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Bringing The World The Best Miami Has To Offer With Exclusive Features On Miami Hip Hop Legend JT Money & Film Producer Billy Corben

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The words of Francis of Assisi are just right when it comes to Overtown Youth Center. With the primary aim of encouraging the youth to explore their true potential and hence helping them on the path to success, Overtown Youth Center is making considerable and significant contributions in the fields of education. Overtown Youth Center aims to empower youth so as to create responsible adults who are skilled to contribute towards the betterment of the Miami Community.The wise Plato stated a long time ago that do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each. Overtown Youth Center aims to do

OVERTOWN YOUTH

CENTER‘Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance.’

PHILANTHROPY

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just that so as to produce skilled minds which make significant contribution for the benefit of their community. In order to help them on their way to success, the youth requires proper training and needs to learn the principles which every successful individual must possess to make his mark in the world. For the individuals to succeed and become better professionals, Overtown Youth Center interacts with other institutes and organizations and helps the youth to focus on their growth as an individual. To this end they have designed programs to build a fruitful student-teacher relationship, put together a progressive curriculum and correspondingly great teachers who are experienced in handling teens.Overtown Youth Center helps the

parents to identify the schools which are best for their children on the basis of academic as well as non-academic activities so that not only do the children get a good student environment to prosper but also learn how to play a positive role in the society.Florida is home to over 25% K-12 youth i.e. these individuals should cater for themselves when they leave school. The after school programs play a vital role in the emotional and communal growth of the youth. The motivation behind starting up after school workshops and training programs is that almost 25% of school age children in Florida have no one to supervise them once the school is over. These training sessions have been reported to be extremely helpful and

useful by the teachers and parents all around. Another opportunity offered to the teens is holding after school jobs which not only inculcates in them a sense of responsibility and get hands on experience of the professional life. This is also helpful for the teens as an experience to discover more about themselves and identify their strong and/or weak points. Overtown Youth Center through its wonderful charity work is making considerable efforts towards ensuring a secure future for the society.

- By Phoenix

For More Information Please Visit overtownyouth.org/

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Mdyzn wats up man this conversation be-tween us has been a long time in the making hows everything on ur end?

Doing good man, working hard on seeing dreams ful-filled When I first think of Mdzyn, the first thing that usually comes to mind is your motto. “Design Your Lifestyle with Mdyzn” thats powerful man. Can you share with us your vision behind that?

“DZYN your LifeStyle” is a life lesson I learnt in my teenage years. I have been bless to meet a lot of peo-ple from varied nationalities and background. The one thing that is the same is we are all unique. M DZYN celebrates the diversity of people with the motto: DZYN your LifeStyle In a day and age where it seems that every-body is trying to follow the next person, you guys are really promoting being your own person in life thats great.

Yes, leave the coping to Xerox. Being yourself is so relaxing and stress free. All that we do as a Brand comes from various lifestyles; Dancers, musicians, skaters, BMXers, young professional… We individualize

products to fix the lifestyles and stay clear from cookie cutters (or copying) Alot of your collections always seems to have a positive message behind them, ex-plain the positive message behind your col-lections, In a time when it seems “ratchet” is the new thing that is rare to see

“Ratchet” seems to be the new “cool” for some but not for everyone. There is still a portion of our society that have strong moral biblical standings. Most members of this society are Christians. M DZYN is powered by the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ, and yes it is rare to see but we feel we are a refreshing change in the market place.

You’ve been able to successfully tie in mu-sical artist into some of your collections in the past it seems that entertainers and fashion have gone hand and hand ....why do u think this special relationship works so well?

The Arts have always cohabitated. Music, fine art and fashion have influences each other. Though musicians at times tend to step into the fashion realm every so of-ten it’s still all love. Creativity attracts creativity, the true entertainers will always be drawn to the real Designer and visa-versa because of mutual respect of the craft and influence.

FASHION IS ONE OF THE MOST TRENDIEST GENRES OF ENTERTAINMENT, YOUR CLOTHES MAY BE THE HOTTEST NOW AND IN 4 MONTHS YOUR FORGOTTEN BUT FOR 2 YEARS WE HAVE NOTICED A COMPANY FROM JAMAICA THAT HAS FOUND A WAY TO AVOID THIS TRAP AND HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY PUTTING OUT PRODUCT WITH NO END IN SITE.

