Interviews

20 Jul 2010

Exclusive Interview W/ Radio Personality Ms. Drama Pt. 2

5. What keeps you motivated?

Honestly, I have a very strong faith in God, you know my lord and savior Jesus Christ. I’m not afraid to claim it. You know I don’t know about the illuminati stuff going on, but I’m gonna claim it once again. Make sure I say what it is. I talk about him on twitter. It’s all real for me. Besides that, just moving forward and seeing progress. There are some people I feel, will keep doing something because they said they will do it, there is no progress.but you really have to assess yourself. Every morning I try to wakeup and assess well what am I doing wrong? What am I doing right? What progress have I made? what do I need to work on? who do I need to contact to try to create a better bridge? Who do I kind of need to let go in this situation, because there are plenty of people you need to let go of everyday. I think I’m just real with myself. I think that as hard as I am on people on interviews, I’m hard on myself too. It’s not like i’m just out to get people, it is to make sure I’m at my best. I don’t like fluff interviews I don’t like to give myself a fluff assessment. Like oh girl you so good, look at all the stuff you are doing, that’s not what I’m saying to myself every morning. I’m saying lets be real, you messed up here but we are going to work it out today and that’s the motivation for me.

6. What has been your most challenging interview?

People recognize a lot of the video interviews because they see me get posted on a lot of sites and such. But I think the independent interviews are often the most challenging because I really sit down with these guys or women for a good hr and we talk and we really delve in to a lot of topics, and it hurts me to see someone who I know has talent and can’t get on a mainstream level. It hurts me to really talk to somebody who is really oblivious to the fact that they are whack. It hurts me to talk to someone who is a good and genuine person, but they just don’t have it talent wise. It hurts me in all those different areas and to me that’s a challenge because I want to be like the person who is encouraging them, but the reality of the situation is, that it’s just not going to happen. How do you convey the objectivity of the journalist and yet hold back the emotions of a human. Its not rational when you think about it, but those are the things that come to my mind and those are the challenges that I have to face when I interview people, who partly you become invested in because you are sitting down with them for an hour. Even in the short time that you talk to somebody, there is a certain investment that is made because you are sitting down with them looking at them giving eye contact and you are really trying to make sure you convey your message and they are really trying to convey their message.

7. You have been compared ot Wendy Williams and Angie Martinez, to influential women in radio, how does that make you feel?

It is definitely a compliment. Nothing is negative because you have to take the good with the bad, and a compliment is not always the best thing. You need honesty and to be able to take constructive critiism. I take the good with the bad to better myself. Like, take away the negative from Wendy Williams and see what she has done. I have no complaints being compared to either and I am glad people put me in the same category.

8. With the name Drama, people will atutomatically assume that you like to cause or start trouble, but what are the common misconceptions of Ms. Drama?

Its not about the “drama” I cause, it is about the drama I expose. Drama is short for dramatic. I give dramatic or dynamic interviews. I am reserved, tactful and professional, but I will make the artist get emotional and that is where the title drama queen came from. I am not into attacking people, but I am not going to shy away from the question. I always put out a disclaimer- I am tough but you will get a real interview. If you are not about real things then my show is not the show you should be on.

9. So when Ms. Drama is not involved with all of the “drama” what can we find Ms. Drama doing?

Traveling. I love to travel, especially if it is work related and I can get paid for it. I like chillin with good people and pampering myself, you know with sleep and go to the spa. This time is not about Ms. Drama, it is about Candic. ou have to take care of yourself.

10. HGB is mainly a fashion blog, so I have to ask you a style question, what three words describe your style?

Comfortable, I hate to be uncomfortable. I like fashion, but I don’t let it hold me up. Sometimes I just feel like putting on jeans and a shirt. I do not stress over fashion but I feel stressed because of the pressures of the industry

11. What are three things you can’t live without?

God, he holds me down, food, I love to have a good meal, and family and friends.

12. If you can interview any person, dead or alive, who would it be? Why?

Wendy Williams, Oprah, Barack Obama, Jay-Z, just to get in their brain and to try to figure out their thought process.

13. What is next for Ms. Drama?

Doing everything bigger, better, harder, stronger-that’s my motto. I want to be on a bigger and better platform. I have met a lot of great people, but I would like to go national on radio and or tv. Also to travel and interview people all over.

