JohnnyMac Jr: Making Bangers! Are You "Next Up"

Favorite Songs He Wrote: 

Follow your dreams or Divine

...is from Asbury, Park New Jersey!  At the age of 13 he started making music with his buddy for fun but boy oh boy was he terrible. Then as he matured  over the years he started to use music as a way to vent and help him out with stress.

He grew up always listening to hip-hop, and rap. He also loves jazz music and specific old school hip hop Artists such as: Eric b and Rakim, Mobb deep and many other talented Artists in those genres. 

Now, re all know kids can be harsh so when he started rapping in High School a lot of his peers would make fun of him and comment on his material telling him he "sucks." But, one day he just learned at the end of the day none of that matters if something makes you happy and you enjoy it; do you. 

When he was in his young 20's he dreamed of becoming famous and all that cool stuff but now he just does it for a hobby and of course because he enjoys making music.

When he originally started making music it was as a joke and he and his buddy would add in funny freestyles. But then around 2010 he linked up with a few kids on Facebook and he realized his style was something Legends are made out of: dope!

He taught himself how to record. The passion he feels fuels him with enthusiasm about the whole process: from listening to beats and just vibin' to tell a story. He loves every moment.

He now considers himself to be more of a lyricist. He tries to tell his stories in his songs and get them to connect with the audience. “We are all human so I know people go through some stuff” he shares and that’s something he believes that his listeners will connect with him on. 

His most current album released is called “Next Up” feat JF3RG. It’s on all major online stores just search JohnnyMac JR. He shares that nothing really inspired to he and Jf3RG to create it they just continued to mix and create new ideas by doing features and all of them were hits so they said let’s make it an album and of course every song was a banger !!!!

 The success he received motivated him to write more music and with that journey came back to back collaborations with fire Artists such as:  

Sammy Adams 

JFerg Astylez 

SnapBack 

TCTKO 

Capone Ace Montana  

Ice Kane 

Soulja Boy 

BLVZ 

Riff raff 

He and his crew had a whole movement they would do a shit ton of features with each other  and they had some heavy hitters at the time such as: LiL B, Riff Raff, and Soulja Boy on their movement. He flew out to Cali to meet up with all them and they created music and shot a few music videos. So, after that whole era they felt confident, and they were surprised that people were rocking so from there he started to take music more seriously. He wanted to explore the Music scene more so he kinda went down his own path trying to find his flow. He started telling stories of different aspects of relationships and just the shit people can connect to and his fans and followers grew seemingly overnight. 

 

So far he has performed 4 times, did a few videos on YouTube and as he stated previously he sees this as a hobby. He does this music for the fun. So, what's considered fun? The first time he ever performed! It was at Asburt Lanes in Asbury Park, New Jersey. There were about 725 people and the place was packed!  He performed his song: Follow Your Dreams and the feeling he describes as just amazing!

IF you are an Artist admiration for another Artists' work can be inspiring. Now, his all time #1 person he would love to work with is: Mac Miller (RIP). Why? because his vibe was just so perfect, very chill and he knew how to share a great story. But if he could work with an Artist as of right now it be Travis Scott, just because his energy is so LIT! 

 We want to stay in the mix with everything going on, he is currently working on his next singles and doing features. He will continue to drop music every so often and naturally he plans on dropping another album. There is no set date yet but maybe in the next 3 months. So! Be on the look out!

For More Dope Music Go To

Google - JohnnyMac JR

Instagram -  @JohnnyMacJR

Twitter - @JohnnyMac_JR

YouTube - JohnnyMac JR

 

iTunes - JohnnyMac JR

Spotify - JohnnyMac JR

+ all other streaming service 

 

Best Advice Given

Keep pushing and never give up on your dream. If you put what you want out into the universe you will receive.

Hohsafehaven: Together WE Can Do Anything

Quotes She Lives By

“In Order to be #1, you have to be willing to be odd!”

“In Order to be successful in the future, you must move past your past.”

“I accept who I am, accept where I’ve been, and understand that it doesn’t determine my future.”

“I may not be able to change the world in one day, but in one day you change one’s world!”

“Together We Can Do Anything”

Shante Roane aka: Mz. Te is changing the lives of the Youth daily and inspiring many to live for their passions! She is a BSW major at Shaw University. She was born in Florence, South Carolina but raised in New Castle & Wilmington, DE but lived sometime in Martinsville, VA!

