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One label trades athletes for activists
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
High-minded: The most intriguing booth on the outskirts of the runways was Uppity Negro’s. Its eye-catching offerings stood as a stark alternative to jerseys bearing the names of standout athletes. Instead, sporty tops had the names of historic radicals like “Nat Turner”, “Marcus Garvey”, and “Harriet Tubman” printed on them. Get the low-down on this label by vising: www.uppitynegro.com.
Bug off: No one I know raps or sings about it, but malaria could pose as serious a health risk to Africans as the AIDS epidemic does. That’s prompted the co-designers of the custom jewelry brand, Ethos, to start selling $10 rubber wristbands that are infused with citronella oil and lavender, to benefit malaria relief. Ethos’ Karen Harper and Tracie Howard have their baubles hand-made by African artisans with semi-precious stones and import them here. Harper said she’s endured enough anti-malarial injections prior to (and after) trips to the motherland to know the disease is “no joke”.
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Wares missing from EKLECKTIC’s booth
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Spell check: a new denim brand called EKLECKTIC, dispatched a bunch of e-mails leading up to Vibe’s fest boasting that its booth would take the city by storm. I stopped by twice and never got a glimpse of the label’s actual product. But I was semi-engaged with the constant bouts of freestyle rap. Lots of people were drawn in. But it started taking on a combative air. To me, contending with the rains was worrisome enough.
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Local-label show flawed, but ‘cheeky’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A group of eight Atlanta-based labels and boutiques contributed to the runway shows staged hourly on Sunday afternoon. I’d list them all, but the correct spelling of the first one escapes me. Regardless, the ones I saw were plagued by the same flaw. The male models (mainly outfitted in oversized polo shirts and baggy shorts) looked sullen. And a few too many of the (let’s hope) volunteer models were a bit too oblivious of their cellulite.
Not that the summery styles weren’t pleasing to the eyes of men hovering around the runways. Some outfits modeled were “cheeky” to say the least.
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Industry seminar a big draw
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Preaching to the choir: the biggest draw Sunday afternoon was a seminar about breaking into the hip-hop/R&B industry, with local examples of success as guest speakers. That session seemed to go on ad nauseum, but not in a bad way. Star manager Shaka Zulu happened to comment: “I could talk about this for hours.”
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Vacant booths abound
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Strange, but true: You can just as easily get lost in a nearly empty convention hall as you can a full one. Most of the curtained-off lounges sponsored by radio stations and food chains and cable networks were vacant. If they didn’t have “Madden” play stations or free refreshments (or decent greeters) people moved on. Overhead lighting was minimal, and competing sound systems formed one head-aching drone. To borrow from Dave Chappelle (who glommed off of Rick James), it was mostly, “DARKNESS”!
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April - You are 100% correct, but VIBE had planned this more then a year away and Midtown Music Fest knew VIBE was coming to ATL. Any type of event is always planned more then a year away, why? It’s based in dates and time. Midtown Music Fest has... read the full comment by CEO2006 | Comment on Lauryn Hill Read Lauryn Hill
I GUESS PEOPLE FORGOT TO MENTION THAT THE ENERGY WASN T THAT GOOD, PEOPLE IN THE CROWD KEPT YELLING ´´THAT BITCH IS ON DRUGS´´ OR ´´ GO AHEAD WITHNEY´´... read the full comment by mICHEAL | Comment on Lauryn Hill Read Lauryn Hill
I didn’t get a chance to go to the VIBEFEST, and was immensely disappointed because Lauryn is one of my all time favs. But judging from everyone’s comments, I did not miss much. I’m truly worried about her. I just want her new CD to drop... read the full comment by kajuana spurlin | Comment on Lauryn Hill Read Lauryn Hill
She was higher than a kite, and as lost as I was to her impromptu exit.... read the full comment by sw | Comment on One label trades athletes for activists Read One label trades athletes for activists