Aug/Sep 2016
808 Ray is on the #1 Record in the Country And He's Just Getting Started
#ExclusiveIndie Charts inside
The Official Magazine of Focused Radio 1 The Focus
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Enhancing the Community through technology www.thefocusmag.com
focus points 11. Major Key Alert: 808 Ray Cover Story 15. Fashion: board your flight World Tour 17. I'm Up Now: Please get home safe 19. Lifestyle: Healthy Eating 22. Health and Wellness: Meet Living Sickle cell rva 30. unique Dreams: It's Your Time 38. Exclusive indie
Editor in chief: TommyP content supervisor: marcus wise lead visual artist: naadir love Each month “The Focus” spotlights small businesses, entre“ preneurs, community events, political topics fashion and the arts, we are poised to stay relevant and to influence what people are talking about and doing.
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We can’t stop and won’t stop. This issue we keep getting you #Focused with the keys to our financial change. By focusing on the things that has been overlooked for so long out of our own community, we know that we can start to monetize our skills and hustles, into fully functioning institutions producing wealth right out of our Urban communities. This month we get a major key from a young man whose beat was featured on the #1 album in the country right now. 808_Ray, a Roanoke native sits down and talks to us about his journey and drops a few gems for those coming up behind him. We also speak heavily to our biggest cause, Sickle Cell Awareness. As we continue our partnership with Virginia Blood Services, we prepare to embark on another Sickle Cell Awareness month of collecting blood donations from the urban community in order to find proper matches for those needing blood transfusions during sickle cell crises. As always thanks for the continued support. We just went over 3 years of producing this monthly publication showcasing and spotlighting the movers and shakers making a difference and speaking on the topics that matter the most to our community. #StayFocusedMyFriends TommyP 4 The Focus
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Social Institution for like-minded entrepreneurs, tradespeople, and small business who aspire improvement for themselves and their community. Fueled by forward thinking, creativity and resilience our mission is to provide our members with feasible solutions that will lead them to success.
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the young Producer from roanoke "the Star city" virginia, has etched his name into the history of hip hop. being on the number one album in the country, "Major Key" by dj khaled, his beat on "Nas Album done" track not only officially introduced him to the world, but also answered a question everyone has been wanting to know about one of the genre's legends.
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Getting keys is not something that happens on a daily basis. Whether it’s getting keys to a vehicle, house, or office, it normally comes after you’ve shown yourself to be “smart, loyal, and grateful.” Rayshon Cobbs, Jr, better known to the world now as, “808_Ray” has shown himself to be all these things and 12 The Focus
more. “It’s been surreal, I try not to listen to it too much so I don’t overplay it.” Says 808 during our interview on the TommyP in the Morning Show on focused Radio. I chimed in with an “Ooh la-la-la” referencing the sample of Lauryn Hill he used on the track for Nas. Yeah that’s right, this
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IMG_5759.jpeg guy did a song for the Great, Nasir Jones. Using a sample from Lauryn Hill’s voice on the classic Fug ee-Lah. Nas and Hill collaborated years ago on one of his biggest records, “If I ruled The World.” Everybody knows Lauryn doesn’t let her samples go on just anything. Especially the melody to one of the 13 The Focus
biggest records of her career. “I didn’t know about the process of getting the sample cleared. They handled all of that”, 808 speaking of how the song came to be. “I just got the call that it had been done.” It was his will and determination that got him noticed. “I lost a beat battle I went to and said to myself that could never happen again. I used the money I had got from working and caught the bus on my way to Philly. I was fortunate to have a [lifetime] mentor, Wayne “Range da Messenga” Hancock, take me under his wing. He really put a lot of time into me he didn’t have to.” When asked what advice he’d give to up and coming producers looking for their break he said,“First and foremost, keep God First! If it wasn’t for Him none of this would’ve been possible. Pray and speak your goals in to existence. Secondly, share. Not give yourself away, but let people know what you do and work on our craft daily. Last but not least, travel. You got to get your name out there. The Internet is cool, but you got to actually get out there and sit with people.” Major Keys from this young brother who is staying humble and riding his moment.
