Im sure you have heard and seen our post of the Shamwow guy! Here's a look at ShamWow's Vince Shlomi's handiwork. The hooker Sasha Harris allegedly bit his tongue during a "business" meeting, so he punched her in return. Damn he put it on her! Haha
Disclaimer: I don't find violence against women funny, nor do I advocate or promote it.
What up everyone! Just wanted to post up the last time I had my 65 pair Jordan collection in hand! They sold yesterday for a GOOD amount of money! Sorry for moving through it so fast, the camera was dying! Look out for the next videos of Dunks, Forces, Air Maxes etc... Holla!
Check out this dope freestyle from Young De. This was an exclusive for DJ Booth, but I jacked it for you guys to hear... You gotta watch what you leave on my computer! Young De is currently on tour in Europe with Xzibit, Ice Cube, and Tha Dogg Pound.
U-N-I's new album "A Love Supreme" dropped today. The album is a collab with Ro Blvd, and U-N-I are offering it as a free download on their website. I tried to download it earlier, and it said it would take 2 days and 21 hours, so I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet.
U-N-I’s latest offering, A Love Supreme, put forth with a “recession-proof theme”, continues the band's mission of expanding and texturizing hip-hop's conversation: tackling the lust, love and hate of relationships (“Right Now,” “Desha Dayana”), tossing crafty, whimsical odes to black actresses (“Lauren London”), dramatically dealing with the mundane aspects of struggling artistry through borderline poverty and senseless crime on the sublimely dark “Halftime.” Where Fried Chicken and Watermelon was a spontaneous and easy-going trip backed by a handful of producers, A Love Supreme is a matured and intimate journey produced entirely by west coast producer RO Blvd., who is steadily garnering acknowledgement in underground movements for his boundary-crossing inventiveness.
Y-O says, “We have the best circle of producers in Southern Cali period! We get the most respect out of all these LA groups because of our musical integrity. We have catchy azz hooks with dope lyrics & melodies. The concepts we come up with collectively are daring and that gains a lot of attention.”
Finally a hoops commercial (Sort Of) that Drew can appreciate! Haha! It features Metallica and legendary college basketball coaches Rick Pitino(Louisville), Mike Krzyzewski(Duke), Roy Williams(North Carolona) and Bob Knight(Indiana/Texas Tech). Funny to see these dudes come sliding in (NO HOMO).
JADAKISS FT. GHOSTFACE & RAEKWON - CARTEL GATHERING
Here's a brand new track from Jadakiss called "Cartel Gathering" featuring two of my favorites Ghostface and Raekwon. Jadakiss' upcoming album The Last Kiss drops April 7th. In related news, Raekwon just announced that he has decided to partner with EMI for his Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 album. This is what he had to say...
“The project is vicious right now,” Raekwon said. “It’s done. I just closed my deal that I signed with EMI. I just signed off yesterday, and we made everything official. EMI is the home; they gave me a nice piece of what I needed..." “It’s gonna be raw Hip Hop... We’re gonna keep it where we supposed to keep it. That album? That shit is gonna be better than your momma’s spaghetti, yo.”
KURUPT & TERRANCE MARTIN FT. SNOOP - BUILD YOU UP, TEAR YOU DOWN
Kurupt has been working on an upcoming collaborative project with Terrance Martin called Streetlight, which is due out this summer. Here's a new track from Gotti and Terrance which features Snoop and Soopafly called "Build You Up, Tear You Down."
Vimby caught up with one of my favorite MC's from the West Coast, Evidence. Ev talks about "The Layover" EP, His upcoming album "Cats and Dogs," his relationship with Alchemist, his creative process, as well as his current move towards producing. I'm looking forward to hearing more from Evidence in '09.
LIL' WAYNE & JUELZ SANTANA - 4 SONGS FROM "MY FACE CAN'T BE FELT" MIXTAPE
Here are four new tracks from the upcoming Juelz and Weezy mixtape called "My Face Can't Be Felt." These are all official version and they are all CD Quality. Look for the mixtape dropping soon with 25 more tracks!
Vimby caught up with talented artist Greg "Craola" Simkins at his recent opening "Seeing Things" at Fifty24 in San Francisco. Craola talks about his transistion from his roots as a graffiti artist to his current work as a fine artist.
SAN FRANCISCO - Greg Simkins, aka Craola, started doing art ever since he got his hands on crayons. At 17, he linked up with a couple friends from high school and stepped into the world of graffiti. Now, he's a father, husband, artist, and so much more.
