Louis Vuitton's latest flagship in Japan. It's pretty gully...

Spotted at www.ctothejl.com

http://www.dezeen.com/2008/07/31/louis-vuitton-flagship-store-by-unstudio/#more-15898

With so many blogs, websites, magazines and television shows covering hip hop, it seems as if the voice that was once ours is being taken away from us. You know, know, like rock and roll. The universal appeal is still strong, but the trend of blacks actually making money off this entity is minimal when you see the people running the labels, the radio stations, the distributors, the magazines, the retailers, etc. Will we be shut out of our own creation again?

If this pattern I am witnessing continues, it’s going to get to a point that we will be unable to attend press conferences or anything involving hip hop in the very near future. I also fault publicists, managers and label heads, because when the artist is still underground, bubbling or just coming out, the urban press gets first dibs.

We are the ones that make sure to let the world know when these artists are coming out or how hot they are. Yet, the minute they chart, make noise and sell some records, we get taken out the loop for the sake of the MTVs, Rolling Stone Magazines and more ‘national’ publications!

But, lo and behold, if these same artists fall off or need that buzz again, guess who gets that email and phone call? This is a sad situation indeed. I’ll be monitoring this for years to come…

What do you think?

www.theindustrycosign.com

Well not really, Judith Supine is making a name for herself. Spotted in The East River, NYC.

Spotted at www.woostercollective.com

In the Woodside section of Queens, New York there is an artist who is creating masterpieces with just his hands, a few sharp blades, and full head of hair. “Every cut I do is a new challenge, but I never think twice about anything. It all comes natural “, says Rich “Filthy Rich” Mendoza on another busy Thursday afternoon. Business is booming for the young entrepreneur who operates his one man barbershop the 69^st block of Roosevelt Avenue. As the Seven train rumbles from above, clients from as far Philadelphia and Connecticut make their pilgrimage to the cozy establishment for a taste of some homegrown New York City couture.

“I’ve tried having other barbers working with me, but they always complained of me taking all the customers, it’s just the fact that people come to my shop expecting a certain level of quality.”, explains Rich on his shop’s extra  noticeably absent barbers’ chairs. He has upset local favorites and down-right embarrassed cocky barbers in competitions in fickle markets like Atlanta and Los Angeles. But his true passion lies in custom cuts on request from the imaginations of his clients.  Dressed in a worn-in Hundreds t-shirt and Hong Kong edition Dunks, Filthy Rich simultaneously fixes a boy’s Mohawk and mouths instructions to a young girl who is drawing up a Playstation inspired design for her boyfriend.  On this particularly cool summer afternoon there are about four people waiting to get blessed by Rich and each patron is of a different ethnicity – Filipino, Puerto Rican, Korean, and African-American.

Crossing color boundaries and welcoming people from all walks of life, every client is as equally important to Rich, “ I’m blessed to have such loyal customers, but I know that it’s my work that keeps them coming back every time.”, says Rich grinning from ear to ear. With the walls of his shop littered with photos with influential clients such as Jin the Emcee and Power 105’s DJ Yanny, Mr. Mendoza is just getting his feet wet. The future for this young barber lies in expanding his Filthy Rich by combing the elegance of Ralph Lauren and spirit of Stash.

                         Adventures in the LES

                         http://www.zshare.net/audio/156861829dc6efe7/

             Discovered at www.nahright.com

By SSUR

SSUR+PLUS
7 Spring St
New York, NY 10012
p: 212.431.3152

By SSUR

SSUR+PLUS
7 Spring St
New York, NY 10012
p: 212.431.3152

Summer in the city, doesnt get much better then this!

       Filmed and Edited by Mikey Fresh

www.myspace.com/rook74

www.myspace.com/lsny1

                                 "Georgie Porgie (What Had Happened Wuz)"

                              http://www.zshare.net/audio/1485796897453c43/

                                          Shouts to Yos from Atmos NYC

                                                  http://atmosnyc.com/

         Lets take a trip down memory lane

FM knows the routine. Fly into town on the red-eye, eat, rock the show, mingle with fans, then its back on another Boeing 757 to do it all over again. City after city, the quartet comprised of members Kev-nish, J-Spliff, Prohgress, and DJ Virman consistently deliver performances filled with immaculate timing and natural chemistry. On another hot and humid night in New York City, the four West-Coasters have made their way to yet another K-town tucked quietly in Midtown Manhattan. Waiting patiently for their Kalbi and Mandoo to be served, Far-East is chopping it up with several other prominent Asian-American music figures, soul-singing phenomenon Vudoo Soul and Hot 97’s Miss Info are among FM’s welcoming party.

“We won, we won four- nights in a row at Blazin 98.9’s hot or not contest. Just one more win and we’ll be added to their playlist,” shouts Kev-nish as he receives a very pleasing text-message. As he informs his group mates of the news a sense of self-satisfaction takes over his crew. It has been about six-years since the Far-East Movement stepped on to LA’s underground hip-hop scene and based on their appearance alone, the child-hood friends didn’t always draw applause and accolades by feisty rap fans. FM had to earn their respect the same way as any other aspiring hip-hop group. That meant performing like it was their last show whether there was three or three-thousand people in the crowd.

