Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor -Bare. But all the time I’se been a-climbin’ on, And reachin’ landin’s, And turnin’ corners, And sometimes goin’ in the dark Where there ain’t been no light. So boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps ‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. Don’t you fall now -For I’se still goin’, honey, I’se still climbin’, And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. – Langston Hughes Mother to Son
ONTENTS
Features 15 16 18 20
George Washington Carver History of Technology and Music FIRE! Niggerati
Departments 2
Editorial Letter
What’s Poppin’
7 8 9 10 12 22 34 36 38
Fashion - TIWIMUTA Technology - Snap Goods Sports - Deron Williams Music - Sam Sneed Books - Black Super Heros Threads - Many Styles Feature Good Looking Out - Wendy Robinson Get Right - Juice Hugger Homage
Photo: Rayon Richards
Editorial Letter
Queon Martin Ceo/Founder
Datwon Thomas Co-Founder/Spokesperson
Kali Abdullah Creative Director
Brian Christion Operations
Sundree Brand Mgmt Art Direction
Marlon Cole Associate Art Director
Rayon Richards Photographer
Aidah Muhammad Program Director
Queen Walker Marketing/Branding
Tony Sweeny Director of Community Affairs
Chimene Teixeira Public Relations/ Amada Entertainment
A
aron Douglas wasn’t a common household name growing up. I first noticed his FIRE! illustration on the desktop of our Creative Director Kali’s laptop. I thought it was dope, and at the time I had no idea FIRE!! was a publication much like CARTER Magazine that was created during the Harlem Renaissance. The tagline “Devoted To Younger Negro Artist” was ill to me. The crew of young intellectual artist was made up of Wallace Thurman, Zora Neale Hurston, Aaron Douglas, John P. Davis, Richard Bruce Nugent, Gwendolyn Bennett, Countee Cullen, and Langston Hughes. They were on a mission to be heard much like the CARTER crew, which consist of Datwon Thomas, Kali Abdullah, Brian Christion, Que Walker, Rayon Richards, Aidah Muhammad, Phillip Shung, and yours truly. Our mission is to recreate BLACK WALL STREET with the publication of CARTER Magazine and the CARTER Card. Ten thousand hours has been put into making history relevant in hip-hop culture with a modern day “Niggerati” crew from today’s Brooklyn Renaissance.
THE EVOLUTION OF REVOLUTION IS NOW!
“Q”,CEO/Founder
*This issue is dedicated to my parents Marie Martin and Dallas Ray, and my mentor ‘Coach’ Ted Gustus, Jr. Photo: 1st (and only) issue of FIRE!! publication
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What’s in your hand?
Empowers Our Members and Our Community.
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Contributors JOJO
Since Joanna Rodriguez, affectionately known as JoJo, Brooklyn born and bred, gained recognition as a makeup artist beginning in music videos, she has never looked back. Names from her client list include Lady Gaga, Zoe Zaldana, Usher and Tyrese Gibson. She continues to work in all facets of entertainment from television, fashion, music videos, film and commercials. In her downtime, JoJo volunteers her time for her nonprofit organization,The Love Works Project, and is also a founder of Legacy Media Group, a production company that was forged to implement creative and positive images in the media industry.
Marz Cole
Marlon Cole was born and raised in New York and has always had a passion for art and design from childhood. Before completing high school he knew that he wanted a career as a graphic designer. Marlon is currently the founder and creative director of a new web and print publication called forFATHERSproject.org. It’s a quarterly photo journal that was inspired by the birth of his son, and he decided to share their interactions with other fathers. The project’s purpose is to encourage fathers to be active parents. As an entrepreneur one of his other projects is a design boutique, where he is the principal/chief designer of Mpressive Concepts. As a designer he strives to create out-of-the-box design projects, to push the envelope, and welcomes new challenges with enthusiasm. Clean and uncluttered design is the common thread throughout the work he creates.
G. Harris
George Harris aka “The Mayor” is a Brooklyn born and raised tastemaker. His style perspective is very simple “don’t ever take your client out of character just enhance it”. Harris’ has been behind the scenes of fashion campaigns. From Adidas to Columbia/Def Jam, this style connoisseur has helped mold the aesthetic of many important brands and individuals. Harris is now a part of one of Brooklyn’s premier boutiques, Vinnie’s Styles.
