October 2026

More in this magazine

• Cover
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• Page 4URBAN BE’N ORIGINAL FOUNDER / PUBLISHER
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• EDITORIALIt's hard to imagine that the digital issues of Urban Magazine have been running for more than ten years. It feels like yesterday when we ran our first issue. I take pride in having accomplished so much while working with so few.
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• UNTOLD STORIESBLACK AND MISSING A captivating and emotionally charged true-crime podcast series created to shine a light on cases of missing people of color.
• Page 1106 EDITORIAL 17 POETRY 24 BUYERS GUIDE 32 ARI LENNOX 36 YOUR MOTHER 50 NA'ILAH BURSTON 56 DJ ERA 64 NI'COLA MITCHELL 72 BRI 80 JOSHUA SUITER 90 TOLOU
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• RIBBON TO SANDWritten by Dakari Eli Our skies went from ribbon to sand, Foundation cracking from patterns of flam, The skyscrapers are a fortress barring our love to expand, What a shame, Nothing has gone as planned. But then again, Maybe you weren’t supposed to be my man, Maybe your purpose just served me in ways I was unable to understand… Maybe my pain was just what I was needing, So I could push past the self doubt and stop the internal bleeding.
• THE DAY-BREAKERSWritten by Arna Bontemps We are not come to wage a strife With swords upon this hill, It is not wise to waste the life Against a stubborn will. Yet would we die as some have done. Beating a way for the rising sun.
• YOUR SONGSWritten by Gwendolyn Bennett When first you sang a song to me With laughter shining from your eyes, You trolled your music liltingly With cadences of glad surprise. In after years I heard you croon In measures delicately slow Of trees turned silver by the moon And nocturnes sprites and lovers know. And now I cannot hear you sing, But love still holds your melody For silence is a sounding thing To one who listens hungrily.
• TAKE THIS L WITH YOUWritten by Be'n Original We live and die by the choices we make You don't get to rewrite history simply because you don't like the way things played out after the fact. So, I need you to wear the consequences like your favorite fit. You'll have to understand if I decline attending your piteous of parties 'cause had you won in the end, we would have nothing to discuss at all. I need you to take this "L" with same volume of fucks you gave when you thought the victory was yours.
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• BUYERS GUIDETHE NORTH FACE BOREALIS CONVERTIBLE PACK, CEDAR/LAVA RED The Borealis Classic Convertible Pack offers two carrying options in one design. Use it as a lumbar pack for short outings, or expand it into a 17.5-liter water-repellent backpack for travel and everyday essentials. It features a padded top handle, stowable hip belt, articulated shoulder straps, and abrasion-resistant fabric with reflective details. Storage includes a main zip compartment, two exterior pockets, a mesh bottle pocket that fits most 1-liter bottles, and an external bungee system. Made with at least 75% recycled, regenerative, or responsibly sourced renewable materials, the pack combines organization, versatility, and sustainability in a compact, lightweight design.
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• SONY ALPHA A7S III FULL-FRAME MIRRORLESS CAMERACapture high-quality video with this Alpha camera featuring a 12.1-megapixel Exmor R sensor built for 4K performance, sensitivity, and speed. Its BIONZ XR processing engine delivers faster image processing, while an ISO range reaching 409,600 supports low-light shooting with reduced noise. The camera records up to 4K 120p in 10-bit 4:2:2 with full pixel readout across recording modes, including XAVC S, XAVC HS, and XAVC S-I. More than 15 stops of dynamic range help preserve detail in highlights and shadows. An S-Cinetone picture profile adds a cinematic color and tonal look, while Bluetooth 5.0 supports wireless connectivity. Price: $3698.00 https://amzn.to/3VMEMLy
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• DREO SPACE HEATERS FOR INDOOR USE WITH THERMOSTATStay warm with this 1500W ceramic space heater, designed to heat rooms up to 270 square feet in seconds. Its 70-degree oscillation helps distribute warmth throughout bedrooms, living rooms, offices, garages, dorms, and other indoor spaces. Operating at just 34 decibels, it provides quiet heating for sleeping, working, or relaxing. Built-in safety features include tip-over and overheat protection, a 12-hour timer, 24-hour automatic shutoff, flameretardant materials, and a 6-foot power cord. The wide-angle oscillation system increases heating coverage while maintaining smooth, low-noise operation. For safety, plug the heater directly into a wall outlet without using an extension cord. Price: $63.74 https://amzn.to/4hHoHy7
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• HP 17.3" FHD BUSINESS LAPTOP COMPUTERGet more done with this 17.3-inch laptop powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 processor with six cores, 12 threads, and speeds up to 4.3GHz. The Full HD IPS anti-glare display delivers clear images and ample screen space for work, school, streaming, and browsing. Configurations support up to 64GB of RAM for multitasking and up to a 2TB PCIe SSD for fast storage and file access. AMD Radeon Graphics handle everyday visuals and casual gaming. Connectivity includes USB-C, two USB-A ports, HDMI, Wi-Fi 6, and a headphone jack. Windows 11 makes it suited for professionals, students, creators, and remote workers. Price: $758.88 https://amzn.to/4j06huR
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• Page 32Photo Credit: Gizelle Hernandez
