Spoken Magazine Winter 2010 by Spoken Magazine LLC

THE FUTURE OF POETRY AN INTERVIEW WITH ED “FUTURE” WILSON

PASS IT DOWN PLAY BY EMERGING WRITER SIDDEEQAH POWELL

Johnathon Blanchard MEMPHIS BASS VOCALIST GIVES BIRTH TO A NEW GENRE

Ayinde Almin

TALKS RELATIONSHIPS AND MUSIC

MARIAN COLLIER

WINTER 20/10 INAUGURAL ISSUE

ATLANTA FASHION DESIGNER

WWW.SPOKENMAGAZINE.NET

Summer

2010

Features

In This Issue

The Future of Poetry An interview with spoken word artist, Ed “ Future” Wilson. Future talks about his beginnings, where he is now, and where you can find him in the future.

Pass It Down

Question One

A new stage play written by Siddeeqah Powell, is a work of art that opened the eyes, ears and minds of all those in attendance.

Tonya Grace sits down with Atlanta fashion designer, Marian Collier to discuss what sets her apart in the industry.

18 A Moment of Clarity The first installation in a series of short stories. (follow each issue to get the full story)

Negro Funk Shaunteka LaTrese sits down with bass vocalist Johnathan Blanchard and explores the foundation of his unique, soul stirring sound.

31 Spoken Idioms

Melanie Richardson talks relationships and music with a rising “ATL” artist, Ayinde Almin.

WINTER 10

Marian

olli

? One

Photography by Marvin Striggles

Tonya Grace with Designer Marian Collier

“Clothes that I make, make you dance” I was ﬁnally able to catch-up with this very pleasant individual, Marian Collier, fashion designer and “ar st”. I really enjoyed speaking with Marian as she made frequent references to her age and how she just really wants people to not misconstrue the idea of older folks as fashion designers. She voices that age has nothing to do with crea vity and having an “eye for fabrica on”.

Spoken Magazine

Trends of Winter 2010 By Sian Chisholm The first one apparent to me is drapery/layers on garments and accessories. This refers to the Grecian style of lots of layering and bunching on the torso of garments to create the ultimate floaty yet shaped look. This requires light fabrics such as chiffon. Another future look for next season is knitwear, so dig out your knitted cardigans and shrugs and wear them with pride! In particular, knitted garments with a sheen woven into them or ones with shiny decorations such as sequins or beads. This look could be achieved by hand sewing some decorations on or by simply buying vintage garments. Relating to the previous trend is delicate bead work in pale colours used as decoration on garments, be sweaters, cardigans or bags. Again, this could be done by hand if you have the skills (and patience!) or you could buy vintage items from a vintage shop or even online! Lace and burlesque styles are about to be huge so stock up on satin bodices edged with lace, beautiful heels with lace incorporated into them and delicate mini skirts edged or decorated with panels of lace. Think sexy yet delicate, feminine yet confident, show-stopping yet subtle. Lace will also be used to accentuate patterns on garments, for example only using lace on certain parts of the pattern being used. Furs or mock furs, animal skins, leathers, feathers and mohair are to make a come back too as they are all textured and luxurious, and various fastenings will be big as well, adding interest and delicate touches to garments that may otherwise be bland. So get ready to purchase lots of mock croc patent leather handbags with buckle fastenings, coats with oversized buttons and zips, and shrugs of furs (be it real or mock) decorated with feathers and unique fastenings. Lots and lots (and lots) of layering one fabric over another to create a mixed up explosion of textures and colours in one place on garments. For example, pin striped material where the stripes are furs, or felt over the top of knitting, or tartan with bright colours running through it, or several layers of fabric to create 3-Dimensional decoration. Again, this could be achieved by adapting garments by hand or by buying vintage items where this technique has been used. Of course, these are just some of the styles set to return in Autumn/Winter, this is not exhaustive at all. If you like the ideas expressed here and would like to try them out before the shops why not visit a vintage clothes shop or better still buy vintage online, let them do all the leg work for you! http://www.vintagetreats.co.uk/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sian_Chisholm http://EzineArticles.com/?Trends-of-Autumn-Winter-2009-

fashion forward

2010&id=2636476

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two minutes in length on a random subject given by the Host. The poet to win “The Underestimated” title will stand to receive the $1500 Cash Prize, a souvenir 30 inch chain with pendant and their performances broadcasted on Underestimated Entertainment’s WebTV site: www. The-underestimated.com, as well as pending broadcast on a national television network. The show is located at Studio 1775. The art studio is owned and operated by Derrick Spivey. An African-American sculptor and artist, who opened his space to others to express their own artistry.

