FAME LIVE MAGAZINE
CONTENTS Fashion | Art | Music | Education 3 Publisher's Note 4 The Archetype of Atlanta Fashion A Conversation with Designer of the Decade: Cedric S. King 7 Fame Live Exclusive Miami Takeover with celebrity photographer: Derek Hightower 11 Chilly-O and the Invisible Army Designer, Photographer, philanthropist Chilly-o shares his story 15 Ian Burke: The Idol Maker A highlight on Music Executive: Ian Burke 20 David Swartz: Art and Prince. A sit down with artist: David Swartz 25 Tyler Bailey and his Fashion Journey An introduction to shoe designer Tyler Bailey
famelivemagazine@gmail.com
23 Otto the Director Writing his own script.
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Our Team. Editor in Chief LaDee Ursurla
Editorial Assistant Jherelle Benn
Photographer / Videographer Brandon Moon
Photographer / Videographer Travis Christian
Assistant Creative Director Derek Hightower
Marketing Pharoah Tyeric
Staff Writers Shantel Jackson, Jherelle Benn, Rodney Simpson, Keivon Patterson
Videographer Bernard Nate Brisbane
Contributing Photographers Pharoah Tyeric, Derek Hightower, LaDee Ursurla
Publisher & Founder Rodney Simpson
famelivemagazine@gmail.com
Fame Live Magazine @Famelivemagazine Fame Live Magazine
Publisher's Note
21
Hello everyone!
n o s p m i S y Rodne RODNEY SIMPSON Publisher
When I started FLM four years ago, I dreamed of creating an independent fashion, art, and music publication by focusing on educating the masses on those elements simultaneously. I am proud to say we produced some really dope content in that time. But now I must step back to focus on creating strategic partnerships and alliances to further its growth. To start 2021 we have produced a tv show, an award show, and we are preparing to release our second issue. Our world is dealing with a lot right now due to Covid, racism, classism and plain ignorance. My hope is that FLM will provide people with an escape from all of the turmoil we face each day. As I exit stage left I want to thank you all for the support over the years and please continue to read Fame Live Magazine. Cheers
KRISH & ANANYA ARE GETTING MARRIED
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THE ARCHETYPE OF ATLANTA FASHION SPEAKS
A conversation with Cedric S. King By Rodney Simpson
What area of the city of Atlanta are you from?
I was born in Atlanta at Hugh Spalding Hospital and lived in Atlanta until I was around 5 years old. Then we moved to Baltimore, MD and lived there until I was 8 years old. Then we moved back to Georgia but we didn’t move to Atlanta. We moved to the area of Georgia where my mom grew up as a child, Woodville, Ga. I have a lot of family there. Growing up in what we affectionately call “the country” really helped shape my idea of life and fashion. After moving back to the Atlanta area, Decatur to be specific, my idea of who I would be and how I would approach life was already shaped. When did you know fashion was your calling?
Growing up as a child as far back as I can remember I always loved clothing and was always interested in colors, fabrics, not getting my clothes dirty, appreciating my suits, noticing what my mom, aunts and uncles would wear. In high school I was popular for fashion.
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I would take my sister’s cable knit
My friends and I stumbled across
sweaters and wear them over my
a small menswear boutique that
shoulders with my polo shirts to
sold Ralph Lauren Polo, I walked
add a little style to my looks. After
in and saw those colors and
leaving high school, I went to the
quality. It spoke to me. Ralph
Navy for four years, which further
Lauren has been a big inspiration
confirmed my gift. My shipmates
for me.
would ask for my fashion advice all the time. After getting out of
What steps did you take to
the service, I worked retail for
start your journey?
several
years
and
had
an
opportunity to design a collection
Well it’s been a winding road. It all
for the retail stores, and it sold
started with an idea to try to
well. They stole my idea but I
create
wasn’t angry - it just confirmed
exist. It was never meant to fit in
that I could be a designer. After
or copy someone. I came up with
that I went to Italy and studied
the idea for my first brand while
fashion for three years and the
in Italy. I didn’t think about how I
rest is history.
would get it out, I just knew I
something
that
didn’t
wanted it out. I knew there were a Who inspired you to pursue
small group of people from the
fashion?
south that needed it. When I
AMERICAN FASHION IS ON THE CUSP OF CHANGE
came back to America, I started My biggest inspiration came
by
when I was about thirteen years
sweatshirt, I found some blank
finding
a
good
quality
old, when I was in Athens, GA
Lee sweat shirts and T-shirts.
shopping for school. FAME LIVE MAGAZINE |5
Conversations with Atlanta Fashion King (CONTINUED)
I didn’t know much about screen printing but I found a
Besides creating your own brands over the years
local screen printer. I also found a small embroidery
what are some other brands you are responsible
place that did a lot of things for high school sports. I got the sweatshirt and T-shirts created. Then I spent three years from 1993 to 1996 knocking on doors to try to find stores that would give me a shot. I gave away a lot of my product to local celebrities and radio personalities. I finally got a break when Trends in South Dekalb Mall bought my product. The items sold out, I sold him more. Then other stores started buying the brand. I already had the support of most of Atlanta hip-hop stars and local radio which made it easier to market and promote. I later got a manufacturing partner which gave me the capital to expand.
for bringing to life?
I have designed for a lot of brands as well as private label brands through my factories. I worked with celebrities to help them launch their brands or contributed to the idea, concept, and business development. Some brands that you may be familiar with are RyanKenny, Rocawear, Jagged 581, Akoo, Osh Kosh, Russell Athletics, Discus, Carter’s, a private label for
Macy’s,
Nordstrom,
Saks.,
licensed
product
development for Tommy Hilfiger, Izod, Guess, Pink dress (Victoria Secret) and Nike. There are quite a few. Yeah there are! So what's next for you and your
What led you to Europe?
company?
I mean you can’t say fashion without mentioning Italy
We are in heavy branding mode with my new brand:
and France. After doing my research, I knew that I
Paris Polo Crew. The Spring/Summer capsule is set to
wanted to learn from the best.
release
early
Spring.
