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BUDDY BY ANTHONY SUPREME
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At this concert, it was clear that the changes in recent years have been largely in terms of scale, not mood. Though the set list skewed toward more recent material, the tone was still stark and abraded. Even at his poppiest, the Weeknd makes what might be termed alternative anthems: bruised subject matter, barely any reliance on the exuberance that underlies so much pop music.
BY THOMAS SMALLS
I WENT TO GO SEE :
The Weeknd
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Stage Presence: If you’ve read interviews of Abel or watched his previous live shows on YouTube you would’ve known how nervous he used to be when he performed. After years of practice it’s clear his stage presence has improved dramatically. He was constantly moving and knew when it was the right time to mellow out, grab the mic stand, and be still. 11
Audience Interaction: Probably the biggest weakness of this show was Abel’s lack of audience interaction. He didn’t give much eye contact to the crowd on the floor nor did he point or acknowledge any fans. Surprisingly, NAV actually was the best at this for that day as he pointed out many fans are gave great eye contact with those who knew his songs.
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Underachievers PHOTOGRAPHER SAINT LAMONT STORY BY NIKO
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Why the name "The Underachievers"? I
created
the
name
THE
UNDERACHIEVERS in high school with a friend of mine, named Molefi, who use to produce for me around that time. What it represents is a flip on the word “underachiever” which normally has a negative connotation and we wanted to make it positive. People often like to put labels on things in society and think it completely defines such things, so I wanted to use The Underachievers name and prove everyone wrong by actually over achieving and accomplishing all my goals. - AK 2. How did Issa Gold and AK initially meet? Issa & I are from the same hood in Flatbush, literally a few blocks away from each other. I would always see him every time I walk up to the junction where the train station was until one day a friend of mine that passed, named Jacob, came to my house in the morning for our daily morning smoke sessions before school and brought Issa & Jewice (of Flatbush Zombies) with him. We’ve been friends ever since! - AK We met in Flatbush around 2008 through our mutual friend Jacob (RIP). We instantly clicked over similar interest and developed a friendship over the past decade that turned into us joining forces to create music for the world. - Issa
3. Whoʼs the groups biggest influence or inspiration? We both have different influences but collectively our friends are our influences these days. Flatbush Zombies and Joey Badass inspire me to be on my shit because they' re always killing it & it's almost like a friendly competition. Growing up listening to music, I always found inspiration from Michael Jackson, Jay z, Nas, Lil Wayne, Lupe Fiasco, Tupac, Kanye, Bob Marley and many more artist who represented the struggle and over coming oppression which gave me hope that I can over come it as well and have a voice that will help others too. - AK 17
We have different inspirations for sure. For me Issa Gold, I would say my biggest musical influences change through time. When I first started making music it was Mac Miller, Tyler The Creator, Wiz Khalifa, Asap Rocky, Flatbush Zombies and Joey Badass that influence how we created our movement and now my biggest influence is probably Frank Ocean, Pouya, Suicide Boys, Denzel Curry, Flatbush Zombies, Joey Badass, Tylers The Creator but mostly Frank Ocean. - Issa
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4. How different is the NY sound from 6. If you were not doing music, what the original sound and how so? would you be doing? If I wasn’t doing music I'd probably be into New York sound now is different than the creating anime or fashion but now that I original sound because it's a different actually am doing music, it opens the generation, different people, different doors so I can venture off into those fields culture in today's world. I think that the when needed. Its Lit! - AK roots are still present in everyone's music in New York from ASAP Rocky to Joey I would be finishing my PHD in Badass to Action Bronson but we all have Psychology and writing books. I just developed our own style on top of that recently enrolled back in school to finish from the influences in our