WIB Entertainment Issue 2022 by Where It Begins

Hustle Grind Succeed

THE inspiration

of Music And Entertaintment

The Smile, Eyes & Voice of

Donnie Simpson

CONTENTS MARCH 2022 EJ Jamele BMF Cash Paula Atherton Adreana Donnie Simpson Andreao Heard (Billie Lennox) Mimi Johnson Elegance of Amor Ray Ray McCloud III G Smoove/King IV Nina Brown

04 08 11 14 16

Gabriela Mclain Evan S. Brown Melvin Riley Kayla Waters Kim Scott Natty Rico 20 McIntosh Bros Lucy Bartholomew 24 Marco Richh 30 Blue Magic 32 Kelly Wright 34 Eto’o Tsana 38 Rafael Vigilantics

24 40 42 45 47 49 52 54 56 58 61 64 67 70

54 42

45 61 64 47

Founder – Cece Hymes W.I.B (Where It Begins) is an Independent agency with the aim to always be innovated in each approach taken to projects and making sure excellence is given in a projects execution when it comes to media marketing, branding, networking and management. Founded by the well experienced and ever growing force; D.C native - Cece Hymes, the most important and integral aspect of W.I.B is that branding for both Creatives and Businesses is taken to the next level with each and every project undertaken. We’ve continued to represent a very diverse and well acclaimed roster of emerging talents in the entertainment, and businesses!

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With a determined persistence for continued excellence, our Founder – Cece Hymes, with a college Degree in Business Management, has also worked within radio and with many companies such as: RDE Entertainment, H.I.G.H Entertainment and Caribbean Gospel Records Ltd.,

“it takes a village to achieve greatness” may sound cliche but it’s nothing short of true and I love organizing that village.

EJ Jamele Photo credit: Laura DeCarlo

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Q. Thanks for interviewing with us today. Tell everyone who you are and what you do. A. My name is EJ Jamele, and I am a talent & brand manager and producer. I am the Founder of crowdMGMT; an elite talent & brand management and production company established in 2010 in NYC. Q. Let’s talk about your company “crowdMGMT” and how it got started. A. My vision for crowdMGMT first materialized during my time working in the talent agency environment in New York City. It was then that I recognized a gap in the market for thoroughly representing, identifying, and growing burgeoning artists and their respective businesses. I found myself wanting to be more involved in the overall talent scouting, development, and business strategy processes as opposed to limiting myself only to the exploitation of developed

talent. I set out to assist hardworking and deserving artists, provide more hands-on business and brand development services, product development and to create career longevity for artists in their fight to stand out in a crowd. I landed my first client, Zeke Thomas, by accident when we were both sharing frustrations about our career struggles. He needed more hands-on management and I needed someone to believe that my business mind and creative approach was worthy. We quickly thereafter found success in launching him his own record label imprint, record deal, Times Square Billboard campaign for Life Beat, and a series of concerts and other high-profile branded DJ gigs, TV appearances, and tours. As word spread of these achievements, clients just kept calling me. I created crowdMGMT in 2010 and I found myself in the business of protecting and nurturing artists while simultaneously applying my business skills and acumen to help

Photo credit: Carla Ten Eyck

them grow their futures and bottom line. With a team of experts around me, we continue to grow stronger and strategically expand the crowdMGMT family with intention. My vision for crowdMGMT was to build an elite brand & talent management and production firm. A strategic community of multifaceted artists who work together and encourage one another, believing that collaboration is the key to success, and we are still doing it today! Q. Who or what motivated you to be into beauty and lifestyle? A. This is a great question. My first love is and will always be music. My entire life I have daydreamed, hoped and prayed to work with music artists especially to create music videos. In college I became my full authentic self through music as a dancer surrounded by confident and talented teammates on my hip hop dance team, Flava Unit at the University of Rhode Island. I largely credit my confidence to chase my dreams to those teammates. After college I moved to New York City and in a short time, I was heavily pursuing an independent music and DJ artist manager track. I had laser focus on proving that I could help artists achieve major fame and success. After a series of professional and personal heartbreaks over the years derailed me a bit, I felt that my dream was

Photo credit: Lauren Serafino

WHERE IT BEGINS

fading away. It was then that a door opened wide for me. It was during that slower period where the legendary fashion stylist and image architect Misa Hylton hired me to co-manage her. That period in my career gave me the "ah-ha moment" I needed in order to keep going. I realized I was not meant to be in a box and that I could “do both,” so I continued working in music, but I also pivoted to include beauty & lifestyle artist & brand management services. From there the similarities to my previous experiences in music and my newfound passion for working with artists like makeup artists, hair stylists, fashion stylists, photographers & filmmakers and actors all seemed to come to a head. It was the energy of those collaborations that really got me excited to be a part of the bigger picture. The saying, “it takes a village to achieve greatness” may sound cliche but it’s nothing short of true and I love organizing that village.

clientele includes some of the most sought-after niche artists in the lifestyle and beauty industries. Among their numerous accolades are Emmy, Hollywood Beauty, GLAAD, HRC, Humanitarian, SAAG awards and so many more. As a producer, my work has been distributed on numerous platforms including: Good Morning America, VH1, MTV, BET, Billboard Magazine, V Magazine, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Revry TV, Complex Media, Health Magazine and many more. At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, I executive produced Amplify Voices, a revolutionary TV show panel series on Revry right from my home office - that was an experience I never thought I would have. Revry is the world’s first and largest LGBTQ+ virtual cable network, FYI so check them out. In summary, I have worked with

too many people and brands to list them all here, but I am grown and better because of each of those experiences and I am so thankful for where I am now and where my team is headed. Q. Where do you see yourself in the next three years? A. My team and I continue to quickly grow our production resume of original content, which I absolutely love. In 3 years, I believe we will be one of the most sought-after full-service production companies for beauty & lifestyle content. I say that because we receive an abnormally high percentage of repeat business and the passion and kindness my team and clients exude is infectious, so the growth is evident as we continue to see our content creation services and client’s book further and further out into the coming years.

Q. Can you tell us some people you have worked with in this industry and the experiences you’ve had with them? A. This is so difficult because our resume at crowdMGMT is so long at this point. I feel blessed to say that and to have been able to work with so many incredible folks. The artists I manage are constantly impressing me and inspiring me to want to be the best I can be; to be deserving to be on their team. I find myself still daydreaming about projects, ideas and strategies I want to build with them every single day. The crowdMGMT family of artists is all listed on our artist page at crowdMGMT.com so please check them out. Then there’s the iconic brands like L’Oreal, Pepsi, Nike and so many others that have been clients over the years which I equally fan out over as I do for long-time clients like Ciara. Our diverse

Photo credit: Carla Ten Eyck

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achieve and surpass their dreams to stand out in a crowd. Life is short and I try not to ever waste a moment or blessing if I can help it.

Photo credit: Josh S. Rose

I see myself personally at the helm of music videos, TV production and consultation and beauty brand development alongside my incredibly talented and overly qualified clients. We are very much in this together and in addition to all I have said, I am honored to work with and for a group of folks that have inspiring stories. Being surrounded by these folks can only lead to one thing: success. Q. How do you define your purpose in life? A. I have two life purposes; one personal and one professional. Personally, my purpose is to create beautiful environments for my family and friends to be loved and comfortable to be their full selves and make as many fun memories as possible together. If you ask anyone that knows me, including my clients, I am the one that still has sleepovers with all my friends and siblings just so we can get quality time. Professionally, my purpose is to share any privilege I have been blessed with and provide support, collaboration opportunities, encouragement, and guidance to my clients as we work together to

Q. Can you tell us some of your biggest accomplishments and challenges you’ve had so far in your career? A. I always find it difficult to discuss successes without feeling like I am bragging. Mostly, because my inner child still can’t believe that I do what I do for a living. However, I will sum it up short and sweet. When I started crowdMGMT, I often and for years (yes, years) could not pay my monthly bills, nor even explain to my parents what I was doing to justify my struggle. Now, don’t get me wrong, I still have a long, long way to go and I am not what I would call “financially rich.” However, I am running a multimillion-dollar operation that I started and I have taken my family on an annual vacation to my favorite place on earth, St. Martin for the last few years and counting. I tell myself that sometimes to motivate myself and shake off doubts, fears and of course the haters. Challenges are too plentiful to list but I will share a story if you care to hear it. I started my company by accident as a rebellion to the agency structures I came from in the music and talent booking industry. Despite their impressive success and financial power, I didn’t see where I fit in there so when I started to represent artists on my own, I was terrified. I was worried that I wouldn’t have the relationships to make things happen as fast and furiously as I intended, and boy was I right. I quickly learned that my pitches and requests needed to be 10x better than that of a big-house management or agency team. After enough no’s I had to start being more bold and showing up at offices. I remember one time I showed up and told, then President of Tommy Boy Records,

Rosie Lopez that I had a meeting with her when I didn’t just to get her ear. I am sure glad I did because that meeting resulted in two single deals, a label imprint deal and a couple appearances on Lala Anthony’s Full Court Life on Vh1 for her and myself which ultimately opened so many doors creating the momentum in my career and trust in my word that I needed. The lesson is that you have to be willing to do what others will not for your clients at any level in order for you all to grow. Q. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? A. I have to pick two, one old and one new. My old choice would be my favorite place, St Martin, because every time I am there, I feel inspired and a strong sense of home. A new place I’d LOVE to go is Greece because I am an islandloving soul and with the ancient history and beauty there I know I would be in complete awe. Q. Are you working on any new projects or events? A. Oh yes, we are working on a large beauty brand launch across multiple clients and we are also in the process of creating several TV projects which we will announce soon. I recently executive produced a few music videos for Angelica Ross coming out soon and K. Michelle's new music SCOOCH which is out now. You can follow our company Instagram @crowdMGMT for those and many more announcements throughout this year. Q. Where can the readers follow you? A. All my information is below, and I would love to hear from and collaborate with folks. Thank you for your interest in my journey. Cheers! EJ Jamele, CEO of crowdMGMT Elite Talent Manager, Producer & Brand Architect Bio: crowdMGMT.com/ej IG: instagram.com/EJ_Jamele.

WHERE IT BEGINS

"Believe in yourself. Selfmotivation is everything."

BMF Cash

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Q. Let’s talk about your single and the motivation behind it? A. I just dropped the single “late night”. The motivation came from being from Baltimore. I’ve been out there plenty of nights, and plenty of different mixes and different situations. And that song is all around the thought of what we’ve been through, what we’ve seen, what’s going on, there’s so much happening in that one song if you really listen closely. I’m trying to paint a picture of what you can get from my city. You’re going to get the dirt bikes, hustlers, the police, get the junkies, and you’re going to get everything in one ride through.

Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do. A. I am BMF Cash, the one and only. I mean, music is the name, and that’s what we’re doing. Music, movies, films, we’re going up this year. Whatever the lane is we’re in it. Q. I want to talk about your name. How did you get this name? Because I know it has a meaning behind it. A. The BMF came from my sister. Rest in peace to First Lady Juice of BMF. She gave me the name. When introducing me to people, she would say, hey, this is Cash, he’s BMF. Music was the reason that we even got to the point where we were introducing me to people in the entertainment world. And then when she passed away, I figured that if I put the BMF in front of the Cash like she used to introduce me as the model for what she was trying to get me in front of these people and portrayed me as then I know that would be

something that she wanted me to do. When I spoke to Mama Clay, which is Juice’s mom, for people that don’t know, she definitely was excited about me even stepping forward and going forward in music because I lost my ambition really, because she was the motivation for me to do music. Literally, the first song I came to, she was like, wow Cash you got it. You got something. This is the first time you put yourself in a booth, wrote a song, and actually put this together, you really got something. But we were on a different page. We were trying to eat and get our businesses off the ground. I had just come back to Atlanta, she was trying to open up another nail shop cafe, and that’s where it stemmed from. The music was what we were doing on the second hand, and nobody knew me period for anything else but the hustle that I did. BMF Cash was the artist that she created. So, that’s pretty much where that came from.

Q. So, who did the beat on that? How did the whole production come together with that project? A. Shout out to Malecon, Tone touch. A lot of industry people on his beats, a lot of industry artists on his beats, he got a lot of music inside soundtracks of different films and series and stuff like that. And that’s where he took me at with that beat, just giving a picture, a movie, a vibe. Just a storytelling vibe. I’ve got a couple of tracks of his that take you to different places, like movies just inside of the song. Q. Take me back to your first song, the first one you worked on in the studio. What was the inspiration behind that and how did that situation come about? A. Music has always been in me. We all have a story, and I’ve always had something to say, and the way that people deal with mental illness is different. I’ve been medicating on marijuana since I was 13 when my mother passed away. So, my first song was a weed song. And my pops were totally against it. He was against me smoking weed. I’m 13, I’m a kid. He was totally against it all the way up until I made this song, the first song I made in 2014. Literally just timed, waiting, right moment, the feeling. Yeah, I think I got enough confidence to get in the studio and called my homeboy that has a studio that I know, that ain’t never been in there. And he knows I don’t rap. And I called him and say, man, I think I want to get in

WHERE IT BEGINS

the studio and lay this song down. And he took me seriously enough to be like, all right, come on, let me hear it, let me hear what you got before you even get in there. As far as me getting in front of people on the stage and speaking to people and all that, I’ve been doing that since high school, just getting in front of the school and doing speeches and all that. I’ve never been afraid to get the mic. Give me a mic, I’m that type. And when I got in there and I did it, he was like, boy, for this to be your first time. He asked me pretty much what made you want to do that? And it was like, everybody has got something to say, but don’t express it, and music is in my journal. Females have journals, we don’t have journals, but we don’t have a way to express it without anger or somebody’s looking at us some type of way because we’re so strong. But to release it, and you can hear it and you can take it how you want it, whether I said your name or not, you know the situation, you can feel it, you understand. So, it gets your point across to a broader audience than just that person you might have had that situation with. And then other people can give you feedback too. Like Cakewalk Bobby, I just got paid. The feelings of different... Q. What can people expect from you this year? A. Wow, it’s starting off great. As I say, soundtracks, movies, films, is where the music is gone. A lot of people have been reaching out. I’ve got a couple of different songs in a couple of different places that I can’t mention right now. Things happen, so a lot of big things going on. I just dropped the song “Ready”. I dropped that on New Year’s, just to let people know for 2022 I was ready. And now, they can go check out a couple of visuals. Nothing major, just a quick little one-two punch. So, they can go check it out. It’s on YouTube right now. Q. But behind the scenes,

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what are some of your challenges and the hurdles you had to go through to get to where you are today? A. Believing in yourself. Self-motivation is everything. You need to believe in yourself first because people will take you in every direction. And if you go then you’ll be lost. And that’s the biggest thing as an artist, you’ve got to stay focused on what you want to do, and how you want to do it, and the time you want to do it in, and the time you’re able to do it in. Getting pressured into different things in different places, and agreeing to different situations that sound good, and you haven’t thought about it long enough to figure out that’s not where you want to go, and that’s not the crowd you want to be with, and that’s not the label or brand you want to represent. Get yourself a team, a strong team, they matter. I don’t care how independent you are, you need a team, period. Get yourself a team that’s for you, that believes in the music, that tells you the truth about your music. Don’t let them sugar coat it. Tell them that it ain’t it if that ain’t it. Or that might be it, let some other people hear it, let’s see if they say that’s it. If they say all right, let’s try pushing it to some more people. You need those types of people around you, and I’ve got them, I do. Q. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? A. The best piece of advice I’ve ever received. I grew up with a lot of OGs. And being from Baltimore

I never really hung with my crowd, anyway. So, advice was given to me daily. Besides, stay safe, don’t let your friends get you in trouble, strap up in more ways than one. There are so many different ways that I’ve been given advice, all of them through life have been good for me. I kind of took them all the same. My dad was the one in my head, don’t let your friends get you in trouble. So, I’ve never put myself in the position of not being around or being set back from something. It’s always been somebody or something around me that has put me in that position. So, you just got to know how to move. The advice just keeps spinning around in your head all the time. So, it came from so many different ways. Q. Where can the readers follow you? A. BMF Cash globally. You can Google me. Instagram, BMF Cash, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, all the platforms. Google me. BMF Cash.