entertainment is an organization that provides the Atlanta area with quality entertainment at various venues. Currently, the team at The Underestimated Entertainment is hosting a Poetry/ Spoken Word competition. The Underestimated Entertainment hosts a series of 7 shows. Over a series of six showcases, 1 poet will be eliminated each week until the reigning champion “The Underestimated” has become victorious! The final round of the competition is a BATTLE round. The two remaining contestants will be led to a designated area and allowed 15 minutes to write a poem of up to

The Underestimated Spoken Word and Poetry Competition was created by Executive Producer, Sakina Kaleak and inspired by the omnipresence of Derrick’s sculpting technique which is exhibited throughout the venue. Many thanks to Roget Holman, President of Rabble Rouser Studios and his staff who helped make this competition a reality. Underestimate (un-dr-es-t-mate ) - to misjudge the worth of somebody or something; to judge people or things as being inferior to their real value or ability

“NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE COMPETITION”

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Christopher Ussery, known to all as the infamous Chris Flame, is steadily emerging as an original voice in production. Though still early in his career, his work is vastly favored by industry critics. An EMI producer, Chris Flame lends himself to his own creativity and live instruments rather than mix machine samples and for that, he is often compared to a young Swizz Beats. His early tenure at widely known Radio One gave him a sharp sense of musical supply and demand. In A&R at Atlanta’s Hot 107.9, Flame quickly jumped on the fast track with input on David Banner’s 2005 track “Take Yours” released on his highly anticipated album, Certified. His beats are distinct, infectious and ahead of the trend. Garnering massive neighborhood fame for taking promising artists under his wing. He linked with childhood friends Jasiel Robinson and Alonzo Mathis also known as Bad Boy South’s Yung Joc and Gorilla Zoe. Producing both demo tapes for the famed artists and personally walking them to Block Entertainment, these unions begot Flame’s next singles, “I’m Him,” a highly regarded single on Joc’s Grammy nominated New Joc City, and the summer banger “Hood Figga” on Gorilla Zoe’s 2007 album Welcome to the Zoo. As a Headshell Management artist, Chris Flame also co-produced the intro on Jay Z’s historic American Gangster album, and produced “I’m a G” for Yung Joc’s Hustlenomics. The list of Atlanta ties could go on forever. Chris Flame has made a way in the industry with a keen ear for the hottest music and great eye for undiscovered talent. He solidified his spot as Atlanta’s hottest producer in the streets. So where do you go to talk to Chris Flame? How do you find the man, the myth, the soonto-be legend? He currently is working with DMR Entertainment based out of Atlanta, Georgia which hosts some of the newest, ho est singers coming out of the A. You can also ﬁnd Chris Flame on all the social networking sites. Don’t sleep on your dream...get a master producer like Chris Flame and make it a reality!

Spoken Magazine

model exposure

Atlanta’s own

Who is Rahsheda Stamps? Born in the beau ful strength of New Orleans and cradled by Atlanta, Georgia into womanhood, Rahsheda Stamps embodies beauty, brains and ambi on. As an aspiring triple threat (model, singer and actress), she also wears the hat of entrepreneur. Rahsheda is the CEO of Jane of All Trades Marke ng and creator/host of the soon-tocome “On The Scene” internet video blog. She features new and upcoming businesses in Atlanta to help the average newcomer or seasoned Atlanta na ve ﬁnd what is fresh “On The Scene”. Where would you most likely run into Rahsheda? Jazz Clubs, Museums or Traveling What’s a quirky thing about you that you wouldn’t want anyone to know? I used to be a band geek...oh, and I love classical music! Interesting Fun Fact: I love seafood and anything prepared with cheese and I love to dance and sing in the mirror!

reparing to interview any artist always presents its own set of challenges. You want to make sure you’re asking questions that readers want to know, are off the beaten path, as well as toss in a few that the artist can kind of just run with. A lot of pressure is eased when you actually know the artist. I met Edwin “Future” Wilson about five years ago. This was back when I was still very much involved with the poetry/spoken word scene from a performance aspect. The spot was this lil’ hole in the wall joint in Lithonia, GA. If you’re familiar with the whole underground performance scene, you know the place. You can find one or a few in just about every city you visit. It’s that dark, smoky club or bar that opens its arms once a week to embrace the world of performance poetry.

