Saint Heron Partners Up With Ikea To Create Architectural & Design Objects With Multifunctional Use
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COP A FLASK BRACELET JUST LIKE RIHANNA’S
I'm trying to get one of these, read more about these handy dandy flask bracelets on Vashtie.com: Click HERE to read
FRIDGE’S ‘PERFECT TIMING’ EXHIBITION PRESENTED BY G-SHOCK
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GROWN-ISH’S SEASON 2 AWAITS US; HERE’S WHY WE LOVE THE DIVERSE CAST
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FOOL’S GOLD RECAP: RIDE FOR ME VIDEO RELEASE PARTY WITH A-TRAK AND HAROLD HUNTER FOUNDATION
Recap via Vashtie.com, click HERE to read.
THESE 2017 FASHION TRENDS WERE SEEN LAST YEAR IN PARIS, MILAN, AND LONDON FASHION WEEK AND WE CAN’T LET GO OF THEM
By Pennie Anassi via Vashtie.com: Click HERE to read.
VALENTINES DAY 2018 PLAYLIST FOR VASHTIE.COM
Check out my Vashtie.com Valentines Day Playlist, carefully curated with love by your girl.
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AKOO CLOTHING X PATRICK EWING PRE-LAUNCH EVENT
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DIVERSITY IN THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY ADVOCATE NYMA TANG WILL BE LAUNCHING HER OWN CUSTOM LIPSTICK WITH M.A.C COSMETICS
Article by Pennie Anassi via Vashtie.com: Click Here To Read
Live Civil: AMANDA SEALES’S ‘SMART, FUNNY, & BLACK’ COMEDY GAME SHOW IS A MUST SEE & MUST FEEL
Game shows are a huge part of Television culture, from Jeopardy to Who Wants To Be A Millionaire to The Price Is Right, these classics are staples in every family’s home in America. Diversity in mainstream television has always been an issue. While creators in the POC community continue to fight for the right to see representation in this industry, people like comedian and actress, Amanda Seales have already started thinking outside of the box.
Amanda Seales is known in mainstream entertainment for her role on HBO’s trailblazing TV series Insecure. Beyond her role on the show, she has been curating a masterpiece that has been dubbed as Smart, Funny, and Black. Amanda told us during her NY show that Smart, Funny, and Black is,
“Where black laughs matter and white tears don’t"
& we were totally here for it.
The game show celebrates black culture through various games that explore black history, the black experience, and black pop culture in front of a live audience. Amanda was tired of seeing a number of negative images of black people in media outside of the comedies face but on the news.
Here’s how it works:
The players of the show are some of your favorite funny folks. The roster has been filled with people like Issa Rae, Bresha Webb, Charlamagne Tha God, Kid Fury, Bevy Smith, and more. The hosts battle in the “Hall of Flava” to compete in a head to head battle of wits that test their knowledge of black history, black culture, and the black experience. After a night of fun as hell games, flanked by a live band, and a turnt up audience, each show ends with one guest, literally, taking the “L”, the other, taking the crown, and being inducted into the “Illustrious League of Master Blacksperts”
Other than bragging rights, the winner of the night receives the most valuable weapon that can be used for anyone, especially African Americans, a book. All of the books given out as prizes are written black authors, which is dope af. The show is honestly a must see and a must feel. In order to truly capture the essence of it, we recommend that you attend one for yourself when it comes through to your city. After experiencing it in person we put together some of our favorite stand out thoughts/moments. Explaining what the way the show works can get confusing for some so we asked our self, “What is Smart, Funny, & Black?”
Smart, Funny, & Black is filled with hip-hop/R&B quizzes. Throughout the show you will either learn a new song that you should have probably known before if you consider yourself a hip hop fan or have a blast singing a long to your favorite old school classics with a room full of beautiful people.
Smart, Funny, & Black is Interactive, although the audience is not playing the actual game to win we are all in it together. You will feel apart of something greater and interact with the hosts and everyone around you.
Smart, Funny, & Black will teach you something you did not know about our history.
Smart, Funny, & Black brings about friendly yet constructive and necessary conversations through a game show. Along with those conversations doable solutions are discussed when it comes to the issues that we face as people of color.
Smart, Funny, & Black has an amazing live band that will have you singing, swaying, and jigging all night long.
After the show we we spoke with New York Times Best Selling Author, media personality, co-host of The Brilliant Idiotspodcast and the nationwide syndicated morning show, The Breakfast Club, Charlamagne Tha God after he lost to comedian Yamaneika Saunders and here’s what he had to say:
“Smart, Funny, & Black is a phenomenal show and I don’t why it’s not on TV yet. Amanda Seales is an amazing host and talent, but we already knew that. This is like a real, real live dope ass game show for television and I hate when networks say stupid shit like we don’t want the game show to be too black, because black is what’s poppin’, black is what controls the cool right now so you should want Smart, Funny, & Black because it’s the best game show that I’ve ever been on. I mean, maybe it’s the only one too but still it doesn’t matter.”
All upcoming shows for the month are sold out but if you would like to attend “do the bright thing” and follow @smartfunnyblack or @amandaseles to see when she’s coming to a city near you.
Happy Black History Month Folks!
Live Civil: RYAN DESTINY TALKS STAR, COLORISM, GABRIELLE UNION, & THE SECRET TO HER GLOWING SKIN
If you’re a fan of EMPIRE and STAR Wednesdays like we are over here at Live Civil than you are very familiar with Ryan Destiny. Ryan plays Alexandra Crane, an aspiring singer/songwriter/dancer who left her lavish life with her celebrity parents played by the legendary Lenny Kravitz and Naomi Campbell to thug it out in Atlanta with her super talented girl group in hopes to “make it big”.
Before her role on Empire and Star, Ryan was apart of Russell Simmon’s All Def label’s R&B girl group Love DollHouse. She has been compared to the likes of actress and author, Gabrielle Union. Union says in her book “We’re going to need more wine” that not only can Ryan act but, “she can sing and dance!”.
Ryan Destiny is just getting started, outside of STAR she is planning to release a solo EP and has signed with Capitol Records. We wanted to get to know the beautiful brown skin girl that immediately caught our eye, so we decided to catch up with her and indulge in some girl talk.
In this interview, we discuss the struggles and revelations of being a woman of darker skin, the main components that every musical girl group needs to truly survive, her relationship with Gabrielle Union, her up and coming EP, and of course BOYS, and more. Grab a glass of wine or cup of tea and a notepad because sis is about to drop some serious gems!
For those who don’t know…who is Ryan Destiny?
I am somebody that want’s to make a mark as somebody that just loves people and broke boundaries and was just themselves all the time. That is me in a nutshell.