"Never give up people, never stop. The adversity we all face from time to time makes you who you are as a person and as an artist."

Paula Atherton

try to release my best work. This felt like a nod from the universe that I was on the right track. I had been speaking to Greg Manning about us working on a track together. He called me a year later, and said, “I think I have something.” He sure did! We co-wrote the song together, which became the single, “Can You Feel It.” In my quest to keep trying new things and trying to grow as an artist, I worked with 6 different producers on the album. I still want to be the main writer on the music I release. I find working with different producers takes me places I wouldn’t ordinarily go myself.

Q. Thanks for interviewing with us. Tell us who you are and what you do. A. Thanks so much for interviewing me! I’m a singer/ songwriter and woodwind player (alto and soprano sax, flute, bari on occasion for recording). I started singing in elementary school in chorus and competitions, got a flute in 4th grade, and a sax in my teens. I have a traditional jazz background. My writing is more contemporary, reflecting my eclectic taste in music- some Latin, old school R&B, funk, pop and sometimes gospel music. Q. Tell us a little bit about your journey and how you got to where you are today? A. Growing up, I loved music so much, but didn’t really feel like I fit in anywhere with pop or rock music. I started listening to and studying jazz and that’s when I figured out what I wanted to do! I could have my own sound and my own approach to this music. I started singing with 12

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Billie Holiday recordings, went on to sing Lester Young solos, Miles Davis solos, Annie Ross trumpet vocalese (I have a high voice so that was perfect for me), and eventually worked up to singing Charlie Parker solos. Then I would take a 2-bar riff let’s say, and play it in every key on my instruments with the metronome, gradually raising the speed. I also transcribed solos to take a look at the players’ note selection on the chord change, and what it sounded like. Just picking everything apart to understand what I was listening to. Later on, I started feeling the need to make my own music, and that’s when I started writing. My writing is mostly what you hear on my recordings. Q. Let’s talk about your album “Can You Feel It” and the motivation behind it? A. Well, after the title track hit #1 for 3 weeks, I had to name the album after it! After all, it was my first #1 on Billboard! My 6th album, and my 1st #1- never give up people, never stop. The adversity we all face from time to time makes you who you are as a person and as an artist. I always

Q. Who are some of your biggest inspirations in Jazz? A. Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Annie Ross, Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis, Lee Morgan, Roy Eldridge, Bill Evans, Lennie Tristano, David Sanborn, Mike Stern, Michael Brecker, Don Grolnick, Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughan, Hubert Laws, Pat Martino, & Wes Montgomery.

Q. Can you give us more details on the “Seabreeze Jazz Festival” that you will be performing at? A. It will be my first time playing the Seabreeze Jazz Festival! I will be playing with Jazz in Pink, led by keyboardist Gail Jhonson. and featuring Kim Scott, Chelsey Green, and myself. We go on at 1:35pm on Thursday, April 21st for a 70-minute show. The festival will be held at Aaron Bessant Park Amphitheater, 600 S. Pier Park Dr., Panama City Beach, Florida. The festival begins Wednesday, April 20th, and runs through Sunday, April 24th. More info and tickets: www. seabreezefestival.com, info@ seabreezefestival.com. Q. How did you feel about your single being on the Billboard? A. Thrilled! There are so few things that are tangible when it comes to being a musician; you practice countless hours, trying to improve everything you do. Writing and recording is so satisfying, because you actually have a song or songs that you can play, play for people, and that hopefully they will enjoy. You can press a CD. It’s something physical that shows your hard work, something that goes on forever. Charting on Billboard is very exciting, because it shows that radio is giving you spins and that people are enjoying your music. Billboard is one of the most important charts you can be on. To date, I’ve had 9 Billboard top 30 singles, including 2 number 1s; “Can You Feel it” and “Summer Song”. My current single, “Keep it Comin" is #4 on Billboard as of 4/4/22. Q. Do you have a name for your Saxophone? What makes it so unique? A. I don’t have a name for my saxophone. I have a Mark VI alto (as well as a Mark VI soprano), and neither one usually goes on the road. The sax I am playing

and touring with these days is a Dakota Sax. I endorse, and also do workshops for them in certain cities. Q. What has been one of your greatest accomplishments you’ve received in career? A. Certainly one was getting signed to Kalimba Music, Maurice White’s label from EW&F for my 4th release, “Ear Candy.” The A&R person at Kalimba actually, was familiar with my music already- he said “I Love Paulas’ music- send it right over.” That in itself was an eye opener- my music was not going out into the universe into a “black hole” without being heard- someone who had been in the record business for a long time was familiar with my work, liked it, and wanted to hear more. Wow! Seeing Maurice tweeting about my record release on twitter was surreal! And of course, getting my first #1 on Billboard in 2020

with the single “Can You Feel It,” I will always treasure as a great accomplishment- I didn’t know I would ever see that! I didn’t do it myself, it takes a team, and a great one to accomplish something like that! Q. Are you working on any new events or upcoming projects? A. Yes, I’m working on a new album for release sometime in 2022. I just released the first single entitled, “Keep it Comin”, written and produced by Jacob Webb. Currently it’s #4 on Billboard, #2 on Mediabase, and #4 on the Smooth Jazz Network! Q. Where can the readers follow you? A. They can follow me on Facebook (fan and friend page), Twitter (@patherton1), IG ( @ paulaathertonmusic), bandsintown and Songkick.

WHERE IT BEGINS

"In a world full of ugliness, get dressed & be a view!"

Q. Thanks for interviewing with us. Tell us who you are and what you do. A. I’m ADREANA, the storytelling singer songwriter, the revamp of R&B. The southern belle next door. I’m straight from Louisiana, bringing you the energetic

Adreana deliveries & addictive cadences. I’m a Dreamer. I’m a creative and executor. So that’s what I DO. I dream, I create what I’ve dreamt, & then execute what I’ve created. & I’m literally living my passion right now. Q. What first got you into music? A. What first got me into music was of course my undeniable ability to sing. I developed a flawless attempt at composing statements and melodies due to my love for figurative language & literature. So, I kind of grew this special connection with concepts & started to create my own songs & it opened up the door for me to do this.

things out of emotions. So I just told myself it was time to remind myself of who I was, ignore the BS & separate myself from what wasn't trying to get on board with my life.

Q. Who are some of your musical influencers who inspired you in your career? A. This is a lengthy question due to me having so many. Some of my musical influences, for starters, were artist like Nivea, Jojo, Chris brown, Beyoncé of course, Eric Benet, & Prince. I had a huge thing for Jessica Simpson & Green Day too. Weird range of interest during middle school Lol. As I got older, I gravitated towards Rihanna, Erykah Badu, Ne-Yo, Monica, Kem, Frank Ocean & Drake. Now I’m obsessed with sounds like Summer Walker, MOONCHILD, RuPaul, Ty Dolla $ign, Doja Cat, Lucky Daye & Jasmine Sullivan. It’s probably tons more. But I’ve been infatuated with these artist over different musical periods of my life & I’m sure it’ll change again as music progresses. Q. Let’s talk about your single and the motivation behind the song? A. It's an interesting story but I'll keep it short. I was really going through a pivotal moment in life where I was confusing the fact that I needed space & growth, with me being lonely & needing love. This caused my feelings to get tangled up in a deeper situation than my heart & mind could handle & that made me want to do crazy

Q. How would you describe the music that you typically create? A. Typically, I create music of experience & journey. It always has to feel good lyrically & it’s got to take your soul on a ride through the beat. My music is always beat & cadence heavy. I’m a stickler for deliveries & how I place my words on the song. When I write, I usual look for words that create my story. There’s something so beautiful about words to me… they can be so safe & so dangerous at the same time, & it’s one of the very few things I love about the English language lol … how words CAN be used. So, I keep that in mind when I’m creating music. That’s how I’m able to pull a person in to my stories. That’s how we share feelings… strategic emotions! Q. If you could open a show for any artists, who would it be? A. If I could open a show for any artist, it would be Beyoncé, Janet Jackson or The Rolling Stones. I want those crowds!! I think I’d

be able to entertain them for a lengthy period of time with some of the music in my catalog of music. They’ve had some of the largest crowds known to man, to date. Q. Where do you see yourself in the next three years? A. In the next 3 years I see myself looking at the world watch me. I’ve dreamed of my next level of life & I’ve already started adding to the plans I created years ago. I’m infatuated with elevating in my passion & purpose. I know I was made & created to entertain, to be a sense of escape for people… if only for a night in person or all night on repeat. So, tap in & stay tuned. Q. If you could go anywhere in the world and perform, where would it be? A. If I could go anywhere in the world & perform, it would be in Moscow or London, where some of the largest concerts have taken place. It seems the support of great music is impeccable there due to the turnouts. Q. Are you working on any new projects or upcoming events? A. I’m working on tons of projects & plans. The main one being the push & release of my upcoming EP, then the single that will come from it. Videos are coming out during that same time that I can’t wait to share. Tons of content will be released for my followers & fans… & then the events!!!!! I’m booked with tons of events & performances up to October already. So, I’m extremely excited about that. My team, my managers, they are always working to make sure we stay in front of the people. Q. Where can the readers follow you? A. Everyone can follow me on IG @ adreana__, & all other platforms @AdreanaMusiq. Subscribe to my YouTube channel @Adreana Musiq to join the Experience & don’t forget to stay tuned for new music coming this April 29th. The full EP will be releasing. So I'm super excited to share that with you all!!!

WHERE IT BEGINS

"I've always felt that there's no such thing as a bad experience. If you learn something from it's experience. Good came out of it."

Donnie Simpson 16

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just what I do five days a week. I don’t care who you are, what you do is just what you do. But later on, I think you’re forced to give it perspective. That was a moment for me with the Hall of Fame, where it’s like, wow. It’s mind-blowing. The next year they asked me to be a part of the nominating committee, which was quite an honor.

Q. Hi Donnie, thank you so much for taking your time to interview with Where it Begins Magazine. Tell everyone what motivated you to wanting to be a radio personality? A. I grew up in my mother’s record shop she opened in 1967. People used to always come in the record shop and go, God, you sound like a DJ, you ought to be a DJ. And it was in one ear and out the other. I wanted to be a Baptist minister. One day, my mother had a live broadcast with the local DJ, Al Perkins. The biggest thing was sitting there watching him do his show. He’s got his headphones on. He’s patting his feet to the music. He’s just grooving. I’m sitting there going, my God, I could do this. I could do this. That was the very moment I fell in love with radio. This is my 52nd year of doing radio. Of course, I did TV for BET for many years. I just brought back Video Soul, which is now streaming live on Tubi. I have a podcast; the Donnie Simpson show that just started a few weeks ago so, I’m excited about that. Q. How has your experiences been working on 102.3? A. For five and a half years I didn’t work at all. And I was cool with that. I mean, I would tell everybody during that time that who would go, what are you doing?

I run a transportation company. They say, what do you mean? I said, well, I transport grandbabies back and forth. So that’s what I did. I was always available to take my grandkids to school, whatever they wanted to do. And I loved it. I loved it. But eventually, my wife said, you need to go back. I had offers all through the time to do radio and television. I just wasn’t interested. And so, I finally did go back, and I went to Majic 102.3 which is where I’m at now. I’ve been back for six and a half years and it’s been great. I have a ball. Every day I look forward to the start of the show. It’s the highlight of the day. Q. Can you tell us what has been the greatest accomplishment you’ve had in your career? A. It’s kind of hard to say. I guess, most recently, two years ago, I was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame and that was quite the honor for me. It’s something that I never thought about. I guess I just do what I do. I’ve always been like that. I don’t think about its impact. I think that’s the case with everybody. I’m always reminded of that line from Elton John’s, Rocket Man where he says, “all the science I don’t understand. It’s just my job five days a week. A rocket man.” I’m a rocket man. You look at this guy as an astronaut, it’s just, wow. Put him on this pedestal. That’s

Not only did we get Frankie Crocker in but we got Melvin Lindsey for the Quiet Storm and Eddie O’Jay (who the O’Jays are named after out of Cleveland), Martha Jean, the Queen of Steinberg out of Detroit, whom I worked with at WJLB. All these incredible talents now have their place in the Radio Hall of Fame, too. And I’m really, really proud of that. I’m in the Hall of Fame for radio but because of the significance of BET, because of the role, I played in that, being the face of that thing, something that created the world’s first black billionaire in Bob Johnson and all of that. It’s like, wow. This was the first time that black America got to watch itself on TV every night, every day, anytime you turned it on, black faces. Significant. So, I don’t know. I guess once I’m gone, they’ll determine what the most important accomplishment in my career was. Maybe it’s not for me to talk about. Q. Since we are talking about Video Soul how did you feel about the interview with Teena Marie when she started singing? A. I loved it. I know that, that is still watched quite frequently on YouTube. People love that episode. It’s special. I mean, Teena Marie was an awesome woman to me, I just loved her. As a matter of fact, on my radio show every year during Black Music Month in June, I salute her on one of those days. I said that she’s the only white person that I honor during Black Music Month because even if you take the music aside, just the fact that this woman could put up with Rick James for seven or eight years makes her an honorary sister. So just mad respect for Teena Marie. Q. What kind of music do you WHERE IT BEGINS

think is missing on the radio airwaves today? A. I don’t know. I don’t listen a whole lot. I don’t know that anything is missing. I will say this. I hate that R&B doesn’t get the play that it used to get. I always loved how you used to look at the Billboard charts, the top 100. I mean, the top pop hits in the country. It would always be mixed with the O’Jays and Michael Jackson, Ambrosia, Hall, and Oates, and it was always a mixture of stuff, but we were always in that mix. And I guess it is now but it’s in a different way. It’s Drake, Rihanna and H.E.R. It’s just different. So, I’m accepting of that. I hear some good music from some classic R&B artists sometimes and I hate that they don’t have the outlet that they have had in the past, and that bothers me. As far as music I often hear people say, I guess it’s every generation that says man, they don’t make music like they used to. I was always careful to never say that. Although it’s true. They don’t make music like they used to. They never have, and they never will. It’s always changing. So, if you want to just get stuck in one era, okay, that’s cool. I remember I would talk to people who would go, I don’t listen to rap. I hate rap. I don’t listen to it. Okay, so you don’t know Biggie’s Flow. Okay, go ahead. I mean, you’re missing out. I just love music. I’m a music man and it’s always on random. I don’t know what’s going to play next. It may be BB King, into Jay Z, into Vladimir Horowitz, into Nancy Wilson, into Miles, it could be anything. And it all makes sense to me. I listen to everything, Johnny Cash, Country, Charley Pride, everything. I just love music. Q. Being in the DMV as a public figure and a wellknown disc jockey, what are some of the obstacles and challenges that you’ve had to hurdle over to overcome? A. I don’t know if it’s me being