TFH
FACTORY
GROUP
is
expanding, I just invested in another factory (in India this time) that gives me six total, Which gives me more
How did they receive you in Paris?
production capacity for my clients. The Fashion Hustle Paris has always been kind to me. When you show love, you get love. We have a common ground when it comes
to
appreciating
the
art
of
fashion
and
celebrating it's rich history. With the new brand I am receiving overwhelming support from my industry friends and colleagues. Everyone is excited for the launch of the brand. Though we can’t do it big with events, we have some cool activations planned. Do you have any regrets?
will be expanding to digital products that will help designers
easily
create
CADS
(Computer
Aided
Designers). Other than that just staying busy. Looking at the future, not the past. Fashion will forever be changed. We have to embrace the future and not be frightened by it. Thanks for your time Mr. King, how can our readers get in touch with you?
They can reach me via email at I honestly don’t have any regrets. I believe life happens
Cedric@thefashionhustle.com or IG @Cedricsking
for you, not to you, and everything works in God’s divine order.
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MIAMI EXCLUSIVE
Photographers: Derek Hightower and Marlo Polo Designers: Truly 1000 and Taylor Frucel Models: Taylor Frucel, Shantel Jackson, Laura Sylvia, Truly 1000
Check them out on Instagram: @1000collection @miamipopswimwear @iamtaylorfrucel @fmg_shantel @laurasylvia23 @truly1000
CHILLY-O AND
THE INVISIBLE ARMY An interview with designer, photographer, and philanthropist, Chilly-O Who are you and where are you from? I’m Chilly-O, a local fashion designer, photographer, videographer, graphic designer and philanthropist based here in Atlanta. The place I have lived since 1994 by way of Stamford, Connecticut. How was it Connecticut?
growing
up
in
Thank God I was somewhere in the middle and I bounced between both sides. But one interesting thing I can say about living in Connecticut is it sparked my passion to delve into art, street wear, street fashion and just the creative art culture. And being so close to New York was cool, because I could still hang in the village around the time Basquiat was still alive, JeanMichel Basquiat. My first dose of that community was in 1988, when he was still alive, rest his soul and just being in that energy just showed me something different from hanging in the projects.
I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and I spent most of my early childhood and adolescence there. Post adolescence, I was in Connecticut which is about 20 minutes What got you started on your outside of the Bronx, New York. creative journey? Growing up in Connecticut showed me a whole different mode of culture My creative journey has always been because there was a lot of money out sparked by my grandmother and my there at that time compared to where grandfather because they have always I’m from, which is Pittsburgh, kept archives of culture around the Pennsylvania. It’s a blue collar town. house. Even though I grew up with my Stamford is pretty much the suburbs grandmother, there’s an age gap of New York where a lot of wealthy there. She always has increments of people reside looking to get out of the culture just spreaded throughout the city but there’s a huge divide between home. Artwork from Africa, art from the wealthy and poverty stricken India, art from Asia, and books. there. FAME LIVE MAGAZINE | 11
I was always surrounded by culture having the same experiences with my father. I called my father the black Indiana Jones because he always has all these artifacts from around the world. Also, because he founded the African studies department at the University of Pittsburgh to store all of his collections of art, books, and photography. Before the internet, I always had a wealth of culture around me to learn, read, study and watch. When did you find your voice in cycling? I found my voice with BMX when I opened up a magazine called ‘BMX Action’ back in the early 80’s. This was about 83 and people in my neighborhood couldn’t really afford BMX bikes because they were very expensive at that time. I’m from a neighborhood of the streets and poverty in Pittsburgh. I grew up in a city called Beltzhoover which is on the south side of Pittsburgh. If anybody knows anything about Beltzhoover, it’s kind of like the Bluff here in Atlanta, the Bronx, South Central, Watts, West Baltimore, Southeast D.C., South Philly, south side of Chicago or the east side of Detroit. So just to give you a reference of the kind of community that I grew up in, it was rough and we didn’t see a lot of guys like us on BMX bikes. It’s all mostly, like white guys on bikes. And the guys in my neighborhood that did have bikes, a lot of their fathers were drug dealers and stuff like that, so they could afford to get them dirt bikes (off road motorcycle) and BMX bikes. And that’s who I used to ride with even though they were a little older. I couldn’t tag, so I used to ride with the white guys in a place called Mount Watson. So, when guys were stealing cars, robbing, selling drugs and stuff like that, the bike kept me out of trouble.
"I called my father the black Indiana Jones because he always had all these artifacts from around the world." I will always have a natural gravitation to inspire people to ride bikes, because A.) I wanted people to ride with me and be exposed to the sport, and B.) I just knew that the sport is so addictive, it would occupy most of your time as an adolescent. Tell us about the campaign of how you got inspired to start it? Basically there was a big ride out a few months ago. We had about 220 BMXs that came out the ride in cycle lists and we had a large amount on these ride outs. It’s a specific ride out where people wheelie. If you know what wheelie is, wheelie is when you are able to balance on the back wheel and keep your front wheel up and ride for long distances, it’s actually a culture now. When Dblocks from New York came down here to host the ride out with Rio, Bank Head and Bugatti, the first thing I noticed was the kids had trashy bikes.Real ratty trashy bikes like these are like below Walmart bikes. FAME LIVE MAGAZINE |12
They were not made out of chromoly or high density steel, they crack, these kids didn’t have grips, breaks or pedals on their bikes, they were riding on the spindle of the peddle, rusty old bikes. But they were still able to perform on and were able to wheelie for like blocks like, 20 blocks. And I remember being one of those kids back in the day when I had a Murray and I had like a cheap Sears bike. You’d ride around the neighborhood where people would laugh and clown you because you didn’t have a Mongoose or GT or Haro. These are old school bikes from back in the day and I just felt compelled to do something about it with my platform because I have a pretty decent face card out here in the city with a pretty good reputation. My background is in nonprofits, so I know how that works. Building a nonprofit takes going through the red tape, starting GoFundMe campaigns or going through political red tape with a Board of Directors and all that. Instead, I streamlined everything and just said, ‘send me the money, I’ll get the kids the bikes’. So, I was able to raise $11,000 and give 14 high end, high level bikes which affected these kids' performance within several days. The main thing for me is keeping them out of trouble. But we’re also in Tinseltown and we’re in the space where we have the movie industry and these guys have skills. They can actually get parts in movies, music videos, TV commercials, and take their skill level to actually form a career out of it. They can get sponsorships from corporations and start clothing brands because now we have a movement. So, we have a look and we have a movement that’s based off of high level skill. What is your end goal with this campaign? My end goal ultimately is to keep the youth; who are in displaced communities, who don’t have a head start, and who are in disadvantaged situations, self-esteemed to feel like they fit into society. To participate in these sports without feeling like they are being judged, trolled, or bullied just because they don’t have the industry standard or what they need in order to participate in this sport. The goal is also to keep them focused and away from being peer pressured to break into cars or commit petty crimes that adolescents so often get involved with, out of boredom. So, I am making this culture more accessible to them by providing good bikes. (Siren wailing).
