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DRAFT ARTICLE

As of recent years the sound of hip-hop has transformed drastically with the reimbursed influence of jazz and lyrical powerhouses. With artists such as Kendrick Lamar and J Cole enforcing this sound and cleverly weaving the sound of funk heavily into Hip-Hop , young Chicago rapper Joel Okaga has followed in their footsteps and took the game by storm with his debut album ‘Lone that has received the praise from many critics as well as Hip-Hop Great  Dr. Dre.  RENGADE were able to gains some insight into the artist’s life with an interview.

What’s up man? Glad to have you here.

Yeah, great to be on man, this is kinda surreal you know! I mean, I remember just a couple years ago I was you know watching other guys in the game, huge guys getting interview by like Ebro and Big Boy and now I’ve made it to where it’s me in the shoe of some of my idols.

That’s awesome. So what’s this sudden rush to fame been like? I mean you’re 21 years old and released this album that people like Dre have complimented.

I’m still trying to process it honestly. I just want to create music for myself really, I love music and I decide to share it  and I guess it just picked up to the point that I'm at now.

And how did Dr Dre pick up on it?

*laughs* I have no clue but when I heard what he said I was wilding out for like two days straight, true story, cuz you know that one of my damn Idols as a kid the stories about his production just motivated me to make music and actually be picky about what is in and out.

Yeah man, I mean you created this album In like what, a month? That’s insane.

Na, I think that’s just a rumour, all the tracks and the beats, instruments and all that, I've produced progressively since I was about 16-17 years old and I wanted to make something that was just awesome  music.. I woke up got ready, went to high school got back and started working on a track. That was my routine for like 2-3 years.

So that was just a hobby or intended to release it?

Oh yeah a hobby definitively but then I got to the point I had like over 200 songs recorded and I decided to just pick out some, edit them a little and just went for it you know.  But it was always a hobby to start.

200 track!? that's a lot and you only have 16 on the Album. would you use the others on future albums?

Well, it would depend on the fit really, if it fits with he story I wanna tell, then I would use it. I honestly do want to like slap a bunch of shit in a playlist and sell it, because it would be a waste of material.

What’s your opinion of the rap game at the moment and the state its in?

Honestly, Its getting back to the good days, the game is starting to have meaning again which was one thing I thought kinda sucked about it before. It was dope must but like most cats were saying the same shit over and over and over to the point that you just get tired of it. But the last what? 10 years has honestly been a reinvention, we have these awesome artists that are super talent had force this feeling into you when you listen; there is some true meaning to it, and I love that the most. The fact you help some kid out and help them out through some hard times is what I love about the music.

Who’s your favourite in the game at the moment?

Oh without a doubt, Kendrick. He is a pure genius. The fact he has an album like his last that you would have to construct like a book just shows his talent. Like some To Kill a Mockingbird shit *laughs* but most of all I like his approach. He isn't your typical out there guy, he's very personal, to himself and with his music he has these kids listening to him and he takes the opportunity education them with his music.

So what is next for you? Got anything else planned for the year?

I’m just gonna keep working man, I love what I do and I just want to continue with making music really. But besides that I got invited to perform at a couple of places so that should be fun. But honestly, I wanna just soak this experience in really.  

FLAT PLAN (DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD)

FLAT PLAN (CONTENTS PAGE)

FLAT PLAN ( COVER PAGE)

Audience Feedback on Pitch

1 HOUR COVER PAGE

Pitch Feedback

 

Magazine Name Analysis

Photographers/Designers : Brent Rollins

When I was looking at examples of magazine covers I fell in love with the design of Complex magazine. The simplicity of their covers prove that 'less is more'. Therefore when it came to researching photographers/designer I leaped at the opportunity to learn more about Complex's photographers/designers.

Brent Rollins is the Creative Director at Complex Magazine and is known for his talent in Graphic Design. As well as working on magazine covers, Rollins has had the opportunity to create promotional posters, Album Artwork, Logos (Such as Critically Acclaimed movie - Boyz in The Hood, Billboards, Advertisements and more. After looking at much of his work it is clear that they are all either include bright and vivid colour or had an attractive colour contrast such as (black and white)

Here are some examples of Brent Rollins' work: 

Publishing Institution Analysis

Bauer Media Group is a media company based in Hamburg, Germany than manage over 600 different magazines worldwide. The company was founded in 1875. The CEO of the company Yvonne Bauer owns 85% of the company and is the firth generation to lead Bauer Media Group. Bauer Media group publish some of the most well known music magazines such as Q Magazine and Kerrang! which have had large amounts of success. As well as magazines Bauer Media Group deals with 50 radio and TV stations and 400 digital products around the world. This shows the experience the the company has. I believe that Bauer Media group would be the ideal company to publish Renegade. Due to the experience and names that Bauer has helped previously they could help my magazine become a success. 

