issue 5 feb 2015

THE RISE OF

MONEY AND VIOLENCE

AVISION SHOWCASE

RECAP & MORE

FEB 2015 ISSUE 5

Heard.U.Secertly.HatingSpring/Summer Apparel coming soon

IG:@HUSH_APPAREL

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Credits

Welcome to Avision 2015 I hope the year started with a BANG. Avision Magazine is excited to reintroduce our relaunch issue and our new website avisionmag.com. We decided to reinvent our brand from the website, to the magazine and even our social media Instagram.

With the help of our Art Director, Christopher Lindor our 2015 magazine issue has taken on components of a modern design, lets welcome him to the team. If you happen to breeze through our Instagram page @avisionmag “It’s a sleek, vibrant and refreshing look” stated by our new Creative Director Catora Noel we would also like to welcome her to the team. Everyone has played an important part in making sure Avision’s represents the society in which we live.

If you don’t know by now Avision is a Brooklyn based magazine, which provides a platform for individuals to be heard not solely in Brooklyn but worldwide. In this issue we decided to glorify our city, our borough BROOKLYN. I want you to take a stroll down memory lane, lets go back to the 80’s and 90’s and “Welcome the Old Brooklyn” when loyalty and respect meant something. When playing double dutch was the “IT” thing.

Fast Forward now to 2015 where the new Internet buzz is the cast of Money and Violence Brooklyn natives. These young men have turned the Internet upside down in a matter of months and guess who decided to feature them; you guessed it AVISION! We caught up with the humbling cast, got the scoop and reintroduce to you “The Old Brooklyn”

Besos xoxo

Amanda VillacisFounder, Editor-in-Chief

Amanda Villacis- Founder/Editor-in-Chief

Christopher Lindor- Art Director

Catora Noel- Creative Director

Monique Cabera- Event Planner

Devon Carr-Brand Ambassador

Candis Cumberbatch - Copying Editor

Inicia Gallop (Trendy Rouge)–Fashion Director

Melissa Atkinson-Blogger

Contributors

GuapoPhotography

Shanelle Crosby

Ebony McMichaels

Robin Johnson

IN THIS ISSUEWelcome to Old BrooklynThe principles, morals and the codes we lived no longer exist…

The Evolution of a CultureRemaining true to your sneaker obsession

Work Your RefundDespite popular belief, your Tax Refund isn’t “Free Money”

The Impersonalize generation Texting should be between business and/or small talk

2014 Avision Unsigned Artist Showcase We’ve got the stage? So tell us, What’s Your Vision?

Classic meets TrendyHow to incorporate high end staples pieces with everyday purchase…

WWW.AVISION.COM

.comKeeping you up to date on all the hottest up and coming entrepreneurs from music, fashion, and much more.

7 www.avisionmag.com

IN recent years, the growth of the sneaker culture has hit an all-time high. When people all over are talking about

Adidas, Reebok, Nike, and Puma, they’re not just talking about wearing them for the hardwood. They’re also talking about which jeans or designer fabric they have that can go along with their new sneakers.

For so long, athletes were the only ones with a sneaker endorsement. Now, it has become more lucrative for entertainers to get sneaker deals. Currently Rihanna, Solange and Meek Mill have deals with Puma; Kanye and Pusha T have deals with Adidas; Usher and Drake have deals with Jordan and so on...Ten years ago, Jay-z and 50cent were the only entertainers to have sneaker deals. Now with this new “Renaissance” of the sneaker culture, everyone is capitalizing. I, for one, as an avid consumer am very happy to see this! We are no longer looked at as immature for remaining true to our sneaker obsession but looked at as more of a new breed of “fashionistas!”

The Evolution of a Culture


Welcome To The Old

Brooklyn

Money and Violence is the new hot web series that is breaking the Internet with over 3 million views

collectively on Cloud9tv.net and YouTube. The series created by and starring Brooklyn Natives has taken viewers back to “The Old Brooklyn” a time when taking what you wanted earned you respect in the hood. Money, Power, and Respect was at the top of a mans list. Cars, Clothes and Girls just came with the lifestyle. Each character gives you a taste of the old school and makes you forget the year is currently 2015.

