The Middle Room Issue #1

the
middle room
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Contents
9 WELCOME
Learn what you can expect
from The Middle Room with an
open letter from our team.
10 TRANSFORMATION
A quick motivational read inspired by
Romans 12:2.
17 LOCAL SPOTLIGHT
Get to know an artist so famished for success that
it became his name, literally.
32 READ OF THE MONTH
Take a peak “Inward,” and see what conXform’s own
Trinity believes.
38 LC’S CORNER
Get behind the music and into the mind of LC Son
with these lyrics from an unreleased track written in
the “Fantasies & Fables” sessions.
47 OBSERVATIONS
A handwritten think piece by a close friend of
The Middle Room, Jacob Delaney.
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“TELL THE
WORLD
WHAT YOU ARE
GOING TO DO,
BUT FIRST
SHOW IT”
-- NAPOLEON HILL
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Photo Taken By Trey Delaney
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TRANSFOR
MATION
BY TRINITY LAWRENCE
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A foundational Bible verse for me is Romans 12:2. “Do
not conform to the patterns of the world but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind.”
Another translation says “...don’t become so well adjusted
to your culture that you fit into it without thinking.”
This verse is so important because it reminds us that
patterns are ever changing. Fads are fickle. The only
thing that’s constant is the truth, and the truth is, conformity
robs us of so much in our lifetime.
I think back on my life and how many times it has
cheated me of my joy, my peace, my identity. It wasn’t
until I practiced renewing my mind, transforming my
thoughts and reprogramming my perspective, that it
clicked.
When I stopped focusing on what I was getting from
the world and started looking at what I could give, the
truth was revealed.
Truth is that the world needed me and my uniqueness,
my dreams, my quirkiness, my nonconformity.
And the world needs you and yours too.
So be reminded that in order to reestablish our
thoughts, in order to stop imitating the ideas and
opinions of the culture around us, we have to be steadfast
in our very own truth, not the inconsistant opinions
of this world.
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“THE
GREATEST
ACHIEVEMENT
WAS, AT FIRST,
AND FOR A TIME,
BUT A DREAM.”
JAMES ALLEN
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Photo Taken By Julien Raymond
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Local spotlight
story by trinity lawrence
photography by Alondra medrano
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“WHEN YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU
LOVE, THAT POURS INTO
EVEYTHING ELSE”
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PHAM RECORDING HIS “WHAT DOES CONXFORM
MEAN TO YOU?” SEGMENT.
TIME: 9:07 PM
DATE: JANUARY 10, 2021
LOCATION: SOMEWHERE IN LOUISIANA
Coming from a small
town about 60 miles
southwest of New
Orleans, Pham, AKA
S0Phamish, is a force
to be reckoned with
in the dance world.
Raised in a city that
lacks diversity, when
someone breaks the
mold, it’s without a
doubt noticed. Being
a first generation
Vietnamese American
would be considered
enough to stick out
like a sore thumb, but
wearing his Yeezy
boots, a bandana
printed puffer jacket,
and a heart patch in
his head, all while
gliding across the floor
with his signature
B-boy movements,
Pham is an anomaly
in his hometown, to
say the least.
It all started when his
older cousins started
dancing and Pham
quickly followed suit.
At age 11, he found
inspirations from
YouTube. He started
to shadow dancers
like Mr. Wiggles and
quickly discovered
dance was his calling.
Now almost 20
years later, at age 30,
Pham is living out
his dreams, and then
some.
He has almost 30,000
followers on social
media. He has been
reposted by and/
or collaborated with
artists like Chris
Brown, Wale, Lil
Wayne, Dani Leigh,
Casanova and Blue
Face, just to name a
few. He has been featured
in music videos,
nationally televised
commercials and
has even appeared
on television’s “So
You Think You Can
Dance” and “America’s
Got Talent.”
Not only is he known
for his bone chilling
dancing, Pham is a
self-proclaimed sneakerhead
whose fashion
flair calls for him to
“like the finer things
in life.”
We invited Pham into
the Middle Room to
talk dance, fashion,
insecurities and all
things in between.
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“WHEN I DANCE, IT'S THE MOST HONEST
THAT I CAN BE IN THAT MOMENT.”
MR: How did you get the name
S0Phamish? Did you come up with
that yourself ?
