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ISUU10
STAFF PUBLISHER Ronnie Walker @iamronniewalker
EXECUTIVE EDITOR DJ Sincere @drtybsmnt ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Belinda Trotter - James @modelocity @Belinda_Trotter_James ART ASSITANCE Mike Hanna @bigcalhoun EVENT DIRECTOR Danly Jones
CON TRI BUT ORS
Peige Tuner Offers advice on how to spice up your sex life and increase the intimacy in your relationship. Natural Xpressions Offers how-to tip on MAKE UP and becoming a better you...
https://ronniewalker.jeunesseglobal.com/en-US/
beauty tips the beauty business
08
sasha cream
10
paul d. jones
14
Mathew Knowles
18
blushhh music
24
uptown bam
28
the naked truth
taxes, investments and more
the man with the golden touch
hip hop and r&B trio
bridging the gap
Natural Xpressions
Making it as an MUA
Although the beauty business seems highly competitive, staying one step ahead of the competition is easier than ever in this age of social media. In my “1 on 1” classes I am always asked “How do you get clients?”, “How much should I charge”, and “How can I be different?”. Let’s start with the 1st question, building clientele is very difficult when you’re just starting, but obviously not impossible. When mar keting via social media always post your very best work on many different looking women. Showing diversity is key. Make sure you are always looking like your brand and pay attention to what your target market wants. Network by going to trade shows and events (even if it has nothing to do with beauty) with business cards, take a friend that you did makeup on to use as a walking billboard. Never start with low pricing (which is the route most beginning MUAs take). Low pricing gives the impression that you CAN’T charge more, your skill level isn’t where it should be, your products are too low end or you’re desper ate. Instead, look toward competitive pricing, which brings me to the next question, “How much should I charge?”. Always start off with competitive pricing, it’s very important to hit the ground running in this business. Competitive doesn’t mean cheap though, never sell yourself short. If the going rate in your area is $75, charge $70 or $65 this way when you go up on prices you wont be jumping too far. Don’t quit your day job while you’re still practicing, especially if you don’t have all the tools, products and equipment to provide a professional service. Don’t charge until you’re at the level or better than your competitors, then charge accordingly! Most beginners start charging in the practicing stage and find it impossible to raise their pricing once they have gotten to the point where they would now be considered a professional. Build your kit little by little, it’s expensive but fun and exciting. I always tell my students to look for cream foundations that give you a few colors in each palette ranging from darkest to lightest, a great tip I learned in the beginning when I took a class with Tatiana Ward (@BeatFaceHoney) and Renny Vasquez.
Lo La
And last but not least, “how to stand out from the rest?” This part depends on your artistry, talent and knowledge about the skin, but also can be customized to each client. For example, I arch (razor) my client’s brows for them, this way they can show up without stopping to get waxed. It seems like a small convenience but making yourself a one stop shop is a very good way of standing out. Also i can shape their eyebrows according to their natural shape vs what they will recieve in the nail shops. Your skills and product knowledge will be the main thing that will help set you apart from the rest. It seems like everyone is a makeup artist these days, but if you look really closely not many are at a professional level nor are they able to retain clientele. This is where you take over, online classes are excellent for people who can learn by just watching also you tube cannot be excluded as it helps to show different techniques and products. The best way to get started is face to face classes with a professional makeup artist. If you are self taught, go anyway! It’s always something to learn from people that have worked on many faces. Also keeping up with the latest trend is also key on being “different”. Makeup changes almost daily believe it or not, a few years ago a super bright under eye highlight was in, now subtle and glowy is the way to go, who knows what it will be next month. Getting people to believe in your skill and brand seems hard but this is a business that you definitely get out what you put in. It may seem really hard some days but sacrifice and hard work has never failed a successful business person.
2016 - 17
MODEL: Nellie Rose Spangler - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nellierosespangler - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nellierosespangler/
Caution Magazine Interview with
The adult entertainment industry and Hip Hop has been intertwined heavily for quite some time. From artists dating porn stars to being involved in adult films in one capacity or another. Ms Sasha Cream is one who has garnered a lot of attention, from dancer to adult movie superstar. She has successfully navigated the fickle taste of the industry and the public and has emerged with both the hidden scars and the stories to prove it. She recently released the scathing book “Sasha Cream: The Naked Truth.” This details her experiences with a who’s who of names that we all know. Ms Sasha Cream, welcome to the Drtybsmnt. ”Thanks for having me.” Well thank you so much for spending some of your time today with us. Now, I’ve been trying to check you out a little bit of course. Trying to do my due diligence. Definitely have to go and do a little bit of research on my guests. Now, we know that you’ve been in the entertainment industry as a dancer, as an adult performer for a while. We definitely want to get into your whole background and your history. And of course, as we move forward, we want to talk a little bit about this book that you have that you recently put out. So why don’t you introduce yourself a little bit to the audience, and let everybody know exactly who you are. ”I’m Sasha Cream, the porn star. Known as the video vixen, adult entertainer, and dancer. Now I’m an author. I’ve just done a book which is titled, “Sasha Cream - The Naked Truth.” Published by G Street Chronicles. I have my own website. I have merchandise. I do a lot of Interview conducted and written by DJ SINCERE / DRTYBSMNT MULTIMEDIA
different things. What do you want to talk about?”
Wow.
Well, how did you initially enter the business? I guess we could pick it up from there. ”Before I started doing porn or dancing or anything, when I was younger I always modeled. So I was already modelling. I have been in beauty pageants and stuff like that. So it pushed me towards the modelling industry, as far as - the print modelling thing. And I moved to Atlanta. Before I moved to Atlanta, I danced in Detroit, because I’m from Ohio. And I moved down here to Atlanta. Well then, that’s when I got into the porn.”
“Nobody in their right mind would go anywhere with that ugly m*****f*****!” “Cee Lo Green in the book….”
