Vince Staples + Earl Sweatshirt | Viper Magazine: Spring Summer 2015

SPRING/SUMMER 2015

E a r l S w e at s h i r t V i n c e S ta p l es UK £13 US $22

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‘ADENORHINOS’ WHITE/ BLACK/BLEACH T-SHIRT

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‘NASICORNIS’ BLACK BLEACH LONG SLEEVE T-SHIRT

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‘LEBETINA’ WHITE LONG SLEEVE T-SHIRT

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Shama Anwar, Jude Appleby, Jimmie Armentrout III, Zoe Buckman, Christelle de Castro, Arie Debor, Georg Gatsas, Kione Grandison, Be The Gun, HypeMari, Mehdi Lacoste, Bryan Lamb, Jessica Lehrman, Edd Leigh, Phoebe Lettice-Thompson, Amanda Loren, Mitzi Lorenz, Juan José Lorenzo, Mike Miller, Leandro Moura, Nosidam, James Pearson Howes, James Rees, Lorenzo Sanchez, Julian Schratter, Jimi Stay Hungry, Duval Timothy, Ashley Verse

LILY MERCER

DEPUTY EDITOR

CONTRIBUTORS

LAURYN TOMLINSON

DESIGN BLACK ANUBIS, SUGAR CAT + KEMAR REID

Rachel Abebrese, Claudia Arach, Laura Arowolo, Nick Bam, Jenny Bang, Kylah Bennes-Trapp, Jack Bevan, Lauren Brown, Helena P Card, Sharmaine Cox, Nellie Eden, Harry Fisher, Chloe Griffin, Bryan Hahn, Courtney Hunte, Jake Hunte, Bethany Leahy, Amanda Loren, Izzy Lo Steven, Jourdan Loving, Chris Mendez, Zana Moses, Georgina Murray, Ben Niespodziany, Michelle Norris, Jeff Weiss, Alex Whitehouse, Maritza Whittaker

ILLUSTRATORS

FASHION EDITOR

JC Adams, Listen04, Ed Ruxton, Tavan Maneetapho

VIOLETTA KASSAPI

Ava @ Storm, Glen @ FM, Morgan Benjamin @ MXGRN, Derrelle Goodhall, Denzel Himself, Maya Jama, Jay Kirton @ Select, Jetsss, Sasha Keable, Rivah Kray, James Magee @ Select, Aaron Miller @ AMCK

CULTURE EDITOR SHOLA TIMOTHY

MODELS

THANKS TO

Zoe Buckman, Champion, Nick Dierl, FILA, Om’Mas Keith, Corey Smyth, Leila Steinberg, Michael Uzowuru, Sage Vaughn, Compulsory Viewing, Maritza Whittaker

VIPERMAG.COM Cover Photos by Mike Miller Photo Baseball Bats by Sage Vaughn

A MERCER PUBLICATION

‘ASAP YAMS TRIBUTE’ BLACK T-SHIRT

‘YOU HAD THE ILL WRESTLING STORIES. YOU GOT THE BRET HART CHAIN COS YOUR THE EXCELLENCE OF EXECUTION - LONGLIVEYAMBORGHINI’ - PHAZE @PHAZEWHAT

‘S/O 2 YAMS DATS MY FUKIN PANA... MISS U GORDO LOVE U #ASAP #TANBOYS’

- BODEGA BAMZ @BODEGABAMZ

‘MISS MY BRO’

- P ON THE BOARDS @ASVP_P

‘THANK YOU FOR BUYING ME A CHAIR FOR THE TABLE #ALWAYSGRATEFUL’

- A$AP ANT @YGADDIE

‘I LOVE YOU YAMS. YOU’RE A GENIUS, GOD. ALWAYS STRIVE AND PROSPER. REST IN PEACE TO A KING’

- CHYNNA @CHIZZYANO

‘PLAY ON PLAYBOY’

- PHAZE @PHAZEWHAT ‘I CAN NEVER FORGET THIS TIME IN MY LIFE. WHEN WE WAS ALL TOGETHER ‘I’M SO SAD THAT YOU’RE GONE, YOU WERE A GOOD A FRIEND BUT A WAY BETTER PERSON. EVERYONE I KNOW WHO KNOWS YOU HAS NOTHING BUT THE ‘RIP TO MY BROTHER YAMS. LIKE FAMILY, A GOOD TIME WAS ALL THAT MATTERED. AND YOU AND ME BEST TO SAY ABOUT YOU. YOU WERE ONE OF A KIND, AND YOU IMPACTED SO CONDOLENCES TO HIS FAMILY, TALKED DAWSON’S CREEK AND 90’S POP CULTURE FOR HOURS IN THE YARD MANY PEOPLE ON SUCH A DEEP LEVEL. YOU ARE SPECIAL, YOU’LL NEVER BE THE ENITRE ASAP MOB AND TO ON 158TH.. STEVEN, YOU BROUGHT ALL OUR VISIONS TO LIFE. YOU WERE THE FORGOTTEN, YOU’LL ALWAYS BE HERE BECAUSE OF HOW YOU LIVED AND HOW HIP HOP FANS WORLDWIDE’ ARCHITECT. WE LOVED YOU, WE ALWAYS WILL! .TANBOYS & ASAP 4 EVER IN MY YOU TREATED PEOPLE. R.I.P.’ - MICHAEL UZOWURU @MICHAELUZOWURU - ISSA GOLD @ISSA_GOLD HEART. REST IN PEACE UNCLE STEVIE - PRINCESS NOKIA @PRINCESSNOKIA’T

‘A WHOLE WORLD WITH AMNESIA‘SEE YOU THERE FLEE’‘R.I.P YAMS, I LOVE YOU BROTHER’ - MILKAVELLI @MILKAVELLI616 WON’T FORGET YOUR NAME’‘R.I.P BRAD LITT AKA @WAVYBONE‘REST EASY BRO’- REMY BANKS @REMYBANKS - BODEGA BAMZ @BODEGABAMZ AKA THE PUERTO RICAN R KELLY.

‘REST IN POWER MY NIGGA, SAVE ME A SEAT AT DJ SCREW TABLE JUHEARD’ - RETCH @RETCHYP - A$AP ROCKY @ASVPXROCKY

OUR CONDOLENCES GO OUT TO THE WHOLE A$AP MOB FAMILY.’ - FLATBUSH ZOMBIES @FLATBUSHZOMBIES

‘BESTFRIENDSFOREVER’ -ASAP TWELVY @ASAP12VY ‘ # S T E V I E W O RL D

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING BROTHER’

- JOEY FATTS @JOEYFATTS

‘LOVE YOU MY NIGGA, MEET YOU THERE’ -DASH @HEIRDASH

‘SLEEP IN PIECE LOVED ONE...

YOUR VISION & SPIRT WILL LIVE FOREVER... LOVE U LIL BRO’ - SMOKE DZA @KUSHEDGOD

‘THERE IS A LIGHT THAT NEVER GOES OUT. I REMEMBER WANTING TO BE YOUR UNDERSTUDY EVEN BEFORE TAKING RAP SERIOUSLY. ASAP IS FAMILY, THE FIRST TO EMBRACE ME COMPLETELY AND LOVE ME FORREAL. YOU ONLY GIFTED BUT SO MANY PURE SPIRITS IN YOUR LIFE WHO’S INTENTIONS ARE OBVIOUS AND THOROUGH. I’M A BUDDHIST YET I FEEL TRULY BLESSED TO KNOW YOU AND I SPEAK IN PRESENT TENSE BECAUSE LORDS NEVER DIE.’ @CHIZZYANO - CHYNNA

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EDITOR’S LETTER

L-R; Mimi Hassan, Lily Mercer, A$AP Yams, A$AP Twelvvy and J. Scott in 2012 Welcome to the Spring/Summer issue of Viper Magazine. This is our biggest issue yet as we showcase an amazing selection of artists including Earl Sweatshirt, Vince Staples, Raekwon, Mick Jenkins, Mila J, GrandeMarshall, Milkavelli, EarthGang, Jean Deaux, Loyle Carner, Future Brown, Kehlani, Wara from the NBHD, Future Brown and many more.

We chose the theme Conflict for this issue, in light of the shocking amount of deaths at the hands of America’s Police Department over the last year. Conflict is something each of us have to deal with on a regular basis. We face it every day, even those of us lucky enough to live far from war-torn countries. Naturally, as humans we tend to pick the easy battles before the ones that make a difference to our lives. It’s far easier to fret about rappers dating underage celebrities than tense racial relations and authority’s abuse of power. Though it’s natural, it’s symptomatic of the laziness of our generation. We need to stop allowing ourselves to be distracted and start to do our bit for change. Now is the time to protest, rally, start a company. Fuck it, start a magazine! I did.

In this issue of Viper, we explore the theme of conflict in a variety of ways. How has Vince Staples been inspired by the conflict between gangs in his city? What was the biggest conflict Raekwon faced in life? This issue is undoubtedly my favourite so far.

The cover starring Earl Sweatshirt and Vince Staples was shot by Mike Miller, famed for countless shots of 2Pac and many other West Coast rappers in the nineties. His iconic shots of today’s LA heavy hitters for the issue are some of my favourite images in Viper’s short history. Likewise, the photos of Sasha Keable, Maya Jama, Jetsss and Rivah Kray are some of my most adored. Overall, I think Viper’s first issue of 2015 is raising the levels of what we are capable of.

This has already been a significant year, for both positive and negative reasons. Kendrick won his first Grammy (a year too late) and we tragically lost A$AP Yams aka Steven Rodriguez. I’d like to dedicate this issue to Yams and thank him for encouraging so many of my friends in this industry to create music. This new wave of hip hop wouldn’t have sounded so good if it wasn’t for him.

I hope you enjoy the Spring Summer 2015 issue of Viper Magazine! Thanks to every single person that helped us put it together, and to those that inspire us to keep producing the magazine.

Lily Mercer @lilymercer For more information of Viper, visit the website www.vipermag.com and Twitter/Instagram @vipermagazine

CONTRIBUTORS MIKE MILLER

WWW.MIKEMILLER.COM @PHOTOMILLERMIKE PHOTOGRAPHER, EARL SWEATSHIRT + VINCE STAPLES

BIGGEST CONFLICT YOU FACED IN 2014?

The making of LOVE WEST COAST GIRLS, my second book. I photographed over 50 girls that live or are from the West Coast. The book includes artists, musicians, athletes, models and actresses among other interesting women.

WHICH RAP BEEF DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST ICONIC? Biggie and Pac from back in the day.

JAMES PEARSON HOWES WWW.JAMESPEARSONHOWES.COM @JPHPHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHER, LOYLE CARNER

BIGGEST CONFLICT YOU FACED IN 2014?

I wouldn’t say it was as much a conflict as a realisation that I wanted to change up my work a bit. I’ve been shooting professionally for some time now and in late 2014, I decided I wanted to change up my work and push more work in the studio. And shoot more fun people like Loyle!

WHICH RAP BEEF DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST ICONIC? You can forget your Dizzee/Crazy Titch beef my favourite clash has to be Discarda vs Jaykae. It puts me in tears every time I watch it. If you haven’t seen it, I wont ruin it but both their use of props is legendary.

JULIAN SCHRATTER

WHAT’S THE BIGGEST CONFLICT YOU FACED IN 2014?

There was the obvious conflicts Stateside in 2014, highlighting the inequities of black Americans. Rappers like Vic Mensa took an outspoken forefront and being an American, I feel that I too face these conflicts. However; in 2014 my biggest conflict was internal. I had to find self-value and build it on solid grounds that did not include an ego. Depression is a very real thing and I think being outspoken about my feelings of inadequacy can only help others... If you feel that now, know that I have been there...I feel you. The thing about self-conflict is that when you win that battle it’s a win forever.

WHICH RAP BEEF DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST ICONIC? WWW.THROUGHJULESLENS.TUMBLR.COM @THROUGHJULES PHOTOGRAPHER, KEHLANI

There are so many rap beefs to choose from. I wanted to avoid the obvious answer here but I don’t think that any one beef is more iconic than the East Coast/West Coast feud between the late Biggie and 2Pac. There is nothing entertaining about this beef the way Iggy’s, Ems, or 50s beefs are. This beef is a tragic one, which is also why I think it holds the greatest value. A reminder that it is music we are making and no beef is worth loosing some of the incredible talent that make it.

@LONDONVIOLETTA FASHION EDITOR,

VIOLETTA KASSAPI

HYPEMARI WWW.HYPEMARI.COM @HYPEMARI PHOTOGRAPHER, MILA J + MILKAVELLI

BIGGEST CONFLICT YOU FACED IN 2014?

Last year I worked on a British feature film called ‘Anti Social’ starring Skepta and Devlin. The crew was 98% Hungarian speaking and it was a beautiful challenge learning Hungarian in two months.

BIGGEST CONFLICT YOU FACED IN 2014?

Cutting down on Roundtrees Randoms and Lucozade. I got addicted to those things.

WHICH RAP BEEF DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST ICONIC?

My most memorable pop-hop iconic beef would have to be the Eminem & Mariah Carey sound clash.

LAUREN BROWN

If we are talking the last 10 years, the Skepta/Ghetto beef for me was iconic, I loved that rivalry because they were at each other’s necks non-stop for about a year. Oh, Crazy Titch and Dizzee too...

JEFF WEISS

WHICH RAP BEEF DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST ICONIC?

WWW.LAURENRBROWN.COM @LAURENGWAN STYLIST, ROMEO + JULIA BIGGEST CONFLICT YOU FACED IN 2014?

Rapping along to sexist lyrics when I consider myself to be a feminist.

WHICH RAP BEEF DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST ICONIC?

I was too young to really understand what was going on with Biggie and 2Pac, but Ja Rule and 50 Cent’s beef was definitely an iconic noughties moment.

WWW.PASSIONWEISS.COM @PASSIONWEISS COLUMNIST, HOW TO SUCCEED IN INTERNET MEDIA WITHOUT REALLY CRYING BIGGEST CONFLICT YOU FACED IN 2014?

Which gang set to claim when Kendrick Lamar banged on me during a hotel room interview in Las Vegas. I claimed Tree Top Piru. The interview went quite well after that.

WHICH RAP BEEF DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST ICONIC?

2Pac Vs. Biggie because they revealed the precipice to an entire generation. By contrast, we live in an age where Drake and Tyga passively beef by following each other’s exes on Instagram. It’s probably for the best.

12 THE GOODS 18 20 SHOTS 20 RAP CHAIN 22 THE QUESTIONS 24 THINGS RAPPER’S SHOULDN’T DO 26 HOW TO SUCCEED IN RAP MEDIA 28 VINSTAGRAM 34 BOSCO 36 FUTURE BROWN 38 KEHLANI 40 WARA FROM THE NBHD 42 RYAN HEMSWORTH 44 P ON THE BOARDS 46 STEFAN PONCE 48 FILA 54 YAMS TRIBUTE 58 LOYLE CARNER 62 MIGRATION POLITICS 68 JEAN DEAUX 72 MILKAVELLI 76 AMERICANA

CON T EN T S

82 EARTHGANG 86 SKIN LIGHTENING 90 GRANDEMARSHALL 94 MILA J 98 AIN’T NO FUN 102 MICK JENKINS 108 WHAT’S BEEF 114 RAEKWON 120 EARL SWEATSHIRT + VINCE STAPLES 136 BABYLON 142 ROMEO + JULIA 146 BAD GIRLS 154 HOMME PLISSE 158 BASEBALL FURIES 166 JOE FRESHGOODS 170 ZOE BUCKMAN 174 JAMES MASSIAH 178 THE GROUNDNUT 182 STOCKISTS

THE GOODS BAO BAO BY ISSEY MIYAKE Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake has always been recognised for his innovative, technologydriven garments and accessories. So it was no surprise to see his name attached to the accessories in the brand’s BAO BAO collection.

With their dynamic look, this new line of bags and pouches boast futuristic shapes. Both functional and unique in appearance, the designer has clearly explored the use of simple shapes to a range of products.

Coming in a range of shapes and sizes, the brand has something for all tastes. Whether it’s a small purse, case for a few essentials or a bigger backpack from the men’s selection, there’s a one of a kind bag for every occasion.

Words by Rachel Abebrese

PUMA X ALIFE Chanel and Ashish are two of many high fashion brands bringing trainers onto the catwalk, showing us once again that sneakers are more than footwear for working out in.

Alife and Puma have reunited once again to create an eye-catching piece of design, boasting a silver metallic finish. The Alife logo has been repeatedly embossed into the tongue of the trainers and the cork inner-soles have been printed with the logo of both brands, one on each foot, creating a textured pattern. Retailing at £89.95 the trainers are available to purchase on the Urban Industry website, www.urbanindustry.co.uk.

Photo by Edd Leigh

If you’re a certified sneaker head based in the UK or Europe, you need to get the Sole Supplier App ASAP. Providing up-to-theminute release dates for all the must-haves in footwear, the website has been running since 2013 but this year sees them launch an app that will no doubt make them indispensible. Taking their role to the next step, the app provides restock information, discount codes and exclusive European release dates, with the option of saving your favourite pairs for push notifications the second they hit the market. The app is currently available for free download, so what’s stopping you?

SOUL SUPPLIER APP

‘DABOIA’ WHITE /BLACK T-SHIRT

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MARBEK SPLITLIFE JACKET #SplitLife : 1. to (cause to) divide into two or more parts, especially along a particular line verb ( present participle splitting, past tense and past participle split), split Originally a pattern derived from nature, camouflage has evolved from a print used globally by armies into fashion’s favourite print. This Marbek Split DPM bomber shows the print is more than a fashion statement, it’s a way of life. Featuring camo print in the contrasting colours of red and green, the jacket is a representation of the opposing views we share within our culture- the conflict of choice and desiring it all. Designed and printed in the UK, the #SplitLife jacket is a limited edition piece from the ‘Marshal’ collection by Marbek.

BBC LONDON FLAGSHIP STORE Bold and bright, we introduce to you one of many graphically-pleasing products available at the new BBC and ICECREAM flagship store.

The new Billionaire Boys Club and ICECREAM flagship store was launched in February 2015, spread over two levels in London’s Soho. The new store confirms the rolling success of the pop-up ‘satellite store’ that appeared in London in 2014. This marks the brand’s first permanent space in Europe, adding to their New York store, which opened in 2007 and the store in Japan, which opened in 2012.

The store’s interior reflects the language of the brand, engineered by world famous designers, Wonderwall.

The space is divided into two concepts, with decor bearing the ‘Starfield’ pattern synonymous with Billionaire Boys Club. The print contrasts with the clean, 1950’s style ice cream parlour identity of ICECREAM. The Summer ’15 collections from both brands are available, as well as products and accessories exclusive to the London store and items from New York and Japan. The shop will also be stocking Pharrell Williams’ products, including his collaborations with adidas and Comme des Garçons. And there’s exciting news for the ladies as Billionaire Girls Club products will be reintroduced into the E.U. this year.

20 SHOTS

ONE CULT FILM

20 ICONIC SCENES

CITY OF GOD, 2002 FERNANDO MEIRELLES

JESUS PIECE: RELIGIOUS WORDS FROM CHRIS MENDEZ Illustration by JC Adams

When you close your eyes at night and dream of being a rap star, it usually pans out like this: You meet a rap god (not Eminem), he tells you your rap mission, you accept and he ends the brief by crowning you. The skies open up, the ground shakes beneath you and there it lays around your neck; The Jesus piece.

It’s the holy grail of “We Made It-ness.” The rap equivalent of a Ballon D’or. In fact, at one time it was so omnipresent, it sparked a wooden jewellery comeback that sadly lasted a few years. The Jesus Piece didn’t always rule hip hop but it became solidified in time as one of the most iconic pieces of rap-jewellery, defining an era in the process. It was hanging right up there with the rope chain and the Rolex. Who was responsible for such a trend? Jesus? Not this time.

Like many trends in hip hop, the Jesus piece pendant trickled up from the hood. Wearing such a piece in the seventies was normal due to the influx of gold shops in urban inner cities. Basically the religious dudes that still kept it G wore a gold Jesus piece to ward off demons and crackheads. The rope chain era took over soon after and we stepped into the Mafioso Rap era where the likes of Wu Tang and Biggie began bringing the piece back.

When rappers stopped acting like Scarface and started dressing like Liberace, it was about 1998. Rap money was booming and with diamond records came diamonds.

The heavy-hitters like Puff and Jay Z would set the tone for a business covered in platinum, diamonds, furs and Snowmobiles (shout out to Silkk the Shocker). Jacobs were the new Rolexes and spinning chains were the new Jesus pieces.

The second coming (see what I did there?) happened close to 2003. Polo got hot again, and even until now, rap is recycling its own trends. I’m not going to sit here and say Kanye West resurrected the Jesus Piece but I kinda am. ‘Ye being an extremist with everything he does, probably felt it was necessary to don the chain because of his song ‘Jesus Walks’ and his already “retrostyle.” The point is; it’s back. And I’ll leave you with this…

What if when Jesus returns, he’s wearing a chain with YOUR face on it… *Hits blunt*

“BASICALLY THE RELIGIOUS DUDES THAT STILL KEPT IT G WORE A GOLD JESUS PIECE TO WARD OFF DEMONS AND CRACKHEADS”

Photo by Jimi Stay Hungry

What do you smell like right now?

Stale spliff.

How would your last partner sum you up in three words?

Owes me money.

What’s the most troublesome thing you did as a child?

Shoplift Pokemon cards from Hamley’s.

Who’s the weirdest celebrity you ever had a crush on?

The blue Avatar women.

Ever punched a stranger?

Yes, for throwing Mac D’s sauce on me.

What’s your most embarrassing fear?

Fingers in my belly button.

What sound do you hate?

The sound of house music.

Which character trait of yours do you hope your child doesn’t inherit?

Falling for these hoes.

What’s your favourite sea creature?

Mermaid, I’m tryna catch one.

The worst thing about drugs is…

They run out.

HOW WOULD YOUR LAST PARTNER SUM YOU UP IN 3 WORDS? “OWES ME MONEY”

@gotta_CatchEm youtube.com/catchemtv

Words by Chris Mendez Illustration by Eddie Ruxton

FUNKMASTER FLEX WILL SOON JOIN PRETTY UNIQUE COMPANY, WHICH INCLUDES CHAMPAGNE BRAND “CRISTAL,” NBA SUPER-DUD DESHAWN STEVENSON AND QUEENSBRIDGE RAP DUO, MOBB DEEP. You’re probably asking yourself how those characters could ever end up in the same sentence. Let me put you on… the outspoken New York City radio DJ/ human-loudspeaker/ambassador of Lugz driving boots (WTF is a driving boot?) has joined these ranks by committing career-suicide and challenging Jay Z.

actually started exactly where you think it did. Yup, it was the Nas beef. We all know the story: Nas takes a shot at Memphis Bleek, Memphis Bleek responds, Jay Z tells Memphis Bleek to kick rocks, Jay Z takes on feud for himself. The question is did anyone really “win?”

You may know Jay Z from hit singles like ‘Ghetto Techno’ and ‘Hot Toddy’. He’s a famous rapper from that really hip, cool, self-sustainable neighbourhood they call Brooklyn. He’s made songs with famous people like Peedi Crakk and he’s married to the girl from Destiny’s Child – his life is really “phat.”

The answer is yes. Jay Z won, but not lyrically. He just won at life. You see, although Nas responded to Jay promptly and with tremendous lyrical firepower, Jay Z’s whole carefree swag mixed with ‘The Blueprint’’s amazing chart-success outweighed it. Rap battles of the past had become irrelevant. In fact, Jay Z was arguably the shift in that thought process. Before the Nas beef, rappers won duels because, well, they were better rappers. This was not only a changing of the guard in that sense, but also an indication to other rappers that no matter the skillset, there was no taking down the people’s champ.

You may also know that going against him will (ironically) ether your whole entire existence. This brings us to the moral of the story - if there is one thing a rapper, or anyone else for that matter, shouldn’t do, it’s challenge the really-hard-to-beat, Jay Z. We should also note that this doesn’t just happen - one doesn’t just become invincible overnight. So this is the perfect opportunity to retrace those steps. Besides, who’s to say that this article isn’t the only thing stopping you from becoming the greatest rapper alive?

The monopoly on status and fear that is Jay Z’s brand

This is why, whether you’re a rapper, NBA Player, Champagne company or washed-up radio DJ, you should NEVER challenge Mr. Carter.

As the man himself once pondered, “What you want me to say? I’m sorry.”

“THE OUTSPOKEN NEW YORK CITY RADIO DJ/HUMAN-LOUDSPEAKER/ AMBASSADOR OF LUGZ DRIVING BOOTS HAS JOINED THESE RANKS

BY COMMITTING CAREER-SUICIDE AND CHALLENGING JAY Z”

Illustration by Listen04

HOW TO SUCCEED IN INTERNET MEDIA WITHOUT REALLY CRYING A COLUMN BY JEFF WEISS Hop up out of bed, turn your brand on, take a look at the laptop, type ‘what’s up.’ Take a selfie in the bathroom mirror and ask, ‘am I getting money?’

If the answer is no, stroll to the nearest coffee shop, order a free trade pour over mocha and languidly fill out grad school applications. If the answer is yes, steel yourself for a sunny day on the content farm, the think piece salt mine, or the hot take tropical #rare forest. Dress for any climate. A day (or streetwear line) that has been trill can suddenly lack trill at any time.

Log onto Twitter. Consult your Google calendar to make sure that your display name is seasonably appropriate. Is it the anniversary of the Allied Forces’ invasion of Normandy? Your new handle is Heavy D Day. On July 14, you’re The Ol’ Dirty Bastille Day. Come holiday season, there’s Hurricane Chris Kringle, Method Menorah, and Rhymefestivus.

Chinese New Year? You’re Gong Hay Fat Trel.

The New York Times is your homepage, but you don’t have a subscription.

Tweeting about ISIS or Ukranian Separatism has very little virality, unless you can find a way to include it in a Kardashian joke. Remember, one man’s trash is another man’s Twitpic caption of a flaming trashcan stand in for Iggy Azalea.

Scour for the most scorching takes imaginable. If you were a member of The Hot Boys, you’d have to be Juvenile or Lil Wayne. Being Turk gets you no followers, no relevance, no invitations to play your iPhone 6 at parties. Plugging in the auxiliary cord is the new turntablism.

Spend your mornings firing off fire takes about Nicki, Kanye, Beyonce, and Drake, G-chatting with members of the media about how much you hate other members of the media, and pitching editors. When you pitch editors, keep it simple. Take a headline and run it through as many filters, ‘isms, and Madlib fill in the blanks as possible. Then add the word “fire.” See below: Why Drake, the fluctuating prices of angora, the Israeli Palestinian conflict, and the Canadian divorce rate have more in common than you think. Why Kanye’s adidas deal represents a key blow to the war against elitism, body dysmorphic disorder, and naming your children after GPS directions. Congratulations, Slate just agreed to pay you $150. Expect your check in six months. That’s a fire pay check.

Treat yourself to lunch at the nearest restaurant serving aesthetically significant organic meals, capable of attracting 100+ Instagram likes. If you get less than 10 likes in the first three minutes, delete the photo instantly (and may be ask for a refund). If possible, try to meet a

friend for lunch. Ideally, they can take Vines of you screaming “Bitch, U Guessed It” at terrified cashiers when they ask if you want a side of fries. You want those fries, but RTs are the main course. Try to stick to restaurants where you can redeem your Klout perks.

Physical fitness is a vital component to the life of a rising digital celebrity.

Don’t you want to be a #thirst #trap? Spend at least 30 minutes a day practicing rap squats. Visualise an infinite future of Facebook shares and throngs of adoring fans screaming that your tweets are so hot that they can only be expressed in Emoji. Imagine the Snapchats from fans of your work, clad in nothing but their dignity. Each rap squat firms up both glutes and brand. You want a bulging bulbous brand. You need one.

This is not a no-flex zone.

It’s crucial to spend your afternoons engaged in some form of selfimprovement. Spend an hour or two reading the urban dictionary, taking Buzzfeed quizzes, making meme flash cards, and interpreting rap lyrics at your favourite iconoclastic tech start-up. The most important thing that you can learn as a writer is that today’s thot becomes yesterday’s ratchet becomes your grandpa’s “skeezer.” Ask said grandpa if he was a gatekeeper. Laugh if he wasn’t.

