Outre Quarterly by Alexa De Paulis

EJ NELS ON

JA K E K A LM EN SO N

LEIGH-ANNE BARREIRA

B J & M A LC OM

S A BI NA A D D IS

IN TERV IE WS

TH E WINTER IS S UE

QUART E RLY JOUR NAL

FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WHO INSPIRE YOUNG PEOPLE. BE RADICAL, BE FAR OUT.

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MASTHEAD

EDITOR IN CHIEF Alexa De Paulis

ART DIRECTOR & PHOTO EDITOR Alexa De Paulis

PHOTOGRAPHER

MASTHEAD

Caroline Brown

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Alexa De Paulis

WRITERS Caroline Brown Alexa De Paulis

CONTRIBUTORS Caroline Brown

SPECIAL THANKS Caroline Brown, All of our interviewees, Sarah Thomas

PUBLISHERS Rose Ink Press

INTERVIEWS & MAGIC | ISSUE 01

DEAR READER, How you define exceptional ? What makes one person more capable than another? Effort. People who make a difference do so with exceptional effort. That’s what Outre is all about— bringing you the stories of people who re-define effort and go above and beyond in their daily lives. They are meant to delight you,

You are young and you are capable, now follow your passions. Be radical. Be far out. Alexa De Paulis

EDITOR’S LETTER

shock you, and maybe even inspire you.

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CONTENTS

01 TABLE OF CONTENTS

S A B I LLUSTRATOR N A A D ESIGNER D I S

02 B J & M F A S HI O N DE S I G N L C O M

L E I G H A DVOC ATE N N E

04 J A K E K A L M US I C E N S PR O DUCER N

N E L S I NG E R ACTO R N

TABLE OF CONTENTS

B A SURV I VOR R E I R A

MOD E L J

A graphic designer and illustrator who is discovering how freelancing can inspire a career shift.

S A B I N A

A D D I S

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SABINA ADDIS

CHANGE

YOUR MIND 06

INTERVIEWS & MAGIC | SABINA

PHOTO BY CAROLINE BROWN

INTERVIEW BY

ALEXA DE PAULIS

abina Lara Addis is a 21 year old illustrator and designer from Piedmont, California. She is meticulous, especially with her illustrations, which are typically inspired by the places she visits, the food she eats, and whatever manages to catch her pretty eye. Addis is on the brink of a metamorphoses— about to graduate college, recently able to legally drink, (woo!) and discovering that her love of illustration may outweigh her passion for graphic design. However, as her designer parents warn, pursuing your secret passion for money might drain the fun out

of it after all. Only time will tell. Bring it on, Sabina. When you wake up in the morning, what makes you excited to start your day? I really don’t like the feeling of having incomplete projects (whether they be for school or personal projects), so i wake up everyday with the incentive to get them done. And even if i can’t complete the project in a day, i will at least be able to make good headway. So the thought of my projects being closer to completion makes me excited to get a start to my day. 07

When did you first realize you were interested in design? I have always grown up surrounded by design, because of both of my parents being in the field, but I never really thought of it as a possible career path until around Junior year of high school when I started to design the posters for the school plays. That was the first time I played with layout and type, and after that I knew I wanted to study it more. Do you feel like having two designer parents has influenced your design intuition/ style? Having two parents in the design

field has definitely influenced my intuition and instincts surrounding design. I always grew up with them . I always grew up with them discussing what they believed constituted good/bad design at the dinner table, so I unknowingly developed a taste heavily influenced by theirs. I do think my style of design is very different than theirs, and I’m glad that it is, that way I feel like I have something that’s my own without any of their influence.

"I’ve discovered that Instagram is probably one of the best places for young, unestablished illustrators to get exposure, because just by tagging a company or person, there is actually a chance that you catch their attention, which happened to me."

Where do you see your design career going? East v. West Coast and Art Direction versus UX/UI design? I honestly have no idea. It seems as though with every project, and every semester I change my mind. I would love to learn more about UX/UI because I believe that will soon be an expectation for all designers to have in their skill sets. I would love the opportunity to work on both coasts, but ideally I would want to start out on the East Coast then move west, since I know I’ll probably end up on the West Coast for life.

and asked to do freelance for a very established and well-known restaurant, all because I tagged them in my photo. Without my instagram, I wouldn’t have thought of illustration as a feasible career path.