You hear these sirens? You know we definitely don’t want them in the back of these cars. We don’t want them in the prison system because 90% of the time, they are not going to be able to bounce back once they hit that cycle. So, we are talking adolescence, we are talking 12 to 18 years old and once you feel a part of the culture, you absorb the culture and learn the culture. Then you have other opportunities to express and basically you have an opportunity. You never know where that bike can take you in terms of networking. And it inspires our community, when people see these kids wheeling 14, 15, 20, 30, 50 feet in our community, they cheer them on and it’s inspiring to see that. What do you want your legacy to be? When it’s all said and done, I really want my legacy to be about our children knowing that I have something to leave behind for them. Something they can build on in terms of creativity, the arts, progressive thought, the art space, action sports and photography. I want to be able to leave value, which is my art to them to where they can build and continue to build my company and basically continue to inspire our communities and the world. Because it’s not too often where people in our community get shine for being alternative and creative while having an interest in arts. So, you know we mostly get the accolades of music, sports and things of that nature, but I just want to change that narrative. Break that mold in terms of how far we can take our thoughts.
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Lets take a look back at our last issue release party! We honored Fashion Designer, Cedric S. King, and Music Executive Ian Burke for their iconic contributions to the entertainment and fashion industry. Awards hosted by Christal Jordan, red carpet hosted by Genius Network CEO, Shantel Jackson. We also introduced our new Editor-In-Chief, LaDee Ursurla of Von Trapp Network. I S S U E
0 5
RELEASE PARTY R E C A P
Read Past Issues Here https://issuu.com/rodneysimpson9
IAN BURKE THE IDOL MAKER
Let's start off with who you are and where you're from.
Well, my name is Ian Burke. I am from Mount Vernon, New York. How was your childhood growing up in Mount Vernon, New York?
My childhood was great. I was the fifth of six children. I'm sorry I was the sixth of seven children my oldest brother passed before I was born. I had one other brother and four other sisters. We had a real mixed background musically. We grew up as Jehovah Witnesses, that wasn't part of the greatness but one thing Jehovah Witnesses did teach me was to be able to speak in public and at least give me a firm foundation as far as my belief in God. So yeah, I can't complain about my time in Mount Vernon. So let's fast forward to what brought you to Atlanta?
Well my parents were retiring and they we're moving to Florida and I just didn't want to go to Florida you know, as far as I knew or as far as I heard Florida was for the Newlywed or the Nearly Dead and at that point I was neither one of those so I figured Atlanta was closed and a lot of people was talking about how it was growing so I came down to study computer information systems at DeVry. So that's what actually brought me here to Atlanta. Wow, I would have never thought that. So you didn't actually come here for music but it just kind of happened that way.
Yes, music sort of fell in my lap. I was in school and one of my classmates was playing in a local band and they needed help moving equipment one night and that one night changed my whole life. It changed the trajectory of my whole career.
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So your first experience was basically being a roadie?
Yes. Being a roadie was my first thing; moving equipment and setting up equipment. I became the best roadie that anybody could possibly ever want or ever have. What year was this? 1985. The show was at Mr. V's Figure 8 over there by Greenbriar Mall. We were opening for Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes.
I was in a constant state of elevation and learning everything I could about the business so I could better serve them. While I was doing that, I was building relationships with the likes of Jermaine Dupri and his father Michael Mauldin. Later, one of the last bands I connected with in Atlanta was Princess and Starbreeze. They were signed to MCA Records moving their own equipment, doing everything.
That's deep! What was the music scene like in 1985 when you got here? It was bands when I first started in the industry. Nothing but bands. You had like Mother's Finest, The SOS band, and Brick was still doing their thing. It was a lot of gigging going on with these bands playing live music and so forth and so on. My band was a cover band. We sprinkled some original music in there but the band I was working for primarily was a cover band. We did proms, weddings and things of that nature.
I'm watching MTV seeing these bands have roadies to move their equipment, setting things up and they just go to the stage. So, I put together a team of roadies and just started working with them moving and setting up their equipment. I spray-painted their logo on the cases and got them their first merch. Being that they were with MCA Records, there was a young Dallas Austin who was running with them as well. There was Joyce “Fenderella” Irby later known as Joyce Irby, a member of the all-female band Klymaxx who had those records “The Men All Pause”, “Meeting in the Ladies Room”, and “I Miss You”. They had those hit records, so she was working with them as well and then it just became a networking thing.
The thing I really want to ask you about is your start as a roadie. "Mmhhmm" The positions that you've held, a lot of people don't know of as far as ASCAP and Elektra Records. Let's talk a little bit about those situations. Did those situations happen before or after TLC and Xscape?
Who all came, they helped because there wasn’t a real music scene other than the bands. L.A. Reid and Babyface weren't here yet and they didn't think about coming to Atlanta until 1988. Even when they set up shop, they weren't sure about the type of artist they wanted to put out. They were signing all kinds of stuff that never made it to the forefront.
Those situations as far as working with Elektra and ASCAP happened after my experiences with Arrested Development, TLC, Xscape, Outkast, and Goodie Mob. As far as I know, those were the ones that led up to me getting a job as an A&R director for Elektra Records and then getting a job with ASCAP. My first experience in the music industry was as a roadie.
Can you name one or two of them?
What happened after that to propel you further into the music business?
I started building relationships with certain people like I was a sponge and I elevated myself within the band. Growing from roadie to doing lights, sound, and booking, then eventually managing the entire band.
