We noticed that when we’re talking about current trends in men’s urban fashion, it ignites a lot of passionate criticism here! Mostly because these trends have been leaning on the feminine side for some time now – slimmer fits, typically girly colors like pink and purple, “murses”, etc. The looks are coming back and being updated from past decades, such as the 70s and 80s. As we all know, fashion is really just one big cycle that gets reinvented somehow along the way. Baggy jeans will surely make a comeback along with over sized tees. In fact, we are already seeing some more masculine trends worming their way back in to the urban world, such as the classic American workwear style. You can dust off those Timberlands (or buy new ones on DrJays.com) and finish off the look with vintage denim jackets/shirts, plaid, distressed workboots, canvas/twill pants, and boxed utilitarian jackets.ACNE Fall 2009 Think classic American brands like Levi’s, Carhartt, Converse and Dickies.Check out some pieces from DrJays.com and DJPremium.com to help you pull this manly look together: Classic Chuck Canvas Suspender Pant by Converse Scuff Proof 6 Inch Premium Boot by Timberland Bad Ass Jacket by Mark Ecko Cut & Sew Rocky Triple Needle Shirt by True Religion  Montana Mid Boots by Creative Recreation Are you feeling it?

As featured in this month’s issue of Complex magazine, ska style is making its way back this season and we want to show you how to get the look!     A tad edgier than the skater look and more relaxed than your typical punk rocker, the ska trend stems from a music genre that falls between rocksteady and reggae, with roots from Jamaica.     Lil Wayne in KR3W     The beauty is that it infuses so many different styles together – rock, hip hop, goth, skate and more!     Think back to when No Doubt first came out with that fun laid back west coast style.    

  Rating: Near Classic   It’s why black women sit under those big, hot machines for hours and why black girls sometimes sit by the bedside worshipping white Barbie dolls: good hair. Chris Rock channels his inner Ken Burns, giving celebrities, hair stylists and clients, and public figures the third degree about their hair practices, however paganistic they may seem. Of course, it’s Chris Rock, the master of layering comedy with a political silver lining, so the film Good Hair asks the essential question: all that money to chemically change your hair?     Produced by Nelson George (“American Gangster”, CB4) and narrated by the Rock himself, Good Hair follows hair salons in America’s metropoles in various stages of hair consumption. The film is centered around the annual Bronner Bros hair competition, capturing the twirls and whirls, under water and upside down snipping of Atlanta’s hair battle royale. Yet as celebrated as the event is, there’s something controversial about Black women’s relationship with the hair industry and Chris Rock damn well gets to bottom of it.   Good Hair features a high profile panels of interviewees of color who give their two cents on this widely discussed issue of hair grooming practices in the American-American community. Nia Long, Lauren London, and Melyssa Ford represent the relaxed and straightened mainstream. Tracie Thoms, the natural alternative. Ice-T and Andre Harrell the male point of view, and Al Sharpton and Maya Angelou provide intellectual interpretations of the three. Together with sound bites from a few other notable names, no hair strand is left untwisted.   Rock first tackles relaxers, of which millions of ounces are produced containing the scalp mutilating ingredient sodium hydroxide. With help of a “chemistry expert”, Rock shows how the same chemicals, which Black women and girls as young as three years old use in their hair, can burn through a soda can in only hours. Rock also shows how of these endless brands of Black hair products, only a small percent of them are Black owned or as Al Sharpton thought provokingly puts it, “Black women wear their economic exploitation on their head”.   Rock’s hilarious social commentary also brings him to India where he searches for the origin of packaged hair. He discovers that the same hair that Black women pay thousands of dollars for in hair salons across the country, pious young girls at Buddhist temples sacrifice for free. This seemingly ludicrous see-saw of supply and demand inspires Chris Rocks to bundle a large bag of “Black hair” and try to sell it to beauty supply stores in Los Angeles. Of course, his little experiment yields no buyers, but does yield racist statements from an Asian shop owner who adamantly tries to convince him that Black women don’t want hair that looks “too Africa”.   Nia Long and Melyssa Ford break down the culture of weaves and from their testimony it is clear how the dealing of Indian hair has become big business. Sharon Jones, who also sat for an interview, humorously noted that in every black city, one can catch a glimpse of unwanted “tumbleweave” blowing through the streets during the day.   Good Hair thrives off of clever quips from Chris Rock and funny anecdotes from men and women who visit barbershops and hair salons across the country. When asked that last time he touched a Black woman’s hair, one man in an Harlem barbershop replied, “1986. Before the market crashed…”   At the end of the day, Good Hair steers away from self-righteousness by not casting judgment on the women who do choose to chemically alter their hair. Throughout the movie, Chris Rock takes a moment or two to consider how his findings on Black hair will influence his daughters, and he comes up with the a propos solution to tell them what goes on top of their heads is not nearly as important as what goes in their heads. Ice-T echoes similar sentiments about the triviality of the straighten vs. natural debate when he says that Black women should have what they want because if they don’t, “they could bring a whole lot of f###### pain”. Good Hair is a funny conversation starter. It premiered at the Tribeca theatre in NYC, thanks to sponsors, Dr. Miracles and Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network (WEEN), to very warm reception and if taken to heart, the film might even change some lifestyles.

  Developer/Publisher: Rockstar GamesPlatform: SONY PSP Players: 1Release Date: 9/29/09 Rating: A-   Have you ever found yourself kicking back to some tunes thinking you could do better? Whether a casual listener or a long time music lover, chances are the thought of producing has come across your mind once or twice. But production equipment is expensive and learning the tricks of the trade can be a daunting task without expert advice handy.   With that void in mind, famed video game publisher Rockstar Games teams up with self proclaimed chairman of the board Timbaland on Beaterator (Rockstar Games). With a little time and dedication, young and old a like can flip tracks on this portable beat machine.   Beaterator features three main programs for players to create music, Live Play, Studio and Song Crafter. The more straightforward layout is Live Play. Live Play is an easy to use live performance interface where users can plug in and play eight different instruments ranging from drums, synthesizers, bass and more. The tracks are represented by a speaker with four different available loops for each track that are triggered by the triangle, box, circle and x buttons. Players can mix and match all eight loops simultaneously in real time with no signs of lag, all the while an animated Timbo corresponds on the boards to your every move.  With a quick press of a button you can switch genre of these templates from Rock, Hip-Hop, House, and more. Additionally the library of sounds is quite impressive with thousands of loops provided by Rockstar and Timbaland himself.   Things get a little deeper in the Studio portion of this title. Here you have the options to edit and switch out loops. This could be tedious for a couple of reasons.   One the studio interface is menu heavy. To do something that should take a flick of a wrist in a real life studio like lowering volume or adjusting BPM, takes a bit of navigating through all the interface’s buttons. Secondly scanning through the selection of loops can take some time as a one second hi hat can take several seconds to load. As the user gets more familiar with all the steps, these nuances shouldn’t be any problem.   At Beaterator’s creative apex is the Song Crafter. Here users can literally create their own music. Drum hits can be moved into sequence and make different drum patterns with options of spacing and tempo. Melodies can also be crafted, along with effects and editing any personal or preloaded sound is possible. You can also record vocals too with the use of a microphone.   Overall Beaterator delivers a big punch for its forty dollar price point. The option to create your own songs and showcase them at the Rockstar Games Social Club makes this title much more than a game, but rather your own transportable mini studio. While the first couple of sessions might be long, the possibilities are endless once you get on track.     Beaterator Official Trailer:

