JUNGLEPUSSY

My name is Shayna AKA Junglepussy. I'm 22 years old. Five years ago I was just one year out of high school so I was 17. I graduated high school at 16 and I went to FIT right after high school for two years and I hated it. It was so fake and I could not commit. So I had to quit. My junior high school was a public school for the gifted and talented, Philippa Schuyler, and I played an instrument, I played the clarinet. I have yet to apply that to my music so that's about as far as my education within the field goes. I don't have any formal training... no piano lessons, no vocal coaches, none of that. I don’t know if I taught myself. It just came very naturally. So I’m lucky. One person I'd attribute a large amount of my success to is myself! I’m so proud of myself for really committing to something for over a year, usually every six months I gotta really switch up my whole shit. So I’m proud of myself for really sticking out with this JP stuff, producing music and visuals and really just handling everything, for the most part, on my own, independently. It’s a lot staying positive and doing this, like the stuff that I promote, actually living it. It’s a full time job, and it’s not a job, because I enjoy it, but the option to do bad things is there and it's just as easy. But to really make the choice to be good and be consistent with it and just want to be better every day it’s really like… some days I really don’t wanna do it. But I work for myself because I don't want to be signed... that's not even the goal for me. I wanna be able to just survive, I wanna be able to help out people that I love when I can and support myself and my loved ones and be able to support my craft and my art, that’s really what I need. And I feel like, I’m not gonna say that I can do everything on my own, I definitely know that I need people that are gonna be there to help and stuff like that. But as far as getting signed… I don’t know. I’m signed to God and He got it on lock. He really plans everything out for me, as long as I’m staying true to myself every day and just being aware of my surroundings and the things that I’m going through He really sets it up so beautifully and I’m just so grateful for that. My mother always gave speeches in church when I was younger so I always saw that and she just taught me and my sister to be very outspoken women. And for some reason when the music came along it just worked out! That’s why I have to keep on being good because if I fuck up I’m gonna give the wrong message and I’m gonna produce shit. So as long as I keep my mind where it needs to be, it’s gonna be great!

FF- So what is the message that you want to be spreading to the world?
JP- The message is.. it’s our culture and everybody, forever has tried to take it from us and put their name on it. And that’s one thing I do not want to do,

I don’t want people to ever think that this is not for them… my people of color.

It’s all for them, everything I do, it’s forever gonna be for them, the decisions I make is gonna have them in mind and myself in mind because it’s benefiting myself and then you know by me eating healthy and living better… people really do it, people tweet me like Oh my Gosh! I’m in McDonalds, don’t hate me! And I’m like I don’t hate you! And I won’t tell you don’t do it. These people are really listening… so once I realized that, I definitely had to make sure that I maintain it and keep on showing the world that a young, black girl from Brooklyn can be natural and not have a fake body and I just feel like I’m really being myself! Because that’s all I have and that’s all I wanna share with people, because they need to see that’s all they need themselves, is themselves.

I’m so bad at scheming and plotting. And a lot of people are great at that, like a lot of people know how to just come and just pow boom! They get their shit and they just be moving up mad quick. And I was like woah, should I be doing that! Is that what I need to be doing? What? It’s really not me and I never wanna go outside myself to get something like that. But I definitely have to keep myself in check... there’s a few things that I’m working on. I don’t wanna take anything personally, a lot of the times people take things very personally, even small things. Not everybody is thinking about you all the time! And sometimes I think that everybody is thinking about me (laughs). And that’s one thing I really need to work on because

once I take myself out of the center of everything, I see it. I wake up and have to kill my ego every day.
 

I came up with this new fall schedule… summer was a little weird, I put out the project in June and things got poppin'... I was traveling a lot. It was my time to have fun! But I’m used to the school format because I was in school up until this past spring so, you know, after labor day it’s time to buckle down, settle down… school work! So I came up with this new schedule it’s a four hour block - one hour of reading, one hour of writing, one hour of exercise and one hour of meditation. And it’s so good! It’s only four hours… four hours goes by so fast! It goes by and you get things done and when you go back into the world you know you’ve had that moment to really do the necessary things that your body and mind needs.

