Saturday, March 28, 2009

Oakland mourns 4 officers, 3/27/09

On Friday, over 20,000 citizens and law enforcement officials from around the country gathered at Oracle Arena to honor the lives of the four Oakland Police officers who were killed in the line of duty on what was the deadliest day in department history.

Sgt. Mark Dunakin, Traffic Officer John Hege, SWAT Sgt. Ervin Romans and Sgt. Daniel Sakai were gunned down this past Saturday in East Oakland by Lovelle Mixon, a 26-year old parolee who was linked to a murder in San Francisco and did not want to return to prison. Mixon first shot and killed Hege and Sgt. Dunakin after being pulled over for a routine traffic stop. After being pursued into an apartment complex by SWAT members and Oakland police, Mixon opened fire with an AK-47 assault rifle, killing Sgt. Romans and leaving Sgt. Sakai brain-dead. Sakai died a day later after his organs were harvested for donation.

Some personal thoughts:

[This is an incredibly sad incident, and is the latest in a long line of fatal acts of violence Oakland has had to endure. It's indisputable that Oakland is in need of some serious financial help and bold, inspiring, intelligent leadership.

..It was absolutely despicable how people from the BART demonstrations taunted grieving police officers, saying that the killed officers represented "payback" for the Oscar Grant shooting, a completely unrelated event. Those people have no shred of decency and they make me sick. They wonder why their opinions are ignored and they never accomplish anything. Go figure.

..On a positive note, I hope this incident will lead to the re-establishment of a federal assault weapon ban (which the Bush administration allowed to expire), along with a strong enforcement mechanism.

..I understand that for many people the right to bear arms is very important, but assault weapons are a different beast. There is absolutely no need for anyone to possess weapons with that kind of destructive capacity; they are not hunting instruments or legitimate means of protection. They are made for waging war and killing people, plain and simple. Gun rights activists need to be reasonable. Their stubbornness on this issue puts our kids, law enforcement officers and citizens in danger.]


Photography via The SF Chronicle

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the slain officers and to all the families who have lost their sons and daughters in the line of duty.

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Thursday, March 26, 2009

"Bamboozled" - Blackface Montage

This is the final montage from "Bamboozled", a Spike Lee joint about the film industry and its treatment and portrayal of black people. This montage displays a collection of racially demeaning portrayals of African Africans from Hollywood movies from the first half of the 20th century. Lee takes clips from several famous movies and shows, including Gone With the Wind, Birth of a Nation, Little Black Sambo, etc. It's a powerful clip that really speaks for itself. It is accompanied by a subtle musical score composed by Terence Blanchard.



[I reflect on this montage and think about some of the images that are used in today's movies, shows and commercials. While nothing is as overtly racist as images in these clips, derogatory portrayals of minorities are still perpetuated today, and some do come close. It's important to always have a critical eye when watching TV or movies and to really analyze what is being shown.]

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Monday, March 23, 2009

Richard Pryor stand-up: "Prison"

For those of you who have never seen or heard the comedic genius that is Richard Pryor, here is treat for you. Pryor is one of the most important and influential comedians, actors and writers of the last generation. Inspired by Bill Cosby, Pryor started his comedic career in the mid-1960s, appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show, and later as a relatively successful act in Las Vegas. After having an "epiphany" during a September 1967 appearance in Las Vegas, Pryor began to increase the level of profanity and rawness of his comedy acts.

Pryor is the forerunner and inspiration for many famous black comedians, including Eddie Murphy and Dave Chappelle; you can hear similarities in delivery and content between Pryor, Murphy and Chappelle, including the prevalence of profanity and the unafraid commentary on social issues, specifically race and racism. It's brilliant how Pryor - and later Dave Chappelle - was able to touch on complex topics in a humorous, yet insightful way. In this particular clip about prisons, Pryor spits on both sides of the prison issue - the necessity of prison and the feeling of security it provides versus its racially disproportionate composition and its general inhumanity.

Pryor battled drug addiction throughout his career and died in 2005. R.I.P. to the "Picasso" of comedy.




[My favorite quote:]
"What do you think they'd do to us if we were here Rich?"
"Fuck us."