Check out more video footage

Ms. Drama was so down to earth. After the official interview, we stayed around just talked “off the record” She gave great advice on how to survive in the business. She said

Develop tough skin
Focus on your goal
Be true to yourself

Follow Ms. Drama on Twitter: @MsDrama

Visit www.MsDramaTv.com and her YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/msdramatv

Categories: HGB Exclusive Tags: Drama Queen of Radio, Interviews, Ms. Drama, Ms. Drama TV, Radio Personality

19 Jul 2010

Exclusive Interview w/ Radio Personality Ms. Drama Pt. 1

By Janique Leave a Comment

In today’s time when one hears the word “drama” they may automatically associate the word with conflicts and confrontation, but in fact the word drama, short for dramatic, actually means powerful, expressive, highly effective, and striking. Well those are also a few characteristics that describe Ms. Drama, the Drama Queen of Radio. Born in Long Island, but raised in the Northern Virginia DMV area, Ms. Drama is not here to give you fluff information about what’s happening in the music industry, she is one who definitely keeps it real and isn’t afraid to let anyone know that.

Ms. Drama is used to being on the other side of the table as for interviews, but I had the opportunity to turn the tables and speak with Ms. Drama and she dished the “drama juice” on the politics of the industry, major corporations wanting people to conform and compromise their values, and also her feelings on being compared to Wendy Williams and Angie Martinez, two influential women in radio.

Here is what Ms. Drama had to say-Pt. 1

1. Who is Ms. Drama?

-Ms. Drama is a media personality. She is the woman behind a lot of the kind of explosive videos and interviews. She is the woman who created a company based on what she loves to do which is interview report and be able to give people entertainment but in a very tactful, yet kind of exciting way that really is kind of no holds bar. She is the person who you don’t see necessarily because she is kind of reserved in a kind of way, but she still wants to get her voice and what she is about out there.

2. How did you get started in media? (full response in video)

Well honestly my first taste of media reporting was in college. I went to Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, and I had a great experience there. I was an English major. They didn’t really have communications it was a liberal arts school and so they had English as a major. That was probably one of the closest classes that I got to actually, you know learning the whole thing of journalism. My real experience started when I worked/interned for WSBTV which is in Atlanta channel 7 news station. I was a sports reporter. I am a big sports fan but more so like basketbal fan. I love watching that whole thing. That to me is exciting. I had the opportunity to interview athletes and go to the locker rooms and stuff like that. I really got a taste of reporting and interviewng people and being in the whole entertainment outlet which to me was exciting. Then I moved forward after I graduated there, not knowing what I really wanted to do and we were all kind of like ok do I get a job. What is the next step. So for me I really wanted to achieve something higher in my life. So I wanted to get my Master’s and I went to NYU and I was in the journalism program for a year and a half. I completed that. I was an MTV intern VH1, Newsday that’s kind of where I gotmy foot in the door in the sense of experience wise, but it really didn’t get the full on extent until after I graduated when I had to get a real job….I started off part-time at ABC Daytime as a youth marketing consultant and all I did was watch TV and give reports. I was only there for three months and they wanted to bring me back on which would have been great, but I really started to feel the passion of radio which is always been something I’ve always wanted to do , but never had it come into fruition at the time. I had the opportunity to do something part-time at Hot 97 so I was like I have to pick up on this part-time opportunity, even though a full-time opportunity would have been great at ABC Daytime, but I don’t know what it would have been if I followed up with it. I did the part-time thing at Hot97, I also had the opportunity to do some teaching for journalism and media arts.

3. This business can be rough. Has there ever been a point where you wanted to walk away?

Yeah I think there have been some times when I said, maybe I should’ve stayed in Atlanta, got married had some kids you know something like the very 9-5ish thing. but I think that everyday and every year when I reflect back and I see where I was and see where I am today, it keeps me motivated. If you are not making any moves or progressing forward yeah definitely that maybe something to reflect on. I feel like I’ve been continually making moves forward and when you are its like do I let up on all the things I have achieved thus far or do I say I’m in it, people have recognized my brand, my name, and that’s a great great claim to fame. It is rough a lot of the times partly because of the politics or whatever you want to call it, but I have learned, especially at Hot 097, you have to have tough skin. If you can let that go you can get really far. You can focus on what your goals are.

