Sedgwick & Cedar

CONVERSE has taken to Europe to celebrate the glory of street art. The brand’s mission is to match blank walls with talented artists of that country, and let ‘em get to work. Belgium and France have already been covered, and last weekend CONVERSE hit Barcelona, Spain with Otone to cover the biggest wall yet. The outcome is an incredible patterned design that is set to make unscheduled rounds throughout the city. Head over to Freshness Magazine to look at more images!

• Posted on: Sep 29, 2011

When Return to the 36 Chambers dropped in 1995, everyone knew it would become a classic. Now, the album is being released again – remastered, with a bonus CD featuring rare tracks, remixes, a poster, stickers, and a wallet with a laminated Ol’ Dirty Bastard food stamp card. This dope set drops November 22, so keep an eye out for it.

• Posted on: Sep 28, 2011

Dale Edwin Murray is a freelance illustrator and graphic artist from London. His most recent project is Hip Hop Heads, which features artists such as Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, and (of course) Biggie. We really dig Murray’s style and hope he makes more! Take a look at the project here.

• Posted on: Sep 27, 2011

Name: KON

Wearing: S&C Radio Man shirt

How did you get into rhyming? As far back as I can remember I’ve always been into Hip Hop… Used to freestyle here and there when I was really young but didn’t write my first real cohesive rhyme till freshman year of High-school. My boy approached me on some “we be freestylin’ all the time, let’s try and write a song!”

Who was the first hip hop group/artist you remember listening to? That would have to be Rob Base and DJ E Z Roc “It Takes Two”.  Then as I got older I was really into Wu-Tang and Onyx.

What do you do on a typical Friday night? If there ain’t a show poppin off somewhere in the city or BK I’m probably in the studio writing…

What is your favorite food? PIZZA!

What is your favorite website? ffffound.com (and we’d have to agree with KON – that website is on point.)

Who are the people that greatly influence your music? The hard workers… The extraordinary “ordinary” people.

If you could say one thing to the world of hip hop, what would it be? TURN MY MIC UP!

• Posted on: Sep 26, 2011

Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons are set to soon release their publication Def Jam Records: The First 25 Years of the Last Great Record Label. NOWNESS puts our excitement at rest for the moment by providing a few excerpts, of when Rubin and Simmons first met each other. Simmons said about the two “Rick and I were a good marriage because he had fresh ears and he affirmed that what I was doing had greater legs than even I thought.” To read more, visit the NOWNESS article.

• Posted on: Sep 26, 2011

Sujatha Fernandes took on what many of us can only hope to achieve in a lifetime – she dedicated herself to a life of hip hop and traveled across the globe to experience it’s influence in other cultures. Analyzing varieties of groups, her book “Close to the Edge: In Search of the Global Hip Hop Generation” challenges and questions age-old subjects such as racism, poverty, and music. This book seems like a must-read, and we are excited to see the discussions it raises!

• Posted on: Sep 21, 2011

When I was younger I used to play with plastic army men – but now these toys have a much cooler replacement. Meet Kidrobot’s ‘All City Breakers’, 2 inch figurines set in different break moves. For $29.95 you can secure a pack of 20 (which includes a tiny stereo figurine, of course) in fluorescent green, pink, orange, or blue. Check it out here, and rest assured that your kid (or yourself) is officially the coolest person on the block.

• Posted on: Sep 21, 2011

VH1 has released a documentary called ‘Planet Rock’ discussing the relation between hip hop and crack cocaine. In the footage shown, artists such as Ice-T and Snoop Dogg talk about how many drug dealers went into hip hop because of the crazy stories they wanted to share. Above is the trailer – if you are interested in viewing the whole documentary, click here. The history and correlation  is very interesting, so we definitely recommend you sit down and have a watch.

• Posted on: Sep 19, 2011

There is no other word to describe it – the new Incase headphone collection is sexy. Four models are available: Sonic (over ear), Reflex (on ear), Pivot (on ear), and Capsule (in ear). Our favorite is the Sonic, which features suede memory foam on the earcups, two detachable audio cables in different colors, and sound isolation. Available in white, black, and gray, these sleek headphones are…well, we just can’t stop staring at them. To see the beauty for yourself, visit the Incase website.

• Posted on: Sep 16, 2011

The Red Bull Music Academy is honoring five hip hop albums, one from each of the five boroughs, that they consider most iconic: ‘The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick’ (1988), Black Moon’s ‘Enta Da Stage’ (1993), ‘Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)’ (1993), ‘The Infamous’ by Mobb Deep (1995), and Dipset’s ‘Diplomatic Immunity’ (2003). The albums will be honored through workshops and public talks, in addition to special concerts by the artists themselves. The event starts next Sunday, September 25, so plan accordingly – you won’t want to miss out! Visit the Red Bull Music Academy website for more details.

• Posted on: Sep 16, 2011