ALAUNI IN NYC

There’s a humorous meme circulating online that states “gorgeous gorgeous” girls have arguably the most unpronounceable names. I don’t know about all of that, but I must admit, many of the beautiful women—inwardly and outwardly—I came across have at least one “A” in their first names.  Case in point, Alauni Greig. To avoid any mispronunciation, the 24-year-old beauty specifically wrote how to actually say it via her Instagram bio: “ah law knee.” 

Now, Alauni is not just a pretty face. The LSU alumni is also steadily rising in the business marketing food chain.  After graduating from college in 2019, Alauni moved to the Big Apple where she abruptly landed an internship at Live Nation, which is the leading American global entertainment company that promotes, operates and manages ticket sales for live entertainment in the US and internationally.  If that isn't impressive enough, Ms. Greig left her internship at Live Nation for a position at publishing company Galison & Madpup, worked there for almost two years, got promoted in the process, departed and then went back to Live Nation as a full-time associate manager in their solution development department.  Woah! It’s safe to say that this St. Thomas-born baddie is on a mission.

I sat down with Alauni to further discuss her flourishing career, growing up in the Virgin Islands, life in the concrete jungle, and everything else in between. Check out our insightful conversation below:

FRENDY: Alauni, what’s going on? We’ve been following each other for some time on Instagram so it’s such a pleasure to finally have this sitdown. Btw, I recently found out we were born 10 days apart—big Virgo energy going on right now!

ALAUNI: Hey! I know, it’s about time we had this time together. Love the Virgo energy—I knew you had good vibes!

FRENDY:  Thank you, thank you!  On the gram you made sure your followers knew how to properly say your name.  Is it that hard for strangers to say it in person? *Laughs*

ALAUNI: You wouldn’t believe how many people just flat out try to avoid saying my name out loud when they meet me for the first time. I’ve gotten so many different pronunciations I decided to take it into my own hands and make sure people knew how to say it so they would no longer have an excuse to not to. I love my name and feel like the least people could do is learn to say it right. *Laughs*

FRENDY: Damn! I feel you—I’ve heard everything from Friendly to Fendi.  So I know exactly what you’re talking about. We don’t play around when it comes to our names. Let’s take it back real quick, what’s your fondest memory of living in St. Thomas?

ALAUNI: Oh, we’re going way back! I have nothing but good memories of living there.  I think my fondest memories are just of being surrounded by family. I have a lot of family there still and I miss being so close to them. But I do get to go back pretty often and be with them—we pick back up right where we left off. It’s like nothing has changed.

FRENDY:  That’s awesome. How old were you when you left?

ALAUNI: I was six when we moved to the United States.

FRENDY: Wow, I moved to the US when I was seven from Haiti.  Was there a main motive behind the migration?  Was it for the wide range of opportunities that the states provided?

ALAUNI: Wow, I didn’t know you were from Haiti! It was definitely for the wide range of opportunities—specifically better education opportunities. I didn’t understand why we were moving at the time, but now I appreciate the sacrifice my parents made to give my sisters and I better opportunities every single day.

FRENDY: Yup! Port-au-Prince, to be exact.  Did you experience a major culture shock when you moved to the US from the Virgin Islands?

ALAUNI: I honestly didn’t as much as my sisters likely did. I think my younger sis and I had it easy while it was a bigger adjustment for my older siblings since they had time to develop their character and culture more.

FRENDY:  Totally understandable.  Even though I came here when I was seven, I definitely felt like a fish out of water *Laughs*.  My first language was French so you know I was getting picked on by some of the kids in elementary school. I had to take extra classes just to get my English up to par. Growing pains for sure—but it was all worth it.  Builds character.

ALAUNI: I’d like to kindly say, f**k those kids. *Laughs*

FRENDY: *Laughs* My younger self just gave you a huge hug.  Speaking of your sisters, how many do you have?

ALAUNI: Three sisters! Two older, one younger and the best part? We all have names that start with “A”. We’re all pretty close in age so I’m sure you can imagine the chaos in my house growing up.

FRENDY: Y’all are the “A-Team” for real. How’d your dad deal with all of the estrogen in the house?

ALAUNI: I have no idea how he did it but he deserves a prize for all of the stress we put him through *Laughs*.  My mom deserves one too, but she might have been contributing to his stress also.

FRENDY: *Laughs*  That’s hilarious.  How was your experience at LSU?  I know they have a huge sports culture.

ALAUNI: I had a great time at LSU! The culture and the community there was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. The school itself was great. I loved the communications school and all of the classes I took there. I also really loved game days in Death Valley. I’m not a sports girl but I turn into a whole different person when I see LSU playing.

FRENDY: When you’re around high octane energy, you have no choice but to get in on all of the excitement.  Why did you choose to go to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for school?  Was it your first choice?

ALAUNI: It was one of my top choices. LSU has a great mass communication program, which is what I was looking for, and I also really wanted a change in environment. Going to the South and living in Louisiana (where I had never been before) was the culture shock I needed to kind of open my eyes up. It also didn’t hurt that I got a great scholarship to go there. *Laughs*

FRENDY:  That’s a fact.  You majored in mass communication and double minored in sports studies and business administration.  Was there a slight chance of you becoming a sports agent? *Laughs*

ALAUNI: *Laughs* I thought about it for a second, and then I realized that sports is just not for me. So I have a bunch of sports knowledge just stored in my brain for no reason.

FRENDY: Why did you even think about it in the first place? What triggered the interest?

ALAUNI: It was being in such a sports-centric atmosphere. LSU (obviously) is known for their athletics programs, and I think I saw how much attention they got—I wanted a little slice of it *Laughs*. I quickly realized that it was not my scene when my sports studies minor required me to take a jogging class. Yes…a jogging class.

FRENDY: *Laughs* A jogging class? Wow, I think we broke a record in all of my years interviewing people. I’ve never had anyone mention anything about a college course that required them to jog.  I’m guessing you’re not much of a jogger?

ALAUNI: I really wish I was, but sadly, no. I am trying to get into running though—don’t ask me about how that’s going.

FRENDY:  I won’t—I’m a StairMaster guy myself.  What was your impression of NYC when you moved here right before the pandemic? 

ALAUNI: I moved here in May 2019 right after graduating college to be an intern at Live Nation. When I first got here I was so unbelievably nervous and intimidated by everything—the city, the people, even the train *Laughs*. But I’m glad I had a minute to adjust and figure sh*t out before the pandemic hit.

FRENDY: Not the train *Laughs*.  Which area of the city did you initially move to?

ALAUNI: I was in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

FRENDY:  Nice calm vibes there—depending on where you stayed.  Are you living in Manhattan now?

ALAUNI: Definitely didn’t have calm vibes where I was *Laughs*. Yes, I’m in Manhattan now living downtown and I’ve loved it so far.

FRENDY:  Was it hard getting accustomed to the fast paced lifestyle of the concrete jungle?

ALAUNI: No, actually. I think I picked it up pretty fast. By the time I was about to graduate, I was ready to get out of the slow moving south and into a quicker paced lifestyle—so I jumped right into it.

FRENDY:  Right after interning for Live Nation you worked for a company called Galison & Madpup, which is known for partnering with artist foundations to create puzzles, games, home decors, desk accessories, etc.  Since you worked there in the midst of the pandemic, how was business?  Booming, I bet because everyone was home.

ALAUNI: You’re absolutely right, business was insane during quarantine! It was a big test for my work abilities, that was my first “real” job and working throughout the pandemic was really tough.

FRENDY:  What was your most stressful moment there? And how’d you get through it?

ALAUNI: My most stressful moment was keeping up with the customer demand during quarantine. Our product demand was at an all time high and, obviously during that time, there were a bunch of supply chain issues so it was really stressful trying to communicate with customers that were already on edge with all that was going on in the world at that time. Thankfully, I was back home in Maryland and around my family at the time, they were such an amazing support system, and my team at Galison was unbelievable. They were feeling the same stress and we all came together to figure the best ways to get past it. 

FRENDY: I’m glad you guys thugged it out.  Did you leave Galison by choice?

ALAUNI: Yes, it was a really tough decision! A member of my current team at Live Nation reached out to me about an open position that she believed would be good for me, and once I did my research I was sold and applied. Thankfully, I got the position with an amazing company and team. I’m really happy to be back with Live Nation and love the work that I’m doing.

FRENDY:  I’m surprised you weren’t hired by Live Nation right after your internship with them.  What are your duties there now as an associate manager?

ALAUNI: That’s what I had hoped for, but life is crazy and everything happens—or doesn’t happen—for a reason. As an associate manager on the marketing team, I help come up with creative ways for brands to integrate themselves into live music culture. So for example, when you see your favorite brand at a music festival or venue, my team works to come up with “the way in” for the brand.

FRENDY: Sounds like a wavy gig for sure!  Congrats on getting the position—you deserved it.  I see that the company is already promoting upcoming festivals like, When We Were Young and The Smoker’s Club.  How excited are you to see that live events are making a comeback?

ALAUNI: Thank you! I can’t even put into words how excited I am. We got a little taste of it last year during the fall, but nothing will compare to this festival season. People are so eager to get back to live music experiences—myself included. I can’t wait to experience the vibe of listening to your favorite artist surrounded by fellow fans again.

FRENDY:  I peeped that you absolutely love checking out art galleries on your off days.  What’s your favorite exhibition thus far?

ALAUNI: One of my favorite activities! Hmm…I think my favorite so far was the Andy Warhol: Revelation exhibit that I went to at the Brooklyn Museum recently. I went with my roommate/best friend Kayla and we had an amazing time just enjoying Warhol’s work, and seeing new pieces that we hadn’t seen before.

FRENDY:  Yes, I was just about to mention Kayla. How’d you guys meet?

ALAUNI: Kayla and I have actually known each other forever. We went to middle and high school together, and just so happened to be moving to NYC around the same time and have lived with each other ever since.

FRENDY: Synchronicity at its finest.  Kayla is a great photographer—how dope is it to bounce off of her artistic vibe?

ALAUNI: She’s so talented—I’m her biggest fan! It’s amazing having her creativity so close by. She’s such an amazing asset to have around, not only for my career development but for my personal development too. 10/10 recommend getting yourself a Kayla.

FRENDY: Indeed!  We all need a ride or die in our squad.  What else do you do for fun in the city?

