New Wave Magazine Issue II

New Wave Magazine

Libya

BIG

An MCM Mag

VIA West 57 Lego House Grove At Ground Bay

Virgil Abloh Ten Collection

Basquiat Ayogu Kingsly Bright Ackwerh Kirsty Latoya

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Contents

Photography by @escoboomin Model: @b_joux

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Art

The story of the man himself is just as eventful as the art he produced. Living and breathing art from a very young age, he became one of the staples of 20th century art. Artists such as Cy Twombly and Robert Rauschenberg inspired his work. These are artists that spearheaded abstract expressionism and paved the way for Jean Michel Basquiat to be renowned as one of the most celebrated artists of his time.

‘The Boom for Real’ exhibition in the Barbican Centre, London, is dedicated to the work of the master of primitive art; a journey through the expansive but short career of an icon in art and pop culture. Born in December 1960 of immigrant parents., his passage begins in Brooklyn, New York.

He began as a very cultured youth, able to speak fluent French, Spanish and English by the age of 11, different to the typical beginnings of African American youths in Brooklyn at that time. His father was a Haiti native and his mother was of Puerto Rican desent. His mother, Matilde Basquiat, was very aware of her son’s zeal for creativity. She was responsible for exposing him to the world of art, taking him to museums and galleries in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Her love for art was a significant influence on the developing Jean Michel. His connection to his mother would later be seismically impactful to his life for better or worse.

His parents separated in the year of 1968 and at the age of thirteen, Matilde Basquiat was admitted into a mental asylum and would spend 2 years in and out of institutions thereafter. Frustrated by the instability in his home and a slight disdain for his father he fled from home hoping to discover himself and drown his efforts into activities that gave him pleasure just like he did as a child.

His notoriety for primitive art is ironic, due to his need for independence at such a young age. Was his art a platform for his childhood memories and childish characteristics? This will be discussed further as this article journeys through the various chapters of Basquiat’s short lived but eventful life.

Out of his father’s home, the streets of New York were his new residence. In the late 1970s the streets were on the cusp of embracing a new sound and a new energy. Energy that was abrasive, rebellious and revolutionary, all things that Basquiat represented within himself. That new energy was Hip-hop. Not just the music but the fashion, the art, and the culture.

Basquiat grabbed this new energy with both hands, using it as a vessel to create and gain notoriety in the streets.

Yes. Literally on the Streets of New York, Using the art form of graffiti to make his voice heard and his perspective seen. Along with the life comes the influences as Basquiat was a small-time drug dealer to feed himself while working in a Brooklyn clothing warehouse.

Aside from his vices of drug dealing and drug use, his affluent beginnings and vast scope of intelligence drove his entrepreneurship, using his creativity to sell t-shirts and homemade postcards, later developing into his graffiti work. He was part of the young, up-and-coming element, along with fellow artists Keith Haring and Julian Schnabel, changing the landscape of art rapidly.

Jean Michel in the late 70s has been credited for being the Founder of “SAMO©” a Graffiti tag that was used by him and friends in the graffiti microcosm. This character, developed by Basquiat and Al Diaz (a friend and fellow graffiti artist), was discovered during a conversation in which Basquiat and Diaz were both intoxicated by Marijuana. They gave the herb they were smoking the moniker of ‘Same Old Shit’, then shortened the phrase to ‘Same Old’ then finally ‘SAMO’, a very organic beginning to the acclaimed work of Jean Michel Basquiat.

Basquiat continued to produce his Graffiti work, tagging his rebellious and sometimes political work on surfaces around the city scape with ‘SAMO©’. Even at this stage you could comprehend that a very young Basquiat understood the concepts of advertising, consistency, and enterprise. Of all the graffiti work across the streets of New York., his work can be singled out almost without fail due to his ‘SAMO©’ trademark and his style of graffiti to a lesser extent.

Sub-consciously, it may be argued that SAMO© was what gave a young black artist that had never been to a high level art school the confidence to break into the art world, monopolised by the white society at the time. By late 1978 Basquiat and Diaz’s tool for their work became spray paint as a quicker alternative to marker. They would take turns to come up with sayings such as:

Incorporating poetry into his graffiti further showcased his immersion in Hip Hop culture, Rhythm And Poetry.

SAMO was an adolescent logo, which Basquiat likened to that of Coca Cola or Pepsi, a branding stamp on what he had to offer the streets of New York and later the world.

The SAMO era would be short lived however as the graffiti duo would end their friendship. By 1979 tags of “SAMO IS DEAD” would be seen on New York city walls.

At a new phase in his life, Basquiat was urged to delve into other forms of artistry and creativity. In the same year that brought the end of SAMO, Basquiat was a heavy feature on Television shows. Along with TV appearances he also started an Experimental Rock Band Initially called ‘Test Pattern’ but was later christened Grey – a reference to the human anatomy book written by Henry grey - a book his mother gave to him which he references in some of his work.

His fingerprints on entertainment did not end there. He was featured in a Glenn O’Brian film ‘Downtown 81’ in 1981.; a film about the Lifestyle Basquiat and others around him were living - a depiction of an ultra-hip subculture of post-punk Manhattan.

Basquiat’s work was vibrant and energetic. The canvas was a playground for his Neo-expressionist ideals. He took elements of his graffiti beginnings to incorporate text with images, much like his predecessor Cy Twombly. Although on the surface his work seemed to be without focus and had a lack of knowledge for artistic integrity, his work was no accident as he purposefully practiced in this style to create his own identity and encourage the viewer to look a little longer, grasping the narrative of his work. He created a unique visual collage style, providing a lot of depth to his pieces.

One of his most recognisable paintings Untitled(Head) in 1981 was painted by him at the age of 20. His unique artistic vision was draped in graphic elements, iconography and bold imagery. Untitled (Head) is a vivid reference to ‘Grey’s Anatomy’. The piece is evidence of Jean Michel’s fascination with the human body and the juxtaposition between the surface and the interior.

The painting shows a skull with key facial features such as eyes, a nose and hair on top of the figures’ head. Basquiat had a very interesting collage approach to his work which does not escape this painting. Basquiat strips away some surface elements exposing teeth, the jaw bone and abstract lines and shapes of graffiti to communicate the inner workings of the human head.

However there is a contradictory aspect to this painting. His vibrant tropical pallet of blues, oranges and yellows should give the painting buoyancy, but there still seems to be an overcast of unhappiness, evident in the mouth of the figure tuned down to signify frowning. A personal interpretation of this could be that Basquiat was trying to strip away the face of the art world to show his displeasure for lack the of representation of Afro-Caribbean art in the mainstream. Covering the figure with graffiti gives reference to his humble beginnings, a visual representation of his bold and rebellious mentality which he believes will give him the intangibles to succeed in the art world, when given the opportunity. Regardless, at the time, Basquiat probably felt as though he wouldn’t even live to get that opportunity.

This painting breaks the barriers of the external and reveals not only the internal physiology of the sensory organs, but also the very psyche of the subject. Untitled(Head) as a painting itself has that same juxtaposition, just looking at it the painting seems easy to understand, but a more critical view will expose the complex concepts Basquiat aimed to relay.

Untitled (Head), 1981 Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump (1982) Is another painting that is unmistakably Basquiat, characterised by the Neo-expressionist strokes of the brush and the vibrant colours. This painting shows a bountiful amount of freedom; the out-stretched hands of the figure and the warm colours give the painting a welcoming feel.

Basquiat continues to highlight the human anatomy in his work, exposing the ribcage and knee join of the figure in a very primitive manner. This painting could also be interpreted as the joyous relationship between man and his pet.

In that same year Basquiat painted what has now been sold to art Japanese billionaire and art collector Yusaku Maezawa in May of 2017 for the price of $110.5 million. ‘Untitled’(1982). This painting is similar to ‘Untitled (Head)’ in a few ways. Firstly, the figure is floating in the centre of the canvas. Basquiat paints the facial features of the subject but instead of sadness the painting screams anger. This is interpreted through the fixing of the mouth and glaring eyes.

The blue background adds to the sombre tone of the painting with overlayed graffiti markings with pale colours in certain areas. The upper case and lower case ‘A’ at the bottom left of the painting how typography is also a key part of his work dating back to his graffiti days.

Typography also exists in the painting about the crown of the figure. Resembling the popular game ‘Tic Tac Toe’ popular amongst children, It makes the viewer yearn for an in-depth seminar on each stage of the creative process. ’81 would also be the year that Jean Michel would come across his idol and pop star of the art world, Andy Warhol.

They came across each other at a restaurant where Basquiat showed Warhol some of his work.

Jean Michel was a very prolific artist, painting and drawing on any surface he could find. Therefore it is no surprise he was able to have a small portfolio ready for his idol. Warhol was attracted to his energy and highly impressed by his artistic perspective. This became the beginning of a mentor and protégé relationship along with a very well documented friendship.

Warhol saw a fresh phase in modern art through Basquiat. A young artist with a prominent status, awareness of the streets and the culture. A rebel with a cause to make his mark on the art world and represent people of his complexion. Basquiat found Security in Warhol as he had unmatched influence in the world of art at the time.

Between the years of 1984-85 they collaborated around 200 different pieces such as ‘Olympic rings’, ‘Dollar Sign’, ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ and other untitled works. Some of the trends of their collaborations were taking iconic images and overlaying them with the primitive drawings of Basquiat communicating with the foundation of the painting laid out by Warhol.

It is as though their collaborative works were an interview in the form of expressionism. Warhol would ask a question by painting a household image like the Olympic rings or the Dollar sign and Basquiat would give his personal or social perspective on the image.

Much like the death of his mother, Warhol’s death impacted Basquiat in a major way. His lack of recognition and struggle in the art industry was already evident in his work but Warhol’s demise was the final limit. Jean Michel became unhappier and began heavily using drugs. Friends would try to intervene, but he was inconsolable.

His work was a reflection of himself, consciously showed his despair. The once vibrant young man changed into a bitter, lonely, and frustrated shell of himself. Friends became frustrated with him and left him in the dark. He sank deeper and deeper into depression because his race and his innovative talent were held against him until the end of his career. Despite attempting to live a sober life.

Basquiat tragically passed away on the 22nd of August 1988 due to a heroin overdose, surrounded by his work. He was 27 years old.

Although he died at such a young age, he left behind over a thousand pieces of art. A short career produced work sufficient for a 50-year career in art. He may have died alone but he left behind a legacy that will be heard and felt for centuries to come.

His work has been referenced in literature, film, and music, further immortalising him as the King of Neo-expressionism much like the crown commonly found in his work. A 2009 documentary film, Jean Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, directed by Tamra Davis was based on his life and works. In music Basquiat continues to live on, being referenced by artists such as Macklemore, Lil Wayne, Danny Brown, J Cole and of course Jay Z as he raps “Basquiats, Warhols, serving as my muses” or Frank Ocean crooning “I hope this black skin don’t dirt this white tuxedo before the Basquiat show”.

Basquiat is an icon and an artistic inspiration whom has been sorely missed since his demise.

His legacy has been recognised in all corners of the world paving the way for minority artists in the creative spectrum.

Kasabian - The Party Never Ends (2017)

Madonna - Graffiti Heart (2015)

A$ap Rocky - Phoenix (2012)

Nas - Promise Land (2010)

Nas - Promise Land (2010)

Danny Brown - Die Like a Rockstar (2011)

Jay Z -Illest Motherf**ker Alive (2011)

Jay Z -Picasso Baby (2013)

J. Cole -Rich N*ggas (2013)

Rick Ross -John (2011)

A narrative in art is key to making a piece much more than just an illustration. This depth to artistic expression can be achieved through diving into the abundant ocean of human emotion. Ayogu Kingsley Ifeanyichukwu is a 23-year-old Artist that achieves this depth not only through the photographic precision of his oil paintings, but through the scenes in which he captures through his art.

Originating from the Eastern region of Nigeria, Enugu, this is the state in which has galvanised his unique talent and continues to progress in the world of art. He is a Mastermind NCE holder in Painting and Graphics from Enugu State College of Education and one of the leading figures of the Hyperrealist movement, an artistic style that can often be mistaken as photography at first glance. Ayogu Kingsley treats his paintings as poetry that captivates the viewer and makes them feel. His work creates a pulsating appeal to the conscience of the people whom experience his work. Looking at his paintings are a way to find compassion within yourself, a trigger to tap into human solidarity.

Kingsley’s talent allows him to achieve this intensity through the stunning detail applied to his work.

Every blemish, scare or intricate detail he adds to his paintings help express the truth in his work.

A majority of his work depicts his subjects in uncomfortable situations. Situations ranging from a lady crying for help to being reclusive in the corner of a room or figures being completely wrapped up and restrained. The viewer of his pieces has no choice but to feel connected to the paintings, searching for ways to console or free the subject from distress. His paintings endorse unity and human empathy when connecting with his viewers.

When putting paint to canvas Kingsley examines nuances of the human figure. The facial structure is a key element he explores in his work.

The movement of muscles, hair and even sweat are components of his art that make them work so well.

The way he paints shows that he understands the human figure at a very high level and has the ability to recreate a figure and manipulate it to achieve a vivid message.

A piece by Kingsley that carries through all of these things with amazing splendour is his painting “SOLEMNITY”. The painting portrays a man in a compromised situation, his face wrapped up in a sort of tape with the word ‘fragile’ printed on it. His eyes are covered, and it appears the tape is reconstructing the face of the figure. His teeth are exposed and his mouth is open due to the tape across the figures face. This painting is a conceptual masterpiece because it follows the narrative of Kingsley’s work, but the execution is so different and striking. SOLEMNITY forces the viewer to ask questions about how the subject found himself in that situation.

Was it done willingly or unwillingly? Is the figure confused or in fear? These questions bring forth human emotion and sympathy.

The text ‘Fragile’ on the tape has a sense of irony because it has the strength to deconstruct the facial format of a man whom looks as though he can sufficiently defend himself. Kingsley, in this piece, challenges himself to be unique and provide depth to his work through applying texture. You can almost feel the moisture in certain areas of the painting.

“THE VALLEY” by Ayogu Kingsley is a painting that exhibits the strong messages found in his paintings. This painting portrays a young lady collapsed on the ground looking lifeless. Her pupils peep through her low eye lids and she possesses no expression in her face as gravity drags her facial features to the floor. The drug residue on her face and multiple examples of drug paraphernalia in the foreground of the painting illustrate the narrative.

This painting promotes the strong emotion of human empathy that is so prevalent in the work of Ayogu Kingsley. This painting is also a social commentary on the use of drugs and the impacts that it can have on an individual.

The piece is very raw and authentic, exposing the figure in a very uncomfortable situation forcing the viewer to look for solutions to the problem. When creating this piece Kingsley was inspired by mental health advocate Nosa Iyobhebhe. With this piece he is asking

the difficult questions of when is the trauma going to end? And how many more loved ones will be lost to drug abuse? The piece is excellently titled because abusers of drugs usually engage in it to experience the highs, but this piece brings the lows to the forefront to explicitly show the consequences of such behaviour.

