men's fashion + entertainment + fitness +

bleumagazine.com

ISSUE 30 bleumagazine.com

style Watch 2014

NAACP Image Award Nominee

Lawrence Saint-Victor

Side Effects of Success pg 38

Portland Trailblazers’

Thomas Robinson

Nick Cannon

DO YOU BEDLOO?

www.bedloo.com

bleu magazine

Contents

2

12 It’s Me, It’s YoU…AmerICAN HusTle & ASCAP'S 5th AnnUAl GrAmmy nomInEE BrUnCh

14 tHe 20StylE mAvErICkS to wAtCh In 2014

16 GAGDetsPArty of onE

18 rIDeChEvy CEntEnnIAl

24 BoDYGIvE mE A BEAt

26 GrooMInGtIE-InG thE knot

28 FUeLBlEU EAtS rEd

34 trAVeLlEt'S CoASt: A SoUth AfrICAn joUrnEy

38 oP-eD: whEn yoU wIn, yoU loSE

40 ArtFUL LIVInG:VICtorIA ForDPhoto roAdIE

44 trenD AVe.SEASon PICkS

56 FAsHIon: tHoMAs roBInsonfIndS hIS nIChE In fAShIon

62 FeAtUre: CHArLes

MICHAeL DAVIsrevAmPEd

64 sPotLIGHt: BrenDAn DooLInGdoolInG'S joUrnAl

65 sPotLIGHt: DJ ZeKe tHoMAsSPInnInG And wInnInG

72 FeAtUre: McKInLeY FreeMAndoES It All

74 ProFILetwo tEnorS And A BArAtonE

78 FAsHIon:LAwrenCe sAInt-VICtordAytImE tElEvISIon'SnEw lEAdInG mAn

84 sCoreSPortS roUndUP

86 on tHe rIseroUnd two

88 MAnCAVehIt thE SloPES

91 ICon: roBert townsenD tInSEltown ShUfflE

FEATURES50 nICK CAnnon

moGUl In thE mAkInG

66 LIL MAMAmorE thAn lIPGloSS

CoVer storY: nick cannon

bleumagazine.com 3

bleumagazine.com@bleumagazine

fashion health culture entertainment interviews

bleu magazine4

MAstHeAD

on the cover: nick Cannon Photography by Elton AndersonStyled by Ugo mozieGrooming by kase Glenn

Bleulife Media & Entertainment Inc. | 262 West 38th Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10018 | E-Mail: info@bleulife.com | Online: bleulife.comPrinted in the USA. Opinions expressed by advertisers, columnists, feature writers or other contributors are not necessarily the opinions of Bleu Magazine or its staff.

All advertisements, photographs, text or illustrations are published with the understanding that the advertisers are fully authorized to have secured proper consent for the use thereof. Bleu Magazine shall not be held responsible for any errors, loss, expense or liabilities on advertisements accepted after the deadline. Publication of the name or photograph of any

person or advertisement in Bleu Magazine is not to be constructed as an indication of sexual orientation of such persons, advertiser or organization. Partial or complete reproduction of an advertisement, news article, feature or photograph from Bleu Magazine is strictly prohibited as Bleu Magazine is a registered trademark. A $25 or 1.5% (whichever is greater)

fee will be charged for all NSF checks. All rights reserved.

teAM BLeU

Publisher & Creative Director

dévon Christopher johnson

info@bleulife.com

editor

rae holliday

Managing editor

reginald larkin

reginald@bleulife.com

Art Director

nia Blackmon

Digital Content Manager

Erica vain

ericavain@bleulife.com

Fashion editor-At-Large

Alishia Crutchfield

Apuje kalu

Grooming editor

Cantaanda j

Fashion Market editor

Chris Sandford

chris@bleulife.com

Brand Coordinator

Carlotta harrington

Assistant to the Publisher

Gary dickson

gary@bleulife.com

Contributing editors

terrell Allen, regi Booker, larrsye Brown,

owen duckett, dorielle jackson,

Patrick neree, Shawn thomas

Contributing writers

jasmine Aspinall, kiara Gillette, kirsten lewis,

kent olden, Gary thomas, oj williams,

lamont wilson

Contributing Photographers

Elton Anderson, nina duncan, Shameer khan,

Evan lanes, keith major, mike miller, dex rob

Interns

Ebony Allison, yvette Brown, Antonio jackson,

yisreal richardson, Edric robinson

tHe BLeULIFe GroUP

Chairman, Ceo & President

dévon Christopher johnson

Account Managers

todd Evans @rivendell media

908.232.2021

kenyon Clemons

917.500.1331

advertise@bleulife.com

Media relations

janelle langford @Suite Pr

janelle@suitepublicrelations.com

Integrated Brand Partnerships

kim j. ford @Brand whisperer

973.580.4476

kford@brand-whisperer.com

Brand Marketing Manager

Cheryl Singleton @Circa2001

cheryl@circa2001.com

Legal & Business Affairs

thomas j. wilson, Esq

Golenbock Eisman Assor Bell & Peskoe llP

Accounting

Aaron t. Smyle

Smyle & Associate, llC

newsstand Distribution

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212.705.4627

submissions

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bleumagazine.com

PUBLIsHer's Letter

5

"Lost ones" by Lauren Hill

Can't slick talk on the day of judgment. Your

movement's similar to a serpent. Tried to

play straight, how your whole style bent?

Consequence is no coincidence. Hypocrites

always want to play innocent. Always want

to take it to the full out extent. Always want

to make it seem like good intent. Never want

to face it when it's time for punishment. I

know that you don't wanna hear my opinion.

But there come many paths and you must

choose one. And if you don't change then

the rain soon come. see you might win some

but you just lost one.

If your 2013 were anything like mine, then this new year was welcomed with open arms. thirteen

has always had a negative reputation. It is most often depicted in horror movies, especially when

it falls on a friday. things weren’t has terrifying as a night in the woods with jason chasing you,

but it did have many challenges.

for me, the lessons learned last year have limitless value. what I discovered about friends, family,

business relationships and myself, will forever stay with me. People have a funny way of showing

who the really are.

my charge to you [and me] is to take these lessons and press forward. don’t let last year’s head-

aches weigh you down. “let go and let God,” as my grandmother says. there are simply some

things you have shrug off as badges of honor.

look ahead with the BlEU team for an amazing year. we have so many exciting experiences for

you, the reader, in store.

As you do with every issue, sit back, relax and enjoy your BlEU.

DéVon Christopher Johnson

@devonisbleu

PHoto BY eLton AnDerson

bleu magazine6

eDrIC roBInson Writer

1. What I'm jamming to: counting

stars by one republic (its an ear

worm)

2. If you weren't writing you

would be? Doing anything that

allows me to travel all the time.

3. Favorite interview moment:

hanging out with a former suda-

nese slave with an inspiring story,

keer Deng, singing along to a

selena Gomez song during a car

ride in massachusetts.

4. What is your social media

handle? @smartear

JAsMIne AsPInALL Writer

1. Where else have we seen your

work? ViBe/ViBe Vixen magazines

and the Jasmine Brand.

2. Who is your celebrity spirit an-

imal? the oh so wonderful tracee

ellis ross. she's beautiful, quirky

and hilarious! (check out her insta-

gram page) i like that she doesn't

seem to take herself too seriously

which is exactly me because i'll

forever be 15 at heart.

3. Favorite fashion trend: Give

me a good flannel shirt , a pair of

dirty chuck taylor's,

some fashion-

able sweat-

pants and i'm

set!

4. What is

your social media

handle? eh, i should up the ante

on my social media but it's

@iheartjas

ContrIBUtors

KIrsten LewIs Writer

1. What is your favorite quote?

“The only thing worse than being

blind is having sight and no vision”

– helen keller

2. Who is your

celebrity Spirit

Animal? Gwen

stefani (confi-

dent, girly

with an edge,

creative)

3. Whats on your Blog Roll? ne-

colebitchie.com, abelleinbrooklyn.

com, sofurious.com, madisonave-

nuespy.blogspot.com,

4. What is your social media

handle? iG: kayLova

twitter: @kayLova27

Kent oLDen Writer

1. What I'm jamming to: "Slow

down / grab the wall / wiggle like

you tryina make dat ass fall off..."

sage the Gemini's "Gas Pedal" has

been stuck in my head for a while.

the Worker Beys keep buzzing in

my ear about "Drunk in Love" and

"Partition," but i can't bring myself

to listen to it until it's not so popu-

lar anymore (i'm weird...it's fine).

2. Where else have we seen your

work? celebrity stylist tim B.'s

fashion site epikstyle.com (i wrote

his bio), and the kappa alpha Psi

Journal.

3. If you weren't writing, you

would be? a doctor. i majored

in biochemical engineering in

high school, and came danger-

ously close to getting a

pharmacy degree after

college, but i

studied public

relations

instead. my

aP Biology

teacher is

actually the

one who told me to consider

writing as a career.

4. What is your social media

handle? on instagram and twitter

i'm @theoldenDaZe (because this

is how i see the world...)

bleumagazine.com

eDItor's Letter

7

PHoto BY nAJ wAreHAM

“Feeling Good” by nina simone

Birds flyin' high, you know how I feel. sun in

the sky, you know how I feel. Breeze driftin'

on by, you know how I feel. It's a new dawn,

it's a new day, it's a new life for me. Yeah, it's

a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for

me, And I'm feelin' good.

If you wait till everything "feels" right, it will never happen. If you wait till you're in a great mood,

that could actually take forever. And If you're waiting for a sign, you probably missed it because

you're too busy waiting on the first two. the bottom line? make it happen.

this issue is dedicated to those who have put their feelings aside and pushed to be the absolute

best! those artist, designers & entrepreneurs who never gave up, starting with our cover guy!