Easily compared to shows like “The Wire”, MAV will have you addicted like Chris Rock’s character Pookie in New Jack City. The show comes complete with the stereotypical of Brooklyn credit card scammers, burglary specialists, the lady who sells ices on the corner, and the guy who just came home from doing a lengthy bid and does pull-ups on the light pole. We recently sat down with some of the show’s cast Moe (Rafe), Ray (Miz), Ace (Kane) and Du (Shane) to get their thoughts on what people think is an overnight success, but is actually a product of blood, sweat, and

tears.

Money and Violence has created a big buzz in a short period of time. How did it come together? Were you guys friends before the show?

Rafe: Cloud9tv is the media company behind Money and Violence. It’s a company that initially started with Shane and Kane. Three and half to four years ago, Ray and I joined them. The show, Money and Violence, was actually a book that I was going to write years ago and, then, decided I was going to make into a feature film, but it was taking too long. After the first two months we had about 20 minutes of footage; actually 18 [minutes] pretty much the 1st episode. I decided, you know what? This is taking too long and we work well under pressure so I said, “Let’s do a web series. It gives us the opportunity to build a following and once we put that out every week. We will have six days to write, shoot and edit another episode. We were like, that’s kind of crazy, but we been doing it for the last six months.

[Money and Violence is basically your baby]

Rafe: Money and Violence was based on my life…loosely. A lot of the things that happen in Money and Violence are either things I might have gone through or things that people in my life have gone through. Every single character, in Money and Violence, is someone who’s been in my life at some point. That’s who they’re based on, so yea… pretty much… it’s my baby.

How big does the role of music play in this show?

Rafe: The music does play a large part because I give everyone a fair chance. I tell people; send the music to the email; and I listen to every single song and when I hear the song that I like I just keep the song in the back of my head and I’ll actually create a scene to go with the song. I don’t know if it’s weird…with me directing and editing, I see these scenes in my head and once I hear the song I already know which scene goes to it and I already know what has to happen and it fits perfectly. We are going to do a Money and Violence soundtrack. The first single will be the series intro song, “Money and Violence”. A lot of people, both DJ’s as well as viewers

Written and interviewed by- Catora Noel


have been asking about it. We are going to have a single release party as well.

Tell us a little bit about Cloud9tv.com. Besides being able to watch the hottest series out what else can we check out on the site?

Miz: We started out as a media company.

Kane: We do events, promotions, and blogging. There is also chapters of Rafe’s book.

Rafe: We also have a TV show, that’s on Time Warner and Verizon and it is titled Cloud9TV.

Kane: It comes on twice a week Monday from 1-2 and Fridays from 10:30pm – 11:30 pm.

Shane: We are like a one stop shop. You can come to the site and get everything, whether its urban media or just to have a conversation. If you want any advice, you can also check out the motivation section.

Rafe: We also have a tab called Hanging with B, (which is like a Dear Abby column) where a lot of females leave their relationship questions and things like that… We have a blogger who actually gives pretty good advice.

Shane: You can get [advice] from a male’s point of view as well as a female’s point of view…

[You guys are building an empire]

Rafe: We are trying to build one… I know this is so corny for me to say, but we are actually trying to change the world. The reason I’m saying that is because of the state the world is in at the moment, especially with young black youths. The way that they think is off and I chose the route with Money and Violence because they’re so indulged with the gangster lifestyles. The best way to get people to follow you is actually be what they respect. So, although this may be part of my life, I left it a long time ago, I know I have to revisit that in order for them [the youth] to understand it. If I come to them with a suit like a preacher at the pulpit they’re going to reject it, but if I come

to them as a gangster, they’ll value it. It’s a thin line between an old man talking shit and an Ole G kicking jewels. Therefore, this is the route we chose to go.

Shane: Its a jewel behind everything we do inside Money and Violence; we want to give you both sides. I know a lot of times, when they hear Money and Violence they think of black people killing more black people, but the reason why we call it Money and Violence is because that’s the only two things people respect today…Money and Violence!

