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Who We are...

Anthony Gaskins — President & Mastermindanthonygaskins@gmail.com

Nahuel Fanjul-Arguijo — Editor-in-Chief & Designnahuel.fanjul@gmail.com

r Culture || The Art Responds to OUR Society… ||

in collaboration with PCP Media PoPular Culture ProduCtionwww.PCPMedia.us

Mission Statement — PCP Media is an aggregated independent media website high-lighting and promoting indie films, art, music and live events. We aim to empower the youth through these core competencies. PCP Media’s main component consist of provid-ing a safe space for individuals regardless of race, class, gender or creed. Our goal is to educate, entertain and inspire through a sphere of creative cultural context. Our objective is to integrate our content into educational institutions and cultivate students, youth and adults to make a difference in their communities. We strive to deliver substance you won’t find in mainstream media.

PCP Media is dedicated to promoting intelligent subject matter with enriched compo-nents of advocating for civic engagement and social justice. We are committed to stimu-lating young minds and contributing to their productivity through the arts, education and community involvement. PCP Media pledges to build collaborative connections between youth and larger institutions and organizations; providing an opportunity to meet work-ing professionals in their field of interest. Our ambition will elevate the ideas of the youth and provide a space for them to engage while producing suggested resources for their advancement. At PCP Media we dedicate our passion, talent and progression to the nur-turing and uplifting of the voices and ideas that have often been ignored.

This is OUR take on the world WE live in.

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www.PCPMedia.us - see what we do...

Features An Identity Look with Anthony Gaskins Mike Z. R.T. Henry One Day at A Time with Alan McLaughlin

The Arts Tammy Abrahem Nahuel F.A.

Music An Interview with Producer Joe Gileadi, aka DJ Sueren

Education Speaking the Truth with Bryan Peters

Writing The Writer’s Plight by R.T. Henry Upward Bound by Otis Hawkins

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“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds!”

- Bob Marley

Peace readers,

You are the only decider as to what stimulates you. You’re the only one who can choose what your passion is. R Culture is here to highlight what you believe needs to be represented in our current world.

Art will continue to be the foundation of our human existence. R Culture is a collaboratively independent magazine that slaps you across the face with a new and creative perspective. It’s stimulating, and with increasingly dope content!

Our call to action is simple: showcase the work of artists and intellectuals who fascinate you. R Culture is a brand that stands for Respecting the Culture, no matter how different it is from your own, as we are all exponentially the same.

We ask that you turn the pages with confidence, knowing that those who created this are deeply indebted to collective growth mindfulness.

“Don’t worry about a thing, Every little thing is going to be alright” - Bob Marley

Much peace and respect,Anthony Gaskins

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Anthony Gaskins — President & Mastermind — is a Californian with strong Las Vegas roots. Anthony is a 5th and 6th grade teacher, budding entrepreneur, writer, producer, and award winning actor. He currenty lives in Harlem, NY. Anthony was recently nominated for Best Lead Actor in A Play by the Adelco Awards for his performance in Honky, by Greg Kalleres. He is the creator of The Day After MLK, the critically acclaimed Interactive Performance Art Exhibit and Social/Creative Arts Institute. You may have seen him in the CBS television series Person of Interest, Elementary, and Madam Secretary. Anthony was last seen Off-Broadway as “Michael” in the Here Arts Center world premiere of You Are Dead. You Are Here. Film credits include Crazy Beats Strong Everytime, The Jerk Theory, Inside, Weight Classes, Fallout and ‘Cell. Anthony is a graduate of the American Repertory Theater, Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University.

Nahuel Fanjul-Arguijo — Editor-in-Chief & Design — was raised in as many different settings as there are ways to pronounce his name... (Nah-well would be best, thank you). From San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina, to a very small place called Damascus, MD. From large public schools to a small private high school in Bethesda, MD. Then Providence College, where he began his work in jounalism, working his way from writer to Editor for the Arts & Entertainment section of The Cowl, Providence College’s student run newspaper. Ultimately becoming the Associate Editor-in-Chief of the paper, while working towards an English degree, with a film minor. Since then, he has worked for Apple at the Genius Bar, in Marketing for a TV network in LA, and finally in Communications at The Calhoun School, where he is currently. Nahuel resides in Brooklyn, NY.

