It's been quite some time since I last updated One Mere Thought, I guess life got in the way of my thoughts and ability to write them down...I have also been considering the content which I will post in the future. This remains a mystery, as my musical interests conflict with my thoughts focusing on marketing and social media.
Rather than rambling just now, I wanted to bring One Mere Thought back to life with an appreciation post. Following the release of a new visual yesterday, Ryan Leslie appears to be looking forward to the release of his third studio album, Les is More. The video takes viewers back to Ryan's early days, with a behind the scenes look at the creation of the future single, Beautiful Lie.
With a little tribute to Steve Jobs, Ryan Leslie explains the reasoning behind leaving his major record deal behind, instead approaching things with his own beliefs, cutting out the music label restrictions. Double E's and a Gullwing...I want to be in Paris when they shoot this.
Following tweets from Ryan, and his sideman Evan Rogers, it appears like we might be in for a number of treats from the NextSelection camp. Until then, take a look through his YouTube channel to watch him in action, while I've posted some of my personal favourites below, including his latest production work with Red Cafe and Rick Ross.
New York's recent Fashion Night Out saw the exclusive unveiling of Surface to Air's much hyped collaboration with rapper and actor Scott Mescudi aka KiD CuDi. Not contempt with releasing two men's and two women's leather jackets for the collaboration, Surface to Air teamed up with Jeremie Rozan to direct a mini-film for Cudi's 'Mr. Rager'. The dark video portrays the lyrics from the Emile and No I.D. produced track, while also heavily featuring the collaboration jacket throughout.
Along with showcasing the Mr. Rager video, attendees to S2A's night were amongst the first to preview the brand's new retail space in New York. Based on Mercer Street, the store was designed by Frederico Masotto, and opened to the public the following day, September 9th. Stocking mens, womens, and kids collections, visitors will also be able to check out Scott's range, along with the video on a big screen in store. If you can't make it to the New York store, check out the video below, and for images from the store, and of the collaboration range, check out the Surface To Air blog.
Having been away from One Mere Thought for a while, I have struggled to find the time or the inspiration to share something new and ensure this blog remains relevant and interesting. While many of the past posts have covered music, many of which now are inactive due to copyright issues and such, I figured it was time to upload something else, particularly as I've not seen much inspiring or great music content over the past month.
I uncovered this latest update over on the Billionaire Boys Club blog, one of the daily blog sites I check for news and stories. It often has updates which interest me greatly and inspire me, like the latest documentary featuring none other than Pharrell Williams. The five part documentary, brought to life by Palladium Boots, features a number of creatives including Verbal, Yoon, Yuka Uchida, Kunichi Nomura, Akashi Oda, and Chim Pom. Each of those in the documentary shine some light on the recent devastation brought by the earthquakes and tsumani of 3-11. While the effects were devastating, the positivity throughout Japan is clear to see, as those within the documentary describe the strengths of the country and how they are moving onwards and upwards after the tragedy. Directed by Thalia Mavros, you can watch the five part documentary below.
Watch The Throne, the highly anticipated collaborative album from Jay-Z and Kanye West was released exclusively to iTunes today, showcasing the talents of two of the greatest rappers in the game right now. The album features production from The Neptunes, RZA, No I.D., Swizz Beatz and more, along with guest features from Beyonce, Frank Ocean and Mr. Hudson. While the album may be available for download now, the physical CD is not available until August 12th, so if you are like me and have pre-ordered the album, you'll have to wait till Friday to hear it...unless...you check out the full stream of the album below (minus the bonus tracks). From a couple plays I'm really feeling Lift Off with Beyonce, as well as the Cassius sampled Why I Love You, although I was slightly surprised to only see the one Neptunes produced track.
Anyway, check out the full streaming below, thanks to Hypebeast for the player!
1. No Church In The Wild f. Frank Ocean (prod. Kanye West, Mike Dean & Ken Lewis)
2. Lift Off f. Beyoncé (prod. Kanye West, Mike Dean, Jeff Bhasker, Q-Tip & Don Jazzy; Additional Vocals by Seal, Mr Hudson, Don Jazzy, Bankulli & Ricardo Louis)
3. Ni**as In Paris (prod. Hit-Boy)
4. Otis f. Otis Redding (prod. Kanye West)
5. Gotta Have It (prod. The Neptunes)
6. New Day (prod. The RZA)
7. That’s My Bi**h (prod. Q-Tip & Kanye West)
8. Who Gon’ Stop Me (prod. Sham “Sak Pase” Joseph & Kanye West)
9. Murder To Excellence (prod. Swizz Beatz & Symbolyc One)
10. Welcome To The Jungle (prod. Swizz Beatz)
11. Made In America f. Frank Ocean (prod. Sham “Sak Pase” Joseph)
12. Why I Love You f. Mr Hudson (prod. Mike Dean & Kanye West)
13. Illest Motherf*cker Alive (prod. Southside & Kanye West) *
14. H*A*M (prod. Lex Luger & Kanye West) *
15. Primetime (prod. No I.D.) *
16. The Joy f. Curtis Mayfield (prod. Pete Rock & Kanye West) *
* – Bonus Tracks
While I've already stumbled across numerous blogs with inactive links and UMG have hadYouTube remove the documentary, there are a couple of video links with the documentary video for Jay-Z and Kanye West's joint project, Watch The Throne. Although this might only remain online for a few hours, hopefully some of you get the chance to watch it.
