New Wave Magazine Issue V by New Wave Magazine

EDITOR IN CHIEF Derrick Odafi FEATURED PHOTOGRAHY DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Charles Ogunmilade DIRECTOR OF FASHION Teresa Mwangi

DESIGN

Daniel Kulakov Erick Casasola Alisha Dandy Shingi Rice Sean Gardiner Korrie Powell Nayquan Shuler Jimi Agboola Tory Van Thomas Tim Walker Ksenia Burnasheva Stephan Tayo

New Wave Studios FEATURED MODELS WRITERS Charles Ogunmilade Brigitta Ben Eghan Chuck Onunkwo Seun Lasile Teresa Mwangi Prince Molife Derrick Odafi Blu Myst Shawn Cee PHOTOGRAPHY Charles Ogunmilade Lauretta Afful Derrcik Odafi Robin Jade Nwobi Chukwuka Thomas Welch Tara Wujcik Louisknows Rashid Babiker Sajasnapshots Anthony Supreme Jason Todd Cooper Jonny Graziano

Bella Sontez Deji Loaf Melissa Mel Matt Cassanova London On The Track Semaj Hill Zaina Miuccia Claire Yurika Demi Hannah Scott Geron McKinley Slick Woods Iman Emmanuel Junior FEATURED ARTISTS Tafadzwa Hove Emmanuel Odumade Precious Ozunobu Novar ~ Music Prince Dee Jr ~ Music Kenny Umeh ~ Music Emmanuel Speaks ~ Music B Joux ~ Music Ganvdiaart

COVER Photpgrapher - Robin Jade Model - Ariel Eden POETRY Xuestlove SPECIAL THANKS Kelechi Agomoh Jessiara Marriott Joseph Adetifa Amanda Toto Lorrissa Paige Billy Baldry Faith Utulu Huthman Oduntan Daniel Kulakov Jordan Hurrell Jordan Buckley

CONTACTS info@newwavemagazine.com London, United Kingdom SOCIALS Instagram: @nwavemagazine Twitter:@nwmagazine Facebook: New Wave Magazine Spotify: Newwavemag Soundcloud: Newwavemusic1

Self-Discovery is the title of the art segment for New Wave Magazine Issue V. The artists and art development collective have a similar goal of self-discovery within themselves and their artwork. Artists Deanio X and UC Wills and Reginald Sylvester II are from very different walks of life but aim to discover themselves and their purpose within their work. The all create art with an understanding for spirituality, humanity and consciousness. We take you through their journeys of selfdiscovery, either in Article or Interview form, to show how these artists are so different yet find common ground in some of the concepts behind their work. 12

PHOTO: JONNY GRAZIANO

What is it that makes you who you are? Is it your complexion? Your experiences? Your political or social views? Or a combination of them all. Identity is a complex matter, a fact or affinity that usually pushes individuals into a box or a sense of belonging. Now imagine not having that sense of identity and searching for your place within this spherical combination of atoms we call earth. This is something that Deanio X, A South London native with Afro-Caribbean descent, aims to seek answers to through his work.

His work is far from romantic and seductive as he tells the story of him and his people. His work can be described by some as chilling and introspective, this can be deciphered due to his choice of colour and contrasting techniques in his work. Deanio X’s work is bespoke to say the least, his use of grey, black and while also add to the messaging of his work, Telling the truth of his lineage though art, the dark and sometimes incomprehensible truth, some may say his use of grey may be a symbolic method of depicting the nuances in such heavy topics.

As a well-travelled individual, who has had the privilege of experiencing cultures in 5 different continents, Deanio X’s journey through self-discovery has been extensive and well researched. The diverse perspectives of the people he has come across have provided an overflowing palate of culture and understanding that is therefore translated to the paper canvases, canvases on which he creates his surrealist and symbolic imagery. As an individual consistently examining his heritage and the path that lead him to his present state with regards to his complexion, experiences, political and social views.

Some of his work looks as though they were passed through an image editing software and highly saturated. This is interesting because the definition of the word saturation is ‘transformation to a very full extent, especially beyond the point regarded as necessary or desirable’. This could be a symbolic way of explaining Deanio X’s process of symbolising what past generations have been trying to do to the African Diaspora for centuries, saturating them from their understanding of their culture, history, and humble beginnings. Deanio X paints upon the aspects of ourselves and our societies that we cover up. The Primal side of us that we try to suppress, the fear that we pretend isn’t there.

Deanio X is not your average art student that grew up on the technicalities and history of art and design, although he would have liked to gain some of that experience to add to his repertoire at that time. During his time in higher education he studied History and Literature, subjects that have helped to develop the sensitivities necessary to carry out the profession he later chose. Deanio X identified the anguish and the sacrifice interwoven into his being during his time as a History and Literature student. He also came to realise the smokescreen that has been blinding people in society for hundreds of years, the lies that were told by the powers that be to remove love and unity between people from the equation of our co-habitation. Deanio X’s art pays homage to the struggle and strife while putting the lies and propaganda to shame under the spotlight of his paintbrush.

One aspect of his work that is very intriguing is his use of pointillism, a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots are applied in patterns to form an image. This technique is highly skilled and supremely time consuming as every dot culminates into an image in which the viewer can comprehend. There may also be symbolism in the use of this technique also, in the sense that every little thing adds to who we are as human beings, therefore each dot is a representation of our history, within our time and even beyond us. This is a technique practiced by artists such as Maximillian Luce and Vincent Van Gogh, painters of whom usually painted with vibrant colours, further illustrating the difficulty of what Deanio X achieves in his work.

DEANIO X LONDON BRIDGE

His willingness to express political and controversial themes in his work have not come without constraints within the art world. As Deanio X expresses truth through his work, some may not be willing to accept such. He has experienced exclusion from some exhibition and installations due to the themes of his work. In an attempt to raise awareness of the Refugee Crisis in Calais France, he was turned down by a gallery, subsequently feeling as though it was a disingenuous attempt to quieten the voice of his art, citing Institutional racism as the cause, something that affects Africans across the globe. The Calais France Refugee crisis is a great inspiration for Deanio X to create his work in recent times. The Calais Jungle was a refugee and migrant encampment in the vicinity of Calais, France. This camp is a close-to-home example of the ongoing situation of Migrants around Calais, who attempt to enter the United Kingdom. Refugees still travel on lorries, cars and trains to get to the United Kingdom. These individuals lived in less than satisfactory conditions with scarce medical care and good quality water. These individuals are represented in Deanio X’s work through the constant motif of repeated cartoon like characters with supposedly ‘African’ features. Deanio X in reference to this crisis in relation to his work stated – “people situated there (Calais refugees) were unprotected by law and had to determine their own routes to a secure life. For a refugee then, institutions that should represent the vanguard of ordered society i.e. the government and police, were synonymous with the danger instead of support. Contrasts of black, white and silver allude to the negative space, an understanding of the refugee camp as a kind of limbo or purgatory where migrants either persevere or perish in the pursuit of asylum”. In a public showcase of the connection between his art and this story, a mural/ art piece was created in Lordship Lane, Dulwich by himself and his brother Nathan Bowen, a renowned London street artist. This piece included messages such as “Support Calais Jungle” and “refugees are welcome”. Unfortunately, shortly after those messages where defaced by an unknown individual whom evidently did not agree with the empathetic messages. A clear example of the struggle Deanio X has faced while bringing truth to the light through the vessel of art.

“My art is an approach to life that seeks to build from available resources, I am self-taught, guided by the great and terrible people around me as well as my own instincts.” A perspective that we believe will only gain momentum.”

Deanio X recently presented his exhibition â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Leaving the Wombâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; at Something Gallery at 52 Honor Oak Park London,which will run for a month from the 23rd of June. He will be displaying some of the pieces he has been working on over the past few years, ranging from small pieces to larger canvases. Deanio X is an artist that stands alone when it comes to comparison, you get a feeling that his mission in the world of art is far greater than him, we will undoubtedly continue to follow his journey towards complete self-discovery.

SELF DISCOVERY x UC WILLS ODUNZE, 2017 (INTROSPECTION SERIES) CHARCOAL. PASTEL AND NEWSPRINT ON PAPER

What purpose do you have for your work?

Hello! Uc Wills Odunze, please tell us about yourself and your background First of all I must really appreciate the management for this rare privilege given to me. I am a visual artist who expresses himself through the use of pencils on paper, I am primarily concerned with the genre of art called hyper-realism with combination of collage. I was born in Imo state, Nigeria and holds a B.Sc. in Economics from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia state. Nigeria. What was your introduction into art? Well, I will say that I have been drawing since my childhood but I never saw myself going into art, maybe because my parents weren’t fully in support of it then. In the year 2015 during my undergraduate days I had this feeling of dissatisfaction, I felt I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to do, and there was this vacuum that needed to be filled. I began to research the art of drawing, then I picked up my pencils and fell in love with the strokes of the pencil. With the encouragement I got from my friends, I knew I had more to offer, so I decided to venture more into my art. How has art influenced your daily life? Positively I must say. To me art is life and life is art. It gives me inner peace. Each day passes with the drive to interact with my environment and different individuals inherent in it. This is because my work is primarily centred on the daily thoughts of man. This has indeed really broadened my knowledge about human and their challenges. What is your background outside of creativity?

I seek to explore the daily thoughts of man through my works. It is obvious that every individual thinks of what was, what is and what will be. I believe it’s my duty as an artist to give a visual voice to our tiny mumbling thoughts. In relation to my purpose, I wish to communicate none verbally to my audience by shedding more lights on what they assume as just mere thoughts to something they can see and communicate with. Do you see art as a way of documenting your history? Yes I do What about hyperrealism what makes you want to create this form of art? I love to pay attention to detail, I am able to pass my message more effectively and efficiently. In as much as I talk about the daily thoughts of man through my works, every details counts in passing my messages across. Even the tiniest stroke. Secondly, there’s joy in creating life-like art. Who are some of your artistic inspirations? Well, one individual who has really inspired me in the process so far is the popular Kelvin Okafor. The perfection in his work speaks volume in my head. As a student of economics, does this form of knowledge still play a part in your life? Yes it does. Economics is a social science which deals with human and its behaviour. So it also plays a key role in helping me understand how rational we are as individuals and how best to understand the human race.

I believe my whole life has always been centred on creative activities, so I can’t really give a background outside of creativity. 26

Please tell us about your lastest exhibition at Omenka Gallery Awesome I must say. The exhibition was titled JOURNEY OF SELF DISCOVERY curated by Mrs Ronke Akinyele-Bolanle, founder Jade Art, which took place on February 2018. It was a group exhibition of nine emerging artists of which I was part of.

What is the potent concept you would love viewers of your work to take away?

To be honest I was indeed very happy, seeing how captivated people were with my work. It was a great experience standing beside my art and telling the story behind each piece.

Can you please tell us anything about your upcoming projects?

What value does thought hold in your work? This makes me want to create more, knowing fully well that my work speaks volume and there are audience out there who cares to listen. In one word I’ll say the value added to my work is priceless. What is the concept behind your introspection series? The introspection is a series which communicates non-verbally to the viewer and compels them to have an inward examination on the journey so far and the journey ahead. It is a composition of drawings which captures the individual’s self-discovery, the story behind what has become and what is yet to be and then the steps towards achieving what should be Why was this important for you to create? I looked around, seeing lots of peopling dying in ignorance of who they are. I do believe that everyone is gifted with something unique, regardless of your race, culture and societal believe. There is great need for us to have an inward look to discover who we truly are and our purpose for existence, everyone surely has a story to tell in their journey of self-discovery. What is introspection to you? In my own definition, Inward examination of oneself We love the unique use of collage in your work, do you feel this sets you apart from other artists in your genre of art? Yes I believe it does. You know most hyper-realistic artists are always more concerned with creating same resemblance as their reference pictures but I don’t want to fall in that category, I want to do something beyond the norm. The combination of collage in my work has its meaning.

Self-questioning. I want to leave my viewers engrossed with the burning desire to work rather than just think

Well, currently I am locked up in the studio creating works that dares the viewer and maybe in the nearest future exhibit them for the world to see and acknowledge. Do you have any creative interests other than fine art? I’ve always loved to sing. What was one memorable moment you experienced while watching someone view your work? A day I will never forget was when a lady cried just by viewing my work titled REGRET. She said “Uc this is deep. I feel like this is just me”. Your graphite and pencil work seem to be in vary high contrast, especially with your ‘Introspection’ series, is there a deeper meaning behind this? Well I work with charcoal which normally produces dark contrast. But Like I said every details in my work has its message to convey. Most especially the second from the INSTROSPECTION series titled MY STORY has a very dark contrast which illustrates the dark sides of our story. It was never meant to be rosy at all point.

