DRAKE LIVE STREAM MAY 2ND

Young Money's Drake is playing a sold out show May 2nd at The Loft in Atlanta. Most of you won't be able to make it out to that show, but there will be a live feed of the event. Check out xiuniversity.com to watch the performance.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: PEABE

Over the next week I will be doing artist spotlights on a few of the artists that are taking part in our "Odds & Ends" groups show next Friday, May 8th.

Up first is an artist named Peabe. Peabe hails from Chicago, but now calls Oakland his home. He is doing live art at the L.A. Sneaker Pimps event this Friday alongside such heavyweights as Slick, Estevan Oriol, and Tokidoki. Check out the interview below courtesy of Formatmag.

How would you describe your style?
Peabe: I’m not entirely sure, I struggle with this all the time. It’s like a Technicolor world of zombi-esque people and monsters walking around a world full of colors and shapes but just starting to realize the beauty of it. Or, like being there to
witness people during their epiphanies. I’m an ‘80s baby too, so all the typical ‘80s cartoons like The Transformers, GI Joe, and Silverhawks, had an influence on me, in terms of colors that I use.

Where do your characters come from?
Peabe: I was born and raised in Chicago. Pretty much after grade school you got to take the train or bus to get anywhere. Riding the train everyday, I’d see all the graff up and down the subway lines. In between noticing the graff, I’d notice the same folks looking like drones on the train, like cattle being shipped to and from slaughterhouses.

Everyone looked dead tired or hating where they were going and just zoning everything out. It was sad because there would be all this dope graff to stare at on the way to wherever they were going but they would ignore it and just stand there looking like zombies. That’s when I would bust out the sketchbook and just start sketching the people I saw. The people in my worlds eventually came from these trains sketches.


Were you influenced by the comics or cartoons you watched growing up?
Peabe: Man. Cartoon wise I was all about the Transformers, Ninja Turtles and funny enough Silverhawks to name a few. It seems like no one dug the Silverhawks because they were the shiny lame space version of the Thundercats. I was crazy about comics as a kid. I used to really be into X-Force, Dead Pool, typically all the really bright shit [laughs]. I fell off of comics but have slightly gotten back into them only cause my best friend has and he’s been telling me all the loco shit that’s been going on. I may get hooked again.

SLAP CHOP "RAP" CHOP

Check out this remix of the Slap Chop informercial... Someone took that time to remix the commercial into a dance song and video.

BLOODBATH X FLY SOCIETY LIMITED TEE

The homeys at Bloodbath linked up with Terry Kennedy and Fly Society to release this limited edition tee. Tradition will be 1 of only 6 stores worldwide to have the shirt when it drops in mid May.

ALCHEMIST - "THAT'LL" WORK

Here's a brand new track from Alchemist called "That'll Work" from his upcoming Chemical Warfare album. This track features Three 6 Mafia and Juvenile.

VIDEO: RAEKWON FT. GHOSTFACE & METHOD MAN "NEW WU"

Check out the newest video from Raekwon called "New Wu" featuring Ghostface and Method Man. Rae's been dropping heat... OB4CL2 coming soon!

VIDEO: FLY SOCIETY X BLOODBATH ON VIMBY

VIMBY - Fly Society

The homeys at Bloodbath linked up with TK and Fly Society for a limited edition tee that is dropping this May. Tradition is one of the few select retailers around the globe that carry Bloodbath, and we will be one of only 6 stores worldwide to have the extremely limited Fly Society tee! You know we will keep you posted!

Bloodbath and Fly Society met up at the Distrect 8 boutique in Long Beach, CA. We went behind the scenes for the t-shirt collaboration photo shoot.

PACQUIAO AND HATTON READY TO FIGHT

I can't wait for this fight, Ricky Hatton vs Manny Pacquiao, its going to be a slugfest. Pacquiao who is gunning for a world title in a record-tying sixth weight class, will meet in the main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday (HBO PPV, 9 p.m. ET). If you have been watching the HBO series 24/7 Hatton's trainer, the personable Floyd Mayweather Sr., and Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach sound as if they are getting ready to throw down in an undercard fight. Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs), who demolished former titleholder Paulie Malignaggi in a November title defense, and Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KOs), who sent Oscar De La Hoya into retirement with a December pummeling in a welterweight fight, are the kinds of fighters who like to let their fists do the talking inside the ring. They are confident that they will win and don't spend time before the fight making comments about each other.

TURN MY FAG ON

Is this guy serious? Here's his remix of Soulja Boy's "Turn My Swag On" called "Turn My Fag On." Hilarious.

TRADITION X NEW ERA "JORDAN PACK"

Tradition is proud to present our 3rd pack of official New Eras.
This pack is inspired by two of our favorite Jordan colorways... The classic black and red, and the Jordan "Grape" colorway.
Designed by Mr. Cartoon and SA Studios.

These hats will release Friday May 1st, only at Tradition.
Phone Orders are welcome... (805)497-4717
Only 36 of each color!

VIDEO: BLACK SCALE PRESENTS - BLEU COLLAR VS PORTISHEAD

Here's a dope new video from our homies Basik and Reese One of Bleu Collar. They both are spittin hard over the Portishead "Machine Gun" drums.

1976 "SWINE FLU" PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Check out these "Swine Flu" Public Service Announcements from 1976. Wash you hands everyone.

CLIPSE WEREN'T FRONTIN

Not sure if you heard the news but the Hip Hop Group Clipse's manager Anthony Gonzalez was just charged with leading a 10 million dollar drug ring, they even have an unnamed police officer listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the ring. 10 million dollars and cops? The indictment says "the operation has distributed more than a ton of marijuana and more than 100 pounds of cocaine since 2003". How the hell does one move a TON of marijuana and 100 pounds of cocaine and still have time to manage one of the best rap duos out today? The drug ring was allegedly run out of a Virginia club, Encore Lounge, the very same club that the Clipse are known to mention in some of their songs. It's even stated that Gonzalez bought the Encore Lounge "in November 2007 from an unidentified co-conspirator for 40 pounds of marijuana and about $80,000 in drug proceeds. The club closed earlier this year after more than 100 incidents of violence, shootings, drug dealing and disorderly conduct." According to AllHipHop.com, "to date, Anthony “Geezy” Gonzalez remains at large. Damn, the Clipse's street cred just got even bigger.

FIRST AMPUTEE W/ NO ARMS OR LEGS IN A MMA MATCH

Kyle Maynard is an amputee who is fighting in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) , the only thing is he is at an unfair disadvantage because he is fighting guys who have there limbs. Pretty dope he is out there though and the guy he is fighting is weak for not trying to grapple on the floor with him.

TUPAC IS ALIVE

This was too funny not to post, apparently TMZ took this pic of a Pac look-a-like in a L.A nightclub. Dude looks just like Pac don't you think?

BUFFMONSTER ON VIMBY

VIMBY - Buff Monster

Vimby caught up with Buffmonster at the opening of his "Sweetest Thing" exhibit at the Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles.

Buff Monster loves heavy metal, ice cream, and Japanese art. Check him out in this video as he talks about his artwork and his gallery, The Sweetest Thing, at the Corey Helford Gallery.

VIDEO: EXILE WITH YOURS TRULY PT. 1

Untitled from Yours Truly on Vimeo.
Exile recently sat down with the good folks at Yours Truly in the Mission District of lovely San Francisco, and broke down making beats from the car Radio, as well as recreating a joint called "In Love" from his recently released album, "Radio."

TRADITION X NEW ERA "JORDAN PACK"

Tradition is proud to present our 3rd pack of official New Eras.
This pack is inspired by two of our favorite Jordan colorways... The classic black and red, and the Jordan "Grape" colorway.
Designed by Mr. Cartoon and SA Studios.

These hats will release Friday May 1st, only at Tradition.
Phone Orders are welcome... (805)497-4717
Only 36 of each color!

DOM KENNEDY - FUTURE STREET/DRUG SOUNDS (MIXTAPE)

If you read our blog consistently you have seen how much we have anticipated Dom Kennedy's new mixtape "Future Street/Drug Sounds." The mixtape is fire and Dom continues to impress the haters. Download it here.

METHOD MAN & REDMAN FT. RAEKWON & GHOSTFACE - 4 MINUTES TO LOCKDOWN

Here's a new track called "4 Minutes To Lockdown" featuring Raekwon and Ghostface off the highly anticipated Black Out 2 album from Meth & Redman. From what I have heard thus far this album is a must have. Check out the track here.

POPEYE'S RUNS OUT OF CHICKEN

No comment! Actually, all I'm going to say is the media is always got some tricks to make minorities look mad ghetto.

