illtema

CROOK AND HIS CASTLE

So “Notorious,” the Biggie biopic that claimed to be “The Greatest Movie of Our Time” just wasn’t. I’m not going to spend this time rehashing the follies of how a misguided attempt to capture the essence of an amazing rapper turned into a joke, but I will talk about all the good that has come of it. Like young kids who never heard a Biggie song before now get a chance to hear his music. We were reminded that silk Versace shirts were wack in the 90’s and are still wack now. But my favorite is the AMAZING Biggie tees that some of our favorite brands have created to memorialize the notorious one.

These two bangers were created by Crooks and Castles. Using an iconic Biggie photo, they created a dope tee that is as memorable and the man it’s for. The simple reworking of the Crooks and Castles staple, Medusa, creates a cool tee and shows how far a good design can really go. Using the Crooks and Castles mascot is nothing new, they have been reworking and reprinting the snake haired woman from day one but they have always found a way to make it fresh. This time they used Biggies shades as a throw back to the man. These shirts are a definite get up and go cop…SO GET UP AND COP!!!

MA DILLA

If J Dilla was your producer’s favorite producer would that make his mother your mother’s favorite mother? I don’t know but I do know that she needs out help. Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey is battling lupus, the same disease that claimed the life of her son, famed producer J Dilla.

The guys at Stones Throw Records and Parra Clothing have teamed up to make this tee to help raise funds for Ms. Yancey and her medical bills

This multi-color text shirt was done in Parra’s signature style and would be a great addition to the wardrobe of any streetwear lover or lover of real hip-hop and it’s for a great cause. To find out more about info about this cause visit www.stonesthrow.com

MADE WOMEN

First and foremost I must address my love for Kid Sister. The first time I heard rap was her song Pronails produced by her brother A-Trak featuring the rapping talents of Mr. Kanye West and I was smitten. Not only did I love the song I loved the way the fast paced, high pitched rapper weaved through the beat made for her in verses all about her nails with an undeniable swagger that some hip hop vets don’t possess, then I saw what she looked like and was like DAMN YO NIGGA THIS CHICK IS FRESH!!!!!!!!!!

Her obvious rap skill and AMAZING style made me and countless others, fans including the brains at Married to the Mob. And it’s not just because of what she wears it is the way she puts it all together and makes it work for her, which is why I’m not surprised that NYC’s Married to the Mob (MTTM) decided to have this Chi Town vixen donning their threads for their Spring/ Summer 09 look book, here is a little peak.

MTTM has always kept the ladies as fresh as can be, and you have to be being a made woman, you have appearances to keep. I really like this release because of just the overall style of the pieces. As always MTTM flirts with the line of the cute and sweet with pieces like this track jacket

While reminding us all who not to mess with like in this public announcement to all who have been given loans

To see the whole thing or to gawk at Kid Sister some more check out www.marriedtothemobnyc.com or you’ll be sleeping with the fishes!

PRETTY COLORS

I usually don’t tread into the world of purses and shoes and the things that make ladies go giddy but this caught my eye and I couldn’t resist.

Ex-Adidas creative director, Michael Michalsky got together MCM and Japanese artist Shinpei Naito to create these colorful pieces for his Spring/Summer line.

These pieces remind me more of art than actual functional bags and shoes but either way I think they are beautiful and would make any collection or outfit look great.

PERMANENT MARKER

Who doesn’t remember picking up a sharpie and scrawling some dumb made-up alias on some innocent unsuspecting wall or desk or hung-over friend? LA’s Crewest do and they are bringing all the sharpies they can fit in their backpacks to put together one AMAZING art exhibit. The Sharpie Show will be the home of works by graffiti luminaries such as Ghost One, Project Rabbit and many more.

The opening reception is February 7th from 7 to 9 pm. The show will be around until March 1st at 110 Winston St, Los Angeles, CA 90013 or you can go to www.Crewest.com for more info. This is definitely worth going to but please don’t sniff
the markers.

MID-WEST SPRAY

Spray paint company, Montana, has teamed up with everyone’s favorite work wear brand Carhartt to bring all the taggers out there a new exciting and AMAZING color to bomb all the trains you can with…brown.

