XXPLODE MAGAZINE

XXPLODE MAG B Y @ N A T I O N O F S E V E N X @ GH A N A A R T I S T S CL U B

ISSUE.01 MADE FOR THE ART LOVERS. ARTISTS. MODELS. CREATIVES. MUSICIANS.

SHOWCASING

ART ARTISTS FASHION MUSICIANS CREATORS & MORE!

LETS GET STARTED!! xxplodemagazine

photobyJames Emmerman jamesemmerman.com

TATYANA HARRIS MODEL @tatyanaharris on ig

photoby@gemma.holzer on Instagram

WEL

COME

WELCOME TO XXPLODE MAG POWERED BY NATION OF SEVEN & GHANAARTISTSCLUB.

xxplodemagazine designedbyJacob @jonesandmary on IG

contents - e d i t o r ’ s n o t e - a b o u t x x p l o d e m a g

- W N T D A P P A R E L F E A T U R E

- f e a t u r e s o n c r e a t o r s , p h o t o g r a p h e r s

m u s i c i a n s . e t c .

- W o r d t o c r e a t o r s - e n d i n g p a g e s

@TYLERFAYE . MODEL PHOTO BY @L I CHI BAN

xxplodemagazine

EDITOR’S NOTE out of a plethora of equally

Hello World, Jacob here. Content

amazing samples has been

creator at Nation of Seven &

artist at Ghana Artists Club.

I have always hoped to design something that get passed on to generations coming and also

do serve a source of inspiration and motivation to creators across

the globe. I envision xxplode mag being the piece that achieves that and beyond.

This ď€ rst issue features some of the amazing works by creators

challenging.

We desire that viewers of this issue and the ones that will follow constantly yearn for more releases following what they get engaged with in the pages. i.e artists stories, visuals, etc.

We hope you enjoy the mag! Join our afď€ liated social media pages for more amazing content.

Thank you!

the team and I have discovered

overtime and choosing what work / artist got featured Jacob Tettey, Editor in Chief

1

DISCOVER

Photoby @crimson_concepts on instagram

xxplodem agazine . 2018

MORE TALENTS IN XXPLODE MAG

Jessica Martey

@seren__dipity_ on IG

Ghanaian Model

xxplode magazine PHOTO SHOT BY @PMBOAKYE ON INSTAGRAM

ABOUT XXPLODE MAGAZINE

XXPLODE MAG WAS CREATED IN AUGUST OF 2018 TO HELP GIVE SELECT UK, AFRICAN, AMERICAN MUSICIANS, MODELS, ARTISTS & CREATORS MORE EXPOSURE , SUPPORT & THE DESERVED RECOGNITION FOR THEIR WORK/ART TO HELP MAKE THEIR CAREER DREAMS A REALITY.

IN THIS FIRST & SUBSEQUENT ISSUES VERSATILE CREATORS IN THE UK, AMERICAS & AFRICA WILL BE FEATURED AND THEIR STORIES SHARED TO INSPIRE & ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO NOT GIVE UP ON THEIR TALENTS & CREATIVE ABILITIES

photos by @pmboakye on ig.

2

MEET: CANDY @REALOFFICIALCANDY ON IG. MODEL + MUSICIAN

BY@BLUBOY__ 3

xxplode magazine. 2018

A R T I S W A R

SENSITIVE THUGS

BY BLUBOY WNTDAPPAREL.COM

xxplode magazine 4

xxplode magazine

“I created SENSITIVE THUGS COLLECTION to part the bridge between hyper masculinity and femininity.

Basically saying were all multi layered and theres so many sides to us. I really wanted to push boundaries and bring these two extremes together.” - BLUBOY / FOUNDER - WNTDAPPAREL.

WNTDAPPAREL is a brand for creatives. they believe creatives live a unique lifestyle that is lled with passion

drive and individuality. Their vision is to have two people that do not have a connection to each other walk into a crowded room connect on a creative level because they saw one or the other in wntdapparel and it sparked up a convers

ation of “what do you do?”. We believe our vision can push a whole generation forward. We also be

-lieve all creatives need each other and we are here to connect creatives. Checkout our websi -te and instagram to get updates on new clothes and collections soon dropping. @wntdapparel on instagram. Website: wntdapparel.com 5

@

WNTDAPPAREL BY BLUBOY

XXPLODEMAGAZINE

xxplode magazine

MEET TREVOR CALVIN 6

xxplode magazine

ARTIST My name is Trevor and I’m a self taught artist. I have been drawing for a while now and my work is mainly about portraits, pets and comics (where I have created a couple). I see myself progressing and getting better at what I do as time moves on as I keep working hard. I try the best I can to be original to create something that takes me a long time to think about, something that I can in the long run look at and kind of be proud for creating it. I am a rst year undergraduate at the Univesity of the Creative Arts in Canterbury, Kent where I’m studying Architecture. I am currently going to start a new piece that is way beyond my comfort zone but I think I’m prepared for it. Find me on instagram @trevor_calvin_ . God Bless