The older you get, the less you could possibly know about music because you don’t even know how to conjugate the verb “to fleek.”. There aren’t enough SMHs or LOLs in the world to articulate such irrelevance.

Understand the supreme mathematics. Every time you use outdated adjectives like “swag,” you have to add a level of irony. If you misuse it, you could risk being slang shamed or worse, being consigned to write for the Huffington Post.

No matter what, you can’t risk being branded as basic, unless being branded as basic is part of your brand. The beautiful diversity of online media means that that you can always find other people who are exactly identical to you. SeaPunks and Health Goths can create their own cultures without having to actually talk to each other. #Sadboyz eventually become #SadMen and sometimes they merge with #Seapunks to become #SeaMen. Spend your nights at the club. It doesn’t have to be the literal club, but merely the club as symbolic construct. Your club could be a Toyota Tercel. As long as it’s lit like Bic, you can hope to one day get an advertorial sponsorships from Bic. And be sure to always drink D’uesse.

One day, you could be an Instagram caption.

Eventually, it’s time to head back home to the loving LED glow. Another successful day is in the Wordpress. It’s time to say your prayers to the Based God, go to sleep and dream about doing it all over again.

“YOU WANT A BULGING BULBOUS BRAND. YOU NEED ONE. THIS IS NOT A NO FLEX ZONE”

VINSTAGRAM CANT WAIT TO CATCH A TOUR DATE AND THROW THEE FRESHEST OF TOMATOES

CHYNNA TAKES A DISPOSABLE CAmeRA TO SXSW FOR VIPERS VINTAGE TAKE ON INSTAGRAM

MY POPS REMY

AIR BNB FOR THE MOTHERFUCKIN

WIN

MINES.

SELF EXPLANATORY MOM

GIRLFRIEND

SISTER REAL QUEEN OF ENGLAND

GOONS GONE WILD

DID U EBBER RILLY LUB ME STEEBIE.

WORST

THE POSSIBLE PLACE I COULDVE TRIPPED LOOKS BEAUTIFUL DURING THE DAY

ACID

Photos by Arie Débor Words by Kylah Benes-Trapp Styling by Michelle Norris Make Up by Jourdan Loving

BACK TO THE FUTURE WITH BOSCO THE ATLANTA SONGSTRESS ON HER INTRODUCTION TO NEW YORK Earth to BOSCO?! If my calculations are correct, she’s just arrived in outer space and won’t be taking any phone calls until further notice. If we search between the layers of her creative abilities and into the core of the artist on a planet of her own, we find a musician who knows exactly what she wants. As mysterious as she is talented, to understand Brittany Bosco we must go back to the future.

She may need a map for her new landscape, New York City, but navigating through subways and boroughs isn’t as difficult as manoeuvring through the cutthroat undercurrent of competition that the Big Apple is known for. However, she’s no stranger to starting from scratch. In 2012 BOSCO liberated herself from all material bonds by selling everything; from her vehicle to her clothes, in order to fund her band’s tour and become a full time musician in her home city of Atlanta, GA. Fast forward to Summer ‘14, BOSCO decided that she would see what she could make of herself in NYC, “a leap of faith,” as she calls it, that not everyone is brave enough to take. For Bosco, moving from ATL to NYC was as easy as hopping in the DeLorean with Marty McFly.

“ON OUR FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH BOSCO, SHE EMERGED FROM A REAL LIFE TEEPEE” BOSCO is now signed to Fool’s Gold Records, where she released ‘Names’, a colourful dance-hit produced by Treasure Fingers. Vogue called it a “sparklingly fresh take on the new wave of house music,” as the world famous publication woke the Internet with the song’s premiere.

Having been in New York for less than a year, Bosco isn’t doing so bad.

The singer/songwriter’s sound is a mixture of many things, from RnB to experimental pop, dipped in electronica. It’s hard to classify music when it’s infused with so many flavours.

On our first encounter with BOSCO, she emerged from a real-life teepee, which is hardly surprising once accustomed to her wacky ways.

In constant motion, it’s rare to see BOSCO sitting down - not the typical stigma that comes with being from the slow-moving South. This year she directed her own video for ‘Cam4U’, after teaming up with New York singer/songwriter, Sene of denitia and sene, who produced the track. It’s clear that she is inspired by the nineties Hype Williams and Missy Elliot era, when the world first witnessed a female make a shiny, black trash bag look fly. She captures that aesthetic intuitively, constantly switching things up before we get too comfortable. “People need visuals, something tangible to hold on to,” she says. With a new EP set for release

this Spring and an ever growing ambition, we can only sit back and watch her take off into the future.

You said, “it’s not good enough to just be a singer anymore.” Why not?

I feel like we’re in a day and age, a time in technology where you really have to use different skill sets if you want to execute your message. That goes for any type of artist, whether visually or musically. It’s important to show people what you’re good at. It adds more to the story and more to the journey.

Have you made it in NYC? [Laughs] I don’t think I’ve made it… I have a long way to go. I haven’t mastered anything as of yet but I have definitely made some strides in New York, people really know who I am and have been hearing my name around. I guess it’s a form of making it but my take on “making it” is like looking at my bank account, you know... the reality of it. Press, clicks and downloads are important now, compared to back then when making it was like how many coins you got in your pocket. Now people are exchanging currency for clicks.

What is your earliest memory of music?

I will always remember [when] I was living on the South side of Savannah in this apartment complex called Ridgewood. I was in love with this place! I used to always be with my grandmother on the weekends. I remember singing ‘Lean On Me’ on top of this dark brown wooden table that she had. She was a coffee lady, she would make coffee and blast the radio in the mornings and I would sing with a brush.

Did you go through an awkward stage?

In high school I was in the grey area. I knew all the cool and popular kids but I also knew the not-so-cool kids. I was in a lot of clubs; science club, chorus, student council, I even cheered for a little bit… I did a little bit of everything. My awkward stage was when I was trying to get into wearing heels. Going from sneakers to heels and trying to wear those to school... that was awkward. I started colouring my hair weird colours and I was always known as the “black/white girl” at school.

What conflicts did 2014 bring?

It was a conflict deciding whether or not to move to New York. It’s very hard leaving the people you love, relationships and things like that. It’s a constant conflict and battle, doubting yourself and your decisions.

I needed to go, stepping out on a leap of faith really yielded a lot of wonderful things that were placed in my life. It challenged a lot of my relationships but brought me closer to people as well. Knowing what I needed to do although I knew the whole process was going to be a challenge. I had to be strong, it was challenging to continue to believe in myself and trust my decisions.

What is it like being an artist now versus when you first started out?

I was trying to figure it all out when I first started. Who I was, what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it. Exploring my voice and different singing textures and vocal styles. Now I’m having fun again and trying new stuff, it’s another side of me. I know exactly what I want to say and it’s tight. @helloBOSCO hellobosco.com

“IT’S A UNITED VISION. WE’RE A TEAM OF PRODUCERS THAT BANDED TOGETHER TO MAKE BEATS FOR VOCALISTS AND RAPPERS THAT WE LIKE”

Photo by Christelle de Castro Words by Nellie Eden

FUTURE BROWN

THE PRODUCTION QUARTET BRINGING THE HEAVIEST CLUB SOUND OF 2015 SPEAK ON COLLABORATIONS, CREATIVITY AND COMPROMISE Girl bands break up (remember hearing ‘Goodbye’, and knowing the Spice Girls were really over?) and boy bands go their separate ways (or at least they should be encouraged to do so). History would have us believe that group acts just can’t stay together forever. Someone releases a solo album, two members have always secretly hated each other and ‘artistic differences’ are always cited in the divorce. Enter Future Brown, for whom the phrase ‘too many cooks’ is literal music to the ears; the bi-continental quartet is comprised of Asma Maroof and Daniel Pineda AKA LA duo Nguzunguzu, Kuwaiti-born Fatima Al Qadiri, and J-Cush (real name, Jamie), the boss of NYC label Lit City Trax. The collective’s genre-bending sound is as eclectic as the long list of collaborators they’ve worked with.

Future Brown’s electronic, high-definition, Internet-influenced music is a patchwork quilt of inspiration. From reggaeton to rap via Chicago footwork and old school RnB, their plan was always to reach out to vocalists from across the globe to create a unique club-inspired sound.

Kelela, Tink, Timberlee, Riko Dan and Prince Rapid all get a name check on their self-titled 2015 LP, a gold-standard for the global underground music scene; hit play on their single, ‘World’s Mine’ featuring Prince Rapid, Dirty Danger and Roachee and you’ll see why. Despite conflicting schedules, time-zones and a never-ending list of collaborators the majority of the album was recorded in an NYC studio, live as a crew and FYI, their back-to-back DJ sets are legendary.

How did you all meet?

Asma and Daniel met while they were studying at the Art Institute of Chicago eight years ago. Fatima and Jamie met in 2010, through Tim DeWit (Dutch E. Germ) in New York. Asma and Daniel met Jamie as we were playing Ghe20 Goth1k parties around the same time. Fatima and Asma met briefly through Ashland (Total Freedom) in Miami in 2009 and reconnected through the parties. It turned out we all had a lot of mutual friends. We became close and the rest is destiny.

I read that the name Future Brown came around after a friend tripped on acid?

It was ‘shrooms, not LSD. While enjoying his trip in upstate New York he envisioned a colour, Future Brown, a hue of brown that doesn’t exist in nature. That idea of a colour which can’t be defined fit the project well.

How do you all manage to work collaboratively as four individual artists?

We work in the studio together, bouncing ideas off one another. It means that we can react to each other in real-time, pushing each other beyond our individual comfort zones. We are close friends so that makes it easier. It’s exciting to work collectively with everyone.

Do you feel like a unit?

Absolutely. It’s a united vision. We’re a team of producers that banded together to make beats for vocalists, rappers and MCs that we like.

How integral is the Internet to your identity?

It’s very important. When you’re talking about music, it’s becoming exponentially easier to find music from every corner of the world. Being able to log on and search the web for special music is huge. The music we find, we all share with one another, it’s influenced us and the music we made together.

You’ve each come from within the music industry but via highly varied routes. Why does it help to have different disciplines?

Through our different experiences, we each add our own seasoning to the recipe. These flavours fuse together to make a spicy meal.

Where do you see yourselves fitting into the music industry?

We make beats for vocalists; rappers, singers and MCs. We don’t make music to fit anywhere within the music industry. It’s best to leave our options open. We do what we want, how we want. This is the music we want to make.

What’s it like doing four-person DJ sets?

It’s always good. It’s the same vibe as our studio sessions. We do us and bounce off one another. With our DJ sets, we always like to bring vocalists to perform with us. The dynamic means we can move through a whole lot of segments.

You’ve worked with London grime MCs including Roll Deep’s Riko Dan and Ruff Sqwad’s Prince Rapid. What was that like?

Cush lived in London from 2000 through 2010, so he grew up on Roll Deep and Ruff Sqwad. We’re all massive fans of their music. Those crews had a big sound: both the MCs and producers. Wiley, Danny Weed and DJ Target crafted the beats for Roll Deep MCs and Rapid, Dirty Danger, Slix, XTC and Scholar made tunes for Ruff Sqwad MCs to flow over.

Their own singular sounds are just as fresh and pioneering years and years later. Riko really followed the melody of the beat while keeping to his usual high levels. We were super-hyped when we got ‘Speng’ back from Riko. It was exactly what we were hoping for. We recorded two tunes with Rapid, Roachee and Dirty Danger. They’re so uniquely London. They were the perfect trifecta of MCs for those two tunes.

Why do you think grime is enjoying a resurgence?

People are bored. They’re looking for something real and different. It’s a pure sound. It makes it easy to engage with it. Plus, it’s high energy.

People want to let loose. People are stressed and angry with everything going on in the world. Grime is a sound which can be your voice. Next level beats with a serious narrative told through creative and unique flows over the top. When it’s a good MC, who’s crafted their own style, the lyrics really come to life. There are so many different sounds within the music that it’s inevitable there’s going to be something in it for nearly everyone to connect to.

Much of grime is about conflict, do you identify with their narratives?

A good clash will capture the essence of grime. An MC’s lyrical content, their wit, flow and tone is what makes or breaks an MC. The clash is like the boxing ring where only one will remain victorious. We’re not specifically drawn to the actual feuds or anything. That feeling of conflict is generally just competition between MCs and that’s what makes it so diverse. At the same time, sometimes the beef is actually real, not just a music thing and you can’t really know every side to the story so it’s never worth judging those situations.

Do you ever argue?

We’re a family unit. Like all families, we have the occasional disagreement but it’s nothing that we can’t put into perspective and handle with love. @futurebrown futurebrown.com

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THE INKED OAKLAND BEAUTY CHALLENGING PERCEPTIONS OF GENDER AND SEXUALITY Meet Kehlani, born and raised in the Bay Area, California. The 19 year-old singer and songwriter is currently selling out shows across America. Though her edgy appearance causes some to mistake her for a rapper, Kehlani adds a soft touch to HBK Gang with her smooth, soulful vocals. Her musical influences are evident in her sound especially on her song, ‘Get Away’, which samples Ginuwine’s ‘So Anxious’. Kehlani’s love for nineties RnB classics continues, she even sampled Montell Jordan’s ‘This Is How We Do It’ on her song, ‘How We Do Us’.

Before getting her first tattoo at 16, Kehlani faced the possibility of winning America’s Got Talent as a member of the girl group Poplyfe.

Just three years later, she released her mixtape ‘Cloud 19’ as a solo artist. Facing a challenging childhood and adolescence, Kehlani was forced to establish her independence at a young age, and her maturity shows as she acts as a positive leader to her listeners.

Earlier this year she released a video for ‘First Position’, encouraging the LGBT community to know that they can be “whatever they choose to be, whomever they choose to love, it’s completely fine and will not come in the way of their goals.”

Kehlani’s skin is laced with ink but as much as she exudes sexuality, it’s not what she’s leading with. The most prominent tattoo, on her lower arm, is a portrait of one of her biggest musical influences; Lauryn Hill. Her plans for 2015 include the release of her next project, ‘You Should Be Here’, plus another round of touring. Lani Tsunami has made it clear that she’s here to stay and we’re all for it.

How would you describe your music?

It’s heavily nineties, early 2000’s influenced RnB, pop-influenced vocals. A lot of different influences actually because I listen to almost everything. I write as well, so I make a lot of different things.

After watching the music video for ‘FWU’, the use of choreography reminded me of music videos of that era. How much focus do you put on choreography?

Dancing was my first love! I think it’s important to show kids coming up that they can explore as many of their talents as they want to; singing, dancing, acting, painting; all of it. If you’re interested, dive in.

Growing up, what music videos inspired you?

Probably Aaliyah and Missy Elliott videos. Always aesthetically pleasing and very entertaining. They were beautifully confident, very different women who weren’t focused on showing too much skin or shaking ass.

‘Get Away’ has to be my favourite song from your project ‘Cloud 19’.

What song did you enjoy creating?

Thank you, ‘Get Away’ is my favourite as well! I enjoyed making them all but probably ‘How We Do Us’ with Kyle Dion because it was a last minute session that almost didn’t happen and when we got in the same studio, music spilled out of us. Kyle is an amazing writer and vocalist, I picked up tips from him as we went along!

Your latest video release ‘First Position’ explores sexuality. What is the message you wanted people to gain from watching the video?

I wanted people in the LGBTQ community to know that whatever they choose to be, whomever they choose to love, it’s completely fine and will not come in the way of their goals. I remember saying, “Yo I want to make a song about a girl!’ And my friends were like, “Duuuuude whaaaaat? How will people receive it?” And I said, “it doesn’t matter, either way I’m going to speak my piece.” So I did!

I’ve heard stories about young people getting inspired to come out to the world because of the song. With the video I wanted to show that I could make a sexy video without it being overly-sexualised or exploiting myself. I think we did just that; David Camerena is a genius.

How has gaining independence from an early age influenced you as a person today?

Man I was out running wild at 14, moving around doing my thing.

The crucial years as a teenager when you’re supposed to have your family and a stable home to rely on, I was all over the place avoiding my family because I was so angry about things. So those times when things got crazy, I had to deal with them internally and completely alone without guidance. It forced me to learn myself really early and I can honestly say, I know myself at 19.

What have you learnt about the music industry so far?

I learned there are no short cuts, there is no elevator; everyone must take the stairs, if you actually want to become something great. A lot of people get by, or they’re here today and gone the next. If you want to be an icon, not a celebrity or a socialite, you cannot cheat the grind. Mind your business, stay in your line, do the work and remain kind-hearted and open-minded.

When did your love for tattoos begin and which one hurt the most?

I was 16 when I got knuckle tattoos at the park, stick and poke style [laughs]. My neck for sure killed me! I never cried getting a tattoo before and I bawled my eyes out, screaming and apologising for screaming!

Do you think a majority of people’s opinions on tattoos have changed and they are becoming more accepted in society?

Yes I do believe it’s becoming more accepted because people have no choice - the wave is here, you can’t swim away! I hope to see tatted teachers, doctors, CEOs, ballerinas, you name it.

What do you want your listeners to gain from your music?

I want them to feel good. I want them to gain confidence, exuberance, I want them to know it’s perfectly fine to be imperfect. Accepting flaws is beautiful and I want them to grow with me.

See me fall in love, out of love, feel broken, fix myself… it’s a part of falling in love with the artist, the journey. I want my listeners to feel as though we could be best friends. I feel like they already do.

Who are the members in ‘Tsunami Mob’ and what makes them individually special?

Well ‘Tsunami Mob’ the click consists of my entire team, from the ladies everyone sees me on stage with, to my producer, manager, stylist, photographer and artists I’ve been working with - I just wanted to give them a platform to work with. Everyone’s incredibly unique and come together for a common goal to inspire. @kehlanimusic kehlanimusic.com

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Photo by Julian Schratter Words by Claudia Arach

“IF YOU WANT TO BE AN ICON, YOU CANNOT CHEAT THE GRIND”

WARA FROM THE NBHD FROM NY TO ATL WARA’S SPREADING HIS MESSAGE TO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD Wara from the NBHD is misunderstood. His last three projects have made his intentions clear. You may have noticed he’s starting a conversation on gun control. You may even have figured out that his collective, Playin’ Four Keeps, is not only the mentality that he and his crew operate by on a daily basis but is also composed of words four, five and six letters long; the winning numbers in cee-lo. But then again, most people don’t notice.

Born in Queens, New York, the producer and rapper spent most of his formative years in Brooklyn. When he and his family moved down to Atlanta around 2000, he kept his roots in NYC fresh by visiting friends and family a few times a year. Later on in high school Wara ran a website with his friends that sold sneakers. Feeling that he could make better music than what he was blogging online, he headed to the studio with some beats and found that people liked his music, particularly the Curtis Williams-produced ‘Fish Grease’. While friends assured him that his verses were “fire,” he suspected they weren’t good enough. Plus with Nas, Jay Z and OutKast bumping through his headphones, Wara wouldn’t let himself put out weak music.

Before taking music seriously in 2011, his life took a slight detour.

Wara’s original plan was to attend college for basketball, but due to moving schools, he was only able to play five games in his senior year.

This seriously handicapped his chances of securing a scholarship with Providence College, who were already scouting him. As a result, he was left with little to no positive choices, other than a seemingly heavensent offer from an Alabama HBCU coach who was guaranteeing a scholarship. Having recently been caught in possession of a .40 caliber handgun in a hotel room which eventually came back clean, the chance to get out of the hood convinced him to take his talents down South.

He arrived only to find out that the coach had made the same offer to more people than there were spots on the team, “The season comes, the coach brings in another 13 dudes - big ass, NBA player dudes.” With no scholarship and a giant student loan to pay off, he returned to Atlanta.

Soon, with encouragement from Two-9 members Curtis Williams, Wavy Wallace and Dave of FatKidsBrotha, music became the new focus.

Some people were displeased with the artwork of his first project, ‘Ill Street Blues’, showing Wara’s son innocently grabbing the same type of gun his father was busted with years ago. But for Wara, there was no other way to start telling his story. The birth of his son, now three years old, helped him realise the gravity of his life choice and made him pursue hip hop. While the gun symbolises the presence of evil and violence in Wara’s life growing up, the whole project is a collection of stories from the streets told through the eyes of a young child. That story continues into his follow-up album, ‘Kidnapped’, which was the first time he showcased his production skills. The symbolism in the artwork also carried over, with the juxtaposition of good versus evil. Through both projects, not only do you walk the streets with the protagonist, but you learn the same lessons he does via his mistakes and victories. As the character grows, so do his problems.

Photo by Jimmie Armentrout III Words by Bryan Hahn

Six months later, Wara released his ‘If Guns Could Speak’ EP. Listening to the project, you’ll notice that the theatrical feel of ‘Ill Street Blues’ and ‘Kidnapped’ is a stark contrast to the punk, early N.E.R.D. sound of ‘If Guns Could Speak’: “I don’t think dark content should have a pretty background to it.” He shifts the focus of his storytelling from a kid to guns: “Friends are dying. People are getting shot all the time but damn, in a weird way, how do guns feel? The same gun gets passed around the hood all the time.” He knows that his message may go over most people’s heads, but he’s banking on someone catching on and contributing to the change he’d like to see: “The artwork is sacrilegious but it’s so real. If I don’t do it, who else is going to do it? I don’t care if I gotta be the bad guy to get the truth out there.”

“FRIENDS ARE DYING. PEOPLE ARE GETTING SHOT ALL THE TIME BUT HOW DO GUNS FEEL? THE SAME GUN GETS PASSED AROUND THE HOOD ALL THE TIME.” Wara’s next project is set to be an accurate representation of his current IDGAF state of mind: “I want it to literally sound like it’s coming out of the basement. Grungy. I want it to sound like a nigga mad in the basement, making music.” He’s been studying RZA’s early production and says the energy of the music has been inspired greatly by Ol Dirty Bastard. Whereas his previous music was political, this one will be raw, uncut Wara, straight from the NBHD. Today, even with a string of “ill meetings” with labels, radio stations and booking agents that force Wara to realise his career could jump up to the next level at any moment, he’s hesitant to move to NYC permanently.

Leaving his son in Atlanta is out of the question and he doesn’t want to bring his son to NYC before he’s matured and can fend for himself. Wara has also just recently learned the importance of finding balance in his life, particularly with the little things. Calling his mom and son everyday have become priorities whenever he’s not making music. Whether it’s all the traveling or he’s simply maturing, Wara now lives by the idea that family is everything. He’s not just creating music for himself, or his family. He’s playing for keeps.

@warafromthenbhd soundcloud.com/warafromthenbhd

Photo by James Rees Ryan wears Lazy Oaf

“WHAT INFLUENCES YOU AS A PRODUCER? BIRDS THAT ARE OBSESSED WITH MIRRORS.”

MEET THE PRODUCERS:

RYAN HEMSWORTH Firstly, briefly introduce yourself.

Ryan Hemsworth, from Earth. My style is impetuous. My defence is impregnable and I’m just ferocious.

What would you say are the most popular songs you’ve created?

My most unpopular songs are probably: this cover I made of The Smiths’ ‘Girlfriend in a Coma’ or a seven minute medley I once made from as many classic Nintendo themes as I could, but with really abrasive synthesisers.

What is your favourite song you’ve worked on and why?

Maybe ‘Cream Soda’ with my friend Tomggg. It just ended up so bright and happy, it seems to make people enjoy life for the duration of the song, which is all I could ask for.

Do you think that production software becoming more accessible to just anyone is a good or bad thing for music?

Both. It’s giving tools to amazing artists who might not have had the means to create, record, produce and release music before. That also opens the floodgates to any person who wants to take a crack at being a superstar producer DJ. But in the end it makes it all the more exciting to find great music when you do.

What influences you as a producer?

Birds that are obsessed with mirrors.

How did you begin making music? Was it a particular influence or circumstance?

I started playing Foo Fighters songs on guitar when I was like 13. I learned the intro of every Nirvana song and then I started recording myself. But the recordings were a bit ugly and flawed so I started messing with them on my computer, then I just ended up sampling myself sampling other music on top of my own recordings.

What draws you to creating instrumentals?

Hating my voice.

Were you ever involved in any other musical projects besides what you are doing right now?

I was the drummer in a mediocre band in high school, I had a joke rap group with my friends and I had some mash-up artist alteregos.

What, for you, is the perfect beat?

Just like.. Boom, boom-pish. Boom-boom, badum-baboom. Pishpish. Boom-baboom, kat-kat.

Can you tell us about any projects coming in 2015?

I’m finishing up an EP with my friend Lucas, collaborating with more RnB singers and rappers. Also releasing a lot of my friends’ stuff on my label, Secret Songs; artists who are doing insane things but not getting the recognition they definitely deserve. @ryanhemsworth ryanhemsworth.com

What would you say are the most popular beats you’ve created?

All of them. But ‘Coke and White Bitches’, ‘Jay Reed’, ‘Bath Salt’; all of those still get love today. People like all [A$AP] Mob records a lot.

‘Swordfish’ [by Da$h] is a low-key honourable mention.

What is your favourite song you’ve worked on and why?

Honestly that’s a tough question ‘cause any record I did when I was actually in the studio and built it from scratch, I appreciate. Just ‘cause with how dreamcast shit is nowadays, it’s rare for a producer or even other musicians to be in the studio together as opposed to the whole email-behind-screen [set-up] that happens now.

MEET THE PRODUCERS: A$AP

Do you think that production software becoming more accessible to just anyone is a good or bad thing for music?

It’s a double-edged sword in my opinion. Yeah, we might have new technology allowing us to do things more easily and with less fuss than before, but it’s becoming so dreamcast that anybody can pick it up and with a few YouTube videos, they lit! But at the end of the day the fact that anybody could pick it up is a great thing ‘cause it promotes creative fruition.

What influences you as a producer?

Everything. From the music I grew up listening to, down to the music my mother used to play in the house on Sundays when she’d be cleaning. Whatever goes on in my mind on that day is what comes out in mp3 format.

How did you begin making music? Was it a particular influence or circumstance?

I used to rap before but I was getting bored with it, like it wasn’t how I wanted to express myself creatively at the time, so I downloaded Fruity Loops and it’s been lit ever since LOL. The Heatmakerz footage that was on the Smack DVD was what had me hype. I was like, “That’s how you do it? Like it ain’t no magic tricks.”

What draws you to creating instrumentals?

The simple fact that at the beginning of the day what you created didn’t exist, I almost feel like I’m giving back to the Universe every time I make a beat.

Were you ever involved in any other musical projects besides what you are doing right now?

I got two EP’s by the name of ‘Soft Lighting’ fully produced by me, non-rap shit. I’m also working with this singer by the name of Joyce Wrice. She’s gonna be the next princess of hip hop and RnB. What, for you, is the perfect beat?

A piece of work that’s perfectly arranged. Not too much instrumentation to the point it’s extra or over-produced and the artist is competing with any elements. It could be played on a loop for hours and never sound repetitive. At least that’s what I think great music that could stand the test of time consists of.

Can you tell us about any projects coming in 2014?

Besides my work on [A$AP] Twelvyy’s project and the ‘Soft Lighting Cascade’ EP, probably something with Joyce. But I’m definitely dropping a compilation soon. @ASAP_P soundcloud.com/pontheboards

“ I F E E L L I K E I ’ M G I V I N G B A C K T O T H E U N I V E R S E E V E R Y T I M E I M A K E A B E AT ”

P ON THE BOARDS

Firstly, briefly introduce yourself.

My name is A$AP P on the Boards. I was born in New York but have been back and forth between the city and Miami almost forever. As far as my style goes, it’s however I’m feeling at that moment - I wish I had a single word for it but there could be days I’m dark, happy, or just based and I’m letting my mind pour the thoughts out into the Universe.

Photo by Jessica Lehrman

IS TORN.....

Mick Jenkins is torn. He’s searching for a solution to stop white people using the N-word at his shows. “What’s been the biggest conflict I’ve faced in life? I have two actually.” he says adding, “Probably jail, I went to jail for 34 days. It was just a marijuana charge, apparently I missed a court date and I wasn’t granted the opportunity to prove myself until I was arrested.” This acted as a learning experience for the Chicago lyricist. “To this day, I’m kinda glad I went because it’s definitely a vital part of who I am and how I think today. If I could have avoided it, I definitely would have but now I’ve been through what I have, I’m grateful for it, it taught me a lot.”

But back to the current conflict. Mick explains that although the presence of white fans at his shows repeating his own use of the N word is understandable, that doesn’t mean it sits well with him.

