I met Jewell a couple months ago while doing a shoot. She was full of energy and had a positive attitude. She was classically trained by a Russian woman who went to a prestigious conservatory in Vienna for piano. She now composes her own music which is influenced by Nina Simone. Some good music in my opinion, even listened to it while editing these photos. Check her music here and be sure to follow her as she embarks on her musical journey.
THE EVENT: VIZUVLGVDS
Last Thursday my bro Muktar had his first ever Vizuvlgvds pop up shot at Detroit Is The New Black. The atmosphere was great; saw some old faces and met some new people that are doing creative things in Detroit. Proud of my bro and can't wait for people to see even more designs he has in store. He will having another pop-up show in Atlanta next weekend, so all you people around that make sure you come out and support! Details for the event coming soon.
Opportunity.
When I got the opportunity to commission an artist to paint on my studio space the first person that came to mind was my bro Jermaine Clark. I remember going to his first solo exhibition when we were in school at Alabama A&M University. His show inspired me to one day have a creative space in Detroit to showcase artists and a place for the youth to express themselves artistically. Now that the dream is coming into fruition it's only right that he'd be the first to bless the wall with his artistic ability. Working on a video documenting the whole process of creating the mural, stay tuned! WE THE CULTURE.
The Pop-Up.
Tonight my brother Muktar will be having a Pop Up showcase of his VIZUVLGVDS clothing line. His pieces are all handmade by him and concentrates on architecture and engineering through clothing and fashion. The show is from 6pm-10pm at 52 E Forest Ave. Detroit, MI. Make sure you come and check out his line that he's worked tireless on for over a year.
In The Night.
Last night Donavan, Mike, and myself decided to do some night shooting in the Eastern Market area. We also went down to the part of the Dequindre Cut that is still under construction and ran into a large group of cyclers. Shooting at night is more quite and peaceful in my opinion. However the lights still bring life and energy to city, and you meet some interesting people with some great stories out there. For example the guy who was sitting outside the soul food restaurant. After giving him some money he proceeded to ask me what I was doing out here shooting at night. I told him I try to shoot everyday and I hadn't shot at night for some time. He then told me to keep shooting and that if I'm out at night shooting like this then it's truly my passion. Good vibes, good conversation, and good photos.
In The Studio: Oba Rowland
Oba Rowland stopped by the studio a few weeks back. We took some shots for his cover artwork. He's been on a roll releasing great music, and just recently dropped "Lifestyle Pt. II" featuring Dex Osama and Dej Loaf. It's crazy to see how far we've both came from playing basketball on 7 Mile and Livernois when were kids to living out our dreams and making an impact on the city. Stay up to date with his music here and be on the lookout for his upcoming project.
Detroit VS Everybody.
My bro Tommey Walker creator and owner of Detroit Vs Everybody
Detroit Vs Everybody opened up an Eastern Market location about a month ago. The atmosphere and build out of the store is phenomenal. What's even more exciting and caught me by surprise is that a lot of my photography was hanging on the walls of the store. So if you are ever in Eastern Market make sure you drop by the store and grab some merchandise. Oh and check out the photography too!
6 YEARS.
6 years ago I started fresh-cool-dope in my apartment while attending Alabama A&M University. I didn’t know the direction of the brand at that time; just knew I wanted to create something and provide content. These past 6 years have been amazing. Meeting new people and building long lasting friendships throughout the process. Blessed to be able to create and live out my dreams. So much more I want to accomplish in the years to come. I can’t say it enough, thank you all for the continuous support.
In The Studio: jSTOCK
After jSTOCK's show on Sunday we headed to my studio for a quick session. Only had about an hour to shoot because he had to get back to the tour bus that was headed to to his next show in Toronto. Check here to see jSTOCK's tour schedule and make sure you check him out if he's headed to your city.
Mick Jenkins + jSTOCK in Detroit.
This past Sunday Mick Jenkins and jSTOCK performed at the historic Shelter in Detroit. Its crazy to see these two have come so far from rapping in a battle rap competition in college to now embarking on a North American tour. I remember shooting them for the Who Got Bars? competition we held in college, and now I'm shooting them on stage while they rap to crowd of loyal fans. Surreal.
