Jul 25, 2023

Introducing The Cover Stars of July Issue (Part 2)

GloRilla Graces Cover of ELLE's Digital Issue

Born in Frayser, a neighborhood in North Memphis, Gloria Hallelujah Woods was destined for greatness from the start. “My grandma’s name is Gloria Woods, and my momma added Hallelujah. [My mom] said that was just how she was feeling, like she blessed me [already],” she recalls. In the Woods household, Yolanda Adams, Kirk Franklin, and Smokie Norful were in heavy rotation. Asked about her favorite gospel song, Glo starts singing Tasha Cobbs’ “Break Every Chain.”

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Writer: Nerisha Penrose

Nerisha is the beauty commerce editor at ELLE.com, covering all things beauty (and fashion and music). She has a penchant for sneakers and nude lip glosses, and spends way too much time re-watching 90s sitcoms.

Photographer: Tyrell Hampton

Tyrell Hampton is a photographer & filmmaker based between New York and Los Angeles. Born and raised in Philadelphia & classically trained as a dancer, Tyrell’s work evokes a sense of movement and life, capturing subjects amidst moments of joy and unbridled exuberance. His work demonstrates precisely what it means to be young and spontaneous today. This energy has led Tyrell to documenting everyone from Lizzo to Hailey Bieber, Dua Lipa, & Miley Cyrus— and photographing for Louis Vuitton, Adidas, Coach, Calvin Klein, and Equinox, among others.

Keke Palmer Graces Cover of The Cut's Special Issue

Even though the 29-year-old actor and producer finds herself in an entirely different life stage from me, it’s impossible to shake the feeling that we grew up together or that we have some sort of shared history. Not in a traditional sense, of course, considering she’s been a movie star since the tender age of 10, but by way of having a front-row seat to her organic matriculation through life, from project to project. She starred as a strong-willed spelling-bee champ in Akeelah and the Bee, a double-Dutch savant on the Disney Channel movie Jump In!, and a teen fashion executive on True Jackson, VP, and many of us who were once precocious little girls watched a young Palmer on the screen with awe as she evolved into the powerhouse we know her as today.

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Writer: Danya Issawi

Danya Issawi is the Cut's fashion news writer. She previously worked across the newsroom at the New York Times, including on the “Style” desk and the Pulitzer Prize-winning COVID-tracking team.

Photographer: Micaiah Carter

American photographer/director, Micaiah Carter, has quickly emerged as one of the most admired artists of his time. His oeuvre, captured with sophisticated use of color and light, communicates honesty and raw emotion in a way that looks and feels utterly timeless – equal parts nostalgia, forward-looking, yet also, completely of the moment. He has shot for publications such as Vogue, WSJ, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and GQ, among others. His commercial clients include brands such as Nike, Apple, Verizon, Lancome, Pyer Moss, Thom Browne, Ralph Lauren, and Valentino.

New Edition Graces Cover of VIBE Magazine's Digital Issue

It’s April 20 and New Edition, Keith Sweat, Guy, and Tank have made their way to Long Island’s UBS Arena for the Legacy Tour. The previous night saw Bobby and Bimmy hanging out with Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks at the Times Square location of Brooklyn Chop House. This evening, it’s around 6 p.m., three hours before New Edition are to take the stage as headliners and the group’s ties to the culture are being further celebrated. Executives from The Universal Hip-Hop Museum are on hand, officially adding some of the group’s memorabilia to their engaging list of artifacts. It’s only right, New Edition came out of the womb representing Hip-Hop.

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Writer: Shaheem Reid

Shaheem Reid is a journalist and industry mover. His career in hip hop spans over two decades. Highlights include reporting at MTV, Vibe, and XXL; serving as the president of Busta Rhymes Conglomerate record label; and launching Polaris, the first Black-owned, free-ad supporting streaming channel, in 2021.

Photographer: Karl Ferguson Jr.

What started off as a mere hobby for Karl Ferguson Jr. has certainly developed into a mainstay over the past ten years. In fact, even the notion of being behind the lens was previously inconceivable for this New York City raised photographer. With roots mostly associated with wearing multiple hats in the music industry, the decision to pick up the camera came purely out of necessity.

Tasha Smith Graces Cover of Rolling Out

While Smith remains devoted to directing, she admits she wanted to return to acting and shore up her relationship with fans. “I enjoy playing roles that people connect with and feel like they know the characters. I was praying for the right opportunity and when Michelle [Buteau] called me with this project, It was the answer to that prayer,” she says.

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Writer: Christal Jordan

Christal Jordan is a twenty-year veteran in community and public relations. As the founder of Enchanted Branding & PR, she secured clients within entertainment, arts, and fashion with an emphasis on community opportunities within Atlanta, GA. Early on Jordan realized the power of harnessing celebrity influence to support community initiatives which resulted in her work with several non-profit organizations and providing support for various projects within the City of Atlanta. Jordan is a news personality with a segment on Fox 5’s Good Day Atlanta and Rolling Out (the largest AA owned publication company in the US).

The Chi Cast Graces Cover of Ebony's July Issue

Since the show created and executive produced by Lena Waithe (with Common also serving as an executive producer) first premiered, in 2018, the road to six seasons has been an active one. The Chi’s is a big cast that has also seen several big-name regulars and guest stars —Jason Mitchell, Sonja Sohn, La La Anthony, Tabitha Brown, Kandi Burruss, and, most recently, Lynn Whitfield, along with Chicagoans DeRay Davis, Cory Hardrict, Lil Rel Howery, Vic Mensa, Iman Shumpert, and Jason Weaver, as well as Common and Waithe themselves – tapping in and out. James and Latimore came to the show as known singers and actors.

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Writer: Ronda Racha Penrice

A lifelong interest in African American history and culture has served Ronda Racha Penrice well in her extensive career. As an English and History major at Columbia University, she challenged herself academically by tackling big topics like African American female missionaries to Africa, the Race Riots of 1919 and the life and work of Zora Neale Hurston, Alice Walker and Toni Morrison. Ronda Racha Penrice is the author of Black American History For Dummies and editor of Cracking The Wire During Black Lives Matter.

Photographer: Keith Major

New York City native Keith Major's love for photography and art began in his pre-teen years, when he attended after-school programs at the Brooklyn Museum of Art and Pratt Institute. Keith specialized in photography at New York’s highly regarded High School of Art and Design, and after graduation attended the prestigious Rochester Institute of Technology, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Bad Bunny Graces Cover of Rolling Stone's July/August Future of Music Issue

For Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, global megastardom has come with tabloid attention, internet outrage, and all kinds of cabroneria. Now, he's trying to navigate it all while staying true to his roots and to his vision

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Writer: Julyssa Lopez

Julyssa Lopez is a Senior Music Editor at Rolling Stone, where she started as a Staff Writer. She’s written cover stories on Madonna and Maluma, Rauw Alejandro, and Daddy Yankee. Before joining Rolling Stone, she was a regular contributor at The Nation and Remezcla. Her work has also appeared in Vogue, GQ, Billboard, the Guardian, the Washington Post, and BBC, among other publications.

Photographer: Daniel Sannwald

10 years ago, German-born Daniel Sannwald succeeded in what probably every photography student dreams of: he was published in Dazed & Confused at the tender age of 24. Since then, the now London-based fashion photographer has made quite a name for himself, not only with his mesmerizing, colorful fashion shoots but also with album covers and music videos for Woodkid, John Legend and MIA.

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Introducing The Cover Stars of July Issue

Introducing The Cover Stars of May Issue

Introducing The Cover Stars of April Issues