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Integrity and honesty are rare in this business. A lot of times, I find it to be as rare as the missing railroad piece on a McDonalds Monopoly game board. But with my guy Jas Bell, more popularly known as Leonardo Chop, his level of authenticity and candor is what has allowed him to progress in an industry which typically leaves a person distorted and washed.

I also think Jas being so comfortable with himself is what allowed him to take uncharted paths the typical teenager and now adult would dream about but wouldn’t have the ability to pull off. Just think about it, being 17 or 18 years old and being a roadie for Pharrell and Kanye West, while still having to complete high school assignments on a tour bus, takes a different level of confidence. A confidence balanced with humility but also secure enough to embrace the moment.

In a lot of ways, embracing the moment is what has serves Chop well on his process to excellence. Being willing to take in life as it comes and then courageously responding to it. That’s how you get a kid who was kicked out high school who then ends up being Creative Director for SZA and developing one of the more honest streetwear brands, Hazelwood.

A timid nature is what you shouldn’t expect from this conversation, especially the last 30 mins of it. I encourage you all to take some time to just soak up the perspectives of the one who Pharrell dubbed as a cloud hopper who is in every sense currently living out that moniker to a tee. You all enjoy and #stayexcellent.

– Blair Caffey (@honorrollblair)

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I’m not even gonna hold y’all, there is a lot packed into this episode. If I had to summarize it, I would have to entitle it something like “The Integration of Atlanta’s Political Police and the Creative Community”. No conversation like this could be had with anyone other than my guy, Bem Joiner, founder of Atlanta Influences Everything. 

Bem, being an Atlanta native, has seen the city go through its fair share of changes; some for the good and some not so much. What has undoubtedly and consistently been on an upward trajectory are the creatives in Atlanta have created a culture the entire world attempts to emulate. The question Joiner presents essentially is, “why is it that Atlanta has all of this global influence, yet the creatives in the city aren’t reaping the benefits of what draws so much attention to the city thats considered a “Black Mecca”?”.

In short, Bem did not provide us with a solution to his legitimate question. Partially because for many of us, this dynamics between policy makers and the creative community is foreign to us and we needed to use this time for Bem to lay out a clear picture of all that is at play. 

I can say for certain there will eventually a part 2 to this conversation but I truly believe this a dialogue all of the creatives in the city need to be invested in. Grab your pen and pad and be prepared to pick up what the homie is putting down. #stayexcellent

– Blair Caffey (@honorrollblair)

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Just for starters, my guy, Uncle Mike, is one of the most genuine individuals I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. First time I met him and his wife Nic at their crib in Brooklyn, I was immediately met with a legit 3 course meal. And if my memory serves me correctly, they weren’t in the process of cooking, this was just the type of hospitality and love they were accustomed to showing anyone who came through their doors.

After banging out on some amazing cuisine and a 6 hour conversation later, what was clear to me was Mike had an internal arc that bends towards developing meaningful community spaces; be it in product, tangible spaces, or ideology. This has all been realized in the brands Uncle Mike has either developed or has been a key component in their success. From his early beginnings of “Brooklyn Sky”, to providing internal framework for brands like Slow Bucks, to developing one of his most influential brands DIEM (Does It Even Matter). 

Mike touched on how all of these endeavors have played a pivotal role in him learning how to leverage personal credit, crowd funding, and relational capital in order to establish something great. Lessons which ultimately served as the catalyst for Nic and his new community experiment “Auntie et Uncles”. Reflecting on the historical importance of black own restaurants in the mist of civil rights movement, Mike talked about how they intend to use their new establishment as a place for people to gather and cultivated meaningful strategies to impact their community. There is a lot of wisdom my guy imparted during our time and it would behoove all of us to pay close attention. Enjoy the conversation! #stayexcellent

– Blair Caffey (@honorrollblair)

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Progress. At the end of the day, as a brand, that’s what we preach, it’s how we choose the type of people and brands to align with. Trinidad James is one of those guys that reflects the kind of time we’ve been on since 2010. Having the privilege to know Nick before he became artist and communicator he is today, I can say with a full heart I’m really proud of what he’s been able to accomplish thus far.

And for me, my appreciation for what Trinidad has done has less to do with the fame he’s been able to clinch and more so with how he’s been able to authentically and unapologetically evolve and leverage his gifts into new opportunities. This sort of progress has triggered trolling and critiques from the media and nerds behind keyboards who couldn’t understand what Trinidad, a flamboyant yet poised and confident individual, was trying to communicate and represent. That type of defiance and focus is something which makes a defiant playa, such as myself, proud!

One of the moments I appreciated the most about our time is how candid Trinidad is concerning his father’s presence and the work ethic given to him that lead to him to pursue financial independence. In hearing him reflect on those lessons he learned growing up, it connects the dots for me on the origins of his Underdog spirit.

With all of that being said, having the opportunity to catch up with my guy who I’ve had the pleasure of knowing since the beginning of Honor Roll to his Ginza days at the Underground to discussing his current project “Black Owned” was extremely life giving. Take some time to check out a few Underdogs drop some uncut gems and talk progress and empowerment. As always, #stayexcellent

– Blair Caffey (@honorrollblair)

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First off, Fadia is my homie. She is a different kind of quality person. It was beyond a pleasure sitting down with her for around an hour and a half and talking about the experiences she had growing up and the unwelcoming climate she navigated early in her career. Those challenges equipped her with the repertoire needed to be one of the most influential people on social media today.

If I was to categorize the depth of our conversation with a phrase, it would be that “Excellence is a Process”. Not only is it a process, but there certainly aren’t any shortcuts to it either. Everything about Fadia’s story represents the ethos of what Honor Roll represents. Authenticity. Integrity. Consistency. Going from throwing iconic Atlanta parties like “The List” and “Broke an Bojuee”, to passing up on managing a young Justin Bieber, to being one of the major forces in shutting down the internet with Swizz Beats, Teddy Riley, and Babyface.