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Board Your Flight: The World Tour Hair is not just a necessity for all women, it is an art. The act of design-
ing hair allows stylist to display creativity and tell a book of stories. On August 13th Roanoke, Va did it again. The World Tour Hair and Fashion Show presented by: Mr. Gregory Addison took us on a tour around Africa, Asia, Europe, and Brazil. The owner of Hair Attitudes brought in hair stylist, makeup artist, designers, boutiques, and models all around the Roanoke Valley and surrounding areas.
The runway was definitely something to see. You’d be surprised what you can do with hair. A small group of stylist opened up the show on stage, telling a story of natural hair and braids. Did you know that braiding patterns were used in different African tribes to tell stories and pass messages? Some braiding styles or updo’s represented social status or royalty. These meaningful hair styles were complimented by couture garments, made specifically for the runway.
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Not only did we see couture designers from Philadelphia and North Carolina, we also saw garments from boutiques such as Bride’s House, Her Perfect Day Boutique & Design Studio, She’s International, Konceited Boutique . I would personally say I enjoyed my World Tour experience. If you have never attended a Greg Addison production in the star city, stay tuned. You can’t miss another one! Signed: Lee Marie
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Please Get Home Safe Listeners of my Focused Radio Show, Modern Renaissance, know I often speak of current events within our culture. As a young African American male, I identify with the rebellious spirit of my peers. The same spirit that revolted in Missouri after Mike Brown, Baltimore in reemergence of Freddie Gray, and other movements that express the frustrations of oppression. Tension between law enforcement and racial minority groups are at an all time high. After a decade of highly publicized abuse, murder, and mistreatment, many ethnic millennials share a sentiment of opposition toward jurisdictions of law enforcement. A collective voice reminiscent of the late 80’s, early 90’s, following NWA’s infamous “F The Police” in 1988 and The Rodney King verdict in 1992. Undoubtedly, law enforcement officers around the country feel the temperature rising as well. The elephant in the room is roaring loud, resulting in more volatile encounters during routine traffic stops. Lives are being lost on both sides, while more families mourn weekly. In early August, I performed a broadcast of the Modern Renaissance Show where I apologized 17 The Focus
to listeners for being late after being pulled over by a police officer for an outdated inspection, which I was unaware, and failure to wear a seatbelt. I testified to feeling anxious as the red lights flashed behind. A feeling that listeners responded they too feel during traffic stops. However, my encounter with this officer was relatively peaceful. The officer approached the car with his hand on his weapon, as they often do, but quickly told me the reason for the stop after noticing the concern and worry expressed on my face. After the officer wrote me two tickets, he expressed how I could get one dropped and we engaged in a brief conversation about police relations with the community. I spoke from a perspective of police abusing their badge and authority. The officer responded by referencing his countless encounters with unprovoked hostility from citizens who are stopped for breaking the law. One thing we could agree on was the senselessness of the violence between our two cultures. As the conversation came to a close, I realized, the common denominator in officer related fatalities is our adulterated egos. Officers feel empowered, African Americans feel targeted, and everyone would rather be right instead of righteous. Often ignited by aggressiveness from one party, the other responds with pride, refusing to back down. As prideful as I advocate for us to be for our cul-
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ture and community, I would love to see more of us make it home. Even when encountered by aggressive police I hope these words sound in the mind of my conscious and frustrated peers; Please make it home safe. That’s all I ask. Let us take just as much pride in making it home to our families as we do to standing up for injustices. #ImUpNow
Modern Rennaisance with Consciousness Wise Tuesdays and Thursdays 4p-7p 18 The Focus
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Healthy Eating – Start Today What does healthy eating mean? Healthy eating means eating a variety of foods that give you the nutrients you need to maintain your health, feel good, and have energy. These nutrients include protein, carbohydrates, fat, water, vitamins, and minerals. Nutrition is important for everyone
Finding out what your bad habits are: Let’s create a list of your eating habits. Keeping a food diary for a few days, you are going to write down everything you eat and the time of day you ate it, this will help you uncover your habits. For example, you might discover that you always seek a sweet snack to get you through the mid-afternoon energy slump. It’s good to note how you were feeling when you decided to eat, especially if you were eating when not hungry. Were you tired? Stressed out?
