Exterior view of the LV store at Crystals in Las Vegas. The spectacular light show is made by over 4,000 LEDs. This Louis Vuitton store will be the largest in North America & the 5th largest location worldwide.
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Obama, OctoMom, Tiger Woods, Balloon Boy, Kanye West, Michael Jackson, and much much more...
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Determination, desire, motivation, passion, and ambition. These are the words, among others, that ran through my mind in terms of describing our current president of the United States as I read his book, The Audacity of Hope. I decided to be a little unorthodox by posting this and giving my personal opinion as 2009 is coming to an end and we are entering a new decade. I had not had time until recently to finish the text and the plan was to finish before 2010 (mission accomplished). I'll be concise.
In his book, Obama vividly gives insight into his political & personal life. Some of the things he discusses include, but not limited to, the opposing & similar views of republicans & democrats, speaks boldly of our founding fathers & the U.S. Constitution, talks religion, addresses the melting pot, and the prevalence & importance of globalization.
As I was in the last pages of the book, one thing seemed to stand out. The day before being sworn into the U.S. Senate "a very earnest reporter raised his hand and asked, 'Senator Obama, what is your place in history?' Even some of the other reporters had to laugh." That was January 2005.
My 2 cents.
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Off of the The Professional Leisure Tour free mixtape. Studio album scheduled to be released March 9th, 2010.
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Shaun Boothe (feat. Talib Kweli) - Concepts
Reflection Eternal (feat. Jay Electronica, J. Cole, & Mos Def) - Just Begun
I Wanna Rock - Cassidy & Jag
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(DJ desk made of folded stainless steel)
METAFARM designs high-end DJ desks made to the specifications of their clientele's needs. All DJ desks are custom made for each customer with each desk ready to be built from different materials and finishes.
Neon orange painted wooden DJ desk attached directly to the wall (left). And DJ desk w/concrete legs & linoleum middlepart (right).
Veneered DJ desk.
Black painted wooden DJ desk.
(Via METROFARM)
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Diddy talks business, fashion, and goes in-depth into his private life.
PLAYBOY: You recently turned 40. The younger rappers want the older artists to step aside. Does that make you feel less relevant?
COMBS: No. It will take any young artist a long time to reach my status. It will take them a long time to be looking at themselves on a billboard in Times Square as they eat lunch doing a PLAYBOY interview. It will take them a long time to get mobbed in Africa, Bolivia and Russia. It will take them a long time to drop an hour of hits. I have become the American rap-star dream.
PLAYBOY: Does the ageism offend you?
COMBS: I don’t get involved in hate in any capacity. I don’t feel anybody can fuck with me, end of discussion. I’m not even trying to be young. In hip-hop years, I’m about 55. [laughs] I look prettier, I’m healthier, I can run faster. Now that I’m 40 I’m going to have a big party and tell people I’m 55.
PLAYBOY: You sound like one of your idols, Muhammad Ali. Are you saying you’re the greatest?
COMBS: If I’m not inspiring you at this point, you’re a lost hope. I’m one of the baddest motherfuckers to ever do this shit, and I’m not saying that in an arrogant way. That’s a fact, in black and white. I dare you to write down all my achievements. It will be overwhelming. Break it down and then say who’s number one in hip-hop. Who else has conquered television? Who else has conquered fashion? I don’t want to hear you have a fashion line. Do you have a Council of Fashion Designers of America award? I need to know. Have you run a marathon? If you all still want to fuck with me after I ran the marathon, I don’t know what else to do.
PLAYBOY: You recently turned 40. The younger rappers want the older artists to step aside. Does that make you feel less relevant?
COMBS: No. It will take any young artist a long time to reach my status. It will take them a long time to be looking at themselves on a billboard in Times Square as they eat lunch doing a PLAYBOY interview. It will take them a long time to get mobbed in Africa, Bolivia and Russia. It will take them a long time to drop an hour of hits. I have become the American rap-star dream.
PLAYBOY: Does the ageism offend you?
COMBS: I don’t get involved in hate in any capacity. I don’t feel anybody can fuck with me, end of discussion. I’m not even trying to be young. In hip-hop years, I’m about 55. [laughs] I look prettier, I’m healthier, I can run faster. Now that I’m 40 I’m going to have a big party and tell people I’m 55.
PLAYBOY: You sound like one of your idols, Muhammad Ali. Are you saying you’re the greatest?
COMBS: If I’m not inspiring you at this point, you’re a lost hope. I’m one of the baddest motherfuckers to ever do this shit, and I’m not saying that in an arrogant way. That’s a fact, in black and white. I dare you to write down all my achievements. It will be overwhelming. Break it down and then say who’s number one in hip-hop. Who else has conquered television? Who else has conquered fashion? I don’t want to hear you have a fashion line. Do you have a Council of Fashion Designers of America award? I need to know. Have you run a marathon? If you all still want to fuck with me after I ran the marathon, I don’t know what else to do.
