Twas kind of a surprise to see this one pop up on the blogosphere, considering Church League Champions came out a good minute ago. Even so, the video for 'Shut Up' is piff. Chuck and Mikey from the Cool Kids showed up for some quality time with the boys formerly known as Pacific Division, and although I'm still not sure what the video was about, it matched the song pretty well. It's dark and conducive to high levels of bass. Still wondering who produced the track, though. Whatever the case, check out the visuals...
Just when I thought there were only going to be Jordans and nothing else released this summer for the sneakerhead clientele, saw these bad boys floating around the interwebs. What's probably the most famous colorway of the Air Max 90s is going to be re-retroed again. They should be dropping on July 20th (right around the corner for my birthday, if anyone cares to add to my fund/collection) at most Nike retailers, including Foot Locker. Props to Sneakernews for the info. Keep your eyes peeled for more drops and news...
Scooped this up through the beautiful HERfection and thought, 'What the hell? Might as well give it a spin...' What I didn't think was that it was going to be one of the smoothest, most sultry tracks I've heard in a minute, or that it was going to resonate so hard with my inner hopeless romantic. We all know Drake isn't the best vocalist, but whatever machine they threw together for this song did the trick. Whatever the case, check out what's (hopefully?) another track from Thank Me Later...
Look, I'm black, and I enjoy chicken. There's no correlation between the two, but I figured that statement needed to be made before I make this statement:
YOU GUYS HAVE LOST YOUR FINGER-LICKING MIND!!
First there were boneless wings, then there were boneless ribs, and now, a boneless filet? Let me look up the dictionary definition of filet. A filet is "a boneless cut or slice of meat or fish, esp. the beef tenderloin" or "a piece of veal or other meat boned, rolled, and tied for roasting" (Dictionary.com). What should that mean to you guys? That should mean that what you're serving in a cup and selling for $3.99 is essentially a big ass piece of chicken breast! The last time I checked, isn't that half of your menu in the first place? I suppose when you've been serving plain old original recipe chicken for the past 70 years, you look for a new item to shake up the menu (and the shareholder's pockets). This, though, is just plain old UNORIGINAL, and slightly stupid. Anyone who's eaten KFC will (hopefully) see through this and save themselves the disappointment and stomach ailments from eating a huge piece of processed, hydrogenated, trans-fatty, preservative-laced death, that you guys call your 'Boneless Filet'. Make no bones about it. This item should be off the menu by the end of the month. If not, you guys are doing a really good job advertising, and America is doing a terrible job of reading...
As you may or not (but should) know, President Obama is an avid basketball fan, and has made this the second year that he publicly fills out his bracket for the 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Barry doesn't disappoint me, and picks the Jayhawks from Kansas as the National Champs. However, he does have a few questionable picks and upsets on his bracket. The President even admits that he royally f*cked up last year in the first round, although he picked the eventual winner in North Carolina. Check out the rest of Barry's picks and see what the Commander-in-Chief has to say about some of the top teams in the country...
The good people over at Rocksmith Tokyo have been building a solid following over the past few years with quality streetwear. This spring, the Japanese brand is calling their collection the most refined to date. Also, in true streetwear fashion, they've brought together a menagerie of up-and-coming hip-hop artists and radio hosts to add a little UMPH to the visuals for the collection. Check out some of my favorite pieces and check the rest of the collection at Rocksmith...
Wow. Wow is all I can say, Akon. First of all, what happened to your music?? I suppose people got tired of your non-singing behind half-singing and rapping. Then again, when you profess to be a Konvict (the spelling should have tipped us off that your story was a farce), the time lapse of your spotlight is much faster than most, especially when your entire story is a fabrication. That said, I find it hard to believe that you still have a following. At this point that's neither here nor there, though. Akon, what in God's name is this abomination that you call a cologne?? Do you really think any man with half an ounce of dignity in his closet is going to be rocking this? I hope not.
