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www.themaroontiger.com
November 2 • 8,2011
FEATURES
Family Business: Young Money’s Torion
Kobi Ansong
Associate Features Editor
kobi.ansong@gmail.com
L ast Thursday was the coldest
day fall’s delivered this semes
ter and the not-so-perfect day for
a photo shoot. A little past noon,
Morehouse senior Shunn Simkins
strolled up Brown Street with his
younger cousin, Torion. Trying to
control shivering hands, the pho
tographer aimed and snapped pic
tures of the pair. They laughed and
posed in a celebratory fashion.
Torion, pronounced so that the
last syllable rhymes with tone, is an
eight-grade student from Atlanta.
He knew he wanted to be an en
tertainer since he was 9 years old.
Like many stars before him, Torion
got his first dose of performing in
the church.
On a Sunday morning, Torion
sang as his father preached. Awed
by such a raw and young talent his
manager contacted Young Money
president, Mack Maine. Soon after,
Torion was flown to Miami where
he met face to face with the Young
Money bosses at Lil Waynes house.
“I met Baby, Lil Wayne, and
Mack Maine and Cortez. They said
they wanted to do something with
me,” Torion recalled. “I was really
surprised when I met them because
Lil Waynes been my favorite rapper
since he first came out.”
The official announcement from
the Young Money camp about their
newest signee is pending, but To
rion and his camp are not waiting
for the plug.
“We’re trying to keep it mov
ing, trying to get his name out in
Atlanta before Wayne really blasts
him out,” his older cousin, Simkins
explained.
Simkins is a senior business man
agement major from Haymarket,
Va. and the marketing director for
“Team Torion,” which is Torion’s
promotional camp. Team Torion
has organized several promotional
events around metro-Atlanta and
last week they sold 7,000 CDs at the
Fox Theater where the Scream Tour
made their Atlanta stop.
Simkins, a former Capitol One
intern, did not always have his eyes
on the music biz.
“I always loved music, but never
thought I could actually partake in
the industry,” Simkins said. “It’s a
blessing.
Now that the opportunity has
arrived, Simkins plans to imple
ment the knowledge obtained from
Morehouse’s business department
to guide his little cousin through
the music industry.
“I just want to make sure this
guy’s taken care of,” Simkins said
as he gestured towards Torion. “I
want to make sure he’s where he
needs to be.”
With an album set to drop dur
ing the first quarter of next year
and an upcoming set at a Georgia
Dome concert, Torion’s dreams are
shaping into a reality.
“I always want to give it back to
God and stay humble,” Torion said
as he discussed his unique position.
After graduation, Simkins would
like to continue to play business
role in “little cuzzo’s” budding ca
reer.
From Fatherless to Fatherhood
Ariannah Hood
Contributing Writer
ahood3@scmail.spelman.edu
F rom Fatherless to Father
hood, an event hosted by the
Bloody Psi Chapter of Omega
Psi Phi, took place last Friday in
Nabritt-McBay Hall to question
and answer the state of black fa
therhood.
Morehouse junior Ian Moore
could feel the excitement as he
walked on stage to begin his du
ties as MC for the evening. Af
ter Moore welcomed the crowd,
he introduced Kobie Chronic,
the creator of the documentary
“From Fatherless to Father
hood.” Chronic explained that
the film was about men who
grew up fatherless and later be
came fathers and how that has
affected their parenting.
The room grew dark as the
documentary started. The doc
umentary began with various
fathers stating what fatherhood
meant to them and their expe
riences growing up without fa
thers.
Music artist Kirk Franklin was
one of the fatherless men shown
on the screen. He explained how
being raised by a single mother
molded him into the man he is
today.
“My kids go to sleep ev
ery night without a care in the
world.That’s an incredible feel
ing, because I never had that as
a kid,” Franklin said.
The men also spoke of educa
tion, how it is key in the lives
of children, and how education
greatly affected their upbring
ing. Each father then explained
that if young black men became
educated first and knew their
options they could be great and
supportive fathers.
The documentary then shifted
to the conversation of “dead
beat” dads and how some fathers
think that financially supporting
a child is enough to be consid
ered a father. The men explained
how those children grow up
hardly knowing their dads, but
always having what they needed,
however, that does not substi
tute for the father’s absence.
This documentary ended
with commentary from the
men about taking responsibility.
Franklin added, “When a man
puts his future and all his being
into a condom, he has to under
stand that there is a possibility of
having a child.”
After the lights reappeared,
several male and female pan
elists, including single father
and Morehouse Man, Howard
Grant, walked on stage to an
swer questions from the student
and faculty audience. One ques
tion asked was, “How [did] you
make the transition of not hav
ing an example into becoming
and example?”
The panelists mainly pointed
out how men need time to fully
come into their manhood. The
panel members gave one exam
ple that involved them compar
ing themselves from when they
were in their twenties to when
they were in there forties and
older.
Another question posed was,
“How do we stop the cycle of
stereotyping young black men as
bad fathers?” Panelists answered
and elaborated that the only way
to stop the stereotype is to end
the notion completely.
Some of the students in the
audience stood up just to share
their experiences of fathers in
their lives. Morehouse fresh
man, Lawrence Trapp, spoke up
about his father and said, “In my
family, my dad was everybody’s
dad.” The crowd applauded after
he expressed his fondness for a
man that was there for his fam-
ily.
After the event ended, the au
dience left with thoughts of re
flection on their own lives and
black fatherhood.
“I thought the event was ex
cellent. The conversation was
controversial, which was good
because it held the attention of
the audience, and was some
thing hesitantly touched upon,
yet needed to be discussed,” Pri-
mous Howard, a junior at More
house and a Morehouse Peer
Council member, said.
Mister Sophomore Logan Bat
tle also felt appreciative for the
discussion.
“I really enjoyed the event.
Coming from a family with my
father, the video made me re
flect on all the things my father
did for me. It increased my ap
preciation and love for my dad,
and it definitely enhanced my
idea of manhood,” the psychol
ogy major from St. Petersburg,
Fla., said.
For more information on the
documentary, go on Twitter and
follow @tofatherhood.
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