benny grimm october issue 2015

HAVE YOU DRIVEN A FORD LATELY

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Why Mac Miller Went From Independent To Signing With A Major Record Label

New York Indie Artist Benny Grimm STRAIGHT OUTTA MANHATTAN with new al-bum The Grimm interview

The legend Devon The Dude covered interview by Hassan Johnson

Canada and the up rise in hip hop with Bronze interview

Mindset Of A Champion: An Interview With Hip-Hop Blog-ger Byron Crawford

Why big buttocks can be bad foryour health

Winter 2015 Fashion with Vera Wang and hip hop fashion by Moschino

Artist Raury debuts his latst album with hit single All We Need, with Columbia Records

Mid-West Dj known as Dj Big Juice fires up this winter fashion behind the camaras with adadas All American Classic collection

This October Vaniti models off her killa Dominican curves

Why am i sweating so much ?

elbarriomagazine.org October 2015 Winter Issue EL BARRIO MAGAZINE LLC pg 07

EditoralEL BARRIO MAGAZINE LLC

October Fall issue 2015

CONTRIBUTORS Fashion:AdidasMoschinoVera Wang

CONTRIBUTORS Writers:Jezne SosoRod MontySouthest hip hop MagazineHassan JohnsonCanada Hip HopAlex Dionisio

CONTRIBUTORSIllussion ImagesStreetSeekers Radio

Art IllustrationsEL BARRIO MAGAZINE Marketing DPT

PhotographersMonty Motive Girls ClubJames Philips

PUBLISHED BY MagCloud, MusicThatPays, Magzter.comWeb Site www.elbarriomagazine.org

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Senor Vice PresidentHerman L. Fowler


Why Mac Miller Went From Independent To Signing With A Major Record Label

hen it was announced last October that Mac Miller would be leaving the independent scene and signing a record deal with Warner Bros. for $10 million, fans all around the world were scratching their heads trying to figure out the move.It’s the sort of question all artists ask them-selves at on point in their career – should I stay independent or sign to a major record label? After all, Mac Miller has long been the poster child of the independent hip-hop industry. At the age of 17, the Pittsburgh rapper was already dropping mixtapes on a regular basis and build-ing his fanbase organically via social media. In 2010, he was signed to independent record la-bel Rostrum Records after the label’s president Benjy Grinberg heard the K.I.D.S. mixtape. Mac Miller made headlines in 2011 when his album, Blue Slide Park, sold 145,000 copies in its first week and topping the Billboard 200, making it the first independently-distributed debut album to hit number one since Tha Dogg Pound’s Dogg Food in 1995. Since then, Mac Miller has continued to make major moves independently. He’s dropped an insane number of mixtapes and obscure projects, scored a top 10 hit single with Ariana Grande’s “The Way,” released the critically acclaimed Watch-ing Movies with the Sound Off and made the Forbes Cash Kings list when he grossed an estimated $6.5 million in 2012 off record sales and constant touring.

So why the transition? Mac Miller’s doing pretty well for himself an independent artist so why he would give it all up just to be part of a global corporate machine like Warner Bros.?In an interview with FADER, he explained: “It is a partnership and now I can focus on build-ing my label Remember through music and let them handle everything I don’t like doing. Nothing will change in how I do things.” What we have to understand is that even though Mac Miller has achieved some big wins on his own, there’s always a glass ceiling when it comes to being independent. The access, resources and opportunities that Warner Bros. can provide Mac Miller are endless. Warner Bros. Records is part of Warner Music Group, the biggest American music conglomerate in the world. If he ever wants to branch out and seriously move into other entertainment sectors like TV or film, it’ll be a lot easier now that he’s aligned with Warner Bros.Not to mention Warner has the capabilities of pushing his music on radio. Mac Miller’s been on the radio before but a major record label can make the difference between a Bill-board number one and a rap hit single. Even Macklemore had to get some major label help in order to get his number one singles on the airwaves. Mac Miller doesn’t just want to be “independent big” or “hip-hop big,” he wants to be big big. He wants to have the same reach and exposure as Drake, Kanye and Kendrick –

names that burst out of the rap bubble and into the mainstream world.In order to accomplish that, you need to sell more records, you need TV appearances, you need constant radio hits – everything that Warner Bros. can help him with achieve. Also – to properly develop his record label imprint REMember Music, he’s going need the sort of budget and resources a major label can provide.

Bottom line is: Mac Miller has proven to be an extremely business savvy indie artist but now it’s time for him to take his career to the next level. With a $10 million record and distribu-tion deal as well as the resources of Warner Bros. Records, we’re going to be seeing some big things from Mac Miller in the near future.


W

Mindset Of A Champion: An Interview With Hip-Hop Blogger Byron Crawford

egendary hip-hop blogger Byron Crawford has built his reputation over the years with his con-troversial posts, feuds with rappers like Bun B and Lupe Fiasco and epic articles for Medium.

As a former XXL columnist and published author, Byron has certainly earned the wrath of the hip-hop industry but no-one can deny that his writing is always hilarious, thought-provok-ing and extremely insightful.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Byron recently and he talked extensively on a number of topics including, XXL shutting down their print magazine, rap’s golden age, Nas, the term “culture vulture,” publishing on Medium and what’s next in store for him. Enjoy!

