I GOTTA CATCH UP ON THE BACK SEASONS

LOL SHE'S NOT THE HOT MOMMY ANYMORE. LOIS IS! BUT TO SEE HER FINALLY ON PLAYBOY COVER IS DOWNRIGHT HILARIOUS. CANT WAIT TO READ THIS ARTICLE.

I LOVE GAGA. PIC IS WAY POPPIN. STOLEN FROM 'YE SITE

RICK ROSS FEAT ROBIN THICKE: "LAYBACK"

MY MAIN MAN MIKEY MOORE

Top 50: Tony Parker, No. 15 The definitive ranking of the NBA’s best players.

by Adam Sweeney

Look up the word envy and you will see it is described as a noun originating from France that expresses a feeling of discontent and resentment aroused by and in conjunction with desire for the possessions or qualities of another. Ask me to use it in a sentence and I can give you a few. For example, I envy the speed and teardrop floater that Tony Parker shows off every night he plays. You could also say I, a Houston Rockets fan, envy how many titles Tony Parker has helped lead the San Antonio Spurs to in his career. And it should go without saying that any sane individual must envy Parker for his relationship with a certain Desperate Housewife. It’s only fitting that both the word being dissected and the player in focus come from the same country.

Let’s step back a few sentences and clarify a point of discussion. You might be thinking, “Tony Parker didn’t lead S.A. to multiple titles. That was Tim Duncan.” You’d be partially right. Tim has unquestionably cemented himself as the greatest power forward of all-time. Without him the Spurs don’t have a dynasty. But there is a lack of respect that the point guard position receives, none more understanding of this notion than Parker. It wasn’t Tony’s job to take the last shot. That was Timmy’s job. Until recently, it has always been Parker’s job to defer. And while Duncan stepped into the spotlight from day one of his NBA career, there is a certain beauty to the way Parker’s game has grown over the years, so much so that it shouldn’t be surprising if Parker supplants Duncan this season as the franchise player in San Antonio.

To study the timeline of Parker’s career is an exercise in maturity. He was a player that was initally dismissed by Gregg Popovich in a workout because he couldn’t handle the physical nature of the NBA game. Nothing has come easy for Parker. He had to figure out how to craft his style of play. He’s been in Pop’s doghouse plenty of times, even to the point where he was warned not to shoot 3’s. But every season that we see Parker, there is a new facet to his game. He’s not perfect but neither are we. Have any of us not been chastised by a coach for firing outside of our range? Parker is a player worth celebrating because he is the best of us. He has had to weather the same hardships every talented baller with a touch of recklessness had to endure, the difference being that he found a way to put it together. Parker’s growth as an NBA player is what we wish we could have achieved, if only we had that speed, that elusiveness, that… sorry, here comes the enviousness again.

It is only a matter of time before you see an ESPN header that reads “The French-ise” with Parker’s smiling mug underneath it. There’s no accounting for taste in headlines but it is time that we start accounting for Parker in terms of importance to the Spurs and the league in general. He’s already become the first European player to win an NBA Finals MVP, and Parker had career highs last season in points per game and assists, at 22.0 and 6.9 respectively. As Manu Ginobili and Duncan enter perhaps the twilight of their careers, which is strange to hear myself say, Parker is hitting his prime.

Anyone who questions this notion can go back to the 4-1 series loss the Spurs suffered at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. Tony dropped 28.6 a game on Dallas even though the Mavericks knew he and Duncan were the only two players worth guarding on the Spurs. Try convincing me Michael Finley was a threat. You have a better chance of arguing that Paul Blart: Mall Cop deserves an Academy Award. It takes a special player to slash through a defense that is waiting for him. Parker is that player.

Ask someone to name the best point guards in the NBA and you almost assuredly will hear the names of Chris Paul, Steve Nash and Deron Williams listed first. How many rings do those guys have between them? Nada. Parker has three to his name. If he wins this year, and the Spurs have to be considered a serious contender with the acquisitions of Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess, maybe Parker will be generous enough to keep one ring for himself and give one a piece to the aforementioned PGs on the list.

You can argue that Parker’s outside game is sorely lacking, that his jump shot can be inconsistent at times and that he has been blessed with exceptional talent around him. I’ll give you the first two contentions but you can’t blame a player for being placed on an organization that understands the importance of chemistry, balance and depth. And talent doesn’t equal championships. I submit the Phoenix Suns for your consideration. At the end of the day it is all about winning and right now there isn’t a point guard in the league with the amount of talent and rings to match Tony Parker.

In the same way that the New England Patriots don’t measure success by number of magazine front covers or jersey sales, the Spurs all understand that legacies are measured by championships. Based upon that criteria, Parker’s legacy rises higher than Vince Carter did in the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest. Parker said it best. “When there is talk about the best point guards, sometimes they don’t talk about me. But that’s not my main motivation. They can talk about Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Deron Williams and Chris Paul. I still have the most rings.“

FEELIN THE ARTWORK

Q-TIP JOINT

HOW DARE I FORGET THIS GUY?!??

AN OLD XXL INTERVIEW BUT I LOVE THIS WOMAN!

On Her Earliest Hip-Hop Memories
Roxanne Shante was very “hood,” and because I grew up in the hood I felt as if she was speaking for all the little brown girls with hopes and dreams who came from pretty much nothing. Me and my girls would stand in the mirror with our hip-hop gear and outrageous hair and pretend we were them! As I grew older, hip-hop grew with me. As apart of my curriculum at Howard University, I had to study African American music, which prompted my love for jazz music. My relationship with The Native Tongues grew out of my appreciation for jazz, because that’s when I first started hearing jazz music infused with hip hop. I was madly in love with A Tribe Called Quest, The Brand Nubians and The Jungle Brothers.

On Her Favorite Artists
Biggie will always have a place in my heart and music collection even though his life was cut so short. For me, he was the voice of the East Coast hood, and I know if he were alive today I would have all of his albums. Love me some Roots ’cause they are just grown and sexy and they use a live band. Talib Kweli and Mos Def, because they are smart, lyrical geniuses. If you two should happen to be reading this, my soul needs another Black Star collabo! J Dilla, rest in peace. His ear for music was incredible. Common—another lyrical genius. Nasty Nas is just brilliant. Lil Wayne ’cause he can flow to the sound of a washing machine and make it hot! Kanye West because he takes risks. Mary J. Bleezy is my number one soul sister in R&B. She totally deconstructed and rebuilt herself in the public eye through her music and is still going strong. Her music has always spoken deeply to my soul. I often used so many of her songs to help me get where I needed to be emotionally in my work. Dwele, Raheem Devaughn, Musiq Soulchild, their sounds are so grown and sexy because they sing about love and life, not bumping and grinding. I don’t see nothing wrong with a little bump and grind. I just don’t need a whole album about it.