“I spit the truth in lethal/ … It’s not the mic; it’s the mind I speak through/” — KRS-One & Buckshot, “Connection,” Survival Skills, 2009. Hip-Hop as a whole, as a cultural community, has always had a problem accepting criticism—whether constructive or conjured, exact or exaggerated. It’s in our bloodline. We suffer no critics, antagonists, or haters the opportunity to reduce our art-form to a spectacle. We respond with the quickness. We trot out the best amongst us, the brightest in our midst, to push back, blow back (military style), against anyone perceived as unjustly attacking it. The reason is clear: Hip-Hop has stood the test of time as one of the only artistic developments, throughout the history of humanity, to come to life without the help, supervision, or even awareness of an adult population. Youth of color, relegated to the ghettoes and barrios, took the dead scraps they found lying around, breathed life into it, and created a cultural force of irreducible significance that would change, and perhaps even save, the world.  Three decades later, Hip-Hop is still standing. And though it is true that without the groundwork laid by Muhammad Ali, The Last Poets, Langston Hughes, Phillis Wheatley, Zora Neale Hurston, Gill Scott Heron, and many other pre-Hip-Hop poets, artists, and folklorists, Hip-Hop might have never come to be, it is also true that up until the mid ‘80s, most adults still openly expressed doubt about this budding phenomenon of creative genius they saw some potential in. And those were good old folks. There were those who simply despised it, because, to take their word, it presented nothing original—it simply borrowed from pre-existing traditions, remixing what was old into new, upbeat, catchy, repetitive loops. To an extent they were right. But never before had street kids, most without astute academic backgrounds, created their own cardinal directions to map out a future of possibility and hope: 1). They would paint pictures of the legacies they intended to leave behind 2) set music to it 3) carve out dance steps to supplement the sound 4) and prophesy upon the waves and melodies. That was genius! Immitigable genius.  Still, some adults couldn’t see the forest from the tree stumps. They hooted and hollered, cursed and castigated the young folks they saw selling their future in a fleeting pursuit of, to invoke Lauryn Hill, every tree bearing the wrong fruit. But as the late ‘80s roster unveiled a line-up of rhetorical acrobats, back straightened and eyes widened. The world began paying attention.   The ‘90s came and didn’t disappoint—up until it lost track of purpose and position, surrendering to the will of divide and conquer, drafted by enemies of Hip-Hop culture. The new millennium, however, produced a radically dissimilar outlook, cranking out Hip-Hop junkies with virtually no chance at rehabilitation. As the paraphernalia of materialism left its needle eye, the vein of creativity, originality, and fidelity that had sustained Hip-Hop hitherto collapsed, rendering the body powerless to the powder of the peddlers who could care less—as the aim, above everything else, is to make money—about the caricature of commercialism, commodification, and consumerism they were transforming Hip-Hop into.  So maybe some adults had it right. Or maybe the blame was misplaced. We might never know. Maybe instead of belittling what work of genius their sons and daughters were crafting, they might have better served providing guidance and caution—similar to the kind Popa Wu and the “older gods” have made a life ministry of—to the vibrant generation coming after them. Again, we might never know. What we do know, nonetheless, is that though criticism hurts, it can also force the soul into self-examination and introspection, which, in turn, guarantees substantive reevaluation and reassessment.   * * * A couple of weeks back, Motown legend Gladys Knight held nothing back in sounding off on Hip-Hop culture. Speaking with BlackNews.com, Hip-Hop, she said, has “been bad, in my opinion, as far as the quality of the music and the stories that they tell. It’s one thing to be raw about your history, but they took it to another level and it became vulgar.” It has not “elevated our industry musically.” As a people, “we have lowered our self-esteem with these performances and presentations,” she said, referring to Hip-Hop. While some saw it an opportunity to return fire with fire, they might have missed a crucial point that poignantly expresses her pain and passion. Her remarks might dovetail with previous rants, rendered by older Black entertainers, about Hip-Hop, but rarely has the word “We” been used to call into sobering reflection Hip-Hop’s darker side. More often than not, other critics have chosen the less inclusive “they”—meaning “other”—to do the dirty work. In fact, it makes more sense that one who finds no redemptive value in Hip-Hop would dismiss it as something far removed from the true essence of Black art, thus unqualified under the canopy of “we.” But Ms. Knight, being the caring elderly stateswoman she is, went against conventional wisdom, thought, and practice. That’s significant.   “We stay high—that’s why old folks down us/ Lost, nobody found us; the force that surrounds us/ Ain’t with us; they get us on the ground and hit us/ We paint pictures of the chains under their names and scriptures/” Among the many responses to her comments was an editorial written by acclaimed North Carolina producer, 9th wonder. 9th, the preeminent beatsmith since J Dilla’s passing, showed just why he landed a gig two years ago as adjunct professor at North Carolina Central University. He lamented the refusal of “the older generation of our people… to see or seek the GOOD facets of Hip-Hop, or even the cultural aspects of Hip-Hop when it comes to improvisation, creativity, research, and skill. The fact that TRUE Hip-Hoppers respect, glorify, and honor the great ones who came before us in our records, and the use of what we call ‘samples’ speaks volumes.” 9th theorizes the lack of “patience” in this older generation to “hear” […]

