Tag Archives: IL

Kardashians In-store Appearance in Chicago

The infamous Kardashian sisters (Kim and Khloe) traveled to the windy city on April 20th for an in-store appearance at Sears Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, IL to promote their Kardashian Kollection. Fans began lining up for a chance to meet the sisters the night before and were not disappointed as the sister graciously signed autographs and took photos with their devoted fans.

P. Scott

By Tamara Jenkins 

A contemporary artist with a style ahead of its time, New York native P. Scott has created his own course in the art world. Fusing art and fashion together on fabrics, including denim, Scott has brought together his loves as well as created a signature style he calls “fashionism”.  His talent exceeds beyond art as an established barber and aspiring fashion designer.
 
His latest exhibit, Vision of a Fashion God, features a Polo Christ, a Gucci Buddha, a Ganesh Ferragamo and an Apollo Versace.  Recently, UnRated Urban got a chance to speak with Scott during the second opening of his exhibit.
 
When did you know you had a gift for art and/or knew you wanted to be an artist
 
I really realized that I was an artist and had talents or skills was when I did a project for my art teacher. I duplicated this piece but did it in my own signature way; I did it with colored pencils. It was some gold fish in a glass bowl and it had this really ill checked board type pattern to it. When I did it, I realized I really have skills and this is not just a hobby.
 
My teacher realized the same thing and he took my piece and never gave it back to me. He said it was plagiarism. I was a young boy and was like what, I’m just trying to learn how to draw. I’m pretty sure he has it to this day waiting for me to become famous.Yeah, it was that good, I think he wanted to keep it for his house or something. I knew then that I had skills.
 
When I was 11 years old cutting hair, I knew I had some skills with cutting hair, but at that point I  really that sharp in terms of cutting so at that age it was just designs, I didn’t fade, I didn’t have any blends going on, nothing, it was just a line, some designs and there you have it. It wasn’t that good of a haircut, it was more like hair art and then eventually I learned how to do tapers and fades. I guess you could say I initially started off as a hair artist.

Everything to me is like art. When I do hair, it’s a form of art, when I draw and art, obviously that’s a form of art, when I design clothes, that’s a form of art. It is categorized but I choose not to categorize , I choose to put it in one big bowl and call it art.

How would you describe your style

It’s hard to put my style in a box only because I touch on a lot of different styles. I guess you could say expressionistic, contemporary, a little pop, but in all honesty I try to look at my work, I want to coin the phrase Fashionism because my art is heavily intertwined and fused with fashion. Its art meets fashion on all different levels, visually I show you my artistic capabilities with drawing and painting or pastels, ink whatever but I do it on exotic fabrics and that’s how I kind of merge the two and also through subject matter.Somewhere within the piece you’ll see something that references fashion. So that’s why I was like eventually I’ll coin the phrase and call it Fashionism, maybe eventually they will be like there’s a whole other genre of art.
 
Do you think the cities you’ve lived in (New York, Philadelphia and now Chicago) have affected your art

Yes, definitely. I’m from New York so, I say this all the time, it’s ironic that as an artist I was always trying to find a niche, I was always trying to find something that suits me or that would be unique and people would recognize that as signature style.
 
I was always searching outside of what was really what I did, which was, since I was a kid, I’ve always painted on different clothes, I’ve always painted on different shoes or whatever it was, it was always somehow related to fashion because in New York back in the day, there was a lot of graffiti done on jeans, denim jackets, everything and then sneaker art became real heavy in New York, so I opened a boutique in New York and I was doing a lot of sneaker art and a lot of custom stuff. But it’s always been that I’ve painted on appeal.
 
Why did you come to Chicago
 
I moved to Chicago because I had a business offer. I do the buying for a few stores in New York and here (Chicago) now but at the time I was just doing the buying for the stores in New York. My partner made me a business proposition, he was like you come help me with the two stores in Chicago, help me with the décor, because I’m pretty good at interior design as well, and in turn we’ll get the clothing line going. So I came out here and I was only supposed to be out here for maybe six months at the most and it ended up turning into five years.I ended up managing a few of the stores for a couple of years, but I was like this isn’t why I’m here so I just fell back and started working on the line, which is in the pre-production stage.
 
Explain this exhibit, Visions of a Fashion God

I found my lane with fusing art and fashion together with the different fabrics, so I was like what can I do that will be provocative, thought provoking and draw people into an exhibit. I came up with the idea of the name and once I came up with the name, I was like that’s controversial, that’s something will draw people in and then I started to figure out what my subject matter would be from there so I conceptualized the exhibit’s name and I went from there.

