LADYBRILLE THE MUSIC EDITION / THE MUSIC EDITION / MAY 2010 CHOC MAY 2010 QUIB TOWN BEST New Afro-Colombian Hip-Hop Band! #1 AFRIC A N F A SHION & ENTERT A INMENT M A G A ZINE FOR THE WEST! W A X , WWW. AFRICAN DESIGNERS, LADYBRIllE SHOPPING & MORE! MAN OF LADYBRILLE ROLAND REFLECTS ON THE MONTH OBAMA’S HISTORIC RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE WHO’S HOT? M A G.COM AFRICA’S INFLUENTIAL MUSIC HEADS TELL US! $3.99 WWW.LADYBRILLEMAG.COM LADYBRILLE THE MUSIC EDITION / THE MUSIC EDITION / MAY 2010 WAX, LADYBRILLE MAY 2010 MAN OF THE MONTH #1 AFRIC A N F A SHION & ENTERT CHOC A INMENT M QUIB TOWN A G A ZINE FOR THE WEST! BEST New Afro-Colombian Hip-Hop Band! WWW. AFRICAN DESIGNERS, SHOPPING & MORE! LADYBRILLE ROLAND REFLECTS ON OBAMA’S HISTORIC RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE M WHO’S HOT? A G.COM AFRICA’S INFLUENTIAL $3.99 MUSIC HEADSwww.ladybrillemag.com TE MLLay 2010 US 3 ! WWW.LADYBRILLEMAG.COM Advertise with Ladybrille Magazine [email protected] OGUN, the warrior god of the Afro-Brazilian mythology by Framn Rezende PHOTOGRAPHER: Famn Rezende STYLIST: Pilar Cortes MAKE-UP AND HAIRDRESSING: Susana Biedma for Mac and Tecni.Art of L’oréal Professionnel MODEL: Enma | LADYBRIllE CONTENTS MAY 40 201046 12 28 COVER LADYBRILLEMAG.COM 11 Editor’s Note 38 HOT NEWS FROM LADYBRILLEMAG.COM FEATURES POLITICS 2 Fashion Editorial OGUN by Framn Rezende 44 Roland Martin Reflects on Obama’s 12 WAX, Ladybrille Man of the Month Historic Run for the White House 40 CHOC QUIB TOWN, Best New Afro-Colombia Hip-Hop Band! LIFESTYLE 20 Who’s Hot? Africa 46 Ghana- A Visit to the Heart of Darkness 22 Who’s Hot? Nigeria 24 Who’s Hot? Uganda IN EVERY ISSUE 2 Covers In One Editor’s Note FASHION Contributors 26 African Designers, Shopping & More! Man Of The Month 28 South Africa Fashion Week 2010 African Designers, Shopping & More! Hot News From Ladybrillemag.Com Credit correction: Stephanie Matthews from the April issue was mispelled. 8 www.ladybrillemag.com May 2010 | LADYBRIllEMAG.COM MAGAZINE #1 African Fashion & Entertainment Magazine for the West! www.ladybrillemag.com ABOUT LADYBRILLE MAGAZINE Founded in 2007 by fashion model, attorney and journalist Uduak Oduok, LADYBRILLE Magazine a brand recognized for its sophistication and class ® stands as the authority on African fashion and entertainment for the globally conscious style driven American and European woman. Breaking the mold and trailblazing a path never traveled before, LADYBRILLE ® Magazine is a fusion of WWD, Vogue and ESSENCE with a very distinct African perspective. The Magazine has served as a platform for exclusive and in-depth interviews to introduce to the Western world brilliant personalities like Project Runway’s Korto Momolu (NBC granted Ladybrille the exclusive to Korto’s story), Singer Ayo (Interscope Records granted Ladybrille the Exclusive for Ayo’s debut in the USA market), Popular Nigerian Blogger Bella Naija (granted Ladybrille an exclusive interview. BN has since appeared on Oprah) and Maimah Karmo (breast cancer survivor and owner of Tiger Lily Foundation who also granted Ladybrille an exclusive and has since appeared on Oprah). Ladybrille has also profiled Derrick Ashong, who now has his own show on Oprah Radio, Supermodel Iman, Fashion Model Tomiko Fraser, Rapper Common, Mo’Nique and countless American and African personalities worldwide. Ladybrille’s recognition as a pioneer and relevant authority in its niche market is why companies like media powerhouse CNN, consulting giant McKinsey & Co., Arik Airlines, and numerous high profile personalities and businesses have sought its help on who and what is “Africhic.” For more information, visit www.ladybrillemag.com. PUBLISHER LADYBRILLE: Media Group, Inc. For advertising inquiries, please contact [email protected]. LADYBRILLE MAGAZINE 2121 Natomas Crossings Dr. #200-11 Sacramento, CA 95834 www.ladybrillemag.com MAGAZINE DESIGN Erin Burns Design / erinburnsdesign.com www.ladybrillemag.com May 2010 9 May MUSIC ISSUE CONTRIBUTORS Framn Rezende Nominating Committee, and Rotten how people gather information on each other. is a Brazilian photographer Tomatoes. In addition to a BA in Black Studies whose interest and experi- from Cornell, he has an MA in English from The Brilliant 5 at Museke.com ence spans fashion, art, Brown, an MBA from The Wharton School, music and photography. Rezende has been and a JD from Boston University. Kam lives Phelele Fakudze published in local and international maga- in Princeton, NJ with his wife and son. is an ardent lover of African zines including Vogue, GQ, Fashion, In Style, music from Swaziland. She Amica, Aviu, Cream, Vision Magazine, Sous Robert Harris attended a United World and Elegance Magazine. He has also photo- is the Chief Financial College, Wesleyan University and Johns graphed some of the most beautiful models Officer of Black Star Hopkins