Set that alarm clock and when it goes off, take flight. you see, life is not about how you "feel" it's

about what you do, so put your feelings on the table, and get to work! like, now, your future will

thank you later.

rae Holliday

@raeholliday

bleu magazine8

American Hustle

special screening

After Party Los Angeles, CA

December 3, 2013

Director David O. russell, Jeremy renner and Amy Adams

Amy Adams and sony Pictures entertainment Co-Chairman Amy Pascal

eli roth and lorenza IzzoJohn singleton and Jeremy renner

eli roth and Director/Producer/Writer David O. russell

Its Me, Its YoU, Its BLeU

bleumagazine.com

seCtIon ArtICLe tItLe

9

AKoo Clothing Co. Pop-Up at AsCAP's

5th Annual Grammy nominee Brunch

Beverly Hills, CA

January 25, 2014

Julianne moore and Chloe Grace moretz

VP of marketing for AKOO Clothing Co. sabai Burnett and T.I.

T.I.Guests at the 5th Annual AsCAP Grammy Brunch

Actor, AlBe Black, eileen Arias, AKOO Clothing Co. Pr, and AKOO Clothing Co. Co-Founder and Grand Hustle CeO, Jason Geter

AsCAP VP, rhythm & soul/urban Nicole George-middleton and Ne-YO

tHe 20

10

Best Dressed Men of 2013

001

Amaré

Stoudemire

002

Big

Sean

003

Idris

Elba

004

tyson

Chandler

005

jay

Ellis

006

Eric

west

007

Pharrell

williams 008

George

Clooney

2013 proved to be the year of the peacock as men everyone embraced their

inner satorialist. Whether he is on the red carpet or strutting to the grocery

store, these guys do it in style. there is no better way to close out the year

than to salute the men who gave us our style ques.

017

Scott

disick

011

nick

wooster

009

terrence j

016

jay Z

014

kid

Cudi

013

kanye

west

012

russell

westbrook

010

david

Beckham

015

leBron

james

018

ryan

Gosling

020

james

franco

019

Channing

tatum

bleu magazine

GADGets

12

mother nature’s turndown is an opportunity for you to turn up the volume. Chilly temperatures aside these fresh headphones have the ability to rejuvenate your ward-robe during these dreary months. Instead of purchasing earmuffs, replace them with white headphones that can instantly lighten up your outfit and your mood.

Apple

Earpods with remote

and mic

(29.00)

battle for

bleumagazine.com 13

Sony

ZX Series Stereo

headphones

(19.99)

Monster

dnA on-Ear

headphones

(149.99)

Beats by Dre

Beats Studio over-

the-Ear headphones

(299.99)

Flips Audio

flips Collapsible hd

headphones & Stereo

Speakers

(120.00)

bleu magazine

rIDe

14

Starting at $25,57516/23 est mpg

Features

·mylink with a 4.2-inch or 8-inch color

touch screen radio

·Steering wheel with integrated controls

safety

·driver Alert Package sends vibrations

through driver's seat corresponding with

lane departure warning and forward Colli-

sion Alert systems

2014 Silverado 1500

Starting at $43,60021 est mpg

Features

·towing capability of up to 8,500 lbs

·Seating for up to 9 passengers

safety

·5 Star frontal Crash and Side Crash ratings

from the national highway traffic Safety

Administration

·onStar Automatic Crash response

2014 Tahoe LS

Starting at $14,17040 est mpg

Features

·most affordable In-dash navigation System

in its class

·ECotEC® 1.8l 4-cylinder engine

·remote keyless-Entry

safety

·named 2013 top Safety Picks in IIhS (In-

surance Institute for highway Safety)

·5 Star overall Safety rating

2014 Sonic sedan

bleumagazine.com 15

With Chevrolet celebrating 100 years, it’s important that we say Happy Birthday! Chevrolet has created a variety of cars and trucks that have never disappointed their fans and collectors. Some of which have been defined as iconic with its style and dependability, making Chev-rolet a popular name in itself.

Starting at $23,55530 est mpg

Features·Siri Eyes-free (for iPhone users)·rear vision camera·v6 engine that boasts 323 horsepower

safety·received 5 stars in every individual safety rating segment in nhtSA

2014 Camaro coupe

the Chevy:

bleu magazine16

BoDY

FItBIt:

forCE fItnESS trACkEr

BrACElEt with Smartwatch

technology

measures your activity through

caloric intake and movement. the

bracelet is so engaged it syncs with

your smartphone.

www.fitbie.com

$129.95

Hardwire Your Healthtechnology is the cornerstone of 21 century living. more then ever tech-

nology is helping to make our lives healthier. the gadgets in this issue

have been designed to encourage a healthy life style. After all, improving

the quality of life for the human condition is the least we could use tech for.

bleumagazine.com 17

VALenCeLL:

v-lInC EArBUdS

measures real time biometric and

physiological data, heart rate, respi-

ration rate, energy expenditure

www.valencell.com

(Prices vary according to the

retailer)

UnDer ArMoUr:

ArmoUr39

PErformAnCE BAnd

2GB of storage data, monitors per-

formance issues, bluetooths data to

coaches and scouts.

www.engadget.com

$149.00 (unreleased)

wItHInG:

SmArt Body AnAlyZEr

measures BmI, weight, temperature,

Co² levels, blue tooth

www.withings.com

$149.99

bleu magazine18

How to Tie a Windsor

learning to tie a tie is a rite of passage for men everywhere. that moment when you tie your knot for the first time embodies an unrivaled sense of ac-

complishment. this month Bleu is going to take back to the basics by remind-ing our readers the importance of the windsor knot. hey ignore the saying

because old dogs and new dogs alike can learn new tricks.

GrooMInG

Photography by owen duckett

bleumagazine.com 19

Step 1: Cross the wide end over the narrow end. Step2: Pull the wide end up through the loop by your collar bringing the

wide end back down.

Step3: taking the wide end, pull it under the narrow end and to the

right, through the loop and to the right. the wide end should be facing

inside out.

Step 4: Pull the wide end across the front, then place it through the loop

bringing the wide end through the knot in the front.

Step 5: tighten the knot drawing it up to your collar for the perfect finish

on your windsor knot.

finished.

bleu magazine

FUeL

20

NourritureDe L'amour

NourritureDe L'amour

who says red is just for valentine's day? who says cupid gets it right anyway? well here is a solution that doesn't require someone sitting across the table from you. our editors picked some of their favorite crimson foods that make the best date.

Red Velvet Cake you can never go wrong with a delicious yet

simple pastry to indulge in with your sweet-

heart. Spice it up by getting this cake in the

shape of heart to show them that the cake is

just as sweet as they are.

Red Foods to Set the Valentine Mood

bleumagazine.com 21

Strawberriesdipped in white chocolate with a dark choco-

late drizzle, this seductive fruit can be dressed

up in every way to set the mood right. Plus

who doesn't love strawberries, you can get

them anywhere and play with them after

dessert.

Red Chocolate BoxA simple red box of chocolates never fails to

please. with so many flavors and styles it's

sure to satisfy for dessert or even as a gift.

Red Winewith so many red wines, Bleu chose Cabernet

Sauvignon, it's the perfect drink to go with

dinner or dessert. An added plus, red wine

also happens to be heart healthy and the go

to aphrodisiac to set the mood.

bleu magazine

trAVeL

22

Words by: Edric Robinson

South Africa Love an amazing experience

South Africa 2013 - A destination fulfilled! After years of desiring to visit, along with a

little nudge from the 2010 FIFA World Cup that was hosted there, I found a great deal and took a

leap of faith for a week-long trip to johannesburg. never would I have imagined that in addition

to the country’s historical sites, music and food, that the end of my trip would coincide with the

death of the global icon, nelson mandela.

I travelled on thanksgiving night with my best friend jocelyn kearney, flying about 17 hours with

a layover in Paris. we touched down in joburg or jozi, as the locals call johannesburg. It was a

beaming Saturday afternoon. first things first, we took precautions – johannesburg has been

known for its crime and it was important for us to be as vigilant as we could for our personal

safety. little things like making sure not to flash our cellular phones or cameras went a long way.

thankfully we encountered no incident.

on night one of our trip we attended a concert hosted by one of the country’s most popular mu-

sic groups, freshly Ground. known for their collaboration with Shakira on the official 2010 World

Cup song, “waka waka,” the group entertained a packed arena for 2-hours. Its music was a mix

of indigenous African melodies and contemporary urban pop and dance. Such a welcome felt

like the official opening ceremony of the trip. South African native, Zolani mahola, is the group’s

lead singer and she never missed a beat and kept her energy up throughout the entire show.

dinner that night was traditional. the menu hosted more than just the average chicken and beef.

Entrées like ostrich burger, ostrich Pie, kudu Steak, Impala Steak and every other game meat

the country is known for lined its pages. I cowered and went the safe route with a chicken dish,

while my adventurous friend dove right into a game meat platter- she loved it.

bleumagazine.com 23

bleu magazine

trAVeL

24

bleumagazine.com

soUtH AFrICA

25

our next few days were spent

touring historical sites in the

city; visiting landmarks like the

Apartheid museum, the mandela

Bridge, its Constitution house, and the ever

burning flame of democracy which symbol-

izes its people’s inner strength after the hard-

won freedoms.

one day for a visit to Soweto, the South west-

ern townships. this township was the area

where blacks were banished to live by city and

state authorities during apartheid. the area

today is a mix of very poor living and some

upscale homes – it’s an intriguing mix but a

truly a humbling experience. Soweto was also

home to local giants mandela, and desmond

tutu.

to celebrate my birthday on dec. 3rd, I spent

the day on a Safari! Unlike r&B singer jazmine

Sullivan, I was a little nervous about viewing

lions and tigers in a jeep – at least the adult

ones. our Safari tour guide did warn us to

keep our hands inside of the caged vehicles

while on the tour and if we dropped our

phones or cameras out of the vehicle while

snapping pics – they were not stopping to get

it. heeding the warning, I behaved according-

ly. while touring, we saw zebras, springboks–

the national animal, giraffes, wild dogs, and

of course lions. one of the most memorable

experiences was visiting a petting area at the

lion Park where we were allowed to mingle

with lion cubs. I felt like an extra in the lion

King kicking it with Simba and nala. All was

great until these cubs started to play with me

like I was also a cub. I have a scar to prove it,

but how many people could say they got bit by

a lion and lived.