Yeah I know, “brown,” though it may not sound as thrilling as it is made out to be I’m sure it will prove to be an important addition to any tagger’s arsenal. Plus if the paint isn’t enough for you the can designed by Ultra Boyz crew member and Carhartt contributor, KoolFunc’88, is a stylish cosmic trip that you can have sitting on your book case, your desk or your homie’s grave after being hit by a train. (R.I.P. RAMO)

THROATHEAD

The mysterious artist Neck Face strikes again by stirring fear into the hearts of men with one chilling statement “Im creeping while you’re sleeping.” Painted on a large scale wall out side of the new Melrose home for boutique, Barracuda, it now sits across the street from Fairfax High and Brooklyn Projects.

This feat in art and advertising was commissioned by the brains over at Altamont clothing…I don’t think ill be going to sleep anytime soon.

JUST BEKAWS

When they look back on the Pop Art of our generation Kaws will be mentioned over and over again. From a very successful line of clothing and vinyl figures (Original Fake) , and collaborations with some of the greatest street wear companies ever to having been the subject of many a style-conscious rapper’s lines, Kaws hits it big again and is doing it up in his AMAZING style.

This Brooklyn based artist will be taking his bag of tricks across the country to the Honor Fraser Gallery in Los Angeles starting February 21st. For more info visit the galleries website at www.honorfraser.com or just hit up www.Kawsone.com

OBEY YOUR RADIO

After gaining much deserved international acclaim for creating the widely used image of President Barack Obama,

Sheperd Fairey is back and he brought some friends with him.

Teaming up with Stereo skateboards, Fairey designed a set of boards for Stereo sound agents Danny Supa, Olly Todd, Clint Peterson and Danny Renaud. For more info on these pieces visit www.stereosoundagency.com

SHREDDING STARS

A couple posts back Reggie did a small piece on the return of City Stars Skateboards. Well recently they released the names of the full team

Yeah I know Kareem Campbell is back and it’s big news and everyone should be fucking excited but I would like to pay a little closer attention to the two other skaters pictured.

First off let’s cover Aquil Brathwaite. This ex-Zoo York ripper got on around 2003, released some footy and had a spot on Fuel TV. And then one day he wasn’t there. I never thought this kid would drop off the map I mean he is super legit and his footy is all AMAZING. Then last summer I saw photos of him at one of the Red Bull challenges and found out he was on Famous Stars and Straps and got extremely hyped for this brother. Watch and see why I’m so excited.

Next up, Andrew Pott. I guess all I can say about him is he got banging taste in music and got a AMAZING arsenal of tricks. You’ll see what I’m talking about. Watch for the switch hard flip to crooks…Just AMAZING.

BITCH I’M SPIKE JOOOONZE

Dear Spike Jones how can I become you? I know this is a weird question and I hope you don’t think that I’m trying to kill you and take your place. The thought has crossed my mind but there are too many complications like disposing of the body and how to convince EVERYONE in Entertainment and Skateboarding that you morphed into a five foot ten black kid.

I just want to know how you do the things you do. First off you are an Academy award winning director. “Being John Malkovich” was pure genius and “Adaptation” is on my “must-watch over and over again” list. You’re co-founder and editor of Dirt magazine, as well as an editor for Grand Royal Magazine and senior photographer for Transworld Skateboarding. We can’t leave out that you have shot some of the greatest skateboard videos, like Blind’s “Video Days,” co-directed “Yeah Right” for Girl Skateboards and in the closing credits montage you do a nollie heelflip in loafers like it was something anyone can do. And let’s not forget you are the co-owner of Girl Skateboards. You’ve directed so many of my favorite music videos like “Buddy Holly” by Weezer and “Flashing Lights” by Kanye West.

Speaking of you and Mr. West, the two of you teamed up to do a short film for Girl skateboards

Yes Mr. Bentley and Eric Koston….

Currently, you’re directing the highly-anticipated movie “Where the Wild Things Are,” which is now in its post-production stages. So you decided to make a deck series commemorating your newest feat of AMAZING proportions.

Mr. Jonze will you adopt me PLEASE!!!!!!

Editorial

Now from this angle this picture is great! Awww, how cute a woman is walking around in my neighborhood with her baby in a stroller and wearing a Jonas Brothers backpack. Well when I caught up to her it wasn’t so cute anymore, because what I thought was a baby stroller was actually a doggie stroller with a spoiled yapping chihuahua in it.

Now I’ve never had a problem with doggies–big, small, ugly, cute, loud or quiet. What bothers me is the owners.