Hip Hop 4 Life Hip Hop 4 Life provides interactive life skills training and health awareness programs that are designed to engage, educate and empower young people to lead extraordinary lives. They have year-round mentoring, weekly interactive life skills training and health-risk prevention workshops, college and career planning and social/educational outings. Since their inception in 2003, Hip Hop 4 Life has served over 10,000 young people in New York City and across the nation. It is this vision that drives Hip Hop 4 Life to provide programs that aid in developing and fostering educational values, life skills, leadership, strength, self-esteem, goal-setting skills and most importantly, confidence in one’s capabilities.
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Kenneth J. Montgomery
PPLC
Attorneys at law
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ENTERTAINMENT LAW CRIMINAL DEFENSE CIVIL LITIGATION
kjmontgomerylaw.com
(718) 403-9261 CARTER-MAG.COM
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Globally known fashion designer and entrepreneur Andre Walker has had his hands in almost everything you can possibly name in the fashion world. At the age of 13 this young man started selling his own t-shirt line, and even pulled off his first fashion show at 15 years of age. His vision for the future of clothing stretched far beyond the runways. Mr Walker decided to make an ultra exclusive magazine that includes artist, writers and super high end fashion. The name of the magazine is TIWIMUTA, which stands for “This Is What I Made Us Think About”, which is a perfect title for a magazine of such status. Read on as we get to know the man behind the the fashion, and this incredible magazine.
TIWIMUTA
FASHION
By Myisha Hamilton
CARTER: How was life as a kid for you? AW: I feel like I moved around too much at the age of 7 from London. It was great but not so great. I loved my material surroundings but not my scenario surroundings. Who/What inspired you to make fashion something that you wanted to peruse? My mother returned from trips to London and she would always bring back a selection of clothing and shoes. I ended up wearing and sketching the clothing. Tell us about your magazine and what inspired your title. I loved words and I play with words all the time. TIWIMUTA came about because of the word games that I used to play. What we try to do is bring emerging artists and established artists a variety of others into one place so they can notice each other simultaneously.
What age group does your magazine target? There is no age group. It’s targeted to people who are curious and who want to investigate. In 10 years where do you see your magazine? Where do you see yourself? Constantly creating with really great friends and good business, and prospering creativity. What type of community service do you provide? The community service that I provide is for artists. To people who are creative and that want to create such as cinema, fashion, film, art, poetry, literature, and I give them space in my magazine because I used my sensibility to expose the work of unknown creators with more established artists.
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TECH
SNAPGOODS.COM
CARTER: What exactly is snapgoods.com? SG: Snapgoods is a way to rent or borrow stuff that you need from people around you, so you can save money. Maybe you arent sure if you want to buy something.. Or maybe you were thinking about buying it but you wanted to see how it fits into your lifestyle. You wouldn’t go to a movie without seeing a prewiew first. We facilitate the conncetions between people to make it easy and safe for folks to get hooked up with stuff that they need. Are there things on snap goods that teens like myself can take advantage of? Sure, I happen to be into music, and the music catoagrie is pretty interesting and a big catagoriy for us. An 8 track recorder cost 800 dollars to a thousand bucks, there is no reason that that price should be in between you and trying that thing out and seeing what you can do. So for you to borrow it for free, or 20 bucks or 30 bucks for a week, gives you the power to explore your areas of interest. Where are you from? and whats you’re your educational background? From Brooklyn, born and raised and went to Stuyvesant high school.. And when I went to Stuyvesant and met a really mixed bag of individuals who were doing all different kinds of stuff. And from there I went to Harvard, and along the way made tons of silly ways to spend my time. But it was valuable for me to continue to pursue education. It didn’t matter how I got here, but I still wanted to be able to say, I rocked that test, or I did well in that particular class, or study things that I was interested in. Opputunities have come from opputunites… it opened doors behind doors.
