Proud of these gentlemen. My good friend D-Win from Indy moved to Chicago for art school, and since forming the Rocketeers, he & his Windy City partner in rhyme Johnny Rocket (who is also a phenomenal producer & vocalist in his own right) have been making quite a name for themselves.  They recently released this visual accompanyment to ‘Feeling Good’, from their upcoming offering ‘The Matinee’.

Video & more after the jump.

The Rocketeers “Feeling Good” Official Music Video from Brian Keller on Vimeo.

|LATE PASS|

Get Familiar with the Rocketeers music HERE.

Dope Couture FnF *finally* drops his latest installment, this go round hosted by Don Cannon. Featuring a plethora of good tunes, including his doper-than-dope smash ‘Supa Dupa Lemonade’.

‘….BARCODE.’

More after the jump.

Oh, and yes, that IS the Dope Couture logo you see there. YUP.

#BOUGIECREW Represent.

‘BOYYY…’

Click HERE to download.

I had the opportunity to be invited to a screening of this documentary in the Toby Room of the IMA in late 2009. There was a panel discussion at the end, which included myself, Mr. Kinetik & the incomparable Brittany Street.

Similar in purpose to ‘My Mic Sounds Nice’, but a bit grittier & infinitely more raw, SAY MY NAME is more than just a film, but an entire MOVEMENT. Literally. Brought to the world by Mamamess.

Trailer & more info after the jump.

This particular film focuses on the trials, tribulations & life struggles of the women that have a burning p[assion for Hip Hop. From the underground USA, to formerly ‘Making the Band’, to UK’s grime scene & much, much more; these ladies have been, and continue to, claw their way up through the ranks, letting their struggles inspire their stories, their stories inspiring countless untold others, including themselves.

SAY MY NAME is a movement that is bigger than just the story of women’s struggles in Hip Hop, but a worldwide documentary series on stories of women ‘trying to survive, raise families, & pursue their dreams in the metropolises of our modern world.’ These stories are told throug photography & film, brought forth by Mamamess.

To learn more about the SAY MY NAME Movement & documentary series, click HERE.

I have always been a fan of this painting. I first was exposed to it in grammar school, oddly enough, and took to it immediately. I could go on about my longstanding love affair w/ the code & aesthetic of the principles for being a traditional English gentleman, but it was the 1999 remake of ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ with Pierce Brosnan that gave my appreciation for this piece a unique, intellectually devious twist. More on Magritte, the film, and a clip from the climactic scenes from 1999’s ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ after the jump.

Magritte allegedly painted ‘The Son of Man’ as a self portrait in 1964, with this to say of it:

At least it hides the face partly. Well, so you have the apparent face, the apple, hiding the visible but hidden, the face of the person. It’s something that happens constantly. Everything we see hides another thing, we always want to see what is hidden by what we see. There is an interest in that which is hidden and which the visible does not show us. This interest can take the form of a quite intense feeling, a sort of conflict, one might say, between the visible that is hidden and the visible that is present.

Coincidentally, the original ‘Thomas Crown Affair’ film was released a mere 4 years following, with the 1999 remake with Pierce Brosnan adding several modern twists to the original. The remake is high within my personal top favorite films. Here’s a clip of the climax, but be warned: If youve NOT seen the film before this IS a SPOILER.

Enjoy.

Oh, and special respect to the producers of the remake for their genius incorporation of Nina Simone’s ‘Sinnaman’ as a fitting sonic backdrop to it all. Kudos.

 August 29th, 2010. On what would have been the King of Pop’s 52nd birthday, I join the world in celebration of the man that touched the lives of billions over the course of his 45 year career. However, being a Hoosier, born in Gary, we in Indiana lay special claim and take extra pride in remembering one of our OWN.

And what is a celebration without music. So I’ve chosen 2 MJ tribute projects that are very special to me: Rhymefest’s ‘Man in the Mirror’ living tribute project, and DJ Limelight’s mindblowing ‘Meaning of Michael’. 

More after the jump.

This was the original cover for the project that Rhymefest assembled with Mark Ronson back in 2008, as a LIVING tribute to MJ. Notable guest appearances from Wale, Talib Kweli, Dres from Black Sheep & more, which included myself in a guest slot on the track ‘Breakadawn’ with Daniel Merriweather.

Re-released in conjunction with the good people over at dN|Be Entertainment last year, the cover art got a change, but the tracklisting & content stayed the same.

Click HERE for Rhymefest’s ‘Man in the Mirror’

Now this, this is something special.

