L I SS
UE
H
ER
N IA
4 8. T
ILL E
N
EM
RASHAD I RV I N
48
N U MB
ACCESS BY BLEU
NAACP AWARDS LOS ANGLES, CA FEBRUARY 16, 2017 Stars of television and film shined brightly at the 48TH NAACP Image Awards, on February 16, 2017, hosted by Anthony Anderson, which aired on the network. Among this year’s award honorees, TV One’s morning news host, Roland Martin, received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Host in a News, Talk, Reality, or Variety Program. The evening began with the live pre-show from the red carpet, hosted by Nischelle Turner and Terrence Jenkins with special correspondents Tai Beauchamp and Chris Spencer. The casts of TV One’s upcoming original films, “MEDIA” and “Hit A Lick” were in attendance. Additionally, “Justice By Any Means” host Malik Yoba made an appearance, and David and Tamela Mann walked the carpet to announce their new TV One show, “The Manns.” The two-hour live special did not disappoint as the best of Black Hollywood turned out to celebrate. Immediately following, guests joined TV One, in partnership with Ford Motor Company and Creative Artists Agency (CAA), at an exclusive after party held at the W Hotel in Hollywood. Radio One Founder and Chairperson Cathy Hughes welcomed the crowd, followed by a special performance by R&B vocalist Faith Evans. PHOTOGRAPHY TV ONE MAXWELL
DWAYNE (THE ROCK) JOHNSON
TIKA SUMPTER
NATURI NAUGHTON
JOHN LEGEND
BLACKISH CAST
14
MAGAZINE
VIOLA DAVIS
JUSSIE SMOLLETT
ACCESS BY BLEU
PLANET NEW ERA HOUSTON, TX FEBRUARY 3, 2017 On February 3rd, hip-hop megastars Migos, rapper 2 Chainz and Lil Uzi Vert headlined New Era Cap’s “Planet New Era” Super Bowl LI private celebration. The inviteonly party took place at Vrsi in Houston and was DJ’ed by DJ Ace Trey Smith the son of Will Smith, and hosted by Houston native and hip-hop artist Bun B. Migos performed a packed set including “Bad & Boujee,” “T-Shirt,” “Casting Call” and “Emmit Smith” as the hall of famer himself was in attendance and danced to the song in the audience. 2 Chainz performed classics including “I’m Different,” “No Lie,” “Watch Out,” and “Birthday Song.” Other attendees included: Brandon Marshall (Jets), Emmitt Smith (NFL Hall of Famer), Le’Veon Bell (Steelers), Jameis Winston (Buccaneers), Matt Forte (Jets), Cordarrelle Patterson (Vikings), Maurice Jones-Drew, Eiza González and Guy Fieri. PHOTOGRAPHY PETER BARRERAS MIGOS
LE’VEON BELL
DJ ACE
2 CHAINZ
BREION ALLEN AND JAMEIS WINSTON
BUN B
Issue 48
15
FASHION
Problema Issue 48
83
FASHION Outfit ESQ CLOTHING
84
MAGAZINE
SCORE
Issue 48
91
“One of my friends was like, have you ever gotten a Triple Double in the NBA?” says former NBA player and successful businessman Mark Blount on a conference call. “I was like, no. He was like, maybe you should call your book, ‘The First Triple-Double,’ or maybe you should write a book about the first triple-double in business. I was like, good idea, and I threw it out there to see what would happen. It’s just growing and doing its own thing right now.” Blount never thought a friendly conversation would
es in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he does real estate as well. Blount renovated 14 units in Florida, which was beneficial for him before selling them. Owning multiple businesses is a tough task, but having the right team is key. Bringing in the right people like accountants and manager only helps the longevity of the business.
Growing up in Yonkers, New York, Blount looked up to stars like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and others in his pursue of being an NBA player. Then the 7-foot tall player made it in the NBA playing for many teams including the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Miami Heat, learning from different organizations on having a successful NBA career. But once Blount filed his retirement papers, he took some time off and thought of one career path that many players take: participating in the entrepreneurship and business world.
SOMEBODY IS ALWAYS LOOKING TO DO SOMETHING EXTRA TO HELP THEMSELVES OR TO BE ABLE TO HELP MOVE THEIR FAMILIES FORWARD
“Somebody is always looking to do something extra to help themselves or to be able to help move their families forward,” says Blount. “I think that each person is different. Each entrepreneurship is different, and how they want to grow it, and if they can grow it, are the most important things.” The Yonkers native got into two brands: Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon. These are both great business-
“
O
result in creating a business concept that actually works. Many successful former and current NBA players have self-sustaining businesses everything from apparel to tech firms. But for those who want to have success in the in their career, take lessons from Blount, whose backstory and hard work of being a real investor and owner was because of using an NBA term known as the ‘Triple-Double.’