Now, you’ve also been an escort. Now, in terms of that whole world, I’m quite sure that you’ve encountered a number of different types of celebrity situations and different things like that. Is there any kind of stories that you could tell us?
”They can be very judgmental. And you can never judge a book by its cover because I mean at the end of the day, that’s my job. That’s how I provide for my family, that’s how I provide for myself. It’s a job, just like anybody else with a 9 to 5. Its - same hours on the clock, just a different - a different job title. So I understand that a lot of things go on which the people sweep up under the rug. Like all these high end people that they think - is on these high horses. They’re normal people just like anybody else. These are mainly the people that I have to interact with to please, to make happy. Those are the people that I spend the majority of my time with when people are calling me a prostitute or escort, or whatever the case may be. You know what I’m saying? It is what it is.”
(laughs) “Some stories that I could tell you. As far as the escorting?” Because I did read one story that was about a situation that you had recently in a hotel where you were robbed. So I’m quite sure a lot of crazy stories go on, and I saw that you were engaged in a bit of a Twitter war also with a particular person…. ”Midget Mac, yeah. He’s in the book. There’s a lot of people in the book. You’re all going to have to get that book. French Montana in the book. Soulja Boy in the book.” Okay, okay. See that’s what I’m talking about. ”I can’t give you all too much, because you’re all going to have to go get the book.” Right, right. Exactly. You all need to go get the book. You can get the book - Amazon. You all can get the book from my website. You can get the book from barnesandnoble.com. You can get the book in the streets everywhere. They’re not hard to find. Yes I did get into a twitter beef with Midget Mac, because he put something in my drink. He drugged me.”
Now you’ve indicated that - you kind of felt that at some point that, the industry wasn’t necessarily safe for you. What’s some of the biggest misconceptions that somebody on the outside looking in has about that particular aspect of the entertainment industry?
There’s different kind of adult websites that people can go to and see all kind of movies and things like that. How has that effected the industry do you think? ”It hasn’t, it just depends on how you sell your content, and what type of content you have built up and fan base. If you have loyal fans and put out new material you put out stuff that they can’t go and get. Once it gets to the internet, yeah they can pull a certain thing but by the time they pull it, you would have already made your money from it. You have to have good marketing and good branding, and you have to put out exclusive content all the time. You have to beat your competitors. You have to have calendars, people do a lot of different things. Roxy might run her site different from Pinky’s, Pinky’s site is different from Cherokee. My site is totally different from all of these.”
You’re getting some real talk, some real business talk. And this is a whole different aspect of what you might have thought you would be hearing from this young lady. ”They underestimate the knowledge and the talent of a person because of their title or what they do and you can’t do that. Because at the end of the day, if you don’t know that person - You can’t just throw nobody up under the bus. I mean people are entitled to their own opinions, just like Amber Rose with her slut walk thing. They waste too much time with negative things, instead of being positive about things sometimes. I don’t judge nobody. If that’s your preference to what you like, a finger in your ass….You know what I’m saying?” Yeah, I definitely get it – since you brought up Amber Rose that was definitely a trend on Twitter. ”Yeah, that was a trending topic. ‘Cause it’s going down. Kanye shouldn’t even feel bad.” ”People look at this book like a “tell all” or whatever. I’ve been getting good feedback. You have to read the book to understand. Because I only do it to - about the people that I have interacted with, spent time with or whatever the case may be. And I never really threw nobody up under the bus. And if I did throw you up under the bus that means that you were some type of problem. I didn’t just go slandering people, throwing people up under the bus. I speak on my own demons. I’m not perfect, I’m no angel and I didn’t just go throwing people up under the bus. Well… some people I did throw up under the bus.” Well I guess maybe those people might have deserved it. Now you mention the word feedback. But has there been any backlash? ”They said that Cee Low was threatening to sue the radio station if I go air and slander his name. They don’t want to let me come to the radio station, because they don’t want to take that chance, I’ve been on this radio station like 4 times. It’s one of the biggest radio stations in Atlanta. And shout out to Jazzy, Mag B, Lil Bankhead and everybody over there from the streets. Yeah, there has been backlash, good and bad. I just take the bitter with the sweet. Because--When I wrote the book, I knew that everybody wasn’t going to take it how I wanted them to take. I was cool with that. I mean the truth is always better than a lie. I ain’t tell a lie. People want to know, if people want to know, that book tells you first thing, and anything you want to know about me. Because the last chapter is, “Who is Sasha Cream?” So if anything that somebody want to know about me, they could read the book and find out everything that they want to know.”
Since I’m a DJ and I play music, I’ve definitely got to know, what do you listen to, who’s some of your favorite artists? One of my favorite artists right now is Future. He’s one of my favorite artists right now. I like Drake, Yo Gotti, I listen to everybody stuff. I don’t like that controversial s*** with everybody beefing back and forth. I don’t like that type of thing. I listen to all - Jeezy my favorite rapper of course, he trap or die baby. They know that, everybody know that. So now, are you going to be having any live performances anywhere? You doing any dates? They can find any of my dates on sashacreamonline.com. They can go to my website. To sashacreamonline.com to see where I’m going to be at. And just see any latest information on me on my website, sashacreamonline.com. Make sure you check on my Instagram, my Instagram is sashacreament and my twitter is @sashacream. And my YouTube channel is Sasha Cream. .
Alright, once again, make sure you all go and get the book, coming from Miss Sasha Cream. The book is entitled, “The Naked Truth.” It’s definitely a hot topic. Definitely a hot read. Make sure you go and check that out. Once again, Miss Sasha Cream, thank you so much for coming through - hanging out with us for a bit in the Dirty Basement. Alright, take care. Thank you for having me. You too baby.