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By Rasmakonnen Taylor
Carter Magazine is read by thousands of teens across the country.. What is your advice for the youth that wants to follow in your footsteps? I love the idea that there is always an alternate perspective to the mainstream perspective. And so stepping of the path leads you in a direction that is not only interesting but winds up being revolutionary and evolutionary. Where do you see your company in 10 years? I hope its adding value. What I know will be true to what we are building and will be a standard consumer choice. Your options will not only be either I own and I can use it, or I don’t own and I wish I can buy it. It will be this third option which is, I just want to access it for a little bit. I want to use it or a day or for the week. And my hope is that we will be largely responsible for creating that consumer choice. If we were to do a survey on SnapGoods, what do you think people would say about your website? I think the number one thing that people would say is that its useful. Also they would say the amount of service. Everybody can get online and get people to click and buy online, but the magic is loving what your doing, and loving your customers enough.
SPORTS
DERON WILLIAMS
By Prince Taylor
All NBA players are selfish! All they do is make money for shooting a ball through a circle, and that is all they are good for. … The people that say this do not know much about NBA players. Yes, maybe some of them are arrogant and selfish, but a lot of them are far more than just athletes. Deron Williams is a perfect example of an outstanding person both on and off the court. Not only does he assist people on the court, but off the court as well. He controls two teams, The New Jersey Nets and his Non-Profit organization which he created in 2007, the Point of Hope Foundation. Their mission is simple, to improve the quality of life for
families and their children. Williams says “There are so many different causes, so many different diseases, so many people who have problems. Point of Hope is just about helping people, and kids, especially.” Does he sound like a selfish and arrogant person? Williams is everything but that, and the NBA feels the same way. In November, Deron Williams received the NBA Cares Community Assist Award for his outstanding work in the community. It is nice to see people that are in good positions to give back. Deron Williams knows this, and that is why he is an extraordinary person.
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MUSIC
THE LEGENDARY SAM SNEED Sam Sneed is a man of many talents. Working in the music industry for years, he has produced amazing tracks for some of the best artists in the game. This year he is leaving the studio and taking on the stage with his debut album Street Scholars. But it doesn’t stop there. He is also starting up his very own non-profit organization focused on finding cures for cancer. And if that weren’t enough, his first book is also in the works. This man is breaking boundaries, taking on multiple industries by storm. by Liliana Salcedo
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If you where privileged to be a teen during the 90’s, then you remember a few things. Death Row Records, and the wildly huge catchphrase “You better Recognize!” If either one of those things ring a bell, then Sam Sneed is the one who’s doing the ringing. Sam Sneed has Produced records for everyone from Jay-Z to Scarface and if that’s not enough, he’s writing a book, has a clothing line, and just put out an album. The road to success can be a bumpy ride but Sam Sneed is sure to let you know one thing. That he’s here to stay. CARTER: Growing up was your dream always to be in the music industry or did you see yourself on a different path? SS: Growing up I was always influenced by music, before I bumped into the industry I was very passionate about music, so my ears were always into music. What was your biggest influence in coming up to the music industry? To get into the industry it was Hip Hop of course. Legendary people like DJ Red Alert, Grand Master Flash BMCE, the list goes on. The pioneers Marly Mar, all those guys. How did you end up in Death Row Records? Dr Dre was always a guy that I admired his quality of production. So when we went to the west coast, everyone I would come across I would ask “Do you know how to get in touch with Dr Dre?” Maybe like the third or fourth person I ran into was a young lady that I met on the tour, it was Santa Barbara and while we were driving to Mc Donald I was telling her how I was really out here trying to find Dr Dre. And she said “Dr Dre!? I babysit for Dr Dre.” And I’m like “You lying” and she’s like “No, I babysit for him, I’ll give you his number” And when I did talk to him. Dre was like “Yeah, I heard you were trying to get in touch with me”. Having that hunger, you’ll do anything that you need to do. Your debut album “Street Scholars” is a combination of unreleased songs from the original album and the rest new material; what was your main objective when you first started working on it? Well when Wide Awake came to me and told me they wanted to put out that album, I really did not understand it and one of my partners had