Dazed & Confused Spring 2015

Declare Independence

Kendrick Lamar

lyrical poetry 1

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Contents the cover

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28 32 34 36 38 40 44 46

Snoop Dogg crowns Kendrick Lamar the King of the West Coast

the front

Letter from the Editor Head to Toe Lost River ********

the mains

Rebecca Ochab Finn Scult Jean Pierre Elva Jiang Hana Hyman Kaitlyn Maloney Rahmanparast & Miller Kendrick Lamar: The poetry of his upcoming album

the fashion

56 A Spoon Full of Sugar

Photographed by Matt Slade

the back

66 Sleep Comes After

Death by Finn Scult

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editor-in-chief Christopher McDonnell cmconne@scad.edu

featured photography Finn Scult foxtalkdesign@gmail.com

asst. editor-in-chief Keleka Mobley mobleyk@yahoo.com

featured furniture design Kaitlyn Maloney kmalon@student.scad.edu

editor Isa Espinal iespin21@student.scad.edu

featured publication Yasamin Rahmanparast (editor-in-chief) YRahmanparast@gmail.com Jacqueline Miller (creative director) jacquelinefmiller@gmail.com

editor Erin Wilbur ewilbu20@student.scad.edu

featured Architectural Design Jean Pierre jeanpivilla@gmail.com

editor Marianella Diaz madiaz20@student.scad.edu

Campaign/ Advertisement images were sourced from WGSN. Images belong to respective brands.

editorial photography Matt Slade mattoslade@gmail.com

Cover image sourced from http://www.rockwerchter.be/

editorial model Alex filipowski instagram @alexfilipowski

Lost River review images source from: moviecitynews.com indiewire.com dazeddigital.com

featured fashion design & editorial makeup Rebecca Ochab rochab20@student.scad.edu accessories curation Damion Le Cappelain dlecappe@scad.edu featured accessories 1 Alan Slattery aslatter@scad.edu featured accessories 2 Grace Brese gbrese20@student.scad.edu featured accessories 3 AndrĂŠe Hau Yin Kong ankong20@student.scad.edu YMA 2015 Winner Elva Jiang

Mock Dazed & Confused magazine, created for educational purposes only.

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Spring 2015 I once heard someone say that a spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down in a delightful way. Yes, it was Mary Poppins. Recently the classic film became available for pay-per-view while I was home visiting family. I then proceeded to annoy my mother about how she sold my childhood when she gave away our entire old VCR movie collection, a slight overreaction on my part. As much as I loved the movie I didn’t watch it. I was bitter that I had to pay to watch what once upon a 90s, played on repeat on our dusty video cassette player.

The way Dazed & Confused is laid-out goes against the way smart phones and the Internet has trained us to read. Scanning is definitely something you can not do with this publication. Attempting to scan through can leave the reader, well, confused. But if you take the time to read in-depth, you’ll find yourself enlightened in all forms of art. We are confident to say you will be Dazed.

Which is exactly how I felt after hearing one of Kendrick Lamar newest tracks live on Colbert Report.I believe Kendrick is more of poet than a rapper. Listening to him tell a story of what did the [insert ethnicity here] say in harmony with the estranged voices of the background singers was enchanting. The song has yet to be titled but we are all hoping to hear it on his up-coming album.

Be sure to go over to DazedDigital.com to check his live performance.

Mary Poppins has a point, there is nothing like binging on a pint of ice cream to recover from bad news. Sadly, these days no one is offering any sugar to help shallow the bitter reality of things. In this issue we uncover artists that don not sugar coat. What you see is what you get; take it or leave it without the spoon full of sugar.

Dazed and Confused is such a unique magazine for how we bring to light the subjects that is not #trending. I also love how we don’t offer subheadings, so when turning the page you have to read – I mean really read - the content to know what the feature is about. This isn’t your run of the mill flip-through magazine.