Highlight the habits on your list that may be leading you to overeat. Common eating habits that can lead to weight gain are: 1. Eating too fast 2. Always cleaning your plate 3. Eating when not hungry 4. Eating while standing up (may lead to eating mindlessly or too quickly) 5. Always eating dessert 6. Skipping meals (or maybe just breakfast) Look at the unhealthy eating habits you›ve highlighted. Pay close attention to all the triggers that cause you to engage in these habits. What habits can you eliminate or at least start to change now. Acknowledge your good habits: Such as eating fruit for dessert 19 The Focus
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Common triggers for eating when not hungry are: Opening up the cabinet and seeing your favorite snack food. Sitting at home watching television. Before or after a stressful meeting or situation at work. Coming home after work and having no idea what’s for dinner. Having someone offer you a dish they made “just for you!” Walking past a candy dish on the counter. Sitting in the break room beside the vending machine. Seeing a plate of doughnuts at the morning staff meeting. Swinging through your favorite drive-through every morning. Feeling bored or tired and thinking food might offer a pick-me-up.
Creating Healthy Eating Habits Replace your unhealthy habits by creating new, healthier ones. For instance we may realize that we are eating too fast when we eat our meals alone. So, we can get into the habit of counting when we chew. Count to say 15 while we chew that alone will slow us down and help with the digestion of our food. You can also try putting your fork down between bites or minimizing other distractions (such as watching TV or using cellphones during dinner) that might keep us from paying attention to how quickly — and how much — we’re eating. We can make a date to have lunch or dinner with someone. Nothing beats good company to enjoy our meal. Here are few more ideas to help you replace unhealthy habits:
· Eat only when you’re truly hungry instead of when you are tired, anxious, or feeling an emotion besides hunger. If you find yourself eating when you are experiencing an emotion besides hunger, such as boredom or anxiety, try to find a non-eating activity to do instead. A quick walk or phone call with a friend often helps us feel better. · Plan meals ahead of time to ensure that you eat a healthy well-balanced meal. 20 The Focus
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Supporting Sickle Cell Awareness!
Saturday, September 17 10:00am – 2:00pm
The Historic Lawson Building Bloodmobile – 401 Gainsboro Rd., Roanoke Sign-up online at https://vadonor.org
Appointments preferred. Walk-ins welcome!
Thank you t-shirt for all presenting donors! 21 The Focus
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More than two million people currently carry the Sickle Cell Trait here in the United States. Approximately 100,000 Americans currently live with Sickle Cell Disease in the United States and over two million live with the disease worldwide, a huge increase from just ten years ago. A great number of individuals affected by this disease live here in the Greater Richmond area, including more than 300 kids. As a mother of two of those children I’ve seen its devastating effects firsthand. I found out my son Jadien (who is now six) had Sickle Cell Disease while in the NICU as a result of being born prematurely due to a stroke he suffered in utero. I remember feeling shocked and confused. I wondered what that diagnosis meant for him and for our family. It didn’t take long to find out. At the age of seven months Jadien had his first pain crisis. He suffered for several days because, in my inexperience, I thought he was just fussy. It was at that first emergency room visit that I became really aware of what a life with Sickle Cell would be like. Since then, he has spent much of his of his young life in and out of doctor’s offices, hospitals, labs, and therapy centers. He has suffered near fatal crises including Acute Chest Syndrome and Splenic Sequestrations. He in fact, just had surgery to have his spleen removed. Because his three year old sister, Jaylen, also suffers from this disease I know all too well what it is like to have both of them going through a crisis or being in the hospital at the same time. I know what it is like to be unable to sleep because I’m up checking on them or giving medications in the middle of the night. I’ve had to comfort my other children and wipe the tears from their eyes as they helplessly watch what those two go through, all while wanting to break down myself. These are things no parent would want to see their child go through. As a result of those experiences I became committed to finding ways to help my children and others LIVE until there is a widespread cure. At LIVING with Sickle Cell RVA, our mission is to “Help kids and families affected by Sickle Cell LIVE through Education, Advocacy & Empowerment”. We’re providing education about both Sickle Cell Trait and Sickle Cell Disease 22 The Focus
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to all people including patients, their caregivers, schools, and the community. We’re advocating about this disease and the need for research as we meet people in the street, through social media, speaking to young adults on college campus, and participating in and hosting events like our upcoming Sickle Cell Awareness Walk on September 24, 2016 at Virginia Union University. We’re breaking and detaching the silent stigma historically associated with Sickle Cell and empowering kids and their families to stand up and speak out. All of these things are vital for helping these kids truly LIVE. Faith 4 A Cure shows We Care about the cause and persons living with Sickle Cell Anemia. We Unite people with people by bridging the gap through partnerships with local and national initatives in order to strengthen communities affected by Sickle Cell.
