Next Generation: Why You Need To Pay Attention To “Kreemo” – Wiz Khalifa & Lil Wayne Are Already On It
With the economy in shambles, many Americans are everyday becoming discouraged to continue chasing their dream. Kreemo, the Atlanta-based lifestyle clothing brand, “begs to differ.” Know this. It’s not a fad. Known mostly for their Kreemo “Dropout” Tee, an homage to Kanye West’s College Dropout bear, this 21-year-old trio (who, by the way, are college students), has attracted both the likes of Wiz Khalifa and Lil Wayne. In 2008 at Morehouse College in Atlanta, cousins Lavan Wright, Brian Wright, and friend, Desmond Attmore, became partners and put their minds together to create a brand they believed could be better than the clothes they were already buying: “We used to always go downtown to SoHo and just run around. We really loved the culture, and were like 16, but we would always spend our money on Bape, BBC, Supreme, a whole bunch of stuff, and we just really loved it,” said Brian Wright, CEO of Kreemo. “Until one day, I was like, ‘Man, I definitely could come up with something that’s hotter than that!’ I went home and called my cousin Lavan, and he was down with it.” In 2009, the Brooklyn-bred entrepreneurs scaled back to age-old advertising techniques and filled the Atlanta college scene with buttons, finely equipped with their ghost-like logo – a simple, yet strategic effort that yielded notoriety. Not too long after, upon receiving a personal call from Wiz Khalifa, the group was charged with producing the rapper’s merchandise for his debut album, Rolling Papers. And that, they did. In our interview with CEO and brainchild behind the creation, Brian Wright, he admits, there’s no fret in Kreemo becoming a fad, revealing, “The reason why it won’t be a fad is because, it’s a lifestyle. “It only becomes a fad when people are trying to super capitalize off it, and it’s a certain way that I want to do things. Yes, we’re going to make money off of it, but yes, we’re going to do it our way. Yes, the entertainment people are liking it, it’s becoming popular, but this is really for the world,” he added. Kreemo, a name derived from Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, a psychiatric hospital in Queens, New York, stands for “innovation in its youth,” representing more than just clothes, but a way of living, with Brian adding: “When I was little, my grandmother would say ,“Y’all better stop acting up before I send y’all to the ‘Creemo house.’ I took that term and found out what “Creemo” really was, and made a whole concept of when you do something that’s really innovative at first, it’s always considered being a nuisance to society. Or when you’re trying to show somebody a new blueprint, they never really get it. You’re always the crazy one. “The first person that invented the television, I’m pretty sure that when he showed the first couple of people the blueprints, they were like, ‘Aww, man, this is never really about to go down, a box where you can watch people?’ I feel like everybody can relate to that. Everybody has a story where they’re grinding, or they have this idea, and people said it couldn’t be done. The logo is a ghost, because traditionally, when you tell people that you’ve seen a ghost, they tell you you’re crazy, because they don’t see it.” With the explosion of cool kids on Tumblr and Pinterest, these innovative entrepreneurs have amassed a huge influential following across the nation, and even overseas in countries, including Japan. Most recently, Kreemo is planning a huge campaign, which includes working with popular Atlanta DJ Don Cannon and Hip-Hop producer Mike Will Made It. Not ones to rest on their laurels, Kreemo Tele, their video faction, are the lens behind Tank and T.I.’s official behind-the-scenes video, “Compliments,” and Curren$y and 2 Chainz’, “Capitol”. Join the movement at Kreemo.com.
Wiz Khalifa Addresses Fans Via Tumblr And Admits “Rolling Papers” Wasn’t His Best Work
(AllHipHop News) Taylor Gang founder Wiz Khalifa took to his personal tumblr page last night (February 13) to address his fans on a number of things including his new fashion sense, his new music, and self-admitting that last year’s Gold-certified album Rolling Papers “wasn’t [his] best work.” Read his message below: “Im high as f### and don’t even know to start this so ima just say thank you to everyone who’s supported the TAYLOR GANG movement and showed love up to this point. We’ve all grown so much since i first came onto the scene and most of all inspired a whole new generation of muh fuggas who aren’t afraid to be themselves and unite. Before there were Taylors, the game was lacking fun, unity, positivity, and love for one another. S###, your favorite rappers weren’t even getting paid well. You guys changed that, and the game shld forever be in debt to you. I remember getting 500 dollars for a show to fly out and see kids who had no idea what a wiz khalifa was, and you crazy muh fuggas showed up. Had a great time, and spread the word. Its ya’lls spirit who revived the rap game and brought back the true art to this s###. Your demand for live shows made it possible for a lot of rappers to come from nothing and feed their families. Promoters too, more kids are managers, dj’s videographers. S### everyones eating. Thanx to you Taylors!!!! Take credit for that s###. Lol Moving forward we gotta take that positivity with us. Theres tons of different crews now which is so inspiring because people are finding their own voice and unique lane. As Taylor Gang WE F### WIT EVERYBODY. We aren’t afraid to say we’re fans of other artists and bump their music, go to their shows and promote them to the top. Showing equal love. Thass Taylor’d. Dnt let anyone ruin your spirit or make you feel uncomfortable about what you like. What we say goes. Not them. Thass what started this whole thing regardless of what people think. Sayin f### them and doin what makes us feel free. Dnt let anyone take ur view on things and twist it against you. Dnt let em make you feel like you weren’t the first. Anyone questioning my choice in clothing as of lately (lol) I’ll just go out and say that it was needed. In a climate where everyone is looking and sounding the same, i always try to inspire my fans to be different. And i lead by example. At one point the way I used to dress was considered “different” but now its very much the norm and accepted. Which is cool. Thass what we do it for, but the next step had to be made. Im older, my wife is a supermodel, and ima trippy ass n####. My clothes reflect that. My toms cost $45. My Louboutins cost $2500. Moving on to the music, I haven’t been this excited about any of my projects ever. I remember when i made kush and orange juice, I listened to it and knew I had created a new genre that wld change music.The mistake i made on Rolling Papers was thinking it was time to move on from that genre not knowing that it had impacted people so much. The album did great numbers, but creatively wasn’t my best work. No regrets though. We live and we learn. So for my fans sake and own personal enjoyment, Ive gone further into the world we’ve created and elaborated on our genre with the mixtape Taylor Allderdice and of course my sophomore album ONIFC. Im so confident in the artistry and creativity of these projects because so much living went along with them. These aren’t songs aimed to be hits or widely accepted or even understood. Iss for people who live like us and can relate. And informative to those who can’t. Either way we’re inviting mu fuggas deep into our world and I can’t wait. I got new visuals, a new clothing line, and the new show is gonna be amazing. This is for us. Taylor Gang Or Die.” -O.N.I.F.C Wiz is currently in the studio finishing up his next album, O.N.I.F.C., which is set for release later this year.