Chaka was a graffiti legend when I was growing up. You couldn't drive more that a 5 mile distance any direction on any freeway in Los Angeles with out seeing his signature name scrawled in multiple places. It's good to see him getting his due, with his first ever solo show almost 18 years after his highly publicized arrest.
Mid-City Arts is pleased to present the first solo show ever from the infamous LA graffiti artist, Chaka. Resurrection opens April 25th and will feature highly anticipated new work from the mysterious Chaka. Daniel Ramos, AKA Chaka, was 18 when he was arrested and charged in 1991 with 48 counts of vandalism, trespassing and causing $500,000 in property damage. Chaka’s signature tag had appeared in a staggering 10,000 locations from Orange County to San Francisco. At the height of his notoriety Chaka was demonized by mainstream media and culture as being little more than a prolific vandal. At the same time he was celebrated by street artists who admired the ability of a teenager from the projects to literally make his mark on the vast, glitzy LA cityscape in such a ubiquitous manner. He is credited with breaking away from the New York “wildstyle” popular at the time and introducing clearer, more blockish lettering into tagging. Chaka was one of the first to create a reputation as a recognizable individual tagger, and spawned many imitators. However Chaka was not just a lone operative. He was part of the LOD crew and as such, his work in reclaiming hard to reach places of the cityscape (freeway overpasses, walls, trains etc) on behalf of his crew is recognized by fellow taggers as a selfless achievement for LA’s graffiti scene as a whole. After spending a year tracking down the once unavoidable Chaka, Mid-City Arts presents his first solo show. For Chaka’s fans as well as street art collectors, this will be a rare opportunity to revisit the nostalgia of the early 90’s, and own a piece of LA’s cultural history. Chaka himself will be in attendance and there will be a limited number of signed posters in addition to his works available for sale. The opening reception will take place April 25th, 7:00-9:00pm at Mid-City Arts, 5113 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019.
The LA Times recently ran an article about Chaka's upcoming show that you can read here.
Here's a new track from Busta Rhymes off the upcoming Fast and Furious motion picture soundtrack called "Show Ya G-Stro," featuring Pharrell! The track is hot and Busta Rhymes spits his usual fire! This is gonna be huge in the clubs this summer! Check it out here.
Check out this live recording of Common free stlying with Prince from a show in London. He hops on the song "Play That Funky Music."
Two summers ago, Prince had a massive residency at the O2 arena in London, where he played about 20 shows or something. All The Way Live just released a recording of Prince playing “Play That Funky Music,” but with Common jumping on for a surprise freestyle session
BNQT followed Dipset's jack of all trades Duke Da God for the first episode of Executive Hustle. From mixtapes to t-shirts to recording sessions Duke is the unsung hero behind the success of The Dipset.
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE FT. LIL WAYNE - I HEARD SOMETHING (SNIPPET)
Here's a little snippet of some new Justin Timberlake featuring Lil Weezy called " I Heard Something." Sounds like Timberland produced this track. You can check it out here.
Check out this video of Dipset producer Araab Muzik live on the MPC 2500. He need to go head to head with Exile in an MPC battle. These beats are sick!
Daredevil Pedro Olivia dropped 127ft. in a kayak down one of the Amazon's tallest waterfalls! Breaking the original record of 108 feet! Just so you know Niagara Falls is about 110 foot drop on the American side! This dude has BALLS!!
In a recent interview with 60 minutes, Lebron underhanded a four footer behind half court shot and made it on the first try! Check it out! Its like nothing to him!
The new King of late night infomercials was recently arrested for felony battery charges following a violent confrontation with a prostitute. Vince Shlomi is best known as the guy hawking both the Shamwow and Slap Chop products on television at 2:30 in the morning. You had to know that a slimy sales guy like that was really a sketchy dude!