On Why She Loves Hip-Hop
It’s art! It’s poetry! People tried to hate on it back in the day saying it was just a phase, but it is here to stay. With each generation, hip-hop finds a new sound and a new life. People also said it was noise, but guess what? This noise sells a lot of product all over the globe in commercial spots, so hip-hop gets the last laugh.

On Her Favorite Movie Role
That would have to be Talk To Me. Working with Don Cheadle was a dream come true. He is the most talented male actor of our time. I think Vernelle, my character, showcased my range. She was some of everything a human can be. Of course the story was beautifully written and directed. Until then, I had never seen a love (friendship, that is) between two Black men on the big screen.

On Her Favorite Hood Movie
I know I’m not supposed to say that Baby Boy is my all time favorite hood movie, but I have to tell you, Baby Boy is my all time favorite movie. I can’t help it and I must tell the truth.

"WU-TANG DISPUTES ROYALTIES WITH GHOSTFACE" BY MR. R. TICULATE AT FUTUREOFRAPMUSIC.BLOGSPOT.COM

The iconic hip hop collective, the Wu Tang Clan, has completely changed the way rap artists approach the music business. Nine individually talented artists grouped together to become a rap super power. However, as likely to happen to any band of musicians or groups of recording artists, problems are bound to arise.

In 2005, a lawsuit had been filed by original Wu Tang Clan member Ghostface Killa, claiming that he did not receive music publishing royalties on early studio albums released by the group. The suit was filed against Wu Tang Clan Productions, owned and operated by the group's legendary super producer the RZA.

This is a recurring problem in the rap music business. Artists and producers work together, with no prior discussions to royalty shares. After much success is achieved by their music, disputes inevitably arise.

Remarkably, surviving members of the group still create and produce music together, and are still committed to the international brand that they have built. For instance group member Raekwon recently released the follow up to his street classic album "Only Built For Cuban Linx, Pt 2" which features many of the Wu Tang Members including RZA, Ghostface Killah, Methodman and Inspectah Deck.

How do we take proper measures to prevent a dispute such as this one from even arising in the first place? GET IT IN WRITING ! You've heard me write about this numerous times, always get your agreements in a tangible written form. Have you ever became involved in a dispute such as this one ?

"PRETTY WHEN YOU CRY," BY TRICIA J. TAYLOR

Pushing the length of your hair back and out of your face,
Watching streams of tears fight to fall at a frenzied pace,
Pain seeps through the brave gasps you take.

A fight to hold back screams,
Both of us in fetal position, holding on to love gone like crack fiends,
Sucking at the air looking for the love they say blooms in spring breeze,
Eyes to the sky looking for who's hearing our lovelorn pleas.

If we love each other, how can this be the end?
How can a love lost become just a friend?
How can forever be just these years?
And what happened to the love that erased all my fears?

Is this the same place I used to call my home?
How can this be now we're both alone?

Twelve seasons come and gone, met us together,
Like the strongest of oaks, we've lasted all weather,
So why now, what once so strong is light as a feather?

And here while you try to brush away my tears you forget,
That we've both changed from the day we first met,
And less than a blessing, both filled with regret.

We fought like wolves caught under a full moon,
And prayed that the waning of the signs came soon.
Year after year resolutions brought butterflies from cocoons.

I used to believe that love conquered all,
But this is proof that even love can't make a short man tall,
And no miracles can be made without rainfall.

Rainfall was one thing, we sat trapped in a thunderstorm,
Swirling in a hurricane running on hearts torn,
Amidst a disaster of which no good could be born.

Hearts broken. Tears dried.
Burns earned from all we tried
Gripping each other, this the last time
And through it all You're Still Pretty When You Cry.

COMPLEX MAGAZINE SHOOT ON CUDI'S ALBUM. STOLEN FROM 'YE'S SITE. I JUST LOVE BEHIND-THE-SCENES FOOTAGE N PHOTOS.

BIG PERM! (I mean Big worm..)

LOL SUPPORT THE HOMIE SCOOB

BELL N ROSS WATCH

In 1993, Bruno Belamich and Carlos A. Rosillo, two boyhood friends, joined forces to launch a simple idea: function shapes form. The founding idea behind Bell & Ross is that time is essential for professionals working under extreme conditions. Their functional design is inspired by that key instrument used by such professionals: the dashboard.
Function takes precedence over design so that the essential is never compromised by the superfluous. Bell & Ross watches were born out of the company’s passion and obsession for delivering the clearest and most reliable time to professionals.
The brand guarantees its watches’ performances by combining and perfecting four essential design principles in each watch:
•Legibility: Priority in design is given to the clarity of the dial for fast and easy reading.
•Functionality: Each instrument is designed to provide the user with specific and practical time functions.
•Precision: Made with the most rigorous and traditional Swiss technology to guarantee the most accurate time.
•Reliability: Built with military specifications to endure the most extreme circumstances in water, air or land.
All the watches adhere to strict military specifications, being today the official supplier of watches for:
•Airforce pilots
•Elite police
•Anti-mine military squads
•Submariners
•Space Lab Mission
The Bell & Ross BR01 instrument started with a simple idea: to turn a cockpit instrument panel clock into a wristwatch. “To create the BR 01,” says Carlos Rosillo, Bell & Ross CEO, “our designers took their inspiration from aeronautic instrumentation, an absolute reference as far as readability, reliability and performance are concerned.”
Available in a number of versions depending on the mechanism’s functionality (chronograph, large date, power reserve, tourbillon) the materials and finishing of the base (steel, titanium, carbon, gold), the colors of the dial (white, black, orange, blue) the BR 01 Instrument watch has become an icon watch to the greatest delight of collectors of limited series and fine watchmaking.
“The Instrument BR 01 Airborne One is a unique version of the Airborne Talisman watch,” says Rosillo. “The BR 01 Airborne, in its original black carbon version, was developed to honor the courageous soldiers who fought during World War II, particularly the paratroopers of the US Airborne divisions. The skull was one of the emblems they wore on their uniforms as a symbol of courage in the face of death.”
For Only Watch 09, Bell & Ross have created a new Airborne One model, a unique piece entirely set with black and white diamonds. The subtle black diamonds covering the case are contrasted with the glittering white diamonds on the dial resulting in a fantastic display of artistry. With the fusion of materials, techniques and play on light, the military symbol flirts with high fashion jewelry to give an exceptional result.
Bell & Ross chose this model as a strong symbol to represent the risks, courage, and ironwill that children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy face every day.
“We support Only Watch in its incredible fundraising efforts in the fight against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy,” says Rosillo. “This year the brand will join forces with the Only Watch project and participate in this great endeavor to help children suffering from this disease. Our commitment to help has resulted in the design of this exclusive watch.”
The Bell & Ross BR-01 Insturment starts at $3500…The Custom BR-01 for the Only Watch Auction? Eh, we’re guessing about $60k – $100k

YOUNG BERG GETS SOCKED IN THE HEAD!

