My House Music Festival Takes On It's Fifth Year!

The summer is coming to an end, but the good people at Grassroot Events keep bringing the community together through their communal events such as Dia De La Concha, Michelada Fest, and most recently, My House Music Festival.

My House Music Fest is a two-day festival that took place this past weekend (Aug. 28 & 29) in Pilsen's Harrison Park, celebrating all gender and races alike through house music. 

Marcus, better known as M-Dok, a local Chicago DJ, Producer, and Music Director, took on the Guaranteed Rate Stage as the host. The stage where a lineup of legendary and iconic DJs spun their records throughout the weekend in the heart of Chicago. 

DJ's from all walks of life took on that stage and poured their hearts out to their tunes. This year's lineup featured the likes of Felix Da Housecat, Mike Dunn, Gettoblaster's, Collete, CZBoogie, Flipside, Evie The Cool, and many more. 

"Events are very important just to have a safe space to come and enjoy music, house music specifically, but also this fest, in my opinion, is very important for the culture, the culture of house music. For people who love house music already or just getting into it, this is a wonderful space to come and enjoy the music outside with a bunch of different activities and food and people around. I'm hoping I can come back next year."

Evie The Cool

DJ & Founder of Babes Only.

"It's great to bring the community together and let them know that we could have a good time and have music be the key to just enjoy positivity and bringing everyone together while having fun and making sure everyone is safe."

DJ Flipside

Official DJ for Chicago Bulls, White Sox, US Soccer, and more.

"Coming home to Chicago is very special to me. When I play here, I'm always the most excited and nervous. Even though I've been playing for so long whenever I'm back home, I feel how I did when I first started playing. I think it's great to have these outdoor festivals where everyone can come together safely and still have community because our connection to one another is so important. We're all part of this together. To be disconnected for so long, I think, was really overwhelming." 

Colette 

DJ & Singer-Songwriter.

Alongside great music, the festival was filled with local eats, merch vendors, art, and many more activities to keep friends and family entertained within sets.

"Our brand Sky represents freedom. I use the bee as an example of community. I want people to feel part of something when they're wearing my items. It's good for the community to come back together at events like this and see what the people of Pilsen are about to show them that during hard times we could still come together and put up a great event like this."

JoeSky

Founder of The Sky Co.

"We love to participate at festivals, especially the house music festival. It's one of our favorite festivals to come out to. Basically, at every family party growing up, there was house music playing, whether we were partying or cleaning the house. At events like this we get to show our culture and I know Chicago itself is very big on house music so I think its very important to us whether we recognize it or not."

Damien Maldonado 

Founder of Chicago Midwest Made

This past week and I really enjoyed seeing the diversity among house music. Like mike Dunn's t-shirt stated, 'in our house we are all equal.' Many of the DJs that perform also came up around the same time or looked up to one another. Being able to provide an eventful experience with reminisces of the past and present of house music is big. Being able to sit back and host this year's fest also gave me a true perspective and more appreciation to the craft—both business and passion-wise. Music festivals like My House are important, especially after a pandemic, to bring people together. It also helps us understand that we all relate in one way or another. It brings people freedom of movement, feelings, and it allows people to be happy and enjoy the company of others.

M-Dok

Michelada Fest is Back!

Founded in 2017 and first introduced to Chicago as the Pilsen Taco Fest as a grassroots community event to celebrate Hispanic and Latino heritage by bringing thousands of people together to a family-friendly safe space at Harrison Park filled with drinks and food, and music.

Last year due to the pandemic, the third annual Michelada Fest was canceled and pushed back. Chicago opening back and lifting all restrictions in June was good news as the fest was set to kick off again once this summer.

The fest took place at Pilsen's Harrison Park this past weekend from Friday, Aug 6, to Sunday, Aug 8. Non-vaccinated attendees were asked to wear masks or bring proof of a negative COVID-19 test result to enter the premises. While vaccinated, patrons were asked to bring their vaccination cards. The festival also presented on-site COVID-19 testing and free vaccinations for all on Friday and Saturday in partnership with Rush Hospital.

After a big hit due to the pandemic, Michelada Fest thrives once again at home in the heart of Chicago. "It's very moving to realize that all of our visions we have for Chicago Michelada Fest and Grass Root Events as a whole are coming true and pretty quickly. Not only did we have huge artists perform this year but also had pretty dope activations, which has always been a goal of ours as a team. We want to bring that huge festival feeling to our community and I think we are exponentially achieving that. Very proud of our team," said Alexandra Castro, Digital Content Coordinator for Chicago Michelada Fest.

The event was hosted by DJ Jesse El Grande at the Cashdrop Stage, where live performances went on all weekend by local acts such as Los KBros, Vanguardia, Jbro Bugatti, Marce, Abel, Kinto Sol, and Miriam. The headliners throughout the weekend included reggaeton superstars such as RKM & Ken-Y, Angel Y Khriz, J Alvarez, and Guaynaa.

"Events like this are important to the community because on a daily basis if I'm walking through this area, it's nothing here, but when we come together, we can make such a beautiful party. Look around; you could never expect this next week. As a community, as Pilsen, it's dope we have the ability and resources to do it."

Abel

Recording Artist

"It was amazing out there. This was my first festival. This event was definitely important for the community, given everything that's been going on we've been going through a pandemic so everybody in their own way has been suffering. It's nice to have something like this built by the community itself for the people to come out and try to get their mind of the bs, at least for a little bit. I'm just super blessed to be a part of it."

Miriam Paz

DJ for V5 Group

"Events like this bring the community together. People are able to have fun and build relationships. It's a change of scenery. We in the middle of Pilsen, all these thousands of people coming together listening to music being happy instead of being out there on some violent sh*t."

Jbro Bugatti

Recording Artist

Food and Michelada drink vendors were present, fueling the attendees with their signature micheladas and delicious meals. In the VIP section, they had Chef Oscar Samayoa serving his famous Birria Ta-Ta-Tacos. While on the other side of the festival were Anthony and Eric Cardenas, founders of Prime Tacos, serving their signature Hot Cheeto Burger and Tomahawk Steaks.

Alongside Prime Taco was Taco Sublime, a pop-up food truck whose steak taco was named the best by Invitation Chicago and was also name-dropped as one of the top 3 food trucks in the city by the Chicago Reader. Many of these businesses were cultivated during the pandemic, and festivals like this allow them to grow within their respective foodie communities.

Of course, Michelada's weren't missing as they were the staple drink of the festival and many vendors from across the city came together to serve the community. Vendors such as Big Mich, Los Mochis, La Curva Picosa, and many more served their signature micheladas made with beer, lime juice, hot sauces, spices, tomato juice, and more.

"A couple of years ago, Fernando Nieto took a risk inviting us to the first-ever Taco Fest. We were literally 3 months fresh, and they hit us up to do miches for them. It was because of them giving us an opportunity to come and serve that we’re here today. Community to me is todo!"

Javi Garcia

Founder of Big Mich

"We're here because we want to be able to feed our community and feed the people that started with us, Pilsen. Pilsen was one of the first neighborhoods that really opened their arms to us. Events like this are important, especially after the pandemic; it's really important and crucial to give them an opportunity to come back together stronger.

Khaled Simon

Founder of Taco Sublime

"Events like Chicago Michelada Fest are important for the community because our event is founded by young people of color - our team grew up in Pilsen or the south side of Chicago. Our events are a reflection of the people in our community, and it's important we celebrate them by giving them a platform. We pride ourselves in featuring local artists and small businesses and raising money for local organizations because we genuinely care about giving back to the community that houses us."