ALAUNI: Just overall explore! This summer I made it a mission to see parts of the city I hadn’t been able to before and get out of my comfort zone. I haven’t been that great about doing it recently since it’s so cold out, but I’m ready for spring time so I can start on my little adventures again.

FRENDY:  Since you’re not originally from New York, is it difficult for you to make new friends? Especially during the covid restrictions.

ALAUNI: I can’t lie, it was definitely hard in the beginning. I am so grateful to have had Kayla with me because she was also in the same boat of not really knowing anyone here. But, in 2021 when things opened up more I flourished socially and made so many new friends in the city. I can thank social media for that! I consider all of my internet friends my real friends at this point. *Laughs*

FRENDY: *Laughs* Sometimes internet friends are the ones that look out in real life. How are the fellas treating you in New York?

ALAUNI: No comment. *Laughs*

FRENDY: *Laughs* Fair enough.  Are you dating often?  Also, do you have a particular type?

ALAUNI: I wouldn’t say “often,” but I am dating here and there. I think the type is men who won’t traumatize me. And apparently that’s a big ask.

FRENDY: What do you mean by traumatize? *Laughs*

ALAUNI: Anything that I will potentially have to talk with a therapist about. *Laughs*

FRENDY:  What’s the best way a guy can capture your attention while walking down a crowded SoHo street?

ALAUNI: By saying something kind and not commenting on my outward appearance. It’s the little things—like when someone tells me to have a nice day, that’ll get my attention.

FRENDY:  What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2022?

ALAUNI: Tough question that I haven’t even asked myself! I hope to build my following on social media and be able to work with the brands that I admire. I would love to try out influencing and creating content that breaks through and doesn’t just clutter the feed.

The NewNYer

Sincere Dennis’ moniker “The NewNYer,” is quite deceiving, simply because he’s been gallivanting the concrete jungle for some time now.  Honestly, I forgot where we initially met (most likely at a music event or BAPE) but what I do recollect is his warm, welcoming energy and uncanny resemblance to Kid Cudi back in 2007.

Sin is an underground New York legend who’s captured the pulse of the city for nearly a decade.  Ask any Downtown cool kid and they’ll most likely share a humorous story about bumping shoulders or chugging an ice cold can of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer at a Lower East Side pub with the forever-grinning photographer. Although he may seem like a party animal, Sincere strategically camouflages himself in festive environments, which in turn causes his subjects to feel at ease in front of the camera.

The Bronx-born stereoscopic shooter’s career is brighter than ever as he is now an official member of ASAP Rocky’s AWGE creative agency.  I recently sat down with Dennis to discuss his everlasting relationship with NYC, affiliation with the mob, creative endeavors and carefree lifestyle.

Check out the condensed transcript of our two hours long conversation below.

FRENDY:  What’s going on bro, How are you feeling today?

SINCERE:  Today is a good day.  I feel energetic, but out of it at the same time.

FRENDY:  You just came from the gym right?

SINCERE:  Yeah, a little work out. Not too long, I’m only in there for about 30-45 minutes.  I don’t need to be in there sweating my ass off.

FRENDY:  I got you.  So new year, new you?

SINCERE: Same me, just better health *Laughs*.  More healthy shit—no more Backwoods.  I got to chill on Backwoods. That shit takes a toll on you, it makes me feel fatigued. I’ll stick to oils and extracts.  You know, keep it easy.

FRENDY:  Man, you don’t know how much you remind me of Cudi.  This is actually the very first time we’re having a full blown conversation, and to my surprise, I see you even sound like him *Laughs*.  How often do you hear this from people?

SINCERE:  Not so often these days, but people are still saying it.  Like Ferg would see me and be like: “yo, that’s Kid Budi right there,” a whole other nickname, and I’m just like “you’re crazy, bro” *Laughs*.  I started hearing the comparisons around 2007-2008 when I first came Downtown.  That’s how people knew me, the dude that looked like Kid Cudi.

FRENDY:  How’d you find out about the Soho area?

SINCERE:  A girl brought me down here.  She was like “Oh, I’m going to go shopping—you should meet in Soho,” I was like “I don’t know, I’m from Uptown.  We go to 125th for shopping.” So we ended up going Downtown and I’m like, “I thought we were going to Soho?” She was like, “we are in Soho!” and I was like, “oh shit, ok.”

Kid Robot was the very first job I had in Soho. And then I worked at American Apparel, Urban Outfitters.  I deliberately put myself in Soho to be around the people that were moving and shaking in the industry. I knew the people I needed to be around were there.  I had to get away from Uptown. When you’re an Uptown dude that’s all you know. I remember one time leaving a party at Black Ink tattoo shop, and it was me, Rocky and Bari.  I told them I was about to leave to go Downtown to this party and they were like, “bet! let’s go.” We get outside of Black Ink and I guess Bari got a call or text message to go to this house party etc.  They eventually went about their own way and I went mines. They never really wanted to come Downtown and party. Trying to get Uptown dudes to come Downtown was like pulling teeth. Eventually, they got Downtown.

FRENDY:  What were the hottest shops on 125th at the time?

SINCERE:  Jimmy’s [Jimmy Jazz] *Laughs*.  Fuckin’....Atmos...that was it.  I didn’t know anything else—I barely even shopped, really.  A lot of my homies made clothes back then so I mostly wore their shit.  I do that to this day.

FRENDY:  So that means fashion wasn’t really your strong point?

SINCERE:  Yeah, I wasn’t really big on all that fashion shit because I ain’t have that money *Laughs*.  I didn’t have the money to do all that. I had my first apartment on 129th and rent was due! I just can’t be buying clothes.  I decided to stick with what I know.

FRENDY:  Which part of Harlem did you start kicking it in?

SINCERE:  On the East side.  Harlem was chill, those were the days I started coming outside and meeting people.  That’s how I met everybody who I know today. Harlem was an experience.  You got Teyana Taylor who I’ve known, for like, forever.  She’s been doing her thing for a while, now she has an album out etc. She just kept grinding with patience.

FRENDY:  Yeah, I’ve been following Teyana for quite some time now, since her BBC/Ice Cream days. I’m glad she’s getting such a great reception right now.  When did you first meet Rocky?

SINCERE:  I think we first met at Black Ink on 127th and 7th before it became what it is on TV.  I hate that place now, it’s not the same. Most of the original workers are there, but they have all these new characters now.  And I call them characters because they’re not the real people that built up the shop. Puma was my introduction to the shop. He told me to stop by one day to chill.  We really didn’t have anywhere else to go so why not.

I used to see them [the A$AP mob] at random house parties, community center gatherings and just jump-offs.  Once we realized we hung around the same group of people, we became cool. They see me as a familiar face and when we got to Black Ink they were like, “you family.’

FRENDY:  I may sound ignorant, but is Harlem close to the Bronx?

SINCERE:  Yeah, so when you get further up into Harlem, you get to the heights {Washington Heights} and then there’s a bridge where you can go to the Bronx.

FRENDY: Ok, cool. What year did you start thinking of getting into photography?

SINCERE:  In 2012 when the mob got big.  I was like, “shit, I need to find a way to document this.” Around that time I was taking pictures of the homies. I was hanging around Rocky, and the entire crew, and no one was taking pictures.  I mean there were a few people taking pics, but no one was assigned as their official photographer. It didn’t work out how I thought it would, but it was still fine, I still saw them all the time at shows, took pictures, said what up.

I remember a few times, they would come up to me and ask me where’s my camera.  There was a time where I got caught up in just wanting to enjoy and be a part of the experience.  They were asking because they figured I would be able to shoot for them. But at the time I was caught between two worlds: it’s either I’m this person that’s going to capture shit, or I’m going to be a person that’s just out here partying.

FRENDY:  What was the first camera you purchased?

SINCERE:  I had a Canon Rebel T2i.  I had gotten a Nike check for a commercial I did and I bought a camera.  That was it—it was either I take this serious or not. When I noticed there was a lot of people becoming photographers, I was like “shit I don’t want to do this anymore,” because now I’m battling to get the same image somebody else got.  We’re just taking the same pictures in a different angle. I just had to figure out a way. So years passed and I was still shooting digital.

FRENDY:  Photography propelled you to go out even more?

SINCERE:  Yeah, of course!  Because I was sitting at home with no pictures to edit.  Nothing to post on Instagram. If you go all the way back to my early posts you’ll see that I was making memes. I didn’t fuckin’ know what a meme was, but I was doing em *Laughs*.

FRENDY:  I actually dug deep into your gram and saw that you were experimenting with moving images many moons ago…

SINCERE:  Yeah, I was doing these little digital moving photos, like real subtle.  I never really liked still photos, I was always trying to make my photos move.  

FRENDY:  Because you’re a “mover” as well…

SINCERE:  Right, there is something about a photo not just being a still, 2D photo, you know?  So years passed, I got tired of digital. In 2012 or maybe even earlier, I saw this Complex {magazine} interview with Mr. GIF.  He does a lot of 3D work and he was breaking down how he was making these moving photos. I was like “shit that’s crazy,” because no one was doing that at the time.  Months past and I’m looking on eBay and I saw the exact camera he used to produced the moving images. It was only $25, I thought it was going to be like $300 or something like that!  So I bought it, it came, and I sat on it for like a year and a half. And then finally, I said fuck this digital stuff.

FRENDY:  Why did you sit on it for so long?

SINCERE:  I was probably working a crazy retail job that I didn’t want.  I was going out, but not in the mindset where I needed to take photos.  Someone is performing at a open bar? I’m going! But then around late 2012, I decided to start shooting in 35mm film.  In early 2013, I had all these rolls of film and I didn’t develop them until a year later. I went to this one spot in the East Village and they were the only ones that were able to do it right.  So now I’m editing these shits and they’re looking cool as fuck.

After that, I started going to shows and made sure I’m always up in the front. I always wanted to get that close up shot of artists.  No one ever sees me because I hardly have my camera out. I only take it out when it’s time to use it—I go up, snap, and then go back to enjoy the performance. I found a real balance in just enjoying a show and also getting some work done.  Soon after, I started putting them up on Instagram, but then I had to find an app that could keep the same quality. That’s one advantage I have over a lot of people who are shooting moving images, they can’t ever put up a great quality stereoscopic flick.

FRENDY:  When I see these other cats do it, their pics can’t compare to yours at all.  Your moving pics are just so damn crisp! You don’t have to give away your secret by the way…

SINCERE:  I don’t even know what it is.  That’s just the way I’ve always been doing it.  I tell people that I got it from Mr. GIF. I read his Complex {magazine] interview, I don’t even think it exists anymore. I tried looking it up on Google.  Now people are coming up to me asking so many questions. The actual form of photography is called stereoscopic and then lenticular is actually what I print out.  The prints are lenticular.

