Twenty4Seven Magazine: Issue #54

issue #54 2018

OMAR GOODING

Tonya ReneĂŠ Banks. B-Strilla. A. Luck. Lilimar. + Jordan L. Jones. Kirrilee Berger. Courtenay Taylor.

Corey Calliet. Andre Rison. Kam Corvet.

Editor/Publisher: Tyrone Davis Graphics: Brightwood Entertainment Photography: Brightwood Entertainment T4S Staff Contributing Photography: Malajah Nixon @Keno_Yeenkno Donnie Calliens Amanda Elkins Matthias Clamer/FOX Brett Erickson Jason Willheim LightBright The Producer Bobby Quillard Stylist: Jazmin Whitley (Courtenay Taylor) Hair/MUA: Chelsea Gehr (Courtenay Taylor)

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Woooo! 2018 has been an incredible year! It’s been tough, but we’ve accomplished a lot and have gained some awesome new partners along the way. Our goal for this year was to up our level of consistency and I believe we’ve done a great job. The last 2 issues of the year kicked our butts but we made it and as you will see, this issue alone (which is the last one of 2018) is a monster. I’m burnt out but I’m proud of myself and my team for going hard all year. I am going to enjoy these last few days of the year and get right back to it. 2019 is going to be BIG!

Contributing Writers: Krystal Luster Corletha Norman Bey, MSW, LCSW Lucky Smith

Sidenote: it’s been a long time coming but we’re looking to release “Twenty4Seven Magazine: The Mixtape Vol. 2” in January of 2019 as well as a few other projects that have been sitting in the queue for awhile now, including our first official film. Visit www.twenty4sevenmagazine.com for updates.

Tyrone Davis

Contact: twenty4sevenmagazine.com twenty4sevenmagazine@gmail.com youtube.com/twenty4sevenmagazine twitter: @twenty4sevenmag instagram: @twenty4sevenmagazine facebook: twenty4seven magazine Editor Contact: brightwoodentertainment.com brightwoodentertainment@gmail.com youtube.com/brightwoodent twitter: @brightwoodent instagram: @brightwoodentertainment facebook: Tyrone Brightwood Davis phone: 404.409.6553

CONTENTS IS IT TRAUMA? B-STRILLA A. LUCK ANDRE RISON LILIMAR JORDAN L. JONES KIRRILEE BERGER COURTENAY TAYLOR OMAR GOODING 21 SAVAGE TONYA RENEÉ BANKS COREY CALLIET KAM CORVET

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COMING TO THEATERS. CATCH A FLICK.

IS IT TRAUMA?

BY CORLETHA NORMAN BEY, MSW, LCSW

A disturbing occurrence or incident that deeply afflicts an individual(s) for some time after the end of the initial experience. Trauma is usually very damaging, as it limits and individual’s ability to function effectively. The troubles with functioning are generally a result of the individuals inability to incorporate their newly found stressful emotions in to their life. I know that many of you have yourself or know of someone that has experienced some form of trauma. How do I know that? Traumatic events occur all the time. These traumatic events almost always involve people, sometimes in great number. The healing of the stress caused by these traumatic events is what I specialize in within my professional office, Bonhomie, L.L.C. I wanted to share a bit about six major categories of trauma with you.

MENTALLY HEALING TOWARD CONTENTMENT Greetings and welcome to Bonhomie, L.L.C where it is our mission to create space for personal growth by mentally healing toward contentment. With over 10 years of Social Work experience in multiple states and environments, we help you to achieve this th through:

• Identifying the problem(s) and all contributing factors to the visible symptoms.

• Planning the sequence of your care; actions to take and your desired results.

• Utilize therapeutic techniques that best assist you in reaching your desired outcome.

• Go with you to places you haven’t been to learn and know yourself more intimately.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CORLETHA NORMAN BEY, MSW, LCSW

WHAT WE DO At Bonhomie LLC, we provide individual, family, and couples therapy to those 12 and older, (with some exceptions). We provide these therapies surrounding: Trauma/PTSD, difficulties in teen years, men’s issues, women’s issues, cultural issues, adjustment, divorce/custody/family issues, spiritual concerns, lilife transitions, and more.

PH: 404.402.0650 • INFOBONHOMIELLC.COM • WWW.BONHOMIELLC.COM TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE

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Direct trauma is the first of the six categories. The definition of direct trauma is pretty straightforward. It is trauma that you personally directly experience. The trauma does not have to be experienced in any particular way to be considered direct, as long as it occurs directly to you. Usually an individual would either see, hear, or physically feel the trauma.

The second of the six would be indirect trauma. I call indirect trauma vicarious trauma a lot. In this circumstance, the individual is not there to physically experience the trauma themselves, but they are still affected by what happened. A great example of this that I can recall has been the effects of the various school and university shootings. In the hours and days following a shooting, no matter how near or far the shooting is in proximity, parents tend to check their children out early or keep them out of school until they are comfortable with having them to return.

Acute trauma is the third of the six. Acute means something serious that is worth noting despite it only occurring for a short time. In the case of trauma it is a traumatic event that you experience one time, but are deeply scarred by the experience. A great example would be escaping a house fire or being struck by lightning. The chance of either of the two of these occurring to someone more than one time in their lifetime is very slim. However, the occurrence of either can be very mentally damaging.

If you would like to learn about the other three categories of trauma, please check out my blog at www.bonhomiellc.com.

CORLETHA NORMAN BEY, MSW, LCSW

is Owner and Clinical Director of Bonhomie, LLC. She has over ten years of experience in the world of social work. This includes mental health therapy, intensive in home therapy for high risk, foster and DFCS/DCBS clients, family and individual therapy, couples therapy, trauma focused therapy, juvenile justice intervention, case management, advocacy, and mentorship.

She can be reached at www.bonhomiellc.com.

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B-STRILLA

BOUNCE A Q&A By Tyrone Davis

PHOTO: MALAJAH NIXON PHOTO 2: @KENO_YEENKNO

I was introduced to you and your music when I saw you perform your single, “Bounce” during “ATL Hip Hop Day” in Atlanta, GA. The record is dope. How did it come about and how long have you been working it?

The record came about when I was in the strip club throwing money on a dancer. I told myself “I gotta go record this song”. I didn’t even have a beat yet. All I had in my head was “bounce”. I went to the studio and freestyled to the first beat I heard. I didn’t even really like the song and it sat in the studio for almost a year because I was pushing another song called “Go”. I ended up taking “Bounce” to a spot (Spin) on Peters St. on a Saturday (shout out to DJ Mike Mars) and told myself “This is it”. I’ve been pushing the song in the streets over a year, on Soundcloud for 8 months and on iTunes since August 24th, 2018.

A lot of aspiring entertainers move to Atlanta to try to make it. Did you relocate specifically for the entertainment business or another reason? Also, how long have you been there?

I really wanted better for myself. I wanted to move to a place where I would blend in and not stand out. I’ve been in Atlanta 7 years.

Why is breaking a record in the strip clubs important?

The strip club is like an independent record label. You have the DJ that is basically the CEO and you have the strippers that are the A&R. If they are playing your song at the right time, your life can change.

Are you currently signed or are you independent?

I’m independent at the moment.

Who produced the “Bounce”?

Babe Beats produced it.

Let’s take it back a bit. You are originally from NC, correct?

Yep. I’m from small town called Hickory. I grew up in a drug infested environment where I looked up to the dope man as a role model.

When did you start doing music and who influenced you as a youngster, musically?

I started doing music when I was 13 years old and I was influenced by Snoop Dogg, 2 Pac and Biggie.

What was the significance of your first mixtape, “Die Chasin”?

It’s a story of my life. That’s how you get to know me.

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What do you love most about Atlanta?

I love Atlanta because there are a lot of opportunities here and there is always something to do. Also, I love the food.

What has been one of the biggest obstacles trying to pursue your dreams?

One of the biggest obstacles has been spending my money in the wrong direction.

Tell us about your record, “Waze”.

“Waze” is a song that has a message for everybody in the world.

Everyone is stuck in their ways, no matter what.

Elaborate on the following tweet: Is a whole lot of thinkers instead of doers...get outta your #waze We are a victim of our minds. People think too much instead of following their hearts.

What is your ultimate goal in life?

My ultimate goal in life is to be rich, successful and to make a huge impact in the world.

Any last words?

Get money, stay out of the way and keep God first.

Follow B-Strilla on Facebook: B-Strilla, on Instagram @bstrilla and on Twitter @1bstrilla.

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A. LUCK SAUCY Words + Interview By Lucky Smith

A. Luck is an up and coming artist who is originally from Jackson, Mississippi. Now making moves in Atlanta, we spoke with him about racism in his hometown, the significance of 13 hours and what it means to be “Saucy”.

Mississippi’s Cindy Hyde-Smith was just appointed Senator after receiving backlash in November for saying she would “be on the front row” if she was invited to a public hanging.

From you experience, what has the climate been like in Jackson? How do things like this still happen there?

In Jackson, most racial issues were not as blatant. Your rural areas are where you will see a lot of the blatant racism. I remember travelling to a small town in southern Mississippi called Bogue Chitto to play a high school basketball game. I vividly remember seeing burning crosses in people’s yards. Our mascot was a Bruin. These people had bears on nooses with signs saying “Hang the Bruins.” I don’t have a solid answer as to why these things happen there. Sadly this is the world we live in.

I’m blessed to be from the same city as David Banner, who is actively fighting the injustices we experience, not only in the state of Mississippi, but in the country. People like Cindy Hyde-Smith are one of the reasons myself and other talented individuals both black and white leave the state of Mississippi.