Kiante Young is “The Sneaker Mann”. Traversing the country as on of the best known sneaker heads, he frequently appears on early morning shows as an on-air stylist, highlighting the latest styles and trends in sneakers.   “The Sneaker Mann”   He has appeared on ABC, NBC, FOX and WB affiliate stations in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Dallas and more.   The Sneaker Mann recently went on a 15-city “Back to School Tour” wherein he showcased the freshest sneakers for students returning to class.   The Sneaker Mann on CW11   Born in Vegas, Kiante moved to Harlem as a young man. It was not long before he was interviewing a cast of hip hop’s “who’s who” like Damon Dash, LL Cool J, DMX, Faith Evans and Beenie Man on his Manhattan cable access show Young, Black & Doin’ It.   Kiante launched Young & Doin’It Magazine to empower urban teens to reach for success. The magazine’s fashion section also featured the latest trends in sneakers. In efforts to promote the magazine, Kiante began doing segments on news shows about sneakers – and Kiante “The Sneaker Mann” was born.   Kiante has won many awards honoring his entrepreneurial spirit and skills, such as the “Fleet Young Entrepreneurs Award” (three years in a row, 2001-2003), as well as the “Oppenheimer Funds Social Entrepreneur of the Year” (2006) to name a couple.   He recently cruised DrJays.com to highlight the hottest kicks for fall 2009 – check out The Sneaker Mann’s picks below!   ADIDAS FORUM MID RS REDMAN Price: $100.00   Anyone who knows me knows that I love the Adidas Forum Mid, and these are the hottest ones to be released since last year’s NBA promo pairs released only at the NBA All-Star weekend in Phoenix. Actually these may be a little bit hotter! Classy in style, the colorway is sick and perfectly combine making of the hottest new sneakers of the season.   NIKE AIR TRAINER III Price: $110.00   This season I have decided to exercise three times a week and these sneakers are what I will be working out in. Fashion and function, these new Nike Bo Jacksons are ill. I feel like I can rock these in the gym then take a shower, change my clothes and wear them out on the town as well.   REEBOK COMMITMENT MID Price: $90.00   These kicks are a very style focused sneakers. Great for trotting up and down college steps, these sneakers will turn heads. Reebok equipped these with ankle support and 2 pairs of laces in different colors. I would depend on these sneakers for comfort if I ever have to stand for on long line.   FILA SPORTA CREST HI Price: $100.00   Fila is stepping their game up with this sneaker. Available in black leather, these are a perfect concubine to a pair of black skinny jeans. Clean and smooth, they will definitely turn heads. The embossed logo is a sleek, but not obnoxious, addition to the sneaker. Get these kicks!   ADIDAS SUPERSTAR 1 REDMAN Price: $90.00   When I was growing up, I was rocking Adidas Superstars while blasting Redman’s Muddy Waters album. Now the two have become one with this sneaker. Beautiful to the eye, the suede gives the shoe an somewhat elegant feel while the colorway makes it easy to blend into a cool outfit not to mention the speckled sole. If you get the Redman label t-shirt, rock them with black jeans and a black suit jacket and I guarantee the ladies will stop and stare.   BABY PHAT SARAH THIGH HI BOOT Price: $120.00   There nothing sexier than a beautiful woman who’s wearing a killer pair of boots and these boots by Baby Phat are killers! Extending past the knees, you have to have good fashion sense when putting your look together with these, because the wrong outfit can result in fashion suicide.   PASTRY TURN OVER SNEAKER Price: $51.99   A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending an in-store event at the Foot Locker in Times Square where Angela and Vanessa Simmons where in attendance promoting these very Pastry sneakers. When I saw them I though to myself “These are fashion-forward.” During New York City fashion week, houndstooth was a staple of several couture lines. These are hot and even better, they are on sale!   See more kicks on DrJays.com by clicking here.   Find out more about The Sneaker Mann through his MySpace.

“I’m here to break away the chains, take away the pains, remake the brains…” “Follow the Leader” -Eric B & Rakim (1988) Twenty years ago the members of Public Enemy announced that they were going to raise up a nation of 5,000 black leaders. For a time it seemed to be working as many black folks started reading Afro-centric literature and listening to lectures by black scholars for the first time. This is not much different than Dr. WEB Du Bois’s efforts a century earlier to cultivate a “talented tenth” that was supposed to uplift the black race. But in 2009, when ignorance is produced in mass quantities, the question that we must ask is where are they now? If Du Bois’s challenge was to uplift a people just two generations up from slavery, why do we find it so difficult, in the 21st century, to organize against ignorance? During the era 1988-92, members of the Hip Hop Nation tried to develop a massive mass education project . For example, KRS  not only tried to organize H.E.A.L. (Human Education Against Lies) but also released the timeless track, “My Philosophy” which, till this day, is still one of the greatest arguments against anti-intellectualism ever recorded. Groups like the X-Clan moved a whole generation towards Afro-centric thought and exposed a nation of black youth who had only known of Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King to the philosophy of Garvey-ism via songs such as “Funkin’ Lesson.” The impact of the 5% Nation (NGAE) cannot be overstated as groups such as Brand Nubian and Poor Righteous Teachers saw it as their spiritual mission to “civilize the uncivilized.” However, by 1992, the age of enlightenment gave way to Hip Hop’s Dark Age, in which, we still find ourselves 17 years later. The reasons for this backwards journey are many. However, we must start with the nature of the beast, the music industry ,itself,  and it’s relationship to “revolutionary” music a generation prior to the “conscious” Hip Hop age. In his book, “There’s a Riot Going On,” Peter Doggett writes of a meeting of advertising agencies and entertainment conglomerates that was held in October of 1968 called “Selling the American Youth Market,” which was followed two months later by a Columbia Records marketing campaign called “The Revolutionaries are on Columbia.” Thus, the revolutionary energy of the Vietnam  Era was quickly co-opted and transformed into a Capitalist marketing scheme. The music that was once radical became politically ambiguous, at best. If we juxtapose this with progressive Hip Hop music, we see that with the commercialization of the politically charged rap it began to loose it’s militancy , attempting to attract the coveted crossover market. This was also exacerbated by an American political structure that has always seen intelligent African Americans as threats to national security. Not to mention a corporate America that has grabbed every opportunity to “dumb down” the youth in an effort to make them more vulnerable to marketing schemes and corporate exploitation. While many of the causes have been external, they have been internal, as well. Although, members of the era of conscious Hip Hop waxed poetic about the conspiracy to dumb down black youth, they were ill prepared to do anything about it. So why should we be surprised in the 21st century that the fruits of this labor have come to fruition? Also, we must admit that too many in that era gave VIP (Very Ignorant People) passes to the early gangsta rappers in the name of Hip Hop unity. This has produced the dilemma in which we find ourselves, today. While Kwame Ture’ spoke about “making the unconscious, conscious” until his dying day, what has developed is an “anti-conscious” movement. Biblically speaking, they are those who are destroyed not for their lack of Knowledge but for their rejection of it. This is the target audience of today’s representatives of what is passing for a black consciousness movement, many of whom were either in elementary school or not even born at the height of the political rap era, 20 years ago. The problem with the new school Hip Hop intelligentsia is that they have so much dumbed down their messages that they have become the antithesis of the mission to uplift black people.  Many of them have become less disciples of Rakim and more so followers of Nas, whose lyrical contradictions oft times outweigh their potentially, powerful impact. Also, because of the misuse of social networking sites such as youtube and Twitter, they have tried to out-gangsta the gangsta rappers , often bitterly attacking those who should be their comrades in the struggle. Perhaps the biggest fault lies at the door of those who Du Bois would have referred to as his talented tenth; the college educated, as many of the music moguls with higher education are the main purveyors of the worst examples of anti-intellectualism; Sean Combs, Dame Dash, Suge Night, David Banner, etc. While the call for 5,000 black leaders in the 80’s was admirable, what we need now is a call for 5,000 black poor righteous teachers who realize that, despite all the rheatoric, the greatest threat to global racism is not a gun but a book. The battle for the minds must start in our own communities as we must dedicate our lives to raising the consciousness of those around us. Because, as Du Bois wrote in 1903 in “The Negro Problem,”  “if you do not lift them up, they will pull you down.” Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com. To learn more about The Intelligence Over Ignorance Campaign visit http://www.ioimovement.com

