Issue 19: Shape Shifting

SPRING 2022 // NO. 19

ISSUE 19

e p a h S Shift 04 1 5 2 2

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ISSUE NINETEEN

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INTERVIEWS W/ RAZITO ZULU // SHONN HINTON // STEPH CROSELY // STYLE POP CAFE // TRU WEST // YAYA EDMONDS

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CONTENTS

0 4 Le t t e r f r o m t h e E d i t o r : S e e i n g T h e S h i f t with our Editor

05 issue 19: shape shifting 07 Shifting The Priority w/ Steph Crosely 1 4 Lo v e , C o f f e e a n d C r e a t i v i t y : S t y l e P o p C a f e 19 Making Noise: an interview w/ Shonn Hinton 2 7 Becoming Razito Zulu | the story of Mene Muhammad

2 5 S T E M T h r o u g h D a n c e w / Ya y a E d m o n d s . A n d 4 3 T h i s i s Tr u : a n i n t e r v i e w w / Tr u W e s t 49 Living In It [Multipurpose Fashion]

A B O U T O U R F E AT U R E D C O V E R A R T I S T ––

M E N E M U H A M M A D “ R A Z I TO Z U LU ” S E L F TAU G H T A R T I S T F O L LO W @ R A Z I TO Z U LU R E A D M O R E A B O U T H I M O N PAG E PAG E 2 7

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

I S S U E

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SEEING THE SHIFT WITH OUR EDITOR. You have seen me.

In many forms. More forms than I have seen myself.

So when you approach me you may be speaking to a part of me that is from a life before now, a place within me that I am not currently checked into, or as I like to say, a part of me that is “off the clock”.

The ability to shapeshift [in the mythical sense] has always fascinated me. Otherworldly creatures taking on the form that best fits their need at the time. . . Not a facade of change, but a metamorphosis that is a thread of their DNA. But as I have grown, experienced more life [what a mf’n journey], and begin to reflect on how others see me, I have realized that I too am a shapeshifter.

My transitions are now fluid. Today I am Lexi, Owner & Editor-in-Chief. Tomorrow I may be in my professor role, shaking up the institution. Daily I am Mommy, nurturing a young soul. At times I am a confidant, a life partner, and a friend; Pieces of me that are defined by others. Scary and sacred identities I didn’t see coming.

They are gifts.

They are responsibilities.

They are powers.

If there is magic in this world, it must be the ability to be more than what people expect you to be. But even more so, magic must be the ability to be more than what you expected of yourself.

As I shift there are things outside myself that must shift too. Like who I let in my orbit [Some people are seasonal]. How I dress [The aesthetic is always based on how I feel]. My profession and influence [Me? A mentor? Neeeevvvveeeerrrr!]. Even how I run CopyWrite has changed. The “behind the scenes” voice of reason, is now trying to figure out my public-facing position [Networking with purpose].

How this manifested into a full-fledged business is still beyond me.

Shapeshifting is a survival skill if you really think about it. How we adapt is directly aligned with our ability to confront the terrains that exist around us.

Technology, biology, and sociology have made sure of it. There is always something new we must engage with, some sort of problem we must solve, or a choice we must make.

I find that the most exhilarating moments in life are the ones that challenge you. Those moments force you to awaken pieces of you that have just been waiting for the right moment to shine.

Dualities. Trifectas. Quadrilaterals [LOL I could not find a better word]. . . dynamism will always be the act of finding balance.

Thus, you will see me in many forms as I continue to shift in the hopes of becoming the best me. /Lexi 4

INTRO

Does your form follow function?

It is a question that surpasses its “designer” roots and interrogates the ability to morph, adapt, or change the status of your identity at will.

It is an idea that we accept for deities, fables of fantasy, superheroes, and of course their villainous counterparts, but when we define our human qualities we usually avoid such a notion. The idea that we could be our authentic selves in many forms, without having multiple personalities [except for Gemini’s. Ha!], sounds like Catfishing [big bait], perpetrating [if fence straddling was a sport], and being an opportunist [& you know the come up is real].

But what if we looked a little closer?

In this issue of CopyWrite Magazine, we did just that; curating a group of voices that are multifaceted in their journeys. Some features show change as a means of survival, others have relearned their position in the world to combat generational disenfranchisement, and even more have renegotiated their complacent realities for passion and purpose.

We invite you to explore this paradox with us, as it unfolds in real-time. The truth of today may not be the disposition of tomorrow.

[But if you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.]

We call it. . .

Shape-Shifting.

CONTRIBUTORS

E D I TO R - I N - C H I E F / L E X I S . B R U N S O N C R E AT I V E D I R E C TO R / VATO V E R G A R A C H I E F O F S TA F F / T I F FA N Y B E A N FA S H I O N E D I TO R / K Y N DA L J JOURNALIST / CARRIE NONI MAHONE I N T E R N J O U R N A L I S T / TA N A S I A S H AW I N T E R N J O U R N A L I S T / N AO M I R E A’ J O R DA N S P E C I A L P R OJ E C T S J O U R N A L I S T / I M A N I O R T I Z

& WE COULDN’T MAKE THIS ISSUE POSSIBLE WITHOUT / PAM WILLIAMS

ROSHA BRISTER

CAROLINE CAVALCANTE

ISAIAH GENCUSKI

MENE MUHAMMAD

ALEX POOLE

RAZITO ZULU ARTZ

DA R I O A L L E N

SHONN HINTON

DESHUN JETSON

S T E P H C R O S E LY

O H A J I B R OW N

TRU WEST

WRAIN JENNINGS

NICOLE ESCHE JOSHUA

L E R E S H A LOV E

ELLIS

STYLE POP CAFE

YAYA EDMONDS

T I Z WA X

DAVINA ANDERSON

WO M E N ’ S E N T R E P R E N E U R S H I P W E E K

NŌ STUDIOS

8 8 N I N E R A D I O M I LWAU K E E

CopyWrite Magazine Media & Design, LLC currently runs as a Milwaukee-based organization. All images are not licensed or owned by CopyWrite. For any questions regarding photos, future advertisements, future employment, or any information about any featured artist, producers, or creators, please contact us at copywrite.mke@gmail.com.

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COMMUNITY + ENTREPRENEURSHIP

CopyWrite has been following Steph’s career for several years. Throughout that time we noticed her navigation through multifaceted terrains, always inquisitive about the girth of her public facing persona. Where many people go through a season of change, her shape shifting aura seems to be a part of who she is, and what she can do with it well . . . that’s an exploration in itself.

The reality of it sent Steph running into a new major.

She had also grown up with a speech impediment, which only further contributed to her discomfort in pursuing that dream. Instead, she took on a double major of Communications and Social Work. Little did she know, public facing space, on somebody’s mic in front of somebody’s camera is exactly where she would end up regardless.

SC: “Life is a journey, that’s for sure. I think once I crossed over the thirty year mark in life it was always about dedicating my time and energy to things that are impactful. So everything that I do has something to do with moving the needle forward.

Whether it’s financial literacy, breaking cycles by educating students on [that topic], or the Blueprint program that’s a twelve week entrepreneurship and accelerator program where we are assisting underrepresented founders in moving entrepreneurial journeys forward. Priority, of course, is all about self-empowerment and putting yourself first. Motivational speaking. . . I love speaking life, bringing in a different perspective and challenging people to think outside of their perspective. So everything I do has an impact.

SC: “It just goes to show that life always comes full circle. You can’t run from what God has planned for you.”

She also mentioned how even emceeing the Marquette games allows her to bring energy to the crowd which brings her a burst of joy as well.

“I don’t get up and say, damn I hate this or I didn’t want to do this today. It’s something I am always looking forward to.”