Yes. Devyne Stephens was like one of the younger artists one and 90 Miles Per Hour. I'm sure there are others. They signed one of the members of the S.O.S. Band and Jermaine Jackson so they were basically signing older artists. It wasn't until Damian Dame came out with “Exclusivity” which really put them on the map. After Damian Dame, TLC came afterward which really solidified their position.
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So, tell me I know you drifted away a bit so what happened with that band?
The band, once again they were signed. But they didn't have a major breakout hit. Debra “Princess” Killings became noted for one of the premier background vocalists with Dallas Austin when he started producing hit records. They always used Debra or David “Whild” Brown for his background vocals. When you listen to early records he did with ABC, Boyz II Men, Toni Braxton, TLC a lot of those vocal works was Debra Killings who also played multiple instruments. She would play bass on some tracks and guitar on some tracks, things of that nature. Wow, I always wondered who she was. I used to always see you in different pictures with her and wondering exactly what was the connection and you just cleared it for me.
I started off as her roadie and elevated through the years to become her manager when she was performing gospel music. In the late '90s and early 2000s, I represented her in her gospel career but by then she was working with everybody. Dallas had her working with everybody. Then she went to work with Organized Noize and did a lot of singing. When you hear the Outkast track, “Southernplayalisticcadillacmuzik” that's her vocals. “Jezzy Belle”, that's her. She became a very valuable figure in the scene here in Atlanta. Can she be considered one of the legends of the Dungeon Family?
No, I wouldn't quite call her a Dungeon Family representative because she started out with Dallas Austin. She's definitely affiliated with the Dungeon Family but she got her start with Dallas Austin. Let's move forward from here to what happened after her situation?
I started experimenting with management afterward. It was the late '80s when I started working with a band called Secret Society before switching their name to Arrested Development. I was working with them on bookings, recordings, and working on projects in the condo we all lived in together. So, I became their manager at the same time I started playing with this female thing and the first female situation I put together was like a female version of Guy. Two keyboard players, a drummer, and a lead vocalist totaling four people in the band. I just started putting together female versions of male groups. At this point, a lot of these female groups like EnVogue, Exposé, Good Girls were pretty models [with] beautiful voices but Bell Biv DeVoe (BBD) started to usher in a new era of hip-hop and R&B. I'm like, “Wow, that would be really dope if we had a female version of BBD.” My early experiments led me to think about doing something like this to see where we end up.
I went to the back and started talking with the members of the U-Boyz and Crystal, who I was putting the group together around, came in saying, “Hey Ian, can you just listen to this girl rap?” And I was like all right. She's here, she might as well. She started rapping and sounded very much like Monie Love who was hot at that time. I was like, “Ok Ok, but do you mind wearing a different style of clothing because this isn't the look I’m looking for.” She said, “normally I wear baggy clothes but I thought this was what you were looking for.” I said, “Nah, I'm looking for something more tomboy.” She said, “Aight I can do that.” At that point, I had my three girls. It was another girl named Lisa, this girl who went by QT who ended up changing her name to Left Eye and Crystal but Rico had hyped me up so much about this third girl. I wanted to meet her, so we went to this girl's house at like two in the morning, knocked on her door and she answered. The moment I saw her, I was like you're the one. I kicked the other girl out of the group and was like, “Yo, you're it.” She was like, what do you want me to sing? I said, “You don’t have to sing. Your swag is what I'm looking for,” but she ended up singing anyway and 2nd Nature was born that night. I had already had a solid relationship with Jermaine Dupri. I went to Jermaine and I was like, JD can you produce my girls. That’s one thing I couldn't do, I wasn't a producer. He liked the package that I put together on the girl’s so he said. "if you do what you did for these girls for these kids I have called Little Funk. I'll produce them and you go ahead, do a photoshoot and get my boys together". I ended up helping the boys all while I'm still representing Arrested Development. In 1991, all three of the groups drop. Little Funk changed their name to Kris Kross, 2nd Nature became TLC. I was affiliated with all three acts and they all went multi-platinum. All of them were nominated for Grammys with Arrested Development winning two that year.
So that was the beginning of TLC ?
That was the beginning of 2nd Nature. And it was a different group also, right?
It was. But it was TLC. It started off with me wanting to put some people with Crystal Jones who was dating one of the members of Arrested Development. I got with Rico Wade. He wasn't with Organized Noize because it wasn't Organized Noize at that time but instead the U-Boyz which included Rico. He was a singer and dancer. I say “Hey man, do you have anyone who fits this mold?” and he said, “I have the perfect person hands down.” We were meeting at his house one night and he brought in this one girl. I was like, “Yo, that's not it.” He said, “the girl I wanted to bring couldn't make it so I wanted to bring this girl,” and I was like that's not it. I'm looking for tomboys, this girl has on a pleather skirt, dressed like a female and it was totally against everything I wanted. FAME LIVE MAGAZINE
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IAN BURKE:
THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND (continued) Let's get back to the nitty gritty. So everybody is charging, everybody is winning Grammys correct?
Arrested Development was winning Grammys but TLC and Kriss Kross were only nominated. But they didn't win any.
No. What happened after that?
I was working for Ichiban records and I was running their Hip Hop Department. We had a bunch of trashy hip-hop records. The Source labeled one of our records the worst hip-hop cover ever and rightly so because it was two heavy rappers walking like a dog wearing diapers with two girls holding leashes and I was like, "yo what is this?" We were having a really crazy year at Ichiban records until I signed a rapper from Flint Michigan named MC Breed. So you signed Bre.
You know let me flip that and not put any falsehoods out there. I didn't sign Breed, I promoted him. He came across my desk with a record called Aint No Future in Yo' Frontin. Which turned out to be one of the biggest hits in the summer of 1991.
We're talking about Xscape, right?
Yes, we're talking about Xscape. I'm sorry, I thought I had mentioned that. I was still kind of managing them while I was homeless. I even got caught up driving with no license in an unregistered vehicle and got arrested. Kawan Pranther, who was with the group Parental Advisory was now with Organized Noize. Formerly known as the U-Boyz, they became producers so he came and bailed me out of jail and took me straight over to the Dungeon. That began my life over there with Organized Noize. At that point, Rico was like, hey man you need to manage us, we need to have that person to represent Rico Wade and Pat (Patrick Leroy “Sleepy” Brown). And that’s how that whole movement began. So, they bring you over to the Dungeon Family. What happens next?