Why is Money and Violence called “Welcome to the Old Brooklyn”?

Rafe: It’s called “Welcome to the Old Brooklyn” because the principles, morals and the codes we lived by when we grew up, growing up no longer exist. Loyalty is nothing but a myth nowadays; it’s nothing but a tattoo. As far as friends [pause] friends aren’t friends; people hang with each other every day and don’t even like each other. The definition of what we use to call a man has become so watered down. It has become synonymous with a gangster, player, or pimp when it has nothing to do with either of these things. Everything has become a façade. So we are introducing these characters who embody everything that the old Brooklyn was when the streets were dangerous, but when there was also respect, you understand? I grew up in one of the worst spots in Brooklyn doing the late 80’s and early 90’s. I had guys on my block who were Brooklyn’s most wanted, but if they were like shooting and my mom was coming home from work at one o’clock in the morning, they would run in the building and hide. It was a respect thing [that] I believe is no longer here. Martin Luther King said, ‘In order to change things back we have to revisit those old morals and values” So, that’s why it’s called “Welcome to the Old Brooklyn”, it’s something new to this generation [that] they’re not used to and it haven’t been seen in so long. It’s something that always been here, it’s just been lost over the last 20 years.

[That has to do with the music]

It’s has a lot to do with the music and this is the reason why I had so many rappers reach out to me wanting to be in Money and Violence. I’m straight up with them “you do not represent what we represent, you’re part of the problem”. I had a guy contact me yesterday saying he’s from Def Jam and he can get me Rick Ross, I don’t care, I don’t want Rick Ross… Rick Ross is part of the problem. I don’t want to single anyone out, but I’m so tired of these people. I’ve lived a life and I’ve come from a lifestyle where the truth was I want to get away from the BS. You have these people who have never had any parts of this. These people didn’t live this life. They’ve watched it from afar. So the second they get money, they buy the lifestyle and what they always wanted to be and, they glorify it. The sad thing is these children take them so seriously. They mimic every single thing and it pisses me off! Like I said, I had so many people reach out and I said, “No I don’t care what you can do…” The truth is we are here to make an attempt at changing this life.

Shane: We are not adding on.

Tell me about a time where you had difficulty turning yourself into a character? Why was it challenging?

Rafe: I have friends who call me when they see episodes of the show and say, “You’re cheating because you’re not acting.” Rafe is me; we are exactly the same person; the only difference is our name, so for me I don’t have to act. To some degree I act only because the emotions I might have to evoke I may not go through at that point in time, but it’s not as if I’m acting like a different person because I’m just being myself. A lot of people like Rafe. They say he drops all these jewels but anyone that knows me knows-that’s exactly the way I speak. You can hardly have a conversation without me telling you something enlightening. If anyone follows me on Instagram… they know. I’ve been like this for years. That’s just me; that’s the way I am.

Kane: As far as playing Kane I’ve never had a difficult moment. Although [they know I


am] nothing like the character I play. I’ve just always been up for the job; I give 100%. Even up to the famous piggyback ride. Some people might have been hesitant, but I was ready!

[The story behind the piggyback ride]

Rafe: It took me three months to get Mister to do that scene. You have to understand before this I used to ask, “What does a director do?” I didn’t get it, but I came to understand that I had to actually coach them through the scene. I knew exactly what I wanted it…it had to be funny while 110% serious because if is not 110% serious, it’s not going to be taken seriously. There were certain scenes that are very difficult and there were scenes that if they were not perfect, it would’ve had to be scrapped. If it was not done perfectly, it wasn’t going to have the impact that we were looking for.

Shane: They nailed that scene the first time…One shot deal.

Rafe: They nailed it… on one take. I commend him [Kane]. When I tell you… I commend him. I think he has one of the hardest roles… I think it’s a little more than that because people have a tendency to confuse the actor with the character. He’s gotten text messages like, “Can you help me out? My car broke down I gotta take my kid to schools. Can I ride your back?” (Laughs) It’s cool. Six months ago, nobody gave a damn about this idea. So, the fact that everyone is so into it now is hilarious. There’s never been a time that I said you know what this is the scene and “he”[Kane] said, “No, I’m not going to do it” because he understands when I say these things. As we went along they have come to see that everything in Money and Violence is strategically done. I’ll tell them, “listen this is the scene and this is how the people are going to react” and that’s exactly how it works out.