It takes a lot of energy to be so active. Which till this point in Steph’s career was not a problem. As a single woman, with so much ambition, she feels that the last few years have been a perfect time to “be busy, stay busy, and to build a legacy.”

CW: “Did you always know that you wanted to be a serial entrepreneur?"

SC: “Nooo!” [She laughed as if the thought would have been comical in a past life] “Not at all. I initially went to college for TV and Radio broadcasting. I always wanted to be in front of the camera and talking. But as most people know, I did struggle with insecurities and low self esteem. So when I got to college and took my first class I was like ‘Oh hell no!

This is not for me. I am not trying to be in front of no one’s camera for real’.”

In 2014, the wheels began to turn when she curated her first women empowerment event. The event featured all women with their different trades, including designers, a DJ, models, caterers, and more. Her goal was to break the stigma that women, but especially Black women, can’t get along. Even a year later when she started to put together her Real Talk events and would hire people to host, she would be so active in the programmatic elements that people suggested that she should be the one to host.

SC: “I would say ‘No I can’t do it. I promise you I can’t’.

So I used to have to get drunk before I stood in front of everyone. But that eventually got better over time.”

No worries here. She no longer needs that vice to calm her nerves but that’s because the confidence has grown, and it shows. The Steph that sat before us, rocking her Priority merch, with a recently announced baby bun in the oven, is poised, articulate, and reflective. Once upon a time she was a hot headed teen who almost lost her D1 basketball scholarship because of displaced anger, with turbulent family dynamics as the child of a drug addict mother and incarcerated father, with degrading low self esteem.

As she shared the anecdotes of her life with us she did not seem burdened by her path but aware that the way things have been may not always be what they will become.

“I really feel like if something is birthed in you sometimes it takes a good minute to grow but when it’s in you, it’s in you”.

Finding balance within her shifting tides is no easy feat.

She uses the same tools as the rest of us. Maximizing her calendar and finding time for herself are a must.

She suggested that being busy also means you have to learn how to say no.

CW: “So how do you receive these different types of opportunities? Obviously, a lot of these you have to

COMMUNITY + ENTREPRENEURSHIP

work hard, know people, secure the bag, and some. How are you accessing these experiences?”

SC: “One thing I always promote is just being a good person. When you’re a good person, your talent and energy will speak for itself.”

She gave an example of how her relationship with Young Enterprising Society [Featured in Issue 12: Folklores & Festivals of CopyWrite Magazine] was formed by meeting one of its co-founders Que El-Amin at an event. She had recently stopped creating Real Talk.

SC: “He was like, ‘Yo why did you stop doing Real Talk?’.

I was like, ‘This is Milwaukee. Someone else will jump on the board. I will let somebody else take it. I started it.

Someone else can finish it’.”

But he refused to hear Steph’s cop out, claiming what she was doing was powerful and that she was the perfect person for the task. So when she asked if he would help her with it he said, “Yes, I will.”

SC: “At that point two strangers came together and I promise you have never left my side since then. He has really become one of my best friends.“ Steph assured that opportunities also come with being connected with the right people. So whenever there is a speaking engagement or something that Steph would be great at Que always reaches out.

Similarly, the opportunity for the Marquette gig came through Khalif El-Amin, Young Enterprising Society other co-founder.

So when it all boils down to it Steph credits her growing success to a combination of perfecting her craft and being around the right people. #WhatASquad But of course in every climb up there are moments that unearth our truths. Just like Steph’s name, her brand, PRIORITY, is a recognizable feature amongst local apparel. Its san serif boxed logo has grown from a much needed personal gesture to self into what many call the PRIORITY Movement or “a reminder that YOU MATTER”.

SC: “PRIORITY came about because I was at a low point in my life. I had had a hot couple of years where I was booked like everyday. I was hosting in the club, listen I was doing it all. But I was just at a point where I couldn’t tell people no and if I did I felt really bad about it. So my birthday was coming up and birthdays are a really big deal to me. I had no plans for my birthday, I kept telling people I wasn’t doing anything. . . it’s usually the one day out of the year I look forward to 10

and I was just really down and felt drained. I love to write [blog style]. So I blogged and the title of [the blog post] was Priority.”

In the blog Steph wrote about it being okay to say no and how prioritizing one’s self is also a vital part to being able to help others.

“We are only as strong as how full our cup is.

When our cup is empty and nothing else is pouring into us it’s hard to continue to move forward. So everything else dependent on us suffers.”

After that she decided that year thirty-two would be her selfish year. She would celebrate her birthday by getting priority stamped onto thirty-two t-shirts and selling them to pay homage to her thirty-two years of life.

SC: “Two years later we are here.” [Yall really ran with it huh?

Steph’s ode to self must have resonated deeply within the community, because we see PRIORITY merch out at least once a week. #SheDidThat] But as abundant as the movement may have become, Steph notes that there is still very much a need to stop and reflect on the message for herself. As she strives to be her best self in all that she does, it still can be draining. She reminds herself that she has to walk her talk. If she is going to promote the idea of putting yourself first she too must try to actively do the same.

CW: “We would consider you a public figure. . .” [Steph smiled politely as if she didn’t know] “No, those are facts. So do you feel the pressure, since you know people are watching?”

SC: “Oh yes! All the time! I think I have always monitored what I posted on social media way before Steph Crosely became ‘Steph Crosely’. So that has kind of always been with me but now I’m like, ‘You can not do this. You can not do that. Be mindful of when you say things. How you say things.

How you dress’, while still staying true to [me]. I think that’s important because it is a fine line. I don’t box myself because I don’t believe in that. But I do understand who I am and the platform that I have, A part of my purpose is to lead.

Because of that I have to be a little more cautious. So yes the pressure be real!”

Luckily, Steph has an amazing support system [S/O to her sisters] that allows her to vent, talk things out, and then come back to her full self when she is done. It is surely a support system she will need as she shifts into a new form of prioritization where she will be obligated to another life in her journey through motherhood.

SC: “I am being more intentional and cautious of what I am doing with my time and my energy. It’s weird. I’m scared but I’m looking forward to it.”

Having a child changes things. The world as you know it tends to fold into itself and if you do it right, the time you commit to yourself becomes a fraction of what it was before.

You thus shift all priorities to fit around the needs of a little soul and pour into their cup more than you have ever poured for anyone before.

SC: “I was actually thinking about that today. Because my first book, With Love, is founded on the idea that there are only two people in this world that are obligated to love us and care for us, and that’s our caretakers, other than God. When that love is tainted or not existent how does that shape our experience and love throughout our lifestyles. So now I’m like here I wrote this whole book for parents and now I have to go back and read my own stuff to make sure I don’t bring that undetected trauma that I may not have dealt with yet. So yea PRIORITY is going to be looking a lot different in the next several months.”

Steph is not sure what to expect. She has never babysat or lived with a baby. She can count on one hand how many diapers she has changed in life. She never imagined having a child of her own and was more inclined to the thought of adopting but she is taking her pregnancy as a blessing and a new path to nurture.

As a shapeshifter Steph believes that shifting perspectives is an important part of understanding who we are and where we are going. A big part of this she notes is asking questions.

The logic in that is quite fitting, considering her interview was in part a plot to see if the person lived up to the legendlike narrative the public has created. Asking the questions “INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW”. Facades are common, smoke and mirrors are a norm but Steph was transparent and intriguing in a way that showed a maturity we truly respect.

CW: “Do you have any general advice to give anybody that is balancing a lot, maybe not prioritizing themself, or who may be on a journey from a similar background and are having those doubts about themselves?”

SC: “I would say be patient with yourself. I think social media has made it seem like everyone is living the best time of their lives and we want to do it so we are willing to take shortcuts to get there quicker but in all reality we could be missing out on a big chunk of our journey that’s helping to form us. Allow yourself opportunities to make mistakes. Mistakes are where we learn the most.”