Most people know you from Empire and Star on FOX, how did the role of Star come about after things ended for you with Empire?
The role came from the casting director Leah Daniels, she was just such a big believer in me thankfully and supporter. So when things in Empire fell through she really wanted me to audition for STAR and at first I wasn’t really about it because it was about a girl group and I had just gotten out of a real girl group a few months before. So, I was just like yea, I don’t really think that this is for me but I did it anyway. I auditioned for it and I got it, and now I’m here.
What do you love/respect most about Lee Daniels and his work?
The thing I respect the most about him is that he is very vulnerable with his work and telling stories. He is living his truth in his work and the way that he tells stories is really based off of the things that he has gone through. I really respect that about him because that’s not easy to do, it’s not easy to let people into your life that much even if it is a movie or a show. It is important to do and I think it speaks volumes and really opens people’s minds. If the topic or story being highlighted is something that people are not used to or don’t necessarily know too much about Lee Daniels is really big on showing a whole different perspective on that certain topic. I love that about him and his work.
What new dynamic does Star bring to television and entertainment, why should everybody be tuning in?
STAR is so dynamic to me, it really is a rich show. I’m somebody who is very honest with my work and stuff that I do. If it’s trash and I’m on it, I’m going to say that it is trash but I really think that it is something that is not on television right now. We are singing and dancing and it’s so many beautiful types of people in this cast that are so different. We have a transgender (Amiyah Scott) and the group is made up of 3 different girls that come from different places (Jude Demorest, Brittany O’ Grady, and Ryan Destiny), and are white, mixed, and black.
I just think that is very different, simply, it’s a very different show than anything else that’s on right now. It’s very cool for people to watch and learn different things too because it touches on a lot of hard topics.
The diversity of the girl group in the show truly stands out to viewers, it highlights the differences in women from personality to style and even to skin tone. Growing up with darker skin and as a brown skin girl, did you experience any colorism?
I have definitely experienced it in my personal life while growing up and in the industry, it’s just in the society period. Different things that I would go through would just be simply people not thinking that I am beautiful. People literally not liking me, whether it be a guy that I like or just anybody not liking me because of my skin color, being embarrassed by it and you know, not thinking it’s beautiful because they see a lighter skin tone on television being praised or they hear it in a song by one of their favorite rappers. It’s just always been a thing that even I at a certain point thought was right. I would think, “Oh yeah, you’re right. I’m not beautiful because I’m this color like I want to be lighter”, that would literally go through my mind. That’s a terrible space to be in, especially when you don’t even realize it. When I finally did realize it, and it finally clicked for me, it really truly was a complete shift in my life and it was a genuine shift.
When I realized it, it wasn’t in a time when social media was in this great space where we are showing so much love to one another and so much support of all of our skin tones and diversity. Being loved now I think more than ever really still has such a far way to go because it’s still such a huge issue that’s happening. When I realized it, it’s something that I literally had to pull from myself, I was like, “WOAH! It clicked like I am so beautiful and my skin color is so great and grand and I should not feel like I want to have my skin lightened.”. It also wasn’t a thing where I felt like I had to put down a lighter skin girl, I feel like that’s another huge issue that we have to. Because of jealousy and the way people are brought up, they like to put down a lighter skin person and I think a lot of times is happening to now where darker skin girls are being praised so much, now people are kind of going down this other road where they don’t really like light skin girls, and it just doesn’t make any sense to me.
It’s almost a trend now and I feel like now some dark skin girls aren’t truly loving themselves, they’re loving themselves because it’s what’s hot right now. It should not matter if it’s hot or not, you should love yourself regardless. I just want to really express that and let people know how real that is, and how important it is to really mentally have a shift in your mind. Screw society, screw what is in front of me right now, I am beautiful regardless and I’m going to do this and succeed in this regardless. It’s very important to me and it’s definitely something that I am forever going to speak on because it’s very very real.
As a platform that highlights everything that deals with black women and their magic, we have been dying to find out what your skin care regimen is. What foundation do you use because we all know that Fenty beauty just came out with the perfect matches for all of us. You’re known for glowing and having that melanin poppin’ skin, what’s been your secret?
Honestly, I went through a whole thing with my skin where I was breaking out really bad, so it’s just crazy now how people are like, “What do you do with your skin?!” and I’m just like, “wow this has been a long time comin'”.
I use a lot of products that don’t have a lot of extra stuff in there. Vanicreme is one of the products that I use, but mainly their face washes because it’s very simple. Some of the stuff that I used to use had a lot of acid and extra chemicals that would dry my skin out and that would not help me at all, I would actually break out even more. So, gentle and simple products are very helpful and aloe vera gel has been the best to me ever!
Whenever I do break out, because I still do, I want people to know that I use a product by Mario Badescu. It’s a spa treatment that you use it’s in a little pink bottle and it’s drying lotion, that I’m telling you will save your life when you’re breaking out I promise!
As far as cosmetics, I use Giorgio Armani, that foundation goes on like silk and it’s not very heavy and that’s the best part. It is important to not use heavy makeup, that’s very crucial to skin care period. Now as far as how long that list is of darker colors, they need to step that up because Fenty just blew everybody out the water for that. Another brand that’s good with skin color for darker women to is AJ Crimson, they truly have a variety as well.
You’ve been compared to the likes of actresses like Gabrielle Union. In her book, “We’re Going To Need More Wine”, she talks about competition and how when she first met you she thought to herself:
“Bitch, fuck you. You want me to mentor you? The press is literally calling you the next Gabrielle Union….”except she can sing and dance!”
How do you feel about the statement that was made and what is your relationship like with her now?
That was very weird to me, weird in a good way because I didn’t expect her to put me in her book period. I remember the time that we did meet, which is the situation she was addressing in her book and she was very nice. I wouldn’t have known that she was thinking any of the stuff that she said she was thinking in her head at all. It’s interesting because she was just talking to me and we were just chopping it up about what I was filming at the time and I was just struggling mentally with stuff within the show because there is always some drama and she was just being supportive of that and she told me to push through it.
Our relationship is great right now, we’re very supportive of each other. She’s supportive of me, thankfully and I appreciate her vulnerability in the book and how she expressed how she felt truly about it all and overcoming certain things within that. So it’s cool, and I really do think that there is room for all of us and she’s Gabrielle Union so I think she definitely is so good on me and I am no threat. I think that we have a great future ahead as far as our relationship and what could happen because doing a movie with her would be amazing or any type of project would be really cool.
You’re a triple threat, you dance, sing, and act. Star has given you the opportunity to do all of that on what platform. Can you talk to us more about your musical career outside of Star?