Alexandra Castro

Profile Stories: Jeff Masangcay from Bata Sole

Growing up a first-generation Filipino American in Glendale Heights, Jeff Masangcay had a humble upbringing. His father was a union worker who taught his family the core values of hard work and love.

At 7-years-old his father gifted him a pair of Jordan 6 Carmines, “those shoes made me feel like I was Michael Jordan, made me feel like I could fly, my imagination just blew up with those shoes,” he said. Falling in love with sneakers at such a young age shaped him into the sneakerhead he is today.

Something else Jeff fell in love with at a young age was helping others as his father was a great advocate and volunteer for good causes. Jeff began to follow in his footsteps and began volunteering after his trip in 2012. 

In 2012 Jeff took a life-changing trip alongside his brother Emmanuel Masangcay to the Philippines, where they visited their mother's village Casilagan in the Pangasinan province. While there, they witnessed the poor living conditions of the villagers. 

“You hear all the stories about their lives over there, and they tell us how lucky we are to live here in the United States. I was in shock when we saw their living conditions.” 

On an early morning, instead of waking up to roosters in Casilagan, they woke up to the sounds of basketballs dribbling. They got up and walked over to the park, where they came across over 50 kids playing with a single basketball, and what shocked them the most was that none of them had shoes.

“I was just like, ‘man I got 17 basketballs and 50 pairs of shoes in my garage.’ It gave us a culture shock, and we came up with this idea.”

Between 2012 and 2017, Jeff began to volunteer back in the Chicagoland area at the Special Olympics. In 2017, Jeff founded Bata Sole. Bata, which means kid in Tagalog, the native tongue of the Philippines, is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that aims to collect and distribute used and athletic shoes to those in need.

From Jeff’s initial trip to the Philippines that left him heartbroken and disturbed due to his people's living conditions, he converted those feelings into a motivation factor for change. 

The same year after founding Bata Sole, Jeff and his brother went back to their mother's village and handed out over 1,000 pairs of shoes. 

“I saw kids struggling to put on a sneaker. I asked a mom, 'does he know how to tie his shoes?’ The mom said, ‘no these are his first sneakers.’ He was about 7-years-old.” 

Since 2017, Bata Sole has been working hard and lacing up kids in communities in need across Chicago and in villages in the Philippines. Their team has steadily grown from just two to nine team members who are passionate about what they do day to day.

“Bata to me as a whole isn’t just an organization, it’s a movement. Something about empowering and helping others brings such a great feeling. What I can say, though, is we are just scratching the surface of what this team is going to accomplish.” 

Zach Chacon

 Bata Sole Media Team Member

In a few short years, they have managed to team up with many sponsors and teams such as RESHOEVN8R. All while giving back to various communities across the Chicagoland area and managed to organize two separate trips to give out shoes in the Philippines. Bata Sole has put smiles on over 5,000 kids and counting.  

Behind The Shot: @johnparkerbach

John Parker Bach shared with us two of his favorite shots taken in the world of sports.

Bastian Schweinsteiger shot on a Canon 1DXMKII with a Ronin-S.

As a videographer in Chicago, I frequently partner with the Chicago Fire to help their content team produce social media assets. I was fortunate to film Bastian Schweinsteiger's last game for the Chicago Fire. For those who aren't around the sport, Bastian is a world cup champion and has an incredible professional career with Bayern Munich, the German national team, and, most recently, the Chicago Fire. This shot came right after the captain's handshake, and I trailed Bastian as he walked to the bench to give a pregame speech.

NBA Kicks Booth at ASG 2020 shot with a robotic camera mounted with a Canon 5D Mark IV and a Canon 16-35 lens.

“I was fortunate enough to be able to partner with Freshtape Media and NBA Kicks during All-Star Weekend to edit on-set of the NBA Kicks Booth. The weekend itself was amazing. I had my camera in hand the entire time, captured images of the best players in the world. It truly felt like a dream. For me, it was one of those moments that felt like I made it.”

John Parker Bach

is the Creative Director at a social media agency based in Chicago, Doola Creative Shop. He's directed, edited, and shot with brands and companies such as; Best Western, Chicago Fire, NBA, Nike, Jordan, Adidas, Shoreline Hotels, Leopardo Construction and many more.

"My goal throughout life is to inspire, uplift, and positively impact as many people as I can."

Profile Stories: Chris "Milly" Ousley

The career of professional boxer Chris “Milly” Ousley native of the Southside of Chicago began during his early 20’s, not a common starting point for someone who wants to pursue a career in boxing. Yet, he managed to beat the odds as he remains undefeated inside and outside the ring. 

Growing up in Back of The Yards alongside his brother and mother, Chris had to step up and be the man of the house. As his father was locked up serving federal time because of drug charges.

“I made a better situation of how I grew up. I did things everybody said I couldn’t going against the system doing things the statistics said we couldn't do. That's what I really pride myself on.”

After visiting Vegas in 2013 days before the Canelo Alvarez vs. Floyd Mayweather match, the ambiance in the city leading up to the big fight inspired him to become a boxer. 

When he returned home, he talked with his wife regarding the next steps in his career. It was either play professional football, which he knew he wasn’t great at or use his business degree. Instead, he decided to pursue a career in boxing.

“I told my wife, ‘you know what I wanna be a boxer.’ I went to a boxing gym, and within 18 months, I won a national championship, and I was in the Olympic trials.”

Chris came out of nowhere and began to make a name for himself without management or a coach. Within three months of training, he had his first amateur fight and won by a first-round knockout. 

His pro career kicked off in 2016, still without management or a promotion team. Chis reached out to Golden Boy Promotions and politely rejected him by telling him they were going to keep tabs on him. Chris began to make a name for himself, and other promoters began to take notice. 

The tables turned, and Chris received the call he was waiting on from Golden Boy Promotions in 2019 a few years after being rejected by them.  

“I met with the VP of Golden Boy Promotions Robert Diaz, they had a contract for me within 24 hours, and the rest was history.”

Till this day, Chris is still unmanaged and does everything in house alongside his wife, who has a masters in business. Although he lacks management, which is unheard of in the boxing world, the people on his team keep him strong and determined.

“Chris is a great guy, second to none. He thinks boxing 24/7. He’s gonna leave [the gym] take a 4-mile run. He's just like clockwork trying to perfect his craft he knows where his work ethic and talents can take him.”

Kelvin Hayden 

Super Bowl Champion

His determination to his career is unheard of. A day in his life revolves around working out and training as he wants to be one of the greatest ever to do it. Chris does not smoke or drink; he has been clean his entire life. 

“I don’t think anyone works harder than him. Nobody outworks him inside the gym. He’s a demon he puts together these circuits; they are not for the faint of heart. Outside the gym, he’s a super cool super humble, loves his dog and loves his wife. You rarely run into somebody like him who’s super focused. He don’t party, he don’t drink, it's crazy, no bs.”

Dontae “Big Tank” Pettigrew

Chris is actively working on becoming a world champion. “I’m fighting to be great,” said Chris with confidence in his voice. He is not fighting for money or fame. He wants to be remembered as a humble guy who was the best to ever do it.

"Don't let anyone hold you back. I wasn't built to be a boxer; I became a boxer. I built myself. I wasn't groomed as a child to be a boxer. Look at how much I accomplished within a short amount of time."

Chris was scheduled to fight on March 28 at the Staples Center, but COVID-19 put that on hold. There's word of an upcoming fight happening sometime next month.

Follow his Instagram for updates @chrismily

Behind The Shot: @codymadsen

Award-winning cinematographer & producer from Chicago, Cody Madsen came by and shared with us three of his favorite projects.