Then she gave us three points to live by: Be a good person when nobody is watching.

Have a good work ethic.

Always allow yourself to learn.

We know we will see more of Steph.

Let’s make it a priority. /CW

COMMUNITY + ENTREPRENEURSHIP

1. Be a good person when nobody is watching.

2. Have a good work ethic

3. Always allow yourself to learn 12

COMMUNITY

LOVE & E E F F O C Y T I V I T A CRE

Owners of Style Pop Cafe, Davina Anderson and Rosha Brister embody every element of shapeshifting. Rosha has worked with us on various projects through her creative booking service, StyleHub. As a couple, they’ve thrived and survived through COVID with a healthy relationship and a new business, Style Pop Cafe.

For those who don’t know, Style Pop Cafe is coffee and food on the go! Opened during the height of the pandemic, the inclusive coffee shop has had massive success. This cafe is for you’re “hippie” types or anyone in between, as Rosha says. The couple came up with the concept of coffee on the go through their mutual love of the bean. Rosha and Davina knew how essential coffee was to everyone. Opening in the midst of the pandemic, the dynamic duo decided to make coffee that is delivered to you. As creatives who also work in other fields, they couldn’t afford to instantly buy a physical storefront, creating a more stylish user friendly solution.

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COMMUNITY

CW: “How did Style Pop Cafe come about?”

Davina A: “Honestly, it evolved. We just went with the flow in a sense and we just trusted it; that is not where we started, this isn’t the idea we had. We had to figure out how to make money, without buying a storefront. You gotta do what you gotta do and this is the evolution.”

Rosha B:” Outside of that, we were just coffee people. I think we had our first date at a coffee shop. Coffee has always been a go-to place for me; whether it’s doing homework or a place to socialize. Great ideas have come out of coffee shops. Eventually, Style Pop will be a physical coffee shop and those are the kind of vibes we want to bring. We want a place where people can experience what they experience over coffee.”

Rosha and Davina see the coffee shop as an inclusive creative hub. Soon, StylePop will expand to a physical space that’s meant for everyone. Rosha describes the cafe as “bright” and “full of color.” This location will be all about comfort, reliability and creativity. Once the physical shop opens, Style Pop’s mobile delivery service will still be open for customers who need that straight to your door pick-meup.

CW: “Did COVID-19 affect or advance your business?”

Rosha B: “Advanced, for sure.”

Davina A: “Put a fire under our assess!”

Style Pop mobile was created as a result of COVID-19. The women owned cafe capitalized off of everyone working from home. They bought the coffee shop to anyone who needed it; corporate workers, busy moms, college students and anyone else who needs their daily fix of caffeine for their day.

CW: “What were some of the struggles you faced within your journey in shapeshifting as a creative?”

Davina A: “You really have to start not giving a f*ck about what people say. It’s real easy for people to remember you, where you were, “Oh you’re this, Oh you were this, now you should be doing this” When you’re shifting, you just have to shift in confidence.”

One of the things I admire most about Rosha and Divina is their ability to wear several hats and manage it all. They are okay with starting, stopping and/or pausing a project.

During the interview, you can tell that their knowledge exceeded the cafe and business industry. They were informed on technology, culinary arts, fashion, sales, and more. I admired

this because all of that experience eventually poured into Style Pop. If they were to listen to naysayers and stick to just ONE thing or take a “traditional” route, would the creation of Style Pop be here? If so, would the positive outcome still be there? The ladies spoke about how they need to expand and hire more employees due to their success.

CW: “As a creative, it’s hard to stick to one lane and maintain due to lack of resources and networking. How have y’all managed to maintain success while being in different facets of creativity?”

Davina A: “We had to go where we weren’t comfortable. It’s not like we weren’t working! Rosha was working three jobs, I was working a very stressful job and those days were hard.

You just think, about “oh, I want to do this.” You just have to start somewhere and just do it. No matter if it’s scattered, you just keep watering different projects then they bloom to something.”

Rosha B: “It’s just a matter of doing it like she said. It does not matter if you’re comfortable in that space or not. Also, stay in contact with the people that you’ve met over time. I think that’s really important. You continue to get your brand out there and that hunger that you have.”

We (at /CW) and Rosha have a longstanding creative relationship that we value. Throughout the years, Rosha has worked with our fashion department; fashion shows, photo shows and taking overall creative direction. She was even one of the first to run an ad in our magazine. We highly value her work and how it’s included in our legacy. Seeing the work that Davina and Rosha have done over this last year is beyond exciting because it just shows us how partnerships can thrive, when you are both passionate about the work.

While business is growing and blooming, so is Davina’s and Rosha’s relationship. The engaged couple recently bought a home together. Life is expanding in every way and it’s evident how happy and comfortable they are with each other.

CW: “How have you managed a successful relationship with all the different creative avenues you both are in?”

Rosha B: “I think it helps that Davina and I are best friends. I think she and I both have a whirlwind of experiences.

Coming from being pharmacy techs, school teachers, just having a business before this and a super supportive network that you can go to in reference to things contributes to our relationship.”

Davina A: “Not to mention, just knowing each other’s personality. There’s times when she’s just like, ‘Okay Davina’ and there’s times when I’m just like ‘Okay Rosha’ Like stay in your place and sometimes we have to remind each other.”

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COMMUNITY

It was evident that they understood each other to a T. They never spoke over one another and seemed to be on the same wave, which is not as simple as it sounds. There’s a taboo with mixing relationships and business, but they make it look easy! While talking to each other, they seemed like longtime friends who valued each other. They constantly gave one another their props and let the other person shine.

vibrant and change up things. You won’t always walk into the same coffee shop. We try to match your vibe and we understand that they’re a lot of different people.”

Rosha B: “We are going to open up a venue soon.”

Style Pop is more than coffee, baked goods, and mobile delivery. It’s an experience that’s suitable for everyone from all walks of life. Plus, the food is AMAZING! No matter where you are in life (figuratively and literally) this minority women owned cafe will meet you where you’re at. Visit Style Pop’s website https://stylepopcafe.com/ for delivery and follow their instagram @stylepopcafe to stay updated with the business.

Davina A: “When we have our space, we are going to be

Tanasia Shaw /CW

CW: What do you see for Style Pop Cafe in the future?

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MAKING NOISE AN INTRVIEW W/ SHONN HINTON

MUSIC

W

hen it comes to music most of us are well versed in the names of icons. We can run down their musical catalogs and recite lyrics as if we had written them ourselves. But behind every big name are the names of the people who help them be great. Talents that are chameleons that crescendo from the side, playing the melodic symphonies that make us feel the music.

Amongst those godsends are Shonn Hinton, a Milwaukee native that has been a touring musician for some of the most legendary musical acts of our time.

The multiinstrumentalist, who is also a singer, songwriter, and producer, shared with CopyWrite how being in the right place at the right time, maybe the shift that thrust you into your true destiny.

Shonn grew up in the Milwaukee music scene. He started playing music in his grandfather’s church as a child and fell in love with the craft. From guitar, to drums, bass, and keyboard he would practice making soulful noise and realized he was good at it.

SH: “I just knew this was something I wanted to do. I didn’t want to flip no burgers. I didn’t want to sell any cars.

I didn’t want to be a teacher. I didn’t want to be a lawyer. I didn’t want to be a doctor. I wanted to be a musician.”

And thus, that is exactly what he is.

His career almost seems to be serendipitous.

