ISSUE #62 2020
CHASITY SAMONE Tylan. Robin G. + King Vader. Porcelan. Boyo.´
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What can I say? 2020 hasn’t been great so far but anyone still breathing is blessed. No one knows when their last day on earth will be but we are reminded regularly that we can be out of here at any moment. Life is precious and should be treated as such and aside from situations completely out of our control, we are often the cause of our own demise. As we all know, life is about choices and we should be more “woke” in knowing that thing called life is only temporary and can be taken away at any moment. Though I am “getting up there”, I still consider myself a young man with a lot of unfinished business left in the world. At the same time, I have experienced quite a bit in my life and I am very proud of my journey in particular. Still, I’d like to go out on my terms and I think most feel the same way. With that in mind, let’s be safe, respect and appreciate each other and live life to the fullest. Much love to those no longer here. Tyrone Davis
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COMING TO THEATERS
WHO AM I AND WHAT I STAND FOR Corletha Norman, MSW, LCSW, Owner and Clinical Director of Bonhomie, LLC.
CATCH A FLICK.
Tylan Tylan bursted onto the music scene last year with a sound all his own and described by music industry insiders as soulful R&B with a hint of trap. His music is reflective and has broad appeal to younger and more mature audiences. The straight A student is also the star basketball player at his high school. Tylan was born and raised in Washington, DC., known for turning out major music industry giants and its love for the artist community. He grew up singing in the church and discovered he had a unique ability to captivate people through his music.
We are certified to provide Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to assist in your healing from trauma.
“I want my songs to reach the depth of people’s souls. I want to sing and write music that relate to everyone’s experience and transport them to a place of love.” Although Tylan is only 16 years old he has been very methodical and intentional about the music he puts into the atmosphere. He is eager to learn how to elevate his craft and wants to collaborate with musicians that not only share his passion, but that he can learn from. Tylan just collaborated with multi-platinum and multi-award winning recording artist, Wale. Unlike many artists who struggle to find their identity, Tylan seems to possess an innate sense of self and purpose through his music. He has an eclectic and diverse combination of musical influences that has undoubtedly molded him into the performing artist he is today. He gives credit to musical geniuses such as Michael Jackson, Usher, Boys II Men, Ne-Yo, and admits that old school music has played a significant role in defining his sound. Later this summer, Tylan will be releasing his debut EP. He is currently enjoying the early success of his new single, “Feel This Way” featuring Ronnie DeVoe.
Connect with Tylan:
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Instagram: @Official_Tylan Facebook: Tylan.Paige Website: www.OfficialTylan.com For additional information on TYLAN and or to arrange for an interview, please contact Ra-Fael Blanco at 2R’s Entertainment & Media PR at 646.326.4803 or via email at TwoRsEnt@aol.com.
CORLETHA NORMAN, 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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ROBIN G. AIN’T NOTHING BUT A G THANG Words + Interview By Corletha Norman, MSW, LCSW Robin Gardner is one of the original poetic gangstas of Louisville, Kentucky. Robin has set foot on many stages ripping through the brains of her audiences with her emotional, soulful and relatable pieces. Take a moment to learn more about this award winning poet. The following is an excerpt. So, Ms. Robin G., the poet. How have things been going? Good. Things have been going really good, surprisingly. PHOTO: DENISHA MCCAULEY
I’m pretty sure there’s probably some individuals that are very familiar with you, and then on the other hand there’s probably some that are not. Can you tell us a little bit about who you are and what it is that you do? I am Robin G. I am a poet, spoken word artist, published author, speaker. I don’t like to say motivational; I say inspirational speaker. Born and raised here in Louisville, Kentucky. Mother of four. I have four children; 19,15 and 12-year-old twins. I write poetry, and I perform spoken word pieces, and I take pride in empowering women and young girls, and just being actively about the journey that’s been assigned to me. Born and raised here in Louisville, Kentucky. Can you tell us a little bit about where you grew up and what life was like as a child? I grew up in the Iroquois housing projects. Single mom. I have three siblings. There was four of us. Didn’t know my dad. Didn’t meet my biological father until I was 26 years old. Me being biracial, my mother is white and my dad is responsible for the melanin in my skin. Here I am