VIDEO: MAKING OF EMINEM'S "WE MADE YOU" VIDEO

LAKERS MOVE ON TO ROUND 2

It wasn't pretty towards the end but Kobe Bryant's 31 points and Lamar Odom's 26 points led the Lakers to a 107-94 series clinching Game 5 win over the Jazz. Bring on Houston!

DOM KENNEDY - FUTURE STREET/DRUG SOUNDS

The homey Dom Kennedy is dropping his new mixtape tomorrow called "Future Street/Drug Sounds." The mixtape is bananas, Dom kills every track with that smooth flow (No Homo). I have been trying to put people on to Dom and after listening you will see why. Listen to it here. I will have it up to download as soon as its ready tomorrow.

COLLISION FILMS X ACURA X GUERILLA ONE

To celebrate Acura’s collaboration with collision films, GuerillaOne.com is going to give one of you a 16” x 12” painting. An original piece by one of the featured artists in the RDX film, famed Bristol, England street artist Henry St. Leger. All you have to do is hit up chris@guerillaone.com and let him know what’s up! You have till Sunday May 3RD, good luck and enjoy the RDX film.

TESLA UNVEILS AN ELECTRIC SEDAN

San Carlos, California-based Tesla Motors has raised the curtain on yet another stunner, a battery-powered Model S sedan. Tesla claims the 3,825-pound Model S, which employs a single 9-inch electric motor and a one-speed transmission driving the rear wheels which puts the top speed at 120 mph. The standard-issue battery pack will allow a 160-mile cruising range, but optional upgrades augment that distance to 230 or 300 miles. The four-door Model S seats five adults and two children, thanks to a pair of Volvo-wagonesque rear-facing jump seats beneath the large glassy hatchback. Tesla Model S boasts a cabin trimmed in Italian hide under an expansive panoramic glass roof, and an array of onboard technology, including integrated 3G high-speed Internet access and a 17-inch touch-screen display.

The Model S charges in Tesla showrooms (of which there are currently two, in Los Angeles and Menlo Park, California, with a host of others opening soon) late in 2011, priced at $57,400. That figure, after a $7,500 federal tax credit, falls to a surprisingly modest $49,900—also on par with BMW’s 550i. Tesla is already accepting $5,000 refundable deposits for the Model S.

VIDEO: CARTER - OUTTA SPACE

Here's a new video from Carter and I see the homey Dom Kennedy mad a little cameo too.

JADAKISS X CROOKS & CASTLES - IN STORE SIGNING

Looks like Jadakiss is teaming up with the homies from Crooks & Castles and doing a limited edition tee only available at the In Store signing at the Crooks store on Melrose Friday May 1st. Of course with my luck I'm going to be out of town and am gonna miss it.

Crooks & Castles
8021 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, Ca

NEW YORK CITY CRACKS DOWN ON FAKE SNEAKERS & APPAREL

A counterfeit sting in New York uncovers a first for investigators.

CAVS GET THE BROOMS OUT

LeBron James made 3-pointers from every angle , drove into the lane for dunks and leaned into low post moves. James had 36 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 99-78 victory over the Detroit Pistons yesterday, sweeping the Eastern Conference first-round series. Here's a few facts you may not have known:

• The Cavaliers became the only team to sweep their series in the first round and just the third team to sweep a team by winning each game by a double-digit margin (1980 Celtics and 2004 Pacers).

• The Cavaliers improved to 5-2 in games in which they can clinch a playoff series on the road under Mike Brown. Prior to Brown's arrival, Cleveland clinched only one playoff series with a victory on the road in 1992 at New Jersey.

• LeBron James led the Cavaliers with 36 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. He finished the series averaging 32.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 7.5 assists, becoming just the third player in NBA history to average at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in a single postseason series (Larry Bird and Oscar Robertson are the others).

• James became just the second player in NBA history to accumulate at least 1,300 points, 400 rebounds and 350 assists in his first 50 career postseason games (Oscar Robertson was the other).

ODD AND ENDS AT TRADITION

Tradition is pleased to announce our upcoming art exhibit called "Odds & Ends" Friday May 8th. "Odds & Ends" showcases a collection of work from a very talented group of artists including: Derek Albeck, David Browne, Dethkills, Justin Fry, Jawn, Augustine Kofie, Annie Madison, Eye One, Peabe, Justin Reed, Ralph Silerio, Quincy Sutton, Chase Tafoya, Jason Youth, and Marco Zamora.
Please join us for the opening reception Friday May 8th from 7 to 11.
A handful of these artist have exhibited their work at Tradition in the past, and I will be posting artist profiles on a few of the artist that have not yet shown at Tradition.

JUDGE "WHAT WAS SAID" UNFINISHED DOCUMENTARY

Here is some long lost footage from an unfinished documentary of one of my all time favorite bands, Judge. Judge only released 2 seven inches and 1 album in the short time frame that they were a band, but they will go down in history as one of the best Straight Edge Hardcore bands of all time.

This is what the videos creator had to say...

"This is a rough cut of a short documentary that Porcell, Sam Siegler and I were doing together. The audio is NOT mixed so please take that into consideration. Unfortunately I had a hard drive crash and lost all the elements which stopped us form wrapping this project up and making it final. This almost complete version is all I had left over. I hate showing incomplete work so please don't JUDGE it too harshly (pun intended), I just want to show what it was going to be to anyone that may have heard about this project and then never saw it released and also find a bit of closure in it for myself." - Joseph Patisall

Via: DoubleCross

HORIYOSHI III AT CANVAS LA

I got a chance to go by the opening of Horiyoshi III's current exhibition last night at Canvas LA. Horiyoshi III is revered by tattoo enthusiasts as possibly the world's greatest horishi, or full-body tattoo artist. Although Horiyoshi considers the human body as his canvas, he has published 10 books of artwork on both paper and skin. Last nights exhibit consisted of a display of a large number of full body suits as well as 50 original paintings straight from Japan, the largest-ever American exhibit of the Irezumi tattoo master’s work.

MAKE A $100,000 A MONTH?

J reports "I'm James Allen and I've been working online for 3 years now. When it comes to making money online, I know all the tricks. It's easy. Learn how to make money in a recession-proof business... Never have to worry about money again. I'm making more money now than I was in the past years, what the fuck is a recession? Go to JamesMakesMoney.com and learn everything. Start making money as fast as today! I started making 100k one year, to hundreds of thousands a year today."

This is pretty hilarious but who knows, it may really work. Check out the site here. Naw this is bulls#@*! Hahaha.

EMINEM - 3 A.M.

I know we are a little late on this, but blogger was down for a few dates, and I wanted to make sure to post this in case some of you missed it. Check out the newest track, "3 A.M.", from Eminem. This track is by far the best leak from his upcoming album, and one of the best Em' tracks I have heard in a long, long time.

VIDEO: KANYE WEST "ROBOCOP"

(SD) Kanye West - Robocop (1988 import version) from Myk Dawg on Vimeo.
Check out this animated fan made video for Kanye's "Robocop." I think the 80's pixelated dot matrix style video game graphics go well with this song.

SNEAK PEEK!

JAPANESE RAHZEL?

Not too bad for an asian dude! Can anyone make out his name? Didn't think so! Hahaha.

STEPHEN CURRY ENTERS NBA DRAFT

Here's why he was my favorite player in college this year. WET!

Stephen Curry, the nation's leading scorer announced at an on-campus news conference yesterday that he's skipping his senior season to enter the NBA draft. His father, former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, attended the announcement. The 6-foot-3 Curry moved to point guard this season and averaged 28.6 points. He had 15 games of 30 or more points and three of 40 or more as teams couldn't find a way to stop him. "I think I'm mentally and physically ready to make that jump," said Curry, who believes he'll be selected somewhere between seventh and 20th overall. "This is a dream of mine since I was a little kid."

RAEKWON FT. THE GAME - FLASHBACK MEMORIES

Peep this new joint from Raekwon called "Flashback Memories" featuring The Game. Damn these two compliment each other well. Raekwon murders the track and the hook is fire. Can't wait for OB4CL2 to drop! Check it out here.

EMINEM THINKS ASHER IS DOPE

In the new issue of XXL, Marshall addresses the Asher Roth comparisons.

"Asher Roth, I haven't had a chance to, like, really get into everything, like, really get into what he's about, because I've only hear a couple songs. There was talk about people saying he sounded like me, and he was doing this and that and, you know, trying to take what I do and do it. You know, shit like that. I've heard things. But the stuff that I've heard from him honestly, which certainly isn't enough for me to make my own opinion and say, 'Yeah, he does sound like me' or 'No, he doesn't.' But the couple of songs I've head, I don't really think he does. You know what I mean? He's doing his own thing. I can respect it, too, because at the end of the day, I think he's dope."