Okay so women loooooovveeee their accessorizing pooches, but does it have to be done in a humiliating way?

Petitions should be made about this…send a bill to congress for the sake of these poor, poor, overhead compartment sized doggies.

Editorial

SUPREME SAVINGS

Please excuse the corny tag line but that’s exactly what it is. Anyone who knows a smidge about street wear knows what Supreme is and they also know what it is to pay Supreme prices. Well the guys at Supreme felt bad for everyone and in the spirit of recession they decided so have the SUPREME WAREHOUSE SALE. Beginning January 7th both NY and LA Supreme stores will be participating in the sale. With up to 80% off selected items this is not an event to miss. But guy’s pleas remember CASH ONLY!!!

Supreme NY Warehouse Sale
11:00 am – 6:00 pm
109 Crosby Street
New York, NY

Supreme LA Warehouse Sale
11:00 am – 6:00 pm
144 N. La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, California

COAST to COAST

The guys at Vans have been busy bees as of late. It’s only the 7th and they have been dropping new collab projects left and right. But of course only the AMAZING appears in my post, so I want to show you a sneak peak of Vans very well executed collaboration with West Coast brand Crooks and Castles and East Coast skate company 5 Boro

Vans Forty four hi shoe were the basis of this project. Each of the Vans collaborators gave the shoe two color ways and a corresponding t-shirt. Whatever sparked this project doesn’t matter but Vans has certainly beefed up their street cred a slight bit by letting these two AMAZING companies have a crack at this new shoe. Rumored for a very soon release the rightly dubbed East Coast-vs.-West Coast pack is a definite must have, and of course I’ll be giving you more info as the news drops.

HEADS UP

San Francisco based Upper Playground, which can be best described as an art collective, started 09’ by giving us something to drool over.

These welcome additions to Upper Playground’s already AMAZING catalogue of New Era caps are the creation of none other than two of my favorite artists: Sam Flores and Jeremy Fish.

Fish’s “Emblem” fitted features his unique style and with an extra eye for detail and an added strip of matching leather on the bottom of the visor. Flores who is rumored to write on cop cars by night, awoke one day and still had 5-0 on the brain and created this New Era cap entitled “The Copper”. Both are available at Upper Playground dealers worldwide.

ANOTHER FUCKING ART SHOW

New York-based artist Michael Bevilacqua is the type of artist whose work just speaks to you, and once again it spoke to the right people so it landed this internationally renowned artist a solo exhibition at New York gallery Gering & Lopez.

Mr. Clarinet and the Estraz Guitar

Atomic.

Can’t you take a joke?

Bevilacqua, whose work used to be crisp and graphic heavy, tries something new with the use of different techniques such as free hand brush strokes, masking and stenciling. This ends up creating a raw unrestrained piece of AMAZING eye candy. Along with his use of mixed media, we’re treated to beautiful abstract windows into the mind of the artist who continues to keep his pop art roots in everything he does. Beginning January 8th his whole show will be shown at the Gering & Lopez gallery located on 730 Fifth Ave.(between 56th and 57th st.) New York, NY.

BIGGER THE JESUS…WELL SORTA

Once upon a time four guys from Liverpool, England started a band and created a cultural revolution that still echoes till today. The Beatles are once again giving tribute with this Kubrick set titled, “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Medicom and Silly Thing’s latest collaborative effort is certainly a must have for Beatles and Kubrick Collectors. Though money can’t buy you love it sure can buy you a Beatle, from www.think-silly.com for about 18,000 HKD (Hong Kong Dollar) or a little over $2,000.

NO SLEEP TILL BROOKLYN

N.Y. hip hop legends The Beastie Boys are being honored by Los Angeles gallery, Gallery 1988 located on 7020 Melrose L.A. California. This show will begin January 8th with a number of works from artists who have been influenced by the trio including The Silent Giants, Ryan Ford and Eric Hungerford among others. Definitely check this AMAZING exhibition if you’re in the area.

STALE CRUMBS

Before the days of Adobe when people actually had to design things the cereal box was a serious display of AMAZING artistry and it has finally been recognized as what it is. The Imaginary World offers us an archive of all our favorite old school cereal boxes you can check it out at www.theimaginaryworld.com. DON’T FORGET YOUR SPOONS!!!!

Illest Villains

Point blank I hate BET. I think it’s the most shucking and jiving shit this side of the Tallahassee River. Reason being: wack shows (except for Keisha Cole, The Way It Is), wack hosts and wack guests, but every once in a while they get it right.