PAUL D. JONES Caution Magazine Interview with
What do you know about credit, how about 401k’s or mutual funds,investing in the stock market, getting a mortgage or planning for retirement? Many of us really know little or nothing these days about these subjects and how they can work to our advantage or detriment. These really basic issues are not commonly taught in our nations high schools and the learning curve for those attempting to do it themselves is steep. The market is full of all types of schemes and cons so its buyer beware. Even without that the stock market is informed gambling maybe but still gambling nonetheless. How does one become educated in these vital aspects of adult life in the 21st century? Today we welcome Mr. Paul D. Jones, lecturer and author on the the subject of Financial Literacy
Interview conducted and written by DJ SINCERE / DRTYBSMNT MULTIMEDIA
Well let’s get straight into it, I’m definitely intrigued. How did you end up in this particular field, in this line of work I guess, doing what you do? Especially being a black man doing it, that’s something that is definitely needed, but neglected in our community. We all hear the stories about a baby 3 years old and already got bad credit. So there’s a lot of us that definitely could use some advice and some pointers on how to get ourselves together financially. So please, the floor is yours. >Well I’ll tell you the beginning of it came by straight frustration. So it’s - when you’re frustrated about something, you see a certain situation, you see the way things work out. And I’m the type of person that once I get upset about something - and not upset as in - in a negative mindset, but upset to say, “You know what? Things can be better. I need to do something different.” Well that was just that. Once I knew I wasn’t in a good situation, once I knew I wasn’t happy with what my financial situation was - instead of me getting to the point where I would blame someone else, I took it upon myself. And I became an information geek. I mean literally, I geeked out because if you beat me at something, if you outsmart me, I’m not going to be mad at you - I’m going to be mad at myself. >So I’ll never be or have a victim mentality. I’ll have the mentality that says, “You know what? Yep this happened to me because I did not know any better.” And I wasn’t going to blame anyone. So I look at it from my mother - beautiful woman, raised me awesome. Bless her heart, she’s gone now. But she’s from the South. So imagine you’re born in Mississippi in 1942, 1943. At 10 years old, it’s 1953. 20 years old, it’s 1963. Okay, what really did she learn? And then here I am 8 years later born. Well now the information that I received was slated anyway. So I didn’t want to go and blame life on - whether it’s the region she grew up in, or anything else - or on anyone else. I just realized that if I wanted things to change, I had to take it upon myself and find out what I was missing out on. And once I found out, I said, “Oh hold on, now I’ve got to let everybody else know too.” And, so that’s why I started in business. So really I’m - imagine this. 20 years ago, 20 - about 25 years ago. I’m in a very, very small 1 bedroom apartment. So 20 years ago, my daughter’s 20 - she’ll be 21 in June. So she’s about 1 and a half. So here we are 18 years later. And I realized I want to buy a home. But this is how I realized I wanted to buy a home. My brother was over and were having adult talk, if you know what I mean? So I look at my daughter, and I say, “Baby, why don’t you go lay down?” Keep in mind, we’re in a very, very small 1 bedroom apartment. But I was needing for her to go and get into bed. But what she is she grabbed her blanket, and she crawled on the couch. See, once I peeped game on that, and I actually looked at that. See certain things happen when other people around or in
your home, in your little domain, then you realize. That I was like, “No, no baby, I meant for you to go to the room.” Well it hit me that was her bed. She did exactly what I told her to do. Right. >And I said, “I need to buy a house. I need to change the generational curse. Okay. Now let me just stop you right there. Because that was going to be like my next series of questions. You talk about generational curse. A lot of us get into a series of bad habits. So it starts with not knowing, we don’t get that kind of financial education through the schooling system. And a lot of times, it’s not even taught really in the household. So how did you break your bad habits? >Well you know what? That’s what pain does to you. If you get sick and tired enough, then you’re going to say, “Wait a minute. I was in enough pain, and I had enough love.” I’ll repeat that. Listen. I was in enough pain, and I had enough love for my child. And many young parents right now, they will go-- Like I’ve seen friends that unfortunately went to jail. And they said, “Man, I had to take care of these babies that I have, and take care of my kid.” But they did the wrong thing. Well so I had the same mentality, because I grew up in the same projects. I grew up in the same lower income mindset or lifestyle. So I understood that. But I knew that I was not going to do something to embarrass my mother. So that’s why I said, that’s the love. And I knew I wanted to be in my daughter’s life. That was the love that I would feel, feeling the same pain. And that’s when I said, “Okay, hold on. So I’ve got to figure this out--” So I went to buy a house, and they declined me. Okay wow. >I tried to go and get a mortgage, and they turned me down. So this is - it all adds up. I go to buy a home, they turn me down. I asked why. I feel like I’m making enough money, I have a business degree. My wife has a bachelor in nursing, and a bachelor in Spanish - and you are turning us college educated folks down, why? They said, “Debt to income ratio.” That was the first time - keep in mind, like I said, I had a business degree. My wife is educated. And it’s the first time I heard the phrase debt to income ratio. My question was - how could someone graduate from college and not understand a thing about the income ratio? Then come to find out that the debt was the credit card debt that I have accumulated while I was in college, trying to enjoy life and live life and pay for school. And the school loans that I got. That was the only debt I had. So therefore, take the debt with the income coming in, they say, “You don’t make enough to afford this home.”
