As incoming freshmen and returning college students start the new school year they’ll comfort in knowing that imprisoned Lil Wayne shares their dietary pain. According to Weezy’s food order, courtesy of TMZ, the New Orleans emcee has a taste for ramen noodles, kool-aid, Doritos and—stamps, lots of em’. Read more for a snapshot of the alleged food order.

See the full pdf here.

Check out 25 Magazine’s latest photo shoot and behind-the-scenes video!

Like A Boy: Androgynous Fashion Shoot

(See the spread in our new viewer here)

Style Editor: Otibho Okojie | Asst. Style Editor: Ashley Jones

Stylists: Kevin Hunter, Ashley J. Crudup

Photographer: Jasmine Whiting

Hair & Make-up: Donette Lowe

Special thanks to the Goodwill of Greater Washington for providing all of our vintage looks! Live green, look haute.

Androgynous Fashion Shoot Behind-the-Scenes Exclusive from 25 Magazine on Vimeo.

The climate crisis is serious business. Everything from healthcare to the bad economy has roots in the environmental state of emergency and it’s time everybody becomes a part of the solution.

In a matter of days thousands of students will head to the nation’s capital for the Powershift 2009 climate conference to make green happen. The conference is from  Feb. 27-March 2, 2009 at the Washington Convention center and aside from panels, workshops and a green job fair…Powershift will include some performences from 25 favorites The Roots and Santigold, yea it’s that serious.

For more information on Powershift visit www.powershift09.org

By Kendra Desrosiers

It’s 10:30 p.m. at the first-ever green inaugural ball on Saturday at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. and the gleam of the open bar and heavy hors d’ oeuvres is starting to lose its edge. Some brave partygoers try to refuel on eco-energy drinks but cringe after their first sip. To their dismay, the Steaz Organic Energy drinks taste very—organic. Dozens of 20 and 30-somethings make their way to the front of the stage and the sustainable soiree prepares for a change in pace. The entertainment has arrived and after some intoxicated guests mistake all the black members of the stage crew for headliner Wyclef Jean, they are finally introduced to the hip-pop opening act, Just.Live.

“Back in the day, if you wasn’t cool, if you wasn’t with it, we’d say ‘man that dude is green’,” said ‘Rock-n-roll,’ one half of the Minneapolis college duo, after performing a couple of their MySpace hits. “Now, the only way to be cool, the only way to be with it, is to be green.”

For college youth, being labeled a “tree hugger” is no longer a euphemism for a crazed environmental hippie. Instead, greening their campus has become the new preferred extracurricular activity and Generation Y, those born in the ‘80s and ‘90s, has taken a lead role in fighting the climate crisis.

It’s been nearly half a century since the last student movement but unlike their “Summer of Love” predecessors, Gen Y students have taken a more direct approach to environmental activism. They’ve traded street theater for lobbying and flower power for voter registration and now that they have gained momentum from their unprecedented voter turn-out in the 2008 elections, they are refocusing their energy on going green.

According to the Energy Action Coalition, in 2007, more than 6,000 students attended Power Shift, the largest youth conference on the environment. By the 2008 presidential election, at least 300,000 students at more than 300 campuses had pledged to vote for clean energy and green jobs via the Power Vote initiative and turned the heads of Congress.

“Students are certainly poised to use the momentum gathered during election season to catalyze massive environmental progress in 2009 and beyond,” says Sharon Smith, programs director of the Earth Island Institute, a non-profit organization that supports start-up environmental projects. Smith says banning new coal-fired power plants and investment in clean energy will be issues at the forefront. “The momentum is just beginning. Students will be at the helm of this ecological u-turn.”

According to Aaron French, a sophomore at St. Mary’s College in Maryland and member of a Sierra Student Coalition national committee, a network of green grassroots leaders, the climate crisis encompasses issues such as healthcare, the economy and the war on terror; so protecting the environment will be the next youth movement.

