// ISSUE O7 JUNE-JULY 2007
IN
M AI D L C R AC OA B N A K8 S
W
&
Justice Justice
XZIBIT ED BANGER MEETS oz’s best battle mc
X-Clusive interview
T I B XZI
Astronomy Class
s X-Clu
El-P
Will sleep later
S E AM
G T RIO
T A P
IS AUSTR
view
ter ive in
Intergalactic Dopeness
OUNTR C IST
C A R AA
ALI
Y?
Basketball
Gerald Green
THE SUPER DUNKER
VISUAL ARTS
David Flores CURVES AND LINES
Australia $7.95 (INC GST) New Zealand $8.95 (INC GST)
+ the freshest clothes, toys and sneakers, reviews, playlists…
CONTENTS
26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 48 56 62 68 70 72 80
TYREE MUSIC
SET TO BLOW
ASTRONOMY CLASS MUSIC
INTERGALACTIC DOPENESS
THE ACCLAIM BABE EYE Y CAND
SARAH GOES TO THE BEACH
JAYBOY T SPOR
LET HIM RIDE
JUSTICE and JUSTICE MUSIC
FRENCH ELECTRO MEETS OZ HIP-HOP
EL-P MUSIC
WILL SLEEP WHEN YOU’RE DEAD
JISOE L VISUAS ART
A MOVIE BY EDDIE MARTIN
ANGELIQUE HOUTKAMP L VISUAS ART
TATTOO FROM THE NETHERLANDS
GERALD GREEN T SPOR
THE SUPER DUNKER
XZIBIT MUSIC
THE WEST COAST REP
LIPSTICK & SPRAYPAINT ION FASH
STREET ARTISTS TURNED MODELS
PATRIOT GAMES L SOCIA
WHAT’S BEHIND THE AUSTRALIAN FLAG
VW KOMBI TYLE LIFES
THE CULT GERMAN VEHICULE
DAVID FLORES L VISUAS ART
UNIQUE DRAWING STYLE
GHOST PATROL L VISUAS ART
L VISUAS ART
THE MELBOURNE CREATURES
ERIC ORR
GRAPHIC FOUNDATION
THE RECIPE TYLE LIFES
GUACAMOLE BY EVIDENCE
Photo by Jean-Marc Newton
EDITORIAL
Be different, be unique
We provide the inspiration… We are living our dreams everyday. Taking a step back to reminisce on where we are now, a year and a half since we started the magazine, we would never have taken for granted all the positive feedback we’ve been receiving from you. From the mails to the messages and comments on Myspace, I feel like you all look forward to find us every two months in your newsagent or your mailbox, eyes blazing, ready to get down on the hotness and freshness that we squeeze along this burst bound spine. I know – I know! - we should get in touch with you more often but our website is not up in full working mode yet. We’re working on it though, so keep checking it (www.acclaimmag.com). You can also subscribe to our newsletter on our Myspace page so next time you won’t miss our crazy launch parties (www.myspace.com/acclaimmagazine). Hopefully this new issue will meet your expectations and quench your thirst for the coolest shit. I’ve been startled by the exponential growth of the streets’ influence on the youth culture in Australia. There’s barely a day passing by without a new sign showing that the street lifestyle has more and more impact, whether it be in music, visual arts, clothing styles, cars, parties. No “cultural revolution” to brag about though, but we’re getting there. The old problem of Australia being far from the neuralgic centres that are New York, Tokyo, London or Paris is long gone now. Internet has democratised the access to the information and is allowing us to embrace whatever trends we dig, wherever they come from. And create our own of course. We adapt, we hijack. We set the tone, spread the love, hate the clones. ACCLAIM is more than just a magazine, we are providing inspiration on all levels… from our content to who we are as young, vision driven individuals. We thrive and
hope to have our hand in shaping the styles of street culture in order to push the creative forces who surround us on a wider scale. We strive to secure a steady position as the leading publication for the “urban” communities. We diffuse what we reckon is making the world move forward, what is gonna give a breath of fresh air to your mind. We bring you the originality before it is openly distributed to the masses and therefore loses its essence. We let you know what’s cool before it is actually acknowledged as cool by the majority. I ain’t gonna tell y’all what’s coming up in the next pages (I usually do but fuck it, just keep on reading after this), but I’m quite sure you’re gonna learn some things and discover some others. Subcultures come and go and the zeitgeist always morphs into something new. It is up to us, writers, photographers, mentarians, to record this evolution. It is up to you, dear readers, to be a part of this evolution. We’re just a medium that purely exists to be different and to encourage you to do the same. We live in a century of globalization, a period of incredible liberty that we should all take advantage of. Always keeping our heads down working, our intent is to stay focused on reaching the next level of our elaborate vision and to continue progressing towards the most original content and the freshest trends. It has been our objective since day one. One love, Pierre Henny Editor-in-Chief
THE TEAM
// Melbourne office advertising & promotion Level 1 - 9 Dundas Lane Albert Park VIC 3206 Australia ph.: +61 3 9695 7815 fax: +61 3 9682 4323
// Sydney office Editorial & design 135 Forbes Street Woolloomoolloo NSW 2011 Australia ph.: +61 2 8356 1289
// PUBLISHER & MANAGING DIRECTOR
// ART ART DIRECTOR
andrew@acclaimmag.com
mega@acclaimmag.com www.ilovemega.com VISUAL ART EDITOR
Andrew Montell
// EditorIAL EDITOR IN CHIEF
Pierre Henny
pierre@acclaimmag.com SUB EDITOR
Frank Blanck
news@acclaimmag.com PHOTOSHOOT COORDINATOR
Edward Woodley
Mega
Chris Delaney
chrisd@acclaimmag.com TAGS COLLECTOR
Nick Bazarow
streetart@acclaimmag.com // Advertising sales manager
Auto editor
Tom Connellan
vincent@acclaimmag.com Copy editor
Jordan Capp
Vincent Tang
Marc Decarne
tom@acclaimmag.com sales assistant ads@acclaimmag.com Promotions
Courtney Carthy-O’Neill
courtney@acclaimmag.com // Text Frank Blanck, Matt Brinsden, PH Camy, Swiss Cheese, Maxine Cohen, Tom Connellan, Nick D, Chris Delaney, Angela Dewan, Mark Drew, Robbie Ettelson, Evidence, Barry Hartono, Jerry Jerri, Malins, Mega, Andrew Montell, Pedro Nickel, Nacho Pop, Nick Quirke, Sean Ray, Saeed Saeed, Dan Steiner, Jeremy Swann, Vincent Tang, T-Rock, Drew Taylor, Rafif Yalda // Photo & illustration James Alcock, Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images, Dado, Devin DeHaven, James Demitri, David Flores, Rob Gubiani, Angelique Houtkamp, Justin Maller, JeanMarc Newton, Eric Orr, Wayne Quilliam, Andrew Quilty, Thom Rigney (www. thomrigneyphotography.com), Kent Sherwood, Albert Watson // DJs DJ Aux One, DJ Kentaro, Jesse I, John Digweed, Nick Toth, Nino Brown, Pete Tong, Samrai // COVER April Rose (Chadwick Models) has been shot by James Demitri www.chadwickmodels.com // www.myspace.com/jamesdemitri // SUBMISSIONS All images must be in tiff format in 300 dpi. ACCLAIM is pleased to receive information but is under no obligation to review or return unsolicited products or material. // ONLINE Visit us at www.acclaimmag.com Be our friend on www.myspace.com/acclaimmagazine // PRODUCTION ACCLAIM is printed on Neo Gloss 300GSM and 115GSM paper. We use eco friendly soybased inks because you gotta respect the Earth, nahmean? // ACCLAIM Magazine got some extra love from:
ACCLAIM Magazine is subject to copyright in its entirety. The contents may not be reproduced in any form, either in whole or in part, without written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved in material accepted for publication, unless initially specified otherwise. All letters and other material forwarded to the magazine will be assumed intended for publication unless clearly labeled “Not For Publication”. Opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of ACCLAIM Magazine or the publisher. No responsibility is accepted for unsolicited material.
FACES
Interview by Mega
T DE OY SIG N
Nathan Jurevicius
10 VISUAL ARTS
Artist and Toy designer
Since 1994, Nathan Jurevicius, a Melbournebased artist, has been achieving international recognition through his illustrationS for prestigious clients, like Coca-Cola, MTV and Warner Bros. His most applauded project is Scarygirl, an odd little girl who quickly gave him a cult status in the world of toy design. A bit about yourself, how did you come to design toys? I’ve always had a desire to turn my characters into 3D forms. To give them a life beyond just the printed, animated image. In 2002, a fan and vinyl toy producer (Flying Cat) based in Hong Kong called me late one evening and asked if I wanted to create figures with him. We quickly developed the first figure Scarygirl and this led to a series of large and small characters. Currently I’m working with two US-based companies (Strangeco and Kidrobot) on my Scarygirl and Minitreehouse toy lines.
Could you please introduce Scarygirl to our readers? Scarygirl inhabits a world where appearances are not what they seem. She’s freaky in the eyes of an outsider, but in reality an adventurous and loving girl who loyally stands by her guardian (an enormous intelligent octopus named Blister). Scarygirl’s mission, with the assistance of a mystic rabbit named Bunniguru, is to discover her past that lies in a mysterious city far from her home. What’s next for Scarygirl? Currently, Scarygirl is in the early development stage as a feature film with Passion Pictures (best know for Gorillaz music videos). We have also signed a deal to create a publishing project based on her journey and more toys with US-based Kidrobot. Keep it fresh on www.scarygirl.com, and read the weekly episode of the Scarygirl comic in Playground Magazine.
FACES
Interview & photo by Pierre Henny
HIP -HO P
MYSTRO
VERSUS PrOUST
Marcel Proust (1871 – 1922) was a French NOVELIST and essayist. He was presented a questionnaire when he was 13 to which he famously replied with some crazy answers. Back in the days that’s how kids were having fun, doing questionnaires and shit (when they weren’t eating opium marmalade…). Anyway, to cut the story short, this became the “Proust questionnaire” and we’ve decided to submit it to FAMOUS UK MC AND REGULAR OZ TOURIST, MYSTRO. What is your idea of perfect happiness? A world where everyone is treated equal. What is your greatest fear? Loosing my memory. What is the trait you most deplore in others? Arrogance. What do you most value in your friends? Loyalty. What is your favorite journey? This journey of life. What do you consider your greatest achievement? Defying death 3 times. What is your most treasured possession? My brain. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Being unhappy because you’re unable to feed an unhealthy drug habit. What is your favorite occupation? Entertaining. Who are your favorite characters in history? Paul Robeson, Gandhi, Benny Hill, Charlie Chaplin, Hannibal-Ruler of Carthage, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Richard Pryor, Malcom X, Red Fox, H. Rap Brown, Jack Johnson, Dr. Vivien T. Thomas to name a few. Who are your favorite poets? Miguel Pinero, Langston Hughes, Big L and Big Pun. Who are your favorite composers? Curtis Mayfield, James Brown, Quincy Jones. Who are your favorite painters? Van Gogh, Da Vinci but most of all Picasso. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Photographic memory.
12 MUSIC
What is your motto? When it’s all said and done… somebody done said it all!
Mystro - Diggi Down Unda (Grindin) is out with featurings from Anecdote, Maya Jupiter, Phrase and The Hilltop Hoods among others…
HOT & FRESH DILLA’s LEGACY
J Dilla, one of the best hip-hop producers of all times, passed away from a blood disease in February 2006. Dilla’s rarely heard masterpiece Ruff Draft is now officially re-released as a deluxe 2-CD set with bonus vocal tracks, interludes and instrumentals. Released on vinyl only in February 2003 by Dilla’s own newly-formed Mummy Records and distributed by the German label Groove Attack, this sought-after release remains elusive and virtually unknown to the casual Dilla fan. To round things up with the late music genius, Stussy is releasing a Dilla tee with some of the proceeds going to his foundation. The t-shirt, produced with BBE Records, celebrates Dilla’s album, The Shining, which was released last year. If you wanna know more, a discography of Dilla’s work can be found here: http://www.stonesthrow.com/jdilla/discography.html. You can cope the record on the Creative Vibes website for AU$ 29.95 (www.cvibes.com). Check www.stussy.com.au for the tees but we don’t know if they’re sold in OZ. You can get them on eBay though.
CAZAL x SWAGGER
After enjoying success with their Japanese hip-hop group, Shakkazombie, members Iggy and Big-O decided to partner on their other interests and created the clothing brand Swagger in 1999. By introducing the flamboyance New York is known for, with Tokyo’s application of attention to details, they set Swagger to be a hybrid between the 2 cities and of course, the brand is now one of the hottest topics on the streets. German eyewear company Cazal was dominating the streets of NYC and Japan in their ‘80s with their instantly recognizable shades. Swagger has updated and upgraded one of the most collected of the vintage series, the Cazal 858, tinting the glass a cool lavender and using a white enamel and pink and blue accents for the arms. Definitely a really nice collaboration, and hyper-exclusive of course. In the same spirit, the NYC brand Supreme has hooked up with Oakley and will introduce four new colourways and one custom Supreme pattern of the classic Frogskins sunglasses. True classics are back!
Die Hard 4 Yippie-ki-yay!
Yes this is not a typo, you read it correctly - John McClane is back. 18 years on after the first Die Hard, McClane is divorced, fresh out of rehab and working for the Department of Homeland Security. His mission is to quash an organization of hackers that are slowly crippling the American economy. More importantly than the storyline however, this film is bound to be packed with car chases, killing and lots of high tech gadgets. Shall I mention the car ramming into a flying chopper?
Hilltop Hoods are back The Hard Road: Restrung
The Hilltop Hoods are back to re-release their platinum selling album The Hard Road, but with a unique twist. For the aptly titled The Hard Road: Restrung, the Hoods returned to the studio to recompose the entire album with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO) and the assistance of arranger Jamie Messenger. It was when considering how to improve and expand on their live performances that they conceived the idea of incorporating an orchestra into their set. After having worked with the ASO String Quartet at the 2006 ARIA Awards as well as The Falls and Southbound Festivals, they were simply the natural choice. To celebrate the release, the group just did a one-off, unique performance at Adelaide Entertainment Centre on the 12th May, performing live with a 31 piece ASO conducted by Benjamin Northey. This concert is certain to be history in the making and ACCLAIM will give you a behind-the-scenes report in our next issue. From left to right: Jamie Messenger (Arranger), Benjamin Northey (Conductor), Suffa, Pressure & Debris.
FREE TERRY KENNEDY!
As if getting shot isn’t enough, skateboarder Terry Kennedy is still on trial for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. In an effort to keep Terry skating the streets instead of a jail cell, his sponsor KR3W have made a special run of limited “Free TK” shirts that will directly contribute to TK’s legal defense fund. They’re available now, so show your support!
No Comply
46// LIFESTYLE 14-15 NEWS
To ride or not to ride?
Who says skateboards can’t be art? I doubt even the most hardened traditionalists would have been unimpressed by the serious works on display at the Atrium in Federation Square as part of the No Comply festival. The Atrium installation was classed as the main No Comply event, and served to kick off this month long art and culture group exhibition in style. Hundreds of people packed into the open air space on opening night, making their way around a display of over 150 skateboards, all custom painted and transformed by 50 internationally respected artists. From the beautiful carved and enamelled work of Rone, entitled Bianca, to the cheekiness of Monkey’s work, the boards became something more than just a cool ride. Many of the works sold on the opening night, including the boards by Rone and Puzle, and also Jagi, whose wonderful and intricately painted pieces were snapped up within the first half hour of the opening. Want more information? Check www.niceproduce.com
Freshin.com From online to concrete
Australian online streetwear store Freshin.com will open a new concrete shop on Thursday May 24, with the official opening party held on Friday May 25. Details of the opening are a little sketchy at the mo’, the ink on the lease is still moist but the shop will carry new products from Addict, Triumvir, Siknuss, Mighty Healthy, Hellz Bellz, In4mation, Oneleg, Crooks n Castles, Temple Effectives, Triple 5 Soul. Freshin: 17 Langley St, Darlinghurst (Sydney) and more infos on www.freshin.com
NB 480 Comic
New Balance has created the NB 480 ‘Comic’, a limited edition special version of the classic New Balance 480 model. This New Balance Shoe features black and white comic artwork with some red details on the tongue and sole. One very interesting thing about the shoe is that it features the DuPont Tyvek® material, which feels like paper, playing on the comic book theme. The brand worked with a comic book artist to commission the artwork used on this model.
SHUT NYC New skateboards line
We had to show you these new decks so you can kill your friends at the park with the latest gear. Is that the new way to “ride on blades”?
© Edwin Morales // Billabongxxl.com
Billabong XXL Awards 2007
Ken “Skindog” Collins wins the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards. The experienced Californian took home US$ 55,000, winning both the most prestigious award, Ride of the Year, and the Biggest Tube Award, for a wave at Puerto Escondido, Mexico, last June. Skindog almost gave big wave riding away after a near death experience at Jaws, Hawaii, in 2005. Ride of the Year is a new category introduced by Billabong, which is designed to acknowledge the most amazing performance videoed over the last 12 months. The South African Andrew Marr came second in the category for a wave at his national break Dungeons. Dungeons also featured in the awards with a 65-foot ride by the 23-year-old Greg Long, winning the Biggest Wave Award category. Garrett McNamara added to his list of victories, winning the 2007 Monster Paddle In Award, for his unassisted take-off to ride of a huge wave at Mavericks in California.
HOT & FRESH CLAW MONEY
Not content with just going all city in New York and being a fashion editor of a wildly successful magazine, Claw has also felt the need to write a book to tell you all about who she really is and be as successful as she can be. Bombshell: The life and times of Claw Money, is an incredible collection of photos, designs, personal letters and other shit collected throughout her life that go beyond the icon and into the depths of who Claw Money really is. Available on amazon.com
“I don’t like hip-hop no more, and I don’t like the music business. No ethics, no code, no morals, it’s worse than drug dealing. No one works on principles. At least in the crack trade, there’s a code of honour. The music business is the worst. You turn into a number as soon as you sign the papers.”
Pusha T, half of the rap duo Clipse, in The Guardian (UK)
NIKE AIR MAX 1 by ATMOS PUMA CLYDE by MITA SNEAKERS
One of the big trends among the sneaker companies these days is to have one of their classic models re-invented by an über-hype Japanese store. This Air Max 1 was designed by Atmos, one of the most famous Tokyo sneaker stores, and the use of the cement print is simply dope! There’s no need to introduce the Clyde, it’s a classic. This model was designed by another Tokyo store reknown for its collabs, Mita Sneakers, and is limited to 500 copies worldwide.
The Beaterator Timbaland is taking over
© Albert Watson
46// LIFESTYLE 16-17 NEWS
ACCLAIM x Illicit
So you wanna get your swagger on and represent the ACCLAIM class on wheels? Well, Illicit Skateboards is a Melbournebased, Australian owned company that has specialised in custom boards for over five years. Their boards are pressed and cut in Melbourne, and all wood is high-grade quality, 100% Canadian Maple. We have a unique ACCLAIM deck, designed by Mega, to be won by one lucky rider reader. To enter the comp, email us a photo of you with the hottest chick ever at comp@acclaimmag.com, the best entry will get the board. Available on amazon.com
Not only did Timbaland’s new album Shock Value (Universal) debut at No.5 on the hip-hop and r&b charts, but the producer turned rapper is also cashing in through his work for other artists (Nelly Furtado, Young Jeezy, Justin Timberlake…). Now Rockstar Games, the world-renowned videogames label, has teamed up with the super-producer to present their music game Beaterator for the PSP system. Beaterator is both a powerful music mixer with robust beatmaking features, as well as a highly addictive collection of original music and rhythm games and challenge modes. “I’ve always been a huge fan of Rockstar and love playing their games,” said Timbo. The game should be available this summer.
GIVEAWAYS You know the drill. Drop an email to comp@acclaimmag.com or send us snail mail (to 9 Dundas Lane, Albert Park, Vic, 3206) and let us know which part of this stash tickles your fancy. It’s like buying stuff, but for free!
1. We’ve got a few pairs of these Vintage shades thanks to our friends at Odyssey 20/20. Rad as fuck.
2. Lonsdale are being awesome and giving away a bunch of these Bulis tees. Sweet as fuck.
3. Thanks to Ubisoft, we’ve got a bunch of copies of Driver 76 on PSP to hand out. Gnarly as fuck.
4. Magna Pacific are giving away copies of series one and two of Miami Ink. Gnarly as sweet rad.
SNEAKERS
Selection by Pedro Nickel Custom artist by Ankia
BOBBITO GARCIA x NIKE AIR FORCE ONE
Nike will be releasing a ton of special collabs and limited releases for the AF1’s silver celebrations. Bobbito Garcia aka Kool Bob Love’s Air Force Ones will be available in three different colourways, each released throughout April, May and June. The first to hit shelves will be the bright cactus, wheat and beech (pictured), followed by the aubergine, white lime and beech in May and lastly the pilgrim, ice blue and suede colourway landing in June. Bobbito Garcia’s book Where’d You Get Those? New York Sneaker Culture: 1960 – 1987 is available in all decent bookstores.
Visvim x Kaws The Zahra
To keep up with all of Bob’s moving and shaking head to www.somosarte.com/bobbito or www.myspace.com/bobbitogarcia
PUMA CLYDE x VAUGHN BODÉ
Puma introduces the Vaughn Bodé Clyde, created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the creation of Vaughn Bodé‘s iconic cartoon character, Cheech Wizard. In case you don’t know, Bodé’s style has been a major influence on the first generation of graffiti artists. Mark Bodé, Vaughn‘s son, teamed up with Puma in order to keep the Bodé magic alive. The Clyde is limited to 264 pairs worldwide and comes with a Keyring and four pairs of laces. And for the full class, cop the matching Bodé hoodie with its embroidered stars, Cheech Wizard print and satin lining… It may already be too late!