said to me “ I don’t know why they would want to hear all that old stuff” So that was kinda stuck on my mind too. And being that I was working with a coupe artist at the time, well this is a good chance for me to showcase the artist that I’m working with. How was the process of creating new music as an artist and not a producer? So being that I had some songs already in my head, I just kinda threw this album together like in a month. And that is what you are hearing now. I wouldn’t say it’s my greatest work. I like it but it’s not my greatest work. You have featured in songs in the past and now you have released your own album, but what do you have a greater passion for; rapping or producing? I prefer to produce because even back then I didn’t go to Death Row records to be an Artist. I went there to be a producer. Being that I had a song that did pretty well. You know people like gravitated to that. And Dre came to me and was like “You need to do an album” no he didn’t say you need he said “You’re gonna have to do an album, everybody liking your song”
In 1999, you were diagnosed with a brain tumor; how did you overcome that life changing experience and how has it transformed you as an individual? My faith was pretty strong at that time. Sometime they say you have to be careful what you ask for. And at that time I was feeling kinda bored and I needed a challenge. I even remember saying this. And then I hear out of no where that I’m dealing with these headaches that led me to the emergency room, getting a brain scan and them telling me I have a large mass in my head. And then went to get a biopsy and then told me what I had. Which was Astrocidetoma grade 3 too, 4 being the worst. That led me to getting radiation for seven weeks then kimo therapy. And what they were trying to do was shrink the tumor. But before any tumor can shrink it has to grow. And most patients have to be rushed into surgery. The radiation didn’t do anything, so when I started doing the kimo it had me tired and really didn’t have any effect on the tumor. So there was this one particular day when my head was hurting more than it normally would and my aunt told me to I should take medro pills which when I did take those for the pain. The toxicity of the medicine got me really, really sick. That’s when I was throwing up really bad for about 15 mins. From the time it took me to get from where I was staying all the way to the hospital. That’s when I decided to get the surgery. I came out victorious. I don’t want to tell you too much because I am getting ready to finish this book. You are an individual that has experienced hardships, both in life and in your career, and has overcome them. What would you advise our youth of today who face many obstacles and are trying to make a future for themselves? If you are pursuing being an artist I would say know how to separate the two, like the artist on stage and the real person. Because sometimes you can get that confused and it can be part of your demise. There are so many people and communities that need help and guidance in our world today. How do you dedicate time to giving back and making a difference? I’ve been really pondering on starting my new Non-Profit organization for finding cures for cancer. Thinking about it heavily. For the past years you have been behind the scenes, but now everyone is going to get an opportunity to get to know Sam Sneed. What can they expect? Will you be exploring new industries? I am also trying to get some investor to get behind this movie that I’m trying to do. A Hip Hop Musical Movie. I definitely would like to use a lot of the artist from the industry. No names. But it is still at a very early stage. We are talking about animation movie. To learn more visit my website www.samsneedmusic.com there are t-shirts for sale. Look out for my groups Money INC, Ramaj and Natalie Powers from the UK.
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BOOKS
THE BLACK COMIC BOOK SUPERHERO
By Dominique Pettyway
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Dwayne Glen Mcduffie Febuary 20, 1962-Febuary 21, 2011 best known for creating the animated television series Static Shock a story of a ghanaian american high school student living in Detroit who gained the ability to control and manipulate electromagnetism and used his powers to become a superhero. He also wrote and produced the animated series Justice League Unlimited a cartoon which featured a large array of super heroes from the DC Comics. Dwayne mcDuffie was born and raised in Detroit. He attended the Roeper school and went on to the university of michigan where he graduated with a bachelors degree in english and then
he earned a master degree In physics. Working as a copy editor it was a friend of his who had gotten him and interview for an assistant editor position at marvel comics. After becoming an editor at Marvel he submitted a spoof called Teenage Negro Ninja Thrashers in response to marvels treatment of its black characters. In 1990. He became a free lancer and wrote for various comics such as Marvel and DC. Static Shock premiered in September 2000. The series focused on the adventures of DC Comics super hero, Virgil Ovid Hawkins. It ran for four seasons, with a total of 52 half-hour episodes.