1) As a former blogger for XXL, how do you feel about the publication recently announcing that they’ll be shutting down their print opera-tions?

Well, word on the street is that they’re gonna try to put out at least a few issues next year. They had been on a bimonthly schedule, then they went out of business, and then it was an-nounced that they might not be done with the print version after all.

Something similar happened with King maga-zine after it went out of business in the late ’00s/early ’10s. Every now and again you’d see a new issue on newsstands, but without any real articles, just pictures of cellulite-ridden video hoes. Some would argue that was an improvement!

Also, lest we forget, magazines like Vibe and Spin went through a few zombie incarnations before going out of business once and for all. It definitely seems like that’s the destiny: sput-tering to some sad, final ending in the next few years.

The thing is, it’s in the best interest of the few people still working there in an administrative capacity — the editor-in-chief and the other top editorial positions — to drag this out as long as they possibly can. Because once this really is over, that’s it. Where else can they go?

There aren’t any more print hip-hop publica-tions, and I can’t imagine a more mainstream publication, say, a GQ, would want anything to do with someone from XXL.

2) How was your time at XXL? Do you miss it?

For having been with XXL as long as I was (a full five years) I don’t have a very strong recol-lection of that time. I mostly remember the time when I first began, which encompassed my legendary beef with Bun B, and the time when I left, in the immediate wake of a con-troversy having to do with something I wrote

about Odd Future, which may or may not be the reason why I was let go.

The time in between was kind of a blur of me pissing people off, having my work censored, phoning it in on the reg, and occasionally com-ing up with something I was really proud of.

I probably stuck around there longer than I should have, but I was in the same position the kids who are there now are in: What was I gonna do once I left? If I had it to do over again, I would have spent more time focusing on putting myself in a position where I could more easily transition to the work I’m doing now.

I probably could have been writing books as far back as ’07 or ’08, and I would have had a much larger platform from which to promote them. The only thing I really miss about working there is the check.

3) I read NaS Lost: A Tribute to The Little Homey and thought it was a really interesting read. In this book you said Nas has the “ability to make the best rap music possible, and he just doesn’t, ever” – can you break this line down in more detail?

Yeah, I think Nas realized early on that he would have to compromise his sound if he ever wanted to make any money, he did, and he hasn’t looked back ever since.

Not every single thing he’s done since Illmatic has been terrible, but I think most people would agree that he has a pretty low batting average. That commercial rap sound just doesn’t suit him.

To a certain degree, I think he realizes this, and that’s why nothing on his past few releases has been quite as egregious as some of the worst stuff on I Am and Nastradamus. Also, I think Nas is at his best when he’s got someone with him in the studio to help mold and shape his ideas and steer him away from his worst instincts.

4) You’ve said the mid-90s era rap was maybe the best time ever for the genre. What do you think it was about that era that made it so great?

Honestly, at least part of it was that I was a teen-ager at the time. But I don’t think anyone would argue that the two decades that have passed since have been the best time ever for rap music. Liter-ally, I’ve never heard someone try to argue that the ’00s or the ’10s were hip-hop’s true golden age.

The only other valid contender is the 1980s, and it’s true that I tend to give the ’80s short shrift, just because the ’90s was more my era in terms of buying, listening to and learning about music.I was around in the ’80s, but I was a young kid. Hip-hop really took off creatively in the late ’80s, from about 1987. I’d argue that it peaked, at least lyrically, with the likes of Biggie, Nas,


L

Jay-Z, Mobb Deep and Wu-Tang. Arguably, the production may have started falling off before then, with all of the sampling lawsuits.

5) Over the past couple years, the term “cultural tourist” or “culture vulture” has become more prevalent in writings about hip-hop music. How do you define those terms and what are your thoughts on it?

Damon Dash is the true authority on who and what is a culture vulture. Personally, I’d define it as, from a business perspective, someone who doesn’t have any interest in hip-hop other than how they can exploit it for their own personal financial gain, who hence looks for ways to rip people off and is not concerned with making any kind of significant investment in artist development.

From a fan perspective, it’s someone who’s into rap music just because they’re amused by black pathological behavior, who tries to argue that the worst possible rap music is actually good, and who may have honestly convinced themselves that their motives are pure, which is why they attempt to argue their point so vociferously and get so upset when they’re called on their bullshit.

6) You’ve recently published some epic, longform pieces on Medium. What is it about Medium that makes it an appealing platform?

Medium is probably the best blog software there ever was. Not that that’s saying a whole lot, when most blog software was written back in the early ’00s and hasn’t changed significantly since then, but still. The quality of the presentation is as high as anything put out by a mainstream media organization — a blog post by some random kid can look as good, if not better, than any-thing in the New York Times right now.

It’s also easier to use than most blogging software. Which seems counter intuitive: you’d think shittier blogging software would be easier to use, but no. With Medium, you just type in the text and it does the rest for you. You don’t have to sweat knowing HTML or wondering if your article will look different once it’s actually published.

7) Why not publish those on your own web-site and potentially make some money off advertising revenue? I’d imagine the Dame Dash and Dr. Dre articles would have pulled in major numbers.