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Mos Def - Cover Art + "Brooklyn (Go Hard)"

This is the cover art to Mos Def's new album The Ecstatic which is expected to released on June 9th, to coincide with the 10 year anniversary of the release of Mos' debut album, Black on Both Sides. Mos has been pretty quiet as of late, focusing more on his acting. His most recent album was the unremarkable mixtape True Magic (2006) which came on the heels of the more well-known, yet equally unpopular concept album, The New Danger (2007).

Mos is a thoughtful, creative and incredibly talented MC. I appreciated Mos trying to experiment with a new, rock-inspired style on The New Danger. As a concept it was cool, but it fell flat in the execution, and was met with a lot of criticism (deserved in my opinion). I'm excited for this new release because, based on a couple sample tracks I've heard (including the one below), it seems to be a return to a hip-hop sound that Mos can thrive in.


Below is one of the first singles that will be on The Ecstatic, entitled "Brooklyn (Go Hard)". Mos is back!!

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Mos Def - The Ecstatic Preview

I'm incredibly excited for Mos' new release. Here is a cool little visual preview for The Ecstatic. Check the above post for a song preview and more details..

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Thursday, March 19, 2009

Nike x Kanye West - The Air Yeezy's


The Air Yeezy's bruh!

These shoes are the result of a collaboration between famed hip hop producer Kanye West and Nike. The shoe comes in 3 different colorways and will be released this Spring. The releases will be staggered: The Zen Grey/LT Charcoal color way will be released in April, followed by the Black/Black version in May and finally, the Net/Net color way in June. I like the gray ones the most personally. If the black ones had any other color besides the neon pink I'd definitely feel those the most. The band in the black cement pattern is soooo beastie, but overall the gray ones are my favorite. To make things even more hectic, I just found out these kicks (the swoosh and sole) glow in the dark!?! I wanna rock these in the club and glow!! More info to come soon. Holla at ya boy!!


Here is the Official Press Release from Nikepedia:

[Nike Sportswear and Grammy award winning recording artist Kanye West present the highly anticipated Nike Air Yeezy sneaker in Spring 2009.

The shoe, which takes West’s nickname Yeezy, draws upon the innovations from Nike’s rich sporting history and fuses them with original lines, materials, and design elements that reflect West’s unique style.
The Air Yeezy was developed from a strong relationship between West and Nike. Partnering with Nike Creative Director, Mark Smith, Kanye was taken through the product creation process, the same way athletes have with Nike Design for the past 37 years. This creative partnership of Smith and West’s talents as designers yielded a unique Nike Sportswear sneaker worth the wait. “Kanye is a truly creative talent,” said Smith. “He’s a natural designer—partnerships like this always enhance the creative experience and the end product.” West agrees that the partnership with Nike has been exciting. “Nike is such an important brand to me,” said West. “Whether you are on the court, in the street, in the club, at school, Nike represents excellence, the standard in design. Growing up, we looked forward to the release of new Nike’s the way we would an album by our favorite artist. So the opportunity to collaborate on a design with Mark Smith and Nike Design has been a dream come true, and a great experience.”

From the start, West and Nike’s shared vision was clear: to create a modern classic. An original Nike footwear style, that reflects elements of Nike’s sporting past, and remixes them with Nike innovation to deliver a unique shoe.

The creative process of the Air Yeezy began with the discussion around ideas and inspirations. The shoe began to take shape through a series of drawings and samples, each pulling inspiration and reference from some of Nike’s iconic innovations and rich design history, across both Basketball and Sportswear styles.

A careful balance was sought, each time new elements were added, with existing elements being taken away - a design process Smith refers to as “reductionism”. “Nike shoes need to function and always be innovative,” said Smith. “So the first thing we did was to make sure the design process that Kanye and Nike Design went through, mirrored that of our athletes.” “I’ve been designing Nike’s in my sketch pad since the fourth grade,” said West. “So to say I’ve been prepared for this would be an understatement. The really fun and challenging part for me was learning about Nike’s design process, learning more about fabrics and functions and colorways, and all of the details that go into designing a shoe of this quality.”