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Brooklyn, NY
Men’s Grooming Redefined
TEL. 347 533 8827
GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER By Shayla James
Nearing the end of the Civil War between 1864 and 1865 in Diamond Grove Missouri, a slave woman owned by Moses and Susan Carver gave birth to a baby boy named George. George Washington Carver was born into slavery but being that the war ended in 1865, he didn’t remain a slave for long. He lived his life as a free man and he took full advantage of it. Carver received a formal high school education in Kansas, became the first African American to attend the Iowa State Agricultural College, and later went on to teach and continue his studies at the Tuskegee Institute. While George worked to help improve the South’s agricultural-based economy, he studied agricultural science and botany. He realized that centuries of cotton and tobacco growing had depleted the quality and fertility of southern soil. So he proposed growing peanuts, a legume, to help nourish the soil. Although he was known as ‘the peanut guy’, he also encouraged the growth of peas, soybeans, sweet potatoes, and pecans. Carver created hundreds of products using peanuts such as soap, lotion, nitroglycerin, leather dyes, paint, paper, glue, diesel fuel, and even plastics. He was born George Carver, a little slave boy, but he died George Carver the great American Agricultural Scientist.
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TECHNOLOGY
By Nene Ali & Rasmakonnen Taylor
When people think of technology the first thing they think of is the internet, when in fact that is only one form of technology. Ancient Egyptians (Kemet) processed technology and used it to build civilization for the entire world through supreme mathematics, science, and spirituality later known as religion that many religions in the world practices today. They had to have had the sum of practical knowledge in order to build spynxs and pyramids and create the foundation of our current civilization. Look at the signs and symbols of our society today and you will find the influence of Kemet. The sum of practical knowledge or technology could also be found in American society by the hands of slaves, former slaves, as well as children of slaves who made the greatest contribution to this society but have corrected less. Many things that we use on a daily basis were created by black men/women this includes but is not limited to:
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1. Air Conditioning Unit: Frederick M. Jones; July 12, 1949
17. Egg Beater: Willie Johnson; February 5, 1884
2. Almanac: Benjamin Banneker; Approx 1791
18. Electric Lampbulb: Lewis Latimer; March 21, 1882
3. Auto Cut-Off Switch: Granville T. Woods; January 1,1839
19. Elevator: Alexander Miles; October 11, 1867
4. Auto Fishing Devise: G. Cook; May 30, 1899
20. Eye Protector: P. Johnson; November 2, 1880
5. Automatic Gear Shift: Richard Spikes; February 28, 1932
21. Fire Escape Ladder: J. W. Winters; May 7, 1878
6. Baby Buggy: W.H. Richardson; June 18, 1899
22. Fire Extinguisher: T. Marshall; October 26, 1872
7. Bicycle Frame: L.R. Johnson; October 10, 1899
23. Folding Bed: L. C. Bailey; July 18, 1899
8. Biscuit Cutter: A.P. Ashbourne; November 30, 1875
24. Folding Chair: Brody & Surgwar; June 11, 1889
9. Blood Plasma Bag: Charles Drew; Approx. 1945
25. Fountain Pen: W. B. Purvis; January 7, 1890
10. Cellular Phone: Henry T. Sampson; July 6, 1971
26. Furniture Caster: O. A. Fisher; 1878
11. Chamber Commode: T. Elkins; January 3, 1897
27. Gas Mask: Garrett Morgan; October 13, 1914
12. Clothes Dryer: G. T. Sampson; June 6, 1862
28. Golf Tee: T. Grant; December 12, 1899
13. Curtain Rod: S. R. Scratton; November 30, 1889
29. Guitar: Robert F. Flemming, Jr. March 3, 1886
14. Curtain Rod Support: William S. Grant; August 4, 1896
30. Hair Brush: Lydia O. Newman; November 15,18--
15. Door Knob: O. Dorsey; December 10, 1878
31. Hand Stamp: Walter B. Purvis; February 27, 1883
16. Dust Pan: Lawrence P. Ray; August 3, 1897
32. Horse Shoe: J. Ricks; March 30, 1885