PLAYBOY: You’re feeling kind of defensive, huh?
COMBS: It is important to defend yourself and make sure history’s written the right way.
PLAYBOY: Let’s get into some of the criticisms. You’ve been attacked for being one of the few rappers who don’t write their own rhymes. Is that a fair accusation?
COMBS: My instrument and my tone represented Harlem—my swagger, my lazy flow. Nobody came in and told me how to do that. I was spoiled because my first rhyme was written by Biggie. People don’t know that Biggie was the one who pushed me to be an artist. I was afraid to do it, but he said, “The crowd goes crazy when you come out. I’m gonna write you some rhymes.” We did “It’s All About the Benjamins” and “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down.”
PLAYBOY: Were you friends with Michael Jackson?
COMBS: He came to a party I had in Beverly Hills at Ron Burkle’s house, after the MTV awards in 2008. I invited young Hollywood to network and let them know I was coming out there and doing my thing on the acting scene. In the middle of the party, security said, “Mr. Combs Michael Jackson is here to see you.” He wasn’t on the guest list, and he wanted to make sure it was all right to come in. I said, “Michael? Shit.” We sat in a booth, and he said, “Let me see your ring,” as if he was ready to buy it off me. He was acting as if he was from the hood. Then he whispered in my ear, “Where’s Beyoncé at? I’m trying to meet her.” So I introduced her to Mike. I thought he was coming in to meet me, but he was focused on Beyoncé. [laughs]
PLAYBOY: You’ve never told your theory about who killed Biggie. Do you have one?
COMBS: People have speculated about it being a remnant of the East Coast-West Coast feud. Maybe people in L.A. saw us as disrespectful and took matters into their own hands. It would be wrong for me to speculate, so I’ve always waited for the truth to come out.
PLAYBOY: Have you heard people say you know something but don’t want to talk to the police?
COMBS: I’m not holding up a street code or anything. It’s not as if I know something and I’m out there handling it on my own. I just don’t know. It’s such a shocking thing. No matter what people say, it’s not the norm for musicians to get gunned down in mob-hit fashion. That right there was serious. That’s not a regular drive-by, that’s assassination.
PLAYBOY: You’re saying there was a thought-out plan?
COMBS: It was a professional hit. There were bullets in one door of our car and nowhere else.
PLAYBOY: You consider Frank Sinatra one of your heroes. Why?
COMBS: He’s my hero because of the way he lived, man—that cat lived to the fullest. I want to be sitting back one day and say I had an impact, that I helped change part of the world. I also want to have some good laughs and memories. Sinatra’s my hero for having a good time.
PLAYBOY: Does his relationship with Sammy Davis Jr. make you appreciate him even more?
COMBS: Hell yeah. You had the most popular guy in the world doing the most unpopular thing, you know? He treated Sammy and black people in general as friends.
PLAYBOY: What do you most have in common with Sinatra?
COMBS: The biggest parallel isn’t showmanship or partying. The way he loved Ava Gardner is the way I’ve loved a woman. And the way he was hurt by the John Kennedy betrayal is the way I was hurt.
See the complete interview at Playboy.com
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According to NBA rules, players are not allowed to tweet post-game until the whole team finishes talking to the media. Jennings tweeted 15 minutes after the game (against the Trailblazers). The $7.5k tweet goes as folloews: “Back to 500. Yess!!! “500″ means where doing good. Way to Play Hard Guys.” Fair or unfair?
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Boldstar* Japan Footwear Gila Boot. Available at Oki-Ni
Converse x Missoni. Chuck Taylor with Missoni signature zigzag pattern. Available early April 2010 in NY & Beverly Hills Missoni boutiques, Jeffrey (NY & ATL), and select international boutiques. Retail price: $200.
Lanvin Metallic Print And Suede High Trainer SN Spring/Summer 2010 collection. Available for Pre-Order. Retail: $770.
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As far as the trailer goes, Iron Man 2 is living up to its expectations. The cast includes: Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man), Don Cheadle (War Machine), Mickey Rourke (the villain, Whiplash), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), and Olivia Munn (Iron Maiden).
In theaters May 7, 2010.
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MTV did a brief interview with Diddy on the unveiling of his wax figure at Madame Tussauds in New York. I remember getting a glimpse view of Snoop's wax figure at Madame Tussauds in Hollywood, they can fool you for a second.
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New BBC belt and buckle.
It reads the following across the belt: "WEALTH IS OF THE HEART AND MIND NOT THE POCKET"
(via BBC blog)
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This is why I love summertime! I was watching Beyonce performing the other day, which led me to make this post. While the eye candy below is a short list, it reflects the ones most, if not all, of us can agree on.