Emerica
Limited Edition PUMA Shoe
The Don Bishop
Guillermo Vilas Hall Of Fame
On the tennis court, Guillermo Vilas, nicknamed “Young Bull of Pampas”, was a head-banded fashion-conscious playboy who defined a new era of cool. He cemented his legendary status in 1991 when he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. To honor this amazing achievement 16 years later, PUMA is releasing the GV Hall of Fame sneaker “From The PUMA Archives” collection. The commemorative, iconic photo on the tongue is what makes this sneaker so distinguishable. It captures the moment 20 years ago in 1977 when Vilas won the French Open, proudly hoisting his trophy. 80 pairs of the GV Hall of Fame hit stores May 19th and will be available for a limited time only. Price: $150. For stockists call 1800 811 511
CUSTOM ARTIST
18 FASHION
SBTG
SBTG (Sabotage) is considered to be one of the pioneering few in professional sneaker customisation. His 2 faced logo, clever insignia and dope militia inspired designs are some of the most highly recognisable, emulated and influential designs in the sneaker community. A self confessed sneaker head since the mid ‘90s, skater and professional designer Mark Ong aka SBTG is based in Singapore. Soon after winning a Niketalk customiser comp with his creation DIPTYCH, he was led to collaborations with a ton of ridiculously ill names; UNKLE, Atmos (Tokyo), Ambush (Singapore), Chapterworld (Tokyo), Footage (Sydney), Freshness Mag (NYC), Adfunture Workshop (HK), Nom De Guerre (NYC), Denim & Sole and even Nike, who approached him to design a signature SB Dunk which was released to mad hype in ’06. Currently working on his Royalefam apparel line, which has produced a range of dope hoodies and tee thus far, Mark says he has “plans to design and manufacture an entire full line of denim, fedoras, blazers and maybe a sneaker line with a totally different flavour from SBTG”. Also in the works is the SBTG x Nike SB Dunk II, some custom collabs for Subdivision, Brooklyn Projects, In4mation (to name a few) and a Be@rbrick project with Medicom. Check out some SBTG custom kicks and Royalefam products on www.royalefam.com
SNEAKERS
Selection by Pedro Nickel
Globe
ÉS x Girl Skateboards
The Puzzle Series
The Norton
The Puzzle Series is a limited pro team series based on the 7 riders of the Globe pro team. Haslam, Machnau, Mumford, Lutzka, Duncombe, Mullen and Appleyard. Each rider was given the chance to select their own colourway on the Magnum skate shoe and each one comes with customised packaging. There are mid and lo heights in the range which retail at AU$ 99.95 and 199.95 respectively.
Famous skater Rick McCrank has an affinity for vintage products. Rick’s particular interest in classic Norton motorcycles inspired the name of his newest éS signature shoe. In celebration of his long dedication to his éS and Girl Skateboards families (seven and eight years respectively), the brands release a limitededition shoe and deck. The Norton is made from denim and hemp fabrics which speaks to Rick’s vegetarian lifestyle.
Pictured: The Haslam
Creative Recreation K-Swiss x Crooks & Castles Gallium vs Cyber-tron The Luciano
K-Swiss release their first package under their new design concept ‘Quick Strike’ with only 24 pairs available for purchase in Australia and 400 worldwide. The Gallium vs Cyber-tron colour way X 3 is one of the 3 different designs that have been let loose. Welcome back to the future!
RED SNEAKERS Logan & converse
You’ve all heard about RED, the new charity campaign orchestrated by Bono from U2 (among others) and aimed at fighting AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Africa. The principle is quite simple: companies create specific RED products and give back a part of the profit of the sales to the Global Fund. Several big corporations are already participating (Motorola, Apple, American Express…) and Converse has gone red too. The brand just released their new RED leather All Stars in Australia (AU$ 130). Even custom sneakers designer Logan Real (see ACCLAIM #06) has joined the mouvement with his ‘Red Collection’. 10% of the net online sales from his line will be paid to the Global Fund. Be good, buy red! www.joinred.com // www.loganreal.com www.converse.com and for stockists: +61 3 8878 3000
DC SHOES x MIGHTY HEALTHY
Another cool collab for DC Shoes, this time with innovative NYC streetwear brand Mighty Healthy. Super Limited Edition, with Ostrich leather, double laces, and great colour combination.
20 FASHION
VANS SK8-Hi x GREG GALINSKY
Vans has been going nuts recently with stunning models being released on their Vans Vault collection. Get your swagger on with this excellent Sk8-Hi model featuring an all-over print produced by Californian artist Greg “Pnut” Galinsky.
LAKAI MIKE CARROLL SELECT
KNOW YOUR CLASSICS NIKE AIR FORCE ONE (1982 – 2007)
Do you remember ‘82? This was the year that gave birth to what was to become one of the most popular sneakers today – the Nike Air Force One. 2007 marks its 25th anniversary and to date the AF1 has been produced in over 1700 colour variations and is estimated to generate over 800 million USD annually! Created and conceived by Brian Kilgore (then Nike’s research & development director, today the creative footwear innovation director) as the first basketball sneaker to incorporate the revolutionary ‘Air’ cushioning technology, it was given the name Air Force One after the air craft that carried the President Of The United States and nicknamed ‘Uptowns’ due to its presence and availability in uptown New York. The AF1 was released in only highs and lows (the mids came later) in a colour combo of white/grey. It also was the first bball sneaker to embody that crazy thick midsole aiding to its technical appeal. “I thought they were hiking shoes!” recalls legendary sneaker connoisseur Bobbito Garcia. “No midsole had ever been that huge on a b-ball sneaker… That’s why from day 1 they were my shit cause they were made to play outdoors with.” By ‘84 the ‘run’ for the AF1 was over. With an industry standard life of 2 years, Nike was to cease production and move onto other models. Then entered the ‘3 Amigos’, three retailers from Baltimore, Maryland: Paul Blinkin of Cinderella Shoes, Harold Rudo of Charley Rudo Sports and Greg Vaughn of Downtown Locker Room banded together and convinced Nike to re-release the AF1. They were successful in their petition and were forced to take 1200 pairs in each colourway. Surprisingly or not, they sold them all out! The 3 Amigos basically resurrected the AF1 and also managed to keep the romance fresh with their ‘Sneaker Of The Month’ initiative, releasing a different colourway each month. Without any major advertising push from Nike, there was mad buzz for the AF1 and the word of mouth led the brand to finally re-release the AF1 nationally in the mid ‘90s. “It was like the sneaker gods had answered our prayers when Nike decided to bring them back out” concludes Bobbito! Ankia
TOYS ‘R’ OURS
Baby Milo Life sized
Selection by Mega
Boo mono set
Designer: Wonderwall Manufacturer: FEWMANY www.fewmany.com
Designer: Bape www.bape.com
Kaching Brands Artist Series 2 FLCL Canti Designers: Matias V, Cameron & Jesse Hernandez Manufacturer: kaching brands www.kachingbrands.com
nr.594 Tapiruzraffreddato
7th Anniversary Crylon Series Set
Designer: Natalia Gianinazzi www.natalia-gianinazzi.ch
Designer: Michael Lau Manufacturer: Mindstyle www.mindstyle.com
M-1 GO Glow Hedorah
Manufacturer: Kaijuzoo www.kaijuzoo.com
Arkski
Designer: Nathan Jurevicius Manufacturer: Strangeco www.dudson.tv
LeiGong Exclusive Artoyz
Designer: Phalanx Creative Manufacturer: Phunk Studio www.phunkstudio.com
ENG
DESIGNER: bytedust www.hazchem.net
Mini Circus Punks
Designer: Jermaine Rogers Manufacturer: STRANGECO www.circuspunks.com
Gold Sparkle Robot
Designer: kazuhiko ito Manufacturer: itokin park www.max.hi-ho.ne.jp/kazuhiko
Full Band
Designer: UNKL www.unklbrand.com
‘SFT exclusive’ series
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Manufacturer: FEWMANY www.fewmany.com
Flatwoods Monster Designer: David Horvath
Gaburin
Designer: Touma
Magman
Designer: Touma
Tankizaado
Designer: Tim Biskup
Usagi-Gon
Designer: Frank Kozik
HOT TOPICS 4 THE GEEKS Pure platinum Gundam figure
Fang Wolf ‘Blue’
Designer: TOUMA Manufacturer: FEWMANY www.fewmany.com
Animody Gangster Series Manufacturer: RED Magic www.redmagicstyle.com
Sunny
Designer: Spencer Davis Manufacturer: Spencer Davis www.bootybabesart.com
Black Grabbit
Designer: TOUMA Manufacturer: play imaginative www.playimaginative.com
Big Toe
Designer: Pretty Ugly Manufacturer: Pretty Ugly www.uglydolls.com
Ranger and Farm Girl
DESIGNer: Pete Fowler Manufacturer: STRANGECO www.monsterism.net
I.W.G. series
DESIGNER: Rocket world www.rocketworld.org
Desmond
Toys Are Us The new doco
Makutu
Irra
Oishi
I.W.G. Special Bear Service set Designer: Rocket World Manufacturer: STRANGECO www.rocketworld.org
Monsterism vol.3 the woodland Naal in red
DESIGNer: Nathan jurevicius Manufacturer: STRANGECO www.scarygirl.com
Ciao Ciao & Adios DESIGNer: Tokidoki Manufacturer: STRANGECO www.tokidoki.it
Toymaker Bandai has teamed up with Japanese Ginza Tanaka, a well established name in the jewelry business, to create the “Gundam Fix Platinum”, a pure-platinum “Mobile Suit Gundam” figure. With a design consisting of as many as 89 elaborate parts, “Gundam Fix Platinum” is a stunning work of art. The entire process took some two years from design to manufacture. The one-of-akind masterpiece was shown at Baselworld 2007, the world’s largest international watch and jewelry show held in Basel, Switzerland. There are no plans to market the figure at this time, but weighting 1,400 g, its retail value is estimated at US$250,000. More on www.bandai.co.jp or www.ginzatanaka.co.jp
DESIGNer: Pete Fowler Manufacturer: STRANGECO www.monsterism.net
X-Ray Films is about to finish a new documentary on the world of designer vinyl toys, Toys Are Us. The film explores the artistic and commercial toy culture and features interviews with artists such as Frank Kozik, Patrick Ma (Rocketworld), Tara McPherson, Kano, Mars-1, Mark Nagata (Max Toy Co.), and more, as well as diehard collectors. Toys Are Us shows how dedicated do-it-yourselfers can still find room to create, thrive, and have fun in a culture that is overrun by big-box stores, rampant crosslicensing, summer blockbusters, and profit for profit’s sake. More www.xrayfilms.net
X-Large x David Flores DF Project
DESIGNer: david flores Manufacturer: be@rbrick www.xlarge.jp
The Coney
Designer: Brian Taylor Manufacturer: candy killer www.candykiller.com
Jogger and Jeer
The Burger Bunch Muffin Designer: friends with you Manufacturer: Strangeco www.friendswithyou.com
St Combo in blue
DESIGNer: Higone & Codel Manufacturer: vinyl collectables www.vinylcollectables.com
DESIGNer: Pete Fowler Manufacturer: STRANGECO www.monsterism.net
MTV Toys
Part of the That’s Design conference that was organised in April in Milan, Italy, the MTV Toy event featured hand-made resin MTV character figures. The 50cm high figures were customized live at the event by Jeremyville, Furi Furi, Rinzen and others. With additional legs and arms, we wonder if some of the toys will make it to Australia sometime soon. Could be cool.
DOWN UNDER
Local Beatmaster by Andrew Montell
Executive Class
“Rap Comebacks? Not So Much”
24 MUSIC
by Robbie Ettelson from unkut.com On one hand, the flood of re-releases, new music from old favourites and unheard material from the vaults should be the best shit since Heineken released the half-litre, wide-mouth can. Though, much like the party keg of the same brew, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. While the five-litre barrel tasted great for the first few pots, before long it produces more foam than beer. The same goes for many of these ‘lost’ classics and comeback albums. DITC legend Diamond D has just seen the LP from his first group (Ultimate Force) from 1989 given a release – good news, right? It’s hard to tell how it would have sounded back then, but these days it’s a bunch of James Brown loops with a weak rapper over the top. But given the current fetishism for random rap (bought by primarily Swedish stamp collectors who pay $1000 for any limited release record from 1988), it’s money in the bank. We’ve also got every rapper from the early ‘90s deciding that the world can’t wait for them to drop a new release, on the strength of those fifteen kids from Sweden contacting their MySpace page. This is the only explanation I can find for why the DJ from Black Sheep decided to release a solo joint last year. On top of that, who the hell told Mele Mel he needed to get back in the booth? That’s only the tip of the iceberg. After Nas unleashed the ‘80s, ‘90s and West Coast remixes of Where Are They Now, we might be subjected to one-hit wonders like Rob Base attempting to cut new material. ‘It Takes Two 2007’ is a safe bet for the title. It’s not all doom and gloom though. Sean Price just released his second strong solo effort a decade after Boot Camp’s heyday, while Redman built up enough of a buzz to force Def Jam to release the first of his two new albums in 2007, after having spent six years on the back-burner. Not to mention that Raekwon’s forthcoming release on Dr Dre’s Aftermath label has the potential to help him reclaim his title as ‘the king of coke rap’. My tip for the month? If you’re browsing the racks at you’re local music spot, you best be on some buyer beware shit, and ease back on the nostalgia rush before you go and blow your hard-earned on the latest EPMD reunion.
LOCAL BEATMASTER J Skub
Jan Skubiszewski aka J Skub is one of a select few hip-hop producers turning heads above and beyond the indie Aus hip-hop scene. After making his start in the production game around ‘99, J Skub (pronounced Jay Scoob) did not become known in the hip-hop world until more recent times when he cut his teeth producing Phrase’s Talk With Force album. Before that, he learnt the ropes of professional music production when he was mentored by engineer/producer Andy Baldwyn (Killing Heidi, 28 Days, Cat Empire) and assisted with production of the first Cat Empire album. Andy introduced J Skub to the Marlin Records camp who were looking for a new hip-hop producer to work in-house. On his first day at the Marlin studios J Skub met Phrase and began working on his debut right away. When asked how he first got into the music production game J Skub explains that, “Dad’s a film composer and always had a home studio. I played in a lot of bands and stuff. I was in a rock band and after hours I’d go into the studio and learn to use the equipment and built up my skills that way”. J Skub has always had a hand in the music biz. “Before the production I was primarily writing music for TV and movies. I wrote music for Two Hands, the TV show Last Man Standing and the film The Rage In Placid Lake.” In recent times J Skub has produced Melbourne live hip-hop band Still Thinking and has worked closely with Daniel Merriweather. Last month he released the debut album by his new group Jackson Jackson which is a collaborative project with the trumpet player from Cat Empire, Harry. J Skub is once again taking the reigns of the production duties for the sophomore Phrase album while simultaneously working with Phrase to develop young Melbourne MC Illyl. When asked about locals that he aspires to work with, J Skub’s eclectic musical background is evident. “I’d love to work with some people in hip-hop who aren’t necessarily hip-hop artists. Maybe work with people who are rock musicians instead of people who come from that hip-hop or R&B background. Some bands I’d like to work with at the moment would be the Vasco Era, Diafrix, I’d love to do a track with Scribe for Phrase’s new record and hopefully that will be happening.” As local hip-hop gains greater recognition in mainstream circles, J Skub is near the front of the line for crossover opportunities and if he continues at his present pace, could be positioned like contemporary US super producers like Timbaland. Check J Skub’s work on Jackson Jackson – The Fire Is On The Bird (Virgin) J Skub’s production setup: “I’ve got an endorsement from Akai so I use an MPC 2500; Nord Electra keyboard; I use a lot of soft synths of course and I edit everything in Pro Tools. Of course my Technics are pretty irreplaceable and I have a big fuck-off record collection. I also play guitar and bass and always have those instruments handy.”
SWEET SIXTEEN
Kaos - Passports For Life I’m the definition of half man half FOB Ask my pops, boat boy laugh it off Now I work at the entrance of a parking lot Trip here faced with many sharks and rocks Then I emerged from the sea with ambition Make my way to the top you can see the transition Now I travel through customs with top notch suits Don’t worry if I got fruit - I got loot I’m really tryna get some raw cheddar Don’t wanna spend my whole life working in a call centre Gotta support my wife and my brown baby Plus my mother when she moves in at about 80 And you’re probably sitting thinkin’ I’m wack Here he goes again, thinkin’ he can sing on a track But I gotta make it clear, it’s ridiculous that They gave me a passport cos I ain’t givin’ it back, sucker!
Passports For Life is available on the FOB mixtape on www.justiceandkaos.com and www.grounduphiphop.com If you think you deserve to be featured in this page, please send your bio, demo and lyrics to: ACCLAIM Magazine (Down Under) – 135 Forbes St, Woolloomooloo, NSW 2011 (only serious people need to apply please…)
BROFILE
Words by Sean Ray
Tyree
Set to Blow
people have no idea what next week will bring, // Most much less next year. But for a select few the path set
26-27 MUSIC
before them is clear as day. Tyree just happens to be one of those lucky few.
When asked what his realistic plan of action would have looked like five years ago when it came to getting his music exposure, he replies with a smug “just to be famous”. It’s that very simple and unflinching confidence that gives you the feeling Tyree knew all along this is where he was supposed to be. Leading off with his debut album on the newly formed and widely talked about MTC Records (formed through a partnership between New Zealand hip-hop producer Juse and global music mogul Kirk Harding), Tyree is poised to shut down radio this year with his own brand of catchy hooks and rugged rhymes. Hailing from the notorious South Auckland hood where he formed his crew Smashproof with fellow rhyme slingers Young Sid and Deach, Tyree saw a number of local MCs make the rise from neighbourhood legend to mainstream success. “Seeing Savage and Mareko around the neighbourhood, and just knowing that they were making it made me wanna strive to get to that point.” But like most hoods, Tyree’s also had its own share of hurdles to overcome and these influences have changed his outlook on his music. “Man, it’s not lookin’ good aye. There’s a lot of bullshit you know, a lot of drug dealers, a lot of gangsters, a lot of kids dying… the gangster scene plays a big influence on our youth, it makes me want to incorporate that realness into my music to let the rest of the world know what’s going on in my hood.” For Tyree, global exposure seems almost inevitable, and if you want proof, take a look at the respect that his peers in the industry are giving him. Just last year Kardinal Offishal invited Tyree to be the newest member of his elite Black Jays crew
which consists of other notable figures such as DJ extraordinaire Clinton Sparks and songbirds Nina Sky. The importance of what his music and the MTC camp are doing for hip-hop down under isn’t lost on the young gun either. He fully understands how imperative it is that local MCs start getting more shine in order to balance the flow of overseas imports and culture. “I think that what artists in the US are talking about is alright, but most of the things that they talk about are unrealistic and hard to relate to for people in Australia and New Zealand. Like when they are spitting about bling and rides and stuff like that, those are things that realistically down here most of us will never get.”
“the gangster scene plays a big influence on our youth” Ironically though, Tyree’s sentiment is clearly relating to all those people still struggling in his hood, because if the response to his first single I Need a Girl is anything to go by, then nothing seems unrealistic for what his future might bring… but safe to say, he probably already knows that too. Ty’ gets deep “What people write about these days is bullshit, there’s no soul anymore, there’s no Marvin Gayes anymore. That’s meaningful music, that’s the real shit. That’s why my music isn’t just rapping about whatever, this is what I see and what I’m living, so I’m bringing soul cause I’m being real.”
N LO Z VE
BROFILE
Interview by Jeremy Swann Photo by James Alcock
Astronomy Class
Inter-Galactic Dopeness Class brings a fresh approach to hip-hop. // Astronomy A fluid combination of samples, instruments and
intelligent, accessible wordplay, their product is unique. We caught up with Ozi Batla and Chasm from the group, who shared their thoughts on a number of topics ranging from their production to the ups and downs of the Aussie hip-hop scene.
29-30 MUSIC
What political and social stances do you take as a group? Ozi Batla: We’ve all been mates for a long time as well as musical collaborators, and we’re on the same page when it comes to personal and professional ethics. Beyond that, we don’t take any particular stance, apart from what gets said in the lyrics. The album touches on industrial relations, racial profiling, nuclear war, the politics of the industry, bullshit drug laws you know, typical BBQ hip-hop! Then there’s childhood dreams, rude peoples, computer games, space travel. We really wanted the lyrics to be as multi-layered as the music. Give us the lowdown on the process you take to record a track. What inspires your lyrics? Chasm: It can happen a few different ways but mainly one of us will have a loop or parts of a track we think we could chop up and rearrange and we’ll set them up in the MPC. We almost always start with the loop or samples first and add the drums and bass later. Once the drums have been programmed, Johnny [Ed. Note: Maddox, from Tooth] will come in and lay down a bunch of bass line possibilities, then we’ll go through them and sample up what we think is best. Once we’ve got the basic 2 or 4 bar loop we will throw it to Ozi and he’ll start writing. From there we’ll start structuring the track around Ozi’s raps and when everything’s ready to roll we’ll take it all down to Tardis Studio where we’ll record the vocals and mix the track. OB: I approached the lyrics from a more personal perspective than The Herd stuff. There was also the astronomy theme, which gave room to get my Kool Keith on. The intention was to create an atmosphere that lasted the duration of the album - without turning it into a concept album, which, frankly, nobody needs.
What should happen to you to earn a decent living from hip-hop? OB: Well, our path is more or less set in the indie label scene, so for us it’s all about expanding our fan base interstate and penetrating overseas territories, be that through distribution, licensing or touring. We’ll continue assisting the growth of Elefant Traks, and touring, touring, and more touring. In a broader sense, Australia lacks the underground/majors system that countries with a more established hip-hop scene have. This is mainly because Australian majors know jack shit about hiphop. They need to get their heads out of the sand and stop trying to manufacture bullshit throwaway “artists”. If any of the majors employed even one person in A & R with a clue about hip-hop, they might have a Hilltop Hoods on their hands by now.
“Australian majors know jack shit about hip-hop” What do you like to do together outside of music? OB: Getting together over Martinis on a clear night with a Tasco telescope, writing off Chasm’s live-in butler Pezlington and gazing upon heavenly bodies. Johnny Maddox puffin’ a café creme in his slippers, Robbo thumbing through the New Scientist and me penning some odes to the Orion Nebula. Just straight up gully science, you know?
