ZOIILA ISSUE 001: THE MILLENNIAL ISSUE

ISSUE 001

ZOIILA THE MILLENNIAL ISSUE

ZOIILA MAGAZINE ISSUE | 001

MILLENNIAL [mi’lenēәl] noun A person born in the 1980s or 1990s.

Millennial.” Merriam-Webster.com, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/millennial. Accessed 27 Aug. 2018.

When we talk about millennials, most people’s first thought is the constant misconception that has graced that generation since the dawn of time; they’re just kids, what do they know?

Well. The answer to that is a lot.

I think since society has a way of evolving every chance it gets, it becomes harder and harder for the older generations to understand them. They don’t know the new pressures first hand, the impossible expectations that tend to appear out of thin air. If I have learned anything from the present administration, it’s that everything is temporary. On the road of constant change and evolution, there are more bumps than I think there are numbers.

But that’s to be expected; it’s not supposed to be easy. If life were easy, we wouldn’t learn anything.

The millennial generation is incredibly self-assertive, diverse, empathetic and explicit.

It’s everything that is needed for the barriers that are responsible for the ongoing separation and conflict, to be broken and explored. They are fully awake and aware of what is standing in front of them and what’s to come. They stand ready with their voices loud and minds clear.

This generation, my generation, can have their voices heard because we tend to see some form of beauty in almost everything. We see beauty because of our art and the everlasting history that trailed us to this very moment. We speak through music, writing, clothes, different forms of decorative art and so much more. There is so much freedom to be who we are and encourage others to do the same. We are modeling the way. It’s all in our hands as of right now; isn’t that exciting?

WILDER LOGAN WILDER, 19 YEAR OLD PHOTOGRAPHER, AIMS TO CAPTURE HIS GENERATION IN THEIR RAWEST STATE WITH HIS NEW SERIES, TEENRAGE.

“TeenRage is a series of photos that I have been focused on putting forward into the art world since the start of 2018. The photos are all shot by me on Kodak Tmax-400 Black and White film. The groups of teens that I am taking photos of may seem strange to the public eye which is why I love them. My goal in life is truly to let everyone be seen through my photos in their truest, rawest, form.�

- Logan Wilder

Photographer: Logan Wilder

Photographer: Logan Wilder

Photographer: Logan Wilder

Photographer: Logan Wilder

“I called it Underground Underdogs because I felt like that was what we were talking about. Like underground Soundcloud rap and the Underdogs that should be getting talked about but aren’t by bigger publications.”

As told to the interviewer.

JACK ANGELL

“Underground Underdogs is very different from how it started out. At DePaul University there’s a radio station and my roommate was applying to have a radio show. I was like ‘Oh that’s cool’, I like music and I’m not doing any clubs so I’ll do a radio show. I came up with the idea to do a show that’s an hour of Soundcloud rap that I really like. That’s such a broad term and I don’t think it’s adequate but people know what I mean when I talk about Soundcloud rap. I would record the hour, upload it to Soundcloud and then send it to the artist that I talked about because I thought it would be cool if they could hear what I had to say. Some of them didn’t have many followers so the fact that they were getting played on the radio, I thought they may think was cool. Then it started getting shared by artists I wasn’t expecting to share it, artists that were very big in my mind. I was like you know as a radio show, I could do interviews too. I was like ‘what the fuck’ let me just make a website and write about it. That launched Christmas Day 2017.

One point where I was like this could really be something was when I through a show in L.A. There were a bunch of artist in the city that were down to perform for little to nothing money wise, they were just glad that I interviewed them or whatever. A bunch of artists came outside of the performers; Omen XIII, he’s really with the underground shit, pulled up with Curtis Heron who’s in TeamSESH. Which is this really big collective who are kinda the OG’s of Soundcloud rap. TeamSESH doesn’t do media stuff at all, they could totally do bigger publications and they don’t. So to know that they were supporting me, I was like okay this is something.

I went to this show during my L.A. trip for Nothing,Nowhere. I was backstage and it was the first time I was really listed. So many artists were there in the green room and I was just back there freaking out because these were some of the biggest artists I had been listening to for years. My trip to L.A. was when I realized this wasn’t just a hobby anymore.

