AUNT LINDA

 

 

 



 

I can remember it like it was yesterday, even though it happened 12 years ago. This is my first time revisiting this tragic moment in my life. Personally I rarely talk about it because I’m still in denial. My Aunt Linda was my second mother. In many ways she was my best friend, and my biggest supporter. March 23rd 2000 at 10:33pm I remember waking up to the horrific news. At the tender age of 10 I had an early bedtime so I was sound asleep. Something woke me up, and until this day I believe it was an evil spirit.

 

Growing up as a basketball fan I always had espn on my 17 inch television. The Kings vs. the Jazz game was on. As I woke up to my small cube shaped room I remember asking myself, what’s the weather for tomorrow? Tomorrow was in fact a big day. My class was going on a trip to ''The Empire State Building". Maybe the excitement of the trip uncharacteristically woke me up that rainy Wednesday night in March. As I turned to Ny1 I remember seeing an african-american male reporter right outside Aunt Linda’s building. I remember getting so excited. He stood adjacent to the playground that I often played on when I visited Auntie. Visuals popped up in my head of Aunt Linda's failed attempt to teach me how to ride a bike. Heck she probably didn’t know how to ride one herself. It didn’t matter because most importantly we had fun together. Ny1 then reported a murder of an African American female in the park hill houses in Staten Island. All of my excitement rapidly diminished. They then showed a picture of my Aunt Linda’s Fire escape where she was murdered. The image they showed of Auntie hit me extremely hard. Was this reality or am I jus hallucinating. I remember checking to see if I was really awake. This had to be a bad dream. It just had to be. My heart wouldn’t stop racing, and I took a deep breath. As the host at the news desk moved on to the next story I remember just seeing her lips move, but I couldn’t hear anything. Tears ran down my cheek as I ran into the living room to find my mom and dad. They were poised and firm as ever like nothing happened. They broke the news to me even though they saw me crying. Till this day I don’t even know if my parents knew that I heard the tragic news on the television.

 

 

My whole family jumped in the car en route to Staten Island to investigate the scene. Soon as we hit the Verrazano Bridge my mother broke down. Now I understand the saying that it’s nothing worse than seeing your mother cry. Her only sister life has been taking away, and it was nothing we can do about it. The tragedy was too overwhelming for all of us as we all wept the rest of the ride. Usually when we came to Staten Island as a family it was the best of times. Majority of the time it was a family event, and we were all on cloud nine. Al green, Marvin Gaye or Michael Jackson was playing as we all sung and pre gamed for the family’s activities. This ride was so surreal because this ride too Staten Island wasn’t so pleasant. There wasn’t any music playing, and instead of singing to the same rhythm we cried in unison. Soon as we arrived to Aunt Linda's apartment the scene was reminiscent of a movie out of Hollywood. Cops were all over the place, and yellow tape blocked everything off.

 

 

As we got off the elevator on Aunties floor the smell was unbearable. In my 23 year life I have never smelled anything so foul. My mother held my hand and explained to me the stench was in fact Aunt Linda’s body. She was missing for around a week, and no one knew where to find her. She was killed in her apartment, and her roommate was murdered as well. The detectives explained the tragic events to my mother as I stood in shock. Auntie was killed on the fire escape by the murderers. She tried to escape but to no avail. Later on we found out my aunt roommate owed a drug dealer some money. The drug dealer entered the apartment killed the roommate, and then went to the back room to kill my aunt. She was a witness so he decided to stab her to death. Blood tracks show that my auntie got out the window and ran on the fire escape to get away from the killer. He just kept on stabbing her until she died. Life is very harsh, and some things you will never come to grips with. My life will never be the same. Nothing fazes me any more after seeing such a tragic event. I miss her dearly. R.I.P. to my Auntie, best friend, idol Linda Coleman.  I will forever be your Jello. That was her nickname for me.



 

 PHONY PEOPLE, REAL MUSIC

 

     “Phony Ppl” are cut from a different cloth. Yeah. That’s the best way to describe this 9 member group from Brooklyn, New York. These guys are a collective of talents who all contribute to make some great music.  Their genre of music cannot be defined for the simple reason they are just too versatile to place in one box. Their fusion of rap, jazz, pop, and rock is unprecedented in music today. The group consists of a bassist, composer, guitarist, saxophonist, and many more.  This new generation group found a way to effectively incorporate the doo wop sound of Etta James, the smooth but urban melodies of a Tribe Called Quest, and the drums of the Roots.  