Astronomy Class – Exit Strategy (Elefant Traks) is out now! Don’t miss the boys on tour in May and June, all the dates are on www.elefanttraks.com
HIPOZ -HO
P
THE ACCLAIM BABE
Sarah, 21
46-47 LIFESTYLE 30-31
Interior designer Half Maltese, half German, this cocktail looks pretty interesting, doesn’t it? Or shall we say interestingly pretty? Standing at 5”2 1/2, Sarah is quite little for a model but she makes up for it in personality and charm. Hailing from Melbourne, she studied interior decoration and design but would love to be a well known swimwear model. Actually, her dream is “to be someone” and she hopes that one day, she’ll be “rich and famous”. She digs design history and photography, and started modeling last year because she loves “being on both sides of the camera”. It didn’t take long for Sarah to get noticed – we’re sure you understand why ACCLAIM got in touch with her – and apart from being our Babe, she should grace soon the pages of a few other “mens’ interests” magazines. Of course, she loves shopping and designer brands and… did we mention she’s engaged with her man of 5 years?
Words by Pierre Henny Photos by Wayne Quilliam
E CA YE ND Y
If you think your ex, your sister, or your girlfriend deserves to be featured on these pages, tell her to send photos and contact details to casting@acclaimmag.com
SPORT
Interview by PH “The Snake” Camy Photos by Kent Sherwood
Jay Boy
Let him ride
school skateboarder Jay Adams lived too fast and // Old is now in jail. He is free and young in Jay Boy, a book
of pictures shot by his stepfather, Kent Sherwood, one of the founders of Z-Flex skateboards, which launched Dogtown’s Z-Boys in the ‘70s. Famous photographer Glen Friedman spoke to ACCLAIM about a legend who went down for dope affairs. Who is Jay Adams? Jay Adams is arguably one of the most important skateboarders of all time, and without argument one of the most influential.
Why did you get involved in Jay Boy and its release? Jay and I have been friends since we were kids, he was the subject of my first ever published photo, when I was just 14 years old and he was 15. He was also one of the three subjects on the cover of my book Fuck you Heroes. After he got married a few years ago, his stepfather Kent gave him his entire collection of photographs as a gift. Loving and respecting what I had done with my own books, Jay asked me if I would help him with his. After seeing the quality of Kent’s images, it was an honour I could not turn down.
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What’s your opinion on Kent Sherwood’s pictures? Not only are they beautiful classic ‘60s and ‘70s California Americana, they also tell a personal story. This is a book of photographs of the legend as a boy. These are some rare early moments of Jay, his friends and his lifestyle. Where is Jay Adams now? Jay is still in jail awaiting his sentence for allegedly being involved in a federal crime. From what I hear from Jay, he can be getting anything from 7 to 25 years or more, hopefully time served, while waiting almost two years for this sentence and proving to the court that he was really a very small part of the crime he is being accused of. How did you work together on this book? We started talking about the book before he was incarcerated, and luckily I got all the photographs in my possession before they took him away. I would mail him print outs of the photos to the jail, and he would write his captions on the back of each one and send them back for us to include in the book.
Duane Peters, Caballero, Hosoi, Peralta, Alva? What makes Jay Adams so exceptional within this bunch of skateboard heavyweights? Tony Alva is the only one who comes close, as one of Jay’s older skate buddies and mentors. But one must understand in fact that Jay is the original go for it kid, not thinking of any consequences. When it came to Jay’s mind, he would just make things happen. I’ve seen all of these guys you mentioned come up, or at their individual peaks, and they indeed are all great legends in the sport, [or] art of skateboarding, but they would also all admit to you that Jay was one of their personal inspirations.
“Jay Adams is arguably one of the most important skateboarders of all time” None of them were ever as spontaneous as Jay, and only Duane can come close in belligerent attitude and recklessness with style. Jay Adams is the one and only, and the true original.
Photo Master Wants his Buddy Free Glen E. Friedman is well known for having documented the emergence of some of the most influential musicians (Public Enemy, Suicidal Tendencies, Beastie Boys, Minor Threat) and skateboarders (the Dogtown gang from Venice, including Jay Adams). The guy behind the essential Def Jam record covers, and the book Fuck you Heroes, worked on Jay Boy for free for his friend, and is now waiting a midApril sentencing to know if his pal is going to get out of jail soon. All profits from Jay Boy will go to the Jay Adams Family Fund, which helps Jay and his family while he’s in jail. You can order the book online at www.tailtap.com/jayboy.html
SK A OGTE
FACES
Words by Pierre Henny & Jerry Jerri Photo by Thom Rigney
Justice & Justice Music sounds better with them are a French electro duo consisting of Gaspard // Justice Augé and Xavier de Rosnay. They are managed by Pedro
34-35 MUSIC
Winter (aka Busy P), Daft Punk’s manager. Justice is an MC from Melbourne, signed on Solid State Recordings, and quite possibly the greatest battle MC ever produced by this country. The first are the new electro sensation ripping apart the dance floors all over the globe, the second is killing the mike locally and internationally and represents the future of OZ hip-hop. They both release a record in the next few weeks, they’re both young and talented, and of course they both have the same name. ACCLAIM decided to pit one Justice against the other to decide who deserves the naming rights. You be the judge. The group Justice formed when Xavier met Gaspard at a party while he was spitting beer in his girlfriend’s hair. In 2003 they began to record tracks together. They met Pedro Winter at a raclette party and after a few glasses of red wine, and playing him their bedroom-recorded Simian’s Never Be Alone remix, Pedro fell in love with the track. Justice the MC was more focused on a career in acting when his friend and now partner in rhyme Kaos introduced him to the MC Battle scene only a few years ago. The young MC demonstrated an uncanny ability for freestyle battling and quickly won nearly every competition in Australia over a two year period. For their Never Be Alone remix, the duo Justice only kept the screaming vocals from the original track and built an incredibly catchy and club-friendly instrumental. The track was released in 2003 on Ed Banger Records and then in 2004 on DJ Hell’s International Deejay Gigolo Records. It is to date their most successful track, and the one that crowned them as the new electro wunderkinds, giving them the opportunity to work on a number of remixes for mainstream acts such as Britney Spears, N*E*R*D, Fatboy Slim and Daft Punk. In 2005 Justice became the first non-American MC to win the
biggest annual MC Battle at Scribble Jam thus becoming the first Aussie rapper to gain international respect and a fat prize money cheque. Justice the group happened to win the Best Video award at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2006. This led to Kanye West arrogantly jumping on stage arguing that he should have won the award instead, therefore propagating the fairly underground duo into a worldwide media maelstrom. MC Justice is an integral part of the FOB mixtape which has widespread critical acclaim for its coupling of hip-hop skills with ethnic humour and has opened the doors to local hiphop up to a whole new audience. As part of the FOB Mixtape Justice is the focus of a documentary on the collective due for completion later this year.
“2007 and beyond holds great promise for Justice” After tearing up clubs and festivals (remember the Big Day Out), Justice (the group) is about to release their debut album titled “†”. 2007 and beyond holds great promise for Justice. As one half of hip-hop group Justice & Kaos, Justice is set to release his debut EP through Solid State/Warner this June. The group’s first single Turn It On already has industry tongues wagging and features an incredibly catchy chorus. The release of this EP will demonstrate Justice’s diversity and ability as a song writer and performer outside of the battle realm.
N FL EW AV A
Justice (left) and Justice (right)
FACES
Words by Barry Hartono Artwork by Justin Maller
El-P
Will sleep when you’re dead happens when you lock yourself in a room, turn // What on the G4, dust off the slip-mats, power the Triton
36-37 MUSIC
and load the MPC… not sleeping until you’ve created a masterpiece? While many emcees refer to a solid 16-bars as “killing the mic”, New York producer/rapper El-P, aka El-Producto, won’t sleep until you’re dead. “It’s a concept, an idea,” El-P contemplates as he figures the right wording for his metaphorically titled album released March 17th. “New York is the city that never sleeps. It’s a dark threat and I’m being chased… my environment is trying to kill me,” he elaborates with a tone of confidence, as if he just approached the meaning to his album title right then and there. The New York native started his career at the tender age of 17, planting such critically acclaimed milestones such as his first 12-inch, Juvenile Techniques from his group, Company Flow - paving way for a healthy future in the underground. 1997 saw El cashing a hefty amount of dividends from the group’s debut, Funcrusher Plus, by selling over 150,000 units. Now with his label Definitive Jux launched and a savage track record of fearless innovation, how does this veteran keep the blade sharp? For those without a brief on this Big Appleton, El-P comes across as art-house hip-hop converging underground flair with epic sounds that par with cinematic film scores, with roots firmly planted into the street culture of N.Y. “Born and raised in Brooklyn, man, people read about it and I’ve lived it. Growing up I’ve seen people breakin’ on the streets, graffiti artists and the days of Afrika Bambaataa man I carry it with my music, speech and attitude – it’s a part of me. And when I look at myself, I’m really one of those dudes; how could my ideas not be pure, how can it not be hip-hop? New York creates me; the city is everything to me.” I’ll sleep when you’re dead has utilised a palette of experimental synths over raw 4/4s, reminiscent of Pete Rock type kicks and snares, but that’s only half the album. Over a number of songs, El has let go of the common loop and invited a drum & bass fusion high in the mix as if Mike Shinoda was banging away at the MPC. What promotes itself tastefully is El’s innovation with layering. He’ll match sampled strings with synths running on
the same chord progression to achieve that epic sound. That alone, would keep anyone up all night. “I use a combination of analog synths. I run effects on dries and layer them with different sources and I end up working it like a fuckin’ mix. Rock is also good to sample and combine with synths. That’s what’s so good about hip-hop. You’ll never be able to get down like this with other genres, it’s all about the combination from different sources and where you place them.” Such creative control is what keeps the underground healthy and alive. Underground hip-hop has often been praised for allowing artists to express themselves on their own terms without the distraction of pop culture. But for El-P, commercial music has nothing to do with his work; in fact, it’s the public’s perception of the underground that has El-P shifting the direction of his music. “I want the album to stand on its own, as a piece of work people haven’t heard before. I’m trying to make records that
“how could my ideas not be pure, how can it not be hip-hop?” exist on their own and not be affected by what people think of underground hip-hop; I can’t be a slave to the genre. My only plan is to be me and be a master of being me,” which he has accomplished successfully, with a little 2-cents submitted by the likes of Aesop Rock, Cat Power and The Mars Volta. The question remains to what El considers himself most, a rapper or a producer? “I think at this point, I’m probably a rare type of artist that what I do is neither better than the other. I made my name being an emcee but what I do best is the convergence of both and what comes out is the best result of me producing. But I’m beyond both of those, I gotta keep both blades sharp.”
HI HO P P
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!
Words by Chris Delaney
JISOE
A Movie BY EDDIE MARTIN out of film school, Eddie Martin was looking for // Fresh a way to make his mark on the world. To make people
stand up and take notice. Then enters Jisoe [Justin Hughes], a locally well-known writer from Melbourne with the right attitude. A writer liked and respected by those who knew him. Jisoe agreed to be the focus of Eddie’s film, just in time to record some events that would change his life forever. Where did the idea for the film come from? I was looking to do a project of my own and I was interested in doing a graffiti based story, so I tried to hook up with some bigger writers, like Loomit and Merda, and I found that I was drawn more to a personality than a great artist. Justin [Jisoe] is such a big character that I went towards him.
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How did you manage to convince Justin to go along with the project? He enjoyed filming I think. He enjoyed watching himself back and I think maybe as bad as it was, getting filmed doing graffiti stuff. So I said, I’m cool to film graffiti stuff, but what I’m interested in is you as a story. He was great with the camera, he really opened up. Were you ever worried about the threat of arrest? Absolutely, I was really paranoid. That was my number one factor, everyone’s security and safety. The whole time I had to operate, I had to hide my tapes and stuff like that. What are the legal ramifications of displaying those kinds of crimes? The fact that he gets busted changes the dynamic, because he didn’t really get away with anything and pretty much once you’ve been charged… you can’t get charged twice. It’s not your regular kind of graffiti DVD where it’s promoting graffiti; it’s got that angle in there where he does fall down. Did you ever feel threatened by the people around you? Absolutely, those guys did have to give me a bit of trust. I did
feel that I was constantly bending over backwards to make sure I was doing the right thing by everyone. Where did funding come from? Pretty much the whole thing was self-funded. I had no money at the time, I had a camera. All the tapes I got were stolen or second hand, that people had given to me. I edited it myself. I could get support from a decent production company and we went for funding, but some old school stiffs in the agencies like AFC were against it. It peaked them out too much.
“It’s got that angle in there where he does fall down” And now it has been screened around the world? It screened quite a few times in the States. Screened in Europe, in a whole heap of festivals. At first I wasn’t that keen to ever play it in Australia, just because I didn’t want to peak anyone out, but after it traveled it was really well received. The first place I got offered in Australia was in Perth and that was sweet and since then it’s played in Melbourne. Luckily, the response was good, but at first I was resigned to the fact that it might never play in Melbourne. What was Justin’s reaction? He really liked it. When it came out, he changed his mind and got super paranoid that the cops were going to bust him, so he flipped out a bit. Now that everything is cool he’s relaxed a bit, because everyone loves it and it’s a positive for him. For more info: www.jisoe.com // The Jisoe DVD is out now through Siren Visual.
GR
AF
FIT
Justin Hughes aka Jisoe
Justin's girl & baby
I
TATTOO
Interview by Mega
ANGELIQUE HOUTKAMP
Today’s pin-up
swallows to knives, from pin-ups to broken // From hearts, all the traditional tattoo flash imagery finds
a new breath in the romantic and feminine style of Dutch artist Angelique Houtkamp. Angelique’s work has expanded to an international audience using media like canvas, clothing and sculpture. She has a real love for Australia and she plans to return before the end of the year. Anticipating the pleasure to welcome her, we exchanged some words about her journey and vision of art.
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How does a Dutch girl in her 30s come to tattoo? When I turned 19, I figured out there were two career options for me, tattoo or music. I was a musician for about 10 years but wasn’t any good. Around that time, we had maybe three tattoo shops in Amsterdam, so I tried to get an apprenticeship but couldn’t get in. I was pretty shy and didn’t really like the people involved, so I got kind of discouraged. However, I always had local and global tattooist friends, and I went to nearly every big European tattoo convention. So throughout the years, I got a better understanding about the way things worked. At one point, I left my job and didn’t know what to do next. I asked a really good friend to teach me, and he did. By this time I was 30, and I wouldn’t want it any different though. I got a lot more wise and confident in those 11 years, and when I started tattooing I was more my own person and knew what I wanted. Your art is really old school influenced, how was tattooing different back in days? I like to think it was way more romantic, more about basic feelings, like love, pride, fear and death. Especially for men, it was a way to show you were tough and not to be messed with. In England and Germany, around the ‘40s, a lot of guys got their neck and hands tattooed… and that was it! They’d be wearing their jacket, and everybody would think they were covered in tattoos. If they had more cash, they’ll do their forearms, so they could roll up their sleeves. Nowadays, it’s more about conveying that you have a good taste. People spend a lot of time and thought on their tattoos and what they want them to mean. I like working in street shops because some guy comes in and wants his girlfriend’s name tattooed on his arm, just because he walked past the shop and thought it would be a good idea. Somehow for me impulsiveness is the essence of tattooing.
How does working on your own canvas differ from inking somebody’s skin? The approach is not that different. With tattooing, the customer comes with an idea and I’m limited to the size he wants. I have to consider the amount of details and be careful, because if details are too small, it will blur with time. I stayed much truer to tattoo when I started painting, not doing all the details I could, because I wouldn’t do it in a tattoo either. Now, I allow myself more. I still get a huge amount of inspiration from old tattoos, but also look a lot at early 20th century’s illustration art and advertisements. I’m fond of ‘40s and ‘50s pin-up and pulp covers. The tattoo influence I brought to my painting is now being reversed and my tattoo is influenced by the artists I discovered.
“impulsiveness is the essence of tattooing” What about your connections with Australia? A couple of years ago, after an article in Juxtapoz magazine, Outré gallery asked me if they could sell my prints. So when I participated in a group show at their gallery last September, I came in Melbourne for three weeks. It’s the best city ever. Paris, London, New York, Tokyo, they got nothing on Melbourne. Great people, loads of bars and restaurants, good shopping, and cockatoos galore, like we have pigeons. Since then, we’ve been working on a book about my work, which will be published next October on top of a solo show at the gallery. So I’ll have to come over again. I also just designed the new poster for the Perth independent film festival Revelation. Otherwise, Kate at Chapel Tattoo in Melbourne tattooed me a Koala on my leg. Australians were making fun of me, while I tried to explain that back home I really would be crazy cool. And I am! I have gotten laid over this koala tattoo… No, that’s a lie, but that is how cool it is. I think me and Australia like each other.
IN IN K C.
SPORT
Words by David Coles from msfbasketball.com Photo by Gabriel Bouys / AFP / Getty Images
GERALD GREEN The Super Dunker NBA will always have its fans and critics who place // The unreasonable expectations or superstar comparisons
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on the young talent coming up into the league each season. The Boston Celtics Gerald Green is a high-flying raw talent who has received early comparisons to NBA superstar Tracy McGrady, though the truth is, Gerald is on a completely different journey from anyone who has ever stepped before him. On Saturday, February 17th 2007, the world took notice when Gerald Green took out the 2007 NBA Slam Dunk Competition. The judging panel was regarded as the most impressive collection of judges ever assembled, featuring Michael Jordan, Julius Erving, Dominique Wilkins, Vince Carter and Kobe Bryant, all who gave Green a perfect ‘10’ in the final round. A few years back I remember watching the 2005 High school All-American Slam Dunk Contest live on ESPN. The name Gerald Green stuck in my mind when I saw this 19-year-old kid pull off the ‘VinceCarter-bounce-pass-through-the-legs-dunk’. I knew I had just witnessed something special. While averaging 33 points per game in high school, Green was regarded as one of the most sought after young prospects in the US, already being labelled with comparisons to the Houston Rockets Tracy McGrady. Green was committed to attending Oklahoma State University when he graduated in 2005 to further develop his game, before making the transition to the NBA. With all the hype, media attention and the possibility of taking the jump straight into an NBA roster becoming a realistic option, Green decided to put his name into the 2005 NBA Draft. He hired his own agent, which immediately made himself ineligible to participate in any college program. There were expectations circulating in the media that Green may surprise everyone and be selected as a high draft pick. He decided to only give individual work outs for the NBA teams with the top six picks in the months leading up to the draft. So when draft day came along, and 17 players were selected before Green, the disappointment on his face was evident. The Boston Celtics
were up next and were excited to select Gerald Green as the 18th pick. Green knew that this was his time to forget about the hype and focus on getting his game ready. Celtics coach Doc Rivers has taken the load off Green by giving him the ‘green’ light to develop as a player before anything else. “I don’t have any expectations for Gerald, just to continue working on his game. Because he’s so gifted, you can’t put parameters on what he can do. He can break through far quicker or he can take longer than expected. I’m comfortable waiting it out, though you’d like it to be quicker. If Gerald plays more this year, that’d be great. If he doesn’t, that won’t disappoint me.”
“Because he’s so gifted, you can’t put parameters on what he can do” With the new NBA rule which mandates that all American players who enter the draft must be at least one year removed from high school, Green can now say he was one of the last players to make the transition. There have been a small group of players before Green who have made the jump directly from high school to the pro’s with very few having found early success. Kobe only averaged 7 points in his first season. McGrady averaged 5 points. Jermaine O’Neal took 5 or 6 years before he even made an impact in the league. Gerald Green is beginning to show streaks of potential after averaging 10 points in his second season with the Celtics. Expectations sometimes make or break a player’s career, though in Gerald’s case, the only expectations he sees are the ones he sets for himself.
DU ST NK AR
FOCUS
Interview by Sean Ray Photos by Devin DeHaven
“I don’t give a fuck that’s the problem… I could care less what the MTV viewers think.”
Xzibit
Relax and Take Notes
artists have the good fortune to see their careers // Few develop, beyond the independent hustle, to ink a major
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label deal. Even fewer are those who turn their back on it all and go back to that independent grind. Of course, when you’re already hosting your own hit show on MTV and featuring in a multitude of blockbuster films, you might be feeling more confident than most. Mr X-to-the-Z took some time out of his busy schedule to come at us with details on his brand new album, why he’s no longer a part of Strong Arm Steady, his involvement with Dr Dre’s Detox project, and how he knows that George Bush is coming after us. So where you at X, what’s going on with you? Well, I mean I just released my first independent record, so I’m about to go out to support it now worldwide. I’m actually about to head out to do the Gumball 3000, which is a rally from London to Istanbul and back, and after that I’m going to stay in London for a couple weeks and do some promos for this tour.
the way that they are trying to do it. The artists have to be proactive and they have to be out there in the same spaces […]. They don’t have time to work out the label politics. It was comfortable for me to do it, you know I’ve been signed to a major label for ten years, so it was important for me at this point to not only be in charge of the creative side but also the financial.
So tell me now, what made you decide to release this latest album independently, because this is becoming a decision that seems to be very popular with a lot of artists? It’s the simple fact that you are in control of everything. I think the problem that everyone is finding with the music industry is that they are trying to implement an old model of business in a new era of music. I think that the way the music should be traded and sold now is a lot different from
Don’t you feel though, that because you are looking for that control, you are sacrificing exposure that you would get with a major label marketing budget backing you? I’ll put it like this, you can put all the creative process into an album that you want, but when you give that album to a label to push as a project then it’s theirs to make successful or fuck up. And when you have a record that you’ve worked hard on and they fuck it up by no fault of your
HI HO P P
own, that’s a lot different than when you own it, you put it out, and if it does well it’s your fault. If it doesn’t do well it’s your fault. As an artist, that feels a lot better bro, trust me. So you feel like as an artist right now, if you put in the hard yards you really will see the success of the project? Yeah, I mean, there’s yet to be a record that I put out where somebody didn’t see some paper. I just have to be man enough to stand up and follow it through. Right. Ok, now what about the album title, Full Circle, where does that come from and what does that mean? Well it’s Full Circle, meaning that I started out independent, dolo, know what I’m saying, and that’s where I’m at again. But this time it’s a different type of beginning, because I got my hands in a lot of different projects and now this time
round I done went from foot soldier to boss. Now as a boss, I got to make my own moves that make the company that I’m trying to build successful. So what’s up with the guest spots and collaborations, because we haven’t been seeing you doing as many of those as you did back in the day, is that because of your schedule? Yeah, well, I got to feel the music, you know what I mean? I don’t want to just do the next thing, I want to do the right thing so it’s like I got to be honest man. A lot of the new cats coming out, they haven’t been in my range of music; they haven’t been in my focus. No disrespect, it’s just not my taste. Plus, as I progress in my career I see that it’s better when they miss, you know? You don’t want to be the cat that they can’t get away from like, “god damn yo, I don’t wanna hear this nigga rappin no more. You know […] he’s on like 35 remixes, what the fuck is that?”