Yes, I’ve been recording my own solo music for the past 2 years now. I am in the process of putting out an EP, entitled On One’s Own and I’m really excited about it because it will really just be me. People will really see the difference between the songs on the show vs. who I actually am and what I can create and what I make. I take a lot of different elements but for this project, you can say that it is R&B based and it’s just chill. I’m a dancer too so it’s going to be a lot of that as well, it’s going to be fun, I’m excited.
You are in a girl group on the set of Star and have actually been in one in real life, Doll House. What do you believe are the main components that every girl group needs to thrive and be successfully happy has a group and as individuals?
It’s a very difficult thing and I think the main downfall that I had in my experience was simply and truly be friends. There is a lot of people in the industry that think that you can throw girls together and they think that you can just say, “Okay, be friends now” and it will be fake at that point, it’s very forced and that will never resonate. Sometimes it happens that way and thank God it can, but it will only happen if they truly connect. If they don’t and they are like faking it in interviews and faking it in the public, it will always end badly. Somebody is going to leave, somebody is going to be replaced. People are able to see that, and that’s not what girls want to see, they want to see girls that are true friends and once they see that they are not, it’s like, “Oh, this is going to end”. So I think that is a huge part of being a girl group, you really have to love each other.
Individually it’s the same thing, you’re going to have to be your authentic self with anything. Whether you’re in a group or not so as long as you keep those things in mind and you know what audience you’re speaking to and why you’re doing it, then that can really help along the way.
You’re dating a fine young man by the name of Keith Powers. What do you look for in a guy and what is your outtake on dating as a millennial and especially in the industry?
What I look for in a guy is everything that Keith is. It’s very very hard to please me, especially now because I’ve seen a lot of different people and it’s hard to get me and it’s hard to play me. It’s just tricky, especially in the space that I’m in, I’m very career based and that’s always first for me. So to be in the industry it’s very tricky and as long as you both realize where you’re at in life and you realize that certain things are going to have to be sacrificed but you still respect them and love them and you guys have an understanding then things will be easier. It helps me having somebody who is in the industry because you guys understand each other on a different level. You’re busy, they’re busy so that helps and I know people think that it may be a thing like we don’t get to talk as much or there’s no time but it helps because we’re young, we’re living our lives. The number one thing that’s been important to me not having any pressure, there’s no pressure on it things go a lot smoother. When you feel like there’s something weighing down on you and you feel like you have to please them or please everybody else. Being in the public eye in a relationship can get tough too which is why we’re pretty low key but a lot of opinions can come into play and that’s pressure within itself, so you really have to keep that out. The pressure sucks.
Out of all of your female peers in the industry who is inspiring you the most right now and why?
I have always been influenced especially by entertainers, people like Michael Jackson, Aaliyah, and Prince. I’m huge on singers like Brandy, Lauryn Hill, and India Arie. As far as acting goes, ugh it’s always so hard choosing people because I love my people so anybody that’s going hard right now really. It’s so many young aspiring actors that are really killing it and I’m just a fan, I’m a fan of all of us right now that are just pushing these boundaries and going in these different directions that people don’t usually see us in, whether black or another race. I really do love every actor that’s coming up right now and I think we’re really doing different things with how much we can do too, we’re not just actors and we’re not just singers we can do a lot more and we can make a change in the industry and the world.
What’s next for Ryan Destiny and what do you want the world to know about you?
I will just say, you will see. I am always and forever evolving and my journey I feel like is going to be a long one. I’m definitely always going to keep people updated but there are a lot of things that people don’t know and I’m excited about the future and I just want everybody to know that I’m a lover and an entertainer.
Listen to the phone conversation here:
Karen Civil: Civil Scope Interview With Tank God (Extended Cut)
Click here to read on KarenCivil.com
It’s not everyday that a biology student tops the billboard charts and receives a certified platinum plaque with one of our generations most successful artists. ‘Rockstar’ by Post Malone and 21 Savage has been killing the charts for the past 7 weeks, peaking at #1. The man behind the infectious beat is 20-year-old producer, Tank God.
Tank God was your everyday college student and creative with big dreams of being a producer. After taking his last final one school year, Tank opted out of getting lit with the homies and instead decided to get in the studio and work on his passion, producing. Little did he know, the beat that was birthed after a long week of grueling finals would land him a #1 record and a deal with Sony/ATV.
Along with peaking at #1 on Billboard, ‘Rockstar’ was also #1 on the Spotify Global Chart (55 million streams) and #1 (25 million streams) on Apple Music, making it the most streamed song ever in a week’s time. Tank God, Post Malone, and 21 Savage have made history with this record and it’s only the beginning for the young kid from the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.
We recently had the chance to talk with Tank God about his most recent success, being an up and coming producer, new and old projects, working with Swizz Beatz, education, and more. Check out our new Civil Scope interview below:
So ‘Rock Star’ has been number one on the Billboard charts for two weeks now. How do you feel?
I feel great. God is good.
Did you expect any of this at all?
Not when I made the beat only when we finished up the studio session. Like you know when you feel something that just feels great. I didn’t know it was going to all happen so fast, that’s God right there.
Now that you have a number one record under your belt has your mentality or your work ethic changed at all?
Well I’m always in the studio, but now I’m in there every day. Rockstar went number one so I have to top that and surround myself around great energy. I’ve just been in my zone trying to create as much as I can.
Who have you been working with?
I’m always working on Posts stuff he comes back from tour in November and some other people that I can’t mention at the moment.
What established producers do you look up to and why?
Timberland because he was the first person that I really saw take artists as a producer and really ‘break them’. Like with Aaliyah, he added his own vocals. It was like he was also an artist as well. I admired how he was also in the spotlight as an artist but he was also a producer. So it just showed me that producers that can have the spotlight also.
There has been a lot of talk lately about producers feeling as though they aren’t getting enough credit. As a producer with a number one record what’s your outtake on that topic?
I feel like there isn’t a lot of credit given to producers. I mean without the producer there is no song, it was just be acapella and that get’s boring. Just as much credit as the artist gets the producer should also.
What’s one thing that you have learned from working with legendary producers like Swizz Beatz?
I learned that you have to have a ‘bounce’. Everything that you create it needs to have a ‘bounce’. Swizz Beatz taught me that fo’ sho. So when you’re making a beat it’s all about that ‘bounce’, that’s what I try to give my beats. You want to make people move and feel.
So the circulating story behind the making of the beat for “Rockstar” is that you created it after a long day of studying for finals, what was your major and why?
Yea and it was Biology. My sisters close friend’s mom passed away. Before she passed, I went to visit her at the hospital I told her that I was going to be a doctor when I was probably like 15. So when she passed away I told myself that I was going to be a doctor and that’s what really pushed me towards majoring in Biology.
