DRIIS Official album of IDRIS ELBA

“Driis”, the alter ego of actor Idris Elba and DJ Driis has finally released his awaited album titled “High Class Problem Vol 1″.

The album was recently released in England where Driis calls home and so fare it has been well received as it paints a different picture from the actor.

For those in the loop Driis first love has always been music, he started out as a DJ and an MC in East London before his career as an actor took off yet still despite his success in acting he always remained true to his first love.

Driis is the rare kind of dude who transition from acting to music without any contradiction and his “High Class Problem Volume 1″ proves just that.

This album contains different musical elements from soul, reggae, hip-hop and jazz. This album invites the listener to a whole new world of Driis, where the purity yet very mature sound keeps you on locked down wanting to listen just a lot longer. This is one of the best album released from the UK by far this year.

For more on Driis and his newest offering log onto DRIIS or Click HERE to get more info on his new CD.

Idris Elba has been one of my favorite actor and I knew him from being a DJ for a long time too, so I was happy to listen to his music and thought that he didn't sound bad at all.

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The Movie Bronx Princess: A journey to Ghana

Every now and then, some Ghanaian parents living abroad would send their notorious kids to families in Ghana for some good old Ghanaian parenting aimed at reforming them. A similar captivating tale is told of a 17-year-old teenager's journey as she leaves behind her mother in New York City to reunite with her father in the award winning documentary, ‘Bronx Princess’.
Rocky Otoo is the Bronx-bred teenage daughter of Ghanaian parents, and she's no pushover. She is a sassy high-achiever bound for college. With freedom in sight, Rocky rebels against her mother's rules. When their relationship reaches a breaking point, Rocky flees to her father, a chief in Ghana. What follows is captured in Bronx Princess, a tumultuous coming-of-age story set in a homeland both familiar and strange.

By confronting her immigrant parents' ideas of adulthood, Rocky reconciles her African heritage with her dream of independence. Her precocious — and very American — ideas of a successful, independent life conflict with her father's traditional African values. Reconciling her dual legacies becomes an unexpected chapter in this unforgettable young woman's education. Filmmakers Yoni Brook and Musa Syeed met a 17-year old Otoo in 2008, at her mother’s beauty supply shop in Mount Eden. The high school senior was set to graduate, and then visit her father in Ghana.

In an interview with Otoo, she revealed …“I hadn’t seen my dad in two years. Yoni and Musa thought it was an amazing story. They found me at school the next day and asked to shoot a documentary.”Otoo is a bright and outgoing young woman. She’d recently landed a role in the school musical and agreed to the documentary plan. “I thought it would be an amazing opportunity,” Otoo said. “It was glamorous.” Brook and Syeed trailed Otoo, cameras in hand. “It was unscripted,” she said. “I walked and talked. The cameras followed me. Eventually, I forgot that the cameras were there.”

About her journey to Ghana, she said, “I thought I was used to Ghanaian culture. I was born and raised in the Bronx but there were so many Ghanaians in my neighborhood.” She thought wrong.

The documentary was shown at the West African Arts Festival block party earlier in September and is now available on DVD

But in the meantime you can watch it online from September 23, 2009 to October 23, 2009 HERE

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ARISE Africa Fashion Week

On Saturday, 20 June 2009, the inaugural ARISE Africa Fashion Awards will bring ARISE Africa Fashion Week (June 12th – 20th) to an exciting conclusion, with one designer winning the once-in-a-lifetime chance to present at New York Fashion Week in the ARISE Africa Rising show in September.

A world-class launching pad for the continent’s most promising designers, ARISE Africa Fashion Week—presented by ARISE Magazine and produced by African Fashion International (AFI)—will present dozens of collections from across Africa, in Johannesburg.

The awards ceremony will take place at the Sandton Convention Center, Johannesburg, in the sumptuous Pavilion Room from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The Sandton Convention Center

A panel of fashion insiders and experts will present awards to designers and models in several categories, including Designer of the Year, New Face of the Year and an Award for Innovation.


In addition, esteemed humanitarian, philanthropist and former First Lady of France Cécilia Attias will deliver the keynote address, “The Promise of Africa.”
Recently she founded the Cecilia Attias Foundation to support non-governmental organizations in the improvement of women’s lives globally.

Cecilia Attias Ex Mme Sarkozy


Nduka Obaigbena, ARISE founder and THISDAY GROUP Chairman, said, "The moment for Africa is upon us. At this time of global economic crisis, the people of Africa must turn disadvantage into opportunity and show the world that we are witnessing the first green shoots of the emerging African century. We have all it takes and we're going for it!"

Nduka Obaigbena, ARISE founder

Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe, Founder of Africa Fashion Week and the Africa Fashion Awards, said, “Our goal is to promote and recognize the best of African fashion talent on a global scale and the ARISE Africa Fashion Awards is a further step towards fulfillment of this goal.”

Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe, Founder of Africa Fashion Week

Nduka Obaigbena and African Fashion International Chairperson, Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe, will present the Lifetime Achievement Award to a surprise honoree.

Among the event’s highlights will be a command performance from international, platinum-selling recording artist R. Kelly. R. Kelly’s appearance at the ARISE Africa Fashion Awards kicks off a multi-city tour through Africa and ends in London.

R.Kelly said "I'm very excited about my first visit to Africa, I've dreamed about this for a long time and its finally here. It will be one of the highlights of not only my career but my life. I can’t wait to perform in front of my fans in Africa – who have been some of the best in the world."

R kelly

THISDAY Music and Fashion Festivals, have brought music and fashion icons as well as world and business leaders, to Lagos, Abuja, London and Washington, DC, including Bill Clinton, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Usher and many more.

ARISE Africa Fashion Week launches at a unique moment in history. The U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama’s preference for young, multicultural designers, European fashion houses’ rage for African motifs and Italian Vogue’s recent best-selling issue on black style all point to an unprecedented opportunity for African designers.

The ARISE Africa Fashion Awards will train the spotlight on the source of all this inspiration, Africa, and will provide a platform from which its gifted designers can launch international careers and businesses.
ARISE Africa Fashion Week has already confirmed the participation of over 51 of the best African fashion designers from 20 countries and all regions of the continent.
ARISE Africa Fashion Week is set to become an annual event hosted by different countries on the continent each year following 2010, with Nigeria expected to host the event in 2011.

Organizers, African Fashion International, are confident that it will become one of the world’s major perennial, must-attend fashion events and I hope so too.


Here is another link to learn more about the event(clickhere).

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Mexican ART

The Art of OCTAVIO CAMPO

Octavio Ocampo was born on February 28th 1943 in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico. He grew up in a family of designers, and studied art from early childhood. He paints the most amazing metamorphic art in the world. It is the most original art coming out of Mexico today. O'Campo is known for several works in his sometimes wryly sardonic, sometimes evocative paintings in which detailed images are intricately woven together to create larger images - the optical illusions fading back and stepping forward as you study the pieces, notice the details, and finally recognize the large scale intention.

This guy is good, his art is creepy and beautiful at the same time. Thanks to my auntie for introducing me to this Mexican artist.

Optical Illusion by Julian Beever

This guy is good.