FASHION

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There’s no denying the Jamaican influence in your collection, tell us how important was it for your company to stay consistent with the island influence Reggae music is life music, Bob Marley said it best: “When music hits you, you feel no pain” I grew up in Ja-maica and saw firsthand how the island has influenced the world. It has influenced my lifestyle, ethics and con-cepts. No one can change the pass or where they are from, and I feel so privileged to call Jamaica my home land. For with the lifestyle of the “No Problem” culture I feel confident in the direction of the Brand future. We’ve heard recently from fashion moguls how hard it is to tap into the fashion busi-ness like Marc Ecko, Daymond Jones the founder of FUBU, and recently Kanye West, What’s some of the hardest obstacle that you have faced? The hardest obstacle by far is to get people to believe in “work”. Longevity is rare but still holds strong. Chanel, Polo, Nike, Adidas and other top brands are not com-plaining. The problem arises when people enter the industry with a “hustle” mentality. Real designers will weather the storm because of the love for the craft and the fruits of their labor will be rewarded. In this infor-mation age the focus is on the destination not so much the journey. The journey satisfies the destination. There is no substitute for struggles of hard work, there is no “app” for that. We can’t force people to like and buy into a different version the last big idea because of a quickly thrown together celebrity marketing campaign. Mdzyn is more than a fashion company you also have a web series called yardi series correct? Tell us a little about that? Yaadi the series is the funnies cartoon anima series to ever come out of the Caribbean. In any part of a com-munity in Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean these characters and story line are played out every day. Like I said earlier, Jamaica has a way of producing talent. We also can’t forget about Skynet that is a television station you guys are working on as well? Skynet is the hub for M DZYN in Jamaica and because of the slogan “DZYN your Lifestyle” we have some many creative affiliations in other industries we felt it best to give a voice to them all, hence the TV station. So stay tuned it is going to be something worth viewing Wow, man thats great congratulations...your company has accomplished so much in the past couple of years where do u see M DZYN

in 5 years? In five years M DZYN should be creating stirs in the marketplace for the delight of shoppers’ in search of that unique cool item. You’ve done alot of work with various chari-ties, share with our readers your perspective on the importance of giving back

Someone had to give back for MDZYN to be here. Whether it was time, money or services. The law of nature and life says you have to give in order to receive. Nothing good comes from selfishness.

- Where can our readers stay current with some of the latest fashions you guys have coming out

MDZYN.com, facebook.com/MdzynCompany

- By Phoenix

FASHION

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BILLY CORBEN

The career of Billy Corben has risen in the past several years to become one of the most noted in the Miami Film industry as well as around the world. Born William Cohen, he took the stage name of Billy Corben and has enjoyed a considerable amount of success with his noted documentaries, “Raw Deal: A Question of Consent” as well as “Cocaine Cowboys” and its two sequels. In addition, his four contributions to the famed ESPN “30 for 30” series with “The U”, “The U Part 2”, “Broke” and the short entry, “Collision Course: The Murder

of Don Aronow”. His reputation as a documentary filmmaker and producer in the Miami area is certainly well respected along with his contributions to the Miami entertainment industry.

THE EARLY LIFE OF BILLY CORBEN

Billy was born in Central Florida in 1978 and was raised in the South Florida area. His interest in the film industry was well established thanks to his childhood days spent as an actor in the Los Angeles area. Corben returned to Miami at a teen and entered the University of Miami where his major was political

science as well as screenwriting and theater.Corben graduated with honors and made the transition from acting to documentary filmmaker with his first work, “Raw Deal: A Question of Consent” in 2001. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and made Corben one of the youngest directors to ever have the honor of his work being shown at the famed festival.“Raw Deal” is a hard-hitting recounting of the alleged rape of an exotic dancer that took place at the University of Florida at a fraternity house. The film broke new ground thanks to the extensive use of video clips of the alleged assault that

FILM

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shocked audiences. Corben’s work received stellar reviews from noted critics such as Film Threat’s Anthony Miele who said, “Billy Corben has stumbled onto one of the most controversial films of the modern era”. The raw nature of the film and its impact certainly made a powerful impression on the audiences that witnessed this new type of documentary work.

