaos, I'm optimistic. Not because everything's perfect, but because we still hold the most radical power there is: the power to decide who we're going to be. Most of us live on autopilot, following scripts we never agreed to. But what if you stopped and asked yourself Olivia Pope's question: "What do you want?" Not what you're supposed to want—what do YOU actually want? This is your life. Your rules. Time to claim it.

CULTURE

Tricky Sol

Jan 44 min read

It's Tiiiiiime to Falalalala

The holiday magic you're missing? It was never December itself—it was your parents' labor. Someone stayed up wrapping gifts, building atmosphere, generating that warm frequency. We absorbed it as ambiance. Then we became adults, and nobody handed us the script for creating it ourselves.

ESSAYS

Tricky Sol

Dec 14, 20254 min read

Cycle Three: Your Mind Is the Last to Know

I'll be honest; this cycle looked different. Not because the ideas weren't there, but because I've been figuring out what this blog wants to be in real-time. These are personal excavations shaped into something universal. The thread? Your body knows before your brain does. Intelligence lives there first.

CULTURE

Tricky Sol

Dec 7, 20255 min read

Walk, Walk, and Walk

I thought my walking practice began in 2019 when panic attacks consumed me. But a Thanksgiving morning walk surfaced an earlier memory: middle school, 6:30 AM weekends, walking alone. Not from crisis, but instinct. My body knew something before my mind had any framework for it. That's where it started—with embodied wisdom I'd somehow forgotten.

ESSAYS

Tricky Sol

Nov 30, 202511 min read

The Energy Never Dies

Through meditation, a truth emerged: I am the amalgamation of energies from my ancestors. The universe confirmed it through JoJo, Kamala's coconut tree, and thermodynamics. When energy only transforms—never vanishes—we glimpse something profound: our DNA carries ancestral stories, unfinished missions waiting to emerge.

CULTURE

Tricky Sol

Nov 23, 20259 min read

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Executive analysis of shows, films, books, and interviews. Reading between the lines so you can live between the lies. Cultural commentary that extracts wisdom from the media we consume.

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Health, wellness, and intentional living. Your body is a composition—learn to measure what matters, understand what you consume, and build your wellness with purpose through food, fitness, and holistic practices.

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Tricky Sol

Cultural Commentary

The Culture You Feel
The Music
You Carry

Love Is the Labor: What Quincy Jones Teaches Us About Building Legacy Through Chosen Devotion

Latest Post

Where nuance meets authenticity. Personal excavations shaped into something universal.

Stay tricky, be open-minded, get curious.

Where Provocation Meets Purpose

Editor's Pick

Did You Want to Fuck the Priest or Did You Want to Fuck God?

Twerking Is Spiritual

Imma Take the Passport, But Fuck You!

TRICKY SOL

Latest Commentary

Deep dives into the things that shape us

Love Is the Labor: What Quincy Jones Teaches Us About Building Legacy Through Chosen Devotion

The Black Godfather: What Clarence Avant Teaches Us About Building Legacy in the Shadows

The Grit Behind the Glove: Michael Jackson and the Cost of Vision

The Art We Make in Dark Times: 'Sinners' and the New Harlem Renaissance

As Soon as the Money Changes Hands: Understanding the Metaphor We're Living

The Blues We Carried: What 'Sinners' Teaches Us About Ancestral Memory

I Just Want You Around

Never In Vain: What The Clark Sisters Taught Us About Building A Life That Lasts

You Belong Anywhere You Want to Be

ALL BECAUSE I LOVE YOU...

Your Life, Your Rules

It's Tiiiiiime to Falalalala

Cycle Three: Your Mind Is the Last to Know

Walk, Walk, and Walk

The Energy Never Dies

The Extended Universe

Three channels exploring culture, wellness, and style

Mr. President

Sol Composition

Watch latest

The Thread Theory

For Your Eyes Only: The Unfiltered Sol

Get honest takes and deep dives delivered straight to your inbox. No fluff, just substance.

Cultural Commentary

The Culture You Feel The Music You Carry

Love Is the Labor: What Quincy Jones Teaches Us About Building Legacy Through Chosen Devotion

Latest Post

Where nuance meets authenticity. Personal excavations shaped into something universal. Stay tricky, be open-minded, get curious.

Where Provocation Meets Purpose

Editor's Pick

Did You Want to Fuck the Priest or Did You Want to Fuck God?

Twerking Is Spiritual

Imma Take the Passport, But Fuck You!

TRICKY SOL

Latest Commentary

Deep dives into the things that shape us

Love Is the Labor: What Quincy Jones Teaches Us About Building Legacy Through Chosen Devotion

The Black Godfather: What Clarence Avant Teaches Us About Building Legacy in the Shadows

The Grit Behind the Glove: Michael Jackson and the Cost of Vision

The Art We Make in Dark Times: 'Sinners' and the New Harlem Renaissance

As Soon as the Money Changes Hands: Understanding the Metaphor We're Living

The Blues We Carried: What 'Sinners' Teaches Us About Ancestral Memory

I Just Want You Around

Never In Vain: What The Clark Sisters Taught Us About Building A Life That Lasts

You Belong Anywhere You Want to Be

ALL BECAUSE I LOVE YOU...

Your Life, Your Rules

It's Tiiiiiime to Falalalala

Cycle Three: Your Mind Is the Last to Know

Walk, Walk, and Walk

The Energy Never Dies

The Extended Universe

Three channels exploring culture, wellness, and style

Mr. President

Sol Composition

Watch latest

The Thread Theory

For Your Eyes Only: The Unfiltered Sol

Get honest takes and deep dives delivered straight to your inbox. No fluff, just substance.

The Culture You Feel
The Music
You Carry

Where nuance meets authenticity. Personal excavations shaped into something universal.

Stay tricky, be open-minded, get curious.