own lives. - Issa and i've been working on a book for the 21 past 4 years so I'll be doing that still. Issa 5. Whatʼs your favorite restaurant back home in NYC? My favorite restaurant when I’m in NYC 7. How old were you guys when you has to be this Caribbean spot in Queens wrote your first raps? called Trinicity. I travel a lot so I find myself missing my cultural food. I was like 11 when I wrote my first raps Whenever i'm back in New York & I want which were pretty trash but hey look at that authentic Caribbean flavor, I have to me now lol. It took a lot of practice for stop by! - AK sure. I use to record every day in my basement for years so I guess it payed off. - AK I was 21 when I wrote my first raps - Issa
8. Top 5 producers of All Time? Top producers for me are Pharrel, Alchemist, Powers Pleasant, Erick Arc Elliot & Kanye West. The way those guys put sounds together is always amazing and they can do various vibes like soulful and uptempo banger type beats. AK My top producers: Alchemist, Daringer, Erick Arc Elliot, Ronny J, Powers Pleasant & Chuck Strangers - Issa
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9. Do you guys remember your first big show? I remember one of our first shows we had overseas in Paris and being a kid from BK, just starting out in the music game, I didn’t know what to expect traveling over there. It was one of the most "fire" shows ever at the time. It was crazy to see that people & fans who didn’t speak English, knew the words to our songs and it felt surreal as fuck. SHOUT OUTS to Paris! - AK Unfortunately I don't remember my first big show lol. They're all a blur at this point. - Issa
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10. Since being on Tour whatʼs been your favorite city? If I had to choose one city, it has to
be Paris because it was one of my first experience overseas and it was amazing. - AK There are too many!! Shit there are whole countries that go crazy but shout
out to London, Paris, Berlin and anywhere in Germany, Los Angeles, Brisbane/ Perth/ Melbourne - pretty much all of Australia, Boston & New York. Issa
11. Do you feel any extra pressure being rappers from NY? I don't feel any pressure at all being a NYC rapper. The lyrical shit is in our blood and if you don’t think i'm nice it doesn’t matter to me really. I make music to express myself and spread my experiences to others in hopes to help their lives.- AK
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12. WhatĘźs one thing you want your fans to know about The Underachievers? We love them and we couldn't do any of this without them. Thanks for the support and for riding with us going on 8 years! - Issa We definitely love you and
wouldn’t be shit without you guys. We just dropped the beast coast project "Escape From New York" in May & we got LOF3 (Lords of Flatbush 3) coming this month in June! - AK
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FOR ALL YOUR DURAG NEEDS HEAD ON OVER TO GUAPDAD4000 !
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PHOTOGRAPHER ALEX HARPER STYLIST MAZ STORY BY TYLER GREEN PODCAST BY NIKO
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I recently had the opportunity to speak briey with up-and-coming artist Guapdad 4000. While many people recognize his name from headlines (no pun intended) alongside Drake, or perhaps even the champagnepapi Instagram page, Guapdad 4000 is an established, talented artist whose catalog of good records continues to grow. Although he utilizes autotune, I would be very cautious to lump Guapdad in with the growing group of similar sounding “mumble rappersâ€? that have seemed to be coming and going.
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In fact, his ear for beats, versatility of flows, and captivating personality all rival that of the hottest rising stars in the rap game. And to Guapdad’s credit this is certainly not going unnoticed by his peers. He’s already garnered Drake’s support, no easy feat, not to mention that of other top tier lyricists such as Wale or J. Cole, the latter of which invited him to take part in the exclusive ROTD3 album sessions back in January. When talking with Guapdad 4000 I inquired what, if anything, these cosigns meant to him. He responded, “They’ve removed the chip from my shoulder. I feel creatively liberatedthe only thing i want to do is grow as brand. As a creative you just want recognition. Idc how humble / cocky, as artists we all want people to appreciate the art we make. All my idols already think I’m amazing which in my head means potentially I can be even better than them!