not knowing... I never had a picture or anything. We were poor—not poor. I’m not going to say we were poor. We didn’t have a lot of money. We didn’t have a lot of money, but things were good. What was it like growing up with your siblings and you having different interests than your siblings? I was the black sheep. I started writing poetry when I was about 10 or 11 years old. Like I said, we didn’t have a lot of money. Didn’t have real access to books and libraries and stuff like that outside of school. So we had this big blue dictionary, and my mom had a subscription to Harlequin romance novels. So I would read those romance novels and read the dictionary, and I was born with this creative mind. Of my siblings, I was the only one who liked to read, who liked to write, and they would make fun of me. I was the nerd, the black sheep, all that. So I used to hide inside of my closet in my bedroom to write poetry and read and stuff like that. Growing up in Iroquois, can you give us a little idea of where Iroquois is for those that aren’t familiar with Louisville? It is near Churchill Downs, the race track. Everybody’s familiar with that. They just kind of threw that right in the hood. It’s Taylor Boulevard area, like 264. They tore those down and never put anything back. They never rebuilt anything, which is confusing to me because why would you tear that down? It’s just a vacant spot. Which makes sense that you would bring that up. There’s lots of gentrification going on in Louisville right now. We’ve had Sheppard Square torn down, we’ve has Beecher Terrace, and they’ve put some mixed-level income housing situations over there. But there’s nothing in Iroquois.
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No. There’s a garden. I’m sure there’s a garden. I’m not quite sure who’s responsible for that, but that’s amazing. But it’s just vacant, so that’s kind of sad. When it comes to Louisville, people either tend to know about Louisville from the horse racing or they know about Louisville from “The First 48”. Yeah. The crime. Which is sad because Louisville is such a vibrant, growing city, especially with the arts. They have really created all types of different platforms for artists and created spaces for us, like different installments and stuff like that. So it’s either horse racing, barefoot in the farm or murders, which is sad. What are some other things that Louisville is becoming known for? For example, I hear a lot about the different places that you can go eat, things of that nature. If someone wanted to come to Louisville, what are some other things that they could go see? I’m always going to encourage you to go see the arts. I’m always going to encourage you to do the Kentucky Center of the Arts. Actors Theater has different events. Come visit the West End. Come visit the West End. Come visit the West End. There’s amazing things happening in this city. Robin now has different collaborations. We have one at KULA. Yes, Poets and Painters. Charles Rice, the lead artist at KULA Art Gallery on 4th Street in Louisville. He and I wanted to create a space, create a vibe reminiscent to the old Jazzy Blu here. People from here know about Jazzy Blu. That vibe has been unmatched, and it still is. I’m not saying that we replicated it, but it’s close to it. So, he’s an amazing artist. I’m a poet. Just marrying those two art forms together, it just created such a safe space with this phenomenal vibe for poets to do what they do and for the visual art to be acknowledged. It’s amazing. It’s Poets and Painters. We do it twice a month. We just had our fourth installment. We have live mural painting. Rice creates these dope stencils, and everybody in the space can paint on the mural and actually be a part of the gallery. We have canvas paintings, wineglass paintings, and then the open mic part of it is where the poets get up and you’re entertained by that. I mean, it’s just amazing. It’s amazing. Absolutely. I had the opportunity to go to your most recent one. If someone wants to sign up to participate in open mic, how does that work? They just shoot me an email, RobinGPoetry@gmail.com. Recently we put a huge poster outside of the gallery. We actually had a poet come in off the street, and he was amazing. It’s 21 and up. TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE
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BEAUTY OF THE MONTH
SHACORIVALENTINE
PHOTO: COURTNEY NEVITT
Besides KULA, we also have a collaboration with Jefferson County Public Schools. Yes. I go into these schools. I have a spoken word piece “Unwrapped”, and I created a workshop around that piece. It kind of talks about unwrapping yourself from layers that people in society have put upon you because of where you come from, bad choices that you made, and just different things like that. People like to keep you where they found you. So this workshop talks about unwrapping yourself from those layers and repackaging yourself in layers that you want to present to the world for yourself and for others.
it was recovery focused, and it was amazing. That was amazing.
