www.flytocloudcity.com
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Rumor: Kanye West x Giuseppe Zanotti Stiletto Collection
Rumors reports on an alleged collaboration in the works involving creative maestro Kanye West and women’s shoe maker Giuseppe Zanotti. The past three years has seen West travel to Zanotti’s factory and work 10+ hour days alongside the brand’s team. Rumors involving Kanye West in a fashion context have been relatively consistent over the years, yet only a few projects have actually made its way into the final stages. Stay tuned for any further details.
Phantom v1610 1,000,000 fps Camera
Vision Research’s new “Phantom v1610″ isn’t particularly attractive, nor is it as trendy an accessory as some other, better-designed cameras can be marketed as. It has only one draw, and what a draw that is: this camera can shoot up to one million frames per second. That’s right, per second. Calling this fast is an understatement. Although resolution won’t be particularly sharp and the memory fills up in a little under 5 seconds (keep in mind, that’s nearly 5 million pictures), the Phantom is bound to become the next major tool in slow-motion videography. Just imagine the kind of projects that an artist could complete with technology this powerful at their disposal. Although no release date or price have been announced yet, somehow we doubt that it’s going to be affordable.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
visvim FLYNT MID SUEDE
A new colorway arrives in visvim’s FLYNT MID SUEDE for the Fall 2011 season. Part of a collection that features grey, burgundy and brown renditions, the sneakers offer the brand’s minimalist look with an emphasis on material selection, fit and comfort. The addition of denim laces also adds a distinct appeal to a silhouette that otherwise competes with many similar models on the market. Look for these now through Japanese retailer NOTE, amongst other fine stockists.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Christian Louboutin “Tartan” Rollerboy Spikes
Having had a large hand in the resurgence of high-profile men’s slip-ons, Christian Louboutin takes a bold approach to their Rollerboy Spikes with this tartan model. The upcoming Fall/Winter 2011 release features the signature studded motif with a colorful pattern below. Available as of September 16, 2011 via Christian Louboutin.
Nike SB Stefan Janoski Mid Oil Green
A new colorway in Nike SB’s Zoom Stefan Janoski Mid arrives for the month of August 2011. Done up in an oil green canvas, the kicks offer a more colorful alternative to July’s navy blue/white and black/white offerings. In addition to white midsoles and black lining, this latest release stands out with brown highlights on the swoosh and eyelets. Look for them now through select Nike SB shops,
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
tAz Arnold x Dr. Romanelli “The Americans” Collection Preview
tAz Arnold and Dr. Romanelli join forces as this preview surfaces into an upcoming project titled “The Americans.” The line will undoubtedly take on an innovative and progressive format as the two have long held it down in their respective fields for ground-breaking work. Well-versed in amalgamating and intersecting different themes, stay tuned for more details as it all unfolds.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Nujabes Documentary: An Eternal Soul Trailer
An Eternal Soul Trailer (Nujabes Documentary) from Abe Spiegel on Vimeo.
Here’s a preview trailer of an upcoming film which documents the late great Japanese producer known as Nujabes. Breaking barriers and innovating new techniques and sound elements, his influence has reached beyond his home country of Japan. No official date has been confirmed yet.
(Also they did the soundtrack to Samurai Champloo.)
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
How I Feel About This Whole Sneakerhead Thing by Lidz
(Lance aka Lidz explain his love of being a true sneakerhead.)
(Peep his words.)
---> Twitter @JetLifeLidz
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Luke Says Wiz Khalifa Broke Code by Dating Amber Rose
Luther "Luke" Campbell doesn't think it's cool that Wiz Khalifa is dating Kanye West's ex, Amber Rose. In his Miami New Times blog this week, Uncle Luke chastised Wiz and other young rappers for breaking the hip hop code of not dating each others exes.
"The boy behind the hit 'Black & Yellow' has lost his mind over a woman interested only in hogging his spotlight," writes Uncle Luke. "For months, Wiz has been dating former stripper Amber Rose, whose claim to fame is that her ex-boyfriend is Kanye West…But Wiz Khalifa broke a cardinal rule in the rap game. You don't date another rapper's ex-girlfriend."
The veteran Miami rapper goes on to call out Soulja Boy for picking up with Diamond where Lil Scrappy left off and Memphitz for marrying Lil Wayne's ex-wife Toya. Luke admonishes that although professional athletes are used to playing wife swap, the rap game is different because when rappers are chosen they usually stick with that one woman and cited Jay-Z, Will Smith, Ice Cube, Ice-T and himself as prime examples.
Tyler the Creator Interview.
Hip-hop publication RESPECT. recently conducted an interview with Odd Future’s Tyler, the Creator, who graces the limited edition cover of its second volume, issue 3. Lengthy and insightful, the piece covers just about everything Tyler, including the origins of Odd Future, his personal lifestyle, musical beginnings and just about everything in between. Excerpts from the interview are offered below for your reading pleasure.
How’d you come up with the Odd Future concept?
It was supposed to be a magazine, at first, in my sophomore year. But what 15-year-old do you know—from a single parent—who’s gonna make enough funds with no job to really do a magazine? But it was supposed to be a magazine that sponsored artists. It was me, Left Brain and Hodgy. I like keeping shit in-house. I wanted my friends to be the ones taking the pictures of the people I’d interview, which were my friends who were skateboarders. I’d make advertisements to go in there instead of getting ads from some clothing line.