FOCUS From what I see, it’s like you’ve got two personas. You’ve got your mainstream, Pimp My Ride and acting persona that appeal to the masses. And then you’ve got your core fan Xzibit, that doesn’t go away in the music. Have you felt the pressure to make music that is more commercial as your side projects become more commercial? No, I don’t feel like the two have to coincide like that, a lot of people do, but I don’t. If I want to curse in my records then I’m going to curse in my records, because that’s the best way for me to express myself. I do feel as though I have a different audience with the film and television and if they just so happen to come over into the music too, and decide that they like that then that’s cool too. But I’m never going to tailor-make the music because this is where I come from, I can’t deny that. Once I start doing that, then I’ll forget who the fuck I am all the way around. People need to realise that I’m more than one-dimensional. It’s not surprising that I can do film and television, now it’s just a plus that I can do that also. I’m more than what you think I am. On the intro track of the album, you’ve got a line where you say “George Bush is coming after us”, can you take us through your feelings on the political climate right now in the States and how you feel the situation is playing out? Well, I mean it’s pretty much on autopilot right now. Bush can’t get re-elected, but it’s like the damage is done. And all the things that people were afraid were going to happen are happening, because we have no control over the people who have control over us… and that’s a fucking problem! But what do you mean when you say George Bush is coming after us? Man, don’t you turn on the news? What I mean by that is it feels like we aren’t citizens. It feels like we are just pawns in the game. I put that line out there because it feels like we aren’t protected, we’re just part of the war machine and that shit’s not cool.
“We have no control over the people who have control over us… and that’s a fucking problem!” How do your MTV fans and family feel when you express such strong political views, because it seems like you get away with a lot more than other people can? I don’t give a fuck that’s the problem. I could care less what the MTV viewers think. It’s my opinion, and I know that everyone’s got one like assholes, but shit, I get to say what I feel and I know what I’m saying.
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And you’re not concerned that that might jeopardise anything for you? Eh man, can’t nobody take nothing away from me that ain’t been taken already. And I don’t judge myself by status, or popularity, or even material belongings, because I’m a self-made man, so I don’t feel like me fearing another man or fearing consequences is going to stop me from saying what’s in my heart. Let’s talk about Pimp My Ride. What did you see as the benefit for your career when you decided to start hosting the show? I don’t know. I didn’t really look at it like that. I just saw it as some after school shit my son could get a kick out of. I didn’t even think that it was going to really take off in the way it did. But when it did, I took it like anything else in my life. I evaluate it and I see that this is a show that is doing something positive for somebody else, whereas other shows make fun and you know, bring light to somebody else’s bad parts and might embarrass them, so I thought it was something cool like that. I never even compared it to, you know, what is niggas going to think? If I lived my life like that, brother, I’d be at the crib. Because niggas ain’t never going to be happy with the shit that I do, so fuck them. Everybody is saying that they are waiting for the west coast to come back, but what do you think is going to bring the left coast back? Man, I don’t think the Coast ever left. I think that what we got to do is just make
music that the kids and the masses enjoy. The days of wishing for a dominant sound to come out the West Coast are over, because the music is coming out. I mean, look at the guys in New York, they aren’t conforming, but they are definitely putting out some music that appeals to what is going on in the industry right now. So now, either one of two things has to happen. Either the West Coast has to start making south music, or we got to give the people something to feel good about and to feel proud of. They got to be proud of the artists, and proud to be involved with the west coast again, cause then after that, they going to feel good about going to the store and buying it or downloading it, because it represents them well. Speaking of, what do you think about snap music? I mean… I don’t know man, I can tell you this: I ain’t got nothing against it, but I ain’t never experienced nothing in my 30 years of life that made me want to position and move my hands and body like that! Is Strong Arm Steady the future? Hmm, well I don’t know, uhh, maybe (long pause). I got to tell you the truth man, I’m not really in the group anymore… well, actually, I’m not in the group period. Really? Yup. So what happened there? Well, they just signed a group deal with Talib Kweli’s label [Ed. Note: Blacksmith Records]. They just signed a deal over there, the three of them, Mitchy Slick, Phil Da Agony and Krondon. I didn’t agree with the deal terms but they went ahead and signed with it anyway so, you know, that’s that. So just like that? It seems like you were riding for them real hard for a long time to end like that? Of course, of course. But in life you can never have somebody saying that you are potentially holding them back. And you know it don’t make no difference to me but my nigga, my car cost $200,000 dollars, so why the fuck am I going to sign a deal for that? So what about yourself, there have been so many rumours that you are going to be working with Dr Dre and signing to Aftermath? Are those rumours actually based on any truth? I’m not going to speak on what my situation is but… let me just say look out for that Detox [album]! So what’s the deal? Have you heard the album, can you give us the break down? I mean, we’ve been in there man, and the man has fresh ideas and I’m just privileged to be around the creative process, and just being around there helps it get done. And I’m not going speak on what I’m doing or saying it’s going down like this or that. All I’m saying is, this is going to be an important album for music, period. Because it seems like every time Dre releases a record, it pushes reset on the whole game, you know what I’m saying. That’s true and last time you played a big part in that reset too, so is it going to be the same thing this time around or what? Can you leave us with something? (Laughing) Unfortunately man, I’m just not at liberty to say. You’ll see!
Xzibit solo albums* At the Speed of Life
40 Dayz & 40 Nightz
Restless
Man Vs Machine
Released: October 15, 1996 Label: RCA Sales: 380,000 US World Wide: 600,000 Singles: “Paparazzi”, “The Foundation” Released: December 12, 2000 Label: Loud // Open Bar Sales: 1.5 million US World Wide: 3.0 million Singles: “X”, “Front 2 Back”, “Get Your Walk On”
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Released: December 14, 2004 Label: Sony // Columbia // Open Bar Sales: 549,519 US World Wide: 1.3 million Singles: “Hey Now (Mean Muggin)”, “Criminal Set”
Released: August 25, 1998 Label: RCA Sales: 190,000 copies US World Wide: 300,000 Singles: “Los Angeles Times”, “What U See Is What U Get” Released: October 1, 2002 Label: Loud // Columbia // Open Bar Sales: 690,000 USWorld Wide: 900,000 Singles: “Multiply”, “Symphony in X Major”
Full Circle
Released: October 17, 2006 Label: Koch // Open Bar Sales: 122,606 US US World Wide: 244,000 Singles: “Concentrate”, “Thank You”, “Family Values” * source: Wikipedia
X to the Z has gone full circle
Coordinator: Edward Woodley Photographer: James Demitri Studio China Heights Hair dresser: ChloĂŠ Peters using Label M products Make-up artists: Lia Ryan and Kristyan Low using M.A.C products Models: Dzenita (Chadwick Models), April Rose (Chadwick Models), Tania P. (Viviens Models), Kate W. (Work Agency) Assistant: Mathilde Bonnard
KILL PIXIE
After a recent stretch in a Japanese prison, this big city celebrity seems to be doing more autographs than tags.
Tania P : dress Dalston by Kate Hurst (AU$ 220) // earrings Superman by Nomination (AU$ 139) // Shoes model’s own Kill Pixie: sunglasses Ganesh by AM eyewear (AU$ 229.95) // jacket Scallero by Volcom (AU$ 199.95) // hoodie Tablecloth zip by Movement Clothing (AU$ 159.95) // tee shirt Stone sleeve by Volcom (AU$ 34.95) // jeans Rowley by Volcom (AU$ 119.95) // shoes Authentic by Vans
KPISH
Tattoo artist by day, and writer by night. Kpish represents the Warfare crew, with over 10 years bombing experience.
Dzenita: pants High waisted by Jessie Hill (AU$ 246.00) // gloves Long fetish by Jessie Hill (AU$ 160.00) // shoes by Zu Kpish: cap Blingy by éS (AU$ 59.95) // sunnies Oil Drum by Oakley (AU$ 194.95) // bandana by Another // jacket Hooded Parker by Oakley (AU$ 229.95) // zipped hoodie Gator by éS (AU$ 119.95) // tee shirt Tower by Hurley (AU $ 44.95) // watch Gold Player by Nixon (AU$ 449.95) // jeans by Lee Jeans // shoes Pure by DC Shoes (AU$ 139.95)
April Rose: blouse Orange romantic by Hussy (AU$ 229) // jeans Vintage by Faberge // shoes Witch Pumps by Jessie Hill (AU$ 274.00) Spate: model’s own keffie // tee shirt Stone Sleeve by Volcom (AU$ 34.95) // jeans Slim Charcoal by DC Shoes (AU$ 129.95) // shoes Vans, model’s own
SPATE
An energetic gigolo, his time is split between maintaining his title as a ladies man and drenching the town with his flowing mop tags and well rounded throw-ups.
MR INCH
This globetrotting Sydney sider is just as happy with a marker in his hand, as he is with a schooner.
Inch: sunglasses Poland pearl shades by AM eyewear (AU$ 229.95) // tee shirt Wu-Tang vintage // tee shirt Card long sleeves by Movement Clothing (AU$ 89.95) // watch Stealth Black Judge by Oakley (AU$ 899.95) // jeans by Pepe Jeans // shoes by Adidas (model’s own) Kate W.: trench Chelsea by Kate Hurst (AU$ 462.00) // necklace by Matt Weston Jewelry (AU$ 120) // shoes by Zu
Kate W.: dress Vandella by Kate Hurst (AU $363.00) // necklace by Matt Weston Jewelry (AU $120) // shoes Heels by Clements Ribeiro (AU $715) Kpish: tee shirt Benjis by éS (AU$ 54.95) // tee shirt Rogue Status x Another (AU$ 70) // jeans by Mavi // shoes Theory Mid by éS (AU $139.95) Kill Pixie: sunglasses Ganesh by AM eyewear (AU$ 229.95) // tee shirt Bat by China Heights (AU$ 60.00) Dzenita: dress Gliter by Jessie Hill (AU$ 246.00) // shoes Lust heels by Sachi
April Rose: top Bat sweater by Milk&Honey (AU$ 99.95) // necklace Wing by One Luv Jewelry (AU$ 80) // watch The Big Rig by Nixon (AU$ 299.95) // shorts Black baloon by Mooks Spate: red bandana (model’s own) // hoodie Artillery zip by Movement Clothing (AU$ 159.95) // sunglasses Red Grizzlie shades by AM eyewear (AU $229.95) // jeans 538 Lowrise Straight by Levi’s Inch: tee shirt Boneless by China Heights (AU $60.00) // tee shirt Hollis by éS (AU$ 54.95) // watch The Mark by Nixon (AU $179.95 AUS) // long sleeves tee shirt Crictical Beat Down crew by Movement Clothing (AU $109.95) // jeans Eldridge by éS (AU$ 119.95) // shoes by éS (AU$ 139.95) Tania: hoodie by Purr
IN DEPTH
Words by Saeed Saeed Photos by Andrew Quilty
Patriot Games Australian identity investigated is caught up in the midst of patriotic fervour. // Australia Any questioning of the Australian flag and you are
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immediately labelled as ‘un-Australian’. If you were one of the few unfortunates who refused to kiss the flag at the 2006 Big Day Out, then you probably nursed a broken nose or a black eye. If you are really unlucky, and happen to be an Australian of ‘Middle Eastern appearance’, then your belief that Australia is the ‘lucky country’ has, for the last few years, been severely challenged. Acclaim investigates this rise in Australian patriotism to find out whether it is healthy, or rather a breeding ground for intolerance, racism and further violence. It is one of those rare summer days where everything seems perfect. The sun above is certainly making its impression felt, but without accompanying winds and moist humidity, the weather is ideal for this group of high school students to attend the beach. The time is 9.30am, and waiting for them outside the surf club in Bates Bay is Razy Eid from Surf Life Saving New South Wales. The 27-year-old Australian Lebanese is shattering the notion that Surf Life Savers is an ‘Anglo-only’ club. He is here to illustrate to these students, a majority of which are of Middle Eastern background, that Cronulla’s beaches are safe. Razy Eid is a Diversity Officer for the On the Same Wave program for Surf Live Saving New South Wales, an initiative that aims to heal the growing rift between Australia’s local and Middle Eastern communities in an environment where the tide of anti-
Arab sentiment is at an all time high. “We have people who criticize the program and note that it is all a PR exercise,” Eid said, in reference to certain sections of the local community. “They think we are placing a band aid on the real situation which is ‘those Lebo’s make trouble’.” Eid surveys the already crowded beach in order to make an assessment of the state of the community ‘post Cronulla’. “The current atmosphere on the beach to my knowledge, and I am only talking about my experiences, are that everyone is quite friendly but there is still the fact that these disgusting things did occur on the shores of this beach. People in life tend to forgive easier than to forget.” Cronulla Beach, December 11, 2005 The hope that the Cronulla Riots will soon disappear from Australia’s collective memory is as difficult to imagine as that which happened on this idyllic stretch of beach over fifteen months ago. Heralded as ‘Leb and Wog bashing day’, a mob of 5,000 young people fuelled by drugs and alcohol gathered on Cronulla Beach and carried out systematic brutal assaults on anyone of Middle Eastern appearance. This unprecedented aggression was immediately met with reprisal attacks by Lebanese gangs and a shell-shocked New South Wales government introduced extraordinary “anti-gang” legislation, which allowed the police to close roads, erect check points and, in some incidents, force young people out of their cars at gunpoint while their bodies and cars were searched. The aftermaths of the riots can still be felt on both a legal and
SO C ISS IAL UE
social level. The New South Wales Police Force controversially gave birth to the ‘Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad’, in order to deal with Lebanese and Arabic gangs. While the images of rampaging Anglo Saxon youth, caped with the Australian flag and shouting racist slogans introduced us to a new breed of frustrated young Australians, whose views of the national flag are directly at odds with this country’s sacred belief of giving every one a fair go.
“People of Middle Eastern appearance are the new targets for middle Australia” Don Rowe is the NSW president of The Returned Services League (RSL), an iconic institution that represents Australia’s veteran ANZAC soldiers. He is deeply disturbed at the way the Australian flag was
unceremoniously used in the violence. “The Australian flag should never be used as a symbol of race or hate or anything like that. It was disappointing to see it used in a riot where people were hurting one another and using the Australian flag for doing it. That’s not the Australian flag at all, it was hijacked.” PATRIOTI$M $ELLS Eight hundred kilometres away, in the Victorian ethnically diverse suburb of North Melbourne, the Australian flag is giving one Hamish Merritt a lot to smile about. He is the manager of Australia’s largest flag and flagpole distributor, Able Flag Poles, and business is booming. “We export flags as far as South Africa […] We also do work for the AFL, that’s goal posts and point posts. We do rugby, soccer and of course flag posts which is our main industry.” Merritt is well aware that his company’s increasing fortunes is directly linked with the rise of patriotism amongst the general society. He also knows who to thank for this new phenomenon. “A lot of it got to do with Johnny Howard” he said. “He came up with this grant that if you are an RSL and you want a flag pole, Johnny Howard would pay for the flag pole and the flag. Same thing with schools, war memorials, hostels, old aged care facilities […] They are all entitled to a certain amount of money to get the flag.” Australian flags are not the only patriotic item that is selling well; tattoos parlours nationwide have recorded a spike in sales when it comes to patriotic designs. Angie Mogus from Liverpool’s Raven Body Piercing and Tattoo Studio recalls the period in the run up to Australia Day, where requests for patriotic tattoos were relentless. “Before Australia Day we were doing at least one a day. We were really flat chat and people were coming in wanting the Australian flag, the boxing
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IN DEPTH
kangaroo and the Southern Cross.” A Blacktown tattooist, who declined being named, said that interest in Australian flag tattoos exploded after Cronulla. “You used to get the occasional request but after Cronulla, it just went nuts.” Merritt doesn’t seem to mind the sudden rise in Australian patriotism and dismisses the suggestion that Australia is heading towards a US style worship of the flag. “Here in Australia, it is multi [cultural], and in America it’s just ‘America’ […] The Americans have gone over the top. Over there they stand behind their flag instead of next to their flag.”
Urthboy is concerned with the current conservative government’s ‘politics of fear’ approach to its leadership, as it leaves Australia’s Middle Eastern community permanently caught in the firing line. “We seem to have become more insecure, we’re encouraged to be fearful of suspicious characters and stay alert and call terror hotlines. ‘People of middle-eastern appearance’ are the new targets for middle Australia.” None is more aware of the stigma that is associated with Sydney’s Lebanese males than Razy Eid. He acknowledges that it is a burden
PATRIOTISM vs ETHICAL PATRIOTISM Melbourne University Associate Professor, Igor Primoratz, is an acknowledged author and expert on the study of patriotism. He believes that Australian society is currently caught up in a battle between two kinds of patriotism. “One is the usual mundane type that is concerned with the country’s political, economical and cultural interest,” he said. “On the other hand, you also have an ethical type of patriotism that is concerned with the country’s moral identity and these type of patriots are critical of the government and they would not only demonstrate against it, but be ashamed by their polices.” One of these ethical patriots is Urthboy from Australia’s fiercely political hip-hop group, The Herd. The Sydney group were subjected to severe criticism by the media and the public for their support of the Big Day Out’s controversial suggestion of banning the Australian flag from this year’s event. Urthboy is adamant that the whole fiasco was blown out of proportion by a hyperbolic press and political opportunists. “Many of the media who inflamed the so-called banning of the flag had no idea of what the Big Day Out was like the previous year and it was highly naive of them to get on their high horse about it,” he said. “None of the politicians had been assaulted for not kissing a flag. It was a game of political point scoring.”
“The Union Jack is a signifier for colonialism and the white upper class” that he carries on a daily basis. “Being a Lebanese male is a challenge in the sense that many of us are constantly defending ourselves against the stereotypical perception that many people have of Lebanese people, especially males,” he said. “[It is thought] that Lebanese males are uneducated and unemployed. Where in actual fact the majority of people I know that are Lebanese males are all educated at a Tertiary level and have successful jobs.”
When Eid began his role with the On the Same Wave program, he felt uneasy as he was working in an environment that was, as some local surfers would term, ‘not his turf’. “My initial experience was that of reservation and I felt like I was intruding on this whole ‘beach culture’ and as I was not a local, I felt a bit left out.” Dr Clifton Evers is also a senior academic from the University of Sydney’s Gender and Cultural Studies Department, as well as being an avid surfer. He attributes the violence in Cronulla to the local surfing community being compelled to reclaim ‘their territory’ after being whipped up to a fearful frenzy by the media. “What happened in Cronulla was people rose up to ‘take back their space’ and saying ‘We are going to tolerate you, but remember this is our space’,” he said. “And this whole thing about toleration, by having the power to tolerate you are also saying ‘well, we can reject you at any point’.” It is this atmosphere of fear and exclusion that Urthboy believes was the fuel for the violence that occurred at the Big Day Out ‘06, an event which he labels as “the worst day” in Australia’s music history. “It was Australia Day and hundreds of white males took it upon themselves to become patriotic vigilantes by assaulting and intimidating people who weren’t openly adoring the flag. The idea that some intoxicated fool can police everyone’s attitude towards the flag was insulting and shameful.” Associate Professor Primoratz warns Australians to take heed of what occurred in the Big Day Out ‘06, for it illustrates how easily blind patriotism can slip into the more dangerous territory of nationalism. “You might think that this country belongs to a specific group and every body else is a new comer and second rate citizen. But in a country such as this, that is built on immigration, that is a silly attitude to take,” he said. “When you look at this country and its diversity you cannot help noticing that it is no longer an Anglo Saxon country. Neither is England these days, for that matter.”
CHANGING THE FLAG? The fact that Australia is a country of immigration raises the interesting question of whether our flag reflects the multicultural nature of our society. Dr Evers believes that the mere presence of Union Jack in our flag enforces the notion that Australia belongs to a certain section of the community. “Having the Union Jack there you are already alienating the nations that were here before us. There is no way they can ever ascribe to that flag” he said. “The Union Jack is a signifier for colonialism and the white upper class, it always has been.” Urthboy agrees that changing the flag would be a small step forward in bringing communities together. “We should remove the Union Jack,” he said. “I don’t think this change would alter attitudes to race and fear, but it is a necessary change.” Associate Professor Primoratz predicts this issue will be debated passionately in the near future, for the current Australian flag and its history makes it impossible for many Australians to relate to it. “I expect the issue of the flag will be coming up because a section of the population doesn’t see the current flag as their flag. Because it’s a flag, if you wish, that could be more at home in some nationalist environment rather than a patriotic environment.”
History of the Australian Flag Prior to Federation, Australia’s six colonies flew the flags of the United Kingdom. After Federation, there came a need for a new flag to unite all the colonies. A worldwide competition was held to find the best design for Australia’s new flag. From 32,000 entries, the choice was narrowed down to five almost identical submissions. All five entrants shared the prize money of 200 pounds. According to official government documents, the Union Jack is meant to reflect our heritage, the Federation Star symbolizes the unity of the six states and the Southern Cross symbolizes the Commonwealth of Australia. The Australian flag is meant to “show our history, our unity and our independent position”. [Note: Abstracted from the Australian Government publication “The History of the Australian National Flag”]
Selection by Vincent Tang
SHIFT GEAR
Funk Master Flex Ford Concept Ford Goes hip-hop
With GMC coming out with the Jay-Z Blue, the other giant of the American automotive industry Ford also tries to cash in on hip-hop. Funk Master Flex has been the icon of the hip-hop car scene in the previous years, but with his limited edition Ford Expedition looking to arrive in showrooms in the US before the end of the year, he will break all odds and become the first hip-hop artist, let alone African American to have a signature car mass produced and sold. The car comes with a full body kit and two tone paint job, FMF badges on the car and stitching on headrests, full leather interior, satellite radio, FMF numbered dash plaques and 20 inch chrome FMF wheels. Previously, Flex has customized 15 cars for Ford for shows and meets, but with this car in serious talks of being actually in the production line. This shows how big the urban / hip-hop culture has had an impact on the automotive industry over in the States. I told you that we won’t stop.