The documentary, rumoured to be included with the deluxe edition of the much anticipated Watch The Throne, takes viewers out to Australia to gain a little insight on the making of the album. While we don't get to see any real studio material, we get to hear a few clips of tracks, and the Beyonce featured track at the end of the ten minute documentary sounds incredible. While Jay brought Kanye in to music, acting as Ye's mentor, it is evident they are both amongst the best in music right now and their work is ethic is incredible, referencing Michael Jackson shows their passion and desire to be the best.
"I want to know what they were saying when they made Thriller in the studio"
While Russell Crowe makes a cameo in the documentary, it's interesting to see Ryan Leslie appearing in the same scene. Also hearing Cassius' I Love You So, particularly the keyboard breakdown, makes me wonder if they have reworked that for the album, while it's already an incredible track, I'd be fascinated what they could do with the beat of such a crazy song.
Check out the documentary below while it is online, and check out the album stream in the post above this. You can pick the album up now on iTunes, and in physical form from the 12th August.
With his debut album, Timez are Weird These Days, due for release on July 19th, Brooklyn bred Theophilus London has been popping up all over the place with numerous gems to excite fans for Tuesday. The Trinidad-born Theo gets his influences from a range of genres, mainly, hip-hop, R&B, electro, indie rock...and Morrissey. With this in mind, it'll come as no surprise that the album brings together an array of music styles, as can be witnessed from Last Name London, to I Stand Alone.
Theophilus made a name for himself with a couple of catchy mixtapes, This Charming Mixtape, and I Want You, where I picked up on his music, probably from the Va$htie blog as she appeared on the intro track and is good friends with Mr. London. Recently, Theophilus released No Particular One, as an exclusive to Hypetrak, which won't appear on the debut album. This was more recently followed up by perhaps one of the best musical widgets released this year, showcasing the incredible lead single, I Stand Alone. I've had this on repeat all week and I've already pre-ordered an exported album, so check out No Particular One, and download for free, along with the widget to hear I Stand Alone, Last Name London, Why Even Try, and Wine and Chocolates.
The last of the summer mixtapes, for the moment, is perhaps my surprise favourite of the bunch, one I almost skipped when I saw it appear online. Tyler, the Creator released a 75 minute mix, titled Summer Camp. What shines through in this mix for me, is Pharrell's influence, as Tyler manages to fit in several Pharrell produced tracks, while there is also a surprising amount of Tory Y Moi included too. Check out the full steam and grab the free download below. Like previous posts, the track listing is below the stream. Make sure you check out the previous three posts as there is enough music to fill up your iPod for the next few days.
Tyler, the Creator - Summer Camp Mix Tracklisting
Homebase NYC – Sleep (feat. Coco O)
Clipse – Gangsta Lean
T.I. – Why You Wanna
Toro Y Moi – Imprint After
Jay-Z – Fuck All Night
Jake Ryan – Summer Camp
Cam’ron – Hey Ma (feat. Juelz Santana)
Erykah Badu – Gone Baby, Don't Be Long
N.E.R.D. – Yeah YouBeyonce – Party (feat. Andre 3000)
Gorillaz – Slow Country
Jay-Z – Excuse Me Miss
Pharrell – Frontin
Toro Y Moi – How I Know
Tyler, The Creator – Analog (feat. Hodgy Beats)
Real Estate – Black Lake
Smith Westerns – Weekend
Gucci Mane – Have It All (feat. Pharrell)
Jill Scott – A Long Walk
Stevie Wonder – Too High
Tupac – I Get Around
Domo Genesis – Drunk (feat. Mike G)
Grizzly Bear – Ready, Able
Snoop Dogg – Let’s Get Blown (feat. Pharrell)
The Gap Band – Outstanding
French producer and DJ, Breakbot has been making waves recently, particularly with the Michael Jackson inspired track, Fantasy. Continuing the summer mixtape trend, Breakbot, signed to Busy P's Ed Banger Records, released his own 33 minute mix, titled Lazy Sunday Selecta. Opening with MFSB's Something for Nothing, the mellow flow is perfect for a chilled summers day. Breakbot's outstanding Fantasy is thrown into the mix early on, along with some classic Dilla around the 23 minute mark. Another Soundcloud gem available as a free download, check it out below and enjoy the free download.
Lazy Sunday Selecta - Tracklisting
MFSB – something for nothing
Latoya Jackson – a taste of you
Count coolout – rythm rap rock
Mr Flash – domino part A
John Gary Williams – honey
Surface – falling in love
Linda Lewis – class style
Gene Dunlap – there’s talk
BB&Q Band – hard to get around
Kashif – I just gotta have you
Conway & Temple – Love lights
Kwick – Nightlife
Prince Charles and the City Beat Band – bush beat
Breakbot feat Ruckazoid – Fantasy (acapella)
Ron Richardson – ooh wee babe
The Nick Straker Band – A little bit of jazz
Logg – dancing into the stars
Dino Terrell – you can do it (leroy burgess edit)
Fela Kuti – water no get enemy
Cardell Funk Machine – shoot your shot
Carly Simon – Why
Willie Hutch – Mother’s theme (the mack ost)
Saint Tropez – belle de jour
J Dilla – don’t cry
Soul Mann and the Brothers – bumpy’s lament
Zapp & Roger – dancefloor
Exile – never gonna stop
Gap Band – Yearning for your love
Gary Glenn – Cause I love you
Lamont Dozier – Why (ain’t my love enough)
DeBarge – stay with me
Amii Stewart – Friends
Brenda Russell – a little bit of love
Ahead of Fool's Gold's Paris takeover, Nick Catchdubs took to Soundcloud to release an aptly named mix Fool's Gold Takes Paris. While the event at Grande Halle De La Villette will feature sets from A-Trak, Chromeo, Craze, Breakbot, Kavinsky, Nick Catchdubs and Roger Seventy Two, the 47 minute mix showcases the wide array of music coming from the Fool's Gold rostrum.