Today just getting word that one of our Hip Hop pioneers has passed. As I started writing this we’re still trying to officially confirm, but according to what DJ Premier twitted earlier Mr Magic who was best known as being among the first to have a Hip Hop show on a major radio station has passed.  Still trying to process all this, because we’ve lost so many people this year. It was just a week or so ago we were mourning the passing of DJ Roc Raida.  For us in the Bay Area we lost a longtime KPFA  radio colleague and well known activist Gina Hotta. She passed of a heart attack. What we’re hearing w/ Mr Magic he too passed of a heart attack. He was 55 years old. If you were around in the late 70s/early 80s then you will clearly understand what Magic meant to Hip Hop. For years he was the pinnacle. When he started out on WHBI, just hearing his show was major. It was a really big deal, because what we were doing in the parks, at rec centers and in our living rooms was insulated. No one else in the world knew what was bubbling up in the Bronx.  When Magic got picked up and was added to the line up of commercial station WBLS.. It was major. One of our own had graduated and was on the big stage. Saturday night was what so many of us eagerly looked foward to…Mr Magic with his booming voice gave Hip Hop that importance. He had what they call gravitas. He made you and Hip Hop official. He was a radio announcer not a kid doing college radio. He wasn’t someone shouting into a microphone. He was our Frankie Crocker, who was the legendary DJ and at the time program director for WBLS. Was just talking to Hip Hop historian and writer Mark Skillz  who also grew up on Magic and he noted that Magic laid the ground work for every on air personality that came from the streets and made it to radio. He was always classy even when he was arrogant and he could sure be arrogant at times.  He was older than the average listener and fan of rap at that time and could’ve easily been associated with disco or soul music. But he put everything on the line because he really believed in the music. On a couple of occasions he was fired. The most infamous occasion was when he stood up to Frankie Crockerwho as mentioned was a legend in his on right. Crocker wanted to change formats and take rap off the air. Magic stood up to him and refused to change his show and was fired resulting in him returning to his first station WHBI.  Skillz added that its important to understand that back then and even recently, people paid to have a show on WHBI. You had to raise money to have a slot on the air. Magic was important to two different eras of Hip Hop. He was the connection to the  pioneering day also known as True School. He was the one that brought us Flash, Mele-Mel, Crash Crew, Sugar Hill, Busy Bee etc.  he later became the important gateway to the what we now know as the Golden Era. He was once dubbed Sir Juice as he was the big connection and champion for the Juice Crew. Skill z was sharing memories with Sweet Gee this morning upon hearing the news and was reminded by G that the original Juice Crew was Sal Abbatiello, Sweet Gee, DJ June Bug, Kurtis Blow and Mr Magic aka Sir Juice.Sal who owned the Fever night club brought them all diamond rings. In many ways for  long before Diddy, Jay-Z  or the Jiggy era came along, Magic and his people personified flashiness within Hip Hop. They were smooth and represented the style of the day.  Skillz was  recounting seeing Magic wearing rings on every finger and having  gold rope chains. He used to sport a shark skin suit. He was a Hip Hop version of Mr Tee. Back then that was Hip Hop at its finest for better or for worse. When he got his Rap Attack show on WBLS he was the man. Folks old enough will recall what it meant to record a Mr Magic show. Those cassette tapes got passed all around the world. He was that dude. Interestingly enough Magic followed the important tradition long established by Black radio DJs of being our mouthpiece and Griot of sorts. In many ways he was the face of Hip Hop and our ambassador. He was our connection to the outside world, the corporate world etc. When his show came on, all of New York stopped what they were doing and tuned in.  Words are simply inadequate so others reading this will have to add in. We also recall the role that Magic played in sparking the infamous bridge wars between the Bronx via KRS and BDP and Queens via the Juice Crew. Magic was so important that if he didn’t play your record or publicly rejected you as he did BDP,  it wasn’t a thing to easily shake off.  I won’t get into along recounting of that tale, but lets just say a lot of careers were born through the BDP vs Juice Crew saga. The attention he garnered help heighten the position of than rival DJ Red Alert who was holding it down and backing BDP on Kiss FM while Magic backed Marley Marl who was his official deejay along with the Juice Crew as we know them today on WBLS…Also on a side note lets stress the fact that the battle was more like a battle of the bands and not the type of vicious beefs where folks get shot or beaten up. It was competitive, theatrical and captivating We also need to remember as Paradise of X-Clan pointed  out  Mr Magic also gave Whodini their first break .Jalil used to answer the […]

Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons joined forces 25 years ago to form Def Jam: A record label dedicated to hip hop.    Back then the roster included LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys, EPMD, and Slick Rick. Now there’s Method Man, Jay-Z, Kanye West and many more.   I just watched Krush Groove for the first time last weekend. For those who don’t know, it’s based on Russell Simmons assisting in the launch of his brother Rev‘s group, Run DMC.   The ridiculous over-the-top 80’s style, very pubescent looking Beastie Boys, and hilarious Fat Boys all gave me a good laugh.     Along with the actual members of Run DMC, Fat Boys, and Blair Underwood (in his first movie), another huge star in the movie was Adidas – those vintage tracksuits and sneakers were everywhere!     The brand has naturally joined forces with Def Jam to commemorate the label and some of its individual artists, like Redman and Jeezy.   Check out the new kicks, tees and more on DrJays.com. Celebrate the label that has brought us the biggest names in hip hop for 25 years!     Superstar 1 Redman by Adidas Forum Mid RS Redman by Adidas Young Jeezy Forum Mid by Adidas   See more by clicking HERE.

