The Mailing List: April 2009 (#4)

4. 2009 NBA Playoffs

Yes, yes kids, it's here. It's the most wonderful time of the year!!! The NBA playoffs will be beginning on April 18th. So, my hometown Knicks are nowhere near the playoffs, and my other team, the Mavericks is in the eighth seed, after getting rocked the past two years. Who really cares? The NBA Playoffs in terms of excitement and crazy moments DESTROY any other sport (yeah, I said it). But for you non basketball fans, I'm gonna give you my breakout players and teams for this year's playoffs:

EAST:

Atlanta Hawks
They took the Celtics to 7 games in the first round lat year, when they really were supposed to bend over and take it from Boston (pause). Joe Johnson in Game 4 had something to say about that one though. Get ready to see Josh Smith's nuts in someone's grill and Flip Murray hitting big shots down the stretch.


Thaddeus Young
My friend an I do really, really good Thad Young impressions; off the court that is. On the court, however, is a different story. This man has been on fire since the All-Star break and is poised to take on the burden of making the Sixers relevant again, since Iggy can't hit a non-dunk shot for his life.


WEST:

Portland Trailblazers
I think if you've been watching the NBA at all this year, you've seen this team show flashes of how dope they really are. They're one of the three teams in the West to beat the Lakers, are defensively stout and have one of the deepest benches in the league. Watch out for Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge to finally make their splash in the Playoffs and introduce all these fake fans the new regime in the NBA.


Travis Outlaw
So what if he's on the team I just featured as a breakout team? Dude is a monster. He plays ridiculous defense, can jump out of the building and has a knack for hitting clutch shots. I can't wait to see him up against the Spurs in the first round. Peep the pure fire of one of my favorite players.

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Greetings from Grand Rapids, Michigan, where the only thing rapid is heartbeats after taking a few bites of the biggest fucking burger ever. At a minor-league ballpark, they sell this artery-clogging concoction (I doubt the majors would allow so much cholestorol within a mile of their players). I thought the Luther burger (Boondocks fans, stand up) was pushing it, but this is unbelievable. It looks like a miniburger that God would eat. I wonder if they make ketchup and mustard packets big enough for it. Whatever the case, this is what is wrong with America. Not only is this LITERAL fatburger dripping with 4800 calories, the shit costs $20! You would think the recession would have people cutting back. It seems like the only cutting that's gonna happen with this treat is a scalpel through your chest when you have to have emergency bypass surgery. Seriously though, tell me that the guy in the picture didn't have a stroke minutes after touching this piece of death. Hey, at least he got the free t-shirt for finishing it. They can probably put it on his tombstone.

(via USA Today)

adidas Originals Grün Forum Mid

Seriously, Nike, step your fucking game up. The thing that I love about adidas is that they don't have to blow you away with wild colors or ridiculous concepts to be hot. The dopeness (yeah, that's not a word) of their designs is in the simplicity and the quality with which they are put forth. These new mid-top forums boast denim accents on the toebox, the three stripes, the heel and the sockliner. The bottoms are clearly a gum-like material with an insanely intricate design etched into them. I think the best part about them is the tongue, to tell you the truth. It has "reground" written on it, which I think is a shot at the underground community. According to adidas, the underground is nothing without them planted in it. For real though, fuck this whole 'underground, sneakerhead community.' Most of y'all are lames anyway. Start revolutions, don't follow them.

The Mailing List: April 2009 (#5)

It's that time of month again, kids. No I'm not talking about your girl's "special time". This is April's Mailing List, albeit a week in (we're working on it). But anyways here it is:



5. Deeper than Rap by Rick Ross

This man has certainly grown on me faster than his stomach has grown. I think Ricky has one of the best presences on the mic in rap these days. His flow has gotten much more solid and his lyrics evoke a mix between coke-rap Jay-Z and syruppy smooth Scarface. Plus his swagg (grimaces face) is undeniable. In rap beefs, the first hit usually has the most power, and 50 Cent just felt a haymaker with "Mafia Music". But that's neither here nor there. This is clearly Ricky's best work to date. Peep the tracklisting and my picks. The album is supposed to drop on April 21st. I would shoot y'all the link I used to D/L the bootleg, but I'm really not trying to get arrested since Google has my info now. SMH.