Meet the editorial teaM

Feature

Just a perspective. This may sound like a ramble or a rant. Lets call it sensible noise. Jada Pinket, Will Smith, aunt Viv, black lives matter, money, and Stacey Dash—you know what, lets scratch that last name from the list.

You’re probably asking yourself: what’s his reason for rattling off those names?

I can try to explain and perhaps you’ll agree—see, it’s a lot like this, in our world (our capitalist prison) is comparable to accepting the world as flat, because money and the lack-there-of is a force, a power unlike we’ve ever seen, save that, of the established religions. This monetary advantage or advancement affords certain persons, a status—a voice, that they believe grants them the right, to suggest when we

(the disenfranchised) should stand for a cause they deem worthy. Especially when they have never “capitalized” on their own status for a greater cause. Then there are those that fail to use the capitalist philosophy—“The Power of The Almighty Dollar”—as a prodding iron in achieving their goals, as our predecessors not too long ago had done.

This leads us back to those names. Jada Pinket, Will Smith…why do you care all of a sudden? I ask again, why do you care? No answer—of course not. One wasn’t expected. But here, I’ll pose a better one: where were your voices and your concerns for equality, for Trayvon, for Eric, and for Tamir just to name a few.

I—we had looked around for voices but thank god we had some. Like J.Cole,

with wri t ings by

Capital ists with Quiet Voices by R.T. Henry

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Talib, Mr. Tarantino, Lebron and even my cousin, just to name a few. But the voices heard now, even with an Amber Alert we would have been hard pressed to find them in the last year.

I admit, we could’ve used them—we needed them then and we still do now. Not when it derails your, “Academy hopes.”

It seems the haze of wealth and success more often times blur than it enlightens, for those in its graces fail to see, that their long awaited voices come from a hypocritical stance. Wait, but wasn’t it Mr. Smith who said, racism was dead, that only prejudice or classism was the inheritor of its stigma?

It would be welcoming to hear his true feelings outside the magic of editing. Or better, we can ask his wife. But I’d rather ask why an Oscar snub, of all things, is our “Eureka,” our light bulb or the ultimate catalyst?

And wasn’t it you that said, shortly after (not in these exact words, but

the meaning was well received) that we should no longer seek self-validation from the white establishment and secure a place for ourselves, where our achievements are recognized hence the “Soul Train,” “Image,” and “BET awards.” Hypocritical.

Also most would agree, that we need other causes to shed light on our plight yet, we’ve had many somethings. A million somethings—like those names of the deceased mentioned above—our modern day martyrs. Were not the violations of their lives cause enough, for a voice like yours?

And it’s not just yours, there are other celebrated voices—or celebrities; those lives with rites, that we celebrate, the ones who campaign for

us to buy and floss their fabrics, purchase their music, watch their shows. Yet, they never dare to risk their brand in raising a voice for the minority that look as they do.

So why is it when they are shunned by a system that benefits them, they sprint to us—for the shade

and cover that our color provides? Let me be the first to share, it’s confounding, and even more annoying. For it takes strength and wind from those fighting the fight with lesser voices and a micro-status.

But “Aunt Viv,” Janet Hubert scolded, then placed them in the proper place. And I am with her.

There was reason in diatribe. A plethora of issues abound, for instance the Flint, Michigan water fiasco, and the rallying of the masses is due—I ask again, to the shunning of an award that has, for the better part of last century, struggled to be inclusive, aside from when awarding works that perpetuate long held stereotypes?

We are worth more than that reason… at least I believe so. I would hope

that you do too, and would hope you demand better, not just from the “black celebrated lives” but also from an establishment that has suppressed melanated lives.

Then, there’s black lives, which really means; “black lives matter…too.” Now, that that’s clarified, thousands of others and myself would brave any danger to march with you and all those valiant others. But, might I ask, the end game… what are we to achieve and how?

I ask, better yet, we ask; haven’t we seen this before? Protests after protest that hardly foster change? Just a dress rehearsal and outlet for emotions never sated.

