1
GANGST ISSUE 002 S/S 2018
Nydia Hartono
and OTHERS
2
3
4
Contents GANGST Issue 002
Contributors 4 Editor’s Letter 5 Self Portraits 6 Carline Senat
In Review 8 LA and New York 10 Cozy in Spring 13 Amir Williams 14 The Plug 18 Music, Film, and Culture recommendations from the local plug
Meen Habibi? // Whos my Love?
20
America 26 Poems 28 Nydia Hartono 30 Interview with feature artist with selected works
Hit Us Up 44 *Contributors Antoine Timbers, Yasmina Hilal, Luis Luna, Nydia Hartono, Ebrima Manjang, Amir Williams, Carline Senat, Rraine Hanson, Indigo Asim, and Stella Choi. CONTAINS ART, CULTURE, WHOLE LOTTA DUMB SHIT
5
Editor’s Letter
Gangst is back. Why are we back? Becuase we need to be. Beucase we have something to prove. Basically, becuase we’re young. Davey Reed, editor of Crack Magazine, thinks “a good magazine should give its readers a jolt of excitement every single time they see a new issue.” I hope we’ve done that. We aimed for fun, young, playful, and loud. We literally held a photoshoot semi-illegally in a playground. This issue is our terrible two. Be on the look out for scraped knees, juice stains, and an untirable spirit on each page. If you’re reading this, thank you for clicking on a link and opening this up. This is a smaller issue and it is also a better issue. I urge you to look at the first issue before you look at this one, and then revisit it again when you finish this issue. That way you can measure for yourself the progress Gangst has made. Actually, it’s very possible that we’ve gotten worse, but it’s been a year so we wouldn’t be able to tell. As always, thank you to our feature artist, contributors, and readers. Follow us on instagram @gangstmagazine. Taylor Roberts, Editor-In-Chief
6
7
Carline Senat
8
IN REVIEW: By Luis Luna
Kanye West X Adidas Originals Collection made its debut to the NYFW on October 29, 2015. The unveiling of this collaboration left fans, reporters, and critics breathless with the tones and shades of colors that accumulated the layers of fabrics that resemble Kanye’s style. The way Mr. West presented the show was quite astonishing. The color scheme arranged for this collection cohesively went well with the shoes he made known as the Yeezy Boost 350 “turtle dove” along with other versions of it. In his introduction to the collection, Kanye says, “there’s a lack of creativity in every field, because people are afraid.” Adidas allowed him to create without any boundaries and this led him to creatively fabricate one of the shoes that revolutionized how they are designed today. The production of this shoe became exclusive, although Mr. West doesn’t like the idea of exclusivity because he thinks everyone should have a shot at having something. This is what led him to later produce the shoe in distinct colors and models so that everyone can have that chance.
Yeezy Boost 350 “Turtle Dove” Kanye West
9
10
LA is R&B. LA is all about that slow steady rhythm. That refresher your soul needs that reminds you that this world is still beautiful and warm. And you can take in everything. The sun feels like Sade writing you that love ballad reminding you of how beautiful you are all day
NEW YORK is Hip Hop. It has a much faster, louder, and more tightly packed rhythm, you know. It’s very honest and very upfront. Everyone wants to be the best in hip hop, and everyone wants to be the best in NY
11
It’s not for everyone, it can be too intense, but pressure makes diamonds. NYC will forever be my one and only love.
Photos and words by Ebrima Manjang
12
1
13
Cozy inSpring We out here taking naps. We out here doing the least. Comfort is the only commodity we seek this Spring and Summer.
