Boom Bap

In the recent world of music blasting fourth from the speakers of my room, good old fashioned boom bap Hip-Hop has been in high demand. Sometimes I get into these streaks in which I just need to hear the most loud, often belligerent, and straight up rap possible. For me, straight up rap doesn’t mean I turn to a Biggie CD or a classic Nas album, in this case it means I turn to newcomers to the genre, Dom Kennedy and Pac Div.

DOM KENNEDY


Dom Kennedy’s newest tape "From the Westside with Love" release just a few months ago and due to a great review from the brother Brandon(!) I picked up the tape for review. I could not be more happy in my decision. Kennedy has one of the most layed back, graceful voices to lace a rap track in years and whether or not he stuns you with his lyrics you will no doubt leave a listening session with at least four phrases to raise your ego in the face of any situation. Dom is the kind of rapper who effortlessly laces beats in a manner that makes listening to his tape an absolute pleasure, I’ve found the soundtrack to my summer.

Pac Div

In continuing with the trend of tracks that can knock off the door off of the room I would be remiss not to bring up the goodness Pac Div (Pacific Division) have been pushing out lately. When the Pac Div first released I was immediately a fan. This brand is about enjoying the good times given, and Pac Div make the perfect soundtrack to that lifestyle. With that being said, there were doubts initially as to how Pac Div would survive in the genre, and as to their ability to continue to produce. Well, their latest material should have every doubter silenced. Not only have they managed to retain their vibrancy and childlike playfulness while gracing the beat, they have evolved their style into a complex blend of beat riding euphoria that will have you doing the “Mayor” across the dance floor all over again.

Summer Staples

There are certain days in the Summer when you simply are not allowed to have plans. You roll out of bed sometime around 11:48 to the sound of your cell phone ringing underneath your pillow. You probably fell asleep in the same clothes that you were wearing last night, and most likely you were planning on sleeping off whatever night time antics occurred the previous evening. The cell phone has very different plans however, and is absolutely relentless in requesting that you open your eyes.

When you finally get around to finding the phone and picking up the call, without doubt it is one of your close friends who, unlike you, is already wide awake and in front of your house to pick you up to head down to the beach for the rest of the day. Because it is far too early in the morning to formulate any sort of effective argument as to why you can’t go you roll out of bed, you throw some water on the face, bruth your teeth and proceed with going downstairs, grabbing a poptart, throwing on your summer shoes and jumping into the car.

The reason for my narrative (Besides the fact that I just like writing a whole bunch with a generally uneeded amount of extravagance and fluff.) is to speak on the idea of the “summer shoe.”

When Summer comes around there quite simply isn’t time to be sorting through a box of sneakers trying to find the perfect SB or latest Jordan offering. When it comes to the Summer schedule there has to be a shoe that gets worn absolutely every single day regardless of the destinanation and without a second thought. The shoes will usually start off the Summer in great condition: brilliant color, fresh laces. Than by the end of the season they will most likely be fully destroyed with holes, rips, tears, stains, and exsisting in a completely different color than the one they started as. It’s all part of the beautiful process that only comes about in Summer.

I ordered a fresh pair of Vans Chukka Del Barco's a few weeks back and they finally made it through the eBay commute and to my front door. There they sit primed and clean for the moment, completely unaware the amount of pavement, skateboard grip tape, grass, sand, and utter life that they are about to come into contact with over the next couple months.

i'll leave you with a classic to get your summer started. stay safe people.

7th Season

Well hello. Guess who just hit the 50 posts mark...
If you are just hopping back onto the blog for the first time in a few days than you missed some monumental posts as far as length is concerned. So go back and read if you were too lazy to do it the first time around. Reading is essential.

So Sunday evenings usually bring about feelings of utter horror for just about any person. It marks the end of the beautiful phenomenon known as the weekend and a return to the back and fourth shuffle to and from work or classes for the next five days. Well, now-a-days these Sundays are arguably Sundays of an entirely different breed. Entourage, the HBO original series centering around the life of fictional Hollywood star Vinny Chase is coming back with its 7th season to tie up any loose ends from the 6th season.

I’m not going to write about how great of a show Entourage is, how hilarious Ari Gold’s antics were in the past episode, or how just incredibly amazing Sloan seems to look every time she graces the screen. All of that is well and good but it’s being repeated on just about every entertainment blog across the internet. Let’s take the more Away Team approach of things and look at something two shades deeper.