BET’s show The Deal, hosted by wack host Memphitz surprised the shit out of me when they featured two members of what is considered Hip-Hop’s “Freshman class” Mickey Factz and Cory Gunz who is the son of rapper Peter Gunz. The two spend five minutes demolishing the microphone with this heavy-ass freestyle. This is why I love hip hop…just so AMAZING. Click the pic and watch some AMAZING hip-hop.

MOTHER FUCKIN CHAZ ORTIZ

It’s Summer ‘08 and me and the rest of Illtema gang are attending Harold Hunter Day in New York City at China Town Skate Park, and we were putting in work, taking banging pics, doing banging interviews and landing banging tricks. As the day was winding down I began to take notice of this little kid who was just KILLING IT all around the skate park. After careful inspection I realize he was newly appointed Zoo York Official Chaz Ortiz (whose name eluded me at the time). Fresh off his win at the Free Flow Tour which qualified him to enter the Dew tour and dominate and become not only the youngest ever competitor at the pro contest but also its youngest winner. Any who, after stumbling over his name for five minutes with Lem, Reggie, and Xavier, I went to ask him for an interview which he happily accepted to do…then the tape recorder stopped working. By the time it was functional again he had disappeared. Since that eventful meeting I have watched this young phenom as his career sky rocketed to epic proportions and so did the guys at Gatorade.They added Chaz to their star-studded crew of athletic mega talents. All I have to say is Fuckin Chaz Ortiz! Click the pic below and see why this kid is simply AMAZING.

Editorial

Ever since relocating to what I now refer to as the L(g)A(y) a lot more things seem to annoy me especially tourists. Given I live on a side block of the mothership of tourism, Hollywood walk of fame, Kodak theater, Grauman’s *Chinese Theatre e**tc. etc. Now crowds have always given me the hee bee gee bees, but there is something especially bothersome about the crowd that
gathers on my block of Hollywood Blvd. and that would be that they are always trying to take damn pictures.*

ahhhhh! the infuriation that comes with this is really unbelievable, at first it was whatevs I would stop and let them take their dumb little picture in front of the theater or in front of the mannequins at the Louis Vuitton shop but now it has gotten to the point where I don’t care if I get in front of their pictures, I got places to go, food to eat, people to harass.

The most annoying tourist though if by faaaaaar the ones that lay down (or lean down doing some dumb pose) on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to get a picture of them and the star.

Now this can sometimes be fun, after a long day or night when you need the comic relief its pretty entertaining to guess who their taking a picture with. Like if you see a crowd of blonde teens giggling taking pictures on the walk I would guess the Olsen twins or you see a group of thugged out juvenile delinquents they’re always looking at Jaime Foxx’s star or looking into the porno stores.

The last thing I would like to rant about this time around would be the Hollywood Blvd. characters.

Spongebob, I hate you. The person in this costume is annoying, he harasses me with compliments everytime I pass him by. At first it was flattering, until I realized he was complimenting every woman that passed by–not cool Spongebob, not cool at all.

and I’m pretty sure caption Jack Sparrow recognizes me now

because he just doesn’t try with me anymore.

Editorial

While most men are oogling at the many babes and beauty icons of our times and times past, us women are figuring out ways to be like our icons or just be iconic. I guess you could say the “default” icon for the many women in our country would be Miss Marilyn Monroe and I use the term default because I swear if I see another cheesy Marilyn Monroe handbag I’m taking it and burning it. You know what I’m talking about, don’t front:

Another gal that seems to have a hold on women here is Audrey Hepburn

Now, I never got the obsession with these ladies simply because movies that star those broads have no appeal to me.

The type of shit i like is a lot grimier. My “icon” is from one of my most favoritest movies of all “Casino,” y’know Ginger Mckenna played fantastically by Sharon Stone. She would have to be my favorite broad of all time! You name it I love it, the hair-love, clothes/style-love, attitude-love, how she can play men like puppets-LOOOOVE.

The best part about Ginger is that she was a total hoochie mama, but with class and balls and not to mention FABULOUS outfits. She had furs, she had diamonds, she had shiny pant suits, mini skirts, basically she had everything good about the 70’s and everything bad about the 80’s, like mom jeans.

Everything was real cool about her except y’know the whole junkie thing

Editorial