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FEATURING: PRETTY RICK SHOW - SHAKEERA FRAZER - BABII CRIS - JONATHAN MORGAN - VEECH & RELL RUGA - HHQ CLOTHING - RAP GROUP SNYD - KNIGHT MAJIK RADIO SHOW - AND MORE
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WEBSITE LAUNCH 05.23.2015
Welcome to the first issue of the Rock so Grand Show Magazine. We 're truly excited to share this issue with the world. "YOU ARE NOW ROCKING WITH THE ROCK SO GRAND SHOW BRAND". The RSGSM is built around the independant entertainment industry first then we touch on some major industry elements. Be sure to check out the entire issue so you can support these creative minds and their brand. I hope this issue inspires the great minds of tomorrow to dream and execute their dream. Stay focused and enjoy. Magazine Design & Graphics by Dj Grand Set for Kwano Sincere Decoded Graphics Special Thank You 2: Family Features Getty Images Featured creative minds in this issue
Demetrius "Dj Grand Set" Mims Editor-In-Chief EMAIL: editor@rocksograndshow.info
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Darrell Shanks
pg 8
Programming Director of E.M.N Netorks (Cover Story)
Veech & Rell Ruga
pg2 2
Mixtape Report pick of the month
Jonathan Morgan
pg5 Hip Hop Quotables Clothing
Video Report pick of the month
Family Features presents
Fashion Report of the month
pg15 Babii Cris I Am Next Producer Spolight
pg12 Family Features presents pg16 SNYD
Make 2015 Your Year To Improve Financial Fitness
7 Digital Marketing Tips To Expand Your Small Business
pg6
pg7
I Am Next Artist Spotlight
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RSGS MAGAZINE VIDEO PICKS
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The Official music video for J.Morgan's first single , "News Reel (Extra Extra)" off of the album 'Human'
HOW I SURVIVE 3RDEYE VEECH
"See You Soon" the 9th track off of Babii Cris' self-produced, selfrecorded and self-engineered debut album "Triple Threat" OUT NOW! Purchase on iTunes, Google Play Music, Spotify and MORE! WWW.ROCKSOGRANDSHOW.INFO | 05
Babii Cris is a twenty-one year old emcee, sound engineer, and producer from San Francisco, California. Her style of music may leave a first impression of conscious rap, but in transition to more and new opportunities, her lyrical energy has boosted and her underestimated outset has been proven otherwise numerous times that her music is individualized as her own combination of West Coast, boom bap beats, alternative hip hop, and conscious rap. Raised by single teenage parents, Babii Cris grew up bobbing her head to nineties hip hop and early millennium artists such as Eminem, Bone Thugs N Harmony, The Fugees, Amanda Perez, NB Ridaz, Outkast, and many more. The journey to her developing music career began at the age of eight, when Babii Cris began writing her own poetry and soon recorded her rap lyrics onto cassette tapes. In the next five years, her interest in music had only grown and she began to record her first few tracks at a local studio and taught herself to produce her own beats and engineer her vocals. As time passed, and high school finished, she spent about 3 years in college learning about the production and engineering of music and audio. Her bedroom slowly but surely transitioned into her personal music studio with professional equipment and local artists stopping by for studio time. Since 2013, Babii Cris has performed and made stage presences at different events, shows, and venues throughout the Bay Area such as the annual San Mateo County Fair, Boom Boom Room Presents Return of the Cypher, San Jose Pride, Slim’s, Great American Music Hall, and many more. Her past and future events can be seen at the "Events" tab. Her self-engineered, self-recorded, and self-produced debut album “Triple Threat” was released on January 3, 2015 and immediately became available to online streaming applications and stores such as iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Play, Shazam, and more, along with hard copies of the album available at the "Shop" button. The "Triple Threat" campaign showcased her years of experience in sound engineering, music production, and audio recording, but not only prepared current and potential fans to celebrate for the release but to also promote recognition of the young independent artist for her multiple skills as a musician and entrepreneur. She is currently performing songs off of "Triple Threat" at events all around the Bay Area and will soon be on the CD Release "Truth Tour" with ISuppose and many more artists.
