Erik Wakefield

For those of you that know me well, knew Esleek Magazine (Pronounced Eh-Sleek) was a long time passion of mine. After years of quietly brainstorming the direction of this magazine, I’ve finally decided to put it in motion. My goal is to captivate my readers and keep them informed with interesting topics and original content.

The name “Esleek” is derived from the first letter of my name, and the last few letters of my son’s middle name. When you hear the name Esleek, I want you to think Elegance, Style, Empowerment and most of all, Inspiration. Although Hip-Hop runs through my veins, this is not a Hip-Hop/Urban magazine. This site is an outlet of empowerment for the African-American culture. From topics about budgeting and relationship advice, to fashion and cooking recipes, Esleek got you covered.

A little background about me: I started off in ’98 on a street team ran by Interscope records; (RPM street team) led by the late DJ Threat. I then hosted an online Radio Show called “Koncrete Radio” for 9 years, and worked at Lava Records (a division of Atlantic Records) for a few months, until I was hired at New York’s Power 105.1. I was a part of their promotion team, for 5 years which was then dismantled, and shortly after, I did some freelance writing for The Source Magazine for a few months, then that ship sunk (go figure).  However, In my last year of hosting Koncrete Radio, I developed a new relationship at a radio station in Newark, NJ. In my first 3 months on-air at that station, Koncrete Radio made the top ten with the highest ratings out of 60 shows.

After taking a 2 year hiatus from the Entertainment/Media business, I felt that this industry can use a breath of fresh air. Who else better to breathe life in this stifling business?