FAME KILLS TOUR

The Fame Kills Tour Club is pleased to announce that tickets and VIP packages will be available for the Fame Kills Tour: Starring Kanye West & Lady Gaga! Fame Kills Tour Club members will get exclusive access to presale tickets and VIP packages before they go on sale to the public! Interested in becoming a member? JOIN HERE!

To check when presales start for a particular concert, please see the start date displayed in the "TOUR CLUB PRESALE" and "VIP PACKAGES" columns next to the shows listed below. Please note all presales start at 10AM (local time) on the date specified below.

To participate in any of these presales, simply log-in to your Fame Kills Tour Club account, pick up your passcode, and click on the link displayed in the "TOUR CLUB PRESALE" or "VIP PACKAGES" column next to the show of your choice (while the presale is active). After you click on the link, you will be directed to the ticket vendor's website, where you may be asked to enter your passcode (please note the presales for certain shows do not require a passcode to be entered) before you can select the number of presale tickets/VIP packages you would like to purchase. Please note each Fame Kills Tour Club member is allowed to purchase up to 4 presale tickets or VIP packages total per membership year.

Learn more about the benefits of joining the Fame Kills Tour Club by CLICKING HERE! Please carefully read our TERMS AND CONDITIONS. Questions? Check out our FAQ SECTION or feel free to CONTACT US.

COMPLEX IS SINGLE-HANDEDLY REVOLUTIONIZING THE ART OF THE MAGAZINE COVER!

TONIGHT: Michael Moore

He took on America's health care system! Now he's taking aim at capitalism in his most controversial movie...yet? Love him or hate him - Michael Moore for the hour!

Tonight, 9pm ET!

AND NOW 50!

YOU BE THE JUDGE!!!

Jay-Z might’ve brushed off Kanye’s stage bum-rush, but when it came to Lil’ MaMa’s ignorant move…he was not feeling it all. Despite putting on the mean grill and giving her the ill side-eye, Jay-Z kept his cool on stage. But backstage was a totally different story…
According to NYDailyNews, a backstage snitch claims,
“He went ballistic. He was screaming at the MTV producers about the lack of security. He apparently thought at first she was just a fan. Beyoncé finally calmed him down.”

5 ways to meet someone this fall: A back-to-school special

5 ways to meet someone this fall: A back-to-school special


Yes, you just spent nine hundred dollars on textbooks, but the girl at the cash register might want to date you!

By Caitlin Gray



The leaves are changing, the air is getting crisper - or if you go to school in Arizona, it’s dropping from 115 degrees to a cool 105, in any case, it’s back to school time. It’s a time for fresh starts, new classes, and, wouldn’t you know it, some amazing opportunities to meet some girls and guys! Let College News be your guide.

How to meet someone special this fall (I know meeting the partial cast of Twilight Comic-Con was also special, but we mean people at your school):

1. Reconnect with old flames

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and, if summer was the culprit separating you from someone you like, the fall is the perfect time to re-establish a romance. Arrange a time to get together and “catch-up,” even if you sort of mean “hook-up” at the same time. Chances are, they are equally excited to see you again as well.

2. Introduce yourself to potential class crushes

Ah, the tradition of a new class, and a new crush. How many times did I scan the room for that special guy I would obsess over throughout the semester? Occasionally, obsession would turn into an actual real-life relationship!

I remember Jared, a super cute musician who I gawked at for weeks in our Linguistics class. It was actually called, “Morphology.” Somehow, I managed to become partners with him for a big project. We gave a presentation together, and then ended up dating for three racy, lip-locked months! You never know what a class crush could “morph” into. Sorry, bad joke.

3. BFF your new neighbors

There is nothing more fun in college than your house full of people becoming BFF’s with your neighbors’ house full of people. My two best friends, Willa and Michelle, lived in a house right next door to a bunch of guys. Everyone bonded at a back-to-school block party, and after a few years, and and a few Melrose Place moments, Willa and Michelle married Jake and Jeremy, two of the boys living in that house! Go ahead, borrow a cup of sugar, be bold, be neighborly!

4. Take advantage of back-to-school banter

Let’s say you are biding your time in the snaking, unreal, super-long line at the bookstore. That’s a perfect opportunity to start some small talk with the people around you. At the start of the school year, we are sharing so many common experiences - the nightmare of desperately trying to add an in-demand class, laughing out loud in a silent computer lab at the latest viral video, tripping over the crazy bricks in your school’s giant square. There are icebreakers all around you! You just have to be brave and take a chance to make that connection.

5. Crazy theme parties

When in doubt, throw a party. Now, it sounds dirty, but it was really meant to be funny, and it ended up being hilarious; my roommates and I threw a “two article of clothing party.” My roommate, Jesse, actually wore a pair of snake pants (borrowed from me) and a wig. I was just thinking about them the other day. I had to dress up for an ‘80s party and I wondered, “I did dry-clean those, right?”

Needless to say, I wore an alternative outfit rather than risk it. The point is, you can have a crazy party that ton of people, and potential dates, can talk about for years afterwards. Have a celebrity party, a Double Dare party, a historical Halloween party, whatever. Just get creative and live it up.

College years are some of the best years of our lives, and fall has to be one of the best seasons - especially for meeting someone special. Good luck and happy dating!

For more information go to http://www.collegenews.com/index.php?/dating/5_ways_to_meet_someone_this_fall_a_back_to_school_special_3295746363/

Race and Politics in the Age of Obama

Article copied from http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/17/criticism.racism/index.html where more information can be found.


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Race and politics are a combustible combo that explodes into headlines when an ex-president lights the fuse, as Jimmy Carter did recently.


President Obama during the 2008 campaign faced questions over race and politics.

"When a radical fringe element of demonstrators and others begin to attack the president of the United States as an animal or as a reincarnation of Adolf Hitler or when they wave signs in the air that said we should have buried Obama with Kennedy, those kinds of things are beyond the bounds," the Democrat told students at Emory University on Wednesday.

"I think people who are guilty of that kind of personal attack against Obama have been influenced to a major degree by a belief that he should not be president because he happens to be African-American," he added.

The controversy erupted this week when Carter first raised the race issue to NBC.

"An overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man," he said.

Bill Cosby, a black comedian and actor, said Wednesday in a written statement that he agrees with Carter.

