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Johnathon Blanchard

PASS IT DOWN

M A R I A N C O L L I E R

THE FUTURE OF POETRYAN INTERVIEW WITH ED “FUTURE” WILSON

WINTER 20/10

INAUGURAL ISSUE

Ayinde Almin

ATLANTA FASHION DESIGNER

PLAY BY EMERGING WRITER

SIDDEEQAH POWELL

TALKS RELATIONSHIPS AND

MUSIC

MEMPHIS BASS VOCALIST GIVES

BIRTH TO A NEW GENRE

Summer

2010

WINTER

Featu

res

In This Issue

1020

25

18

34

31

07 11The Future of

PoetryAn interview with spoken

word artist, Ed “ Future”

Wilson. Future talks about

his beginnings, where he

is now, and where you can

find him in the future.

Pass It DownA new stage play written

by Siddeeqah Powell, is

a work of art that opened

the eyes, ears and minds

of all those in attendance.

A Moment of

ClarityThe first installation in

a series of short stories.

(follow each issue to

get the full story)

Negro FunkShaunteka LaTrese

sits down with bass

vocalist Johnathan

Blanchard and explores

the foundation of his

unique, soul stirring

sound.

Question OneTonya Grace sits down

with Atlanta fashion

designer, Marian Collier

to discuss what sets her

apart in the industry.

Spoken IdiomsMelanie Richardson

talks relationships and

music with a rising

“ATL” artist, Ayinde

Almin.

CollierMarian

One

? Tonya Grace with Designer Marian Collier

I was finally able to catch-up with this very pleasant individual, Marian

Collier, fashion designer and “ar�st”. I really enjoyed speaking with Marian

as she made frequent references to her age and how she just really wants

people to not misconstrue the idea of older folks as fashion designers. She

voices that age has nothing to do with crea�vity and having an “eye for

fabrica�on”.

Spoken Magazine 11

“Clothes that I make,

make you dance”

Photography by Marvin Striggles

Spoken Magazine 14

Trends of Winter 2010By Sian Chisholm

The first one apparent to me is drapery/layers on garments and

accessories. This refers to the Grecian style of lots of layering

and bunching on the torso of garments to create the ultimate

floaty yet shaped look. This requires light fabrics such as chiffon.

Another future look for next season is knitwear, so dig out your

knitted cardigans and shrugs and wear them with pride! In

particular, knitted garments with a sheen woven into them or

ones with shiny decorations such as sequins or beads. This look

could be achieved by hand sewing some decorations on or by

simply buying vintage garments.

Relating to the previous trend is delicate bead work in pale

colours used as decoration on garments, be sweaters, cardigans

or bags. Again, this could be done by hand if you have the skills

(and patience!) or you could buy vintage items from a vintage

shop or even online!

Lace and burlesque styles are about to be huge so stock up on

satin bodices edged with lace, beautiful heels with lace

incorporated into them and delicate mini skirts edged or

decorated with panels of lace. Think sexy yet delicate, feminine

yet confident, show-stopping yet subtle. Lace will also be used to

accentuate patterns on garments, for example only using lace on

certain parts of the pattern being used.

Furs or mock furs, animal skins, leathers, feathers and mohair

are to make a come back too as they are all textured and

luxurious, and various fastenings will be big as well, adding

interest and delicate touches to garments that may otherwise be

bland. So get ready to purchase lots of mock croc patent leather

handbags with buckle fastenings, coats with oversized buttons

and zips, and shrugs of furs (be it real or mock) decorated with

feathers and unique fastenings.

Lots and lots (and lots) of layering one fabric over another to

create a mixed up explosion of textures and colours in one place

on garments. For example, pin striped material where the stripes

are furs, or felt over the top of knitting, or tartan with bright

colours running through it, or several layers of fabric to create

3-Dimensional decoration. Again, this could be achieved by

adapting garments by hand or by buying vintage items where this

technique has been used.

Of course, these are just some of the styles set to return in

Autumn/Winter, this is not exhaustive at all. If you like the ideas

expressed here and would like to try them out before the shops

why not visit a vintage clothes shop or better still buy vintage

online, let them do all the leg work for you!

http://www.vintagetreats.co.uk/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sian_Chisholm

http://EzineArticles.com/?Trends-of-Autumn-Winter-2009-

2010&id=2636476

fashion forward

Spoken Magazine 15

entertainment is an organization that provides the Atlanta area with

quality entertainment at various venues. Currently, the team

at The Underestimated Entertainment is hosting a Poetry/

Spoken Word competition. The Underestimated Entertain-

ment hosts a series of 7 shows. Over a series of six

showcases, 1 poet will be eliminated each week until the

reigning champion “The Underestimated” has become

victorious!