The internet has been around in some form or another since the 1960’s, but didn’t get prominent until the 90’s. In the late 90’s AllHipHop was founded and a number of other urban progressives delved into the uncharted digital space. While it was a movement similar to the Wild Wild West, the movement slowed down to a crawl in the early 2000’s after the digital bubble burst into recession.   These days, the internet is seeing a boom that is unlikely to crash the way it once did. Businesses have found new, inventive ways to capture the internet audience. AllHipHop has stayed firm in the space, but we’ve seen the advent of popular blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and other institutions that continually add to the internet experience.   In this year alone, we’ve seen a number of Hip-Hop artist effectively use the internet and other employ it quite ineffectively. Furthermore, music and album leaks have affected everybody from Kid Cudi to Jay-Z to Raekwon in varying degrees. How should the Hip-Hop and urban community use the ‘Net? Has it helped or hurt the culture as a whole?   AllHipHop.com will ban together Killer Mike (known now as Mike Bigga), Ras Baraka, Saigon, Raekwon, AHH’s Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur and others to discuss this topic and others. This event takes place at NJPAC in Newark, NJ on October 17, 2008. Click here to purchase tickets and for additional information.   Music DiscussionsView Results

Whether you’re tired of seeing the half shaved head of Cassie or Rihanna strutting around in punk rock inspired clothes, this edgy look is definitely not going anywhere.   Cassie in the Gonna Get Yours Tee by DimePiece Stud details on shoes and bags are still prevalent, chains are hanging off jeans and stilettos, and black is as evident as ever. Get it done without looking like you’re rocking a Halloween costume.   You could throw on a tough leather motorcycle jacket, shredded skinny jeans with bleach/paint splatters, or even just black nail polish. The key is to keep it feminine and sexy. Get your bad girl on by pairing unapologetic pieces like the Gonna Get Yours Tee by DimePiece or the Love Bites Tee by Hellz Bellz, with a pair of Ripped Olivia Leggings by LNA.  

Last week soul and R&B legend Gladys Knight publicly criticized rap music, addressing the genre with a rather broad stroke. Professor Patrick Douthit, aka 9th Wonder, who has made music with Jay-Z, Beyonce, Jean Grae, Torae and other, has responded in this editorial that originally appeared on newsblaze.com.  Click here to read Knight’s original comments. Dear Editor, I recently read the legendary Gladys Knight’s comments about Hip-Hop and the culture thereof as it pertains to hindering the growth of black music. In a lot of ways, present day black music in a general sense is in a very bad state. From Hip-Hop to the level of R&B and Soul or the lack of in mainstream media, we are seemingly suffering across the board. However, my concerns are focused on the comments about Hip-Hop. Once AGAIN, the attempt to separate the generations amongst us as black Americans is having much success. In dealing with the older generation of our people, our elders refuse to see or seek the GOOD facets of Hip-Hop, or even the cultural aspects of Hip-Hop when it comes to improvisation, creativity, research, and skill. The fact that TRUE Hip-Hoppers respect, glorify, and honor the great ones who came before us in our records, and the use of what we call “samples” speaks volumes. A lot of musicians I’ve spoken with such as Michael Henderson, Gamble and Huff, Robert Allred from the Dynamic Five, and Leon Sylvers understand the BRIDGE we are building between generations. The reason I now listen to Bobby Bland, Mandrill, Billy Paul, The Dells, The Drells, Choice Four, The Undisputed Truth and countless other 60’s and 70’s greats, and why my 60 yr old brothers and sisters listen to it have two totally different paths. Looking at my life as a 34 year-old and being from the South, my parents believed that anything outside of James Cleveland was secular. So an abundance of 70’s soul, even Gladys Knight and the Pips, was not played in my house. Hip-Hop was the way that I found all of these artists, traveling the world and collecting records. I learned my history of black music through a vessel that a lot of my elders see as vulgar and offensive in a GENERAL sense. Hip-Hop was not always that way. In 1976, Afrika Bambaataa started the Universal Zulu Nation in the Bronx, New York, to give a creative outlet to rival gangs. However, today our law enforcement believes that hip-hop incites gang violence. It was because of artists like Public Enemy, KRS-One, Brand Nubian, and A Tribe Called Quest that I heard names such as Carter G. Woodson, Medgar Evers, Steve Biko, Kwame Toure’, Marcus Garvey, Fannie Lou Hamer, Shirley Chisholm, or ANYBODY outside of Martin Luther King and Harriet Tubman in public schools. These artists spoke about our elders in song, whether using the funk and soul records, or telling stories and mentioning names. From 1988 to 1993, black teens’ enrollment in college, especially HBCUs, rose to 45% because of the nature of the arts; from the African Medallions, to the Malcolm X t-shirts, the African-American College Alliance shirts Martin Lawrence wore on Def Comedy Jam, to School Daze, to the most powerful hour in black TV, The Cosby Show and A Different World. “Droppin’ Knowledge” if you will was made to be a “cool” or “in-crowd” thing. Unfortunately, the powers that be were against Hip-Hop being used as a NEW vessel to open the eyes of black kids and remind them to honor the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement of the 60’s. It is very odd that around the same time, a more negative form of hip-hop was being PUSHED to the forefront, so our elders could turn their heads away from what we were REALLY trying to say, and divide us as ALWAYS. Our elders turned away from our younger generation, which resulted in a lack of understanding of the TRUE essence of the Hip Hop art form. Subsequently, this led to resentment amongst the younger generation. The younger generation speaks- if there is no patience to understand our voice, then why should we try to learn where we came from? This only widens the divide. HOWEVER, the true essence of what hip-hop was built on was and STILL is the tie that binds. We must learn and understand that the true version of ANY art form is not and will NEVER BE displayed in the mass media. As a result, it will stay “underground,” or stolen from us. Do we actually believe that those same powers that control radio stations want our children educated through an emcee or an R&B singer who could inspire social change amongst the youth? Do we actually think that those powers want the two, now three generations to be united and have a full understanding of each other’s side of the story? I agree that YES the present state of hip-hop on THESE SAME AIRWAYS are less desirable; the same way the blacks who survived the Ragtime, Great Depression and Big Band Jazz looked down upon the black exploitation films of the 70’s, your Fred Williamson movies, Ohio Players Album Covers, or the language on Millie Jackson records. Let’s pray that my generation loses the feeling of resentment, and at the same time, my elders take the time and patience to seek the GOOD messages and highlight the BEAUTIFUL things about Hip-Hop that mass media WILL NOT show you. Otherwise, we as a race will always be divided, and once again, they will have succeeded in their mission. Here is a verse from the Hip-Hop song entitled “You Must Learn” as performed by Boogie Down Productions (KRS-One), from the album “The BluePrint” released in 1989. This verse was one of the key reasons why I went to college: “I believe that if you’re teaching history Filled with straight-up facts, no mystery Teach the student what needs to be taught ‘Cause black and white kids both take shots When one […]