When you’re dealing with the worst adver-tisers possible, as I am, you don’t get paid any extra to do big numbers. If you run a hot a post that somehow doubles traffic for the month, your check is still the same amount

as it was the month before. Any increase is viewed as some aberration that must have been a mistake, but any decrease is viewed as you fucking up, and does in fact result in a decrease in pay.

The whole thing is a scam, really.

But the real reason to publish on Medium, at least for me, is that it’s basically impossible for something on my site to go viral. People won’t link to it, because they have a problem with the content, even people involved in way more fucked up shit than I am, and you can’t read it in most schools, offices and even some entire countries.

Medium is an opportunity to expose my work to people who would never check my blog. I don’t make any money from writing there (though some people do), but I link to my books and my newsletter, and at least a few people click through.

8) Which 3 current rappers would you replace in these lyrics: “Argue all day about who’s the best MCs, Biggie, Jay-Z or Nas?”

I’m at a loss for why you would need to replace any of those guys. Biggie has been dead for upwards of 20 years now, but he was dead even when the song that quote is from came out. I don’t think there’s anyone who’s come along subsequently who’s made a case for belonging in that echelon, and I’d be interested to see who someone who’s more into current rap music than I am, i.e. almost anyone, would pick.

When Kendrick Lamar declared himself the king of New York, I think he was compar-ing himself more to the washed up, 2K13-era Jay-Z. To his credit, he was correct. He really is better than the Jay-Z of today. But here’s the thing: most people who ever rapped are better than the Jay-Z of today.

In conclusion, everyone knows the best rap group out right now is Run the Jewels. There’s a lot of other people who have the talent who just haven’t been able to put it together as well as they have. Mr. MFN eXquire, for example. He was maybe as talented as anyone to come along in the past five years or so, but his career is obviously over. Similarly, Jay Electronica signed to Roc Nation and hasn’t done shit ever since. eXquire’s entire career began and ended in the time since “Exhibit C” came out.

9) You’ve gone from a blogger to a published author – what’s next for Byron Crawford? Any ideas for new books?

The future in the short term definitely does in-volve more books. In the long run, I’m not sure what I’m gonna do. You reach a point at which you’ve published five books in two years, and

you realize that, if you continue at that pace, you will have released roughly six gozillion books over the course of your lifetime, even if you die relatively young.

It’s one of the main reasons why I’ve been focusing more on writing articles for Medium. Having said that, I did start working on another book the other day, only about two months af-ter I published Kanye West Superstar, and I’m making pretty decent progress — I just plain don’t have shit else to do, and I was getting kinda annoyed with Medium once I figured out the politics behind what gets promoted on that site and what doesn’t, who gets paid, so on and so forth.

I’ve got another 10,000-plus-word piece that I’m gonna sit on for a few weeks. As is the case with writing books, there’s no point in writ-ing an article like that every two weeks, even though I probably could. I imagine it’s gonna ruffle a few feathers in the online hip-hop community if/when I do drop it. When I started writing books, my plan was to give it five years and then reevaluate.

I was hoping to be able to make a decent living just from writing books by then, and some part of me thought maybe I’d reach that point long before then. Now I’m realizing that making that kind of money even after five years would be a miracle. If a job opportunity that didn’t involve rap music were to come along, I’d have no choice but to seriously consider and hence maybe have to give this shit up. Fortunately for the Internets, that might be the least likely thing to ever happen.

shoes


EBMAG: What’s going on Maaan?

BG: I’m good man..feeling great thanks.

EBMAG: So Let’s talk about you and your change and success on your fitness plan. How’s that going so far for you Benny?

BG: it’s going great I’m down over 100 lbs since june so I’m feeling really good.

EBMAG: What triggered you to get fit besides the music?

BG: life itself .. I have a family that I need to be around for and I was pretty much killing myself with my old eating habits so before I end up sick or something I had to make a big change in my life.

EBMAG : What is Benny Grimm workout plan consist of and diet?

BG: well right now I try to walk at least 2 to 3 miles a day and keep up with my vitamins. When it comes to diet I just stay away from sugar, carbs and overload on proteins.

EBMAG: Benny Grimm how did you get started into the music and who inspired you to become the artist you are today?

BG: well you can say I was born into hip-hop. As far back as I can remember music was always in my life. I remember my father being part of local doowop group and they would practice iN the living room on the weekends. My parents would blast all the great r&b and soul artist like AL Green, Marvin Gay, The Jackson 5 etc. Once I was old enough to hangout outside on my own I would be at the

local block party’s and the hip hop music and B-boy battles just became part of me. When i first heard kurtis blow, RunDMC, the fatboys etc i was hooked. One day I just picked up a pen and decided to try to write my own raps and I was good at it so in the 6th grade I en-tered my schools talent show with a couple of friends who rap also and we won first prize.

EBMAG: Who’s all on your team Major League Hustlaz to make this all possible for Benny Grimm?

BG: Well Major League Hustlaz started out as a hand full of local rappers from my hood The Fredrick Douglass Housing Projects and we did a few mixtapes that made a local buzz. It was when I started branching out overseas to London UK that my now Co director of Major League Hustlaz Ltd. DJ Danny Rich Believed in our music and our movement and made us an official company with distribution and eve-rything. We have a few artist involved with the company, Danny Rich is working with numer-ous artist out in the UK and I mainly work with an artist named JMELL who is a great artist and song writer.