Those in power have figured the game and have for certain drawn our minds from those painful, yet glorious days of the Civil Rights Movement, that bring to mind the Mississippi and Alabama boycotts. Both events, older than I, were a testament to activism and unity joined with clear purpose. Can we do that? Can we do that again? Can we?

I, for one, believe so. It delighted many and more that we even managed to mobilize on such a scale for a cause that matters. It was time, and long fermenting

but unlike those of the civil rights era… we—all of us—have forgotten the force and power of sacrifice. We have forgotten, like the wealthy always remember… our society and most its people are capitalist to the marrow.

Money green is power—the magic wand and carpet—a paper substance created with the stroke of a pen and movement of a decimal.

For all that time, we have remained somewhat silent but more invisible. But our money has not.

I pose some questions, that you may take as suggestions. If we, the disenfranchised account for billions in buying power, how are we not appealing to this glaring asset? Why not remain silent—tight-lipped letting our money talk? Why are we paralyzed in pulling our support for Jordan’s and high-end materialism, and the “exalted” Academy? Why can’t we stop celebrating the “celebrated lives” that turn their faces to our plight? How about cutting our money from Christmas? A holiday that teaches consumerism and self-centeredness—the bane of the Western World mindset. So, when the kids ask, “why are they no Christmas presents this year?” Answer them with, “because, I want you to see next year”. Maybe then, melanated lives would

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“But I’d rather ask why an Oscar snub, of all things, is our Eureka?”

matter. The same holds for the rest of these “holy days” like thanksgiving, that remembers to forget all about the “innate thanks that comes with giving,” and those dastardly black Fridays that follow?

But, it is without a doubt that we cannot fully take ourselves from our society. We must breathe and eat, live and laugh.

So why not keep our wealth in our neighborhoods? Why not work with those truths, perhaps—just perhaps—we turn the tide and inspire all of society for the better… but it can’t be had without sacrifice and breaking from habits.

Can we? We can… we just have to stop, stop being Capitalist With Quiet Voices.

The Smogby Mike Z.

R.T. Henry teaches at The Calhoun School, is a writer, and former Marine. In his spare time he reads, and will write for the upcoming blog “The Corner.”

Find R.T. Henry on Twitter @ranscrivner

My name is Mike Z. I am a white person,

and by birth a citizen of the United States of America.

In all the intersections of my identity I am a beneficiary of systematic advantages, provided by a power structure rooted in white hetero-normative patriarchy. This power structure defines the fabric from which United States society, culture, and law were and are woven.

The power structure contains systems that grant white people access to benefits based on a classification as “white” according to the US Census Bureau, or general popular assumption if someone happens to “look white.”

It is important to understand that race is not the only factor in play regarding the structure of power. The intersection* of a person’s entire identity determines how forgiving the systems will be to them.

For example: I am white, but also a cisgendered male, economically comfortable, able-bodied, heterosexual looking, probably Christian, and generally reflective of “normal” in this society. If any of these identities

were different, life would be different.

Everyone is different, and there is beauty in that.

For someone like me, life can be quite easy, but the easy route is not very appealing. It is a quiet and dull journey that became too familiar. Comfortability was leading to complacency which is awfully close to complicity. It felt like cheating at solitaire, or golf. A false victory in a game played alone. Instead, take the loss and venture out again the

next day, armed with the knowledge of yesterday’s lessons in humility. It is much more fun that way.

Please hear and understand this: the benefits of someone’s privilege do not diminish their effort and work. The

same goes for love and support from friends, family, and community.

The quality and consistency of the love I’ve received is why my work and life are now directed toward undermining the systems that grant my people privilege while it is regularly denied to others.

Growing up within this power structure I was taught to be myself, be observant, ask questions. A creeping awareness of the imbalance created acute feelings of

This is my first piece of writing on the subject of my identitywithin the structure of the world:

It is about me,I write from a place where my heart and brain convene

and it is for everyone.Anyone.but really

it is for us white folks.

Created by Mike Z.

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* I n t e r s e c t i o n a l i t y (intersectional theory) is the study of overlapping or intersecting social identities and related systems of oppression, domination, or discrimination.

guilt and shame, and there was no language in my education or anywhere else with which to even ask about it.