I just need that discipline because I battle my darkness a lot. And… I’m a scorpio! My birthday is halloween! So this is a big thing for me, just making right decisions. I could be really dark about life and I really have to push myself to be better because I feel this is my higher calling, to serve this purpose, and just spread this message on earth and I can only do it if I’m trained. And I don’t have a mentor, I don’t have nothing so I had to be really hard on myself. Not too hard! I don’t wanna beat up on myself but I do wanna get shit done.

FF- What is your dream creative project?

JP- All live instrumentals in the studio! And just a big orchestra and then it’s gonna be Erykah, Jill Scott, me, Oprah… doing ad libs! I’m working on the rest of the vision.
FF- What’s stopping you from that!?
JP- I feel like I have my own clock in my body and it’s not time yet.. and it’s coming but I know I’m not gonna force it. That’s one thing I don’t do. I’ll know when it’s ready. But it’s cooking up though,

I’m pregnant with success

and its like over nine months, of course it’s longer than that... But it’s a super baby!

FF- Would you consider yourself a freshman, sophomore or senior in your field?
JP- I’m a junior because I’m almost there and I would’ve been a junior in college if I was in it right now. For such a small amount of time that I’ve been creating music and putting it out there the response that’s come with it has been so shocking to me and so great and amazing. I’m so grateful for it and people really love it and I’m like ok this is really like a first run just doing it and seeing what's up. So I’m about to graduate! I’m pregnant with success still, so once the baby comes thats when the graduation happens you know! And it’s gonna be so great but I’m not in a rush to get there I’m really learning how to enjoy the journey because I know that these times are not gonna be here forever so it’s cool to just have nothing to do or you know just stare at the sky, and just taking those times in because then when everything get’s so fast I never wanna get lost, I never wanna get overwhelmed and forget what I’m doing.

FF- If your life was a movie what songs would be on its soundtrack?
JP- Woah. It hasn’t even been written yet. But I would have to say mad Brandy songs, like probably her whole discography. And a lot of Drew Hill. And… who else? who else would be there singing for me? Fefe Dobson! I love her. That’s my cousin, in my head. Kiss Me Fool or Bye Bye Boyfriend but then I love Rainbow because it’s mad soft.

FF- People I should chat to?
JP- You should talk to… Salomon Faye he makes good music, I went to his show last week it was really good. It’s like hip hoppy but he sings a little, his voice is really powerful and his visual is very artsy and he performs with live bands and I love that shit. His thought process seems very good too and I don’t really know it but thats why I want you to talk to him cos I want to know it. Alright I’ll tell you people whose minds I wanna know… Gito, Salomon, Dylan, QIANA… those eyes! What do they tell?!  

you can hear Junglepussy's music on her soundcloud, watch her on her youtube and follow her on her instagram and her twitter.

as told to: Olivia Seally // photos: Olivia Seally

ASHLEY OUTRAGEOUS

My name is Ashley Outrageous, I’m 24 years old and I was born in South Florida. Five years ago I was fresh out of high school and that’s when I decided to go to the Art Institute of Graphic Design and I was just starting this thing called blogging. Which, at the time, I definitely didn’t know much about it, I was just learning about it from a friend who had one. So I was just doing personal stuff, covering what me and my friends were doing, or covering what music I liked and then going to school. Before I started mine I would look at blogs like NahRight and the blog DCtoBC and how Modi would put a lot of personal touch into his content and it was really something I always enjoyed reading. It wasn’t fast facts, it was still personalized. So that was the first blog that made me want to write more about why I like this music video or why I like that song. And that’s when I was still on blogspot and then one day I just woke up and wanted to take it more serious. So I took it down for a month and I did a full redesign. And then from there I went to South By South West a month later, after I re-launched and I went to wordpress, who Modi from DCtoBC actually told me to do.