So what’s left to do after all of that; we ex-

plored a rooftop club looking over the skyline

of the city at night and did local shopping by

day. finally, our trip had come to an end, we

spent days enjoying the best and worst parts

of joburg, meeting great people along the

way. mandela’s passing occurred the day we

returned to new york City. for a week my

friend and I enjoyed our time in the bustling

city, visiting mandela’s former home and

hearing firsthand about the impact his fight still

has on the locals today. Although we were not

there to experience and take part in the cele-

brations that erupted after his passing, I think

I can speak for both of us in saying – we were

just happy to have visited this great place – an

amazing destination indeed! ★

Oppostie page (l to r): Soweto's orlando tower; Burning

flame of democracy; map of South Africa.

This page (l to r): Safari visit; poster from 2010 fIfA world

Cup in South Africa; nelson mandela

bleu magazine

oP-eD

26

The Side Effects of Successwords by Shawn thomas

bleumagazine.com 27

there are the michael jacksons of the

world, and then there are the dead-

beat dads. there are the oprahs

of our society, and then there are

the unemployed, mentally unstable

homeless. there are the Steve jobs

of our generation and then there are

the high school drop outs turned

street thugs. Some people are just

more successful than others; a simple reality that establish-

es a bold, brazen line between the haves, and have nots.

Success is a culmination of goal setting, risk taking, hard

work, energy, and support all coalesced in what some

would call one “lucky” person. without any of these nec-

essary ingredients, success borders more on misfortune

and “almost had it.” there are thousands of quotes from

thousands of successful people about the thousands of

ways to become successful. they’re read as though a

formula exists, as though following this advice begets more

success when in actuality, unconventional measures breed

unconventional results; the one take-a-away from (almost)

every success story out there.

what isn’t formulaic, in any sense, are the side effects of

having finally made it. there are ways success influences

and impacts life and our relationships, and changes occur

that no one is ever really prepared for. one change in par-

ticular that occurs is the acute awareness that you’re doing

better than those around you. Being immediately faced

with the decision to keep making strides forward or slow

things down to a pace that keeps up with friends and family

is a choice most successfuls must deal with. It’s the first ma-

jor choice, and it has a lot riding on it. for most successfuls,

the former option works best, and they make every attempt

at eating a huge slice of humble pie every chance they get

to assume as little criticism for ego and pride as possible.

on the other hand, many others take to social media to

showcase and spotlight the achievements of their life; a

side effect that only recently cropped up with the millennial

generation. facebook, twitter, and Instagram have become

the staple channels through which success and achieve-

ment are shared. So interestingly enough, successfuls

make attempts at remaining humble while still seeking

out attention and admiration; a way to have their cake

and eat it too.It would seem as though the less fortunate

didn’t follow the same route and don’t enjoy the luxuries

of success: wealth, following dreams, happiness. with

achievement granting these types of benefits, it’s easy to

see how successfuls might believe envy and jealousy are

the initial reactions coming from the “have nots.” the term

“hater” was created simply for successfuls to use when ad-

dressing someone who suffers from bouts of jealousy and

envy. In fact, successfuls are more likely to modestly point

out jealousy and envy once the accomplishments, trophies,

and awards come trickling in.

however, many successfuls have found a way to curb hate

and envy as success also has the effect of being used as

a motivator. Inspiration to work harder can be seen spilling

from successfuls into the “have nots” daily. look at any

great motivational speaker and you’ll see how using one’s

own story can be used to deflect the negativity of being

“better than,” and ignite the positivity of “you’re just as

good” ( just read any one of those quotes referred to earli-

er; instant motivation!).

Success also becomes the playing field for competition

between two succesfuls and even between those who

aren’t as successful. An air of competition is created when

the gap between two success stories is paper thin. Some of

the best achievements of mankind have come from fierce

competitions of success. from the race to the moon to the

olympics, the competitive nature of successfuls can mark

history and transform the word.

yes, success in itself is a phenomenon that warrants atten-

tion, but keep in mind: Success is relative. Success is what

one makes it, and to compare two versions of success is

like comparing apples to oranges. who’s to say that finally

finding a job as a factory worker after being laid off 3 years

prior isn’t as successful as finally being promoted past

entry-level at a fortune 500 company? they both mean

something to the individual person, and that is all it really

boils down to in the end. Success is anything that pushes

you forward, anything that gets you past where you are

right now. ★

bleu magazine

ArtFUL LIVInG

28

seeInG tHe worLD tHroUGH tHe eYes oF VICtorIA ForD

words by Gary thomasPhotography by victoria ford

Capturing the perfect moment

VICtorIA ForD

HaVE YOu EVER left a concert, wishing you could relive the entire

performance over again? have you ever engraved a vision of your

favorite artist in action in the crevices of your brain so you could remem-

ber it forever? If there was a word in the dictionary that would serve as a

more affirmative way to say yes, that would be victoria ford’s response.

ford speaks with a contagious energy. despite being out late the night

before at a janelle monae concert in north Carolina, she approached

the interview with irresistible charm and professionalism from start to

finish. her passion for her craft exudes in every word adding to the awe-

some concert and artist stories she has to tell. Speaking with victoria is

nothing less of a pleasure and learning experience.

Born and raised in middle class washington d.C. this self-taught photog-

rapher can easily be described as a music enthusiast. ford's exposure

to music heightened within her own household and family. Growing up,

her mother would always have music playing around the house. “She

took me to my first show like maybe, when I was 7 or 8; new Edition.

the second was michael jackson’s victory tour” says ford in describing

her mother's influence of music on her life.

victoria’s passion for music carried over into her photography. She de-

scribes herself as being able to hold a note, but not be able to fully sing

or play an instrument, but photography was always within her. She says,

“It inspires me to see the world differently. made me pay attention to

my surroundings more. It made me open my eyes. when I was younger

and didn’t have a camera, the camera was my brain." ford remembers

as early as her first concert wanting to “capture the moment”, vividly

remembering the moment the spotlight first shined on ralph tresvant.

Although she has kept this in her brain, she’s always had the urge to

show these memories to the world so others could share in the feelings

she had. It was around the age of 10 is when victoria began to fulfill this

bleu magazine

ArtFUL LIVInG

30

urge, using all the film in her mother’s Polaroid

to document these moments in music.

victoria began to take her craft more seriously

in 2008. working on street teams and having

a good friend that works in concert promotion

allowed her access into a lot of shows when

she first began. over the years she gain more

experience and relationships having shot

photographs of music artist in the likes of

miguel, Erykah Badu, Usher, drake, and has

even worked large events such as the made in

America Festival. In a quest to not be known

for one shot, ford draws inspiration from the

artists’ songs, crowd reactions, and personal

situations that may or may not be relate to the

music.

victoria ford specializes in concept photog-

raphy. She has the ability to shoot within any

arena or venue, but finds comfort in areas with

natural lighting. Some places you may also

find "this photographer" shooting with ease

are the 9:30 Club in d.C., and the highline

Ballroom in new york. with an editing process

most likely longer than the actual photograph-

ing, ford knows what she’s looking for and

you can find her “throwaways”, photographs

she isn’t professionally utilizing, on her Insta-

gram or facebook.

HoW iS youR WoRk A REFLECTion oF

you?

“It captures my spirit. So, I’m showing you

what I see. I think with me I want you to see

the artist. I want you to look past whatever,

whoever they are and just enjoy that moment.

like enjoy that picture. I just want you to feel

something, even if you weren’t there, feel

something.”

WHAT iS youR DREAM pHoTo SHooT oR

ARTiST To WoRk WiTH?

“jay-Z is on my must shoot list. It’s more so

his personality and touch with mentality. I’ve

always connected with jay-Z’s music. jay-Z

the person of course I don’t know. jay-Z the

artist, I feel that I can relate to certain things.

bleumagazine.com 31

I’m chasing Pharrell. the way that I love jay-Z

I love Pharrell more. Every time I try to shoot

him the lighting is awful. I’m still chasing that

perfect shot. “

WHAT ADViCE Do you HAVE FoR up AnD

CoMing pHoTogRApHERS AnD ARTiST

WHo WAnT To WoRk WiTHin youR AREA?

“have a website. you know there are a bunch

of blogs and sites that need photographers.

And unfortunately we aren’t always talking

about paid, but you would gain some type of

experience and you will make connections to

different people that will help you. work your

circle until you get to the square. when you

go to different events, if you go to a show, just

shoot. just bring a camera and shoot. ”

WHAT CAn WE ExpECT FRoM ViCToRiA

FoRD in THE nEAR FuTuRE?

“I did a t-shirt collaboration with someone; I’m

on the tail end of that. right now I’m work-

ing on a joint exhibition with another fellow

photographer for April 2014. It’s going to be in

new york at the art gallery called the Bishop.