I mean, the cologne is called Konvict, and the bottle is shaped like some handcuffs. Unless you're target market is prisoners who want to smell like jail rape, I don't think the cologne is going to sell all that well. In fact, I'd be pressed to find anyone who would cop this either for self, or for a man in their life. Buying this for someone is essentially telling them where you think they should be: in handcuffs. ironically, I think it is you who should be cuffed for trying to peddle this feeble, probably generic-scented fragrance. Then again, there are definitely a gang/gaggle of Akon stans (never met one, but I'm sure they're out there) who will be lining up to waste their $60 on 3.4 ounces of Akon-Must...
PS: I hope you're not still messing with underage women. Doing things like this will have you smelling like a Konvict for real:
Right now, I am in basketball heaven, as I hope every die-hard basketball fan is. The NBA is coming into its home stretch and the games are starting to heat up. I just watched a documentary on Reggie Miller single-handedly dismantling the Knicks (damn him to all hell for that one). But the most prevalent thing, because it just so happens to be March, is the 2010 NCAA Basketball Tournament. 65 (should be 64) teams get to duke it out for the chance to call themselves the best team in college basketball. That means for the next 3 weeks, you will be able to live, speak and breathe basketball. That makes me happy. Anyways, rather than show you my bracket, I decided to throw together a preview. Let's check out the players to look out for, overrated teams, sleeper teams, and who I think the National Champ will be...
Players to Look Out For
Scottie Reynolds - Villanova University
Scottie's been flying under the radar since coming back for his senior year at Villanova, but everyone knows he can light any squad up since dropping 40 on UConn as a freshman (SMH at the Huskies for not making the tourney). Since he's projected as a undersized combo guard at the next level, he's been working a lot on his PG skills, and it's show in the way Nova plays. The offense now runs through him, instead of off him. Even so, he is going to surprise some people this year, and probably help his draft stock too...
Isaiah Thomas - University of Washington
This guy could easily be the x-factor that turns Washington into a Cinderella. Isaiah Thomas, along with being the namesake of one of the best PG's to play the game (let's see who debates that), is as quick as a hiccup and really grew up having to lead a young Washington team. The fact that they are even in the tournament is a testament to how good this guy is. I liken him to Nate Robinson (another UW product), but less of a gunner and a better point guard. He took home the Pac-10 Tourney's Most Outstanding Player Award and for good reason. Look out for Thomas to be a bracket-buster...
Evan Turner - Ohio State University
For all of the talk about John Wall and Xavier Henry or whoever else as the best player in college basketball, there is one player who should be getting more shine than all of them. Junior, Evan Turner broke his back halfway through the season, came back and essentially willed his team towards the Big 10 title this year (if you saw 'the shot' you know what I'm talking about). This guy is the second coming of Brandon Roy and is the only player I can remember in the past decade to put up more than one triple-double in a college basketball season. He can score from anywhere and is a ridiculous ball-handler. I would not be surprised if this man could will his team to the Final Four and shock EVERYBODY...
Overrated Teams:
Duke Blue Devils
I say it every year, but somehow Coach K's team always seems to prove me wrong by sheer acts of God that I couldn't possibly comprehend. Whatever the case, for the past few years, Duke has been teetering on the brink of being good and overrated, and this year might be the year the Cameron Crazies get shocked. Duke's brand of basketball, while efficient and textbook, gets them into trouble when facing more athletic and better defensive teams (ask Maryland). While Scheyer, Singler and the rest of the Blue Devils are experienced and can shoot, they tend to get rattled when under intense defensive pressure, or when they're forced to play an uptempo game. Both of those tend to happen in the NCAA Tournament. I'm not saying the Dukies are going to get ousted in the first round, but don't be surprised if one of those tough Big East teams from their division takes a bite out of them...