Recently, her daughter hit me and was like, “Yo, I’m so proud of what you’re doing with music and I know my mom would be so proud of you”. So hearing that made me feel okay with not doing Biology and leaving school. I didn’t like it that much to be honest.
So are you done with school for right now?
Yea, I was supposed to be in school this semester but I took a semester off to pretty much follow my dreams. This is what happens. I’m trying to let God guide me and figure it out.
What’s your outtake on creatives and finishing education?
It’s just real tricky. It just depends on the type of person you are. There are a lot of stories about successful people who haven’t went to college to learn the knowledge about being a manager or entrepreneur and there are also people who did and are also on the same level of someone who hasn’t went to college. So it’s tricky to choose if college is actually what made you successful or not but I definitely feel that if you’re dedicated to something that you really want to do than you should do it. I feel like college is not for everyone but there are definitely things to learn from college. Knowledge can be found anywhere. As long as you’re learning, that’s the most important thing.
What’s your relationship with the Comb’s brothers?
That’s fam right there. My boy Niko he’s Justin Comb’s brother on his mother’s side. I sent him a beat and he invited me over to his house and I didn’t even know he was related to them but when I went to the house I found out real fast, there were pictures everywhere. I started making music with him (Niko) and we dropped an EP, and then he started to bring me around his fam (Comb’s brothers) and I started to produce and work with them as well. Now we have a group called “CYN” and it’s a dope group of artists like Niko, Christian, Kye, Shaq, Tre and a couple other people. We’re all close, I was just with them yesterday.
Tell us more about “CYN”?
It’s a group of us and everyone has their role. We have rappers, Dj’s, producers, creatives, ETC. We have so much music it;s cr and we’re just working on getting those things out to the world. We have a song coming called “Berry” (link: https://soundcloud.com/cynmob/berry-king-combs-x-cyn-kai-cah-shaqnlivin-k-wales-prod-cyn-tank) out that we just produced which is crazy, it has this old school Bad Boy feel. We dropped it on soundcloud but we’re going to do a bigger push on it real soon.
We want to show that groups are dope still. It’s dope to make music and just have fun yaknow? We’re just trying to show that young kids can have an impact on the world too through our music. People sleep on groups, but we’re like brothers and family. We want to show people that making music and being in the industry can be fun. I want to do a Vlog because you can see how organic our sessions are, it’s just fun. We just chill and bounce ideas off of each other and make fire songs.
That happens a lot in Atlanta, organic music making and studio sessions.
Exactly, and you know what’s funny? There aren’t a lot of places like Atlanta. There’s not, like in New York we can’t all just come together and just create. People just don’t want to help each other and lift people up. It’s always like a competition but it’s like why can’t we just all be at the top? If someone’s dope why wouldn’t you want them to be at the top with you? I feel like in New York people would generally hate on somebody because their talented, it doesn’t make sense to me. I feel like I’m a story of that, a lot of people didn’t want me to do what I’m doing but it’s all God’s favor.
So you make this beat and then you go to NY to hang out with the Combs Brothers and you ran into Post Malone and asked him to listen to your beats, tell us more about that.
Yea, so I went into the studio for Christians session. We were all there chillin’ and I was taking a break from making beats with Christian and I went to the bathroom by the pool table in the middle of the studio and Post came from another studio and we kind of intersected. I explained to him that I met him in LA and he was like, “At flight club?” and I was like “Yea!” and I was like “Can I play you some beats?” and he said, “Yea, let’s get weird!”. So I went back to Christians session grabbed some beats. I went into his session and played him the “Rockstar” beat and that was it.
What made you go out on a limb and just approach him? Can you speak out on the importance of going for what you want and not being afraid in the music business?
You’re going to hear no probably your whole life so you might as well get used to it. If getting told “No” is the worse that can happen when you go for something then it’s definitely a risk to take. You’re going to hear it all the time anyway, there is nothing to lose.
So on Genius you expressed that you like to be hands on when it comes to making a song with an artist. You aren’t a fan of just sending your beats over and not being apart of the music making process with the artists after that. Can you talk more about that.
I want to be as involved as I can. I I feel like it’s very important. Making a record is like making a baby. You need to people to make a baby. The baby is the hit pretty much. How can I send an email and then make a hit? I don’t feel like it’s very possible at least for me because you need to be there physically and have a vibe and this energy in order to make a hit. So being in the session is where all that energy comes from, the vibe is created there.
How is it working with Post Malone?
He has a lot of energy and he’s really funny but he’s very focused. Sometimes we have to lock in, sometimes he’s focused on just getting the song done so he won’t leave the studio for hours. Everything is very organic with us. A lot of the people that I work with I like it to be organic, I hate it when it’s forced. That’s why I like Post a lot because you never feel like you’re working with him it’s just fun, vibin’.
If you could work with any artist dead or alive who it be and why?
I feel like it would be really lit to work with Biggie. That’s so cliche but I feel like Biggie was probably a dope vibe. I would also want to work with Travis Scott.
So what advice do you have to up and coming producers who want to get their beats heard by major artists?
I would tell them to never give up, even when you think you should because you shouldn’t. You never know what could happen. I’ve been at that point. Try to network, DM artists, find ways to get their email and send them beats, and then hopefully you get to build a personally connection with them.
What do you want the world to know about Tank God?
I want them to know that I’m here to motivate and encourage people to follow their dreams. That’s my goal for making music. I want them to know that I’m a living example of someone that is following their dreams, you should never give up on your dreams no matter what.
Anything else you want to add?
I want people to check out my Tank God project that dropped on July 7th, it’s on soundcloud
IG: ProdByTank
Twitter: ProdByTank
Signed,
"Pennie For Your Thoughts"
Are My Panties Getting Smaller Or Is My Ass Just Getting Fatter? A Coming Of Self Anthem & Visual, 'Who I Be' by Lyssa
Wardrobe/Styling: @ervthegoat
Choreography: @enimsaj.mula
Dancers: @j_o_r_t_a, @enimsaj.mula
Shot by: @studio713htx, @byneftaliarreola
AD: Ya Girl, Pennie Anassi
Directed/Produced: Lyssa
Also featured on: AfroPunk.com
"Thank you, Lyssa, for trusting me and having me be apart of your musical journey and vision. I can truly say that who you are and who you will be as an artist is something that I will always be proud of and present for. Show these MF's who TF YOU BE. Head over to her website if you like what you see. She's going to be something special..don't miss out."
Signed,
Pennie For Your Thoughts
Coined: AG Da Genius Child
Coined: To stamp, to originate, to invent, to create, to make up, to think up, & most importantly to dream up
Word on the street is producers aren’t getting enough credit, but that’s not the case over here at PennieForYourThoughts.com. Over here we celebrate and highlight everyone and anyone who plays a role in the creation of art. Behind the scenes, or front row and center, every component matters equally. We must never forget that the beat is initially what makes us as fans and listeners move, dance, and feel.