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naive, or just the way that I’m wired, or the way I look at things. I don’t have challenges and bad days. That’s the way I feel anyway. I’m sure if I sat here and thought hard enough, I could think of something, of course, there are moments that I didn’t like things that happened. There’s this book, a self-help book. I think it’s the all-time most popular one, A Road Less Traveled. I think it’s the opening paragraph, where it says, basically “things happens, that stuff happens in life. And that once you accept that it makes the road a lot easier,” because you know the thing, you aren’t shocked by it when it happens. That’s kind of who I am. I’m not shocked by it. I’m a person who feels like there’s good in every day. I don’t care what happens during the course of a day. It’s hard for me to really think about things that have been rough for me. I mean, obviously, there have been rough periods, but I guess, I just don’t choose to dwell on them. I accentuate the positive and keep it moving. It’s always been who I am. I’ve always felt that there’s no such thing as a bad experience. If you learn something from it then it’s experience. Good

came out of it. Q. You were once on an episode of Martin, what do you remember about that experience? A. I just remember how much fun I had. It was a whole week. Martin Lawrence was unbelievable. Every single day we did it, every single day we rehearsed he would do something different, including the final day and what people finally saw on TV it was something different. And you got to sit there through that and navigate your way through it through his improvisation. But what an awesome opportunity for me. I had never seen the show until about a year ago because I don’t like looking at myself. It’s just weird to see yourself on TV to me. Well, that’s not it. I think what it really is, is that you’re the most critical person there is, there’s no one more critical of you than you. And I know that if I sit there and watch it that I’m critiquing and going through all these things and trying to make it perfect. And I don’t need to be perfect. I just need to be me. Q. Did you ever have a part

of that song “Whatever it Takes” by Anita Baker? A. Yes, I did. Me and my boy, Sugar Ray Leonard. We were in LA, and we were invited into the studio with Anita, and she wanted us to sing background on that song, Whatever It takes [To Make You Happy] so we did. I never told Ray this, but you can print it because I would love to break his heart. That’s my boy. Anita told me later “you can sing but Ray.... “ To this day, I haven’t heard it. It’s not that I haven’t heard the song. I haven’t heard us and I listened hard. I was like, “she has so deep in that mix I’m not sure we’re in there at all,” but it was a very, very cool experience and we have very cool photos from that night. Q. What is your intake on them wanting to mute Go-Go music in the DMV? A. Radio became very homogenized to me. I didn’t like it. I still don’t like it. I miss those days when every market was different, and the rhythm of it was different. New Orleans radio was totally different from Chicago. Totally different musical vibe. I loved that. DC was different. We had to get our own music, we got

Chuck Brown and Go-Go baby. I love that people stood up for GoGo music in DC. It’s a different day now but that’s the reality of what it is. Q. If you were going to work out today and wanted to listen to some Go-Go band, who would you play first? A. Chuck Brown. Without a doubt, the godfather. Chuck was the coolest man on this Earth. Well, maybe second to Morris Day. As long as Morris Day is out there, I don’t know if you can give anybody number one. But Chuck Brown was just a prince. I just loved him dearly. This man created this groove. He’s the godfather of GoGo. Q. Looking at you and Pam’s marriage and longevity, what kind of advice can you give to others in love? A. My advice is to learn to not listen, and I know that’s different. Everybody says, “oh, you got to communicate and all that,” but what I mean by that is just a different version of “don’t sweat the small stuff.” When she complains about cookie crumbs on the counter or something just don’t listen, man. Just clean it up and keep it moving. If you acknowledge it, and then engage in conversation about that, the next thing you know you’re in a three-day Cold War over some damn cookie crumbs. If you don’t say anything, its forgotten in five minutes’ time. It never happened. We started going together 50 years ago, this past May 12th. 50 years, which is a huge anniversary to me. We’ve been married for 48 years now, this past October. When you’re 17 years old and ask somebody to go with you, yes, that’s frightening. You don’t know if you’re going to be rejected or what, and you’re 17. But that’s the day that has always been special to me so, I look at May 12th as our day, not October 13, the

wedding day. The going-together day is bigger than that to me. And I wouldn’t have done it any other way. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis used to tell me, they were talking one night and about how they felt like the fact that I was married so young had everything to do with the success I had in life. Because I had my base set so early, they said “look at us, man, we’re still out here trying to find partners and stuff, going through this whole dating thing. It’s just terrible. At 17 you had that focus, man, you knew where you were going.” Q. Are you working on any new projects or events? A. The return of Video Soul, which I’m very excited about. I want to shout out Bob Johnson. I am blessed to have the world’s first black billionaire as my boy. Bob is my boy and has been so helpful in every step of the way in this endeavor, which we’re now seeing the fruits of. Bob has been talking with me for five years about this, giving me advice and stuff. He’s been just a prince in helping me. It’s about having something that I can leave behind. It’s about creating opportunities for others not just on the mic or on the camera, but behind the scenes. I’m trying to create something that I can pass on, like Dick Clark. Q. Where can the readers follow you? A. I’m on Facebook. Donnie Simpson. Instagram is @ donniesimpsonsr and on Twitter, it’s just @donniesimpson. I’ve got a website set up for all the different projects that I’m involved in for Video Soul and my podcast, which again, these things I’m very, very excited about, and I hope that people will support. And I guess that’s how you follow me or get in the car ride behind me for a few hours. You don’t want to follow me. I got a heavy foot.

Andreao "Fanatic"

Heard And The Emanation Of Billie Lennox 20

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Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do. A. My name is Billie Lennox, aka Fanatic. I was a record producer, Grammy Award-winning record producer. I produced records on Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Lil Kim, Biggie, Boyz to Men, Will Smith, Ma$e, and Anthony Hamilton. Now, I’m in the artist space, and Billie Lennox is my stage name. I’m putting my music out. And I’m in full artist mode now. It’s a transition I’ve been wanting to do for some time now. And finally, I think it’s the right time to bring something new and fresh to the music scene. Q. Well, let’s talk about your single “Can’t live without you” and the motivation behind the song? A. Well, all of these come from just different experiences. Some of my friends, things that I see in movies or on TV, or just hanging out and experiencing life and seeing people go through things, seeing things come across Instagram, and all types of situations, and whatnot. So, I just take all that in, write it, turn it into songs, and hope that I can come up with something that will resonate with people and help people get through whatever they’re going through. Q. Well, let’s talk about your merchandise also. Because looking at your Instagram I just love your fashion. So, how do you keep up with the fashion and the trend for the next hot style? A. Well, I always thought that music and fashion are synonymous with each other. And I see the female artists always pushing fashion and really changing up their style all the time, but I don’t really see that much from the male singers. So, I really wanted to incorporate fashion as a big part of my thing because that’s part of your resume, that’s part of your calling card. So, when people see you and your fashion. And it fits the vibe of the music they’re able to receive what you’re putting out there a lot easier. So, I’m heavy into fashion, I’m always trying to make a fashion statement

and always trying to reinvent myself and create just all kinds of nice looks to go with the visuals and things like that. Also too, I was going to tell you that, all the icons that came before us were heavy in fashion like Prince, Jimi Hendrix, and all these artists like that. Madonna and David Bowie, all these guys were heavily into fashion, and it was a big part of their whole image, so I try to do the same thing. Q. Going back to the early days, do you think we need to bring disco back? A. I don’t know about disco. But I think a fusion of what disco was and something new. I’m always into fusion, I’m always trying to fuse things together, whether it be the styles, where you can take a piece of clothing from the 70s and mix it with something that’s going on now that’s in hip hop. So, I’m always in the fusion with the fashion, I’m always in the fusion with the Music. If you think about all of the icons that came out before us, they all did a fusion of something. Prince with mixing Rock, R&B, and Soul all that stuff together. Jimi Hendrix was mixing Blues and Rock together. So, every icon that you can think of did some sort of fusion. And so, I think if you can mix disco with something fresh and something new, you’ll come out with a whole new sound that nobody else is doing. Q. Well, tell us about your creativeness? A. Right now, as an artist, it’s a little bit retro. A lot of this that I’m wearing, this whole vibe, and everything come from my dad. A lot of these clothes that I wear come from his closet. He had a great sense of style. My whole look came from him, basically. And so, I’m just an extension of what he was wearing back in the 70s. And just trying to put a spin on it, bring it forward and not be afraid to wear prints. I could take a woman’s shirt and I would rock it and give it that same type of energy that if Prince was wearing it, or Jimi Hendrix is wearing it. So, as long as it looks good on you, I don’t care if it’s male, female, whatever, whatever looks hot, I’m going to rock it. I’m going to take

it to a another level. Q. How would you define your purpose? A. My purpose here is to create healing music. Because right now we’re in a place where a lot of artists are selling sex, drugs, violence, and all these other different things, where I more or less talk about relationships and love. And I try to create music that will heal people that will help people get through their relationships, that will help people identify with what I’m singing about and say, hey, I went through that same type of thing. And now I know I’m not just out here alone going through it, and I can figure out how to get through this difficult period or a happy moment. So, I just want to bring something that is very thought-provoking, I want to bring a message through my visuals. All my visuals are very provocative, thought-provoking, just trying to send a message to people. And just try to be a little bit different than what I’m seeing out here and not be afraid to put yourself out there. Q. What do you think is missing in today’s R&B music? A. Well, for me, I just know there was a time period where black artists could do any genre of music, and we weren’t segregated to just hip hop and R&B. And I’m really disturbed that we’re only able to

WHERE IT BEGINS

create in that space right now. And I think if the industry would allow black artists to expand and create in these other genres like rock, pop, country, all these different genres, you’ll find new, innovative music that we’re capable of doing because it all comes from us. And if we have the ability to create with no barriers there’s no telling what we could come up with because we’ve always moved the culture. So, I think we can continue to do that if they allow us to do that. Right now, I’m seeing a lot of the same things. I’m seeing a lot of the same music just different vocalists on top of it. And a lot of these artists are so concerned about making a hit record versus just expressing themselves freely. And if it turns out to be a hit record that’s great. But I just think you should go into the studio with no pressure to make a hit record and just express yourself authentically. Q. What is one of the most memorable moments working with Michael Jackson? A. So, when you grow up, listening to Michael Jackson, seeing him on TV, seeing him on the cartoons and you being from Greensboro, North Carolina, you would never think in a million years that you would actually meet him. Before

I met him, I didn’t know anybody that had ever encountered Michael Jackson other than seeing him on TV. So, when I met him, it was a very serendipitous way that we got the music to him, and everything is lined up. And next thing you know I’m standing in front of Michael Jackson in the studio this close to my face. And so, at some point during the conversation, I couldn’t even hear what he was saying. He sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher. He was talking to me, looking me straight in the face, and I’m just smiling, like, oh my God, I’m standing in front of Michael Jackson having a conversation. But the thing about it, it gave me the confidence to realize that we’re all connected, we’re all six degrees of separation from each other, and you can get to anybody. You can come in contact with anybody, you can find anybody, somebody that you know, knows somebody that knows somebody that you can get to that person. So, it just gave me the confidence to really dream high, and any artist out there I wanted to work with just figure out how to get to them. And I’ve been able to do it several times in my career now. Q. If you could give any inspiration, talk to your

younger self what would you tell him? A. Oh, man. I would tell him to read contracts. But don’t be afraid to make mistakes in this business because the record business is always ever-changing. So, we’re always learning and we’re always adapting to the new way that the record business is going. So, I would say just don’t ever give up. I never did that. I don’t really know what else I would tell my younger self because everything that I did landed me in the position that I am right now. Though I made many mistakes in the business I had a lot of great things that happened and I’m still here. So, I love it. Q. What has been one of the biggest challenges you’ve had so far transitioning into an artist? A. The independent artists is a very hard grind. You have to constantly put out content, constantly put out music. It’s a lot. And you’re having to wear many hats. And where I’m used to just being in a creative space and focusing on being creative and making music, now I have to wear the management hat, I have to wear the promoter hat, I have to wear the PR hat, and I have to wear so many different hats. It’s very hard to spend time and just focus on what it is that you really do best, which is to create the music. Really that’s the only thing that’s been a challenge for me, just trying to wear those hats and still be creative at the same time. But I love it. I love the transition. I love the freedom of being able to write, create, sing, make videos, and all of this stuff. But the independent record thing is to grind. You really have to work hard at it, really hard at it. Q. What has been the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? A. Let’s see, the best piece of advice that I’ve ever received probably came from Puffy. When I was one of Diddy’s Hitmen producers, he would always say that when you’re sleeping, somebody else’s working. And so, he was just always about that, and repetition. His biggest thing was repetition. If you’re doing it over and over and over again you

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"I think if the industry would allow black artist to expand and create in other genres like Rock, Pop and Country you will find innovative music that we're capable of doing because it all comes from us anyway."

have no choice but to get better at it. So, making music and writing songs every day, if you’re doing that every single day, you’re going to get better at it, you’re going to get really good at it. So, he’s like, just put in the work and make sure you’re constantly in a space of repetition, and you’ll be doing your best work. Q. Out of all the music that you’ve produced, what has been one of your favorite ones? A. That’s a really tough one. Well, so producing “Heaven Can Wait” for Michael Jackson was a euphoric moment for me because I was able to take him somewhere that he hadn’t gone in a very long time. Because most of the ballads that Michael Jackson had done previously to that were "Heal The World" type song. This is the first song that he was actually singing about a woman in a very long time. The last time he did that was “Lady in my life” and when I heard this record, and we started working on it and producing it, and I was getting with the writers and everything to work on this record. I was like, this takes me back to that time period, where Michael did “Lady in my life” and so, I think it would be cool for him to sing about an interaction with a woman again, I don’t think people have seen him in that space in a very long time.

And the same thing with Beyoncé, when I produced “Speechless” she was just coming out of Destiny’s Child. And she sang about love, but she had never sung about a romantic encounter or intimate encounter with someone. And this was the first time she did that. So, it was her coming out where she was just expressing herself freely. And this is one of the first records that she talked about intimacy on so that was a great moment. And I can’t forget “Crush on You”. To this day somebody is always sending me stuff from Instagram where people are playing the song. It’s like that record never dies. And so, it feels good to be a part of a nostalgic moment in hip hop that is still celebrated to this day with that record. And that’s one of the biggest records of her career. And so, you’re always in the conversation. So, I love that about that record. Q. What can we expect or what can your fans expect from you for 2022? A. So, during the pandemic there were no distractions, I was quarantining up in my house, and I was just writing songs every single day. I was recording to the wee hours of the morning, getting up and doing it all over again for weeks. And by the time we kind of came out of the pandemic

just a little bit, I had 14 songs, and it was some of the best writing, some of the best recording I’ve ever done in my life. And I really got a chance to find myself as an artist, find my direction and my sound, something very consistent. So, I’m excited to put this record out. I’m excited for these videos to come out. I got a new single, “Can’t Live Without You” and I’m about to drop that. Look forward to seeing me out all over NY, LA, & Europe performingvthe songs from the album. Looking forward to a really big year this year. Q. Where can the readers follow you? A. You can find me on Instagram @fanaticakabillielennox. SoundCloud it’s experience fanatic. And just follow me, come on this journey with me, we’re going to show you black music like you haven't seen it in a long time. We’re going to change the sound; we’re going to chart new territory and show black music in a way that it should be celebrated. And people should have the freedom to create in this space.