All the cliche things that we are warned against have interestingly enough worked in Shonns favor. The opportunities he has had have been the snowballing effect from one major decision: Quitting his J.O.B. SH: “Being at the right place at the right time in the weirdest moments [is] the best way for me to describe my entrance into the game. My first gig was Dave Hollister. I got the Dave Hollister gig by not trying to get the Dave Hollister gig.” [He laughed softly]. “I was just trying to make a name for myself in Chicago. Prior to that happening I just thought I was going to be playing gospel music for the rest of my life. Somebody was always doing a live session in Chicago. So if I could go to Chicago and make it [there] I’m good! That’s all I was thinking about.

Nothing else!”

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MUSIC

But we all know that’s not how the story goes.

During a Summerfest show, Shonn met Rex Hardy Jr., a drummer from Chicago who then played for a group called Jersey Ave. [y’all know the Latimore brothers] and Nisan Stewart, who was then the drummer for Tweet and worked heavily with Timberland and Missy Elliot. He mentioned to Rex that he was trying to make a name for himself in Chicago and if he could put him on any kind of opportunity he would love to do it. Shonn sent Rex a VHS [old school] audition tape of him playing with Rodney Cunningham hoping that he might find his talents up to par.

SH: “He called me a week later and was like ‘I got a gig for you. But you leave Monday’. I was a Medical Records Clerk at Columbia Family Care Center. I called my boss on a Saturday like, ‘Aye I quit. I just got a phone call to go out on the road’.

And I thought it was a gospel gig. But then I called Rex back and asked him who the gig was with and he said Dave Holister and I thought I was tweaking. . . It was R&B gig and that’s how that happened.”

That one moment snowballed into several more. Though Shonn recalls having to play with a chip on his shoulder because being from Milwaukee is not always seen as a positive thing, he took on the opportunity to flex his talents so that his skills were sought after and nobody could ever question the reason why he was there. He would bite the guitar strings with his teeth and play the guitar with his neck. Just wild things that would give any music lover a rush.

The touring managers noticed Shonn’s skills and invited him to keep the momentum running. His next booking after Dave Holister was on 106 and Park performing with Kelly Price.

MUSIC

SH: “Now my name is circulating through the industry. Now my name is among the names of great touring musicians. . . Thank you, God.” Shonn Hinton’s performance list is thick. As his bio says he has “played stadiums worldwide performing alongside many Grammy award winning artists including Mary J Blige, John Legend, Jill Scott, Jay Z, Lil Wayne, Patti LaBelle, Gym Class Heroes, and Carol King”. Plus, Angie Stone, 112, Cory Henry, and Glenn Lewis.

CW: “How do you balance being around celebrities, being from Milwaukee, actually repping Milwaukee, and being a family man? How do you embody all of that at one time?”

SH: “Celebrities are regular people to me. That’s exactly how I look at them and feel that that’s the way they want to be seen unless they have a very serious insecurity problem. They are just regular people, they just make more money than me”. [He chuckled a bit and smiled]. “ I am able to talk to them like I would one of my homies. Like ‘Yo what’s good?”

He then gave an example of how the first time he saw Mary J Blige since the pandemic had halted touring, she greeted him as if they had been old friends from the neighborhood. It’s that type of down-to-earth personas that keep Shonn comfortable with his choice to take on the high momentum lifestyle touring can be.

SH: “It’s so easy to get around celebrities and get caught up in the hype. And then now you are a ‘Hollywood N*gga’. You know what I’m saying?. . . I never want to portray the image like yea I made it too. There are levels to it. Whenever I walk into a room or an opportunity where there are celebrities there It’s a perfect opportunity to learn as much as I can. Then when they take notice of that and ask me where I am from I say I’m from Milwaukee.”

Now the track record for Milwaukee talent holding down its 414 roots when away from home is slim.

However, it is vital to changing the narrative about our talent pool and opening up intergenerational opportunities and resources. Who you are is in part a reflection of where you have been.

“I am a regular dude. I try to keep it regular at all times. I know who I am. I ain’t got to scream it to nobody.”

Even as “regular” Shonn claims to be, his talent 22

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is nothing of the sort. It is his ability to annihilate a performance that has continuously allowed doors to open. A part of that ability came from his godfather, Chalmers “Spanky” Alford, most notably known for his work with D’Angelo and Tony Toni Toné.

or uninformed. But while making decisions is a daily task there are some choices that define our lives. Shonn quitting his job may have seemed like an immature thing to do, but in all actuality, it was the best choice to make for the life he knew he had the work ethic to manifest. Is that not a level of mental development or wisdom that we all hope to achieve in life?

SH: “The way I got the John Legend gig was during the heart of the city tour with Mary and Jay Z, we were rehearsing in L.A. Quest Love was the M.D. for Jay. So in rehearsal, I was doing all kinds of crazy stuff on guitar.

[Quest] was like, ‘Yo where you get that from?’ and I was like my Godfather showed me. So he was like, ‘Who is your godfather?’.

I said Spanky and that was it. Quest and I just hit it off.”

Quest would eventually call him with an opportunity to play with John Legend during Good Morning America, where Legend was also sold on Shonn’s skills.

When it comes down to shape-shifting Shonn had an interesting way to think about the term, which had way more to do with mental ability than physical change.

SH: “It’s really the ability to transform your way of thinking. To shapeshift you have to know how to adapt which is something my wife always says. Be a chameleon in the room. You have to know how to be what the mood and the moment calls for.

Some people would consider that being fake but it’s just a mature way of thinking in my opinion. I’m not going to get to the white house and be like, ‘Yo what the f*ck is good my n*gga? Ya understand me’.” [He said in the most I just got out the Feds way possible LOL] “I’m not about to be on that.

I’m going to shake your hand, give you as direct contact as I can, and say, ‘How are you doing sir’. That’s what shape-shifting is.

Knowing how to adapt and move.”

The part of Shonn’s reply that stood out was the idea that shapeshifting is a “mature way of thinking”. When we question someone’s decisions for being outlandish, we usually define their execution as being immature

CW: “It sounds like you are happy with your choice.”

SH: “You know what, for real. I am very happy with my choice.

Because again, I could have been flipping burgers but instead I get to see the world. . . When I am dead and gone that’s what people are going to be able to say. I want people to be like, he lived his life. He made the decisions he made, stood on two feet with ten toes down, and bared it. Good and bad.”

And there have been bad times.

Everything can not always be high. In 2013, Shonn went through a stint of depression. His phone was off and there just was not enough coming in to keep afloat. He eventually was blessed with another opportunity to work with Jill Scott but it’s a part of life that he is not ashamed to mention.

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SH: “As a touring musician when it rains it pours. When you are working you are working. Then when it dries up, it’s dry. About this time in 2020, I was in Miami. I am about to be back in Miami this weekend with Mary [J Blige’s]. This is the same gig in 2020 that we were getting ready to do and it got canceled because of the Pandemic. So you think about this . . . From 2020 till about the end of 2021 I was just playing at Church!”

[Issa Rough] “You know what I’m saying? Things started picking up over the summer. We did Summerfest and things like that but I wasn’t making the money I was making playing with Mary. I was like, ‘Yikes!’. But it was like this too shall pass.”

Faith, talent, and maturity, what a combo. Shonn is going for all the opportunities that present themselves including the ones he creates. He is currently writing his own music and creating a name for his band Shonn Hinton & Shotgun, which includes members Olen Franklin [drums], Alex “Ace Boogie” Julien [bass/vocals], Darrien “Dwill” Williams [Guitar/ keys/backing vocals], Terry Jeanes Jr. [Percussion/Vocals].

Now that it’s 2022 the pandemic is starting to let up, Mary J has put out an album that means Shonn is back working and he is feeling great about his current placement in the world. But the same way the rough times came in went Shonn keeps himself grounded by understanding that this too is just a moment in time that shall pass.

“At the end of the day, I just want to be a dope human being.”