“It’s so weird to me. What a lot of people don’t understand, mostly white people, is that I get to feel weird. People feel like, ‘well you wrote it!’ But it’s like, “so?” Most shows are predominantly white so I’m in a room full of white people screaming “nigga” and I don’t know how to feel about it. I don’t know if I necessarily feel like, “Well you shouldn’t” because at the end of the day, I wrote it.”

It’s easy to see Jenkins’ dilemma, as a white fan opposed to the use of the N-word by white people in general, it frustrates me to see fans at shows feel like their ticket for the show doubles up as a pass to use loaded race-heavy terminology. Especially when the artist himself is offended by the language in question, as Jenkins is. “The majority of people in the room are not reciting it maliciously at me, they’re reciting it to support me because they’re fans of the music. I have complete control over what they say because I write the lyrics.

But that doesn’t take away that it is a white person screaming the word in my face and it makes me feel a way so it’s just a conflict for me right now. I don’t know what to do about it, I don’t know what to feel about it and it’s definitely a pressing issue.”

He’s open minded enough to see that many fans are uninformed as opposed to being malicious, “When you’re trying to make an appeal to an ignorant person, there’s so much of your argument that doesn’t matter because they’re unfamiliar. As right or wrong as I am, if you don’t have any knowledge of what I speak of, then my argument doesn’t hold the same weight to you as it does to Lily Mercer [maybe should say ‘you’ instead? Not sure, I do like it that he says Lily Mercer but just thinking for the uninformed reader].

So in the realm of actually trying to affect people, that has to be taken into account because they have to understand me. And if they don’t understand me then I’m losing them, so that puts me more in the realm of really not knowing what to do. Something like that is easier to do on a one-on-one basis as opposed to 850 people in this room waiting for me to perform ‘Jazz’.”

MEET THE PRODUCERS T H E G R A M M Y - N O M I N AT E D C H I C A G O P R O D U C E R S P E A K S O N H I S I N S P I R AT I O N S Firstly, briefly introduce yourself.

I am Stefan Ponce AKA YUNG JOHN TITOR. I’m from where the Matrix takes place and where Candyman is from: Chicago.

What is your favourite song you’ve worked on and why?

That one I made with my rapper guy friend and it ended up being a fun song.

What influences you as a producer?

Stuff…. things… objects.. sounds….. butts… cats.. dogs….and interviews with Viper Magazine.

How would you describe your style of production?

If you mixed kale with pizza and then added some poop... you’ll have something terrible to eat while listening to my music that’s inspired by all genres.

Do you think that production software is becoming more accessible to just anyone is a good or bad thing for music?

Of course. I mean you buy a Mac and it has Garageband on it. I did the drum programming to [Chance the Rapper’s] ‘Good Ass Intro’ and a lot of my early beats on Garageband. I think the more creative people we have in the world is a good thing.

How did you begin making music? Was it a particular influence or circumstance?

There was always art being created at my house.

I was born to create and be a creator. I honestly wish I had a better story but making music has always felt just as natural as breathing.

What would you say are the most popular beats you’ve created?

That one that has a lot of plays on SoundCloud.

What draws you to creating instrumentals?

I don’t draw when I create instrumentals =( Should I try it? I read a lot of books when I do.

Photo by Bryan Lamb

STEFAN PONCE Were you ever involved in any other musical projects besides what you are doing right now?

I once tried out to be Michael Jackson in third grade for our school Halloween-themed play.

We were doing ‘Thriller’. I was low-key a way better dancer than everybody at that point. The teacher’s niece got to play MJ. I’m still pressed off that.

What, for you, is the perfect beat?

A beat that gets exported.

Can you tell us about any projects coming?

I’m producing the new Dru Hill album.. it’s really my main focus… oh yeah and Smilez and

Southstar. Working with J-Kwon for his comeback album. You could say I’m about to take over, you feel me?

Also, where is Stefan based at the moment?

When you get home from an awesome party, right before you walk in your door to your home.

Look up at the stars and know that I’m right there looking back you. That’s where I’m at. ….. that’s where.

@stefanponce soundcloud.com/stefanponce

F I L A

ITALIAN SKI LEGEND ALBERTO TOMBA IN FILA SNOW TIME SKI-WEAR 1996

CHLOE SEVIGNY WEARING FILA IN THE NINETIES.

Prior to becoming a global sports brand, FILA was simply the surname of a family from Biella, Italy. They started working as textile manufacturers in 1911, producing various wools under the name ‘Fratelli FILA’ before branching into underwear in 1926. It wasn’t until 1973 they came to be known as FILA SPORT, leading to over 40 years of sporting and cultural history. Since then FILA has become one of the most iconic brands in the world, being worn and endorsed by countless sporting heroes, musicians and celebrities from Boris Becker to Biggie Smalls.

In the 42 years since this transformation, FILA has gone on to create sporting apparel for almost all sports imaginable. One such offshoot is the WHITE LINE for tennis, which was responsible for the creation

of the Björn Borg polo shirt and matching shorts - a look that quickly became a symbol of how to dress for tennis. 1981 saw the creation of the FILA SNOW TIME ski-apparel range, again supported on and off the slopes by sporting champions such as Ingemar Stenmark and Alberto Tomba, leading to some of the brands most celebrated pieces and visual aesthetics. 1983 was the year FILA moved into footwear in the United States, seeing the company grow massively in size. The brand’s signature shoes became a staple feature on NBA courts, while collaborations with basketball players like Grant Hill and Jerry Stackhouse led to the brand being adopted by the hip hop community in the 1990’s, even collaborating with Wu-Tang Clan on a boot as recently as 2008.

Photos courtesy of FILA Words by Pasquale Daniel

PAUL TERGAT FOR FILA. TERGAT JOINED FILA RUNNING TEAM IN 1992. HE WON TWO OLYMPIC SILVER MEDALS IN ATLANTA (1996) AND SYDNEY (2000) AND THREE MEDALS IN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, TWO SILVER MEDALS IN GOTEBORG IN 1995 AND ATHENS IN 1997 AND ONE BRONZE IN SEVILLE 1999.

GRANT HILL FOR FILA BASKETBALL. IN 1996 HILL WON GOLD MEDAL AT THE 1996 SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES IN ATLANTA WITH THE US NATIONAL TEAM.

1999 MARKED A HUGE MILESTONE FOR THE COMPANY WITH GIOVANI SOLDINI’S ATLANTIC CROSSING RECORD DURING THE ATLANTIC ALONE RACE.

ITALIAN SKI LEGEND ALBERTO TOMBA IN FILA SNOW TIME SKI-WEAR 1996

CHILDREN RUNNING FOR ‘DISCOVERY KENYA 2000’ - A PROJECT TO DISCOVER AND SELECT THE MOST TALENTED MIDDLEDISTANCE RUNNERS. TAKING PLACE IN THE RIFT VALLEY, KENYA PHOTO FROM FILA FOUNDATION ARCHIVE.

FI LA WH I TE LI NE TENNI S 1 9 7 9

FILA WHITE LINE TENNIS 1989

MIKE TYSON AND A DOVE OUTSIDE HIS MANSION WEARING FILA IN THE NINETIES.

T U P A C SH A K U R WE A R I N G F I L A G R A N T H I LL 2 B AS KETB ALL S NEAKERS I N TH E C D B O O KLET O F ‘ALL EYEZ O N M E’ , 1 9 9 6 .

‘YOU HAD THE ILL WRESTLING STORIES. YOU GOT THE BRET HART CHAIN COS YOUR THE EXCELLENCE OF EXECUTION - LONGLIVEYAMBORGHINI’ - PHAZE @PHAZEWHAT

‘S/O 2 YAMS DATS MY FUKIN PANA... MISS U GORDO LOVE U #ASAP #TANBOYS’

- BODEGA BAMZ @BODEGABAMZ

‘MISS MY BRO’

- P ON THE BOARDS @ASVP_P

‘THANK YOU FOR BUYING ME A CHAIR FOR THE TABLE #ALWAYSGRATEFUL’ - A$AP ANT @YGADDIE ‘I LOVE YOU YAMS. YOU’RE A GENIUS, GOD. ALWAYS STRIVE AND PROSPER. REST IN PEACE TO A KING’

- CHYNNA @CHIZZYANO

‘PLAY ON PLAYBOY’

- PHAZE @PHAZEWHAT ‘I CAN NEVER FORGET THIS TIME IN MY LIFE. WHEN WE WAS ALL TOGETHER ‘I’M SO SAD THAT YOU’RE GONE, YOU WERE A GOOD A FRIEND BUT A WAY BETTER PERSON. EVERYONE I KNOW WHO KNOWS YOU HAS NOTHING BUT THE ‘RIP TO MY BROTHER YAMS. LIKE FAMILY, A GOOD TIME WAS ALL THAT MATTERED. AND YOU AND ME BEST TO SAY ABOUT YOU. YOU WERE ONE OF A KIND, AND YOU IMPACTED SO CONDOLENCES TO HIS FAMILY, TALKED DAWSON’S CREEK AND 90’S POP CULTURE FOR HOURS IN THE YARD MANY PEOPLE ON SUCH A DEEP LEVEL. YOU ARE SPECIAL, YOU’LL NEVER BE THE ENITRE ASAP MOB AND TO ON 158TH.. STEVEN, YOU BROUGHT ALL OUR VISIONS TO LIFE. YOU WERE THE FORGOTTEN, YOU’LL ALWAYS BE HERE BECAUSE OF HOW YOU LIVED AND HOW HIP HOP FANS WORLDWIDE’ ARCHITECT. WE LOVED YOU, WE ALWAYS WILL! .TANBOYS & ASAP 4 EVER IN MY YOU TREATED PEOPLE. R.I.P.’ - MICHAEL UZOWURU @MICHAELUZOWURU - ISSA GOLD @ISSA_GOLD HEART. REST IN PEACE UNCLE STEVIE - PRINCESS NOKIA @PRINCESSNOKIA’T

‘A WHOLE WORLD WITH AMNESIA‘SEE YOU- MILKAVELLI THERE@MILKAVELLI616 FLEE’‘R.I.P YAMS, I LOVE YOU BROTHER’ BRAD LITT AKA @WAVYBONE WON’T FORGET YOUR NAME’‘R.I.P AKA THE PUERTO RICAN R KELLY.

‘REST IN POWER MY NIGGA, SAVE ME A SEAT AT DJ SCREW TABLE JUHEARD’ - RETCH @RETCHYP - A$AP ROCKY @ASVPXROCKY

- BODEGA BAMZ @BODEGABAMZ

OUR CONDOLENCES GO OUT TO THE WHOLE A$AP MOB FAMILY.’ - FLATBUSH ZOMBIES @FLATBUSHZOMBIES

‘BESTFRIENDSFOREVER’ -ASAP TWELVY @ASAP12VY ‘ # S T E V I E W O RL D

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING BROTHER’

- JOEY FATTS @JOEYFATTS

‘LOVE YOU MY NIGGA, MEET YOU THERE’ -DASH @HEIRDASH

‘SLEEP IN PIECE LOVED ONE...

YOUR VISION & SPIRT WILL LIVE FOREVER... LOVE U LIL BRO’ - SMOKE DZA @KUSHEDGOD

‘THERE IS A LIGHT THAT NEVER GOES OUT. I REMEMBER WANTING TO BE YOUR UNDERSTUDY EVEN BEFORE TAKING RAP SERIOUSLY. ASAP IS FAMILY, THE FIRST TO EMBRACE ME COMPLETELY AND LOVE ME FORREAL. YOU ONLY GIFTED BUT SO MANY PURE SPIRITS IN YOUR LIFE WHO’S INTENTIONS ARE OBVIOUS AND THOROUGH. I’M A BUDDHIST YET I FEEL TRULY BLESSED TO KNOW YOU AND I SPEAK IN PRESENT TENSE BECAUSE LORDS NEVER DIE.’ - CHYNNA @CHIZZYANO

“REST EASY BRO”

- REMY BANKS @REMYBANKS

LOYLE CARNER T H E S O U T H L O N D O N W O R D S M I T H S P E A K S O N H I S O R I G I N S A N D E X P E C TAT I O N S

For those of you that are only up on UK artists that fall into the grime or road rap bracket, Loyle Carner serves as a poetic and melodic reminder that British rhymers have something else to offer. An intelligent rapper delivering contemplative rhymes over beautiful beats, Loyle can be thought of as part of the new wave of conscious British rappers that include Rejjie Snow, Jesse James, Little Simz, Kojey Radical and Isaac Danquah. Though Loyle himself doesn’t necessarily think so. “People ask me a lot about what the UK rap scene is and whether I fit in and I’m like, ‘I don’t know’. It’s a weird question because I have no idea – I can’t listen to me without knowing me.”

Like so many of the current generation of UK artists, the rise of grime at the turn of the millennium was what first inspired Loyle to spit. “I was in primary school when ‘Pow’ [by Lethal Bizzle] came out in 2004 and grime started making noise. Obviously there was [British] stuff before that but that’s what hit me first.” As with many emerging rappers at the time, it gave him the confidence to be himself, “I was like ‘Oh right, I don’t have to pretend to be American, I can just be me and do that.’”

Although not someone you would normally associate with the rapid-fire delivery of grime music, Loyle remembers battling his schoolmates in the playground after ‘Pow’ was released. When I point out he’s not the type of rapper you would find battling, he jokes “that’s probably why I kept getting beaten!”

As much as Loyle Carner was influenced by grime as a youngster, it’s the other influences in UK hip hop that are more noticeable in his current output. When I first listened to his ‘A Little Late’ EP, the melodic beats and intelligent content reminded me more of the British conscious rappers of the late nineties like Yungun and Lewis Parker. “I’m a big Lewis Parker fan actually. My biological dad used to listen to a lot of [UK] hip hop, he put me onto Roots Manuva and all the classic people like Jehst, Lewis Parker, Skinnyman.” His American musical influences also tend to fall under the conscious rap bracket; “I listened to a lot of Common when I was younger, he’s my idol. And I’ve always loved J Dilla and Slum Village; artists like that.” As he admits, he and his producer friends are hugely influenced by their favourite artists, “What we grew up on is kind of what we make,” and the list of people he’d like to work with reflects how well he understands his own brand. “Dream collaborations for me would be Mos Def, Black Thought or maybe Homeboy Sandman.”

Although there haven’t been any high-profile collaborations just yet, Loyle already has an incredibly impressive CV of artists he’s supported, including Joey Bada$$, Bishop Nehru and Kate Tempest. Who’s his favourite so far? “That’s a tough one,” he admits, “It’s a toss up between Joey and Kate, but I would probably say Kate Tempest, she really took me under her wing and inspired some things in me. I’d just started having industry talks and it was starting to make me lose a bit of my...” he trails off, before adding, “Not really that, because I’ve only just started, but she did reinstill some passion in me. And she’s just such a genius with words.” Kate Tempest is famously a poet, which is something else she

shares with Loyle. He first started writing poetry in school and it still shows throughout his methodically laid out verses. However Tempest will soon have pretty stiff competition for favourite act to support, as Carner is preparing to open for the legendary DJ Premier and Royce Da 5’9 in April.

Admittedly, from the beginning of his career, Loyle set a high standard for performing alongside big artists, his first show was supporting MF DOOM with his friend and Viper alumni, Rejjie Snow. The opportunity came about almost purely by chance, “This was all kind of before I really started; I met Rejjie through friends of mine at school and he was like ‘I’m doing this show supporting DOOM, I could do with some help.

Do you want to come out?’” Did he get to actually see the elusive Mr. DOOM? “Nah, he was on stage for a sound check and when he finished, me and Rejjie ran to his dressing room to catch him but he was already gone, he’d just left loads of cardboard masks behind.” Most of the artists Loyle works with are people he counts as friends, “I actually met Rejjie through King Krule, he was the year above me at school. We were just at his house and got on.” Another friend provided the beautiful sound scape for ‘A Little Late’ EP. “All of the project except for one song was produced by my best friend, Rebel Kleff. We met when a mutual friend put us in contact because I was making raps with no beats and he was making beats with no raps! We’ve pretty much been best friends ever since.”

Friends are clearly important to Loyle but in his life and his music, family is number one. When I ask him what inspires him to write he replies, “Well, whatever happens. But family is usually a big one for me.

I talk about loss a lot I suppose.” It was loss in fact that brought Loyle to rapping. The death of his stepfather, the man that raised him, in 2014 gave him the impetus to change his life path. “I think that’s one reason my mum was so supportive of it, I mean I had taken it seriously enough to make a little bit of a name for myself on SoundCloud but it wasn’t until my dad passed, I took a year out of uni and went on tour to generate some money. So I think my family kind of saw it as something I had to do.” Some of Carner’s most powerful output is inspired by his father’s passing, with the melancholic ‘BFG’ ending on the line, “Everybody says I’m fucking sad / Of course I’m fucking sad I miss my fucking dad.”

Having put so much of his raw feelings into such public property, does he ever feel unable to perform certain songs? “With the tour I clocked [how hard it was] more than with a one-off live show, because on tour obviously you’re doing it every single night and it’s so difficult to give...” he trails off. “It’s hard when there’s emotional investment, which is why it helped being with Kate because her music is also very personal and to perform it every night… it’s difficult, it’s really difficult and it’s draining.

There [are] some nights you don’t feel as connected, there’s been a couple of times I know I’ve choked on lines while doing it, because it’s real.”

Considering the emotion behind the song, I tell him I don’t actually find the song depressing, more pensive. “That means a lot, because it’s easy to become depressing about it I think.”

Photos by James Pearson Howes Words by Lauryn Tomlinson

“REJJIE WAS LIKE ‘I’M DOING THIS SHOW SUPPORTING DOOM. DO YOU WANT TO COME OUT? ”

This seismic shift in Loyle’s family life has, understandably, deeply affected his outlook. When I ask him what the biggest current conflict he’s facing, he replies, “Trying to be both a friend and a father figure for my little brother because I can try and discipline him, but then I still want to be on the friend level with him. If he stays up late I don’t want to be the one telling him to go to bed, I want to be the one that stays up with him so it’s difficult.” I ask him how old his brother is. “He’s thirteen, so obviously it’s hard to tell him anything. I mean, when I was thirteen I was a piece of shit!” His brother is clearly very important to Loyle, and he slips off on several occasions throughout our shoot to check on him following a hospital visit that day. He also features in the video for the track ‘BFG’, a move that Loyle assures me has gained him a nice amount of playground ratings Loyle’s mum is another hugely dominant character in his life, even helping him choose his rap name. “She came up with it really. I was called Master Mowgli before but there’s another rapper called Mowgli and he’s sick so there was no point getting into like a beef with him.

There was a video of me supporting DOOM with Rejjie and I wasn’t even called Mowgli, I was just Benjamin or something and I thought I’ve got to find a proper name! So I sat there with my mum for the whole weekend and she eventually she suggested Loyle Carner. It works because my surname is Coyle-Larner, so it’s a flip on that and because I’m heavily dyslexic, it made a lot of sense.” His mother also influenced the sound we hear from him today, “When I was listening to grime, at home I was listening to a lot of soul music with my mum, like Norah Jones and Roy Ayers.”

Carner’s most recent output ‘Mufasa’, released the day after our interview, makes the significance of his mum abundantly clear. The song opens with the line, “They saying I should write about something else / All I think about’s my mother and myself,” before leading to the dream statement for any mother to hear: “I need my mother, always listen when she speaks.” Since she’s obviously a huge influence on Loyle,

I ask what her reaction was to him leaving school to pursue a career in music. “Well I was at theatre school, so it’s not like I was studying plumbing or something, I always said if I was studying something that gave me a straight path to a career then I would have stayed. But acting is just as up in the air as music and it’s ridiculous enough that I’m doing alright with the music.” Carner was a student at the famous Brit School (think the British version of the school from Fame) before moving to a theatre school for university, so is acting still some thing he’d like to get involved in? “I’m more excited by writing, I’m actually writing a play at the moment, so I’m still interested in it and it’s something I’d love to get involved in.” He’s uncharacteristically coy when I ask about the subject matter of his play, shifting in his seat before allowing, “It’s about people in an old people’s home, I’ll leave it at that for the moment.”

The influence of his drama school background is evident in the confidence with which Loyle performs such intricately laid out rhymes, allowing him to add pathos and melancholy without overdoing it. He admits it was a great outlet for him when he was young, “I had ADHD so I was a bit hyper and impulsive, I was getting into trouble at school because I wouldn’t think things through but that kind of worked at a drama school. I never got into malicious trouble, only from being a bit of a dick.” His understanding of theatre has also provided him with the ability to direct his own music videos, meaning that from the audios to the visuals, what you’re ingesting is exactly how Loyle wants himself to be portrayed.

When asked what the future holds for his music, Loyle is pretty direct; “It’s interesting, I had a meeting with my label recently and they asked that, the honest answer is, I don’t know until it happens.” For somebody who’s been influenced so heavily by the hardest times in his life, it will be interesting to see where he goes next, as life for him continues to improve. But with a summer full of festival appearances and his new releases receiving critical acclaim and blog love, it’s going to be fun observing his ascendence. @loylecarner soundcloud.com/loyle-carner

MIGR AT ION PO LI T ICS GEORG GATSAS DOCUMENTS THE CONFLICT THAT COMES WITH SEEKING A BETTER LIFE

“IN 2014 ALONE MORE THAN 100 MIGRANTS DIED IN THEIR ATTEMPT TO CROSS THE EVROS RIVER ON THE BORDER.”

Muhammadi Yonous

Greece has a population of close to 11 million inhabitants. According to the Ministry of Civil Defence, more than 750,000 people have migrated into the country since 2005: first across the Aegean Sea, then over the Evros River that divides Turkey and Greece. 60% of all migrants to Europe reach their destination using this route.

It is practically impossible to apply for asylum in Greece: in 2010, 10,300 applications were received but only 60 were granted. Asylum seekers get neither financial support nor accommodation. On the streets they’re at risk of

racist violence, arrest or deportation.“Whatever their reasons for making the journey, people want to survive,” says Muhammadi Yonous, the President of the Afghan Community Association. Yonous knows the lives of migrants in Athens like few others. “The vast majority, 95% of the refugees, do not want to stay in Greece, but to travel further to other European countries,” says Yonous, adding: “Europe can build its fences as high as it likes but people will come all the same, their journey will just become more dangerous.” In 2014 alone more than 100 migrants died in their attempt to cross the Evros River on the border. Many were never

found: the strong current carries them off and the sludgy riverbed becomes a mass grave.

This series came about thanks to an invitation from the journalist Kaspar Surber, and was published in his book ‘An Europas Grenze’ (On The European Border, Echtzeit Publishers, 2012). When we undertook the reportage, only a few voices in Europe were being raised regarding this silent catastrophe at the edge of Europe, which in the meantime it affects us all.

At least that has changed. Hopefully politics will change too.

Words + Photos by Georg Gatsas Georggatsas.com

On a cold winter afternoon in February, we visit singer/songwriter/artist, Jean Deaux, on the South Side of Chicago, past Hyde Park and into miles of potholes and struggling neighbourhoods. Her apartment is empty and quiet. The heat is out at the moment, so she wraps herself in a blanket with the space heater on as high as it will go. Jean has a great deal to say, so we listen as intently as possible as the words tell her story.

During our hour-long conversation, she speaks on everything from a recent lifechanging incident to plans for the release of ‘Soular System Vol. 2’. But to start off the interview, Viper asks how the year’s been treating her. “I had a pretty rough beginning of the year,” she starts. “The third day of January,

I got super depressed and I attempted to off myself. I try to be honest about a lot of stuff.

It’s the only way that I’m gonna get over it. It was definitely a life-changing experience.”

“It wasn’t funny or humorous to me,” she continues, “but it’s actually kind of ironic because I purposefully hid my ID and they brought me into the hospital as Jane Doe.” Despite the Jean Deaux / Jane Doe coincidence (it’s pronounced John, the French way), she wasn’t at a point in her life where she could laugh. “I felt like I had hit rock bottom but I had been looking to hit rock bottom for a while. I thought it was proper to put the tape out at the end of December because it was the soundtrack to the year that I had. I didn’t want to take ‘Dark Matter[s]’ to the new year.”

Although Jean has been releasing music since 2012, it wasn’t until December of 2014 that she released her debut project, ‘Soular System Vol. 1: Dark Matter[s]’.

Covering emotional topics like heartbreak and depression, it was an intimate look into the life of a teenager with a lot riding on her voice and her words. The story featured backdrops by Childish Gambino affiliate, Tim Suby, as well Chicago talents, THEMpeople and Donnie Trumpet of Chance The Rapper’s Social Experiment.

“So yeah, the first three days of the year sucked,” she says. “I spent the next three days admitted. I had to admit myself to the psychiatric ward and be placed on suicide watch. I went to this group, it was just me and

FALLING IN AND OUT OF DARK MATTER[S]:

CONVERSING WITH JEAN DEAUX

FOLLOWING A ROCKY START TO 2015 THE CHICAGO MUSICIAN IS SET FOR STARDOM Photos by Nosidam.

Words by Ben Niespodziany

this other guy, and we basically did this music listening group. [We were] just playing a lot of mainstream music but they were cool songs that I can see why people like, like ‘Fireworks’

by Katy Perry and ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’ by Lauryn Hill and ‘Waterfalls’ by TLC.”

“The other guy in the group,” she continues, “he was just talking about how low he felt and how he felt that God had turned his back on him. Very deep and dark, poetic things. I was listening and really tearing up. I told him to give my tape a listen - even though it was the worst time of my life, I could reach out to someone and do that. I’ll never know if he listened to it or not, but I really couldn’t give him anything else other than the gift of music.”

Now that almost two months have

passed since her dark matter grew darker, she is back in her South Side apartment, living with her boyfriend and planning for the future: she will turn 20 this year. I ask if she’s in a better place? “After all of that, things started getting better. I think everybody started to realise how much I need support even though I’m so independent. I moved out when I was eighteen. I’ve been completely on my own for two years. It’s not easy but a lot of people thought that since I was independent and making music, they thought I was rich. When I was in that hospital, I was ashamed of myself, but people started to understand how serious it is. It’s scary to think about because now, when I think about all the good stuff that’s happened, I could have missed out because I gave up. That’s

important for other people to know. I didn’t just go through some Lifetime movie depression.

That shit was real to the point that I convinced myself to not want to be here anymore. It’s scary because you’re your own worst enemy.”

Jean mentions that her manager and close friend resigned shortly before her sobering hospital visit. Naturally she was crushed, but as she wasn’t in charge of her business/inquiry email account, she was disconnected from feedback. “A few weeks ago, I started reading through all these emails from people around the world. [Fans] who like my music, people who wanted features, who wanted to book me for shows and festivals and a lot of stuff that I not only missed out on, but had never seen.

Part of that depression was me being like,

“I FELT LIKE I HAD HIT ROCK BOTTOM. BUT I HAD BEEN LOOKING TO HIT ROCK BOTTOM FOR A WHILE”

‘What if my music is not what everybody is telling me it is?’ I wanna create and that’s what I’m meant to do. To see those emails after all these months, I just wished [my manager] would have shared those with me.”

Now that things are looking up and the braces are coming off, what’s the rest of her year looking like? “I wanna go on tour,” she begins.

“I wanna apply for the Red Bull Academy at the end of the year and I wanna go out of the country. I wanna go play somewhere. I already got emails about booking tours across the country.” She continues, “I’m working on volume two of the tape, which is the soundtrack of this year. I want it to be yin and yang. I’m telling a story. It’s the story of my life and not only the dark parts of it, but the fun and the joy of it.

It’s art so I’m going to try to make it very dramatic and eventually put the story all together. ‘Soular System’ is going to be a two-part series, it’s gonna have the dark matters and it’s gonna have the rebirth. My rebirth. Being awake again. We go through cycles of getting used to the circumstances and we not only acknowledge but we accept change.

We’re constantly being reborn. I think every year that I’m getting older, I’m realising more and more stuff that held me back the year before.

And that’s what you should be doing. I have to change. I’m still learning.”

She tells me that ‘Soular System’ is half her showing the dark side of life, the other half showing the “blooming and growth” of life. She mentions that good or bad, relationships have always been discussed in her songs. Her song ‘Kukka’ is about a past relationship that had been going on for too long. She’s recently been working on visuals for the song. When she mentions working on a music video, I ask Jean about the visual aspect of her art. While she directed ‘Escape’ with Saba back in 2013, it wasn’t until ‘Motel 6’, her lead music video for ‘Soular System’, that she found herself writing and directing but also writing a shot-list and location scouting. She even cast the actors. Shot in the desert of LA, she only had a short amount of time to film. “I’m happy with the video, but I was nervous. It came out cool. I got to make executive decisions for my vision. That will definitely not be my last time directing.”

