C-Space: the new spot for Black & Brown Creatives (Press Interview w/ CopyWrite Magazine)
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THE FUTURE IS YOUNG, BLACK, BROWN, AND LIT (& now it is creative too.)
Say it one more time for the people in the back!
LIT [MKE] (or Leaders Igniting Transformation) has moved to Bronzeville neighborhood on Milwaukee’s East Side. The organization itself “work[s] to build homegrown leadership, expand access and opportunity, and promote an equitable society by engaging and organizing young people” (@lit_mke). Of course, that is #LIT in every sense of the urban dictionary word, but it is their new program, C-Space that has us ramped up for the movement. CopyWrite sat down with Corey Fells and Nailah Johnson from LIT’s Cultural Organizing Department to get the heads up on what they have instore for MKE and why they are in need of Black and Brown creatives ( Artist, Photographers, Videographers, Musicians, lyricist, Writers, Poets, etc.) to link up.
C-Space is a co-creative space for Black and Brown creatives to get the support they need, build community and expand their networks through art.
So let’s just get it out of the way now. The plight of Black and Brown people is documented from the eyes of the oppressor and thus that has created generational disenfranchisement. Though there are many non-Black/Brown advocates for change and push for equality in all sectors of society, they still have many inherited advantages that Black and Brown people don’t possess. Because of this, C-Space is a safe and productive space, strictly for culturally BLACK and BROWN creatives.
(We all thank you in advance for respecting that boundary).
Nailah: “We are developing creatives as leaders and arts activist. That’s basically C-Space”.
As “Cultural Organizers” it's both Corey and Nailah’s job to get creatives to want to be apart of C-Space, make their time there prolific, help guide (and partially sustain) a creative to use their talent as a political, activating, informing, and culturally re-defining form. This will be done through monthly meetings, workshops, and fellowship/residency opportunities that include stipends (Yes that's money!), networking, partnerships, real-world experience and testimonials from Black and Brown creatives that have had success in their fields. Once again I say “Its #Lit”.
Corey: “I have a question for you [as a creative] what would you have needed in 2013 when you were just starting out?”
CW: “Money.” We all chuckled in agreement, but it was that plus many other things that as a young creative of color I had to struggle through. Without resources or guidance I had to learn, and still am learning how to navigate the system. Something many of our counterparts know nothing about.
As I listed off my grievances, including lack of access to other Black and Brown professionals, lack of studio/space and resources, Corey and Nailah listened intently to what I had to say. At certain points they would stop me and ask more questions as if they were researching perspectives on creative needs and how C-Space can serve them better.
With or without a degree a creative should be able to enter the market and be taken seriously for their craft. Black and Brown art forms should not have to present themselves as historical monuments, or mappings of the Black and Brown diaspora to be relevant and C-Space wants to help change that narrative by inviting YOU to their space.
Corey: The C in C-Space stands for a lot. What we are trying to do is expand upon all of that. . . We are partnered up with many other states but we have yet to see something like this in Wisconsin. Because of that, this is something that really could help creatives in our community.”
Their aim is for those creatives, who are ages 14-35 (the young), who have work that has a message, or want to develop work that has a message, that are willing to be apart of the movement. Even though LIT has a very political presence, Corey & Nailah suggest that C-Space is beyond traditional politics but opens the conversation of Black and Brown existence in itself being political and that those interpretations of existence are part of building community and changing the narrative that we don't get enough of. So don’t be scared if protesting and polling is not your thing, there are other ways in which your art can have a voice.
Through our conversation we discussed the idea of those who become a part of their fellowship program to be helped with the production of resumes and portfolios in order to actually have tangible items that will help them transition into creative carriers and actually have the experience to back them up.
Corey: “How do we cultivate these people’s talents and help them figure out how to monetize it and be able to be a person that has something tangible that can be brought to a company or a carrier that can give them some type of insight? See for me [as a self-taught photographer] I wasn't able to track all that.”
