“Haring’s bold lines and active figures carry poignant messages of vitality and unity. His legacy made an impact on late 20th century art and grants us all a vision for the future.”
Keith Haring x Tommy Hilfiger
With February 16th marking the 20th anniversary of artist and social activist Keith Haring’s death, it would only be in proper fashion for there to be commemorative pieces released. One of my personal favorites would have to be the collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger for some pretty impressive sneakers and rainboots. We got a sneak peek photos from Capsule Trade Show and may I say that these are on ladywood status. All shoes stay true to the vibrant works of the late Haring.
Ninja, Yo-landi Vi$$er, and DJ Hi-Tek are Die Antwoord.
Imagine you fell into some sort of South African rabbit hole, and found yourself at a rave or whatevs that was lead by a trailer-trash-inspired, slow-crotch-shaking, totally incomprehensible rapper, and his hillbilly-hairdo-having bleached blonde sidekick?
Obviously, this is some “next-level” shit.
We can't understand a word they say, but we know they "represent South African culture".
Welcome to the world of Die Antwoord. A rap-rave group rising from the supposed slums of South Africa, this crew of wild-and-crazy (and possibly mushroom tripping) dreamers is comprised of MC Ninja, fem-cee Yo-landi Vi$$er, and the DJ Hi-Tek. They “represent South African culture”, their “zef is so fresh”, and DJ Hi-Tek PROBABLY has Progeria syndrome. This is either one of the most inspired musical groups 2010 will ever see, or a joke so bad it’s worse than all the #Natalieschin jokes on Twitter. For the purposes of making this a really awesome article, we are going to go with the option of Die Antwoord being one of the most inspired musical groups of 2010, k?
Die Antwoord's Zef-Rave-Rap is so inspired, it probably makes Lady Gaga jealous.
In the last couple of months, Die Antwoord has been taking the interwebs by storm with their sound, which is quite unlike anything out there at the moment. Riding on the rave resurgence, the group’s beats are rooted in traditional electronic sounds, and include elements of drum-and-bass, and first-generation hip hop. They also utilize samples even your mom would be proud of, like this popular Dance Dance Revolution tune about Butterflies and Samurais. Ninja and Yo-landi Vi$$er both rap at practically unchartable speeds in both English and Afrikaans about how great their skills are, and how the haters who never thought they’d amount to anything can go eff-off. It’s like their music is the insane South African version of Biggie’s “Juicy”, and quite frankly, it’s brilliant! Their wardrobe is even better. Die Antwoord appears to be inspired by white-trash classics like tube socks, Pink Floyd boxers, and cut off shirts and shorts (for both the guys and the ladies). However, they do have a more sophisticated side, as evidenced by Yo-landi Vi$$er’s smashing gold spandex leggings, and some Keith Haring look-alike pants and jumpsuit combos the crew rocks in their “Enter the Ninja” official video. With his tattoos, close cropped hair, and scowl Ninja looks like he could potentially be a long-lost White Supremacist, and with her Chelsea-punk do and pre-Berlin Wall type school uniforms, Yo-landi Vi$$er could easily be his Skinhead girlfriend. But, haters of other races they are not! Die Antwoord claims to represent the common man and the many racial communities of South African slums. It sounds confusing, and it is. But there’s not much describing can do in the case of Die Antwoord, you really have to see, and hear, it yourself to believe it.
Are you confused/in love yet?