DAME DASH GETS CRAZY OVER NOT KNOWING ABOUT A JAY-Z MEETING (THROWBACK FOOTAGE)

Things like this probably made Def Jam and Jigga get sick of Dame real quick!

VIDEO - DJ A-TRAK ON VIMBY

VIMBY - DJ A-Trak

Blogger still is not uploading images, so enjoy another video, this one is DJ A-Trak on Vimby.

When DJ A-Trak was a kid, he'd come home and go straight to scratchin' while his friends went to the arcades. Now, he's popular by demand and mixes his hip hop background with electro/dance. We caught up with A-Trak in L.A. at the record release show for his new mix album, Infinity 1.

CHAKA VIDEO TEASER

Chaka - Show Teaser from elemental on Vimeo.
Mid-City Arts is gearing up for Chaka's first ever solo show this Saturday, April 25th. Daniel Ramos, AKA Chaka, was 18 when he was arrested and charged in 1991 with 48 counts of vandalism, trespassing and causing $500,000 in property damage. Chaka’s signature tag had appeared in a staggering 10,000 locations from Orange County to San Francisco. At the height of his notoriety Chaka was demonized by mainstream media and culture as being little more than a prolific vandal. At the same time he was celebrated by street artists who admired the ability of a teenager from the projects to literally make his mark on the vast, glitzy LA cityscape in such a ubiquitous manner.
Mid-City Arts, 5113 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019.

DOM KENNEDY - HARD WORK

Here's a new joint from the homeboy Dom Kennedy called "Hard Work" off his new mixtape Future Street/Drug Sounds. The track is bananas, its produced by Chuck Inglish of the Cool Kids. Check it out here. The mixtape is available for download on April 28th.

DERRICK ROSE WINS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Derrick Rose, who led his hometown Chicago Bulls to the playoffs and restored hope to the franchise was the runaway pick as the NBA's rookie of the year. Rose became the third Bulls player to win the award Wednesday, joining Michael Jordan and Elton Brand (who shared the award with Steve Francis). He received 111 first-place votes and 574 points from a national panel of sports writers and broadcasters; runner-up O.J. Mayo of the Memphis Grizzlies received five first-place votes and 127 points. Also the Dallas Mavericks Jason Terry won the Sixth Man Of The Year Award. Lebron is next to win the MVP!

STRIFE "WHAT WILL REMAIN" 1994

Blogger is being lame, and won't upload any images at the moment. While I wait for that to sort itself out, I figured I would post up some Youtube content. Here's a throwback video of my band Strife from "A New Hope Hardcore Fest" in Madison Wisconsin way back in 1994. The 3 day festival was one of the first of it's kind and had everyone from Endpoint, Integrity, Falling Forward, and many more sharing the bill. I was 18 at the time... The audio in this video is crappy, and Rick hardly sings more than the first few lines of the songs... The crowd reaction is crazy though!

USUGROW "SHINGANIST" BOOK RELEASE AND GROUP SHOW

On May 7th, Fifty24SF, is a book release and group show for Usugrow's Shinganist. Shinganist was curated by Usugrow and will feature his work alongside the work of Mozyskey, Toshikazu Nozaka, Bene, and Jun Kaneko.

Although the history that came from America and Europe is still new, they were born and raised in Japan, and they met and got inspired by creative imported culture (music including punk rock, hip-hop, and other club music, skateboard, graffiti and tattoo, but note that tattoo is a special case since there has been an original tattoo culture in Japan, and also outfit including those factors) when they were teenager, then they got clear creative chance to express by relating it, and they became wholly devoted to not only artwork but also its action and philosophy behind. (Not that all the artists are influenced by things mentioned above) Although their arts are often summed up roughly with the words 'street art,' there is a nature extracted from each influences and a basic nature that they've looked back deeply at in everyday life in Japan as Japanese. When these natures got blended together, their artworks get simply realized as art and not necessary to be categorized anymore. Just because you create something based on Japan as subject, it doesn't make an artwork Japanese. What is important is that the feeling and the process behind the artwork, and they surely reflect to artwork. Therefore, the nature of Japanese appears strongly in medium and process of expression than subject matter. Since Internet has popularized, traveling overseas isn't hard anymore, various races have been mingling and the world is becoming borderless in our consciousness now, any reference to national identity might have been already reduced. However, there are definitely new expressions generated by this generation. This show is for many people who love art. And there will be also a new art book featuring the five artists coming out along with the show

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DALEK & MIKE GIANT EXHIBIT

For those of you that happen to be in Paris this weekend, there is a great new exhibit from Dalek & Mike Giant at the Galerie Magda Danysz. This isn't the first time that these two artist have exhibited their work together, I actually have a collaborative print that they did together about 10 years ago, but at this point in their career it is definitely a treat to see both of their work in the same gallery.
Read the press release below.

The Magda Danysz gallery is pleased to welcome two major artists from the street art culture who have developed a style of their own : Dalek and Mike Giant. Though they have very different styles they talk about the same culture, the same influences, the same world.

Dalek is one of the artists who as Shepard Fairey, Dave Kinsey, and Twist (aka Barry McGee) is taking the old school styles of graffiti and while exposing the work to whole new audiences at the same time.

Mike Giant has added the whole tattoo culture to his graffiti background. He started writing in 1989. Early on, he was influenced by his graffiti partners a lot, as well as by writers like Twist, Rem, and KR. A habit he has kept from his graffiti years as now, Mike Giant uses words as the building blocks of language.

RICKY RUBIO ENTERS NBA DRAFT

Ricky Rubio, the Spanish point guard sensation that has been compared to everyone from Pete Maravich to Steve Nash will declare for the 2009 NBA draft, his agent, Dan Fegan, told ESPN.com from Barcelona Monday afternoon. Rubio will have until June 15 to withdraw his name from the draft. However, his agent sounded confident that he's staying in.

The 6-foot-4, 180-pound point guard from Barcelona has been a starter in the best basketball league in Europe since the age of 16. He made himself into an international phenomenon with his strong performance for Spain in the Olympics. Rubio more than held his own playing against NBA point guards like Chris Paul and Jason Kidd. This season he's averaging 10 points per game and six assists per game in the Spanish League in about 22 minutes per game.



Here's some footage of Ricky (Sorry no sound)

YOUNG DE FT. BEX - LIFE OF A FELON

Check out the newest track from Young De called "Life of a Felon." This track was produced by the homeys Los and Overtone.

LEBRON JAMES - MORE THAN A GAME (TRAILER)

Here's the trailer of the highly anticipated Lebron James documentary entitled "More Than A Game." It follows Lebron through childhood then his High School days. You also get a chance to see his childhood friends and hoops teammates and follow their struggle as well. I can't wait to see this.

GLASSES MALONE X GREG STREET - 2010 MIXTAPE

Check out Glasses Malone's new mixtape project with Greg Street called 2010. Glasses goes in over a handful of classic Dre beats. 2010 features appearances from Jay Rock, D.O.C., Mistah Fab, and more. You can download the mixtape for free from Glasses' website.

LUPE FIASCO X CONVERSE

The long awaited Lupe Fiasco x Converse shoe is finally here! Photos of these surfaced almost a year ago, but there wasn't any info about a release date. This shoe is a part of Converse’s PRODUCT (RED) program, and Tradition is one of the few stores in California to receive this limited edition shoe. Don't sleep! Phone orders are available... Call to order (805) 497-4717. These are also available in womens sizes.

EMINEM RELAPSE ARTWORK

The first images of the artwork for Eminem's upcoming album Relapse have just surfaced. Em's face is made up entirely of pills, and the text is made to look like a prescription label. "Prescribed by Dr. Dre"... Pretty clever. Relapse drops May 19th.

VIDEO: SLICK ON WALRUS TV

Upper Playground's Walrus TV caught up with legendary L.A. graffiti writer Slick. Slick has been doing his think since the 80's, and his iconic style can be seen on both the streets and in galleries around the world. Check out Slick's amazing website for more information.

DOM KENNEDY - FUTURE STREET/DRUG SOUNDS LISTENING PARTY TONIGHT

The homie Dom Kennedy is dropping his highly anticipated new mixtape April 28th called "Future Street/Drug Sounds" and tonight is the listening party for it. To hear some Dom joints checkout his myspace here. So if you don't have plans come by to support and celebrate.

The Room
1626 N. Cahuenga Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028

FATHER TRIES TO SELL 9 YEAR OLD SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE STAR

NewsOftheworld reports The poverty-stricken father of Slumdog Millionaire child star Rubina Ali plans to become a millionaire himself by SELLING his nine-year-old daughter. In a bid to escape India's real-life slums, Rafiq Qureshi put angel-faced darling of the Oscars Rubina up for adoption, demanding millions of rupees worth £200,000. This is crazy.