Nothing about being a woman of color. looking to stake her claim in the music and tech industry, was easy or without great sacrifice. But, if you asked her today, she’d tell you she wouldn’t trade it for the world. It’s what made Fadia Kader-Fadia Kader. A name that holds a great deal of respect truly has the ability to influence the masses. So, do yourself a favor and make sure you have your notepad out as we drop some extremely valuable jewels on what it took for an Underdog kid from the Middle East to accomplish some culture shifting feats. This will be time well spent

– Blair Caffey (@honorrollblair)

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You know, we live in a time where everyone wants to be a “boss”. To many, the notion of working for someone, is perceived negatively. Those are thoughts, I’d imagine, of those who either have an inflated ego or lacks the discipline of diligencet. Perhaps that was what was most refreshing about the conversation I had with Anthony “Munch” Steele. The humility that my guy showed in sharing his story was nothing shy of sobering. Being comfortable and confident in the role that one plays in a larger organization is nothing short of astonishing, considering today’s culture.

– But let Munch tell it, there isn’t anything extraordinary about what he’s been able to accomplish in his career, which currently has him positioned as a Marketing Manager at multi- billion dollar footwear and apparel retail company, Foot Locker Inc. I’m sure that that has everything to do with his consistent, but constant progression in his career that ultimately has led to him being one of the finest tastemakers of footwear.

My conversation with Munch is one that would, of course, touch on his love for the sneaker community. But, more importantly, it highlights the importance of persistence and perseverance. Nothing in this world is going to be handed to you and more times than not, success isn’t going to just fall in your lap. Being willing to be consistent and focused is what gets you life’s holy grails. I’m sure that you’ll enjoy this time hearing about one of our fellow Underdogs’ pursuit of excellence.

– Blair Caffey (@honorrollblair)

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I think it goes without saying we are in some strange times. The idea of “normal” has been a figment of our imagination for quite sometime now. Learning to adjust can take some time and as a brand, who isn’t shy avenging the process head on, we wanted to invite License Professional Counselor, Joy Ssebikindu, to discuss some healthy ways for us to navigate these new territories. 

Just as a heads up, this isn’t a conversation designed to answer all of our mental/emotional health woes. Reason being, we all have unique circumstances we are facing and it would be irresponsible for us or Ssebikindu to give some faulty “1+2= Be The Best You” formula that just isn’t sustainable. So more than a therapeutic regiment to implement into your daily life, this Study Break’s conversation is designed to help give you some questions to consider and ask yourself as you are finding your footing in this time.

We here at Honor Roll pray you all are doing well out there and we hope you all are taking care of yourselves! I’m confident this episode of Study Break’s will aid in you all doing so! 

– Blair Caffey (@honorrollblair)

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“I’m smart enough to know there’s still a lot for me to learn.” Now I’m not exactly sure who said that, or if I’m just piecing together things I have heard in the past. In either case, this quote pretty much describes the posture of Tyler Mitchell. In sitting down with him, it was very clear this wasn’t the same kid whose high school graduation party I attended 7 years ago.

While by the age of 25, Tyler has had the opportunity to do things creatively that would quench the deepest fantasies of today’s IG influencer or creative, he doesn’t speak as one who has been jaded by success in the least bit. In fact, the way Mitchell explains his journey, he seems to have an equal high proportion of naivety matched with deep discernment. And this wasn’t just towards the technical aspects of his craft, more so it is to the opulent African American creative lineage that the now belongs to, as well the “Black American” portraits he is looking to depict with his lens.

This was explained deeper as we talked about his recent project which was a 24 hour music and video night called “Night at the Cinema: Americana/I Can Make You Feel Good”. This project was in part due to how over the years he has grown to have a deeper appreciation for both being Black and American pairs with all the nuanced realities played out in this dichotomy. Which completely makes sense when you consider the contrast between films he broadcast like “Boogie Nights” and “Jaws” to Black cultural films like “Juice”, “Hoop Dreams” and “Coming to America” to child like humor in “Goodburger”.  

From my vantage point, this conversation, along with his recent project, is merely a look inside the mind and motivation of a creative kid who is looking contribute his perspective of Blackness and America as he knows it. So If you are interested in hearing about Tyler’s highly publicized shoots with the likes of Beyonce’ or Kanye West, you may need to go to a different channel to hear that. More so than the outcome, Tyler and I were able to discuss the actual recipe that produces such genius work. I’m sure you all will enjoy!

– Blair Caffey (@honorrollblair)

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Frank Cooke. This is a guy whose name does not need much of an introduction, but I will give you
one anyway. His name rings bells from here to Japan and all through the sneaker/streetwear/lifestyle community. He has worn many hats from the lead buyer at Wish ATL, to working at Jordan
Brand in their NRG division, Frank has contributed to the culture by developing impactful
narratives derived from the experiences of the “everyday person”.

I’ve had the pleasure of developing a 10 year friendship with this guy and with all that has been
going on with the COVID 19 pandemic, we here at Honor Roll, thought now would be a
great time to sit down with our old friend to discuss the rapidly changing and evolving context
we are in.

We took a little bit under an hour and a half to discuss everything from the climate of fashion in
Atlanta, how to stay creatively sharp in this time of stillness, the value of building relationships,
how faith and spirituality has impacted business practices, on to how he is currently pursuing
excellence in this new season. We rounded off our time with some great Q&A from the
audience.

Take some time to check out the conversation and we hope that you all are staying safe and in
great spirits! #stayexcellent

– Blair Caffey (@honorrollblair)

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