Q & Cudi Are Dangerous

Kid Cudi can effortlessly body a hook whether he’s had a ‘beautiful morning’ (exemplified on Kanye West’s “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1”), or woke up on the wrong side of the bed.  Scott clearly showcased the latter on Schoolboy Q’s menacing, Crash Talk standout cut, “Dangerous.”

The single, which lasts slightly above two-minutes and thirty-seconds, starts off with Cudi doing what he does best, singing: “I’m feeling dangerous/I’m feeling nauseous. Road left me crazy, soaring, I wanna….” Man, Q had to think that crooning was phenomenal since he let him kick off his own record.  The TDE vet accented its despondent vibe with his somber, yet poetic delivery.

Check out Dangerous’ ominous music video, directed by Alexandre Moors below:

Travis & Reese’s Puffs

Travis Scott can now add ‘cereal box designer’ to his long list of skills. The Astroworld ring leader recently took to Instagram to prison pose in between two boxes of his very own Reese’s Puffs, which were protected in glass casings (too many cereal grabbers out here—one must remain cautious at all times, you know?).

La Flame and General Mills’ special-edition box features a cactus—signifying Travis’ Cactus Jack record label—behind a bowl of cereal. Furthermore, lightning can be seen in the background with hand-drawn stars and clouds. According to US Magazine, the delicious cereal itself will remain the same.

The wonderful hypebeasts of Paris will get first dibs on Scott’s collaborative sweet and crunchy cereal at a pop up during PFW (June 25). Not in Paris? No worries, you can still cop them this Friday (June 28) on Travis Scott’s website for $50.

To eat or not to eat? That is the question...

Octavian Is Feeling It

Skyrocketing British spitter/singer Octavian has been on a roll this year. After releasing a scorching string of loosies (“Bet”, and “Lit”), the Virgil Abloh-approved artist—he just walked in Louis Vuitton’s Men’s SS20 PFW Show—recently released his much anticipated sophomore mixtape entitled, Endorphins.

If you haven’t heard Octo’s initial project, Spaceman, please do so to comprehend his ability to flex his raspy vocals on a number of diverse, middle-of-the-song-beat-changing bangers (I’m still rockin’ out to “Party Here” til this day!).

On paper, Endorphins seems like an actual studio album as it features a slew of high-profile collaborators, such as A$AP Ferg, UK legend Skepta, Abra, and others. One of my favorite cuts from the sonic body of work is an 80’s-inspired dance anthem called “Feel It,” assisted by the lanky, London lovin’ crooner himself Theophulis London.

Check out its visual, shot by the fellow Haitian homie Gerry in Los Angeles below:

They’re Made For This

Drum roll please! Famed Hip-Hop magazine XXL has finally unveiled the rookie rappers who made their coveted 2019 Freshman List.

The worthy young spitters include: Blueface, Gunna, Megan Thee Stallion, DaBaby, Rico Nasty, Tierra Whack, Lil Mosey, Comethazine, Roddy Ricch *sings “Racks In the Middle” hook* (RIP Nipsey), YBN Cordae, and YK Osiris.

Even if these names don’t ring a bell, they surely deserve all the respect for aligning themselves to their desired destination.

Read the full 2019 XXL Freshman Class article HERE.

The Soho Connection

On the latest episode of his eponymous Youtube talk show, funnyman Kerwin Frost sat down with A$AP Rocky and Ian Connor.

Throughout the nearly 2-hour conversation, Frost and the forever $triving bros mostly spoke of Soho’s golden era, and reminisced about their time fashionably running amok in its cobblestone streets. “It was the best days,” says a twinkle-eyed Ian. Additionally, the trio touched on Harlem’s drastic change due to gentrification, Rocky’s connection with fashion designer Jeremy Scott, Connor’s “Lil Theophilus [London]” Tumblr days, fake influencers, and much more.

I was fortunate enough to be at the epicenter of all the culture shifting that took place at New York’s historical downtown area. As I stated before, almost all of the east coast-based millennials who are now thriving in the entertainment industry has had an insightful conversation (or 10) with me at some point during their Soho excursions.

I truly miss the area’s unequivocal artful essence, which is why it is my duty to restore the feeling through my content.

Check out the interview in its entirety below:

Playboi Carti x The Fader

“We ain’t got to ball, D. Rose/I don’t give a f*ck bout none,” mumbles Playboi Carti, as he starts skating on Tyler The Creator’s IGOR stellar cut, “Earfquake.” Though admitting his carefreeness, the 22-year-old Atlanta native is very scrupulous about his method of releasing music, and even uploads on social media. Fortunately, The Fader was able to track him down for their Summer 2019 cover story which provided us with just a peek into his reclusive rockstar life.

During the lengthy sit-down, my fellow Virgo—Carti was born one day after me, that explains our majestic swag. Feel me?—spoke of his hotly-anticipated second studio album Whole Lotta Red, forthcoming project with super-producer Metro Boomin, private relationship with Iggy Azalea, and more.

You can read the informative interview HERE. Speaking of insightful conversations, be on the lookout for my 30th Original Story!

Photographed by Micaiah Carter

Haiti Babii

Are you ready to hear a freestyle that’ll rock your socks off?  In fact, Haiti Babii’s *clears throat* musical stream of consciousness is so otherworldly, it might make you take those same socks and try to make paper planes out of them.

“I Challenge myself.  So it was basically me promoting every song that you’ll hear in the future in one outlet,” says Haiti of his cutting edge outburst on a recent video interview with Hypebeast.  The 21-year-old Stockton, California raised rapper became an internet sensation after appearing on Los Angeles radio station Real 92.3, where he showcased his multiple personalities on one instrumental.

