"She's So Fresh" Fridays 2009 Retrospective...

peace good people!!

so this year has been one of growth, filled with all sorts of foundations that have been laid and relationships forged from the pursuit of common goals..wow, that was like hella poetic for a sec right...lol? The "She's So Fresh" Showcases jumped off and were embraced and shown so much love that I am beyond excited about next year and all that we have planned! February 4, 2010 at Sputnik will kick off our year with the 3rd installment of "She's So Fresh" Showcase! this year our mission is to continue to bring you the absolute dopest live performances from some the dopest sistas out right now in the Tri-State Area, and yes, for all those that have asked - we WILL be making our way to a city near you! if you all have any suggestions for sistas that you love hearing from and want to support, let us know! I stay on my grizzly trying to give you all info on Women in Hip Hop but this is a collective movement so participate and hit me with names, if you're in particular city and want us to come, holla! I do this all for you and for the future of Hip Hop so let's get it in, in 2010 rrrrrrright!

so anyhoo, since it's almost the end of the year, as in next week, I wanted to take this opportunity to stroll down memory lane and give those who may not have had the chance to check out every Friday time to peruse and support!

it all started waaay back in April...

APRIL 2009::::

WELCOME 2 "SHE'S SO FRESH" FRIDAYS! this is not another female pissed off about male dominance"..lol, no, I love my brothas, especially the ones that support sistas like myself that stay rhyming and grinding on the j.o., spit hard and love Hip Hop. however, I do feel the game is out of balance and I feel that I need to do my part to bring it back into balance i.e. givin sistas shine. There's so many of us out there doing what we gotta do, embracing who we are, big, little, thick or thin, black or white or other, and letting our words, thoughts and styles speak for us so this will be a place for those sistas to shine.

SO LET'S GET IT POPPIN!!!

1st up 2 the plate:

Mystic

MC Lyte

Lin Que

Invincible

MAY 2009::::

Cynical

Toni Blackman

Tiye Phoenix

Soulflower

JUNE 2009::::

Rokafella

Eagle Nebula

Contro'Versy

DJ Chela

Cleo Jones

JULY 2009::::

Eternia

Thembisa Mshaka

Jasmine Solano

Eyeris

AUGUST 2009::::

"She's So Fresh" Showcase I Recap 8/6/2009!

RA the MC

AtLas'

Misnomer(S)

SEPTEMBER 2009::::

Nola Darling

Stacey Muhammad

True Daley

Hip Hop 4 Life

OCTOBER 2009::::

Nemiss

We Are the Girl

Speech Debelle

Kuttin Kandi

NOVEMBER 2009::::

"She's So Fresh" Showcase II Recap 11/5/2009!

DECEMBER 2009::::

Pink Eye

Pri the Honeydark

and there we have it! I have had the pleasure of interviewing so many incredibly talented sistas this year. it has truly been an honor to be in the company of these women, from the up and comers to the vets, RESPECT DUE.

I truly hope you will all continue to check for everything "She's So Fresh" in the year(s) to come and will continue to give us your time, support and appreciation. so, save the date, February 4, 2010, the "She's So Fresh" Showcase is on at Sputnik in BK and the lineup is serious and will be announced shortly after the new year! so y'all party safe, be safe and be cool and "She's So Fresh" Fridays will be back on the other side in 2010!!

peaces

Bless Roxwell

a PRI - view of the future (Honeydark, that is.)

waddup waddup! it's Friday and we know what that means right? time for another "She's So Fresh" Fridays!

this week we talk to a sista that is exploring and mastering an integral aspect of Hip Hop and a growing genre amongst women in Hip Hop, the lady beatmaker, the producer. and first up to the plate?

PRI THE HONEYDARK.

if you don't know her then it is my pleasure to introduce you to a sista that is at the forefront of this expansion of Hip Hop. born in Brooklyn, NY, Pri the Honeydark began battling and besting local teenagers at age 8, for now-and-later money. she stands today as a winner of Vibe Magazine, Blaze Magazine and Everlast Boxing Emcee Battle Championships AND the Istandard Producers Showcase 1st Runner Up and MTP Beat Battle 1st Runner Up.

known amongst her peers as the "female Dr. Dre", she's been featured in Remix Magazine, One World, XXL, The Source, Honey Magazine, The Fader to name a few. and as an artist and a producer she's been featured on Femmixx.com and Vibe Magazine Hip Hop Divas book as well appearing in the films Gangstresses and Miss Emcee.

she's rocked venues like the world famous Apollo Theater, BB King's, S.O.B's, The Knitting Factory, Joe's Pub, The Paladium (L.A.), Can A Sista Rock A Mic Festival, the Jacob Javits Convention Center and numerous music conferences.