THE FORMATION OF RAKONTUR

It was in the aftermath of “Raw Deal” that Corben and Alfred Spellman who was his producing partner would form “Rakontur”, a content-creation company that is located in Miami Beach. The formation of the company was very important as it allowed a proper financial structure to be put into place and allowed Corben to create new documentary features.

THE FILMOGRAPHY OF BILLY CORBEN

The very first venture under the new “Rakontur” was the 2006 release of “Cocaine Cowboys” a powerful documentary work that caught the attention of film critics around the country thanks to its focus on the Miami drug trade of the 1970s and 1980s which highlights some of the most successful smugglers as well as a notorious hit man who dominated the cocaine era in Miami.While the documentary did fairly well in theatrical release, particularly in the art hour circuit, it was the subsequent showing on the Showtime where the film became

the highest-rated documentary ever for the cable network. Billy Corben followed up the success with 2008 “Cocaine Cowboys 2: Hustling with the Godmother”. By this point, Corben had really established himself in the documentary scene which garnered the notice of ESPN. The sports cable station was producing a new documentary series called “30 for 30” which was to cover the events that occurred during the 30 years since the network made its debut. Initially, the series was only going to focus on the famous sporting events of the time, but filmmakers like Corben managed to convince the network to take a different approach and his contribution “The U”.Making its debut right after the 2009 Heisman Trophy Awards, “The U” covered the history of the University of Miami Hurricane football team from the time that Howard Schnellenberger took over the squad in the late 1970s to the middle of the 1990s when the team won four national championships. The documentary became the highest rated ever for ESPN. Corben had managed to reach a new audience with his “The U” work which helped propel him further into his documentary efforts.“Square Grouper: The Godfathers of Ganja” was Corben’s next release in March, 2011. The documentary cover the famed smuggling era of the 1970s in Miami and made its debut at the famous South by Southwest Film Festival. One month later, “Limelight” was released which focused on Peter Gatien, who once was the owner of the biggest nightclub in New York City.

Showing no signs of slowing down, Corben released “Dawg Fight” in 2012. The documentary covered the brutal sport of the underground mixed martial arts (MMA) fighting that was taking place in the backyards of one of Miami’s most notorious neighborhoods. Since then, Corben released his second sequel to famed “Cocaine Cowboys” series, “Los Muchachos” which centered on the trials of Sal Magluta and Willy Falcone. Both of whom were arguably the most successful Cuban drug traffickers in the history of Miami.Billy Corben returned to ESPN to create “Broke”, a feature about how so many professional athletes lose all their money shortly after leaving their sport. And in 2014, he has also created a sequel to the “The U” which starts where the original left off and covers the 2001 national championship won by the University of Miami. In addition to his documentary work as producer and director, Corben also manages all the soundtracks that are released through the Rakontur label from the assembly of the artists all the way through the final product. His attention to the soundtrack included using hip-hop artist Luther Campbell for the opening tracks to “The U” in which Campbell was featured for his role he played with some of the members of the University of Miami football team.

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

Currently, Corben is working on another documentary project in Miami that has yet to be titled. Plus, he continues his work with Rakontur as well as supporting local charities in the Miami community as well as the Borscht Film Festival as part of a group dedicated to supporting the new independent filmmakers for the Miami film industry.There is no doubt that Billy Corben will continue along his chosen path of documentary filmmaking as well as rack up more awards for the quality, imagination and style he brings to each of his projects.

- By Phoenix

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Calle Ocho festival- Its history and importanceEvery year, a legendary festival called Calle Ocho is celebrated in Miami. The streets of Miami get overtaken by people from all different types of backgrounds for the celebration of this popular festival. This festival has been held every year for the past 20 years and brings together close to one million people every year. Every year this festival brings smiles to thousands of people. But, behind the laughter, the smiles, the dances and the music, there is a serious side to all of the celebrations that take place in Calle Ocho.Willy Bermello was the one who started this festival. It started off as Billy wanting a little backyard get-together where all his neighbors came together. But later this festival grew into something much bigger and starting to lose the reason behind it. With the unavoidable commercialization of this festival, Bermello felt that the importance of this festival was fading away and he wanted people to know that the festival was more than just some big party. The main reason for starting this festival was that Willy wanted people of different ethnicities and different races to feel comfortable with each other for not just one day, but throughout the year.Back in 1977, tensions became to grow between the

different ethnic groups in Miami. The Eight Cuban-Americans from the Kiwanis of Little Havana were working on to come up with as solution to this issue. They decided to conduct a bicycle race on SW 8th Street (Calle Ocho), but the organizers didn’t went ahead with it because they feared that it would only pit one ethnic group against the other. It is after that Willy came up with the idea of a block party and thus

