Unofficial Supreme archiving website makes a call for help to all those who can submit more prints, make corrections, add model names, numbers etc and also help out with identifying fakes!

Feel free to post all of the above in the forum found at here

Info.Image: Hypebeast

American clothing distribution company, Fosho Foshow, has announced that it will be hosting it’s own event at the same time as the Magic Trade Show in Vegas. The company hosts brands including Lemar & Dauley, 10 Deep, Rocksmith, DC Shoes, HIQEE, Phenomenon, Complete Technique, and Kilo Goods. All will be showing their 2007 collections which can be seen by appointment only at the Alexis Park Resort from Feb. 13 to 15. Expect well known dj’s and free cocktails.

Info.Image: Hypebeast

The well known label “The Hundreds” are making a break from online in to RL (real life). The shop will be opening on February 1st at 11am, located in LA at Fairfax and Rosewood. Collaborations with Crooks & Castles, Mighty Healthy and Rogue Status will soon be available for purchase, along with their classic public label gear.

Info.Image: High Snobiety

Orisue have unvieled their Spring 1 collection. The new line features an array of jackets, crewnecks, hoodies & tees with more styles available when the collection hits shelves within the next few weeks. A standout in the collection so far is the black hoodie with elbow patches, special pockets and other fine details, of course all cut & sewn.

This talented label keeps evolving and could be set for big things this year.

Info.Image: High Snobiety

Philadelphia born, Manhattan resident, Kareem Black, has traveled the world on the strength of his photography. Perhaps best known among the urban community for his work on the LRG ad campaigns, and his spreads in XXL, Vibe, and the Source, Kareem’s subjects extend far beyond hip-hop artists. A glance at his client list reveals some of the biggest music companies, magazines, and media companies in the world today. Had he gone the academic route like the rest of his family, your favorite magazines would definitely not be as fresh, so Format wants to take a minute to thank the two people responsible for making this happen. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Format: What was your parent’s reaction to finding out you wanted to get into photography?
Kareem: That’s the way my life worked out, I’m not really good at anything else except for photography or Star Trek trivia and that’s about it really. But there’s not really too much money in those other things. Ever since I was young, I was doing art related things well and everything that wasn’t art related I did badly, so I think that my parents understood my decision when I wanted to go to art school.

I think it’s kind of like a leap of faith on any parent’s part when they send their kids to art school — for some families their risk isn’t as great as other families. You might be able to, say, go back into the family business or study something else elsewhere and wrack up additional tuition costs. With me, it was like, this is what I’m good at, this was really my only shot to do something that I was interested in and could excel at, so they totally had my back. Whether or not they understood, or understand now, exactly what I do as a career is a completely other question, but they were always supportive.

“Everyday is really different, it’s completely possible for me to sleep in and not do shit during the day, but it’s always in the back of my mind that there’s so many fucking photographers out there and so many people want to be doing what I’m doing that you just cannot sleep.”

Format: Let’s discuss your average day. You just got a phone call, shit sounds hectic. What is an average day for Kareem black?
Kareem: There’s no real average day you know? When I’m not shooting, I’m doing 100 percent self-promotion, and that happens in any one of a hundred different ways. I’m always on my computer, I’m always on my IMs, I’m always writing emails, scanning, updating my site. Right now my intern is filling out envelopes to do mailers to my clients. Yesterday I had a huge meeting for this pharmaceutical ad I’m doing this weekend in Houston, which involved me putting on nice clothes and speaking to a room of people who are about 20 years older than I am about shit they’re spending a lot of money on.

Everyday is really different, it’s completely possible for me to sleep in and not do shit during the day, but it’s always in the back of my mind that there’s so many fucking photographers out there and so many people want to be doing what I’m doing that you just cannot sleep. There are so many of us that the trick is to make people know who you are. It’s always self-promotion. I’m not going to lie and say I’m the best photographer in the world, but I’m probably one of the best media strategists as far as photographers go and definitely one of the best electronic media strategists and that’s what’s contributed to my success.

Format: And there are a billion photographers, but there aren’t a lot of African-American photographers. What are some of the reasons for that, if there are specific reasons?
Kareem: I don’t think there’s any kind of concrete reason for that. I think that what we’re talking about is socioeconomics, which goes back decades and society changes very slowly. So, for example, my parents were children of the civil rights movement. That was their generation. Their children, my generation, are really kind of the first generation to experience the fruits of the civil rights movement. We grew up enjoying what they fought for. I’ve never been chased by police dogs or any of these crazy videos that you see from back in the day where you’re like “how the fuck could that be allowed to happen?”

I think that for a lot of the have-nots of the generation before, it would be almost foolish to say to their children “yeah, sure you should be an artist, lets spend a lot of money on college for a career where the chances of making it are nowhere near certain.” It’s not any kind of deficiency or industry bias, or racism, I think that there just aren’t that many of us right now. In the past most people of my generation who had the opportunity to pursue higher education probably chose more secure routs to achieving the “American dream”. Photography in particular and art in general is a field where absolutely nothing is promised, know what I mean? If its your families first chance to truly pursue that dream why chose something as uncertain as trying to become a professional photographer? The generation after us, there will be a bunch of us. With that said, now that there a few of us here, it’s interesting seeing how the industry reacts to us, like what they think we might be interested in. When I first started, everyone thought that I wanted to shoot hip-hop and sure that was kind of cool but I have other interests. I love NASCAR, I love karaoke, I love politics, I love chess etc. Just because you’re a certain ethnicity, or just because you’re a girl, doesn’t mean you like the color pink.