University where she met and in the world including top models Barbara Communications, Ltd., an befriended Africans from many countries. She Fialho, Caroline Trentini, Cintia Dicker, Internet service provider and telecommuni- works in Swaziland as a researcher with the Ana Bela Santos, Bruna Tenorio, Fabiane cations consulting company chartered in the London School of Hygiene and Nunez Gracie Winck, Aline Weber, Anna UK and registered in the Republic of Ghana. Tropical Medicine. Maria Chesa and Spanish top models Nieves Presently, the company is installing WiFi Álvarez, Judith Masco and Clara Más. Internet service in the port city of Tema in Keitumetse Diseko According to Rezende, his “career Ghana and will soon expand throughout is a young South African who is constantly evolving, fashion is an art. Ghana. Harris is also an author of a soon has worked at MTVBase It must be an instrument and vehicle to be published novel, The Unholy Holy, Africa, Big Brother Africa, for people to feel free and good about A Story of India. He is also an attorney amongst other places. She studied at the themselves.” In June 2009, launched his practicing in Sacramento, California with University of Cape Town and the University first exhibition titled “I WANT TO BE a focus on business and bankruptcy law. of the Witswatersrand. She has Africa-wide FREE” at LCREW in Madrid, Spain. He was previously General Counsel for Itex interests and has traveled to many African Four months later, he launched his second Corporation, a publicly traded international countries as part of her MTV work. exhibition, “Celebration” at the Central barter exchange company. He is married Design Di MAD to celebrate the twentieth with one child and one dog. Edward Mabonga, anniversary of the National Fashion Awards originally from Kenya, is for new designers. Peter A. Kigony an MIT educated entre- is the founder and CEO preneur, currently working Demola Ogundele of UGPulse.com. Kigonya as a software engineer in Houston, Texas. is a graduate with a BS in holds a Bsc in Computer He is extremely excited about Africa’s Computer Science who is Science from the University of contribution to contemporary/gospel currently working on his Massachusetts, Boston. Like many who music, dance and culture. MBA. He is also the founder of NotJustOk. grew up with parents working for the com. Notjustok.com, founded in 2006, is Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kigonya has Paa Kwesi Imbeah is now the go-to website for the latest Nigerian lived an interesting and rather unique life. a strong supporter of Africa’s music videos, songs and gist. Having grown up in international schools presence on the web. He is a in a number of African countries including native of Takoradi, Ghana. Kam Williams, Central African Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, Voted Most Outstanding Kenya, his home Uganda, as well as visited Ato Ulzen-Appiah Journalist of the Decade by a number of African countries, Kgonya has is a young Ghanaian entre- the Disilgold Soul Literary been exposed to much of the diversity that preneur and lover of African Review in 2008, Kam Williams is a syndi- Africa has to offer. Living in the United music. He attended Presby cated film and book critic who writes for States has further broadened his experiences Boys High School (Legon), MIT and 100+ publications around the U.S., Europe, of different cultures. What he finds amazing Stanford University. He also co-founded Asia, Africa, Canada and the Caribbean. He is how much people are all the same, and the GhanaThink Foundation and Bar is a member of the New York Film Critics what makes people different from each other Camp Ghana. He studies civil engineering, Online, the African-American Film Critics is perceptions brought on by not only how loves blogging and has also worked Association, the NAACP Image Awards much they know about each other but by with various startups. 10 www.ladybrillemag.com May 2010 | EDITOR’s LETTER appy New Month! Welcome to another inspiring edition of Ladybrille Magazine, our May Music Edition. I am in love with this issue partly because it kicks off our musical celebrations of festivals worldwide: Cinco de Mayo H(my birthday*wink wink*), Summerfest, New Orleans Jazz festivals, hip-hop s ummer jams and so much more! In this edition, we introduce you to the Afro-Colombian hip-hop band, Quib Choc Town. Quib Choc Town was nominated in 2009 at the Latin Grammy’s as the Best New Act. They also performed at the 2010 SXSW Conference and “wow!” are they good! Also providing brilliant musical sounds is Cameroon’s WAX, our Ladybrille Man of the Month. Wax, who is based in South Africa (SA), began law school at 16years old! Since moving to SA to pursue music professionally, he has successfully established himself as a media entrepreneur, social activist, humanitarian, renaissance writer and musician.