A Blend of Hip-Hop X Classical Music For Your Viewing Pleasure
Recently a very unique and entertaining video was brought to my attention. It showcases two gentlemen who may very well be the U.K's finest beatboxers, performing for Google employees at the company's London offices (nice perks, wouldn't you agree?). The video, which was made back in early 2008, features a set list including a rendition of the Night Rider theme by Nathan "Flutebox" Lee along with fresh beats and an abundance of sound effects delivered by Beardyman. The latter has a fairly decent singing voice to go along with his insane beatboxing talent.
Other cool bits in the video are Beardyman's take on the 80's hit "Take on me" and his impression of Marlon Brando's infamous godfather character while "Flutebox" plays the classic movie theme. These take place in the final six minutes of the video which are definitely the most entertaining since they perform as a duo, combining their awesome skills. The only negative comment I have about this video is that I wish I had discovered it sooner. Hope you all enjoy
Middz Note: The Google offices must be a pretty lax environment seeing as they have beer bottles in the break room fridge.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Sick Cops
Louis Vuitton Shades Block More Than UV Rays
This photo (left) is taken from the September issue of Paper magazine which featured 25 of the entertainment world's most intriguing 25 year olds, many of whom are up-and-coming, not yet having reached full super stardom. For the shoot Kid Cudi rocked these dope classic aviator shades from Louis Vuitton's current collection.
The "Conspiration Pilote Canvas" sunglasses retail for $560 USD and are available in both silver and gold (shown here) colorways. The Damier pattern canvas on the arms and nose bridge of the sunglasses add that simple and elegant LV touch needed to outshine the next man's shade game. Not only will you block the sun's UV rays but also the hatin' from unfashionable pricks.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Trippin'
Weekends In Orbit Begin 2012
Galactic Suite Ltd. is currently undertaking a revolutionary project that will allow planet Earth's highest-grossing citizens to have a relaxing getaway in a place that's been called the final frontier, space. The Galactic Suite Space Resort is being constructed by architects from Barcelona, Spain, who claim the cost of such an out of this world experience will be about $4.4 million for a three night stay. Those who are able to cough up the funds for the trip will, also, participate in an eight week training program on an exotic island. While staying in the space resort, guests will revolve around the Earth every eighty minutes and see fifteen sunrises a day. The rooms will be shaped like pods and provide an ample area for guests to move around and attach themselves to walls in velcro suits that will be provided to them.
The space tourism industry is slowly blossoming into a noticable attraction for adventurers and thrill seekers. The first site of its type, Spaceport America is currently being built in New Mexico. The purpose of such a creation is to serve as the starting point for these newfound space journeys. Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin brand, will launch people into space from the location for the price of $200,000.
The first pod ready for vacationers will hold 4 guests and 2 astronaut pilots and will float 280 miles above our home planet. Subsequently, many will be on the waiting list a long time due to the fact that there are 43 people who have booked a trip and another 200+ expressing interest. Galactic Suite Ltd. will use Russian rockets for the voyage while Branson's Virgin Galactic will go via alternative spacebound crafts.
The only downside to this story is that the desired time of completion, 2012, is being called into question and has been labeled unrealistic. Funding is also another mystery that is being kept out of the loop to the dislike of many. According to Galactic Suite Ltd. Ceo Xavier Claramunt, a large sum of approximately $3 billion has been provided by an undisclosed donor.
All in all, whether or not this endeavor is completed on schedule, it will certainly be a giant step for mankind, just as it was for those first astronauts that landed on the moon. Space is such an incredible odyssey that the common person in today's world seems to not know about as much as one would hope. This opportunity to at least put regular, albeit filthy rich, individuals in space will do wonders for our understanding of space travel and the galaxy we are a part of. I've already bought my ticket (in my mind of course).
Middz Note: More info on this project at http://www.galacticsuite.com/
Gadgets & Games
NIntendo Groundbreaker is Now a Hall of Famer
Ever heard of The National Toy Hall of Fame? Well neither have I until this week when they inducted Nintendo's original Game Boy into its collective of honored entertainment products. Ranked #1 all-time in sales of handheld video game systems, the Game Boy platform has been around for over 20 years. The traits that the Hall of Fame highlighted as grounds for inducting Nintendo's portable pioneer are its efficient design, multiplayer capabilities and library of innovative games. Nine other famed toys fell short of beating out the original Game Boy this year, including Rubik's Cube and Hot Wheels. The only other handheld gaming system to be inducted into The National Toy Hall of Fame is the Atari 2600 which was selected back in 2007.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Reel Scene
Kanye West X Spike Jonze - Fairytale Turns Nightmare in Short Film
Recently a video was posted on Kanye West's blog (kanyeuniversecity.com) which is written and directed by Spike Jonze, whose film "Where the Wild Things Are" is in theaters now. The short film, which is about ten minutes in length, depicts Kanye as himself, in a drunken state at a club. Judging by the film's artistic look, especially its use of light and dark as well as colors, it would be safe to assume that Mr. West had a great deal of influence on the project's vision and production. Anyone who truly knows Kanye and has followed his career understands that his fascination with art, fashion and any other forum for visual expression shines through in his work. His "Glow in the Dark" tour and almost every photo shoot he has done for magazines over the years are proof of this fact.
