“Music is more than art to me, it’s my GPS.” -- Ashaari Pope

Miami New Times shouted out Ashaari as one of "7 South Florida R&B Artists to Watch in 2024," writing that, "Her songs groove on a lustrous soundscape that transports the listener to her vantage point. Whether she’s admiring an attractive woman or tucked away on a romantic getaway, her music can easily become the soundtrack of your next rendezvous." As you can hear at the top of this episode, they're spot on; her work is sensual, emotional and straight forward, all about desire and the complicated emotional and sensual landscape in her body, heart and mind. “I just want to show people that it’s all about building a better relationship with the human condition that is within all of us,” says Ashaari. Her style has been described as melodic R&B, dark R&B and soulful with occasional Afrobeat influences. Ashaari was on track to be a star basketball player in high school when music grabbed her. She never looked back. After years paying the bills working for Sherwin Williams Paints, she quit to pursue music full time in her early twenties. "What makes me proud of the work that we put out is the fact that everything is self-produced, engineered, written and recorded from scratch in my 2-bedroom apartment. Nothing gets better than naturally doing what you love in the comfort of your home." Collaboration is foundational to her artistry, and on many of her songs she writes the lyrics while others compose. She changed her stage name not long ago from P90 and P90Pope to her beautiful given birth name, Ashaari. She says P90 represented her immature teenage self, whereas Ashaari reflects a more mature and authentic artist. “Ashaari is open to everything…,” she says excitedly. She loves words and reads the dictionary, poetry books and lyrics from other songs to familiarize herself with word structure and how certain words provoke feelings. Her vibe is about perseverance. “I just know that there’s something reserved with my name on it, and nothing can stop me from getting to it," she says.

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/49lvi7sX6PjJVzxc7wkfsG

Social media - @notashaari

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Josh T. Franco is an artist and art historian from West Texas who believes that art history is made by hand. Cultured Magazine included this creative powerhouse in their 2026 list of 12 Art-World Tastemakers We’re Most Excited About. Franco actually wears four creative hats: artist, art historian, curator and new Exec Dir of US Latinx Art Forum. He grew up immersed in the ever-evolving wonderland his grandfather created in his backyard in Marfa, TX, full of eclectic found objects, sculptures and whimsical installations. Franco’s current exhibition, Where I Learned to Look: Art from the Yard, celebrates the foundational role of yards in shaping contemporary art in America. His forthcoming book, Marfa, Marfa: Rasquachismo and Minimalism in Far West Texas, examines minimalism and the aesthetics that artist Donald Judd brought to Marfa … and how these intersect with "rasquachismo," the sensibility of the oppressed in working class Chicano communities.

“I am an artist with an art history PhD. My practice investigates the mechanisms by which knowledge moves intergenerationally,” says. Franco. He’s been an art historian with the Smithsonian for over ten years, interacting with some of the most treasured documents ever produced by artists across time. “I believe that every work of art is also a work of art history, because every work of art carries the past.” As the new Executive Director of US Latinx Art Forum, Franco is committed to celebrating and promoting art by US inhabitants of Latinx descent and their communities to foster equity and growth, and support its practitioners.

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John Medina's short film, The Cure Complex, explores the epidemic of drug addiction in prison and the systemic failures that perpetuate Substance Use Disorder (SUD) in the prison system. "Recovery is an industry, and industries need customers. Rehabs don't succeed when people move on, they succeed when people stay," says Medina, whose own journey through addiction and incarceration motivated him to be an agent of change. His film highlights the importance of addressing the root causes of substance use — including trauma, poverty and isolation. Nationally, approximately 58% of the US prison population has active SUD. In California, where Medina's film is based, it's 65%. Yet, treatment behind bars is limited, inconsistent and often deadly. Only 15% of those assessed as needing help actually receive it. "True recovery isn’t about quitting something, it’s about building something,” says Medina. By investing in people, not just prescriptions, we can build more humane and effective pathways to healing addiction and staying clean, so that people can move onto meaningful and productive lives. Sadly, the current system, through ineffective, "evidence-based" practices, actually keeps people dependent on substances from which Big Pharma extracts enormous profit.

Medina's raw and touching film uncovers how these profit-driven systems trap individuals in cycles of dependency through fear and control instead of empowering them to rebuild their lives. The film champions new and humane healing models that prioritize promoting self worth and purpose to manifest healing and dignity. Medina is a proud Film Ambassador with Represent Justice, and The Cure Complex was selected to be one of five Represent Justice films streamed on Tubi to 100 million viewers.

Watch The Cure Complex here!

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We are always looking for Swan Dive Stories to share so hit us up, send an e mail to Ron: Ron@artbikesjax.com or Stu: Stuart@stuartsheldon.com