WWW.BABIICRIS.COM
About SNYD The Best Rap Duo In The Game Realizing at a young age their penchant for writing and hip-hop, 1st cousins Streetz and Young Deuces officially got their start when their mixtape “We want In Vol 2” sold over 15,000 units. No easy feat for an unsigned artist, especially one from Milwaukee WI, a city rarely mentioned in hip-hop. “Milwaukee is overlooked and doesn’t get the props it deserves so we are pushing to make people recognize Milwaukee” says Young Deuces. Mission accomplished. Since the release of “We want In Vol 2”, Streetz and Young Deuces have appeared on numerous mixtapes hosted by hip-hop’s elite including DJ Drama & The Aphilliates and DJ Green Lantern. Their music has also been played on WQHT Hot 97 (New York City) and So So DefRadio (Atlanta), as well as press write-ups in hip-hops’ premiere publications including The Source, Ozone Magazine and Hip Hop Weekly. While Streetz and Young Deuces have made significant gains within hip-hop, they believe their music is for the “underdogs”. “We represent that struggle of constantly being underestimated and we hope that comes across in our music,” adds Streetz. Their upcoming album, “Hustlers Never Sleep” is an ode to underdogs, acknowledging regardless to your place in life… we all have a hustle. Follow them on twitter @StreetzEMP // @Young Deuces Follow them on Instagram @BurgieEMP // @Young_Deuces
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COVER STORY
DarrellShanks
Darrell Shanks E.M.N Networks Programming Director
RSGSM: What inspired you to pursue a career in acting? DS:: It's always been in me since I was a kid. It's been a rush to perform in front of people. But it wasn't until I took a hard look at myself and decided I wanted to do what makes me happy and pursued acting.
RSGSM: Name your top roles as an actor? DS: Jim Alston in Scorned, David in Tears from a Broken Mind, Detective Brewer in Revelation Blue and Professor Marcus in Grimoire. RSGSM: How do you feel about your acting career? DS: My God have been awesome! He has opened so many doors, introduced me to so many amazing people. I love where I am now and it's only going to get better! RSGSM: How did you connect with the developers at EMN? DS: A friend of mine posted a link to EMN that I applied for and Cory Smith contacted me and asked me if I would like to join the network.
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RSGSM: What's your point of view on today's television shows? DS: Television has changed a lot since I been little. Television shows are looking like films that you would see in the movies. I believe that they are getting carried away with reality TV and need to start airing shows with positive life lessons.. RSGSM: What is your current role with EMN? DS: VP of All Network TV Operation. RSGSM: Name your top 5 actors of all time. DS: Jim Carey, Denzel Washington, Terrace Howard, Jamie Foxx and Cuba Gooding Jr RSGSM: What's your future goals as an actor and executive of EMN? DS: To play a main role in a blockbuster movie and a hit television show. To help build a powerful foundation for EMN that will take us to the top and BEYOND.
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V T EF RK S K WO T E N
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Make 2015 Your Year to Improve Financial Fitness
Photos courtesy of Getty Images (Family Features) Lose weight, quit smoking, find a new job and get out of debt‌does this sound familiar? Millions of Americans will resolve to change their lives in the New Year, but few will stick with their goals. In fact, a recent survey by the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) finds six in 10 people will strive to improve their financial well-being in 2015. Changing your financial habits is a resolution you cannot afford to overlook. It’s time to flex your financial muscle. The experts at the nonprofit National Endowment for Financial Education offer these seven tips to help make your financial resolutions stick:
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1) Do it now. Many will wait until they feel the time is right to begin new behaviors. If you wait until after the big party to start watching your diet, or until after that big purchase to start saving money, the ideal time will never present itself. 2) Write down your financial resolutions. The NEFE survey finds setting a budget, making a plan to get out of debt, and boosting retirement savings are the top priorities for Americans in the coming year. Clearly articulate why you think your resolution is a good idea, steps you can take to reach your goal, and what you hope to gain. Post your list where you will see it each day. 3) Identify your money morals. Understanding your values and attitudes about money will bring clarity to the decision-making process. NEFE offers various online tools, such as the LifeValues Quiz, which will help you identify your values and make resolutions based on those values. You can find the LifeValues Quiz at www.SmartAboutMoney.org. 4) Recruit a “financial buddy.” Share your resolutions with a trusted family member or friend who can provide support in helping you meet your financial goals. Find someone who will hold you accountable and will set a good example for you to follow. 