Bad boys will be bad boys in a Bad Boys movie. (Photo: Frank Masi | Columbia Pictures)
For the past few years it’s seemed as if Hollywood had been infected by a plague, and legacy media were the most susceptible. Movie screens and streaming libraries have been filled with reboots and continuations to stories that were either major successes in their heyday, or built cult followings which capitalists sought to seize. Every so often a new trailer or press junket would drop, teasing a new installment of some saga that would leave the audience wondering, “They still make that?” or “Did we ask for that?”
This phenomenon becomes even more of an enigma when certain franchises return after hitting the screens decades ago, since it can potentially alienate audiences who don’t fully understand the lore. However, Bad Boys: Ride Or Die is an exception, leaving the viewer either satiated as a longtime fan or eager to start from the beginning.
The movie serves as the fourth installment of the series. Like the last film, the pandemic-era Bad Boys for Life, original director Michael Bay is replaced by Belgian directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, with a story by Chris Bremner, Aquaman scribe Will Beall, and George Gallo. Reprising roles they originated in 1995 are stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, along with supporting actors Paola Nüñez and Jacob Muntaz Scipio, with Eric Dane. New to the franchise are Better Call Saul standout Rhea Seehorn and Ioan Gruffudd.
The film opens with the titular pair Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) in another one of their iconic car chases. Both men appear dapper and on a time crunch as their latest mission —Mike’s wedding to his former physical therapist Christine (Melanie Liburd) — brings a new sense of urgency. But en route to the nuptials, Marcus asks to stop at the gas station for a ginger ale, much to Mike’s dismay. Marcus’ junk food addiction gets the best of him, and as he piles his order onto the counter, he finds himself at gunpoint in a gas station robbery.
Within seconds, the pair annihilate the assailant, and Mike makes it to the church on time. As the couple is pronounced husband and wife, we see the wedding party joined with a memorial photo of Captain Conrad Howard, who died in Bad Boys for Life while trying to take down a Miami drug cartel.
At the reception are Rita Secada (Núñez), as well as Howard’s daughter Judy (Seehorn) and granddaughter Callie (Quinn Hemphill). But the celebration is cut short as Marcus’ diet of sweet garbage finally catches up with him, and he suffers a heart attack. As he’s rushed to the ER, Marcus hallucinates Howard’s ghost, who informs him that it’s not his time to go. Marcus awakens with a new lease on life.
That ghost seems to be busy. As Marcus is recovering, city officials are notified that Howard is seemingly committing fraud from beyond the grave. Mike and Marcus, forever indebted to Howard, take on the mission to clear their late captain’s name.
Their first stop is the prison where Mike’s son Armando (Scipio) is being held, as he’s been convicted of Howard’s murder. Armando believes he can identify the real perpetrator, but as word spreads through the prison, he finds himself the target of a deadly attack in the yard. With his safety at risk, he’s moved to Miami. But his transfer helicopter becomes a target for the cartels, and our heroes miss death by an inch in the ensuing crash. Mike, Marcus, and Armando continue their mission as fugitives.
With the help of Advanced Miami Metro Operations agents Dorn (Alexander Ludwig) and Kelly (Vanessa Hudgens), they not only uncover the mastermind of the hoax, but follow the trail of deception and forbidden alliances.
While it may be a part of the series, and the conclusion of a story Adil and Bilall began in the last film, first-time viewers needn’t worry about being confused. Longtime fans will be reminded as to why this pair works so well together in the buddy-cop genre. Thousands of slap-happy think pieces and unsolicited marriage tidbits later, Smith is still refreshing, and we’re reminded of why the camera loves him. Lawrence’s comedic legacy precedes him, and his impeccable delivery doesn’t disappoint. Both actors manage to balance out the comedic and action elements without doing too much.
The film ends on an open note, with the plot wrapped up, but no major cliffhangers. If there’s going to be a reboot, why not give Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel creator Amy Sherman-Palladino a shot? Bad Girls, anyone?
Bad Boys: Ride or Die Now playing Multiple locations
LeMoyne-Owen College (LOC) is “The Source” of all things. The source of Black culture, pride, excellence, and, of course — magic.
This is the newest tagline for the school now in the midst of a brand change that claims its own narrative and marks its own way forward. The new effort is led by interim president Christopher Davis, inspired by new heights he believes the school can reach. The school has already been a source, having given so much to Black thought, civil rights, and political action. Davis thinks LOC — as The Source — has a lot more to give from a wealth of untapped potential.
Davis’ involvement with LOC goes beyond his tenure as interim president, dating back to 1999 when he served as senior pastor of St. Paul Baptist Church, which has been a “longtime financial supporter” of LOC. He has served in a number of representative capacities for the school and was appointed interim president in 2023, following the resignation of then-president Vernell Bennett-Fairs.
Christopher Davis (Photo: KQ Communications)
At its core, the school has been a source of educational enrichment, fulfillment, and opportunity — staying true to its original vision. But, Davis says, the school gets lost in larger conversations about historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) as a whole. “Our new tagline is this idea of being ‘The Source,’” Davis says. “As I looked at that, I really began to think about what that means given the fact that we’re the fifth oldest HBCU in the nation.”
The college is the only HBCU in Memphis, with its history dating back to 1862 when Lucinda Humphrey opened an elementary school, which became known as Lincoln Chapel, at Tennessee’s Camp Shiloh for “freedmen and runaway slaves” during the Civil War. The school was destroyed in 1866 due to fire in race riots three years after being relocated to Memphis.
“The school was rebuilt and reopened in 1867 with 150 students and six teachers,” say school officials. “In 1914, the school was moved to its present site on Walker Avenue, and the first building, Steele Hall, was erected on the new LeMoyne campus. LeMoyne became a junior college in 1924 and a four-year college in 1930.”
Owen College, founded in 1947 after the Tennessee Baptist Missionary Educational Convention, built a junior college on Vance Avenue. It opened its doors officially in 1954, and was then known as S.A. Owen Junior College. Students at Owen College became known for their tenacity and involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, including sit-ins in 1960 to desegregate city facilities. But the school began to face a number of financial challenges and losses, and entered a merger with LeMoyne college in 1968.
With such historical richness of the school, Davis began to wonder, “How is it that we don’t have the same public profile as some of the other HBCUs that you hear about all the time?” He explains that when more prominent HBCUs such as Morehouse, Spelman, and Hampton “were still a hope in somebody’s heart,” LeMoyne-Owen’s doors were already open — and the school had been reactive as opposed to proactive in terms of “shaking the narrative.”
“We’re going to take control of the narrative,” Davis says. “No longer are we going to react to what people say about LeMoyne-Owen, but we’re going to introduce them to [the] LeMoyne-Owen that we know, love, and support.”
Memphis Mayor Paul Young serves on the LOC board of trustees. He says the college impacts not only the city, but HBCU culture in general. “The importance of our only HBCU in the country’s largest minority-majority city cannot be overlooked,” Young says. “The institution offers a supportive community that fosters meaningful real-world connections and success. So many successful Memphians graduated from LOC, including my dad. It is a pillar in our city, and I believe it will be a catalyst for growth in the South Memphis community for years to come.”
(Photo: KQ Communications)
Stick and Stay
The school that so many revere has withstood a number of challenges, a testament to the persistence and doggedness ingrained in its foundation. Countless students have entered LOC’s doors and left as proud Magicians.
Everyone plays a role in shaping LeMoyne’s reputation, Davis explains. Both past and current students. “If you’re concerned about the long-term trajectory of Memphis, how do you invest in any place other than LeMoyne-Owen since we’ve demonstrated that our students stick and stay?”
Alumni play a pivotal role in the lasting impact of the school. LOC “can’t make it without their alumni,” Davis says. “We need more than just their check. We need their presence on campus. I need them walking around saying to students, ‘I was where you were, and this is what LeMoyne-Owen was able to do for me.’”
June Chinn-Jointer is a 1979 graduate of LeMoyne-Owen who’s known lovingly around campus and in the LOC community as a devoted alumna.
“[I was] a regular college student, had all the fun that any other college student would have,” Chinn-Jointer says. “You talk about having fun? I had a ball — I really did.”
Chinn-Jointer majored in social work and originally worked in the field after graduating, but a return to higher education kept beckoning. In October of 1980, she was hired as an alumni senior counselor in the career service center at LeMoyne-Owen, where she helped graduating seniors prepare to enter the job force. After displaying a vested interest in the lives of students, Chinn-Jointer was urged by mentors and school officials to move toward recruitment.
“That’s how I got into higher ed, and I’ve basically been here ever since,” she says. “I’ve had some good times here. I’ve worked at other higher-ed institutions, but I would always come back home. They would call and ask me to come back and I always came back — happily — to help my students at LeMoyne-Owen College.”
Chinn-Jointer has “worn many hats” at LOC. She has previously served as the dean of enrollment, dean of retention, and more. She currently serves as the director of alumni affairs, and as she talks about her time at the school, both as a student and in her career, it’s clear that she’s moved not only by her love for her alma mater but for the students as well.