3
4
2
5
6
7 8
1. “Ok Polo Hat” OnlyNY FW 2017. $34 | 2. “Combo Hooded Sweatshirt (Light Grey/Red)” Gosha Rubchinskiy SS 2018. £150 | 3. “Sherpa Fleece Throw Pillow” Urban Outfitters. $49/each | 4. “Air Max 95 Premium” Color: Light Bone. Nike. $170 | 5. “Champion X Beams Eyemask” Color: Grey. Champion X Beams. $49 | 6. “3-Stripes Sweat Pants” Adidas. $70 | 7. “Pixie Coat” Color: Caramel. I.AM.GIA. $85 | 8. “Winged Foot Tote” Color: Yellow. Noah. $32
14
“Yachty”
15
Amir Williams is a 21-year old multi-media artist whose work varies from pieces on identity to merging anime characters with musical artist like Lil' Yachty and 21 Savage. At the moment, he’s most known for his digital pieces, but he’s currently been working in more traditional mediums like acrylic and oil paint because he likes seeing the texture and energy in pieces that he don't think can be imitated digitally. Right now he’s going to school in Santa Cruz, California, set to graduate in June and head back to Los Angeles where he grew up. Specifically he grew up in Hawthorne, but wants to explore more of the art scene and L.A. in general because it's so vast and he’s had most of a sheltered life growing up. All the works were done digitally using photoshop, a wacom tablet, a lot of patience, and some slight mental breakdowns.
16
17
“Melissa”
18
Sonder Son Brent Faiyez
The Plug In this issue Antoine Timbers is putting us on to what to listen to and why.
Maryland Artist Brent Faiyez has taken the world by storm with his feature on GoldLink’s Crew (which went platinum). Brent Faiyez is part of a band Sonder which released their critically acclaimed debut EP earlier this year. With Brent’s voice being very reminiscent of 90’s Soul & R&B music, his debut album Sonder Son is a beautifully well written piece of art.
Poppin Rico Nasty With her aggressive delivery and blunt lyrics, DMV Artist Rico Nasty will be next up and she’s ready.
19
West 1996, Part 2 Lute
SATURATION 2 Brockhampton
blkswn Smino
Dead to Me Kali Uchis
This is an album for people who want to succeed past their obstacles. Lute has a strong classic 90s flow but combined with new modern production giving his debut album a fresh taste among the many similar sounding trap music.
Brockhampton has taken the world by storm with their strong song writing and production. With this 12+ member boyband releasing 2 of 3 albums last year alone, SATURATION 2 shows that rap groups aren’t dead but only something bigger and better than ever.
One of my favorite albums do be released lasy year. Period. The musicality on this album is crazy and Smino definitely has a future. He’s gonna be a star one day.
Are there negative/ toxic people currently in your life that you wish would just go away? Then this is the song for you. Colombian born, Virginia raised, singer songwriter Kali Uchis is about to be a superstar, and this song only proves such.
Drive It Like It’s Stolen Injury Reserve 001 EP YANG YANG - 001 - EP Hailing from Atlanta, YANG, creates some of the most beautiful, striking, and seductive melodies currently coming out. She’s definitely an artist to watch.
Aromanticism Moses Sumney With some beautiful melodies and tones, Moses delivers a well written love album without any romantic intent.
Injury Reserve are one of the most culture pushing rap groups out right. With so many different sounds on this new EP plus their vivid storytelling, Injury Reserve will go from something hard hitting like ‘See You Sweat’ to something dreary yet vivid like ‘Colors’.
Childqueen Kadhja Bonet Kadhja has such a beautiful yet vulnerable tone in her music. With descriptive lyrics and classic sounding production, Kadhja is about to release one of the most unique R&b albums of 2018.
20
Meen Habibi? // Whos my Love?
by Yasmina Hilal
This photo series pays homage to my grandmother and her house. My first home. When I was first born, my grandmother and grandfather couldn’t let go of me so they raised me in their home. An apartment in the heart of Beirut full of antiques, pictures, carpets and plates. I never really thought of how beautiful it is until I did this series. Looking through every room made me want to appreciate every detail my grandmother created in this house. My grandmother owned an old boutique when she was younger and called it “Beverly Hills” where she sold beautifully beaded outfits. After it closed she had a whole closet full of vintage outfits that I eventually used to style the shoot. I hope that with this series, I was able to showcase where I was raised and give my grandmother the praise that she deserves.
21
22
23
24
25
26
THIS IS AMERICA.