The final round of the competition is a BATTLE round.

The two remaining contestants will be led to a designated

area and allowed 15 minutes to write a poem of up to

two minutes in length on a random subject given by the

Host. The poet to win “The Underestimated” title will

stand to receive the $1500 Cash Prize, a souvenir 30 inch

chain with pendant and their performances broadcasted

on Underestimated Entertainment’s WebTV site: www.

The-underestimated.com, as well as pending broadcast on

a national television network.

The show is located at Studio 1775. The art studio is

owned and operated by Derrick Spivey. An African-Ameri-

can sculptor and artist, who opened his space to others to

express their own artistry.

The Underestimated Spoken Word and Poetry

Competition was created by Executive Producer, Sakina

Kaleak and inspired by the omnipresence of Derrick’s

sculpting technique which is exhibited throughout the

venue. Many thanks to Roget Holman, President of Rabble

Rouser Studios and his staff who helped make this

competition a reality.

Underestimate (un-dr-es-t-mate ) - to misjudge the worth

of somebody or something; to judge people or things as

being inferior to their real value or ability

“NEVER UNDERESTIMATE

THE COMPETITION”

Spoken Magazine 16

mo

del

ex

po

sure

Who is Rahsheda

Stamps?

Born in the beau�ful strength

of New Orleans and cradled by

Atlanta, Georgia into womanhood,

Rahsheda Stamps embodies

beauty, brains and ambi�on. As an

aspiring triple threat (model, singer

and actress), she also wears the hat

of entrepreneur. Rahsheda is the

CEO of Jane of All Trades Marke�ng

and creator/host of the soon-to-

come “On The Scene” internet

video blog. She features new and

upcoming businesses in Atlanta

to help the average newcomer or

seasoned Atlanta na�ve find what

is fresh “On The Scene”.

Where would you most likely

run into Rahsheda? Jazz Clubs,

Museums or Traveling

What’s a quirky thing about you that

you wouldn’t want anyone to know? I

used to be a band geek...oh,

and I love classical music!

Interesting Fun Fact: I love seafood

and anything prepared with

cheese and I love to dance and

sing in the mirror!

Atlanta’s own Christopher Ussery, known to all as the infamous Chris Flame, is steadily emerging as an original voice in production. Though still early in his career, his work is vastly favored by industry critics. An EMI producer, Chris Flame lends himself to his own creativity and live instruments rather than mix machine samples and for that, he is often compared to a young Swizz Beats. His early tenure at widely known Radio One gave him a sharp sense of musical supply and demand. In A&R at Atlanta’s Hot 107.9, Flame quickly jumped on the fast track with input on David Banner’s 2005 track “Take Yours” released on his highly anticipated album, Certified.

His beats are distinct, infectious and ahead of the trend. Garnering massive neighborhood fame for taking promising artists under his wing. He linked with childhood friends Jasiel Robinson and Alonzo Mathis also known as Bad Boy South’s Yung Joc and Gorilla Zoe. Producing both demo tapes for the famed artists and personally walking them to Block Entertainment, these unions begot Flame’s next singles, “I’m Him,” a highly regarded single on Joc’s Grammy nominated New Joc City, and the summer banger “Hood Figga” on Gorilla Zoe’s 2007 album Welcome to the Zoo. As a Headshell Management artist, Chris Flame also co-produced the intro on Jay Z’s historic American Gangster album, and produced “I’m a G” for Yung Joc’s Hustlenomics.

The list of Atlanta ties could go on forever. Chris Flame has made a way in the industry with a keen ear for the hottest music and great eye for undiscovered talent. He solidified his spot as Atlanta’s hottest

producer in the streets. So where do you go to talk to Chris Flame? How do you find the man, the myth, the soon-to-be legend?

He currently is

working with DMR

Entertainment based

out of Atlanta, Georgia

which hosts some of

the newest, ho�est

singers coming out

of the A. You can also

find Chris Flame on all

the social networking

sites. Don’t sleep on

your dream...get a

master producer like

Chris Flame and make

it a reality!

Spoken Magazine 20

Preparing to interview any artist always presents its own set of challenges. You want to make sure you’re asking questions

that readers want to know, are off the beaten path, as well as toss in a few that the artist can kind of just run with. A lot of pressure is

eased when you actually know the artist.

I met Edwin “Future” Wilson about five years ago. This was back when I was still very much involved with the poetry/spoken word

scene from a performance aspect. The spot was this lil’ hole in the wall joint in Lithonia, GA. If you’re familiar with the whole un-

derground performance scene, you know the place. You can find one or a few in just about every city you visit. It’s that dark, smoky

club or bar that opens its arms once a week to embrace the world of performance poetry.

