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ONE WEEK FROM TODAY September 20 2012
Next Thursday, the 27th, The Physics, The Bar, Grynch, and KreativeThought with Garfield Adams come together for one night in Los Angeles. Rick & Ray is behind the half Seattle/half LA production, and we’re very excited to bring them all to the Nola’s stage. About the performers:
THE PHYSICS
Representing Seattle’s South End, The Physics are one of the region’s most critically-celebrated hip hop crews. Real-deal brothers Thig Nat and Monk Wordsmith and Justo have been making music for well over a decade.The group’s evolution from a refreshing, promising rap trio to a sophisticated collective of lyricists, vocalists and musicians is a narrative of hometown pride. It is the sound and vibe that The Physics lend to the city’s sonic landscape that many say express Seattle at its finest.
THE BAR
The Bar is lead by the commanding raps of Seattle’s Prometheus Brown (of the Blue Scholars) and L.A’s Bambu who has built a reputation for being an intense live performer. The combination of these two level headed emcees has created music that you can admire and look up to. Prometheus Brown & Bambu are exactly what rappers should be; a voice for the people. Walk Into A Bar, was their first release that dropped back in the summer of 2011.
GRYNCH
Reigning from Seattle, MC Grynch first discovered Hip-Hop in elementary school when a classmate let him borrow a cassette tape of The Chronic. From that point on, he became completely immersed in Hip-Hop music and culture. It wouldn’t be long before Grynch would try his hand at writing rhymes himself at the age of 10. He spent the next few years working on his craft and released his first EP. It generated a buzz big enough for people to take notice of Grynch’s potential as an artist.
KREATIVETHOUGHT
KreativeThought has been representing Rhythm Natives for the past decade, as one of the frontmen in the band. After their self titled debut album release and many shows up and down the California coast, KreativeThought decided to get back into the studio for a solo EP project. Using his past experiences as focus, KreativeThought invites listeners on a personal journey through his lyrics. The EP is slated to release in early 2013.
GARFIELD ADAMS
He can rap on the mic. He can do a live beat set. He can also engineer records. Garfield Adams is a triple threat. Since his debut album “1st Things First” released in 2011, he has been keeping busy at Stemulated Studios with projects for Shafiq Husayn, Ahmad, Inspira, and most recently, KreativeThought. Garfield and KreativeThought come together with a dynamic that is reflective of their love for the game.
Presale tickets to The Physics’ Tomorrow People Tour are still available HERE.
Help us go viral for the next week by emailing HERE, and we’ll send you a promo kit.
Tell all your friends on Facebook that you’re going HERE.
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LISTEN WHILE YOU WORK September 19 2012
I just got done reading this Harvard Business Review article on the power of music while you work. It said:
Music seems to help immensely. It is not at all uncommon to see athletes listening to music during training or right before a big event. Winter Olympians have iPods built into their ski jackets. That’s no accident — the impact of music on athletic performance has been well researched. The same effect is found during work. An added advantage: it blocks out distractions. Know what you need to feel to find flow, and then get your music to help.
So here’s what’s going on with us.
For Chicharon Adventures, we have the 5 year anniversary coming up on October 12. I’m still not sure what’s happening yet. Could be something, could be nothing. I started sketching some stuff (as you saw in the post yesterday) that could translate into a t-shirt or some stickers or a simple page filler. After that initial sketch, I ended up creating a flow chart. It started with CA and went into the other things that have stemmed from this little project of mine. Like Rick & Ray.
Rick & Ray has a lot on its plate right now. Next week, we’re hosting The Physics’ Tomorrow People Tour Los Angeles stop which includes The Bar, Grynch, and our very own artists KreativeThought (of Rhythm Natives) and Garfield Adams. We’re also finalizing the release of Bambeeno’s 7AM mixtape with Kixxie Siete, that will drop early next month. And then at the end of October, we’re hosting a premiere party for Ahmad (“Back in the day when I was young…”). In between that, we’ll be doing video shoots, we’ll be traveling north for more of our artists’ shows, and we’ll be forecasting the coming months.
Most recently, Tastemakers has stemmed from CA. A lot of my content came from my relationship with Backside, who in turn, gave Shelly and I our own niche based blog. Right now, a new Backside site is in development, and we are all working to get the next as aesthetically and functionally sound as possible. When that launches in October, so will our interview on Miss Lawn of Hellz Bellz and BOTB.
To add to the study of the relationship between music and work, this is what’s soundtracking while we get through the task list.
Kanye West - Cruel Summer
GDragon - One of a Kind
A$AP Mob - Lords Never Worry
Bonde do Tigrão - Bate Bum-Bum
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DUMPED September 18 2012
This is Bambu’s manager, C-Knowledge. I met up with him last week to hand him flyers, talk about my ...one rifle per family. review, the Rent Money Tour, and teaming up on a few other things. Before we parted ways, he and his mama wanted to make sure that you go to The Physics Tomorrow People show on September 27!
Live each day like your first. New day. New opportunities. New blessings. This sidewalk art was spotted on Melrose.
Between the TV shows and the lookbooks, Rick & Ray‘s makeup artist, Shelly, has been doing some heavy editorial work. Most recently, she did one for Audrey Magazine with Jamie Chung on the cover. The magazine has just gone through a design makeover, and over the weekend, they celebrated the new look at an event called “Audrey’s Night Out”. Shelly’s work on Jamie was spotted all over the venue.
