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ANASTASIA GARCIA by Megan Bolton ruly one of the coolest and most down to earth video models you’ll ever meet, the shockingly 20 year old Anastasia Garcia has more going on for her than just a bangin’ body and beautiful face. This young video vixen has glazed across your eyes on numerous occasions with leading features in music videos such as B.O.B. “Haters Everywhere”, Shawty Lo “Foolish Remix” and Gorilla Zoe “Walk With A Waddle,” just to name a few. She denitely has a bigger outlook for the future and plans to combine her hard work ethic, intelligence and beauty to dominate this hardcore, sometimes one-sided, industry. industry. So before you eye her up and down in the various magazines and videos in which she ap pears, let’s go behind the scenes and see what this spicy half Dominican and half African-American “bonita” has going on. Born a Cleveland, Ohio native, Garcia has been a free spirit since she was younger. Following her instincts and the unpredictable directions her heart leads has allowed her to live a starlet’s life in Vegas to a southern Georgia Peach which she’s now been on and off for three years. Being in the “Black Hollywood” environment of Atlanta and seeing how respected the beautiful girls were in the industry convinced her to take modeling into another direction…one more exotic and enticing. She wanted to experience the glitz and glamour of a video vixen but quickly found out that it wasn’t everything it was cracked up to be. “When Melissa Ford was around women were still put on a pedestal but now it’s like they treat us like whores,” explains Garcia about her experiences with video modeling in the industry today.. “I’m not going to lie, I have nasty attitude at day a t times, but I’m sweet. Like with the Carmelo Anthony/ Diego Cash “Nuvo” video, I got a bad rep for that because I was so mean but you have to understand the guys there were so rude, saying things like ‘Who the f*** are you’ and all I continued to say was ‘Leave me alone. I don’t feel like being bothered right now.’ I’m sorry but I’m just not a groupie,” she says express-
ing her feelings about the double standards that plague video models today today.. It denitely seems that the “whore” stereotype wasn’t developed out of thin air, and Garcia goes on to tell how models attempt to advance their career by sleeping with directors in exchange for leading roles. “They’ll go to the casting and ask whose directing then claim to know them. I’ve experienced this myself with the V.I.C. “Wobble” video. I got cast for the lead but 6
“...they treat us like whores.”
moved back to Cleveland the next day because I was just so fed up with it,” she says annoyingly. She goes on to state that regardless of the fact that she would be getting paid for the role, she refused to actually do the video because of what the other models were willing to do to get cast for it. “You’re a model, supposedly professional. Why are you acting like that?” says Garcia concluding her thought.
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Garcia later details the cattiness and competition experienced on a daily basis with other models and how hard it is being a natural talent and rivaling against a world of butt shots and breast implants, but her persistence and dominating demeanor overcame the competition making 2008 her break out year. Fianlly able to steal the spotlight, Garcia was cast for a lead role in July of 2008 for the Yung Ralph ft. Wango
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“Like This” video within only a year of beginning her career. She eagerly expresses how that has been one of her favorite sets to work on because not n ot only did it turn out great and in such high quality qua lity but she’s she’s the center of attention, and nothings better than not having to share the spotlight. With a promising career ahead for this domineering young lady, the spotlight isn’t looking to shine upon just the leading lady with no male co-star. Although Garcia is now single, that doesn’t mean she isn’t looking and she openly admits to seeking a future “boo” to settle down with. Smiles and chuckles erupt as she names her various celebrity crushes, whom range from Eddie House of the Boston Celtics to explicit rapper Plies to movie mogul Will Smith. There is one guy; although, whom she mentions that she would love to get to know on a more personal and serious level. Even though they’ve never spoken to each other, she pours out how he gave her the “eye” which made her instantly fall head over heels. h eels. She admits that she’ she’ss always found him attractive and could sense that he had a good spirit. Garcia giggles as she spills the beans on the name of her celebrity love interest … Ludacris! The eye gaze
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was undeniable and she denitely thinks that in a cou ple of years she could make him the “marrying type.” In keeping up with Garcia’s future love affairs, we can also look forward to seeing her ambitious talents in upcoming feature lms, magazine spreads, and possi bly a few more videos. She concludes by saying, “Me not making it in modeling used to be my biggest fear because I know that’s my calling, but now my priorities have changed and it doesn’t bother me if I make it or not.” She nishes her statement leaving food for thought, “I just know I’m a good model and if they miss out on me … they’re denitely going to miss out.”
Keep an eye out for Anastasia Garcia as you never know where you may see her next, and make sure to stay updated by checking out her website www.anastasiagarcia.com, Twitter www.twitter.com/anastasiagarcia, and Myspace http://www.myspace.com/modelanastasiagarcia.
“Junk” (Real Chance of Love Season 2) The Exclusive Interview
With the popularity of reality TV love shows on the rise, most of the contestants use their roles as a stepping stone on the path to celebrity stardom. While competing to stand out from the many different personalities amongst the slew of beautiful ladies ghting (and in some cases "literally" ghting) for their love interest's attention, it can sometimes become a task in itself to become so memorable that when the lights, cameras, and
action are gone, the masses will still speak of you and yearn to see more. I had the absolute pleasure of nally catching up to one of the lucky ladies that has denitely accomplished such a feat. The Shoot Magazine proudly introduces to you, a glimpse into the personal world of the unbelievably curvaceous and sexy troublemaker on the 2nd season of VH1's Real Chance of Love … “Junk”.
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For starters, please let our audience know what your real name is.
I am originally o riginally from Salisbury, NC.
What made you decide to move to ATL? My friends and family know and call me by my middle name which is Candy Candy.. I moved to Atlanta because of a situation that I was going through. Moving to Atlanta was a fresh start for me. How did you get the nickname Junk? It is also a city that is not too far from preventing me from visiting my mom who is still in North Carolina. Chance is the one who gave me the nickname. All of the other woman on the show got to tell Real and Chance I see that you have your degree in Mass Commuwhat their real names are, but I didn’t. Once Chance saw nications from Winston Salem State University and me, he automatically gave me the nickname “Junk”. worked as a radio personality for 102 JAMZ based When people see you out, do they call you Junk? And how do you feel about the nickname?
out of Greensboro North Carolina. Can you please elaborate on these a bit?
