Your Daily Freshness....

I'm not mad. The ladies are definitely starting to step their street-wear game up, and I'm happy to jump on the band-wagon. Mademe is an NYC clothing company, that caters to the edgy-avant-garde-sexy-tomboy fashionista in all of us. Taking inspiration from Madonna and the 80's, this line is slick straight-up disrespectful (in the good way, of course!).



Brands like Mademe, Most Official Bitches, Hellz Bellz, and Dime Piece are making big strides for all the retro-chicks out there. Check out MadeMe online, and look out for other label-features coming soon....

Here We Go, Here We Go Again...

Unless you have been in Fiji living it up, then you must have heard about 50 Cent's latest beef with Rick Ross. If not, check out the full timeline HERE.
Anyway, 50 Cent has escalated this beef to a level we have never seen before by video-taping himself taking Rick Ross' baby-mama to Gucci to splurge on some goodies. 50 even paid for her friend to get Gucci shoes and a fur coat as well... This was not all. 50 didn't stop there. He funded the making of a new tell-all book entitled: Tia's Diary: Deeper Than Rap. So, basically 50 is sponsoring yet another ignorant, loud-mouthed hip-hop hoochie's dream at relevance and fame. SMH.



She better enjoy her 7.5 minutes while she still has em! And if you like that sorta thing, click the link and order an issue online! It's amazing the kind of financial-backing hip-hop beef gets these days...

TRUE STORY: Lil' Wayne More Influential Than OBAMA!

I know y'all know that Lil' Wayne is everywhere, but I bet you didn't know this: TIME MAGAZINE recently dropped their "Most Influential List", and the very sought-after Lil' Wayne and Barack Obama made the cut. (below is the promo pic for the feature on times.com with some of the "influences" gracing it):



You couldn't run from either of those guys in 2008 & 2009. They were constantly making headlines and history. Love them or hate them-- these are the facts. Wayne scored an impressive #12 on the list, while Obama scored #37. Check out the story:

Finalists for the list were chosen through a poll featured on Time’s website and rapper Lil Wayne came in 12th with close to 940,000 votes, probably since most of the voting was done during “Tha Carter III” hype. Weezy beat out “30 Rock” creator/star Tina Fey (15), singer T-Pain (34), “Family Guy” Creator Seth Macfarlane (40), rapper Kanye West (144) and even The President Of The United States Barack Obama who grabbed #37. The number one spot went to Christopher Poole, the founder of 4chan.org, after he received close to 17 miillion votes (which we are sure he was promoting heavily. Other music artists and stars included on the list include M.I.A. (105), Prince (104), and NBA star Kobe Bryant (9).

VIA Drew Reports

Heat!

Fellas, I didn't forget about y'all. The new trends this season are just as spectacular for men especially with this new A.P.C boat-shoe. Crafted from fine leather, and putting a modern spin on a true classic-- A.P.C hit with this one. I am actually looking for a pair in my size. It would look great with a pair of black skinny jeans, a burn-out white tank and my Louis V. purse... Oops! Had to wipe the drool that was rapidly forming on my chin.

They are available right now at Tres Bien Shop. I am sure that all the fashion-forward men that value comfort X style will be rockin these hard throughout the warm-weather months. Don't be late. And.....Go!

VIA HYPEBEAST

Looking Back: Foxy Speaks

So it's been a whole year since Foxy was locked up for assault amongst other things. She took to her blog on global Grind to air out some of her feelings about the experience and those who supported her:

It’s My 1 Year Anniversary Home From Jail!!!!!! APRIL is a SPECIAL month for me…..the month I got my FREEDOM back. APRIL 18TH to be exact! 1 Year, NO bullsh*t……feels Good! I can’t lie! Jail aint’ nothin’ sweet yall, if it wasn’t for my abiding faith in GOD, and my beautiful Mother Judy holding me down my entire 8MONTH bid, I probably would’ve lost my mind in that Prison! So today, I thank the people closest to me that held me down with Visits, Letters, and the Packages I loved SO much…..My big sister Roxanne Shante, My baby boy AZ, My heart Spragga Benz, Kevin Chiles, Marvet Britto, Councilman Charles Barron, Ilyasah Shabazz, My Bishop Keaton, Craig Mack, Melky Jean, Claudinette Jean, author Nikki Turner etc… I luv yall! My “die hard” Fans, who rode it out wit’ me till’ the END and flooded the Jail with “FREE FOXY” letters!!! Hugs to yall all. I must thank Chaz Williams for his bulletproof support during my incarceration, even though we’re no longer friends. And I gotta send Special luv to the 7 C.O’s who took care of me thru my whole bid, and who I personally called on APRIL 18th, just to say Thank You…. C.O Gibbs, C.O Smagler, C.O Torres, C.O Johnson, C.O Wells, C.O Price and C.O Gayles. Rev. Kev too. I’ll never forget yall. Stay realer than the rest! Sending Brooklyn Luv to ALL my Guys and Girls locked up in the Struggle…..and the ones I left behind at Riker’s Island. Stay Prayed Up, CHIN UP and CHEST OUT Baby!
ONE LOVE, F.B (Brooklyn’s Don Diva

It's clear to see that she is no longer cool with Chaz (the one responsible for putting together the major-flop "Brooklyn's Don Diva"....