“The visuals are so important,” she says, “and it’s really important to me to keep good quality visuals. The only way I’m willing to work with other directors is if they not only acknowledge my vision but also understand the story I’m trying to tell. If your vision doesn’t fit my narrative for Jean Deaux, then I can’t really work with you. It’s all got to fit the character of who I am as an artist.”

“Music videos aren’t interesting any more,” she continues.

“I’m seeing a lot of the same things over and over. Even if it’s not an extravagant story, you can still tell a story. As an artist, I’m not just a singer or a vocalist or a rapper, I’m a writer. Since kindergarten, I wrote a book about my fake Uncle Bob who wasn’t real and that had a farm with horses and cows and I got to ride the horses and eat corn and apples. I wrote the book, I made pictures and I laminated it.”

A real auteur, even assisting with her production at times, it makes sense that Jean finds herself within multiple collectives inside the cultural boom of the Windy City. The Village, for example, a Chicagobased collective that includes members Kembe X, Alex Wiley, Isaiah Rashad and more, names Jean Deaux as their only female talent. Jean tells me it began around the time that they first heard about Odd Future. “I remember seeing that Earl Sweatshirt video in the barbershop [‘EARL’].

[Kembe and Alex] told me I was gonna be a real female rapper who can actually rap. We started taking it seriously and I would sneak into the studio when I was fifteen. [Kembe’s] mom would lie and tell my mom that she was taking us to the museum to work on school projects, but she would

really just be driving us to the West suburbs to this dude’s home studio.”

She confesses that the first track she rhymed over was Kanye and John Legend’s ‘Home’. “It was bad,” she tells me. “The worst stuff I ever made. The lyrics were cool, but my flow was fucked up. That’s when I first realised how hard rapping is. It took me a long time to learn how to enunciate words and get my message across clear.”

Along with The Village, Jean explains how she started recording with Saba, her cousin by marriage, in his basement when she was sixteen. “I started learning from Kembe and Alex, but I grew with Saba and started to learn how to become myself as an artist and how to create a song. I was dropping hella old songs that people really like. It gave me a lot of confidence that I needed. My mom didn’t even know I could sing until I was sixteen.” Her song, ‘Escape’, with Saba, was the first song she made when she realised she could make a hit. “It’s a song my dad talks about to this day,” she says. “I play [my family] my stuff, it’s to show them that this isn’t a game. I’m not singing about corny stuff and I probably won’t make it on the radio, but I’m going to make it count, whatever I do.”

On top of being affiliated with The Village and cool with Saba’s Pivot Gang (she’s also blood cousins with John Walt), Jean is housemates with South Side singer (by way of Texas and California) Via Rosa and the two spend plenty of time surrounded by talents like production quartet THEMpeople, Mick Jenkins, RnB singer Nosidam. (originally from DC) and producer AmbI Lyrics (originally from St. Louis). In December of 2014, Jean, Via, AmbI and Nos. all released projects.

“It’s taught me a lot about friendship,” she says of the group. “I feel like I have a different mentality from them because I’m from here. The way I deal with Chicago people is definitely different.” Expanding on this point, she explains, “I had my cousins who helped me find my artistic ability,” she analyses. “I had Kembe and Alex who helped me work on my craft and then I really had Via and [Nosidam.] and [AmbI] and THEMpeople and other people I fuck with in Chicago to just help me stay afloat.”

She tells me how she watched the documentary about JD Salinger [Salinger] and how she understands his desire for being a recluse. He has the same initials as her, she says, adding that he dated an 18 year-old that wrote an article about the Solar System which Jean read. She mentions how The Catcher in the Rye sparked a fuse within people and caused them to react. “If I can find a way to evoke that type of emotion through writing my words and my songs and putting visuals and representing myself, not only does it show honesty but hopefully it does what I have seen books do. They’re books,” she smiles, “they’re not even guns.”

As we wrap up the interview and I pray for the heating to return to her cold apartment, she shares advice for artists working on their craft, “Be patient. It takes time. When you rush it, it doesn’t come out how it’s supposed to. Also, don’t do it for what you think you’re gonna get. Don’t do it for other people because your story is gonna be different [compared to] anybody else’s. What you want now might be nothing like what you get, so don’t be too disappointed.”

She closes the interview with some final words, “Shout out to Via [Rosa]. She’s leaving the country [Ecuador to visit her mother], so sad.

Shout out to The Village. Shout out to Viper Magazine and Lily, man. She’s been posting my music since I started, which I really fuck with. Look out for my new shit coming up, songs and visuals in the works. I’m actually gonna be part of this Chicago story in a few French magazines in the next couple months. It’s supposed to be 20 pages and I can’t even read French.”

@ThatsJeanDeaux soundcloud.com/thatsjeandeaux

Photos by HypeMari Words by Lily Mercer

Photos by HypeMari Words by Lily Mercer

MILKAVELLI TH E PIFF GANG + CULT MOUNTAIN MEMBER ON HIS SOLO DEBUT

As one of the most promising rappers in the UK, Milkavelli’s heavily tattooed appearance and lyrics full of London slang have people wondering, “Who the hell is this guy?”

Viper talks to the only rapper we know with both Queen Nefertiti and Kate Moss tattooed on his chest. Shockingly neither tattoo is his favourite, as he gazes down at the ink in the palm of his right hand and reveals, “They all mean something, I low-key like this Benzo Boyz one the most ‘cause it’s the newest. It’s for the Barbiturate takers.”

We meet in his North London home, a place christened T.H.O.T. Mansion by the many debauchery-loving friends that pass through the doors. He refuses to take credit for the name, stating, “It’s nothing to do with me, I was away when the house got the name. It’s to do with the younger generation of us not the older ones; the little twenty one yearolds that float around.” Referring to the Chicago term that translates as “That ho over there,” the name given to the house subtly reflects Milk’s debaucherous lifestyle. It’s also reflected in many other touches around the house, with “Ollie’s hat box” written across a former wine crate.

Surprisingly the box doesn’t contain a single hat, just random electrical cables, a lightbulb and similar nonentities.

The twenty seven year-old rapper has enjoyed a leisurely career so far, as both a solo artist and member of rap collectives, Piff Gang and Cult Mountain. He first appeared on the scene back in the mid-2000s as “Monster Under The Bed,” competing at battle rap events across London and loitering around Deal Real Records. One of his best known videos from this era is the Don’t Flop battle, which sees him battle Pseudonym.

Asked if a lot of people come across him now then realise they knew him as Monster, he admits it happens often. “I like that my cult fans know all the different levels to this shit. Shout out them, they’re the real motherfuckers, they buy this shit.”

From “Monster,” he evolved into “Don Silk,” before eventually settling on the name du jour, “Milkavelli;” a play on 2Pac’s alternative moniker, Makaveli, not to mention Max B’s Biggaveli title. Hilariously I once had to talk him out of changing his rap name to simply, “Oliver,” arguing that it would be difficult to find him on Google. The Milk part of his name refers to his pale complexion, not his love for milk, though he does love the white stuff, thanking Viper for providing him with enough milk to last many days following our photo shoot. He expresses excitement as he runs through the many cereals he’s now able to indulge in.

Milkavelli’s sense of humour is evident in his music, as is his cocky attitude.

On ‘Bionic’, he begins with the words, “So basically, you’re a complete cunt and that’s the fact of life,” an unexplained insult that leaves your eyes wide before the first verse even begins. Many of his opening lines tend to have as

much impact as his ad-libs, though an assumed understanding of British culture often means that the wit is lost on those lacking in knowledge of the UK’s social history. For example, “Rap game Harold Shipman, I got no patience,” is a pretty mind-blowing line if you’re aware that Harold Shipman was a doctor imprisoned for illegally euthanising his patients.

It’s also effortlessly delivered, demonstrating Milkavelli’s ease with clever one-liners.

Far from being considered a negative, this inclusive understanding of British culture encourages UK fans to embrace music that references their own culture’s history rather than America’s. Growing up, I knew cultural icons that meant nothing to my life due to them being name checked on a song by Ja Rule or Nelly [Vanna White anyone?]. So hearing rappers from London reference distinctly British things, like Roots’ Manuva’s lyric about cheese on toast, has always made me fonder of the UK’s own rap scene.

UK hip hop is presently expanding in an interesting way, coincidentally at the same time grime music is enjoying a resurgence. It’s been a few years since we had this many talented UK rappers releasing music simultaneously. And the fact that the artists are friends too suggests that this scene could evolve into a new era of talented musicians, from Rejjie Snow and Loyle Carner to Jesse James and Milkavelli. Many of them are also crossing over into the US, in part because of their relationships with NYC’s alternative rap scene, such as RatKing and Remy Banks.

Milkavelli has collaborated several times with the latter, most recently on ‘10K’, produced by Sumgii and featuring vocals by producer, Budgie. The song was recorded in London in early 2014, but released in 2015, along with another song of theirs, ‘Snowbeach’. Speaking on the possibility of the pair releasing an album together, Milkavelli explains, “That’s a work in process, eventually that will just hit you from the side.”

His relationship with the Queens MC is evident, with Banks’ regularly shouting out the UK collective via the Internet.

Currently taking a hiatus from recording, Piff Gang’s 10 members are focusing on solo work at present, with Milkavelli and Phaze What both preparing to release full-length projects this year. The London collective, made up of rappers, producers and DJs, was formed in 2011 with their first show taking place in East London the night the London riots began.

Creating feel-good songs that showcased their highly-active social lives, the MCs caught heat for promoting a lifestyle that some didn’t appreciate.

As Young Skout says on one song, “People always ask why we rap about smoking weed, fucking bitches and parties, that’s cause all we do is smoke weed, fuck bitches and party.” Reflecting on the lyric, Milkavelli laughs, “At the time that’s all we did.”

These themes naturally continue into Milkavelli’s solo work, as many would agree that he’s the worst behaved of the bunch. He looks back fondly on the time that Piff Gang spent making music, but admits the time has passed and they’ve grown up a little. He later expresses incredulity at the simplicity of their lives at that point in time, reflecting on the song, ‘Candy Cup’. “I don’t even like that, well I like it, but it was a different time. The shit I like the most is that ‘Don Silk [Baby]’ shit, that’s the illest. That was like fresh-minded writing. But my new shit is the shit.” Having always felt that ‘Don Silk (Baby)’ was a follow up to ’My Favourite Ladies’, I ask if it’s paying homage to the MF DOOM classic.

“Not even, I wasn’t even aware. I just wrote it at my crib when I was living a bit better. I had like a couple girls, it’s fact and fiction, like a mix.”

The song displays the fluidity of his rhyme structure and flow, giving the impression that lyrically, he’s barely even trying. The ease with which he spits will have you think that it’s all pre-written but on first hearing a beat, he’ll immediately freestyle to feel out the instrumental and determine if he wants to rap on it. He explains, “I’ve just been on this rap shit for time, then I stopped being on this rap shit. I started to be less on the hardcore rap shit, but I got more on it as my style got more relaxed I guess. When I was younger I was bare hungry so when I rapped on a song it was like “Boom,” a machine gun hitting the shit. Now it’s relaxed and I can hit the same flows and shit but it’s more nonchalant now. Before I was so hungry to do it and you could hear the hunger but it went over years. It’s more steezy now, it’s the fun time, I can write and write and bang out tracks.”

Though this easy-going attitude to making music would have you thinking he’s one of those rappers that never writes a lyric down, he’s not that kinda guy. “I have to write because my short term memory is so shit. Writing’s good anyway, you can get mad shit out when you write.

You can be pissed off and write something and you’ll feel better but you have to really let it fly, not worry about what you write. It’s definitely a good form of therapy.” From rapping we lead onto the conversation of music as therapy, with him admitting that though it’s therapeutic making music, he only realised that recently. “It is a form of therapy, it all comes from that, people having a voice and shit and getting their frustration out on a record and I feel that’s gone on forever, so it probably will go on but I think for me, it wasn’t such a struggle. It was more like we were on our happy horrorcore shit, we weren’t depressed or nothing, we were just a bunch of kids. Nowadays, I definitely feel like I get it all out.”

It’s no surprise that his original attraction to rapping had more to do with the glamour of the job than therapy or linguistics, which explains why Piff Gang’s music is more uplifting than revolutionary. “It’s like glamour, it was less like real feeling, it was fun music to go out and have fun to or drive to.” He admits, before addressing the criticism they received from those unable to understand the message, “It’s got a bad rep with certain humans but it’s not a thing, everyone grew up from that era. That was just everybody living out the rest of their childhood, just a bit late. But it ain’t like anyone’s changed, they just got a bit older; everyone’s still a kid.”

As they work on their own individual releases, Piff Gang are still hanging out even though they’re not putting out music. Milkavelli explains, “It’s not so much a group anymore, everyone’s on their own shit, it’s just like friends innit, certain people you always make tracks with. My album ain’t got a feature, I’m not trying to have a feature.

The tracks I drop will have mad features but not my [album]. It’s like a personal thing, like a body of work more than a mixtape. I’ve been working on this shit for time, a good two years.”

Since taking a break from Piff Gang, Milkavelli has begun to focus on a new collective, Cult Mountain, in addition to his solo album, currently titled ‘Oliver’. The album has been a long time in the making, with one song in particular recorded in 2012. Having heard it back then, I point out that it’s still as significant now as it was when I first heard it three years ago. “I wrote the shit back then and it’s still relevant now, it’s more relevant than back then.” he says in agreement. “It’s so weird, that one took me by surprise as well.”

He expresses a critical attitude to the new school music fans in general, as his perspective in his mid-twenties is so different from the youth of today. “We’re the last analog generation that didn’t have mobile phones when we were kids and there was no Internet growing up. You had to actually ride a bike or go play football when you were young. Kids are mad fucked, everything is like a trending topic. It’s fucked up, kids born with FaceBook… I think that everything’s a bit doomed.”

As we approach the topic of prescription medication, or rather, the abuse of it, I mention that Chance the Rapper tweeted recently, “Xanax [is] the new Heroin. Don’t let em fool u.” Milkavelli laughs, saying, “Yeah, that’s real. You don’t wanna get too deep into that shit, obviously it’s not the new heroin cus it’s not an opiate, but it is. It’s the new cool drug, that’s the new cool thing to do but it’s not even that cool. And if you’ve got anxiety and it’s prescribed to you maybe it will actually do something to you, but it’s not to take day to day like you’re smoking weed or something. That shit is very detrimental to your mind and your soul, your soul more than anything.”

As an open advocate of drugs, particularly Barbiturates, Milkavelli’s view on drugs is both critical and indulgent; “Xanax and Valium are fucked because it’s the only thing apart from maybe alcohol that can kill you. Barbiturates are the only thing that you can die from the withdrawals [of it], so if you come off it, you can die. You can’t even die from withdrawals of opiates. Even [with] heroin you can’t die from the withdrawals, you can feel like you wanna die, but you won’t die. So saying Xanax is the new heroin, Xanax is probably worse than heroin in the long run.” He does take both Xanax and Valium, but is also highly aware of the damage they cause along with other prescription drugs.

He even goes as far as to refer to them as one of the worst threats, as they encourage users to delve into stronger drugs; “Milk is for the kids, weed is for the kids,” he jokes before adding, “The real gateway drugs are drinking and meds, especially the two together. Don’t believe the hype about weed, it’s no gateway drug at all.”

He admits to being a stoner above all else, “I tried to have other dependancies but that shit went bad.” He laughs, continuing, “Shit, I had a few [substitute addictions], like girls… But my only real loyal girl was Mary Jane. Even though she’s fucking everyone at the same time, she’s always there when I need her.” He later admitted to a slightly healthier addiction, saying, “Milk is the real drug of choice, that’s the first drug, that’s like the first lady.”

He expresses concern over the excessive use of prescription drugs by young people today, saying, “Meds are the thing to do now, so the government’s getting rich off the kids, Plus America’s getting crazy now, certain families with a ten year old that’s been taking Adderall for three years, that’s heavy duty. It’s like smoking crystal meth, it’s fucked.” This isn’t Milkavelli’s first time in Viper, with him appearing alongside his adorable feline, Gadget, back in spring 2014. We ask what the feedback is been like for the pair and he responds, “Shout out Viper for hooking me up with that weird animalistic hate mail.”

For 2015, his plans include the release of a new Cult Mountain EP, plus his solo album, ‘Oliver’, which despite the strong scene of musicians around him, is set to be feature-free. That said, he pays homage to his fellow musician friends including Jesse James, “They’re very ill with it. Jesse’s ridiculously ill, so talented and it’s young talent too. I think people think Jesse’s a lot older than he is, he’s wise beyond his years. He gets the most props, he’s so ill.” Not to mention his Cult Mountain collaborators, Lee Scott and Trellion, “Lee, he’s so ill with it and Trellion and Sniff. My 616 gang holding me down.” The Cult Mountain collective are set to release their second EP in Spring, with Milkavelli revealing that the “new one’s out within a month or two.”

Stay tuned as this cult rapper reaches new heights. @milkavelli soundcloud.com/milkavelli

“I TRIED TO HAVE OTHER DEPENDANCIES BUT THAT SHIT WENT BAD”

AMERICANA PHOTOS + WORDS BY BETHEGUN

Spending my final 48 hours in New York bleaching the walls and floors of my shitty Bushwick railroad apartment, in an attempt to remove two years worth of cigarette smoke and get my deposit back, could be described as a rather unceremonious exit from the city that never sleeps.

However what we were about to embark upon, after rescuing a sedated Milkavelli from a dimly lit opium den in New Jersey, was a road trip often cited as The One To End All Others. Well it was. Here are a selection of photographs taken somewhere during a 7,000 mile long ‘U’ shape route, driven from New York to California during a very hot Summer in 2014.

N EW YOR K - CALIFORNIA NEW JERSEY | MARYLAND | VIRGINIA | NORTH CAROLINA | SOUTH CAROLINA| GEORGIA | FLORIDA | ALABAMA | MISSISSIPPI | LOUISIANA | NEW MEXICO | COLORADO | UTAH | ARIZONA | NEVADA | OKLAHOMA | TEXAS

EARTHGANG AT L A N TA ’ S R A P H I P P I E S O N S AV I N G T H E W O R L D Today it’s rare to come across that skin-crawling, nerve-stimulating rap music that moves you; hip hop that touches you on a deeper level than a head nod. But fear not, EarthGang are here.

Meet your new spirit animals; Johnny Venus and Doctur Dot, the Atlanta artists who met in high school and started transforming their thoughts into rhymes over unique production.

The duo are part of a larger collective, Spillage Village, that’s as free flowing in positive energy and creativity as its members. EarthGang recently put out a seven track EP, ‘Torba’, that provides enough thoughts for meditation for each day of the week. Before that, their full-length album ‘Shallow Graves For Toys‘, was their refined end result of actualised concepts, which should be taken as a collection of vignettes. We caught up with EarthGang on their way home from touring with Ab-Soul for the ‘These Days’ tour to discuss their rocky start and bright future.

How was the ‘These Days’ tour?

Johnny Venus: It was beautiful. We got to travel across the country. We got to link up with so many people from so many different cultures. A lot of people [had] never seen us live before.

Doctur Dot: A lot of them confirm what they’ve been listening to for a while.

Let’s go way back before you guys were EarthGang, had you been rapping individually?

DD: Yeah, we were rapping before EarthGang.

I would do a little here and there. Venus was recording a bunch of stuff, on some Lil Wayne…

JV: It didn’t really start until the tenth or eleventh grade. I had friends I went to middle school with, they had a recording studio, and I knew Doc before then.

I saw on your Wikipedia page that you guys met on a field trip. Do you remember how that went?

JV: I don’t even remember where the field trip was. When we came back, our high school was on fire. That was the christening moment right there.

DD: It was nothing but black people [at our school] we didn’t have no white people, so whenever there was a chance for young kids to act rowdy, they’d act rowdy. It was on the news and everything when the school was

on fire. Pulling in on the school bus we look over and just see fights, kids going wild and smoke everywhere. We’re standing in all of that and we’re like, “Yo, we the homies now.”

That would be a pretty amazing music video. Your Wikipedia page features a point of clarification that you guys aren’t an environmental group. Does that confusion happen often?

JV: Yeah… not total confusion but people who have never heard of us ask, “What do you guys do? Recycle or something?” We’re actually starting an EarthGang upkeep after all of this is done. It’s going down. You’ll see it in 10 years.

You guys have known each other for a while. How would you describe each other’s personality and what he brings to the duo?

DD: Venus brings a lot of the real diplomatic energy. I remember when Venus first met my mom in high school, she was like, “Wow, he’s such a diplomat.” I was like, “Damn Ma, you’re kinda right.” If we were a thunderstorm, I would be the rain and he would be the air pushing me around. We both have a super appreciation for the musicality. But his appreciation is very soulful and calculated.

JV: As far as Doc goes, it’s a maniacal quality. He’s very intense about things and that’s always good, to drive the point home. He brings that urgency.

It’s cool to see that you guys have a yin and yang balance. I know that you guys also call yourselves Expert Gurus. Are there other nicknames for the E and G? JV: EarthGang aka Expert Gurus aka Egg Growers aka The Flying Travolta Brothers.

DD: And the Egregious Gynaecologists.

Moving into the music, you have three projects so far. They’re all similar yet different. There isn’t one theme for each album but rather a collection of events in your lives at that time.

Does that sound accurate?

JV: That’s pretty accurate. I like to think that they’re recordings of our memoirs or dreams or whatever. You might wake up with a thought or a vision. It’s what we’re influenced by or what is relieving to us; it might give us release so we introduce it to the music.

Photo by Leandro Moura Words by Bryan Hahn

“WHEN WE CAME BACK, OUR HIGH SCHOOL WAS ON FIRE. THAT WAS THE CHRISTENING MOMENT RIGHT THERE”

So for ‘Shallow Graves’, what were you relieving?

DD: Shallow Graves’ was a compilation of so much going on, like for ‘The F Bomb’, to put it in that rhythm and that fashion just came one morning. We were at school for a lot of the project, but it was senior year of school, I just wasn’t going to class. I was being real. I’d wake up, smoke with J.I.D., our homie from Spillage Village, and not do shit. It’s because I wasn’t giving a fuck about what was going on.

Plus ‘Shallow Graves’ was inspired by the experiences of stuff, like we were about to break up, legal problems. It was like the sad nigga tape, trying to make it like we’re still fighting. We put out the first two and didn’t get that much notoriety and we put this one out like we’re still fighting.

I gotta ask. On the first project, ‘Mad Men’, you guys introduce us to the pick up line of being a “dope dick deliverer”. How much success has that had?

DD: (laughs) We used to say that in school all the time. Me and Venus and my man J.I.D. In college, you get laid so much that’s what you start saying.

Moving on, a big part of your guys’ image is the consumption of drugs. Have drugs unlocked any life answers that you can share with us?

DD: First of all, you don’t need to trip to understand the universe. I don’t like when artists use their drugs as their thing. Drugs are fun

to do. Just say that they’re fun to do. You don’t have to use it as an excuse to be a genius. If you can create, that comes from God. That’s the first drug. That’s all I’m gonna say. We like getting high because we like getting high. One day, I just might stop getting high.

JV: That’s the answer. God and drugs.

What’s next for you guys? Another project?

JV: Yeah, it’s called ‘Strays with Rabies’. We’ve recorded some music for it, we’ve been out in L.A. and working with a lot of different producers. It still has that truthful, soulful, I don’t want to call it lamentations, but it’s got that different kind of vibe to it. It’s kind of like the middle of the night. It’s like getting high on the trampoline at four in the morning, going through all the thoughts in your head.

What will be the moment in your careers where you know that you’ve succeeded?

JV: (Laughs) I just need national holidays in like 30 countries.

DD: National God and Drugs Day. Any last shout outs?

DD: Shout out the whole Spillage Village, shout out J.I.D, my man Jordan Bryant. And shout out Ab-Soul and TDE for bringing us on their tour, we had a super good time. Shout out DJ Dark Knight and Doe Burger. @EarthGang soundcloud.com/earthganghbt

SKIN Since I was a youngin’ I’ve been captivated by the bright lights of the pop world. Staring out at me from the TV, I was hooked by the make-up, racy outfits, suggestive dance moves and the beauty of my favourite female icons. I would mimic their moves, change my hairstyle and maybe even my attitude. But I overlooked one aspect when it came to mimicking their appearance; my skin colour. Though it’s been around for years, skin-whitening has never been so popular, with the global market for bleaching products projected to reach to $19.8 billion dollars by 2018.

By now you will have probably heard rumours regarding Beyonce’s change in skin colour over the years. A photo for the cover her album ‘4’ in 2011 caused controversy due to the noticeable change in skin colour, something that was later put down to lighting. In 2008, an allegation was made towards L’Oreal for ‘whitewashing’ the star in one of their campaigns. Critics claimed they had digitally lightened her skin, which could have the effect of making darker-skinned black girls ashamed of how they look. L’Oreal denied the pictures had been altered in such a way and Beyonce has never spoken on the topic. However, it has been alleged that her father Matthew Knowles had encouraged her to use skinwhitening products in the early days of Destiny’s Child.

Other black celebrities that have been picked up for the noticeable change in skin colour throughout the years include Vybz Cartel, Lil Kim, Tamar Braxton and of course, Michael Jackson. Vybz Cartel has openly admitted that he lightens his skin using a type of ‘cake soap AKA blue soap’, even pushing forward his very own brand of soap. Sales for the soap in Jamaica rocketed when Vybz claimed it lightened the skin. However, Vybz does defend his beauty regime and explains that he sees lightening your skin as no different to straightening your hair or getting a tan. He states, “When black women stop straightening their hair and wearing wigs and weaves, when white women stop getting lip and butt injections and implants … then I’ll stop using the ‘cake soap’ and we’ll all live naturally ever after.”

Illustrations by Edd Leigh Words by Alice Razack

And it’s not just celebrities supporting the trend. Skinwhitening has never been so popular in certain parts of Africa, with a recent increase in women even bleaching their children’s skin to supposedly make them appear more attractive as they grow up. This is despite the fact skin-lightening products contain dangerous toxic substances that can lead to kidney failure, diabetes and even death. Sure, skin-lightening has been around for quite some time now, but new crazes and ways of changing your skin colour have never been so widely available.

Unfortunately, skin-lightening isn’t the only concern in these times of ethnic appropriation, as other cultures also get wrapped up in thinking the grass is greener on the other side. Caucasian men and women who desire a darker skin tone are spraying themselves with chemicals, burning their skin using harmful sunbeds and even using the latest ‘tanning technology’, getting lethal tanning injections or ingesting tanning pills which dye you from the inside out. Europe is currently experiencing a boom in cosmetic surgeries and skin-altering products, with young females currently idolising blow-up doll-like celebrities such as the Kardashians. Using Botox for plumper, more exotic lips has never been so popular; with the younger generations able to purchase an injection for around £50 in some nail salons. It will come as a shock to no one that the trend for a larger derriere has reached its peak, causing a trend for women in both the US and UK to go as far as ass injections to get that J. Lo behind. Long gone are the days of padded bras being deemed risqué. Go into most womenswear stores today and you’ll find gel-padded pants for a rounder bum, waist-trainers that prohibit your breathing whilst exercising (shown to not work in the long term, by the way) and many other body shaping undergarments, which are essentially used to disguise your natural form.

There are now so many different types of fillers and treatments, it’s actually shocking to think any female can feel good about themselves without having at least three different surgeries. If it makes you look more unnatural and less like your true self, the average female (and some males) want to hear about it.

Interestingly it wasn’t until the 1920s, when fashion icon Coco Chanel was spotted returning from a cruise with freshly tanned skin, that people started to consider being tanned as more of a luxurious look than maintaining the pale, ‘well kept’ look. Before this seismic shift, having pale skin was a signifier of being wealthy enough to not have to work outdoors, so the whiter the skin the more upper class you were deemed to be. Since then it’s been nothing but basting yourself in oil to sunbathe or trips to tanning salons to gain a crispy bacon-like look. It appears people of every race want to be the opposite of what they are.

While some African and Caribbean people deem beauty to be a Western light-skinned look, others in Europe strive for

plumper lips and darker skin to create an exotic and sun kissed look.