• ARI LENNOX RELEASES DELUXE of vacancy: Late checkout albumAri Lennox has expanded her third studio album with “Vacancy: Late Checkout,” a deluxe edition featuring nine new tracks. The R&B singer adds songs including “Hookah Baby” and a reworked version of “Mobbin in DC” featuring Foggieraw. The project builds on the original album’s themes of love, vulnerability, and self-reflection. “Late Checkout” opens with “Hookah Baby,” produced by Tommy “TBHits” Brown and driven by synths, drums, and bass. Lennox follows with “Show Me” and “Slide,” produced by Jay Versace. Other additions include “Leave Me Alone,” which samples Shabba Ranks’ dancehall hit “Ting-A-Ling,” and “Speak Your Mind,” co-written with Grammy-winning songwriter Amy Allen. Lennox blends storytelling and melody on “Speak Your Mind,” while “Unicorn” features her voice with hypnotic drums and bass. The deluxe ends with “Hot Mess,” about embracing imperfection. “Vacancy” was released in January with 15 tracks, including “Twin Flame,” “24 Seconds,” and “Soft Girl Era.” “Soft Girl Era” also reunited Lennox with producers Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox, who previously worked with her on “Pressure.” With “Vacancy: Late Checkout,” Lennox extends the album’s story while keeping her vocals, songwriting, and emotional honesty at the center.
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• Page 37YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER From writer-director Bassam Tariq, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother stars Mahershala Ali as a religious hitman who struggles to balance work, faith and fatherhood.
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• Page 50Tto read it. Musiq Soulchild here was a time when being a Black man seemed to come with a rulebook written long before a boy was old enough captured one of its lessons plainly: a man was supposed to “never cry.” Be strong. Provide. Protect. Keep your feelings tucked beneath your pride. When a boy is taught that sexual attention proves his manhood, recognizing that same experience as abuse can become its own battle. Sometimes, the very identity meant to make him strong becomes part of the reason he stays silent. On Sept. 27, streamer Reginald “Reggie” Travers, known as “Lil Rodney Son,” publicly alleged that his brother sexually abused him as a child. During an emotional livestream, Reggie said the experience left him questioning himself and his sexuality for years. “My brother took advantage of me,” Reggie said. He is not alone. Other Black men have described childhood sexual experiences they initially understood differently. YG revealed in his 2025 song “2004” that he was sexually assaulted by a 30-year-old woman when he was 14. He has said that, at the time, he viewed
• Page 51the encounter with pride rather than recognizing it as abuse. Looking back as an adult allowed him to understand the experience differently. That reaction reflects a larger problem surrounding the sexual victimization of Black boys. A 2018 study by Tommy Curry and Ebony Utley examined sexual violations involving Black boys and older women, teenage girls, and male perpetrators. The researchers argued that Black boys are too often viewed as sexual aggressors rather than potential victims, making their victimization easier to overlook or minimize. The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network notes that male survivors of sexual abuse may experience shame, self-doubt, low self-worth, emotional difficulties, confusion surrounding masculinity or sexuality, relationship problems, and pressure to “man up” and move on.Those pressures can make it difficult for a boy to understand what happened to him. Aphysical response does not child may know that someone touched him. He may even remember experiencing a physical response. But a equal consent, and a child does not have the maturity or power of an adult to fully understand or agree to a sexual encounter. When boys are taught that sexual experience is evidence of masculinity, exploitation can be mistaken for achievement. Attention from an older woman may be treated as something to celebrate. A boy may receive praise instead of concern. What should be recognized as victimization can instead become a story he is expected to tell with pride. Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has also spoken publicly about sexual activity involving a male cousin when both were minors. In a 2025 interview, Ye said the behavior began after they were exposed to sexual material and continued into his early teens. That situation differs from cases involving an adult abusing a child, but it raises another issue surrounding childhood sexualization: children exposed to sexual material or behavior before they are developmentally prepared may struggle to understand boundaries, consent, and what happened to them. Masculinity can complicate those questions even further. The same cultural messages that tell boys they should always want sex can also influence how some men later think about status, intimacy, and sexual expectations. That does not mean childhood sexual abuse causes a survivor to mistreat future partners. Survivors respond to trauma in many different ways. But broader ideas about masculinity can encourage some men to treat sexual attention as proof of status. In those environments, a woman can become something to display to other men. Dating can become transactional. Money may be treated as leverage for sexual access. Affection or attention may be viewed as something that must be repaid with intercourse. The problem in those situations is not simply sex. It is the belief that masculinity must constantly be proven through sexual access, dominance, or approval from other men. That same belief system can hurt boys long before they become adults. If a boy is taught that a man always wants sex, how does he explain an encounter he did not understand?