Beyond the theatrics, Babii was actually spitting flames! Case in point, his Chance The Rapper-approved bar: “I woke up on top of a mountain I was feeling real high!”. Chrissy Teigen and even music’s highest paid woman herself, Rihanna, appreciated the third generation Haitian’s (shout out to all my Zoes) unique talent! Since his shining moment, Haiti has repackaged the freestyle into an actual song called “Blue Dragon,” which is currently doing numbers on digital streaming platforms.

Check out Haiti Babii’s third eye opening performance below:

Purple Emoji

Ty Dolla $ign has unleashed a new song in the form of “Purple Emoji” featuring the newly crowned...feature king—sorry I was not able to articulate that in a fancy term—himself, J. Cole.

Despite its presumptuous title, the single is “R&B” in every sense of the word, as it finds the multi-talented Beach House crooner pouring out his soul to a lover who’s on the verge of dippin’. “I need you, more than eveeeeer, ooh yeah ooh yeah,” he sings.  Who knew the sound of desperation could be so dope? Cole’s potent bars is a superb addition to the track’s emotional essence.

Contrary to Purple Emoji’s somber tone, its accompanying visual, directed by Olivia Rose, displays real life couples who are unabashedly tongue wrestling their blissful lives away.

Get in your feelings bag by watching the clip below:

On The Rocks

One year ago, Jae and Trey Richards of 4YE Media introduced us to their affluent alter egos—Scuba Da Surfa & Sneaky Sammy—in a gut-busting Genius parody, where they thoroughly explained the very literal lyrics of their over-the-top rap single, “Gettin’ Cash Every Day.”  Now, the “Laugh Brothers” (saw what I did there? Derived from Splash...forget it) have returned with a brand new skit, showcasing their country-twanged characters’ drip.

GQ’s On The Rocks served as the bed in which Sneaky and Scuba laid their humorous one liners, and iced out trinkets.  For those not in the know, the publication’s popular online series is all about blinding viewers with the bling of our favorite celebs.  Furthermore, the stars discuss how much each piece costs and the inspiration behind them. As Scuba says, “We’re showing our jewels to generate views.”

Check out the duo’s outlandish baguettes below:

If you missed out, read my article on the “Gettin’ Cash Every Day (Genius Parody)” by clicking here.

Don Toliver Has No Idea

Most of us are familiar with the popular idiom: “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” but in the case of Travis Scott and Don Toliver, the tree we’re talking about is actually a Cactus. I’m not insinuating that Scott’s’ Cactus Jack signee is his “son” in any shape or form—they just share similar tones, and a superb knack for conjuring up mesmerizing hooks.

Last year, Toliver absolutely murdered his guest appearance on “Can’t Say” from his label mate’s mega-successful album Astroworld, which left us wanting more.  Fortunately, we were blessed with a new track from the rising spitter in the form of a guitar-laden lullaby entitled, “Best You Had,” earlier this month. Now, he’s back with another chune that’s even better (in my humble opinion), rightfully called “No Idea” because, apparently, we have absolutely no clue how good this kid really is!

The Wondagurl-produced single is a dark, yet bouncy bop which spotlights Don’s smoother-than-a-baby’s-bottom flow and surprising singing range.  Check out its Grant Singer-directed visual below:

Ye

Bap, Bap! Call me late and what have you, I don’t give a sh!t because this Burna Boy banger is way too fire for me to not write about.

Simply titled “Ye,” (don’t worry, it has nothing to do with Mr. West), the genre-bending jam is from the Nigerian superstar’s third studio album, Outside.  It was coined as the biggest song of 2018 by many prestigious Nigerian publications and the honor alone eventually led him to become the country’s biggest artist of that same year. "Ye is a song that essentially shows the unrelenting nature of Nigerians (where I’m from). We thrive despite the leadership and circumstances,” writes Burna Boy in an email to The Fader describing his hit Afro-fusion chune. “Everyone has big dreams that logically may or may not be achieved; Aspiring to have a Bentley, G-wagon regardless of their current situation. ‘I can’t come and kill myself’ is an expression that means, you can’t dwell on things that aren’t working out or looking good, you only have one life after all.”

Not only does “Ye” slaps, it’s also inspirational! Check out the song’s ballerific visual below:

Imported (Remix)

“Hi, my name is Frendy/And sometimes people call me Friendly.” Damn, I really disliked when that happened back in the day, but I’ve grown accustomed to it. Furthermore, the nickname describes my personality pretty well so there's really no harm done. R&B star 6LACK certainly goes through the same situation and, just like me, doesn’t mind the public butchering of his name because, as he states in Jessie Reyez’s Imported (remix), “they stubborn and my bank account is looking mighty fine.”

The talented Toronto crooner’s slightly tweaked single is from her highly anticipated debut album.  "You don't really know what songs are going to touch people, but I remember a day after releasing the original song, I did a show and everyone was singing it”, she says of the sultry banger to MTV News.  "It was mad cool that people only had a day to learn the song and it hit them already, you know? So to be able to put somebody as talented as 6LACK on it and be able to give the song a new life, is a sick opportunity."

You think she said “Black” or “Six-lack” during the interview? *Laughs*.  In any case, check out the tune’s intimate visual below, and be on the lookout for Jessie’s sonic body of work, which is slated to release later this year via Island Records.

The Maestro

I’m surprised there isn’t a picture of a specs-wearing Jacob Rochester grinning profusely under the word “maestro” in the dictionary.