“Through word of mouth, some people contacted me and said, ‘hey, we’re building a basketball court in a church and want to tell a story about basketball in Chicago while being symbolic and cinematic.’ So I said, ‘ok, cool.’ I sat down and brainstormed. The idea was since there’s so much violence in the city, there’s no safe haven. The theme came from Tupac’s, “Thugs Mansion” where its a place you can go in your mind and the church looks so surreal so beautiful inside, and it didn’t seem real it almost seemed like it was heaven in a way, so there’s a lot of symbolism in the way we came up with the concept. 

The city is very gritty, grimy, and dirty; this kid's escape is looking for a court to climb out of a shitty situation. He closes his eyes and opens them, and he’s in the church. The way we kind of shot it too was very gritty and grimy and shaky early on, and then when he gets in the church, it's on a steady cam, it flows smoother.

For the kid in the video, we went into his real house to shoot part of the commercial. He kind of lives in a bad situation; it was perfect for the story, plus he was so good at basketball. It primarily was a three-day shoot, but we had to do two days because the night before bullets went through his front window. His mother didn’t want any attention being brought to their house, so we had to wait till things cooled off. So we had to convince his mom about how it would be a good opportunity, and it's going to be a beautiful piece. 

I remember pulling up and it being kind of hectic for me to see this and thinking how this kid goes home every night and passes through this every day. It was eye-opening for me, that's why it's one of my favorites. One because it was shot so beautifully in the church and also getting to tell this kids story.”

“I got into sports through skateboarding. It's always been my main passion. It’s how I got into film and that's why I love this clip so much. Growing up, my best friend Chaz Ortiz became a pro skateboarder, one of the best in the world.

Anytime I work with Chaz, it doesn’t feel like work, it feels natural. This was last summer he had this idea to hit this rail, so we did it. We had shot it the previous year for a Zoo York project where he back 50’d the rail and it's a huge rail so it’s very scary. 

The next summer, he was like how do I step it up, ‘I always wanted to feeble it.’ Which was kinda crazy because when you feeble it, your front truck has to dip down, and the rail here doesn’t come to an end, so he has to actually pop out over it. 

There's so much that can go wrong. I remember how scared he was. To clear that and land it, it's insane it takes an extreme amount of talent, precision and athleticism. 

In cinematography or filming, if its production, you could always say give me one more take. In skateboarding, there’s no more one more take, if I mess up that’s on me. There's a high level of stress that comes when filming this level of skateboarding. 

Shooting with Chaz for a long time, I know his mentality and how he goes through things. I know how he functions and how he acts when he’s going to do something when he’s not. I know when to hit record and when to not. 

He went for the feeble the first time, and he jumped off, and he could’ve landed it. The next one, his truck slips off, and I remember him being so scared you could see the rail spark. The adrenaline was rolling, and he eventually landed it. It was one of the coolest moments I've shot recently for skateboarding.”

“When I was working for the Bulls, they would always do something over the top and extravagant for their holiday card. One year it can be an animation with a Christmas jingle type vibe, we’ve done so many I can write a list for you. 

But for this one, Josh Kahn had this idea where he brings in a live orchestra to play Christmas jingles while the team scrimmaged around them. It was off the wall, no one had access to do what we could do. No one saw live practices, let alone bringing in 100 kids playing instruments around it. 

I shot this on a skateboard. I remember we had a ronin, and we threw a camera on it that’s steady enough, but they were like now do that on skateboard around NBA players. I remember the whole time I was freaking out if I was to fall, I could hurt a player. It had to be done in a five-minute take, and I remember being really tired after this one, on a board holding a 60lb set up rolling around trying to navigate through kids playing instruments and million-dollar athletes.

Whole-time I was telling myself, ‘whatever you do, don’t hit a player.’ I remember this one moment, it was the year when Derrick Rose had just come back from recovering from his injuries. I was scared to even possibly hit him, and out of all the people on the court, Derrick stepped out of bounds where I was going, and I’m not kidding you I was a foot away from clipping his ankle.

No one was harmed. The players had a great time. The video concept was very cool and creative; a lot of people enjoyed it. Creatively it's one of my favorite pieces because of the circumstances.”

Cody Madsen

is an award-winning Cinematographer & Producer from Chicago, IL. Cody's career includes shooting Commercial & Social Campaigns for major brands like Nike, Reebok, Jordan Brand, and Infiniti amongst many more. He spent 6 Seasons with the Chicago Bulls as a Producer where he earned multiple Clio, Emmy, Telly, and Sports Business Journal awards. Cody also creates Social Media Content for Professional Athletes and Musicians as well as continuing to expand craft in other aspects of Film making such as Music, Documentary, and Fiction Film.

Profile Stories: Kyle Prater

Kyle Prater is a man who sought to make his dreams become a reality through hard work and determination. While in high school, he was ranked as the No. 1 wide receiver in the country. This allowed him to commit to USC for two seasons, followed by a transfer to Northwestern University

Kyle signed to the New Orleans Saints, where he played professional football in 2015 and 2016. “I became what I wanted to be,” said Kyle in his documentary Shifting Gears. A documentary in which he explores his transition from being in the NFL to becoming a filmmaker. 

Kyle’s story and love for football kicked off in Maywood, Illinois near the West Side of Chicago, where not a lot of people make it out as he did. 

“I love where I grew up it made me who I am. Where I'm from, not a lot of people make it out and become successful. I was able to beat the stigma and be an inspiration for the next generation.”

Kyle attended Proviso West High School, where he grinded to become the No. 1-ranked wide receiver in the country by the end of his sophomore year. At the time, all Division I schools offered him full rides and he decided to commit to USC. 

“L.A. was fun, but as far as football, I didn’t reach my peak, as far as where I should’ve been, because of injuries, and because of injuries, I got addicted to pain medicine.”

After two years of dealing with injuries and coping with them with painkillers followed by a Los Angeles lifestyle, he lived and learned. Kyle was tired of that life and decided to come home.

“Leaving L.A. and returning home, re-centering myself, and having a fresh start with a new team was the best thing I ever did.”

The injuries and addiction to painkillers followed through to Northwestern, although while he was there, he managed to play some of his best seasons, which allowed him to earn a spot in the NFL. 

Right after his last season, he went on to the NFL, where he went out undrafted on a tryout basis to the Cleveland Browns. They told him he was too slow and ended up being released. Two weeks later, he went to a rookie camp for the Saints, and he earned his contract in 2015. 

“Throughout the years, there’s been a pattern of injuries I couldn't stay healthy. The reason I couldn't stay healthy was the pills and everything that was in my body. You not healing yourself by taking hydrocodone. You really putting yourself in harm's way.”

Kyle beat his addiction to painkillers by going cold turkey. He sat down in front of his family, shaking due to withdrawals and told them about his addiction. His faith in God and determination allowed him to stay away from the one thing taking control of his life. 

On September 19, 2015, Kyle broke his foot outside of the team, working out. 

“30 minutes after breaking my foot, the Bears call, ‘hey Kyle, we want to sign you.’ What are the chances after being released by the Saints and going home re-train and getting ready for the next opportunity you about to play for your home team and break your foot.”

In 2016 he was reclaimed by the Saints as he was getting ready to be put in rotation. He broke his chest. When he came home on injury reserve, he picked up a camera, and the rest was history as it became a life-changing purchase. 

From there on, he began to see life through a camera lens. In 2017 he decided to step away from the NFL and still managed to keep busy as he coached students at Maine West High School. Alongside coaching, his newly found passion for filmmaking was his priority. Kyle discovered his love for visual arts and began to tell the stories of brands, products and people through film.

“I’ve always made it my goal to push myself to be better each day, whether on the football field or behind the camera.”