Pri the Honeydark is also the founder of The Female Producers Association™ (The F.P.A.), with a goal to provide a positive outlet and networking circle for women musicians, producers, songwriters, engineers and DJ's across the globe and a member of the veteran all female Hip Hop collective The Anomolies.

and finally a sista is truly handling her business as President of Ludovia Entertainment and CEO of Darker Than Honey Productions. this is a woman that is dedicated to her craft and being a creative beacon and threat in Hip Hop.

but with everything that she's doing, she took the time to answer a couple of my questions like what motivates her...

me: from where do draw your inspiration?

Pri the Honeydark: A lot of my inspiration as with most comes from experience. My surroundings, the people in my life, my pain, struggles, as well as joy. I like for my tracks to play out like a movie and project whatever emotion I am feeling at that moment.

me: how long have you been producing?

Pri the Honeydark: I have been producing for about 7 years.

me: have you found more acceptance as an MC or as a producer? or has there been no difference b/c it's all an uphill battle?

Pri the Honeydark: I have found acceptance in both fields and yes, both are an uphill battle. I think people who follow me are genuinely interested in what I bring to the table as an MC or producer. I am lucky to have been blessed to do both.

me: have you found it's easier to rhyme on your won tracks vs. someone else or the other way around?

Pri the Honeydark: As long as the track is the right fit, I really feel it does not matter. Simply because, I make or choose what suits me and evokes feelings within me. I find it more difficult when I do not have a choice over the sound & feel of a track. My voice is strong, so certain tracks do not fit me and I am very aware of that.

and there you have it ladies and gents. for putting in work, blazing trails, laying foundations and creating good Hip Hop, and just all around doin the damn thing, Pri the Honeydark is this week's "She's So Fresh" Fridays! check out Pri the Honeydark and her newest project She's the Producer online and find out more and how you can support this sistas movements!

ok, til next week y'all! thanks for checking in and seeing what's good! please keep checking back because 2010 is fixing to be crazzzeee, lotsa big tings agwan, k? Join our group J.A.G. Music and Media presents...She's So FRESH! to be kept up to date, and def keep checking here on wesofresh.com for news and updates and hopefully I can keep up..lol! so y'all be cool and I'll be back!

peaces

rox

we want you!

peace all!

so quick note to let you all know that J.A.G. Music and Media, LLC now has a Facebook group for everybody! we'd love for you to join and support as we will be bringing you updates for all things SSF, in addition to updates about the incredible sistas that have blessed the SSF Showcase stage! 2010 is shaping up to be truly amazing and productive and we'll be kicking off the "She's So Fresh" year on February 4th, 2010 at Sputnik and FYI:::it's gonna be sick so you gonna wanna be there if your in NYC!

for all my peeps outside of NYC, you'd better believe J.A.G. Music and Media, LLC is working tirelessly to bring SSF to a city near you, so you know what? let me know! do you want to see "She's So Fresh" Showcase in your city or fave spot? leave a comment here or on the group page, or just tweet me!

so I'm get at y'all this Friday with another edition of "She's So Fresh" Fridays! so see you then!

peaces

rox

catch this...

....and...we're back!!

wassup everybody!! it's me, Bless Roxwell backatcha with "She's So Fresh" Fridays, where I'm profiling a different woman in Hip Hop and Urban Arts every Friday! unfortunately, we were down for a little while due to technical difficulties but you know what stuff happens, it is what it is. the Bloom Blog will be back up and popping again shortly and you'll be able to once again catch SSF every Friday either here or there, cool? cool, so let's move on..

artists are always pushing the envelope and trying new ideas, new images, new mediums. so our feature this week decided she was going to express herself thru one of this author's fave things in the entire world. sneakers. that's right, and she gets BIZ! Ladies and gents in case you don't know allow me to introduce you to:

PINK EYE

I first met Pink Eye a couple of years ago at a show and was so impressed by not just her art but also her entrepreneurial energy. she had all her stuff set up, table, stickers, pics, business cards...I mean a sista was bout her B.I.

since then I've seen her making her moves and growing as an artist and an entity. whether doing interviews for fashion mags or at a spot set up, she builds with people and maintains those relationships.

having moved around quite a bit as a child, she found expression in art and in documenting the world around her to make sense of the world around her. by creating images and giving voice to her creativity she developed a strong sense of independence and character that has helped to sustain her dream. Pink Eye: the artist and right behind that, Pink Eye Fashions.

after studying art and design at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology, she's already owned her own store front and is now focusing her sites on the next steps for her brand.

she's had her work featured on VH1 Hip Hop Honors, Latin Mixx Music Conference and Justos Mixtape Awards and so much more. and she's caught shine in SLAM Magazine, Urban Ink Magazine and Lady Caprice Magazine just to name a few. now as some of you know, I like to give my features a chance to share their own perspective with the world, so Pink Eye was gracious enough to answer a few questions for me: me: what made you decide to express your art through sneaker design in particular?