I did the Gucci Buddha and then I was looking at it and thought I need to do something crazy to it, it looks good but I’m not feeling it all the way so I came up with the idea to put mind, body, and soul, cross the soul out and put fashion. And the colors kind of go with the Gucci, so I added the Gucci, put it in the eyes and added the colors and then from there the whole idea just got birthed and I was like, you know what, Vision of a Fashion God– that’s the name of the exhibit, I’m shooting to do it during Fashion Week so it all coincides and I just ran with it. The initial opening was during the closing of Fashion Week in Chicago, it all kind of fell into place and I just ran with it.

Do you have a favorite piece

From this show I would say the Gucci Buddha the most because I like the posture of the head, I like the way it looks in terms of it draws you in, I like the technique that I used and the concept, it’s the one that triggered the whole series. In a sense it’s the Vision of a Fashion God. I like the Polo Christ too. 
 
One of your inspirations is Jean-Michel Basquiat? Do you have any others

Yes, Salvador Dali, Van Gogh, I like Monet as well. Those three are very influential on my paint style and how I approach art because I was fascinated with their work. And there are a few newer artists that I like one is from Canada and he moved to New York and does portraits and graffiti type stuff; and Hebru Brantley.
 
Do you have any upcoming projects

Yes, I’m going to give myself about a month’s rest and then I’m right back at it again.I’m shooting for my next show to be in the spring. Venue, not sure yet, we’re working on that but definitely except to see another show in the spring, either March or April.

 

A final public reception for the exhibit will be held on Monday, November 21 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. at the Lacuna Artist Lofts & Studios, 2150 S. Canalport, Suite 5C-14, Chicago, IL. For more information on Scott, please visit www.pscottart.com.

Photos by Joshua Smith

Rapper TYGA Mentors Chicago’s Youth

Grammy-nominated pop/rap artist TYGA, also known as Michael Stevenson, came to Chicago last month to empower under-privileged and economically challenged youth as part of his R.O.A.R (Reach Out And Represent) Youth Empowerment Campaign.

On September 23, 2011, TYGA came to Bogan High School as part of the La Belle Vie foundation BULU (Be U Love U) program. He spoke with over 500 youth in each city and present VIP packages to select youth who are nominated by the staff for meeting criteria in three critical areas; attendance, grades and behaviour.

TYGA, an acronym for Thank You God Always, is an American rapper whose album No Introduction debuted in 2008. He has worked with Kanye West, Lil’ Wayne and Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz. He received much acclaim for his Grammy-nominated song with Chris Brown, Deuces, and hit song Coconut Juice, featuring his cousin Travis from Gym Class Heroes. TYGA is now receiving acclaim and admiration for his R.O.A.R youth empowerment campaign, which provides a unique, once in a lifetime opportunity to under-privileged youth.

Developed and supported by the La Belle Vie Foundation, the collaborative BULU/ R.O.A.R. Campaign, is designed to acknowledge and eradicate the damaging impact that media, violence, drug involvement, poor decision-making skills and a lack of education impose on the self-esteems of young people and ultimately their futures.

BULU’s goal is to celebrate youth and achievement by bringing notable successful personalities from similar backgrounds to youth via motivational speaking, providing a tangible mentoring, leadership and empowerment component.

TYGA is thrilled to partner again with Chris Brown before the launch of their highly anticipated F.A.M.E tour with Kelly Roland and T-Pain that started on September 12, 2011 in Toronto. The tour will hit 28 U.S. cities.

During the F.A.M.E. tour, R.O.A.R. and BULU will select a school in each of the 28 tour cities – – engaging at least 2000 youth per city in schools and over 7 million fans per city via his social media platforms.

During the assembly, TYGA gave students the unadulterated truth about the focus and determination that it really takes to accomplish their goals, as well as address the importance of education, anti-drug, anti- violence and achievement despite the challenges.

In an attempt to offset the high drop rates among Black and Latino students and to bring attention to the importance of going to college, TYGA is sponsoring 15 “TYGA SCHOLARS” in each city where a R.O.A.R event is scheduled in a high school. TYGA SCHOLARS will be senior high school students who have been selected by their school administrators to complete the EDU, Inc. COMMON BLACK COLLEGE APPLICATION “for free”. The EDU, Inc. The application allows students to apply to 35 HBCUs at the same time. The use of the EDU, Inc. Application increases the educational options of students by allowing them to receive acceptance letters, financial aid packages and scholarship offers from several different colleges.  

TYGA’s programs R.O.A.R., in partnership with BULU exemplifies a commitment to making a difference in the lives of under-privileged and economically challenged youth through education, mentoring and empowerment. To date, BULU has serviced over 10,000 youth nationwide.

