Graphics on Overload

I’M NOT A BUSINESS MAN. I’M A BUSINESS, MAN. Presenting Kaely Michels-Gualtieri, my swinging trapeze artist of a sister who lives in Paris proper attending Académie Fratellini living out her dreams. So collectively, we figured it’s only fair that she owns a business card just as spectacular as she is. ;)

NOW LET ME HANDLE MY BUSINESS [CARDS], DAMN. Hails to Hova and props to artistic qualities. One of the greatest life lessons I learned in designing this card collaboratively with Kaely herself was that no matter your craft, should you choose to involve yourself artistically, whether physically, sonically, or visually, you are indeed a creative-minded person who may apply themselves far widelier than that of any otherwise commitment to learning and engaging. And that, dear readers, is to be remembered and reminded by yourself via allowance and open-application of your time and skills. 

TrapezeKaely.com

WORD IS BORN. Just last Saturday, I single-handedly orchestrated, directed a 14-hour work day to story-drive Gambian Gateway - my first song, and at that, a collaborative with Hot-B Da Sufi, Egalitarian, Muhabits and producer Oumar Traore (Tra) of Xalam Studios. They, as my new favorite inspirator Krish Dhanam would have it, are enhancers, that promoted and allowed for my creative vision to turn tangible. Visual, at least. :)

T-MINUS TODAY [BUT REALLY TWO DAYS AGO]. December 10th is very special to me. Incredibly so. Today, I turn nineteen. Yes - it’s my birthday. Today, I leave The Gambia (for good!). And today, I premiere the Gambian Gateway music story video on GRTS, The Gambia’s one and only national television station. Featured on Africawn Mix and I’m stirring the pot. 

[After the fact] Premiered on GRTS (December 10th) right around 6pm and replaying Thursday, December 15th on the same channel at the same time.

Special thanks to Nday of GRTS of Africawn Mix for hosting me and Muhammed Bittaye (Muhabits) for everything and more! 

GAMBIAN GATEWAY (FT. HOT-B, EGALITARIAN, MUHABITS) 
XYZAY (PROD. BY TRA) INSPIRED BY K’NAAN’S STRUGGLIN’ 

IT’S SMALL, HOT, AND DRY. Welcome to The Gambia, the smiling coast of West Africa. This petite country is merely greater than half the size of New Jersey and triple digit degrees find both pre and post dominant exposures. Besides my fractionally blackened skin and signing and quitting of Samsung Gambia (I’ll get into this one later but soon, I promise), and teaching and documenting, I’ve invested serious time and think all for this coming Saturday. 

COMPLEXITY + SIMPLICITY = CREATIVITY. Jeff Kurtz can vouch for me when I exclaim that my quantitative abilities are eccentric but an equation I’ve been studying lately, rather determinatively, is - what is creativity? And creativity, it seems, comes down to one simple process and identity; the taking of anything, no matter how infinitely intricate, and finding and providing lee and way in projecting and sharing that in the simplest fashion possible. Only then is creativity realized and achieved. 

Listen: http://soundcloud.com/thexyzay/gambian-gateway

P.S. More to come: music video story in the works. 

P.P.S. Can you coordinate the XY? (See pic)

WHAT A LANDMARK OF A DAY (11.11.11) and a checkpoint of a song. Just yesterday, Joey Green AKA Sophisticated released his first single off of his upcoming mixtape “An Invisible Vision” - his soon to be fifth mixtape. Graphically covered by yours truly, download and chime into the vibes of Braxton Parr and sounds of Sophisticated.

Download: Midnight In Paris (Produced by Braxton Parr)
Sophisticated: fb.com/iamsosophisticated

I COULDN’T STAND FOR THE MOVIE BUT I could sit and sink into my thoughts and tap into my vault of imagination. Immediately, an idea uncaged itself; any old watch with the Eiffel Tower in its negative space above and below. Joey, however, insisted that we showcase his own Rose Gold and immediately got to snapping. Funny enough, when it came to realization, I was in the La Parisienne, the seemingly one restaurant in all of The Gambia, Africa (where I am now!) that has anything to do with Paris. Heh, and though I did not follow my first idea wholly, it was handsome inspiration for what was to come some few odd midnights later.

P.S. Can you spot the XY’s? :)

I THINK IN TERMS OF PATTERNS and I love creative freedom. So when Joe Boston and I got to talking and working out his cover, I went all out in a new conceptual font I plan to develop and deem “Vertical Vernacular.” It’s no Block Talk, though it does obey its own set of patterns; simply, set lines with with a thickness of twice the negative space and to work in a vertically rectanglar workspace per character. That and manufacture every character according to it’s preceding and following counterparts.

Joe Bostron Vs. The World (download + listen)
fb.com/JoeBostron
@chillinwithtron

Tracklisting: (at least try first!)

1. Smash Up
2. You Are The Bos
3. The Dude Abides
4. Bostron Rock
5. One More Yea
6. Club Banga
7. My Life Is A Mashup 
8. Thuggin
9. Mr. Hustler

IMPACTFUL ADVISORY. I’ve recreated the classic Parental / Explicit Lyrics / Advisory stamp for public download and use. What’s great is that when extending Lyrics to Lyricism, every word amounts to exactly eight characters in length. Niiiiice (that’s eight too!)

Parental Advisory Explicit Lyricism download versions: 

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Source.psd

INDEPENDENT EXPRESSION. During the shoot of Unsung Hero (youtu.be/zFvOW7sebGU) I snapped some threatening pictures of Joey AKA Sophisticated growling with nothing less than his Jesus piece well nested and protected. Several weeks previous to our initial sight on the scene, Union Station, I chalked up an official Savior of Sound review! Eager to further express myself through Sophisticated, I present my first ever feature; a magazine-style composition dedicated to individual empowerment.

SO I’M FONTING ON YA’LL WHEN I’M BACKING OFF. Now that you’re [hopefully] thinking about Jay-Z, let’s make mention of Sophisticated and his best to date mixtape: Savior of Sound (S.O.S.). When first conceptualizing and designing the S.O.S. cover, I had no idea what to do or how to do it. All that was running through my mind was George Condo’s MBTDF paintings and cover actualization.

TRANSLATION AND EMULATION. It was a matter of Sudoku. One box with nine equally divided (3x3) counterparts within. By filling in the blanks, literally, I thereon designed and constructed a font that would surpass George Condo’s framework and Sophisticated’s S.O.S. cover and fall into the hands of my favorite typographic artist, Måns Grebäck. I turned concepts to character and Måns turned characters to code. And together, we present “Block Talk” - a full form 400+ character font now up and out for you to download. :)

Limited (free): dafont.com/block-talk.font
Full form ($40): mawns.com/fonts.html?font=block-talk

Måns Grebäck mawns.com
fb.com/mawnsfonts
@mawns