With the schools that you’ve worked with thus far, what would you say were some of the most memorable memories that you have? I worked with Olmstead, the all-girls. It’s a public school, but it’s an all-girls school. I had them calling me Auntie Robin G. [Laughs] There’s a section of the workshop where I pull out paper plates, and we utilize the metaphor, “I’ve got too much on my plate.” Some of the things that these young girls write down on their plates, it completely blows my mind. It completely blows me away.
How is or can the medium of poetry be utilized to assist individuals with mental health issues? Oh, my goodness. See, the one thing that I love about poetry... people don’t know this, but I’m very introverted. I’m very quiet and kept to myself. But with poetry, it’s a way to translate, to transcribe all of my emotions and everything that I’ve ever been through and to put it on paper and to release that into the world.
I had one teacher come up to me, and she’s like, “These girls never talk. These girls never share. These girls come in, they put their hood on. And they’re actually talking, and sharing, and engaging in this conversation.” So that is everything to me. That’s when it becomes bigger than poetry. What school are you going to next, and do you have any sort of a different direction that you want to take the project in based on the demographic of that school? Yes. I’m going into Shawnee. This October I’ll be in Shawnee, and that’s a high school. So with every workshop, with every space that I commit to, I kind of get an idea of the demographic of the age group, and I tweak it because I want you to feel like I’m talking directly to you. I just recently did the “Unwrapped” workshop at the Freedom House for Volunteers of America. So I kind of tweaked it so that TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE
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So when I go into Shawnee, I know that these are older girls. I’ll just tweak it to where like when you’re sitting in the church and you’re going through something in your life, and the pastor starts preaching, and you’re like, “Get out of my life. Get out of my house.” I don’t like to go places or on panels to where people are talking at me. I want to have a conversation with these girls. They follow me on social media. They inbox me. I want them to be able to reach back out to me if necessary.
LOCATION: ATLANTA, GA SHACORI VALENTINE IS A JUNIOR STUDYING BUSINESS IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY. SHACORI WILL PURSUE A CAREER AS AN ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE AFTER GRADUATION. SHE IS INVESTED IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND HAS INTEREST IN FINANCIAL LITERACY AND REAL ESTATE. SHE HAS MOVED AROUND A LOT DUE TO HER FATHER BEING IN THE NAVY. JAPAN IS HER FAVORITE PLACE THAT SHE HAS LIVED IN AND HER FAVORITE FOOD IS JAPANESE CURRY. HER HOBBIES INCLUDE PLAYING VIDEO GAMES, GOING OUT TO EAT, WATCHING THE BACHELORETTE AND LEARNING ABOUT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. SHACORI’S CONTACT: INSTAGRAM: @SHACOXO PHOTO: EZRA FERGUSON
Then with poetry, you could talk about anything. You could talk about anything. I could literally talk about anything and people are going to listen because I’m spitting poetry. So I love to address mental health issues. I have a piece called “I Am Not”, and it talks about the “what happens in my house stays in my house” stigma. The superwoman stigma is going to kill us as black women. So I feel like any artist has the responsibility, has an obligation to talk about the things that you can’t talk about amid a normal conversation. Because we can write about anything, and then we can get up there and we can spit it, and people are going to be like, “What did she just say,” but they’re going to start talking about it. To read the rest of the interview, visit us on our website at www.twenty4sevenmagazine.com. Also, follow Robin G. on Instagram @robingpoetry. TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE
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CHASITY SAMONE FOCUSED Words + Interview By Tyrone Davis Chasity Samone is a model, activist and Army veteran who has accomplished quite a bit over the last few years. The Dallas native and I discussed her time in the military, relocation to NYC, work with companies like Karmaloop and Playboy, women equality and more.