"During President Obama's speech on the status of health care reform, some members of Congress engaged in a public display of disrespect," he said.

CNN contributor David Gergen said that some of the allegations of race-baiting might have some weight among Democratic voters.

"Jimmy Carter, I'm afraid, is not alone in his views," he said.

But Gergen warns that the racists tend to be on the fringes of the right and do not reflect on the greater field of opponents to Obama's ideology.

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Carter again cites racism as factor in Obama's treatment
"But I think it's wrongheaded, and I think it's unfair, and I think it's indeed a libel upon many of the opponents, most of the opponents of health care reform, to say that they're racist," he said. "Seven previous presidents have tried to bring health care reforms of this kind. All seven have failed. And, as I recall, all seven were white."

Carter's comments, though, are the kind that raise people's defenses. In particular, they turn off independents, who by nature tend to hate the hard edges of politics.

The White House, for its part, wants no part of the Carter controversy.

"The president does not believe that that criticism comes based on the color of his skin," said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.

As a candidate, Obama understood the political danger in letting his race become a major topic. He largely avoided it when he could, but race was always a subtext, as it is now in his presidency.

"But I can also say, frankly, that this White House and even his campaign were very afraid to even go down this road dealing with anything with race," said CNN contributor Roland Martin.

Carter also told NBC that there is an "inherent feeling among many people in this country that an African-American ought not to be president and ought not to be given the same respect as if he were white."

Framing criticism as racism cropped up several times during the campaign.

When Geraldine Ferraro, a Clinton supporter, said during the 2008 Democratic primaries that Obama would never have gotten as far as he had if he had not been black, candidate Obama pointedly left race out of it.

"I think that her comments were ridiculous," Obama said at the time.

But Ferraro blamed Obama supporters for her hate mail, saying "I have been called all kinds of names. And the attacks are ageist. They're sexist. They're racist." iReport.com: Freedom from speech?

And the topic of race even came to haunt Bill Clinton, the so-called first black president.

Before the New Hampshire primary in January 2008, Clinton told an audience that "there's no difference in [Obama's] voting record and Hillary's ever since. Give me a break. This whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I have ever seen."

Some interpreted that as belittling Obama's campaign. After much criticism, Clinton later said he was talking about Obama's opposition to the war in Iraq, not his campaign.

But those two words -- "fairy tale" -- launched weeks worth of accusations, sometimes on the front page of The New York Times, that the Clintons were playing the race card. iReport.com: Share your thoughts on race and politics

Some observers said Carter's statement was far too broad, and that many of the attacks on Obama are about policy, not race.

"I don't think one can paint a broad brush in saying that all of these folks who have criticism, anybody who criticizes the president ... is based upon the issue of race," Martin said.


Mary Matalin, a CNN contributor and Republican strategist, said Carter's criticism is "absurd."

"It's very dangerous politics," she said. "Barack Obama got, in the last election, more white male voters than any of his predecessors. ... Republicans and conservatives and Democrats and liberals, the whole country felt very good putting -- setting aside policies after his election."

LMAO STOLEN FROM YEEZY'S SITE BUT THIS IS FUNNYYYY

Lil Wayne To Appear In VH1's 'Behind The Music' Weezy 'has all the requisite drama in his life' for the show, a VH1 exec says.

Lil Wayne's star-studded turn from rapper to rocker is going well: Not only is his first rock single, "Prom Queen," picking up steam, the Cash Money star will get the royal rock treatment with his very own VH1 "Behind the Music" episode.

The network announced on Thursday (March 19) that the seminal documentary program will be relaunched, and Lil Wayne and Scott Weiland have already signed on.

Plans call for the new incarnation of "Behind the Music" to focus more on contemporary artists than the veteran talent of previous incarnations — after all, with 200 previous episodes, the show has covered a majority of iconic talent. And according to Rick Krim, executive vice president of talent and music programming at VH1, a number of superstars have emerged since 2004 that deserve the "BTM" treatment.

"We had to rethink a little bit and look at these current artists that are really big stars now, and maybe it isn't the classic rise and fall," Krim told MTV News on Thursday. "There's the classic 'Behind the Music' arc, but in this crop we wanted to get some artists that were on top of their game now instead of looking back. And also, just because their big stars now doesn't mean they necessarily have a great 'Behind the Music' kind of story.

"From our research, [Lil Wayne] certainly does. From the fact that when he was a kid he accidentally shot himself and almost died at age 12 while playing with a gun, he went through Katrina, he has [a possible stint in] jail pending. He has all the requisite drama in his life, which I think ultimately makes for the great story. The fact that he's one of the biggest stars out there makes it the right combination that we're looking for.

The revamped "Behind The Music" is set to debut in July. As of press time, the air date for Lil Wayne's episode has not been scheduled.

I GOTTA GET INTO BOWTIES MAN... (HYPEBEAST)

American fashion designer and former creative director of Gucci, Tom Ford is a creator who likes mixing printed matters and styles. Ford has recently become known as a pioneer of taking clothes that are perhaps no longer worn and giving them a contemporary twist. This time around Ford has created two colourways of the classic Silk Bow Tie which adds to his Autumn/Winter collection for ’09. The ties use black white and grey patterns over a chunky looking bow. For those of you who are feeling this piece but aren’t sure how to tie it, fear not, it’s a clip on! Both colourways are now available at colette.

Jay-Z on T-Pain // Oprah

SHAQ VS DELAHOYA

AS WE ALL KNOW, I LOVE ART. WHOEVER DID THIS FLYER IS VERY MUCH TALENTED!

2009 Summer Movie Wrap-Up Omar returns to break down the summer slate…

by Omar Mazariego

May
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
A decade after the first full-length X-Men film, the fans finally got what they were waiting for: Wolverine’s solo movie. And like the rest of the hood, I saw this on the bootleg that had wires on the actor’s backs and was missing CGI effects from entire scenes. Now, if you read the Origin comic books like I did, you’ll notice that the story was tweaked and even rewritten. While Hugh Jackman does Wolverine justice, the movie didn’t. From how he got the name, Logan, to why he really lost his memory, I wasn’t loving the changes at all. Gambit was the biggest disappointment to me. He was my favorite X-Man, but they turned him into a bird in this movie. Dead Pool was weak (I can’t believe they’re giving him his own movie), and what was the point of Will-Am-I-A-Gay-Basher?’s character? (We all know Will ain’t do nothing to Perez personally, but I still find that whole situation extraordinarily incredible.) Liev did his thing as Sabretooth, though; I ain’t taking that from him. Overall I was disappointed, but at the same time I’m glad I ain’t spend no paper to see this mediocrity.
3 Gangstas