I would like you all to meet AG Da Genius Child. Need beats? He’s got you covered. I love supporting and connecting talented people and AG is definitely on my radar. The rapper and producer is an up and coming musical genius from Louisiana who is currently making noise in my beloved hometown, Houston MF, TEXAS. I sat down for a one on one with AG to get to know him, and know it’s your turn.
Here’s what he had to say:
So tell us about yourself and who you are as an up and coming rapper and producer
I’m AG Da Genius Child Hailing from New Words Louisiana, moved out here to Houston about two years ago. I’m an artist, producer, and pretty much all around all around cool guy. I'm trying to network with as many people as I can and just link with dope people.
Who have you linked with so far and who do you want to link with?
I’ve worked with my homeboy DJ night cap he’s with the fleet DJ’s. I did a mixtape with him this past super and shout out to DJ Black D #TheComeUpHouston. I’ve been doing their showcases back and forth. I haven’t linked up with anyone from Houston so far, so I’m looking to do that.
You seem to have tight ties with How important do you think it is for the producer, the rapper, and the DJ to be cohesively all on the same page as far is pushing the culture forward goes?
It’s very important it’s like the arms and the legs of the body. One can’t work without the other.
Facts. People tend to forget about the DJ these days, cause it’s so easy to put your music out on your own. Nowadays DJ’s aren’t the ones to actually break the records like they used to but they are the ones to keep your records up in the club. How did you come up with your name AG Da Genius child?
I started making beats eleven years ago and my initials are A.G. Aaron Griffin, that’s my real name. I was making beats with one of my potnas in Austin and he was like...you’re a Genius man and you’re so young and this and that. He started calling me genius child, so AG Da Genius Child. I started rapping about 6 years ago and continued to run with that name.
You started making music in 12th grade. Most people in high school were into sports, video games, or smoking weed so one made you start making beats at that age?
I was doing all that shit except smoking weed. One day after basketball practice, we went to the coach's house and he introduced me to this program. It was fruity loops and I just started playing with it and I ended up in front of that computer for 5 hours. So when I went home I downloaded the program and it was a wrap from there. I stopped playing basketball, shit I was like I really like this shit..so yea.
So you were a producer first and then you got into rapping, tell us about that transition and why you do both.
Not to toot my own horn but I’m real dope at producing but my problem was getting with the right people. I was always looking for someone else to make a hit on my beat, so why don’t I just do it? I always had the rhythm I always had the mind capacity to write dope rhymes. So I just started to spit on other people’s stuff in college and everyone kept telling to do it, so I was like fuck it let’s do it.
How would you describe your sound as far as producing goes and as a rapper are you a lyricist or more of a trap rapper?
I’m definitely not a trap rapper cause ya know I’m from a trap but I don’t trap. But my style is unorthodox, I’m a chameleon. I can do anything. The stuff I like to produce has a Neptunes type of vibe.
That’s good cause we’re missing that right now!
Exactly, so I’m trying to create a different sound. I’m trying to not make trap beats. Ya know what I’m saying? The other shit is going to come back around sooner or later and I want to be at the forefront of it. My favorite producer is Pharell and if you look at his long list of hits he’s got like pop and everything, I can do all of that shit. So I’m looking for a dope ass pop artist in Houston that I can make some beats for.
If you could compare your sound to anybody who would it be?
It’s melodic but it’s real life music. Whatever I’m going through I’m going rap about it. I like doing the singer-rap thing but at the same time spitting bars.
What new producer is your fave?
To be honest, my favorite one out right now is Pharell. Even with the little shit that he produces that nobody has been paying attention to. He’s got this song with this group called OverDoz.
What’s your most favorite Pharrell song of all time or album?
I love the song he has on this Mike Will beat it’s called Aries. He was spittin’ on that.
How was growing up for you and how does it play a role in your music and who you are today?
My mom sings. Growing up she used to sing all the time. I was in church every Sunday. My uncle has been playing drums his whole life and my other uncle plays everything from the piano to the trumpet. I’m from a musical family.
What did you mom use to play in the morning on cleaning Saturdays?
My momma put me on Erykah Badu and Jill Scott those are her favorite artists.
Tell us about your most recent project
My most recent project is with DJ night cap from the fleet DJ’s. It’s called “For The Love 1.5”. My 2nd mixtape was called “I Do It For The Love” meaning..I’m not doing this for money. Although I want to get paid my main focus is the fact that I actually love this, I’m passionate about it. “For The Love 1.5” was like my introduction to Houston.
As an upcoming artist here how do you feel about Houston’s music scene?
I feel like Houston has always had its own style. It’s a huge city and everybody has to come thru here and that’s one of the reasons why I moved here. I could have gone Atlanta but I was like man...it’s kind of over saturated. Sooner or later that staple Houston wave will be rebirthed and I want to be at the forefront of it whether I’m producing or rapping. I want to have my name in the pot. Houston has shown an out of town n**** love. I get more support here then I did back at home.
Who's your favorite H Town legend or artists?
I like Slim Thug a lot. Paul Wall is very down to earth too. I actually sent him some beats idk if he opened them up lol and you know what I love Travis Scott a lot. You know what’s the weirdest part about Travis Scott? It’s like I’ve asked a couple of Houston people about it and they don’t even know who he is it’s like...HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW TRAVIS SCOTT
What’s next for you?
Right now I’m focused on shooting videos and producing.
What do you want the world to know about you?
Never stop chasing your dreams. My mom has been going through a lot for the past 3 years. Going from being homeless and stuff like that and me trying to help her and only can do so much. One thing she always tells me with tears in her eyes is to never stop doing what I’m doing. I hold that right in my heart with a still fortress around it. Go after your dreams and entertain the impossible.
From: AG
To: Pennie
"So what you tryna do? You going to New york. You're going to end up on Hot 97 or complex or some shit like that."
Check out the unedited audio version of our interview below:
What's good, Trap Beckham?!
When we think of hip-hop and Florida we think of DJ Khaled aka Ashads awesome father and the holder of all of our keys to life, T.Pain aka “Teddy-Pen-Her-Ass-Down”, Trina aka “The Baddest”, and Rick Ross, the grunting, lemon pepper wing owning and MMG boss.The Florida hip hop scene is unlike any other city when you compare it to Los Angeles, New York City, and Atlanta.
Florida is one of the most misunderstood states when it comes to their music scene, the state is filled with on the rise artists who have to fight through the challenge of overcoming Florida stereotypes. The sunshine state truly has some “gems” and we recently got the chance to sit down with one of them, Trap Beckham from Jacksonville, Florida.
