Wednesday, February 24, 2010

AMBER!


I stole this from Ye's blog!

Arts and Politics Collide at G40: The Summit



Art Whino teams up with Crystal City BID and Vornado to present G-40: The Summit, a month long exhibition and event series featuring over 500 artists from around the world.

The mission of G40: The Summit is to bring the leaders of the New Brow genre together in Crystal City, VA in an effort to explore, discuss and grow this movement. G-40: The Summit will be a culmination of ideas and processes, brought together and highlighted by region and style, creating, for the first time, a full cross examination of this genre.

Click here for more info

KOBE by Terry Richardson

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Resilience by Rafael Maldonado

An essay by a writer you all will know one day....

Resilience, the dictionary defines this word as “an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change”. To me this is an invaluable quality to have on this crazy journey through life and not only will I prove its value, but I will show its necessity.


The importance of being resilient goes back to our youths. We exercised it from the time we scraped our knee from A fall, dusted ourselves off and kept moving forward. We developed it the first time we experienced an emotional hurt and decided to not allow it to have any formal dominance over our way of life. It is a quality that can redeem us at a moment’s notice, from our darkest hour and when faced by our biggest fears. Without resilience we allow ourselves to be crippled by fear. We will never put ourselves at risk to achieve that which will reap the greatest rewards. The absence of resilience, an unfathomable thought, makes us mere mortals against the winds of change. Battered by life’s obstacles we will choose to give in and accept everything that happens to us as the norm rather than the exception to the rule. It allows us to change what we can and administer the peace we need to accept the things we are unable to change.

if Resilience were ever to transform itself into a human being capable of having sustainable relationships I believe its best friend would be a person by the name of Hope. Ah, yes sweet, sweet hope, also known as the light at the end of the tunnel. Hope is what makes resilience a bearable experience. It gives us the foresight to know that our misery is temporary, our pain only slight in comparison to the bigger picture. The bigger picture of our lives, that point in which we look back and see where our resilience held us up just long enough to achieve our dreams.

In June of 2009 I found myself a victim of a global recession and probably the second greatest depression this country has experienced. I found myself unemployed and contemplating the meaning of my existence. My first instinct was to give up, to not allow my greatest misfortune turn into quite possibly my finest hour. I so desperately began to search my soul for that inner strength, “the ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune and change”. Shortly after that, resilience led me to my passion in life. A decision I put off for five years no longer seemed impossible, scary or even unattainable. If my resilient spirit had never comforted me and challenged me to take this chance, I would never be a student at the Art Institute or an aspiring writer and director, or even a great brother and son. History is riddled with examples of the importance of resilience. From our earliest ancestors defying whichever odds they encountered, to the emancipation of slaves, or to the nightmarish disasters in New Orleans and New York.

I attribute my views on resilience to a quote delivered by the late Senator Ted Kennedy at his brother Bobby’s funeral. In it he quoted his late brother Bobby as saying, “some men see things as they are and say ‘why’? I dream of things that never were and say ‘why not? ”. Without this ability to to adapt and and persevere due to resilience I would never be able to ask the question why not?”. Anything is possible with this ever so priceless quality, and our best friend Resilience.

Kanye West "Coldest Winter"

KANYE WEST "Coldest Winter" Directed by: NABIL "ITUNES link below" from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Amazing Picture


I came across this pic along with several other amazing pictures when I was checking out a really cool blog http://www.mashkulture.net/ . Now if only I could get my camera to do this!

Grand Opening of DD172!

DD172 GRAND OPENING from Creative Control on Vimeo.

Mayer Hawthorne "Maybe So, Maybe No" (Official Video)

Mayer Hawthorne - Maybe So, Maybe No from Stones Throw on Vimeo.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Van Hunt - Popular

I know I'm late on this. I normally don't post actual albums, however Van Hunt himself put this out there for us to enjoy

Click here to download!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

KAWS

I AM REESE!!!!!!!!!!! Mixtape

Click here to download!