She recalls how her own experience as a student was made better by previous alumni and mentors. As she lists the names of some who helped her along the way, she notes that their dedication wasn’t solely based on encouraging academic achievement. “Not only were they dads and moms, they kept us in line. They knew we were going to be traditional college students — playing cards, partying, and all that kind of good stuff — but they also made sure we stayed focused while we were here.”
A genuine interest in student retention and success is something that keeps many Magicians returning to the school long after they graduate, Chinn-Jointer explains. But she also speaks of a magic essence — one that is made stronger by the students who bring the campus to life, both on and off the school’s grounds.
Take, for example, the involvement of LOC students in the Civil Rights Movement. Their passionate engagement resounded through later generations of students as the need for more marches and activism opportunities grew. Chinn-Jointer explains it is a demonstration of the university’s lasting commitment to “dignity and respect.”
“Your experience as a student here is a lasting, fulfilling relationship that you have. You don’t ever lose it,” Chinn-Jointer says. “We always talk about the magic and the LeMoyne-Owen mystique — it’s wearing those LeMoyne-Owen colors, the purple and the gold, very proudly. Holding your head up, shoulders back when you walk into a room with anybody — you can stand toe-to-toe with them. That’s being a LeMoyne-Owen graduate.”
(Photo: KQ Communications)
There’s No Place Like LeMoyne
As president, Davis emphasizes the impact of alumni in helping the school reach new heights, but he also calls on current students to help tell LOC’s story. A crucial part of this, he says, is stressing that their decision to enroll there is one of intention. “You didn’t come to LeMoyne because you couldn’t go somewhere else. You came to LeMoyne because you were convinced there was no place better. We want to give them the tools and resources to, number one, live into their authentic selves, but most importantly, be positioned to be successful in life.”
For Danielle Jathan, attending LOC has been the coming-true of a seemingly unattainable dream. Jathan made LOC a home away from home as an international student hailing from an inner-city community in Jamaica called Waterhouse. “[In Waterhouse] there’s a lot of crime and violence, teenage pregnancy, gun violence — I actually never thought I would come out of that,” says Jathan. “The system makes it so hard to rise above it from a lower class.”
The idea of rising above wasn’t germane to her situation at home though. Jathan is the 2023-2024 Student Government Association (SGA) president, a peer tutor mentor, and a member of Collegiate 100 and the Rotary club, to name a few.
Jathan was also chosen to represent LOC at the White House as a 2023 White House Initiative HBCU scholar. There, she says, very few had heard of the college, so she embraced the opportunity to speak “more and more” about LeMoyne-Owen.
“It was nice for me to actually get the school’s name out there,” Jathan says. “We have this saying in Jamaica [that fits], ‘Wi likkle but wi tallawah,’ meaning people think we’re this small, private school and we don’t have much talent, but really we’re so rich with talent and prosperity.”
While Jathan plays a prominent role on campus, leadership is relatively new to her. Back at home she was known to lead from behind, she says, staying to herself and letting others take the reins. But this all changed when she came to LOC, where opportunities to lead appeared at every turn. “People kept calling me to things, saying, ‘Danielle can do this. Danielle can do that,’” says Jathan. “I realized students looked to me, and I realized I was actually good with [building] relationships with them.”
Jathan’s work is demonstrative not only of the Magician spirit, but of her devotion to motivate her fellow students to succeed. While Jathan’s involvement is marked by encouraging others, she is also able to pinpoint the ways that LOC has poured into her.
“[LOC] has equipped me with all of the leadership skills I need,” she says. “It actually brought out the leadership qualities that I already had that I didn’t know I had.”
This is a crucial element, especially for students who venture from their hometowns to study at LOC. Honesty Campbell and Kevin Bland are two out-of-state students, studying business management and special education, respectively, who both agree that the essence and life of the campus made their decision to enroll easy.
“From the moment I stepped on the campus, I felt a vibe,” Bland says. “It was a little different. Everyone seemed to operate on family time. I didn’t want to go to U of M — thought it was too big. I decided to sit down somewhere where the environment is small and where I get to learn everybody that I can.”
The more intimate setting of 463 students invokes a tight-knit bond that students adore. Campbell didn’t visit the college prior to enrolling, but through relationship-building with her peers she now knows she made the right decision.
“We are surrounded and based off family,” says Campbell. “This becomes your family.”
Community impacts every aspect of the student experience, Bland says. It’s as if the school is tailored to match the needs of each student individually, as he’s found he’s never quite alone through anything he’s faced.
“There’s someone always around who’s attended the school, that knows about the school,” Bland says. “When you meet that person for the first time, there’s already a connection there.”
(Photo: KQ Communications)
Magic at Work
A bulk of the magic of LeMoyne comes from alumni and current students keeping the legacy alive, but Davis says in order to continue this momentum, they have to give back to the community that helped them to become who they are today.
“One of the things I like to boast and brag about is that, regardless of where our students come from, 98 percent of our graduates stick and stay in Memphis when they graduate,” Davis says. “We have a direct impact on the economy, culture, and direction of this city.”
The school’s curriculum is constantly evolving to adapt to not only the needs of the workforce, but the city’s workforce specifically, Davis says, adding that the major markets in Memphis are education, healthcare, supply-chain logistics, and IT — and the school is responsible for supplying the needs of these markets.
For example, the school has a new partnership with MSCS as a pipeline for teachers. “We’re looking to be ‘The Source’ of teachers for Memphis-Shelby County Schools,” says Davis. “Not just any teachers, but teachers who have been trained and developed and nurtured to serve in urban school districts — specifically Memphis-Shelby County Schools.”
It’s important for students to not only stay in Memphis, but for them to be employed in the city as well. Davis hopes employers consider LOC graduates when vetting candidates for various jobs in the city, as the school has had the needs of Memphis in mind when preparing students.
“Not only do we want our students to stay here — we are training and upscaling our students so they can be employed here,” he says.
As the school continues to explore the source of what makes the school unique, it can’t be narrowed down to just one thing. The magic lives in its campus, its students, its alumni, and the legacy that has permeated the city of Memphis and beyond.
“This isn’t your mother’s Mean Girls,” reads the marketing slogan. Whatever that means.
Twenty years ago, we were transported to a mini-skirt-clad world where pink was worn on Wednesdays and everyone had been personally victimized by Regina George. In 2004, comedian and writer Tina Fey brought the world of the Plastics to life in Mean Girls.
Defined by catty comebacks and irreverent humor, the mean girls in Fey’s world weren’t as dark as the ones at Westerburg High, nor did they cover up a murder-by-jawbreaker. Instead, they skillfully mastered a new level of manipulation and backstabbing, leaving behind a cult classic.
The 2004 movie holds a special place in pop culture, and now inspires a whiff of millennial nostalgia. Attempts were made to make fetch happen again with the made-for-TV film Mean Girls 2, but it paled in comparison to the original. Fey went back to high school for Mean Girls: The Musical, which opened on Broadway in 2018 and ran until Covid shut New York’s theaters down in March 2020.
The Broadway play ushered in a new generation of fans, but the original fan base was still around and kicking, which means that when the trailer for the film adaptation of the musical adaptation was released with the tagline “Not your mother’s Mean Girls,” it was going to alienate somebody.
Turns out, there was nothing to worry about. The 2024 adaptation of Mean Girls: The Musical serves as a nice entry point to the fandom for newer audiences, while embracing the elements that contributed to the phenomenon.
Staying faithful to the Broadway source material, the film opens with narration by Janis Imi’ike (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian Hubbard (Jaquel Spivey), who preface the story with the song “A Cautionary Tale” delivered in the portrait style of a vlog, which will become a recurring visual element of the film.
Similar to a Broadway stage change, we’re whisked to Kenya where Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) sits alone pondering if there is more to life than current circumstances (“What Ifs”). Her mother (Jenna Fischer) informs her that they will be moving from Africa to Illinois, thus presenting an opportunity for Cady, who had always been homeschooled, to find her footing.
Principal Duvall (reprised by Tim Meadows) introduces Cady (or Caddy) to the less-than-welcoming Northshore community, including her homeroom teacher Ms. Norbury (reprised by Tina Fey). The hothouse world of high school throws Cady for a loop, and the infamous cafeteria scene only adds to her disorientation.
As she settles into her canonical bathroom stall for lunch, Janis and Damian bring Cady under their wings to help her find her ideal clique. But first, Damian and Janis warn Cady, beware of The Plastics—notorious gossiper Gretchen Wieners (Bebe Wood), ditzy Karen Shetty (Avantika), and the queen bee, Regina George (Reneé Rapp reprising her acclaimed role in the 2019 Broadway production).
The chokehold that Regina has on the student body is displayed in the song “Meet The Plastics,” and it’s evident that Cady secretly yearns to be accepted by Regina and her friends. After being invited to sit with the Plastics for the remainder of the week, Cady goes to math class, where she meets Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney).
Cady falls hard for Aaron, and sings “Stupid With Love,” but she’s warned by Gretchen to not pursue him any further, as Aaron is Regina’s ex. Oblivious to the deep politics of the situation, Aaron invites Cady to his Halloween party. Regina, who is now aware of Cady’s crush, plots to spite Cady by getting back together with Aaron, setting Cady on a path to revenge with a scheme to ruin Regina’s life with guidance from Janis and Damian.