It’s myself and Corey thompson. maybe a

book, I’m still toying around the idea of a small

coffee table book.” ★

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BAnD oF oUtsIDers

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etro

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MArC JACoBs

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MICHAeL BAstAIn

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PAUL & Joe

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Ports 1961

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CoVer storY

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nICK CAnnon

bleumagazine.com 39

Nick Cannon has redefined the definition of multifaceted through his endeavors. Maintaining a

positive attitude in the face of challenges, Cannon emerges victorious in all aspects of life.

all hail

the

mediamonarch

“Imma do something wild, Imma come with you it. I’m all the

way in. we doing the nae nae, the gas pedal, the dances you

see in the hood are coming to middle America. you can’t have

soul Train without the soul train line.” nick Cannon utters,

expressing his excitement about the soul Train revival he is spearhead-

ing. Associating nick with a project in hollywood has become common-

place. Cannon is functioning in every capacity of production and judging

by his upcoming projects he does not intend to slow down.

I recently caught up with the budding mogul and asked about his

experience shooting with Americas Got Talent (AGt). After misjudg-

ing his schedule, he politely corrects me stating, “we are filming real

Husbands of Hollywood right now. I only shoot America’s Got Talent at

this point, when I’m flying to different cities. At the top of the year we go

a little more consistently and in late spring we go about twice a week.”

After providing a slither of what his schedule is like, the nickelodeon vP

precedes to describe the previous 24 hours.

Words by reginald LarkinPhotography by elton anderson

fashion by Ugo mozieGrooming by kase Glenn

bleu magazine

CoVer storY

40

nick quickly begins with an

array of appointments that

sounds more like a checklist

than a schedule. his day in-

cluded meetings for planning

his various television projects

at Paramount Studios, upon its conclusion

Cannon walks to tapings of real House

Husbands. After taping there is a meeting with

NCredible consumer’s product to discuss a

tablet he is creating and his headphones. After

the business meeting Cannon heads to his

studio in the valley to prep for a music video

for a song he recorded. By this time it is 2am

and nick is heading to the gym.

Cannon has come a long way from his days on

nickelodeon’s All That. the 90’s sketch come-

dy show served as an incubator for the talents

of keenan thomas and Amanda Bynnes.

when asked about an All That reunion Can-

non says, “Absolutely. I love all those people. I

love that experience in my life. keenan is like a

brother to me and is one of my closet friends.”

maintaining personal bonds seems to be a

guiding theme that he applies to friends and

family alike.

he expounds about the role of family when

he says, “I make sure I’m home for a couple of

days. I think it brings everyone closer.” no day

out with the kids is complete without the per-

fect outfit. Cannon describes his fatherhood

style when he states, “you know my style has

to be next level. Even though my gear is crazy,

and my wife’s gear is crazy, my kids probably

have better style than the both of us. we kind

of dictate off what they wear.”

no stranger to style, nick Cannon can be seen

channeling his inner peacock on red carpets

and Instagram posts alike. during his cover

shoot nick was able to wear a plethora of

audacious pieces. “that blue Gucci coat was

crazy, Im still looking for that,” expresses the

comedian turned mogul. Although he enjoys

spiked louboutin loafers, the San diego native

admits that his fashion sensibilities were

shaped through a love for old hollywood.

“Sinatra back in the day had effortless swag,”

says Cannon. he continues when he states,

“the classic double-breasted tuxedo, lapels,

french collars, all of that classic hollywood

stuff. I would snatch everything from that

dude’s closet. “

men’s fashion received an injection of

Cannon’s signature style in September when

macy’s released the news that the media titian

and the department giant joined forces to re-

lease nick Cannon’s ties. Sold in 25 locations

nation wide the, the ties boasts myriad of bold

colors and patterns. the collection will release

25 ties a month. Sold in store beginning on

december 6th, Cannon’s ties made it just in

time for the Christmas rush. “we’re starting

with ties because it’s how ralph lauren start-

ed. we are going with socks, pocket squares. I

want to take my time, instead of saying here is

a nick Cannon clothing line.” he quickly adds,

“I think I can build a real line that people can

believe in. the same way they believe in ralph

lauren.”

Amidst discussing his promising apparel

empire, Cannon took a moment to describe

his ideal tie. “I like a pop of color. I always say

“classy, yet flashy.” It can go with any blue or

gray suit. It’s not too out there. It allows you to

Sinatra back in the day had effortless swag, I would snatch everything from that dude’s closet.“

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nICK CAnnon

41

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42

express your self.“ Cannon not only values a great exterior

but, he encourages we maintain the interior as well.

In 2012, Cannon was the poster child of great health when

he experienced a bout of kidney failure that sent him to the

hospital where he received his diagnosis of lupus nephritis.

the rare form of lupus that attacks the kidneys propelled

the star toward adjustments to his lifestyle. “I have doctors

orders to get a certain amount of sleep. I used to go to a

week or two without sleep, only taking naps.” he continues

the first thing is that hydration is key, I try to drink 6-8 oz of

water a day.”

Increasing his water intake and resting more were only the

beginning, nick soon found himself modifying his fitness

routine as well. “It’s a lot of stretching and meditating, be-

fore I would lift weights. now it’s a total body workout. It’s

a blood condition and you have to make sure your blood

is flowing properly. “he breaks for a second and states in

an almost reflective manner nick says, “the condition has

made me better, made me better.“

After spitting some profound knowledge, Cannon began to

spread the good news about juicing when he says, “I juice

a lot. I enjoy vegetables.” I admit my ignorance to juicing

culture and ask nick where is a good place to start, he in-

structs me, “I’m weird with mine. A lot of people put carrots

and ginger together that taste is strange.”

After taking a few personal juicing notes from the master

himself, I ask, “what would you be doing if you weren’t nick

Cannon?” nick quickly responds, “you want the real an-

swer?” I reply with a yes with helter-skelter in my voice. he

responds, “I probably would be doing one of three things.

the military was an option, the ministry, and I have few

drug dealers in my family. those were the three options,

all three take a certain kind of hustle.” It is interesting that

no matter what road nick would have taken he still would

have touched many people lives and had an impact. As our

interview came to a close, I kept pondering how nick left

and impression on me. nick is one celebrity who is making

it count with everyday. ★

“I think I can build a

real line that people can believe in. The

same way they believe in Ralph Lauren.

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bleu magazine44

jacket JoyricH

jeans HudSon

t-shirt & sweatshirt lPd neW york

watch dieSel

bleumagazine.com 45

Bleu caught up with Portland trailblazer, thomas robin-

son on a recent visit to the Big Apple. he shed his uni-

form for us and hit the streets in the latest fashion trends.

we also had a chance to chat with the rising nBA player

about his personal style, what he likes to eat and the best

perks of being on a popular team.

trAilBlAZertrAilBlAZerto the cityphotography & Fashion by Dex Rob

bleu magazine

FAsHIon

46

jacket Fred Perry

shirt ASoS

pants kitH

watch BrerA orologi

when asked about his favorite city to shop...

bleumagazine.com

"New York by far, not even close. But then you have cities like LA of course, and Boston, people sleepon them."

bleu magazine

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jacket rAF SimonS x Fred Perry

pants ZAneroBe

watch nixon

shoes doc mArtenS

socks lorenZo uomo

shirt JoHn VArVAtoS

bleumagazine.com 49

jersey lPd neW york

pants en noir

"I'd probably have to go with the euro look, but more urban mixed in with it."

when asked about his favorite fashion trend...

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FeAtUre

50

bleumagazine.com 51

I f you haven’t been tuning in to the Cw’s

latest hit series The Originals, you may

be living under a rock. the series is a

steamy spinoff to The Vampire Diaries,

following the original family of vampires

to their former home of new orleans,

louisiana. re-igniting the once dead

zone of tuesday nights, the success of

the show is in part due to the chemistry

of its cast. Such a cast member Charles

michael davis who plays marcel Gerad.

Born in dayton, ohio, most will recog-

nize Charles michael davis from his

recurring roles in television shows the

Game and more recently ABC’s Grey’s

Anatomy. however, davis did not always

have dreams of becoming an actor, only

discovering his talent while in college.

Growing up playing football, Charles

got his start as a print model. with his

natural charm, fun-loving personality,

and disarming smile, he began landing

acting auditions. deciding to quit college,

Charles moved to los Angeles to pursue

acting. one constant that he takes with

him from said decision is the mantra,

“know thyself. Be thyself.” In talking with

him, the decision seems to be one that

not only proved to be successful for his

career, but deeply introspective,

“for me, when I moved out to l.A. I really

had to have a talk with myself. worst case

scenario, best case scenario, what’s the

value that I want to get out of it? I went

to school to learn a lot of things, I went to

college to learn a lot of things, but I really

didn’t have an affinity for it. So I said

if anything, I just want to know myself

and grow… And to not only know myself,

but to be myself and to be rewarded for

being the same, good person that grew

up in ohio. Because obviously you can

become successful and succeed and not

struggle, but what else do you have left

except for discovering yourself.”

discovering the man behind the villain

is much like peeling an onion, in that,

each question leads to layer after layer.

however, what is always apparent is the

talent that he possesses, which extends

beyond the million dollar smile and sultry

voice that we have come to know. Aside

from acting and modeling, Charles paints

and plays the piano. A natural in front of

the camera, he is gifted behind the lens

as well. his website bolsters a growing

portfolio of portraits and lifestyle photos.

from rappers and actors to motivation-

al speakers, Charles’ influences are

as diverse as his talents. they offer a

glimpse into the kind of performances

that capture his attention, and the kind of

impact that he hopes to one day achieve

through his work. he says of his influ-

ences, “jay-Z… I actually took to Anthony

robins and some of the stuff that he says.

through him, I learned about jim rohn…

[and] Eric thomas. As far as actors go, I

like anyone who’s really intense - Phillip

Seymour hoffman. will Smith and every-

thing that he’s accomplished. And tupac.

love tupac!”

much like his influences, he has a myriad

of personalities, describing himself as

philosophical, introspective, outgoing,

and fun-loving. one personality trait he

left out, but is not short of, is dedication.

his role as marcel marks his first leading

role in a series. davis was able to secure

the role of marcel Gerard by taking a

lesson from another starlets’ playbook.

who? none other than The Hunger

Games’ jennifer lawrence. he says, “[t]

he thing I realized is that there are only

certain roles that I feel that I can excel

at… And then it’s important for me to

believe that I could actually play the role.