You can get your tickets for the Paris event here, but if you're not in Paris, check out the mix below and enjoy Catchdubs' generosity with the free download.
Fool's Gold Takes Paris Tracklisting:
Rogerseventytwo – You Take Me Higher (Original + Brenmar Remix)
Jacques Greene – Lay It Down (Nacho Lovers Remix)
Duck Sauce – Big Bad Wolf
Chromeo f. Elly Jackson – Hot Mess (Djedjotronic Remix 1)
Gotty Boi Chris – Do You Know (Nick Catchdubs x Proper Villains Remix)
Broke One – Go Go Go (Treasure Fingers Remix)
Craze f. Wrekonize – Dance Alone
Kid Gloves – Below The Belt
Breakbot f. Ruckazoid – Fantasy
Para One & Tacteel – Rome
A-Trak f. CyHi Da Prynce – Ray Ban Vision (Skinny x Bladerunners Dub + Original)
Kavinsky f. Lovefoxx – Nightcall
Who better to kick off a bunch of summer music posts than Will Smith's former right hand man, the originator of Summer, Summer, Summertime, DJ Jazzy Jeff. The Fresh Prince's sidekick teams up with Mick Boogie to present the second instalment of UNDRCRWN's summer mixtape series. This time round sees the duo mixing tracks from The Fresh Prince, Jagged Edge, Q-Tip, De La Soul, Common, Jill Scott, and Stevie Wonder, to name a few. The mixtape has a nice old school feel to it, with so many classics I haven't heard in years. While this mix isn't on Soundcloud, you can download both the first and second instalments by heading over to the undrcrwn site, alternatively check out Mick Boogie's site for streaming of the full album.
Tracklisting for Summertime 2:
01 Intro: Summer Breeze
02 Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince: Summertime
03 Smif–n-Wessun: Bucktown
04 Jagged Edge: Where The Party At?
05 R. Kelly: Summer Bunnies
06 Gap Band: Outstanding
07 Steve Winwood: Higher Love
08 Redman & Method Man: Da Rockwilder
09 De La Soul: Buddy
10 Slick Rick: The Show
11 Jill Scott: Golden
12 Mos Def: Brown Sugar
13 Norman Connor: Invitation
14 Grand Puba: I Like It
15 DeBarge: I Like It
16 EPMD: Never Seen Before
17 Le Pamplemousse: Gimme What You Got
18 Alkaholiks: Daamn (Mick’s In My Bed Blend)
19 Q-Tip: Let’s Ride
20 PM Dawn: Set Adrift On Memory Bliss
21 Spandau Ballet: True
22 Talib Kweli: Hot Thing
23 Stevie Wonder: My Cheri Amour (Jeff’s Sucker Blend)
24 Common: I Want You
25 Musiq: For The Night
26 Jocelyn Brown: Somebody Else’s Guy
27 One Way: Cutie Pie
28 Method Man: Release Yo’ Delf
29 James Brown: The Grunt
30 Public Enemy: Night Of The Living Baseheads
31 Main Source & Donald Byrd: Lookin’ At The Front Door (Jeff’s Twice Edit)
32 Koffee Brown: After Party
33 Stevie Wonder: Love Light In Flight
34 Tom Browne: Funkin’ For Jamaica
35 Stan Getz: Saudade Vem Correndo
36 Pharcyde: Runnin’
37 Bahamadia: Uknowhowwedo
38 Big Daddy Kane: Smooth Operator
39 Mary Jane Girls: All Night Long
40 LL Cool J: Around The Way Girl
41 De La Soul: 4 More
42 The Turtles: I’m Chief Kamanawanalea
43 The Blackbyrds: Rock Creek Park
44 Pete Rock: Take Your Time
45 Slum Village: Fall In Love
46 Suite For Ma Dukes: Fall In Love
Life + Times recently caught up with Jenica Davenport, Nathalie Herring, and Micku Murgolo, three fascinating characters with a passion for longboarding. The girls, based in New York City, represent Bustin, a grassroots longboard company created by and ran by skaters. The video documents the all-girl trio as they skate the streets of New York, along with a little behind the scenes look at Bustin's New York shop. The girls' passion really shines through, and the moment they drift through Times Square with Empire State of Mind playing in the background, you can't help but feel they run the streets and have so much fun doing what they do. An inspiring video and an interesting look at a couple of prominent figures within the New York longboarding scene.
I continue the Nike posts with a skateboarding post featuring non other than Eric Koston. As far as Nike advertising goes, their campaigns right now are pretty on point, and as a result I brought out the card today in their new Glasgow store on a few 6.0 products.
This post looks at Koston on tour, as Nike gatecrash his travels to bring us behind the scene coverage of the skateboarding icon as he acts a fool, sleeps in, vanishes on tour, chats to Kobe about his first signature shoe and of course, skateboards. There's also a little snippet of his commercial with Michael Peña. All in all it's a great short from Nike.
You can check out Eric Koston's microsite here, and watch the video below.