Michigan State Spartans
Last year, they got trounced by 17 by the UNC Tarheels, and this year they made it back into the tourney as a 5-seed, undoubtedly weaker. The Spartans suffer from two ailments that make me doubt their legitimacy: 1) Players with no upside who came back & 2) a bunch of BAD in-conference and out-of-conference losses. Though Tom Izzo has a lot of magic to throw on the court during March, there are too many question marks with the Spartans this year. In addition to that, they're going to be playing in the toughest division in the tournament, against GA Tech, Georgetown, Ohio State, Maryland and the #1 team Kansas. If Michigan State is going to win, they'll probably have to get hot and run into a team on a slump, but I don't see it happening...
Sleeper Teams:
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech's always been one of my favorite squads simply because Paul Hewitt is one hell of a coach. While his teams are always young (too many one-and-doners) they are always among the most athletic and best defensive teams in the country. They defeated a very hot Maryland Terps team to get them into the ACC Championship Game, then put a huge scare into the Duke Blue Devils a few nights ago. The two things that will make or break this team are turnovers and free throws. That's it. If the Yellow Jackets keep their turnovers low, and focus enough to hit a respectable FT percentage (they're shooting an abysmal .643 this year), then they will upset a few teams...
West Virginia Mountaineers
I'm a die-hard UConn fan, so this pick is the ultimate in conflict for me. However, after winning the Big East Tournament, WVU really made a believer out of me. Alongside Syracuse (shouts to John & Meezy at Swaggerdap), they were probably the most consistent team this side of Kansas and Kentucky. Also, the Mountaineers have an extremely experienced rotation. All of the players are at least sophomores and know how to play defense under Bob Huggins. They should be very wary of how many 3-pointers they take, since they live and die by that. Other than that caveat, this team is going to make a lot more noise than people expect. Is it a Big East bias?? Yes. But when the best conference actually is the Big East, what can you really expect??
The National Champions
Kansas Jayhawks
This wasn't that hard of a decision, although most people would pick Kentucky over the Jayhawks. Kansas has two experienced upperclassmen in Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrige, an amazing freshman scorer in Xavier Henry, and a deep team of role players. Coach Bill Self has been in the big games before, so he's not going to be sweating it. The only thing I would say against Kansas is that the Midwest division is definitely the hardest in the tournament with GA Tech, Georgetown, Ohio State, Maryland and Michigan State all gunning. However, Kansas has proven itself time & time again, and breezed through their conference tourney, so it's hard seeing them losing...
There you have it people... The tournament should be pretty exciting this year, despite a few high-profile snubs. Look for last second shots, huge performances and all the emotion that people say is missing from the professional game. Oh and by the way, if you want to get in on a bracket pool, hit the e-mail link to the left. Let the games begin!!!
Greetings from Paris, France, people, where IKEA decided to make rush hour a little bit more comfortable. As a part of a new marketing campaign, the Swedish home furnishings brand placed couches, chairs and other housewares against a homey backdrop in a Parisian subway station. Not that I'm against doing some good for the commuter population, but something like this would NEVER work in America, much less in NYC or Philly. Before most people could even see the couches, those things would either be covered in urine, graffiti or some other nastiness. If not that, then they would have been stolen or apprehended by some homeless person. Kudos to the French for being good citizens, but I definitely wish the same thing could go down across the pond...
In the days of old, when no one hopped on each other's beats like that, this wouldn't have happened. But, alas, this is the blogosphere, and no instrumental is safe. Lloyd Banks and Juelz Santana finally came out with the visuals for 'Beemer, Benz or Bentley,' but a few days after Joell Ortiz and Jim Jones (Dip Set seems like they're becoming the hip-hop mercenaries) did the same for 'Nissan, Honda, Chevy.' Do I smell some contention? I hope not, because while I'm inclined to give the nod to Banks and Juelz since it was originally their song, Joell & Jimmy's video was a tad bit iller, as is the concept. Not sure who's to blame either: the artists, the labels or idiotic producers who don't lock down their instrumentals. Regardless, both videos do their respective tracks justice. Which one do you guys prefer??
