ThaWilsonBlock Magazine Issue51 featuring ALIVYA by Mistah Wilson

ThaWilsonBlock Magazine is a digital monthly publication based in Pasadena, California. Released on the 10th of every month, ThaWilsonBlock Magazine highlights local culture through creative arts.

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1. Who is Better and Why: Kendrick Lamar or Hopsin? (VOTE NOW) 2. EVENT: Join Pasadena Heritage on tour through Architecturally-rich & Historic Churches 4/22/17 3. WilsonBlock Wednesdays Episode 7 featuring Mos Hi (April 5th, 2017) 4. Pasadena rapper Nicky BeacHouses talks New Music, Hardships, and Lyrical Composition 5. HISTORIC LANDMARK: Watts Towers (near Los Angeles) 1921-1954 6. What City Would YOU Prefer to Live in the San Gabriel Valley? (Complete List of Cities) 7. COMPARE THESE: windchILL's "Grind Mode" vs. Wildcard QM's "The Odyssey" 8. EVENT: Dinner with Cheech Marin @ The Rose 4/20/17 9. 50 Historic Landmarks by African-American Architects 10. EVENT: Action Power Initiative Open Mic 5/7/17

STREET ART: “Hold Up” by Levalet in Paris

16 Places Around the World You're Not Allowed To Visit

HIGHLIGHTS

ALIVYA Talks Life in Kenya, Her Love for Singing, and African Culture

BEACHOUSES Nicky BeacHouses interview about New Music, Hardships, & Lyrical Composition

Who is Better and Why:

Kendrick Lamar Or Hopsin? (VOTE NOW)

ThaWilsonBlock Magazine is raising money for 'Walk to End Alzheimer's' in Pasadena this October (2017) M is tah Wilson (or M ichael Ta ylor), publisher of ThaWilsonBlock Magazine, is leading the "Ac hiever Believers" team in this year's Walk to End Alz heimer's in Pasadena, California. I t all s tar ted in S eptember/Oc tober of 2 011 when M ic hael received the tragic news of his mother Bernic e Taylor passing away to Alzheimer's disease. "To this day, i t remains the bigges t tragedy of m y life," says M ic hael. And this is coming from a guy who spent the bes t part of his years in fos ter care, taking ps yc h meds, and being ins ti tu tionaliz ed. Bernice Ta ylor was M ic hael's long-term fos ter parent from weeks old to about the age of 8. He was taken ou t of her care as a c hild when his behavioral issues began to spiral out of c on trol. S incebeing taken away from Ms. Taylor in 199 8, M ichael has been to c ountless different group homes, fos ter homes, and even juvenile deten ti on fac ilities. After aging ou t and emancipa ting from the fos ter care s ys tem, M ichael has been on a mission to make a difference ever s ince. And after hearing tha t M s. Taylor passed away to Alz heimer's, M ichael has pledged to join the fight agains t this horrible dis -

ease...but not jus t for her sakeâ&#x20AC;Ś When Michael researched about Alzheimer's disease, he learned tha t i t ac tuall y e ffe c ts us more than we may think. With all the natural thre a ts known to man, M ichael found i t qui te alarming tha t Alz he ime r's is the 6 th le ading cause of de ath in the U nite d S ta te s of Ame ric a. And tha t e ve r y 6 6 seconds, some one is de ve loping s ymptoms of this disease. The fu ture outlook on care provide rs for Alz he ime r's patie n ts are gradually diminishing by the ye ar and we M US T do some thing about i t! M ichae l par tic ipate d in his firs t ' Walk to E nd Alz heime r's' in C entur y C ity (2 014). "I t was a re al emo tional thing for me, " e xplains Michae l. "B ecause I wen t b y m ys e lf, I wante d to take s ome pic tures wi th pe ople.

