The INSPIRE Young Men of Color (YMOC) Campaign begins June 2023 and will celebrate Young Men bi-monthly.

An initiative created by Patrick A. Kelly, Editor-in-Chief of USL Magazine and CEO of 1PKC Media & Publishing Partners, INSPIRE (YMOC), creates partnerships between Young Men Of Color, ages 12-18, and mentors winning in their fields. Seven (7) young men with aspirations in the music, entertainment, and fashion industries get featured in a fashion editorial, receive one-on-one podcast interviews and in-person mentorships by leading professionals, and are invited to a Meet-N-Greet DJ/Artists Session – all brought to you by USL Magazine and uslmag.com.

INSPIRE (YMOC) creates human interactions between accomplished individuals and Young Men of Color who aspire to become more than who they are. It breaks cultural divides and bridges the gap between mentors and mentees – young men who lack physical support and encouragement. With a day filled with mentorship, photoshoots, podcast interviews, food, and music, Patrick A. Kelly endeavors to create sparks in our Young Men’s lives – to give them support where it is sometimes not present.

INSPIRE (YMOC) involves imploring professionals and creatives to lend their support by devoting time and other resources to help further these Young Men’s dreams and inspire their visions. Join us by reaching out to our team. Any support (donations, gifts, or your time) will be greatly appreciated and well deserving to those Young Men of Color who dream and uses that dream to fuel their aspirations.

If you or anyone you know knows Young Men of color ages 12-18 with a great interest in music, entertainment, fashion, and the arts and are passionate about what they do, please tell them about the INSPIRE Young Men of Color (YMOC) Campaign.

Join us by reaching out to our team. Any support (donations, gifts, or your time) will be greatly appreciated and well deserving to those Young Men of Color who dream and uses that dream to fuel their aspirations.

The Importance of Supporting Black Young Men and Men of Color

In a world that strives for equality and justice, it is essential to recognize and address the unique challenges faced by black young men and men of color. These individuals often contend with systemic disadvantages, racial discrimination, and limited access to opportunities that hinder their personal and professional growth. In this article, we explore the importance of supporting and empowering black young men and men of color, highlighting the positive impact such efforts can have on their lives, families, communities, and society as a whole.

Tree Sound Studios, Atlanta, GA, Photographer, Karlos Matthews, Producers, Christina Fernander & Patrick A. Kelly, Stylists, Producer Papa & Nigel Xavier, Models, Producer Papa & Nigel Xavier, MUA, Patrice Story

Why Mentorship?

By providing mentorship and exposure to successful individuals from similar backgrounds, we instill hope and confidence in young men of color, demonstrating that their dreams are achievable. Moreover, positive role models can break stereotypes, inspire resilience, and challenge negative societal perceptions.

Soho/Chinatown, NYC Photoshoot Credits: Photographer, Hyun Gu Kim, Producer & Stylist, Patrick A. Kelly, Models, Donnell Morris and Lance Wilcox, Dancers, Undefeatedonez, Hair & MUA, Dani Scarcella

The Origin Story: How The INSPIRE Young Men Of Color (YMOC) Campaign Started

While growing up in the ’80s and ’90s, my siblings and I got scolded if we got bad grades in school. Not doing our homework was not an option. Getting bad grades or acting up in school got us beatings, sometimes in front of the whole class. So you can understand that I did not want to bare the shame and being teased by my classmates if our parents had to lend a hand to our backsides when we acted up in school or did not turn in our homework.

Cause and effect. I did not want to feel the belt to my rear end, so as an effect, I excelled in school. I excelled so much that I received the mayoral award for being one of two people on top of my school’s electronics program. I also received work-study in my senior year and was awarded the opportunity to participate in Morgan State University’s summer engineering program. Continue Reading here.

Read Empowering the Future: The Importance of Supporting Black Young Men and Men of Color

INSPIRE Young Men of Color (YMOC) is presented by 1PKC Media & Publishing Partners, USL Magazine and participating partners. Join us by reaching out to our team or completing the brief form below. Any support (donations, gifts, or your time) will be greatly appreciated and well deserving to those Young Men of Color who dream and uses that dream to fuel their aspirations.