I started as an intern for the radio station. I then started When people see me out, they do call me “Junk”. At helping one of the stations DJs, Kyle Santillian, with rst, the nickname bothered me ... I absolutely hated it his Tuesday night show, “Ladies Night”. One of the ... but now I’m okay with it. other DJs, Waleed Waleed Coyote (Street Hitz), was impressed with me after I rapped for him one night and I became I see that you currently reside in Atlanta, where are a regular personality for the program “The 10 o’clock you originally from? Banger”.
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When did you rst start taking modeling seriously?
Are you single?
About two years ago. My modeling career got off to a Maybe and maybe not slow start because in North Carolina there aren’t too many outlets for models that are serious about their What do you look for in a man? modeling careers. My rst big break was my appear ance in a Lil Scrappy video in 06. Personality.. If a man is dead behind the eyes, I can’t talk Personality to him. He must have nice shoes. I’m so big on shoes! I see that you have done a lot of major print maga- Good hygiene. He can’t be dead broke. He doesn’t have zines and music videos. What are some of the maga- to be the richest person in world. He can’t be disrespectzines and videos that you’ve done? ful towards me. He MUST know how to treat women. I’ve been featured in OmiGawd magazine based out of ATL, 2 issues of Straight Stuntin Magazine, and Sweets. I have an upcoming upco ming spread in Assets magazine. I’ve done a lot of music videos. Some of those videos include: “A lot of That”- Jeezy, “Dey Know”- Shawty Lo, “5000 Ones”- DJ Drama, “Waddle”- Gorilla Zoe, and “Who the F is That”- the late Dolla R.I.P. R.I.P.
Do you see marriage and/or children in your future?
I don’t see marriage in my future as of right now because it’s so hard to nd a good man now days. I’m up in the air about having children. Describe a typical day for “Junk”
A typical typical day for me isn’t what people probably expect expec t it to be. I have a very "regular" day. Most days I just As of right now, I do not model full time. I have actu- hang out at home and use MySpace, Face Book or Twitally stopped modeling. I don’t model; I just take really ter. I cook, go workout with my trainer and I faithfully nice photos. I still take pictures, but as of right now it’s watch Cheaters everyday! That’s my favorite show! more for my personal portfolio. Which one is your love interest on the show, Real or Now a days, almost every other female claims that Chance? they are a “model". How do you feel about that? In your opinion, what classies someone as a “model”? Chance. He reminds me of someone that I used to date. He has a “bad” attitude and I like “bad” attitudes. Everybody says they’re they’re a model. Models get paid to do what they do whether its full time or part time. You also How did you adjust to being on reality TV and havhave to have a resume of what you have done, whether ing cameras and a camera crew follow your every it was paid or unpaid. At least have something to show move? for it. If not, you’re just a good picture-taker picture-taker.. At rst, it was hard to adjust to the cameras followWith so many women getting "butt shots" and butt ing me everywhere. It used to upset me that cameras implants, how do you handle rumors that yours were always in face. Sometimes I went and hid in the isn’t natural? closet! When I got back home, I had nightmares about cameras! People that say my butt is fake need to pay attention to my "thigh to butt" ratio. That is one of the main ways Have you done any other reality TV shows, movies, to tell whether someone’s (butt) is natural or not. My etc? "thigh to butt" ratio is naturally proportionate. My friends and family know that mine is natural and that’s RCOL2 is the rst reality show that I’ve done. I’ve all that matters. been on the Maury Show in the past Do you model full time?
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Since participating in the show, have you thought about doing any acting?
Do you now have any ongoing beefs with any of the other contestants?
I’ve always wanted to act used to act. I used to act in Blonde Baller is the only person I can’t stand right now. high school. Unfortunately, being on reality shows gets you “type cast” but I do plan on venturing into acting. How can one get info on booking you for future ventures? Has being on RCOL2 given you more exposure? What ventures and offers have you received since Booking info is
[email protected] the show has aired? Yes. Magazines want to work with me that didn’t notice me before the show show..
Who would you like to thank and why? Who are some of the people that have played a major part in helping you with your career goals?
How did you get onto the show?
I would like to thank my family at 102 Jamz! They are the reason why I started doing what I do. They put me A friend of mine got the email about the casting. She under their wings and showed me the ropes. I would wanted me to go with her and I agreed to go with go also like to thank my family for their support. with her. The casting staff asked me if I wanted to audition and at rst I didn’t want to do it. After they kept Before we go, let our readers where they can see pressuring me to do it, I agreed. Luckily I got picked. more of you? My friend didn’t. I see that you were friends with some of the other girls from the show, which ones are you still friends with?
I’m still friends with “Classy”. I’m very close to her. I’m cool with “Hot Wings”, “PS”, “Baker” and “Mamacita”.
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My MySpace URL is http://www.myspace.com/da_ main_attraction and my Twitter URL is http://www. twitter.com/vh1sjunk.
A Sweet Dream Come True:
A Kimah Nicole Nicole Story Story by Diana Lorenzo imah Nicole is a diamond in the goals outside of modeling that, either way, she is a rough. Point, Blank, Period. This force to be reckoned with. Her pictures ooze absolute beauty is not only drop dead gor physical perfection, but even eve n more importantly, once geous, but she has nothing but pos- speaking with her, her intelligence and her complete itive attributes that suck you in and determination to be nothing less than successful will almost make you forget that this have you daydreaming of bringing her home to meet woman will stop trafc before even setting foot on the the parents. The Shoot Magazine is honored to be able curb. Kimah Nicole is on the fast track to super model to get a moment with Kimah Nicole, and even better, stardom, but she has worked so hard at achieving her we are proud to be able to share this moment with all of you.
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So Kimah, please tell us where are you from?
I am from San Antonio, TX. Where do you live now?
that have not hit the presses p resses just yet so stay tuned! How do you feel about people that look at models in a negative way when they do music videos or provocative shoots?
I feel like everyone has a right to their own opinion. However, all models should not be stereotyped. Everyone is an individual and responsible for their own actions. It is about maintaining your own integrity and How long have you been modeling? never compromising your morals as a woman. As long as the video/photo is done tastefully, I don't see what I have been modeling mod eling on and off for almost 2 years now. the problem is. I currently reside in Houston, TX but I'm always traveling.
