The Dripping Table By John Nouanesing

Seems like a single piece of furniture can really cultivate the feeling of a room. The color, the shape, the size, the design can all work to create a feeling, and additionally communicate a message about the room, the home and ultimately the person. Beautifully designed furniture is dope, but I think comfort reigns supreme. I'd rather post on a ugly comfy couch, than a great looking hard one. Below, is a modern table concept by John Nouanesing. Slim legs give the illusion of a dripping board. A conversation starter to say the least.

via geekadelphia

The Dripping Table By John Nouanesing

Nike Presents The Hyperizers

Part of Nike's latest ad campaign for the Hyperize kicks. Can't say I love the shoes, but this shit is worth the watch for so many reasons. If the idea of Andre Iguodala, Kevin Durant, Rashard Lewis and Mo Williams gettin on a track isn't reason enough, at least watch for Mo's jheri curl. Is it me or does Durant lightweight have bars? Quik cameos would explain why the song kinda slaps. On some Space Jam soundtrack shit. Yet another moment in the long and storied history of hoopers trying to rap. Bet you weren't up on this though.

Nike Presents The Hyperizers

A Day In Nollywood

Yup, this shits pretty crucial. Which is exactly why we present it to you today. You see, as we continue on this journey we're going to continue to encounter things that we wish we hadn't seen, and know things we wish we'd stayed oblivious to. It's a hard feeling sometimes, because in a lot of situations, once you become knowledgeable about a problem, you assume some of the responsibility. It's like when a feed the children infomercial comes on and you change the channel. You are conscious of their pain, but in the moment we choose not to acknowledge it. Don't worry though, we're never going super out of pocket with it. No knife in eyeball Saw 8 type shit. But just some ideas and images to understand the world around us. The pictures below were taken by photographer Pieter Hugo during his visit to Nollywood, the third largest film industry in the world, located in Nigeria. Call it a warm up.

via todayandtomorrow

A Day In Nollywood

Ari King on Movies and Acting

AK, the bruh since pre-k, provides us with some thoughts on the world of acting, his motives, and why Judd Apatow is so hot right now. Usually the funniest dude in the room, his insight is on point and relevant to anyone looking to get into the acting game.

the key to being a good actor: You have to enjoy it. It's rare to be really good at something you don't like. In order to be good at something, you likely have worked hard or put in some effort to get there. It's tough to put in work when doing something you don't like.

on Judd Apatow: The man makes hits and is hilarious. The best part is someone, if not everyone, can relate to his movies. In Superbad, everyone has tried to buy alcohol underage or knows what it's like to be with someone with a fake ID. And Im no 40 year old virgin but when that first came out, everyone was rollin. It's funny because its possible and its real life. We have been there. Take the Matrix on the flip side: Although it was cool, I have never dodged a bullet or jumped out of a helicopter but I have tried to flirt with a girl in class.

best thing about being an actor: You get to change up who you are. In a normal job, you head to the office day in and day out as Rick McGoober. As an actor one day you are Lucas Cooltone and the next role you are Samuel Swenky. Versatility. So you don't just fall in a routine of something boring. You can be funny, serious, dramatic, in love, etc.

the key to a classic movie: A classic movie has to have something memorable. Something unique. Whether that be a memorable peformance or a memorable scene, it has to stand out.

For more info on Ari visit his Made Men profile

Ari King on Movies and Acting

The Pool Jump

Would you ever try this? If you wanted to give it a shot, you'd need to be able to trust that your friends had a pretty extensive knowledge of physics. On top of that, you'd need to be not only creative, but also seriously ballsy. My hats off to these folks for pulling it off. Nick, this one is golden. Good looks.

The Pool Jump

Radiohead - "Harry Patch (In Memory Of)"

New Radiohead is generally good Radiohead. Their latest, "Harry Patch" is a tribute to Patch himself, the last living soldier to have fought in the trenches during World War I. Patch lived to be 111 years old, making him the third oldest man on the planet, and one of the 70 oldest men ever, before passing away on July 25th. In a beautiful tribute, Radiohead pays homage over a swirling string arrangement that might sound more at home in a Hollywood score. Inspired by an emotional interview he heard with the veteran, Thom Yorke says in regards to the song: "it would be very easy for our generation to forget the true horror of war, without the likes of Harry to remind us. I hope we do not forget."

• Download Here

Radiohead - "Harry Patch (In Memory Of)"

Assault In The Ring (HBO)

This story is intriguing and also fascinating. HBO's new documentary Assault In The Ring tells the story of the 1983 fight between up and coming boxer Billy Collins Jr., and 28 year old Luis Resto. A fight marred by controversy and deceit, the trailer featured below only touches the tip of the iceberg.

via dubfrequency

Assault In The Ring (HBO)

The Death of the Honey Bee?

