How Two Black Men Change The Face of Education in Chicago w/Shaka Rawls and Tim King VOL. 1; ISSUE 2 OCTOBER 2017 $7.00 USD
WELLNESS: Essential Oil DIY Recipes
UMAG HOW-TO: Make Your Fun Work For You!
Dane Campbell: Fearless Fiction Productions
KUUMBA LYNX: The Power of Self-Liberation
Urban Matrix Magazine, October 2017
ENTERTAINMENT
Tee Spirit Jeczelewski By Vickie Simmons, Web Diva/Contributor Tee Spirit is a 22-year-old rapper/emcee from Chicago's West Side who brings her
own approach to Hip-Hop music. Tee Spirit began her career in music in April of last year, when her first single “RUN” was released. Since then, “RUN” has accumulated close to 9,000 plays on SoundCloud. Not only is Tee Spirit revolutionary in her approach to music, audiences are also describing her as a natural born star. Her love for art began with performance poetry at age 11. She hopes to change the way "Female rap" is looked at in today's society. Not only does she not lack in "bars" but her spirit is for sure to steal your heart. Urban Matrix Magazine (UMAG): Who are your biggest influences? Who made you want to become a Hip-Hop artist? Tee Spirit Jeczelewski (TSJ): I started doing poetry in the 7th grade when I met my mentor/teacher, Zain Bullie. He was the first person to introduce me to poetry and art as a tool for healing and resistance. I immediately fell in love - at first word. He started spitting and my eyes got wide. It was all over from there. What I loved most about the way he did poetry was that it was more like rap to me; reminded me of Tupac, or something. I was semi-tomboyish so I wanted to be hard all the time. So, naturally if I was going to do poetry, it had to be like me… Aggressive. So I would say Zain was my first biggest influence. And of course, people who are in the industry. Aja Black of The Reminders, was huge for me growing up and still
to this day inspires me. [Also] Kendrick Lamar, Mick Jenkins, Lauryn Hill, Nas, etc. UMAG: Who are your favorite artists and why? TSJ: That kind of piggy backs off the first question. Lauryn Hill might be my absolute favorite. I think I could word for word sing/ rap all of Lauryn Hill's songs. She's probably the most influential for me because she changed Hip-Hop if you ask me. She made it okay to be yourself and I fell in love with that. I know many women who are mc's would probably say Lauryn. At one point, I couldn't go a day without hearing her, so she's most def top dog for me. Kendrick Lamar. Why? Man, that's pretty obvious. He's one of the most creative minds in music. He keeps giving us "wow". He has so much fire. You could feel "chosen" in his every word. And I personally am huge on that. I feel like I was chosen for this kind of work long before I started, which is why I'm so passionate about it. Any artist who reminds me of that, will probably be a fav for me. Mick Jenkins, you probably won't hear a lot of women say Mick Jenkins, but I think he's next level. I love so many artists, but he does something for me. I'm still trying to figure it out but he was one of the first rappers from Chicago that made me double take. I get compared to him a lot, which makes sense because at one point I listened to him every single day too, but that's just to name a few. I have so many. UMAG: What are your thoughts on today’s Hip-Hop scene for Chicago female artists? TSJ: Oh man; I could probably spend all day on this question. I get this question a lot. I think there's not enough women are who willing or allowed to step to men; especially in Hip-Hop. We tend to fall in the shadows and if we don't, we're hot for a second and then it's on to the next.
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We don't have many Chicago women making a name for themselves in the music industry, in fact, we might only have one. As far as rap goes. There's some singers doing their thing. Which is dope but I would personally love to see more female emcees. Who says ‘f*#k all that... I deserve to be here and I deserve to be heard, so what's good’? UMAG: What inspirations you to write the lyrics we hear? TSJ: For me, it's experience. I got a lot of anger from traumatic things I've been through. People meet me and they love my energy. I'm always smiling, laughing and joking; but they also see strength and power. Mostly, I just wanna heal. Every single word I write is for healing. That's why I do it; and I hope I inspire others to heal to. Especially young girls. I want them to get that music is more than what you give to people. It's about what you give to yourself. I wanna leave the studio at 2 am, crying my eyes out because I laid down a track I've been trying to put into words for however long. So, I would say my main inspiration is what I go through and of course what's happening in the world around me. UMAG: If you could collaborate with any Hip-Hop artist past or present who would they be? Also, what would be the shared message between you and that artist that is most important for the public to understand? TSJ: I would have to go with 2-Pac. I think he changed what it meant to be a revolutionary rapper. In fact, he was the definition of it. Using music to resist. It's something I'm very passionate about and I believe in so wholeheartedly, but I struggle with it in today's Hip-Hop. I want people to understand that yes, I’m about healing but I am also a vessel for truth. I was chosen to relay the message that I do. I'm about the mission. In a perfect world, I'll be exactly what Pac is/was for Hip-Hop.