Discovering that the examination and eventual destruction of the current system exists as an area of action, study, and education has relieved some of those feelings. Within this field there are multitude of people with incredibly varying identities who are also chipping away at the iron silence surrounding the systems so that we may all stare it down. I feel their love, and I am grateful.

These words may sound harsh to the ears of white folks. Confronting our privilege is harsh. The deep self analysis involved in pursuing this work has proven to be incredibly rewarding. After the harsh comes great

understanding. Recently, I stopped giving myself the finger in reflective surfaces. Now, I love that guy.

In her book Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria?, Dr. Beverly Tatum refers to racism and white privilege as smog. This analogy is quite fitting. We are raised to believe the air we breathe is clean and pure, the air of the free and the brave. As I learn, it is becoming clear that the air so naturally breathed all this time is charring the inside of my body.

Dr. Tatum goes on to ask that we question ourselves: are we perpetuating the smog or working to clear it? Clean air may be in our future as humanity, but I can’t count on it in my lifetime. The goal is to move forward every day, armed with the knowledge of yesterday’s lessons in humility. And I love it.

After hearing the response by Stacy Dash in regards to the Oscar boycott discussion, I’m left questioning, “Why do we try so hard to force our way into Whiteness?” I say we, meaning, those of us unconsciously perpetuating stereotypes.

Think about how many clichés you mimic, and

why you’re able to label those learned behaviors? Whiteness has shown us time and time again, that it will continue to separate us, and only include those who buy into classism.

Unfortunately, Whiteness has taken control of most of the world. It wants us to pay for inclusion, at the highest cost. But what happens if we

choose to treat Whiteness like the bully from your 5th grade school year? Instead of doing what is dictated, what if we outsmart the bully, making Whiteness respect our mind, body and spirit?

After presenting this video to students at the Young Men of Color Affinity Group, I asked if they could agree that removing BET,

and the NAACP Awards would create a better sense of equality? There was a general expression of shock with Ms. Dash’s comments, but one of the students presented the idea that BET does a great job at perpetuating Afro American stereotypes.

The student had unconsciously made the connection that a network described to be the leading provider of entertainment for African American audiences, had been consumed by “Whiteness”. BET allowed the bully to tactically outsmart them, as we often do.

Its as if Whiteness realized its power way before we did, and decided to spin us into confusion.

American’s were first dazed in the late 1400’s, and since then, Whiteness

An Identity Look Background Art

Original Street Art “Nelson Mandela”by David Holl ier - www.davidholl ier.org

Taken in (Bushwick) Brooklyn, NYCorner of Myrtle Ave. & Linden St.

Photo & Design by Nahuel F.A.

by Anthony Gaskins

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My name is Mike Z. I open my ears, accept a lack of closure, and love my people dearly.Here’s my art site:mpzurkuhlen.weebly.com

has buried itself deep inside the countries mind, body, and perceptual process. Radiating conflicting beliefs that we can’t seem to purge ourselves of.

I tried my best to find an answer for the young man of color, who seemingly understood that Whiteness was after him. Instead, I offered him the same question I offer you – what would happen if we invested in entertainment that supported a strong mission, well-made content, and was facilitated by people who recognize their privileges, but used them to educate?

What if we leave the old, defeated establishments to be alone with their bully? Excuse ourselves from their guilty, self-hate, and instead placed our hopes with rebuilding?

Ms. Dash spoke from a place of privilege, earned from her purchase of Whiteness’ subsidiary: class.

Her confusion demonstrates that she hasn’t spent enough time learning issues surrounding equity and human rights, nor the historic importance of organizations like the NAACP.

However, as opposed to shaming her ability to relate,

lets use her comments to refocus the conversation on the bully. Addressing Whiteness with a cunning sensibility, as if we have translated its pedagogy.

I hear these new languages sharing conversations of independent institutions presenting well-made work. With missions charged to create and educate, regardless of the Oscar nominations, gold-plated Britannia-mostly tin trophies, and pay increases.

