Today is my 25th and in celebration, I did a birthday photoshoot over the weekend. My younger sister(@yea.cuzicare) did the shoot and I edited the photos. This look is accidentally classic. I didn't realize how tightly curled my hair would be or how vintage the dress would look but it all came together beautifully. The spaghetti strap velvet dress is from Forever 21 and the suede heels with feather detail are from GoJane.com, paired together for a cute and affordable outfit. The concept for the shoot is a combination of classy and some of my favorite things. I am a fall baby so the backdrop of Highland Park was perfect. My props are a handful of cameras belonging to me and my family, exemplifying my passion for film and photography.
Kearmonie: The spoken word album is a journey through my heart and mind with personal accounts of love, family, oppression, and womanism. There is also a lot of cussin’. It is available for streaming via my website http://kearmonie.com/poetry and SoundCloud.
This little grey dress is one of my favorite H&M finds. Also, it has pockets! For this breezy 70 degree weather day, I paired this dress with fleece lined stockings from UO and leather heeled boots with buckle detail from H&M, as it may rain tonight. This is a simple fall outfit considering the warmth we have been experiencing.
The emerging Brooklyn songstress released her latest project "Cycle" on October 20th. Ella René’s "Cycle" is just that. We are taken on a journey that can easily be experienced over and over again and trust me you would want to. Of course, she's giving Sza, she gives Sia, very contemporary, very what’s hot in the streets right now. But there’s no need for comparisons here Ella presents her own sound and style off the bat. You fall in love with her along with the music and her mellifluous, sultry voice. Listeners ride the waves of her melodies as long as the ups and downs of what seems to be a juicy situationship that seems to have run its course. “Cycle” puts love in a Petri dish and allows listeners to examine the feat of romance. My favorite so far is “Dangerous” on which she claims “I don’t wanna do this anymore, loving you was Dangerous”. An ultimate declaration of “nigga, you need to go”. I’m sure many of us have been there. The feels like a precautious dismissal, not necessarily a breakup but certainly a goodbye after a meaningful epiphany.
“Things happened so fast,
we forgot to hit the breaks”.
Each track flows along the same narrative seamlessly. "Cycle" in its entirety feels like a short film, though one-sided. I’m not even sure if I want to hear the other side of this story. This tape left me full and quite satisfied. "Cycle" is sexy, beautiful, and fun. Now available for streaming on Apple Music and Tidal.
Today's look is brought to you by this very cold Fall weather. It is 50 degrees here in NYC. I am wearing a long red forever 21 dress, with an American Apparel knit sweater for some layering, my Members Only jacket from UO and black suede Chelsea boots. and of course, I have my UO blanket scarf for when the temperature drops tonight.
Well not as of yet, "Love Beats Rhymes" formerly known as "Coco" is set to be released In select theaters December 1st. Having been filmed here in New York City during the summer of 2015, the status of this film's release has been unclear since its original set date March of last year(2016) up until now. I remember hearing rumors of this film's production during the spring of 2015 when it seemed the RZA was scoping out talent, and ultimately production during the summertime; I am very excited this film will finally be available to the public. Speculation of the film being shelved altogether certainly crossed anxious minds as Banks faced a lot of controversy through numerous "Twitter beefs".
"Love Beats Rhymes" follows a young Femmecee on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to do something more profound and significant with her music. She goes back to school, makes new friends, and is introduced to the world of Spoken Word/Slam Poetry. Through poetry, she learns how to be more expressive and ultimately how to be a better MC. Jill Scott plays the poetry professor at school, College of Staten Island, Common plays the host at the poetry spot, Nuyorican Poets Café, and Lucien Laviscount is the love interest who exposes Coco to the Poetry Slam scene. This film looks to be much like titles such as "You Got Served", "Stomp The Yard", and "How She Move"; except this time it is about Hip-Hop and poetry, and will hopefully be much better than "How She Move". It also highlights the notion that Rap is Poetry, and Poetry is a big part of Hip-Hop culture; overall dope.
This look is stylish and straightforward, similar to an outfit I've worn before but this time with a little pop. The Shoes! My embroidered mules are brought to you by GoJane.com and are the center piece of this look. I finish it off with my signature head wrap for more fashionable simplicity. Forever 21 jeans, an Urban Outfitters Bodysuit, and a thrifted blazer; easy as 123.
My beloved Scott Mescudi is in town for the New York leg of his Passion, Pain, & Demon Slayin' tour performing mainly songs from his latest album of that title. Here's my look for the show. I wore a lacy/floral mini skit from Forever 21, faux-garter fishnet tights from Urban Outfitters, my all time fave matte black Doc Martens also from UO, and of course my KiD CuDi T-shirt, which I've had for years, from Hot Topic. I was channeling all Alt/Punk/Emo CuDi vibes for this outfit, but certainly stayed true and kept it comfortable.