In 2017 Kyle released Shifting Gears, a documentary that told his story about his transition from field to film. Throughout the year's Kyle’s production company has told stories through visuals for companies such as the NFL, Nike and Def Jam. 

Kyle's production company is currently working on a documentary on Kevin Warren, the Big Ten’s first African American commissioner. Alongside directing has begun screenwriting as he wants to start working on crafts he’s yet to master. 

Kyle is determined to take Chasing Greatness Productions to the next level by making it become a top tier production house that releases thought-provoking films that will enlighten and motivate its viewers.

"This the time in your 20's put that work in. You gotta build your core, find out who you are as a person, find out what makes you happy, don't live for no one else, don't create for no one else, create for you, and create your own lane.”

Behind The Shot: @darrengeorgia

Darren Georgia, Chicago based photographer and content creator for Major League Baseball, shared with us two of his favorite and the story behind them.

“This photo will always be one of my favorites, as I was the only photographer at the stadium who captured it, to my knowledge. The Cubs had just signed Tony Kemp, and I didn't have many photos of him, so I decided to follow him during warm-ups.

As he took the field, he started to run out to center field for a warm-up jog. He began to speed up, and went straight into a back handspring, then flipped through the air. I looked around immediately after to see if anyone else had seen it or shot it, and to my surprise, only myself and the video board crew had captured it. He only did it one other time after that for the remainder of the season. My favorite part of this shot is that it looks as if he's just levitating in the air.”

“This photo was taken moments before Chicago White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease made his Major League debut. Dylan was the No. 18 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, all eyes and cameras were on him. I followed him as he entered the dugout moments before he took the field for his first Major League start.

Despite the other players in the dugout getting hyped up for the game, and the thousands of fans eager to see him pitch, Dylan took a moment to breathe. Your Major League debut is something you work your whole life for and is a special moment for almost every young player's career.”

Darren Georgia

has been living in Chicago for the past eight years. He originally moved to Chicago from Colorado straight out of high school to pursue a career in comedy and attended classes at Second City and iO. After four years of pursuing that, he transitioned his focus into photography. Photography started as a hobby about three years into moving here and was all self-taught. It eventually turned into a passion of his, and he knew he wanted to become a professional photographer in some capacity. He began to network and got his dream job covering his favorite sport, baseball. Darren has worked for many of the major sports leagues, including MLB, NFL and NHL, as well as individual professional sports teams in Chicago [White Sox, Cubs, Bears, Blackhawks and Chicago Fire.] He has been extremely grateful for the opportunities he has received.

“I'm a big believer in doing what you love, chasing your dreams. I love what I do, worked hard to get to where I am, and wouldn't change a thing.”

Profile Stories: Ronnie Dizon

On a summer day in Tinley Park, IL as 12-year-old Ronnie Dizon accompanied his father in their back yard he saw his next-door neighbor shooting a paintball gun. His neighbor walked over and offered to let them try it. 

That was the very first time Ronnie picked up a paintball gun and instantly asked his dad if he could have one. His father without hesitation said no. Eventually, both of his neighbors had paintball guns but him. 

He asked his mother for one and she took him over to Bad Boyz Toyz for his birthday and acquired his very first paintball gun. During his teen years, his friends built a paintball field in a forest preserve that was nearby. 

“I'm not gonna lie I was terrified of playing paintball I didn’t wanna get hit. I was so scared like I would shoot it and I was like ‘damn this shit goes fast.’ So they built a paintball field in the forest preserve that they put their heart into and that was the first time I stepped into a paintball field.”

The actual first time he stepped into a regulated paintball field was with his cousins. He recalls being terrified of getting hit, not hitting a single person and not even moving from the same spot, yet he loved the adrenaline. As a teen, Ronnie began to dive deeper into paintballing and created a team alongside his friends and competed locally.

“The issue is people have different motives. Like, ‘yeah this is a fun thing for me but I don’t wanna take it that serious.’ So then you start losing friends, we're growing up they're starting to party, they start to get jobs so they can’t play paintball. I just stuck with it and eventually, I worked at a field called Chicago Land Paintball.”

Ronnie knew if he was around paintball at all times and immersed himself in that environment he would excel at what he loved. His career as a pro kicked off in 2011 when he won his first pro event alongside Chicago Aftershock. It was against San Diego Dynasty for NPPL Las Vegas. Dynasty was a team he looked up to his entire life and his idol Oliver Lang was part of it. 

“We were tied with them to go to game three. Lang's like, ‘this is another day for Dynasty nobody wants it’ and he’s screaming this against us and I'm there like ‘holy fuck’ this is like the biggest game of my entire life.”

The first year he turned pro Ronnie won a world championship and a world cup. In 2012 he was recruited into Houston Heat where he went on to gain more experience and rack up accolades.

In 2014, Houston Heat cut him from the team. At first, he thought it was because of his playing ability. Although he came to realize after some time it was because of his lack of maturity and admitted to his mistakes.

After he was cut he began to play for Chicago Aftershock in 2015. Which he didn’t enjoy as much because at the time it was more of a club than a team. He had the drive and determination to build the team and in 2015 they won third in the world cup. 

He stuck around with Aftershock for another year and in 2017 he received a call from Houston Heat and they offered him a position on the team once again. “It was a big weird feeling like ok do I come back to the team that cut me? — Or do I come back and show them a comeback story. That’s what I did I came back and evolved my game that entire year. We won a tournament and I was an incremental part of that,” said Ronnie. 

“In over 20 years of playing on teams, Ronnie Dizon is one of the best teammates anyone could ask for. He leads by example and grinds harder than 99% of the league. His mindset is not only to be a top tier professional paintball player but also to prove the world that he is there because of his talent.”

Chad Bouchez aka Yaya

Professional Paintball Player for HOUSTON HEAT

Today, aside from still playing paintball professionally he runs a Youtube channel with over 19,000 subscribers. On his channel he documents all his adventures in which his career as a pro has taken him alongside vlogs, he calls Dizon Docs. 

Additionally Ronnie has started a few gaming channels where he livestreams Call of Duty Mobile and uploads multiple times a week.

Within the past three years, he has spent his life on an airplane traveling and competing professionally. Last year he played in 13 tournaments which took place in Australia, Europe and the United States. In 2019 alongside Houston Heat they won their second consecutive world cup. 

“A big motivator for me was to prove to my dad and mom. Actually, my mom had a lot of passion for it. He was about it but not as much. The first tournament my dad ever came to was world cup in 2018. I knew in my head that we were gonna win that tournament. We won I walked straight into his arms the first thing I said was ‘this is why I did all those things in the past’ and he replied ‘I understand now.’”

When he’s not on the road competing he spends his time home in Chicago with his girlfriend Stella and their two cats Pablo and Pepper. 

“I think ever since Ronnie got cut from his team years ago he thought that he always had something to prove. Not only prove something but wanted to show his fans and team why he was brought back to one of the top teams in the league. Ronnie’s work ethic was different from when I first met him than now. Now, he’s a business owner and has the mentality of one. He is also trying to be the best paintball player in the world. You could imagine how physically and mentally exhausting that is.”

Stella Siharath

Ronnie’s girlfriend

In March, Ronnie once again hit the road alongside Houston Heat with high hopes of going for their third consecutive world cup. He also plans on uploading more to YouTube and most importantly building his legacy as a professional paintball player. He’s also devoting his time and spreading his knowledge with those who want to get involved in paintball. 

Behind The Shot: @coleschwartz

We recently spoke to Cole Schwartz, who shared three of his favorite behind the scene shots he’s taken throughout his career and how they came to be. 