EBAY: JUDGE "CHUNG KING CAN SUCK IT" LP

In 1989, one of my all time favorite bands, Judge, went into Chung King Studios in New York to record their debut album, Bringing it Down. At the time, Chung King was well known for it's hip hop recordings of such acts as Run DMC, LL Cool J, and the Beastie Boys. Judge recorded the album in 3 days, and they were not happy with the recording at all. Their label, Revelation Records, pressed up 110 of these albums, calling them Chung King Can Suck It, and sent them out to fans that pre-ordered the record. A few months later, Judge re-recorded the album, and the Chung King version became many record collector's holy grail.
A copy of Chung King recently made it onto Ebay, and has a current bid of $2,950! You can check out the auction here.
This is what the seller had to say...

I am selling my Judge "Chung King Can Suck It" LP. This is Revelation Records release #-1. My copy for sale here is number 65 of 110 pressed. I have never played this record and it is in great condition. I have kept the vinyl out of the sleeve so that it wouldn't make a ring like you see in vinyl sleeves this old. I have had this thing for I'd say about 5 years, and now the time has come to sell it as the apocalypse will soon be upon us and I need to buy guns to shoot the zombies with. This used to be on the list of where all the Chung Kings resided that Kev Finn kept up on the Revelation Records website, but that list seems to be gone. I will be shipping this record overnight to you to minimize the time that the post office could have to screw something up with it. I will also insure the record for the full amount that you pay for it, and take every step to ensure that this record is taken care of in shipping. Good luck with your bidding!

VIDEO: KATT WILLIAMS A.K.A. MONEY MIKE - PIMPIN 101

Money Mike gives a little class for the people that are as he would say "Pimpaly Challenged." He's hilarious, you have to watch the whole thing.

LAKERS MAKE IT LOOK EASY IN OPENER

The Lakers handled business vs the Jazz in the teams' playoff opener last night. Kobe Bryant scored 24 points, Trevor Ariza added 21(Not to mention a sick dunk too) and Pau Gasol 20 as the Lakers pretty much had their way against the eighth-seeded Jazz. They led by 22 points at halftime and then answered resoundingly both times Utah got within nine in the second half. The outcome is all that matters, a 113-100 victory over the Jazz in the teams' playoff opener Sunday.

VIDEO: ROB ROY- FUR IN MY CAP

Those of you who may not know Rob Roy give it time. Roy hails from Toronto, Canada and has been rhyming and singing since the age of 14. Not sure what nationality he is but he looks indian but who cares, he's dope and the video is one if the coolest videos I have seen in a long time. Props to director Ethan Lader for making a classic. To find out more about him peep Rob's myspace.

CYPRESS HILL LIVE AT 4:20

420 is a big day for all you weed heads out there, and you know you can't celebrate properly with out a little dose of that Dr. Greenthumb from the fathers of Kush Rap, Cypress Hill. To help kick of 420 right, Cypress Hill is playing 2 sold out shows tonight with Psycho Realm at the Filmore in San Francisco. Soul Assassins are going to host a live feed at the event (starting at 3:30, with Cypress hitting the stage at 4:20) which you can watch here.

MICHAEL JORDAN'S LOCKER SOLD AT AUCTION

A locker used and autographed by Michael Jordan sold for $23,000 at a sports charity auction. The wood-paneled locker was one of 13 items belonging to Jordan up for sale Saturday. The items were offered by the Bulls and Hunt Auctions. The total proceeds for the Jordan items was almost $113,000. Other items included a full red uniform from 1996-97 that sold for $24,150 and two autographed jerseys from 1997-98 that went for $18,400 and $19,550.

RAEKWON FT. AZ - WHIPS AND KICKS

Raekwon is gearing up to release his upcoming mixtape with DJ Absolut called Blood on Chef's Apron... I don't know where AZ has been, but Rae found him and had him hop on this track called "Whips and Kicks."
I am currently serving jury duty and blogging while I wait to be called. Unfortunately, I can't play any of these tracks because I didn't have the foresight to bring some headphones.

THE CLIPSE FT. KANYE WEST - KINDA LIKE A BIG DEAL

This track was up on the Play Cloths website this morning, and the site received so much traffic that it crashed. Check out the newest track from The Clipse called "Kinda Like a Big Deal." This track features Kanye West, the artwork was done by Kaws (wow 2 X's), and the track was produced by DJ Khalil. Look for a new delivery from Play Cloths to drop at Tradition in the next few weeks!

SNOOP DOGG BREAKS DOWN NBA TOP PLAYS ON SC

As you know ESPN moved its studio to Downtown Los Angeles recently so its only fitting to have Snoop Dogg in the studio on air.. Snoop is hilarious and the analysts loved him. Check it out.

REDHEADED DANCE PRODIGY

This kid has got mad moves, I can't wait for the next video.. Hahaha.

M.I.A. FT. KOVAS - HIT THAT

Here's a new M.I.A. joint called "Hit That" featuring Kovas. Pretty dope song if you like her style.

BULLS ROOKIE ROSE TIES PLAYOFF RECORD

Rookie Derrick Rose had a playoff debut like few others and led the Chicago Bulls to a victory over the Boston Celtics in today's playoffs. Rose matched Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record with 36 points in his playoff debut, adding 11 assists to lead the Bulls to a 105-103 overtime victory over the defending NBA champions in Game 1 of their best of seven first round series. I think this pretty much sealed his Rookie of the Year award.

THE MINUTEMEN - HISTORY LESSON PART II

This is from the end of the WE JAM ECONO documentary, which tells the story of the legendary California punk rock group the Minutemen. At the end of the film here, we see bassist Mike Watt tell us that meeting D. Boon changed his life, much in the way that their fans were changed by their music.
As the film closes, we're given an acoustic performance of "History Lesson Pt. II" from the album "Double Nickels on the Dime". The song seems somewhat sad here as we say good by to one of the greatest rock bands of all time.
On a personal note, this is my all time favorite Minutemen song...

"We learned punk rock in Hollywood... Drove up from Pedro...We were fucking corndogs. We'd go drink and pogo"

AN EVENING WITH HORIYOSHI III

Canvas LA will be hosting An Evening With Horiyoshi III on April 25th. Horiyoshi III is a world famous tattoo artist specializing in full body suits, and Horiyoshi III is the second tattooist to be bestowed the honorific title—the tattooist affixation "Hori" means engrave—in a line started by his master, the legendary tattoo artist Yoshitsugu Muramatsu, or Shodai Horiyoshi of Yokohama.
The show will feature 10 full body suits and upwards of 50 original paintings will be on display straight from Japan for the evening.

GOLD CHAIN MILITARY - POST WAR (MIXTAPE)

Here's the newest mixtape from Planet Asia's Gold Chain Military called "Post War". Gold Chain Military includes Planet Asia, Sav Killz, Tristate, Turbin, Killa Ben and Killa Kali, the mixtape is hosted by J-Ronin.

J DILLA FT. BLACK THOUGHT - REALITY CHECK

Nature Sound is putting together a new album of mostly unheard J-Dilla beats with the blessing of Dilla's mom called Jay Stay Paid. The album is going to be mixed my Pete Rock, and will feature appearances from Doom, Blu, Raekwon, Illa J, and others. Check out the first leak called "Reality Check" featuring Black Though from The Roots.

WIZ KHALIFA - FLIGHT SCHOOL (MIXTAPE)

Check out the newest mixtape from Wiz Kalifa called "Flight School."

"The name comes from me being a young cat and hanging around older cats, they would say I was wise. My rap name before was Wizdom, so it became Wiz. My grandfather is Muslim. Khalifa in Arabic means "success" or "leader" and khalifa in Islam is someone who spread the word, a khalif."

JIM ROME VS JIM EVERETT

I was listening to Jim Rome as usual this morning so I thought it was only right to post this video of Rome getting attacked by then L.A Rams QB Jim Everett. Remember that? Hilarious! If you don't know the story, Rome kept calling Jim Everett "Chris Everett" who was a female tennis player basically saying the QB was playing like a female.

MIKE JONES ROBBED FOR CHAIN WHILE SLEEPING

Mike Jones explains how he was robbed for his Ice Age chain while sleeping at home, oh did I mention it was by his friends. No loyalty.

DRAKE - FUNKMASTER FLEX FREESTYLE

Here's a new Drake freestyle while at the station with Funkmaster Flex. Drake kills the track, check it out here.

RAEKWON - GORILLA RAP

Here are the first leaks from the upcoming Cartel Gathering mixtape from DJ Rated R, Big Tobacco & DJ Ophax. Check out Raekwon's "Gorilla Rap" and Prodigy's "Sugar Pop." The mixtape will also feature tracks from Jadakiss, Jim Jones, Busta, Pusha T, Tony Yayo, and more.