Calle Ocho was born. Another idea behind starting this festival was so Cubans could learn more about different cultures and people.In the Calle Ocho festival, different ethnic communities wear flags or colors to represent pride in their heritage. Foods from several different cities are sold and popular music like salsa, merengue, reggaeton and bachata can be heard through the festival.This festival takes place in SW

8th Street between 27th Ave and 4th Ave. Above 30 different stages and over hundreds of street vendors participate in this live musical festival. The Calle Ocho also gained an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records back in 1988.

- By Phoenix

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MODEL

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Anybody that has been following the model industry here in South Florida all agree there is one brand that seems to be popping up everywhere “Karma Karmel” Congrats on that, Tell us how long have you been actively modeling for Since February 2012 :)

Anybody that has chasen their dreams in the past, knows that it comes with alot of sacrifices.You actually left school just so you can pursue modeling full time correct? How was that, that had to be a hard decision?

I use to study Sports/Events/Entertainment Management at Johnson & Wales University, until my 3rd year of college. Within those 3 years at JWU I accumulated much information (very thankful) however I was also taught that big success stories didn’t necessarily come from individuals with formal or even basic high school education, that whatever these entrepreneurs lacked in learning they made up for it in networking. After hearing that similar story about 3 times, I decided it was time for me to go out in the world and network my success full time!!! :)

After you left school thats when things really started connecting for you, to call you a model now l is almost a disservice to your movement. You’ve actually branched out and started venturing out to various fomrs of entertainment?

Yes I am a Singer, Actress, Host, Model, Mother, Humanitarian, Vegan, Astrologer, Star-Being, and Spiritual Soul :)

I can definitely see you on the big screen. If you were able to choose your dream role in any movie what type of movie would it be and what type of role would you have? My dream type of movie has to be anything in Comedy and my role would have to be a sexy, funny, nature girl!!! :)))

Of course we have to ask what be your dream collab music wise? I would probably cry if she were next to me however Ms. Whitney Houston has and always will be my idol!!! RIP!!! U WILL FOREVER BE A LEGEND!!! :)))

Let get back to modeling tell us about that experience I started in February 2012 and have participated in everything from Expos, Magazines, Music Videos, Runway, Promotional Modeling, The Bill Cunningham Show, Short Films, Reality Shows, Etc. Now to my music under K.Karmel :)))

Wow, that’s great it seems like you’re definitely on your way not only to be a strong figure in the modeling world but entertainment world as well, Is there anything you take from your modeling experience that you adapt to any of your other ventures such as singing or acting?

Yes I have taken some things away from my modeling experiences; to adapt with my singing and acting career such as being an influential image in front of others, my network, and the importance of having fun!!! :)

You mentioned Reality Shows earlier, They have received a lot of slack in the past couple of years, but if used correctly can be a great platform to build your brand. Whats

“WHATEVER THESE ENTREPRENEURS LACKED IN LEARNING THEY MADE UP FOR IT IN NETWORKING”

MODEL

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heard and the best. BY FAR THE WORST LINE I HAVE EVER HEARD WAS “BUST IT WIDE OPEN FOR ME, THEN WE CAN WORK TOGETHER” !!! (SLEEZEBALL !!!) AND THE BEST LINE I HAVE HEARD WAS “YOU SEEM LIKE YOU’RE REAL.” (SIMPLE, PERFECT! :) So lets say a man does give you one of those charming lines and is able to enjoy your company on a date, whats karma’s favorite setting for a date? NO CROWDS, NEARBY WATER, VEGAN FRIENDLY, AND GREAT ENERGY :)

Thats great, a lot of young girls are going to read this article and you’ve accomplished so much in a short time is there any advice you would like to share with them PRAY ALWAYS, BE THANKFUL, NEVER STOP IN YOUR PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS, HELP OTHERS, AND PROTECT YOUR ENERGY!!! :)))

- By Phoenix

your thought about the reality world?

