Category Archives: Interviews

Pepsi is a soda brand as American as its red, white, and blue label. The soft drink titan has gone tan in major ways in 2012, from Nicki’s multimillion dollar deal, to its use of Paula Patton and Eva Longoria’s beautiful faces to endorse their healthier new line, Pepsi Next. Now the brand will pay homage to the pop superstar who helped make it a household name. Michael Jackson’s likeness will be featured on Pepsi cans this year. The brand has smartly aligned itself with warm nostalgia of the past, … → read more

African-American professional BMX bike rider Nigel Sylvester is one of the premiere sensations in his rapidly growing sport. A native of Jamaica, Queens, Nigel first got put on to the pro world of BMX at age 12 while watching the X Games on television. He immediately went outside, grabbed his bike, and tried to mimic every trick he had just seen. Since then, his number one passion in life has been riding BMX bikes and embodying the culture that goes along with it. After crafting his style on the streets … → read more

Name: Julius Myth Age: 23 Occupation: Singer/Songwriter Race: Black Where you are from: New York Twitter: @JuliusMyth What’s the racial make-up of your friends? I have friends of almost every race I can think of. I’m around a lot of fellow African-Americans as well as Puerto Rican, Dominican, Irish, and Italian people. I also have a few Middle Eastern friends, but primarily the make up of my group of close friends is African-American, Latin American, and “white.” What box do you check when asked for race on the census form? … → read more

Name: Cherie Johnson Age: 40 Race: I don’t view myself in a racial context Occupation: Photographer and organizational consultant 
Where you are from: Minnesota Twitter: @MonCherieFoto What’s the racial make-up of your friends? It’s a mash-up of culture groups, nationalities, and cultures. What box do you check when asked for race on the census form?   I checked “white” but I really wanted to write-in “human.” What’s your favorite musical mash-up of all time? Jay-Z and Linkin Park because of the contrast but I think Jamie Foxx and Ray Charles was dope because of … → read more

Name: Amanda Bassa Age: 23 Occupation: Freelance Writer / Blogger Race: Mixed (1/2 white, 1/2 Palestinian) Where you are from: Born in Washington D.C., currently residing in Brooklyn, NY Twitter: @_ambassador
 What’s the racial make-up of your friends? Varied. Mostly Latino, white, and black. What box do you check when asked for race on the census form? Other/Mixed (or something like that), or “Choose Not To Answer” (because I’m stubborn like that). What’s your favorite musical mash-up of all time? Ironically considering the topic at hand, I really enjoyed Danger … → read more

Today, Translation CEO and author of The Tanning of America, Steve Stoute, interviewed legendary emcee, Nas, at the SXSW Music and Media Conference in Austin, Texas. The hour long discussion is easily one of the Queens rapper’s most revealing interviews to date. Nas opened up about his relationship with Amy Winehouse, and even stated that the two planned to work together on the sequel to “Me and Mr. Jones,” before her untimely passing. Read additional excerpts of the interview below. Nas on the period when he thought hip-hop died: Between [1986] … → read more