araabMUSIK

araabMUSIK KILLIN EM on the MPC. Courtesy of Octobers Very Own.

Montana Exhibition at 33third

I absolutely love events like this. Montana reigns supreme

Cristian Movila Photography

For photo-journalism in its rawest form check out the inspiring work of Cristian Movila here
Dude is a genuis
And make sure you check out his bit on the stagnation of Romania, an Eastern bloc country that was promised economic emancipation with the fall of the Berlin wall. The images of abandoned factories are a farcry from the promises capitalism entailed. You'll find that in his piece for the New York Times lens blog here

Year of the Tiger

I'm Tamil, and being from the city of Toronto the average citizen is now at least vaguely aware of the existence of my culture with the slew of anti-genocide protests that nearly brought the city to a standstill early last year. But the average Torontian is apprehensive when acknowledging the Tamil struggle, partly because our only political voice in our nation is a rebel group of militant fighters that have been deemed by the Canadian government and several other nations as a terrorist organization. The Tamil tiger terrorists; the alliteration rolls off the tongue, and as quickly as caring Torontonians were willing to lend their sympathies to our cause they withdrew them in fear that they may be tacitly supporting terrorism in some form.

Admittedly the dealings of the Tamil Tigers have been anything but diplomatic in the 20 year bitter ethnic conflict with the Sinhalese that ended in May; they have conscripted children, beaten and tortured innocent civilians, and are infamously known as the inventors of the suicide bomb. I am not going to engage in a political discussion here on the merits and demerits of both sides. This blog is not about politics, or about humanitarianism, its about ME and if that sounds selfish to you you are welcome to leave at any time. The fact of the matter is I have perused the online chats and discussions on the topic and they always degenerate from an at least remotely intellectual conversation to a back-and-forth online cursing match. Somewhere in these hateful exchanges the truth goes missing.

Anyways, the reason I mention the Tigers at all is because it occurred to me recently that 2010 is the year of the Tiger in the Chinese calendar. Let's be honest, 2009 was a brutal year for tigers all over. The bengal tiger is still an endangered species, the Tamil Tigers suffered a crushing defeat, and need I mention the ever unfolding saga that is Tiger Woods' life. Tigers are to some the forgotten voice of a disenfranchised people, to others the symbol of a ruthless terrorist organization, but first and foremost they were and are beautiful animals. So, for 2010 lets unleash the inner tiger in all of us and just appreciate the power and beauty of these majestic creatures. I was born in 88' so I'm officially a dragon in the Chinese calendar but off the record I will always be a tiger. And if you confuse that for some hidden political stance or support of terrorism, well, then your seriously messed up.

Stussy Year of the Tiger t-shirts. That first one is dope. Japan exclusive
Supreme Tigers varsity jacket. If you asked me last year I might not have rocked this. Now I'm all for it. Funny how things change.

It pays to be a vandal pt. II- Fafi

Woman have always had to struggle to gain equal representation in their various fields and pursuits of interest. The road has not been a smooth one, but over the years women have managed to secure themselves the same basic rights as men in most developed democratic societies and are even poised to surpass men in managerial roles in many sectors. However, in the underground world of graffiti and street culture women still seem to be remarkably underrepresented, even in this day and age. Some woman, curious enough to venture into the dark underworld of street art and brave enough to challenge the male dominated status-quo, are making moves through their love of graffiti. Introducing Fafi.
Fafi started on the underground graffiti circuit painting her noticeable characters on walls in her hometown of Toulouse France. Her talent was quickly recognized by the likes Adidas, Coca-Cola, and Collette to name a few. These days she's rolls with the Cool Cats and travels the world showcasing her rare talent. We can be sure that whether she's in New-York or Tokyo Fafi is a vandal making beaucoup money.
Fafi in Paris
Fafi x Adidas collaboration. Once your done checking out the model check the shoes. For more check out her blog here

Holidaze

On my desk at the office.
East York
On my drive to work
The family Christmas tree
Company party. Too....much......sushi
My drinks are Christmas colours

Ultra-Fresh!
Wool socks are a must
BrAun Shaver. Thanks Mom
My brother showing off his new guitar. Studying at home is officially no longer an option.
Shear madness outside Ransom/Goodfoot. The line outside Nomad was somewhat more civilized. Waited an hour for a damn sweater
I think the wait was well worth it. Filipa K cardigan half off? Throw it in the bag!$
Eaton Centre
Batman is taking some time away from Gotham to watch over the people of Toronto
A quick snapshot of a few days in my life. I'm out- Markiss

Merry Christmas!