Kingsley’s individual style of painting has earned him recognition and awards from local and international art cognisors and establishments. In Addition to being a finalist at the Spanish visual art competition 2015, he has also been the winning talent at the Praize Music and Art Competition and recipient of the Best Experiment Artist award at LIMCAF 2016 and The Vin Martin IIo award for most outstanding work at LIMCAF 2017.

Ayogu Kingsley is an excellent example of African artists excelling greatly in the current art landscape.

There is large demand for his work which will grow as his notoriety increases. The passion and expression in his art connects with many people and we believe this is just the beginning of even more exhibitions and benchmarks in the art world. His mark on the world through art has just begun.

-Derrick Odafi, New Wave Editor/Writer

Art is a creative and vivid way to make people think and reflect on society. Many artists have done this in a style which can be considered their own. Artists such as Andy Warhol used their art as a vessel to comment on popular culture and the mass productive era of thier time. He used his screen printing style and colour to reflect the life of his subjects and society’s influence on their life and death. His work was a parody of human obsession and perception. Warhol as an individual is vastly different to Bright Tetteh Ackwerh, a Ghanaian painter, illustrator, and street artist. But their works have similarities in their core ability to depict famous figures and create a piece of art that sends a strong and sometimes controversial message to the viewer.

Bright Ackwerh is a bold and diverse contemporary artist who creates his work digitally and through traditional mediums. His work ranges from fluid sketches generating tone and highlights through cross hatching and the use of lines. His satirical caricature paintings have the depth of social commentary beneath the surface level of humour and animation, which is prevalent in his works. His curiosity influences him to create art that directly questions the status quo of politics all over the world, especially in the continent of Africa.

His work depicting pop culture figures also asks difficult questions, forcing viewers to engage with ideas many people would rather overlook. He presents these ideas in a manner in which even people who are against his point of view are drawn to see his artistic perspective. The art of Bright Ackwerh is necessary in today’s day and age; a time when corruption and social injustices happen on a daily basis. Ackwerh exclaims the issues of modern society with the strokes of his brush, exaggerating the perceptions most people have on the popular figures he depicts.

Ackwerh is an artistic intellect that uses the abundant mass of information in the modern era to free himself from the systems of control through his art. The social concepts he questions also involves religion, pan-africanism, and race relations. His love for art was cultivated at very young age but his personal growth and natural learning process impacted his art heavily.

His immediate surroundings, research through books and conversation are the muses for his brilliant work. Ackwerh understand the power of art and how it can be a tool of change or simply challenging people and their points of view, he is quoted as saying “Art for me has always been a weapon, that is what I have come to learn”.

Ackwerh refers to his caricature pieces as ‘Abonsam Cartoons’, in reference to a malevolent spirit in the gold coast region of West Africa and Ghana. The story of Abonsam is one of defiance and questioning of a higher authority, which is what is prevalent in Ackwerh’s work.

The time in which he discovered his excellence in this form of art was during a difficult period in his life. A time in which he felt unfulfilled in his studies and bored of his daily routine. Creating Abonsam cartoons was an outlet to express his political thoughts and combined his knowledge with his love for art.

One of Ackwerh’s pieces that has great impact on society today is his piece “BEG BEG”. The painting portrays the narrative of the growing influence of Chinese government on African nations, as the Chinese continue to invest heavily into Africa.

This piece of art touches on the leaders of the African nations and how they seem to be serving the Chinese influence instead of the people in which they rule. “BEG BEG� shows the Chinese ambassador to Ghana, Sun Baohong ecstatically shows off a gold bar to the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping. Synonymously, he nonchalantly pours muddy water into the out-stretched hands of the Ghanaian president and Minister of natural resources out of an antique Chinese vase..

This piece of art reflects foreign relations between China and Ghana, or any African nation with Chinese influence. The Chinese leader, Xi Jinping in the painting is looking away from the Ghanaian leaders and towards the gold bar, which is a commodity often associated with Ghana.

This is an excellent representation of what most people believe to be the underlined reason for Chinese foreign investment into Africa, not to serve the people but to exploit their resources like many other countries have in the past.

Another key element of this painting is in the clean, bottled water on the table. Ackwerh subtly symbolises the perceived lack of respect of Chinese leaders towards their Ghanaian counterparts.

This painting causes the viewer, wherever they are from, to evaluate morals and values practiced in politics and raises awareness of the covert exploitation of African resources.

In the realm of pop culture, Bright Ackwerh’s work brings cultural ideals and discrepancies to light. His love for popular music is evident in his work, but it does not appear without him questioning the dealings of the music business from the African circuit to the mainstream.

A piece in which Ackwerh does this very well is in his interpretation of the ‘Hold Up’ scene in the Beyoncé film Lemonade, created in support of her latest album. The scene in the film is of Beyoncé performing a song while destroying property around her with a baseball bat. In the paintin, an exaggerated depiction of Beyoncé features the same baseball bat seen in the film. Bright Ackwerh changes the narrative by replacing the destroyed property in the film with people.

These people are young aspiring musicians that contribute to Beyoncé’s music. The message behind this piece is that talented creatives, whom do not have as much notoriety, are often caught in a situation where their creativity is executed through someone that is more of a household name.

They create the content and the popular artist benefits from their work. The painting looks as though Beyoncé is in the process of beating an album out of the young creatives, most whom are of African descent. She is also depicted with a hand to her ear, which is usually a gesture to someone, urging them to raise their voice to be heard. This may also be very faint symbolism to imply that the strong arm of established acts and the music industry silence the voices of the young creatives.

Bright Ackwerh is an accomplished artist with an even brighter future. His work has been featured on many media platforms and his use of social media is a profound tool that has gotten his work recognised across continents.

In 2016 he was the recipient of the Kuenyehia Prize for Contemporary Ghanaian Art, selected as the winner of a $20,000 cash prize out of a shortlist of 10 impressive artists. He is very well respected by his peers and art lovers.

His rebellious mentality forces him to step out of his comfort zone in order to put his art on not just corporate platforms but on the streets of Accra in a guerrilla marketing format, a similar mentality to visionaries that preceded him.

His aspirations in the art world are to continue to exhibit his work in curated shows, getting his work published and continuing to expand his portfolio. Bright Ackwerh is a rising star that has all the tools to develop into a world-renowned artist.

His work demands that attention and his articulation of his work always supports the graphic scenes in his art causing individuals to be shocking or even disturbed. In his late 20’s he is Influencing people that come across his work and he will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Therapy. The treatment of mental or physiological disorders by physiological means.

Therapy and art have a storied relationship.

Some may argue that the best form of art is that which makes you feel.

Emotionally connecting to people through art is a craft that has been established for centuries, using art as an emotional outlet to release. Captivating artists such as Frida Kahlo and Mark Rothko turned their passions, pains, and displeasures into delightful works of art, documenting their struggles through ‘Art Therapy’.

This continues into the current artistic era through Kirsty Latoya, finding inner peace through a canvas of no limitations.

Latoya is a 26-year-old multi-talented creative that often pens vividly relatable poetry outside of her compelling paintings.

Her journey to art is an inspirational story that provides the foundation for the narrative of her work. Latoya is a lady of Caribbean decent, Jamaica precisely, whom has had art be a part of her life since she learned how to write.

She found joy in her creativity and her mother, Rose, was the first collector of her work.

She was profusely proud of her daughter’s talent and this nourished Kirsty Latoya to grow personally and artistically.

However various occurrences left Latoya feeling considerably less vibrant within herself, contrary to what her smile on the exterior would suggest. Her early adolescence began with unfamiliar feelings.

A low-self-esteem and her battles with a heart condition made her feel as though she was drowning in her thoughts and emotions.

Despite that, art continued to be an escape from sadness into a world of happiness.

These feelings continued to pursue her into her early 20s, later coming to a head through a devastating period in her life.

On January 22nd of 2016, Latoya lost her number 1 supporter to heavens gates. This unimaginable time in her life multiplied the emotions she had been feeling for years. Her thoughts of suicide became more frequent and she felt as though she had no purpose. She vowed to end her relationship with something that gave her constant joy; Her art.

Out of her love and loyalty to her mother she did not want to associate with anything that made her happy because the guilt of finding happiness in a world without her mother was not an option.

After months of her detachment from art, friends encouraged her to find her passion for art once again, and so the healing began.

Latoya painted a self-portrait that would illustrate her current situation but something that had been a part of her for years. She painted herself holding a mask of herself smiling, revealing her inner emotions underneath of her tears and dispair.

This beautifully painted piece not only has majesty in her technical ability but through her eloquent visual documentation of her feelings and emotion.

She exhibits her fearlessness of showing her growing pains, especially in a time where people run from revealing themselves in valuable situations. This piece is not only therapeutic for the artist herself but to its viewers.

There is a large number of people who go through depression and strength doesn’t just come in being able to carry on, no matter what you are going through, but strength also comes in the form of letting your pain be known and being comfortable in expressing your anguish.

Latoya documents her story through art while also being a therapist for people in a similar state by being relatable to the core and providing solutions.

Through her renewed discovery of art therapy, Latoya created an art series entitled the ‘Emotions Series’; a body of digital artwork that explored mental health. Through this series Latoya began to discover her power and something that started as a self-gratifying process began to be beneficial to others.

The healed began to be the healer through the vessel of art. She began to transition from surviving, to thriving, moulding herself into an overcomer that her mother was continuously proud of.

Another piece that speaks to the impactful imagery that lives in the work of Kirsty Latoya is her painting “Art Never Comes From Happiness”. This is a painting of an abstract expressionist background with a closed fist holding a paint brush to the background, bringing forth connotations of power and control.

A subtle element of strong imagery in the painting is the title of the painting written on the wrist of the figure. This is powerful because Latoya describes the piece as a way of challenging the phrase on the arm.

She believes her best work came from pain and not happiness. It is about creativity coming from an emotional place, whether it be happy or sad. When we’re emotional we’re usually passionate so this state of mind is the best time to create for her. Fine art becomes a form of therapy that has made her as vibrant as her art.

Latoya is an important part of the modern art world, touching people through art in her own way, like Jean Michel Basquiat, Bright Ackwerh and Ayogu Kingsley.

The pain she has been through has shaped her, reminding people that there is always hope. She recalls feedback from fans of her work, saying “I’ve had school kids messaging me, young women and people much older than me all sharing their experiences”, causing her to feel more empowered in her work and a constant advocate for changing the stigmas of mental health. She is the rose that grew from the concrete and her darkest times have lead her into the light, flourishing into beautiful and inspirational art and fulfilling her dreams.

Kirsty Latoya, Self Portrait

Architecture Bjarke Ingels Group is a conglomerate of designers who have excited the world of architecture many times over from the turn of the millennium. The Copenhagen and New York based company takes the consciousness of sustainability as a tool to explore new heights of architecture, rather than a constraint to design.

This usually expresses their concept of ‘hedonistic sustainability’, pioneering the discovery of beauty in green design.

Elegance and innovation are words that have become synonymous to the awardwinning group, founded by the man of the moment in the architectural sphere, Bjarke Ingels.

Ingles is an architect that has rapidly gained the attention and respect of his peers and architectural commissioners around the globe. This is evident in the large project span that BIG has been able to boast since its beginnings in 2005.

Ingels is a graduate in architecture from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Encouraged to study the subject by his parents as a more sustainable profession in comparison to his dream of being a comic book illustrator.

During his studies he found a love for the discipline of architecture and the possibilities it can have.

His work is a constant expression of imagination and problem solving, discovering ways to bring contrasting elements to work in synergy, aiming to give the inhabitants of his buildings a location that meets their needs with excellent aesthetic value.

Bjarke Ingles’ exciting energy and design philosophy has attracted many major projects to his renowned architectural practice. At the age of 41, which is virtually teenage years in the world of architecture, he and his partners have been assigned projects that can be described as career defining at every turn. One being, the project that coincided with the opening of the BIG New York base, West 57, New York City.

BIG has also been tasked with the development of major projects such as a proposed second Tower at the World Trade Centre, the Google headquarters in California and the LEGO building in Noma. Aside from the multiple accolades that BIG has acquired, from the international high-rise award in 2016 to awards from the British and American Royal Institutions of Architects, the prestigious practice has been gifted the opportunity to design a pavilion in the serpentine gallery, which is a privilege afforded to the most sought after and admired architects such as Frank Gehry, Daniel Libeskind and Sou Fujimoto. This is an architectural concession that certifies an architect’s arrival to greatness.

The pavilion was a construction of translucent blocks, oscillating on the landscape with a beautiful simplistic aesthetic. The pavilion was a great success with attractive perspectives and an exemplary quality of framing a pathway from the interior.

BIG ideas are a statement that is synonymous with the practice. The brilliant fusion of imagination and practicality give architectural solutions that can be recognised as unapologetically BIG. They embrace the constraints of their locations and are fearless when it comes to being unique and separating themselves from the city scape.

‘Yes Is More’ is a design manifesto that BIG continues to live by, aiming to find a way to incorporate and integrate differences, not through compromise but by tying conflicting interests into a melting pot of new ideas. An example of this is the Mountain Dwellings in Ă˜restad, Copenhagen.

This building incorporates living and parking space into a united system that allows the inhabitants the luxury of a colourful and aesthetically pleasing parking space with comfortable housing above, supplemented by sufficient natural light and a terrace with beautiful views to the city from each level.

This manifesto was curated in a comic book format in reference to the childhood dream of Bjarke Ingles himself.

BIG’s grand ideas are unmistakable but have been met with criticism from many angles, including from his own country men and women.

New Wave Magazine will be dissecting Three buildings by BIG and why critiques many have expressed positive or negative view points on their structures.

The New York courtscraper VIA 57 West, The LEGO House, Billund, Denmark and the Grove at Grand Bay, Miami, Florida, United States.

The Durst Organization is a family run commercial and residential real estate company that granted BIG the opportunity to change the perception of high rises in New York, developing a new typology with European roots called the “courtscape”.

VIA 57 West is a residential building completed in 2016, located in Manhattan New York, the home of some of the most iconic sky scrapers in the world.

The process of developing this tetrahedron shaped structure with 35 stories began in 2010.

The 72-year-old retail developer Douglas Durst travelled to the Bjarke Ingles studio in Denmark and was intrigued by the inventive nature of the head architect, praising him for the unique characteristics of all his projects, benefiting the locale of each environment his architecture would be constructed. BIG acquiring this commission was quickly followed by the opening of their New York headquarters the year after, employing 50 staff focused on developing the company’s first commission in the famous city.

The 830,000 sq ft high-rise also used the BIG philosophy of hedonistic sustainability by combining the density of the American skyscraper with the communal space of the European courtyard.

This is an interesting concept because high rises are recognised as highly economical and vary rarely have consideration for community and sustainability. BIG aims to satisfy the economic objectives through designing a 709 unit building but also taking into consideration the needs of individuals that will live in this building, Their activities, their statuses, preferences and also the buildings’ impact to its surroundings.

