Wednesday, 24 March 2010

Monday, 22 March 2010

Text For Double Page Spread

Where did you first realise your talent and first begin rapping?
Well I first started spitting bars when I was about nine. On the streets of London everyone was doing it, I followed the crowd for my first few years; I first came up with a little beat with one of my main men, Dizzee. We created a small bedroom edit called “The Birth of the runner”. We first aspired to be like the new group Run DMC, with their fresh hip style and controversial dress with large golden chains. I personally wanted to slick rick my outfits.
Where do you get your ideas for your work and do you take your ideas out of your real life?
Well living in London and growing spending a lot of time on the streets I take a lot from that and my life and thoughts, I always carry my book of rhymes around with me. When I was unknown I used to travel around on the bus a lot, whilst listening to music I get my inspiration from the peoples of London. I’ve had a lot of incidents in my life one that brings the laughter is a boy, a boy called J.P. when we were younger we used to have a few problems and a lot of my anger in my songs comes from him.
Are you not worried about one of your old enemies listening to one of yours songs noticing the song is about them and them coming after you?
Well every day I run the risk of still living in London but it’s one of those things I’ve just gotta’ live with, if I couldn’t live with it I’m in the wrong game. I do know how to protect myself, I know how to fight, I know how a gun works also I travel around with my boyz most of the time so I’m in goods safe hands.
In one of your songs you use this the lyrics “We'll be right back, Well I will you'll be in the trunk” what do you mean by this?
Growing up when I was very young, my parents argued a lot, they had a lot of fights. Once when I was about four I remember my mum and dad had a fight and my mum had cut my dad’s cheek with a knife. My dad reacted by putting my mum in the trunk of the car, I’m not sure what he was planning on doing after that but that’s where these beats come from, as do many of my beats they come from times in my life when I parents had fights.
As we all know you like your fashion and always look slick, is there anyone you take your ideas from?
Of course not. I am my own man with my own ideas. I wear what I like and which nobody else has. I like to be different and to stand out of the crowd. When I see people that dress like me, I feel proud because they are trying to be me but at the same time that’s when I know I need to look for something different as I am Miles Splevo I can’t be looking like no other manz. I’ll admit I used to dress like other people as I based myself on the likes of Slick Rick, as when I was growing up he was top boy. Everyone needed a hero when they are trying to make it and he was mine.
How would you define the word “success”?
Signing Million dollar record deals. Being able to have anything that you wish for. Being able to sell out stadiums. Being able to have any girl what you want and being in the game for 10 years. When you can have all these things that’s when you can call yourself a success. Many artists have one big hit and you never hear of them again, they are not success. I’ve won Best Rap Album, best rap artist. I’ve had three platinum albums and the four is on its way. I have not been in the game for 10 years but I still see myself as a success.
What do you feel is the best thing that has came from you success?
Since I have became famous I’ve had many new friends, I can have any which I fancy, all the dollar I could wish for, being able to buy whatever I want. All of this is nice to have and everyone would like it but there is no better feeling than being on a stage with a sell out crowds all there to see you perform screaming your name, believe me there’s no better feeling.
What other interests do you have other then music?
Well I am very in to my car’s I have seven in total; I love my Lamborghini’s, Mercedes, Ferrari’s and my Hummer. Other then car’s I’m into my clothes of course, like I have already said and the whole world knows how fresh my clothes are. Clothes are becoming a big part of my life as I’m being out my own range of clothes soon.
You said you’re bringing out your own clothing range, when can we be expecting this in the shops and what types of clothing wear will it be?
I don’t really want to give too much away down to the fact that I’ve never said anything about my new clothing range to anyone you this is an exclusive. It is scheduled to be available to buy in the summer. Online first. Then I will be opening two shops, one in London and one in L.A. so my two homes. The plan is to gets these shops open by the end of the year. You won’t be able to buy my clothes in the ordinary shops. Also with the clothing I can’t give much away but all I am going to say is that it’s very fresh street wear similar to what I would wear. That’s all I’m saying.
Back to music now and there have been rumours that you have plan to be working with Rihanna is this true?
Well once again I not sure what I can say about this but yes there is some truth in that rumour, we have spoke and passed over some idea’s and it could happen but nothing is set in stone at this date. She is one of the biggest female artists on the plant at this moment in time so I would love to work with her it would be swell but I want to remain respectful.
Most of you work is done on your own and as you have said you would be up for working with Rihanna is there anyone else you would want to work with?
The reasons I like working on my own more are because you get more of the credit and have more freedom working on your own. Also the factor that I’m always so busy it’s hard to find the time when other artist have the free time also but of course without a shadow I would love to create something with the likes of Jay-Z, Nas, Lil Wayne and my hero Slick Rick. I would like to work with any of those artists. I’m still only young to this game people forget that I’m only 27 I have many years left in me and those four names have been in the game much longer than me so I feel that I could learn so much just working with them.
Recently Kano has said a few very public Comments about you. What do you have to say on this matter?
Kano can run his mouth all he wants, I was just starting up at about the same time as he was, we are both from very similar backgrounds but hasn’t been near to the amount of success of which I’ve have, it’s simply jealousy. It’s all very well him saying a few comments to a magazine and or chatting sh*t about me in his songs but he very dares say anything to my which is just childish.
And finally what do you think 2010 will bring for you?
I can see 2010 being a good exciting year. The 4th album comes out very shortly, which I’m hugely looking forward to seeing in the shops as I feel is my best album yet. It also contains my next single “hitting the road” which is coming out in the next few weeks and father into the year my clothing range takes from. So I can see it being a top notch year for me and I deeply looking forward to seeing it unfold.