“When I first started, everyone thought that I wanted to shoot hip-hop and sure that was kind of cool but I have other interests. I love NASCAR, I love karaoke, I love politics, I love chess etc. Just because you’re a certain ethnicity, or just because you’re a girl, doesn’t mean you like the color pink.”

Format: Did that irritate you? Did you get that a lot when you first started?
Kareem: No it didn’t irritate me. I understood what was happening and I understood that it was my responsibility to kind of dispel that impression that people might have. If not me then who? I feel like there are peoples that are very marginalized in media, not just Black people, but women, everyone. So I’m sitting here, I’m watching TV, and there’s really just one image of Black males in popular media, so it’s like how can you really blame some people for thinking that all I want to do is listen to hip-hop, play basket ball, get giant rims and dance?

Format: Let’s also speak about your corporate photos compared to portraits or entertainment. What is your mindset when you walk into room and there are men or women that are 20 years older than you, and you have to sell yourself? What’s your game face or plan?
Kareem: I love it; I love walking into that situation. I know who I am at heart. In New York it’s kind of split in half. You’re either below 14th street or above 14th street. There’s downtown and then there’s midtown. Me, I’m a downtown kid at heart. I used to be sponsored skateboarding, I love going out, partying, drinking. I’m a 29 year old guy. I like hanging out with girls, I like staying out late. I love going into midtown and them not knowing what I am. I like being in their world. I like walking into a boardroom and everyone having to listen to me and in the back of my mind I know where I was last night and it probably wasn’t classy. It’s not intimidating at all. It’s a challenge, I like a challenge. How well can I do this? It’s fun winning them over, its fun watching their faces change as I convince them that I’m right.

Format: Can you speak a bit about fashion? You’re in the fashion industry quite often. Are you stylish guy?
Kareem: No, I’m totally not a stylish guy at all. I get a ton of free clothes from places. LRG sponsors me and I LOVE them. They are my family; Puma sponsors me when I do television. I love Puma! That’s basically what I wear. Unless I have an event, or I’m going to the boardroom I like to wear suits also. I got a two-finger ring from my friend Jules; she’s a famous jeweler in New York. People seem to dig that, but other than that, I’m trying to get a pair of golden laurels made, I think that would be dope, but other than that my personal style is based on who sponsors me. I got a box of clothes from another company last week that I can’t wear, and I’m giving it away because I’m very loyal to the company to the guys over at LRG. It’s one of those things where I feel fucking stupid saying it, but I just want to support my friends.

Format: Are there any specific ads that you’d like to do for photography that you haven’t yet done?
Kareem: Not really, I mean I don’t think about it like that. People ask me all the time like, what celebrity would you like to shoot, and what ads would you like to shoot. I guess there are people I’d like to meet. I don’t really think about ads that way. It’s all about the picture. If it’s an exciting pharmaceutical ad, I’m completely down to do that. I’d rather do that than a boring sneaker ad.

“I like walking into a boardroom and everyone having to listen to me and in the back of my mind I know where I was last night”

Format: What about what you wouldn’t do?
Kareem: There are definitely things I would not shoot. A friend of mine, my mentor, did an ad for the military that they said was specifically angled towards Black and Hispanic people. There’s a morality question there about what am I doing to kind of perpetuate this warrior class in our country. Come on now, nobody wants to go to war. People want college credit. Let’s be honest. That’s what I think. I’d love to hear what the percentage of people who are actually there because they don’t need college credit is. I think that there are a high percentage of people who are there because they want to go to school, but they can’t.

I think as far as career goes and maintaining a positive direction, there’s shit that I wouldn’t shoot because I know how it would look if people saw I was shooting it. If I’m not interested, and there’s nothing in it for me, then I’m probably not going to shoot it. There are a couple different ways to get paid from a job. A lot of photographers don’t realize that. Getting paid in currency is not the only way to get paid. I’ve shot for a million magazines for free. You’re getting paid in exposure. This pharmaceutical ad I’m about to do, it’s going to be the most boring thing ever, but I’m going to get a ton of money for it. There’s money, exposure and weather or not it interests you and you can put in your portfolio. If it’s something that you’re genuinely interested in, at the end of the day you’re an artist. You want to take some pictures of something dope. I’ll do that; I’ll spend my own money on that.

Format: Talk about your street campaign and your e-marketing campaign.
Kareem: Let’s look at what everyone else is doing. All the rest of the photographers are doing promo cards and sending their books out, and they all have agents, and that’s what photographers do, and that’s what photographers have done for decades, which I have no problem with. I have promo cards and I send my books out too, but there are so many photographers, let’s do something new.

Matt Salacuse and I came up with these sticker campaigns. We’re in the second generation of our sticker campaigns. The first ones were black and white prints on 8×10 stickers with these catchy taglines on them. One of mine was, “to wed Lindsay Lohan” and it’s totally taking advantage of celebrity culture that we live in right now. So many people came to my site and some of them were pissed off like “there’s nothing about Lindsay Lohan on this site”, and I’m like, yeah, but you looked on my site. It’s one of those things where your plastering your city and your garnering attention from not just the industry but from the regular people, and in that way, if you’re garnering attention from the regular people, you’ll be garnering attention from the industry.