Jacob is what you may call an artist’s artist. Not only does he create wonderful illustrations, the uber creative Connecticut native knows a thing or two about producing mesmerizing beats that can easily impress the most dedicated Hip Hop head. I was initially aware of Rochester’s incredible talent during the heyday of Tumblr, where his designs continuously popped up in the most prominent fashion and music pages. We eventually met at Nigo’s former New York shop, and kept in touch via social media.

Although having a budding business relationship with Jacob, we never really spoke to the point where I really got to know his story. This is why it’s such a pleasure to present our very first in-depth conversation below. Enjoy!

FRENDY:  You were the first person I thought of when I wanted a newly designed logo—thanks for a job well done!  How often do you get hit up for commissioned pieces?

JACOB:  Glad you liked the logo, man! I think it came out cool as well. I get hit up pretty often actually. I tend to go with what feels right in my gut when deciding who to work with. And I find it best to not take on too many projects at a time—it sucks to get bogged down and not be able to feel like I’m giving enough attention to a client.

FRENDY:  I totally feel you. Furthermore, you want to properly execute whatever piece you’re working on. Who was your first big client?

JACOB:  Yeah, exactly. And I guess it depends on what you consider to be “big.” I’d say it was working with Flatbush Zombies for the first time in 2015, but honestly it was more so because I was able to work with my good homie Phillip T. Annand on the project. That moment was huge for me personally because I had been following him & the Madbury Club for so long. To be able to work with such genius was mind boggling. And then I was able to see the poster I had created for the [Flatbush Zombies] show in person for the first time out in London on a study abroad trip, so that made it even crazier.

FRENDY:  Yeah, man. My fellow Haitian brother Phil is out of this world.  The growth of his entire crew is surreal as well.  I haven’t seen him post on Instagram for a minute!

JACOB:  Yeah, for sure! It seems like he stays low now, evasive I guess. Which is a dream *Laughs*.

FRENDY:  Are you working for a particular design studio?

JACOB: At the moment, nope! I’m doing freelance stuff on my own. I think I would be open to working for a studio because a lot of the work I admire from huge agencies or clients etc. come out of studios that I’ve been following for some time now. But luckily, I’m able to work at my own pace by myself. That may change in the future though, who knows.

FRENDY: You deserve all of the success, my man.  Speaking of winning, congrats on having your very own font published on Actual Source’s book, Shoplifters 8: New Type Design, earlier this year.  What’s your thought process when conjuring up a brand new typeface?

JACOB:  Appreciate it yo! Yeah, that was a great opportunity. It felt like a milestone in regards to design and working with Actual Source. Fonts are tricky for me actually, I’ve only designed maybe 3 fully-custom typefaces. And each one kind of came up sporadically when designing something else. For example, the latest one I built is called ‘Neola’ and it’s a monospace font. And the real reason I made it was mainly to set type on PDF’s for decks I make for clients.

I’m super particular with anything I create, and when it comes to fonts I tend to overthink even more than my typical work so it’s hard for me to start to be honest. When I get a solid idea of where the font should go it gets easier. It’s a fun process, though tedious.

FRENDY:  Incredible.  Did you go to art school at all, or are you naturally gifted with the strokes (pause) *Laughs*?

JACOB:  *Laughs* Nah, I went to Uconn for graphic design & before that I took a couple courses in footwear design in high school. Outside of that, I learned everything with the help of my parents. My mom was an artist as well so I always had a good support system. And then, of course, through observation & learning shit via the internet.

FRENDY:  Like Blue Ivy, Jay-Z and Beyonce’s first born child, it seems like you were instilled with the belief that there are no ceilings.  That you can do anything your heart desires, and it’s apparent as you are fulfilling your array of passions. How was life growing up in Connecticut?  Were your parents pretty lenient?

JACOB:  Yeah, I’d say so. I still keep that mindstate that if I want something, or want to learn something, there’s always a way to get to it as cliche as it sounds. Growing up in CT was cool, had a good circle of friends that I’m still super close with to this day. I think my parents had like the perfect amount of ‘strictness’ with me and my siblings growing up, they weren’t ever too overbearing and were always supportive of what we did. I consider myself lucky because I know a ton of people now that wish they had went a different route in school or whatever but weren’t able to because of their parents, or just taking what seemed to be a more stable route.

FRENDY: You are blessed indeed. My father really didn’t see my vision at first (and it’s all good), but thank God my mother always believed in my abilities.  Having a support system is key—even if it’s just one person giving you positive feedback.

JACOB:  100% man! I hate to hear when people are deterred from their dreams due to lack of support or confidence. But I guess that also comes down to having a passion for something too. You’ll stick to it if you know it’s something you want to do.

FRENDY:  Facts!  Look at us, we’re still here *Laughs*.  I’m not sure how many times we’ve actually met in person but I was surprised to see how tall you were.  Have you played any organized basketball?

JACOB:  Bruh! It’s funny you say that because just 2 days ago I was told I look like I’m 5’6 in my pictures. Which is hilarious to me. But nah, nothing too serious. I played AAU in middle school and played in high school, but kind of lost the ‘hoop dreams’ early on when I realized how much nicer kids were than me when I played AAU *Laughs*.

FRENDY:  Pictures can be deceiving!  Yeah, I’m not going to lie, I had hoop dreams as well. I played HS basketball, I was so in love with the game. But during my senior year, I just stopped to focus on my “TV Production” career *Laughs*.  Why’d you make such a big move all the way to Los Angeles and not a closer booming city like New York?

