Issa Rae wakes up at 4 a.m. every day. Being an early riser, she says, is her self-care. "Those couple of hours are the only time that is just mine," Rae explains. Perhaps waking at such an hour is a requirement when you're busy taking over the world.
Born Jo-Issa Rae Diop, the creator/writer/producer/actress/ entrepreneur rose to fame in 2011 with her YouTube series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. The show's massive success earned Rae a Shorty Award for Best Web Show, and spawned her hit HBO series Insecure, which aired its fifth and final season last year. This past July, when Rae was nominated for her third Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy for Insecure, it was a meaningful end to that chapter of her life. "It felt really great because our last season aired in December [2021] and I thought that people would forget about it," Rae says. "To get a nod in the last season means a lot."
Now, as she navigates a post-Insecure world, Rae is beginning her self-proclaimed "mogul era." Just this year, she premiered her new series Rap Sh!t and the second season of her reality series Sweet Life: Los Angeles, both of which are on HBO Max and produced by her media production company, Hoorae. She's also appearing in Greta Gerwig's Barbie, slated for release next summer. Her ultimate goal: owning a studio in South L.A. "That has been in the works for quite some time, so that would be like, 'Okay, I've done what I set out to do." But while she works toward that day, her career has already far exceeded her wildest dreams. "[As a kid], I knew I wanted to write, but I definitely did not have a vision of what I'm doing now," Rae says. "I just didn't know what was possible.?"-JULIANA UKIOMOGBE
ON CREATING RAP SH!T
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Denne historien er fra November 2022-utgaven av ELLE US.
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The Surreal Life of Tyla - Inside the dizzying, meteoric rise of a true African pop star.
The night before the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Tyla was unusually calm. The South African singer was about to give a surprise performance at the Prelude to the Olympics, held at the Fondation Louis Vuitton and attended by celebrities from Zendaya to LeBron James.I was asked to do the event by Pharrell [Williams, Louis Vuitton Men's creative director], so it was insane-an instant 'Yes, she says. Sometimes I'm nervous, like I'm really nervous. But this time, Tyla looked forward to the show the entire day.
Wellness - Amazing Grace - Actress Toks Olagundoye was making people laugh on TV while managing intense treatments for breast cancer.
My work makes me really happy, says Toks Olagundoye, an acting veteran who plays Olivia Finch on the Paramount+ reboot of Frasier. That's one reason she stuck with the hit show's first season despite a shock diagnosis: During the course of preparing for and filming the series, as well as Paramount+'s Fatal Attraction, she underwent chemotherapy and six surgeries to treat breast cancer. Feeling healthy ahead of Frasier's Season 2 launch on September 19, she talks to ELLE about her healing story.
Shanghai Rising - An international fashion presence and an appreciation for the city's own talent are powering a renaissance in China's largest city.
A year ago, Louis Vuitton wrapped the giant warehouse space housing Fotografiska Shanghai in electric blue. The occasion? "Nóng Hó, Shanghai" (Shanghainese for "Hello, Shanghai"), a four-week cultural festival of book clubs, architecture tours, and live music to promote the maison's City Guide Series. "Everything was built in 48 hours, whereas in London that would've taken weeks," says Shem Jacobs, a recent transplant to Shanghai and Fotografiska's director of partnerships, Asia. "The efficiency here is really amazing."
The Power of Kindness
To mark National Hispanic Heritage Month, Lauren Sánchez and Nina Garcia come together for a conversation about identity, education, and civility.
The Gift of Ketanji Brown Jackson
In an exclusive profile and a new memoir, the history-making Supreme Court justice is telling her story.
Gaining Momentum
Vaccines, targeted meds, and a new way to stop hair loss? Breast cancer research is reaching a breakthrough point.
The Miami Glam Squad
The city's rising cohort of beauty entrepreneurs is leading the Latine beauty boom.
Golden DAYS
Tiffany & Co. pays tribute to Elsa Peretti's legacy.
THE CULT OF COZY SEASON
Forget \"New year, new you.\" Fall has us all turning over a new sartorial leaf.
Scarlet WOMAN
For one Latina novelist, reclaiming the color red turns out to be the ultimate power move.