2 | INSPIRE Magazine
FRONT COVER PHOTOGRAPHER BlackIce Bell MODELS Jennifer Garcia Kamiliah Rhassan
BlackIce Bell Executive Editor EDITORS Asif Lakhani, Dominique Cannon COPYWRITER Terri Hodge CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Terri Hodge, Fanicicia Howard, JaNea Buckingham CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jeremy Bennett, Jerrica Raglin, Samonia Portraits INSPIRE PHOTOSHOOT TEAM BlackIce Bell, Sundae Morant, Erika Starr VIDEO DIRECTOR/PRODUCER James Williams PUBLIC RELATIONS Ahshia Guss MODELS Jennifer Garcia Kamiliah Rhassan
6 | INSPIRE Magazine
Photographer: Jeremy Bennett Bodypaint: Melissa Biehl
http://issuu.com/blackicebell | 7 Photographer: Jeremy Bennett Bodypaint: Melissa Biehl
http://issuu.com/blackicebell | 9
8 | INSPIRE Magazine
The Humble History Maker and Image Shaper By: Fanicia Howard
“The publicist job is more of a campaign. I’m the artist’s cheerleader, critic, coach, and philosopher.”
I
recently had the pleasure of speaking with celebrity strategist Dyana Williams. Although the intent (on both sides) was to conduct an informative interview, the conversation left me feeling as if I was catching up with a dear friend. Despite so many contributions to the world of media, which include 40 years on the airwaves of Philadelphia radio stations, being co-founder of The International Association of African American Music (IAAAM) Foundation, creator of June’s Black Music Month, as well as being named by Headline News as one of the “Top African American leaders in the country,” she remains humble and was welcoming towards answer any questions or thoughts I had. The heart of our interview focused on Ms.Williams’s role as a celebrity strategist for a slew of notable artist such as Fantasia, Reuben Studdard, Mint Condition, and Faith Evans just to name a few. She and I jokingly dubbed her as the Olivia Pope (in reference to the popular primetime drama Scandal) of what she does. “I’m not a publicist,” she says. “The publicist job is more of a campaign. I’m the artist’s cheerleader, critic, coach, and philosopher.” One thing she notes that keeps her relationships with her clients in tact is her tough love and blunt honesty. “I have been known to call up an artist and say, ‘What was that? Did you really pull your cell phone out in an interview and answer? You thought that was cute right?’” As we came to the conclusion of our interview, I asked Ms. Dyana Williams, a woman who has excelled in many avenues and has left lasting impressions in many industries, what inspirational message she wants to leave with this world in hopes of sparking the flame in the youth of today. She simply responded: “Explore your life.”
http://issuu.com/blackicebell | 11
10 | INSPIRE Magazine
Photographer: Samonia Portraits Photographer Assistant: Richard Ladd and Norman Johnson Model: Selam Shiferaw Makeup Artist: Brittany Young
Photographer: Samonia Portraits Photographer Assistant: Richard Ladd and Norman Johnson Model: Leah Ri Makeup Artist: Brittany Young
http://issuu.com/blackicebell | 13
12 | INSPIRE Magazine
L to R: Eddie Smith III, Jesse Rankins, Jonathan Wells
Real.Rap.Raw written by Terri Hodge | photography by BlackIce Bell
“The hottest new thing to come into Atlanta is. . .popping up everywhere,” Nick reports in “Watch The Duck-Poppin’ Off.” Watch The Duck is a hip-hop trio tearing up the Atlanta music scene. Eddie Smith III, Jesse Rankins and Jonathan Wells, accompanied by a debonair duck mascot, make up the rambunctious triad. Together, they are deviating from traditional hip-hop and R&B and cultivating the latest genre,
The group’s name began as an inside joke, later evolving into their motto: “Everybody sees the duck swimming on top of the water but nobody pays attention to how hard his feet have to work so it can swim so smooth[ly],” Rankins defines. “It was our version of. . .‘fake it ‘til you make it.” “Watching the duck” refers to the strong effort needed to foster success. “ The saying represents the artists’ hardships as well as their “musical revolutionary sound,” he continues. Smith, Rankins and Wells met in Woodley Park, Montgomery, Ala., where they played in their high school’s marching band. WTD, however, was formed several years later when the three, separately working as producers, discovered their mutual musical interest. It was “God’s plan. . .[for us] to come together.
“You’ll hear the element of. . .the common man that represents most of us. . . .We live life and we talk about that life in our music” trapstep (a combination of dubstep and trap music). You can “call. . .[our music] what you want to call it,” Smith instructs. “We wanted to make. . .good music. . .whatever you hear in it, that’s what you can take from it,” Wells and Rankins describe.
. .it just happened naturally,” Smith shares. So far, WTD’s natural cohesion proves to be resilient and influential, as their music has debuted on both the silver and small screens. The 2014 box office hit, Ride Along, starring Kevin Hart, Ice Cube and The Haves and the Have Nots’ Tika Sumpter, featured the group’s single, “Poppin Off.” WTD’s unconventional sound derives from their individual traveling abroad. It was these trips overseas which, in turn, nurtured their eclectic musical palates. “We didn’t choose the sound that we have; the sound chose us,” Smith admits. “It is a reflection of. . .our IPod playlist.”
http://issuu.com/blackicebell | 15
14 | INSPIRE Magazine
Try a Different Angle By JaNea Buckingham
H
ow do you get a machine that weighs a couple hundred pounds off of the back of a truck bed without using a ramp or weight lifter? This is the question with which my friend was wrestling. Because he just purchased the machine and immediately needed the truck bed for another purpose, the issue plagued him. He teetered between his options and found error in each one. Finally, he said to me, “I’m just going to go stare at it until I come up with something.” Shortly after, he found a way to get the machine off of the truck and go about the rest of his concerns. I was amazed. Later, when I asked about it, he told me, “I did just that. I went outside, stared at it until a possible solution just came to me.”