• Page 52Ia badge of honor, how does he f he is taught that male vulnerability is weakness, how does he admit that someone violated him? If sexual experience is treated as recognize that something praised by others may have actually harmed him? Reggie’s disclosure adds language to something many Black men may have spent years trying to understand. For survivors beginning to see their childhood experiences differently, finding the language to understand what happened can become part of healing. Disclosure, when and if a survivor chooses it, can also challenge the silence surrounding the sexual abuse of boys. What happened was not a rite of passage. It was not proof of manhood. And it was not their fault. Author Bio Na’ilah Burston is a participant in Urban Magazine’s writing program and a graduate of Delaware State University. Her work covers music, entertainment, culture, and social issues, with an emphasis on Black communities and representation. Beyond writing, she has also been involved in community-focused efforts supporting opportunities and resources for Black youth.
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• DJ ERADJ Era has built a career connecting hip-hop from South Los Angeles with Atlanta’s music scene. He discusses his musical roots, working with Nipsey Hussle and Lil Jon, and the ever-evolving role of the DJ. You became a key guide for West Coast artists entering Atlanta and the South. What must they know about Southern audiences to connect in clubs, radio, and streets? The majority of West Coast rap is a faster tempo, usually in the 100 BPM (beats per minute) ballpark. Southern rap is a lot slower, typically in the 70-80 BMP range. So there’s a huge difference in sound that both regions needed to be accustomed to in order to win in an unfamiliar market via clubs. As far as radio goes, there’s a lot less politics in the south compared to the West Coast. I feel Cali is the premiere market nationally so it’s a lot harder for an artist to access the resources needed — press/ media, airplay, connecting with producers, etc. In the south, the entire culture of hip-hop currently is in Atlanta. It’s the mecca! So it’s a lot easier. The culture within the south is organically more willing to help you. Several artists from the West Coast would come down to Atlanta to finish projects—Nipsey, YG, Kalan.FrFr, Mistah F.A.B.
• Page 58pack. Unfortunately that’s what I believe is lacking with some DJs today. You grew up on Slauson Avenue surrounded by the sounds of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, DJ Quik and Battlecat. How did that environment shape your understanding of hip-hop before you ever became a professional DJ? Aw man, the first lyrics I ever learned to a song were “So just chill ’til the next episode.” Hahaha. Dr. Dre/Snoop “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang.” It was my introduction to hip-hop. I would walk up and down Slauson every day to catch the bus for school blasting some West Coast rap with my Sony Walkman CD player. A beat from Battlecat was my entire sound track growing up in South Los Angeles. West Coast rap is what shaped me to fall in love with hip-hop, from DJ Quik, Westside Connection, The Dogg Pound, and many other West Coast pioneers. What did Atlanta teach you about music, culture and the business that you could not have learned in California? The second I got off the plane in Atlanta I was culturally touched in a way I had never experienced before. I had read and studied about the civil rights struggles in school, but to be right there in the center of where that all began just struck me. The birthplce of Martin Luther King Jr., attending an HBCU, Morehouse College at that, is something you really can’t get in Cali. The closest we had to that was in the movies. So Atlanta just instantly felt like home. The land, the trees, so much open space. Being able to experience all four seasons of weather. In LA, it’s summer all year round. Seeing the leaves change colors, then blossom again in the spring, was all new to me. Musically, Atlanta is the mecca of hip-hop. They had the music game in a chokehold. And still do. I’d say the most beautiful thing though was seeing so much black excellence in the city. Everyone thriving, self employed. Black people had their own businesses whether it was music, a hair salon, marketing company, clothing line; it was just black success everywhere you looked. And that’s what sealed the deal. People winning who looked just like me.