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33. Ice Cream Scooper: A. L. Cralle; February 2, 1897
49. Pencil Sharpener: J. L. Love; November 23, 1897
34. Improv. Sugar Making: Norbet Rillieux; December 10, 1846
50. Record Player Arm: Joseph Hunger Dickenson; Jan 8, 1819
35. Insect-Destroyer Gun: A. C. Richard; February 28, 1899
51. Refrigerator: J. Standard; June 14, 1891
36. Ironing Board: Sarah Boone; December 30, 1887
52. Riding Saddles: W. D. Davis; October 6, 1895
37. Key Chain: F. J. Loudin; January 9, 1894
53. Rolling Pin: John W. Reed; 1864
38. Lantern: Michael C. Harvey; August 19, 1884
54. Shampoo Headrest: C. O. Bailiff; October 11, 1898
39. Lawn Mower: L. A. Burr; May 19, 1889
55. Spark Plug: Edmond Berger; February 2, 1839
40. Lawn Sprinkler: J. W. Smith; May 4, 1897
56. Stethoscope: Imhotep; Ancient Egypt
41. Lemon Squeezer: J. Thomas White; December 8, 1893
57. Stove: T. A. Carrington; July 25, 1876
42. Lock: W. A. Martin; July 23, 18--
58. Straightening Comb: Madam C. J. Walker; Approx 1905
43. Lubricating Cup: Ellijah Mccoy; November 15, 1895
59. Street Sweeper: Charles B. Brooks; March 17, 1890
44. Lunch Pail: James Robinson; 1887
60. Phone Transmitter: Granville T. Woods; December 2, 1884
45. Mail Box: Paul L. Downing; October 27, 1891
61. Thermostat Control: Frederick M. Jones; February 23, 1960
46. Mop: Thomas W. Stewart; June 11, 1893
62. Traffic Light: Garrett Morgan; November 20, 1923
47. Motor: Frederick M. Jones; June 27, 1939
63. Tricycle: M. A. Cherry; May 6, 1886
48. Peanut Butter: George Washington Carver; 1896
64. Typewriter: Burridge & Marshman; April 7, 1885
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FIRE!!
By Shuanice Cush
“FIRE!!”, a publication by creative black artist, for creative black artist, was the incredible one-hit wonder magazine that was published in November 1926 by Wallace Thurman, a member of the famed Niggeraiti crew. This style changing magazine appeared during the Harlem Renaissance and it contained many different art forms, such as short stories, essays, poems, and illustrations from some of the most important people of that time. Names like Zora Neal Hurston and Richard Bruce were just a few that were apart of this great group of artist in the magazine. Fire was made to push the boundaries within the black art community and that is exactly what they did. Each artist had a certain perfected talent that they brought to the publication. In a time when racism was happening, these artist were never afraid to show their true colors. An artist by the name of Aaron Douglas came up with the concept and drew the cover for the magazine, which was done in a deep red that represented the Fire and passion that was burning within the group. A very famous and well known author by the name of Langston Hughes contributed some of his work in the poetry section. And even the founder of the magazine, Wallace Thurman, had popularity with the very recognizable book by the name “The Blacker The Berry” and also a popular Broadway play that he co-wrote perfectly named, “Harlem.” Fire was a collection of art by some of the best that ever did it, but crazily they were only able to produce one issue. A great number of white and black critics gave harsh reviews about the magazine saying that the content was irrelevant and degrading. But the writers in Fire only wrote and told stories about what they knew and saw while living in Harlem, which was very relevant to them and their people. On top of the reviews, Fire also had finical trouble at the time. Debt along with low sales of the magazine made Fire’s first issue, it’s last issue. This group that came together in 1926 made sure they stood out and that their voices were heard. And even though the magazine doesn’t live on, that same fire lives on through our great artist of today.
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THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN TO TAKE SOMETHING COMPLETELY NEGATIVE AND MAKE IT POSITIVE. FOR ONE, THE PERSON THAT INTENDED ON USING IT TO INSULT YOU IS GOING TO BE RATHER ANGRY BECAUSE THEY JUST GAVE YOU ONE OF THE GREATEST IDEAS EVER. MAYBE IT IS GOOD TO BE MADE FUN OF SOME TIME.
