Gesaffelstein: Creating Something New

Techno music originated in Detroit in the early 1980s by young African-Americans, according to NPR Music. Over time it has become a worldwide phenomenon, creating a culture of beats made for dancing. Thirty-two year old French DJ, Mike Levy aka Gesaffelstein has taken a more expressive approach to making music, aiming to create work that tells a story, and he has established himself as a staple in the music world.

Hailing from Lyon, France, Gesaffelstein takes songs with dark, low tones and amplifies them with dance-able ecstasy. His hyper-electric tracks incorporate many elements of hip-hop, though the DJ knew almost nothing about hip-hop when he began his career.

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Yang Li: Fashion Simile

“Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”

-Coco Chanel

Fashion is reflective of life. Fashion Designer Yang Li used his experience skateboarding and playing basketball to create an avenue for his passion. Li is originally from Beijing, but he was raised in Perth, Australia. He credits growing up in the skateboard world as a way to stand out. He used his experience with sports to design a spring 2012 fashion collection.

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Chvrches: Leaving Their Trace

Relatable, feel good music is exactly what someone looks for when listening to different artists.  The lyrics, the beat and even the video of a song can leave a lasting impression. When I listened to Chvrches’ track “Leave A Trace,” I was hooked.

Unapologetic synth-pop band Chvrches has been in the game since 2011. Their music most certainly gives 1980s summer time vibes for sure. The “v” in Chvrches is no mistake.  It was put there to distinguish them from different religious information when searching for their music online.

The trio were in different bands before they came together to form Chvrches. Iain Cook asked Lauren Mayberry to sing on a few demos that he made with Martin Doherty, an old classmate.  They gained popularity after they debuted their demo Lies.

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Kid ‘N Play: Ain’t Gonna Hurt Nobody

The 1980’s was a very important time in the hip-hop, because this is when hip-hop made the transition from fad to pop culture. It went from being viewed as an underground counterculture, to thrusting its way into mainstream society. So many cultural icons gained their notoriety during that time, and the first House Party movie also served as a launching pad for several of these soon to be iconic figures in their respective fields, while introducing other legends to a younger generation. From the late Robin Harris, John "Pops" Witherspoon, and George Clinton, on to Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, and of course Kid ‘N Play, House Party helped to propel each of their careers  to even bigger heights. For Kid ‘N Play, it was a defining moment that led to the duo becoming Hip-hop and Pop icons.

The Kid ‘N Play duo consists of Christopher "Kid" Reid and Chris "Play" Martin who both hail from Queens, New York. As legendary as the first House Party was, could you imagine Kid ‘N Play not playing their respective roles? Well, that's what almost happened. I To their surprise they were still selected, but not so much because of their audition as much as it was the frenzy they stirred as they were leaving drawing crowds of fans and shifting the belief that the movie starring them could be very successful.

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Katanu Kay: Kitenge Creations

With the birth of social media, several rare, innovative contemporary art styles and materials have garnered major attention, from packing tape murals to hyper-realistic paintings. The work of nineteen year old Kenyan artist, Katanu Kay fits into this category. She chooses to wield kitenge, a fabric used in most of East Africa, in her paintings. Kay breathes life into her work by draping her subjects in the cloth.

“The kitenge fabric in my art signifies all the different kinds of cultures represented by Africa because Africa is so culturally diverse. It’s so interesting to me that every single pattern and color holds a different deeper meaning,” Kay explained in an interview with the China Global Television Network (Africa).

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Swae Lee: Carefree and Prospering

Some of his most popular songs over the past three years include “No Type,”  “Black Beatles,” and “Unforgettable.” Khalif Malik Ibn Shaman Brown, otherwise known as Swae Lee, has been working in the music business since he was about fourteen, and pretty soon he will become a household name. The Inglewood, California native is twenty-three years old and he began making music with his brother, Aaquil Ibinshaman Brown aka Slim Jxmmi, as well as a family friend Bobo Swae, forming the group called Dem Outta St8 Boyz.

Later, the group’s DJ, DJ Swae, put them in touch with P-Nazty, a producer for Mike Will Made It’s record label, EarDrummers. Shortly after Swae turned eighteen, he, his brother, and DJ Swae moved to Atlanta, where Swae began observing and experimenting with the more professional side of the music business. Unfortunately, after a while, they ran out of money and had to move back home, causing Dem Outta St8 Boyz to disperse.

This year sparked the beginning of Swae Lee establishing himself separately from the group, being featured on singles like “Drinks On Us” with Future and The Weeknd, “Burn Slow” with Wiz Khalifa, and “Nightcrawler” with Travis Scott and Chief Keef. In 2016, he was featured on tracks like “Yacht Master” by 2 Chainz and “Ball Out The Lot” by Bobo Swae. It was in this year that Swae got his first co-producer credit with “Pussy Print” by Gucci Mane featuring Kanye West. He also achieved a major feat, having written the hook for Beyonce’s “Formation.” “I make a lot of songs, so I’m just thinking that this is another song. A couple months later, Mike tells me that Beyoncé wants it. I couldn’t imagine!” Swae reveals in a Fader interview.

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