One thing is for sure, though. I would much rather see Fox rockin the mic that writing some tell-all. I hope she puts out some new fire for 2009-- the game really needs her. She's arguably the best female emcee out there-- shoot maybe even one of the best period. Her flow is so sick, and she writes everything herself. We just need her to get it together and make us dance again!

VIA the.LIFE Files

Style Wars...

So out of 64 rappers in the country, America narrowed ish down to two-- Jigga and Kanye. Hmmmm I'm not too sure. COMPLEX MAGAZINE is having a style war to see who the best-dressed rapper out is. Kanye, definitely is a style-maverick in a lot of ways. He definitely is an aficionado-- he deserves it. His style can be controversial and misunderstood-- I personally feel that makes for great fashion-- memorable statements.






Jay-z on the other hand is safe... Stylish, but nevertheless predictable.





I would have NEVER chosen him as top-two. I would have at least considered Andre 3000 for that spot. Pharrell's not out as much lately as previous years, but he's certainly another that can contend with 'Ye. Jigga's not bad by any means, but he might have been my #3 or #4 choice. Ah wel, America has spoken, and I wonder who you will choose?

You can still vote HERE

I'mma have to go team 'Ye in this one...

VIA KANYE's BLOG

Pure Dopeness....

Calling all fashionistas! Get in gear... It's time to really step out this season-- it was a brutal winter and now it's time for fun & flirty fashion! I saw this flyness above on Nitro's site the other day and had to give it an honorable mention. The purse is by Tarina Tarantino-- Fall collection. I need to snag me one of these, I love it!





Bang, Bang Baby!

VIA NITRO-LICIOUS

Eminem Covers Vibe...

Can someone tell me why this man is angry all the time? OK, so your mom sucks... And your wife is a lil' trashy. Minor set-backs. LOL. I keed, I keed. However, he IS the highest respected white-boi in the game-- for now, he's a multi-bazillionaire, he has Dr. Dre's production ingenuity behind him at all times... I dunno. If i were him I'd be cheesin' more than Sambo, but that's just me... SMH. Go cop that new VIBE!

Quote Of The Day

Speaking of Nas-- one of the most out-spoken rappers in the game had some jewels to drop recently, concerning his career and controversial "Untitled" album... And I totally feel him. Check it:

“[The nod] showed that I’m here and my voice is relevant,” Nas said. “It shows my work is appreciated…It tends to scare people and offend them, a record is supposed to do that every once in a while. We have it good here in America, we’re spoiled. We don’t realize that people are poor, don’t have food, no water in this same world we live in. Those are the things I’m concerned with and need to talk about.”

We sure do have it good here-- better than we can imagine. Some people would give their lives to live in what we consider "poverty". And we have to remember to humble ourselves and be aware of this... Always.

VIA Drew Reports

Your Daily Freshness....

Freshness isn't just about looking cool, guys. Freshness is also about your state of mind, consciousness, spirituality, and soul. Art-- in it's broadest definition embodies all these things, and therefor hold a special place here on CCW.
With that said, y'all need to get to know: J. McClary aka See One (above).



He's an amazing artist from Bklyn by way of Queens, NYC. He's also the artist who did the Nas portrait above... New York artists always seem to have a special quality that one can only get from living and learning on these gritty streets of ours. See One is multi-faceted and does all sorts of art including: graphic art, still life and abstract art. To learn more about his art, and how you can purchase some check him out on: 101 Nine.

These are just a few of his masterpieces below:

"When I shine, You Shine":



"Uptown Saturday Night":



"Soul Tight":











And.... Go!

SFPL: One Year Anniversary

Fly-guys Rae (right) and Gabe (left) of Stuff Fly People Like.com had a lot of reasons to celebrate last night. For one, Gabe just had a birthday, and for two it's their one-year anniversary! SFPL turned one! Awwww, how time flies! Or "flys".... Get it? Ha! Since their inception they've had over a milli views and are going for 10 more. My people do grind, meng. Check them out to get the 411 on the latest trends in fashion-- foot-wear and accessories. Also, put your favorite celebs to the "fly or not" challenge, why not? And..... Go.