Let’s start with your background. Where are you from and how did you grow up? I’m from Dallas, Texas. My mom and dad had 11 children together and I’m number 7 of that 11. I graduated from Carter High School and joined the Army afterward for 3 years and 1 inactive. I moved to New York afterward. Were you a military brat? No, I wasn’t. My older sisters were. My father worked for the federal government but was a retired solider as well. Was your dad the reason you joined the military? Yes, also I was very active in ROTC in high school so I just knew what I wanted to do. I literally enlisted while I still was in high school and I went in right after graduation. Okay. I’m an Army brat, myself so I grew up around all of that and moved around quite a bit. I’m intrigued by it, especially being that a majority of my closest friends joined the military. Oh, wow. Did you join? No, I went straight into college and then into the entertainment side of things, lol. Where were you stationed? I was stationed at Fort Jackson, SC. I was a 42 Alpha, a human resource specialist. Okay, cool. A lot of people that join end up staying until retirement. What made you decide to get out early? I just didn’t like it. I didn’t like the way some of my battle buddies and I were treated. Women didn’t have a voice. Also, I was reading and learning a lot and it wasn’t for me anymore though I did want to rise in rank and do a lot of that great stuff.
PHOTO: JESSY J
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How would you compare women’s obstacles in the military versus the entertainment business? It is still the same thing but I have room to grow and make my voice heard. I have many options. I’m not caged in to anything. When I was in the Army, I was caged in and didn’t have a platform to be heard.
Okay. So once you got out of the military, what landed you in NYC? Also, what borough did you move to? I was a local model at first. A woman named Ashley Williams posted a picture of me on Facebook and asked her friends if anybody knew me. People started to tag me and she ended up offering me my first photo shoot opportunity. Once I did that, I never stopped doing photo shoots and after a year, I felt like I had outgrown my city. So, I decided to move to NYC. I moved to Brooklyn for 2 years and then I lived in Harlem for a year. Was modeling a dream of yours early on? Yes, even my friends today mention how I used to say I was going to be a model. I always had it in me. I guess I was never granted the opportunities early on. In general, people don’t get discovered as much as they used to without actually putting the work in. How did it feel to have someone see you and ask, “Who is this?” Great because she didn’t have to believe in or see anything in me but she did and for a complete stranger to do that is always a great feeling. Things sound like they went perfect for you. Is that the case? Did things just fall into place? Of course there were hard times and stuff like that but when I moved to NYC a lot of things did fall into place for me. I met my (ex) manager who was also from Dallas and had already done a lot of groundwork managing artists. So, I got to work with Karmaloop and a lot of the streetwear brands in NYC. I’m really blessed because now that I think about it. I worked hard. That always intrigues me. NYC is my favorite city. I’m from Indianapolis originally and relocated to Atlanta because we have a lot more ties here but NYC is next in line for me to live. It is just a big leap and extremely expensive up there. What did you do to navigate through that? Did you already have ties there? I gravitated towards the people who gravitated towards me, TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE
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found a tribe and we all came together and helped each other. It was very hard. We were all very young living up there and we made sure that we shared opportunities with each other as they presented themselves. So, I had like a whole family that I still love and talk to everyday. All my friends are doing great things. How did you decide what route you wanted to go in the modeling world being that there are models who do print, runway, etc.? Did you receive any training or did you just learn as you went? Those were definitely hurdles that I had to get over, for sure. I had to figure out what type of model I wanted to be and what lane I actually fit in. After NYC I moved to LA because it was more of my lane. I am a beauty model. I’m not a runway or fashion model, although I do a lot of fashion now. It was a little tricky but you’ll find out who your clients are eventually when you see who is consistently booking you. You just go wherever they are. So, break down how Playboy came about. In 2016, I was Playboy News of the Week. That was an online feature on their website. They asked for photos of me and did the feature. Then, a lot of things happened. The company changed over the years and then they came back doing nude modeling again and I thought “Ooh, that’s lit”. I had come across the casting director of the Playmates. I had always wanted to be a Playmate so I DM’d her on Instagram, she replied to me and now I’m a Playmate, lol. That was in 2018 that I sent that DM. Dope. Taking a chance works out sometime, lol. You mentioned that things had changed and as a lot of us know, Hugh Heffner passed away a few years back. Are you familiar with the publication enough to where you know how things worked prior to his passing vs. after? What kind of major changes have taken place? They stopped doing nudity after his passing for I don’t know how long. Maybe like a year or something? Also, it is quarterly now whereas it was a monthly publication before so only four issues a year. I also share my issue, the Equality issue with two other playmates. So, Jan-March is who is in the equality issue. I didn’t know that. I hadn’t heard much about Playboy after Hugh’s passing. Publications as a whole have had to make those adjustments and a lot of us have switched over to focusing on digital more and doing less prints. Yes, Playboy will be a definitely be a collectible item/magazine so I’m excited for that.
