HYFINated Conversations

The origins of hoop earrings date back thousands of years. They’ve been tied to the Nubia civilization in Africa and the Sumerian women in the historic region of Mesopotamia. In current times, these earrings have continued to be tenets of culture for Black, Brown and Indigenous individuals – proud of their heritage and unafraid to take up space.The question “What do hoop earrings mean to you?” was one of inspiration to Milwaukee artist Nicole Acosta. She created The HOOPS Project – which examines the intersections of culture, fashion, history, relationship and liberation. It started as a portrait campaign that evolved into a play of storytelling and personal anecdotes.Acosta hosted photoshoots in cities as Milwaukee, Chicago and New York finding more than 60 people with deep connections to their hoop earrings. Her exhibit is currently on display at MARN Art & Culture Hub through April 3.This weekend, ‘HOOPS’, the stage play will debut at the Milwaukee Chamber Theater. It’s adapted by playwright Eliana Pipes, directed by Maria Patrice Amon and features original music by Britney “B~Free” Freeman-Farr.‘HOOPS’ runs March 11-Apr. 2.

“What’s beyond the tagline of Black Girl Magic. What’s driving it? What are the stories?”These are some of the questions Dominique Samari asked herself while embarking on this project for Women’s History Month. She’s honoring impactful Black women – some within her network and others she would be meeting for the first time.“I think that we are now in a time where Black women, at least at some level, are being celebrated and recognized. But, the depth of our stories is not being told in a way that’s been resonate with me.”Over the last few years, Samari has profiled dozens of women, from various backgrounds, for Women’s History Month. This year, she decided to focus only on Black women. And overall, her decision took her from a public endeavor to a journey that became more personal.“God made me to be introspective and reflective. And so, I spend a lot of time journaling and thinking,” Samari said. “I feel I am more intentional about the time and space that I give now as I get older. I think with each step, with each layer pulled back, with each little spec of curiosity that I turn inward. It just continues to ground me more and more in myself.” Samari is currently partner at P3 Development Group and founder of KIN Universe, a tool that facilitates meaningful discussions between people. She is also a former attorney.She says this project allows her to process pieces of her life and her own Black womanhood. It also allows her to listen to and share what Black womanhood means to the women on this year’s list.Self-discovery is a never ending process, and Samari discussed this with HYFIN’s Kim Shine. Their conversation continues below, along with each woman featured in Samari’s project.

‘Real estate investing’ and ‘entrepreneurship’ are more than just buzzwords or trending topics. They’re essential, impactful ways to create financial freedom and generational wealth.For Milwaukee native and credit repair guru, Will Roundtree, life shifted for him when he knew he “wanted something completely different than anybody else.” Changing his mindset is what, he says, got him into entrepreneurship.Roundtree has solidified himself as a consistent and reliable resource in the business sphere. He’ll be the first guest for the new season of Amplifier, a free, artist development program, hosted by Chad Roper and powered by Radio Milwaukee.Ahead of his appearance on March 25, he stopped by HYFIN to talk about developing his business mindset, how hitting rock bottom can change your life, and family.

According to an AXIOS article, Black Americans are nearly twice as likely as white Americans to go to hospital emergency departments for mental health care. Black teenagers are more likely to attempt suicide, and suicide attempts among Black youth rose by almost 80% (1991-2019), according to the report.There are many factors contributing to these statistics from racism to poverty, to stigma in the Black community, and many others. Black Space, a Milwaukee-based therapy group, is working to address these issues. Founded in 2021 by mental wellness expert Dr. Lia Knox, DEI expert Corey Fells and event organizer Darius Smith, Black Space’s mission is to destigmatize and demystify mental health within communities of color. They recently partnered with Dr. Kantara Souffrant, the Curator of Community Dialogue at the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM), to offer free group sessions this month at the museum beginning on March 1. There will be sessions targeted at women, men and LGBTQIA+ communities.This week, HYFIN's Tarik Moody sat down with Dr. Knox and Dr. Souffrant to talk about Black Space and the MAM partnership. We even dove deeper and discussed my own challenges, like how to deal with imposter syndrome.