Photos by Joshua Smith

Femme Fatale Tour Showcases Rejuvenated Spears

By Anthony Kuzminski

I’m not sure if any celebrity has had more written about them in the last decade besides Britney Spears; some good-some bad all of it fascinating in some fashion. However, as a result, many have had a hard time separating the performer from the celebrity. People look at her and see tabloid headlines and lip-synching and often have a hard time looking beyond. That in itself is a shame because while she doesn’t have the same grasp on the music media as she did with her first few albums, her recorded output in recent years shows growth. I was ready to write her off a few years ago, but with each album she has continued to penetrate the pop landscape and as her Femme Fatale tour rolled into Chicago, both Spears and the Chicago crowd was ready for lift-off.

Spears last toured in 2009 and while the staging was in-the-round with a series of extraordinary staging, it felt bitter and icy. Spears looked disengaged from the proceedings and it felt as if they had taken her out of a box right before show time. Despite what some reviewers have posted about her current tour, it features a rejuvenated Spears in a show that provoked the crowd in all the right spots.

 As a screen split in two on the main stage, Britney Spears appeared on a platform with her lead single from Femme Fatale “Hold It Against Me”. Dressed in a silver outfit that continued to reveal more and more with every chorus, Spears was in her element. “Up N’ Down”, dressed in white private investigator dance of “3” and “Piece of Me”, which found Spears flying on a platform from the front of the stage towards the back before she disappeared into a trap door on the main stage. The whole show featured gimmicks galore yet the crowd never seemed let down from it as it never left room for hesitation. Last tour, the stage was a exceptional in-the-round creation whereas this time, it was a 180-degree stage with a large extensive platform that went more than halfway onto the floor. While not providing as many stunning viewpoints as the 360-stage did, she had enough props and commitment to make it meaningful and never losing the crowd’s interest.

Dispersed with several noir-like video segments, they proved to be time for Spears and her dancers to change outfits. The second portion of the show proved to be among the evenings most entertaining with the thumping “Big Fat Bass” which found Spears in a red skirt almost rapping the one-dimensional, but gripping beat further escalating the tension between her performance the crowd. A car pulled up to the front of the stage, as the ten background dancers were in dazzling colors (looking like extras in a live action Aladdin remake).

Colorful costumes aside, the beattastic song is a sure fire hit and should be a future single. The incessant percussion beat and its catching chorus found every single soul on their feet cheering along. Spears, who has taken career cues from Madonna, leaned the set heavily on material from Femme Fatale. While on paper this would appear to be imprudent, it showcased the album vividly and featured its strengths. “How I Roll” I had overlooked on my initial listens of the record but the performance will be etched in my mind for a while to come. Lace and Leather” (from 2008’s Circus) found Spears pulling a male fan from the crowd who she danced and teased with a leg wrap around the back of his head for and the car drove back to the main stage. “If U Seek Amy” had a 1950’s swing style to it compared to the poppish quality on the studio cut. It was another pleasant surprise of the evening as the arrangements were not cut and paste renditions from the records.

 “Gimme More” rippled throughout the arena with Britney’s spoken declaration (“It’s Britney…bitch”). Vintage hits “I’m A Slave For You”, “Baby, One More Time” (in biker gear) and “Boys” (with the dancers mimicking snakes) all filled the nostalgia crave. A pair of perfectly chosen covers worked beautifully within the set; Rhianna’s “S&M” and Madonna’s “Burning Up”. On the Madonna cover (all the way back from 1982) found spears riding a larger-than-life guitar like it was a bull. However, it was the newer material that resonated strongest and evoked the largest roars of the audience. “I Wanna Go” along with the evening’s finale of “Till the World Ends” found the crowd in a manic state or nirvana. Amidst pyrotechnics and 15,000 dancing fans (mostly female) Spears disappeared beneath the stage as a shower of pyrotechnics draped the stage.

Is the show well produced and executed? You bet. It may be too rehearsed for some, but it’s perfectly suited for troubled time and for those who want to dance their worries away. The Femme Fatale tour is a step up from her Circus jaunt two years ago. It features Britney Spears much more animated and invigorated on the stage. The 90-minute show may not go down as a epic tour de force live performance; it serves its purpose perfectly. More than anything, the crowd ate it up and danced like a clock was counting down to the apocalypse without a worry in the world and ultimately, that’s the greatest gift pop music can ever give us.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicagobased writer. His daily writings can be read at http:/the-screen-door.blogspot.com. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com (thescreendoor@gmail.com) and can be followed on twitter at http://twitter.com/thescreendoor

Photos by Dan Locke

Slurpee® MixMaker Concert Hits Lincoln Hall With Gym Class Heroes

7-Eleven, Inc. is mixing up the 2011 Summer of Slurpee® with a mash-up of cool cups, cold concoctions and sold-out concerts that are proving to be hot, hot, hot. Not only is 7-Eleven encouraging Slurpee flavor-mixing with its ingenious MixMaker dual-chambered cup and valve straw, the retailer is mixing up the Slurpee summer season with its popular MixMaker Summer Concert Series. The third in the series features Gym Class Heroes, appearing July 25 at Chicago’s Lincoln Hall.