So the game plan is to level up the next era of creatives out of MKE, so they don't have the same issues as those who came before them, like Corey. We will call this intergenerational “communal” mobility.
Nailah: “So as a cultural organizer my job is to intersect art and activism. . . One of the things that I have noticed about Milwaukee is that it has a lot of activists and not organizers. Like people who know how to use that anger, information, and knowledge to really impact communities and make a change. So affecting legislation, and things like that. So a lot of my job is making sure artists understand and know how important their art is; how important culture is and not to sacrifice that.”
Corey: “I’m a photographer and videographer, so I’m coming from that standpoint. I have always wanted photographers to know that they can do more than event photos, profile photos, wedding photos, or whatever. They are not just photographers, they are a part of a marketing tactic and if they use it in the correct way, they can use that tactic to [their own advantage]. They don’t have to take pictures of celebrities or the most poppin person in the city to be relevant. . . I want photographers and filmmakers to be empowered because of that. . . Anything they can't be inspired by they shouldn’t have to do.”
As C-Space representatives, their intentions to help other creatives in our community is more than a job. It’s coming from a very personal place and putting what always seems to be just a conversation into action is far overdue.
“Freelancers are the most disrespected people.”
Say it two times for the people in the back and down the street!
As abstract as C-Space may seem it is in its tangibility that we find its most vital component. C-Space is meant to establish Black and Brown spaces and protecting those spaces.
They are currently looking for people to come and be apart of C-Space which is a monthly meet up. The first two of the year will be January 25th and February 22nd from 2:00-5:00pm at the LIT (2201 N. Martin Luther King Dr. Milwaukee, WI 53212). From that group of individuals, they are hoping to find creatives from all different kinds of backgrounds and talents to join the cohort. From the cohort, with a certain level of commitment, some creatives will receive a fellowship, stipends and all the other assistance we wish we had when we were finding our way.
Corey: “Every time they come they will learn something more.”
And “more” is what we need if we are going to make the change to put creatives in the place they belong in our society; right at the top.
So check out C-Space, if you are a young creative looking for a way to succeed. The world is waiting.
/Lexi for CW
CopyWrite 2019 Highlights !!!
/What’s 2019 anthem? (Don’t even mention a Hot Girl Summer to us, because WE didn’t have one). But really, what’s the tune that brought you through the year? The one that bumped on the way to work every morning or the one you blast in the house while getting ready to go out.
*Play that now* (our pick is Dreamville - Under The Sun ft. J. Cole, DaBaby & Lute)
This year was the BIG change. We all saw it coming. We all heard the prophecies, got shook, tried to ignore them and then stepped are little scary a**’ in the fire and learned to accept our blessings. At CopyWrite that meant rearranging our priorities. This year we used skills we left back in college and stopped asking for seats at the table but just walked into rooms with our own chair, placed them on top of the table, climbed up and sat there in silence. (We are done talking, bruh).
Where growth is always the only option, 2019 was that awkward ugly stage that we had to look deep down inside ourselves to love, unconditionally. (Because “[we] woke up for some money, ayy, lil' b*tch, Too many opps in here, tell [us] who you with”).
So in honor of the opps, here are some highlights from our 2019:
1 . First Things First, We published Issue 13: Rebellion, Issue 14: Fashion & Style, and Issue 15: Facets of Love (w/ half the staff and resources) *Flips hair*
2. We helped plan and media sponsored Riverwest FemFest
Art by Whitney Saldago
3. We covered Summerfest (Where Carrie created our first “Big Gig” Video Recap)
4. We sponsored Music On The BLT for Hip Hop Week MKE
5. We covered Milwaukee Fashion Week (S/O to Vato being back in the Mil)
6. We dropped gems at the 'ALL I NEED IS ONE MIC' MUSIC SEMINAR’
( Here are those CW submission specs, again)
7. We covered Milwaukee Film Festival & Met Hip Hop Fashion designer/influencer April Walker of Walker Wear
April Walker & Editor-in-Chief of /CW Lexi S. Brunson
8. We started a new partnership with Sneex & met/ interviewed the inspiring Beija Velez
(Check out more Sneex Sofa Sessions w/ our Editor-in-Chief Lexi on the mic in 2020)
Editor-in-Chief Lexi, Beija Velez, Fashion Editor Vato at Sneex Sofa Sessions
9. We got a new “baby” boss (Valia has been to several festivals, music showcases, sat in on interviews, reviewed music, attended photoshoots, viewed exhibits at the art museum and galleries, and appeared in the magazine. She is only 6 months old!)
