Young Hustle: Up and Coming Gen Yers

Gen Y has been called lazy and over-entitled, but these young artists and entrepreneurs are grinding to make their dreams a reality. Get to know the next breakout stars, including ones identified by The Root's readers.

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Metasebia Yoseph

In The Root's two-part series, "Generation Y's New Age Hustle," Saaret E. Yoseph explored the Millennial work ethic by examining the independent career ventures of five young entrepreneurs and artists; an investigation of Gen Y inspired by her own sister's entrepreneurial enthusiasm.

LEFT: Metasebia Yoseph, 26, of Washington, D.C. is a freelance curator-cum entrepreneur launching a creative arts consulting business, The Muse Collective, which develops arts projects through art direction, concept design and curating in collaboration with various artists.
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Darrell Britt-Gibson

Age: 24

Hometown: Silver Spring, Md.

Occupation: Sales associate-cum-actor

Website: http://twitter.com/chipsheridan

A former theater student from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Darrell has appeared on HBO's The Wire and soon plans to move to Los Angeles to pursue acting full-time.
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Armando Cadogan

Age: 25

Hometown: Baltimore

Occupation: Actor/rapper

Website: http://www.panamalovesu.com/; http://www.myspace.com/daspanishkid

A studied actor, Armando appeared in a few episodes of The Wire but has since given more focus to his music career. His rap moniker, "Panama," points to his Central-American roots, but he lives and performs frequently in the New York City area.
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Erica Purnell

Age: 28

Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.

Occupation: Artist/entrepreneur

Web site: http://www.igotpinkeye.com/; http://www.ericapurnell.com/

Through her company Pink Eye Fashions, Erica creates hand-painted and air-brushed designs for clothing and apparel. She showcases her embellished streetwear at events and exhibits, including the Sneaker Pimps World Tour.

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Carolyn Malachi

Age: 25

Hometown: Prince George's County, Md.

Occupation: Vocalist/entrepreneur

Web site: http://www.myspace.com/msmalachi; http://web.me.com/sheparts/Revenge_of_the_Smart_Chicks/

Carolyn defines her musical style as "haute eclectic soular blues." She's introduced her soulful, jazz-infused melodies to audiences in the Washington area and even went to South Africa to share her sound. Beyond her own work, she also serves as the creative director for the female artists network Smart Chicks, Inc.
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Christon Bacon

Age: 24

Hometown: Washington, D.C.

Occupation: Musician/entrepreneur

Web site: http://itsthebeatbox.com/

Christon goes by his stage name "Christylez." As a self-proclaimed progressive hip-hop artist, he blends music from traditionally disparate genres with storytelling and a hip-hop style. He's a multi-instrumentalist who plays the guitar, djembe drum, ukulele and spoons, among others. As his own manager, Christylez builds his brand through his business, Christylez Productions, LLC.
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O'Ryan Graves

Age: 19

Hometown: Newport News, Va.

Occupation: Actor/comedian/musician/model (A Quadra-threat!)

Web site: http://oryangraves.nowcasting.com/; http://twitter.com/oryangraves

O'Ryan has had minor roles in both film and television. According to his Web site, he's appeared on shows like Wicked Attraction, It's Supernatural and One Tree Hill.

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Aumoya B.

Age: 27

Hometown: New York, N.Y.

Occupation: Filmmaker

Website: http://www.nosotroslosdelasaya.com

Aumoya B. has a passion for socially conscious art. A filmmaker of Cuban and Dominican descent, she develops film projects that explore underrepresented cultures and social issues. We of the Saya is her first feature film.
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Yodith Dammlash

Age: 24

Hometown: Prince George's County, Md.

Occupation: Photographer

Website: http://yodithdammlash.blogspot.com

A graduate of Corcoran College of Art & Design, Yodith is a fine art photographer with a documentary style. She has been featured in Prince George's Suite magazine, on The YBF and on The Root.

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Lance Smith

Age: 31

Hometown: Washington, D.C.

Occupation: Emcee/producer

Web site: twitter.com/freelance333

When he's making music, Lance goes by the name FreeLance 33.3. He's been making music in the D.C. area for 12 years, producing beats and collaborating with other artists in the city. At the moment, he's promoting his Seasons EP and recording an upcoming compilation album Crooked Avengers.
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Christopher K.P. Brown

Age: 25

Hometown: Pine Bluff, Ark.

Occupation: Poet/entrepreneur

Website: http://www.twopensandlint.com

Christopher is a spoken word artist on a mission. He recently started a poetry company, 2 Pens & Lint, with the hopes of establishing a network for other poets to grow artistically--and financially. Currently, he's living in Philadelphia and performing around the United States, whenever possible. A self-published artist, Christopher has released six books of poetry and four albums.
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Mallory Dover

Age: 24

Hometown: Springfield, Ohio

Occupation: Sculptor and mixed media artist

Website: http://mallorydover.blogspot.com/

A sculpture graduate from the University of Dayton, Mallory recently featured in a solo master's in fine arts exhibition entitled "Strange Malaise." Her work addresses issues affecting black women, such as self-esteem and hairstyle, female genital mutilation, and complex mother-daughter relationships.

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Josiah Golson

Age: 23

Hometown: Chattanooga, Tenn.