Mississippi has some brilliant people but the conservative mindset of the state overall is why many people leave.

How did you handle the blatant racism during that game?

My father always told me you can’t respond with fear or brutality. You have to respond with fearlessness, tact and intelligence. Some of my teammates were scared to win the basketball game in fear we might not make it out alive but we agreed we would play our best and we won, with class. We smiled, shook hands and kept all negative comments to ourselves. I just always do my best to maintain a certain level of intelligence when addressing ignorance. For some reason, they never see it coming and they don’t know how to react, lol!

What is the entertainment scene like in Jackson?

The entertainment scene is a work in progress. I’m not there as much so I can’t speak on it too much. I do know if you come during JSU homecoming and JSU vs. Alcorn, you are guaranteed to have a great time. The city is super lit!

Are the DJs important and supportive in that market?

I’d say DJs are important in that/any market. They are supportive. Jackson just isn’t a major market and eventually you will have to leave and gain the support in a major market, like Banner and K.R.I.T. did. That’s what I will do.

What do you use as motivation when creating music?

My motivation is changing the way music is approached.

People think music has to be either superficial or conscious. I think you can have both. All of my songs will have a catchy aspect but you will still learn something. I firmly believe in putting medicine in the candy if that makes sense.

How would you explain your sound?

My sound is unique but familiar. It will be melodic rap. My mom is a music teacher so I listened to everything growing up.

Cash Money influenced me just as much as Stevie Wonder did.

I like both artists and I’m not the only one that does. I believe there is a way to make music for everybody. Melody is something we are influenced by as babies. It’s in our DNA. So, my TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE

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sound will always be melodic, catchy and relatable.

How has social media been beneficial to your career so far?

Also, in what ways can it hurt an aspiring entertainer?

It helps because it gives me access to so many people. It’d say it may hurt because some artists feel like they have to put on a show on social media and now that is what people expect.

All I will continue to do is be myself. I will start to get more personal with my social media as time progresses. Gotta ease myself into it though, ha!

Tell us about your single. What does it mean to be “Saucy”?

Saucy to me is just being confident in yourself. I have 5 brothers and 2 sisters. My parents would tell me I was the most talented of them all. So, it’s really just about how my mom would reinforce that confidence all of the time. I want the song to be my effort to help people just be confident in themselves and know that who you are is okay! I think we all struggle with that from time to time. Your sauce is your confidence and not being afraid to be who you are.

You also started a challenge for the record. Tell us about it.

The #ALuckSaucyChallenge is a way to promote your sauce.

Whatever you can do to shine in the world. It can be anything as long as it’s creative. You have to play the song in the background so we can hear it, put the hashtag #ALuckSaucyChallenge in the caption or video, tag me in the video and follow me on IG. There will be a winner each Saturday until December 22nd. The prize is $500. Our first winner was a 9 yr. old kid out of Macon, GA. Super cool kid man, for real!

Tell us something about yourself that most don’t know.

When I was in high school, I was into theater. I actually played the Scarecrow in “The Wiz.” I don’t think I did, but I tried my best to outshine Michael Jackson’s performance, Ha! Explain your project title, “13 Hours”.

The title came from when I was working on little to no sleep after a long couple of weeks. I went to my folk’s house in Mississippi. I got there at 4:15PM. I told my brother and mom I was going to take a nap because I was tired. When I woke up, I asked my brother what time it was, and he said it was 5:30AM! I said WTF?!?! I didn’t realize how tired I was and how hard I had been working. 13 Hours keeps me in that mindset of hard work and I know that in my journey there will be more 13 hour situations to come.

Who are your “Top 5” artists from Mississippi?

Whoa…I never really thought about this. I would have to say: B.B. King, Big K.R.I.T., David Banner, Rae Sremmurd and Jarekus Singleton. Look Jarekus up. He’s dope!

PHOTO: DONNIE CALLIENS

How can you be reached via social media?

People can follow me on Instagram @_aluck_. Also, follow me on Spotify. I update it all the time with shows I have.

Any last words?

I just appreciate you taking the time out to get to know me.

I’m excited for what’s to come and giving you more music!

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FORMER ATLANTA FALCON AND LOCAL LEGEND

ANDRE RISON HOLDS CASTING CALL FOR BIOPIC, “FOOLISHLY IN LOVE - THE ANDRE RISON STORY” WORDS BY TYRONE DAVIS

On Saturday, December 15, 2018, former Atlanta Falcon and local legend Andre Rison alongside AME Studio1 hosted an open casting call for their feature film “Foolishly In Love-The Andre Rison Story”. The casting call was held in Atlanta, Georgia.

The film is going to cover Andre’s life from his childhood to life while playing for the National Football League as well as things that happened in his personal life, including stories about different relationships he had with some prominent figures in the entertainment industry, most notably the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez of the legendary R&B group, TLC. The film will also include portrayals of Tupac Shakur, Marion “Suge” Knight, Too Short and more.

I’ve attended a few casting calls but one thing about this one in particular that stood out to me was that a few people showed up already in costume. There was a young lady there who was dressed as Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez, another who I assumed would be auditioning for the role of Tupac and another young guy dressed in football gear.

Another football legend, Deion Sanders will also be portrayed in the film so maybe that guy was wanting to audition for that role. I’m interested in knowing if any of them advanced. Although I didn’t get to see any of the actual auditions, the young lady auditioning for Left Eye could pass for her as far as her looks. If not, Lil Mama is available. She nailed that portrayal in the TLC biopic. Don’t sleep.

Speaking of Left Eye, Andre was asked several times about her and made it a point to let us know that the film is not about her. It is about him, his life, his successes and his failures. Some of his relationships and affiliations were small parts of his life, but overall the story is about him as an individual.

Filmmaker Chris Donaldson who is directing the film says that AME Studio1 is based in California and they’ve just opened new facilities in Atlanta, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia, PA. He believes the story is incredible and that Andre Rison is one of the best wideouts to ever play the game of football. The film is written by best selling author, Derrick Handspike, who wrote Bobby Brown: The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing But... Derrick was also in attendance and when speaking about the film in comparison to Bobby Brown’s film, he said, “70% of the Bobby movie was written from my book. I wrote both of their stories. Dre’s story is KILLING Bobby’s story! Sorry about that Bobby but it’s what’s real. Bobby has a good story but Andre’s story just has so many elements in it. Great, great, great story. You can’t make this stuff up.”

When asked if he would change anything about his life if he could go back in time, Andre said he would spend more time taking care of his body, stating “I was 6 ft. and 180 lbs and I had the ball in my hands a lot. The average fan saw me scoring touchdowns and being successful but no one saw me when I had to go home and I had ice bags everywhere. I couldn’t walk, my kids couldn’t touch me, skin was missing from my elbows, I had broken fingers, broken hands, broken ankles, etc.”

Andre has a son (5 sons total) who has the opportunity to play for the National Football League and is currently one of the best wide receivers in the country. He also said he intends to clear up a lot of misinformation involving child support. His story is very interesting and we are looking forward to the film.

For more information about the film/AME Studio1, visit AMEStudio1.com.

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LILIMAR: FREE SPIRIT Words + Interview By Krystal Luster

Lilimar is best known for her series regular role on Nickelodeon’s “Bella & The Bulldogs” and can be seen starring in the new Nickelodeon series “Knight Squad,” which returns for season 2 in early 2019.

Is there anything or anyone in particular that you miss since moving to the US from Venezuela?

I don’t remember a lot of it since I was very young (6 years old), but overall I had such a fun childhood. So at times, I do miss lighthearted moments such as the ones I had back in Venezuela.

Tell us about #FreshFaceFriday and #StarGazeSaturday.

What was your inspiration for these social initiatives?

I was really excited to start both of these on my socials because I just love connecting with my stargazers (my supporters). I’m so incredibly grateful for every ounce of love and support they show as it always keeps me so positive and happy so I wanted to do something that shows that I support them just as much.

I got the idea for #FreshFacedFriday when I noticed that a lot of my fans were being really hard on themselves and not finding themselves “attractive” or worthy of much. I wanted to help them raise their self-esteem bit by bit by challenging them to bravely post a picture of themselves (no makeup nor face-editing) every Friday with me! It surprised me just how many of them were down to do it with me and shut down their inner fears and insecurities. #StargazerSaturday was made as a chance to get to know my followers more and talk about topics and issues that I think should be more highlighted on social media.

It’s a way for me to express my inner thoughts and knowledge and let my “stargazers” have the chance to do the same!

Sometimes, society puts too much pressure on everyone to do certain things and act a certain way that at times what we really need is just a way to express what we really feel with those that feel the same struggles as us. At lot of times, if I don’t have a big controversial topic to discuss, I’ll mainly talk about how important it is to take care of our bodies and mental health, of course with lots of encouraging phrases for everyone.

How are you able to remain so positive with so much negativity in the world?

I am aware that for there to be a balanced world, there needs to be both positivity and negativity. I choose to focus on the positive, as the world seems a lot brighter that way. I focus on myself, bettering my skills, learning new knowledge, loving those around me and supporting those that need it. I know that if I put good out into the world, it’ll someday come back to me. Another important thing is, I love and respect my mind, body and soul. Self-love is so crucial to our well-being.

PHOTO: AMANDA ELKINS

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What did you enjoy about playing Sophie in the Nickelodeon series “Bella & The Bulldogs”?

It was my first big project and it’s what brought me out to LA! I will always be so grateful to have been given that opportunity where I learned so much. Everything about the experience was so fun and there’s so many great memories to look back on.

The best part is that no matter what set I work on, I always happen to find someone that was part of the BATB (Bella and the Bulldogs) crew!

How did your character develop as the series progressed?

