Mr. Ocean

     I was writing up my Mixtape Mayhem III for the Summer and I figured I'd give Frank Ocean his own post since his tape review started taking up most of the post.  Plus, I really dig the mixtape, even though it was released in February, it's dynamite for the summer or anytime.

     Frank Ocean, a member of the hip-hop collective OFWGKTA , who have been garnering more popularity everyday, looks to be a new voice in the R&B game.  Although, I wouldn't just put him that lane, as his sound definitely goes beyond that.  
     This 23 year old has already worked with some of the games best and will be featured on a couple songs on Kanye's and Jay-Z's Watch The Throne album which is due to compete for record of the year.  He's also worked with Pharrel, Nas, Beyonce, John Legend and even the Bieb.  He's definitely got a refreshing sound along with some conscious, honest, lyrics that separate him from most.  He released a pretty fantastic mixtape in February of this year, which has been acclaimed by many media outlets.  Nostalgia, ULTRA combines numerous sounds which are slightly alternative, bouncy, and upbeat.   "American Wedding" is a great track that is basically a Hotel California cover with his own song on it.  The equivalent of a rap freestyle but a R&B song over a rock ballad.  "Novacane" has been so popular that they've released an official video and they will release this mixtape with some extra songs this summer as a major label release.  I have a handful of favorite tracks on this tape and I'm pretty sure we will be hearing and seeing a lot more of Mr. Ocean, with anticipation.  Download the mixtape here.  I also put his video for "Acura Integurl" song which isn't on the mixtape, but hopefully on the album.  **I also added the video for "Swim Good" below.  One of my favorites on the album, the video is pretty dope along with a shout to the sneakerheads with Frank rocking the Black/CementGrey Jordan III's that are coming out early next year.





frank ocean [swim good] from christopher francis ocean on Vimeo.

Black Out

     Umbro has been in full support of the historic NY Cosmos futbol.  They've been releasing sportswear lines based on the professional soccer team team that played in the NASL (North American Soccer League) from 1971 to 1984.  The infamous Pele played for them from 1975 to 1977 and obviously it was at it's most popular here in the United States.  Last year, Pele announced as an honorary president of the NY Cosmos, that the new team plans to be an expansion team in the MLS within the next few years.

     Another great player on the great Cosmos' teams of the 70's was Brazilian international star defender Carlos Alberto Torres.  He was captain of the Brazilian team that won the World Cup in 1970 and then he came to play with the Cosmos in 1977.  That day was infamous for another reason as a panicking blackout hit New York City the same day he arrived to sign his contract.   In this wonderful black and white animated short sponsored by Umbro, Carlos himself, narrates his experience the day the biggest city in the world had no power, while going to meet with the Cosmos to give his signature.  In tribute of that day 34 years ago, July 13 1977, Umbro releases a Blackout collection of Cosmos gear that is all black.
Enjoy this clip and for more great info on Mr. Torres, you can click here to get to the NY Cosmos offical page. 