So I was forced to start a home business. I said, “You know what? I’m going to start something, and I got to do something.” So I started working from home. I was selling Telecom service. And I wanted my house that bad that I sold enough telephone service - that I had enough money to go pay down the debts, so that I could get the loan to buy the home. From there, once I accomplished that, that’s when it hit me. That I really did it because I wanted something bad enough. And from there, and teaching people, have always said, “Man, you need to put this in a book. You need to tell the story. How did you do it?” The frustration that you go through dealing with negative people. When you say it worked for you, they say, “Well it doesn’t work for everyone.” Well yeah, it works for everyone who truly believes, and it doesn’t work for everyone who doesn’t believe. Now, fast forward, you make a ton of money, you’re doing good. You open more companies, you’re opening more companies. Life is great. And maybe we hit a recession. And I’m like, “Wow, now we’re in a recession.” And that’s when it hit me, and I went back and I learned even more about creating a net worth. And understanding financial literacy. Because I made millions, but I did not have the full understanding of financial literacy that I have today. And that’s when I look at it and say, “You know what? Financial literacy is the key to a person’s better life.” Because if you have a regular man’s salary, but you understand financial literacy then you start understanding how to create a net worth. Before you even get that far, what did you find were some of the basic mistakes that people make that keeps them trapped in the rat race so to speak? >Great question. I’ll speak for myself. The emotional buying tactics. Remember the same love that I said I have for my daughter and my wife and all that. Well that same love would make me go buy something that I couldn’t afford. People who have a misunderstanding of what success is, they think that having the nice car is success. So therefore, they would go and sign on the dotted line to get a more expensive car or more car than they can actually afford. Because they have a job, so now they’ve got to get a car to match. And next thing you know, they’re living pay check to pay check. And it’s funny, I say it this way. When I worked at Taco Bell - yes, I worked at Taco Bell, and I made some very good tacos when I worked there. But when I worked at Taco Bell, do you realize that although my budget was tight, I made it at that level? Then when I got a part time job - I worked at Taco Bell, then I started detailing cars on the side. I was able to upgrade some things. But I made it on that level. The next thing you know, I become an assistant manager for Taco Bell. Then it’s like - great, I got another raise. Every time I got a raise,
I expanded what I have, but I never took the money to create wealth. And I’m like, “Wow, what if I had stayed in the same spot when I was making less--?” Right. >Save that money up. Then when I stepped out, now I have more of a cushion, and I have money in a growth fund that draws interest - versus me paying higher interest on things. So it’s those simple things of financial literacy that people don’t understand, so therefore, this is what messes up your credit. It’s what messes up and gives you high debt, so therefore you can’t create wealth. No man can create wealth with debt, period. It’s not - it’s not going to happen. Because this - it is the thing that you’re going to do to - is to create - figure out your net worth. And they’re going to take all of your income and your net worth and things that you actually own. You don’t own the job, so they can’t count that. We’d better not. So the things that you actually own, and then they’re going to subtract it by the debt. So most people, when that subtraction happens, there’s a negative. When you have financial literacy understanding, you’re mindful of that. And you say, “You know what? I want to keep my debt no more than 30% of what I’m doing.” Now, get this. All you’re doing is running your home life like a business. And it’s - I make a statement, and I hope people hear this. Today my net worth is more than the average platinum recording artist - especially the average platinum rapper, I’ll put it that way. The difference is, this right here. It’s not because I made a hit record, it’s because over the years, I did something different. Now there are people who you know that are boxers, entertainers, rappers - who had a high income. Meaning those same people at times may have actually made more money than me per month or per year. But it’s what they did with their money, and what I did with mine is what made the difference. So now you see someone, when they start to fall off the chart, or when they get out of shape and they can’t box anymore. Then you hear the horror stories of how they’re losing everything. What happens with their friends? Now I say that, because I had the same situations happen in my life, where you’re - they slow you down, and then you get to see who’s around you. And then you see your real friends. But when you have an understanding of financial literacy, now keep in mind - I’m not talking about get rich. Just understanding financial literacy, which consists of your credit. Which consists of a debt pay off plan. Which consists of a daily budget. You spend money every day, but most people budget by the month. You get what I’m saying? But we spend money every day. But we budget by the month. Well that doesn’t make sense. …to be continued
M Caution Magazine Interview with
athew Knowles
Written by: DJ Sincere Interview conducted by: DJ Sincere and Mr. Raaw with contributions from our audience
When the opportunity arises to be able to sit down with someone who has been wildly successful in their field naturally you jump at it. To be able to pick their brains and to gain insight about their thought process, their stories, the blueprint to their success is priceless. What are some of their traits? What kept them motivated to continue in spite of set backs before their big breakthrough? Today we speak with a gentleman who seemingly has the Midas touch. From top national salesman for a fortune 500 company to creating, handling, managing and helping to advance the careers of numerous artists such as Beyonce and Solange which are his daughters. So it’s definitely a pleasure, Mr Knowles, how are you? Hey they DJ Sincere, how are you brother? Alright, alright - definitely a pleasure. Thank you so much for spending a little bit of time with us. Coming in and hanging out with us in the Dirty Basement, fresh off of the runway, right? Just getting out of the airport, thank you so much. We appreciate it. >Oh thank you guys, just been to Dallas and back. Alright, you’re a man that we definitely wanted to talk to. Definitely has had a - seems like an unending string of successes both in and out of the music industry. We know that you currently have a new book out,a best-seller, talking about the DNA of Achievers. So we definitely wanted to talk to you about that, and a number of other things. Just in terms of - just how you managed to have such a - like I said, a seemingly endless string of successes. >Well thank you man.
Absolutely. So please, the floor is yours. >So you know, I’ve been very fortunate and we put out about - 6 months ago, my first book, “The DNA of Achievers” and I got the idea to start travelling and talking to folks and seeing how excited they were about whatever they were doing. I noticed that every time I talked to successful people, they have the same 10 traits. And I started thinking about my friends, and they had those traits. It all starts with passion. Without that trait, there is no success. I don’t care whatever you’re doing. It can be the music business, it can be doctor, lawyer, Indian Chief. To be successful, those people that are successful are so extremely energized and passionate about what they do. And with passion brings this other trait called work ethics. Because they co-exist. You’ve got passion, you have their incredible work ethic. So that’s what this book is talking about, the DNA of Achievers, 10 traits of highly successful professionals. Available at Amazon, pick it up at Walmart. Any of your online portals. A number of people would listen to what you just said, and they’d say, “Well, how about me in my present condition? I don’t have a college degree, I’m in a kind of a rough situation right now.” Is there anything that they could use, that they could grab onto
that could help them maybe get a redirection? Or some tips that they could use to pull themselves out of their current situation? Well a number of things. Number 1, to be successful does not require a college degree all the time. It sometimes just requires knowledge. You’ve got to have the drive and determination to
lionaire. So I’m not sold on just having a college degree is the requirement for success. I don’t want people to-- I want them to go and get information. And that can be - for some, a college degree again that could be just going to a seminar or reading a book. And that’s what it is I’m not telling everybody to quit their job tomorrow. I didn’t do that when I got in the music industry. I made a transition to the music industry. I went back to college. I went to seminar after seminar. But what I’m not is - I’m not part of whining that you’re a victim - they don’t want to go get it. And if you don’t want to go get it, then shame on you. I have my co-host Mr Raaw. I want to bring him into this conversation. Yes, yes, how you doing brother? >Hey brother, how are you doing man?