WHERE IT BEGINS

Mimi Johnson 24

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Q. Thanks for interviewing with us today. Can you tell everyone who you are and what you do. A.Sure. So, my name is Mimi Johnson, I would say I am a Midwest transplant to Atlanta, been in Atlanta long enough to be an honorary peach, moved here for college, I went to Clark Atlanta University, and I did the traditional thing, I got a degree and got a job. Got into that job, I was grateful, but I knew it wasn’t it. I’ve always been creative. And I knew that whatever or wherever I ended up it would be something within the arts. And I just so happened to be the designated makeup artist out of my friend’s. One trip to New York, one of my friends was like, you’re really good. You should really do this. A light bulb went off, I never thought about it. And I said, why not. So, that was my start in makeup. Makeup has taken me to so many different places that I’ve never dreamed or imagined. I’ve been doing makeup for 15 years now. I worked on lots of shows with different celebrities, lots of brands. And within that journey, I saw a bigger purpose in helping other female entrepreneurs that look like me that I could share my experience and share stories to inspire. So, simultaneously while being a makeup artist I opened two businesses, The Glamatory, which is now a makeup artist agency/cosmetic line and I own Grind Pretty which is a membership community for women entrepreneurs. Q. So far, what has been your most memorable accomplishment in your career? A. Oh, that’s hard because there have been so many. I will say this, I can’t pinpoint one moment because I’ve had a lot. I guess I’ll just share a couple of moments. I’ve had a lot of full-circle moments. I remember my car got broken into, and I was working at DISH Network with Da Brat, and I just panicked and freaked out because

"You have to be open to change and even just ideas of going in a different direction."

if you get your makeup kit stolen that’s your livelihood. But I pulled it together. I’m like, I can do this. I pulled together whatever makeup I had around the house, I ransack my store, and I made it there. As professional as I could I got through doing Da Brat’s makeup. When I was done, I let her know what happened. And long story short, she had slid a couple hundred in my bag. And that little piece that really touched me. And then we had a full circle moment where I worked with Judy and her and they came to Grind Pretty fest last year. And it’s just those kinds of moments that keep you going. And then I look back and I’m like, I’m grateful for this journey. It’s not always pretty and ugly things happen but for those who fight through those things, you’ll see it on the other side. It makes you stronger. So, I think that was one, though it was an unfortunate thing that happened. It connected me with her in a different way that brought something special in the end. So, I guess I can use that. There have been so many other things that happened but that one was on my mind.

Q. Let’s talk about your Grind Pretty fest. How was that experience last year? A. Again, one of those things where you just are led to do something. And the idea actually came from Traci Steele, my good friend who’s also a celebrity DJ, and we were doing a shoot, and something was going wrong with the shoot. And she brainstormed and was like, you should do that. I got your back. And so many things were going on. We were still in the middle of the pandemic, some personal things went on in my life, and there were so many times I wanted to quit. But God had friends reach out to me and say, hey, what do you need? What can I do without me asking? And when Toyota got behind it last year, I knew that it was something that I was supposed to do. I made a reel recently about it’s a whole lot of money in there. It was. It was a whole lot of money in that room. As I’m looking back. I had a moment. I’m looking around, and I’m like, there are millionaire, almost billionaire women in this room. That was a surreal moment. I look forward to doing Grind Pretty fest, and we’re doing it again this year. And it’s

WHERE IT BEGINS

something I look forward to doing every year. We were able to bless three young ladies with grants. And it was just amazing. And I look forward to continuing that. Q. What kind of programs or mentorships do you offer? A. So, within Grind Pretty, the whole basis is to help each other and build meaningful connections. Because when I think about it getting a college degree that’s great, being educated is wonderful. There are different ways to get educated, right? But when I think about my career, and anything that I’ve done, yes, it’s good to be skilled, it’s good to be educated but it’s more so who you’re connected with. Every big opportunity that I’ve ever had, or big thing that I’ve ever done has been through a person, through a connection. So that is something that we foster, for sure. We have open dialogue, like lives and classes and master class videos and things like that but also having the community where we’re doing events and meeting in person. And, of course, we have to pivot around things because of the pandemic. But even having these virtual coffee chats that we have, all of those things, to where we have these personal touchpoints. I think that’s really the key. Q. How do you define your purpose? A. I think my purpose is ever-changing but always at the core of that is women. I think every time that I’ve helped someone is some way of helping a woman. Whether it’s younger girls, whether it’s adults, moms, it’s always been, women. And I think that though I don’t claim to be a speaker or anything, and I really don’t like to public speak, believe it or not, every time I do I think that when I’m authentically sharing my story, I’m getting messages back like that really helped me, wow, that is exactly what I’m going through, this is how I’m feeling. And those are the little signs to let me know. I recently started doing a live on 26

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Mondays on Grind Pretty and my original intent in doing that was giving the members that are emerging brands the platform. But little did I know, some of their stories that they were sharing were so divine. So, I know that, yes, it’s great to help each other business-wise but I feel like the purpose is a bit bigger than just business, whether it be spiritual, or just your overall well-being. I think my purpose lies there. And I’m still defining and finding out what that purpose is. I’m just being obedient to the things that come my way and what I’m hearing from God. Q. What are some of the goals you want to achieve for 2022? A. Well, I’m so ambitious and that’s probably a problem sometimes. But overall, I think one of my focuses, I think I mentioned it before, is creating meaningful relationships. I think that’s in a personal realm as

well as a business realm. And processes and systems, I think it’s very important to have the right systems in place, the right processes in place. You know we’re in a very, I don’t want to be pessimistic because I’m optimistic, but we’re in a dark time. A lot of things are happening, and out of our control. And a lot of times we make these plans, these resolutions, all of these things but it’s not in our control. But how do you navigate and pivot around that? And when tragedy happens life still happens. That’s the bigger thing. Life still happens when tragedies happen. And if you don’t have the right systems in place, the right processes in place, that’s when you can start to fall apart. So, I think those are some of my overall life goals. I can say, I would love to grow Grind Pretty, grow our memberships into the thousands. There are a lot of projects I want to do. And I find that especially women of

color, we just take on stuff, and we’re not okay. We are the backbones of our houses, we have our children, our significant others, our family members, then we take on business, careers, and we just do it. We just learn to do it. But we have to learn to give ourselves a bit more grace and have more systems in place. And it is okay to ask for help. So, I think those are the main things for me. I think overall that says, peace. Peace and having systems in place. Q. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve had so far in building your career? A. The biggest challenge, I would say is, now I feel like I’m in a place, I’m very good at building something. You build something, but it’s getting to that next level. And I think I’m there to where the best way to say it is, I’ve been thinking like a founder instead of a CEO. And I think I’m at the point where it needs to switch to CEO. It goes back to what I just said my goals were with processes and systems, building a team being resourceful enough to make it happen without thousands and millions of dollars behind me yet. Q. Do you have any specials going on? What are your best products that are selling right now? A. Well, we’ve been focusing on Grind Pretty. So, I will say, our early tickets are out until the end of this month. So, there are deals on the Grind Pretty fest that’s coming up in April. There are sales on our top-selling merch. So, if you see some of those cute sweatshirts, and shirts, head over to the site. Oh, and then our membership. Our membership, the prices are very low right now. So, if you are a female entrepreneur, I would check that out. Or maybe you’re not an entrepreneur but you provide a service through another company like legal or accounting or something like that. We all need those services so check it out.

the best seller. I always knew that the formula was great, but I never tested it to the level that I tested it until we started wearing masks. And I started getting customers saying, oh my God, it’s not coming off on my mask. And I was like, oh, now that’s going to be a seller through this pandemic. So, it is our top-selling product. If you love lipstick but you know we’re still wearing masks, I would check out our lip potions at the Glamatory. I often have sales. So, sign up for our email or text message. But I would say check those out. Q. What advice can you give to the next generation of female leaders or anybody that wants to get into being an entrepreneur? A. Be authentic and be open to change. Authenticity is what drives people to you. People make real connections. The traditional way of buying has changed over the years, and it’s based on the founder versus the product a lot of times. People are investing in people and not necessarily the business. Of course, the product has to be great to buy again. But I would just say, be authentic. And the other part of that is being open to change. Change is inevitable, and you can plan the hell out of whatever you’re trying to do, you can have this blueprint but sometimes it does not go that way. And if you’re stuck in your way it could hurt you in the end.

The Glamatory I aspired to be the black-owned Sephora. Sounds great, and it could be achievable. However, I didn’t have millions of dollars like Sephora. So, I was very stubborn. And I kept on with that plan until one day after losing a lot of money I sat down and said what is organically really working. And it was the makeup services, the women that were coming in, and it was the product that I had created. So once I figured out, hey, let’s shift and go this route, things started working. So that’s how life works. That’s how business works. You have to be open to that change, and even just ideas of going in a different direction. Q. Who would you want to do a makeup-up over on? A. I get that question a lot. I mean, because there are two ways to think of it. One would be my style, of course, like Rihanna or Beyoncé. Because who doesn’t want to do their makeup? But of course, I would want to sit someone in my chair that I’m truly inspired by their journey, not that I’m not inspired by their journeys. But of course, like Michelle Obama or Oprah. I would definitely want them to sit in my chair. Q. Where can everybody follow you? A. Sure. So, my account is Mimi J online which leads you to everything. But if you want to go to my individual businesses @theglamatory, and then @GrindPretty. Those are my accounts.

Just a quick story. When I started

"Be authentic and be open to change. Authenticity is what drives people to you."

The Glamatory. Our lip potions are

WHERE IT BEGINS

"You dont have to be Great to start but you have to start in order to be Great."

Elegance of Amor 30

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Q. Thanks for interviewing with us. Tell us who you are and what you do. A. My name is Cherie Amor, and I am Hair stylist who is transitioning from behind the chair. Q. Tell us a little bit about your journey and how you got to where you are today? A. I’m from Brooklyn New York (East NY specifically) At the age of 8 I was doing hair mainly braiding and it’s something that grew with me and then became my passion. I fell in love with hair at a very early age and I just took it by storm. I worked in several salons and then eventually opened up my very own in my in the heart of my hood so I can provide opportunities to my community. My passion introduced me to my purpose which allowed to openly speak on several topics about business and just being a woman coming into this industry and going through life and etc. Teaching things that weren’t taught to me and just giving back. Q. Let’s talk about “Elegance of Amor” and how it got started? A. Elegance of Amor started with just a comb and a dream. It was a vision I had at a very young age

which turned out way bigger than I imagined. Q. Can you tell us what makes your brand unique and different than other brands? A. My brand is unique because it’s a sanctuary for my clients not just come get a service but also vent and just feel the best versions of themselves. I created a very embracive environment that’s simply reminds them that they matter and what self-care really is. Q. Where do you see your brand in the next three years? A. I’ve added Hair. I Am Empowerment to this brand. I do it once a year and it brings all from the beauty industry together in one room that simply educate, inform, and talk about improvements within our business and self-development while building their brand. The place is to stay in the lane of Hair but more on the teaching side and creating something so big that it’s bigger than us. I plan for it to be just as huge as Bronner Brothers. Q. What are some of the classes you offer with your company? A. I offer mentorship where I pretty much mentor and get people to know why they started and pushing them into their purpose and help them figure out what their purpose are. I also do hair class where I teach you all the techniques, I use doing all of my hair styles. And I also just started teaching this course called How to become a 6-figure stylist. Q. Can you tell us one of your most memorable accomplishments you’ve received in your career? A. The one memorable moment I had doing what I love was catering to a client who suffered from alopecia, she was so scared to be open with her audience and not only did I help build that confidence in her I also gave her a makeover,,,, she was so emotional and just so happy, the truth is that’s the reward in it all.

Q. Are you running any specials? A. I randomly do specials everyone deserve a break here and there. Make it affordable for some who works so hard and sometimes can pay top dollar to get a service. That’s always a way I give back as well. Q. What keeps you passionate about helping women look beautiful? A. The transition from them going from one look to another keep me passionate and most importantly the confidence I see them all of sudden develop when they are done. It’s such an amazing sight to see. Making another human being feel good makes it all worth wild. Q. Are you working on any new projects or upcoming events? A. I am currently working on my very next virtual hair class and My 3rd Hair I Am Empowerment Brunch. It will be bigger than last year. Q. Where can the readers follow you? A. You can follow me on Ig: @cherieamorslays Facebook: @Cherie Amor TikTok @cheriethehairslayer Clubhouse @Cherie Amor

WHERE IT BEGINS

"Headed to join the 49ers, one of the original NFL franchises and, I'm forever grateful for my time in Pittsburgh with the Steelers."

Ray Ray McCloud III Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do. A. I am Ray-Ray McCloud III and I have lead the NFL in punt return yards for the last two years. I am a wide receiver and have just completed playing the last two years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and now am ready to start the new season with the San Francisco 49ers! Q. Well, tell everybody what made you want to pursue a career in football? A. I was born into it. I have two little brothers, one is about to go to 32

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Clemson where I attended, the other one is a quarterback at Arizona. And I had a cousin that went to Georgia, a cousin that went to Furman, a cousin that went to Arizona a few years ago. So, it’s just in the family. My dad went to Arkansas as a Razorback. It’s deep in my blood. Q. Well, how was that journey getting into football? A. Getting into it was the easy part, but maintaining, being number one in everything I do was the hard part. It wasn’t hard when it came to game day, but practicing was and my dad made sure he made it hard for me,

my offseason, always. I remember when I was a kid, me and my brother, he used to make us run home from a Publix that was a little way from the house. And every day we would come from school or from practice, we would jog home and he would sit there and go five miles out to watch us run. And just remembering those little things like that, now I’m like that’s what made us different. We left practice got home at 7:30, 8, and then had to run, jog home. Just that little thing right there is the dedication. He made sure we had installed in us when the time came, and we had to go out on our own.

Q. So, what positions did you play besides running back? A. Honestly, everything. But as I got older and I separated myself and found out what I really wanted to do, I played quarterback, receiver, and running back. And that was to go to college for. I was the number one or number two athlete coming out of my class of running back. So, they considered me an athlete on paper, and I chose what I wanted to do, and I chose receiver because I want the ball in my hands. Q. What got you to the level that culminated into what we saw this year? A. Well, off the field, I thought was for me coming into the league what I needed to focus on the most, from eating habits, just little things off the field. On the field I was ready, talent level was ready. Obviously, you can always get physically better. But for me, coming to the league, was one reason I left college early to go to NFL, to have someone, to have a vet to follow, to have mentors to watch and learn from. So, when I got to the league, I knew I had to start special teams because that was the one that was big on my resume in college. That was one of the reasons I got drafted, because of special teams. So, I knew if I took special teams a little seriously, I’d have an opportunity to show my talent as a receiver that I didn’t get to do much of in college. Because we were so powerful, it was like 21-0 in the first eight minutes of the game, so everybody kind of sat down. And then playing running back my whole life, I needed to work every single day. I knew that I just needed reps. You get better as you get more reps. And luckily, God blessed me with the talent to be able to do that off the strength of my talent because I never really had a receivers coach until I got to NFL.

every practice, every scrimmage we had. And I think that bettered my game and took my game to the next level of being consistent. Because that was another thing that I needed to work on, being consistent from a team standpoint. Q. What was this year like with everything against the Steelers? A. Mostly for me, it was going into the seasons, I knew my role. I was the kick receiver, when my number was called, it was making plays. A lot of times that was my plan going in when I did go on offense. But I just control what I controlled, and really took that consideration every day. Every day at practice was game day for me. Even with the team, even when we’re losing, whether we win or lose, it was always the same in the locker room because the coach is saying, “You had your high, you had your lows and that’s part of the season.” For me, I try to keep that out of where my laser focus because that’s something that I can’t control. I control what I’m doing, so when my number is called, my job is to execute it. Q. Let’s talk about your nonprofit? A. It was more of empowering student-athletes with the education side of it. Because for me, I have a sleeping disorder and ADHD, so those two don’t mesh well together. I graduated with a 4.5. I wasn’t naturally smart, and teachers and I used to bump heads because I’d just fall asleep. But it wasn’t me

being disrespectful, it was because I really can’t stay up. And I know, there are kids out there that are not aware of what they have going on and can’t focus because of ADHD, or probably do have a sleeping disorder as well and don’t know that they do. I didn’t know that I did until my sophomore year of college. I got it checked my first year in NFL. It’s called hypersomnia. I want to empower student-athletes to take education more seriously because I had to buckle down a little harder than other people because of my disorders. And then mentally, when everybody is asking you about something, you can’t control it, mentally it gets to you. So, that’s just the mental health aspect of it, and everything else. Q. Congrats on fatherhood. How is that experience so far being a dad? A. It’s been really fun, honestly. I’m in the stage where I get night shifts. He’s asleep all day, up all night. Four in the morning he wants to watch TV. It’s been fun, though. Luckily, I’m a night owl too so it’s not affecting me too badly. But it’s been really fun and motivating. Q. Tell everybody where they can follow you? A. I’m on everything. Instagram @Ray Ray McCloud lll. TikTok. I think rm3 or Ray Ray McCloud. Twitter rm3_. Facebook Ray Ray McCloud lll. Everything is usually Ray Ray McCloud lll or rm3.

