So by now many of us have successfully Watched The Throne. And with over 650,000 tickets sold nationwide it's hard to deny Jay & Kanye's place as definitive icons of today's pop culture landscape. Documenting various moments from the tour, the Watch The Throne webisodes provide a behind the scenes glimpse into the lives of both artists. The most recent episode, entitled Church offers some priceless insight into the inner workings of Kanye's creative pursuits. With soundbites of wisdom from Big Sean in addition to Yeezy himself, this video is full of knowledge for anyone striving to be [...]
"Friends can help each other. A true friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself - and especially to feel. Or, not feel. Whatever you happen to be feeling at the moment is fine with them. That's what real love amounts to - letting a person be who they really are."
Okay, so this girl is going hard right now. I mean, "2123 just kind of blindsided us. It was one of those moments where somebody's personality comes through so magnetically, it hits you like a ton of bricks. For one, I couldn't stop playing the fucking thing. The video was just the icing the cake. "Liquorice" isn't the follow-up single to "2123, by any means. It's probably not the star-making, event level single that will blow her movement out of the water. On the other hand, "Liquorice" works as a showcase for pretty much [...]
Greg Gossel work is focused yet extensive. Similar in aesthetic to the comic book imagery of Roy Lichtenstein , Gossel's work is an ode to pop art iconography. Juxtaposing a variety of images that take on a new meaning when assembled together, it seems as though much of Gossel's work celebrates the famous faces of popular culture. Splicing in iconic brand names alongside romantic comic book quotations, Gossel's collage and silk screening work manages to exist in this timeless realm that blurs the time in which it was made, keeping his work pretty ripe and plenty fresh. [...]
In the interest of full disclosure, let's just say we've had some server issues this year. And, unfortunately, that meant we couldn't put as many songs out into orbit as we have in past years. Consequently, that means we didn't get to show some artists the love they deserved. as far as Watch the Throne goes, the difference in sales was probably marginal. And don't trip. The big blowout, wrap-up list is coming too. But for now, we figured it was only appropriate to return to a few of the artists a bit further off the radar, who [...]
Now that we're in the era of Kickstarters and Bandcamps , it's easy to forget just how revolutionary Radiohead's plan for In Rainbows really was. Fuck a label. Sell the album the world's been waiting for on your own website, for whatever price your fans think is fair. It worked, and Radiohead got paid because not only because the work was so dope, but because people were invested in what they were doing. For all their incredible strengths though, Radiohead's not usually talked about as being funny. So forgive the clumsy [...]
Photography By Lee Jeffries Biking through the pouring rain two nights ago I wondered what it would be like to be homeless, in the rain. Unimaginably difficult to merely survive without a roof or a place of rest, I tried to empathize with their constant struggle. But I won't fool you and act like I understood. I couldn't. All I could do was imagine. Fortunately there are those who have gone to greater lengths than I to understand their struggle. Capturing searing profiles of [...]
I remember there was a kid in elementary school named Alex White. I know you remember him. He used to sit in class and doodle all day. Never really thought too much of it, until Twill passed along this TED Talk today. Deconstructing the negative perceptions that doodling has maintained over the centuries, doodling enthusiast Sunni Brown offers some insight into the value of doodling and why we should all put more pen to paper.
On the surface, it seems like it would be easy for us to find some complaint about the decade-long musical project that is The Black Keys - that say, their garage-rock ethos would have lost its charm by now, that their bluesy traditionalism might be subject to claims of bearded white guy cultural appropriation, or that their revivalist tendencies might just cross the line into kitsch or camp. And it's not to say that they haven't occasionally crossed those lines before. But El Camino effectively obliterates them. It rocks them into the ground and refuses to hold back [...]
Sometimes it takes a video like this to remind us how little we know. Us humans think we're so superior, the masters of our domains some would say. But if you put us in the ocean, what would happen? Wrap City Records. That's why I've got love for all the sea creatures out there. The starfish out there shining. The sea otters holding it down. And the mimic octopus, one of the ocean's greatest magicians. Able to alter its appearance to mimic other animals depending on the situation, it's hard not to write off the octopus' abilities as [...]
