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The crew and the girls from SBlack & Company.

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The host! Lady!

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Hazel on the Board!

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Brown Suga before our last show. S/O to her she's a great assistant!

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Mishal Moore & the girls after Vol. 125!

Photo Credit: SeeSantana 

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Mishal Moore & Lady after Vol. 125!

Photo Credit: SeeSantana

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Both of them acting silly for the camera. (Melissa Sweets (left) Lady (right) )

Photo Credit: SeeSantana

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Annnnd Mishal Moore was back to update us on her travels and current music for Vol. 125.

Watch the FULL SHOW above.

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Vol. 124 w/ Melissa Sweets of Strawberry Blunt - The Sorority of Hip Hop.

If you didn’t catch the live show on Sunday you can now watch the full show above.

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Another shot of the girls w/ Melissa Sweets after Vol. 124

Photo Credit: SeeSantana

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Melissa Sweets and Lady after Vol. 124 of her interview.

Photo Credit: SeeSantana

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Meet Natalia B. Gold; the Founder and Head Designer at Honey B Gold - a Cali-based online shop for good girls, bad girls, and every girl in between.

We got the chance to ask her a few questions on how the whole idea was thought of, brought into reality, and tailored to satisfy a wide range of fashionable darlings world-wide.

After reading this interview and viewing some of the photos of hot items that are available at her shop now, we’re pretty confident that you’ll be glad you got stung by the pretty honey bee that is HONEY B GOLD!

1) How long have you been designing and/or running the online store and business “Honey B Gold”?

I started back in 2006 and had an idea to hand paint the album art of one of my favorite producers at the time - J. Dilla, who had recently passed away. I hand-painted his album art onto a pair of earrings and wore them out to a lot of Hip Hop shows in L.A. which caused many people to ask me where I got my earrings from. I told them that I was hand-making them so I started receiving requests for different things and before I knew it I was making custom designs for all different types of people and creating all different kinds of things.

I stopped for a few years to focus on school and around 2009 a friend of mine asked me why I hadn’t continued which made me ask myself the same question! I decided to pick up the hobby again but turn it into an actual brand this time. I started off with a collection and went from there. Technically, I would say the company was officially launched in 2010.

2) When did you discover your passion for creative design and more specifically, fashion?

I have always been artistic , even as a small child. I remember how one of my kindergarten teachers entered my artwork into the county art fair and I ended up winning the 1st place prize which even made my parents realize just how creative I was. I love art so much that I decided in 2nd grade that I wanted to be an architect and carried that goal halfway through high school; I still feel like I want to get into the field since I love making designs that start in my head come to life. When it comes to fashion, I sort of stumbled upon the whole idea of making things for people to wear actually. 3) Why did you name the brand “Honey B. Gold”?

I actually wanted to name the brand Killer B because I have a nerdy obsession with Wu-Tang but I had a couple of people talk me out of that. One of my favorite songs at the time however, was “Honey Dips and Gotham” by Boogiemonsters and the term “Honey Dip” kind of always stuck with me so I married the two: “Honey Dip” & “Killer B” and came up with the Honey B half of the brand name. The “Gold” part of Honey B Gold was more of an obvious title as all of my pieces are made of gold. Somehow I put all three things together and came up with “Honey B Gold”.

4) What brands or styles inspire you the most when creating a new piece?

Honestly, I get inspired by the most random stuff. There is almost nothing that won’t inspire me. I could be walking down the street and see a sign or even from music, movies; just about anything that catches my interest to that degree. I do have specific brands like Versace that heavily influence my work. Other female owned brands like Dimepiece, Melody Eshani, etc. 5) Do you or have you ever had a muse? If so, who?

I actually lurk the internet a lot and luckily find girls that have a certain attitude more than a specific style, meaning I would rather see how a person’s style is reflected through their attitude or the way they rock it than by what it is they are actually wearing.

