NevahBlackDown

The Inspiring Work of LA Artist Calvin Clausell Jr.

Growing up in Los Angeles, art has always been first for Calvin. From childhood he found himself sketching every chance he got. Loving the idea of bringing life to paper, he gravitated towards charcoal and graphite. Teaching himself shading techniques by observing human expression and emotion. He began oil painting after reading the book “The […]

artist, poem, poetry, profile, spoken word, video

7 Dope Questions for Architects and Angels …Marc Marcel by Epiphany Castro

Orator.Wordsmith.Producer.Lyricist.Motivator.Animator.Philosopher.Performer.Author.Artist.Hum an.Architect…He is many,many things-He loves many things and detests few,he is complex but simple,he is kind yet may appear cruel. He is brilliant but can feign ignorance.He is a sort of walking palindrome… Definitions from Oxford Languages · Learn more pal·in·drome /ˈpalənˌdrōm/Learn to pronounce noun What did you expect??? Hell,he is a POET. I chewed the fat with […]

music, profile, singer

7 Dope Questions for Architects and Angels…Yahzarah St. James by Epiphany Castro

There isn’t enough magic in the world. Magical thinkers more often than not-seek it. We need it to grow and thrive. Much like other essentials. Some could argue that magic is not essential to us but welp..That’s a lie.Some may say magic doesn’t even exist. Art is magical! In whatever form you find it,and when […]

all, article, book, profile, writer

Learning to Care for Me by caring for Plants by Epiphany Castro

It is oh so curious how we convince ourselves of straight up lies. We tell ourselves “we can’t this..we can’t that”..No one thing in particular,not based on any factual evidence,yet based on lies we replay in our own heads. It does not even need to be with regularity. Honestly I can say that the former […]

all, article, profile

Dope Folks Y’all Should Know…John Lewis aka Badassvegan by Epiphany Castro

In 2010 after some health scares, I decided to adopt being vegan. I did a lot of research but I kept having this nagging feeling-a feeling that I needed a mentor who…well looked like ME! At that time it wasn’t easy to find Black Vegans, or at least I didn’t think so. While cruising social […]

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Here is NevahBlackDown’s Black Owned Sunscreen List

Let’s talk about suncare – skincare that helps protect you from the sun’s uv rays. Even if you don’t go outside, you should wear sunscreen everyday. It is a myth that our melanin completely protects us from the sun. BOLDEN BRIGHTENING MOISTURIZER Our SPF 30 face moisturizer combines broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) protection with Vitamin C, […]

all, art, artist, photography

The Magical Photography of Awuku Darko Samuel

Born in 1997, Awuku Darko Samuel is a conceptual photographer from Suhum, Ghana. He Began studying visual arts when he was in Senior High school, which he graduated from in 2017. He borrowed smartphones from friends to take photos until he was gifted with his own. He began to explore photography and various mediums in […]

all, artist, music, profile

The Rona Tape by Preach Jacobs (Yall betta ask somebody…by Epiphany Castro)

Every here and again a supa dupa one comes along. Not merely talented but just downright GIFTED. In this instance allow me to introduce y’all to the homie…Preach Jacobs. Preach Jacobs is a musician,artist,Emcee,Journalist,Photographer and activist. Founder of Cola-Con and Indie label Sounds familiar Records. He is not here to play with y’all… well maybe […]

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Here is NevahBlackDown’s Black Owned Streetwear List Part 1 :

Since the late 80s, sweatpants and baggy clothes have become popular in mainstream America. Currently the streetwear industry is worth over a billion dollars and sweats are staple items in any streetwear collection. Nevah Black Down has created a list of best selling hoodies, sweatpants, and sweatshirts to add to your wardrobe. Dad Bod Sniper […]

all, article, artist, music, singer

Arrested Development “For the FKN Love” Music Review by Epiphany Castro

Y’all Better Ask Somebody… “For the FKN Love” is the latest and perhaps final offering from Grammy award winning Icons, Arrested Development. After 2 years of straight dumpster fire existence during these oh so trying times, Frontman/Executive producer, Speech gifted us with what some may say is his masterpiece…even as it is slated to be […]