FRENDY:  What does that mean?

SINCERE:  I don’t know what lenticular means really *Laughs*.  It basically gives a 3D effect on prints.  It gives it that movement. As soon as I started doing that, which was almost a year and a half ago now, things took off.

My homie Jared, who’s my partner in all of this, found me on Instagram under one company’s comments asking them how to print these things.  We spoke but they weren’t really trying to help me. So Jared saw my comment and then replied saying that he was able to help me print the lenticular prints. He sent me a direct message and the rest is history. Since then, he’s been aiding me print all of my lenticular prints.  We had like 3 shows, we sold a bunch of pieces.

FRENDY: Congrats! There aren’t much pictures of you circulating online. Is that intentional?

SINCERE:  I’m just chilling. I rather my work be the face of me.  You don’t have to know who I am or what I look like to like my work.  People like my work and don’t even know what I look like.

FRENDY: What does AWGE stand for *Laughs* ?

SINCERE: We really can’t say what it means.  Honestly, I still don’t know what it means *Laughs*.   To me it’s just a rag-tag group that have met throughout Rocky’s come up.  I feel like he wanted to have a creative team but didn’t really quite know how to do it. Yeah, he has the rest of the mob but they all have their own thing going on already.  

We all make visuals, but I’m trying to stay away from directing videos right now.  I just think I need some more time before I make a video with Rocky. I have an idea that’s slowly coming along.

FRENDY:  Did you have any doubters in the very beginning of your shooting spree?

SINCERE:  To be honest, I don’t even consider myself a photographer.  For one, I don’t know shit about cameras *Laughs*. I just know how to use the ones that are in my hand.  I just do whatever the fuck I want to do. At first, when I started this Downtown thing, I considered myself a graphic designer. Like fuck it, I know how to use Photoshop….a little bit.  That’s it. And then I was like, oh fuck, Photoshop is not working so I started creating some t-shirts. That shit never really happened.

I never looked up to a photographer’s work and said I wanted to shoot like them.  I’m just taking photos. My inspiration come from watching movies. The way the lighting is in movies and how they capture certain angles.

FRENDY:  It’s the same thing for me as a writer. I didn’t major in Journalism in college or anything, I just love writing stories. Granted, I’ve been working on my craft for like 10 years. I know how to put stories and interviews together really well.

SINCERE:  You got to develop your own process.  There’s a lot of people doing journalism for these websites and they’re trash!  Like, they’re not telling me a story. They’re just telling me the information and the person to answer some questions.

FRENDY: Yup! I know you were a part of Rocky’s Testing album shoot. How was that experience?

SINCERE: We all went to capture content.  The way Rocky work is kind of similar to how we all operate. He actually booked a photographer already, but since we captured so much awesome content, he was questioning if he should use the photographer’s stuff or use the stuff that we got.

FRENDY:  Damn, so he already knew y’all would kill it.

SINCERE: Yeah, he just knew we were the gang, the creative team.  We were going to do what we do. That outing was my first time actually working with the rest of the AWGE team members. That was the first week of January in 2018.  I was like ‘damn, that ball dropped hard!” *Laughs*. As soon as that ball dropped, I got a direct message from Rocky and he said something about joining the home team. And I was like, “bro, I’m ready. Just let me know when.”

FRENDY:  You weren’t even expecting that?

SINCERE:  Nah, I was just doing my own thing. I think I just finished working at Milk {studios].  I was working there for like two and a half years. I was shooting festivals that Milk had partnered with, and some events at the Jam Room. Because of that, I didn’t have to work that whole summer.  All I was doing was just going to music festivals, events, just shooting. The owner of Milk really fucked with me and he wanted to keep me around.

Before I was at Milk, I was doing video and photography for Elite Daily 5 years ago.  After I got let go at Elite Daily I promised myself that I wasn’t going to go back to retail.

FRENDY:  What were some of your duties at Milk?

SINCERE: I had to know everything dealing with photography or not.  I had to deal with figuring out how to fix pipe leaks, if the ice machine broke I had to figure out why it broke, and then call a professional to let them know what’s up.  It taught me discipline and how to act fast. How to react to situations quick. I was there for a reason, I was there to learn some things whether it was about photography or not. It taught me how to move, how to talk to people.

FRENDY:  That’s great, you took everything in stride.  You just did what you had to with no complaints.

SINCERE:  Yup.  There were times I had to be there at 4am after a long night of partying.  It was crazy, man. The last thing I did for Milk was shoot Jonah Hill with Desus and Mero. They {Desus and Mero} do their podcast down in the basement every Friday, and they usually drop the episode on Monday.  They don’t usually have guests on their podcasts, but when they do Milk will try to get me to come and take photos.

FRENDY:  I see you’re not too active on Instagram, as far as posting new stereoscopic flicks.  Is there a particular reason for that?

SINCERE:  Yeah, I had to chill ‘cause now I don’t even have to do anything and I get followers.  I rather let that simmer.

FRENDY:  So you don’t think you have to keep the traction going?

SINCERE:  Nah, I don’t want to over concentrate the market. One of my homegirls from Sweden told me that I don’t have to post so much.  I could be active on my story, but I don’t have to post on my timeline so much. And I was like, damn, that kind of made sense.  And then that gave me another way to put out my personality and document where I go without showing my face. People usually ask me “are you going to post pics from the event you went out to last night?” and I say, “no, I was just there. I didn’t shoot that night.”  

FRENDY:  What does it take for your to bring out your camera then?  A super exclusive event?

SINCERE:  Just AWGE related or an event where I know a particular person is going to attend.  I have an unwritten list of people that I need to take photos of. Sometimes, I just want to burn through a roll of film and I just go out and take pictures of homies.

FRENDY:  How often do you take pictures now?

SINCERE: I don’t know, I just walk around with a camera in my pocket.  Like, nobody ever sees me with my camera out in my hand. When I take a picture of you I’m in the motion.  I see a moment, I strap up and get ready for the shot. And then I put it away right after. That’s it, I don’t want to be walking around with it on my neck.  I carry one at all times though.

FRENDY:  Are you still hitting up Soho like you used to?

SINCERE:  Not that much. I’m usually at the Lower East Side. I feel like its the new hub. Before it was Union Square, then Soho, now it’s just the LES.  We in the bars, we chillin’. My homies work at bars so I pretty much drink at a good price everywhere I go.  I’m more about chill shit these days.

FRENDY:  What does a day in the life of Sin looks likes?

SINCERE:  I just go outside.  I’m fortunate enough to get paid and wake up to figure out things.  That’s one of my perks at AWGE. They want us to grow as us and be able to have that time to not have to worry about where my next paycheck is coming from.  I’m able to pay my rent, I’m able to travel and just do my thing.

FRENDY:  You’re basically working everyday, just not in the conventional sense.

SINCERE:  Yeah, I’m still out here trying to find a way to create content for myself, related to AWGE, and Rocky.  

FRENDY:  What are the things related to AWGE?

SINCERE:  So, I’m not on tour right now but I’m still promoting the shows by posting flyers up on my Insta story, stuff like that.  And when I do go to a show I get my little content, make some GIFs. I’m still working, still doing something that’s contributing to the team. And even though I’m not on tour my posters are sold at the shows.  Like I’m making money for the team, from a piece that I have.

FRENDY:  How do you feel about all of the recognition you’re getting?

SINCERE:  I honestly don’t really care.  I don’t need people to be like “yo, that’s sincere!”  I’m good, I’m ok. I don’t need that energy. People ask me If I do music and stuff like that and I always tell them I don’t need that attention.  I would go crazy if I got it *Laughs*.  I’m from New York, that’s all they need to know.

Monsieur Mulry

Aw man!  It feels so good to be writing these Original Stories again.  I took a little break to gather my thoughts on the direction of the series.  Although we live in a digital age where content is consumed like fast food, I wanted to allow (sort of forced, honestly) you guys to fully digest and enjoy the existing tales of the talented individuals I am blessed to know.  Quality over quantity is my strategy.

With that said, allow me to present my latest interviewee, Ryan Mulry aka Monsieur Mulry.  As you may have guessed, Ryan and I met at my old office in BAPE (yes, I'm talking about the second floor of the shop).  In A$AP Rocky's single "A$AP Forever," the self-proclaimed PMF proudly boasted he had "Goyard by the sack," but I can personally attest that Ryan had it by the boatloads about a decade before the bags were a much sought-out accessory in the Rap world.

The New Jersey-native and I clicked instantly simply because we share the same, chill vibes.  As fashionable as he was (and still is), he didn't have any sense of entitlement or cockiness and treated those around him with absolute respect.  It was all love whenever he stopped by to cop our latest threads, but we never actually kicked it outside of the shop.  This is why it's such a pleasure to finally have a sit-down with him after all these years to find out more about his life beyond the lavish aesthetics.

Check out our dialogue below:

FRENDY:  Ryan, the man!  Thanks for taking the time to chat.  It's been a minute since we actually saw or spoke to each other so I'm excited to know what you've been up to.

RYAN:  What's up Frendy!  It's an honor to have this discussion with you so many years later.  So much has happened for both of us—I think we are two examples of people really living what we do and look forward to talking about that.

FRENDY:  Amen!  It's all about authenticity at the end of the day.  So, let's get right to it—how'd you afford all that Goyard back in the day? *Laughs*.  Nah, I'm just playing.  What initially drew you to the French trunk and leather goods luxury brand?

RYAN:  *Laughs*.  That's always peoples first thought like, "How did you afford this or that?"  *Laughs*.  I could lie to you and front like I worked hard for all my pieces, but the truth is that I was just really blessed to work at Barneys New York during the time I did.  I got a huge discount, not to mention the fact that Goyard used to be about 50% price of what it is today, so it was easier to purchase—yet still very expensive.  

It was always more [pricey] than Louis Vuitton, which is why some people immediately saw it as an elitist brand based off that alone.  One day I was having a discussion with Lupe Fiasco about it and I believe he was an example of that mentality.  His exact words to me were, "it's an elitist thing."  While that may be true, I never looked at it like that.  To me, it was the fact of how the canvas was printed and the materials being used that really captured me.  Mixed with the fact that people didn't really know what it was back then—I was in love!  I prefer things that are under-the-radar and don't draw too much attention for my everyday uniform.  A subtle stunt, rather than everything all in your face.  Less is more, you know?