My thoughts on Reality Shows are they are entertaining. Whether a Reality Show is displaying bad or good traits, we as the public are captivated by human nature and learn about social/moral behaviorsthis way. It is up to the individual to learn, laugh or both :)

When people say Super Models they always think of Naomi Campbell or Tyra Banks, whose the supermodel you looked up to and maybe pattern your career after?

I looked up to and still look up to the non “Super Models” or the “Regular” people; we motivate each other to express ourselves at our highest potential :)

We’ve often heard of restrictions when it comes to women of color in the modeling world, have you had any experiences with this?

I have no restrictions in any world, for I do not acknowledge such things :)

One blemish people often think about the modeling world is the idea of young ladies starving themselves in order to be “attractive” is this something thats still a problem in the industry and do you think the modeling world has done a good job to educate their models about this?

I believe that in any World, the word “Attractive” is being turned into the word “Healthy”. Whatever keeps you Healthy and Happy, will give you all the “Glow” you will ever desire!!! ;* :)

There no denying you’re definitely a beautiful girl, I know you must’ve heard all the pick up lines in the world. Is there any that stick out, What’s the worst line you’ve

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WHEN THE PHOENIX MAG DECIDED TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE BEST THINGS THAT MIAMI HAD TO OFFER, WE KNEW IT WAS ONLY RIGHT THAT WE INCLUDE A DADE COUNTY LEGEND J.T. MONEY. HE CHANGED THE WAY PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD VIEWED ARTIST FROM MIAMI. HE OPENED THE DOORS FOR MIAMI MUSIC TO SPREAD GLOBALLY. HE DEFINITELY DESERVES A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR ALL HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS. WE FIGURED WHO BETTER TO INTERVIEW HIM THAN THE QUEEN OF MIAMI MEDIA, BLONDIE C.

First I want to say it is a pleasure and an honor to be in the presence of one Miami’s legends JT Money.

Thank you Ms. Cant U C. What’s up world?

How does it feel to be considered one of your cities legends?

It is both an honor and a privilege. See I put in some work back in the days. We had to fight for this music. I’m from an era where we had to fight to get our city heard. It wasn’t just handed to me. When Luke was out there fighting I was out there fighting with him. Miami was not considered

A musical place?

Right. We had to bust the doors open. It was 2 Live Crew and baby 2Live Crew which was me with The Poison Clan. We would go on tour and had to fight these artist.

Are you talking physically or lyrically?

The whole fight. There were nights that we had blood on our Jordan’s but that’s a story that should be left untold. But as far as the lyrics, they would say them down south niggas got all that booty music. My thing was lyrically Miami niggas control the pussy. We like bitch shake what ya mama gave ya Or Pop that pussy! While other artist begging and whining. Our Miami girls would be like look at this soft ass nigga. This style didn’t work around the world so we had to give them more lyrics. It was hell to get it them.

What exactly is the process that you guys had to go thru to get your music out?

Well the games was promotions. So we got in our vans and road city to city, hand to hand combat. We would go to every hood and have rap battles against every nigga who thought they were the hottest in their city.

Oh wait you did rap battles?

Well yes I was 17 once. I was young and I was with it. Go check my catalog. Check out some of my lyrics from back then. You can see the growth. I listen to old songs and say look at the nigga he was a rapper back then. He was showing skills. For me music is just music until you had some J to it.

What do you think is the difference between this era of music and back then?

Back then people had original sounds. Down south were the raunchy proactive ones. Out west they were all gangster and up North was jazz and Metaphors.

What’s the hold up? Whirs is the new music?

Cats don’t work like me and you know I can’t sit down. Everybody got different issues and I just keep going.

“WE HAD TO FIGHT FOR THIS MUSIC.I’M FROM AN ERAWHERE WE HAD TO FIGHT TO GET

OUR CITY HEARD.”

MUSIC

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Yea well I’m part of the hood. I am Dade County. All the big brothers and uncles are my friends. They are my brothers and I show them respect, not that I’m sleep but the hood kind of protects me.

I think everybody loves you

And I love them back. Never forget that

People were kind of shocked when Uncle Luke got married because of his persona and lyrics. Is it true that you were married?

Yes, I was

How do you go from calling women bitches and hoes to saying I do? Does a women just have to know there is a separation from your lyrics and you? Is there a separation?

There is a separation between church and state. That’s what they say. It’s definitely a monarchy not a democracy.

Tell us what JT stands for.