Occupation: Student/visual artist

Web site: https://twitter.com/JosiahGWorks

While attending law school at the University of Texas, Josiah creates mixed media works that he promotes via Facebook and Twitter. Once he graduates, Josiah plans to pursue a career in entertainment law and eventually transition into filmmaking.
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Patrick Pate

Age: 25

Hometown: Cambridge, Mass.

Occupation: Teacher/musician

Web site: myspace.com/patpate

Singer, songwriter and guitarist Patrick Pate is an honors graduate from Berklee College of Music in Boston. During the day, he works as an elementary school music teacher and recently produced a fifth-grade musical on the history of black music. His own music blends everything from funk and folk styles to bebop and hip-hop.

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DJ Jay Skillz

Age: 23

Hometown: New Orleans

Occupation: DJ

Website: http://djjayskillz.wordpress.com/

DJ Jay Skillz hosts a weekly radio show on Crescent City Radio where he interviews underground artists from across the country. He has produced several "chopped and screwed" mixtapes, with more on the way, and is a member of the Definition DJs and the Future Star DJs.
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Robel Kassa

Age: 29

Hometown: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Occupation: Graphic designer

Web site: www.paradigm84.com

Since graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in graphic design, Robel has much of his art under the rawbubbleTM brand, but he also releases an annual compilation album under the RadioeliteTM moniker. His recent venture startup, Paradigm84TM, is a cross-disciplinary design studio, that provides digital media services for developing brands.
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Oliver Shipley

Age: 26

Hometown: Los Angeles

Occupation: Filmmaker

Web site: www.la-artist.com

Oliver, a native of England, has worked in documentary production through the Media Arts Center in San Diego as well as with Lynn Goldfarb Production LLC. In addition, he independently established Shipley Films, which is currently producing and directing the LA-Artist Documentary Project.

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Victor A. Kwansa

Age: 23

Hometown: Riverdale, Md

Occupation: Student/poet

Web site: http://www.youtube.com/user/vakwansa

Victor is currently studying law at Harvard University, but as an undergrad at Yale, he co-founded WORD, a performance poetry group. His work has been featured in Essence magazine and Yale's campus publication Sphere.
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Sydnie Mosley

Age: 24

Hometown: Baltimore

Occupation: Dancer/choreographer/teacher

Website: http://sydnielmosley.com

Sydnie has studied dance at University of Iowa and Barnard College at Columbia University. She has a fledgling contemporary dance company and is currently serving as a performing apprentice with INSPIRIT, a New York-based dance company.

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Rhasaan Nichols

Age: 23

Hometown: Philadelphia

Occupation: Filmmaker

Website: www.rhasaannichols.com

In 2008, Rhasaan started his production company Nichols Makes Sense Productions with a vision to create innovative media that seeks truth, inspires its viewers and demands change. He is currently working on a biographical film on his sister, who was born with cerebral palsy.
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Noah, Miles and Miranda Craigwell

Age: 25, 24, 28

Hometown: Boston, MA

Occupation: Entrepreneur/Filmmaker; Entrepreneur/Media Producer-cum-NFL Free Agent; Casting Director, Actress

Website: http://www.beyondmeasureproductions.com

Siblings Noah, Miles and Miranda Craigwell established the production company Beyond Measure Productions in Septemeber 2009. Among other projects, they've developed a short film, feature, and 20-episode webseries for clients like MIT and The Jimmy Fund.
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Amanda Rivkin

Age: 25

Hometown: Chicago

Occupation: Photojournalist

Website: www.amandarivkin.com

Amanda's work has been featured on the front pages of Le Monde, the New York Times, and the Washington Post, to name a few. Her photography has been viewed internationally and awarded by American Photography 26 and the National Geographic Society. Currently, she is studying at Georgetown University as a merit scholar in the security studies program and will be moving to New York City in the fall.
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Allison Howe and Christine Doelling

Christine (left) and Allison

Age: 27, 23

Hometown: Washington, D.C.; Berkeley, Calif.

Occupation: Events coordinators/bloggers

Website: www.lunchboxtheory.com

For more than a year, the two-woman operation, Lunchbox Theory, has run monthly Afrobeat parties in D.C. called Afrobeat for Ya Soul, which the Washington Post considers "one of the coolest underground events in town." Allison and Christine also blog about music, style and culture from all corners of the earth.
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Archie Barlow and Jo'rell Whitfield

Jo'Rell (left) and Archie

Age: 26, 27

Hometown: Buffalo, N.Y.; Queens, N.Y.

Occupation: Performing and spoken word artists

Web site: www.writing4mylife.com

The spoken word duo Writing4MyLife includes Archie aka "Archie the Messenger" and Jo'rell aka "Lyrical the Lyricist." The two have been performing together for eight years and have shared the stage with Def Poetry Jam's Black Ice, Georgia Me and Poetri. They're upcoming cd, set to release on June 8, can be heard here.
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Roberto Horns

Age: 25

Hometown: Atlanta

Occupation: Musician

Web site: http://www.myspace.com/robertohorns1

Roberto or "JR," as he often goes by, recently moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the music industry. He hopes to become a professional songwriter and record producer and blogs about his efforts here.
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Ian Watts

Age: 18

Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio

Occupation: Rapper

Website: http://www.myspace.com/younginwatts; http://twitter.com/YOUNGINDASP

Ian aka "Youngin da SP" has been featured on season two of MTV's Taking the Stage. He's currently working on a mixtape set to be recorded in Atlanta, but his single "I Like Girls" is already available online.

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