Vashtie Kola (often stylized as Va$htie; born April 23, 1981) is an American music video director,

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

, artist, designer, creative consultant and

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile ...

. She has been active in the downtown

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

scene for over a decade.

Early life

She moved to

in 1999 to attend the

School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by ...

, where she studied film. She graduated in 2004. During this time, she worked at

Stüssy Stüssy ( ) is an American privately held fashion house founded in the early 1980s by Shawn Stussy. It benefited from the surfwear trend originating in Orange County, California, but was later adopted by the skateboard and hip hop scenes. Hist ...

, a clothing store.

Career

Kola and Anthony Mandler were both hired by Box Fresh Pictures as directors in 2005. Her very first videos, including those for artists like Beans, J-Status, and Tony Hussle, were produced by this company. At the same time she was also writing music video treatments for established directors such as Anthony Mandler, Lenny Bass and Dr. Teeth. She wrote the treatment for Common's video "Testify" which starred Taraji P. Henson and

Wood Harris Sherwin David "Wood" Harris (born October 17, 1969) is an American actor. He has portrayed the drug kingpin Avon Barksdale on the HBO crime drama ''The Wire'', cocaine dealer Ace in '' Paid in Full'' and high school football player Julius Camp ...

. During the same time, Kola styled and modeled for the clothing line

Billionaire Boys Club The Billionaire Boys Club was an investing and social club organized in 1983 by Joseph Henry Hunt (born Joseph Henry Gamsky) in Southern California. It was originally simply named "BBC", the initials of Bombay Bicycle Club, a restaurant Hunt had ...

. Kola was asked to revamp the company of

Island Def Jam The Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG) was an American recording music unit, formed on New Year's Eve 1998 by the Universal Music Group. It consists of labels devised and consisted under the basic operations of Island Records and Def Jam Recordin ...

as director of creative services in 2006. Antonio "L.A" Reid, president of Def Jam, said she would be "the one to keep the building cool, someone in tune with downtown cool and pop mainstream." That year Kola also started an monthly '90s party with her friend Oscar Sanchez called "1992". Playing only music from the late '80s and early '90s, the event brought out a mix of tastemakers and celebrities including Dave Chappelle, Jay-Z,

Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He gained fame for his songwriting abilities when he penned Mario's 2004 hit " Let Me Love You ...

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ. Early life Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...

, Patrick Ewing, Redman,

DJ Premier Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966), known professionally as DJ Premier (also known as Preemo), is an American record producer and DJ. He is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. He was half of the hip hop du ...

, The Clipse, Maxwell, Chanel Iman, Zoe Kravitz, Grand Puba, Lord Finesse, and KiD CuDi. Although its residency is in New York City, the party has taken place in Miami, Paris and Amsterdam. In 2008, 1992 was nominated for Best Party at the Paper Magazine Nightlife Awards and also received press in ''The New York Post,'' '' i-D'', ''Trace'', ''Paper'', and a feature in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''. Kola started her own clothing line, Violette. With an official debut in fall 2008, the clothing was described as "a mix of opposite worlds: uptown and downtown, hip-hop and rock, feminine and masculine, casual and couture". The following year, ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...

'' listed the "31 Most Stylish People Under 31" with Kola coming in at 23rd. She was also featured in ''

Nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from pe ...

'' as part of their lineup of "It Girls". In this year, Kola was interviewed Sean "Diddy" Combs for Supreme Magazine, which was photographed by Terry Richardson, and was included in the Nike Destroyer Campaign alongside Dee & Ricky and Scott Campbell. In 2010, she modelled for Rachel Roy's spring

lookbook A lookbook is a collection of photographs compiled to show off a model, photographer, style, stylist, or clothing line. Usually, bloggers or vloggers will "model" fashionable looks for that month or season. This gives viewers ideas on how to st ...

. Later that year, she became the first woman to design Nike

Air Jordan Air Jordan is an American brand of basketball shoes produced by American corporation Nike. The first Air Jordan shoe was produced for Hall of Fame former basketball player Michael Jordan during his time with the Chicago Bulls in late 1984 an ...

sneakers. The shoe was offered at select boutiques nationally, most of which sold out in the first few days. Publications including ''

Women's Wear Daily ''Women's Wear Daily'' (also known as ''WWD'') is a fashion-industry trade journal often referred to as the "Bible of fashion". Horyn, Cathy"Breaking Fashion News With a Provocative Edge" ''The New York Times''. (August 20, 1999). It provides inf ...

'', ''Footwear News'', TeenVogue.Com, ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'', and ''

The Source ''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...

'' covered the occasion. In 2011, ''The New York Times'' did a feature on Kola. In 2015, Kola wrote, directed and starred in an art film for

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

's ''

Hotline Bling "Hotline Bling" is a song recorded by Canadian rapper Drake, which serves as the lead single from his fourth studio album '' Views'' (2016). The song is credited as a bonus track on the album. It was made available for digital download on July 3 ...