FRENDY:  Beautifully said!  I totally agree.  Furthermore, once you deeply know that "you're the shit," you can rock virtually anything and it's praised by the masses.  It's energy more than anything, but that's for another story.  Oh ok, so you actually worked for the brand.  Were you at its New York store location or corporate offices?

RYAN:  It's funny you mention energy—I'm a firm believer of manifestation and the powers we all hold within ourselves.  Confidence is definitely key.  Style is subjective and really boils down to what makes you feel good personally.  As far as Goyard, I did indeed work for the brand.  The corporate offices in New York are actually located above the store within the townhouse.

The Goyard home in New York is truly beautiful and one of a kind.  I am grateful I got to open that to the public and be a part of the experience.  All love for all my Goyard family in France, they have showed me love from day one when I just had a cardholder and a dream *Laughs*.  Now I'm on to new projects with business partners I was fortunate enough to meet during my time with the brand.  I have to say Goyard has been very good to me for the 10 years it has been involved in my life—it has done nothing but attract like minded friends and family.  Interestingly enough, the brand has shaped a major part of my life and I couldn't be more grateful for it.  Shout out Goyard man!

FRENDY:  Damn, that's whats up!  It must be nice to be appreciated by such a huge brand *Laughs*.  Let's take it back a bit before all the fashion happenings.  Earlier you mentioned that you grew up in New Jersey.  Where exactly?

RYAN:  *Laughs*  Yeah for sure!  I am extremely grateful for that, but I also worked hard to earn it.  I know you can say the same for one of many people's dream company as well!  In a way, BAPE and Goyard both share the same mysterious beginnings.  Definitely two cult brands—severely different spectrums, but both have undeniable similarities in the culture of the companies.

I did grow up in New Jersey, another thing I'm grateful for.  My father is fully Irish, catholic born and raised in the Bronx.  My mother was born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia.  The two met in North Jersey at work and the rest is history *Laughs*.  We lived about 25 miles outside of Manhattan so getting to the city was very easy for me via public transportation.  I never really connected to the town I grew up in and felt like the city gave me an escape out of the differences I felt in High School.  I connected with people who cared about art and fashion through my Saturday Live classes at FIT.  I would take the bus on Saturday mornings to attend my weekend school there. It was there I learned how to screen print—my life changed after that!

FRENDY:  That's awesome!  Many kids in HS wouldn't even think about changing their environment for some new inspiration.  They would rather wallow in their own sorrow of not being able to fit in.  Did you actually end up attending FIT to obtain your Bachelor's degree?  

RYAN:  Not even wallow, but I would just say accept things.  A lot of people would rather accept what's happening instead of making a change.  It's hard for people to go through times of discomfort so many choose to avoid it.  I prefer to explore and go outside, rather than remain in a box.

I ended up moving to Chicago to attend Columbia College for a year before I got accepted and transferred to FIT.  I was happy to be in New York, but it wasn't the right place for me at the time so I ended up transferring to Parsons.  I think Parsons was the best place for me to be, I met some of my best friends there and truly feel I learned a lot about my environment in the creative career world.  I ended up dropping out of Parsons because I felt like I got everything I needed at the time and had to move on to the next venture.

FRENDY:  What's the most important lesson you learned at Parsons?

RYAN:  I learned so much there it's hard to say the most important thing, but if I really look back as a whole, my time spent at Parsons helped me continue going after my dreams.  I met like minded people that turned into my actual network.  The people I met are more valuable than any actual courses I took while studying there.

FRENDY:  Hey, as the old saying goes: your network is your net worth.  When were you initially conscious of your fashion sense?  Did your parents put you on to brands at an early age?

RYAN:  Yeah man, the saying is definitely true.  I have learned you're only as strong as your weakest link.  My parents didn't really put me on to brands, but my mom and her whole family gave me style for sure.  My aunt was really the one into European designers and really knew how to shop.  My aunt Vera is the flyest, [she] always had dope Chanel pieces, good Gucci *Laughs*.  The best part, though, was that she knew how to get things when they were on sale or at outlets, and the real come ups she would always find.  I learned that from her and my mom.

I really got into those things around my sophomore year when I could start saving for little sunglasses and small pieces, from places like Century 21 or the D&G store in Short Hills *Laughs*.  That was D&G, not to be confused with main line Dolce at that time.  I definitely was stretching for the sale D&G tees!!  I truly found my style in HS toward senior year when I probably first met you at BAPE.  It was before I was a regular customer.  I really started to mix street, everyday style with denim and found my way.  After I moved to New York, I started working at Barneys and I met one of my best friends and soulmates, Sheena.  She put me on to Rick Owens and that changed my life for real!  It was over *Laughs*.  From then on, there was never another designer that I could eat so effortlessly and feel so comfortable in.

I love mixing Rick classics with my own tees, VLONE, M65 jeans with Rick leather!  That's one of my favorite outfits.  Anything made by Hedi Slimane to me is collectible.  My Rick clothes are more wearable for everyday, but I like to archive any boots and piece of clothes from jackets to denim that Hedi has made—he was the first designer for me, before Rick even, back in his Dior days.  I couldn't afford anything and didn't know how to get the pieces at the time, but I would stare at his Dior boots in Saks [Fith Avenue] and dream of owning a pair.  He was the defining style for me and truly made wardrobes, uniforms, timeless pieces in the most incredible fits.

But yeah man, I have always been into fashion as a young kid, I was wearing Rage Against The Machine or Beastie Boys shirts.  Always in some band shirts—Nirvana for sure.  That was like first through eight grade forever.  I started dying my hair blue in the sixth grade and was wearing ball chain necklaces back then even, which is a huge trend today *Laughs*.   A lot of the things I was doing then I still do today.  So in terms of style, you could say I always had that, I was always, even at a young age, aware of that.  I started gaining knowledge of the fashion greats and just getting to know the world in general as I got older.  I think style is something you're born with.

FRENDY:  You're absolutely right!  A lot of your style choices back then are still prevalent today.  It just goes to show that you dressed according to your innate feelings, rather then following the herd.  Speaking of VLONE, I know that you're close with the ASAP Mob, especially ASAP Bari.  How did that friendship come about?

RYAN:  *Laughs*  Yeah, I have love for the entire mob and will always be grateful for them showing me love as well.  I am very proud of all of them and how far they have truly come.  You can really look at each individual member and see them doing things that really inspire today's culture, in terms of fashion, music and overall style.  They are true leaders and I am extremely grateful to have been around their energy.  I have Bari to thank for that, of course.  He's like a brother to me and I couldn't be more proud of VLONE and everything it has accomplished thus far.

I really met them all in 2012 at Venice Beach after Coachella on some universal planning shit *Laughs*.  Bari and I just clicked over some style and ideas that people didn't really embrace like us at that time, and the rest is history.  I live in Harlem and have a home today because of him, I'm grateful to say the least.  Shout out to Sheena as well, she gave me a home in the East Village when I didn't have my own place.  I have been blessed to have the best people come to me and go from friends to family.  I have a lot friends, but family are the ones I truly live for and love to death.  Shout out to Alex, Shaun and Ashley as well.

FRENDY:  Real friends make the world go 'round.  The universe works in wondrous ways for real—I know all about that *Laughs*.

RYAN:  Yeah, real friends and family indeed!

FRENDY:  You said that Bari and yourself instantly clicked due to having similar taste in style.  What was your first fashion talk with him?

RYAN:  Honestly, I couldn't tell you what that was exactly, but I could tell you our mutual love of Ksubi brought us together.  Another brand I learned about at Barneys.  Ksubi, in my eyes, was the best denim company era.  They had the most amazing skinny jeans that were the best fits and washes you could find.  No one was really making skinny jeans like Ksubi.  Not even close!

FRENDY:  Yeah, some of my boys from down under knew the guys behind the brand—they definitely had the denim game on lock!  I saw some BTS photos of you, Bari and Rocky at the VLONE Paris fashion show.  Were you helping them out with their presentation?

RYAN:  I was lucky enough to be the assistant stylist to Bari who was the director and head stylist.  That was a dream come true—fuck everybody, we put on a fashion show in Paris!  Men's Fashion Week!  The day prior was a Kim Jones LV show, Rick show, etc. and none of those drew excitement or fresh energy the way "Black History" did, that was the genius title of the show.  The name itself is self explanatory, it is powerful and is in fact now a monumental piece of history.  

That really meant alot for me.  I didn't do that show for Instagram, I didn't go to Paris so we could take pictures with people.  Everyone wants to see me post on Instagram and all that.  We went there to put on the best possible show we could and make history.  That's the difference between me and a lot of people in today's world.  Shout out to Du, my partner-in-crime that week for real. He is one of a kind.  Shout out to Brick and BStroy as well.  Du was on that trip with me.  He too could give a fuck about Instagram or what anyone is thinking.  We were there to do our job, and at the end of the day we did an amazing one!  People want to criticize, this and that, but none of us graduated Central Saint Martins, none of us worked for any major fashion houses or came from fashion families.  We're just kids with a dream that couldn't be told "no."  That's what we went to Paris to show the world.  I think the mission was accomplished, but of course there's much more work to be done *Smiles*.

FRENDY:  Shout out to you and the entire mob for pulling that off.  What were your duties as Bari's assistant stylist for the show?

RYAN:  Shout out to the mob always, but big ups to Bari for that!  His genius is still unfolding and I look forward to watching the story continue just as the world is watching Virgil for now.  My duties were a little bit of everything really, from just making sure Bari was good to making sure the clothes were organized, steamed, getting shot for our mood boards and everything.  I just did everything I could.  It was like, "ok, you see that needs to get pinned just do that," or "pass that to the atelier for finishing."  Perhaps just organizing looks into categories and playing with the clothes to find the best outcomes.  It was really about feeling the mood and making the world of VLONE come to life.  It was about putting our whole energy on the runway and showing that through incredible garments.  Few people have ever got to look at how well the garments actually are, but don't be surprised when I tell you some of the factories crafting your favorite Balenciaga in Italy, or say N(N) in Japan, all had a hand in manufacturing some of the VLONE pieces.

FRENDY:  Damn, that was dope of Bari to bring you along.  It's a true testament of how much he trusts you and your work ethic.