Jacking Tourist or Just truth or jabbing things. Just truth is that grown man. Just is for justice and justified truth is forever need no alibi.

Tell us about you latest project. What you have going on for 2015 & 2016.

It feels good too. It’s coming together the way I want it to. All the years people would be asking me J watchu doing? Anyway I’m calling it Pimping Gangster Party. It kind of sums my music up. You get the hardest of the pimp shit, the hardest of the gangster shit and get that party shit. Without sounding cocky, who more pimp than JT MONEY? Who more gangsta than JT MONEY? Who parties harder than JT MONEY? When people hang out with me they always have fun.

Every time I hang out with you I always have a lot of fun. But I really wanted to know what the problems between you and Trick Daddy were?

Well me and Trick really didn’t have no problems. I think he had cats talking to him in his ear telling him that he was better than me. But the things is he supposed to never let outside niggas divide us. When he was first starting he use to come to my house. I met Trick in Rolexx parking lot. He told me J I want you on a

I am the reason Poison Clan was where we were. After the first we were fucked.

Why did PC break up?

Why did you go solo?

Everybody decided that they wanted to do

their own thing.

Musically?

Whatever it was. I never planned on doing a

solo project until after Poison Clan completely blew up. But I think it was just all apart of Gods plan.Is that why you moved to Atlanta? Did you think you had to move to really blow up?

I didn’t have to move, but I made a decision to be closer to my money. I wanted to be closer to my business.

Back than Miami niggas didn’t allow industry cats to come to Miami.

Was it a “No Fly Zone”?

Right. I wanted to be closer to the cats that I was doing business so I could see my money and count my money. Some cats didn’t understand that and accused me of selling out and leaving the city. I wish a nigga would

I have never heard of anybody taking

shots at you.

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record with me. He told me that I and 2pac were his favorite artist. We exchanged numbers and hung out. But politics got in the way but we never really had a problem. In my lyrics I still call him my brother. We had a plan to take over. When I saw him I saw that I would finally have some help because at one point I was all alone fighting the battle for Miami music.

At one point Miami music scene was the shit. Slip n Slide was like the hottest shit out. What do think caused the collapse.

Greed and Infiltration, When Uncle Al died seems like the music changed. Miami niggas start following New York niggas style. When yall let these out of towners in and introduce than to the radio stations and club owners than end up cutting you out of the deal because they don’t need you no more. They do little fake features with you but they won’t promote it. They use our niggas for security. I have hollered at a couple of my Zoes and record labels and told them yall let these niggas in. Yall gave them yall connects and now they aint friends with you no more because they don’t need you.

What is going to be different this time around?

I am a stronger man and my team strong and persistent... They are going to be at everybody with “play that record”

- By Blondie C

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Born & Raised In Palm Beach,fl until the age of 16. I got introduce into to music at any early age, as toddler i was always bothering my Godfather for drums sticks, drums. Drums were always and will be my favorite instrumental. Growing up i was forced into all church events, but the only thing that caught my attention was always the youth choir, they were always turning the newest hip hop songs to gospel. Round the same i just started to listen Tupac Shukar at the age of 9, He became a major inspiration he was

what you call

the hood hero growing up, him and Biggie showed

me the real meaning behind rap/hip hop, being that they both were lyrical, I wanted to be lyrical.I

started poetry on the

side mostly wrote poems for either girls i liked or for my homeboys to send to there girls. The year after that couple friends Kappakid,Slugga,Kaveman,and me and we created a gospel rap group called "M.I.C"'Men In Christ' at the time i was 14 and going by Biggie,Big Jay,Dramaboi or B.I.G

when we first got together as group. We did good

for our 1st year a lot of experience, i was

always energetic and so live. We did our

thing that whole year, sadly I

had to move to palm bay, fl at 16, where I continued on rapping and changed my name to

YBAGuttah

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YBAGuttah

jayguttah and started to pursue other advantages in the rap game. I met up with Jdott when he was still in middle school, me, him and j3 would do songs for days and just post them on MySpace, at the time i was not looking for a deal nor money it was simply for the love. My last year of high school I

got back to the music when I heard Iceberg from one of my Dade county homeboys in the bay ever since then he became another Tupac to me, another inspiration that gave me more hope as a street nigga trying to reach there dreams, & closer to my dreams really set it off for me inspired me to start thinking clearer.