Coincidence…I Think Not

     The general population have been warned about the dangers of continuing practices of pumping carbon emissions into our planets atmosphere for decades now.  The constant debate of the effects of global warming have gone back and forth between scientists, researchers, governments, politicians and of course, commercial corporations.  As more and more information gets released as to the negative effects of human actions on our environment and climate, it's harder than ever to ignore the real consequences of these actions.  There aren't too many places in the globe that hasn't felt these negative climate impacts directly.  Many communities have experienced record breaking floods, snowfalls, droughts, forest fires, hurricanes, tornadoes in recent years, it begs the question as to WHY this is happening.  At this point, I think we know why, but the bigger question becomes how do we make changes to slow down these effects.  Common sense says that we must pass legislation, increase awareness, and fund further research and development for alternative fuel sources and limit our carbon footprint.
     As I mentioned before, there is a constant debate…and that debate comes in the form of some of the largest companies in the world that have been taking in record-breaking profits based on humans consumptions of fossil fuels.  These fuels emit these dangerous carbon emissions.
The corporate opposition spends gobs of money with lobbyists to discredit and down play the effects of carbon emissions in our environment.  Some companies even try to act as if they're trying to help and want to be a part of the solution rather than be the main cause.  These corporations and lobbyists have a huge hand in influencing legislation and being major road blocks in environmental laws getting passed.  They simply make too much money to allow those profits to be compromised by bills that get passed that could affect their agenda and major sources of profits, which is selling fossil fuels.  If I sell gasoline as a major source of income, why would I support any initiative that promotes alternative fuels, even though it's for the better of the common good?  Because I make too much money and society as it is today, is completely dependent on these fuels so we can live our everyday lives.  It's a dilemma that needs to be addressed and its starts with the general public understanding the information, asking more questions, and forcing our government and corporations to be more socially responsible or else we won't have a viable world to sustain our future.
     What spawned my little rant was this sarcastic video done by Stephen Thomson that was based on a Washington Post editorial by Bill McKibben on connecting the facts from recent extreme weather conditions in the US as well as globally.  You can either be part of the solution, no matter how small the action, or we can continue to ignore the glaring problems at hand until a tornado or flood changes your life forever.  The full editorial article is here and the article discussing the piece and video by Lindsay E. Brown can be found here.


    

Forest Fire

     A couple of music videos have been released recently that pay tribute to the earth's natural mood lifter, cannabis sativa.  It's no secret in 2011 that socially and legally that marijuana has a prominent culture, especially the "arts" and especially our favorite, hip-hop.
     Wale is a premiere wordsmith in todays game of rap and his free mixtapes along with his major label release Attention Deficit are all definitely worth spending the money and time to listen to.  He's also been rocking throwbacks which to me will always be classic instead of some fad.  Wale is definitely known for his gear and sneaker game and he's on point with his Barkley Maxes and the purp 95-96 Scottie Pippen All-Star Throwback…coldblooded.  "Wear what you dig".
This video for "The Cloud" off his More About Nothing Mixtape is a great song with acoustic guitars and a sultry chorus by Tiara Thomas.  You can download this fantasic mixtape here.



     The other video is courtesy of Shia LeBouf….yeah, Transformers, who directs and shoots Kid Cudi's video for his song of his second album, Man on the Moon II, "Marijuana".  Doesn't get more direct than that, but the video is a cool version of a documentary of Cudi's visit to Amsterdam and the Red Light District.  He guest judges for the infamous Cannabis Cup 2011.


KID CUDI - MARIJUANA from Grassy Slope on Vimeo.

Just Do It Better

     At this point, a lot of people my age, have grown up with Nike pretty much being a staple in our lives in many ways.  First, the easiest being the sneakers and athletic apparel that we've worn since we knew how to tie shoes, then through the countless soccer games and practices, let alone every other sport kids play.  The marketing of Air Jordan, Bo "Knows", Nike Air to current day products and innovations has cemented Nike as a global company that is at the forefront of athletic performance equipment/apparel in a very fashion forward style.  They've masterfully combined function and performance with cutting edge style and design.  Couple that with marketing genius and a long history of continuing to innovate and improve and you have one of the most intriguing entities on our planet.  The founder of Nike, Phil Knight, along with Nike have released this short video of Nike's own self-awareness and their place on this planet.
The responsibilities that come with a company of this magnitude and balancing that with the ability to continue to grow and move forward as a successful corporation.  The recognition of the immense footprint that Nike leaves on all scales, from the creation of their products, to the people who design them and the ones who wear them, the consumer.
    It's unbelievable to see how far Nike has come and grown in the past 33 years since it started, but I'm also very inspired to see what the next 33 years will bring….enjoy the video.

Summer Time

     The summer is always one of the best times of the year, especially the 4th of July weekend, since there's not much that goes into the holiday except for hanging out with friends and family, grilling various meats and enjoying various cold beverages.  Hit up the beach or pool and you're set.
Last week, Google celebrated the Summer Solstice by having world famous, Takashi Murakami, design a google logo in honor of the longest day of the year, being the first day of summer.  Murakami is known for his cartoony pop art work as he designed Kanye's "Graduation" album cover and has collaborated with Louis Vuitton many times as well.