Shane: I really don’t have a hard time playing Shane; I’m trying to think of a difficult time. It was more difficult for me to know who [the character] Mo (Rafe) wanted me to be but

once I learned, it was natural.

Miz: For me, it’s not hard to play my character because I knew my character. My hardest part would be my days off like when I’m really tired and I’m on set all day until like two, three in the morning and I have to remember my lines and this guy (points at Rafe) right here telling me come on, it’s cold outside. That’s the only hard part for me to remember my lines sometimes.

As an actor, what areas would you like to improve?

Rafe: Every area because I’m not an actor (laughs).

Do you have an acting coach?

Shane: We never acted before. Yeah, we have acting coach…(laughs) each other. The only way we get better is by watching ourselves. We will watch an old episode and look at what we did wrong and then we will try to fix it from there.

Rafe: Once the season is over, we plan on taking acting classes.

Miz: Like he said, we’ve never acted but we work so hard and we dedicate so much to it; it’s only right we take it seriously. That’s like watching someone who acts…you don’t want to take their title like he’s an actor. You can say Denzel is an actor, Will Smith is an actor. When they ask you what you do [is say] “I’m an actor”? I just started this.

Rafe: Another thing is that we are very confident, but not arrogant, since we have no formal background in acting. No matter how well we did, we would always think we need some form of training. You are not born a professional. No matter how talented, you are, going to need some formal training to become a professional.

People are comparing Money and Violence to The Wire, how do you guys feel about the comparison?

Rafe: I take it as a compliment and the reason I take it as a compliment is because

we shoot our shows with one camera and one mic before 7-8 months ago I never stepped foot behind a camera. I write it, I shoot it, and I edit it… I’ve never edited in my life. If you watch episode one all the way to episode 23 you’ll see the difference in how the production gets tighter and that’s because episode one was the first time I ever edited in my life. I bought Adobe Premiere and I learned how to edit from YouTube tutorials. So, it’s like running a marathon against Jesse Owens but we have one leg and one arm and still keep up with him. To even be considered that we are neck and neck is a huge compliment. The only thing is our show is not the same and the reason is because our show is strategically thought out and (not that theirs wasn’t) but we wanted Money and Violence to be much more than entertainment. We wanted it to be a learning tool. It was our way to actually trick these kids into learning. It was our design to make it not cool if you do not have principles. You watch a character like Miz, and yeah he’s so deadly, but he’s not a troublemaker; if you do not bother him, he wouldn’t pay you any mind. A lot of people get misconstrued because even with Miz this guy always has a gun on him but if you listen to what he says he says I would rather be behind the cell than in a casket. He’s only carrying it for defensive to protect his own life in case someone tries to take it from him. Never has he said to Shane “You got it on you what if you need to kill someone.” He always says, “What if someone tries to take your life”. It’s just that we grow up in this jungle. This is where he grew up and he’s watching people lives get taken every, single day and he just feels, if someone is going to attempt to take my life I need to protect myself. Forget the government! That’s my God-given right to protect my life.

Miz: As far as, The Wire and Money and Violence goes it’s a compliment, but is not the same. Just watch their dialogue. Matter of fact, the hottest actor off The Wire comes from Brooklyn…still; It’s not the same

Rafe: Those are trained actors…


Miz: We’re not trained.

Rafe: To me, it’s just a compliment because it’s like we have a show where we’ve never done film before. I’ve never edited, I’ve never directed. I’ve never done any of this. We aren’t trained actors. None of us have acted before and to be compared to a major HBO production; I just think that…is amazing!

Shane: It’s a compliment.

You guys showcase a lot of street wear apparel such as The Crate, and Konquer. Is there a stylist on set? Or, is this is your way of showing support to up and coming brands?