5) Vary goal intensity. Give yourself a short-term objective such as paying more than the minimum on one credit card this month. A long-term goal could be setting up – and adding to – the emergency savings account you know you should have but didn’t get around to starting last year. 6) Monitor your progress regularly. If you are trying to reduce debt, make sure you check your balances often. Set aside a couple of hours each week to address your finances. Over time this will become second nature and part of your normal routine. 7) Address conflict logically. If you find yourself breaking a financial goal by reverting to old spending habits, identify what value might be causing you to stray and take the time to ask yourself if the decision is appropriate given your current financial situation. For help with setting goals and getting your finances in order in 2015, visit www.SmartAboutMoney.org. Photo courtesy of Getty Images
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COMING JUNE 1, 2015
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Hip Hop Quotables- It's About The Lryics速 HHQ is the first clothing line with a message dedicated to hip hop fans around the world. Our message- It's About The Lyrics- reinforces our belief that hip hop is as only good as it's lyrics. Thus, if rappers think before they write and create lyrics that have meaning accompanied with dope microphone skills, the results is a hip hop that benefits it's listeners. On the other hand, if rappers sale out and dumb down their lyrics to the point of buffoonery, the end results are a hip hop that is poisonous and degrading that ultimately stupefies it's listeners and destroys the true meaning of hip hop. Celebrating the great lyrics of hip hop and the ones who write them. Every piece of clothing we create is truly dedicated to expressing the true meaning of hip hop and the most prominent way of doing this is with our 'Wearable Quotes' line of shirts. On these shirts we are showcasing some of the greatest quotes in hip hop history. With these quotes hip hop fans around the world will be able to display their love of hip hop in a manner never before seen. These quotes will give credit to the rappers who wrote them as well as expose and educate hip hop fans who are new to the hip hop culture Our 'World Wide Logo' says it all! A lot of thought went into the creation of our 'world wide logo' The fist holding the microphone sitting on top of the globe with our name and tagline surrounding it, it's a powerful symbol. It represents the solidarity amongst true hip hop fans around the world. By wearing our logo, you are saying you ONLY support meaningful hip hop and will no longer support the stupid lyrics written by a slew of stupid rappers in todays hip hop music. Social Media Footprint WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/HHQCLOTHING WWW.TWITTER.COM/HHQCLOTHING WWW.HIPHOPQUOTABLES.COM
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Photos courtesy of Getty Images
7 Digital Marketing Tips to Expand Your
SMALL BUSINESS (Family Features) Whether you’re just starting a small business or looking to expand an existing operation, marketing your business can seem daunting. The key to marketing success is to establish your presence, drive leads to your business and expand your audience. Even for businesses that serve a primarily local clientele, it’s important to remember that today’s customers are more connected than ever before. Technology enables them to rely on mobile devices, web searches and other online tools to research businesses and make purchasing decisions.
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Photos courtesy of Getty Images
To ensure your business is effectively operating in today’s connected local economy, YP, a leading local marketing solutions provider, offers the following advice based on experience running thousands of marketing campaigns: • Mobile matters. Almost everyone today owns a smartphone. Yet you would be surprised by the number of businesses that have not optimized their websites for mobile devices. Not only do mobile responsive sites load faster and provide a better experience, they also help with your ranking in search engine results (also known as search engine optimization or SEO). • Keep your online presence current. Think of your online presence as a business card you hand out to prospective customers, and take the time to ensure your digital and mobile presence is current and cohesive across all online media. Have you recently changed any contact information, such as phone number, email or address? Supervising this online business card takes time and effort, but the payoff comes with customers who can easily find you and your products or services. Consider setting a calendar reminder to review all online channels for relevance and accuracy on a regular basis.
