1.30.2009

banksy


artist banksy, famous for putting artwork in unexpected places at unexpected times with a message of substance all around the world is definitely a mystery. now on the net, there's a peculiar video put together that basically shows the public opinion about banksy himself... check it out.


1.29.2009

weezy is a gangsta

on wednesday, february 4th, cbs will do an all-access grammy special featuring many performers and celebs that will be at the show. here's an excerpt from lil wayne being interviewed by katie couric.

homeboy is serious with his answers, and leaves us wanting more. peep the comment he says about his father. that's studly.


blind man's colour


blind man's colour is a new experimental group out of florida. their myspace tags them as experimental, psychedelic and ambient. i don't think there's any other way to categorize them. the production behind the dreamy vocals is definitely pretty fly.

kanye's been talking about them for a few days, and they are starting to get a little exposure on the web.


check out their first track:_"blank"> jimmy dove



credits: _"blank">kanye | _"blank">wedoitright

1.28.2009

weezy, baby part 2


here's another leak off weezy's rock album. this track actually came out first, but now that the rock beat is official, check it out...track is called hot revolver.


download the track


credits: wedoitrightmag

kanye & lv - part 5

you've already seen the red...here's two more colorways. they're pretty clean.




credits: selectism

lupe: free gaza part 2

check it. here's the video from the concert mentioned below.

when he transitions into daydreamin'.... the crowd goes absolutely wild.



credits: lupE.N.D.

john forte

ok, wow.

john forte, one of the founding members of fugees, is unreal. like undeniably, one of the smartest lyricists in a long time. he co-wrote most of the fugee's album the score, and has had his imprint on numerous ideals and music concepts living inside of hip-hop as we know it today.

in 2000, forte was arrested at the newark international airport after accepting a briefcase holding $1.4 million worth of liquid cocaine. he was convicted and sentenced to the mandatory minimum of 14 years. since then, lawyers have been working on behalf of forte in hopes to give him a true and fair trial.

on november 24, 2008, forte's was pardoned by george bush and released from prison on december 22. hey, go team bush, go.

talib kweli, a close friend of forte came together in the studio to do a cover of kanye's homecoming. in forte's verse, he discusses the issues surrounding his jailtime.

not going to lie, i never get tired of hearing kweli's voice, but kweli and forte...wow...lauryn, can you come back home now too?



credits: okayplayer


1.27.2009

yo, that kid cudi

not going to lie...i am nowhere near tired of day n nite. not the original, not the remix. i can't get enough of the track. a lot of people are saying they are tired of kid cudi, saying that he'll disappear again in a few months once people stop bumping day n nite in the clubs...

nah. i truly think cudi is gonna be one of the biggest artists in 09. if i'm wrong, oh well. he's already all over my playlists, cds and i'm banging that kid named cudi album over and over again. with his first full-length album, "man on the moon: the guardians" slated for early 09 under kanye's g.o.o.d. records, there's a new mix tape out there. not new per se, since it's considered to be his greatest hits on a few mix tapes thus far, but it's a whole new look on a mixtape, coming with 21 tracks, music videos, interviews and a short documentary on cudi and some images.

in an interview with the guardian, a uk pub...he talks about his upcoming album. "I’ve been telling everybody it’s going to be the most magnificent album of 2009 and that’s just what it is [laughs]. You know what I mean? I’m not going to say: 'It’s the greatest album of our time.' But people do need to be ready for it. It’s going to be some real, next-level shit."

if you don't already have that cudi mixtape, then go ahead and download the anthem, cause cudi is sticking around for a little bit.

check it:
full mixtape (music, videos, images)
mixtape (music only)

credits: datnewcudi

lupe fiasco: free gaza

hate to get political, but this is fresh.