Even as he explores his own sound he is taking risks and showing a side of himself that he could not have prophesied until now. He even sent us a sneak preview of a few of his new tracks that are sure to have yall vibing and feelin’ ya selves.

Amen to that. /CW

SH: “Because I have that understanding I don’t trip. I just put my faith to it.”

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PLEASE JOIN ANDI SCIACCA, the CEO of Women’s Entrepreneurship Week (WEW), in congratulating the #WEW2021 Cheryl V. Mitchell Pitch Competition Award Winners!

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MUSIC

Becomin Razit

Who you are is a direct reflection of your life experiences, what is instilled in you, and who you are destined to be. Mene Muhammad is no exception to this human clause. His name sake, Menes, was an Egyptian Pharaoh who is known for uniting upper and lower Egypt, while expanding the civilizations use of arts and culture. As an artist who spent years defying his fate, Mene has realized that he too must unite two worlds and realities to be his true self.

ng to Zulu

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Mene has a public-facing alter ego. To the social world, he is known as Razito Zulu Artz, a self-taught artist who posts his energetic digital paintings depicting Black culture icons, effervescent compositions, and prismatic color waves. Through his work confidence exudes as if it comes with ease, but skill like that is not developed by chance. Its true meaning comes from a place that eyes can not see.

RZ: “I have always loved to draw. We didn’t have a lot growing up but my Mama noticed I had a passion for it.

So she bought me an easel from a rummage sale. Man, I would just draw and paint on that [all the time]. I really got my love for [art] through comic books though. I used to go to the library and check out comics all the time.”

Comic books are a clear influence in Mene’s work today.

Stylistically the line weights and color application are derivative of traditional pen to paper applications. He also found it fascinating to watch people draw, including a friend who was much older than him whose work he would analyze in real-time.

RZ: “That’s really how I learned to draw because I never had an art class. Besides when I went to Riverside for High School and I had a clay class there. I remember going to the office begging for an art class. But the counselor told me that I had to have a portfolio and be recommended for it.”

Unable to convince them that he should be able to enroll, he focused on his other passion; soccer.

Soccer was the only reason why Mene would even go to school or try to pass a class. He didn’t want to get kicked off of the team so he would do what he could to slide by. But around junior year he started to realize how vital school was to accelerate his future in soccer and attempted to change his habits. It was difficult considering the only classes that ever interested him were history.

CW: “Why do you think that is?”

RZ: “I probably get that from my Pops. He taught us a lot about what was not taught in school. I remember in school the slavery chapter came up, since that’s all they put in the books anyway, the teacher did like three pages and skipped over the rest. I remembered that because Black history and [the origins of] Black culture really intrigued me. You know especially the Egyptians, the Zulu, Shaka Zulu. . . My pops had the film and it really inspired me. I started researching him more . . .”

CW: “Hence your artist name?”

RZ: “Yes, that is where it came from and my middle name is Raz. I also played soccer, at that time me, and my brothers were big into Brazilian soccer so there was a little website you could put your name in [to generate your Brazilian

name] and I put Raz in and that’s what came out, Razito.

So I have been going with that name since about ten or eleven.”

Even then Mene was piecing together his persona, or as we should say, shaping it based on his interest, paying homage to history. Historically, Black artists have been disenfranchised with their imagery, thus moments where one can be enthralled in visual representation that feels reflective they can acknowledge their own culturally lead aesthetic standards.

RZ: “That’s why that is what I love to draw. But when I was younger it was crazy because I was drawing what I saw in the comic books which were mostly white people.

Now on social media, you get people writing to me like, ‘You would blow up some more if you draw some white people. I guess some white people get mad. But they don’t say that to the Picasso of the world or other artists.

I go look at other artists’ work and white people are all they have. I’m doing something for my people because you don’t see a lot of representation. Now there are more [Black] artists booming and it’s a dope community to be a part of.”

Mene makes a good point about the demand for Black artists to be more “inclusive” or to validate a population that has always seen themselves represented frequently in multiple genres from a multitude of perspectives. We are just now shaking the dominance of Black Americana portrayals of Picaninny braids, Aunt Jemima hair rags, and the minstrel mockery that they have made of us. Now that we have shown the grace and versatility of plaiting hair, the regalness of a head wrap, and how our authentic interpretation of our culture has inspired creative expression for centuries, they demand we represent them the same. Tuh, the audacity!

CW: “We did notice you use a lot of Black imagery, Black historical figures, and using your interpretation to create them. You even use modern history and icons, including sports players, politicians, musicians, and people like that.

So how do you decide who you are going to draw or paint each day?”

RZ: “How I have built out my [Instagram] page is kind of an online gallery. So most of the people I have made art on are people I look up to, or respect. Like Malcolm X, that’s one of my biggest heroes right there. Or even people like rappers, who have lived a certain way of life and created music around it. I believe that’s art and me drawing them is also a part of that. History always gives me a reason to draw somebody. . . whenever I am drawing someone who has passed or any historical figure, I always do a little research on them to get the feeling of them. . .”

CW: “To not just get the image of them but the essence of them.”

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I DREAM BIG

RZ: “Exactly. It’s almost like I pay them homage.”

Research is a part of the work the audience does not see. “Icons” are iconic because they are symbolic.

Mene’s research allows him to uncover the origins of their symbolism and thus validate their roles in shifting the culture and people are taking notice. Even celebrities have reposted and liked his work.

RZ: “Even though I try to tell the younger people coming up it’s just like, it still feels good to be noticed and recognized for your work.”

RZ: “I wanted to go straight to the Marines but my uncle and my dad talked me out of it. . . and till this day I am glad they did because right around that time Concordia had hit me up. Even with my GPA, they asked if I wanted to play soccer there, D3. I talked to my friend JC and he told me that if I had a good year [at Concordia] I could try to come to play for Green Bay where he was going. . .”

So things were looking up. Right? Mene went to Concordia, played soccer, and then . . .Bam! One day at a tournament he was doing a breakaway and went knee to knee with another player and popped his knee out.

Social media is actually where we found Mene. The rise of the digital interface has allowed not just people to be seen but also their crafts. As Mene works in several mediums including traditional acrylic on canvas, he also has command of digital drawing which has expanded the way in which he can make.

RZ: “That really killed me because I was in good shape. I had a perfect performance. Already thinking about how I was going to go to Green Bay.”

CW: “The modern methods of digital drawing is something we are seeing come into fruition in real-time. How did you get into digital drawing?”

RZ: “Just think about it. I had to travel on those long bus rides with them with this big knee brace and the only thing I could do was sit on the sidelines and watch them play.

I got really depressed. So I just wound up quitting [The team].”

RZ: “I was working at MillerCoors before I became a fulltime artist. I started there at twenty-four and was there for about seven years. . . What I would do is draw on breaks or I remember we were having a meeting and I just was drawing. This one dude was like, ‘The f*ck are you doing here?’.” [We all laughed because the question was valid].

“Stuff like that used to motivate me. Then there was this other guy there who used to commission me for stuff and this is when I had first started back. Because I stopped drawing for like a good ten years almost. . .”

PAUSE. Stopped drawing? The story about going digital could wait. This was a way more pressing matter to discuss.

PLAY. CW: “Why did you stop?

RZ: “Ummmmm. . .” [He said it as he sat back.]

CW: “Life?”

RZ: “Yea life. I was supposed to go to UWM for soccer.

They were going to give me a scholarship. My club team was the [Milwaukee] Simbas. Jimmy Banks [the second African American to play in the National soccer team] was my coach. Rest in peace to him. So when my club team folded. UWM basically said we can’t recruit you if you are not going to be playing for a whole summer. Soccer was expensive.”

When he played for the Simbas everything was paid for and had funding being an inner-city team. His parents could not afford to send him to another league so Mene kind of just gave up on everything.