We met up with Trap Beckham at this years SXSW Music Festival which is filled with some of the newest and dopest on the rise artists in music right now. As the newest signee of Def Jam records, we’re curious to get to know him a little more and what he has up his sleeve as an artist on the rise:
Here at SXSW with Trap Beckham, Trap music/culture can go a lot of different ways it’s a complex genre, why did you choose the name, Trap Beckham?
They have been calling me Trap since I was 14 and at that time Jeezy was big and the trap stars was hot so on the basketball court that’s what they call me. My real name is actually Travis so it works.
We were trolling on your twitter and you tweeted “SXSW I'm on your ass” is it your first time here?
It’s definitely a crazy vibe because you have so many stars walking around everyone's doing music, I have never been around so many artists in one space before. It’s crazy and I'm mad I have to go tomorrow.
It’s definitely crazy, and a great experience for new artists! Is it your first time in Texas?
No, actually I have been to Houston!
Oh really, what do you love the most about Houston?
H-Town has its own culture, the way they drive, the way they talk, the way they move. You know when somebody is from Houston. It’s one of the few places with one of their own cultures, so I salute that.
So where are you from and how has your hometown influenced the artist you are today?Jacksonville, Florida. You know what I’m saying the top of Florida. I listened to a lot of T-pain growing up and he’s from Tallahassee Florida which is 2 hours away from Jacksonville. So, T-Pain, that is who influenced me from Florida.
We can kind of hear some T-Pain influenced on one of your latest track “Do You”. That came out on Valentine's Day, we premiered it on KarenCivil.com. What was the meaning behind that track and do you believe in love?
Do you is a song dedicated to the ppl out there who are skeptical about trusting their lovers with their emotions, a dope concept that pertains to my personal life? I’m talking to someone and she is very pretty, funny, cool, and a rider. For her to be so pretty she’s really down to earth. She’s not the stereotypical pretty girl or top model that you have to have X amount of dollars to mess with. Her Dm’s poppin’ but she wants me *winks*
That’s how you know that they could possibly be the one, they aren’t with you because you are Trap Beckham they actually like you for you. Do you have any crazy stories you would like to share that you’ve encountered with a fan or girl?
Psssh...yea one time I had this girl on my birthday (7-14-10) she pulled up to the party with her name tattooed on her thigh.
Wow, that’s pretty crazy! The ladies must love Trap, speaking of the date 7/14, let’s talk about the mixtape and the significance of the date.
It’s something I started in 2010 where I wanted to give a gift to myself on my birthday and I was trying to figure out the date to drop the mixtape so I said why not drop it on 7/14. Every year since then I just stayed consistent with it. This will be the 8th year it’s 2017 and we started in 2010. Yea man, it was just something I stuck with, it built my brand. In Jacksonville, everyone pretty much knows when 7/14 coming.
So, it’s like a holiday?!
Yea it’s like a holiday.
That’s cool because your music is your passion and it’s your purpose so what better way to celebrate your birthday than with your music! Moving forward, what can fans expect from Trap Beckham this year?I dropped 7:14 am it’s in my bio follow me on IG @trapbeckham, I have my 7/14 mixtape coming out on 7/14 and I'm also working on an EP that I don’t have a title for yet but it won’t be affiliated with 7/14.
As one of Def Jam's newest signees. How do you feel being a part of one of the greatest teams of all time?
Blessed, truly a dream come true coming from Jacksonville Fl.
Other than T-Pain who has artistically influenced you?
I’ve been writing my own music since I was 8 so I don’t really know what inspired me back then but my mom listened to a lot of Salt N’ Peppa, Jam Master Jay, and break dance type of stuff, she was wherever the skating rink was and that’s what she played in the kitchen. For me, it’s Kanye, and The Ying Yang twins. I love Kanye, I think he is the G.O.A.T.
You’re fairly new to the game, what key lessons have you learned early on in your career that you would like to share with new artists who are trying to get to where you are?
Key lessons I've learned is stayed consistent, keep your face in the place, stay social, network more, & be open to new sounds I can incorporate in my work
Anything else you would like to add?
I have a lot of new projects coming up, a lot more club bangers. Be sure to follow me on all social media.
IG: @TrapBeckham
Twitter: @TrapBeckham
Snapchat: @TrapBeckham
She’s Not Hostile, She’s Just Passionate, Educated & “Hella” Funny: A Word With Amanda Seales
Fresh off of an intense press day and a night out on the town with adopted Houstonian, Drake Drizzy Rogers, the hilarious and candid Amanda Seales welcomed us into her hotel room with open arms. When we caught up with the actress and comedian, who plays Tiffany on the hit HBO series Insecure, she was in the middle of glam and getting ready to hit the red carpet for an Insecure Season 2 premiere event.
If you aren’t familiar with Amanda it’s time for you to “Get Your Life”, literally and figuratively.
Amanda Seales got her big break as a child star when she played Deonne Wilburn in 1994 on Nickelodeon’s, My Brother and Me. You may have also seen her face grace your television screen during her time as a commentator on VH1’s Best Week Ever, or as host on MTV2’s Sucker Free Sunday’s. Amanda is also the creator of her very own show, Get Your Life, a scripted comedy about her unscripted life.
To add to the accomplishments, Amanda was recently featured in the LA Times: Black While Funny And Female list alongside actresses like Issa Rae, Tracee Ellis Ross, Tiffany Haddish, and more.
Is there anything she hasn’t done yet?
Amanda is using comedy as her vessel to not only make people laugh, but to also bring about change. From her gem-dropping moments on IG, to her very necessary and viral moment with Caitlyn Jenner, Amanda is all about the progression of society.
Amanda is pretty much an open book via social media, but the Live Civil team got the chance to dig deeper into Amanda’s life and get to know a bit more about this trailblazing multimedia star.
Check out our conversation below:
Pennie: Welcome to Houston, we saw via IG that you got your first welcome from Drake last night in the lobby of St.Regis. What better way to get welcomed into the city?!
Amanda: "That’s typical Amanda, that’s my life though. My life is the life of randomia, its adventures in Amanda Land at all times."
Pennie: Talk about season 2 of Insecure and all of the success the show has seen thus far.
Amanda: "Yes, I’m very excited about the show. I think for a lot of us we are just so shocked that we came back so quick. For the fan’s it doesn’t seem as quick but for us it is. We finished shooting last year in September and it went on air in October. It aired until December and we were back shooting again in April. That’s really no time when you think about holidays and stuff and now for all of us to have just finished shooting in June and we’re already back on the air. It’s not the typical schedule for HBO shows so we’re all just like okay we’re doing it, it’s season two, we’re ready, let’s get it"
Pennie: We met your character Tiffany last season and she was the epitome of that one boujee friend who thinks that their shit doesn’t stink. She seems to have a perfect life , she's beautiful, great career, and seems to have a successful marriage. Is there more to Tiffany than we know? Does she air out any dirty laundry this season? Will we see the real her?
