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Month: January 2018
Wayne’s manager and long-time friend, Cortez Bryant is arguably one of the hardest working men in the hip-hop industry. As Chief Operating Officer of Young Money Entertainment and CEO of Bryant Management, he has transformed fresh new faces into hip-hop icons with his innovative business strategies. Despite his incredibly successful career, Bryant’s story is one of an ambitious friend that dove into the music industry with little experience. Rejecting other career paths, he put it all on the line for his high school friend. His vision was to transform a dream into a reality. With a strong work ethic and relentless spirit, he helped Wayne’s life aspiration come to fruition and established his own career as a leading businessman in the hip-hop industry.
It was a giant step for Blake Shelton, actually it would have been for anyone. In 1994, just weeks after graduating high school, the Oklahoma born country singer packed his bags and headed for Nashville, Tenn., a place that established some of country music's biggest stars like Alan Jackson and Dolly Parton. “I was so naïve though – when you're seventeen, this [is] going to be easy – so, I never had a doubt that I was going to make it one day,” Shelton said in an interview with Country Music Television.
After years of working random jobs and playing his guitar in bars, the perseverance finally paid off for the young country-rock musician. In 1998, Shelton was signed to the now defunct Giant Records. He released his first single “Austin,” on his self-titled debut album.
Though you may not be familiar with her name, you've lived in her style whether her name was on the label or not. Fashion designers are well known for their head to toe impeccable appearances, in the case of Isabel Marant, you'll find a more lax style. Baggy sweaters, easy hair-dos and just a light touch of makeup encompass Marant's look.
However, this is not the same as the clothes she creates. Marant's designs are very subdued in color. Earthy, natural tones are occasionally splashed with a pop of blue or red. A billowy blouse is complemented by a sleek pair of crop pants. The best part about this is that Marant's clothes are great for everyday wear. Nothing is grandiose or flamboyant – the focus is on making clothes that people want to wear, not just a piece of art that could be worn, but that will be worn. “I want to make real clothes that you keep in your closet a long time, that you don’t tire of, and that you can juxtapose with the next collection,” Marant said with the arts and travel site Hobo Magazine.
Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com, the world’s largest online shopping retailer, is worth $105.1 billion dollars, according to Bloomberg Technology. That is more than Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft whose net worth sits at $93.2 billion dollars. Not so long ago, in 1999 Bezos’ work space consisted of just a basic computer, a phone, and a desk that he built from a door, stabilized by two-by-fours in his garage. The visionary spray painted the words: AMAZON.COM on the wall of his work area, breathing life into his dream way before the world took notice. Now, he holds the title as the richest person in the world.
Bezos said, you have to be resourceful and self-reliant. He firmly believes that those traits helped him propel his startup company from his garage, into a $100 billion dollar corporation. 
Bezos, who just celebrated his 54th birthday on January 12th, was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He credits his first job with his grandfather as the source for honing in on the aforementioned traits. Bezos spent his summers with his grandfather working on his South Texas ranch. Bezos was born to a teenage mother and a father who worked as a circus performer whom he didn't know growing up. When Bezos was four-years-old, his mother told his biological father to stay out of their lives, and he obliged. His biological father was unaware of the success he encounter as an adult until the book "The Everything Store" about Jeff's life was being written, and the author reached out to him for an interview.
With their elegant, artistic, high-class and couture images, photographers Kahran and Regis Bethencourt are redefining the notion of black magic.
Their images, positive and uplifting, help bridge an important representation gap in the fashion and beauty industries. Specializing in lifestyle photography, they especially enjoy visual storytelling. “We love telling stories,” Kahran said in a Rolling Out Magazine interview. “So we love photographs that allow the viewer to dig deeper into that person’s story and feel the emotion the subject was feeling at that point and time.” Instead of falling prey to society’s typical connotation with blackness, the Bethencourts have used photography to not only create their own artistic magic but to showcase the magic-like characteristics of young black models. Whether focusing on skin color, hair texture, neighborhoods or certain time periods, Kahran and Regis Bethencourt are out to show the word just how beautiful black is.