go get knowledge. Knowledge is everywhere. Knowledge is at seminars, knowledge is reading a book. Knowledge is just going and getting information. I know many people that never graduated from college. One is Beyoncé, she’s a billionaire. Solange, she’s a multi-millionaire. My former wife, Tina, she’s a multi-mil-
Oh definitely a pleasure to have opportunity to talk to you. I wish I had a lot more time to pick your brain. Because when you see somebody that used the path and it worked for them, you want to know - well what kind of path is that? I use a little statement. I always say, “Plan your work, then work your plan.” Because when you’ve got your mind set on something and you try to focus, and you get the opportunity to make it work and then you
live it through that shows a successful mindset. >Absolutely. You’re absolutely right about the planning. I have a thing that’s failure to plan. It’s planning to fail. That’s one of the chapters. If you don’t plan, you are going to fail. The other one that I love is talk to do ratio. A lot of people say they’re going to do stuff, but they never follow up and do it. I coined this phrase, and it’s a chapter of the book that talks about talk to do ratio. The other one is learning from failure. Most people don’t realize successful people have failed way more than they are successful. I have this thing that failure is an opportunity to grow, not a reason to quit. That’s what failure is. Yeah, I like that. I definitely can agree with that, because I was told a long time ago, in order to become successful, you’ve got to fail first. Success comes after failure in that order. So until you fail, you won’t succeed. >Absolutely. When you’re looking into another venture in your life, where do you take it from? Do you say, “Alright, I’m going to investigate everything I want to know about that one thing?” Or, “I’m going to go and get hands on experience.” ‘Cause some people are great with hands on, and some people are better readers. Like myself, I didn’t study to be an engineer, but I learnt from a lot of engineers. >I do both. And what I do - fortunate for me, I’m not going to do anything at this part of my life if I’m not passionate about it. Even in music, I have a lot of artists want me to sign them - but I’m not passionate about what they’re doing.
I have a new group called Blushhh Music. I’m passionate about these three girls, it’s a trio, they’re a rap group two rappers and a vocalist. It’s a different sound, different look. I’m passionate about it, ‘cause it’s never been done before. So yes, I researched everything I could, because I’m a teacher. So it’s really - there’s no one way, as long as you get the information. If you are hands on, that helps you. If you have to read, that helps you. But there’s nothing like - also - just having that experience. Today I had my girls in Dallas, it was their first time on TV. I wanted them to experience, and they made mistakes. And we went over those things. But I could tell them all day long, but now they’ve experienced it - it’s a different lesson. Now we actually had Blushhh on the airwaves not too long ago. Now how did you decide that this was going to be your new group that you were going to work with? What was special about them, what did you see in them? >Well first of all, I saw their passion and I saw that they were good people and easy to work with. That was the first thing for me. Not someone just doing it. They have an agenda, but just really, their bloodline. Up in the morning and go to sleep with it. Are they willing to do the work? It’s not going to be instant microwave. So they made this commitment. I told them it’s going to take a year and a half. They’re in artist training, development for a year and a half. A lot of things they had to do. They had to lose weight, they had to get fitness, they had to go to the studio, and they had to learn how to write. A lot of things they
had to learn. They were committed and they did it all. So for me, it was that. They had the image, and they had something different. We already have Justin Beiber. We already have Justin Timberlake. We already have Beyoncé, and we had Destiny’s Child - we already had that. We need something different. I’m not trying to compete with that. I’m trying to come up with something different. Where can artist send their music to be heard? >See I have this philosophy that I - I see both of my daughters, Beyoncé and Solange have hopefully grasped this philosophy. We’re in a day that we’re - no longer just hear music. We will see music. Listen to what I just said. We won’t just hear it, we will see it. And it will be equally or more important in the future to even see it as hearing it. In other words, YouTube - videos everywhere, you can see it. So I’m into this visual thing. Especially for females. It’s a visual thing that I see. You have to put on every platform you can. As many and as much as you can. That’s why Beyoncé does every song with a video. That’s why we did that years ago, way before - she started that with Destiny’s Child and the video anthology with Destiny’s Child. So it’s about that visual part as well. What are the couple of things advice you can give an upcoming artist or indie artist? >You have to have critical people around you that aren’t yes people. People that are going to tell you. One of the challenges for being an indie artist - and I love indie artists. I love what Solange is doing, and I believe in that and indie
In 1993, a 12 - year-old Beyoncé appeared with her pre-Destiny’s Child group
Celebrity Kids: 7-Year-Old Beyonce Performs ‘Home
labels. But you’ve got to work and develop yourself. One of the reasons why there’s a lot of failure in this business is people haven’t developed. They’re not ready. The other thing is, they have average and poor songs. This is about greatness. You have to have great songs and start with your song. I don’t care who you are, if you have a wack song, it’s going to end wack. So those two things. Push for artist development, and really working on your craft and having a great song. Those are the two things I say, and put that with a video. You can shoot videos today on your phone almost. On your iPad. Not almost, you can. So it’s really not about cost as much as it used to be. It’s about being creative, being strategic, having a plan and making it happen. Not trying to do it, I don’t use the word try. You do it or you’re not going to do it What would you tell parents of musically talented children or children that may have an interest? >Well I think we’ve got to go to the fundamentals. I think our role is to surround our kids and give them the opportunity to know what it is that they want to grow and be. Again, that keyword - find out what their passionate about. So if you think your kid likes this thing, then you’ve got to-- Put them in a dance troupe and see if they like - you’ve got to surround the. And then you watch and observe as a parent. I do a seminar called Parents of Talented and Gifted Kids, what do I do? How do you know if your kid is not passionate about something? If you have to tell them to go to practice. If you’ve got to keep telling them, and they’re not wanting to do it - and you don’t see that excitement, probably that’s not what they’re passionate about. I just absolutely think it’s a travesty when parents force something on kids that’s the parent’s dream and not the kids dream. Well it’s definitely been a pleasure. The name of the book is, “The DNA of Achievers.” >I really appreciate that, and I enjoyed it. I teach at Texas Southern University. It’s my 8th year. We have a degree program the only one in the world - entertainment, recording, management. So I teach, and I do this - I have the privilege of working with young people, so thank you for allowing me to have this opportunity to not just share successes, but share failures. So I appreciate you. Mr Mathew Knowles. Hanging out with us in the Dirty Basement. The name of the book is, “The DNA of Achievers - 10 traits of highly successful professionals.” Mr Knowles, thank you so much.
