Around Town After Leaving the Office

A new batch of Snapbacks are in. They should be up for purchase by the end of the week.

Spring/Summer 2011

While cats up North are still freezing their tail off, Florida is settling in with temperatures in the low 70's. The moderate temps give us a minute to break out looks for Spring and Summer.

This season, we're looking to distinctive colors and fabric. When it comes to vintage wear, there's no doubt that looks from the Northern hemisphere dominate. There's nothing particularly wrong with them, but some of their region's styles aren't conducive to the Florida sun. In order to take back the essence of that "Sunny" Florida reputation, we felt the need to bring back various vibrant and loose Hawaiian Aloha shirts and beach pieces. Take away the righteous colors involved, and there's sill the comfort factor. Trust me, the cooling fabric can do wonders while walking around in the Florida heat.

The majority of these shirts come from the 60's and 70's, when Hawaiian shirts were really popping. G.I.s returning home post WWII were probably the biggest factor in the Aloha shirt's initial push to fashion's forefront. Soldiers stationed in Hawaii brought them back home, then the era's celebs helped the look pick up more steam. The style gradually lost it's luster in the 80's. It seemed as if every tourist visiting any beach town, had to have an "I'm on vacation" shirt.

Pair these colorful pieces with modern staples and you got somethin. Look for these to hit our shop in the next few days.

My man TeJay reporting in from Thailand with Pleasantries!!

I'm glad to call this guy my friend. Me and TeJay Henderson spent many a days hatching plans for the future. TeJay wears many hats, including those in-seemed with Filmmaker, photographer, producer, and DJ across the brim. His latest short film was shot in Thailand on his 26th born-day. I only see progress happening with this brother and fellow Florida A&M grad.

MLK Day Moving Forward

Yesterday, everyone had their day off to remember the life and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Whether or not you chose to spend that particular day on leisurely activities or in the community giving a helping hand, the "Holiday" cannot be the end of your contributions. Located in Dr. King's many verbal manifestos, there is a message of equality and love for the greater good of all mankind. Have we as people taken the time to help our community in some way? In these times of economic insecurity, have we taken the "I have to get mine" stance? No matter how bad things get, one should always look to contribute, even if you feel it to be non consequential.

Too often people think, "If I were well off, I'd contribute much more". The legacy of MLK and many others, who scarified for human equality, would beg to differ. No matter how much individuals have monetarily, there is always something to be given. It may or may not be tangible, but It is honorary all the same. Thoughts, ideas, morals, and skills get passed along just as easily as the shirt you threw to Goodwill. Let's say for example, you pass on the collection Salvation Army bucket, but you give your insights on photo/film to a young mind. How far does the 2 bucks go compared to a tidbit of knowledge? Sure, It's only football you may teach to the kids, but your mannerisms, diligence, and discipline do not fall on deaf ears. Long story short, give people a peace of you. In my opinion this is the best way to take MLK's dream beyond an "off day" at work. Share knowledge and wisdom with your fellow man, it will do wonders for all people in the long run.

Mega Trife Wuz Here

This Brother came down from Brockton, Mass to visit one of my good friends, during Florida A&M's 2010 Homecoming. Everyone who's ever been to a FAMU homecoming knows it's the be all end all of all Black homecomings. Joining forces to bury ourselves in debauchery for the weekend, we got into various hip-hop discussions along the way. Little did I know, guy was a dope MC. Teaming with VA based Producer Nonsense (currently stationed in Orlando), Trife sounds like a natural link to the "Boombap" era. This is not to say that he's stuck in the past, because he definitely brings a new flow to the world. Old heads and new will appreciate his work.

An Ode to Dominique Wilkins and his Fingerwaved Hightop Fade

Nique was "it" when I was a youngin, plain and simple. MJ was great and all, but as a 10 year old living in "The A", Dominique was "The Man". Coming down on cats wasn't just a job for my dog, it was an obsession. His infamous yellow and red Reebok Pumps dangled as his power dunks rocked the Omni Arena.

ATL was definitely poppin in the early 90's. Braves had dominant pitching, Deion "Primetime" Sanders took helicopters to multiple sports in one day, LaFace and So So Def Records were starting their monster run as major players in Hip-Hop and R&B, and the city saw itself labeled as "The New Harlem". While all this was underway, Wilkins, the most lethal 2 leg dunker of all-time, had the key to the city (along with many other young, Black and rich men).


Easily one of the top 5 in game dunk artists, he was a tough player to guard. He definitely wouldn't be considered a shooter, but he could hit jumpers with people in his face. He wasn't a great ball handler, but he could drive past defenders. He was a scorer. The Human Highlight Reel accompanied by his legendary fingerwaved fade. That specific fade was unique in that it was wavy at the top, like a modern Nat King Cole. It was all the rage in the "A" with others including "Neon" Deion sporting it.

I may do a whole series of write ups on specific high-top fades from the NBA in the future, as I am mystified by the fade. For now, I'll just leave you with some Nique highlights

Are You Up On....

#2 Homeboy Sandman (Not Sandman from Re-Up Gang)

When you hear a few rappers for the first time, you precede to think, "What the fuck is going on here." Rappers that command, for whatever reason,(in my prospective of course) that thought may be: MF Doom, Ghostface, Biz Markie, maybe sometimes Jay Electronica. It's not that any one of these artists are speaking a foreign language, but that they kinda catch you off guard at first listen. Homeboy Sandman sits squarely in the middle of that list.

Dropping out Hofstra's Law School in his third year, the guy has an overall message to be gained through his music. What I take from it is "Let's Do Better". One example is a track entitled "Mean Mug", featured on his second full length LP The Good Sun. In this humorous song he requests a cease fire to all unnecessary mean mugs. In "Strange Planet" he potently asks the question of "Why? Why do we do such dumb things?" He approaches his rhymes in a whimsical yet thought provoking style. Talking to himself, dramatically altering speed of flow and cracking jokes on himself are not odd to hear in just one song. People can't help but respect an artist that genuinely makes them stop and think. Believe me, I know some rappers can seem preachy on that front. That doesn't necessarily seem to be Sandman's objective. He just flat out asks questions that seem to be very open ended.

I would recommend "The Good Sun" LP to everyone. Homeboy Sandman is one of a group of MCs giving hip hop a hope for growth in the future, not just with his skill, but also for his message.