Spring Break: Atlantic City

The IllVibes crew will be in Atlantic City this week so unfortunately there won't be any updates. However, we will take plenty of pics and document our travels so there will definitely be plenty of posting when we get back.....

Kenna Live on Letterman Last Night

Check Kenna out live with N.E.R.D.:

If you haven't gotten a copy of his CD Make Sure They See My Face, you're really missing out. Here's the official video (be prepared!) for the single:

Two new hybrids from Honda in 2009!

Honda announced it will unveil a new global hybrid car at the 2008 Paris Auto Show, which will launch in 2009 along with another hybrid based on the CR-Z concept. Both cars will be produced as hybrid models without a gas-only counterpart, similar to Toyota's Prius. These hybrids are part of Honda's strategy to sell 400,000 hybrids per year by 2011. The new global hybrid will launch in Europe first, then come to North America. Both hybrids will use updated versions of Honda's integrated motor assist (IMA) mild hybrid system, currently used in the Honda Civic Hybrid. This system provides a little boost to the car under acceleration and stops the engine in traffic, but doesn't drive the car under electric power. The new global hybrid is designed from the ground up as a hybrid, so should present more efficiencies than the Civic Hybrid. The CR-Z concept, already shown at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show, will be a sporty coupe designed for the hybrid powertrain.

Honda has been a little erratic with its hybrid strategy, originally offering the hybrid-only Insight, then hybrid versions of the Civic and Accord. Amongst that line-up, only the Civic Hybrid survives.

Roksan's museum-quality turntable

It's not the "Transrotor Artus," the $150,000 quarter-ton turntable, but that's not a bad thing either. Instead, U.K.-based Roksan's "Radius 5" vinyl spinner still looks like a museum piece without breaking both your back and budget. Well, that last part might be iffy--it does cost nearly $2,000--but at least that hasn't gone up with this latest version.

The upgraded turntable has a new power supply for "less noise and improved matching of the torque," according to Tech Digest, to go with "a drive mechanism with a custom-made motor and precision-machined solid aluminium alloy pulley, along with a build of solid brass and stainless steel alloy." That's all well and good, but there's yet another reason to want one: So you can play the Police's "Roxanne" on your Roksan. (We didn't say it was a good reason.)

Puma's Yo! MTV Raps Shoe

Now, I'm not saying I am really feeling these shows, but, honestly, you can't knock the idea behind it. When I first moved to this country and was getting into hip hop, nowhere did I turn my attention more than to Yo! MTV Raps. It was there that the world gazed at the thought-provoking conversations among Doctor Dre (not the West Coast producer), Ed Love, and Fab 5 Freddy (one of the pioneers of hip hop and an avid historian of hip hop), with endless video features. Because of this show, I was introduced to Rakim's Follow the Leader, I watched in suspense as Tupac claimed to have violently beaten the Hughes Brothers for dismissing him from the Menance II Society movie, and I learned about the Leaders of the New School and especially Busta Rhymes, just to name a few.

So this post is not necessarily a salute to the Puma shoe as it is to Yo! MTV Raps. While ultimately its competition Rap City (which, by the way, is the longest-running hip-hip show) would take over in this TV-genre, history has proven the impact of Yo! MTV Raps and its prolific contribution to hip hop. I (surprisingly) agree with Juelz Santana when he said on Good Times, "'Memba them good ol' Yo! MTV Raps, man I hope they bring Yo! MTV back."

Last Show - Legendary Freestyle Session

Negligence the Cause of Goose Attack?

Apparently a guy is suing his employer - CSX Transportation - for $75,000 claiming that negligence on the part of CSX Transp. resulted in his being attacked by a goose while on the job. Check out this interesting story here.

Artist on the Rise - Wale!

As my fellow blogger stated in a prior post, we had the fortunate opportunity to catch Wale (government name Olubowale Folarin) perform a quick set in, of all places, Charlottesville, where most of the iLLVibes bloggers attend school. The only device I had to record any memories from this event was my camera phone. As expected, most of the photos I took were blurry and nowhere near the quality I had hoped or expected. One picture stood out, though, as if created by a crystal ball. It was a harbinger of things to come for this hungry rapper whose roots in the Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area (DMV) have spawned an overwhelming drive surpassing that of most artists. For me, and take this with a grain of salt, the shadow in the picture represents the future for Wale, his potential to become great in this wretched game, a frontrunner hip-hop heads have been dying to hear. As Wale poignantly states in Chicago Falcon, we "hate rap like Kramer hate blacks."