Post Malone & Swae Lee on set for ‘Spoil My Night’

“The Post Malone one was taken about two years ago now. It was Coachella weekend, and I flew out to California to film a music video for Post and Swae Lee, which never ended up getting released. We filmed a whole video, and everything and the shot of him in the pool and Swae in the background was the last shot of the night. 

Basically, there wasn’t any plans for anyone to jump in the pool it just kind of happened. As he jumped in, he was handed beer and cigarettes and instantly was like this is a great photo opportunity. I snuck in front of the camera and grabbed a quick shot. I was the director of photography for that music video, but unfortunately, it never came out. 

No one ever knew why that music video never came out. It got approved by everyone on the back end, but they decided not to release it for some reason. It was a cool video nonetheless and a great experience, we got it done and had fun as well.”

Doja Cat at Lincoln Hall

“It was kind of a unique situation because she was playing a show in Lincoln Hall. A buddy of mine used to work at her management company and mentioned they were looking for some pictures, and I offered to be the photographer.

Basically, they just wanted pictures of her performing at the show, generalized behind the scenes. I managed to talk them into doing a mini photoshoot in the backstage area of the venue before she got started. It was a last-minute thing to get in some extra shots of her solo without any crowds or any other artists, kind of a blend of creative minds and last minute photography. We got some good images, I think.”

Ski Mask The Slump God on set for LA LA

“That was another music video in which I was the director of photography for a song called LA LA. We were filming it out in Plano, IL, and it was getting towards the end of the night. We were doing some horror effects sort of stuff. He’s got the blood-red contacts on, fake blood, and all that jazz.

This shot was taken while he was waiting around for everything to be finalized. So as he was sitting there looking off into space, getting into his zone, I quickly took out my camera and snapped a quick photo. I thought it was a really interesting photograph to look at. Many people would think it was staged, but it's just the product of waiting around. It was one of those opportunities I managed to sneak something in during some downtime.”

Cole Schwartz

is a Dallas native who started off his career in music as a Rock guitarist. Between 2010 and 2017, he was fortunate enough to have shared the stage with rock bands like Chevelle, Flyleak and Stone Sour. After playing at Austin’s SXSW, he decided to transition his music career into the expression of emotions using film and photography. Today he lives in Chicago and works professionally as a director of photography, photographer and photojournalist. He has worked alongside artists such as Chance The Rapper, Mac Miller, Post Malone and Juice WRLD. He's also done work for commercial brand projects for Whataburger, Lids and TGI Fridays. His work has been featured on Billboard Magazine, Complex Magazine and the Chicago Reader.

Profile Stories: No More Heroes

Imagine meeting your right-hand man because of a mutual match on Tinder. That’s how Laka [Azeez Alaka] and Brandon Holmes met in late 2017.

While Laka was looking for resources for a video shoot, he asked his Tinder match if she knew someone he could work with on a project. She put the two in contact, and the rest is history.

Once they met, they came to realize how much chemistry there was between them. And for the following two years, they worked releasing various music videos under the Laka Films, YouTube channel.

Before these two met and rebranded Laka Films to No More Heroes while in quarantine, they were doing their own thing.

Laka began his journey within videography, the music industry, and the creative scene at the age of 14. While in high school, he picked up his first camera and began to roast people on camera. After going viral one time, he decided he was going to be a YouTuber.

Laka then went on to create sketches, parodies and even dropped some music alongside that. He was also part TKO Entertainment, a Southside party group run by DJ Amaris [official DJ of Chief Keef.] This exposed him to a lot of up and coming rappers at the time, such as G Herbo and Famous Dex.

“Growing up around a lot of people, it made it easier to connect. They were starting off rapping, and I was starting off shooting [videos.]”

Laka

In late 2014 Laka Films was created, and Laka closely began to work with Famous Dex after Dex’s mother passed away.

“I was pretty much his right-hand man. We decided to drop every week. We were just shooting, shooting, shooting. I don’t remember which one, ‘2 Times’ or ‘Hoes Mad,’ caught a crazy wave. Then Drip from My Walk was the craziest. None of the songs we're a wave when they first dropped, it was kinda built into a wave. The whole city started rocking with him until around then.”

Laka

Brandon first picked up a camera in 2014 while in the studio with some friends and created a recap of the night. “It was bad but decent,” he said. Days later, he shot a recap for a Lucki show.

“Lucki reposted it on twitter and got a couple hundred retweets and likes. It was a big deal for me at the time. After that, I dropped out of college, quit my job, and moved to the city. That was enough for me to feel like I could do it.”

Brandon

When he began to focus on videography, he locked in with CupcakKe. He went on to film several videos for her, which paid his rent throughout the years. This also allowed him to begin working with artists he was a fan of.

During quarantine, both Laka and Brandon co-founded No More Heroes. The name came about while touring with Juice WRLD and noticing how many people it took for a single show to happen.

“The way the name resonated with us was like seeing him go out there every night it would be packed from 15,000 to 20,000 people. Day in and day out, many people contributed. Long story short, it wasn’t a one-man show. Even though people didn’t have the name or fame Juice had they had the power to make a difference and give people an experience of a lifetime.”

Brandon

To Laka and Brandon, whether your name is big or small, they believe everyone can be a hero in their community as somebody like Juice WRLD can be to many people.

“You can be your own hero and impact people. Another reason why we got No More Heroes is because we have sets with 30 people on payroll. We are building opportunities to keep on elevating people. The whole thing is empowering people and going to the next level.”

Laka

The next thing for No More Heroes is focusing on creating more original content such as Red Light Freestyles. A freestyle series that they have full creative control over, which recently featured G Herbo.

Both Brandon and Laka at 25 have been blessed enough to be in a position they never thought they’d be in. All while being able to give back to the community and creating positions for people in need. The next big thing in store for No More Heroes is opening up a studio, which can serve as a safe space for those who need the resources to create.

“We lose too many artists and, most importantly, the kids. They be out in places they don’t have to be because they don’t have anywhere to be.”

Laka

Recently during the George Floyd Protests, Laka and Brandon have been actively trying to create changes in black and brown communities. They put together a fundraiser to help rebuild Southside Chicago Black-owned business, which gathered $16,000. They also managed to bring together over 100 people to clean up the Southside of Chicago after the protests.

Moving forward, No More Heroes will focus on elevating communities and artists within them to get them out the hood and make a difference.

Behind The Shot: @stevensjpeg

We spoke to Steven Nunez, better known as @stevensjpeg, and he shared the story behind two of his favorite photos taken in Chicago.

Young Thug Oct 25, 2019.

Canon EOS 6D - EF24-105mm f/4L at 50mm -1/400 - F4 - ISO 6400.

“This was for Pep Rally Takeover founded by Q Breeze and Hot Rod. What we do is we go to high schools and throw a party. This time we were at the University of Chicago Charter School and Young Thug was in Chicago for tour.

This event happened during the school day so he came in as a special guest. The kids didn’t know who the special guest was so when he came on they were like ‘now way that’s him.’ It was such a crazy day.

After he performed he literally took the time to take a picture with every single kid. He really showed love to Chicago. Meeting Young Thug for the first time he was such a nice genuine guy.

What happened was they all wanted a group picture and there were like four other photographers there who weren’t part of the organization. They all wanted to get his attention for pictures and basically, it was hard to get his attention.

You see in the photo he’s looking up? Since we were in the gymnasium we had a stand where the volleyball referees stand on. I was up there at first and Hot Rod was on the microphone like, ‘hey everybody look at Steven up there.’ I was about to take the photo but this dude came up to me and started yelling like crazy to get down.