Asian cultures are also known to prefer the lighter skin tone, various skin-bleaching products are widely available all over Asia in your standard supermarket and generally carry little-tono controversy. Skin-whitening commercials are widely seen all over Asian media and online and are targeted at both men, women and teenagers. In South East Asia, China and Japan, maintaining a fair and pale complexion re-asserts wealth, beauty and social economic status, much like it used to in European cultures, and it has been this way from as early as the 17th and 18th centuries.

Companies such as Nivea have created

Nivea’s Extra White & Firm Q10 Deodorant, which sells in many stores all over Asia and contains skin whitening ingredients, allowing Oriental women to lighten their underarm skin. Surprisingly, even supposedly ethical companies such as The Body Shop sell a product called Moisture White Shiso, which is a make up base that promises “fairer looking skin in an instant.” Though it may not contain bleach, it capitalises on the Eastern desire for lighter skin. The skin-lightening market in Asia alone is valued at over £8 billion (almost $12 billion) and shows absolutely no signs of stopping.

What’s crazy, but sadly real, is that we’re a generation of chameleons. This is a self-denying generation and the problem is deep

rooted, coming from our ancestors and the early makings of civilisations fighting to be on top. It seems it has been this way forever but today’s attitude towards changing your skin colour has somewhat of an ignorant, vain and submissive air to it, and one that needs to be looked at with fresh eyes. We’re not entirely sure of ourselves, but we know we need to change. Never have people strived so much to look different from their original avatar. Everyone wants what they don’t have and never have surgery and enhancements been such an easy option for the masses. It’s so important for us to embrace who and what we are. And if we cannot love our skin colour, how can we ever truly love ourselves.

GRANDEMARSHALL THE PHILLY MC AND PRODUCER PUTTING ON FOR HIS CITY

Photo by Lorenzo Sanchez Words by Bryan Hahn

“AT 14 HE WAS ASSISTANT TO THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE FOR THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT AND ACTING PRESIDENT OF THE BLACK STUDENT UNION, ALL WHILE SELLING WEED ON THE SIDE. ” It’s the night of the 57th Grammy’s and I’m tuned in because it’s turned into a free televised concert (read: Herbie Hancock was on stage with Questlove) rather than an actual presentation of awards (only nine out of the 83 awards were televised). But for GrandeMarshall and his closest producers, Ben Pramuk and SamGreenS, who along with Noah Breakfast have been the go-to-guys for moulding Grande’s sound through his two projects, ‘800’ and ‘Mugga Man’, the award show is just background studio noise.

GrandeMarshall has more to him than just swag rap, bitches, 40oz’s, weed and fly clothes. The Billboard charts aren’t what he’s aiming for. Instead, his mind is stuck on thoughts of close friends in jail and family members lost to addiction. When asked about his feelings towards Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Control’ verse he replies indifferently, “I can’t give a

fuck about a motherfucker going on a verse and saying name for name, ‘I’m better than this person, that person’. My situation is realer than that.

I made promises to my folk that I would hold it down. Anybody can say that [they’re] good. I’m trying to do good.” It’s this mantra, paired with his competitive nature to succeed despite the odds, that came through on ‘800’, a CD that Fool’s Gold co-founder Nick Catchdubs listened to while driving to his parents’ house in New Jersey prior to signing the Philadelphia rapper. Now, GrandeMarshall is preparing to release his debut album, ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ through Fool’s Gold. Following the release, Grande’s goal is to cop his dream whip - a 1995 Chevrolet Caprice Super Sport in Eagle Green with tan cloth interior, which he describes as, “something simple that won’t get hot in the summer but stays warm in the winter.”

Real name Xavier Marshall, GrandeMarshall, was never the quiet kid in class. In his younger years, everyone knew him. Eventually everyone knew his mother too, since she would frequently visit the school for disciplinary talks with teachers. Handling his parents’ divorce, friends being shot in elementary school and moving around several times; life wasn’t easy. But in high school, classmates started to recognise him for another reason as he began battle rapping kids inside and outside of his school. A wild, packed out show at a Columbia Mariott gave Grande’s name a boost in local popularity, “That was my first taste of fame… I wasn’t even rapping on no turnt shit. I rapped over Saigon’s ‘Come On Baby’ beat. I wish I had a situation like that now.” As Grande continues to go into detail of his hectic life, I can’t help but think of his life in terms of his own words: “Got that 14th Century flair / Stained glass swag / Renaissance man…” At 14, he was finessing work as an assistant to the County Executive for the Housing Department and acting President of his school’s Black Student Union, all while selling weed on the side.

Eventually, his mom became suspicious of the unexplained Mitchell & Ness sweatsuits appearing, plus the proper recording microphone that was clearly out of his budget. Fearful of losing another child to a life of crime and the jail system, Grande’s mom took him to enlist with the army, but having conveniently forgotten his social security number he was told to come back another time.

Grande knew college and a nine to five job weren’t meant for him, but he didn’t want to add to his mother’s stress so he focused his energy into making a career out of music. He moved out of his mom’s house and stayed on friend’s couches or in recording studios.

Following the recent death of a close friend and fresh out of losing a job, Grande called up Ben Pramuk, a student at Drexel University at the time, and recorded heavily at the campus’ studio for two weeks.

The end product was the crucial and cohesive 14-track project, ‘800’.

Though GrandeMarshall reps Philly to the bone, he admits that his sound is a product of living in various cities including Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Durham and rural Virginia. You don’t

have to remind him of his Southern influences, which are apparent in flows that have a similar cadence to the Big Tymers’ at times. Not to mention his penchant for a mix of slow melodies that outweigh the drums. He asserts, “I don’t believe, since I’m from Philly, I have to be a certain type of way.” But his relaxed demeanour goes deeper than his geographical history. Even from the age of four years old, some of Grande’s fondest memories are from the back of a car with the radio on. Whether it was in Uncle Jimmy’s orange El Camino SS or his grandfather’s Volvo S70, his grandfather steering, conducting melodies in the air, Grande grew to love the comforting feeling of being the ruler of his own domain. Riding in one of his parents’ cars had a “modest but personal luxury to it. That’s what I try to put into my music.”

Grande’s upcoming debut album, ‘My Brother’s Keeper’, has been in the works for over a year and a half. You can track the increase in confidence and maturity from ‘800’ to ‘Mugga Man’, which is grounds for predicting a steady incline for ‘MBK’. He’s careful with his words when he describes the growth in his lyrics: “I wouldn’t even say my shit is braggadocios. I would definitely say that I’m prideful but I wouldn’t say I’m arrogant. I guess that would be arrogant of me to say I’m not.”

He’s deliberately continuing to explore new sounds with new producers to find new soundscapes to share his stories and convey his emotions (“My lamentations / A king’s confessions.”) As he talks about what he’s recorded thus far, you get the feeling that he’s putting his thoughts and memories in order to present the right GrandeMarshall to his current and future audience. He’ll put that on everything... “On Tabasco.” he adds.

Back at the Grammy’s, as Rihanna takes the stage with Kanye West and Paul McCartney for ‘FourFiveSeconds’, Grande says he misses ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’ Rihanna. After I almost convince him that the new direction for her could be good, I ask him if winning a Grammy is a long term goal for him. But like the artist who sees only himself in his own league, separate from “the rap world,” he says, “If that’s how the Lord sees, then that’s what it is. Anything I can do tomorrow, I’ll be cool with. As long as I could see another tomorrow, I’m straight with that.” @grandemarshall soundcloud.com/grandemarshallmusic

Photos by HypeMari Words by Lauryn Tomlinson

Jamila Akiko Chilombo, a.k.a Mila J, has only been in London for a day but with her charm and energy, she shows no signs of jet-lag. As we sit in the backseat of a black cab headed towards a fun fair, our photo shoot location, we’re soon talking like old friends. Naturally this leads to the inevitable UK versus US words and pronunciation conversation, starting from when I suggest we find some candyfloss. “Is that what y’all call cotton candy? That’s so cute!” She becomes animated, “Do you guys say LOL? In America people say stuff like that, like BRB, LOL, AF, like I’m hungry AF.” This is Mila’s second time in London and she’s clearly still enjoying the difference in culture.

Incongruously for our Spring/Summer issue, we meet with Mila just before Christmas, with our different plans for NYE come up as we approach the fun fair. She admits she’s never been out partying for New Year’s Eve, “We usually just go to my Grandmother’s, get together and eat food.” Mila obviously comes from a close family, and one with a strong musical pedigree. With younger sister Jhene Aiko already a staple in the music world, I can’t help but wonder; is the entire Chilombo clan like a cute biracial Von Trapp family? “My mom isn’t [musical], but my dad is like a self-taught musician so he always had instruments at the house we grew up in.

Like he turned the whole garage into a studio, back when people built for real studios, not just on a computer,” she laughs, “he had a whole booth put in and it was state of the art. He sings too and his sisters sing - although none of them were ever official artists.” She then grins and grabs my arm confidentially, “Although I recently found out one of my cousins was one of the original members of Shalamar! But he didn’t want to sign the contract because he was making more money in the medical field, he said what they were offering him a week was a joke.

So they replaced him with Howard Hewett - fun fact!”

THE LA SONGSTRESS STEPPING OUT ON HER OWN

M I L

A

J

Speaking about family with Mila naturally leads to her former life as a member of multiple girl groups, as her first band Gyrl was formed with her sister Miyoko and came about through encouragement from her father’s friends. “All of [my dad’s] producer friends would come over to use the studio and they would say about me and my siblings ‘they should be a group’, so we were kind of playing around like that, we always had that outlet.” After spending two years in Gyrl and taking some time out, Mila joined the group Dame Four in 2005, and although there were no family ties in that group there was still obviously a lot of closeness.

Does she ever miss being in a group? “I know a lot of people think [of[ girl groups, ‘Oh they never work well,’ but we didn’t break up because we didn’t get along.” she explains. “The last group I was in, everyone was at different ages, people were kind of ready for different things and on different paths, so it was like, ‘This is not going to work’. From the oldest to the youngest, there was probably a 10 year [age] difference, so some were ready to have kids, and some to go to college, so it was more of a mutual thing.” Did she enjoy being part of a group? “I liked it, I think groups are cool because first you’re traveling with people, so it’s just more fun. I think it definitely feels less like work because you’ve got your friends with you. And two, in a group people can pick up, like if someone is sick that day the group can push you.” So does she ever miss it? “Being solo is a pro and a con too - but you don’t have to split the cheque four ways!”

As a solo artist, Mila has really defined her sound since she started tentatively releasing material in 2006, first as Mila J then as Japollinia for her 2012 mixtape ‘Japollinia Vol. 1’. For a start, she’s branched into song writing. “On the [‘M.I.L.A.’] EP I pretty much co-wrote all the songs on there,” she explains. “The first time that I came out, I wasn’t really writing a lot ‘cause I was in a girl group so most of the songs were already prewritten.” As somebody relatively new to the song writing game, what is it that inspires her to start putting pen to paper? “Mostly relationship stuff, but sometimes I just get an idea and put it in my phone and I’ll go deeper into it when I get a beat. Or even if I think of a clever saying or something, I’ll just try to incorporate it.”

Her cute demeanour belies a sexy singing/rap fusion that’s let loose on her somewhat self-titled EP ‘M.I.L.A’ (Made In Los Angeles), released late last year. Over five tracks she goes from oozingly sensual on the classic slow jam ‘Pain In My Heart’, to downright filthy on ‘Champion’, with the hook “Beat it up like Rocky.” Another stand out track on ‘M.I.L.A’ is ‘My Main’, and not just for the incredibly impressive lineup behind this classic club track; comprised of writing duo Rock City, responsible for Beyonce’s ‘Bow Down’ and (no judgement) Miley Cyrus’ ‘We Can’t Stop’. In addition, ‘My Main’ was produced by DJ Mustard, with a feature by Ty Dollar $ign thrown in for good measure. It’s also the subject matter that makes the song noteworthy, a party song that celebrates female best friends - a shockingly rare occurrence in R&B and rap music. “There isn’t another song about girlfriends like that,” she agrees. “Some people say the YG song ‘My Hitta’ but you know that’s about guys so it’s like the female version of that. It’s such a simple

concept, but I’m like why hasn’t there been a song about that?” I ask her how the song has gone down with her girlfriends and she smiles, “Oh they love it! It’s a turn-up song and that’s what girls do anyway, we end up going and dancing with each other!”

Dancing is clearly something that’s a huge part of Mila’s life, a casual glance at one of her videos will tell you the girl can definitely dance. And it was working as a backing dancer that gave her her first career start, which led to her first record deal with Chris Stokes (he of legendary-inthe-noughties Brandy and B2K fame). Does she feel that she’s a more natural singer or dancer? “It’s hard to say. I started booking official gigs as a dancer first, but my dad has tapes as far back as when I was three of me recording on my first Sony - like I loved Vanity 6 and all that, so like I’m three years old trying to sing and beatbox!” The thought of a three year-old Mila beat-boxing makes us both pause to laugh. “It’s hilarious.

So I know I sung and rapped at a young age, I would say technically I was doing both my whole life.”

And it was dancing that brought about her connection with the artist formerly known as squiggle; Prince. As a child Mila was famously in Prince’s 1991 ‘Diamonds and Pearls’ video, something that is still getting her props today. Was she aware at the time what a power move this was? “Oh god I was! I remember the video because my first concert when I was like two was Purple Rain, so when I booked the video I was very aware of who he was. It wasn’t just like ‘I’m doing a video’. To be there was like ‘Oh my gosh, this is Prince walking in’ - it was crazy!” In 2014, the Prince connection was solidified when he sampled her track ‘Blinded’ for his song ‘U Know’, did she speak with him and relive their past meeting? “Yeah I reminded him and he was like ‘Oh my gosh it’s crazy, like you’re an adult now!’ It’s pretty weird it’s come full circle, and he looks almost the exact same!”

The Prince alliance is a pretty good indication of how bright Mila J’s future is looking, as is the fact she is signed to probably the most legendary label of all time; Motown. “To be on there as an R&B artist…” she trails off and smiles. “all the iconic artists were on Motown - Michael Jackson, Diana Ross - so that’s super exciting.” When I ask which artist is her personal icon she doesn’t miss a beat: “Janet Jackson is the ultimate, because she’s like an all round entertainer. She can dance, sing, act and write songs. If there’s anyone’s career I would want to emulate it would definitely be her.”

Although finding another Janet Jackson here on earth is borderline impossible, Mila J is definitely making a place for herself in the industry.

There have been some comparisons with Aaliyah, which seems almost inescapable for any good looking, light-skinned girl who can sing and dance, but Mila has got the experience and Motown backing to set her apart from any other Aaliyah-compared singers. As night falls on the fun fair, we embrace and part ways, I wish her a Happy New Year with at her grandma’s house with her Von Trapp family and know I’ll be seeing much more of her in 2015. @MilaJ projectmilaj.com

“MY COUSIN WAS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS OF SHALAMAR”

Photos from Zoe Buckman’s Every Curve Exhibit Words by Lauryn Tomlinson

AINT NO

FUN

EXPLORING THE CONFLICT OF BEING A FEMINIST AND A RAP FAN. . .

This one goes out to the ladies, because we know you’ll relate…

Once I was in a club debating whether to stay on the dance floor or head to the bar, when the DJ played one of my favourite songs ever, Snoop Dogg’s ‘Ain’t No Fun’, a move that immediately rendered my questioning pointless; I was staying on the dance floor. But as I was dancing, there came a point during the first verse when I stepped outside of myself and wondered - why on earth am I joyfully singing a song that includes the line, ‘I had respect for you lady but now I take it all back’? Hidden behind one of the greatest feel-good beats of all time is the underlying message that once you’ve slept with a girl, she’s immediately classed as a ho and can be passed around your friends. This suggestion is indicative of how contradictory life can be as a female hip hop fan; simultaneously loving the genre and feeling depressed by what it glorifies. As University of Richmond professor Erik Nielson stated in an article for NPR, “For years, dominant male artists have made a fortune demeaning and degrading women, often portraying them in lyrics and videos as interchangeable objects of sexual pleasure, while increasingly limited radio and television rotations have made alternative representations of women harder to find.” Or to put it in more relevant terms, it’s hard out here for a bitch.

Being a female rap fan generally means at some point you will have to defend the genre to other women with alternative musical tastes, which is difficult to do without appearing as woman-hating as the average rapper. As Viper editor Lily Mercer admits, “When people ask how I feel about misogynistic lyrics I find myself sounding like the girl Chris Rock describes in his stand up that’s outraged by the question, saying, “he ain’t talking about me!”” Derogatory language about women is so commonplace that it’s easier to list songs with positive messages about females, as the negative ones far outweigh the positive. But we all have our own version of ‘Ain’t No Fun’.

For Lily, that song is ‘Bridgette’ by The D.O.C. “It’s got a pretty piano melody that I feel nostalgic for but the lyrics are really terrible,” she explains. “It’s about a promiscuous girl and The D.O.C plots his revenge on her, which climaxes in something that sounds a lot like gang rape.” Aisha Badmus, another bonafide rap fan, cites ‘Loyal’ by Chris Brown as a more recent example: “I feel like a hypocrite but goddamn the song is too good, which is no justification for overlooking the profoundly offensive lyrics and limited views of womanhood.” This is not only uncomfortable for female listeners, but as Aisha points out, “it’s also quite emasculating to men in an ironic way - the notion that men can only be a certain type of ‘man’ and can only come together when denouncing women.”

One of the many rap artists to call attention to ways the negative terminology can affect people is Lupe Fiasco, who on the 2012 track ‘Bitch Bad’ tells the story of how the word bitch is interpreted either positively or negatively by a little boy and girl. As the song indicates, a lot of women have reclaimed the word bitch and particularly the term ‘bad bitch’ to mean fierce and strong but it can still be used against us, like a less explosive version of black people’s use of the N word. Fiasco explained to Rap Fix Live, “[The term] bad bitch… has some destructive

elements to it, especially when you look at who it’s being marketed towards. That’s why we put children in the video.” This is something that comes up a lot in discussion about violent or sexist language in hip hop - it’s all kinda OK as long as you’re old enough to know that it isn’t an acceptable way for you personally to behave or be referred to. Or, as Lily puts it, “I don’t personally get offended by songs, but I am concerned hearing lyrics like ‘pass her to my homie’ because I hope young women listening to the music don’t think that’s normal in any way.”

Taking children out of the equation, I have to admit that although I wouldn’t be happy to hear certain words used to my face, it’s never interfered with my enjoyment of hip hop. I’m pretty desensitised to the word bitch at this point and I’ve always thought of terms like ‘ho’ and ‘trick’ as unisex - I’ve known plenty of male hoes in my time and I have no love for them either, thank you very much. Something harder to justify is a theme that comes up in ‘Bridgette’: the portrayal of domestic and sexual violence in rap songs, which can be trivialised to an upsetting degree. A recent example is ‘Drunk in Love’, the ode to marital sex from Jay Z and Beyonce. I’m by no means the first to point out that the line, “eat the cake Anna Mae,” here used as an innuendo, refers to one of the most upsetting scenes in the Tina Turner biopic, ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’, in which Ike Turner forces her to eat cake and physically attacks her in a breakfast diner. And this is the line a husband chooses to rap to his wife and the mother of his child - a woman who claims she is a feminist - on a song that was at Number 1 in the Billboard R&B/hip hop charts for weeks.

Unfortunately, the theme of sexual violence being trivialised to the point of titillation is so commonplace in rap music that most of us don’t really notice unless it’s in a super popular song (i.e the ‘Blurred Lines’ Effect) or is just spectacularly bad. A recent example of a mix of the two is the now infamous Rick Ross line, “Put molly in her champagne, she ain’t even know it / I took her home and enjoyed that she ain’t even know it.” Moving past the wildly false advertising on the effects of MDMA (quite possibly the worst drug to use for date rape unless you want to deal with a really hyperactive and talkative victim), it was pretty heartwarming to see him called out extensively for this line, plus lose several endorsement deals off the back of it.

Sometimes this sexist content is overlooked, suggesting that with the inclusion of such lyrics and references, women shouldn’t be listening to hip hop at all. However I know from personal experience that a girl into Drake will be met with a lot less surprise than a girl into OG Maco, for example, suggesting that somewhere along the line a definition of ‘girl rap’ was established, of which I had no knowledge. Obviously we here at Viper do not believe that any type of music is specifically for males or females, or you wouldn’t be reading a hip hop magazine with two female editors. And we are by no means unique, The Source has been run by editor-in-chief Kimberly Osorio since 2003 and XXL by Vanessa Satten since 2009. And the fact that there’s such a wide variety of female rappers out there also shows how stupid this notion is. How could we have such new and unique female rap artists - from Doja Cat to Chynna - if girls had to be confined to just one music genre?

“IN THE POP-RAP SCENE, THE LINE BETWEEN VIDEO GIRL AND RAP STAR IS GROWING THINNER BY THE DAY”

“IT’S ALMOST LIKE SEXISM IN HIP HOP HAS COME FULL CIRCLE, FROM ‘BABY GOT BACK’ TO ‘ANACONDA’. THE IRONY IS THAT WOMEN ARE USING THE SAME LANGUAGE TO ‘EMPOWER’ WOMEN”

Female MCs are far from being a new thing. In hip hop’s heyday there were an array of females on the mic, from Roxanne Shante to Foxy Brown. Plus the outlook for 2015 looks pretty good for humans with uteruses and rap skills. However, putting women down is not just a male past time, other females get in on the act too. In rap’s early days female rappers dressed like the boys and while some were hot, it wasn’t what they were known for as much as today. In the pop-rap scene, the line between video girl and rap star is growing thinner by the day.

I’m personally more offended by Nicki Minaj’s hyper-sexualised videos and lyrics for children than I am by Snoop talking about hoes. A lot of the women I spoke to about sexism in rap pointed the finger at her for sending out the worst messages. It’s hard to assert that you’re empowering women while being as naked in your videos as the girls in those old Nelly joints you can find on Pornhub, not to mention pretty much telling skinny girls that nobody wants to fuck them. As Aisha points out, “it’s almost like sexism in hip hop has come full circle, from ‘Baby Got Back’ to ‘Anaconda’. The irony is that women are using the same language to ‘empower’ women.” Shaking purchased silicon assets while telling us we should be proud of our bodies is pretty offensive, especially when it’s coming from those who are purporting to be role models for young women.

It’s things like this that force me to wonder if hip hop is actually becoming a more misogynistic genre as time goes on.

As Lily points out, “When hip hop first appeared it wasn’t seen as misogynist, it was more about how to impress girls, instead today’s style is bragging to other men about how foul you are to women.” But if you know where to look, there are lots of rappers who are trying to portray a positive message, from Mos Def to Mick Jenkins. Lily agrees; “There are many artists from the nineties and today that I would say are promoting a feminist perspective, my favourite feminist in rap is Andre3000, not Nicki Minaj. He definitely spoke more highly of women. I also think Lil Kim was more of a role model, since though she promoted sexuality, she spoke of female enjoyment while Nicki’s attitude is more about pleasing men.” Aisha also agrees that feminism in rap can exist: “Yes, hip hop by and large is a male dominated space in which a borderline caricature of masculinity exists, however women like Lauryn Hill and Lil Kim reflect different kinds of feminist hip hop. I don’t necessarily agree with Lil Kim’s ‘brand’ of hip hop as it uses the same raw language that the men use, but it unabashedly shouts equality on all platforms - I don’t necessarily agree with the packaging; she doesn’t need to always be near naked. Whereas, Lauryn Hill and Missy Elliott focus on skill and content of their delivery. So, yes, feminism does exist in hip-hop - but it is marginalised by the commercial appeal of angry overhyped men.” Lily has a slightly more optimistic outlook for the future, “I feel that besides Nicki, music videos feature less misogyny now, as artists tend to be more creative instead of simply using label budget to hire video girls.

It’s quite possible that one of the reasons I don’t get too offended by sexist rap songs is that the word bitch is just background noise to me, plus I mainly listen to artists with a positive message.

It could also be because I’m aware that almost all artists are promoting an image to some extent. I mean, as much as Odd Future may not be the kind of kids your parents want you to hang out with, they don’t actually go out raping and pillaging as

their music sometimes suggests. Their brand is ‘The Kids Your Parents Hate’ and everything from their videos to their lyrics help to build this brand. One of my favourite songs from the early OF days is the equal parts amazing and disgusting ‘ePAR’, a song by our two cover stars, Earl and Vince Staples, which features the immortal line, “You know it ain’t rape if you like it bitch / So sit down like a pretty ho and don’t fight this shit.”

I remember hearing that lyric for the first time and almost laughing out loud because it was so unbelievably extreme, there was no way it could be taken seriously, and also because I had been listening to Odd Future for the past hour so I’d kind of gotten their vibe. If anything approaching the extremity of those lines was uttered by someone like Kendrick Lamar, the world would be in uproar, but in an Odd Future song it just makes sense. Context is hugely important in my daily quest to decide what I should or shouldn’t get outraged by. However as Aisha points out, “There is no context that can justify viewing women as the enemy. But unfortunately, context don’t mean a thing when the beat makes you want to swing your ass all night.”

When even Kanye West spits lines like, ‘Black girl sippin’ white wine / Put my fist in her like a civil rights sign’, the importance of context is pretty questionable.

Sadly, I feel like this is a conversation that could continue amongst many music fans. As Aisha observes, “I don’t get personally offended by any songs and on deeper analysis of some lyrics, I should be very offended. Yet I’ve become very accepting of this aspect of music full stop because there are equally offensive lyrics in other music genres.” Reggae, country music and even rock can also be pretty female-unfriendly subgroups to belong to when you actually listen to the words; which kind of suggests that as far as the world is concerned, girls should only be listening to pop and a little RnB.

Yet as much as there are songs or even phrases used in rap songs that can make me despair about the male population, I also feel people can be too sensitive and confuse things like overt-sexuality or descriptions of ‘thug life’ with misogyny.

An example of this is the notorious, ‘Dance with the Devil’

by Immortal Technique. The song follows the path of a young man trying to prove himself to a gang in his community, “They wanted to test him before business started / Suggested raping a bitch to prove he was cold-hearted” - and ends with a suckerpunch of a twist that leaves you feeling infinitely depressed. As horrible as the content of this song is, it’s not glorifying rape at all, quite the opposite in fact. This is what irritates me about branding all hip hop misogynist - talking about something in a song is not the same as endorsing it. In the same way that overtly sexual lyrics aren’t necessarily sexist and girls that whine aren’t necessarily promiscuous.

To conclude my point, hip hop can contain some horribly sexist undertones, but if I only enjoyed things that I morally agreed with, I would probably spend a lot of time staring at blank walls in silence. I also really enjoy football, despite the belief that about 60% of those on the pitch are either a borderline rapist or at the very least cheating on their wives. Liking music is instinctive and unfortunately we can’t always trust the people who make it to think as morally as us. Otherwise would anybody still listen to R. Kelly?

“MOST SHOWS ARE PREDOMINANTLY WHITE SO I’M IN A ROOM FULL OF WHITE PEOPLE SCREAMING “NIGGA” AND I DON’T KNOW HOW TO FEEL ABOUT IT”

Photos by Jude Appleby Words by Lily Mercer

MICK JENKINS IS TORN...

Mick Jenkins is torn. He’s searching for a solution to stop white people using the N-word at his shows. “What’s been the biggest conflict I’ve faced in life? I have two actually.” he says adding, “Probably jail, I went to jail for 34 days. It was just a marijuana charge, apparently I missed a court date and I wasn’t granted the opportunity to prove myself until I was arrested.” This acted as a learning experience for the Chicago lyricist. “To this day, I’m kinda glad I went because it’s definitely a vital part of who I am and how I think today. If I could have avoided it, I definitely would have but now I’ve been through what I have, I’m grateful for it, it taught me a lot.”

But back to the current conflict. Mick explains that although the presence of white fans at his shows repeating his own use of the N word is understandable, that doesn’t mean it sits well with him. “It’s so weird to me. What a lot of people don’t understand, mostly white people, is that I get to feel weird. People feel like, ‘well you wrote it!’ But it’s like, “So?” Most shows are predominantly white so I’m in a room full of white people screaming “nigga” and I don’t know how to feel about it. I don’t know if I necessarily feel like, “Well you shouldn’t” because at the end of the day, I wrote it.”