3rd Draft Magazine Double Page

Saturday, 20 March 2010

2nd Draft Magazine Contents


After listening and taking note to the feedback of which I was given I decided to edit the picture and make it bright and clearer. I also changed to position of the spray can of which I had good feedback about and people thought that was a really nice touch but moving it lead to more room on the left side. So I made the red bar wider and now I’m going to write the contexts on my magazine in this space.

2nd Draft Magazine Cover


On this 2nd raft I have changed a few things of which were suggested to me when I asked for feedback on my 1st draft. firstly I have change the font as before it had been said that it didn’t really fit the genre and audience of which I am targeting and now my new font is more bold, outstanding and shape edge's which suit's the genre on Hip-Hop as they have bold personality and edgy. I have played with the picture and I feel I have improved it by making it bright and it just looks clearer. Also I have added the price for U.K and for the U.S and moved the date down the same place as the price which is by the barcode which I have also decreases the size of.

Wednesday, 17 March 2010

1st Draft Feedback

After handing in my first draft of my magazine it was suggested that I should think about changing the title and the font which I’m going to look into and see how it looks. Also that I need to make the cover look a lot more like a magazine so putting price and date in the same place. It was said that the barcode is probably to large so I’m going to reduce the size of that and all it was said that the main title is more over powering than the magazine title but the colour scheme works really well.
The feedback on which I got for my contexts page was that it needed to be fully completely also that the red strip which I’m planning on writing the items in the magazine needs to me large as I had made it very thin also the large image is very dark and could do with making brighter and clearer.
The feedback of which i got for my double page spread was it was a nice layout and the picture is old although it could be clearer and that I needs completing.

Tuesday, 16 March 2010

Thursday, 4 March 2010

Colour Scheme




I decided on using this red, black and white colour scheme as it fits the convention as a lot of other music magazines have the same colour scheme. I feel it work very well, this is because most the magazines that I have looked at use the black and white as back ground colours and use the red for title, headlines or any other writing as it will then stand out.

Jake Swain



Miles Splevings



William Longman



Idea's For Props

Thursday, 25 February 2010

Jay-Z Font Testing





I designed these same three pictures on the Hip-Hop artist Jay-Z to try and the different colour schemes. After i had finished them i asked my friends and classmates what they thought of the name as this was the first time i had really tried out the name and also the colour of which they think goes better yellow/gold or red. The feedback that i was got back was that people thought both of the colours worked well and liked them both but the yellow/gold gave a sense of power and riches and its gold but the red worked well and it’s a conman colour to be used with a music magazine as it stands out and goes with a lot of other colours. However a large percentage of the people i asked said they thought the title was good and very fitting for the genre as i have chosen a Hip-Hop/fashion Magazine. So my feedback was mixed in what colour they thought worked best but also very helpful.

Monday, 22 February 2010

Idea's for font

I came up with these ideas for the title of my magazine and asked some of my friend's for their ideas and what they think about them. The main idea's which i came up with at first were; bold, flamboyant and smart. This is because I feel that is how hip-hop can be described. Bold as most of the artist are loud and speak about their lives and can they see thing with their views. Flamboyant as the artist have a lot of money and like to spend big also like they have the better things in life so they stand out. I asked a number of people what they thought of my ideas for my fonts and the main reaction i got was that number 2 was the best for my magazine. The reasons for this were because it stood out straight away when they looked at it and they felt it would best suit the genre. I had a few suggestions that I should try using a different and they suggested gold would be a good colour to use.

Thursday, 18 February 2010

Monday, 15 February 2010

Friday, 12 February 2010

Kid Cudi Edit 2

On this edit of Kid Cud I tried to link the title of his album which it “Man on the Moon: The End of Day”. So I decided to do an edit to make the effect that he is looking down on earth from the moon. It is a very simple edit as I have only used three layers; a plain black background, picture of Kid Cudi himself and a picture of earth.

Wednesday, 10 February 2010

J.Cole Edit

On this edit of J.Cole I tried new thing such as; playing with the effects and seeing what they all did and looked like also as you can see I tried adding a tattoo on the side of his neck which I feel has worked nicely. Also as you can see below I have used to picture of the hat and cut that out and rotated it then place it in the right place.

Kid Cudi Edit

This is a very basic edit with only two layers because this is one of the first edits I have done so it’s very simple and I was just practising being able to cut the shape out neatly and putting the picture of a suitable background. As you below I have cut out the picture of the rapper Kid Cudi and just simply place the cut out on top.

B.o.B Edit

This is a very basic edit with only two layers because this is the first edit I have done so it’s very simple and I was just practising being able to cut the shape out neatly and putting the picture of a suitable background. As you below I have cut out the picture of the rapper B.o.B and just simply place the cut out on top.

Tuesday, 9 February 2010

XXL Magazine

I looked at XXL magazine mainly because I like the title of the magazine “XXL” as it is extra, extra large which links the genre of the magazine to the genre of hip-hop and rap, as the life styles of hip-hop and rappers are extra, extra large and extra, extra large personalities usually.

The Source Magazine Cover Three

The design of this magazine cover is very simple but at the same time very effective. It only has three colours which are black, white and red. It has a large picture which takes up the whole page which tells the audience who the main feature of the magazine is in this issue. The picture has been taken in a mid shot, so the main focus is their faces and the clothes which they are wearing. The font that has been used is bold an edging a bit like the genre of the magazine which is hip hop. The biggest font which is on this cover is the name of the group also the title of the magazine, the two main words on the cover.

The Source Magazine Cover Two