Is modeling your only job right now?
What would you say is your biggest accomplishment so far?
No, I actually do marketing for a fortune 500 company company.. In addition, I am the President of Public Relations for I would denitely have to say graduating college and Mics and Models, a reality star/model management securing a good job to be able a ble to provide for myself and company, and I am currently in the process of starting my family. my own PR and Sports Entertainment rm. What music videos have you been featured feat ured in so far?
Paul Wall feat. Webbie – “Bizzy Body” Slim Thug feat. Ray J – “Keep It Playa” Scarface – “High Powered” Scarface feat. Trey Songz – “Girl You You Know” What magazines and/or calendars have you been featured in?
Most recently I was featured in The Source's collector's edition with Michael Jackson on the cover. What was your favorite music video that you were a part of and why?
“Bizzy Body” –Paul Wall was probably my favorite video to date. It was fun to shoot and it was the rst video my mom saw! She thought it was awesome! Are there any particular magazines or artists that you haven’t worked with yet that you would like to?
What advice would you like to give women that want to pursue a career in modeling?
Build up an amazing portfolio and network your butt off. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In ve years ... that seems so far from now. Well, I hope to have accomplished all of my modeling goals, completed the remaining coursework on my M.B.A., and have a very prominent Public Relations and Sports Marketing rm. Are you single?
Let's just say I'm off the market Describe the “perfect date”.
The perfect date for me starts with a romantic candle lit dinner, followed by a play or concert, followed by drinks at a nice intimate jazz club or lounge.
As far as videos are concerned, I would love to be feaHow do you feel about our country’s economy right tured in a Wayne video because I have been a huge fan now? of his for some time now. As far as magazines, of course I would like to be featured in all the big name national I can see a change. I am very 15 publications. There are some things that I have done hopeful, and I have full con-
dence in Obama that he will rectify the situation. What do you like to do in your spare time?
Which models/women inspire you and why?
In the model category, Tyra and Kimora denitely inWith the help of DVR, I have become a TV junkie. I spire me. They have used their modeling platform to am addicted to The First 48, CSI, Law and Order, and transition into other facets of the industry. They are 48 Hours. driven women who have accomplished their goals and made the world see them as more than a pretty face. Overall, Oprah is someone who inspires me on totally What kind of upbringing did you have? different level. Her entertainment and humanitarian acI am from a very close knit family. I still talk to my complishments are tremendous. mom and grandmother every day. I grew up in the hood but fortunately I made it out. I had the opportunity to Who has played an important role throughout your see a lot of my peers succumb to various misfortunes life and career? and I learned from their mistakes. I am very grateful for my family for instilling in me my core values. It helped My mother and my grandmother have been my rock mold me into the person I am today. today. throughout my life. They continue to support me in all my endeavors. What would you say are your best physical qualities and characteristics? What can we expect to see from Kimah Nicole?
I think my curves are my best physical qualities. I think I am working on my calendar and my website which my best characteristics are my down to earth nature and will be released before the end of the year. my sense of humor. Describe yourself in one word: Captivating You have an amazing body! Do you work out? Yes but not nearly as much as I should.
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GET YOUR FAVORITE MODELS AS YOUR CELL WALL PAPER!
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CHI-CITY THE NEW FACE OF HIP HOP by Wesley W. Jenkins
Chi City, the young independent artist from the South side of Chicago, is ready to be a new leader of rap; bringing originality back to the rap game. With a fresh, raw ow, and Mid-west avor, Chi City is bound to be a household name in the near future. He is on a path to bring real, heartfelt Hip Hop music back into 19the industry; getting back to the essence of rapping.
Chi City has the witty storytelling techniques of the late, great Biggie Smalls, sick lyrical word play of Lil Wayne, and an uncanny ability to switch up his ow in ways that sound like none other. Track to track, verse to verse, he has the skills and talent to compete with anyone in the game right now. A
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true student of the game, Chi City lives in the studio. He recorded more than 100 songs for his latest mix tape “A long way from home” which hit the streets in late August 2009. The twenty-one track mix tape includes the blazing singles “Get It Girl” and “Say Yeah” Yeah” which are sure to be instant club bangers. Always working on brand new material, Chi City has put out more than ve mix tapes which have ooded the streets including “Street Talk” vol. 1 & 2, “Almost Signed,” and the classic mix tape “Rap vs. Hip Hop”, just to name a few. In a time where the rap game is watered downed with gimmick rappers and bland, predictable lyrics and unoriginal concepts, Chi City is a new fresh face of Hip Hop whose rhymes will leave you thirsty for more after the rst listen. Having collaborated with DJs such as DJ Farris, Trend Settaz DJs, DJ Kid Scratch, DJ Smoove, DJ Shawn Mack, a DJ for Chicago’s own Twista as well numerous local local DJs, DJs, Chi City City has built a massive following in Chicago and all over the Mid-west reaching all the way to St. Louis. With prominent regional success, Chi City has also gained fans in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, California, and Maryland, and even abroad. A wellrespected player in the underground ranks, he has also linked up with some of the hottest artists on the inde pendent circuit, teaming up with Cory Gunz, the son of New York rapper, Peter Gunz, and Grand Finale, an independent artist based out of New Jersey, to produce blazing hot tracks.
bona de hustler in the game using the Internet as well as other avenues to increase his status. Chi City has over 700k combined plays and 300k combined hits on Myspace, over 20k downloads of the street classic mix tape entitled “Rap vs. Hip Hop”, and is reaching over 10k listens of his mix tapes on Datpiff.com. Staying on his grind and working tirelessly to progress and become a hot-item in the underground, the young lyrical genius is content with his accomplishments as an independent Growing up in Chicago’s infamous gang culture, Chi artist yet is always hungry for more. City has the street credibility to appeal to anyone in any hood in any city and the lyrical substance to appeal to Initial inspiration came when he saw a performance by the hardest of “Hip Hop Heads”. The ultra talented en- Lil Bow Wow as a young child. At twenty-two years tertainer poses the capability to appeal to some of the of age, Chi City has nearly six pop culture, as well, being compared to Jay-Z by some years in the game. In the early of his overseas fans. Staying true to his roots, he is a stages of his career, he made
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a name for himself by ghost writing for some of ChicaCh icago’s hottest local talents from Killer Ward, Ward, Goon Squad to artists afliated with Kanye West’s label G.O.O.D. MUSIC. At a young age, Chi City sparked the interest of Columbia Records when he submitted his material on a whim via Internet but decided not to pursue the deal do to disputes with his mother. Chi City also had a deal in the works with publishing companies connected
to Atlantic records; however, due to creative conicts, he decided not to go forward with the opportunity. opportunity. After making his imprint as an independent artist ,Chi City decided to build his own music empire by creating a record label called On My Own Records (O.M.O.) for which he is the CEO.
