My Favorite Things...

Oprah had her favorite things episode a few weeks ago (I only know because my girl watches it religiously) in which she showers her "soccer mom" audience with products that she is endorsing as the "must haves" for the summer. Unfortunately I don't have a net worth of $1 billion+, so you cats will have to get these products the old fashion way, no hands out here. Luckily these aren't products that will require you to break a lot of bread so don't worry about getting a side hustle just to support this list.

Summer hasn't officially started but it's already hotter than a summer day in hell (word to weezy). So to avoid having a damn heat stroke, I advised you to keep your body hydrated. I usually only drink water, but once my taste buds got a hold of this Snapple White Tea I was hooked.

I'm not going to give you a summer reading list like they did in middle and high school. But I will highlight a few books that might occupy my time this summer. The first one is Streetwear by Steven Vogel. Amazon.com describes this book as the definitive insiders guide to streetwear and streetwear culture but author Steve Vogel says otherwise. I suggest you pick it up if you want to find out how your favorite brand got its start.
Further reading - The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner: My girl says this is a must read. I trust her because she's a nerd like that and she knows all the good reads.


The first half of '07 hasn't been that successful commercially (unless your Akon or T-Pain) or critically for hip hop. Fortunately, the summer has the potential to change the dismal course of the year. The coveted #1 spot for most anticipated cd this summer has to go to Kanye. I know the official release date is Sept. 18th but 'Ye made it pretty obvious on his new mixtape that its going to get pushed up.

Most Anticipated:
1. Kanye West - Graduation
2. Common - Finding Forever
3. Talib Kweli - Eardrum
4. T.I. - T.I vs. T.I.P
5. Pharoah Monche - Desire
Honorable Mention - Little Brother - The Get Back

Everybody has an Ipod. Give yours a make over and protect it at the same time with a Dave White gelaskin. If your not familiar with Dave's work, get familiar (word to clinton sparks), dude has some dope oil paintings of everybody's favorite sneaker- The Air Jordan. So if you can't afford the $700 it takes to buy one his paintings, lace your Ipod with the gelaskin and separate yourself from the bland colors offered by apple. Get you gelaskin here

So this is a brief public service announcement. I've seen this situation with fakes reach epic proportions. It's at a point where more fakes are bought than authentics. I don't really have a problem with that, (I made a good grip myself selling fakes in my hometown) but the problem is cats are flashing their shoes like they are real exclusives. Dog, Nike never made clear Jordan 7's with a yellow sole!! If you really want something exclusive go to Nike iD and design your own.

I've never worn shades in the club and I refuse to call them "hater blockers" but no summer look is complete without a good pair of shades. Don't you just feel 10 times cooler when you have on shades?! Go get your Young Jeezy on, drop a lil change on these Von Zipper "Rockfords" and stop buying those cheap knockoffs from that lil stand in the middle of the mall!

Polo is the classic American brand. It's one of only a few brands that can be worn on a yacht in St. Tropez and a project building in Brooklyn, NY. If you don't own a polo shirt or t-shirt, you have two options: 1) kill yourself 2) go to your local department store and get one immediately. Here are the Polo "must have" items:
1. White Classic fit knit polo The traditional white polo with the navy blue horse is like the white t-shirt, it matches with everything.
2.Polo Bradbury Linen short Hov said it best "Linen shorts so my balls don't get hot!"
3. Polo Sport Cologne It gets hot as hell in the summer, you better keep a fresh scent with this cologne.


So there it is; my favorite things for the summer. Now like I said earlier this list shouldn't put you in the poor house and if it does then you need a new job!