EBMAG: Now you got a new EP out right now which is title EP1. Tell us a little about this project ?

BG: well the project is titled THE GRIMM EP 1 because it’s my first solo ep. It’s 5 songs of new music that will quench the thirst of hip hop heads that been asking for some real shit and not the garbage that’s been destroying our genre and getting all the radio play.

EBMAG: Benny you’ve done hits like 2nd 2 Nun, Benny Grimm All Stars, Suicide, and much more. What do you feel was your best hit from your catalog and why ?

BG: well let’s clear something up, 2nd 2 Nun was actually a label I was once signed to and because of dirty business I had to end that situ-ation and we’ll just leave it at that lol. Benny Grimm’s Allstars was a mixtape I put out to showcase a few of the artist I was working with at the time. Now suicide was a hit lol. That’s a really deep song, I was in a dark place at that time of my life so I wrote a dope song about it, if you get a chance to hear it you’ll love how real it is.

EBMAG : Benny have you work with any other artists thru out your music career? And if so who and on what project or projects?

BG: I’ve worked with a ton of artist locally and internationally and have hopes to work with alot more dudes from all over especially my homie from the Go (chicago) Aztec Dinero, he’s pure hip-hop right there.

EBMAG : How would you describe Benny Grimm as a artist?

BG: I’m like a breath of fresh air to hip-hop. Raw raps on killer beats and I got something for everyone even the ladies.

EBMAG: Since your of a LATIN decedent have you laid down any tracks in Spanish ?

BG: No not yet because my Spanish is kinda broken lol but never say never, if the right situ-ation comes up I just might try it.

EBMAG : What are some of your next projects that you are planning to put out for this year ?

BG: hopefully my first official album. Been in touch with some bad ass producers so after pushing this ep and doing a few videos I’m gonna start working on that album.

EBMAG : Benny Grimm Straight Outta Manhattan how does it feel to be reppen your hood ?

BG: feels great man, even outside of music I get love all around, I’m one of the older heads so I know these young dudes parents and grandparents lol I’m kinda like the mayor I walk around shaking hands and giving hugs everywhere I go lol.

EBMAG : How would you do pair your style like if any Benny?

BG: well i don’t know if my style is like any-one’s but I was definitely influenced by Biggie, Kool G Rap, Nas and Big Pun.

EBMAG : Your tracks got that real hip hop New York hit. Let me say I love it. It’s like the original form of hip hop how it once was. Who’s your producer and engineer?

BG: well I deal with alot of producers especial-ly my boy DJ Danny Rich but this ep is mostly produced by this incredible talent named Splitz Wizard dude is a beast with beats everyone should look him up.

EBMAG : How can people look Benny Grimm up to purchase and download your music from?

BG: well right now my soundcloud page is www.soundcloud.com/benny-grimm but also

find my music and anyone affiliated with Major League Hustlaz Ltd on https://majorleaguehus-tlaz.bandcamp.com/ https://soundcloud.com/majorleaguehustlaz or just search Ben-ny Grimm or Danny Rich..you can also Google me and find me all over the web. My email is [email protected] for any inquiries.

EBMAG : Wow! Benny Grimm it’s great to have you here with us. Do you have any last words you would like to say?

BG: Yeah I would like to thank you guys at El Barrio Magazine for reaching out to a brother for this issue and recognizing my hard work in my music and real life. I wanna thank everyone that supports what I do and be on the lookout for THE GRIMM EP 1 and anything from Ma-jor League Hustlaz Ltd. Dont forget to find us on juno, itunes and all other music download sites, God bless you guys and thanks again.


There are a couple of reasons you might be concerned about how much you sweat. You may sweat a normal amount and sim-ply be self-conscious about perspiration, or you may be someone who does sweat more than other people.

In most cases, excess perspiration is completely harmless and nothing to be concerned about.

Why do I sweat?Your skin is the largest organ of your body. Two of its main roles are to balance fluids and detoxify your body, and sweating aids both of these processes.

You have approximately 100 sweat glands per square inch on the surface of your body, which help to maintain the permea-bility of your skin cells. Without your sweat glands, your skin would dry out, crack, and fail in its ability to protect your body from the onslaught of harmful substances like ozone, pollutants, and temperature ex-tremes. Your skin would not remain intact without your sweat glands, and without your skin, you would simply shrivel up and die.

The human body must maintain a steady body temperature of approximately 98.6 degrees F in order to thrive and function. Your sweat glands respond to internal and external changes in temperature, and when your body registers that it needs to conserve heat, you sweat less. When it needs to cool off, you sweat more — an-other way that your sweat glands keep you alive.