Sweeney helped me with, my mentality of treating every rep, if it’s practice or when you home by yourself catching punts or kickoff returns. Close your eyes before the ball is kicked and picture 85,000 people in the stands. Every time it’s the fourth quarter, we need a big play take. Take every rep like game rep. And I started doing that every practice, every game. Not even WHERE IT BEGINS

"Attack your destiny."

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or whatever. And we have to understand that it is by design. And it breaks up black families and black households and stuff. So, I just really wanted to insert some positivity into the music industry. I don’t knock what other artists do. I’ve got other types of songs as well but I wanted to release that because it was a very positive message and just a message of love. And I hope that other brothers if they have their woman and they can’t quite put it into words, put that song on and let it speak for you.

Q. Tell everybody who you are and what you do. A. I am G Smoove. I am a radio personality. Singer, songwriter, and filmmaker. Q. Well, tell us a little bit about your journey and how you got to where you are today? A. So, my journey is an interesting one because I am kind of a child of the industry. I grew up basically in the industry. My uncle was a producer by the name of Gene Griffin. And he’s more known for New Jack Swing with Teddy Riley and all of those New Jack Swing artists. But he and Teddy Riley had a company together called G.R. Productions. And under that, they produced people like Bobby Brown, Heavy D, and the boys.

Q. Let’s talk about your single and the motivation behind it. A. So my music, being a songwriter, I never really had the intention of putting out music as an artist. But I wrote this song, a very honest song, it’s called “The Life of Me” It’s a message to the Black Woman. I wrote it for my wife. This was when we were dating. And what I’m saying in the song is very much so how I felt about her, how she made me feel, and what I felt like, wow, this is something that more black women need to hear. And they need to hear it from black men. There’s this idea out there that black men and black women are enemies. And there’s always some wedge being driven between us to not trust each other and not think that each other is good enough,

Q. Well, let’s also talk about you being a radio personality, and how that experience has been so far? A. Well, as a radio personality, I went to school, I’m one of the few people that actually went to school for radio. I attended Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia. And I got a degree in Mass Media Arts with a concentration in radio, TV, and film. I started my career at V-103. I started out as an intern, and then I actually, got hired before I graduated as a producer. And so, while producing I got the opportunity to voice commercials and stuff like that. But then I was able to fill in for certain personalities. And that really helped me to develop finding my own voice and everything. Like right now I’m on the radio in Columbus, Georgia. And this is my 22nd year in radio. I have worked on another station Foxie 105. I was even a producer on a classic rock station at one point. I just love music. I love radio. But right now, I feel most at home doing what I do now, I’m on K-92.7. We play the best R&B and throwbacks. And it’s really my lane of music, that grown folk’s music and stuff, the 80s, 90s, some 70s but mostly 80s, 90s, 2000s. And we do play new R&B but not new hip hop. If there’s any hip hop on the station, it’s that old 90s and early 2000s hip hop that will play.

WHERE IT BEGINS

It’s a journey because radio is one of those things you can fall in love with it, you can fall out of love with it. And there have been times that I’ve taken time off from radio. I was actually a teacher at one point. I taught for about 12 years. And when I came back to radio I started out as a producer for the Tom Joyner Morning Show here in this market. And I ended up getting my own show again about five years ago. So, I’ve been the host of the G Smoove experience for five years, and I just love it. Because it keeps me around music and music is my love. I love music. I love creating music, and I love listening to music. I love playing music.

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Q. What do you think is missing in today’s music waves? A. I don’t want to say talent, but I think work ethic. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. But also, I understand that there’s a lane for everything. And the Internet has opened that up for everyone. So, it doesn’t matter what you do there’s a crowd of people out there that will listen to it. But because I was brought up under the old regime, as it were. I came up in the days of A&Rs, and artist development, and that kind of stuff. So, I grew up in those rehearsal studios seeing artists put in the time to be able to sing and breathe.

I got a friend who actually worked for labels for years, and he ran a boot camp for artists. And I would go out there and check him out. He would have artists running and doing all kinds of things that were physically taxing. And have them singing while they were doing, they were jumping rope, they were singing. And if they were a group they would be working out and harmonizing. And so, I’m used to that. That just coming in off the street and just doing something because you made a hot song or whatever. It’s not necessarily my cup of tea but to each his own. But for me, I believe in really developing that talent. That’s why certain artists are just undeniable.

Success is not an accident. And being that good is not just being born with it. Because it’s one thing to be born with it, and then another thing to sharpen it. You can be born with a talent but if you don’t work on your skills you’ll never be as good as the person who puts the work in. Q. So how do you feel the internet has made a big impact on the music industry? A. Well, the internet took away the need for labels. It opened up so much to the artist themselves. Anybody who’s willing to do the work you now have an avenue that is worldwide to distribute, to promote, all of that versus having to go to a label. The label has the relationships, they distribute, and all of that. But now the internet is worldwide, I connect with artists, and DJs that are not even in this country. I connect with DJs over in France and even the platforms that play music. It trips me out all the time that my single has been playing over in Brazil, Japan, and just all these different countries where I haven’t set foot in. I’ve lived in England before, and I’ve been over in Europe. But just for my record to be playing in Germany, Italy, and even in the Netherlands, South Africa, Chile, Mexico, and Canada. It’s just amazing to me that I have that reach myself. And I can take it directly to the consumer and to the listener. Q. Let’s talk about the movie Entanglement. A. Yes. So, Entanglement was a labor of love. When I first started writing that record, it was called “Last Night a DJ Saved My Life” after the famous song “Last Night a DJ Saved My Life.” And my inspiration for that was my uncle Gene Griffin, who I spoke about earlier, that was his first hit in the music industry. And he passed away in 2009. And so, in my dealing with his death because of everything that he had poured into me and instilled in me I wanted to do something that was kind of in honor of him almost, although it

has nothing to do with him but just that title and writing a script that was underneath that title was a big deal for me. And so, I started writing it in 2010, and then my life took some drastic changes and I ended up finishing the script in 2017. And then we ended up shooting it, we had it shot, packaged, and everything. And title-wise the distributor ultimately made the decision to change the name of it. Well, number one because just last night it just saved my life wasn’t catching people’s attention like it needed to be. And Entanglement of course, from the famous Red Table, Talk with Will and Jada was. Q. So what are some of the challenges and hardships you went through building your career? A. Challenges, everybody has them. Financial challenges, equipment failure challenges, the challenge of being uncertain in your own gift, in your own talents and abilities and stuff. So, there are a lot of challenges that we face with trying to do this kind of stuff. And I would tell anybody who has a dream of doing something, and they’re looking like, man, I don’t know how the hell I’m going to do this. Do it anyway, just start doing it. Because I really believe that’s kind of where God wants you to be. I really believe that God wants you to be in that place where you don’t know how it’s going to happen, but you decide to act on it anyway, just walking by faith, like, well, I’m going to make this thing happen anyway. I didn’t know when we started doing “Entanglement” where we were going to get the money from, we didn’t know how it was going to get distributed. We didn’t know how it was going to be in film festivals and stuff. Because this

movie is taking me all over the country. And had me talking on panels and stuff. We didn’t know it was going to be distributed on Amazon and on Tubi, we didn’t know any of that. But it was just step by step. Just play your position. Q. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? A. The best piece of advice that I ever received was that sometimes waiting is the test. Sometimes you’re good enough. Sometimes you’re strong enough, you’re fast enough, you’re bright enough, and sometimes you have all of the answers. Sometimes it’s just not your turn. And sometimes you have to sit down and wait. And that in itself is the test. Sometimes you got it all together but it’s not your turn. Because you see most people quit before they get started. For most people, waiting is what really shakes the tree. Because when you’re waiting you’re up against yourself. Because now your ego is telling you, man, I’m good enough. I’m better than them. I can do this. Why do I have to wait? I know I’m better than them. And they don’t stay the course. Q. Tell everybody where they can follow you. A. You can follow me on social media. My Facebook is full right now. You can follow me on Facebook at George G Smoove McDonald. You can follow me on Instagram @gsmoove3.0 or officialkingiv. I’ve got two accounts on Instagram. And you can also follow me on Twitter @g_smoove.

"The Question isn't who's going to let me? The Question is who's going to stop me."

"My most proud achievement is who I am as a woman and mother."

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Q. Thanks for interviewing with us. Tell everyone who you are and what you do. A. I’m a 17-year radio veteran! I’m an executive producer and co-host of the Frank Ski Show on KISS 104.1 WALR in Atlanta and 96.3 WHUR in Washington DC. Q. What made you decide to pursue a career in entertainment? A. Since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved media! I remember telling everyone I wanted to be Ricki Lake when I grew up! Naturally, watching women like Oprah and Robin Roberts, I aspired to reach their level of greatness. While TV, is always a good time, I actually love radio because music is so intertwined, and it’s the universal language. It also gives me energy! Radio is truly my first love, but I’m deeply passionate about writing too. Q. How has your experience been working with Frank Ski? A. It has been of my greatest blessings. He’s been my mentor and friend since 2005 and has truly taught me real radio! We are friends in real life, so we fuss and fight like siblings and an old married couple, but we have each other’s back like no other. Q. Where do you see yourself in the next three years? A. Syndication! We definitely have plans to go national! From a personal level, I plan to continue being the best mom to my 2 amazing sons and being wholly responsible for my own happiness! If it doesn’t make me happy or contribute to my happiness and personal growth, I ain’t doing it! Q. What awards or achievements are you most proud of? A. My most proud achievement is who I am as a woman and mother. I’ve been true to myself, my core values and my children. My sons are so proud to call me mom and that’s the greatest achievement. It trumps anything I’ve done professionally. Q. How do you define your passion and purpose in life? A. My passion is what I enjoy doing in life. My purpose is what

God has created me to do in life! I feel blessed that my purpose and my passion align. I feel my calling is to be transparent in my spiritual journey and to share my testimony with the world. I’m thankful that God blessed me with a huge platform and stage to do that. I understand how major it is to be given the opportunity for others to hear my voice on two HUGE, major market radio stations! I will never take any of it for granted as I continue walking and living in my purpose, on purpose! Q. What advice can you give to the next generation of female leaders? A. To be true to YOU! No one is responsible for your happiness but you, take ownership of it! Never settle for what you want, personally and professionally. One closed door only means 3 others have opened. Never stop seeking those open doors. Always remain a student and open to learning. There is always someone doing it bigger and better, and once you stop learning, you stop growing. And lastly, in the end everything will be okay. Never stop believing in yourself and trust the process. Sometimes success takes a while, sometimes it happens easily. The important thing is making sure you understand what success means to you. For me, success isn’t co-hosting two amazing radio shows, success is the fact I wake up

daily with a God-ordained peace that no one can take from me, no matter if I work at a radio station, TV station or gas station! Knowing I’m obedient in my purpose and God is proud is my success… and because of that, failure will never be an option. Q. Do you have any new events or upcoming projects? A. I recently had the opportunity to be casted for a role for the show, Johnson, a series on BOUNCE TV, and I absolutely loved it! This show really speaks to our generation and covers sooooo many important conversations that we should be having as a culture! I will be back for Season 2, and I can’t wait! Q. Can you tell us one fun fact about yourself? A. My ethnicity is Samoan and Black, which explains my thickness and my height… and my love for food lol. Q. Where can the readers follow you? A. On IG at @peninabrown and Twitter at @ninabrown

WHERE IT BEGINS

"Our strength and confidence is build by overcoming the things we couldn't do before."

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Gabriela Mclain

Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do. A. Hi my name is Gabriela Mclain and I’m fitness coach for 20 years. Q. Tell us a little about your journey and how you got to where you are today? A. I was born in Czech Republic, raised by very athletic father. Went to track and field sports school with major - long distance running. When I was 14, I madly fall in love with dance. Which end up being my career for a while. In early 20s I was discovered by American singer Niki Haris who was based in Los Angeles at that time and started traveling overseas. But unfortunately, I suffer from hip injury which end my dance career. I always valued physical fitness and decided to become a fitness coach. ...So that how it’s all started. Q. Let’s talk about being a fitness coach and the programs you offer? A. I do a lot of private, one on one, training. I also helping my clients with their nutrition as well. One of my main clients these past 4 years is Viola Davis and her husband Julius Tennon. I helped Viola transform her body after the movie Ma Rainey’s black bottom. And also helped her build her arms for upcoming drama series - The First Lady where she’s playing Michelle Obama. Throughout the pandemic I found finally time to create my own website. Www.gabrielamclain. com. I build the online fitness program with same techniques I’m using with my private clients. I recorded and uploaded many Workout Videos for all fitness levels, as well as Detailed Nutrition Plan, Workout Schedule and Live Zoom Classes. And guess what? I have more new programs coming soon!!! So, stay tuned. Q. What has been the hardest part of your journey in being fit? A. My hardest part of my fitness journey was my health struggles. After my first pregnancy, I was diagnosed with an Autoimmune Disorder. At that time, I had

lots of inflammation around my joints. It was extremely painful. There were days I barely could get up and walk. It was hard. But I do believe that these life experiences helped me become the trainer I’m today. Q. What has been one of your greatest experiences you’ve had in your career? A. It was these last past 6 months. It was the greatest time of my career. We were in Africa filming upcoming movie The Woman King. I was the Lead Trainer and Nutrition Coach for the main cast. This was the best experience ever. I felt extremely honored to be part of this amazing production. Q. Tell us what motivates you to train and coach people? A. I love empowering women and men from all walks of life to go beyond their limits and become the ultimate versions of themselves. Q. What advice can you give other people who wants to be fit? A. Consistency is the key. Also, I believe that our strength and confidence is built by overcoming the things we couldn’t do before. And fitness is great tool for building and practice this confidence. I would advise you to not look at scale, don’t dwell on how many inches you lost. But instead focus on your strength. Every time you do the workout push yourself little bit more then you did last time, and guarantee you, you will start feeling

so good about yourself very soon. And the body will follow by losing weight and getting tighter which is just a SYMPTOM of healthy lifestyle. Build yourself from inside out. Q. Do you have any other hobbies? A. I love nature. Hiking and mountain biking with my family is one of my favorite things to do. Q. Are you working on any new projects or events? A. Yes, I am. I’m the Lead Strength Trainer and Nutrition Coach for all the main cast on upcoming movie The Woman King, staring Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, Adrienne Warren and John Boyega. It’s coming to Movie theaters September 16. Everyone must see this movie. It will be EPIC experience. . I’m also preparing new online program call: “Train Like A King” All the training techniques I was using to transform these women into such a strong badass warriors will be available on my website this fall. Q. Where can the readers follow you? A. Www.gabrielamclain.com Instagram @gabrielamclain Facebook @gabrielamclain

WHERE IT BEGINS

"You can never have your big moment if you never start.... Find a way to make it happen, someone is winning with the same hand you were dealt!"