Following the fabled tradition of Nike’s design process, West and Smith went through a series of one-on-one design sessions. At Nike the ultimate test is one of performance, where the design meets the athlete’s movements. “Kanye could wear and perform in these shoes and really identify how we could make the shoes perform better.” Supplanting center court with center stage, West provided critical feedback on how the shoe performed throughout the course of his 2-3 hour performance sets, where the first prototypes of the Nike Air Yeezy were seen outside of Nike’s World Headquarters in Beaverton, OR.

*THE NIKE AIR YEEZY: NEW SCHOOL OF COMFORT.*

Born from Kanye West’s creative passion, built with Nike design and performance innovation, The Air Yeezy was fine-tuned on stages around the globe, challenging convention by remixing the past to create something uniquely new, as only Nike Sportswear can.

West is known for his non-stop energy both on the stage and off so the Air Yeezy had to support and sustain West from start to finish. An almost obsessive focus was put on delivering supreme comfort throughout the development of the shoe. Equipped with debossed ankle collar pods for added support and protection, extra-thick sock liners, a forefoot support strap, original functional tension lace loops, and Phylon tooling taken from the 1987 Nike Air Assault for added performance and comfort—all developed and integrated with one goal in mind: to keep Kanye on lock down in cushioned comfort during his performances during his many notoriously strenuous artistic live performances.

These performance attributes have been meticulously wrapped in premium full grain leather uppers and adorned with original design details that are uniquely Kanye and identifiably Nike. The remastered Nike Air Assault outsole is treated to glow-in-the-dark properties and will illuminate when the light is low. The forefoot support strap is premium grade patent leather and is of no-stitch construction. Clean seams are used throughout except for a premium suede toe wrap feature with visible stitch detail. Emblazoned across the Air Yeezy is an exclusive “Y” repeat pattern, as either a debossed or lasered detail, which takes inspiration from the Jordan brands iconic Elephant print material. This graphic treatment was developed by West and Smith to pay tribute not only to the name of the shoe and it’s co-creator, but also to the various moments in history that spurred West’s initial inspiration for the Nike Air Yeezy.]

So clean!!!

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2009 NCCA Tournament Bracket x President Obama (Barack-Etology)

Here is Prez Obama filling out his 2009 NCAA Tournament bracket on "Sportscenter." As he is with just about every topic, El Presidente definitely knows his college hoops. It may too late for all of you participating in NCAA pools to copy Barack's bracket and submit it as your own, but it's still cool to see him deftly break down the match-ups and offer his opinion. As always, Barack displays his charisma and comes off completely at east; he seems like a normal guy discussing hoops - nothing seems fake about his persona. Plus, how many U.S. Presidents have ever been on "Sportscenter" casually conversing about sports - especially in the midst of an economic crisis?

And that is why he is The Rock of Gibraltar aka Barack of Gibraltar. Enjoy.



[I haven't followed college hoop too closely this season. Every year I say I'm going to keep up during the regular season so that come tourney time I'll be able to make intelligent picks. It never happens that way. I just never get into college hoop.

With that disclaimer in place, let's go! From the small amount of college b-ball I've seen this year (most in the past couple weeks leading up to the Big Dance), and after a couple days of being overexposed to the opinions and "insight" of an endless supply of no-name commentators that ESPN loves to bring out of the woodwork, I'm ready to select.

Here are my picks:

Elite 8:
Louisville v. Michigan St.
U Conn v. Missouri
Pittsburgh v. Villanova
Gonzaga v. Syracuse

Final 4:

Louisville
v. Mizzou
Pitt v. Syracuse

Championship Game:

Louisville
v. Syracuse

[And your 2009 NCAA Champion will be... Louisville, 82-76.]

Give me your picks for the Final 4 all the way through your pick for 2009 Champ..

To view a printable bracket, click here and hit up ESPN.com

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Wednesday, March 18, 2009

The Hundreds, San Francisco: Post 1 Year Anniversary Party


For all of those who haven't been able to visit The Hundreds store on Post St. in SF, you should definitely check it out. I'm a big fan of The Hundreds clothing and I was juiced when they set up shop on in downtown SF. This event is being thrown to celebrate the store's 1-year anniversary. It sounds like it could be a dope event.. I may have to attend. Who's with me??