We are beyond angry, passionate editorials about the murder of our youth.   We are beyond the ambulance chasing, past the reactionary moves that only result in more ambulance chasing and reactionary moves.   The murder of Derrion Albert was so egregious, so flagrant and so disgusting that most on the AHH staff were speechless and sorrowful. All of us have had our bouts with violence, from different races – not just Black. Yet, this was particularly disturbing.   A young honor roll student headed home from school and unknowingly gets caught in the crossfire of a daytime gang fight. One gang beats him down with huge objects like 2-by-4 poles and then facets from the other gang stomp his head as he lay unconscious. When it was all done, Derrion Albert was dead in the streets of Chicago.  Sadly, Derrion is just one case that was caught on camera. He was just one death in what seems like an endless number of senseless tragedies.   There is another side. Most people hold the killers in contempt, as they should, but we should be reminded that these young gang bangers are a product of America. They weren’t shipped in from some other country and dropped into Chicago, U.S.A. to wreak havoc on the innocents of the country. They were made HERE.     Now is the time for the community to exact real sustained change and action towards swaying the tide of violence that plague our communities, which are disproportionately Black and Brown. There are wars abroad and there are wars home. We need more soldier dispatched into our own streets.   We are asking the AllHipHop Community to collectively brain storm on ways that we can help curb violence. One method that AHH has actively adopted is mentorship and this is one solution we encourage. If you are an elder or a more mature young person, please take another under your wing. Teach them a skill, guide them through life to avoid some of the pitfalls that face all of us. This is merely one option, but there are so many others.   Please, offer some solutions that can ripple on to help create a better future for this generation and those to come.    

By the end of “More Than A Game,” it is quite possible that you or somebody around you will be in tears.   This documentary has been mistakenly pigeonholed as a basketball movie or even a movie about megastar LeBron James. “More Than A Game” is much more than that, as the title suggests. The movie is a tale is one of four (and eventually five) friends that come to prominence in Ohio that have one unifier. Basketball.   The move stars LeBron James and his long-term friends Dru Joyce, Romeo Travis, Sian Cotton, Willie McGee, who played together in middle school and then the prestigious St Mary’s High School. This must-see movie chronicles the players rise to national fame, but also how they dealt with that success before they made any money.   The ride was not without bumps in the road.   The team had to overcome several obstacles on and off the court, which resulted in near-catastrophic results. They also were forced to contend with their own backgrounds, where they had to deal with self-esteem issues, poverty and fatherlessness.   On aspect of the movie that is overlooked in the trailer and at times in the movie is the significance of Coach Dru Joyce, Sr (father to Dru Joyce). Coach Joyce acts as a father figure to some and a life coach to others as he simultaneously helps the boys transition into manhood.   The movie also delves into the coach’s past as well, as he never intended to be a basketball coach.   The team, through skill and will, manage to drudge their way to the state finals yearly and other national tournaments.   The hardships endured – both as individuals and as a unit – actually strengthen the family bonds that are created. Ultimately, they form the Fab Five, an unstoppable force.   From a cinematic standpoint, “More Than A Game” is appealing as well. Director Kristopher Belman takes old images and animates by separating the layers of the pictures. Grainy file footage is augmented and enhanced by current commentary. The storytelling is often very clean – like a feature film – but does not ever suggest fraudulence or deception. This is the real deal, a far more successful version of “Hoop Dreams.”   “More Than A Game” is highly recommended, because it is likely you will see some of yourself or somebody you know in these men. If not, viewers will certainly cheer, scream and cry at the trials and tribulations that solidified a place in history for all involved.   Images from “More Than A Game”            

Based in Costa Mesa, CA, KR3W is owned by the same man who started Supra in 2006: Angel Cabada.   Angel Cabada   Angel launched KR3W in 2002 to accommodate his fellow skateboarders – an edgy brand with durability, comfort and style in mind.   Instead of letting mainstream denim brands continue to lace the bottoms of these guys, he wanted to create a unique and customized collection that would not only be trend-right, but easy to maneuver in.   “As a skateboarder, I created KR3W because skateboarding was desperately in need of something that would exceed what was currently available. We never cut corners and never look back,” Angel said.   Jay-Z in Supra   Although the brand did start out focusing on tees and jackets, KR3W now features a full line of denim and contemporary cut-and-sew pieces that focus on fit, high quality, details and individuality rather than just a cool graphic.   Pooch Hall in the Kane Overdyed Plaid Woven by KR3W   Lil Wayne in KR3W   KR3W’s “crew” includes the likes of pro skaters Erik Ellington, Terry Kennedy and DJ Steve Aoki.   Pro Skater Erik Ellington   Are you feeling it? Check out some of the latest K3RW gear on DJPremium.com:   Barbary Front Zip P Coat by KR3W  Beef Tee by KR3W Stent Quilted Plaid Woven by KR3W See more from KR3W by clicking .here Sources: So Jones, KR3W, Sneaker Freaker