Interview conducted by DJ SINCERE and MR. RAAW Written by DJ SINCERE for Drtybsmnt Multimedia
Caution Magazine Interview with
Okay, now talk about all of that. I want to know about that whole situation. I want to know about you guys individually as far as your - your talents and your likes and things like that. Then I also want to know about how you came together. So tell the story. >Alright, well Blushhh - the group actually came about in 2009. This is Sunni speaking by the way, the rapper in the group. We live in a world of social media, and we actually had - it was me and another rapper, who’s no longer in the group and we were looking for a vocalist at the time. We went to Facebook because Facebook was popping back then. And we ran across Tali, and then we in boxed her, and she immediately was like, “I’ve always wanted to be in a group. Yeah sure, you’ve just got to hear my voice.” It was crazy. Even though we hadn’t really heard her voice yet, she just fit the image perfectly. Literally when we met up, we bonded. We actually bonded for about a year before we actually started making music together as a group. >She jumped on board, yeah she jumped on board. We all moved in together, and we really just grinded. We was just getting our name out there, we created the mix tape that you hear on Soundcloud. In the midst of doing that, we heard about this showcase up here at Music World Entertainment. Mr Mathew Knowles was giving feedback to different artists on exactly - well - what they needed to work on, and what they need to do to get into the industry. So of course, us being a girl group, him being a girl kind of authority - like the king of girl groups. We’re like, “Okay yeah, he needs to see us.” So then I wait for this showcase. Went away for the showcase. He got to see us, and he seen us and he gave us of course some feedback, some that we - he thought that we needed to implement to make the group better. >So we came back, and we implemented the feedback that he gave us. And when he saw how good we took the direction, he was like, “Okay.” So then once we finished that show, he actually requested - found a way to request stuff. He was asking any and everybody, “How do I get those Blushhh girls back up here?” So we heard about it, we actually was in a car at Starbucks getting us something to drink. We got an email, “Hey, Mr. Mathew Knowles wants to see you, can you make it?” We literally drove from Starbucks, up here to the showcase, and we did a Capella because we weren’t prepared, so we just did a Capella.
Looking over the landscape of the music industry one can’t help but notice the imbalance of male to female stars. In hip hop the lack of any feminine star power beyond Nicki Minaj has been well documented. Even more of a unicorn in recent years has been the “girl group”. We all recall great groups like En Vogue, TLC, Brownstone, Jade, Destiny’s Child and others yet it has been a number of years since we have had some fresh faces for a new generation. Stepping in to fill that void is a hot trio of young ladies with and abundance to talent,determination and spirit ready to push the envelope forward. Today we have the pleasure of speaking with Blushhh. Thank you so much for coming through, how are you? >Hi. Fine. (In unison) See, I love it already. Alright here we go. I love it already. Mr Raaw, you know I’m smiling right? They’re in unison and everything. They did it right, women, that’s the best thing to do Sincere he loves to hear unison and beautiful women. . He’s got a Ronald McDonald smile going on right now, so keep it up women. That’s it man, I’m grinning from ear to ear. Well ladies, it’s definitely a pleasure to have you in the building. Got a brand new group that’s on the scene that’s definitely-- Now all of you guys came from Houston, right? All of you guys are from Houston? >This is Sunnie speaking. I’m actually from Woodland Hills, California. Oh okay, okay you from Cali. I’ve got a lot of folks out there. We do a lot of stuff with people out in Cali. So yeah, that’s definitely what’s up. So the other two ladies are from Houston, right? >Yes. How did all of you guys come together were you on different career paths, and then you got pulled together? Now just let me say this. This group is actually being managed by Mathew Knowles, correct? >Yes. >He really got to see the different sounds. The two sounds and the elements that the two rappers brought, and the harmonies and the vocals that Tali brought to the table. He really got to see. When he
saw us, he said “I see the passion, I see the drive. I want you. I want to develop you.” So we signed with him, and he - he told us about this artist development that he wanted to put us through. In the midst of our artist development, we actually had a group member change. And this is where social media came in again. And Mr. Knowles came, and he gave us our creative control who we wanted to choose to be in the group. He knows, at the end of day - you all have to bond, you’re going to have to be sisters. So he left it up to us. And so, we went kind of did like an undercover, secret little try out. And we met Miss Bunnie right through Instagram. And immediately, her high energy and her aura just fit well with us. So we bonded, you know what I’m saying? We - she literally learned everything within a couple of weeks. That was an automatic sign right there. “Hey, we can move forward, no problems.” So yeah, let’s go. So she’s been in the group ever since, almost a year and a half now. And now we’re coming up-- That’s the story of Blushhh Music. Now I don’t know about anybody else, but one of the big things that I got from that story is - follow instructions. >You’re right, yeah. Because you listened to what Mr Knowles said. You implemented it, you came back, you showed him that - yeah well, we took your advice to heart, and this is what it looks like once implemented what you said to do. And that’s what really, really made him start to really take notice of you guys, right? >Definitely. So now, how would you describe the sound that you have, and the sound that you’re developing,especially as you enter into today’s market? >Okay, well this is Tali speaking. Our sound, I will say is familiar. It does remind people of something from the past. It makes them feel good. It brings memories back. But we still have originality, we’re still transcending. Miss Bunnie Ray has a very energetic lively sound. That was one of the things that attracted us to her. Within the 2 days, the first 2 days of knowing her, was her tone her energy, her light voice and then her growl to that light tone that she has. Which started to remind people of Left Eye and Da Brat and Lil’ Kim and them. Sunnie has the tough, hard hitting growl voice that - she might talk soft when she’s on the phone but the way my voice is deep now, that’s her on stage. It’s just this hard MC voice that just gives you
