I never thought my first trip to the Apollo would be to see a British white chick sing, but hey, shit happens.   Duffy was cool, but the real treat for me was just getting to check out the historic Apollo Theater (Thanks Straughn!).

Credit:  Donalrey

Another treat was swinging by Atmos which was right down the block.   Atmos is my kind of sneaker shop.  While most shops have about 2-3 pairs of shoes that I would rock, Atmos has 2-3 pairs that I wouldn’t rock.  Super nice.

Also… 125th street was great.  Gentrified just enough for my lame ass.  The vibe was very similar to where we live now in Brooklyn.  Good vibes.

Did anyone else notice how hip-hop artists decided to take the words ‘Protect Ya Neck’ quite literally this cold weather season. This year, it was the style icon / mogul-status types that spent a few extra hundred on the luxe scarves instead of that extra pair of bullshit general release Air Force Ones. I am sure there are hordes of B-level rappers that already digging through flea markets for bootleg Louis V and Fendi scarves to wear next year. And for the record… I am not talking about the hipster pashminas - aw hell no!

Since scarves have been around for centuries, I feel weird calling these dudes ‘neck accessory innovators’, but here they are:

JD:

Pharrell:

Note the W)Taps Chukkas. Much respect to a rich artist that will rock rather inexpensive sneakers.  Well, I guess they are exclusive.

Kanye:

Note the KAWS Chomper Teeth

I love the DIY, make-shit-happen, mass collaboration aspects of the REMIXIN Project:

The key idea of remixin is to evolve music by creating a never ending web of remixes. Someone remixes one track, another person remixes that remix, then another person remixes that remix and so on. What you end up with is an ongoing chain of related works. Remixes can be in any style or tradition you wish. All styles of remixes are encouraged.

Go check the ‘Remix Tree’ here.

Enjoy… Thanks for sending Scio.

I guess N.E.R.D. is considered by most to be a passion project. This quote made me laugh:

Pharrell Williams is so in-demand as a producer that every time he tours with N.E.R.D., his most consistently weird project, he probably costs himself money.

Source: Denver Westworld

Since any post about “Kanye and Nike” is blog traffic gold, I thought I would post a pic of a new colorway that debuted tonight at the first stop on his Glow in The Dark tour. Nike/Kanye haven’t even shared any real background on these shoes, yet they are already unveiling new colorways. What do you think? As a marketer, I love the approach, but I am still tired of Nike.  BTW…. don’t the Air Yeezy laces above look like they are made of rubber?

Photo courtesy of Kanye West.

Remember the old school version?

Man, I cannot tell you how excited I am about the upcoming N.E.R.D. appearance on the G.I.T.D. tour. I have been digging into old N.E.R.D. stuff and forgot how much I love this band. I think I may actually know the lyrics to Fly or Die from start to finish, because it was in major rotation in my cd player back when I could afford a car. Then there are classics like Provider, from In Search Of… Always blazing new trails, the guys were on the BMX tip long before the current crop of hipster hop kids.  But notice the complete and glaring absence of anything BAPE-influenced in this video… Unlike this baller, Pharrell had yet to discover it

Also… you have got to hear this remix of the song from Zero 7. They made a chill song tens times more chill.

N.E.R.D - Provider (Zero 7 Remix)

I have officially become an old man. No doubt about it. In the last month, I have found myself saying things like “Shit, they just don’t make songs like this any more” no less than a dozen times. Ronda and I listen to the 80s music channel on Time Warner Cable probably more than actual tv shows. One striking reality - the shelf life of a pop star these days rivals a carton of milk. Back in the day, Phil Collins killed it as the lead singer/drummer of Genesis, long after male pattern baldness had taken over! Peter Gabriel, Bruce Hornsby, Christopher Cross, hell, even Bruce Springsteen looked more like school teachers than grammy-sweeping rockstars.

Of course, I still love new stuff, and believe that I always will (based on my upbringing), but just like classic rock has a special place in my dad’s generation’s heart, 80s shit, of just about any genre, is clearly turning out to be my ‘classic rock’. I have always loved songs from my childhood… but now it is reeeeeally inspiring fond memories of family road trips and hanging out around the house on Sunday with the breeze blowing in the open windows, drinking iced tea, rocking out… see what I mean!! Nostalgic! Here are a few songs that were regulars that my dad would play on Sundays and on road trips… And dad, if you are reading this… THANK YOU!

Expect more posts like this in the future.

Duran Duran - Save a Prayer

Mr. Mister - Broken Wings

Prince - Purple Rain

Genesis - Abacab

Neil Young - Heart of Gold (My Dad liked to throw in some of his old faves)

INXS - New Sensation (Michael Hutchence was THE rockstar of the 80s)

Certain music releases were literally ‘events’ in our household. The following videos actually made the family gather around the TV for their World Premieres.

Julian Lennon - Valotte

Tears for Fears - Sowing the Seeds of Love

Van Halen - Jump

Guns N Roses - November Rain

That’s what Jermaine Dupri said about the Tag Records label that was announced yesterday. It has been picked up in literally hundreds of publications and blogs, and here are a few links to what people are saying…

Click to read.

Click to read.

Click to read.

Click to read.

Click to read.

And don’t forget about the hip-hop blog chatter:

Click to read.

Click to read.

Click to read.

And of course, the Queen of All Media had to chime in:

Click to read.

Check out more at http://www.tagrecords.com/

ACME was featured in Ad Age yesterday. Read it here.