Keleka Mobley asst. Editor-in-Chief @DazedMagazine

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Head to Toe

Fade it out

Accessory designer Alan Slattery brings together modernity and artistry with a hand brushed ombre clutch. Edgy studs are soften by the dusk to dawn textured leather. This piece can easily transition from day to night, plus or minus a shoulder strap.

text Keleka Mobley satchel by Alan Slattery photography Matt Slade 18

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Head to Toe

Genderless Versatility

This bag by accessory designer Grace Brese transitions from a satchel to a backpack at the pull of the straps. Its unconventional silhouette is refreshingly genderless but does not compromise on individuality.

text Keleka Mobley satchel by Grace Brese photography Matt Slade 20

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Head to Toe

Animal Instincts

This structured bag by accessories designer Andree brings out the animal inside. We’re crazy about the playful element on the top handle. Studs against luxe patent leather creates an irresitable contrast in texture. The handcrafted bag is just as beautiful on the inside too. text Keleka Mobley satchel by AndrÊe Hau Yin Kong photography Matt Slade 22

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Lost River

Gosling makes a directional debut Lost River, Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut, is a fantasy-neo-noir filled with strange set pieces and weird characters. It follows a financially challenged family’s attempts to survive in a fantastical wasteland. Filmed in Detroit, the movie captures the grit and grime of the city, while paying homage in a number of fascinating ways.

The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in the Uncertain Regard section at the end of May last year, and is scheduled to be released on April 10, 2015. While anticipation for Gosling’s debut was high, the film actually flopped with most critics, and only holds a 25% positive rating on the film-review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian reviewed the film as, “colossally indulgent, shapeless, often fantastically and unthinkingly offensive, and at all times insufferable conceited”.

Yet the movie may still be worth watching for a number of other reasons. Firstly, his carefully crafted cast, that includes Christina Hendricks (Mad Men), Eva Mendes (Training Day), Saoirse Ronan (Atonement), and Matt Smith (Doctor Who), as well as many other talented actors and actresses. The talent Gosling gathered have such varied backgrounds in television as well as film, and from comedies to dramas, that it gives the cast an excellent depth.

Second reason, the film is an interesting commentary on Detroit. Gosling was first introduced to Detroit while he was filming the Ides of March, and he has said the city stayed with him, “It was, at one time, a postcard for the American Dream, but now, for the families in these neighborhoods, the dream has become a nightmare.” Which incidentally is what makes it such a great backdrop for Lost River. Gosling even portrays the local people so naturally, it becomes unclear whether they know the camera was pointed at them or not.

The last reason to watch this movie, regardless of commentaries, is the fact that the visuals are insane. The opening scene is a tracking shot of a young boy exploring the 50s-style suburbs, and there are no obvious edits. The film gets increasingly experimental from them, which allows Gosling to incorporate stunning visual set pieces that linger long after the film has finished. Yet it is also this experimental technique that garnered some of the negative reviews. However, as we’ve said again and again, this was Ryan’s directorial DEBUT, he has the right to experiment and play around with yet another of his passions in the arts.

The film will be released in early April, and the benefit of the doubt merits the mere two hours of your time. text Erin Wilbur photo dazeddigital.com 24

“It was, at one time, a postcard for the American Dream, but now, for the families in these neighborhoods, the dream has become a nightmare.�

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Anoymous

the justice league of hackers Remember when hackers only represented exploitation and abuse of networks followed by bullying and hidden agendas? Leave it to the socially motivated consciousness of the time to create the movement of Hacktivism. Its purpose is not only to promote a political agenda, rather defend hacker ethics and culture based on free speech, human rights, and freedom of information. The most important aspect of the online fight is no violence is required, and the impact still retains its strength.

Anonymous, the Hacktivist group, originated in 2003 but received global recognition in 2013 through well-publicized publicity stunts and allocated denial-of-services attacks on governments, religions, and corporate websites. The international network of activists has been raging an ongoing war on world justice threats such as ISIS terrorist group and child sex abuse amongst others.

It has defined vigilante justice in the age of the Internet and continues to play a role in targeting incidents that produce international headlines.

In February of this year they recognizably offered a cure for the virus they consider to be ISIS, hurting their online recruiting websites that spread jihadist propaganda as well as social media accounts with similar purposes. Nearly 800 Islamic State of Iraq and Syria twitter accounts were “exposed and destroyed”. This leaves us to deliberate how social media and the Internet, which we consider being vital to globalization and hold all of private information making them substantial in our daily lives, are actually a gate for terroristic organizations recruiting attempts.

As effortlessly as these war criminals use trivial methods to encourage their cause, Anonymous found the approach to defend the integrity of the Internet and simultaneously support unity within the worldwide online community, giving

us all with a social media account faith in a nonviolent victory over radicalism.