MARCH 27--Meet Vince Shlomi. He's probably better known to you as the ShamWow Guy, the ubiquitous television pitchman who has been phenomenally successful peddling absorbent towels and food choppers. Shlomi, 44, was arrested last month on a felony battery charge following a violent confrontation with a prostitute in his South Beach hotel room. According to an arrest affidavit, Shlomi met Sasha Harris, 26, at a Miami Beach nightclub on February 7 and subsequently traveled with her to his $750 room at the lavish Setai Hotel. Shlomi told cops he paid Harris about $1000 in cash after she "propositioned him for straight sex." Shlomi said that when he kissed Harris, she suddenly "bit his tongue and would not let go." Shlomi then punched Harris several times until she released his tongue. The affidavit, a copy of which you'll find here, notes that during the 4 AM fight Harris sustained facial fractures and lacerations all over her face (she is pictured here in mug shots snapped following busts in 2008 and 2005). After freeing his tongue, a bleeding Shlomi ran to the Setai lobby, where security summoned cops. Harris refused to cooperate with officers, who recovered $930 from her purse. "Both parties had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from their persons," police reported. In a brief telephone interview, Harris declined to answer TSG questions about her run-in with Shlomi, though she did say she is considering a lawsuit against the pitchman. Asked if she worked as a hooker, Harris declined comment. As seen in the below mug shot, Shlomi was also injured during the fracas and, court records show, was treated at Mount Sinai Medical Center. While Shlomi and Harris were both arrested for felony aggravated battery, prosecutors this month declined to file formal charges against the combatants. Police records list Shlomi's occupation as "Marketing," but make no mention of his affiliation with the ShamWow or the Slap Chop, both of which sell for $19.95 (plus shipping and handling).
The homey Anthony just shot us over this new mixtape called "We Out Here Mang!" presented by MYX Music Label and HipHopDX. The tape is mixed by DJ Mere of the Oakland Faders and features tracks from Keelay and Zaire, Skyzoo, Rakaa Iriscience (Dilated Peoples), and more. We have 20 or so hard copies at the shop as well that are free with any purchase while supplies last.
Here's a new video off of GLC's upcoming Good Music debut Love, Life, and Loyalty. It never hurts to have a Kanye feature! For those not familiar with GLC he has appeared on Kanye's "Spaceship" from The College Dropout as well as on "Drive Slow" from Late Registration.
Thanks to the NMC, we bring you a brand new (unfinished) Jay-Z track called "Maybe" that was produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs. I'm not sure what this is for, but it's always good to hear some new Jay (even if it is a slow ass R&B track). On a related note, are you all a part of the P-Twitty nation?
Here's another dope mixtape from the homie Soco, Its called "West Package." For those who may not know Soco its only a matter of time! Soco is a L.A product and has some serious talent to make it in this rap game thats full of phony ass rappers! Soco isn't only a beast on the mic, he's a beast on the court! I happen to know first hand since Soco was my college hoops teammate and was one of the illest point guards in southern cali. So trust me and peep his new mixtape West Package. You can also check out other Soco joints here.
Can you believe that it's been 14 years since Eric "Eazy-E" Wright passed away? Eazy-E was a true West Coast pioneer and will always be remembered as the Godfather of Gangsta Rap. With all the bullshit and fakers in rap music today no message is more true than "We Want Eazy." So break out your old Starter jacket, Raiders hat, and Locs, and tip one out for the big homey. R.I.P.
B-Real and Young De sat down with iHipHop to discuss B-Real's freshly released "Smoke 'N Mirrors." The homey Young De is repping Tradition heavy!
B Real sits down with iHipHop to discuss his new album “Smoke-N-Mirrors” in stores now featuring Kurupt, Too $hort, Snoop Dogg, Damian Marley & Xzibit. B touches on the west coast scene, and how older and younger generations of west coast hip-hop are getting along. Finally he shares some stories on how women on tour may not have the most moral aptitude.
Guerilla One just ran a lengthy interview with the very talentedEyeone. You can read the entire interview here. If you have not seen Eyeone's current show with Patrick Martinez at Tradition I suggest you do so as soon as possible.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME AN ARTIST? It has been a life-long process of inspiration and motivation for me. In the beginning, I was surrounded by art at home; both of my parents are highly creative. My dad is an amazing photographer, as is my mom. My mom also paints and sculpts also. My folks would also take me to museums and galleries since I was a baby. They also have a huge collection of books on art and photography that I read over and over. As a kid I consumed large amounts of anything visual I could lay my eyes (and hands) on: comics, anime, cartoons, old and new movies, book and album covers, toys, gig flyers, ‘zines, video games, signage, porn, packaging… Pretty much the things that most kids growing up in the US are bombarded with. When my family moved to the US (I was 6), gang writing both scared me and impressed me. Seeing Beat Street when it came out at a downtown theatre got me onto a form of graffiti I found more positive (although later on I found out the writing in the movie was mostly faked.) My grandma would take me around the city on the bus and walking, and I began to discern a few names that finally made me want to start writing: Mando and Neo MAK and Krenz aka Yem AM7. Linking up with two kids in my neighborhood, Gloze 54 OTR and Modem SH, encouraged me even further. We started linking up with cats from LOD, OTR, and SH; I eventually became a member of Seeking Heaven. Everyone in my crew continues to teach and inspire me. A family friend, artist and musician, Leon Chavez Teixeiro, particularly inspired and influenced me through his art, which often consist of stark images of urban environments, often in bold black and white with minimal color. He also taught me many techniques that I have incorporated into my fine art and print work. His political activism and its relationship to art is also a big inspiration.