I'm definitely glad I had a chance to celebrate with the dapper duo-- and there were many in attendance:




Fly-girls me & Chee, I was definitely liking that Sangria (on the low, though):



Here I am with the supremely talented brothers of Brooklyn Circus:



(www.thebkcircus.com)

Yessir, it's me and Blogxilla meng:


(www.blogxilla.com)

Rae was stepping out in his custom-made fits:



As well as B-DAY boy Gabe:



Good times were had by all. Can't wait til next year!

...The AFTER PARTY.

After the festivities at the sneaker-party on Sunday, there was a mass-exodus to the bat-cave, otherwise known as SOLEFOOD NYC. I had to throw in an image of these couture-kicks one more time for good measure. I NEVER get sick of seeing these! I can't wait to get my pair!!!!

Everyone was laid back with a drink in hand, having a good time and reminiscing on some of the doper sneaker selections of the day... My homegirl and uber-talented make-up artist AIRE was in the building looking like the cat that stole the canary:



People lounged around enjoying the atmosphere:



And even more wonderful art:



Above is an amazing painting of one of the characters from the cult-classic film KIDS who passed away. His image was painted on a skateboard-- and he lives on... Just the way he would have wanted to. The skater community definitely lost a true legend with his passing. R.I.P...



This is a beautiful painting of 70's icon Pam Grier aka Foxy Brown!



And of course-- one of my favorites. An intricate collage-painting of North-Face Goretex jackets from the early 90's. I can stare at this for hours. Gives me all TYPES of nostalgia!



And of course none of this could have been possible without Mike (pictured right) . He's the owner of SFNYC and is kinda like the Batman to this bat-cave that many of the fresh, funky and fly kids of this gritty city call home.

When all was said and done and it was time to go home, my photographer and I had a real nice surprise... We were in Atlantic Station in Brooklyn, and saw one of my flyers on the floor!



I know y'all are thinking-- but if it was on the floor, then it wasn't with the recipient. But to us, that equal progress! CCW is ringing bells people. Don't sleep!



My photog Jeff was definitely proud-- see him cheesin???

DEAD-STOCK Sneaker Event...

Moving right along to Sunday afternoon, there was a sneaker extravaganza event hosted by DEADSTOCK. There were sneakers galore, stickers, tee's, magazines, food and even live performances! There I am with the Dinosaur Jr. Dunk's (which I happen to own, thank you very much! Haha.)





This was definitely heaven-on-earth for any and all sneaker-enthusiasts. Sneakers are much more than just shoes. They represent our fashion, our culture, our generation and most importantly HIP HOP. From our youth we have expressed ourselves through our footwear and the tradition blazes on. My homegirl NINA B was in the house tearing DOWN the stage like only she can:



...This girl never sleeps y'all... 24-seven grind... We LOVE it!




As you can see, I was definitely enjoying myself-- here I am with the custom Air Force Goretex-- couture version. I spoke to the artist about making a pair for me and he agreed! You can break your neck when you see me in the street. But please, DON'T ask me how much they are-- they are NOT for sale... SORRY! Haha.



Me and Curv (CEO of Milkshake footwear) had to give you all the lovely angles of the shoe. I swear I cried a single tear first time I seen them. True story!

Pugzee Toy-Release @ SOLE FOOD NYC...

So onward we trotted Saturday night to the infamous sneaker/art haven known to you earthlings as : Sole Food NYC in lower Manhattan:



The festivities was for the release of Pugzee-- a spunky lil' pug who's gangsta-ways got him locked up...Will Pugzee be ok? You might need to stay tuned...

The event brought in some of NYC's music/art and fashion elite:



Yup, yup... Me and Nina B-- hip-hop's hardest working rapstress!



Me & All-Purpose... The jack of all trades...



...and his fist! Ha.



Me & uber-talented J. McClary-- check out his interpretation of Nas!


Me and Dee-Jay Ill P-- rude gyal extraordinaire!



There were drinks a' plenty, great music, and even better footwear:








One of the best parts of the night for me was the artwork... There were several paintings of classic comic book characters in an African-American interpretation:





This next one is a shot of the men of the hour-- Dave & Frankie, creators of PUGZEE:



(and of course I got caught in the background of that shot-- I'm everywhere, haha). Pats on the back went all around for these guys. The hard work paid off, Pugzee had his night!



What will become of our cute lil friend pugzee? The world may never know...



...unless you go out and cop dat! Ha.