New Balance 420 x Herschel Supply Co.

     This late winter collaboration makes for a clean trainer with unique hints at the co-branding between travel goods' maker Herschel Supply and New Balance.  The low profile 420 model was revived as the silhouette of choice and in red, black, and navy with tan leather on the heel and logo.  Herschel's famous paisley lines the foot liner and insole and has badging at the bottom lace tab.  "Enjoy your Day" on the tongue and insole sums up the sneaker, along with two sets of extra laces, navy blue and red.

More pics below

"Get Lucky" x Daft Punk x Pharrell x Nile Rogers

     I'm dancing just writing this right now, hard not to.  Daft Punk's newest single "Get Lucky", is from their long awaited new album Random Access Memory.  The French robotic duo has highly influenced many current artists and the EDM movement as a whole, but this critically acclaimed album is definitely a different sound than what you would expect.  Listened to the album a couple times and overall it's Fleetwood Mac and even Michael Jackson are referenced as a sound they were going for.
sound has a pretty slow tempo and almost all live instrumentation, which is a completely different contrast to their previous albums and electronic sound.  They said the 80's heavily influenced this album and you can definitely hear that throughout.  Steely Dan, The Cars, Eagles,
     This single has Skateboard P on vocals and guitarist Nigel Davis on guitar.  The video isn't anything special, but the song is a groove buster, perfect for the summer.

KAWS Companion (Passing Through) x 30th St Station Philadelphia

     It's not uncommon for people to see some odd sights when in some of the bigger cities in this country.  In this case, KAWS' 16 foot sculpture stood tall as it greeted visitors, commuters and everyone in between in the main lobby of 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.  The internationally known urban artist, Brian Donnelly, better known as KAWS, was at the train station for the presentation of his "Companion (Passing Through)" sculpture as it sat at one end of the historic building.  The statue has graced NYC, Hong Kong, Austin, Miami and finally has touched down in the City of Brotherly Love.  It's the first of many engagements KAWS will have with the city, with the support and direction of the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts, he will have other pieces placed at their building and an exhibition to follow in the fall.
     PAFA had a press event in early April to present the statue and KAWS was present to field questions from the media and invited guests.  After a break, he came back to sign some of his famous toys, books, shirts, etc, for his fans and took pictures.  Below are pics from the event and a video showing the statue being assembled.
     Donnelly is originally from Jersey City and has turned his graffiti beginnings into being an international pop culture icon that has covered every medium imaginable.   
More information about him and the upcoming exhibitions in Philadelphia via PAFA can be found here.   Unfortunately, it was only on display from April 11th to May 14th, but you'll never know where Companion will end up next…
     Other KAWS posts … KAWS x Hennessey , KAWS x Dos Equis, Kawslo.

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Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

  Watch the video first (if you haven't already, over 27 million views in a week in a half)….yeah, pretty great concept right?  Pretty amazing when you watch a commercial and don't realize it is one, since it invokes an emotional response.  Especially one that has a human element that everyone can associate with right away and leaving you feeling a little better about yourself.  You might not run out and buy Dove but I don't think you'll forget watching this for a while.
Kudos to @josh_willins  

"Poetic Justice" Kendrick Lamar x Drake

     A little west coast and some up north flavor gives a great song a visual just in time for the spring and summer.  Kendrick's metaphors are translated into video with a spot from Drake that's basically a love ballad to the ladies, but none better than to deliver the message than these two.  Scoop Deville provides the soundtrack as I'm sure we'll be hearing and seeing this song all season.
     K.Dot is definitely showing an all black everything east coast look to the set, but clearly the Southern Cali roots are represented throughout the video.  It's been a meteoric rise for Lamar and I appreciate seeing him a couple years ago when he didn't have the stardom but he had the same energy as he does now.  You can tell he loves what he does…..but we also know that "Love Hurts".
     

GhostFace Killah x Montreality

     This is a fantastic interview from one of the most colorful entertainers and lyricists in hip-hop, GhostFace Killah.  As expected, he has a way with words and explanations that always amaze, but in reality, speaks more sense than most people would ever expect.  You have to be intelligent to stay relevant and successful in any genre of music and he's done more than that.  His lengthy catalog has solidified him as one of the best and probably has put out the most albums out of all of the members of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan. 
     A lot of what Tony Starks speaks on can be applicable to almost every man, woman, and child.  Love is always the key to life and the fear of God to keep us disciplined.  Humanity is universal and regardless of whatever life or background you come from, we're all on the same journey and leave it to Ghost to remind us of that.  He's usually the flashy member of the group, known for his giant gold Eagle bracelet to the Versace robes and pendant as he created his own super hero comic persona, but this gives a candid look into the star's thoughts.
Let me not spoil the interview as it's an instant classic.  Be on the look for GFK's new album that should be out in a couple months and peep what he says about Wu's 20th Anniversary celebration.
Major Kudos to Montreality for doing the interview, more from them here.
#WuTangForever

"Coexist" x The XX

     One of the best albums of 2012 that flew under the radar was "Coexist" by The XX.  The English band has really impressed me with their last two albums being absolutely enjoyable to listen to.  Both albums sound very similar as if it could be one album, as their distinct sound is very consistent.  This album seems to be a smudge more uptempo in a few of the songs, with an almost dubstep tempo to them.  Makes them sound all that much better.  I really enjoy listening to a full album without having to skip through them (especially since I'm a commuter).  Almost like a book with different chapters, a good record brings different emotions, up and down and tells a story.  Some songs are betters than others, you'll have your favorites, but as a whole, it really makes for enjoyable listening.
     Get both records, have some wine and relax...The XX might end up your favorite as well.