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Oakl and Oakl and BaY YYY
I don’t have any limits now. I can send a song to all the biggest rappers in the world except for Ye damn near and they’ll fucking listen and give feedback... that’s wild to me”. Guapdad is seeking to capitalize on this support, as he just recently dropped his catchy new single, “Flossin”. What struck me first about this joint was the video he dropped to accompany it, in which the Oakland rapper was getting head from a couple women outside the driver’s door of his Range Rover. When I asked him where he came up with the audacious video concept, Guapdad replied in his typical laid-back, joking fashion saying, “I was just drunk on Twitter and wanted some head. My brand and identity as an artist often teeters in between a diary and the Truman Show lol. Whatever I can do to fuck up how people feel I should be acting, rapping, or anything else I’m down. Idc how out of pocket, I really don’t”.
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Drunk on t wanted so
twitter and ome head .
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I can confidently say I’ve never seen anything like that from an artist since maybe Ray J! In all seriousness though, if “Flossin” is any indication, Guapdad 4000 is at the top of his game when it comes to unique flows mixed with clever lyrics. It’s a short song that seems strategic in that it leaves listeners wanting to hear more. That’s why I asked him how long he’s been crafting this upcoming project, and what we should expect. He’s clearly excited for us to hear this, telling me “Man it’s been a long time coming, I’ve been working toward this for the sum of two years now... it’s crazy because ‘Flossin’ is doing better than anything I’ve ever done and that’s only THE WARM UP SONG”. To his fans the prospect that he’s ramping it up a notch is an exciting one, as he’s already been consistently delivering heat.
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400000000000000000000000!
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As his catalog has grown, its become clear that there’s no singular artist to pinpoint as a comparable for Guapdad. This is perhaps reflected in the artists he says have, and continue to, inspired his music. “Hell yeah, I’m influenced by everything I like,” Guapdad states, “I actively go back and see what else I can steal lmao Mac Dre, Dom K, Kanye, FUTURE, Thug don’t even get me started on Frank Ocean lord Jesus that man ....” he says with a smile. The sheer variety of artists he’s inspired by is apparent in his music, and he doesn’t fit into one box as many rappers do now and days. In fact, his diversity extends beyond his musical genre and into completely other areas of entertainment.
. He’s already gotten some attention with a vlog he created, but he had some other very interesting ideas for his future when I inquired about his talent at content creation. I asked him whether he wanted to do more things in the content game and he told me, “Of course, I want to do more scripted content, movies, and a TV show. I think the end goal is Anime. It always was. I WANT TO WRITE AN ANIME SO OF YOUR READING THIS AND CAN HELP, DO IT!” 45
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BIG INNAM BABY
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See what I mean about not being able to put this man in a box? knowledge, please contact Guapdad! In addition to having a foo the retail business a little bit as well. If you’ve seen Guapdad 40 In fact, he actually created his own and is selling them for those him about where this business ingenuity stems from he simply to a dollar and make as many as you can black man.” And, of cour dollar here so he included “FOR ALL YOUR DURAG NEEDS HE hustler at heart, so don’t be surprised when you see more Guap chance to ask him what he sees on the horizon for Guapdad 400 confident swagger saying, “I’m coming for everything!
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So please, if you have any advanced anime creation ot in the content and music business, he’s already dabbling in 000 before he was likely donning his signature shiny silk DuRag. who also equally value their waves and their fits. When I asked old me, “Oakland. My motto’s always been find a way to make rse, he wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to possibly make a EAD ON OVER TO GUAPDAD4000.COM !”. He’s clearly a pdad 4000 products hit the market down the road. I also got the 00, and what goals he had if any. He responded with a
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BIG FINNAM BABY”. Confidence is certainly not something he’s lacking, but he’s quick to inform me this doesn’t mean he’s stubborn, as some supremely confident artists are. When discussing why he thinks he’ll have longevity he’s introspective, saying, “I’m original and talented but versatile and not stubborn. These traits merit me the level of flexibility you need for longevity.. well at least I think. Shit we’ll see”. And see we shall, as Guapdad 4000 is slated to drop a full-length project later this year which I’m sure will be preceded by another hit single. He’s equipped with all he needs and more to have success in this game, and something tells me he’s not going to let any opportunity slip by him- it’s just not the Oakland way.