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xxplode magazine

PHOTOSBYELLIOTTASHBY

8

BIO / ELLIOTTASHBY / PHOTOGRAPHER + VIDEO PRODUCER

Born and raised in Arizona, Elliot attended Arizona University where he graduated with a degree in mass communications. Longing to see more of the world,

he ventured out to South Korea where he began working as an educator and voice actor. After being

in the classroom for a few years, Ashby left to host Seoul’s rst urban radio show called Night Vibe along with co-host PinnacleTheHustler. During that time he

interviewed a number of notable entertainers like Earth, Wind&Fire, Nick Cannon, Musiq Soulchild, Robert Glasper and Tiger JK & Yoon Mirae. He also founded two monthly events. The rst was a movie discussion group called Reel Talk, which explored

race, class and relationships through cinema.

Ashby also founded and hosted Wordsmiths, a spoken word and live music event and community that began in October of 2011 and continues to this day. After 5 xxplode magazine. 2018

years, Ashby decided to relocate to New York to pick up where he left off-interviewing artists, producing content and building community. For the past year, Elliott has worked as a freelance video producer and photographer based in Harlem.

connect with elliott on ig

@elliott_ashby also visit

elliottashby.com for 9

more on his works

xxplode magazine

CONTENT ON

- JAMES CAIMEN

- LEE-ROY JASON - NIKOALLCAPS - NATASHA ASANTE - SHARON + more coming PHOTOBY@BEEZSHOTME

@taiilormade model

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x x p l o d e m a g a z i n e . 2 0 1 8

A R T B Y @ J A M E S C A I M E N W O R L D 10

O N

I G

JAMES CAIMEN’S STORY James Caimen Art Company is an International ArtHouse which highlights mostly on comtemporary

art. It was founded by Opoku Agyeman Kwadwo James in 2016, Ukraine. Born on 23rd of November

1991 in Ghana, West Africa.

His parents Dr.Ko Opoku Agyeman and Margaret Agyeman raised Kwadwo and

with two sisters and three brothers in Accra, Ghana. He had his secondary

education in Pope John secondary

@jamescaimenworld on ig

school in Koforidua as a master in

visual arts and later moved to Ukraine to enroll in medicine in Pirogov University, Vinnista, Ukraine where he is currently in his fth year. He shared his interest in the colorful and

transgressive grafti art, popart and contemporary of the city’s streets.

Organized a solo exhibition at the city art center ‘artshik’ titled “Hello”

from Ghana and other alternative locations, where art, music and

fashion all came together in a dynamic mix which made him well

known on TV and radio.

11

xxplode magazine

MEET

AKUA SAFO.

GHANAIAN POET xxplode magazine

“ My name is Akua Safo. I’m the founder and CEO of

Menaye Ideas, an organization for arts and philanthropy. I’m a writer (creative and

screenplay), spokenword poet, an African harplute player (12 stringed kora)

and an Mphil entomology freshman at KNUST. Follow my instagram

to get updates on my works.

@menayeideas

I perform and make spokenword

videos about motivation and

social issues like africanism,

love, domestic violence, helping the less priveleged, just to mention a few. I also have an African band. My team and I are dedicated to impacting lives positively through poetry and smiles.

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xxplode magazine

PHOTOBY LEE-ROY JASON

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xxplodemagazine

MEET LEEROY JASON @darealclickclak on instagram

“l began experimenting in photography as a portrait photographer the day my father gave me an old camera, I carried it around my Cape Town High School taking photos of everyone and everything photographable, and eventually perfecting my signature style”. - Lee-Roy Jason

34 year-old Jason uses subjects from all corners of the world, but mainly those unfamiliar to him, but familiar in their cultural bias. Lee-Roy successfully manages to capture these subjects in a environment that manifests political, traditional, religious and popular culture that inuences the people of ‘our’ continent. His photographs are intimate & incredibly passionate. They convey messages of the times we live in and the class structure that the youth and elders choose not to let dictate their lives (like that of the previous regime).

Lee-Roy Jason’s shots include subjects from the black-upper-echelon viewing haute-couture design to subjects from polar opposite backgrounds in rural areas as well as the townships of Africa. His perspective is so fresh that these poignant images do not fail in portraying the urbanized culture, glamour and style that inuences folks from everywhere.