lupe fiasco has been in melbourne, australia for a little bit doing a series of shows. all over australia, there are a number of rallies protesting to end the war crimes and corruption going on in gaza, the ongoing palestine-israel crisis.
in a recent show, lupe reached out to a muslim femalein attendance holding a "free gaza" t-shirt. he took it and place it on the side of the stage and walked off. he returned topless, only to give his shirt to the girl as a way of saying thanks. he then proceeded to throw the shirt into the stands only to receive a huge ovation from the crowd.

he quieted down the crowd with a small belief that there should be peace in every country, no matter the size. timed almost to perfectly, lupe went on to perform
american terrorist. before ending the show, he made a small prayer to all the children stuck in palestine and israel and hoped for them to daydream for better days, followed by a heart-wrenching performance of daydreamin'.

sometimes an artist' heart truly is translated to their music.




credits: lupE.N.D.

light up the darkness


master 3, a little known musician has only put out 2 albums to this date. his most recent, music & woman was an album dedicated to as he says, the two things that meant the most to him in his life.

this week, he's released his third album, a concept album as he calls it. loosely basing the idea of the album on the theme of will smith's i am legend, master 3 puts some pretty incredible beats together full of passion and energy. lyrically, he puts words together that are truly meant for hope and creating a movement. the album, entitled "light up the darkness" is a dope array of bass, piano and thought-out beats mixed with master 3's flow.

creating albums for the sole purpose of allowing people to listen, the album is available for download everywhere. his only request...is to "liberate the album as much as possible."

download the album for free here.

1.26.2009

street lights

this video was done by a fan, and it's been around for a a few months now, but it's resurfaced as of late, and everybody's loving it. it's a fan-made music video for kanye's street lights... the animation is superb.

weezy, baby


so it's been talked about for a little bit now about lil wayne working on his next album and putting out something that isn't rap or hip-hop. well his management team has confirmed that, and his next album, entitled "the rebirth" will be leaning towards the rock genre. you've seen him holding his guitar more and more, and in his "lollipop" video he rocks it majority of the video. working a lot with kevin rudolph and using it for a brief part of concerts on his tour right now, looks like weezy is showing us he's got more than just flow.

check out his first leak... "prom queen."

download the track.

credits: wedoitright

t-mobile dance ad

so everybody that viral marketing is where it's at these days. check out t-mobile's new viral ad produced by the ad guys at saatchi & saatchi. it's a video with hidden cameras everywhere at the liverpool street station in london. dope how literally everybody not in on the video totally gets involved with it too. it becomes one big party.

do note, this video filmed and edited within 36 hours to get it up for tv and web for t-mobile's "life's for sharing" campaign.

entertaining video created very very well. check out the dude's hair at 1:44. amazing. and turn your speakers up for this, its perfect.

kanye & lv - part 4

this is a more visually based post. here's kanye's first shoe for louis vuitton designed for women. you have two colorways here, a grey suede as well as a pink suede.




but as mentioned in the previous post, here's some shots of the grey and pink sneaker kanye mentioned over the weekend.






credits: kanye

1.24.2009

kanye & lv - part 3

last night, kanye put up a pic of his third louis kick on his blog, saying he's about to go clubbing with them. interesting high top, with a huge huge velcro strap, and a pink midsole. yeezy said he'd put up more pics when he gets back, so keep a look out for a few more pics in the next few days.

credits: kanye

1.22.2009

kanye & lv - part 2

kanye's second pair of kicks for louis vuitton is up and around the web... it's an all red sneaker, a fresh look...and it comes with a special quilted flap on the back made specifically for your jeans.

“The inspiration came from a jacket with a huge collar in the movie ‘Dune,’ ” West says. “Most sneakers focus on the tongue, so I wanted to do something different.”

the "LV-meets-kanye kicks" collection will feature 5 pairs of shoes designed by kanye. on the topic of shoes, kanye said he has no idea how many pairs he owns, but does find himself sending shipments of shoes off for storage frequently.

look for the monochromatic kicks with no frills to come to lv stores in june.

credits: nytimes

my whip is fly

terrafugia, a boston-based company is beginning to test flights on their new concept flying car. what? this car/plane is called the transition, branding it as a roadable aircraft. again...what?