JACOB:  Yeah, yo! That’s honestly one of the worst realizations as a kid like, “Damn, I’m not going to the NBA,” after living & breathing basketball for so long *Laughs*. But yeah, I decided to move to LA after getting a job pretty much after graduation to work with Nas’ clothing line, HSTRY, which is based out here. I would've for sure moved to NY if that opportunity didn’t present itself though.

FRENDY:  Nas, the legend!  How’d you get the gig with his company?

JACOB:  That actually came up through an old mentor of mine, this dude named Jason Mayden who is a genius in his own right. I’m super thankful for that connection. But yeah, he pretty much knew the brand manager at HSTRY and made the connection when they needed a graphic designer. It worked itself out from there.

FRENDY:  When the hell do you find the time to sharpen all your swords because they’re pretty lethal! How do you prioritize your time in honing your lengthy skills?

JACOB:  Thanks, yo! I think it all comes from learning things super early on. My parents have old home video tapes of me on the drumset at like 2 yrs old and scribbling at like 3 etc. I just had a knack for things when I was young and acted on them. I think a huge part of it was also how I learned certain things, like I can remember being maybe 8 or 9 and just copying this artist Justin Bua’s work over and over. He’s the dude that has the black caricatures in his paintings that are hung in like every barber shop. But yeah, from his stuff to copying graffiti I saw, to pseudo-learning how to draw anatomy from Incredible Hulk comics or the AND-1 dude *Laughs*, I always had references that I found interesting to learn from. And from then to now, I guess it’s all the same really. I’m just sharpening each skill through repetition and further observation from other artists or musicians etc.

FRENDY:  At what age did you start getting serious about making music?  What compelled you to do so?

JACOB:  I’m not sure if I’d even consider myself serious about music now. I just always found it fun & rewarding to make music. I grew up playing drums in the church so it kind of made sense for me to move on to making beats. But I still see it as like something to do when I get tired of drawing or something.

I think it may have been when I first heard MF-DOOM & Madlib for the first time in like 7th grade from one of my music teachers. I felt like, “wow I definitely want to learn how to do this stuff.” It was around the same time my uncle put a cracked version of FruityLoops 3 on my computer at home *Laughs*. Again, super lucky.

FRENDY:  There are no such things as coincidences!  Do you record at home or pay for studio time?

JACOB: I hear you! And nah, just do things from home. If I took it more serious then maybe I’d try to work out of studios or whatever, but my small setup at the crib is all I need really.

FRENDY: I listened to a lot of your records and I see you have an affinity for using samples, specifically from reggae and soul records.  How extensive is your vinyl collection?

JACOB:  Yeah, that’s my favorite stuff. And I think now I’ve accumulated maybe a couple hundred, I’m fairly new to sampling from vinyl. I only started collecting a couple years ago. Before that it was the cliche sample-from-Youtube strategy *Laughs*.

FRENDY:  Hey, some of the biggest records today used samples from YouTube *Laughs*.  Your highest played song on Soundcloud is, “Maria I’m Smacked (Trust Me),” which reworks the intro of Travis Scott’s “Maria I’m Drunk,” featuring Justin Bieber and Young Thug.  What intrigued you so much about that particular part of the original tune?

JACOB:  I think mainly the chord progression in the beginning of that song intrigued me the most. And I just wished it was longer, with drums. I was going to take that down from my Soundcloud actually because it’s one of those things where you look back and wish you did certain things differently—which is how I feel about almost all of my work *Laughs*. But yeah, I think it still holds up today, kind of.

FRENDY:  Nah, please leave that song up ‘cause I need to put it in this piece *Laughs*.  Which musical artists do you enjoy listening to right now?

JACOB:  Let me check my ‘recent’ in Apple music.  I love this chick named Kadhja Bonet, her stuff is like modern-mid 70s soul, it's crazy. Also been playing a lot of DaBaby, Mach Hommy, Matt Ox, I always have Knxwledge on rotation. Weird grouping of artists, but that’s what I’ve been slapping recently.

FRENDY:  That’s an eclectic mix right there.  As far as illustrating, do you have a certain process to get in the zone?

JACOB:  A lot of my stuff is referential so it comes down to having an idea + references for me to start a piece. I don’t always stick to the references verbatim, but It helps when starting for sure. Other than that, I usually have a movie on in the background or music when knocking out an illustration.

FRENDY:  Who are your dream collaborators in any art field?

JACOB:  Working with Actual Source was a huge one for me, would love to work more with them. I’ve always wanted to have an artist-specific project like, for example, doing a full collection in the same way Raf Simons worked with Sterling Ruby or Brian Calvin. I think the ultimate dream would be doing a BMW art car. With music, I don’t know, maybe DOOM rapping over one of my beats would make everything come full circle *Laughs*.

FRENDY:  Hey, you never know who’ll come across this interview and connect the dots!  I stumbled upon one of your latest sitdowns which revealed that you are not fond of wearing heavily branded clothing.  What brands are you actually into?

JACOB:  Yeah recently, and I have no clue why, but I feel weird wearing huge logos. I’m not sure what that stemmed from but I’d much rather wear things that have more attention to detail. I like OAMC a lot, Sacai, Rick Owens, Tone Customs makes amazing bags & utility-accessories. I still love Palace a lot too as a brand, but I don’t think I’d wear much from them.

FRENDY:  The last time we saw anything related to your clothing line, Massive, was an Instagram post in 2016.  Is it safe to say that this ship has sailed?