FUTURE x UC WILLS ODUNZE, 2017 CHARCOAL AND NEWSPRINT ON PAPER

Your art tackles themes of self-discovery, do you believe the process of creating art helps you find yourself? Yes of course it does. Art is the only place I find inner peace. What are 3 things you can’t be without in your art studio? Hahaha well, the main thing I can’t do without in my studio aside my working tools is my Music player, and a bottle of drinkable water which keeps me hydrated. What emotions do you aim to evoke when you create, and what emotions do people feel when they see it? I aim to evoke the inner consciousness of man to act rather than just think. What are your plans in the art world moving forward? With time I want to create a brand/body that will help nurture and train individuals in the art of drawing as well as partnering with galleries locally and internationally to organize both solo and group exhibitions. I also plan to create arts that won’t just be for the sake of sales but one that will lead to discourse in the society How important do you think art is to society? The creation of the society is art on its own. The society speaks and there are arts to illustrate and respond. Art questions status quo in the society, it provides beauty to the surroundings without art the society will be worse than chaff, boring to live in What are some of the struggles you have faced as you try to establish your artistry? One of the major challenges I have faced so far is lack of access to art materials in local stores here in my country I have to go through the stress of making orders from online which takes days or even weeks to arrive. Secondly, lack of media support. As creative artist we need media recognition, we can’t reach out to the world alone. As most media houses are only more concerned with gossip news, music and so on. That’s one reason I appreciate this opportunity given to me through this platform to reach out. What are some projects you would love to be a part of through your art? Firstly, greater exhibitions both locally and internationally with wider audience. I will also love to be part of a body of art which seeks to nurture and train upcoming creative minds in the aspect of drawing. What stage do you believe you are at in your journey through art?

Wow, well I will say am still an emerging artist who seeks more global recognition. 29

MY STORY x UC WILLS ODUNZE, 2017 (INTROSPECTION SERIES) CHARCOAL AND NEWSPRINT ON PAPER

What direction do you think Nigeria Art is going in currently? I see Nigeria embracing art in a bigger way in the nearest future. It is happening already, people are already beginning to give recognition to art in Nigeria unlike the way it used to be in some years back. Also Nigeria artist are really making head way in the international art scene and I strongly believe it is a very great step in boosting the place of art in Nigeria. Currently Nigeria’s art is going global. Do you believe there is a Nigerian Hyperrealism Renaissance happening currently? Yes, there has been great revival of this genre of art in Nigeria in recent years till date How would you position yourself in the Nigerian art world currently, in terms of the impact you would like to make? I would love to place a land mark for artist and nonartist alike to look out for. How did it feel the first time you sold one of your pieces?

What is the most difficult thing to understand about your work?

Awesome, I felt great even though I had a bit of emotional feeling giving out the work. But my joy was that it had a new home which ultimately leads it to new audience.

I don’t really see a difficult part to be understood in my works. I believe I try to create in a simplified way to enable the viewer get a better understanding.

How do you see your art changing in the next few years, technically speaking?

What was the most difficult piece of work for you to make and why?

Hmmm… in the next few years I want to look back and see greater improvement in the creation of my art. I wish to reach out to a greater audience globally.

‘’THE FUTURE’’ this was because it was my first attempt with collage combined with realism.

What is the most beautiful thing to you about art? Been able to effectively convey your message to the desired audience.

If you were to take the form of a man that is near the end of his journey through life, what advice would that person give you right now? It is not death most people are afraid of, it is getting to the end of life to realize that you never truly lived. At this point you won’t regret the things you did but the things you didn’t do, the risk you never took and the dreams you didn’t pursue. Let your last word not be “if only I had”. Hey wake up. Why do you exist? Every person on this earth has a gift. Have the courage to grab your dreams and aspiration and work it out. Work hard and as well play hard with friends and family. So at the end of your life you must have lived a well fulfilled life. Thank you

What you would sacrifice to express your personal vision speaks volumes about your dedication to your craft. Studying the pioneers that came before you yet reaching within yourself to tap into a consciousness that has never been expressed in your personalised way, these are traits that graphic designer turned fine artist Reginald Sylvester II continues to exemplify. Sylvester II, born in Jacksonville, North Carolina has been a traveller since his youth. He grew up in Oakland, California and attended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, where he studied graphic design. He is currently based in Brooklyn, New York, where he lives and works. Sylvester II pursues to fulfil his self-expression to the infinite power, he seeks freedom to create what his heart desired, therefore leaving his life as a corporate graphic designer behind. As a creative that fully embraces the modern era and is fully engulfed by it, he has an insightful perspective on the separation between being a brand and an artist. Sylvester II believes that in this current era some artists produce work instead of create it, therefore meaning that there are exterior factors involved in the creative process other than the intuition of the designer commissioned from the job, which may consequently compromise the outcome of the artwork but yet be extremely commercialised. He believes that artists should strive to become their own brands but doing so while being completely in control of the process. With a great distain for the need to compromise with his design clients in the corporate world, he decided to commit his energy into creating art that supplemented his self-discovery and explored ideas pertaining to such as race, sexuality, religion and spirituality through deconstructed, dramatized forms that oscillate between abstraction and figuration. As a designer working for corporations or on freelance projects, Sylvester II would work under his Slvstr© imprint while creating under his real name for his personal, fine art projects, further allowing the separation between his brand and himself as an artist, to reduce the conflict of interests. Sylvester II, when asked about his introduction into the world of art, has been quoted saying “I wanted to be respected for my creativity—but as a graphic designer I always had clients telling me what to do and I hated that. I gave it up and I made the change, primarily because I wanted to be free from those constrictions and to be acknowledged for my own artistic voice.” Through the process of making, Sylvester reflects on events which have taken place in his life or the world at that time. He confronts these issues and gets drifts mentally into a kaleidoscope of thoughts and feelings. The images he creates are selected from this period of social study. This is why solitude is so important to Sylvester II and his creative development as his work is a vessel for him to learn more about himself. Spending time in the studio and pushing him to his limits and boundaries. His time with himself is not just about delivering a painting, but it’s about thinking and understanding what is happening in his own life and the world around him.

The process becomes about making what’s most recognizable to the artist himself. Sylvester II paints in a fashion that satisfies him only when the art screams Reginald Sylvester II. His process is about finding what feels right to him, allowing the opportunity to discover new things while asking himself personal and selfenlightening questions. Sylvester II’s artistic expression honestly illustrates the pseudoscience of the artist’s interior world, personal journey and parallel universe. Acting as a passage way to another realm of consciousness, Sylvester II engages both with his work and with the world at large through his personal faith. Faith within himself and a higher being. An artist that draws many parallels Sylvester II is the abstract expressionist artist to Jean-Michel. Not only aesthetically but in their background within art, as both not classically trained artists making a great impact in the art world and being African American artists alongside such impact. Their solitude within while creating can also be a point of comparison as Basquiat would separate himself from the surroundings while painting, much like Sylvester II to a point where the process of making is the only time he feels he has for himself. The position within art that Sylvester II has attained has been trail blazed by his deepest passion, this journey has been nobodies but his own, a journey towards self-discovery. Basquiat was also an artist that had elements of himself in his work as they both believe that an artist’s job is not only to discover things about themselves but at the same exact time they are supposed to speak to art history and bring it to a new space. Colour and vitality are extremely important ingredients to the abstract work of Sylvester II. His work has something fun, vibrant, and textural, but it also has such serious undertones, this understanding and love for colour was cultivated through making realist portraits of rappers with colour pencils in high school. As a graphic designer he worked with colours and their transparencies using the swatch palette on Illustrator. Sylvester is raw when he paints, not mixing colours beforehand for the perfect hue or shade but layering till he gets the image that satisfies his consciousness, so the process is very much like the digital one—same relationship, just composed differently. 36

Reginald Sylvester II Reaching For Heaven, 2016 (Above) Pace Prints

Reginald Sylvester II Letting Go, 2016 (Left) Pace Prints 38

Due to his beginnings in fashion, it is no surprise that it is part of his artistic expression. As he attended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, he was a next-door neighbour to the HUF stores on Sutter Street. During this time Sylvester II was introduced to the brands that thrived in those spaces, therefore increasing his interest in them. The way they connected back with sneaker culture was also a point of interest at that time. As much as he was intrigued about his surroundings in San Francisco, Japanese streetwear brands began to catch his eye based on their attention to detail. Brands such as Uniform Experiment, Vanquish and BAPE were on his radar. One Japanese brand that Sylvester II admires till this day is Comme des Garcons.Sylvester describes his love for Comme des Garcon saying: “I’ve always loved and admired COMME. They’ve engaged in streetwear at certain points.” I feel that there is a parallel in my work currently and how COMME des GARÇONS composes their garments.” Sylvester II aims to collaborate with the Japanese fashion house sometime in the future. As he transitioned into the man that he is today, it was never really a though of his, although his father was an artist himself. The possibility of being a professional artist became a reality when he was given the opportunity to showcase at Art Basel in the year of 2013, this was the point where he knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. As time passed Sylvester II eventually met his gallerist Maximillian William. From their first meeting they built a great relationship and therefore put on Sylvester’s first solo show in 2015. This show took place in New York and was titled ‘In Search of a Wonderful Place’. Sylvester II has also had the opportunity of exhibiting at Fondazione Stelline in Milan, in a solo show called “The Rise and Fall of a People” as well as a group show at Leila Heller Gallery in Dubai, “Surface Issues”. In 2017 Sylvester II was the subject of a solo exhibition at The Lever House Art Collection in New York, titled ‘Premonition’. This art installation delves into contemporary themes of identity, youth culture and references to biblical scriptures in a raw and lively manner. The works of art are an ode to his faith as the biblical references function as a form of visual language. God is a part of his life that is nearly impossible for him to create without referencing his word. He describes the pieces by saying “The repetitive grid-like imagery relates to digital culture but on a deeper note to the feeling of entrapment. The feeling of truly being free versus not being free is a reoccurring conversation within myself. This body of work definitely speaks on the state of the world, as we know it. Specifically speaking to the present and the future, and to how the scriptures relate to that”. Reginald Sylvester II is an artist that has studied his craft and learned from the best, from Cy Twombly to Tadeo Ando, he is a creative that seeks information to therefore use as a point of reference as he also draws references from within himself. From childhood cartoons to streetwear and more, his success has continued to grow within the creative industry and there are no signs of slowing down. 40

ODE TO THE BODY ‘If This body wasn’t mine, would i still hate it?’ PHOTOGRAPHY & ART DIRECTION: LAURETTA AFFUL MODEL EMMANUEL JUNIOR 44

In this issueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Photographers Spotlight we bring you the Ghanaian photographe, Prince Gyasi. With his expert mastery over colours and tone, Prince is able to bring to life the mundane elements of everyday life in a way that is both captivating and thought provoking. His style is very simplistic; he places a subject at the central point of his composition- usually dark in complexion- and complements this with a vibrant foreground or background. In this way he is able to successfully colour block, ensuring that the viewer pays equal attention to every component that comprises the piece. Even more remarkable is the knowledge that Prince manages to capture these shots armed with just his iPhone.

Prince shoots in Ghana, show casing the street life of Accra and its inhabitants which are the heart beat of the city. With his edits and message, he transforms these people into powerful figures making them almost regal-like. His work has been seen worldwide and he has previously worked with some editing giants such as PicsArt and VSCO. Prince uses his talent and reach to give back to his community; he is the co-founder of Boxed Kids, a non-profit campaign with the aim of giving creative young people in Jamestown the chance of an education.

PHOTO SERIES

LIMBO By Korrie.p

DEFINITION Limbo - an uncertain period of awaiting a decision or resolution; an intermediate state or condition. ‘Limbo’ is my debut photography series that takes from my personal experiences as an artist. I have chosen to channel this experience into a surreal look of one man’s mental journey as he falls into a vast space of motionlessness, feeling confused and astray he reaches a state of a plateau, slowly aligning himself with his surroundings while dwelling on his flaws. But, as he starts to venture and progresses forward he learns to see the ‘light’ of his situation, finding and expressing himself in a place of stillness. - Korrie

FALL

MODEL: TOMAS RADETICH // @TOMASRADETICH

BEYOND THE LENS

PHOTOGRAHY IMPRINT BY CHARLES OGUNMILADE BEYONDTHELENSBTL.COM PHOTOGRAHY BY CHARLES OGUNMILADE

“I’m not reinventing anything and I’m not even calling myself a designer.”