Artists: Smokie Norful
Title: ‘I Still Have You’
Label: Tre’Myles/MNRK Nashville
Release Date: July 12, 2023

Buy/Stream

“I Still Have You” was written and produced by Smokie Norful, Tre Noful and SNW. “My sons wanted to work on a song with me and they said, we need to get in the studio and record this beautiful song now. Before you knew you it, we were in the lab and “I Still Have You” was created,” mentions Smokie. The music video was directed by Tony Pettiford and just made its global on BET Gospel, BET.com and other BET Network properties.

“I Still Have You” is nominated for “Best Praise And Worship Song Of The Year” at the 38th Annual Stellar Awards, taking place this weekend. Smokie is gearing up for the release of his highly anticipated 17th studio album, to be released later this fall under the Tre’Myles/MNRK label imprint.

ABOUT SMOKIE NORFUL

Smokie Norful is one of the most successful gospel music artists ever. He’s earned two R.I.A.A. certified gold albums, 300 million digital streams, 3.5 billion radio airplay impressions, and two GRAMMY® Awards. There’s no doubt that he’s put his stamp on the inspiring genre with heart-wrenching ballads such as the recent No. 1 “I Still Have You” and “No Greater Love” to “Dear God” and his 2002 breakthrough classic, “I Need You Now.” The latter was so massive that it’s been covered by luminaries ranging from belter Tamela Mann to Broadway star, Billy Porter. Norful has performed on the BET Awards, at the Essence Music Festival, and even The White House. After a nearly-decade long recording hiatus, he’s finally back in the recording booth with a new album is in the works, thanks to his music-producer sons, Tre’ Norful and SNW.

“I never completely quit music, I just didn’t do the music industry,” Norful explains. “It’s like 7-10 years between albums and I had concluded that I wasn’t doing any more. There are so many great young artists like Jonathan McReynolds, Jekalyn Carr, and my artist, Isaiah Templeton. I was content to be in that posture but, my two boys are incredible musicians.” Norful’s sons have been building their respective and separate resumés as R&B-Hip-Hop producers on the rise. “They have major placements on artists everybody would know,” their proud dad beams. The brothers staged a friendly intervention to convince him that it was time to record again. “They had literally been hounding me during the pandemic to make new music,” Norful recalls. “They literally sat me down and it was a sincere conversation. For me, it was emotional. I couldn’t deny them.”

The Norful trio collaborated on “I Still Have You,” the first release under the new joint venture between Norful’s Tre’Myles imprint and the MRNK Music Group. It’s the kind of raw, piano-ballad that became a Norful trademark during his two-decade affiliation with the Capitol Christian Music Group. It stormed the charts a few months ago, debuting at No. 18 on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart, and cresting at No. 1 on the Mediabase Gospel Airplay chart. “It was their first No. 1 at radio,” he smiles. “I beat all these other artists they are working with because my track was released first.” They also cut with Black Elvis, who’s collaborated with Beyoncé and Jack Harlow. The four of them came up with another track entitled, “Blessings,” for the new album.

Blessings have been a recurring theme throughout Norful’s life. He was born October 31, 1975, in Muskogee, OK, but raised in Pine Bluff, AR. He’s the first of three sons born to a now retired African Methodist Episcopal pastor, W.R. Norful, Sr. and his wife, Teresa. He began to study piano at the age of four, sang publicly at six, recorded an album at ten and became a church keyboardist by twelve. “My parents scraped and scratched to get me all over town to get in talent shows and to meet this person and to meet that person,” he once said. The word spread around town and came to a head circa 1989. “Greg Sain and Morris Hayes were part of Prince’s New Power Generation band,” Norful recalls. “Greg is from my hometown of Pine Bluff. He had come home, somebody told him about me… They flew me to Minnesota, and we recorded a demo at Paisley Park. My dad was there the whole time. He would not leave the room. He walked me through the whole process and then said, `they never talked about your education. You are in the 9th grade. There’s no way that they should not have said something about your education.’ He wouldn’t sign the contract, so I was mad at him for a long time, but I can say now that was the best decision because God had a plan and purpose for my life.”

After high school, Norful earned a history degree from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and began a seven-year teaching career. By 1998, he had moved to Chicago where he continued to teach school while earning a master’s degree at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary. He composed and placed songs with artists such as Marvin Sapp, Dottie Peoples, and the Colorado Mass Choir. While singing at a church, Joanne Brunson of The Tommies choir, spotted his talent and asked him to sing on their next project. He wrote and performed “He’s All I Need” for their live recording, Real. In the audience was Edwin Oliver, a Walt Disney Company executive, who was awed by Norful’s talent. He soon became his manager and negotiated a recording deal for Norful with one of the leading gospel recording labels of the time, EMI Gospel.