The film is filled with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it references to the original movie, and fun cameos. Lindsay Lohan, who rode the original film to superstardom in 2004, plays the math competition moderator. But as is always the case with Broadway adaptations, some elements that made the original film so iconic are either toned down, or get lost in the theatrics.
Take, for instance, “Revenge Party,” which introduces Janis, Damian, and Cady’s plan to ruin Regina’s life. While it’s a fun number which translates to the screen beautifully, it sacrifices the cold-blooded sabotage our anti-heroic trio originally displayed. Sure, it’s a colorful sequence, accompanied by a skillful montage. But it lacks the queasy emotional impact of Regina’s fall from grace and Cady’s meteoritic, Machiavellian rise to popularity.
Still, the Plastics are back with a fresh set of faces to invite audiences to “write it all down.” They may have lost a bit of their edge, but gained some catchy songs, and a new generation of fans.
Based on the novel and Broadway musical, The Color Purple takes the big screen.
Alice Walker’s 1982 novel The Color Purple is a revered novel that has inspired several adaptations. Written as a series of letters to God by an African-American woman named Celie, Walker’s novel spares no details of trauma and tragedy as Celie reaches for hope and self-empowerment.
The novel was an instant hit, and in 1985, it was adapted into a movie directed by Steven Spielberg with a score by Quincy Jones. The film not only marks Whoopi Goldberg’s breakthrough role, but stars Oprah Winfrey as Sofia, Danny Glover as Albert “Mister” Johnson, and Margaret Avery as Shug Avery.
The film was a huge success in 1985, but since then, most critiques stemmed from the decision to have a white director at the center of a story with such heavy themes of Blackness, as well as the source material’s overall use of explicit language and sexual details. The effectiveness of Walker’s and Spielberg’s works are not solely measured by their ability to withstand the test of time, but how the story resonates through the years.
In 2005, a Broadway musical version of The Color Purple used both the novel and film as inspiration. The original production garnered 11 Tony Awards, with a revival winning two more in 2016. Given the musical’s popularity, it was primed to be perfect source material for a silver screen adaptation.
Director Blitz Bazawule’s new film tells Celie’s story of tragedy to triumph in a softer, more condensed way. The film opens on the Georgia coast in the year 1909, where we meet the young versions of sisters Celie (Phylicia Pearl Mpasi) and Nettie (Halle Bailey) singing “Huckleberry Pie” while playing a hand-clapping game. The innocent scene is soon shattered, when we learn that Celie is pregnant by the man she knows as her father, Alfonso (Deon Cole).
We are then transported into a powerful gospel number, “Mysterious Ways,” sung by First Lady (Tamela Mann), Reverend Samuel Avery (David Alan Grier), and the congregation. Nettie’s infectious love for life shines through in the way she joins the congregation in praise and dance. Meanwhile, Celie sits quietly and observes.
When Celie gives birth to her son (with a Whoopi Goldberg cameo as the midwife) the miracle of childbirth is cut short. Alfonso takes Celie’s baby away, telling her the child is gone. This isn’t the first time this has happened, as Celie birthed another child, Olivia, who was also taken away. It’s obvious that Celie’s view on life is impacted greatly by this; however, she finds love and comfort in Nettie who brings her lessons and stories from school.
Nettie has caught the eye of an older widower known as Albert “Mister” Johnson (Colman Domingo). Moved by this infatuation, Mister asks Alfonso for Nettie’s hand in marriage, which Alfonso refuses, and instead offers him Celie. Mister is a cruel and abusive man, who repeatedly takes his anger out on Celie, while lamenting over his mistress, Shug Avery (Taraji P. Henson).
Tired of Alfonso’s sexual advances towards her, Nettie runs away and seeks refuge with Celie and Mister. However, this reunion is proved short-lived. When Nettie fights off Mister’s advances, he throws her out, too. The sisters endure another heartbreaking separation. Nettie promises to write every day. Years pass, and Celie (played as an adult by Fantasia Barrino) has yet to hear from Nettie, resulting in her questioning the goodness of God, and whether love exists for her in this world. As she continues to endure the hardships of life, primarily caused by Mister, she meets Sofia (Danielle Brooks), whose strong-mindedness and assertiveness are a bold contradiction to Celie’s demeanor. She also comes face to face with Shug Avery, who teaches her to observe the beauty of life, while learning the difference between suffering induced by God and man.
Bazawule’s iteration retains the crux of the story at its core. Most of the film’s power comes from the songs, while some significant story elements from previous versions have been omitted or toned down. We still sympathize with Celie for her hardships, but we’re not buried under the same avalanche of tragedies as we have seen in previous adaptations. Bazawule carefully works with the musical score, so as not to make a mockery of the story with song and dance numbers. Relying on the music could have potentially weakened the film, but the strength and commitment of the performers carry the day.
This September, Rough Feathers Clothing Co.’s designer Antonio Jones said Memphis was on the cusp of a fashion revolution.
The city has taken hold over the country’s music and entertainment scene at large, and another takeover appears imminent, given the robust talent coming from Bluff City designers. This revolution coincides with a reevaluation of the fashion industry itself.
While 2020 will forever be synonymous with the Covid-19 pandemic, the year also centered many conversations around social justice. As civil unrest brewed around the nation, talk about inequities in law enforcement broadened to encompass various industries.
Fashion, too, has had its share of controversies surrounding diversity and inclusion efforts. And while fashion houses sought to bring more opportunities to designers of color, many designers opted to prepare their own seat at the table.
This shift not only caused more people to support independent designers and brands, but to focus on the talent of locals in their community as well.
The Flyer talked to designers from five Black-owned brands about their respective journeys — and how the city has influenced their style.
ODDS Atelier
Matthew “Matt” Roumain and Cornelius “Kidd” Martin have always been into fashion. The “mid-30”-year-olds have a friendship that has spanned almost two decades and decided when the time was right, they’d either come out with a clothing line together or open up a sneaker store.
Matt Roumain (Photo: Bryce Landen)
The right time fell in 2020.
Martin notes while they started the build-out of their business, ODDS Atelier, during the pandemic, they didn’t have the opportunity to open “until the pandemic tapered off. … Two weeks into signing the lease, and the world shuts down.”
Like many, the pandemic called for the pair to launch into “scramble mode,” or “the road less traveled,” as they recall. For them, it meant they would have to be more hands-on with their project than expected, but it also led to more innovation and creativity.
Before even starting their business, Roumain and Martin knew intentionality was essential to their “why.” Roumain recalls conversations during their brainstorming process where they said, “If it’s not going to be art, then why even waste our time?”
“Being unique is one thing, but being intentional is another,” says Martin.
Cornelius “Kidd” Martin (Photo: Bryce Landen)
Each piece in ODDS has a bit of the pair’s personality in it, they say. With fashion being such a personal creative outlet, it’s hard not to find an imprint of the designer in the pieces they create. A bulk of their work is influenced by travels and memories.
“I think both of us are very well-read, spiritual, and philosophical,” says Roumain. “When you get into those schools of thoughts, intentions are transferable. The energy you put into something is what’s going to resonate or reverberate. We’re very intentional about using high-quality materials. Attention to detail — having a reason as to why we actually created something. Not just because it’s trendy or in vogue.”
The decision to go atelier style is reflective of this attention to detail. Atelier translates to “workshop” in French, Roumain explains, which is why they opt for a more “industrial” aesthetic in the brick-and-mortar store. “Lots of metals, raw materials, glasses, concrete … they kind of just exist in this cohesive manner that’s infused with art. We just wanted to, you know … tell the story.”
These sentiments are apparent in every component of ODDS, from the copper chandelier made in hopes of bringing good energy to the shop itself, to the decision to call their items “pieces” as opposed to “merch” or “apparel.”
“There’s a space for that,” says Martin. “This just so happened not to be that space. These are pieces. Timeless pieces is what we’re going for.”
ODDS Atelier will release a collaboration with the Memphis Grizzlies’ 191 Collabs on November 24th. For more info, visit oddsatelier.com.
Miles Thomas aka “Hippy”
When Miles Thomas spoke with the Flyer, he described himself as “somebody who is still learning everything to be the best designer I can.”
“I don’t take any of the success that I’ve had so far for granted,” he says. “I think it’s a blessing to be where I’m at, but there’s more that I want, for sure.”
Miles “Hippy” Thomas (Photo: McKenzii Webster)
Thomas’ second collection, “In Due Time,” was released in collaboration with the Memphis Grizzlies on October 27th. He released his first collaboration with the team in February of this year.
Aside from “Hippy,” Thomas also touts the nickname “The Hustler,” given by those close in his circle. And with good reason: Most of his opportunities have come from cold calls and emails. That dogged determination paid off with the Memphis Grizzlies, after he’d emailed hoping for a chance to work with them.
Through “the grace of God” and after “months of being in their face,” his moment came. An opportunity to work alongside the team through the 191 Collabs program arose. According to the NBA, the program is in partnership with Hennessy “to celebrate Memphis designers and showcase our city’s unique voice and vibe through hyper-local Grizz garments with double the designers and double the gear.”