"Christmas at City Hall" by Keith Watson

This is Markiss wishing you and yours a very safe and happy holiday season and a Merry Christmas. A time to spend nestled indoors with those near and dear to you... or is it a time to indulge in rampant consumerism...or perhaps a jolly fat man in a suit. Jesus' birthday anyone? I'm not going to take the time here to open up the philosophical can of worms that engages the question what is the meaning of Christmas? That's what Charlie Brown and other Christmas specials are for. Whatever your reason for celebrating just do what makes you happy this holiday season and try not to get caught up in the wish-wash of conflicting meanings that had Charlie Brown so depressed during that Christmas special. There is no singular meaning, Christmas is what you make of it, and if your meaning is that Christmas is another meaningless holiday exploited by retailers to cash in, well at least be thankful you got the day off. I digress. Before this breaks into an endless series of tangents let me just say 2009 started off rough for me but picked up near the end (much like the economy did) so this season I'm thankful for the opportunities I've been given, the lasting friendships I have forged, and the memories that will perhaps fade with time but will never be forgotten. Being chased by a bat in the library is definitely one of them. Happy 2010 people. Peace out.

And if you gave up on Christmas entirely there is always the Festivus
Good grief!

Inspiration pt. II

Musee Dorsay in Paris. Up on my checklist of places to visit

New York

Kris Kuksi scuplture

Kris Kuksi's vision as an artist is mind blowing. I admire artists that are able to dedicate such an acute degree of workmanship and intricacy to their work. Watch for when the camera pans out around 50 sec. That is an EPIC battle scene that would shame even George Luckas' best Star War's battles or Peter Jackson's battles for Middle Earth in the Lord of the Rings series.
http://kuksi.com/

Kris Kuksi - "The Plague Parade: Opus 2" Walkthrough from Arrested Motion on

Rap Battle. Blitzen vs. St. Nick

If you like Christmas and you like rap music you will like this. Santa's worldwide celebrity status has landed him some friends in high places, including basketball legends Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. But some of the reindeer feel Santa's celebrity has him feeling maybe a bit too jolly for his own good. Blitzen, the self-proclaimed best reindeer in the world, challenges Santa to a battle on the court which quickly escalates into the must-see Christmas beef of the year. Blitzen vs. St. Nick. Bring your egg-nog. Its goin' down!


"b to the L-I, T-Z
3 suckas plus 1 me equals too easy"- Blitzen

Circle Board in New York City

Close call around 1:48

Forever TO

Be happy James. You won.

Funniest concept for a digital short I've ever seen. Franco's transition from playful kid to confused murderer had me laughing my ass off.

Revok and Twitter

Graffiti artist Revok (pronounced Revoke) on a recent graffiti spree in Melbourne.
re⋅voke
[ri-vohk] verb, -voked, -vok⋅ing
–verb (used with object)
1. to take back or withdraw; annul, cancel, or reverse; rescind or repeal: to revoke a decree.

Revok is fresh...

***VANDAL VACATION*** from WWW.REVOK1.COM on Vimeo.

but not always smart.The downfalls of Twitter. I understand you want people to "follow you" but when it comes to illegal activity I think maybe we can be spared the details. Revok got released on bail after being arrested in Melbourne. Police were able to catch him by following the details of his graffiti spree on his Twitter page. I hope he realizes now that once you post something on the internet, whatever it is, there's really no revoking it (pun intended).

Maestro Knows - Episode 6 (7th Letter) from Maestro Knows on Vimeo.

I still got love though. Here's Revok with Maestro on his widely popular web-series Maestro Knows. Maestro takes it to streets with this one!

