Thursday, June 14, 2007

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!

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Coming Soon



The write up on his website calls him a "lifestyle specialist", whatever that is, but Kenny Burns is more notable for his involvement with Roc A Fella Records and his clothing line RyanKenny. When the entire world followed Hov and his "grown man" movement, it was Kenny Burns' clothing line that spearheaded the change. Anyway, here is a clip of what is to come for his show. Dude definitely has charisma and energy so I'm guessing the show will be entertaining.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Ladies Love Cool Fab?




Maybe it was intentionally planned or maybe LL just has an uncanny ability to foresee the future, whatever the case is, Mr. Smith managed to transform the edgier image he debuted with to something more suitable for his rap moniker. LL is synonymous with "hip hop love song". It took the abrasive tone of Mama Said Knock You Out to remind people that this was the same man that made I'm Bad, Rock the Bells and I Need A Beat. Although his claim as G.O.A.T is certainly debatable, you can't deny the fact that he was smart enough and mature enough to create his own lane which in turn practically ensured his longevity in the game.

So why mention LL? Well today I had some extra time on my hand and decided to finally listen to this Fabolous record that has been camping out in my ipod for a week now. Earlier reviews haven't been too flattering, and judging by today's listen there's no reason to debate earlier reviews. But the main thing I took away from this quick listen, is that it looks like Fab is heading down the same path as LL. Let's be honest, the potency of his "gangsta" records are less convincing when 70% of the album is catered to the female listener. Fab is definitely not a lousy rapper, he has given us a heap of witty punchlines and metaphors-- this album certainly isn't lacking, but no matter how clever he is with the wordplay he is building a resume to rival LL. Which isn't a bad thing. If Fab can keep this up he will have potential LL longevity. Street cred is overrated anyway.

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Divorce is the new marriage...



America's fascination with divorce is sickening but apparently amusing. In a country where 1 in every 6 marriages end in divorce, I knew it was only a matter of time before "reality tv" would attempt to capitalize on the vulnerability of failed marriages and broken vows. What I didn't expect was for ABC to disguise Waiting to Exhale as their new reality show The Ex Wives Club. Shar "Fedex" Jackson and two other bitter ex wives, that exhausted all of their alimony funds (if they even had any) have been hired by ABC to revamp the self esteem of women that apparently are too weak to get it together on their own. I hate to be stating the obvious, but who wants to get advice from professional baby mama Shar Jackson? Even though I'm pretty sure I'll never watch another episode, the show wasn't that bad. If you can bear Shar as "the sassy black woman" for an hour, then maybe this is the show for you. Or maybe you've been brokenhearted too and you're tired drowning in your own self pity. Either way, the point is divorce is running rampant and now that network television has gotten a hold of it, divorce is here to stay.

Monday, June 4, 2007

International Players Anthem...

Summer hasn't officially started yet but the weather has certainly permitted females to prance around town in white pants, mini skirts and whatever else they can find to show some skin. UGK and Outkast have provided the perfect song to accompany all your relentless attempts of capturing that perfect summer fling. Since I've been locked down for a long ass time, I can't enjoy the summer the same way most of you cats do. But that won't stop me from blaring this summer time joint in my car with the old lady in the passenger side. I gotta say this video is a pleasant surprise. But then again, considering Outkast has been known for unconventional hip hop videos, I should have expected them to push UGK to do something orginial.

Saturday, June 2, 2007