Streetwear 101: Rap Lyrics

Often times when one thinks of the significance of rap lyrics, they think of it only as the driving force behind the barren wasteland known as hip-hop, but it is also the lifeblood of another depressing, culturally devoid sector: streetwear.


When one is preparing to become a full fledged streetwearian it is imperative that they own at least one t-shirt prominently featuring rap lyrics (or simple flips of them). This will allow you to fit into your new peer group for two reasons: your shirt's boldness will help mask your vast personal deficiencies and it will show that you too love Wu-tang.



Simply put, it is a no brainer to drape yourself in rap lyrics, but the true struggle comes from the decision on how to wear your rap lyrics. Tees containing references to Jay-Z, Kanye and the like should always match your shoes. If your shirt contains artists from Stones Throw it is preferential to not match your outfit.

Yes, I know. This goes against all rules of streetwear, but remember: it isn't a lack of caring about your outfit, it's about others perception of your lack of caring.

If they don't like your outfit because it doesn't match, all the better. This will simply reinforce your view that you are better then them. Streetwear is about using all your might in asserting dominance over an opponent. Think of it like Magic: The Gathering, but with clothes.

--Ira

Girl Fight Update . . . Repercussions!

If the WNBA fight wasn't enough . . . the repercussions just might be enough to do you in for good.

"50 year old Nancy Lieberman made a one-time only appearance in the Shock's first game since Tuesday night's bench-clearing melee with the Los Angeles Sparks.

Five Shock players were suspended and Cheryl Ford sustained a season-ending injury, prompting coach Bill Laimbeer to offer Lieberman a seven-day contract."




Although the thought of playing against a 50 year old woman does make me laugh, she has actually had a very impressive career and can still throw a decent no look pass.

#1 draft pick of the Dallas Diamonds in 1980.
(same hair style for the last 28 years)


Grew up playing in Harlem's Rucker Park
Silver Medal at 18 with U.S. Olympic team in Montreal in 1976
2 national titles with Old Dominion
1st woman to play in a men's basketball league the USBL alongside Spud Webb, Michael Ray Richardson, & John "Hot Rod" Williams

Source : Associated Press


I'm just glad that the US Olympic Men's team finally has a televised game on tonight vs. Canada (ESPN 8pm east) so I can actually watch some GOOD basketball.

-Cam

"The game of chess, is like a swordfight/You must think first, before you move"

Shout out to fellow Compound employee for making the big time this week! He's Willamette Week's(ugh..) "Best of:Tiny Tattoos".


Willamette week covers:

Ren Sakurai is a relative newcomer to Portland’s ink-and-dagger industry. In five short years, he has developed a small but loyal following for his meticulous tattoos and light hand. What sets Ren, who hangs his needles at Blackbird Tattoo (5501 NE 30th Ave., 493-4445), apart from the approximately gogolplex tattoo artists in this town is his ability to work small. Very small. Hunched over your body, with his face inches from your skin, Ren can caress Lilliputian detail from his needle. Millimeter by millimeter, he stretches and pokes with such precision that people often wonder if he uses a magnifying glass (he doesn’t). His care is obvious: “It’s only permanent,” he reminds you, with a wee grin. (HN)

I also found this photo courtesy of the Fix. If any one knows why Bobby Bobby Digi is playing chess at Pioneer Square feel free to speak up.


Sources: The Fix, Willamette Week

--Ira

Weird Things I kinda want (and You Should, Too)

This bed is very opposite of what I would want out of a bed, but for some reason it intrigues me. However, I thought it was supposed to be dark when you were trying to sleep. Either way, it looks cool. I can see the pick up lines coming already, "You've really got to check out my bed."

Via dvice.com

BONUS: "That's right, I'm riding my bike AND mowing my 1950s lawn."

-jt

Girl Fight....

Earlier tonight during the Sparks/Shock game, Plinette Pierson & Candace Parker were tussling along the Free Throw line (yes lesbo) when a fight broke out near mid-court. (Yes -- the same court where Artest threw down.)

Highlight of the night? Rick Mahorn thinking it was '88 again and shoving Lisa Leslie to the floor. WOW.








I found Candace wrestling on the ground to be kinda hot. Maybe it's just me.

-Nick

eBay Idiots -- Part I

While up late at night, nightly, I tend to browse eBay to kill some time. It's technically my work break. Daily searches include 'Kings Williams', 'Reebok Blast', 'Rodman shirt', etc....

But while on the hunt for hours on end -- there's a point where you have to wonder what in the HELL a seller was thinking when they submitted their listing. Surely, you can set whatever price you want. But isn't the intent to sell the product afterall?

Here's some of my latest favorites. And to break all forum rules -- all links are LIVE! (Make sure to thank me later!)

First up:
$1200 -- DS Shaqnosis
Now the Shaqnosis is no slouch in my book; I own two pairs myself. I even grossly overpaid to the tune of $250 for a DS sz. 13 pair. But the seller here is looking for nearly FIVE times that price? It's no surprise the seller is from Orlando. Can you imagine the asking price for DS Penny II's?


$5000 -- XX3 Prototype
There's three awesome things about these:

* This seller must be hip to the Portland game. He obviously lucked into these through our favorite *untitled* thrift store, known to be a Campus dumping ground, where we've also found Clear Sole III's, black seamless X's, black/cement III's, Gloria Lebron III's, and most recently, '04 Talaria Samples . All priced under $40 each. Good find indeed on his part.

* If they weren't acquired through said thrift store, the WearTest number is in PLAIN site -- and the Nike hawks are grilling said tester right now in a cold barren conference room until he confesses his life away.

* He first listed these at $4200. They weren't remotely close to selling. So to go along with all logic in this dreadful economy, he relisted them at a substantially higher price. Good luck.