I think as the seasons went by, viewers really got to know Sophie better and understand that even though she’s a real tough one, she has so much love for her friends. I thought she was a great character to use to teach kids about what it means to be a true friend and also standing up for yourself as well as for what you believe in.

What are your thoughts on girls playing football with boy teammates?

I believe if you have the strength and skill for it, go for it.

Gender shouldn’t be a limit as to what you can do. There are millions of girls/women that have a passion for football and work extremely hard every day just to get out there and play.

I believe they deserve the chance to prove to the world how skilled they truly are.

Were you ever interested in playing sports?

I actually loved playing sports growing up! I would be down for whatever game the coach would have us play during PE. I was mainly into gymnastics though. Going to practice after school was literally the most exciting thing for me and I’d feel so proud of myself every time I’d learn a new move.

Between voice-over work and having to act/play a character on film, which is more enjoyable?

Being in front of the camera will always be my biggest passion but bringing a character to life through voice is such a great experience. I’m so grateful that I’ve even gotten the opportunity to do both but I think I’ll never get over the excitement of being on a set and really acting out a character on camera.

Will you continue to voice the character Solana in the Netflix Original series “Spirit: Riding Free”?

I’ve actually already recorded everything needed for Solana and you can check out all the episodes she appears in on Netflix.

I’m so in love with Solana, she was such a cute character to play and hopefully you guys will absolutely love her as well!

Gives us a little insight to the Nickelodeon series, “Knight Squad”. What is your role on the show?

I play Sage. She is part of Kraken Squad along with her bubbly best friend Buttercup. Sage is clever, mischievous and a little on the evil side but never fails to prove how passionate she is about her dream of becoming a knight. She is extremely determined and works hard in order to be the best of the best, even if she’s going to sabotage Phoenix Squad’s quests every now and then. In the show, there are three squads in Knight School training to be the future knights of the kingdom of Astoria. The storylines mainly revolve around the two competing squads Phoenix and Kraken squad. Of course, let’s not forget to mention that there are tons of magical secrets and adventures all around!

How excited were you to find out the show was scheduled for another season?

I think we were all just really happy to know that we would all get to work together again. I was really curious as to what sorts of adventures we’d go on in the second season and now I get the chance to live through them all!

What are your “Top 5” Nickelodeon shows of all time? iCarly, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Victorious, The Fairly Odd Parents and Big Time Rush.

Lastly, tell us a hidden talent of yours.

There’s actually not too many people that know since I barely ever post about it but I’ve actually been dancing since I was 10-11 years old. After acting, it is another thing that I’m really passionate about. It is especially fun since I get to go all the time with my best friend and little sis!

Follow Lilimar on Instagram and Twitter @iamlilimar.

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Tell us about Fox’s “REL” and your character, Nat. REL is about Lil Rel Howery and is loosely based on his life.

Each episode is different but you can jump in at any time. In the pilot you find out he’s going through a divorce because his wife had an affair with his barber. The legendary Sinbad plays our dad, Jessica “Jess Hilarious” Moore plays Rel’s best friend and my character Nat is his brother, who recently was released from jail for selling ecstasy. The premise of the show is everyone around Rel helping him through his trials and tribulations during his manhood and as his younger brother, not every bit of advice is the best advice but I do have good intentions, aha.

The show touches on violence in Chicago. How do you feel about it in real life? Do you think it is as bad as they say?

Violence in Chicago is really a big problem. The nickname is “Chi-raq” and I think it’s currently the murder capital right now. Don’t quote me on that, haha! I’m glad we always touch on real events even though we bring the comedy.

There is a theory out there that police or white supremacists could be causing a lot of this violence in the city. Do you think that is plausible?

I do believe that there are good cops and bad cops and of course there are white supremacists out there in America. Yes, I think its plausible but it’s not the only thing going on. Of course there are race related crimes but there are also a lot of crimes, period. Being accountable is the first step, especially where there is a lot of violence. If we are talking specifically about Chicago, a lot of it is gang related but even in that, subconsciously the anger and aggression we carry as African Americans does stem from us being mistreated while living under white supremacy in America. That could trickle down to aggression towards others and our own.

Who makes you laugh the most on set?

Sinbad, hands down. He’s a legend man and he’s so quick. Be careful if you crack a joke on him because somehow he always has one waiting for you and trust me yours won’t be as good.

I’ve been a victim of getting jokes cracked on me on several occasions, haha!

JORDAN L. JONES #CALLGOD A Q&A By Lucky Smith | Photos Courtesy of Matthias Clamer/FOX

Where are you from originally and how did you grow up?

I’m originally from Dallas, Texas but we moved to Los Angeles when I was 5. I immediately went to a public school in Ladera Heights but my mom wanted a better education for me so she put me in private school shortly after that. So, we moved around...not too much but it was all for my betterment. I’ll always thank her for that.

When people attend college, a lot of them are going through things for the first time on their own and they learn a lot about the world. Name 2 things that you learned while attending college that stuck with you.

Hmm...this is a hard one. I learned so much in college, haha! Well, number one is to have fun. You can’t accomplish anything in life if you’re not having fun doing it that’s just something I’ve both seen and live by. Yes, you can be great at something but if you’re not having fun, have you accomplished a goal of yours? You couldn’t have because having a “goal” should make you happy. The 2nd thing I’ve learned is to try everything. College was where I found my passion. I’m not saying major in your passion specifically (I majored in communications and I’m an Actor) but you should try everything so you know what you want to do, what you like and what you don’t like. It’ll make your life so much easier.

For many Americans, student loan debt is crippling. How do you feel about student loans overall? Would you advise new students to take them?

I hate student loans, man. I’m still paying them right now, haha! Growing up as a child with a single mother, funds were low, especially for attending The University of Southern California. At the same time, don’t let student loans determine what you want to do. I couldn’t afford USC at the time but I TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE

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needed it and I worked hard to be admitted. I wasn’t going to let money get in the way so I told myself I’d let GOD handle it and it’d all work itself out. I followed my dreams and now I’m blessed to be able to say I’m glad I made that decision.

How and when did you know acting was what you wanted to do professionally?

I booked my first audition for “NFL Play 60- Sports Authority” in high school and from that moment I knew that acting or becoming an entertainer was exactly what I wanted to do with my life. Also, a lot of people at the time were telling me that’s what I should do.

What would you consider to be your “big break”?

Humbly, I’m still just beginning. I’ve only been acting for about a year and a half, officially. I’ve had a few guest starring roles, a few commercials and I did land REL early this February, which is my first series regular sitcom role. So, I guess you can call that my “break out” role but like I said, I’m still getting started and everything I’ve done so far has been a blessing from GOD. I’m just following his footsteps.

Getting REL was unimaginable. I did it “the old fashioned way” as one would call it, by auditioning. I went through 4 auditions. 2 involved the director and Lil’ Rel Howery directly. Working on this show has been ridiculously fun and a hell of an experience and I thank Rel Howery and FOX for the opportunity, for believing in a green actor like myself and for giving a young African American a chance to showcase his talents. But once again, your boy is just getting started, haha!

C) Michael B. Jordan One of my mentors. I worked with him on a cross branding commercial with Brisk Iced Tea and the film Black Panther. It was his directorial debut. Knowing his status, I didn’t expect him to do the things he did but he took me under his wing, gave me certain acting tactics that he uses for himself when acting and he gave me certain tips to become a better actor overall, all in one day. He also told me he saw greatness in me.

Hearing that from someone of his stature is surreal.

How important has your mother been in your life? Is she your biggest supporter?

My mom is the reason I am who I am. Growing up without a father, my mother played both the mom and dad role in my life. My mom Ptosha Storey, is also an actor. IMDB her, haha!

She initially sacrificed her career to work different jobs just to put me through school and have a better life for me. I am forever indebted to her. My goal is to pay her back in any and every way I can. Love you mom…. if you’re reading this, haha!

What are you into when you’re not acting?

Basketball, Basketball and Basketball, lmao! I play regularly in gyms around Los Angeles so catch me getting buckets in your local gym. I also play 2K so if anybody wanna get beatdown, my Xbox gamertag is “x DaddyJones x”. Add me and get smacked! Lastly, my Los Angeles Lakers are going to the ship!

Wilder vs. Fury. Who won and why?

Wilder won that fight. All due respect to Fury and in my opinion, he was actually beating Wilder the whole fight. But, on American soil you can’t get knocked down 2 times and like literally laid out on the floor and get called a “winner”. You can’t get that benefit of the doubt over here. Also, if you go

Is there anything you’ve learned from Sinbad that you wouldn’t normally get from someone your age?

Working with him has been surreal. He’s also so down to earth, man. I’ve learned how to play the crowd and when to and when not to do certain things. He’s going to hate I put this on him but as a kid growing up with no father, he’s definitely become one of the adult males in my life that I can look up to for advice and I know he’ll be there. We’ve actually gotten closer throughout the season and it wasn’t even something I was looking for. It just naturally happened. I thank God for blessing me with such amazing castmates, overall.

Are you guys doing any improv at all?

As you know, a lot of sitcom TV is written but after we do a couple of takes we start switching it up and improving. That’s my favorite part of the show cause you never know what Sinbad, Rel or Jess is going to say. As standup comedians, they have taught me so much about acting, improv and actually listening instead of just reading lines. They keep me on my toes.

Name 3 rules to follow that will aid in one’s success as an entertainer.

1.) Listen to understand, not to respond. 2.) Stay open minded and take all the advice you can. 3.) Be yourself. If you’re a standup comedian, go out there, talk about your life and make your experiences funny. If you’re an actor, remember they hired you for a reason which is because they like You. So, be you at all times and you’ll be just fine. Never change.