Evan S Brown COACH EV

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Q. Thanks for interviewing with us. Tell us who you are and what you do. A. I am Coach Ev, a life and business strategist committed to taking visionaries to the next level of impact and money through business strategy, personal development, intentional goal setting, social media marketing, and innovative concept creation. Q. Tell us a little bit about your journey and how you got to where you are today? A. I’m a kid from east Atlanta who has always dreamed of changing the world in my own way. My parents made it clear very early on... I can have whatever I put my mind to and committed to seeing it through. Having that life mantra early on, made matriculating through life with intentionality the only option. I chose to view everything in front of me through the lens “I can have it all… I have no limitations except those I choose to place on myself…” Growing up in Atlanta, I saw black success every single day! Business professionals, doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, etc. was my norm. I knew because of my surroundings that “I can have and be it all” I pursued my undergraduates’ degree at the greatest institution on earth, my HBCU, Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical University where I really discovered what all I had on the inside of me that the world needed... The rest was history! Q. How would you define your purpose in life? A. For me it’s simple, I’m here to make people better! My current focus point is increasing people’s quality of life through applicable life centered strategies and the other, helping people turn their passion into profit!!! Most of us have skills and talents we have accumulated throughout life that we don’t recognize are extremely profitable… Money makes the world go around and I believe if we are bold enough to identify and package our brilliance, money is the sure-fire result!!!

Q. Let’s talk about “Vision Birthers” and the motivation behind it? A. For years (like most) I was the “middle man” or mid wife as some may understand to people looking to get their dream or vision off the ground. I accepted after assisting people for free, out of love, that I had something that I could do for a lifetime. It is my passion, my purpose, the thing that makes me come alive… So why not do what I love – that changes peoples worlds in my own way for a living! It all began planning conferences/ workshops for local leaders and evolved into a machine that has helped me touch people from all throughout the country through the power of the internet. Q. How did you get started with self-publishing? A. I learned early in my 20’s that I have something to say, and people are always looking for answers!!! I was not “famous” or “known” in any regard and large publishing companies did not think I was “worth the risk” however, I was not going to let that stop me. I am the solution to another person’s problem and books live forever, I don’t…. So, I got online and said “how can I get this to the masses”. I chose to not let one mans NO be my fate…

Q. What has been one of your biggest accomplishments you’ve received in your career? A. I have helped thousands of people obtain clarity, direction, and strategy for success in their endeavors! That to me is it! It’s difficult to positively impact 100 people in a lifetime and God has given me more! To see the joy on the faces of client’s attendees when they realize they CAN or when they hit a finance goal… its life changing for me and them!!! Q. Can you give us some tips on business strategy? A. 1. Identify your gift/skill or talent. 2. Learn your lane (inside out). 3. Solidify your people (you are not for everyone; however, you are for 1-3 people with similar issues or pains) and market to them only! It may not seem like much but there are over 7 billion people on this planet – so your 1-3 “people” are easily in the millions. 4. Commit to the journey (Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your endeavor. Greatness requires time, commitment, and boldness). 5. Sell yourself or your product (people can never buy what they don’t see).

WHERE IT BEGINS

products or service, I believe it’s due to a lack of information, guidance, and limited thinking. This programs breaks myths and most importantly situates visionaries to be a success. Many of the hard losses I learned in business could’ve been avoided had I had the necessary knowledge. Making money is easy, opportunities are endless, however curated something that’ll last and be scalable is difficult without the needed tools and knowledge. Q. Where can the readers follow you? A. I am everywhere! I can be followed on social media platforms (FB, IG, TikTok, YouTube) @itscoachev or “Coach Ev” and through my website www.coachev.com and if you join my mailing list, you’ll receive a free download of my most powerful work to date, “Life’s Playbook: 5 Essential Plays to WIN in life.

Q. What are some of the other programs that you offer with your company? A. My premium coaching services include business strategy development & life alignment sessions! My most prized program is “The Coaches Corner” which is my affordable monthly development program for business owners. My objective is to be what I needed and early in the business development process most people need guidance and direction – in the corner, I host monthly workshops, provide monthly accountability, and expose business owners to the necessary information that can propel their businesses to the next level.

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Q. Are you working on any new projects or upcoming events? A. I just recently released my first children’s book “Rich Kids” A story for kidprenuers in the making” to encourage kids who look like me to dream big and learn early that they can be a success in more lanes than just sports or music!!! Also, my first group coaching cohort: Failproof where I will take business owners/aspiring business owners on an 8-week journey to prepare them to make their first $50,000 in business. Many brilliant business owners (over 60%) fail in the first 2 years and I believe it’s not because of their

"Put GOD First."

Melvin Riley WHERE IT BEGINS

Q. Thanks for interviewing with us. Tell us who you are and what you do. A. Grammy nominated, American Music Award nominee, multiplatinum artist Melvin Riley, Lead singer of the group READY FOR THE WORLD. Q. Tell us a little about your journey and how you got to where you are today? A. Writing songs in high school and doing talent shows. Made a demo and MCA records Jheryl Busby heard it and signed us. Q. What was one of your favorite moments you shared with the group “Ready for the World”? A. Getting our first #1 hit with “Oh Sheila” was one of my favorite moments shared with the group. Q. The song “Oh Sheila” which is a classic has been out for over 20 years, did you expect it to be this big? A. I knew we had something really special and felt we had something that would go big. Q. What is one of your favorite albums that came out last year? A. HER. Q. Tell us what is your favorite song to perform? A. Can he do it like this, because it is a great song musically and vocally to perform. Q. Let’s talk about your new single and the motivation behind the song? A. Celebrating women’s beauty and elegance in a world that does not showcase the gift of women’s flow and dressing up. Q. What do you think is missing in today’s R&B music? A. Real song hooks and melody, with real lyrics and vocal performance.

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Q. If you could tell your younger self anything, what would it be? A. Produce more artist. Q. What are some goals that you want to achieve for 2022? A. Help others in many ways and support more charities. Q. If you could change anything in the music industry, what would you change? A. I would change the way music executives approach signing manufactured artist and try and control them just to make a profit rather than signing longevity talent.

Q. What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? A. Put GOD first. Q. How do you feel the internet has impacted the music business? A. It has given it more outlet for your music to be heard on many platforms, but it has created free music at the same time. Q. Are you working on any projects or upcoming events? A. Always, new music now and beyond and live shows. Q. Where can the readers follow you? A. Iammelvinriley.com & Facebook and Instagram under the same name.

"Painting the love of God with unique harmonies, colors and sounds."

Kayla Waters WHERE IT BEGINS

A. My Dad, Kim Waters (International Jazz Saxophonist) is one of my biggest inspirations — he has been doing this “music thing” for as long as I’ve been living. His longevity in the music industry, tenacity and prolific musicality is admirable.

Q. Thanks for interviewing with us. Tell everyone who you are and what you do. A. It’s my pleasure to be interviewed by you, thank you for having me! My name is Kayla Waters, and I am an artist, pianist, composer and producer who seeks to share the love of God creatively through music. Q. What made you want to pursue a career as a Pianist? A. I’ve always had an immense love for the piano. I began “doodling” on the keys at 10 months old and had an undeniable passion for it ever since! Growing up in a musical household and as my love deepened for piano, I had an inner knowing that a career as a pianist would be my portion. I feel one with the piano and am able to express myself artistically and freely in beautiful ways. Q. Who has been some of your biggest influencers in your career?

Q. Let’s talk about your single “Open Portals” and the motivation behind the song? A. If you know me or are new to me — I simply love God. I seek to write and compose music that extols Him! It’s very unique that I am placed in the jazz realm to achieve this mission. With that said, in the midst of the pandemic, “Open Portals” musically paints and illustrates a gateway to the heavenly realm. A place of peace, love, abundant blessings, hope and optimism. Q. How did you feel being on the Billboards? A. As a 4-time No. 1 Billboard artist, I give all glory to God who graciously gives me every creative idea that I compose. It is a very humbling feeling. To see the music that I wrote in my quaint studio now being heard by ears all over the world AND charting is a magnanimous blessing that I don’t take for granted. Q. Can you give us more details on your inspirational blog series and how it got started? A. My blog series “PuriKeys: Manna For Creatives” is an inspirational initiative I created through my business entity PuriKey Productions,

LLC. Each “purikey” is a short-written note scribed for creatives with faith-based undertones. I enjoy encouraging people and sharing wisdom I’ve learned throughout the years in the music industry. This blog series is a great way I can fuse both of those ideals together. Q. What has been one of your greatest accomplishments you’ve had in your career? A. In all honesty, my greatest accomplishment isn’t an award or a stat but moreover seeing how many people are touched by my music globally is the most rewarding. I’ve had people come up to me in tears after my concerts and they mentioned how they could feel the presence of God though my music, that’s the blessing — or the “Grammy” in my eyes. Q. If you can go anywhere in the world, where would you go? A. Africa! It’s high on my travel wish list. I have a unique birthmark that is shaped exactly like the country Madagascar. Oddly enough, I feel a deep connection to Africa and African music even though I have never been yet. Q. What is one fun fact about yourself? A. I have a deep love for interior design! I absolutely love decorating my home, adding new artwork pieces and setting the vibe with aromatic candles in each room. As a creative, my interior design is another way of how I express myself! Q. Are you working on any new projects or upcoming events? A. Yes! I have almost 30 tour dates this year which is a blessing considering we are still knee deep in the pandemic. I’ve also been spending a lot of time in my studio working on composing and producing my third album release, super excited about that! More to come soon! Q. How can the readers follow you? A. I would love for you all to check me out on my website: www.iamkaylawaters.com and follow me on all social media platforms with the tag: @iamkaylawaters. Thank you for your unwavering support! Love and blessings!

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"I choose to be a light in this world through my gift of music, that's why my new album is entitled SHINE!"

Kim Scott WHERE IT BEGINS

Q. Thanks for interviewing with us. Tell us who you are and what you do. A. Thank you for having me! My name is Kim Scott and I’m a professional classical and jazz flutist, and an Administrator at Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham, AL. I’m also a national jazz recording artist on the Innervision Records label and host of the nationally syndicated jazz radio program, “Kim Scott’s Block Party Radio Show!” Q. Tell us a little bit about your journey and how you got to where you are today? A. My journey began when I was in the single digits! I was influenced early on by my parents who are musicians. They kept all styles of music playing in our home, from classical to jazz to pop, which gave my brothers and I a strong appreciation for music. My mother started me on violin and piano around 5 years old and I moved to the flute at age 11. Once I picked up the flute, I became obsessed with it, practicing constantly. I decided at an early age that I wanted to be a flutist for the rest of my life, although I didn’t know what that would entail. Fast forward to my high school years. I attend a fine arts high school for music and decided to pursue music in college. I attended University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa on a full scholarship and received a BM in Music Performance. I then attended Oklahoma State University on a full scholarship where I received a MM in Performance and Pedagogy. After college I was offered a position at my high school alma mater, Alabama School of Fine Arts, and I’ve been there now 23 years. I’m currently the flute instructor and Director of Student Support Services there. So how did I get into jazz if my training is in classical music? Because of my love for the genre, I chose to pursue jazz music due to the lack of flutists featured on the jazz airwaves. I wanted to be a voice for the instrument. My first album was quite a success, so I took

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that as a sign that I needed to continue on that path. Now, I have 3 number one Billboard hits under my belt and I’m releasing my 5th album this year. Q. Let’s talk about your album “Shine” and the motivation behind it? A. “SHINE!” is my 5th album on the Innervision Records label. I’m so proud and excited to release this project to the world and I really do believe it shines! It’s a feel-good, toe-tapping, creative body of work that I think people will love. My inspiration was to write a body of work that inspires people and makes them feel good on the inside! I collaborated with producers Kelvin Wooten (produced music for H.E.R., J Cole, Jill Scott), Greg Manning, and Adam Hawley, all very notable producers and musicians in the industry. I’m also, proud that I cowrote 8 of the 10 songs on the album

and that notable features include Jonathan Butler, Althea Rene, Ragan Whiteside and Blake Aaron. Q. Who are some of your biggest inspirations in Jazz? A. Some of my greatest inspirations in jazz are Hubert Laws, George Duke, and Shirley Horn. They all have something in common that makes them very special to me and that is their ability to create soulstirring moments in music with their signature tones and styles. Music should move you; it should never leave you the same way you were before hearing it. Q. Can you give us more details on the “Seabreeze Jazz Festival” that you will be performing at? A. Seabreeze Jazz Festival is one of the largest and most reputable jazz festivals in the US. It’s an honor to

return to their stage again since my solo performance there in 2015! The festival takes place in Panama City, FL, April 21-24, and it brings in over 100,000 people in attendance. The performance roster features top national/international jazz artists and bands. I’ll be performing this year with the all-female jazz supergroup, Jazz in Pink! Q. Let’s talk about your tour and what the fans can expect about this tour? A. I’m excited about the 2022 tour and look forward to seeing all the fans again! I’ll be performing a lot of the new music from “SHINE!” as well as music from my other 4 CD’s that have become fan favorites. My band and I plan to set the stages on fire! I’ll be performing all over the country, including California, Virginia, Connecticut, Florida and more. There are a couple international dates as well. Fans can find out more about my tour schedule at www.kimscottmusic.com.

Q. Do you have a name for your flute? What makes it so unique? A. I actually don’t have a name for my flute yet. It’s only a year old and I’m still getting to know “her!” I was recently endorsed by Miyazawa flutes as one of their performing artists, so my newest flute is a Miyazawa Vision. Come to think of it, “Vision” would be quite the name and makes a strong statement. Perhaps I should call her that! Q. What has been one of your greatest accomplishments you’ve received in career? A. My greatest accomplishments thus far are having the #2 Song of the Year on Billboard this year for smooth jazz, being named Breakout Artist of the Year by Smooth Jazz Network, and securing my third #1 Billboard hit. 2021 was very good to me!

Q. Are you working on any new events or upcoming projects? A. Other than getting ready for the tour, I’m preparing to premiere a work that was commissioned for me by the University of Alabama. I’ll be soloing with their Wind Ensemble and I’m super excited about it. The composer’s name is Patrick Harper, and the work is titled, “Blue Odyssey!” Q. Where can the readers follow you? A. Readers can follow me on Facebook at Kim Scott Music, and on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok @kscottflute. Also, fans can follow my stations on Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora. To subscribe to my newsletter, visit at www. kimscottmusic.com!

WHERE IT BEGINS

"Natty Rico aka "The Saxiest DJ"."