Boss Baby Valia at MPL Rap Battle
10. And of course we have written, reviewed and attended countless music, fashion, art, culture, and community submissions and events.
As always we want to thank you for continuing to #SupportTheLocal and remind you that without you we could not continue to do all that we do. We hope that in 2020, you will continue to share your experiences with CopyWrite and tell others about our platform and what we do!
Here's to a poppin’ 2020.
Love & All Things Urban,
Your /CW Family
Sneex Sofa Sessions Recap Video Ft. Beija Velez
/Stay tuned for more info on SNEEX SOFA SESSIONS, and their partnership with CopyWrite Magazine!
Meet the NEW 2020 Intern, Imani Ortiz
/Say what’s up to Imani!
Imani Ortiz, is a graduating senior at UW-Milwaukee. The best way to describe Imani would be nothing less than “the jack of all trades”. Her comedic energy and enthusiastic personality is hard to match. Her biggest goal is to explore and help connect different generations to urban culture through media and interpersonal encounters. She's setting the stage to trail blaze a new journey on Milwaukee’s urban scene and is ready to take the leap into her sole creativity.
Invite us to your events to meet this Urban personality!
/CW
Thanksgiving!!! from Your CopyWrite Mag Family!
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We want to eat in peace!
[But we know the genocide is real ]
Check out our latest issue of CopyWrite Magazine Issue 15: Facets of Love
https://squareup.com/store/copywritemag/item/issue-facets-of-love-pre-order
/CW
What a time to be alive! Milwaukee Film Fest 2019 (CopyWrite Magazine Perspective)
/*All images from https://mkefilm.org/
Doing media coverage on film events is probably one of the most abstract task we encounter at CopyWrite. There are several ways to approach film content, including criticizing its cinematography, storyline, and the way in which it evokes emotion. Though we have strong opinions [ & we are unapologetic about them], for Milwaukee Film Festival 2019, we thought we would take a more strategic approach to our coverage. Using an Urban Creative Cultural scope to flesh out the relevance of the content and what it says about our placement in society.
“Urban Creative Culture” for these purposes includes city living, artistic expression, explicit depictions of people of color [by people of color], and the cultural dynamics that link them all together. These are the topics we are knowledgeable about, and therefore feel comfortable speaking upon #StayInYourLane.
To further cultivate or perspective, we also invited Fine Artist/ Arts Educator/ Art & Culture Consultant Vedale Hill [who also made an appearance in Milwaukee Film Fest 2018 in the Invisible Lines docuseries presented by 88Nine Radio Milwaukee] to tag along with us, for his brazen cultural insight. Milwaukee Film Festival has quite a diverse spread of content [which we love], that intertwines with many of our interests. When curating a list of films/ content to view at this year’s festival, we wanted to make sure that all aspects were looked at with the same importance regardless of our familiarity with the content or artistic formate used. After two weeks of visual indulgence, here is what we have to say:
Boss: The Black Experience in Business (Director: Stanley Nelson)
We have a lot to be thankful for. Our [Black] foremothers and forefathers paved the way for us working with the “system” so that we could have the momentum to work without it and against it. Boss: The Black Experience in Business, documents the historical and contemporary relevance of “Black innovation, entrepreneurship, and perseverance in an economy determined to exclude them” (mkefilm.org). As Black wealth and its impact on the United States economy has become a recurring theme in today's political and social climate, the origins of our “late” economic bloomage has been called into question. Where Stanley Nelson helps identify a linkage between the emancipation of slaves to the systemic need to subdue the success of the Black entrepreneur, we were in awe of its similarities to the call for economic inclusion Byron Allen recently brought up in his Breakfast Club interview.