I’m going to throw a few names out there. Say whatever comes to mind.

A) Kevin Gates My favorite/The best rapper out right now and DON’T @ me!

B) Jess Hilarious She’s my favorite person, Haha. She’s the sister I never had. I love you Jess! She’s been a mentor to me for comedy, life...everything. I’m so glad I’ve gained this relationship. That’s my sister for life!

look back at the footage, Fury was actually down for 10 seconds and they started the count late. He was literally asleep for seconds on the floor! Wilder won that fight, fair and square, even with Fury tagging him the whole time! I can’t wait for the rematch and I know neither can he, haha!

In your opinion, what does it mean to be “woke”?

Being “woke” to me just means to be aware of everything that’s going on. Don’t believe everything you see in front of you.

Shady things happen in life, the entertainment industry, the government, etc. Staying woke is just acknowledging what people can’t see with just an “eye” alone. Stay woke people.

Tell us something about yourself that most don’t know.

I’m very spiritually grounded, which is one the reasons why I always put “#CallGod” in my Instagram posts. In real life, I firmly believe in God and that if you follow his path and you believe in him regardless of what you’re going through, you’ll always make it out and even further. Even at your worst just keep your faith in God and he will work it out. He always does. Once again, #CallGod. I even got a necklace made that says #CallGod, haha! Shoutout to Antonio Brown!

Follow Jordan L. Jones on Instagram @Jordan.L.Jones and on Twitter @Jordan.L.Jones_.

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Kirrilee Berger is an actress, known for the CBS All Access drama series, “One Dollar”. The 19 year old started her career in the Broadway national tour of Mary Poppins and has also worked on Disney’s “K.C. Undercover”.

What was growing up in a family of entertainers like?

Growing up with parents in the business was such a blessing.

Not only did I have two professional coaches in my own home (one in music and one in dance), I also had two “encyclopedias” on the business. When I went on tour for the first time at only 9 years old, they were able to prepare me for exactly what was about to happen. When I was experiencing rejection for the first time, they knew what I was going through.

What are the major differences between performing on stage and television and how was your transition?

On stage, there is no “take two”. It’s live theater. If you make a mistake you have to think on your feet to correct it. I actually think that my basis in theater has really shaped my transition into television as I come from the school of thought of getting it “right” on the first try.

What was your experience like working on Disney’s “K.C. Undercover”?

Working on K.C. Undercover was such a wonderful experience.

The cast and crew became my family in such a short amount of time. Often times, coming in as a guest star can be difficult as the cast already has such a close bond but from day one they made me a part of the family and I’m so thankful for that.

What are your favorite Disney films of all time? Pick 5.

Finding Nemo, Cinderella, Moana, Camp Rock and The Incredibles 2.

PHOTO: BRETT ERICKSON

KIRRILEE BERGER THE GIRL NEXT DOOR Words + Interview By Lucky Smith

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Tell us about the CBS All Access drama series, “One Dollar”.

One Dollar takes place in a rust belt town right outside of Pittsburgh, PA. Like most of America, the town is incredibly divided. On one side, you have the steel mill workers barely making enough money to keep their lights on but desperately trying to hold on to what they do have; The town’s history and their family. On the other hand you have the richest 1% trying to gentrify the area, making the rich richer. But, when a shocking multiple murder occurs, a one dollar bill circulates the town revealing that maybe the two sides aren’t as divided as they appear.

Curiosity can be a gift and a curse, depending on the subject. How does your character Danielle handle the curiosity and does it help or hurt her?

The writers of One Dollar did such a brilliant job of writing a balance of incredibly suspenseful drama that really makes you wonder if Danielle could risk everything in that moment but each of those moments have such a powerful lesson that really opens your eyes to a different perspective on life.

Being that so much content is being made available via social media and other streaming services, do you think the fans appreciate entertainer’s hard work as much?

I actually think smaller streaming services like CBS All Access are allowing creators to make content that is like a looking glass into today’s society. It is exactly what One Dollar is trying to do as well as another CBS All Access original, The Good Fight which tackles a lot of topics on today’s political climate.

It really circles in on difficult or even taboo issues that have to be tackled unlike many network TV shows that are perhaps more routed in an escape from the world. Such “bullseye” programming isn’t for everyone but the people who seek it

truly appreciate it.

Are you currently binge-watching any shows?

I’m absolutely obsessed with American Vandal! The acting is impeccable and the writing is genius!

What can we expect from “I’ll Be Next Door for Christmas”?

Expect a wacky comedy with some wonderful heartfelt moments in between. It is definitely the perfect film for the whole family to curl up to with a cup of hot chocolate.

How will you be spending the holidays this year?

My family is deeply routed in tradition. For years, we’ve always spent Christmas Eve at my aunt’s house. All of the aunts, uncles and cousins get together. We love cooking together, making gingerbread houses and sharing embarrassing stories from our childhood. What else is family for?

What are some of your hobbies when you’re not acting?

I have a huge passion for cooking. I love taking classic dishes and figuring out how to make them vegan. I recently perfected my vegan “Bacon Mac and Cheese.” It is so yummy!

In what ways has turning vegan been beneficial in your life?

Veganism has changed my life completely. I have more energy, my insomnia went away, I’m in less pain with my endometriosis, my immune system is so much stronger and I’m helping the environment and saving animals in the process. My mother, who also has a chronic illness, also benefits so much from veganism. I could never turn back knowing I’m saving precious animals and our beautiful planet while feeling like a whole new person eating clean and plant based.

What is your favorite series or film that is based in Australia?

One of my favorite movies of all time is an Australian film called Razzle Dazzle. Having grown up in dance, the film is too perfect. I watch it over and over if I need a good laugh.

Why is it important to give back and what organizations are you supporting?

Whenever someone goes through a difficult time, one can only hope they have a hand to hold or a friend to help them through. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people that may not have that. When you give back, you’re giving someone a hand to hold. I’m a huge supporter of Endometriosis research, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Make-A-Wish and Children’s Miracle Network.

Lastly, who are some people you look up to for inspiration?

After watching Lady Gaga’s documentary Five-Foot-Two, I was so inspired. I’ve been a fan of her music since her very first record in 2007. To watch someone I admire go through exactly what I went through (living with a chronic illness) gave me a new wave of hope. If Lady Gaga can write music, dance and give such astounding and inspiring performances in A Star Is Born and do it all with a chronic illness, I can do it too. Thank you Gaga for sharing your story.

Follow Kirrilee on Instagram and Twitter @kirrileeberger.

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“Call of Duty Black Ops 4 – Zombie Mode” was released not too long ago. Tell us about your character and the game.

I think Call of Duty goes without saying but my character is a new character named Scarlet Rhodes. She has a mysterious father who is quite frustrating in his mysteriousness to her.

Through a series of circumstances, she ends up with a group of three gentlemen who are her companions during the game and the group sets off on some adventures. It’s true to form with the fantastical scenarios of Call of Duty. You’ll have to play the game to find more out about her. I will say that she’s super cool looking, she’s a bad ass and I would totally cosplay her.

I’m thrilled that there’s a woman lead in Call of Duty that is as smart, tough and cool as she is. I hope everybody really enjoys her as much as I did voicing her.

A few fans would like to ask you a question. They are as follows: A) Scott Huntley (Indianapolis, IN): I see you have voiced characters from a wide genre of video games.

What is your favorite genre to voice a character for and what is your favorite genre to play?

I definitely like games that are more cinematic and story driven. I like any game that has strong capable intelligent female story lines. I like game that are very long because that means I get to work for longer on them, the more hours the better I always say.

PHOTO: JASON WILLHEIM STYLIST: JAZMIN WHITLEY HAIR/MUA: CHELSEA GEHR

COURTENAY TAYLORGame Time!

Words + Interview By Tyrone Davis

If you are a gamer, chances are you’ve come across some of Courtenay Taylor’s work. Courtenay is an actress/voice actress who has loaned her voice to some of the most popular video game series out. With over 200 video games on her resume, Courtenay spoke with us about her early beginnings, video games in general and her leading role as Scarlet Rhodes in “Call of Duty 4 Black Ops - Zombie Mode”.

How did you get your start?

I went to apply for a master’s program in New York and I was managing a boxing and fitness gym at the time. My microphone would break when I was teaching a class so I had some vocal cord notes. When I went to do my auditions for the master programs the gentle man who I auditioned for said I had a terrible voice, I would never be able to speak to the back rows of a theatre and that he could NOT accept my application without a doctor’s note saying I was fixing what was wrong with my voice.

You have been referred to as one of the best voice-actors in the business. How does that make you feel?

Haha, Awesome! Pleasantly surprised? No, it is fantastic! I very much love what I do and if that comes through in my work and people get that then that makes me extremely happy.

I can’t imagine doing anything else. I love this job with all my heart. There are some amazing voice actors out there so I’m happy to be in good company and to keep doing this for as long as I can.

I left in tears and went back to one of my teachers at ACT. She said she thought that I had a cool voice and suggested that I look into voice-over. I didn’t know what that was, so she referred me to another teacher. It was a commercial acting voice acting class and I loved it from the second I got behind the mic. I continued to take class with her and eventually an agent came in to run the class as like the final class in a series of weeks. He made the mistake of giving me his business card so I just called him for six months until he finally broke down and signed me.

Are you a gamer yourself or is voice acting just a job? Please say yes to being a gamer, lol. I imagine you’d have some type of love for it, even if you’re not a hardcore gamer.

