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Credible. Solid. Dynamic.

All are among the understatements that allude to arguably one of the best MCs OKC has ever seen. The contemporary evolution of rap music is giving new life to the creative rap artist. The game is now becoming more conducive to individuality and is also quickly becoming tolerant of change. At the forefront of this free reigning movement are the familiars such as Mac Miller, Kendrick Lamar, SchoolBoy Q, etc. These are the familiar faces we generally attribute to a conceptually innovative capacity that breeds love, yet showcases undeniable versatility and talent.

What we have here in Oklahoma City is a gem that follows the same criteria, and is cut from the same cloth. Pairadime Music’s Josh Sallee is redefining cool in the sense of wordplay and content. He is set apart from the cliché’ low budget hobby rapper, by delivering a refreshing purity within his music that remains unquestioned. He is meticulous when it comes to crafting his art, such as wordplay, subject matter and production; yielding colorful and creative moments that revive an imaginative nostalgia that inspires creativity.

Typically when the word “creative” is used to describe a rapper, we

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tend to negate their talent immediately due to their opposition to the status quo. Fortunately, this abstract form of creativity Sallee maintains, only drives his music to uncharted territories, and even challenges what it means to be a contemporary MC, seemingly redefining the culture. Versatility is paired with his organic approach. We see this in songs ranging from his very introspective “Saratoga” to his fun loving “Hey I” connecting with a multitude of audiences with an honesty that will hopefully influence the rest of the game.

He brings an undeniable talent with his

verbal onslaughts like his “Big Kid Bars”, for instance, that showcases what it really means to be a true wordsmith. Let it be known, Josh Sallee is for real. There’s no faking, nor is he reaching to connect. However, whether it be free-styling for Kevin Durant or performing at a hole in the wall venue with a crowd of 30 people, Sallee will surely give his all to make believers of those who doubt his talented ability.

With roots in the Baptist church, Sallee understands the importance of people and relationships. With his father being a preacher, he also understands the power of words and their effect. This foundation also highly influences his approachable nature, but also his humble spirit. With the notoriety that Sallee has attained while doing music would have most on an ego trip, it has not affected him, or his work. He doesn’t compromise his craft simply because it is popular today, he is fueled by a genuine love for music and luckily (for his listeners) he has the talent and dynamism to back it up.

With some serious plans in the works, it is starting too look as if Josh is going to be around for a while, inspiring and creating timeless works of art that could potentially revolutionize how we see music. There’re no cliché lyrics, no gimmicks, no big budget videos, and most of all no corny rap name. He goes by the name he was given and a name to be respected, his name is Josh Sallee.

::Brandon Matthews, VANE Contributor::

ENTERTAINMENT

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Summer is here,and we all know what that means right? Time to get naked! Kidding...well, sort of. This summer is all about legs. Whether you are oiling them up or sun-tan lotioning them down, when it’s playtime we’re pretty sure you’ll want to slip them into something sexy to take on the summer heat.

I am insanely in love with the minimalistic vibe that the Summer 2013 season is bringing! The hottest and my favorite trend for summer, has to be the ankle strap sandal. This effortless, sexy trend can be seen everywhere. Even if you don’t wear heels often, this shoe is an absolute must in your collection. The skinny straps make every outfit polished and sophisticated, including your favorite jeans and tee combo. Also, they don’t interfere with busy prints or colors for a

night out. Best of all, they’re more comfortable than you think, as the heels are much lower than previous seasons.

Whatever price point you’re eyeing, single strap high-heeled sandals, really are a closet essential because they can dress up or down any outfit. Celebrities like Rihanna have this down to a science, often pairing the stiletto’s minimal style with a busier print or using them to add some lift and glam to a pair of jeans. Because of their simple design, you can get them in a variety of colors without feeling

like you’re wasting your money on duplicate purchases.

Expect to see every conceivable color and variation over the next few months as designers work their magic. These simple heels are feminine and sexy, and paired with the perfect pedicure and suntanned legs. A pair of these is definitely going to carry you through the entire Summer season. The look is entirely chic, paired with a tee or with an evening gown. Not convinced? Take a look at some of my favorite styles from Zara, Aldo, Steve Madden and others.

