Archive for June, 2009

DP @ The Newark Black Film Festival

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

nbff

I love movies and I really love FREE movies.

The Newark Black Film Festival is the country’s oldest film festival. 35 years old and focused on highlighting the stories of African American filmmakers, the NBFF has a diverse program scheduled for the 2009 season from feature films to documentaries. The NBFF Paul Robeson awards committee selected ‘Bodega’ last year for one of its judges choice awards so these folks must know a thing or two about good flicks.

Tonight the Newark museum will be hosting the opening night of the NBFF featuring a HUDLIN brothers compilation film called ‘Cosmic Slop’. This is the title for one of my all-time favorite Funkadelic jams. I’m excited to see what fanboys like the HUDLINs have crafted under this name. The screening begins at 7pm in the museum auditorium and is FREE to all attendees. WARRINGTON HUDLIN does the Q & A thing after the screening.

Here’s the Newark Black Film Festival schedule for the rest of the summer.

PARDON ME DUKE IS THE GOAT…

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

lo rugby

That’s some inside info for those in the know.

I was FIEEEEEEEEEND’g the above pictured I.T. for a few months when the price broke incredibly. I could have copped the piece off the top, but then I remembered my BK fam from Pardon Me Duke keeps the lifestyle all day every day.

For the price they got me the I.T. I decided to copp two.

Why?

Because I’m crazy like that.

O’Regional Gangsters…

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

us regions

If there is anyone on the XXL website that could be accused of blatant regionism it certainly would be me. I showed you fools years ago that Texas was not part of the South, but actually part of the Midwest yet still you fools argued with me. Maybe I was doing that just to be a pip. I’ve kind of been that way my whole life.

I might have been wrong for that attitude in the past especially during the heyday of OutKast, 8 Ball, MJG, Juvenile, No Limit and Goodie Mob, but I’m certainly not wrong for that assessment now in the era of D4L, Get Rich Click, Soulja Boy Tell’em and the rest of the lowest common denominator rap pack that seems to use Atlanta as their main hub of operations.

The last thing I want this drop to be is some joint associated with hating on Soulja Boy. I don’t give a fuck about Soulja Boy. I don’t care if he makes enough money to bail out General Motors. Ed McMahon just died today and it turns out that he was damn near penniless after a lifetime in the entertainment industry. Don’t talk to me about money in rap music because that ain’t real.

This is why rappers like 50 Cent will always have a lane in the urban soundscape. Not too many people I fux with can afford shit right now and the more rappers describe aspirational shit that we can’t even confirm the existence of the more they will conscript themselves to the fickle whims of the pop music marketplace. Louis Vuitton baby stroller?!? Negro please (shouts to Ron Mexico).

But when rappers talk about the shit that broke motherfuckers like myself can relate too, they strengthen their urban sensibilities and their *ugh* street credibility. Why else are the Black Eyed Peas trying to get their hardbody points up? First off, Fergie pops shit with Perez Hilton to see if he will slap the shit out of her so she can get him pinched on some Chris Brown shit.

Perez Hilton is stupid cunning, while Fergie is only just a dumb cunt so now she goes to get Will.I.Am (er, his bodyguards) to mollywop Perez for talking out of pocket. The last thing the Black Eyed Peas want to do is fight with you. A You Got Served dance off? Yes. A barroom battle royale? Not so much. But in this recessive climate you had better look like you could live on the streets.

So even though 50 Cent has mansions all around America he is going back to renting a one bedroom apartment in the projects just so that he can reinforce his stature as an urban icon. It’s what ‘War Angel’ is signifying and what the audience for urban music is craving. No more of these flights of fancy where Black dudes reminisce on the new wave pop classics from the 80’s (this makes me slightly sad because I always <3 the Thompson Twins).

Speaking of War Angels, shout out to Gabriel Tolliver, who at my age joined the Army to make films for them. You have to be a member of the armed forces in order to make propaganda for them since you will see some shit that the general public has no idea of. The Army has to vett you to make sure that you aren’t Al Qui’ada or worse, Michael Moore. All the shots you see in feature films of army apparatus come from the armed services as well.

I saw previews of Transformers 2 and I wondered how many of those shots were done by Gabe. It’s a trip what we do to make a living in this game called life. From Soulja Boy Tell’em to a real soldier Gabe Tolliver its all good in the ‘hood. It ain’t never about where you are from party people, but where you are at.

Brooklyn We Go Mars….

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

WM flyer

This might be the weekend that you need to land on the planet of Brooklyn.

For the panel discussion on Thursday the event is free but the space in the auditorium is limited to 200 seats so please RSVP here if you plan on attending. I’ll be there by 6pm for the art exhibit beforehand. Holla at the kid when you see him on the streets and we will chop it up for a minute.

All these events PLUS a KeiStar party on Saturday night.

KeiStar Productions: SOUL SUPREME (III) – 50 Years Of MOTOWN

WM flyer

SNEAKER FIENDS UNITE!

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

spike nike lee

SPIKE LEE was a sneaker fiend even before we knew what sneaker fiends were. The character Mars Blackmon was like one the freshest bike messengers evar in his crispy Air Jordan 1’s. He even rocked the joints the NBA had banned because there wasn’t enough “white” on the shoe (true story). If you haven’t seen ‘She’s Gotta Have It’ then you don’t know about the scene where Mars refuses to take off his Jordans during sex. That is the true essence of a sneaker fiend.

SPIKE LEE goes a step further to describe the relationship between Black men and their kicks in this scene from ‘Do The Right Thing’ where Buggin’ Out has his brand new Air Jordan 4’s scuffed by a careless white wearing a Larry Bird t-shirt. Hilarity ensues.

The Mars Blackmon x Air Jordan commercials are funny even today, and they are legendary ad spots. Back in 2006 the Jordan brand collaborated with SPIKE LEE again not only for visual media promotions, but for the release of the Spiz’zike shoe which mashed up several different elements from previous Air Jordan releases.

spizzikes

I can see the classic 6 tongue with the 4 lacestays, along with the 5 upper ventilation and laces toggle. The shoes have elephant skin print on the toebox and heels and in some freaky cases I think they have a glow in the dark outsole. Let’s not forget the 40 Acres and A Mule logo and the Mars Blackmon icon on the achilles’ support.

spizzikes

Spiz’zikes are that hypebeast shit and therefore typically outside of my usual pricepoints but since I was invited to participate in a panel discussing the overall legacy of SPIKE LEE on cinema, social and sneaker culture I thought I might treat myself to a pair. Let’s be honest and recognize that a 20th anniversary for a film like ‘Do The Right Thing’ can only happen once. Keep in mind this was a film that almost wasn’t even released at all.

Where’s Mars?
Brooklyn Honors Spike Lee

The Man and the Brand: Spike Lee Panel

Spike Lee Screening Room
Brooklyn Campus of Long Island University
DeKalb Avenue @ Flatbush Ave Extension

Thursday, June 25, 2009, 7PM

Featured panelists…

Nelson George
Michaela angela Davis
Kevin Powell
Roger Guenveur Smith
Danny Simmons
Dallas Penn (hells chea!)
Moikgantsi Kgama

spizzikes