WORDS BY TERESA MWANGI

Jerry Lorenzo was born October 5th, 1976. Lorenzo is an American fashion and sneaker designer and the founder of the streetwear label Fear of God. Lorenzo wanted the name of his brand Fear of God to reflect his Christian faith. The brand name was inspired by Lorenzo reading a devotion that narrates about clouds and darkness around the kingdom of God. Reading that devotion persuaded Lorenzo that God was mighty and has layers and depth to him beyond our understanding. Lorenzo believes that when you are at peace or in a relationship with God, there is a fear that is a reverence. 73

Fear of God is a brand that is inspired by grunge, metal and sport culture. In an interview with Fast Company; Lorenzo describes the Fear of God aesthetic as, “some guys, when they start buying luxury fashion, start to dress less and less like themselves. I’m trying to make a guy feel comfortable, to keep him the same dude.” Celebrities such as Kanye West, Rihanna, Big Sean, Travis Scott and Kendall Jenner are known fans of the brand. In 2016 Lorenzo collaborated with Justin Beiber for his new world tour, ‘Purpose’ and created several looks for him; such as a dozen overcoats in different patterns, six bomber jackets in a variety of colors, kilts and denim jackets embellished with patches on the back. Justin Beiber was seen on stage in Fear of God’s new Italian-made sneakers, which Lorenzo described as a hybrid of a military boot and athletic basketball shoe. The sneakers retailed at $1,200 or higher.

Jerry Lorenzo has now announced a new personalization program for Fear of God. Revealing the news on Instagram, Lorenzo posted images of cut out varsity lettering, similar to graphics used in the label’s SSENSE exclusive pack earlier this year. As it stands details about the new program are scarce, although Lorenzo has announced that the personalization option is coming soon; make sure to keep a look our for more information. To add on, artist Warren Lotas and Lorenzo have joined forces for an exclusive capsule. Warren Lotas gave a sneak peek of the upcoming capsule on Instagram, the release will consist of everyday essential wears such as pullover hoodies dressed up in Lotas’ signature skull-centric motifs and designs.

Lorenzoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fear of God brand is collaborating with Nike; it was announced right before the new year about this thrilling collaboration. Some details regarding the partnership have been disclosed about the style and colour codes. As of now, the only details available are regarding an apparel line that will include garments from tear away pants to parkas and everything in between. There are also rumors of a Nike Presto being included in this collection as well, but this has not been officially confirmed. The collaboration is expected to release during the fall/winter 2018. Below are the style codes of the pieces expected to release from this incredible collaboration. Fear of God x Nike Release Date: Fall/Winter, 2018

Style Code: AR0626-121 (Reversible Jersey) Style Code: AR0627-121 (Reversible Shorts) Style Code: AR0628-063 (Tear Away Pants) Style Code: AR0629-063 (Warm Up Top) Style Code: AR0630-010 (Shorts) Style Code: AR0634-063 (Pull Over Hoodie) Style Code: AR0635-063 (Top 3/4) Style Code: AR0637-010 (SS HZ Jacket) Style Code: AR0638-010 (AOP Pant) Style Code: AR0640-010 (Run Pant) Style Code: AR0643-010 (Jacket) Style Code: AR0644-095 (Vest) Style Code: AR0645-010 (Tear Away Pants)

Style Code: AR0646-095 (Parka) Style Code: AR0636-063 (Polo)

BELLA SONTEZ

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHINGI RICE

In 2014, Rihanna was presented with the opportunity to be Puma’s creative director. After she trademarked her last name, Fenty, following her unique campaigns, and her popular footwear designs, Rihanna was able to successfully launch the first Fenty x Puma collection on the 6th September, 2016. Inspired by the fashion of the 90s, the Fall/Winter collection consisted of a unique variety of athleisure-wear following a monochrome colour scheme and ranging from maxi dresses to kimono track-jackets. Although the collection followed Puma’s usual affordable prices, the pieces definitely cost more than the average Puma product with the most inexpensive item, the terry cotton choker, retailing at $30. The most expensive of the collection was the black leather boots with chain detailing which was put on sale for $350. Following the debut collection launch of Fenty x Puma in 2016, more releases followed in addition to the collection monthly until the December of 2016. The collaboration then went on to release the Spring 2017 collection, the Fall 2017 collection, and the Spring 2018 collection. The collections following on from the debut consisted of more colourful themes and Rihanna moved from her monochromatic colourways. Spring 2017, with 18th-century references, was inspired by the Palace of Versailles. After her campaign for Dior in 2015, she left feeling enchanted by the palace and Arie Antoinette’s extravagant lifestyle the collection contained clothes that ‘Marie Antoinette might wear in a parallel universe’, as Rihanna put it.

The FENTY PUMA by Rihanna collection was made available instore and online on 13th April, 2017 at ASOS, JD Sports, Selfridges, Size?, End Clothing and Offspring.

The Fenty x Puma Fall 2017 collection was coined “Back to School”, referencing the different cliques such as the nerds, the skaters, the preppies, the gothics, and mean girls. Rihanna aimed for a sense of inclusion, a theme which is consistent across the Fenty brand. Being sent home repeatedly in school for dressing outside of her school’s strict dress code, Rihanna aimed to push boundaries, as she does with all of her brands, and change what was considered appropriate as school wear. The latest Fenty x Puma collection, Spring 2018, was partly X Games inspired, with pieces ranging from scuba onesies and biker shorts - now a fashion trend across many lines, going to show how much of an icon Rihanna really is – to 1980s swim tends such as the French-cut swimsuit. Rihanna continues to push the boundaries of fashion through her collaboration with Puma. However, she doesn’t stop there. This collaboration provided benefits for Puma, whose revenues have seen major increases since employing Rihanna as their creative director. Rihanna also gained from the joint venture as she has also successfully put the Fenty brand on the map. Already being an international fashion icon, her name aided the success of the Fenty x Puma brand. But now that her surname ‘Fenty’ has become recognised as an iconic brand, Fenty x Puma has paved the way for the expansion of her brand.

WORDS BY BLU MYST PHOTOGRAPHY BY FENTY BEAUTY MODELS: SLICK WOODS, MUA: HECTOR ESPINAL

Rihanna’s first solo cosmetics brand, Fenty Beauty, saw its debut launch in September 2017. She collaborated on her 100% cruelty free beauty line with Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessey under their Kendo division. The release consisted of a variety of brand new products for the face and lips, including application tools and brushes. The collection was hailed for its inclusivity across skin tones, including 40 different shades in its Pro Filt’R foundation product, retailing at only £26. Rihanna’s ability to fill in a gap for women of colour, often excluded in the cosmetic industry when releasing particularly foundation products, really drove the success of the launch. The September 2017 launch, for face, consisted of; • The Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Primer • The Pro Filt’r Matte Longwear Foundation • The Match Stix Skin Sticks • The Killawatt Highlighter • The Invisimatte Blotting Powder & Paper The Match Stix Skin Sticks came in 20 shades, which were available to purchase singularly, or in a trio, which contained a concealer, contour, and highlighter stick in 4 shades; light (linen); medium (bamboo); tan (caramel) and deep (suede). The Killawatt Highlighters came in the 2 stand alone shades; metal moon (a mega-fine white gold pearl), and a favourite of the launch, Trophy Wife (a 3D hypermetallic gold). The other highlighters came in 4 duo sets; Mean Money/Hu$tla Baby (a soft champagne sheen/supercharged peachy champagne shimmer), Ginger Binge/Moscow Mule (a soft copper sheen/supercharged copper shimmer), Lighting Dust/Fire Crystal (a soft pearlescent sheen/supercharged pearlescent shimmer) and Girl Next Door/ Chic Phreak (a soft pink sheen/supercharged peachy pink shimmer).

For the lips, RiRi included the popular Fenty Gloss Bomb Lip Luminizer, a universal lip gloss for all lip shades and shapes. Finally, Rihanna threw in a few make up tools and brushes including a foundation brush, a highlight brush, contour and concealer brushes, and the precision makeup sponge. The ‘Galaxy’ Holiday Collection was a limited edition collection released following the launch of Fenty Beauty, in October 2017. However, it is still available for purchase from Harvey Nichols and Sephora. Rihanna added new products to the collection which were galaxy-inspired. The collection saw the introduction of eye products to the line as well as a wider range of lip glosses and lipsticks. Included in the collection was the; • Cosmic Lip Gloss • Starlit Hyper-Glitz Lipstick • Galaxy Eyeshadow Pallette • Eclipse Glitter Eyeliner • 2-Way Eyeshadow Brush The Cosmic Lip Gloss came in 4 shades; Gal on the Moon (a holographic pink orchid), Spacesuit (a glittering peach), Plutonic Relationship (a holographic hot pink) and Astro-naughty (a glittering garnet). The Starlit Hyper-Glitz Lipstick also came in four shades, including Gravity (a glittering hot pink) and Supermoon (a sparkling peach), Sci-fly (a glimmering garnet), and $upanova (a twinkling pink orchid). The Eclipse 2-in-1 Glitter Release Eyeliners came in three shades, Alien Bae (a blue-black metallic/smoky navy glitter), Later, Crater (a nude metallic/nude gold glitter), and Nepturnt (a green-black metallic/smoky navy glitter). The Galaxy Eyeshadow Palette included 14 colours which all had galaxy-inspired names from Meteor Crush to Space Owt.

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Mattemoiselle On the 23rd November, 2017, Fenty Beauty released the Stunna Lip Paint, a “perfect universal” red longwear fluid lip colour. The Boxing Day following this, the Mattemoiselle collection, a collection of plush matte lipsticks were released, consisting of 14 shades including ‘Ma’damn’, ‘Saw-C’, ‘S1ngle’, ‘PMS’, ‘Ya Dig?!’, ‘Griselda’, ‘Spanked’, ‘Up 2 No Good’, ‘Freckle Fiesta’, ‘Midnight Wasabi’, ‘Clapback’, ‘Candy Venom’, ‘Shawty’, and ‘One of the Boyz’. On her 30th birthday, 23rd March 2018, Rihanna released a limited edition highlighter in the shade of Trophy Wife, one of the line’s most popular products which was part of the Killawatt highlighters. It wasn’t packaged with the brand’s initials of FB as normal, but instead with XXX to mark the milestone. On the 6th April 2018, Fenty Beauty released some its latest collection, the “Beach, Please” collection. The collection saw the cosmetics company’s first products for the body, ‘Body Lava’, provided in the shades “Brown Sugar” (a lustrous bronze) and “Who Needs Clothes?!” (a radiant rose gold). The second body product was the ‘Fairy Bomb’ glittering pom pom, which came in “Rosé on Ice”, a glimmering rose gold shade, partnered with a face and body kabuki brush for easy application. Rihanna released videos demonstrating how to wear the products, which spread throughout social media and the Body Lava sold out on all online retailers.

The remainder of the collection was released on the 21st May 2018 including three products; the Killwatt Foil freestyle highlighter duos, the Summer Daze/Summer Nights iridescent lip luminizer trio, and the Island Bling 2-in-1 liquid eye shimmer. The Killawatt Foils were released in three hyper-metallic shades; ‘Mimosa Sunrise/Sangria Sunset’ (a metallic tangerine/metallic magenta), ‘Sand Castle/Mint’d Mojito’ (a metallic bronze/metallic mint blue), and ‘7 Day Wknd/Poolside’ (a metallic orchid/metallic violet). The Summer Daze/Summer Nights Trio came in two sets; ‘Snake Skin/Mermaid Thighs/Vaycray’ and ‘Single/ Bilingual/Ready to Mingle’. The Island Bling 2-in-1 liquid eye shimmers, featuring a metallic shimmer on one end and an iridescent glitter topcoat on the other, came in ‘Mamacita/ Tini Kini’ and ‘Summer Fling/Reignbow’.

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Rihanna’s most recent venture which she partnered up with Techstyle with, Savage x Fenty, dropped on the 11th May 2018. The lingerie line boasts, once again, a common theme across Fenty lines, inclusiveness in terms of size, with bra sizes ranging from 32A to 44DD, impressive for a debut launch, affordability, with bras retailing from £24 and knickers from £16. Rihanna pointed out her own struggle in finding nude shades suited to her skin tone. It was therefore important to her to have various nude tones available for women of all colours. The collection comes in 90 styles, with bralet, sleepwear, and undie sizes going up to as high as 3XL. “Savage is really about taking complete ownership of how you feel and the choices you make,” Rihanna told Vogue. Using herself as a tool to promote women empowerment, Rihanna encourages every woman to release her inner savage. The collection is split into four distinct categories. On the Reg consists of basic, everyday lingerie including t-shirt bras and briefs in 16 colours. U cute explores feminine lace pieces with detailed bralettes and undies. Damn turns the heat up with subtly suggestive, sexier pieces including garters, sheer corsets and bodysuits. Rihanna really gets the night started with the last category; Black Widow, containing ultra sexy crotchless panties, cupless bras and bodysuits, risqué robes, and seductive jumpsuits. With her and many of her models varying in appearance in terms of size and tone modelling some the pieces all over Instagram, on the underground and on billboards, you just can’t run from Savage x Fenty.

