—Stanfield isn’t exactly a fish out of water; he’s a fish gasping for air in a sea of trash. And in a year that saw the nation’s flotsam float to the surface, the 29-year-old actor and rapper dove headfirst into deeper, murkier territory. For his latest role in
ELBA: I appreciate being asked. It was actually great to do a little research on you, getting a little bit deeper under the skin. I want to dive straight in. Talk me through your relationship with music, which is something that’s also close to my heart. it was great. Drama class was also the first class I brought one of my early EPs to. I made a whole bunch of CDs with these little ratchet covers and I passed them out in class. That was the only class where I wanted to pass them out, because I was like, “If anyone’s going to understand where it comes from, it’s these guys.”STANFIELD: At that time, I would just find beats on the internet and basically steal them. I couldn’t afford any.
STANFIELD: Well, if I’m going to be transparent about it, I’m not really into magazines. I don’t read too many of them; I’ve never really kept up. When they told me I’d be on the cover of, I was like, “Okay.” And then someone else had to tell me, “No, no, this is a good opportunity.” And I was like, “Oh, okay, great.” Anytime someone is honoring my work, I’m happy. As long as it’s about that, I’m happy.
idriselba Can you please tell me when the next issue is out an if it will feature Madonna photos by Kenji Wakasugi from 1985 in B/W?