It is a pleasant breath of fresh air in music today for true music lovers. Their ability to create catchy melodies combined with great songwriting, and great instrumentation is one of a kind. Their popularity in the music world is beginning to grow by the minute. Phony Ppl has ripped down stages all over the country; most recently Afro Punk festival in their hometown Brooklyn, N.Y. They label their music as “Brooklyn” soul. Phony’s infectious sound reaches all age groups from young to old. Their dedication to making quality music demonstrates how much this group is ahead of its time. Phony Ppl's debut mix-tape Phonyland took three years to create. Lead rapper of the group Dyme a Duzin explains in a phone call with M.T.V. that Phony Ppl isn’t a nine person group, but it’s Phony Ppl a physical body. Chemistry from 1 to 9 is what this group prides themselves off of. This is very evident in their cohesive tracks on their rookie project.

With Phony People’s level of talent, maturity and humility they are destined for greatness. Every couple decades a group or artist revolutionizes music.  It isn’t far-fetched for most fans and experts to believe this Brooklyn group will do just that.

 

 

.................................... UP AND COMING BAND ''PHONY PPL''

Individual  contacts on twitter: @elbeethriebeats @imsheriffpj @dymeaduzin @temieuro @bariphony @maffyuu @ajagrantpurple @elijahrawk @bakerwomanbakes 

Phony Ppl official twitter: @Phonyppl

For bookings email: phonyppl@gmail.com  official website: phonyppl.com

 TOURE DESIGNS STEALS THE SHOW #NYFW

New York fashion Week has come to a close, but it definitely went out with a bang.  September 12th Toure Design’s fashion show was held in the elegant Limelight Marketplace in the Flatiron District. The all-white scenery gave the show a very artistic ambiance, and Toure’s upcoming fall collection matched it perfectly. The designer’s models ripped the runway with a wide range of pieces that were to die for. The first piece introduced was a motorcycle leather. This leather was also detailed with alligator arms, and a variety zippers that wowed the crowd. Standout pieces that showed Toure’s versatility as well were cheetah print body suits for females, wool trenches with leather patches and fur vests among others.

The Ghanaian born designer showcased his ability to appeal to urban and high end designer consumers at the same time. Celebs Swizz beats, rap group A.s.a.p., Lola Monroe, Cassidy, and Debra Atney were some of the many celebs that filled the front rows in support for the celeb designer. Both levels were filled to capacity as a very fashionable crowed watched an impressive array of clothing that will make noise this fall season.

 



 

 Click on this link to view footage from Toure's fashion show brought to you by: Respect The Next TV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O05a_1SOxs&feature=share

Hosted by: Marlon Morgan

Directed By: David Williams

 

 

 

 

                                         

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SKIN DEEP

 

She is a natural beauty that’s envied from the outside looking in.

Professional thief of hearts by any means, soul unclean.

A real life mermaid swimming in male companionship, sponsorship and the finest clothing.

Disingenuous relationships and insincere love keeps her afloat.

Drowning in the shallow expectations the world expects from her.

Her Qualities are skin deep not an inch more to offer.

 

Penetrating through her soul you find unpleasant aromas.

The stench of her unforgiving past seeps through her reeking pores.

Relentless use of men as her ventriloquist; she controls their insensible actions.

How beautiful is she?

A special gift from god; an exceptional gift she does possess

Her spirit remains with the devil so she will continue to oppress.

 

Irrational; unethical moves are the themes that plague her.

She uses the world’s kings as pawns to move nowhere fast in the game of life.

 A female’s interior beauty is immortal, undefeated and crowned queen.

Eventually her exterior splendor will fade, and dissipate

Hopefully she will learn before it is all too late.

 

 

Theophilus London X Stussy Collab

NEW YORK- It’s here! Theophilus London is adding another groundbreaking collaboration to his already impressive resume. The Brooklyn-Born rapper has been gradually developing into a fashion icon-recently, collaborating with Del Toro, Cole Haan and, the legendary, Karl Lagerfeld‘s Chanel . This fresh project consists of a link between LVRS and California street wear powerhouse, Stussy. Prior to working with Stussy, Theophilus’ brand collaborations consisted of namely footwear. Adjacent to his music, Theo is making his presence known in the luxe word of fashion; something not a lot of rappers from Brooklyn have achieved. The social media buzz is at an all-time high and we’d like to think the line will not disappoint.