But, I found mys elf warring tears as I shared my s tor y wi th o ther s so tha t the y migh t take a photo wi th me. " I t was an even t tha t ga ve M ichael a sense of purpose. For the next two years , M ic hael was attemp t to r a is e m on e y f o r th e wa l k b u t wo u l d u l ti m a te l y f a l l s h o r t. Th is ye a r , M ichael is keeping his dream alive! And he has set out to honor his mother Bernice Ta ylor by rais ing a minimum of $1,000 and joining th e Grand Champion's club. His vis ion is to perform on s tage at one of th e wa lks s ome da y. In 2 014, Michael also success fully ran the L os Angeles M ara thon and raised $1,000+ for tra nsi tional age fos ter you th like himse lf. S o, the re is no ques tions tha t he has wha t i t takes. However, M ichael knows he cannot do it alone. He needs your help! Here is wha t you c an do to help make a difference:

Buy a digital copy of ThaWilsonBlock Magazine *(50% per sale is proudly donated towards the walk)

Join our "Achiever Believers" team! Make a Generous Donation

Spread the Word!

Locksmith describes the true meaning of traveling home in this live production. Directed by Jesse Ray Diamond Website: http://www.Jesseraydiamond.com Track prod. by Locksmith, Mike Blankenship, Mike TopNotch, The Kid Rated R, Rebecca Nobel

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4 / 2 3 / 1 7

Yirim Seck

walks along

23rd and Jackson in the Central District, he has little trouble pointing out where historical buildings once stood and where open spaces have been replaced by modern structures. He has spent most of his life in this neighborhood. The music he creates as a hip hop artist speaks to the changes in his neighborhood and the changes in larger society. Seck is one of many Seattle hip hop artists who embody resistance in the form of music and art that pushes for local activism.

“ A s A rt i s t s we hA ve A re s p o ns i b i l i t y t o ra i s e a wa re ne s s o r i ns e rt o u rs e l ve s i n c o nv e r s A t i o ns t o i n c i t e c hA ng e , ” Seck said. “we cAll it A culture. it returns Art to the people,” Julie C said, another local hip hop artist. “community is A core. hip hop Acts As A mechAnism of Activism.” The music is specific to Seattle, but also speaks to larger issues. Draze, a local artist also from the Central District, releAsed A song lAst yeAr cAlled “Irony on 23rd,” on the controversiAl pot shop uncle ike’s on 23rd and Union and the gentrification in the greater Seattle area. It became an anthem for the rally that shut down 23rd and Union last year.

50 Historic Landmarks by AfricanAmerican Architects

os Angeles was

home to arguably the most successful African-American architect of the 20th centur y: Paul Revere Williams. Born in 1894, Williams designed thousands of buildings over his five-decade c a r e e r, f r o m l a n d m a r k s l i k e the LAX Theme Building, to glamorous homes for the c i t y ’s r i c h a n d f a m o u s , t o civic projects and public housing. He was the first African-American to become a member of theAmerican Institute of Architects (AIA), in 1923, and the first to become an AIA Fellow in 1957. In late 2016 (36 years after his death) he was awarded the AI A Gold Medal award , the i n s t i t u t e ’s h i g h e s t h o n o r for architectural achievement, becoming, once again, the first African-American to do so. Wil lia m s’ su cce ss

w a s e x t r a o r d i n a r y, g i v e n the era he lived in. His work is part of the littleknown story of AfricanAmerican architectural achievement in Los Angeles. But a recently published map, produced by the Los Angeles chapter of the AIA, aims to change that. The map shown on the next page highlights over 50 projects in Los Angeles with significant contributions by African-American architects, designers, and

50 Historic Landmarks by African-American Architects (continued)

engineers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; from subway stations to libraries, hospitals, college campuses, place s of wo r shi p, ci vi c ce n te rs, housing, a police station, a n d a m u s e u m . Wo r k b y P a u l R. Williams is of course featured, along with projects b y R o b e r t Ke n n a r d (Wilshire/Normandie subway station), Gabrielle Bullock (USC Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute), Roland A. Wiley (Union Station Gatew ay E a s t Po r t a l ) , Va l e r y A u -

gustin (La B rea Baker y), Norma Sklarek (Leo Baeck Te m p l e ) , A n n e - M a r i e A r m strong (Comparte Chocolatier), and othersâ&#x20AC;Ś