What were some of the MCs and artists who influenced you the most?
The Black Eyed Peas’ first album, Eminem, Dr. Dre’s 2001 record. I thought I was Usher at one point—not gon’ front. My Way was a tight album. The video with Tyrese? The fuckin’ “My Way” video where they dancing and shit? I could do that whole muthafuckin’ dance. I liked music, it wasn’t just rap music in general. I didn’t know how to play piano ’til [I was] about 13, after I seen Pharrell play during the Clones DVD. I’m a big Neptunes fan, like, die-hard. Name a date—I know when it came out, how many tracks, how long they are. But when I seen him play that piano, I was like, That is the coolest shit ever. I was like, I need to learn how to fuckin’ play piano. My mom never wanted to give me lessons, so I taught myself to play.
But your mother was still supportive, right?
She bought me a keyboard when I was 14. At first I was just playin’ with four fingers, until I learned and taught myself chords. I still can’t read music to this day, still can’t even tell you what chord I’m playing, I just know. It was one summer where I printed [OutKast’s] The Love Below, all the notes, and I tried to learn ’em. I got to “She’s Alive,” number 15 off that album. I learned the first eight bars to that, and I was so happy.
So piano led you to learning how to do full production with drums and creating your own tracks?
I actually started making beats at 12. My mom had a friend, he gave me this [software] called Reason. I produced 80 percent of Bastard on Fruity Loops. I never really went to real studios. I recorded “Yonkers” at a big studio. That was my first experience.
You guys are adamant about how the prominent hip-hop blogs weren’t embracing you. Without their support, how were you guys able to build an audience?
It was word of mouth. But [the blogs] were just not fuckin’ with us. There’s this site called Hypebeast; I’d post on the forums there, and they always showed us a lot of love. I kinda feel like without them, we wouldn’t even be where we’re at now. They were the only ones who took the time out to listen. No one else would fuck with us. They still won’t. I got over it, because out of everyone they post, I’m the most successful of all those little muthafuckas they fucked with. It just made me work harder, made me wanna prove them wrong and show them they’re elitists.
On your new song, “Radicals,” you warn people not to do anything you say in that song. Are you really concerned that it will influence unlawful behavior?
That song is going to go two ways: It’s going to be one of the songs that could make me an icon, and that also will be a song that will get me in a lot of fuckin’ heat with a lot of parents… If Columbine is reenacted or some shit, that’s gonna be on my fuckin’ head. Yeah, it’ll be my fault, just like it was Em’s and Marilyn’s and fuckin’ Slipknot’s and all them muthafuckas.
What is your favorite put-down?
I’m not homophobic, but if someone calls you a faggot—I don’t care who you are—you’re going to be like, What? That shit hits. Why not use that for anyone who does anything stupid? I’ve been writing a lot recently, and I have that in a fuckin’ rap where I tell you I’m not homophobic. I have gay friends and shit, so I just use that word on anyone because it hits people.
How’s your lifestyle changed at this point?
I’m not gonna front, I got a little money, but I’ve worked hard for that. That’s from little shows and remixes and shit. I mean, you see I don’t have jewelry on. I just bought a fuckin’ watch—my favorite watch in the world is from eighth grade, that they sold at Burger King. I bought it off eBay, for five bucks. Shit like that matters to me. I don’t buy jewelry. The money I do have, it just goes to cereal, shirts with unicorns and kitties on them and food. I’m finally able to eat now. It’s kinda cool to go to the store and buy some fuckin’ cereal and some cookies and go back to the house.
How are you doing with being recognized now? Are you ready to deal with all the attention?
Every time I’m where I’m at, I gotta take pictures. It kinda sucks because I go there to skate and loiter, but someone will come by, “Can I take a picture? I’m a big fan,” telling me their life story and shit. Another side of me secretly likes it. I get to meet a lot of girls. So it’s chill. You’ll be surprised the type of races that I bring together, which is really cool. The races are cool—the people kinda suck, some of their mentalities. “Oh, you bringing hip-hop back. I’m only down with real hip-hop, under-fuckin’-ground. Don’t sell out. Don’t go mainstream.” Shut the fuck up. I hate those dudes.
You want to be successful, but you want to keep your creative vision. I want to get where I want to be. That’s what I was telling you—I made it on the radio, where you have to make a fuckin’ poppy-ass song, and I did it with the shit I wanted to make. That’s big to me. I only do shit I really, really want to do. A lot of people would ask me to perform at their things—I’ve turned down a lot of shit ’cause I just don’t fuck with it. I mean, sure, that money looks good, but that doesn’t excite me. If it doesn’t really excite me or it’s not on my goal list, I say no. Sometimes I don’t want all this shit on me. Sometimes people only look at me, and I have to remind them that it’s, like, seven other niggas I’m with.
How did Frank Ocean get into the picture?
I talked to Frank on the phone for like two hours once before I even knew him; he was picking my brain because he liked what he was seeing, and he was signed to Def Jam. When we met, he’d come by the studio and watch us work. We just started kicking it. He’s like an older brother. I’d introduce him to shit like skateboarding and us doing mischievous shit like yelling at people and throwing eggs. He introduced me to rich-nigga shit. He was doing the good life, driving a fuckin’ Beemer and doing cool shit I’ve never seen, going to weird-ass restaurants and just changing some of my views. Like now, I want to make a million by 23, shit like that. That’s my deal. I stay in contact with him every day.