has been on the rise. Even in our community, it is said that black women as a whole are more educated, they have more jobs, are doing better, etc. than the males are. If that is the case, what type of things do you go through that make you feel the way you do? Break that down for me. As far as being a black woman, we still have to realize that the ratio of the amount of dollars to cents compared to how much a man is being paid in the corporate world is very much off. Although a lot of black women are entrepreneurs now and we are doing better, that doesn’t mean we aren’t being treated unfairly behind the scenes. Gotcha. One of the big reasons we moved down to Atlanta is that there are so many black people down here doing well. Of course we’d like to see that happened all over the place as well. In the Midwest, the murder rate is high and there aren’t as many outlets available in some of those cities. Everyone can’t move to Atlanta because there just isn’t enough room so it’d be great for things to expand. Exactly. It is more to talk and fight about. Of course, Atlanta is Black Hollywood and a lot of people thrive there but there are a lot of other cities in the nation that need to have the same concept or have politicians in place to implement some laws so things can change. With that being said, how are you feeling about this upcoming PHOTO: JESSY J election? I am feeling pretty optimistic about it, you know? I haven’t really decided who I’m going to go with and I still have some things that I need to figure out before I decide whom I want to vote for. I don’t think we’ll get let down this election time around and I’m very positive about it. I understand. Other than Playboy, what would you say have been some other highlights in your career? I got a lot of eyes on me when I did Wale’s Pretty Young Thing music video. I was the main girl in that video. I did a lot of music videos for a lot of high profile artists. I’ve done a lot of make up campaigns. Everything has been a big opportunity and a big blessing for me.
Right. Let’s talk about equality a bit. What is your take? Right now, women equality is my thing. Equal rights and equal pay for women vs. our male counterparts is my main focus for equality, for sure.
Lastly, what kind of advice can you give to those who are trying to get in the door? Stay focused, consistent and think about your long-term goals and why you’re doing it. Place yourselves in places you need to be to achieve those goals and keep moving. Don’t let anyone tell you no. If they do, create your own opportunities and don’t let a man, your parents, siblings or anyone else tear you away from your dreams.
Okay. So, within these last few years, women empowerment has been doing very well and the #metoo movement
Follow Chasity Samone on Instagram @chasitysamone or on Twitter @chasitysamonex.
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KING VADER HOOD NARUTO Words + Interview By Shaniya Pippin King Vader is a very popular Youtuber, most known for his videos “Hood Naruto The Movie”, “Hood Dragon Ball Super” and “End Game (Parody)”. He is also known to parody music videos and is a big fan of anime and superhero films. This writer, director and producer aims to become the best of his generation. Check him out!