Pasadena rapper Nicky BeacHouses talks New Music, Hardships, and Lyrical Composition Nicky BeacHouses: To be real, I’m from everywhere man. I was actually born in Duarte, Ca, and spent a majority of my upbringing in Pasadena with a lot of stops in between. But, Pasadena is home for me. That's where I honed my craft and met all of my greatest influences and best friends. I never really understood how blessed I was to be living in such an affluent area with access to so many resources and diverse and dynamic people until I wasn’t living there anymore . Lol Mistah Wilson: Yo, BeachHouses! You already know! It's an honor to have you here for this exclusive interview with ThaWilsonBlock Magazine. What's tha latest & greatest? Nicky BeacHouses: It's an honor to be interviewed. All glory to God. I appreciate the opportunity to grace your platform. What's the latest and greatest you ask? Look out for that Black Ray Liotta, soon and very soon. It's already done. Mistah Wilson: Real quick, let's talk life growing up in Pasadena. What was it like for you?

Mistah Wilson: I have to say that you were among tha very first Pasadena artists who jumped on ThaWilsonBlock movement back when we had the social network up. How has everything been since? Nicky BeacHouses: Ups and downs man. Since then I’ve been married, divorced, had a son, moved to Vegas and some more. lol and Bing i don’t know if you know, but we had some complications during the birth of my first child. he was somehow disconnected from his mothers umbilical cord in the midst of his delivery, unbeknownst

to the doctors. So he went about 45 minutes without breathing. As you would imagine this caused several complications, especially to a newborn. he was diagnosed with severe cerebral palsy among a host of other things. Its a blessing that he is here at all, and i am thankful to have him. He’s been a source of strength and motivation for me. He is completely dependent on his mother and I, and that has taught me a lot about patience and consideration. Mistah Wilson: What led you to become a rapper and when did you start? Nicky BeacHouses: Man, I'm singer truth be told. and my knack for poetry made rapping kinda like second nature to me. Also being raised in church allowed me to digest and understand music in a certain way. By the time I got to biggie I was done for. lol Mistah Wilson: Name some DENA artists that you've worked with and would like to work with... Nicky BeacHouses: I’ve worked with a lot of dena artists man, and I’m thankful. rESidue Riggins, King LaPlaya, Relly 2euce, WE55, Kawshus, Yancy Deron, Phat Rat, Paco, just to name a few, cuz the list is actually kinda obnoxious lol . I'm also in groups with CoNS my brother (Better Music) as u know, and well as JKizzle626 (Animated Minds, Beasthood), both of whom i re-

gard in my personal upper echelon of MCs period. but my bucket-list list would include you my friend, Bing Bing, first and foremost, Orbit aka the Grinch, and my homie JoJo from school. maybe the kid Bullet. He kinda nice too. Mistah Wilson: Since becoming a fan of Hip Hop way back when, would you say it has gotten better or worse? Why? Nicky BeacHouses: It's gotten better, as everything tends to. The good shit is just a little harder to find because of the over saturation of people trying to rap period. A lot more people rapping = a lot more trash people to weed thru. But I appreciate the new dudes as long as they saying something. Kendrick is probably the

Stream & Download "DAMN" by Kendrick Lamar (Full Album) featuring Rihanna, Zacari, & U2