Damn, this if pretty messed up! You don't need this many peeps to beat down an old dude. I wonder what this guy did to even be in this situation! Guy holding the camera in laughing his ass off!
Vimby caught up with Shepard Fairey on the openining night of his "Duality of Humanity" show at White Walls Gallery in San Francisco. Shepard speaks about his background, his influences, and his technique. Shepard officially became a household name with his iconic images of Barack Obama for his presidential campaign.
Q-TIP FT. KANYE WEST & CONSEQUENCE - WE FIGHT, WE LOVE
Check out the remix to Q-Tip's "We Fight, We Love" featuring Kanye West and Consequence. Kanye forgoes the auto tune and actually raps on this one. Q-Tip's The Renaissance is in stores now.
Bobby from The Hundreds wrote an interesting article about our country's current recession and it's effect on the streetwear industry. I couldn't have said it better myself, so I am reposting it for all of you to read. Times are tough out there, so support the brands and stores that you love in hopes that they will all be there after we pull through this.
A few weeks back, Hypebeast asked me to answer a similarly-themed Q&A, but I failed to submit it in time, so I thought I’d voice my opinions on the blog. But as I sit here, backspacing over 750 words of recession digression, I realize that all I was doing was contributing to a greater problem, one in which the economy continues its spiraling malaise, churned by public fear, ignorance, and empty complaints.
I’m sure all of you are tired of hearing about it, so I’m not quite gonna go there. But I will say this. Times are tough, and times are getting worse. I’m not an economist, but from what I understand, this isn’t ending anytime soon. And so you will find that over the next year, your beloved Streetwear will start trimming the fat to survive. That means less stores, far fewer brands, reduced variety from your favorite labels. If you’ve been paying attention, you may have already started to notice it now. It’s Back to Basics, and not in a trend-forecasted “edgy” way, but out of a raw, desperate necessity. In 2009, it’s all about bare-bones, core, essential streetwear, minus the gratuitous fluff. (Which, if you’re seeing it my way, is a very good thing).
And so, for the sake of us, our peers in this industry, and fellow fans of the culture, it is up to you, the customer, to continue to support, encourage, and contribute to the craft. For the most part, streetwear is orchestrated by independents. We’re not cushy corporate honchos or veteran, spectacled businessmen behind mahogany desks. Most of us got into this because we were following a dream, that up ’til now has supported our livelihood… but as the financial ground dries up around us, it chokes the creative spirit that depended on it to survive, and thrive. And that’s where it comes back to you, the customer, to keep us breathing.
Because you see, streetwear has always been about the customer, the people. That’s where it started from and this economy is showing us that that is where it ends. It’s back to you, to make us relevant, cool, and at the very least, existent. And what do you get out of this? You will find us all working, thinking, and creating a lot harder to keep you engaged, dedicated to pushing ourselves and streetwear forward.
Here's a new track from Pacific Division called "Shut Up," that was produced by Swiff D. Pac Div's EP dropped today on iTunes, and we suggest you cop it!
Del The Funky Homosapien is back with a new track called "Get It Right Now," from his new album Funkman which drops April 7th. This track is classic Del through and through.
I've been a big Del fan since his early days of "Mistadobalina" and Heiro, up through Deltron 3030. For those who don't know, Del is the voice behing the Gorillaz smash hit "Clint Eastwood."
Here's a new track fro Kurupt called "Dream," which was produced by Terrance Martin. Terrance has produced for such West Coast artist as Snoop, Murs, and Warren G, and it's good to see him working with Kurupt. Look for a few new releases from Gotti in '09!
SOUL ASSASSINS & TRADITION PRESENT SONDOOBIE LIVE AT THE TAKEOVER
You know what it is... More footage from The Takeover event that we held with Soul Assassins last month at Tradition. Special guest Sondoobie of Funkdoobiest showed up and rocked a quick freestyle for those in attendance!