I am gamer adjacent. I do not have the coordination, patience or skill to be a good gamer, but I do try. It usually ends up with people laughing at me and taking the controllers out of my hands. But, I love to watch cut scenes from games. I have become more interested in indie games in the last couple of years and the kind of story telling they do on a budget. I would like to be a better gamer. My best life as a gamer is sitting next to someone who is really good and telling them what to do or just going ham in Melee Mode. That’s really my strong point. Little skill but a lot of energy.

I called one day and he wearily said, “Hello Courtenay Taylor” and I said “Hi! It’s me! Guess what!? It’s my birthday!” He was like “…and you want me to sign you for your birthday?” and I was like “Yes!” and the rest is history.

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B) Darnell Wilson (Catasauqua, PA): What avenues should one take who is looking to get started in voice acting for video games in particular?

Video games are definitely a specific type of magic that you want. Mic technique is great because there are so many you know there’s a lot of close up and a lot of far away so knowing your mic technique as far as when someone ask you to project, like when you are yelling at someone 40 yards away verse 10ft away. I always recommend taking some sort of physical class, a dance class, a martial arts class, something where you have some body awareness.

So much of what we do in video games are fighting sequences where we will just run down, getting punched, kicked, stabbed, shot and thrown off a building. All those things are a lot easier to do both with real vocal control and also knowing what that sounds or feels like. So, classes that make you more physically aware are going to be more helpful for that. Perfecting your accents is very helpful as well because they are set in so many different areas of the world and have such international cast, that’s also very helpful specifically to video games.

C) Jordan Berry (Murfreesboro, TN): So, the Easter egg steps needed to uncover each level’s story are left for the players to discover once each game releases. Are you shown the steps/process in order to get a feel for the character’s plight?

I think what Jordan is asking is, “do we get a lot of background or linear outline of our characters story?”.

Most of the time we do not. Sometimes the game is being written as we are doing our sessions. Other times, it is information we cannot know. If we are really lucky we might get sort of an overarching story line, but that is not the norm.

The original “Mortal Kombat” game was released when I was about 8 years old and I remember all of the controversy about the blood in the game, which led to some users having to put in the “blood code” to actually see the blood. Do you think violent video games contribute to violence in children or are those type of video games being used as a scapegoat?

That’s a great question! I believe that games themselves are not necessarily the root of the problem with violence and children.

I think plenty of other countries have video games and they don’t have the same issues as we do here in America. So, I

think it’s a combination of things. I think you can tell a story without blood and guts but there are certain gamer franchises that rely on that.

I think that if a child has a healthy sense of imagination and their parents are open with them about what’s wrong and right, respecting human life and that they can make that dilatation between real life and video games, I don’t think that it should be a problem. Am I in favor of games also encompassing nonviolent story lines or things that don’t necessarily rely on those mechanics? Absolutely. I think video games are just like any other medium. You can handle them well or badly and just like any other medium they can be a scapegoat for any kind of behavior.

When I was a kid, video games would normally have at least 1 female character. I’m not sure how much women are being represented in video games today but maybe you can enlighten me on it. Have women been represented properly in video games?

That is a tough question. More than ever, women are a bigger part of the story and theirs characters are driving video game story lines, which is exciting. At the same time, I think that there is always more room for inclusion and representation of all genders, nationalities and ethnicities. So, I hope that we continue down that road and someday the standard is that games look like our world looks in real life. For the moment I’m really proud of the progress and I’m excited to see more of it.

As a woman and someone who is around people of the gaming culture, are there a lot of female gamers out there?

I’m always shocked when I meet one because it’s so rare.

Perhaps, I should attend a CON or two of some kind?

Yes, you absolutely should attend a CON and I think that I meet just about as many female gamers as I do male. It’s sort of a myth that gamers are mostly male. If you go to a CON, you’ll see all kinds. It is an amazing experience!

Which voice role was the most challenging and why?

I had to play a frog lock in a video game, which involved me holding water in my mouth and actually doing my script with my mouth filled with water. I definitely choked and spit and I should of known when I walked into the session and the engineer gave me a water bottle and a roll of paper towels that it was going to be challenging. Yeah, that was the one. There were a lot of other roles that are challenging in different ways but that was one of the most odd and physically challenging.

What did you enjoy most about attending PAX Australia?

I grew up a little bit in Australia as a kid so it was really fun to come home and see family. Going to PAX itself was great to meet a whole community of people I had not met before. I had hung out with people in the “Fallout” community, which was amazing. I loved how really intimate and friendly it was even though it was a pretty freaking large convention, but I thought I was really well run.

Speaking of Australia, being that you have a parent from there and have visited, what is the biggest misconception about down under?

That there are koala bears and kangaroos everywhere and that everyone you know walks around like they’re doing an advertisement for the Outback Steak House. You know people don’t stick shrimps on the barbie.

Follow Courtenay Taylor on Twitter @courtenaytaylor, on Instagram @courtenaytaylorla and on Facebook: Courtenay Taylor News Page.

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There is a meme floating around of Omar Gooding that has multiple photos of him from different TV shows and movies he has appeared in. It says, “Bruh...this dude been around my whole damn life.” This rings true for majority of us who were born after 1980. At almost 30 years in the entertainment business, Omar has appeared in quite a few of the biggest sitcoms and films within our community and has played a huge role in a lot of our childhoods, giving us the feeling that we’ve grown up together to a degree.

As a big fan of Omar myself, I tried to cover as much as I could including his start in the business, his older brother Cuba, John Singleton’s “Baby Boy”, his sitcom “Family Time” and more. There was a lot to cover and it looks like he won’t be slowing down any time soon.

PHOTOS: LIGHTBRIGHT THE PRODUCER

You have a pretty lengthy career and I grew up on quite a bit of your work. I was first introduced to you via “Ghost Dad”, which was your first major film. How did you land that role and what was it like working with Bill Cosby, being that he was on top of the world during this time?

I landed that role the old-fashioned way which was via audition, a call back and a screen test. The one interesting thing I will never forget about that particular audition process is that I was told that I wasn’t moving forward. This came after an unusually long time in the room with casting. They had me crawling over desks and doing the scenes over and over.

When I left I felt that they must like me because of all the time they spent with me in the audition room.

My mother was also my manager at the time and when my agents told her that I wasn’t moving on to the screen test, she called casting directly for further explanation. I swear it was something out of a Godfather film because after she spoke with them, they called me in for a screen test after all and I later booked it. Bill Cosby was awesome. He walked right up to me on the first day, greeted me warmly and treated me kind. I felt at ease and comfortable right away and had a terrific experience.

OMAR GOODING

GROWING UP GOODING Words + Interview By Tyrone Davis

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Was working on Nickelodeon’s “Wild & Crazy” kids fun for you or was it just work? Describe that.

Wild & Crazy Kids was a dream come true! It was the job that allowed my mom to quit working multiple jobs and become my personal manager full time. And talk about Fun! After the huge success of the show, we went on tour around the country. I visited every major city, signed millions of autographs and even did a scene with Arnold Schwarzenegger at the White House. Nuff said.

Which of your brother Cuba’s films is your favorite and why? “Gladiator” is slept on, by the way.

His best performance was the obvious Oscar winning performance in Jerry McGuire. The second time I watched it I was just as emotional as his character was at the end. Overall, his best movie to me was Men of Honor, which is another tear jerker. My personal favorite is indeed Gladiator. That’s my big bro right there. We are ten years a part and THAT character was the guy that had my back when I was a young knucklehead myself.

John Singleton’s “Baby Boy” is one of my favorite films.

I was impressed with your performance as Sweet Pea in particular because it was the first time I had seen you play a character that was the opposite of the roles I was used to seeing you play. How did you land that role and was there anything in particular that you did to prepare for it?

I got a call from a man I had only met maybe one time on the set of Boyz N The Hood. His name was John Singleton.

He explained that he saw a film I did called Freedom Song for TNT. I had a small role as one of the kids that took part in the first sit ins in Mississippi. He said he saw something

in my face that lead him to believe that I could possibly be one of the leads in a film he wrote called Baby Boy. He knew I knew and had worked with Tyrese before and wanted to make sure he had a strong actor along side him.

When said strong he also meant that literally because he told me to hit the gym and he would see me in 3 months.

He sent me the script and I was floored. He may have heard about my run in with the law (gun possession) a few years earlier but there’s no way he knew about my personal journey (that story is an interview for another time) so I was completely in shock when I read the script. The role hit very close to home on many levels. So I hit the gym, lost 30 lbs, packed on some muscle and read for him in his office in LA. I didn’t hear that I got the role until almost a month later.

Breakdown the scene with Sweet Pea and Jody (played by Tyrese) in the park after Jody’s bike got stolen in reference to creating it. Who’s idea was it to line the guys up and punch them and did you improvise at all?

That scene in particular was one of the scenes that hit very close to home. I was in a similar situation in real life where my best friend was hospitalized by a blindsided attack. They were close to our age but young enough to be considered “some lil n*****” as my character put it. I was there but we were out numbered by a lot so we couldn’t see it coming.

They ran off and we never ran across them again.

When I read this scene I was at a loss. It was like I would be able to act out the act of retaliation that I never got in real life for my boy. It was deep but God had other plans for us and them and I’ll leave it at that. This scene, as was the case with the whole film, was entirely written by John without improv. We did hours and hours of improv before principal photography started but we were instructed not to veer from the script whatsoever during filming, except for the occasional slur here and there.

After that film, you appeared in a few projects where your characters were more serious. Conscious effort?

Certainly. I had done comedy and sitcoms my whole life but after Baby Boy I was offered more dramatic roles. Some I had to turn down but some were too good to pass up and became some of my fondest experiences like Deadwood on HBO and Playmakers on ESPN. Tyrese was going through it not too long ago but he seems to be doing ok now. As a veteran in Hollywood, how do you maintain your sanity and how do you help your friends/peers regain control when they seem to lose theirs?