The film entitled "We Were Once a Fairytale" has drawn a lot of controversy and speculation as to its true intended message. Some opinions I have heard include that there is a fairytale living in all of us as we grow up, but once we reach adulthood all of these wonders are drowned by real world responsibilities and temptations. Also, because some of today's biggest artists are rumored to be associated and controlled by secretive groups such as "Illuminati" and "The Free Masons", I even heard comments that the film was a commentary on giving up your soul in order to make it in the music industry. Personally, I don't believe in these far off and incredibly sketchy theories. My intepretation of this film is that it's an exhibition of Kanye's inner revelations as a person and an artist at this present stage in his life. He is notorious for his ego and has spoken out of line on several occassions putting him in a negative spotlight in the media. His "George Bush hates black people" outburst during a televised Katrina fundraiser is a strong example of this behavior."
The film follows Kanye as he acts out different flaws in his character, i.e. alcoholism, arrogance and lust being the most obviously displayed. Part of what the viewer can take away from watching Kanye's antics in the film is that for all his wealth and accolades he seems to be alone in his world and seeking the love of others. This loneliness may stem from the loss of both his mother and break-up with his fiance which both took place over a year ago. These are clearly the catalysts for his latest album "808's & Heartbreak." His desire for acknowledgement and praise is seen when he's shouting "Do you guys like this song?...This is My Song. I wrote all the chords," as if today's generation wouldn't know a Kanye track in the club when they heard one.
I wouldn't describe the film as an amazing work but it is definitely intriguing and can be greatly appreciated from an artistic point of view. Although the material used to represent West's vomit and guts in the dramatic final scene may look cheesy and fake to some, it's very appealing to the eye and we should assume that it was intended to be that way instead of presenting gore and blood. The creature which he discovers can be seen as a symbol of the superstar's demons, and yet appears to be harmless and even likeable. In my eyes this creature is the embodiment of the Louis Vuitton Don's vices, the things that he must do away with in order to live life along a righteous path.
Even though you can tell by Kanye's appearance that this project was filmed quite some time before the recent MTV awards where he stormed on stage and ruined Taylor Swift's moment, the message coincides with the rapper's sentiments after the incident took place. He realized that he needed time out of the public eye in order to re-evaluate himself and figure out how he could be a better person and behave in the spotlight. Both his statements after the MTV incident and this film's message tell us that he is remorseful for things that have happened during his career and it's possible that he has now grown to the point where he realizes the error of his ways. This could be the beginning of a rebirth for the truly talented Mr. West. We'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime enjoy the film which is posted below, and share your thoughts on it.
"We Were Once a Fairytale" Directed by Spike Jonze and starring Kanye West:
Recently a video was posted on Kanye West's blog (kanyeuniversecity.com) which is written and directed by Spike Jonze, whose film "Where the Wild Things Are" is in theaters now. The short film, which is about ten minutes in length, depicts Kanye as himself, in a drunken state at a club. Judging by the film's artistic look, especially its use of light and dark as well as colors, it would be safe to assume that Mr. West had a great deal of influence on the project's vision and production. Anyone who truly knows Kanye and has followed his career understands that his fascination with art, fashion and any other forum for visual expression shines through in his work. His "Glow in the Dark" tour and almost every photo shoot he has done for magazines over the years are proof of this fact.
The film entitled "We Were Once a Fairytale" has drawn a lot of controversy and speculation as to its true intended message. Some opinions I have heard include that there is a fairytale living in all of us as we grow up, but once we reach adulthood all of these wonders are drowned by real world responsibilities and temptations. Also, because some of today's biggest artists are rumored to be associated and controlled by secretive groups such as "Illuminati" and "The Free Masons", I even heard comments that the film was a commentary on giving up your soul in order to make it in the music industry. Personally, I don't believe in these far off and incredibly sketchy theories. My intepretation of this film is that it's an exhibition of Kanye's inner revelations as a person and an artist at this present stage in his life. He is notorious for his ego and has spoken out of line on several occassions putting him in a negative spotlight in the media. His "George Bush hates black people" outburst during a televised Katrina fundraiser is a strong example of this behavior."
The film follows Kanye as he acts out different flaws in his character, i.e. alcoholism, arrogance and lust being the most obviously displayed. Part of what the viewer can take away from watching Kanye's antics in the film is that for all his wealth and accolades he seems to be alone in his world and seeking the love of others. This loneliness may stem from the loss of both his mother and break-up with his fiance which both took place over a year ago. These are clearly the catalysts for his latest album "808's & Heartbreak." His desire for acknowledgement and praise is seen when he's shouting "Do you guys like this song?...This is My Song. I wrote all the chords," as if today's generation wouldn't know a Kanye track in the club when they heard one.
I wouldn't describe the film as an amazing work but it is definitely intriguing and can be greatly appreciated from an artistic point of view. Although the material used to represent West's vomit and guts in the dramatic final scene may look cheesy and fake to some, it's very appealing to the eye and we should assume that it was intended to be that way instead of presenting gore and blood. The creature which he discovers can be seen as a symbol of the superstar's demons, and yet appears to be harmless and even likeable. In my eyes this creature is the embodiment of the Louis Vuitton Don's vices, the things that he must do away with in order to live life along a righteous path.
Even though you can tell by Kanye's appearance that this project was filmed quite some time before the recent MTV awards where he stormed on stage and ruined Taylor Swift's moment, the message coincides with the rapper's sentiments after the incident took place. He realized that he needed time out of the public eye in order to re-evaluate himself and figure out how he could be a better person and behave in the spotlight. Both his statements after the MTV incident and this film's message tell us that he is remorseful for things that have happened during his career and it's possible that he has now grown to the point where he realizes the error of his ways. This could be the beginning of a rebirth for the truly talented Mr. West. We'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime enjoy the film which is posted below, and share your thoughts on it.
"We Were Once a Fairytale" Directed by Spike Jonze and starring Kanye West:
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