And I was just doing it. I think it’s cool in that sense cause every day I’m just surprised; I went in with no expectations. It was literally just because I thought people should be talking about these artists and nobody was; If nobody else is going to, I’m gonna. So yeah going into it with no expectations makes it in a lot of ways, that much more special.”

-JACK

MARY AND ISA

MARY AND ISA “It’s only recently, in the past two years or so, where for the first time as a young individual I feel like I have power over myself. Especially in a situation where I am vulnerable.” 18-year-old artist, Mary Raboy, voices aloud while tucked away in the corner of Thrive Cafe. In collaboration with Isa Dray, another local young artist, the two giggly best friends talk candidly about the various forms of corruption within our society today, and how they plan and actively continue to use their art as a way to vocally express themselves and stand up. The two teenagers are living on a major summer high at the moment; school’s out and art is in full session.

Their newest art installation is a direct message regarding the mass shootings that have taken over our school systems across the country. It’s a constant state of fear; attending school every weekday used to be a routine based around knowledge and familiarity. Now it can feel like entering a battlefield. “Our piece is called the insignificance of wood. During the cold war students were taught to hide under a desk from nuclear bombs but the desk isn’t going to change the fact that there’s a bomb. And it’s still like that.

With these lockdowns we’re basically taught to sit and hide and wait till the shooter is gone. It (the art installation) is criticizing that false sense of security”. Despite how passionate these girls are about sharing their art and attempting to send a message that most individuals are afraid to mention, there seems to be a limited number of opportunities for them due to their age.

When asked if they ever feel misunderstood because of how young they are, Mary and Isa were quick to respond by saying: “There is definitely a bridge we have to make because there is a lower expectation.

Especially with professionalism and the quality of our art work. There are no art shows for teenagers. I (Isa) want more for myself as an artist. We want people to see our art. You feel like it deserves to be seen but there’s no place to submit it to”. But these girls are ready to be seen, and have demonstrated this on numerous occasions with their success. The artwork done by both, either together or individually, has been displayed in several school art shows, The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, and Mary has even had one of her installations displayed in a storefront within their hometown right outside the city. Clearly this is just the start for them; they are paving their own pathway to success and their art is guiding them there.

GB

OLDEN OY

Golden Boy Music is an uprising collective owned by Chase Murphy and Danny Diamonds. The longtime Bostonians have an unrenounced love for their hometown city and are more than ready to establish it for the underground music community. The two best friends are not only working on creating a safe space for artists to establish their work and find their voice, but are also working on finding their own sound.

Maneuvering through the alternative hip-hop scene, Murphy and Diamonds are two unexplored gems ready to be heard.

DANNY DIAMONDS

DANNY DIAMONDS “It’s bigger than just rap.” Danny Diamonds, one half of Golden Boy with a golden future in the making. In the corner of a downtown coffee shop, Danny sits anxiously and rather excited: “I’ve always wanted to be in a magazine. This is cool”. He talks about putting the last final touches on his new EP entitled For The Record; The seven-track project is a pure representation of Diamonds need for perfection. With his vocals and lyrics potent, any listener would be able to sense his full heart and soul being served on a platter. For the record, that is no bias statement.

Danny’s sound makes you somewhat proud of Boston’s unknown music scene. Lyrically, his tracks take you through the ups and downs of any teenage romance, heartbreak and all. He tries to take on a lot of wordplays and is very conscious during his entire writing process. But when it comes to sound, Diamonds bounces off every wall in sight. The classified young alternative hip-hop artist doesn’t like to stick just to one genre. Like any artist who creates with a constant sound, he gets bored and uninterested. “I try to push myself everytime I make a song and make something different. Get out of my comfort zone. My new stuff has like a good mix of acoustic and the electronic stuff”. Diamonds likes to continue to be motivated and inspired not only by what he hears from other artists but what his music is saying.

