Nick Davis (ndartlife): Black is Beautiful

St. Petersburg Digital Artist Nick Davis shows a “new level of love” with his 2019 “Black is Beautiful” art series. Analyzing the digital artist’s body of work felt like perusing through memories. If you had the pleasure to look through his Instagram, you would find countless portraits displaying various characters and watchful eyes placed in quaint and colorful settings. Profound quotes from historical figures, movies, and songs inhabit the descriptions of each post. In an article for the local Florida newspaper, The Gabber, the artist states: “I believe people can see themselves in the quotes… and the eyes.”

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James Lindsay: Rap Snacks Unpacked

Rap Snacks is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and is graciously recognized as “The official snack of hip-hop.” Rap Snacks has unique flavors, artsy packaging, and some of hip-hop’s top brand ambassadors such as Cardi B, Snoop Dog, and Migos. All of these components have worked together to make this tasty snack an emblem of our culture and a delicious crunch to munch on like no others on the market. 

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S.S. Daley: Transforming the Upper-Class Uniform

In a world obsessed with throwaway trends and fast fashion, sustainable designers can be hard to come by. Shopping for handcrafted garments and secondhand pieces are ways to avoid throwing out your closet every season. British menswear designer Steven Stokey-Daley creates responsibly from vintage fabrics and deadstock materials. His clothes, inspired by Britain's elite upper class, have been spotted on men's fashion icon Harry Styles, engraining the designer's name as one of the most exciting in the fashion industry.

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The Last Dance: Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers Review

Kendrick Lamar is undeniably one of the generation’s best artists in any music genre. He continues to raise the bar for the competition, as he meshes his different flows and cadences with elite storytelling. On Friday, May 13th he released his fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. 

Kendrick also released a precursor to the album that sparked a major buzz, coupled with a video that was pretty deep to digest. But, we’ve come to expect that from someone who takes their craft as seriously as Kdot. 

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Merck Mercuriadis: The Music Industry’s Big Spender

Lately, there’s been a lot of coverage about the intellectual property of music artists. Artists such as singer/songwriter Taylor Swift are finding themselves head-to-head with music publishers and record labels in an attempt to gain ownership of their masters, and the added attention on the industry has people questioning the status quo: How does the relationship between publishing companies and artists function? From ticket sales for tours and shows to merchandising and (re)plays on streaming platforms, where does the consumer’s money go? Meet Merck Mercuriadis–not only is he asking the same questions, but he’s offering solutions.

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