Chanel Iman outside Dolce & Gabbana at Milan Fashion week
The people here at Dub(do)Work can always appreciate natural forms of beauty when we see it. Therefore, I could not help but post some of my favorite looks on Miss Iman from this season's Fashion Weeks..she effortlessly dominates the runway..and with a name like Chanel Iman..she'd Have to.
For my very first blog post, I highlighted the stellar work of french photographer, JR. And today I learned that the world tour of his Women Are Heroescampaign has come to an end. Don't be sad. If you missed JR's work in the first post, I have conveniently embedded a video of his work from Kibera, Kenya below...The combination of imagery and sound in the video make for a stunningly stark portrayal of everyday life in the Kenyan slums...No millionaires here..
If you will be in Paris between October 3rd and October 23rd, you will have the opportunity to see Women Are Heroes in person, at the Pavillon de L'Arsenal. And as luck would have it, I will be in Paris between October 3rd and October 23rd. Hopefully it will live up to my expectations? I think so.
When Damon Dash recently saw a live Black Keys show, he joined millions (?) of other fans across the US who revere the hard blues-rock sound of the band. And I'm glad he did. Because, after seeing the show, and listening to more sounds from The Black Keys, he knew he Had to work with them. So, he called some of his friends and organized some studio time with The Keys and got to work. And BLAKROC was born. I wished that they would've taken some extra time to think of a better name. Blakroc is OK, but a bit obvious, don't you think?
I also included their first webisode for the project. And, after watching...I'm sure you'll keep an eye out for their upcoming album. Set to release after Thanksgiving.
Oh and I also found a download for one of the tracks, Hoochie Coo, which you guys can get here.
I've been loving music videos as long as I can remember. So, from time to time, I like to have my own, personal d(d)w 106 & Park for videos that will probably never be on 106 & Park. So, check them out. I promise you'll love them.
Video #1. The Dead Weather - Treat Me Like Your Mother.
I ran across this video when I found out about Jack White's latest project, The Dead Weather. The group consists of Mr. White and Alison Mosshart, who made her name as the lead-woman for indie rock band, The Kills. I'm not too big a fan of The Kills, but I always expect good things to come out of JW's corner. And I can now add this video and project in that same corner. The video, for the second single from their debut album Horehound, seems to be a visual representation of The Dead Weather sound - Gritty, honest, and daring. The video also shows White's and Mosshart's supernatural selves, as they seemingly survive their unique style of relationship therapy. I also like that this sort of gun-play is set against the backdrop of undeveloped Suburbia land. Makes it a more interesting to me for some reason.
Video #2. Pill - Glass.
I recently saw this video from underground ATL rapper, Pill. And it blew me away. It has all the same characteristics of the first video. But, for totally different reasons. One, is obviously fictional and used to display the creative vision of the artist. While, the other is not-so-fictional and used to display a day in the life of the artist. For Glass, Pill seems to follow the same formula as his first video, Trap Goin' Ham. Which, seems to consist of grabbing a camera, pressing record, and following him around for a half hour. I didn't reallly love Trap Goin' Ham, probably because it was a little too real. But, this video is much much better. Same approach, just much more tasteful and artistic. But, the main reason I love this new video is because there is no rain-making, no rented Maybachs and no Melyssa Ford look-alikes being shoved in my face. It's very refreshing.
Last night in New York City, Marc Jacobs debuted the the Spring/Summer 2010 collection for his sister line, Marc by Marc Jacobs. And although his main Marc Jacobs line was beautiful, this collection seemed to be a bit more lively and diverse. The African inspired prints really POP and I would most definitely hollar at Any girl that could rock one of those bunny bows in her head. Below are some of my favorite looks from the line..
..check the specs..
this ensemble takes the cake. The glasses, the sweatervest, and highwaters. dope dope dope.
And if you have some extra time, be sure and check out the video footage from the show featured on Mr. Jacobs' website.
Big month for pop culture. Kanye. Lil Mama. Papa Joe Wilson. AM. Sir Swayze. Big things are happening people. Good thing we have music. Good thing we have good music. Like the songs below.
