Kaws & Effect.

So I've blogged about Parra. I've blogged about Shepard Fairey. I've done Damien Hirst. Now its time for Kaws. A great artist, with a minimalistic and simple approach to his designs, the New Jersey king has seen his work sky rocket in the last few years. With major toy releases, art shows, and the infamous collaboration with Japanese clothing brand Original Fake, Kaw's work is easily recognizable and wonderful. After graduating Kaws worked for Disney, this could explain his designs based from Mickey Mouse. He has done interesting projects involving the Simpsons, Smurfs, SpongeBob, & the Michelin Man. You can check some of his work out on the traveling exhibition, Beautiful Losers, as well as in many art galleries in Tokyo.

Kanye once again, Shines.

Ok, I was a doubter. I was ready to talk shit, and hate on this project. When I heard leaked snippets from Kanye West's new album, 808's & Heartbreak, I was confused and a bit let down. No rapping, all autotune, and emotional lyrics. However, today after buying the album, I am truly impressed and happy with the album. It is super intense, you can see he did this record for himself, not for the people. I think it's important for musicians to cross genre boundaries and also experiment out of their cliche comfort zone. It is a bit refreshing to know however, next year Ye agrees to go back to his old soulful ways, which he does best. Kanye, bravo. Go buy this album, it's fucking nastyyyy.

This tie used to fly!

So, me being the big bird lover I am saw these crazy ties from the Fall/Winter Collection by Lanvin. I have no idea how much these will retail at, but I want one!

Deep Blue Photographs.

Oh My God, this is truly incredible. I can't believe this mask is actually an underwater camera. So dope. This beautiful invention comes to us from Liquid Image Co. They are retailing at around 100 dollars. Hmmm, maybe I might have to grab one. 

Feelin' Blu.

True Factz.

 I thought it would be dope to do a back to back on the BEST upcoming rappers to the hip-hop industry. First the Dc Beast Wale, and now the best from the Bronx, Mickey Factz. I heard about this cat through Mel D. Cole, and immediately I was in amazement. His versatility to hop on any genre of music, and destroy it with an insane flow is what makes this guy the future. A style toss up between Lupe, Big Daddy Kane, and Rakim, Factz has taken over the internet by storm. With successful mixtapes dropping left and right, the world sits in anticipation for his debut album dropping next year, entitled The Achievement. I honestly really love this dude's work, and am starting to feel that 2009 is gonna be a really beautiful year for hip hop. Thank you Mickey Factz. For anyone still in the dark about this legend in the making, do your homework.

The future of hip hop, that is Wale.

Common, Kanye, Kweli, Mos, The Roots. For years this has been my list of the best in the hip hop industry. Very few new faces caught my attention. Lupe's cool, Jay Electronica has it, but then I heard Wale. I heard about the Dc gorilla just over a year ago through my dude Tabi Bonney. Not only did Wale have a distinct sound, but it was a really dope sound at that. His flow reminds me of a Black Thought meets Lil Wayne meets Jay-z meets young Kanye. A sneakerhead, with dope beats, a weird voice, and the first good rapper out of DC. Then, the mixtapes came and I was sold. First 100 Miles & Running. It featured great production from Judah, Ronson, and the unforgettable Justice Dance Remix. Then this kid dropped a more recent mixtape, The Mixtape About Nothing, totally revolving around the tv show Seinfeld. While the concept seemed bizarre, it worked beautifully and had great success. I mean, take one listen to this guy and you will be sold. It's crazy he's without a doubt one of my favorite musicians, an has yet to even drop an actual debut album. I've never said that about any other artist before. Stay the fuck tuned.

A bit of the old Inspiration.

Being that my goal for my future pretty much follows the path of owning my own sneaker/clothing boutique, I watched this video and got a bit of that old inspirational feeling run down my spine. Here we've got a really dope store, and brand, that is; Undefeated. In this interview, Arktip sits down with James Bond, the owner of the company to discuss it's success, roots, and current news. Admire this dude's crazy beard. 

James Bond of Undefeated from Arkitip, Inc. on Vimeo.

Time never looked this good.

So this dope collabo watch comes from Raised By Wolves X Furni. The watches come in the three shown colors, as well as a cool 3d book for certain purchases. I immediately bought the red one, and most likely will end up buying the teal blue one also. Dopeness!

Ninja Kittens!

Toyota Corolla Commercial entitled Ninja Kittens. Totally awesome.

This is why Kanye West is the Best

Its Kanyeezie back at it again. So a few tracks off his upcoming album have leaked, and the reviews have been quite mixed. I for one, am not a fan for the autotune sound, however, I can't say I dislike what I'm hearing. I give him tons of respect and credit for taking a different path and creative direction with this new sound, but hopefully he won't forget about what made him the best, amazing RAPPING. None the less, this video is ridiculously good. 8O8's & Heartbreak drops November 25th. Till then, I remain intrigued, curious, and just a bit confused about Mr. West.

.
Heartless from kwest on Vimeo.

Untitled.

Cool Clouds!

So in the midst of a wonderful week, my girl Elise (she's the best) decided to show me her current art project, as she so often does. You know artists vibe off other artists ideas, gotta love it. With that said, she showed me a photo of mammatus clouds. I had seen a few images of these gorgeous clouds, but they intrigued me so much, I decided to study up a bit and blog em! Mammatus clouds are cellular patterns that form under the base of a cloud. The clouds often resemble female breasts...

I'm touched, honored, and proud.

I can honestly say, tonight has been one of the most monumental important times of my life. On my arrival back from a great trip visiting my best friends in Boston, I geared up for the future of the United States. Although he held the large advantage, I think we all felt a bit of worry, what if he doesn't make it. 5 months ago, I joined the Obama campaign to prove to myself and others that one man can make the difference, follow the dream, and create the reality of it all. I always dreamed of being part of a movement, to march with the unity of so many, and stand against those who stood in our way. It is a beautiful idea. Barack Obama's victory this evening was the symbol of truth and hope. He proved to the world how strong we stand. It payed off 100 percent to be involved in helping out. It's safe to say, we are gonna wake up tomorrow feeling revived and proud. Goodnight comrades.