Pink Eye: I started drawing seriously in like 3 grade. I would take my Dads comic books and draw. Then my love for sneakers started in like 6th Grade. I started taking the city buses to school and got exposure to all the hot kicks I would see. When I got older I would mess around and draw on my kicks and I did a few pair and was my own billboard and people would ask me where I got em from and I took a few orders. So It took a life of its own I wanted to push it further and see what else I could do on sneakers. Do more than what the companies were offering the public. Seven years later here I am.

me: did you always envision Pink Eye Fashions as being more than just sneakers?

Pink Eye: Pink Eye started as a hustle for me just to earn a few bucks here and there. Once I started getting more involved with it I saw the possibilities to take it further with kicks and clothes and as an overall custom lifestyle brand. A resource that people could go to when their retail fashion needs cant get met with items "off the rack" they could get something personalized to them and their style.

me: where do you draw your inspirations from for a particular design? the individual you are making them for?

Pink Eye: Its definitely the individual. That's who I am doing them for. That's why I'm very particular with getting to know my clientele. I can talk to them for a few minutes and get the idea in my head while we are talking and will stop the convo and drop the idea on them and sometimes they are astonished that I can do that. That's how I gain the trust of people and they don't even need to see a sketch because they know I will give them what they want plus that little extra of Pink Eye to it to make it special.

me: how long, on average, does it take for you to finish a pair of sneakers?

Pink Eye: Kicks take on average 4-5 days to finish for simple designs. They go through processes beyond just painting on them to make sure the paint stays in. More intense designs can take 5-7 days. I have done a few pair overnight to meet customer needs.

me: where do you see Pink Eye Fashions in 5 years?

Pink Eye: Many people ask me this question and my honest answer is to let Pink Eye take its own course. I have ideas and plans for it that I'm doing like collaborations with other brands etc, but I'm totally happy with Pink Eye holding the steering wheel while i just give it gas. I don't like to force too much with it especially since its still artistry and people appreciate it more when it flows naturally. I'm working with stylists more now and online retailers that want to sell it as a featured brand now so that can mean it will get bigger in its own time, So watch out!

so there you have it good people, that's why Pink Eye is SO Fresh! because she chose a medium, that is so dear to the hearts of so many true Hip Hop heads, including yours truly, sneakers. and not only is she lacing them (no pun intended..lol) but together with her business sense, drive and integrity is carving out a niche for herself that can only lead to greater things! so while a lot of people talk and talk and don't walk, Pink Eye is building and climbing and moving forward full steam, so pay attention! check out more of her work on her website Pink Eye Fashions!!

DID YOU CATCH IT YET?

so til next week good people! for those who are new, WELCOME!! and I hope you come back and for those returning, supporting and checking for "She's So Fresh", thank you! stay tuned because 2010 is shaping up to be a really good year, lots of fun and lots of dope shows to be had, see y'all there!!

peaces,

rox

testing..testing..missed me?

this is a quick head's up to let you all know that "She's So Fresh" Fridays will be back on and poppin TOMORROW!!! I know I've stayed away too long, I miss you all, hope y'all missed me..lol.

so we'll be back updating you on all these incredible sistas and their doings and we have some great features planned! so, thanks for checking back in, I won't be leaving again anytime soon and I can't wait for 2010 and all the dope ish being planned to pop! ttyl! peaceandblessings

rox

movements..

peace all!

so I know it's been a minute but everything is moving along nicely! there are so many dope, amazing SSF projects that me and the team are working that I cannot wait until 2010! I will definitely be back soon with ALL the updates to keep y'all in the loop! I have soooo been missing "She's So Fresh" Fridayz and I hope you have also, so we will bringing that back asap to make sure you can get as much info as possible about all the sistas making strides and building a foundation for the future of Hip Hop.

speaking of which, I wanted to take a second to tell all my NY heads about this dope show that's popping off on Friday, "Pearls of Wisdom":

shouts to Lah Tere for reaching out to me and J.A.G. Music and Media and asking us to be apart of this incredible event! it falls right in line with my mission, so I wanted to make sure that you all know about it. and I can't stress enough how happy and thankful I am that this is a movement to promote women in Hip Hop that is being embraced and supported by so many. so props to Lah Tere, Rebel Diaz and Momma's Hip Hop Kitchen as well as all the sistas that will be rocking that night, including yours truly. the only way we gon make it is if WE make it, and that's what we're doing!

so if you're in NY, def stop through, check out the show and the warmth of the Rebel Diaz Arts Collective! see u there..