Master P: Got it Out the Mud

It’s been over 20 years since the self-made millionaire, visionary, philanthropist, and serial entrepreneur Percy "Master P" Miller said:

“I’ll never work for the white man.”

-Master P "What They Call Us?"

He confidently recited this  phrase on the 1997 Tru 2 Da Game track “What They Call Us?” At the time, I was only 13 years old when I first heard the album, and I knew exactly what P meant when he said it. He was my very first favorite rapper, not just because I liked his music, but I admired his business sense, his hustle, and the way he looks out for his people, especially his family. At the time, I hadn’t seen anything like it.

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Tatyana Fazlalizadeh: Don’t Tell Me To Smile

When looking at art, it’s hard to fully understand what the intention behind a piece of artwork is, without looking at the artist. When women during the Baroque period began painting women filled with rage and disdain, how much of that was for the simple demand for art, and how much of that was a projection of themselves? Artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh pondered this in her book “Stop Telling Women to Smile: Stories of Street Harassment and How We’re Taking Back Our Power.” She asked the Rumpus, “What would it look like to explore my identity within my artwork based not on what people have done to me based on those identities, but based instead on what I love and I celebrate within those identities?” The main focus of Fazlalizadeh’s book is sexual harassment against women, the project beginning in Brooklyn, where she is based. 

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Kitchen to Riches: Carol’s Daughter Builds an Empire

Carol’s Daughter is one of the biggest beauty brands in the world with 73 retail locations and a presence in 72 third-party stores and a host of celebrity endorsements to back it up. Considering those accolades, it is hard to believe founder Lisa Price started her company in her kitchen back in 1993. Originally a screenwriter for The Cosby Show, Price parlayed some of her contacts into a relatively successful side hustle. 

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Big Night Out ATL: Times are Changing

One of the most common things I’ve heard people miss most from pre-quarantine is concerts. Who doesn’t love the rush of seeing your favorite artist performing? How can a concert happen in the middle of a pandemic that spreads by people being too close to each other for too long? From October 23-25th, Atlanta is hosting one of few real concert events since the pandemic began. 

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Adam Cook: Passionate Art, Vivid Abstraction

Brightness is something we all need right now, in a time where everything seems so dark, from seasonal depression to the stress of the upcoming presidential election. A bright spot can be hard to find when everything appears to be dreary, but artists can meld brightness into works with colors that can inspire from beyond the canvas; the lively colors stretching out into life. “My intent with color is to put a smile on the viewer’s face and to experience something new that they have never seen or felt before. Above all, color will always help to convey the message that I am sending out, it speaks to the heart,” said Southern Artist Adam Cook of Smyrna, Georgia, on the statement section of his website. 

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