A 22,000 sq ft garden is at the heart of the building, able to bee seen from all sides on the building as a form of escape from the busy and active outside world of New York City.

This garden is a place of relaxation, communication, and air flow, in and out of the property. This garden also provides easy access to various parts of the building which is also a benefit for the residents and allows the building on either side to frame views out to the river.

The garden is a Danish touch to the New York structure, aiming to provide qualities of an ‘Urban Oasis’ usually credited to modern Danish architecture. The courtyard transforms from a shaded forest in the east, to a sunny meadow in the west. Designed by landscape architecture firm Starr Whitehouse, it features 80 newly planted trees and lawns, and 47 species of native plant material.

This garden is also due to BIG’s awareness of the improved pedestrianization in areas such as Broadway & Times Square.

VIA continues this process of greenification allowing open space to invade the urban fabric of the Manhattan city grid.” – Bjarke Ingles VIA occupies nearly a full city block at the corner of West 57th Street and the West Side Highway, with uninterrupted views towards the Hudson River Park and the waterfront; a prime location for New Yorkers with an interest in beautiful views and quick access to the centre of Manhattan, solidified as such by winning the Best Tall Building in the Americas as part of its 2016 Tall Buildings Award.

The form of the building from a plan view resembles a slightly irregular rectangle, but the excitement begins at the north-east corner of the building, extruded 450 feet above ground level. This gives the building an irregular pyramid form in 3 dimensions, a very dynamic building with level changes at each corner of the plan. This extrusion allows for the accommodation of living space but also access of direct southern sunlight to apartments. A captivating aesthetic feature of this building is the changes in perception people my have of the building from different vantage points. Just as it may resemble a pyramid from the west, an eastern perspective resembles a spire loosely similar to that of the Shard in London.

From an interior perspective, VIA 57 West houses commercial and cultural programs on street level and the second floor while being predominantly residential. Implementing ways in which the building can generate revenue aside from rent via the housing units, also catering to the convenience of the residents.

The magnificent luxuries of the structure include lounges, events spaces, a golf simulator, movie screening room, a pool, a basketball court, gym and exercise studios, and game rooms for poker, ping pong, billiards, and shuffle board, are all constructed around the courtyard to create a strong physical and visual connection between the interior and exterior communal spaces. The concrete and wood finish in the lobby add to the vibrant and high-quality feel to the structure although being fairly affordable.

The material concept for the interior design of the project is “Scandimerican”, another layer of the EuropeanAmerican hybrid concept. They blend classic modern Scandinavian material sensibility with local New York materials. The primary materials of the apartments are oak wood floors and cabinets, and white porcelain tiles in the bathrooms. An exemplary fusion of location, architectural philosophy, and consideration to inhabitants.

Lego as a brand has been present in the lives of us all for decades, from childhood up until now. Lego is usually a child’s first encounter with building a 3-dimensional object and the brick is the foundation of that. BIG in association with COWI, an engineering and environmental sciences company based in Denmark, developed the LEGO House in Billund, Denmark, to commemorate the location in which the LEGO brick was invented.

The LEGO House is designed with the purpose of bringing both children and adults into a mood of creativity and playfulness, expected to attract approximately 250,000 guests each year with around 2,500 visitors on peak days. In addition, the LEGO House was designed to be an architectural monument to represent the city of Billund as the capital city for children in Denmark. The very interesting building is 12,000m2 in size and took 3 years to develop, from the year 2014 till September 28th 2017.

BIG aimed to implement LEGO’s philosophy of learning through play to improve problem solving and creativity. They did this by designing a building that is formed as a LEGO brick construction. Recreation is a vital element of the LEGO House, so it was imperative that every interior zone and outdoor area had a playful sensation imbedded in it.

The building in the centre of the city is made of 21 overlapping blocks placed like individual buildings crowned by an oversized 2×4 LEGO block named the ‘keystone’. These blocks frame a 2,000 m2 LEGO square that is illuminated through the shifts and gaps between the volumes. The layout of LEGO House follows the structure of the five learning competences activated through play.

The Red Zone is for the purpose of creativity.

The Green Zone is designed for social play.

In the Blue Zone, they stimulate cognitive abilities, while emotions take centre stage in the Yellow Zone and the outdoor areas cater for physical play.

The colour of the floors let the visitor know exactly what part of the building they are in. The placement of these blocks create a covered public square and a series of interconnected terraces and playgrounds for guests to investigate and enjoy.

The plaza is publicly accessible, allowing visitors and citizens of Billund to cut through the building with ease. In the lobby of the building stands one of the world’s most iconic LEGO models, at over 15m tall and packed full of details and surprises, even the most avid LEGO enthusiast cannot fail to be impressed by the Tree of Creativity, placed in the centre of the main stairs leading visitors to the second floor of the mesmerising building.

The company’s story will be told in the history collection located in the basement. The highest level of the building houses the masterpiece gallery containing fan LEGO creations, illuminated by eight porthole skylights that mimic the shape of the stud-connectors referring to the recognised LEGO forms.

The lower floor hosts a gallery charting the history of Lego’s brand, and a space named the Vault. This space is set directly below the public square. The vault is a space where children (and Adults) can admire the first editions of many of Lego’s most famous building kits.

The building has a brilliant staircase feature, designed A pair of “pixelated” staircases creating an almost organic form from what seems to look like smaller Lego bricks which double as stairs. This presents a way for non-paying guests to walk to the top of the building to enjoy views from the outdoor terraces. The white finish on the exterior of the building gives it a simplistic and sophisticated anchor to the energetic themes of the building.

The white walls on the inside do the same but are also an effective way of reflecting light into the building.

This helps natural sunlight to disperse through the building and reduce the need for artificial lighting.

At its finest the design solutions that BIG provided for this project empowers people to imagine new worlds that are more exciting and expressive than the status quo – and to provide them with the tools and the skills to make their thoughts into physical objects.

In return LEGO developed a toy version of the building itself, which is very interesting because BIG was adamant about creating a building that looked like it could have been made from LEGO. The toy version of the building cements their achievement and adds to the tangibility of such an innovative structure.

The beautiful city of Miami is known for its gorgeous beaches and Sunny weather and energetic night life. Miami has now become the premium location for luxurious apartments with commissions for architects such as Renzo Piano, Zaha Hadid Architects and Bjarke Ingles Group. To compliment the exciting and unique energy of the city, BIG Designed twin towers of condominiums. Both are 20 story high, twisted apartment blocks in Coconut Grove, Miami. The high-rise towers will be constructed on the site of the former Grand Bay Hotel, one of Miami’s most prestigious attractions during the 1980s and early 1990s.

Despite being the only hotel in the area to have earned a five-star rating, Grand Bay lost popularity in its later years and was eventually closed in 2008. BIG aims to revitalise the prestige of the well-known hotel, bringing it to the 21st century in a spectacular way.

The new structure is developed by Terra Group, Miami’s leading real-estate development company. Construction was scheduled to begin late 2012 and was completed in 2014. The building includes 96 high price residences with twelve-footwide private terraces. The pent house and corner residences have a two car air conditioned garage and staff quarters.

Some of the luxuries at grand bay include a state of the art fitness centre overlooking the pool deck, a three-acre site with 320 feet of frontage to commemorate the previous Grand Bay Hotel and an infinity pool and private cabanas overlooking dramatic Biscayne Bay and the Coconut Grove skyline.

Grove at Grand Bay’s impressive aesthetic and high-quality services are vital to the evolution of Coconut Grove. BIG developed a structure that makes you want to delve into the details of the building tounderstand how the structure was even possible. The twist of the form is both an aesthetic and functional feature of the building. The contemporary condominium vernacular combines the brise soleil style balcony shading with floor to ceiling windows for amazing views out to the waters in a panoramic fashion. Air flow, both on the inside and out, a key element which informs the design. The torsion allows for strong winds to have less of an impact on the building. Therefore, it maintains its structural integrity and provides security for the residents aside from aesthetic pleasure.

A separate but infused feature of the location is the landscaping. The garden and architecture fuse seamlessly, maximizing indoor and outdoor living experiences that are unique to the south Florida environment. Landscape architect Raymond Jungles has designed the gardens and terraces that surround the building while the curling red sculpture created by artist Alexander Liberman at the hotel entrance will remain in its place.

Known for his creative and ecologically sensitive landscape architecture, jungles has used simpleyet-detailed hardscape elements created by Bjarke Ingles as the backdrop for a program including numerous water features, nearly 500 trees including the existing giant figs and gumbo limbos that were incorporated into the canopied landscape, and more than 15,000 plants. Most of the trees and plants are native to coconut grove. the result is a lushly landscaped campus that echoes the tropical beauty of coconut grove and promotes sustainability.

Although the building looks elegant and effortless, discovering how to engineer the core of the building was a big challenge for BIG. The practice required concrete expert from Munich, who made his career restoring gothic cathedrals, be part of the project and makes concrete look like raw concrete. BIG always tries to infuse their scandinavian tendency for simplicity with local materials with grand innovation and unique ideas.

The stone is incredibly porous, which means it weathers quite quickly, and it allows greenery to take hold. The building is brand new, but it almost looks like it has always been here.

In order to tackle the structural challenges presented by the design, BIG worked closely with Vincent Desimone, a renowned engineer who recently passed away.

Vincent came up with this brilliant idea that the core takes all the lateral loads. The core contains two inches of steel within the bottom 12 floors.

Essentially, all the horizontal loads are taken by the only thing that is vertical, and all the vertical loads are taken by the members that are diagonal — so nothing is really what it seems.

The result is something that makes this rather acrobatic move seem quite effortless.’

This Miami construction isn’t BIG’s only Twisted construction. BIG has also designed a twisted tower for Vancouver, which was named Future Project of the Year at the 2015 World Architecture Festival. Grove at Grand Bay is a $400 million project that has sold out.

The project has been recognized with several honours and awards for its achievements in development, construction quality, and engineering excellence. This includes the National Council of Structural Engineer’s Association’s (NCSEA) 2015 Excellence in Structural Engineering award. The Grove at Grand Bay will be a fixture in the skyline of Miami for many years to come.

-Derrick Odafi, New Wave Editor/Writer

On November 9th 2017, Nike and Virgil Abloh released the highly anticipated footwear collection ‘The Ten’. Nike recognises this capsule one of its fastest collaborations ever with the ten shoes designed and produced within 10 months from ideation to release. The pre-release only included the first five sneakers of the project which were the Air Jordan 1, Nike Blazer, Nike Air Presto, Nike Air Max 90, and Nike Air VaporMax. This great collaboration includes ten silhouettes split into two themes; Revealing and Ghosting which represent an evolving design technique established by Abloh. The first batch presents hand-cut, opensourced and reconstructed methods on the Air Jordan 1, Nike Air Max 90, Nike Air Presto, Nike Air VaporMax and Nike Blazer Mid. The latter makes use of translucent uppers on the Converse ChuckTaylor, Nike Zoom Fly SP, Nike Air Force 1 Low, Nike React Hyperdunk 2017 and Nike Air Max 97.

Every trainer will come in an inside-out Off-White™ x Nike packaging. ‘The Ten’ collection also has imprinted humorous logos on different parts of each shoe such as Shoelaces and AIR, which alludes to Nike’s Air technology featured within the shoes.

The collection is available to purchase from NikeLab, A Ma Maniere, Antonia, Antonioli, Atmos Sports Lab, Bait, Blends, Bodega, Colette, Comme des Garçons, Concepts, Dover Street Market, End, Excelsior Milano, Footpatrol, Guadalupe, Haven, HBX, I.T, Kith, Lane Crawford, Lust, Mita Sneakers, Notre, Offspring, One Block Down, Overkill, Patta, RSVP Gallery, Sivasdescalzo, Saint Alfred Selfridges London, Shinzo Paris, Shoe Gallery, Slam Jam, Sneakersnstuff, Social Status, Solebox, Soto Berlin, Starcow Paris, Supply, The Broken Arm, Tsum Moscow, Ubiq, Undefeated, and Voo Store.

Virgil Abloh is becoming an ultimate influence on the fashion industry, from established brands to independent designers that he speaks to so clearly through his ideas and concepts. Nike wanted to capture his perspective through classic silhouettes that have brought them to the top of the footwear industry.

This collection is a celebration of Nike’s history and the technology that has inspired so many creatives around the globe. As a student of Architecture, Virgil is not only concerned with aesthetics but the functionality of products. This is very evident in his recent collections. With this Nike project commissioned to OFF-WHITE, he aims to deconstruct the footwear, highlighting the interior technology with typography on the exterior while utilising his personal design language of using quotation marks to highlight features.

Virgil has often documented his fascination with Michael Jordan as a Chicago native. Things came full circle as for part of the 10 collection he was required to redesign the Jordan 1, a timeless silhouette that was rejuvenated by him and his designing partner in crime Kanye West.

Holding the Jordan 1, Virgil begins to take the iconic sneaker apart., inquisitive to what is in this shoe. What makes it special? What is “Air” technology? In a sense the 10 collection is Nike letting a long-time fan a seat at the design table and exposing the functionalities of sneakers that have been part of his life from a young age.

“The 10” was completed in an intense ten-month span, in what has become the most captivating and ambitious releases of 2017. During the first visit, he rebuilt a pair of triple-black Air Force 1 Low sneakers using an X-ACTO knife and drew on them with markers, initiating one-offs for his staff to wear at that December’s Design Miami/, where he presented OFF-WHITE furniture.

This shows that Abloh was ready for this opportunity, Abloh saying “I didn’t wait all those years just to have meetings at Nike.” He wanted to make his own mark on the brand and that has brought us the ‘Ten Collection’.

To Abloh, all the sneakers selected are nothing short of state of the art design. He likens them to iconic sculptures like the statue of David or unforgettable paintings like the Mona Lisa.

The 10 shoes were divided into two themes. The first, “REVEALING,” was designed to look accessible: hand-cut, open-source and reconstructed. It includes the Air Jordan I, Nike Air Max 90, Nike Air Presto, Nike Air VaporMax and Nike Blazer Mid. The second, “GHOSTING,” was designed with translucent uppers to further the idea of revealing and unite the second set of silhouettes through common material. It includes the Converse Chuck Taylor, Nike Zoom Fly SP, Nike Air Force 1 Low, Nike React Hyperdunk 2017 and Nike Air Max 97.

Another element of these shoes that sets them apart from the rest is the industrial zip ties. This reiterates the concept behind this project of taking a sneaker apart and reconstructing it. This industrial influence trickles down to his products, which can be seen in items such as his OFF-WHITE construction-themed T-shirt and the now iconic industrial belt.

These ties could also be a commentary on branding as some wearing the shoe may feel the need to keep the zip tie on although it serves no real purpose. Abloh has created a brand that is so valuable, from the apparel down to industrial zip ties.