The fight against world injustice is not an isolated incident in distant countries but targets our reality through continuous unattended propaganda exposure leading to extremist’s occurrences that peril every person’s freedom of expression and right to fight back.

This online community claims to be formed of “parents, students, workers, rich, poor, gay or straight… from all races, countries, religions, and ethnicity. United as one, divided by zero.” Anonymous is an example of balance between

differences, and inspiration for those helpless in the battle against freedom. Even if we are not able to target major terrorist associations who predominantly hide behind innocents, there is a fighting chance against those who support and fund them. Embracing the ability of the Internet to unite a diverse society of individuals can help reach awareness to those in need and bring attention to those masked behind war crimes.

Hackers have proven how social consciousness is global, and how through unusual methods we can join this war against unfairness that belongs to us all.

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Rebecca Ochab

drawing from the insides SCAD fashion design student Rebecca Ochab pulls inspiration from the inner workings of the human body to create a collection for the 2015 Joe’s Black Book & CFDA Geoffrey Beene fashion competitions.

text Keleka Mobley artwork Rebecca Ochab 28

HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY I am always fascinated by the overlap between art and science. This collection is grounded on the philosophy that the human physical form is solely for functional purposes. Our morphological makeup grants us abilities for movement and progression, but lacks any spiritual existence. I am driven mostly by this collections notion that these hidden layers are what provide function. The reality that most people don’t ever see these innermost workings drives me to play with layered transparency and subtle textures in the garments.

TAKE OR LEAVE IT This competition has exposed me to many opinions. I have learned that while opinions are valuable, they cannot dictate or drive you to stray away from doing things based on your aesthetic.

When judging design work, everything is subjective. Also, one must be open to change. If you have to change something many times, don’t get too frustrated.

Drink more coffee and fix it.

WHAT ARE YOU TIRED OF HEARING? Ready to Wear! I think there is a surplus of “wearable clothing”; we are surrounded by it, and it is ingrained in our minds to make more of it.

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“The whole is [no] more than the sum of its parts.� -Aristotle,, Metaphysica

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Finn Scult

going against the trends to create genuine art Film Photographer Finn Scult pulls inspiration from history for her unconventional photography. Her two recent bodies of work, Head Shots, and In Arms, challenges the reader to consider gender norms and their interaction with society. She gives us a look into what is happening next and her struggles as an artist.

GENDER DICHOTOMIES Haha oh man, where should I even start? Well, aside from photography, I’m really passionate about/ double majoring in art history. So, I’m usually pulling reference and inspiration from a lot of earlier artists and movements, for example, in my last body of work, In Arms, every image is based off of classical or renaissance painting compositions.

So I mean really anyone from Botticelli to Nan Goldin. In terms of nonart related inspiration, I draw from my own past experiences pretty frequently and I’ve also been really interested in gender dichotomies lately.

text Keleka Mobley photo Finn Scult 32

What difficulties do you face as an artist?

I guess there are a few things that are particularly frustrating to me right now, the first being that I don’t feel like I’m producing enough work, which makes me feel like I’m totally slacking off even though I’m really not.

I also think that the pressure of trying to keep up with the work of other contemporary artists and photographers while simultaneously producing work that you genuinely care about is becoming increasingly difficult.

Frustratingly, I think that art, specifically photography, is so trend based right now, and a lot of great work gets overlooked and eventually lost because it doesn’t fit in with whatever the fad of the week is.

There’s a lot of nudity in your work, what does it mean to you?

What do you intend it to mean to your viewers?

Personally, I feel like I’ve always been extremely desensitized to nudity so I primarily use it as a means to strip identity from whoever I’m photographing. I think in a lot of ways it helps provide anonymity to my work that is something I aim for because I think it helps people stay relatively detached from the subject and enable them to think more clearly about subject matter and concept. Unfortunately, I’ve begun to realize that it can be hard for people to disassociate nudity from sex, which is frustrating because that’s not what I want to communicate through the work, with the exception of the series I’m currently working on. Head Shots and In Arms both really look more closely at gender and how we interact with it as a society and so that’s what I want the nudity to represent to the viewers more than anything else.

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Are you working on your next series? What does it involve?