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Monday, March 16, 2009

Jim Cramer on "The Daily Show"

This is Jim Cramer from CNBC's "Mad Money" on "The Daily Show". He gets the straight up 3rd degree from John Stewart who shreds him for his complicity in the whole market crisis. The normally animated and wild Cramer is uncharacteristically cowed and meek in this clip. I almost feel bad for the guy (who is no doubt an economic genius), until I see him in his hedge fund days, sleazily talking about how to trick investors and slip through regulatory loop holes. John Stewart shines in this video and asks some serious questions. A model of what honest journalism looks like. Some real shit.

The video pretty much speaks for itself.

Part 1



Part 2


Part 3

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A.I.G. plans to pay over $160 million in executive bonuses

On Sunday, the New York Times reported that The American International Group (A.I.G.) will dole out around $165 million in executive bonuses. These bonuses come in the wake of A.I.G. receiving $170 billion of taxpayer money last year in order to save the company from totally collapsing.

The situation is even more odious because A.I.G. - out of all the troubled financial institutions - has received the largest sum of taxpayer dollars and has conducted its business in an especially reckless and embarrassing fashion. Furthermore, the bonuses will be paid to executives in A.I.G.’s financial products division, the same unit that “wrote trillions of dollars’ worth of credit-default swaps that protected investors from defaults on bonds backed in many cases by subprime mortgages” (Cooper, 3/16/09) and plunged the company into financial ruin.

The news has drawn widespread outrage and infuriated people on both sides of the political spectrum. Today President Obama delivered a harshly worded statement in which he called A.I.G. a “corporation that finds itself in financial distress due to recklessness and greed” (Cooper) and ordered Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to “pursue every single legal avenue” to block the executive bonuses.

“Under these circumstances, it’s hard to understand how derivative traders at A.I.G. warranted any bonuses at all, much less $165 million in extra pay,” President Obama continued. “How do they justify this outrage to the taxpayers who are keeping the company afloat?”

Edward M. Libby, appointed by the Federal government to oversee the progress at A.I.G., acknowledged the bad message the bonuses sent, but maintained that they were necessary. In a letter to Geithner, Libby wrote, “We cannot attract and retain the best and the brightest talent to lead and staff the A.I.G. businesses — which are now being operated principally on behalf of American taxpayers — if employees believe their compensation is subject to continued and arbitrary adjustment by the U.S. Treasury." (Cooper)

Despite Obama’s call to block the bonuses, the task may prove difficult, if not legally impossible. The bonuses, covering 400 employees, and ranging from $1,000 to $6.5 million are mandated for in a contract that was written in 2008 before the banking meltdown. In fact, Obama's chief economic adviser, Lawrence Summers said over the weekend that the federal government had reviewed its legal options and concluded that it could not block the payments.

Time will tell...

[My opinion on this bonus situation aligns with the popular sentiment. I am outraged by A.I.G.’s decision to distribute these bonuses – a move I regard as a slap in the taxpayer’s face. While I understand their contractual obligations, I believe that the contract became negotiable the instant the government propped up A.I.G. and resurrected using taxpayer money. At a time when hardworking people across the country are being laid off in waves, and those who are lucky enough to be employed are struggling to make ends-meet, it is simply unjustifiable to significantly reward those people who had a legitimate role in creating this financial crisis. Just despicable. I want this crisis to be resolved as quickly as possible so the Obama administration can begin the process of transforming our economic system.]

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Sunday, March 15, 2009

Saturday Night Live - "Digital Short: Party Guys"

This is the most recent "Digital Short" from Saturday Night Live. It aired on the March 14 episode which featured a guest appearance from actor and comedian Tracy Morgan. This Digital Short stars Bill Hader and Andy Samberg as the "party guys", two guys who stand together at a house party people-watching and mocking all the different character types who are there. The flanel-, slim-fitter hoodie wearing duo take turns hating on virtually everyone at the party, calling him or her some derogatory name: i.e. "joker", "numbnuts", "cowboy".



