I’ve been lucky enough to meet and become friends with a lot people that are, through their profession, sometimes larger than life. This episodes guest Victor Cruz is one of those people. Although we’ve known each other for several years, what I didn’t know, was his back story. H he got to be the person I met, what his life was like growing up and the things that shaped the person he is today.

MASK OFF Ep 4 Victor Cruz

For the many years I have known Touré, his ability to be himself, unapologetically comfortable in his own skin, has been something I have always admired. No matter if it was hip-hop, political figures, twitter quarrels, or anything stacked against him, he would hold his ground with pure conviction. Since doing this conversation, like the others, I have taken something from it that I am working on for myself and putting in my personal life toolbox. Hopefully, you will too.

MASK OFF Ep 5: Touré

This is my friend Bernard Freeman. We met in the music biz while I was at The Source magazine and he was in a group you may have heard of: UGK. I was, and am still, cool with a lot of recording artists but this friendship wasn’t just the industry, we became true friends in real life. Friends to the extent that when we both hit low points in our lives we confided in each other. We had the “you too?” moment where I’m looking at him as legendary rapper Bun B, the underground king, the Trill OG and he’s looking at me as a successful entrepreneur and family man. We both, like most of us do with our friends, assumed the other had it made, wrong. We shared our struggles, our emotions, asked each other for help, and by doing so, it showed us we are not the only ones that go through it, and it’s ok. 

The original plan for this podcast was to have it hosted by two people, myself and Bun. If we could open up about our life’s journey, be a positive example of friends communicating maybe we could inspire others to do the same. But life happens and the course changes, he focused on recording his album (make sure you cop Return of the Trill) and I stayed on course to bring you this podcast. Both were things that each needed to accomplish and have now brought us back together to do this episode. I had a blast getting to know my friend a little better, who knows, maybe we’ll still do a show together, for now tune in, listen, like, share, comment on MASK OFF EPISODE 6: Bun B.

MASK OFF Ep 6: BUN B

I am super happy I was able to sit with BK for this conversation. Though we've only known each for about 3-4 years, we tend to end up in deep conversations about life, current events, and being entrepreneurs, so I knew we would have great content for this podcast. If you're not familiar with BK, he paints the truth of what he sees in our society and brings it to life through his brush strokes which he layers with color, symbolism, and messaging. You should check him out: http://www.bktheartist.com.

MASK OFF Ep 7: BK The Artist

You know the saying "if you do something you love you'll never work a day in your life"? Well my guest for this episode is the epitome of that. He's one of those rare people who never seems bothered, gets everything he needs, and he's not just cool with, he's respected by, everyone. That's not easy to do. I wanted to find out where DJ Clark Kent found his unwavering confidence, his love for music and his desire to always be F-R-E-S-H so we we kicked it for a few, check it out.

MASK OFF Ep 8: DJ Clark Kent

Where do you start with someone like Lenny? He's a integral part of the RocaFella/Rocnation family, arguably the most influential team in hip hop. Yet, he's one of the most genuine, humble people you will ever meet, especially with his pedigree. But most of us, including myself only know him from being at the Roc, listen in as he shares where he came from, how he got his start and Jay and Biggs shutting him down.

MASK Off EP 9: Lenny S.

Just Blaze is one of the best producers in the game. Someone I connected with in the late 90s and remained friends since. We may not see each other regularly but if he, or I, ever need anything, we're always there. For instance, when I launched my first website fo LTD magazine, he blessed me with the never released instrumental to Jay Z's "PSA", that's love. Though he was super tired, peep why, he came through to chop it up for a few before almost falling asleep while talking.

MASK OFF Ep 10: Just Blaze

I met Greg when his "Mr." movement was just poppin off and he was looking for a manager at the same time I was thining about not being a manager anymore. He went through a big break up almost two years ago and has since started Chapter II which has taken off. We caught up to talk about his journey from high school drop out to Floyd Mayweather's go to guy in the Diamond District.

MASK OFF EP 11: Greg Yuna

You all know his work, I mean Jonathan Mannion is a legend behind the lens who has been documenting the culture for more than two decades. We moved to NYC around the same time and met through hip hop. Over the years we became friends and even worked together for stretch. We've seen and been through a lot so it was great to sit, kick it, and learn more about the cloth he's cut from. Oh, we talk a lot, had to break it into two parts.
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Jonathan Mannion is one of the country’s most acclaimed portrait photographers and a singular sensation within the world of hip-hop. His 25-year career includes over of 300 album covers ranging from Jay-Z to Aaliyah to D.J. Khaled, notable advertising campaigns including Beats by Dre's “Straight Outta _____”, Cadillac, and Bushmills, and editorial work for The Fader, Vibe Magazine, and Complex. Jonathan has photographed over 500 of the most important rappers, actors, athletes, artists, designers, and tastemakers of his era.

Follow: @jonathanmannion
View: jonathanmannion.com

Follow: @maskoffpod
Host @hwmk

MASK OFF Ep 12 Jonathan Mannion (Pt.1)

Pt 2 with the top shotta.

You all know his work, I mean Jonathan Mannion is a legend behind the lens who has been documenting the culture for more than two decades. We moved to NYC around the same time and met through hip hop. Over the years we became friends and even worked together for stretch. We've seen and been through a lot so it was great to sit, kick it, and learn more about the cloth he's cut from. Oh, we talk a lot, had to break it into two parts.
——-———————————————————————————-
Jonathan Mannion is one of the country’s most acclaimed portrait photographers and a singular sensation within the world of hip-hop. His 25-year career includes over of 300 album covers ranging from Jay-Z to Aaliyah to D.J. Khaled, notable advertising campaigns including Beats by Dre's “Straight Outta _____”, Cadillac, and Bushmills, and editorial work for The Fader, Vibe Magazine, and Complex. Jonathan has photographed over 500 of the most important rappers, actors, athletes, artists, designers, and tastemakers of his era.

MASK OFF EP 12 - Jonathan Mannion (pt. 2)

Mental health is a taboo subject in Urban communities, yet 20-25% of people in America have a diagnosable mental health illness, and most go without treatment. I recently came out of a bout with depression I had no idea I was fighting. When I began sharing my story, I received a flood of responses from people who had similar experiences but never shared them with anyone. It’s time we shift the conversation and change the culture, Mask Off, hosted by Hawaii Mike, is here to open the dialogue around mental health in our community and we invite you to join the conversation.

Mask Off Podcast