It’s easy to see Jenkins’ dilemma, as a white fan opposed to the use of the N-word by white people in general, it frustrates me to see fans at shows feel like their ticket for the show doubles up as a pass to use loaded racial terminology. Especially when the artist himself is offended by the language in question, as Jenkins is. “The majority of people in the room are not reciting it maliciously at me, they’re reciting it to support me because they’re fans of the music. I have complete control over what they say because I write the lyrics.

But that doesn’t take away that it is a white person screaming the word in my face and it makes me feel a way so it’s just a conflict for me right now. I don’t know what to do about it, I don’t know what to feel about it and it’s definitely a pressing issue.”

He’s open minded enough to see that many fans are uninformed as opposed to being malicious, “When you’re trying to make an appeal to an ignorant person, there’s so much of your argument that doesn’t matter because they’re unfamiliar. As right or wrong as I am, if you don’t have any knowledge of what I speak of, then my argument doesn’t hold the same weight to you as it does to Lily Mercer. So in the realm of actually trying to affect people, that has to be taken into account because they have to understand me.

And if they don’t understand me then I’m losing them, so that puts me more in the realm of really not knowing what to do. Something like that is easier to do on a one-on-one basis as opposed to 850 people in this room waiting for me to perform ‘Jazz’.”

Growing up as a black man in America, his perspective on the country’s current climate is very relevant right now. He expresses disappointment towards many aspects of today’s culture, including the beauty industry, “We make so much money off the insecurity of women it’s crazy, so are we really out here to empower women? No. In every facet, this shit is engineered.” He thinks violence in the country is at a high and it doesn’t bode well for the future. “I think America is progressively getting more and more violent, in the home and the things we do outside of our home and the country. People are getting more desensitised to violence and I think that comes from the music, the movies, the pictures, everything that we use for marketing. I believe in the Bible, the King James version of the Bible, I’m a Christian. The world is not supposed to get better according to my beliefs, it’s supposed to get worse. Everything is becoming more evil, in Chicago, in America, in the world.”

Mick’s hometown of Chicago is often dubbed Chiraq, a tag that he looks at with disdain. “I don’t think it’s anything to brag about, I don’t think it’s cool that Chicago had more deaths at one time than Iraq. It’s not an accolade and we know that it has come from the music, that’s the promotion of the idea of Chiraq,” he says, explaining that the music and violence feed in to each other in a way that can not be entirely separated.

“The hip hop in Chicago is probably the strongest supporter of that notion and it just puts a bad light on the type of music that’s coming from Chicago and that affects me personally. I’ve had people say crazy things to me about what they think Chicago is like and it’s not just like this war zone, which I think is what it’s perceived to be. I would like to knock that perception down and I think Chiraq only builds that perception.”

He frequently uses the word “fetish” to describe the media’s focus on Chicago’s violence. And it’s not just the newspapers that he’s opposed to, the music press can get it too. We speak on the spate of documentaries highlighting the city’s violent side, most notably World Star Hip Hop and Noisey. “That shit made me so upset, not just because they covered one side of Chicago hip hop and I’m talking about the Noisey one specifically.

They covered one side of Chicago hip hop, and when they did cover SaveMoney, they only covered them getting Joey Purp out of jail.” Laughing in agreement, I concede that the World Star effort was somehow the most credible, even though they focused heavily on the drill scene and not the more optimistic music scenes the city has to offer.

Jenkins tells a story that Andrew Barber of Fake Shore Drive relayed to him about the moment that labels started reaching out to him about Chief Keef. When he told them that Chance the Rapper was also worth checking out, they displayed far less interest in picking up the artist with a positive message. “People often come at me as if I’m opposed to drill music and I’m not at all.

[If] they gained the nickname Chiraq, there’s some level of violence going on, you understand what I’m saying?

So this is what they’ve done with it and they’re telling their story and it’s valid because it’s true. So who are you to not give that any credit. It’s a double-edged sword because of what music promotes. It promotes that same violence but it is a valid story that needs to be told.”

His point is understandable, as he explains

that the violence will exist regardless, but exploiting it is unnecessary. “I kinda put fault more on the media, for the people that cover it and the way they write about it and the way they depict the narrative of what goes on in Chicago because it’s not up to the artists; the artists don’t give themselves the national spotlight. No matter how talented you are, someone else brings you to the national spotlight and they’re more at fault than the artists themselves for pushing that idea of Chicago, its music and its community” Jenkins’ natural understanding of media manipulation builds a hidden layer into his music, as he incorporates his own subliminal message via the phrase, “Drink more water.” “That’s the way to subtly combat it, that’s all I can figure out how to do it in my quest to combat it is just fight fire with fire. A lot of people in the initial release of ‘The Water[s]’ were like, ‘you’re talking about water too much, how many songs are you gonna do about water?” and I was like, ‘it’s purposeful, now you’re drinking more water. Now you’re drinking ginger ale instead of something else’.”

Mick Jenkins isn’t a rapper that grew up determined to hold a mic, (“I was trying to be in PR, I did a considerable amount of journalism in college”) which is why he criticises the tactics the media use to draw attention to the negative side of his city, “that shit has no integrity to me. I hate that shit.” But his ability to see the tactics at play makes him question how deep the control methods go. “That idea of how you can coax people into making the decisions you want them to make, so subtly without them ever knowing. The messages you study when you go into marketing - playing with people’s emotions to get them to do what you want through colours, through visuals, through smells and that shit is a ply to marketing. But I know that with that kind of power applied to politics and ushering the country and the world into the direction that we want them to go.

If that kind of power can be sided for marketing, why wouldn’t we use it in other fields? It goes so deep and I think about it on some evil genius shit, it’s crazy, it’s fucking sad.”

Continuing to discuss subliminal messaging in music, Mick explains the inclusion of an interview with convicted serial killer James Broadnax at the end of the ‘Martyrs’ video. “I chose James Broadnax because in the extended interview, he was asked if there was anything he wanted to say to the victims families and he quoted Lil Wayne, “Fuck ‘em, fuck ‘em, fuck ‘em, even if they celibate/ I know the game is crazy, it’s more crazy than it’s ever been/ I’m married to that crazy bitch, call me Kevin Federline.” I point that out in my shows, I stop after ‘Martyrs’ and make that correlation, “how many people started drinking more water after they heard the tape?” and everyone goes crazy. So the same musical influences can affect you negatively and I’m not saying James killed those men because he listened to Lil Wayne but when asked if he has anything to say, he quotes Lil Wayne - that is definitely not a correlation to be ignored. I wasn’t really attacking Chief Keef [in the ‘Martyrs’ video] or the drill scene with the imitation of his video, I was just pointing out that listening to this stuff in overload does affect you, you will make this decision as opposed to that decision because of influence and that is real.”

“I DON’T THINK IT’S ANYTHING TO BRAG ABOUT, I DON’T THINK IT’S COOL THAT CHICAGO HAD MORE DEATHS AT ONE TIME THAN IRAQ”

“ALL THESE LITTLE GIRLS GIVE IT UP NOW, SHAME. I CAN SEE THE CHERRY STEMS IN THE FUCKING STREET” ‘Martyrs’ displays Jenkins’ skill at flipping metaphors into visuals, “all these little girls give it up now, shame. I can see the cherry stems in the fucking street.” Criticising the oxymoronic decisions that his peers make, the song is full of loaded racial connotations, from the sample of Billie Holliday’s Strange Fruit to the nooses Jenkins and company wear around their necks in the video. It’s a shocking and powerful message to exhibit, as Jenkins mimics the low-budget visuals released by Chief Keef and crew. However, Jenkins’ own added metaphors are chilling as the noose ties in with the song’s hook, “I’m just with my niggas hanging.”

For many, the message is too powerful, and the suggestion that the heavily-promoted gangster rap of Chicago is its own small genocide too much to process. But the visual displays loud and clear that Mick Jenkins is a man with a message, and he’s not afraid to upset the music scene in his city and beyond. He understands the importance of how the idea is communicated, which is why his projects are so conceptual, from his 2014 mixtape, ‘The Water(s)’ to his forthcoming album, ’The Healing Component’. Explaining the expansion of the album in comparison to the mixtape, he explains, “‘The Water(s)’ was the introduction of this idea that there’s this truth you are missing out on and that’s all it was. Most of the songs were about “the waters” but what is this information that you’re telling me I need? What are those specifics? I will be giving those specifics in ‘The Healing Component’.

The difference between ’The Healing Component’ and ‘The Water(s)’ is ’The Healing Component’ will be 15 different topics, while ‘The Water(s)’ was 15 songs about the idea that you’re missing out on this information. ‘The Healing Component’ will be this information that you were missing out on.”

With stories entwined with social and political messages, Jenkins reminds me of the protagonist in a Richard Wright novel. The themes have been present since the release of his first mixtape, ‘Trees And Truths’, in 2013. Following up with 2014’s ‘The Water(s)’, the complex themes and heavy subject matter were draining for Mick creatively, but we can still expect to hear those familiar topics come through on his debut album. ”The album is what I’m working on right now, the EP, which is untitled, is coming out very shortly and it’s a complete contrast to those feelings, ’11’ was the first song that I recorded after ‘The Water(s)’ and it was really heavy, I didn’t wanna go straight into making

music like that so the EP is a different, lighter feel, more uptempo. I went in with THEMpeople, a production duo out of Chicago [who] produced most of the project, there’s some KAYTRANADA joints on there too. It’s a good move, I’ve been calling myself the dark-skinned Pharrell.”

He admits that the sound is a departure from what he’s currently known for, explaining that a lot of the project features him singing rather than rapping. But taking a brief hiatus from rapping led Jenkins to produce ‘Your Love’ with KAYTRANADA, “I think people will be super surprised, I like that one,”he says, continuing, “I didn’t go in like I wanna do this, KAYTRANADA sent me a batch of 25 beats and that was the first one and I was just like, “yo, watch what I do with this.” I was on tour with Method Man and Redman when I made that song.” Understanding that the sound may not appeal to all of his fans, he confesses, “I think it’s gon’ fuck people up. People are gonna be mad, people want bars from Mick Jenkins and that’s not what they’re about to get. There’s still some super hard rapping on there, but it’s more of those vibes and I definitely wanna showcase that I have that ability. But it’s just a break for me, ‘The Water(s)’ was a super conceptual album for me and it took a long time to do it, it took a lot out of me. So to start on ‘The Healing Component’ immediately after was the same thing and I wanted to breathe and that’s what the EP is.”

With the untitled EP due in the first half of 2015, he expects ‘The Healing Component’ to follow towards the end of 2015, or even early next year. He’ll also be releasing merchandise for the first time.

Justifying the wait due to his desire to approach every aspect of his brand as thoroughly as his music, Jenkins explains, “I’m big into fashion, I don’t have merch cus I don’t wanna do tees and hoodies and bullshit, I’m tryna hit niggas with a capsule. I’m over here designing right now, going through drawings and trying to get samples done. So I’ll definitely have merch in 2015.” Naturally water bottles will be one of the first items available for purchase, “I got my own water, I’m super happy about that.

I’ll have that at my shows.”

With the “drink more water” and “ginger ale for your hoes” refrains in his music, I ask Mick Jenkins if he’s been approached by any water or Ginger Ale companies for sponsorship? His response, “Nah, I don’t think I’ve got enough juice.” @mickjenkins mickjenkins.com

WHAT’S BEEF? VIPER’S GUIDE THROUGH THE HISTORY OF RAP BEEF

Illustration by Tavan Maneetapho Words by Nick Bam

BEEF IS NOT JUST THE FLESH OF A COW

It is also the colloquial term attributed to a rivalry or feud, summed up perfectly by the late great Notorious B.I.G.: “What’s beef? Beef is when you need two gats to go to sleep / Beef is when your moms ain’t safe up in the streets.”

Beef in rap is a pretty big thing - hip hop is famed for rival crews testing each others’ skills. Every rap fan has heard of the East Coast/West Coast rivalry in the nineties which left two of rap’s most revered emcees slain. In recent years most rappers have managed to keep their beef on wax, with perceived beef or diss records often used as a promotional tool to boost a rapper’s profile before their new album drops.

Here at Viper, we’ve selected some of rap’s most iconic beefs, so you know exactly what someone means when they say they ‘want beef ’ and there’s no supermarket in sight. We’ve broken rap’s best rivalries down into three sections for your easy digestion; Lyrical Beef, Actual Beef and Fake Beef.

Whilst there might be a few omissions, here’s a juicy rump steak to get you started… Bon appetit.

LYRICAL BEEF Jay Z V Nas With New York’s throne left empty following the passing of Christopher Wallace, two of rap’s lyrical heavyweights went head to head for the crown. Prodigy and Freeway stoked the fire, but Jigga and Escobar set the whole city on fire with ‘The Takeover’, followed by ‘Ether’. In the end, a Hot 97 poll saw Nas take the lead with ‘Ether’ at 52% and Jigga’s ‘Supa Ugly’ freestyle at 48%. Though Jay Z later suggested Nas only has “a one hot album every 10 year average.” The rap titans have since quashed the beef, even appearing on each other’s albums. Jay Z even signed Nas when he was still president at Def Jam. These two are arguably the two biggest living rappers to ever go at it.

Cassidy V Freeway The classic studio battle, conducted by two celebrated Philadelphia MCs. This was lyricism versus flow, when Cassidy was in his multi-syllable, punchline prime and Freeway was hot property at the Roc. Freeway’s persistent requests to ‘put a beat on’ towards the end of the battle are taken by many as a sign of him forfeiting. Cas’ revealed in a recent interview that the battle was put together by Jay Z after Cas’ claimed he could go toe-to-toe lyrically with anyone in the Roc. Cassidy’s continuous barrage of rhyming punchlines would come to serve as a template for many future battle rappers.

Common V Ice Cube This unlikely beef began when Ice Cube and his group Westside Connection took offence to Common’s track, ‘I Used To Love Her’, on which the righteous Chicago rapper describes hip hop as a trend-loving

female, using the line, “I was insulted she was with those boys in the hood,” which was perceived as a direct diss. They retaliated by releasing the song, ‘Westside Slaughterhouse’, taking shots at the Chi-Town MC. But his retaliation, ‘The Bitch in Yoo’, is the most clinical dissection of an emcee you’re going to get.

Tony D V Shotty Horroh This battle represents the pinnacle of the UK battle rap scene, which is essentially comprised of a YouTube channel called Don’t Flop.

Defending his title as UK battle rap champion Tony D, a member of the revered London rap group Poisonous Poets, was pitted against the Manchester motor mouth Shotty Horroh, who’s like a tall, Northern Slim Shady. Tony D’s well prepared punchline-ladled verses eventually prevailed over Horroh’s rapid fire, 8 Mile wordplay. Evidence that rappers in the UK have mad skills.

Loaded Lux V Calicoe The zenith of the Smack Ultimate Rap League battles, with near 5 million views online this is probably the most watched, most notorious rap battle in YouTube history. According to NY rap mythology, when Jay Z tweeted, ‘Y’all gonna get this work’, one of Loaded Lux’ recurring catchphrases in the battle, it further catapulted the event into the history books. People are still talking about ‘getting this work’ to this day. Coming on stage dressed as an undertaker holding a coffin with Calicoe’s name on it, Loaded Lux combined stagecraft, wisdom and wit to upstage his opponents onslaught of gun-related wordplay.

ACTUAL BEEF West Coast V East Coast “You claim to be a player but I fucked your wife, we bust on Bad Boys, niggas fucked for life.” While Tupac released ‘Hit Em Up’ there was never actually an official retort from Biggie, yet this media-escalated feud resulted in the death of two of hip hop’s most revered emcees and saw high tensions and body counts on both sides of the US. Since the death of the rap greats, many rappers have turned to figures like Minister Farrakhan to help squash squabbles, to ensure more lives aren’t lost as result of what goes on around the music.

Junior Mafia V OGC After a dispute over who originated the line, ‘I can be as good as the best of them and as a bad as the worst’, a few of the Junior Mafia squad caught Starang Wondah of the Original Gun Clappers inside D&D studios and rushed him, “Up in D&D I got two or three stitches, I was still in The Tunnel taking pictures getting bitches.” Also Big Rock from the OGC apparently threw Biggie off stage at a show once, displaying a real commitment to beef.

“A N Y B EEF INVOL VING DRA KE IS NOT BEEF T O ME ; IT’S VEAL OR FISH” Dizzee Rascal V So Solid Crew If you know you know. It involved Dizzee Rascal, Lisa Maffia and So Solid in a madness on a Greek island. Wiley references the fracas on the song ‘Gangsters’, saying, “Mega an Dizzee, the beef weren’t small some different...gangsters / Back to England and squash da beef, leave dat on da Island, dead dat...”

Jeezy V Gucci Mane There can only be one king in the ATL streets, which is why their beef continues to this day. Gucci Mane has since been incarcerated and acquitted for a murder. Not to mention seeing Jeezy put bounties out for Gucci’s chain and possibly his life, with him saying on ‘Truth’, “A ten thousand dollar bounty put on my neck. I hope you didn’t pay them cause they didn’t have no success.”

FAKE BEEF Drake Pretty much any beef involving Drake is not beef to me; it’s veal or fish, or some shit. Apparently he had beef with Common once, which is akin to a poetry debate. He also threw something at Chris Brown in a night club once. Oh Drizzy, stick to sanging.

Yelawolf Vs. Machine Gun Kelly The modern day version of Vanilla Ice Vs. Snow. A licky-boom-boomdown!

R A E K W O N

Raekwon’s always had style. His alter egos Lex Diamonds and The Chef conjure up illusions of a drug king pin wearing silk shirts in his mansion, and even dressed casually for our interview he exudes a certain level of style. He’s a seasoned MC, always knowing when to rap and when to let his silence do the talking, like on Method Man’s ‘The Turn’ when he leaves the final bar empty for extra impact. His flow is distinctively his, though members of Wu Tang have accused him of missing the beat. “You know the guys tell me, ‘Sometimes you rhyme off beat or you don’t hit the beat where it needs to be hit at, but my thing is, I’m just going off feeling. It ain’t so much of me trying to do it the way I wanna do it, I just make the record according to how it feels. And if it feels this way, I’m gonna come at it this way. That’s The Chef for you kid.”

The iconic purple plastic cassette tape containing the 18 songs on Raekwon’s debut album, ‘OB4CL’, will turn twenty this August 1st. Known as The Purple Tape to dedicated fans, the album is undoubtedly one of the best hip hop releases of the nineties. Since its release, he’s barely taken a year off between releasing solo albums and Wu Tang projects. Not only is Raekwon still relevant, he works hard to continue producing music for loyal fans that span from his generation through to his children’s generation. This work rate is rare today, with many artists not understanding how much work it takes to get into the industry and more importantly, stay there. Raekwon agrees, “I remember when we first came up in the game, how important it was going out there and promoting you album. Nowadays a lot of artists don’t do that, they don’t get on the road and do radio and do interviews. To me that’s not cool because you gotta still do that as an artist and an entertainer. I still gotta do it.”

Raekwon is one of the most active members of the group, still touring the world both solo and as part of Wu Tang clan. Having released at least one album or mixtape per year since 2006, this year sees him release his sixth studio album, ‘F.I.L.A’ [Fly International Luxurious Art]. Though he’s said in the past that 50 is the cut off age for a rapper, he’s only five years short of that and seems reluctant to stop producing music. “It depends, maybe I might wanna stop and do something else that I feel I wanna get into. For the most part, I’m feeling good right now, I think if I lose momentum in what I do then it might be time to hang it up, but right now it’s too early for me. I still feel good, I still feel like I got more albums in store for you guys and I’m just at my best right now. I think putting it down doesn’t necessarily mean I’m not coming out to do shows, of course I’ll still be traveling to do shows or whatever but as far as trying to dance at 50 years old in the game, it’s gon’ be something to question.

Many of Raekwon’s peers are still active, including his

frequent collaborator, Nas. Having first collaborated together on Mobb Deep’s ‘Eye For An Eye’, Raekwon enlisted the Queens MC for ‘Verbal Intercourse’ on ‘OB4CL’. He speaks highly of Nas, “That’s our brother man, he’s a good dude. [He’s] very humble, very intelligent, he’s a genius.

[He] knows what he’s doing in the music industry and being that we all came up together, it’s like a certain amount of respect we got for each other. It feels good to come up with your peers and know 20 years later, we still making moves, because there ain’t a lot of us left.” More recently, Nas appeared on the Shaolin Vs Wu Tang song, ‘Rich & Black’.

As Raekwon explains, collaborating with Nas is a very natural experience for him, “When me and him connect, it’s always fun because we’ve both been doing it for so long. We both have almost an equal amount of success. We’ve been good friends for a long time.”

Though he was familiar with Nas prior to ‘Illmatic’, the first time he ever heard ‘N.Y. State of Mind’ was when some girls from London played him the song. “It was so crazy because they actually lived up in New York and they was heavily into hip hop. They used to ride around in their van and they had this mixtape or something that they had Nas’ record on. Me and Ghost when we used to hang with them, we’d all just be cooling, bugging out, smoking, drinking, listening to it and I think the first time I ever heard ‘N.Y. State of Mind’ was from one of them tapes.” Recalling his first reaction to hearing the song, he said to the girls, “Oh shit, let me hear that again! Play that again!” and they played it like “Oh yo, that’s Nas, a new artist,” and we were like, “Word.” We were up on him but we didn’t know they was up on him.”

Despite being put on to Nas by a couple of London girls, Raekwon is one of the best of his generation when it comes to acting as an A&R for the new stars. When asked if he’s as passionate about listening to music as he is about making it, he responds, “Oh absolutely, I think its important people know that too.” Whether remixing a hot song or collaborating with some young talent, he manages to stay very relevant without adapting his own style to fit in. His upcoming album showcases this skill, as he enlists rapper Freddie Gibbs for a track on ‘F.I.L.A’. He says of the Ohioraised MC, “Gibbs is a cool dude, he’s a respectable dude.”

The song came about after the pair first built a friendship outside of the studio, “When I do a record with somebody, it’s cus I have a relationship with them or I feel like they cool.

I gotta know who you are first. Gibbs is a cool dude you know, we did shows together and we have the same kind of mutual respect for each other. I asked him to do something for me, he asked me to do something for him.” His last statement leaves us wondering, do they have another collaboration yet to be released? It could be, unless he’s referring to ‘Bomb’, the song from Freddie Gibbs’ album with Madlib, ‘Piñata’.

He explains the importance of passing the torch onto the new school artists and how a feature can shine spotlight on

THE CHEF REFLECTS ON WU TANG FOLKLORE ON THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF ‘ONLY BUILT 4 CUBAN LINX’

“THE GUYS TELL ME ‘SOMETIMES YOU RHYME O F F B E AT ’ O R ‘ Y O U D O N ’ T H I T T H E B E AT WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE HIT’ BUT I’M JUST GOING OFF FEELING”

those under the radar. “These labels come to certain artists to get them to help launch that artist. Like even I can recall when Ghostface did a record with Amy Winehouse, I never knew who Amy Winehouse was, but they needed a certain type of dude that can help her get some street credibility.” He stresses the importance of teaming up with new talent saying, “You’re never supposed to sleep on anybody when it comes to that, you never know who’s who.”

A personal example he offers is the time he worked with OutKast at a point when artists from the East Coast and the South weren’t particularly close. “Cats like OutKast, back in the day when they first emerged into the East Coast with their music from the South, I was one of the guys that did they first record with.

Sometimes we do get used in the greatest way to help other brands build they situations. But then again it’s also respect, you meet a dope MC or a dope talent, you wanna work with them cus you know what they gon’ do, you know they gon’ blow up. We always felt that from Ghost doing a record with Ne-Yo. Then the next thing you know, Ne-Yo take off and we ain’t stupid, we not gon’ just get on anything with anybody, we gotta see it makes sense for us too.”

Though he has a lot of love for artists in today’s hip hop scene, even offering up his own remix to DeJ Loaf ’s ‘Try Me’ before some of his younger peers caught on, he agrees that lyricism is lost on today’s rap fans. “I think people do appreciate guys that really take the time to show they skill. I think that was one of the things that was so important that as an artist, that’s Hip Hop 101, you gotta know how to put words together and create songs as well as freestyles and concepts and whatever you do. That’s a number one rule to me, you gotta have some skill.” Though he spotlights artists like Gibbs who can rap circles around the average XXL Freshman, he ascertains that it takes more than rapping to be a successful hip hop artist these days. “I think these young cats, you got some that’s in it for [rapping], you got some that’s in it for hook purposes and some thats just in it for partying. I guess as long as you covering all boundaries, people are gonna accept you and respect what you do.”

During the nineties, Wu Tang were some of the most influential style ambassadors for hip hop culture, making Raekwon’s observation the significance of fashion when it comes to boosting a rapper’s profile today more insightful. “You can’t just be an artist that’s not interesting to anybody, you gotta make people see some kind of interest in you, that’s why you see a lot of kids that dress different, this whole European style of dressing.” Having regularly toured Europe, he’s had time to notice the cultural differences between Europeans and

Americans, interestingly he comments, “I feel like they took that from you guys, like the more fitted jeans. Now fashion has become a symbol of how when you come to the UK, this is how y’all do it. Even the combat boots on the girls, I seen girls wearing that shit here first. Now my little daughter got a pair, she’s five years old, she got the combat boots. I see women like Beyonce dressing like that with the hat on, with the plaid shirt around the waist. All that’s fashion, that’s fashionable shit and what [are] the two biggest places where fashion come from? London and Paris.”

In keeping with the conflict theme of this issue of Viper, we ask what’s the biggest conflict Raekwon faced in life? His response gives insight into the negative sides of the life of a celebrated musician, “I’d say the biggest conflict I’ve faced in life is just really trying to surround myself with the people I really feel care about me. Because one thing about me, I love hard, always been a loyal dude and a team player.

But I guess in the business, it’s hard to see who really is your people, because either they wanna get something out of you or they need you to do something or they want something from you. So I think that’s my biggest fear, to see who’s really really in my corner.” It’s one of the few vulnerable comments you’ll hear from Raekwon, who’s one of the most cheerful jetlagged rappers I’ve ever met. But having spent his entire adult life as a recognisable face in hip hop, it’s understandable how important authentic friendship is to him. “Sometimes you could know someone for four years and may not be genuine but you might meet someone three months ago that really love you to death and you could be like, “Damn, I just met this motherfucker but he seem closer than him.”

You never really know but all you can do is go off your heart and look at it from that perspective. But yeah I always wanna know who’s really representing me, ‘cause I know if I’m representing you, you gon’ know that. The last couple of years, I may have lost probably like 60% of the people that I really thought was down with me. I’m not even just talking from an ego perspective, I’m talking from a looking out for each other perspective. I had to really like take a look at a lot of shit and be like, this ain’t right, there’s something going on here.”

One friend that has always remained close with is Ghostface Killah, with the pair featuring prominently on each other’s debut solo albums.

Their relationship is one of the strongest in hip hop, evident from their partnership even on solo albums. As a double act they go bar for bar, effortlessly trading lyrics in a shared verse.

One of the best examples of this is on ‘Heaven & Hell’, taken from ‘Only Built 4 Cuban Linx’

on which the duo politic back and forth about aspirational goods and robbing vic’s. The pair are so close that it’s not unusual to see them reciting each other’s verses when the other isn’t present at a show. Raekwon even refers to Ghostface’s 1996 debut, ‘Ironman’, as the sister to ‘OB4CL’, released a year earlier. Like all good friendships, theirs has been tested, with Rae admitting that they’ve occasionally stepped in when their crews have clashed in the past.

“We always been cool but we have a different set of men that hang with us, he got his crew and I got mine. Sometimes we get caught in situations where we have to defend both of our crews, based on certain situations between us. For the most part, we tend to respect each other’s position and each other’s peoples but sometimes it’s not like that and it’s like Ghost might be with someone that I feel is a creep, or I might feel like he’s using Ghost to try to play me, thinking that he can pull that or vice versa.

He feels the same way. Me and Ghost had to get past that in our careers before we even became friends because there were people around him I didn’t like, there were people around me that he didn’t like and you know, we had to figure out a way to meet in the middle. We respect where we come from because we come from the street and sometimes in the street, you cross a man, you never could be safe around that man no more. Because you’ll be like, I don’t feel safe around that man, I don’t want him around me.

All this is normal stuff when you come up in the neighbourhood, you learn who they are and move forward.”

Growing up in the projects in New York, the members of Wu Tang Clan were acquainted with gangs in the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn, but they weren’t gang affiliated. In RZA’s book, The Tao of Wu-Tang, he explains how the group’s connection united Staten Island gangs from rival parts of the borough.