DC SHOES
Eclipse CD7100
HOT NEW Chicane
The new DC driving shoe has just arrived in three hot camo style colours. Specially design for the automotive enthusiast. Drive with style.
Giveaways Huge MOMO Prize Pack
Our boys at MOMO have put together this prize pack easily costing you over a grand in the shops to give away to our car loving readers. MOMO is the staple for car interior modifications. Designed and perfected in Italy, all the products are trimmed with the finest leathers, most striking polished finishes and carbon fibre. The pack includes a MOMO racing vest and cap, MOMO gear knob, handbrake knobs, doorsills and MOMO pedals. All you need to do to try and win this pack is show ACCLAIM the best acronym you can make with MOMO. Send your answers to vincent@acclaimmag. com and the most creative and original answer will take this prize pack home.
Best from the best
Eclipse has been a name synonymous with high-end car audio for a long time, having been used in SPL competition cars, show rides and SQ systems. The new CD7100 is the top of the line head unit from the brand and stays true to the Eclipse perfection, pushing the boundaries and setting new standards. This head unit comes with a huge adjustable EQ, ability to be upgraded with a GPS system, a full colour LCD display and the option to hook up your MP3 player or iPod. The retail price for this is AU$ 799, and with a price tag like that, no car audiophile should sleep on this!
Jestalt 3 Diamond New Shiny Shoes
Everyone these days have polished or chromed wheels on their car, so what do I do to stand out from the crowd, you ask? Pick up and roll out a set of the new Jestalt diamond series wheels. Each wheel comes with 30 shiny rocks going around the fully chrome wheel.
Lexus LS460 Car Of The Year
The World Car of the Year (WCOTY) award is the most prestigious and recognised as the pinnacle of automotive awards. This year, Japanese car-maker Lexus has taken the award with the LS460, fighting off predominately European contenders consisting of Mercedes, Audi, Fiat, Jaguar and Citroen. The car had to go through a panel of 44 automotive journalists from 22 countries to take the award at the 2007 New York Motor Show.
VERTINI FASHION
Size: 18 to 22 Inch
Fosgate 2007 PUNCH Ampfliers Rockford Releases new line of amps
Daat D69
Sizes: 20/22 Inch With interchangeable adaptors
Rockford Fosgate has released the new line of PUNCH amplifers for 2007. These amps include the Dynamic Thermal Management, which reduces thermal shut down under harsh conditions, MEHSA3 which allows the amp to play louder, longer and an on-board EQ. All of these amps will be available soon, so keep posted at: www.rockfordfosgate.com
LET ME RIDE
Words by Vincent Tang & Matt Brinsden Photos by Rob Gubiani
The VW Splitty
The German that takes a big place in everyone’s heart The Volkswagen Type II, universally known as the Kombi, // has become a cult car since the first appearance in
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1949. It has been embraced by the surfing culture for many years as well as the hippie culture back in the sixties, and it has even been idolised by hip-hop artists around the globe. Bliss n Eso anyone? Starting off as a humble car, developed by a Nazi think tank, it has become an automotive lifestyle icon, especially in Australia. We must look at how the VW Kombis started out to become the most perfect rounded German that it is. After strong demand for a universal commercial vehicle, the first VW transporter was introduced to the world on the 12th of November 1949. Introduced to Australia in 1953, the Kombis were made in Australia from CKD (complete knock down), and were fully manufactured in Clayton plant in 1958. Approximately 55,000 split-window Kombis were produced at the plant over a 14-year period, from 1953 to 1967. The vans had a relatively cheap purchase price new, which helped in increasing their popularity. For example, in 1958, a standard Kombi was 1,226 pounds (plus 168 pounds for optional seats). The car appealed to a huge market, ranging from tradesmen to families, because of the many varieties, including the Panel Van, the Standard Kombi, the Microbus, the Microbus deluxe, the Single cab utility, the Dual Cab utility and container vans, along with many camper conversions. As a result of the large popularity down under, and the cheap price tag they had early on, the cars were everywhere. It would be safe to say, if you speak to most Australians, they would have either owned one at one stage, or their parents did, at the very least they would have driven in one, or had a mate who loved them. All Australians have a story about a Kombi, good or bad. But here’s the thing: everyone loves Kombis for different reasons. I was chatting to Brad, the owner of the all green Campervan in the pictures, and he told me everyone has their
own story as to why they are drawn to these cars. “Back in 94/95, I was working for a Volkswagen dealership and we found ourselves trading in all these new VWs for vintage ones, and soon we managed to come across a 23 window Kombi with the lot. I took the employees out for a night with the car, and since then I caught the bug. Once you catch the bug, there’s no turning back, you know? You’ve just got it.”
“Once you catch the bug, there’s no turning back” Matt, the owner of the two-tone white/green bus, had the Kombi as his first car. Since becoming available across the globe, the car has now become much bigger than it was ever intended to be. It has appeared in, and been the center of, hundreds of movies and shows, countless advertisements and featured as a topic in millions of conversations and articles. I guess there’s space at the top of the pop icon ladder for a fifty-something German lady. For All You Simpson Fans For all you guys and girls who have been brought up by The Simpsons, here’s a little fact for you: there’s a VW in basically every single Simpsons episode. There’s always one in the background somewhere, in the newspaper, characters are driving in them, almost every episode. Go on, that’s good enough reason to watch The Simpsons again!
WHHOT EE LS
LET ME RIDE
Words by Vincent Tang
Mischief & Mayhem Teckademics Crew’s infamous Dado Teckademics crew has terrorized the streets // The with their reckless driving and auto related mischief
behaviour since 1999, and along the way documented the car loving lifestyle through numerous DVDs, all considered classic must-see material for any car enthusiast. Dado, one of the main ringleaders of the Teckademics circus, managed to take time out of his fast and furious life to sit down with ACCLAIM and talk about drifting, his past experiences with the law and about the fun he’s been up to. How are you man? I just got back home from the second round of an open drift series over in Miami. No shit, how did you go? Yeah, it went well, I had some problems with qualifying. Turned out ok though, finished top eight in that round, so I am about second in the Championship.
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Well done, what are you racing now? What else is in your garage? Umm… I got a BMW 330ci convertible, that’s my daily driver, a black F350 and my M3, the one that I have been using for the drifting meets, and before that I was drifting the Cadillac Coupe. Cool, so for the people who don’t know, who are the Teckademics? We’re just a bunch of dudes who basically love their cars and the whole car culture, and through the years we’ve gathered up quite a few people in the group. We just go around the world and participate in rallies, races, meets and shows. There’s about forty of us now all over the States, and we’re just people who love their cars. The crew has been infamous for doing some wild shit and getting into trouble with the law countless times, what do you think has been the craziest situation you have been in? Let me think… Probably the time I got locked up in Kansas in the Player’s Run. I was driving at around an average of 200 miles an hour for about two hours, and when I got arrested I was thrown
in jail for a couple of days and my bond was set at 75 grand cash. When I got out of jail I had to catch up to the other guys. I was caught speeding again but only received fines along the way. First I got a 500 dollar fine for driving at around 120 miles about an hour after I got out of jail, then I got busted again for doing 98 miles in a 55 zone. Later on I got another fine for doing 80 something in a 55. Since then have you gotten in trouble with the cops again? Nah man, since then I’ve been racing heaps in the championships and competitions. I have stayed away from the rallies because I got into a lot of trouble in the Player’s Run. I can’t be busted for reckless driving as well or they might kick me out of the races, because they don’t want the drivers supporting illegal driving.
“I can’t be busted for reckless driving” So what’s in the works for Dado in the near future? Drifting. It’s getting huge over here in the States and I’ve heard it’s blowing up down under too. I’ve been focusing on my drift racing and shit heaps lately, that’s where all my energy is focused on at the moment. In terms of the crew, we’ve been trying to get a television series happening, we’ve had clips played on MTV so far, but a full series is still in the early stages. The Ideals Behind Teckademics Teckademics believes the aftermarket industry has a closed door approach to the ‘Import Culture’ and tends to shy away from the culture when bad or controversial things happen. Movies like The Fast And The Furious have put a Hollywood image on the lifestyle. We do not think this image is correct. We want to show the real lifestyle. We are proud of the underground do-it-yourself attitude and we embrace it. We are not scared to show what really goes down. We are not just a performance company with sexy ads and claims, we are the real deal and we want you to be part of it. Build it, floss it, race it, wear it, spin it, film it, bring it. Teckademics salutes you. Vader, Teckademics Crew. Extract from www.teckademics.com
RO L TH LING UG
Dado did done it
The double D
From the streets…
… to the circuits
ALL EYES ON
Selection by Chris Delaney Tags selection by Nick Bazarow
REFILL 7
Burners by Henry Chalfant
The latest release from the legendary co-creator of Subway Art and Style Wars, Henry Chalfant, takes us back to familiar territory, the New York City transit system. Released in a limited run of 4000 to coincide with a showing at the new Speerstra gallery in Switzerland, Burners is a collection of 40 relatively unseen trains, shot mostly between 1979 and 1983, a time where style was really being fleshed out. A time where the rules had been established and the lingo had been set down and what was left was to see how far you could push it. The front of the book sees writers like Skeme and Quik set down their definitions of what a burner is; “partly illegible, has bold flamboyant colours […] at least two backgrounds… clouds, toxic spill, checker board […]” The book is full of just that. A testimonial to the commitment of the young writers who started this whole mess, Burners documents the origins and evolution of styles that are still inspiring and still imitated nearly 30 years later. Available from www.finaloutline.com
Every man and his dog is holding exhibitions of art painted on skateboard decks, but no one has yet been able to take this noble platform into the 21st century. Allowing artists to laser away at the seven layers of ply that make a deck and add their own distinctive mark, world renowned artists, such as Giant, Pushead and Delta, as well as home grown artists like Dmote and Reka, have been able to create amazingly detailed reliefs, using only the laser and the deck and take us one step into the future at the same time. With a touring schedule that started in Sydney, shows will follow in New York, LA, Japan and then a run across Europe. Only 50 decks have been designed per artist, in order to create a unique piece of work that leaves the owner with a burning question. To ride or not to ride?
Ironlak
First came the formation of the Ironlak writers team, now come the writers team’s signature colours. Sofles Violence, Linz Iceberg, Sirum Black-Red, Reals Sublime and Tues Afterburn. The colours were hand picked and fine tuned by each member of the team. Limited edition cans have been designed by each writer and feature original artwork. Grab ‘em while they’re still burning. Keep an eye out for the writers team DVD, scheduled to drop sometime later this year.
HELLO
my name is… Wigier
Rumble
Wall of fame
Tres {Melbourne} Over Proof
66 VISUAL ARTS
Vishs
Jpan
The Mural Kings, Tats Cru
Shot in 2004, this documentary is about one of graffiti’s oldest crews, Tats Cru. Centred around the build up to their annual painting at New York’s Graffiti Hall of Fame and with high quality photos of old and new school walls and trains scattered throughout, the film charts their 25-year success story from bottom to top. They break down their entire career, focusing on each stage in great detail, from their time as a train crew, to their eventual evolution to walls, to their status as the mural kings. They cover each and every writer that’s ever painted for the crew, but the main focus is on the current members, Bg183, Bio, Nice, Sen2, How and Nosm, how they got down and what it did for the crew. It also covers their relationships with Big Pun and Fat Joe at length, including appearances from Joey Crack himself. Also featuring appearances from DJ Kayslay and Part2 TDS, the film is a great snapshot of graffiti’s evolution, and an interesting look into the lives of people that are able to make a living out of doing what they love. www.themuralkings.com
If you want to get your piece or your tag up in ACCLAIM, send it in to streetart@acclaimmag.com. All tags submissions must be black marker on white paper and all photos must be in high resolution.
SKILL CHECK
Words by Chris Delaney
David Flores
For the love of the game Flores is a self-made man. Starting at the bottom, // David with no education in the arts, he is now considered
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at the top of his game. His unique works of stylised portraiture catch the eyes of BOTH the rich and famous and the UNDERground CONNOISSEURs, making the whole world sit up and take notice. Coming from a lower class neighbourhood, Flores discovered art at a very young age, drawing pictures of people from underneath church pews. “I would draw all day and all night, it was all I wanted to do.” His passion for creating extended beyond drawing. Flores developed a taste for bringing out the shine in old pieces of junk, which is evident in work he is famous for today. “Polishing metals was something I did as a very young boy. I would buy polish and make some old chunk of metal sparkle and gleam, for no reason.” Never bothering with formal education, Flores honed his practical skills, and still does each painting. His first real break came at 19 years of age, just after the launch of Shortys Skateboards. “I was looking for a room to rent and found one at Erik Hatch’s house. Erik was Tony Buyalos’s best friend at the time, who started Shortys. I always drew pictures and Tony liked my stuff, so he gave me a job and I did the Black Panthers logo. 600 decks later I’m still here.” The early affirmation of talent gave him the confidence to take things further. The knowledge he could do something creative and positive, while making ends meet, gave Flores the drive to continue. Working for skate firm Deluxe, Flores discovered the distinctive style he’s recognised for today. Usually taking existing photographs or paintings, sometimes of celebrities, and drawing lines intersecting over the top. Some look like a mosaic and some look like topographical map of raised and flattened areas of land. “My technique consists of painting in screen printing order, the outline first, the lights, next to dark and then the black
or darkest color to trap all the lighter ones.” The technique has served him well, landing him in galleries around the world. He has collaborated with Oakley, Plan B, DC Shoes, and worked on toys for Medicom and Kidrobot. Flores is developing enough interest to launch his own brand in the US sometime soon. As far as Flores is concerned, there’s no magic behind his success. “It’s just a very unique and recognisable style, a lot of people can relate to it. It makes sense to look at… I’m still very underground. To hit mainstream popularity as an artist like Banksy is the main goal, to have as many people see your work as possible.”
“My technique consists of painting in screen-printing order” When asked about his motivations, Flores says fame and creative freedom are two of the defining factors. His art is driven by “… something very deep. I don’t know what it is yet, but when I figure it out you’ll be the first to know…” More info on www.davidfloresart.com and www.myspace.com/davidpaulflores
WO
RL FA DWID ME E
Say cheese David, cheeeeeese!
SKILL CHECK
Words by Chris Delaney
Doll sleeps
GHOSTPATROL A unique evil
is making a name for himself around // Ghostpatrol Melbourne and the world as a man of many talents. If he’s not out sticking up drawings of evil looking characters, then he’s in his studio making them into stuffed toys or engaging in some other kind of creative process across a huge variety of mediums. We asked him the how’s and why’s. Where does your story begin? I’ve always liked to draw. I grew up in Hobart and began stickering with my close friends. There wasn’t much of a scene for street art in Hobart (which isn’t true now). I joined Stencil Revolution and before I knew it, I was in Melbourne doing a group show with a solo show soon after. What made you decide to pursue a career in art? It’s not a career. I’m just fortunate that people are keen to give me money for drawing pictures that make me happy. It’s a strange situation.
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You’re known for your work across many mediums. Which do you prefer and why? 0.1 fine liner pens in a black book is my favourite. It’s the start of all other activities. Can you tell us a little about the creative process behind your hand-stitched dolls? My dolls are an attempt to breathe life into some of my illustrations. I like the idea of operating on these dolls, like Dr. Frankenstein, to bring them to life. They are a form of unique cotton evil. Can you tell us about your collaborative work? I’ve been pretty fortunate to travel to Europe and meet some really great artists. Painting in Paris with Fremantle, Pash in Prague and 8-bit in Manchester were highlights that definitely changed the way I work. I had the great pleasure to work with Olmonster from New Zealand who has played a large role in pushing me in new directions. For the past year I have been
working closely with Miso in Melbourne at the Mitten Fortress. We were just exhibited at China Heights in Sydney and Per Square Metre in Melbourne and in June we will travel to Edinburgh to work with Acorn and Elph in preparation for our show in Berlin in late June. Where do you find the images you draw? A better reality. These creatures appear in ink when your nose bleeds on a page. Squint your eyes in a cereal bowl; they’ll be climbing up the wall.
“These creatures appear in ink when your nose bleeds on a page” I understand you like to get involved with hard rubbish? What’s the story there? It’s nice to give a fridge a face on the sidewalk, or hide a fox in a cabinet. There always seems to be a lot of rubbish on the streets, it makes me smile to bring them to life with a marker. What does the future hold for Ghostpatrol? Flying cars, food in pill format and larger ink works. Investigations on deathtron mountain reveal blue prints for small books, larger doll suits, masks and woodcuts. Wooden fingers are in mixing giant barrels of ink soaking into rabbit fur coats. I think all this as I ride my bike into a tree. More info on www.ghostpatrol.net
LO KIL CAL LE R
Doll in the wood
Fox wolves protect from harm
wood water
Floating rabbit kills thousands
Zelda (with miso)
Death wolves attack
OLD SCHOOL KING
Words by Mark Drew Portrait by Pierre Henny and photos by Eric Orr & China Heights
Eric Orr
Bronx River, rolling thick Orr is a designer and artist, raised in the South // Eric Bronx. His talents saw him producing work for such
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legendary hip-hop originals as Afrika Bambaataa and Jazzy Jay, and collaborating in the mid ‘80s subway scene with Keith Haring. March 2007 had Orr exhibiting Down Under for the first time.
Writing on streets and subways from 1978, Orr was one of the first artists of the early ‘80s to replace typography in his art with an icon. “In the ‘70s, names were everywhere, I’d catch the train, sit down, and have ink all over me.” Orr soon noticed the company Xerox didn’t need words to communicate, they used a simple icon for ‘paper’, a rectangle with a folded edge. This gave him an idea. “To stand out I needed an icon.” So, the ‘Robot Head’ became his signature around New York. One night in 1984, Keith Haring approached Orr at ‘The Roxy’ (of Beat Street fame), recognising the Robot Head character on his t-shirt. “At first we thought he was a cop, you know, white kid coming up to me from nowhere.” Haring joked about Orr taking up his spots, the black subway panels the two had been competing on (which are considered stolen property to this day due to MTA ownership, and are illegal to exhibit in NYC), and instead suggested they join forces on a series of panels. Orr was the only artist to be invited to do so, and after this collaboration, the two continued working together at Haring’s studio on Broadway. Around this time, Orr was both Studio Manager and Art Director at Jazzy Jay’s recording studio. “My passion is really music, I always wished I was a rapper, but the art came on strong so I pursued that.” Orr recorded the vocals on Masters of Ceremony’s Cracked Out, and contributed to a lot of background atmosphere on mid ‘80s recordings. Being in the studio also led to Orr’s design work for Busy Bee, Lord Finesse, Showbiz & AG and Brand Nubian, among others. Orr’s first commercial logo was created for Jazzy Jay in 1984, consisting of a hand cutting a record. This followed his graffiti notions of using a symbol over straight up text, which was the standard treatment for rap
releases at the time. He has given the graphic new life this year, being commissioned by Rane to produce a Jazzy Jay tribute custom face-plate for the JJ57SL mixer. Channeling the style of his surroundings, Orr translated the b-boy stance to numerous amounts of graphic artwork, contributing heavily to the look of hip-hop’s ‘Golden Age’. Now, more than 20 years later, he has been flown down to exhibit work on the opposite side of the globe, as part of the Auckland ‘AK07’ Festival, and his own solo show at Sydney’s ‘China Heights’.