The first decision I made was to do this. The second decision I made was to take you along with me. Why have you on my journey of self- discovery? Because I wanted to inspire. I wanted others to take their own journey into their family’s past and discover who they are. One of the great things about this particular journey was that it dispels the myth about black intelligence and capability. It allows you to be in the passenger seat into my personal past through science and culture but in a way that society, at one point, didn’t even think was possible.If you’re listening to this in the United States, then you know my birth month, February is Black History Month. Every year during this month, I look back at all of the trials and accomplishments of black people in America. As a country, we have had horrible atrocities inflicted on us through our time, but we have always persevered. I’ve wondered for years, where would I have lived if my people hadn’t been stolen from the continent of Africa?Well, now we find out together.I sat down with Dr. Gina Paige, the co-founder of African Ancestry. Dr. Paige pioneered a new way of tracing African lineage using genetics, Paige travels the world, helping people demystify their roots. People gain a better understanding of who they are by knowing where they’re from. Dr. Paige has provided ancestry results to some of the most well-known entertainers in the world. People like Oprah Winfrey, John Legend, Chadwick Boseman, Spike Lee, Condoleezza Rice, and even the entire King family. And now she’s going to do the same for me.If you are interested in tracing your African heritage, head over to AfricanAncestry.com.

The song “Queen of Paisley” has an old school vibe that may make it hard to believe it was written by a 24 year old artist. Silas Short, from Milwaukee, is that guy.Silas is the latest phenomenon to come out of our city. Short’s career began one night on Christmas eve when he DM’d one of his favorite artists. That DM landed him at Stones Throw Records, the same label that has worked with J.Dilla, MF Doom and currently represents artist like Knowledge and Nx Worries.I caught him fresh off of an appearance on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Kimmel with his labelmate Sudan Archives. Silas performed as a member of her backing band for the night. His conversation with HYFIN's Element Everest-Blanks was so relaxed and conformable that by the end he offered me an exclusive on the new direction of his next album.

Music is a bridge and a connector that can bind us all – regardless of where we come from or what we like. In the 414, there’s a free program for Milwaukee-area high schoolers giving them opportunities to be creative and to learn from those in the industry. Powered by Radio Milwaukee, and supported by various sponsors, Grace Weber’s Music Lab is that place. Whether you’ve heard of the Lab or not, here’s your chance to know more and maybe pass along the info to an interested teen. Music Lab Coordinator, and artist, B-Free sits down to talk about the program and what’s coming up for the rest of this season.

Yuna is a multi-faceted singer, songwriter and creative. The past few years have been a whirlwind of travel, bonding with family and *almost* moving back home to Malaysia. You might know Yuna from her hit song “Crush” featuring Usher, or as an artist who proudly wears her hijab when she performs. Honest and gracious in our conversation, Yuna talked about her faith, and how her Muslim heritage influences her daily life. She also reminisced about collaborating with other artists and performing in one of Milwaukee’s popular live concert venues. All of Yuna’s worlds collide and live together, beautifully, on her latest album, Y5, which is out now.

Spider Creek is a music collective based out of Milwaukee consisting of as many as 30 contributors, ranging from musicians and producers to visual artists. The group prides itself on being a “genre fluid” force in the music scene. They have no interest in being confined to any certain genre because their sound bends and blends with the moment. In their current work, you can hear a mix of hip-hop, alternative, R&B, rock, blues, indie and so much more. What I loved so much about this interview is that you could hear their urgency and understanding that the music they create is about spreading love and positivity. Spider Creek will be the opening performers this Saturday, Jan. 21, at Cactus Club for a fresh rapper out of North Carolina called Mavi. Take a listen to HYFIN's interview with three of the collective’s members — Lizzie Kay, Saintrè and Ian James — who talk about how this whole thing got started and where it’s going in 2023.

The quality management system consists of three parts: quality planning, quality assurance and, most importantly, quality control. The first known use of the words quality control was back in 1935. Quality control is a system that companies use to measure that their systems are intact.The record label, Quality Control, is almost 10 years old. But you wouldn’t know that by their global impact. They’ve turned out industry-changing artists such as Lil Baby, Migos, City Girls, Lil Yachty and Milwaukee’s own, Lakeyah. Dazayah Walker, the company’s 24-year-old investment manager talked with HYFIN’s Element Everest-Blanks about her background in economics, how she connected with QC, venture capitalism and how it works.The following HYFIN interview was conducted before the tragic incident involving Migos member, Takeoff. Our condolences to all who knew and loved him. This conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.