Poetry, Jazz and Cinnamon Tea.

Azahlee is a word radiant, East Africa descendent, proud Amsterdamian but most of all a woman. She writes, sings, performs, creates and hosts. She represents soulful power in her word-music, and honest rawness in her voice and her eclectic ‘I am not afraid to speak up’ attitude. Making poetic noise to feel alive is just as important to her as guarding her dreams from going abstract. Currently residing in Amsterdam, Azahlee is a member of the much anticipated Poetry theater collective, Poetry Circle Nowhere. This is where she learned to unravel her words, where she found beauty in the ugliest corners of langue, and discovered the mystery of simplicity. Next to Poetry Circle Nowhere, Azahlee which means ‘she who sings’ in Swahili, is working on her solo career. At this moment she’s working on several projects amongst which her first promo mixtape that will consist of a mix of Poetry, Floetry and melodic hooks. Inspired by epic pioneers such as Billy Holiday, Coltrane, Maya Angelou, Gill Scott Heron, Public Enemy, Slum Village and J.Dilla, Azahlee is just as diverse as her music taste. Since the end of 2009 Azahlee joined forces with new and known colleagues to create an Art magazine (Crepe Magazine). It’s goal is to enhance and inspire the quality of writing work amongst youngsters, and to make creative writing as hip as the latest sneaker brands. Next to that Crepe Magazine encourages people to create beautiful writing work and to make one immortal through art. At this moment Azahlee is divining who she is as a person and how that influences her as an artist, stepping out of the shadows of those that inspired her to love creativity, to recognize this as her first love and to step into her own spotlight. For more information and/or Bookings contact me at: [email protected]

[theparisreview]

“Personality is socially constructed, genetically constructed, linguistically constructed, constructed by upbringing. Where the postmoderns go wrong is in positing a nullity behind all that. It’s not a nullity, it’s something raw and frightening and bottomless.”

 —Jonathan Franzen

[mpr1m3-deactivated20160806]

This came to me in a dream last night. It bothered me heavily. I wasn’t going to draw it at first but then I realized I must because it’s real. In my subconscious this is what I still see in our country today. U may not fully agree but I know what I’m seeing around me. And this country had a long way to go. Just because it’s a new year, don’t be blind to reality. #markusprime

[windandbradford]

Jodie Smith  

What Color is Love

Shot by windandbradford.com

styled by meghan sebold

[missjodie]

“I go through phases. Somedays I feel like the person I’m supposed to be, and then somedays, I turn into no one at all. There is both me and my silhouette. I hope that on the days you find me and all I am are darkened lines, you still are willing to be near me.” ― Mary Kate Teske ………………….. 📷 by Marielle Tepper

[blackfashion]

Lupita Nyong’o covers the “Girls Rule the World” issue of Dazed & Confused Magazine. Photographed by Sharif Hamza. Styled by Robbie Spencer. 

[stayygone]

I don’t care that you got into drugs for three months straight, or how much sleep you lost in that period. I don’t care that you went home and fucked that person and woke up at 6am hating everything about yourself, or that you smoked so much you sounded as though your lungs were giving out. You’re not a bad person for the ways you tried to kill your sadness. You’re just human, and being human means you need to survive and you do so whichever way you deem fit, fuck everyone else.

"you’re not a bad person for the ways you tried to kill your sadness" 

WOW

(via i-want-spankings)

this is so important

(via seelleennee)

[blackfashionstars]

Mari Agory for Claire Magazine.

[nprfreshair]

Listen to this interview or read more:

Chris Rock On Finding The Line Between Funny And ‘Too Far’

[cartoonpolitics]

"Unarmed African-American men are shot and killed by police at an alarming rate. This pattern must stop." .. (Jeffrey Mittman, American Civil Liberties Union) .. (more here)

[kwesiabbensettsgallery]

Awake

Fola

By Kwesi Abbensetts

[fyblackwomenart]

African Lady by coloquy

[stopbeinglovely]

[coluhr]

[heysoulsista]

*plays Brotha by Angie Stone in the background and dims the lights* I continue to thank God for the men with skin rich in melanin. He took his time on you. You beautiful black men…with your beards and tattoos…your intelligence…your wit…strong-willingness to bend the rules. The protectors. The workers. Our Princes. Our Kings. Us beautiful black women, thank you for treating us as Princesses and Queens. We love you.

[themoonisfree]

I want them all 😍

[flyingwithbrokenrockets]

Jesus take the wheel !

[oneliap]

I mostly want to remind her of the recipes of healing, and give her my own made-on-the spot remedy for the easing of her pain. I tell her, “Get a pen. Stop crying so you can write this down and start working on it tonight.” My remedy is long. But the last item on the list says: “When you wake up and find yourself living someplace where there is nobody you love and trust, no community, it is time to leave town – to pack up and go (you can even go tonight). And where you need to go is any place where there are arms that can hold you, that will not let you go.

[blackfashion]

Abdel Queta Tavares, Lisbon Fashion Week

Instagram: @abdelkeitatavares

[wavemotions]

Velvet Skies | Jordan Cantelo