Zora Neale Hurston
Aaron Douglass
Langston Hughes
T
ake the words “Nigger” and “Literati” for example. One is an insult to all African-American people on this planet while the other, means someone of scholarly attainments. One is an insult and the other is a compliment which means there is no way they can be mashed together to form something extremely positive, can there? People like Wallace Thurman, Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston thought so and that is exactly what they did. They mashed those two words together to create the word “Niggerati”. Now that is amazing. This word referred to any African-American artists or intellectuals during the Harlem Renaissance. These were people with nothing but great intentions for all African-Americans back in the 1920’s and it was much needed. With all of the horrible things going on for black people back in that time, this group of outstanding artist found the time to ignore all of it and try and move forward, and move forward they did. Positive and intellectual people were unheard of and they thought that was a problem. Such a problem that they created a magazine called FIRE!! This magazine was created to recognize and glorify all of the unknown amazing African-American people. With great effort, they were only able to publish one issue due to financial problems. Even so, that did not stop them as they tried again with another magazine called Harlem, with the same intentions as FIRE!! Only to again fail. Ironically that was the beauty of Niggerati, they never gave up. They believed in something and they stuck with it no matter who doubted them or criticized them and that is something that is lost in today’s society. No one is dedicated anymore, they try once, they fall and they stay down. Not the Niggerati, and they were in much worse times than we are today. They were made fun of constantly but that only motivated them to do amazing things. … Maybe it is good to be made fun of sometime.
By Prince Taylor
Richard Bruce Nugent
Wallace Thurman CARTER-MAG.COM
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STYLES Photography by Rayon Richards Styling by George Harris Grooming by Jojo Rodriguez
Special thank you to Vinnie’s Styles. All items are currently available at Vinnie’s Styles Brooklyn, NY. vinniesstyles.com
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Jacket, Shades of Grey; Belt, Brave; Jeans, Edwin Denim; Shoes, Clae
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Shirt, Under Two Flags
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Shirt, G.P.P.R; Pants, Paulies Denim; Bracelets, J.J.; Shoes, Nike
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Shirt w/bow tie, Scotch & Soda; Tuxedo Jacket, Scotch & Soda; Jeans, J. Underberg Denim
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Bracelets, J.J.; Glasses, Cazal; Hat, New Era Yankee Big Apple
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EASEYI CATWELL is a young Industrial Designer, Creative Director and Fashion Stylist. He began his love affair with the fly life at an astoundingly young age. With his first steps out of his Native land of Barbados the young knucklehead was thrust into the Lo Life gang culture by idolizing his older uncles and cousins. As fate would have it, his love for dabbling in the urban playground with “Lo� would unwittingly lead to him to working with POLO Ralph Lauren before his completion at Brooklyn Tech High School. Easeyi creates a strong personal style for his Personal Clients, that is classic, unique, alternative or cutting edge. He has styled music videos and fashion photo shoots and along with these projects he enjoys designing and building a complete line of customized and fabricated fixed-gear bikes under the EDI brand. He has been featured in fashion and music magazines like FADER and COMPLEX, is a regular contributor to fashion and lifestyle blogs, and is regularly quoted in various national newspapers. He currently performs the role of Fashion Editor for 4FATHERS Photo Journal, which celebrates the importance of fatherhood through Photography and the Arts.
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BEYOND THE GAME
By Myisha Hamilton
WENDY RAQUEL ROBINSON Is a woman who loves what she does. She works hard and has no problem going the extra mile to do what needs to be done. You might recognize her From the hit BET show The Game, but she is also doing a ton of work behind the scenes to make sure her impact is not only on screen, but also felt at home in her Los Angeles Community. You might think you know Wendy Raquel Robinson, but until your familiar with her organization for youth, you only know the half.