That year after graduation I took off Job Corp in Brunswick, Ga with my cousin Tony, to try something new and see what the world has to offer those who couldn't afford schooling. But as a result Job Corp didn't work out for either, I ended up getting kicked out after 9months and sent back to Florida immediately due to altercations with one of the students. When I got back to palm bay I got back right in the studios, fired up to be the next (305)Iceberg in my city, where I started collaborating with Jdott and his old brother Jay Hoody,R.v & Pizzle Boy "ZFB", Later down I met up with a few other rappers Raw Milla,Emazin and formed a music 'Yba'"Young Business Attires" aka Zoe6 "Hoody,R.v.RawMilla,Emazin,Vine and of course me" In Palm Bay , Melbourne Fl.The name Yba actually comes from a music group that we started with, I ended up using it as my stage and street name when my big bro was incarcerated. By holding down the set I choose to go by YbaGuttah where I had moved to Orlando at the time to pursue this education my momma wanted me to explore and stay out of trouble. I continued making music with my cousin DTR 10pac aka Foolay, I didn't start

doing shows until i moved back to Palm Beach and was introduced to HotHeaad by one of my good friends Bam. I also met up with a few of Palm Beach Promoters, beat producers, dj's and artists such as Yung Ace who produces most of my beats, Fly Hustle Kartel,PMG, Richie Stacks, Phoenix, Dj Needlez....etc Even though Palm Beach Shows no love, I don't care like Iceberg says as long as the fans listening who gives a damn I'm just out to do it really for me my peoples.

- By Phoenix

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RECENTLY AT A PROFESSIONAL MATCH IN NEARBY CORAL SPRINGS, WE WERE VERY INTRIGUED BY THE LEVEL OF COMPETITION AND THE ENERGY FROM THE CROWD, BUT THERE WAS ONE WRESTLER FOR SOME REASON STUCK OUT HE ILLED THEING WITH CHARIS-MA, SO AFTER NIGHT WAS OVER WE DE-CIDED TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS WRESTLER THEY CALL ACE MAYHAM

To be a wrestler it’s a not an easy task, it definitely takes a toll on your body you must have some real passion for this. When did you start becoming a fan of wrestling.

I became a fan of wrestling around age 4, like most kids I used to tune in every saturday and I remember watching Macho Man Ran-dy Savage and the tag team Demolition and they had so much en-ergy they were larger than life cartoon characters and I was hooked every since

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Was there a certain experience or moment that sparked or pushed you to actually chase this dream of becoming a wrestler?

I went to a number of events as a child that made me want to become a wwe superstar, but when I went to see Wrestlemania 28 At Sunlife stadium in Miami that was a moment that made me want to pursue pro wrestling. To see the crowd love and reaction to the wrestlers and to experience the energy throughout the stadium I just told myself this is something I have to be apart of.

Now your road to being a professional wrestler wasn’t an easy one if i’m not mistaken, you used to have to take trips to a training facility in Tampa almost 3 hours drive away on a weekly basis right tell me about that.

Yes. I was training At FCW/NXT which is The WWE’s official developmental promotion. I had to travel back and forth between Miami &Tampa every week for the 3 months straight in 2012. It was expensive and sometimes I didn’t even have a place to stay so I slept in the Airport for days at a time. The struggle of pursing your dream.

Wow, you’ve really given a lot to chase your dreams. Was there anytime that you were close to giving up? If so, what made you keep going?

Yeah, briefly. When I thought about they way they treat black people in the wrestling business. I thought about it being a waste of my time, energy and effort because they put a black man in the top spot as the face of the company, but I realized how much I love wrestling and how much I’ve already sacrificed also how many have supported in chasing my dreams so I couldn’t let them or myself down. At least try to change the game and make history.

Sounds like your real focus on your dreams, but there had to be a time when maybe you were on top of a ladder or on a receiving end of a table being broken across your back?

Yeah. I was rock bottomed thru a table by Rick Rush. That was an experience I’ll never forget. The crowd loved it!!! I was in pain for 3 days tho lol. I’ll definitely do it again.

You recently won the tag team championship belt, how was that feeling the first time u held that belt.

I felt like a little kid living his dream. I remember being a kid and we would have our toy belts and play wresting out a the playground lol and it was fun to imagine yourself as a champion. when MDK and I won the tag belts I felt like I took a big step in my career.