Vegas | Patta x Nike Air Max 1 Preview

These are sick!!!

adidas Originals Forum Mid - Light Scarlet - Augmented Reality Pack | Available Now

Ever imagine that your trusty pair of adidas Originals Forum Mid could be something more than just comfy kicks that protect your feet and make them look cool? Adidas Originals has a new idea that will have fresh Forum Mid replace your wii nunchuck. As previously reported, this season the German sportswear giant has brought in one of the coolest multimedia technology, Augmented Reality, into its footwear and apparel. The new Forum Mid comes embedded with a special AR code on the tongue tag, which acts as a key to the adidas Originals Neighborhood when held up against the webcam for recognition. The Forum Mid will act as a controller, enabling the proud owner to explore the neighborhood, get the latest news updates, releases, get acquainted with the adidas celebrities and even play games.

Transforming the Magazine Experience with WIRED


Adobe and WIRED magazine introduce a new digital magazine concept that provides an immersive, interactive content experience for readers and innovative possibilities for advertisers

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

24 HR KARATE SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

Legendary Producer Ski Beatz is set to release what is looking to be an epic mixtape "24 HR KARATE SCHOOL" I've heard the snippets and all I can say is WHOA! This is definitely sounding better than any official release I've heard in a while.



DILLmatic J-Dilla x Nas

Sunday, February 14, 2010

“When you wear a fresh pair of shoes, you feel like you can never die. You feel like you’re gonna live forever.”-Chi McBride

Born Kenneth McBride in Chicago, Illinois, "Chi" is a nickname for his hometown. McBride is unusual among actors in that he did not begin his acting career until the age of 30. He is notable for his television roles on Boston Public, The John Larroquette Show, House, The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer, Killer Instinct and Pushing Daisies.

What a lot of you probably don't know is that Chi is a true "sneakerhead". His collection is well into the hundreds and includes several pair that he designed himself. His shoe game is respected so much so that solecollector.com enlisted him to do a weekly blog about what's going on in the sneaker world. Nike enlisted him to design his own hybrid sneaker which combined the Nike AF1 and the Nike Dunk U.N.K.L.E. "Dunkle"
I'm 36 and I catch flack every now and again about my love for sneaks.I really don't see my love for kicks dying anytime soon and people like Chi give me inspiration to continue.  For my birthday my wife planned a party and I reluctantly decided to wear a pair of suede loafers. That night my wife said that I "decided to dress like I was 36", all the while I was thinking "Damn, I should've wore those fresh Adidas I just copped". Well honey Chi is 46! So I have at least 10 more good years of being a sneakerhead!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Erykah Badu feat. Lil Wayne "Jump in the Air" (video)

Click here to watch video

Terry Richardson.....C'mon Son!

As I said before, I really dig Terry Richardson's work but I don't know about this photo taken by him for Purple Magazine. In the photo Lindsay Lohan is depicted as a "Christ like" figure. I get where he is going with this as far as her being crucified by the media but this still gets a big Ed Lover sized "C'mon Son!" 

Thursday, February 11, 2010

R.I.P. Alexander Mcqueen



The fashion designer Alexander McQueen has been found dead, his company said.His office confirmed to the BBC that Mr McQueen, 40, was discovered at his London home this morning.Police said that his death was not being treated as suspicious. The BBC's Tom Symonds said reports he had taken his own life had not been confirmed. A statement said his family were "devastated" at the "tragic news", and added that they shared "a sense of shock and grief".In a message on his Twitter page on 3 February, Mr McQueen said his mother had passed away. A former British Designer of the Year winner, London-born Mr McQueen started his career as an apprentice in Savile Row, where he learned how to make jackets at Gieves and Hawkes.

Via: BBC News

Although I never owned a pair, I really dug the work Alexander Mcqueen did for Puma. Most of them where limited editions and hard to come by. I always thought these where pretty slick...

Never been into Rolex's.....but this is mean!

Louis Vuitton


For $2,000 you can have your very own Louis Vuitton "garbage bag"! I'm sure the designers are somewhere sitting back and laughing at the fools who are going to actually buy this. I'm sure we will see a lot of these on the arms of chickenheads during All-Star weekend!