You mentioned to me earlier that one of your biggest passions is illustration, how do you decide what you want to draw? The thing I love about my illustrations is that they are entirely for me, and that I don’t have to have a justification for anything. I can choose to draw something because I want to, which is never an appropriate justification in my design projects for school (doing something purely because I want to). In school we need to have profound meaning for everything, so it’s nice having an outlet where there are no “rules”. But to answer more of the question, I usually like to draw buildings, or places that I’ve visited and feel more of a connection to. What has making an illustration instagram done for your career and do you recommend young illustrators to use social media for exposure? I’ve discovered that Instagram is probably one of the best places for young, unestablished illustrators to get exposure, because just by tagging a company or person, there is actually a chance that you catch their attention (which is what happened to me). It’s crazy to me that within minutes of posting my first photo on my illustration instagram I was direct messaged

–

Sabina, 21

How has freelancing affected your passion for illustration work? It’s made me take my illustrations a little more seriously, and now I am starting to think about the content of what I draw. I want to attract more potential freelance clients, so I want to display more of a range within content. My passion for illustration has only gone up in the last few months, because it never feels like I’m doing work even when I am working on freelance. Who is your biggest inspiration for either design or illustration or both? I really look up to this illustrator Mustafa Yesil and the lettering artist, Jessica Hische. I admire them for different reasons, Mustafa because I see his style as similar to mine, and love the compositions/ art direction of his Instagram. And Jessica Hische is an inspiration due to all that she’s accomplished at such a young age. She is an extremely versatile artist, and has worked an array of projects with clients varying from huge corporations to mom and pop businesses. What would you say to young designers who feel the pressure to design in one specific style? I would say that they probably feel that way because it feels safe to them, but that versatility speaks so much louder than just being able to do the same look over and over again (even if it is a really nice look). Saying that sounds so hypocritical because I always feel like my stuff looks too similar, so it’s something I am consciously trying to work on myself.

SABINA ADDIS

B J “ B R A Z Z ” B A U C O M I I + M A L C O M G R A N T R A N S O M E

Two fashion and design entrepreneurs influenced by streetwear and skate culture: BJ + Malcom decided to push the limits of their young company.

BJ + MALCOM

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SYNCHRONICIT Y INTERVIEW BY CAROLINE BROWN & E D I T E D B Y A L E X A D E PA U L I S

f our generation could be defined in terms of fashion, it would be streetwear. Labels such as Alexander Wang, Louis Vuitton and Gucci have been on the forefront of the millennial revolution through their specific attention to our generation’s nonconformist attitudes and mediasavvy consumption. As luxury brands continue to mimic the culture our generation creates, it is important to look from the bottomup, evaluating the individuals who

are forging new movements. Where are you guys from? BJ: We call it the DMV (DC, Maryland and Virginia), but I’m from the PG. So I have more of the DC culture in my genes. It has its own music, its own style, just a lot of soul really. M: I’m from a small town in upstate New York, called Rhinebeck It’s like two hours from the city, near Poughkeepsie. How did you guys meet? BJ: It was Lake Len who did it, 12

freshman year our first semester. We hung out at the lunch table in Ernie and Malcom pulls up, I was already sitting at the table and he started talking about Perp and other shit he was doing like tagging, so I was like, “bro sign this table right now”. He was like, “alright, fuck it,” and he just signed his logo and I was like alright, bet, I fuck with you. M: Yeah, and then we were talking about getting some hats made or something.

INTERVIEWS & MAGIC | BJ + MALCOM

So as soon as you guys met, you wanted to start creating and designing together? BJ: Yeah, we also had our own platforms too. But I couldn’t create on my own yet. M: Not even creating together. More just helping each other out and getting stuff started. Like I told him this place where we could get some hats done and now we end up going there all the time. BJ: Admit, when I showed you

the hats at first, you were mad. M: Nah, I wasn’t mad. I just wanted to get it done and then he went and got it done before me. I wasn’t mad, it was like eyeopening. I was like damn, okay, I need to actually get on my shit. Like if I start lacking then this man is going to pass me. BJ: It’s creative competition, which is always good. So your brand all started because you guys each had 13

your own tags? M: Yeah, BJ had his Brazzers things going and I had Perp. BJ: Yeah it honestly started freshman year with me writing it on the back of a hoodie, then I went to making hats with the emblem on the side. M: My tag was Perp, I guess I started that freshman year just by writing it everywhere as a lightning bolt.

That’s really smart. I feel like kids today definitely prefer experience over physical things. BJ: Artists talk about it too. Like, just because I make a song, doesn’t mean I’m a singer. You know, why can’t I make a movie too?