Star Trek
Growing up, I was never into Star Trek. I saw a few episodes of “The Next Generation,” but never really got into it or understood why it had such a cult following. But director/producer JJ Abrams is crazy imaginative, so I decided to give this movie a try, and I was as blown away as Kool G Rap during his Karrine Steffans years. The retelling of how Captain James Kirk, Spock, Scotty and Sulu linked up to go where no man has gone before was fantastic. I always assumed they all met at The Blue Oyster from Police Academy fame, but I was wrong. Painting Kirk as a underachieving genius rebel-without-a-cause looking for direction in his life, while Spock was an overachiever way beyond his years (and his peers or elders) but was still conflicted by the simplicity of human and Vulcan emotions, gave the flick intriguing storylines to build around and gave the two main characters more depth than I thought they ever had. Sprinkle in some classic lines like “Damnit, Jim! I’m a doctor, not a scientist,” a hot half-naked green alien, some of the best special effects and action sequences the summer has ever seen, and you have yourself a banger.
4 Gangstas

Angels & Demons
I’ma keep it 100 with this right here: When I went to see this movie, I was with this cute-ass Salvadorian shorty. We was tongue twisting it and just Roman Polansking each other before, during and after the movie. So naturally, halfway through the joint I caught a case of…well, let’s just say you could’ve confused my family jewels with The Heart Of The Ocean from Titanic. It was THAT bad. No lie, I couldn’t enjoy the movie or really pay attention cause I was in major pain like Damon Wayans, feel me? Actually, I hope you don’t and never do. All I know is that Tom Hanks’ wig piece wasn’t as ridiculous as it was in The Da Vinci Code, that someone got branded with an iron, and that people read too much into organized religion. After the movie was over and we walked out, I was “crippin’” so bad that a few Bloods around the way were looking at me sideways when I came through. From what I remember about the movie itself, it was aight. (Same exact story goes for when we went to see Avenue Q. I mean, I think it was a funny play, but man, listen: All I heard was “My Heart Will Go On” and I know damn well Celine Dion wasn’t in that play.) Who knows how many Gangstas. But shorty herself was 4 hardcore Gangstas.

Terminator Salvation
Let’s be real here. Everyone thought that the Terminator without Ahhnold would be like the Packers without Farve. But as fate would have it, Christian Bale turned out to be this franchise’s Aaron Rodgers. Aside from being a far superior actor to the Governator, Christian brought with him that human edge to a franchise built around a robotic apocalypse. In Salvation, the apocalypse has come and gone, but mankind is still beasting it and fighting the good fight for their right to party. John Connor (Bale) is seen by the rebellion as a prophet due to the knowledge he has on the enemy, thanks to his years of preparation through his old earth and personal experiences. But his commanders aren’t exactly praising him or his way of handling things and see him as the second coming of David Koresh. His hatred from the enemy is compromised when he meets a machine with the heart and mind of a man who is looking for answers himself. Now he has to make a decision: Does he side with the half man-half machine or does he sign with the New York Knicks? Countless free agents can’t be wrong, so he deads Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni’s suspect system to continue his fight against the machines. Also, Terry Crews’ “appearance” in this movie gave new meaning to the phrase “the black guy dies in the first 5 minutes.” Get a new agent, homie. Anyway, a bunch of heavy metal and a naked Ahhhnold lookalikes later, and I was convinced that no one can revive a franchise like Christian Bale can. He’s the LeBron James of Hollywood.
4 Gangstas

Drag Me To Hell
Anyone who knows me knows that I’m all about the horror movie; that’s my favorite genre, hands down. That said, we all know today’s “horror” movies are nothing more than remade or recycled material. But Drag Me To Hell seemed to have a new kind of spin for the current day and age. After an old gypsy loses her home to foreclosure (so real it’s already scary), the gypsy places a curse on her loan officer (Alison “No Lips” Lohman), which calls for her to suffer all kinds of mental and physical abuse for a certain amount of time, before the Laima finally drags her body and soul to hell. Lohman seeks help from an curly-haired fortune teller (the curlier the hair the stronger the psychic power — it’s proven science) and an old Latina (big surprise there) who’s done battle with this particular spirit before. She’s also dating the Mac guy (Justin Long), but he’s about as useful as a chastity belt is to Kim Kardashian. This movie was more entertaining and fun than it was scary, but the flick more than held its own. It was clever, creepy and overall disgustingly amusing. Kind of like my ex.
3.5 Gangstas

June
Away We Go
In my personal opinion, the only thing more overrated than this movie is Drake. Critics were hailing Away We Go as one of the best movies of the year and bigging it up like it was a change-the-game flick, but man this movie was a down-head. After an interracial couple (John Krasinski & Maya Rudolph) find out they’re going to have a baby, they start traveling to different states to meet up with old friends in order to get a feel for where the best place to raise their child would be. They soon come to realize that behind the “happiness” seeing friends brings their lives, there remains a canvas of misery. Through their friend’s pains and struggles they learn a thing or two about themselves and the direction they want to take in their life. Some of the dialogue was funny and characters interesting (I thought I couldn’t be less attracted to Maggie Gyllenhaal after Dark Knight. I was wrong), but the movie had too much of a message for my taste. It was just a sad movie. Damn near as sad as the fact that the last movie cast chock-full of Latino stars was Beverly Hills Chihuahua. And yet, they were only used for their voices. Just one long ass Taco Bell commercial.
3 Gangstas

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen
Khalid described this movie as a “top 10 worst of all time.” I have to disagree. I mean Kha’s my muthaf*ckin’ man and I respect his opinion, but at the same time this is the same dude who said Kill Bill was trash. Given that the twin “ghetto” bots were offensive and as stereotypical as the “hoods” that Charles Bronson used to gun down in his Death Wish flicks, that was my only real beef with the movie. I thought the movie was funny, sexy (Megan Fox is wifey), and action packed. Naturally the storyline itself was iffy (Transformers built the pyramids? Since when?), but I’ve been saying that since they announced a sequel was in the works. You knew they were going to bring back Megatron somehow and he’d end up shooting the unfair one with Optimus. It was evident that this was going to be a movie based on more action, explosions and more Megan. And that’s exactly what it was. I don’t know what Kha was expecting, but I was hella entertained when I wasn’t offended by the “ebonics” that the twins were using.
3 Gangstas