The Ten Collection speaks to the true longevity of shoes that have defined sport and sneaker culture. They’ve stood the test of time, and through ‘The Ten’, have become collective catalysts from which to understand not just footwear design but concepts for all design.

- Teresa Mwangi, New Wave Fashion

However, it was the start of a new incarnation of sneaker design that led to his legendary deal with Adidas that ultimately turned the ugly sneaker into a trend. This collection has split platform soles, clashing colour schemes and an innumerable set of panels made of leather,silicone, suede and mesh. This has inspired sportswear brands like New Balance, Nike and Asics, who are creating more daring silhouettes to cater to their consumer’s new found love for the ugly sneaker trend.

For many years the term ‘clean’ has been a core part of the global sneaker industry.

However, lately a new trend has emerged which is the ugly sneaker trend. This uncoventional trend has more chunkier and wider silhouttes, with the likes of Adidas Orginals x Raf Simons Ozweego and the This unconventional trend has strong references from the 90s Balenciaga Triple S inspiring this trend in the and early 2000s. On the runways some of the most influential industry. designers; Prada, Dior, and Rick Owens showed off their fresh take on the ugly sneaker trend. These sneakers are meant to Contemporary fashion designer Raf Simons be worn with elegantly tailored trousers and oversize jackets, had been pushing the boundary with making for a look that’s equal parts normcore. footwear design. In his early days he was taking simple silhouettes and combining High street retailer Zara has been inspired by the this trend them with off-kilter motifs like buckles and and has released an affordable Multi-Piece Sneaker. The shoe primary school plimsoll-like straps. At the comes with patches of different materials and colours across its time the statements were small. upper, as well as a chunky sole that is featured on all the ugly sneakers. Inspired by the Balenciaga Triple S, this version comes in at £25.99 sitting way below the actual Triple S retail price £700.00

- Teresa Mwangi, New Wave Fashion

Balenciaga Triple S sneakers designed by Demna Gvasalia; some of the most sought after sneakers in the fashion world.

Did they usher in the new wave of chunky/bulky sneaker silhouettes?

Raf Simons ozweegos (£230)

Sofiane Sneakers (£380|)

Gucci Cruise

Raf Simons x Adidas (£330)

Fila Disruptor (£70)

Balenciaga Triple S (£700) Reebok Furikake (£199)

Yeezy Boost 700 (£670-£940)

Yeezy Desart Rat

SWAMPClo: (Above) S.W.A.M.P clothing is a briliant UK brand with a high end aesthetic. The concepts behind their peices have a deep social meaning and make thier clothing not just fashion but a statemnt on society.

Only The Certified: (Middle) Only The Cerified is a brand founded by 16 year old Nirbhay Bist. He is an idividual with a high interest in fashion, film and music. He aims to use all these qualities to aid in the success of his brand. Their concept of exclusivity in name but inclusivity in price is interesting and may work in thier favour.

Cyke Clothing: (Top Right) Cyke clothing is a brand with a great range of products and colour ways, their hoodies are definitely a great purchase for people who want to look and feel fresh for the winter. Cyke clothings’ windbreakers are also very stylish with a minimalist logo and a great mix of quality and simplicity.

Kulture Boom: (Botton Right) Kulture Boom is a streetwear brand founded in New York, USA. Emersed in the culture of Hip Hop, the brand offers products from t-shirts to sweatshirts, most notably the sweatshirts with camo sleeves and “Trap Essentials” typography on the torso of the apparel. New Wave sees this brand as one with great potential.

SWAMP Clo S.W.A.M.P clothing is a UK brand founded by Joshua Oluwayemi-Coker, a young creative with a clear vision for his brand and the impact he believes his ideas can have in the fashion world. S.W.A.M.P clothing is a brand that holds a deep conceptual value. This brand has substance that its consumers would be proud to be associated with. Society dictates the world we live in and S.W.A.M.P clothing aims to question society’s influence on us as individuals.

Joshua’s knowledge of the fashion landscape and his creativity brings forth a brand that New Wave believes can have lasting power and a great impact on streetwear, in the UK and across the globe.

S.W.A.M.P aims to target an audience similar to lifestyle brands such as OFF-WHITE and Fear of God, a high end aesthetic ,with an elegant silhouette, that people who love to look and feel good will readily add to their clothing collection. The simplistic colour ways and typography in the clothing is vital to how Joshua captures his consumers. The high-quality material and fit of his clothing are key to satisfying the individuals that wear his clothing. He stands for something through fashion and so do the people that wear his clothes, whether they know it or not.

We caught up with Joshua to get an insight into his brand and his design process. New Wave photographer Daniel Kulakov photographed scenes as Barbican Centre at the S.W.A.M.P Clo x New Wave photoshoot for issue II, with models Emmanuel Speaks and Jessiara Marriott. The Location was chosen due to the Basquiat ‘Boom for Real’ exhibition that is taking place currently, New Wave Believed it would be a brilliant way of Bringing our Issue full circle by subliminally bringing Fashion and Art together.

Interview NWM: Hi How are you?

Hi i’m good thank you NWM: Can you please Tell the readers who you are and a little about yourself?

Hi my name is Joshua Coker I am 22 years old, I grew up in Dulwich, South London but currently reside in Barking, East London NWM: What is fashion to you?

Fashion is a way to express “you” through the means of dressing.

NWM: What about fashion today do you dislike?

I don’t dislike anything in particular in the fashion world, however, I truly feel that ignorance is bliss which is why a lot of clothing brands emulate each other far too much, for example the track pants with the panels on the side, so sometimes as a brand you have to “smell what sells” even though you don’t to be a sheep or follower, sometimes it requires you to incorporate what is buzzing in order to get that recognition you deserve NWM: Do you feel like fashion should send a message?

I feel fashion should exude confidence and creativity, however, sometimes fashion can just be simple and straightforward NWM: Do you feel like what you wear says something about you?

I would say it does say a bit about me, I literally just wear black, or grey and I think it has to do with my personality as I am so laid back, which can be seen as a negative as numerous people have confronted me about it. But, I guess everyone is different NWM: What is it that makes you passionate about fashion?

The freedom to express how you feel by creating pieces with your ideas, your thoughts and your inspirations

“I feel fashion should exude confidence and creativity” NWM: Are you in higher education?

I am currently studying Computer Science at the University of Essex NWM: What experiences in higher education did you have that drove you to this point of starting your own brand?

None NWM: Who in your life is the most supportive person in your journey through fashion?

Everyone in my immediate family and close friends have supported me, however, the number one support received is from my mother as she consistently asks what new designs have I made, querying about sales made, when I’m releasing new material and what she thinks would be a good idea.

NWM: Where/when do you feel you are most creative?

Late nights in my bedroom NWM: What would you like to be remembered for most?

Not just a fashion designer, but an individual that truly made clothing from what was on everyone’s mind

Models: Jessiara Marriott (left) Emmanuel Speaks (right)

NWM: Being able to start something by yourself for the people is such a huge accomplishment, what do people around you say about that?

People usually congratulate me for creating a clothing brand as it takes hard work, a lot of time and especially a lot of risks.

NWM: What is your favourite type of clothing?

Drop Shoulder Hoodies.

NWM: What fashion house if any would you like to design for most?

Yeezy.

NWM: Who in the fashion industry do you look to for inspiration or as a mentor?

Kanye West/Asap Rocky.

NWM: Does society/culture influence your personal style?

Society has no effect on the way I dress in my opinion, society can only present you things and it’s your choice whether to use it or implement it.

NWM: Do you feel like you have your own unique style?

I don’t think any brand is considered 100% unique as there is always some aspect you may use from another person, but I do feel my brand is different to a lot of brands out there, due to the fact that I incorporate the massive issue with the current days society.

NWM: What is your favourite brand to wear aside from your own?

No favourite brand.

NWM: Why is this your favourite brand to wear?

I literally just wear what I feel fits nice, looks appealing to the eye and has some factor of uniqueness to it.

NWM: Do you feel like anything distracts you from putting your all into your brand?

Not at all.

“I constantly think of new ideas for clothing literally every single day” A lot of designers do not have a lot of creative influence on their own clothing. How do you feel about having so much control?

I love coming up with concepts and ideas on my own because I feel privileged when it turns out a success knowing I did not rely on someone’s assistance.

Who in the design world would you want to follow in their footsteps?

Virgil Abloh. which brands do you feel has the most influence right now?

Off-White.

How creative would you say you are?

I would say I am really creative as I constantly think of new ideas for clothing literally every single day, as soon as I come up with an idea I write it down and add it to my ideas folder located on my laptop.

What is the best part about being a young business owner?

No distractions from any other individuals.

What are the day to day struggles to trying to promote your brand?

The hardest part of having a brand is being able to promote it, as in this day and age, people only wear clothing they’ve seen on a celebrity or someone with a status.

What stores would you like your clothes to be sold in?

FarFetch, Endclothing, SSENSE, Barneys

“I wanted to make a b which envisions my bel and adding this on a p clothing”

NWM: We have plans to work with your brand on future projects. How would you like our brand to contribute to yours?

Collaborations, photoshoots and future interviews NWM: New Wave is a company that combines all forms of design into one umbrella, what other forms of design do you feel are most like or related to fashion?

Photography NWM: We have an article on Virgil Abloh x Nike’s TEN project on our magazine, which one of the ten would you rock the most?

Nike Blazers NWM: Which one of the shoes would go best with your orange ‘Slave II Society’ Sweaters?

Nike Blazers NWM: What is your opinion on the new ‘ugly shoe’ trend?

With the new Balenciagas, Filas ect - I have nothing against the ugly shoe trend, as beauty is in the eye of the beholder and one man's meat is another man's poison. So if you like it, buy it, if you don't - move on

brand liefs piece of

NWM: What inspired the name of the brand?

I believe that society has a massive hold on people's mind and actions, people no longer think for themselves, they let society make decisions for them.

For example, if you don't fit into a certain category, society would label you as a misfit and people subconsciously accept this upon themselves, so I wanted to make a brand which envisions my beliefs and adding this on a piece of clothing which looks pleasing to the eye would not only allow people to buy a new product for themselves they would buy it “thinking that his concept behind his brand makes so much sense and that its factual�.

NWM: What does the acronym S.W.A.M.P mean?

Society Will Always Manipulate People NWM: What are a few things you want to bring to peoples' minds when your brand is mentioned?

Freedom of speech NWM: What is your vision in the next few years for this Brand?

Open a pop up shop for people to view my clothing line and also be able to purchase exclusive items.

NWM: What other pieces of apparel are coming?

Bomber Jackets and Bottoms NWM: Who are the main Players in The Brands creative side?

Just Myself NWM: Why do you want people to wear your clothes?

Because I know for a fact people would look at my product and either feel it's different, the meaning behind it is unique and factual and the fabrics used are of high quality NWM: What do you feel will be the next benchmark for your Brand?

Reaching out to a wider audience and my female audience

NWM: What impact do you feel your brand can have in the fashion world?

I feel that my brand can enlighten people more about my views on society and several people out there may also be able to agree with me NWM: How has the Internet helped your brand?

The internet has drastically helped me as this is where I get my images from, my fonts, and just my day to day dosage of inspiration from upcoming clothing brands NWM: How do you brainstorm concepts for your brand?

I just research about society as a whole, research phrases which can go hand in hand with my brand name and from there I just put two and two together and create a finished product NWM: What sets your brand apart from the rest?

My brand has a meaning. A plethora of brands out there pretend to have a deeper meaning or they don't have one at all, my brand name is captivating and on telling an individual the acronym and what it stands for, this always brings every individual to ask me why and how I came up with the name as its highly intriguing.

NWM: Would you classify your brand to just streetwear?

Currently, my brand is a streetwear brand, but I don't agree with how people think streetwear brands cannot go far, this is false, a streetwear brand with a fresh, innovative concept can go as far as a high fashion clothing line these days.

NWM: What do you think is the best way to get people wearing your clothing?

Celebrity co-sign, and that is the Gods honest truth.

As I mentioned previously, people would love your concept but the barrier to cross over between liking something and bringing money out of your pocket to buy it is a mountain to climb for them. Once they see a celebrity rocking it, that's when they suddenly want to buy it as well.

NWM: Who do you feel currently are your biggest supporters? Males? Females?

Males.

NWM: How do you want your clothes to make people feel?

I want people to feel like they have purchased a highend product for a good price, the material should feel impeccable to them and the overall finished product should be something that makes someone comfortable, to wear indoors and outdoors.

NWM: If you had a chance to do an apparel collaboration with a high-end brand, who would they ideally be?

Fear of God, as Jerry Lorenzo has a deeper meaning behind his brand unlike some other brands which I come across.

NWM: Why are the colours orange, red and black so significant to your brand?

Orange is the new black. Orange is a new craze nowadays because its loud yet subtle. The orange colour was incorporated from the prison jumpsuit and the black and red colours are commonly used as these colours usually give off the impression of something being evil, mysterious or anonymous.

NWM: Please explain the meaning behind your ‘Vengeance’ t-shirts?

Nik Randall, who goes by the instagram name of @serua, was the person that helped me with this concept. I am a Christian so I wanted my brand to have some sort of link to this, not in a way to bombard people with “God this” or “God that”, but just to incorporate it into my brand in any way possible. In the scripture Romans 12:19 it says “vengeance is mine, I will repay” so this is when I decided to name my collection Vengeance.

I told Nik Randall about my current idea and one of his favourite movies was V for Vendetta, and a phrase which was said in the movie was “is that what you really think, or what they would want you to think” so we put his idea and my idea together, and that is how the final piece came out. The overall meaning is to do with society conforming people to think a certain way, so is that what you honestly think or is that what society just wants you to think.

Model: @emmanuelspeaks

Model: @_MissMarriott

Why is the phrase ‘To be or not to be’ so prevalent in your clothing?

To be or not to be the opening soliloquy from the play Hamlet. As I came up with my brand name, this phrase literally just came straight to mind, in a nutshell it means, are you going to be a part of the conformity of society or not What are 3 things you want people to think when they see your brand?

Clever/Innovative/Modern You have an online store, tell us where we can purchase your clothes? swampclo.com When do you think we will see your brand on a runway at an independent show?

2020

“No matter how big my b who may not be able to a

brand gets I would always consider the individuals What new Designs can we expect in the future, anything afford it” dramatically different?

Female Pieces.

What do you think will be a great look with one of your shirts?

Accessories included. - I would love to make socks or some sort of hat in the near future Do you feel any pressure to make sure your brand is known by your target audience?

No pressure whatsoever.

Do you feel your brand can play a part in changing people’s perception of society?

I always ensure there is not so much a negative connotation of society in my clothing but a blunt and honest opinion of society which would be agreed by numerous individuals.

Your brand is making the most of its resources. How do you aim to continue to satisfy customers with great content? By doing things outside of fashion? More diverse attire?

More diverse attire would spring to mind, I'd always come up with new ideas and new pieces to surprise my customers Is affordability an important factor for your clothing?