Miz: Nah, we don’t have a stylist. The whole idea for Money and Violence was giving everyone a platform. If you’re about something and you’re on the come up, we want to see you win too. If its fly and we like it, yeah we’re going to wear it. The same thing with the artists. Every artist we have in our soundtrack is unsigned.

Rafe: There are people that I don’t know who reach out on Instagram and I say the same thing to everyone “send the song to the cloud9tv.net” and I listen to every single song. If I hear the song and I like it, I contact them and it’s in the next episode. Like he said, this is a platform for us all and at the end of the day no matter how far we get, it will always be a platform. I’m not with the politics. I’m not with the, “well pay me $500?” No, I’m not with it because at the end of the day… not too long ago there was a point of my life when I was them.

Miz: We’re still them, we’re moving around but we’re still like them.

Shane: We don’t even get paid for this; we giving this to ya’ll for free.

Miz: We still in there; don’t get it twisted. Oh they‘re popping!! No my nigga, we still the same dude, we still grinding.

Who are some of your favorite actors? Who inspires you as an actor?

Miz: Nobody…I say that because it wasn’t

my dream or in my plan to be an actor. Growing up I wanted to play basketball so I looked up to Michael Jordan. If I knew how to rap, I would want to rap like Jay-z or B.I.G but no, I don’t. I’ll tell you my favorite movie is The Pursuit of Happiness. That’s my favorite but other than that I have no favorite actor or actress.

How do you prepare before each episode? Is memorizing your lines difficult?

Miz: I smoke and he drinks (points to Rafe and Laughs)

Rafe: I can’t even tell you seriously because we don’t. People don’t understand that we might be setting to shoot on Saturday. The script might not even be written by Friday night. I might wake up Saturday morning and write the script in my notepad and just email it to everyone, or they get the script when we get to the set.

Miz: We usually shoot on Saturday. As soon as you wake up, you usually check Instagram but I check my email. I don’t see a script…yes!! I’m good for the day because it really goes like that.

Shane: I check my email.

Kane: I call.

Miz: It’s not like you have one week or two weeks… no, you get the script right then and there.

Rafe: Once the episode airs on Tuesday night at 8, Wednesday morning the next episode hasn’t even been thought of yet. We literally have six days for me to write it, shoot it, and edit it.

Miz: We are just some hungry grinders and we want to win.

Shane/Rafe: Time is the only time we don’t have … at all!

Rafe: Time? Not at all. We may have ideas, but no time. We were shooting before we came here and after we leave here, we’re going to shoot.

Shane: If we don’t, we are going to hear

ya’ll mouths.

Rafe: You wouldn’t have a finale.

Miz: We cannot afford that.

Shane: Because of people like ya’ll, we keep going.

Rafe: We just feel that 1-there is so much hate in this world; no one has to love you. 2- especially when you’re new out there, people are not looking for a reason to like you; people are looking for a reason not to like you and that’s why I always tell them: “We have to try our best”. If what we lack is production quality, then we have to make up for it in other places and look where we can be strong. This is the reason why the dialogue is so strong because I’m inexperienced in the editing. I’m inexperienced at the shooting so I try to make up for it in the writing. I thank the Most High because I was able to draw people in by the story. The truth is, it’s pretty much a low budget hood film project. What I wanted to do was make it not make it like that. So we sat down before we ever started the entire project and asked, “What makes a classic as far as a film is concerned”? We came up with things like quotes, epic scenes and so we focus on these things.

Miz: Don’t give them too much because we didn’t get a check yet.

Rafe: We focused on these things just to make us stand out; not to make us another (nothing against) Belly or another State Property; something to make us more than that. The way to stand out…the only way to be better is to actually be different. You cannot be better by being the exact same thing. What was more impressive was we always heard; wow! This is like The Wire, or this is better than The Wire; but never have I heard this a “wannabe” to be Wire.

Miz: The Wire is Baltimore and Money and Violence is Brooklyn.

Shane: The reason they compare it is because it’s the streets; it’s urban.

Rafe: It’s just like people saying all black people look like. That’s all it is; they’re both


urban.

What’s a fun fact that people are not aware of because some of the characters aren’t comical?