RYAN:  Exactly!  Not even just about the trust part, but the loyalty—that's real to me.  I was there before Paris and I'll be there after.  For life, regardless!  To find real people is so few and far between and that's why we must cherish those that cherish and love us as well.  It's important to be your friends fan and not just the people who are popping.  Support your homies the same way you would support Beyoncé and the support will come back tenfold from your family.  People are quick to support major celebs but they might not be quick to support their best friend who may be lesser known.  You see a lot of people just trying to come up in all the wrong ways, and that never interested me.  I am always in everything I've invested in mentally and emotionally for the long haul.

FRENDY:  Amen!  Most people won't even support their "homies."  It's truly a shame.  Are you currently working n the fashion industry?

RYAN:  It is a shame, but if your people don't support you, those aren't your people!  I am lucky enough to be working on things I enjoy and really love.  Recently, I was working on Prada campaigns with one of my best friends Ashley, [whom] I mentioned earlier.  Working with your best friends is highly underrated.  You grow up being told that you will have to work with people you don't like, which sometimes may be true, but if you do it right, that doesn't have to be the case always.  Anyway, Ashley is a producer and has had me on as her assistant to some of the biggest artists like Karl Temper, Pat McGrath, Guido Palau.  Iconic photographers like Patrick Demarchelier and Steven Meisel.  This past week, I felt so fortunate to work on a shoot with Fabien Baron and the widow of Steve Jobs, Laurene Powell.  That energy was incredible.  Real world visionaries and changers.  That's inspiring to me.  I couldn't be more grateful for the people she's brought me around and the world she has showed me.  I can't express my gratitude enough!

I have my passion project with my Goyard brother from Paris Pierre Tzenkoff, the mastermind himself.  We are bringing something to the world of cannabis that only we could.  Check it out at Devambez.com and soon in fine cannabis retailers throughout the U.S.  I am also working on my own ongoing concept project titled, "11:11."  I want to focus on wellness and expanding the knowledge of how important our well-being is.  Physically as well as mentally, and how we can harbor that well-being through meditation and self care.  Those are things that are really on my mind and what I'm trying to work on.

FRENDY:  A man of many hats, that's what's up!  What do you think abut the mélange of streetwear and luxury that's taking place in fashion right now?

RYAN:  That's a great question.  When I worked at Goyard, I had to wear a suit and I couldn't stand it.  They gave me a uniform that was made of polyester but I used to wear my own Dior suit because I didn't like the fabric of our uniforms.  To me, it was very poorly made and cheap fabrics couldn't empower me to promote expensive products.  If you want to feel a certain way, you will usually dress to that occasion.  I love the saying about how you have to dress the part to be it, or however that saying goes.  I find it very true.  If you want people to look at you a certain way it's easily attainable through the way you dress.  The same is said for our personal feelings.  We can dress they way we feel or the way we dress.  I think a lot of people are interested in living a life that involves luxury culture and finer goods, higher standard of living than previous generations.  A natural evolution if you will.  In that evolution, we have decided to be comfortable and to dress in our comforts.  We have taken casual garments and changed them into high end uniforms.

Customizing the idea of high end to match what makes us feel good empowers us personally.  So I feel like it's a good thing.  It's modern.  It's real.  There is something to be said for a beautiful bespoke suit from Savile Row, of course, but I don't really feel comfortable in a suit.  I want to wear fabrics that move and make sense for running around the city or going to the gym.  Just as much as those fabrics make sense in casual settings, I want them to transfer me into whatever I see fit, maybe that's the Mercer [hotel] for dinner, or the juice press in Equinox.  But whatever's the location, I think the one constant factor remains that we desire to dress nicely in both scenarios to feel comfortable and confident.  To me, the mix truly represents our way of living in the city, running around daily and maintaining our sense of style within that comfort.

FRENDY:  Equally great answer.  Thank goodness comfortability is in!  You've always been surfing your own wave when it comes to fashion.  Which brands are currently on your radar?

RYAN:  Thank God is right!  Vans checkerboard slip ons are my favorite shoes of all time.  I wear those every year.  My favorite is still Rick, honestly, and I pair his pants with tees I make generally or my V tees and anything from M65 gives me.  He is probably my biggest inspiration forever! Since I've moved to the city he has been inspiring me, I knew he would be special.  He was in Japanese Vogue at a young age and he has put me in Vogue for my very first time with M65!

My brands are definitely consistent, man.  I love Hermès, Rick Owens, I still wear my Saint Laurent, but nothing new, only from Hedi *Laughs*.  I really like classic pieces that will last forever, like anything from Dries [Van Noten] is incredible or Prada is always classic but fun.  I don't buy pieces constantly, but the things I will shell out on usually are pieces that I will wear for years to come.  I don't like to buy into trends that I won't keep in my closer forever.  I did buy the Triple S sneaker, but that was a moment in time *Laughs*.  I really think in 20 years I will show my child that sneaker like it's a sculpture.  Just because it is, in fact, a sculpture.  The Italian version of the shoe weighs more than many sculptures I've seen.  It truly is a workout shoe *Laughs*.

But besides that, I like hippie culture and vintage shops in San Francisco, stuff like Patagonia or Pendleton, North Face—things that are utility based and actually make sense.  clothes that do their job.  For instance,  a jacket that actually keeps you or your clothing underneath dry.  Weather appropriate garments are important and I appreciate designers that take those technicalities into consideration.  I like things that make sense, but still look good and are made well.

FRENDY:  Man, this conversation is so dope that I don't want it to end.  We'll definitely have to do a part 2.  But before I go, I have to know who would you want to work with in the industry (dead or alive)?  And why?

RYAN:  Man, this is a great conversation and good vibes with you always!  Positive energy.  You're an authentic person and I'm glad we were able to meet so long ago and collaborate, finally.  A first of many to come.  I can't wait to see all the things you have to bring to the table through your writing and exploring.  Never stop creating and exploring!

I am grateful to have worked around a lot of people and companies that are my top choices, but If I could choose someone dead or alive, it would have to be Andy Warhol.  I would love to exchange energy with him and have his knowledge of art coming to commerce.  Turning art into money.  He was good at turning art into money, but also good at turning objects into art.  I really find that concept very modern and mesmerizing even today.  I think that is groundbreaking to have that mentality during his years so I would love to experience that.

Ed Choppo

It’s truly a blessing to meet someone who instantly comprehends your vibe.  This was precisely the case for Eddie Omari-Rivers and I.  Our distinguished mutual friend, Amir Almaimani, introduced us to each other and ever since our very first encounter, we’ve been communicating like long lost brothers.

Eddie, better known as “Ed Choppo,” is a humble yet passionate soul with many talents.  Not only is he an excellent cook—thanks to his grandmother who opened up the very first African cuisine in New York—and athlete, Choppo is also a New York City-based Health Consultant whose clientele consists of some of the wealthiest people on the planet!

Despite his stellar success, the self-made 29-year-old remains hungry and focused on inspiring whomever he comes across.   I recently sat down with the South Bronx native to discuss his humble beginnings in the concrete jungle, adoration for cooking, fitness regimen, and motivation behind his unremitting work ethic.  Check out our in-depth conversation below:

FRENDY: Ed, thanks for having me over so we could chop it up for a bit.  I know you’re an extremely busy guy.

ED: F#ck all that busy sh*t! You make time for whatever you want to make time for.

FRENDY: Exactly!  The very first time we caught up you whipped up an exceptional meal.  I know your beloved grandmother taught you how to cook and all, but how long did it actually take to get this good?

ED:  I can’t really put a time period on it.  I could just tell you that I cook, cook, cook—everyday I try to spice it up. It’s trial and error.

FRENDY: Do you remember the first dish you prepared?

ED: Yeah, I’m actually known for this, all my college mates know me for it.  It’s baked barbeque chicken with potatoes and carrots—the chicken falls off the f#ckin’ bone.  That’s what we survived on in college ‘cause in Vermont every f#ckin’ restaurant closes at around 8pm. You have a bunch of inner city kids who are trying to eat good, the only thing we had were tater tots and Denny’s…

FRENDY: You weren’t messing with that…

ED: Nah.  Sh*t ain’t no food man *Laughs*.

FRENDY: So you were kind of forced to cook? I mean, you love doing it, I’m sure it wasn’t a burden.

ED: I love cooking, but I had no choice. When you have no choice, you learn to adapt quick.

FRENDY: Would you say that was the moment you took cooking seriously? 

ED: I started taking it seriously while in college, but not when I was cooking in my dorm room. I really took it up a notch during my sophomore year when I started taking a nutrition course where I learned about food groups and its effect on the body.  Once I implemented that in my cooking, that was when I was mind blown.  I guess that’s when I was addicted to it.

FRENDY: From then on, it just took over your life…

ED: I used to cook like three times a week at school.  It was also a hustle—I was just cooking for my basketball homies.  I would bake the chicken for like six hours at 275 degrees; the aroma would just spread throughout the whole building I was staying in. So one day, one of my homies suggested that I should charge $5 a plate.  I started doing it and made a killing!

FRENDY: That’s awesome. It’s all about cultivating good energy, which is one of the main reasons you started cooking right?

ED: I always found that food and sports are two mechanisms that bring people together—you never see people argue or fuss while they’re having a great meal.  You do see the joy that people get.  If you’re the person that cooks the food, you see it in a person after they eat. That’s a priceless feeling.

FRENDY: I noticed that you didn’t make yourself a plate after you served me that bomb meal.  Do you normally not eat with your guests?

ED: Yeah, I don’t. Some people hate me for it, but it’s my grandmother’s tradition.  I’ve cooked for the masses and they would all want me to eat with them. I tell ‘em go to hell * Laughs *.

FRENDY:  We’ll get back to the food in a minute—let’s talk about your origin. I’ve lived in New York for about 20 some odd years and only have been to the Bronx at most 2 times. It seems so distant to me *Laughs *. How’d you like living there?

ED: I love it man—I’m Southside certified. I was born in the Bronx…you see the grin on my face…I love the Bronx.  I’m from the Southside—I’m from the heart of it.  The Bronx is a city in itself with all different races interacting with each other.

FRENDY: What was your childhood like? Were you running around with the “hood” kids, or were you disciplined enough not to?

ED: I was always disciplined in the way I was raised, but as my grandmother always said, I was always a little fearless and stubborn-hearted.  So, I know what is right from wrong, but I’m going to do whatever I need to do at a particular moment.  As a kid I was always into sports, my dad was never around that much.  He left when I was two and I didn’t meet him until I was 26 or so.