Basically he kicked me down. When Young Thug posed for the picture he was looking up at that dude. It still came out to be a good photo. Then later that day he had a show at Credit Union 1 Arena. I was there as well to take photos.

When I got there I got a couple of notifications that he posted my photo. I opened it and it wasn’t loading because you know how it is when you go to concerts, there’s no connection. He posted my photo and I was just surprised. The photo is definitely special.”

Tyler the Creator Sept 4, 2019.

Canon EOS 6D - 70-200mm at 70mm - 1/500 - F2.8 - ISO 6400.

“I had just started my semester, it was the first week of school of my sophomore year. I got reached out to cover the show for my publication The Columbia Chronicle. I showed up and it was for Tyler’s ‘Igor’ tour.

What makes this photo special is the back story of it. People don’t know what it looks like shooting this concert because if you look at the photo it looks like he’s posing, holding still. That is because I take it at 1/500 basically it looks like get standing still.

The whole time he was dancing and going crazy. He screams, he dances and goes crazy so that was very insane. The thing is there were flashing lights and stuff like that. So when I was clicking through Lightroom going through every single photo there was a light photo, a dark photo, a light photo, so this was like a diamond in the rough.

I looked at this one and was like damn this is the one right here. That orange flash on the right of the picture that was all-natural nothing was edited in post-production. It fell right on his hand everything about that photo was perfect. I don’t edit my photos crazy I don’t do anything or put anything that’s not in there.

How the internet reacted to it I really thought Tyler was going to repost it but he didn’t but it's cool. This photo is special in general I feel like it’s a special moment in Tyler's career. He went from like ‘Yonkers’ and ‘Odd Future’ to ‘Igor.’ The tour's production, in general, was crazy.”

Steven Nunez is a 20-year-old from Chicago who is currently a student at Columbia College Chicago and serves as a photojournalist for the school’s newspaper, The Chronicle. Within a year, he’s created a great body of work consisting of mainly music photography.

Profile Stories: HotRod

Rodney “HotRod” Washington’s love for music sparked at a young age. While his father drove him to school, he would play Tupac, Snoop Dogg and Vanilla Ice. Rodney loved the bond he and his father had rapping to “Gangsta Party” on his way to school.

“There was this song that I had to know. It was ‘Gangsta Party’ by Tupac and Snoop Dogg, we would go back and forth. He challenged me to not say the cuss words, so I had to go and learn it.”

His love for music kept on developing through the years. His freshman year of high school, he would use his father's computer to go on LimeWire and create CDs with different mixes and sell them. He would call those mixtapes “The R” after the first letter in his name.

“I’d mess up my dad's computer every time. I used to illegally sell CDs, I was strictly a hustler.”

During his time at Morgan Park High School, he also developed a love for basketball. This followed up to Morton College, which he attended on a basketball scholarship. That is where he was given the name “HotRod.”  

“I had to make a name for myself. There was one game where I was just hot. I was hitting every shot, layup, and-one and free throws. One of the guys, his name was X he was like ‘Yo name Hot Rod, you hot’ so it just stuck with me.”

In 2012 Rodney graduated from Chicago State University with a bachelor's in communications. 

Today, Rodney is a DJ at Power 92.3 Chicago. He’s the radio host of ThaLitPiT that runs Monday through Friday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. 

Rodney has been a part of Power since 2012 and steadily rose through the ranks. In 2015 he got his own weekend show on Saturdays. Eventually, he became part of Power full-time in 2017. What ultimately led Rodney to radio was Martin Lawrence. 

“You watch ‘Martin’ and he was doing radio on his show, WZUP. Me watching it as a kid was like ‘this is what radio is? This looks fun!’ But now I’m in it and I’m like ‘this not what radio was like.’ But I’m trying to bring it to that level where it’s fun.”

Pep Rally Take Over was a project Rodney began in 2014 alongside an old friend from college. It was a way to give back to the community and advocate against serious issues such as gun violence and bullying, all while having fun. In the beginning, it was only at three high schools which he would go to and bring out special guests such as DLOW and Stunt Taylor. 

“Pep Rally Take Over started as an idea he and I came up with while playing 2k. T.I. did an event in Chicago where he gave back to the youth. We wanted to use that but to impact schools in the city, suburbs and Indiana.”

Quinnton Jackson aka Q Breeze

Producer / Co-Founder of Pep Rally Take Over

As of now, Pep Rally Take Over has become a massive success across the city and Rodney has hosted over 50 of them in 2019. He has had big names come by and perform such as Chance The Rapper, Young Thug, London On Da Track and Calboy. 

“Rodney is one of the most helpful people I’ve ever met. He’s the type of person that will help anybody. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do. If there’s a way that he can help you, he will. In Chicago, it's something that’s unheard of. He gives lots of people opportunities.”

Brandi Reed

Videographer founder of LakeShore Hy Media

ThaLitPiT has been a massive success for Rodney, since he’s allowed local Chicago artists to be heard on air. He has put on local rappers who are now big names in the industry such as Juice WRLD, Tobi Lou, The Future Kingz and even Chicago’s very own Chance The Rapper back in the day when he released his debut mixtape “10 Day.”

This past December, he put on a concert titled after his show on air, TheLitPit. The first show he put out was on Dec. 18, 2018. One year later, he was signed to Power 92. It now is an annual show that gathers funds and donations in order to create more opportunities for the youth. This past year the line-up consisted of names such as Lil Zay Osama, Cosha TG, HappyBirthdayCalvin, Wemmy Mo and Brittney Carter. 

“I’m in this city, I’m on this earth to help people and I get that from my dad. He helped so many people. I would say I’m an angel for the city, I’m not saying that on no cocky stuff. I’m saying I’m a blessing to many others because I love to help people do whatever they want to do.”

Rodney plans on changing radio and helping people one day at a time. Rodney knows that he won’t be on air all his life and therefore he pushes to build bridges beyond that by expanding TheLitPiT and Pep Rally Take Over. 

Behind The Shot: @ap.mov

On Friday Jan. 21, We spoke to Alex Peterson better known on Instagram as @ap.mov and shared with us the story behind three of his favorite shots.

“It was just about a month ago. I wanted to get shots of the fireworks at midnight. I have the DJI Mavic Air, so the battery lasts ten minutes, maybe. So I was trying to be super strategic of when I was going to put it up to not miss the fireworks. I was sitting around waiting for the right moment to put it up. I took the drone flew it around for about six minutes and then I grabbed a couple of more shots. Probably eight minutes into it I had like two minutes of battery I started flying it back and I lost transmission on the drone.

My screen went black and so I lost reception of the drone and I started running towards the direction I thought the drone was. The battery was about to die so it started landing on its own and I didn’t want it to go down by where the crowd was. I looked at my screen it was still black and I’m like holding the stick to pull it back towards me. Next thing you know I look at the screen and it seems to be stuck on a tree. I can see the branches on the camera I was like, ‘shit there’s no way I’m gonna get this footage.’ So I was in this panic trying to find the drone. 

I can see the camera kinda tweaking out and I see this guard standing by a fence. It’s in China so nobody is really speaking any English. Theres military guys pretty much everywhere at this festival. So I go over to this fence and I point at the controller trying to get this guy to understand what I was trying to do. So I was like, ‘can I hop this fence?’ While pointing at the fence, he’s like, ‘no no no.’ Finally I convinced him to let me hop this fence. So I was pacing back and forth alongside the trees and I see the screen and the drone like falls from a tree onto the ground.