“I think they’re all connected,” French says. “I think it’s what gives the movement a really strong national message. Global warming is connected to the economy. We can revitalize our economy by providing five million new green jobs that can’t be outsourced and build our infrastructure in the U.S. It’s related to foreign wars. Some people might say the war in Iraq is all about oil, and oil is pretty related to climate change.”

French, a member of the school’s Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC), helped SEAC rank St. Mary’s College at No. 2 for getting out the green vote, according to the Energy Action Coalition’s “Power Vote Top Ten List.” He attributes an enthusiastic administration as the key to their success. Like the SEAC, other campus organizations have convinced their administrations to take significant steps toward greening their campus like Environmental Conservation Organization (ECO) of Louisiana State University.

“We’ve successfully helped the university close campus roads during work hours so that it’s now a ‘walking campus,’” says Rachel Guillory, a senior at LSU and national campaign liaison for ECO. “We also petitioned to establish a Campus Committee for Sustainability and a sustainability coordinator at our school and [they were successfully established] last spring.”

While some universities have demonstrated openness to sustainability, others such as Howard University received an F on their green report card issued by Sustainable Endowments Institute, a non-profit organization focused on sustainability in higher education, in 2008; And supply friction to student groups pushing for an eco-friendly campus.

“There is too much bureaucracy at Howard University in the administration. It will be its downfall,” says Nykeeba Brown, a sophomore at Howard and the programs director of the Engineers Without Borders’ environment initiative E=MC2. Brown also says the administration agreed to place recycling bins across campus but reneged on their promise.

Kari Fulton, a Howard grad and national campus campaign coordinator for the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative, has been actively working with Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Fulton says she is excited about the progress of students at Howard University in regards to student mobilization initiatives such as E=MC2, but disappointed in the administration’s response. “But I know that with more attention, more push, it will happen because I think it’s the destiny of our school, to be the strongest black and green school,” Fulton says.

Fulton, Guillory and French all serve on steering and sub-committees for Power Shift 2009. Fulton says their goal is to use the momentum of Power Shift 2007 and the Power Vote Campaign to fuel the green movement by strategically scheduling the conference during the first 100 days of President Barack Obama’s term.

“Power Shift 2009 is a wakeup call to the nation,” says Tommaso Boggia, Climate Advocacy Associate for Campus Progress. “Power Shift is going to shape the direction and tell the nation and say ‘Hey we’re still here we didn’t just go vote and now go on to our facebook and MySpace. We’re here and we’re using facebook and MySpace, our generation’s tools to organize and make change happen the way we demand it to happen.’”

Power Shift 2009 is expected to draw more than 10,000 students, nearly twice as many attendees as 2007, Feb. 27- March 2nd. The conference’s agenda includes everything from the need for clean and renewable energy to finding solutions to the economic downturn through the creation of five million green jobs. On March 2, the largest environmental lobbying day, attendees will push for green legislation by lobbying their respective members of Congress.

To Fulton, the green movement ultimately is about the accountability of the new administration and Congress. “Those problems are not going to get fixed by themselves and only a squeaky wheel will get oiled,” she says.

For more information on Power Shift 2009 visit: www.powershift09.org

They came from two different worlds. Kristal Hansley was student body president, and Ricky Wayo was just the quiet guy that kept to himself; however, their love for chess brought them together as friends. Soon the unlikely match were inseparable and by prom, even though they came with different dates, they both ended up spending most of the night together. By graduation they were official. The summer was filled with romance, but Hansley realized it was beginning to crumble as it got closer for her departure date for Howard University. Wayo was going to be staying in New York for school. As arguments and talks of the future increased, Wayo became more and more upset, but still they decided to go the long distance relationship route.

“By October we had our first breakup,” Kristal Hansley says, a sophomore political science major from Brooklyn, New York. “We had a wonderful summer together, but it wasn’t enough for a long distance relationship. It proved to me a long distance relationship needs a strong foundation as a couple, and we didn’t have enough time together to have that.” By April of 2008, Hansley and Wayo had broken up four times. Hansley’s sour experience is a reason why many college students do not want to be bothered with long distance relationships.