I spent most of my childhood with my grandmother.  My mom was always going to nursing school, so I grew up thinking my granny was my mom. When I was sent to Africa at the age of six she came along with me. I always called her “momma.”

FRENDY: Why were you sent to Africa at the age of six?

ED: It’s a cultural thing, you know. My mom side of the family wanted to see me—I had to go back there to do some ritual sh*t.  That’s a story for another day.  My mom sent me to Ghana for like four years. Then, my daddy side of the family wanted to see me so I went to Ethiopia for another four years. I came back to the states for 8th grade, high school and college.

FRENDY: Oh, so most of your childhood was spent in Africa?

ED: Yeah, that’s why I see the world the way that I do.  As much as living in Africa impacted me, the Bronx did that same thing but in a different magnitude.

FRENDY: I think that’s why you’re so balanced as an individual. If someone met you for the very first time he/she would think you’re an absolute menace appearance wise, when in reality you’re extremely grounded and introspective.

ED: That’s my whole approach. Growing up in the Bronx made me like that.  I lost a lot of people I loved at a young age to nonsense violence.  When I came back to the Bronx, all my homies were grown. I remember my friend “Fresh,” he went from being a skinny bull who always kept getting picked on to a person who never left his house without a gun.

FRENDY: Do you think that would have been you as well if you stayed in the BX?

ED: Nah.  My uncle was the head of a gang and I always told him as a kid that the gangbanging sh*t is stupid.  He asked me why and I said if I have a problem with someone it’s because I have a problem with them, not because so and so I know that is in the same set as me have a problem with them.  He later explained to me that being in a gang isn’t really like that—people that do that are really f#cking up the game.  He said it’s all about representing your set, taking care of the community.

FRENDY: It’s like a family…

ED: Yeah. Back then the police used to come in the neighborhoods and f#ck up the community and do whatever they wanted. So the gang members were like the gatekeepers, you dig?  But now it turned to some other dumb sh*t.  I’m always going to do what I want to do. 

See there’s one thing I learned about the hood—when you respect yourself and stand up for what you believe in, even the OGs salute you.  I tell them you do that gangbanging sh*t, that ain’t me.  I ain’t about that life. 

FRENDY: As long as you remain true to yourself, it doesn’t matter if you’re a gangster or not…

ED: Even the gangsters are going to salute you.

FRENDY: Right.

ED: See, I love the Bronx because I met all types of people.  If I was to go to the South Bronx with you right now, you’ll be shocked on how many people I know. I learned so much from them. The biggest trappers etc. would tell me “yo youngin’ keep hoopin’, f#ck this sh*t.  This is no way of life.” 

Every real drug dealer I’ve ever met, never tried to tell a n*gga from the hood to do what they do. I’m sure if you go to a couple of hoods in America you’ll find some kids that will tell you the same sh*t.   Hearing all of this at such a young age made me move a bit different.  I was raised and schooled by some real OGs, you know?

FRENDY: So when you returned to the Bronx, which school did you attend?

ED: I went to Paul Robeson middle school, I.S 183.  Initially I wanted to go to 162, but they wouldn’t put me there because all my homies went to the school. We were all known for being troublemakers at that time.   Just a bunch of wasted youth man, we didn’t know any better.

FRENDY: Although you were a rowdy kid, you still knew what was right from wrong obviously…

ED: Yeah, I always stood up for what I believed in.  I wasn’t the type to condone dumb shit, like If I wasn’t going to do it I won’t influence my n*gga to do it.  I think that’s part of the reason why I was so protected growing up, even when my uncle went to Jail.  He actually just came home after a 20-year bid. 

FRENDY: How were you doing in school? What were your grades looking like?

ED: The American school system is funny to me.  I don’t know if it’s because of the time I spent in Africa or not.  When I was in Ghana under the British education system, it was better. When I came back to the states, I was put in grade six because of my age.  I was there for about a month. Then the school placed me in grade eight.

FRENDY: Why did that happen?

ED: Because I was too advanced for that sh*t—the American education system is easy in a way because they test us on memory and less on wisdom and intelligence.  I’m a visual person so it’s really easy for me to memorize something. I never really took school serious, but I did have the second highest SAT score in my HS.

FRENDY: Which HS was that?

ED:   This is Life Science Secondary High School on the Upper East Side.  I think they changed it to a charter school now.  My grandmother taught me a lot back in Africa.  I was actually homeschooled by her—she was teaching me about Selassie, Malcolm and Marcus Garvey.

FRENDY: It was beyond food with her…

ED: Yeah—my grandmother is a G, man.

FRENDY: When you were living in Ghana, your mother wasn’t around?

ED:  Nah, she was back in New York City going to nursing school.

FRENDY: How about your dad?

ED: Nah, he left when I was real young. We never really kept in touch until I was around 26.  I have my mother’s heart, but the majority of my personality is my dad—he’s an arrogant piece of shit. I’m not proud of it...I have his blood in me.  I’m trying to balance everything out. I’ll figure it out one day.

FRENDY: What was the reason behind your mom’s move to America?

ED: She came here for school. My grandmother had a store on 225th and White Plains road called “African Queen.” It might still be there, who knows.  She was importing traditional African goods to the states that people needed. Stuff like fufu, peanuts and all the other traditional essentials of North African cuisine.

Ghana is known for two things: gold and cocoa.  Cocoa you can make chocolate out of it—my family own plenty farms of it. When it turns yellow, you cut it and eat it fresh.  It’s one of the best fruits you can ever f#cking eat.  She noticed in the neighborhood that there was a bunch of Jamaicans, and they loved bleaching their skin.  Skin bleaching is very big in the West Indian islands—look at Vybz Kartel.  So there’s a huge market for that. My grandmother would take one of the key supplements in bleaching, which is cocoa.  The dried shell of the cocoa is smashed up to produce an essential oil to help the skin bleach naturally.  She would mix that with other chemicals, and that would be the moneymaker.   She used all of the money to open a restaurant.  She had an apartment right above the CBS studios on 50 something street for years before she passed.

FRENDY: When we spoke for the first time, you mentioned that you became homeless for a while.  How did that end up happening?

ED: It’s because granny died when I was 15. My granny was the head of the household. She had a will so she shared all of her wealth amongst her many kids and sisters’ kids. Although wealth was spread out, family members were still fighting to get a piece of the pie. The restaurant and the apartment in the Bronx was supposed to go to my mom, but someone in the family, who’s known for using witchcraft (most people in the Western world call it voodoo) wanted it. So my mom gave that sh*t up. My mom avoids confrontation at all cost. She’s a God-fearing woman.

FRENDY: So I guess when that happened your mom didn’t have anything?

ED: She was counting on the love of her life, which is my dad.   My dad had this two-bedroom condo on 455 Jackson Ave. in the Bronx. That was when it was dirt poor over there. We stayed there for a bit until we got kicked out.  That was when my mom had a year or two left in nursing school.  My mom and dad were beefing during that time so he sold the apartment. We didn’t have anywhere else to go.

FRENDY: How long were you guys homeless?

ED: For two years.

FRENDY: Where were y’all staying?

ED: Churches, restaurants, bathrooms, buses, trains.  I hated shelters. During those times I never lost faith, but I was always questioning it.

FRENDY: Were you able to go to schools during that time?

ED: Yeah, I went to school everyday with a smile on my f#ckin’ face.  I used to take showers with restaurant soup bowls and napkins and sh*t. So I used to go to school and stay after school to shoot hoops. 

FRENDY: Wow, so even during all of your trials and tribulations, you still kept a smile in your face…

ED:   I had to—I didn’t have a choice. My momma assured me that the good Lord was putting us through this for greater things. Sometimes I believed it and sometimes I questioned it.  It’s hard to believe that sh*t when you haven’t eating in 3 days and only been drinking Tropical Fantasy sodas—I used to drink four of those sh*ts a day. I was charged up!

FRENDY: Were you playing sports while in school?

ED: Yeah, yeah I was playing HS basketball and soccer.

FRENDY: Would you say that playing sports was an escape for you?

ED: Yeah, basketball is definitely an escape for me. I love basketball because it allowed me to get rid of some pain. Shooting hoops gave me a relieving feeling.

FRENDY: There wasn’t any sort of tuition to pay for school?

ED: Nah.

FRENDY: Oh, that’s really good. Do you consider the homeless stage of of your life as fuel that made you focus on things like sports etc.?

ED: Nah, if I said that I would be lying. Because even when I was playing sports I was never focused.  While I’m at practice, I would wonder where I would sleep at night.  Although playing sports was an outlet for me, I was never fully able to concentrate or focus as much as I wanted to.  I gave up soccer after my freshman year.

FRENDY: Why did you give it up?

ED: Because there was too many f#ckin’ rules.   The rules weren’t matching up, or the demands of the coach.

FRENDY: What’s one rule that you truly detested?

ED: Showing up to practice an hour early.

FRENDY: So, in basketball you didn’t have to do that?

ED: No.  As long as you were on time for practice, there was no problem.

FRENDY: So soccer was too structured for you?

ED: I wouldn’t say that. It was the winter months and I didn’t feel like staying in the cold an hour early when the coaches would show up for 10 minutes.  So why the f#ck would I be there an hour early…

FRENDY: * Laughs * so you straight up stopped going…

ED: Yeah—I also stopped playing because I was often compared to my dad a lot.  He was a big soccer player back home.  My approach to sports was way different from my dad’s.

FRENDY: That’s pretty funny. I remember you telling me that you played college sports.  Which college did you attend?

ED: I went to the University of Vermont.

FRENDY: Did you get a scholarship to play ball there or what?

ED: Yeah, it was soccer first then I started fucking around…

FRENDY: Wait a minute, even when you quit playing soccer during your freshman yeah in HS you still got a scholarship?

ED: Yeah…I would go to like camps in this place called Sports Science at Delaware State University. To this day I love soccer.

FRENDY: What was so different between playing soccer in HS and camp?

ED: I learned discipline in sports at camp and how to really approach it. 

FRENDY: What made it more enjoyable than playing soccer at school?

ED: It was challenging. The camp was called called “Sports Challenge.”  The sports part is what really gets the kids involved, but the challenge part, most of us weren’t prepared for it.   If you stuck with it, you’ll come out a little different.

FRENDY:  Was UVM your first college of choice to attend?

ED: Nah.  I had Norfolk State, Virginia Commonwealth, and NYU.