excerpt from the discovery channel:

"Either way, it boils down to this: You sit down behind the steering wheel, drive to the runway, unfold two wings and take off. You can fly 500 miles on a tank of gas -- regular unleaded -- and when you land, you simply fold up the wings and drive where you want to go. At the end of the day, you fly back, drive home and park inside your garage."

price tag is $194k
check out the animations on their site:
terrafugia

credits: discovery channel

1.21.2009

the art of sneaker design

i dedicate this post to the sneakerhead in all of us.

amazing video, on how a sneaker through NikeID's custom design shop is created and rendered through one of cheng kue's sneaker designs. cheng is one of nike's biggest and brilliant shoe designers.





credits: hypebeast

my president is black

another obama track, but not going to lie, jeezy does it right with this track with an emphatic beat, and some lyrics with a little bit of depth. nas and jeezy are on this track celebrating (who else?) obama, and the hopeful change he can bring to the country.

don't know how i feel about his hook for the track, but for the most part he gets his words down.

*update* - jay-z is on the remix, download it from concrete loop here



credits: hypetrak

1.19.2009

salmaan aleem - r.i.p.

january 20, 2003...a good friend passed. three years ago, i created this video for him.



we all miss you, my man. in my thoughts always.


street shots exhibit


martha cooper, a photo journalist renowned for capturing graffiti art, the hip-hop scene and the urban street has a new exhibit that began this past friday in la at subliminal projects, a gallery in los angeles. the exhibit, entitled "street shots" is a collection of photos from the past fifty years. a couple of shots are posted here, but a definite thing to check out in la. the exhibit goes until february 13.

Martha Cooper “Street Shots” Exhibition
Subliminal Projects
1331 W. Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026.







credits: everythingyoulovetohate

1.18.2009

manwomanboogie

q-tip's album "renaissance" was a surprise as it came out after a long hiatus from the emcee, but his album was superb from start to finish. with so many tracks on the album instant classics, whip bangers and tracks you can listen to over and over again, he's released a new video for "manwomanboogie."

really low key video to go with a quietly loud song. peep the video here.

1.17.2009

lebron & the nfl

you may have been seeing the 5-6 second commercial, with just lebron's back at a press conference, saying it took him a minute to come up with the decision he has made, and the commercial cuts to tomorrow's date, january 18, 2009.

well... looks like homeboy is going to the NFL with the help of state farm insurance. let's see how far these commercials go with bron-bron.



1.16.2009

home video


these dudes from brooklyn (originally from new orleans) are pretty ill. colin ruffino and david gross are the duo that make up home video.

from the enchanting beats they have and not to mention colin's amazing voice, their EP is very much worth a full listen.

here's their first video for "i can make you feel it." way artsy, and very well done.



download the album for free at: http://www.homevideo.fm

kid cudi and ryan leslie

it's already a given. kid cudi is dope. his beats are unreal. his lyrics are very thought-provoking. and his flow is simply remarkable.

ryan leslie, a pretty unreal voice too, but an even more incredible piano player... here's a clip of them in the studio, and out of nowhere, this ridiculous beat comes to life.

looking forward to both of their upcoming albums.



credits: herfection

1.15.2009

kobe selling ankle insurance


Dear Friend,
Broken ankles can happen at anytime. Don't let your friends, loved ones or opponents suffer from slow game any longer. If your superior quickness has ever broken someone's ankles, don't just laugh at them. Get them the piece of mind they so desperately need. After a lifetime of breaking my opponent's ankles, I'm giving back to those in need. -Kobe


kobe is now selling ankle insurance through a the AIC. kobe, president, CEO, CFO, CMO, owner, and jefe of AIC introduces you to his important policy that is needed.

most likely done by nike's ad agency, weiden+wennedy, check out nike's new promo for kobe's new kicks.

also, check out the promo site, http://www.notmybrokenankles.com

o - b - a - m - a ... say it.