The night was typical. The host brought out a vast array of performers who had signed the open mic list. The night was complete

with beer sipping, cigarette ash flicking, oh, and let’s not forget the all you can eat wing buffet that lasted all of 15 minutes. Midway

through the show, they brought up this young cat, “Future,” from Flint, Michigan. I had heard the name before, but had never heard

him spit before. At the time, I had been on the scene a minute, and I’m not really impressed by most individuals who grace the stage

or claim the title of poet or spoken word artist, but Future definitely had talent.

During the show, he and I chopped it up a bit and discovered that the stage wasn’t the only thing we shared in common. We’re

brothers in the same fraternity. So naturally, we exchanged contact information. Before the show ended, we exchanged CD’s, and

as always, I popped it in as soon as I got in the car. While I was listening to the CD, his true talent was exposed. “This brother was

the real deal,” and was a true performer. A lot of cats get out here, win you over with their live show, and then their CD is garbage.

This definitely wasn’t the case with Future. His content was on point, the production was professional, and the brother just had these

crazy tongue twisting rhyme schemes. I was like damn....rewind.

Of course this brings us to present day and you know this artist had to make my list of potential interviews, so here we go...

Spoken Magazine 21

D.Dabney:What’s up Frat, thanks for tak-

ing time out of your busy schedule to complete

this interview. I know we both have crazy

schedules, so I’m just going to jump right into

it.

I’ve known you a while now, but I want to start

with the basics for our readers who may not

be followers of your work. How long have

you been engaged in the art of spoken word or

performance poetry as you like to call it?

Ed (Future): I have been writing and

performing for about 6 years now.

D.Dabney: As a follow-up to that ques-

tion, how did you get involved in this art form?

Ed (Future): I was working at the Uni-

versity of Michigan Flint’s rec center, when a

guy walked in and asked if he could post flyers

for his poetry slam. I asked him what it was

and he ran it down to me, and said that the win-

ner would get a $50 gift certificate to Border’s

books! Being a college student, I wanted that

$50! Needless to say, 2 weeks and 3 poems

later I was on stage, and my career just snow-

balled from there.

D.Dabney:How has the spoken word

scene changed since you first became involved

with it, and what changes are you pleased and

displeased with?

Ed (Future): For me the scene has

changed. I like how the art form has climbed

the “entertainment” ladder so to speak, but EV-

ERYONE thinks they can do it, or do it well.

So the market is kind of saturated these days.

That can make it harder to find good gigs or

find people with a great appreciation for the art.

I can only imagine how the artists who were

here before me feel!

D.Dabney: Now, we all know the life of

any artist is hard, but to choose spoken word

as a profession seems to be an even greater

challenge considering it’s not an art form that

garners as much attention as other forms of

artistic expression.

What are some challenges that you have had to

overcome as a performing artist?

Ed (Future): promoters, club owners and

people in general taking the art serious enough

to write me a decent paycheck. The colleges

and universities have been VERY good to me,

but i am looking for a larger platform. I need a

hot booking agent/manager that can open more

doors for me to push my craft to larger audi-

ences and global stages.

D.Dabney:Now, on stage you go by the

name “Future”; exactly where do you see your-

self in the future of poetry?

Ed (Future): Honestly its hard to say.

I think its a blessing that I have been able to

book as many shows as I have. Lately I have

been getting more calls and the shows are get-

ting bigger, so who knows. I hope to be able to

make a great living as a performance artist, but

with entertainment you never know. At the very

least, I will open up a few minds and make

it known that poetry/spoken word is a viable

tool regardless if you’re on stage or writing for

therapy.

D.Dabney: As a poet, who or what in-

spires you the most?

Ed (Future): I don’t even consider myself

a poet per se. I feel I have been blessed with

a gift to write and perform, its that simple for

me. I’m inspired by a myriad of things. What I

see, what I hear, sometimes thoughts just jump

in my head. After that I just try my best to be

as creative as possible in relaying what it is

I am getting in my head. The most important

thing for me is being relevant to the people I’m

standing in front of, that’s my focus.

“My only goal with this art form is to be the best

thing people need to see when they see me.

Everything else will fall in line as it should.”

“Well, I don’t like Gospel first of all.Not the music that’s being called Gospel today, it’s not Gospel, It’s

like calling dancehall, reggae…It’s not the same.”

Bass Vocalist

Johnathan Blanchard

Ayinde Almin

“With a solid

friendship and open

communica"on you’re

good, but you can’t

forget the romance.

Whatever I did in the

beginning, I’ve got to

make that happen.

People can get too

caught up in day to day

life. I want my woman

to understand that

if I had to choose all

over again, I would s"ll

choose her.”

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