And not only that, but I learned this from

reading about jennifer lawrence when

she wanted Winter’s Bone she actually

flew to new york and knocked on the di-

rector’s door… she just felt protective and

she felt like she didn’t want anyone else

to play that role … And that’s the way I

felt when I got the role for The Originals.

I knew it was mine and I wanted to bring

life to it and I didn’t want anybody else

to.” while going through the initial cast-

ing for the role, he was often questioned

about his level of comfort in playing a

villain. Charles, however, doesn’t choose

to see his role as a challenge or even to

see the character as villainous. Instead,

he greets it as an opportunity to change

minds, “I hope the fans take from it that

[marcel]’s not an evil character… no char-

acters are really evil and you can’t label

them and put them in a box.”

And as for the on-screen love triangle

between his character and that of re-

bekah (played by Claire holt) and Camille

(played by leah Pipes), he couldn’t

say much about how that will play out,

except, “honestly, I’m rooting for team

Cami. I can’t lie. I’m team Cami all the

way!” ★

The Man BehinD The VillainCharles michael Davis plays everybody’s favorite

bad guy on the CW’s Originals words by Kiara Gillette

sPotLIGHt

YoU think YoU knoW, BUt YoU haVe no iDea…

words by Kent olden

Airing fridays at 8:00 pm ESt on

the Cw, The Carrie Diaries chroni-

cles the teen years of Sex and the

City’s Carrie Bradshaw, a new york

City writer fixed on fashion and

looking for love. now in its second

season, the show dares to shed

light on the struggles that show

themselves while a group of teens

try to make it in the city that never

sleeps.

As walt reynolds, Brooklyn actor

Brendan dooling takes on the task

of telling one of the most controver-

sial of stories, being a homosexual

high schooler in 1980s new york

City.

HoW HAS youR ExpERiEnCE

BEEn STARRing in A SHoW

THAT’S SET in A TiME BEFoRE

you WERE BoRn?

well it’s been a learning experi-

ence. It’s brought me closer to my

mother and sister. we discuss their

experiences from the era, and that

makes it fun trying to meet the

challenges of the project.

HAS BEing on THE SHoW MADE

you WAnT To START WATCHing

SEX AND THE CITY?

It’s sparked more interest for me to

watch it more, but I used to watch

it anyway, and it’s still not really

my kind of show. I’m not big on

[watching] television in general and

sex and the City doesn’t really do

it for me.

HAVE you guyS BEEn ABLE To

MEET Any oF THE SEX AND THE

CITY CAST MEMBERS?

I haven’t, but Sarah jessica Parker

wrote AnnaSophia [robb] a letter

prior to Season 1, and lindsey

[Gort] has spoken to kim Cattrall on

twitter. that’s about it.

WHAT’S THE BEST pART ABouT

pLAying WALT REynoLDS?

the best part for me is the story is

so relatable to so many kids who

might be struggling with the same

issues. the twitter following is

great, and I get messages all the

time from people telling me how

inspiring walt is to them. It feels re-

ally great to increase the humanity

in others.

WHAT’S THE WoRST pART

ABouT pLAying WALT

REynoDS?

I wouldn’t say there’s a worst part.

I enjoy getting outside myself, por-

traying someone that’s not like me.

Playing young is always nice too;

it’s like a compliment to me!

WHAT iS youR DREAM RoLE?

that’s tough. I can’t say there’s any

one role I’m dying to play. there

are little benchmarks I’d like to

reach, like maybe doing a zombie

movie or [something about the]

apocalypse. A military film is high

up there too. with specific roles,

I see things like The Fighter and

that’s something I’d really like

to do, but it’s not something I’ve

researched to know myself.

Any upCoMing SnEAk pRE-

ViEWS you CAn giVE ABouT

THE SHoW?

All I can say is that people keep

questioning how accurate we’re

going to be as far as what the gay

community dealt with in the ‘80s,

and we dabble in all the hardships

that were felt by people at the time.

I think the audience will enjoy see-

ing us try to tackle the hard issues.

WHAT’S CoMing up FoR

BREnDAn DooLing?

there’s a film directed by ty hodg-

es called Dr. me that is eventually

going to get distributed, starring

toby hemingway. It’s a modern

take on Alice in Wonderland. I have

a supporting role [as junebug] in it,

and it’s gonna be a really great sto-

ry. I’m very important to one of the

lead characters. Also, a Guy Pierce

movie called Breathe In that will be

coming out next year that I’ll be in.

It’s a real pleasure to work them…a

wonderful experience. ★

BrenDAn DooLInG

Photo by nina Duncan

tracks on Wax

words by Kirsten Lewis

DJ ZeKe tHoMAs

If “last night a dj saved your life”

then it very well could have been

dj Zeke thomas, who has spent

the last 10 years reviving party-go-

ers of major cities around the na-

tion. Since his first time as a young

boy in detroit, michigan playing

around on his older cousin’s turnta-

bles, dj Zeke has felt a connection

with music. Growing up as the

son of Isiah thomas, nBA hall of

famer, joshua, who adopted his

disk jockey name “Zeke” from his

father, was projected by most to

be an athlete prodigy. Zeke found

his talents better administered

through provided music to the

world. dj Zeke is also producing

music and has partnered up with

some big names in the music and

entertainment industry, gearing

up to release original music in the

new year.

WHo WERE youR BiggEST

inSpiRATionS in THE MuSiC

inDuSTRy?

Barry Gordy has always been a big

role model for me. there has never

been someone to build what Barry

Gordy built with motown. Even at a

young age growing up in detroit I

always looked at him as “wow.” An-

other person who is a bit misunder-

stood sometimes diddy. diddy has

perfected the art of branding. he

is one of the first of few that name

is synonymous with any brand he

promotes.

gRoWing up AS THE Son oF

A BASkETBALL LEgEnD i CAn

ASSuME MAny pRojECTED

FoR you To HAVE A CAREER in

BASkETBALL?

yes, of course, but it’s one of those

things where just because a plumb-

er has a son doesn’t mean that his

son is going to be a plumber. you

want your children to do what they

love and be all that they can be,

that is the beauty of growing up

in America. music is something I

gravitated towards and my father

and family have always supported

me in that decision.

Do you EVER FEEL Any

pRESSuRE To BE SuCCESSFuL

BECAuSE oF THE LEgACy oF

youR FATHER?

I will start by saying that I 1000%

feel pressure, but I don’t feel the

pressure of having to live up to my

father accolades. my father is a

hall of famer and he is one of the

best men to ever play the game of

basketball. he’s done it all when

it comes to professional ball, from

being a player, to a general man-

ager, to an owner, to a coach, so

for that to be the measure of failure

that is just putting way too much

pressure of myself. I definitely feel

the pressure of wanting to continue

his legacy as a man. I feel the

pressure of continuing the legacy

of the thomas family of being good

people and good men. that is the

pressure I put on myself when

it comes to continuing my dad’s

legacy.

you’VE HAD A LoT oF SuCCESS

THuS FAR AS A Dj AnD noW

you ARE VEnTuRing inTo pRo-

DuCing MuSiC. WHy BoTH?

I was always going to end up

producing music, I played violin

when I was younger and trained at

Indiana University jacob School of

music and eventually I wanted to

make music. It just so happens that

having a name as a disc jockey I

am able to do both synonymously.

HoW WouLD you DESCRiBE

youR STyLE oF MuSiC BoTH AS

A Dj AnD A pRoDuCER?

hip-hop electro, there are definite-

ly a lot of disco undertones as well.

So if I to could name my particular

style and genre of music it would

be luxury disco or something like

that.

WHAT CAn WE ExpECT in THiS

upCoMing yEAR FRoM you?

I will be releasing music through

tommy Boy records, my first single

will come out jan 28 that features

an artist named jared Evan. I just

landed a residency at Underground

in Chicago, Il, one of the top clubs

in Chicago so I’m excited about

working with those operators.

Anyone that wants to keep track of

where I am can follow me on twitter

@Zeke_thomas or visit my website

djzekethomas.com. ★

Ph

oto

by J

on

sta

r

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BoMBsHeLL

54

there is something different about lil mama, the rap-per and former judge (Amercia’s Best Dance Crew) has changed lanes. making her debut as a thespian in the vh1 produced, Crazy sexy Cool: The TlC story. mama’s portrayal of the troubled rapper, lisa ‘leftEye” lopes was met with much praise from acting vets Gabrielle Union and jurnee Smollett. riding high off the film’s success the newly flourished actress stripped down for an intimate interview with Bleu magazine to discuss her future and her experience on set.

MAMA SAID...

Words by oj Williams

photos submitted by Shameer khan

bleu magazine

BoMBsHeLL

56

LIL MAMA

TELL uS HoW you goT THE RoLE oF LiSA “LEFT EyE” LopES in

CRAzY SEXY Cool: THE TlC SToRY?

I pretty much just went right out for it, and what basically happened was

in the beginning the producers they knew of me from music and things

like that, so they hadn’t heard anything or saw any reel from acting. So

at first it just like everyone was just kind of guessing what I was going to

do, and when I went out and auditioned they were impressed and one

thing led to another and I got the role.