My faith keeps me grounded and my family keeps me on track. My friends are mostly “day ones”, people I’ve known most of my life. The actors and entertainers I have worked with have been friendly for the most part but I keep business and personal life separate. I try not to do the Hollywood life thing. That has rubbed some people the wrong way at times but it works for me.

I was watching reruns of “Smart Guy” a few years back and I remember recognizing Taraji P. Henson in an episode. Describe how Hollywood works in regard to getting work because it seems a lot of actors end up crossing paths quite a bit in one way or another. Do actors refer each other as openings for new projects become available, do you have some of the same agents or is it a combination of all of those things?

It’s definitely a combo of all the above. People who do the hiring generally lean towards people that they believe they will have a pleasant time with, especially if the job lasts months or years like on a TV show. So, a good personality and strong character goes a long way.

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Snoop Dogg is also someone you’ve been in more than one project with. Tell us about the stage play “Redemption of a Dogg” and working with him.

I will always have love and respect for Snoop. When we met on the set of Baby Boy, he was the first person to approach me and tell me that he has been watching the dailies and that I was doing my thing. To me, that was the validation I needed and the motivation to really lock in. He said It looked very believable and authentic and to keep it up, so I did. He also joined me in Toronto and played my brother in the series Playmakers for ESPN! That role was a dream come true because I wanted to play football in high school but my acting career would not allow me to commit.

Snoop was awesome in that role and he is absolutely brilliant in Redemption of a Dogg! It is a stage play that chronicles the life of Snoop himself from early years before he made it to present day. I play his DJ, beat maker and one of his closest friends coming up. The play takes you on a journey that is both comical and spiritual with a very strong message of redemption at the end. The cast that Je’caryous Johnson assembled is phenomenal because each role feels tailor made to their/our strengths as entertainers.

From the acting to the singing to the masterful blocking and visual effects to the rapping and dancing with a few of Snoop’s greatest and current hits. Plus, you never know who will make a special appearance in each city. Erykah Badu, Carl Thomas, Twista, Chance The Rapper, and Lil Duval all joined the play when we hit their hometowns.

Are you still making music at all?

Absolutely. I am currently working with one of Dr. Dre’s producers and one of my closest longtime friends, Bernard Edwards Jr. aka Focus. We have something real special that we are putting the finishing touches on.

How has Hollywood changed being that you’ve been active for almost 3 decades? Are things getting better or worse in terms of business, opportunities, etc.?

Hollywood had definitely evolved for the better in regard to opportunities for African American actors/actresses. We are now being trusted in lead roles for both blockbuster box office films and in television.

What do you think about Atlanta becoming a 2nd Hollywood over the last few years?

I love Atlanta and am very proud of the progress made there in the entertainment industry. I feel comfortable telling people that may not be able to afford the cost of living in California that they can head to Atlanta and have a real shot at breaking in the business.

Can the internet/social media help or has technology advanced so much at this point that too much content is being released to keep up?

Internet and social media are definitely a huge help in not only staying current but showing people that you are still alive, working and well. I run my own social media because it isn’t really that complicated and I like to stay connected.

I encourage people to follow me and to comment. Don’t be surprised when I respond. I like it because it cuts back on the questions when I am out and about like “What are you up to these days?” When I hear that now, I know that you aren’t following me on social media because I keep my followers posted.

How do you feel about the resurgence of black sitcoms/films and how are they alike/different from works in the 90’s?

I think it’s awesome. It continues to provide more opportunities to actors such as myself to continue our longevity.

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audiences but that allows us to be more efficient in the sense of getting more shows done in a shorter period of time, freeing us up to do other projects without conflict.

Tell us about Bounce TV sitcom, “Family Time”. What is it about and how did you two get involved in the project?

Family Time is a black sitcom about the Stallworth Family. I play Tony Stallworth and Angell Conwell plays my wife Lisa Stallworth. We have two children, played by Jaylah Calhoun and Bentley Kyle Evans Jr. From cast to crew, it is very much a family affair so the chemistry we all have carries over to the screen. The show is filled with non stop laughs due to the amount of talented comedians and actors/actresses both in the cast and on our writing staff.

In the pilot episode, Tony hits the lottery and buys his family a house in Windsor Hills, which might as well be Beverly Hills considering where they moved from. From new neighbors that we now have grown to love over that last six seasons to relatives and family friends that stop by regularly, it’s always family time!

I got involved in the project because I was offered a role on Bentley’s current show at the time, Love That Girl. After a guest appearance on that show, Bentley called me in to read for Family Time. After one session, I was offered the role and then the rest of the cast was auditioned, we all met up two days later and the journey began.

Angell Conwell played your girlfriend Kim in “Baby Boy”.

Was that your first time meeting her?

Angell and I met before the film through a mutual friend but that was our first time working with each other.

You two seem to get along quite well, considering you used to be a couple. I don’t think most people understand that it’s ok to remain friends and/or work together without issues just because you are no longer an item. How do you maintain and what advice can you give to those who may not be as mature?

It is tricky but thankfully we did remain friends. I believe that since we were so close that once the bond was made it became unbreakable other than the fact that we did break up, lol. But, us both being in the same field made it impossible to not run into each other over and over again. We really connected on a human level from our very first meeting. We were meant to be friends so that is what God’s plan worked out to be, which is good since we have to work together as pretend husband and wife on a series that has no end in sight, Lol.

Bentley Kyle Evans has produced some of my favorite sitcoms and is executive producer of this show. What is it like working with him and what does he bring to the table that other producers don’t?

Bentley is awesome, straight up. He produced Martin and The Jaime Foxx Show. Nuff said. He brings authenticity, unmatched humor, wit and battle tested professionalism with a resume that gives us as actors the needed confidence to perform at our best. Also, as one of the producers/writers on my show I’ve been able to learn so much about the other side of the camera that is allowing me to grow in all aspects of the business.

Any last words?

Follow me on Instagram @OmarGooding and on Facebook and Twitter @TheOmarGooding. I also have a live streaming network where we feature indie films, music videos and even have a day dedicated to my body of work called Growing Up Gooding. It is available on all live streaming platforms and it is called ModoTV. Also, stay tuned for the Big O album coming very soon. Be well, stay safe and God bless!

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THE

BARBERSHOP

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Tonya Reneé Banks is an actress and reality show star, known for Lifetime’s “Little Women: LA”. She is also an entrepreneur who owns a clothing line for active wear and has her very own wine called, “L’Tonya Reneé”. Her story is interesting and I learned a lot from her, including things about little people, her friendship with actor Tony Cox, doing stunts for him in the film “Bad Santa” and more.

Tell us about your wine.

The name of the wine is called, “L’Tonya Reneé” and it’s a red blend. It’s 48% Merlot, 29% Syrah and 23% Zinfandel.

It’s real smooth and very balanced. It’s not dry but it’s not really sweet either. It really complements everyone’s palate and that is what I wanted to accomplish with this blend. I have a lot of friends who like dry wine and myself and other friends like sweet wine so I tried to meet in the middle.

Explain the wine culture because I’m not a drinker at all but I know a lot of people are wine connoisseurs.

I was introduced to a man named Phil Long. He has a black owned winery out of Livenmore, California. I told him I wanted to do a wine that a sweet drinker and dry drinker would like. He had me go through taste testing to see what I liked. A lot of people have tasted it and they like it.

Ok, so this would make a great gift.

Being that the show is on the Lifetime network, is it being put together any differently than a show on VH1?

Um, no. It’s a documentary series that is based on educating the world about our lifestyle from our point of view like the different struggles we face and the solutions to those struggles. We had to adapt to the world because the world was not going to adapt to us. We’re also educating people about our anatomy, even with pregnancy. We wanted to answer a lot of questions that we’ve been asked. We as little people can have average sized children and we can have little children.

This show actually educated my own family. I’m the middle child and my sisters just knew me as their sister Tonya and that I was short. They didn’t realize everything that I went through and after watching the show, they are coming back to me saying they didn’t know and that they treated me like everyone else. I was like, “I know. I know.” Lol.

Exactly and it is interesting because when you go to my website and order the wine, the minimum order is three. Some people only want one bottle but if they get the three, they can give two away as a gift to that friend, coworker, boss, etc. but once they taste it, they are going to want all three bottles to themselves.

Being that people are more sensitive today and are a lot more politically correct, what is your take on the word “midget”? Are you offended by it?

Yes, because it has a negative connotation just like a white person calling me n*****. We can call each other that. It’s not “n***er”, it’s “n***a” but it’s just different. Even little people will clown and they’ll be like, “It’s a room of midgets!” but I don’t even like it when they say it. I guess they get their pass because they are little too but if a person with average height says, “Look at that midget”, it’s negative. I’ve been asked which is worse: a person calling me n***er or a person calling me midget? Both of them because they are both negative when they come from a person who hasn’t walked in our shoes or come from our background. Just like the LGBTQ community. They don’t want to be called the “F-word”.

TONYA ´ BANKS RENEE

Lil Boss

Words + Interview By Tyrone Davis

My mother is into wine and she bought me a little wine rack and a few bottles to go on it. I eventually had to give the wine away because I’m never going to drink it but I might have to get me some “L’Tonya Reneé Wine” to add to my rack so I can tell people it’s yours, lol. I probably won’t drink it but it’ll look good. (Note: I actually did purchase the wine.)

Lol, it’ll look good and you might have a lovely lady over or a guest or someone for the holidays and you can offer them some L’Tonya Reneé and tell them this is the new thing on the market. It’s a hot item and it’s interesting because a lot of men like the wine. I was shocked because I was pushing it to the women but men were like, “Ooh, I like this wine.