I take control over the Dungeon Family and we're over there producing records and someone brings Outkast. At the time, I think they were Call Of the Wild. Someone brings Dre and Antwan over to see Rico and Organized Noize falls in love with them, saying we have to work with them. Rico is saying you're the manager and his whole idea was we need to bring him in and keep control of the situation. I was like, “fine with me.” We started managing them and their 1st record was the remix to TLC’s, “What About Your Friends.” That's when Outkast was introduced and afterward we did the Christmas album with “Players Ball.” They became what Andre said in stating “the South has something to say.” They became the leaders of the pack here in Atlanta as it relates to hip hop. Before that, even though we had success in the hip hop world with Arrested Development and Kris Kross, their music didn't represent Atlanta. Outkast was the 1st group to represent Atlanta on not just regional or national but on an International and worldwide scale. With each project, they got progressively better and their fan base blew up. Shortly after them, they introduced the Goodie Mob on their album, and Goodie Mob followed shortly thereafter. How did Outkast end up on the New Jersey Drive soundtrack?
Was DJ Smerff there then as well?
No not at that moment. Breed opened up the door to people wanting to create relationships with Ichiban records so Jermaine Dupri and Success-n-Effect started a relationship with Ichiban Records and other things started to come through the door as well.
We were constantly looking for outside avenues for them and I think New Jersey Drive was “Benz or a Beamer”. Opportunities would just come. Flavor Unit did the soundtrack. I don't remember exactly how it went with them because I was more involved with the Higher Learning project with John Singleton and the record we put on there. Everyone wanted that southern flavor and Outkast was bringing it by the truckloads.
Wow, so Breed is on his way up and we all know what actually happened with him as far as career-wise what happened after that to further progress your career forward?
I feel like we skip something. What is your background with LaFace?
I worked at Ichiban records for a year and then after that, I was homeless. I went through a period where the acts that I worked with up until that time became very successful and I was sleeping on one of my friends' floors. Kevin and Natasha White, who weren't married at that time. I was sleeping on the floor while I was at Ichiban. Somebody who knew what I did with TLC brought Kandi Buruss’ brother to see me and he was like, “Yo, my sister is in this group and I want you to meet them, I want you to hear them.” I was like, “all right cool.” Actually, I was on set for one of Jermaine's artists we were shooting a video. So, that night during the video shoot, I met Kandy, Tamika, Tosha, and another girl called Tamara. They were the four that were in the group and I was blown away. I was like, “Yea, I want to work with yall.” Later on, Tameka “Tiny” Cottle auditioned and they went from four to a five girl group. So Tiny was the last one to join the group.
Yes. I had a really good relationship with candy because her brother brought me into the situation and then later on her brother passed. Unfortunately, he never got to see them have the success that they have.
My background with LaFace started of course with TLC because I was the first to bring 2nd Nature to LaFace. But it was Pebbles who got on it and turned the group into TLC. At the time being the wife of LA Reid, that was an easier sales pitch, and then managing Organized Noize, I was always in the office doing business for them and while also representing Outkast. So, that was my time with LaFace Records. It was somewhat rocky because I did have to shop Outkast to other labels because it just seemed like L.A. Reid didn't get Outkast. He loved Organized Noize, he did the deal based upon his love for Organized Noize. They weren't necessarily a hip-hop label. They were more interested in Toni Braxton, Tony Richardson and Usher. Outkast was like a foreign thing to them. Their background was the deal?
Yes. Once again, it goes back to the acts they were signing to LaFace Records. Let's talk about Bobby Valentino and the group he was part of. We have to go all the way back to Sylvia Rhone offering me a position with Elektra Records. At the time, Organized Noize was taking off like they could do no wrong. My position as their manager was, first off, set up by Rico, so it was never really solidified. I was looking out for myself in a sense but also looking out for Organized Noize because I wanted to bring them into the Elektra family with Sylvia Rhone. FAME LIVE MAGAZINE
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The first act I put together was an act I put together with another gentleman named Eric Johnson. Four young teenage boys Brandon Brown, Bobby Wilson, Byron Reeder, and Darrell Allen was put together in a group called Mista. We got them signed to Elektra Records and of course, I took them over to Organized Noize for them to produce the album. They produced the record, “Blackberry Molasses.” I didn't want that to be our first record. I felt like that was our second or third record simply because there was only one recognizable voice on that record. I felt like we should do something else to slowly introduce them and I was outvoted. So, we launched Blackberry Molasses, which did very well. But when you start with a raised bar, unfortunately for that album which was a very solid album, from there was nothing that really competed with Blackberry Molasses. So, we had no place to go but down, unfortunately. Eventually, the group tried to do a second album but they split up and Bobby was the only one with enough fortitude to keep pushing forward. The other members did it but I don't think they pushed as hard as Bobby did. That's why he ended up being the one who was super successful?
Yes. That's why he was super successful. In my opinion, Bobby I love you, he wasn't the best vocalist in the group. In my opinion, Darrell was the best vocalist. Was he the dark skin one on Blackberry Molasses?
He was brown skin, but yea he was the one singing at the end of Blackberry Molasses. Bobby was tenacious about it; he was really pushing himself. He really believed in himself and that belief in himself paid off because he got involved with some very big hit records both for himself and others. That was my involvement. I discovered Bobby when he was about 12 years old and then when he was about 14, I put him in Mista. What are you working on now Mr. Burke?
I wanted to get into film and television for the longest. Although, I am still working with a music group called Berkley Park. I am extremely proud of and I can't wait for people to hear them. They are two teenage African American female artists that sing and write very beautifully. I’m working on a documentary series about the early days of the Atlanta music scene. I am also working on a scripted show with my brother about teenage scuba divers called The Aquatics, so I am excited about this new pathway that I've discovered for myself. How can our readers get in touch with you?
The best way is to follow me on Instagram @Official_IanBurke shoot me a message there; Facebook which is my name (Ian Burke) or I am always here at Icon Studios. If you want to record records or schedule a time to meet, I do consulting and I do charge. I do try to move your situation along. What was one of the biggest hits to date you had that you didn't see coming?