While it is easy for us to stand in our current reality boasting how “We are not our grandparents”, and hissing at the idea of physical and blatant social control over our lives, our ancestors lived in a different world. They had to navigate differently to create the spaces in which the rest of us now thrive.
If we take Madame CJ Walker as an example, we can see how even some of our most noted Black success stories come from a place of cultural compromise. As the film discusses, Walker became the first self-made woman millionaire from helping other Black women assimilate. Though that created a wedge within the community, it also emboldened women into a thriving new industry (one we still dominate in today) promoting pride and beauty, even though it was skewed from our natural attraction, and reinforced White cultural standards.
Learning our history helps bolster our confidence.
Boss reinforces us with the power we need to make changes, lead instead of following and demand more economic freedom from a society undoubtedly helped shape. We are constantly told that we don't work hard enough for the opportunities that are presented to us. When in actuality each turn we have made with progress, we have been purposely set back through lynching, massacres, and vandalization of Black business and its leaders.
As we sit in an era with more education, more infiltration of infrastructures that were made to keep us out, this documentary is a wake-up call for not just Black America, but for our privileged counterparts. We will not only be taking a seat at the table, but we will be making our own.
As CopyWrite is a Black-owned business . . . we feel that!
The Milwaukee Music Video Show
The only thing better than local music is local music videos! In today's super mediated climate visuals are everything. Where music becomes the soundtrack to our lives, the videos become the storyboard for all of the metaphors, juxtapositions and WTF's we didn't catch.
This is our favorite part of Milwaukee Film Fest every year because we get the opportunity to see collaboration in full effect. Musicians/Singers/Producers/Lyricist collaborating with directors, illustrators, make-up artist, set designers, [animal trainers?] and the like. Many of these videos we only get to see on our phones, computers and possibly a large screen smart TV if you're lucky. But bringing them into the cinema gives a whole different type of aura. One that is simply larger than life.
The lineup of music videos where diverse [but where they diverse enough? We still are not sure]. Some content even challenged us to define what are the qualifications of a music video in general. Is it just visuals that accompany audio production? [Hey Milwaukee Film Fest Officials please send over the submission requirements. We would like to share them with a few folks].
It revealed three things:
Many local musicians are commenting on social shifts and identity. These music videos, therefore, become controversial platforms.
We don’t know who the target audience or the target producers of the content are? “Call for Entries” does not give out any of that information.
We still don’t know what qualifies as a music video!!!
We have to be critical here. We heard good music with bad visuals and sonically odd tracks with ocular delight. There were moments of budget versus skill and some “Ooooo their popular, let's put them in” fugazi. But there was also some really cool artistry that we didn't expect.
S/O to:
FUZZYSURF - "DENNY" (now we all want to be a [put a “m” here]-uppet)
WILLIE HUMBLES - "SCIFLY" (we are rocking with the afrofuturism)
ZED KENZO - "FRESH" (For the unapologetic personality)
VIOLENT FEMMES - "I'M NOTHING" (this is the most locally relevant and socially conscious music video in the line up #ClapFor’em).
As we #SupportTheLocal opportunity for true growth and true communal representation has to be prioritized. Without even mentioning it in name, we all know that one specific genre of music and thus music videos are the most influential, most consumed, and most referenced content globally. However, those music videos only made up less than 25% of the videos shown. The math doesn't add up. So it becomes another conversation we need to have. Who are the gatekeepers of The Milwaukee Music Video Program? How are you reaching out for submission? Is this really a representation of MILWAUKEE music? Ehhhhh it’s questionable.