You don’t want me to put together a beer summit for you and those bloggers?
Fuck them dudes. I’m over it. I’m not gonna sit here and hate on them no more, but that Grammy speech is directly for them. Yet they haven’t said anything, so that might just be for that eskay dude from Nah Right.
You don’t even drink, right?
Never had a drink in my life—at all. Not ’til Grammy night.
Air Yeezy 2 Further Release Rumors Part 2
A contentious issue amongst sneaker and Kanye West fans has been news of the impending Nike Sportswear Air Yeezy 2. A few days ago saw a rumored sample appear which saw some of the sensibilities of the original Air Yeezy 1. But some news has surfaced regarding the release aspect of the shoe. A total of five colorways will release this time around in regional exclusives. Three models are set for the United States, one for Europe and one for Asia. No other news is available at the present time but stay tuned.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Mac Miller Interview With Complex
Mac Miller might seem like just another Internet rapper, until you find out just how popular he actually is. After dropping his mixtape K.I.D.S. last summer, the 19-year-old Pittsburgh native’s career has been on the upswing. He’s quietly amassed over 550,000 followers on Twitter. A number of his videos on YouTube have over 10 million views, including “Nikes On My Feet,” “Kool Aid & Frozen Pizza,” and “Donald Trump,” and his recent EP, On and On and Beyond, has sold over 40,000 copies, independently through Rostrum Records.
To top it all off, he just announced the title of his upcoming album Blue Slide Park, due sometime in the fall. And although the Most Dope General seems to be on the bubble (just like his smoking buddy and labelmate Wiz Khalifa was last year), Mac isn’t ready to hop onto a major label just yet. We got on the horn with the artist formerly known as Easy Mac to talk about his new album, his relationship with producers E. Dan and Big Jerm, and rumors of secretly signing to a major label.
You just announced the title for your upcoming album, Blue Slide Park. Where does that title come from?
Blue Slide Park is a playground/park that’s around the city of Pittsburgh. It’s a spot that we hung out at as little kids. But then we came back when we got older and drank and smoked there. It was the hangout spot. So it’s just a spot for a lot of people’s first memories.
I used to play Little League around there. I remember parties there, running from the cops, just a lot of stuff that I’ve done. Everything from when I was like 6 years old to memories of last night. Actually, last night we released the title so we went down there to go chill and kick it. But right when we rolled in, ten minutes later, cops pulled up. [Laughs.]
[It doesn’t have a date but] it will be out soon. I don’t have a required thing that I have to have a date and meet it. It’s coming out through Rostrum in the fall, and I want to do it when it feels right to me.
What is the goal for this record?
I don’t know, man. It’s just a crazy thing just to have an album. I had an album when I was 15, but it was all old DJ Premier, Pete Rock, and Alchemist instrumentals that I burned onto a CD, put a little cover on, and sold.
It’s just kind of crazy to get from there to a real album. Obviously I want to see it do as well as possible. But to go to a CD store and see my album, to hold it in my hand as an album, it just means a lot more than the stuff I’ve done in the past.
more after the jump
How have you been working on the album?
I’m doing the majority of it in Pittsburgh at ID labs with E. Dan and Big Jerm. I got a key to the lab now so I can just stay in there as long as I want. I’ll wake up at 3:30, shower, and then head right to the studio. I’ll be in there until seven or eight a.m., then drive back, and do the same thing.
I have a lot of songs done because I record at a rapid pace. If I wanted to I could be like, ‘Okay, I’m done,’ and then take the songs that I have. But it’s kind of hard for me to put a halt on things when I want to continue to push myself to make better music.
Earlier this year, you put out The Best Day Ever and it’s done pretty well hasn’t it?
Yeah. The reaction has definitely been way crazier than I expected. My shows have been crazy and I just see my fans and momentum spreading and it’s getting bigger. I’m getting recognized more when I go out.
You mention your shows, and it seems like you’ve made the jump from playing small venues to larger venues.
Yeah, I’ve been able to rock a couple of big venues. The thing is I’m not 100% sure how big I could go just by myself headlining with no other acts. I did a show in Milwaukee where I was the main act, [and there were] like 4,000 people. I don’t think I could do that everytime, but I would hope.
But when I did the Wiz Khalifa tour, there were like 8500 people in the crowd. What shocks me is that I can really rock that many people, get them to put their hands in the air, get them to move, and be all into what’s going on.
It seems like you’re really influencing these kids with how they dress. Do you see that at your shows?
[Laughs.] I feel like it means everything to see there are kids that have the same clothes that I rock because they’ve seen it in videos I’ve done. I see people rocking an ONLY hat and I know for a fact that they’re rocking it because they saw you rocking it in my video.
I’m not sure if it’s a good or a bad thing to be influencing kids like that, but I think it’s a good thing. I didn’t think it would really get to that point, but at my shows you see a bunch of kids that look just like me. But then you see a lot of [fans at the show] because they want to see what the show is like.
I hear you’re selling a lot of merchandise on your tour. What kind of stuff are people buying?