I am working on a new series. It’s still entirely unpublished though, but that’s just mainly because I haven’t made digital files of any of the images yet. Anyways, it’s a pretty much a visual narrative of a one-night stand; it’s more mockumentary than anything else I’ve done so I’m pretty excited about it. I’m shooting the whole thing in Polaroid so its not a very technical project, which is strange for me because for the past few months up until I started working on this, I was shooting on a 4x5 view camera which is about as technical as things can get. I’m planning on publishing it as a book when it’s finished so keep an eye out for it!

Jean Pierre

adapting graffiti across all forms of art Walking into the architecture building at Savannah College of Art and Design you never know quite what to expect, besides messy desks overloaded with designs and overworked students, there is that aroma of accomplishment. On the third floor Jean Pierre sat me in his impressively clean worktable, to which he responded with “ I cleaned before you got here”, rather remarkable he found the time.

I asked if he was nervous but apparently Jean Pierre, 22, has done this plenty of times. The Puerto Rican has been published in his home country in several magazines including; eVolo Magazine, Buena Vibra, El Nuevo Día, and Twelve Days in Paradise. “I have lost all embarrassment throughout my years in SCAD, after all my work is in Hotels in Puerto Rico, and there is nothing more private than an artists work” he explained. He meant his wall graffiti in the Hotel Pop Art in Viejo San Juan, the touristic area in his home country, his work literally covering personal rooms as well as the lobby.

Jean Pierre Villafañe is a senior in architecture this year, but has collaborated in fashion and illustration areas throughout his career at SCAD. His talent in graffiti is exceptional so we wondered into this artists mind to find out why he majored in a different area. “Well in SCAD you don’t just learn a career, you make your path through different areas and even interesting people that teach you new things, you learn every single day by inspiration, we admire each others work” he explained “so yes I majored in architecture and you would understand why if you met my parents, yet I still admire the structural design behind it. That did not stop me from embracing everything this school had to offer”. Ladies and gents I asked if this was rehearsed, it wasn’t. text Isa Espinal photos courtesy of Jean Pierre 34

As we go through his portfolio the look of awe in my face removed won over my professionalism. From architecture design and conceptual objects, to innate ability in graffiti “its just something I liked from the start and practiced” was his response. Jean Pierre has done graffiti for fashion, hotels, private homes, touristic locations in his hometown, and for his next project even a building in SCAD. “I like to mix my talents, I don’t mean to be less exciting for you, but

my graffiti is just really well balanced wording” he said “I literally write what I’m feeling like writing or what someone is requesting for a private work”.

There is something appealing with this generation of artists, molding the world

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into finding art and passion in something formerly stereotyped as illegal and taboo. “I’m encouraged to do graffiti now, it doesn’t represent something banned anymore and I would like to be able to say I helped change that mindset, it is seen by the pureness of its purpose now” he described, “just people with a talent trying to express their repressed emotions and that is beautiful, so yes I’m encouraged and inspired by everything around me”. The world is opening its doors to an epoch of unconventional art and appreciation because of doers like Jean Pierre and for that transformation, all of us with creative dazed and confused mindsets are grateful.

Elva Jiang

2015’s YMA winner changes directions AND THE WINNER IS “When my name was called as the winner of the YMA Award 2015, honestly I felt a huge relief of stress, because it was a really long process working on this project and it felt great to know that all the hard work paid off. After receiving my award, I immediately texted my family, my mentors from Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD), my teammates and everyone that was excited for me, the bad thing was that I didn’t really have time to celebrate, I just treated myself a nice meal.

During this process the best advice I received was to use all the resources around me because SCAD offers such a diverse community of professors, students who all gave me incredible support.

LESSONS LEARNED I can tell you that one of the greatest obstacles facing the fashion industry these days is sustainability. My role models in the industry are: Alexander Wang and Natalie Massenet. A great lesson I’ve learned from the experience of being a finalist is that you need to be fully prepared going into the presentation and know whom you’re presenting to. Some personal advice for next year’s Fashion YMA finalists is to be confident in yourself and never stop seeking advice.

CHANGE IN PLANS I can described myself in three words: Dedicated, easygoing, & creative and my YMA winning project can be describe as Empowering, cutting-edge & versatile.