“Long distance relationships can work though,” says LaDawn Black, host of The Love Zone on 92.3 FM in Baltimore, Maryland. She is an expert on relationships and covers topics on her show such as cheating, marriages, dating, and homosexuality. She is also author of the book Stripped Bare: The 12 Truths That Will Help You Land the Very Best Black Man, published in June 2003.

“First, you have to set rules and expectations. Are we going to see other people? How often will we see each other? How often will we call each other? You have to set rules so nobody gets caught off guard.” Second to ground rules is open communication. “Whether it’s sending each other nice text messages, or sending care packages or gift baskets through the mail. You have to find a way to keep the romance heavy to keep the feelings fresh,” Says Black. Lastly Black suggests scheduling reunions. “If you know when you are going to see each other then there is something to look forward to.”

This does not mean everyone is cut out for long distance relationships. There are some signs that one should not get into a long distance relationship in the first place. “If the relationship was not going well at home. If we were having that whole ‘knock down drag thing’ at home chances are things won’t get any better,” Black says.

According to Black other things can lead to break ups in long distance relationships including cheating and failure to compromise. “If there is no compromise or communication, that’s a sign that the long distance relationship will not work too. If he or she knows the rule that you can go out with others and have friends, you don’t feel guilty because you are still having the college experience but still honoring the relationship.”

Jasmine Whiting, a sophomore chemistry major from Milwaukee, Wisconsin was also in a long distance relationship her freshman year at Howard. “My relationship worked while we were apart, but when we reunited in the summer, I realized that I had grew apart from him,” she says. “For some reasons things weren’t the same so I broke up with him before we went back to school this semester.” Whiting went to Howard while her boyfriend stayed in Milwaukee and attended community college.

“Sometimes you have to be honest with yourself. If you are going down two separate paths, then it is less likely that it will work out,” says Black. Black had a similar situation when she was an undergraduate student at Meredith College, in Raleigh, North Carolina and her boyfriend stayed home and began working. “Because of the different paths our lives had taken the relationship didn’t work.”

According to Will It Ever End, a study published in the Communication Quarterly in 2007 by Katheryn C. Maguire, 25-50% of college student relationships can be classified as long distance. The study showed that the success of long distance relationships in college is determined by whether the couple has a positive or negative perception of the future of the relationship and whether or not they will reunite again. For college students, chances of being in a long distance relationship are greater because they are constantly relocating from their hometowns to their schools, completing internships in all parts of the country, and studying abroad internationally. Because of this relationships can be difficult and are often put on the back burner, and as a result some students just don‘t believe in them.

“It is definitely possible. Just remember you have to set expectations, keep communications up, and establish when you guys are going to see each other. Be willing to compromise and realize that relationships can constantly change,” says LaDawn Black.

Nevertheless, Hansley has decided to avoid long distance drama and exercise more caution next time around. “Our friendship foundation saved our friendship at the end. It was hard. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone,” says Hansley. “Stay away from long distance relationships.”

 httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGlkbSDqi40

“Hello there Mr. Freeman,” said the secretary. “The Congressman is waiting for you through the door.” She pointed to the epic Oakwood double doors to my right and smiled mechanically. I couldn’t help but notice how young and gorgeous she was in her dull all-black business attire. It was clear that she was chosen to be his secretary more so because of her looks than her skills. After readjusting my suit one last time I went through the doors.

Sitting in an amber chair behind his desk, the congressman was shouting at someone on the other end of his cell phone. “The Grutter and Gratz cases aren’t going to affect the schools? Are you fucking kidding me? Read the damn reports again, for real this time, and call me back when you have a more educated opinion!” He slammed the phone to his desk, and after realizing he hadn’t turned it off, picked it up again to click the “End Talk” button. “Damn phones,” he muttered while looking at me. “Can’t just slam ‘em down when you’re pissed like the good old days.”

I stood motionless by the door, wondering what the hell I had just gotten myself into.