not trying to get caught up in all the inauguration day hype...(ok, too late), but GOLD, a mixing duo known for putting some pretty fresh mixes together has remixed daft punk's aerodynamic with a little obama mix to it.

and of course, the infamous obama action figure makes his flying debut.




credits: slam x hype

1.14.2009

the photoshop ad bust



whether you're in a department store, a subway or straight up on the streets, its common to see advertisements tagged, altered, and messed with.

but the cats behind the ads in subway stations in berlin for britney spears, leona lewis and christina aguilera, have taken it to a whole new level.

we all know the artform of the airbrush for models, celebrities, and advertisements. but on the eve of the biggie movie...if you don't know, now you know. only putting up a few pictures here, but definitely follow the link to see the rest. it's unreal.


credits: gizmodo

lebron in gq


check out lebron on the cover. read his interview on GQ.com

the world's first gay superhero

comic industry icon, stan lee is putting his hands on something very unexpected. the creator of spiderman, the hulk, x-men and oh so much more is now working on a tv series that will star a gay superhero.

the hour-long tv drama will feature Thom Creed, a high school hoops star is struggling to hide both his superpowers, and his sexuality. tv execs are aiming for high success like the popular show, heroes. lee is developing the idea based on the award-winning novel, hero by perry moore.

more to come as this will develop immensely over the course of 2009.

1.13.2009

kobe and the lakers

Lakers Looking for an Electric Current

An NBA season is a long season. With eighty-two games, and when you're a team of championship caliber, sometimes you typically expect to play at least sixteen more...if you're lucky.

Last year, the Celtics and Lakers got to that level, and it wasn't because one player carried them there. It wasn't because a two-man tandem scored majority of the points - it was because each basketball club had a good, respectable team.

Thirty-six games into the season, the Lakers have the best record, second best home-record, the highest scoring team in the league, are nearly invincible in their division (8-1) and 9-1 in their last ten games. Things are good, right? As it turns out, not particularly, as today the Lakers embark on their biggest test of the year. With a back-to-back in Texas starting tonight against the Rockets and Spurs, and finishing the week off with Orlando on Friday, the Lakers have a lot of work to do. Let's also mention that the following Monday, Lebron comes to town.

The Lakers came into the season as one of the deepest teams in the league. They had a second string that played staggering defense, and numerous 15-0 runs to kill games. They were running on an unbelievable level of energy to show everyone that they aren't that team that folded in June motivation. Now...the Lakers are running on electric stimulation, and are being hindered by their own selves.

full read at bso.

Kobe vs. Battier - Can Shane do it again?

On March 16, 2008, last year, the surging Lakers came into Houstin with anticipation to break the Rockets amazing winning streak which had reached 21. Not wanting to be a part of their historic run, Kobe and the Lake Show were hoping to cool down the Rockets.

This article isn't about the game. It's not about the win streak. It's about Shane Battier vs. Kobe Bryant.

In that game last year, Shane Battier put on such an incredible display of defense on Kobe Bryant, that even an avid fan of Kobe myself had to give it up to the dude. Ok, ok some people might get on my case for saying this, but Shane practically shut him down that night.

Bryant played 47 minutes that game, shot 11-33, only went to the free throw line four times, and simply just couldn't get it going the whole game. He ended up with 24 points, respectably, but it was the hardest fought 24 points I had ever seen the Mamba go out and get.

full read at bso.



1.12.2009

dr. dre - detox leak

one of hip hop's most distinguished emcees, dr. dre has been working on the highly anticipated album, detox for over 2 years now. it was originally scheduled to come out sometime back in 2007, and then he pushed it back. then, there was word that it was ready in 2008, but some tracks leaked...and he decided to start from scratch.

dre has been in an out of the hip-hop news a lot recently, talking about 50 cent and the resurgence of eminem, and has been telling people that detox is coming. it's finally coming.

last week, a track supposedly on the album "could have been you" featuring 50 cent, r. kelly and bishop lamont was leaked. safe to say, that homeboy is pissed, furious, upset and who knows what else.