4. Have you ever in a position or situation where people wanted you to compromise who your values and beliefs? (full response in video)

I keep it pretty real, so I’m not gonna be oh I can’t talk about that, but whatever. I feel that a lot of the major corporations are looking for certain things, they are looking for certain cookie cutter things, and while I may fit into a certain realm, they may want me to do something else. What’s really popular that I see is power to the people who are doing it and feel comfortable doing it, but a real big thing that I have noticed in radio is the whole sex talk thing. Yeah like yeah umm soo how did he do that, and its with women. I don’t really see a lot of men doing it, but that’s just not my thing. If a woman wants to do that, that’s fine and she feels comfortable and that’s how she was brought up or feel thats what you need to do to be in the game, hey do whatever it is. I have no beef with you on that, but that was never my thing. And opportunities have come up that have been on a great platform and I felt have wanted me to go that route which to me is not what I’m about. If you look at what I do as a journalist, key word-journalist, its about researching, reporting, getting to the nitty gritty kind of finding background information you know. I am not the best and I am not the greatest, but I make stuff happen…

Check out footage from the interview

Stay tuned for PART 2

Ms. Drama tells us about her motivation to stay in this industry, the most challenging interviews, and her feelings on people compared to Angie Martinez and Wendy Williams

Photos via Ms. Drama TV

Categories: HGB Exclusive Tags: Drama Queen of Radio, Interviews, Ms. Drama, Ms. Drama TV, Radio Personality

19 Jan 2010

Janet Jackson x Gotham Magazine

By Janique Leave a Comment

On what she’s taken from Michael’s death:

“When you hear people say life goes on, it’s really the truth. You can’t stop living. It becomes a part of you. I feel a bit selfish because there are times I feel I shouldn’t be doing this, but I enjoy my work and I have to keep doing it. I have to keep my life going. There are days that are harder than others.”

On her New Year’s resolutions:

“I want to learn a language. I haven’t decided which, but it’s between French, Spanish and Italian. I also want to get closer to God.”

On her new album:

“It’s going to be a little different. The writing is about life experiences. There’s a part of me that’s craving escapism, which is a sense of wanting to keep on moving with my work but also of coming to terms with reality. So I think it will be upbeat and light.”

On her new book:

“I hope it’s inspiring for all ages. I’m talking about weight loss, confidence, self-esteem—especially in your youth. It’s not an autobiography, but there are little anecdotes that I give here and there from my childhood all the way to the present that I thought would be interesting and helpful to share.”

Categories: HGB Go Getter Tags: Interviews, Magazines

14 Dec 2009

Interview with True 2 Life Music

By Janique

Hey all my HGB readers! I had the pleasure of interviewing three VERY TALENTED rappers who go by the name of True 2 Life Music. They gave me the scoop on their music, their style, and of course women. So take look at what Concise, K. Words and Slangston Hughes have to say…here is True 2 Life Music

HGB: Who is True 2 Life Music?
Concise: True 2 Life Music is rap trio composed of concise (myself), k.words, slangston hughes. We also produce and write records for other artists, so we’re also producer/songwriters as well as artists.
Slangston Hughes: True 2 Life Music is an entity, a crew, a family of creative and driven artists and businessmen. We are an organization on a mission to be heard.

HGB: How did you guys meet and form the group?

Concise: We all met in college. The group was formed in college. We met at different times. I met Slangston Hughes at track practice, because we both happened to run track. We clicked up quick and by that time i had already met k.words and some of our other friends involved in our movement. Myself, k.words and the other guys met a a pre-freshman year summer program we all happened to be in.

K. Words: Soon after, we started to put on events and release music to the world. What was once a collective of several emcees under our production soon became the three of us rockin’ on today.

Slangston Hughes: As we developed a strong friendship and bond we grew together organically as artists seeing that we all shared a passion for creating music. From there we had fun, made music and rocked shows, persevered through adversity, earned respect and built a following. Whereas others have strayed, we’ve stayed down for each other since the very beginning.

HGB: What are three words that describe your music?

Concise: Powerful, thoughtful, inspiring

K.Words: cosign

HGB: What inspires you guys to write/create songs like “Good Times,” “Breakdown” and “who the f*&$k is this?” which have all unique sounds?