BRUNO TRAILER

Bruno from Paul on Vimeo.

I know I am a little late on this, but I finally got a chance to watch the preview for Sacha Baron Cohen's new movie, Bruno. Bruno, a gay Austrian news reporter, first appeared as a character on Da Ali G show. Judging from this preview, the movie is going to be hilarious, and I am definitely looking foward to seeing it.

DUKE BASKETBALL PLAYER PAULUS TO PLAY FOOTBALL?

All-American High School football QB


Former Duke basketball player Greg Paulus has been given an opportunity to join Michigan's football team and compete for the starting quarterback job this fall. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Paulus, a former All-American quarterback in high school, visited Michigan's final practice of the spring Tuesday in Ann Arbor. He did not throw or work out for Wolverines coaches.

"There has been an opportunity given there," Paulus said this morning on a conference call with reporters. "I thought it was a really good visit. It was really helpful to get to be on a campus and meet with coach [Rich] Rodriguez and see the system and understand what types of opportunities are out there."

The four-year point guard is scheduled to graduate from Duke in June.Since Paulus did not redshirt for the basketball team, he has one year of eligibility remaining in another sport. And since he will complete his degree in four years, he can go to graduate school elsewhere and compete immediately.

LIL WAYNE & DJ DRAMA - DEDICATION GANGSTA GRILLZ

You may have heard that Cash Money Records, Lil Wayne's label, has filed a lawsuit against a number of mixtape DJs and distribution companies, including DJ Drama, Wayne's longtime collaborator on his Dedication series. According to MTV, Cash Money is suing a slew of companies for illegally selling Lil Wayne's music. Court documents named Drama's company Aphilliates Music Group as one of the defendants in the lawsuit.

With that being said here's the newest mixtape from Lil Wayne and DJ Drama called "Dedication Gangsta Grillz." With all the controversy surrounding this album you have to at least check it out here.

EVIDENCE & ALCHEMIST TONIGHT!

I just found out about this today via Ev's Twitter. If you guys feel like making the drive to Pomona tonight, this should be a dope little show.

EVIDENCE - FREQUENCY

Evidence is putting together an unofficial vocal version of Exile's newly released Exile Radio which he is calling Evidence Radio. These two have worked together in the past, and Evidence's flow works great over Exile's beats. Check out the newest leak from this project entitled "Frequency" and while you're at it, download "It's Coming Down" from Ev & Alchemist.

FISKER AUTOMOTIVE - KARMA S

You may not have heard of Fisker Automotive unless your a car freak like myself. Fisker Automotive is a green American premium sports car company with a mission to create a range of beautiful environmentally friendly cars that make environmental sense without compromise. The concept was created between two independent companies who clearly wanted to make a difference in not only the automotive industry, but to the environment as well. Fisker will be the first company in the world to have this type of a car on the road; a beautiful fast car that makes environmental sense. Initial production is anticipated to be 15,000 vehicles annually with pricing to start at $87,900.

Here's a look at the Fisker Karma. The S model ostensibly stands for sunset, as its power-operated convertible hardtop promises to give the sun’s rays an even more prominent role than just producing ancillary power (The hard-top model generates Solar Power). Despite its airy new attitude, the rest of the car remains an emblem of environmentalism. The Karma S features the same electric-hybrid Q-Drive system as the four-door Karma, in which a lithium-ion battery pack powers a pair of 201-hp electric motors. The range is 50 miles on electric power alone, at which point a 2-liter turbocharged Ecotec engine generates juice for the batteries.

KANYE WEST - AMAZIN' (2009 NBA PLAYOFFS CAMPAIGN)

RAEKWON'S OB4CL2 COMING SOON!

Raekwon's long awaited OB4CL2 is due out this summer... Peep the official press release below.

Ready to give his worldwide following what they’ve been waiting for, the Wu-Tang Clan’s rhyme slinger extraordinaire Raekwon is set to return this summer with Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2.

Raekwon, whose 1995 platinum classic Only Built 4 Cuban Linx was universally hailed as a rap classic and has sold more than 1.1 million units in the US, according to Nielsen Soundscan, has signed a distribution deal with EMI Label Services for his ICEH20 Records label to release Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 in the US and Canada later this summer. EMI Label Services will also provide Raekwon with additional radio promotion support and licensing and synchronization services.

“The wait is finally over,” Raekwon says. “Words cannot describe how extremely happy I am to work with EMI Music to put out my album.”

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 buzz single and video “The New Wu” features fellow Wu-Tang Clan members Method Man and Ghostface Killah and is getting mixshow airplay at radio stations across the country, including Hot 97 in New York. The album features a spectacular line-up of guest appearances and producers: The RZA, Dr. Dre, J Dilla, The Wu-Tang Clan, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes, Bun B and The Game, among others.

“We are thrilled to have a chance to work with the legendary Raekwon,” said Dominic Pandiscia, Senior Vice President and General Manager, EMI Label Services. “He has had a massive impact on the history of Hip Hop and Urban music overall. Everyone at EMI is excited to be working on this record and continuing his legacy.”

Rap fans were mesmerized by Raekwon’s distinctive brand of street slanguistics when he emerged as a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. The Staten Island, New York rap group’s debut album, 1993’s Enter The Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers), was a landmark collection that introduced the group’s signature blend of kung-fu inspired reality rap. Raekwon established himself as a solo star in 1995 with the release of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. The mafia minded album, which peaked at No. 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album chart, unfolded like a cinematic crime caper, with such imaginative songs as “Criminology,” “Incarcerated Scarfaces” and “Ice Cream” propelling the album to platinum status.

Raekwon’s second album, 1999’s Immobilarity, was certified gold. To date, Raekwon has career sales of more than 1.6 million units in the US, according to Nielsen Soundscan.

Now, with the impending release of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2, Raekwon is ready to release his second masterpiece. “It’s been a long time coming,” he says, “and I’ve put my blood, sweat and tears into making this classic album for my fans.”

STREET DRUMLINE

If you have ever been to New York City or even Venice Beach you have seen dudes doing this on the streets, its incredible to see and hear.

KANYE WEST - THE LOST SONGS: WELCOME TO CHICAGO (MIXTAPE)

Here's a new mixtape from Kanye West entitled "The Lost Songs II: Welcome 2 Chicago." It features all Chi Town artists and songs that never saw the light, produced by Kanye of course. You can download it here.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA RETIRES

Oscar De La Hoya stopped battling himself yesterday, deciding after much internal turmoil to retire and end a career in which he won 10 world titles in six divisions and became boxing's most popular fighter. He made his announcement at an outdoor plaza across the street from Staples Center, where a 7-foot bronze statue of the 36-year-old Golden Boy stands. De La Hoya retired four months after he was thoroughly beaten by Manny Pacquiao, his fourth loss in his last seven fights. He has not defeated a formidable opponent since Fernando Vargas in 2002. Age and diminished skills led to losses in recent years to Felix Trinidad, Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins and Floyd Mayweather Jr. De La Hoya began boxing at age 5, following in the path of his grandfather and father. He won an Olympic gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Games, delivering on a promise to his late mother, Cecilia, who died of breast cancer two years earlier. It was the performance that launched his pro career after he was 223-5 with 163 knockouts during his amateur days.

VIDEO: MITCHY SLICK "HE'S EVERYWHERE"

Mitchy Slick has been putting the finishing touches on his new album "Lost N Da Yay," which is being released through Demolition Men. This video chronicles his journey from L.A. to The Bay, and features appearances from Krondon, Chace Infinite, and many of the Bay areas finest.

SUPER 7 X GORILLA BISCUITS 2ND PRESSING

Super 7 has just announced the official release date for the long-awaited Second Pressing of the Super7 x Gorilla Biscuits figure. Following the lightning fast disappearance of the First Pressing (which I was lucky enough to get my hands on), the Second Pressing is cast in banana yellow vinyl, with black, white, grey, purple and orange spray, to match the second pressing of Gorilla Biscuits' Self Titled 7".
The official release date is Saturday, April 18th.

ESTEVAN ORIOL AT MOPLA

Check out this video interview of Estevan Oriol at MOPLA (Month Of Photography Los Angeles). He gives a shout out to our good friend Patrick Martinez, whose current show "New Works" with Eyeone is still on display at Tradition.

THE EMPIRE & LIL WAYNE - THE DROUGHT IS OVER 7

Here's the newest mixtape from The Empire and Lil' Wayne's "The Drought is Over" series. In my opinion, Wayne is one of the hardest working people in the music business... This mixtape features 25 tracks! You can download "The Drought is Over 7" here.