the track, a story of sorts, has each rapper telling the story of a girl they had once wanted, but were never given the proper chance, and after reaching success, wondering why nobody believed in them.

dre, one of the more respected hip-hop veterans has his camp telling online sites to pull the track, and there's a lot of heat. officially, dre or interscope have yet to have a comment. the track wasn't completely mastered or remixed, and i can only help but think that dre will scratch the track completely.


sources: mtv

1.10.2009

kanye & lv


he did once say "i'm kan, the louis vuitton don..."

it was already unofficially understood that kanye was focusing on fashion in 2009. and with a lot of people questioning if it would even happen because he couldn't get his own clothing line off the ground... it looks like he found somebody to kick it with him for the time being.

kanye is working with louis vuitton to design a collection of sneakers, a total of 6.

this is his first, a white loafer that has some pretty fresh detail to it. no word on the price, but just on this first pair, looks like kanye is going for a clean-cut, hip-hop feel of sophistication.

credits: kanye

1.09.2009

lebron james: the take over

Finally, we can talk about something other than crab dribbles.

Since last summer, Lebron James has had a bitter taste in his mouth after nearly single handedly taking the Celtics out of the playoffs, and chalking himself up for a Finals showdown with the Lakers. He trimmed down, and took it out on the rest of the world bringing home a gold medal in the Olympics.

Enter game 1 of the season...Lebron was looking for some sort of redemption and revenge. Instead, Boston got their rings, and started their road to a 27-2 start. It was the first game for a new look Cavalier squad, and they still needed to mesh, and figure it out. Needless to say, I think they've figured it out.

Bron Bron is having an amazing season... With or without those 4th quarters. The chemistry behind the team is incredible, and everybody knows what they have to do. Tied for the best record in the NBA with Kobe's Lakers, I imagine Lebron would love to involve himself with five other teams contributing to Boston's official slump. Better yet, being Boston's fourth loss in a row?

"I can't say [Friday] is just another game, I'd be lying. You want to win as many games and try to get home court throughout the playoffs."

For Lebron, its truly is more than just a game. It's revenge. It's the beginning...

For the rest of the article, check out BSO.

black sports online

looks like the guys over at black sports online needed some writers, and what's better than writing about something you consume yourself in practically everyday?

feel free to check out their site, http://www.blacksportsonline.com

but going forth, specific articles will be posted here as well.

1.08.2009

ecosmart fire - the zeta


one of the most ridiculous yet amazing fireplaces, i have ever seen. the zeta, made by ecosmart fires, an australian brand. (www.ecosmartfire.com)


i don't think it gets any fresher than this for a fireplace.

credits: kanye universecity

3sixteen - spring 2009 collection

3sixteen, a line out of nyc has been around for a little bit, but before, they were known for having some pretty distinctive graphic tees, and a couple cool urban designs here and there. for some time now, they slowly have been taking steps at re-inventing themselves, and in their spring 2009 collection video... looks like that process is complete.

the video takes on a life of it's own, and has a high aesthetic value as a video itself. mix that in with some some original apparel design, and you have a whole new brand. the detail put into each shot is incredible.

not to mention, you have to love the line at the end of the video..."redestined for greatness."

3sixteen

1.07.2009

lupe: hip hop is dead

with all the japanese cartoon hype going on, lupe is makin sure people know that he is not doing the indie thing under the name percival fats, and that percival is a real person, born percival hindenberg fats. “I like those kids a lot,” he said on the okayplayer.com forums. “Met the bass player overseas last year and their publicist/manager is a good friend from like childhood. May sign them. Not me singing though.”

guess only time will tell. but lupe is out there right now making even more comments, talking about the general state of hip hop. “I feel like hip-hop is coming to sort of a..i dare say…an end???...no pun intened,” he explained.
”It’s not the same energy…hasn’t been for a long time…just a bunch of nothing out there…take it how u may…I hope the new vanguard proves me wrong and brings back the day of substance minus the webcam video to announce its return.”


