- THE WORLD’S FIRST VIDEO MAGAZINE THE PRIDE EDITION
FREE
THE SLUMFLOWER INSPIRE.ENTERTAIN.
#6
SEPT 16 - DEC 16
FOUNDING PUBLISHERS Ibrahim Kamara & Jide Adetunji EDITORIAL EXECUTIVE EDITOR Davina Merchant SENIOR JOURNALIST Jide Adetunji CONTRIBUTORS Shannie Mears VIDEO SENIOR VIDEO PRODUCER Ibrahim Kamara VIDEO EDITOR Ibrahim Kamara ART CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ibrahim Kamara PHOTOGRAPHERS Nwaka Okpareke, Karis Beaumont, Nicole Osula, Olu HD & Dami Khadijah VIDEO EDITOR Ibrahim Kamara JIDE ADETUNJI
GUAP International contact@guap.co.uk
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EDITOR’S NOTE It’s that time of year where we celebrate the contributions of black people to the world and honour some of the legends who helped shape every aspect of modern society. For us at GUAP, it is deeper than that. In a time where there is rising racial tension and division, we chose to dedicate this issue to offer different narrative. For once, whilst still acknowledging what needs to be improved in our social system, let’s focus on ADETUNJI and celebrate the divine greatnessJIDE of our talents and the ability to spread love and create life that connects us all. For the 6th Issue ‘The Pride’ edition, we are proud to have one of South London’s finest visual artists and fashion influencers grace the cover. She waited for the right moment to do her first cover shoot. It was ultimately her deeper To celebrate Black History month we have gathered some of the best emerging talent and some young legends, to share with us their journey so far, current projects and how their roots and culture shaped them and their careers. It’s a deep one, kick back and enjoy. JIide Adetunji Senior Journalist IBRAHIM KAMARA
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THE SLUMFLOWER
Ray of sunlight.
12 THE COMPOSERZ The coolest band ever.
14 KEITH DUBE
Self branding at its finest level.
15 NEW AGE MUZIK
When afrobeats meet fashion.
16 TOM MOUTCHI Taking things serious.
18 BLACK WALL STREET
The history you didn’t know about.
20 KATY SADE
When fashion meets PR.
21 KOBY MARTIN
Follow your heart & make art..
23 JIDENNA Suave and smart.
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“you really just have to love yourself” Cover Star: The Slumflower Page 6.
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THE SLUMFLOWER
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THE SLUMFLOWER Chidera aka The Slumflower describes herself as an oxymoron; a beautiful and blooming spirit that blossomed from the gritty soils of Peckham, South London. What started off as a simple expression of her creativity has seen her interest in fashion arts turn into a fierce andaswell-known brand. She’s been Chidera akaand Thevisual Slumflower describes herself an oxymoron; a beautiful and featured bloomin publications such as CNN, Evening Standard, i-D Magazine, Vogue Italia ing spirit that blossomed from theLondon gritty soils of Peckham, South London. What started and more all before graduating from university. off as a simple expression of her creativity has seen her interest in fashion and visual arts turn into a fierce and well-known brand. She’s been featured in publications such as CNN, London Evening Standard, i-D Magazine, Vogue Italia and more all before graduating from university.
STORY: JIDE ADETUNJI PHOTOGRAPHY: NWAKA OKPARAEKE MAKE-UP: ABBIE MAY STYLING: THE SLUMFLOWER FILM: IBRAHIM KAMARA THE SLUMFLOWER
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T S I T
R A l a u Vis
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THE SLUMFLOWER
THE SLUMFLOWER
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“I feel like the people that make the most change are the people who just stick to their guns�
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THE SLUMFLOWER
ST YLE BLOGGER & DESIGNER
THE SLUMFLOWER
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You won’t find a young band with as much energy, vibes and sauce as these guys. What started off in church has become a unique and creative musical sensation hailing recognition locally and worldwide. This team of rock stars consists of a Bassist, Drummer and two Pianists. They’ve sold out the acclaimed O2 Kentish Town for their famous headline show ‘A Night Of The Compozers’ performing in front of 3000 plus loyal supporters.
