Handselecta

This site is really cool. You can download full sets of fonts by some of the more interesting graffiti writers out there. Whoever put this site together knows their stuff. The site claims it is set to soon feature hands from some of my favorite writers including RUST from DC, Espo from Philly, STAB from Smalltimore, Freedom of The Freedom Tunnels fame, and a bunch of other important writers, like SP.ONE, who I worked with on a show few moths back.

For Info Click HERE

Summer Jam 2006

The lineup for this year's Summer Jam was announced the other day. I never thought I'd see the day that nearly all the artists playing Summer Jam are from the South. That's pretty much the case here (not surprisingly). And why would Mobb Deep want to make a return to Summer Jam after that ballerina incident that went down with Prodigy a few years back courtesy of Jay. It must have something to do with them being G-Unit. And take a look at the sponsors. Whiteboy? Sounds like hip-hop to me.

Justin's Party

I hate doing self indulgent posts like this, but here are a few flicks from Justin's "Going back to Cali" party last night. It was lots of fun.
Me and Raul. Making calls.
2050 squad.
Erika and her roommate.
Me and Justin.

See Rubber Soles at the Tribecca Film Festival

My girl Chris made a short film a while back called "Rubber Soles." Her film was selected for this year's Tribecca Film Festival. This is such an amazing accomplishment and I'm extra happy for her. If you are around, go see it. There are a bunch of screenings this week.

To find out more about Rubber Soles click HERE

WTF?

What the hell are Lupe Fiasco, LL Cool J and 50 Cent doing in the same picture? And why is Lupe wearing an Alife t-shirt? Looking at this picture makes me dizzy and want to throw up.

More HERE

American Apparel Radio?

There are already something like 5 American Apparel stores in Brooklyn alone. But apparently we needed another one. Due to the historic significance of the site they are taking over on Flatbush Ave (an old movie theater) they have decided to not only open a store, but to also start American Apparel radio. I'm so excited. Sike. This company is really annoying but they are smart at marketing themselves. If it weren't for their child-pornish ads, which I really like, I would be a complete hater.

Sketches of Frank Gehry

See the trailer HERE

New Miss Van Show in Paris

I've been a fan of Miss Van since I first saw flicks in 12 Oz Prophet Magazine when I was in high school. She's really elevated her stuff since then. I went to see her in a group show in Chelsea a while ago here in New York and I was definitely impressed. I'm sure this new show will be good. New Miss Van show opens tomorrow night at Galerie Magda Danysz in Paris.

Check out her website HERE

Washington is the Army

The Washington Wizards are my squad right now. I love the triple threat of Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas. Too much fun to watch. Arenas refers to himself as the Dave Chapelle of the NBA but I think he's more Kanye than Dave. Whatevs. I hope they make some moves in the playoffs because they are so explosive.

VW-Safe Happens

I hate to give VW props for their ads, because I was really pissed that they left the agency that came up with the tagline "drivers wanted" in Boston. But they jumped ship for Crispin Porter who evidently came up with this amazing new campaign: "safe happens." These ads caught my eye the first time I saw them. They are extra sharp. I was quickly engaged by the dialogue of the people in the cars which drew me in fast. Then...SMASH. Really smart stuff.

Check them out HERE and HERE

New Graffiti Laws

Been hearing all this talk about freedom of speech with regard to new laws against graffiti in NYC. Is Marc Ecko really this into graffiti or is he hoping he can get some street cred out of all this stuff, his video game, and that little graffiti jam he put together last summer? Read more about the new laws and all the controversy HERE

Gnarls Barkley Video...

This shit is "crazy." Check it HERE

Salon De Cultura

Last night my friend Wendy invited me to the first "Salon de Cultura" which she billed as, "A forum for discussion on international urban art." I am a big fan of graffiti, having been a practitioner for a while, and recently I've even grown to enjoy some street art. I had no idea what to expect, but I was totally blown away. After an hour or so of mingling, Ariston Anderson-one of the event's hosts-previewed a screening of the trailer for her work-in-progress, "Urban Art," which she describes as "a unique exchange of international street artists working alongside South American artists in Buenos Aires, Argentina 2005-2006." My brother is currently doing his thing in BA thanks to study abroad, and the screening that Ariston showed made me want to go down there even more. It was shot beautifully with lots of great snippets from various artists including Swoon, whose work I'm a big fan of, and who I happened to have the pleasure of meeting last night.

AKIM was so cool. He's from Germany and his style is crazy. Some of the coolest concepts for graffiti and street art that I've ever seen.
Caleb and Daze catching up on "Graffiti in Brasil"

Following the screening, a number of artists showed a brief slide show and talked about their work and artistic process. The artists included Swoon, Darius & Downey London (who's stuff was very cool), my homeboy Caleb/Sonik, Akim and Zast (both of whom are doing some of the coolest stuff I've ever seen in street art and graffiti, Cekis (from Chile) and Daze (one of the most famous old school graffiti artists from NYC). Needless to say, this was a really fresh event and I feel incredibly fortunate to have met so many artists and been able to ask them questions about their work. Thanks Wendy! More Flicks Below