Shit is getting so crucial for honey bees. Scientists are unsure why honey bee colonies in the U.S are dying off so quickly. With bees dying at unprecedented rates, U.S agriculture is at the mercy of the phenomenon. To put some perspective on it, according to Target Health Inc. all of the following are dependent on bees, apples, pears, tangerines, peaches, soybeans, pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, carrots, broccoli and avocados. And bees also pollinate almonds? California has the biggest almond groves in the world, supplying 80 percent of the nuts on the market; they currently have to import millions of bees to pollinate the groves. It's even more crucial than we think:

Albert Einstein made the statement "If honey bees become extinct, human society will follow in four years.” He was speaking in regard to the symbiotic relationship of all life on the planet. All part of a huge interconnected ecosystem, each element playing a role dependant on many other elements all working in concert creating the symphony of life. Should any part of the global body suffer, so does the whole body.

Many people would be surprised to know that 90% of the feral (wild) bee population in the United States has died out. Recent studies in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands have shown that bee diversity is down 80 percent in the sites researched, and that “bee species are declining or have become extinct in Britain.” The studies also revealed that the numbers of wildflowers that depend on pollination have dropped by 70 percent. Which came first, the decline in wildflowers or the decline in pollinators, has yet to be determined. If bees continue to die off so would the crops they support and with that would ensue major economic disruption and possibly famine.

At stake is the work the honeybees do, pollinating more than USD 15 billion worth of US crops, including Pennsylvania’s apple harvest, the fourth-largest in the nation, worth USD 45 million, and New Jersey’s cranberries and blueberries.

While a few crops, such as corn and wheat, are pollinated by the wind, bees help pollinate more than 90 commercially grown field crops, citrus and other fruit crops, vegetables and nut crops. Without these insects, crop yields would fall dramatically and some tangerines and pecans would cease to exist. Agronomists estimate Americans owe one in three bites of food to bees.”

via targethealth

The Death of the Honey Bee?

Lil' Wayne feat. Gucci Mane - "We Be Steady Mobbin"

Wag came through with a gift. Something for the car. A quick reminder from Wayne. One of those tracks. Now, one may raise the question, when was this track made, was this recorded in '07 and released in '09? It would make a difference. Is this Wayne right now or old Wayne? Who knows. Perhaps we should just appreciate a dude just out here nearly redefining his craft. But this raises another question, who is running the game right now? Rebirth rattled Waynes thrown, but a few tracks like this can secure the spot. Drizzy Yeezy and Jay are right there too. It's nice. In a small way, hip hop is regaining its purity. The best rise to the top. It's an exciting time. Everything is changing.

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Lil' Wayne feat. Gucci Mane - "We Be Steady Mobbin"

1:51PM

1:51PM

Teague's New Urban Bike Concept

I think this one lands somewhere between wet and stupid wet. Not only is the design icy, but it is incredibly functional. Electric turn signals controlled from the handlebars and a luminescent frame that lights up when you need it, makes this bike a definite cop. Let's be real though, nowadays bikes are about 3 times icier than cars. While in a car you burn $$$ to get from A to B, on a bike you burn calories. Not to mention, is there anything tighter than riding a bike a lil on one? Holler at me wag. Let's get it.

via pulse

Teague's New Urban Bike Concept

Dear John Hughes,

Thank You For This

Dear John Hughes,

Shepard Fairey Creates New Obama Imagery

Shepard Fairey, the designer of Obama's HOPE logo has come with another iconic image to symbolize Barack's presidency. Featured on the newest cover of the Rolling Stone the image features a solemn looking president, glancing into the distance, with the words, "Will he take BOLD ACTION or COMPROMISE too easily?" circling his head. Though the words appear in what might be considered a halo, Fairey told reporters that it is actually meant to be the president standing in front of the presidential seal. Props to W&B correspond A. Dorsey for the late breaking news.

Shepard Fairey Creates New Obama Imagery

Jay-Z Michael Jackson Tribute

I predict we'll be seeing a lot more from Jay in the next few weeks as we lead up to the release of BP3. Below is Jays Michael Jackson tribute that he performed last month at the All Points West Festival. Starting with H to the Izzo, the concert then goes into a Michael Jackson photo montage, then Jay realtalks for a minute, and wraps it up with Can I Live. If you haven't seen it, the live Jay performance will change your life. It sure did change mine.

Jay-Z Michael Jackson Tribute

Doctors Baffled By Indian Village With 200+ Sets of Twins

This is just some unusual shit. The tiny Indian town of Kodinji is what we might call a statistical anomaly. How can it be that this village has a rate of twin-births four times that of the worldwide average? Teachers in this town must get dumb ass confused. From Yahoo! News:

Walk around Kodinji village and you'll think that you have double vision. The village is home to as many as 230 sets of twins. Nobody knows why there are so many twins in the village of 15,000 people, although one local doctor suspects it might be due to the water.