In his first collaboration, the 23-year-old knew he wanted to pay homage to the relationship he has with his father, and the role the Grizzlies have played in it. But with his most recent collection, Thomas wanted to tell the story of his trajectory as a designer and what his next steps will be.
“That’s where the name ‘In Due Time’ comes from,” says Thomas. “Due to everybody that told me to ‘just stay down. Your moment will come as long as you keep working.’ If you keep doing the things that you’re doing, in due time, everything will come to pass.”
For his work, Thomas draws inspiration from memories and experiences — being born and raised in Memphis, and interacting with “essentially every part of the city.”
“I went to church in Orange Mound, school in Collierville. I lived in Cordova and would spend time with my dad in East Memphis,” Thomas says. “While Memphis is very connected, each part of the city has its own flavor. I think I’ve been able to take in the flavor from everywhere, and that’s kind of influenced my designs.”
While being from Memphis gives Thomas a special advantage in the design space, so does being Black. Being Black means there are stories that can only be told by those who live and experience them, he says.
“There are certain things that Black people get that maybe other cultures don’t get, and that’s the dope part.”
Take for instance his limited-edition Bayou Barbie shirts, inspired by LSU women’s basketball player Angel Reese. The shirts were made after he saw the backlash from the “outside world” regarding Reese’s mannerisms and court behavior.
“Sometimes we feel like we have to be so inclusive with the story and break it down so everybody understands it. I don’t necessarily think that’s the case for us,” Thomas says. “I think sometimes we can just tell the story and let people interpret it and let people do what they do with it. But we have to continue to be us, and let our culture be our culture.”
Samilia Colar remembers growing up watching her mother sew. But she didn’t really see “what this sewing business was all about” until she enrolled in Memphis College of Art.
The 39-year-old’s first foray into sewing began when she started making bags out of the Ankara fabric she had at the house. She says she was always drawn to the vibrant colors and patterns, which have since become synonymous with her brand.
As a designer and creator, Colar is aware that what she puts out evokes emotion. Her designs have a direct impact on the customer’s mood and sense of self, so she wants people to feel good about them.
“There’s so much in the world that can bring you down, day to day, so I think it’s important to keep your spirits lifted, to keep your emotions in a positive place,” Colar says. “That’s what I want people to feel when they’re wearing any of my pieces. To feel good about themselves, to feel confident, to feel balanced, to feel joyful.”
Samilia Colar’s envelope clutch (Photo: Casa Creative)
Colar started out solely making handbags. But little by little, she expanded her brand to encompass other pieces of fashion.
“I really started with handbags, and then apparel, making things for myself and my kids, and anytime I would have something, people would say, ‘Can you make me one?’ or ‘Can you make me an outfit?’ And that’s how that came about,” she says.
Colar’s work is filled with duality. While the fabrics pay homage to her African heritage, they also encapsulate the vibrancy she’s always been drawn to. Her most recent line of streetwear-inspired looks combines repurposed denim and Ankara fabric.
“I always loved duality,” Colar says. “I like combining the vibrant fabric with something toned-down or neutral or something refined. Combining that with something a little distressed — I just love that juxtaposition. I think it brings interest to whatever you’re wearing.”
The decision to pair repurposed denim with her beloved fabrics not only demonstrates her versatility as a designer but exemplifies the responsibility she holds as a designer. She seeks to be a part of sustainable change, and part of that requires her to ensure her pieces are a reflection of that.
“It’s important for me to consider sustainability in my practice because I do a lot with younger generations,” Colar says. “I teach workshops all throughout the year. I’m teaching all ages, from youth on up to adults, but with the youth that I have in my workshops, since they are the next generation, I want to be able to instill [in them] and practice what I preach with sustainability. If we’re not teaching it, then where is it going to go when we’re not in the field anymore?”
And she recognizes these decisions not only impact the people in her community, but the industry as a whole.
“You never know who’s watching you, who’s looking at your post, who might engage with you, and what years they have,” Colar says. “It’s just a great way to change how things are, if it’s not working, and to have impact.”
Breana Mitchell describes herself as an artist. Art is personal, and it affects her life in many ways.
“I put my hands in a lot of things dealing with creativity,” Mitchell says.
Known around the city as Brezay, Mitchell is a pop star, excelling in singing, songwriting, and dancing. And it’s no surprise a pop star would have a hand in crafting their own look and image. But Mitchell knew she wanted to be a part of fashion, and not just someone who rocked it.
Breana Mitchell (Photo: Francois Visuals)
The 23-year-old launched her clothing brand, Brezerk, while enrolled in college at Jackson State University. The brand’s name, one might notice, is a fusion of the designer’s own name and the word “berserk.”
“The original vocab for that means ‘go crazy, insane,’ something like that,” Mitchell says. “Every time I would put on some clothes, the first thing people would say is, ‘Oh, your clothes go crazy. Where’d you get that from?’ So I was like, ‘Let me put my initials into berserk,’ and I ended up coming up with Brezerk.”
As a self-imposed trendsetter, Mitchell says hopping on trends begins and ends with dance challenges, not her clothing. She prides herself on deviating from the norm when it comes to fashion and “not copying anybody.” Her style is reflective of her inclination to stand out, and so are the pieces from Brezerk.
“I’m not really a trendy person,” Mitchell admits. “I really like to create stuff that is different and starts the trend. I base my clothes off of trying to be different.”
At times, though, that can be difficult, Mitchell adds. “I want to be different, but I still want it to look good and make sense.”
Mitchell draws from her personal experiences, as well as the city that raised her, when creating pieces. Her brand’s “Homemade” shirts remain a local crowd favorite.
“A lot of people from Memphis really love that shirt,” she says. “Memphis is how a person is.
“If you’re raised in Memphis, you’re a certain way when you go out of town. I’m homemade. I’m original. I came from Memphis. I based that off the city.”
Scrolling Juss Vibe’s Instagram (@jussvibez_), you’ll find an infinite feed of Memphians who “put that sh*t on.”
Both the page and the clothing brand of the same name are all about community — and were born out of the spirit of collaboration. The brand is the brainchild of five friends — Torrey Washington (23), Antonio Webster (21), Gregory Webster (24), Kameron Jackson (24), and Demarcus Williams (22) — who “shared a dream of creating something that transcended their individual selves.”
Torrey Washington, Antonio Webster (back), Gregory Webster, Kameron Jackson (back), and Demarcus Williams (Photo: Jadarius Lawson)
“If I was to describe Juss Vibe to someone who doesn’t know nothing about it or ever even heard the word, I’ll just say it’s a cool little clothing brand,” Washington says. “Just promoting vibes. Promoting good clothes — just going about life.”
The brand is the product of people who sought to make something of themselves while also creating affordable and accessible clothing for their peers and community. The name speaks to their mission, which is more a way of life, they say.
“Positive vibes. Just putting out good energy,” Gregory says.
You’ll find the signature saying on a number of the brand’s pieces, such as their breast cancer awareness collection and their bucket hats and tees. They even put their own spin on University of Memphis game-day apparel, not only to celebrate their school but also to “represent their community as a whole.”
The group has found a way to master the art of virality, making it work for their online presence and brand in tandem. With the brand’s inception, they hadn’t set out to make clothes that appealed to the masses. But their signature duffle bags and hoodie quickly fell among the hottest pieces of streetwear. Soon after, their page was flooded with requests from people wanting to be featured sporting the brand’s newest apparel.
While having an impressive following proved to be integral to their brand visibility, its popularity can be traced to its mission to “empower individuals to embrace their unique vibes.”
Last year’s World Afro Day at Delta State University (Photo: Campbell Saia)
When the CROWN Act, prohibiting companies from discrimination based on an employee’s hairstyle, was passed in Tennessee back in 2022, it marked a victory for Black women in the workplace. Black women finally felt seen in their battle with corporate America. Many had long struggled with perfecting a hairstyle that seemed “appropriate” for the workplace without sacrificing their sense of identity, and the passage of this law called for celebration.
After all, only a few years prior in 2017, a United States federal court ruled that companies could discriminate against potential employees for having dreadlocks, inciting London-based Michelle De Leon to found World Afro Day that year.
Memphis native Phiandrea Pruitt originally discovered the holiday through a casual scroll session on X (formerly known as Twitter). When she found out there was a holiday that celebrated Black women, and “Afro hair” as De Leon refers to it, she realized she wanted to bring the holiday to the South.
Pruitt began by hosting an annual event at her undergraduate institution, Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi; however, after graduating, she knew that she wanted to bring the event to her hometown.
This year, Pruitt is hosting a World Afro Day Art Exhibition at Orijennal Art on September 15th. The event is $22, and tickets can be purchased through Orijennal Art’s website at orijennalart.com.
Jennifer Elaine, owner of Orijennal Art, explains that this exhibition served as a perfect opportunity for collaboration since her own art showcases natural hair and empowers Black women to love themselves. Her work, she says, is meant to “display Black women in a positive light.” “Embracing all of their kinks and curls,” she adds.