1. Deeper Than Rap (featuring Jadakiss) (Produced by Kanye West)
2. Mafia Music (produced by The Inkredibles)
3. Maybach Music 2 (featuring Kanye West, Lil Wayne, & T-Pain) (Produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League)
4. Magnificent (featuring John Legend) (Produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League)
5. Cigar Music (I Do It) (featuring Chris Echols) (Produced by Bink!)
6. Yacht Club (featuring Magazeen) (Produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League)
7. Usual Suspects (featuring Nas & Kevin Cossom) (Produced by The Inkredibles)
8. All I Really Want (featuring The-Dream) (Produced by Tricky Stewart)
9. Rich Off Cocaine (featuring Avery Storm) (Produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League)
10. Lay Back (featuring Robin Thicke) (Produced by The Runners)
11. Murda Mami (featuring Foxy Brown & Masspike Miles) (Produced by Bigg D)
12. Gunplay (featuring Gunplay of Triple C's)
13. Boss's Lady (featuring Ne-Yo) (Produced by The Neptunes)
14. Face (featuring Trina) (produced by Drumma Boy)
15. Valley of Death (featuring Lil Wayne & Mary J. Blige) (Produced by DJ Toomp)
16. In Cold Blood
17. Doin It (Produced by T.I.)

Cream of the Crop:
Mafia Music (check my "Dear 50 Cent" post)
Maybach Music 2 (better than the first)
Usual Suspects (Nas goes in)
Lay Back
Doin It

Cream of the Crap:
Gunplay
Boss's Lady (is it just me or has Ne-Yo hit a plateau?)

Nike Air Max 95 "Chili"

Oh, yes. It has come. So what if it's a retro of a retro'd sneaker? So what if it's probably going to be produced with sub-par materials and have an exorbitant price tag to go along with them? So what if everyone on your block is going to have them by the time you hear about them? These are a definite cop if you didn't get your pair the first two times. These are good look. I just think Nike has an Alzheimer's patient on their Product Development team.

Reebok Pump Omni Lite - "Kicks"

I used to be in love with gimmicky sneakers. And when I say gimmicky, I don't mean tacky, tasteless sneakers. I mean sneakers that reveled in novelty and were more concerned with their own jovial nature than adhering to the standards set out by the trend-setters (coughcoughNIKEcoughcough, even though I'll always dig you guys). Shoes like LA Gears, Converses and my favorite, the Reebok Pump, all had their place in my pre-pubescent closet at one point. While the Omni Lite Pump isn't the same novel sneaker that I thought would help me dunk when I was 5, it evokes the same feeling of bauble that I might not get from other sneakers. With this new "Kicks" release (we all know there's an N missing because of the colors), the Omni Lite Pump has, in all seriousness become one of my favorite sneakers. Peep some more views of these new joints and be on the lookout. They drop on April 11th (via High Snobiety).

Dear Hotwire,

I never liked bullshit companies. It always seems like I'm in some way getting inconvenienced through the bullshit of other corporations or entities. Usually money-hungry and ruthless in their operations when it comes to getting your money, but nonchalant and unprofessional when it comes to delivering service, they tend to give you problems at the worst times possible. That is why, with no qualms or scruples in my meaning or rhetoric I can say FUCK HOTWIRE COMMUNICATIONS!!! How can you nickel and dime college students like this without providing any sort of comprehensible service to them? Why is your TV service a spotty, snow-filled interpolation of DIRECT TV's service? It's ironic that your company's name is Hotwire when you clearly hotwire your service from another company. Do me a favor, and blow up your fucking building. You'll be doing yourselves a great favor if you stop trying to pose as a business and embrace the scam that you are. While you're at it, make sure that fist full of assholes you call customer service licks a livewire.