The following was posted on by Mashonda, who is a professional singer and estranged wife of Hip-Hop artist Swizz Beatz. She wrote the open letter to Alicia Keys, who is allegedly involved in an intimate relationship with Swizz. Mashonda felt the need to get some things off her chest, as written below. After having a great evening with my son and enjoying some fun twit chat, I decided to sign off and get some work done. However, a few hours later I was advised that I should check @aliciakeys twit page (twitter). I’ve never reached out to her on twitter before. I feel our issues are a lot more serious than a website conversation. Not to mention that I’ve reached out to her many times in the beginning of this whole thing, as any wife would do. Unfortunately, I never succeeded in getting a response. The 1st time I meet AK, my husband introduced us to each other at an event. ( I have no choice but to call him my husband, until he is not anymore) In the messages that I sent to her (AK), I made it very clear that on the contrary of what she might be hearing, I am still married to my husband, living with him and just had a child. Its been two years and I still have not received a response. What I do receive, is constant displays of selfishness and disconcern to me and my son. Mashonda’s “Back of Da Club” I was a fan of AK’s last album, we were both signed to J Records and I always checked up on her projects. I sang her songs and admired her for creating Superwoman and Karma, I would never deny her, her talent. I believed in her until I found out she was possibly sleeping with my husband. The affair was denied by both, until it was finally admitted months later.Already I can hear some of you saying ” why are u blaming her, You cant make someone leave their wife, You cant break something thats broken”. Well, my marriage was not broken, as far as I knew we were celebrating our sons birth and getting ready to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary . Call it blind love, whatever. I call it being a devoted wife.. As far as me blaming her and not blaming him, thats false. Me and my husband have worked out our differences. We are in a good place as people and as parents. I accept his choices and I am comfortable enough with myself to move on. I am so very blessed in many ways.My concern with AK is no longer the fact that she assisted in destroying a family but that she has the audacity to make these selfish comments about love and wanting to be with someone, even after knowing their situation. How is this the same Superwoman that I sang out loud with in my truck? I ask myself sometimes.If you are reading this Alicia, let me start by saying, you know what you did. You know the role you played and you know how you contributed to the ending of my marriage. You know that I asked you to step back and let me handle my family issues. Issues that you helped to create. Im not saying everything was perfect all the time but no relationship is perfect. We made a vow to God and I believe you should have respected that, as a woman. I know you owe me or my son nothing but I just wish you would’ve handled things more carefully. I’m not judging you, I put you and the whole situation in the hands of God, the Higher Power. Just know that as a woman, I expected so much more from you. I never had intentions on reaching out to you this way but after reading your twits tonight, and the constant disregard, you left me no choice. I feel that after 1 and a half years of you hiding this affair and acting like it doesnt exist, that now is the time to confront it, since you talk so openly about it nowThis is not a publicity stunt, I dont have a record coming out. I just need to close this chapter in my life and that means confronting our issues. There is a small child involved. His dad loves him to death and he wants to spend more time with him but hes afraid because he knows we don’t have a relationship. This is my main concern. My son NEEDS his dad and I NEED to be comfortable with you. For him!I know many will see my point and many will not be able to look into what’s real because they only want to see Alicia Keys the celebrity, not the human. This is not for the “people”, this is for you. Like I said I was left no choice but to reach out to you this way. By now, Im sure you want to find a balance in this as well.I read your tweets tonight and I felt they were very insensitive. You have no idea how much pain I was caused because of this affair. Its baffling to me that you don’t understand what I might have gone through with this situation. I dont consider myself a victim anymore, Ive learned alot from this! I just ask you to try and be a bit more realistic and delicate to the situation, at least until my divorce is final. I felt me attending the party would have been a starting point for us, since you shook my hand after I offered it, but I suppose I was wrong.If its so, that you and my husband are meant to be together, then God bless you both and I hope you never have to deal with what I did. I would not wish it on my worst enemy. If you two being together forever is the case, […]

Gone are the days where you would precisely match the shade of blue on your Nike kicks to a graphic tee and New Era fitted.   It looks very planned, and sometimes clownish.   Speaking of clownish, a perfect example is the above image of T-Pain. He’s doing too much with the patent leather kicks, matching blue tee and then the G-Shock watch to match the tee’s graphic.   T-Pain   Come on Lil Wayne…   Lil Wayne really didn’t need to look like a walking yellow Adidas billboard here.   While some may consider this color coordinating, I simply call it O.D. It seems there is a misconception that there’s more skill involved with hooking up an outfit like his, while it’s really quite easy (as long as you are not color blind).   Not saying you should clash (although sometimes that works too) it’s more about being classy and subtle, adding a splash of color here and there.  

DJ Green Lantern cares.   He knows what these lists do to the public, but he is willing to offer his Top 5 Dead or Alive Producers anyway. Still, after running down a few names, he seems somewhat conflicted. Is he secretly worrying in the back of his “evil genius” brain that the Ill Community may skewer his opinions on the bar bee?   Only he knows. Still, with DJ Don Cannon there to add to the suspense, Green gave his favorites and the pair jokingly offer a couple of surprises to boot.   Here is the video with the goods.   video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsfree video player  