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• Create valuable content. Can’t think of what to say? Customers are often drawn to tip-based content related to your industry or product, such as best practices or top 5 tips. If you aren’t the strongest writer, find someone on your team who is, or seek professional help outside of your organization. Rich content, especially photos and videos, can also help engage consumers. • Keep content fresh. Once you develop content, you need to keep it fresh. As a rule of thumb, you should update images on a quarterly basis. For blogs, update the content weekly, and host the blog on your business’ primary website to keep your audience from clicking away from your site. Post blog headlines and timely information or calls to action above the fold (where they can be seen without scrolling) so customers can access them easily. • Reputation and reviews matter. Establishing a loyal customer base means monitoring your online ratings and reviews on a regular basis. A business owner who reaches out to customers for all feedback they provide — whether positive or negative — creates a powerful statement. Addressing or correcting any errors shows accountability for your business and can build loyalty. • Drive traffic. Bidding on keywords is the foundation of a search engine marketing (SEM) campaign, which allows you to promote your business within online searches. As you begin, opt for smaller, more targeted keywords such as your company name. Stay away from generic terms that describe your business, such as “bakery” or “cafe,” as this will bring competition from other businesses of the same general type and more expensive click costs. Instead, try the category plus geography keywords, such as “cafe St. Louis” or “bakery Denver,” to drive local traffic to your site. • Mind your spelling. Another tip for your SEM campaign — when people search for your business, count on a few misspellings and typos and put those mistakes to work. Bid on misspelled words about your business to drive that traffic to your site. This strategy can also keep click costs lower by adding relevant words with less competition to your SEM campaign. Small businesses often work within a limited budget. But don’t let pinched funds get in the way of smart spending. Products that boost your digital presence and performance, such as those offered by YP, can help your business get found by consumers and grow your customer base. For more information, visit www.marketingsolutions.yp.com.
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A tool for your trade Small- and medium-sized businesses looking to create custom campaigns based on their specific goals and budget now have a new solution designed to drive ROI. A managed, cost-effective solution, ypSearchSM, gives small business owners an easy way to have their search ads delivered on YP — with an audience of more than 70 million monthly visitors across its web and mobile properties — in addition to major search engines, including Google, Bing and Yahoo. Powered by a team of experts and an industry-leading, automated optimization engine, ypSearch is designed to deliver quality leads. Business owners gain access to a dedicated team of consultants who provide hands-on support throughout a campaign, including tracking and monitoring performance. On the backend, a proprietary optimization engine unleashes the power of ypSearch. In addition to automating many of the complex and laborious tasks required to build and manage a campaign across multiple search sites at once, the engine takes in performance data across those search sites such as clicks, calls, form fills, emails and spend to manage budgets on a daily basis. ypSearch serves as a marketing solution owners can use to maximize their dollars and help grow their business.
Photos courtesy of Getty Images
UNCUT INDIE RADIO SMARPHONE APPS BELOW
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KNIGHT-MAJIK SUNDAY 12PM-2PM EST Knight-Majik, a blend of jazz, acidjazz, Fusion, funk and soulful house. Music for those with a discerning ear, and are ready for something different with Al Knight and Perry McCotter Jr.
WWW.WKDU.ORG
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MIXTAPE OF THE MONTH
MIXTAPE REPORT
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TOUR DATES AVAILABLE FOR SELECT AND ROUTED DATES Current itinerary below: Thu, May 14, 2015 - Indianapolis, IN The Vogue Fri, May 15, 2015 - Chicago, IL Arcada Theater Sat, May 16, 2015 Madison, WI - Barrymore Theater Sun, May 17, 2015 Minneapolis, MN - The Cabooze Thu, May 28, 2015 - San Antonio, TX Aztec
Sun, May 31, 2015 - Austin, TX - Empire Garage Thu, Jun 4, 2015 - Richmond, VA - Innsbruck Fri, Jun 5, 2015 - Charlotte, NC Amos Sat, Jun 6, 2015 - Columbia, MD Capital Jazz Festival Sun, Jun 7, 2015 - Dewey Beach, DE - Bottle & Cork Sat, Jun 20, 2015 Hammond, IN - Horseshoe Casino Tue, Jun 23, 2015 - Lincoln, NB - Burbon Theater Wed, Jun 24, 2015 - Lawrence, KS - Community Arts Center
EMAIL BLAST COURTESY: http://www.universalattractions.com
Thu, Jul 9, 2015 - Rochester, NY Party in the Park Fri, Jul 10, 2015 - Detroit, MI Chene Park Sun, Jul 12, 2015 - St. Louis, MO - Ballpark Village Wed, Jul 15, 2015 - New York, NY Summerstage Thu, Jul 16, 2015 - Brooklyn, NY BAM Thu, Jul 16, 2015 - Newark, NJ - NJPAC Sat, Jul 18 - Hartford, CT Infinity Hall Sun, Jul 19 - Huntington, NY Paramount Theater
Thu, Aug 13, 2015 - Phoenix, AZ - The Press Room Sat, Aug 15, 2015 - Sacramento, CA - Thunder Valley Casino Tue, Aug 18, 2015 - Las Vegas, NV Brooklyn Bowl Wed, Aug 19, 2015 - San Diego, CA House of Blues Fri, Aug 21, 2015 - Tucson, AZ Fox Theater Sat, Aug 22, 2015 - Albuquerque, NM Westside Outdoor Stage Sun, Aug 23, 2015 Denver, CO - The Ogden
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AUTHOR SHAKEERA FRAZER Trish Grand has it all. Looks, money, cars, clothes and all the men she wants; her life is perfect. But all that is about to change- only she doesn’t know it yet. Why? Because someone wants everything she has. The leading lady of the re-released novel The Fast Lane has reinvented herself into the infamous Trish Grand. She has come a long way from Patricia “Patty” Grand, the poor girl in the Astoria Projects in Queens. She has done things in her past that she would never want anyone to know but that is far behind her and that’s where she intends for it to stay, until her world suddenly gets knocked upside down by someone she considered her friend. She will do anything to protect the image she has built but where can she turn? Who can she trust? Meet Crystal Dawson, a beautiful, young, successful lawyer has the world at her feet. She plans on moving up in the firm when she suddenly gets pregnant. Crystal’s pregnancy brings out skeletons that she thought she buried deep in her closet. Secrets that no one will understand. She will do anything to keep her secrets hidden but what will it cost her? Her career? Her friends? Her family?