P: It came from a joke, a guy named B-boy
Airsick. We were on the way back to my
friend’s crib and basically I kept saying how
hungry I was and he was like, “Oh bruh
you’re so famished.” He was like, “you should
make that your name.” So I slept on it and I
was like, “oh damn, I’m bout to change my
name.”
What was your name at the time?
P: Poppin Pham [Laughter], but I gave myself
that name, and in the dance world you
should never give yourself a name. I learned
that you should always earn it.
You definitely earned it. So where
would you say your dance style comes
from? How do you set yourself apart
in the dance world?
P: A lot of people study foundations and
techniques, the way a move is supposed to
look. I don’t really have like a solid style so I
was like I’ll just do whatever I want, make it
look cool. It’s all about presentation. If I look
at an object, [I ask myself] how do I feel the
object looks dance wise? It may not look like
it to you but that’s how I feel when I see it
and I act it out.
That might be the coolest thing you’ve
ever said, that you find inspiration in
objects. That’s wild.
P: Yea, I mean it sounds silly but that’s what
helps me create moves.
So you’re saying you find inspiration
in objects...so this hot sauce bottle
in front of you, how would you dance
that out?
P: Yea, so like that bottle right there, off the
rip, without even thinking, I’ll do this [starts
dancing], and wave like that, you know
what I’m saying. I’ll cut it open and it spills
[Laughter], and I’ll wipe it all over myself
and I’ll throw it. That’s how I view dance. I
take whatever I see and I act it out how I feel,
like charades.
Do you find inspiration in fashion as
well?
P: Yea, like when I’m putting on a fresh pair
of sneakers bro, or whatever it is, I don’t
know how to explain it, I feel like I dance better.
I feel like I’m untouchable.
Who are some of your style inspos?
P: Kanye West, Chris Brown, Pharrell, my
friends, my surroundings, seeing how people
wear things. If I like it I’ll take it. I saw
how the Asians in Korea were wearing these
beat up ass shoes but nice ass clothes, and I
was like damn I wanna try that. That’s what
influences me. So I literally went back home
and busted up my Air Force 1’s.
Who are some of your favorite
brands?
P: Right now I’d say local brands, but if I
had to pick one thing to wear every day, it
would be Dickie suits.
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So let’s switch gears a
bit. How did you learn to
dance? Did you start taking
classes? Did you teach
yourself ?
P: The way I started dancing
was from watching videos on
YouTube. I was biting people
growing up just copying Mr.
Wiggles and others.
That’s dope. Did you know
that social media was going
to be such a powerful tool
then? Like we all grew up
in the YouTube era, but you
just clung onto it, and you
clearly benefited from that.
How did you know that was
the move?
P: Well the first thing I was hooked
on was Xanga, it was before Myspace.
It was basically like a blog. I
was so intrigued with being able to
edit your own header, having your
website look a certain way and
being able to add pictures. So ever
since then things had to look a certain
way for me. That’s what got
me attached to social media, being
able to do whatever I want with it.
How does it feel now to have
such a big following on social
media?
P: It’s a good feeling but it’s weird
when people look at me in a different
light. Like my friends don’t
look at me like that cause they
know me, the real side of me.
Pham sorting through his sneaker room after
he and his wife Jen purchased their first home.
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“IT WAS
LIKE HOW
CAN I RE-
ALLY MAKE
IT IN ANY
ENTER-
TAINMENT
FIELD
WITHOUT,
YA KNOW,
NOT LOS-
ING MY-
SELF IN
THE PRO-
CESS.”
Pham during his recording
routine.
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THE PROCESS
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Despite all of the ups, Pham of course
has had his fair share of downs. He talked
about the biggest disappointment
of his career thus far being an experience
on “America’s Got Talent.” He
described the grueling audition process
that entailed hours of waiting, dancing
for different producers and repeating
those steps all day into the night. After
being selected to fly out to the celebrity
auditions in New Jersey, Pham recalled
performing in front of 3,000 people. “I
wasn’t nervous at all, but as soon as I
got on the stage I got nervous. The stage
felt so big. You know what saved me, the
lights in my eyes cause I couldn’t see nobody,”
Pham laughed. “The thing that
aggravated me though is that they manipulated
the clips. One of the judges
gave me constructive criticism and when
they aired it, they made it seem like he
hated me. His reaction was not the real
reaction,” Pham explained. “They did it
for shock value of course but that’s one
thing I really hated. Another discouraging
part was how I got 3 yeses to move
on but I didn’t get to move forward and
I’m seeing so much garbage stuff go
through. It was like how can I really make
it in any entertainment field without, ya
know, not losing myself in the process.”