Rihanna, an immense figure in the fashion world and now also the world of beauty ensures all women are included in her rise to the top and continues to encourage and empower them. Outside of her already being acclaimed as one of our generations biggest pop stars, this inclusiveness works as a competitive advantage for Rihanna. Research has shown that African-American, Hispanic and Asian shoppers make up the magnitude of Fenty’s consumer base, while white shoppers are the brand’s smallest consumer group. With April’s Fenty Beauty launch in Saudi Arabia, Rihanna is proving to be unstoppable and has shown that she really seeks for all women to be included in her new ventures in the world of beauty. On the 13th June, Rihanna opens doors to her London Savage x Fenty pop-up shop at Shoreditch Studios.

WORDS: DERRICK ODAFI PHOTOGRAPHER: NWOBI CHUKWUKA

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Modus Vivendii is one of the most talked about streetwear brands, not only in Africa but in the world of fashion. A clothing label founded by Jimmy Ayeni, Ola Badiru and Anthony Oye. These three friends started their march towards a streetwear takeover 7 year ago and now have made a mark in the industry that cannot be ignored. Vivendii is a brand that shows what is possible in the modern era, starting as a blog then transitioning into a fashion house that has collaborated with the likes of OffWhite and Tine Temaph’s What We Wear. Popular figures such as Davido, Skepta, Iamddb and more have been seen supporting the brand and what they have to offer within fashion. Modus Vivendii, meaning ‘Our way of living’ in Latin is a current version of the link between Africa and the western world, as a brand based in Lagos, Nigeria and London, England, it bridges the gap between the youth of African descent in the west to the youth of Africa through a tailored perspective on style. On July 16th, 2018 New Wave Magazine had the opportunity of meeting and interviewing the founders of the brand. After discussions with Anthony Oye, it was clear that Vivendii was bringing a new perspective of Nigeria to the masses and open to collaborate with young and talented individuals who also want to showcase their way of living through creativity. Newspaper collages of Nigerian newspaper articles were displayed on the wall as the clothing from their latest collection ‘Enjoy Your Life’ hung from the ceiling. The entire installation on the ground level seemed to be dedicated to their heritage, bringing the youth to a small and unique representation of Nigeria. On the basement level highlighted a different side to the brand as live art took place and a bedroom display were featured as part of the installation. The energy of the event was very genuine and down to earth, supported by the music connected to an unknown individual’s mobile device continued to connect and disconnect throughout the event as they moved around the venue. An interestingly spontaneous touch to the scenes. A perfect day out in which many crowded the entrance and most gathered at the basement level to watch Nigeria’s opening game at the 2018 Wold Cup against Croatia. However, a 2-0 defeat did not dull most spirits and we finally had the opportunity to sit down for our interview with Creative Director Jimmy Ayeni, later crashed by the insightful mind of Ola Badiru and Anthony Laid back and enjoyed the company of his guests.

YOUTHFUL SS’16 SHOT BY TORY VAN THOMPSON LOCATION: NEW YORK, USA 116

“My whole ethos is that you don’t have to do fashion to actually do fashion, the same with sports and media, it’s just about if you can put 100% into it and push it for long enough, it will run”

Thanks for sitting down with us Jimmy, please tell us about the 3 founders of the brand

I founded the brand with my best friends Anthony and Ola. We went to school together and kind of knew each other on the level of understanding what each person’s idea of design was and fusing it all together to mould the vision of where we want to end up.

Please tell us about your individual backgrounds and where you come from?

Originally, I studied international business and IT. I wasn’t doing anything within fashion but the thing with Vivendii was making sure we express ourselves on a different level. My whole ethos is that you don’t have to do fashion to actually do fashion, the same with sports and media, it’s just about if you can put 100% into it and push it for long enough, it will run. That’s what my thing has always been about.

It is not so usual you see an African brand making such waves in the industry, what would you attribute that to?

I would attribute it to God. Honestly, its about a 100% effort, me and my bros Anthony and Ola. They give me the stamina and motivation to really be able to constantly put out a 100%. We’ve created a standard between us that, yo, it’s all or nothing. If something doesn’t feel 100% we just don’t do it.

Please let our readers know about the symbolism behind the Vivendii logo

Modus Vivendii as a term means ‘Our way of living’ in Latin. It was always meant to show the way that we live, the things that we do and how it affects us generally.

How did you guys transition from a fashion blog to creators of fashion?

To be honest, I’m keeping it a buck. We had this insane opportunity with Roberto Cavalli and Franca Sozzani of l’uomo Vogue. They came to Lagos and we had the amazing opportunity to meet them. It was written in stone. We told them what we do and at the time I was 18, they just couldn’t believe what we were doing at that age. They pushed us and mentored us, saying “forget this blog thing that your doing, sell product. You guys need to create an identity within fashion and sell product within fashion”. They gave us the Zeal, the vibe and the Blueprint to just keep this thing going.

How did you guys feel at his Milan February 2012 show?

Insane, like, I was 17 at the time. Shit just felt ridiculous. I was second row at the show, Khloe Kardashian was in front of me. It was amazing to just feel that. I feel like Cavalli’s real impact on my life was him giving us a first-hand feel of what could happen. He gave me that taste, just those few drops in my mouth that made me realise my vision can be a reality. He made me feel like If we really do what we’re doing, this shit could really run. I will never forget that feeling.

Tell us about your time with Victate Clothing and who you worked with

A mutual friend introduced me and Ed Lee, who is the founder of Victate. She [Jimmy’s friend] was like “Yo, you guys need to work”, and we did. We continued to progress and build the brand, I am very proud of the work we were able to produce with Victate. We could have achieved greater heights, but I think that experience made us realise what we can accomplish within clothing.

Us, were just Nig guys, don’t get it twisted. Behind the brand and all that comes with it we’re just normal Nig guys that grew up in Lagos. We just wanted to do something that was different. We just wanted to express ourselves on that level in fashion and seven years on its finally happening. NW

So, it was a gateway to improving your knowledge in the industry? Oh 100%, Ed Lee was doing fashion from the standpoint where he had the knowledge of how to produce clothing. I learnt a lot from Ed Lee, in terms of how to produce clothing and what it really takes. We He helped us understand the progression and the value of where we really want to take this brand. 118

THESE ARE MY CHURCH CLOTHES

“what I’m wearing to church doesn’t contribute or attribute to my relationship with God. We made these T-shirts to challenge that way of thinking.”

What is the link between Lagos and London with relation to your brand?

We love your collaboration with Jai Eleven and Nothingfor.us, how did that come about?

Our brand is an important in Lagos as it is in London, we want to create a link between the west Africans in the world-wide diaspora. We want to give them a chance to connect with their heritage. I feel like a lot of second generation Nigerians don’t really know where it is they’re really from, I feel like its up to brand like us to create that bridge between second generation Nigerians and first-generation Nigerians, and west Africans in general, to come together on a level and find out what it is they really want to know about each other.

Jai Eleven is my peoples. We came together based on the gram. We know mutual people and we were just like “Yo, we can produce some content that will be amazing for people”. The collaboration worked out. Shout out to Jai Eleven.

What was the creative concept behind your campaign shoot for this collection?

Its always about a new African generation, a new African vibe, putting our people on to the freshest s**t. We’re Nigerians, let us just be proud about it and rep it to the fullest. We plan to make being Nigerian fell as dope as can be.

What about your way of living forces you to create? Our way of living has always been about us and how we feel. I just want to tell people to express themselves. If you feel like you have a creative agenda, just express yourself. If that creativity shows through painting, printing, drawing… Whatever it is just go for it, there’s no point hiding. Me, I’m from Naij, from Lagos. Nobody would have thought we would be able to do something like this. We’re just getting warmed up, but we’re out here.

What do you feel like the fashion industry is lacking in this present time?

It’s not really missing too much, but I feel like there is a lot of capitalisation of youth culture. It is important we don’t let them gentrify our s**t, you know? We are the youth, we are the people. Don’t let them gentrify your s**t anywhere. Let’s do our thing and continue to build and progress.

Where does the idea ‘These are My Church Clothes’ Derive from? That just comes from me being from Nigeria and my parents always asking me “Jimmy, what are you wearing to church today? And it’s like, nah bro, what I’m wearing to church doesn’t contribute or attribute to my relationship with God. We made these T-shirts to challenge that way of thinking. Even my parents saw that s**t and were like “Ah, Jimmy, what are you doing?” but it’s like, this doesn’t change my belief.

Anthony Vivendii: Kids really wear that s**t to church now, it’s crazy

For real, kids really wear that s**t to church, I’m okay with that impact. How do you feel that Vivendii is bringing Church to the streets and was Young Jeezy part if the inspiration?

What does the word Quality mean to your brand? Mehn, Quality is everything oh, it’s not just about the production of the clothing, it’s also about where it is you can take your clothes, what it really means to people. What does BLUE, mean to you and your brand? BLUE is an acronym for ‘Before Love Undoes Everything’. I can’t take the credit for that, that’s my guy A2, Shout out my boy A2. He’s an artist that has been supporting from the beginning of our growth. We did the merchandise for his tour and A2 is just a dope artist. I advise everyone to go listen to his records on all streaming services.

Ummm, not necessarily but I f**k with Young Jeezy, shout out Jeezy.

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MODUS VIVENDII x NOTHING COLLABORATION MUSES: FLORA, DEMI, IBEAM, EVE, NEINA, Z99, ADEBOLAJI, BABS PHOTOGRAPHY BY KSENIA BURNASHEVA LOCATION: LONDON, UK

How did your recent collaboration with Off-White and Nike come about?

It wasn’t initially supposed to be derived as a collaboration, we were just meant to join forces on a football jersey, and the jersey was just that dope that it went worldwide. Shout out to Hypebeast, shout out to Highsnobiety, shout out to Pause TV. The impact was a lot. I felt like the people in Nigeria realised the impact it had. It wasn’t about Vivendii doing a collab with Off White. It was about a Nigerian brand doing a collaborating on a T shirt with Off White.

We have seen international stars like Skepta and Naomi Campbell wearing your clothing, how did that feel?

J NW

Speechless…Speechless. Was Vivendii part of the think tank behind the Off White Fela Kuti graphic T shirts? No, we had nothing to do with that.

If you were to become the ultimate fashion designer, what elements of existing designers would you want to have?

I would like to have Virgil’s element of deconstruction and John Galliano’s feel for experimentation.

I’m Just going to crash in on Jimmy’s interview, just cuz I feel like it. I just want to tell you that this N***a is dope as F**k and he’s a creative genius. He puts a lot of work in, this guy is like the engine behind the Vivendii movement, he’s been pioneering s**t from the beginning and I’ve learnt so much from this guy so just listen to everything he has to say. -Ola Badiru

“We are equally important to the progression of this brand. This couldn’t happen if Ola didn’t exist, it couldn’t happen if Tony didn’t exist.” NW

If Jimmy is the engine, what would you say you are to the movement?

Don’t worry about what I am, you feel me? We’re out here.

So, they are aiming for the more high-end demographic whilst you guys want to be more associated with streetwear?

I am not going to speak on their behalf… I don’t know what they are aiming to do or who they are aiming to target, all I can speak for is for what we are trying to do. I have my own vision that may not necessarily be the same as their vision.

You guys just recently did a photo series with the photographer Nwobi Chukwuka that are featured along with this story, please tell us more about it

Oh dope, Chuka literally just hit me and this guy [Jimmy] up, we were on the streets in Naij going through our creative processes, like going to markets etc. We always used to reach out to him, to give him opportunities to express himself through photography because he expressed to us that it was what he loved to do. He has talent. Jimmy initially saw it in him, Jimmy told me, “Yo, this guy can do s**t”. I trust in what this guy says [Jimmy], we then organised something, so we can actually show what Chuka can do. His fashion photography for us has also helped us pick up great momentum.