In January, I posted up a preview for the new NBA Jam coming out for the Wii later this year (link). Now we finally have footage and a trailer for the game that made me realize basketball was my favorite sport in 1993. Still no word on the release date, but you can definitely see the stars are going to be in full force in this game. I spy LeBron, Carmelo, Shaq, Kobe, D-Will, Dirk, J-Kidd, and many more already. This game just needs to hurry up and come out already. Check the trailer...
In my lifetime, I've seen my fair share of movies, some of which having easily predictable storylines. These storylines become even more predictable when you see the trailer. While some trailers more or less give up the premise, facts and jokes of the movie, other trailers are just plain old plain. Here's the most epic of generic, yet always compelling trailers. It features every archetype and paradigm from every inspirational movie you have ever and will ever see in your lifetime. No word on the release date yet, but I'm guessing somewhere around the 5th of Decembruary. Check the trailer...
Had this thing in my inbox for a few days now, and I've been BSing on it for one reason or another. Regardless, I finally got a chance to listen to this guy they call Skewby (if names could kill), and I must say I'm impressed. The tape's called Proving You Wrong Since 1988. Being an 88-baby myself, I couldn't help but endear myself to the man's cause. The tape might have flown under the radar because it doesn't have a DJ Drama or Don Cannon cosign, nor a litany of popular instrumentals. In fact, I think I liked the tape more because all of the production was original. A few of the beats were head-scratchers, but others were pure PIFF. While somee of the songs sounded like they were straight out of New Jack City, others sounded like they were made on an 808 machine from the year 2088. In terms of lyrics and content, Skewby is a regular dude... who just happens to rap. His songs are done in such a soliloquy-esque way that you feel like one of Skewby's boys that he's telling a story to. There aren't any filler tracks either. Skewby is the answer to the swag rappers of the past two years. Not that he's organic, rocking a chew stick, but there's something natural about the guy that you can't not like. Hopefully he keeps it up. Check out the link, tracklist, #dopetracks, loosies, and videos...
Tracklist:
1. Proving You Wrong
2. Get Retarded
3. Im Here Now
4. Dope Man
5. They Know
6. A Bad One
7. Sunday Morning
8. No Critics Allowed
9. Searching
10. WorldWide
11. She Like Me
12. Log Out
13. The Feelings
14. Turn it Up
15. Honesty
16. Talk 2 Em
17. Exit Please
#dopetracks:
Get Retarded
Dope Man
A Bad One
Sunday Morning
Log Out
She Like Me
That microphone is as dangerous as a bat in your hands...
Yeah, that's a hell of a title, but I couldn't put it anymore concisely. You see, when you're writing, there's space to really think about what you want to say and to craft it differently if it might be misconstrued. As a writer, it's hilarious seeing people try to speak profoundly, only to have their comments spun into something disrespectful or controversial. Such is the case with two black baseball players, Milton Bradley of the Seattle Mariners and Torii Hunter of the Anaheim Angels. Both players, of the African-American diaspora were quoted in the past week as follows:
"People see dark faces out there, and the perception is that they're African American," Los Angeles Angels center fielder Torii Hunter says. "They're not us. They're impostors.
"Even people I know come up and say, 'Hey, what color is Vladimir Guerrero? Is he a black player?' I say, 'Come on, he's Dominican. He's not black.'"
"As African-American players, we have a theory that baseball can go get an imitator and pass them off as us," Hunter says. "It's like they had to get some kind of dark faces, so they go to the Dominican or Venezuela because you can get them cheaper. It's like, 'Why should I get this kid from the South Side of Chicago and have Scott Boras represent him and pay him $5 million when you can get a Dominican guy for a bag of chips?'
Now Torii, I hope you were wondering where the hell your publicist was after this interview, because you more or less just guaranteed that you'd be getting the side-eye from every dark-skinned Hispanic player in the MLB. I understand that you're upset because black players aren't properly represented in the L. Even so, was it really you're place to comment on it? As a matter of fact, will it ever be? You're an MLB player, Torii, not an athletic anthropologist specializing in baseball. Your job is to hit the ball over the fence and catch the ball when it comes to you; nothing more, nothing less. Learn to keep your underlying idiosyncrasies and bigoted (yes, it's considered bigotry even by a black person) under your hat. The media will take your comments out of context (hence the 10 million hits for 'Torii Hunter impostor' on Google) and you will get branded as the 'Angry Black Man,' as most black athletes do at some point. If you're going to criticize anything, criticize the teams for not taking chances on black players. Just don't do it like your homie Milton Bradley...