[Laughs.] Yeah. It’s simple stuff. We have t-shirts, sweatshirts, bracelets, and we’re about to get hats. We don’t really charge too much. I remember when I used to go to shows and the t-shirts were like $60. We sell them for like $20. We just sell stuff that’s regular as hell. Merch is definitely a very important thing.
How did you build such a loyal fanbase?
I think the reason that my fans are super loyal is because when I was putting out mixtapes that weren’t really getting that much attention, kids would find them somehow. Kids would tweet their friends or however people got them back in the day. Kids would just hit me up on Facebook and I would talk to them and stuff like that.
I think it just started this thing where kids would go around and tell their friends about me. Word of mouth is what was really building things up for me. They would tell their friends and support me super heavy because they talked to me on Facebook Chat or Ustream or stuff like that. I used to have under 100 people in my Ustream so I used to have kids type words for me to freestyle to. I would do it and they kind of started repping me because no one else knew who I was.
I feel like you’re at the point right now where you just need one song to make you big and you seem very aware of it.
Yeah. I’ve been thinking about what song I want to [drop] because that song is always a very important thing. The single is your song that basically says this song represents me to the entire world. It’s three minutes and this song will let anybody who doesn’t know who I am, know who I am.
But these tracks don’t even represent me to the fullest. There’s more and more that you want to let people know. It’s been a wild process for me because I’ve definitely been trying to figure out what that one song to push to represent me would be. But whenever I think about it, I think that it’s just a weird thing that one song represents who you are.
That was the thing about K.I.D.S. and songs off Best Day Ever, it’s not like people only know one song off those projects. People know songs so it gives you a bunch of different parts of who I am. I’m really looking for one song that can put that all together.
Speaking of big songs, your song “Donald Trump” has about 15 million page views on YouTube.
Yeah, that song is doing crazy right now. You just see that at shows. “Donald Trump” is the song that makes everybody go extra hard. I didn’t expect that at all. We picked the sample and then went ahead and did the song and it came out as a banger. It was real easy.
I want to shoutout Sufjan Stevens, who is sampled on that song and he’s just a cool ass dude. He knows about the song and he’s cool as hell so shoutout to him. “Donald Trump” is not number one on the Billboard charts, but it is what it is.
Have you been approached by any major labels?
Not in a business sense. I’ve met some people that have been interested [in me]. But I didn’t [have a meeting] with anyone. I just a remember a few people coming to my show in New York. I don’t remember exactly who, but just people from major labels.
There’s no major label within 100,000,000 miles of what we’re working on. We’re not working on anything with a major label now. I just love that we’re building this from the ground up and I’m just excited to see how far we can take it.
People think that there’s a secret major label and we’re not telling anyone. Then we’ll be like, ‘Oh we’ve been signed and they’ve been doing stuff.’ But that’s bullshit because what we’ve done is such a huge accomplishment and it’s something that I’m very passionate about, the fact that I’m still with my homeys that have been there since day one. Every singe one of them that were at my first show, I’m going to see at my next show.
Secret signings have become a trend though…
I know and I don’t blame people. Like when that whole Atlantic bullshit came out, I didn’t blame people that thought that was true because I’m not gonna lie, a lot of people were like, ‘How the hell is he at this level? I don’t get what they’re doing differently than other people.’ A lot of people are wondering what’s going on.
So when they hear a rumor about us and a major label it’s easy to be like, “Oh this is why this is happening!” If I was signed to a [major] label I would come out and say I was signed to one. That’s part of what I do and who I am to my fans and the people around me. I’m not trying to hide anything.
So what was the situation when the label people came to your show?
[Laughs.] They came backstage to say, “What up” and it was shocking to me that people from majors were interested enough to do that. Just because I want to stay independent doesn’t mean that if someone from a label comes and they’re like, “Oh hey man I like what you’re doing,” that I’m gonna be like, “Fuck you! You major label scumbag!” I’m gonna be like, “Oh what’s up man, thanks. Work together? No, I’m gravy, but we can still be friends.”
If someone gave you a major label deal with creative control would you sign? Or are determined to stay 100% independent?
I’m not gonna lie and say that there’s never ever a time when a major label is necessary because everything you can do, you can do on your own. Which is true because you can build up pretty fucking big. And I want to test out the limits on where that line is because we’re building so rapidly that I don’t wanna fix something that’s not broken.
But I want to fulfill my aspirations with music which is to build something up to take it into where I want to take it. I want my music to be everywhere and to have huge albums. If you need a major to do that, maybe if they come then I’ll think [about it]. But as for right now and the future, I’m on Rostrum and this is what we do. I just don’t know what else I need at this point. As for right now, we’re good.
Well, if you want to be as big as possible, most of the time you end up at a major label.
[Laughs.] I completely feel you on that. That’s why they’re called a major label. If you want to be major that’s where you go. But at the same time we’re doing pretty great things as an independent team.
We showed up on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Donald Trump” with no radio and radio stations are just starting to play it a little bit. That’s crazy to me. And, we’ve done these things that I’ve always dreamed about with the team and I want to see where we can take it. Who knows?
I love that I have my Rostrum family. I’m lucky to have that because you don’t even find that at every independent label. I’m lucky enough to have my “record label” be my family and I don’t think that’s something a lot of people have. I don’t ever want to take that for granted.