For the past week I have been prepping for this concert, not only by listening to Cudder's entire discography but by creating and 18" x 24" potrait of Scott himself on canvas using Acrylic paint. I was able to give my painting to Scott which was one of the greatest moments of my life. See below:
The show overall was such a breathtaking, out-of-body, spiritually awakening experience; at Central Park's Summerstage. Though it is not summer anymore concert goers were luckily met with 80+ degree weather, which felt even warmer while standing amongst a huge crowd. I arrived about 4 hours before "doors open"and there were already what looked like 100 people ahead of me. I was able to maneuver through the crowd and made a whole group of new friends with a bunch of strangers, who I eventually became disconnected from while flooding the concert area when gates were finally opened. The line, or just the huge crowd of people along the path leading up to summer stage, was a rather notable pastime as folks had speakers blasting CuDi's greatest as well as other dope music, and there were other fans to just chat with of course. Fans came out with all kinds of CuDi gear whether it was his custom Bape t-shirt, which he actually wore as well, or tour shirts from previous albums. When the gates opened it was the biggest sigh of relief. The sun's heat met with hours of waiting met with hundreds of people in small space cause a few fans to pass out, they were helped immediately by staff and eventually individuals were asking to be carried out of the crowd just because it was too much. I was able to get upfront but to the very far right being that there were so many people ahead of me. Pushing and shoving were not foreign concepts to this crowd, as soon as Scott came out on to the stage the crowd went crazy. I had my painting with me in my portfolio and was forced to hold it over my head. I eventually was pushed directly to the front up against the barricade and held it on the other side of the barricade for the rest of the show. When CuDi came down to see us all I was pushed so hard my ribs and hipbones felt bruised, however I wouldn't want it any other way.
The stage had a jungle theme with green trees and leaves everywhere, while we were waiting smoke started to fill the stage, throughout the show the lights were the most important aspect with CuDi being lit from all sides and different lighting arrangements for each song, each vibe, each mood. At one point foam was falling from the top of the stage as if it were snowing, and the smoke was going throughout the entire show. Visually we were transported into a different world, you can only imagine what aura the music brought with it. CuDi's energy is so high, open, and free; seeing him live was an experience like no other. As many know, the last we heard from The Lonely Stoner publicly was late last year when he announced he will be checking into rehab for his widely known Depression, and Suicidal Ideation. He has not been active on social media ever since, nor necessarily in the limelight. This was his return. Having spent some time living NYC on the eve of his career, he said he felt like he was back home. The show was the warmest of welcomes. He not only performed some hits from the latest album, he also blessed us with the classics while dancing, smiling, laughing and jumping around the whole time. It was so good to see him truly happy and to feel his energy.
He opened with "Baptized in Fire" the breakout single from "Passion, Pain, & Demon Slaying", with what was one the most explosives entrances. He went on to perform a song I assumed he would usually open with, "REVOFEV" from his second studio album "Man on The Moon Part II: The Legend of Mr. Rager". There is no doubting the energy in that space, it was non-stop, RAGE all the way through, no down time. Other singles from the album he performed include, "Frequency", "Releaser", "By Design", "Kitchen", and "Rose Golden". He threw in some throwbacks, such as "CuDi Zone" and "Pursuit of Happiness" from his debut album "Man on The Moon: The End of Day". He also brought out a surprise guest, his good friend/Day 1, King Chip to perform both "Just What I Am" and "Brothers" from CuDi's fourth studio album Indicud. I was screaming the entire time. He ended with the closer and arguably best track on his latest album, "Surfin'". Towards the end of the song there is a break which is reminiscent of African music with CuDi harmonizing, he took that time to jump off stage and greet his fans. This is when he came down to see my painting and I was able to tell him it was for him and he took it. This was such a surreal moment, I still cannot believe it happened. I was recording a video on my phone while he was performing surfing and I was still recording when he came down. Here's a video clip of the moment.
Here's another outfit for this week! A change in occupation has really affected my wardrobe for two main reasons, !. I no longer work at UO (buh-bye discount), and 2. I now work at a school(Hello Business Causal). This look is also brought to you by H&M, with the floral print dress I grabbed for only $5 ! and paired with American Apparel faux suede/patent leather oxfords. A very comfortable outfit for quite a warm day, I also brought out the red lips for today's 80 degree weather!
This Fall feels a bit like summer's leftovers, since solstice we've had mid to high 70 degree weather once it reaches high noon here in NYC, however the temperature drop is quite prevalent. Today we have a high of 71 degrees and a low of 57. As someone who works in a school during the afternoon/evening I have to be mindful of both the dress code (business casual) and the impending cool whether I will be met with come 7pm.
Today's look is brought to you primarily by H&M as I am wearing a long-sleeved grey dress, paired with Forever 21 boots, complete with a Banana Republic trench coat, and 99 cent stockings. This outfit is simple, appropriate, just warm enough and cute.
Today is my 25th and in celebration, I did a birthday photoshoot over the weekend. My younger sister(@yea.cuzicare) did the shoot and I edited the photos. This look is accidentally classic. I didn't realize how tightly curled my hair would be or how vintage the dress would look but it all came together beautifully. The spaghetti strap velvet dress is from Forever 21 and the suede heels with feather detail are from GoJane.com, paired together for a cute and affordable outfit. The concept for the shoot is a combination of classy and some of my favorite things. I am a fall baby so the backdrop of Highland Park was perfect. My props are a handful of cameras belonging to me and my family, exemplifying my passion for film and photography.