My inspiration for this project was SCAD golf team. I recognize that it is hard to manage my time between golf and a two double major, but I can tell you that sleep comes after death; I also plan out my day and work with hyper efficiency. Finally I can share with you that my future plans have changed since I won the YMA competition. My original plan was to move to New York and start my career as a buyer. But lately, some investors have approached me so now I’m considering being entrepreneurial and bringing my YMA project to life”.

text Marianella Diaz photos courtesy of Elva Jiang 36

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Hana Hyman

changing the face of makeup

“When it comes to beauty reform, I’m very passionate about sustainability, health, and cruelty-free. I think the use of hazardous ingredients and inflicting harm on animals are redundant to high quality, gorgeous beauty products.

Plus, a lot of the packaging and disposal of products is wasteful in a way I feel can be prevented. I look forwards to a future of recyclable, refillable, and biodegradable beauty products.” text Keleka Mobley photo Jess Imhoff, courtesy of Hana Hyman model Hana Hyman, Danielle Paige, Owen D stylist Danielle Page 38

What difficulties have you faced as a Fashion Marketing student pursuing a career in Makeup?

Because the FASM curriculum is based on fashion, I’ve spent a lot of time educating myself in all things beauty, which I have loved doing. Every student, no matter their major or focus, has to selfeducate, so it’s not a big deal, but it would have been a lot more fun to gab about beauty instead of fashion in my classes. The biggest challenge I’ve faced is not being able to do certain projects with a beauty focus, due to the requirements or preferences of professors.

It’s something I’ve been understanding of, as fashion is the area of expertise for these professors so they are understandably more comfortable grading projects related to fashion. I only wish professors would be more open to the idea of all students taking a more diversified approach to trend-based education. Marketing is marketing, after all!

What is your current Holy Grail product?

Oooh. I have a lot of these, ha! I think above all I’d say my foundation, which is NARS Sheer Glow in the shade Siberia. Siberia is the only shade out there in the massive world of makeup that truly matches my ghostly skin tone, so Siberia is not only a Holy Grail but also a godsend!

What are you tired of hearing?

Oof, this is a tough one… The thing is, I love answering beauty questions and I don’t judge others for making beauty faux pas just because they’re not as obsessed with beauty as I am. A lot of times, girls simply don’t realize what they’re doing is harmful to them. So, I guess I cringe most when I hear things like that, such as not tossing mascara after three months of use, or sleeping in their makeup.

What comes to mind when I say graduation?

AAAHHHH! Ha, just kidding… Sort of. I’ve been at SCAD for four years now and I’ve loved my experience here so, so much. I’m sad to go, honestly, and I will really miss my friends and professors here. SCAD kids are so inspiring and motivate me as an artist and professional, so it’s going to be really hard to leave this environment that has given me so much. I’m nervous about the next step, but really excited to see where it leads me.

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Kaitlyn Maloney

spending her days in sawdust If you have any inclination toward working with your hands, getting a bit dirty, making order out of chaos, your gut reaction when seeing Kaitlyn Maloney’s work might be one of regret that you didn’t think of it first. Just as soon as this envy creeps in, however, the feeling dissipates into genuine admiration for the thoughtful creations that Kaitlyn crafts with her own two hands, guided by her distinct design aesthetics and consideration. Kaitlyn calls Dallas, Texas home, and spends her day covered in sawdust, creating beautiful pieces out of wood.

Her aesthetic is unique, yet natural, really leaning on the natural shapes and colors of the wood and infusing the pieces with a modern flair.

text Erin Wilbur photos courtesy of Kaitlyn Maloney 40

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How long have you been doing woodworking and what got you started?

I have been woodworking for two years. My interest in building, more specifically in furniture design, was jumpstarted by a sculpture class I took in college. Originally majoring in photography, being given the opportunity to think in threedimensional space opened my eyes to new ways of working and thinking.

Who or what has most influenced your path toward becoming a maker?

My strongest influences are my father and a designer by the name of Ariele Alasko. My father studied photography in college and really blazed his own trail, opening his own studio and going against the grain of what many people expected him to do with his life. He has always been so encouraging of me stepping outside the box and taking the unexpected paths in life. Ariele Alasko is a young designer who studied sculpture in college and opened her own woodworking shop. She designs and builds all of her own pieces in her one-man studio, working with recycled woods and old tools and machines.

What is your favorite tool and why?

My favorite tool is a Japanese handsaw. It is such a sexy tool. It practically cuts wood like butter.

What is your favorite kind of wood to use?

My favorite wood to use would have to be black walnut. It has such a comfortable weight and elegant grain. Its density can sometimes make it hard to work with but the end product is always worth it.