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Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do. A. My name is Natty Rico, French DJ Sax player and composer. Q. Who or what inspired you to be a Saxiest DJ? A. To be honest, what inspired me to create my concept of Saxiest DJ, was my desire to create something unique, and be able to create my own show for 2 Hours nonstop. Back in the days I used to be only a saxophone player playing with DJs. At first, I was able to improvise on DJs set as an Jazz background, but I felt like I couldn’t really drive a whole set. I had an impact playing the sax 4 time per show for 10 minutes but step by step I just wanted to have the freedom to play my own tracks, my own remixes and create a unique vibe from A to Z. So, I decided to create my own concept, different from everyone, to give people an Experience, a bit of a DJ set or a little touch of sax here and there. Q. Let’s talk about your album and the motivation behind the album? A. My new album is a mix of all my biggest songs, from CALIFORNIA with Snoop Dogg and Monday Justice to Hold that sucker down (that hit 2 million streams on Spotify). This album represents me. I love MUSIC in general, I’m not focused on one style, but I compose with my mood. There is downtempo, up-tempo, club type, festival but also chill music. Q. What are some of your goals you want to accomplish for 2022?

A. I want to be better than last year, 2021 was my best year in terms of gigs. Surprisingly, I never toured that Much, and of course my main goal is to be back on festivals as I only do clubs and some private events also, I miss the festival vibes! Q. Tell us what has been your most memorable experience being a Sax player performer? A. Playing with Snoop Dogg, it’s my most memorable experience. I’ve been a huge fan of Snoop for a long time, and first of all doing a track with him was absolutely amazing but being live with uncle Snoop is extremely crazy for me! My first show with him was on a yacht. He was blowing some smoke on my face and asked me to “blow this saxophone Nephew! ”. Q. What has been one of your biggest challenges you’ve had in your career? A. My biggest challenge was to finally concretize my first show with my new concept DJ SAX in 2013, when at that time no one did both at the same time. Musicians didn’t consider me as a musician anymore and DJs didn’t consider me as a DJ. I worked so hard and got the opportunity to open for David Guetta for the POUPET FESTIVAL close to my hometown back in France! It was my biggest challenge because I had to show everyone that I’m a musician and also a DJ and my show is legit. Q. Out of all the places you have performed what has been one of your most memorable ones? A. It’s hard to say because each

place is different, and I’ve had so many memories everywhere I’ve been around the world. If I had to pick one place, it would be Bora Bora. I always wanted to go there, and it was the most beautiful place I had ever seen, and when I played there it was sold out and the crowd was totally AMAZING!! Q. What is one fun fact about yourself? A. I love jokes so much, younger I could either choose between comedy or music, and finally at 16 years old I decided to choose music, but I really love to make jokes and to laugh. Q. Are you working on any new events or projects? A. Yea it’s been 2 years since I didn’t go back to France, I’m organizing a tour there for 2 weeks this summer. Also, I’m signing a new residency with THE COSMOPOLITAN of Las Vegas every other Thursday from MAY to OCTOBER, except when I’ll be in France of course! Q. Where can the readers follow you? A. On Instagram @NattyRico And Facebook Natty Rico YouTube Natty Rico You can listen to my music on Spotify Natty Rico.

WHERE IT BEGINS

McIntosh Bros Q. Thanks for interviewing with us. Tell us who you are and what you do. A. I am a Music Video Director and Film Producer living in the Atlanta area. I own McIntosh Bros Productions with my brother Jabriel McIntosh, and I am a cofounder of freeli.tv, a completely linear streaming platform on Android, IOS and Fire TV.

Q. Tell us a little bit about your journey and how you got to where you are today? A. I made my first film with my brothers and my cousins at the age of 10. From there I started making

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short films in middle school and high school. I won my first Film Festival in college with my brother. From there we would go to show our films in Hollywood: Universal Studios, 20th Century Fox, and many more. We decided to start a company together, and the rest is history. Q. Can you give us more details about your company “McIntosh Bros” and the motivation behind it? A. I always knew from a young age that I would own a company involving my art. My father always encouraged me to work for myself

and not for others. There is a lot of value in owning your own company, if you have the motivation to do so. I was lucky that I had a passion for creating as well as a strong interest for the business of making a company work. Instead of going to college for film I decided to get a degree in business instead. My brother took a similar route by getting a degree in marketing. We both went to Georgia State University. Q. What are some of your goals you want to achieve for 2022?

these experiences have been great, and it was a pleasure working with such well-known brands.

A. As far as my goals in 2022 to go, I am transitioning more and being in front of the camera. I have been directing and producing for the last 11 years and I’m starting to really enjoy being in front of the camera compared to behind the camera. Freeli.tv is also a huge passion of ours. It is the first linear streaming platform that focuses on African-American contact. It is a huge growth in the last year and I’m really looking forward to helping Freeli.tv grow. Q. Who are some of the clients you’ve worked with and how was that experience? A. We’ve worked with Reebok a couple times. We’ve worked with Sprite a couple times. We produce content for Doritos and Bank of America. Jabriel also recently done work for Drake and Lil Baby. All

Q. Can you tell us one of your biggest accomplishments or achievement you’ve had so far in your career? A. The biggest accomplishment that I’ve seen in my life has been inspiring the people around me. Jabriel has done some amazing things as a filmmaker and human being. I’d like to think that I had a little something to do with it. He surprises me every day with his accomplishments. Q. What are some of the challenges you’ve had growing your business? A. We’ve had some challenges growing our business. There are people that will try to cheat you if you give them the opportunity. We definitely had to learn the hard way with a couple clients early on to set really strict policies so that can’t happen. I had a client stiff me on $5000. That was a hard but necessary lesson to learn. Fool me once. Q. What are some of your other interests or hobbies? A. I don’t have any other interests or hobbies. Film is my life. Jk. I’m also learning Spanish and piano.

Q. Are you working on any new events or upcoming projects? A. We’re always working on a new film or a new client. We have a film produced by Freeli. TV that’s coming out later this year called Boxed In, starring Reginae Carter, Clifton Powell and Lil Zane. Q. Where can the readers follow you? A. They can follow us at mcintoshbros.com and @mcintoshbros on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook.

"The biggest accomplishment that I've seen in my life has been inspiring the people around me."

WHERE IT BEGINS

"Be confident in your direction and try to shift perspective that things don't happen TO you, they happen FOR you."

Lucy Bartholomew Q. Thanks for interviewing with us. Tell everyone who you are and what you do. A. My name is Lucy Bartholomew, I am 25 years old from Melbourne, Australia and I am a professional ultra-trail runner who loves being in nature, cooking, connecting with people and smiling. Q. Tell us a little about your journey and how you got to where you are today? A. I ran my first 100km side by

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side with my Dad, he inspired me to try this and I loved it. From there I gained confidence to run alone and started to try and compete. I left high school and travelled to run around the world to try and find what I wanted to “do”. I ended up finding out that running is what I want to do and so it became not just my passion and purpose but my profession. Q. How do you define your purpose in life?

A. I define my purpose in life as; shooting my shot in whatever areas I want to pursue and no matter the outcome sharing the success, the learnings and authentically remaining truthful to how wildlife is. Q. Let’s talk about the movie “Running Out” and the motivation behind the movie? A. during lockdown I dreamt up the project to run 230km

on the Larapinta trail in the heart of Australia. I met Josh and Bryan who captured the movie but also experienced the will adventure with me and it all sort of fell into place in a time where it felt like everything was going crazy. For me the motivation behind the movie was to go back to my “why” of running, to share an authentic piece about how brutal and beautiful running can be and show off this incredibly stunning part of Australia. Q. What is your most memorable achievement or accomplishment you’ve received in your life? A. I have so many memories of good and hard times that it is hard to choose one that stands out. I am really grateful for that. I would say crossing the finish line of my first 100k at age 15 with my Dad was an incredible experience where I didn’t know if I could do it or not and then when I did, I asked myself “what else can I do”. Q. What is some of the hardships you went through in your career? A. There are always going to be challenges when you put your full heart into anything. It means you care and it means you are remaining authentic and thus vulnerable. I have had hard races, mental blocks, confidence lost, injuries and

challenging situations; physically, mentally, emotionally. But they have all added tools to my toolbox of ways to handle anything that is thrown at me in the future. Q. If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go? A. I would love to go to Antarctica. I think from an environmental aspect I don’t think it will ever be what it is today so I would love to see it and experience that climate. Q. What advice can you give to the next generation of female leaders? A. Shoot your shot, back yourself and be you. People will have opinions about who you are, what you do, or what you should do. Be confident in your direction and try to shift perspective that things don’t happen TO you, they happen FOR you. Q. Are you working on any new events or projects? A. Currently no, I am hoping to spend 2022 back on start lines and racing hard around the world but I have dreams of other projects already swirling in my mind. Q. Where can the readers follow you? A. The best place is on Instagram @lucy_Bartholomew or I am on Strava, Facebook and have a website: https://www. lucybartholomew.com

WHERE IT BEGINS

Marco Richh "Consistency wins. If you work at it long enough you're bound to get rich."

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Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do. A. I am Marco Richh, singer, songwriter, producer, engineer, music business mogul, CEO of Canyon State, owner-operator of Mansion Sounds recording studio, and Lab Junkies music group. Q. Tell everybody what or who motivated you to get into the music entertainment world? A. Let’s see, the motivation. I got to say, it was back when Dallas Austin was signing all those kids, Brandy, and the kids. The thought of knowing I was also a kid that I could be on TV doing what I like to do at the time, which is singing music. But professionally, Teddy Riley, Chauncey Hannibal, Mark, Blackstreet, Aaron Hall, that whole clique of people I was so connected to by my dad that I got to see. Like, I want to get on stage and do that. I like to sing. I like to entertain. I was the only kid in the choir in the adult choir at church. So, I wanted to sing. It was fun to do. Coming from where I came from. Michael Jackson, seeing him as a kid growing up, that lifestyle like, man, I wonder what it was like to be a child prodigy or a child star. And I felt like I could sing too, and I could do it. So now we’re here. Q. Tell us about your company, and how It got started. A. I started Mansion Sounds in my

mama’s house. I was a grown man. I was just leaving Orlando, Florida. I was moving back to Murfreesboro, North Carolina. I didn’t have any equipment or anything. And I wanted to record myself and it turned into a business. And at this point, I’ve recorded and worked with some of the most iconic artists in the world and the industry from an idea I had at my mama’s house that I was going to be a studio guru, a mogul. I was going to have that studio that had the arcade room, the pool table, snack room, break room, Studio A, Studio B, Studio C, and then another flight, then you have the Celebrity Suite where there are at least 12 hotel-like condominium-like rooms inside of the studio where you can rent this. And there’s room service. There’s this resort in a sense. This studio thing, I’ve been a studio rat forever. So, I know the amenities that we like, and things that would be beneficial for us if we could get those, where Snoop can bring his wife, his kids, and his family for that whole month or however long he’s working on his album.

Q. What do you think is missing in today’s music waves? A. It starts with the people. The music, nothing is missing. The things that people are saying that they miss and they want are still there. They’ve been pushed in the back. That sound that made you feel stuff like Tank, Jesse Powell, John B, Kels, and all of that feel-good music. Because if you can remember back in the 90's there were groups that were more R&B than rap. You couldn’t turn on the station and not hear an R&B record. Brandy, Monica, too many rappers Jay Z and those guys were doing their thing. Cameron around that time was doing his thing. So, at the same time, that element that people say they’re missing is still here. But the generation of ears has changed. So, it’s the generation that says we don’t listen to Jay Z or we don’t listen to this person, or we don’t listen to Kanye or we don’t listen to R&B anymore, pretty girls like trap music. The element that happened is rap niggas started singing. That’s what happened. Q. Well, what are some of the goals that you want to accomplish for 2022? A. I’ve actually surpassed the goal that I set for myself this year. I said that I wanted to get at least two placements this year. And I’ve got six so far. And then I wrote another

WHERE IT BEGINS

year in my career so far. So aside from writing Case’s new single, those two are probably so far the biggest stuff that’s happening. So that’s about the biggest accomplishment so far.

single for Case. The last thing that I wrote for him is featuring Arielle. And Latoya London and Anthony Hamilton just dropped a record called “Anything” It’s out now. The video is out now. And I worked on that record also. So, a lot of things are coming to light to perspective, and I just been working. So, I got to set more goals. I want to buy a house this year. There are a few other things that I want to do musically. I just want to stay in tuned and learn as much as I can and soak up as much as I can. And hopefully getting nominated next year for some awards. Q. Behind the scenes what are some of the biggest challenges and hurdles you had to go through? A. Mixing, writing, making sure the approach to the record was great, making sure the melody, everything is strategic, making sure that the cadence was the right cadence, the right melodies, the right words, the right content, lyrics, the mix, the vocals, the EQ is sitting correctly on the vocals, the backgrounds are not too loud, the Sonics of the song, making sure that the approach to the first verse doesn’t sound like something different on the second verse or the melody or the B-section should be here. It doesn’t need a bridge. Then you got marketing, promoting, what are you going to use to drive this record? What program? What platform? What marketing tool? What marketing tactic? Visuals, casting for the visual. This is all happening before the videos or the song even comes out. The paperwork, the registration if it’s for a movie. If it’s for film, you got to do TV and licensing and then you got to do split sheets, you got to register this record, you have to encode this record for radio play, you have to fill the record out, log it into the sound exchange, you have to copyright your music, it’s a process.

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Q. What has been one of the biggest accomplishments/ awards that you’ve ever received so far in your career? A. On an independent level R&B artist of the year, that’s back there on the wall. 2020 R&B artist of the year Tri-city and the 10,000 in a week on my single Party streams in a week, organic streams. And that’s Indie and Major. I don’t know if we could talk about it yet. But it’s a film. It’s a major film with some major players in this movie. And I did the theme song for the film. So, that is going to be the biggest this

Q. What is one message you want to give your fans right now? A. I would say, usually when you give up on something it starts working. I say that to say somebody knows or remembers that job they were about to quit and got promoted. Somebody remembers giving up on that car, and then all of a sudden it started working. It started running again. Faith is something different. Believing in something, have faith, keep the faith. I would say, put God first in everything that you do. I would also say don’t quit. Consistency wins. If you work at it long enough you’re bound to get rich. You’re bound to get to that place you want to be with consistency, with drive. Protect your energy, protect your space. Keep people out of your business, stay to yourself. Tell it to God, he isn’t going to tell anybody. I promise. Don’t quit. Don’t give up. It’s worth it. Q. Where can the readers follow you? A. You all can add me on Bigo live @ iammarcorichh. All platforms, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. I am Marco Richh. Or you could just go to Google and type in Marco Richh.

Blue Magic WHERE IT BEGINS

Q. Thanks for interviewing with us. Tell us who you are and what you do. A. WS: We are the original classic R&B group Blue Magic, and we are legends in the music business. Q. Tell us a little about your journey and how the group got to where you are today? A. WS: We started out in Philly as the Shades of Love; the group consisted of myself Wendell Sawyer, my brother Vernon my best friend Keith Beaton and Richard Pratt who just recently passed away. After auditioning for Dennis Cain of WMOT/ ATCO Records, we were paired with lead singer songwriter Ted Mills formerly of the Top picks and the rest was history. This combination was the start of a musical journey that has spanned 50 years. Blue Magic still exists today because of persistence and perseverance through many challenges and obstacles in the music business and our personal lives. We are blessed by God to still be able to do what we’ve been created to do.