Concise: Its the nature of ourselves, our personalities, our backgrounds, our stories. We are all 3 individual unique people yet we make cohesive and dope music, and also have dope performance chemistry. So we speak on various aspects of our lives, and remain ourselves. Because we choose not to box ourselves into one particular sound or style. So “breakdown” can be identified as a record for people going through a break up, how it might make you feel angry and songs like “good times” which has an indie rock feel is about our desire and affinity toward having a good time every chance we get.

K. Words: word life, our songs are forays into our world.. our minds. “Who the F**k is This?!” is a song from our “Larger Than Life” project, which is our homage to Biggie. We took his famous words from “Warning” and decided to make a song talking bout different characters we see.

Slangston Hughes: We don’t second guess inspiration, we actualize it and make it tangible and real. Our talent and self reliance enable us to pretty much do whatever we feel, with no limits except one’s imagination. So whenever we are inspired to create, since we control all processes of our music making (writing, recording, producing, rapping, singing, playing instruments, engineering) we have the freedom and ability to make whats in our heads come to life. We don’t believe in any barriers when making our music, therefore we have no fear in making music with different feels, emotion, and musical direction.

HGB: Who have you been influenced by musically?

Concise: Notorious Big, Marvin Gaye, Common, Sade, Lupe Fiasco, Eminem, Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, Kanye West…greats. great artists I listened to growing up. and producers as well like Dr. Dre, DJ Hi-Tek, DJ Premier, Easy Mo Bee, Neptunes, etc…

K.Words: also, much respect to the great movements like Wu, Native Tongues, Death Row, Cash Money, BadBoy, etc…

Slangston Hughes: My first production influences were guys like Dr. Dre , Quincy Jones, Puffy and The Hitmen, Easy Mo Bee, Daz, Devante Swing,Teddy Riley, Johnny J., and on an artist end acts such as Tupac, Biggie, Guns N’ Roses, Public Enemy, Sam Cooke, Nirvana, Eminem, Green Day and many others were influential. Definitely many genres including Afrobeat, World Music, Rock N’ Roll, Caribbean Music and R&B are big influences. Also the great crew movements of the 90′s were also an influence (Bad Boy, Deathrow, Wu-Tang, Rocafella, Ruff Ryders, Cash Money, No Limit, etc) they showed strength in numbers and showed what could happen when talented and driven people come together and make classic music coupled with great business moves.

Concise of True 2 Life Music

HGB: What is the most difficult thing about being in the music industry? What makes it worth while to stay in the industry?

Concise: difficult thing is dealing with the all the little things, both tangible and intangible that you can’t control while on your mission. you have to understand those things but maintain your vision and drive toward your goal. there are alot of distraction and detractors. your music having an impact on people worldwide is what makes it worth it.

K.Words: yeah, this industry is far from a job in Corporate America. In our grind, having that mindset will make you crazy. I must admit sometimes it creeps into my psyche, but I have to be strong enough to focus on our mission and always be ready to shake off the hate and the doubt.

Slangston Hughes: In general, there’s a certain amount of uncertainty in the music business, meaning if you look at many investments and efforts there is no guaranteed ROI (Return on Investment) meaning monetarily, otherwise or even that if there is a pay off, that it will be at all timely. If you don’t work smartly you can put a lot of unnecessary time, effort, money, and energy into something and get minimal to no returns back. However, we thrive off of that type of environment, where we are accountable for our own success and can utilize our skill sets and business minds to further our company, brand and music. So on the other end, it emboldens us to be confident, bold and strategic with our moves. The climate of the industry keeps you focused and determined and in tune with your internal compass, knowing that what you are doing is paying off and is leading to greater things. As tough as it is, when there is chaos there is opportunity, and we are opportunists, so with all the changes and uncertainty in the industry, we relish the freedom to see an opening, mobilize and execute a plan and go for it. This is a job and like all other jobs comes stress, we have all sacrificed greatly to further our agenda but thankfully we’re constantly setting and meeting goals, both short term and long term thanks to hard work, our support system and a solid team. In addition, the love and positive feedback that we get from fans and supporters worldwide is always greatly inspiring and motivational.