I just want to take that as big as it could go, to the point where we can’t get any bigger. I can’t imagine [Benjy Grinberg and Arther Pitt] being like, “Nah, we couldn’t do this independently.” Whenever that day comes then maybe it’s time to listen to what majors have to say. But for right now, I don’t think so.
On “Cut Up” you rap about how people call you goofy, do you get that a lot?
Yeah man, I mean, I am kinda goofy in that sense. Sometimes I want to make some music from my heart and make some real shit that I’m thinking about. I think when I make that transition it’s going to be funny because people might always think I’m just a goofy kid with nothing to say. But I know for a fact that that isn’t 100% the case. Yeah, I’m goofy and I make light-hearted music. But when it comes to being a serious motherfucker, I can have that face too.
Do you think it handicaps your ability to be serious?
I think that it depends on what everyone else feels like. For me, why not? I have friends that are goofy as hell, but if they come to me about real shit, I’m not gonna discredit it because they’re goofy as hell. I’m just being me. When I have something serious to say and people don’t want to take it seriously, then that’s on them. It’s still me putting it out in the first place, that’s all that matters to me.
Speaking of something huge you mentioned in an interview that you were going to do something historic in the summer. What thing were you talking about?
Nah, me and Jazzy Jeff are working on something that is going to be super crazy when it’s done. It’s something that would basically be a dream come and we’ve been working on it so I just don’t want to rush it. I don’t know what I’m gonna put out exactly, but I definitely want to make sure it’s everything that I want it to be.
It’s gonna be a whole project when it happens. It’s like this other element and other things to it that I want to keep as a surprise until we have a plan on how we’re gonna let everyone know. It’s gotta be a surprise, but it’s gonna be something dope. With me and Jeff, it’s two different worlds colliding.
Do you have any big collaborations coming up?
I did some cool tracks with people. Me and Bun B did a jam. Me and Premier worked on something. Big K.R.I.T and me are going to have something crazy coming soon. There’s a bunch of people I’ve done stuff with, but for right now I’m just worried about my album and working with people that are close to me.
What was it like working with DJ Premier?
Premier is the man. He’s a legend of hip-hop. I’m learning in his presence, but at the same time he’s a regular ass dude. I remember 15-year-old me rapping over all Premier beats and him being my favorite producer of all-time. When you go and just talk to dudes on making music and having a real conversation, you realize that these dudes are all real ass regular dudes. It’s no different than working with my hometown producers. It’s just a different place.
You’re really popular on Twitter. You’ve got a little over 500,000 people following you right now.
We hit the 500K mark and then in less than a week it just shot up again and we’re at 550K now. [Laughs.] It’s wild.
You’ve been dropping a song every 100,000 followers. So, you’re gonna keep dropping songs every 100,000 followers until you hit a million?
Yeah. If it’s all the way up to a million and I’m gonna do something crazy on a million. I’m kinda worried because I gotta think of something crazy. I have a lot of songs that I have in my archive. Since this summer I’ve probably recorded like 20-30 songs already. I have songs that I want people to hear.
Initially [releasing songs for every 100,000 followers] was a cool way to give back to my fans for helping me build. Especially because without a strong a radio presence it’s just a crazy way for people to find out about things. I just wanted a way for people to hear songs that didn’t really fit on a project.
You also have a close relationship with E. Dan and Big Jerm. Can you tell me a little bit about that?
Jerm and E are my favorite producers in the world to work with. When I was younger we used to go there and record and E—who is the head of the studio—didn’t really listen to anything. They didn’t know anything about me really.
And then Jerm came in the picture. When I did The High Life Jerm had a majority of the beats on there. Jerm would stay up with me and put the mixtapes together and make it sound as good as possible. So me and him started making stuff together. It was like, “Yo, we should start making beats together.”
Jerm is the soulfulest dude I know. This dude will make some hip-hop shit easy as hell and sample some soul-ass shit and I was telling him, “I’m not the greatest musician ever, but I can play guitar and piano. Let me make the whole beat from scratch and make the whole song from scratch.” He was like, “Alright fine.” And we made it and it was like, “This is fucking crazy.”
Then Jerm told E, “Yo you gotta look at this shit that we did.” E was like, “Wow this shit is tight.” And then ever since then we’ve been kinda like working together on all of our songs from scratch.
I’m not classically trained or anything, but I can play a few instruments. That’s what I’ve been doing on the albums. Some songs I’ll play the whole instrument. On other songs it’s just being part of the process while the guitar part is being written or being involved with the chord progressions.
I’ve been working on the production part of this whole album. I’m not doing everything to the point where I’d be able to do it on my own. E and Jerm have been the people that have executed everything incredibly, but I definitely have been helping with process of playing a little and putting it all together.
I wanted to ask you about your relationship with Wiz. Do you still get a chance to kick it with him? Will you be touring with him again?
It’s crazy, we both have these schedules to deal with business stuff. But a lot of times when we’re on the same bill to a show we’ll be able to kick it. Or when he’s back in town and stuff like that. It’s the same stuff that it’s always been with us. We both have big days ahead of us. The last time I saw Wiz was at the Roots Picnic.
You had a role on the TV show Single Ladies. How did that come about?
