Aug 07, 2023

Introducing The Cover Stars of August Issue

John Boyega Graces Cover of Esquire's August Issue

It’s taken Boyega a while to be able to comfortably flex. After a youth spent anchoring a stupendously profitable blockbuster franchise, he’s proved himself as a performer who can seemingly do anything, onscreen or off. He made headlines for speaking frankly about how Disney sidelined his Star Wars character. The experience was brutal, but made him want to bring his most unfettered self to his work. These days, he has more control over his career than ever before and considers himself a collaborator with the directors he works with now.

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Writer: Clover Hope

Clover Hope is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer and author.

Photographer: Andre D. Wagner

Andre D. Wagner is a photographer living and working in Brooklyn, New York. His photographs have been commissioned by The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Cut, W Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, WSJ, Time Magazine, Vogue, among other publications.

Imaan Hammam Graces Cover of ELLE's August Issue

Hammam is 10 years into the whirlwind of being one of fashion’s most in-demand models. Born and raised in Amsterdam to a Moroccan mother and Egyptian father, she was scouted at 13, signed her first contract at 16, and “it just got crazy from there,” she says. As much as she tried to balance work and school—going to class when she was home and joining via Skype when she was traveling—she admittedly “put [school] on the back burner,” she says. Encouraged by high-profile figures in fashion, she moved to New York, made her debut walking Jean Paul Gaultier’s fall 2013 couture runway, and opened Riccardo Tisci’s spring 2014 Givenchy show. In the years since, she’s graced dozens of magazine covers, starred in campaigns for Chanel and Versace, and collaborated on collections with Frame and Port Tanger. Earlier this year, she added one of modeling’s most esteemed and covetable jobs to her portfolio when she was selected as the newest face of Estée Lauder.

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Writer: Leah Faye Cooper

Leah Faye Cooper is a New York City-based fashion writer and contributing editor at Vanity Fair. Her work has appeared in ELLE, Harper's Bazaar, W and The Hollywood Reporter. She is currently working on her debut book, Full-Court Dress, chronicling the rise of the NBA as a fashion powerhouse.

Photographer: Chris Colls

Australian born and raised, Chris Colls developed his creative expression through his interest in photography, art and architecture which he continues to pursue with a relentless passion. His work effortlessly captures the unique intimate relationships that he creates with his subjects, enabling him to collaborate with the industry’s iconic talents.

Big Boss Vette Graces Cover of Sheen Magazine's The Pride Issue

Vette’s debut project, RESILIENCE, is a testament to her personal story and the obstacles she has overcome. Drawing inspiration from her own experiences, she creates music that resonates with her audience, particularly women. Her lyrics are fueled by the desire to empower and uplift, making her a voice for all women in the industry.

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Writer: Teia S. Burroughs

Teia Burroughs is a proud native of South Carolina. She studied Business Administration at the University of South Carolina. Her first loves are her children. Writing has been her passion since the age of seven.

Photographer: Scrill Davis

Specializing in capturing the subtle beauty of the people, fine artist, and director Scrill Davis fuses fashion, textures, and rich colors to create true pieces of fine art. Working with some of the top brands and personalities in entertainment and culture, Scrill Davis has developed a reputation as one of the most dynamic photographers in entertainment.

Ncuti Gatwa Graces Cover of Rolling Stone UK's August/September Issue

To hear Gatwa tell the story of his casting, it almost sounds like he was granted a wish. One day he emailed his agent saying he wanted to play a role like Willy Wonka or the Doctor — and just a week later he was asked to audition for the part of the Time Lord. To prepare, Gatwa spent a week watching every Doctor Who episode since its 2005 revival. Although he had enjoyed the show previously, he never considered himself a habitual fan. He emerged from that binge-watching week a die-hard Whovian.

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Writer: Alison Rumfitt

ALISON RUMFITT is a writer, semi-professional trans woman, and the author of Tell Me I'm Worthless. Her debut pamphlet of poetry, The T(y)ranny, was a critical deconstruction of Margaret Atwood’s work through the lens of a trans woman navigating her own misogynistic dystopia. Tell Me I’m Worthless is her debut novel. Her work has appeared in countless publications such as SPORAZINE, datableed, The Final Girls, Burning House Press, SOFT CARTEL, Glass Poetry and more. Her poetry was nominated for the Rhysling Award in 2018. She loves her friends.

Photographer: William Arcand

William Arcand, a French-Canadian photographer & director based in London, excels in capturing the essence of authentic, spontaneous, and relatable moments interwoven with intimate, dreamlike portraiture. His work strikes a delicate balance between sensitivity and energy, characterized by a vibrant, youthful palette of pastels that seamlessly blend the contemporary with the nostalgic, creating images that feel truly timeless. Arcand has collaborated with notable brands such as Chanel, Calvin Klein, Amazon, Levi’s, Zara, Barbour & Palm Angels, among others.

Ajok Daing Graces Cover of Vogue France's August Issue

Sexy, edgy , creative, based on layering, swimwear has never been so fun to wear. Here, no trend books, fashion surfs on a sparkling sexy that is good for the body. Sunwear, swimsuits let the light shine through like a desire for indolence and carelessness on warm skin. Undoubtedly the summer must of a sweetness of life agreeing to the tempo of a golden laziness.