After watching the Bully’s intimidation battle the faith

of the NAACP for over 103 years, and learning from 1979, when BET won its first tussle using intelligence and courage. We are still being coerced into buying into assimilation practices and the construct of Whiteness. Why can’t we evade the casts of the Western World View, as we search for our own? Will we outsmart the ever-haunting menace, or will Whiteness continue dominating us into further submission?

Anthony Gaskins is a West Coast native and MFA graduate of Harvard’s ART Institute. Gaskin’s possesses a strong empahsis in creative arts and his writing is meant to challenge social issues, stereotypes, and contemporary cliches.

Find video interview of Stacey Dash at www.pcpmedia.us/a-bul ly-by-the-name-of-whiteness/

“Rinsing off the WhiteWash” was created to analyze and deconstruct the Western World Mindset, or more commonly, the “Western World View”. We believe this “Western World construct” has conditioned the people of this country and the rest of the world especially in this day and age to perpetuate a disinterest in the way in which our society operates and how it inevitably affects them - us.

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Art Feature

Alan McLaughlinOne Day at

A Time

I never took anything more than the standard art classes that were offered in grade school but I always had a pencil and magazine close by, attempting to draw whatever I found interesting. After college, I got a Graphic Design job at a company called Pepperjam who was later acquired by eBay.

I took a 7 year hiatus from drawing anything (not on purpose, it just kind of got lost in the shuffle) until January first 2014, when I made a resolution that I would draw and create something each day...

“Robin Williams,” by Alan McLaughlin

... and to keep me honest I had to post it on social media before midnight every day. I started with small pencil sketches and with each passing month I would experiment with new types of mediums, first charcoal, then chalk pastel, then ink, oil pastel and eventually acrylic paint, something I never thought I’d use. At first I was unsure how people would react to my art, but I would get a few likes and positive comments that kept building my confidence and kept me going. The whole thing ended up snowballing (in a good way) and it was a great experience.

I took 2015 off and worked on a handful of pieces here and there. When 2016 rolled around I realized I had more fun creating something every day than not. So I started up again and stumbled upon watercolors, which has been a fun medium so far. Things seem a little bit easier and make more sense this time around and my work has actually been able to start attracting some attention here and there, which is amazing.

People’s feelings/emotions/state of mind inspire me the most. I think it’s interesting to represent an emotion with shapes and colors, it never really gets old. I have explored drawing and painting animals, landscapes, still life,

“People’s feelings/emotions/state of mind inspire me the most.”

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Art by Alan McLaughlin

Above Left: “John Lennon”Above Right: “A Portrait”Opposite Page: “Happiness”

On contents Page: “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”

about alan MClaughlinBorn and raised in Northern NJ, moved

to North East Pennsylvania for college and never left.

Graphic Designer at eBay Enterprise by day. Painter and drinker by night.

Alan posts his daily paintings here: www.instagram.com/shape_herder

Alan’s online store at Society 6 is here: www.society6.com/designyourlife

and abstract, but I always end up coming back to people. Specifically their faces. I think they can create a strong connection with the audience and evoke emotions from them the easiest.

If I had to describe my style I would call it Organized Chaos. Much like me, it’s kind of a mess, rough around the edges, a little unusual, fun and interesting.

I think the word artist is pretentious so I call myself a Shape Herder.As far as my work inspiring a change of modern day movement? I never really

thought about things that way. Maybe I should. I don’t know. I never imagined anything I made would inspire another person let alone a movement. The thing that gives me the most joy about painting is when you get to watch from afar as someone is intently looking at something you created. Whether it’s making them think about life, feel happiness or anger or any emotion really, that’s what it’s all about. Just the fact that you made them stop when they normally wouldn’t have is awesome.

So to sum it up, art is about getting people to stop. And think.

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The Arts

Islam is a loaded religion filled with misconceptions, and as a Muslim, I feel like often times I am the spokesperson for the beliefs that come with Islam—what better way to do that than through artistic expression? My art is a reflection of this religion as a mission to spread its peace and simplify what Islam is for those who are dealing with their own form of Islamaphobia.

Let me just start off by saying that it’s not your fault

if you feel like your struggling with really understanding what Islam is.