a MC Lyte, Queen Latifa sound. And then you have me, which is Kelly. I have this - A lot of female artists, their voice is a little different, lighter to the ear, and more feminine. Mine is a little rougher, I have more of a deeper tone. So that’s, I guess will remind people of the old school vocalists, like your Tony Braxton’s, your Mary J Blige’s your Beyoncé’s. Those type of artists - Destiny’s Child, with my harmony. So that was the natural thing that was bought to the group. So that’s where Mr. Knowles respected us. He loved the fact that we were original, and he did not want to corrupt that or change it at all. Have you guys gotten compared to TLC? >Yes definitely. Miss Bunnie, right, she brings that Left Eye. A lot of people really gravitate to her voice when it comes to that. And Tali, she has the type of voice that a lot of - it’s that 90’s feel, that deep tone, that register that a lot of people can’t really tap into. And she can really tap into that register, and she can really create a song that’ll have you jamming. It’s like the effortless - yeah the beat, melody. Like she can do that, and she can bring it up. And she can give you soul, she can give you whatever. So, but that’s a specialty of hers. So I feel like those combinations really do remind people of TLC. Not only that, Miss Bunnie, she has that tomboyish swag, with a feminine touch. So that automatically draws to the TLC lane, because they did the whole tomboy sex appeal. We’re not taking off our clothes but you’re still going to like us and we’re still attractive. Now a lot of times when you have artists, and they say they’ve got an old soul. And they bring back some good music, that is the smart move to get people to try to listen to what you have, and then you mix it up with modern day stuff to show them your variety. So I commend you on that same thing. You have to individualize yourself and show them - that we may remind you of XYZ, but we’re Blushhh, and this is this why we want to do it this way. I’m looking forward to hearing what you’re going to come with. Who do you look for it in the game as far as - once it changes lanes for you, that you want to work with? >Oh, we would really like to work with - man-- Timberland is definitely one,Pharrell is one. Missy Elliot-Can’t forget about Dr Dre. People who made history, who really just had a very good background, and have a really good ear for music. ‘Cause it’s no telling
where our creative aspect - as to what it will evolve to because we don’t know, we only make through today. We know that we’re hip hop now, but of course all artists they grow and they bloom into something else, they go into different lanes. So we’re very open to whatever. As long as it’s good and it makes us feel good, and it stands for what we stand for - we’re about it, we’re open to it. Okay >This is Tali speaking. And we, of course, everyone asks us, do we sing? All three of us sing. Hip hop being a male dominated lane, we want to really make our mark as women. Young women, and two rappers. We really want to get that very clear to people. With rap comes melodies - come dragging the words, some notes like Queen Latifa, her singing. Lauren Hill, Bone Thugs N Harmony. So that’s what we kind of want to bring, evolving wise o We want to evolve into being the greatest and doing it all. We write our own music. So we’re already touching into that lane as being writers. Mr. Knowles is very - he’s very prone into letting us do that. And letting us study our own craft to be business women in this industry. So of course. I mean Miss Bunnie will be a gorgeous model. So I see her having TV shows. I mean, we see everything for each other. And we all understand evolving to make Blushhh a very great name and success. Now we’ve got your debut single on deck. It’s called “Old School Back”. Who did the production on this? >This was a producer that we worked with Music World Entertainment under Matthew Knowles. His name is Eddie Ferguson. So that’s who we - he goes by E Ferg up and coming producer. Mr Knowles is all about giving people chances, and working with them and helping them evolve in their craft. So he’s doing, he’s giving us the same treatment he gave Destiny’s Child with their first album. So that’s what - and that’s who produced that. But of course it’s a Lil’ Kim remake, “Crush on you.” Alright, no doubt, we all know how it turned out with Destiny’s Child. So you guys got a definitely a good future ahead of you moving forward Ladies, it’s definitely been a pleasure having you in the building. If folks want to stay abreast of all the happenings, how can they keep up with you guys? >Hey yeah, they can definitely - we’ve got a website Blushhh Music. Blushhh with 3 h’s. Music spelled correctly. That we’re going to put up our upcoming shows. Got a video dropping in the next couple of weeks, along with the single for everybody out there to be able to grab. We got all our social media - Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Periscope. All of that is Blushhh with 3 h’s. Music, like that Facebook fan page. Go tweet us, go like our Instagram. We follow back, we talk back, we convo. You name it, we got it Thank you all ladies, thank you so much for coming through. You all take care. >Alright. Yeah definitely, thanks for having us.