There is an immediate draw about Entourage. From the first episode you find yourself watching-whether it be season the first or the last, you will be immediately drawn into the fairy tale like existence lead on by the motley crew of New York born brothers. It’s that draw that always attracted me to Enourage. The characters, the plot lines, the ladies, the homes it is all of the a fore mentioned that creates this mythical world of being that any man in their right mind would hop into without second thought. It’s the lifestyle that attracts. The idea that you could possibly leave the parents house in which you live and be transplanted into a Hollywood mansion where women of Playboy center speads fall into your lap all while eating every meal at LA’s finest restaurants is a lifestyle second to none. The selling of that lifestyle is what Entourage does best. Anyway, I can't wait to see what happens..

Talented

As an enormous stroke to the ego of my writing ability, it seems that a few of you actually have been reading the entire post. I will admit that I was a little surprised due to the fact that I generally assume that my posts that contain mostly writing are not as universally accepted or appreciated as much as their picture documentation brethren. it is greatly appreciated.
On my daily rounds on youtube i came across these 2 talented people..

For the ladies, i found a girl who can play top40 songs on 4 iPhones. You want to know what i do on my iPhone? NOTHING, anyway She makes it look effortless. notice in the first video she speaks Korean, and then switches up to Japanese, and then English, and continues to sing in Engrish...enjoy

For the fellas,
Although something about this guy screams I Live in my Mothers Basement. This guy is badass, Parkour + Martial Arts + Tumbling + Magic Tricks + Juggling + Yo Yos + Skating...yeah all of that in 1 man. While you're watching, notice how many times he looks at the camera as if to say "yeah, that just happened"



If your name is MARK: What this guy does at 2:07 reminds of something you would do haha.
Happy Friday everyone.

It's a Celebration Clap, Clap, Bravo...

I was always skeptical of new comers. My more musically up to date brothers made sure that I was listening to Drake since he first dropped. I always thought it was comical that he was Wheel-chair Jimmy from Degrassi. Everyone else in the rap world seemingly is able to overlook this however and enjoy the man’s music...wait some of you are still unaware of Drake?

First of all the above isn’t a Calvin Klein, Land’s End, or LL Bean Fall 2010 catalog cover.

In case you have been hiding under a rock the size of well…Yoa Ming for the past two years prior to that than you know that the above is Aubrey Graham otherwise known to the world as Drake. The all singing, all acting, all bum-knee having savior of Hip Hop from the cold land to the North known as Canada. We were banging a Drake mixtape about two years ago and we all thought the kid could spit but we had absolutely no idea that the hype would ever approach this level. With three singles on the Billboard charts, THE biggest song of last summer, and a 3 million dollar deal off of ONE mixtape, it is safe to say that Drake probably had a decent rookie year. I don’t even understand the progression of this man’s career right now, he is pretty much bulletproof. Who can freestyle off of a blackberry, wear a pair of Kool-Aid-esq awful fake Jordans, completely bust his ass on stage and still stroll to the number one spot in the game? I can’t wait to see what "Thank Me Later" does just out of sheer disbelief. Shouts to wheelchairs, don’t forget where you came from...Degrassi son.

For the love of Heather

So it would seem I have somewhat of an unhealthy obsession with heather gray. The infamous fabric material has probably been on your very own back on more than one occasion whether it be a mandatory gym uniform in middle school with your schools name pasted proudly across the front in some Serif type set or if you have bought any number of Obey, Hundreds, 10 Deep, or Crooks pieces. remarkably almost all of which are released in some sort of heather gray whether it be Ash, Salt and Pepper, Eco, or Charcoal.

I have encountered hate for the color in the paste, for some people it may awaken repressed memories of being stuffed in gym lockers as a young student but I cast all of these doubts to the side. Without a doubt my favorite color/option purchase, heather gray offers the perfect balances between neutrality and a touch of off base-ness. It sure isn’t white, but it definitely isn’t as definitive as black either. Something about that speckled nonsense keeps bringing me back for more. Sorry to rant about something like t-shirt materials for the whole post but when you take a look in your closet and notice that most of your Tees, Crews, and Hoodies are all Heather Gray these sorts of things are bound to happen..

Yabamena!

いただきました！本当に良い世界?...what I meant to say was 'Whats really good world? Gonna keep it short today and leave you with something that will blow your mind...maybe not, but i know you'll think its pretty cool.

Push a button located on the bottom of this can of Sake and it instantly becomes warm...Amazing

happy Friday everybody..