Tickets for the Chicagoconcert are $7.11 and go on sale Friday, July 8, at noon on the Lincoln Hall website (http://www.lincolnhallchicago.com). Slurpee Rewards points also can be cashed in for free concert tickets at www.slurpee.com, while they last. Tickets for the all-ages, general admission concert will be held at will-call, which is actually a list of names at the door. Photo ID is required to verify age and ticket purchase.

Gym Class Heroes will take a break from the 2011 Vans Warped Tour to bring their musical talents to the MixMaker concert in the WindyCity. The alternative hip-hop band will release The Papercut Chronicles II this fall, its first album since frontman Travie McCoy’s solo album Lazarus, which featured the smash hit “Billionaire.”  “Stereo Hearts,” the first single from The Papercut Chronicles II, was recently featured on the NBC series “The Voice,” and is available now at all digital retailers.  We are the In Crowd, a pop-punk band fromNew York, will open the show.

Fantabuloso Dos

Chicago’s 103.5 KISS FM brought out music heavyweights for it’s Fantabuloso Dos concert May 18th at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL.

A sequel to its 2010 Fantabuloso concert that featured Ludacris, Ke$ha, Trey Songz, Jay Sean, B.O.B., Jason Derulo, Kevin Rudolf and Orianthi, this year’s event boasted artists that included Lupe Fiasco, PITTBULL, T-Pain, David Guetta, Jessie J, Far East Movement, Taio Cruz, Mike Posner and Tinie Tempah.

 

Photos of Lupe Fiasco, David Guetta & T-Pain. Photos by Adam Bielawski

Writer & Director Carmen Marron

By Tamara Jenkins
Once the guider of young minds, Carmen Marron is now guiding herself through the world of film making as the writer, producer and director of her first feature film GO FOR IT!.

The winner of  the Audience Award and an Official Selection of the 2010 Chicago International Film Festival, GO FOR IT! is the story of a young women struggling to overcome her fears and follow her dream of becoming a dancer.

Now, on the heels of its nationwide debut, the Logan Square native is returning to her hometown to officially premiere the film and took time to talk to UnRated Urban about her journey into film making.

You have an interesting story of how you got started?

Carmen Marron:I actually have no film making background. I use to be a guidance counselor. I grew up in Logan Square. I chose to be a guidance counselor in Phoenix, South Phoenix, which is where I lived. I wanted to work with at risk kids and inner city kids as well because I felt like I could really relate to them and after working with them for two years I realized the kids really did not look up to their parents or people in their community, they looked up to people in television and film for role models, unfortunately. And people in film and television that weren’t real or they were looking up to people like Brittney Spears, people that did not have anything in common with their lives and their struggles.  And so I decided to write a script.

I wanted to write a script about a family and about young kids, especially women, because I felt like these young girls were throwing their lives away and getting pregnant and they were making so many mistakes, so I decided to write this script about them and mirror their lives so they can see and learn about themselves by watching this movie and hopefully be inspired.

Is it true the film took 6 years to finish?

Carmen Marron: Yes, it did take 6 years to finish.

Did you ever want to give up during that time?

Carmen Marron: Always. Always, because it took us five years just to save the money. So during the time when we were just saving the money, I was like why are we completely changing our lives to save money for this movie; I’m not even sure what I’m doing, I don’t even know if its going to go anywhere.

The main character in the film, Carmen-is she based on any of your students or a family member?

Carmen Marron: I named her Carmen because that’s my name and because when I was growing up, Carmen was the most common name for a Latina. There was always at least three Carmen’s in every classroom that I was in. I have cousins named Carmen; its like Maria, I was either going to name her Maria or Carmen. I thought everyone uses Maria already in films so I decided on Carmen because I wanted to use a name that is so frequently used that kids could relate to.

Do you keep up with any of your former students?

Carmen Marron: No, I worked at an elementary school and the kids were very young. I was really more influenced by the seventh and eighth graders and some of the girls in the community and the teenage girls that I knew growing up too. I have not kept in touch with any of them (former students).