CARTER: Who is Wendy Raquel Robinson? WR: I’m a vivacious young lady, that is pretty much on a mission right now, and that mission is to not only to touch and inspire my audience, but also my community as a whole. I’m a dedicated wife, I’m a mother of 3 dogs, and I’ve touch over 5000 youth in the city of Los Angles. At what age did you start acting? I’ve been acting since I was 10, but I didn’t start getting paid till after college. But this is something I’ve been doing my entire life. I started as a dancer, and then one thing lead to the next, and as a result I found my passion threw acting. What was your first big break in the industry? It was a Crest commercial, my first and only commercial and that pretty much did it. Even when I was in college I did a lot of armature things, I went to Howard University and majored in drama. And from there I did a lot of local plays in DC. I ended up going out on the road doing a lot of theater and theater has always been my first love, television and film came a little later. Tell us about your program Amazing Grace Conservatory and how it got started? AGC is a passion that I’ve had for a long time. Even when I was in DC in college I worked in a children’s theater department that
help offset my cost in tuition, and I really developed a love and a niche for it. I came back to Los Angeles, Marla Gibbs had a performance arts school for youth, so I got a summer job there. The summer job ended up closing, and It was at least 50 or 60 youth that where like, “we want to continue this, what do we do?” So My best friend and I got together, created a curriculum found a space, and started our own bank. I believe that God takes you on a path for whatever reason, and it came together the way that it did. If it were not for the arts, I think I would have had a very different path in life. How do teens get involved with your program? For more information, they can contact me through the website, AmazingGraceConservatory.com We do interviews/auditions, but nothing to get intimidated about. We pretty much accept everyone as long as there is a true desire to be apart of the program. What advice do you have for teens in finding their passion and their career. Once you find something that you can do for the rest of your life and it doesn’t even matter if you get paid for it, that is your passion. Find what your passion and don’t stray away from it. And Keep God First, and Respect your parents and your family, and keep a wonderful circle of friends.
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JUICE HUGGER By Myisha Hamilton
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Crush Foster is a man with a plan. A plan to change the world one refreshing, tasty sip at a time. He is the Founder of Juice Hugger, a Brooklyn New York based company that provides all natural organic fruit juices, snack packs and nut milk. So before you think of picking up another can soda, you should hear what Crush has to say. CARTER: What inspired you to start Juice Hugger Juice Company? CF: It was my birthday in 09, and I jumped out of the shower to get ready to go celebrate with some friends and I took a look at myself and realized that I had gained quite a bit of weight, probably the heaviest I had ever been. I decide enough was enough, I need to do something. I started thinking of ways to supplement my intake of nutrients. I wasn’t eating a lot of salads or greens so I decide to start juicing. It was fun, it tasted great, and eventually I had about 6 or 7 recipes and it progressed from there. Which Juice Hugger’s Flavor is your favorite? I would have to say Cucumber Glo. Cucumber Juice itself is just really refreshing, it gives you a cooling feeling and it has a high alkalinity. What makes your juice company unique? The main thing that makes the juice company a bit different is, that we started out of social networking. We pretty much were started by the people that enjoy the beverages. We are a very social company, we’re a lifestyle brand, so we sell more than just juice. We sell snack packs and nut milks to help people who are intolerant to dairy. We try to be a resource of health to our community. What is the mission of Juice Hugger? To educate and make an impact in the communities where youth and those which they call now pre-dia-
betic are concerned. I think kids are still very impressionable with the advertisements and shiny packaging at the local corner stores and places where there are not a lot of options if you just want a quick cheap snack for some fuel to keep you going. I think fruit and natural produce is pretty much down played and not as available as it should be. So the mission is to educate and make available fresh organic produce and juice to people of all ages. Why did you decide to go organic? When I began juicing I did realize that the juices I made at home, tasted differently when I didn’t use organic produce. I could taste the pesticides in it. My pallet had began to become trained to be organic. As I stopped somewhere else that didn’t use organic, the carrots would taste a bit different, or the beets tasted a bit different, similar to a medicine after taste. In my mind I’m thinking, I’m drinking pesticides that are basically processed and broken down in a blender or juicer. My conscious just bothered me, and I felt in the long term this can not be good. So my common sense said, organic is the best way to go when available. In ten years, where do you see yourself and your company? One of the top 3 juice selling companies in the country. And I would like for organic and healthy juice to be what’s cool. We want it to be hip to be healthy. If we can get the cool factor back into nutrition, it will be beneficial for years and generations to come.
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Homage CARTER-MAG.COM
What is Niggarati? Is it the new Maserati? Who created Niggarati? Where did this name come from? Why Niggarati?