Yes definitely, no matter how big my brand gets I would always consider the individuals who may not be able to afford it, so you will never see me charge more the £100 for a simple t-shirt. I understand that notable brands increase the price, due to the fact that they use higher quality fabrics and the popularity would mean it's more sought after, but affordability would always have an effect on me because I don't believe it's fair to overcharge people when it is not needed What would you say to someone coming from where you do that feels they can’t build their own brand?

Don't think about the amount of steps you need to go through to reach your goal, focus on the step you need to overcome in front of you - one step at a time.

-Derrick Odafi, New Wave Writer/Editor Photography by Daniel Kulakov

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Model: @faithmodelling

Events I recently did a piece on Robert Mugabe finally bowing down to years of pressure to stand down as the leader of Zimbabwe; unfortunately there is a serious humanitarian crisis happening in Libya where people are being sold as slaves.

Slavery in 2017? I know it’s a hard thing for a lot of us to get our head around, but it’s live, it’s happening and we need to put a stop to it immediately. It was widely believed that we are centuries removed from the slavery where Africans were displaced and sold to work in despicable conditions. However, the emergence of some truly horrific footage has shed light on an issue that didn’t just start in the last month, this is something that has been going on for years. Modern day slavery is alive.

Via social media, I have seen truly harrowing pictures and videos that genuinely made my stomach turn. I saw the inhumane conditions, in which these people are kept and the disgusting ways in which they are treated. I saw a video recording of a group of men appearing to be sold at an auction for as little as $400, and this exploitation of migrants and refugees has become the norm in Libya.

In one of the videos an auctioneer can be heard saying, “Does anybody need a digger? This a digger is a big strong man.” I feel very uncomfortable using the word auctioneer, but that’s exactly what was happening! Human beings were being treated and auctioned off like bespoke pieces of furniture.

This flagrant disregard for human life is frankly sickening, and to see people being treated worse than animals is truly heart-breaking.

The scary reality is that this may be the tip of the iceberg of a much larger criminal trade where criminal gangs are found to be very lucrative. More and more immigrants are starting to see Libya as the portal to a better life, where they typically travel from West Africa all the way to Libya under the pretence that they will be transported to Europe for a better standard of living.

I was curious to find out what the countries in the west had to say about this crisis?

French President Emmanuel Macron, announced a plan to launch “concrete military action� against the perpetrators.

The difficulty for the nations in the west is the fact that this is happening in the backdrop of a lawless post Gaddafi Libya.

This means there isn’t one single person or group which can be held accountable.

Different small factions occupy different regions in Libya, and the government is essentially helpless. Some have gone as far as to say that the west needs to work with Libya to institute a viable government as the failed state which we see today, is not able to effectively deal with this problem.

Personally I would suggest tougher border controls stopping people who want to travel to Europe from entering the country in the first place, but that adds credence to the point of Libya being lawless.

Who is going to be held accountable to ensure that Libyan border control is tightened?

I’ve found this situation particularly harrowing because it’s sad to see that an industry which is associated with one of the darkest periods in history is still flourishing centuries after it was abolished. What can we do? Of course, I am aware that many of us are far away from Libya, but we can definitely do our best to influence abolition and change.

There has recently been a march taking place on the 9th of December 2017 at Belgrave Square, a marching to the Libyan embassy. This event was a resounding success, bringing people of all backgrounds together for the greater good of human rights. We must continue to pay attention to the Libyan landscape and continue to make efforts to eradicate slavery from every society.

-Adrian Anderson, MCM Magazine

mcmmagazine.co.uk

Poetry Spiderman Spiderman does whatever a spider can Just a message from a long-time fan Cuz to every stage of my life belongs a Spiderman From playing with Lego’s and watching the 90s series on the small screens to enjoying Rami’s take on the web head reliving moments thanks to memes then later discovering the spectacular series in my teens While Uni years involved Andrew Garfield on the big screens Truly a character of the ages he’s been there always been there But shockingly my journey to homecoming it was riddled with fear Wiki states homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back former students and celebrating a school’s existence But What I annoyed me was the persistent Effort made on marvel and Sony part with the consistent Need to plaster Iron man on every poster I get it Spidy is finally in the MCU, his home But it just made me feel you lack faith he could sell on his own A peasant placed parched at the bottom of the pedestal glaring up at Iron man’s thrown What happened to my friendly neighbourhood Spiderman Able to do anything any spider can defeat criminals with witty banter and a cunning plan Forget jump swing leaps and bounds while a school bullies keep him down like no ordinary man but relational and financial problems like the everyman probably the most relatable hero to the hard-core-st of fan but What shocked me most was when I realized there was no inclusion of uncle ben Peters Story was about a boy becoming a man by learning to take up responsibility for his gifted power Not the be a franchised poster child perched under the Avengers tower All of this made me set my expectations low and left me feeling sour

But I was wrong ….

Yeah I was wrong….

Marvel didn’t get it wrong In-fact they did many things right Despite what was apparent at first sight To start off we finally have young Spiderman on the big screen Not making almost 30 years old seem Like they’re in their to be late teens Unlike Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield Tom Holland makes it believable peter is Fifteen Tom is the perfect blend between the two He has the playfulness of Andrew Whenever he is in the red and blue And can pull off the awkward and nerdy scenes as peter parker as well as Toby did too This apparent to me from the moment he stumbles and struggles to put the suit the first time Then suddenly switches to hanging criminals from store fronts while fighting crime

All this only amplified by John Watts and crew who outdo themselves with the peters high school like the awkward news show that reoccurs throughout that serve as useful tool to give audiences breather between the heavier plotted scenes this setting vibrant giving this film a certain lighthearted charm which only adds to the tension when Peter is at risk of being harmed

Not to mention the great side characters especially in peters class It’s just sad that some feel that these people weren’t up for the task Claiming the cast is too diverse Like New York isn’t diverse Maybe we’re so used to Hollywood showing us the inverse Because in major cities classes like peters are a norm I’m just happy the mention of the Washington monument being built on the back of slaves didn’t cause an internet shit-storm Ned is clueless but loveable Aunt may is fuc—huggable This universes MJ always has something morbidly clever to say But if I have my way I change the actor for Flash Thompson cuz that guy was a harmless nerd the idea of peter finding him the least bit intimidating is absolutely absurd One aspect that sets this film a part It’s has one of the only marvel villains we can empathize with from the start While flash isn’t the least bit threating Keaton’s performance more that make up for it A favourite bit is that tense car scene the where lighting and music changed to suit dread on peter face as the deranged Dad of his date slowly pieces together his identity building this impending sense of danger For the cinema audience I was with this was a game changer the vulture being connected to peter and not just some stranger

the final fight wasn’t the greatest and doesn’t have anything on the train scene in spidy 2 but when Peter reaches he greatest stage of vulnerability finally reaching his breakthrough there is this huge triumph reminiscent to Amazing 33 making me lost for words as few films can evoke the same sense of emotion present in the source material with a call-back The funny thing is what makes this film work is what made me so apprehensive The fact is it’s never hid That Peter lives post Avenger world 8 years since the battle in New-York Which means everything thing Avenger is common place The very first shot is an avenger drawing Jon Watts has no time to waste In class Bruce Banner, alongside Einstein, Crookes commit crime Each touting a Thor, hulk, Iron man and captain America mask Did I mention the Captain America PSA’s in detention and gym class?

You know the avengers are trendy When high schoolers play a friendly game of F marry and kill constantly bombarded by this it’s no wonder peter feels his life is on a stand still yet peter choice to not join the avengers and carry on as his own semi-independent entity to stay close to the ground help, the little people which really underpinned the theme of responsibility this choice reverberates sentiments of which much wiser people have said before me what make peter special to people like me is that he isn’t necessarily

who I or we should aspire to be as he himself aspires to be like them his on his way to standing alongside greater women and men which he didn’t call himself spider boy but Spiderman so many I want to stand on equal footing with not just be a fan it can be so easy to want to take short cuts and make skip step plans but part of growing up is earning your keep doing the little jobs the best you can which is why totally supported peter choice to just our friendly neighbourhood Spiderman - Joseph Adetifa, New Wave Creative Writing

TALENT NETWORK LONDON

Music At some point you have probably been perplexed as to how you pronounce his name, but that is just the beginning of all the engaging qualities the Rnb singer/songwriter has to offer.

He is due to become a household name in the music industry and an example of versatility and creativity.

6lack, pronounced “Black”, is an Atlanta Georgia native who relocated to the popular city in 1997 from his birthplace of Baltimore, Maryland, at the age of 5, an age where he discovered his love for music through spending time at his father’s recording studio.

6lack, real name Ricardo Valdez Valentine, formulated is alias in reverence to the Zone in which he lived in the city of Atlanta, Zone 6/ and his love for the colour black, which has come to be part of his image. He combined the two, therefore developing the Moniker.

The name came to him at a low period in his life, he had just come out of a bad relationship and suffered a car crash. During this period, he took time to re-evaluate and refocus, therefore he began to read horoscopes and write.

Through this journey he came across number paths and immediately gravitated to the number 6 without doing the calculation, as it has been in his life from a young age. Aftermore research he concluded that it described him a great deal. He later did the calculation and it came to the number 6. Tthe clour black also correlates to his music, providing a dark and mysterious texture to his records, supplemented by his nonchalant tone.

His music speaks to his listeners in an accessible and charismatic way that engages the listener, speaking to his beginnings in the industry and Relationship based topics. This is evident in his break out single “PBLM” which debuted in June of 2016.

6lack comes from a city with heavy ties to the music industry as Zone 6 is also the home of artists such as Future, Childish Gambino and of course Gucci Mane.

Due to the rap talent that has emerged from Atlanta, it is no surprise that 6lack began as a rapper, battling others in cyphers around the city and sharpening his skills. His avid interest for battle rap came from artists such as Cassidy, who was his favourite battle rapper, and his friends at school who would throw him into lyrical competitions when he least expected.

6lack recalls these moments saying, “I’d be in the middle of eating lunch and somebody would be like, “Yo, somebody want to battle you.” And I’d put my tray down and go outside and that would be that.” He remembers getting into a fight with the one person he remembers losing to, this shows how passionate he was about the craft.

This also puts him in the calibre of versatility similar to artists such as Tory lanez, Kid Cudi and Drake because his beginnings as a rapper developed into him teaching himself hoe to sing after being inspired by musicians such as Sade, The Dream and Usher. of 2009.

After working independently on music for 2 years he signed a record deal with an unknown label in 2011 and moved to Miami, Florida, discontinuing his studies at the University of Valdosta State shortly after to focus on music. 6lack spent 5 years with this label, releasing music on his SoundCloud but never releasing a complete body of work.

Although he had the urge to record music he would repeatedly discard the songs and start the project afresh.

During this time in life he had no financial security and virtually became homeless, sleeping in the studio and even outside, not knowing where his next meal was coming from. There were moments where he would say to himself, “You better know that this shit is going to work. Because this situation isn’t cool.”

All these moments in his life drove him to create his first official release. Breaking away from his indie label due to creative differences and signing to Love Renaissance (LVRN) and Interscope records, he finally had his freedom from creative restraints and released “Free 6lack”, an excellent body of work that will be referred to for years to come.

When creating the album 6lack wrote the word “relatable” on his mood board because that was the feeling he wanted the music to embody. The monochrome aesthetic he has is a visualisation of his state of mind and it shows in the music. The album tells stories of sadness, reflection and freedom from terrible situations and his old record deal.

Since his album release, which was met with rave reviews, he has been very calculated in releasing music, releasing singles such as “First F**k” featuring Jhene Aiko and “That Far”, a brilliant record speaking to doubters and aimless critics, advising them to prioritise themselves instead of giving their opinions on things that have no relation to them.

6lack recently re-released his first project, adding more songs to the piece and collaborating with one of his early influences, T-Pain.

6lack has performed at sold out shows around the globe and was the opening act on The Weeknd’s recent Starboy tour in the United States. His relatability and quality of music is causing his star to rise rapidly.

This is also evident in the fact that he has a twitter dm group chat with 40 of his fans, speaking to them from time to time on his current moves and simply asking how they are. His reach is continuously expanding but he remains humble and amongst the people that helped him reach such success.

Something that is bound to keep him grounded is the birth of his daughter and First child, fittingly named “Syx Rose Valentine”. She is sure to bring some colour into the young artists life, already changing his image from the crazy dreads and beard to the low cut on both is face and scalp.

- Derrick Odafi, New Wave Editor

6lack believes that music is therapy, and no one will argue with him based on the journey music and life has taken him on. He has been quoted saying “There’s a lot of stuff going on that can deter you or just get you kind of down in the dumps, especially watching the news and sh*t now, and seeing what’s going on, but I know that music serves its purpose, and I want to make sure that I’m doing my job.” He is certainly doing his job.

Sonder;The realisation that every individual has their own life, just as vivid and complex as your own. This is a word that Brent Faiyaz, birth name Christopher Brent Wood, lives by and illustrates through the smooth and relaxing music he produces. The word is also tattooed above his right eye.

He is an individual that aims to live his truth through his music as purely as possible. His art is separate from the norm, in subject matter and in sonic expression.

A quote by famed pop artist Keith Haring is tattooed across Faiyaz’s chest, it reads “I don’t think art is propaganda. It should be something that liberates the soul, provokes the imagination and encourages people to go further.” This speaks to the mentality of Faiyaz and what he wishes to deliver to listeners of his mood setting records. He believes music should come from a real place with no ulterior motive.

The place that raised and shaped Brent Faiyaz is the DMV. Baltimore, Maryland.

Recording music in the comfort of his home at the age of 12 and 13. Although Columbia is his place of birth, he resided in Baltimore till the year 2014, relocating to Charlotte, North Carolina before later settling in Los Angeles, California to further his music career.

The influence of underground artists and the growth of the powerful platform of the internet sparked a passion in him that has carried him till this point.

Brent Faiyaz is not only Sonder’s Son but the son of two educators, therefore academic excellence was a constant reminder, although he hardly paid it any mind, vividly referred to in the intro skit on his latest album. While not attending college (university) He was independent enough to live on his own at a key point in his life while his peers were in higher education.

Faiyaz reflected on his goals and asperations aside from working at a local Dunkin’ Donuts and grocery store, he decided to move to Charlotte to free himself from the pressures that surrounded him and pursue his dream of being a musician.

A Singer that began his journey in music through rapping as opposed to the vulnerable and soothing vocals he delivers currently. This later formed into Faiyaz cultivating his debut EP A.M. Paradox, released on his 21st birthday, September 19th, 2016.

This project was preceded by songs like “Natural Release” and “Allure” that display the candid storytelling that Faiyaz possesses, something that sets him apart from his counterparts in the music industry. The project itself is a representation of the honesty Faiyaz aims to show in his music.