It's a hilarious video, showcasing an array of disses that anyone can relate to; we've all heard people use these words and phrases, and we've all used them ourselves. The party guys themselves are archetypes which is why the video is so funny and why we can all relate to it. We've probably all had our own "party guy" moment where we were at a party or social gathering and hated on someone (or multiple people) there. Human beings are judgemental. It is a consequence of us being social creatures.

The disses themselves are very funny, but what makes this video so clever is how it takes the literal translation of the party guys' insults. It makes you think how, ultimately, the words and the combination of words we use to describe things are odd. It also reveals how language is socially constructed and much of it is symbolic, spoken in code. It's always interesting to examine the way we speak to each other and the roots of the words we use. Anyways that was a serious sociological tangent...

The ending is kind of corny but it's only just to turn the mirror - displayed literally like everything else - on the party guys themselves, exposing their anti-social, negative, and ultimately lame behavior.

But hey, it's still hilarious!!

[My favorites are the "jokers", "what's his face", "turd-burglar", "look who decided to show his face" (the cameo is sooo funny!!) but they are all pretty money. I'm curious to know what other people's top 3 are. Post your list. Holla!]

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Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Steve Cirillo in "Jukebox Deniro"

This is my childhood friend Steve Cirillo appearing in his latest short film, "Jukebox Deniro". Steve is an aspiring actor who has appeared in over 20 independent films and plays. Five of his films - "There Will Be Peace", "Auteur", "White Wedding", "Jaguar Hunter" and "Sex Kills" - will be featured in a variety of major film festivals, including the Seattle Film Festival, the SoHo Film Festival and First Run. "Jukebox Deniro" was an entry in Filmaka's Short and Documentary Film Competition, and was directed by John de Menil.

I particularly like the contrast between the upbeat, romantic tone of the film's final third and Steve's portrayal of a conflicted guilt-torn character in the beginning. It conveys the two realities the character is living in. On the one hand, he is seeing women on the side - a lifestyle which doesn't make him happy beyond its physical pleasure - and on the other, he has a seemingly ideal and romantic relationship with another girl. Well done Steve Supreme.

More from the homie Steve to come!









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Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Shakespeare Portrait Unveiled


On Monday, a group of Shakespeare scholars and art historians unveiled what is believed to be a recently discovered portrait of legendary 17th century poet and writer, William Shakespeare. The painting was found in the private collection belonging to the Cobbes family, an aristocractic Anglo-Irish family who inherited the painting from Henry Wriothesley, the 3rd Earl of Southampton, almost 300 years ago.

Until the Cobbes' portrait was displayed, the consensus amongst Shakespeare scholars was that the most authentic images of Shakespeare were a woodcut engraving by Martin Droeshout made in 1632, and a marble bust that has been displayed in Stratford church since the 1620s.

This new image of Shakespeare is significant for a couple reasons. For one, if it is authentic, it will be the only known portrait made of Shakespeare when he was alive. Secondly, it completely changes the commonly accepted image of Shakespeare. The previous representations of him portrayed him as a balding, nerdy looking individual. This portrait presents him with a vitality and appeal never visually attributed to Shakespeare, while at the same time re-opening the debate regarding Shakespeare's sexual orientation:

"In a handout for reporters, the trust said the portrait might open a new era in Shakespeare scholarship, giving fresh momentum, among other things, to generations of speculation as to whether the playwright, a married man with three children, was bisexual. Until now, that suggestion has hinged mostly on dedications to the Earl of Southampton that Shakespeare wrote with some of his best-loved poems and some of the sensual passages in his poems and plays, particularly his sonnets, most of which, the London scholars said, are centered on expressions of love and desire for men, not women." (Burns, NYTimes.com)

However, there is not a unanimous opinion that the figure in the portrait is Shakespeare. Some scholars point to the figure's aristocratic dress, along with the Elizabethan style of portraiture which was more about idealizing a figure and glossing over their imperfections, as evidence that calls the portrait's authenticity into question.