Stream

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best to ever do it. So I can’t knock the direction it's going in. But it's always going to be an audience for ignorant shit cause that's just a reflection of our society these days. Sad but true. However, none of that shit I condone. Mistah Wilson: You have a way with words! What are some techniques you use to come up with catch phrases and punch lines? Nicky BeacHouses: I look for ironic shit, and I’m kind a name dropper, so I tend to look for names that stand out to me and/or are hard to rhyme with. I also work a lot with entendres and I don’t know if that's just programmed into me or not. But studying punchlines helps equips you to make them. Mistah Wilson: Would you say you are a better freestyler or songwriter? Nicky BeacHouses: Songwriter, although the way I record most of my songs is somewhere in between the two. A lot of times I record my songs unwritten, maybe 4 bars or so at a time. lol a lot of cuts and a pain in the ass for any engineer, but the songs come out a lot stronger and more authentic this way I’ve found. So I guess I’m a hybrid. Mistah Wilson: Yo, BeachHouses! It's been awesome, bro. Thanks for coming through for this exclusive w/ ThaWilsonBlock Magazine. We look forward to

working with you in tha near future. If you have any shout outs, let's hear em... Nicky BeacHouses: On behalf of the city, I just wanna thank you Bing Bing. You've been a personal inspiration to me, and I look up to you a lot, my brother. This thing you got going is gone fuck around and be all of our way out. Mark my words. •••

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team, according to Marbury would still like to play at least one more season in the CBA, but the â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the team with which he won three championships in six seasons â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is reportedly entering a rebuilding phase and unwilling to use one of its two foreign-born player spots on the 40-year-old, beloved as he is. Read More...

Chance the Rapper makes mockery of Mainstream Record Labels

A L I V YA Exclusive Interview

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I always try to incorporate African drum patterns to my songs even if the song sounds really western, I also dress in African attires in my videos and photo shoots.â&#x20AC;?

A L I V YA Exclusive Interview on

Life in Kenya, Her Love for Singing, and African Culture

Mistah Wilson: Greetings, Alivya! We are honored to have you here with us for this exclusive interview with ThaWilsonBlock Magazine! How ya' been? ALIVYA: Great, I have been good , am grateful and honored to be here with you, too.

So our audience can get a better understanding of you, could you give us a quick background on yourself? Mistah Wilson:

ALIVYA: I was born and raised in Kenya, was raised by a single mother, it was

me, my mother and my brother. Growing up was not an easy journey, I faced everything from having both my mother and brother sick and having to take care of them, to lack of finances but one thing was for sure, whenever my mum was healthy and on her two feet , I knew me and my brother would be fed, she is a very strong woman, and she always taught me to be strong. I found peace in song writing and singing , I joined the youths choir at 11 years and the praise and worship team , and I sang among 25 year olds. I par-

ticipated in music and drama clubs and we toured the country and performed in many festivals and wrote my first song when I was 11.

Mistah Wilson: How was life growing up in Nairobi, Kenya for you?

ALIVYA: Growing up in Kenya was actually fun, growing up, I had lots of friends and some of the games we played that will forever remain in my mind are, hide and seek , and police and robber. It was also about

lots of books, we read a lot, I had to take a lot of classes and I had to pass them all. There was also a lot of church, my mum made sure that I attended all the services.

Mistah Wilson: What led you to

becoming a musician? ALIVYA: My love for singing and the healing effect it gives me, I also got a lot of support from friends and my mum. I love it so much and it keeps me going through

tough times.

Mistah Wilson: In what ways do you incorporate African culture in your music? ALIVYA: I always try to incorporate African drum patterns to my songs even if the song sounds really western, I also dress in African attires in my videos and photo shoots.

Mistah Wilson: Are you currently independent or do you have a management team? ALIVYA: I have a team that really helps me out, I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t signed any management contract yet. I however like to be in control of my work because I feel like I know myself best. I mean I know what looks good on me, I know what sounds good , I take advice though.