For those reading this, this isn't a swimming post as such, it actually covers one of Nike's latest stunts in London. The sports giant recently transformed a soon to be demolished local swimming pool in Dagenham, into a crazy BMX park that brought in riders from around the world. The procedure of draining the pool and transforming it into the park took just under two weeks, before 40 international riders descended to show what they were made of in a team battle. I'm not a bmxer but some of the tricks shown in the video below are breathtaking, particularly towards the end...with the very last trick leaving me in awe. I saw numerous photos of the event beforehand, however Nike have now released the 'full story' video which you can check out below. A great project from Nike makes for some great viewing, even if you aren't a biker.
Having worked with Cee-Lo Green as one half of Gnarls Barkley, produced for the Black Keys, Danger Doom, and Beck, amongst others, Danger Mouse's latest project sees him team up with Italian composer Daniele Luppi for Rome. The project, which has taken over five years to finish, brings together the sounds of the 60s and 70s italian cinema scores, while bringing a modern appeal with the beautiful vocals of Norah Jones and Jack White.
The above teaser did the rounds towards the end of March, giving fans a glimpse into the project, with the collaborators discussing the project in more detail. The album itself has a release date of May 16th, however the nice guys over at NPR have made the full streaming available until the album is released, so check it out below. Personally, I think it's a masterpiece, and while it might not be for everyone, it underlines the talents of Danger Mouse as he brings another sterling project to life.
With an increasing number of supercars available, luxury motor brands need to do something a little different to stand-out from the crowd, or just to woo supercar fanatics like myself. The latest effort comes from Lamborghini who have just released a stunning three minute short to showcase their new car, the Aventador. The 700bhp car takes it's name from Spanish bull legend Aventador, while the video sees the Lambo fighting the forces of nature in a special effect thunderstorm shot in the Californian desert Coyote Dry Lakebed. Directed by Ole Peters, you can watch the video below.
While enjoying, or rather trying to survive the long Easter weekend, I stumbled across this fantastic voyage video from maground. Using a number of photos from their own archive, a stop motion style video was created, taking users on a trip around the world in just 53 seconds. Check out the video below and take a look at the maground site for individual images from the series.
On April 1st 2011, Walt Disney Co. revealed plans to develop their fourth Disney Park outside the US with news of a 963 acre resort in Shanghai, China. After sixteen years of speculation, the announcement marks an important milestone for Disney as they look at entering a market of 1.3 billion people. The park, set to open in five years, will cost an estimated $3.7bn and rumour has it, that it will be the first park not to include the main street entrance, an attempt to make the park more cultural. News on rides are being kept tightly under wraps, learning from the mistakes made in Hong Kong when rival parks were quick to install cheaper rides with striking similarities. No doubt over the years news will start to leak about the park and its features, but until then I've included a couple of Disney videos below that are definitely worth a watch.
The first video shows a behind the scenes look at the magic of Disney's classical animation, highlighting the true artistic talents within the company. Filmed in black and white, it captures the early days of Disney when Walt Disney overlooked operations and built one of the greatest entertainment companies in the world.
Another video is a recent upload looking at Disneyland Paris in almost a toy like view. The video was released to celebrate the upcoming Disney Magical Moments Festival and was shot using the "Tilt Shift" technique. The outcome is outstanding, bringing together a total of 4,000 images, from the initial 125,000 taken over a seven month period. The technique takes photographs, usually from high vantage points, using selective focus and perspective control to give the impression of a miniature model. The images were then stitched together to create the impression of a short movie, while afterwords colours were over-saturated, colours blurred and contrasts altered by post production to enforce the model impression. Directed by Céranne Gantzer, you can watch the video below.
Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter is perhaps one of the greatest rappers to have ever graced the mic, with eleven number one albums, accounting for sales of around 50 million, and thirteen grammys. Alongside his glittering music career, he owns his own clothing line, heads up his own music label, owns his own nightclubs, is a co-owner of an NBA franchise, and just so happens to be married to Beyonce Knowles. Sounds pretty good, but Jay felt there was one thing missing, a lifestyle website.
Launched a couple of days ago, Life and Times, aims to cover style, leisure, art and design, technology, music and sports. The site's name derives from Shawn's 1999 album Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter, and from the looks of it, the site will cover various aspects of Hov's life, particularly on his individual blog, Jays I. Currently the site features a number of interesting features includingLove on the Beat, Dishing with Daniel Boulud, and Keyed In, with a lot more to come hopefully.
As a blogger I probably shouldn't be sending users away to check out other sites, but this looks to have real potential, so if you miss my blog updates, be sure to check out Life and Times to see what will be inspiring me. Check out the promotional video for the site below and head on over to see what you think.
Pusha T, one half of The Clipse, releases his G.O.O.D. Music debut in the form of Fear of God, a 13-track offering laced with Pusha's signature style. With an album on the way, Fear of God gives fans a hint of what to expect from his debut solo project, which he cites as a "whole other monster". With production from Kanye West, The Neptunes, The Bizness, and guest features from Rick Ross, Kanye and 50 Cent, this is one mixtape not to miss.
Check out the full stream of Fear of God below, or download it here.
Ed Banger's very own SebastiAn released the visuals today for Embody, the latest track from his long overdue debut album, Total, which should hopefully see the light of day in May. The video for Embody, directed by So Me, follows on from the extremely explicit and over the top epileptic imagery video for Total.