$500 -- Worst Jordan Ever Made
It's one thing to be a reseller. It's another to have to go through the effort of taking 16 different pics of these monstrosities and writing a positive item description in hopes of someone blowing holy grail type money with a single mouse click.


$1100 -- Countdown 4/19 Pack
Your eyes are not deceiving you. The exact Countdown Pack that released 3 days ago. The same pack that Niketown New York had 52 sets of as of this morning. From a seller who fancies shitty rugs and leather flip flops. In Kentucky. With 0 feedback.


$2195 -- Signed Countdown XIV
No. You don't even get the IX's included. What occurred here is a seller bought the IX/XIV Pack for $310, sent in the XIV to Upper Deck's Autograph program, paid $750 to have Michael take 4 seconds to write his name, and turned around to mark up the effort a whopping $1300. For arguably the worst executed Retro model of any of the Countdown Packs. (That says A LOT.) Out of all the shoes one could throw away their money on, I have to know the person who buys this pair. I'm vowing to interview the unbelievably lazy purchasee, because it's really not that hard to get a pair of the REAL black/red 'Last Shot' XIV's, send them to UDA for a MJ auto, and save yourself over $1000.


-Nick

Above The Clouds is so PORTLAND

Warning!! The website address they give is not quite ours.



And a link to a bigger version.......

BIGGER VERSION OF VIDEO

- ATC

A View From the Couch: My Recommendations

As a few of you may or may not know I hurt my knee, had surgery and have been recovering since then. So, my view of the world has been from a ratty, body enveloping couch lately, prompting me to let you guys in on a few of the gems I've been able to witness over the past month.


Bigger, Stronger, Faster* is a documentary about steroid uses in sports and weight lifting in the United States. Going into this movie I had been vehemently opposed to the use of steroids, but after seeing it, I'd encourage them to be legalized. Bigger, Stronger, Faster* isn't necessarily in favor of steroid use (The director has tried them and his brothers are both users), but it's able to provide an amazingly balanced look at the subject matter, which is pretty refreshing after the glut of Micheal Moore-like one sided documentaries.

Buying In is the first consumption based book from Rob Walker, author of Murketing and the New York Times "Consumed" Column. The book is one of the quickest reads I've had in a long time. If you're at all interested in how marketing has changed from a TV based hook-line-and-sinker approach (before Tivo) to a much more indecipherable and, at times, vile cascade of branding (much of which a lot of us aren't even aware of) you'll devour this book. OH, and by page four it's already mentioned The Hundreds, Nike and Magic (the Convention, not the gathering...). The strange thing is it kinda makes me like The Hundreds. Fuck. Go buy it.

The King of Kong: A Fist Full of Quarters is one of the best damn documentaries that I've ever seen. I deserve a sizeable late pass on it since it released last summer, came out on DVD in January and runs nearly around the clock on the G4 network (Comcast channel 136, if you nasty), but some how managed to never hear of it until a couple weeks ago. It follows chronic good guy Steve Wiebe's attempt to wrestle the world record for Donkey Kong from douche bag/hot sauce heir Billy Mitchell. I KNOW, it sounds like it's awful (especially if, like me, you're not interested in video games), but the story is so hilarious and, at the same time, gripping that you'll be hanging on to every scene. I'd never really known about the retro gaming subculture and the stranger-than-fiction characters that are involved in it, but King of Kong is the second best movie I've seen this year(Batmans good). It doesn't matter if you love video games or hate them, this is a damn good way to spend 79 minutes.

--Ira

Daily Surroundings!!! A National Pastime

Today we look at PGE Park. Nick and I were able to get some free tickets to the Beavers Triple A game this past Sunday, as they faced off against the Colorado Springs in the 2nd of 3 consecutive games. The Beavers won the first game only to lose late in this one. Our friends Brendon and Robin came through and grabbed the extra two tickets I had available and we all enjoyed the clutch free food that came with some company wristbands I was able to acquire. Hey guys, guess what (Nick, Robin, Brendon)? It turns out that the free beer was around the corner and we just missed out on it. Oops!! Anyway, as you'll see it was a perfect day for some baseball watching, I'm not an avid watcher or much of a fan but it was a nice relaxing Sunday to say the least.

Oh, and get a load of Nick's kicks in pic #2.






- Keith

Extraordinary Events Change The World!

It was an act of defiance that took planning and grace. In 1974, Philippe Petit set out to do the unthinkable. He set up a wire from one World Trade Center building to the other and proceeded to cross it. 34 years later, a documentary on the world wide attention grabbing stunt is being released and hailed by critics as "breathtaking" and "exhilarating." It is events such as these that take place in a person's life that can change them dramatically. To be a witness to something as extraordinary as a man crossing the tallest buildings in the world (at that time) is a sight to behold and a reminder that you can do anything you want as long as you have a dream and a will.




- Keith

When Hunger Strikes...

So I have a fridge full of condiments and nothing else and it's 10:30 on a Saturday night. I can safely say I'm absolutely STARVING. A bowl of Honey Bunches Of Oats to kick off the day and 2 Snack Packs for lunch didn't quite cut it.

At this rate -- I'm ready to try THIS.


That's actually a squadron serving size of Donut Cheeseburgers. With bacon. With cheese. With glaze for added effect calories. Yikes. But it sure does look tempting.

-Nick

What The HELL....

Found this in the living room today. I'm thinking the perpetrator was able to replace it with another pearl necklace later in the night.

Seriously -- how classy are our friends anyways?

So -- who left this at the party either on the 4th or last Thursday?

I'm placing my bet now and going all in on Stephanie. (see what I did there?)

-Nick