“I always wished I was a rapper” Reflecting on his local experiences, Eric Orr said “I wasn’t sure that people would remember the work but I guess that that era was so strong that it left an impression and people embraced it. I’m humbled that people still remember something that’s almost 30 years old. It’s been very positive, to the point where I’m getting ready to plan a tour later this year, bringing Jazzy Jay, Busy Bee and Ultimate Force. Keep your ears peeled…” Top 5 Favourite Logo Creations 1. Jazzy Jay (scratching hand) 2. Busy Bee (charging bee) 3. Strong City (strong man) 4. Masters of Ceremony (M.Cs) 5. Zulu Nation (raised fists)
ICO ICONS’ N
Mix Master by Andrew Montell
Lil Wayne Drought 3
DIRTY H SOUT
Styalz Fuego Truck!: The Best of Styalz Fuego IE
AUSS
You know when you were in school and you had to do a class presentation and some dickhead gets up before you and completely steals the show? That’s what Lil Wayne did to this mixtape. Styalz is the man behind the beat on Chamillionaire’s latest single, Not a Criminal, which means that we’re talking about a guy that will probably have made a squillion dollars in royalties in the time it’s taken me to type this sentence. Styalz is good. Real good. Perhaps what sets him apart from other producers, especially locally, is his ability to make a shitload of beats that sound absolutely nothing alike, but are all clearly of an international standard in their given style. When we’re talking about a guy who has now produced tracks for Jin and Kool G Rap, it comes as a huge surprise that the beat that really caused my brain to hemorrhage was one with little-known Houston native Jacc Profit. Seriously, I have listened to this track infinity times in a row. Distinct lack of Weezy, but there are some incredible beats on this thing. Cop it. T-Rock
Some people find it hard to come to terms with the fact that I believe that Weezy F. Baby is the best rapper on the planet. Surely, I must think that he is the funniest, or perhaps the most obnoxious, or I must be referring to the fact that I think that he is so shit that it is ironic to think that he is the best. Let me break it down like this: fuck off. Lil Wayne is literally the most entertaining individual in the galaxy. Drought 3 is seriously incredible. While the average double CD album would usually be more effective as a single disc installment (see: Blueprint 2.1), this mixtape would probably be more effective as a 29 disc series sent to you one installment at a time over the space of your entire life just to give you time to come to terms with how spectacular each track is. And the discs should be made out of ice. My wrist welcomes the change from Lil Wayne and Birdman’s Like Father, Like Son’s play, fast-forward, play, fast-forward exercises, but part of me misses the actually-like-because-it’s-ironic awesome Baby verses. For those of you that aren’t familiar with previous Lil Wayne literature: you are wasting your life. Unfortunately, I’m not at liberty to change the rating system for releases, because this would definitely be more appropriate getting a perfect score in forklifts full of cash. T-Rock
DJ Rush California Dreaming
DJ Shortkut Going Uptown WESTT COAS
DJ Rush is an industrious young man. Right now, he’s developing his own clothing line, dabbling in photography and working on his next mixtape: The Spader Mixtape. The Aussie-born Rush mixed California Dreaming, his latest mixtape, in Cali, using some of the young, local talent. On Chanel, Young Murph gets romantic on us and then ups the ante in Hustle Pimp Flossy, which is about how dude got game and cash. T-Time provides a smooth, reflective rap on California (as well as background crooning) and is supported by some chilled background drums. On Bring It Back, the strings and drums set the mood, whilst Queanbeyan-native, Omar Musa, tells us how it is. After a starstudded intro, featuring The Game and Proof, California Dreaming stays pretty strong, with a mix of songs that would suit a beach party, a night in the club or a day out riding. It’s summery and it’s fresh – just like a day in Cali. Dan Steiner
NEW JACK
Respect goes out to DJ Shortkut from the Beat Junkies for this release; it’s definitely something different. Basically the album is a mash up of some old school R&B classics from the late 80’s and early 90’s. Shortkut is obviously a fan of New Jack Swing, and wants to resurrect it in the party scene or something. Personally I’m not a huge fan of this genre as I find it to be somewhat cheesy. But you can’t really knock the classics now can you? Bobby Brown is in the mix with a couple of tunes, including My Prerogative, which is much better than the Britney Spears version that may be more familiar to some readers. In the more hip-hopesque bracket we have LL Cool J with Around the Way Girl, and Al B Sure featuring Slick Rick with If I’m Not Your Lover. It’s all pretty funky, but I’d need to be very drunk to get into it if I heard it in a club. Granted, I’d probably get right into it then and embarrass myself terribly. Jeremy Swann
Altec Lansing iM600 The ultimate iPod Speaker System
Altec Lansing is raising the bar – and the antenna – with its latest creation in its line of iPod speaker systems. The iM600 features a built-in FM receiver, remote control, sound field expansion and an on-board rechargeable Lithium-ion battery that offers over seven hours of battery life. And with 16 watts of power, the iM600 throws out some serious sound so you can bust your mixtapes out loud and clear. _Integrated digital FM radio tuner _Multi-function fingertip controls allow for easy iPod song navigation
_ Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery onboard or AC powered _iPod dock for recharge and sync
The inMotion iM600 is available for AU$ 299.95 in consumer electronic stores.
MIXTAPES
MIX MASTER Djay Buddah You’ve grown up in the USA but your roots are in Bangkok, I’d imagine that the two scenes are worlds apart? The hip-hop club scene in Thailand pretty much began a few years ago, so to Thai people 50 Cent and Eminem are hip-hop. As for NY, we think of Run-DMC as the founding fathers of hip-hop. Thailand just began listening to hip-hop but hasn’t begun to dig the roots. Right now I’m working on my 4th mixtape so I’m in my studio a lot, working with a lot of mixtape kids just to help and guide them in the right path. Tell us about your DJ crew, the Bangkok Invaders? Bangkok Invaders is: Djay Buddah (NY, BKK) founder; DJ Ono (CAN, JAP, BKK); DJ Mr. Meeh (BKK); DJ Kenny V (BKK). What is the mixtape scene like in Bangkok and what is your involvement in that movement? The mixtape game is silent but my team puts them out and we’ve been doing alright. Not many DJs put out mixtapes, if they do they put out that MegaMix bullshit that is sped up. So far Thaitanium is the best seller and best known for putting out mixtapes. Putting on aspiring Thai hip-hop artists using industry beats and helping them get a name for themselves. The success of Thaitanium is unbelievable, as the group’s DJ, where have you traveled and what has been the highlight? I’m truly blessed to be apart of this ride - NY, Chicago, LA, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bali and Australia but the others [members of Thaitanium] have been across Europe. We opened for Jay-Z and Rihanna when they came to Thailand. Can’t get no better! You toured Australia with Thaitanium recently, what was that experience like? Australia was beautiful. It was similar to NY but a lot cleaner and more laid back ha ha. I had a great time in Sydney and Melbourne, “The Land Down Under”, and met a lot of good people.
CDs A lot of shit has been said about 50 Cent and his G-Unit crew these past few months. Some even talked about splitting, members getting dropped or 50 being mad after the whole Tony Yayo situation (Yayo allegedly assaulted and insulted the 14 year old son of Jimmy ‘Henchman’ Rosemond, The Game’s lawyer / manager). 50 even said Buck The World on air that Young Buck was “in the same space” as The Game, which is definitely a space where you don’t want to (G-Unit // Interscope) be in as Game is G-Unit’s best enemy. 50’s comment was made after Buck tried to avoid the beef escalating, with no success – check Body Bags, the latest diss track from Game. Anyway, there was a lot of shit talking and a lot TA of expectations on Buck’s sophomore LP, three years after his debut Straight Outta Ca$hville. The Tennessee OG GANGS stayed on his grind the whole time, dropping mixtapes and making some dope guest appearances, eventually stabbing a man who assaulted Dr Dre at the Vibe Awards. Let me put it straight: Buck The World is a tight album and you should definitely cop it if you’re into the G-Unit sound. As we became accustomed to with all the latest releases from the crew, this album hired the best beatmakers on the market and production duties have been handled by no neother than Dr Dre, Hi-Tek, Polow Da Don, DJ Toomp, Lil’ Jon, Jazze Pha and Eminem, among others… Totalling 17 tracks (plus one hidden 50 Cent track, Funeral Music), there are some and highs and lows but a complete listening of the whole album is easy to digest and, surprisingly, never gets boring. While fellow label mates Yayo and Banks are absent and 50 is only appearing on one track (Hold On), the list of guests on Buck The World is impressive and proves that the rapper has been keeping it real: Bun B, Pimp C, TI, Snoop, Trick Daddy, Young Jeezy, Chester Bennington (of Linkin Park), Kokane, Latoiya Williams, Ky-Mani Marley, and the list goes on. There are too many potential singles to list them all but my favorites are Hold On, Slow Ya Roll – with Buck going personal with life and death stories of his family -, I ain’t fucking wit u, and the Kokane-assisted Haters. With his grimy tone and chest-thumping boasts, Buck warns you straight in the intro: it’s about to go down!
Young Buck
Pierre Henny
Clandestien Chasms of the Citadel (Doublebeef // Shogun) AUSSIE
Clandestien’s Mortar, Graphic and Tomahawk hail from Perth, so you might expect some bright happy hip-hop. Don’t. Expect the lyrical equivalent of a battleaxe to the cranium. Rough and raw, this is the boys’ third album, and not a lot’s changed. Beats are by Mortar, and they’re generally slow, dramatic, orchestral type joints. Lyrics are also delivered that way. This kind of brutality can wear you down over 18 tracks though no skits or guests in the mix here. This is fight music you might listen to before re-enacting your favourite scenes from LOTR, or Star Wars, which are referenced here a lot. Her Choice is a standout track, dealing with violence against women in an intelligent and heartfelt way – I just wish there was a bit more like that on here. I also wish the mixing was a bit tighter, but generally, this album is more entertaining and original that your average CD. The sheer intensity of vocal delivery alone makes this worth checking for. Nick D
J-Rawls & Declaime It’s The Dank & Jammy Show (Polar // Illmindmuzik // Stomp) Y
76-77 REVIEWS
JAZZ
Finally, It’s The Dank and Jammy Show is released in Australia. J-Rawls is one of my favourite producers, and Declaime, aka Dudley Perkins, one of my favourite emcees. I feel the combination of Dank and Jammy is second only to Dudley’s collaboration with Madlib. Jammy’s
(J-Rawls) production definitely lacks the eclecticism of Madlib, and Dank’s vocal prowess is so unique that at times through this album, I feel it deserves more. However, Jammy’s more traditional hip-hop is quality and, given that Dank is featured as Declaime – a straight up rapper, more than Dudley Perkins – his singing alter ego, I feel little is lost. The highlight of this album is Love Light in which Dank gets loved up and croons over some a-class Jammy jazz. Personally, I much prefer Dank when he’s singing, as I feel that as a rapper he is only a little over average. The best wordplay and song concept on this album undoubtedly comes in the wonderfully fatalistic One Million Ways. Jeremy Swann
Thirstin Howl The 3rd & Rack-Lo Lo Down & Dirty (Class A // Shogun) INDIE
While it’s certainly impressive that a label from the Gold Coast has signed a New York act for this exclusive project, if you weren’t a Thirstin Howl fan already then Lo Down & Dirty probably won’t change your mind - the Lo Life crew is something that you either love or you hate. That being said, the latest instalment in the adventures of the Spit Boxers is a worthy addition to the franchise. The production work from locals such as Sammsonite and Stricknine sounds as good - if not better - as previous Thirstin and Rack projects, as songs like Popo Comin, Too Hot, Connect and the title track provide ideal backdrops to these tales of racking and smacking cops around the dome. Despite a dip in the quality of the music during the middle parts of the album, if you’ve been supporting
the Lo musical movement since the Skillionaire days then you’ll have no complaints about this next episode. Robbie Ettelson
Joss Stone Introducing Joss Stone (EMI // Virgin) NU SOUL
The third album from English born singer/ songwriter Joss Stone is undeniably her most personal and musically explorative album to date. As its title suggests, Introducing Joss Stone is an introduction into the heart and soul of this 20 year old chanteuse as she showers her listeners with an electrifying mix of warm vintage soul and 70’s style Motown flavour, captured with an undercurrent of hip-hop! Introducing Joss Stone saw the project begin to take shape in Barbados in 2006 and was released on 12 March 2007 through Virgin Records in the UK. With production by Raphael Saadiq, of Toni Toni Tone fame, and also engaging collaborations with legendary Lauryn Hill and Common, this is an album that caters to everyone in need of a jolt of soul. The debut single Tell Me Bout It peaked at number twenty-eight on the UK Singles Chart and also debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, making Stone the highest debut for a British solo female in the US. The album boasts Stones harmonically deep and gravely tones eerily reminiscent of 70’s legend Janice Joplin as she belts out tracks like Bruised but not Broken, Head Turner, Music (feat Lauryn Hill) and the bass resonating Bad Habit. Listen to this album if you have just come through a relationship breakdown and need to reinforce your independence and sexiness, as Joss takes you on journey into her heart that leads you straight to her soul! Maxine Cohen
Mista Savona Melbourne Meets Kingston (Elefant Traks // Inertia) AE
REGG
Melbourne stalwart Mista Savona comes strong with his biggest and best album to date. Melbourne Meets Kingston sees Savona travelling up over to Jamaica to record with some of the island’s top reggae artists. This album does a lot for international diplomacy and I should say, by stepping up Australia’s presence on the reggae map, national pride. Savona brings his own Middle Eastern style to the boards, combining flutes and tabla as well as the more traditional reggae instruments, and of course heavy, dubby bass. Luminaries such as Anthony B and Big Youth are brought in as well as some lesserknown artists like Stevie Culture and Determine. Nevertheless, the selection of artists picked doesn’t fail to impress. A classic album that will be put down in the history books of the Australian reggae scene. Jeremy Swann
Jin ABC (Raptivism // Shogun) SE
CHINE
This album isn’t half bad, which is pretty good looking at Jin’s track record. Anybody who ain’t a Cantonese speaking cat growing up in a western country might just brush this off as just another “Jin cashing in on his ethnicity” stunt, but to all my ABCs down under this will really hit home. It was a very big gamble to put out an all-Cantonese album but it turned out alright. Jin AKA The Emcee has had a very up and down career as a
Also out: Slash – The Ripple Effect (Grindin) // Jackson Jackson – The Fire Is On The Bird (Virgin) DJ Bonez presents Omni – Ninja Art (Shogun) // Joell Ortiz – The Brick Bodega Chronicles (Shock)
rapper, being a heavyweight battle cat that has tried but never really successfully released a consistent album, this one is no exception, but there are some real gems hidden behind the gimmicky concept. Every ABC would be able to relate to Speak Can’t Read, a real old school flavoured track about how he can speak Chinese but can’t read it, and Ape Shall Never is the typical hiphop braggadocio track, but the fact that it’s in Cantonese makes it stand out enough to be against the grain. Again, the album as a whole isn’t picture perfect, but any ABCs have got to check this out. Vincent Tang
Macy Gray Big (Geffen)
heavy backing, and shows the Tribe front man in vintage form. Cohesion or the lack thereof is the key issue with Afro Samurai. It is a genuine hodgepodge of conventional hiphop songs (which are the best tracks), actual instrumentals and theme music, some mediocre R&B songs which fail because of their blandness, and a few Bobby Digital songs thrown in as bonus songs. This creates a real lack of direction with the album, never sure what exactly it’s aiming for, or maintaining a consistent vibe. Nick Quirke
Demo Rampage (Central Station // MRA) MIAMI
NU SOUL
Once upon a time, Macy Gray was big… very big. But she should have given up the game at the peak of her powers because every album following her Grammy-winning, multi-platinum, supa-dupa-sexy-funky-freakydeeky debut, On How Life Is, was mucho disappointing. Her nasal rasp – which you either love or hate – makes its fourth studio appearance on Big. The opening track, Finally Made Me Happy, is ‘50s lounge music on a grand diva scale. After this soulful start, the album tapers away and apart from the gravelly ballad, Slowly and infectious OK, it is largely forgettable (thanks mostly to the lyrics). Luckily, the guests do a fine job: Ghetto Love (with Nas) is pretty kickin’ and Treat Me Like Your Money (with Will.i.am) is quirky 80s pop, a la Gwen Stefani. The final track, Strange Behaviour, which tries to be another I’ve Committed Murder, is just ridiculous. Big continues the trend of lacklustre Macy Gray albums. Bring back the old shit. Dan Steiner
The RZA Afro Samurai - The Soundtrack (Shock Records) OST
Afro Samurai is an animated TV series debuting on Spike TV in the US in January. The artist chosen to conjure up the music to accompany the pictures was RZA, one of hiphop’s most challenging artists. He provides the background for some absolute gems as well, such as Cameo Afro which unites Big Daddy Kane and GZA over a vintage, punchy banger. Just A Lil Dude sees Q-Tip keeping it subtle over a horn-
Demo is Denzell, from Aussie director George Gittoes’ documentary Rampage. He’s around 15 years old but this is NOT some “Parents Just Don’t Understand” type shit. Think a Hot Boyz era Lil Wayne, with more heart. Unfortunately it appears he didn’t have the Cash Money budget, and although Demo has a unique way of flipping the traditional subject matter – girls, threads, partying, etc. – sound quality and overall polish are sometimes lacking. Some tracks sound as though they were recorded long before the others, and when he tries some double time raps, for example, the final result is a little sloppy. Having said that, this is really an amazing demonstration (no pun intended) of what COULD be, if he had more to work with. Demo has the support of some big names – according to the quotes in the booklet, from the likes of Swizz Beatz and Fat Joe – and with time and support could be a major player in the gangsta rap machine. Nick D
Shawn Lov Waiting For a Ghost (Nuff Said // Shogun) NEW Y JERSE
I hate clichés. There is nothing more disappointing than picking up a brand new album, that an artist has been working on for the last year, only to discover it’s a knockoff of every rap gimmick out at the moment. Thank god Shawn Lov isn’t a fan of Top 40. Waiting For a Ghost has a fresh sound, and his refusal to conform actually plays a role in Shawn’s subject matter when he spits “If I was gangsta they’d play me all the time/But killa please allow me to gracefully decline/ My sights set so far above you rappers
CDs
Dasan Ahanu & Picasso – The Jim Crow Jackson Experiment (Grindin) // DJ Jazzy Jeff – The Return Of The Magnificent (Inertia) // Marc Ronson – Version (Sony BMG) // The Bamboos – Rawville (Tru Thoughts) // Regal – Loop Dreams (Unique / Basement Digs) // Infinite Livez vs Stade – Art Brut Fe De Yoot (Inertia) // Ne-Yo – Because of you (Universal)
Prodigy
Return of the Mac (KOCH // Shock) EAST COAST
and you crooks now/ I can’t see the expressions on your faces when I look down.” Unfortunately for him, Shawn’s higher standards for lyrical content do not reflect his standards for beat selection with extremely mediocre boom-bap drum loops dominating the majority of the lp. Overall Waiting For a Ghost is definitely worth a listen and promises to be a satisfying spin for fans of the east coast swagger. Sean Ray
Various Freedom Writers Soundtrack (EMI // Hollywood Records)
78-79 REVIEWS
OST
The movie, released on January 5 2007 is inspired by the true story and diaries of Long Beach California teenagers written after the 1992 LA riots. The story sees real life teacher Erin Gruwell, played by Hilary Swank engage in lessons with her students, among cast members Chris Brown, about racism and gains respect by listening to them as no other teacher or adult dared to do, therefore encouraging them to write their tales of racism in their diaries. The soundtrack is a perfect mirror to the movies message, offering a collection of hip-hop, latino, classical and R&B fusions through the entire track listing. Freedom Writers could sit comfortably beside the likes of Dangerous Minds and Boyz in the Hood soundtracks when it comes to delivering the movies dialogue through hip-hop. Classic hits Hip Hop Hooray and Keep Ya Head Up lay the foundation of the movie whilst new tracks like A Dream by Common and Listen by Talib Kweli highlight the core of the students’ plight and party anthem This Is How We Do It by Montell Jordan captures the energy of the mid nineties. Look out for the movie in cinemas
The one message that’ll you’ll walk away with after rocking this LP (sorry, I mean “mixtape”), is that Mobb Deep are like death, taxes and nurses – a sure thing. Not in the sense of always delivering good music, as they’ve certainly stumbled several times over the years in that department, but as far as surviving whatever is thrown at them. Much like fellow G-Unit recruits M.O.P, they thrive in their status as underdogs, which may explain why they tend to perform poorly when the spotlight shines too brightly. As the lead vocalist, Prodigy has been the target of numerous run-ins with rap big shots over the years, but despite enduring attacks from Jay-Z, Nas and even the late Tupac, Prodigy is still here in all his paranoid glory. On Return of the Mac, he thrives as a “character rapper” whose strength lies in his anti-social demeanour and cold-blooded belligerence. Don’t expect any vocabulary-spill wordplay or nickel-slick flows here – these are the thoughts of a world-weary campaigner who couldn’t retire even if he wanted to. You remember what happened to Carlito, right? P isn’t taking any chances or trusting any of you fucks. Alchemist adopts a similar stylistic approach – bagging up classic loops that you wouldn’t have a hope in hell of clearing on an official album, while adding his programming expertise. Nothing that’s going to change the game, but he’s not trying to – this sounds like a record that they made for themselves over a bag of trees and a case of Henny, deciding to release it for public consumption merely on a whim. The centrepiece is without a doubt Bang On ‘Em, a state-of-the-art declaration of P and ALC’s gameplan. “I’m greedy with that limelight, now you ain’t getting none of it” deadpans Bandana P, as he reclaims the less-than-flattering nickname Jigga gave him at Summer Jam. Few recent releases have made it past the first week of rotation, but this long-player is still maintaining its spot by providing that fix of classic Queensbridge ignorance that all gutter rap fanatics need in their life. It’s all gravy until Stop Fronting’s declariation that “This is just the mixtape, imagine how the album sounds”. I’m betting that H.N.I.C. 2 won’t live up to the promise of this CD. Expectations have never been the Mobb’s strong suit. Robbie Ettelson nationally and if you are a reader check out the book called Freedom Writers Diaries, based on the official diary entries of the students of Wilson Classical High. Maxine Cohen
Wisemen Wisemen Approaching (Babygrande // Shogun) INDIE
The endless supply of Wu-Tang spin-offs continues as Bronze Nazareth (one-time weed carrier to the RZA) builds on last year’s solo with his new group. While there’s not really anything wrong with this album, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything in particular to recommend it to anyone beyond the hardcore Shaolin fanatic who owns all four Killarmy records and considers Killah Priest to be “top ten dead-or-alive”. Don’t get me wrong – Wisemen Approaching features quality souled-out beats and solid vocal performances detailing the daily struggle. It’s just that it sounds exactly like the last few projects these guys were involved with. Great news if you thought Think Different was the ducks guts, but there’s only so much of this stuff I can stomach before I start dozing off. Robbie Ettelson
Brother Ali The Undisputed Truth (Rhymesayers Entertainment) BACK PACK
The self-proclaimed “Champion” Brother Ali has just dropped his 2nd LP The Undisputed Truth and with Ant from Atmosphere on the production board you know the beats are tight. Ali comes through with Truth Is
where he proclaims that he is here for one reason and one reason only. Spitting “Got one lone reason to go on breathing / Climb into the zone of the evening, keep preaching / Just to pull more out of the core of the demon”. He also takes swings at the U.S. Government with Freedom ain’t Free and Letter from the Government letting his thought on politics be known. Ali though saves his heart for last where he voices his thoughts on life since his divorce on Ear to Ear where he states “Guess it’s safe to say I came along way, baby / Momma throwing dishes at me, ex-wife bitching at me / Never did envision Daddy could be this happy”. And while I don’t believe this album tops Shadows on the Sun, it definitely deserves some respect. Malins
Apathy & Celph Titled No Place Like Chrome (Antidote // Inertia) BACK PACK
I guess this release doesn’t really need any sort of introduction or explanation. That is, if you are already a fan of either Apathy or Celph Titled. If you are then I’m sure you know exactly what to expect, because nothing much has changed. But if you don’t know anything about either of these two then let me tell you – it’s pretty much witty punch lines, metaphors and similes dropped over some pretty standard formulaic hip-hop beats. Ok, now don’t take that as a negative statement, it’s more that Apathy and Celph Titled are straight up hip-hop to the core, and they do it extremely well. It’s very entertaining, but once all the punch lines have been laughed at and the jokes are no longer funny, what are you left with? The answer is very little. I think I could feel safe in saying that
there is only one song on this album with any sort of depth and story. But hey, that might be just what you’re after; it definitely keeps the grin on my face. Jeremy Swann
Timbaland Shock Value (Interscope) ???