July
Public Enemies
The story of John Dillinger and his crew of murderous men seemed like an absolute can’t miss. Especially when it’s starring Johnny Depp (Dillinger) and Christian Bale (Melvin Purvis). But I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed. I can’t put any of the blame on the actors or even the director. But I will place it on the writers. One minute John’s a common criminal doing a bid and the next he’s an infamous bank robber. No build up to his status or anything. Same goes for Bale, who played Purvis. They were just introduced as “them dudes,” na’mean? It was like when the Knicks drafted Fredric Weis. It’s like, “Who the F*UCK is you?!?!” The bank heists and the thrill of the chase scenes were damn entertaining, but at the end of the day, for me it lacked character development. Why were these men the best at what they do? How did John know he had ample time to rob said bank. And what made Purvis that good at tracking down his man? He shot a pretty boy and became famous. I beat up and robbed more pretty boys than Mike Tyson (who wasn’t prettier than him?), where’s my movie? Public Enemies was a cool joint, just not what I had hoped from two of the best actors in the game. Then again it could be worse: it could’ve been Righteous Kill 2.
3.5 Gangstas

Bruno
S. Cohen is a comic genius. I really didn’t think he’d be able to top Borat, but Bruno had me in tears like Stephon Marbury listening to Kirk Franklin. From the way he was freaking off his little lover in the hotel to the “interview” with Harrison Ford, the man had me eating out of his hand, but not in a Republican way. (“Not in a Republican way” is the new “No Homo.”) And the pics he took of Lil OJ? Aw man! I busted a gut cracking up when they showed them joints. While I was caught off guard by the full frontal nudity, it was still hilarious. Definitely one of the funniest flicks I’ve seen in years.
4.5 Gangstas

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
I don’t really keep up with anything British. Ever since my moms bought me a pair of British Knights in 4th grade and I suffered the kind of ridicule and abuse that Mel Gibson would’ve made a movie out of and blamed the Jews for, I swore off anything from “Great” Britain. So as far as the Harry books and flicks, it’s whatever to me. None of the movies or books really caught my attention. I saw this joint with L-Boogie at the Ziegfeld and it was cool for the most part, I guess. Harry catches a quick case of Jungle Fever; then son discovers a textbook that used to belong to the wizard formerly known as the Half-Blood Prince, which makes him a better but more dangerous magician; then he catches a body in the bathroom (not in a Republican way though, he’s not Bruno), and was ultimately betrayed by someone who he ain’t really like anyway. I don’t understand how everyone tries to kill each other with a magic wand and spells and sh*t. Tell Voldemort to send me a kite along with a magical shank — I’ll gets the job done. All in all, it was a cool movie, but in more of a cute Narnia way than in a g’d up Lord of the Rings way.
3.5 Gangstas

Funny People
When I first heard that Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen were making a movie together, I thought I was in for something funnier than Paris Hilton when she was being driven back to jail. But the story of a famous comedian (Sandler) who makes a return to stand-up after learning that he was battling a life threatening illness was as boring as Stephon Marbury’s talk show “Stars on Stars.” It’s bad when the funniest guy in a movie starring Sandler and Rogen is none other than The Ruler Zig-Zag-Zig Allah (aka RZA; his “Seinfeld” comments in the flick were fantastic). In this movie, Sandler hires Rogen to help him write material for his stand-up comeback, and in doing so, the two end up becoming close and affect each others lives in ways that…man, I don’t know. The sh*t was kind of wack. It was 2 hours and change of mediocre jokes, soul searching and making amends. Reminded me of this ghetto ass intervention I took part in years ago. It went from nearly becoming a free-for-all to almost turning into an orgy, but that’s nether here no there. The title of this movie was as misleading as The Neverending Story, dunn.
2.5 Gangstas

August
GI Joe
Yeeaaah riiiiiiiiight…

District 9
Two words: interspecies prostitution. Six syllables: In-Fu*k-In-Cre-di-Ble! You have to love the idea of the UN helping malnourished illegal aliens (Prawns) from another planet, meanwhile they won’t even look out for illegal aliens from earth. It was like the UN discovered a UFO filled with two million Elian Gonzalez’s from another world, except in the end they were treated better than he was. In D9, aliens accidentally land on earth in the ‘80s and have been living amongst us since. Shot documentary-style for the most part (the latest Hollywood fad), District 9 revolves around this fake-ass Steve Carrell named Wikus, who’s placed in charge of giving the aliens their eviction notices and moving them from District 9 to District 10. During a raid of one of the alien shacks he discovers a device and ends up getting prematurely sprayed on. The effects begin immediately and his body begins to mutate into that of a Prawn from space. Now on the run, the Government and a neighborhood Suge Knight wants his blood for the same reason: operating alien weaponry. Wikus’s only hope of curing himself lies in the hands and technology of the very Prawn he was trying to evict (that was kind of predictable, wasn’t it?). I thought D9 was a good look at society’s class systems and discrimination of the very people they exploit. Sort of like whoever greenlit Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Not to mention the graphic scenes where aliens and people were torn apart. That was just off the hook. You can never have too much blood and guts being spilled in a movie.
4 Gangstas

Inglourious Basterds
I was watching the classic film From Dusk Till Dawn the other night (I can’t go to sleep unless I watch some kind of horror movie before knocking out), and I realized that Quentin Tarantino and I have a lot in common. I, too, would let Salma Hayek quench my thirst for freakiness by letting her stick her foot in my mouth and pouring liquor down her leg. Not to mention the kind of things we think of. From the conversation about Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” in Reservoir Dogs to the true meaning of a foot massage in Pulp Fiction to the comparison of how people view a rat to a squirrel in Basterds, me and son really are on the same wavelength when it comes observations that your everyday “politically correct” person wouldn’t make. So naturally I’m a fan of this man’s demented and graphic dialogue and visions of violence. Now his manic imagination takes a shot at rewriting history. Inglourious Basterds takes us into an alternate World War II, where eight proud Jewish men led by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) are dropped into the middle of Nazi occupied France with one mission: kill as many Nazis as possible and get at Hitler and his top lieutenants. With no remorse, they bat down, brand, stab, suffocate, gun down and ultimately scalp Nazis (Mel Gibson must be pissed!). While it was as graphic as QT could get on screen, I was expecting more blood and guts than what I got. I mean I’ve “witnessed” a few dudes in my time get their heads cracked with bats and golf clubs, and it was a lot more sloppy and gruesome than what I saw in IB. Plus, I was surprised that QT didn’t take this opportunity to make fun of Hitler’s rumored homosexuality. But I did appreciate the crazy dialogue, accents, violence and even the chummy nicknames like “Bear Jew,” “Jew Hunter” and “Little Man.” But after concurring with my degenerate associates over a bottle of hardcore liquor that was made in Flaco’s bath tub, we concluded that there should’ve been a gay Jew played by Jon Lovitz (God knows he needs a paycheck) who would have sodomize the branded survivors and left them with a story to never tell, American Me style. “Don’t scream. You might like it.” If you ever hear someone tell you that, you can bet your sweet ass you’re gonna scream and you’re not gonna like it.
4 Gangstas

THROWBACK JAY IN THE BASEMENT

NEW DIDDY / DIRTY MONEY JOINT

Diddy's Group Dirty Money Releases "Angels" Music Video from the.LIFE Files on Vimeo.