Western media has done a number on us, between shows like Homeland and Fox News constantly teaching us the latest on the “War on Terror.” It’s no wonder that a word like “Jihad,” which really just mean “personal struggle,” has been brainwashed into American’s to signal, “OH NO, HOLY WAR!”

There are far more negative misconceptions

that have been propagated and connected to Islam, from women being oppressed, to the entire religion calling for “revenge on the Infidels.”

My art aims to break those stereotypes by taking Islam in its simplest form, through messages straight from the Quran in Arabic calligraphy. These messages are much more accurate in understanding what Islam preaches, and “Paint for Peace” is my effort to break the stereotypes

associated with Islam, and spread peace.

All of my art associated with #PaintForPeace have been auctioned off to raise money for Syrian, Palestinian, and Iraqi refugees.

I chose these charities for one simple fact: all of the hardships that these three communities face have been outcomes of western imperialism.

While it’s much easier to hop on the “War on Terror” bandwagon, I challenge you to look beneath the

Five letters, one word, one religion... and perhaps the most misunderstood ideology on the planet.

by Tammy Abrahem

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headlines you’re fed through mainstream media, and research a better understanding of what this war is about. It’s not the clash of civilizations, it’s a monster we have faced long ago, European domination. It dates back since manifest destiny and the justification of killing Native Americans because they were “savages.”

The story continues today... the war in Iraq was just the start, the involvement of the CIA in orchestrating the terrorist organization, better known as ISIS, spread after the United States finished

Tammy Abrahem is a new artist who recently surfaced with her work using calligraphy, religion, and various arabic texts. She has had extensive exposure to the Middle East, having lived and studied there for 3 years of her life. This experience has uniquely influenced a great deal of her art. In 2012, she received her Masters from The American University in Cairo (AUC) in Middle Eastern Studies and Political Science. She now lives in NYC and teaches at The Calhoun School.

its war. It’s a real issue that we don’t spend a lot of time discussing, because we are instead distracted by the negative media headlines that paint Muslims as terrorists.

Lets separate Islam and those Terrorist organizations. Let’s separate Religion and Politics and focus on the ideologies associated with Islam’s teachings. Islam is about spreading peace, understanding all faiths, connecting with your creator through prayer and pious acts.

It’s about becoming a better human race.

submit your letter of interest to pcpmedia.us@gmail.com

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The monsters can surround you or hide deep inside. They can be the height of the tallest mountain or the little bug that keeps buzzing by your ear, keeping you awake. The monster can be in your closet at night on just in your head, a wild imagination that keeps you uncomfortable in the dark.

At the end of the day, monsters are anywhere and everywhere, they are big and small, they are physical and metaphorical, but what you have to remember is that the monsters are around to keep you in constant fear, to halt you in your tracks, but they should never keep you from doing what you need to do.

I left Los Angeles on January 1, 2014. This was a fearful time, as it was a step away from comfort, but more importantly, it was a step towards a dream I should have been following long ago. Hell, comfort can be the worst monster out there, but that’s a tale for another page.

I left Los Angeles to spend a year in my original hometown: San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina. I left it all behind to spend a year doing what I love to do—write and photograph.

It was during my 2014 that I was able to hone my skill, write my stories, photograph the beautiful places that I grew up around. I walked away from a life in Los Angeles towards uncertainty,

towards unemployment and unrest. But I could not let myself forget, it was all for a creative life I wanted— my dream.

If it wasn’t for conquering that fear, taking down that monster, I would have never experienced the time doing what I love.

On January 1, 2015, is when I rode off at the height of my triumph and took on a whole new beast. I flew back from Argentina towards a new city, one surrounded by monsters... the one-and-only, New York City.

This city is surrounded by every kind of monster possible; from the people, who imagine themselves big and think they can step on their lesser, to the actually big, in the buildings that tower over the crowded streets.

My first mission in New York City was to conquer the latter. And to conquer these beasts I armed myself with the only weapon I could afford at the time: a Canonet G-III QL17 35mm Rangefinder, circa 1975.