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• Page 61You worked with Nipsey Hussle early in his career. What do you remember most about Nipsey during that period, and what stood out about the way he approached his music and career? Of course we had Dre, Snoop, Ice Cube and other rappers, but Nip was our neighborhood superhero. He was from our backyard. I could relate to him in a different way when he rapped because everything he talked about was my upbringing. My bus stop for school, my first job ever at the local mall, where we got our BBQ, my Pro Club white T-shirts from the swap meet. I mean he nailed everything. Not to mention, his lyrics influenced us to become black entrepreneurs and uplift the community, enhancing our hustler mentality... So today, with his passing, I carry the Marathon torch proudly… as a Slauson alum and as a friend to Nip. Artists such as YG, Ty Dolla $ign, E-40 and Problem have all benefited from your relationships and understanding of the Southern market. What happens behind the scenes when a DJ helps introduce an artist to a new region? There’s a lot involved. From trying to do a press run and lining up interviews, listening sessions, getting in the studio connecting with producers and songwriters, bookings for shows/club appearances, networking with the DJs, supporting their music via airplay/clubs/ events … knowing they have someone from home court that’s in the field on their behalf. As a DJ, I work to help make whatever relationships shake to further their career.
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• NI'COLA MITCHELLNi'Cola Mitchell overcame the traumatic events portrayed in the Lifetime film ‘Giving Hope: The Ni’Cola Mitchell Story,’ and now works tirelessly, empowering youth nationwide with Girls Who Brunch.. What inspired the Girls Who Brunch tour, and when did you realize it had the potential to become so much more than a single event? I was in Charleston, South Carolina, 11 years ago for a book signing when I met girls who were impressionable but lacked access to things many people take for granted. Being from Jamaica, I understood how limited exposure can shape a young girl’s world. I told myself I would come back and do something for them. It was supposed to stay local, with events in Charleston, Las Vegas, and Atlanta. After the first event, nine other cities wanted us. I never expected that growth. I believe that was God.
• Page 66feel overlooked. A little attention can go a long way. I’ve watched girls who are considered shy get up, speak, dance, and share their stories. Whether we’re in St. Lucia, Nigeria, Detroit, or another city, that basic need for love and connection is the same. You support girls facing issues like low self-esteem, bullying, foster care, teen motherhood, and trafficking risks. How do you create programs that are serious yet empowering? We make serious information engaging and practical. After working with girls affected by trafficking in Detroit, I introduced safety and self-defense classes, and they are now part of every city we visit. Survivors and trained leaders teach girls how to recognize danger, escape holds, and protect themselves. We also added CPR training after my own heart condition made me think more about emergency preparedness. The goal is to give girls memorable tools they can use to protect themselves, their families, and their communities while still making the experience empowering.
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• Page 69“I WANT EVERY GIRL TO LEAVE BELIEVING SHE CAN DO AND BE ANYTHING. ACCESS CAN CHANGE THE WAY A YOUNG PERSON SEES WHAT IS POSSIBLE.” Your own life story has become part of your advocacy work, including the Lifetime film ‘Giving Hope: The Ni’Cola Mitchell Story.’ How has sharing your personal experience helped you connect with girls who may be going through difficult situations of their own? Sharing my story helps girls understand that the person standing in front of them has also survived difficult experiences. They may first hear about Ford, Black Enterprise, Lifetime, or Netflix, but then I tell them I was raped multiple times by age 15 and became a teen mother. That changes how they listen. Some girls tell me they relate to what I went through. I believe my vulnerability and candor keep them connected and show them that difficult circumstances do not have to determine the direction of their lives.
• national violence1-800-79
• domestic hotline9-SAFE
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• Page 73BRI Bri from WeTV's breakout show "This Is Poly" talks about polyamory, life on reality TV, her relationship with Marley, the future of Royal's Poly Life show, and the new projects she plans to bring to audiences.
• Page 74“YOU HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO PROBLEM-SOLVE, WORK TOGETHER, AND FUNCTION AS A FAMILY AND A UNIT.” How do you work through jealousy and insecurities in this type of relationship? You have to know how to communicate. You have to know how to be a village. You have to know how to problem-solve, work together, and function as a family and a unit. It’s about having a foundation. It’s also a lifestyle.