VIDEO: THE LONELY ISLAND FT. SETH ROGAN "LIKE A BOSS"

The comic geniuses behind "I'm on a Boat" and "Jizz in my Pants", The Lonely Island, bring us a brand new video for their track "Like a Boss."

DOMINOS STAFF SABOTAGES FOOD

Here's a video of some staff members from Dominos Pizza sabotaging a food order. Although putting cheese up your nose and farting on the meat is pretty gross, this could have been 100 times worse! I wonder if these two got caught yet?

SNEAKER PIMPS LOS ANGELES

The world's largest sneaker show, Sneaker Pimps, is going to be hitting Los Angeles again May 1st. I'm not a big fan of these sneaker themed shows, but they always get good performers and artists. This time they lined up performances from House of Pain, B-Real, and DJ Muggs as well as some live art from Slick, Estevan Oriol, and Tokidoki.

VIDEO: PAC DIV ON HHO

Pacific Division is HHO's artist of the week. Check out the video, and learn a little more about Pacific Division.

BUTCH CASSIDY FT. DAMIZZA & YOUNG DE - LET'S RIDE

Butch Cassidy has been gearing up to release his upcoming album First & Last for sometime now. For those who are not familiar, Butch Cassidy is Nate Dogg's cousin, and his signature gangsta style has appeared on such hits as “Lay Low” with Snoop Dogg & Dr. Dre and “Connected 4 Life” with Ice Cube, among many others. Check out Butch's newest track "Let's Ride" featuring Damizza and Young De. "Let's Ride" is a straight West Coast anthem, and was produced by Mel-Man who co-produced Dre's Chronic 2001.

VIDEO: U-N-I "HOLLYWOOD HIATUS"

Check out the first video from U-N-I's A Love Supreme called "Holywood Hiatus." U-N-I released A Love Supreme a few weeks back as a free download from their site. If you haven't heard it yet, you can download the album here.
Below you can check out an interview U-N-I did with Hip Hop Official.

BURNING FIGHT

Revelation is now taking pre orders for the long awaited book about nineties hardcore called Burning Fight. The book has been in the making for over 6 years, and features almost all of your favorite 90's hardcore bands including Inside Out, Burn, Integrity, Earth Crisis, Avail, Downcast, Los Crudos, and many more. I contributed some photos for Burning Fight, and there is a lengthy Strife interview in the book as well. You can pre order Burning Fight here.

The nineties era of hardcore was a time of profound change and debate within musical, social, spiritual, and political parameters. Many of the ethics and ideals that were ingrained in the marrow of bands from the previous decade were taken in new, exciting, and often controversial directions. It seemed that those immersed in ideals and social movements pertaining to hardcore (straightedge, animal rights/vegetarianism, social/race/gender issues, D.I.Y. ethics, spirituality) managed to come together to debate and implement these aspects into their own lives, even outside the realm of the hardcore scene. At the same time, many of the ideologies that united folks ended up dividing them in the long-run, which eventually lead to the splintering of the activist-leaning nineties hardcore scene by the decade's end.

CHESTER FRENCH & CLINTON SPARKS - JACQUES JAMS VOL.1: ENDURANCE (MIXTAPE)

Here's a new mixtape from Star Trak's Chester French with DJ Clinton Sparks, its called "Jacques Jams Vol. 1: Endurance." The duos story on how they got found is pretty cool, check out their bio here.

WORLD'S SMALLEST BODYBUILDER

OMG! 33" inch tall Romeo shows off chin-up and weightlifting skills.

THE GAME - RED ROCKIN'

The Game just leaked this track called "Red Rockin," taking shots at Bishop Lamont. Game took some cues from Kanye (when he cussed out some dude at his show in autotune), and goes at Bishop in autotune as well. Think he's just mad 'cause Dre wont return his calls?

DEL THE FUNKY HOMOSAPIAN - FUNK MAN (STIMULUS PACKAGE)

You guys all know that the music business is going through changes, but it's crazy to see an artist as well known as Del passing on the traditional means of music distribution and offering his new album as a free download. You can download Del's brand new album, Funk Man (Stimulus Package), here. Make sure you put the 12 dollars you would have shelled out for this record to good use, and help stimulate the tired economy!
Peep the video for Del's "Get it Right Now" below.

VIDEO: XZIBIT AND YOUNG DE - "FIGURE IT OUT" LIVE IN AMSTERDAM

Here's a short video clip of Young De performing the DJ Muggs produced track "Figure It Out" with Xzibit last week in Amsterdam. The track is a banger, and is going to be released on the upcoming "Soul Assassins Intermission" album. Look for a video for that track to drop soon as well.

VIDEO: DIZ GIBRAN ON GUERILLA BUSFARE TV

The homey Diz Gibran caught up with Guerilla Busfare at the Crooks store in L.A. He talks about his newest release that was presented by Crooks called "Soon You Will Understand." If you haven't downloaded it now, do yourself a favor and get it here.
As a bonus, check out the video of Diz and Bleu Collar performing "The Reunion."

Bleu Collar and Diz Gibran- The Reunion from Bleu Collar on Vimeo.

BUSTA RHYMES

Busta has been staying busy as of late... Hardly a day goes by without a new track or feature hitting the net. Here's a collection of some songs that have been leaking lately. In my opinion, the track with Rae kills the other two by far... But that's just me.
Busta Rhymes ft. Estelle - "World Go Round"
Asher Roth ft. Busta Rhymes - "Lion's Roar"
Raekwon ft. Busta Rhymes - "Deathwish"

DETHKILLS X TRADITION "PADRE" INSTALLATION

Our friends from Dethkills just sent us this awesome time lapse video of the "Padre" installation they did for our Horror Business artshow last October. The installation served as the back drop for a pop up shop featuring their fall collection of graphic T-shirts.
Dethkills is an art collective and clothing brand from Los Angeles with roots in art, music, and skateboarding. Keep an eye out for upcoming collaborations in the future.

TO 10 AIR JORDAN DUNKS

I'm in a MJ mood this afternoon and decided to post NBA.com's Top 10 Jordan dunks. My favorite has to be top play #2, Jordan gives a in & out dribble loses the dude and bangs on Kelly Tripuka.

RAEKWON X ALCHEMIST SHOW @ KEY CLUB

Raekwon spittin


Evidence and Alchemist


Krondon, Planet Asia, Alchemist


Bobby Brown, yes Bobby Brown!

Warren G

Got a chance to hit the Raekwon and Alchemist show on wednesday night at the Key Club in Hollywood. Here's some pics and videos of the show.. Bobby Brown made a random special appearance as well as Warren G, Evidence, Large Professor, B-Real.

$$$ CAKED UP $$$

Talk all you want about how Beyoncé's husband rakes in the bucks, but Mrs. Sean Carter is doing just fine on her own. As part of Parade magazine's annual "What People Earn" issue, it's revealed that Beyoncé banked a remarkable $80 million in 2008, just $2 million less than Jay-Z's $82 million.

JADAKISS - A-YO (FREESTYLE)

Earlier we posted that new Redman & Method Man "A-Yo" video, here's a hot freestyle from Jadakiss on that "A-Yo track. Listen and you will see why Jadakiss is one of the most underrated MC's in the game.

KANYE'S RESPONSE TO GAY FISH

SOUTH PARK MURDERED ME LAST NIGHT AND IT’S PRETTY FUNNY. IT HURTS MY FEELINGS BUT WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM SOUTH PARK! I ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN WORKING ON MY EGO THOUGH. HAVING THE CRAZY EGO IS PLAYED OUT AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE AND CAREER. I USE TO USE IT TO BUILD UP MY ESTEEM WHEN NOBODY BELIEVED IN ME. NOW THAT PEOPLE DO BELIEVE AND SUPPORT MY MUSIC AND PRODUCTS THE BEST RESPONSE IS THANK YOU INSTEAD OF “I TOLD YOU SO!!!” IT’S COOL TO TALK SHIT WHEN YOU’RE RAPPING BUT NOT IN REAL LIFE. WHEN YOU MEET LITTLE WAYNE IN PERSON HE’S THE NICEST GUY FOR EXAMPLE. I JUST WANNA BE A DOPER PERSON WHICH STARTS WITH ME NOT ALWAYS TELLING PEOPLE HOW DOPE I THINK I AM. I NEED TO JUST GET PAST MYSELF. DROP THE BRAVADO AND JUST MAKE DOPE PRODUCT. EVERYTHING IS NOT THAT SERIOUS. AS LONG AS PEOPLE THINK I ACT LIKE A BITCH THIS TYPE OF SHIT WILL HAPPEN TO ME. I GOT A LONG ROAD AHEAD OF ME TO MAKE PEOPLE BELIEVE I’M NOT ACTUALLY A HUGE DOUCHE BUT I’M UP FOR THE CHALLENGE. I’M SURE THE WRITERS AT SOUTH PARK ARE REALLY NICE PEOPLE IN REAL LIFE. THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO DRAW MY CREW. THAT WAS PRETTY FUNNY ALSO!! I’M SURE THERE’S GRAMMATICAL ERRORS IN THIS… THAT’S HOW YOU KNOW IT’S ME!