I kind of take offense to the way that it’s usually been done on another level where it’s like photographers and artists just speak to other photographers and artists. It seems very presumptuous very highbrow. Let’s do something for everybody. Let’s do some real pop art in the kind of Andy Warhol sense of it, where it’s real popular art. But it’s also advertising. I told Matt right before we started doing it, if we succeed then people can drink to our originality, but if we fail then people can drink to our originality. I think that that’s what the industry is about, that’s what art’s about. Our stickers had no photography on them. We got respect for the fact that it’s never been done before, and that’s what art’s about.

More Info: http://www.kareemblack.com/

Touted as the second coming of Big Pun, Brooklyn rapper, Joell Ortiz, has some big shoes to fill – literally. One of many up and coming rappers in New York, Ortiz has already made a mark in the city with his Block Royal fam, particularly in the Spanish community. Set to drop his debut album, The Brick in April of 2007, Ortiz is looking to expand his fan base beyond NY. Recent links with Koch and Aftermath should help dude get recognized, but make sure you keep your eye on him. Already on a diet in preparation of his Aftermath release, by the time you see him on BET, he may have lost 50 pounds.

Format: How did your release on Koch Records materialize?
Joell Ortiz: We was talking to Koch before we were talking to Aftermath, so it’s just the grind, doing all the SOB shows, doing all the underground things in New York or the Tri-State and people just gained wind of me through the street talk, the bars and whatever, and that got us a meeting with Conscious. He was still in music and we decided to drop an album.

“You could be a big nigga and make big cool, you could make 320-fuckin’-pounds feel fuckin’ like 140 when you walk in a spot.”

Format: Please explain your come-up in the rap game.
Joell Ortiz: I did an EA Sports battle with the people over at EA and Jermaine Dupri had sponsored it, and I won that battle. I only did one battle. I just came up in a hip-hop orientated area where everyone was rhyming and shit, in Greenpoint and the Williamsburg areas of Brooklyn, but I was mostly in the studio. I wasn’t really doing the battle thing. I was trying to record and know how to get songs together.

Format: You have a track on NBA Live 2005, how did you get a track on that?
Joell Ortiz: Yeah, I’m on NBA Live 2005 that was a result of winning that battle, that EA battle.

Format: How did your homeboys react when they found out you’re music is on a video game?
Joell Ortiz: They were buggin! I must of received hundreds of calls that day, ‘You know you’re on a video game!’ I was like, ‘Yeah dude, I ain’t going to tell dudes, but that’s what’s up.’ They’re like, ‘Yo, this shit is hot!’ It is called “Mean Business” and even to this day, I do shows and they’re like, ‘Yo, that was the hottest track on there.’ That was a good look.

“Oh man, Block Royal – we run the city. We run New York, right now we run New York.”

Format: You used to play basketball, what position did you play?
Joell Ortiz: I was a point guard and the truest of them all, too. I was ridiculous. I was all-city. If I were to pursue that I could have went to C-ball, I had scholarship offers. I could of went to division one and see what happens from there, but my heart was in the pen and paper so I stuck it out with this.

Format: Please explain how you were linked up with Aftermath.
Joell Ortiz: A friend of mine over at Interscope named Karen had got a CD to Dr Dre’s assistant over in L.A. and she called Karen back and was like, ‘Yo, Dre really liked Joell, like Dre is really feeling the CD.’ Karen didn’t think nothing of it, she was like, ‘Oh that’s cool.’ Dre’s assistant is like, ‘No, no, no, you don’t understand. He’s feeling it, feeling it. He wants Joell to fly out and meet him!’ Two days after that I flew out and met Dre. Shit, it was a wrap from there! We spoke, he said, ‘I really want to be brief, I just flew you out to make sure you weren’t a knucklehead and if you want to be on Aftermath, welcome to Aftermath.’ Eight years of grinding for a ten minute meeting!

“Big Pun was huge in my community. Big Pun was huge in every hip-hop community – Big Pun was just huge, literally, and everything else!”

Format: You’re compared to Big Pun. Explain how it is to be a Puerto Rican rapper in America.
Joell Ortiz: It is good. They say, ‘Yo this guy Ortiz – the Puerto Rican thing is moving, yo the nigga is like Big Pun, because he’s Spanish and he’s kind of chubby or whatever and his flow is crazy.’ It’s good in that way, because it is something to talk about and sometimes it bites me, because it’s like, ‘Yo, I ain’t gonna front, that nigga’s nice – for a Spanish dude,’ you know what I’m saying, because there is still an invisible wall up for Puerto Ricans–just for Latinos, in general–that we’re still trying to chip away. Hip-hop is predominantly black for so long that it ain’t going to happen over night – I’m glad to partake in this revolution.

Format: Can you explain what Big Pun meant for your community?
Joell Ortiz: Big Pun was huge in my community. Big Pun was huge in every hip-hop community – Big Pun was just huge, literally, and everything else! The nigga Pun was the man, dude. When he passed away it was like the old dude passed away. Like, Pun was the first rapper that I saw people lighting candles on the corner for. He didn’t grow up over here, but we’re putting candles up with his picture. It was like somebody in your hood that you knew all your life passed away, but it also brought us together, so even in an event that was tragic, he made something larger happen. February 8, I’m performing at his memorial. His wife called my boy Mike and lined it up. I’ll be headlining at his memorial and it’s going to be incredible. I’ve done so many shows it doesn’t even make sense, I’ve done Summer Jam out here in New York, 25,000 in The Garden and I don’t care how many people show up for this, because it’s going to mean something other than music.