Norful’s debut album, I Need You Now, was anchored by a song he hoped that Yolanda Adams would record. “Part of the reason I wrote `I Need You Now’ is because we weren’t supposed to be able to have children naturally,” Norful remembers. “My wife Carla was sick with tumors. They thought it might be cancer. My mom was paralyzed. My dad had just had open heart surgery. I dropped out of seminary to go care for him. My grandmother had her leg amputated. It was literally back-to-back-to-back. In the middle of that I sat down and said, `God, I need you now.’” The song was so personal that Teresa Norful felt that no one should record it but her son. “She never does that,” Norful says. “She kept making me promise that I wasn’t giving the song away, so I didn’t.”

Good thing. Once it was released, “I Need You Now” saturated the gospel and urban mainstream radio airwaves, cementing the foundation for Norful’s now-illustrious career. Although, there was no widely recognized gospel radio singles chart at the time, the song did peak at No. 8 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart, sandwiched in between Luther Vandross’ “Dance With My Father” and Will Downing’s “A Million Ways.” It remained on that chart for 59 weeks, a rarity for a gospel song. The I Need You Now album spent 104 weeks on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart, spent five of those weeks at the No. 1 spot, and was certified gold within two years.

For the next dozen years, the hits and accolades continued. Norful’s albums routinely showcased diverse rhythms such as the reggae cut “Nothing is Impossible,” the Pop tune “Run Run,” and the Motown-styled ode to Marvin Gaye, “I’ve Got What You Need.” However, it was always the big ballads that became the radio hits. “The thing and it really frustrates me as a preacher, everyone wants to keep me an artist,” Norful says. “As an artist everyone wants to box me into one style which is ballads, but I am a singer, a real singer. I’ve studied classical. I used to do Latin pieces. I was in a choral ensemble in college and high school. I have these eclectic musical experiences. I was a fan of Stevie Wonder, El DeBarge, Switch. I was a fan of B.B. King, Mahalia Jackson. I don’t like the frustration of everyone trying to box me in. Bishop Jakes once told me people will always try to keep you where they met you but as a creative it makes you exceptionally frustrated because you are so much more than what they proscribe for you. I’ve finally gotten to a season where I’m liberated in my thinking to do what I want to do; not what I got to do.”

One thing Norful feels he’s got to do is preach the Word. “I never had an inkling of an idea of that I would actually be pastoring,” he reflects. “I watched my father and mother make some extraordinary sacrifices for a lot of years. I just wanted to sing. At the height of my career, there was this overwhelming compulsion that I was supposed to do ministry at another level.” It started as a weekly Bible study and morphed into the Victory Cathedral Worship Center in 2005. Over the years, his Chicago congregation has boomed. During the COVID crisis, the church opened its Global campus, an online hub of its worship services that draw over 10,000 weekly viewers. Then, the church opened its third campus, a fellowship in the Atlanta, GA area a year ago. Norful splits time between the two cities while also overseeing churches in Birmingham, AL and Houston, TX.

“Marvin Winans once told me that eventually I’m not going to do music at all,” Norful laughs. “I said, `absolutely not. That will never happen to me.’ Sure enough, once I got into ministry, I fell in love with it. I fell in love with the people and the process: building lives, empowering people. Now, I’m on the front-line watching people go through the worse possible times and experience the best possible times, the triumphs and the trials and tragedies. I’m walking them through it, I’m praying them through it. I’m standing by bed sides in hospitals. It really made music ministry mean something completely different and it made me a deeper student in the word of God because now I have to study and be prepared to preach every single week without fail.”

Norful takes his roles as pastor and artist seriously, one complementing the other. First, he’s a constant learner who brings the art of instruction to the way he manages his church. From the church’s embrace of technology to enterprise, it’s not that old time religion. He was mentored by Life.Church founder Craig Groeschel on how to better manage his church years ago. “I went and just sat with him,” Norful explains. “He had a weekend where he had young pastors come in and he coached us and gave us access and exposure.” As a leader, he has demonstrated to his congregation how to be fiscally responsible. “Our church has millions of dollars of property,” he adds. “We are the largest black owned commercial developer in the far western suburbs of Chicago. We bought a strip mall. Hobby Lobby is our anchor tenant. They rent from us.”