WTD’s critically acclaimed album, Anatidaephobia, will debut fall 2014. Reported to appear on the album include some of hip-hop’s finest: T.I., Tricky Stewart, Busta Rhymes, Pharrell Williams, Trae Tha Truth, The-Dream, CeeLo Green, Diddy, David Banner and Sleepy Brown. Anatidaephobia comprises heartfelt tracks and “real life music mixed with explosions,” Wells explains. “You’ll hear the element of. . .the common man that represents most of us. . . .We live life and we talk about that life in our music,” Rankins says. Containing what they affectionately call, “mirror music,” the album retells personal life experiences. “You’ll hear us being down, you’ll hear us up, you’ll hear us ballin’. You’ll hear us broke.” “It. . .is our therapy. . .let our pain be your entertainment,” Smith adds. In her article, “Review: Watch The Duck’s ‘Anatidaephobia’ EP,” Tania Espat writes, “sonically. . .[ Anatidaephobia] sets this brilliant group apart from its genre predecessors. It pays homage to styles of electronic dance music often popularized in the 90’s through the [20]00’s but it is on a tier of its own. Musically, Watch the Duck rules the trapstep movement. . . .” In spite of their recent success, WTD has no intentions of slowing down anytime soon. No longer playing in eightperson venues, the band performed for millions on BET’s annual televised fashion show, Rip the Runway, and music festivals worldwide. “When you see that evidence that people [are] feeling what you’re doing out there. . .don’t quit on that,” Wells advises. One day, WTD hopes to sell out stadiums and play in iconic arenas including the FIFA World Cup, Olympic Games, Super Bowl and Playboy Mansion. In five years, WTD sees themselves becoming a household name, taking over the world and “ballin’ like Diddy,” Rankins exclaims. “. . .these guys have nowhere to go but up,” Nick foresees. “Watch The Duck. . .We the feet, baby, we kick!”
You might be wondering why I am telling you this story about a truck and a heavy machine. The point of the story is about learning to look at things from a different angle. Making the conscious effort to stick with the problem and having the willingness to try something new helped my friend find a solution. Think about how many situations are solved every day by adjusting an approach. Imagine how many angles the photographers try before they get the right shot. If they do not like the photos they have taken, they do not give up midway through the shoot; they try new angles. Think about it: Basketball players have “sweet spots” because they know how to work certain angles. Admittedly, I am guilty of throwing my hands up from time to time and shouting, “I can’t deal with this!” It seems much easier to avoid a problem that I think I cannot solve rather than sticking with it and viewing it from another perspective. Those other times where I have toughed it out and remained determined to solve it—I was successful. The sheer simplicity of my friend’s problem-solving technique amazed me. It was very uncomplicated and should be tried at home. Sorcery will not be involved, so it will not drop out of the sky. It takes some thinking and effort. But if you are willing to do that much, the answers will come. What have you given up on and wished you had not? How many problems could you solve if you decided to stare at them until they were solved? Know that if you are willing to stare at your problem until you figure out how to solve it, you will succeed. Re-position yourself in front of a situation so that you can see things in ways you have never seen them before.
http://issuu.com/blackicebell | 17
16 | INSPIRE Magazine
The Inspiration Behind Silent Park BlackIce Bell
D
o you remember the days before Instagram? Before Facebook and Twitter came to the forefront? The days when you were charged by the hour to use dial-up internet? Do you remember the countless AOL discs that came in the mail that gave you free hours of internet access? Those were days when you were free of mobile internet access. You had to build real relationships through phone conversations and outings. In the social media era, however, we are constantly distracted by our phone. Our relationships are based on “friend lists” and “followers,” not genuine connections. That’s the inspiration behind the script for our short film, Silent Park. I wanted to bring to the forefront how distracted we are by media devices. We do not know how to fully enjoy the company of friends, food, or even a sunset because we are either too busy “documenting” the scene for our followers or lusting for attention through “likes.” And that is exactly what happens in Silent Park: Two friends come together for a simple picnic on a beautiful day, but is somewhat ruined because they are distracted by people who are not there. I am not anti-social media or against revolutionary technology; I just advocate for balance. I believe too much of anything is bad for you and I think we have become such attention whores that we literally do not pay attention to what is around us if it doesn’t include a filter. You can watch Silent Park on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/DapperMediainc
SILENT PARK PRODUCTION Director - James D. Williams Screenplay - BlackIce Bell Producers - James D. Williams & BlackIce Bell Directors of Photography - James D. Williams & Andrew Chance Hairstylist - Erika Starr Makeup Artist - Sundae Morant Music Score - Darrell Flowers of Team MFN Actresses/Models - Jennifer Garcia & Kamiliah Rhassan Photography - BlackIce Bell
18 | INSPIRE Magazine
http://issuu.com/blackicebell | 19
20 | INSPIRE Magazine
http://issuu.com/blackicebell | 21
22 | INSPIRE Magazine
http://issuu.com/blackicebell | 23
24 | INSPIRE Magazine
http://issuu.com/blackicebell | 25
http://issuu.com/blackicebell | 27
26 | INSPIRE Magazine
Photographer: Jeremy Bennett Bodypaint: Melissa Biehl
Photographer: Jeremy Bennett Bodypaint: Melissa Biehl