WHEEEEW!!! The sneakers Gods are good!!!

While most Hypebeast are camping out for re-issued Jordans and waiting on an official date to for the Air Yeezy 2 these babies here have had me salivating since these pics hit the net a few days back.

I’m a big fan of the Nike Air Trainer 1 and the Nike Air Safari 87 so when I saw these I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Looks like the Trainer and the Safari are being dubbed as the “Safari Pack,” but no word yet on if they will be sold as a pack, or an official release date.

In the words of ED O.G… I GOTTA HAVE IT!!!

Spotted at FreshnessMag

Got the sad news over the weekend MCA from the Beastie Boys has passed away at 47 from cancer. MCA directed many of the Beastie’s videos under the pseudonym Nathaniel Hornblower including my favorite “Intergalactic.” He was also the co-founder of the Milarepa Fund, which supported the Tibetan Independence movement and put on a series of benefit concerts for the cause. In 2008 he made a documentary about high school basketball players, entitled Gunnin’ for that No. 1 Spot.

It’s sad we’ve lost yet another Hip Hop legend, and we’re losing too many, too fast. Recently the NY Knicks and Mets showed respect to MCA during their home games. The other night all the Mets players came out to the different Beastie Boy songs… Even though MCA is gone his activism, and music he recorded as a member of the Beastie Boys will never be forgotten.

I recently caught this mix from DJ Z-Trip where he remixed a lot of BB material. Check it out. R.I.P. MCA. You fought for your right to party now it’s our turn.

The passing of MCA leads me to ask… What’s your favorite Beastie Boys moment? I think mine would probably be promoting the “To The Five Boroughs” LP via Capital Records which would be the only Beastie Boys project I’ve had any involvement with.

Nike: Tales From The Kitchen: … Explains how Nike innovation designer Tobie Hatfield came up with the idea for Nike Free. “Less Shoe, More You!”

Tobie wanted to find a way to free the foot, and protect it at the same damn time! Check it out.

The big homie Bobbito Garcia has been working on this movie for the past few years now. Official trailer is finally here and looks like we can expect the film to be dropping this summer.

DOIN’ IT IN THE PARK: PICK-UP BASKETBALL, NYC explores the definition, history, culture and social impact of New York’s summer b-ball scene, widely recognized as the worldwide “Mecca” of the sport.

In New York City, pick-up basketball is not just a sport. It is a way of life. There are 700+ outdoor courts, and an estimated 500,000 players, the most loyal of which approach the game as a religion, and the playground as their church.

“You can play high school or college for four years. You can play Pro for a decade. You can play pick-up … for life.”

DOIN’ IT IN THE PARK: PICK-UP BASKETBALL, NYC lovingly uncovers this movement through the voices of playground legends, NBA athletes, and most importantly the common ballplayer who all day looks forward to calling “next” game at their local schoolyard.

Co-directors Bobbito Garcia and Kevin Couliau visited 180 courts throughout NYC’s five boroughs to create their debut documentary. They traveled to a majority of the locations by bicycle, carrying camera equipment and a ball in their backpacks. The film’s title refers as much to the subject matter as it does to the method of filmmaking, providing an unprecedented perspective on urban America’s most popular, and accessible, free recreation.

Main film characters: Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Kenny Smith, “Pee Wee” Kirkland, “Fly” Williams, God Shammgod, Tim “Headache” Gittens, Corey “Homicide” Williams, Kenny Anderson, Jack Ryan, Richard “Crazy Legs” Colon, Niki Avery, Milani Malik, and the Park Pick-Up Players of NYC.

Directed & Produced by Bobbito Garcia & Kevin Couliau
Trailer Music: “R’Thentic” by C-Rayz Walz
Proudly Supported by The New York Knicks

“DOIN’ IT IN THE PARK: PICK-UP BASKETBALL, NYC”
A film by Bobbito Garcia & Kevin Couliau
Coming Summer 2012

Shouts to the homie John Thomas from the 411 Brand. Last week Kenny Burns stopped by Clark Atlanta University to speak to the students about his journey from D.C. to ATL, the music industry, run-ins with Puffy, and finding his way in his late 30′s.

During my last trip to NYC I made a trip over to Bushwick Brooklyn (and ended up bumping into emcee Skyzoo on the train) to catch up with the homies from Brooklyn Wildlife. We sat down and talked about the history of Señor Kaos as well as what “The Kaos Effect” LP is about and how it came together.

Check it out…

Episode 01 – In Studio with Senor Kaos by Brooklynwildlife on Mixcloud

Make sure you check out Brooklyn Wildlife for other features, music, stories, and BK culture.
Shouts to the homies Chief Justice and Chris Carr. Salute fellas.

Nas is officially 3 for 3. Late last year he hit us with Nasty with matching video. Then popped up on the “Ghetto Dreams” track with Common (not even counting that one), Dropped “The Don” on us over a month ago, and just a few days ago released the track “Daughters” after his 17 year old daughter posted a picture of a box of condoms on her Instagram. Nas is definitely speaking for all the fathers out there raising young girls into women.

Spotted at Nah Right.

All this is gearing up for Nas’ new album (his 10th album) entitled “Life Is Good” which drops on July 17th. Looks like it’s going to be a long hot summer.

Last night I got the chance to catch VH1′s Nas Behind The Music special. If you missed it, catch it right here. Follow the journey of Nasty Nas from Queensbridge NYC to Hip Hop Icon.

I’ve been a fan of Nas since day one and still own my copy of Illmatic on cassette tape. I won’t even sit here and lie though, there were Nas songs as well as whole albums that I disliked. There was a time when Nas was straying all the way left from “Nasty” and making jiggy radio friendly cuts which seemed in an effort to keep up with Puff/Big and Jay Z who were repping nyc and also selling millions of records. Just when I would lose faith though, there would be some unreleased track or something from a mixtape I would hear that I thought was downright amazing. All in all, It’s great to see Nas 18 years after his debut still relevant, and making music on his own terms.

I’ve only had to chance to connect with Nas ONCE and it was in passing. I gave him a pound, and told I would love to hear the finished version of “Life Is Like A Dice Game” if it existed. He looked at me chuckled, said “word,” and that was it.

Salute to Nasty Nas, and looking forward to seeing what his 10th album (Life Is Good) has in tour for us. Escobar Season Returns…