Premature (Director: Rashaad Ernesto Green)
Who doesn't love a good coming of age story? They tend to remind us of our own naivety, youthful mistakes, and loss of inhibition. But many of them are now outdated. The world has changed drastically over the last decade. Technology, social positioning, and gender politics are at an all-time high. Which changes the narrative of what it means to enter adulthood. Premature is a polished, production of alternate means of “maturing” in today's Black America.
Premature is right on time in an era where Roe v. Wade is at the risk of being overturned, there is a higher concentration of women of color attending college and Black love is being idolized. It has more insight into this stage of transition than the media usually depicts.
Green, takes a risk in putting these intimate moments on display reminding us that every story has two sides. Its poetic narration adds another layer of artistic expression. It serves as that voice in our head that holds wisdom that we can not tap into until the damage has already been done.
Furthermore, it plays into the motif of the Black Community, and each "characters" role within it. They say "It takes a village". But that village is not without flaw. The loudmouth friend, the slick-talking ex, the disappointed hypocritical mother, the uber promiscuous girl with the 3+ kids she always needs a babysitter, they all appear as archetypal reminders. We found so much of ourselves in this film because it is our story.
As people of color how we display our story has power. We appreciate how Premature as a film places the power back in truth.
Vision Portraits (Director: Rodney Evans)
We often take for granted our senses. They are just so embedded in our day to day lives that we never really anticipate what it would be like to wake up without them. Vision Portraits takes us through the lives of several artists (film director Evans himself, a photographer, a dancer, and a writer) and discusses how vision or the deterioration of vision, affects artistry.
What is enticing about this film and the work of the subjects chosen, is the fact that had they not revealed they had compromising vision, we would have never known. It proves that you don't need vision to have sight or sight to have vision. The exercise that blacks out the screen and ask you to close your eyes while someone lists off words [example: Mother, red balloon, theater, flower, street lights, snowflakes] proves that once you have seen something, that image stays with you.
As artist and art lovers the fear of not having sight has always seemed crippling. The idea of being disabled as a creative turns into a push for independence and also a subject that then becomes projected into your art. It changes you, and it seems as though being conscious of that change is the part that is liberating.
It is niche, but that niche-ness makes it a film for everybody. It is informative, thought-provoking and dare we say it cast light into the darkness. We applaud Evans for using his own journey and vulnerability to create something that means more than what meets the eye.
The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion (Director: Lisa Cortés, Farah X)
If we have to pick a favorite film for this year’s coverage there is only one contender. Coming from an Urban Creative Cultural perspective, The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion checks all of our boxes. With its thorough depiction of both contemporary and historical contributions to the most influential genre/industry in the world it inspired, it informed, and it elated.
Remixing is vital to Black culture and is at the very roots of hip hop. The crossover between music and fashion is one that is usually portrayed as happenstance instead of innovatively designed. Lisa Cortés and Farah X direct us to not just the people but the matriarchs that are responsible for the iconography of hip hop that we still harp on, bite at, and praise to this day. It gave us a dosage of something that we needed but didn’t know we wanted. Who knew that the innovators of hip hop were women? Who knew that Misa Hylton and April Walker, were behind the trends that undoubtedly changed how we dress and express ourselves? Right up there with Dapper Dan [Gucci stand back], Hylton and Walker are entering our lexicon of [hip hop] fashion legends, along with Kerby Jean-Raymond. Now nothing will ever be the same.
With its candid interviews and curation of iconic/archived images, The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion, is important to the “culture” and its current social climate. It also plays into the global phenomenon of what hip hop fashion and culture has become by telling its origin story through the perspective of those who made the history. These producers of style not only gave an alternative lens to ethnic American beauty, but it also fortifies the economic prowess that black design has created.