FRENDY: They all wanted to recruit you for specifically for basketball or soccer?

ED: Both.  I originally wanted to go to NYU because of their academics, but as a youth I used to party there a lot.   So I know if I went to school there I wouldn’t be able to focus—I also needed a break from the city.

FRENDY:   What was your first impression of Vermont?

ED:  It was good!  It was the first time I saw people leave their apartment doors wide open to drop their garbage out. It was a breath of fresh air and it changed my perspective—I would say Vermont made me a better person.

FRENDY: What compelled you to go to the University of Vermont and not any of those other schools you named?

ED: I knew some of the coaches from there; I met them at a camp up in Syracuse when I was 16.

FRENDY: Did you play sports during all four years of college?

ED: I played one year of soccer and basketball and then took a break. 

FRENDY: Why did you take a break?

ED: It was too political. Playing sports on a collegiate level is too political, that’s when I knew it was more for business than anything else.   Also, at the time I was going through a lot of sh*t—I lost my grandmother, I broke my left ankle. They wanted me to have surgery on it, but lucky for me I formed this very beautiful bond with UVM’s head athletic trainer and former Olympian Mike Kampler.  Mike is definitely the reason why I train now.  He helped me understand what training is all about.

FRENDY: Did Mike prevent you from having the surgery?

ED:   I was told by the doctors at UVM that surgery was my only option, but I said f#ck that, they’re just trying to get a n*gga back in the field as soon as possible—we were having a great year at the time.  They wanted to drill and put screws in my leg, I didn’t want to do that.  Mike told me that I didn’t need surgery.   He told me that it’s not good at all to have screws in your ankle.  You remember Grant Hill?

FRENDY: Of course, he was one of my favorite players back in the day.  He was a very explosive player in the beginning of his NBA career…

ED: Well, he lost about six to seven years of his prime because he elected to have an ankle surgery. Not just a regular ankle surgery, but also the same sh*t I was about to have where they put two screws to hold it together.   It’s a quick process and allows you to get back on the playing field.  However, the nerves at the bottom of your feet where the screws are not meant to be tampered with—at any given point they can get infected. When it gets infected, a three-month process becomes a nine months to a year recovery time.

FRENDY: Ah, ok. It makes more sense now because Grant really wasn’t the same after he came back to the court after his surgery.

ED: He tried coming back, but the ankle issue was always there.   There’s a documentary out there on him.  You should watch it. It f*cked him up…he couldn’t move, he almost died ‘cause of that sh*t, bro.  Because the ankle got infected, which caused other complications.

So yeah, Mike told me all that sh*t and said that he could help me recover. 

FRENDY: Throughout your recovery process with Mike, your love of training was birthed.  That’s remarkable.

ED: Yeah, I remember he told me that I was going to end up doing this sh*t!  And I’m like “Mike, what would make you say that?”   At the time, I told him “f#ck no, you see all the sh*t you got to deal with?”.  He just laughed and replied “Ed, if there’s only one thing I know about you its that you like helping people.  Just remember I told you this.”  So every time Mike and I speak, I always bring that memory up.  He’s my guru.

FRENDY: What’s divine about your life is that you always came across a figure that guided you down the right path…

ED: True.  But there’s certain types of people that try to play that “figure” role and I don’t even vibe or f#ck with them because it seems forced.

FRENDY: During your healing process, were you still attending class?

ED: Nah, I wasn’t going to class anymore. I never really went to class. I was only interested in Law, Philosophy and Marketing because I figured I could apply those three things in my everyday life. College is made to really form new friendships.

FRENDY: Wait, weren’t you there with a scholarship?

ED: Well, I knew the GPA that I had to get in order to maintain that scholarship.  I would get that GPA.

FRENDY: What were you doing instead of going to class?

ED: I was traveling around, probably in New York or LA somewhere.

FRENDY: * Laughs * But you would still take your finals right?

ED: Yeah. So, I’ll have the syllabus and I would turn in the most important work –all you had to do was email the sh*t.

FRENDY: Beating the system I see * Laughs *. Speaking of which, how did you and your mom escape homelessness?

ED: Well, eventually my mom graduated from nursing school and right off the bat she got a gig to be a UNICEF nurse in Honduras.  They gave her a huge check for that.

FRENDY: How old were you when this happened?

ED:  I was around 18…

FRENDY: Man, I’m glad you guys got out of that situation.  When did you actually decide to get into the fitness field?

ED: I would say two or three years after college when I started at Equinox.  Once one of my clients told me how much money I would be able to make on my own rather than working for a company.

FRENDY: I heard about you through Amir and he always told me about you being a phenomenal basketball coach. How’d you get into that?

ED: Well, I always had a passion for the youth.  I was coaching while I was in college and after.  My HS coach also coached camps at NYC’s Columbia University (all of these Ivy League schools would have these basketball camps). My coach always took me with him so I could stay out of trouble.  He would have me run a few drills and from then on I connected with the kids.

After that, I started doing some AAU stuff also, but once I found out the business side of it, I said “f#ck this sh*t!”  I stopped doing it and just did my own thing. 

FRENDY: You basically learned the fundamentals of being a coach and left the circuit…

ED: I wouldn’t even call myself a coach. I think part of the reason why the kids that I worked with f#cked with me the way they did was ‘cause I didn’t take that approach.  I didn’t take the coach approach—I was one of them.  They can relate to me. I always tell people that if you can keep it real with the young ones, they’ll forever keep it 100 with you.

To be honest you with you, my HS basketball coach Michael Murphy played a really intricate part in my life.  He always kept me out of trouble.

FRENDY: Were you only coaching basketball or other sports as well?

ED: One thing I wish most people would understand is that no matter what your field of occupation is, what your job description is it is never just that.  You know?   I would be with these kids from the basketball court to the weight room for hours on end. After that, I would watch them eat sh*t! They were destroying what we were trying to build.  That inspired me to cook for them.  When you spend that much time with people, especially kids, you form a golden bond with them. So to me, no matter what you do as a job, it’s never just that.  It’s the little intangibles that make it that way.

FRENDY: It’s the “smallest” things that actually count.  Just like how it’s one’s invisible world that conducts his/her reality, form wise. The form is just the effect of imagination…

ED: I used to have one of my homies (he was far from a saint, I ain’t one either) who used to tell me to not curse around the 13-14 year old kids.  They already knew all the curse words in the book so I kept it real with them. I remained on their level.

FRENDY: So right after college, you went into personal training at Equinox…

ED: Yeah, but even during that time I was doing more basketball related trainings right after college.

FRENDY: What degree did you graduate with?

ED: Economics and Pre-Law.

FRENDY: Oh wow, that’s totally different from sports.

ED: Yeah, but then I went back for my Exercise Science degree.  So in reality, I have three degrees.

FRENDY: Did you attempt to get a job in your field of study right after school?

ED:  Nah.  I’m not Jewish—at that time the market was f#cked up—I’m black; I’m African… you know?  Your college degrees do not define your calling.

FRENDY: I’m pretty sure you knew that you weren’t going to have a career in economics or pre law while you were studying them in college.

ED: Of course, I always knew that.

FRENDY: How did you end up working with arguably the best receiver in the NFL, Antonio Brown?

ED: It’s been in the works for a very long time.  My artist buddy Corey Pane would tell me about him and he’ll often tell Antonio about me.

FRENDY: How did you even get to know Corey?

ED: I met him through a very great friend of mine while I was in the University of Vermont—I call him Sleven. He’s that white mothaf#cka, he’s cold man * Laughs *. All my white boys are cold though. That’s a fact. Sleven would give a sweater to a stranger, but would kill a mothaf#cka in a second for anything he stands for or loves.

FRENDY: Oh ok.  How did Corey know Antonio?

ED: They’ve known each other for quite some time. I think they became good friends after Corey shared his art with him.

FRENDY: When did you initially meet him?

ED: It’s basically how me met. Amir kept telling you about me and vice versa, Corey did the same thing with Antonio and I.   He was in the city last year, around March I believe, to do some Madden NFL cover sh*t.  While Antonio was handling that, he also wanted to work out. The gym he wanted to work out at was closed. He wanted someone to train with so Corey called me like six times.  Corey has never done that.  I really didn’t want to answer the phone because I had a long day, but my girlfriend insisted that I should.  I finally answered and he said that he was with Antonio and he was trying to get a work out in. All of a sudden, Antonio gets on the phone and tells me that he heard great things about me from Corey and that he’s trying to get a work out in.

I told my lady about the situation and she said to stop being a b*tch and just go.

FRENDY: So you were reluctant to go and work out with him because you were extremely tired that day?

ED:   It didn’t matter to me who the f#ck the name was—what mattered was what my connection with Corey and what my lady told me.  I was basically doing Corey a favor. That’s how I viewed it, that’s my brother. 

My relationship with Antonio flourished after that workout.  We were supposed to work out for only 30 minutes but we ended up in the gym for almost three hours. 

FRENDY: Just straight vibin’…

ED: Yeah…

FRENDY: Were you showing him maneuvers that he wasn’t doing before?

ED: Yeah.  I watched a 10-minute video of Antonio before I went to train him so I was able to point out what he wasn’t doing etc.  I never really focus on what a person is really good at because that’s what everyone else focuses on.  I always pay attention to the slightest details—I’m very, very over analytical, which helps me in a lot of regards, but at the same time hinders me as well.

Mike, the athletic trainer I told you about earlier, taught me everything I know about the importance of core strength—unilateral training.  I believe without a strong core, you don’t have a strong body. You could train as much as you want, but if you eat like a truck driver mothaf#cka you’re going to look like a truck driver.  Nutrition far outweighs your training. 

FRENDY:   After that first epic workout, what happened next?

ED:  I’ll never forget this.  He came out with a bundle of money and said, “Thanks man, I really appreciate this.” I didn’t go there expecting to get paid. Antonio then called his agent and told him how much he loved the workout with me. He then invited me over to have dinner with his family.

FRENDY: Earlier you mentioned that you almost didn’t go to workout with Antonio because you were extremely tired. What was your schedule like?

ED: I usually wake up at 6am to train as many people as I can. I have a problem with saying “no” to people.

FRENDY: What’s the motivation behind your relentless work ethic?

ED:   Well, first of all I love helping people.  Secondly, it’s therapeutic for me.  I need it…fitness is an addiction.

FRENDY: Would you say that it saved your life?