Illustrating with lyrics, the disparities of a man in terms of how he reacts in conversation with his partner as opposed to the same conversation with friends. The tempo of his music and his layered vocals make his sound distinct and enchanting when delving into the truth of such topics.

After the positive response from his Introductory project, quickly there after he then became part of a collective ‘Sonder’ with record producers Dpat and Atu. They discovered one another through Soundcloud and this collaboration resulted in the release of “Into”. In this project Faiyaz aims to express an element of himself that he would rather not share in everyday conversations.

The project tackles topics of intimate and family relationships and the stand out record “Too Fast” speaks to his ignorance to living too fast. Crooning about his limited time, not knowing when it all could end and his freedom of not having much to lose, allowing him the opportunity to move at the speed of light.

This project was a brilliant prelude to his first full length project ‘Sonder Son’.

Sonder Son is more than the quintessential R&B record of the current age. Brent Faiyaz’s style is very reminiscent of the 90s era, consisting of his voice, an instrumental and a story. His latest work is him detailing his life as it is and observing his surroundings. The typical relationship narrative is in his music, but he possesses so much more substance. He has previously stated “The more opinionated people are, the more they show themselves as individuals”. This portrays Faiyaz’s mentality and it shows in the music as he speaks on topics that bring his originality to the fore front. On this project a theme that Faiyaz continues to refer to is his inability to trust and his is ability to find satisfaction in his simple lifestyle back in Maryland.

Reminiscing about friends, his state of mind before his journey to L.A and a homage to the city that made his dreams a reality, painting a picture of the opportunities and pitfalls of the famous city. Another important aspect of this project is that most of the songs were recorded in The Dominican Republic.

The D.R. is a place that holds major significance to Faiyaz as it is where his father’s family originate from.

He used the surroundings to influence his music and separate himself from his day to day life for self-analysis and evaluation, therefore expressed in sonic form.

His most notable accolade is arguably his feature on the Goldlink Single “Crew�, where he laid vocals to a Billboard charting record that has since been certified platinum and was a candidate for song of the summer in 2017.

The Maryland connection made the record make even more sense. His hook was intended to be the first verse of the song, Faiyaz was upset about it initially but it will be difficult to argue with the outcome.

Brent Faiyaz is really the man in his music.

Layered, laid back but opinionated and captivating without being abrasive. All these elements feed into the fact that he is independent.

His talent and person-ability has carried him to platinum records and critically acclaimed projects. He has the power in his hands, he continues to carry a rapper’s mentality in the package of an R&B singer.

Brent Faiyaz is very aware of the impact his music has and will have potentially. He has done his homework on the industry, saying “Even just watching Pharrell interviews and artists who have been in the game saying not to sign – why would I not listen to them? I want to own my masters.

That’s the main thing – owning all my music.”

Evidently, Faiyaz is refreshing and multidimensional. He doesn’t shy away from his own contradictions; he’s transparent enough to not mind getting it wrong on his way to getting it right. It’s a respectable quality at a time when image management is everything, and he says he’ll never be the one to shut up and just make music.

His stubbornness combined with raw talent is what got him here and has the potential to give him longevity that outlasts the fickleness of internet fandom. It’s not posturing, but an unapologetic aim to be the best and only Brent Faiyaz – even when it gives him or others pause.

“If you’re not scared while you’re doing it, you’re not doing it right,” he says. “It’s easy to play it safe and be liked, but f*ck all that.”

- Derrick Odafi, New Wave Writer/Editor

Early 2017, a young Hackney-born rapper took the UK music scene by storm with his infectious debut single “Addison Lee”. The young rapper goes by the name of “Not3s” meaning; money notes, music notes and “take note of me”. The newly spoken about genre Afrobashment, is a genre that best describes Not3s’s current sound, we hear influences from London’s underground music scene, Bashment, R&B and Afrobeats.

With Not3s’s breakthrough song “Addison Lee”, grabbing the attention from record labels including Relentless records, who signed not3s to release “Addison Lee” and the EP. Not3s also joined Tinie Tempah’s publishing company ‘Imhotep’. The publishing company will help push Not3s’s music through media platforms and license his songs. At such an early stage of Not3s’s career it is apparent that not only listeners and fans are noticing his raw talent.

The song “Addison Lee” was a breath of fresh air, the song has a catchy chorus which created a buzz amongst the people of London. Usually, when your first hit creates such commotion and excitement it tends to be a challenge to surpass it. Unfortunately, those hoping Not3s was a one hit wonder would have sat in despair after hearing his following singles “Aladdin” and then after “My Lover”. Not3s is a force to be reckoned with! Not3s then surprises us with a 9 track EP “Take Not3s” which includes our muchloved hits. Not3s describes his EP as his stamp on the music scene, he’s officially arrived and plans on going nowehere.

In just a year and Not3s has performed at BBC 1xtra Live, had a top 40 single, embarked on his first ever headline tour, featured in Music Week magazine, received 2 MOBO nominations, performed at the MOBO’s and won best breakthrough at the Grime Daily Rated awards. When asked about his highlight for the year 2017 Not3s referes to the 1xtra live performance and his London show for his headline tour. In his interview with ‘Music News’ Not3s becomes speechless whilst trying to describe his experience and performance at BBC 1xtra Live.

With all the continuous hits and achievements Not3s has earned his rightful place as one of the artists we should look out for!

During Not3s’ interview with ‘The Fader’ he confidently says, “Don’t doubt my abilities because if you want to keep up, you’re going to have to take note,” and that we will surely do!

- Daniella Francis, New Wave Music

But now music has brought him to the point where others preserve him as the best out. He continues to rap about his journey with music and how he finds comfort in her, reflecting on how they have both grown. The striking hook on the song, also written by Prince Dee, adds passion to the content as Jay Macdonald sings about music affectionately, calling it the light to his star.

Blurred Focus, an oxymoron that describes the mentality of the 24-year-old Hip Hop artist Prince Dee Jr. The album is the first official Album by the lyricist, coming after an independent release in 2015 called S.T.A.G.E.S. This project excercised the talents that were later refined and developed on his latest offering. This album is a personal story about love.

His love of music, his love for a significant other and his love for his origin, South Africa.

‘Press Play’ is an ambient record supported by the melodic vocals of Jay MacDonald. A stand out on the album and an impressive opening to the project.

‘Press play’ is written in a clever manner that music takes the form of a lady that Prince takes interest in.

He raps about his first encounters with this woman called music and how his attraction to her forced him to improve his skills to perform at his highest potential. Prince raps “Looking back at it umm I was so so/ but now you got me looking like the best at it” a simple but impactful line describing his perception of his craft at the beginning, not being the best.

The second record on the album begins with thematic synths, building up the entry of singer Ray Fonder into the record. ‘Want it better’ is an enticing fusion of sound that combines to create a very commercially viable record with little effort or focus on nothing but quality. The provocative hook forces the listener to feel drawn to the record. However, Prince Dee Jr pierces through the record with great aggression and ambition, letting the listener know he’s not holding back any of the confidence, or sometimes arrogance, he has in his music.

Prince Dee Jr brags that he has that “heat for the summer” and he hopes you feel the burn. This record follows Press play brilliantly as the format seems to be similar but they both have distinctive perspectives. The second verse is, in my opinion, one of the best on the whole project. The record carries the listeners’ attention from start to finish, from the production to the melodies and lyrics.

Another stand out track.

‘Holocaust’. If you weren’t paying attention to the braggadocios lyrical content of ‘Want it better’, there was no escaping it in ‘Holocaust’. A record dedicated to his supreme confidence in his abilities and fearlessness/ruthlessness. To be the best you have to beat the best, but Prince Dee does not want to stop there, calling for a lyrical holocaust of all his peers and competitors. He begins his lyrical onslaught by claiming royalty saying, “African Prince, let’em know I’m the best” a clever double entendre in the use of his name. he raps “See I’m aiming for the legends and the vets/ flying through the sky like I’m rockin’ 23”.

Powerful lyrics stating his full intensions and disregard for status, anybody can get it. He also likens himself to the great Michael Jordan showing the listener his perception of himself when it comes to these bars and his music. The reverberated chorus on the song adds to its dark connotations, the rattling hi hats and sirens make this record the hardest and most abrasive on the album.

The grandeur in Prince’s production continues on ‘M.O.D.E’, a song tied together by an excellent bass guitar adding a groovy counter melody to the organ sounds in the instrumental laid beneath a triumphant sample. Prince continues to take rappers to school, though his control of such an instrumental with a commanding presence.

Prince recollects a conversation with a friend who wants to see him achieve greatness, but Prince brings the listener into a more vulnerable element of himself by expressing how people’s hatred discourages him. As the song progresses his confidence continues to build as he manoeuvres different pockets of the instrumental while getting his point across The interlude/5th record on the album is ‘M.I.L.F’, a previously released song prior to the release of the full album. The record has an ingenious melody that makes you want the song to last forever. The acronym stands for just that, Make It Last Forever. This record is the introduction of a woman in Prince’s life. After falling in love with music and honing his craft, he finds a lady that he wants to help him make a night feel like eternity. The feeling of lust drives this record, both physically and mentally which arguably results in love.

‘More’ is the next song on the album with a quite militant instrumental providing the back drop to an emotive chorus as Prince tells the story of now knowing a particular person for a considerable amount of time and the feelings it brings.

The songs show off the insatiable nature of 2 people in love, always wanting and receiving more from their significant other.

In his first verse Prince puts his woman on a pedestal, discarding any other woman and praises her in different ways from the way she walks to even the way she dismisses his ego. The way he switches his flow repeatedly on this record Is very impressive, while keeping in line with the message of the record.

‘So Good’ continues Prince’s journey with a girl; telling the listener about a conversation they had over a catchy sample and a sweet drum pattern. The record reveals a playful conversation between a couple as Prince’s woman in the record calls him out on the reputation of a rapper, but he continues to be persistent.

He then continues to rap about intimate details with brilliant wordplay and lyrical ability to close out the first verse, but the story takes a turn in the second.

After a while he decides to leave but the girl asks him to stay because her boyfriend won’t be back until late, then Prince proceeds to tell this girl that he would stay if he could but if his girlfriend found out, she won’t hesitate to stand in front of a judge; a smooth record with interesting storytelling to add to the vibes of the album.

‘Its Alright’ causes the album to take a little bit of a dark turn. The story of the record is of a breakup led

by Prince’s fight for his relationship. Prince speaks to the constant back and forth that usually occur in relationships, wanting to move forward but facing the barrier of lack of satisfaction by his girl. He is tired of the constant battle that comes with that relationship because his love remains. He almost comes to terms with the fact that the relationship is over but reverts to wanting it back in the second verse. It’s Alright is a record I like for the lyrical content, but I feel like the hook, although written well, was not executed in the best way possible.

From a down moment of the album comes the most encouraging record on the project. The song Relate featuring Imani Robinson is an uplifting track about perseverance and not succumbing to the pressures of everyday society. The chorus on the song describes division in the way people react to each other but if those same people could relate to how it felt there would be unity within the people. He later talks about his generation and all the things that they are criticised for, later saying “when will I see the day Mandela can finally rest�, meaning he is looking for a time where Mandela’s vision can come to fruition completely and that is in the hands of the generation we currently live in. In the bridge of the record he urges his listeners to listen when people hate but maintain the love that they have within, a strong concept on how to react to completely negative feedback.

The album draws to a close with the record Dear Jacob. The most valuable and open song on the album from a personal stand point. Prince speaks to himself in an encouraging tone, urging himself to continue to strive for greatness no matter the hate or discouraging events. He continues to rap about people close to him in his life and not wanting to let them down by following his passion, at times he feels guilty for thinking that letting them go will make him less burdened to reach his goal. The instrumental brings the album to a close with space for the listener to think about all the information in the song and the album in its entirety.

Blurred focus is a concise body of work that exemplifies the title through the different themes within each song, but the album manages to have consistency in production, sonic value, and lyrical ability. Each song within itself has a focused view on the topic at hand and Prince highlights the different facets of a potent MC, from his flow to delivery and subject matter. Blurred focus is a great piece of art but some may argue that the project was not stretched as far as it could in terms of the sonic landscape, on the other hand the production on each record fit with the tone of the record and sublimated the lyrics greatly. Blurred Focus is a must listen and gets a 4.4/5

-Derrick Odafi, New Wave Editor

Ty Dolla also points to the fact that he has been going through things and that people are only after his money, therefore, he can’t trust anybody.

Probably my favourite track on the album ‘Don’t Sleep On me’ featuring 24hrs and Future is memorable for the melody that Ty Dolla uses on the hook which makes the track an extremely fun song to listen to.

In this song, Ty Dolla is trying to say to a certain girl that she shouldn’t switch up on him because he believes that this girl has been with someone else. She’s not giving Ty Dolla the full amount of attention that he requires. Future on the other hand states that other girls are jealous because they all want to be with him.

Personally, I am a fan of Ty Dolla Sign’s work as an artist. He always seems to have catchy hooks and rarely disappoints with whatever track he is featured on. His skills are displayed on records such as, ‘Nah’, ‘Paranoid’, which was on the original Beach House project, and ‘Familiar’. Honestly, since that period in his career I didn’t go searching for Ty Dolla’s newly released music and was not aware of the release of the latest Beach House album at the point of its release.

However, I happened to overhear multiple tracks being played when I found out they were from his recent album, especially being part of a popular series that Ushered Ty Dolla into the radar of the masses.

In my opinion, I really start to enjoy the album with Ty Dolla’s track with YG ‘Ex’. This track is just Ty Dolla having fun and which is exemplified by the title of the album Beach House 3. In this song, the hook is ‘I just text my main chick, told her I ain’t coming home.’ This showed that Ty Dolla doesn’t want to be stifled by his main girl and just really wants to live life to the fullest. YG’s verse on the track was catchy and hilarious as he insinuates that you can’t tell your main girl what you’ve been up to when you have been partying with multiple seductive women.

The track ‘Don’t Judge Me’ featuring Future and Swae Lee is another one of my favourite tracks on the album. This combination of artists on a record are known for their 2015 hit ‘Blaise’. Again, Ty Dolla makes his presence felt on the hook, stating that he shouldn’t be judged just because he’s trying to enjoy his life while drinking, smoking and popping pills.

I have taken a liking to the track ‘So Am I’ featuring Damien Marley and Skrillex. This track seems to revolve around Ty Dolla bringing girls around to have fun even though there may have been some reluctance from the girl from the start. Ty Dolla sings ‘Said you wasn’t comin’ over, but you happy that you came, yeah’.

Playfully boasting about his charming ways that influence the women in his life having difficulty resisting his company.

The record ‘Stare’ featuring Wiz Khalifa and Pharrell Williams has a very good beat to it, courtesy of the super producer, in addition to the hook, the record samples ‘Moments in Love’ by Art of Noise.

Pharrell’s vocals float over the piano melody while Wiz and Ty go back and forth flowing in and out of the pockets in the instrumental. A very relaxing and soothing record with a sweet outro, fitting the vibe of the overall project.