What is your least favorite part of the process?

The first cut is the hardest for me to make. Right before I dive into a piece the piece always appears so daunting. Making that first cut always gives me butterflies but once the cut is made everything starts to fall into place and the fun begins.

Where do you find inspiration and motivation?

Architectural photographers have such a unique perspective on structure and form; they find lines and angles that many people do not see. They’re images constantly inspire my designs as they coincide directly with my linear style.

Do you have a dream that you’d love to fulfill?

I aspire to one day one my own studio in which we design and build everything in house. I’d love to have 3 or 4 people working a long side me to collaborate with and build with.

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Rahmanparast & Miller

arkham or die

Yasamin Rahmanparast and Jacqueline Miller dive into the most crepuscular parts of humanity. They bring to light the mystery, taboo, and darkness through all forms of art. What started out as coursework has transformed into a three quarterly magazine. As ARKHAM magazine comes full circle for its one-year anniversary, editor-in-chief Yasamin and creative director Jacqueline, give Dazed a cryptic code for the fourth issue -- somewhere in between the time-space continuum.

WHAT COMES FIRST, EAT OR SLEEP? NEITHER @.@ WHAT WAS YOUR INITIAL INSPIRATION FOR ARKHAM? WE WERE TURNED ON BY BATMAN, AND ‘GOTHAM’ WAS ALREADY TAKEN. IF YOU COULD COLLAB WITH ANYONE IN THE WORLD FOR ARKHAM WHO WOULD IT BE? J: SIA. SHE IS INSPIRATIONAL IN EVERY WAY THAT IS IMPORTANT TO ME. SHE’S UPFRONT ABOUT HER FEARS AND WANTS. I WANT TO RUB HER PASSION AND VULNERABILITY ALL OVER MY BRAIN -- IF THAT’S POSSIBLE. Y: AN ENCHANTING, CURIOUS, FASCINATING STRANGER. WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON? CURRENTLY, WE’VE BEEN TRANSPORTING BETWEEN THE SPACE-TIME CONTINUUMS AND ARE NOW ARE CURATING OUR 147TH ISSUE, YEAR 2043. BUT, IF WE RECALL CORRECTLY, SOMETIME IN EARLY 2015, WE WERE WORKING ON OUR FOURTH ISSUE, SET TO RELEASE IN MAY. WHAT COMES TO MIND WHEN I SAY GRADUATION? J: SHUT UP. Y: IT’S WHATEVER. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS PHOTO? ARKHAM’S REASON FOR EXISTENCE IS TO ILLUSTRATE THE HUMAN CONDITION. WE BLUR. EVERY ISSUE, WE --HER AND I-- SYNTHESIZE OUR OWN PERSONAL REALITIES WITH OTHERS AND CHALLENGE THEIR NOTIONS OF WHAT IS. WITHIN EACH ISSUE, EVERY THEME GETS EATEN, DIGESTED AND EVENTUALLY REGURGITATED ONTO OUR PAGES INTO A NEW STATE OF MATTER. THIS PHOTO IS THAT BLUR. IT’S THE GREY IN BETWEEN THE BLACK AND WHITE. SIMPLY, IT’S US. text Keleka Mobley photo courtesy of Yasamiin Rahmanparast and Jacqueline Miller 44

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text Keleka Mobley photo I by Kendrick Lamar wMusic Video 46

Main Celebrity Feature

As excitement grows for his impending album release, Kendrick debuts three singles that give insight to the inner turmoil he faces with racial controversy. One single awarded Grammy and another annotated by a Pulitzer-Winning author, his new album is sure to be a lyrical masterpiece.

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“I’m the biggest hypocrite of 2015 When I finish this if you listenin’ then sure you will agree This plot is bigger than me, it’s generational hatred It’s genocism, it’s grimy, little justification.”

photo THe Blacker the Berry by Kendrick Lamar 48

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Straight out of Compton. Kendrick Lamar’s parents moved away from the violent crime of Chicago to Compton, which is where Kendrick was born. Unfortunately gang and drug violence quickly became prominent. This environment seemed to influence Kendrick and help him flourish into the artist that he is today.

He draws his lyrics from his experiences growing up in the troubled city. “Its definitely a gift and curse when you make music as personal as I make it,” says Kendrick in his article for XXL Magazine. The up side to this is the ability to relate to others that face similar struggles. The curse is that Kendrick often feels that his privacy is not respected.