PS:
Dear Whoever readers, if it hasn't become painfully obvious why I'm writing this letter, let me put it in layman's terms. My internet has been severely fucked for the past week. Please excuse the abhorrent lack of substantial Dear Whoever posts until this matter can be resolved. Shoutout to AKZionz for the love on his blog.

T.I. is going to jail...

I guess even the best get burned sometimes. Today Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., better known as T.I. was sentenced to a year and a day (via Reuters) in prison on federal weapons charges. TIP was arrested in 2007 after attempting to purchase firearms from a federal witness (go figure; entrapment, anyone?). Along with his prison term, he was ordered to do over 1,000 hours of community service, which consisted of him doing an MTV show advocating for a stop to violence and crime in the youth. There's no doubt in my mind that he'll serve his time at a lighter type of prison (Club Fed, anyone?) and that he'll get out on parole, considering how the court praised his efforts during his community service. Whatever the case or charges, this man's been through a hell of a lot in the past two years. Hopefully he comes out as hot (pause) as he went in. For now, I'll reminisce. Check some of his notable tracks over his thus-far successful career:


Really, really underrated diss track. Shawty Lo had to concede the loss after this one...

T.I. - A.S.A.P. & Motivation

Two tough songs in one...

Dear Killa Cam

Damn, Cam. I guess it really isn't "Dip Set Forever". I suppose your new video (see below) tells it all. Nowhere in your video for " do I see gaudy Diplomat chains or the most thrown-up set in the world. So when I saw that video and you said "I'm not doing a Diplomats album. I'm not rhyming with Jim or Juelz or nothing," I knew it was over. I suppose all good (or mediocre, in terms of post 2006 Cam) things have to come to an end. For now, I guess I'll bask in some Dip Set nostalgia and wait for Crime Pays:

Cam'Ron Ft. Juelz Santana - Oh Boy
by lilmarcus

Dear Coach K

via The New York Times:

“Really, it doesn’t matter at all what anyone predicts, it’s what you do,’’ Krzyzewski had said on Wednesday. “Somebody said we’re not in President Obama’s Final Four. As much as I respect what he’s done, really the economy is something that he should focus on, probably more than the brackets. So why would I care about that?"

So basically, Coach K, you're mad because our President thinks your team doesn't have a flying piece of shit's worth against the other big teams in the NCAA Tournament? Tough shit. I've been looking for a reason to write about Duke and their self-righteous, overly-braggadocios, three-point shooting, no heart-having style of play. It's painfully obvious to anyone who closely watches basketball that sooner or later Duke was going to run into a brick wall, and wouldn't know what to do when faced with that. Last night, they ran into that brick wall, in the form of a defense-oriented Villanova (that's not even the best team in the Big East), and lo and behold, you guys got bitched out (recap via ESPN). John Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Jerome Henderson (your Facebook name, Gerald) all got exposed and Coach K got made to look like a fool by the President. Maybe instead of commenting on the man's stance on your team's performance, maybe you should teach your team how to play with some toughness, or at least how to dribble. God knows, a pretty jump shot won't win in the tournament, especially not against a Big East team. Until then Coach K, focus your ire on something your team should learn how to do:

Dear 50 Cent

Another year, another repetitive marketing ploy from Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. Don't you think it's about time that you found another way to sell records? I mean, the Ja Rule beef was funny and well-received, considering that nobody really was down with Murda Inc. (apparently it's The Ink, now) at that point. The Fat Joe beef was somewhat silly, but most people can understand that there's a transitive property when it comes to rap beef. When it came for the Jadakiss / D-Block beef, we all knew that you had gone too far, especially when Jada roasted you, and you had no response. So why, why on earth, why in the name of Gangstalicious (we all know that that was you Aaron McGruder was evoking), would you stoop to trying this plan again? Moreso, why would you try it with Rick Ross, a man who had never uttered a single bad word about you? So what if he's affiliated with DJ Khaled, who's affiliated with Fat Joe? The transitive property can only reach so far before it becomes ridiculous, 50. What makes your beef-mongering (pause) even worse is that your album sales have dropped faster than Superhead's drawers. If you keep it up, you'll self-destruct before you can even release Before I Self-Destruct. It doesn't help your cause, either, that Ross has two bangers out (see below), as opposed to your extra-whack feature on Eminem's crap-fest "Crack a Bottle" (see above). Officer Ricky or not, Ross is going to have you beat (in record sales and overall hotness) if you keep messing around with retarded Youtube videos instead of actually putting out hot tracks. As rap beefs go, the music ALWAYS, and I repeat ALWAYS, speaks louder than any ploys or stupidity outside of it. Hopefully you get it before you have to put out another G-Unit album to make up for all the money you lost when yo tried to outsell Kanye.