JACOB:  Yeah, for sure. Massive was fun while it lasted, but when I moved to LA I just didn’t have the time or passion for it & just wanted to do something new that would be more specialized & detail oriented. I’ve just started another ‘thing’ called, a.Construct, that operates the same as Massive in a sense, but just has everything I’ve learned up until this point behind it. I’m able to make what I want with more knowledge & with a better understanding of how clothing works. It’s still a slow-moving brand, but I’m excited for what will come of it.

FRENDY:  Is a.Construct a one man operation or do you have a team of people working on the brand with you?

JACOB:  Nah, it’s all me for now. That way I’m able to have control over what I want to put out, and more so because a lot of times I’m lazy & just need time to make or think of stuff. Which is kind of how the whole brand came about, just overthinking and not trusting an idea. I use it as another outlet for ideas, which don’t always come consistently.

FRENDY:  What else do you have planned for the rest of 2019?

JACOB:  I think for the most part, just more of what I’m doing now: freelancing, making beats & chilling out. I recently worked with a brand out in Italy that should be showing a collection in June at Pitti Florence, so hopefully I’ll be out there in the summer. I’ve also been working on a bunch of paintings, would be cool to show them at some point this year.

FRENDY:  My man, this talk was phenomenal.  Thanks for your time. Any last words?

JACOB:  Bruh! Thank you so much for the opportunity, man. I’ll never forget those days mad long ago heading up to NY, showing up in the BAPE store like, “Yo, there’s Frendy!” *Laughs*. Really crazy how time flies, man.

Justiine

I am beyond honored to introduce the FRNDY LMRN community to the insanely talented Alternative R&B singer-songwriter, Justiine. Her sound emits nothing but positive and radiant auras. The 22-year-old budding sensation’s unique blend of R&B, Hip Hop, and Pop has already made her a fan favorite in her hometown of Atlanta. Now, Justiine is poised to reach a global audience with the release of her Project Twenty Two EP.

JULIEN:  What’s up! Welcome to the FRNDY LMRN fam, Justiine. Where exactly did you grow up in Atlanta?

JUSTIINE:  *Laughs* well I’m Justiine.  I’m from Alpharetta, which is pretty much the suburbs. There’s just a lot of high class drug addicts and drunk housewives—It’s really pretty, though! Growing up was interesting to say the least. I could write a book about all the great times and a sequel to it about all the horrible times. It has been a very long time coming, but I’m extremely excited and humbled to be where I am.

JULIEN:  What’s an average day like for you?

JUSTIINE:  I’m for sure an example of the cliché musician. I go with the flow. I typically wake up around noon and knock out my yoga for the day. Once I feel inspired, I might then go cook or pick up some food. I make sure to save time to play with my dog, and then I’ll go in the studio and make a beat or try to write to one of my producer’s beats. If some magic starts to flow, I’ll be in the studio for 8-9 hours. At some point, my team will force me to go to sleep. I wake up, and finish that song first thing in the morning.

JULIEN:  Can you explain your creative process?

JUSTIINE:  Candles and sage are an absolute must to set a vibe in my studio. Colored lights are a necessity. I make sure to set them to the vibe of the song that I’m working on. It sounds crazy, but it’s 100% necessary. I need to have my notebook, pencil, and sharpener to write down lyrics. Lastly, I must be alone during the entire process.

JULIEN:  What drew you to the music industry?

JUSTIINE: I’ve been singing my entire life — since preschool, actually. I performed in musicals and all that gross stuff. My brother, Chandler, started rapping when we were in high school. I followed his lead and followed my passion. The rest went down in history.

JULIEN: Who are your biggest supporters of your career?

JUSTIINE: My mom. My dad. He’s been there for me since I quit my job and decided to make a career out of music. I’m really lucky to have them as parents. They support all of my dreams and believe in me more than I believe in myself sometimes. My friends. Coke — better known as Coca Vango. I’m proud of his success and appreciate him for being a great CEO of Energy 7, the record label I’m signed to. He tells it like it is and has been helping me navigate through the industry since the very beginning. Oh, and my PR team is the best! My support group is fire.

JULIEN:  Your last sonic offering was called ‘Project Twenty One’ and your latest is coined ‘Project Twenty Two’?  Is there a hidden meaning behind the correlating titles?

JUSTIINE:  Well, my first EP ‘Project Twenty One’ was released when I had just turned 21. It’s one of my favorite numbers as well. This year, I decided that it’s only right that I put out ‘Project Twenty Two’ before it’s too late when I turn 23! The plan is to have an age trilogy, kind of how Adele did with her albums. Love that.

JULIEN: Do you like to collaborate with other artists? What is that process like?

JUSTIINE: I love collaborating with other artists. Collaboration used to give me anxiety. I would get intimidated, but after recording with Nessly and Salma Slims, I have appreciated my gift a bit more.

JULIEN: Have you ever dealt with anxiety due to a creative block?

JUSTIINE: Every day of my life. It’s hard getting stuck in the hole, and then you have to think about how you're in a hole. And then you have deadlines and fans that are waiting. It really makes you want to say fuck it! But it’s all worth it when you release a track it and everyone loves it. It’s always worth it.

JULIEN: What do you want to accomplish within the next few years?

JUSTIINE: I just want to be a better version of myself. I want to work with more artists, shoot more videos, travel everywhere. There’s so much I want to do, I could write a short story.

JULIEN: Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

JUSTIINE: Thriving, living in LA, on a song with Drake.

JULIEN: What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten from someone?

JUSTIINE: Ever since I was a kid, my mom has told me, “a part of finding out who you are is finding out who you don’t want to be.”