The night was typical. The host brought out a vast array of performers who had signed the open mic list. The night was complete with beer sipping, cigarette ash flicking, oh, and let’s not forget the all you can eat wing buffet that lasted all of 15 minutes. Midway through the show, they brought up this young cat, “Future,” from Flint, Michigan. I had heard the name before, but had never heard him spit before. At the time, I had been on the scene a minute, and I’m not really impressed by most individuals who grace the stage or claim the title of poet or spoken word artist, but Future definitely had talent. During the show, he and I chopped it up a bit and discovered that the stage wasn’t the only thing we shared in common. We’re brothers in the same fraternity. So naturally, we exchanged contact information. Before the show ended, we exchanged CD’s, and as always, I popped it in as soon as I got in the car. While I was listening to the CD, his true talent was exposed. “This brother was the real deal,” and was a true performer. A lot of cats get out here, win you over with their live show, and then their CD is garbage. This definitely wasn’t the case with Future. His content was on point, the production was professional, and the brother just had these crazy tongue twisting rhyme schemes. I was like damn....rewind. Of course this brings us to present day and you know this artist had to make my list of potential interviews, so here we go...

Spoken Magazine

D.Dabney:What’s up Frat, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to complete this interview. I know we both have crazy schedules, so I’m just going to jump right into it. I’ve known you a while now, but I want to start with the basics for our readers who may not be followers of your work. How long have you been engaged in the art of spoken word or performance poetry as you like to call it?

Ed (Future):

I have been writing and performing for about 6 years now.

D.Dabney: As a follow-up to that question, how did you get involved in this art form? Ed (Future): I was working at the University of Michigan Flint’s rec center, when a guy walked in and asked if he could post flyers for his poetry slam. I asked him what it was and he ran it down to me, and said that the winner would get a $50 gift certificate to Border’s books! Being a college student, I wanted that $50! Needless to say, 2 weeks and 3 poems later I was on stage, and my career just snowballed from there.

D.Dabney:How has the spoken word scene changed since you first became involved with it, and what changes are you pleased and displeased with?

Ed (Future): For me the scene has changed. I like how the art form has climbed the “entertainment” ladder so to speak, but EVERYONE thinks they can do it, or do it well. So the market is kind of saturated these days. That can make it harder to find good gigs or find people with a great appreciation for the art. I can only imagine how the artists who were here before me feel!

“My only goal with this art form is to be the best thing people need to see when they see me. Everything else will fall in line as it should.”

D.Dabney: Now, we all know the life of any artist is hard, but to choose spoken word as a profession seems to be an even greater challenge considering it’s not an art form that garners as much attention as other forms of artistic expression. What are some challenges that you have had to overcome as a performing artist?

Ed (Future):

promoters, club owners and people in general taking the art serious enough to write me a decent paycheck. The colleges and universities have been VERY good to me, but i am looking for a larger platform. I need a hot booking agent/manager that can open more doors for me to push my craft to larger audi-

ences and global stages.

D.Dabney:Now, on stage you go by the name “Future”; exactly where do you see yourself in the future of poetry?

Ed (Future): Honestly its hard to say. I think its a blessing that I have been able to book as many shows as I have. Lately I have been getting more calls and the shows are getting bigger, so who knows. I hope to be able to make a great living as a performance artist, but with entertainment you never know. At the very least, I will open up a few minds and make it known that poetry/spoken word is a viable tool regardless if you’re on stage or writing for therapy.

D.Dabney: As a poet, who or what inspires you the most? Ed (Future):

I don’t even consider myself a poet per se. I feel I have been blessed with a gift to write and perform, its that simple for me. I’m inspired by a myriad of things. What I see, what I hear, sometimes thoughts just jump in my head. After that I just try my best to be as creative as possible in relaying what it is I am getting in my head. The most important thing for me is being relevant to the people I’m standing in front of, that’s my focus.

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“Well, I don’t like Gospel first of all. Not the music that’s being called Gospel today, it’s not Gospel, It’s like calling dancehall, reggae…It’s not the same.” Bass Vocalist

Johnathan Blanchard

“With a solid friendship and open communica"on you’re good, but you can’t forget the romance. Whatever I did in the beginning, I’ve got to make that happen. People can get too caught up in day to day life. I want my woman to understand that if I had to choose all over again, I would s"ll choose her.”

Ayinde Almin

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