Paulette Jackson is eccentric and carefree, single and loving every minute of it. She is living in the fast lane and never felt the need to slow down until she receives earth shattering news while on a visit to the doctor’s office. Just when she thought her world was over she meets Chris, the man of her dreams. She can tell him everything except her secret, she will do anything to protect it, but someone has other plans.
Nina Franklin is the perfect elementary school teacher. She has an average life, makes average money, and wears average clothes. Nina has been fine living this way until she gets a taste of the good life and wants some for herself. She can’t understand how it comes so easy to women like her friend Trish. She will do anything to have the good life and if she can’t have it no one will! This novel takes you on a journey through the lives of four New York City girls that all have a common bond that ties them together, friendship? What starts out as innocent friendships turns into a spiraling chain of events including secrets, lies, and betrayal. Follow these four women on a ride in the fast lane that spins out of control!
http://www.shakeerafrazer.com http://facebook.com/people/Author-Shakeera-Frazer/1819764212 http://twitter.com/MsFrazer Linkedin http://www.linkedin.com/pub/shakeera-frazer/37/162/ba shakeera.frazer@yahoo.com Fast Lane is currently available on Amazon Kindle and www.barnesandnoble.com, as well as on www.shakeerafrazer.com and http://www.21streeturbanediting.com.
I Love Me and You By Shakeera Frazer
I Love Me and You! Is a cool book that teaches children to embrace their differences and the differences of the people around them. It teaches children to love themselves and love others!
ABOUT SHAKEERA FRAZER Shakeera Frazer is living her Dream. After quitting her job as an elementary school teacher to follow her passion, writing. Shakeera has always had a vivid imagination and was a great story-teller but it wasn't until age eleven in the sixth grade when she read her first novel Flyy Girl by Omar Tyree, that she knew she wanted to be a writer. Shakeera loved the way that authors could let you escape into the lives of their characters for a few minutes, hours, or days. It was amazing. After she discovered this new found treasure reading and writing became second nature. Throughout highschool and college Shakeera wrote numerous short stories and received several awards for her writing. In her first year of college Shakeera began writing her first novel but never completed it often getting side tracked by life's numeous demands. Then in 2007 Shakeera quit her job as an elementary school teacher to focus completely on writing. Shakeera's interest in fashion, celebrities, and life in the fast lane was the catalyst for her debut novel Fast Lane, which is the story of four trendy New York City girls that all have a common bond, friendship? But what starts out as innocent friendships turns into a spiraling chain of events including secrets, lies, and betrayal. These four women go on a ride in the fast lane that spins out of control. Shakeera wrote and self published Fast Lane in 2009. Shakeera's main objective is to inspire others to follow their dreams and to make a positive impact on people's lives through her writing, the way each and every author has impacted hers. Shakeera received her Bachelor's Degree from Morgan State University and her Master's Degree from the University of Maryland. She is currently working on her second novel and resides in Connecticut.
The Rock So Grand Radio Show hosted by DJ Grand Set is an explosive Hip Hop & R&B weekly show that features music from independent & mainstream artist, exclusive interviews, and special events. So long on at www.uncutindieradio.com every Monday 5 pm Eastern Standard Time.
COMING JUNE 15, 2015