SLAM Presents The Kick of the Day: Clae Russell

FRATBOYZ WEBSITE. CHECK EM OUT!

JAY-Z COMMERCIAL

FOR MY WRITERS. PICK THIS UP!

AND YOU THOUGHT YOU HAD A CHIP ON YOUR SHOULDER...

CLOCK IS TOO CRAAAAAZY

CANT WAIT FOR THIS!!!

No single? No leaks? No video? No problem! Here's Sigel's artwork and tracklist for his upcoming album, The Focus. I'm willing to forgive Beans for that debacle last go around. But then again, I have less compassion than your average blawga.

1. Broad Street Bully
2. All In
3. Shot Em Up
4. Death Follows Me
5. Phili (w/ Freeway & Young Chris)
6. Ready For War (w/ Freeway & Young Chris)
7. Point The Finger (w/ Young Chris)
8. Get Back To Rap (w/ Young Neef)
9. I’m Sicker (w/ Freeway)
10. What Are We Doing Here
11. Going Through The Emotions
12. You Over Did It
13. Why Shouldn't I

HHNM

HOT!!!

NBA 2K10 Signature Play Trailer - Kobe Bryant x Kanye West from DP on Vimeo.

HOT!!!

NBA 2K10 Signature Play Trailer - Kobe Bryant x Kanye West from DP on Vimeo.

DAAAAAAAMN! THIS IS TOO CRAZY. SOMEBODY POSTED THIS VIA TWITPIC

HEADED TO PICK THIS UP NOOOOWWWWWWW

I CAN'T WAIT TIL THIS COMES OT THE CRIB

DRAKE: "FOREVER" FEAT KANYE, EMINEM & WEEZY

RUN THIS TOWN - Jay-Z feat Kanye / Rihanna

Jay-Z |MTV Music

SLAM Adventures: The WNBA In which we figure out what makes the WNBA tick.

by John Krolik / @johnkrolik

Pre-Game

So here’s why I ended up spending much of my Tuesday night watching the Chicago Sky play the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. First of all, I miss basketball. I’m sick of trade rumors, signings, salary cap restrictions, Twitter controversies, all the things that we attempt to satisfy our desperate need for basketball with. Second of all, I’ve always been curious about the WNBA. Third of all, the tickets were free, and the stadium is a 15-minute, 25-cent bus ride from my house. And it was a Tuesday night. Really, why wouldn’t I have gone?

And this wasn’t just any WNBA team that was sitting 15 minutes away from me. This is the Sparks. They’ve got Lisa Leslie, the Olympic hero who also happens to probably be the best basketball player to ever attend my beloved school. They’re the two-time WNBA champions. (Although they only get one banner for their accomplishments, while the L.A. Kings get a separate banner for their division championship.)

And of course, there’s Candace Parker. Los Angeles basketball fans like to argue about who the best basketball player in the world is. Do you want the most beautifully refined skill-set in the league, or someone with the athletic gifts to change the game entirely? Do you want someone who has mastered the demands of their position better than any other player, or someone with the ability to make an impact at any position? Do you want someone who exists as a perfect basketball player, or a player who redefines what a basketball player is capable of being? Generally, this is what frames the argument over the best player in the NBA. But the argument could just as easily be translated into the best player who calls the Staples Center their home. Kobe’s dropped my jaw countless times in Staples — on a quiet Tuesday night in August, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see the flip side of that coin.

The Game Itself

The women come out for warmups, and I can say this much — when the women take elbow jumpers, they really do seem more fundamentally sound than the guys do. The elbows are in, they go straight up every time, and they drain the 15-footers with stunning regularity. The results aren’t nearly as good when they start taking deeper jumpers, but it’s clear that the WNBA really does feature more players who truly understand how the mid-range J is meant to be shot.

I’ll also say this for the women — it’s really, really, really hard not to love any women’s team sport when you see the genuine team spirit and affection the players have for one another just before they come out. The Sparks show the team’s in-tunnel warmup ritual just before they come out, and it’s impossible not to crack a smile when you see just how much these women love what they do for a living, and how much they love playing with each other.

On the Sparks’ first possession of the game, they find Candace Parker on a block-to-block move from the weak side for an easy layup. Absolutely beautiful basketball.

In the early going, the plan appears to be putting CP on the weak side and letting the game come to her — when the ball does go to her, she immediately gets doubled, and the Sparks can’t make the Sky pay when they rotate to the weak-side.

On the other side, Candace Dupree of the Sky gets the ball in the “Malone Post,” faces up, and puts an absolutely shocking one-dribble spin to the cup, only to be met by Lisa Leslie, who turns her away with a crushing weak-side rejection.

The Sky keep going back to Dupree, though, and the results are good. Dupree is extremely impressive to watch — she’s got power forward height, but she’s fast and strong like a wing player, and she’s taking the ball to the cup with purpose over and over again and finding success. Basically, imagine if Josh Smith had serious ball skills and and a high basketball IQ. And, you know, was a woman.

The Sparks are having some serious trouble getting their offense going — they got a basket on their first possession, but their second basket doesn’t come until Lisa Leslie scores on a post-up halfway through the quarter.

Parker comes back into the game after an extremely early rest and starts to get her team going. She gets the ball in the Malone-post and drives for an unstoppable layup. She gets a rebound, dribbles the length of the court, crosses over at the three-point line, and explodes for another basket. Then she goes back to being a big and get a bucket on a weak-side show.

By the way, if you think women fans don’t get mad over a referee’s calls, all I can tell you is that you are extremely wrong.

Lisa Leslie is still a pleasure to watch work down low — she’s long and lanky down there, and has every move in the book, backing down with strength, getting in her comfort zone, and pulling out a beautiful fadeaway for the basket. Watching her and CP3 work the high-low post is absolutely wonderful to watch — if Gasol and Bynum can get this kind of mojo going on the same floor when they change the logos, the Lakers are going to be even better, frighteningly enough. And defensively, Leslie has quick feet and amazing shot-blocking ability once she gets to her spot-this is her last year, but if she wanted to she could play for as long as she wants. Fight On, Lisa.

The Sparks rebound from their dismal 11-point showing in the first quarter, and go into the locker room with only a 32-27 deficit.

In the first half, Candace Dupree’s lithe power moves from the high-post were threatening to steal the show, but in the second she gets bottled up by some swarming defense. Meanwhile, Candace Parker is showing why she’s one of the three best basketball players in the world, period.