?The other day, I had the urge to tell one of my favorite rappers that I loved her.  ??That rapper’s name: Jean Grae.  ?  ?How did I tell her? Well, I didn’t.   I updated my status on Facebook and told all my friends like a coward. Eventually, she saw it. I don’t know if she was online (we’re FB friends) or if somebody told her, but I just felt the need to say it. But, is not some crush on a talented artist.  ??I don’t know why, but I have been missing the woman’s voice in Hip-Hop. I’m not just talking about Jean’s lyrical prowess. Nor am I talking about vixen rappers, even though they are cool for obvious reasons. [Like one younger female friend of mine said, “A little Nicki Minaj never hurt.”]   I’m talking about the women in the game that had a mighty voice, a voice that’s been systematically silenced through the years.?  ?There are so many reasons for their disappearance, but I won’t go into that now. I just miss the ladies, even when they were dissing us men or proclaiming it was “Ladies First.”?  ?When I say I miss women in Hip Hop, I’m not just talking about the one’s holding a microphone. Men have always dominated Hip-Hop, but women were always involved in some way or another. I miss women at concerts and album listenings. I miss debating with a woman who’s the best and why. I miss women music executives and managers; important women such as writers, editors, stylists, publicists and other critical cogs in the machine.   I don’t blame the women who have abandoned Hip-Hop. Who really do they have left to rally behind? Lil Mama? Lil Kim?   Ok, what about male rappers? Most women I know tend to only like a handful of them ie Drake, Lil Wayne and Jay-Z. Even Drake is skating on thin ice thanks to his debut video that nearly pushed women to protest in the streets. Strategically, that was a bad move for Drizzy, because females had hoped he would help spread a positive depiction of women in Hip-Hop.  ?Eh, we can’t entirely blame Drake’s video for the view that women are nothing more than eye candy in Hip Hop. (Maybe we should blame Kanye who directed the clip?)  ??I miss women in Hip Hop but because they aren’t being given a spotlight but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.   Shawnna is a beast.   Amanda Diva is Hip-Hop’s ultimate hustler, merging art and music.   Nicki Minaj was reminiscent of Kim and Foxy, but now has adjusted into a far more original being.   There are also a bevy of underground acts like Eternia, DJ Chela, Toni Blackmon and others doing their thing.?  ??SO WHY ARE THEY M.I.A.??  ?Hoping that it wasn’t just me, I asked some female friend why they thought women had left the scene. Overall they told me that they were “totally frustrated” with Hip-Hop.  ??”There is no diversity,” said one woman, who works in a white-collar job. “ We’re in a recession and they just do all that bragging. ‘I got cars jewels crap is so played. Maybe I’m getting old, but I’m tired of it.” Frustrated or not, she still recognized Raekwon Only Built For Cuban Linx 2 as one of the better albums of the year.  ?My pal Aimstar, general manager at The Source, also cited Rae’s album as one of the reasons why she “refuses to give up on Hip-Hop.”?  ?Not to turn this into an editorial praising Raekwon, but there is something special about that album, Cuban Linx 2. I believe it is appealing, because it reflects a certain expertise in musical diversity, authenticity, musicianship and storytelling.   During the week of OBFCL2’s release, I went to Rae’s concert/album release party and was amazed at the number of women that were in the crowd. Now, I don’t mean traditional Hip-Hop ladies that looked like they smoke weed and listen to Murs on repeat. There were all types of women there.   You had the b-girls rocking Wu shirts (shout out to the Caramel Sundaes). Some women where flashy in heels and form-fitting mini dresses. Others were somewhere in the middle. Racially the crowd was like Jay-Z’s 9/11 concert but on a much smaller scale: Black, White, Asian and others. The venue was so jammed packed and hotter most Hip Hop parties I’ve attended since the 90’s.  ? ?IS THERE ANY HOPE FOR WOMEN  IN RAP?  ??This is the tough question.  ??I want to say yes, because there are living, breathing examples such as Jean Grae.??But we have to keep it real.   One of my industry friends has a daughter that aspires to be a rapper.     “Like most moms, I don’t want to see my daughter hurt, and I feel like in the rap industry, she would get her feelings hurt,” she said. “It seems as if you have to be supported by, or endorsed by a man in order to succeed. It is the one area of business where Black men have way more power than Black women.”?  ?Misogyny has killed the female rap star not because they aren’t talented, but because a lot of male rappers have taught young people and outsiders how to feel about women. Hip-Hop music has taught many men to undervalue women, pour champagne on them, sleep with them and their friends and make them walk home. ?  ?It’s not just the man’s fauly. Women need to take control of the their own fate and destiny. Sadly, that requires a culture reprogramming itself for women to accept each other who they are and stand firm on how they want to be portrayed. If you don’t respect a woman’s views you can’t respect the woman.?  ??Our mindset, especially (but not limited to) in Black culture, has to shift if we want to see more ladies in the rap game. The future of Hip Hop depends on it.   I just know that I felt strange at the […]

Jhung Yuro recently unveiled its Fall 2009 Collection of sneakers. Jhung Yuro (pronounced ‘Young Euro”) is an independent sneaker company that handcrafts each sneaker.   The company was launched in 2005 by Kris Wright. The inspiration for the company is based on Wright’s travels throughout the world.   AllHipHop.com sat down with Wright to discuss the origins of Jhung Yuro, the plans for his company and his goals for the 2009 Jhung Yuro collection.   AllHipHop.com: What was the inspiration for the Jhung Yuro Fall 2009 Collection?   Kris Wright: The Fall 2009 Jhung Yuro line was inspired by formal leather bottom men’s shoes that are typically worn by professionals that wear traditional business attire. What we able to take from these traditional hard bottom shoes and apply them to our shoes were clean lines, rich subtle details and the 80/20 color strategy which in case of the Yuro Fall collection is a majority of muted colors that falls right in line with the Fall season and nice complementary accent colors.    AllHIpHop.com: Tell us about the Fall Collection?   Kris Wright: The best way to describe the Fall collection is tight and right. We have been riding on the strategy of less is more for the back half of 2009. in the past we have offered broad assortments of product and a lot of good shoes would get lost in the mix of just having to much product. For 2009 we decided concentrated on developing the new models that we collectively felt was the right direction A. For the brand and B. Market ready. The product follows the same formula the has defined Jhung Yuro product from the brands inception, rich full grain leathers, suades, nubucks and patent leathers. Napa Pig Skin collar/sock lining and sock EVA sockliners for comfort when wearing the product. AllHipHop.com: How did you come up with the name Jhung Yuro?   Kris Wright: The name was given to me as a nickname by my crew of friends about 8 years ago because of my affinity for traveling around the world. It began with just Yuro initially but then I was dubbed Jhung Yuro because I was the youngest of my group of friends. Additionally we all decided we would create a unique spelling for the name because we did not want the name to be to literally like the European Union’s currency and the dictionary term young.   AllHipHop.com: How did you get into the footwear business?   Kris Wright: I started my career in footwear as an intern for Reebok International while I was attending Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA. Funny but true story I always knew that I wanted to be in the footwear industry, and I was persistent and diligent in my pursuit of looking for an internship. I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time, knocking on all of the right doors because it earned me my first ever internship and an 8 year kick start at Reebok which has turned into 13 years in the business.   AllHipHop.com: Is this what you envisioned going into the shoe game?   Kris Wright: Yes, becoming an entrepreneur is something that I always wanted for myself and aspired to be, however I did not actually know that the many job descriptions I held at Reebok would transition me into owning my own brand. I actually used to work in Sports Marketing working with professional athletes that Reebok signed to contracts and I thought my career would have continued in sports marketing transitioning into another company, industry or working on my own. Fortunately enough I was presented with an opportunity by a good friend that I worked for at Reebok to manage one of the brands hottest footwear business units at the time. Taking this job set the stage for me to become better educated on the product side of the business. Everything I learned and the experience I got managing the product side of the business was invaluable.   AllHipHop.com: What type of style would you say Jhung Yuro has?   Kris Wright: Jhung Yuro is best defined as a metropolitan lifestyle footwear brand, from a styling point of view. AllHipHop.com: Do you plan on collaborating with any recording artists or celebrities in the future that you can discuss? Kris Wright: No celebrity collaborations or partnerships are on the horizon for the brand.   AllHipHop.com: If so, in what capacity?What are your future plans for the brand, where would you like to see it go?   Kris Wright: As a small independent brand the goal is always growth at the end of the day. Growth will come in many different forms inclusive of broader distribution, increased volume of production, robust sales and broad consumer appeal. I’m no different than any other person that owns or runs a business, I would like Jhung Yuro to experience the benefits that our great capitalist country has to offer popular consumer product brands.