Thursday, June 30, 2011
Kangol x Aerial 7
Headphone connoisseurs Aerial 7 have joined forces with elite hat honchos, Kangol to create a collection of headwear with built in earphones. The hats have an innovative ‘Sound Disk’ constructed within the ear laps, combining sound and design, and also incorporating ear phones that are compatible with the iPhone and Blackberry. Check out a sneak preview of the multi-functioning hats which are due for release in Septembe
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
FOOL’S GOLD FLAGSHIP STORE OPENIng
Your one stop for music, merch, and more from your favorite Fool’s Gold Family of Artists. Now open at 536 Metropolitan Ave in Brooklyn, NY. DAMN I MISS BROOKLYN
UNDFTD Sneaker Accessories
As one of the most respected boutique shops worldwide, it’s safe to say that the team at UNDFTD knows a thing or two about sneakers. With that in mind, who better to release a pack that will help you take care of your footwear? This drop of accessories features a few items that will let you put some UNDFTD flavor on your favorite pair-dubraes and laces, and some tools to give your sneakers some extra mileage-a cleaner kit and shoehorns. The items are shown off here on one of the Clyde’s from the UNDFTD x PUMA collection, and the colors represented in the pack seem to be built to match with that drop. This set of sneaker accessories will be available on Friday, July 1st both instore and online at UNDFTD.
A&R LEGEND, LENNY S on the Early Roc-a-Fella Days & His Top 5 Producers
Monday, June 27, 2011
@Orisue WE LIKE TO RT CONTEST – WEEK 1 – $250 @SKULLCANDY PACKAGE
The Orisue “WE LIKE TO RT” Contest is back and bigger then ever. With the relaunch of this contest Orisue partnered with their friends at Skull Candy to offer up a $250 Skull Candy Prize package consisting of (1) Suburban Messenger Bag, (1) G.I. Headphones, (2) Uprock Headphones (2) 50/50 Earbuds and (1) iPhone G4 Slider Case. How do you enter to win you ask….? Simply “LIKE” (onFacebook) or “ReTweet” (On Twitter) anything we post up all week and you automatically get entered to win the Skull Candy Prize Package below!
The contest runs from today (Monday June 27th) until Sunday July 3rd at Midnight PST. 1 winner will be chosen from our Facebook or Twitter account and notified on Tuesday July 5th that they won. So tell your friends, neighbors and significant others….it’s Contest Season!!
Curren$y Keeps Climbing With New Mixtape and Merchandising Deal - The Juice
Don't be fooled by the billowing cloud of fragrant smoke: Curren$y is a shrewd businessman. Despite five record deals in less than 10 years, including one with No Limit and another with Cash Money Records, and still no "official" solo debut, the New Orleans rapper has carved out a career with a unique, indie approach. Late last year, Curren$y, 30, joined Warner Bros. Records, and now, as he readies "Weekend at Burnies," a "commercial mixtape" (due June 28 through Warner under his Jet Life Recordings), he's getting attention not just for his music, but also for his industrious blueprint.
"In hip-hop right now, if you don't have the entrepreneurial mind at some point, it's hard to succeed," Warner executive VP Joie Manda says. "The kids are so savvy -- and they watch your moves. They're not just listening to your verses: They're watching your deals."
Most of Curren$y's projects blur the line between mixtape and proper album. In 2009, he released a pair of collections ("This Ain't No Mixtape" and "Jet Files") through Amalgam Digital. A year later, he took a similar approach, pushing out "Pilot Talk" and "Pilot Talk II" through a production/distribution deal with Damon Dash's DD172 Records and Def Jam. The latter project drew the attention of the hip-hop blogosphere when Curren$y's first-week sales (18,500, according to Nielsen SoundScan) outpaced those of Soulja Boy's heavily promoted Interscope Records album, "The DeAndre Way LP" (13,400), released the same week.
Curren$y calls "Burnies" "an update for people to find out what's going on, like a CliffsNotes for people who don't really know about me." The 10-track set features lead single "#JetsGo," and preorders for the Web-exclusive bundle, which includes a "Burnies" herb grinder, are already sold out on Curren$y's online store through Warner. Fans visiting the store can separately order a commemorative T-shirt, and Curren$y's Warner contract includes a merchandising deal. He and the label split the costs and profits from his clothing line.
By leading with a lifestyle -- his rhymes, which often include lyrics about girls, sneakers and cars, have drawn a following who call themselves "Jets" -- Curren$y paved the way for artists like Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T. and newcomer Stalley to profit from combining mixtapes tied to merch and touring without having radio hits.
Big K.R.I.T. Calls New Mixtape a 'Milestone in My Career'
"A lot of artists, they get a little success and they start worrying about getting to step five too fast," Manda says. "Curren$y is loving taking his tour across the country, without a big hit on the radio, and putting out these hybrid projects, because he feels he's speaking to his fans in a way that no other artist is speaking to them."
"Curren$y acts as a big brother to Wiz, being that he's a bit older than him, and has been in the game for a while," Wiz Khalifa's manager Benjy Grinberg says. "He's definitely been able to give Wiz advice over the last few years."