Everything Timbaland touches with his bodybuilder hands turns multiplatinum. His resume includes Ginuwine’s Pony, Missy Elliott’s catalogue, the re-invention of JT and, most recently, Nelly Furtado’s Loose. His new album, Shock Value, delivers seismic shocks but they are inconsistent. It’s good stuff but not as good as his contracted work. His trademarks are all there, with heavy breaks and syncopated beats aplenty, as well as “yeah’s”, “hey’s” and sensual moans in all the right places. The Way I Are is pure club – Sexyback part two – and is followed by Bounce (featuring Dr Dre, JT and Missy), a darkly sexual trip from the dance floor back to Tim’s house. His rock collabs – The Hives, Fallout Boy – are interesting but emo hip-hop isn’t Tim’s forte. Scream is his ballad – a heady mix of sex and drums. He channels Barry White in the last 1:30 and gets his sexy monologue on. “You like me swagger?” he asks. Yeah Tim, we do. Keep it coming. Dan Steiner
Phat Kat Carte Blanche (Look Records // Stomp) IT
DETRO
As one of the founders of Detroit hip-hop group Slum Village crew, Phat Kat helped
Paul Wall – Get Money, Stay True (Atlantic) Redman – Red Gone Wild (Def Jam) Tha Dogg Pound – Dogg Chit (Shock) // Young Gotti – Same Day, Different Shit (Shock)
put the group on and the state of Detroit on the hip hop radar. Back in the early nineties he paired with the late and great DJ / producer J Dilla and formed the group First Down, and then went on to be discovered by Gang Starr, and the rest as they say is history! With the release of his second solo album Carte Blanche, Phat Kat has carved out a comfortable niche for himself within in the hip hop music genre with an album holding the weight of production by J Dilla, Nick Speed of G-Unit/ 50 Cent fame and features artists like Truth Hurts, Black Milk and Melanie Rutherford to name a few. The album boasts a smooth yet varied hip hop foundation with tempos varying from club banging to lounging, making Carte Blanche a great package of fresh beats and uncluttered lyrics. Stand out tracks on the album are Don’t Nobody Care About Us, Nasty Ain’t It and Lovely, but give the rest of this joint a spin and revel in its duality! Maxine Cohen
Evidence The Weatherman (ABB Records // Shogun) BACK PACK
Evidence, one third of Dilated Peoples, has come out with his first solo album debut. E has been laying production and spitting lyrics for Dilated since round 92’ when they dropped into the scene. He comes out on this one with solid production by himself but also enlists The Alchemist, Jake One, DJ Babu and others to help set the tone. E recently lost his moms and on Chase The Clouds Away he speaks out saying “I seen the sun come down / Reflection on the ground / That’s my moms shining down on me / I love her”. He also comes out talking about the fake friends that plague MCs on Line of Scrimmage with Slug of Atmosphere. Spitting lines on the chorus such as “I show trust / It still ends the same / Instead of friends / We got friends frontin’ only out for your fame”. And with appearances from some of the underground’s most lyrical spitters like Defari, Rakaa and Planet Asia, just to name a few, you definitely have some lyrical justice on this album. Malins
Sage Francis Human The Death Dance (Epitaph // Shock Records) INDIE
Sage Francis has long been a divisive figure in hip-hop circles. Some place him at the vanguard of the genre’s
lyricists bravely carving through new territory. Others see him as a man with a volatile delivery and occasionally coming off as a tad pretentious. A common complaint with Francis’ records has been the lack of cohesion. This props its head up on Human , with 12 different producers involved. Ant typically provides one of the strongest moments on High Step, lacing Sage with an up-tempo banger that was begging for more lyrics. The most emotive song is Waterline, a moving meditation on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that hits the mark in every way. Elsewhere it’s a mixed bag, as songs like Midgets And Giants, Keep Moving and Call Me Francois are plagued by dire beats that really hamper the record. The issue with Human is that it really is all over the place. This is the tipping point that should finally convince Sage to get back in good with Joe Beats (or Ant), decamp and bang out a cohesive, focused long-player. Nick Quirke
Black Milk Popular Demand (Fat Beats // Shogun) IT
DETRO
Most artists strive to be compared to the greats, and in many cases a comparison like that can win them fans and support from heads that may not have otherwise given them a chance. For Black Milk however, the comparisons he has received to the late great J Dilla are not necessarily a good thing. The album Popular Demand is no doubt a banger. From the get Black proves he should have released his own debut album yonks ago. With abstract sampling techniques that compliment his unorthodox rhyme delivery, it is understandable the comparisons that Black receives. Some dope guestspots from Guilty Simpson and Slum Village round out a fantastic offering, not to mention a bonus second disc with instrumentals and extra tracks. And although no one will confuse this with a Dillatastic voyage, it’s safe to say no-else has come as close. Sean Ray
MUSIC TRENDS HI HO P P
Keep It Blazin’
by DJ Nino Brown
I am writing this in a hotel in Hobart, laughing my ass off cause Snoop Dogg hasn’t been allowed in Australia because he failed a “character” test. That’s great, only in Australia! My estimate is that most of us would probably fail this test. We’re gonna get a copy of the test and put it to all the ACCLAIM staff, what a giggle! Even Lloyd Banks recently completed a successful Australian tour (he obviously passed the “character test”). It’s been an interesting few months, Game upset video hoes worldwide with Wouldn’t get far and now apparently Game and Vida have beef. What an image, Vida and Game going at it, let’s keep it real: who wouldn’t like Vida to beat them down? Shit I would line up in the snow for that! Actually, when I finish this article I’m gonna record my Vida diss record. Timbaland has been keeping all kinds of music on lock, his shit is so hot right now I am sure he could make a track for the “crazy frog” and we would all dig it! Prodigy’s mixtape, Return Of The Mac produced by The Alchemist, The Weatherman by Evidence, and Shock Value by Timbaland have been in high rotation in my iPod. It’s been a good time for local music too. From a club perspective, new music from NZ artists PNC and Tyree have kept dance floors packed nationally, also Ken Hell’s Truck has been a huge anthem, and everyone anticipates a successful single release. The video for Truck will be hitting televisions soon, and in true Ken Hell fashion, it’s a fun filled extravaganza. My only question is when are we gonna see Take It Eazy Heezy and Ken Hell on stage or in a video together? I have been touring our massive land for Blazin’ 2007, with Tyree and Ken Hell performing on the shows, and it’s dope to see audiences embracing local music in such a huge way. Australia’s first urban radio station, The Edge, celebrated its first birthday at the Civic Hotel in Sydney in late March. It was a huge night, featuring an assortment of local urban artists, such as Israel, Joel Turner, Tyree, Figkidd and more. Hopefully other stations nationally will follow their lead and switch to an urban format. I’ve just been to the “Snoop Dogg less” MTV Awards, and the Awards after party had Grandmaster Roc Raida, DJ Samrai and P-Money providing the sounds. I’ve been partying hard and “sipping on moose, getting truck like tonka!” Keep It Blazin’! www.myspace.com/djninobrown Ken Hell – Truck Prodigy – Stuck to you Omar Cruz – Vatos Locos Redman – Put it down Eve – Tamborine
MAKE IT CLAP! by Nick Toth
80 MUSIC
Welcome back to Make It Clap!, your number one spot for dancehall, roots reggae, soca and Caribbean vibes! The first quarter of the year is traditionally a good time for big releases in North America and Europe, so we’re being treated to some hot new albums: Richie Spice’s In The Streets To Africa offers a collection of strong conscious reggae tunes, including the current smash Brown Skin, the classic Youths Dem Cold on the Truths and Rights riddim, High Grade and more. 2006 was a big year for Jamaican singer Da’ville and with the release of his 2007 album On My Mind (which includes the chart-topping This Time I Promise and a remix of his hit single On My Mind featuring Grammy award winner Sean Paul) in April, he will surely deliver more heat this year. Trinidadian ragga-soca legend, Bunji Garlin, has promised to take the sounds of his island to the international stage, and with the May release of his album Global he moves closer to that goal. The VP Records release features the explosive smash single Brrrt, the T.O.K. combination Get Up Stand Up, plus the usual high-energy soca tunes his fans expect. And for those who followed the Caribbean-hosted Cricket World Cup, you can now re-live the vibes with the official CWC soundtrack Caribbean Party (out on VP Records), featuring Morgan Heritage, Elephant Man, Beres Hammond & Buju Banton, Wayne Wonder and others. Although Shaggy has sold millions of pop/reggae cross-over records, his latest single Church Heathen (out on his Jamaican label Big Yard) shows a more introspective and cynical side of Mr Boombastic. Addressing the apparent hypocrisy of certain members of his church congregation, he questions the true motives of those self-righteous worshippers; this is a massive tune in reggae all over the world, listen to the lyrics and you’ll see why. Reggae veteran Junior Reid has recently enjoyed a return into the mainstream music business with The Game’s world-wide chart-topper It’s Okay (One Blood), and seems to be popping up on hip-hop tunes all over the place: This Is Why I’m Hot (rmx) by the most-hyped MC of the moment, MIMS; the brand new Gangsta with Fabolous and on a bunch of dope mix CDs from New York, most notably by Hot 97’s DJ Power. Sydney-siders can tune into the Make It Clap! radio show every Tuesday night from 10pm on the Edge 96.1 and for regular updates and happenings in the reggae scene in Australia, log onto www.ozreggae.com. www.myspace.com/djnicktoth Shaggy – Church Heathen (Big Yard) Mims feat. Junior Reid - This Is Why I’m Hot (rmx) (Capitol) Various Artists – Drumline riddim (Black Chiney) Destra – I Dare You (JW Rec.) Various Artists – Guardian Angel riddim (Fresh Ear) Timbaland feat. N.Furtado & J.Timberlake – Give It To Me (Surgeon General blend) (UMG)
Pitbull – Ay Chico (TVT) Shurwayne Winchester – Alequa (Shurwayne Winchester Music) Various Artists – Reverse Di Ting riddim (Seanizzle) Machel Montano & Vybz Kartel – Hold Me Tonight (xx)
Fabolous feat. Ne-Yo – Make me better Joell Ortiz feat. La Bruja – Latino PNC – P-N-Whoa! Tyree – Would you mind Keith Murray – Nobody do it better
BL MUACK SIC
GAMES
Words by Drew Taylor
Music is the weapon Breaking jaws has never sounded so good heads to the beat alongside some of the biggest names // Busting in the hip-hop world, Def Jam Icon takes the music videogame
82-83 REVIEWS
genre and black panther kicks it in a whole new direction.
A videogame without a killer soundtrack is a hell of lot like If-Ihave-to sex: rhythm-less, regrettable and devoid of that incredible, post-coital, brains-on-a-plate euphoria that makes your bits twitch with pleasure. Fortunately, in the 30-odd year history of gaming, music and machines have almost always satisfied the controllerwielding audiophile, to the point where, now, being featured on a videogame soundtrack can often be enough to launch an international music career. But while the likes of Tony Hawk’s and FIFA continue to rock consoles, it’s in the concept of music as an integral part of gameplay that things are really jumping. Enter Def Jam Icon, EA’s wildcard combination of music video, mogul sim and blinged-up bifforama, which has now cemented a new type of sub-genre: the music fighting game. More than just a Top of the Pops Tekken, where hip-hop artists beat the smackdaddy out of one other while a licensed soundtrack thumps away in the background, Icon involves a music-based fighting system where ‘the beat’ really makes a difference to the action.
It begins before the round, when each player nominates a fighter and a song that’s ‘theirs’; either one of the superstar tracks by Ludacris, Ghostface Killah and the like, or, in the case of the Xbox 360 version, one of the player’s own custom music selections. The game then utilises a ‘beat detection’ system, where the gameplay incorporates the song’s tempo and uses it to affect an arena’s living environment, serving up a tidy bonus to fighters if they land a kick or punch in time with the music and triggering hazardous events on the big bass beats. Urban landscapes throb, petrol pumps blow, TV camera booms swing out of control and video screens pop like a fuse box at a lesbian slumber party. Time it right, throw an opponent in harms way, and watch them sizzle. Far from simply environmental, though, gamers are able to actively fight for control of the music (and the massive damage bonus that comes with it) using a double-handed DJ-scratching mechanic and, by way of defense, ‘deck bumping’. Fights in Icon soon become sessions; with gamers no longer button-mashing the beat-down, but grooving to the grill-denting with a syncopated scoop of ‘sez you’. Finally, now, the real hip-hop hurt is on.
COMMAND & CONQUER 3 Electronic Arts PC
WAR
CHILLI CON CARNAGE Atari PSP
If I had to rank, from highest to lowest priority, how important various activities of my life are, I would put pretending to be a god and smashing little computer soldiers with my magnificent army pretty fucking close to the top. Well, that’s a lie. I don’t really have to “pretend” to be a god. Anyway, this game is fucking sweet. As a god, I would probably smite the people that created this game a long, long time after I would smite those mother fuckers that invented those phone chargers that take up the room of two slots. Due to the fact that my computer is a piece of shit, I wasn’t able to rock this bad boy online, which (I’m assuming) is some kind international conspiracy to stop me from crushing little boys’ dreams. Seriously, I would fuck the face off anyone trying to step to me at this game…and you know what? I can’t even work out how to build Tiberium Silos. That’s like not being able to move in Street Fighter II and still making Bison eat shit. There are no particularly mind-blowing concepts introduced in C&C3 for those that have played similar titles (see: Starcraft, Red Alert, Age of Empires, Street Fighter II) before. There are now three teams, and you’ve now got guys that can use jetpacks and laser beams and all kinds of crazy shit, although there is a notable absence of flamethrowers. Why the fuck would they do that? You know what’s cooler than jetpacks and laser beams? Flamethrowers. I would like nothing more than the opportunity to melt the faces off miniature men controlled by an eight year old boy in Malaysia, and then tell him that his dad is a fucking loser. Oh, well. One can dream. T-Rock
MARIO HOOPS 3 ON 3 Nintendo Nintendo DS
FPS
Do you remember that game Grand Theft Auto? I loved that game. Seriously. But it’s left me with a curse. Every one player shooter game I play automatically gets compared to it and not many hold up. In fact, any game I play in any format, gets compared. That’s tough on some games. So why do I get to review this kind of stuff? Cause I’ve got a PSP and nobody else wants one. I found Chilli Con Carnage a little difficult to understand. Like, why aren’t the people that came up with the storyline not in insane asylums? Basically, you have to kill a bunch of drug dealing mexicans that killed your dad, as well as chickens, some of which mutate into, wait for it, bigger chickens which can kill you. Limited control over everything from which way you’re looking to which way you’re driving affects your ability to steam into a room and toast dudes. You can perform all sorts of fancy flips off walls and mid air spins whilst slowing down time to target more enemies, but when you land, you’re often facing in the wrong direction and the aforementioned difficult controls can leave you in hot water. The best thing about this game is that it’s not The Sims. Chris Delaney
FUN
Although the name of this title would suggest that it was targeted at seven year old boys, nothing could be further from the truth. You know what the soldiers in Iraq do to get themselves pumped for battle? They play Mario Hoops 3 on 3. I know I brag a lot about being a killer male-model cyborg god at games, but really, this is just getting ridiculous. For a brief second, I thought that this might be more of a case of “the difficulty level is designed for people that can’t spell their own name” than me being me, but then I remembered that this is the ultimate man’s game and good spelling is a sign of weakness anyway. I challenged my seven year old nephew to a game to give him the opportunity to be humiliated by Mario Hoops royalty, and the fucking wireless thing only lets you play shit like dribbling competitions. What the cock? Kind of ironic, considering that the name of the game is Mario Hoops and dribbling doesn’t involve a fucking hoop! Another kid who is going to grow up to live a normal, happy life because I didn’t get the opportunity to shatter his selfesteem at an early age. Thanks a lot Nintendo, you selfish fucks. Won’t you let me live? T-Rock
STACKED Atari PC
Wii-z bang!
A boomstick for Mii and you
R
POKE
Reviewing this game before going to bed was a bad, bad idea. To a broke man, there is nothing more mesmerising than seeing retarded amounts of cash coming your way. I seriously had no intention to really play this game for long, purely because I need sleep, but how could I stop now? I am a cash making MACHINE! I have actually deleted this sentence a few times because whilst writing it, my financial situation has changed from absolutely fucking balling to a carbon copy of me in real life. I have gone all-in, and the HOLY FUCK. Shit balls. As of halfway through the last sentence, I am now balling again. Oh, you’re playing poker online, with fake money. It’s a pretty simple concept that has obviously been done a squillion times, of which I have played a couple, but this game allows permanent customisation of characters with a community based feel. I’m not gonna lie, that description was just given to me by some broad that I asked that is sitting at the same e-table as me, who I’m assuming is probably a blonde model with massive cans judging by her character. Some other random just chimed in and said that sometimes people in the game piss him off in real life. Bed time for you, you crazy fuck. Swish Cheese
It’s possible that the kiddyfriendly boffins at Nintendo will choke on their Mario-themed McHappy meals after hearing my confession, but when in contact with a Wii-mote for the first time, it felt all too natural to hold it like a combat knife and want to ‘gut’ something. Apparently, I’m not the only person who can see the (frightening) potential for simulated violence with the Wii. Joytech, the manufacturers of third-party controllers and all things plastic and gaming, have followed up their gimmicky Wii sports pack with something actually cool: the Sharp Shooter shotgun. Released in Australia on April 27 in ubiquitous Nintendo white, the Sharp Shooter is a smart cradle that holds the Wii-mote and Nunchuk controllers in a double-handed shotgun configuration. Full access to the buttons, trigger and thumbstick add huge levels of functionality, while the Wiimote’s motion sensors mean melee beat downs with the stock is a gameplay option. For the hardcore session, though, it’s got to be the Wii version of Res Evil. Bring on the zombies. Drew Taylor
PLAYLISTS // Simply put, Samrai is probably the best hip-hop DJ in Australia. He’s playing nonstop in the most prestigious clubs, co-signed (with Nino Brown) the top-selling Blazin’5 mixtape and shows his skills on the wheels of steel every week on the Takeover Radio Show on Nova. He was invited to join the US-based Bumsquad DJs collective and he’s working on a new mixtape for 2007. www.djsamrai.com
DJ Samrai (Bumsquad)
OP
HIP-H
//Jesse I presents the weekly reggae show Chant Down Babylon on Melbourne’s PBS FM and runs Higher Level Rec., importing the freshest reggae & dancehall direct from Jamaica. As part of Chant Down Sound with Ras Crucial, he throws up Australia’s longest running monthly reggae night More Fire on the 2nd Saturday of every month at Brown Alley in Melbourne. www.chantdown.com
Jesse I
(Chant Down Sound)
Reggae
Capleton - Be Like Dis (Taxi 7”) Beenie Man - Foundation Bad Man (The Baker 7”) Lutan Fyah - Thanks and Praise (Pure Music 7”) Al Borosie - Kingston Town (Forward 7”) Vida Sunshyne - Ras Woman (Elefant Traks) Shaggy - Heathen (Big Yard 7”) Luciano - Use Jah Words (Oneness 7”) Jah Mason - This Morning (In The Streetz 7”) Midnite - Stretch Out (I Grade) Lutan Fyah, Princess Menen, Khari Kill - Why Why Why (Lustre Kings) //Pete Tong is a British DJ who works for BBC Radio 1 in the United Kingdom. He is known worldwide by fans of electronic music for hosting programs such as Essential Mix and Essential Selection, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, regularly attracting more than 10 million listeners. As usual, he’ll be playing at Pacha in Ibiza this summer and you can check out his weekly TV show Fastraxx on iTunes and Youtube.