Norful also found mentors in former EMI Gospel President Ken Pennell and the late Bill Hearn (former CEO of Capitol Christian Music Group) who shepherded his career over the last two decades. “Ken is like another dad to me,” he confesses. “He was the most amazing President that anybody could ever ask for coming into this industry for because he was really in love with God. He was mild mannered, and meek. But he was super, super smart. Bill was exceptionally shrewd as a businessman. He was so intuitive to industry trends, progressive thinking. Bill mentored me in business. I brought my whole church staff down and we spent two days locked in a room with him and he mentored my whole team on how to run a company and be profitable. Most people don’t understand that there is a business of ministry. If you don’t do business even as a church, you limit your capacity and reach and ability to make an impact in the world.”

Norful is now poised to share all the mental gems that he has acquired over the years through a yet-untitled mentorship program. “I’ve learned too much to take it with me,” he says. “I’ve learned too much to hoard it or to hide it. I have to share it and I have to train people. It’s about growth and development. I want to teach people how to monetize their art and how to own their voice. I’ll teach how to write successful songs and production. I’m offering this course to anybody who wants to grow and expand. I’m going to show people how to monetize their gift. Most people don’t know the work that it takes to be successful in music. How do you get on radio? How do you increase your streams? I’m in a teaching, fathering season.”

The concept of fathering returns us to the subject of Norful’s sons and the joy he feels working with them on the yet untitled new album. His eldest son, Tre’, just graduated from Morehouse College with a degree in finance and Spanish. His youngest son, Ashton, who’s known as SNW professionally, is a student at Loyola Marymount University. They both play guitar and piano, and have become great song crafters. Norful also has a daughter, Ashley, who seems to show no interest in a music career yet. “I’m like a fish in water,” he laughs of being back in the studio after a long hiatus. “I cannot deny there’s something special about being in the studio with my two miracle babies that I wasn’t supposed to be able to have. That is mind-blowing to me.”

Another mind-blowing occurrence is the conclusion of Norful’s twenty-year affiliation with the Motown Gospel /EMI Gospel music family. His two mainstays there – Bill Hearn passed away of cancer in 2017 and Ken Pennell retired a year later. He signed a joint venture deal with MRNK instead. “I literally went everywhere,” Norful explains. “I went first to EMI. They were my first stop and my first thought. But I have since figured out that it’s a new regime and new leadership. I ultimately concluded that God never calls you back to a place that He delivered you from. The new team offered me literally the same deal I signed 20 years ago [as a new and untested artist]. That was unacceptable. I had some deals on the table from mainstream R&B labels, but I felt most at home and at peace with Gina Miller and her team. It felt very familiar. I respect and honor Gina’s love for ministry and for God and for the music. They were also willing to do a creative deal that allowed me to be the businessman that I am even as I am being an artist. But my main purpose is the gospel and the message of Jesus Christ. “

More information on Smokie Norful:
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“The road leading to success can sometimes be long and arduous. Everything that can go wrong will. All of your primary support systems will fall by the wayside like it was planned sabotage.” – Patrick A. Kelly

First off, who is Patrick Kelly?

I’m an optimist. I’m the guy who isn’t afraid to take risks, win, lose, or draw. I’m that friend to people I know, and I’m an associate to people I come to know, but I’m always smiling, have an encouraging word to say, and want everyone to progress. Despite what some people may think, Patrick Kelly is the guy most people see and say, “He’s charming. He appears to be not too much on his game, so let’s see what I can get from him.” The funny thing is, since I was 12 years old, I realized what my gifts were, and often times I play the not-so-intuned guy just to flush out people’s personalities, motives, and purpose. I see everything. I observe people and notice things they may not know or care to know about themselves. Whether they want to or not, the truth always comes out, and I only rely on body language and my personal interactions with people. That is how I genuinely get to know them. I consider what most people say as 90% fluff (lies, deceit, agenda, camouflage, and game). So, in a nutshell, I am that guy who will help anybody, the guy that will give you 120% because he expects 120% in return – the guy when his name is on the line comes through. Earning your way, hard work, and follow through gets my respect. I do not appreciate or tolerate laziness, people who think they are above the rules, or some sort of entitled maniac. And I have zero tolerance when it comes to violence and disrespect.

So you’ve been getting a lot of flak from people you know about being a hard-ass, especially regarding your passion. What do you say to that?