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Q. How did you get the name “Blue Magic”? What’s the meaning behind the name? A. Well…let’s just say the record company took a negative connotation of the name and made it into a positive one so that now when people hear the name Blue Magic it is associated with great music and classic songs that move the heart and uplifts the spirits of people. Q. Let’s talk about your new single and the motivation behind the song? A. FK: The new single was written by our lead singer Robert Williams and his friend Derrick Nelson. RW: Your Love is Magic was motivated by the effect that this particular person and her love was having on me. You know how it is when you’re in love and it feels intoxicating, like you’re under a beautiful spell... Q. What can we expect from the group for 2022? A. RW: You can expect for Blue Magic to give our fans an even better experience when we perform, we will be adding more

classic songs to our repertoire, we also are going to be looking a bit more stylish thanks to Fernando Key who functions as our group stylist. Blue Magic is also looking forward to collaborating with various artists in the hip hop genre in 2022. That’s going to be awesome. We are also excited and looking forward to performing at the Borgata and Hard Rock casinos on a permanent basis. Q. Can you tell us what has been one of your favorite performances you’ve had in your career? A. WS: Wow let me think … We’ve performed at some the greatest venues in the world with some of the greatest artists it’s hard to have a favorite however, I think Performing on Soul Train numerous times is at the top of all of our lists. Q. Can you share one of the craziest stories you’ve had being on tour? A. FK: One of My most

interesting experiences was performing with just two of us in California because Wendell and Keith were snowed in back east. Lead singer Cliff Perkins and I was still able to wow the crowd with the classic hits! RW: My craziest was just barely making my standby flight to Palm Springs. I was the last on the standby list. I was praying because Fernando’s flight was Blue Magic cancelled so that meant that only Wendell and a very sick Keith were waiting in Palm Springs with no lead singer. That was a close call!!! Q. What’s your favorite Blue Magic song you love to perform? A. BM: I think the whole group loves to perform our number one hit Sideshow. That song is special to us and our audience. You can tell by the response we get when the song starts and ends. Also, our fans love to sing along with us. Q. What do you think is missing in today’s R&B music? A. BM: Heartfelt lyrics and Orchestration definitely!! Q. Tell us what has been your favorite albums you enjoyed last year? A. BM: Sorry to say we don’t have any favorites because the music including R&B has changed so drastically because of the lyric content and lack of richness and depth in the musical arrangements. We do have our favorite artists though … . Q. Do you think we should bring disco back to this new genre of music? A. BM: Disco was an era in music that came and went in a flash and it can’t be duplicated however, certain elements of disco can be incorporated into today’s music to give it a certain appeal to the mature audience. Q. What has been the most challenging time as a group in your career?

"I'm just a man standing in need of grace."

A. WS: As I look back, I think the late 70’s and 80’s was the most challenging because of the shift in music from meaningful R&B to Disco. Richard Pratt was the first to leave the group and then my brother and I followed suit. Keith and Ted continued to perform but it wasn’t the same for any of us until we reunited in 1988. Then Ted was involved in a terrible auto accident in 1990 which motivated us to replace him with Rod Wayne. Q. What is one message you would like to give to your fans? A. BM: In these challenging times you must put and keep God first in your life along with being grateful

for all that God has done and is doing in your life. Q. Are you working on any projects or upcoming events? A. BM: As of now we don’t have any projects on the table however we are looking forward to celebrating our 50th anniversary at every event we perform at this year. As far as events are concerned, we perform in NYC on April 16th to kick off the spring/ summer season of concerts. Q. Where can the readers follow you? A. They can follow the Legendary Blue Magic on Facebook and on Instagram.

WHERE IT BEGINS

"In a world filled with hate, violence and war, I seek to spread love, freedom and peace."

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Kelly Wright

Q. Thanks for interviewing with us today. Tell everyone who you are and what you do. A. I’m Kelly Wright. I am from the Washington, D.C. area. I’m a husband, father grandfather, brother, journalist, recording artist, and ordained licensed minister. Before, doing this interview I was the Co-Anchor/ Managing Editor of The World Tonight, a daily news program that airs Monday-Friday 5pm-7pm EST on BNC (Black News Channel). Our show is based in Washington, D.C. I am happy to announce that I will be continuing my journey as a recording artist, with my new song called "This little light" that I just released. Prior to my current position, I was the host of “Taking Care Of Business,” a national program that aired weekly on TBN (Trinity Broadcast Network). Also, I have worked as an Anchor/ Reporter for FOX News Channel in Washington, D.C., and New York City. Plus, I have worked as a reporter for the 700 Club on CBN. Q. Tell us a little about your journey and how you got to where you are today? A. I was born in Hagerstown, Maryland. My mother, a single parent, taught me to believe in God. She always encouraged me to pursue a career in journalism. Following her advice prepared me

for numerous opportunities such as having my own weekly radio music show at the age of 16. When I attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, I continued working as a DJ for the first Black R&B radio station in the city, KKUL. I later joined the U.S. Army, where I continued to work in radio as a news anchor and host of my own musical show for the Army in Savannah, Ga. Also, I anchored a daily five-minute television news update that provided military news in the area. The Army prepared me for the opportunity to develop a career in journalism. The rest, as they say, is history. Q. Let’s talk about “The Kelly Wright Show” and the motivation behind the show? A. I was motivated to create the show in order to provide content that focused on people who are engaging, entertaining, and inspiring. The program goes beyond the headlines with celebrity interviews, news makers, politicians, musical performances, and more. The Kelly Wright Show is currently on hiatus as I currently Co-Anchor “The World Tonight.” Q. How has your experience been working with “BNC”? A. I currently work with (BNC)

Black News Channel. It’s been an important and rewarding chapter of my life. BNC provided me with the opportunity to launch The Kelly Wright Show and The World Tonight during critical times in American history, covering major news stories impacting the Black Community; the Covid pandemic, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, the fight for voting rights, police reform, and more. Q. What interview has been the most interesting or memorable one? A. I have been blessed to interview so many wonderful people in the world but what comes to mind are a few compelling and inspiring interviews such as; Bernice King, the youngest child of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I interviewed her during the 50th anniversary of the March in Washington. We conducted the interview in The Willard Hotel in Washington in the very room where Dr. King has put the finishing touches on his “I Have A Dream Speech.” She reflected on her father’s dream, his love for humanity, his faith in God, and his quest to help all of us learn that we

WHERE IT BEGINS

are interconnected and interrelated in this world and must establish a beloved community. Some other inspiring moments happened when I interviewed some of the children and grandchildren of Nelson Mandela. Also, my numerous interviews with TD Jakes, Joel Osteen, and Denzel Washington. Q. How do you define your purpose in life? A. My purpose in life is to spread love, freedom, and peace. I seek to love God with all of my heart, mind, and strength. Also, I seek to love people as I love myself, and to help people find common ground for the common good of humanity. Q. What are some of your goals for 2022? A. Every day is a gift. My goal is to take one day at a time. Q. Can you give us more details on the article you did with “Chicken Soup for the Soul”? A. My story is about my mother’s love and courage. The article focuses on how she overcame incredible odds to give birth to me.

Q. Are you working on any new projects or events? A. I’m focusing on my musical project, Free. The album was dormant during most of the Covid pandemic. However, I am now relaunching the music which is a collection of songs that I am really honored to have recorded. The album, Free, was produced by Tre’ Corley. It features 10 new songs of love, peace and unity. The project is available on all digital and streaming platforms. The album is electric with influences of gospel, r&b, jazz, country and pop. Songs such as ‘The Love Train’, ‘This Little Light of Mine’ and ‘Free Indeed’ bring a smile with their

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upbeat grooves while selections such as ‘My America,’ ‘Take a Look Around,’ and ‘Savior’ are thought-provoking and personal. From beginning to end, Free promotes unity and peace, celebrating that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. Q. Tell us about your new song and why you decided to become an artist? A. I have been a musical artist throughout my career in journalism. Music has always been a part of my life. My latest song is “This Little Light. Q. Where can the readers follow you? A. Instagram and Facebook/ kellywrightnews twitter@kellywrightnews

Eto’o Tsana WHERE IT BEGINS

Q. Thanks for interviewing with us. Tell everyone who you are and what you do. A. Hi, thank you so much for having me, and for giving me the platform to share my story. My name is Eto’o Tsana, and I am a Performing artist: singer, choreographer, and dancer based in New York City. I specialize in Kongolese dance, and create music from different parts of Africa, Congo and Tanzania. Q. Who or what motivated you to be the woman you are today? A. Who I am today is highly motivated by my mother. My mother was a very talented young woman and always taught my sister and I the value of education. Education was the most important thing for her, and she instilled those values within me. She dealt with many challenges, but never gave up on herself. She inspired me to be the best that I can be, but she also taught me how to be humble. Q. How would you describe the music that you typically music? A. The music that I create is what I like to call Kongobeats; a mixture of Kongolese rhythms that incorporate folkloric to urban using different languages (English, Spanish, Lingala, and Swahili). I believe that my music falls into the category of Afro-pop /world. Q. Let’s talk about your single “Tobina” and the motivation behind the song? A. Tobina was my 1st baby. With the collaboration of Ngouma Lokito from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other renowned Congolese musicians, Ngouma Lokito produced and arranged the instrumental to which I wrote the lyrics to. Prior to music making I have an extensive career as a dancer and choreographer for bands and artists. I often danced for African artists that came to the

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United States with their bands for performances. Ngouma Lokitio was one of the artists that met me as a dancer and as a choreographer. He encouraged me to start a career in singing as he felt that I would have longevity doing what I loved to do which is entertainment. Q. Can you tell us what “Kongobeat” is and how it relates to your music? A. The style of dance and music that I do is called Kongobeat which is the name that I gave it. The reason that I call my music Kongobeats is because at the heart and base of the work is the influence and sounds of the Kongo culture (The Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo). I am Puerto Rican and Congolese who spent several years in the Congo’s and most recently Tanzania. I am fortunate

to have people that are part of the culture who support and contribute to the work that I do. Q. What is your most memorable accomplishment you’ve received in your career? A. The most memorable accomplishment in my career is undetermined as I am still building my legacy… Every seed that I have planted has bloomed at its own time revealing different things at different points of my life. I cannot measure what the most memorable accomplishment is because all my memories stem from that one thing that happens every time, I do what I do… Having the strength and guts to do something that is completely terrifying and life changing (exposing yourself, your vulnerability and strengths to the world). Q. Where do you see yourself in the next 3 years? A. In the next three years I see myself taking a leadership position in the African entertainment industry. Without disclosing what I am working on for the next upcoming years (it’s best to work in silence), I know that I want to stay in the African entertainment industry because I believe that I can be someone

"I would like to Thank everyone who supports the work that I do as a performing artist."

Q. What is one message you would like to give to your fans? A. I would first like to thank everyone who supports the work that I do as a performing artist. Thank you for sending over prayers and positive words, and for continuously sharing my craft with others (that is the way that the music and dance will reach larger audiences). Matondo Mingi (Thank you very much). Once again, thank you for having me, and for allowing me to share a small portion of my story with you and your audience. Q. Where can the readers follow you? A. Readers can find me on all social media platforms (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube) as Eto’o Tsana. of importance to those who want to have a life of entertainment, especially for Women. Q. Are you working on any new projects or upcoming events? A. For the new year of 2022, I released a new song entitled “Tik Tok” in which I featured Tanzanian rapper and entrepreneur Bill Nass. At the moment I have no concrete plans for releasing an album as I am now building my following. Needless to say, I continue to perform at different venues throughout the USA and abroad that offer new opportunities to gain new followers and consumers of my music.

WHERE IT BEGINS

Rafael

Vigilantics Q. Thanks for interviewing with us. Tell everyone who you are and what you do. A. I’m Rafael Vigilantics, I’m a writer and a musician. I’ve written songs for other people and children’s books, and my own music of course, articles for magazines etc. Right now I have a new punk project called TombSnakes with our first release on 4/18 with Blank City Records.

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Q. Who motivated you to be the person you are today? A. I think I’ve largely been motivated by my imagination and the wild land I grew up in. It was full of its own stories and ones you had to craft yourself to make sense of it. My mother of course, she’s an amazing artist and folk singer and the adventures of my youth that helped define my sense of what’s important.

Q. Why do they call you “Iggy Pop of Hip Hop” what’s the meaning behind the name? A. I think the Huffington Post said that probably because of style and stage presence and coming at things from a bit of a rawer DIY ethos. I never really meant to get on Hip-Hop tours it just naturally evolved that way because I was making music solo w/ beats and so I got lumped in with a great crew of artists. “Vigilantics” started as a clothing brand actually. I would

sponsor bands and tour with them selling my merch and theirs. Then it just evolved with me as I became a musical artist as well. Q. Let’s talk about your single and the motivation behind the song? A. I have a new single coming out on the 18th w/ TombSnakes. The first line of the song is “So many snakes, so little time by the sea.” It was literally just an honest, almost childlike reflection on the last 5 years in LA. Just dealing with every kind of backstabbing person in the industry and having gone to the ocean like once. But also, I loved my time there and the whole other side of it. I got to write at Capitol Records and so many amazing opportunities and times. Q. Can you give us more details on your two books? A. One is called “Take Me With You/ Prayers, Poems & Threats.” It’s a book of short stories and threats and comedy. I got to tour it and it was almost like a comedy show, it’s really fun and reflective. The other is called “Why Does Mama Cry At The Moon.” it’s more of a children’s book in a way, it’s illustrated, and it just deals with what we perceive and how we present those perceptions. It’s a beautiful story about our emotive responses to the natural world and being a part of it.

"I'd love to go back to Ukraine, they were such an amazing country to play for."

Q. What has been your greatest accomplishment so far in your career? A. I don’t know about biggest but some of the best times we’re touring Europe and working at Capitol records, selling my first song for commercial, writing with some of my idols. Those are the moments that stick out, being my favorite artists favorite artist. Q. How would you describe the music you typically create? A. I’d say no matter the genre it always sounds like me. But it usually

doesn’t fit in a box, it’s very lofi at times and always really heavily lyrically based. I try to build everything from the lyrics up. I think you can always tell I’m from the southwest. So Maybe Southwestern Gothic. Q. If you could perform anywhere in the world, where would it be? A. I’d love to go back to Ukraine, they were such an amazing country to play for and Japan, I’ve never been and I’m craving some culture shock. Q. Are you working on any new projects or upcoming events? A. I’m working on a new album with TombSnakes, and a new book and opening up my own music venue in Silver City, NM. Always just building and destroying and building again. Q. How can the readers follow you? A. My Instagram is @vigilantics everything else is under Rafael Vigilantics and the new project is under @tombsnakes.

WHERE IT BEGINS

GET THAT GLOW

WWW.PRETTYINPINKSTONINC.COM

Photographer: Gudrun Gabriel Stylist: Vivian Dinkins-Stith Make-up Artist: Yolanda Marshall Hair: Lisa Newton, Hair Game

WIB Entertainment Issue 2022

Articles inside

Rafael Vigilantics

Eto’o Tsana

Kelly Wright

Blue Magic

Marco Richh

Lucy Bartholomew

McIntosh Bros

Natty Rico

Kim Scott

Kayla Waters

Melvin Riley

G Smoove/King IV

Gabriela Mclain

Nina Brown

Ray Ray McCloud III

Donnie Simpson

Mimi Johnson

Elegance of Amor

BMF Cash

Andreao Heard Billie Lennox

Adreana

EJ Jamele

Paula Atherton