And I thought I knew some folks that were yatted up. Working out of Bangkok over the last decade, French-British photographer Cedric Arnold turned his attention a few years ago to the ancient Thai tattooing tradition known as Yantra . Steeped in spiritual tradition and mysticism, Yantra tattooing entails an intricate and painstaking process, performed with a long bamboo stick, and typically administered by monks. Sacred Ink , shot on a variety of different cameras, represents Arnold's attempt to capture a unique aspect of the culture in which he's immersed himself. [...]
Credit The Roots for their insistence on subtlety and focus. Nearly two decades into the game, ?uesto and company have kept busy over the last half decade, not only as the resident tastemakers for late-night network TV, but also as hip-hop's foremost album auteurs, creating albums as conceptual and cohesive as any in recent memory. From the dark paranoia of Rising Down to the soulfully eclectic palette of How I Got Over in particular, The Roots have set the standard for visionary hip-hop records of late. It's not that those classifications don't apply to the rest [...]
Illustrations By George McCallum It's not everyday that you get to meet talented illustrators from across the world. But thanks to the internet and Daniel Edmund , those things become possible. Raised in London, England, and currently residing in Bristol, George McCallum took to illustrating at a young age. Encouraged by his father to take up the art form, George spent much of his youth drawing in front of the television. Now, years later, he's studying illustration at the University [...]
Who knew that before he was Ice Cube, O'Shea Jackson was on the path to becoming an architectural draftsmen? Sharing his thoughts on the brilliance of designers Charles & Ray Eames , this latest version of Pacific Standard Time is a lesson in history and architecture. Celebrated for creating the Eames Lounge Chair amongst other notable creations, the couples contributions to the realm of architecture and furniture design are nearly unparallelled. Beautifully shot, I find myself more pleased to see Ice Cube in this than Are We There Yet? Hit the play button [...]
Utilizing photography as a means to empower children, photographer Raul Guerrero traveled to Tanzania this past summer to share the joys of photography with students. Giving disposable cameras to nine children, Raul let the students photograph their own environments, providing a unique glimpse into the children's everyday lives. Hoping to create a photography book from the children's photographs, Raul has created a Kickstarter to help fund the development of the book. Chatting with him about his experiences in Africa, Raul offered his insight into the challenges of the project and what he wants people to take away from [...]
Surely some of you have come across the sound of Gotye before your eyes have read this post. Entering my consciousness the other day via KCRW, I found myself hopelessly drawn in to the song, tracking it down online after hearing it only once. A slow building duet alongside New Zealand bred artist Kimbra, it wasn't until I came across the video that I found the song a tad bit irresistible. One of the few videos today with replay value, the short film is currently racking up close to a million views a week, already reaching number one [...]
Photography By Leonard Nimoy You know it's funny, the concept of beauty and all. Who decides that kind of stuff anyways, and why do we seem to always abide by their definitions? It's the television and magazines that do it to us. But we're the ones that reinforce it. I think we just need to have our own personal standards for shit. Our own set of values and what not. We don't have to subscribe to the trends of the day, [...]
Photo By Max Gibson I told him I only had 30 minutes to shoot. Life & schedules making collaborations so difficult. "Be there between 2:50 and 3:00," I said. "Fasho," he replied. I didn't think he was going to make it, the window of time too short. Yet when 2:50 rolled around, I felt my pocket vibrate. It was Trev. "I'm on Main Street," he said. He made it. Running to the top of the Rosslyn to capture a shot that matched the vibe and tone [...]
Wine & Bowties
No Church In The Wild
Nas - Daughters
The Rains of Castamere by The National
CHROMATICS "THESE STREETS WILL NEVER LOOK THE SAME"
DIIV "How Long Have You Known?" (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
iamamiwhoami: kin - Teaser
Album Review: alt-J – An Awesome Wave
Azealia Banks – ’1991′ & ‘Van Vouge’
Big Boi & Theophilus London (feat. TRE LUCE) - 'She Said OK'