Her life of the struggles she endured gave her the motivation that she needed to start her journey of helping and giving back to the community. She is a product of teen parents. Her father was a street runner and her mother was lost in her own mind. Mz Te fought day to day to beat the odds, reminding herself to always get out of the chaos built around her life. So, without a story there is no saving and without struggle there is no relating.

HOHSH (Hearts of Hope Safe Haven) is an organization committed to helping youth live a healthy childhood in all areas of life.  They provide opportunities for the youth to discover, explore & secure their future! We do this by living out childhood milestones, mentoring, relationship building, workshops, and community services.

HOHSH helps provide the full experience of prom, college assistance: from room décor to dorm room needs and helping the youth in accepting who they were born to be despite current situations through the epic workshops! They also help our children of today see their full potential! We live by "No Youth Left Out!"

The first event was the “Accepting Who I Am” workshop which has now turned into their annual conference. This workshop brings together princesses, princes, queens, and kings from all different walks of life. The conference was created to help one accept who they are, where they have been, what they may be going through, and understand that all they have been through doesn’t determine where they are going.

They have quest speakers, activities, provide food, and give take away gift bags. They discuss a variety of topics, life issues and concerns. The youth and college students attend for no fee at all. The adults’ fees go into the programs offered to the youths. There is a workshop which is an extension of the annual conference called “Cupcakes & Conversation” for our princesses! The great news is that both events for the last year have been very successful and they are looking to continue to grow and positively influences the masses.

So what type of programs does HOHSH offer? 

HOHSH has 3 launched programs and 2 in the works and they are working to add a few more in the future. The Programs are;

1.      HOHSH Precious Moments Program,

2.      HOHSH Workshops/Conference, HOHSH Christmas

3.      Drive/Homeless Needs, HOHSH Best Friend Club, HOHSH Mommy’s Helper.

There is always one celebrity or esteemed person that inspires us to keep making music, modeling or in this case building a non-profit that helps the youth and that person for Mz. Te is Debra Antney aka Ms. Deb, Wocka Flocka’s mother. 

This is what Mz. Te had to say about this Beautiful Spirit: “She has a big heart, and amazing woman full of knowledge. She is always giving back and trying to make a difference. She is always helping and building other careers. For example, she put a store in school with the things children look for at very low prices so they can get what they need, which I have a similar idea for when HOHSH gets a location."

To find out more info & Contact Her on Social Media please go to

Instagram:

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook @hohsafehaven

http://hohsafehaven.com/

Thor Angelico: "Always Do My Best to Stay Humble"

Best Advice 

"Always do my best to stay humble"

Thor Angelico is currently living in Nevada but was born in Rochester, NY. He's been writing poetry for 21 years and considers himself to be more of a Lyricist. 

https://soundcloud.com/thorangelic

He’s always had a passion for music! He grew up listening to all kinds of rock and heavy metal. His love for music grew from first hearing: Linkin Park. At the time He didn't really know what rap was until then and hearing them opened a whole new world for him!

In sharing his creativity he wanted to make music that had a bigger message collectively than just individual songs, so when you go through and listen to the whole album: Stepping Stones, it will tell a vivid story. He writes all his own music and he’s had some features he’s done for people, as well as he’s had other artists on his songs too.

Although he likes all of his songs, his most favorite single he created is called: Through the Forest because it captivates and tells a VIVID story full of twists about a metaphoric Spiritual Journey that is going on in his mind. 

He’s only done a handful of small shows up to this point. Yet, his most memorable stage performance was opening up for Statik G and Haystak last year. He will always remember that opportunity because it motivated and propelled him into a whole new excitement for music. He is more than happy to get booked for more live shows and performances. But he really wants to make a living off of his streams. That's his main focus!

There is always at least a handful of main stream well known Celebrities that inspire other Artists to create and the Artist that motivates Thor Angelico to create his music is the: Rap Artist and Lyricist: NF. https://www.nfrealmusic.com He has listened to his music more than anyone lately. He likes the fact that NF has a very similar message to his and is a voice for those who are voiceless. 

He believes that's why his music is so popular.

The ability to stand out from other Artists is very important. The life that he’s lived could be no one else's and he’s overcome a lot of mental health problems without being on medications. So there is room for him to speak on his experiences and how possible it is to beat these things as depression and anxiety etc. He’s not perfect but his progress speaks for itself. Yet, still he wouldn't want to tell us where he was 5 years ago compared to now.