“Come in, sit down, don’t be shy. I’m sorry for the outburst young man.” He seemed weezy and short of breathe. I sat down the chair facing him in front of the desk, prepared to be interviewed by ‘the congressman’. He was a black man, at least 60, grey hairs, a dark Caesar, goatee and an expensive ass business suit that was worth at least 10 times more than mine.

“So, what is it that you’re here for?” he asked.

“Um, I would like a position working for you as an intern,” I said.

“You look a bit young,” he said trying to gauge my age.

“Uh, yes sir. I’m a college freshman.”

“As a college freshman, why would you want to work for a congressman this early?”

“Because sir, I’m dedicated to strengthening Democracy and helping out in any way I can.” I had practiced that line for weeks. It didn’t sound like me at all.

“Alright then. Let’s see what you got.” I assumed he was referring to my resume, so I took it out and handed it to him. He looked up and down at it and began typing something on his computer. “Ah I see Mr. Freeman, not bad.”

“I know, I try,” I said, thinking aloud.

He smirked, “Now as you may be aware Mr. Freeman not just anyone can get an internship from me. But I like what I see so far,” he said while looking at his computer screen.

Then there was silence for at least a minute. I was nervous as all hell. The large window towering over us reminded me of when I was forced to sit down in my high school principal’s office. But the backdrop of Capitol Hill made it look like I was also on an episode of the West Wing.

“What the hell is this,” he said all of a sudden. He couldn’t possibly be referring to something about me I thought—and hoped. “Can you explain this to me son?” He rotated his computer screen so I could see. It was my Facebook page.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuckkkkk.

In an enlarged photo, there was I, eyes red and blurry and caught slapping on some chick’s butt. I was also spilling a big bottle of Bacardi on myself. It was a picture from last night.

“No,” I whimpered. My hangover resurfaced and I wanted to hide.

His old eyes stared accusingly at me, and then the photo, then back at me and back at the photo. He laughed. “You know if your father wasn’t a close friend of mine this interview would be over! But as a friend of the family I’m obligated to teach you a few things before I kick you out the door.” The interview couldn’t have gone much worse than that.

“Don’t just stare at me. Defend yourself; explain to me how this picture came about.”

I wanted to tell him a finely fabricated lie to save myself but it was impossible. “I was at a house party.”

“The date on the photo says it was taken yesterday. Were you drinking that liquor in your hand last night? Were you drinking underage?”

“I can’t say, I don’t remember.”

“Oh boy.” He continued to laugh in between words. “I’m not angry at you for this photo. I’m just amazed. Nothing has changed on that campus since I went there.”

The congressman and my dad were close friends when they went to Howard together in the 60’s. They must have stopped being close after college because the congressman was never invited to our house, and this is the first time I’ve met him in person. My dad never went into much detail about their friendship, and now I’m starting to see why. “They used to party back then?”

“Yes of course! And believe me when I tell you, back in the day I was getting it in at those parties man!”

“Word?” I asked in disbelief.

“Oh yea! Me and your pops were…*cough* never mind that.” He rose out of his chair a little bit. “But those women…Got damn! I’m still trying to figure out how I married a white woman after all those years. And back in the 60’s love-making didn’t cost you—AIDS didn’t exist! Times were good.”

Too much information, I thought.

“But anyway, keep your partying in moderation.” He finally let go of his nostalgic memories. “Now back to the interview—let’s throw out the bullshit you said earlier about why you want to work for me. Why do you really want to work here?”

Well crap, he figured me all out. Another bullshit answer wouldn’t work, so what better way to tell the truth than by telling the truth?

“Why do I really want to work here? I want to work my way up the political ladder of course. Get some insider contacts, have a nice internship to put on my resume that correlates with my career. I want to be that guy that makes all the rules, be the big shot in the Mercedes with the trophy wife and tell everyone I was a big deal during my lifetime.” I’ve never been so honest.

“You want to be like me.”

“Definitely,” Definitely not like you though. Better than you.

“Well you’re on the right track. I’ve never seen such an honest kid walk through my doors before. Politicians are nothing but corrupt. You just have to learn to play your cards right and not get caught doing the wrong things—like getting drunk underage and having a picture of it online. That is the key to the success you want.”