10 Deep - Spring 2009 Collection

I'm getting older; not older in the sense that I'm going to be playing parchesi and eating tapioca pudding in the "White Light" Retirement Home, but older in that I can't rock out with my colorful tee shirts, earrings, and sagging jeans. I won't tell you my age, but soon sneakers and streetwear will not be the modus operandi that I'll be able to subscribe to. Just like when I went to college, I put away the tall tees and fitteds with the New Era stickers for fitted jeans and polos, the advent of a new year brings a change. 10 Deep (always a favorite brand of mine) just came out with their Spring Collection, and I have to say, that they must have been reading my mind. Along with a new mission statement, the army of one (if you know the brand, you know what that means) has revamped their style, catering to the early nineties crowd and tailoring their clothing to a higher ideal of aesthetics. While still carrying an edgy undertone, 10 Deep has gone from bold to laid back with their designs, and I for one have become a lifelong fan. Peep a few more pieces from the Spring 2009 lookbook:





via: 10 Deep

Nike Air Yeezy

Attention Kanye Fans: The Air Yeezy's will be released on April 4th at the Foot Locker House of Hoops on 34th Street in New York. They're definitely going to be in the colorway above (I don't really dig it). This is really one of the first times I've seen Nike come through with a signature shoe for someone that's not an athlete. For some reason, I see the materials on this being above par with Nike's releases as of late. But anyways kids, if you're looking to get a pair of these, you better line up soon. Y'all know how those resellers are.

Consequence & KiD CuDi - Buggin' Out 2009

Most of my friends think that KiD CuDi (yes, I did the letters like that on purpose) can't rap. He really is a pretty good musician and lines up well with the whole GOOD Music image, but his lyrics have been sub-par in my opinion. He puts together a decent verse in this video, not to mention makes himself seem a lot less boring. Does anyone know what, in GOD's name, is wrong with Consequence's teeth?!?! He looks like Mr. Wilson from Dennis the Menace with those...

Dear VH1,

So you finally decided to bring back Behind the Music? (link below) I'm actually very surprised at this one, considering the last time you guys played actual music wasn't even on the actual VH1. You guys outsourced more musical duties to VH1 Soul than Sony Corporation to India. Seriously, what the fuck? How can you guys call yourselves a music channel when the only time you play music is during the Top 20 Countdown? Why has your programming segued into shitty reality programming? Why do I see Ray J and a bunch of other C-list celebrities instead of something productive and easing to the ears? You guys are like that easily-led annoying girl in my computer class in high school, confused and too concerned with the ideals of others. But that's neither here nor there. Apparently for your first Behind the Music in over three years is going to be about none other than Weezy F. Baby (do any other artists exist these days?). But I have one last question: don't artists have to have gone through an overwhelming amount of adversity to be on Behind the Music? I feel like the only hard times Wayne's gone through is when that nigga shot himself by accident. And even if that's a hardship of some sort, isn't it stupid to have someone on because of self-inflicted hardship? Does getting raped by Baby count? I swear, it's like people need an excuse to give Wayne publicity. Whatever the case, it's going to be interesting to see BTM back on the air. I hope their ratings don't get buttfucked and buttfucked and buttfucked again.