Realizing that its apart of being in the music industry, he tries to find balance and deal with it.

“I’d be lying to you to say I knew good kid m.A.A.d city would be as successful as it had been.”

While he was confident in his work he feared that people would not understand the story he was trying to tell. As a young teen he was focused on mastering the skill of rapping. As he grew into adulthood he came to realize that his skill was in writing. Kendrick’s first album good kid m.A.A.d city unfolds like a book, telling the story of a scholarly juvenile in the rough city of Compton.

Kendrick is currently working on his second album. When it comes to the creative process he doesn’t rush it. He slowly pulls piece together until it becomes clear what he wants to say. As excitement and pressure builds for his new album Kendrick takes the chance to challenge

himself. “What’s crazy to me is that I feel the same energy now that I felt before my first album.

I know there’s a lot of pressure on me on this album but it don’t necessarily scare me.” With the album release TBA, three singles are already buzzing around. One single was exclusively performed on the Colbert Report; it’s untitled and not yet available on iTunes.

The song builds from calm storytelling to high energy vocals; I’ve personally named it What Did the Black Man Say. Perhaps the intense mood of this track foreshadows his album. Although Kendrick claims, “I’m not an artist that’s gonna give you a single and say, ‘This is what my album’s going to sound like, go sell it.’

That’s not me. I’m not that artist to give you one or two songs here and there and run with it.” Either way, I encourage you to view the live debut on dazeddigital.

Kendrick’s other singles I and The Blacker the Berry are available on iTunes. I is an upbeat song with a positive message but Kendrick says that it came from a dark place. It originated from meeting fans that confessed they wanted to kill themselves until they heard his music. Ultimately the song is meant to be uplifting.

Its about the age old principle of loving yourself before you love those around you and your environment.

blood to immediately establish their beliefs. On the other hand, when racial controversies and tragedies happen, Kendrick tends to remain quiet on social media.

He has strong opinions on the matters but it’s accompanied by cognitive dissonance. The Blacker the Berry reflects this internal struggle. In the song Kendrick calls himself “the biggest hypocrite of 2015.” When asked about Ferguson events, Kendrick responded, “What happened to [Michael Brown] should’ve never happened.

Never. But when we don’t have respect for ourselves, how do we expect them to respect us? It starts from within. Don’t start with just a rally, don’t start from looting -- it starts from within.” Other hip-hop artist criticized him on his response. However, for Kendrick its more personal and he explains his reasoning in his new single.

In The Blacker the Berry Kendrick ultimately tries to convey that those who commit violence in their own community but condemn white-on-black violence need to reevaluate themselves.

When it comes to the rest of his album Kendrick Lamar says to expect a lot of aggression and emotion. He promises that the album will once again connect with the masses. Its circulating that the album is finished and his little brother has the only copy.

Kendrick’s music appeals to the masses because his lyrics are relatable. Even I somewhat relate to Kendrick in the way he deals with controversial social issues. Many take to twitter and other social media platforms at the first site of

text Keleka Mobley “Kendrick Lamar.” Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.

Lamar, Kendrick. “Writer At War: Kendrick Lamar’s XXL Cover Story.” XXL. Townsquare Media, 06 Jan. 2015. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.

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So you ask yourself in the midnight hour, “Who am I? Is this really what I’m supposed to be doing? How did I get here?

Why am I doing this? What’s my responsibility?” It’s a real trippy thing, you feel me? And I think it’s something that nobody can understand; only an artist can.

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Spoon

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Photograhpy Matt Slade

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Sugar

Makeup Rebecca Ochab

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Sleep Comes After Death Photography by Finn Scult 66

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“The whole thing began kind of accidentally the first time I decided to bring my camera to a local house show and quickly became much more habitual, before I knew it, I was going to parties and house shows almost every night of every weekend, to literally go do work - although to be honest, a fair amount of those nights ended up photo/memory-less.�

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Stockists

Nasty Gal Topshop 3.1 Phillip Lim Chair Source Alan Slattery Grace Brese AndrĂŠe Hau Yin Kong

nastygal.com topshop.com 31philliplim.com Vintage Woodworks Savannah, GA http://www.gracebresenham.com/

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1.855.627.8942 1.866.853.8559 1.855.212.3175

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