Vivendii is an entity that people can’t comprehend. We’re all intertwined, you feel me? The whole thing is intertwined. We can’t exist without each other. We realised we need each other to progress, no man is a f*****g island. So, you guys exemplify Nigerian unity basically? Dat way, these are my brothers. It’s about understanding that there are things that you can do, and others can do certain other things. When you realise you can complement each other and work together, you are aware of your weaknesses and understand where people are stronger in certain areas. Its important to acknowledge that when working in a team of people. Its not about any individual, it’s about the bigger picture.

What is so important within our Vivendii base is that this guy [Ola] and Anthony are just as important as anything. We are equally important to the progression of this brand. This couldn’t happen if Ola didn’t exist, it couldn’t happen if Tony didn’t exist. That’s just the way the s**t goes. Without these guys I couldn’t do this. Its all BS if these guys weren’t involved.

What can you tell us about your collaboration with Tinie Tempah ‘7 Days Till Lagos’? Yeah, with the what we wear collaboration, I really like what they are doing and the market they are trying to break into. I am happy they thought of us as a high figure to approach in Nigeria to break into this industry. I feel like they used that opportunity well because we had the market. We appreciate them for that opportunity but moving forward, I feel like we are more streetwear, they are going in a different direction than we want to go. Of course, we are both in clothing, we are both Nigerian and we can work together, but we have different goals.

He was able to help us create the moments we wanted to capture and the kind of ideas we want to put out there, such as the beauty of blackness. NW

Do you feel like there is a Nigerian renaissance happening in the creative industry? Not just a Nigerian renaissance, I would say an African renaissance. Because its not just about us. It’s on some final frontier s**t, its finally Africa’s chance to really get the opportunities to showcase what we have to offer at the highest level. Where fashion is going right now, there is a very African based agenda, when it really develops and grows, people will really understand what West Africa brings to the culture, to fashion, to sport and everything else. It is super important that we are able to showcase that at a high level. 126

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Africans are doing amazing things worldwide in every f*****g industry. You can talk medicine, you can talk legal, you can talk co operations and banking. Africans worldwide are proving themselves the way others aren’t able to. Definitely, and now in the creative industry also. Bruv…LVMH level. Bernard Arnaut Level

We see African brands like Kennith Ize, Waffles and Cream and Grey on the rise, do you have a relationship with the founders of these brands?

What?! Those are my boys! Those are my people. Kennith ize, that’s my boy, Jomi Bello of waffles and Cream, that’s my boy too. I love those guys, and its important for us to succeed because we’re pushing an agenda. Its not about “Oh I want to be the biggest brand,” nahh, all the attention that they can get, we will get that residually because it means that people are going to look at Nigerian fashion as a whole. Shout Kennith and Jomi.

J NW

What is your wildest creative dream personally and with relation to Vivendii ? To build a brand that’s as big as Ralph Lauren. When you meet Kanye West, what would you like to offer him creatively? Umm, I would say it would be an African definition of what he’s been trying to put out for the past 5 – 10 years and put it on a whole new level. Does your brand work with pattern cutters and manufacturing fabric? Yes, we’ve been doing that for the past 3 years. We understand you have a vision for your brand to be global, how do you see your brand taking men’s wear and women’s wear to new heights? Just to bring forth an African perspective. Some dope s**t, some new s**t, our whole thing Is about innovative design.

“You can talk medicine, you can talk legal, you can talk co operations and banking. Africans worldwide are proving themselves.” - OLA BADIRU

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We know Kanye West and Virgil interned at Fendi and was influential in the creative process of Giuseppe Zanotti sneakers, if you had a choice, what fashion house would you intern for and what sneaker brand would you like to have an influence in?

If I had the chance, Margiela. No doubt. I’ll just Intern for Margiela for 2 years and just cool off from there knowing that I know the ropes.

Why Margiela? I just like their concept of fashion and the lengths they take it to. Their idea of deconstruction and s**t like that. It’s a vibe. Can we expect Vivendii sneakers/collaborations soon? En Route! We’ve been working on a sneaker for like 12 months, but God willing, you will hear more news real soon… Thank you so much for the interview Jimmy, and we wish you greater success in the future Bless up! Bless up! No problem, let’s keep in touch moving forward.

MODUS VIVENDII x OFF-WHITE x NIKE ENJOY YOUR LIFE SS ‘18 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIMMY AYENI LOCATION: LOGOS, NIGERIA

MODUS VIVENDII: ENJOY YOUR LIFE SS ‘18 MUSE: BAINGOR JOINER PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHAN TAYO LOCATION: LOGOS, NIGERIA

Modified by Manna is a sneaker/clothing customisation brand founded by Mark Onyemah, a 22-year-old creative from East London. New Wave Magazine had the pleasure of shooting and interviewing him for our 5th Issue. As the creative energy in London continues to rise Mark positions himself in the landscape as an artist that paints on a unique canvas, Sneakers. Mark has his own unique style and is determined to share his talents with the world. As a professional footballer it is rare you come across an individual pursuing sports alongside the arts, but this anomaly is what makes Markâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey through the creative industry such a unique story. From his love of sneakers from a young age to his love of God, all these things have contributed to the man and the creative he is today. Get to know the things that motivate and inspire mark as he creates, plus information on his past present and future projects.

Tell us about your love for footwear, where did that come from? It started when I was younger, I was inspired by my brother. Every now and then, he would come home with fresh kicks like the High-top Air Forces. Those were the first kicks I fell in love with, they had the black soul with the red Nike swoosh. That’s when I knew. Did you ever look to get exclusive sneakers? The first exclusive sneakers I really wanted were the G Unit Reebok G6’s. When I was a kid, I begged my mum to get me pair. Thankfully, she did because my love for trainers continued to grow. As a designer you of course have your own style, how would you describe it? Je ne sais quoi. It can’t be described easily. I would say it’s unique and in sync with my lifestyle. You can see a lot of grey in my work which is my favourite colour. To me, it represents sophistication. Who are the people you look to for guidance in the industry you are in? I would definitely say Virgil. He is one person I look to, he’s diverse in the way he creates. Also, a lot of American artists on Instagram due to the vibrancy in their work. Would you say social media inspires your creative process, or is it just a way to get your ideas to the masses? I use it as a tool to fuel my ideas, for example if I see the colour grey while I’m browsing, I may be inspired to create something based on that colour. We understand you are also a football player, what team do you play for? I am currently at Dartford for the 2018/19 season. Has playing football directly influenced your interest in footwear?

Your brand is going through a rebranding process, what didn’t you do before that you want to do now? I think previously I didn’t have a proper plan, but now I do. I have a clear vision of what I want to do and where I want to take the Modified by Manna brand. I’m just taking it step by step in the process of rebranding. How have the people around you helped you through this process? I would say people I went to school with. Derrick, the Co-Founder of New Wave Studios/Magazine, he has helped me during the rebranding process with my logo, business card, website and photography. Right now, Modified by Manna mainly focuses on footwear, would you like to be involved in other forms of apparel? For sure, I’m definitely going to be involved in modifying clothing, I have experimented with garments previously. We love your collaboration with Ten Toes, how did that come about? The owner is a friend of mine. I didn’t tell him I was going to do this, but on valentine’s day I modified a pair of sliders and put it out. The feedback was immense. Immediately after we started speaking and made plans to do a proper collaboration. That’s how the triple black sliders came about.

Yes, in terms of football boots and how detailed they are. On the pitch, the best boots stand out and in the streets, the best trainers do. The best of both worlds really.

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We previously shoot some of your work with your customised Alantic Glo Air Force Ones, how did that collaboration come about?

Are there any more collaborations in the works?

I also know the owner, Van. He is a friend of mine. We’re just on the come up together and we got in contact with each other over Instagram and began discussing how we can work together. I told him ‘Bro, were going to make this happen, we’re going to work someday’. I later modified some trainers for a model and the feedback was good.

Definitely, all year round. Keep your eyes peeled.

Do you feel like east London is on a rise creatively?

We noticed your old Instagram set up was full of motivational quotes, what most motivates you?

It’s definitely on a rise but you wouldn’t know unless you step into it and actively discover that there are so many talented creatives in East London.

Where can we go to purchase these sliders? On the website tentoes.uk

Hope. In the sports industry, I started from the bottom and become a professional footballer although I later got released from the club. That’s where my motivation stems from, to believe in your dreams and to keep pushing. Do you feel like setbacks making you stronger is part of your brand ethos? Yes, that is the reason I started. There is more to life, more things to accomplish. I believe in God and there was a point where I would repeatedly ask ‘What’s next?’, and He showed me the way. He showed me that there’s a breakthrough on the other side of a breakdown.

What is your biggest struggle while trying to take your brand to the next level? Exposure. I believe my talent is evident, I work hard. The struggle is just exposure and getting my work to the right people. Do you feel like your personal brand is separate to your company’s brand? It’s all in one. It all falls under an umbrella. Manna is the main brand and everything else is under that brand name. What are your favourite shoes to customise?

With the name Modified by Manna, is that an ode to you modifying the way you see things also?

The Nike Air Force 1s. They’re just really clean. They are more of a clear canvas and a unique trainer. Iconic.

Definitely, the meaning of modified is to change. I changed the way I was living, I feel purer. I later brought that change within myself to my love for footwear to change the footwear industry.

You also customise Designer sneakers also, if you had a choice, what high end brand would you want to collaborate with most?

How do you feel New Wave can be a part of your journey? New Wave is a massive platform, they can help me in many ways. Derrick is helping me with rebranding

currently and we will be working on many projects moving forward.

I would say Alexander McQueen, I feel like the popular trainers they have out now are similar to the Air Force 1s in terms of the sole, you can get a lot more work done. You were a fine artist back in secondary school, what about art interested you at that time? You know what? Just being free, just sitting down, drawing and being free mentally.

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LOCATION: SHORDITCH, NIKE LAB SNEAKERS: MODIFIED BY MANNA

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Do you feel like it is difficult breaking into the fashion/ creative industry in the UK? To be fair I don’t think it is, once you know what your doing and you have your own unique selling point, as soon as you get your foot in the door, that it. Your slogan is Blessings from Heaven, what does that mean to you and your brand? That is what Manna means, blessings from above. Anything I lay my hands on has already blessed by God. That’s where it’s come from. Are you very meticulous with your work? I am really precise, I take time to design and pay attention to detail. How much room for error is there with what you do? There is no room for error. Once you make a mistake, it’s very hard to come back from. In the past I have made mistakes, which means I would have to start again on a new pair. It seems like your creative discipline is very unique from one design to the next, how do you feel you will be able to mass produce moving forward? I would love to do that with the Air Force 1s, take a particular design and mass produce that and see how it goes. What would you like to change about the industry you are in? Its difficult because when your ‘popping’ that when people want to jump on the wave but it’s a lot more difficult in the beginning process. I would like to change the support and make it more geared towards ground-breaking creatives.

My main social platform is Instagram, also on Twitter @modifiedbymanna, same on Instagram. If you were to create an installation based on your work, what 3 words would you like people to use when they describe it? Unique, Meticulous, Impressive Where do you feel freer creatively, on the pitch or in your art studio? In my art studio because I’m alone and free with my thoughts. I can zone out and reflect. Is music part of your creative process? Yes, it is. I listen to a lot of Hip-Hop and Rap. Many artists inspire me in regards to how creative they are in their music. Drake in particular because anything he touches turns to Gold. What do you think about the link between football and fashion? Footballers like fashionable items, a lot of them are in high fashion attire. They are always in the spotlight, so they want to look their best at all times. What word would describe the energy you want to bring into the creative industry? Different and unique, something no one has ever seen before. Bring a spark to the industry. 144

A Good Life Is what you’re doing worth your time? You will never be in this space ever again so, is what you’re doing worth your prime? It would be a crime to waste it all on chasing paper or, Is your only value a corner office on a top floor? The pursuit of great height bares the risk of falling flat on ones face, The burdened break behind flickering blinds, hiding those loved from the the evil we face. Is what you’re doing worth your time? Are these moments worth your life? Would you regret the choices made if different ones were put in play? ...Would you become yourself again? Would life leave you wanting when it leaves you? Like the outer layer of our skin...in truth, are you just as see-through? You hold yourself up high, but is your thinking wishful? Or have you been lifted up by the hearts and liberated minds of people, ...to whom life couldn’t taste the same without you? Xuest.

