MODEL STUDENT: EDWARD BRITO

Fly Guy Edward Brito tells THETEXTATL.COM how he maintains his fresh.

Class Act: Thurston Lopes

Like John Mayer, Bob Marley and the Wailers, India Arie, or anyone with a badass acoustic guitar set? Than you’ll love Thurston Lopes. This Bay area native and Atlanta resident gives soulful a new sound every time he strums.  A junior at Morehouse college, this rising star has already garnered much recognition from his AUC peers as he accolades, amongst them being recently rewarded best Artist in the AUC.  His single “Can I be Honest” a lovable sing along about  not missing someone as much as they miss you, is relatable and a favorite cross AU campuses. A rising star for sure, you can check out Thurston music on his facebook page (Thurston TJ Lopes) , where you can also contact him.

0dyssey Atlanta: Little Five Points

Glenn Pair Does it For the Hood

24-year-old Glenn Pair is a hustler. What he is hustling however, doesn’t involve a sell or a product at all. Actually, Pair is hustling a purpose, an agenda and a call to save youth in urban environments who are disenfranchised, and on the verge of (if not already) being misguided.  Ask him why he does it, and the response is a simple five point reply; “For the brotherhood, for the sisterhood, changing the livelihood and taking it to the neighborhood.” Ask him whom he does it for and the response, though even shorter, is powerful: “We Do it For the Hood”.         

   Born in Washington, DC, Pair knows all to well the streets and hardships that the students he serves have been cultivated in.  Born into foster care with a family marred by prison time, underage exploitation, and illegal hustles and graduating from high school with a less than stellar .88 GPA, at 18 Pair found his way out of the streets and into St. Paul’s College in Virginia where he said the experience changed his entire outlook on what success meant; It just showed me a whole new world as far as black people in college, people graduating things of that nature…my right hand man got murdered when I was 19… and I lost like three of my niggas in my clique,  two of my niggas got bids so I had to slow down a lot….it just changed my whole perspective.” Pair didn’t finish his undergrad at St.Pauls’, but returned to the academic realm a few years later after he began doing work in schools as a motivational speaker. After being able to secure a full ride for himself from Morehouse College in 2006, Pair created “Do it 4 the Hood” an organization he says is built to help sustain the community and keep activities present in urban environments.  A key component of Do it 4 the Hood, is using college students as mentors, placing them in the classroom during the day and making them accessible afterschool as well, where individual relationships are established with the youth in the program and character development is nutured.  “The goal of  Do it 4 the Hood is not [necessarily] to put these kids in college, the goal is more so to make sure that when you’re walking out of your door, getting off of your job, these kids are not the kids robbing you, better yet these kids are the ones working that job at the airport…” 

          Five years, 500 plus volunteers, and over 2.5 million dollars in college scholarships later, Do it 4 the Hood has grown to encompass the Atlanta, D.C, Detroit, and Houston school systems as well as an upcoming 16 city tour set in place to help promote the Do it For the Hood mission.  The program has done so well, in fact, that there is currently a documentary mini series being shot by a major cable channel following Pair and his  camp as they crusade through the  community. Pair, like any true hometown hero, however, doesn’t do it for the recognition, or the accolades. When asked how he’s been affected by his work with the community, he says the impact of being able to go into the community and create positive change has been a maturing one:  

     “I’ve traveled sooo much. Being able to go from city to city and understand that Atlanta [s’] different from Florida, and Florida [s’] different than Houston, [when] then only time I’ve seen these cities is when I was watching the football game on t.v.  Being able to step up to the cities, speak to the kids and put my hands on the people…I’ve grown so much.  [And]..I’ve always been a hustler, but learning how to manage business and put my resources in the right places…it’s so much that you learn when you’re actually in the field, that niggas could’ve never taught me…”  

   With so many youth already positively impacted and many successes under his belt what does Glen Pair have in store for the next 5, 10, or 15 years? “Well I don’t know about 10, 15 years, we take this one day at at a time…this summer we taking a trip to Italy and kids to South America, and this thanksgiving  we’re taking like 20 kids to Africa…I don’t know how much longer I’ll be doing this though.”  

   Though Pair doesn’t know how much longer he’ll be doing his current work, the program has already grown substantially successful and for many, has been a saving grace in urban communities and neighborhoods where there are few willing to visit, let alone invest in the interest and development of those environments’ children. A uniquely crafted mission, Pair services the urban demographic in a way only he can, and support for his program has come from all over, helping  Pair to create a level of philanthropic interest not typically seen amongst his contemporaries.  A true hustler, Pair has already journeyed into several different business ventures  that he intends to develop and grow exclusively. However, wherever and whatever Pair finds himself into next, there is no question that one thing will always be true: whatever it is he’s doing,  he’s “doing it for the hood”. 

Frank Ocean and Jhene Aiko: West Coast Love

-Jacocby Williams

This March, the West coast has been blessing the rest of us with some great music, beginning with my discovery of artist Frank Ocean and the release of Jhene Aiko’s “Sailing Souls” mixtape.
  I stumbled across Frank Ocean via a mention on twitter.  After listening to him, it’s clear that artists such as Brandy Norwood  have definitely proved an influence to his voice and tone, but his music in’t anything comparable to your standard R&B record. His LP “Nostalgia/Ultra” gives you vibes of all kinds. On some tracks, Oceans is reminiscent of Ryan Leslie, while on others he is entirely original. This versatility in Oceans range makes his music very innovative and provides listeners with a variety of favorites to choose from. I cite “We All Try”, “Dust”, “Nature Feels”, “Swim Good”, “Novacane” as my personal picks, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds for this talented new artist. For those who remember “little” Jhene Aiko and her affiliation with B2K (she’s the cousin of the quartets rapper, Little Fizz), you might be surprised to learn this month she’s released her new mixtape called “Sailing Soul(s)”.  The release features appearances from Drake, Kanye West, Miguel and more. Not that Jhene needs the big names; her album is effortlessly sexy and unique.  Sounding like a cross between Drakes’ smash 2008 mixtape “So Far Gone” and something you’ve never heard before, Ms. Aiko sounds to me like shes ready to take the music world by storm. “Hoe” ft Miguel, “Higher”, “My Mine”, ‘You vs Them” have been on repeat non-stop in my playlist. Listening to both projects there’s no specific aspect of these records that amazes me. You might get some soul, some eletronica, some alternative, some funk, R&B or a myriad of other things, but It’s “all over the place”, in a great way.
   Having said that, both Ocean and Aikos appeal are sure to spread wide expanses as their stars grow. Be sure to check out Frank Oceans’ album: ““Nostalgia/Ultra”  and Jhene Aikos’ Mixtape: “Sailing Souls”, available for download online.  

Love Affair with Footwear: "Matteo"

  This shoe is called “Matteo” by Michael Antonio. The worn leather, turquoise color, and intricate basket-weave pattern makes this footwear into a piece of art. Matteo is an effortlessly sexy shoe that is equally appropriate for being flaunted on the streets of Madrid, or attending a nice Sunday Brunch at a restaurant in Atlanta.  Additionally, what makes this shoe fly is its unconventionally Springy style in a bootie format. The “just under the ankle” height of these heels along with their open toe, and 5 inch stiletto heel not only pairs well with skirts, jeans (cropped or long), and shorts, but  makes the legs look lean, toned and scrumptious (who can resist that?) . A great pick for the quickly approaching Spring season, The Matteo is a definite win!
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