“Player’s Ball” by Outkast because we recorded that record for a Christmas album. It was a Christmas song and for it to take off the way it did and establish Outkast as these two future icons, I never saw that coming and it totally blew me away. What gives you the motivation to keep pushing?
I think I want to quit every other day but watching the success of the artist I worked with has got to be the most gratifying experience for me. To know that I was involved with one of the biggest selling female acts of all times that's bigger than someone I looked up to Mr. Barry Gordy of the Supreme's, that was essentially it. I was in the audience when Outkast won the grammy for album of the year, that was huge. No other rapper had ever done it before. It was like sitting and watching your kids graduate summa cum laude at a prestigious school. It was amazing to me, I just watched my kids grow up and become super successful. Even with Xscape, the biggest R&B group of the '90s. There's no one that has more hits than Xscape as a group. Three platinum albums, multiple gold and platinum singles. They set the bar for a lot of the groups that followed and then to come back in 2017 and 2018 to sell out arenas, an R&B group? I have a lot of proud moments with the girls and guys I worked with in my past and I am proud of all of them.
FAME LIVE ART EXCLUSIVE
ART AND PRINCE A CONVERSATION WITH DAVID SWARTZ
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Please introduce yourself to our readers. My name is David Swartz. I’m originally from New York, New Jersey and most of my formative years are in St. Paul, Minnesota. How did you get into the entertainment business? I think that’s something that happens over time, not like all of a sudden, and bam you are into entertainment. It’s kind of a slow process. I think, originally it started off with me performing as an artist with doing my own music, and then it led to me performing with other artists. What was the first gig you had as an artist? The first gig was a lot of unpaid gigs where it’s just me performing locally. As far as the first paid gig in entertainment I’d say it’s when another artist hired me to do an album cover. Who inspired you to create art? As far as the physical art, it was the L.A. art show and all the sculptures were there. All the amazing artists were doing physical art because I mainly come from digital art and so seeing that for the first time it blew my mind so I wanted to be a part of that world to create physical art that would occupy the space in a room instead of just digital. Artists like Daniel Arsham and Joseph Dembinski were two of the guys that I really started appreciating in the world of contemporary artists. FAME LIVE MAGAZINE | 20
What graphics do you have right now? A few years ago I worked on creative direction for the Netflix series Marvel's the Defender. I helped create some of the key art which was the creative direction for the billboards, which you will see as a movie poster. Tell us the name of the piece above. The piece we see here today is a sculpture I created on the computer and then had the materials cut. The base is solid marble. It’s a figure presenting a crystal boombox over its head. So the figure is solid marble, the boombox is 96 pieces of high clarity optic crystal, and inside the crystal walls are 180 classic hip-hop cassette albums from 1980 to 2000. And I call it the “Rhyme Capsule''. How did you decide which albums you would present inside the Rhyme Capsule? I think that for anyone who grew up in that time frame of the ’80s and ’90s, if you were a hip hop fan, there were certain albums that I think everybody had, and then there were some that just the deep heads would all agree are classics and then there are some that are commercial successes and I felt it was important, at least. I wanted to create something that encapsulates all of those. So it was things that inspired me personally, some that inspired the masses and some that we all just know are the quintessential masterpieces of that time. Do you have any other capsules you are creating or is that the only one? I have a few others in the works. This would not be something that I mass produce. It’s handmade and there would only be a limited amount ever made but no two would ever be exactly alike. So some of the albums would definitely change. There would be variations and I have some more in the works right now. What other artworks do you have? What we have are limited edition prints of the rhyme capsule available right now, and then I also have a piece called ‘Art Work’. It’s a sculpture of a set of three. It’s the idea or perfect flawless art and then there is the smashed one and then, the third one is glued back together and those are currently in the Buckhead Art and Company gallery in Atlanta. So switch gears a bit. Tell us about how and when you met Prince I met him through a friend of mine. I got hired to do an album cover for his keyboard player, Morris Hayes, who had an artist he was working with at the time named Brenda Fuentes. I went over there to do an album cover and I became friends with Prince’s other keyboard player at the time which was Kip Blackshire.
ART EXCLUSIVE
David Swartz
Kip and I started making music together and Prince wound up hearing the music that we were doing and wanted to work with us on producing Kip and I’s music and to join a group that he was already working with. So I met Prince through Kip a couple of times just by hanging out at the studio or hanging out at the park and then after spending time with Prince and playing a few basketball games with him and getting into music conversations, it eventually led to him wanting to work with me. I eventually ended up going on tour with him and writing songs, doing music videos and I even designed an album cover of an album that he never put out, but still, I designed an album cover for him. I have one video of him actually playing with me. He did moves I’ve never seen before. He would tap on the ground by your feet to distract you and other stuff you wouldn’t expect on defense because he just wants to confuse you, but after playing a hundred games with him, those things wore off, and then I started knowing how to engage with him on the court. Tell us what’s next for you? Well. This first piece was a huge undertaking time-wise, as well as financially. Therefore, the next pieces I’m working on are pieces that I can reproduce on my own without having to invest so much financial effort so some smaller pieces. A lot of my future pieces will be nostalgia and music-related. So I have a couple of new pieces in the works that I’m excited to put out in 2021. They are almost done. They won’t be marble or crystal but it’s in the spirit of the nostalgia in music though. As a creator do you own any art? (laughs) nothing too major. I have some Vinyl toys and a lot of art books. A lot of 80’s artists; I love to keep getting books like that. But I don’t have a lot of art collected yet I would love to be in a position to do that but yeah- It’s an expensive addiction What’s your go-to pair of sneakers? I would have to say the Stan Smiths I have on right now, black new balances. They just seem to go with everything. How can your viewers and readers stay in touch with you? I have an Instagram @rhymecapsule or at @davidmadeit, and a website, rhymecapsule.com. FAME LIVE MAGAZINE | 22
OTTO
THE DIRECTOR WRITING HIS OWN SCRIPT.
What was it like shooting your first music video? On my first video, I was so overwhelmed. Cause I thought I knew what I was doing. I had all these people there, and I didn’t know what I was doing. I’m trying to set this up. I didn’t know anything about lighting, I didn't know how to set the camera. People looking at me. You know you get nervous and start sweating. It was crazy. It was super overwhelming. What is the project you’ve worked on that’s your favorite and why? One of my favorite projects I directed is a video for Bow Wow. It’s called Broken Heart. We did that back in 2018. It’s definitely one of my favorite projects because of the cinematic aspect. There was a storyline, like this real detail, from the shot selection to the treatment, to the models that we use. It’s just, I feel like it’s one of my most creative cinematic projects that I’ve worked on. What sets Otto the director apart from everybody else?