I can only say that you live, and you learn. Many people want to mold you into something they can manage (control), but I’ve always been strong-headed and confident even when it didn’t appear. I’m sorry that certain people may feel intimidated by me, but that’s life. There are leaders, and then there are followers, and clearly, I’m a leader; I always have been, but I can follow too. Yes, I agree that I can be stubborn sometimes, but I’m also that guy who is man enough to apologize when I’m wrong. You must remember that when you find people who disapprove of you as a personality, you remind them of something they’re hiding from or striving to become.

You’ve been in Atlanta for what, 20+ years now? What are some of your accomplishments in music and entertainment, and who are some of the people you have helped along the way?

Yes, I have been in Atlanta now for 20+ years. I moved to Atlanta after my horrible spring semester at Towson State University in Maryland. I relocated here in the summer of 95, a time I will never forget because it was the first time I felt homeless. It’s not a pretty feeling at all. When I moved to Atlanta, I was supposed to transfer to Clark Atlanta University while working at Stouffer Hotel and live with my aunt and uncle in Decatur, none of which worked out. I didn’t like Clark, and my new job transfer and living situation fell through, so I was left to go on faith. I remember driving by Spring and 14th with tears in my eyes because I knew I wasn’t gonna go back home; I wasn’t gonna just give up after a few setbacks. By the grace of God, there was a guy I met while being in Atlanta for Freak Nik that year named Kevin Bryant, who introduced me to my first roommate, Craig. If you don’t know who Kevin Bryant is, he’s a soul/dance artist here in Atlanta who garnered his first hit dance single by remaking Chaka Khan’s single “Any Love.” As far as my accomplishments, I did a lot of modeling and TV work during my first few years in Atlanta and got a new job through one of Kevin’s friends Eddie Young who happened to be the manager of The Evergreen Conference Center and Resort at the time.

Throughout the years, I formed relationships and co-founded a clothing line called Whatever Wear, which Kevin and Lentheus Chaney were a part of. From there, I and an ex-friend Chuck Dobey founded SEID Entertainment and Production. I also was a part of Beautiful People, Megavibes, and The Urban Spotlight, a local talent show we did with DJ T-Wrex and DJ Tron of Urban Legends DJs, which ran for 13 months at the infamous Shark Bar Restaurant and Lounge. As far as people I’ve helped, I was Kevin Bryant’s graphic artist for over 12 years, which means I was in charge of all his street promotions and designs. We developed artists through SEID Entertainment and Productions and educated many artists on the music business, including signing our first gospel rap group, Reign Down (Carlos Jones and Tony B). Through our clothing line Whatever Wear, we did Morehouse Fashion Shows, The Black Expo, For Sister Only, Tribeca Clothing and Straight From The Apple, and Upscale Magazine, and we also worked with celebrity photographers Shawn Dowdell and Umari. Models who started with us and have made a name for themselves are Teck Holmes (“MTV’s The Real World Hawaii” & “Van Wilder”), Black Men Magazine Cover Model, Sincily, Ryan Neal, and others.

What is your passion for the music/entertainment business, and why start USL Magazine?

Well, my passion for life is to help people. I realized that during one of our Urban Spotlight shows, DJ Cowboy and E.T. (The Dirty Boyz and 107.9) attended. An artist approached me while standing at the soundboard and said, “Mr. Kelly, we really appreciate what you all are doing for us indie artists.” It wasn’t until then that I really realized my calling in music. Since I was a youngster, I’ve always been inspired by music, TV, and the movie industry. However, starting USL Magazine was brought up by Darryl, a colleague who happened to be working with us while we were taping the Ultimate Spotlight CMV TV Show. The TV show spawned USL, which I took from the show’s name. Starting USL Magazine was the next reasonable step with everything I had created before now.

What are you hoping to accomplish with the magazine, and who is your target audience?

The magazine speaks for itself. It’s a diversity of music and musical artists in conjunction with entertainment, fashion, lifestyle, and some satire. USL Magazine is primarily an online magazine, with print-on-demand quarterly. Regarding the demographic we’re trying to reach, they were obtained during our male model casting for the first issue. And we’re talking about young men and women of many races and cultures between the ages of 17 and 25 who are diverse, fashionable, and open-minded. We are also beginning to see a trend, especially with the hip-hop and dance community. In a nutshell, USL Magazine gives you a real-life attitude fused with music and entertainment with fashionable attire for the young and viable.