Format: In your opinion, what are the challenges in being the first Puerto Rican rapper on Aftermath, that so happens to sound similar Big Pun?
Joell Ortiz: You know what, things could have been a lot worse in my life, so for millions of people to be talking about me I’m OK with it. Once they get the music, they’ll have a favorite song on there. They’ll say, ‘Number ten is my joint.’ They won’t say, ‘Number ten’s my joint, because it’s a Spanish dude from Dre.’

Format: Do you have any ideas for the title of your Aftermath record?
Joell Ortiz: I’m thinking about Before And Aftermath, because I’m about to get seriously, seriously, toned-up and cut-up like gym-wise, so I’m gonna have my before pictures and my after pictures – Before And Aftermath.

Format: How do you plan to get cut?
Joell Ortiz: I’m going on the motherfuckin’ zone diet, motherfuckin’ clean food in the crib, I got a treadmill, I’m getting focused. I got ladies that are gonna grab on me now. They already grab me, but now they’re gonna try and pull me in. I’m doing this thing for a couple reasons, because number one reason is to stay healthy. Ask anybody that gets a chance to drop a record or any kind of big break in their like, they’re obviously blessed and you want to prosper when you get that blessing, that’s the Lord saying, ‘Yo dude, I gave you something, I put you hear for something, don’t waste it away.’

“A lot of my friends live within a 20 block radius, they don’t get to see nothing outside of 20 blocks.”

Format: Out of all the music industries, the rap industry has the most overweight people in it. As a rapper, why is it so easy to live large?
Joell Ortiz: What it is, is that rap is – the culture always is outgoing, like bam! So you could be a big nigga and make big cool, you could make 320-fuckin’-pounds feel fuckin’ like 140 when you walk in a spot, like damn. It’s all a swagger, it’s all a smoke and mirror game – it’s an image. Niggas be feeling like, ‘Hey I got a record in rotation, these chicks are still on my dick, because of who I am,’ so that don’t even cross their mind, that’s them. They’re in their zone, they got their shades on, a pocket full of money – most of the time, not even money – these niggas are swiping at the bar – not even at the bar, in the V.I.P. – getting bottles tipped over, the baddest bitches are wanting to come over; those niggas don’t have a reason to want to look healthy, they’re alright with that. Me, I’m like, shit, let me add another 10 or 15 years to my life.

Format: How did you grow up in your youth?
Joell Ortiz: I grew up with a single mom, my pops had jetted when I was like two or three. I don’t want it to sound like the regular story that everybody says, you know – ‘I grew up without a dad,’ but yeah, my pops jetted when I was like two or three. Me and mom-dukes was in the projects on our own for a while and she was kind of crazy – my moms was in the street for a while doing the get high thing, or whatever, and I was just holding it up, getting my good grades. But, me and my mom both pulled through, and I’m proud of both of us.

“Showbiz is one of the humblest figures you could meet”

Format: What are the topics that you like to rap about?
Joell Ortiz: I rap about true things that happened in my life or true things that I’ve seen. Most of the time, it’s not really happy. I don’t really make happy songs, because my life, early on, wasn’t really happy. It was really struggle and gutter. And, being the only child in the projects I grew up around blacks all my life – that was expected and stuff, but you know, [it was] back against the wall type stuff. That’s the kind of music you’re really going to hear, predominantly dark music, but you know, shit, in years progression when I start seeing money, you might hear some happy shit!

Format: As a Puerto Rican rapper, do you feel that you have a responsibility to the Puerto Rican community?
Joell Ortiz: Responsibility to a degree, not responsibility like if I don’t make it happen, shit, that’s the end of my community. But, I have a responsibility – I got to see to it that I make it for them. It is a responsibility for me, not to everyone else. It is responsible to me that I give my community the look, and show them that you can come up out of the shit that I came out of life. There are ways out. You’re not trapped out on the corner, man. A lot of my friends live within a 20 block radius, they don’t get to see nothing outside of 20 blocks. I want to show motherfuckers that they’re boys from the projects and can take this whole shit around the world.

“There is still an invisible wall up for Puerto Ricans – just for Latinos, in general – that we’re still trying to chip away.”

Format: Has your success brought give-me-something-friends to your doorstep?
Joell Ortiz: You’re gonna always get that. I don’t care what you’re successful at. You get the small ones, too, that don’t have their handout, but play you closer than they ever played you in your life – like stand beside you. But, you got to know how to see it and see who can benefit. I have no problems giving people a job, because that is the right thing to do, but handouts don’t happen, because this wasn’t handed out to me. This was an eight year, ten year grind for me. I had to go out and earn it, so you have to earn, too. Shit, if you’re really my boy go help me put these fuckin’ fliers up, come support me at the club – there are other ways to get something, to earn something. The handout thing ain’t going to do it. I’ll probably just give you a pound and be like, ‘What’s good, nigga?’

Format: Who are some of the producers you worked with on The Brick?
Joell Ortiz: I got Alchemist, Premier is on the joint, Showbiz is on the joint, my man V.I.C. (Victor Padilla).