I’ve been priveledged to have known DJ Limelight for quite a while, and the kid’s talent hs never been in question. But with this project, he outdid himself, BEAUTIFULLY.

There are truly not enough words to describe the emotion captured within this project. Released a few short months following Jackson’s passing, it is an experience that must be heard.

Click HERE for DJ Limelight’s ‘The Meaning of Michael’

Last year, while crafting my ‘Steal From The Rich’ project, the one record I found myself having the most trouble completing, for whatever reason, was a celebration of sneaks & those who love them. It quickly became one of my personal favorite works of my own.  Titled ‘Roy G Biv’, for the pneumonic device/acronym that represents the spectrum of colors of the rainbow, it fast became a fan favorite.

I assigned individual artwork to each record within SFTR, and for this song I felt there was no better representation of the aesthetic of the modern sneakerphile than the homie Adam ‘DJ AM’ Goldstein. Rekeased in July of ‘09, you can imagine the morbid irony experienced when, just over a month later, news of Adam’s passing circulated the globe.

So, in honor of this, ‘Roy G Biv’ is, has been, and forever will be, a tribute to AM. A celebration of one of his most celebrated passions outside of music: the shoes. Salud, borther. On behalf of ‘heads everywhere, may you live forever within us all.

Pics of DJ AM, vids of sneaker collection & more after the jump.

I am, without question, an avid sneakerphile, and anyone that knows me will attest to my focus on quality over quantity, and obtaining unique, luxe crafted footwear in remarkable silhouettes that I actually WEAR. These same individuals will also attest that even prior to my present, occasional ’sneaker snobbery’, I have rarely looked more than once at very many  Jordan releases. Save for the 11’s I listed for, the 13’s purchased on my OWN Senior year in HS, and one retro re-release: the Rising Sun 12’s. AFTER the recall.

Just never been an obsessive fan of J’s. *Tink Hatfield shrug*

But this Bin 23? Retro Premio 13?

 Oh, this changes EVERYTHING.

Now, not all the Jordan silhouettes, mind you. But the luxe treatment of these 13’s?

Exquisite.

THIS is a division of Brand Jordan I can stand behind.

Or IN, as it were.

A bit of history on Bin 23, and their Premio’s.

‘Jordan is proud to announce the introduction of the Bin 23 collection. Bin 23 is a remarkable collection of Air Jordans I-XX3. When the time is right, select shoes from history’s most revered line of footwear will appear in exceptional releases conceived for the true connoisseur. This is where experimental and imagined Air Jordan designs, now aged to perfection, finally spring to life. In essence, Bin 23 holds lost stories, resurrected by passion, that are finally ready to be whispered again. Each pair is a treasure, worthy of greatness.

The first offering in the Bin 23 collection is the Air Jordan Retro 2 Premio. The Air Jordan 2 Retro Premio pays tribute to the exquisite craftsmanship and refined style of the original Air Jordan II, utilizing a rich, supple chocolate brown leather and exquisite attention to detail in a fitting homage to the original Air Jordan II’s legacy. The Air Jordan Retro 2 Premio, and all other offerings in the Bin 23 collection, carry the Bin 23 seal, are individually numbered and available in very limited quantities.’

I am newly enamoured with this division, now & forever more. I will definitely be checking for future releases.

As for these? Yeah, they dropped this past weekend. Anyone with intel on how I can obtain a pair of these in an 11, we need to talk.

SERIOUSLY.

[serious leads ONLY; do NOT waste my time with FAKES. I will HUNT you DOWN. alphaisforever@gmail.com]

Sincerely,

Your gentleman-sartorialist sneakerphile.

If the rumors are accurate, about this being second of five songs from a Ye/Jay project titled ‘Watch the Throne’ …

 There are no further words needed.

Click HERE to listen/download.

Spotted over at the Nightsons Blog.

Ditch school, sneak into Doc’s lab, plug into your 12 foot amps & prepare to rock out on your hoverboard and push your DeLorean past 88mph. Tinker Hatfield & the creative team at Nikes Innovative Kitchen have finally officially lodged patents for the classic film-derived/originated sneaker. Great Ceasar’s Ghost.

Pics after the jump. Spotted at HYPEBEAST.

During my most recent trip to LA, the homie Brittany Street and I hit Fairfax to do a little sneaker shopping & streetwear copping. En route to Huf (and past a depressingly closed Turntable Lab LA; yes, its CLOSED :/), we came across this brother’s studio space.

INCREDIBLE art, very humble artist, yet excited about his works.

Check out Norm Maxwell’s site HERE.

Video interview after the jump.