:: Ariel Polk, VANE Contributor::

FASHION

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When you drive down Western Avenue you can tell you’re driving down a street with plenty of character. Home to many small busi-nesses, the restaurants are what stand out the most. The Wedge, Sushi Neko, The Lobby Bar, and Will’s Café are just a few that you will see. There is one place in particular that shouldn’t be overlooked and that’s Café Nova.

With a rich history and new school design, this old building is like a small urban oasis on West-ern Avenue. The inside has brick walls lined with cushioned benches along the wall. The tables are small and can make for a very open setting during the day as well as an intimate date in the evening. An all brick building with an open-air patio on the back makes for a very fun place in the spring, summer and fall months.

Every time I visited, I have been greeted with smiles and friendly faces. The service has nearly always been quick and correct; if it’s not cor-rect, they do what they can to make it right. They messed up my order so to make things right in my world they slid a slice of strawberry cake my way. The servers know the menu very well and when asked what they suggest, I’m always given two or three options as if they’ve just sat down and had the meals themselves.

I’ve been to Nova on several occasions for lunch and it’s always a pleasurable treat. I re-ally enjoy the lunch menu, not just because it’s $6.99, but because it’s good. The lunch menu is small but I never felt limited in my choices. They offer a bit of everything, yet don’t overwhelm you with options; it’s lunch and no one has time to waste time thinking too hard. I didn’t realize the Keep It Local card gave me a free appetizer until after my meal so I made sure to

use it the second time I went.

I have fallen in love with the tilapia they serve. They keep it very simple; salt, pepper, and butter is all I ever taste and it’s amazing. So if there’s something more in the tilapia, I couldn’t tell you. It’s served with whipped mashed pota-toes and spinach or risotto and grilled veggies; all are perfectly seasoned and have perfect portion sizes.

The other highlight of my adventures at Café Nova is the free tater tots you get with the Keep It Local card. They have potato, differ-ent cheeses, and black forest ham inside of them and they are the best things since sliced bread.

All in all, I recommend this place to anyone. Food is universal and the American cuisine at Café Nova can be shared by all people. I can’t wait to have many more trips to Café Nova and eat my way through the entire menu.

Hours and Location:Café Nova is located at

4308 N. Western and is open Mondays and Tuesdays from 11:00am to 10:00pm, Wednesdays and Fridays from

11:00am to 2:00am, Saturdays 10:00am to 2:00am, and Sundays 10:00am to 3:00pm.

For questions on specials and additional infor-mation you can call 405-525-6682.

To keep up with me, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram under 6FootFoodie.

::Ashley Stevenson, VANE Contributor::

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I have a vast array of people on my Facebook page. I welcome all ideas and thoughts even though I may not agree with them. One of my male Facebook friends stated that he no longer likes black women because “they are weak-minded, egotistical and judgmental”. This isn’t the first time a black male has voiced his dislike for women of color on my Facebook or Twitter pages. Many black men have said they are jumping ship for lighter pastures. Actor Brian White has come under fire for his feelings towards black women. In the past Actor Wesley Snipes has publicly said he wouldn’t date a

black woman and is married to an Asian woman.

The media doesn’t do much to contradict the stereotypes that live in the minds of these “anti-black woman” men. Reality TV paints a black woman’s reality as being the baby momma or wife in training (but never a real wife) of someone famous who spends more than she makes, always spewing the phrase “I keep it real!”, loves to fight at the age of 40 and does it in an overpriced pair of heels and earrings. We barely exist in sitcoms unless we are the token neck

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rolling “oh hell nawl’ girlfriend of the quirky yet loveable white friend.

When did the black woman become the evil villain in the comic book called life? In the last three years, we have been under attack. CNN says that 43% of black women will never walk down an isle while HIV infections among black women continue to climb. I have lost count on how many movies are made about the “bitter man hating independent black woman who hides behind her designer power suites or millions of out-of-wedlock children”.