[Laughs.] They just hit us up and asked if we were interested in being in it. At first I kind of laughed. But then I thought, “Hey, it’s VH1. It’ll be fun as hell.” We just did it and had fun with it and it was fun as hell just being in that scenario watching myself on VH1. I thought that I was going to look like an idiot on national television and maybe I did. [Laughs.] But when I watched it I was like, “It wasn’t as bad as I thought.”
Is acting something you’re interested in or is it something that you just did because the opportunity presented itself?
I want to voice my own cartoon because I could do that from the road. You can just have a cartoon show and I could just come in there and do the voices. I would use my own voice. My accents and imitations are not up to par. I think they’re the best ever, but no one else does.
A video popped up of you last year where a few dudes had approached you outside of SOBs for not giving them credit for producing “La La La La.” What happened there?
I’m cool with Darrell Revis [of the New York Jets]—he grew up right outside Pittsburgh. A while ago before anything popped off for me, he was getting beats from people, messing around rapping, and making music. I went to him and was like, “Do you have any beats that I could rap over?” And he just kind of gave me that one and I was like, “Oh, this shit is tight.”
I rocked over it and it wasn’t a crazy song, but I was like, “Let me put a video out for it.” Because it shows me spitting lyrically. We put the video out there and the shit ends up getting big. Then some fucking kid came up and were like, “Who did the beat?” and then he was like, “We did.” And I was like, “Oh, okay.”’ I wasn’t being a dickhead, I was like, “You did the beat? My fault.”
But they wanted their little 15 minutes to act tough and shit and we just don’t have time for that bullshit. That’s why you never saw me super comment on it to prove that I was in the right and they were in the wrong. I don’t give a fuck about some little ass shit and some little ass track that some dudes wanted to be weird about. I’m still doing gravy and I hope they’re doing gravy too.
At the end of the video they said they had corresponded with you before confronting you. Was that true?
I had like a bunch of emails when I was trying to do everything on my own. I made all these different Mac Miller Gmail addresses that I had my friends looking over. I guess they hit one of those emails. I don’t know man. Who knows? Whatever the case was, one of us read their email and forgot about it. Then motherfuckers were acting like it’s the end of the world. Like we were saying that we made the beat.
That type of shit happens all the time. People will have songs out and you’ll never know who made the beat. But you can ask any producer I’ve ever worked with, when I say that I make sure everyone knows who makes my beats. But some fucking shit happened and it was just dumb.
And did you add the credit at the end just to get that out of the way?
Yeah we did add the credit at the end, but they put out that video so then we took it off. These motherfuckers told me to, “Never come back to New York.” I was like, “Really? Come on dude.” And then the next day I got messages from all my peoples in New York like, “Where these dudes at?” I was like, “Nah, it’s not even like that.” But they’re just some kids trying to make a name. They even came to another show and looked at me and didn’t even try anything
Kanye West Air Yeezy 2?
It’s almost certain that a second iteration of Kanye West’s signature Nike model will be hitting the market sometime in the near future. Between mysterious tweets, mentions in songs and Kanye wearing what appears to be at least early mock-up versions of the next-gen Yeezys in basic black around the globe, it’s safe to bet that the Air Yeezy 2 is very much a reality. What’s dubious, however, is whether this image of the sneaker is legitimately representative of what it will look like upon its release. Despite a heavy resemblance to the actual kicks Yeezy has been rocking around Paris and at performances – complete with a white sole, all-black tonal patterned uppers, a chunky strap and basic adherence to the Air Yeezy 1 silhouette, the shoe in the image here lacks certain subtleties such as a gold lace detail apparent in images of Kanye rocking the sneakers. Due to the picture of the supposed Yeezy 2s showing only one side of the shoe and lacking detailed shots or information, it’s very possible that it could be an image of the actual production sneakers, yet it’s also not unlikely to be a Photoshop fraud or early prototype that was somehow leaked. So, what do you think?
iPhone SLR Mount
Ever since the iPhone camera was invented, it’s aspired to be what it simply never quite could be: a DSLR. Sure, apps have helped your camera phone inch forward with simulated focusing F-X and faux filters. Faux no more. The iPhone SLR Mount gives you the real thing. It’ll set your phone photos apart from everyone else’s on Instagram in an unprecedented way. This case-adapter combo lets you mount your Canon EOS or Nikon SLR lenses to your iPhone 4 giving your phone powerful depth of field and manual focus. Telephoto, wide angle, macro, or your fixed fifty lenses all attach to this mount giving you a full range of lenses at your iPhone fingertips. Two loopholes on each end of the case let you tie on a camera strap, so you can hang it around your neck just like your real DSLR. Priced at $190 USD, both Canon and Nikon mounts are available now through Photojojo.
etnies PAS Collection “LOS ANGELES” Senix Hero
We’ve previously showed you the etnies 25th-anniversary “HONG KONG” Senix Villes, and now present the next city-specific release in the brand’s tribute-paying PAS series: the “LOS ANGELES” Senix Hero. A formidable-looking, predominantly black high-top sneaker, the Senix Hero is done up for LA with white, turquoise and red detailing. Complete with an ankle strap, white sole and tonal black laces, the high top etnies kicks are clean and simple enough to be dressed up or down. Act fast if you like these Pierre-Andre Senizergues favorites for Los Angeles, as they’re a limited-edition, celebratory release. Kicks in honor of Paris and Vancouver (Senizergues’s final two preferred global skate spots) are also expected to be released soon. Available now for $145
Watch the Throne Cover, and Playlist.