My Sweating Is Bothering Me


You don’t expect to see a legend standing alone with his back to the wall as if he was nobody to be heard, but that’s what he was doing when I first saw him. Laid back “In the cut” waiting for his time on stage. Moments later fans lucky enough to be in VIP were throwing bags of green at him, quarters and halves at a time. Assuming he wanted his space before he went on stage, we wished him well and left him to it.Standing just outside VIP, we begin to smell the” herbal essence” wafting from the door. After turning back to see what was going on, we were pleasantly sur-prised to see surrounded by a cloud of

smoke, rolling papers and coughers is Devin the Dude again, not surrounded by bodyguards yelling at people to get out, but chillin’, smoking, laughing, drink-ing and conversing. Like any man with half a brain, when a fine specimen of the opposite sex walked by, he looked. If she stopped and spoke and/or smoked, he greeted her like a southern gentleman, no rush. Though a Texas legend in the eyes of many (mine included),at that moment he was just an average man, like you and me. After passing me a Fireman’s 4 while on his way to take a few behind the scenes photos, I almost forgot I was kickin’ it with “The Dude” with the southern me-lodic flow, the cat that made “Boo Boo’n” and “Lacville ’79” those southern playa classics that the hood affiliates and back-packers alike roll to and roll up to.

It was an honor to interview him earlier that day, as he told us about the new album distributed through his team so aptly named “The Coughee Brothaz.” He let us know that Independent Hip Hop is the way to go, unless you’re getting a deal with a major that’s only short term. Stay-ing Independent and still having a voice is something that young rappers have the ad-vantage of doing these days, versus what Devin had when he was coming up.

Hassan Johnson: Big Devin, what’s going down man?

Devin the Dude: Oh, man, coolly cool man. Headed to Austin[Texas]. How’s it goin’?

Hassan Johnson: Chillin’ man. You have an autograph signing coming up and a show tonight, right?

Devin the Dude: Yeah man, we’re goin’ to Mr. Nice Guy’s first man. Then ah, head on over there to Antone’s later on this evening.

Hassan Johnson: Okay, we’re gonna catch up with you over there as well. A lot of our fan base is made up of independent hip hop artists and, you know, we told them we were gonna interview you today and everybody went crazy. So they hit us with questions about how you came up in the game. They just want to hear it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.Devin the Dude: I’m originally from St. Petersburg, Florida, but I moved to Texas

in fourth grade. In third grade I was pretty much a DJ, man. I collected records. We lived in front of a radio station, WRXV, which is still there. I used to collect all the records. Every Wednesday they’d throw some records in the trash and I would go get them.

I mean I had been collecting and enjoying music and kind of writing lyrics and stuff. If they [the records] didn’t have the lyric I’d try to learn them. I’d pull the needle up and down after a sentence or a line or two you know, and write the lyrics down to the whole song. I was kind of into that for a minute. I thought that I would make a career out of it, but at the time, you know, I just enjoyed the music.

From there I went to breakdancing, man. We used to breakdance in crews, and moonwalk; we were called the moonwalk-ers in the sixth grade and then moved into breakdancing. After breakdancing I just eventually started rapping man. So that’s what we started breakdancing to.

Hassan Johnson: Why do you think your fan base is so loyal? People live and die for Devin the dude.

Devin the Dude: [humbly laughs]. Oh man. That’s good to hear man. But uh, I just appreciate music, and I love music, different kinds of music, and different kinds of artists, you know. I have different favorite, artists that I listen to, and bands, and, and solo artists and what have you. My appreciation of music, I guess it goes through the music that I make. I guess they can appreciate that.

And the weed got a lot to do with it too, you know what I’m saying?

Hassan Johnson: [laughs] That’s a good segue, man. One of our fans wanted to know what’s your favorite strain?

Devin the Dude: White widow. White wid-ow. When it’s grown properly, then, that would be my favorite. There’s so many other kinds. I mean, I, I enjoy a whole bunch and I have a lot of close seconds and thirds but white widow’s my favorite.

Devin The Dude


Why big buttocks can be bad foryour health

Health FactsThe demand for bigger buttocks in Ven-ezuela means some women will even have banned injections to achieve them, putting their health at risk. It is with tears in her eyes that Denny recounts how she woke up one day to find a bump the size of a football in her lower back. She could not walk or bend down, and the pain was intense. Even before she saw a doctor, Denny, a 35-year-old Venezuelan lawyer, knew the bump must be a side-effect of liquid silicone that had been injected in her buttocks. It had moved into her back and was putting pressure on her spine. “It was a terrible shock. I couldn’t walk. That’s how my agony started,” she says. Buttock injections are one of many common cosmetic procedures Venezuelan women undergo to achieve what society deems to be beautiful. The injections were banned by the government in 2012, six years after Denny had them. But the practice continues in spite of the ban. Up to 30% of women between 18 and 50 choose to have these injections, according to the Venezue-lan Plastic Surgeons Association. Men also get injected to boost their pectoral muscles, though the numbers are lower. No barriersThe injections are made using a biopolymer silicone. The fact that this is injected freely into the body makes it more dangerous than implants, where silicone gel is contained within a shell. The big attraction is that they are much cheaper than implants. An injection can cost as little as 2000 bolivares (£191, $318) and the whole procedure doesn’t take more than 20 minutes. But the risks are incredibly high. “The silicone can migrate into other areas of the body, because it doesn’t have any barriers. The body can also react immunologically against a foreign material, creating many problems,” says Daniel Slobodianik, a cosmetic surgeon. He adds that symptoms can appear years after the procedure. Patients can suffer from allergic reactions and chronic fatigue. If the liquid migrates to other areas of the body it can cause intense joint pain. In Denny’s case, the silicone moved up into her back, putting painful pressure on her spine and making it difficult to walk. But to some ex-tent she was lucky. Figures are unclear, but the Venezuelan Plastic Surgeons Association fear that at least a dozen women die every year from these injections. Dr Slobodianik is only one of two specialists in the country who operate to remove tissue affected by the injections. He says he has a long waiting list, and Denny had to wait for a year until she could get the surgery. Many cannot even afford to be operated, because the surgery alone costs around 60,000 bolivares. “Perfect measurements” Hours before the delicate surgery, Denny explains that she prefers to withhold her full name because some of her family members don’t know why she got ill. They think she has a back problem - which