Follow him on Twitter: @LRJason Facebook: Lee-Roy Jason 14

musician/rapper

NIKOALLCAPS xxplodemagazine 15

xxplodemagazine

@nikoallcaps on IG

“As a life long creative, music has only become a main outlet of mine. I used to act and was

often in school plays etc. I self

produce. I write all my own material. I am a very talented guy I guess. I’m looking for something’s through music mainly love and a sense of belonging so all my lyrics are really real. Expect a new project

very soon. I am always working on new material and have been

Rapper Edinburgh, United Kingdom

releasing a lot of Mixtapes. I’m currently on tour working with

artists like Navio and Wizkid”.

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Xxplode Mag

TSHIRTby

Natasha Asante 17

xxplodemagazine

GET TO

KNOW NATASHA ASANTE

ORGANIZER OF HUETHESHOP / POPUPSHOP

Owner and designer of @huetheshop, Natasha Asante started her brand from

her love of color, design and fashion.

Originally an artist and graphic designer, she used her love for art to transform her

ideas into her own unique style that is ď€ t to suit everyone who loves color.

HUE is a color experience.

Checkout her shop online and more updates on her instagram via @natashante

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XxplodeM ag XxplodeMag XxplodeMag ART BY SHARON

XxplodeMag

ART BY SHARON @bidemitata on ig “I dene myself as an artist interested only in expressing

ignored human emotions such as doom, tradegy ectasy, mortality and so on”

xxplodemagazine 19

xxplodemagazine 20

xxplodemagazine ART BY SHARON / @BIDEMITATA

XXPLODEMAGAZINE

TAYLOR HAWKINS

PHOTOBY@BEEZSHOTME ON IG 20

@taiilormade on instagram fashion model

been about “taking pictures”.

It’s a concept, mood, STORY.

The styling, makeup, poses and perspective of the shot

are all supposed to work together to create this right? for this shoot I put up together

a mostly thrifted look from Ltrain, and I found makeup inspo on Pinterest. @beezshotme captured tf out of this concept too (better than I could’ve imagined). but I say that to say, a lot of models will come on IG and call some “IG models”, but that’s inaccurate. If

you took the time to come up with a concept, or if you told a story with your poses . . .YOU ARE A REAL MODEL. I was signed for 4 years before becoming freelance, and from experience I can say a lot of who you call “ig models” are talent creatives who simply haven’t been discovered yet. We all start somewhere.

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xxplodemagazine

“modeling for me has never just

SCULPTURE

by MONIKA KOVACS

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GET TO

KNOW MONIKA KOVACS

a specialization in History of Art and Modern Dance.

At the age of 20 she moved to Italy, more precisely in Padua, where she still works and lives with her family.

Always passionate about visual arts, especially sculpture, in 2012 she began to develop her ď€ rst works in clay, inspired by masters of sculpture

such as Igor Mitoraj, Kris Kuksi, Nicola Samori and Aron Demetz. In the last two years Monika Kovacs has also begun a personal path linked

to painting, starting to paint abstract visions on boards and canvases with textures and compositions of mixed materials Follow @monikakovacs_sculptor on instagram to see more of her

works.

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xxplodemagazine

Monika Kovacs was born and raised in Budapest.

From the age six she started to practice dance and later she took lessons in singing and acting.

She graduated from the Artistic High School with

musician @yestrdy.tour on IG

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“ the only thing im doing differrent is trying harder than I was.

- Darshay @yestrdy.tour

visit his soundcloud for a listen to his music via soundcloud.com/sorry4yestrdy

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XXPLODE MAG’S

CREATORS BY @OHPENMIKE

x x p l o d e m a g a z i n e

WORD TO

@ohpenmike

xxplodemagazine

“ If you’re an artist and your goal is to

make a good living through your art then stop spending so much time with your art. Honestly, we as artists tend to just create

hoping someone will take notice and pay us for our

hours honing your skills trying to be the best artists you can be, which is cool and all but that’s not what’s going to get you paid. Right now there

are probably dozens or hundreds of artists much worse than you at your craft that are making much more money than

you are. Why? Cause all you studied was art. Do yourself a favor, spend the 25

x x p l o d e m a g a z i n e

craft. You spend countless

next 6 months straight learning about

the business aspect of your art and what it takes to be successful and I

can almost guarantee you’ll be making more money from your art next year than you probably

did the last 3 years combined. “ - Michael US Based Photographer

x x p l o d e m a g a z i n e 26

some talents to lookout for in the next issue.

@kwame_yesu on ig rapper+musician x x p l o d e m a g a z i n e 27

x x p l o d e m a g a z i n e

K

A

N

G

I

E

@ k a n g i e 2 t h e o n i g

and more! Stay hooked!

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@galaxy__wide

THANKS FOR

VIEWING! xxplodemagazine creative director + editor @jonesandmary on ig

follow our afď€ liate pages @nationofseven @ghanaartistsclub on instagram for updates on next issue’s release email: nationofseven@yahoo.com for more info website: issuu.com/xxplodemagazine