ESTABLISHED IN 1964
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KENNY DANGEROUS Webster’s Dictionary defines the noun, SWAGGER, as 1. (a) An act or instance of swaggering (walking with an air overbearing of self-confidence), (b) Arrogant or conceitedly self-assured behavior, (c) Ostentatious display or bravado, 2. A self-confident outlook: Cockiness. Now while the term has recently become popular amongst those believing they have some sense of “cool”, KENNY DANGEROUS has lived under that moniker for several years. Possessing sharp wit, a distinct look, and a strong business attitude, he is well aware that he epitomizes what the word SWAGGER stands for. “It’s cool that everyone is using the term swagger. It doesn’t really bother me. I just know that what they’re seeking and claiming to now have…I’m already ‘IT’. I can’t have swagger if I am Swagger. See, when you say you have swagger, it’s like you went through some type of transformation to get to that. It’s new to them. I’ve always been that. So, I just nod and smile when I hear it used so much. It’s kind of funny to me, I guess.” Originally from the Westside of Chicago, Kenny spent his formative years on the West Coast in the city in Paramount, CA. It’s in Paramount, a city which borders Compton on the East and Long Beach on the North, where he found he had a talent for rapping. It is also where he was introduced to the world of Bloods and Crips. “See, I was from Chicago so I had no idea what a Blood or a Crip was. The world I knew was different but, see, I was too young when we moved to Cali to get too far gone into the Chicago street shit but I found out real quick that the area I was in was held down by some dudes from Fruit Town Piru whose families moved into the area. So, you know how shit go…next thing I know I’m running around with a red rag with some nutty ass niggas on some rowdy thug shit.” Now, while he was involved in some gangbang theatrics, Kenny had a strong enough family base that he was able to stay on task and use his high aptitude to finish school with high marks. But when it came time for college, he wasn’t sure if it was something he really wanted to do. It wasn’t until a conversation he had with the OG who put him on that he decided to go on to college. “He basically told me to ‘Look around.’ I did and at first I just saw everybody having a good time cause we were having a picnic that but then I noticed that everybody had their strap on them. It hit me right there like, ‘we are in our own hood and we have to be strapped all the time now.’ Shit was kind of hot at that time. A couple beefs here and there. Not only from other people but within our own unit. Even though that was the summer of my life, I can tell it was the best it was going to get. My big homey told me I had a chance to get away and do something none of them did. I feel he pretty
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much saved my life.” Kenny went on to Grambling State University. It is there where he was able to introduce his talent for rap to others from all over the US and not just his own hood. He would often get compliments from not only the average listener when he performed in talent shows or a cipher but also from fellow MCs on campus. “You don’t know how many times I heard, ‘Hey, KD, me and you are the best rappers up here. Can’t nobody fuck with us.’ I honestly had about 10 dudes tell me that shit.” But while he was doing his due diligence honing his rap skills, he was still more focused on having a good time and causing trouble than actually hitting the books. “Man, college was wild for me. I’m looking around at these college dudes and a lot of them were trying to be tough and thugged out shit and here I am trying to change up from that. But, I was just as guilty cause I ended up selling weed, robbing muthafuckas, fucking every broad willing, shit, I even pimped a couple of broads down there. College was a very different experience than I expected.” After two years of partying and carrying on, he flunked out of college and was back in California. After a couple of months, he found himself living Hyde Park on the Southside of Chicago. It is there where he met a member of the Chicago hip-hop clique, PCP, who introduced him to the rest of the group which included Big Malcolm Little. Kenny’s time in Chicago started off rocky being arrested twice within months. But after some time, he refocused and decided to give another go at college and went back to Grambling State. He graduated two years later with a Bachelor’s Degree and had a new outlook on life. He moved back to Paramount, CA and began working with the Compton Unified School District helping supervise after-school programs for underprivileged children. While living there, he gets a call from his buddy in Chicago, Big Malcolm. “Well, without getting into specifics, I always knew he was a street dude and I lived in Cali and I was kind of connected, if you catch my drift. I had the ability to make things happen and I was able to facilitate certain things.” Big Malcolm and Kenny formed a strong bond over that time and decided one day while they were in Cali to go to the studio and record something. They both knew the other could rap but had never worked together. They recorded a song called “Tight Pickle”. That day was the birthday of Best Ever Entertainment. About a year later, with his father in failing health, Kenny decides to move back to the Chicago area to care for him. He also decided to make a concerted effort to get Best Ever Entertainment off the ground. Instead of moving to Chicago, however, he ended up settling in Gary, IN.
