Burn Out
By Joy Lynn Clark
June 15, 2024
Before I became a mother and back home with my little one, I was experiencing, “burn out“. All of the club nights, parties, and shows had me exhausted. I would record in the morning and sleep a few hours if I’m lucky. I would always catch a nap in the car or on the way to events and during any wait in any waiting room.
My schedule consisted of recording early in the morning, shopping for the evening’s outfit and/or, “store drop“, which was visiting different retailers with promotional items. Next dinner, change clothes, runway show, club gig till the morning and, then do it again. I would also have a drink or two in every club, every night. This particular morning Tez and I got invited to R. Kelly’s studio.
As usual we left the club at 4 AM and, unlike my home studio that we’ve been working in the last few years, this is a “real professional studio” and I am thrilled! We arrived and I was introduced to a cool house music producer named “Vince” whom I quickly handed a CD and introduced myself as a producer also. I made a point of it. He then sits at the board and begins playing his work. I am jamming, we smoke a blunt and I chat, enjoy the music, and then take my nap once it seemed as if we had to wait. I hope we are just waiting for Kells.
Just before I slept, I met a girl who was bad as Com’s girl. I had just gotten my new white tracksuit and this heffa dropped a cigarette cherry and burnt a hole right through my pants. I have never worn this before and is brand new. “I am gonna take a quick ride with Cherry” Tez announces. Once she and Tez left, it looked as if the house music producer was sinking his teeth into a new track and I had the all clear to nap for a moment.
Once I woke up, just about everyone else was asleep. Plus, Vince was nowhere to be found. So, I decided to take a look around. I opened some double doors and two people were there asleep on the floor with an empty fifth. Oops that’s not the way out. I go down the stairs and run into a nice guy that I had not met earlier. “Would you like a tour? I do his liquor promo and this is all of the liquor“. I take a glance at all of those cases of liquor and start to question where all of this is going. Next, we continue down the hall and he shows me the restroom.
Inside the ladies room, I recall that Tez has given me the keys to the car. I come out and check my watch, then I get pissed! I am supposed to be here making music! Why is Tez taking so long? I start to think that Tez left me here to go bang somebody probably, “Cherry girl”. How is this more important? I started thinking about my life and I begin to cry. Next, I run to the exit but it is locked.
I realized that I am going to have to go back and see Vince who is sitting at a desk in an office. I’d like to get over myself but Tez just left me here. I am burnt out, sad, and making the worst impression. Vince sees me crying. “Can you let me out, I want to go?“ I asked. “What’s wrong?“ He questions back. “They’re probably getting high and having sex!” I was so jealous. Everybody knew that I loved Tez. On the other hand, I knew that there is always going to be another woman. As I step out into the bright sunlight, I ask the lot attendant to let me out.