K. Words of True 2 Life Music

HGB: As Hip-Hop artists, how do you feel Hip-Hop influences fashion?

Concise: I think it goes both way. Hip Hop influences fashion and fashion influences hip hop. hip hop has always had that braggadicio to it, rapping about your style and freshest gear you have on, but also, fashion has integrated its way into a lane and style for artists to be based on. rappers being known and increasing their profile for their fashion sense or trends, etc…

K.Words: artists may set trends, but it’s probably more so because of their visibility rather than their creativity. It’s a constant circle though…

Slangston Hughes: Hip Hop definitely influences fashion. The energy and attitude represented in hip hop has consistently been tapped into by countless designers and brands. Whenever the aesthetics of hip hop have come together to form a style or look it has always been duplicated, manufactured and exploited by fashion. Once people found a way to monetize this need for “hip hop” or “urban” apparel it was off to the races and guys like Karl Kani laid a blueprint for others to follow and build upon. Now there are million dollar companies and thousands of families being fed off of Hip Hop’s influence in fashion alone. This culture of Hip Hop that some highly creative yet financially lacking kids created within the streets of NYC has gone on to not only influence global fashion but also contribute to billions in revenue for the brands that decided to cater to that demographic. Hip Hop and fashion definitely have a symbiotic relationship where it is mutually beneficial to both industries.

HGB: Who are some of your Hip-Hop style icons? what do you like about their style?

Concise: I don’t really look to anyone in hip hop for fashion styles. We have an individual sense of style of ourselves. Maybe people will look to us for style ques.

K.Words: yeah, I try to do me, although I always did respect how Heavy D, Biggie, and now Rick Ross are doin’ it for the 3XL and Up dudes.

Slangston Hughes: I’ve always really had a individualized and internal approach to clothing, and mixing and matching different pieces. As I matured and came into my own I used my clothes to express my individual sense of style at a very young age. I’ve always been known since I was a little kid to dress different and be on my own wavelength. Therefore rather than any definitive style icons, besides myself I look to periods of time and defining moments in history as style cues in addition to certain family members. Shouts to mid 90′s Diddy, Biggie, and Pac though, they kept it fresh, mixing some high fashion with fly street, dressing it up and dressing it down. Tupac rocking silk Versace shirts and slacks and leather vests in ’95 is no different than Kanye doing his one-two rocking Louis Vuitton, Commes Des Garcons, Maison Martin Margiela or whatever people give him flack for nowadays. These are not “hip hop” brands. The beauty in Hip Hop is that musically we can borrow and take and incorporate pieces from any musical genre and I have no problem combining and incorporating fashion pieces and brands from all parts of the fashion spectrum which is the beauty of being a free-thinking artist.

HGB: How is True 2 Life Music’s style and music different from other groups?

Concise: We’re just always fresh. whenever you see us, we stand out, and earn attention. We rock street wear, but put our own spin on it. Its not typical or trendy.

K.Words: And we all have different types of style which evolve and change at different points. It’s hard to call… sometimes KG will wear a fitted sweater, Slang is wearing a shirt and tie, and I wanna wear a hoody and a fitted hat. Them being more dressy might cause me to throw on a velvet blazer or something, but you can see in pictures we all may have signature styles or a personal twist whenever we roll.

Slangston Hughes: Musically, our story sets us apart because we’re presenting you our lives as we have lived them, in addition to our perspectives, our struggles and take on the world as we see it. In terms of both style and music, we’re not chasing a trend or whats cool now, we’re about human emotion and genuine experiences and both of those things are timeless. People can certainly relate to what we’re saying and what we represent because we refuse to be put in a box and deny the multifaceted nature of our lives. To feel and be a certain way on Monday and then have a 180 degree turn on Tuesday morning is just how people are wired, and we reflect that both in our sense of style and when making music. We’re not perfect but we’re also not here to just continue the status quo, and be ignorant for the sake of a dollar. We’re here to show that young black males are much more than this narrow caricature which has been and continues to be cultivated and fed to the world. We also take our live show seriously and make them explosive and engaging with or without our live backing band, and definitely set out to entertain live which seems to be a lost art nowadays.

HGB: What influences your style?

Concise: My personality influences my style. Its an extension of my personality.

K.Words: I would say weather influences my style.. wintertime I love rocking gloves or wool scarfs. Cashmere too. Other than that, I guess it’s just whatever I want to wear at the time.