[Whatever the authenticity of this recently-unearthed image, the fact that it contributes to the body of Shakespeare scholarship and stimulates intellectual conversation is a positive. I just think it's amazing that we only have (potentially) one portrait of such a renowned poet, playwright and author. If this portrait is deemed authentic, it will enrich our understanding of one of history's literary giants. Always a good look.]

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Thomas Friedman - "The Inflection is Near?"

This is Thomas Friedman's column from Sunday, March 8.

[Thomas Friedman is a NY Times columnist and author renowned for his seminal work, The World Is Flat, and for his enthusiastic pro-globalization perspective. While he has been characterized by some groups as conservative and pro-business, I have found that Friedman's columns throughout 2008 - particularly during the presidential race - have focused on the central theme of restoring America economically and preparing it for the 21st century. His latest column raises a fundamental question I have pondered for some time: Is capitalism (as we practice it today) sustainable?

I invite the reader to respond to that central question and share your thoughts.]

Click to peep Friedman's column from today about the absolute seriousness of this financial crisis.

"The Inflection is Near?"

by Thomas Friedman

Sometimes the satirical newspaper The Onion is so right on, I can’t resist quoting from it. Consider this faux article from June 2005 about America’s addiction to Chinese exports:

FENGHUA, China — Chen Hsien, an employee of Fenghua Ningbo Plastic Works Ltd., a plastics factory that manufactures lightweight household items for Western markets, expressed his disbelief Monday over the “sheer amount of [garbage] Americans will buy. Often, when we’re assigned a new order for, say, ‘salad shooters,’ I will say to myself, ‘There’s no way that anyone will ever buy these.’ ... One month later, we will receive an order for the same product, but three times the quantity. How can anyone have a need for such useless [garbage]? I hear that Americans can buy anything they want, and I believe it, judging from the things I’ve made for them,” Chen said. “And I also hear that, when they no longer want an item, they simply throw it away. So wasteful and contemptible.”

Let’s today step out of the normal boundaries of analysis of our economic crisis and ask a radical question: What if the crisis of 2008 represents something much more fundamental than a deep recession? What if it’s telling us that the whole growth model we created over the last 50 years is simply unsustainable economically and ecologically and that 2008 was when we hit the wall — when Mother Nature and the market both said: “No more.”

We have created a system for growth that depended on our building more and more stores to sell more and more stuff made in more and more factories in China, powered by more and more coal that would cause more and more climate change but earn China more and more dollars to buy more and more U.S. T-bills so America would have more and more money to build more and more stores and sell more and more stuff that would employ more and more Chinese ...

We can’t do this anymore.

“We created a way of raising standards of living that we can’t possibly pass on to our children,” said Joe Romm, a physicist and climate expert who writes the indispensable blog climateprogress.org. We have been getting rich by depleting all our natural stocks — water, hydrocarbons, forests, rivers, fish and arable land — and not by generating renewable flows.

“You can get this burst of wealth that we have created from this rapacious behavior,” added Romm. “But it has to collapse, unless adults stand up and say, ‘This is a Ponzi scheme. We have not generated real wealth, and we are destroying a livable climate ...’ Real wealth is something you can pass on in a way that others can enjoy.”

Over a billion people today suffer from water scarcity; deforestation in the tropics destroys an area the size of Greece every year — more than 25 million acres; more than half of the world’s fisheries are over-fished or fished at their limit.

“Just as a few lonely economists warned us we were living beyond our financial means and overdrawing our financial assets, scientists are warning us that we’re living beyond our ecological means and overdrawing our natural assets,” argues Glenn Prickett, senior vice president at Conservation International. But, he cautioned, as environmentalists have pointed out: “Mother Nature doesn’t do bailouts.”

One of those who has been warning me of this for a long time is Paul Gilding, the Australian environmental business expert. He has a name for this moment — when both Mother Nature and Father Greed have hit the wall at once — “The Great Disruption.”

“We are taking a system operating past its capacity and driving it faster and harder,” he wrote me. “No matter how wonderful the system is, the laws of physics and biology still apply.” We must have growth, but we must grow in a different way. For starters, economies need to transition to the concept of net-zero, whereby buildings, cars, factories and homes are designed not only to generate as much energy as they use but to be infinitely recyclable in as many parts as possible. Let’s grow by creating flows rather than plundering more stocks.

