Planet Thirty

In 2013 a group of high school friends decided to formalize themselves as a unit. This has happened for generations all over the world. Groups of guys and gals have joined forces to form named cliques. These cliques serve different purposes depending on the group. More often than not teenagers identify themselves with like-minded persons and try to establish as much social capitol as possible. Mos...

Diction Edwards called me late one night. He was on tour and had some down time. From the background noise on his side I could hear that he was outdoors. I automatically assumed that he was on the other side of the globe, as he often is. I was correct, he informed me that he was some 15 hours ahead of my time in New Caledonia, a French territory in the Pacific Ocean. Phone calls like this are not...

Jibri Lewis’ grandmother perfected a pastry on the island of Anguilla some decades ago. That pastry is known as a cheese patty by legions of local fans. Jibri’s dad took the cheese patty to new levels and has turned it into one of the most popular on the go meals on the island. Jibri, cannot make the cheese patty. Though his culinary skills have much to be desired as far as the cheese patty is con...

There are very few black female filmmakers that have been acknowledged by mainstream media and Hollywood. By no means does it mean that the work of such artists is not good enough. Kasi Lemmons, Ava DuVernay, Julie Dash and Euzhan Palsy are but a few that have had the opportunity to breakthrough. Their work is exquisite, only surpassed by their work ethic. It is from this lineage and tutelage that...

Trudy Nixon cooks a mean pot of curry. This however is not the extend of her talents. Trudy was raised on a farm in a little town in the English countryside. By the time she had graduated high school, Trudy had developed a love for the arts and especially for language and writing. Her University years gave her the opportunity to explore several facets of the arts both inside and outside of the cla...

As a child, Ron Elliot was a lover of comic books. He bought them, he sold them, he read them. He loved comic books. Comic books truly introduced Ron to the world of fantasy and stretched his imagination. While he was an elementary school student, Ron wrote, produced and directed his first play. His teacher was thoroughly impressed. This was the beginning of Ron Elliot the storyteller. The seed wa...

Cherrod Lewis remembers listening to R&B for most of his childhood. His two older sisters were uber fans of the genre. Naturally their love for the genre and music in general had a huge impact on their little brother. Cherrod’s thoughts however ran a lot deeper than just knowing the hit songs. He wanted to know how they were created. He recalls spending hours trying to deconstruct the tones, drums...

Sint Maarten, not to be confused with St. Martin is the Dutch half of the small Caribbean island shared by the Netherlands and France. Zahira Marmar was raised there. She was introduced to farming by her immediate family. She fell in love with it. Typically, this story would continue to tell you how Zahira grew peas, pumpkins and corn. However, Zahira fell in love with herbs. Herbs for seasoning?...

Like her father and brother before her, Tahirah Banks was destined for a career in music. At 13 she was the lead singer of one of her island’s rising soca bands. Wanting a change of scenery, Tahirah negotiated with her mother and decided to move to Houston Texas to live with her eldest brother. Houston opened up a new world of possibility for her and although she was still in love with music, her...

Oneika Phillips is a burst of energy. She has the type of personality that can light up an entire theatre. And she does… quite often. Oneika has been dancing from ever since she can remember. Born in Guyana and raised in Grenada, Oneika was exposed to musicals via her parents VHS collection. Jesus Christ Superstar was her favorite. Oneika’s colorful personality and obvious talent and love for danc...

Nigel Campbell is a lover of all things music. The Trinidad and Tobago native ventured to Toronto then on to Washington DC in his youth. No matter where he studied and lived one thing remained consistent. His curiosity about and his love for Caribbean music. Many Caribbean people consider themselves connoisseurs of the region’s music. Some are experts within a particular genre. Others may be able...

Azana Serene is an absolute joy to speak to. The young Los Angeles native grew up knowing that she had a passion for fashion. That passion turned into reality when she was accepted to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandizing (FIDM.) Her experience there would shift her thinking completely. The relationships made, the lessons learned and the mentorship had would prepare Azana for life as a...