Format: For some rappers, working with established producers is monumental, how was your experience with the producers?
Joell Ortiz: It was ill, because Showbiz is one of the humblest figures you could meet, like he doesn’t show much emotion, he’s like a real serious, humble dude, but it was a good vibe. He came in, he played his shit and I was like, ‘Damn, that shit is hard.’ He’s like, ‘You like this one? Cool.’ I actually two-tracked it – for those who don’t know what two-tracking is, it is like when you rap over the actual beat, but he didn’t come in and play it. So I two-tracked it and I was like, ‘Show, I did it,’ he’s like, ‘Say no more, I’ll be there this week.’ He came in so professional, that shit is crazy, came in and laid the beat down and got out of there. And Alchemist, Alchemist gave me one of my first beats when I was just a kid in `98, in a studio in Queens, so that was pretty easy, he knows my people, he knows who I work with. He got wind of the fact that I was on Aftermath and on Koch and he’s like, ‘I definitely have to do something for this dude.’ That was easy, too and he’s another humble kid.

Format: There are a large amount of rappers on Koch Records. Does Koch ever try to combine Koch rappers on records?
Joell Ortiz: Koch is probably one of the labels that knows how to separate everybody the best, without everyone feeling separated. There is no talk of collaborations, but if you bump into somebody in the building, it’s like, ‘What’s good!’ They pretty much make everyone run their own race. They don’t develop you. Koch is like, ‘Yo, he has his own movement, damn I think we can do something with him, lets see if he can put something out with us.’ Koch attaches itself to people that are already moving. That is why you don’t hear about no up and coming dudes on Koch, you have established names. They’re real good at what they do: getting a new record together, getting it in some ill places and getting some ill looks. So, I big-up Koch, but they haven’t been talking about no collaborations. I’m pretty sure they’re really set on letting everyone run their own race.

Format: Explain the collaboration between you and Akon.
Joell Ortiz: Well, Akon – the name of my squad is called Block Royal and Akon is Block Royal. Akon’s manager, Screw, rest in peace, was killed about two joints ago, maybe two and a half years ago and that shit really divided Akon from all of us, because he had to have new management and kept on with SRC [SRC/ Universal] but he was a really close player with us a Block Royal. So, when I hollered at him it wasn’t nothing crazy, it was just like, ‘Hell yeah!’ Akon is family and we bump heads in the spot, it is all love.

“Once they get the music, they’ll have a favorite song on there. They’ll say, ‘Number ten is my joint.’ They won’t say, ‘Number ten’s my joint, because it’s a Spanish dude from Dre.’”

Format: Can you tell me about Block Royal?
Joell Ortiz: Oh man, Block Royal – we run the city. We run New York, right now we run New York. There is nobody that can get deeper in the club than us, there is nobody making more noise, the radio, give me a second, I’ll have that on a clamp. But, right now, the city life, the club nights, plus any DJ that fall in love with our movement – Block Royal is the deepest in the city, right now. We’re just taking it in stride. Once Koch starts pushing the buttons and Dre makes those phone calls I’ll be all over the radio standing out outrageously. I get my looks now, because the DJs are already fans of my music. This is before people start working the radio, making the calls, taking people out for dinners behind the scene – they’re already loving me. I get more spins than anybody without a major push. Block Royal, we’re doing a hell of a job over there.

Format: Do you feel that there is a bias at major New York radio stations like Hot 97, to only push certain kinds of rappers?
Joell Ortiz: No, it’s not a bias. I wouldn’t say it’s a biasness, I would say it’s a comfort zone and normalcy. It’s really normal, they go really normal rappers like the new Blahzay Blah is coming out so you’re on it and some dudes go with the wind, like when the wind starts blowing they blow out there and help it go along. Some dudes don’t want to lead the change. But a couple people defy them, lighting a match over here and over there and before you know it, it will be wildfires – I’m real patient with that. It ain’t bias, everybody knows everybody. The record labels are walking in with the same guys most of the time so they’re scared to go, but it will happen.

More Info: http://www.joellortiz.com

Hailing from Toronto, Topshelfmotherfucker is a relativity new brand just beginning to make their way into the streetwear industry. Comprised of local graffiti and urban inspired artists, the label focuses on premium tees pushed by fresh design and art elements. Although fairly small at the moment, the brand is quickly growing by expanding their reach into the American market through select collaborations, and distrubution. Look out for Topshelfmotherfucker in 2007.

Format: Please explain when and how Topshelfmotherfucker was created.
Topshelf: Case and I have been playing with the idea of doing t-shirts for a long time, and when we first started, we didn’t even think that we would sell any of them. It was more just making t-shirts for ourselves, because we wanted them. The first shirt we made was a bootleg “Derelicts of Dialect” tee with “Topshelf” instead of “3rd Bass.” I think I just got to the point in my life where I was like, “I need to do something with my life besides partying” and figured I might as well do something that I enjoyed. So, I have been throwing parties in Toronto as DMoney and working on Topshelf as my day to day for the past little bit. When the parties started doing well enough, we started renting a studio just as a workspace. We now have an alright little showroom plus a great environment to do our work out of. Maybe some people can work from home, but I am not one of them.

Topshelf as a team now consists of myself, Case, Sakro, Vladimir Kato and Glamour Shots doing her thing on our behalf in the U.S. We have also worked very closely with Dennis Show from glamnation.ca on a bunch of designs. We all come from different enough backgrounds, but I think we are united by our hatred of the world.