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Pham said his experience on
“America’s Got Talent” made
him consider giving up on dance.
“I used to hate the critics. It used
to eat me up sometimes. It can
still bother me but I can shake
it off quicker than I used to be
able to. I used to hate when people
didn’t like me, but honestly I
just remind myself of who I am
and what I do. Or sometimes
I’ll just put on something fresh,
like bitch I’m the man,” Pham
laughed. He added that although
that experience was disappointing,
it opened his eyes to see how
far he could go. “It made me
realize I could do whatever I set
my mind to, cause if I can get to
that point, there’s no telling what
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I can’t do.”
Pham confessed he still
wrestles with insecurities
at times when what he
called “dancer’s block”
kicks in. He said he struggles
the most when he
feels stuck and it seems
as though he isn’t getting
any better. The thing
that helps him stay true
to himself though is
dance. “Without dance
I wouldn’t be able to be
as confident. I truly feel
like dancing is the foundation
of everything in
my life. That’s why I
know I’ll be successful no
matter what, cause when
you have something you
love, that pours into everything
else. Whatever
you’re lacking in a certain
area, it pours into that.
As long as you genuinely
love what you do. That’s
the balance in not losing
myself. Being able to go
back to dance.”
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What are some of your goals
for 2021?
P: I wanna do different things like
collaborate with different people
whether it’s painting, dancing or
rapping. Just being in the mix with
other people. Another goal for this
year is that I wanna make more of
an effort and be more intentional
with helping my friends’ dreams.
Like put myself aside a little bit
cause I can be a selfish person.
So like I really wanna help other
people this year. Be more present
in other aspects of someone else’s
dreams. Cause that’s gonna help
me grow as a person and get further
in life in general.
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That’s dope! So fast forward 10 years
from now, where do you see yourself ?
P: I really just wanna build myself up to where
people just pay me to dance to their music,
which they already do but I wanna get to the
thousands. Getting more involved with fashion,
merch, whatever, just selling my stuff. My goal
is to build myself up to get paid simply by just
making videos, whether it’s me promoting someone’s
song or dancing in someone’s clothes.
How do you wanna be remembered?
P: As a person who was very
committed and passionate in
their craft, in their career and
to their wife. Also, I wanna be
remembered as the fresh Asian
dude that dances good to be honest
with you [Laughter].
@s0phamish
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Photo Taken By Trey Delaney
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INWARD
BY YUNG PUEBLO
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I
nward, by Yung Pueblo serves
as your very own personal advocate
through life in this insightful
page turner.
This book is a collection of mindful compositions
that highlight major topics on
healing, self love, unity and understanding.
The author delivers wisdom right to
our finger tips in this easy to read guide
to inner freedom.
Yung Pueblo candidly shares gems like
“Who I am is always changing, not because
I am being fake but because I am
always open to growth and transformation,”
and “Self love is a sincere acceptance
of the past, and agreement to make
the most of the present, and a willingness
to allow the best to occur in the future.”
There are so many great lessons and so
much great advice packed into these 255
pages. Whether you want to read a page a
day, or tackle it all at once, we challenge
you to let this book work as a tool to help
guide you to a greater self awareness
and existence.