There is so much more greatness for this Artist. He’s focusing mainly on continuing to build his fan base. He believes that the future holds endless possibilities. Many people tell him how unique and inspiring his messages are and he feels like he’s starting to make an actual impact. Music is his life, he’ll never stop.

Contact Him on Social Media

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as @thorangelico or 

 angelicmusic92@gmail.com  

Chris Helton: God Given Talent for Art

Chris Helton was born and raised in Wendell North Carolina. When he was about five years old his mother told him that he had a “God given talent” for drawing and ever since then it has become one of his biggest passions!  

The Business of First Ladii

Goals

A future goal that she sees for her financial literacy business is to help one thousand new clients gain financial freedom by the end of 2018.  

Bet You Didn't Know! 

If she could work with any top name in the entertainment industry she would choose to work with Oprah because she views her as the most successful woman of all time!

Her name is Briana Barksdale, but she is known in the entertainment industry as First Ladii Briana B. She is originally from Greensboro, NC. But, she lived in Virginia for two years before relocating back to North Carolina to the states Capital: Raleigh, NC.

She attend several schools (A&T, Columbia School of Broadcasting and is currently studying Entertainment Business at the Los Angelo’s Film School) and during her time at the previous schools she majored in business, media and broadcast. It has always been her passion to help others achieve their goals or to motivate them to be “One Day closer to their Dreams”. She very blessed to be working every day in her field of work and changing the financial lives of all people daily!

Her mother inspired her to start her own company. In growing up her mother was an entrepreneur and she always had several side hustles. Her daughter studied her tactics, and it inspired her to want to grow and achieve all that she could during her life. In learning from her mother she has ventured into several entrepreneur businesses, maintains an established Credit Consulting franchise, and specializes in Credit Restoration and Financial Literacy. She also owns a multi production and PR business known as: First Ladii Productions.

Life with The Company 

As a CEO, the qualities she feel are most valuable are: leadership, tenacity, perseverance, and also confidence.

Her credit restoration franchise offers services that mentor in the field and financial literacy services to help repair and retain all things financially related.

The biggest challenge she had to overcome when starting her business was the ability to overcome after failure and/or denial. In her position she had to juggle so many companies and tasks are sometimes difficult but in situations of that nature you have to reorganize your priorities.

Success is always around the corner! The contribution she made to her community through her success is of great importance. She was recently recognized by her partner company in reaching milestones in her credit literacy program. She also hosted a red carpet event with her production company that sponsors individuals with epilepsy.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know...

Are there any CEO boss ladies’ who are internationally known that you admire?

The CEO Boss Ladies that she admires are Issa Rae, and Beyonce. She admires Beyonce because she has been consistent in her business ventures. She admires Issa Rae because she created a similar platform as her and her success is something that she models.

Are there any other creative talents that you have, that your audience doesn’t know about?

Barksdale shares that she has plenty of talents.  One of which is being a mother. She’s a mother of a two year old lol. In addition, she writes and produces a radio show as well as a talk show called: Goal Diggers. The show features and highlights individuals successfully chasing their dreams.

She can be reached through social media at the following platforms:

Personal: 

@iamBrianaB (Facebook, Snapchat, IG, Twitter)

Business: (Facebook and IG)

@CreditBrianaB

@GoalDiggersShow

@ShayStarDOTcom

Also her websites:

www.FirstLadii.com

www.GoalDiggers.tv

www.ShayStar.com

www.myfes.net/BBarksdale

PMO (Power Moves Only)

Power Moves Only 

The Directors Edge: Pieces of David

Article Written By: Jalysa Dalmida

His name is Lawrence Lee Wallace. He was Born and raised in Chicago IL.

 Accomplishments

He has completed 

6 features, 

4 shorts, 

2 TV Pilots 

And a abundance of commercials and music videos.

He first began writing poetry in high school. Then later he went on to write plays. A major influence in his life was one by the name of Dick Gregory. A veteran in his field who came to his school and gave him notes on his writing. He once told Wallace that he had "great potential" and not to give up.

Model Life: "The Stoop Sessions: Part 1"

Her name is Saliyah Itoka. She was born and raised in Queens, NY but is currently living in Albany, NY.

She's been singing since she was really little. But she didn't start taking her music career seriously until January 2015 when she also started modeling.