This tape is very good. And I wouldn't lie to you. Radiohead, Mickey Factz, Nite Jewel, President Bell, Wolfmother. Perennial Allstars. Listen/Download the tape to dance, laugh and welcome in the new season. Enjoy.
The Danish art collective, SUPERFLEX, has recently made their 10 minute film, Burning Car, available to the public, for free. The group made this decision to bring attention to the current trial against the Sweedish file sharing network, The Pirate Bay. Their goal? To show that the trial against The Pirate Bay is not only a trial against the site, but an assault on its users who use the internet for it was made for - the boundless exchange of knowledge and information.
Below are stills from the film and a short clip. The entire film can be seen here, on YouTube. Hi-Resolution versions may be downloaded via the SUPERFLEX website.
Now, projects like these are really unusual to me. For one, I have a difficult time accepting it as art. It doesn't seem to express anything or even be that creative. However, I Did discover that the sound of a burning, vintage Mercedes Benz is quite soothing.
Ghostface Killah's new album, Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry (In Emerald City), is set to release on the 29th of this month. He will be the second former member of the legendary Wu Tang Clan to release a solo project this month. He has been releasing some words of wisdom to all his fans and this one addresses the topic of infidelity. Eloquent and frank, Pretty Toney does not cease to amaze us with his latest advise. So, grab a pen and paper and take notes.
Now, on a more controversial note, Ghostface recently released the official music video for the debut single off of Wizard of Poetry, Stapleton Sex. It's raunchy. Check it out. But not if you're at work.
To highlight We Have Band's imminent EP release, I wanted to share some footage and photos of all the work put into their last video for "You Came Out." A couple of months ago, I posted the video and didn't Totally love it, but Now I do.
The band teamed up with UK creatives Ida Gronblom & Fabian Berglund to bring the concept of their music video to life. And, had I known all the painstaking work put into the music video, I wouldn't have been so quick to criticize. The film consists of 4 thousand 8 hundred and 6teen stills that were individually hand-painted, wiped off and then re-painted. Needless to say, alllllot of time and effort was put into the 3:14 video and I thought it deserved a Second Look.
Check out the 'Making Of' video below and the 4,816 stills that the band posted on their flickr page... here...
And don't forget to stop by the iTunes store and get We Have Band's debut EP!
The latest hotness from d(d)w favorite, Afrikan Boy. In this candid, clever record, the Nigerian emcee recounts his checkered past with his neighborhood grocery store - One day I went to Lidl/I was Really Really hungry/I went to shoplift at Lidl/cuz I had no money money. Although I appreciate Mr. Boy's humor and candor, this track, unlike his others, doesn't really do it for me. The lyrics are redundant and his flow is choppy. And the joke gets old pretty fast.
Check out the official video below and pick up the track here...
Several months ago, Kanye West decided to release the video for his single, Welcome To Heartbreak, earlier than expected. He did so, I believe, to make sure his name and brand would be attached to this new style - The I think my computer screen's messed up, but it's really Not style. And although Kanye's finished product was impressive, the fresh, pixel-bending style of video art did not originate with Mr. West. Nor did it originate with the director of the video, Nabil.
I recently discovered the work of American video and animation artist, Takeshi Murata. The 35 year old native of Chicago created this groundbreaking medium with his 2006 film, Silver. The film was originally installed as on a 42 x 75 inch projection screen. And, after you watch below, you will probably agree that seeing it in person would have been quite the sight. If you find the film to be a bit haunting and old fashioned, that's because they are scenes that have been re-imagined from Mario Bava's 1960 horror film, Black Sunday.
I'd try to watch it with all the lights off and with nice speakers. Enjoy.
Yes. Is this what (s)he had in mind when the form of beauty was created? Miss Patton's latest photo shoot sure makes me think so.
The documentary-maker turned actress, Paula Patton, stars in Body Double. A fascinating photo shoot featured in the current issue of the New York Times' style journal, T Magazine. And after seeing it I couldn't help but wonder if this woman was So Fine that she even appears attractive under the guise of a man? Wait a second. It's probably just the talent of Brooklyn based photographer, Maciek Kobielski and world-renowned fashion stylist, Ann Christensen.
Check out the shots below and see what you think..
Chanel Iman outside Dolce & Gabbana at Milan Fashion week