Rafe: I’m actually a big kid.

Miz: I’m an asshole; I’m not a dickhead. A dickhead is someone you don’t want to be around, you don’t like him. I’m an asshole I have my moments but still you’re still like “I like him-he’s cool”; He’s likeable. A lot of time’s I don’t want to be around people.

Your character is straight to the point no nonsense. How similar is that to you in real life?

Miz: We’re a little alike, but if I was like my character I would be in jail I swear I wouldn’t be sitting here…he’s off the wall.

Are you surprised at the overnight success of the show?

Miz: I’m not surprised because it wasn’t overnight. It took years for Mo (Rafe) to put the story together so other people that don’t know us think we just blew up, but the people that do know us I get text from them like I’m so proud of you dude. I know what ya’ll been through and what ya’ll gave up to do this. So is not overnight to us. It was a lot of sacrifice for this.

Shane: We worked for this.

Have you ever had a real life Tai in your circle and how did you handle it?

Shane: Hopefully I don’t… they are real good as ya’ll can see, but as of right now I don’t have a Tai in my circle.

Rafe: Tai is based on someone who’s been hiding from me for about five years. That whole idea didn’t come together until about the fourth episode; I needed an antagonist. You have to understand every time I come up with something, it’s all inspired from reality. It’s not really made up. That’s why people ask, “How do I go about writing scripts?” I don’t write scripts, I remember them.

Miz: There’s a real Tai and sister (Shay) out

there.

Rafe: If you watch the last episode when he was on the phone and he was like “What have I ever done to make you think I’m your nigga?” I want ya’ll to think about how many people that’s around you every day and you know that if need them you cannot count on them, but you still call them your boy, or your BFF. That’s not your friend; they’re by chance.

Is it fun for you to play “Shooter Shane?”

Shane: Now it is. I’m used to it now; I’ve adjusted to it. The hardest part was separating me from the character. When Tai was doing his thing and ya’ll was seeing things from the outside and people call me dumb, naïve and delusional. Me saying what I wanted to say was the hardest part, after that it was nothing. Shooter Shane was Shooter Shane.

Kane, you have the toughest role of the whole cast. How hard is it for you to get into character?

Kane: No prep really, I’m a team player. I get straight into character; no preparation.

Miz: He has no ego. One thing about him…a lot of people think when we’re doing Money and Violence, it’s an opportunity to look tough and they don’t want to play their role when they’re supposed to, but he (points to Kane) never cares.

You seem to be the most active cast member on social media. When it comes to the daily routines, how do you guys split up the tasks?

Kane: Emails and business usually is sent to Mo (Rafe). I’m on social media a lot because I’m a promoter. As far as interacting with the viewers, I try to answer them as much as I can. The difference between The Wire and us is that you watch The Wire on TV, you love the character, but never could you speak to them. So that’s what’s making us bigger.

Miz: The reason both of them (points to Kane/Shane) are in the social media is because in the beginning they were the face for Cloud9tv. It was Kane and Shane because Mo and I don’t like to be in the spotlight. We

like to be in the cut, but we all have to be the face of the company.

Rafe: We each attract a totally different demographic. They may attract between the ages of 17-23, he may attract 24-30 and I attract 30-and up. It gives us a broader demographic and it gives us a broader appeal. Plus we are four totally different people. I’m more reserved, I’m conservative, he’s more (points to Miz) bugged out and they’re (points to Shane/Kane) more the party crowd.

What should viewers expect for the next season?

Shane: A good show.

Rafe: Originally we were planning a 3 to 4 month break but what has happened is, since the beginning of the quarter which began January 5th,, I have been having so many meetings with people that I don’t know what route this is really going to go. I don’t know if by the second season it’s going to be on Netflix or if it’s going to be on a major network. I don’t know where it’s going. So in an attempt to be totally honest with the supporters, I just want to say we are going to try our best to make it happen as soon as possible and not to leave them waiting too long.

Miz: However you look at it, God willing, you’ll get a season two.