‘In Your Phone’ is another track with a great beat. Lauren Jauregui who sings on the track does a really good job.

All in all, this album was great to listen to as there was a classic R&B feel to it. Ty Dolla Sign has a great voice and many tracks on this album will undoubtedly be on the radio in the US and UK. The album was great in the fact that you should seek to leave a legacy in your life but also life is too short to not have fun whilst living it.

I give this album 4/5 waves because the album is so ‘chill’ and this album can be listened to by anyone regardless of what genre you prefer because Ty Dolla Sign is such a great musician.

- Seun Lasile, New Wave Music

Wretch 32 whose birth name is Jermaine Sinclair is one of the masterminds behind the UK Grime / Hip-Hop scene. Following on from his previous album, “Growing Over Life,” Wretch 32 ensured he celebrated his 32nd birthday this year with his 4th album to mark the moment. The album “Fr32” pronounced as “Free” symbolises freedom, the album name and artwork closely reflect this. Wretch 32 wanted to express a colourful representation of freedom; the balloon, blue sky and the clenched fist on the album cover subtly convey both freedom and power.

The album begins setting the scene with the track “DPMO” which starts with a harsh approach to grab our attention! Wretch does not hold back on “DPMO” as he addresses the pressures and struggles of life. This song is based on a younger frame of mind which he explains mirrors his younger years, however his current phase in life reflects the second song on the album “Gracious”.

Wretch mentioned “I’m happy I got through the boy I was in track one to track two”. Without a doubt we see a more optimistic approach on the song “Gracious” which features the artistic Loick Essien.

The pressures of life that dampens the mood on “DPMO” is discontinued and we hear the wise words from a more grateful, gracious and patient Wretch.

“Gracious” gives listeners an understanding behind the “Fame and popularity” Wretch has developed over the years. “I was working on my lyrics being timeless it takes a minute”, we can tell that even with Wretch’s irrefutable talent greatness is not achieved in a day.

Kojo Funds and Jahlani both join Wretch on the single “Tell Me”.

The hypnotic hook from Jahlani, catchy chorus from Kojo Funds, delivery and flow on the verses by Wretch are a recipe for success. As a proud Jamaican we hear the Caribbean and patois influence on the album through the lyrics and delivery on songs such as; “Tell me”, “Good morning” and “Power”.

“His & Hers (perspectives)” brings to light both men and women’s’ thoughts and perspectives in a relationship. Wretch breaks down the common relationship issues and problems that causes anger and frustration today. This song puts relationship problems on the surface and exposes us all!

The song “Happy” is Wretch’s spin on a “first dance” type of song. This song features J.Warner and it expresses the feeling of being happy in love and the appreciation of your woman.

“Good morning” is another song appreciating women referencing mother figures and young ladies that features Rukhsana Merrise. Wretch finds power within himself and the support systems around him that make him stronger in the song “Power” featuring J.Warner. Whilst recording “Fr32” Wretch experienced tough times, especially losing his uncle which the song “Time” is dedicated to, Wretch explained how this song is special to him.

“Colour Purple” featuring Kojey Radical reinforces the inequalities of being a person of colour. Kojey Radical (rap artist and poet) mentions “I was 14 when I first knew I was black.” Wretch references both “Colour Purple” and “Roots” which are award winning films and books which are based on numerous issues, including the unjust treatment of coloured people.

The songs “Break-fast” and “Whistle” provide the listeners with some great features on the album including Yxng Bane, Avelino, Donae’o and yet again Kojo.

“Thugs Prayer” concludes this album, we see an optimistic and faith-filled Wretch cleverly form a song of prayers for him and his listeners.

There is a sense of healing throughout this album which at the end in “Thugs Prayer” Wretch proclaims, “I’m free”. Wretch pours his heart and soul into this music, we thank Wretch for giving listeners music with a meaning.

“Music is one of the only things that has never done me wrong, the level I care about it is beyond words.”

- Daniella Francis. New Wave Music.

Sabrina Claudio is the 21-year old singer and songwriter from Miami, whose smooth and sultry vocal ability have gained her recognition in the music scene. Claudio’s music is a form of contemporary R&B accompanied with some jazz and Latin-pop influence to create her unique sound.

In 2016 Claudio released her debut EP “Confidently Lost”, taking listeners through a journey of love - both with oneself and with another. The most poplar track, “Confidently Lost” exposed listeners to the dreamy and hypnotic characteristics of Claudio’s sound. Her raw and original lyrics, on this track, presents a tale centred around loving yourself. It is the vulnerability in the lyrics accompanied with its beautifully composed presentation, that is relatable and this is what captures the attention of her listeners.

Her music is not only concerned with romantic feelings, but rather Claudio shines light on being vulnerable with who you are and the journey to reaching where you want to be. Everyone can relate. It is okay to simply be confidently lost.

In October 2017 Claudio released her mixtape, About Time. Once again she continues the reoccurring theme of love and self-discovery.

However, About Time delves deeper in its focus on relationships. Showing off her hypnotic vocals paired with the dreamy and enticing instrumentals, with the help of her producer Stint, Claudio has created an alluring and engaging mixtape.

The mixtape features fan-favourites - “Belong To You” and “Unravel Me”. On “Belong To You”, Claudio appears to be talking about belonging to another - supposedly her,partner, however this is not the case. The aesthetics of her visuals, which accompany the track, demonstrates that Claudio is actually talking to herself. In a recent interview with The FADER, Claudio confirms this by calling the track “a love song to herself”.

Claudio conveys to listeners that it is okay to be unapologetically selfish in loving yourself, a message that we do not hear too often today.

In contrast, “Unravel Me” is about a relationship, however things become difficult when you no longer want to be in this situation. How do you let the other person down in a way that does not cause them too much pain? This is a situation whereby many can relate.

Here Claudio’s mesmerising vocals are intertwined together to create an alluring feeling in the hearts of her listeners, demonstrating the raw and uncut nature of Claudio’s music. Drawing to a close, Claudio catches the listeners’ attention by transitioning to the more upbeat tunes “Wait” and “Used To”. Both songs clearly demonstrate her ability to keep her unique style intact when paired with a faster tempo. Claudio finally ends her mixtape with the “Belong To You” remix featuring 6LACK. Although the original is more favourable, the remix manages to shift focus from self-love to a more relationship-based form of love. The two’s voices blend together to form a lover’s conversation, with 6LACK accompanying her vocals to present an emotive outcome.

Overall Claudio’s album is an amazing listen.

She has an air of classy sensuality that translates not just through her lyrics and vocal ability but also the visuals that accompany her music.

Claudio successfully transitions into each song placing listeners in a hypnotic and blissful state of mind. This may not be your traditional R&B album however it still manages to stir up feelings to which we can relate. Sabrina Claudio’s About Time is truly a musical work of art. I would give the project an overall rating of 4/5 waves.

-Brigitta Ben-Eghan, New Wave Music

The contemporary gospel, five song ‘Sessions’ EP by the American musician, Jonathan McReynolds mixes jazz, R&B and urban music into one to produce a unique sound that differs from typical gospel music.

Even though this EP only has five songs, they all give off a different vibe, from the contemporary/jazzy/ urban vibe from ‘full attention’ to the simple but sweet feel of ‘Key of G’.

‘The way that you love me’ has a place in my heart.

It has such a reassuring tone, it’s just a reminder that God is all we need in life. It’s the song you listen to when you just want to appreciate God and what he’s done for you. I love this record and it’s most certainly one of my favourites.

‘You gave me all the weapons, but it’s still a fight, so help me maintain’. That has to be my favourite line from the 4th track ‘Maintain’, the song is a stand out due to its powerful meaning and I have to mention how well McReynolds and Chantae Cann’s voices go together, beautiful. The song encapsulates a meaning that we can all relate to.

We have all been in a situation where we may be in the midst of someone we don’t get on with very well; whether it’s at school or work. But we choose to stay civilised and professional because we know it’s the right thing to do. The song is a reminder that we are only human and sometimes we have to hold back from doing certain (crazy) things.

Sessions is a quality extended play, I’d probably give it a 3.5/4 out of 5 when comparing it to music within the same genre. Have a listen and see what you think of ‘Sessions’. If you like it, listen to one of my favourite projects by him ‘Life Music’.

- Faith Utulu. New Wave Music

“The new Cash Money, the new Rockafella” Octobers very own, a phrase constantly associated with the rap megastar Aubrey ‘Drake’ Graham. This phrase has since transitioned from a movement to a record label and more.

The moniker originates from Drake himself, born on the 24th of October 1986, the name was coined by his manager Oliver El-Khatib.

The idea of what the conglomerate presently is stems back to 2006 at the beginning of Drake transitioning from the film world to music.

His project ‘Room for Improvement’ was released to the public under the unofficial label which went by the name ‘All Things Fresh’ at the time.

Since then, through the dominance of Drake in Hip-Hop and R&b and Noah ‘40’ Shebib being the architect behind cultivating the sound of the label, OVO has taken over the culture and has a distinctive sound and aesthetic. The label has strong links to the home town of both Drake and 40, Toronto.

The label is a subsidiary of Warner Bros, one of the largest labels in the industry but both Drake and 40 keep their ear to the streets and budding talent all over the world and especially in Toronto, Canada.

OVO has brought artists such as PARTYNEXTDOOR, ROYWOOD$ and BAKA NOT NICE to the forefront of the music industry.

All these artists have been influential in Drakes music and vice versa.

This article gives recognition to the roster and defines their place in the OVO sound umbrella.

Some have come and gone but the music retains its quality.

October Firm in the cut

Far Left: Noah ‘40’ Shebib, producer & engineer Right: Oliver El-Khatib, Drake’s manager and curator of OVOSOUNDRADIO Far Right: Future The Prince: Drake’s Manager, producer and DJ

OVO is a recod label that has many ventures associated with the brand. Taking precidence from Hip-Hop record labels such as Bad Boy and Rockafella, OVO is a brand with great value in not just music but fashion and adult beverages .

OVO clothing can be seen across the globe with flagship stores in Toronto, Yorkdale, London, New York and Los Angeles OVO has created collectors items and partnerships with major brands such as Mitchell and Ness, Roots, Clarks, Canada Goose and Jordan Brand.

The streaming platform Apple Music is also in business with OVO, giving them the oportunity to host a radio show of thier own, adding a tastemaker element to the brand Virginia Black is an alcoholic beverage backed

by OVO adding to thier portfolio of products for consumption.

“Shout out to the ones from the west/ Know what’s good with PND” Partynextdoor is one of the architects behind the OVO sound. He has been involved in all of Drake’s Projects since the label was established in 2013.

PND has also released all his official projects under the imprint, notably his critically acclaimed project PARTYNEXTDOOR. His sound has influenced R&B in a major way, being arguably the most influential artist in that genre of music since he cemented his position in the industry.

He is the biggest artist on the label next to drake and continues to have a bright future both as a writer and an artist. Partynextdoor has been a safe house for hit records coming out of the OVO camp.

Along with lending some of his writing to huge Drake records such as Legend and ‘With You’ on ‘Views’.

Partynextdoor is one of the most prolific writers in today’s industry, penning records such as ‘Shining’ by DJ Khaled featuring Beyoncé and Jay Z, ‘Sex with Me’

by Rihanna, ‘Work’ and ‘Wild Thoughts’.

Partynextdoor has produced brilliant records for himself also, His first 2 albums are adored by his fans and he received his first personal platinum plaque with his single ‘Not Nice’.

He has released 2 EPs in 2017, a sequel to his COLOURS EP and ‘Seven Days’, preparing to release his 3rd studio album ‘Club Atlantis’.

“That’s Bakaa, He’s a no long talka” Baka Not Nice, real name Travis Savoury, is a long-time affiliate of the OVO camp, starting as a member of Drakes security in 2013. While working as a member of Drake’s staff he also worked on music and provided background vocals for songs such as ‘From Time’ featuring Jhene Aiko and many songs on Drake’s latest offering More Life.

Although he has been an OVO affiliate for a long time he was recently given a record deal under the imprint in 2016. His music speaks to his street ties and lifestyle, notably in his break out single “Live Up To My Name”.

Baka has had a troublesome past, serving 10 months in prison in 2015 for assault and weapons charges. He has also had run ins with the law relating to armed robbery, discharging a firearm while committing a robbery, and possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Drake has given him a platform to tell his story and stay away from the streets even though rap is not his thing.

“Roy outta here like NASA” Roy woods is a 21-year-old Brampton, Ontario crooner that exemplifies the Toronto sound. He has released 4 projects under the OVO imprint and is destined for greatness.

Roy woods has many references to his home town in his music, much like Drake, and he has produced quality consistently.

His debut EP Exis highlighted his talent and his Michael Jackson influences through his voice inflexions and texture to his voice. The Weeknd can also be recognised as an influence and his instrumentals have the ambient and atmospheric feel that is synonymous with Noah “40” Shebib.

Since then Roy Wood$ has grown with his music, releasing 2 projects in the space of a few months; Waking at Dawn and Nocturnal which featured songs that garnered millions of plays such as.

‘Gwan Big Up Yourself’ and Dangerous respectively.

‘Say Less’ was released on December 10th last year and shows he is ready to take his music to the next level.

Nineteen85 & Daniel Daley

The obscure R&B duo Dvsn, signed to Drakes’ record label OVO Sound (October’s Very Own) by way of Warner Bros. They add to the extensive list of formidable music coming from Canada.

The view from the 6 is very impressive at this point!

The duo named Dvsn is pronounced ‘division’ and the members include; Daniel Daley and Nineteen85, both Scarborough, Ontario, Canada natives. Whilst many artists undergo nerve-racking interviews, Dvsn tend to pursue a low-key approach which their fan base is drawn towards, the duo have a profound ability to let the music speak for itself. Fans can’t deny the quality of music produced by this duo.

Read More Here

“Majid Jordan droppin, not to mention me droppin” Majid Jordan is the R&B Canadian duo, comprised of Jordan Ullman the producer and Majid Al Maskati the vocalist. The duo met whilst attending University and later formed their first EP titled “Afterhours” which grabbed Noah “40” Shebib’s attention.

Noah “40” Shebib; the well-known and accomplished producer and co-founder of OVO Sound record label, later signed Majid Jordan to OVO Sound.

At an early stage of their career they had the opportunity to work with the world-renowned artist Drake, and featured on “Hold On, We’re going Home”. The song was a hit and gave the music industry and fans an introduction to the new duo Majid Jordan.

The duo who mixes R&B with Synthpop (also Synthwave) exposed listeners to synthesizer bass lines, gated reverb, and electronic drums, alongside appreciating modern production techniques.

The song “Hold On, We’re going Home” was a snippet of their fresh sound. Many have gravitated to their sound comprised of retrofuturistic instrumentation painted with R&B harmonies and vocals.

The Canadian duo since have released an EP (“A Place Like This”) and two albums (“Majid Jordan” and “The Space Between”) through OVO Sound with their newest sophomore album titled “The Space Between”, exemplifies their musical journey through the transitional phases in their lives.