After filling their stomachs with some Korean-cuisine staples, the boys of FM must excuse themselves to make an early entrance to the night’s venue where they’ll be performing as part of a Mcdonalds sponsored tour.  “It seems like every night now, we either have a show or appearance to do. No more hanging-out with homies,” says Prohgress with a bit of despair. As their car arrives and the group is whisked away to nearby club Hiro Ballroom, they must quickly get prepared for only their 2^nd performance in the Big Apple. Tonight representatives from Bad Boy Entertainment are in attendance, and the venue is packed to the brim with slanted-eyed clubgoers looking to wind down after a long work week.

It’s about 1:00 am and Miss Info takes over the DJ booth and cuts the music to a mute, after a brief intro she asks the finicky NYC crowd. “New York City, are you ready?”,  DJ Virman immediately drops the beat and the west coast explosion unleashes on stage and like skilled surgeons the emcees cut through every snare and bassline Virman throws down. With their signature call and response abilities, FM is able to draw the usually skeptical and self-proclaimed cool New Yorkers into their realm. “ I Love New York, I really do; the crowds here will let you know if they are feeling you or not”, exclaims Far-East rhymesayer J-Spliff after their performance. The FM boys controlled the audience that night, finishing their set off with current radio smash, “Lowriding”. Newly-formed fans mobbed the stage from all angles, trying to get an individual glimpse of the group’s members. There’s no doubt about it, the Far-East Movement has found a new home in the East.

North Philly is a long way from Hershey Park and the other mountain side resorts that the state of Pennsylvania has to offer. The “City of Brotherly Love” has continually charted some of the highest murder rates in the country and has only seen a recent increase in crimes being committed by black males under the age of twenty-five. For anyone to cal this place home, the constant struggle is to getaway from the violence. After moving from Houston to the 32^nd & Dolphin block of North Philly which happens to be a gang infested section of the city at four years old, a charismatic and storied emcee named C.H.A.S.E. bounced around through more schools and states that he can count on both of his hands. “The one thing I definitely remember about Houston was going to the Galleria Mall and they had an ice skating rink in the middle of the place. Those were some of the few positive memories from my childhood,” says C.H.A.S.E. on one of the summer’s most humid afternoons.

 It’s just about rush hour in lower Manhattan’s financial district and peaking down from a 26^th floor roof deck, young C.H.A.S.E. can see Wall Street tycoons and CEO’s scrambling to make their way home. But unlike the business men and women so many floors below him, he’s not in rush to go anywhere. “I’ve lived in shelters, city missions, abandoned buildings, cars, basically the streets. Experiencing all the rough situations gave me a better outlook on life, and opened up my mind,” explains the twenty-eight year old emcee. Writing rhymes since the age of twelve, C.H.A.S.E has studied the masters and carefully developed a flow and style that carries a diversity to suit the teeny-bobber crowd as well as Hip-Hop purists in search of real lyricism.

 “I’ve been recording music for about 10 years, and over time I experimented with every different rhyme scheme, flow, and pattern. From real life situations, stories, and songs for the ladies I can do it all,” says C.H.A.S.E whose two-hour excursion to Manhattan seems all too routine these days. As a teenager he was inspired by the likes of Public Enemy, Nas, and the late Big Pun. C.H.A.S.E refers to Big L as one of his favorite emcees of all time, and admits to struggling in the early-days of his career, when he was still trying to develop his own skills. “I think when everyone rapper first starts and is trying to develop their own style, they sound just like their favorite rapper and I wasn’t any exception, “says C.H.A.S.E. with a short pause before bursting into laughter.

 Chase now makes the commute to New York City just another step in his quest to rise to the top of the Billboard Charts, the Philly native is a firm believer in pushing his musical endeavors outside of his city’s limits, “We need to open up our minds, and think outside of the box. A lot of times artists from Philly won’t even support each other because they might not be a Beanie Sigel or Freeway, out mentalities are too local. C.H.A.S.E cites his love of Hip-Hop as his motivation to keep striving for higher goals in his career, “The first time I heard my voice on a tiny tape recorder is when I just fell in love with making music. I used to just make tapes with my boys having fun, and it kept us out of trouble for a while,” explains C.H.A.S.E.

 After wrapping up a freestyle session for a crowd of scantily clad women who just happen to be sun-tanning on top the New York City loft, Chase immediately checks the constant buzzing of his Iphone. With the help of websites like Myspace and Reverb Nation, fans have been inquiring about the kid from places he’s only read about or seen in movies. For a young man was once homeless and living on streets, the transformation into a burgeoning emcee has been no easy ride, “ I’ve always been a loner and never really fit in. Moving around a lot as kid and being exposed to all kinds of different areas really had an affect on my writing. It gave me a lot of diversity in my flow and lyrics,” says C.H.A.S.E.