Mistah Wilson: Let's talk music! What current and upcoming projects do you have in the works? ALIVYA: I have music videos that I wanna finish, music videos from some of the songs I have on my E.P. I also have a lot of songs that I wanna record, some of the songs are really heavy and personal.

mances and why? What are some things you do to prepare for a showcase? ALIVYA: Lighting for me is the most important thing, followed by my stage presence, I want to make sure that my presence is felt and remembered. I prepare for my performance by testing the lightning and by off course going over the song and the routines like a million times.

Mistah Wilson: When writing and performing new songs, where do you pull inspiration from?

Mistah Wilson: How about events? Got any upcoming shows we should know about? ALIVYA: I have plans to do a Kenyan tour, but that will probably be at the end of the year.

Mistah Wilson: How serious do you take your musical perfor-

ALIVYA: From my personal experiences, mostly so because I am honest with myself and I understand myself best, I am my worst critique.

Mistah Wilson: Who are some key musicians that have influenced you to be the artist you are today? ALIVYA: Whitney Houston, she made me want to take vocal classes. Beyonce because of her stage presence, R Kelly and

Brenda fassie.

Mistah Wilson: What have been some challenges you've faced when pursuing a career as a musician? ALIVYA: Trying to come out of the sensitive and emotional part of me that makes me write songs and getting into the business part. I would say the marketing , business and trying to make money from my art has been my biggest challenge. I also have had to face my fears and come out ,be open and connect with my fans past the level of just giving them songs.

Mistah Wilson: What have been some more of the rewarding things on your journey? ALIVYA: I love how my E.P came out and I like it that I got to work with amazing and great people while recording it.

Mistah Wilson: Who are some

artists or musicians you've worked with and would like to work with some time in the future? ALIVYA: At the moment I have only been working on solo projects, but I would most definitely like to work with Diamond Platnumz of Uganda Davido and WizKid from Nigeria.

Mistah Wilson: Name 3 of your personal favorite songs of yours.. ALIVYA: I love Like A Prayer Madonna Power of Love Jennifer Rush and We Found Love Rihanna

Mistah Wilson: What do you plan on accomplishing through your music? ALIVYA: I plan to use music to touch peoples lives and to provide a healing and

powerful influence. I also want to accomplish what I was brought to earth to do.

Mistah Wilson: What encouraging words do for aspiring musicians pursue a career as an

positive, you have looking to artist?

ALIVYA: That its possible , with a strong will and not giving up, it can be done.

Mistah Wilson: What overall message do you want your fans to know? ALIVYA: I want all my fans to know that I love them and that whenever they listen to my songs, they should know that they are not alone.

Mistah Wilson: How and where can people keep up with you online? ALIVYA: People can find me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook as AlivyaFromKenya

Mistah Wilson: Hey, Alivya it's been so great having you here with us for this exclusive interview with ThaWilsonBlock Magazine! Let's hear some shout outs! ALIVYA: Shoutout to all my friends in America and at

home in Kenya, shoutout to all my fans. •••

“So San Gabriel - been here for 45 years. No city, no schools, no PD, no fire department but we still pay taxes for no services. Even Rosemead stole our Zip Code. Wedged between Monterey Park, Rosemead, & Montebello, We have no businesses so nobody wants us. The Hills have the best views money can buy,” -Maria Morales “Put it this way if you wanna move to the SGV go into Walnut, West Covina, Covina, Charter Oak, Glendora, Rowland Heights, Diamond Bar, San Marino if you could afford it and Sierra Madre, and Arcadia,” -Ivan Aicrag “Raised my kids in Alhambra. Loved it, then changing demographics forced us out. Spent many years in Hacienda Heights. Loved it. Now in the autumn of my life it's Rosemead and, surprisingly . . . I LOVE IT!” -Art Brambila “None. I’d give anything to go back to Montclair and be in between Fontana Speedway and Pomona Speedway and listen to the races from my back yard,” -Angel Rodriguez Rocha “I'm near Montebello it's basically East LA. If I stick my hand through the gate my hand would be in Montebello. It's perfect right here,” -Kevin Nieto

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