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• Page 77“YOU CAN LIVE THE WAY YOU WANT TO LIVE AND CREATE A RELATIONSHIP THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED.” peaceful. If one person isn’t available to talk, there may be someone else you can talk to. If one person can’t run errands with you, someone else may be available. You have options. You can live the way you want to live and create a relationship that works for everyone involved.
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• Page 80Photo Credit: Damar Little
• JOSHUA SUITERJoshua Suiter has reached a new chapter of his career with roles that reflect both his range and his roots. In this conversation, the actor opens up about his journey and the bigger goals he is still chasing. You started acting in theater at 7 years the first show I had to audition for was old. What was it about performing that captured your attention so early, The Wiz. It came full circle, and that's the show where I got over my stage fright.
• Page 82“I ALREADY LOVED MY CULTURE, BUT A&T SHOWED ME HOW MANY DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF BLACKNESS EXIST.” I already loved my culture, but A&T showed me how many different versions of Blackness exist. That gave me a responsibility to tell our stories honestly and fight for representation. I also want to show more than struggle. I want to see us loved, saving the day, and existing in every kind of profession and space. That's something I want to carry throughout my career.
• Page 83Photo Credit: A Different World/ Netflix
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• Page 85“THESE ARE PEOPLE I WATCHED WHILE SITTING IN MY DORM, SO BEING ABLE TO WORK AROUND THEM IS A BLESSING.” They have us on lockdown, so I can't say much. What I can say is that there's a new generation of students for audiences to meet and fall in love with, including Andre. It reminds me of being around second- and third-generation Aggies, where the tradition continues but every generation brings something of its own.
• Page 86Photo Credit: A Different World/ Netflix
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• Page 90TOLOU Tolou is not interested in fitting neatly into one sound, one country, or one category. The Norwegian-Nigerian artist has built her identity around contrast: Scandinavian pop, Afrobeats rhythms, introspective songwriting, and a global point of view. She calls the result Afro-Scandi-Pop, but the label only begins to explain the range of influences shaping her music.
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• Page 92“I’M TAKING LISTENERS ON A JOURNEY OF FINDING MY WAY BACK TO MY OWN ENERGY AND SENSE OF SELF.” You’ve described your sound as Afro-Scandi-Pop. How did growing up with both Norwegian and Nigerian influences shape the artist you are today? I think the Scandinavian pop side comes from growing up in cold weather and being a little more melancholic and introverted. Then, going to London to visit my Nigerian family brought in the Afrobeats influence, especially the drums. That side feels more uplifting. It’s like the heartbeat. Some people might describe it as Scandinavian Afrobeats, but I just make music from the heart, whatever that sounds like.
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• Page 95Which song best represents where you are creatively right now, and why? I feel like I’m in a very sassy-girl space right now, so maybe ‘Desperation.’ It’s like, if you want to come into my life, come with intention. I’m not really in my lover-girl era right now. I’m open to it, but I’m very focused on what I’m here to do. I’ve also been working on new music, and I feel like I’m entering a new era. The new songs reflect even more of how I’m feeling right now. You’ve built your career across different countries and cultures. What has been the biggest challenge in getting audiences and the music industry to understand who you are without placing you in one category? I think it’s challenging to build internationally in several places at the same time. Usually, you start in one place, build there, and then move to the next. I’ve been steadily building in different places. As an artist, I see the world as one. I don’t want to make music for only one place. That’s why it’s important for me to go to places like Lollapalooza India, experience the culture, meet people, and get inspired by the fashion. I also want to go to Nigeria and feel the Afrobeats in my roots, come to America and understand the urban culture, and experience Scandinavia and other parts of the world. It may be a more challenging route, but I’m building for longevity. I’m trying to understand the world so I can make music that connects with the world. It makes me happy when I see my streams scattered across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and other places. I’m not making music only for the West. I’m making it for the world.
• Page 96Speaking of fashion, you recently partnered with H&M. What was it like working with such a major brand? It felt very aligned because H&M is a Scandinavian brand, and I grew up shopping there. I also like that it’s a global brand that reaches people of different ages and different economic backgrounds. It feels accessible, and that’s how I want my music to be too. I want it to reach all kinds of people and places. The collaboration started in India when I did an H&M performance at Lollapalooza. From there, we did more together. I also just came back from Fashion Week in New York. What was Fashion Week like for you? It was great. It’s so cool to see how fashion and music can collaborate because they’re both forms of art. Dressing up and honoring the designers who dress us for red carpets and stage performances is such a big part of culture and my artistry. I love the place Fashion Week has in culture today.
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• Page 103PROMOTE YOUR MUSIC WITH US [email protected]
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