'' video. She also starred in the reality documentary television series 3AM, which aired for seven episodes on Showtime.

Videography

2005

Beans A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes thr ...

- " Papercut" * Tony Hussle - "Come Again"

2007

Child Rebel Soldier Child Rebel Soldier, shortened CRS, was an American hip hop supergroup composed of hip hop recording artists and record producers Lupe Fiasco (child), Kanye West (rebel), and Pharrell Williams (soldier). History Child Rebel Soldier was conc ...

- " Us Placers" * Armand Van Helden - " I Want Your Soul" * J-Status featuring

Shontelle Shontelle Layne (born 4 October 1985), known mononymously as Shontelle, is a Barbadian singer and songwriter. She released her debut album ''Shontelligence'' in 2008. Her second album, '' No Gravity'', was released in 2010. Her singles "T-Shirt ...

& Rihanna - " Roll It"

2008

Slim Slim or SLIM may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slim Goodbody, a fictional character who teaches about anatomy * Slim, one of the alien antagonists of the 1988 film '' Killer Klowns from Outer Space'' * Slim, the Pixl fro ...

featuring

Ryan Leslie Anthony Ryan Leslie (born September 25, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur from Washington, D.C. He has produced singles for a number of prominent artists in a variety of genres, ranging from R&B, hip hop ...

Fabolous John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition while still a senior in high school, when he performed live on American music executive ...

- "

Good Lovin' "Good Lovin is a song written by Rudy Clark and Arthur Resnick that was a #1 hit single for the Young Rascals in 1966. Original version The song was first recorded by Lemme B. Good (stage name of singer Limmie Snell) in March 1965 and written ...

" * KiD CuDi - " Heaven At Nite"

2009

Solange Solange (died 10 May, c. 880) was a Frankish shepherdess and a locally venerated Christian saint and cephalophore, whose cult is restricted to Sainte-Solange, Cher. Saint Solange was the patron of the traditional Province of Berry, of which C ...

- "

T.O.N.Y. "T.O.N.Y." is a song by American singer Solange Knowles. It was written and produced by Jack Splash and Cee-Lo Green for her second studio album ''Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams'' (2008) and released on March 31, 2009 as the album's third and ...

" *

Yung L.A. Leland Sanford Austin (born March 26, 1986), better known by his stage name Yung L.A. or Da Boi Lay, is an American Hip hop music, hip hop recording artist from Atlanta, Georgia. He is perhaps best known for his debut single "Ain't I", which pea ...

- "

Futuristic Love (Elroy) "Futuristic Love (Elroy)" is a song by American hip hop music, hip hop recording artist Yung L.A. It was released as a single (music), single on April 7, 2009, by Grand Hustle Records and Interscope Records. The song, which was produced by Grand ...

" *

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...

- " One Time" *

Junior Sanchez Eugenio Sanchez Jr., commonly known by his stage name Junior Sanchez, is an American record producer, DJ, artist, re-mixer and record executive from New Jersey. Early life Junior Sanchez was born in New Jersey, on May 4, 1977, and raised in the ...

featuring

Joel Madden Joel Rueben Madden (né Combs; March 11, 1979) is an American singer best known as the lead vocalist for the pop punk band Good Charlotte. He is also part of the pop rock collaboration the Madden Brothers with his identical twin brother Benj ...

Benji Madden Benjamin Levi Madden (né Combs; born March 11, 1979) is an American musician. He is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the band Good Charlottefor which he has received various awardsas well as pop rock collaboration the Madden Brothe ...

- "

Elevator An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They a ...

" *

Jadakiss Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with B ...

- " Letter to B.I.G."

2010

Theophilus London Theophilus Musa London (born February 23, 1987) is an American rapper and singer. A frequent collaborator of Kanye West, London was a producer on the 2022 album Donda 2 and was featured on West's 2015 single " All Day" which was nominated for sev ...

- " I Want You (Marvin Gaye Cover)" * Curt@!n$ - "EXODUS" * Jasmine Solano – "That's Not It"

2011

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generat ...

- " A.D.H.D"

2012

* Big K.R.I.T. - "

Boobie Miles James Earl "Boobie" Miles Jr. (born April 16, 1970) is a former high school football running back for Permian High School, and was a primary subject in the book '' Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream'' by H.G. Bissinger, and the mov ...

" * Big K.R.I.T. - "

Insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, ...

" *

Joey Bada$$ Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott (born January 20, 1995), known professionally as Joey Badass (stylized as Joey Bada$$), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A native of Brooklyn, New York City, he is a founding member of the hip-hop collective Pro ...

- "Waves" * Gym Class Heroes - "Martyrial Girl$"

2015

- "

(Art Version)" * 3AM (TV Series)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kola, Vashtie 1981 births American women DJs American designers American music video directors Living people Music promoters Artists from Albany, New York 21st-century American women musicians Filmmakers from New York (state) DJs from New York City Women music promoters