If you haven’t watched Money and Violence be sure to check them out on Cloud9TV.net or YouTube. You can also follow the cast members on Instagram Rafe (@cloud9tv), Miz (@ray_day9), Shane (@dudollaz) and Kane (ace_general).


TrendyRed was born in Harlem raised in Brooklyn. TrendyRed was bought up in one of the most evolving eras and was able to see fashion up close and personal. Trendy Red loved the freedom of fashion and how it was able to give you a voice without speaking.

As a fashion stylist and freelance luxury personal shopper she will show you how to incorporate high end staple pieces with everyday

purchases achieving the look of the comfort while feeling conquered and being in control. She will also introduce and display the talents of new fashion

and style originators. Trendy can always be found frequenting NYC’s trendy areas often popping into local boutiques to catch great pieces for clients.

Trendy kicked off the year as AVision’s new Fashion Director. Her first project was creating

daily post for AV’s social media networks. From everyday pieces to high-end pieces she

paid close attention to what separates classic from trendy. The feedback has

been phenomenal! Always open to the changes of fashion TrendyRed loves the challenge of taking on difficult work.

Look out for TrendyRed this year. She will be offering spring/summer

previews, the do’s and don’ts, and as always keeping it Trendy! To check out more

Trendy’s picks go to avisionmag.com.

Written by- Inicia Gallop

TrendyRouge

“A New Era In Mangagment”

[email protected]


Work Your RefundIt’s that time of year again. The

only time of year we stalk our mailboxes for the adult version of Willy Wonka’s golden ticket.

Anticipating a piece of paper that has the power to take our bank accounts from fat to flat in just a few minutes. It’s tax season.

For those of you getting chummy with your mailman, I can’t say I blame you. The average tax refund check is $2,900 and it’s easy to feel like you’ve won big once you’re a few thousand dollars richer. But have you noticed what happens in the Spring right when most of our tax refund checks are deposited? Department stores start having “refund sales”. Airline prices skyrocket. Suddenly we can justify a brand new Spring wardrobe because we have extra money and we NEED that “fits everything” Louis Vuitton tote bag. A trip to Cabos is attainable by a simple debit card swipe.

Before you know it, you’ve exhausted the funds from your big fat check and you’re back to square one struggling with car payments and still living paycheck to paycheck. “Something came up.” “There was a sample sale” “I deserve this trip!”. Any of those reasons for spending sound familiar? Here’s a question; if the money for that trip or those shoes came directly out of your pay, would you have splurged? Despite popular belief, your tax refund isn’t “free money”. You worked for it and basically let the government have an interest free loan for 12 months right out of your paycheck. Now, if you wouldn’t spend a month’s pay on a new pocketbook any other time of year, why do it now? Hmm. Different when you look at it that way isn’t it?

Before you press checkout on each of your online shopping bags, here are 5 things you can do with your tax refund to make it work for you. I challenge you to do at least one.

1. Pay down high interest debt. Yes, I’m talking about your credit

cards. You know, that thing you’ve been paying the minimum payment on for over 1 year but can’t seem to figure out why your balance is practically staying the same despite your depleting checking balance. You’re likely paying hundreds in interest every month and will continue to do so for years until that balance is paid in full. “Losing” your beloved refund will hurt for a moment but I promise you’ll be happier now that you’ve paid down that pesky MasterCard you used for that “YOLO” trip with your friends and can hold onto more if your monthly cash flow.

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entrepreneurs.@BEAUTIFULBOSSESOFBK


2. Don’t have credit card debt? Great! But what about a student

loan? If you’re a part of the [insert percentage] of Americans that are swimming in student loan debt your tax refund can help you get out of that hole a tad faster. You might have benefitted from a deduction for the monies you paid in loans last year, so why not hit Sallie Mae where it hurts and make a large payment towards that balance. The cost of your undergrad years disappear as quickly as the free beer at a frat party.

3. SAVE it. No I’m not kidding. Your tax dollars will look

better in your bank account that on your feet. What is it that you desire the most? Want to get out of your parents place and purchase your own home? Go on a year long EatPrayLove-esque excursion? Or maybe you’d just like to see a comma in your bank balance. Whatever the

case, allow your tax refund to get you closer to the goals that you will certainly need cash for.