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Photo Taken By Alondra Medrano
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AN EXCLUSIVE LOOK INTO THE NOTEPAD OF LOUISIANA RAPPER
LC SON
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TWO + YOU
What can I say that I haven’t tried
already
If being blatantly honest was lethal
there’d be no surprise if I had died
already
If being human was easy I’d be a God
already
But I’m still working on my kinks like
Nipsey Russell
Just a teny-teny, teny-teny tear from
tipsy puddles
Thinking back on how my list of
struggles measure next to shovels
I put away the muzzle and silenced
rebuttals
All off the muscle
Stumbled 6ft through the grave I
dug myself and got the nerve to be
puzzled
Pick up the pieces ni**a
This wasn’t part of the plan this
wasn’t written in your thesis ni**a
Broaden your span
This shit was never ‘bout how tall you
could stand
But understand its bout how far your
stance reaches ni**a
Water your plants
I’m making cents off photosynthesis
We got multiple businesses spawned
from channeled bitterness
How the hell we workin 12 a day
and barely make enough to feed our
f****g children with
But bring in twice as much just from
a stimulus
The jig is up I saw the hand before
you folded
They tell us play it safe and stick
to the drawing board like a tac but
in-fact
We kept our wits intact and planned
the attack
So when we dispatch
Embrace the pack or brace for
impact
Thats how you make an everlasting
impression
On those who wanted you to fail and
those who learned from your efforts
Cause they don’t see you til you’remissing
and now they wonder where
you been
They keeping tabs so you keep popping
up in their suggested friends
Ion blame you none
I prolly wouldn’t follow either
Cause where we gotta go to reach
our goals aint for no hollow seeker
I got this bravado feature
Molded by my sorrows made a Model
leader
found the only way to float is learning
not to swallow secrets
Italiano seams and sneakers still the
same procedure
Spare change to feed the meter my
shit in the speakers
The music been my biggest teacher
me and Scum can’t get a breather
running scenarios as stress relievers
Like one day they believe us and we
finally get a chance to get Chuck and
Star the f**k out of Waco
We’ll make it work I swear to God I’ll
get my moms a f*****g mansion off
my royalties ni**a
I’ll get my cousin outta jail I’ll pay the
lawyer fees ni**a
Fucket the homies gettin whips for
years of loyalty ni**a
I’ll make that 1 that gotta away wish
she had spoiled me ni**a
I’ll make Trin a f*****g Kardashian
if thats what makes her smile,
And she can keep up with herself or
whatever
I’ll fucking pay Aura’s tuition just to
flex on Tyson ni**a I made it
Your f*****g shadow gon be finally
deflated
I’ll make conXform a fortune 500
company with the drop of a hook
Just to prove to muh f**kas I always
had what it took
And it was me yea it was me ni**a
I did what they wouldn’t
I made it work when all they said was
I couldn’t
And I believed em I aint lying shits
convincing when you costumed to
programming
I fell in love mediocre like suffering
was romantic
That’s the truth that many ni**as
scared to face
You your own worst enemy no one
cares bout what it takes
You sacrifice your mental to be
noticed in a race
In which the finish lines define the
farthest voyager from grace
Better focus on your pace pay attention
to the conviction of snakes Hm
Thats words from Gee thats gon be
with me forever
Its times where God can use influence
to improve your endeavors
You just gotta be quick to listen
ni**a hold your position
Clocks ticking ni**as still improving
decisions we in the 4th quarter boy
its now or never for me
I switched the game and got up out
of the chains cause a prison becomes
a home when you’re possessing the
key
I’m making sense of photosynthesis
Soaking up the game spilled from
people placed in line through God’s
positioning
Spit back in frames, fabrics, waxes,
words its all the same
And from our exchange came a world
that won’t ever be the same
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NOW STREAMING ON ALL PLATFORMS
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“EVERY
ADVERSITY
BRINGS WITH IT
THE SEED OF AN
EQUIVELENT
ADVANTAGE”
-- NAPOLEON HILL
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OMEWHER
OUISIANA
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E IN
Photo Taken By Trey Delaney
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I find it fascinating to sit up in a high place and observe
your surroundings. Sitting up so high helps one forget
oneself, and actually appreciate the subtle amazingness
of everything. You can see everyone as if it was a zoo exhibit.
Not in the sense of captives being used as an attraction,
just people existing. Everything and everyone is just
living in the moment. The higher up you go, the more
the barriers that divide you and I start to disappear. The
borders that our countries have agreed upon start to fade
away. Even the actual borders, like The Great Wall of
China, are invisible to the naked eye. It makes you realize
how insignificant those differences are. That doesn’t
mean that we are insignificant though, right? Well, that
isn’t necessarily true but also not entirely wrong. After all,
we live in a very unforgiving universe. That gives all of us
even more of a reason to do something while we are here.
Live your life doing what you want to do;
what do we have to lose? But that’s just an observation...
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OBSERVA
TIONS
BY JACOB DELANEY
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SOUNTRACK TO VOL 1.
In every issue readers will be provided with a playlist to help serve as an interactive
experience while you’re here in
The Middle Room.
This month’s playlist is an introduction to our magazine and our brand itself.
Each track has helped with the process in creating conXform and is an embodiment
of what we stand for. Relax and enjoy.
Scan the QR Code below to
check out the music on Apple
Music, Spotify, and Tidal.