Who are you and where are you from? I’m Otto the Director, I’m from DC. I’m 27 years old and I’m a film director. How was it growing up in DC?
And I thought it was relatable because everybody goes through stuff like that. And the fact that you could take a life situation and bring it to screen, it just intrigued me. So after that I was like, “you know what, that’s what I want to do”. I went and got a job at Best Buy and worked for three months to use the employee discount to get my camera and I’m on my way. That was my whole concept at the time.
I’ve been through a lot. My mom and dad were on drugs. I was raised by my aunt and uncle. I lived in a toxic household my whole life. For the most part. I left when I was 17. Pretty much been on my own What was your first experience working in the entertainment industry? ever since. So what got you into film? What’s crazy is, I got my first camera when I was eight years old, but I never thought that this would be something that I would do for a living. When I was 18 in my room chilling watching music videos a trailer came on that interested me the concept was dope it caught my eye. There were these high school kids, a girl and guy in love and the girl moved away. The plot was around the boy trying to sneak the girl out of the house and stuff like that.
AN INTERVIEW WITH OTTO THE DIRECTOR
My background is actually IT so I just fix computers. Computer engineering, putting them together, rebuilding them, when I was 18, I started an internship with BET network at their headquarters in DC. So working there was actually my first peek of what goes on in the film industry because back in 2012 I was able to attend the BET, soul train and nickelodeon awards.So, just being around all that production and seeing the live shows, I think that was what really fueled me to get into this film thing and see where it could take me and that’s what really sparked my interest.
Well one thing about me, I’m not big on effects as far as the new upcoming artists. They do a lot of effects and outline scribble effects. I’m not really with none of that. I’m more so a cinematic type of DP and director. I'm real big on shot composition, colors and lighting so when I do music videos I prefer for them to look like films, like movies so I don’t really like all the crazy-looking superfast motion videos. That’s not really my thing, so I’m more of a cinematic shooter.
What was the project that solidified your name in the industry? Growing up, who I listened to the most was Bow Wow. When I was eight years old my first CD was Bow Wow's first album, so I guess that my aunt and my uncle who raised me, that’s what they wanted me to listen to. I grew up a Bow Wow fan my whole life and he was somebody that I idolize. And when I got into this industry he was somebody that I really wanted to work with on top of just meeting him in general. So when I met him in Atlanta back in 2017 that was probably the most pivotal moment in my career because not only did I get to work with or get to meet a legend in the industry, but I got to work with somebody that I idolized my entire life. It was like a dream come true for me so that was a big day. When that happened I inspired a lot of people that looked up to me, and even people that didn’t really know who I was or didn’t necessarily know my story. But when they heard my story, they realized; Wow! For somebody to idolize someone like that and then to finally meet him and work with him and go on tour with him.
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I just sit back, direct while my crew does that. And by me not holding the camera anymore, it gives me a great vantage point. I’m able to really see the set. I’m able to really see the talent and see what my crew is doing and it helps me to be a better leader because I can see what’s going on but when you’re behind the camera, you can’t really see everything that’s going on. I mean the minor things and that’s (CONTINUED) what I’m big on, making sure her hair looks the same as it did in the shot before, so continuity is a That was just like a big deal so it really big piece. It's a major piece in film production. It solidified my name. It put my name on the helps give me the opportunity to bring in new guys world wide platform. to help mold and motivate them and get them up to speed and get them to wherever they are trying What are some of the ups and downs of the to be in their career. business?
OTTO'S VISION
Being in the film industry, being into entertainment it’s all one and the same, it’s all the same industry, it’s the same thing. And the reason why I say it’s not for everybody is because, there's a lot of people that you deal with that aren’t genuine, that aren’t solid, that aren’t honest. And you gotta be willing to maneuver it and know how to play the game. It’s not for everybody, it’s really not. You’ve gotta know how to deal with people that aren’t authentic that don’t stand on what they say. But still know how to use them to get to where you’re trying to go and that’s something that can be really difficult for people that don’t know how to contain and control their emotions. When I moved to Atlanta in 2017, I came down here not really with much of a plan, I didn’t really know what I was doing, I didn’t have a place to stay, I was sleeping in a rental car. I would park at the Marriot at night and in the morning sneak in with my duffle bag and try to act like I was staying at the hotel to get the free breakfast. Then I would go to the YMCA and take showers in the gym. After that I’ll just go to the library and edit. Later that night I would go to events that I looked up on my phone to network and meet people and that’s how I ended up running across a lady by the name of Tamara Simmons, who’s a TV producer and also my manager. She's the one that was in charge of producing the surviving R. Kelly documentary.
What do you want your legacy to be in the business? My biggest thing is not about what or who I shoot. It’s more so about being able to inspire and motivate these kids that’s coming from the generation after me to be able to not just say, “Hey I want to pick up a camera, but to know that no matter my situation because I grew up in a messed up household. No matter the environment, I can still persevere through that and be able to achieve whatever it is I’m after in life. Like that’s the biggest thing. It has nothing to do with film. This is a tool that I’m using to create a platform to give back, inspire and motivate the youth. That's what this is about. It’s not about the projects for me. I know, like some people say, “I want to do the biggest movie”, I don’t really care about any of that. I care more about the kids and giving them the opportunity to be able to be great. The kids that come from situations like myself, that’s what I want to be known for, by the end of the day when I leave this earth. OK, let's switch gears a little. If you weren’t a director what would you be doing?