PHOTOS CREDIT: TEE SPIRIT VISIT TEE SPIRIT ONLINE: IG: TEESPIRITSODOPE BAND CAMP: TEE SPIRIT SOUNDCLOUD.COM/TEESPIRIT/HOMEPROD-MOBEATS
Developed by David Miller, Founder of the Dare To Be King Project http://daretobeking.net/
MISSION The mission of the Dare to Be King Project, LLC (DTBK) is to inspire, support, and strengthen organizations that provide services to boys of color. Our goal is to engage boys and men of color for emotional development, familial reconciliation, and academic success. DTBK is one of a few firms that solely provide life skills training, parental engagement strategies, and academic interventions for boys of color.
VISION DTBK seeks to expand its network by focusing on two key areas: 1) Provide professional development, best practices and other resources to support and strengthen organizations working with boys of color; 2) Provide organizations with tools (curricula materials, books, and training modules) to ensure that boys of color receive life skills training and strategies to support academic achievement.
Urban Matrix Magazine, October 2017
"Our people inspire us." - Michelle Moore
RE: THE HEAT PRESS "I just bought it online, watched a bunch of YouTube tutorials and took it from there." - Michelle
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Find us online: facebook.com/BlackBeautiFlow
RE: MAKING BLACK BEAUTI FLOW FOR YOUNG GIRLS "[We want them to] be unapologetic for your skin color, or the texture of your hair. Have some type of pride in themselves." - Patricia
Urban Matrix Magazine, October 2017
CLIP CREDIT: UNIVERSAL PICTURES
FEATURED
TOM WILSON:
THE KEY TO LONGEVITY By Theo Daniels, Staff Writer
UMAG: How have you constantly reinvented yourself over the years, and maintained the longevity that you have? TW: That’s a good question. I think being in the entertainment business demands lateral movement, you know. You have to be listening to the pulse of the audience; not, quote-unquote, selling out. I decided when I was a kid this was a talent that I had and maybe I could buy food and a car with it. [laughs] So in order to do that it takes listening and attention to what is working and not working. Also, for me throughout the whole thing, I hope and I think it’s all that stuff anyone would talk about whether you’re going to be a dentist or any other profession, it’s about honesty, professionalism, you know, being friendly with people and being good. Even in showbiz, the person that is solid at what they do and shows up on time and is a reasonable person -- kind to people, it actually works. I think it’s worked for me. I did some show in 1987 where I was professional and got jokes done for them on their show; I was on time and everything, and those producers say, ‘Oh you know who would be great at this’ and you end up doing another show. So it’s ended up that I worked on this show and that show. And they're like, ‘Wow so many different shows.’ The producer has worked with me, or the
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director has worked with me in some way; and it’s not that, I’m, ‘oh so fabulous’, it’s because it has to be built on solid, talented work. Make sure that you’re getting better, always. Then there’s the professionalism and hard work. IMAGE CREDIT: JANEAN L. WATKINS
QueersPlay Cosplay
www.patreon.com/queersplay WHO’S WHO?: “Kimber Brightheart and I use gender pronouns like ‘they’ and ‘them’... My name is Jess Martindale, and I also use ‘they/them’ pronouns.” WHAT’S UP?: "We are seven queer and transgender artists that actively aim to create safer spaces for our community to build community within convention spaces. So yeah we’re selling our $#!+, but that doesn’t mean that’s what we are here for. We are selling it to be able to continue building an intentional safer space community for our community." CURRENT FAVS: Supernatural Chicago, Anime Expo, MCU, Steven Universe MOVING FORWARD: San Diego Comic-Con, Dragoncon
RE: San Diego Comic Con
"It’s expensive as all heck. If you can room with a few people, or you know somebody in the San Diego area,, that could be the way to go. But once you’re inside, you know, in Artist Alley, you just absorb the atmosphere. Yeah, it’s really a great show for that." -Phil Moy, Inker IDW Publishing/ Freelance Comic Artist
Urban Matrix Magazine, October 2017