Pete Tong
E
DANC
Dada - Lollipop (Data) Armand Van Helden - NYC Beat (Southern Fried) Yves La Rock - Rise Up (Data) Kaskade - Sorry (Dirty South Remix) (White Label) Seamus Haji - SOS (Remix) (Big Love) Groove Armada - Song For Mutya (Columbia) Dizzee Rascal - Sirens (XL Recordings) Gabriel & Dresden - Tracking Treasure Down (Discount Rhino Speakk Sneaker rmx) (Organized Nature) Justice - D.A.N.C.E (Ed Banger) David Guetta - Love Is Gone (Fred Lister & Joachim Gerraud Remix) (White Label) //For what it’s worth, John Digweed needs no introduction. If you’re even remotely interested in dance music, chances are you’ve heard about John. With his best selling Global Underground mixes, the massively popular Fabric 20 or his weekly Transitions radio show, Digweed is a superstar DJ. He just released the vol.2 of his Transitions compilation on Renaissance Recordings. www.johndigweed.com
John Digweed
House
DJ Kentaro
84-85 MUSIC
Papoose - Victory 2007 (Uma) 216 - Hey Hey (Uma) Eve - Tamborine (Uma) Krs-1 & Marley Marl - Hip Hop Lives (Koch) 50 Cent - Straight to the bank (Uma) R.Kelly feat TI & T-Pain - I’m A Flirt (Jive) DJ Khaled feat Akon, TI, Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Birdman & Lil Wayne - We Taking Over (Koch) Ne-Yo feat Joe Budden - Because Of You (Def Jam) Rich Boy feat Andre 3000, Jim Jones, Nelly, Murphy Lee & The Game - Throw some D’s rmx (Uma) Fabolous ft Young Jeezy - Diamonds (Def Jam)
Hip-hop
Robert Babicz - Sin Label (Systematic Recordings) Ali Dubfire - Ribcage Pryda - Armed (RYMD Label /Pryda) Josh Gabriel - Summit Luke Dzierzek - Profound (Identity) Chaim - Popsky Rejected – S13 (Joris Voorn mix) Lazy Fat People – Pixelgirl (Carl Craig mix) (Planet E) Radio Slave - Screaming Hands (Wink remix) (Rekids) Josh Gabriel - Summit //Kentaro’s blend of hip-hop, breaks, drum & bass and turntablism is untouchable. The 2002 DMC World Champion is a performer, inciting the crowd into a frenzy while titillating the scratch fetishists. His motto is “No walls between the music” so even if he considers himself an hip-hop artist, he will drop some drum & bass, house or electro in his sets. His new album Enter is out now on Ninja Tune via Inertia. Outkast feat Raekwon - Skew it on the bar-B Justice - Let there be light High Contrast - Return of Forever (Hospital) Logistics - Together London Elektricity - Live at the scala (Hospital) Roni Size - Groove on Digital Underground - The Humpty Dance Notorious B.I.G. - Mo Money Mo Problem (Bad Boy) AZ - Sugar Hill Jaylib feat Frank N Dank – Pillz (Stones Throw)
ON THE OFFICE STEREO: Young Buck – Buck The World (Interscope) // The Chemical Brothers – We are the night (promo / Virgin) // Kidz in the Hall – School was my hustle // Phat Kat – Carte Blanche (Look Rec. / Stomp) // Shawn Lov – Waiting for a Ghost (Nuffsaid) // Joell Ortiz – The Brick, Bodega Chronicles (Koch / Shock) // The Bamboos – Rawville (Tru Thoughts / Creative Vibes) // MIMS – Music is my savior (promo / Capitol) // DJ Gero – 7 3/8 (mixtape) // Splash – The Ripple Effect (Grindin) // Chamillionaire Chamillitary Therapy // Youssoupha – A chaque frère (Hostile) // Larry Young – Fuel // Evidence – The Weatherman (ABB / Shogun)
KNOW YOUR CLASSICS The Iron Butterfly The Iron Butterfly (1968)
Incredible Bongo Band Bongo Rock (1973)
Nas
Hip-hop is dead (2006)
Nas’ first release on Def Jam records and by far his most controversial, Hip-hop is Dead, is a statement that has sparked anger throughout the hip-hop community but when you scratch the surface you realise this was a conscious decision by Nas to raise the bar and force the industry to look within. The driving force behind the will.i.amproduced Hip-hop is dead single, is a sample from the song In-AGadda-Da-Vida by the band The Iron Butterfly from their 1968 album of the same name. This album arguably defined what we now know as “hard rock”. The title loosely translates to “In the garden of Eden” which seems ironic when upon listening you are faced with the height of excess. 17 minutes of repetitive, melodramatic, self indulgent psychedelic rock. The track also contains one of hip-hop’s first breakbeat staples, Apache by The Incredible Bongo Band released in 1973. This was a studio band put together by MGM label executive Michael Viner which consisted of an all star cast of musicians including Phil Spector, Ringo Star and King Ericsson, who is the Congo player responsible for the infectious rhythms which have embedded this song in modern music culture. Now, here lays the twist. Nas fans may have recognised the beat from Thief’s theme, a track from Nas’s 2004 Streets Disciple LP that sounds very similar to Hip-hop is dead. Thief’s theme does contain a sample of the same song (In-A-GaddaDa-Vida) but it is sampled from a version performed by The Incredible Bongo Band. I can’t help but draw the connection, Nas has made the statement “hip-hop is dead” but the beat used for this track has been reborn from one of his earlier tracks and the sample used is a reborn version of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Nas knows that hip-hop is not dead, he just wants to promote healthy debate so that it doesn’t stagnate. TV shows like The White Rapper indicate how large a phenomenon rap music is and how little people know about its origins. Learn the rules then break them! DJ Aux One
GET DOWN ACCLAIM ISSUE O6 LAUNCH PARTIES
To celebrate the launch of our past issue, we’ve thrown a couple of parties up in Melbourne and Sydney. Music, free drinks, free mags, even a hula hoop performance by our friend Marawa, you’ve missed some good time if you didn’t come. Here are a few photos…
ACCLAIM wants to send a big “thank you” to our partners:
DVDs Rock the Bells Hopscotch Films Stomp
DOCU
86-87 REVIEWS
ANYONE YOU CAN DO I CAN DO BETTER Siren AI HENT Although I assume that the watching experience was intended to be arousing, this DVD viewing was hilarious. Like porn made with real people, the storyline was simple yet utterly ridiculous. Basically, the central character in this movie, Yusukai, has a fetish for big boobs and manages to score a gig tutoring a particularly well endowed girl, Reina, who lives with an equally well equipped roommate. He shags Reina then shags her roommate and finds himself in a predicament when the roommates begin fighting over him. Yusukai ends up in a threesome which he convinces the girls is necessary in order for him to decide on one of them. Happily for all involved, he ends up with both. The hilarity is amplified by the fact that much of the movie is looped animation whereby a particular shot will be repeated over and over to give the impression that a sexual act is being maintained over a period of time. Classic quotes such as “I’m a boob loving Alien!” also add to the viewing experience. Through a Japanese contact, I have some inside information on this release that puts a very twisted slant on the movie. In the original Japanese language version, the roommates are actually a mother and daughter! One can assume that the Australian classification board weren’t having a bar of that, hence the plot change in the English version. Worth watching over a few drinks but if this porno actually turns you on, seek help! Jerry Jerri
All of you hip-hop heads in the know would have heard of the Rock the Bells festival over in the States. If you ever saw an advertisement for it on a website you would probably have, like me, been blown away by the line up. Well, this is the next best thing and a far cheaper alternative to travelling halfway around the globe. And it’s almost as good as a backstage pass. The documentary follows Chang Weisberg, the head honcho of Guerrilla Union – the company that promotes and organises these enormous events. To say the least, he experiences increasingly high levels of stress as the event date looms closer. This is understandable though, as I would too if I had to formulate a professional agreement with Ol’ Dirty Bastard when he’s in bed coked up and refusing to budge five minutes before he is supposed to appear on stage. As well as all that, you do actually get to see some great performances including the whole Wu-Tang Clan and a ridiculous freestyle from Supernatural and his barely pubescent son. Rock the Bells is a highly entertaining documentary that gives the viewer a look in to the business end of the hip-hop industry, while also shedding light onto some of the crazed devotees of the culture. Just watch it. Jeremy Swann
2Pac Thug Angel The Collector’s Edition QD3 Entertainment Warner Vision DOCU
Sticky Carpet Gryphon Entertainment Siren
DOCU
“We don’t die, we multiply,” says Big Syke, reminiscing about his fellow rapper Tupac. It’s been over ten years since Tupac’s death and we can’t let him go. Since his death there have been fourteen albums released and countless documentaries. Thug Angel was originally released in 2001 and explores the different faces of Tupac Shakur at different stages of his life. Not many people realise just how educated Tupac was and always had been. He wasn’t born a thug. He didn’t grow up a thug. A mentor from his past, Leila Steinberg, shows us all the books he used to read. He read classics like Catcher in the Rye, political texts, philosophical texts and the teachings of the Buddha to list a few. He would read the dictionary and challenge definitions that were from a “white” perspective. He performed in Shakespeare plays and wrote poetry. Thug Angel isn’t an extended MTV video clip. It takes you back into Tupac’s early life with rare footage that no one else has been able to get. It’s a well-made documentary on a truly unique person. If you’re a huge Tupac fan, you may not learn anything new, but there’s some pretty rare footage of him. If you don’t know much about him, you’ll find his story fascinating. Angela Dewann
Underground rock and alternative music from Melbourne. On paper it sounds like a pretty specific topic for a documentary, but this film really covers a wide variety of sounds, from hard’n’fast grindcore, to spaced out ambient experimental music. There’s a lot of comments from a lot of different bands, radio hosts, label managers, etc., and you really get a feel for just how diverse and intense a city Melbourne is, for the muso or music lover. Technically, it’s a well produced piece. Smart editing and, for the most part, good sound quality in the live sets, ensure it doesn’t get boring, even if you don’t know the majority of the bands featured. There’s no representation of hip-hop or anything remotely dance-oriented, but in a way that makes another point in itself. The DIY ethic and independent-asfuck philosophies spouted but the interviewees could really apply to any underground scene, making this quite a fascinating little slice of music history. Nick D
Philips DVD Player DVP9000S
If you’ve got a TV with a digital connection like HDMI, this handsome top-of-the-range Philips player can upscale a basic DVD picture to High Definition, adding clarity and detail to the movie. The results don’t look quite as good as real HDTV, but they are a significant step up from the norm.
KNOW YOUR CLASSICS GOODFELLAS MARTIN SCORSESE (1990)
“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” These are Henry Hill’s (Ray Liotta) opening words in Scorsese’s 1990 mafia masterpiece. Until Goodfellas, with its highoctane mix of violence, swearing and drama, no film about the “construction” industry had been made that dealt with the domestic situation of mobsters. The critical acclaim was widespread and it received six Oscar nods, with Joe Pesci winning for his portrayal of deranged hothead, Tommy DeVito. The film is based on a true story and revolves around Hill’s rise through the ranks of the Lucchese family, from errand boy to big time earner. Robert De Niro plays Jimmy Conway, a thief with vague morals and Pesci shines as the little ballbreaker, DeVito. Together, this flawed, fickle trio make up the “Good fellas” of the title. It is set, like so many of Scorsese’s works, in Noo Yawk and deals with his usual themes of redemption and guilt. By the end, the family has been betrayed and a pile of bodies has accumulated. Marty shows us that what goes up must come down and Hill, who falls from a great height, makes a crash landing. Along the way to this sour ending is a rocky series of events and black humour galore. The “Do you think I’m funny?” scene is Pesci’s psychotic best and is enough to make you reconsider wanting to be a “wiseguy”. The lingering tracking shot through the back of the Copacabana club is considered one of the best shots ‘ ever’ and shows the world revolving around Hill. He takes the naïve Karen (Lorraine Bracco – the shrink from The Sopranos) to the club and is treated as a demi-god by all. This, coupled with his charm, is enough to woo Karen and they get married. She soon realises that “Everything we own fell off a truck!” but there’s no going back. Goodfellas offers a blue-collar view of organised crime. Whilst there are glamour elements, this is a raw snapshot of greed and carnage. It takes the gloss off the Hollywood conception of the mafia and shows that crime doesn’t pay. Dan Steiner
BOOKS Mingering Mike Dori Hadar (Princeton Architectural Press // Books@Manic) This book is amazing. The author, who is a DJ by night and a criminal investigator by day, stumbled in 2003 across a rare batch of records at a flea market. Recorded by an unknown singer, Mingering Mike, the records were exquisite in realistic-seeming details: gatefolds, label logos, complete lyrics, artwork. They were also entirely hand-made, with painted sleeves, interiors, and actual platters made out of cardboard. Intrigued, the DJ-detective bought the lot and began his search for Mingering Mike himself, eventually finding a man who never intended to sell his very personal quasi-recordings, a solitary boy who lost himself in a world of his own imaginary superstardom. Between 1968 and 1977 Mingering Mike recorded over fifty albums, managed thirty-five of his own record labels, and produced, directed and starred in nine of his own motion pictures. In 1972 alone he released fifteen LPs and over twenty singles, and his traveling revue played for sold out crowds the world over. But all of that only took place in Mike’s imagination, and in the vast collection of fake cardboard records and a capella home recordings that he made for himself as a teenager in Washington, D.C. in the late 1960s. The book shows and explains “the amazing career of an imaginary soul superstar”. Fantastic! Frank Blanck Much to the dismay of many traditionalists around the world, graffiti is no longer just about spray painting your name on a wall. A multifaceted global monster, street art means just that. Art on the streets. This book takes pride in telling the story of the long picked on children of street art; stickers and posters. Beginning with a respectful and detailed history of the origins of street art, dues are paid to the originators of the stencil / poster scene. Artists like Shepard Fairey and Revs in the US and Blek Le Rat in Paris are singled out for their early, tireless work in promoting alternative forms of vandalism. Extensive coverage is also given to worldwide artists dominating the scene at the moment, such as London Police and Invader, known for his tiled creations of space invaders stuck in all corners of the globe. A fair portion of the book covers a basic how-to for those aspiring to stencil, sticker or poster. Included at the back is a who’s who of the modern street art world, including Australia’s own Yok. Written by someone who clearly has an intimate understanding of the scene and packed full of pictures, this book is great for someone wanting to get into the scene or even for those already involved wanting a global perspective.
STICKER CITY Claudia Walde (Thames and Hudson)
AU$ 45.00
Chris Delaney
Everybody knows that New York is the Mecca of graffiti. In the celebritydriven world of Los Angeles, it isn’t surprising that when word reached the West Coast that kids in NYC were gaining notoriety by illegally painting their names on subway trains, the most restless and rebellious of L.A.’s youth began to form their own movement. L.A.’s writers soon developed their own style, some of which was inspired by local ‘cholo’ gang writing, a tradition that can be traced back to the 1930s. More than 20 years after the start of the modern graffiti movement in Los Angeles, the city is home to a tremendously diverse writing scene. In Graffiti L.A., author and photographer Steve Gordy provides a comprehensive and visual history of the movement in the City of Angels, as well as an in-depth examination of the myriad styles and techniques used by writers today. With countless interviews of the most prolific and infamous L.A. writers and hundreds of photos packed in more than 300 pages, this book is a perfect gift for all spray paint artists.
Graffiti L.A. Steve Grody (Abams // Thames & Hudson)
AU$ 45.00
Frank Blanck
THE RECIPE
As told to Jeremy Swann
’ KINK O CO AC CR
Guacamole
by Evidence
from dilated people is back on the scene with a // EVIDENCE brand new solo album. While we all know his contribution
88 LIFESTYLE
to the world of hip-hop is outstanding, he was eager to prove to readers of Acclaim that not every American’s culinary skills end at microwave cookery or with the words “just add water”. Low and behold, we were impressed with the gastronomic expertise he dished out.
STEP 1: PREPARATION Remove the stones from the avocados. Get them into a bowl, and start smashing the hell out of them. Get it to a nice consistency, some people like it smooth, some more chunky, whatever, that’s on you. Now at this point we need to add our lemons. Simply cut them in half and squeeze them in to the bowl. Lemon is our key ingredient you could say, it brings out the flavour of the avocado and puts a nice twist on it. If you want it tasting real dramatic, then put both of your lemons in, if not, then start small and slowly add according to your taste. Now it’s time to add our coriander, you need to chop it up real fine. A chef’s tip: if you are going to be eating this around some fly honeys and don’t want bits of green leaf stuck in between your teeth, then use a small amount of coriander root chopped up really fine instead of the leaves. Remove the seeds from the jalapenos and chop them up really fine. Do the same with your tomatoes, get rid of all the mushy shit from the centre and chop as fine as you can. Then add your cayenne pepper, this gives it the kick. Mix it all together and season to taste, I like more pepper than salt. If it’s still not good, I would add some more lemon juice through it. And if you want it spicier then I would add some more cayenne pepper, but not too much, because you want it quite subtle. Soundtrack: I think, because we’re dealing with a green substance here, we want something like Stoned is the Way of the Walk by Cypress Hill. And of course we want to be smoking weed before we make this to get our appetite going.
Ingredients
4 avocados (stones removed and flesh scooped out) 2 lemons or limes (Evidence prefers lemons) 1 tomato (deseeded) 1 bunch of coriander 2 jalapenos (preferably fresh not pickled) 1 pinch of cayenne pepper or hot paprika Cheddar cheese (grated) Quality Mexican Tortilla chips Salt and pepper STEP 2: SERVE To serve, put your guacamole into a clean bowl and grate some cheddar cheese on top. It’s important that you don’t actually mix it through. Then arrange your tortilla chips on a plate and you’re in business. This is the perfect dish to serve up when you want something light and snacky to share with your bros in the studio, or if you’re just lazing around at home getting stoned or whatever. I guess you could even serve it as an appetizer before a main course. Soundtrack: I think I’d listen to some Mariachi when eating this. Mariachi is the typical Mexican musical group, you know, the guys in sombreros playing guitars and stuff. Yes, the perfect accompaniment to some guacamole.
Evidence - The Weatherman (ABB Records // Shogun) is out featuring from Defari, Rakaa, Planet Asia, and production from The Alchemist and DJ Babu among others…
DIRECTORY Lonsdale:
New Era:
Illusive:
Rigorous Recordings:
(02) 9319 3600 www.lonsdalelondon.com.au (03) 9695 7810 www.illusive.com.au
Alize:
(02) 9922 2816 www.alize.com
Siren:
(03) 9629 5953 www.sirenvisual.com.au
Inertia:
(02) 9698 0111 www.inertia-music.com
Nike ACG:
(03) 9428 3500 www.nikeacg.com
Madman:
(03) 9417 0977 www.madman.com.au
(03) 8480 4700 www.neweracap.com
0434 953 507 www.rigorousrecordings.com
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5 bucks an issue delivered straight to your fucking door. Why are we doing this?
Probably because we’re cool, that’s why. We’ll also chuck in one of the pictured DVDs for every subscriber, and that’s a promise.
Shock:
(03) 9014 0200 www.shock.com.au
Ironlak:
1300 789 876 www.ironlak.com
Universal Music:
(02) 9207 0500 www.universalmusic.com.au
Shogun Distribution: (07) 3630 2210 www.shogundist.com
És:
(02) 9972 1641 www.esfootwear.com
Nixon:
(07) 3115 2410 www.nixonnow.com
Dragon Alliance: (03) 5261 6660 www.dragonalliance.com.au
Onitsuka Tiger:
YES, I want to suscribe to First Name: Address:
(02) 9853 2300 www.onitsukatiger.com.au
Suburb:
Obese Records:
Email:
(03) 9533 7429 www.obeserecords.com
Nuffsaid Digital Media:
(03) 9428 2398 www.nuffsaiddigitalmedia.com
Ubisoft: (02) 8587 1800 www.ubisoft.com.au
Warner Music:
(02) 9779 4000 www.warnermusic.com.au
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THE END CROSSWORDS by Nacho Pop
We're back with our funky crosswords (keep sending your definitions at news@ acclaimmag.com). Use the letters in the red squares to find out the name of the only OZ duo signed on the label Quannum Projects and send your answer and contact details to comp@acclaimmag.com (subject: crosswords) to win a 1-year subscription to the magazine.
Across: 1. DJ for Bliss n Eso 6. Big Boi & Andre 3000 7. Unforgivable is the new fragrance by ___ John 9. Taboo, Will.I.Am & apl.de.ap 10. This pretty guy’s on the hotline 12. Rapper turned reggaeton star 13. Threw the first block parties in the Bronx, ‘godfather of hip-hop’ 15. On the down___ - secret 17. CEO of Def Jam 19. __ Wish Cast : The Legacy Continues 21. Three - ___ - Mafia 23. He likes to kick and push 24. Trying to make a dollar out of fifteen ___ 28. Omarion’s got an __- box where his heart used to be 31. It takes this many to make a thing go right (Chubb Rock) 32. FHM model who appeared in Kanye West’s video, The New Workout Plan, and was recently dissed by rapper The Game 33. ?uestlove drums for these guys 34. The Human Beatbox, or the vampire slayer 35. __ Five Freddy : early graf writer, mentioned in Blondie’s Rapture 36. All of these are on 2pac Down: 2. Prodigy and Havoc 3. A Tribe Called Quest member 4. A hoopdie is a beat up one of these 5. BET Show : 106 & ___ 8. The A in NWA 10. Stick-up kids are out to tax… just to get one of these 11. Can I get a soul ____ (c’mon) 12. Bubba Sparxx found her, Ms. ___ Booty 14. Eminem cleaned this out once 16. M.E.T.H.O.D. 18. Hip-hop crew that used to be called the Black Spades 20. Movie starring John Travolta & Nicholas Cage 22. Nas’ wife 25. Rafael wears a red bandana and carries this weapon 26. She loves it when you 1 2 step 27. To ‘shank’ 29. New __ : makers of the 59 Fifty hat 30. She’s a bad mama jamma
THE WALL This is a piece of the wall in our office. People just cruise by and stick things up and we shoot it when we
finish the new issue. If you wanna be featured on this beautiful and messy canvas, you can also send us stuff by mail.
90
INGREDIENTS This issue contains 199 567 characters and necessitated 3202 emails, three new
desks and two “director” chairs from IKEA, a dinner in a Mexican restaurant, 2 chicken Jager, an handsome always complaining intern, 3 trips to Melbourne, some shots of a drink with macerated coca leaves, an allergic reaction to coca leaves, a war zone in a Hungry Jacks, a really nice Japanese dinner thanks to Puma, 2 broken relationships, some new contacts on Myspace, at least 20 “Classicos” (virtual soccer matches), a couple of Hentai porn screenings, a pack of Superkings Rich Blue, some bullshit with Pierre’s emails because the IT guy went on holiday, too many Pepperoni pizzas, too many chicken Pad Thai’s and too many teases from pretty average girls…
CROSSWORDS ANSWERS:
OUT THE CLUB by the Hater
What the fuck is the deal with “urban” clubs in this country? It’s bad enough that they use the word urban to begin with but on top of that we’ve still got bullshit dress codes that forbid sneakers and hats! Of course not all the clubs work to this mentality but a lot still do. I can get knocked back for wearing a limited edition hoody worth $500 and a pair of rare as opal Jordan V’s while Encino man guarding the door lets some hermaphrodite wearing a goddamn pink polo shirt into the club without hesitation! I can’t get in dressed like the guy who’s song is being played inside ya club but you’re letting in a guy dressed like the girls from his video clip? It’s one thing to have standards that require patrons to look neat and clean (I don’t wanna be in a club full of smelly dudes in beer stained graf’ hoodies either) but ain’t it time security learned to differentiate between “too casual” and “fresh to death”? Furthermore there are still promoters, especially in Melbourne, who dictate what their DJs can and cannot play. When did the concept of a DJ get so confused? Throughout the history of the DJ, they have been the tastemakers. A DJ should be hired for his ability to know the freshest new music. A lot of these clubs have every DJ playing the same tired shit over and over. Some promoters even forbid their DJs to play new shit. Some of these clubs may as well just play a mix CD all night. I’m not suggesting these clubs should be playing underground hip-hop but there is some dope hip-hop being produced in the US right now that is designed for the clubs and most of it doesn’t even make it to our shores. Can you honestly say that Australians are so different that they won’t dance to this music if they hear it? I often hear DJs bitching about the fact that they can’t play what they want. So do something about it! If all the top DJs refused to fall in line with the promoters demands and started breaking some new tunes then promoters would be forced to change their attitude.