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CJ FLY BY ANTHONY SUPREME
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SAMARIA X BBC NEW YORK
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CBT
PHOTOGRAPHER ALEX HARPER STYLIST MAZ STORY BY GUADALUPE ABIGAIL CEJA
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Q + A Bas: All right. What's Poppin man? Guadalupe: What do you think Let's get it started. separates you from other artists in your genre? Guadalupe: How do you choose to distinguish yourself from other rappers?
Bas: I guess it's kind of rehashing the first one, but I think it's really in the sound. I think especially now hip-hop is – is you know, for lack of Bas: I think it's in my sound, better words, I guess kind of bland. predominantly in my sound. I think There's so much of the same thing 66 you know being from Africa and going on. I guess it's like any spending some early years in industry if something is successful Europe, and then you know than a lot of people copy it, but I spending the formative years of my think I've always gone against that life in New York just gave me a trend. You know, it might take a varied ear for music. It gave me longer time to kind of reach your varied, you know, topics and peak. But I like that at least, I've perspectives to speak from. So, I established something where my think yeah, definitely in my sound. fans and my contemporaries expect I'm very experimental, and I like to me to innovate, expect me to evolve, just use elements from all parts of expect me to do something new and the world. there's a lot of freedom that comes with that.
The son of Sudanese parents, Bas was raised in Paris until the age of eight, when his family moved to Jamaica, Queens.
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Guadalupe: How do you stay authentic? How do you stay yourself? Bas: I think a lot of that is the people around you, obviously, and a lot of that is how you've been raised. I come from a Sudanese family, we’re Muslim. There's a lot of things we put before money, fame, and success. It's God first. It's family, it's Community, it's traditions. I think all those things have helped humble me and keep me grounded. 68
Guadalupe: In as few words as possible. How would you describe yourself to people who may not be familiar with Bas yet? Bas: Um, few words as possible. I would say, international. Internationally influenced. That's really a few words, but it's such a large part of my story, artist – innovator. Guadalupe: What current artists or creatives are on your radar? What do you think people should be looking out for? Bas: The Hix, look out for The Hix. Look out for Earthgang, you know, look out for Dreamville. Honestly, I'm going play for the home team with that one. Yeah, I don't know. It's every day there is something inspiring that I see. It's just been hard for me to really delve into too many artists when I'm in the middle of creating. Oh, Lucky Day. I really like Lucky Day, really dope. Keam. Bailey Keam, I rock with Keam.
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Guadalupe: Were the two-year gaps upon releasing Last Winter, Too High Guadalupe: What's inspired drill to Riot, and Milky Way a coincidence. type beats in your music. Bas: I don't think it was a coincidence Bas: The trap sounds, I'm a fan of it. and that's something I tell myself, even Obviously, it is something that has as I'm getting ready to release more music this summer, is that I don't ever grown to take the world by storm. I like to just implement different really want to go two years without parts of a lot of music. I think that's releasing music. I want to have more what makes my sound what it is. I music out. I think it becomes about finding different ways and platforms to have a song Fragrance where I release music because it's – it's hard to sample FKJ. French Kiwi Juice was make an album every year because an just an incredible multialbum tells a certain amount of growth. instrumentalist, producer, and There are certain amount of experiences songwriter. Dude super dope, we that you have to go through if you sampled his music, and Cole threw 72 genuinely want to deliver something new or new perspective, and growth to some drums on there – just beaters. your fanbase. But you know, there are I feel like there are middle grounds also other ways to release music or other to be had with all these things. Even sometimes I get on Afrobeats, trap ways to have music out. It doesn't necessarily have to fit the mold of an out a section or whatever the case album. In a day of streaming where may be. I think it's fun just people consume more music, it doesn't experimenting with kind of making necessarily have to be an album every audio collages. time. So, I think those weren't coincidences. It was just the time it took for me to find myself as an artist and grow and feel like I had something new to say.