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Animo South Los Angeles High School has been through various tumultuous times since its erection in the 1950s. This building has been close to historical moments such as the 1963 Watts riots and the 1992 Rodney King riots. It is safe to say that the location of the school is subject to any event at any point in time. This all came to another tragic situation that saw the building engulfed in fire in the year 2014, as half of the campus burned down as the result of a faulty air conditioning unit. The building was therefore destroyed with all its history. Shortly after the project of rebuilding, this learning facility was accepted by architecture firm Brooks + Scarpa, based in Florida, USA. This new build was to be a post-modernist representation of quality architecture despite the surroundings of high crime rates and a 25% poverty rate within the area. The location of the structure, which is the Westmont-West Athens neighbourhood, has been plagued with Fair Housing and school busing since the early 1960s and median family income is less than $35,000 per year. Therefore, a design solution for this new build was to attain the perception of openness but simulations having a high level of security. However, with so many constraints and external factors, Brooks + Scarpa deigned an elegant and inviting building that offers the WestmontWest Athens area a sense of pride and beauty. The building is a visually striking construction that gives the inhabitants a safe and socially accommodating location for learning. An important aspect of the brief for this building was its ability to connect the community, Brooks + Scarpa aimed to develop a flexible teaching environment which supports a significant parental involvement. The building is a welcoming location that subconsciously emits vibrance though the aluminium facades.

Some of the features of the new build include; open-air, light-filled halls to aid ventilation and solar gain. These features aid the commissioners mission to provide a healthy and sustainable learning environment for its students. The perforated, anodized aluminium faรงade of the building creates an ever-changing screen that sparkles with the sunlight in the day. It also provides shade to the building and reduces noise, all while still allowing views and air flow while being bullet resistant for increased safety. The 20ft long walls are a wonderful backdrop for anyone fortunate enough to experience it and curves to form a courtyard. The site contains more than eleven classrooms with two science labs and other various activity space. These facilities are able to houses 630 students. facilities are spread across an elongated yellow building.

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This structure was all made possible despite limited financial resources and a restricted schedule. Brook + Scarpa managed to create a simple, cost effective and beautiful design that satisfies functional requirements. This linear structure is an example of how design can transform its surroundings, giving a low income location a sense of richness and vitality.

Tadao Ando is a Japanese architect that has been supremely influential in the building identity of Japan in the modern era and has been an exemplary figure in the world of architecture for the past 45 years. Born as the younger sibling of twins, on the 13th of September 1941, Andoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dedication to the profession and creative discipline of architecture is a beautiful story. Much like Le Corbusier, his passion for the material of concrete have caused him to create masterful pieces of building artistry. WORDS BY DERRICK ODAFI

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At the age of two Ando and his brother were separated as he lived with his grandmother. His first love however was the art of boxing. His grandmother’s teachings of being adamant of what he believed as long as they were grounded in logic may have been what drove him to work hard at this skill during his early years. However, his path in life would change at the age of 14. Ando at that age happened to see a young carpenter working so relentlessly on renovating a house, even missing meals in the process. Struck by his attitude and commitment to the job, Ando’s interest in architecture was suddenly sparked, therefore bringing his grandmothers teachings into action once again. The end of his boxing career occurred when he witnessed the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Imperial Hotel on a trip to Tokyo as a secondyear high school student, His pursuit of architecture began less than two years after graduating from high school. Although Ando did not have the academic credentials to enter architecture school, his passion never wavered. He would therefore borrow discarded architecture books from his seniors and managed to learn within one year, what everyone else studied in 5 years. He did not intern with architects as he was constantly fired for “stubbornness and temper.” Even with this temper Architecture brought his discipline much like boxing did in his early years. He attended night classes to learn drawing and took correspondence courses on interior design. He would also visit buildings designed by renowned architects like Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Kahn and Le Corbusier, which is also the name of his pet dog, before returning to Osaka in 1968 to establish his own design studio.

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On his return to Osaka, with no formal degree or period studying under a mater of architecture, he attained his architecture licence and began to develop his craft. Ando’s architecture not only challenges his creativity but also the inhabitants of his creations. The experiences they gain while living in an Ando creation is a sacrifice of comfort and an embrace of minimalism and nature. Although his work has ranged over time from humble early homes to the sprawling Rokko Housing complex in Kobe, what has stayed constant is his love and experimentation with the material of concrete. This material was far from the motif of Japanese architecture before the influence of Ando. His early work consisted of the development of houses around Japan such as Azuma House, which received the Architectural Institute of Japan’s annual award in 1979. Also, the Rowhouse in Sumiyoshi was designed by Ando, a small house in a working-class section of Osaka, which introduced all the elements of his later work; smooth concrete walls, large expanses of glass, uncluttered interiors, and an emphasis on bringing nature into contact with the residents.

His use of concrete derived from works by Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn, with whom he is often compared. Ando adds a proficiency in nature, light, and space which become as important and tangible as the walls. Ando is interested in a dialogue with the architecture of the past, but it must be filtered through his own vision and his own experience. His detailed study of the works of those that came before him allow him to create within that lineage, but in his own fashion. very high-quality concrete with a flawlessly lustrous finish achieved by casting in watertight formwork are his speciality. The ever-changing washes of sunlight and shadow which constantly emphasize the passage of time within his creations.

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This subsequently leads Ando into the 21st century and a commission of the Chichu Art Museum that would continue to provide evidence of Ando’s architectural prowess. The word ‘Chinchu’ literally meaning ‘In the ground’, therefore keeping the harmony between man and nature in mind, Ando built most of this museum underground to avoid impacting the naturally beautiful scenery, allowing some to describe the structure as the most ground-breaking contemporary art museums you’ll find anywhere in the world. Ando took a brutalist-style approach to the Museum, using concrete to create clean lines and in-built decoration. Part of the beauty of Ando’s simple approach is the attention paid to the empty areas of the museum. Every detail has been considered in terms of how it will be experienced by a person moving through the space. A spectacular backdrop to the works of James Turrell, Walter De Maria and Claude Monet that live inside. Whilst only detailing a select few structures, Ando over his 45-year career has designed multiple structures that have opened new doors of perspective within architecture. Causing him to be one of the most decorated architects of any time. Ando has designed homes for highly successful fashion designers such as Tom Ford and Karl Lagerfeld. He has also passed down his knowledge to the new generation of architects in Institutions such as Yale and Harvard. He also boasts developments in multiple countries such as the United States, Italy, Germany, The United Kingdom and South Korea. Beyond all these achievements he has also been the recipient of Awards such as The Gold Medal of Architecture, Académie d’Architecture (French Academy of Architecture) in 1989, The Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1995, Commandeur de l‘Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2013 and Grande Ufficiale dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia in 2015. Ando Is a staple of Architecture that sets a standard of longevity and creative discipline that have carried him from an unworthy Architecture student to a powerhouse in building design. He is a personification of hard work and dedication with creative intuition and purpose.

er. , is an Atlanta born rapper and songwrit Destin Route, otherwise known as J.I.D s. J.I.D lyric lity qua by up ed interesting flow back Unique to J.I.D is his distinct voice and n whe him gave ther dmo gran the nickname his adopted his stage name from his from he was a jittery young boy. LPs, ugh his parent’s classic funk and soul His first connection with music was thro York New and ap m-b boo as Tang Clan as well being influenced by the like of the Wua as stint his ng duri ge colle rd a mixtape at hip hop. From there he went on to reco w fello of ears the hed reac ic his peers his mus football star, receiving accolades from g bein r Afte her. furt rap ue uraged him to purs Atlanta Natives, Earthgang, who enco er with the duo funding his music making care with in ed kicked out of college, he mov quit his ly tual even He . tion lera stunted his acce menial part time jobs which he regrets self. him and ic mus his in shows, believing jobs to gain income through local live oul’s ‘These lle in 2014 where he opened on Ab-S J.I.D had his first brush with Dreamvi age Village’s Bas. This followed the release of Spill Days’ tour alongside EarthGang and ure and feat t inen prom a ’ of which he was first compilation album ‘Bears Like This EP own his ased rele He . later album releases continued to be involved in all their ce and advi ng taki t artis an as tinued to develop ‘DiCaprio’ on January 26, 2015 and con perfect his sound. feedback from his mentor J. Cole to

WORDS: CHUCK ONUNKWO PHOTOGRAPHY: JASON TODD COOPER,

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On February 2017, it was announced that J.I.D had signed to J. Cole’s label Dreamville, which released the single “Never”. The following month his first full-length album ‘The Never Story’ debuted which received critical acclaim and introduced many hip hop fans to the rapper with popular songs like ‘Never’ and ‘EdEddnEddy’. The album reached No. 197 on the Billboard 200 and peaked at No.14 on the Heatseekers chart in 2017. J.I.D avoided the trap sound that plagues most Atlanta rappers and produced an album that was diverse in production but more importantly showcased his rapping ability. June 2018 brings XXL’s annual Top 10 Freshman List (XXL is a popular American hip hop magazine for the uninitiated) which features the top ten artists to watch garnering buzz for them and potentially boosting their career. J.I.D is featured on the cover of XXL’s 2018 Freshman Class alongside other rising stars and delivered a great freshman freestyle which again showcases his skill as an artist and has me excited for his rise to stardom. I was recently able to attend a concert of his at London’s XOYO, I can confirm that his next project “DiCaprio 2” is coming very soon, and he even went as far to treat the attending fans to track of the new project – “mount it up”. From what I heard of this and seeing his hunger for growth, not only does it have the potential to be one of the best releases of the year but J.I.D himself has the potential to be one of the best rappers in history.

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Ariel Eden is a 23-year-old singer, songwriter and, creative director from Sacramento, California who moved to London to pursue her music career. Looking for a change of scenery and hoping to develop her craft within the London music scene, Eden has already performed at several live shows, and even had her first radio interview. Soul, Jazz and Afro-Fusion Although Eden classifies her current sound as “afrofusion” her musical journey began with soul/jazz music. Growing up listening to the likes of Etta James, Sade and Nina Simone, Eden describes her soul as being rooted in jazz. Despite being influence by soul/jazz music, Eden has opted to shift her style to incorporate the afrobeat sound. In an interview with Crafty Luv when asked how this shift came about Eden said, “[she] loves to dance, and [she] wants to bring a good vibe.” She explained that “sometimes we don’t want to think about crying or something that will stress us out… so sometimes [she] likes to kick back and do something that’s a bit more vibes.” The term “afro-fusion” – points to Eden’s music incorporating afro-beat like sounds but not being definitively “afrobeats”. Eden states that the reasoning for this comes from ‘not wanting to be placed in a box and limited to just afrobeats’. She’s a much more of a versatile musician and has more to offer listeners than simply being an ‘afro-beats artist’. 182

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Earlier this year, Eden debuted her first official single “Moonlight” – of which she wrote and took the lead as creative director for the accompanying music video. Eden, who has always been drawn to creativity from a young age, revealed that she got into creative directing because, “[she] loved setting the scene and showing [her] story though actions.” The video – set in the woods – showcases Eden and her friends dancing, drinking, laughing and simply having a good time.

WORDS: BRIGITTA BEN EGHAN PHOTOGRAPHY: SAJASNAPSSHOTS

The video certainly matches the vibe given off by the lyrics of the song. The strong afrobeats influence is present from the get go; giving off a feel-good vibe, Moonlight is sure to get listers bopping their head and shaking a leg. Despite the upbeat tempo Eden’s voice compliments the instrumental of the song, allowing her vocal strength to shine though. In an interview with ITTD (I Think That’s Dope), Eden stated that she a big advocator for spirituality and trying to include positive mantras into her music so fans – when listening to the lyrics – can tell themselves these positive things too. This is evident in the chorus of Moonlight when Eden sings, “Live while you can, do what you want, love who you are and be strong.” In today’s day and age Eden’s intentions is certainly very admirable. Not only is she doing something she loves but at the same time she’s also using her craft to for the greater good. By integrating themes of positivity and spirituality in her music, this will have a positive impact on the lives of her listeners – reminding them to be positive in life, love who they are and letting them know that they are unstoppable in everything that they do.

Eden’s advocating of spirituality and positivity also goes beyond her music, though her saying ‘Love and Light’. When asked about this concept Eden explained that: “Love and Light is the mantra I live by, my goal as an artist and person is to spread love and light and teach people how to honor each other, to love themselves and others just as much. Love and light for me means to spread your love with your light; I believe your light is your given talent and your power of love is how you can harness that and in turn share it with the world.”

Overall Ariel Eden is a breath of fresh air in the London music scene. Her lovely smooth vocals, as well as her versatility in being both rooted in jazz and “afro-fusion”, as well as incorporating positivity and good vibes clearly demonstrates a passion for her craft. It will be great to see how her music career expands within the UK. On July 5th 2018, Eden is set to perform at the RBE Music Showcase, but after this she will be laying low, working in the studio to cook up some new music. The singer has already finished her next upcoming single, which is sure to be hit amongst fans; and Eden hopes they’re ready because she did not come to play.