Coaching basketball. Before I got into film, I coached for two years. I won the championship my first year. Always set up to get back to that. One day in my thirties I would love to get back to coaching, just giving back to the kids cause that’s What’s next for you? really where my passion is, just giving back to the youth so, I wasn’t doing film I would definitely be For the longest I’ve been doing all these coaching basketball. shoots myself, setting up the lights myself, operating the cameras, doing all the editing, What was your first camera and what’s your I’ve been doing that for pretty much my entire favorite camera to work with? career until I’ve reached a point a few years ago where it was just getting so My first camera was a Canon T3 Rebel. That was overwhelming. I was getting booked so much and had to be in so many different places the camera I purchased when I was working at where I finally started to come to my senses Best Buy. My favorite camera right now will have and said, “You know what let me just go ahead to be the ARRI ALEXA Mini. and form a company”, that’s when I started my company, Film Savages. I have a crew here in Name two of your favorite directors? Atlanta and a crew in Los Angeles. I don’t even touch the camera no more. I got one favorite director; Michael Bay.
Bad Boys one and two. He didn’t do the third one. Transformers, I love Michael Bay. I love the fact that he doesn't just direct, he’s actually in the field, holding the camera, on set yelling, he’s not just sitting in the chair watching, he’s actually in the mix. I love that. I love his work, I love his color grading, the colors that he uses, I love his shot selection, it's just dope.
What’s your creative process? If I’m working on a music video, one thing that I do, I ride around. I’ll listen to the song a thousand times. Just to kind of feel it. I got to be in tune to what I’m listening to, so I’ll ride around a thousand times just to feel it. I like to get a sense of what it’s about, where it’s coming from, and then from there, I’ll start to create ideas in my mind and then after that I bring it to the paper and start giving it a treatment on the storyboard. What celebrities have you worked with? I’ve worked with quite a few celebrities, most recently, I worked with Benny the Butcher, Bow Wow, Jermaine Dupri, Mulatto, Kenny Burns, 2 Chainz, G Herbo, Shy Glizzy. And the list goes on and on. I could go on all day but I’ve worked with quite a few celebrities out here in the industry.
What is your go to pair of sneakers? My go to sneakers is my foams, Spiderman’s, my Aplex, my canvas. I love Foamposite, that’s my favorite shoe. Are you into Art and if so what is it that draws you to it? I feel like film is art. You know it’s a digital and visual art. You know it’s not like something that you hang up on your wall. But I feel like I reflect life back unto itself. I feel like what I’m doing is an art. I’m an artist because I take ideas, fantasies, scenarios and I recreate them on screen so that’s art. What is your dream project? My dream project would have to be working with my favorite actor and one of my biggest aspirations Denzel Washington. That’s my biggest goal for life, to work with someone, like that, that I feel like I can learn a lot from. So when that happens. Yeah! Yeah! Where can we find your work? You can find my work at www.filmsavages.com you can also check on my vimeo, vimeo.com/filmsavages. FAME LIVE MAGAZINE
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TYLER BAILEY
HIS FASHION JOURNEY If you’ve seen a Tyler Bailey shoe, you need to know the man behind the shoe. Take a sneak peek into his background, his stint in music, and how he developed his artistic skills that led to his designer shoe success. Thank you for being here. What is your name? And where are you from? My name is Tyler Bailey. I am from Mobile, Alabama. How was it growing up in Alabama? It was fine. A lot of country, running around with kids actually outside which is something that they don't do these days. I played football. It was a lot of fun growing up. How did your home life build your morals and your character? Well, I was raised by my mom and my dad. My dad was a Merchant Marine and I was as well. My mom wasn't strict. But we knew our boundaries. So they did a great job. None of us ever got into any major trouble.
What was your first experience with Entertainment? I was a rapper, my favorite groups were Eight Ball/MJG and UGK. I rapped a lot back then. I actually owned a record label, it was called Rising Grind Records. All I wanted was to be in the music industry and so I moved to Atlanta. How did your journey progress in Atlanta? I went to the Art Institute of Atlanta for music production. That was my first time dealing with the real industry. And the whole vibe was just kind of off for me. I just decided that wasn't the industry for me. How did you get into designing shoes? My natural talent is art, painting, sculpting, and sketching. It was just something that I would always do. I started on Facebook, took a pair of shoes, redesigned them, posted them. And it went viral. After that, I just knew that’s what I was going to do. FAME LIVE MAGAZINE | 25
What was maybe the moment when you knew you had arrived as a shoe designer? I started getting contacted by a lot of stylists. I got mentioned by Ricky Davita from Connecticut. He introduced me to Shawn Nelson here in Atlanta. She was a stylist for Gucci man and Kim Zolciak, and she took a liking to my work, and really gave me the confidence to keep pushing forward.
How was it taking your vision overseas when you went to the factories? Working as a marine, I've been to over 50 countries. The good thing was I would get a free ride, so when we stopped in Greece or Spain, on my off time, I’d look for factories and try to network. And most countries speak English. Was it dangerous? Did you have any fear?
Who were some of your major clientele and how was it working with them?
No, I’ve never had any life-threatening craziness. Just one time I was in Africa and Puerto Rico. But other than that, I haven't had any.
I did Love and Hip Hop when it originally first came out with some Iris. A great moment for me was with Kim Zodiac and actually doing the shoes for her wedding.
What were the similarities between working overseas and here? The guys at the factory were really inviting and I was transparent with them -that I was a new designer. They took me in and we got going.
So designs like loafers and stuff? As for Michelle, her assistant called for some shoes. I did a leopard print with Zirwoski crystals in the black detail of the leopard, with her initials on the toe of that. And Wendy Williams shoes, which were the most expensive and the most stressful. Like 15,000 stones were put on that shoe by hand and we ran out of stones. I had someone running around New York looking for stones. And She loved them. So what was the process of starting your business? The business aspect wasn't hard; it was keeping up with the artists, doing everything by hand, and trying to put a team together. When I worked at sea, there were structures of different positions and everybody worked shifts. I tried that but with family and friends, it’s different. There weren’t as many other designers at that time. I got advice from a guy in Boston that was making shoes in his garage. But now knowledge and mentors are more accessible.
What is it like the transition of being a businessman and a family man? I had my daughter late. She's five. Sometimes I'm trying to work, she wants to sit on my lap, but I wouldn’t replace it for anything right. I'm trying my best to maintain both.
So what does the brand Tyler Bailey mean to you? It’s a legacy for my daughter to secure her future. I want to be able to set up a foundation to help others that’s going through the same things, just to make it a little easier. Follow Tyler Bailey's journey on Instagram at @ShoeDesigner Shop the collection at www.tylerbaileycollection.com
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