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ON THE CAMPUS OF VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY
REGISTRATION FROM 8:00-9:00 AM
WALK STARTS AT 9:30 AM
SEPTEMBER 24, 2016
SICKLE CELL AWARENESS WALK!!!
Hosted by: LIVING with Sickle Cell RVA in partnership with The Beta Epsilon Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. & Sickle Cell Association of Richmond – OSCAR COME OUT, have FUN and SUPPORT a great cause!!! Help us help kids and families LIVING with Sickle Cell Disease in the Richmond Community!!!
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MUSIC, REFRESHMENTS, AND FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!
CONTACT US AT: LIVINGWITHSCRVA@ GMAIL.COM FOR MORE INFO
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Get your Sickle Cell Awareness t-shirt from donating blood during one of these drives
in the month of September
September 17 10a-2p Historic Lawson Bldg 401 Gainsboro Rd Roanoke, VA
Haley Buick/ GMC September 26 12p-6p Four Points by Sheraton on Midlothian Tpke Richmond, VA
September 27 11a-5p Foster Hall Petersburg, VA
For a full listing of all Sickle Cell Awareness Blood Drives visit www.vadonor.org
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#FlycodesSeason
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Improve Your Balance
How to live calmer, saner, and more fully — starting today.
Life can be overwhelming at times. You feel like you are going 100 miles per hour, but you still cannot keep up. You have a hard time fitting in the things you have to do, never mind the things you really want to do. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a life out of balance. And it happens to all of us at one time or another. The question is, how to get that balance back — and keep it. These four proven strategies are a good place to start: • Make downtime a priority. It is important to treat activities such as exercise, family time, getting together with friends, and even naps as high-priority items. Because they are! They add variety to your life, and they energize you. So it is important to schedule them just as you do work, school, chores, and errands.
• Make exercise a habit. Getting regular physical activity on all or most days of the week may seem selfish to some people, but it makes you happier and healthier. When you feel better, you are better at everything else you do, whether that is working, studying, doing housework, or being a parent. • Make small adjustments at first — then build on them. You may not need to make big changes to get your balance back. Set aside an hour for a hobby once a week. Schedule a weekend getaway with your family every three months. Once you get used to making these kinds of adjustments, you’ll gain more balance in your life.
• Try to stop doing things that don’t add value to your life. It’s true; many people waste time on activities that are unnecessary. Mindless Internet surfing. Hours of TV watching. Constantly checking your finances. These things do not really get you anywhere. The advice: Examine activities that do not improve your career or personal life, and force yourself to spend less time on them each day.
The information contained herein is the property of UPMC Health Plan and/or its affiliates, and is intended solely for use by UPMC Health Plan employer groups.
