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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

And.... CUT!

Double threat here, actor and a business man.

Check out my big screen debut, in the sequel to Ask About Me, the Shaker Heights 06 classic underground film (some of my OU friends have seen the first film). Written by my man Julius Trimble and filmed by Gibran Mills, this tells the story of two young hustlers who grew to be bosses... Ask About Me

A little background on the film, in high school, Julius and I teamed up to become the top candy salesmen in Shaker history. In two years combined, we grossed $3,000 in candy sales, a bar at a time. Most, probably 90% was spent on fast food, kicks, and polo. True story.

In the movie, we play drug dealers, who sell the most potent drug on the block, "fruity" (candy). You have to see the first film to understand, but in the second edition, Julius has gone out to Howard in D.C, while I took my talents to Athens, Ohio to move my product. Hilarity ensues.

You can check out the clip HERE.

In terms of the gear, I had the Guess jeans on, and black polo coat. The scarf is Coach, and I wore it like a bib (trying to be original there, but turned out just looking funny).. I tend to wear the scarf in the European Loop nowadays, just keeps me warmer and looks better under a jacket.

Favorite part of the fit, as always, is the shoes. Nike Air Revolutions, dope salmon, black and grey colorway. Yes, I love wearing them, as they have the old school, late 80's high top feel.

Follow my guys Julius @216_the_reason and Gibran @prophet_gibran on twitter, two funny dudes. I'm on there as well @216rox.

Monday, November 15, 2010

I Got Colors

So... It's been a while here folks, but I'm back. First off, check out the talented twins website here, they have some extra sweet stuff. Silly dope. Outrageously cool. You get it.



Peak at this video they did with a variety of my kicks. They grabbed a car load of kicks from me, and came back with this commercial.


Check out this Cool Kids track, fits the mood of this video. Click here

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Henley Shirt




The best birthday gift that little sis of mine ever got me (clap for her, scholarship to Northwestern). A Polo henley shirt. Now, I have to admit, when she got it for me, I was a bit skeptical. I had never even heard of a henley shirt honestly, and I had only seen it worn by grandfathers (R.I.P). Slowly, and surely, I am starting to dress more like a grandfather, and I've got to say, my Pop Pop was a fly old dude. When I was little, I used to always wonder what the guy riding a horse on his shirt, and the little green alligator was for. Let's just say now I know, so he would be proud.

I have got to say, its a nice, smooth look for the summer. The shirt is a lightweight cotton blend, making it perfect for that hot Cleveland weather. Yes people, it does get hot in Cleveland. Sometimes. Back to the topic, if you can, grab one of these shirts fellas. Henley shirt > Polo white T > crooked durag in public > 6x white T = his swag. And that is my greater than/equal to lesson for the day.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Nike "Confetti" Court Force


On my feet above is one of my favorite pair of Nike's, the Court Force High. I affectionately refer to these as the confetti edition, because of the colorful bottom. Each shoe is one of a kind, because each pattern is unique on the bottom. The Nike Court Force was released in 1987, and became known as the cousin to the ever popular Nike Air Force One. Originally released as a basketball show, recently re-releases of the product have come in various colorful styles (see the Marvel Comics post below).

This custom fit polo by Ralph Lauren goes well with the confetti Court Forces. The summer of 2005 was when I really got into Polo, and I haven't slowed much since. Thanks to the shirt Bobby Valentino sports in his Tell Me video, my friends and I soon went on an obsessive quest to find a multicolored striped Polo, which we dubbed the "Bobby V" look. I found it in this uniquely colored Polo, one of my favorite shirts.

Point G.O.D

Few people can be instantly recognized by one name. Jordan. Shrek. Obama. Tiger (insert inappropriate joke). Kanye. Jesus. MAGIC. Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr., the greatest point guard ever, whose career ended abruptly during November of the 1991-92 season with the announcement that he had contracted H.I.V, right after losing to Michael Jordan in his first ever appearance in the finals. Though he would return to play in both the All Star game that year (winning MVP with a legendary performance) and on the inaugural Olympic Dream Team, his best days were behind him as a player. He would return again in 1994-95, at the age of 36 to play power forward, and averaged 14.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game in the last 32 games of the season.

This shirt was created in the mid 90's by Nutmeg, a sports apparel company. It features a big portrait of Magic on the front, with a Los Angeles Lakers graphic running down the side. This company made many shirts for famous players of the time period, and they are all classic. Check out the Michael Jordan shirt here.

What makes this shirt dope is the layout. It is set up like a sports card, with graphics on the front, and graphics, biographical information and statistics on the back. You can use this to prove that Magic is better than Chris Paul to the ignorant by simply turning your back to them. For some of Magic's amazing highlights, click here.

Darker cargo shorts complete the look. Yes, I know, I know, cargo shorts are so 2000, but I have slowly grown away from jean shorts. I also love buying cargo shorts, because they always come with that free belt attached. A Lakers snapback hat completes the old school look.