In fact with about 35-45 twins per live birth, this village in North Kerala, India, has four times more twins than normal. Not surprisingly, the village has been dubbed "the twin village." The latest official estimates by the Kodinji's Twins and Kins Association (TAKA), which conducted door-to-door surveys at the start of the year, found that there were 204 sets of twins. Based on births since the survey was conducted, there are probably now around 230 sets of twins in the village, locals said. That number is set to rise as there are five women pregnant with twins.

Scientists are still trying to uncover the mystery of why there are so many twins in the village. "All the factors leading to the occurrence of twinning world wide, we cannot see it here. There is something unknown that is causing this phenomenon," he said.

Full Story Here

Doctors Baffled By Indian Village With 200+ Sets of Twins

Junk Sculptures by Brandon Jan Blommaert

These sculptures are pretty dope. Another series of artistic works that transforms everyday objects in something extra ordinary. If you look closely, the pieces are patched together using mostly trash or recyclables. I guess there's some truth to the saying about "one man's trash". Brandon Jan Blommaert is a Canadian artist and photographer. More from him here.

Junk Sculptures by Brandon Jan Blommaert

Francis & The Lights Do Diesel NYC

Some might not be up on Francis & the Lights yet. Some of you might have let the video for "The Top" slip by. No worries though, I'm confident you'll be hearing their name again soon. After that, you'll probably hear their name a bunch more times. They sound like a mix between Daft Punk and The Police. They cover Kanye songs and entire Otis Redding albums live. I might just have a new favorite band. Yesterday, Francis Farewell Starlite and co. gave a live performance at the NYC Diesel store. This one's called "LIME".

Francis & The Lights Do Diesel NYC

"Some People" by J. Sakiya Sandifer

"There are some people who live in a dream world,
and there are some who face reality…
AND THEN there are those who turn one into the other…
which one are you???"

from thinkmovement

"Some People" by J. Sakiya Sandifer

Bill Maher On The Christian Mafia

Beliefs are interesting. Whatever you believe in dictates your reality, and more importantly dictates your actions. Featured below is an analysis of the beliefs of a particular group known as the Christian Mafia. Jeff Sharlet of Harpers has conducted extensive research on the group, their views, outlooks and beliefs. While I'm a bit terrified, others may align with the beliefs related. Take a look, and decide for yourself.

Bill Maher On The Christian Mafia

Prince - "Slow Love"

"The man in the moon is smiling
For he knows what I'm dreamin' of..."

• Download Here

Prince - "Slow Love"

A WTF Moment With Bill Walton

More for the audio than the video. If you're a hoop fan, you probably know Bill is that dude. The only NBA legend also known to be a Deadhead. You might have also noticed that he wasn't commentating for this year's playoffs. Bill, we miss you, come back soon. If you watch enough games though, you might just catch him on an off night. On occasion, the center-turned-commentator has been known to go off on a tangent, talking about completely irrelevant shit for extended periods of time. Don't take it from me though; here's Bill on Boris Diaw.

A WTF Moment With Bill Walton

Blueprint 3 Artwork + Tracklist

The cover artwork for BP3. Iconic as usual. It's Hovi Baby.

The tracklist is allegedly as follows:

1. What We Talking About (Produced by Kanye West)
2. D.O.A. (Produced by No I.D.)
3. Weigh Me Down Feat. Kid Cudi (Produced by Kanye West)
4. Unforgiven (Produced by Kanye West, Additional Production: MGMT)
5. Run This Town Feat. Rihanna & Kanye West (Produced by Kanye West)
6. Empire State Of Mind Feat. Nas (Produced by Kanye West & No I.D.)
7. When It Comes To This (Produced by Timbaland)
8. Always Feat. Drake (Produced by Kanye West)
9. Scenes From The Past (Produced by No I.D., Co-produced by Kanye West)
10. Everyday A Star Is Born Feat. Mr. Hudson (Produced by Kanye West)
11. Already Home (Produced by Kanye West)
12. Forever Young Feat. Mr. Hudson (Produced by Kanye West)
13. Thank You (Produced by No I.D.)

September 11th

Blueprint 3 Artwork + Tracklist

Hollywood House of Blues Redesign Project Unveiled

This week, Curbed LA offered a detailed report of the House of Blues redesign project, a plan to incorporate the legendary venue into a huge hotel and mixed-use complex. Not even sure how to comment on this one. Without a doubt, this will be yet another crackin spot to go to with friends. On the other hand, does Sunset really need another huge, overblown commercial attraction?