WAS ACTing SoMETHing you ALWAyS WAnTED To Do?

yes acting was always something I wanted to do. It was a challenge

because you really have to know how to shift your energy. this was a

movie (Crazy sexy Cool: The TlC story) that took place in two to three

different stages in this character’s life.

WHAT DiD you DiSCoVER ABouT LEFT EyE WHiLE poRTRAying

HER?

I always knew she was a very smart person who cared about the well

being of her and others. She was a phenomenal artist whose music

definitely broke barriers. I got a chance to know who she is, and who

she was. I learned where she was coming from, where she wanted to

go, and where she went. learning lisa was about playing the dynamics

of expectations, reality, and dream. All those different things and under-

standing how that story played out was more of a learning experience.

WERE THERE Any SiMiLARiTiES you noTiCED BETWEEn you AnD

LEFT EyE?

In the beginning of her career she lost her dad, and in the beginning of

my career I lost my mom, so just that loss of direction and help in that

crucial stage of your life of becoming a woman and losing a parent I

really connected with her on that level.

WE HEARD you WERE Doing A pRojECT WiTH MC LyTE. TELL uS

ABouT iT.

mc lyte is my manager. her company is called sunni Gyrl

Inc. She played a major part in my getting the the role in

Crazy sexy Cool because I really wanted to go out for it,

and didn’t have an agent, and I was like lyte do you know

anybody. But she basically worked it out for me where

I was able to get into that room and audition. At the

same time we were working on Hip Hop sisters, which

is mC lyte, the lady of rage, yo yo, Smooth, and mon-

ie love. All these hip hop sisters and I’m the youngest

one and they called me to be on board to be a part of

that society and she shot a sizzle reel for BEt for Hip Hop

sisters and then the show got picked up, so we’re going to

have a reality show on BEt coming up this year.

bleu magazine

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LearNiNg Lisa wAS AboUT plAying ThE dynAmicS oF expecTaTIonS, ReaLITY, And dReaM."

"

59

bleu magazine

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60

the phone rings, and as I was prepared for

the routine introduction via the publicist,

I was pleasantly surprised that mckinley

freeman was on the other end asking to

speak to me; a first in my career of conduct-

ing interviews, and a start to an insightful

and very inspirational conversation with the

star of vh1’s phenomenal new series, Hit

The Floor. far more complex than his great

looks, fit physique and bad boy televi-

sion persona, the one thing that parallels

freeman and his on screen character derek

roman are the layers that continuously

unfold.

“Congratulations, I’m happy to be your

first,” he said, with no pun intended, mckin-

ley laughs about my surprised reaction. A

testament to his humble beginnings and

hard work, he thought nothing of contacting

me directly to get the interview started. As

a University of Illinois alum and recruited

right out of his master’s program by IBm

to work in their international marketing

and development department, you would

imagine most people would be content. for

mckinley much more was in store for his

professional future.

“from a young age you are instilled with

things that are important, from your rela-

tives, educators, and close family friends,”

mckinley begins to talk about the moment

that propelled him into his future acting

endeavors. “further your education, buy a

house and a car, start a family; all tremen-

dous values, but within a year of graduating

I quickly obtained a lot of those things and I

still felt like there has to be more than this.”

with the mindset that there was always

something more to strive for, mckinley

subconsciously started on the road to his

acting career.

Beginning his journey as an Elite model

in Atlanta, GA, mckinley caught wind of

an opportunity to be a part of the popular

soap opera All my Children’s Sexiest man

in America competition. “I reluctantly went

to the audition, which was like a casting for

the show, but what did I know, it was the

first time I’d ever done anything like that.”

luckily his looks and charm were enough

to get him across the finish line. “I was just

cracking jokes and not seriously answering

the questions, but in the end everything

worked out and I was off to new york City

to do some work for All my Children.”

Always excited and optimistic about his

transition into the acting world, mckinley’s

hard work and ambition soon led him to

several guest star television roles and most

recently a co-starring role in the feature

film end of Watch. “I was never nervous

because I really believe that if peace fol-

lows your decisions then you’re headed in

the right direction,” says mckinley. his next

steps, he simply explained as “choosing

how I want to live the rest of my life and

dedicating myself to being as good as I

can be at whatever that was.” that same

dedication scored him his breakout role

as a professional basketball star on vh1’s

original series Hit the Floor.

mckinley’s character, derek roman, in the

sexy scripted drama that follows the lives of

the basketball players and dance team of

the legendary franchise los Angeles devils,

is mvP of the league and an irresistible,

bad boy athlete. roman, throughout the

season finds himself confronted with issues

of his past and an impromptu pursuit of

new devils’ girl dancer and lead character

Ahsha hayes (taylour Paige).

As if he had been destined to play this

role, mckinley always dreamed of being

a professional basketball player. Between

his time spent playing nCAA division 1

college basketball and his calming exercise

regimen, mckinley met the physical chal-

lenge of playing derek roman with a bit

of ease. “here it is, I’m a kid doing these

drills, spending hours in the park trying to

improve my game, it was all for something I

didn’t even recognize I was preparing for.”

Supporters of Hit the Floor and fans of

mckinley’s work are the driving force of

one of his newfound hobbies and recent

passion project, @mckinleyFreeman Vol-

ume I, a book of original poetry motivated

by his social media followers. what started

as an innocent proposition to write original

poems inspired by words tweeted to him,

turned into a chance to build a true connec-

tion with his followers.

receiving words such as pain, hurt, lost

in the midst of love, resilient, and faith

revealed to him the impact he could make

through this challenge. one follower in

particular who was looking for words of

encouragement after losing her husband

willed mckinley out of bed and pushed

him to complete his first poem that very

night. “I posted the poem that night and

her response alone was great and other

people seemed to enjoy it,” said mckinley.

more than the positive response, he felt the

most worthwhile part was “the chance to

produce a piece of work that people could

benefit and grow from.”

his book of original poetry can be pur-

chased on the iBookstore app and for the

Amazon kindle for $3.99. Unsure of what is

in store for his on-screen character derek

roman with the second season still on the

writing room floor, mckinley has full faith in

the writers to create a second season just

as exciting as the first. the one thing that

is certain is that 2014 is turning out to be a

pretty exciting year for mckinley and we will

all be courtside for the action. ★

one DynaMic DuDemcKinley Freeman is a man with a message

words by Kirsten Lewis

bleumagazine.com 61

follow mckinley freeman on twitter and

Instagram @mckinleyfreeman

Ph

oto

by e

va

n L

an

es

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words by jasmine Aspinall

Bleu Note

the allure and appeal of opera music has always been

something of regality, opulence and luxury. new york, the

central hub of music, talent and art is home to some of the

most famous opera houses including the metropolitan opera

house and the Carnegie hall. when I envision attending a

night at the opera thoughts of extraordinary silk ball gowns

and men in clean tuxedos; the vision is of pure affluence.

relatively hidden from the grand scale of music choices the

art form is still thriving and is being carried by young Afri-

can-American men who sing from their souls. It’s embedded

in a world where donation and monetary issues make it

hard for those who are not afforded those opportunities and

unfortunately this comprises of predominately Black men.

Although those roadblocks exist these featured men won’t

allow for their dreams to be squandered. Interpretations may

change but music will forever be a universal language engag-

ing people who would seldom cross paths.

bleumagazine.com 63

From humble beginnings frederick taylor

always knew that music was the right fit for

him. “I will never forget my earliest and most

treasured childhood memory involving music

was Christmas ‘92 or ’93,” said taylor. “my

mom brought me my first keyboard. it was a

small keyboard with about 30 keys, no bigger

than 3 feet with round speakers on each end.

I played that keyboard nonstop!” said taylor.

these early experiences with music set the

foundation for what would become a love and

passion for the art form. “that was the defining

moment that basically started it all; I became

interested in music and realized it was some-

thing I could do.”

WHAT CHALLEngES oR ADVERSiTiES HAVE

you HAD To oVERCoME AS A MuSiCiAn?

iS THERE AnyTHing you WiSH WAS DiF-

FEREnT ABouT THE ViEW oF BLACk MEn

in THE WoRLD oF opERA?

first, being a young male singing classical

music is not something that most choose to

do because of the difficulties that we can face.

Such as getting roles in operas, castings, and

just having people feel that you are not qual-

ified just from the first look. Second, we, as

African-Americans have the challenge on not

sounding too “Black” in our singing. we can

have a tendency to add native inflections to

our singing which may not work in the opera

“scene.” most want to know that we are able

to perform in big arenas and can be vocally

diverse for many different audiences.

WHo Do you SiTE AS An inSpiRATion?

my inspiration is first my mother. She always

pushed me, supported every decision I’ve

made and has been there for every musical

thing I’ve had to do. Secondly, church has

been a major inspiration in believing in the

talent that I have and being the one to say I

could do anything I wanted to do because I

have God on my side. lastly, my grandmother

played a huge part in me getting emerged into

doing what I loved to do, music

HoW HAS youR MuSiC DiRECTLy AFFECT-

ED you AnD THoSE ARounD you?

I have really grown, musically and as a person.

It has broadened my perceptions and ideas;

things that I would’ve never thought possible,

has been made possible through the opera

and classical music. Such as singing in front of

large audiences, singing with orchestras, work-

ing with many different artists. As well as the

opportunity to travel the world, at no expense

of mine, just doing what I love to do.

freDerick Taylor

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Jamal-Akil marshall was immersed in music from the time he could

remember. “my earliest interaction with music occurred when I was

only 3 years old,” said marshall. “my parents took me to see an African

dance performance. After the performance I fell in the love with the

drums to where I came back home, went to the lower cabinets, pulled

out some pots and pans, and started drumming all over them.” this type

of early on immersion spread to that of his father Akil marshall creating

the African dance company known as ‘dance Afrika dance.’ Being con-

stantly surrounded by the ebb and flow of music, art and culture had a

remarkable effect marshall’s interest in a wide variety towards expres-

sion. “this affected me as an artist substantially as dance Afrika dance

was the starting grounds, the roots, of all my musical journeys, first

beginning with the African drums, music, culture, and dance,” explained

marshall.