Photo Dump

Douchebag Rant

It was recently suggested to me by a friend that I check out MTV's new reality show Jersey Shore. I managed to feign interest for the first 5 minutes or so before feeling like I was slowly slipping into another dimension. These guys and girls are truly living in another world, like the rules of normal social existence don't apply to them. I can't fathom what logic, or lack thereof, is circulating in their orange skinned, spikey haired, jager shooting heads when they leave their house in the morning. First of all, the men (if you can call them that) worship skin tanning like its the latest and greatest trend. Yet, notice how anywhere outside Jersey shore men that intentionally tan themselves are perceived to have, shall we say, a questionable sexual orientation. These are the guys you see at the club with their hair gel level on, as Kanye would say, a hundred thousand trillion. They typically have some flashy Ed-Hardy type shirt on, 2 sizes too small of course to show off those long hours at the gym. Lifting weights and throwing back shots of Jager seem to be all these clowns are good at. I can't help but think they'd have some hope if they at least spent half the time they spend in the gym on some other constructive pursuit. Hey, you ever heard of a newspaper? How about that economy huh? Oh sorry brah, I didn't mean for you to lose count on your 5th set of bicep curls. Combine this with an obnoxiously loud persona from all that yelling over gino beats in the club and you have what I would call your stereotypical Guido. I keep thinking at what point are these guys going to get a reality check? When daddy's trust fund money dries up probably. Until then, they're going to party it up the douche-bag way on Jersey Shore, a place I want to be as far away from as possible.

ORANGE SKIN IS NOT COOL SO STOP POSING

Hey look its the Ed Hardy Posse. When you lack a fashion sense of your own just wear what all your other friends are wearing.

Ed Hardy beer. This has gotta be what douche-bags drink.

Rebel With a Cause

Let me a say a little about my fascination with James Dean. James Dean's life was cut short at the age of 24 when he died in a car accident. His entire film output in a starring role are 3 feature films, yet these 3 have done enough to cement his status as a pop-culture icon. Most importantly about James was what he brought to acting that was truly unique. James was an instinctual actor and routinely subbed in his own improvisation for what the script dictated. This made the reactions of his co-stars more genuine, and for scenes that any angst-ridden, misunderstood young man could relate to. I was reminded so much of my youth when watching Rebel Without a Cause for the first time and seeing the frustration in James' face when his character Jim was at a loss for words to explain his troubled conscience. I remember feeling misunderstood, that my parents just didn't understand, that the entire world was closing in on me. James seemed to capture those emotions so naturally in a way I could easily relate to as a former rebellious youth. Taking into account that his movie was shot in the 1950's it just goes to show that no matter how bad kids seems to be now every generation before them was just as rebellious. His legacy will live on forever; through his death we were given a permanent reminder of his life -Memento Vivere

RIP James Dean 1931-1955



On a side note, Dean was truly ahead of his time when it came to fashion too. Notice the red leather jacket with the collar popped? That was pretty wild for the 1950's yet it has recently resurfaced as a trend in street culture. Perhaps he was too ahead of his time for his own good. Live fast, die young.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Phife Dawg, Q-Tip
A Tribe Called Quest








Who knew Tupac and Sting were cool like that?

It pays to be a vandal $

People are often reluctant to accept graffiti as a genuine art form. Many simply see public defecation of property and messy tags, a symptom of urban blight, and incorrectly associate it with gangs and crime. A few writers however have managed to break past the stigma and attain international praise from the art community. Graffiti writer KR started out your typical graffiti artist who started selling his own homemade markers with his signature drippy style. Since then Craig "KR" Costello has achieved international fame in the art community, collaborating with the likes of Kidrobot, Levi's, even Mini Cooper. Kaws began on the illegal graffiti circuit too but is now one of the most household names in street culture period. From magazine articles to private art shows to life sized statues worth $8000 a pop, to even his own exclusive line of street wear, Kaws has shown the world the marketability of graffiti and has opened the door for other artists wanting to cash in on their talent.

KR's signature drippy tag



Krink exhibit in Tokyo

Kaws x Spongebob

Kaws statuette. These literally fetch around US$8000

The clothing line is pretty clean too. Notice the signature X's?