The event will serve as the ultimate “natural hair kickback” with the intention of celebrating and hosting meaningful discussions about natural hair. Elaine explains the artwork on display will “illustrate the beauty of our natural Afro kinks and curls on canvas by several talented Black artists.”
Attendees will also be able to enjoy wine and catered cuisine, and are even invited to paint their own “Afro art.” As a special treat, DJ Crystal Mercedes will be on the “ones and twos.”
This event also marks a special moment for one of Memphis’ natural hair pioneers, Takeisha Berry Brooks, founder and owner of A Natural Affair beauty salon, with locations in Cordova and Memphis. Brooks, who also founded De•Fine Natural Hair, a Black-owned hair care brand, alongside her husband, will be the guest speaker for the event.
“This is empowerment for me because I remember when the movement started, and it was just a trickle of people. Now it’s everywhere,” Brooks says.
A.R. The Mermaid (Photo: Tamara May); Jus Bentley (Photo: Jacorri Washington); Glockianna (Photo: Duke Nitty)
While our favorite “Hot Girl Coach” Megan Thee Stallion coined “Hot Girl Summer” in 2019, a new term made its way into the mainstream last summer — and at the hands of Memphis’ own rap princess GloRilla. In 2022, it was almost impossible to open our TikTok FYPs and not find a video with her song “F.N.F. (Let’s Go).” It became an anthem for end-of-summer photo dumps and Instagram stories, and a new light shined on our city’s rap scene.
Whether it was the infectious Memphis energy in the music videos for “F.N.F.” or “Tomorrow 2” or the rawness and realness of her cadence, GloRilla was met with explosive success. Not only did that put her in the spotlight, but it put new emphasis on Memphis-bred women in rap.
“Memphis female artists are so gangsta,” says Zachary Hurth, a content creator, director, and media consultant, who may be best known for his Back Of The Class (BOTC). The IG channel (@backoftheclasss_) boasts more than 50,000 followers and features “desk freestyles” with up-and-coming Memphis stars, including K Carbon, Gloss Up, and Slimeroni.
“If you remember being in school and you turned around, that’s what Back Of The Class is,” says Hurth. “It’s rapping in the back of the class like we really used to do. It’s like a stage for artists to come and show their creativity, show who really can rap.”
Whether rappers from Memphis “really can rap” has never been a question — the city has birthed a number of rap legends, with Young Dolph, Moneybagg Yo, and Gangsta Boo among them. But a rap renaissance is upon us, and many local women are at the forefront.
Hurth has taken his BOTC project outside of the city — to Los Angeles, Dallas, and Atlanta — and says the Memphis vibe is incomparable. “It’s female artists blowing up everywhere,” Hurth says. “But it’s something about the way a Memphis woman pops; nobody in America — across the world — can do it like them.
“When they come in, they give it their all. They’re not acting,” says Hurth. “And they got this good morale because they’re seeing themselves blow up.”
The Flyer spoke to three of Memphis’ emerging female rap artists (two of whom have been featured on BOTC) who are in the midst of such a “blow up” — women who are contributing to the evolution of the genre.
A.R. The Mermaid (Photo: Tamara May)
A.R. The Mermaid
The titular character of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale has been prone to revamping since her inception. But one artist has decided to do it with an East Memphis flair and an alternative vibe. Her name is Ariel Wright (“Big A.R., not the little one,” she says) — and there’s a new mermaid in town.
A.R. The Mermaid has always known she was “that bitch,” she says, and she’s never needed the validation of others to confirm that.
While mermaids are her mythical creature of choice, her style and brand are a juxtaposition of several identities that pay homage to a few of her favorite female artists. “I got Erykah Badu, which is [representative of] being different. Tina Turner with the rock-star vibes. Rico Nasty with the alternative look and the emo vibes,” she says.
As she draws inspiration from greats before her, she’s also forging her own distinct image and sound. Fashion-wise, you’ll find her scouring the racks of Hot Topic, Spencer’s, and Dolls Kill while rocking her signature black lip. Musically, she describes her style as a mix of alternative, emo, trap music, and R&B, marked by her notable raspy voice and free spirit. “No-fucks-given type of shit,” she says.
Music has always been a way for A.R. to express herself, and she’s well versed in several genres aside from rap. She dates some of her formative experiences to singing in her church, and she was in a singing group during her teenage years.
“I stopped singing when I was 17, 18. Started rapping probably when I was like 20,” she says.
“Honestly, I fell out of love with singing for a second. It just got too crucial. I had to take a break mentally and get my mind right.
“And my way of expressing myself with what was going on at the moment was to rap. Singing wasn’t in me, so I was like, ‘Hey, maybe I should start rapping.’” The 25-year-old says once she started taking that music “to the streets,” it was kismet, and “[the people] started fucking with it.”
When A.R. spoke with the Flyer, she was still riding the high following the release of her single “Sneaky Link.” The music video — her debut single with 300 Entertainment — premiered in May and has since hit over 22K views.
She never expected the song to have a virality to it — it just had a beat, composed by SGULL, that beckoned for a story to be told. “At the time, I was really going through that shit, so it was perfect,” she says. “It was really a vibe creating that.”
Her music teems with real-life experiences (in the case of “Sneaky Link,” the nuances of a secret link-up). The ability to tell stories through music has been freeing, she says, and she recognizes how her Memphis roots have catapulted her into a space where her sound and background are being celebrated.
“Memphis itself creates a whole new sound, just from our lingo, our flow, how we talk, just the sauce itself,” she says. “Being out here in Memphis really made me the artist that I am, like on some put-that-shit-together type of shit.”
Glockianna (Photo: Duke Nitty)
Glockianna
Being able to hold your own in a freestyle battle is the mark of true rap talent, and many Back Of The Class alumni have passed the test with flying colors. One such artist recently went viral on the platform, her session amassing nearly 69,000 likes.
The viral IG performance is almost ironic considering Glockianna didn’t care much for social media initially. “At first I hated social media,” she says. “Like, I hate when people bring up their opinions or how they feel about this person or that person because the person still going to do what they want to do in the end.”
Viewers of Glockianna’s freestyle video fill the comment section with fire emojis and note how “hard” of an artist she is. And when the 16-year-old speaks with the Flyer, that’s exactly how she describes herself — hard.
Glockianna has been rapping since she was 12 years old, and it all started as a way for her to grapple with her emotions. When she was younger, she often found herself getting into fights.
“I was fighting everybody,” she says. “But when I stopped fighting and put the aggression I had toward people to the song, and put it inside my music instead, it became a way for me to cope with my anger.”
Growing up in a family full of musicians, she always felt there was an opportunity for a career in music. But her proclivity to rap wasn’t a given. Her early musical memories are defined by R&B favorites like Jay Morris Group, but, she says, the moment she heard rap, she fell in love with it.
Rap has given her an outlet to tell her story, just the way it is. “I’m telling you what happened, why it happened, who did it to me, and how I feel about it basically,” she says.
A lot has happened in a short time since Glockianna honed in on her passion for the genre. She signed to Duke Deuce Enterprises’ Made Men Mafia (Triple M) record label in 2022. And she joined the famed Memphis rapper on stage for his Rolling Loud performance that year. The invitation to perform at the hip-hop festival “was a surprise for me honestly,” she says. “I thought he was joking, but he was like, ‘Nah, for real, you doing Rolling Loud.’”
That experience was pivotal for Glockianna. She’d previously performed in front of much smaller crowds. Even at those smaller shows, she was nervous. “Shaking in my boots,” she says.
But watching videos of her on stage as thousands raise their phones to capture the moment, it’s hard to believe that. She exudes confidence as she raps one of her anthems, “Stomp On Em.”
Glockianna admits that early on she was inclined to stick to the status quo, and not waver from her initial sound. But that has since changed. “When I go back and look at my music from then, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, terrible,’” she says. “I wasn’t really being myself and being comfortable. But my music now? Oh, it’s way better. Ain’t no cap in my rap; I really mean exactly what I’m saying.”
In the March 2023 release, “It Ain’t Glock Fault,” she keeps it real from the start, proclaiming she’s “keeping my foot on some necks” — and the rapper isn’t afraid to call someone out by name to tell it like it is. Though, Glockianna feels she still has to prove herself at times — because trolls still lurk.
“People do not take a young female seriously,” she says. “They see me and they’re like, ‘Oh she’s young and ain’t gonna last long and this and that.’ People think just because of my age and me being a female from South Memphis … they underestimate me a lot.”
There’s a duality to being a younger artist, she says. On one hand, it’s overcoming an archetype; on the other, it’s birthing a mystique. But people can’t help but be in awe of a talent who still maintains a spot on the honor roll.
“When I post on social media, or someone posts me, I get a lot of attention ’cause I’m young and what I say is powerful,” she says. “People love it.”
Jus Bentley (Photo: Jacorri Washington)
Jus Bentley
Artist Jus Bentley’s seventh album, rockS.T.A.R.(2023), is special to her. “S.T.A.R.,” she says, is an acronym for “status, trust, ambition, and respect” — to her, crucial tenets in the star-making process. For the album, she intentionally chose beats she had never rapped over before, or “beats you would never hear Jus Bentley on.”