When I went to see the movie “For Colored Girls” I walked out the movie feeling depressed to be a black woman. Not one character in the movie had a positive situation going on in their life. To make matters worse critics loved to point out that this is “true to the black woman’s struggle.” Do black women struggle? Yes, but that is because all humans struggle. We are also happy well-adjusted beings who aren’t gold diggers, or thirsty for fame. We work, we love, and we live like everyone else. I know beautiful ladies of color who are never represented or shown love. So while the world may be on a black woman’s character assassination, I’ll step out my door dodging bullets with my smile, something black women actually do!

:: Nikki True, VANE Contributor::

www.nikkitrue.comwww.Facebook.com/Nikki.True1

www.twitter.com/TheNikkitrueNikki True-Nothing Is Taboo

LIFESTYLE

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Oklahoma City native, Cooki Turner was born and raised a preacher’s kid. It is because of her position as a PK that she was surrounded by the sounds of gospel music her entire life. Not surprisingly, Turner grew up to have a set of vocal pipes that could make any ordinary person stop in his or her tracks, but her gift is not something she always readily embraced.

Growing up, Turner’s dad, mom and cousin sang in a touring gospel trio called Spirit of Love. Her own music abilities were discovered by the family early on. By the age of six, Turner says she had already sung in front of thousands of people. When her dad and the rest of the family

were singing at different choirs, churches, competitions, programs and music venues, Turner was performing too.

“Singing was kind of forced on me because my voice was so big and everybody thought it was so spectacular,” Turner says.

Before middle school, Turner had already gotten to live the life of a gospel music star. Turner says her mom, dad and cousin were her very own three musketeers. She loved their passion for music. It wasn’t until she was about eight or nine that she discovered her own love for music. At that time, she began singing at school

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and around her peers. For Turner, it felt like such an accomplishment to do something outside of her dad and the church.

“Singing made me happy and, unlike the other kids, I wanted to do it more than go play outside or with the dogs,” Turner jokes.

Music would ultimately be a gift that would help Turner through some difficult chapters in her life. In 2001, Turner’s father died from a stroke due to an aneurysm. When he passed, Turner decided she wasn’t going to sing anymore. She was angry and mad at the world, and that anger led her down a number of destructive paths before the age of 18. Ultimately, it was music that brought her back to a place of calm.

“When my dad died, I was mad and I told myself I was going to take a desk job and just chill,” she explains. “But I knew my dad wouldn’t want me to do that, and that’s when I knew music was my passion because life without it would lead to insanity.”

Turner went on to graduate high school and attend the University of Central Oklahoma. Throughout her college years, she gained more music experience under her belt, performing at pageants, live performances and any music venues she was needed. She joined a seven-piece band for a short stint as the lead vocalist. When the group went its separate ways, in 2007 Turner went on to meet another aspiring singer, Ashlee Madison, at an open mic night in Oklahoma City. The two

were fast friends and soon decided to form a music group. In 2007, Madison was hit by a drunk driver and died. Turner was one of the first people to receive the news.

Shocked and heartbroken, Turner had lost another person whom she had grown to love and had inspired her love of music. “I had never lost anyone suddenly,” Turner quietly says. “You never really get over that.”

Turner describes her friend Madison as the type of person that if you met her once you thought you knew her forever. Madison was a person without limits or boundaries who was open to everything, Turner explains.

“She got me out of my box in terms of genre of music and what I was supposed to know or like as an African American female singer,” Turner explains. “She showed me more outside of just soul, neo-soul, gospel or R&B.”

It was through these ups and downs that Turner found true inspiration for her music. In 2009, Turner began writing her own music out of what seemed to be a fluke. She wrote a song for a show with a friend, which turned into a four song EP and then went on to become an LP with live recordings. Fast-forward four years later to present and Turner has finished her first album, Part of Me.

ENTERTAINMENT

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The mission for her first album? To help somebody. In the past four years, since starting the album, Turner says she has really come into her own as a woman. Before, she says, she was just focused on getting out of Oklahoma, but now it is more about sharing a message.

“I am not willing to compromise my principles or my standards because at the end of the day, I have a God to answer to and a momma to answer to and neither of them are budging,” she laughs. “But also, I have myself to answer to, and I have to look myself in the mirror.”

Turner explains that there is a little bit of everything on the album. There are songs talking about waiting for love, about being ready to accept it when it gets to you, about sisterhood and letting go of stuff and our own hurts. It talks about the love of music, Turner says.