In a weakened state of Hip Hop, Chi City feels like he’s on top of his game and can outshine the majority of the hottest artists in the mainstream. Armed with immense lyrical ammo and a legitimate authentic style that harks on the glory days of Hip Hop, he is more than ready to take on the masses. When asked “What impression do you plan on leaving on the game?”, Chi City responded by saying, “I want to bring hope to the young aspiring artist. I want to be the inspiration and the one who folks look up to when they want to hear good music.” The song, “ I gotta make it” - track #20 on the “A long way from home” mix tape, illustrates how he persevered through unfortunate events in his past and uses the knowledge he gained as a child to stay motivated and continue perfecting his craft. Chi City is always driven to make music that you can vibe to. He’s ever present in the lab continuing to work steadfast on creating a new formula for success. He has all but mastered the underground level and is prepared to break through to the masses and reach commercial success without “selling out”. Without any doubt, Chi City will be on your local radio stations and all over your tube by the end of this year.
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CONGRATULATIONS DOLL! VH1’s RCOL2 Winner!
Her name is DOLL and this is her HOUSE A look inside the life of VH1 reality star,
Jacqueline DaFonseca By Megan Bolton
With VH1’s Real and Chance publicly seeking love for a second round, they have brought on board an entirely new cast of girls who bring the sexual insanity to prime-time television, but all aren’t as wild and out of control as some of the women make it appear. Some of the young ladies bring standards, culture, and sex ap peal to the house while still remaining a Doll!
longest,” suggests Doll. Although VH1 stepped it up a notch as far as this season’s cast in the classiness and appearance department, they made sure to not neglect the action that the ladies bring to the show … even e ven Real and Chance seem to have made better decisions in assisting the producers in picking women who appear to be more compatible with them.
Jacqueline DaFonseca, the beautiful Cape Verdean or African and Portuguese mix nicknamed Doll, became a contestant on season 2 of VH1’s Real Chance of Love to win one of the two sibling bachelors’ hearts only a week after graduating from Fitchburg State as a Criminal Justice major. Not only educated, she also models allowing her to have experience in the spotlight and in front of cameras which ultimately encouraged a friend to push her into trying out for the show show.. From what Doll admits, she was immediately liked by the producers due to her beautiful and exotic appearance. After two weeks and two auditions, she had made it to L.A. em barking on her future as a newly found reality star and hopefully nding love in the process.
Doll confesses that once she entered the house, Chance was feeling her intensely right off the bat, and although Real was too, he wasn’t as assertive as his brother. She says many people don’t even notice that Chance was actually the one who nicknamed her or the aggressive ways he showed his h is interest in the multicultural beauty be auty.. “There were times he would have one-on-one conversations with me and would excuse the other girls saying, ‘Let me talk to Doll a little more,’ but they don’t show everything on camera.” She says that 80% to 85% of footage goes unaired and will never grace the eyes of the public; and that people will just have to read between the lines until the nale when the girls can inform the public of all the secrets that the Real Chance of Love house holds. “Chance is just too crazy for me,” Doll says laughing. “Although they cut it out, I told Real when they were naming me, ‘I’m here for you.’ Yea, Chance was showing me way more attention but Real is more reserved like I am and came at me in a more respectful way which made for better chemistry.” chemistry.”
Seeing herself on television every Monday night, she says “wows” her. “I’m just so happy that it is really me on TV ... everyone that knows me is like, ‘That’s exactly how you are.’” Growing up with four brothers, Doll denitely knows how to hold her own. She says that although she felt the need to be closed off at rst because of the new and crazy environment, she never lost control of herself throughout all of the drama. “It took me at least a week to get used to the whole situation. I was thinking, I’m in this house; these girls are all nuts … I’m going to have to do something crazy to be noticed and I didn’t really want to do that, but luckily I didn’t have to do anything crazy. The girls actually eliminate themselves because they were. The girls that are really themselves always last the
Doll entered the house playing the game in a more clever and strategic way. She admits to secretly and quietly weeding the girls out one by one, especially after she began to become more and more attached to Real and claiming him as her own. She began to feel uncomfortable with the other girls in the house getting intimate with him and concocted ways to expose them as women who weren’t meant to be with him while still remaining ladylike and proper. She does feel that the brothers most likely found love this season ... especially one 24
lucky brother in particular particular.. Since the airing of the show, Doll has had many opportunities presented to her with the season just beginning its run. Interest has been expressed in her for magazine features, poster deals, commercials, and more. While her look is popular now, she plans to pursue her modeling career and pick back up on her education after
she’s gained full notoriety for her unique sex appeal. She plans to take full advantage of the modeling world and keep her options diverse from high fashion to catalog, even Playboy. She’s a vibrant young celeb on the rise, so the Girls Next Door better watch out! And although strong intuitions say that Doll makes it pretty far on the show, the truth will be told in the end. Does she ultimately capture the heart of Real who she absolutely adores, or is she sent home to tend to her broken heart? If it’ it’ss the latter, never fear! Doll will bounce back quick as she still wouldn’t mind getting to know other celebs, such as the new album releasing rap artist, Fabolous a.k.a Loso. “I mean obviously I love Real because he’s just a sweet, sweet guy but for some reason I am also in love with Fabulous,” she says laughing. “His swag is just really sexy!” So it seems as if Loso has his own private invitation into the “Doll House”. Keep your eyes peeled for Jacqueline DaFonseca AKA Doll because she is denitely planning to capture the attention of the masses in the very near future. Not only did her exotic looks, winning personality, and intelligent strategy play a major part of her game in the reality world, she also plans to use these same tactics in the real world as well. If you want to keep up with Doll and all her new and exciting ventures, follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/VH1Doll, her Myspace at www www.myspace.com/Dol.myspace.com/Dolliedollworld, and also videos she’s posted on YouTube at www.youtube. com/VH1Doll.
