STYLIE RAY

STYLIE RAY

1.Who is your inspiration? My G-Moms, My Kids and The Struggle

2.Who are your biggest influences? Steve Arrington, Marvin Gaye, Morris Day, James Cleveland and 2Pac

3.What message would you want to give to your fans? Thank u for staying down wit me thru my journey

4.Tell us about the toughest part of your work? And why do you think it is tough for you? I think it would be the creative process. It’s tough cause most of the time I have too dig deep back in my pain of thoughts and process what’s going on in the world now and realize it’s gotten worse. To actually write what I feel and see can be difficult because of memories and knowing nothing won’t or hasn’t changed. That’s the battle.

5.Every industry, including the entertainment industry, is full of competition; what do you do to stand out amidst competition? Shit jus being myself, I know nobody has my sound..

6.The entertainment industry is said to be full of stress and pressure; what do you do to tackle the pressure that comes with your work? Cigarettes and Weed

7.What advice do you have for young people who are just starting their careers? Don’t fold, suck up every piece of game that’s given, don’t be to proud to not know every got dam thing..

8.What would you want to say to your fans out there? I’mma keep it westcoast 4 Life

9.What, according to you, is the mantra of success? Staying true to what u believe in and making a living from it

11.Who inspired you to make music? These ghetto streets

12.How would you describe the music that you typically create? Ghetto Gospel

13.Tell me about your process. How do you find inspiration when working to a deadline? I jus go wit the flow, let the spirit guide me

14.What is your creative process like? Usually it hits after midnight

15.Did you have a particular artist that inspired you to take the path of a music career? Grand Master Flash

16.What’s your process for dealing with performance anxiety? Once again �� Cigarettes and Weed

17.What was the role of music in the early years of your life? Consciousness

18.How would you describe your fans? Everyone from the depths of the struggle

19.Do you create for yourself or for your fans? Both

20.What accomplishments do you see yourself achieving in the next five to 10 years? Jus making an impact and a difference for my community, we all we got

21.Who would you most like to collaborate with? Musically? Kendrick Lamar, Z-Ro

HARLEM RENAISSANCE

At the turn of the 20th century, African Americans had witnessed an evolution as well as a migration that played a major part in their very own culture. The migration from the rural south to the urban north was done to escape the vicious grasp of discrimination headed by Jim Crow laws.Unfortunately, the north was not necessarily a promiseland for the African American migrants. While the legal systems of the northern states were not as obstructionist toward African American civil rights, the prejudice towards them was just as obvious. Most new migrants found themselves segregated by practice in run down urban slums. The largest of these was Harlem. However, the new lives was a far cry from what they had experienced in the south. Although minimal, they made the best of their new found freedom, soaking in the opportunity to do things the way they wanted. This allowed for a birth and expansion of cultural pride. The pride into this culture brought forth the Harlem Renaissance. Writers, actors, artists, and musicians glorified African American traditions, and at the same time created new ones. Music, being one of the African American traditions that they managed to maintain throughout slavery, was a pillar is the many expressive styles of the Harlem Renaissance. Jazz music was the main attraction of many with its swing, syncopation and solos. Improvisation meant that no two performances would ever be the same. Many of the new black urban citizens flocked to the clubs to see the same performers so they could sing and dance.

One of the most famous musicians of the Harlem Renaissance was Louis Armstrong. Having come from a poor family in New Orleans, Armstrong began to perform with bands in small clubs, and play at funerals and parades around town in New Orleans. He wasn’t a small band man for long, though. Louis Armstrong was invited in 1922 to move to Chicago, to play the second cornet in a Creole Jazz Band. However, just two years later, Armstrong moved to New York City, and began playing his music with the FLetcher Henderson MODEL: TASHA TULSER PHOTO BY: GARY BOND tashatusler@gmail.com Orchestra at the Roseland Ballroom. In 1929, he made his first appearance on the Broadway stage. In his recording of Ain’tMisbehavin, he used a pop song, however, interpreted it through jazz. This helped to set the stage for the acceptance of jazz music in the future. In 1942, he married a dancer from the Cotton Club, where his band had performed many times. All throughout the 1950’s and 60’s, Armstrong appeared in films and made many international tours. Louis Armstrong is one of the most appreciated jazz artists of the Harlem Renaissance, and of all times. People learned to appreciate both jazz, and African American music even more, because of this man. Although they continued to face discrimination of many sorts in the urban north as they did in the south, however it brought forth in close proximity some of the greatest minds of the day. Harlem brought notice to great works that might otherwise have been lost or never produced. The results were phenomenal. The artists of the Harlem Renaissance undoubtedly transformed African American culture. But the impact on all American culture was equally strong.

Louis Armstrong