Format: Please explain the name, Topshelfmotherfucker.
Topshelf: We picked the name “Topshelf” because it had a nice ring to it, but shortly after taking it on, we added the motherfucker as punctuation. We could have gone with something like “Topshelf design company,” or something professional sounding but that just isn’t us I guess. It’s Topshelf, motherfucker. It’s just a better representation of us. We don’t have our noses up in the air.

Format: As a Toronto street-wear company, is it hard to gain industry recognition given Topshelfmotherfucker’s location?
Topshelf: I think our major stumbling blocks have come from not knowing what the fuck we were doing. None of us has any real background in this business, so we are just learning as we go. I would imagine that a New York or L.A. based company might have an edge because of easier access to resources, but I won’t go as far as to say that they would have it any easier than us. I think if you are doing good shit, anyone can be successful with a little luck and a lot of hard work. In other words, don’t fuck people over and don’t drag your ass and hopefully you’ll get over.

Format: Does Topshelfmotherfucker use its studio space for more than making products?
Topshelf: Our studio space is also the home base of DMoney, so we do all our flyer design, e-promo, etc. out of there, and we are also wrapping up our renovations, so we will have a nice little showroom/store as well as our workspace. We also smoke a lot of dope during our time there, so I can’t imagine our neighbors are too pleased with us, but hey, that’s life.

Format: Topshelfmotherfucker’s T-shirt lines are, at times, hip-hop-centric. Is that a reflection of the personalities that design for Topshelfmotherfucker?
Topshelf: I think that just comes from me and case being such beaters, wiggers, as kids. A lot of our inspiration comes from hip-hop, but more specifically our perspective of hip-hop. We did a run of three shirts called “Pale Face Devils” which was a product of listening to all the serious pro-black hip-hop that came out in the early 90’s. Here we are a couple of 14 year old white kids listening to the Lench Mob “Buck the Devil.” So we made a few shirts sort of embracing that devil term. I would say that sort of sums up our angle really, we embrace negativity. Almost everything we do is about drugs or violence or insecurity. I think that sort of sums me up as a person actually.

Format: Topshelfmotherfucker makes T-shirts for women too, but a lot of companies in the street-wear industry do not cater to women. How does Topshelfmotherfucker market itself to women?
Topshelf: I think we cater to women by not trying to cater to them. I really see no reason to do anything different as far as themes or designs go at this point. I look at it like, there are going to be people that are into our stuff and there are going to people who aren’t. Whether they have dicks or not is irrelevant to me. If you know what’s up, you know what’s up. End of story.

Format: What is Topshelfmotherfucker’s position and thoughts on the street-wear industry, an industry some say has exploded and now is in recession.
Topshelf: I don’t really feel qualified to comment on the state of the industry, but I feel like t-shirts and hoodies, and whatever, are always going to be around. You look at a brand like Fuct, who has been around for years and is still killing it. Erik is not doing anything he wasn’t doing back then, he’s just getting better and better, and getting bit like a motherfucker every step of the way. I think there is a backlash towards some of the loud Bape type stuff but all that means is that once that sort of stuff stops selling, brands will do something else. After all, it’s not the followers that push things forward. As far as brands go, I’m feeling Mishka, Fuct, Brknhome, Humongous, Rockers. Mostly the brands that are just doing honest shit.

Format: Topshelfmotherfucker’s catch phrase is “Thanks For Nothing.” What statement is Topshelfmotherfucker trying to project by using that phrase?
Topshelf: That was originally just a reference to drug use. It’s just a perfect way to sum up ones feeling towards their dealer. It is more the catch phrase for the current line we have been working on, which is a sort of revamping of the original line-up we came up with in 2005. Our official slogan at the moment is “no business in business.” If you saw us in our day to day lives you would understand.

Format: What are Topshelfmotherfucker’s current projects that people should look out for?
Topshelf: Our showroom will be open to the public this week, and our new site will be launching very shortly, so we are looking forward to that. A couple exclusive mixtapes by DJ Fase and Caps n Jones coming out really soon. We will be touring with Vlad Kato’s art show starting March 8th. Our spring line will be out in April including collabos with Fuct and Glamnation, as well as some cut and sew stuff that will be dropping in very limited quantities. Toronto is the worst place for textiles on earth, believe it. As well as a line of bootlegs called “UNORIGINAL BRANDISH,” that we will be selling in small runs out of our showroom. Everything in that collection will be 100% stolen artwork, so look for us getting sued in ‘07. I will also be punching kids in the mouth this year, so look out for that as well.

More Info: http://www.myspace.com/topshelfmotherfucker

Known as one of the most stylish turntablists in the game, A-Trak has been messing with the fashion industry for a minute now. Collaborations with key players in the street-wear industry such as Zoo York, Kid Robot and Crooks & Castles are all set to launch within months. With the momentum of three new album releases, a new record label on the horizon and the success of his latest album/DVD Sunglasses is a Must, Stussy has agreed to drop a signature pair of A-Trak specs. And that’s just the start of it. At 25, with 10 years under his belt in the music industry, there’s no telling where this kid might go.