The Nike Big is a classic shoe released during the beginning of the 1985-86 NBA season, the same year that the dunks premiered. Though they are very similar to the Nike dunk, they were designed a bit more aggressively. The big NIKE print on the back is what really does it for me with these shoes. They were endoresed by the 7'7 rookie from Sudan, Manute Bol, who was the tallest player in NBA history until Gheorghe Muresan was drafted in 1993 (and dunked on repeatedly by a young Shaq). The Nike BIG had found its perfect endorser, and Manute Bol went on to lead the league with the most blocks by a rookie, swatting an amazing 397 shots! With all those block attempts, he sometimes found himself on the wrong side of a poster (click here to see the 5'7 Spudd Webb dunk all over him).

Marvel Comics


I put together this fit during a summer trip to New York during the summer of '08. My family and I toured both New Jersey and New York, stopping for an experience at the old Yankee Stadium before it was demolished. We made our way through Harlem, where we found a strip of stores and I ended up blowing some money I didn't have due to my unpaid internship at the time. Luckily, I found this gem in the form of a cool t-shirt filled with Marvel Comics characters for $15. I grew up obsessed with the X-Men cartoon like many kids, and other comic book heroes as well.

The shirt features a compilation of characters, from Dr. Doom, to members of the Fantastic Four, to the Hulk, as well as X-Men characters. The mixture of the characters gives the shirt a very vibrant look, which is perfect in the hot summer weather. I always enjoy buying clothes from hole in the wall spots in other cities, and I am thankful I was able to find this shirt and matching Nike Court Forces in the same store.

These Court Forces caught my attention immediately due to the patent leather Nike check and the kente-inspired color pattern. The tan bottom is also a nice addition to the shoe. The kente inspired pattern gives the shoe a very In Living Color/Fresh Prince of Bel-air look. I often reminisce on the early 90s and what better way to do it then by dressing in clothes with themes and characters from my childhood.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Plaid Short

I prefer to have a splash of color in my outfits, and plaid shorts are an easy way to accomplish this. They are useful for many occasions: a golf outing, relaxing with some friends, or for a night out on the scene. Plaid shorts can easily spice up an otherwise dull outfit as well. They go well with a polo shirt, as you see me here with my peach polo shirt by Ralph Lauren. Usually I prefer a custom fit polo, which is tailored for a slim fit, however I saw this classic fit polo on sale at the Polo outlet in Aurora Farms and couldn't resist.


I usually rock sneakers with almost everything, and plaid shorts are no exception. On my feet are a pair of Nike dunk low. I pretty much avoided the whole Nike dunk movement for a couple years. I hate when everyone goes to the mall and buys a certain type of shoe; I try to go the opposite direction of generic trends. In high school, I avoided buying Air Force Ones (especially after Nelly bought 30 pairs in one song) until my senior year, and even now I only own two pairs of dunks. I decided to grab these because of the cool mixture of suede and canvas, and because of the smooth tan colored leather on the bottom, which gives the shoes a classic look.

Lookneat: Wristwear

This D&G Primetime watch was given to me as a 21st birthday gift. I now almost feel naked without it on. It is a stainless-steel watch with a clasp, made by D&G. 24 millimeters wide, and 2.40 ounces of jewelry ensure that this watch could not be described as sleek. D&G is Dolce and Gabbana's lower level product (less expensive and of a lower overall quality) for those of us on a budget that cannot necessarily afford a $6650 Gucci watch. Hip hop is my favorite musical genre, and growing up listening to Camron will have any young kid lusting after big, gaudy jewelry. While I would never pay the ridiculous amount of money rappers pay for their jewelry (which eventually leads to them having their house and cars repossessed , just ask Thugnificent), I do believe that every man should have a watch that fits his style. Check out Nordstrom for quality, hip watches at a decent price.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Jordan III vs. Jordan IV


With all of the color combinations and numbers of Air Jordans out there, it is always hard to have a favorite pair. I just snagged both the "Do The Right Thing" edition Jordan III's and the Black and Yellow Jordan IV's from my man Julius in D.C. These old school looking Jordans are some of the best retro shoes His Airness released. I normally prefer classic colorways on my J's, but the loud royal blue and yellow Do The Right Things (inspired by the Spike Lee Joint of the same name) caught my attention. Growing up in Shaker Heights, you would normally never catch me wearing the black and yellow colors of our rivals, but as a sneakerhead I can justify going with these colors with the fact that the Jordan IVs are some of the coolest looking kicks out there.


During my winter break from school. NEXT at Beachwood mall held a great sale on t-shirts and other Mens apparel. I grabbed this t-shirt by The Hundreds from the sales rack, and little did i know it would match both of my J's perfectly. I needed to recruit a twin so that they could both be worn at the same time. The jeans are slim straight-leg 514 Levi's, an American classic. I tried on the 501 jean, but felt extremely uncomfortable until they were off. I can remember going to the Levi outlets as a kid and stocking up for school. Looks like nothing has changed in the past decade, has it?? Ralph Lauren and Levi's are probably two things I will end up wearing forever.