Then I see the camera started moving again so I thought someone picked it up. So I walked down another 20 feet and I asked people by pointing at the camera if they had seen the drone. This kid found me and saw I was freaking out and pointed the other direction so I ran back and there’s a group of about six military guys huddled in a circle. I went up to them and I was pointing at the thing and they all look at me. One of the guys turns around he was holding my drone. I was so relived but freaked out at the same time. I’m either gonna get arrested right now and end up in a Chinese jail. I got it back and its like the sickest story ever.”

“This was a drone shot in Bali I think it was May 2018. I went on this workshop with Jeremiah Davis and Jacob Riglin. So I went out there for two weeks. We went to Nusa Penida its like this huge cliff which overlooks the ocean. It's the craziest spot ever, it has these stairs that go all the way down the cliff about 500 steps. Super sketchy, just like pic axed steps that go to the beach. So Jeremiah the dude that was leading the video part of the workshop was like, ‘Yo run down this cliff and ima get a drone shot of you.’ So he was like, ‘ok on three just sprint down the cliff.’ I did it four or five times and the last time I did it I was sprinting full speed. Right at the end I tripped up on this rock and slid. I was so close to just sliding through the dirt and off the edge of the cliff. You can barely see it on the drone shot. Till this day it's one of the sickest drone shots ever.”

“This was at Rolling Loud New York 2019 it was for MGK’s set. This was the first time I saw him live. I was a bit skeptical because I was never super into MGK’s music but once I saw him live I totally gained a new respect for him. He’s a rockstar honestly, he plays the guitar, plays the drums, he just kills it on stage. At the end if his set he climbed up the scaffolding of the stage which was like 70 feet up. He looped his legs through the scaffold and hung from up there. He also stood up there, had he fallen he would died for sure it was so high up. I was on stage when it happened so I kinda got a shot of him climbing up the thing and then I was like, ‘I need to get a super wide shot of this to show how crazy high up there he was.’ Probably one of the craziest shots I’ve gotten at Rolling Loud.”

Alex Peterson is a Wisconsin native who moved to Chicago three years ago. He attends Loyola University where he studies creative advertising. He got his start into photography and videography by shooting nightlife at clubs such as Prysm. Today, he is currently part of the Rolling Loud media team. He earned his spot on the team by creating recap edits with a fast turnaround time. Alex is now responsible for editing all of the Rolling Loud Aftermovies.

Profile Stories: Sprado

Sprado’s love for music began at the age of seven in his South Holland home. Where his father who produced had an in home studio. His father would usually spend time there producing alongside his friends while drinking and smoking. Sprado quickly began to take interest in the sounds his father was creating.

“He didn’t let me into his studio sessions because they was smoking and drinking. I use to sit by the door smelling the smoke come out the room and everything. I had to listen to the music it was captivating me.”

His love for music wasn’t only influenced by his father but his mother as well. He grew up listening to Michael Jackson as his mother would play it around the house. 

“I was always around the house cleaning listening to music. So as soon as he could talk and move around he began to dance to the songs I would play. He would reenact some of the Michael Jackson dance moves get up on the table and throw a show for us.”

Sprado’s Mother.

In 2017 Sprado locked himself in the basement and began to work on his first project titled, “New Me.” His father played a crucial role in the development of Sprado’s sound. He’d show his father the music and he would be brutally honest with him and let him know if it was good or not. 

“He would tell me, ’nah that ain't it.’ It made me determined to get better at my craft. I was locked in the basement just trying to create 'New Me’”

His debut project dropped in April 2018. From there on, the grind never stopped for Sprado. He began to go to showcases where he ultimately began to make a name for himself. 

The song “Wrist Work” off his debut project caught the attention of Jeremih’s DJ TTaylor. He personally invited him out to a showcase and from there the rest is history. TTaylor became his manager in 2019 and that same year they began to work on his second project which is titled, “Bases Loaded.” 

Sprado went from grinding in his basement to working with Jeremih on his second project in which he featured Jeremih on the track, “American Dream.”

“I always listened to his music. Meeting him was just surreal. He's a legend in the game.”

From recording “New Me” with a snowball microphone in his basement to recording “Bases Loaded” at state of the art studios, a lot had changed for Sprado. His second project was released in September 2019.

The title of his second project is a baseball metaphor which signifies his success. He’s going to hit a home run and bring everyone home to prosperity. 

“I’ve spoken everything into existence. Things are going by fast but I'm still anxious to reach another level. I know I gotta relax, be patient and keep grinding.”

For Sprado music is a huge part of his life, even before he chose to pursue music as his career. He said to always be searching for music that would always get him pumped and motivated. Now that he creates music himself the first thing that crosses his mind each morning is music.

“Music is everything a big part of everybody’s lives, it helps us get through the day.”

Sprado has been working on music videos for “Bases Loaded” with various directors around Chicago. His first music video off that project was for “Cut The Grass” and was directed by Diamond Visuals. Most recently he released a video for “Shorty” that was directed by LAKESHOREHY.

“Working with Sprado is dope. He’s an open minded person which definitely helps my creative process when writing treatments. We currently have two videos together and both are some of my best work yet. 2020 you’ll definitely be seeing the name Sprado more often.”

Diamond Visuals

Beyond dropping visuals for “Bases Loaded” he is working on his next project. It is currently untitled but a name will come and it is expected to be released this year. Alongside his manager TTaylor he’s working on Sprado Live Two which is a concert he headlines while bringing out local talent in the hip-hop/rap scene.  

“Nothing has changed, well my growth has changed and my grind will forever be my grind. You can still find me locked in the studio.”

Behind The Shot: @zoerainphoto

While in quarantine due to COVID-19, Zoe Rain shared with us two of her favorite shots and the story behind them. 

“This photo was taken in Los Angeles, in the basement of the Palace Theater. After months on the road performing across the entire US, everyone started to feel a little stir crazy. I have been touring with Macklemore for years, and sometimes he gets in this crazy mood where all he wants to do is play. This day, boredom led us to explore this hidden basement, which has become the dumping grounds for thousands of broadway props left behind. This elephant immediately stood out as an impressive and unique statue and Ben (Macklemore) immediately climbed on top of it. There are a plethora of poses and photos from this excursion, but this one stood out with its inherent wackiness and strange setting-color palette.”

“Being on tour is such a wild experience, because it isn’t what people expect. There are extremes; either it’s loud and exciting, or it’s slow and still. This image was taken around 2012, when I first started traveling with Macklemore to small shows on the West Coast. We were in Portland and this evening premiered a full stage of artists who featured on his newest album [at the time.] 

This moment in the mirror captures the stillness in the greenroom right before Ben goes onstage. It’s such a powerful image, because it reflects so much about his story. Raw, alone in his greenroom, basking in light, a strong silhouette defines a heroic build and stature. Clothes for outfit changes hang to the left. He confronts the man in the mirror with an exhale, giving off an expression filled with nervous energy.”

Cutting her teeth as Macklemore’s full-time tour photographer, Zoe has since worked with some of the world’s largest artists: Chance The Rapper, Ed Sheeran, Kesha and Vic Mensa.

Zoe’s evocative and intimate style gained quick notoriety. Her work has been featured in publications such as Rolling Stone Magazine, Vanity Fair, MTV and The New York Times. Zoe’s high-impact photography and creative direction has been leveraged by brands such as Nike, Apple, Wolverine Boots, Swisher Sweets, Headspace and Redbull.

Controlled under pressure, Zoe’s ease and adaptability constructs effective, iconically defining imagery.

Profile Stories: Korporate

If you're a Chicagoan you likely remember in early 2018 when your Facebook timeline was being flooded with videos titled #BlackChicagoBeLike. These skits were only the beginning stages of Donovan E. Price Jr’s rise to popularity.

Today we all know him as Korporate, a name he came up with in 2005 while attending Central State University, which he only attended for two years. He adopted the name because he had always been about his “Bidness.”