So, from the beginning, you guys knew you wanted to get into fashion? BJ: Here’s the thing, like what really is fashion? Personally, I wouldn’t consider it fashion, I would consider it a lifestyle. It can be related to in everyday life, more like a brand. Fashion is more like a Louis Vuitton. They have creative directors, seamstresses– not saying that it can’t get to that point, but right now, it’s not really geared towards being a fashion label like that. M: You don’t want to feel limited by only producing clothes. It’s like, no, I make everything, I make experiences.

Who does exactly what for each brand? M: We have our own separate brands, but it’s not like there’s a wall between us. We can pass through and help each other out. BJ: So a few people are involved in my brand. So I’m the creative director of my own brand and Malcom is the graphic designer. He’s my right-hand man, he’s someone who I go to when I don’t know how to feel about something. I can go to him and trust his opinion. But for Perp, at least my experience with that, is that I’m someone he can come to as well, to give guidance. I know it may be loud of me to say, but I guess he can also trust my opinion. M: Yeah, it’s more of an unofficial title. Yeah so basically I do the graphics, all of the visual content. So if you see a logo on a sweater of something, I made it on the computer. Or if you see a graphic on Instagram, I put that together.

"When a lion is born, there’s another king of the jungle, it’s in its genes. I think that’s the same for humans. Steve Jobs is another human, what’s stopping you from reaching your potential? I just want everyone to understand that.” – BJ, 21 BJ: He brings everything to life. I don’t really know But I more so come up with the ideas. M: Like he said I bring it to life. And because we’re both on the same page about the brands, sometimes I create content as well and see what he thinks about it. How did both of you conceptualize your own brands? M: From the beginning, I was really inspired by the whole rock star band tees fad. Kind of like a Yeezus inspiration, but I feel like I didn’t keep going that way. I wouldn’t even say I particularly like rock music— I’m very visually based, I just really liked the look of it. BJ: For me, it started because I wanted to be a figure for kids. I grew up in a nice place and went to a nice high school and shit. But that wasn’t the same case for my friends and family. So if you don’t get out where I’m from then you’re most likely stuck there and you’re limited only to what that place has to offer. I want to be that person who’s for the kids there who are saying, “fuck college, I want to do something different.” I want to let them know they can fulfill their passions and get their degree. So I saw this brand as a platform to do that. How has your business been doing since the launched on the website? Have you gotten any traction? BJ: Yeah, I think the thing is for us, our goal was the website. It was cool seeing the people who fucked with it. Also, shout out to Nico Gilmore, I

MALCOM IN A BRAZZ INC. TSHIRT, PHOTO BY CAROLINE BROWN

have to shout him out. He’s the photographer— he does all of the photos for Brazz as well as personal things too. Nico is a part of the Brazz team too. Now that you have a website up and can sell digitally, where do you see your brand going? BJ: Whatever happens, happens. You know how you see things in the end, but everything in between just happens off the energy. When a lion is born, there’s another king of the jungle, it’s in its genes. I think that’s the same for humans. Steve Jobs is another human, what’s stopping you from reaching your potential? I just want everyone to understand that.

A young woman so passionate and driven, she makes the rest of us look lazy. Shine on, girl.

L E I G H - A N N E

B A R R E I R A

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LOVE WHAT MATTERS. INTERVIEW BY CAROLINE BROWN hen Leigh-anne was three years old, her mother noticed lightly colored patches on her elbows. When she was taken to the doctor, she was told she had vitiligo, a disease that cause loss of skin pigments in blotches on the body. This loss of pigment would continue until Leighanne was in high school. Despite the struggles that Leighanne has faced from the misunderstandings and assumptions of others, she still feels like she wouldn’t change anything about herself. Tell me a bit about yourself. Well, I have auto immune diseases that are all linked: celiacs, vilitago and thyroid disease. Have you lived with these diseases your whole life? I didn’t have vitiligo since birth.