What was your childhood like? My childhood was very interesting; my mother and father would be at work, and my younger brother and I would have to wait for them to get home to be able play outside so we were forced to use our creativity. We would make things out of paper, creating our own worlds by tapping into our imaginations in so many creative ways. How did growing up in Maryland shape you into the person you are today? I feel like it was really the environment - the people and culture that Maryland and the D.M.V. provided gave me the tools to become the person I am today. How was the move from Maryland to Los Angeles? Was it hard to adjust? It took me a while to prepare for the move to Los Angeles. Once it happened, I never looked back. I began working even harder on mastering my craft. How did you develop your love for filming/acting/directing? I developed my love for filming/acting/directing when I first moved to Maryland. I would stay in Washington D.C. with my cousin and manager @Iamwritterboy who first introduced me to the world of filmmaking, which all started by him asking me to be a part of his short film. I tried it and instantly fell in love. My family left D.C. and moved to Maryland, and I ended up living with my cousin in DC during summers. We spent so much time in front of the camera, I decided it was what I wanted to do professionally.
PHOTO: GYASI C.
You’re different within the concepts of your videos from other Youtubers by using Anime and also popular dances/ songs for your videos. What made you start doing that? I feel like I have always had a love for things like anime and superhero movies, and I have always loved all types of music. So I guess my brain found a way to mesh all of it together. I was able to create a new genre within social media with what I do now creatively. Social media has shown us that there are more black Anime fans than we thought. From your perspective, has Anime always been a thing in the black community? I don’t think anime has always been a popular thing in the
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Black community, but one that has become more prevalent and a main topic of conversation within the past two years. I think it’s been brought to light and I feel like a lot of people weren’t as open with watching it because it was considered nerdy and unpopular, but with my work I feel that everyone watching can be free within themselves and not be judged for doing so. What are some of your favorite Anime’s right now? My top favorite anime currently are My Hero Academia, Naruto, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Death Note, Seven Deadly Sins, One Punch Man and Dragonball Z. Are you interested in anything else within the Japanese culture? I want to one day learn Japanese and master the language. Is Japan on your bucket list of places to travel to or have you already been? I haven’t been to Japan yet, but it is my dream travel location. Once my feet touch the soil, I know I will have made it in life. From being born in Chicago and raised in Maryland, it says a lot to be on the other side of the world. It’s a lifelong goal. What inspired Hood Naruto and did you think it would be this big of a success? Hood Naruto was inspired by the character, Naruto and all he embodies and stands for, especially never giving up. That message really resonates with me, and being able to recreate that in my own way has always been a vision of mine. Once I saw people watch and respond to my other videos, I wanted to take it one step further, so that’s when I created the movie. I’m currently considering a part 2 because of how well the first one was received. What is your creative process like when creating these videos? I have a really unique creative process. I see videos play out in my head; I envision myself in a theater, in front of a big screen. I try to bring the video to life by recreating what I see on paper - I draw out my shot list, gather the essential parts together like the actors and crew, secure locations, costumes/wardrobe, etc. Once I have all the tools I need in place, I’ll begin shooting. Once I get to editing, I’ll run into walls trying to piece each scene together. I want to form a perfect story. TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE
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How do you stay focused? My focus comes from seeing my inspirations reach their goals. It makes me push harder to create more, especially when I see the greats such as Will Smith drop amazing movie trailers. It gives me drive. My friends and family also keep me focused - I want to change their lives too. Tell me about your team, Wolf Graphic? My team is a collective of creators, directors, actors, rappers, and photographers. We are made up of a lot of unique talented individuals, which makes us even stronger as a team. We want to do things differently with our approach of creating content. The team is made up of some of the most talented people on social media and my team Wolf Graphic is going to be the face of the industry in the future. It feels good to have them on my team and in my corner. I used to have a team when I was on Vine, but my vision wasn’t coming to life. So I knew I had to expand but couldn’t wrap my mind around a new name. My best friend Tazz suggested I incorporate my favorite animal, which is a wolf, so that was a start. We came up with a list of names such as Wolf Pyramid, Wolf Legacy and ended up with Wolf Graphic. Is there anyone who inspires you in particular? If so, who ? My inspiration comes from Will Smith, Leonardo Dicaprio, Denzel Washington, Michael B Jordan, my older cousin @Iamwritterboy, as well as different anime characters like Naruto, Deku and Goku. Who is your favorite director and why? My favorite director is Edgar Wright because he is an underdog. He is really great at what he does and I feel he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. His shot selection and eye stands out the most to me, especially in films like Baby Driver and Scott Pilgrim; the color of each shot he chooses is what I have fallen in love with. What advice do you have for young people wanting to become filmmakers/directors/actors? I would tell them it is never too late to get started. You have to believe in yourself; it’s a big thing at times and support isn’t always going to be there, so it is crucial that you are able to believe in yourself. You have to make them believe in you and make what you say a reality. Stay consistent, stay creative, stay encouraged. I always say if I get knocked down, I’m going to stand up so never be afraid to step outside the box. There are ten other people who want the same thing, so you have to be willing to go and get it before they do. Who are some people you would want to work with in the near future? Some people I would like to work with in the near future are Edgar Wright, Donald Glover and Will Smith. They’re iconic and I think we all think differently, so it would be a great fit.