This is a man’s wine.” This is an everybody wine. This is a boss’ wine.

Lol, speaking of “boss”, you also have a clothing line?

Yes, I do. It is called, “Lil Boss Body”. I came up with that first because I am really into working out and taking care of myself. I’m the oldest of the Little Women: LA cast so in order for me to keep up with those hefas, I have to stay in shape. I had a personal trainer who would work with me and TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE

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I had little sweats and kind of kiddie stuff but I wanted some active wear that fit comfortably and held stuff in when I was working out that could fit little women and average height women or women of all sizes. When I came up with that, I created a legging like Yoga pants and sports capris. My sizes are like 0-3XL. Then I have the sport bras but they are not sports bras, they are sports tanks because everyone doesn’t have a six pack. They are working towards one. It’s a sports tank so it supports the abdomen area.

Cool. So you’re on the reality show “Little Women: LA”.

What is the premise of the show?

So Terra (Jole), who is one of the executive producers….I should have been one of the executive producers too but we aren’t going to talk about that. Terra and I came up with the concept. We were watching Real Housewives of Atlanta and during commercials, we’d call each other and talk about it.

Her and I were doing mini impersonators. We were going around doing “Mini Gaga”, “Mini Beyoncé’”, I was doing Tina Turner and she was doing Brittany Spears. When we started watching Real Housewives of Atlanta, she said, “I’m tired of impersonating people. I want to be me.” and I was like, “Me too!” There was a bidding war for our show and it went to Lifetime.

Real quick, what’s your relationship with actor, Tony Cox? That’s one of my closest buddies. Lol, that’s my homeboy.

Ok, the reason I asked is because “Martin” is one of my favorite shows of all time and when your people sent your information to me, that is what I remembered you from.

I was actually on 2 episodes but that episode I was on there with Tony and we played “The Dancing Johnsons”, Lol. Now, I’m only 35 but one of the earliest films I remember seeing Tony in was “Penitentiary II” and I always knew him from that film. Recently, I was looking at his filmography and I noticed that they listed him as “Midget” back TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE

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then in a couple of films and as time went on it started being changed to “Little”.

Yes, lol! We are people, we’re just little. If you look up the definition of a midge, it is a tiny bug. So, to put the “T” on it, it’s negative. It’s like a circus clown or Vaudeville. Just like African Americans were called “colored” at one point.

With that being said, you had mentioned being a mini impersonator and on social media, little people can have just as much exposure as normal sized people. Often, when I’m watching skits and things of that nature that involve little people, they are exploiting themselves.

We did not want to do that with Little Women: LA. I’ve been asked if I’ve felt exploited and the answer is “No” because we are the ones who came up with the idea. It wasn’t to exploit us, it was to educate people about us. I’ve been asked “So, is your whole family little? Do you live in a little house? Do you have little kids? I heard you guys lived in a neighborhood that is blocked off and only little people live there and you all only come out at night.” Well, It’s not night now and I’m out. We’d also get, “How do you have sex? How do you have kids? How do you get around? Is your house specially built?” These are the questions we wanted to answer and we wanted to use the show as a platform to share our information.

I did see a couple of clips from the show. I saw one of you guys racing. That was funny. I also saw you guys talking about wine and I saw some beefs going on as well. How does that work? Do you guys get along for the most part or are you put in situations that will kind of force you to get into it? How does that work with reality shows?

In our case, you can’t make up this stuff. There are situations that take place off camera and then they’re like, “Aw, nah we need to film that!”. It’s not scripted, but I can honestly say it’s a little guided. They’ll take us to a location, a restaurant or something and then they throw us in there and we go for what we know. Even through group text, we’ll text each other about an event or something and someone may feel left out and they are going to bring it up on the show. It’s almost like playing telephone. Once it gets to someone’s ears, it’s been exaggerated and it turns into a beef.

Do you think that going to certain extremes to keep people’s attention is absolutely necessary? It seems like these films and TV/reality shows have to keep getting crazier and crazier as they go on and it always seems like it’s a bit much. We can enjoy things without being super extra.

Right. That’s true, which we do film a lot of stuff where we aren’t fussing and arguing but when they edit and condense it to whatever is exciting and what the viewer wants to see.

Aside from reality TV, how did you get into acting itself?

There is this organization called, “Little People of America” and it was founded by Billy Barty. When I was young, I actually had an aneurism and I had to have brain surgery.

The genetic department of the hospital told me what kind of dwarfism I had and they gave me a brochure with a picture of a little white girl on the front and she looked just like me, but white. They were saying this organization would help us through life like tell us where to purchase shoes, extensions for our cars so we could drive, doctors that specialized in medical issues that we have. I joined the foundation and I was going to a lot of the meetings and they were making a movie called, Under the Rainbow. The casting company went to the foundation looking for all of these little people.

When they called me, I was underage so I couldn’t do it but they kept my number on file and the following year, they called me like, “You’re over 18 now, right?” and asked me to work as a stand in for a kid on a show, which was the show Webster with Emmanuel Lewis. I was his personal stand in.

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and I met another little guy who introduced me to his agent.

He said they didn’t have any black little women in their agency so I met the agent and she took me on, took my pictures and everything and one thing led to another. I’m the only black female little person in the union screen actors guild.

Oh, wow! Ok, so can you break this down for me? I read that you were doing stunts on the film “Bad Santa”.

Yes, for Tony.

Now, when you say stunts, there was a scene where he was crawling through the ducts…….

The vents, the ducts and sliding down the escalator and falling through the roof….Yep. I did those.

Lololol! Man! I did stunts for children too but I met Tony when I was 13.

He was 18. We’ve worked together on a lot of things. He was the first person I worked with in the business. The first stand in job I did was with him where we were both stand ins for children in a TV film with O.J. Simpson called, Cocaine and Blue Eyes. That goes way back like, wow lol. He kind of lived through that story. So yea. Me and Tony actually went out on a date a couple of times too, lol.

That’s awesome because just Tony being able to get a leading role in “Bad Santa” was really cool. I’ve been seeing him since I was a kid so I think it’s great that you guys have been working together. It’s still interesting as to why they had you do the stunts instead of him doing them.

Well, he couldn’t do them. I was standing in for him during the movie. That was the best movie set to work on. On Bad Santa, we had a ball and I looked forward to going to work every day. I told the director that I did stunts and I’d love to do Tony’s stunts. He was like, “Ok” so he told the stunt coordinator that I was the stunt person for Tony and I’d be doing all of the stunts.

Ok now, I saw a clip of the show where you had a male interest and I’m sure the fans of the show would love to know if that is still a thing?

Ok, that depends on which one you’re talking about, lol.

Lol, all of them. I did see that there were 2 guys.

Lol, there were a couple of them because this is almost 7 seasons in. The one from the first season...Oh my God, I couldn’t stand him. Anyway, he is out of the picture. I don’t know if you saw the episode where he was the one that came with his mom to my house to eat dinner? (Yes.) Not that one.

Then, my daughter’s father proposed and we got engaged on the show. I don’t know if you’re talking about that one.

Then you have Jaa. He is the one that got me to start my active wear line. I was dating Jaa before I got back with my daughter’s father but that didn’t work out and he went back to Houston. Now, I’m single but Jaa is back in the picture and we’re working together. He’s like my best friend and business partner. He helped me with my wine too. He helps with my entrepreneurial ventures.

When this is all said and done, what is something you’d like the world to know about people like yourself?

We have a heart. We’re strong. A lot of us are alpha female with real strong personalities. When Terra and I came up with the show, my biggest prayer was that when people saw me, I didn’t want them to say, “Look at that midget” or “Look at that little mommy”. I wanted to be known for my name and stared at in a positive light. I think we have accomplished that with Little Women: LA. Follow Tonya Reneé Banks on Instagram @1lilboss7 and on Facebook: Tonya Renee’. Her website is www.tonyareneebanks.com and you can follow her wine account on Instagram @ltonyareneewines.

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COREY CALLIET

IT’S A LIFESTYLE Words + Interview By Tyrone Davis Meet the man behind Michael B. Jordan’s physique, celebrity trainer Corey Calliet. After running into Michael on the set of “Fantastic Four”, Corey has been actively keeping him in shape ever since, most recently for “Creed II”.

His clientele includes other notable names in Hollywood but Corey is willing to work with anyone, providing training and meal plans via his website for those who aren’t able to see him in person. We spoke about his start, rules to getting in shape, his other business ventures and why to him, it’s a lifestyle. Take notes.

Where are you from, originally?

I grew up pretty rough in the streets of New Orleans, LA. My moms died at a young age so I grew up with family.

Basically, I had a tough upbrining to prepare me for the place I am at today.

PHOTOS: BOBBY QUILLARD

How did coming from a place like that, how did you get into fitness? Were you an athlete as a child?

I was an athlete, of course. I played Pop Warner Football, I ran track and I was a musician in high school. I was in the band. My passion for this (fitness) didn’t come from me being an athlete. It came from me actually wanting to look good. It came from wanting to make girls look at me. It didn’t have nothing to do with athletic ability. I wanted to look good. I wanted to have abs and I wanted to get attention.

Ok, how did you end up to relocating to Los Angeles?

Well, I met Michael B. Jordan on Fantastic Four. I was actually on set for about a whole month and I was supposed to be working with the cast but nobody wanted to train with me.

It just so happened one day I was supposed to go train Jamie Bell and Kate Mara and when I got to the set, neither one of them wanted to train anymore. As I was leaving, Michael came out the trailer, he saw me and I saw him. From that day on we connected and vibed and we started training every day. When we finished the process with Fantastic Four, we found out about Creed and he asked me, “How do you feel about coming to LA?” and around August of 2014 I flew out to LA and that’s where the journey began.