Slangston Hughes: How I’m feeling any particular day is what most influences my style. In terms of use of colors and fits, it usually reflects my mood or just a general feeling that I am inclined to express through my wardrobe. In a greater scheme of things, I would say my oldest brother influenced my style at a young age, because he was a b-boy, street oriented and just straight hip hop and a sneaker head. I would wear his 3 finger ring to school with my catholic school uniform in 2nd grade just to stunt, I’d try to raise my hand to answer as many questions as possible so people could see it. I’d “borrow” his Jesus Piece Chains and go places where I definitely should not have been. He was just extra cool to me in that defining late 80′s early 90′s era. On the other end my father is a man who has never wore jeans, and he’s very formal and suited but still very stylish and as I matured I started to see the freshness in those clean lines, fitted clothes, and mixing in formal wear into my everyday attire.

Slangston Hughes of True 2 Life Music

HGB: What are some of your favorite brands?

Concise: Polo, Levi’s, Villain’s Lair, Mishka, Hundreds, Nike, Supra, Rocksmith, whoever makes dope v-necks, etc…

K.Words: cosign… add Champion and New era. There are a few other brands I can’t let off cause I’m starting to see more and more people bite my steez…

Slangston Hughes: Yves Saint Laurent, Ralph Lauren, Levi’s, Tom Ford are four pillars so to speak. However I’m not beholden to any particular label, if I see something that I think looks great and catches my eye, you’ll probably see me incorporate it in my wardrobe, whether its a t-shirt, a sport coat, a bracelet, or some boat shoes. I look at it like music production, you don’t have to be a big name producer to come up with some heat, and once I hear a hot beat, I know its a hot beat , regardless of who made it. I take that thought process into clothing and brands also. I still believe the clothes don’t make the man, but rather the man makes the clothes. And a big ditto and 100% cosign to everything Concise mentioned cause you’ll usually catch us in those among others, and also ditto to Words, because there’s alotta people biting steeze so some things shall remain untold. We pretty much like a lot of the same brands.

HGB: I have a section on the blog called “Sweet Tooth” and I talk about the things that I must have at the moment, whether it is a certain style of shoe, a sweater, unique accessories or something exclusive. What are some things that you guys must have in your wardrobe at the moment?

Concise: sneakers, need sneakers that could go with multiple styles and colors.

K.Words: I’ve been known as a fitted hat guy for some years.. so aside from sneakers I’d say a fresh fitted.

Slangston Hughes: My wardrobe mainstay would be my Levi’s. Classic and timeless and just my favorite jeans. I’m big on denim and through all the trendy, and “it” of the moment brands and styles, Levi’s has always held it down and I like the way they look, feel, and last . I know what specific fit, leg, and wash that are my staples and I revolve around that. Also dope fitted’s and kicks are a must. I also have to keep some some dress shoes on me.

HGB: When it comes to ladies and fashion, what type of girl do you gravitate towards, style wise? why? (high-end 5th ave chicks, preppy, urban etc)

Concise: I like high-end fashion, but not too high-end crazy. Your everyday sophisticated, I’m going to take time and do myself up type style. But I could definitely do with out the stuck up attitude that may be associated with it. But for girls, I appreciate a girl that goes in and dresses up. that mixed with some urban.

K.Words: Ehh, I dunno. Maybe it’s a little of both for me.. I find myself drawn to girls who used to be tomboys but discovered their sexy maybe in their late teen years. It depends on the situation.. I don’t necessarily like when women feel the NEED to wear heels and dresses.

Slangston Hughes: My guys just pretty much summed up my sentiments exactly. I respect a lady with a developed fashion sense whether it be couture or preppy, or ‘around the way girl’ as long as it looks good on her and feels authentic. Clothes come and go and styles change, so its more about how you rock whatever it is you chose to put on and accentuate your best attributes. If she’s wearing it right, you get a thumbs up. I think its more important that she look good minus the clothes completely.

HGB: What do you think is the biggest fashion mistake a woman can make?

Concise: Neglecting the shoe game. It’s important.

K.Words: Trying to look like an R&B singer on a daily basis. That and being too revealing.. subtle is sexy, life ain’t a strip club..