The album is set to come out this August.

Turner’s album listening party will be at Urban Roots in the Deep Deuce area in Oklahoma City late July/early August. A month later, Turner plans to host a release concert.

Turner says her long-term goal is to have a career in music, whether it is in the foreground, the background or the side. Her plan is to be wherever God takes her. Even as a kid with 1,000 different dreams – dreams of being a doctor, a lawyer, a fashion stylist or buyer – Turner says that music was always there.

“One of my mantras has always been to do something you love and make a living from it because then it’s not really work,” Turner says. “Music has always been a part of me.”

Hopefully, Turner will never know what it means to “work” a day in her life.

:: Stephanie Taylor, VANE Contributor::

ENTERTAINMENT

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With social media plaguing our minds constantly everyday, it is no wonder many young people tend to shy away from this fantasy called relationships. Obviously here at VANE, we don’t mind discussing the ins and outs of that little subject so many of us run from, men and women.

This series of features, I want to shine the spotlight on couples either from or living in our great city of Oklahoma to show that a relationship is nothing to be afraid of. In fact, we all need to take a step back and realize that we will never be content with a companion until we take a chance.

Corey and Adel are one of the perfect examples of a relationship many of us look up to… They’re sweet, loveable and fierce all in one package. But enough about that… let’s check the snippet of their fast romance.

Corey and Adel met while working a weeklong nursing strike in San Jose, CA. After they first met, they spent

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every minute that they weren’t at work together working out, eating and really getting to know each other. They learned to build a friendship with a solid foundation.

After the strike, Adel returned to Las Vegas to finish her traveling nursing contract while Corey returned to Atlanta to finish his traveling contract as well. Two weeks later, they were back in Napa Valley, CA working for another strike and it was like they never left each other. At that moment, it was clear that something serious developed between them.

Corey and Adel decided to fly and meet in New Orleans to spend some time together before Corey started his contract in San Francisco. While there, they decided that if they were going to make truly start a relationship, then they needed to be in the same place for good. Adel then began looking for contracts in San Francisco, too. A week later, they were living together and the rest is history.

Adel says the couple spends everyday together cooking, working out, exploring California and traveling across the United States. Corey says his favorite characteristic of Adel is that she is laid back and it doesn’t take much to make her happy. He says, “Having a woman that is grateful for what you do for her and supportive of what you do for yourself is really hard to find. That’s the kind of woman you hold on to.”

Adel found it hard to just pick one characteristic about Corey she liked most… “He’s perfect in every aspect: so appreciative, my biggest supporter, very respectful… Ladies, chivalry is still alive! I love the fact we do everything together, pray together, work together, workout together… Definitely looking forward to what the future holds for us.”

And there you have it. I can say with my own experience the pair are definitely refreshing to be around and truly display a level of selflessness that I think we all could use in our lives. Stay VANE, all.

::Veleecia Nicole, Editor in Chief::

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One of the newest hot spots in the heart of Bricktown, Club One15 is one of the first stops you want to visit to enjoy a great night out with your friends. As Club One15 approaches its One-Year Anniversary, it has inched its way to being one of the best nightlife venues in Oklahoma City .From upscale dining to great drinks and dancing with your friends, you can make an entire night of it at One15.

Specializing in dinner parties, wedding receptions, rehearsals and even corporate events, Club One15 should be one of your next venues to experience the perfect event. They take pride in catering to all crowds and are happy to schedule your next event.

The venue itself is perfectly designed to appeal to anyone visiting. It holds a pleasant deception as you enter – the first area of the venue is a lengthy bar and quaint seating area for the restaurant. First thought is “Is this it?” But on the contrary, it certainly is not.

Keep wandering through the dimly set venue, straight through the vast curtains and you come upon the actual club area, amazing to the eye and aesthetically pleasing beyond measure. Lights beating with the sound of the music, the highest ceilings, an exquisite VIP area sure to please any party reserving it, this space leaves excited you ventured out to somewhere new.

But we don’t want to give you EVERYTHING… Check out some of their weekly events, location and regular business hours to check it out for yourself!

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clothing sponsored by Eternal Style Boutique and Dillard’s of Norman

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BTS

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BTS

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