Format: How would you define your style?
A-Trak: I knew you were gonna ask me this question, they told me it was for a fashion thing. I don’t really define it as this one look or whatever – I’m so bad at this. Let’s go from the bottom up. I’m pretty much always checking for classic and classy sneakers. I like hi-tops, a lot — like hi-top 180s or Jordan AF1 style. I think jeans are the first thing you might over look when getting into a certain style. I’m always trying to get a key pair of jeans that you might not really know if you’re not super into denim. I try to find the perfect fit for the sneakers I’m wearing. I don’t rock that many pairs. If I have a rotation of three really ill pairs that I think are good for me then I’ll just stick to that. I like to buy a pair of jeans that I’m in love with. I like raw denims that fit just right and I’ll just stick with those and go with them for a long ass time.

Format: What brands do you like?
A-Trak: Nudie, Neighborhood, Rag ‘n Bone. I was in to Roca for a bit but they’re kind of baggy and this year isn’t so much into that, but I still like them a lot. T-shirts, I’m always going for something kind of flashy and original design. People that checkout my pics on my website look at my T-shirts are always like, ‘Yo, what’s your closet like?’ I like the T-shirt to be the centerpiece of what I’m wearing. And, I’m always rocking a fitted hat. Every day of my life there’s a New Era on my head. To sum it up, I like it clean cut yet flashy. A little bit into the street-wear, but also in to the classic early `90s Beastie Boys.

“When you are subject to that much visibility that increases in your head, you’re like every fucking minute my shit’s gotta be on point!”

Format: Has touring with Kanye had an effect on your style?
A-Trak: I think I started buying more clothes when I was touring with him. Also, maybe a question with how old I was and getting in to that phase where I was more conscious about how I present myself. I definitely don’t think I dress like Kanye, I don’t think that since traveling with him that I’ve felt, ‘Oh, I need to rock this brand or that brand.’ But it’s like when I’m touring with him and we’re liable to be on TV or in pictures on any given day and you’re traveling with people that pop tags all the time, well if you already have that mentality of wanting to stay G’d up and wanting to have fly shit on any given day. When you are subject to that much visibility that increases in your head, you’re like every fucking minute my shit’s gotta be on point! But at the same time when you get used to that it’s not really an issue anymore. It’s more just in the back of your head when you are getting dressed in the morning, but it’s not like a formula or anything. I don’t want to make it seem like it’s calculated.

Format: Do you feel that there is some kind of uniform that you have to rock for hip-hop or is that changing as things get more globalized?
A-Trak: Well, I think that the street-wear phenomenon has gotten so big, that it’s kind of funny, that in any city in the world on any continent you can go into a little shop and find the sneaker with limited color ways, and a handful of T-shirt brands and bandanas or whatever else. And of course, the all-over hoodies, how can I forget. That’s been the sign of the last year. That to me looks like a uniform, so I’m trying not to get too into that. I went almost two years straight with a fitted hat, sunglasses and a fancy T-shirt. That was like a uniform to me. But that was also, with the whole Sunglasses Is A Must concept – it had a little concept behind it.

Format: Sunglasses Is A Must, the title of your DVD, came from a quote from one of your boys. Do you have a thing for shades or was it just a quote that worked?
A-Trak: Well, I’d be lying if I said I had 100 pairs in my drawer, but I’m into it. Of people like me, DJs, and people that like the music I play, I think I was one of the early ones to just really rock that a lot, and come out with that name, and make a statement like that. Boom this is the shit! And that became a bit of a uniform. Now everyone is kind of rocking this.

Format: So what can you say about the new Stussy shades?
A-Trak: That’s very early. There isn’t anything really to say about it. They’re in early phases of development.

Format: What is more ready to go then?
A-Trak: Well, what’s been happening in the next few months, is that, well, Sunglasses Is A Must started as the name of my new DVD. When I first started working on it, maybe three years ago, it was purely a name that I liked. And when it finally came out, I did a tour to promote it with some shirts from Kiser. When I told him to do shirts–that’s the same time as the Cody Hudson ones came out–when I was reaching out to designers, I didn’t want to do a generic tour shirt. I wanted to make the kind of shirt that I would buy and wear every day. I reached out to designers I like and already wear, and I was like, do whatever tickles your fancy in relation to sunglasses, don’t even write A-Trak there. To me, I don’t think as many people would wear a T-shirt or a hat that says A-Trak. Well maybe some people would, but more would be interested in a brand, even though they know it’s related to me, they’re not walking around and saying ‘I’m a fan of this man.’ I think it’s better this way. So people can know me but not putting my name on their chest. It turned in to Sunglasses Is A Must, because of the umbrella name that I can collaborate with other artists with and put out some merch. In the future, there’s the Kiser one, the Cody Hudson one, one with Crooks & Castles.

“I wanted to make the kind of shirt that I would buy and wear every day. I reached out to designers I like and already wear, and I was like, do whatever tickles your fancy in relation to sunglasses, don’t even write A-Trak there.”

Format: Is the Crooks & Castles tee similar to the Kiser?
A-Trak: Yeah, it’s a collab between Crooks & Castles, Good Music, and Sunglasses. You know, Good Music is Kanye’s label with the Angel wearing shades. So there’s that, and I’ve got more shirts coming out with six-pack, which is the brand that did the Cody Hudson, from France. And my boy Dust La Rock that does the website has some really dope designs, too. And that’s just for the shirts. There’s NE giving me a Capture The Flag hat which is limited to 144 and comes in a box. There’s a lot of stuff coming from Zoo York and many other items that I don’t want to divulge yet. Sunglasses is coming out a bit later. Kid Robot, I’m doing a toy with them and Dust La Rock.