Sunday night we hit the latest "Hardcore Reunion." This show was a benefit for cancer, and featured performances from No For An Answer, Carry Nation, A Chorus Of Disapproval, Headfirst, Blackspot and Ice. I got there late, so I missed Blackspot and Ice, but the rest of the bands played decent sounding sets to a tired crowd that all seemed like they were out way past their bedtimes! I have seen all of these bands (with the exception of NFAA) before, and at one point in my life I would have killed to have seen all these bands on one bill. How times have changed! Anyway, peep the video and judge for yourself.
COMMON, KANYE, AND ERYKAH BADU - THE LIGHT LIVE @ SXSW
Damm I love this song. The little break with "Bonita Applebaum" in the middle is tight too. I wish Common stayed on this tip, instead of the electro stuff he's pushing now. When did Kanye become a biker? haha
So you think you can dance? Tradition is now taking applications for "Tradition's Next Dance Crew." So far, the local favorites "The Funky 2 plus 1" are in the lead. The ripped up the dance floor the other night with moved reminiscent of classic Kid N Play and Milli Vanilli! They even battled Tradition employees Bui "50 Yen" and Dustin "Bannedwidth" Willis and came out victorious. Who is gonna step up to the plate and rob them of their crown?
This Saturday, our good friend Rick Rodney is going to take part in a 2 person photo exhibit. The exhibit features black and white photography by Jessie Rosa Mann and Rick Rodney. There will also be a screening of Star Space, a video by New York artist, Joanna Bovay.
Got a chance to hit the Japan vs Korea Championship game of the World Baseball Classic at Dodger Stadium last night. It was a crazy experience, I have never seen so many asian peeps at a sporting event! Japanese and Koreans love baseball and were going nuts! The Koreans were deep and had probably 60% of the attendance. Japan won 5 to 3 in extra innings, I couldnt wait to get out the cold. Didn't realize how long baseball games are. Shout out to the homie Mike for taking me and also forcing me to offer parking attendants $$$ to park in V.I.P. It worked though hahaha! Here are some pics of the game, enjoy!
National Anthem then Game Time.
Dodger Legends Tommy Lasorda and Fernando Valenzuela each threw the first pitch.
Seattle Mariners star Ichiro Suzuki before game time.
Crazy Japanese fan, dude was freezing come night time!
Today, Mr. Cartoon will unveil an original billboard for the upcoming Fast & Furious movie. The one-of-a-kind artwork features the unique graffiti style that has made him an icon in the art world. The detailed 14’ X 48’ mural was hand painted by Cartoon with assistance from Revok and Toomer. Look for more detailed photos soon. Fast& Furious open nationwide April 3rd.
Born and raised in L.A., Mister Cartoon began his career as a graffiti artist in the 1980s. Cartoon went on to gain notoriety for his unique tattoos, album cover designs, logos, advertisements and custom lowrider car murals. His richly detailed, hand-rendered designs are inspired by the style of tattoos that originated in the hard streets of 1970s L.A. Cartoon’s art embodies the true soul of L.A. street culture and has taken the fine line, black and grey tattoo culture to the masses. Cartoon’s unique position within the art world helps bridge the gap between corporate America and L.A. street culture.
For those who are true college hoops fans might have heard about Master P's son Percy Miller A.K.A Lil Romeo playing hoops for USC. He's yet to see any action this year but he is said to have a lil game! Here's some footage of the Say No Classic last year. I played against some of the top talent at this tourney back in my day! Does Romeo have game? See for yourself here.
Here's a new hot track by Mack 10 called "So Sharp," featuring Lil Wayne and Jim Jones. Sounds like Jazzy Pha on the hook and the beat but not sure. The song is catchy as hell too! You can download it here.
Thanks to everybody that made it out to the Eyeone and Patrick Martinez "New Works" artshow last night at Tradition. Everybody had a great time, and the artwork was amazing! Aside from the free drinks and great music (courtesy of DJ Katashtrophy), everyone was excited by the stellar artwork from Patrick and Eyeone. The limited edition "Old Works" 'Zine were gone within the first hour, and Patrick's foam "Go Getter" hand was definitely a hit! The secret newspaper inside of Eyeone's newspaper stand was a nice touch as well.
Matt and the homeys from XWhereEaglesDareX went the distance, and made the journey out to the shop to check out the event. Matt blogs for a few sites including The Feed (The Hundreds) and Soul Assassins, but I would definitely recommend checking out his own site as well. Check out the pics below, and look for more coverage of the event in the next few days.