Are all of the actors in the film from Chicago?

Carmen Marron:I would say out of the main actors, 7 or 8 are from Chicago-Aimee Garcia, Gina Rodriguez, David Hernandez, Louis Alegria. And it’s funny because there from Chicago but most of them live in L.A., only 2 I believe live in Chicago.

GO FOR IT! is being released by Pantelion Films, a new film studio, how did this happen?

Carmen Marron: GO FOR IT!, I believe, was there first acquisition. I was screening my film around the country at festivals and there was a buzz and someone who saw the movie ended up knowing someone at Lions Gate and called them and said hey you need to take a look at this movie and they ended up coming to one of my screenings in L.A. and after they saw it, they contacted me and asked me to screen it at the studio. That was rare, I mean it does not happen that way at all. I don’t even know anyone else that that’s happened to, that’s how rare it was.

Since this is your first time writing and directing a film, I hope you will continue with this

Carmen Marron: Well, yes I love this, I never wanted to do this, I never wanted thought about being a film maker but I realized that this is definitely, definitely part of my destiny.

Do you have any upcoming projects?

Carmen Marron: I’m working on two scripts and I’m hoping to get one into production before the end of summer and I’m hoping to do it in Chicago.

So Chicago will stay relevant with your projects?

Carmen Marron: Yes, Chicago will always be relevant with the scripts I write.

Would you be open to television, maybe writing a dramatic or comedic series or do you want to stay with films?

Carmen Marron: I am definitely open to that. If the situation arises where I think it would be something that I believe in and I create quality programming that will reach my demographic and also give them so type of message to walk away with that’s inspiring, then yes, I might do that as well.

Are there any actors or actresses that you would like to work with?

Carmen Marron: Definitely, one of them is John C. Reilly. I love him and I just found out he’s from Chicago. I would love to work with Julia Roberts. I just think she’s so refreshing.

What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers?

Carmen Marron: Honesty, what I can seriously say is that being an independent filmmaker is one of the hardest things you can do. If you really want to be an independent filmmaker, work on films that you truly believe in and that you love with all your heart because its going to take years to get it made and also be very patient because its part of the journey. And I heard that from everybody and now I’ve gone through it myself.

Go For It! opens nationwide May 13th. For more information on the film, visit www.goforitmovie.com and www.facebook.com/GOFORITMOVIE

David Guetta Brings International Sound to Chicago

By Aliki Marinos

This Scorpio is not only a world recognized Grammy winning music producer and DJ, but has been wowing crowds since the 80’s bringing incredible dance music to audiences around the globe.

You may have heard of him more recently due to his overnight skyrocketing US attention with collaborations featuring artists including Akon, Kelly Rowland, Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas, LMFAO, Kid Cudi, Rihanna, JLo, and Madonna. But before this, proudly hailing from the city of Lights, you may have seen him spin at Rex Club or Le Central.  Fast forward to 2001, with the talented Chris Willis on vocals for “Just a Little More Love,” the breakthrough was officially ignited… Hits like “Love is Gone,” “Memories,” “When Love Takes Over,” “Gettin Over You,” “Sexy Chick,” “Baby When the Lights Go Out,” moved and grooved adrenaline pounding fans uncontrollably. Today, you’re bound to find him at sold-out venues anywhere from Singapore, Brazil, Belgium, Mexico, Miami, Quebec, etc.  You can definitely say this is one man who is TRULY staying true to his concept of “The World is Mine!”

On his 2011 World Tour, Monsieur Guetta hit Chicago on April 1st in front of non-stop moving fans at the Congress Theatre, on the city’s north side.  Paying his respects to Chicago where house music was born, he showed a lot of love for his people- and they undeniably delivered it right back. The main floor sold-out in the blink of an eye, so if you were lucky you purchased your tickets early, or bought VIP tickets on the upper balcony, which included free drinks flowing all night. As you looked around the gargantuous theatre, the room was packed with a diversity of mixed generations who remember him from his early beginnings, to the recent hipsters who recently discovered his unique sound as soon as they were able to “click” and “download.” 

The intense light show directly behind the DJ set enchanted fans as “C H I C A G O” came on in big bright lights multiple times throughout the show. You also needed plenty of hydration at this concert, as it seemed to get very hot in the there, sometimes because of the temperature and sometimes because of the pretty people surrounding you…  Some wore dresses, and others mini-mini-dresses, tank tops, shorts, boy shorts, and skorts. Whatever enabled you to move your body to the beats.  And who said he had to start on time? Even though he came on a little bit before midnight, (doors opened at 7pm) no one seemed to mind.  Ah, memories…!