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WORDS: DERRICK ODAFI

The meaning of Octavian in numerology is to have a deep inner desire to lead, organize, supervise, and to achieve status, power and wealth. This a very befitting name for the south east London melodic rapper, born Oliver Godji. There are two words that can be used to describe this artist on the rise in the UK underground scene; Cultured and Rebellious. He is a fusion of culture and his surroundings, the good, the bad and the resilient. Octavian was Born in Lille, France to his Angolan father and Ivorian mother in 1996. Tragically his father past away when he was just 3 years of age and Octavian’s need for authority may have left with him. Shortly after, him and his mother relocated to The London district of Camberwell where she became a nursey school teacher. As Octavian began to develop in his new surroundings he became increasingly unruly and difficult, even for his mother. The last straw was being expelled from secondary school for fighting and truancy, this therefore sealed his fate of being relocated back to France to live with his uncle. This was a time in which Octavian remembers to be highly frustrating and suppressive to his creativity and overall wellbeing. Octavian remembers his uncle during that time as “s**t”, having to deal with an abusive and alcoholic uncle during his 2-year stint back in France. Octavian recalls “I’d never had a man in my life, and I hated authority, always will. He would bang me up. I wouldn’t have it from him, though. I wasn’t a victim. I was fighting back, but I would get banged up.” A perfect example of the rebel within the eclectic rapper. This zeal not to be constrained by his surroundings or experiences feed into his music, lyrically and though his sound.

On his return to London after a tumultuous time in France, his behaviour continued and was therefore kick out of the house by his mother at the age of 15. Octavian is not a victim to this situation either, readily stating that he was a “bad kid” during this time and does not blame his mother for her decision. He believed that he knew what he wanted out of life and the direction he wanted to lead, and no one, not even his mother, would be successful in detouring his free will. Being on his own at the age of 15 did not come without its struggles. Public housing became the location in which he would lay his head, with his friend Jordan Christie. Poverty was now a reality but was supressed the moment he entered the classrooms of the prestigious BRIT School, a notoriously difficult institution to get into that boosts alumni such as Adele, Jesse J, and Amy Winehouse. Octavian in a sense always felt that he had to be positive in that environment, no matter the situation because negativity would never get him to where he wanted to be. Although this was the case, the school must have had an inclination of his home status and he suspects that it was overlooked so the responsibility did not fall on the institution. Despite attending this school Octavian does not credit them for any of his recent success, he reflects on his time there as a period that developed him technically but restricted his creativity, something that has caused him to stand out as a rare gem in the UK rap scene. He feels as though all the people that became successful from that school only did so because they had the same mentality as him, Freedom of expression. Beyond this point music began to be the craft in which Octavian would devote his time to. Whilst having an unstable life financially and experiencing homelessness, sofa hooping or even sleeping in the streets, the two things that remained constant were music and his passion for not conforming to authority and the existing power structure.

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The Essie Gang project was an experimental project to find a unique sound that would later give the would a clear understanding of the change Octavian would bring to the rap scene globally. This project was a culmination of UK trap flows, instrumentals with his melodic, half sung twist. A record that exemplified Octavian’s raw talent and potential is the freestyle ‘Come With Me’ Ft Michael Phantom with soothing vocals contrasted with his precise flow and melodic confidence over a bright xylophone like sounds and hard hitting drums. Records like this were a template for what was to come.

His music was to encapsulate a wide spectrum, something that he is, something that his friends were, and the listeners of his music would be. The good, the bad, the rich and the poor were the target audience for the sounds he would offer. Starting off as just a rapper, he had an urge to sing on his records. At that point in time, and presently, he wanted people to be able to dance to his music while ingesting the potent lyrics of the songs he makes. His music is designed to be gritty yet atmospheric, coupled with his off kilter yet piercing vocals that surf on the sound waves of the instrumental. This experimentation of sound continued to develop during the process of creating his first 2 projects 22 and Essie World with the input and backing of his creative collective Essie Gang.

This brings us to his breakthrough record ‘Party Here’, produced by his go-to producer JGBRM. The house infused build-up of the instrumental creates imagery of brightness and exuberance, this in combination with the hollow sample and scattered drums provide a well laid surface for Octavian’s raspy voice and floating melodies to settle. Aside from the sonics of the record, Octavian speaks to his humble beginnings, the darkness he as experienced while justifying it with the need for survival. He speaks to why he has the passion for what he does, even speaking to himself with a relatable line “You’re gonna blow, it’s just timing”. When recording this song Octavian was in the thick of the struggle. He recollects this period in time saying “I didn’t know I was going to blow, but I really wanted it. I didn’t know how people would feel [about it], but I knew that this was my whole life in one song.”. This song is an ode to listening to your individual intuition and the direction you believe in, He describes the lyrics as “what people say to you in life, but you shouldn’t ever listen. Even your parents. Even my mum. I didn’t listen to everything she said.” ‘Party Here’ has travelled far and wide, earning the UK musician stamp of approval by the #1 rapper in the world currently, Aubery ‘Drake’ Graham. Drake has quoted the Essie Gang lead artist via Instagram cations and a video of him and an OVO affiliate rapping along to the record. Octavian’s sound has also been recognised by the likes of fashion powerhouse Virgil Abloh, earning him an invite to a Paris party thrown by the Off White and Louis Vuitton creative director himself and a spot on the runway during Virgil’s debut Louis Vuitton collection for the SS19 season. This record also earned him a place on the roster of Sony subsidiary Black Butter, which is also the home of artists such as Goldlink, J Hus and more. 186

The journey continues as the consensus is that Octavian is 4/4 on records released after his previous projects. These records include the drowned out, screwed and hollow dance record ‘Hands’, 100 degrees featuring House of Pharaohs’ own Same Wise and an up-tempo record ‘Little’, which continues to rapidly rise in streams on all platforms. These releases are in preparation for his debut full length project ‘Revenge’, a title that exemplifies his struggle and need to seek revenge on his doubters. He describes the project by saying “Everything that happened to us in the past, being suppressed and being looked down on—this is our revenge. Think about all the lies you believed. Think about how many people told you something that you then realized wasn’t true. We’re going to show the world that, with good morals, you can do anything you want to do. You don’t have to be controlled by anything. That’s the best life to live.” With the release of this project it is with no hesitation that his stardom will continue to reach astronomical levels. With this success he hopes to one day rebuild his relationship with his mother. Although he believes currently they are mentally worlds apart and believes she does not understand the gravity of his achievements to this point. He will go back home one day, with an overflowing chalice of accolades too.

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International Creative Artist / Visionary Writer / Culture Fashion Designer & Founde California’s Kenny Umeh makes his presence in the industry as an international artist / ghost writer with amazing versatility and outstanding credits. His debut release was a 22 record project created in a 1 month creative process span. K.Umeh has traveled to Africa to proceed with his music journey and is now affiliated with Don Jazzy’s “Mavin Records”. Now exploring europe and residing in London, UK to experience his art through a heightened demographic.

It is fair to say that Kanye West is an enigma at this moment in time because you never know exactly expect from him as he such a creative individual. Regardless of what Kanye puts out, it will be wellsought after simply because of whom he is. In addition to this, the music Kanye puts out is always more than just what is on the surface therefore it is interesting to assess how creative he is on his album his album will be. Kanye’s latest album release contains only 7 tracks, therefore, that enables us to dissect each track. I Thought About Killing You This is the opening track for the album and quite frankly what Kanye was saying at the beginning was worrying when he states that “Today, I seriously thought about killing you. I contemplated, premeditated murder and I think about killing myself and I love myself way more than I love you.” This displays his dark thoughts very early on revealing his thoughts about suicide. In this segment of the track you can almost feel the bipolar nature of Kanye as he converses with himself. However, the track switches from a more mellow beat a more aggressive beat and Kanye’s flow in the second part of the track is amazing where Kanye talks about not letting those that want to see him lose his mind get to him. This track is one up there with the best on this album.

Yikes In this track, Kanye relates to drug addiction, specifically his Opiods addiction describing the highs that are associated with them as ‘menacing’ and’ frightening’. Kanye’s flow combines really well with the beat on the track. The outro of the track shows that Kanye has embraced his bipolar disorder and choosing to even see it as a superpower and not a disability as he calls himself a ‘superhero’. All Mine This track is the most well-known on the album and consists of artists such as Ty Dolla $ign and Ant Clemons. The track just shows Kanye having fun on the track and Kanye states a lot of controversial things but he is honest and the listener can visualize some of the things he says about his lifestyle. Kanye talks about women a lot in this track and he even states how time is valuable but he prefers waste it ‘on a girl that’s basic’. Wouldn’t Leave This track is a more emotional record where Kanye details his infamous rants e.g. Sway and at TMZ when saying “slavery was a choice”. With all these incidents, Kanye expresses his appreciation towards his wife Kim Kardashian because all though she was concerned about the backlash from Kanye’s rants she still stuck by him. He also devotes the track to wives all over the world who have stuck with their partners when they have done wrong.

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No Mistakes The sample used for this track makes this track one of the best on the album even though the track is fairly brief. It just demonstrates the chemistry that Kanye and Kid Cudi have as they can such a enjoyable track in such little time. Charlie Wilson also appears on this track giving the track a groovy vibe. In this track Kanye again refers to his past struggles where he says “I got dirt on my name, I got white on my beard,” and “It’s been a shaky ass year.” Kanye also refers to Drake, making it known that although, he likes drake he is too rich to beef Drake and it will be beneath him to fight Drake. Ghost Town This track is another masterpiece from Kanye and Kid Cudi with PartyNextDoor, however, it was the up and coming artist 070 Shake that made this track memorable with the outro. The outro by 070 Shake portrays Kanye’s liberation and freedom as well as optimistic feeling that the listener can resonate with. This track is another that provides a somewhat classic vibe to it. That makes it stands out to a lot of the music that is put out today.

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Violent Crimes This track seems to be directed more to Kanye’s children. Kanye displays his concern for the future for his two daughters where he shifts his perspective to that of woman. Kanye knows what men are like and states that men are savages, monsters, pimps and players until they have daughters then they start to become precautious. Kanye summarises this when he states, “Father forgive me, I’m scared of the karma, because now I see women as something to nurture, not something to conquer.” This track demonstrates Kanye’s maturity and growth from becoming an artist to now a father of two. . Summary This album, although containing only 7 tracks, focuses on quality rather than quantity and this is what makes this album what it is. This album shows what Kanye’s been through recently and he is brutally honest about his thoughts and feelings which brings an authentic outlook to the album. This really gets the listener to picture what Kanye is going through and engages the listener. There’s not doubt a few listeners can somewhat relate to what Kanye has gone through, but having their own unique experiences. Even though Kanye may be rich and famous he is still human and us as listeners can relate. The features from artists such as Kid Cudi, PartyNextDoor and Ty Dolla $ign etc really complimented the album significantly as well blending well with Kanye’s sound and and make this album unique. This just shows that class is always permanent and Kanye is very much a genius in his artistry.

As a result I give this album an 4.3/5 due to the sheer creativity of the album and the way the messages are conveyed on the album.

British singer songwriter Jorja Smith has been making a rise with well-placed vocals appearing on Drake’s ‘More Life’ album and Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Black Panther’ Soundtrack. The 21-year-old finally released a debut album of her own on the 8th of June 2018 and this review looks at whether this a promising start for the young artist. Finding herself “Why do we all fall down with innocence still on the ground” reflects Jorja on the opening title track of the album. The question and the feelings behind it sets a tone for the rest of the record as Jorja ponders her life and love to better understand herself. The title of this album aligns with its themes as it’s clear that Jorja hasn’t just lost a loved one or a lover evident in the track ‘Goodbyes’, but has also lost her own understanding of love. She alludes to this on the title track as she questions the love she has from her partner as she is unsure of what she wants from him or the relationship in the first place. As Jorja acknowledges her feelings and frailties she takes a step back to continue her journey of self-discovery, reflected in the song ‘The One’ where she starts to not only find herself but solely rely on herself rather than any lover. Although the strongest theme of the album is Jorja finding herself it does not conclude with a grand revelation of who she is, rather, the closing tracks reflect on her past actions and relationships acknowledging she has learnt from her experiences and will use them to help grow as a person.