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Hey HEA HEATHER THERett ette! e! By Megan Bolton
So…is it safe to say that every woman out there making money isn’t getting it by “shakin’ that thing for a lil’ piece of change”?! Well Ms. Heather, buyer and marketing assistant of the woman’s department for Shiekh Shoes, has proven that this world isn’t all about T&A (Tits & Ass), but instead B&B (brains & business). As a buyer for a small company, Heather attends trade shows such as the Magic and WSA show in Vegas, but hopes to venture off to experience other trade shows in other cities. Until then, she and the other staff members of the company select the shoes that they admire most from the shows and they even go to the creative extents of designing their own shoes too! 27Currently in the works are shoes being designed and
created in collaboration with with Dolly “Lady” “Lady” Gray from “Real Chance of Love 2,” so we can ca n be expecting to see some hot footwork in the name of Lady being released really soon! Shoes seem to be a part of Heather’s heart and sole! With Shiekh Shoes’ headquarters originally being located in on the outskirts of L.A in California, she lucked up, at the age of 18, with a job as their receptionist when they started to move towards the L.A area after working at store level for two years prior. She denitely proved her potential at this point in her career when she would wear Shiekh’s shoes while she danced on Soul Train! After every show she would come back to the ofce mak ing suggestions for the shoes
and how they could be improved upon which really exhibited her passion for the company and its products to the owner of the company, but with Heather still being new to this aspect of the business, she still had to work her way up. She began as Mr. Shiekh’s Shiekh’s assistant to learn the ins and outs of marketing and from that eventually progressed and gained an additional title as his assistant buyer. Although the job proves to be fun for her … and why wouldn’t it be because who doesn’t love shopping right ... but Heather admits that starting off, it wasn’t as easy of some may think. She had to grow accustomed to not just choosing items that she personally wanted for herself but instead cater to all the many different tastes that various women have in clothing. “Being here has been a total learning experience and a blessing because I have learned so much about not just myself but about Black individuals, Hispanic individuals, White individuals and just trying to pick out a shoe that everybody likes… which is crazy,” ex plains Heather of her transition. Her time as a Soul Train dancer also proved to be a very insightful and entertaining period in her life, not neglecting to mention that this job came along with some family history! Her mother was also a dancer on Soul Train back in the day and her father was their stage coordinator at the time, which led to the beginning of their love affair after meeting on the show. Her father was the stage coordinator for about 20 plus years and had even become the best of friends with
Don Cornelius, and her mother danced for the show up until she got pregnant with Heather then lying those platform pumps down to rest. So after learning about the opportunity as a dancer from a friend, Heather quickly jumped into the Soul Train line to live up to her parent’s legacy. “It was cool because a lot of the guys that my dad worked with back in the day were still there, and I remember when this guy walked up to me and he was like your Chuck’s daughter and your mom is Natasha! So it was really cool,” says Heather explaining, how many of the old equipment workers who were still there her nicknamed her “Lil’ Chucky” after her father whose name is Chuck. She laughs saying, “That wasn’t really the cutest nickname I could’ve had but I had to program it in my head like ‘it’s because of my dad…it’s because of my dad.’” So Heather denitely kept the family pride going strong with her experience as a sexy dancer for the train of soul while still adding her kooky, crazy personality. She makes sure to let people know that…she doesn’t care! She does what she wants and what she feels, and she’ll admit it…she’s crazy! And why not she claims, because everyone already knows how wild her personality is from walking into her bright green ofce at Shiekh Shoes. Shiekh Shoes is denitely making a name for themselves rapidly with Heather’s unique and trendy marketing ideas. She’s made it possible for the company compan y to be featured in top magazines such as Seventeen, Cosmo Girl and Teen Vogue just to name a few, and she really feels that this is just the beginning of their empire. “Shiekh is the one place that you can go and you 28
works so that kids can come out and showcase their vocal talents. There will also be radio personalities in attendance from major stations and even celebrity guest judges. The event is looking to grace some of the major cities ranging from L.A. to Houston to Vegas, and the winner will ultimately receive some type of recording contract or deal. It’s denitely a hit project in the mak ing and to receive more information about it as it processes Heather advices all who are interested to visit http://www.shiekhteam.com/, which is Shiekh’s newly “I like to go out to dinner…I love food! I like to launched networking site. eat and try different restaurants, I like going to Shiekh has bethe malls and just lookcome a family to ing and seeing what’s Heather and she atcrackin’ out there, and the tributes a lot of her pool and the beach are successes to the my things also because I company that took can soak up the sun,” says her under their wing Heather telling us about and allowed her to experience opporher hobbies once she nally gets a free day d ay.. “I’m tunities of a lifereally laid back…I also time. “I can’t pick like going to the movies one thing that’s just and I love nail salons! I’ll great about working try to go to every nail sahere because there’ the re’ss lon out there if I could!” so many little things that just build up Heather obviously into one, and workstays really busy and ing for Shiekh alone doesn’t leave that out is great. He’s the when telling young wommost beautiful peren who are looking to be son I’ve ever enin her position one day. countered, and he’s She wants young women just so sweet and to intern, hustle, and just it’s almost like you really network because just want to throw she feels that this world is up because you’re like, ‘Where did truly at our ngertips and you just need to work hard and prove yourself. Go hard you come from?’” He’s awesome…the best boss you and hustle! She mentions how it’s hard for her to even could ever have,” concludes Heather on her fabulous stomach people who constantly have excuses because job! J “As far me as a person…there are no hidden nothing can ever hold you back from what you truly facts, no articial avors, I’m 100% real!” want. just know that you’ll nd something, and it’s at a good price so you don’t feel like you have to break out $100 on a nice pair of shoes,” explains Heather. She really emphasizes on how you’re really paying for something that worth your money while still being stylish at an affordable price. So with all this working we know you’re wondering, besides painting her ofce green or getting a little wild on One Night Stand… what does Heather do once she gets time to just relax.