You’re doing sex stories and a past issue concerning 3-way relationships. Why did you choose to do a story on 3-way connections?

The whole idea for this piece was because I have either had scenarios of the sort presented to me or have heard of them, so I wanted to not only say my part on the subject but also find couples who have experienced it. It’s none of my business what people do in the privacy of their own homes. Their privacy is exactly what it means; their own privacy. But if you’re in a relationship, is it fair to say you love someone and you’ve given them your heart, yet you don’t really know them? This piece aims to help couples and people thinking about going into relationships to really think about who they are and what they want from it. We all know everybody lies, and you should usually worry about the ones protesting the most and the loudest.

So what was it like interviewing Day 26, and why did you choose them to be a part of the magazine?

We were actually solicited by Day 26’s publicist to get them in the magazine. With all the traffic on Facebook alone, they had gotten wind of the magazine and wanted to be a part of it. While interviewing the men of Day 26, I realized they were still real people, and their fame and prosperity had not changed them. Mike, in particular, was a bit standoffish at first, but he later warmed up to me. I gathered from the interview that these young men are trying to find their place in the business while still trying to make good music for their fans.

Tell us a little about the photo shoot you all did at The Atlanta Decorative Arts Center (ADAC). How was it all arranged?

Going to ADAC was a fluke because we were initially looking to do the shoot at The Aurum Lounge. After playing phone tag a few times with the owner, I called ADAC and spoke to Katherine about the magazine and what we wanted to do for a shoot there. Two days later, Anna Hajiyev (Art Director of USL Magazine) and I went for a tour, and we were introduced to the showroom owners who became a part of the shoot. Everyone at ADAC was very inviting except for one showroom, which will remain nameless in my book. Overall the shoot lasted for 8 hours. Anna shot 7 girls (Kotera, Kenya, Deanna, Tiana, Brynne, Kierra & Elena) and 2 dogs (Gracie & Coda) in 5 showrooms (J Nelson, August Avery, Moattar, Innovations USA & Smith Grubbs Associate) with 2 make-up artists (Patrice Story & Letitia), 2 hairstylists (Tamiko Burk & CJ), 2 wardrobe stylist (Nera B & Tomiko Couture), a clothing designer (Crystal of Nya Nya Couture) and 3 assistants (Papa, Manny & Ashley Dniece).

From what I’ve read, the magazine initially had a release date of Sept 2011. What changed the release date to some three months later?

 Believe it or not, we had been working so hard to have a release for September, but as you know, sometimes your plan doesn’t co-align with God’s plan. It’s hellish writing a magazine, especially when you want it to be perfect. Everyone contributing has to follow the plan and timetable set to accomplish everything if you hope to launch on time. We had three main problems which sidelined the launch of the magazine. One was getting the writers and transcriptionists to finish up with the interviews and editing, and then we had a late shoot because I wanted to include a local boutique in the premiere issue. Finally, the mother of all mothers happened; I began losing sight. I had been having problems focusing my eyes a month earlier, but I thought it was because I wasn’t getting enough sleep in school full-time and working on two magazines simultaneously. Then one morning, I woke up and saw doubles, and my eyes were going in and out of focus. You are talking about a scary situation. This went on for over 6 weeks, even after seeing the optometrist, who said I had a lot of CVS (computer vision syndrome) from being on the computer. Everything suffered from that point because I needed my eyes for everything I had to do. I got a 3.0 last semester because I could not spend hours on the computer. Now over two months later, I still have eye problems occasionally, but it’s not as severe as initially.

So you’re finally launching USL Magazine, a January/February issue; what do you all have planned for the spring and summer issues?

For the Spring issue, which will come out sometime between March and April, Celebrity DJ/Model Sky Nellor will be on the cover. We want feature interviews from Anthony Q (formerly of Day 26), Frank Ski, Miss Sophia, Diana Degarmo, prominent DJs in LA, some TV stars, and many others. A well-known rapper will be on the cover for the summer issue, plus we will be heading to Miami soon, where we will be shooting models for our summer swimsuit fashion spread. That’s all I’m going to say for now.

I hear you have a few online contests you’re about to launch. Can you give us some insight into the Fashion Sense Contest and what that entails?