Kanye's response was dope, he's finally realizing his cocky attitude is getting old. Being a humble dude in the rap game isn't normal but it's possible. I think a lot of people will respect him more once his attitude changes a bit.

BILL O'REILLY VS EMINEM

Wow Bill are you serious? Eminem doesn't hate women, Its just entertainment.

VIDEO: SOUTH PARK - DO YOU LIKE FISH DICKS? (KANYE WEST)

I wonder if Kanye was mad over this because we all know how pissed he gets over this type of stuff. Watch the whole episode, its funny as hell.

THE GAME - BLOOD RESPECT (BISHOP LAMONT DISS)

Here's a little snippet of Game's new diss track at Bishop Lamont called "Blood Respect." Damn, Game why you gotta use the Autotune? It's still a dope track, check it out here.

VIDEO: THE NEXT 48 HOURS W/ JADAKISS (TEASER)

This looks like its gonna be a pretty dope little documentary if your a Jadakiss fan. Go get his new "The Last Kiss" album. Dude is hilarious.

VIDEO: METHOD MAN & REDMAN FT. SAUKRATES - A-YO

Meth and Red are back with this hot new joint off their upcoming Blackout 2 album.

BABY T-PAIN

Look out Kanye and Weezy, there's a new artist in the streets and his name is Baby T-Pain.

THROWBACK FOOTAGE - SHAQ ATTACK

Can I have this Shaq back! The NBA needs a broken backboard nowadays.

LAKERS BYNUM SET TO RETURN THURSDAY

Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum will return to action Thursday against the Denver Nuggets, according to a source close to the Lakers. Bynum, the team's budding star at center, has missed the last 32 games after suffering a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee Jan. 31 at Memphis. The source said Lakers coach Phil Jackson telephoned Bynum on Tuesday night and told him he was going to be activated for Thursday's game. Jackson has said recently that Bynum will probably start once he returns, a move that will likely send Lamar Odom back to the bench.

JERMAINE DUPRI - WHERE'S THE LOVE

The other day we posted a video of JD in the studio re-making Jay-z's "Where's the Love." Here's the final version for his upcoming mixtape, check it out here.

VIDEO: BIG BOI X GQ MAGAZINE

Big Boi AKA Sir Lucious Left Foot was at his crib for the photo shoot for the upcoming GQ magazine feature, peep his closet of sneakers.

VIDEO: MAN GETS ROBBED THEN BEATEN UP ON BUS IN FRANCE

There footage is kind of long but look closely at the guy with the white hoodie, he is the one that steals what looks like a large wallet from the man. Watch until the end because it gets even crazier.

GRIFFIN ENTERING NBA DRAFT

University Of Oklahoma basketball star Blake Griffin announced today that he will give up his final two years of eligibility and head to the NBA after a sophomore season in which he was honored as college basketball's top player. It was a choice coach Jeff Capel called a "no-brainer," with Griffin establishing himself as a likely candidate to be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft this June. Dude is a beast as you can see from the pics.

CROOKS & CASTLES PRESENTS DIZ GIBRAN "SOON YOU'LL UNDERSTAND" (MIXTAPE)

The homie Diz Gibran just dropped his mixtape today, its called Crooks & Castles Presents Diz Gibran "Soon You’ll Understand." It was produced by Moonshine and his beats are fire. I have been telling peeps not to sleep on Diz for a minute now so the mixtape's title pretty much sums it up. Congrats Diz!. You can download the mixtape here.

VIDEO: EMINEM - WE MADE YOU

This has to be one of Eminem's funniest videos to date. There is so many funny spoofs, my favorites are Rock of Love's Bret Michaels(Em Looks just like him), Lindsay/Sam Ronson, Sarah Palin and Spock. Dre and Em as Tom Cruise and Rain man was pretty funny too.

AUDIO: EMINEM FT. JESSICA SIMPSON - WE MADE YOU

Here's a new track from Eminem called "We Made You," off his highly anticipated album "Relapse" dropping on my birthday May 15th. Damn, Em is back to his old ways dissing everyone, I love it. Just wish he would stop using that weird voice and talk normal.

CORY GUNZ - GOOD DAY

Here's a new joint from Young Money's artist Cory Gunz called "Good Day" taken from the classic Ice Cube track. Check it out here.

ASHER ROTH FT. CEE-LO - BE BY MYSELF

Here's the second single off Asher Roth's debut album "Asleep In The Bread Aisle." The track is called "Be By Myself," featuring Cee-Lo. This is my new favorite Asher joint to date. Album hits stores April 20 or 4.20 for the weed heads.

MR. CARTOON COVER STORY - L.A TIMES

Tradition X Mr. Cartoon


Just in case you didn't see the cover story on Mr. Cartoon in Saturday's L.A Times, here's your chance to read it. For those who only know Cartoon's work, you to get to know more about where and how he started in the game. Check it out here.

MJ & OTHERS AMONG HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

"I don't like being up here for the Hall of Fame because at that time your basketball career is completely over," Jordan said. "I was hoping this day would be 20 more years, or actually go in when I'm dead and gone." Jordan's Hall of Fame selection was a slam dunk after he retired as perhaps the greatest player in history. The Induction is Sept. 10-12 in Springfield, Mass., home of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

MOBB DEEP - THE SAFE IS CRACKED (MIXTAPE)

Here's a new mixtape from Mobb Deep called "The Safe Is Cracked." Mobb Deep is one of my favorite hip hop groups of all time. Free Prodigy!

VIDEO: AIR YEEZY: BEYOND THE HYPE

Here's a video of how crazy the Nike Air Yeezy hype was in the Midwest. Chicago is Kanye's hometown so you know it was going to be nuts there. Saint Alfreds Glow In The Dark release was genius! I have to say that Andrew's April Fools Day post that we got the Yeezy's was classic and genius too! He got everyone!

CLIPPERS RANDOLPH ARRESTED FOR DUI

Los Angeles Clippers forward Zach Randolph has been arrested for investigation of drunken driving. California Highway Patrol Officer Tony Garrett said two officers saw a white Rolls-Royce weaving on Interstate 405 around 2:25 a.m this morning. The officers pulled the car over and identified Randolph as its driver. Garrett said alcohol could be smelled from inside the car and after conducting a field sobriety test, Randolph was arrested and taken to the Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles. He was later released on $5,000 bail. Randolph scored 18 points in the Clippers' 88-85 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night.

JERMAINE DUPRI REMAKES JAY-Z'S "WHERE'S THE LOVE"

JD's upcoming mixtape "Oceans 6" has been getting alot of buzz, we will try and bring you new joints as soon as we get them.

VIDEO: CRO-MAGS LIVE AT UNITED BLOOD

Cro Mags at United Blood 2009 from Kurt Weishaar on Vimeo.
Last week, the Cro-Mags played the United Blood festival in Richmond, Va. along with a huge list of bands including Converge, Have Heart, Cruel Hand, Trapped Under Ice, Alpha & Omega, and many more. Check out the above video of the 'Mags playing "Malfunction."

MAN ROBS STORE AT GUNPOINT WITH DAUGHTER

Here's a video of a man robbing a convenience store with his daughter at his side. This is probably one of the craziest things I have ever seen. Only a psycho would put his daughter in a situation like this.

BUSTA RHYMES FT. LIL WAYNE & JADAKISS - CONGLOMERATE

Here's another version of Busta Rhyme's "Conglomerate." This time its featuring Weezy and Jadakiss. Check it out here.

PARRA - IS THAT A GUN MY FRIEND?

Most of you are familiar with Parra's vibrant hand drawn graphics, wether you realize it or not. He has done commercial work with everyone from Nike, Stussy, Stones Throw Records, Zoo York, The Hundreds, and many more.
Parra's newest show, Is That A Gun My Friend?, opens tonight at HVW8 Gallery in Los Angeles.

The prolific Dutch illustrator/designer―known for being the "decorator" of everything from the Amsterdam underground to the pages of our very own publication―is coming back to L.A. to exhibit some new works at the HVW8 Art + Design Gallery.