After that specific trip to South By in 2010, that’s when I knew that I wanted to take it seriously.

After South By, I came back to school and decided I didn’t want to be there so I didn’t finish. But I still apply everything I learned in that time to now with my own website and brand.

I started blogging in Miami and there wasn’t that many bloggers at the time so it was a bit easier for me to get content, rather than say if I started out here (in New York) where there’s so many people, every one’s trying to dish for that interview and get in front of each other. So back in Miami it was easier for me because there was maybe only me and two other bloggers, and when artists came in to town or even when I brought them myself, doing my own events, I felt that that gave me a little more credibility and I was able to get more original content. Plus I wanted to keep all my interviews fun. Like I interviewed Dom Kennedy from a pool before. And then I interviewed Erick from the Zombies in his home studio… Just a bunch of different things where I feel I took people somewhere else, instead of just the standard interview. So I definitely feel it was the strong content that got me out there.

And up keeping that personality is so important, like… people want to know what I like to listen to so I want to create a Spotify play list and show people exactly what I listen to, which is anything from Gucci Mane to Michael Jackson.

FF- Speaking of… If your life was a movie what would be on its soundtrack?

AO- Oooh! Coldplay ‘Green Eyes’ would be my mellow one, for when I’m reflecting. Then I’m gonna go with Young Jeezy, the trap star song… because I like to call myself a digital trap star. And that’s my entrance song. And then Michael Jackson ‘Beat It’, I feel that is totally my personality right there (laughs).

And I really want people to see more of my personality and back when I first started, my personality was hip hop.

I’ve loved it since I was little, my Dad threw my Juvenile mixtape out the window once. Out of my two sisters, I was the one that didn’t really know what I wanted to, always jumping around. They both went to private school and I went to public so I was the loud one at the pep rally, always talking to every one. I learned a lot from my sisters; the oldest one was a singer, she doesn’t do it anymore but growing up she wanted to pursue a singing career, so my parents would do everything for her – I would be dragged along to the studio sessions and dance practices. And my other sister is a model and I’d always have to go along to her photo shoots and back then I hated it. It’s so funny because now I’m combining all those things in my career.

FF- Who are three people we should chat to that inspire you?

AO- My new Brand Manager, Meko… he’s really motivating, very smart; he manages an artist named Deniro Ferarr, he used to manage Mystikal, which is crazy! So yeah definitely Meko. I’d also recommend Eric from the Zombies; another super creative. And I’m going to say… Vinny, from Madbury Club. Three guys (laughs)! They’re all very talented.

FF- Is there a specific post that significantly impacted your following?

AO- Hmm… I know I definitely have had a few of those moments… There was an interview I did with AbSoul, where I got real answers out of him because I know him, so I was able to ask him personal things… about the loss of his girlfriend and he spoke to me about that. And definitely one of my Big Sean interviews.

He was talking about a possible Good Music tour so that was the big thing, people were like who is this girl and why is Big Sean telling her that exclusive?!

And he’s actually one of my really good friends now. He shared the story, lots of people shared it off that, I sent it out and a lot of websites picked it up, so Big Sean definitely got traffic.

I actually met him through my friend Hustle Simmons in Chicago. He knew his road manager at the time and he was like Hey! Big Sean is coming to Miami, do you want to interview him? And of course I said yes! Please! Do the intro! Give me the stamp of approval. So yeah that’s usually what I do.

FF- So what’s your advice for people who don’t have that time to get comfortable and aren’t the best at networking?

AO- I mean, you have to be. If you’re not going to network how are people going to know who you are? Say you’re out during CMJ and you’re at SOBs and it’s packed full of people…

if you’re not saying anything to anybody, how are they going to know who you are? I never wanted to be just the girl behind the computer screen.