The most recent “muse” I’ve had would probably be Elena, who is now a back-up dancer for Azealia Banks and who I came across on Facebook. I stumbled upon her profile and I thought “Who IS this girl?! I LOVE her!”. Her style and pretty much everything about her was just so fearless. I actually got to meet her, had dinner with her, and found out how sweet of a girl she is. So, I can say that I definitely do come across girls that have a special quality that draws me to them. 6) Have you gone to school for this field? Why or why not?

No, I didn’t go to school for this. As I mentioned earlier, it wasn’t really planned but kind of just happened. I pretty much taught myself everything I know.

7) What valuable lessons have you learned since the beginning of “Honey B. Gold” to date?

I’ve learned a lot of things. The biggest thing I’ve learned, as cliché as it may sound, is to never give up. If you think about it though, it can’t be a coincidence that almost every person who has continued to push forward has experienced success. I won’t say that I am SUPER successful but I will say that having that mentality has helped me get to where I want to be. For example, if something doesn’t work out for me I simply go back to the drawing board until I figure it out again and I won’t stop until I get the results I want. I think that kind of persistence is key. 8) If you could design anything for a specific person, who would it be and what would you choose to create for him/her?

I haven’t really ever thought about that but it would probably be someone really bold. I really like Björk and if I were to design something for her it would have to be super over-the-top and fun because I know she’d be down for it. 9) How about a collaboration; who would you love to partner with for a design?

I would love to collaborate with Ghostface Killah because he is actually one of my favorite members out of Wu-Tang and/or the rapper Slick Rick. I would want to collab with both or either of them because I feel that they both embody everything that Honey B Gold is.

10) What goals do you have for “Honey B. Gold” in the near future?

I just hope to continue to create pieces that girls feel comfortable to wear and express themselves in. If my work can continue to achieve that goal then I know I’ve been doing the right thing. 11) When you design products, what kind of people do you usually envision wearing them?

I actually envision all different types of people because I want my products to be worn by everyone. When I design I think of the “streetwear” girl, “skater” girl,  ”Hip Hop” girl, “grunge” girl, etc. As I mentioned before, it’s more of an attitude that attracts me to a person than the outfit itself. 12) If you were not designing and/or involved in the fashion world, what would you be doing?

I would be doing music 100%! It really moves something in me so I know that if I were not doing what I do now, I would definitely become involved with creating music.

13) Do you have advice for aspiring designers and/or women who wish to run their own business?

Once again, don’t give up! Don’t be discouraged. As long as you believe in yourself, that is all that you really need. Like I said before, if one method doesn’t work, go back to the drawing board and think of another way to achieve the goal. 14) What is your motto? (If you have one)

I don’t really have a “motto” but I guess if I did it would be to continue thinking positively. Always stay positive; I feel that what ever happens to a person is a reflection of who they are so I try to be positive and show love to everyone, keep negativity away from me and just try to be a good person overall. 15) Last but not least: Tell us 5 things that most people DON’T know about you:

I get asked about my ethnicity a lot and usually am told that I look Armenian but I am actually Mexican.

I am a HUGE movie buff. I’m hardcore for foreign films, especially Kung-Fu movies.

I am not as short as most people think that I am. Most people think that I am 5’2”/5’3” but I’m actually 5’8” and a quarter. (When I throw my “bad girl” heels on however, I can be up to 6’1”!)

I don’t really know what else people don’t know about me but I guess they can ask me!

We hope you enjoyed learning more about Natalia and Honey B Gold… now go check the store out and get ready to want something FABULOUS!

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Vol. 124 w/ Melissa Sweets and friends.

Photo Credit: SeeSantana

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We interviewed Yani Viciousz a couple of months ago where she filled us in on the workings of her upcoming video for her track “I’m Gettin’ Money” which premiered on the 13th.

We’re happy to see that she indeed went ahead with the project and the results were VICIOUSZ.

Salute!

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DJ Ily invited us to the cypher that she put together recently in Jersey City, NJ.

I could not make it as I was out of town however I sent our photographer Santana to fill in for us and take pictures as well.

We hope it went great for you Ily!!

Photo Credit: SeeSantana

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Being silly after the show!

(Left to Right) Sugar, Bria, Hazel, DJ Ily, Santana, & mua! ;)