And who to lean on to save us from this depression? Wale is the DMV's version of Lupe; then again, I've always hated comparisons because of the danger of generalizations. As a fervent fan of both, there are obvious differences between the two, and this in large part is due to each other's background. The wordplay, lyrical content, swagger, style - these are comparable in both, although there are various deviations. But as Wale said, his is a style called "rap with a go-go attachment," and this is true even when the beat is not heavily go-go. The way he flows on a beat is heavily at odds with his Chi-town brethren, and it is a flow that places you in a good mood. With this incredible flow comes witty jabs (a la Lil Wayne), along with a lyrical depth that forces you to listen attentively, as you would with Lupe.

With three mixtapes (download his latest one for free from his myspace) behind him, Wale definitely has the experience to handle what is to come in his future. (I actually have the inside scoop on something major, but it is best that Wale publicly announces this development.) In addition, Wale intends to come out with another mixtape (hilariously entitled Mixtape About Nothing) and will drop a video for his song W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E. very soon (check out the previews below).

"I kill beats, this is euthanasia / I rock Bapes like the youth in Asia."

For more information on Wale, check out the following:
http://www.myspace.com/wale202
http://www.elitaste.com

Shwayze "Buzzin"

Two weeks ago, we went to a Wale concert at Satellite Ballroom that was hosted by Heist and Scion. After the concert they had a party, Safe Sex Dance Party, which featured DJ Skeet Skeet out of LA. Towards the end of the party, we went up to talk to him and to our surprise, he was a real cool dude. Even though the party was still going on, he took time out of his set to show us how he was generating some of the crazy effects that we had been hearing all night. He also let us take pictures with him after the show. As he was wrapping up, he mentioned a group that he was affiliated with out of LA and he told us that they would be touring after he DJed at this party back in Cali. A few weeks after the concert, I checked out his blog (www.eatskeet.com) and I saw a post talking about his group, Shwayze. Their video, " Buzzin' " debuted on MtvU's Freshman 5 and is now in the running to be premiered on MtvU. I am really feeling the song and video is really chill and reminds me of a beach party on a mid summer day. As soon as I saw it, I immediately thought about the Souls of Mischief video "93 til' Infinity" which was also very chill. I posted the video below. If you are feeling it, you can vote for " Buzzin' " by clicking here.

Lupe Performing Paris, Tokyo on Jay Leno Last Night

Classic Video: DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince "Summertime"

This video came on TV yesterday and took me way back. My favorite part of this video is when Will Smith breaks out his old school moves in the circle. I definitely had to post this.

Toshiba's 815T PB on Softbank ....

For more photos: AKIHABARA

You might wish this was fake -- but it's definitely real! Developed to coincide with a new show featuring robo-phones called Ketai Sousakan 7. This phone is packed w/ most standard features: 3G, 3.2MPix auto focus camera and QVGA screen. Reminds me too much from a part in Transformers when they "zapped" the Nokia phone. HAHA.

Searching through the looking glass

source: ( petitinvention.wordpress.com )

If this concept Internet search device by designer Mac Funamizu takes off, the privacy advocates will be out in force to protest. It's like having Wikipedia wherever you go, but way cooler and far more advanced. The artist's idea is for this portable device to have a touch screen, built-in camera, scanner, Wi-Fi connectivity, Google Maps, and Google Search capabilities, among other features. The screen would probably double as the camera viewfinder, so it would be like looking through a piece of transparent glass. And when you point it at an object, the screen would show more details about it, such as the name of an insect, a car model, or food on the table. With existing technologies, we suppose it would use the onboard Wi-Fi to grab information off the Web. A concept like this isn't new--but Funamizu's rendition takes it up a few notches. However, while it would be great to have such information at our fingertips, it wouldn't be so fun if someone were to point the device at us.

New Jay-Z Vid

Class-action Lawsuit Blasts Microsoft's Vista Capable Designation

Redmond (WA) - A federal lawsuit has been filed against Microsoft, claiming it falsely advertised various computers by calling them "Vista Capable" when their system specs didn’t really meet the qualifications.

"A judge announced over the weekend that it would accept the lawsuit. It attacks Microsoft for putting the "Vista Capable" certification on computers that could only run the most basic version of the operating system.

Thus, many PCs with the Vista emblem are in fact not able to run many of the Vista features that are advertised in step with the hardware. For example, the "Aero" interface, only available in the higher-end versions of Vista, is incompatible with some PCs marked as "Vista Capable".