Gilding says he’s actually an optimist. So am I. People are already using this economic slowdown to retool and reorient economies. Germany, Britain, China and the U.S. have all used stimulus bills to make huge new investments in clean power. South Korea’s new national paradigm for development is called: “Low carbon, green growth.” Who knew? People are realizing we need more than incremental changes — and we’re seeing the first stirrings of growth in smarter, more efficient, more responsible ways.

In the meantime, says Gilding, take notes: “When we look back, 2008 will be a momentous year in human history. Our children and grandchildren will ask us, ‘What was it like? What were you doing when it started to fall apart? What did you think? What did you do?’ Often in the middle of something momentous, we can’t see its significance. But for me there is no doubt: 2008 will be the marker — the year when ‘The Great Disruption’ began.”

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Monday, March 9, 2009

Daft Punk - "Digital Love"

via Google


Daft Punk is an electronic music duo made up of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter. Daft Punk reached significant fame during the house music movement in France in the late-1990s.

In addition to their uptempo electronic sound, Daft Punk is known for their emphasis on the visual components that go along with their music. In the early-1990s the duo began appearing in public wearing masks to disguise their faces, or they would have their faces "digitally obscured". When not in public, the group preferred to be rendered in animated form; as a result, relatively few photos of the group's faces exist. In the late-1990s/early-2000s, the duo began wearing futuristic robot fits for all public events, including photo shoots, interviews, live events and music videos.

The group has presented a variety of explanations for donning their robot outfits. Bangalter once explained, "We did not choose to become robots. There was an accident in our studio. We were working on our sampler, and at exactly 9:09 a.m. on September 9, 1999, it exploded. When we regained consciousness, we discovered that we had become robots." That being said, the group is pretty sick and has put out some classic electronica hits in their day. This cut is from their 2001 album, Discovery. The track is also featured in the animated feature film, Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem. Peep here for the clip from the movie using this track.

Godspeed.

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Sunday, March 8, 2009

Credit Crisis visualized

I came across this video about a month or so ago waiting patiently for the proper moment to post them. Now is that time. For all of you (myself included) who aren't econ majors, and who don't understand some of the vocabulary/concepts being used and the complex processes at work in this economic crisis, this clip does a good job explaining it in a very coherent way. You will have to devote a little time to watch it, but it's worth it if you wanna get a quick overview of the situation we currently face.


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Nat King Cole - RE:Generation EP

picture and tracklist via Amazon

When I saw the headline for this album on okayplayer.com, I was instantly intrigued. Nat King Cole is one of my favorite jazz vocalists of all time; I've often said that if I could have the voice of any musician it would be his. Cole's voice had a velvety quality that gave his music its signature sound and helped elevate him to superstardom.

Whenever I come across an album by some DJ or Producer (often one I've never heard of) that claims to be a remix album of a historic artist, I am immediately skeptical. And don't get me wrong, the prospect of hearing a reinterpretation or reinvention of a famous artist's music is incredibly exciting. I love hearing someone bring in new styles and sounds and completely re-interpret an old classic (i.e. Frank Sinatra x Notorious B.I.G., 2pac Duets album, etc.). However, many amateur producers simply take an instrumental they've downloaded and mash it up with an acappella without regard to how the two sound together and without blending the two harmoniously.

Caution aside, the idea of an album containing a selection of Cole's most popular standards - "straighten up and fly right", "lush life", "nature boy" - remixed with an array of talented artists, spanning different genres and styles, sounds like it could have some very real potential. The "RE: Generation" album will feature guest appearences by Nas, The Roots, Damien Marley, along with production from Just Blaze and Amp Fiddler. If the tracks below are any indication, Nat King Cole's spirit will stay alive on this album.