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THE COMPOSERZ THE COMPOSERZ
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THE COMPOSERZ
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KEITH DUBE
Keith Dube is young man who’s wisdom and perception knows no bounds. Growing up, travelling from city to city he was forced to learn and continuously adapt. For years Keith has been developing a brand centred on him being himself. This brand has developed into a platform which has seen him self-publish his own book, create his own popular podcast ‘3 Shots Of Tequila’ and featuring on a recent BBC 3 documentary on mental health amongst the black community. 14
MR EXPOSED
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NEW AGE MUZIK
Photo by:Dami Khadijah
This young and stylish music collective have more than just a dope sense of fashion. This talented team of producers and vocalists have spent time and effort mastering their sound and image and are deservedly building some great momentum in the UK Afro-beats scene. Other than the dope and unique music, what makes this collective stand out is their charisma and energy. Their sincerity shines through in every department and it’s this package that makes these guys special. NEW AGE MUZIK
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T O M
You may recognise this young creative from Vine or Instagram. Formerly known as Tommy Expensive, Tom entrusts GUAP to share the story of how he built up a brand making funny skits and sharing them via social media, then turning away from that brand to make the transition into a more serious acting career. The journey has most definitely been a tough one but Tom excels by keeping faith in God and his undeniable talent. 16
TOM MOUTCHI
M O U T C H I
RECOMMEND MUSIC
FOR ALL WE KNOW
CONFIDENT EP
NAO ALBUM
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S
KNUCKS SONG OTHER
ADEJOSHUA EP
PRYNCE MINI - 11 NYGHTS (MIXTAPE)
BLIND IN THE SUMMER BOBII LEWIS MIXTAPE
HIP HOP RAISED ME - DJ SEMTEX THE ABCs TO STUDENT SUCCESS (BOOK) (BOOK)
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I bet you didn’t know we had a Black Wall Street! By Shanice Mears It’s funny how we go through twelve years of compulsory education, we learn about Pythagoras’s theorem, where Shakespeare lived, periodic tables and my favourite Hitler! School wanted us to learn geography, science and to remain specific history, yet they keep from us the truth of our real history. It’s fair to say when I was learning about the civil rights movement in history I thought my school were doing alright at least. But hey! I’m not saying watching roots during my history lesson and learning about the speech Martin Luther King Jr - ‘I have a Dream’ made wasn’t enlightening because it definitely was, it just seems that at that age I didn’t know any better so of course it was enlightening I almost had no choice but to appreciate my ‘black history’ then whatever it was because I was just glad I could learn about it.
BLACK ARTICLE
95 years ago, which marks less than a century our community knew what it really meant to be, black owned; from banks to barbers and like they say in the video ‘we didn’t need to go downtown’ we had everything we needed and more. Imagine coming from a place where it wasn’t the norm to go to any other race that owned businesses but your own! That must be something, because I don’t even really remember the last time I seen a street of shops owned by black people only. Now I’m not saying that we should all boycott Tesco’s tomorrow but what am I saying is we need to remember where we come from, what we had and we no longer have. This is not due to us being unable but to us being the colour we are today. Black Wall Street although yes, it existed in Greenwood, America (I’m well aware this is the U.K)- That was still a part of our identity and what we stood for, we were educated, united and strong in numbers.
Black Wall Street was taken away from us due to envy, fear and hate.
This is the stuff they don’t tell you or teach you, the history that got lost in our history books and blacklisted in the media. This is the history that you’re parents too, might not know because as generations went on we were made to forget and not mention what the KKK were made of. The history that doesn’t tell you that white men and women in America 95 years ago plotted together to kill more than 300 American black people in addition to leaving more than 9,000 homeless. By using the excuse of assault from a young black man to another white lady. But maybe in them days a court order and sentence just wasn’t enough so instead they burnt down a nation and resulted in lynching. I’m going to take two steps back for a minute because maybe I sound angry, maybe if your reading this I seem a little upset. But your wrong I’m neither upset nor angry. I’m tired and frustrated but mostly I’m sad. So instead of crying I’m writing this to make everyone aware that Black history is not just a month but a lifetime of experiences, some of which we have no idea happened or has had impact on us today. 18
BLACK WALL STREET
We had our own wolves in our own wall street and they deserve to be spoken about and passed on in education. So‌To all my brothers and sisters, you are more than capable, more than worthy, you are not disliked and do not deserve to be mistreated. However it’s just unfortunate that although we were born great, we were also born misunderstood.
35 Blocks of homes. 21 Restaurants. 30 Shopping Markets. 2 Cinemas. 1 Hospital.
Banks, Churches and Libraries
BLACK WALL STREET
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KATY SADE West London’s finest; PR whiz kid and fashion influencer Katy Sade has built a highly reputed company in waters not many young entrepreneurs venture. Growing up, Katy took in the culture of her surroundings, using it to inspire her to start her own public relations company Public Ambitions PR which offers promotional solutions to a thriving inner city fashion scene.
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KATY SADE
KOBY MARTIN
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A deep and richly cultured young man whose journey has seen him cross international borders, venturing from Ghana to the UK to follow his dream. Leaving his loving and supporting family back home he attended university in the Midlands whilst documenting his epic journey through his breath taking paintings and art collection. His awesome work has led to him collaborating with the likes of the luxury car manufacturer Mercedes as well as Krept & Konan for the cover art of their last album ‘Long Way Home’. KOBY MARTIN
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AFROPUNK PHOTOS The chief, the magician, the classic man: Jidenna takes us on a tour of his world as he opens up, sharing deep stories of his childhood where he grew up in two continents, Africa and America. He spoke of the experiences he faced early on in life which ultimately shaped his career, fashion sense and music. From hustling to facing racial abuse, attending university and studying under legendary psychologist Philip Zimbardo. In this Legendary interview we get a deeper sense that the name Jidenna is one that will surely be etched into the history books.
JIDENNA
JIDENNA
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AFRICA. “The concept behind the, Africa series initially stemmed from my interest in traditional African hairstyles. The detailing and intricacy with which many of these were designed and woven together was something that fascinated me. The photographs were taken just before I had learned of the ban on natural hair in South Africa’s Pretoria Girls High School. It was an outrage to me and I wanted to use the images as my photographic response to the events. I also wanted to illustrate my thoughts; accompanying the pictures with captions such as: “Leave my hair alone”; “Black beauty is not to be confined. Let us out and let us breathe” and “Unapologetic”. It was my way of protesting against the practice of prohibiting black females from wearing their hair in its natural state. No one has the right to take away another person’s freedom, and no one has the right to take away a person’s God given crown.” - Nicole Osula Photo: Nicole Osula Hair & Makeup: Nicole Osula Creative Direction: Nicole Osula Instagram: @_heiwatoai Model: Rachel Boonin Instagram: @jacquesraytrill
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SHOT BY:
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NAIJA GHELZ “The inspiration behind the, “Naija Ghelz” series also took root from traditional African hairstyles. This time, however, I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to recreate styles that were of a bold and fearless composition, and I wanted to capture the models in vibrant clothing and makeup in the hope of showcasing the liveliness of African culture” - Nicole Osula Photo: Nicole Osula Hair & Makeup: Nicole Osula Creative Direction: Nicole Osula Instagram: @_heiwatoai Models: Michelle Tiwo and Stephanie Tiwo Instagram: @aesthetically_blk and @coconut_oil_heaux
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BLISSFUL “TComparing the beauty of black women to that of beautiful vibrant flowers. This is the simplest way I as the photographer can explain my thought process as I was engaged in this shoot.� - Olu HD Photo: Olu HD Instagram: @Olu_HD Model: Kehinde Martins Instagram: @Kmarts_
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NEXT UP. MUSIC
RAYE
Singer 19 Croydon teenager, Rachel Keen is making a storm in the music industry.
KNUCKZ
DANZEY
Rapper 21 One of North West London’s finest rappers.
Rapper 22 Black Patrone artist & producer is one of London’s most unique artists.
KAIYA MILAN
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OTHER
RICHARD ASOMUGHA
MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER 19 Young & talented inspirational speaker
ARTIST MANAGER 22 Artist manager to Kojey Radical & future female industry leader.
CREATIVE ENTREPRENEUR 25 Fouder of urban fashion show MyRunway.
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WOMAN TO WOMAN Inspiring, aiding, connecting women worldwide womantowoman.org.uk @womantowomanx FINESSE RECORDS Record label Frmanagement1@gmail.com @finesse_records
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Stylist- Londiwe Ncube Photographer- Todd Duncun
TAKE STAGE: ELHAE 39
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