US District Judge Marsha Pechman certified the lawsuit but said it could only look at the 2006 holiday season, when computers were branded with Vista certifications but the operating system had not yet launched. At issue is whether Microsoft created an artificial demand by tricking consumers.

Microsoft is reviewing the ruling, and does not comment on pending litigation."

Obama Air Forces Ones

  

..Aight so when i saw these shoes my first reaction was to give a smirk, but hey, Obama's presidential run is historic and why not show some love with a classic shoe like AF1s?. Plus, if Obama is the democratic presidential candidate, you can always roll to the polls with these patriotic kicks....

Got your Jordan game up?

My Jordan game is pretty nice but nothing compared to this. (Source: the cool hunter)

New Bape Store in Japan

Anybody wanna take me to Japan?????

Lamborghini Reventon

This car was recently revealed. One word - speechless!

Ne-Yo arrested for driving offense

Aight, aight, so I'm not one to judge people for their driving offenses, but - damn! - he should've gotten a ticket for that dome! I really do think G-d used his head as a blueprint for the world!

Check out the details here.

Interesting Customs...

I was surfing the web and I ran into some interesting new designs. I really like the glow in the dark stitching. Props to Sekure, evolvedfootwear, ghettrocentricity, SneakerQueen, and uneaksneak. (Source: Sneakerfreaker.com)

Google Buys a Piece of a Cable To Japan

"Google announced that they will be part of a six-company consortium that will build a high-bandwidth sub-sea fiber optic cable linking the US and Japan. The new cable system, named Unity, is expected initially to increase Trans-Pacific lit cable capacity by about 20 percent, with the potential to add up to 7.68 Terabits per second of bandwidth across the Pacific. The name Unity was chosen to signify a new type of consortium, born out of potentially competing systems, to emerge as a system within a system, offering ownership and management of individual fiber pairs. Rumors that Google would join the consortium had originally surfaced in September last year but the company had declined to confirm or deny the news."

Daft Punk - House/Electronica

My mentor once told me that reading an incredible idea in a book (on whatever subject) opens you to a new insight into the world, a new door into an expanding universe of thoughts. It is precisely that engagement into this new insight that creates a 'wow moment', if u will. This proceeds into two directions: (1) this is a conception you've heard before, but never in such beautiful terms (precisely what John Donne's work did for me the first time I read him); and (2) this is an entirely new thought that you've never experienced in any form.

Such is the case with music. My co-bloggers and I are interminable fans of hip hop and R&B - new and old. Honestly, if you could combine our knowledge of these genres and physically outline the extent of this knowledge, it would reach the far ends of the universe. Any Afrika Bambaataa fans? what about New Jack swing? how about the Teriyaki Boyz and Adam Tensta (yes, we go international, as well)?

But our interests are always open; we love to learn about and dedicate ourselves to new forms of music, so much so that we're willing to spend limitless hours educating ourselves on new music. This is precisely what happened to me when I wanted to learn more about opera, after having visited the home of Puccini in Torre del Lago and viewed an English version of La bohème. (Don't worry, I won't push that agenda on you.)

Lately, though, the iLLVibes bloggers have been really getting into Daft Punk (along with the hip hop community). This has resulted in countless hours researching about this out-of-the-norm group who simply defy a label - what kind of music is it? All we know is that it is their strangeness, this unwillingness to have an identity (almost James Baldwinian) that creates a unique place in music history. So, if you haven't heard about them, or if you have the liberal inclination to hear new music, check them out, along with other house/electronica music. Believe me: I don't like all house/electronica music, and this may simply be the exception; however, that still shouldn't stop you or me from enjoying what is out there - these new concepts or, at a minimum, new expressions of concepts.

To help you out, check out this website that provides a tutorial of this type of music.

Daft Punk - Around the World



Daft Punk - Something About Us (from Interstella 5555)

Jay-Z (among others) sued for reparations

Apparently, it seems that Young (in heart) Hov is being sued for $5 billion!!! Those exclamation marks come from my perspective, even though $5 billion from Jay-Z (especially when shared among other illustrative co-defendants) is just shy of $5, in relative terms.

Mr. Carter has been linked with another real estate investor and Barclays bank to build the new Nets stadium, as well as several apartments in the Brooklyn area. The trouble, claims the complainant, a Mr. Clive Campbell, is that Barclays (allegedly) appears to have profited from the slave trade, a claim not necessarily as far-fetched as a lot of people claim. What is far-fetched, though, is that Jay-Z must pay these slave reparations. What are your thoughts?