“How can I make this mine?” the 29-year-old artist explains. “With how I rap, my flow, my cadence, how can I make these beats into a song that would be mine? So I tapped into not only rapping but songwriting.” The project wasn’t just about making one stellar song, but creating several that flow together as a story.
When Jus Bentley first started out at age 16, she was mostly focused on branding, as opposed to making music she found to be meaningful.
“I’m more conscious about what I’m saying [now]. When you grow or when you get older, you have to evolve,” she says. “If you listened to Jus Bentley when she was 18 or 19 versus Jus Bentley now, you’re going to see the evolution, the growth in the subject matter. You’re going to be able to grow with me.”
That growth led to opportunities to record with Don Trip (on Bentley’s “Want It” and Trip’s “Rocking”), and to work with notable artists Zed Zilla and Hitkidd (on “BU$Y”). She’s also earned a musical credit on the Starz hit show, P-Valley.
“I’m confident in who I am as a person, which allows me to be confident as an artist,” she says. “[Back then] I was a confident artist, but I wasn’t confident in myself. I took that time and said, ‘This is the type of artist I want to be,’ and that has helped me be a better person. When you’re a better person, or try to be, you can’t help but to attract good things.”
For her newer work, Jus Bentley was adamant about recording with and having her music mixed by women, so rockS.T.A.R. was mixed and mastered by SkilerJoi, with Lildezzyx as the recording engineer. “I wanted it to be a project that focused on women empowering other women,” she says. “If the majority does not look like you, you’re at a disadvantage. The majority of people that are in music, that promote music, that run music, or can get you to that next level are men. We’re already at a disadvantage from day one — the thing is learning how to navigate through those disadvantages.”
Curved acrylic nails will be paired with Queen Charlotte-approved corsets, poker faces will be tested in a Spades tournament, and thousands will pour over to Orange Mound Tower to celebrate the culmination of Memphis-based art organization TONE’s annual Juneteenth weekend. A B.A.P.S-themed gala and a family reunion bash are the crowning jewels in this festive event honoring Black culture and freedom.
Kelsee Woods dances to a performance by singer-songwriter Talibah Safiya. (Photo: Noah Stewart)Talibah Safiya (Photo: Noah Stewart)
For Black Joy
According to TONE, Juneteenth is the day that “Black Americans were finally free to be seen as humans, and not objects.”
While many believe the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, marked the end of slavery, the National Museum of African American History and Culture reminds us that it “could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control.” All enslaved people were not considered free until June 19, 1865. On that day, 2,000 Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform more than 250,000 enslaved people they were free. This holiday is celebrated as the formal end of slavery in America.
When considering the cultural significance of Juneteenth for Black Americans, it’s fitting for TONE to host a celebration here. Victoria Jones, TONE’s executive director, says the organization is dedicated to holding a space for Black people to tell stories through film, visual arts, photography, and more, and it seeks to “heal a city and its trauma around racial injustice and all the things that come with that, but really, truly centering the joy of Black folks in that space and lifting that up through innovation.”
“However Black folks are showing up and telling their stories, we’re really working on capturing them, lifting them up, and putting them on a platform here at TONE,” Jones adds.
The organization has been around for about eight years, originally launched at Crosstown Arts as an initiative to diversify their audience. But once TONE saw the capacity their work had for building community and empowering Black people, they hopped around nomadically. However, Jones says, after having negative experiences at “legacy institutions” and “predominantly white organizations,” they realized they needed a place of their own.
“Realizing that those spaces were never really truly intended for us, even as they are trying to work on extending invitations to Black folks, we thought it would be in our best interest, and necessary for our sustainability, to open up our own space.”
On January 11, 2019, TONE opened the complex known as TONE HQ — at 2234 Lamar Avenue — to more than 2,500 guests from around the city. Since then, the organization has hosted a number of events — film screenings, exhibitions, and concerts — that have become cemented as pieces of Memphis iconography.
“Really any creative outlet that we can create for Black folks,” Jones says, “so we can continue to lift up the stories being told, in and around Memphis, and highlight the artists who are doing the courageous work of telling those stories.”
In 2020, the organization purchased property across the street from where their gallery currently sits. With this addition, they began to imagine how the property could serve as a “beacon of cultural innovation for Black folks,” and how they could center and lift up the work of “creatives and small business entrepreneurs.” TONE recently added an additional three acres to the property, making it 10-acres, where they are envisioning endeavors related to food, agriculture, health and wellness, education, job readiness, art, culture, tech innovation, and more.
The story of TONE itself is representative of the story of being Black in America. It’s a story that only those with lived experiences are qualified to tell. And when these stories are told, recurring themes of perseverance, resilience, and redirecting play prominent roles in planting seeds to honor those before them, and to empower both current and future generations.
Jones explains there is often a separation between the present and slavery, as though it existed “some very, very long time ago,” but that is not the case. She tells the Flyer that her Big Mama (grandmother) was raised by a man who was enslaved as a child. Jones says in her own youth, her understanding of Juneteenth was that it was a community service day. And while she agrees there is merit in choosing that as a way to commemorate the holiday, the day serves as a true reason to celebrate. Juneteenth is a time for Black Americans to celebrate their ancestors — and all there is to look forward to.
“N*ggas is free!” Jones exclaims. “That’s not always been true. Very recently that was not true. So to have the opportunity to give folks night after night of different experiences and touchpoints to just lean in and think about, honor, and celebrate the ancestors that got us here, the generations that it took for us to experience this level of freedom, and the celebration necessary to know that you gotta keep going. Sometimes we just need to be able to touch down, do a little dancing, so we can keep a good fight.”
At the center of Jones’ conversations on Juneteenth is Black joy, and when talking with the Flyer she makes sure the conversation concentrates on the freedom of Black people, as opposed to what they were being freed from.
JuDa Ezell with David Hammons’ African-American Flag (Photo: Kai Ross)A small group of festival attendees pose for a photo. (Photo: Noah Stewart)
For Culture
TONE’s Juneteenth: A Family Reunion, will host a variety of events from June 15th through 18th. The theme of a family reunion may seem obvious to those whose summers consisted of line dancing while wearing T-shirts adorned with family members’ names linked on a tree — and who know the realness of the “Cousin! What’s Up” gif of late rapper Tupac Shakur. However, to those who have no familiarity with these experiences, it may be less obvious.
“Families were destroyed during slavery,” Jones says. “Folks were stealing children and selling them to people.
“Folks were stealing mommas and selling them to people, stealing daddies and selling them to people, so the tradition of family reunions truly comes out of this desire to find your people, know your people.”
She also says family reunions for most people are an invitation back to the South, where many Black people’s roots are planted, and the decision to promote the celebration as a family reunion is an invitation to bring people together to “celebrate and love on each other for a weekend.”
TONE’s Juneteenth commemorations have been an evolution, with the first event being a Juneteenth Gala in 2019 where they invited Memphis musicians, visual and performing artists, and dancers to help energize the festivities.
The intention has always been to celebrate and showcase Black culture in the most authentic light, and that first TONE Juneteenth celebration was nothing short of that, with Chef Fran Mosley catering a spread of soul food favorites like fried chicken, macaroni-and-cheese, and peach cobbler, which Jones says “leans into what makes our people so special.”
This year’s weekend follows a format launched in 2022, the first year TONE was able to host both a gala and a festival. The weekend kicks off on Thursday, June 15th, with a screening of Robert Townsend’s 1997 film B.A.P.S (Black American Princesses), starring Halle Berry and Natalie Desselle, at Malco Studio on the Square in Midtown at 7 p.m., in collaboration with Indie Memphis.
In keeping the momentum of an authentic family reunion experience, TONE will host a Spades tournament on Friday, June 16th, with a prize of $200, where they’ll use custom-made playing cards. “The Spades tournament is a night for folks to come out and enjoy one of the most sacred card games known to man,” event organizers say. “It is a night for people to converse and convene over good music, food, and drinks. It is a night for all the big and all the bad to come out and claim their seat at the table.”
“If we’re going to have a family reunion, then we gotta have the Spades going,” Jones says.
A festival attendee matches the energy on their shirt. (Photo: Noah Stewart)Chef Araba Esoun embraces family. (Photo: Noah Stewart)
For Empowerment
For those who can’t seem to get enough of the Black American Princess aesthetic and are privy to the words of Lady Whistledown, the Juneteenth Gala will provide the ultimate experience. The Cadre Building Downtown will take attendees “from the Met Gala to the Mound” with some “ghetto fabulousness” in the mix.
“I haven’t had a number of opportunities to dress up and go to a gala, put on a gown, and all that,” says Jones. “Truly, what other reason than the freedom of my people. You know I gotta step out for that.”
The gala has become a staple in TONE’s Juneteenth weekend, as it was the organization’s inaugural celebratory event in 2019. “It was bursting at the seams then,” says Jones. “That’s how we knew we couldn’t do it here [at the TONE gallery] no more.”