Amanda: "See here’s the thing, that is the real her like legit. Tiffany really is boujee, pulled up and tight. When I say the real her what I mean is, she is somebody who is private. Where as some of the other girls let it all hang out, she doesn’t do that. She believes that what happens in between her and her man should stay between her and her man. She’s not the type of gal to blab her business so much, but what we do get to see from her this season is just her warmth. Last season she was a little bit icier and this season she’s a lot warmer. Even though she bristles at any indication that her marriage is not together she still part of the friend group. She is definitely not there to shade."
Pennie: See I thought Tiffany was shady for some reason I saw some type of malice in her and was wondering if her "truth" will be coming out this season or if we’re going to see something better from her.
Amanda: "She’s just a judgmental chick it’s not even a personal thing it’s more like a, do the better thing."
Pennie: How do you as Amanda Seales and your own entity relate to what Insecure represents for us as black women?
Amanda: "I’m really about us being the bearers of our own message and the tellers of our own stories and so the fact that Insecure is written by a black woman and it is her story. It’s something that doesn’t happen too often these days. I mean we’re getting it a little more but in Television for far too long, we haven’t really had our stories being told. And for me as someone who is ardently about defining myself. You aren’t going to tell me who I am, I’m going to decide who I am. Insecure really speaks to that spirit about me."
Pennie: I know that your family is originally from Grenada. How was that experience like for you growing up as a 1st generation American? Living in a home with your mother who was born and raised in Grenada and stepping into the outside world with friends/people who were born and raised in America? Did you experience a culture shock? Did you face any challenges or internal conflicts growing up 1st Generation?
Amanda: "I mean for one, I feel like my manners level is on another level because culturally, they just don’t play that. My mother has taken me back to someone's house because she said I didn’t fold my linens after a sleepover and I was returned to the home. Culturally we just have more manners and I don’t mean that to say that American’s don’t have manners but West Indians will come up with manners that you didn’t even know excited. For example, cleaning the house before the maid comes. Why am I cleaning the house for the maid?
Another thing was, I was just a late bloomer. My mom wasn’t talking about sex, she wasn’t giving me any information. It was like if you stumble upon a penis, that's cool but I’m not going to lead you. I just came home one day when I was 15 and there were books on the couch and that was her version of giving me “The Talk”. I think those are things that were different. Whereas with my American friends their parents were literally sitting them down on the couch and watching movies on reproduction and stuff like that and I was just like “Oh..okay I’m uncomfortable”.
Those are two of the main ones, but I would say that I had something different with my West Indian mother that a lot of other first generation kids I feel like don’t have which is that my mom was very supportive of my work in the arts. A lot of 1st generation kids talk about how their parents want them to be successful in something very solid and that’s something that the arts are not. My mom was always very a “do you” type of parent and from an early age, I was always ardent about the stuff I was pursuing whether it be in the arts or academically and so she really just supported that."
Pennie: Do you think that being 1st generation and the pressure to be successful in a not so solid industry, like the arts is part of the reason why you continued your education past high-school?
Amanda: "So I originally went to school as an acting major and I was there for a year and then some f*** shit went down. I was going to leave but then I ended up staying and creating my own major because I realized if I was going to stay in school I wanted to major in something that I actually cared about. We don’t learn about black studies when we are growing up, they don’t teach us about us in the schools. I recently had white women tell me that she didn’t even know about Juneteenth and I’m like “neither did we”. That’s not something that they are teaching us in 3rd grade all we hear about is Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman and if you’re lucky Sojourner Truth. So once I was exposed to this in college it became all encompassing to me and then I went on and got my masters in it and that is what my work is based on for the most part. I really didn’t intend to do that because of my mom’s pushing but more so I was just an academic kid and an artistic kid. I find a lot of value in the black culture being regarded as not just an experience but academic because that gives it value in this country and it’s something that everybody should know."
Pennie: You used to be a rapper, correct?
Amanda: Yes…..*Amanda gets bashful and starts giggling*
Pennie: Do you mind spitting a bar for us?
Amanda: “Smile in their face even though they’re green with envy, I don’t call em haters I call them eco - friendly!”
Pennie: Wow, BARS!
Amanda: BARS! *mocks Pennie's voice and laughs hysterically*
Pennie: Seeing where you are now we know that career path definitely took a turn for you. What's the back story behind that? What advice do you have for anyone who is currently changing the trajectory of their life and moving towards a new direction?
Amanda: "I’m a strong believer that if that doesn’t happen, something's up. We are not the same people forever. There are very few people that I know that started what they did at 18 and lived it continuously until they die. My thing is, be patient with yourself and be open to the adventure. For me, I was all about hip-hop for 10 years and then it just started to no longer feel comfortable for me, which was very uncomfortable. What I ended up eventually doing was just looking at different careers that I aspire to and what were the elements behind those people that brought them success. One of the main continual points of that for me was standing up. When I started looking at what I was doing and what I was about humor always filtered through everything and I realized that if I wanted to really be taken seriously as somebody who uses humor in their work and to create change then I needed to do stand up and be really proficient at it. When I got the opportunity to do that and I’ve really made it my business to no matter what, no matter if I'm on a show, traveling, etc. stand up is always at the core of what I’m building from because it is my natural voice but I needed to go through that change to find that out. So my advice is when you feel like things are wavering and not clear go to the core of what is clear and work from there. What was clear for me was that I liked to be funny, I can do all of this other shit but the number on compliment was when people would tell me “you’re funny”."
Did being a female rapper teach you anything about female empowerment, if so what did it teach you?
Amanda: "It taught me that woman empowerment makes a lot of men very uncomfortable. That’s why you don’t see a lot of women rappers. I just posted something on my IG today that says “The rise of women does not mean the fall of men” and you should see how many of these fools are on my IG saying things like, “well that’s not what it looks like” and I’m like “ya’ll are so fragile!”
A lot of times hip hop makes you feel like women empowerment means being more like a man and what society has deemed manhood to be which is: lacking emotion, hyper tough, and loud. That to me is not accurate, women empowerment is really just about speaking your truth fearlessly and not letting the male gaze define how you define yourself and that can be really hard in a world that is still based on how men view things. Our reproductive rights are being determined right now by a bunch of white men sitting in an office that doesn't know shit. They’ve never seen a black titty off of a porn site. So, what are you going to tell me about a mammogram?!"