Being a label priority for the first time in his career hasn't changed Curren$y's approach. Earlier this year, he partnered with producer Alchemist for the mixtape "Covert Coup," a project made available for "free" with the purchase of two limited-edition $40 T-shirts designed by the pair. The shirts quickly sold out online and at Allstar, a boutique clothing store in New Orleans. And even as "Burnies" hits, he's putting the finishing touches on two more projects for release later this year -- a Gangsta Grillz mixtape with Atlanta mainstay DJ Drama and his long-awaited debut that's still untitled but set to feature production by the Neptunes.
"It took a minute. You've got to put that time in for [a major label] to trust going out on a limb," Curren$y says of his long path. "You have to be proven, and... not be a gamble. The best thing to do is to build yourself up as a brand, build your team up around you, so you're not just one thing."
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Def Jam Recordings: The First 25 Years of the Last Great Record Label Book
“Def Jam Recordings: The First 25 Years of the Last Great Record Label is a celebration of the first twenty-five years of the label that defined hip-hop music and culture. This is the story of Def Jam in the words of its artists and top executives, taken from interviews and seamlessly told as a narrative of no-holds barred recollections and anecdotes, made even more compelling by the fact that Def Jam is one of the last great record labels to enjoy the widespread cultural influence that it does, in light of the increasing digitization of music. Def Jam celebrates a label that defined hip-hop and whose impact extends beyond its incredible roster of recording artists to all areas of culture–fashion, lifestyle, cinema, art–impacting the music business and pop culture forever. In 1984, Def Jam introduced a new kind of music and lifestyle–hip-hop–through aspiring record producer and punk-rocker Rick Rubin and party promoter/artist manager Russell Simmons.” An official release is slated for September 2011 through book publisher Rizzoli.
A Bathing Ape x Sperry Top-Sider Bahama Preview
A Bathing Ape have collaborated with Sperry Top-Sider to bring us their twist on the classic boat shoe. Taking the popular Bahama model, A Bathing Ape have created the upper from their 1st green camo design. The sole is made from rubber and features Sperry’s patented Razor Cut Wave-Siping design for ultimate traction. The shoes will be available soon at A Bathing Ape stores retailing for ¥13,440 (approximately $167 USD).
The Wait Is Over: “True Blood” Season 4 Premieres Tonight
Terri - Movie Trailer
Friday, June 24, 2011
Hyper Realistic Sculptures by Ron Mueck
Australian-born, London-based Ron Mueck is as enigmatic as his sculptures. From a distended baby, stuck to the wall crucifixion-style and bearing an unnervingly intelligent demeanor far beyond his age, to a smaller-than-life, sick old woman, who curls up in a fetal pose under a blanket, Mueck’s works command an uncanny ability to amaze with obsessive surface detail and intense psychic discharge. Engaging and wildly popular, they expose our need to validate our humanity, even as they thwart our attempts at full disclosure
5 Questions For… Milan Vukmirovic
Can you please state your name and your occupation?
I’m Milan Vukmirovic. Occupation? Difficult because I’m doing a lot of things. But, I’m launching a new men’s magazine for October. What is it called? The name will be official next week, it’s not official yet. It’s being registered first, so it’s a big secret. And I still have my fashion multibrand store in Miami called The Webster.
What did you like the most in Milan?
I really liked Burberry. I thought it was a really cool show, very Burberry and at the same time all the print and everything was really cool. I really liked D&G for the scarf print. I was really into it and I’m glad they did it. Even Versace with all these printed scarfs, it was really a recall of the scarf prints of the ’80s and ’90s so it was a good moment for Versace to be doing it.
What are you most excited about seeing here in Paris?
I think Paris is quite different. Milan is always a little over the top and Paris is a lot more understated, it’s much more about details. I really liked Kim Jones at Vuitton. It’s funny to see that it still looks very Vuitton but through the style of Kim Jones–the gym, the sportswear–and I think the bags were absolutely gorgeous. Dries van Noten was very beautiful, and there are still two more days to come.
What’s your personal wardrobe strategy for the week?
I always wear only what I like, what I love, but at the moment I like Balmain a lot for men. I think that Balmain is something that mixes between sporty and chic and I really like it.
Do you have a favorite drink here in Paris?
No, because I always drink Grey Goose wherever I go
Ultimate Nachos
Ultimate Nachos:
can refried beans
1 large bag corn tostadas
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup shredded pepper jack
1 jalapeno, sliced into small cubes
1 lb of cooked ground beef/sirloin beef
1 cup shredded Cheddar
1 cup sour cream
1 cup green onion, chopped
1 tomato, diced
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small saucepan over low heat, cook refried beans until they are loose enough to spoon onto nachos. On a large ovenproof platter, spread out a layer of tostadas and quickly put a teaspoon of hot refried beans on each chip. Working quickly, sprinkle with some onions, jack cheese, and jalapeno slices. Spoon on chili and top that with cheddar. Repeat this layering process until ingredients are used up. Place platter in the oven and bake until cheese has melted, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a trivet or heatproof surface. Top nachos with sour cream, green onions, diced tomato and jalapeno slices and serve hot.