Slangston Hughes: I’m not a fan of women who overly match, such as bright yellow hoop earrings with a bright yellow belt with bright yellow sneakers, with bright yellow jeans, bright yellow hairband, bright yellow bracelets, and a white shirt….with bright yellow dots all over it, etc…it gets to be too much and tends to come off that the person is really young, like r. kelly young. Also name belts with things such as “sexy bitch” are quite a misstep in my opinion. Dirty white uptowns, which now appear brown, as part of your “going out” attire are also a deal breaker.

HGB: What’s next for True 2 Life Music?

Concise: We’re working on our next project, is an EP(album) set to be released first quarter of 2010. stay up on our blog and twitter for updates and releases! www.twitter.com/true2lifemusic www.true2lifemusic.net

K.Words: More music, more videos, more shows, and more of my great smile.

Slangston Hughes: working harder, staying humble, building the fan base, new projects and breaking more hearts nationwide…

HGB: Where can the HGB readers go for more info on you guys?

Concise: I jumped the gun. we’re on facebook, our own blog, myspace, youtube, twitter, etc…everything can be found here tho: www.true2lifemusic.net

Slangston Hughes: stay tuned to our website and follow us on twitter, and if you really want real time updates and to interact with us daily and chat,etc., join our facebook fan page by clicking: http://www.facebook.com/pages/True-2-Life-Music/7668579756

Categories: HGB Exclusive, Men's Style Tags: Interviews

19 Aug 2009

Parvenudemichel

By Janique Leave a Comment

Parvenu de Michel…say that three times fast…well you may want to because it is the name of the next big movement to hit New York City. Created by Michael Bunting, Parvenu de Michel’s goal is to create a bridge between social classes. The company was created based on a person’s life according to the socioeconomic status, so it is the journey from class to high class to the pinnacle of the socioeconomic ladder. It aims to enhance a person’s life through fashion, music, art, and media. It is more than a brand, it is a lifestyle. I had the pleasure of interviewing the CEO, Michael Bunting, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and my friend from High School. He describes himself as a clothing connisseur, evolutionist and just simply passionate. I am impressed not only with him as a person, but with the mission and goal of Parvenu de Michel.

Goody Bag: What inspired you to create Parvenu de Michel?

Michael Bunting: It is based on our lives on the socioeconomic tip meaning our journeys from low class to upper-class, and now that we feel that we are at the pinnacle of the socioeconomic ladder. We created a bridge between all the classes Parvenu de Michel. New York has a lot to do with my inspiration. It is something about New York. The way the people carry themselves from the way they dress to their accents. New York is a unique place where anyting can be found. Oh and it’s my birth place.

GB: Lol…Was New York your only inspiration?

MB: I have been inpsired by other designers, family, friends, and our current president.

GB: Describe your line in three words

MB: Inspiration 4 your soul…3 words 1 number

GB: Lol that was clever. The message is definitely inspirational, people need to know they can always reach the highest point.

MB: Yeah while in rout to the highest, we tend to forget our previous stage in life and those stages help us reach the top of the socio-economic ladder and the bridge is Parvenu de Michel

GB: What makes Parvenu de Michel different from the other 30 million clothing lines?

MB: A clothing line that everyone will feel comfortable wearing. I mean everyone plus every product line that we introduce 20% of that lines product will go to a charity. It will help be that change that our current President asked for It will serve a purpose.

GB: I am definitely going to check out Parvenu de Michel. Where can our readers get more information on the line?

MB: Our website is http://www.parevenudemichel.com/ and the clothing line will be available in various boutiques in New York City and Philadelphia, and online stores.

GB: Michael it has been a pleasure interviewing. You are definitely bringing something new to the fashion world….definitely inspirational.
MB: Well here at Parvenu de Michel we stay on your blog every day. You help us make important decisions on the styles, cuts, and fabrics for the ladies. We really would like to thank you for the interview and to you and the women that are going to support Parvenu de Michel’s future endeavors.

DEFINITELY LOG ON TO http://www.parvenudemichel.com/ FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CLOTHING LINE. THE LINE DROPS TODAY JUNE 1, 2009 SO GO OUT AND SUPPORT THIS GREAT MOVEMENT!

~Nique

Categories: HGB Exclusive Tags: Interviews