Enlisting the assistance of So Me, responsible for videos such as Duck Sauce's Barbara Streisand, MGMT's It's Working, Kanye's Good Life, and Justice's DVNO and D.A.N.C.E., the video captures the poppy head bopping beat mixed perfectly, as we travel with a dancing kid who lives through the music.
Talking about the video, SebastiAn said "It's important to take the audience on a journey. People want to dance and be removed from their daily duties." So with that in mind, check out the video below, and escape your daily duties for three minutes. You can pick up the Embody EP on March 28th.
One Mere Thought continues the sombre tone, yet like the Biggy post, this should be viewed as a celebration of life, and a chance to look back on the history of another Hip Hop great.
I woke this morning, checking my Blackberry in bed, as I usually do, to skim past a few R.I.P Nate Dogg messages, presuming it was some stupid joke going about I carried on until message after message came in with the same tragic news. Nate Dogg, the Long Beach crooner who shot to fame as part of 213 with Snoop Dogg and Warren G, passed away on March 15th after several years of health problems at the age of 41. After suffering a major stroke in 2007 that left him paralysed on his left side, Nathaniel Hale then suffered a further stroke the following year, and current reports are claiming his death was a result of complications from these strokes.
Numerous artist took to Twitter to show their sympathy including Snoop who left a series of messages: "We lost a true legend n hip hop n rnb. One of my best friends n a brother to me since 1986 when I was a sophomore at poly high where we met." He later added "I miss u cuzz I am so sad but so happy I got to grow up wit u and I will c u again n heaven cuz u know d slogan...all doggs go to heaven yo homie n baby brotha bigg snoopdogg!! (sic)". While Ludacris expressed many people's feelings with his tweet, "There is a certain void in hip hop's heart that can never be filled. Glad we got to make history together. RT @SnoopDogg: RIP NATE DOGG".
With a fantastic back catalogue and numerous stand out features, check out some of my favourite Nate Dogg tracks below and pay your respects to a hip hop legend that left too soon.
14 years ago today, Christopher Wallace was shot and killed in Los Angeles, in what was believed to be part of a label feud, however the murder remains unsolved. A number of trending topics have appeared on Twitter in memory of the artist, and no doubt millions of people around the world have been playing his music all day.
I wanted to pay my tributes with one song, but while I was listening to his music today I realised his catalogue is far too diverse to pick just one song. From Juicy to Hypnotize, party and bullsh.t to Big Poppa...his back catalogue, for such a short career, is incredible. I've chosen to post an incredible mashup project from Wait What, a San Francisco DJ/Producer, who released the mix last year as a tribute to Biggie's Life After Death album. The Notorious XX blends the sounds of Biggie, with the melodic beats of The XX, and what's better, is you can download the whole thing for free. Check it out below and remember a hip hop legend.
I've been meaning to post this for almost a month now, I held back until the third and final part was released...which was last week, yet I only sourced it today.
Game Changers is a promotional series from Atlantic Records, highlighting the roster of new talent emerging from their label. The series looks at four musicians, who are in essence, changing the game. Moderated by Billboard editor Danyel Smith, the round table discussion sees Lupe Fiasco, B.o.B., Janelle Monae, and Estelle discussing touring, discipline, when and how they became game changers, and a lot more.
Shot in three parts, it is fascinating to enter the minds of four very talented musicians from various musical backgrounds. The energy in the room is evident and it is clear to see the connection between each artist involved in the discussion. What surprises me the most, as an avid Lupe fan, is his involvement and openness, considering his ongoing creative battle with Atlantic (see LupeE.N.D. Blog). However, it is inspiring to listen to the intelligence of Janelle Monae, the humour of Lupe, Bobby's fresh faced approach and Estelle's British perspective.
You can watch the complete series below, and as a bonus, I've placed the wonderful Wondamix of Janelle Monae's Tightrope, featuring B.o.B. and Lupe Fiasco, at the end.
Blogging from a Macbook Pro...I couldn't not cover this, although I should have created my blog with a white background so the Apple advertising didn't look so garish.
Today, March 2nd, Steve Jobs returned to the spotlight to reveal Apple's iPad 2. The new model is not a tweaked or marginally improved piece of hardware, but a completely new design. Graced with the usual Apple hype and marketing, it is evident that the iPad 2 has evolved a lot from the original, with the addition of a lot more features. Personally, I'd have to get a 3G model for it to be feasible, but I do think this is a tablet that could be very beneficial in work environments, particularly with Airplay and video mirroring. I might go as far as saying I'm pretty tempted by it...what do you think about it?
You can check out Apple's sales blurb below as well as checking out the product video above.
Apple introduces the iPad 2, the next generation of its magical device for browsing the web, reading and sending email, enjoying photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading ebooks and much more. iPad 2 features an entirely new design that is 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter than the original iPad, while maintaining the same stunning 9.7-inch LED-backlit LCD screen. iPad 2 features Apple’s new dual-core A5 processor for blazing fast performance and stunning graphics and now includes two cameras, a front-facing VGA camera for FaceTime® and Photo Booth®, and a rear-facing camera that captures 720p HD video, bringing the innovative FaceTime feature to iPad users for the first time. Though it is thinner, lighter, faster and packed with new features, iPad 2 still delivers up to 10 hours of battery life that users have come to expect. iPad 2 is available in black or white, features models that run on AT&T’s and Verizon’s 3G networks, and introduces the innovative iPad 2 Smart Cover in a range of vibrant polyurethane and rich leather colors.