JULIEN: What advice do you have in general for young girls regarding self confidence?

JUSTIINE: Stop trying to be like everyone else. If you look different, that’s a good thing. A lot of these young girls put so much effort into looking the same. I used to do it, too. But no matter how hard I tried to fit in, I was still different. After a while, I embraced it and became more comfortable with myself. I don’t know. Being young is hard, but being a young girl is the worst. Just don’t be scared to be who you are.

Written by Sir Julien George

Canada Isn't Going To Like This

My congenial Canadian friends: if getting a high number of “likes” on Instagram makes your heart sing, then be prepared for it to drop all the way down to your ass. Facebook Inc’s infamous photo-sharing app is playing a suspenseful game of peek-a-boo with the testing of eliminating likes *Gasps*.

The experiment, starting this week, will hide the total number of likes on not only photos, but also your Red camera shot, one-minute Insta movie clips (my fault for the sarcasm).  Furthermore, the little hearts on Instagram will be removed from the permalink pages, profiles, and main feed. “We are testing this because we want your followers to focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes you get,” stated an IG rep at Facebook’s annual developer conference on Tuesday.

What’s extremely confusing though is that users will have the ability to see how many likes (or lack of) their post has acquired.  So, wait, people who usually feel bad about getting low number of likes are still going to be experiencing some sort of disdain? Moral of the story, don’t give a f#ck about what anyone thinks or say about you, and life will be that much easier.

The King of Thrifting

Two years ago I conducted an incredible interview with none other than the hypest of the hypebeasts himself Ang Nits. Since I dived deep inside the mind of a “user”—in this case, a bright-eyed individual who unabashedly buys highly popularized (and often criticized) gear for his own enjoyment—it’s time to finally hear from the “dealer.” Yup, you read that right, I’m talking about a dope garment slangin’, bandz getting reseller.

Allow me to present the culprit at hand Josh Dzime-Assison, better known as Dizzy. What makes the determined DMV native so unique is that he specializes in reselling sensational pieces from thrift stores. Dizzy actually has his meticulous thrifting ways down to a science. Don’t believe me? Simply head over to his Instagram page and you’ll find informational posts on how to properly cop and resell vintage threads: from refurbishing old boxes to send out packages, all the way down to clutch reminders like not forgetting to look through the bedsheet and hand towels section for hidden gems. (Earlier this month he bought a 1970s Yves Saint Laurent towel set for only $8. It was resold on eBay for a whopping $240.)

I recently sat down with the eCommerce expert to discuss his come up, fashion, business and future endeavors. Check out our insightful conversation below:

FRENDY: I could have easily named this piece, “The King of Reselling” because you are a Jedi master of flipping items, but I truly believe you’re even better at buying archival pieces for the low low.  When did thrifting become your thing?

DIZZY: I stumbled into thrifting as a teenager, maybe 14 or 15. I was a fanatical sneaker collector at that time. I remember going in a thrift store (before it was acceptable and trendy to wear used or secondhand items) and seeing some really dope older Jordans. One of my first thrift store purchases was a pair of original powder blue 9’s from 1994. I think I paid $10 for them, took them home, scrubbed them and they broke everyone’s neck at school the next day and on NikeTalk that night when I posted my outfit. I was hooked on thrift stores after that.

FRENDY: Jeez, only $10! A regular teenager back then wouldn’t think about hitting up a thrift store to cop some gear.  You were ahead of your time. Is it safe to say that you were introduced to fashion and style by your OGs at a real young age?

DIZZY:  I wasn’t really introduced to fashion by OGs, I grew up on 90s basketball and Eastbay. At that time, my focus was strictly sneakers, and the love for sneakers helped me develop my style and taste in fashion a little later. In high school, I probably already had close to 150 pairs of sneakers and I was starting to build a reputation on message boards like NikeTalk and ISS. That slight Internet buzz was fun, but the Internet was fairly new as far as understanding the power and reach that it had. So I was just beginning to tap into my influence at that point.

FRENDY:  Where exactly did you grow up in the DMV area?

DIZZY: I grew up in Adelphi, MD, which is Prince George’s County if anyone is familiar with the DMV area. Around 10th or 11th grade, my family moved to Silver Spring, MD which is a suburb of Washington, DC.

FRENDY:  I read that Maryland has a lot of county pride. When you tell people what county you’re from, it’s like telling them part of your identity. Do you believe that’s true? If so, what attributes have you inherited from yours?

DIZZY:  Yeah, there’s a little bit of that. It’s not as serious as the boroughs in NY, but people definitely want to know where you’re from. I think the issue comes from people that are from MD claiming DC and people from far suburbs claiming DMV. I think people just want to know that you’re actually from the area.

Growing up in MD was dope though because it’s a racial melting pot and an economic melting pot. I was able to see and experience so much in those younger years. I had white friends and black and hispanic friends. I had rich friends and lower middle class friends. It was just a really well rounded upbringing. I think it prepared me for how diverse the real world is.

FRENDY:  Amazing. Damn, I guess I watched too much of “The Wire’ growing up because I ignorantly thought the whole of Maryland was filled with violence *Laughs*.

DIZZY:  “The Wire” just showed some parts of Baltimore, which is like 45 minutes away from Silver Spring and an hour from Washington, DC. For the most part, those suburbs around DC are consistently some of the wealthiest counties in the country. I think Prince George’s county has the wealthiest black population of anywhere. So as amazing as “The Wire” was, it was telling a very specific story. I recently was in Colombia in South America and from what we see in movies and on TV, we just think it’s all cocaine cartels. When I got there, it was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Same thing.