CW: “That must have killed your motivation to do anything you were really into.”

During that time Mene was able to focus on his classes.

But the sophomore year the coaches again reached out to ask him to play. So he did. During spring training camp he did a simple move and then . . . Bam! His knee popped out again. It was already difficult for him to be on a team where most of his teammates came from “privileged” backgrounds, with no understanding of “Urban” culture [peep the quotation marks] but to constantly be injured and constantly defend he deserved to be there was just too much. He decided it was just time to move on into the workforce.

RZ: “I look at everything as a journey. I don’t look at the pay, I look at the people I met and some of the situations I encountered. . . Everyone in life, once you get to a certain age, is going to choose their path.”

He then reflected on his growing maturity and perception of the world. The mental shift of passions, life on the Northside of Milwaukee, even going against the grain of what was poppin to do the right thing. Every choice Mene has made and all he has witnessed allowed for him to come full circle and find new inspiration [his two boys Nasir and Elijah and his wife. Hey Fam!] for the talent he almost left behind.

CW: “Well you are clearly growing and now you do art full time?”

RZ: “Yes for the last two years. I have been blessed.”

CW: “How did you wind up monetizing it? Everybody wants to know that.”

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RZ: “That was the hardest part. So I was working at Miller and you know at Miller I was making some good money [WE BET HE WAS LOL]. The old-timers there would be about to retire. And they would say things like, ‘You’re next. You have forty-something years left’. At that time I’m like twenty-eight and every time someone would say something like that to me it would be like a spark telling me I’m not going to do that. So again on every break, I would just start drawing. It would just make the time go by. Then I started an Instagram. Then people just started telling me I was good. Even getting ten likes was exciting because it made me realize that people really did like my art and remembering how this was something I used to love. Then it becomes addicting.”

But here goes the clincher yall . . . why did Mene have the audacity to still be out here trying to play soccer on his own time? SMH messed around and fractured his fibula and was finally like, ‘oh see it just wasn’t meant to be’.

CW: “See your body was like that ain’t it!”

RZ: “That’s when I told myself I was done playing majors.

So I started drawing every day and perfecting my craft.”

From printer paper and pen, to marker on a sketch pad, he just kept exploring new mediums, expanding into paint and then finally digital on an iPad Pro with Procreate.

Honing in on those skills opened up the opportunities to do commissions, even large commission deals filtered through Render [a Milwaukee-based tech-driven marketing agency founded by Dr. Rob “Biko” Baker].

RZ: “It’s a lot of props to him because he showed me I could make some nice money [doing art]. I worked on a project for Fund For Peace with him. I was commissioned to do one hundred portraits.”

Jaw drop! One hundred of anything is a lot. But when you are talking about pieces of artwork that’s extreme. Mene had never made so much off of commission art ever before and was starting to see he truly did have other options to pursue.

As he learns more and more about how to deal with clients versus creative aesthetics, he is developing his understanding of art as a profession. Recently he has worked on a project with the boys and girls club [the Light the Hoan illustration] and several albums and mixtape covers.

RZ: “With art, I had to learn that you have some good

months, put that money up and save it because you could go two months without another commission.”

CW: “We are glad that you said that. We notice that many younger artists don’t understand that because it seems like monetization goes so fast when you have these digital platforms and social media. It comes in spurts. You will get a project for a couple of thousand and then you’re like, ‘I’m rich! I’m a thousandaire’. But the next month might be a drought month but if you treat that money like you are a business you won’t have the same lows.”

[That’s creative freelancer 101] Now that Mene has made the shift into creative entrepreneurship he gets to choose his own path. Cultural work like art, does not have to be pigeon held into making for others. It can also be a chance to explore themes and spaces that are meant to inspire, create dialogue, and of course, shake a few feathers.

CW: “How far do you want to take this? Do you want to show? Do you want to do galleries and exhibits? What do you want to do with this?

RZ: “My dreams are probably very far fetched. . .”

CW: “Don’t say that.” [Don’t let the world make you feel small]

RZ: “I dream big. This is always why I say practice makes perfect and people will argue that you can never be perfect. But it’s the idea that I am chasing my perception of perfection. . I want to show Black youth that you can make art a profession. . . I want to do shows, be more outspoken, and take more opportunities.”

As Mene leans into his Razito Zulu art side, he is hoping to connect more with other artists and be a part of the growing network of Black talent. Even with the cover art, he made for this issue, he is being intentional to speak to the black community, and the shapeshifting that is symbolic of how, why, and who he is becoming, that may resonate.

RZ: “I wanted to do a style that would capture both kids and adults. Almost like a 3D animation style. It’s basically a black kid [going through like a twilight zone or a metafield]. It shows that through life you have to shape shit through all types of situations whether it’s good or bad.”

It made him reminisce on his life growing up in the Nation of Islam. He spoke of scary encounters he had playing in the neighborhood with his brothers and about his mom always having something good for them to eat even though they did not have much else. He connected his experience of being homeschooled for a while to culture shock once emerged into new settings, and even the trauma of others’ trauma changing how you see the world.

What stood out about everything Mene shared were the

voices of those people who tried to deter him from doing something creative [that fool a** lady on the bus] and those who celebrated his talents wholeheartedly [Uncle Javaris who made Mene draw his tattoo at 13]. Those moments stick with you. Words have power and you must always decide which ones you will use for fuel.

RZ: “I just want people to know that there is a lot of talent here in Milwaukee and kids need more options and resources [to explore those talents].”

You never know who they could potentially become. /CW 38

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YAYA EDMONDS

STEM Through Dance

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Yaya Edmonds is a shapeshifter in both physical and professional forms. Through the art of dance, her career in tech, and planting firm roots in Milwaukee, she is transitioning in inspiring ways.

Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, (which she says is actually pretty Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, (which she says is actually pretty similar to Milwaukee), Yaya had a lot of different hobbies and interests. She liked to cook, she played volleyball, and did cheerleading. But there’s one interest that has stuck with her ever since she was a little girl–dance. Growing up watching music videos by artists like Ciara, seeing her dance (doing the freak-a-leek lol), and having that representation, grabbed Yaya’s attention. When she was 7-years-old, her mom put her and her older sisters in performance technique classes.

As their coach, their mom entered them in open community competitions, wearing their cute pleated skirts and matching little boots.

“We would practice in our basement and she would tell us, “pop it harder!” And I was just a baby, so I’m like, okay!” Yaya said while laughing.

That’s how Yaya first started in dance. Eventually, her sisters decided to do things like Girl Scouts, but Yaya had other dreams and wanted to keep pursuing it. She then went on to take more professional dance classes and as she got older she fell more in love with the craft and took off with it full-throttle.

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Getting into the tech field College was where Yaya found her second passion–in tech–which eventually led her to Milwaukee. In 2012, as Yaya would call it a “bright-eyed bushy-tailed” Freshman, she attended an HBCU, Winston-Salem State in North Carolina, preparing to be a pre-law major. Her older sister was already there as a Junior and Yaya was eager to experience something new.

“I wanted to go to an HBCU and then they offered me a full-ride as well,” Yaya said. “My sister was there so I was like great! We can go to the east coast. Let’s move from the midwest to the east coast, let’s go!”

Now, how she got into tech from initially pursuing prelaw is CRAZY, but really, it reflects the determined, gogetter, and confident person Yaya is today.