“
For Blount, his success came from the “Triple-Double” business concept, which is starting the business, growing the business, and ending in profits. The first one he describes is a marketing analysis, understanding the location, and how the products sell to the right consumers. Blount also goes in
ICON
1970 - 2016
PHIFE DAWG WORDS DOMINIQUE CARSON
Rapper, Phife Dawg was a special addition to hip-hop culture. Fans respected his swagger and high level of confidence. He was also known as “The Five Footer,” because he was 5’3. However, once Dawg opened his mouth, listeners recognized his ability to challenge the “glitz and glamour,” persona of rap music. Dawg rose to fame when he joined the Grammy nominated group, A Tribe Called Quest in the 1980’s. Dawg and his high school friends, Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad launched a rap group that will change the face of hip-hop. The group’s style was infused with hip-hop and jazz. But, A Tribe Called Quest brought an alternative sound which displayed their intelligent and artistic sound. It became aesthetically pleasing to fans which is why they are one of the most iconic groups of all time. Dawg and the group released their debut album, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm in 1990. But, it wasn’t until the group second album, The Low End Theory where Dawg really introduced his rhythmic skills on the microphone and the hits kept coming. On the single, “Electric Relaxation,” Dawg mentions what grabs his attention when he sees a woman when he said, “I like ‘em brown, yellow, Puerto Rican or Haitian/ Name is Phife Dawg from Zulu Nation/ Told you in the jam that we can get down/ Now let’s knock the boots like the group H-Town/You got BBD all on your bedroom wall/But I’m above the rim and this is how I ball/.” Dawg is already know letting listeners know comically he is a “five foot freak,” and don’t be fooled by the height. Outside of his sensual and provocative lyrics, he also spoke about political and social issues and fans realized his mental capacity exceeded standards in music. Dawg released several hip-hop classics with the group including “Bonita
ILLUSTRATION LAWRENCE PITTS
Applebum,” “Can I Kick It,” “Find My Way,” “I Left My Wallet in El Segundo,” “Scenario,” “Check the Rhime,” “Jazz (We’ve Got),” “Award Tour,” and “Electric Relaxation.” The group disbanded due to personal and professional issues but it didn’t stop Dawg from participating in other projects. Once the group called it quits the first time, he collaborated with other artists such as Fu-Schnickens, Diamond D, Pete Rock, and Chi-Ali on their records. Dawg was also an avid sports fan and made his debut on in Slam and Rap Pages magazine. In 2006, Dawg and A Tribe Called Quest reunited and continue to tour and perform for thousands of fans. The trio was also recognized for their contributions in music from Billboard and Vh1 Hip-Hop Honors. Despite achieving critical success as a solo artist and group member, Dawg was careless with his health. Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes since 1990, he had an indifferent attitude about the blood sugar disease until he was on dialysis. Unfortunately, Dawg died on March 23, 2016 from the complications of the diabetes. He was only 45 years of age which made it more tragic. Overall, when you think about A Tribe Called Quest, you have to include Phife Dawg; it is imperative. He influenced artists including Common, Jill Scott, The Roots, just to name a few. The Queens native was a trendsetter and dope artist who introduced a new state-of-the-art technique in music. Over 25 years later, he is still known as the “secret ingredient,” to A Tribe Called Quest and an educator for other hip-hop artists.
Issue 48
97
STOCKIST
PHOTOGRAPHY HARVEY JACKSON
Boxer Briefs LACOSTE
2(X)IST 2xist.com ADIDAS adidas.com ALL SAINTS allsaints.com BAILEY OF HOLLYWOOD baileyhats.com BALENCIAGA balenciaga.com BARTON PERREIRA bartonperreira.com BASIC OUTFITTERS basicoutfitters.com BOOHOO MAN boohoo.com CALVIN KLEIN calvinklein.us COACH coach.com COLE HAAN colehaan.com DAVID HART davidhartnyc.com DEVEAUX deveauxnewyork.com DR. MARTENS drmartens.com ESQ CLOTHING esqclothing.com G – STAR RAW g-star.com H&M hm.com HICKEY FREEMAN hickeyfreeman.com HYDROGEN hydrogen.it IRIDIUM CLOTHING iridiumclothingco.com 98
MAGAZINE
KAPTEN & SON kapten-son.com KRAMMER & STOUDT krammer-stoudt.com LACOSTE lacoste.com LEVI’S levi.com MAISON KITSUNE shop.kitsune.fr MATIERE matiere.com NAUTICA nautica.com NIKE nike.com ORIGINAL PENGUIN originalpenguin.com PALMIERS DU MAL palmeirsdumal.com PERRY ELLIS perryellis.com PERSONAL PRIVILEGE personalprivilege.com RADII FOOTWEAR radiifootwear.com REISS reiss.com RELATED GARMENTS relatedgarments.com THADDEUS O’NEIL thaddeusoneil.com TOMS toms.com TOPMAN topman.com TRITON tritonjewelry.com V.I.B.E.S CLOTHING houseofgoodvibes.com