With the new front and rear cameras, iPad 2 users can now make FaceTime calls to millions of iPhone® 4, iPod touch® and Mac® users so they can see family and friends anywhere there is Wi-Fi. Photo Booth lets you apply fun visual effects, including eight photo special effects like Squeeze, Twirl and Kaleidoscope, to photos captured by either camera. iPad 2 comes with iOS 4.3, the latest version of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, with new features including faster Safari® mobile browsing performance; iTunes® Home Sharing; enhancements to AirPlay®;** the choice to use the iPad side switch to either lock the screen rotation or mute audio; and Personal Hotspot to share an iPhone 4 cellular data connection over Wi-Fi.*** Additional iPad 2 features include a built-in gyro for advanced gaming; HSUPA support for enhanced 3G upload speeds on iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G on AT&T, and HDMI Video Mirroring that lets users mirror their iPad screen on an HDTV using an optional adaptor.
The innovative new iPad 2 Smart Cover provides protection for the iPad screen while maintaining its thin and lightweight profile. Designed with a unique self-aligning magnetic hinge that makes it easy to attach and remove, the new iPad 2 Smart Cover automatically wakes iPad 2 when it’s opened and puts it to sleep when it’s closed, and has a soft microfiber lining to help keep the screen clean. The Smart Cover also folds into a stand for typing or viewing videos and is available in vibrant polyurethane for $39 or rich leather for $69 in a range of colors, including a (PRODUCT) RED one which helps support the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. Apple also introduced two new apps: iMovie® and GarageBand® for iPad, both available on the App Store℠ for just $4.99 each. With iMovie, iPad 2 users can shoot and edit videos right on their iPad and post their movies to YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo and their MobileMe℠ gallery; watch them on their iPod®, iPhone or iPad; as well as view them on their HDTV using AirPlay and Apple TV®. GarageBand turns your iPad into a collection of touch instruments and 8-track recording studio, allowing you to perform with onscreen keyboards, guitars, drums and basses using multi-touch gestures–even if you don’t play a musical instrument.
iPad 2 runs almost all of the over 350,000 apps available on the App Store and there are more than 65,000 native iPad apps available from an incredible range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. The iTunes Store gives iPad users access to the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of over 14 million songs, over 50,000 TV episodes and over 10,000 films including over 3,500 in stunning high definition video. The iBooks® app for iPad includes Apple’s iBookstore℠, the best way to browse, buy and read books on a mobile device.
Despite California being littered with his graffiti, Bansky had no worries about revealing himself at last nights Oscars, as his documentary, Exit through the Gift Shop was beaten by Inside Job. The big winner on the night was Tom Hooper's King's Speech, no real surprise, with the film picking up four oscars, including movie of the year, best actor (Colin Firth) and best director.
Natalie Portman picked up best actress for her role in Black Swan, while The Fighter picked up both supporting male and female oscars for Melissa Leo and Christian Bale's roles in the film. The Social Network picked up three awards on the night including adapted screenplay. Pixar's Toy Story 3 picked up two awards on the night including the award for best animation, having taken more than $1 billion at the box office since its release last summer.
Check out the interactive content below to see all the nominations and winners from last nights Oscars and head to The Oscars site for a full list of the winners and losers.
Tinseltown is all set for tonight's Oscars, with Colin Firth and The King's Speech leading the way for the best actor and best picture. The evening, hosted by 127 Hours actor, James Franco, sees a surprise nomination that has led to a flurry of art around Hollywood, with Banksy's Exit through the Gift Shop up for best documentary feature.
All throughout Hollywood, a number of Banksy paintings have been cropping up. A Sunset Boulevard billboard was taken over by the British artist, with a drunk Mickey and a stoned Minnie Mouse. Charlie Brown also appeared with a gas can, as well as a gun-toting child in a field of flowers. Most recently, a star studded rat appeared in Oceanside, California, on the side of a taco shop wall.
Check out the rest of Banksy's Hollywood takeover below, and catch the Oscars tonight.
Detox must be getting closer and closer as Dr. Dre releases the video for the second single from the album, which has yet to get an official release date. I Need A Doctor, featuring Eminem and Skylar Grey, looks like it takes the same approach as 50 Cent's In Da Club, but with a far greater budget. Coming in at seven and a half minutes, the video sees Dre looking over his past, with clips from his NWA days, Tupac, and Snoop. Eminem's lyrics are powerful, Skylar's vocals are smooth, and Dre is huuuge! Few nice little product placements from G Shock and Gatorade...the Ferrari doesn't count, thats just great taste!
MTV released the video for the US only, but you can check it out below from anywhere in the world.
Kanye West returns with the visuals for All of The Lights from his platinum album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
The video, directed by Hype Williams, features appearances from Rihanna and KiD CuDi. Presumably inspired by the opening credits to Gasper Noe's Enter The Void, the video has been receiving mixed reviews since it was released yesterday. Check out the video below to see what you think, but if you're epileptic, watch with caution because it features a lot of flashing imagery.
A couple of days have passed since the Brit Awards were hosted in the o2 (Millennium Dome) in London. The night was hosted by James Corden and featured performances from a host of stars including double award winner Tinie Tempah, Rihanna, Take That, Adele, Mumford & Sons, Plan B, Arcade Fire and Cee-Lo Green with Paloma Faith.