WHAT BRougHT you To puRSuing THE STyLE oF opERA

Singing?

I first began singing opera my second semester freshman year at

wilberforce University. I wasn’t really drawn to the style of music. At first

I was a composition major and after finding out what that really meant

class wise, I changed over to being a vocal performance major, with

the only other option being piano, which I didn’t have enough skill level

to major in. with the vocal performance major, it’s mandatory to take a

one-on-one class with a vocal teacher who presents classical music for

you too sing. keep in mind that at first I didn’t enjoy singing or think that

I could sing. So I wasn’t really drawn to it or any other style of singing

like r&B.

WHEn DiD you FiRST START TAking opERA SERiouSLy AS A

pASSion?

I would play around in high school during Christmas singing “I’m

dreaming of a white Christmas” to my family but never took it remotely

seriously. In college it was mandatory to sing because of the one-on-

one class I mentioned earlier and because you had to take and be apart

of choir. So at first I didn’t enjoy the feeling of singing opera and art

songs. But over the course of time, after about two years, I fell in love

with singing opera and art songs. the feeling I get when I begin singing

is pure joy and fulfillment. I’m relaxed, although at sometimes nervous

about pitch and tone.

WHAT ARE SoME STigMAS THAT you SEE ExiST in BEing An AFRi-

CAn AMERiCAn opERA SingER?

I wish African Americans, some don’t do this or else you wouldn’t have

African American opera singers, male or female would stop looking at

opera and classical style singing and say “oh, that’s white,” or “Black

people don’t do that,” or, “that’s white people's music.” the ignorance

of not knowing that you can be and do anything despite your color or

gender is heavy in some mindsets across the nation but that will never

stop and has never stopped African Americans who know their worth

and know they can do whatever heart felt thing they want, from being in

the opera world or performing and music in general.

JaMal-akil Marshall

bleumagazine.com 65

Growing up singing in church in his early pre-teens he joined the kids

choir but an apprehension to sing in front of a crowd wasn’t some-

thing he was too fond of. “that was my first touch of actually singing in

front of people and I hated it. I really started getting into singing when I

got into high school,” says jackson. this planted the seed in what would

lead to his recent acceptance into to opera programs located in york-

shire, England and Canada set to start Summer of 2014. A recent class

of may 2013 from Bowling Green State University, Christopher jackson

has his goals and dreams for the future set on high.

WHAT ABouT THE opERA DREW you To puRSuE THAT ART FoRM

AS oppoSED To Any oTHER gEnRE oF MuSiC?

well I started out in musical theater and I did shows all through high

school so that’s where my love really lied at first. I actually didn’t see my

first opera or hear my first opera singer until beginning of my freshman

year of college. my teacher sent me home during the summer and said

to listen to all these people and come back and tell me what you think.

It was like wow, I could possibly be a turnaround for my generation be-

cause my parents knew about opera singers and I didn’t know that until

I started mentioning names

Do you STiLL FEEL THAT nERVouSnESS?

I do. I still get nervous but I think not, especially in college they help a lot

with changing our nervous energy into energy that we can use towards

a performance and actually using it for our expression and the power

within our voices. So I still get nervous and still get jitters but it’s more

of the thing that I know and have an expectation for myself. I know how

well I can do and I need to make sure I can do that.

HoW Do you RELATE To youR AuDiEnCE WHETHER iT’S WiTH 5

oR 500 pEopLE?

It really comes with knowing what you’re singing about and that’s the

hard part that comes with the art form. A lot of the songs are in different

languages. It’s really about understanding the text and making it your

own. Anyone can take a poem from a black and white piece of paper

and read it. But what effect are you really having on people? Is your in-

terpretation really reaching somebody? Can they really understand the

story from your body language? those are the biggest things to think

about when trying to express a piece.

chrisTopher Jackson

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blazer WlliAm WAtSon

shirt exPreSS

bleumagazine.com 67

he’s the latest African American actor to be casted in the

CBS television soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful

(B&B). At 31, the rockland County new york native is ripe

for the picking as he’s been welcomed back into the folds

of the soap world with a fan base of millions following

his 2009 departure from cancelled soap opera Guiding

light. now, a wiser and evolved Saint-victor chats with

Bleu about his many roles as husband, actor, and writer.

yet he’s set to dominate his latest role as the strong and

willful character Carter walton, lawyer to the super power

forrester family in B&B. >>

words by Larryse Brown

Photography by keith major

fashion by alisha crutchfield

and raytell Bridges for styleWise

remember the name

LAwreNceSAiNt-Victor

bleu magazine

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68

you HAVE A LoT oF FoLLoWERS AnD

FAnS. HoW HAVE you RE-ADjuSTED To

BEing An oFFiCiAL SoAp STAR?

the fans are all like an extension of the family

so it was an easy adjustment.

WHAT HAS THE ExpERiEnCE BEEn LikE So

FAR WoRking WiTH youR nEW CAST AnD

kARLA MoSLEy (WHo pLAyS MAyA AVAnT,

CARTER WALTon’S FiAnCé)

the actors are so much fun, especially karla

starting the show was cool because it felt like I

had already had a friend coming into the show.

DoES THE BolD AND THE BEAuTIFul

SHooT EVERy DAy? WHAT ARE youR

TECHniquES FoR REMEMBERing youR

LinES/gETTing inTo youR CHARAC-

TER WiTH SuCH LiTTLE TiME BETWEEn

SCEnES?

we shoot monday wednesday and friday

depending on the story line and the character.

Sometimes we get weeks off. the technique is

repetition! just saying the lines over and over

is how we remember them. I just get Carter’s

script and read. I have no idea what’s going to

happen with my character! I get my lines the

day of and I’m just as surprised as the fans.

HoW DiD you gET WRiTTEn inTo THE

SoAp? WERE THEy Looking FoR SoME-

onE LikE CARTER?

I don’t know really. I don’t think they were

looking for a Carter. I met with Brad Bell from

The Bold and the Beautiful and CBS and they

were really gunning for the diversity initiative

at the time. they liked me and they already

had marcus (played by actor texas Battle, law-

rence’s on screen brother) they just brought

on his brother. I didn’t go into any audition at

all. I actually went in for a producer session for

Young and the restless first and the producer

at CBS saw me.

coat WlliAm WAtSon

shirt exPreSS

necklace g-StAr

bleumagazine.com

LAwrenCe sAInt-VICtor

THERE’S An ExTEnSion To THE BolD

AND THE BEAuTIFul CALLED THE Room 8

SERiES. iS iT A Spin oFF SHoW FRoM THE

BolD AND THE BEAuTIFul? HoW DiD THAT

CoME To BE?

the room 8 series is a throwback tGIf, sitcom

like Family matters. It started with maya and

Carter. the web series was created on the

show and after it was created the producers

came to us and pretty much asked “do you

guys want to write a real web series based off

of what we did in The Bold and the Beautiful?”

It’s actually really funny too, it takes you back

to the sitcom era. It’s available to see now on

CBS.com

WHAT ARE THE DynAMiCS BETWEEn you

AnD THE Co-STARS oFF CAMERA?

oh man…we laugh a lot. there are pranks all

day and a lot of jokes. lindsey Godfrey (Caro-

line Spencer) is the head of the comedic team.

Scott Clifton (“liam” Spencer III) and jacob

young (rick forrester) are complete clowns.

WHo iS youR FAVoRiTE CAST MATE?

my favorite is karla. karla and I have such a

history. I go way back, we were roommates

together. my first day on set was the kind

of thing where you were the new kid in

school and you’re relieved to see a familiar

face-someone that you knew. She’s my buddy

from new york.

AnyTHing you MiSS ABouT nEW yoRk

CiTy WHiLE LiVing in L.A?

I’ve lived in Queens for a little bit but I’m from

rockland County. I miss my pizzas! I can’t get

any good pizza’s here in l.A.

WHEn DiD you BEgin ACTing? WHAT’S

youR BACkgRounD WiTH ACTing?

I have training. I went to the Conservatory

hooded vest BAR III

bleu magazine

FAsHIon

70

coat & pants WlliAm WAtSon

shirt uniViBe

watch SPerry toP Sider

bleumagazine.com

LAwrenCe sAInt-VICtor

71

theater Arts and film. It’s up there with jul-

liard. It’s a four-year program. we trained and

got our butts kicked! when I was working on

Guiding light I couldn’t tell anyone while I was

going to school there because it’s against the

rules to work while in you were in school.

WHAT DiD you HopE To BECoME WHEn

you goT inTo ACTing? ARE you WHERE

you’VE HopED To BE?

when I first got into acting, it was a great time

for black actors. we still had The Best man,

love Jones, Brown sugar, Dead Presidents...

denzel washington and hallie Berry had just

got oscars! now, I still want to achieve all of

that and more. I’m very interested in produc-

ing, directing and of course acting in some of

my productions. I now produce and direct with

my wife.

WE knoW WHAT youR LoVE LiFE LikE iS

LikE AS CARTER BuT WHAT ABouT AS

LAWREnCE. WHEn DiD you gET MARRiED?

my wife became Shay Saint-victor in 2007.

WHEn DiD you knoW THAT SHE WAS iT?

She inspires me so much. just knowing that

I have a support system and knowing that

someone is proud of me but also won’t let me

off the hook if something I do is crappy. that’s

my inspiration.