Update: we can confirm that this cover is official
The cover is said to be made of metal.
According to DdotOmen.com, this is the tracklist:
1: Lift Off
2: Niggas in Paris
3: PrimeTime
4: New Day
5: Living So Italian
6: Otis Redding
7: No Church In a While
8: I Can’t Stop/Spazz/Murder to Excellence
9: Sweet Baby Jesus
10: Love You So
11: H.A.M
WTAPS x Vans Syndicate “Bones” Collection Preview
Vans Syndicate revisit their “Bones” collaboration with WTAPS as we take a look into the third installment from this ongoing series. Following up black and navy blue efforts, this latest pack will take on a burgundy colorway, spanning across several models including the Sk8-Hi, Chukka Boot and Era. No exact release details are disclosed, but stay tuned for further looks and information as it becomes available.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Jimmy Choo Glitter Penny Loafers
Jimmy Choo’s men’s footwear debut for Fall/Winter 2011 continues with an adventurous piece of design with the following penny loafers. Taking a page out of Christian Louboutin in applying unorthodox finishes to the upper, the glittery upper comes courtesy of a metallic black treatment paired with a black sole.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Street Fighter x Kidrobot
Kidrobot once again reaffirms its position as a powerhouse licensed toy company with the July release of their Street Fighter series. Not to discredit their own inline offerings, however we’ve seen some heavyweight collaborations come about in Kidrobot’s past including of course Futurama and The Simpsons. Capcom’s Street Fighter essentially defined a generation of gamers and despite its 2D qualities, the style of gameplay has held up for many years resulting in almost 30 million copies sold globally. The debut collection will roundup all the familiar faces with 12 individual characters in 3-inch vinyl format. The collection will release on July 7 through select retailers at a cost of $9.95 USD per blind box (£7.90 GBP/€9.20 EUR).
A Bathing Ape x Mark McNairy Capsule Collection Preview
Mark McNairy lends his skills to A Bathing Ape by creating these two shoe collaborations. The first is a chukka desert boot that features an all-over A Bathing Ape 1st yellow camo upper whilst the second is a longwing brogue that utilizes the camo in a slightly more subtle way alongside the more traditional longwing styling. McNairy has added his trademark red sole design and both models will also be made in England, as with all McNairy shoes. Although not actually part of the Mr. Bathing Ape line, they would certainly fit in with that collection as well. Due for release in the next few months at A Bathing Ape stores, the chukkas have a retail price of ¥34,440 (approximately $428 USD) whilst the longwing brogues will sell for ¥37,590 (approximately $467 USD).
MYKITA AVRUM Sunglasses
A new model to emerge from German eyewear brand is the AVRUM. The sunglass style features a distinct two tone style which was given a runway showcase thanks to the models at the Alexandre Herchcovitch Spring/Summer 2011 show. The initial run will include two variations in red/off white and dark purple/off white. Look for the AVRUMs to hit select MYKITA stockists globally.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Watch the Throne July 4th?
According to The Source, Kanye West and Jay-Z’s Watch The Throne may be released as early as July 4th (that’s less than a month away!).
We’ve also got word that something big may be happening this coming Monday — possibly the release of the first single “Lift Off” featuring Bruno Mars and Beyonce…
Stay tuned
Big Sean "Finally Famous Track List"
With just three more weeks until it’s June 28th release, the tracklist to Big Sean’s debut album, Finally Famous: The Album, has been revealed via Complex.
With No I.D. doing most of the production, this 12 track album (and 4 bonus tracks) will have that G.O.O.D Music vibe. As expected the final list of guest features is impressive with names like Kanye West, Pharrell, Lupe Fiasco, The Dream, Chris Brown, John Legend, Wiz Khalifa, Rick Ross, Pusha-T, Dwele, Chiddy Bang and Roscoe Dash.
After three and a half years in the making, Big Sean is just about ready to finally become famous.
1. “Intro” Produced by: Kevin Randolph, Key Wane
2. “I Do It” Produced by: No I.D., The Legendary Traxster
3. “My Last” f/ Chris Brown Produced by: No I.D.
4. “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” Produced by: No I.D.
5. “Wait For Me” f/ Lupe Fiasco Produced by: No I.D., Exile
6. “Marvin & Chardonnay” f/ Kanye West & Roscoe Dash Produced by: Pop Wansel, Mike Dean
7. “Dance (A$$)” Produced by: Da Internz
8. “Get It (DT) f/ Pharrell” Produced by: The Neptunes
9. “Memories (Part II)” f/ John Legend Produced by: No I.D.
10. “High” f/ Wiz Khalifa & Chiddy Bang Produced by: Xaphoon Jones
11. “Live This Life” f/ The Dream Produced by: No I.D.
12. “So Much More” Produced by: No I.D.
13. “What Goes Around” (Bonus Track) Produced by: No I.D.
14. “Celebrity” f/ Dwele (Bonus Track) Produced by: Filthy Rockwell, No I.D.