Finding her voice Departing from the sound of her popular single ‘On My Mind’, Lost & Found reinforces the distinctness in style and sound of Jorja’s voice. It’s easy for new R&B artists to have their voices blend in with or outright copy the sound of their contemporary’s but Jorja has no problem standing out with her dazzling vocal melodies and piercing crescendos. Tracks like ‘Lost &Found’, ‘Teenage Fantasy’, ‘Goodbyes’ and ‘Tomorrow’ highlight the uniqueness of her voice and call back memories of early 2000 R&B sound – which is in no way a bad thing. Losing that spark Although Jorja’s voice sounds excellent on this record, for me, the thing holding it back is the average production. All songs are produced well and work as a background for her voice but the lack of noticeably grandiose production prevents a variety of sound that would have served to add a bit more “bounce” to the album. As it stands the dreary production exists to blanket Jorja’s voice rather than acting as a platform to boost it even more so with predictable guitar strings and all too sombre piano keys.

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Overall, despite the decent production and straightforward message, Lost & Found is a solid debut album for the young artist and gives cause for fans to be excited of more the singer has to offer. 4/5

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On the 6th April 2018, the North Carolina rapper, J. Cole released his fifth studio album, titled KOD. KOD, as revealed by Cole on Twitter, is an acronym for 3 different titles of the album which Cole explores; Kids on Drugs, King Overdose, Kill Our Demons. Following his usual political focus throughout his discography, the Dreamville rapper centres his album theme around the (mis)use of drugs, using his own mother as an example in the Once and Addict interlude and overcoming “demons”, without leaving his subtle arrogance out of his lyricism. Cole’s cover art seems to tie in all the analogies of the title of the album. His eyes rolled back behind his head suggest he is on some sort of high, whilst looking down at his right pinky finger, there appears to be a white substance, which resembles cocaine. Further down, he appears to have some inner demons represented by skulls. Finally, the children at the bottom all seem to be taking some sort of drugs which appear to be cocaine, lean, weed and pills. Cole explores the ways in which the use of drugs destroyed his mother and through this, affected him throughout his college education. Referring back to the intro track of the album, where Cole explores the “many ways to deal with pain”, he advises his audience to choose the ways to deal with pain wisely. He goes on to explore different forms of drugs in the album title track, KOD. He lists power, greed, money, fame and chemical drugs molly, weed, percs, xannies, lean and goes on to list love as the strongest drug of them all. Some of the strongest points on the album are the energetic ATM and Brackets ,which showcases J Coles effortless and impactful storytelling, to name a few.

In Once an Addict, J. Cole narrates the story of his mother and describes her heartbreak following the infidelity of his stepfather. The narrative suggests that his mother substitutes her addiction to love with addiction to alcohol. Alternatively, he suggests that her way of dealing with her pain (depression) was through alcohol, leading to her addiction. Cole also expresses his regret in not doing more for his mother during the period. In the intro of the track, we hear “sometimes I think pain is just a lack of understanding, if we could only understand at all, would we feel no pain,” suggesting the reason J. Cole was avoiding and running from his mother was a result of him not understanding his mother’s pain and he also expresses some regret in that. Cole goes on to repeat his intro advising listeners to choose the way in which they deal with pain wisely, emphasising that there are alternative ways to deal with pain. The track title and lyrics suggests that he’s referring to the common phrase, “Once an addict, (always an addict)” and serves as a warning to the audience that once you get in, you can’t get out. Once again, Cole has no features on this album with the exception of his pseudonym, kiLL edward. Cole touches on this briefly on the track KOD where he raps “How come you won’t get a few features? I think you should. How bout I don’t? ...Only gone say this one time then I’ll dip...n****s ain’t worthy to be on my s**t”. He then goes on to rap “if practice made perfect I’m practice’s baby”, suggesting Cole believes he’s perfect without features and contributions from other artists, so we shouldn’t expect any from him within the foreseeable future. Similarly to Jay Z’s 4:44, J Cole schools the younger generation of rappers on how to maximise their potential and turn their income into sustainable wealth. A potent example of this narrative is expressed on the song ‘1985’.Unclear as to whether Cole is addressing the song “F**k J. Cole” by new artist Lil Pump or the late XXXtenacion’s alleged shot on his XXL freestyle, J. Cole’s response is one to be held in high regard. Instead of responding by insulting or belittling these artists, he takes the stance somewhat of an older brother, and instead coaches them and tries to enlighten them on how the actions that they take now will affect their futures, a type of response pretty much unheard of in the rap game. He not only shows his care for his community on this track, but also his maturity, something to be highly respected. Cole once again released an album in which he opens up to his audience about his own personal experiences, using them to educate us on a world which many of us are ignorant to. Cole, especially in this current day, exploring the various forms of addiction experienced by people of different ages is very vital. He not only focuses on addiction to substances but also to fame, love, and social media. He also touches on the influence of modern day rappers on the masses and how their lyrics may perpetuate a certain lifestyle which the youth are increasingly encouraged to follow at their own detriment. Despite incredibly high expectations, Cole did not fail to deliver. 4.3/5.

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NOVAR The artist formerly known as Rizwan is a fluid lyricist that depicts the journey of his life through rhymes and rhythm. Influenced by artists such as Isiah Rashard and Mick Jenkins, he exemplifies realism through rap, painting pictures with his words that put the listener in an unavoidable trance. The reason for the name change is to make the next stage in his creative process. As he develops as an artist and producer Novar wants to take his listeners to a new intragalactic world of creativity. Novar has plans to take his sound to new heights and touch people with the energy of his records. Look out for new music coming soon.

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PRINCE JR Prince Jr is a South African born artist based in Brighton, UK. He is an individual that has great potential within the music industry, as a film maker also he is able to tell clear stories through his music that engage the listener, a diverse artist in sound and subject matter ranging from love related themes to self-discovery and braggadocio. His latest release ‘Blurred Focus’, released in October 2017 is a brilliant example of his capabilities to make big records with hit potential such as ‘Press Play’ and ‘Want it Better’. Prince is in the recording process for his next project ‘Brown’ currently, an album that will continue to delve into his growth as an artist and a thinker.

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A recent topic of discussion has been the Childish Gambino ‘This Is America’ music video. I Have to say, I was blown away. Not only is the song amazing but the music is so layered and descriptive that it makes it hard not to come away with an above average interpretation of the scenes that occur through. With the introduction to this visual piece aside, we can detail the moments that make this piece so strong, artistically, and socially. From the very beginning, the audience gets a strong, artistic reference toward the character ‘Jim Crow’. Gambino stands in an awkward pose, synonymous to the Jim crow character, while in the process of shooting an unarmed black man in the back of the head. Jim Crow is a fictional character that in this video can easily be paralleled today’s artists, to distract black people from issues affecting them daily. This character was used to entertain slaves and currently we put black entertainers on the same pedestal that the slaves put the character of Jim Crow. 209

While this character entertained slaves, what he was presented as was a symbol against black people as to why they were not deserving of equal treatment. Jim Crow was essentially used against black people to portray them in a negative light, to therefore remain segregated. This character was used to distract slaves from the fact that they were indeed ‘slaves’. In the same way Childish Gambino is portraying himself as being an artist who is being used to distract us from the tragic events that take place in the background.

As he moves towards the camera we continue to see these awkward faces made by Childish Gambino, these weird faces, animated dances, and strange gestures are all a ploy to distract us from what is going on in the background. It seems to be a conscious effort on Gambinoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s part when doing all these antics, movements, and gestures to divert our attention from the beginning of the end. Gambino may also be symbolising that he himself, either in the past or present, has not been above being used to distract viewers/listeners from the chaos in the background. This illustrates the same way the media uses your favourite artist to take your mind off events that directly affect black culture. This concept is why SZA has a cameo in the video and explains the reasoning behind having 21 Savage, Young Thug and Quavo provide adlibs for the record. Another idea explored in this video are children and the influence entertainers have on them. These children are following literally every move he makes, therefore representing the power and dominion these artists have over the new generation. They ignore everything around them, just like Gambino, but are later forced to run away due to the sound of a gunshot. These visuals promote the idea that the new generation unknowingly prioritise the life style in which their favourite artists present to them as opposed to caring about their personal safety and future.

The very next scene references the Charleston, North Carolina shooting in 2015, A terrorist attack against a white nationalist/supremacist Dylan Roof, killing 9 unarmed church goers in the process. An interesting trend in the music video is how quickly Gambino increases his pace once there has been a death, this is a way to show how quickly we move on from tragic events. This also refers to the debate of gun laws in the United States. These guns are cradled to the point where the impact that they have on life is ignored. The red cloth in which they are carefully kept in symbolises the fact that these weapons are soaked in peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blood, but people still hold them to a high standard. People are fighting for the rights of these weapons more than they are fighting for the rights of people.

As the video progresses, the violence begins to be more intensified. We see visuals of children sitting by a balcony, recording the scenes, and doing nothing. They are portrayed as though they do not feel the need to aid the situation or feeling any responsibility to their community. These shots explain how the children of America are so close to the situation but so disconnected from it. A few transitions later we get a biblical reference, in the form of a mysterious man on a white horse. This element of symbolism brings forth connotation of conquest, therefore meaning the beginning of the end or the start of the apocalypse. A separate piece of symbolism used in this video takes form in the continuous reoccurrence of the man shot in the back of the head, during the first scene of the video. This adds an element of confusion to the piece but reiterates the point of how we value entertainment more than life itself. Howcan we engage with something despite the chaos that surrounds it?

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Keeping in mind that Childish Gambino is a black artist, these are concepts he must deal with in his creative process. After the artists are done entertaining, the music is fading, and the crowd is gone, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right at Gambinoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doorstep, He can choose to confront it or flee. The lack of support he must experience due to these artist limitations may be the reason he flees at the end of the video, if he had the support necessary the mob chasing him at the climax would not have him fearing for his life.

Gambino is making a statement to Hip Hop, R&B and all black originated genres to stay focused, not on trendy dances and the latest popular sounds. Gambino blames himself and other artists, confronting them with the task of not just being another Jim crow to distract people who are already affected on a daily basis by these issues, Knowingly or otherwise. Gambino challenges creators to take note of their influence and using it responsibly, or the cycle will continue. Because of how disconnected artists are from one another and how few of them share the goal of responsibility within their influence, the lack of community forces him to flee. No one he is running from is fighting with or for him, instead they aim to silence him. The terrifying look on his face in the final close-up shows this lack of support.

Gambino proves with this video that the problems within society are still evident. This video implies themes of mental slavery, the problems never went away just because physical slavery ended. This is what happens when an artist who has a well thought out point, takes their time to deliver a message and makes it cryptic and impactful. This whole video is in reference to the double life of an artist, whether or not they are doing the right thing and how difficult it is to want to give valuable information through entertainment, but yet be silenced by the same industry that awarded him the platform in the first place. This is something that Gambino is professing that he canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do alone. How do you become an artist that is portrayed as a Jim Crow character to one side, but some sort of activist to another? How do you make change with that?

The art in this video is amazing, the last shot was beautifully put together as Gambino runs away from this darkness as multiple people chase him out of it. It is brilliant how the music video starts off very slow paced while still getting a sense of constant motion with new things happening every second. Never get so into yourself that you believe the best way to have an impact is through your voice alone. Imagery depicts a lot, imagery is how we absorb information. You can say a lot by saying nothing.

EDITORâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LETTER We are five issues in and we are only getting better. The New Wave team continues to strive towards developing a common ground for the established and hungry, the recognised and upcoming. Throughout this issue we have come across a plethora of talents from diverse backgrounds, ages and perspectives, however we bring them all together for the reading/viewing pleasure of you the reader. In order to inspire and zeal individuals into a world of creativity that they may have ignored otherwise. Having the opportunity to sit with the founders of popular streetwear brand Modus Vivendi to interviews with talented creatives such as Mark Onyemah of Modified by Manna and Hyperrealist UC Wills Art, we continue to progress and get to the depths of each creative and what has moulded them to this point. It is also a privilege to have such talented photographers as part of this issue, from in house creatives such as Lauretta Afful and Robin Jade and Charles Ogunmilade to the spectacular work of Nwobi Chukwuka, Nayquan Shular and Korrie p, debuting his first Photo series. We treat our magazines as a form of art within itself, while giving valuable information that can be recognised as timeless. We break down the people and the craft, tying it all together with an artistic presentation that further drives home the narrative of each story. Whether you are an Artist, Musician, Fashion designer, Poet, Film Maker or Photographer. We do this for you. We do this for the creative culture. We do this for an all-inclusive platform to learn and share knowledge. DERRICK ODAFI EDITOR IN CHIEF

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New Wave Magazine Issue V

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Prince Gyasi

Self Discovery - Deanio X