I Love My BIG BUTT


is also what she thought for years, before the bump appeared. She says she would have not taken the same decision if she had been aware of the risks. “There was a boom. In the office all the women had such nice buttocks. The last straw was when a judge I work with walked in, looking good. Her buttocks looked like two balloons, they were so beautiful,” she says.“I was never obsessed with perfect measure-ments, but then I let myself be dragged along by the idea that Venezuelan women should look like Barbie dolls.” Venezuelans have won Miss Universe seven times, giving the country a reputation as a factory of beauty queens.“Self-esteem” According to Carolina Vazquez Hernandez, a counsellor specialising in women’s issues, societal pressure is huge here - even more so than in other countries. “We Ven-ezuelan women don’t have a clear identity of our roots. Because of this lack of identity, our self-esteem is very weak, and we are able to subject ourselves to anything that will develop our self-esteem,” says Ms Vazquez Hernandez.Astrid de la Rosa agrees. She is one of the leading campaigners of the No to Biopolymers association, a non-profit organisation set up to offer support to victims of silicone injections.She says she decided to undergo the procedure herself because her partner was about to leave her. “I thought that a person will love you because of the way you look,” she says.Shortly after, she started feeling sick. Doctors said her immune system had been affected and diagnosed her with leukaemia. The government ban on biopolymer injections was partly thanks to the work of the No to Biopolymer associa-tion. But Ms de la Rosa says it is not enough.“Where is the help for us?” She says she still receives weekly calls from women who get injected, even though it is now illegal.“It is not a matter or gender or social class. Women and men do it, there are politicians, actors that have done it,” she says. “Where is the help for us?” While the government has banned biopolymer injections because of their health risk, insurance companies do not cover any costs for remedial treatment, because they don’t recog-nise the side-effects of the injections as an ill-ness. Ms de la Rosa says her organisation often collects money to help victims pay for surgery.Denny managed to finance the surgery with her own savings, but money is not on her mind at the moment. Lying face down in her bed after the surgery, she knows it will take her three weeks until she has finally recovered, and the scar will remain forever. She is also aware that the silicone may still affect her in the future.However, she hopes that her tragic experience can at least serve as a warning for women con-sidering having the injections - and help them learn to accept their bodies for what they are.


Hip-hop and rap foursome, Notes to Self, are known for their witty lyrics in-terwoven with catchy beats to make for great and successful songs that have a distinct way to resonate with you for a long time. The critically and fan-praised group have recently released their Tar-get Market [Recoil] on February 26th via indie label, Decon Records. We chatted with Bronze One of Notes, who’s also had quite a bit of success as a solo artist and continues to perfect his craft with and without his bandmates. He spoke of he and his band’s success, going solo and collaborating with his Notes family, and much more. Check out what he had to say:

All of you guys are successful in your own way, with interesting and unique back-grounds. How did you all come together?

Bronze: Good people find good people. We were all young and hungry, trying to make our own brands of rap music here- the circle in Toronto is a small one, and we were out there trying to make an impression. We all just hap-pened to wanna make our mark outside of Toronto, together.

How did you become involved in music altogether?

Bronze: My father is a professional mu-sician- My mother is an entertainment marketer. I was born into it.

You have released albums solo and with Notes to Self; what do you like about col-laborating, as well as the solo process?

Bronze: Collaborating is absolutely everything to me. There is nothing like a good idea that can be a great idea. To


have a second, third and fourth ear is essential to the way I create and push myself. I am a very forward thinking person- ex-tremely creative-at least I’d like to think so- my ideas usually start on my own, but once unleashed on multiple ears and eyes to reference, sky’s the limit. Solo is a great starting place if you need time to meditate & capture your own mind’s eye, but take that to a group of smart peers who are eager to think tank. And there is usually no better feeling as a result. Expansion. Solo is essential in your growth, it likely always will be, but collaborating for me spawns a creative force so essential in this competitive world (of creatives) that it drives a different beast; one that bleeds survival. I am a realist. We need each other to survive in this business.

How do you think the musical background of Toronto has shaped you andNotes to Self’s music?

Bronze: We are definitely products of Toronto’s scene. But, I am not limited to it. It’s kept us on our toes, but it did keep me secretive and afraid to share our music at times, no doubt. Toronto does not forgive, yet we have found it at times to be careless here- which can be both good and bad, but that’s likely us, not the scene. Just us being too careful, perhaps-limiting catalogues as a result. Kids these days have changed that-We’d say it’s a freer place to experiment with art & music, and we whole-heart-edly except & support this change. It’s about time. We hope we’ve contributed to this change 10-fold with our art.