20 Inspirational Tracks

   

25 WORD PITCH

Photographer/Designer Research : Terry Richardson

Terry Richardson is an American portrait photographer that is highly praised for his work. The photographer has done work with a numerous amount of well known celebrities (Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Tyler, the Creator and Barack Obama), for a number of well known magazines (i-D, Vibe, GQ, Rolling Stone and Vogue).

Richardson is well known for using a white background to photograph the subject of his work which looks professional and attractive while gaining the attention on the subject. some of his work is released in black and white which in my opinion looks good and appealing also.  The photographer is also well know for releasing provocative themed portraits of many celebrity shoots including ones with Rihanna and Kate Upton. however this is not always the case.

The style in which the shots Richardson takes are appealing and could suit my style of magazine. however, I believe that there could be other styles that are much more focused on what I want to achieve with Renegade.

Here are some examples of his work:

Audience Research :UK Tribes

Hip-Hop Mood Board

Hip-Hop Fashion

Magazine Title

The title that I have chosen for my magazine is the word 'Renegade'. The decision of this title was my first initial idea which after attempting to think of more choices all fell short in comparison, such as 'RUN' and 'III'. These titles simply did not have the bold impact I wanted and also they did not sound as good when said.  

The definition of Renegade is: 

 1. One who rejects a religion, cause, allegiance, or group for another; a deserter.

 2. An outlaw; a rebel.

The second definition in particular struck me for some reason and thought it would fit the themes of a Hip-Hop magazine. 

The second definition in particular struck me for some reason and thought it would fit the themes of a Hip-Hop magazine. Also I simply think the word 'Renegade' is sound amazing and therefore a good title. Ironically, there is a song by Hip-Hop Artists Jay-Z and Eminem entitled 'Renegade' also which applied further emphasis on my choice of title.

Audience Profile

The audience profile that I will aim my magazine at will be a audience of primarily 16-30 year old males. The music that my audience will primarily listen to is Hip-Hop/Rap music and listen to many artist that are considered 'mainstream'. My audience will have a interest in sub-genres of Hip-Hop such as Jazz-Rap, Hip-Hop Soul as well as the traditional Hip-Hop genre that is well known for its poetic lyricism. Some artists that they listen to include:

Kendrick Lamar, J.Cole, Eminem, Chance, The Rapper, Tyler, The Creator, Anderson.Paak, Kanye West and more.  

The clothing that my audience would wear involves:

• Fitted clothing that is not baggy
• Branded products (Nike, New Era, Adidas, etc.) - although this may not be needed depending on the shots taken for the magazine.
• Fit jeans of light blue or black. these type of trousers.
• simplistic clothing with not too much going on
• fitted T-Shirts, hoodies, jumper

Magazine Genre and Language Register

Based on my research I have decided that I will create a Hip-Hop magazine. I have decided on this genre as it consists of the music that I have and interest and knowledge in that area. I believe that because of my knowledge I will be able to deliver and professional looking magazine.  It also helps that I have been influenced by magazines such as Complex, Billboard, XXL and Fader. These magazines have covered a of number of Hip-Hop artists in which I can take inspiration from.

For a hip hop magazine, the language register that I choose will involve Standard English for the most part however, slang and jargon will most likely be used in some areas.  However, the amount is dependent on the type of artist that will be used.  After researching a number of various magazines I have decided that I want to incorporate an interview in my article. I have chosen to use an interview as a way to get a closer understanding of the artist from their point of view and gain their opinions on certain matters.

Fonts

When researching fonts, I used the font website dafont.com. using this website, I browsed over many different fonts and recorded down my favourites that I believed would suit the genre and style of magazine as my masthead. I was able to narrow my favourites down to 9 different font style. By having this choice, I will have the ability to use these options when it comes to creating my magazine.