 

Sure there have been many other artists in Hip-Hop that have collaborated with Stussy, but each of them were limited to one piece with a specific design. The LVRS X Stussy collab is so special because it consists of a variation of looks & designs. The most anticipated pieces from the brand are the athletically inspired t-shirts with numbers on the back, the Rose sleeve Vinyl Crew necks and the back to school LVRS Snapbacks strategically matching his velvet slipper collaborative with Del Toro Shoes. Fashion junkies now have the luxury of mixing high end brands with street wear effectively. Concepts like this give it both an ingenious and unique twist that is needed in fashion. This collaboration also gives London the ability to get his innovative visuals out in abundance instead of limiting him. Theo demonstrates the growth of hip-hop artists in the fashion world. Designers are trusting artists more and allowing their creative input. After all, these collaborations do tend to bring in a larger, adoring demographic which translates to grand brand awareness. It’s all well deserved. Good job Mr. London we ‘re proud of you!
                                                                         

                                                 

                                     

THE PERFECT METAPHOR FOR YOU

The Perfect Metaphor For You

 

When the sun shines i think of you.

Bright fluorescent full of energy and light.

Courageous ,undaunted by the eventual rule of dark night.

A symbol of positive thoughts, hope and love.

Incomparable hero saving the day with warm hugs.

The experts say you will disappear within the night.

Our faith will never falter; even if the forecast is predicted right.

Eventually clouds spell doom, and my appreciation gets deeper.

Clutching on memories of the bright yesterday.

Drenched in sorrow and storms today.

A reunion is on the horizon tomorrow.

So this pain will eventually go away.

                       by: Marlon Morgan

RESPECT THE NEXT FEATURE

Album review for Live Bradshaw's EP titled:

 

                                    Aurora Borealis, is the second Ep for Harlem artist, Live Bradshaw. At the tender age of 21; Bradshaw's sound surpasses those of many other young artists in the game today. As an artist, and producer he brings a great deal of talent to the table.  The project comes off as experimental, and precarious which is a great thing.  Live Bradshaw’s attention to detail is very comparable to the forefathers that came before him. 20 years ago rappers weren’t respected as both rappers & producers. With the contributions of:Dr. Dre, Kanye West, Jermaine Dupri, J.cole ,and many others it hasn’t become abnormal for rapper/ producers to flourish in the game.

                                 The second track titled W.O.W., is a certified banger. The beat is perfectly made to be played in vehicles everywhere ,for the remainder of the summer. WOW is sampled from the former WCW wrestler Goldberg’s intro song; which gives it a very cinematic and unique feel. It successfully escapes the generic sound of most trap beats. The lyrics are impressive as well. It is a perfect example of Live Bradshaw’s ability to produce and rap. Bradshaw spits belligerently ‘’ I am living the life of a sin heaven I might not get in ;cause rebel Ni**as never listen to facts similar to a push in the back.’’ This track is single worthy, and is in fact the brightest spot of the Ep. Dark trap beats seem to be what’s in, and W.O.W definitely fits the bill.

                   The song genocide displays the versatility that Live Bradshaw possesses. The beginning of the track is an ode to one of the best Harlem street ball players ever; Earl Manigault. This is the best track content wise off of The Aurora borealis EP. Bradshaw raps about the problems that kids have growing up in the rough streets of Harlem. The temptation of drugs, alcohol and violence are the themes of this track. These same themes derailed the career of the great Earl Maingault. Bradshaw obviously can relate growing up in these same streets as he raps, “People say my life is fit for the age 28 but I doubt I’d see the day.’’ Musically, the production is captivating, and it gives the Genocide track a timeless feel.  The featured artist on this track Flyy quest is another ingredient added to this appetizing recipe.

                  During this short EP you get the feeling that we have a budding star on our hands. The closing track is another smooth track, produced by Live Bradshaw. This track is very reminiscent to a Tribe Called Quest joint.  Sonically this beat takes you back to Bradshaw’s childhood up until now. Soon as the beat drops Live Bradshaw gives his listeners a taste of his story-telling ability. He raps smoothly over the beat ‘’Not a lot of people know me but I’m from Harlem ;just turned 21 grew up with my father.  I went to public school got rejected by charter.’’ He goes on to rap about his first crush that boosted his ego as a small kid. Bradshaw’s combination of ,well thought out beats, raps and melodies makes you wonder; optimistically what a full mix tape would sound like.

RESPECT THE NEXT......... RAPPER/PRODUCER

LIVE BRADSHAW

Standout tracks: 1. Genocide feat Flyy Quest  2. W.O.W.

Official twitter: @live_bradshaw

Link to EP: http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/live-bradshaw-aurora-borealis-mixtape.59600.html