When I was three it started on my elbows so my mom brought me to the doctor and we didn’t do anything about it. It started spreading a lot and I went through a lot of treatments at Yale, but nothing worked. I switched to topical treatments which was scary especially on my face because it thins the skin, then I did three days a week at a tanning bed which also didn’t work. Finally, I did a laser treatment on each spot – it took forever and burned my skin. I have a heightened risk for cancer so all of those things are the opposite of what I should be doing. What was it like having vitiligo growing up? When I was younger, especially in middle school, I would come home crying. One time a kid dropped his pencil and I picked it up to give it him and he said, “I don’t want 18

that its diseased.” A lot of people just didn’t know what it was. One time a girl thought I painted myself. Up to 6th grade I’d only wear pants and long sleeves, even in the summer because people would just stare… it’s made me more accepting of other people, less judgmental. And a little bit humbler because if someone is going through something I can take a step back and say I don’t understand what’s going on with another person. When I was growing girls focused on their looks but I grew up feeling like I wasn’t pretty so I focused on my personality and my studies. It made me feel like there’s so much more to a person other than looks. Now that you’re older, what has changed in the way you’re treated? People will still ask the most intrusive questions. People act

INTERVIEWS & MAGIC | LEIGH-ANNE

PHOTO BY CAROLINE BROWN

like they have a right with what’s going on with me personally. I’m comfortable with it, I know nothing will change but it’s still shocking how people will talk to me. It’s just skin, it’s a part of who I am, but it doesn’t define me. People have such a strong opinion about skin…it’s weird. The people around me are so supportive that it almost doesn’t matter. And my friends will stick up for me. A girl wrote on my profile picture once that

I was ugly and my friend just roasted the shit out of her. How do you feel about models such as Winnie Harlow speaking on behalf of people with vitiligo? I think it’s cool people use social platforms to speak about it. Because if people don’t know about it, then people think it’s weird. But not everyone thinks it’s cool, if you look in the comments.

By carrying her insecurities so publicly, Leighanne has not only helped other women, but she has also found a very strong sense of self. K– 8 school it differs every semester. This year I’m working with a first grade class as a teaching assistant. Sometimes I’ll pull students who are struggling and go over selected activities so they can catch up to the rest of the group. When I’m not doing that, I’ll just go around to the students and help them.

Tell me about the kids. In general, they teach me a lot. They are so kind and good hearted. When I’m caught up with work and exams I stop being grateful for things. Then I go there and see that they don’t even have opportunity like I do, but they are kind and have hope. It helps me slow down and be grateful. It shows me that when I can I need to show people that they have potential. They don’t have role models and we do so I try to be that person for them. Do you think vitiligo is a part of your identity? It’s such a big part of who I am and I think that getting rid of it would be getting rid of a piece of myself. And denying something that made me who I am. What do you do in your free time? I do two things for Syracuse University literacy corps. I intern in Shaw center in Schine and then I tutor in my site twice a week. For tutoring I work at Roberts

Leigh-anne is the sort of woman we all strive to be: considerate, intelligent and driven. By carrying her insecurities so publicly, she has not only helped other women, but she has also found a very strong sense of self. Leighanne is 18 years old and graduating from Syracuse University with a degree in economics a year early. Next year she will move to New York City to begin her full time position at Morgan Stanley.

LEIGH-ANNE BARREIRA

You’re graduating college a year early, right? Why and how do you do this? It’s really rewarding. I think Syracuse is really disconnected from the city. It’s crazy to me because everyone has the ability to help but doesn’t know what’s going on. It’s my opportunity to give back. Just me being a college student is inspiring to them. Everyone should act to make the community better; I think we owe it to them.

A young music producerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inner creative battle in the copycat climate of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s industry.

J A K E

K A L M E N S O N

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FINDING YO

INTERVIEWS & MAGIC | JAKE

OUR INTERVIEW BY CAROLINE BROWN n Wednesday I met up with Jake Kalmenson, a friend of mine for about two years now. We caught up in his room, where one side is taken over with his musical instruments including speakers, a beat pad and his red Fender. We began to talk about music, but as the conversation furthered, it felt more like a therapy session. Jake took the time to explain his inner creative battle with music, weaving between the subject of music and anecdotes of his personal life. Tell me about your life at Syracuse University. What do you study? I’m in the Bandier program here, it was founded by Marty Bandier, CEO of Sony Music. Which is super inspiring to many students. That sounds like a big deal. Yeah it’s the reason why I came here. I’m from LA so I wanted to 25

stay West Coast or go to Miami University— I didn’t really want to come here, but when I got into the program that was my final decision. What initially got you into music? I’ve been playing instruments my whole life. When I was five years old my mom got me a drum set and I just kept going. started playing in a band around six and we played at my brother’s wedding… I was rocking that. I had so many ideas, but I couldn’t create on my own yet. Then I learned how to play the guitar and piano and just taught myself how to produce. I never really took it seriously it was always just a passion— I prioritized other things because creative work is so difficult. So have you ever thought about not doing music then? The whole music industry is being over saturated and so many people are trying to make it. I have a strong

