VIBES
Good Gawd Almighty Multi-faceted actor Angelo Diaz moves into his latest groove By Ca ro l Bada r acco Padge t t
O n Cinco de Mayo 2021, actor Angelo Diaz (star of TVOne’s ATL Homicide and Florida Man, the Fashion Film ) added a new persona to his already extensive repertoire: Cuba Gawd the musical artist. Releasing his debut single, Bottles in Boca , available on Apple Music, Amazon, and Spotify, is something the actor, writer, producer, and director relishes. “With Bottles in Boca in summer 2021, I want people to take this song with them as they enjoy traveling and creating some crazy memories,” Diaz says. The song fuses the Latino influences of the Miami-born, Cuban-Ethiopian heritage actor and musical artist’s upbringing with hip hop culture. And the end result is an anthem made for a convertible ride down Ocean Drive. With the release of Bottles in Boca , written by Diaz and producer/songwriter Jirou Street in Atlanta, there’s actually another titular “B” word that figures into the artistic mix. As Diaz states, “The music on my initial project, which is entitled The Killafonte Tape , is an homage to Harry Belafonte. I aim to honor his legacy.” Jamaican-American pop star Belafonte, now 94 years old, once bore a striking resemblance to Diaz, and the likeness is one that clearly resonates with the musical artist and actor and runs much further than skin-deep. “I’m working on an episodic show about Belafonte’s life, onscreen and off,” he shares. “Starting my musical career with The Killafonte Tape and honoring his legacy is my way to begin.” Bottles in Boca was launched through Fly Muzic The Label, a label that spun from the collective free- lance brain-trust-talent-base of Atlanta-based Pretty Fly Society, a digital marketing, content creation, and event curation business led by CEO Franck Mille, where Diaz serves as lead talent. “Fly Muzic The Label started during the pandemic, and it’s the musical extension of Pretty Fly Society,” Diaz explains. He also credits the role of The Omen Agency in his musical venture, another collective of creatives based in Atlanta that works across the coun- try and draws from LA influences. One music business mentor he credits is The Omen Agency’s Black Nicholson. As Diaz says, “I partnered with him for the music and Fly Muzic The Label. He actually convinced me to get into music as an artist, and he was passionate about it.” Diaz’s next debut takes him from the recording studio and back to the silver screen as Juan in Zola , a highly anticipated film that drew acclaim at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. The movie, set for release on June 30 and starring Riley Keough and Taylour Paige, chronicles the seedy 48-hour Florida-bound road trip of a Detroit waitress and one of her customers—a real-life
Cuba Gawd on set.
Photo courtesy of Pretty Fly Society LLC
release of Zola , his completion of the Belafonte project, a debut album tentatively entitled Angelito , and another film project on Cassius Clay, Diaz/Cuba Gawd will remain in the groove. “It’s fun seeing how they’re all connected and how they intertwine, the two areas of film and music,” he says about his palette of projects. “That’s what we do with art, and we weave in our personal lives among these things.” Yet, as more opportunities come his way, Diaz keeps firm personal standards in mind, saying, “I approach everything with craftsmanship, and I’m selective so I can handle each project with craftsmanship.” He also holds fast to the things he learned from a diverse upbringing under the watchful eye of one particular role model. “My mom was deeply educated, very cultured, a writer who taught writing as a college professor at one point. And she was an activist who got us involved in United Way in downtown Miami.” This summer, as the world relaxes in front of a screen, turns up the tunes, or maybe just wants to be inspired—Diaz will be omnipresent.
comedy-drama scenario that went viral on a 148-Tweet thread shared by A’Ziah “Zola” King in 2015. The outlandish tale eventually made its way into the form of a screenplay written by Janicza Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris. Diaz earned the part of Juan—a Latino gang banger and “pretty raunchy character, quite different from the scope of previous roles,” the Gawd notes—by auditioning at a nationwide casting call that led to a call back in Tampa. Going into the project, the Miami native says, “I was familiar with the story. And the dark and crazy parts of Florida, I knew… quite an adventure.” Between his post-pandemic metamorphosis as musical artist Cuba Gawd, the summertime theatrical can handle each project with craftsmanship. ” “ I approach everything with craftsmanship, and I’m selective so I
@cubagawd | @prettyf lysociety
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