FRENDY:  That’s why we actually have to experience life instead of agreeing with force-fed information from mainstream media.  Speaking of which, in an interview with The Fader last year, singer Brent Faiyaz stated that Maryland is extremely competitive.  Have you experienced any sort of competition or haters downplaying your entrepreneurial grind out there?

DIZZY: I try not to pay attention to it. That’s everywhere though. People will tell you that same story in any city. I just always try to show love and it’s worked out for me. At times, I’ve struggled with the feeling that people were smiling in my face and hating behind my back, but that was something I had to get over and grow past. So now I just focus my thoughts and energy on things I can control.

FRENDY:  This is the same energy I carry. Your company is now based in New York.  What inspired the move there from your hometown?

DIZZY:  I’m actually back in MD now, man. I was in NY for 7 years. I originally left MD because I was able to have some success at a young age and I was curious to see how that stacked up in a big market. Everybody in this industry wants to be in NY for the opportunities, the relationships, resources. There’s just so many things that NY offers that you can’t get anywhere else in the world. So living and hustling in NY for those years was a great experience for me.

FRENDY:  What compelled you to actually carry out the plan of opening up your online shop selling thrift goods?

DIZZY: The plan started in MD. I opened the first consignment sneaker store in the MD area in 2007. I did the physical location thing for a little while and when that ended, I just continued the hustle online. I had always been selling, but before that I was selling on forums, from my blog (I was blogging heavily back then) and on MySpace. From there, the transition to an online store platform was pretty seamless.

FRENDY:  Why did you decide to shut down the physical shop?

DIZZY:  Unfortunately, someone broke into it and stole a lot of stuff. So dealing with the logistics of recovering from that and also repaying thousands of dollars to people for their consigned items was overwhelming to deal with at 21-years-old. So I just took a break from it and shifted directions.

FRENDY:  All things happen for our greatest good, even when we don’t even understand it at the moment.  I’m glad you kept your dreams alive. You have a vast amount of customers from all over the country. How did you build such a loyal and expansive following? Word of mouth or social media?

DIZZY:  I believe that 100%. Initially when I started selling online, I was running a really popular blog. Get Dizzy blog at one point was getting like 10,000 viewers a day. So I combined my sales platform to my blog, which was already generating crazy traffic.

After that, I think it’s just been about consistency. When you do anything for over 10 years without stopping, people take notice. I also try my best to do good business and make the transactions as personal as possible, which creates a bond and loyalty between me and my customers. I also sell on almost every platform (eBay, Grailed, Poshmark, Etsy,Instagram, etc) and I direct all those buyers back to my site. So that helps with growth also.

FRENDY:  Genius move.  How much research do you do when it comes to finding the perfect vintage shop?

DIZZY:  I literally go to all of them *Laughs*. I make a list depending on what area I’m in, then I hit them all one by one. The ones that are good, I start going more consistently. So over time, I’ve found about 20-30 stores in the DMV area alone that I shop at regularly. So my research is hands on. I go there and see each spot for myself.

FRENDY:  What are your thoughts on Tokio 7 in New York?  How does it hold up to your standards?

DIZZY:  I love Tokio 7. That’s one of my favorite spots in NY. I’ve shopped in there with ASAP Rocky, I’ve shopped in there with Nick Wooster, you name it. It’s an amazing spot to find crazy pieces for my personal collection, but it’s not a spot I would consider to buy and flip from. I’m a true thrifter. I find gems for $5-10 and turn them into $50-100 or even $500. So I like the thrill of the hunt and I enjoy digging. Tokio 7 is very well manicured, the items are carefully screened and handpicked, so it doesn’t provide me with the thrill of the hunt.

FRENDY:  I had a feeling you’ll love that spot.  I do as well. How does reselling differ from when you started back in 2007 and now?  Should people even enter the game at this point?

DIZZY:  I think this is a great time to get into reselling. The information and tools are all readily available. I used to have to buy every item based on my gut instincts. Now a reseller can literally compare prices live on eBay or other sites right from their phone to make sure their making a good purchase. There’s a ton of resellers out there now, which makes finding items a little harder, but if you have some knowledge and work ethic, you can kill it.

FRENDY:  What are you favorite brands right now? And why?

DIZZY:  I wear a lot of Saint Laurent, Fear of God and Chrome Hearts. Those are probably my favorite brands currently. I usually wear mostly black so they just fit my look. I like what Rhuigi is doing with Rhude. He’s been leveling up like crazy over these past few years. I really like Greg Lauren because of the way he fuses different types of pieces together. On the streetwear level, I like Human Made—Nigo is a legend so that’s self-explanatory. I’ll also always love Visvim. A lot of the pieces don’t fit my daily look, but I think Hiroki is a genius and his attention to detail is next level.

FRENDY:  As far as shopping for retro pieces, what sticks out to you the most?  How do you know that it will actually resonate with customers?

DIZZY:  The dope thing about fashion is that it’s cyclical. Styles and brands come back around, so sometimes you can predict those things. A lot of vintage shopping also plays on nostalgia. People want to buy things they had when they were a kid or wanted badly when they were a kid. For international buyers, they love a lot of iconic American cultural things like 90’s hip hop brands and beer brands, etc. Over time, after thousands of sales, you just develop a great view of the market and the type of items that are in high demand.

FRENDY:  I honestly appreciate your mantra, “Patience. Persistence. Progress.”  It’s practically embedded in your personal branding. In what areas of your life do you exercise it?