As an musician, Jake is heavily influenced by history, claiming that 14th century motets, about old mistresses, inspired some of his work. Well, you’ve seen me around before. I love dark colors; I mostly always wear black. Sometimes if I’m happy maybe I’ll wear blue. Do you have a favorite musical project you have or are working on? I have three to four songs that I’m working on right now that I love, or that I’m going to love. I’ve been incorporating my guitar a lot which is fun because I haven’t used it in a while. I’m going to release this three or four track EP just to put myself on the map.

musical background, I have the talent and skills – I just need to push myself. Just part of being a producer makes me want to have full control but you really have limited control so I started challenging myself by writing lyrics. le nging m What inspires you to write? I’m inspired a lot by interesting concepts. When I hear an idea that I like, it makes me want to write lyrics. Even in classes I hate, I get ideas. Like the other day we were talking about 14th century motets that were inspired by mistresses, I thought that was cool. So how would you describe your sound? I definitely have a darker sound with a lot of melodies. I’ve never really connected with “happy” music. I really like listening to The Weeknd and Lana Del Rey in terms of sound and lyrics because I can relate to things that they’re saying. So yeah, dark sounds but still pop music. How does your sound correlate to your own personal style?

Any advice to younger kids who are trying to pursue music? I would just say work. Whatever you love doing, work as much as possible and eventually your skills will develop. You know the saying it takes 100 songs to write one good one, I’ve felt that firsthand. Our biggest enemy isn’t lack of inspiration or not having the skills to create, it’s the resistance to work. Don’t be afraid to fail, and then fail again, it’s a process. What other producers, songwriters and/or artists do you see as your primary inspirations? I look up to the same people I always have – Kanye West and Kid Cudi for example, you know, those who I think are exceptional. I don’t pay attention to the super hyped people who don’t have longevity. My grandpa and dad always told me when everyone is going one way, go the other way. How do you expect people to feel when they listen to your music? I don’t want them to perceive me any specific way. They will either feel it or not feel it. My music is my emotions, it’s for me to express. What’s your favorite thing to do for fun other than working on music? Sleep… no, I’m just kidding. I love sports— watching sports, playing sports.

JAKE KALMENSON

PHOTO BY CAROLINE BROWN

E J

N E L S O N

Triple threat, 20 year old EJ, is pursuing a career in music, acting, modeling and a degree in Communications and Political Science.

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INTERVIEWS & MAGIC | EJ

FLOATING ON THE

INTERVIEW BY CAROLINE BROWN rowing up in Brooklyn, Ej has always felt connected to the highs and lows of city life. At 20, he is on his last year of college and ready to move back home to pursue his music career. Ej knows that in this industry, being a musician is more than just being musically talented—you need to be “it.” To keep his creativity flowing, Ej acts in student films, takes piano and singing lessons, models for student projects, and also writes and records his own music. We think that the world is ready to hear Ej Nelson’s voice and his point of view.

Brooklyn, I fell in love with rap music like Biggie Smalls and Jay Z. I’ve always idolized musicians. I loved music so much that I decided I wanted to do it. So when I was in 7th grade I joined a rock band— I was the guitarist. When I was a kid I remember writing a lot, but not take it seriously. And by junior year of high school I was writing full raps. Sometimes I stayed up all night and wrote out a song, not every day though. Then I started freestyling with friends at parties in high school and that habit carried into college. Then I started taking it a lot more seriously.

What made you interested in music at first? I’ve always liked music since I was a kid. Growing up, my mom used to play Prince and Cher and I would always listen to hip hop and rap on the radio. Being from

How has your sense of musicality developed since then? I’ve just been trying to learn as much as I can. I take singing lessons and piano lessons. I want to get as much formal knowledge as I can. I also like surrounding 31

myself with people who know more about music than I do and learn from them as well. Also practicing a lot. Writing, listening and practicing as much as I can. What attracts you to express yourself through music? I’m interested in not how someone feels from listening to a song but how someone feels after listening to a song— how a song has the power to change the way you view yourself and others around you. How would you describe your fashion sensibility? Still discovering it. Right now my goal is to convey exactly how I feel through sound and have people feel it. I’m just focusing on being able to utilize my voice in different ways. You are inherently inspired by what you listen to, but it has been my mission to differentiate