Caution Magazine Interview with
UPTOWN
BAM Interview conducted by Dj Sincere and Mr. Raaw Written by Dj Sincere
The music industry is abundant with individuals that while they may not be household names these folks are often well know within the business by the people whose names you are well familiar. Many have recorded or toured with legendary artists and are great artists in their own right. Often they are present at many behind the scenes happenings and have stories to tell. Today we catch up with a gentleman that fits that description. Uptown Bam, welcome to the Drtybsmnt. >What’s happening family, what’s happening man? Man, it’s all good. Definitely a pleasure to have you in the building now. And we’ll see what’s going on with you and your music and your whole situation. Get a little bit more familiar, a little bit more acquainted with the history of Uptown Bam. So why don’t you introduce yourself to the Drtybsmnt? >Appreciate it brother. My name is Uptown Bam. I’ve been doing this hip hop thing for many years. You know it’s in my veins, it’s in my DNA. I remember back in the days as a kid, my mom used to walk around with the boom box playing The Temptations and all that. And that music always gave me a feeling, you know what I mean? So we’ve got to get back to that feel good music, you understand. That music that encourages, that music that inspires you, gives you that energy to go out and conquer the world, and that’s Uptown Bam’s job. So now, aside from hearing the music around the house, the kind of stuff that your mom was playing. That your family was playing in the house while things might have been going on or whatever -
cooking dinner, cleaning the house or whatever. As far as hip hop per say, what was your introduction to that? >Oh man, I got listening to Eric B. & Rakim album man. When I heard that album Paid in Full I heard your boy Rakim talking about, “I take 7 MC’s, put them in a line. And take 7 more rappers that think they could rhyme…. When I heard that lyric man, I was like, “Oh man.” And your boy, Big Daddy Kane. “Rap Prime Minister, some say sinister, nonstop in the groove until when it is…” that was the, “Ain’t No Half Steppin.” That was bumping for like 3 summers in a row baby, if you remember? >I can’t forget the God Phife Dog. They was from my side. I was surrounded by legends. I had LL Cool J down on Ilion and Hilburn, I had Tribe Called Quest on Farmers and Linden. So it was like - hip hop was just in my DNA. Now I mean, a lot of these cats that are doing hip hop now, and you could tell it ain’t even in their DNA but with this Uptown Bam project, like - okay, that’s what I’m talking about. This is hip hop. We’ve got to get away from the rap, and get back into the hip hop. Do you understand what I’m saying? You know everything comes around full circle. >As far as the music man, as far as the music - I ain’t going to say its wack. I’m just saying - we’ve got to embrace change. You understand what I mean? You see - as opposed to 16 years ago, now everybody’s carrying cell phones, and everybody’s on their cell phone. Back in the days we had beepers. You understand what I’m saying. So change is good sometimes.
>I’m going to tell you right now though, the thing is - a lot of these cats got that plug, they’ve got the machine behind them. They’re buying up their own albums and all that. You’ve got that machine behind you, and you’ve got people telling you, “It’s hot, it’s hot.” You’re hearing it 5, 6 time in 1 hour on the radio. I find myself singing to wackness. You understand? Because it’s catchy. For the most part though we has to get back to the root of this Hip Hop because it’s ours and we can’t let the culture vultures take it. >Let me tell you big brother. I’ve been in studio sessions with LL, Maxi Priest, Mary J, Lost Boyz, the Lost Boyz did the talent show at Andrew Jackson High School. If anybody remembers the talent shows back in 1992, I tore that down. That was back in the days when Lost Boyz got organized. LL, he was from the hood and he always showed me love I remember a couple of times I was out - I ain’t going to say necessarily doing the wrong thing, but I was with the wrong crowd. I would kick a rhyme to LL and he would say “Yo Bam, come to the studio tonight baby.” I’m like, “Oh no problem.” Drop everything I’m doing, and I’m the studio. You understand what I mean? So that’s when it was all about my boy Trigger inviting me to Mary J’s session when she had the Budweiser Super Fest back in ‘97, ‘98. So this music is just in my DNA. I like to feel good. I don’t like that busting guns and selling drugs. It’s a new day. If you’re over 30 years old, and you’re still talking that tough guy nonsense - it’s pretty much going to be a wrap for you pretty soon. Big brother’s watching. Anyway, that lifestyle’s played out and we’ve got to just keep on moving forward. So I always have love all across the board from all the people I work with man. You quoted my most favorite, memorable line. Uptown Bam said he loved that real good. I call it real good, feel good music. Uptown Bam talked about South Jamaica Queen - where I’m from. Uptown Bam mentioned all the hood places that I’m from. And it’s like - yo, wait a minute, who is this dude? Oh man. Well you know--We’ve got to know each other. If we don’t know each other, we know the same people. I know where LL lived, off of Farmers Boulevard and at Dunkirk and all that. We have to connect and rock out. >We can have a sound clash any time baby, but you know what it says man. Romans 8:28, “all things work together for good, for those who love God and is called
according to his purpose”. He said all things work together for good. I’m just letting the goodness flow. You understand what I mean, I’m just letting that goodness flow. So that’s what I’m here to do, bring that feeling. I’m embracing change, I’m embracing change. But for the most part, I’m here to bring back that feeling of hip hop. I work with Clue, Ron G, Don Demarco and Superstar J. All those cats always show me nothing but love. I’m doing that 3 Stacks project in the next month. Nothing but love I just spread love through my music. Try to bring people together and have grandma and great grandson dancing at the BBQ. So when you come and you try to put out some new music, do you put in your mind as a perspective to say, “You know something, I’m going to educate these kids?” >Let me drop a jewel. I’m going to tell you right now my brother, it’s all about being on your purpose. That’s where I am, I’m on my purpose. I mean, some of you just going to like it, some of you just not going to like it. Sometimes my kids don’t like my music. Because I’m not with that finger, snap, pop. “Dad, I ain’t with that, but it’s the new wave, so I embrace that, I love that. I mean I love to see the little boys, little girls dancing at the BBQ dabbing and all that. I don’t understand it, but I’m trying to, I’m trying to. Panda, Panda, Panda I love all that (laughs). It been great having you here Bam what are your current projects out now? >Currently I have two cds out the first is called “Coming of Age” and the other is “The Day After Judgement Day” available online, various mom and pop stores or directly from me, we in these streets baby. We’ll definitely be keeping up with your goings on Bam, thanks for coming on the show. >Thanks for having me.
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