Monday, February 8, 2010

Curren$y "Breakfast" directed by Creative Control

Codie & Chike aka "Creative Control" are two of my favorite video directors right now. I love the way they use simple cut aways during their filming to add flare and flavor to thier videos. You will rarely see any crazy special effects in their work but they are great at letting the lense and their eye capture special moments that create a very artful vision. Their work trascends genres, so much so that I believe you can take one of their videos and insert your favorite music for any genre and it will flow perfectly. Below is a recent video they shot for New Orleans rapper Curren$y who is another person that is on my radar for people to check for in 2010!


CURREN$Y - BREAKFAST from Creative Control on Vimeo.

How To Make it in America


First Episode!

Friday, February 5, 2010

J-Dilla Tribute!!!!!!!!!!


Click here to download!

Terry Richardson





Terry Richardson is quickly becoming one of my favorite celebrity photographers. I love the fact that there is no pretence to his work. He captures his subjects in their most laid back disposition and at the same time he isn't afraid to push the envelope with sexually driven themes. Some of you may recognize to work he did for Vibe Magazine when Barack Obama was running for President.


Below is a video from his photo shot for the Pirelli 2010 calender.  (DO NOT WATCH THIS AT WORK!)


The Making of the 2010 Pirelli Calendar by Terry Richardson from Rafael Rubira on Vimeo.

More pics after the jump....

"A Walk Through Fort Greene" Trailer


A Walk Through Fort Greene - TRAILER from Diane Paragas on Vimeo.

The upcoming full-length documentary A Walk Through Fort Greene discusses the massive Black arts movement that began back in the mid 1980s all the way through the 1990s. The story is narrated by director Nelson George as he takes a look into the catalyst for the movement as well as its development and unfolding. Some influential entertainers make appearances including Spike Lee, Chris Rock, Rosie Perez, Vernon Reid, Carl Hancock Rux, Saul Williams, Lorna Simpson, Alva Rogers, Kevin Powell, and Bill Stephany among others.

The concept of this video looks very familiar, hmmmm....

Kardinal Offishall "We Gon' GO"


Kanye West "Through the Wire"

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Christian Louboutin Studded Sneaker


In a concept that has graced the feet of various celebrities over the last few months, Christian Louboutin’s studded motif has played out over both sneaker and loafer varietes. The concept takes 260 spike studs and arranges them in a systematic manner over the entirety of the shoe to create an interesting final product. The shoe is available at select retailers including the upcoming Friday store launch of Christian Louboutin in Tokyo’s Ginza ward

Via: honeyee

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

B.o.B. "May 25th" Mixtape!

One of the highlighted singles off B.o.B.’s latest mixtape is this record featuring himself and Asher Roth over some dope production by Kanyeezy. Entitled Fuck the Money, the track serves as a testament to some of the questionable practices of the music industry that surprise artists all too often. B.o.B’s May 25th Mixtape is titled after the date his debut album releases later this year.


Click here to download

Monday, February 1, 2010

50th Anniversary of the Greensboro Sit in "The Greensboro Four"

On February 1, 1960, four black students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College in Greensboro, North Carolina walked into a Woolworth’s store and quietly sat down at the lunch counter. This seemingly mundane everyday act sent shock waves through Greensboro, through North Carolina, and through the nation. The counter behind which these four young men sat was for whites only.


This simple act was like a stone thrown into a still pond. It sent out ripples across the nation that stirred people to take notice and to act. As the news of lunch-counter sit-ins spread, it opened eyes, inspired more to join the protests, and agitated some Americans into violence. Most importantly, it forced communities throughout the United States to confront segregation right where they sat down for a cup of coffee or tuna fish sandwich.

The sit-ins were a part of the nonviolent direct action strategy espoused by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1955, nonviolent direct action had been successfully used in the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycotts. Led by Dr. King and Rosa Parks, the black citizens of Montgomery had desegregated the city’s public buses. In the early 1960s, black college students throughout the South would put this strategy into action in an attempt to desegregate lunch counters.

Via: The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

New Sade "Skin"


Click here to download