The name Danny Diamonds stems from his younger sister and her desires: “So my little sister is brilliant. Like very smart. She was young, and I was starting to release music, this was when I was in the sixth or seventh grade. I asked her, ‘What would you want if I could get you anything?’ She had this rock collection, and she wanted diamonds. That’s the corny story”. The name is particularly felicitous. On top of the music game in Boston, Diamonds is ferociously growing and is extremely dedicated to making his music heard for what it is. Alongside Chase Murphy, that is exactly what they need to take Golden Boy Music to new dimensions:“I have confidence in mine and Chase’s ability to take an artist, that has these building blocks but doesn’t know how to build them at such a fast pace. Make their stuff work, you know? Make it, so Boston is now known to have talent; There are so many creators it’s crazy. But nobody knows about them”. These boys are hoping to make Golden Boy Music a global collective of creators to elevate the music industry in Boston to higher statures; It’s more than just a one-person show at this point.

But just like any other young adult, Danny Diamonds is dabbling in a million and one things. A power that is only just getting started but already deserves to be recognized.

CHASE MURPHY

CHASE MURPHY On a boiling hot day during the last stem of July, Chase Murphy sat calm cool and collected while strangers piled in and out of the downtown shop. The 19-year-old alternative hip-hop artist has put out a series of hit singles over the past eight months, including a dual project with partner and best friend, Danny Diamonds. The strangers around him would most likely mistake him for a slightly relaxed individual, but once you hit play on one of his tracks, you can practically feel his personality oozing vitality.

It all started when Chase decided to put out a song during the early stages of his high school career; he had released small projects years prior but nothing serious. The song was in dedication to one of his family members who had passed away when he was just eight years old: “It was the first time I opened up to people publically, first time I showed that kind of side to myself.

I feel like I keep a very stone cold image. I don’t want to let people know that much about me.

That was the first time I opened up through music, and it was well received. Music is a place to vent emotionally. I feel that a lot of artists whether it’s music, art or whatever use it as a place to express themselves. Happy or Sad”. About five years later, and that mentality still stands.

Chase sees himself as a viewer before a creator as the working individuals around him constantly inspire him, artists or not: “I’m still a listener before an artist, I feel like everyone is. You always appreciate others artwork before you touch your own. As a listener, I connect to different artists and people all the time ”. It’s the song that genuinely launched him into this life.

The recognition he got during his early years as a teen, came around the same time Chase started to get connected with Danny Diamonds. Oddly enough, the pair went to the same preschool but never connected until years later; Together they own a very dedicated collective, Golden Boy Music. As artists who are living in a city with a small artistic industry, Chase and Danny have created a vision for Boston to get out of the loop of consuming and start powerfully producing. “Then we started golden boy, a vision for the city. We feel there’s not a lot of infrastructure for arts and entertainment especially in music specifically with hip-hop. Every artist stops here, but no artist is saying ‘This is my big hometown show.’ I feel like we’re a consumer but we aren’t recognized as a supplier to the industry. So we want to create something more significant than just us two like a record label, a brand for Boston”. There are a ton of artists who are looking for the inspiration or guidance as they take a chance on themselves and their passions. As experts in that realm, Chase and Danny are the ones to give the people just what they need.

Chase Murphy has given his heart and soul to his career and continues to do so with all of his latest and upcoming projects. With a mind that eats and breathes creativity, he is a force to be reckoned with.

My Zoila.

Amongst the roughly estimated six million people in El Salvador, lived Zoila, a vibrant lady whose life sprouted from the depths of the city of Usulutan. Despite the ongoing corruption and violence that arose from the street corners, Zoila stood as a breathing representation of what every human should strive to be; gracious, kind and humble.

My grandmother Zoila was one for the books. I would hear countless amounts of stories about her, and they all left me with the same conclusion: Courage, strength, and respect don’t come easy, but when they do, they are here to stay.

Grandma, I want to thank you for leaving a deep impression on the person I am today and inspiring me to continue to be myself and only myself. This magazine is all for you.

ZOIILA Lara Kheireddine

Editor in Chief and Creative Director

Contributors

Logan Wilder, Jack Angell, Lara Kheireddine

Features

Logan Wilder, Mary Raboy, Isa Dray, Jack Angell, Danny Diamonds, Chase Murphy

info@zoiila.com www.zoiila.com