Format: Is that going to be like the Q-Bert dunny?
A-Trak: No, no, it’s not even me. It’s based on my website and Dust’s characters, psychedelic animals. We’re collaborating with Kid Robot to bring those to life.

Well, I think that the street-wear phenomenon has gotten so big, that it’s kind of funny, that in any city in the world on any continent you can go into a little shop and find the sneaker with limited color ways, and a handful of T-shirt brands and bandanas or whatever else.

Format: What’s it like working with Kanye?
A-Trak: Kanye and I are into the same thing like fashion and movies, it’s definitely a good working relationship. I think that over the last two and a half years that I’ve worked with him there’s been more and more of a trust there where he gives me a very central role in the live shows – it’s centered on him being backed by me. Or when it’s with other musicians they just kind of play over what we are structuring. And to get to collaborate on some of the records, whether it be “Gold Digger” or the Common stuff, or something in the works now. And just to get that visibility, to be part of the whole assault that kind of took over the whole media in the last two years is good motivation for me. Just seeing how hard those dudes work, and the pace that all that goes at forces me to keep on my own toes.

Format: Ok, let’s talk about your new releases.
A-Trak: So, I ended up the year with Sunglasses Is A Must and while touring with The Rub and I recorded a CD. That CD is out now, it’s a live recording. That CD was a big opportunity for me to show the type of DJing that I’m really getting into and even beyond DJing – I’m into merging the party element with the creative element. When I was DJing on that tour, it’s definitely a party rocking set; it’s not a scratch set, but there’s a lot of live remixing going on, live looping, a few routines here and there, but it’s all meshed in to a real DJ set. The music I’m working on is always in that same foundation.

I’ve got this mixtape that I’m working on that is really more than a mixtape in the sense that it’s all blends and remixes that I produced and that’s being put out with OBEY for SXSW in March. That’s called Dirty South Dance. It’s somewhere between blends and remixes. It’s more produced than a blend, but I’m always starting with someone else’s song so wouldn’t call it a remix fully. Taking electronic, dance, electro that’s got a good beat. Matching up-tempo good dance beats, with southern half time acapellas. Producing a bit and adding other elements in to it, getting it more structured. I made 15 of those and I’m making a whole mix of it. And that’s a lot of the stuff that I play in DJ mixes. So I’m putting this out to make people hear something that I’m really trying to develop.

The album is basically just me working on production and taking it one track at a time and mixing it all together. There are guest rappers on maybe half the songs but a lot of the other stuff is really more up-tempo. It’s basically me taking this background of scratch music and taking it to the production style that I’m in to now. Like, scratch music has been really experimental in the past. Last year I had a Little Brother joint that I put out that was made with me manipulating vinyl, now those are straight rap records. But yeah, it’s definitely not a compilation style DJ album. The focal point is entirely on my production. If there’s a song I feel necessary to get a guest, I will, but the sound that I give my production is very sample heavy, very rich and layered, and at the same time, I’m totally drum driven, cuz I want to produce some shit that I can play out. That’s what’s holding the whole thing together.

So I’m working on that. That will come out a bit later in the year. Working on Kid Sister record, GLC record. Taking some projects that I feel really strongly about and building on it. And one thing I haven’t really announced yet is that I’m starting a new record label, to be announced in the next week or so. I’ll be putting out a lot of the stuff I’m working on.

Although Great and Bates are team writers, the individual styles that they throw up are what remind you that there are, in fact, two parts to this team. Greats tags dominate walls, leaving the impression that they’re there to stay; many of them humble pieces, bringing the old school styles back fresh in the millennium, while Bates’ individual work tend to consist of swooping yet sharp characters, usually finished with a little sparkle, which appears to be consistent within Bates’ throw-ups.

Together, Great and Bates form a tight team out of Denmark. Painting together since 1986, they both began on separate paths, with their first tags springing up around 1984. As two of the best known writers in Copenhagen, these boys have spiced walls all over the world, first making their mark by collaborating on the Ryparken wall. Countries they’ve painted in include Africa, England, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Turkey, the U.S.A. and the list goes on to include a large span of the globe.

Sponsored by Montana Germany, Molotow Belton and Spanish Montana Hardcore, Great and Bates have become known, not only for their individual styles, but also through the level that they bring the game to, which is most definitely the next one. They’ve been featured in books like Graffiti Art, On the Run Vol.2, Graffiti World, Graffiti Denmark and Graffiti World. Not stopping at hitting up walls, Great and Bates work with a few urban fashion lines that many of us are familiar with, including designs by New Era, Tribal, Third Rail, Dickies, Redrum, Osiris, Alis, Aerosoul, Montana and the truth.com.

They’ve also got a few projects coming up to look out for including Magic Moments Magazine and the Write and Unite DVD.

More Info: http://www.greatbates.co.uk

For those of you out there that think 50 Cent invented hip-hop, it’s time to recognize. Before “rap music,” the four main elements of hip-hop were DJing, Bboying, Graffiti and Emceeing. Although these elements do still get represented globally, seldom do mainstream artists pay homage to hip-hop’s core elements and roots. When a rare occurrence does grace the industry, we are reminded of the journey hip-hop has taken from inner city beginnings to a pop culture phenomenon. Read more »