This year saw a revamped Brits, focused more on the music, alongside a newly restyled Brit Award trophy, created by fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, while iTunes partnered up with the event to offer exclusive content to UK and Irish iTunes account holders. Tinie Tempah took centre stage on the night, winning British breakthrough Act and British Single for Pass Out while Arcade Fire were the International winners for the night with awards for International Group and International Album.
Take That opened the show in style with Take That soldiers who ended up in their underwear by the end of the performance, before the band ended a 21 year wait to be crowned British Group. Plan B won the award for British Male, while relatively unknown Laura Marling beat Cheryl Cole to British Female. Mumford & Sons performed their single Timshel before winning the MasterCard Album of The Year for Sigh No More. Do It Like A Dude singer Jessie J took home the the Critics Choice accolade. Following in the footsteps of Ellie Goulding, Florence and the Machine and Adele, the Critics Choice award showcases the most exciting new talent from across the genres, and with a current number 1 single, Jessie J looks to have an exciting future ahead of her.
Besides Arcade Fire's dominance of the International Awards, individual awards were presented to Cee-Lo Green for International Male Solo Artist, Rihanna for International Female Solo Artist, and there was even a bit of Bieber Fever on the night, as Justin Bieber won the award for International Breakthrough Act. The show ended with the delightful Cee-Lo Green's Forget You, with Paloma Faith joining the soul machine, a match that didn't quite work with the chart topping single. Check out a few of the performances from the night below, hopefully the links stay active for a while.
The nice folks over at The Guardian have releasedthe full album stream of We're New Here. The album is the latest work from Jamie Smith, the man behind the XX, as he remixed Gil Scott-Heron's incredible comeback album I'm New Here.
It's not often you get the chance to listen to music as pure as this for free, so make sure you check out the stream above, along with the original version of Gil's title track, I'm New Here below.
We're New Here by Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie XX will be available on the 21st February.
Last night saw the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards take place at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, a night filled with more than a few surprises. The biggest winner of the night was country group Lady Antebellum, who took home five awards including record and song of the year for Need You Now. The top award, album of the year, was won by Arcade Fire for their album The Suburbs, beating Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Eminem, and Lady Atebellum. Eminem was nominated for the most awards, 10 in total, yet only took home two: best rap album and best solo rap performance. The biggest surprise of the night came when Esperanza Spalding won best new artist ahead of Justin Bieber, Drake, Florence & The Machine, and Mumford & Sons.
The awards raised a few doubts with industry experts, particularly surrounding the underachievement of Eminem and Lady Gaga. With more than 4 million copies of Recovery sold, compared to Arcade Fire's The Suburbs which sold 484,000, the night was more a commentary on what the recording industry has become. With a new generation of people working in the music industry, the majority coming from the 1980s and 90s indie-rock revolution, Arcade Fire are seen to inspire these insiders, as they represent a look to the future, rather than the Grammy's more familiar tendency to reward older career artists. Eminem's relatively disappointing night could be put down to his controversial lyrics and behaviour, the same could be said for Lady Gaga, who despite her creativity, takes a lot of risks and is seen as offensive to some.
Despite the numerous shocks from the night, there were a number of stellar performances from the likes of Bruno Mars, B.O.B, Janelle Monae, Rihanna, Eminem, Cee-Lo Green, Usher, Justin Bieber, as well as Lady Gaga hatching out of her egg. Bruno Mars, B.O.B and Janelle Monae all took to the stage together to perform a rendition of their songs whilst the others took turns on percussion, in what was an incredible set. Cee-Lo Green took to the stage with Gwyneth Paltrow and some of Jim Henson's muppets to perform Forget You in his exuberant style. Dre returned to the big stage last night as he performed with Skylar Grey, Eminem and Rihanna. You can check out some of the performances below, and you can see the full list of winners on The Grammys site.
I even included the Bieber, but don't worry, I've not got the Bieber Fever!
I've been away from the blog for almost a week now and returning I hit a stumbling block, not knowing what to post. Should I look back and post content from during the week or should I post something new. There are a few things out there I wanted to post but with a tired mind I can't think of a story to put behind the post...but there was a video I saw last week on the Billionaire Boys Club Blog that inspired me and I knew it would act as a return.
The video comes from Kristian Ulrich Larsen and features the Flip Phone, a concept conceived during a six week long workshop. The concept came to light with Kristian, Ewa Sendecka, Jeppe Vetergård and Victoria Kusk, the concept was then developed further as part of Kristian's MA program in Denmark. The concept is very clever, of course it has its flaws, but what we see is a glimpse into the future.
It's not the gadget that makes the video for me though, it is the reflection on what it means to be creative. With music from Palmer Taylor, the narrator beautifully discusses the creative process and the fact that creativity is inside everyone. The video is directed to highlight the storytelling that takes place during the video, alongside promoting the concept Flip Phone. Watching the video inspires me and makes me realise that everyone has something out there to offer, and by being yourself, your creativity will flow.
Watch the video below, it is especially great if you need some daily inspiration.
"What's common for creativity, is that it comes from inspiration. Inspiration found from the world we live in, and then the people we live with. It's found when we share with them, building on what's given from the diversity of peoples thoughts and perspectives. So try and drop the assumptions that you know how to do things, and already know the solution. Stray away from the direct path, take risks, don't be afraid to make mistakes because it's only from the mistakes we learn, and it's from the mistakes the really interesting things happen. We may not always create or invent, but we always learn when we try."
It's Superbowl time!!! Tonight sees the 45th Superbowl take place in the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with the Green Bay Packers taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Six time champions, The Steelers go in to the match as the underdog. The image above, from the Billionaire Boys Club Blog, shows the Packers have scored more points this season, along with a better offensive record, than the Steelers. The Steelers however have one of the best defensive records this season.