Nolan Baynes remembers playing in the lush greenery of his native Guyana. He also remembers being surrounded by family and friends who felt like family. Nolan also remembers not always having access to television. Ironically, the thing he lacked at that time would end up impacting his life the most. At age 9 Nolan was moved to the bustling streets of Brooklyn. To him, Brooklyn was a whole new worl...

Trinidad is known for producing a plethora of things that have come to define both its culture and the culture of the wider Caribbean. Trinidad is also known for sending both scholarly and creative people out into the wider world. Micha Cooper Edwards is one of those persons. She cannot be described by just one of the aforementioned, for she is the perfect combination of scholar and creative. Mich...

Simba and Chev, Chev and Simba. No matter the order of their names, their power remains the same. Simba was born and raised on Anguilla. Chev Jamaica. The two met at Toronto’s famed York University and became fast friends. Their personalities melded and they eventually started dating. Chev and Simba’s energies and personalities propelled them to become much more than a romantic couple. With the po...

Dorinda Medley an entrepreneur and cast member of the Real Housewives of New York once said “Money shouts, wealth whispers.” Chad Kent whispers. He speaks softly and never too much. His work however, shouts at the highest possible measures of amplification. Growing up on Anguilla, Chad had dreams… big dreams. While walking home from school one day, he asked his friend “Do you ever feel like we wer...

My last encounter with Young Devyn was when I ventured into Manhattan to see her perform at an all-women’s hip-hop event. There is nothing quite like a crisp fall evening in New York City. Every time you enter the city’s chambers, it speaks to you. What it says depends upon its mood. New York City needs no introduction and brings with it a slew of preconceived notions. Its own modern day anthem bo...

Iyaz, did the unthinkable. Historically, artists from the Caribbean who have had world-wide success, have been from one of the larger islands in the Caribbean. Jamaica, Trinidad and Barbados all lay claim to internationally successful artists. Iyaz experienced wonderful childhood complete with a large family and loving parents on the island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. After high scho...

Cordane Richardson stands 6 feet 7 inches. Let me say that again. Cordane Richardson is 6 feet 7 inches tall. Cordane, moves as gracefully on the basketball court as his fingers do on the ivory keys of any piano. His dad? A painter and well-loved high school science teacher. His mom? A legendary instructor and authority on all things music. Being raised by these parents allowed Cordane to explore...

Jermaine Payne is a burst of energy. Then again, why wouldn’t he be? He grew up with the ambition to be a singer or an actor… or both really. His formative years were spent around his grandmother’s restaurant. Little did he know, he was absorbing the fundamentals of business even at that early age.   While playing with his friends around his grandmother’s restaurant was fun, Jermaine had his sight...

Amanda Lewis is as funny as she is talented. As a child, she dreamed of being a dancer. From jazz to ballet she studied different styles of that art form move by move. She dreamed of attending one of Baltimore’s best institutions to study dance. However her world was overturned when she was not placed into the dance program. That disappointment resulted in what perhaps was the biggest victory in h...

When we started the Planet Thirty project, a huge part of our mission was to not only inspire others by interviewing persons with a wealth of experience, but also to expose the world to those that were ambitious, passionate and aspiring. Hence our tag line is “Planet Thirty. Where aspiration meets inspiration.”   A few weeks ago, we got a message from a gentleman named Vicente who explained that h...

It may be safe to say that by the time Omari Banks was a teenager he was a veteran stage performer. Church and community concerts, official ceremonies, serenading ladies on stage during pageants, talent shows and every conceivable choir that requested his vocals. In the late 80s and early 90s Omari Banks was a hot ticket.   By his pre-teen years, Omari showed signs of separating himself from the t...

According to a 2017 article on babbel.com, Queens holds the Guinness World Record for “most ethnically diverse urban area on the planet,” and it's also the most linguistically diverse, with at least 138 languages spoken throughout the borough.   It is also a fact that many kings and queens of the entertainment industry have emerged from this storied borough. One of the most talented Queens from Qu...

Denise Caldwell’s dream was to be a professional choreographer. As a child she spent hours being instructed in the finer points of the artform at schools for the performing arts in her native St. Louis. In addition to being a talented dancer, Denise was also gifted in math and science. During her high school years, Denise would focus her efforts toward the sciences with a new dream of becoming a d...