While it's been a while since we've seen the self-taught prankster-cum-ubiquitous pop artist share his wares in a gallery setting, we've certainly been spotting his eye-catching style all over the place. He's been keeping busy working with Incase on a number of products, designing flyers for the Parisian electro-rock act LeLe, pumping out graphic tees and sweaters, inking record sleeve covers, and probably a whole lot more that we're not even privy to yet. Be sure to check the 32-year-old visionaire out Saturday evening at HVW8 with Anthem, the event's proud sponsors.

KIM JONES & HARDCORE

Kim Jones is the head creative director at Alfred Dunhill, which is one of the world’s most prestigious, fancy and expensive men’s fashion houses. A sought-after darling of the fashion world, nominated three times for “Man of the Year” by GQ magazine, and Kanye West’s personal go-to guy for his new Pastelle label, he is truly a giant of modern fashion.

Mention his name in a room full of people who really care about fashion and heads will turn, drinks will spill from cocktail glasses, and everyone will instantly tell Kim Jones anecdotes about how much Kim Jones’ work means to them or how important Kim Jones is to clothes and hats and bags and accessories.

Unbeknownst to me, I had met Kim many years ago with mutual friends from the London hardcore scene, but up until about two weeks ago I had no idea that the cute little kid who always wore the Bold shirts and had a tuft of bleached blond hair was the Kim Jones. So yeah, that shows how much I know about the theme of this issue. Sorry, Carl Lagersfield.

Vice: Hello again after all these years! Let’s talk about hardcore. How did you get into it?

Kim Jones: It was through some friends that went to the Nutley Arms! It was just by chance really, through one group of friends. I liked the “no drink, no drugs” thing and the energy!

What was your favourite band?

Well, I think Gorilla Biscuits, Bold, then onto Youth Of Today, then, later on, Into Another, which was less straight-edge!

Were you in a band?

No, I just hung out really, like we all did back then!

Were you actually straight-edge?

Yes, I was, but I think we all stopped being straight-edge once we started going to raves! It was too much temptation. But I did start again for a good few years later on.

Who was your “crew”?

It was near Brighton. It was Simon Goodrick, Robert Cripps and Jan du Boulay. We would also hang out with Tony Sylvester and Vique Martin [who now runs Revelation Records] in Brighton. We would just spend time buying Jordans, Vans, Stussy and vintage amongst other things. I guess it was all slightly competitive but very stylish. I suppose hardcore was one of the first things that got me into fashion.

Where did you get these shirts from?

That’s a bit of a stretch of the memory. Er, some were bought at gigs, some were ordered from Revelation Records and some were traded and swapped, which was done very frequently!

You don’t remember specific stories about them at all?

Hmm. Not really, no. I think I traded the Minor Threat one with Simon. It’s an original.

Stolen from Vice.

COLLEGE DUNK CONTEST & 3 POINT SHOOTOUT HIGHLIGHTS

VIDEO: PUSHA T TALKS ALBUM

As you know Clipse is one of my favorite groups, I can't wait for the new album "Till The Casket Drops." Here's a little video of Pusha T giving a heads up on what to expect from the album. Oh yea, you're not a true Clipse fan unless you are wearing their new Playcloths line available @ Tradition.

CROOKED I - JACKIN' FOR BEATS 2009

Crooked I goes in over a DJ Wicked produced homage to Ice Cube's classic track, "Jackin' For Beats." Their version, "Jackin' For Beats 2009," combines a 4 minute medley of classic hip hop beats with Crooked's lyrical skills.

DIZ GIBRAN FT. PAC DIV & KARTWRIGHT - THE GREATNESS

They homey Diz is dropping a new mixtape (finally) on April 7th called Soon You'll Understand, presented by Crooks & Castles. Here's the first track from the mixtape called "The Greatness" featuring Pacific Division and Kartwright.

CASHIS - JUST ANOTHER DAY

Ca$his has been working hard on his Shady Records debut The Art of Dying, and although the release date has been pushed back a few times he has been getting it in on the mixtape circuit. Cashis also made some noise a few months back when he appeared on the remix to Eminem's hugely successful "Crack A Bottle."
Check out the newest single from his upcoming album called "Just Another Day."

NEW 2009 BMW 7 SERIES

The new BMW 7 series just hit the streets, the car is sick. The pig nose looking front grill is bananas. Here's a few features:
* World's first Night Vision system with individual pedestrian recognition
* World's first production car with front side view camera
* First BMW Saloon with speed-related Integral Active Steering
* First BMW with Lane Change Warning
* BMW 7 Series to feature EfficientDynamics for class-leading CO2 emissions and fuel consumption

Enough said, you can read more about the car here.

ASHER ROTH VS D'ANGELO

Asher Roth has been all over the web lately, here's a funny video of Asher reenacting R&B singer D'Angelo's "How Does It Feel" video. This is hilarious, he's gotta start hitting the gym asap though.

KURUPT FT. SOOPAFLY & SNOOP DOGG - BUILD YOU UP, TEAR YOU DOWN

Here's a new Kurupt joint called "Build You Up, Tear You Down," featuring Soopafly and Snoop Dogg. The beat is fire, its produced by Terrace Martin. Kurupt brings in some much needed gangsta s*#t to compliment this slow funk track. Check it out here.

IVERSON MULLS RETIREMENT VS BENCH

Who would of ever thought this day would come so soon, Detroit Pistons guard Allen Iverson would rather retire than be a full-time reserve. Iverson returned to action this past weekend after missing 16 games with a back injury, and coach Michael Curry has used him off the bench the last three games. Iverson complained about his minutes on Tuesday after playing 18 against Cleveland. He admitted that he does not like the new role after playing 17 in a 111-98 loss to the Nets on Wednesday. Iverson sat on the Pistons bench with his jersey off and his shin wrapped in ice early in the second half. The 33-year-old didn't put his jersey back on until he went into the game late in the third quarter.

"I'm in a position now that I've never been in my whole life," Iverson said. "It's harder than I thought it would be. With the back injury, I have to sit out at the start, then go in, then sit again. It's tough to really get going. I take my hat off to the guys who can come off the bench and be effective. It's tough for me. I'm struggling with it."

"I'd rather retire before I do this again," Iverson said. "I can't be effective playing this way. I'm not used to it. It's tough for me both mentally and physically. If I'm able to go out there, I should be able to get it done and I can't right now. It's my fault. I have to be able to overcome the adversity and do what I have to do. I just have to find a way to get it done. Not being 100 percent makes it harder and you can see that I'm not 100 percent."

VIDEO: BLEU COLLAR VS GHOST AND DOOM

Bleu Collar vs. Doom & Ghost from Bleu Collar on Vimeo.
Peep the newest video from the homeys in Bleu Collar. They are rocking over "Clipse Of Doom" from Ghostface's Fishscale. Look for a new project from the boys in Bleu called Training Day dropping May 19th.

JADAKISS FT. RAEKWON - MAGIC CITY PT. 3

This is the third leak this week from these two... Kiss and Rae should just do a whole album together. I like the little Wu break when Rae drops his verse on this one. Check out "Magic City Pt. 3," and go cop the new Jadakiss album that is in stores now.

DEAD PREZ - STIMULUS PLAN

Damm... It's been a minute since I've heard anything from Dead Prez. I had their 2004 album Revolutionary But Gangsta in constant rotation when it came out. They are currently working on a new project with DJ Green Lantern called Turn Off The Radio Vol. 3: Pulse of the People. Check out the first leak from that album called "Stimulus Plan."

HOTELICOPTER (HOTEL/HELICOPTER)

The Hotelicopter features 18 luxuriously-appointed rooms for adrenaline junkies seeking a truly unique and memorable travel experience. Each soundproofed room is equipped with a queen-sized bed, fine linens, a mini-bar, coffee machine, wireless internet access, and all the luxurious appointments you’d expect from a flying five star hotel. Room service is available one hour after liftoff and prior to landing. The Hotelicopter’s excellent crew and staff make your security and safety their number one priority. The Hotelicopter is due to fly its maiden journey this summer. Its a cool Idea but how long would you plan on being on a helicopter, why not just take a plane and make it quicker!

MARK MAHONEY ON VIMBY

VIMBY - Mark Mahoney

Vimby caught up with legendary fine line tattoo artist, Mark Mahoney at his own Shamrock Social Club in Los Angeles. We even get a cameo from Estevan Oriol who says Mark can "show you the real sickness of tattooing... and how they do it from back in the day."

Mark Mahoney is a living legend when it comes to tattooing. He is the definition of old school. Check him out in this video as he talks about his history and his shop, Shamrock Tattoo.

EVIDENCE FT. ALCHEMIST & FASHAWN - FAR LEFT 2

EV, ALC, & Fashawn link up again for part 2 of "Far Left"(The original appeared on EV's Layover EP.
All three of the dudes of albums in the works, so expect to them making some noise through out '09.