Last year was the first time TONE pushed for a theme for the gala. They went with Afrofuturism, and people showed up in their “futuristic, beautiful, Black garb,” Jones says. This year, with the B.A.P.S theme, they anticipate baby hair galore, grills, and about 1,001 different approaches to corsets.
“If you could imagine a Met Gala with a Memphis twist — and when I say ‘Memphis’ I mean the actual city of Memphis, not the things we pretend it is, but true Memphis sh*t — I think that’s what you can expect.”
While these aesthetics may at times be shunned, Jones says it’s being embraced — and in a royal setting. “The emphasis has truly been on royalty, like Black folks showing up in this space of royalty. A lot of our belief system revolves around the idea that Black folks show up however they show up, and that space is to be honored,” says Jones.
Perhaps the most iconic component of TONE’s Juneteenth celebration is the festival, which was first held in 2021 as a way to celebrate the holiday in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic — a way for TONE to bring the magic of their indoor gala outside.
“I think we hosted over 11 artists, we had the marketplace set up, 90 percent of the vendors sold out, and the ones that didn’t came real close to selling out,” says Jones.
The festival has historically been held at the Orange Mound Tower, which holds special cultural significance for Black Memphians. While the gala has been held at different locations throughout the years, Jones says the festival will always be held in Orange Mound, as the neighborhood was built by the first generation freed from slavery.
“If we’re thinking about the legacy that came out of enslavement, then Orange Mound is literally the most powerful display of perseverance and innovation,” says Jones. “The Black folks that were told they were nothing more than property found a way to build an entire community upon freedom.”
The festival has always promised an outstanding experience (and FOMO potential), and this year will be no different, with headliners Project Pat, Hitkidd, and Duke Deuce and a slate of emerging talent including Talibah Safiya, Austin Crui$e, DJ Nico, Harley Quinn, and more, along with Black-owned food trucks and vendors.
Jones says this is also a moment for TONE to empower Black people economically. “The artists, we pay above what is market rate for the city, probably double for the city of Memphis. The musicians leave with money in their pocket. Our artisans, our makers, are leaving with bread in their pocket, as are the chefs and the caterers that show up with the food trucks. So it’s a beautiful day to celebrate and a beautiful way to make money.”
At its core, TONE’s Juneteenth celebration encapsulates not only the phenomenon of Black joy but also further shines a light on what makes the Black experience so unique and special — characterized by tenacious spirit and dreaming big.
“I can’t think of a single holiday that matters more than the celebration of our freedom, when we talk about Black joy, Black empowerment,” Jones says. “I can’t think of a better opportunity for real.”
For more information on TONE’s Juneteenth: A Family Reunion event (June 15th-18th, various locations), including schedule, lineup, and access to tickets, visit tonejuneteenth.com.
Whether you know it or not, your first introduction into drag probably occurred in your childhood living room. You may have found yourself watching a segment of Some Like It Hot on TCM or the iconic Divine receiving a formal introduction to the ’60s as Edna Turnblad in the John Waters’ hit Hairspray.
But for Skyler Bell, that entry point to the world of drag came while watching the 1995 film To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, starring Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, and John Leguizamo. That movie stoked their budding passion for drag, and years later, Bell would come to be known as Thee Native Supreme: India Taco, gracing the stages of The Bluff, Dru’s Bar, and Hi Tone.
Bell began doing drag when they were in college at Mississippi State University and has been performing for the past four years. Having grown up on a reservation in Choctaw, Mississippi, they even hold the honor of being the first drag queen from their tribe. And while Bell will always hold their humble beginnings and origins close to them, they realized they wanted more and moved to Memphis to pursue drag full-time.
The path Bell took is one that many aspiring Mid-South drag performers have walked. But what is it that draws people toward Memphis drag? There’s no doubt that the Bluff City is bursting with talent, and many of the performers who call Memphis home have worked hard to build up those talents.
Bella DuBalle (Photo: Drew Parker)
“When I first started doing drag in this city, it was very old-school, pageant drag. It was all about female impersonation, and this certain level of polish. There was almost like this unspoken rule of how things had to be done,” says Slade Kyle. They are a full-time drag entertainer, also known as Bella DuBalle, and serve as the show director at Atomic Rose on Beale Street.
However, as drag navigated into the mainstream, more styles began to appear. According to Kyle, if you’re lucky enough to get a front row seat to see the fifth season of Atomic Rose’s “War of The Roses” competition, you’ll see a diverse showcase of drag ranging from horror and camp drag to drag kings and pageant drag. Kyle says this is so audience members can get an idea of “all the crayons in the coloring box of drag.”
Moth Moth Moth (Photo: Vickie Quick)
Local activist, drag queen, newly crowned Miss Mid-South Pride, and Memphis Flyer 20 < 30 honoree Moth Moth Moth (Mothie for short) remembers when they started doing drag at Dru’s in 2016 in a “little orange dressing room,” with goth makeup and “really weird, obscure songs.” They recall performing with seasoned veterans like Beverly Hills, who began to appreciate this new, artistic way of drag.
“That type of perception was really early in Memphis,” says Mothie. “That eventually became much more of what everybody’s taste is now. Now people really appreciate, and identify, and love the gender fluidity of Memphis drag, and the way that so many different spaces are open.”
Keleigh Klarke (Photo: Gingersnap Photography)
Memphis drag is not only characterized by diversity and its ability to push the envelope, but it also holds true to the infamous grit-and-grind nature of the city. Kelly McDaniel, famously known as Keleigh Klarke on stage, has been doing drag in Memphis since 2001 and recalls a mantra that’s held true through it all. “If you can do drag in Memphis,” he says, “you can do drag anywhere.” McDaniel explains that it’s tough to do drag in Memphis, but you’ll find that masked under slayed lace fronts, Kryolan Paint Stick foundation, and MAC eyeshadow is a performer with thick skin.
“Our audiences here, they’re tough. This city by nature is a rough, hard city, and it takes a lot to impress people,” says McDaniel.
“It can be rough here, and it can be a rough industry for new entertainers to get into, but I think one of those things that sets us apart is that for the ones who do make it in the city, and do make a name for themselves and do make a legacy and a reputation and image, it makes you tough, it makes you grateful, and it makes you work a little bit harder because you want to keep that spot and keep proving yourself.”
Aubrey Ombre (Photo: Courtesy Aubrey Ombre)
Performers like Bell recognize this, and they also say the drag community in Memphis wouldn’t be what it is now without the legends that came before them and the legacy they cemented. Bell thanks not only veterans like McDaniel but also Kiera Mason, DuBalle, and Aubrey “Boom Boom” Ombre.
“If you go to a show, then you know Aubrey Boom Boom,” explains Bell. “Inside and outside of drag, that woman is everything. She’s helped me out, and the community, on and off the stage.” The legend Bell speaks of is Memphis native Aubrey Wallace, known not only by her stage name but also as the title-holder of Miss Gay Memphis 2019.
Miss Gay Memphis, formerly known as Miss Memphis Review, was one of the first crowns made in Memphis following the Stonewall riots. “Back then, it was illegal to do drag, so they had to wait until around Halloween to actually throw a party and dress up,” explains Wallace. “The Gay Memphis crown was created from that aspect of life. It has so much meaning to it and so much history that if someone competes for it, it’s a big honor to do so because you’re being a part of history and carrying on a legacy that has been passed on from generation to generation.”
As a queen with 12 years under her belt, Wallace possesses a wealth of knowledge that she’s always ready to share with newcomers. And her story starts at Backstreet Memphis, a place that many veterans say served not only as a launchpad for their career but also as a safe haven for their community. Performers like Wallace received their first glimpse into the gay club scene in 2010 at Backstreet, where their performance on the dance floor would capture the eyes of the club’s resident queens.
“They ended up putting me in my first drag show,” Wallace says.
McDaniel also remembers networking with the entertainers at Backstreet Memphis, who in turn taught him the basics of drag such as makeup. The club closed its doors in 2010, but its impact and legacy have been kept alive by those who experienced the magic firsthand. While many find it can be hard to pinpoint what exactly did it for Backstreet, McDaniel explains that it paid homage to the “hedonistic excess of those mid-to-late-’90s, early 2000s.”
“On a Saturday night, by 12, 12:30 at night, you could stand on the upper level and it would be a sea of people all in that space.” Clubs like Spectrum have tried to recreate this magic and succeeded in doing so for a new generation, but nothing has seemed to have the vibe that Backstreet possessed.
“Nothing recaptures the energy that was there, but that was a different time, too,” says McDaniel. “There was a lot less equality and inclusivity at that point for the gay community, so that was our place to go. It was also open to anyone else who wanted to be a part of that environment.”
A lot has changed since the glory days of Backstreet. Wallace has noticed a change in her confidence, which enables her to help prepare new performers take to the stage. “We’re open to taking people under our wing and getting them started and a stage to start on,” she says. “With me, when someone comes to me, I teach them the way of life first and teach them what you’ll go through and some of the obstacles you’ll have to overcome. Then I’ll teach them the aspect of drag.”
Those lucky enough to be one of Wallace’s “drag children” are privy to family dinners and family outings, where they’re taught the values of life, humbleness, and things they need to succeed in the drag world.