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Location: New York City, USATime: Around Jan. 2015 & Feb. 2016Who: Nahuel F.A. Instagram: @n_fanji Blog: www.nahui-day.com Current Weapon of Choice: Canonet G-III QL17 35mm Rangefinder

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”To take on a monster,

you have to look it right in the eyes, accept that it is standing right in front of you, and then let the monster know that you are not afraid. And you have to learn to use these monsters around to fuel your creativity.

New York City is colossal, it’s ever-changing, it’s demanding. The only way I could take it was by force, I couldn’t be slow, I couldn’t be cowardly—which most who have conquered this city would know.

My method was to shoot the towering buildings that kept their shadows imposed

on me. Day-after-day I would roam the different zones, the parks, the streets which I had yet to learn.

I can’t yet claim that I have conquered this city. That would be foolish and arrogant of me to say. But maybe these photographs show the wounds I have set upon the city, wounds that leave scars of myself on the back of the 13-mile-land, wounds that show that I am here to stay and that I am here to be a part of this monster—this monster that has allowed me to thrive and to grow as a photographer and as a New Yorker.

An Interview with ProducerMusic

What artist attracted you to producing? What type of work do you produce?

My brother Yoni, for sure. He was doing it as I was growing up. The music I was listening to as a kid had a big influence on me, too. I would listen to Electronic music, Drum and Bass, Soundtracks. Once I really got into hip-hop and collecting records, it was all I wanted to do. I create a lot of types of music. It’s good to be adaptable and versatile. I’m more drawn to hip-hop, electronic, sound design, and orchestrated music these days.

What’s your favorite Tribe Called Quest song? Why?

“Bonita Applebum.” Just love the samples, the lyrics... I mean it’s a sexy song!

What inspires you to create original content? Where do you normally draw your inspiration?

I think just being true to myself as much as I can is what inspires me. I’ve heard people say that no one person can create a completely original piece of work out of thin air. You have to draw inspiration from somewhere. I agree with that. Whether it’s hearing a new song, following a trend, seeing a painting, spending time in nature. Art is everywhere, so music is everywhere. It’s just waiting to be discovered. What does being a Music Producer mean to you? How do you identify the type of work you create?

To me, it’s to be a man of many hats. A music producer means something very different nowadays. Most producers today have to know how to mix, engineer, program, and the list goes on... Not that I’m great at all of those things, but I’m constantly learning and teaching myself to be better. As long as I put my soul into the music, I can identify with it. Otherwise, I usually throw it out. What was your most memorable moment?

I have a pretty crappy memory (haha). I spent some time backpacking in New Zealand a while back. That was a good time.

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Joe Gileadi[ [

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What three musicians would you love to hear collaborate?

I dont know... off the top of my head: Madlib, Kendrick, Gostface would be interesting. Most exciting upcoming release you have coming in the future?

About to release a cd called “Electro Soul” (generic name right? ha) with Warner. I’m excited about that.

Joe Gileadi a.k.a. DJ Sueren Produced Work

Opposite Page: Anthony Gaskins’ album, “Human Kind, Be Both”

Above Left: Hit song “You Got Me,” from the motion picture ‘Cell

Above Right: Anthony Gaskins & Birdie Sargent EP “Common Cents”Below: Original soundtrack for ‘Cell

All music by Joe Gileadi can be found on PCP Media and purchased on iTunes.

Joe Gileadi’s Top 5 Albums?

It’s constantly changing. I could give you a list today, and tomorrow it could be completely different. However, here are the albums I’m listening to now:

1. The Life of Pablo, Kanye West2. Twilight Princess HD Sound Selection3. Untitled Unmastered, Kendrick Lamar4. Caracal, Disclosure5. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Soundtrack

Brian Peters: Speaking the Truth

Education

Could you please explain the workshop you ran at the Young Men of Color Symposium? The point of the symposium this year was, “I Am Present: Using My Voice for Action,” so I addressed the micro-aggressions of being marginalized by the way you speak. A lot of the conversation was focused on receiving micro-aggressions from people within your own race, and those outside your race as well. Asking the question: “how did each make you feel?”

We also tackled which is worse—to be told you are talking “white,” or being referred to as inarticulate? (Not that they are polar opposites) Some of the students admitted they have thought others talked, “too white” or “inarticulate” at one point, which was an interesting juxtaposition.