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Writer: Eugenie Trochu

Parisian by adoption and Norman at heart, Eugénie Trochu , editorial manager of Vogue France, cultivates a rebellious pen and style, sharpened in schools of journalism and communication. A watchword? Unbolt the clichés. Playing on all fronts, at 360°, she lives at 1000 an hour to redefine the contours of French chic. Always with humor and spontaneity.

Photographer: Larissa Hofmann

Born in Bavaria, Hofmann’s career moved from model to artist, however she felt a compulsion for creation way before her first modelling stint. Today, Hofmann uses her work as an opportunity to explore fragments of life, not in their most beautiful form but always in their purest. In her photographs, in her spilled coffee sketches, and wire constructs, she con- tinues to pick apart everyday realities and give them a transformative quality.

Lil Wayne Garces Cover of Billboard's August Issue

Young Money Records executive vp/GM Karen Civil, who began running Wayne’s label and several additional portfolios — including his rum brand, Bumbu, and his underwear line, Ethika — in March, says that she also looks at him “as a tree, a foundation. Through the years, we’ve seen different branches blossom, from Nicki and Drake to his businesses, including Young Money, and his relationship with [label president] Mack Maine. A lot of people know Drake and Wayne. But he’s set up so many other people — Tyga is one — who have given him his flowers, like, ‘You’re the reason I rap.’ Those moments mean a lot because he loves to see people around him win.”

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Writer: Gail Mitchell

Gail Mitchell serves as Billboard’s Executive Director of R&B/Hip-Hop in addition to writing and reporting about music business news for the magazine and online. Mitchell has moderated panels and Q&A’s for industry organizations such as ASCAP, BMI, the Recording Academy, the GRAMMY Museum and the Revolt Music Conference.

Photographer: Ramona Rosales

Ramona Rosales' poppy, stylized images consider notions of domesticity and femininity, especially its articulation in film and television.Ramona Rosales received a BFA from Art Center College of Design. Known for her candid, offbeat portraits of celebrities, her work appears regularly in numerous publications including The Hollywood Reported, Billboard Magazine, and New York Times Magazine. Her work has been exhibited in the US and Mexico. She is based in Los Angeles.

Nasir Jones Garces Cover of Billboard's August Issue

For the last five years, Nas and Bittenbender have worked tirelessly on what has become #HipHop50, rallying partners such as Sony Music Entertainment, Live Nation, Yankee Stadium and more. According to Bittenbender, Nas was hands-on, making personal phone calls to sponsors, pitching ideas and watching edits of the upcoming Mass Appeal-produced Biz Markie documentary, All Up in the Biz, that will debut Aug. 11 — all while carving out time to make his own music with Grammy-winning producer Hit-Boy.

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Writer: Carl Lamarre

Carl Lamarre is an experienced music and sports journalist on a voracious mission to shift the culture. After writing for XXL, Complex, Billboard, Pepsi, Global Grind among other publications, he has proven to be well-versed in the music scene and exploring the artistry of many prominent figures.

Photographer: Obidigbo Nzeribe

Obidigbo Nzeribe is a Nigerian fashion and portrait photographer based in Los Angeles. Although in school for an engineering degree, he was drawn to photography and how it can be used for positive representation. Nzeribe recognizes the importance of using one’s voice to tell a remarkable story and he tries to push that vision through his work.

Usher Graces Cover of Vibe Magazine's August Issue

After his whirlwind two-year stint with TLC’s Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas from 2001-2003, he had a tumultuous marriage to Tameka Foster from 2005-2009 that bore sons Cinco, now 15, and Naviyd, 14. By the time his massively-private relationship and subsequent three-year marriage to his former manager, Grace Harry, from 2009-2018 ended, one might’ve thought Usher’s love life was simply fodder for public consumption. These days, it seems he’s found a happy, healthy medium with partner Jennifer Goicoechea, with whom he shares a daughter and a son: Sovereign Bo, 2, and Sire Castrello, 1. Seeing the two interact is bliss. The record executive, 39, is kind and genuine. Together, they’re playful and compliment one another.

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Writer: Mya Abraham

Every music journalist credits Brown Sugar’s Sid Shaw as their blueprint, but for Mya, her love and passion is R&B and all its layers. The Jamaica, Queens native was raised on the Quiet Storm, slow jams, duets from the early 2000s, and Black romances. Prior to joining the VIBE team, she’s had bylines with Teen Vogue, BET, uDiscoverMusic, and set the standard for content revolving around Black culture and music at Audacy.

Photographer: Bellamy Brewster

Bellamy Brewster is a New York City based Artist.Creative Director.Designer.Director.Photographer.Writer. Born to immigrants in the West Indies and raised between New York City and Atlanta, his perspective is an amalgamation of the North and South, imbuing a distinct duality in his work. Bellamy Brewster is also a co-founder of multi/title a boutique full-service creative studio.

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Introducing The Cover Stars of July Issue

Introducing The Cover Stars of July Issue (Part 2)

Introducing The Cover Stars of May Issue