To make a long story short, Yaya’s grandma bought them Dell laptops for graduation (bless grandma for buying them a PC…we know her heart was in the right place lmao). Yaya’s sister’s laptop ended up getting a virus and she wasn’t about to pay beaucoup amounts of money to get it fixed by Geek Squad. But an optimistic Yaya said, listen, sis, I GOT THIS…I can fix your laptop. Sis looked at her with a blank stare and pretty much said, “Alright now, you have 24 hours, if you can’t get it by then I’m taking it somewhere else because I don’t have time to be playing with your shenanigans.” You know how big sisters are lol. Yaya, not knowing anything about laptops, took the laptop home and started Googling/WebMd-ing/ Geek Squading it up (Yaya style), to figure it out. And of course, she did! *Period* “I fixed it and when I tell you the next morning I went to her dorm bright and early, showing her how to use her laptop. I was like, “girl, this is how this works,” and she said, “girl, give me my laptop! I know how to use it! Lol. But I was so excited because I was so proud of myself.

Like man, I didn’t know what I was doing 24 hours ago but I was able to fix it.”

possibility of her not being fully equipped with the right tools to compete against people who, keep in mind don’t look like her, in an already whitedominated field, was unsettling. After finishing her freshman year, to better her chances of being successful, Yaya transferred to Creighton University back in Omaha, NE, declared her major in computer science, and started to become a tech nerd lol.

“I went from one end of the spectrum, an HBCU, to a PWI. It’s like night and day but honestly, I wouldn’t change that because I had an HBCU experience, I loved that culture, I was engulfed in that. And then on the flip side, I was able to take that and shapeshift into that opportunity at Creighton and still be successful, but also still diversify their talent pool.”

Finding her tribe The connections Yaya made while at Creighton University are what set her up to join the Digital Technology Leadership Program and work for GE Healthcare in Milwaukee after graduation. The friends who recruited her to the program were from Omaha as well, so it made her transition from Nebraska to Wisconsin a lot easier. As much as she loved her new job and she loved being around her colleagues, Yaya still wanted to have a life outside of work. And for her, that was dance.

“I didn’t have family out here so I’m glad I had a community to connect with career-wise, but that was very important for me to have a life outside of work. I need a life where I can turn off because in the spirit of shapeshifting you do need a time where you can just shapeshift and be in your natural state.”

From that, computer science/tech started to peak Yaya’s interest. She took a colloquium class, which was an entry-level computer class, and she loved it! “[Growing up] I was not interested in computers…I was never exposed to it. Unfortunately, as a Black woman in a white-dominant field, I was not exposed to that culture, I wasn’t exposed to that opportunity. It was a whole new world I was in, and then after getting into it and feeling empowered in it, that’s what let me know that this was something I truly was interested in.”

To make herself feel more at home in her new city, Yaya found a new dance community. She took her first class at 617 Dance Space and loved it! She says the dance community in Milwaukee is great because for the most part, your peers are teaching, and you really get to support and learn from one another. Yaya quickly got immersed in the 414’s dance culture and eventually started teaching her own classes. Currently, she teaches beginner and intermediate heels classes at Daync Studio, and her choreography HITS! Okay!

She continued to go down the tech path, but her experience at Winston-Salem wasn’t exactly what she expected. The classes weren’t challenging enough in a field she knew she needed to be competitive in. The

The biggest thing Yaya prides herself on is energy, so she makes sure to create an environment surrounding that in her classes. An environment where if you have a long day at work, you can come 42

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and release, where you can be imperfect, and accept those imperfections. A place where you can be authentic with who you are, unapologetically, without being judged.

A place where you can feel inspired…And regardless of your skill or confidence level, Yaya m akes sure y ou’re getting what you personally need by the end of the class.

“I’m less concerned about who all is in the room, it’s about the experience that I create for others. When they step into the room, do they feel empowered? It’s all about that energy you set because at the end of the day whether you’re experienced or not, I want to create an environment where the energy is so electric that people want more.”

Cream City Burlesque Show Recently, Yaya and her friend Shalome put together a more non-traditional “Cream City Burlesque Show” with about 20 women in Milwaukee. There was a variety of women of color and each one was placed in a group that signified their journey and where they were at in their dancing skill level, to make sure they were all able to feel empowered as a woman. The groups met up to practice three times a week for a few months and had a mix of dance styles in the show like flat foot jazz, hip-hop, and pop style. Yaya and Shalome created a great community with these women by doing a show that was deeper than just dance. One woman, in particular, Larheatra Cole, first met Yaya from being in the show and then came to Yaya’s dance class just based on how much it feeds her own self-love journey.

“Being an older woman, I’m almost 38, and I have not danced in 16 years. Dancing was actually my first love.

And I stopped a couple of years after high school. Me stopping doing what I loved, because it was a passion, was like a piece of me was missing. So just coming here, it kind of makes me want to cry because it’s a piece that I found that I was missing that I got back,” Cole said with teary eyes from so much gratitude. “I’ve worked a lot of muscles that I haven’t worked in a long time and I’m learning to be sexy all over again. I don’t know if women know, but being sexy is like the core of being a woman.

Being sexy and being confident. And ladies, sexiness and confidence do wonders in the bedroom hahaha. But I feel so alive. This was my first class but I did classes with Yaya last month and we did the Cream City Burlesque show and I felt so alive. I felt so alive. And I felt like I’m here. I felt complete. And when she teaches her classes, it’s not like an instructor-student type style, it’s like a sisterhood, it’s like a bond. It’s like I’m talking to my homegirl or talking to my sister. I love the attitude, I love the positive vibe that she brings, but you know, this is a journey that I decided to take and it was definitely outside of my comfort zone and I am glad that Yaya is actually guiding me through this journey because it means a lot.”

Stem Dream Yaya’s end goal is to be able to combine dance and tech together, specifically for (what she says), brown babies for our Black community, targeted to underrepresented minorities. She wants to be able to teach them the foundational principles of STEM through dance (the tentative name would be called STEM Through Dance lol).

“How do we combine science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, with art? So we call it STEAM nowadays, but I’m purposefully delineating STEM from STEAM because I want to do STEM through dance, which gives you the A in STEAM.” How would it work? Let’s say you’re interested in hip-hop and you want to learn electrical engineering for example.

With STEM through dance, they’d have professionals like herself on the dance side and a professional in engineering come in to help you learn a choreographed routine where you can make your clothes light up when you do a certain move. So if you do a shoulder shift, your clothes turn green, but if you do a hair whip, the shirt now turns blue. It’s very interesting! You can actually do a lot with technology and dance, despite them being on two ends of the spectrum. The possibilities in tech are endless, and with programs like STEM through dance, underrepresented minorities, and Black women specifically don’t have to feel left behind. They too can have the resources they need to be successful because the language is being broken down into a way they can naturally relate to.

“You know, you go into undergrad and there’s this assumption of what computer science is and what it looks like to be a computer scientist. But the reality is, a job in tech is so diverse. There are so many things you can do in tech and you don’t have to be a developer to do it. You don’t have to code to do it. Whatever your niche is, you can be in tech and live very comfortably” People have asked Yaya if she would ever quit her corporate job in tech and go full-time into dance, and she says absolutely not! For her, you can’t have one without the other, she has the best of both worlds. Yaya is infinitely passionate about both tech and dance. She knows that what they represent together is powerful and integral for sustaining our community. And with her future endeavor STEM through dance, it’s very much a heal the hood vibe lol. It’s incredible to see that same little girl who was watching Ciara dance in music videos, which gave her the inspiration to dance, is now carving the path in creating the representation needed for more little Black girls to be in and have awareness of tech.

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Being multifaceted means more than playing more than one role. This could be in a matter of a week or even a day. To flow in and out of what makes up who we are as a whole also means to recognize our life mission as multidimensional and relaying it as such when met with great minds who think alike. Immediately after walking into the CopyWrite doors, Tru West casually began to describe to us her own personal endeavors that fit this theme.

She mentioned going from being an artist who experiences the minor meltdowns that come with keeping up an image and constant travel to mentoring young women, strangers, and relatives through her position at Fueling Your Fire Music Academy.