She's been writing since she was 11 years old. Her creative passions come from working with other artists, sharing in their positive energy and learning from them. She has collaborated with other singers and rappers on her project and is very excited to hear the results. Her current project is in the works and the name that she's chosen for it is "The Stoop Sessions: Part I". She's inspired by singers from the 90's such as Aaliyah, Chris Brown, Beyoncé, Toni Braxton, Anita Baker, Tank, Rihanna, Brandy, Whitney Houston, Drake, and The Weeknd. In full light she wanted to create a project that represented her on all levels. 

 One of her favorite songs on her new project is called "Loving You". It has a Tevin Campbell sample and has that feel good vibe that she loves about R&B. 

She's done 8 shows since she started her music career. But her most memorable experience as an Artist was her very first showcase because it was the first time she had ever performed her original music. She was nervous but it felt good knowing that people really liked what they heard. As a model she performed at the February 2015 Atlantic City Fashion Week. It gave her that boost of confidence that she needed to confirm that she was runway model material.

Future Events of Music and Modeling

Right now, her debut project is in the works. She is working really hard to complete it and make it perfect. In her modeling career, she just finished a show during NYFW and she's just grinding and pushing for the next show and next casting. As far as the future she just wants to continue to pursue what she loves to do and prove her doubters wrong.

For Booking and Features

For both music and modeling contact her at: saliyahitoka@gmail.com 

Facebook and Instagram: Saliyah Itoka and Instagram is: saliyah_itoka. 

Conscious Rap: "Music Is My Soul..."

His name is Nathan Torres, he goes by the name: FOOLISH...! 
A 33 year young Hispanic MC and Lyricist who makes his own beats and writes his own Lyrics. He is truly one of a kind. He's originally from Southern California but he has been residing in Austin Texas since 2001. 

Lit With Opportunities!

Introducing

Ludazh 

Savage aka Bandit

Kada From Darlington

They are known among their fans and supporters as: 

Camp Lyfe. They currently reside in Columbia, South Carolina. 

Also check out the "BOUT IT" video on YouTube

Handmade Fashions By Elegant Evenings

Michelle Ragland is the owner and founder of the company Elegant Evenings Boutique. She has been in business for four years. In conversation she reflects on when she was a little girl and how she use to dress her dolls up and have "fashion shows" and from there, at the age of nine she discovered fashion was her passion.  


The first design she did was a dress that her cousin wore to a formal event. She showed it to one of her seamstresses that she currently works with; she was so proud of herself, and excited because her cousin looked absolutely gorgeous.

The person who inspired her to start her brand was Monif C, and God. She always prayed and listened to what God was telling her before she took a leap into anything. Her brand caters to all types of audience from bridal, elegant events, pageants, kids, and couture clothing. Her latest fall fashion style are designs with a lot of orange and browns incorporated in her designs. She has attended 20 shows since her brand has been out.

I asked if there were any major setbacks and, yes there where some major setbacks. One of her major setbacks' was trying to get her brand out to the world and while not having enough family and close friends believe in her vision. It was only her mom and herself financing her vision and the cost of getting her brand out to the world was really expensive. But, with the help of God and the determination of herself and her mother, together they made Elegant Evenings come to life. 

During her time as a Fashion Designer, the best advice she was given was: "You must crawl before you walk. She uses that advice to inspire other models and during her selection process. She does have a method of choosing models. She loves to chose models who are passionate and serious about their career. She knows with those models they will be loyal, and will make her designs look more beautiful. She also uses models that are given to her. But, she prefers to do casting calls, and speak with the models.

If she could design for any supermodel it would be a mixture of these amazing models: Kimora Lee Simmons, Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell, and Roshumba Williams. She sees these ladies as powerful and independent women. And to represent power If she could do a photo shoot anywhere in the world she would do the shoot in Africa.

She would love to thank everyone who has believed in her and her brand. She would love to thank her mom Josephine Brodie, her son Javon, her auntie and assistant Beatrice Gill, best friend Tracy Andrews, and Antoinne Duane Williams for the amazing networking and shoes they have done together. She would also like to thank Aly Camara, and Alvin AJR Imagery for the amazing photo shoots that they have done together over the years. She would also like to give a thank you all the beautiful and dedicated  models she has met over the years.   

So, Everyone can get in contact with her through facebook Elegant Evenings Boutique. She can also be found on instagram at: it's a couture thing, or on her website at: aelegantevenings.com.