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The Expressive Work of Akilah Watts

I am interested in depicting a black Barbadian experience. My work focuses a lot on my own personal experience as a black Barbadian Artist but I also touch on a more general Caribbean experience in some of my works. I use imagery such as fruits and vegetables I would have grown up seeing, Barbadian folklore […]

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The NBD Black Owned Outerwear List

“The average temperature in Africa is 82 degrees. The average temperature in the Caribbean is between 75 and 85 degrees. Unless you live in a warmer climate similar to Africa or the Caribbean you are going to need some kind of outerwear for the cold!” Here is NevahBlackDown’s Black Owned Outerwear List : THE FANCY SUCCESS This collection is about more than furs. It’s […]

all, art, artist, event, painter, profile

The Captivating Works of Uzo Njoku

Uzo Njoku’s works rejoice in unions despite her subjects being mostly isolate. Her paintings are a fusion of fine art and design and celebrate the blend of her Nigerian- American cultural upbringing. Njoku, with skill and a considered softness, creates another harmonious alliance between the human bodies present and the decorative. Once deeply informed by […]

all, art, artist, photography, profile

Dawoud Bey: Photography and The Black Subject

Since the mid-1970s, Dawoud Bey (b. 1953) has worked to expand upon what photography can and should be. Insisting that it is an ethical practice requiring collaboration with his subjects, he creates poignant meditations on visibility, power, and race. Bey chronicles communities and histories that have been largely underrepresented or even unseen, and his work lends renewed […]

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Surviving The White Gaze by Rebecca Carroll — a must read!

A stirring and powerful memoir from black cultural critic Rebecca Carroll recounting her painful struggle to overcome a completely white childhood in order to forge her identity as a black woman in America. Rebecca Carroll grew up the only black person in her rural New Hampshire town. Adopted at birth by artistic parents who believed […]

photography, profile

The Timely Work of Creative Soul Photography

CreativeSoul Photography believes that everyone deserves to truly be seen, so we go beyond just capturing beautiful snapshots. We’re more than just photographers. We are artists and trusted business partners obsessed with unique, visual storytelling and capturing unconventional beauty. “Around 2017, we started our afro art series, a collection of photographs aimed to showcase the beauty […]

book, fashion, photography

The African Lookbook – A Visual History of 100 Years of African Women

For some 30 years, McKinley, a curator, author and educator, has been collecting images of women from across Africa that capture the vastness of the continent’s fashion. Her collection largely focuses on the countries of the Sahel, like Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, and on countries with Atlantic coastlines, from Morocco to Angola. McKinley expertly […]

all, art, article, artist, FILM, profile, video

Garrett Bradley’s “America” –Disrupting The Symbols and Iconography Of How America is Defined!

According to the Library of Congress, around 70 percent of all feature-length films made in the US between 1912 and 1929 no longer exist. In America (2019), artist and filmmaker Garrett Bradley imagines Black figures from the early decades of the 20th century whose lives have been lost to history. A multichannel video installation, it […]

all, art, artist

Nigerian Artist Peter Uka’s Work is Bold, Bright and Expansive

Peter Uka’s (b.1975, Nigeria; based in Cologne, Germany) classical training in realistic figuration, images from his memory, are nostalgic, and simultaneously convey innate and timeless human emotion, breathing depth into dynamic portrayals. Scenes of growing up in Nigeria, the bright mannerisms and local customs are all captured in vibrant, visual narrative. Compositions also capture international […]

all, art, FILM, poem, poetry, writer

BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME

First published in 2015, Between The World And Me was written as a letter to Coates’ teenage son, and recounts the author’s experiences growing up in Baltimore’s inner city and his growing fear of daily violence against the Black community. The narrative explores Coates’ bold notion that American society structurally supports white supremacy. Based on the 2018 […]