Even though she continues to hustle and grind as she assists in working on one of their upcoming projects entitled Shiekh Music, which is an event something like American Idol with Reebok as one of their spon29sors, and they are planning to advertise it on all net-
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The Collins Twins: Brazilian Barbies By Megan Bolton
We’ve always known that Miami was a melting pot for different cultures and ethnicities, but the modeling inTheir break out career move was when they received dustry was blessed when the Miami shores produced the “Beauty of the Week” title from JET Magazine in the Brazilian Barbie Ba rbie Dolls, The Collins Twins. Twins. the November 2007. That accomplishment, along with their consistent networking skills, pushed their name With their career just beginning a couple of years throughout the industry so quickly and allowed them to ago, they have truly established themselves and made gain so much recognition that the following year in 2008 a mark in an industry in which it is so hard to gain they were blessed to have booked eleven music videos. recognition and respect. Now living in Atlanta, GA, Their success continued into 2009 with their nominathe ladies constantly have opportunities presented to tion and acceptance of a Southern Entertainment Award Award as Impact Models of the them left and right. They denitely have made a reputation Year and the featured for themselves and continue roles in three upcoming to gain notoriety by maintainmusic videos of popular ing appearances in major murecording artists ranging sic productions to magazines from Atlanta’s Rocko to and even winning awards for Carmelo Anthony’s new their sex appeal, but surprisartist, Diego Cash. We ingly modeling wasn’t what the know that they can wreck beautiful sisters had planned the industry together, but for their future at all. how about alone, you ask? Tracee, being the youngest The twins typically by minutes but most denitely seeming to be the most domiwork together but on ocnate out of the two, explains casion are booked sepahow modeling never really was rately.. Stacee was rerately cently chosen to shoot the rst thought that came to mind envisioned their future. for the cover of the book, They began modeling durDiary of a Sex Addict, by ing their junior year at Florida Shalona L. Amos, and if A&M. Stacee became interyou ask them how the auested in the modeling industry; thor went about choosing and being an outsider looking which twin to use, they in, she wanted to be a part of wouldn’t be able to tell the glamour world more than you. They have also been just being a reader of magafeatured in music videos zines. After being spotted by a local photographer, Is- separately such as India Arie and new recording artists, sac Williams, she began to book shoots with him to Rock City, but Tracee doesn’t neglect to mention that be in his upcoming calendar entitled “Fantasy World” these brief separation periods are just for work. “W “We’re e’re which he was about to release that tha t year. After seeing the never apart and we won’t be apart until one of us gets potential in the twins together, he encouraged Tracee to married,” Tracee says laughing. You would think that also jump on board so that they could begin modeling all this sisterly love would get old eventually and that as a duo. After their rst shoot together with Williams, the claws would come out at their career soared off to new heights, not with just one times but the sisters jokingly 31Brazilian bombshell, but now with two! disagreed, “During photo
shoots photographers do sometimes boost up the com petition. We’ll look at the pictures and if one has done better than the other we’ll say, “B*tch, I served you,” says Tracee giggling. “But we never seriously get mad at each other except for maybe entertainment! People seem to nd Stacee and I entertaining when we get to arguing…so we may do it for entertainment; and we’ll get into some occasional cat ghts but nothing too crazy.” The friendly competition does not seem to only brew between the sisters but they also have to acknowledge it within the industry, especially when there are about eight other sets of popular twin models within the business, but does that hold the Collins’ back? No! In fact, they are planning to build from it. “What we really would like to do is an all twin issue for some magazine company with all of the other popular sexy twin models out there. No one has ever done it and we think that once they do it will denitely be hot,” said the twins agreeing on how successful the possible project could be. As far as the stereotypes that come with the type of urban modeling that they do, they strongly emphasize on how their sex appeal is strictly used for modeling and business purposes only, they have not and do not plan on doing anything further than simply modeling to gain anything from anyone. Professionalism is denitely something that needs to be maintained in a business such as entertainment, especially dealing with modeling and displaying your body in a sexual way. The Collins’ refer to themselves as video actresses instead of video vixens because they believe that most models that are about business don’t usually claim that title, but as far as the stereotypes, the twins don’t stress about how people perceive them because that is their personal opinion. It can be hard to work in an industry in which there are some women that act out of character and throw themselves at the celebrities, but that is not every model. The twins constantly make an effort to prove that some women can model, show off their beautiful bodies and still remain ladies while they do so because what most people would not believe is that the twins are actually single! In a world of A-list celebrities
ranging from recording artists, athletes, movie stars and producers, the twins have shockingly managed to stay single which is what most guys love to hear. The twins touched on how rumors have been circulating about them dating Souljah Boy and other major artists, although Stacee would love to dibble with Diddy and Tracee would love to dabble with Lil Boosie, all the other stories out there are simply rumors. With the rumors coming and going, the twins are open to anything that may happen as far as relationships in the future that can remain solid throughout life. What if they like the same guy? You would think that they would be interested in the same types of guys because they are twins, but on the contrary they actually are not too much attracted to the same guys. Tracee admits that it does happen on occasion that they are both attracted to someone but they have a system to gure out who gets the guy so that there are not any cat ghts. “If the guy is looking, we will both wave and Stacee may say, “You can have him” or I’ll say, “Stacee you can have him.” So we both decide who ultimately wants him, but if he comes up and tries to choose and he chooses wrong, he cannot have either one of us,” explains Tracee. “Even if the guy chooses correctly, the sister that ultimately wanted him will get him but even after we still cannot help but wonder why he picked me over my sister? And they’re usually just like, ‘I don’t know,’” she concludes laughing. Pitches aren’t only being made from guys to the twins but they are also making some pitches of their own in hopes of receiving their own reality show! They are currently in the works now of meeting with different networks and coming up with ideas for their own show, along with also pitching ideas to different companies to hopefully land an ad campaign for clothing companies like Baby Phat or Sean Jean, there is denitely more to come which will be twice as nice n ice with twice the spice! Check out their past projects and keep up with them and their future ones by following them on www.Twitwww.Twitter.com/THECOLLINSTWINS and www.Myspace. com/COLLINSTWINS!!!