My boo thang, Campos (Backside/The Hundreds), got me some goodies from the Nerf x Hundreds collab. Before Campos and I headed out for our meetings with Agenda and Twelve Bar, we opened up the RSWD turbo ball, and had some fun.
This was the beginning of a Girl’s Day Out.
Next on Tastemakers is Miss Lawn (Hellz Bellz, BOTB). We had a great time getting to know her. Look out for her feature around the first of next month, where we’ll launch the interview along with a site redesign.
Speaking of Tastemakers, can you guess who our next feature will be on? Check the outfits.
I saw this headline during my morning routine with the LA Times. It brought me wayyyy back.
San Miguel beer for $9 at FPAC. Worth it.
Ube leche flan courtesy of The Park’s Finest. So. good.
LA on fire.
Next month, CA is celebrating its 5 year anniversary. Damn. 5 years of doing this, of growing, of relationships. Most of the opportunities I’ve had are because of this blog, and I thank everyone who’s been with me since day one. And if you just started getting hip, I hope I can keep you for another 5. I don’t quite know what’s gonna happen that day, how I’m gonna celebrate, or whatever. But I started sketching these things in my notebook. Stay tuned, I guess?
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...ONE RIFLE PER FAMILY. September 14 2012
...one rifle per family. is great; it’s probably Bambu‘s best work. After I heard it in its entirety (twice), I gave Bam a congratulations and told him just that.
But before you read any further, let me preface this “review” by saying that I don’t normally write music reviews. I’m not a music snob by any means, but I know what I like and I know how shit makes me feel. I’m not about to dissect songs and talk about sound quality. I’m writing this as a fan, as most of you are.
I wasn’t expecting to receive my press copy at the time that I did. I was immersed in work when I got the email. I opened it, downloaded it, and let it play as background noise. But the first track, “Bronze Watch”, already got me to stop and listen. Funny because on that one, Bam actually says, “I’m trying to grab your focus by the eighth bar of the first verse.” And he did just that. As I continued on to the rest of the album, I took notice of the production. It’s the production, in my opinion, that separates ...one rifle per family. from its predecessors.
In true Bambu form, he talks of oppression, education, Los Angeles, Philippines, and family. But amidst his call to organize and his attempt to raise awareness, is actually his own narrative. I somehow found ...one rifle per family. to be more of a personal feat than anything. You get caught up in stories about his mom, his pops, his son. You begin to understand Bam as a dad, a son, a Los Angeleno, an ex-gangster, an ex-marine.
Just as the beginning grabbed my attention, so did the end, with Bambu’s ode to his city called “Where You From”. It’s a real account of what it’s like to live here, which is a topic that has been heavy on my mind. Lately, I’ve been talking with New Yorkers that think we have it easy, that there isn’t struggle here. I call bullshit. Listen to this track. Now let me once again say congratulations to my friend, Bambu. I’m proud of this, and I really hope this isn’t your last one.
Favorites on ...one rifle per family.
-Bronze Watch - produced by B-Roc
-I Beg Of You - produced by Lefty
-Books (featuring Prometheus Brown aka Geologic of Blue Scholars) - produced by MTK
-Golden Era Shower (featuring Dumbfoundead, Drunken Tiger JK, Ruby Ibarra, Gloc9 and Omar Offendum) - produced by Dirty Diggs
-Where You From - produced by OJ
...one rifle per family. officially drops on Tuesday, October 2. The Rent Money Tour kicks off in San Diego, CA on Thursday, October 11.
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MEET BRIT September 13 2012
When I was in NYC last March, I passed a store called EHVonnae in Brooklyn with a shoe collection that made me stop in my tracks. But there was a sign on the door that read “be back after lunch”. I brushed it off, and went about my day. And as I did, I kept thinking about the navajo knitted booties that were in the window. So I came back before catching the train. Turns out they were out of the size I needed, but I ended up having a long conversation with the owner, Brittanie.
We talked about the store, how she went from a corporate merchandiser to a bonafide entrepreneur, and how her inventory is local designer heavy. We vibed instantly, exchanged business cards, and then I put her on the blog when I did my NY favorites series after the trip. Before I left, I said, “get at me when you’re in LA”. Fast forward six months, and Brittanie was in LA for the week. We met for dinner last night at my favorite Mexican spot, Chano’s.
Her story isn’t extraordinary; we’ve all heard it before. Brit was laid off from DKNY four years ago, spent the next two years interviewing and interviewing and interviewing, but never landed anything. The dream of her own store was always in the back of her mind, and at the tail end of her unemployment, she basically said “fuck it, Ima do it”. So she took her savings and did just that. Her background was in business economics, and knew nothing of being a store owner or a buyer, she just knew she wanted (and maybe needed) to jump right in. When she looked back at the last two years, she let out a big sigh and still couldn’t believe that she was at this point - adding apparel to her inventory, taking frequent buying trips to LA, finally understanding and accepting the style of her targeted demographic, and being known as THE women’s contemporary store in Dumbo, Brooklyn. She learned by doing and she made mistakes, which we both agreed was the best way to get anything done. Like I said, her story isn’t extraordinary. I often hear about how people do the same thing - quit the corporate life to chase passions. But it’s the commitment and the patience that differentiates those stories.
Brittanie was wearing a dope Seattle Supersonics crewneck last night. Given my obsession with vintage sportswear, I had to take a couple photos. Here she is. If you’re ever in Brooklyn, pay her and EHVonnae a visit.
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