DIZZY:  That mantra literally defines the whole process for me. In life, in business, in relationships, it applies to everything. You’re always in one of those stages. It’s just a reminder to slow down, take your time and stay with it. A lot of people rush the process (no patience), or quit too early (no persistence), and then end up never progressing. The dope part about it is, once you make some progress, the cycle starts over again.

FRENDY:  Perfectly said.  For the most part, your Instagram captions are thought provoking and hilarious. One of my favorites is “rappers should have all their clothes taken away, if they can’t pronounce the brands,” written under a flick of you showcasing a first person perspective your own fancy threads. Do you think of these witty sayings on the fly or have them saved up on your notes somewhere?

DIZZY:  Thanks man. I realized that you have to find ways to showcase your personality on Instagram which is a visual platform. Everybody’s captions are either extremely literal or some song lyrics or something. So usually those captions are just tweets that I’ve posted earlier on Twitter. I try to keep the captions as random as possible with no relation to the picture. I think that just makes the comments even better.

FRENDY:  You love your friends dearly, always giving them roses while they can still smell them. “No matter what, squad gon eat.”  Have you ever experienced any sort of disloyalty?

DIZZY:  I have, but that’s life. I also might not have been the best friend either so I can’t point fingers. But with maturity you learn to realize that you don’t need 50 friends, you really only need 3-4 REAL friends. The friends that give you positive peer pressure and hold you accountable and have your best interest at heart. The ones that support your work like it’s their own. It just takes some life experiences to weed out the fake ones and find out who those real ones actually are.

FRENDY:  With so many lessons learned, will you ever end up opening your own brick and mortar shop again?

DIZZY:  I’ll never say never, but I think that lane is really congested right now. Round Two is killing it, but everybody can’t be Round Two. As the power of the internet grows and the way people shop and interact with items changes, the retail experience should change also. I see new stores opening every day, but they’re using an outdated business model. I can’t go too much into detail about what’s wrong with the model because I have some plans and tricks up my sleeve. I’ll be opening some brick and mortar locations in the future, but the concept will definitely be different. I’ll be in a lane by myself.

Move Me

I thank God everyday for giving me the strength to maintain my platform.  It’s been a long road, as many of my loyal supporters know, but I’m still here pumping out original inspirational work.  When the dust settles, people only remember you for how you made them feel, so it’s truly my duty to leave a lasting impression on those who’ve met me in person or stumbled across my site.

Speaking of moving content, allow me to present a banging tune, aptly titled “Move Me,” from one of my favorite producers in the game Mura Masa.  The genre-bending song, featuring fast rising British rap star Octavian, was released back in 2017 and I still can’t get it out of my mind.  One of the greatest perks of having your own website is that you can post whatever you want—even when they’re slightly dated. (Then again, impeccable creations are timeless.)

Check out the riddim’s equally captivating visual directed by Yoni Lappin below:

Three's Company

I was a bit conflicted upon seeing Pharrell Williams rocking Human Made sneakers in his GQ France cover shoot last month.  Obviously, I wanted to know how I could cop them beauties, but then again, they might have been an exclusive one-of-one pair gifted by his longtime comrade Nigo. Fortunately, they’re not!  

It was recently revealed that the shoes are in fact a collaboration between the two fashion icons and adidas.  Utilizing Pharrell’s adidas Solar Hu Glide model, the white and cream kicks showcase Human Made’s blue heart logo (P wore the red one prior), with splashes of 3M on its shoe laces, and of course the German design company’s three stripes logo at the tongue.

The only bad news is that the adidas Pharrell x Human Made Solar Hu Glides are only available at Human Made’s Kyoto store, which officially opens on May 3rd.  Hopefully they’ll make their way to the states shortly after!

B-Sides 2

Don’t call it a comeback! One of New York’s iconic music performance venues Webster Hall is slated to reopen on April 26 after a long and gruesome renovation period.

In honor of such momentous occasion, Webster Hall will serve as the host for JAY-Z’s much anticipated “B-Sides 2” concert (his initial “B-sides” performance went down on May 2015 at Terminal 5).  This will be Beyonce’s boo very first appearance at the historical East Village venue, which has a long roster of amazing musicians who are also scheduled to play over the next few months.

Unlike Jigga man’s first intimate “B-Sides” show, his upcoming gig will not have any perks for Tidal subscribers, as a limited amount of tickets will be available to American Express card members beginning Thursday (April 18) at 10 a.m. through 10 p.m. ET.  General admission for the legendary event will go on sale on Friday (April 19) at 11 a.m. ET via Ticketmaster.

Check out some footage from Jay’s first “B-Sides” performance below:

SOHO (Official Video)

“This is exactly what I imagined when I first heard the song,” commented a satisfying fan under the long-awaited music video for Jaden Smith’s The Sunset Tapes: A Cool Tape Story standout cut, “SOHO,” on YouTube.

Truthfully, the visual is everything we thought of when The Fresh Prince’s heir uttered—more like auto-tune sang— the acronym of NYC’s historic downtown district. Starting off with a shot of Soho’s story brick buildings (they’re plastered together like subway riders during rush hour), the clip swiftly shifts to a mountainous area, where Jaden and his significant other are preparing for a picnic.  Printed on their blanket (sorry carpet, us mere humans aren’t up on that level yet) is UK’s national flag, maybe he’s subliminally paying homage to London’s very own Soho region as well.

The music video continually time travels back and forth from the east to west coast, showcasing the 20-year-old polymath’s ability to woo his shorty whether on Calabasas’ grassy plains, or cobblestone streets of my favorite region in New York.

Check it out below: