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VOL. 1 | N° 1
ACME
BRINGS A CHANGE TO SOUND
NOV | 2010
Editorial Editor in Chief
Khalid Livingston
Creative Director
Khalid Livingston
Writer
Khalid Livingston
Contributing Photographers
Khalid Livingston Ashleigh Sampson Sharika Bivens Angelica Hill
I
Rich In Friends
’ve always had a love/hate relationship with magazines. It seems like every month I have different issue to deal with! So lately I have found myself creeping through the web, trying to find those missing factors that they seem to lack, like video and audio tracks. Even though digital media is alive and thriving with things such as social networks, blogs, and more, I did not want to leave behind the love I have found in the experience of being with and reading a magazine. It’s their focus on the concrete matters that really attracts me. They do not just report on the “now”, but also connect with the past and shows love to the future. They are more focused on their readers, and who they relate to, which is why it’s important for them to stay relevant. As a 19-year-old college student who is just getting a taste of life, the closest people I relate to are my friends. This is why I chose to focus the content of the magazine on them. When I was seven years old, I asked my grandmother was she rich? She responded, “Not in money, but in friends.” Those words will forever remain in the back of my mind, because every day I see and feel the impact my friends have made in me through their existence. I believe the value of a good friend stretches far beyond any dollar. I’ve grown to learn that people’s attitudes always seem to change for the better when things are more in their favor. So for that reason, I never wanted to be “Mr. Popular.” I was more focused on quality than quantity. Having to sift through the fakes, flakes, and snakes from the genuine people was not always an easy task. However, I managed to keenly do so. Since many of my friends are out in the world doing great things with their lives, it was hard for me to choose which ones I would focus on in this issue. The people I selected were the most accessible to me in the short amount of time I had to construct this project. The contents of this faux magazine are more similar to that of a blog, but the layout has been presented to reflect my version of a traditional magazine. This project has been the pride and joy of my visual media class and I hope that all of the readers find it just as visually stimulating as I have. Editor in Chief
Khalid L. Livingston
ACME
WE MAKE EVERYTHING
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Khalid Livingston PHOTOGRAPHER Sharika Bivens & Angelica Hill WORDS Khalid Livingston
The
production and songwriting duo, ACME consists of Joshua Davis (right corner) and Cheakaity Brown (left corner). Ironically, the two 19-year-old Washington, DC natives were introduced to each other via Facebook. By December 2009 they adopted the name ACME, which stands for “A Company that Makes Everything.” Since then, the band has produced for a television show, an indie film, and are currently producing for their first client, D.C. metro rapper “Isang”, as well as working on their own EP. In less than a year the band has made some notable contacts, and has gained the interest of major artist such as Portugal the Man and Gayings.
Influencers:
Miles Davis, The Beatles, A Tribe Called Quest, MGMT, Sun Ra, Pink Floyd, Fela Kuti, Curtis Mayfield, and many others.
Cheakaity Brown also plays in a band called, “Mantra Nova”, which is translated to mean “a new sound that inspires change.”
“I dreams of a world where genres will be things of the past, where music will be split into three categories: amazing, okay, and bad.� - Joshua D.
Destiny Sweeney-Durant Khalid Livingston Khalid Livingston Ashleigh Sampson
LOVE
LOCKDOWN MODEL WORDS IMAGES
Destiny Sweeney-Durant is the 19-year-old designer of Pump Buttons, a line of custom made broaches.
pumpbuttons@yahoo.com
The Featured
5
A New Brand of Bloggers
“LateBoots™ is a Brand Public Relations duo, ran by Marquis Phifer and Sham Shirley. The two organically disseminate what’s cool and relevant through LateBoots.com and other social networks– sparking groundswell conversations surrounding fashion, music, and lifestyle brands.” - www.lateboots.com
2 Brian M. Wright - Founder of Kreemo™ “Kreemo is a brand aimed for the individual that stands out in society. Those who typically attempt to do something different are viewed as a nuisance to society at first, but after they succeed they become influential. In order to attain importance one must separate themselves from “the average Joe”. Kreemo is made for the people in society that choose to go the other route.” “Kreemo is a brand made of high-end and luxury sportswear. The Kreemo brand offers a variety of t-shirts, sweaters, polo’s, knits, and accessories. All Kreemo products are produced in very limited quantities.” -kreemo.com
3 Phillip Annand is the owner and creator of Award Tour, a line of urban street wear.
“The Madbury Club very carefully curates a blend of content different than any other site you’ve grown accustom to reading. Basically while everyone else was content doing the same thing, we’ve swerved to the left to do something we feel is special.” -madburyclub.com
theawardtour.com
4 “Joshua Kissi and Travis Gumbs are the owners of the style blog Street Etiquette which is making ample waves from the city of New York to the world. With the explosion of menswear what they do is provide the vision from a urban perspective and look to connect with individuals worldwide. Expressing their influences from various boundaries and eras ultimately constitute to their personal style.� -streetetiquette.com
5 Angel Laws is the creator and editor of the award-winning pop culture blog Concrete Loop. concreteloop.com