Stacy Keibler
Kate Moss
Beyonce
Vanessa Minnillo
Kelly Brook
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After making a 2-pointer, Lebron decided to take some french fries from a Thunder's fan. I hope those reading have a sense of humor because I LOL'd. He most likely made the kid popular in school!
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Neon Gorilla presents A Day In The Life of DJ Neil Armstrong, the Official DJ of Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 Tour. The Neon Gorilla crew documented Neil during the tour’s stop in Toronto, which was also the official release day of our Ransom by Adidas Footwear Collection.
(via RANSOM)
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Juelz always spits the truth, keeping it real. Ya digg?
Three/21 and Skull Gang present the “Mixin’ Up The Medicine” music video for Juelz Santana feat. Yelawolf. Like the Bob Dylan sample, our concept pays homage to the original Dylan video as well as detailing the perspective of Juelz as a mad scientist character who must live in isolation in order to create the “medicine”. Lots of potion and tons of guns. Enjoy!
(via Three 21 Media)
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Kanye has been staying on the DL since the Taylor Swift incident, but his work certainly has not gone unnoticed. EW rated 'Ye's The College Dropout as the number one top ten album of the decade. Given the criticism he has received, this is a win for 'Ye. He replied in his blog with the following statement (Kanye tends to type with caps lock so don't scrutinize me on the quote):
WOW... THIS IS REALLY FLATTERING... I'VE HAD SOME UPS AND DOWNS THIS YEAR, WELL ACTUALLY THIS DECADE. JUST SEEING THIS COVER TAKES ME BACK TO THAT TIME OF MY LIFE. I REMEMBER HOW MUCH PAIN AND LOVE WENT INTO THIS ALBUM. NO ONE SAW IT COMING. THIS PROJECT WASN'T ABOUT ME, IT WAS ABOUT A TIME IN PEOPLES LIVES WHERE PEOPLE FORCE OPINIONS ON YOU AND YOU HAVE TO MAKE CHOICES FOR YOURSELF. WE LOVED 50 CENT BUT WE WANTED TO BE THE YANG. WE WANTED TO WEAR PINK POLOS AND RAP ABOUT BEING HURT INSTEAD BEING INVINCIBLE. THERE WAS A CORE GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO WORKED ON THIS ALBUM EVERYDAY.... PLAIN PAT, JOHN MONOPOLY, DON CRAWLEY, ANTHONY KILHOFFER, MANNY MARROQUIN, JOHN LEGEND, DEVON HARRIS, RYHMEFEST, GEE ROBERSON, HIP HOP, AL BRANCH, DAMON DASH, GABE TESORIERO, CRAIG BAUER, GLC, OL' SCHOOL ICE GREE, CONSEQUENCE, B NICE AND MY MOM. I WAS MOST INSPIRED BY THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL AND I LISTENED TO THAT ALBUM EVERYDAY WHILE WORKING ON MY DEBUT. THANK YOU FOR THIS ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND ALSO FOR PUTTING "THE BLUEPRINT" ON THE LIST ALSO. I LOVED "THE LOVE BELOW' AND "GET RICH OR DIE TRYING" ALSO. THEY BOTH EQUALLY DESERVED THE NUMBER ONE SPOT IN MY EYES BUT THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE NUMBER ONE!!!
In case you're curious, here's the rest of the list:
1. The College Dropout, Kanye West (2004)
2. The Blueprint, Jay-Z (2001)
3. Kid A, Radiohead (2000)
4. Stankonia, OutKast (2000)
5. Love And Theft, Bob Dylan (2001)
6. Home, The Dixie Chicks (2002)
7. Funeral, The Arcade Fire (2004)
8. I Am... Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé (2008)
9. FutureSex/LoveSounds, Justin Timberlake, (2006)
10. You Are Free, Cat Power (2003)
(via Kanye's blog)
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Method Man always cracking jokes. Lol.
Video is from the upcoming Big Pun: The Legacy (The Lost Files) out on February 7, 2010 (which marks the 10 year anniversary of Pun's death).
(via 2DB)
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Happy Birthday to Jay-Z (Shawn Carter). I have the utmost respect for Jay being one of America's top successful entrepreneurs, not to mention a top hip-hop artist today with an extensive repertoire. Originally from New York and raised by a single mother in the Marcy projects, from Reasonable Doubt to Blueprint 3, Jay's success is undeniable. Even at this age and time, he continues to stay more relevant than some believe still breaking records, most recently “Empire State Of Mind” being Jay-Z’s first #1 Billboard Hot 100 Single. It's never too late for anything. As Jay-Z said, "If you can't respect that your whole perspective is wack."
Here are a few of my personal favorite Jay-Z tracks:
The Ruler's Back
Brooklyn's Finest (Feat. The Notorious B.I.G.)
December 4th
99 Problems
D'Evils
Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)
Empire State of Mind
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