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r work? Guadalupe: How do your past and current environments influence you od to be in a Bas: I think it's – it's always kind of good to have that position. It's go kind of look at new environment and write about your past environment. It's good to t are harder to everything from an opposing lens because it helps you see things tha m I choose see in the moment or when you're going through something. Every albu , Paris or to travel and I do a lot of sessions all over the place. London, South Africa ing to Japan. All over the states. I think every environment you're in is, it's go u are obviously have an influence on how inspired you are or in which ways yo inspired.
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Guadalupe: How do you feel about the riots in Sudan? Bas: You know, I feel inspired and heartbroken at the same time. It's tough. It's – it's cool, and it was very inspiring to see the people rise up after 30 years of dictatorship and peacefully overthrow a dictator, blank. But it's also heartbreaking to see how the Transitional Military Council has responded with live ammunition and rape. Unlawful detainment to try to break the will of the peaceful protesters and from here it's hard not to feel helpless in the situation. As much as we try to build awareness and raise funds, it's very hard to alleviate the pain of the people on the ground.
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Guadalupe: Which of your three albums do you think best reflects you as an individual?
Guadalupe: What does your song process look like? How do you set your music-making vibes?
Bas: Let's talk – I would say because everything is really just applicable to the time it was written. There are certain things as far as maturity and life experiences that you grow through. I would say 80 Milky Way as far as the sound is concerned best defines me. I think it's the best I've been able to bend all of the sounds, that make me and have made me, into one cohesive body of work. I think Too High to Riot probably speaks to my conscience and my soul in that regard. It's more introspective, and it's more of the brain. Yeah, it's between those two. I think they both fill a different role.
Bas: I can write songs anywhere, man. I could be on a plane with headphones in. Then I could be in my home studio, or I could be in my backyard with like a little portable speaker. I just try to capture ideas as they come to me. So, it's not so much about setting the vibe. It's about being ready to record or at least write down the inspiration as it comes to you before it leaves you.
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Guadalupe: What past or current artists influence you? Who are you a fan of?
Guadalupe: In what ways do you incorporate Sudanese background into your sound?
Bas: Pharrell, Bob Marley, Daft Punk, and Jamiroquai. I guess on a more current side, well Pharrell's still very much current. Those are a few of the artists I'd name. Who am I a fan of, I'm a fan of a lot of 82 people, man. Nas, 50, HOV, Cole, Kendrick and Drake. Yeah, I don't know. That's an endless story, I guess. I guess like I said Pharrell, Daft Punk, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Future. I try to listen to everything. The Hix, yeah.
Bas: That's interesting, with Milky Way I ventured more into some afrobeat records. Which I've always been a fan of the genre through my brother DJ Momo who really introduce it to me years ago. It's more of an African sound. Then actually my uncle is a very – very famous oud player from Sudan, and he's in the process of like sending me a bunch of his recordings to try to flip those. So, I think that's a work-in-progress. I think it's been more, at this point, it's been more so my story than my sound.
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Guadalupe: In what ways do you want to positively use your platform? What do you want to accomplish in your career? Bas: I think if we can generate healthy discussions on some form of societal issues or if we can inspire people to travel or to educate themselves. Then we can use our platforms to bring people together and shed light on some of the injustices in the world. Especially recently with Sudan and the things going on there, it has definitely inspired me to use my platform in more significant ways and more meaningful ways. The way that people have responded and the support we've been able to rally up has given me all the confidence and purpose I need to continue doing so.
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Guadalupe: Any advice to creatives out there that are trying to generate their own path? Bas: I would say start with your team and have faith in the team around you. Allow everyone to make mistakes. Allow everyone to grow. If you're going to wear the crown, heavy is the head that wears the crown, and you got to deal with it and keep your people encouraged. Keep your people strong and they’ll go to war for you. Everything starts with your team and how you treat the people around you, make them apart of it and give them ownership. On a personal level just don't get discouraged. Consistency. It's all about consistency. No matter how you're feeling just apply the same level of effort and consistency and you'll get where you need to go.