The chemistry between the two individuals is what makes the eclectic duo Majid Jordan work, and continue to break through boundaries and break away from the status quos. Majid Jordan are creating projects that are infinite and eccentric – we can guarantee this duo is here to stay!

“I Just focused on making music, that we are going to listen to in 10 years” - Jordan -Daniella Francis, New Wave Music

“Man like chubbs, he’s a fixer if I ever gotta fix tings” Nessel “Chubbs” Beezer is the muscle of the OVO crew, as the head of security in the crew Chubbs has the obligation to detect and dismiss any disrespect to the conglomerate. The general of security is ready for action and not about the games.

Chubbs has ties to the streets of Toronto and makes sure Drake’s name is always good in the hood. Chubbs has been known to allegedly break the jaw of producers that try to taint the name of the collective. He’s Drake’s right hand man and is not with the F**k S**t.

“Man like me I’m the 6ixaa and I oversee the whole ting” Drake, The OVO general. He has built an empire with the roster he has put together alongside his partners 40 and Oliver.

Drake’s first album released under the imprint is his 3rd studio album ‘Nothing Was the Same’ released September 24th 2013. Drake decided to sign his label directly under one of the 3 major music distributors Warner Bros rather than setting the label up under his mentor and Young Money boss Lil Wayne, a clever decision considering the legal troubles between his mentor and Birdman of Cash Money Records.

Drake gives back to his city every year by hosting the OVOFest every summer in his home town. This has given his city the opportunity to provide an event to excite the people of Toronto and bring major artists such as J Cole, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar and Jay Z to his city.

He has released Multi-platinum albums and singles as an artist under his own label while releasing 20 projects, from EPs to albums, from artists under the OVO umbrella.

Drake is at a stage in his career where being a mogul is priority over being the biggest rapper in the game, a title he has held for the past 6 years straight. Currently him and his team are well under way to achieving that goal. Drake is one of Hip Hop’s cash kings in 2017, earning an outstanding $94 million dollars in the calendar year.

OVO

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Film The Composer is a 3-part short film by writer and lyricist Emmanuel Speaks, birth name Emmanuel Nwaohai, in partnership with SUB. This video series is an emotive and relatable story of a young man finding his way through life’s hardships and challenges. The visuals, directed by himself and Ella Bennet, each serve a different purpose. Themes range from, loss and urgency to Speaks reflecting on his humble beginnings. The scenery of each video is key to the story being told and the energy in the music supplements the cinematography.

New Wave has been highly impressed with each segment of the film and here is why.

Part I is ‘Who Told You’. Titled after the song that cultivates the energy of this piece of the film, it begins with a cello fading into the picture, played by the Protagonist of the film ‘Ola’, played by Moses Wilson. As Ola plays this instrument at the edge of his bed, there is immediately a sense of mystery in the opening scene due to the video being completely void of colour, a very subtle decision that changes the mood of the viewer subconsciously.

Soon after the audience is introduced to Simon, played by Pierre Marku, whose presence is quickly felt and very important to how the story progresses. The scenes seem to be an eventful day out with a friend, supported by the backdrop of the dynamic and ambitious record in the background, adding an energetic vibe to the transitions and jump cuts of these scenes. Simon, through the voice of Emmanuel Speaks, waxes lyrical about his alfa male mentality and the life lessons the streets taught him.

All this occurs as the camera follows the two as they walk through the streets, close shots add to the abrasive feel of the record. The pace of the film slows down in the middle of the second verse by TE DNEES. Inner selfdoubt begins the dialogue for Part 1 of The Composer, Ola expresses his battles with continuing his journey through music.

The powerful twist in the film occurs at this point, questioning the reality of everything that preceded it. Simon encourages his friend not to let go of his passion as the camera pans to Ola walking till Simon is left out of the camera’s view. The song then continues in the background as the mood now parallels the saturated colour of the scenes. The camera pans around Ola as he is stopped in his tracks, glaring at a piece of paper on a street lamp. To his disbelief he reads “Rest in Peace. Simon. 19952017”.

The camera pans towards Ola’s expression of pain and sorrow with a dead body laid out in the background. Ola sees his friend lifeless with a fatal wound in his chest. The sound of his reverberated cries further radiates his pain.

The concept of Part I is an emotional journey of ambition, doubt and extreme loss which are battles people must face each day, exclusively or otherwise.

Ola is forced to undergo a transformation from innocence to harsh reality due to the death of his close friend. He faces a trial filled journey that will change the fabrics of his life and consciousness forever due to the internal scars inflicted upon him. Emmanuel Speaks directed a film that complimented the message of the record effectively and set the tone for the rest of the film.

As subtle piano chords usher in Part 2, ‘Sticking to The Plan’, the camera zooms into Ola laying on the streets from a bird’s eye perspective, then suddenly jumps to him in a similar position in his bedroom. This immediately brings forth the theme of hallucination that the audience was left with in ‘Who Told You’.

The record ‘Sticking to The Plan’ is the sound track to this moment of the film. As Ola wakes from his slumber on the streets, the slow-paced camera movements quickly accelerate as the camera zooms to the antagonists in the film that briefly featured on Part 1. This change of pace shows how life has changed with Simon out of the picture.

His security blanket in the streets is now 6ft under, therefore he has no choice but to put 10 toes to the ground and fend for himself.

However, these scenes are a visualisation subconscious, exposing the insecurities of his loss through nightmares. Ola wakes up in a cold sweat to illusions of Simon calling his name while grasping Ola’s cello with both hands. This section of the story details the vulnerability individuals go through in times of loss, an intuitive reach for what they previously knew but can no longer possess in the physical.

The 3-part short film is concluded with ‘Ojuelegba’, starring Emmanuel’s young cousin Tito Nwoahai as a young Ola, paving the way for this section of the film to be the most personal of all 3 as Emmanuel himself is featured. The vocals by Bekah Brown coincide with the slow-motion picture. She covers the popular record by afrobeats artist Wizkid as a young Ola is read a book by his mother.

Emmanuel therefore tells his personal story over the instrumental as the scenes transition from past to present. ‘Ojuelegba’ highlights Ola’s relationship with his mother, documenting the battles between a young man and a protective mother.

The scenes supported by Emmanuel’s lyrics show a mother’s love for her son, driving him to follow his passion. ‘Ojuelegba’ shows the importance of family and scenes that most can relate to; an emotional and comforting conclusion to a story with themes of despair and anxiety.

The Composer is an excellent offering that will propel Emmanuel speaks to greater heights. Already recognised by brands like Complex and New Look for his writing ability, this film shows how his music can have such an impressive visual impact.

The shots in the film are of high quality, helping to relay the messages of the story seamlessly.

A critique an individual may have of the film is that they may have wanted to see Ola’s journey through music in more depth and how he overcame or came to terms with the passing of his friend but overall the film connects with the viewer in various ways, giving us the audience a thirst for more visual content from Speaks.

-Derrick Odafi, New Wave Editor/Writer

(Cinematographer)

Cinematography in film plays a great role in the art of film making, the plot of the film may be amazing, with a phenomenal cast to work with but the real story is told with what you see in the frame of the picture. .

Precision is vital, lack of the smallest details can tell a different story from the one that the director intends to tell. Presently I would like to pan the lens to one man who has mastered the art of modern day cinematography and has broken an incredible boundary by the accomplishments that he has achieved behind the camera. In my opinion he is an individual I would consider an inspiration to young black cinematographers; this man goes by the name Bradford Young.

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, this DP became the first African American cinematographer to be nominated for an Oscar Academy Award for his work on Arrival released in 2016.

After 87 years of this being a very white dominated category, Young who also filmed Selma (2014), although not winning opened a gate that even those who inspired him before had not managed yet. When asked about being the first black cinematographer Young told Variety

“It’s a tough question that I’ve been thinking about a lot. It’s always an honour when your peers recognize the hard work you put into the films that we make, so that part of it is an honour. The historical part of it, though, I still haven’t really wrapped my mind around. I still have a lot of questions about why I am the “first” African-American to be nominated for a cinematography award.

Young’s artistic style of visual story telling is very unique from the standard Hollywood film making.

In his Oscar nominated piece Arrival Young’s poetic cinematography transcends trappings also giving a great portrayal of Amy Adams’ character of ‘Dr Louise Banks’ in this movie about time, memory and morality also giving the perspective of what it means to be a human being. The timing of this piece couldn’t be better.

Using one of my favourite cameras the Alexa XT, Young has delivered the meaning of Arrival as mostly a mundane-looking procedural.

The first look of the large Oval ship with clouds rolling in is in my opinion amazing cinematography.

By contrast, Louise’s timebending moments, using the lighter and more mobile Alexa M for hand-held shots, resemble warm, naturalistic portraitures.

“The greatest visual polarity is between her memories and interaction with the heptapods inside the ship, which is like a temple. I wanted to make sure that the hot links inbetween had a certain level of consistency, a level of grayness to them that gives us a lot of payoff”

Young was quoted saying.

The key is for the audience to connect with Louise Banks as a person we know hence the poetic intensity of the shots that Young has around her character. As a person, you get anchored by the story, and all the other ideas about sci-fi having a specific scale go out the window.

As a cinematographer Bradford Young has given camera storytelling a new wave of artistry (see what I did there, Ha!). Aside from my unapologetic pun, I really do see Young’s work as innovative and inspiring to cinematographers.

Many think that it is only an older man’s industry when it comes to breaking into the Film business and although we have to start from maybe being an intern to get to that stature, Young has shown that the minority of cinematographers also have a place at the Academy Awards table.

-Prince Molife, New Wave Film SELMA, 2014

2017 has been a filmmaker’s dream screenplay. It is safe to say that all that happened this year was beyond our wildest imagination, in particular the 45th president of the United States (you know who I’m talking about). The reason why this would be a filmmaker’s dream to write this script is because despite most things being negative about “No.45”, we can also credit him for the positive that occurs to spite him and his agenda.

You might be wondering how we can give such a man credit for anything positive but hear me out. Without him becoming President, America would have never known how broken it still is as a country especially when it comes to the topic of race.

45 becoming President opened the curtain on all of that because his ignorance and stupidity has made it easier for those that are just like him to come out of their hiding places for the past 8 years, under the Obama Regime. 45 has definitely sparked the greater good out of people because of his own negative character but this also brought out the strong, the brave and the great.

Towards the end of 2017 I had come across a few videos on the ongoing issue of slavery in Libya.

This problem had really hit home for me because I watched Africans give away other Africans for slaves. Knowing the history that we already have when it comes to slavery, it really broke my heart.

On one particular day, my closest friend A.K.A CEO of New Wave Magazine showed me a video from an artist by the name of Joyner Lucas called “I’m Not Racist”. Keeping in mind that this was happening while I was fresh off the painful feeling of the events in Libya, I trusted my friend, who is always my plug when it comes to music that I would like, who really co-signed this video for me to watch. Now I know this is a very long-winded intro to a music video review, but believe me, if you’ve watched it and heard the song you’ll understand why.

Joyner Lucas’ ‘I’m Not Racist’ single was released on November 28. I pressed play and the first thing to greet me in frame was the face of a red-neck white man with a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat on; an aesthetic representation of the white supremacist in America. When he opens his mouth, it’s nothing short of hurtful, harsh, and shocking words.

He looks down at the camera as he uses the word Nigger repeatedly, triggering the viewer in the most uncomfortable way. To be honest at this moment the video forced the viewer to make a decision; turn away and ignore the views of people that truly exist or put your biases aside and listen to the damaging, stereotypical rhetoric of a racist, over-privileged man. For some reason, the longer he spoke, the more able I was to look beyond his biased black people stereotypes and racial slurs, and I wanted to hear more.

The camera then cuts to a black guy sitting right opposite him as he says all of this and in my head I’m thinking, “bro slap this white guy in the face please”, and that’s when it hit me, this white guy was also expressing how it looks from his perspective when we act the way act as black people. By the time what he had said had started to hurt for a different reason, I looked at myself and heard him as well, as I listened to the painful truth of how we really look to white people, acknowledging that we are just as accountable for that view as a people.

By the time I’m done being angered and then upset about the visual representation of the typical white supremacist, the song breaks for a few seconds and the camera divides the 2 characters in the room. The camera then turns to the black man, also casted with the stereotypical views of black men in America in terms of his body language along with the dreaded hair and strong features, and he responds to everything that has been said seconds prior. The black man’s perspective was coming from an angle of “look what your race forced us to get into, but we try to make the best of what we have no matter how hard your race tries to make it”.

The video helps to relay the energy of the song with the rapid pans of the camera and intense close shots. The beauty of this is in the way it brings both characters into one location.

An abandoned warehouse, somewhere in America. It brings the unrealistic into physical form. We all know that this situation will be very unlikely to happen in real life, but that is what Joyner Lucas is trying to produce with this video. A common ground to express your disdain, bang on a table, scream in the other person’s face, throw a table, but have no fear of prosecution.

As humans we can’t care for each other if we can’t empathise with what the other person is going through. Without empathy, we won’t be able to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes; this empathy is what the ‘I’m Not Racist’ video conveys. The organisation of the record is key for the message being sent. The white man going first is no accident or coincidence.

In my opinion I feel this is the best video of 2017 and it came at the best time of the year from an incredible lyrical artist; Joyner Lucas. I hope this song will spark more things like this to be brought to light even if they make us uncomfortable in the beginning, but we still reach a solution. I hope this is the beginning of what our 2018 has in store in the world of creativity.

- Prince Molife, New Wave Film

Art by: Agent X

Photography by: @dkulakovphoto

Photography by: @KLMphotography_

Graphics by: @bashdavidson

Creativity offers a means by which we can convey our ideas and feelings to the world irrespective of our discipline within creativity. New Wave Magazine not only provides a platform for artists to embody ideas but also encourages artists never to flatten or sanitise the more fragile, strange and irrational ways we experience life. The beneficial impact on the growth of an artist when they give attention to the composition of other art forms- such as film, architecture, visual art, poetry, dance and literature is beyond description.

New Wave Magazine, with its range of artists specialising in one or more areas of art, fosters an influence which would lead to profitable growth in the works of artists under its banner. The more an artist grows, the further the audience will fall and get lost in the world painted by the artist. Growth and satisfaction are parallel and essential for both artist and audeince.

-Kelechi Agomoh, New Wave Creative Writing

Editor/Curator: Derrick Odafi Head Photographer: Charles Ogunmilade Fashion Consultant: Teresa Mwangi Blue-Pencilers: Timileyin Adedipe and Derrick Odafi Writers: Derrick Odafi, Teresa Mwangi, Joseph Adetifa, Daniella Francis, Faith Utulu, Brigitta Ben-Eghan, Seun Lasile, Prince Molife, Adrian Anderson, Kelechi Agomoh Thank you to the New Wave Team, Graphic Designers, Artists and Photographers

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