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myself from others and carve my own lane. I think music is becoming increasingly genre-less so I’m having fun playing around with different styles. Who is your biggest inspiration? First, Frank Ocean. He has developed a mastery of his voice and he is able to convey his emotions so effortlessly. He can match content and melodies so beautifully. Also Kid Cudi. His ability to be himself and capture his reality is honest and real, exactly what music is supposed to be. Most recently, I’ve been inspired by King Krule. His voice is very off putting at first which caught my interest. He is able to capture his grunginess and I relate to that. He has a song on his first album, called “Cementality” where he says, “the pavement is soothing” and by being from the city, I see the cement as dirty, a place no one wants to be. But he changed the way I see that, I just like how he captured that dichotomy. What music have you listened to today? I was studying today so I listened to “Kind of Blue” by Miles Davis and “Awaken My Love” by Childish Gambino. I still do love rap music, but now I listen to more rock, soul and R&B. I really like oldies like Otis Redding and Miles Davis, but it honestly just depends on the day. What’s the most difficult aspect of creating music? Relying on other people. Right now I’m not at a point where I can produce my own music. That’s why I’m learning the piano, but I have been

focusing so much on my music lyrically that now I’m left with my words and no musical composition to support it. I plan on getting to the point where I can be completely self-sufficient. But, one step at a time. Can you explain that thought a bit more? I just think everything is meshing in the music industry. Rappers are calling themselves rock stars and rock stars are rapping. The lines between different kinds of artists are beginning to blur now more than ever. Do you think aspects of artistry beyond just music are blurring as well? Yeah I think everything is becoming more fluid. I see it predominately within fashion – gender fluidity is extremely prominent right now and I think it echoes a bigger movement. I think it has always existed, but now there are no gatekeepers. The way technology has connected artists with the people has changed everything. Artists can’t be contained through one medium. What has led you into your other creative ventures such as acting? Opportunity. I have always hung out around a lot of film makers so I got into acting in short films, student projects. I didn’t do it to be perfect or to be a great actor, it’s just a lot of fun. I really like acting because it’s interesting to carry out emotions through another character. When I do these student films, I don’t get paid for it, it’s just fun to play someone else. Speaking of roles, how would you say modeling compares to making music or acting in a film? I like posing in front of the camera. I don’t look at modeling as a separate from me being myself. I think modeling comes along a love for fashion— I wouldn’t say it’s my passion just because I haven’t learned a lot about the industry. Music is my number one passion.

EJ NELSON

"Gender fluidity is very prominent right now and I think it echoes a bigger movement. I think it has always existed, but now there are no gatekeepers. The way technology has connected artists with the people has changed everything. Artists cannot be contained through just one medium.” – EJ, 20 Why does music come before anything else? It’s freeing— I love writing, conveying emotion and making an impact. It’s fun to capture how I feel in a specific moment in time, whether it’s floating on the highs or fighting the lows. You can then add sound. You can create a universe from the combination of words and sounds right within 3 minutes and that’s beautiful.

What impact to you want to make with your music? I want to strengthen human connection. I want to be there to say, “someone else is going through it too.” I want to people to relate to how I’m feeling. All I can do is be honest about how I feel and I hope people feel what I’m saying. When I go through something I think, “I’m not the only one going through this.” Love is universal and it manifests in different forms so I report what I see and how I feel. Are you working on any project? I’m halfway done with an album I’m waiting to produce. It’s called “Fade to White”. It’s mostly about reflections within my experience on a college campus and what I’ve experienced both involved and removed from it. It reflects a lot of being in a dark place in the beginning of the album, having fallouts with people, feeling lost and confused to transitioning to where I feel now, becoming my own man and being more in touch with my soul.

GALLERY

SABINA ADDIS

Catch Sabina’s graphic work on her website sabinaaddis.com +++ if you’re interested in her illustrations, follow her insta @sabina__lara

BJ + MALCOM

BJ + Malcom released a joint website for their clothing and lifestyle brand called BrazzInc. Check out their dope clothing and Malcom’s coding skillz on the site: brazzinc.com

JAKE KALMENSON

Jake is busy recording and producing at his home studio. If you wanna take a listen to his music, give his soundcloud a follow https://soundcloud.com/ jakekalmenson

LEIGH-ANNE

Leigh-anne is graduating college a year early and moving to NYC to start her career. If you want to find out more about her life experiences, check her insta, @leighannnee

EJ NELSON

Get ready to hear EJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sound. With his first album, Fade To White, expected to release this year, you will be remembering this name. In the meantime, check out his music on soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ej-1

BE RADICAL. BE FAR OU T.

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