CW: "Were you inspired to get into mentoring? How do you find the balance between that, doing your music, and showing up as the entity that is Tru West?"

TW: "So the beautiful thing about everything right now is that I felt like I was meant to do something like this my whole life. Since I was a child, people would just talk to me and they would ask me stuff. I'm talking about older people [too]. And so I thought that I was supposed to go to school for psychology. I was like, 'well, I would be a psychologist, do a little fashion on the side, and I do music on the side, but I ain't gonna be a singer... I'll write a book here and there, blah, blah, blah...' That's what I thought but that changed. Soon as I went to college, I was passing, but I'm like, this is not cool. I'm skipping all my classes doing other stuff a nd I 'm I ike, t his a in't w orking a nd t hen I g ot into fashion."

CW: "So that was first? Before the music."

TW: "Yeah. I didn't even know how to make songs. I just could sing and I liked to freestyle. I like to battle rap people.

I used to link up and battle rap people with my best friend in high school."

[She cracks up and we both begin to remember a time where we were super immersed into the battle rap culture, locally and nationally. It was a time ya'II.] TW: "Yeah. So I just love all that, but I never knew how to make a song until I went to the studio for the first time.

But amongst all of this, finding my craft and all of that, I've always been someone who spoke life into people. That's just always been me. That's been me, period. I just didn't know that it would transform into this where I'm able to not only do my passion, but actually inspire others to do it and mentor them and help them become what I am and better, you know? So this just came together divinely."

CW: ''.Anytime you have an end goal, there's always something that has to take off first as far as networking, and getting your image together in order for your true passion to really take life. Did it take long for you to be like, 'okay, yeah, this is Tru West too. I am a musician. I am a creative.' Was it a struggle at all?"

TW: "It was a struggle. . . What's crazy is I don't think it was until last year where I realized that I have literally

MUSIC

been exactly who I needed to be this entire time. I just had to realize that within myself. I continued to try to separate who I was, who I am, and who Tru is. And I’m like, ‘I am Tru. I am true’. My whole thing is being true to yourself.

Once I realized that, everything started to mold into each other and I was able to integrate who I naturally am [by] being who I naturally am as an artist. I continued to try to separate Gabby from Tru.” That good ol’ Pandemic Inspiration got us all the way together! But even during the years prior to the Covid-19 spike at the beginning of her musical journey, to the midst of this pandemic where she was working in group homes, LLC’d for her own organization Teach Rebuild Unify (TRU), and became a mentor at Fueling Your Fire Academy, she grew comfortable in her purpose.

TW: “Basically the foundation of [TRU] is to bring about the change in the community, and not just our local community; generational wealth, and just bringing about a different way to how we treat each other. Like creating a whole new culture for us to thrive, stand up on and actually be able to find ourselves, and become a nation together so we can get our MF reparations, you know what I’m saying?. . .”

CW: “What was that moment that made you realize, ‘Not only do I have this vision, but I’m part of this vision and at the same time I have a part to play’?

TW: “I felt like I always knew I had a part to play. I doubted my role. I didn’t know exactly where I fit.”

CW: “Was it because you were getting to know yourself creatively first?”

TW: “I believe a lot of it had to do with that. . . I as soon as I made my first song, I just jumped in. I was like, ‘okay, I dunno what I’m doing, but I’m gonna just keep doing it!’.

Then I kind of went away from my first thought and now it’s a full circle thing because like now I’m going back to what my first thought was. I was speaking the truth in my songs.

And of course, even with my music that I put

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out previously, I'm still speaking my truth... Now I'm speaking about stuff that I truly care about and I'm putting a whole message behind it and being like, well, this is what's going on and I'm gonna speak. I'm gonna sing what's on my heart. What I always go to bed thinking about, when I wake up, this is what I'm thinking about.

I'm not thinking about no n*gga. . . Of course yeah, you're thinking about how that dude did you wrong, yeah, of course.I'm thinking about that. But what's the root? I'm thinking about the root, you know? The roots is how we were all brought up.The root is the elders in our community don't know what to do with us.The root is we still don't have anything owned by ourselves.The roots are the people who have the money that got out.They don't even know what to do with it.You know what I'm saying?...So that's what I think about like, okay, how can we really thrive? How can I really thrive if I'm not going to the root of everything? How can I heal from what this dude did to me, if I'm not going to the root of what's going on with him? What happened to his dad? What happened to his mom? How can we get past that? You know? And it's so much deeper.And once you start applying the root to everything, everything has so much of a deeper meaning."

CW: "That's so interesting because my team and I were talking about this recently about how a lot of artists use their outlet as their way of therapy, their way of venting. But you can only do that for so long before it's like, okay, what are you doing when you're not creating? How are you healing when you're not projecting your feelings into art? What's that process? So what is that process for you? How are you diving deep? ... Do you meditate? Do you go to church?"

TW: "Yeah I meditate, meditation and spirituality. I can tap so much deeper into what that means to me. . . I just realized the stuff that we didn't learn in school, which is another thing I'm gonna put in my curriculum in my organization. We don't realize that our spirituality and science have so much in common and they literally need to work together in order for us to function as human beings .. Literally, if your chakra is out of alignment, your spleen gon' be hurting, and then you gon' end up having some type of infection!"

The whole time I'm thinking like, wow I've found my twin, ya/I. These are my sentiments, exactly. The lack of education on how to apply spiritual and emotional health to life has been a big detriment to our development as human beings, let alone as black people. Tru continued to drop gems on how the application of this wisdom must not only be applied to all of our lives as we break down generational curses, but that the real change comes with including what we know in how we raise our children because the ultimate truth is and always will be that the children are our future and it starts with them. New habits create new patterns and that creates a new norm for us as a people.

beings.. Literally, if your chakra is out of alignment, your spleen gon’ be hurting, and then you gon’ end up having some type of infection!”

CW: “You’re someone who loves to collaborate. You love seeking out talent that just makes the vision make sense and I see a lot of that making sense for what you feel like your ultimate purpose is. Do you feel like nowadays the main, or the only effective way of getting through to people that way is [done] creatively, or do you feel like there are just [more] people who fit into that lane than going directly to the schools or going to the neighborhood organizations…?”

TW: “I think it’s on both ends. I think in order to create the change that we need to see, it has to be all the way around

the board, it has to be [done] not just creatively, you know, but we actually have to be doing the work too… being radical about what we’re doing. Like we can’t just be sitting here talking about it and making videos about it. What are we doing outside this music video? What are you doing outside this song? And in order for me to inspire others to do that, I actually have to practice what I preach, Ha Ha!” Taking a more in depth look back into her rise as a musician in Milwaukee in the late 2010’s, Tru describes the full circle moments that fatefully landed her artistry where it is now. She talks about how one of her favorite shows was an older performance that took place in 2018, sharing a stage with Ace Parker and Spaidez [featured in Issue 14: Fashion & Style of CopyWrite Magazine] just a few months shy before her move to LA. Four years later at No Studios, she shares the stage again with Ace Parker as a better version of herself.

TW: “From that moment I started collaborating a lot more

PLEASEBUMPTHI SMI XTAPE.I T’ SAMUST LI STENFORMI L WAUKEECUL TURE.

Multipurpose fashion is fashion that is fly anywhere, at any time. These garments are for everyday people. Also known as street style, these looks tell the journey of the people who live in them. These styles represent people who have a day job, a side hustle, and a family. They can also be for a person who is sporty but classy. The idea is to grasp the shifting aesthetics of clothing as functional and fashionable. With an intentional mix of masculine and feminine profiles, comfy transcends to chic.

In collaboration with /CW Fashion Editor Kyndal J and Photographer, Isaiah Gencuski @attackIsaiah

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