Not only did they appease gang relations with their music, they also challenged the belief that a large group of men is seen as a gang. “That type of stuff is always gonna exist because that’s what it is, you have many guys that have they crews. I grew up with a crew, that’s pretty much normal shit. That’s across the world, you come out here, you still see dudes running around town ten deep, fifteen deep hanging out, because sometimes we [are] all we know. That’s just what it is.” With nine talented MCs making intelligent music promoting the Five Percent Nation lifestyle, Wu Tang were noble, the term Clan adding to this perception. But people were still intimidated as RZA details in the book, speaking of their debut showcase when they ran on stage, faces covered in stockings to a shocked room of record label employees.

Ol’ Dirty Bastard took it upon himself to break

“I KNOW IT’S HARD FOR THE RZA ‘CAUSE HE GOTTA SIT AND HEAR NINE PEOPLE’S MOUTHS TELL HIM THIS AND THAT” the ice, singing ’Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ and exhibiting fit in. But when you doing it solo, you become the captain in the his infectious personality. Raekwon laughs as he recalls the story, chair and you dictate what you wanna get on and you just take reflecting on the love he had for ODB. your time and do it to your best ability.” He elaborates on the style Wu Tang use to create songs, as well as the input of RZA, “When After Wu Tang released their debut album, ‘Enter the Wu-Tang: you dealing with a group, it’s almost like an assembly line, you get 36 Chambers’, each of the Wu Tang members began to focus on in and do your thing and play your part. But when it’s time for me solo material. ‘OB4CL’ was the second solo album from members to do my own thing, it’s gonna either be smoother because I don’t of the collective following the release of Method Man’s ‘Tical’ in have to worry about his opinion, eight other opinions or whatever 1994. Having started out making music as a group, Raekwon has the case may be, ‘cause that’s what happens sometimes. I know it’s adapted into a very strong solo artist, even if he is occasionally hard for the RZA ‘cause he gotta sit here and hear nine people’s backed by a RZA instrumental. Considering he’s still making music mouths tell him this and that. Even though it’s still difficult with with Wu Tang and as a solo artist, I’m curious if the approaching is nine people, it’s convenient that way but then doing it alone, it’s different for the two projects, “When we do it together as a group, more organic.” it’s always more fun and easier because it’s a group, you don’t have to worry about doing so much work, you just gotta get in how you @raekwon raekwonchronicles.com

“I DON’T LIKE SHIT, I DON’T GO OUTSIDE wa s m y f i r s t a n d l a s t a l b u m . I’ m ou t .”

- E a r l S w e at s h i r t

A

Meet Earl Sweatshirt and Vince Staples, two cult Los Angeles lyricists that stand out amongst industry peers jumping on trends to capitalise on rapid success. Or as Earl poetically describes it, “Fishy niggas stick to eating off of hooks.” Both MCs are dedicated to the art of rap with lyrics far beyond their years. Although their back catalogues almost go back to the last decade, 2015 has seen them fully get the hang of creating music to be proud of. In March, Earl released his latest album, ‘I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside’, an impressive body of work, entirely self-produced with the exception of one song. Later this year, Vince is expected to release his debut album following his 2014 EP, ‘Hell Can Wait’.

2015’s, ‘Wool’, they maintain that their friendship is priority, and good music is just a bonus. Even when Earl isn’t featured in the song, he still pops up for a faux battle with Vince, most notably on Kilo Kish’s ‘Trappin’,’ which features classic lines including, “me and J.Scott ain’t scared of the dark” and “me and J.Scott get ribs from the vegans.”

Now aged 21, the pair first met at the age of 15. Currently touring together, with support from Remy Banks, Nyku and the Fucking Awesome skate team, the ‘Not Redy to Leave’ tour makes perfect sense for the pair who are two of the most influential in the rap scene.

Having collaborated on several songs, including ‘epaR’, ‘Hive’ and

The tone is typical from the pair, regularly switching from a playful tone mocking anything and anyone, to a serious, critical perspective addressing their peers and surroundings. Both artists have maintained this approach in their music, knowing how to maintain and push a reactionary style accompanied by an immature sense of humour.

Taking a break from the tour, Viper speaks to Earl and Vince via threeway phone call from Los Angeles. Vince’s manager Corey announces, “Hello Party People” to which Earl snaps, “Who just said “Hello Party People?” As Corey states, “Me nigga!” Both Vince and Earl respond with a chorus of, “You gotta chill” and “Corey, chill.”

Is it easier to work with someone you have a friendship with?

Vince: It’s funny though cause we haven’t really worked together that much. The funniest shit about this whole situation is we rap together but we’ve got three songs out in public and we got less than 10 songs recorded ever. We got bars though, if you ever see me and this nigga rap together, there’s definitely bars for you.

You must get daily requests to collaborate on an EP together.

V: Fans request an EP with everybody with everybody. It’s like, “Hey, Alchemist, Action Bronson, Vince Staples, Los and 2Chainz should do a tape.” You’d be surprised how many tweets like that you get per day.

Earl: Like, “You know who should do a tape? Childish Gambino, Rick Rubin and Vince Staples.”

V: “And Mac Miller should produce all the beats.”

What would be your dream random collaboration line-up?

V: I literally do not have one. I honestly don’t like collabs, it kinda ruins the song sometimes, especially nowadays. I would’ve thought that a Portishead x James Blake one would be kinda good.

Your album with Michael Uzowuru was a good collab album though.

V: I feel like I hold music to a higher regard than a lot of people. It’s funny, motherfuckers hit me with, “Your best shit is your first mixtape,” or “Your best shit is ’Stolen Youth’.” That’s not true in a general sense of what music should be on the scale we’re trying to create within.

E: Yeah, niggas really be trying to hold you to whichever is most easily digestible in their system V: You can sit here and say Kanye’s best album is his first one, everything else is trash. I feel you, but how likely is it that that is actual truth? As far as getting budget, understanding your music, your earliest shit should not be your best shit. If your earliest shit your best shit then you a lump of trash.

What drives you to create music, is there a message you offer that no one else does?

V: The fact that every single person I run into thinks that I smoke weed, I’ve been to jail or have tattoos based on the place that I come from; that’s the reason I make music because that shit is disgusting. It just shows that there’s no respect for humanity if it doesn’t come from a place that [you] come from. Even people from where I come from. If you aren’t the most ghetto motherfucker on the face of earth, if you step wrong, people in my area won’t fuck with you. And people that have never been to this place will question your validity based on things they’ve seen that you’ve probably never seen. I feel like that’s the problem with music and just life in general nobody gives people a chance to be themselves and I wanna eliminate people from the equation.

E: A lot of niggas are preoccupied with doing a whole bunch of shit that isn’t rapping. Like at the root of this shit, we rapping bro’. We know how to rap and I’m speaking for me and this nigga Vince, literally knowing how to rap is going out of style.

Do you have a favourite song of each others’?

E: This nigga Vince verse on ‘Plottin’ is real crazy. The A$ton Matthews song, I think. I’m a fan of Vince Staples’ music though, straight up. The other one I love is ‘Fire’. I think it’s safe to say that we both fuck with each other and we come with new flows.

V: And people be taking flows, flow thievery at an all time high.

E: Inventing a flow is crazy.

V: Me personally, I don’t care about lyrics or trying to bar out on niggas.

I feel like overall music is a complete package, I don’t wanna hear someone just rap all day.

E: True!

V: That’s just corny to me, if you’re not saying nothing that relates to life, then it doesn’t matter. In that sense, Lil Boosie is real hip hop because he speaks to a person’s life. Just like Lupe Fiasco will speak to a person and when I was growing up, I was listening to Lil Bow Wow. That’s just reflecting what’s happening to you in life, so is that not important?

E: You ask an old nigga about hip hop, he’ll tell you that shit died a real long time ago. To be honest, it low key did. If you’re talking about the definition of the culture and the energy and the things that niggas were doing that were classified as hip hop, niggas stopped dancing to the records a long time ago.

V: Nobody in their right mind can tell me Kurtis Blow can rap better than Lil Wayne.

E: Kurtis Blow? Is better than Lil Wayne? No. V: Nobody can say Kurtis Blow can rap better than Lil Wayne. Nobody can tell me Run DMC did some shit more complex than Gucci Mane’s “Toni Braxton sniper rifle, make you never breathe again” type shit.

They weren’t dropping that back then so it’s all relative at the end of the day but what I’m saying is the artistry and musician shit is what we lack the most in hip hop today.

E: It’s a weird state right now but it’s good because it’s a turbulent stage for rap music, it’s mostly a free for all.

V: Also these kids aren’t buying the bullshit no more.

E: Kids aren’t buying bullshit?

V: Not in the sense of money but if they find out you’re full of shit…

E: Yeah, 110%. There’s machines now, people that have turned themselves into machines, like whole package ass people. Cause that’s what it takes now for you to be regarded as the type of artist that Vince is taking about. I feel like with dudes like Kanye, that’s why I be making my own beats, to be as goddamn self-sustaining as I can be. You’ve got to be a nigga like Vince to not make your own beats now. To not be in charge of your entire aesthetic, your word has to be your bond, your world has to be real valuable.

V: Definitely cus now they’re buying you more than they’re buying the music E: And if you’re not making your own beats now and you’re rapping, you’re not coming with your own sound. You’re coming with whoever that’s making the beat’s sound. Because now producers are a machine, niggas like Diddy did it before but they were way more rare. Producers are a thing now like rappers.

“N o b od y i n t h e i r r i g h t m i n d c a n t e l l me Kurtis Blow can rap better than Lil W ay n e ” - V i n c e S ta p l es

“A

l o t o f n i gg a s a r e p r eo c c u p i ed w i t h

do i n g a w h o l e b u n c h o f s h i t t h at i s n ’ t r a p p i n g . L i ke at t h e r oo t o f t h i s s h i t , we rapping bro.

We

know how to rap

I’ m s p e a k i n g f o r m e a n d t h i s n i gg a V i n c e , l i t e r a l ly k n o w i n g h o w t o r a p i s go i n g ou t o f s t y l e ” - E a r l S w e at s h i r t

and

Clothing by Champion USA All other clothing, artist’s own

V: You always have the Just Blaze’s and the DJ Premier’s and J Dillas and Madlib’s, and the other guys, they’ve always had names, it’s just social media has them more at the forefront.

Rap’s very over-saturated these days, thanks to the Internet.

E: Rap imitates the world though, the world is over-saturated. Everything that niggas are into is over-saturated right now from basketball to skateboarding, music, weed is over saturated. Its over populated.

V:Do you mean over-saturated or over broadcast?

E: I’d say over-saturated, the line between the consumer and the artist has been blurred, it’s one and the same now.

V: That’s because it’s been over broadcast through the Internet. There was a point in time when you did not know what Jay Z was doing right now.

Niggas know what outfit Beyonce had on yesterday.

E: Right, you know where Kanye’s at.

V: That’s what fucked everything up.

Millions of people could rock with it, there’s nothing wrong with people liking it, but there’s something wrong when it becomes more about stating what you like than supporting and embracing it and that’s what we’ve come to now. We’ve come to people wanting to like things for their own credibility, it’s not about the music or the food or the clothes, they wanna listen to the music because nobody likes it but then what happens when somebody likes it; it becomes overrated it’s mainstream.

Why is that a bad thing? Everyone wants to be mainstream. What does that even mean, are we on a boat? That doesn’t mean shit but we pretend that it does so we can be cooler than the next person.

E: The same people that don’t fuck with mainstream music are the same people that don’t fuck with things that are new.

It’s hipster shit.

Besides talent, what do you feel helps you stand out amongst the millions of rappers with Internet access?

Vince: I don’t feel like I stand out honestly, Young Thug stands out, J.Cole stands out, Kendrick Lamar stands out, my name is not amongst those people.

To stand out, you’re at the forefront, I’m not at the forefront.

Earl: Also it’s coming down to the instruments and the tempos you use to talk to people over. Niggas say Future is nigga’s Beyonce, because it’s the most palatable. If Future was saying the shit he’s saying over some other music it might be questionable or it wouldn’t have the same effect.

V: I definitely see what you’re saying.

Future is the closest relation to current

culture. Current culture is drug culture, party culture, urban glorification.

E: I feel that one thing Future’s got that helps me is the honesty that he throws in the mix of crazy shit he talks about.

He’ll turn his whole eye on himself.

I’ve heard people say PartyNextDoor is the new R. Kelly.

V: There’s no need to be a new anybody, let motherfuckers be themselves.

People [are] so stuck in the past and 9/10 of these people saying [they’re] the new R.Kelly do not remember when one R. Kelly song came out. Because these kids were not listening to black people’s music when they were growing up, it’s just the truth. These same kids that know so much about hip hop, I’ll drop a fucking Snoop Dogg or Ray J song at a show and they won’t know what the fuck it is it, is but it was the biggest song out at the time. Everyone’s pretending to be part of a culture they don’t know anything about, but are just embracing the current.

Generalising a new artist can be insulting too, like they’re not unique if you can compare them to someone else.

V: I understand it but there’s no need to put down current culture due to respect, admiration or whatever. When you do things like that, you’re missing a whole generation. You’re comparing new rappers to Nas like there was no 50 Cent or DMX or Cam’ron era. You can’t forget that part of music and the transition period. We’re not coming from breakdancing, backpacking, vinyl, that is not the generation before us. There’s actually more substance in today’s music than there was when I was growing up in 2000. You had Kanye and Lupe Fiasco, the conscious wave but that was it, there was no one else speaking like that. It was like post Talib [Kweli] and Mos Def, that’s the time that people are forgetting. Dem Franchise Boyz, those were the biggest rappers at a point in time. That was a real era of music. So we are in a good place, compared to where we were before.

E: Hell yeah bro. The 2000s were so crazy because rap suffered from success and the craziest part is, I love that music.

A silent pause leaves me wondering if the line went dead, but leads to some insight into Vince and Earl’s background behaviour during the interview...

V: I think everyone should know I’m doing this interview while overcoming the 24 deficit on 2K. I’m the best player of all time.

E: Man, I was doing some other shit at the beginning of this interview…

[Laughs]

“W e

n eed m o r e g i r l s at t h e s h o w s i f w e ’ r e go i n g t o su r v i ve , f o r m y o w n h e a l t h .

i ’ m s i c k o f dudes t r y i n g t o s m oke w eed with me after the show”

- V i n c e S ta p l es

“I f

y ou r e a r l i es t s h i t y ou r b es t s h i t

t h e n y ou a l u m p o f t r a s h ” V: I just need people to know that I’m the best probably ever, in the entertainment industry, ever and I’m willing to put money on it, I’m willing to bet whatever.

E: I was getting into some real nasty shit in the beginning of the interview.

V: I believe you bro.

With a tweet following the interview, Earl revealed that the “nasty shit” in question was, “got #top while i did a damn phone interview earlier lol.” Blissfully unaware of Vince’s oral activities during our aural union, the two take a moment to praise their shared passion.

E: What’s up with rapping?

V: It’s rapping.

E: Rapping is crazy.

V: It’s a beautiful thing. It’s a gift and a curse like ‘The Blueprint 2’.

Going back to comparisons in music, I ask if they’re ever bothered by New West Coast tags?

V: There’s no such thing as coast, everybody’s from the Internet, we all from the Internet, SoundCloud, Vine and shit like that. It sucks ‘cause I would love to be a new West Coast artist but it’s no use, there’s no Dogg Pound Gang videos no more. Half of these people can’t even go to places they claim they from.

This is the Conflict issue of Viper. What’s the biggest conflict you’ve faced in life?

E: Myself, that’s the only that nigga I’m scared of. Word to Coach Carter.

-

V i n c e S ta p l es

V:And God E: [Laughing] V: The biggest conflict I’ve faced in life is probably overcoming stereotypes and rumours that have been in place for years.

How do you feel about the conflict in America right now?

V: No one cares about this shit that’s happening. Nobody cares in America, probably in the world. As people, it’s cool to care about things when we’re told it’s a problem. It’s crazy that we pretend we care about police killing people but it’s cool to bomb schools in other countries because they’re terrorists. What does that even mean? If we’re told there’s a problem with the police, there’s a problem with the police. If we’re told there’s a problem with drugs or gangs, there’s a problem with drugs or gangs is a problem. None of this shit is new.

True.

If someone doesn’t like your music that is not a big issue, the last thing I’m worried about is if someone appreciates what I’m saying, I wanna say it because it’s relevant to me and where I come from. I feel like that’s lacking to me, people aren’t understanding in the personal way before anything else. I try to get across my perspective on my life ‘cause when it’s all said and done and you die, who were you and what did you do?

No one cares about how many records you sold. No one speaks on those types of things, they speak about who you were and what you did for culture. We made ‘Hands Up’ a year before that kid [Mike Brown] got killed by the police. There’s a video on YouTube of the police shooting a

kid down a set of stairs in Long Beach down the street from the college, and nobody cared. Because you hadn’t been told to care about that incident. But I saw it, I’ve seen that happen because it’s my environment that I come from. That just shows how ignorant we are about the world, I just feel like be true to my environment and be true to myself, of course we’re gonna speak on those topics because we’re all the same at the end of the day.

E: There’s a certain human thing that is in all of us.

How do you feel about sharing the cover of Viper?

E: Its a 2-4-1 deal, get one, get the other. Real shit.

V: Real shit, I fuck with him.

E: Real shit, I’m focused.

You’ve got one of the strongest fan bases in rap, you agree?

E: Real talk, we got one that’s not moving.

V: I definitely want girls at my shows.

E: Yo, real talk man! What’s wrong with that? That’s a problem straight up. The ratio of virgin males to grown women….

V: And that’s why I say we’re not standing out because J.Cole is standing out.

E: He got ‘em!

V: He got ‘em!

E: Right. The Weeknd got ‘em.

V: The Weeknd got ‘em. That’s hip hop right there.

E: We started making music before we started having sex.

V: That’s not true, not for me.

Photos by Mike Miller Photo Words by Lily Mercer Styling by Maritza Whittaker Baseball Bats by Sage Vaughn

E: Nigga, I had one bitch when I started music and she let me hit six months after it took off.

V: You started on this way early though. It don’t really count, you can’t speak for the generation.

So what’s wrong with the ratio at the shows?

V: We need more girls at the shows if we going to survive, for my own health. I’m sick of dudes trying to smoke weed with me after the show.

E: Yes! Like I don’t wanna smoke weed with none of y’all.

Vince, you’re currently recording your debut album right?

V: Yeah, but what’s a debut album? I don’t know. I’m just making songs.

E: This nigga Vince’s stuff is heat, he’s lying to you. I don’t got shit! ‘I Don’t Like Shit…’ was my first and last album. I’m out.

Earl, you’re retiring?

E: Yeah, peace.

V: Don’t be like that nigga E: It’s a weird one though I’m not gonna lie. It’s been weird to figure out which direction to go in after.

V: There’s only one direction to go. Shout out One Direction E: Shout out One Direction though, cause that’s definitely a direction.

Maybe you should do your collab album with them?

E: You said a collab album with Rick Rubin, One Direction, Vince Staples and Yoko Ono? Damn. That’s what’s up, I’m proud of you for that bro!

V: You got me all fucked up.

E: [Laughing] Oh man.

V: I can’t be collating with people, one man hair band. This shit is real.

E: How would you be if I fell through with a gorgeous head of white man’s hair?

V: The hair’s in the music, the hair isn’t in the appearance.

@earlxsweat @vincestaples earlsweatshirt.com

Have you got any questions for each other?

V: Why are you so lazy?

E: Why are you so lazy?! The homies call me James Brown, because I’m the hardest working man on earth. So many people call me James Brown, I be working so hard.

Any final words for Viper?

E: I’m going to the gym right now because fucking around with y’all might make me miss my gym shit. ‘Cause Earl is about to gain 15 pounds right now. I love the gym.

V: Make sure you put in that I’m a 2K warrior, I’m a champion.

E: Vince, come fuck with me nigga, I got beats! Put this in the article… tell Vince to come to my damn house.

“T h e 2000 s

w e r e so c r a z y

b e c a use r a p su f f e r ed f r o m su c c ess ”

-

E a r l S w e at s h i r t

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THE VIPER SHOW:

BAD GIRLS EDITION FOUR LONDON IT GIRLS TURN BAD FOR VIPER

SASHA KEABLE This 21 year-old English rose is one of the capital’s most exciting new vocalists, having signed in 2013 to Disturbing London, the independent label co-founded by Tinie Tempah. Despite being relatively new to the scene, Keable already has two incredibly strong EPs under her belt, 2013’s ‘Black Book’ and the deliciously titled ‘Lemongrass & Limeleaves’ in 2014. She even collaborated with the messiahs of UK EDM, Disclosure, on the dance floor filler, ‘Voices’.

Almost as famed for her doll face as her gorgeous vocals, this beauty has a deep, strong voice that belies her cuteness, which will be evident for all on her highly anticipated debut album, due later this year.

Rings by Ambush Necklace by Ambush All other clothing and accessories stylists own

MAYA JAMA Maya Jama is stirring up quite a social media storm; the half Somalian, half Swedish broadcast journalist has already made her mark on the scene at the tender age of 20. Having moved from Bristol to the big smoke of London at just 16, she quickly made a name for herself in the competitive world of TV presenting. Kickstarting her career as a presenter for the weekly countdown show on JumpOff.TV, she soon bagged a weekly show on Rinse FM before being unveiled as MTV: The Wrap Up’s new presenter in early 2015.

Her energetic aura on radio and TV is contagious, and the fact she’s pretty easy on the eye can’t have escaped the attention of many people.

Shirt by Moschino Rings by Ambush All other clothing and accessories stylists own

RIVAH KRAY With her delicate features and Barbie doll figure, you’d be forgiven for thinking Rivah Kray is a model. The London born DJ has had her fair share of camera attention, from modeling for Vice on the eve of the launch of WAH Nails to appearing in Pretty Real’s Teenage Love/ Pretty Real video for i-D Online. Since then, the 20-something girl about town has made a name for herself behind the decks as a resident for one of East London’s finest club nights; Work It. Run by a bunch of the baddest females you’ll find in our fair city, their adoration of the nineties trickles down into their personal style. In addition to Work It, she’s blessed the decks at nights for Just Jam and Cherryade, plus many more. Now there she goes again, the dopest Ethiopian.

Ring by LAI All other clothing and accessories stylists own

JETSSS Jetsss may be just 17 years-old, but she’s almost certainly cooler than you, regardless of your age. As a resident DJ for one of London’s hottest hip hop nights, License to Trill, she’s popping up to DJ at all the events you want to be invited to.

All long before being legal to drink at them! This is one of the new London It-girls to keep your eye on. Not content with solely DJing, Jetsss has also been dabbling in production, creating her own beats with a sound that blurs the lines between hip hop and grime for that distinctive London style.

Photos by Edd Leigh Words by Lauryn Tomlinson Hair by Jake Gallagher Make up by Zana Moses Styling by Izzy Lo Steven

Bracelet by Ambush Rings by Ambush All other clothing and accessories stylists own

I S S E Y M I Y A K E

Homme Plisse: Pleats Please Gets A Menswear Update Relaxed, lithe, agile, ‘feral’ even… just a few of the words that spring to mind on first impressions of the new Issey Miyake offshoot for men, Homme Plissé.

The menswear label debut’s for Spring Summer 2015 comes 22 years after the birthing of Pleats Please, the innovative label from Miyake and Reality Lab, which sought to revolutionise womenswear with heat-treated permanent pleats at the crux with the active, modern woman in mind. Erring on the side of androgyny, Homme Plisse has arrived just in time as gender-neutral attire picks up even more interest in the mainstream.

Having appeared in our Summer 2014 issue and “illustrative of versatility blossoming,” we lace none other than Denzel Himself in some select items from the debut collection. From the minimalism of the cling-to pleats on the roll necks and tees to the slouchy animal skin motifs on the pants. Denzel, known for referring to his homies as his ‘GF’s’, dons an array of the bold designs. Also included are scarves by Pleats Please.

Encouraging people to wear clothing in a way that transcends gender is exciting especially with Issey’s foresight, research and eloquence. Describing his designs as “truly borderless clothes that transcend age, gender and nationality,” after taking a number of his clothes on a four-year expedition that spanned Africa and Asia and photographing natives adorned in Miyake’s pieces, Yuriko Takagi’s words still ring true. Time will tell whether a fully fledged unisex line from the Miyake design house is on the books.

Photos by Mitzi Lorenz Words by Laura Arowolo Styling by Mitzi Lorenz Styling Assistant: Alex Whitehouse Model: Denzel Himself

I S S E Y M I Y A K E

BASEBALL

WE SELECT FOUR OF THE BEST NEW FACES IN FASHION Baseball is quite possibly the most intrinsically American sport and for decades the fashions tied to it have continued to seep into wardrobes worldwide. You could blame it on Americanisation, or globalisation, but the influence of hip hop artists, particularly in the nineties, can’t

be denied. Almost all of us can say we’ve either worn or lusted after a baseball jersey or letterman jacket of some variation at a point in time.

As commonplace as collaborations have become in the fashion world, it’s great when one crops up that you’d either been hoping for, didn’t

Photos by Ashley Verse Styling by Lily Mercer Make-Up by Courtney Hunte Stylist Assistant: Alex Whitehouse Models: Derrelle Goodhall, Jay Kirton +James Magee @ Select, Aaron Miller @ AMCK

FURIES

expect or even one that just makes a lot of sense. ICECREAM teaming up with baseball legends, Majestic falls under the more unique (at least for us Brits) yet seemingly common-sense category.

Founded in 1976, Majestic has long been the forerunner in goods associated with Major league baseball. The official outfitters and clothing company for the sport, the Spring 15 collaboration offers a playful take on archive pieces from Majestic.

From the satin stadium jackets and waffle fleecemans to the red and

teal coach jackets, which embody the classic Majestic Hollis silhouette, the remixed offering of baseball threads sees ICECREAM inject its signature colour palettes and boisterousness to the designs through its interpretation of the these staple items.

Borrowing from the sport’s iconic baseball cards, we’ve dressed our favourite faces of the season in choice picks from the collection, which combines a mix of attire for ‘Ballers’ and ‘Players’ All clothing by ICECREAM x Majestic

CONVERSING WITH DBM’S

JOE FRESHGOODS DESIGNER. MANAGER. FATHER. THE DBM CO-FOUNDER MADE IN A CHICAGO HOOD

Arriving at Chicago’s Fat Tiger Works in Logan Square, I’m greeted at the door by co-owner Joe Freshgoods, also the co-founder of clothing line Dope.BoyMagic [DBM]. For the past few years, Freshgoods has been making a name for himself both within the Chicago hip hop scene and within the (international) streetwear world. Freshgoods is doing it right, not only representing the Windy City that he calls home, but also receiving co-signs from nationwide names like Wiz Khalifa, Chuck Inglish, Casey Veggies and Two-9 .

Inside the store, T-shirts and jackets rest on hangers while high-resolution photos from past look books are framed to the wall.

Next to a neon red sign that reads “Made in a Chicago Hood,” issues of Complex Magazine are scattered about. Rae Sremmurd’s debut album soundtracks the movements.

When Freshgoods shakes my hand, he tells me that he’s going upstairs to get ready, taking his 18-month-old daughter Zoe with him.

20 minutes later, he comes back down to the store. He and his daughter are both dressed to the nines, with Freshgoods rocking an orange raincoat and a camo hoodie and his daughter wearing a DBM Squad jacket and size one Timberlands.

Letting his daughter loose inside the store, she pounds on the mirror and points to herself, repeating the word “baby.” When Freshgoods wants to get Zoe to come to him, he says, “Zoe, heart,” and points to his heart. She points back to her heart and repeats his words, slowly walking his way. When she is left to her own devices, she runs around the store, blowing kisses to the employees and co-owners that listen to trap music and discuss women.

Photos by Bryan Lamb Words by Ben Niespodziany

I ask Freshgoods how the year has been treating him and he expresses he’s content. “I started managing Lucki, so that was a bit different than what I’m usually doing. But the year is going on strong. Dropped a nice collection, went to Paris. I wanted to start off with a bang.” While 2015 has been good to him, Freshgoods and crew received word that their store front, located in the closed Congress Theater in Logan Square, will be gone by summer.