“You Talk White”?

Ever hear this saying? What does that mean to you? How do you identify yourself? Ever talk or act one way around one type of people, and different around others (code switching)? “You Talk White” is how society views you; young, black, male, yet “more educated than the others.” This is a Stereotype of individual privilege and a disregard for your race. How do we address that and how do we combat that? How does that empower your voice?

Why is the symposium important to you?

It’s important to reach these kids who feel like they are alone in their settings. They get the opportunity to meet and see other kids that look like them with similar lives.

What was your private school experience like, being a student of color? Do you share similar experiences with the students at your workshops?

It was definitely a mixed bag. The good was being afforded the opportunity to be educated in phenomenal setting for learning and finding myself. The bad is being in a setting where I am misjudged and put in a box. When I was in middle school, the school administration made an attempt to find mentors from outside the school for us students of color. The only teacher of color was the gym teacher. Do you imagine that this work will be offered to public school students in the future? If so, how?

The discussion of how to empower black males is necessary in all educational formats. There were some public schools there: Bronx Science, Columbia Secondary.

What other leadership work have you been involved in? Are there any upcoming leadership projects in the works?

I work on leadership camps across the country for young black men. We have been going to colleges across the country and teaching life skills, leadership activities, and critical thinking scenarios, while creating an open dialogue, helping students navigate their issues and ultimately become successful black man. Who are some female leaders you look up to? Why?

The autobiography that changed my life besides Malcolm X, is Assata Shakur. Her Panther story was how I first learned about her, but the life she lead was extraordinary. Assata Shakur is truly a hero who overcame systemic oppression by breaking out. Phenomenal!

R Culture

I think I know why the art of writing is such a chore for the writer—a loving chore. What is it that makes it so hard for her, to pull out a seat and sit? My take. In their minds—their personal universes, the worlds they craft within all their “nonsensical” notions, are nothing more than reflections of perfection. Innately, they know the story from middle to beginning, to a cloudy, inevitable end. Seen and not seen, it is there, flawless and untouched—unimpressed. A complex simplicity; a unifying truth in the oxymoronic. That, at first, only we know. One that only we enjoy, and it moves us, nagging to be birthed. And that, I feel is the hard part. The chore—putting order to an entity of shifting images, feelings, beliefs and experiences even, chaotically ordered in that realm of their collective conscious—the metaphysical and De-codified so as to be preserved and shared. That itself is a task. A resistance, that resides in those infinite spaces of existence. It plagues our constructed time, the linear kind, from seconds to minutes. Next, fear finds a place—that little nook in our thoughts. Then, hopefully...we sit, so we can begin bleeding lead or ink... writer’s blood. To bleed the imaginary that is so real, proves paralyzing.

WritingTHE WRITER’S PLIGHT

by R.T. Henry

R Culture

20 Writing

Upward BoundA poem by Otis Hawkins

I pray my transgressions aren’t the death of me,Devil on my shoulder like a heckler with telepathy

These demons need to let me beTrying to tamper my recipe,

The part of me they had is in the past now may they rest in peace!Got too much livin’ to die before my time is up,

I’m too precious to ever let all my diamonds dust,I know peace of mind is the number one light in us,That’s why I will aspire till expired and in God I trust!

When your mentality reflects mostly negative,And you find yourself in some kind of predicament,

Just remind yourself that no man is shy of sinAnd we are only truly judged by He who took a knife in ribs.

I try to duplicate His actions even though I falter,Some mistakes I’ve made are due to absence of a father,

But my Father in heaven I pray you keep me well,As I journey through this life on earth that often seems like hell.

Mr. Hawkins was born the 5th of 7 children in Tallulah, Louisiana to Rosemary Willacey on February 10, 1986. While an infant his family relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada where he graduated from Desert Pines High School in 2004. He has had the honor of opening for Maya Angelou and Herman Boon (the character played by Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans). Mr. Hawkins began writing as in outlet at age 11 after his mother unexpectedly died due to health complications. He writes in hopes to inspire, enlighten and entertain.

Mixtape Red

21Writing

The art responds to our society...