Anyway, here are the specifics from Curbed:

The project includes the 76-foot-tall Sunset Hotel and Residences, the 63-foot-tall Olive Hotel and Residences, and the 35-foot tall De Longpre Residences. All told, there are 149 hotel rooms, 40 residential condos, five affordable housing units, and up to 35,000 square feet of commercial space.

And sounds like there will be delicious rooftop pools, lounges and restaurants for all you WeHoians to frolic in. There are also 426 parking spaces.

The developers are proposing the Kanner Architects-designed project be swathed in giant digital ads. From the draft EIR: "The proposed project would include a large screen video sign installation, which would be integrated into the architecture of the Sunset Hotel and Residences building. The sign would wrap the northern, eastern, and western façades and would contain, in total between all three facades, approximately 5,300 square feet of light emitting diode illuminated panels."

Check here for more info + pics

Hollywood House of Blues Redesign Project Unveiled

Wale + Gucci Mane - "Pretty Girls"

So I guess this is the real one. The rough cut has been circulating for a while on the net, and Wale has been pulling this one out at shows regularly; now in a pretty unexpected twist, he decided to get the one and only Gucci LaFlare on verse two. Personally, I'd say the track could do without him, but if this means more Wale on the radio, I'm not mad at that. Say what you want about Gucci, but he's gotta be one of the most entertaining cats doin it today. Fact is people fuck with him tough. In any case, this one's a slap so it's only necessary that we follow up with the full CDQ.

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Wale + Gucci Mane - "Pretty Girls"

Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star "Fleece"

Converse hit a home run in 1917 with the creation of the Chuck Taylors. One of the first functional basketball shoes, the kicks have stood the test of time and have become classics. Although the white on blacks are the staples of the brand, these renditions do not disappoint. In fact, they're hits, a versatile sneaker for boys and girls. With this model Converse chose a fleece material over the canvas to breath new life into these timeless kicks. They're yours for 100.

via hypebeast

Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star "Fleece"

Bibio - "Lovers' Carvings"

Another one of those posts for the curious listener. If your 2000's-era attention span can't tolerate songs with no words in the first minute or so, this might not be for you. You will, however, be missing out a seriously dope record. The kind of song that just grows and grows on you. Bibio, AKA Stephen Wilkinson is a British producer who recently released Ambivalence Avenue, a dope collection of experimental tracks ranging from acoustic compositions to spacey funk and electronic beats cooked up on the MPC. Dilla would be proud of this. On a related note, Rest in Peace to Baatin from Slum Village. Dude had one of the coolest voices ever recorded, and I know he'll be missed by music heads everywhere. Appreciate life folks, you just never know.

• Download Here

Bibio - "Lovers' Carvings"

A Quick Reminder

Bob said it best. Some birdies told him so. Naughty had to reiterate. Dude from Grandma's Boy and every other Adam Sandler movie forgot for a second though. As we all do sometimes when shit doesn't go the way we want it to. Some days, you forget to smell the roses and let negativity creep up on you and fuck up your mood. But on some real shit, I believe things will work out the way they're supposed to. My only basis for that belief is the experiences I've had, but in most situations that's reason enough to crack a smile. If not, hopefully this guy is. Wedding Singer is jokes and Funny People is in theaters now.

A Quick Reminder

Sa-Ra Creative Partners - "Just Like a Baby"

With popular music today trending towards the 80s, I gotta say I'm concerned about the lack of funky shit finding its way to people's ears. Don't get me wrong, I'm not mad at the electro. I fuck with 808s and MGMT pretty tough. But it's my opinion that the people need a good, healthy dose of somethin you can groove to. I know Jesse feels me. Enter Sa-Ra. Chanelling Funkadelic and Sly Stone, the band's sound combines 70s funk with hip-hop, soul and jazz. "Just Like a Baby", a cover of Sly's classic, is off their sophomore album, Nuclear Evolution: The Age of Love. Available Now. If the name Taz Arnold doesn't ring a bell, please feel free to acquaint yourself with the band's most vocal member.

• Download Here

Sa-Ra Creative Partners - "Just Like a Baby"

Bless N˚ 37 New Sheheit

The New Sheheit is name given to a selection of sweaters produced from lifestyle brand Bless, and sportswear label OXBOW. Check out the link if you want, they're intriguing. There is a mindset about the brand that accompanies the clothing. The sweaters featured below are known as the Skolpen. I dunno, they're just wet as fuck. Stuntin on em. More on the sweaters here.

via todayandtomorrow

Bless N˚ 37 New Sheheit

The African Daisy

Also known as the Osteospermum, the scientific name is derived from the Greek word osteon (bone) and Latin word spermum (seed). A super attractive flower for bees and butterflies, the Cape Lily is known to be a perrenial shrub with a constant annual bloom at the same time each year from April to August. A really beautiful flower, nature at its best.

The African Daisy