Better known in the urban art community as NVC, toy customizing team Spive and Dr. Bao have been pushing plastic for a hot minute now. With a passion for ninjas and Asian culture, their models have been featured around the world at prestigious events such as the Taipei Toy Festival and Gee Whizz in London, UK. They have even received props from Wu-tang members Buddha Monk and DJ Mathematics for their Wu-Tang Clan inspired designs. Read on and find out why dentistry and toy creation go hand in hand. Read more »

Whether you’re a seasoned rider or it’s your first time on the mountain, it can be quite a mission looking for the perfect snowboard jacket. One way to look at finding a jacket that’s a good fit for you is to know the kind of rider you are. It’s simple really, the more you progress on the slopes, the more you’re style of riding changes.

If you’re the type who’s constantly on the slopes, you’ll probably need a jacket that’s great when it comes to battling wear and tear. Long lasting reliable fabrics and waterproof material should be on top of your list if quality for the long run is your concern. Maybe you’re the flashy type of rider. If you are, keep in mind colorful prints, more technical features, and futuristic-type components. For the style conscious snowboarder, things like classic patterns, stylish colors, and different materials are some things to consider. Not every rider is the same of course, and these are just a few examples of the types of things out there to consider when buying a jacket.

686 X Vestal

The “Times Line” is 686’s special limited edition collaborative project with different premium labels out on the market. As part of their newest series, 686 linked up with Vestal to create this jacket for the rider with the rocker mentality. It contains a ton of cool features that include quick draw hood bungee pulls, rocker style belt loops, genuine leather trimmings and accents, and a whole lot more. A custom-designed watch that fits into a special pocket also comes with the jacket. The 686 X Vestal is great if you’re looking to release the thrasher in you on the mountain.

Available at: http://www.686.com

Burton – White Collection – Jacket of the Gods

As part of Burton’s White Collection, the Jacket of the Gods is perfect for the rider whose riding style can be described as both high and mighty. Designed with a classic “godly” look, the jacket features printed satin lining, thermacore insulation, a fulltime contour hood, and more. The double breasted button closure also gives the Jacket of the Gods that classic Pea Coat/Militant look. Call it false idolatry, but you could be worshiped the next time you hit the powder with this thing on.

Available at: http://www.burton.com

Bonfire – Utility Jacket

Bonfire’s Utility Jacket is a good fit for the no frills type of rider who’s strictly business on the slopes – no flash, no nonsense. Able to withstand any outdoor condition, the Utility Jacket features twin-tec fiber material, critically taped seams, waffle fleece lining, and more. The jacket is also a slimmer fit, but comfortable and breathable enough for all types of weather situations. Because of its great attention to detail in terms of battling harsh environments, Bonfire’s Utility Jacket is one piece of snowboarding outerwear that should last you for a very long time.

Available at: http://www.bonfiresnow.com

AF1 Party Toronto. Street Shots by Zach Slootsky of TakeMorePhotos. Read more »

Hailing from under the wing of old school giant Scarface is a new hip hop trio called “The Product,” but it’s the lesser known two members that provide the new school energy. While Bay Area veteran Will Hen is a more than capable rapper, it’s Mississippi’s Young Malice who became 2007’s rookie of the year. Though relatively unknown in the mainstream, Young Malice’s newest mixtape, Bold New City proves that he’s much more than Scarface’s weed carrier. Read more »

Modern graffiti has played a special role in the art world since its early years, but recently that role has undergone a change. Graffiti is, at its roots, a subversive form of communication. A form of communication aimed at inspiring social change and free expression. Lately, graffiti has begun to transcend into the mainstream, with artists like Banksy and Shepard Fairley—whose OBEY Propaganda has expanded to include toys and a clothing line—becoming pop culture icons.

Graffiti World is a comprehensive primer of graffiti, examining its history and evolution over the years. It showcases different styles of street art in every form, from stickers to posters and stencils to traditional graffiti. Where Graffiti World truly succeeds is in its display of artists from around the world. Each artist or group gets a page or two with samples of their work and a brief bio detailing what they do, offering insight into their creative processes.

Works range from photorealistic landscapes, ironic stencils and recurring characters, like Dalek’s Space Monkey and Buffmonster’s own design, to tagged freight trains and old-school marker tags. Graffiti World also includes a detailed index that names each artist’s works, country of origin, and dates within which they were active as writers. Also included is a glossary of terms, list of graffiti group abbreviations, a list of available graff magazines, and a list of web resources. Graffiti World is a bible of all things related to street art around the globe, and is worth a look if only for the magnificent photos. Street art is growing, pick it up to inflate your brain and expand your horizons.

Super-Producer Rza of Wu-Tang fame has been broadening his horizons for some time now, taking stints in acting, and producing a spectacular soundtrack for the Tarantino masterpiece Kill Bill. Rza’s latest musical project is a soundtrack for the upcoming SpikeTV anime cartoon Afro Samurai. Created by Takashi Okazaki and voiced by Samuel L. Jackson, Phil LaMar and Kelly Hu, the show is a fusion of Japanese Manga style animation with a dose of hip-hop style and sensibility (a la the Boondocks). Rza was the obvious choice to produce the soundtrack for the show, and he does not disappoint.