Did the congressman just encourage me to be corrupt?

“Wow sir.”

“I know. It’s hard for your inexperienced ears to hear, but it’s the truth. Remember, I wouldn’t be telling you this if you weren’t my friend’s son. Everyone is corrupt. Being corrupt is being human—imperfect, biased and ignorant. You’re corrupt, your father’s corrupt, your mother, your future opponents, everyone. Can you acknowledge this fact? Nothing good can be achieved until you do a little bad.”

I didn’t want to believe it. But I knew there was some truth to what he said. He was a really old and experienced politician, how could he be wrong? I began to think of Barack Obama’s message of change and government transparency. If he won, how much could he really change? It’s in a politician’s nature to be corrupted by greed and the few that want to do positive things get shut down by the corrupt. Even this situation here, I don’t want to work for a congressman that will encourage my corruption. But this internship will really look good on my resume…

“I gotcha sir. I’ll do whatever it takes to do good.”

“Great. I would love to chitchat some more about Howard but I have to meet with a lobbyist in a couple of minutes. Come back next Saturday, same time, except without the hangover. I will see what you can do for me. And make sure to delete those Facebook files as well.”

“How did you figure I had a hangover?”

“I went to Howard, remember? Next Saturday.”

“Yes sir!” I rose from my chair and walked out. Was I proud of what just happened? No, I only got the job because he was friends with my father. He didn’t ask me about one single accomplishment. But it still felt great.

As I walked back through the oak double doors the congressman’s beautiful secretary greeted me again with a smile. Now I remembered seeing her face on campus. She was helping out one of the candidates during the election by handing out those flyers with the stupid ambiguous slogans that didn’t really mean shit.

“Welcome to the team,” she said. Apparently I was hired before I had even entered the building.

- Omari Evans

Don’t let the title fool you, this 21 year old is making a name for himself. DJ Anonymous is a Howard University Alumnus and acclaimed DJ in the DC metro area. He graduated from Howard University in 2007 with a B.A. in Audio Production and along the way has interned for MTV, Def Jam, Atlantic Records, and released several mixtapes including Addicted to the Game, and The Best of Beyonce. DJ Anonymous was Howard University’s official 2007 Yardfest DJ, and has used Howard University as the launch pad for the rise of his career.

The Grind: So tell me about this mix-tape you’re selling right now?
DJ Anonymous: This [mixtape] took the most work! I decided to tackle different markets and worked with a different combination of artists such as DJ Fah-D, DJ P-Cutta, and DJ Rockko.

TG: Who are your influences?
A: DJ Funkmaster Flex, he used Deejaying to sponsor himself, DJ Jazzy Jeff, because he was the 1st deejay to make the “Transformer Scratch” popular, DJ Quicksilver, who used his radio show to showcase his skills, and of course my mother. She always played older records in the house, and that’s where I developed my “old soul” as a DJ.

TG: What do you feel is necessary in order to become a good DJ?
A: As a DJ there are different areas you need to master in order to be successful. You have to have good Networking skills, also you need to be able to market yourself, and have good [DJing] skills overall.

TG: So, what do you think sets you apart from all the other up and coming DJ’s?
A: My promotional genius. No DJ in the area promotes them self better than me. The most important thing to do as a deejay is to be good at promoting yourself.

TG: Can you give us one of your self-promotional tricks?
A: I usually pick up the random flyers I see all over campus, and call the numbers on the back to network.

TG: So is there anything else you do besides DJing?
A: I love promoting, and I’m currently managing an artist on campus, Purple, a female Rapper from Oakland, California. I plan to produce and arrange her upcoming mixtape.

TG: What can we expect of you in the future?
A: Well, I want to release an album called Mekka Musik; a collaboration of the hottest artists in H.U. Also, I’m going on the road with the upcoming singer Tiffany Evans in the winter. I’m trying to expand myself, because if you do all your events in the same location it devalues your rep.