Wendy, Ariston and a friend
Allie discussing her work

Fuse Conference

A few days ago I had the opportunity to check out the FUSE conference on branding and package design at the Waldorf Astoria, thanks to my Aunt Minda. I came to hear my her speak about Target's commitment to "design for all" When I arrived I found out that she was going to be joined by a young woman who revolutionized the design of prescription drug packaging named Deborah Adler. It was nice to meet Deborah (who's work I have seen at the MOMA) and she was super cool. Despite being nervous before speaking in front of hundreds of people, Deborah pulled off her talk really well. First my Aunt spoke about Target's commitment to design and how creativity and art fits into the company philosophy. I found all this really inspiring, especially the companies view that the staff should be surrounded by art because it encourages creative thought. That has always been something I have agreed with and one of the primary motivations behind Installations@EMF. Next Deborah talked about how her concept for ClearRx came into fruition with the help of my Aunt and Target. It turns out that what eventually became ClearRx was initially her thesis in grad school at SVA. The whole experience was incredible and I am very indebted to my Aunt Minda for hooking me up with a pass to see her talk. Did I mention that I also met Milton Glazer? THANKS Minda!

More info on Minda can be found in this NYTimes article or you can google her. For more info on Deborah check out an interview with her here

Minda and Deborah before they hit the stage

This is what the ClearRx bottles look like. They were initially Deborah's idea, but Target assisted in the final design that you see here.

Minda and I after her talk

Minda and Deborah

Peace Go With You Brother...

My dood Justin is moving to Cali next Tuesday. He and I worked together for the better part of a year at Project 2050 and he hooked me up with my most recent gig at Miss USA which was one of the coolest jobs I have ever had. Justin got a job at Itunes so he has to move out to the SFC, but before he does we're throwing down on Friday. Not that anyone reads this, but if you do and you live in New York, definitely come through!

Best Hip-Hop Magazine...

O-Zone magazine is nothing new, but it's a really refreshing departure from the Sources, Vibes and XXL magazines that have dominated the hip-hop magazine game forever. Maybe it's just that the South has a different take on hip-hop in general and that's why I like this magazine (because it covers Southern hip-hop). Each issue has interesting interviews with rappers, producers and DJs that are honest and gritty. In addition, these pages are chalk-full of some of the most ignorant and contradictory shit you could ever hope to read. Good googly moogly, this is some truly entertaining stuff.

For more info, visit the O-Zone website HERE and get a year subscription for only $11.00!

Brooklyn Books...

I think this stuff is so funny and I guess it's pretty cool as well. I see people hustling "street" novels on the train all the time. They are like trashy novels, but set in the hood or whatever.

WTF?

Starbucks Entertainment?

Kevin Saer and Origami

Kevin is the official brand overseer for all of Russell Simmons' enterprises. He consults on many projects through his company Black Bean Sauce. On the side he is putting together his own clothing line called Origami-the art of folding paper. He showed me a few of his new pieces, all of which I was digging. Most of the stuff I saw isn't the final product, but all of it is looking good so far. His stuff is super technical and the best parts are in the details. He uses different materials where one would least expect-for example the buttons on a pair of jeans or the zipper on a sweatshirt might be made of with a twist you wouldn't expect. All of this makes his stuff unique. I like his concepts and I can't wait to see more as his line get closer to dropping. I'll definitely have more on my dood Kevin in coming months so check back. In the meantime scroll to the bottom of this post for more info on him and his.









More on Kevin Saer HERE and check out this Current TV clip on him HERE

Beba Popping Collars!

Beba is styling for Nylon Magazine this weekend. Word up.

Jonathan Installs in Brooklyn

My homeboy Jonathan is putting together an installation for the ICFF next month at our friend Kip's apartment in Williamsburg. His project is idea heavy and will highlight the limitations of objects and push the envelope for what an object can provide for a user. It's looking pretty cool so far and I'm excited to see how it will transform by the time it's finally complete. I'll be posting more in the coming month on Jonathan and definitely peep his website for more info. Cool.

FYC!

FYC is my favorite crew in NYC currently bombing. They have been smashing lately, especially OJAE but it's also nice to see that my favorite graphic design nerd and homeboy DEAR still has the itch. Caught these in the Billyburg this AM. Unemployment has it's advantages! The first is OJAE taken on South 11th Street. The next two are on Driggs (I think). The last flick is one from my private collection taken a few months back from a quick fedex box top session with some fyc doods. Just thought I'd add that one for fun. If you look hard you can see some of my busted tags on there too!

Life Takes Visa

I'm really feeling the new VISA advertising campaign, which compliments the updated Visa logo. A few months back I started noticing that Visa revamped their logo with the "Life Takes Visa" tag line. This is a HUGE improvement from the old school "Visa, it's everywhere you want to be." The new ads strike me because they feature good photographs that look different from other stuff I see on the subway. Now I'm sitting here watching the NBA playoffs and a new Visa TV spot comes on with the original version of that DJ Khaled song, "Holler At Me Baby," featuring Lil Wayne, Paul Wall, Fat Joe, Rick Ross and Pitbull. How cool is that?

For more info click HERE

Back From Baltimore

I took this picture of Miss Kentucky (my homegirl who ended up winning the pageant) and Miss Oklahoma a few hours before the Miss USA competition aired on NBC.


They had just awaken from a nap. These were two of my favorite girls that I met while I was in Baltimore.