"I was a prisoner in my own home. I pretty much stayed at home, ordered in every day, never went anywhere."
"Well, I mean unless you go out there and you're Superman -- you're Andre Dawson, you're Ernie Banks, you're in the Hall of Fame -- then it's going to be tough," Bradley said. "People are just the way they are.
"When you get paid a lot of money to play this game, they expect miracles. And when you don't go out there and perform like that, then people don't like it. People don't want to see a guy that's brash and cocky and a little arrogant and kind of does his own thing making a lot of money. They were like, 'He doesn't deserve that.'"
Milton Bradley... Along with having the funniest name in baseball (I'm guessing your parents never played board games), you have a serious knack for being a hothead on whatever team you happen to be on. Last year with the Cubs was forgettable to say the least. You had the lowest averages of your career since 2002, and were heavily criticized for how much of a headcase you were. Now, I realize the Chicago Cubs fans are a tough bunch, but at the end of the day, THEY ARE PAYING YOUR SALARY. The booing and comments when you are out on the town should be expected. If you don't want the criticism, retire and open up an overrated restaurant. The hate mail is concerning, but should it really affect you that much? If it got to the point where there were physical threats being made, maybe your case holds some water. Aside from that, it just seems like you're bitching about the treatment you think you should be getting. Newsflash, Milton: You have to earn respect, not perform terribly and get mad when you get booed. It just so happens that you did the latter, and now you're mad. Boo-hoo. Take that other $20 million still on your contract and buy yourself a damn psychologist if it's that serious...
Now, I realize this letter might be somewhat of a shot in the arm for some of you guys, but it needs to be said: WATCH YOUR MOUTH. Every press interview should be treated like a meeting with a court liaison, save the fact that you won't go to jail for your words. As a black athlete, your words are put under the ILLEST of microscopes, regardless of how you mean them. The media are, and always have been vultures. Make sure your words don't become food for them...
Was definitely tempted to post this up for Freestyle Friday, but the visuals for this were so good that the video had to be in its own post. Diggy, with some great music industry connects, got cleared to use the Nas sample 'Made You Look'. And much to my surprise (sarcasm), he RIPPED it.
'I don't rap for my age like Bow Wow.. The son of a king, so why would I ever bow down?'
By virtue of that line, I'm officially a fan. Any rapper that can destroy Bow Wow's career in one bar automatically gets my vote. Check out the real Young Simmons in what might be his first music video...
What's up letter readers?? Been light on the posts the past few days, so let's start off the day right!
Greetings from Inuvik, Alaska, where the sun doesn't shine for almost a month during the long and freezing-cold winter. That's when Tropicana (egregious product placement) came to the rescue. The orange juice maker erected a 36-foot wide helium balloon with lights on the outside of it. Canadian filmmakers captured the balloon going up at 9AM in the morning and then catches the people of Inuvik taking a nice, conspicuously placed swig of Tropicana orange juice. The balloon acted as an artificial sun for Inuvik until the real son came back a few days later. Check out what a little sunlight can do for the darkness...
Sneaker News has been providing me with fodder with which to waste my upcoming paychecks as of late. A few weeks back I posted up the Cool Grey XI's and the White/Cement III's, in some misguided attempt to make myself feel better about all the sneakers I should've been copping last year. Regardless of my own vices, Air Jordan is keeping the retroes lined up for 2010, with the II's and XIII's coming out this year, both in their OG White/Red colorways. The XIII's should be out in the Winter and the II's are on the way for this spring (that's like 2 weeks away, isn't it??). Get your finances in order if you're going for that Saturday release, and check some of the flicktures...