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Copyright 2015 UPMC Health Plan, Inc. All rights reserved
If you are a UPMC Health Plan member, a health coach is here to help — at no cost to you! Call 1-800-807-0751 today or visit www.upmchealthplan.com to learn more about this topic, along with the preventive services that are available to UPMC Health Plan members. Discuss the frequency of screenings with your doctor.
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JOB PREPARATION PROGRAM
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IT’S YOUR TIME!!!! When it’s your time and you are in your season no man can stop what God has for you. Do you pray? Do you fast? Do you sow seeds? Do you wait in “EXPECTATION” knowing that God is and will do everything he said he would! This is the month of harvest; this is the month to come into all that you have believed in God for, and THIS IS THE MOMENT YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING YOUR WHOLE LIFE FOR! When you are in your season, God will send divine connections to you. When you are in your season, God will send divine resources to you. When you are in your season, God will elevate you, and when you are in your season, God will produce RECORD BREAKING MIRACLES. What season are you in? Is it your time? When you take one step, know that God will walk you into a destiny that was SUPERNATURALLY DESIGNED JUST FOR YOU! #UniqueDreams
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Hey, it’s Melissa Kelly again, also known as Lady Kellz. As we move along with the books I have written, let me introduce you to Part 2 of Just Grimey, Tylisha’s Back……….. Baby, we’re just getting started. Get to know me through my stories!
Synopsis Tylisha is a self-made Queen pen who showed the soft ass ni@%as how to get real money. After all the betrayal, murders, lies and stolen money,she is going after those that left her for dead. Mace is the boss of the dirty south ni@%as reigning from Roanoke, VA. His squad of goons are ruthless and only care about taking over Tylisha’s drug business. When his cousin is killed in the process, it is time to start bodying Baltimore ni@%as, starting with the baddest bitch! Tylisha never thought she would be sleeping with the man out to get her or that the man she thought she loved would team up with the Feds. When she finds out Dee is still plotting against her, it’s every person for theirself. Kill or be killed is her new motto! Tylisha becomes more callous and deadly as they continue to underestimate her because of her sweet nature. She is ready to show the world just how grimey her and her crew can be. Come join her in Just Grimey 2 when she shows the world what happens when you mess with an angry black woman that is ready for some murderous revenge!
I hope you enjoy reading my books as much as I enjoy writing them. My books are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you are an aspiring author and interested in becoming published, please submit the first three chapters of your manuscript and your synopsis to ladykellz.author@gmail.com
Thank you to ALL my readers and supporters for rockin with me. A special shout out to The Focus Magazine and Tommy Page for allowing me this opportunity! Much love! Star City Baby! 34 The Focus
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What does a healthy diet consist of? According to the National Health Service, a balanced diet consists of modest food portions from all of the major food groups, including fruits and vegetables; lean meats---this only applies to meat eaters; wholegrain items, such as quinoa and barley; legumes; and limited amounts of sugary and high-fat foods.
Reinforce your new, healthy habits and be patient with yourself. Habits take time to develop at least 28 -30 days. It rarely happens overnight. When you do find yourself reverting back to your unhealthy habit, stop quickly and ask yourself: “ 1. Why am I doing this? 2. When did I start doing this? 3. What changes do I need to make?
Do not scold yourself or accept just because you ate that chocolate bar that your whole day is ruined. Nope just watch what you are eating the rest of the day. Take one day at a time! Sometimes it is one hour at a time! You can do it!
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#ExclusiveIndie Craig-O WHAM
Florida native has been in the game doing his thing for years. Rocking in multiple states and on worldwide stages, his new project, I Make My Own Beats (I.M.M.O..B.) is on it’s way to continue his push to the top. 38 The Focus
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Exclusive Indie airplay 1. Crush- Yuna feat. Usher
2. Icon- Star-Citi 3. Leave- Tripp 4. Simple- Treasure Davis ft Kid Ink 5. Weirdo- Joon D 6. Wham- No Threat 7. Spaceship- Anhayla 8. All Night - Kev Young 9. Hard Times- Star Citi ft Mike Harris and Ally Celestro 10. Best of Me- T. Soul
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