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The State of Hip Hop Wesley Jenkins
Hello my fellow hip hop heads, rap enthusiast, or whatever you want to call yourselves. yourselves. Where is the state of hip hop right now? Who’s really hot? Who’s Who’s really not? Hopefully my insight will help answer these questions. Besides the usual suspects like T.I., Jay Z, and Lil Wayne who are all at the forefront of being the next “superstar” rapper, is there anyone out there ready to carry the torch? Is there anyone out there worthy of being called rap’s next superstar? Is it Drake, Lil Wayne’s “mini me?” I’m sure you all heard of the
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new white rapper Asher Roth. I know I am not the only one who thinks the guy sounds just like Eminem. I’m not knocking these respected artists but in my opinion, they don’t sound original. The rap game has a lot of followers and very few leaders. R& B big shot T-Pain cranks out hit after hit with the use of auto-tune, so what does your favorite rapper do? He puts out a whole mix tape using auto-tune. That’ That’ss not original. Eons ago artists put out songs you knew they wanted to hear and there was no doubt that they listened to their own tracks but does Plies really relax on a Sunday by kicking back and putting on “Becky” or does Souljah Boy nd his creative juices by bumping “She gotta donk.” In my opinion, I can honestly say that the majority of the mainstream rappers are completely mediocre! Why, you ask? Where do I start? The weak lyrics, unoriginal concepts, and stolen hooks, you name it. A lot of the songs I’m hearing sound exactly the same. Everyone is talking about the same things. Not only are they saying the same thing they are saying them in the same way. In more than half of the songs I hear on radio or videos I see on TV, the artist never fails to say a line about their “swag,” brightly colored diamonds, and how their shoes match their belt. Some artists go to the length of taking a line from a song and making their own song out of that line without giving any credit to the artist who used it rst. A positive aspect of this new era of rap I notice is that the production of the tracks has gone up tremendously. Polo the Don, Shawty Red, and Just Blaze are a few producers who I think stepped the game up when it comes to making beats. I also have to mention Kanye West in those regards. I believe the the new formula to creating a hit single is as follows, purchase an out of this world track from someone like Cool & Dre, come up with this catchy hook that is easy to remember, and recite three verses that consist of 16 bars of words that rhyme and people will love it. They’ll buy the ring tone, download it, and put the song on their Myspace page. You don’t realize that you’re being hypnotized by the beat. You hear the beat, remember
The State of Hip Hop cont’d...
the hook but forget to listen to the lyrics. What happened to the lyricists like Common and Black Thought of the Roots? Why is it that no one is following in their shoes? It’ It’ss not all bad. You still have Andre 3000 who was voted top MC by a panel put together by MTV. MTV. Will there ever be anymore a nymore super groups like Wu-Tang and Outkast? Will there be anyone who im pacts the game like the great Tupac and Biggie? It’s evident that the game is at a weakened state right now.. Seasoned veterans who you think should be on an now island somewhere are coming back and in my assumption coming back with a vengeance. vengea nce. Take Jay Z’s Z’s single from his new album “The Blueprint 3,” DOA (Death of Auto-tune). It’s clear he’s against the auto-tune movement. Q-Tip, N.O.R.E., and Capone have albums drop ping. What milk carton did they nd these guys on? So who’s next? You may have to dig deep into the wells of the underground nd an artist who strays away from the status quo. Lyrical artist such as Chi City out of
Chicago and Cory Gunz are climbing their way into the mainstream. Perhaps the most slept on MC out of the south Killer Mike’s newly released album Underground Atlanta debuted as the number 10 rap album on Billboard.com. Let us not forget about Kid Cudi, the eclectic Ohio born rapper. He introduced us to a new alternative, psych-genre of hip-hop with his automatic hit single “Day & Night.” The track is amazing, his ow is unlike the vast majority of hip hop, and the originality factor is off the charts. We’ll see if he can follow his initial success with the September release of his debut album Man on the Moon: The end of day. It will get better but only time will tell. Stay tuned , keep a sharp ear, and be careful not to fall into the “trap” or gimmick that these rappers present. It’s your right as a fan to analyze and question the motives behind the work being produced. It’s your duty to point out dregs of the rap game and eliminate the slackers.
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Article written late September
CONGRATULATIONS TO DANGER WITH A NEW BABY GIRL!
“DANGERously in Love” By Megan Bolton
Are you dangerously in love? Well, all of America is, when we’re speaking of 22 year-old Monica Leon a.k.a Danger from VH1’s hit reality show, “For the Love of Ray J.” She captured the attention of millions of viewers as she competed with other gorgeous contestants to win the heart of the infamous Ray J, a talented record producer, singer, actor and sibling to R&B vocalist, Brandy.. Out of all of the sexy young ladies who graced Brandy the show with their presence, Danger brought about a vibe which made her unforgettable. The tiger prowling across her face was our rst indication that this modelesque beauty was one to look out for. Come along as we journey into the Danger-ous world of Monica Leon.
The alter ego of Leon, Danger, has had so much going on in her life since the airing of the show show,, including her indulgence into the art world, numerous shoots for multiple magazines, the premiere of a new radio show, and currently being pregnant! Yes, she is pregnant after all…and the baby is due this month, October 2009! The rst pregnancy shocker broke into the media in fall of 2008, but she quickly corrected the rumor on Ray J’s reunion show by admitting that there had been a false pregnancy conrmation. Even before she cleared up the confusion, a lot of viewers didn’t doubt the pregnancy because everyone clearly witnessed her and Ray J’s steamy love affair and their “off the charts” chemistry. Danger expresses how she initially went onto the show because she was extremely attracted to him, and once entering the house they just automatically clicked with her being able to convey to him stories of her rough childhood which most could say was denitely full of “danger.” He understood and sympathized with everything that she had been through and experienced as a young adult allowing their connection to become that much more intense, although it was being broadcast on a national television show. The unique love that Ray J and Danger shared began to sizzle out once he began to ask other girls in the house his infamous question, “Sexy Can I,” and becoming more intimate with them, but Danger and his undeniable chemistry lead many to believe that the false pregnancy at the time could have been by no one other than Ray J. That is, until another potential candidate surfaced…Gabrielle Cannon, the younger brother of Nick Cannon.