PHOTO: GYASI C.
What do you hope to accomplish within the next 10 years of your career? I hope to accomplish producing films and movies, showcasing them in theaters with Wolf Graphic, being a self-sustaining company, seeing my friends and family happy as well as having billboards of future projects. I want everything that I am doing now to be the groundwork and foundation of where I am headed. I want people to see my progression. Filmmaking is my passion and I’m gravitating toward that and elevating with my team as we change the world and be an example for people that hard work pays off. Follow King Vader on Instagram @kingvader and subscribe to his Youtube Channel “King Vader”.
TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE
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PORCELAN ACT OUT
“Act Out” is the follow-up buzz single to Porcelan’s charttopping hit song, “Lois Lane”, which became a Billboard Magazine Top 15 record. “Act Out” will be featured on Porcelan’s forthcoming debut album, “Mood Ring”, to be released later this spring. The in-your-face single was written by Porcelan, Hamilton Hardin, Denarious Holmes and produced by Hamilton Hardin. “Act Out is about someone who has been broken before and has emotional trauma from a previous relationship,” mentions Porcelan. “It’s basically the voice for people who can’t admit that there insecurities drives them to many different conclusions. I was inspired to say the things we all know is real for us but are afraid to talk about it,” she adds. Porcelan has just been announced as one of the Brand Ambassadors for PZI Denim by Lisa Raye. “I am truly honored and humbled for this awesome partnership with Lisa Raye. As a bottom-heavy girl myself, sometimes its a challenge finding the right denim that fits right and holds it all in and PZI by Lisa Raye does just that...so the product speaks to me,” mentions Porcelan. About Porcelan: Recording artist and songwriter, born and Raised in the Westwood area of South Memphis, TN is today’s contemporary urban/R&B “It Girl”. Porcelan couldn’t help but ultimately pursue her musical aspirations, having immediately absorbed her historic musical surroundings from a young age while growing up in a family of instinctively musical people. “I don’t really remember it being anything I heard on the radio; I really remember it being my family, like my Mom singing,” recalls the breakout songstress, when asked about the source of her first musical impression. “My parents are singers and musicians, so at family reunions it was really like `a thing’. Spurred by the encouragement of a fifth grade teacher who heard her voice early on, along with long car rides with her Mom listening and singing along to the likes of Bobby Womack, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye, school-aged Porcelan found herself auditioning and performing for school graduation ceremonies which soon thereafter uncovered another musical gift…writing. “I started writing poetry I middle-school and realized I was good at it,” Porcelan recounts.