Check out the article here.

When I find the actual complaint, I'll make sure to post it on the blog. Hopefully, it's not as notoriously ridiculous as Jonathan Lee Riches's lawsuit against a cast of celebrities, both living and dead. Check out the complaint here. He's the same guy who sued Michael Vick for, and this is no lie, "$63,000,000,000.00 Billion." As a legal scholar, I wish I could make this stuff up!

Studio in NYC

On the real, if I had a studio in NYC, it would closely resemble this! (Source: the cool hunter)

Who Do You Believe?

With the race getting very close between Clinton and Obama, it seems that there is a bit of animosity brewing between these two candidates, perhaps making a dream ticket seem impossible after one of the two wins. In the last debate between these two candidates in Texas, Clinton accused Obama of "plagiarism" to which Obama claimed that her action seemed to be a strategic tactic after he clarified the situation. This weekend, Clinton once again accused Obama of making false claims. Read the article and watch how mad she seems in the video. Who do you believe? The polls in Texas are very close, is this a strategic tactic by Clinton or are her claims valid against Obama?



Article

Video with Obama Response

Nike Court Force Hi

Nike will be using original colors from the Air Max models and applying them on the Nike Court Force model. The outcome is what we see here. These Court Force Hi's utilizes the OG Air Max 95 colorway and the results are spectacular. (HypeBeast)

Justice - "D.A.N.C.E."

JUSTICE is a French Electro duo consisting of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay. This group, which first stepped on the scene in 2003 with the release of the remix to "Never Be Alone" by Simian, has received many accolades for their most recent release, Cross (June 2007). This is the video for D.A.N.C.E., a song which has been increasingly popularized in the US due to a collabo with Wale on his mixtape "100 Miles and Running". Although this video dropped about a year ago, it is definitely groundbreaking and showcases many cool effects, thus deserving a spot on this blog.

Utah Saints - "Something Good '08"

This is a hilarious video! If you are a true hip-hop head and a fan of the old school, you can definitely respect this video. The dancing is sick and they hit all their moves perfectly. The end has a great twist so don't cut it off early. Props to Kanye for posting this...

WTF???? # 1

I was highly upset when I saw this ad. Now, to be fair, I'm a product of an Asian (Korean)-white relationship, but this ad (inappropriately) simplifies the relationships among interracial couples and accentuates the so-called exoticness of minorities.

So my first WTF??? posting is dedicated to that website.

Lupe Fiasco's Failure

Lyrically, he’s on another level. Truth be told, I’m glad this dude is getting a lot of attention commercially, e.g., #1 rap album in the country for many weeks, as well as peaking at #1 on 106 & Park. But, honestly, his best material is in his mixtapes. Seriously, check those tracks out.

“Did you even catch the change in theme?” wow… what a crazy metaphor

Be on the lookout for the thematic post, Lupe Fiasco v. Others, in which I will compare Lupe's lyrics with that of others when they write on the same theme. Hopefully, and most likely, the difference will illuminate without my explanation, but I will still make sure to comment on the difference.

Nike Zoom Lebron V

These kicks dropped about a week ago in NYC and are supposed to commemorate Lebron's progression from his early career to being one of the premier players in the league today. I think one of the craziest things about these kicks is that they include a real metal locker case to store them. In that sense, it is reminiscent of the Jordan XVIIs which came with a metal case. Hmm....follow the leader? #23?

Cheetoes Commercial

Alright, so let's start this blog off with a laugh. I don't know what has happened with the Cheetoes marketing team ....but I think it's gonna work. All of a sudden Chester the Cheetah got gangsta... just watch the clips.... and drop your comments.....LOL

Introduction

Behind every blog is a purpose, we hope. And so it is here, at Ill Vibes. There's no format, no organization, no agenda - simply a cornucopia of thoughts we hope to memorialize in this Internet medium. What common ground you may find is the interests shared among the administrators, four university students whose passions for music (especially the state of hip hop), art, travel, philosophy, comedy, dance, politics, pop culture, fashion, and - quite frankly - the good life have brought them together to share their essentials of cool. From reviewing the latest CD or introducing the world to the next incredible artist to documenting various travels or criticizing a latest concert, you'll find it all here and more! So enjoy, and definitely leave comments. Not only do we love to express ourselves, but one of our greatest traits lies in our listening to other people expressing themselves.