LAST quESTion. WHERE Do you SEE

youR CAREER going in THE FuTuRE?

I want to have a flourished production compa-

ny. I really want to create moving pieces of art.

I want to be acting in those pieces in others. I

want to be will Smith with a little oprah sprin-

kled on top! ★

shirt BenSon

tie title oF Work

watch SPerry toP Sider

bleu magazine

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72

competitive sports have always separated the exceptional from the already awesome pack. Baseball, football, and basketball each have their reigning kings. Dynasties rise and fall everyday and the question we must ask ourselves at Bleu magazine is who are our stars of tomorrow?

Which of these legions of neophytes has the goods to lead their teams to glory? team Bleu's resident sport addict, Lamont compiled a list of athletes to watch in the 2014-2015 seasons. no matter what your preference of sport, Bleu is holding you down with our picks

risinG StArSTaking over Football, Basketball and Baseball

words by lamont wilson

bleumagazine.com 73

Hollywood Gets a New Star

the los Angeles dodgers were essentially

dead in the water until the dodgers called up

yasiel Puig from the minors, which vaulted the

dodgers to the top of national league west

division. the 22 year old Puig came into the

league red hot, batting 319. In 104 games he

hit 19 home runs and batted in 42 rBI’s. Before

Puig played for los Angeles, the dodgers

were one of the worst teams in the national

league. time will tell if Puig can become

another los Angeles king.

Coming for the Crown By Way of Nap Town

the nBA is full of stars and no one shines

brighter than lébron james, but there seems

to be a star on the horizon in a small place

of Indianapolis and his name is Paul George.

George is leading the best team in the Eastern

Conference, the Indiana Pacers, to what most

people feel is a deep playoff push, and some

analyst say an mvP award. George is averag-

ing career highs across the board during his

fourth year in the nBA.

The Leader of "The Legion of Boom"

the best team in the nfl has the best de-

fense the league has seen in years. richard

Sherman had 49 tackles and 8 interceptions

and most opposing quarterbacks don’t look

to throw his way because of his superior

ball skills, mental toughness and his overall

quickness. Sherman is known throughout

the league as a trash talker, but his game on

the field backs up his mouth and as long as

the Seahawks continue to win Sherman will

continue to talk.

bleu magazine

on tHe rIse

74

TiTus MakinLookout, He's on the Verge

Words by Edric Robinson

Photo by sierra Prescott

T itus makin jr. has literally

flipped his way into the spot-

light. Starting his acting career as

an extra in scenes lasting just about

10 seconds, to becoming one of the

Cw network’s regular supporting

actors in its new highly anticipated

series, star-Crossed.

At age 24, you get the sense that

his youthful features, bright smile

and humorous personality hasn’t

changed much from his beginnings

in hawaii. All of these attributes are

qualities that make him a standout

on screen. “my sister was actual-

ly the original actor of the family,

growing up I was the dancer and

singer,” makin said.

“when I was a senior in high school,

I entered my first musical, and it

hit me that this acting thing isn’t so

bad.” Since then, it seems makin,

the self described lover of every-

thing from God to nutella, chose his

career path and has let the 3-letter

word “can” be his guide.

“I started off without management,

trying to book acting jobs on my

own,” he admits. his first acting role

was as an extra on nickelodeon’s

teen sitcom, Victorious. “one day

they needed someone who could

do some tumbling and flipping for

a scene and someone pointed me

out.” he nailed it, and that screen

credit would be all he needed to

acquire professional management.

Changing management only pro-

pelled makin as he became one of

the original "warblers" on fox's hit

show Glee for three seasons.

Based on the popularity of the

“warblers,” he was able to tour the

world with the Glee: live Concert. “I

think that was the most memorable

moment of Glee for me was touring

the world, selling out arenas. It was

incredible,” an overjoyed makin

recalls.

After Glee, makin went on to star as

the lead in the made-for-television

movie, Gamers and A Cinderella

story: Once upon a song. As a

huge Sci-fi nerd, makin’s current

role on Cw’s star-Crossed was an

immediate sell. “I read the script

and had to be a part of this.” star-

Crossed is set in the future and

features an alien race known as the

Atrians, who come to Earth and are

integrated into a small town high

school. these aliens aren’t like that

of the movie, District 9. they are a

set of attractive teens, whose inter-

actions range from love to hate, and

everything in between. makin plays

lukas, the friend of the female lead

character, Emery, who falls in love

with one of the aliens.

with star-Crossed set to premiere

this winter, makin is a triple threat

that is on the verge of attaining

a career like that of his idol, will

Smith. Check him out star-Crossed

on the Cw network. ★

bleumagazine.com 75

in the early 1990’s the los An-

geles riots ushered in an era of

music that showcased the anger,

frustration and desolation seeping

through the cities’ streets and the

California city was never the same

again. during this time rapper yG,

born keenan jackson, was a kid

who had a front row seat experi-

encing the neighboring musical

shift and territorial gang wars that

would forever influence the sound

of west Coast rap.

with much success from early

mixtapes and being featured on

hits with Big Sean and E-40, yG

is ready to take on the world. the

California rapper’s debut album

my Krazy life, originally slated for

a late 2013 release, was pushed

back to first quarter of 2014 due

to the success of his single “my

hitta,” featuring labelmate rich

homie Quan, and jeezy, his label

boss. “I feel like the singles are

for people that probably wouldn’t

hear my album or buy my album.

they hear my single and they like

it to work and then they come

back for the album,” said the

Compton native.

the unbelievable take off of the

single affected the release date

of the album as record executives

wanted to bask in the success

for as long as possible. the song

itself is a smash hit. featured on

a plethora of vine videos, these

short 7-second clips have taken

the song global and landed it on

Itunes top 20 list. If you compare

it to Soulja Boy’s youtube take-

over back in 2007, yG has taken

steps in the right direction to

land atop the international charts.

“the my hitta’ record, that’s like

a friendship record, that’s why

everybody relates to that song;

that’s why everybody likes the

song.”

yG has evolved into an artist

who’s ready to take back the

west Coast, but is patiently

waiting for his imminent overseas

success. “I already got fans fans

in Europe, Germany especial-

ly. I did an overseas tour in the

summertime,” he says. “So I know

when my album comes out all that

shit, it’s going to be like times ten

over there.” the album consists of

a mash-up of everything Califor-

nia coupled with a rock star party

vibe that’s made him a sensation

in clubs everywhere. Similar to

the music of 1980’s west Coast

yG has kept a finger on the pulse

of the ebbing tension present

in his generation and kids like

him are using music as a way to

release.

“I’m young, coming up . But at

the same time I got a lot of little

kids and a lot of people that look

up to me,” he utters. “At that time

I put out my [earlier music] that’s

just talking about stuff I went

through, stuff I go through and

stuff I do. But at the same time I

do other stuff to let people know I

got good in me.” yG has done just

that by giving back to the com-

munity that has made him who

he is today, but the music is still

his leading lady in this unscripted

hollywood story. “I’m so focused

on this right now. I’m not doing

nothing else.” ★

Photo by mike miller

yGYoung, Flashy and Free

Words by jasmine Aspinall

bleu magazine

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bleumagazine.com 77

bleu magazine

BLeU LIst

78

Kirsten holtz

Joimarie mckenzie

Querelle Turner

Keith major

gilbert Stowers

ivo E. philbert

Sammy Elashry

Karl griggs

Sergio nieto

Jerome Shaw

mariso bianco

Sidra Smith

Eren Ab

lamman Rucker

Florence Anthony

Ajahmure clovis

Kiran goraya

Shaun mckinley

Janelle langford

Evan Frost

mercedes glK250

lotus Esprit Turbo

chevrolet impala

Rolls-Royce wraith

lexus iS350

Jeep grand cherokee SRT

Audi RS7

infiniti Q50 S

mazda 323

bmw 435i

Thunderkats

gem

Voltron

Teenage mutant ninja Turtles

ghost busters

dragon ball Z

batman beyond

X-men

Justice league Unlimited

carebears

Smurfs

Flintstones

Jetsons

Samurai Jack

Johnny Quest

Avengers

Transformers beast wars

Robo cop

cowboy bebop

Space ghost

public School

Ralph lauren

Tommy hilfiger

misfit

Rocawear

Ted baker

brooks brothers

J crew

levis

del Toro

bleumagazine.com 79

ICon

words by yvette Brown

As an actor, comedian, film director and writer,

robert townsend has proven to be one of the

most hard-working successful men around.

this versatile entertainer was born in Chica-

go, Illinois on february 6, 1957. townsend

started his career as a child, acting in plays

and transforming into character so well, he

caught the eyes of Chicago’s Experimental

Bag theater, making a name for himself in his

hometown. he went on to new york where he

dabbled in the comedic scene, performing at

Improvisation, launching his career in stand-

up. townsend used his talents to star in great

movies like Cooley High and uptown Comedy

express. his determination and brilliance led

him to be known as one of the “Godfathers”

of the Independent film world. he found that

black actors had difficulty finding good work,

leading him to go behind the scenes and

create his first project, Hollywood shuffle. this

passionate visionary has made history, having

been nominated for over 30 nAACP Image

awards for film and television. he’s also found

time to be a speaker for the United negro Col-

lege fund and nAACP, having spoken to many

organizations and young people, encouraging

them to follow their dreams. So, thank you

robert townsend for showing us true talent

and inspiring us to be great. ★

robert townsend is a multifaceted man whose productions are a corner-stone in the African American com-munity. no matter if you enjoyed The Parenthood, The Five Heartbeats, or meteor man, townsend’s works have been enjoyed across generations.

r ert t ns DOB

OW

EN

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