Notes to Self are critically and fan praised for originality with music and lyrics. What contributes to that and what are you guys’ influences?

Bronze: Toronto, our families, our history, our struggles; we mess with everything from great filmmakers & for-ward thinkers like PT Anderson & Spike Jonze to great rappers & musicians, like Drake & Pat Matheny.

What’s in the future for Notes to Self and for you?

Bronze: Even though many don’t realize Notes has been putting in work interna-tionally for a little while now, we’re re-ally just getting started here in Canada- but I want Notes to come out of this on top. Who wouldn’t want their family to make an impact & eat? As for me, I have many different aspirations pulling

me in multiple directions; with working experiences to back them. Producer, creative director, director & designer- visuals are also extremely important to me- and I am part of a team of some of the most talented people who do all of the above with me. I recognize that everyday. Partnerships with a select few that know who they are, that make me feel blessed to be creating regularly the way I do. I want Notes & our coun-terparts to have a real future as much as I want my own musical career with my production partner book to take off, and to run with the best of them- be-cause the book & Bronze brand is hub for so many artistic visions under one umbrella. We’re in good hands and the future is bright. Thanks for asking.

Fun Questions:

Who was your first concert, and do you have a favorite?

Bronze:

First concert:

Michael Jackson- Victory Tour in like ‘84, I think. I was brand new and I think I was asleep for most of it, super young, but can still picture the opening number cus it scared the s*** out of me re: Thriller.

What was your first album on CD, cassette and/or vinyl?

Bronze: Moms was in the industry= new/free s*** all the time. Crates were mine as much as they were hers. Eve-rything from Prince to Whodini LP’s & 12”s. As for compact discs, the first one that was actually all mine was likely Maestro Fresh Wes’ Symphony In Ef-fect. Before that, Copping Gangstarr’s Step In The Arena & Brand Nubian’s One For All on cassettes, were the first real purchases on my own accord, that didn’t show up at the house.

What are five albums and/or bands you wouldn’t want to live without?

Bronze: Very tough question. I’ll give you one that always remains in my top 5 and hasn’t left my top 5 since Febru-ary 7, 2001:

Jay Dee * Welcome 2 Detroit

Do you have a guilty musical or TV pleas-ure?

Bronze: I hate to admit that it fell off, but the last 4 seasons of Entourage. I’ll

still dive right in on a re-run like it was first season, though. For real.

Is there any music out there that makes you cringe?

Bronze: I wouldn’t know it by name, I pay no mind. Everyone’s got their own hustle- I hear what I might think is gar-bage on the radio in the car from time to time, but it never stays on long enough to make me really cringe and take note of why I’m cringing.

Thanks so much for the opportunity


Just as the reality began to sink in that Andre 3000 might not come back in the game, along came Raury. The Stone Mountain, GA native and 2015 XXL Freshman is a very good bohemian artist who blends several musical genres that include hip-hop among them, and he is quite original, but there’s no getting away from his sonic resemblance to the Outkast member, even if that’s not what he should be most known for. On Friday, Oct. 16, the Indigo Child rapper, singer and guitarist surprise-released his studio debut al-bum, All We Need, with Columbia Records, just when we all need an inner state of zen in our livesThe lovingly smooth production on the album borrows from indie, soul, folk and alternative rock for a soothing backdrop that couples well with Raury’s intimately con-scious words. He starts by being genuinely concerned for the wellbeing of Black Ameri-cans but extends his outreach by criticizing the demons of the modern world overall. Taking a stance that straddles the borderline between empowerment and victimization, Raury brings up some valid points indeed, even if he fails to mention some of the good in civilization’s loosing battle, but as the CD moves along, he generally becomes more happy and content, subsequently shedding his rap characteristic completely in the last three tracks.

In “All We Need,” love is the answer for Raury within a sick, twisted system where the odds are stacked up against him and his people, and as if on purpose, the Outkast fandom comes out front and center in “Forbidden Knowledge” as Big K.R.I.T. plays an unmistakable Big Boi angle next to the Andre 3K in Raury. He reminisces about past good times in “Wood-crest Manor II” (there’s the happiness coming out), and RZA of all people kicks a verse in the “CPU” love song. The rest plays out exactly the way the non-hip-hop Raury would want now that he’s hooked us in with the fancy flow-work of the first half.

Even as he tries to go out purely on notes of peace, love and happiness, Raury still can’t get away from obligations. This pull would explain the necessity for his “Trap Tears” ode to the crying ghetto and his “Mama” letter stating how he is a warrior in life’s never ending fight (the latter begins by sounding like it might be a remake of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”). As a rapper, Raury is good, but if he were to rap for an hour straight without the warm alter-native hippy-springboard to fall back on, he might risk being called an overt ripoff of Mr. Andre Benjamin, and that’s exactly how he’s been able to pull off All We Need, by singing caressively for half the time. An interesting free spirit, Raury does more good than harm on All We Need, but his carefree, floating moves make him a figure one would be more com-pelled to watch than follow. By Alex Dionisio

Raury


Dj Big Juice sparks this year wearing the All American classic Adidas sport collection with a pair of original mid-cut high tops deco-rated in red, white and blue


Artist Song 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.6.7.