27
28
Spring the dirt is now part of my skin seeping in for months now frigid, relentless, self reflection but the time has come to emerge and give the sun a kiss
Rraine Hanson
PLAYGROUND BLACKTOP STILL WARM FROM THE SUN SMOKE SCENTED SKIN DISAPPOINTMENT AND UNSPOKEN ANGER TEXTFIGHTS TEXTFIGHTS TEXT FIGHTS (I CAN TELL UR STILL MAD OVER TEXT, IRL2) INSIDE HOUSE FOR HOURS HIDING HIDING HIDING THE WOMAN AT THE GROCERY STORE WAS KIND, MAKES ME CRY ON MY BREAK GET DRUNK TO TELL HER YOU LOVE HER/ TELL ME YOU LOVE ME WHEN UR NOT DRUNK GO TO THE BEACH TILL DARK SCREAM JUMP GET CUT REPEAT stare at her, while she stares at him KNOW UR PLACE/KNOW WHAT YOU’LL NVR BE EVERY TIME YOU SEE ME , YOU TELL ME HOW SOFT I AM
Indigo Asim
29
NYDIA 30
Shot by STELLA CHOI
31
32
Please, feel free to pay the artist GANGST: What do you make? NYDIA: I take photographs and shoot films. With my personal work, I'm interested in exploring the relationship marginalized individuals have with themselves and their environments. I'm currently working on a series interrogating the concept of home and permanence through a diasporic lens.
G: Why? N: I got into photography when I was 16, like every teenage girl with a compact camera and a desire to create beautiful things. I fell in love with the way photography could archive very specific moments in time. I have a terrible memory so photography sometimes serves as an external hard drive to store my memories. When I first started taking photography seriously I did a lot of self portraiture because I wanted to document my growth as a human blob and a photographer (also I didn’t know how to direct people and I was the most accessible person to myself). Nowadays, I use photography and film as a tool to document and understand the complex identities and histories I hold within myself as well as the people I shoot. I also just love shooting my friends and making them feel like the beautiful, special angels that they are.
A 23 YEAR OLD PHOTOGRAPHER AND FILMMAKER AND MUSE BASED IN LOS ANGELES GETTING AT THE HEART OF WHAT IT MEANS to be marginalized. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY THE ARIST.
33
G: How has graduating changed what you make? Do you feel more pressure as an artist post-grad? N: 100%. There’s more pressure to make content that’s more commercial and consumable by the masses. I felt like there was more room more experimentation in college because there was a wider margin of error. Now that the training wheels are off, I’m working towards making this my bread and butter while finding a way to be creatively fulfilled. Personally, that has translated to shooting more fashion photography and paying more attention to creative direction even though my end goal leans more towards documentary. It’s not a negative thing, I think artists need to be versatile for the sake of paying the bills and funding your own passion projects. G: Why LA? N: I’d rather struggle in a place where you can wear birkenstocks all year round. Plus the fact that there’s plenty of opportunity for work is kinda tite.
34
G: Do you subscribe to the idea of having a “day job”? N: O ya baby! *9 to 5 plays loudly in the foreground*
35
36
G: What was your most intense experience as an artist so far? Like, has anything ever really made you reconsider your art or yourself? N: A couple months ago, I posted a tasteful nude that I digitally collaged on my public account as an act of self love. A few days later, my mom called yelling over the phone and threatened to deport me because god forbid her daughter has a body *cue laugh track*. The entire situation was as ridiculous as it was painful but one of the biggest pangs was the fact that I now have to censor my art in online spaces because my parents know how to use Instagram. That week, I made a promise to myself that I want to use my art as an instrument for personal and collective liberation.
37
G: You’re a Sagittarius, do you think it helps or hurts your art? N: Both. I want to explore and do everything with a burning passion but I also get easily distracted so I end up with 105 tabs open, 4 incomplete projects, and a blind optimism that everything will work itself out.
38
39
40
41
G: Where can we follow you and see more of your art? N: www.nydiahartono.format.com or @nydiahartono on the gram
42
43
44
X
HIT US UP Gangst is a seasonal magazine based in New York that accepts submissions from young people of color in writing, photography, fine art, and any kind of visual art. If you can send it we can take it. Send questions and submissions to gangstmag@gmail.com
@GANGSTMAGAZINE twitter and instagram
45
Products Coming Soon
*
o
rel, n a p p *a
r
icke
, st velty
obab s, pr
ly no
ds ocar r t e tm
46