Alovar Carnelli Innovative Designs & Concepts
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Gary, which is known as being the birthplace of the famed Jackson clan, is also known as holding the dubious distinction of being named the “Murder Capital of the US” on occasion. Kenny has no problem with the reputation of Gary, IN. “I love Gary. I’m glad to call it home. My mother and that whole side of my family is from there. The murder, death, kill shit is there but it’s like any other hood….if you want to find it then you can. Yeah, there is the occasional innocent but usually the ones who are getting dropped put themselves in precarious situations. There isn’t a place in Gary where I feel nervous because in the end we are all Black people who want to live to see the next day.” Kenny was well on his way to getting his company off the ground when he went he arrested for a felony marijuana possession charge. “Yeah, it was crazy. I was working. Had a job and everything! But fast money is addictive. I had a sweet thing going and made one mistake. I’m really not, ‘the woulda, coulda, shoulda’, type but I fucked up. Got caught with a pound of green in my truck… Shit happens. It was cool though. I had lawyer money.” With this setback, along with various other mishaps including jail time from various members of the Best Ever family, the label was put on hold. During this time, Kenny got involved in other activities which led to another felony arrest but from this he was able to refocus and start anew with his vision for the Best Ever label. “I guess all the shit I got into trying to get this off the ground has a silver lining in that I was able to put myself in a position to get things done. Whether it’s systematically, financially, or whatever, I’m in a better position to do exactly what I want. I recently bought a house. Paid off my truck! Just doing some grown man shit. I’ve always been responsible so now it’s time to translate that into something.” As the founder and CEO of Best Ever Entertainment, Kenny has introduced a label that seeks to live out the name he blessed upon the company. He believes that with the talent that he has assembled that Best Ever will consistently push out the most quality music available. As an artist, he is determined to give audiences the most vivid description of personal interaction that an artist can give. “My music is very understandable. What I mean by that is when people hear
it they will be able to relate whether it’s the listener themselves who see themselves in that situation or someone they know. I do a lot of concept songs. Don’t get me wrong I do the other Billy Bad Ass shit, too, but I try to do the story line shit. That’s what thrills me is pulling one idea all together in one package and presenting it to the public. It’s a beautiful thing.” Indeed, it is! To the gang individuals out there: “Take a punch before talking shit… be a man, woman before you get knock out. Once you become somebody, people will respect you as a person, instead the garbage in
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which you are.” www.besteverent.com www.twitter.com/kennydangerous www.myspace.com/kennydangerousakaswagger www.facebook.com/kennydangerous www.youtube.com/kennydangerous Quots Ups and the downs the rise and the fall, fuck a 9 to 5 I’m a hustler yall, I got money on my mind like a bank teller, but ain’t trying to run up in them for no FBI bank cheddar. –Malcome Little What I have is real-estate, Cannabis store, and vehicles. Those are my guns. – Kenney Dangerous
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Is this you? The beggars… We do our best trying to connect with them, but that’s all they want is our money. Nothings good! When talking to them, it’s like pulling teeth. They act like you owe them something, instead having an engaging conversation. When dating them, it’s like they want you to pay for everything like: their hair, nails, clothes, and shoes. What do we get? WTF But, when you want some of that good-good, they act like prostitutes. You got to wine and dine them, give them more and more conversation. Sale them a dream, take them around world, play their games, tell them how beautiful they are. So you can hear their cries and catch those tears falling frequently down their faces. Let’s not talk about those individuals who want to control the situation. As they talk, you should listen. As they walk, you should hold their bags. As they walk to the door, you should open it all the time – like they don’t have hands and feet to do it their dam self. As they sit, you should service their every need. Is this bitter or what? Are these people beggars? Are these individuals you?