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GOT THAT ZAZA !! Photographer: Amy Vanderplow Video by: 12AM Story by : GUADALUPE ABIGAIL CEJA
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Preme Magazine got to speak to the four-year-old from Lexington, Kentucky, who is way cooler than anyone I have yet to meet, Zahara. Zahara Noel, who is known on Instagram as ZaZa, is a tiny model and actress who went viral over her dance moves and A1 style. The video that sparked it all features ZaZa dancing to Schoolboy Q and Lil Baby’s, Water. The video has gained over 1.3 million views since being posted on April 30. Zahara’s followers have also doubled since May 25, putting her at over 420k followers in less than a month. However, those numbers do not compare to the sum of people ZaZa's positivity has touched. “Big vision, little ears”
“Bi vis litt ear
ig sion, tle rs�
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Zahara’s followers have also doubled since May 25, putting her at over 420k followers in less than a month.
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How old are you? ZaZa: 4 years old Name something that makes you happy? ZaZa: Going to the park, watching movies, and being in the studio. Just hanging out! What do you look forward when you wake up? ZaZa: I look forward to eating cereal and playing with my toys. 94
What is your favorite thing to do? ZaZa: Take cool pictures and videos to post to Instagram. Who are your favorite artists to listen to? ZaZa: I like to listen to J. Cole, schoolboy Q, and myself. What is your favorite song? ZaZa: Umm… “I got that water, I got that water”.
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My favorite colors are pink and blue.
How do you pick your outfit of the day? ZaZa: I like to put on clothes because it’s so cool to do it and it goes good with dancing. If you could design the clothes you wear, what would they look like? ZaZa: It would be a pink and blue tie-dye dress with a jacket to match. Favorite color? ZaZa: My favorite colors are pink and blue. Who do you look up to? ZaZa: My daddy, Nemo Achida. What do you want to be when you grow up? ZaZa: I want to be an actress. What do you think makes you so awesome? ZaZa: I’m so awesome because I dance good.
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Her Instagram started off as a way for us to keep family and friends updated on her creative and natural growth - DAD
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Nemo & Bamm Mom + Dad
Tell me what your family dynamic is like? Bamm: It’s happy, carefree, and focused on creative expression. What does a typical morning look like in your household? Nemo: I normally wake up first. I make breakfast for myself, Zahara, and a bottle for Simmy. I turn on the latest runway show or a playlist of music videos. Mom gets up shortly after and completely takes charge over the kids while I head out to ship ZaZa’s merchandise.
How did your daughter’s Instagram come about? Bamm: Her Instagram started off as a way for us to keep family and friends updated on her creative and natural growth. Then we realized how much her skills impacted people. Which caused the purpose of her Instagram to change into an outlet for her future. How do you feel about your daughter becoming viral?
Bamm: She is light-hearted, charismatic, and beyond her years.
Nemo: Since the day ZaZa went viral, we’ve felt the affirmation of faith. We’re blessed beyond measure. We were in some tough predicaments as a family for a few years. Some that we’ll writeout for others to be inspired by eventually. Only God could’ve turned so many things around in our lives.
Which parent do you think Zahara is most similar to?
What kind of responses have you been getting? Bamm:
Nemo: I think Zahara gets her dramatics, sassiness, and confidence from her mom. I think she gets her passion for music and fearlessness in front of a camera or stage from me. She’s pretty much 50% Bamm, 50% me, and 10% everyone else we allow in her life. She always gives 110%.
We’ve been getting an outpouring of love and support from people all over the world. We were very much surprised to read about people touched so profoundly by the joy Zahara brings them. We just never knew how much our sassy 4-year-old could uplift the average-working citizen until now.
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How would you describe your daughter’s personality?
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Bamm: “…we’ve felt the affirmation of faith. We’re blessed beyond measure. We were in some tough predicaments as a family for a few years. Some that we’ll write-out for others to be inspired by eventually. Only God could’ve turned so many things around”.
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