In April of 2013, the Congress Theater received a notice from the City of Chicago, telling them to shut their doors for over two dozen safety code violations, plus liquor violations and a rough and tumble security team. Since closing two years ago, the building has since opened up small, independently owned operations and studio spaces, including Fat Tiger Works.

Although they don’t receive many walk-ins and most of the sales occur online, Freshgoods and co-owners Vic Lloyd and Rello have turned Fat Tiger Works into an iconic location, hosting shows as well as music video shoots. British artist Will Prince once had an art show inside Fat Tiger Works, which was also the location Chance The Rapper chose to host his Social Function. The back-alley behind the store is known as The Tiger Den and has featured fashion runways and summer cook-outs. When it was made clear that the Congress Theater had plans to reopen and begin renovation, all of the small establishments were asked (see also: forced) to leave. “We found out on the slick side,” Freshgoods says, “the landlord didn’t even tell us. We’re trying to look for another location. Not set in stone if we gonna be here ‘til April, it might be a little bit longer, but yeah. We lookin’ for another spot.”

“I HAVE A REALLY GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH ALMOST EVERY ARTIST IN CHICAGO, IT WAS HARD BECAUSE I DIDN’T WANT TO SINGLE MYSELF OUT” Freshgoods is 28 years old and eighteen months ago, his first child was born. I ask him how having a baby girl has shaped a man so grounded within a hip hop and streetwear culture that often embraces Backwoods and bottle service. “It’s made me more caring and passionate. It’s made me get my stuff in order. Everything has been like a hobby for a long time. I have a daughter and she made me realise that this is a real job. It made me get more serious about the business and it just made me more compassionate and thoughtful about the pieces I put out. I wanted to kind of pull back from Dope.Boy. Magic for a little bit and just use DBM. [He has been creative with the acronym, changing it recently to Don’t Be Mad]. I started with this when I was 22. I’m 28 now.”

Managing Lucki Eck$ as an artist (who has been managed by his mother, FakeShoreDrive’s Andrew Barber, and Broke Mogul’s Scott Vener), Freshgoods tells me this is his first time dealing with music management. “It’s been pretty cool. It’s one of those things... I didn’t conquer fashion, but when I get to 30, I want to have a few different things in my life. I saw a lot of potential in Lucki and he needed some management. I have a really good relationship with almost every artist in Chicago, and it was kind of hard because I didn’t want to single myself out, but it’s a good look for both of us. I’m excited about it.”

When asked what he’s been listening to recently, Joe responds, “Shit, Lucki,” he laughs. “I hate all this Japanese stuff. The Chief Keef of Japan or whatever.

I’ve been listening to a lot of old stuff. Old R&B.” Rae Sremmurd plays in the back and I ask him if he listens to them as well. “Yeah of course, but no, whenever people ask this question, I like to think of someone that’s not [well known]...you know what I’m saying? I like to put them on.” He explains that this is why he performs DJ sets with his iPad.

“I love music. I can’t rap, I can’t sing. I like playing stuff that people like to listen to. I don’t wanna say I break records but I’m a real Internet person to the point where a lot of songs, I’m thinking, ‘I don’t think nobody playing this in Chicago right now’. I like to, in my world of people, break records. That’s the biggest thing. It’s a certain kind of high I get seeing people partying and dancing.” He tells me about his biggest show, DJing for BJ The Chicago Kid at The Metro in Chicago, to 800 loyal fans. “That was probably the craziest shit,” he says.

Freshgoods tells me that he definitely sees himself staying in Chicago permanently. “[I’m] finna travel more. Might have a crib in LA, a crib in New York, but [I’m] definitely gonna live in Chicago. I didn’t wanna be ‘Made in a Chicago Hood’ and ‘Chicago Pride’ and then live in LA. Gonna always have different spots in other cities but I’ma for sure stay in Chicago. I’m never leaving.”

At the end of 2014, Freshgoods paid a visit to Paris with photographer and friend Trashhand, who has done the last few look books for DBM and who has a massive following as an visual artist. “It was my first time going out of the country,” Joe tells me.

“It was amazing. It woke me up to a bigger world.”

Since he left the country for the first time, does he have another destination in mind for the follow-up look book?

“Right now, we kind of set a high standard.

Now I feel like I can’t shoot the next one in Chicago. We were talking to Trash, maybe like Germany. Somewhere industrial. Next year. We’re gonna drop a spring/summer [in the meantime], but I can’t obviously go to another country every time we shoot a look book, but the bigger ones, that’s what we gonna do.”

As we wrap up the interview and prepare to go

outside, I ask Freshgoods if he has any advice for artists working on their craft. “Stay true to your heart. Just keep working hard. A lot of the time, everything seems kinda rough, but have a clear cut point of what you wanna do. The Internet makes everything so easy. I honestly think the Internet is more important than school sometimes. If you use it the right way. If you wanna be a graphic designer, you can be the best graphic designer you wanna be. You can go on YouTube and study and learn everything to be that person. I’m pretty big on self-branding. If you’re company is going away or you lose your job working for the company you wanted to work with, who are you as a person? I think a lot of artists, painting, rapping, or making clothes, need to make sure that they brand themselves. If everything dies down, if nobody don’t buy a painting no more, if don’t nobody buy a T-shirt no more, you wanna stand the test of time and still prevail and still be able to put out more products. Know your name.”

Bryan Lamb, Chicago-based photographer, snaps pictures of Freshgoods and Zoe outside in half a foot of snow in The Tiger Den. Ice drips from the bricks of the foundation as Freshgoods sings the alphabet to his daughter who stomps in the snow in her miniature boots. I ask if he has any final words to close with. “I just wanna really push the culture,” he exhales. “I hate that word. When I was in Paris, I was at this store and I saw this city pack and they had Miami, they had LA, they had Tokyo, and they had New York, and it was something made for tourists to buy, but they didn’t have Chicago.

Chicago’s one of the biggest markets in the world. Through culture, through parties, through music, through fashion, through restaurants, I wanna make sure Chicago’s on the map. Everything I do, everything I want to do, I want Chicago to be what it’s supposed to be. I got a great team around me. We’re gonna take over.”

@JoeFreshgoods joefreshgoods.com

East London photographer and visual artist, Zoe Buckman, rules the roost in a darker field. But never loses her wit and sense of humour. Playfully bending the bouji margins of multimedia, Buckman’s current ‘Present Life’ show uses placenta as a telescope into the new neon energy of motherhood.

Always transcending - ‘Every Curve’ crossfades adolescent memories of hip hop’s female-facing ebullience with what else, but a handicraft collection of vintage lingerie. Here at Viper, we adore work that juxtaposes to re-dispose. She joins us to talk conflict, influence and growth…

You’re known as a photographer and artist. What was the first method of creating art you experimented with?

When I was 15 I studied textiles at school and then later photography. I chose to pursue photography initially as a form of artistic expression but in the last few years have expanded my practice again to include to both new and old mediums including embroidery, sculpture, glass and installation.

Your ongoing body of work is named ‘Present Life’. Is it important to you that there’s a realism to the artwork you produce?

Realism is important to me, but more

specifically authenticity. Works of mine could be abstracted or realistic, but as long I lead from a place of truth I'm happy.

One of the earliest projects I saw of yours was the ‘Loo’s’ series with quotes from women in bathrooms. Were there any quotes that were good but too crazy to include?

There were quotes that didn't make it into the series but probably because I found them uninteresting... I don't think there were any too outrageous to include.

Were you always drawn to creating as you were growing up?

I was always making some kind of artistic mess as a kid. I was also really drawn to literature and the theatre, and I feel a lot of my work has a theatrical/ performative element to it.

What were the first artworks you created and exhibited?

My very first exhibit was my solo show of photography called ‘Loos’ and that was over years ago, after I left ICP [International Center of Photography].

You often work outside of photography, what inspires you to produce more than images?

After I had a child I felt changed. I had

entered a new phase in my personal life and I guess it makes sense that my artistic practice started to reflect this.

I didn't intend to, but I started to feel limited with photography and I wanted to break out into new mediums. So I started with neon, which is a natural progression from photography because both use light as their paintbrush .

You embroidered classic rap lyrics onto vintage underwear for ‘Every Curve’. How did you choose the lyrics you wanted to use?

I chose the text by gathering all the lyrics used by Biggie and Tupac that refer to women. I then selected a piece of text that most feels suited to a particular garment. For example if the lyric is about a woman's anatomy or birth I might stitch it onto a garter belt, if it mentions breasts it might end up on a bra.

You’ve said that Every Curve explores the contradictory and complimentary influences of feminism and hip hop.

How do you feel that the conflict between the two influences you?

I've always wanted to produce a body of work that explores the conflict between feminism and hip hop. It's a complicated relationship and one I have grappled with for years as a feminist and rap fan.

ZOE BUCKMAN Photo of Zoe by Jessica Malafouris All other photos by Zoe Buckman Words by Shola Timothy

What’s the biggest difference between a medium like photography and your textile and sculpture based work?

I feel that the act of embroidering is very personal. It's close work and it's time consuming, so it can feel like toil. But you have complete control over it as it's just you and hands on the garment. I feel like I'm drawing on a whole lineage of historical women and women artists when I'm sewing, which can be quite empowering and sad simultaneously. With photography there is a layer of distance between the product and the practice. When you take the picture you're connected but then it becomes about uploading, possibly retouching, archiving, printing and then framing. Your hands stop touching it and it becomes more of an object. Having said that, there's nothing as "real" as a photograph.

Essentially it is a documentation of truth.

You work with neon too, is it important to you to add new skills into your creative process?

I feel like I'm always learning new things and ways to express myself. I'm also learning how to work with people and allowing for that professional relationship and exchange to take place. For example, I don't bend the neon tubing myself, I work with a neon technician to do that. Although I work with a range of mediums and disciplines and I will probably add more to that growing list, in my mind I'm using whichever medium I feel best serves the point I'm trying to make with that particular piece.

Your first gallery solo show recently opened in New York. What’s been a personal favourite of your exhibitions so far?

My current solo show, ‘Present Life’, is the most important thing to me

that I've put out there so far. The project took me three and a half years to complete and it's highly personal. I look forward to what's coming next, but getting the show together has definitely been the highest mountain I've had to climb thus far and it's been an incredible and rewarding journey.

You have a successful career in the US. Do you prefer showing your work overseas or at home in London?

I feel like I'm only just starting to understand the art industry in New York. It's taken a while, but I'm gradually building a great community for myself within the art world here and am humbled by the support of some incredible artists and art-industry professionals who are starting to know my work and what I'm trying to say. I feel very supported. That

said, I would love to build a similar community in my home town and I hope that, if my career continues to grow in the US, it will make it easier for me to transition back home to London.

What have you got coming up in 2015?

I've got a couple of really exciting residencies planned for this year and next and am currently in talks about two public art projects. One will explore sexual violence against women in US and UK television and film. Aside from the residencies and public projects my goal is to complete ‘Every Curve’ and show it in its entirety. zoebuckman.com

JAMES MASSIAH G O L D ,

F R A N K I N C E N S E

It’s 1:00am and there are gems of wisdom flying everywhere. Unsure when to pause my awe in order to start my Dictaphone, I prance around Johnny Costi’s Light Eye Mind studios with the remarkable subject of this interview - James Massiah. His unmistakably thick, West Indian eyebrows raise as he plays a few snippets from a virginal set of secret productions They sound like the unmapped bridges between Jackie Brown’s quietly confident thoughts and David Byrne’s euphoric prayers.

Delivering unforgettable epitaphs under his breath, in song and in silence, we finally get round to some straight talking...

First up, let’s get some archeology. Where are your parents from? Where did you grow up?

And where represents home?

My mum is from Manchester with Jamaican parents and my dad is from Barbados, but moved to London when he was 11, so they both have very ‘British’ identities. I grew up in South West London - home is in Mitcham, school was in Streatham Vale, then Wimbledon, church was in

Balham and lots of friends were in Brixton. A lot of the moving around I did when I was a younger, performing poems in different churches allowed to me get out of South London and see the rest of the city.

So your parents have paid the intangible price of acclimatisation for you in a way. Is this perhaps why naturally, your craft starts ahead of various xenophobia which still agitate the masses?

In a way, yes. My dad literally just walked in the room to tell me that my grandma’s house in the Caribbean is being sold and his voice cracked a little. I think that he likes to feel a connection to ‘home’, there’s always the sense that you don’t truly belong here, especially for him as someone who was here in the seventies and eighties. A plot of land on home turf, as it were, gives the feeling that one could escape if the wrong people were to ever find their way into power in the UK. My generations’ experiences of the struggle are different though and when my dad dreams about buying land in Africa or the Caribbean, I don’t see either of those places as truly ‘home’, despite

A N D

B L U R S

the fact that my roots are in those places. There’s definitely an issue there, so I guess the older generation may have had the friction, but now it feels a little like we’ve smoothed out and settled for a weak version of equality and multiculturalism without continuing the struggle to the furthest degree it could go to. It’s almost as if we’ve dealt too early, we should have struggled a bit longer. I realise that may sound short-sighted, considering how long the struggle for racial equality has been, but it feels like things are hotting up again and our generation is paying the price for believing that every thing was all good on the surface when it really wasn’t below. There’s always some other goal to reach, some glory to attain - the race is never truly run, every day the finish line moves further into the distance.

As a poet, do you feel a responsibility to charge your poetry with the feeling of current affairs?

A lot of black and asian kids [talented or not] are starting to believe a future in which they can join their white friends as creative moguls, taking ownership of the brands they previously idolised. Is this more the focus for you? A

H

Bransonesque equilibrium of social anarchy mixed with hustlers ambition?

It’s interesting you say that, at a time when Kanye West is talking so much about business, commerce and enterprise. He is a visionary, the most Bransonesque figure in my life and experience as a young black man; contentious, ambitious, daring, misunderstood. Being introduced to Kid Cudi through him, I began to see more alternative methods of self-expression; the mediums of music, fashion and art. This was around 2008, the time that Tumblr really happened and I think our [whole] crew were aware of this cultural shift before a lot of other people from our background.

For us, dressing differently was a form of escape, it was a way to let the hood boys know that when they saw you, you weren’t playing their game, you were on a different trajectory. It’s funny that heavily-branded sportswear is now serving the same purpose in a different era, letting the people we’ve become assimilated to know that we’re not fully part of their game - that our roots aren’t in private education and privilege but in being seen as hoodies and troublemakers. I think this is why we’ve become frustrated with the

current obsession with grime, as a sort of fetish or shortcut to authenticity. For us it was all real, the lyrics take us back to a time when it wasn’t safe to dress however you wanted or admit you were into the same sex or not having any sex at all. In a sense, this is our struggle. For my dad, it’s between the Caribbean and Britain, for us it’s about the glory and horror of the past, knowing that we want to escape it for better opportunities in a corporate Britain, but also aware that it’s our past that has made us who we are so we can’t escape it entirely.

scripture from memory as part of the occasion], all served my interest in poetry and performance.

When I got to high school I think it really became apparent though. My English teacher Ms Drake singled me out one afternoon and remarked that my writing was exceptional beyond my years and arranged a meeting with my mum. The poem that I wrote in that lesson ended up coming home and taking pride of place on the family notice board, so when youth pastor Anthony Fuller was over for lunch one Sabbath, he asked that I write a piece to perform in church one evening before he preached. After that I was writing new poems Who first held up the mirror at you, and created and regularly performing them in church. a spark, recognition of your talent?

Well I wrote poetry in school and read a lot of Outside the prophetic realms of gospel, what poetry as a child. My mum bought me John part has music played. If only in the rhythmic Agard’s Laughter is an Egg, Allan Ahlberg’s Heard nature of your delivery? it in the Playground, Roald Dahl’s Wondercrump It’s funny actually, I talk a lot about house Poetry collection and so much more. That, and funk these days, having really only been compounded with regular Bible study and having introduced to them quite recently through my to memorise scripture readings for recital during brother, who has always been a big fan of Prince the church service on the special Sabbaths [13th and Michael Jackson.

Sabbath marked the last church service of the season and young people would perform verses of

“I THINK THIS IS WHY WE’VE BECOME FRUSTRATED WITH THE CURRENT OBSESSION WITH GRIME, AS A SORT OF FETISH OR SHORTCUT TO AUTHENTICITY” out, he was pretty revolutionary. He was never that streetwise or into the UK underground culture and though I tease him at times for not being very ‘hip’, in many ways he’s more hip than me - he was different before it was cool to be different. But if I trace my musical roots back far enough the heritage is there in gospel.

Artists like Fred Hammond, Kirk Franklin, Israel Houghton, Darwin Hobbs, Hezekiah Walker, Kurt Carr and so many more were all referencing P Funk, Prince and many more funk and RnB artists of the late seventies and eighties. When I first went to Work It, I didn’t know half of the songs. I could only sing along when Maxwell was playing garage! Same as when I went to my first NTS party, I didn’t know any of the songs (I still don’t to be honest, those guys knowledge of music is on another level, but at the same time I could trace my love of the sounds back to my love for the funk that was in a lot of the gospel tracks my parents played. I remember going in the car to see my grandparents in Manchester and my parents putting on a ‘Motorway Music’ cassette tape which had Talking Heads ‘Slippery People’, Larry Levan’s ‘Stand on The Word’ edit and The Harlem Boys Choir with a rapped

reinterpretation of Handel’s Messiah featuring Busta Rhymes and Leaders of the New School.

Some Sundays when my mum was cleaning the house she’d put on Cameo, Sade or Cyndi Lauper and when my dad had a lapse into secular music it was all Mutabaruka, Dennis Bovell and Lover’s Rock. As I was growing up and getting to an age where I wanted to establish my identity as separate from my parents and family, it was all Choice and Delight FM. This is when I’d grown out of Capital and Kiss and was on the hunt for something more edgy, which spoke to what I was experiencing. Andrew, the young preacher I mentioned before, was certainly no angel at this point, and some of our interactions were based on our mutual love for Roll Deep. He was from Clapham/Battersea and so he would often caveat this with the fact that he thought So Solid would always be the greatest. So he’d give me his older brothers cassette tapes with sets from Rinse and De Ja Vu that pre-dated my knowledge of garage and grime at the time. @jamesmassiah jamesmassiah.com

Late or Never? Late Slice of cake or the gooey flour mix?

Slice Of Cake Jerk chicken platter or Roast Dinner? Jerk chicken platter Afro or Weave? Afro The shape of eyes or the colours in them?

Colours How many sugars? Too many First book you ever read? The Bible Last book?! Brave New World

SOUTH WEST NIGGA II

KILLER KILLER GANGSTER GANGSTER NIGGA NIGGA WHERE YOU FROM SOUTH WEST NO CONTEST IN THE TRIAL THE SAY I’M WILD SAY I’M VILE SAY I’M VIOLENT BUT THEY DON’T SEE THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT MADE THIS MONSTER NEITHER DO THEY SEE THE DEMON WHO GAVE BIRTH TO THE BEAST WHO’S BELLY WE ARE ALL IN BLACK MAN STRUGGLING WHITE MAN STRUGGLING YELLOW MAN STRUGGLING BEIGE MAN STRUGGLING BROWN MAN STRUGGLING EVERYBODY’S STRUGGLING (BUT NOT EVERYBODY’S STRUGGLING) WHO’S AT THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN? APPLYING GREASE TO THE CONVEYOR BELT THAT WORKING AT A GRADIENT MAKING IT HARDER FOR ME TO GET THE MEAT AT THE TOP

BY THE TIME I GET THERE IT’LL BE ROTTEN AND I MIGHT AS WELL HAVE JUST BEEN PICKING COTTON WHITE COTTON WHITE COTTON WHITE COLLAR CRIME EXPENSE CLAIM FOLLOWED BY FRAUD FRAUD FRAUD FRAUD FRAUD LAWYERS LIARS FINANCE AND THE HOUSE OF LORDS LOOPHOLE IN A LOOPHOLE IN A LOOPHOLE WHITE MAN CRIMINAL YELLOW MAN CRIMINAL BROWN MAN CRIMINAL BEIGE MAN CRIMINAL BLACK MAN CRIMINAL (BUT WHO’S GOING PRISON AND WHO’S PAYING FINES?) (WHO’LL BE FINE COS IT’S A FINE THEY CAN AFFORD?)

OH CHRIST! CAN WE CRACK THE CORRUPT SYSTEM? WHITE WORKING CLASS MAN, WILL YOU ASSIST ME? WHITE MIDDLE CLASS MAN, WHITE RICH MAN WITH THE OPEN MIND WILL YOU BE MY COMRADE OR MY ENEMY? YOU SHOULD COME TO STEEZ AND SEE HOW WE GET DOWN WHITE, YELLOW, BEIGE, BLACK AND BROWN IN THE SOUTH EAST SIDE OF TOWN AT ONE TIME IT WAS THE SAME IN THE EAST I’M AWARE OF THE WAR BUT LET THERE BE PEACE INSPIRED AS I AM BY DEAN BLUNT AND DEV HYNES IN EQUAL MEASURE DARK SKINNED MEN THAT PAVED THE WAY AT THIS LAST STAGE IN HISTORY FOR LITTLE MEN LIKE ME AND MY TRIBE OF SOUTH LONDONERS PAYING HOMAGE TO OUR MODERN FORBEARS IN THE FORM OF AKIN DAVIES, EDDIE FICTION, OLLIE OLANI ACYDE, CHARLIE, AMECHI, JUNIOR AND MANY MORE DO THEY LOOK LIKE CRIMINALS? MY MAN THOUGHT JOHNNY WAS SOFT! (WHITE BOY FROM THE NORTH SIDE EX ARMED ROBBER TURNED DAZED FEATURED ARTIST IN CASE YOU FELT LIKE ASKING) PROOF THAT WE’RE ALL STRUGGLING THAT CRIME HAS NO COLOUR AND GREED KNOWS NO BOUNDS NEITHER DOES REDEMPTION SO EXTEND THOSE ARMS AND MAKE ROOM IN THE CHURCH HOUSE FOR A YOUNG HOOD HEAD NO PRIVATE EDUCATION BUT A BOATLOAD OF POTENTIAL WITH A BRAIN CAPACITY TO MATCH WITH THE BEST WHERE YOU FROM? SOUTH WEST BUT THAT’S THE WRONG QUESTION WHAT YOU WANNA KNOW IS WHERE I’M GONNA GO

THE GROUNDNUT RIPENS UNDERGROUND

Photos by Shama Anwar Words by Shola Timothy

This interview brings together four electrifying personalities from the same neighbourhood.

On one side of the table is Jason Caines, who raucously campaigned against the closure of South Bank Skate Park. On the other side sit the three boundary pushing chefs behind The Groundnut, a supper club that was so delicious, it turned into a book.

Why did you decide to start up Groundnut?

Jacob: We were all doing separate things at the time and seeing each other occasionally. Duval took the initiative to organise a meeting where he outlined how he saw things, and it was exciting to work towards producing something together. We never looked back.

What was the idea of creating a supper club?

Jacob: The fundamental idea was to create an atmosphere where people felt comfortable

talking to each other. Although space and music play supporting roles - food is the focal point…the lead. We serve it banquet style in big communal dishes, or fabric stretched serving boards, which encourages what we call associative eating. It’s important for people to share what’s on the table and serve each other.

Why is it called Groundnut?

Jacob: A Groundnut is a seed that ripens underground, and we thought that worked as a nod to Africa and homage to our humble roots in South-East London.

When did you guys discover a love for making African food?

Jacob: We wouldn’t call it a discovery, it was more of a realisation that African food is a strong part of our identity. For years we connected with other cultures through

different types of food, and the more we cooked, the more we realised that we were sharing a slice of Africa.

How did you guys all meet?

Folayemi: I was born in Lewisham, and brought up in Catford just a little further out towards the zones. Duval and I schooled together in Lee, and I wouldn’t recognise New Cross without him. I met Jacob at Goldsmiths University, and years on we are better friends than ever.

I know you guys all love music. Do you play music when you cook? If so what do you play?

Jacob: Sharing tapes and CDs is something we’ve always done. There are a few Groundnut classics that we’ve racked up over the years, a mixture of soulful classics and lucid beats.

When I think of a Groundnut playlist, I think

Your favourite fine dine lyrics?

Duval: ‘Man’s backing jollof and plantain, you man are eating rice and ketchup, dead.’ [JME] Jacob: ‘My house smells like soul food, bru, curried falafel, barbecued tofu’ [‘Be Healthy’, Dead Prez] Ultimate cooking album: Duval: I’m currently chopping along to ‘Sour Soul’ by Ghostface Killah and BadBadNotGood.

Folayemi: ‘The Saga’s Of Klashnekoff ’ by Klashnekoff. Vintage album.

Jacob: ‘Tres Tres Fort’ by Staff Benda Bilili.

Your serving dinner for three hip hop personalities: who would you invite?

Duval: Youngs Teflon, Dom Kennedy and Willie the Kid. Folayemi: Roots Manuva, Andre3000 and Son Doobie (from Funkdoobiest).

‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mac, ‘They Found Him A Gun’ by Maverick Sabre. ‘Moment of Truth’

by Gang Starr. ‘His Pain’ by Kendrick Lamar and BJ the Chicago Kid. And then there’s a whole tier of tracks under the umbrella of ‘Mama Kabwa’s Tunes’, as a tribute to our friend Denis’ mother. Just before we started The Groundnut we travelled to Vienna to celebrate his birthday and she would put on the most beautiful music – smooth Mali blues like Boubacar Traoré - at the dinner table. It wasn’t overbearing, but just loud enough to appreciate.

Is Groundnut your first business venture together?

Jacob: Years ago we were part of a collective called ‘PLANTAIN’. We were a big group of good friends that were always hanging out at the time. We couldn’t find the type of events we wanted to go to so we decided to create our own events around London bringing our vibe and energy to each place and using it as a platform to showcase the music, films, food and people we loved. It was a lot of fun!

You’ve been doing events for some time. Just how much work goes into setting up a run of dinners? How does one differ from the next?

Jacob: The first step is to scout a space. We like to keep it local, and have always held our events in south London, where we grew up and studied. Then we usually spend at least a month exchanging ideas and testing the food at each other’s houses. Only the best options make the cut. We then look to tailor the space and there are a few recurring elements. We

always re-stretch our tabletops with different coloured fabric that relates to the menu, the time of year or just how we’re feeling. Our tickets are designed as a collectors item, and we also try and source or make interesting table-wear for the occasion. The actual day of each dinner is absolutely mental; buying more fresh ingredients, arriving at the space and cooking from the morning to the early hours of the next day, barely sitting down in between, then turning the place around for the day after.

We always pump out a lot of hip-hop or grime before, after or in between dinners to keep us going.

What has been your favourite dish to produce for The Groundnut?

Folayemi: Green soup. It’s a recipe that I brought into the Groundnut and one that gave me confidence in my own taste. People always seem to like it.

Duval: We made Sea Bream using fresh fish that was simply marinated in lemon and flakey sea salt then deep fried. The flesh was perfectly cooked, well seasoned and had a beautiful golden brown crispy skin. We served it with Injera, blanched tomato and dill, red lentils and sweet potato stew, a salad of fresh vegetables chopped into matchstick slices and a Wot, which is a simple Ethiopian sauce made of onions and berbere spice. The fish was the simplest part of the meal but probably the best.

If you could invite one rapper from any time in history to a Groundnut event who would it be and why?

Folayemi: I’m a huge fan of Jehst’s early work,

something I have in common with Jacob. My brother set me on his trail and he’s an artist that I have a lot of respect for. His lyrics, production and album art are all on point.

Duval: MF DOOM and Nas. I know that’s two but I’m not sure they’ve ever met and I reckon if they came to a Groundnut dinner they’d have an amazing time together and probably collaborate on something incredible together because of it. That would be an instant classic.

What’s the deal with the book? How many recipes does it contain and where’s it available to buy?

Jacob: ‘The Groundnut Cookbook’ has about 100 recipes in it. Each chapter represents a dinner we did so there’s a natural narrative and a lot of stories throughout the book. We shot the photography with two incredible photographers, Sophie Davidson and Toby Glanville alongside some of our own shots and documentary photos from the actual dinners.

We spent a year putting together the book designing the cover the layouts and of course the recipes making sure everything is on point.

You could live a great life of emotional food with this cookbook alone. It’s available for preorder online from the major online outlets and is out in bookshops from July 2nd.

When is your next event?

Jacob: We’ll probably have some more dinners sometime in May. Join our mailing list at thegroundnut.co.uk to get first dibs. @thegroundnut thegroundnut.com

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