The Sparks tie the game on Parker finishing a backdoor feed. Then she posts up in the low block and dumps in a lefty hook before the double can get there. Then, to cap it all off, CP3 takes a rebound all the way up the floor and finds Leslie on a no-look dime for some free throws.

Basically, if you love basketball, there’s no excuse for not closely watching Candace Parker do her thing over the course of a game. LeBron might even be a restrictive comparison — she’s got the same shocking athleticism and versatility on a relative scale, but because of the parameters of the women’s game she needs more fundamental skill to compliment that ability. Her midpost game is as advanced and dominant as anyone on the men’s scale, and she combines that with her ability to play like a wing despite her size — think Pau Gasol’s refined dominance with Lamar Odom’s versatility and explosiveness thrown in.

In the fourth, Parker puts the game away with a drive along the baseline from the three-point line to a lefty finish and a subsequent driving, floating bank shot. At this point, she had 21 and 7 on 10-12 shooting from the floor. Whoa. And by the way, in person she couldn’t be nicer or more composed. Some people are just unfair. (Even with fresh, gigantic scratches clearly visible on her arms. Don’t think there are easy baskets to be had in the WNBA.)

So, what did I learn from this foray into the highest levels of women’s basketball? First off, don’t let all the jazz about how the women’s game is a fundamental, almost Marxist affair on the court fool you — this is just as much of a league of stars as the NBA. The division between the money players and the role players might be even more pronounced than it is on the men’s side of things, and the stars are just as impressive to watch. Watching Dupree explode from the high-post and look at once forceful and serpentine as she got an and one, Leslie work like a professor in the paint at both ends of the floor, and Candace Parker do just about everything that can be done with a basketball is just as impressive as watching the LeBrons, Wades, and Kobes of this world, believe me.

The other lesson, and this is one that could inform how we watch the men’s game, is that the WNBA really is a bastion of all the skills that many have lamented no longer exist in the men’s game — post moves, floaters, bank shots, mid-range jumpers, weak-side feeds, ball rotation, flex sets that take three screens and five passes before a good shot. But it’s also apparent that women utilize all of these things because they’re forced to — as beautiful as a made basket ends up looking in the women’s pro game, it cannot be ignored that the baskets also come far less frequently. The women can’t explode to the rack or drain three-pointers as well as the guys can, so they’ve been forced to adapt with mid-range strategies. The mid-range game in the NBA is a casualty of logic — dunks and threes are the focus in the NBA because they work, to put it simply. The WNBA game is wonderful to watch because the women have to show the kind of ingenuity and perseverance to get buckets that was necessary in the NBA’s early days, but it should be realized that the nostalgia for these skills in the NBA game is what it is — a desire for strategy to take a step backwards on the macro level, even if the game appears dumbed-down on the micro level.

But all in all, given the eye-popping ability of the stars, the beauty of watching chalkboard basketball work, and how much fun it is to watch these women play the game, I couldn’t recommend the WNBA more highly as something to tide over die-hards until the regular season begins.

John Krolik is a Junior at USC studying creative writing and the author of Cavs: The Blog.

PEEDIBLOOG 7: CONTINENTAL P

FOR MY FILM MAKERS. HERE'S A BONE (PAUSE) LMAO

KICKS 12: On Sale Now! Russ gives the Rookie of the Year front-page shine.

by Russ Bengtson

A few weeks ago, I landed at LAX, picked out my Hyundai rental at Alamo (one with Cali plates—I ain’t stupid), and was in the In N Out Burger drive-through on Sepulveda within a half-hour of deplaning. My priorities might be crooked in other areas, but I know exactly what to do when I find myself in Los Angeles.

But if this is about double-doubles, it’s not about the one I ate (Animal style, with fries and a Coke) on the grass directly under the LAX landing pattern. Rather it’s—warning, awkward transition ahead!—the 10 double-doubles the Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose stacked last year en route to winning the Rookie of the Year in a rout. Derrick was out in Cali for adidas’ annual Super Shoot, and we followed close behind to get our own shots for the cover you see here.

Why, you may ask, are we putting someone on the cover of KICKS who doesn’t even have a signature shoe? A fair question. Were this a different time—and were adidas a different company—D. Rose would undoubtedly have his own model. But somehow this seems more right. More fitting. Derrick readily admits to not even wanting to watch his own highlights dating back to his Memphis days, and apparently feels more comfortable discussing his failures than his successes.

For example, check out these two exchanges from our post-shoot Q&A:

KICKS: What was the switch like from the regular season to the Playoffs?
ROSE: A whole other level. Every possession counts. Turnovers, everything counts. In the Playoffs, you can’t mess up, really.

KICKS: And you were going against the defending champs.
ROSE: Yeah, it was fun. It was real fun.

Compare that with this:

KICKS: Who were the toughest guys you went against?
ROSE: Everybody. Oh, growing up? You’re talking like in high school? AAU? Something like that?

KICKS: Yeah, high school, AAU, even playground.
ROSE: Who was the toughest player? Man, the only person that really served me, like really really served me, I don’t even know this boy name. I just know he go to Montana. He probably a senior this year, he probably a senior, and I was young and playin’ up, that’s what you’re supposed to do. It was some boy, he was from Minnesota, he played for a Minnesota team, they came into Chicago, and I was playin’ up. And he served me, I can’t lie.

KICKS: He was another point guard?
ROSE: He had to be a two guard the way he was shootin’. I wanted to check the best player on the floor, so I was checkin’ him. It seemed he wasn’t missin’. He had to have 30-somethin’, 40 points or something like that. I don’t know his name, but I know he goes to Montana.

This was literally the most animated Rose got during our whole talk—speaking about some unnamed kid who busted him up a long time ago. Playing the defending champion Celtics in the playoffs? Meh. Getting lit up by some nameless kid from Minnesota? He’d talk about that all day if you let him.

Well, and if he didn’t have to go get ready for the ESPYs. (For the record, I looked up the current Montana AND Minnesota rosters when I got back to my hotel, and couldn’t find anyone who fit the description. So, if you’re a guy from Montana or Minnesota who lit up Derrick Rose a long time ago, let us know.)

The question of whether or not Rose would want a signature shoe went unasked, but still got answered. In every sense, Rose seems happier being part of a team. There’s probably a part of him that feels uncomfortable just being on this cover alone.

But we’re glad he’s there.

[For so much more from Derrick and Russ, not to mention great features on the likes of Brandon Jennings, Nate Robinson and the Jordan Brand's new retro plans, as well as hundreds of great shoes, pick up your copy as soon as you see it! Or, if you aren't already a SLAM subscriber, sign up now and we'll send you KICKS for free.—Ed.]