April Walker (of Walker Wear) & Lexi S. Brunson (CopyWrite Magazine Editor-in-Chief)
We were honored with the presence of April Walker, creator of Walker Wear [and as far as we are concerned the creator of the baggy jean suit] on the last day of the film viewing. She commented on her choice of hiding her identity as a female designer of a male fashion line, as one that she still stands behind to this day. It triggers us to note, that in reality people even in today’s age of “equality” are still skeptical or dumbfounded by the fact that women are innovators and indispensable contributors to our culture. These “Mothers of style” birthed the hip hop look and still at this point don't get the recognition they deserve.
It is clearer than ever before that behind every great man, there has always been an even greater woman. The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion should serve as an inspiration to treat our creators better and pay homage to those who have made being “us” an image to die for.
(Seen In that order)
What a time to be alive! Urban Creative Culture is thriving, relevant, and sparking all kinds of conversations. We were inspired, a little aggravated, amazed, confused and enthralled.
That combination is vital for a good film festival experience. So all in all, we urge that if you didn't attend this year, you make sure you join us in the years to come. There is always room to grow. There are always more stories to tell. There will always be more art to consume. We need this in our city. We need this in our world.
/CopyWrite (From the notes of Lexi S. Brunson & Vedale Hill)
Bring In The New: MPL Live Rap Battle (Press Write Up)
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“We want the young generation”
As we never stop jammin’ to the old school beats, thanking our present old heads for setting a course and making a way, we have to make room for the green. DJ Bizzon repeatedly emphasized, “We want the young generation”. That is what the Milwaukee Public Library Live Rap Battle was all about.
The drive of the old making a way for the new was further emphasized by the setting: the limestone decked out Central Library. Opening October 3rd, 1898 on land dubbed Mozart’s Grove, because the site was the gathering place for summer concerts, the library is reaching back to its roots of musical noise. MPL premiered what (hopefully) will be an annual Live Rap Battle. The event included a raffle for DJ equipment, an interactive DJ station, V100 giveaways, and merch. The crowd was mixed, and we definitely enjoyed watching the babies in attendance working the DJ station.
Now to these artists. These young cats (ages 16 - 21) were all different, putting their spin on the music of the people. In order of appearance:
1. EL' BANG (Elliott B.) - dropped the story
2. BIG MACK (Maquian J., 19) - dropped the vibes
3. BRENTON LEVY - dropped the chill
https://soundcloud.com/brentonlevy/gone
4. RB VIC (Victor B., 16) - dropped the stuntin’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BggnsDwJqQo
5. TIMBOLONEON THE GREAT (Timothy V.) - dropped the crowd catchers
6. RICHIE BUZ (Richard N.) - dropped the knowledge
https://soundcloud.com/richiebuz/big-meech-big-pharma-prod-p
7. JC KROUPA - dropped the swag
8. KING SWYFT (Malik W., 16) - dropped the fast flow
The battle wasn’t your traditional diss battle, but focused on artist performance overall (crowd engagement, and auditory swag). This meant less about bringing down rap rivals, and more about merit. We saw the artists uplifting each other, watch each other, and learn from each other. And the crowd participation was mad positive! Community is about the youth and elders coming together. #SuppotTheLocal
So thank you Milwaukee Public Library for making strides to include.
Thank you judges WebsterX (songwriter/recording artist, co-founder of Freespace, and board member of The New State), DJ Loop (founder/host of Fresh & Direct WMSE 91.7FM, and co-instructor of Scratch Sessions South), and IshDARR (world toured artist) for your guidance.
Thank you host DJ Bizzon (Education Director at 88NINE Radio Milwaukee, and member of Vocalo Radio) for your hype.
Thank you DJ Fly Ty (16-year-old professional DJ, and member of V100.7 Milwaukee Mix Squad) for keeping us going with familiar jams.
And thank you to our people at 88Nine for spreading the noise.
Let us continue to elevate. We are strengthened by our foundations but we rise with our additions.
Nehaya for /CW