“I overindulged in the newfound freedom [in college] and nearly flunked out. I came back home and eventually made Brazile my oldest daughter and I didn’t go back. I got a job and started working to make sure I was prepared for when my Brazile came.”

He began to work at CitiBank as a teller. Korporate always managed to keep a job and stay on his grind no matter the circumstances. The last position he held was at the United States Postal Service in 2017 before resigning from his last 9-to-5.

“When I was working at the post office, there was a supervisor who treated me like shit for real. He use to talk to me as if I was less of a fucking man and I felt like the only reason he was doing that because I was doing great things on the other side of those doors.”

Prior to him beginning to upload videos to the internet in 2015, he always had an interest in the arts. He discovered spoken word his junior year of high school, which transitioned to a love for rap.

In 2016 the concept for #BlackChicagoBeLike was created and he began to rack up views and followers all over social media. The most significant growth for Korporate came in early 2018 after releasing #BlackChicagoBeLike44. In this skit, he narrates his very first fight as a kid, as he got even against his bully. All his videos end with a moral to the story and his notable “On Gaude.”

“He comes up with the vision for the videos in his head. Nothing is ever written down or like scripted we run and gun most of the time.”

ShotbyPG

Photographer/Videographer

#BlackChicagoBeLike was created to showcase, “how eccentric black Chicago culture is. It appeals to different ethnicities who can relate to #BlackChicagoBeLike. The black side of Chicago is the side outside of the bean, outside of Michigan Avenue, you know what I’m saying.”

In February of 2019 he created #BlackChicagoBeLikeTheSeries, which is an 11 episode series focusing around stopping the cycle of violence in the streets of Chicago.

Beyond storytelling in skits, he also tells real stories through his music. “Real Tears” is a single he released in Oct. 2019 in which he raps about what’s going on around the environment he is surrounded by and the hope he has for a better tomorrow. The song features his daughter Brazile in the outro which, he believes is the most significant part in the song.

“I’m not really communicative. Music is therapeutic to me. I do a lot of communicating through my music. I get to share a lot of my thoughts. People may see the videos and then listen to the raps like, ‘is this the same person?’ I feel like that song could’ve saved someone's life.”

That is exactly what his music has done for his audience. There has been many instances in which people have reached out, saying his content influenced them to reevaluate decisions that would have hurt someone.

Korporate is still out there on his never-ending grind, motivating and changing people's lives. 

“Monday through Friday is daddy duty, heavy daddy duty. My work week starts Friday, from Friday to Sunday, constantly recording there is no such thing as a free day. I will never ever ever have a free weekend.”

Last year Korporate had the opportunity to be one of the headlining faces of AT&T’s codes of culture campaign alongside SABA and Chance The Rapper’s non-profit organization SocialWorks.

This campaign featured a skit that revolves around a career day speech which Korporate is delivering to his daughters class. Having 100% full creative control of the skit he felt really blessed being part of the project and says it was one of the highlights of his career as an entertainer. 

In the skit he is seen wearing a shirt that says, “It’s not chiraq It’s Chicago… Goofy.” That t-shirt was part of his first ever drop of his clothing line called Advanced Placement Clothing Co. and focuses on elevating people through life lessons. 

He is currently working on releasing more singles in order to become better established as a rapper before dropping a full length project. 

He is also currently working on season two of #BlackChicagoBeLikeTheSeries as it was left with many cliffhangers the fans want answered. Alongside that he is working on an #BlackChicagoBeLike full length movie which will be independently filmed with his team. 

“Eliminate the excuses,” is what Korporate advises people who are trying to follow their dreams. 

“Generate your own power. Looking for handouts and all that shit, I found that out early that shit is not the wave. I had to realize instead of looking for the plug. I had to become the plug.”

Behind The Shot: @griffinolis

Griffin who is 1/4 of Art Camp, a collective of creators based out of Chicago, shared with us three of his favorite recaps he’s put together.

“This clip is one of my earlier recaps in my career. Me and Ujjwal [fellow founder of our production company Art Camp] had gone out to LA for the summer, trapping it out renting a room in a frat house. It was the only cheap way to feasibly afford living there for only three months to get a taste of what the scene would be like before we move out there for good. 

I managed to make some connections in Alamo Records and found myself shooting with Comethazine at the Observatory in Orange County. 

The following Friday I found that there was a Playboi Carti show on his Die Lit tour, two shows actually back to back sold out in the same room. I pulled up with some friends with the intention to sneak in. At first nothing worked but then I realized I still had the wristband from last week. They were color coded to the day of the week so it was lucky enough for me that I was there exactly a week later. 

Security let me slide right in. I even made my way through the crowd and up into the pit with my cameras, security even made way for me to get inside. I somehow was one of the only people in the pit for the whole show, and got my best footage to date from it. 

I tried to double my coverage by shooting the second show too, but by the time I got back in line the security team had switched out and they noticed, snatching the wristband right off me. Regardless I was proud of what I came up with and was able to leverage that piece to make some pretty sweet connections out there.” 

“This recap was for the last show date of Pump’s ‘Harverd Dropout’ tour in South Korea around a year ago. He was headlining the World Hip Hop Festival in Seoul and apparently has the wildest fanbase there. Before we could even get out of the hotel that night he got mobbed by fans waiting in the lobby, one even ripped his shirt off while screaming. 

When we pulled up to the stage as he was about to go on. Little did I know they were doing a huge fireworks display along with the finale of the show and let off a fat volley of test fireworks. Everyone freaked out for a second thinking a gunshot went off in our ears. 

I took my place on the side stage of an enormous 7-shaped catwalk out into the sea of fans. Immediately as the introduction track kicks in I get pulled back by security and feel a blast of heat on my face, I guess I was standing a little too close to the pyro line.

I hopped down into the pit at that point but because of the huge catwalk it was a mission to get around, sprinting from place to place. Pump’s performances are super spontaneous and unpredictable; climbing rafters, stage diving off balconies and so on. I was sprinting around a lot. Every news outlet in Korea must’ve been there too. I felt like a running back trying to weave through everyone and elbow my way into a decent shot. 

The crowd went nuts and sang along to every word. We were met with the same mob of fans after the festival, even chasing down the sprinter as we drove away, banging on the windows. 

All in all between the insane production, the crowd, the atmosphere of Seoul, it all made for one of my favorite recap videos and I got a lot of dope doc content from that trip in the vault too.”

“My guy David Peters & Since The 80s hooked me up with this gig in Eastern Europe early August of last year. I was shooting a recap and a mini doc for Njomza in Pristina, Kosovo, her home nation and host of the annual Sunnyhill Music Festival in which she was performing. 

I instantly fell in love with the culture there and the country’s quirks. It declared independence in 2008 so it’s relatively new. If you open Uber it just says “coming soon.” Lucky for me Njomza’s is fluent in Albanian so we could still ride around in the huge taxi ecosystem they have there. 

After seeing her extended family and old friends for the first time in nearly seven years, we hopped into another cab and headed to a now abandoned carnival that Njomza had known as a kid. It was perfect timing with the sun just starting to set, giving that dreamy golden hour look with the vibrant backdrop of the old ferris wheel. It ended up being the perfect b-roll we needed to capture that homecoming feeling and really end the recap on a solid note.”

Griffin Olis

is a Detroit native who moved to Chicago in 2016 to study film at Columbia College Chicago. He started out creating short films and documentaries with like minded friends. Eventually, he established the creative collective Art Camp with three others at Columbia in 2019. He has spent the last couple years building connections in the film and music industry, creating tour content, music videos, and short films.