You have been selling shirts that read, “I’m Not Hostile I’m Passionate”. Can you tell all of the haters who think that you are hostile what this message means and where it came from?
Amanda: "That message came out of the incident that took place with Caitlyn Jenner that I now call the Caitlyn clinic where I had to school her on her privilege and on the difference between her America and America for people of color. She had gotten upset with me because I was saying that Donalds Trump was speaking and behaving in a way that made me say like he could eventually be as bad as Hitler, like we don’t have any reason to say that he’s not and she said well that’s hostile and I don’t want to talk anymore. I had to explain to her that I am not being hostile, I’m passionate about these issues because they affect us. They affect all of us.
When I say I’m not hostile I’m passionate what that means is, just because something makes you uncomfortable or somebody is speaking in a way that is direct and that is sure and that is intelligent, doesn’t mean that it is an attack. When that comes from black woman far too often it’s considered as an attack. I’ve had times where I am literally speaking in a monotone and calm voice but I’m just speaking so much truth that it’s just daggers coming for your face and the persons is like “you’re attacking me, I don’t like your attitude” and that really isn’t the case you just don’t like how this truth is making you feel. There is a reason why there is that phrase “The Truth Hurts” because no matter how you deliver if the recipient is not ready to receive it, it is going to affect them.
So, “I’m not hostile I’m just passionate” is really about black women especially but anybody can wear it who identifies with it, it’s about taking ownership of the fact that when we say things and we say it earnestly doesn’t mean that it’s invalid because when people put violence behind something it makes it invalid."
You can purchase the t-shirts here: teespring.com
As a “revolutionary woman” and a comedian who is described as having a huge personality, how do you handle people who think that you are “too much’?
Amanda: "Fuck Em, next question. I am not for everyone, have you seen my Instagram bio?"
What advice do you have for women who are dating while “revolutionary”, as a woman who has their own and does their own thing?
Amanda: "Well, I am single so you can take it or leave it. My advice really isn’t for women my advice is for men, let your actions be indicative of your desire. So if you really want me, act like it. I think far too often the games come from the behaviors not lining up with what’s actually being said is the desire.
For a woman like me who is a “revolutionary woman” or who is independent, I don’t have time to figure you out because I am trying to figure out how to change the world. So either come in and rock with me to do that or go electric slide somewhere else."
Your IG stories are amazing, they are literally like bedtime stories. You always seem to be in great spirits and I want to know how you stay in such good spirits? We all know that everyone has bad days and we probably don’t get to see that part but what keeps you uplifted?
Amanda: "I’m just making money honestly. I mean to be very very honest. I live in a sunny climate, I get to live my dream every day. I make money doing my dream and I am surrounded by incredible people who support me and my dream, professionally and personally. I have good friends and I have a great staff, Sasha (Amanda’s PR) and Janice are here. Janice flew here for 12 hours, just to rock out with the kid. I know what it’s like to not have that and now that I do have it, I don’t take it for granted. Even when I’m frustrated I have friends and a team who will let me vent!"
You even vent on your IG stories. It’s not always daisies, flowers, and good times for you on social media. If someone has pissed you off or you’re having a bad day you’re going to let your followers know. We get to see both sides of you which are rare on social media.
Amanda: "I feel like I am finally reaching a point where folks are finally getting to see what I’ve always known I’ve had on a larger scale and that is a very exciting thing for an artist. But there was a time where I was the one watching people on Instagram and I was watching the highlight reel and it fucks with you, it fucks with you. We live in an age now where you’re only seeing people's wins and you’re just thinking, “What am I doing wrong? I keep taking these L’s every day!”"
So true, depression and anxiety rates are going up especially for teens and people who don’t know themselves or aren’t comfortable with themselves yet.
Amanda: "Who really knows themselves? These days, I feel like it’s so much harder to get to know yourself because you have so much bombarding you of everybody else. You’re learning about everybody else’s day, everybody else's likes, everybody else's gripes on facebook etc. You don’t even have time to just explore your own, so on my Instagram stories, I really try my best to be myself but also to encourage others to learn themselves. Look at your life, look at yourself, and explore yourself because it’s so easy to go down the rabbit hole of everybody else and lose sight of you.
That’s another reason why I’m still single because a lot of these n**** don’t know themselves. I watched a dude spend a whole minute making a video selfie. What did I learn from you other than this left eyebrow is not groomed as the RIGHT!"
Do you have any self-care or daily routines that keep you on track and out of funks?
Amanda: "I try to meditate, I’m not the best at it. I also started playing tennis and that has actually been a nice thing that I have integrated into my life that’s not work related. It has nothing to do with work but for someone who is competitive like myself, it allows me to be competitive in a space that doesn’t have stakes that can determine whether I buy my momma a house or not.
I really do try to just live my life, I know that work and succeeding at your goal is so much about American Culture that I just feel like so much about me as a writer and a creator comes from the life I live. For instance, last night Drake told me to come out. I’ve never met him before, I’m in Houston and I need to get up early but I’m like, “You have to go for the story, Ya know?! You have no kids, so you might as well."
I do that because I try not to let work get in the way of living and try to let living inspire work. Sometimes we can be taught differently than that and then next thing you know we’ve done all the work and we forget to live. So my self-care a lot of the times is literally trying to make time to not do shit."
Can you tell us about the Smart, Funny, & Black comedy show and your experience working with Wayne Brady?
Amanda: "Smart, Funny, & Black is a show that I do every first Tuesday at Nerd Mount in LA. We’ve had amazing guests that range from Wayne Brady to Issa Rae to Ron Funches. It’s my brain child and it’s basically using the game show format to celebrate black culture through various games that explore black history, the black experience, and black pop culture in front of a live audience. We are in the process of selling it to a TV network and I just really was tired of seeing a number of negative images of black people in media outside of the comedies face but on the news, etc. Our stories are often about being murdered by cops and just narratives that are not our own and I thought we needed a safe place where we can celebrate. I write the show every month and we sell out every month because there is just not that much black stuff in LA and I’m just really happy that I can be apart of bringing that to the forefront. It is my baby."
What's next for you?
Amanda: "I am working on a book so for all of the people that ask me on IG when I am going to write a book. It is in the works, it’s happening and moving forward you can always catch me doing stand up. I’m going to be hitting the road for some things as well."
Lastly, what do you want the world to know about Amanda Seales?
Amanda: "That what you see is what you get. I think sometimes when people see people with big personalities they think that it’s being put on or that it’s coming from a fake place or insecurity and it’s not. It’s really coming from a place of I feel like I have really started to become and figure out how to live my best life and I am really fortunate to have a platform and people who are interested in my thoughts on how to do that and apply that to themselves."