8.9.10.

Tha Sire

Freddie Wayne

Young Celeb

Og Rome

Badhabit

Skar

Lele

Benny Grimm

Nikia

Tone Trickin For Treats

The Drug Song

Work

Power

Demonz

Dogghabit Summer

Life Is Hard

Swimming Fishes

Jockin

They Say I Say

On The Come UP 1.

2.3.4.

iLL Methods

Alex Yariel

ThaKiid

Gelo

Life Is Hard

Life Is Hard

Flexin

Sex Sounds

Albums


Artist Song 5.6.7.

Charlie Muscle

Delon Adams

Randy B. Assasson

PSA2: Two Minute Fire Drill

Hold Up Roll Up

Bangin

Message BoardGet your music or single on the Top 10 BillboardChart with your music and music video promotedfor 1 week $100.00 promoted over 100k Facebook, Insta-gram, Twitter and YouTube . Submit to [email protected] 1 mp3, Artwork, and video link with social media links


EBMAG: How did you start off getting into the modeling industry?

Vaniti: I got into modeling actually by mistake, I went to a shoot with an ex friend when I was 18 and the photographer took some pictures of me and I ended up taking my ex friends modeling gif and started sell-ing posters from those pictures.

EBMAG: When did you get your first break?

Vaniti: At 18

EBMAG: Can you remember?

Vaniti: Yes it was by accident but the best accident of my life

EBMAG: How did your modeling career change your life?

Vaniti Have had the pleasure of meeting some amazing photographers and some seriously bad ass models and I love being in front of the camera so my confidence is obviously pretty good.

EBMAG: What was your most hardcore photo shoot you have shot?

Vaniti: I did an S&M 50 shades shoot which was bad ass. Where? The photogra-pher actually came to my house and make it look as if I was hanging from the ceiling, it was pretty cool.

EBMAG: What made you decide to get into the modeling business?

Vaniti: I got hooked from the first shoot, after that there was no turning back and I think that I have a pretty marketable look.

EBMAG: Do you consider modeling be-ing a risky career?

Vaniti: Not really because it only take believing in your self and having the confi-dence to know your worth and not give up.

EBMAG: What makes you different than the other women in the modeling industry?

Vaniti: I’m experienced so I have a pretty good idea what sells and I respects a photographers vision and try and go above and beyond of what is expected of me, I think outside the box and love different and crazy shoots.

EBMAG: Have you appeared in any mu-sic videos or other magazines?

Vaniti: Yes. EBMAG: What were they?Vaniti: I actually have been published in Starchildsworlds magazine, WCWs first issue Thyke Magazine, Succoso Magazine and im supposed to appear in a few more.

EBMAG: What were you doing before you got into the modeling business making a career out of it?

Vaniti: Well I actually also own my own cake baking and decorating business, and I also have a degree in psychology.

EBMAG: Are you involve with anyone at this time or married?

Vaniti: I am recently divorced

EBMAG: Is there anything you would do differently in your past that might have affected your present success?

Vaniti: No. I am actually happy with the way things have progressed.

EBMAG: How difficult is it being a model and trying to make a statement being a new face?

Vaniti: To me it all depends on your confi-dence and how you see yourself, in order to stand out you need to think outside the box and be better than the next model so that you could be remembered and wanted again.

EBMAG: What do models go through behind the scenes, and the hours that is put into the photo shoot?

Vaniti: My shoots are always fun, to me it does not matter how long a shoot takes as long as the photographers vision is realized I also like to give my input on the shoots and try to give the photographers more than what they expected.

EBMAG: Has there ever been a day that you were not feeling the surrounding or the photo shoot.

Vaniti: No. I have been very lucky, every photographer I have worked with so far has been nothing but professional to me and have made me feel as comfortable as possible.

EBMAG: How often do you working out?

Vaniti: I actually work out 3 times a week but I waist train every night

EBMAG: Are there any special diet your

on or required?

Vaniti: No I eat everything because I like to keep my weight up but I think portion control is very important.

EBMAG: Have you ever worked outside of the country if so where?

Vaniti: No I have not even though I have been offered jobs in Puerto Rico, Mexico and the Dominican Republic

EBMAG: What type of advice you can tell girls that looking to get into the modeling business as a career?

Vaniti: Don’t give up on yourself and never sell yourself short, know your worth and never do anything you don’t feel comfort-able with.


Nam

e: VanityA

ge: 34Locations C

ountry or State: New

JerseyB

ody size: 34D 25 39

Background / R

ace: Dom

nicanR

eligion: noneO

ther Talents: Cake B

aking and D

ecoratingYou’re Favorite Foods: every-thingW

hat you like to do as a hobby: I like to read, w

atch movies and

just chillTell us a little about yourself I am

actually a homebody, I like

to be home w

ith my daughters

and I love to just chill, I don’t like dram

a and I am huge on

respect, I expect respect at all tim

es and give respect where

its due. I also believe that everything in life happens for a reason.


benny grimm october issue 2015

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