You may know Yasin Toure’ who also goes by the playful moniker the Afrikan Jawn as one who is celebrated for her hard-hitting lyrics, poetic flows and self-produced independent short films. And her new production company J.A.A.J. (Jus Anotha Afrikan Jawn), is releasing its first film, “HoneyBun, HotSauce” in 2021. The music artist, screenwriter and filmmaker is committed to bringing high quality, thought provoking work to the mainstream that celebrates blackness and authentic culture. But here are 4 fascinating things you may have not known about the artist/filmmaker’s background.
Number 1, Yasin Toure’ is Senegalese American. Yes, although born in Philadelphia and raised in Durham, North Carolina she actually has a Senegalese father. She is his only daughter raised in the states; her other siblings live in Dakar, Senegal. She wrote about it in her 2017 mix-tape on a song called “Senegalese Twist, Waist Beads & Some Other Thangs.” She details the struggle to relate to her siblings, their cultural differences and not feeling Black American enough nor Muslim/African enough on this bold track.
Number 2, this Afrikan Jawn is an artist of multiple mediums. She first attended The Art Institute and studied fashion design, then later many disciplines such as: interior design, sound production, acting, literature/poetry, visual art and even dance. On her IG page she said that this felt like a career breakdown to her friends and family especially after she attended multiple colleges even changing her major constantly. But stated…hey, that’s what 20s are for. After not landing gig and struggling as an aspiring actress in L.A. she began writing, producing and directing her own YouTube series, mini IG series including several shorts. Rather than continue to attend audition after audition with no result she decided to make her own content and collaborated with other creatives in L.A. And that’s where she found her true passion. Filmmaking is indeed a collaborative process where all her previous experiences seem to collaborate and depend on each other.
Number 3, J.A.A.J. (Jus Anotha Afrikan Jawn) was inspired by her upbringing and childhood living between the two cities South West Philly and Durham, North Carolina. Her divorced parents lived in two different states, had two different value systems, religions and completely different lifestyles. These differences became the stories of screenplays brought on by a passion to share complex characters with nontraditional experiences.
Number 4, Her Film “HoneyBun, HotSauce” is expected to release in 2021 under Jus Anotha Afrikan Jawn Production. While we all wait it’s not too late to catch up on her catalogue of music or the shorts and mini-series available online from the Afrikan Jawn.
Our final thoughts, based off of first impressions and amazing creative work so far we expect a lot from her upcoming film, “HoneyBun, HotSauce and even more from her production company and hope new voices emerge from it. We also expect her music to shine and for the Afrikan Jawn to be a household name in every genre and medium she explores