Greatest Athlete Ever


This is a Chalk Line jacket created in the early 90s. Definitely one of my favorites. They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore, literally. The jacket is surprisingly warm and well insulated, and still looks great. When the Cool Kids came out a couple years ago, it was their retro look and rapping style that had me looking to obtain old school sports memorabilia (check out this track, which contains a smooth Chalk line reference). 90s basketball was the Golden Age of the NBA, with players like Jordan, Pippen, Barkley, Olajuwon and other old school legends dominating the game. With inspiration coming from the Cool Kids' constant rhymes about their old school starter caps and jackets and my love for 90’s hoops, I grabbed three or four old school jackets and about 10 snap-back hats from my favorite teams growing up. Below is some of my collection-


The colorful, larger than life Jordan prints and old school Bulls logo on the sleeves is what really made me fall in love with this jacket. After trying for years to land it on ebay, I finally got my hands on it a couple months back. All black Seven jeans help to complete the look. I haven't gotten into the whole skinny jeans look, but I definitely wear jeans that fit my waist now. Back in high school, you could catch me with my size 38 Miskeen jeans on my lean size 32 waist.
Once I received the jacket, I knew I had to go retro with whatever I threw on my feet. I copped these red and white Jordan I’s a few weeks back, and they have become one of the cleanest pairs of Jordan’s that I own. The mixture of patent leather and leather works great on the shoe, and even with the modifications it still retains its old school look and feel.


For those of you who say Kobe or LeBron are even in the same realm of Jordan (or Bird and Magic too for that matter), take a look at what this guy used to do to jog your memory: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8M2NgjvicA
Michael Jordan is one of my childhood idols, so when I got a chance to visit Chicago last year, I made sure that I went to worship the Greatest while I was there (this was taken at 6 a.m before I played in a basketball tournament game at 10 a.m)

Air Flight Condors


This outfit is one I had been trying to put together for a while. When I got the shoes, they instantly became one of my favorite pairs. They are re-released versions of the 1989 Nike Air Flight Condors in a funky 2010 color way. Beautiful, but hard to match up.

Luckily, I was working at Nordstrom and decided to visit Nordstrom Rack before work one day. I came across this nice, brown polyester vest, which was $20 with my discount. Originally I thought about rocking a flannel underneath it, but that seemed a bit cliché to me (all of a sudden everyone has got a flannel one these days) so I went on a search for a hoody. I came across this random, colorful hoodie (by the way, is it hoodie, or hoody? I say either one) in an Orange discount store, and snatched it up for $20. My favorite pair of pants, some golden Ralph Lauren corduroys (got ‘em for $30 on Black Friday sale at Dillards) compliments it all.

My mother said I looked like an “Athens kid” with the fit on, so I guess this is the Athens influence coming out in me. Living in Athens, Ohio and meeting different kinds of people at college with diverse types of style has definitely affected the way I dress. Back home at Shaker Hts, a lot of people dress well, but focus on the same labels, and eventually everyone begins to look like a clone. It’s been nice to get away to a completely different realm of Ohio with a different demographic as well, and feed off the vibe that emanates in this college town.

808s and Heartbreak


This is definitely the best eight dollars I have ever spent. I bought this sweater at the local vintage store up the street from my apartment. As soon as I walked in, I saw it on the shelf and immediately thought of the 808s and Heartbreak cover (Kaws -- Great cover art). I bought it, and also remembered a picture my roommate had showed me of Kanye rocking a Lego creation by two young twins, Dee & Ricky Jackson (for examples of their work, as well as how my roommate and I created the heart ourselves, click here ). I figured a red heart would go great with the sweater and decided to order the pieces online for like two dollars and make my own. Although it is certainly an old trend in the fashion world, people give me a lot of positive feedback when I wear it out.


I decided to rock some brown corduroy pants with the sweater to provide some contrast. My inspiration for these came in the winter of 07 when Kid Cudi came to the Grog Shop for his first ever performance in Cleveland. He rocked some dope Jordan XIII’s with these brown corduroy pants. (For proof of this, click here to check out this flick on Complex’s website. I am in the left of the photo with my little sister and a few friends) At the time I thought it was more different then it was cool, but this past year I got really bored with denim and decided to grab a couple pairs of corduroy pants. They are really comfortable, and I wear them more often than not when I do go out.


On my feet are a pair of limited edition, G.I Joe Nike Vandals. The Vandals were first released as a basketball shoe in the mid 1980s. The G.I Joe pack is limited edition pack, and is one of my favorite pairs. The sweater and shoes are both very abstract, and go together well.

This song and video definitely expresses my mood when I go out in this sweater, as it is by the two rappers who inspired this outfit. Kanye rocks a pretty cool sweater in the video as well.