So “Fantastic Four” was filmed in New Orleans? How did you end up getting on that set?

No, it was filmed in Baton Rouge. A guy named Aaron Williamson was the local celebrity trainer and he reached out to my mentor Ken Hensley to see about training the cast. Ken wasn’t available but he told him he had someone that was good for the job, so he called me. I remember leaving church one Sunday morning and I don’t usually check my voice mail but Ken sent a message saying this guy is looking for someone to train the cast for this movie.

I instantly called Aaron and he broke down the job. I told him that before he finished the conversation to go check out my social media and my results. So, he went to my social media and saw what I could do and instantly called me and told me he wants to give me the job and he came in that

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following Thursday and we went to set and that’s where the journey began as far as the Fantastic Four movie.

You’ve worked with Michael B. Jordan for “Creed” but you’ve also worked with him for “Black Panther”, correct?

I work with him on anything he has to have muscles for.

Ok, did you train him specifically for his look or did any boxing techniques come in play?

The boxing techniques were going to come into play because he had to learn how to fight and we started learning how to fight when we were down in Baton Rouge. I know some boxers can look ok and have great boxing skills but I wanted him to look like a boxer that is trying to play an actor. My goal was to make him look better than Apollo Creed (played

by Carl Weathers). I knew that was the movie we had to follow. Apollo Creed had a crazy body in Rocky so my goal was to make Michael look better than that. I was reaching for the aesthetically pleasing and almost perfect physique and boxing, I was good at that too.

In preparation for “Creed II”, was anything done differently that go round?

Yes, if you’ve seen the movie, Michael is much bigger than he was in Creed. I used the methods that I used to get him big for Black Panther and I used that mass and that toneness to actual get him ripped for Creed. If you look at his body closely you’ll see that he is actually bigger in Creed II than he was as Killmonger. Every time I’ve trained Mike, I’ve just added to it. The only thing we did differently this time was do a lot more boxing and a lot more training as far as boxing choreography and conditioning work.

When you’re working with clients, are you working with those that are already decent or people who are overweight, or how does that work normally with the rest of your clients?

I work with everybody. It doesn’t matter if you come to me obese or if you come to me like you never ate nothing in your life. I work with people based on their goals. With anyone I work with, I always see what I can do for them and I might ask them what they want. The key with me is that I have an artistic eye when it comes to training people’s bodies. I’ll tell you what you could look like or what you’re going to look like because it’s hard to tell what you want when you look at yourself every single day.

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What do you think is the biggest obstacle for people who want to lose weight?

The biggest obstacle is themselves. They quit too early.

People start working out on Monday and if they don’t have results by Wednesday, they quit. They don’t understand patience, time and process. If people could understand that they didn’t put that weight on overnight so it is going to take time to get it off, I think a lot more people would have more success when it comes to losing weight.

When we’re talking about people needing to see results in a couple days, what exactly is a healthy amount of weight to lose on a monthly basis?

I think 10 to 15 pounds in a month is really good because if your losing 2 or 3 pounds a week that means your losing body fat and not just water weight.

For somebody who might lose a whole lot of weight what actually happens to the extra skin? Do you have any techniques to tighten them up?

I’m going to be honest with you. A nutritionist will help you with that because when people lose a lot of weight real fast, that means the skin is still soft because they did something that made the body dehydrated itself because it’s not getting enough nutrition to tighten the skin up and fill it up again with good muscle. When you lose weight too quick, you see that loose skin. I tell people all the time to take their time losing the weight and the skin will tighten itself up. If you are 385 pounds and you get down to 185, of course you are going to have to get that cut off by a doctor. If you take your time losing that weight it will tighten right up.

You’ve also worked with Angela Bassett and she’s always been known for having really nice arms and keeping her physique together. How do approach working with someone like her?

Well when you have a woman who is already accustomed to working out, knows how to train and has done a lot of transformations already, I don’t train them easy. What I do is a lot of intense trainings because I have to trick their bodies to continue to change. When I meet Angela on Fantastic Four and we worked out those 2 or 3 times, we didn’t do anything that was easy. It was very hard and something that was going to make her body go into shock and actually be able to benefit and change from it. Also, nutrition is key as well. If they don’t eat right, things won’t change.

Diet and exercise: Which is more important?

It is 100/100, man. Your diet determines how you’re going to change and your workout determines how fast you’re going to change. I always tell people that if they are going to put a 100 into their nutrition, put 100 into their training as well.

I can’t do the ol’ 65/35 or the 50/49, no. They’ve got to give 100 on both sides or they are not going to get the results they really want.

When you’re talking about diet, a lot of people are vegans as well as vegetarian these days but are the meat eaters doomed or can they too maintain a balanced diet and still be considered healthy?

Of course. The thing about it is that it is the type of meats that people are eating and how much they are consuming.

Make sure you’re eating lean meats. Don’t eat a whole lot of pork and fatty meats, you know? I’m never against eating meat because I walk around myself at 235 pounds with a six pack and I eat meat every single day.

A lot of people think eating meat you get a lot of your protein. I know you can get proteins from other foods as well. What are some of them?

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are all types of ways to get protein. I’m not a vegan expert but I know enough to live a healthy lifestyle if I wanted to try it but you just can’t get enough protein out of a plant. That’s just my personal opinion.

Aside from being a celebrity trainer, you also have become one of the “50 Most Fit Men In The World”. What was that like?

First of all, that was an honor to be in the same conversation with Conner McGregor, Usain Bolt and so many other different amazing athletes. That made me realize that there are eyes on me and I have a responsibility to continue to live the lifestyle that I live and to continue to inspire others to do it. It takes a lot. I feel like all these days of training for years and years in the gym, I’ve earned the right to be called that.

That was an honor.

You have a few endeavors based off of what you do for a living. Can you tell us about ‘Revenge Body by Khloe”?

Revenge Body is an awesome show, man. The thing about Revenge Body is that I’m able to reach people not just in the gym but reach their minds as well. I have a big thing on being able to inspire and motivate people. I speak life into people and I do that on air by being able to take people who have been mentally and emotionally beat up and being able to help them rebuild not only physically, but most importantly mentally and emotionally.

Ok, what can new listeners expect from your radio show “It’s a Lifestyle”?

It’s a Lifestyle is a different type of show. The vibe of the show goes good with the music and there is a message with the show that helps people believe in themselves and teach each other motivation instead of entertainment behind messy bullying and what’s going on in the media. We like our listeners to feel reenergized and feel good about themselves and help them get that word that they needed just when they were going through something. Just being able to relate to and understand somebody that is just like them and being there in their lives instead of someone you see and hear everyday on everyday radio.

You also got a “Beats by Dre” endorsement. That’s huge and what are your thoughts on that?

Well I worked with Beats by Dre recently. We did a couple of projects together. Growing up, I remember when their headphones first came out and buying so many pairs of them.

Now, being able to partner with them and doing things like that was amazing. It is one of my dreams come true.

At this point do you consider yourself fully successful?

What does success mean to you?

To be honest with you bruh, it is one thing to reach success but it is another thing to say successful. I would say I’m definitely successful but the level of success that I’m trying to reach, I haven’t even tapped into it yet. I never get satisfied, I’m never complacent and it is never enough for me. I keep that mind set and I’m never going to fall back. I love the fact that I’m successful but I work towards complete success everyday. That is my goal. So, that’s were I’m at right now when it comes to my career.

Last question: Being from Louisiana, I need your “Top 5” artists of all time from there.

Lol, Lil Wayne is #1, Juvenile is #2, Mystikal is #3, RIP Young Greatness and I’m going to say #5 is the No Limit Family. That is what I was playing all day.

Follow Corey Calliet on Instagram @mrcalliet. His website is www.coreycalliet.com.

TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE

33

CHECK ME OUT KAM CORVET GIVE IT A TRY

JOIN THE TEAM! He composed and co-wrote Sting and Shaggy’s new single “Don’t Make Me Wait” as well as for other artists including Freddie Jackson, Angie Stone, Case, and Avery Sunshine. He also wrote and was featured on two songs for international pop artist Mr. Probz including the single “Turning Tables”.

Kam has traveled the world with his guitar as a solo/ acoustic act while opening for the likes of Adele, Erykah Badu, Chaka Khan, Marsha Ambrosius, Bilal, Dwele, Tamia, and countless others. He has been featured in Upscale Magazine, Vibe.com, Centric.com, Concreteloop.com and Ebony.com as an artist to watch.

Kam Corvet is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Cincinnati, Ohio by way of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

In 2006, he released his first independent album “Sayingthings” and has been a fixture in the indie soul music scene both in the U.S. and abroad. Since then, Kam has released several projects including his acclaimed EP, “F_ck Love”, “Darker Than Gray” in 2014 and his most recent EP, “Early Riser”. He is gearing up to drop a new project and has chosen “Give It a Try”, produced by Gavin Brown, as the lead single.

This year Kam completed a successful tour in Russia and has recently opened for Erykah Badu, Ty Dolla$ and continues to perform with Sting and Shaggy as a guitar player and backing vocalist.

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Follow Kam on all social media under @kamcorvet Media Inquiries Contact: Tia Culver PR 770-896-5685 tia@tiaculver.net

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issue #54 2018

TONYA ´ RENEE BANKS +

Omar Gooding. B-Strilla. A. Luck. Lilimar.

Jordan L. Jones. Kirrilee Berger. Courtenay Taylor.

Corey Calliet. Andre Rison. Kam Corvet.