“Not ‘end’ in the since of cease to exist,” he clarified. “But more so transform into something else so expression is more meaningful…I put question marks on it because I still question my own thoughts about the feeling. But so many “what the fuck?!?!” moments have piled up so incredibly over the last few years that it begs a rethink of the trajectory of the art form."


lupe is one of many mainstream hip-hop musicians in the past few months coming out and saying that hip hop is dead. but with only 2 full-length albums behind him, hip-hop as a whole will definitely raise an eye-brow about lupe saying such. or is this just the beginning of his transition to...indie?

lupe also goes onto talk about fresh new faces, the cool kids and anthony hamilton are in the vanguard that he speaks of, and that he hopes their thought-provoking mentality will change and shape a new way into reviving hip hop.

lastly, though no timetable was set...lupe promised that his final album will be out a lot sooner than expected, and that is no longer entitled lupEND but now going with the alias of everywhere.



credits: XXL

1.06.2009

adrian tomine













adrian tomine is mostly known for his comic strips in the new yorker entitled "optic nerve." typically simple illustrations, tomine's work is typically comical masterpieces with precise detail in all his sketches.


a couple really good sketches have resurfaced on booooooom. can't help but appreciate the piece above, "sneakerheads."

check out adrian's site,
http://www.adrian-tomine.com for more work.




credits: booooooom!

1.05.2009

the brainforest


brainforest, a large piece by gerda steiner & jorg lenzlinger is a fusion of both artist's styles at their best. steiner was originally a wall painter and lenzlinger was creating stalactite-like forms when they joined forces in 1997. having only seen a few of their pieces, i truly believe this remarkable piece is their finest.

check out the full gallery at booooooom.


jay z + radiohead = jaydiohead




jay z - one of the biggest, most successful rappers alive right now.
radiohead - one of the biggest rock bands -- it's debatable -- ever.

what happens when you put it together?
according to popular dj, minty fresh...
jaydiohead.
a 10-track album mash-up...download it for free at jaydiohead dot com.

japanese cartoon

so word in the hip hop world is a new interesting musical taste by the name of japanese cartoon. apparently, the dig here is, it's a side project by lupe fiasco. already sounds enticing. throw in the british accent lupe flows with, his new alias as percival fats, and no longer hip hop that you would initially assume. he's in complete punk mode.

sounds a little sketchy now, right? not going to lie...the vibe he's kicking is pretty unreal.

however, lupe is saying he's not even the main singer, but rather he's producer, and a good friend of percival fats, lead singer of japanese cartoon, and that he is only financing the band.

the two tracks that are hitting the web right now are "heirplanes" and "army."

check them out via myspace, which has only been up since christmas.


credits: hypetrak

1.02.2009

wale and them nike boots

wale (pronounced wah-lay) has been around since 07 with a couple of mix-tapes here and there, but the d.c. native had a strong end to 2008 being featured on tracks with the roots, kid cudi, rhymefest, schwayze, m.i.a. and lupe fiasco. his latest track chillin meant to be on his 2009 mix tape back to the feature was leaked towards the end of year. the track was produced by cool and dre.

the hip hop world knows him for his track back in 07, nike boots. but the track is being resurrected lately with a remix done with lil wayne, and a video was released with chris robinson's hands on it. chris robinson has been known for directing videos for alicia keys, nas, big pun, p. diddy, ginuwine, usher, brandy, t.i. and busta rhymes.

check out wale's video.


Wale "Nike Boots" video (Directed by Chris Robinson) from Elitaste on Vimeo.

nike boots.

1.01.2009

precize

precize is an up and coming producer, and is making some pretty fresh beats.

and he's making a little bit of headway over there in nyc with his beats getting put on the most recent ralph lauren ad. not only is the music behind the ad pretty incredible, the video itself is shot remarkably.


Rugby Ralph Lauren Holiday 2008 Collection Video from GFCnewyork on Vimeo.

credits: hypebeast