More Marilyn.

Marilyn Minter is an artist who has sparked much controversy during her prolific career. She often uses female subjects depicting raw and unfiltered sexual imagery. Minter's critics view her work as the victimization or gross misrepresentation of women. She saw it as something glamorous and provocative, necessary for the progression of females in today's society. Marilyn recently released a preview for her upcoming exhibit at Salon 94 in New York. Needless to say, it caught my eye.

If you'd like, you can check out some more of Ms. Marilyn's work on the Salon 94 website.

Yooooooooo

these cakes are dope. I was in the middle of trying to write a post and my friend sent me a link to a site with all of these custom cakes on it. They were wild. Some of my favorties...

Check out some of the others on their website.

Interesting Fellow: SUN RA

space is the place.

Sun Ra was a man that inspired many, and confused most. As his talent grew, so did his oddball ways of life and world views. He recorded over 1000 songs and published 100 full length LP's in his career, all the while claiming he was of the Angel Race and a descendant of Saturn (the Planet). He was, unequivocally, one of the most gifted jazz musicians This world has seen and his eccentric philosophies and playing style would raise the bar for future jazz musicians.

The P-Funk All-Star himself, George Clinton, once had this to say about Ra - This boy's definitely out to lunch...same place I eat at! - Who knows what that means? Who cares? How cool do you have to be to have George Clinton say something like that about you?

They just don't make em like they used to.

CITY OF GOD'S SON

One of the most fascinating things about growing up during these times is getting to witness, firsthand, new art forms and groundbreaking ideas come to fruition. For instance, Kenzo Digital's CITY OF GOD'S SON is not exactly a movie, nor is it a song, or a mix of songs. I don't know what it is, but it seems to take the best forms of media and use them in the most efficient manner. CITY OF GOD'S SON, the so-called "experimental hip-hop opera" is the latest project of video artist and director Kenzo Digital that stars the modern icons of both hip hop And cinema. Jay Z, Nas, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Laurence Fishburne, Samuel L. Jackson, Biggie Smalls, Delroy Lindo are all featured in this amazing project.

The visual, art instillation of CITY OF GOD'S SON will be held in the Chelsea art district of New York this summer. I am down to go.

Pick up the blind movie/soundtrack/audio book/awesome hip hop mix/whatever here and watch the trailer below. I recommend listening to it late at night while, perhaps, putting something in the air. Enjoy.

Mexican Institute of Sound.

Meet Camilo Lara, the sole engineer behind the Dopest musical project to ever come out of Mexico City, the Mexican Institute of Sound. Camilo is a professional producer/DJ/Record Exec who has undertaken the grandiose responsibility of transforming contemporary Mexican sound. The James Murphy of Mehico. I recently bought his third studio album, Soy Sauce and it's been a real treat. His beats are fresh and his rhymes are like water. Fluid as Hell.

As a bonus track, M.I.S did a special collabo with Ad Rock that goes extra hard. Be sure to check it out here and look for Mr. Lara's section the next time you're at the music store.

BOSS.

this album cover's pretty Boss'd out.

Slim Thug has never been afraid to rep HTOWN, nor crown himself the undeniable Boss of all Bosses. His swag is phenomenal and his street cred is legitimate (he readily admits that rapping makes his millions look legit.) I ran across the Chopped & Screwed release of his Sophomore Album and loved it right away. If the cover doesn't already suggest it, the music is 100% H. My favorite jam is the debut single, I Run, which ingenuously samples Flock of Seagulls' 1982 hit, I Ran. In his ode to the streets, Thugga simultaneously voices his concerns to Our President and reminds the listener of his ubiquitous street presence, "Mr. Obama we so tired of sellin crack/If you lookin for me, ask the streets where I'm at."

I also like the last track, Welcome 2 Houston. This one is hard not to like because it really shocases Houston's elite fraternity of rap veterans - Mike Jones, KeKe, Paul Wall, Chamillionaire, Z-RO, Trae the Truth, Young Mansiah, Lil Mike, Heavy Chevy,...okay not those last couple. But, it really does feature an awesome posthumous verse from the Late, Great Pimp C.


Click on the Boss album cover above to listen.

The Hardest Workin Man in DJ Business

Last week, the man you see above, released his long-awaited, highly anticipated INFINITY + 1 mix on the iTunes musical superstore. In a compulsive fit of rage, I bought the mix, that is just under an hour long, and decided to have my own, personal dance party. As expected, it Does go hard and was definitely worth the buy. As I've recommended before, it would be a good idea to buy it, listen to it once and then, the next time you listen to it, play it loud! with plenty of friends around to dance. I may even buy the CD when it hits stores next week.