“You have to be respectful and mindful of who has helped you, and who came before you,” Wallace says. “As I grew up, I learned from so many legends. Some that are not here, some that are still here, like Alexis [Marie Grayer-von] Furstenburg, Beverly Hills, Kiera Mason. A whole bunch of them. They’ve groomed me into who I am today, and since then I’ve stayed humble, I’ve stayed respectful, and I’ve always fought for everyone’s fairness and rights.”
Wallace’s dream for the “next generation of drag” stems from a hope that they will be able to show their talents on stage and come in “shining bright as a star.” She sees the potential in them, yet there has been a number of obstacles recently that may change the way a newer and younger generation interacts with drag.
Still, it’s almost impossible to have a conversation about drag without mentioning the influence of RuPaul’s Drag Race. The show first aired on February 2, 2009, and is hosted by drag superstar RuPaul. The competition-style reality show follows a group of drag queens who compete for the title of America’s Drag Superstar.
Many credit the show as being a pivotal part of bringing more acceptance and awareness to the drag community. This, coupled with social media platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, has allowed the public to interact with the drag community without leaving their homes.
“By pushing it into the mainstream, more people are aware of drag,” Kyle explains. “They’re more aware that it is an art form. There’s a lot of easy misconceptions if you don’t know what drag is.”
In turn, making drag more mainstream through this kind of exposure encourages more nuanced discussions. These discussions can lead to more education and understanding of the art form.
In an October 2022 interview, Mothie told the Flyer that the demographic for drag is changing, and it now includes 14- to 22-year-olds. Mothie also said that younger people “deserve a piece of this culture.”
However, there are opponents of drag, including many lawmakers in Tennessee, who have been working to make sure that younger audiences don’t have access to it.
On September 23, 2022, a family-friendly drag show at the Museum of Science & History (MoSH) was scheduled as the ending celebration of the museum’s Summer Pride programming. However, the event was canceled by event organizers after a group of armed Proud Boys arrived.
Jackson Sun writer Angele Latham reported in October 2022 that a Jackson Pride drag show, which was also initially advertised as “family-friendly” and slated to be held at a local park, was limited to participants 18 and older after weeks of meeting with lawmakers.
This began to amplify the conversation of whether drag shows were appropriate for kids, or “family-friendly.”
In November 2022, the Flyer also reported that legislation was filed by Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson that could potentially make public drag shows in Tennessee a crime.
Johnson proposed that new language be added to Section 7-51-1401 that defines “adult cabaret performance” as “a performance in a location other than an adult cabaret that features topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest, or similar entertainers, regardless of whether or not performed for consideration.”
This proposed new amendment would prohibit drag performances on public property and other public spaces. If passed, this law would apply to drag shows in the state of Tennessee.
The bill also goes on to make performing in “adult cabaret performance” on public property or “in a location where the adult cabaret performance could be viewed by a person who is not an adult” a Class A misdemeanor. Repeat offenders face a Class E felony.
Performers agree there are forms of drag that are family-friendly and some that are not. However, Kyle notes that this holds true for every medium. Wallace also explains that performers know that what they perform in front of children will be different than what they perform at a nightclub.
For many, the answer to whether kids should be exposed to drag performances is simple: If you don’t want your kids to see it, then don’t bring them to a drag show. But the truth is that they’ll have access to it in other ways, whether it’s through HBO Max’s Trixie Motel, Allison William’s performance of Peter Pan, or the childhood rite of passage of playing dress-up.
“We’re all born doing drag. Every kid knows what it’s like to put on a costume and pretend to be something else,” says Kyle. “I think it’s incredibly important for kids to have access to [drag.] Not just for the kids that will be queer. It’s important for every kid to understand that their differences make them special.”
Many performers agree that drag serves not only as an outlet to express emotions but also as way to find yourself. Drag is an art form, Mothie reiterates, and when you start to limit people’s ability to express themselves, the aftermath can be harmful.
“I know personally for me growing up, I was always in my parents’ shadow because everyone says I had the same talent as my mom and dad,” adds Wallace. “That was something I had to get away from because I wanted to be me and who I am, and find who I really am. Drag helped me do that. Kids in general will never know who they are or who they want to be if you can’t let them express it. Whether it’s dressing up in their mom’s clothes, watching a play or something like that, [drag] has saved a lot of people’s lives. It definitely saved my life.”
With the complexity of drag and its positive influences on culture and the economy, many are baffled that lawmakers are working to criminalize it. Activists like Mothie have been fighting tirelessly against proposed “pointless” legislation and believe there’s a lot more for lawmakers to worry about than drag performances.
“Tennesseans should take pride in how strong our drag is in Tennessee, how much Tennessee is an incubator for what’s next in drag for the rest of the country,” says Mothie. “Everybody knows, just don’t nobody tell the truth: Memphis is where it’s at. Memphis will always be where it’s at. Drag will only get stronger here, despite the BS legislation that’s coming down on everybody.”
A Senate hearing on Tennessee’s anti-drag bill (SB 003) was scheduled for Tuesday, January 31st, after our press deadline. Follow memphisflyer.com for updates.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a shift in the way we approach work and education. Weekly work meetings began to look like the opening credits of the Brady Bunch, as Zoom became the new meeting room, and the once-common setting of a school lecture hall was replaced by a computer screen.
Jeff Riddle, director of Teach901, says that he believes that the constant shifting and changing of things through virtual learning throughout COVID-19 contributed to what has been reported as a national teaching shortage. In March, the National Center for Education Statistics stated that 44 percent of public schools had reported teaching vacancies.
Though the pandemic cannot be sourced as the primary cause of the current teaching shortage, it aggravated the problem. Educators say the shortage has been in the making for years.
A fact sheet from the U.S. Department of Education states: “Throughout the pandemic, many districts have faced significant challenges in attracting and retaining teachers, and preexisting teacher shortages in critical areas such as special education; bilingual education; science, technology, engineering, and math; career and technical education; and early childhood education have only been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“You see programs like Teach For America that have lower numbers, across the board. I think people just have more autonomy and agency in what they do for employment,” Riddle says.
“I think more people have entrepreneurial ideas, and how to monetize those things. I think for classroom teaching, it’s been a tough time, because the way education is done is in person and in a classroom. I think the virtual world, and the remote-job allure is just very counter to that. I think people working from wherever they want to work is a counter to in-person learning.”
Riddle says that this, coupled with adjusting back to in-person learning, schools “being asked to grow students where they’re at,” and constant “pivots and adjustments,” have created a “wild couple of years.”
While many have strayed away from traditional jobs, the idea of impacting a younger generation is still a rewarding career, says Riddle. In fact, when he started leading Teach901 in the early stages of the pandemic, Riddle started directly interacting with several candidates who were looking for ways to get licensed and inside the classroom, even if they didn’t initially take this path in college.
Kalona Gryskwicz is currently a teacher at Believe Memphis Academy, located at 2230 Corry Road. Gryskwicz graduated from the University of Memphis in 2018 with a degree in sociology. She started out working an in-office job at an insurance company for about two years. She admits that she realized that she didn’t like the job and that she wasn’t fulfilled.
“When we were sent to work from home during the pandemic, I did a lot of thinking about what I wanted to do,” says Gryskwicz. “I realized I wanted to do something that contributed to society, because I felt like I wasn’t doing that. I was just in my house comfortably, working from home, doing something for a company that seemed to only benefit the company, and not society.”
Gryskwicz says that she had always thought about teaching, so she reached out to Teach901, who put her in contact with a large number of schools in Memphis.
“It was overwhelming, but it was super eye-opening to see what the need for educators was,” says Gryskwicz. “I saw such a huge need for people who work in community service positions, like teachers and nurses, or those kinds of jobs. Jobs that seemed to truly benefit society, not just the institutions themselves, but the people who work in them, and I really wanted to be someone who made a difference. I feel like teachers do that.”
Gryskwicz says that she had calls coming in from everywhere, asking her to interview for a teaching position, even though she says she “didn’t have the credentials that teachers need.” While she made this known, she says that the schools were constantly reassuring her that this was totally fine, and that there were alternative programs to help her get the proper licensing.
Riddle says that there are a variety of different programs that can help people get their licensing.
If someone can take a Praxis exam, a school may be willing to hire them on the basis that they enroll in an educator preparation program,” says Riddle. “A lot of times this is going to be called the ‘Job-Embedded program.’ So it’s like a chicken and an egg though. Based on their Praxis test results, or if their interview is impressive enough for a school to want to hire them, they also have this requirement to enroll and participate in an ‘ed prep program.’”
Gryskwicz says she enrolled in Relay Graduate School of Education during the summer of 2022, which she says is being paid for by her school. She also recently got her practitioner’s license.
“I’m currently in grad school getting my masters in teaching, while teaching,” Gryskwicz says.
Gryskwicz says that having her education paid for is nice, and the professional development and aid that has been offered is appealing, However, these incentives do not necessarily glamorize the position. She calls it a necessary job, with very rewarding benefits.
“It’s a really hard job. It’s the hardest job I’ve ever had. It’s also the most fulfilling job I’ve ever had.”