4. Start a business. If you’ve had an idea for a company you want

to start but haven’t had the start up capital, what better way to kickstart your dream than your refund? Use your new funds to pay your state’s filing fees, purchase your website’s domain or purchase materials needed for your project. You can no longer use “I don’t have any money” as an excuse. You have a bit to start with, now how will you make it work for you?

5.INVEST it. Investing is one of the most important decisions

you can make when it comes to your money. Your money needs to make money if you’re going to keep up with (or beat which is the ultimate goal) the rapidly growing rate of inflation. With everything there is risk and of course when investing you run the risk of losing money. Don’t allow that to deter

you. Think of the stock market as a roller coaster; it’s up, then it’s down, then it’s up again. In the long run you stand to make more money than you will lose. Chat with a financial advisor and find a long term investment vehicle that meets your needs.

If you have no credit card or student debt, own a business (or have no desire to), have a nice fat savings account and you’re already investing you might be Donald Trump and I envy you. Then and only then can you head to Barney’s and splurge on those Loubitin heels or Hermes belt. Until then, make your money work for you- you’ve already worked hard for it.

I am from a school of thought that appreciates contact whether it’s in person or merely by hearing a voice. I get that the new generation love to text and love social media contact but can that really take the place of seeing a friends face or hearing a friend’s voice? I sometimes attempt to figure out what my “so called friend” meant when they wrote a text in all caps. Are they mad? “Are you mad?” is what I replied.

I spent an entire night evaluating what my “so called friend” meant in that text. “Are we still cool?” Still there is no response. Are they in the middle of watching Atlanta Housewives or Love and Hip Hop (any edition)? Are they so into these TV series that they are distracted and cannot see that I’m truly eager for a response and/or how much time has passed before they even thought about texting me back?

I become so worried that I send out a message asking, “are you really mad at me?” while thinking am I just reading too much into their ominous text??? I don’t know, but why the eff should I have to figure it out? I go through

all of those emotions just to get a text in the morning saying “my bad, girl I fell asleep, stop playing you know I love you B@#$$?” and at that point… I’m just ready to smack! a B@#$$ but I digress...

The aforementioned situation is exactly why I’m strongly opposed to texting with friends, real friends that is. Texting should be for business and/or small talk. If there’s a problem or issue that requires a dialogue don’t keep it impersonal; have a conversation. This applies to all ages and all schools of thoughts. Keeping it real should always mean what it was meant to mean, therefore hiding behind typed words that disguises and/or misleads thoughts and emotions are the furthest thing from keeping it real. Allowing a person to hear you or see your expression(s) is worth its weight in gold...to look a person in their eye when you speak to them or vice a versa is powerful... The more we get away from that notion, the weaker the generations that precedes us become.

Written by- MsRandomThoughts

The Impersonalized Generation


In the late fall, Avision presented The Unsigned Artist Showcase at Santos

Party House in New York City. The Takeovah’s own Robin J hosted the

event. We called out for talented rappers and singers from across the board and

they definitely answered. Nine artists hailing from Brooklyn to New Jersey came

out to get their time on the mic and trust us our audience was not disappointed.

Those that hit the stage were, rapper Roy the Savage, singer Dawne Hill, rapper

Rainger, RKHTY, singer Ali Caldwell, rapper BrightLightz, singer Ashton Martin, rapper Ldotstoke and singer Tunes. From beginning to end, they were able to rock

the crowd,

performing everything from unique renditions of R&B classics to their own original pieces of work.

This display of raw musical talent is exactly what Avision stands for and supports; We strive to give a platform to fresh new artists that have love for what they do and are eager to keep it coming. We look forward to many more successful showcases in the future. All of the above performers can be found via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Avision is always looking for the best amateur and underground-unsigned rappers and singers. Got passion? We’ve got the stage? So tell us, What’s Your Vision?

Written by- Ebony McMichaels

2014 Avision Unsigned Artist Showcase

www.chrislindor.com@ftm_chris

issue 5 feb 2015

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