You’ve recently had the opportunity to showcase your talents abroad in such places such as Dominican Republic & Panama to name a few, how was the crowd and atmosphere in those places compared to here in the states?

Wrestling in DR and Panama was a great experience because it gave me the opportunity to take my talents overseas and experience a different style of wrestling. The food and beaches were great!!!

On the topic of excitement, Every wrestler has their finishing move. What’s Ace Mayham’s finishing move?

“ I DIDN’T EVEN HAVE A PLACE TO STAY SO I SLEPT IN THE

AIRPORTFOR DAYS AT A TIME. THE

STRUGGLEOF PURSING YOUR

DREAM.”

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The Mayday it’s an F5 into a face plant. One way trip to hell!!!

I know you’ve dabbled in acting before with appearance on a few hit tv shows, one wrestler that has made the transition from the ring to the big screen is The Rock. Do you see yourself going down that same lane?

Hell yeah Thats the main purpose of pursuing this dream. to become a leading man in Hollywood.

Thats great man, I know there’s a young Ace Mayham right now reading this interview rying to chases his/her dreams. If you had the opportunity what advice would you share with that individual?

I recently had this convo with my younger cousin Desiree who watches me and has dreams of being a Diva. I told her Go hard after your dream and protect your dream because theirs people out there who don’t have dreams of their own that will be really jealous of you. It’ll be the ones closest to you that will doubt you, but if you dedicate your heart and soul to your dream you will have no regrets. Always remember their is no competition but yourself. And make sure to have a solid plan B that will bring you full circle back to a better plan A

- By Phoenix

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RECENTLY WE WERE ABLE TO CATCH UP WITH ONE OF MIAMI’S MOST TALKED ABOUT UP & COMING ARTIST JUNK YARD AT THE VIBRANT LULU’S ART GALLERY LOCATED IN THE BEAUTIFUL ART DISTRICT IN MIAMI. THERE IS NO DENYING THE AMOUNT OF BUZZ AND ENERGY THIS YOUNG ARTIST HAS BEEN ABLE TO CREATE BEHIND HIS PAINITINGS SO WE WERE DEFINITELY EXCITED FOR THE CHANCE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS JUNK YARD KID MOVEMENT THATS SWEEPING THROUGH SOUTH FLORIDA

First of all man the name junk yard is a interesting name, give us a little background on how you first came up with the name junk yard?

I’m from broward i was born in ft lauderdale but i moved a lot growin up. so fast forward to highschool

when I moved to south florida for my last two years I made varsity my first practice and the Head at the time Coach Damon Cogdell, Assistant Coach at West Virgina University gave me that nickname. He said he liked my motive. but honestly it caught up around in school even the teachers so i kind of just embraced it.

Your definitely a skilled artist, more importantly your passion for your craft is something people always pick up from you, how long have you been drawing for?

I’ve been drawing ever since I was a kid watching cartoons on tv. I would draw things i thought would impress my mom and brother like dragon ball z or a picture i seen lying around.

When did it hit you like man I got a talent here I might be able to turn this into a career .

My senior year in high school this amazing woman by the name of Wanda Mendoza Piedra forced me into art class and bought me me alot of paintings supplies and i started painting. She thought I was good so i kept painting. I love her for that she changed my life honest.

Banksy Is almost like the Art World’s robin Hood, It crazy to me how powerful his pieces are, Is there a specific artist when you were coming up or even now that your just always blown away by their work?

All Artist are inspiring to me really since i started painting is really when i learned about other artist and they definitely inspire me but just too name a few, im a big of City Of Ink's own Miya Bailey and Hebru Brantley's creations. But honestly im music is what always inspired me for me its a picture painting by the ear.

Its crazy to see a rap artist

ARTS

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get in the booth and get in a zone and just start banging out lyrics, give us a little insight on as a visual artist that feeling when it just hits you and that brush just flows.

Thats all it is "it just hits you and the brush just flows".

I know your currently working on your first art

exhibit, first off all congrats on that. When your coming up with a art exhibit is it the same as a musical artist coming out with a project is there a certain vibe that you come up with or is it what yo have at that time?

Thank you. and really its my first art exhibit so i'm really painting things that will teach people things about me i cant explain visually. That's my mission with my art and the exhibit.

- By Phoenix

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