Lil' Wayne to Appear in VH1's "Behind the Music"

Stussy "Great Minds" Collection

I LOVE creative ideas in streetwear, especially since lately everything looks the same. It's like every brand has just melded into every other brand. It's like a Flubber of repetitive, unmotivated clothing, that people just buy simply for the name now. That's why I'm liking the "Great Minds" collection by Stussy. They took portraits of some of the most brilliant thinkers of all time and proceeded to infuse them with color and funk (wouldn't it be DOPE if funk was a feasible, physical substance or object?). They got Einstein, Thoreau, Shakespeare (highsnobiety.com spelled his name wrong, SMH), Freud and Marx on this first release. Hopefully they continue this idea. Here are my favorites:

Dear Nike SB

So you guys decided to switch up the boxes* again? That amounts to six colors now (orange, silver, pink, black and gold). With the exception of three or four releases the gold box Dunks have been TRASH. Not even trash, horrible. Bad themes, bad colors and shitty materials have pervaded the recent Nike SB releases. It's like Nike hired someone from the Bedazzler company as their chief designer and let this guy go crazy with the colors. Even if you were trying to get on the whole bright-colored, rainblow fad, you're about two years late for that bandwagon. I have a lot of hope for this brand, but some of the previews I've seen look like you guys might be feeling that recession soon.

You've got to be kidding with those two.

These can get the job done though.

*shoutout to SwaggerDap for the heads up on the box change

The Mailing List: March 2009 (#1)

So I finally decided on the #1 for March's Mailing List (yes, over halfway into the month). For you cordial, non-tardies, I'll work on getting April's Mailing List out in a timely manner, but for now, peep #1:

#1 Curren$y: "This Ain't No Mixtape"

So I just posted on Curren$y a few days ago, but after some heavily listening, I've decided that this needs to be #1. There aren't any serious, heavily anticipated mixtapes coming out for a minute, aside from this one. Listen to Tha Hot Spitta preview his new tape below. The cover and tracklist will be up as soon as I get it. Also, you can check out some snippets from the tape in the link below.

Snippets from "This Ain't No Mixtape"

Nike Air Force II High - Nintendo Wii

Sorry I haven't written any letters lately. Exams are a bitch and I suck at time management. But I can still write about this:

Nike is really releasing some hot sneakers these days. Apparently, in addition to the high top Blazers I posted the other day, there'll be a Air Force II High released following the same Nintendo Wii theme. This time, however, they'll take a little out of the Espo's book, with a clear upper portion (y'all better be wearing clean socks). They also feature a nice clear sole, white cement print accents on the toebox and a Power button logo on the tongue. This is a definite cop for you Wii fans. I like the Blazers more, but these are extremely dope.

Curren$y "Tha Hot Spitta"

I can admit when I'm wrong, unlike 99% of our planet. When you sleep on something, and then find out about it later on, it's almost like waking up and finding out that Christmas passed you by a week ago. You might still get the GI Joe with the kung-fu grip, but the thrill of opening it on that day is gone. Okay, maybe I took that analogy farther than it needed to be taken, but still, I can't believe that I slept on this dude. Curren$y aka Hotspitta is out of New Orleans and has been putting out mixtapes for the past two years. The only reason I was late on the bandwagon, is because he was affiliated for the longest with a dreadlocked, platinum grilled, eyebrow and lip-pierced, sometimes indecipherable rapper that I don't particularly subscribe to these days (for you stupid folk, Weezy F). I always felt like the only reason people really fucked with Curren$y (I hate having to write that damn dollar sign) was because he was with Wayne and because he's pretty fresh by today's label-obsessed standards. But that's neither here nor there. After a lazy Sunday of playing video games and watching Selection Sunday with the Hotspitta in the background, I've come to the conclusion that dude needs to be covered. He's not only dope with the wordplay, but he always rides his beats perfectly, something that can't be said about Wayne all the time. His production is on point, too. Here are a few videos and my picks for the first Curren$y mixtape I've ever listened to:

Curren$y - Welcome to the Winner's Circle

This mixtape made me into a believer.

He can ride a beat as good as anyone out right now.

I couldn't blog about dude without talking about his kick game. A little on the hype bandwagon, but a dope collection nonetheless.