I first discovered ATRAK when I found out that a 22 year old Canadian was the touring DJ for Mr. West (no wonder he did such awesome remixes of Stronger and Get Em High ). I Had to find out more about him. Turns out, he was the youngest And first Canadian to ever win the prestigious DMC World DJ championship. I mean, how does that much soul creep into a jewish kid from Montreal? Blows my mind. Anyhow, you guys can check out the teaser for INFINITY + 1 before you decide to pick it up.

Peep the video below of him ripping shit up at age 15.

He is currently on the INFINITY +1 tour and you wouldn't want to miss him if he's coming to your city. He was at SXSW, but, apparently, the Palm Door is NOT on seventh street.

To the Muses.

In a tribute to the Late, Great Yves Saint Laurent, the American fashion designer Zac Posen directs model/actress Paz de la Huerta in a photo shoot that is as sexy as it is elegant. Posen fits De la Huerta in some of his original threads and, of course, some vintage YSL. I usually love neon lights in any setting, but these custom lights are particularly striking.

this one Really does it for me.

All images were shot by 19-year old Theo Wenner, son of Jann Wenner, who also happened to land a photography internship at Rolling Stone. Pretty amazing stuff when you realize an underager is responsible for all this. I suppose that this is the sort of magic you can create when you belong to the Manhattan elite? Good for Them.

we have band? We Have Band! WE. HAVE. BAND. we have (a) band.

I wasn't so sure what these guys had in mind when naming themselves. Maybe I'm a stupid American and I don't get it or maybe I love it. Me thinks it's the latter. Mach 3 and I saw We Have Band at the FADER tent on Friday and a second time at the East 6th street bar, Volume. We weren't totally obsessed with them until the second showing. There sound is classic British pop with awesome synthesizing and percussion. Think I Wanna Hold Your Hand Beatles with a KORG drum machine and sampler.

Here are some of my amateur attempts at photography during their showcase at Volume.

WHB in action.

Darren rocking the synth.


this British PYT thought it was a good idea to jack your boy's glasses. you know i wasn't haven that.

They have only been putting out music for about a year and are getting mad props in Britain and in The States. The members consist of married couple Thomas and Dede WP and best friend Darren Bancroft. They all sing. Darren bangs the snare and bass, and he also synthesizes, Dede dominates the tambourine and does a little synthesizing, and Thomas rounds it all off with classic guitar and bass work.

My favorite songs of theirs (a.k.a the only one's I could find) are entitled Oh! and Here It in the Cans. Of course, you can grab them here and here, respectively.

SXSW.CONTD.CONTD.

Although, Kanye, Common, and Miss Badu's surprise performance was pretty incredible, the best discovery of the weekend were three, charming rockers that hail from London, We Have Band. See pics of those guys and the last day of the festival below.

cool ink.



The members of We Have Band perform. Stay tuned for a separate post starring these guys.

Bun B doin the damn thing. There are few things better than being surrounded by a crowd of hipsters and screaming, "NOW WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT THEM TEXAS BOYS COMIN DOWN IN CANDY TOYS, SMOKIN WEED AND TALKIN NOISE."



Kanye and his enthusiastic protégé Kid Cudi. he almost blew the top of the tent off while performing his debut single Day N Nite (Crookers Remix). Again, it would be a good idea to get it here, listen to it and then, next time you listen to it, play it loud! with lots of friends around to dance. it goes hard.


Mr. West on stage. probably showcasing that great sense of humility.




The very impressive and always-dapper Fonzworth Bentley. He tied a bow-tie, ON STAGE.



Common and Erykah performing The Light.


Common and Kanye performing Get Em High...probably...

And now, a special, Super-Exclusive, Super-Shaky, bootleg taping of Mr. 808 performing Heartless.

Le Fin.

SXSW.CONTD.

More images from the glorious weekend. Enjoy.

Mr. Stephen W., Mr. Curtis Santiago, and Mr. Beret

Curtis, the free spirit from Canada, was one of the many super-nice, down-to-earth people that we met this weekend. He has a pretty neat website that is worth taking a look at: www.curtissantiago.com

Curtis on stage with new school hip hopper Mickey Factz.

One of Miss Tyger's one of a kind head garments that became the envy of The Fort.


A shot of Indian grunge/surf/punk trio, Popo.


Natty Dread and I had the serendipitous pleasure of running into Mr. Theophilus London at the Taqueria across the street from the concert grounds. His latest work, This Charming Mixtape, has been a favorite of mine this year. If you don't already have it, you can listen/download it here.



Me and the lovely Miss Senegal.


What up Magnanimous

This was another one of my new-friends, "Memphis." I admired his jewlery.

SXSW.

The all inclusive Levi's/FADER Fort.

On a whim, Magnanimous and I decided to make the travel up to Austin for South By Southwest this weekend and boy am I glad that we did. I was originally doubtful that I would ever get to take part in the Famed Festival because when I looked up ticket prices, I saw that they would be upwards of $500! Fuck! Fortunately, The Levi's/FADER Fort came to the rescue, offering a plethora of new music to see and plenty of complimentary Southern Comfort to enjoy.

mach 3 and his friend from school, Andrew.