ED:  Yeah, it has always been one of my coping mechanisms.  No matter what I was going through, I always found the time to workout.

Justin's Vision

I was fortunate enough to become friends with the exceptional photographer Justin Amoafo, right before his ascension into elite lensman status. Justin was only 15-years-old when we initially met, but his tremendously poised demeanor and go-getter mentality positioned him light years ahead of his peers.

Born and raised in Queens, New York by Ghanaian parents, the multi-talented visionary was instilled with an immense value for education.  As a matter of fact, at the age of 11 Justin suggested that he should attend boarding school. “I was always an outcast and wanted to expand my horizons, experience a new environment,” says Amoafo. With his parent’s approval and a lucrative scholarship, the young adventurer was enrolled at the prestigious Eagle Brook in Western Massachusetts. 

Justin was one of only six black kids in the entire institution but the statistic didn’t cast a shadow of fear on his pursuit of enlightenment. Amoafo was so in awe with the refreshing scenery at his new abode, he decided to freeze it all in time.  Using his roommate’s state-of-the-art camera, Justin began to take pictures of the beautiful landscape surrounding Eagle Brook.  Since then, photography instantly became Amoafo’s primary focus. He started posting photos on Flickr, which ultimately led him to gain fans across the world.

Immediately following boarding school, Justin attended Brooklyn Tech HS with an increased passion for snapping.  After a year of saving up lunch money, the bright-eyed shutterbug was able to purchase his very first camera, the Canon t2i. Mastering the art of Flickr, Amoafo leveled up to Tumblr, where he garnered even more admirers.

Justin is currently attending NYU Shanghai with a major in Interactive Media arts and Business, but that isn’t stopping him one bit from putting work in behind the lens.

FRENDY: What compelled you to study abroad after high school?

JUSTIN: As a kid, I always dreamt of traveling the world. After a summer abroad in high school, I made it my business to take advantage of every opportunity to see a new place. Naturally, I had to pursue college options outside of the USA.

FRENDY: Is it difficult for you to find a balance between schoolwork and photography?  Are you able to find steady shooting gigs in Shanghai?

JUSTIN:  One of the most difficult things for humans in general is maintaining a balance. Whenever you find yourself in that comfortable place, life switches up your situation. Thankfully, my major at school and my real life career/hobbies are intertwined, so usually it’s not too difficult.

Work in Shanghai has been steady, thankfully. People here show a lot of love. When they see you doing great work, they’ll always go out of their way to help you get gigs. As usual, staying hungry & seeking out opportunities is also a great way to close gigs.

FRENDY: You’re one of my favorite people to follow on Snapchat due the display of your worldly adventures. Are your travels for leisure or work?

JUSTIN: Both. Living internationally already makes it much easier to pick up clients that require me to travel or have an opportunity abroad. I’m always itching to travel regardless, so most of my free weekends and ‘vacations’ are spent visiting a new city.

FRENDY: How did the relationship with your muse Sira P Kante come about?

JUSTIN: *Laughs* She’s definitely my muse. A modern day Naomi Campbell.  Sira and I met through one of my good friends. We met up for a test shoot one day in Summer 2016 and the rest is history.

FRENDY: I admire your effortless ability to network with the industry’s finest. I noticed that you’ve been shooting superstar musicians and promising actors who are from the motherland. What set of events lead to such astounding opportunities?

JUSTIN: Every connection I’ve made, both business & personal has been organic. I never force relationships, but I’m definitely not above a cold email or intro. That being said, the world is smaller than we all think. It’s so often you want to work with someone and a friend (or friend of a friend) can make the connection for you. Organic networking is the best, especially when you’re already social.

FRENDY: What are the top 3 pictures you’ve ever taken?

JUSTIN: I don’t think I have 3 strict top favorites but here are some that I like:

FRENDY: Are you planning to take your creative talents into new heights?

JUSTIN: I’m always striving to be my best self. Photography is one of my passions, but by no means is it my only means of expression. I am working on expressing myself fully, with no filters or limitations. We’re in the era of the multidimensional artist and I think that’s so great. Everyone should be able to create with no filter.

Shemoi's Big Move

In order to accomplish a great feat, sacrifice is needed. Whether it’s dedicating an ample amount of time to perfect a craft or cutting certain individuals off from your inner circle, a subtraction of some sort is necessary to enhance the chances of accomplishing a mission.  Shemoi Gidden did just that.

The 22-year-old Lensman departed from his comfort zone of NYC to soar with the stars in Los Angeles.  Shemoi’s move may sound a bit cliché, but his rapid success is truly something to behold.  In less than a year of living on the west coast, the Portland, Jamaica native has already photographed more celebs than all of the Paparazzis’ in SoHo combined! From snapping Instagram’s hottest sensations to multi-talented celebrities like Keke Palmer, Shemoi is well on his way to possibly become La-La Land’s very own version of Mario Testino.

I recently sat down with the thriving shutterbug to talk about his life in NYC, love for photography, the motivation behind his major relocation and find out exactly how he befriended all of these celebs.

FRENDY: Man, I am extremely proud of you. Your success thus far is not a big surprise to me because I saw something special in you ever since we first met at BAPE. How are you taking all of this in?

SHEMOI: Well, I’m taking it in pretty well. I’m basically speaking things into existence and then living them shortly after. If I tell myself that I’m going to be the greatest at what I do, believe it and have the drive for it, then it’s going to fall into place and eventually happen.

FRENDY: I totally agree with you. When we initially got acquainted 4 years ago, you clearly expressed your passion for taking photos. When did your love for photography actually begin?

SHEMOI: I fell in love with photography when I came across a famous photographer named 13th Witness on Instagram around 2012. I fell in love with his work because he had an uncanny method of capturing a photo in a way that it draws your attention to every detail.  He inspired me so creatively and I realized that shooting photos isn't just about capturing an image, it’s about giving that image a certain character and lifestyle to it .

FRENDY: What was the first camera you started shooting with?

SHEMOI: I started off with a Canon t2i. After making some good money I ended up getting a Canon 7D.  I hated that one so I saved up to buy a Canon 5d mark III.  Now I shoot with a Canon 5d mark III, mark II, Sony a7s for video and the big boy himself a Canon 1dx mark II.

FRENDY: Are there any specific features you look for when purchasing a camera?

SHEMOI: Basically full frame and fps for video. You need both for everything.

FRENDY: You’re originally from Jamaica and I know how skeptical Caribbean parents can be when their child has an urge to go down the “risky” creative path.  Did you receive any sort of criticism from your parents about your dream to become a professional photographer?

SHEMOI: Oh, my mom didn’t take me serious one bit!  I tried my best to show her that my career choice can take me places, but she wouldn't budge. It only took for me to pack up my things, leave the house and move to state where I was completely alone for her to see that I mean business.

FRENDY: Much respect for taking that bold step. When did you move out West?

SHEMOI: I moved out on January 1st, 2017. I literally did a “new year, new me“ at the time and I only told 3 people I was leaving.  My mom was included in the 3.

FRENDY: Yeah, I had no clue you left for California until I saw you consistently take new pics in a sunny, palm tree-filled setting *Laughs*.  Did you have any connections in LA prior to moving there?

SHEMOI: Yeah, I felt like I went to the wrong state all my life . LA is where I should of been years ago because I wasn’t happy at all in New York to be honest.  I wasn’t around people that were willing to take risk or ambitious like how I am. It was the biggest turnoff to me about NYC.

I met people in the year of 2015 that kept on telling me to move to LA until i was just like, fuck it, it won't hurt.

FRENDY: Those people were New Yorkers or Californians?

SHEMOI: Californians.

FRENDY: So since moving to New York at the tender age of 6, you felt like you didn’t belong there?

SHEMOI: Well, at the time growing up I didn’t know my worth until my high school days.

I never knew I was going to move to LA but people just said that I belonged in LA all this time because of how happy I’ve been since I moved here.

FRENDY:  I’m guessing you didn’t leave any real friends behind in New York?

SHEMOI: It's not about having real friends. I had to figure myself out not just as a person, but also a businessman.  I needed to make sure that I’m on the right path and if someone was my friend they would understand why I moved and look it as motivation. This world is tough and I’m all about helping people, but I can’t help people when I need to help my self. All I want in life is to be killing it and look over to the side and see my brothers killing it. And as harsh as this may sound I have to go by my word that I can't be around you if you’re not driven by anything, because that can bring me down. The last thing I want in my life is to impede my development.

FRENDY: What do you love about LA (besides the babes, of course)?

SHEMOI: Man what is there not to love about LA , opportunities is just in arms reach , it only took me a month to meet people that were already on, like really on. All it takes here is for you to just meet one person that believes in you, and wants to help you with your aspirations and dreams.

FRENDY: What sets of events occurred that allowed you to work with so many Instagram stars and celebs?

SHEMOI: I was introduced to a man named Eric Galen, who is the one guy that believed in me to start it all. He's very well connected, and a lot of his clients are the biggest influencers and celebrities I wouldn't even dream of meeting but he makes it all happen.

FRENDY: Do you remember your very first shoot in LA?

SHEMOI: Yeah man, I could never forget that! Before moving to LA I was prepping myself to shoot for Zanerobe, and I thought it was a good idea to change the scenery and go out to the desert . We brought out jeeps, drones, real katanas, etcs we did a lot that day.

FRENDY: Who is your favorite subject to shoot thus far?

SHEMOI: I don't have a favorite subject to shoot -- I think it's better to say I like to capture the lifestyle of a subject. I feel like my photos tell you a lot about the person I shoot just on the way how I center the person in the image to focus the viewer's eyes, giving the intimacy of the subject and the viewer.

FRENDY: I saw that you just came back from the first weekend of Coachella 2017.  Did you go for work or leisure?

SHEMOI: Ah man! Coachella, Coachella, Coachella I look forward to that weekend for so many reasons.   It's mainly for the connection aspect of it and you also get to meet some of this biggest artist that kills the game on a more personal level.  Plus you get to make money depending on your profession.

FRENDY: How long are you planning on living in the City of Angels?

SHEMOI: LA is my home now, I can't see myself living in New York anymore.  If you fly first class on a regular basis, would you go back to flying coach? I definitely won't!

FRENDY: Without photography, where do you think you would be in life?

SHEMOI: I'll prolly be lost!  Still in school, hating life and going by the same routine for a long period.

FRENDY: What can we expect from you in the near future?

SHEMOI:  It's for me to know and you to find out brother. *Laughs*