The Fashion Sense Contest is definitely a signature brand of USL Magazine. I initially created it so that the readers could participate and be a part of the magazine, whether they were actual models or not. The Fashion Sense Contest is a process where we look for people for their everyday fashion inspiration. So, you can look for many different Fashion Sense Contests to come in which we will be giving away more electronics and teaming up with clothing designers, boutiques, and online retailers for co-branding purposes. USL Magazine has also teamed up with Anna Hajiyev Photography for a monthly “One Look Make Over Contest,” and it’s exactly as it says.

As a magazine editor, you basically control every aspect of the publication. When you are choosing models, what do you look for?

 Since I’ve been in the fashion scene for years, beginning my modeling career at 17, I’m more interested in a model’s personality than how shapely or cut their bodies are. Yes, I want a good-looking model that can sell a product, but if they are unique or possess a great vibe, they will draw me to them quicker.

Let’s talk about your cover model for the premiere issue. Kotera? Why her? What did you see in her to say; she’s the one for my magazine?

Believe it or not, when I saw Kotera from the photos during the model contest on Facebook, I wasn’t impressed at first. It was only when I invited her and the other female models to our first fashion shoot at ADAC that I realized the talents she possessed. Kotera is a natural. During the shoot, she required the most minor direction; her poses were on-point as if she could communicate to the camera telepathically. Anna only shot her once because she had to leave early for school, but that shot in the chair spoke volumes. If Kotera stays focused, keeps her business intact, and stays hungry, she will go far in the modeling world.

There are many magazines out there. Why start a magazine now, and what does USL Magazine possess that will make it stand out from the rest?

USL Magazine isn’t about recreating the wheel. However, it is about offering exciting and compelling stories, features, and hot topics people only think about and dare not say. The Atlanta market needs a magazine for an industry showing rapid growth. The music/entertainment industry here in Atlanta is buzzing because of the new tax breaks offered to new businesses. Being a magazine for artists and entertainers on the cusp of their careers is definitely needed, so that’s why USL Magazine is formatted the way it is. Plus, the magazine has favored. And when you have favor from God, that is all you need. I am genuinely humbled by the talent God has blessed me to work with thus far, and this is not even the tip of the iceberg. Refreshingly free-spirited is a moniker I want people to remember about the magazine and that we will always be honest about our business and continue to give people opportunities as long as I, my affiliates, and USL Magazine are appreciated.

Introduction Article By Patrick A. Kelly
Interview By Percy Howard

Artists: Damien Escobar
Title: ‘Taboo’
Label: SRG-ILS Group
Release date: May 12, 2023

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“TABOO” is the latest release from Emmy Award-Winning Violin Crooner, DAMIEN ESCOBAR. The beautifully played and composed song, serves as the lead single from Damien’s upcoming album, to be released later this summer. “Liberation, freedom of expression. Taboo means something that is forbidden, but the word forbidden is based on someone else’s standard of living. So everything that someone thinks is “taboo” that you do. This song is your anthem,” shares Damien Escobar.

“The visuals for TABOO“, were directed by Adio Ash and includes additional Violinists; Nina Woods and Jordan Pettis. The video made its global premiere on BET SOUL and BET.com. “TABOO” is globally available now on all streaming and download platforms, via the SRG-ILS Group label imprint. Escobar is letting it be known that his reign as the King of Strings will not cease.

ABOUT DAMIEN ESCOBAR
Hailed as one of the most influential and impactful violinists in modern history—two-time Emmy award-winning artist, Damien Escobar, has spent nearly two decades cementing his legacy as the “King of Strings”. He’s inspired listeners, broke barriers, and created a blueprint for other contemporary violinists who aspire to top the charts and make their way onto main stages around the world.

And his work is just getting started.

The Jamaica, Queens native who is known for his charisma, sincere humility, and undeniable talent— has always believed the key to his success is rooted in his humble beginnings. It is the main source that keeps him connected to his fans, and cultivates his unending love for performing. And if you’ve heard his story you know that Escobar’s journey after Juilliard (from which he graduated at the age of (12) wasn’t easy! But his passion and vision took him from playing for
straphangers on NYC subways to serenading everyone from Oprah to the Obamas while achieving several lifetime goals in between— including an NAACP award nomination, billboard chart topping album releases, and sold out tours around the world. In 2022 Escobar introduced his “Life Out Loud” tour — an inspiring experience intended to affirm audiences to live authentically and unapologetically.

With an upcoming album slated to release later this summer, Escobar is on a mission to prove there’s astonishing power in instrumental music and his intention is to motivate listeners and make an impact on mainstream music like never before.

More info on Damien Escobar:
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