The soundtrack for Afro Samurai is a refreshing change of pace from the average hip-hop album. While most artists today seems to be content choosing overpowering beats that club their listeners over the head with the strength of a two ton gorilla, Rza chooses a more refined and tactical approach. Not unlike a feudal samurai, Rza employs tact and subtlety to create a unique-sounding album that does not alienate long-term Rza fans. The Rza signatures are all here: creative samples and instruments, kung-fu voiceovers, and unique sound effects. This is not to say that Rza hasn’t grown. The record really does capture the essence of anime, while injecting some hip-hop flavor.

Perhaps the greatest accomplishment of Afro Samurai is that it manages to cover so many musical bases (instrumentals, RnB, and nostalgic hip-hop infused with Asian influence) while still feeling as a coherent body of work. The guest appearances by the likes of Q-Tip, Talib Kweli and Big Daddy Kane aren’t gimmicky and instead contribute to the feel of the album. For any Rza fan, Afro Samurai is a worthy fresh appetizer to the upcoming Wu-Tang album.

Neo Soul is R&B music fused with other genres like Soul, Jazz and Hip-hop. The genre first started in the mid-90’s with Tony!Toni!Tone`! and became more popular later when D’Angelo and Maxwell released albums. Neo Soul artists tend to shy away from the mainstream, opting for originality over appeal. They want to earn the respect of their peers and their fans for being creative and not selling out or going pop. Often a Neo Soul artist’s work is poetic and discusses political or cultural concerns.

Inspired by Soul and Hip-hop, D’Angelo’s debut album Brown Sugar earned instant popularity among the R&B audience when it was released in 1995. “Lady,” which hit the Top Ten on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, was written by D’Angelo and Raphael Saadiq (of Tony!Toni!Tone`!). D’Angelo has also appeared on fellow Neo Soul artist Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill on “Everything is Everything.” Not only a vocalist, D’Angelo also plays guitar and piano, which is fairly common in the subgenre.

After spending time opening for D’Angelo, Erykah Badu released her own debut album, Baduizm, in 1997. Badu, like many of her colleagues, had previous experience with hip-hop. She began rapping in high school and her hip-hop influence is evident in her music. Baduizm won a Grammy for Best R&B Album and the single “On and On” won for best Female R&B Vocal Performance. The album not only topped R&B charts but was also largely successful on the pop charts and was certified 3x platinum in 2000. Badu’s “Next Lifetime” also topped the Billboard R&B charts. Her 2002 single “Love of my Life (An Ode to hip-hop),” with her then boyfriend, Common, from the Brown Sugar movie soundtrack won a Grammy for Best R&B Song.

Perhaps one of the most successful Neo Soul albums is Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Released in 1998, the album was nominated for practically every award imaginable, including 11 Grammy nominations. While this was her first solo album, Hill had already earned a strong reputation among the mainstream media for her moving vocals in “Killing Me Softly,” lead singer for The Fugees. Aside from her loyal fan base from The Fugees, Hill drew in new fans and won five Grammy awards, including Best Album and Best R&B Album. “Everything Is Everything” and “Doo Wop (That Thing)” both surpassed the expected R&B success and even topped pop charts. In “To Zion,” Hill sings about her experience of becoming pregnant and how she decided to keep the baby against the advice of people in the business. Hill is one of the few artists who can actually sing and rap, in addition to being able to play guitar.

Although Jill Scott is mainly known for her music, she actually got her start with performing poetry at clubs. Scott recently released a book of poetry and now uses her talents to write songs. Before Scott released Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds, Vol. 1 in 2000, she was not known among mainstream audiences. The universal appeal of her work however, earned her a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album. The singles “Getting in the Way” and “A Long Walk” were also both nominated for Best R&B Female Vocal Performance. Scott also wrote the chorus for The Roots’ hit single “You Got Me” (although it was performed by Erykah Badu on the album).

In 2000, Musiq released his classic debut album, Aijuswanaseing. Discussing everyday experiences, the music of Musiq intrigued R&B listeners and quickly began seeing airtime on urban radio stations and TV shows. This is arguably one of the best Neo Soul albums ever. Many of the songs on the album discuss love and relationships. Aside from hit singles like “Love” and “Just Friends,” Aijuswanaseing is loaded with classic tracks including “Mary Go Round,” a metaphoric song discussing a lost love. Musiq is one of the many Neo Soul artists who hail from Philadelphia, along with Jill Scott, The Roots, Floetry and Bilal.

Although Neo Soul is a fairly new subgenre of R&B, it is becoming more accepted than it was 10 years ago. Many Neo Soul artists have become names that everyone knows because they have gained more media coverage and been exposed. With new artists like John Legend, Anthony Hamilton and Alicia Keys making music, the genre could go from the underdog to one of the most recognized forms of music if it continues in this direction.