Maganimnon and Lady.



Dub and Mr. Biggers - 505 Style.



Nick and Alex of Holy Ghost!
(nice photo dub)


Matthew Schnipper and Dub. Matthew is an Editor for FADER and has a weekly column entitled Schnniper's Slept On, recommending new music to the readers. It is My recommendation that you guys check it out.

Peter, Bjorn and John.


MY DEAR DISCO.
Kudos to these guys for doing an awesome rendition of the Motown Classic, "All I do is Think About You."

Some stylin' shoes from the drummer of MY DEAR DISCO.


I don't know what was up with all the superfluous annotations, but this band did their thing at Austin's best underground bar, Barcelona.

If you'd like, you can take a gander at even more pics of Mach 3 and me, shot by professional photog, Dorothy Hong. I wish everyone could have been there! More to come including a special, homemade video of Kanye West performing LIVE.

Le Sébastien.

I bought Sebastien Tellier's album, Sexuality, earlier this year after reading a great review about it. Tellier is an artist's artist. He's french, he can sing, dance, write, and above all, jam. I hadn't heard of him before, but decided the CD would definitely be worth the buy, because the album was produced entirely by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Needless to say, I was very pleased with le buy. So, next time you're cruising through your local music store, check his section out.

ATRAK did a remix of his song, Kilometer, which you can pick up here. Listen to it one time after you download it and the next time you play it, it should be played loud! and late at night with a lot of people around to dance.

And here is the video for the original, un-remixed song. It's pretty gnarly and definitely worth a watch, or a couple of watches.

HerFavoriteColo(u)r.

posted.

Whoever said Hip Hop Is Dead was either terribly wrong or incredibly impatient. Because they have obviously not heard the latest mixtape from Blu, HerFavoriteColo(u)r. Adding to a barrage of impressive hip hop sound this year, the West Coast Rhymer offers a breath of fresh air into the future of hip hop. The tape features super-awesome, original production that samples everything from Billie Holiday to Radiohead. Amnesia is the sharpest knife in this drawer, where Blu issues his de facto raison d'être: "...true art died in the heart of my mind/kept tryin to fulfill this blank script with realness/Even if it kills this poet inside..."

Download the mixtape now and sleep a little better, knowing that hip hop is certainly not Dead.

An Hommage to Emory.

What is a Pig ?

A low natured beast that has no regard for law, justice, or the rights of people; a creature
that bites the hand that feeds it; a foul, depraved traducer, usually found
masquerading as the victim of an unprovoked attack.

Listen to them Pigs banging on my door asking for some rent money...
They should be paying my rent.

probably not a good idea to fuck with her.

The work of American artist, Emory Douglas, Director of Art for The Black Panther for over a decade. These selections are from his exhibition at the MOCA gallery in Los Angeles last year. Images like these were put on the cover of The Black Panther's weekly publication and evoked their message of Revolution and Hope. His art came twofold, being both aesthetically striking and functionally necessary for the advancement of The Party. His symbolism was aggressive and his message was clear. And with little formal training, Douglas' prolific work was a driving force in getting The Black Panther Party's message to the public and drawing attention to the concerns of all oppressed peoples. Mr. Douglas, we salute you.

Spring and by Summer Fall

The Dior Homme Spring/Summer 2009 collection from Christian Dior. I'm not too sure if I'm feeling all the K. West-like eye wear, but the high tops and all-black fits are dope.

If you were wondering why you were rocking out so hard to this fashion show, it's probably because French, electronic duo JUSTICE were tapped to create something original and specifically tailored for the collection's debut. And, apparently, they took that shit seriously because they came up with a 17 minute tetrology jam - Planisphere.

Rain All Day

We all lost an hour last week. But if you were in Houston, you also lost plenty of sunshine and clear skies. And we all know what happens when it's all rainy outside - lots of donut consuming and DJ ELEVEN's Winter Sadness 2 listening. I have provided it here for all to Enjoy. The tape is a little over an hour long, so be sure you are in a comfortable spot and, preferably, putting something in the air. My favorite parts include the opening with Still Bill, BIG at 24:18 and the UnderGroundKingz/Isley Brothers mash at 1:01:03. Here is the tracklist. Tell me what you Think.

DRIZZY

Meet Aubrey Drake Graham. The Canadian rapper/singer/actor who reps HoustAtlantaVegas. So, as you can imagine, I was a bit skeptical when I ran across his latest mixtape, So Far Gone. But, we must be skeptics of skepticism and doubters of doubt, so I decided to give it a shot. Needless to say, So Far Gone did not disappoint. In fact, it has totally reversed my opinion on Canada and Canadians altogether. My favorites are Tracks 5 and 12 .


If you like what you hear, download the entire mixtape for FREE from his website.