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Jim Shoe SANDWISH
On Chicago’s southside you may have noticed the signs at the places that serve gyros and burgers. It could be spelled JIM SHOE or GYM SHOE. The idea of eating a gym shoe itself isn’t very appetizing, but I can assure you the Gym/ Jim Shoe sandwich is the greatest thing to hit sandwiches since the Reuben or the Club sandwich. Best thing about it is, it isn’t available on the Northside. You can’t find it on the Westside. This is a Southside thang. I texted Tyler here at SAG and told him he had to come down and try it. He asked what it was. It’s like this, pita bread with gyros meat, corned beef and roast beef. There are sauces on it, but beats me how many or what they are. You get fries with it, like you need them. And a pop. So he drives by and off we go to try one. This sandwich is huge. There is no standard for this sandwich, so ask before you buy. One place might not serve all 3 meats, so you want to be careful. You want everything on it. If you live near 47th St or travel by there you’ll find at least 3 places around the el that sell it, but the best is the one in the picture here. The sandwich takes a good ten minutes to make, so you have to be patient. The reward is the taste!
It does not taste like eating a gym shoe. It does not taste like any sandwich you’ve eaten before. From the first bite your mouth goes into reward mode. It likes it, you like it. A sandwich experience is born. I wish I could tell you who invented it. No one knows. I wish I could tell you what place first did it. It is not on the net. It is only in Chicago, and it is only on the Southside. Don’t just eat this sandwich, eat the hell out of it! - Michael Flores Michael Flores is a Chicago playwright/ producer and director who has created over 15 plays, held hundreds of events and has two films in the works and a new play in the Fall. He has been covered by the BBC, PLAYBOY magazine and cable channel, The NY Times and many others. He lives in Bronzeville, and he knows a good sandwich when he eats one!
Cuddi’s
Cook Book
When seeing this woman in action made me want to interview her on the spot. She had this swag about herself that made camera men and women flock to her feet to just take pictures. As the paparazzi snapped pictures once she arose from this 1987 – 1989 Blue Chevy Caprice Brougham with 24 or 26’ inch rims, I knew right there, we were going to connect right then and there. Why? Because of her “SWITZURATION ” was plush! She had on these red lined shades with a red flowery shirt. She is downto-earth. She has great stage presents and can rap her heart out. So haters stop hating on the female artists because this one got the flow, know, go and this magical formula that would blow your minds. So, let’s go back in time, to figure out this master piece. The woman of whom we are talking about goes by the name of CUDDI CUDD. Her story begins like this: As a little girl, she was involved in gospel music. She sang with gospel artists such as “New Direction, The Williams Brothers, Angela Spivey, Kirk Franklin” just to name a few. She had problems like most of us, but at the 16, she left home to find direction. She lived in the gutter; some would call it the streets. She lived in abandon homes and ate exotics foods like throwaways – anything she can put her hands on, basically. She learned how to survive like a homeless person. She studied the in and outs of life living on the streets, while leaving home. She adopted words like encouragement, positive thinking and the struggle. Life is made of various institutions that would provide individuals with hope, gratification, and the opening for change to survive in this world.
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Living on the streets was hard for this woman, but she survived by creating a path that would teach any person the survival of life, the meaning continuous education, and the thought of humbling one’s mind before reacting on the obvious. This woman’s creative mind took the streets by storm, with the challenges that she had faced, to the new beginnings that she was about to drag alone. She pioneered a cook book of words, strengths, and encouragements that she learned while living in that every day struggle called the streets. When living on the streets, you are faced with many obstacles and death is one of them. But in this cook book, she teaches that all things fall under and every day struggle. Once the meet of this scholastic scholar by interview, CUDDi stated this about the children: Every child should get there education. Stay in school because there is nothing in the streets for the youth. Without your education most people would be penniless. Get your education! Her greatest accomplishments was putting her CDs out, encouraging the youth to become somebody, and getting her music heard. CUDDI is 29, a lyrist, a powerful speaker, an encourager under fire, a believer for hope for our youth and artist – a stylist for once looks. And yes, she has her own business. Hum, if she can do it by living on the streets, anyone can do it by staying in the classroom.
Another word that means the same as swag! SCmagazine came up with it.
HAPPY B Num o 6 Rin
BIRTHDAY mber 2 of ngs Ent.
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