So even though… that first year in 2010 was like my burst! I’m telling you, I went to South By and I was like OK this is it! So then I went to Chicago for just one day, then went to NY, then to LA, then Atlanta for A3C. That whole year I went to all five of those places because I wanted to go meet these people that I was talking to on twitter, back then… that was all we had! Instagram didn’t exist yet. I was really using Twitter and I feel that was my big networking thing but I didn’t just stay online. Like I was on Twitter talking to people from NY, LA and ATL… then was in their city and be like let’s link up! So I would go to all these events, then if I saw some one that I knew off Twitter I wouldn’t… you know how people get weird, they’re like staring at you… and it’s like OK who’s going to say hi?! So I would just go up to people and introduce myself. You have to interact with people, if you’re not then… what are you doing?! You better get that 9 to 5 in the office where you don’t talk to anyone and you’re sitting in a cubicle. To be in this work, you have to. If you’re scared then you’re in the wrong lane.

FF- So what’s the goal with all of this? What would you like to add to the world?

AO- I feel that’s what I’m figuring out right now. I’m going through a phase, especially since I moved to New York… this is my first time moving away from home ever. You know, I did college twenty minutes away from my house. I didn’t need a dorm, nothing, I’m used to seeing my parents every single day. And you know, I’m away from my comfort zone, I don’t have my car, now I’m in a city! At home it’s like trees growing, grass everywhere. So I feel the first six months here have been a very personal growth experience and even finding things out about myself.

And the whole point OF COMING here was to challenge myself. I was getting very comfortable back home. I felt if I stayed there I was going to be on cruise control,

unless I wanted to say, get into the party scene, there was really nothing else there for me. That’s home and I’m always going to go back as much as I can, I always want to bring stuff back to Miami because that’s what got me to where I am now. And I’m going through this whole reformatting and rebranding phase because I want to go back to my original roots, where I started… that passion that I had back in 2010. I felt that I lost it last year and I’ve told some people this before… I felt blogging became a fast food chain or something, where every site has the same thing and every thing is just very quickly posted because people only care about hits. Which I admit I fell into that hole one time, but that steered me away from what separated me from every one else. When people ask what separates your blog from everything, I say my content! I’m giving my original point of view. And that’s what I want to do, I want to make everything more original. And all these artists that I personally know, that are friends of mine, when we have conversations about their music and other random things that journalists wouldn’t really be able to get. I don’t really call myself a journalist, I didn’t go to school for it. I like to say I’m a creative,

I like to do a lot of creative things and I like to be both in front of the camera and behind the scenes.

So now the goal is to become more of that personality, and creative and a curator and really show people who I am and it’s still always going to go back to music but I do want to expand into fashion or gadgets or food. I always have to clear my head and ask myself Where am I? Where do I want to go? What am I doing? How am I going to get it done? And at the end of the day, I tell myself this… no one is stopping me from anything but myself, if I don’t get this done today that’s my fault. I’m the only one responsible.

you can check out Ashley's blog here and follow her on twitter and instagram.

as told to: Olivia Seally // photos: Olivia Seally & courtesy of ashleyoutrageous.com

REMY BANKS x VIPER Magazine

Queens rapper and member of Worlds Fair, Remy Banks for Viper Magazine. Out now!

For the full article get issue 1 here.

you can check out Remy's music here, and follow him on instagram.

words: Ben Niespodziany // photos: Olivia Seally

POPCAAN x i-D

The night I chat to Popcaan there's a big album launch party in New York in his honour, but he's roadside in Jamaica (he doesn't have a visa to the States), on his way to the weekly clash night he puts on. "We pon di main road now if you hear vehicles driving fast, y'kna?" he tells me, before greeting passers-by with, "Why pree? Auntie, wha gwan?" Despite being hailed as Jamaica's biggest new dancehall star, he's clearly still a low-key local boy. The new album shows off his sense of humour, his wicked way with words and his ability to put out a sex-laden party track (singing "Ya pussy pretty like the building dem a Canada" in Love Yuh Bad), but there's a core of socially conscious anthems here that also establish him as a sensitive and smart singjay for the ghetto, most especially its youth.

for the full article click here.

you can check out Popcaan's music here, and follow him on instagram.

words: Stuart Brumfitt // photos: Olivia Seally