The end of season showdown is a glitzy affair with the national anthem being sung this year by Christina Aguilera, and with half time entertainment from the Black Eyed Peas. Advertisers interested in capitalising on the massive viewing figures have forked out $3 million for a 30 second advertising slot, with Volkswagen's 'The Force' advert leading the way with over 12 million views on YouTube before the advert has even aired on TV.
MyCheapAppartments.com put together a great infographic for anyone needing some extra insight in to the final tonight.
Where to watch the game?
In the US, Fox Sports will be showing the Superbowl, with Joe Buck as the play-by-play announcer and Troy Aikman, three-time Super Bowl winner, as the colour analyst.
Around the world, the Super Bowl will be shown live on the following channels:
Asia: All Sports Network
China: DragonTV, G-Sports, CNTC 5+ (online)
Australia: One HD and Network Ten
Brazil: BandSports
Canada: CTV and RDS
Europe: ESPN America
Austria: Puls 4
Belgium: Prime Sport
Denmark: TV3+
Finland: Nelonen Pro 1
France: W9
Germany: ARD, Sport1+
Hungary & Romania: Sport 1
Italy: La7, Dahlia TV
Norway: NRK
Poland: Polsat Sport
Portugal: Sport TV
Russia: NTV Plus
Spain: Canal+ HD
Sweden: TV10
UK & Ireland: BBC One, Sky Sports
Latin America: ESPN Latin America, Fox Sports Latin America
Mexico: Azteca 7 and Canal
Finally if you need to get yourself in the mood for the match, here's a couple of team anthems ahead of tonight's clash.
Wiz Khalifa reps his Steelers with the 'official' Super Bowl anthem for the Steelers. While below, Lil Wayne mashes up the track for the Packers, naming it Green & Yellow.
Originally penned as a weekly topic, Tuesday Tunes would show the latest releases in music from the week before. The idea was taken from Twitter's long running 'Music Monday' trend, with the exception that it was a day late and had a different name. With my current lifestyle not allowing a complete blog focus, the idea has stalled, instead I plan to focus on music when I get the chance. This first post showed the best music from the week previous...it won't be the last, I'm just not set on a post schedule to make this a weekly occurrence as planned.
Check out the best of last weeks music below anyway...
First up is the new video for Rihanna's S&M, the third single from her fifth studio album, Loud. For the video, Rihanna reunited with director Melina Matsoukas, who also worked on her Rockstar 101, Rude Boy and Hard. I'm not sure how she gets away with it, not that I'm complaining, but the end result is another sexy video...even if the Perez Hilton cameo is a bit disturbing.
Next up is the forthcoming track Words I Never Said from Lupe Fiasco's upcoming album, Lasers. A teaser video for the track, featuring Skylar Grey, was released a few weeks ago with a Feb 1st date at the end of it, true to his word, Lupe dropped the track first thing this morning. I'm hopeful the full video will surface soon, rest assured I'll post it when it appears.
Lupe Fiasco's Lasers is due for release on 8th March.
Jessie J, British pop/soul singer appears next with the release of Price Tag, a Dr. Luke produced track featuring B.O.B. Following on from the success of her debut single Do It Like A Dude, Jessie releases the second track from her upcoming debut album Who You Are, due for release March 28th. The song focuses on the dependance many of us have on money, while the accompanying video supports the song lyrics with Jessie's playful nature.
Tired of waiting for Kanye West to release a video for Devil In A New Dress? Rick Ross has given us his visual representation of his portion of the track. The video, shot in Toronto a few weeks ago, sees Ross taking in the streets from the comfort of his Maybach. Check it out below.
Excuse the stupid adverts, click the close button to get rid of the annoyance.
The last video for the week features Rihanna again...why not?! Despite David Guetta's club smash Who's That Chick? appearing as a digital download last November, the 'official' video only surfaced last week. The video is pretty much the colour side of the Doritos Late Night campaign video, but it's still worth checking out.
On to the music now, no videos for any of these yet so I'll quick fire through these with the audio included for your listening pleasure.
First up is the mastered version of Dr. Dre's I Need A Doctor, featuring Eminem and Skylar Grey. Still no official release date for Detox, but with each new release it brings hope that it will soon see the light.
Next up is a radio rip which I had to post after hearing it live late last year, especially as the clip was only released to the blogosphere last week. The original track is Cassius' I Love You So, but this version here is the remixed version from Skream and it is absolutely incredible.
Another remix, this time from Brooklyn based producer Hype Jones, as he mixes up Mike Posner's Please Don't Go. Listen below and enjoy the free download too.
Who's House? RUN'S HOUSE! The DMC front man has passed some of his mic skills down to his son, Diggy Simmons. Signed to Atlantic, and featured previously on this blog (Diggy Mixtape), Diggy dropped Everybody Late last week. As for Run's House, apparently it will resume filming "when Diggy slows down". Another free download included with this, so if you like it, download it.
Finally finishing up with the smooth vocals of Theophilus London with his latest track Why Even Try, featuring Sara Q.
As I mentioned at the start (edited since the initial post) the plan was to keep this running on a weekly basis but due to all sorts of demands I've decided to musically blog when relevant...mainly because I never have the time set aside just to blog on a set day. If you enjoy the concept, let me know and I'll try to make it happen on a regular basis.