15. “My House” (Bonus Track) Produced by: Boi-1da
16. “100 Keys” f/ Rick Ross & Pusha T (Bonus Track) Produced by: Hilton and Brian Wright (WrighTrax Productions)
WeSC by RETROSUPERFUTURE
Eyewear crafters RETROSUPERFUTURE join forces for yet another collaboration with Swedish brand WeSC. The capsule collection is realized with the MOOSE, an Italian-crafted frame streamlined with a conjoined bridge. The pair is fitted with acetate and Carl Zeiss lenses and released in a trio of colorways: tortoise matte, glossy black, and transparent grey. The capsule collection is available now via WeSC retailers and online at WeSC and Super webshops from $165.
Air Jordan V “Quai 54″
The Air Jordan V is one of the most iconic and popular sneakers ever produced. Designed by Tinker Hatfield and released in an abundance of colorways since its inception in 1990, the V is getting paid special attention to as of late, with several releases being announced for this year. Quai 54, the famous Paris street-ball tournament sponsored by Jordan Brand, has found its way onto the latest pair of the beloved kicks. Decked out in a white/black/radiant green colorway with metallic silver accents and the Quai 54 logo on the heel, these limited-edition Jordan Vs are sure to be sought after by sneaker fans all around the world. Who says Europe never gets any love?
Neil Barrett 2012 Spring/Summer Collection
For Spring/Summer 2012, designer Neil Barrett presented a collection that mixed the hardness of rock ‘n’ roll with the same sharp tailoring he’s become known for over the years. With a relatively safe color palette that consisted mostly of black, grey, green and camel, many of the pieces within the collection were also transitional. Somehow, trench coats were transformed into leather jacket hybrids as Barrett fused the fabrics together. He also played around with the elements of traditional suiting by incorporating herringbone and houndstooth prints onto blazers, trousers and bomber jackets. Check out more images from the show below.
Stussy x Nike Sportswear Sky Force 88 Mid TZ
We take a look into an upcoming colorway of the collaboration between Stussy and Nike on the Sky Force 88 Mid. Featuring a mostly subtle approach, the shoes boast a camouflage pattern that’s laid atop tonal uppers and Stussy branding on the tongue. A release is scheduled for July 9, 2011, with looks into additional colorways soon to come.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Panasonic LUMIX GF3
Following up closely on an initial leak last week, Panasonic officially pull the covers off of its latest Micro 4/3rds camera, the DMC GF3. As a new release from the GF line, some aspects remain the same including its 12MP sensor. In an attempt to reduce the camera’s size, even more of the physical aspect has been changed from its predecessor, the GF2. Overall, the camera is 16.7% smaller and 16.2% lighter than the GF2. Other features include 1080/60i video, 3D still photos and an on-board flash. A release is set for July 2011 for black, white, red and brown bodies coupled with a 14mm lens kit ($700 USD) and for the 14-42mm lens kit ($600 USD).
Orrefors by Karl Lagerfeld
Orrefors by Karl Lagerfeld from Orrefors on Vimeo.
Known for producing some of the finest crystal glassware and art glass in the world, Swedish company Orrefors has just partnered with designer and tastemaker Karl Lagerfeld to produce a special collection of glassware. A purveyor of luxury goods himself, Lagerfeld no doubt brings something special to this fine project. Watch this video above to see him speak about the collection and catch a glimpse at his hand-drawn stemware designs.
(One of the king of Fashion.)
Kanye West – Mama’s Boyfriend
Almost a year after his infamous performance at the Facebook headquarters, the full version of Kanye West’s ode to his late mother has finally arrived. Originally slated to appear on the final tracklist of Ye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, the song finds him rhyming from the perspective of a child watching numerous suitors courting his mother. Listen below!
New Big Sean featuring Kanye West & Roscoe Dash – Marvin Gaye & Chardonnay
There is no denying that Big Sean is promoting his upcoming album Finally Famous, due June 28, properly. After a string of more-than-well-received tunes, the Detroit native liberates his flamboyant collaboration with his mentor Kanye West and Roscoe Dash. Check it out below and let us know how you like it.
Nike Sportswear 2011 Summer Convention Low JP
Nike Sportswear drops a couple of new colorways in its Convention Low JP for Summer 2011. Both feature an ACG-inspired motif with plenty of vibrant accents, splattered midsoles and textured multi-textile uppers.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Bell & Ross BR 01 Casino
With a design that’s based off the classic gambling game Roulette, this timepiece from Bell & Ross is a tribute to the country of Monoco which will be hosting the Only Watch auction this upcoming September. The BR 01 features a pink gold casing with a square design and minimal branding. Stay tuned for more details about this release and the forthcoming Only Watch event.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Nixon “The Genie” Watch
Nixon introduces The Genie, one of the watchmakers latest additions its ever evolving roster. Somewhat reminiscent of those fortune teller eight balls, The Genie has a special “magic genie” feature that reveals an answer to any of your questions with the simple press of a button. In addition it features all the actual time-telling aspects of a Nixon, including the time, day and date, along with a timer, stopwatch, LCD display and unique unidirectional rotating bezel function. Featuring a 100-meter polycarbonate with hardened mineral crystal case and silicone band, The Genie is now available in black, surplus/black/red, purple, sky blue, red, shocking pink and white through select Nixon retailers.
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