In keeping with that momentum, Porcelan focused on building her reputation in music circles, doing everything from appearing on BET’s 106th & Park, collaborating on material with super-producer Timbaland, opening for Tank and gaining invaluable performance experience via a three-month tour of China with a cover band. “Doing show bands is totally different from being an original artist, so I had to learn how to entertain in that realm. Even though I was new to it, I started being around a lot of seasoned people who showed me the ropes.” Porcelan soon found herself in the studio with David Porter and fellow Made In Memphis songwriters/producers Hamilton Hardin and DeNarious Holmes recording her smoothed-out adult R&B debut single “The Real Thing Don’t Change” (along with “The One” and “Can You Hear Me Now”), which soon thereafter facilitated notable and buzz-worthy live bookings at SXSW (South By Southwest) and Essence music festivals. Once audience members and radio programmers increasingly grew aware of her simultaneously promoted EP, response to her second single release – the infectiously sumptuous beat ballad, “Lois Lane” – Porcelan found her dream unfolding as she made her way up the Billboard R&B chart straight into the Top 15. While newfound fans await the forthcoming debut album, “Mood Ring”, scheduled to be released later this spring, a steady-on-her-grind Porcelan delivered her first Christmas album, “Joyful Hearts: A Season of Love”, this past Holiday season. A most contemporary-sounding Christmas set which further displayed her knack for composing vibrantly soulful songs amidst thoroughly-pleasing, contemporary production. Connect with Porcelan: Twitter and Instagram: @PorcelanMusic | FB: /PorcelanMusic For additional information on Porcelan please contact Ra-Fael Blanco at TwoRsEnt@aol.com or 646.326.4803 at 2R’s Entertainment & Media PR. TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE
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CHECK ME OUT BOYO ´ SMOKE + MIRRORS
down the notion that boys — especially black boys — can’t be emotionally vulnerable. “This song unlike the first song I released is much sadder in tone,” Boyò confesses. “I remember growing up and being called a ‘cry baby’ for expressing my disdain for things. This label amongst other things I saw and heard growing up reinforced for me that the idea of me being emotionally vibrant was bad, in large due to the fact as a boy. As I got older, I found myself becoming emotionally unavailable especially to my own problems and needs, and eventually developing poor coping mechanisms such as dating other people who were also emotionally unavailable. Such painful experiences actually inspired this song which was conceived when I was dealing with such a circumstance. Through music, I found my healing from these experiences and through writing ‘Smoke + Mirrors,’ I started healing myself.”
Boyò (pronounced BOY-yo) has released a new track titled ‘Smoke + Mirrors,’ the follow-up record to the summer anthem “Nobody” which has since garnered over 30,000 streams on Spotify. In this new track Boyò, gets vulnerable and talks about an experience with an older past lover. The single is available for purchase and streaming on all digital service providers. Listen to the track here. The poignant track ‘Smoke + Mirrors’ features a hypnotic guitar riff and marks new territory for Boyò as he explores toxic masculinity and the expectations placed on men in relationships. Open and scarred, Boyò belts on the melancholic chorus, “I’ve got you figured out, your heart’s never around,” offering up a much more pellucid sound, while breaking
For the track, Boyò teams up once again with Nate Lanzino who created the beat from scratch with loops from GarageBand. It marks a revolution in the sound of the singer who explores a more electronic sound compared to previous his previous release. “I’ve been so lucky to hear positive feedback on the first release and I’m really excited to share this other side of my artistry,” Boyò says. “I’m still working on who I am as a musician and person, but I feel like I executed my goals for this year while holding my music up to my own standards. I feel accomplished internally, but externally I know that I’m just getting started and I can’t wait to release more material in 2020.” Contact Boyò on Facebook and Instagram @sirboyo. Contact Joseph Pate at jpate05@gmail.com or (443) 244-2911.
MIX PICKS
DUKE DEUCE
LIL FLIP
JADAKISS
MEMPHIS, TN
HOUSTON, TX
YONKERS, NY
MEMPHIS MASSACRE 2 TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE
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FEELINGS
IGNATIUS
STRICTLY BUSINESS TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE
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ISSUE #62 2020
KING VADER
Tylan. Robin G. +Chasity Samone. Porcelan. Boyo.´