The album is scheduled for release in late February/early March

Track list:
01. Lush Life feat. Cee-Lo Green
02. Straighten Up and Fly Right feat. will.i.am & Natalie Cole
03. Day In Day Out feat. Cut Chemist
04. Brazilian Love Song feat. Michaelangelo L'Acqua & Bebel Gilberto
05. The Game of Love feat. Nas & Salaam Remi
06. Walkin' My Baby Back Home feat. The Roots
07. Hit That Jive, Jack feat. Souldiggaz & Izza Kizza
08. Calypso Blues feat. Stephen & Damian Marley
09. More and More of Your Amour feat. Bitter:Sweet
10. El Choclo feat. Brazilian Girls
11. Pick-up (produced by Just Blaze)
12. Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere (produced by Amp Fiddler)
13. Nature Boy feat. TV On The Radio

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Wednesday, March 4, 2009

KAWS - New York Magazine cover


Ever since I wrote about him on this blog, Brooklyn-based pop-artist KAWS has straight blown up. Naw, not really. KAWS has been producing his distinctive style of art since the mid-1990s. He has worked with a variety of toy and clothing companies and held art exhibits in Tokyo and Paris. I'd say that he is reaching his highest point in popularity right now, having been commissioned by Kanye West to design a limited edition cover for 808s and Heartbreak. He also recently held the "The Long Way Home" show at the Honor Fraser Gallery in Los Angeles, and received a write-up in the LA Times profiling his commercial appeal. This month he was tapped to design the cover for New York Magazine, pictured above.

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3 Minute Scene from "Watchmen"

via Google Images

In honor of the highly anticipated release of Watchmen - based on the seminal graphic novel by the same name - I wanted to share this 3 minute clip from the new movie.

Watchmen,
written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, was released as a 12-issue comic book limited series between 1986 and 1987. The comic takes place in an alternate history United States. In this alternate world, the U.S. and the Soviet Union are poised at the brink of nuclear war, assassination and murder are every day facts of life. Costumed vigilantes - dubbed the Watchmen - are at first an accepted part of society but they become federally outlawed. Watchmen follows the protagonists as they adapt to post-superhero life; some reveal their true identities, some adopt regular jobs, while a few remain active and are contracted by the federal government. When some of their former partners are murdered, the Watchmen are pulled out of retirement to solve the crimes, finally culminating in a shocking climax.

This 3 minute scene follows the dark and mysterious hero Rorschach as he investigates the murder of his comrade-in-arms, The Comedian. Rorschach, whose "face" is a beanie with an ever-changing ink-blot (named after the amorphous forms used in Rorschach ink blot tests), is the story's anti-communist, anti-liberal voice who sees the world through a moral absolutist lens. In Rorschach's eyes, things are clearly good or evil with no gray area, and evil must be punished by any means necessary. Rorschach's story is just one of several threads that drive and enrich the Watchmen story. Holla!!




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Monday, March 2, 2009

Young Jeezy - "Circulate" Video

A month ago, Young Jeezy previewed his Belvedere Vodka ad campaign, shot by photographer Terry Richardson. This music video is an extension of that campaign and features the same sequence. Richardson employs his distinct photographic style, characterized by the use of soft back-lighting on a austere background, and an overall vintage aesthetic. It features Jeezy in D.C. during the inauguration festivities doing what he does.

[Note: This cut is off
The Recession and is produced by Don Cannon and features a sample of "Let the Money Circulate" by Billy Paul.]

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San Quinn and Keak Da Sneak Interview

In an interview with Nah Right, San Quinn and Keak discuss the Bay Area's unique style, the state of Bay Area rap in general and their upcoming collaborative album, Welcome to Scokland. Quinn and Keak are legends in the Yay Area rap game and their analysis of what makes the Bay so distinct, and at the same time, misunderstood is dead-on. A very eloquent analysis from two talented MCs and two of the most important pioneers in the formation and development of Bay Area hip hop.

Bay Area stand up!!!

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Bryan Berg, World's Best Card Stacker


This dude is a nut! His card formations pretty much speak for themselves. I just want to know, How does somebody become this good at card stacking? What motivates them to become the #1 card stacker in the universe? I can't hate - I guess it's the same mentality for any other hobby or pursuit. Regardless, the Berg-Man has talent!!

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