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She met and fell in love with Cannon shortly after her
dismissal from the show, and although now they also are not together, she wishes him the best just as she does for Ray J with his second season airing soon…but these break ups still doesn’t mean our girl isn’t pregnant. You can catch TwitPics of the mother to be sporting an adorable green bathing suit and lovely “baby bump”. It has denitely been conrmed that she’s expecting. “I’m due in Mid-October and I’m having a girl,” says Danger as she ecstatically expresses her excitement about the pregnancy and the upcoming birth of her baby girl, but even with the time consuming job of motherhood approaching, it hasn’t seemed to slow down this erce entrepreneur at all. Since the show, Danger has been busy making sure that her mark remains prominent in the industry. She’s currently working on a “tellall” book. She’ll be hosting an art tour soon in which her very own paintings will be shown and sold, the possibility of her own show on television is being discussed, and the recent debut of her new Internet radio broadcasting, One Night Stand, has begun. The radio show, which airs every Thursday and can be found on www.blogtalkradio.com/1-night-stand-show , is currently her newest venture and has shown the great potential that Danger has within the business aspect of the media world. “Ray J and Chardonnay Ch ardonnay were my rst guests on the radio show and it has been really great, going strong for a few months now and actually being rated #1 in our segment on Blog Talk Radio,” says Danger, condently ex plaining the success her show has received. The show details various topics including, of course, one night stands in which she and viewers share their intimate stories, celebrity gossip, and special celebrity guests, and also allows listeners and viewers to partici pate in contests and win prizes.
show, new UStream show show, show.. So, fellas, if you’re ne and a nd know how to shine, take out the time and start applying.
Other than that to keep an eye on Danger and any of her unpredictable moves, follow her on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/MonicaDanger, her Myspace at She also has another show in production, in www www.myspace.com/femmefataleent, .myspace.com/femmefataleent, and also her brand which she is hosting a contest in search of a male co- new website which should be launched within a couple host, who she would like to be charismatic, likable, and weeks. Never fear, you will denitely see more of Dancan handle the dirt that will most likely be dished out to ger in this lifetime ... as stated in the words of Ralph them on the show. The search is still currently in prog- Waldo Emerson - “AS SOON AS THERE IS LIFE, ress and any guys interested can email their information THERE IS DANGER.” to
[email protected] and auditions will be taking place on The Wifeys, which is Danger and Stilts’, also from 36 the “For the Love of Ray J”
vh1 Lady’ Lady ’s Intervi Intervie ew business? 1. How was your experience doing the show? I always liked to be front and center and I love to be I enjoyed it, it was a great experience. There were times around people and that kind of ts with singing, modelwhere things got kind of old but all in all I loved being ing and acting. able to do the show. 2. Can you tell us anything juicy about the show? I think the juiciest thing I did on the show was play pranks on a lot of people. I’m something like a comedian, well I don’t try to be funny on purpose, it just kind of happens. I enjoyed playing pranks on the other contestants.
12. Which of the brothers were u on the show to nd love with and why? I wanted to nd love with Real, because be cause he seemed like a very sweet guy. I knew Chance and I wouldn’t work out because him and I are way too much alike.
13. There is a lot of speculation that Real and Chance are homosexual, what are your thoughts on 3. Are you bisexual? that? I no longer consider myself myself bisexual. There was a point No, most people say that but I don’t believe so. They in time where I only liked females but I am over that never did anything to to make me think that. that. They are renow.. Now I just like men. now ally freaky though. I heard Real say that he wanted to have sex with some of the animals on the farm. 4. Where are you from? I am from Houston, Texas 14. Do you have beef with any of the girls from the
show? 5. Tell us more about your music career. No, if anything I irted with them. them. There was a time I have a few songs and music videos on my myspace when I was a little upset with Blonde Baller because page. My favorite song play with that monkey she put me in a bad situation when she told the story about her boyfriend. 6. On the show you had a monkey, was that really your monkey? 15. Do you hang out with any of the girls from the Yes, I have had him for 6 years show? Yes, mainly Doll, Junk, and HotWings but I’m pretty 7. What type of a category would u put yourself in much cool with everyone. as a rapper? I’m not a rapper, I don’t put myself in a category, I am 16. Do a lot of people recognize you? an entertainer, more like a female soulja boy When I go out people do recognize me. It is so weird to me. 8. Do you model I model, rap, and act 17. How did you get involved with the show? I went to an audition in Houston and was chosen out of 9. Have u been on any other reality shows aside a pool of 42 thousand other women. from this one No I have not 18. How did you get adjusted to the cameras? After day one it pretty much got real and I totally for10. Tell me some things about yourself. got about the cameras. Day 1 people were acting really I have a 6 year old o ld son, 7 sisters, and 3 brothers. extra.
3711. What made u want to get into the entertainment 19.
How old are you?
I am 22 20. After I left the show I had to see a psych doc b/c I was so use 2 being around people and cameras. I just saw him once he tried to prescribe medicine but I wouldn’t take it. 21. Are Real and Chance the same on and off camera? Yes, for sure. Chance acts the way he acts all of the time as well as Real. 22. After the rst season you wanted to audition? Yes, the girls from the rst season were not cute at all so I wanted to try out because I know I am much prettier.
23. Did u make connections with both of them? Yes I did, hot wings and I made out with chance on the rst day. 24. How did you feel about the guys being involved with the other girls? I felt like I was being pimped pimped actually. actually. It was not really a good feeling especially after I began to catch feelings for Real. corded, its like prison. Before we get in the house they What were u expecting before you went on the take our id, etc.
25. show? What made you want to be with women? I thought it was fake. I was ready to take on a role and 30. be an actress. I found out when I got there that every- I was born that way, I have been with a female sexually but I no longer consider myself as bi-sexual thing is real. What made u write 21? 26. How many people were there strictly to be on 31. I wanted to be 21 so badly so I wrote a song about it tv? Everybody! Some people may have really liked them 32. Do u take your monkey to the club? but they were there for tv as well. I take him everywhere! 27. How much did you like Real and Chance before 33. Tell us some more about Lady that we do not you got there? I wasn’t really interested, nothing serious until I got already know. I went to Africa, Dubai and London as a backup dancer. there and really started catching feelings. I love to dance. My main goals are to be in a Tyler Tyler Perry lm and to host 106 and park. I’m joining a rock 28. How long was the show? We were there for 3 weeks, eliminations are every other band, and before being on the show I hosted a P. Diddy party and a Steve Francis party. night and everyday there is a different challenge. 29. Did u get a tv tv,, radio, phone? Just a phone and its being re-
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