After a telling interview with Vice and some Videogum-blasted backlash, Die Antwoord has recently been under suspicion of being “frauds”. Videogum even went so far as to call them the “Ali G of South Africa”. Totes harsh, guys! But, could these next-level meth rappers be too good to be true? That, rather unfortunately, appears to be the truth. Ninja is not a Ninja rapper, but rather a guy known as Max Normal who spearheads a creative arts project focusing on motivating the masses through the inspiring nature of rap music, drawing, and moving things with your mind. If you don’t believe me, watch their video and it proves I’m telling the truth! This whole Max Normal thing is just as confusing as Die Antwoord, but who cares if it’s fake or real, besides music elitists with too much time on their hands! The primary goal of the members of both groups is dropping next-level beats while juxtaposing ideas and raising world-wide controversy about societal norms. They also poke mad fun at those norms– I mean they have a DJ with Progeria syndrome for god sakes! How many of you had to Google that before figuring out he actually was a real person and not CGI-ed?! I think what Die Antwoord is trying to tell us is that, generally, we are idiots. But I’ll be damned if, idiot I am, I can’t enjoy next level beats!
Keep a look out for these rap-ravers before their all too bright star fades from our interweb sky in the near future. Check out their videos below, don’t say we never gave you nothin’!
Spike Jonze directs actor Andrew Garfield on the set of his ABSOLUT sponsored short film "I'm Here".
Releasing one of the most ambitious and sprawling movies of the year, Where the Wild Things Are, was apparently not enough work to keep prolific director Spike Jonze satisfied. The creative director of VBS tv teamed up with ABSOLUT vodka to create a short film that debuted last night at Sundance, as part of the film festival’s first-ever Opening Night Shorts program. Entitled I’m Here, Jonze’s short follows a typical day in the life of a digitized, rechargeable couple. Literally–these Jonses’ are a pair of computer-people that charge themselves up at night not by having fun in the bedroom, but simply by plugging in.
Recharging for the night in the ABSOLUT and Spike Jonze short I'm Here.
Questioning the direction of modern society’s ever-evolving technology was a theme Jonze had been interested in exploring for a while, and what made I’m Here even more special for the director was the surprising amount of creativity that working with ABSOLUT afforded him:
“They (ABSOLUT) didn’t give me any requirements to make a movie that had anything to do with vodka. They just wanted me to make something that was important to me, and let my imagination take me wherever I wanted. And it wasn’t like working with some huge corporation where I had to meet with committees of people. It was just a small group, and it seemed like creativity and making something that affected them emotionally was the only thing that really mattered to them. I got to make my first love story. It’s about the relationship between two robots living in Los Angeles”
ABSOLUT, which has previously collaborated on visual branding projects with the likes of legends Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and Helmot Newton, will release the film via web premiere in March. Until then, the short will also be screened at the Berlin Film Festival in February.
The 31 minute short stars actors Andrew Garfield and Sienna Guillory in the lead roles, and features original music by Sam Spiegel and LA based musician Aska Matsumiya. For more information on Jonze’s vision of robotic love in LA, check out the I’m Here blog and view a short clip below!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, or so says every commercial I see on television. My motto is and has always been, “Christmas is for the kids!” I firmly believe this, but it certainly doesn’t stop me from wanting things for Christmas. However, as an adult I don’t think I’m allowed to pout if I don’t get exactly what I ask for. I really don’t need anything, but if one of these five things were to show up underneath my 4-foot tall Christmas tree I certainly wouldn’t turn them down!
1. Cover Story: Album Cover Art: Wax Poetics Magazine is my BFF (Best Friend Forever)! I’m always flipping through its pages to get an idea of what rare soul, funk, and hip-hop records I should search the crates for. As a self described vinyl record junkie, I’ve been known to buy some records based on the cover art alone. This book published by Wax Poetics is a combination of rare record art picked out by the magazine’s most esteemed contributors. I’d take this book with me everywhere. I don’t know why I don’t have it yet, but I should! I want it as bad as Michael Jackson on the cover of his 1987 album in all black leather!
2. Keith Haring Scented Candle: I’ve always been a fan of Keith Haring’s artwork. Before Whitney Houston made the whole “Crack is wack” slogan famous, Keith Haring painted a mural on East 128th Street and the Harlem River Drive, in 1986 saying that exact same thing! After watching a documentary on him entitled, The Universe of Keith Haring recently, I’ve become even more intrigued by him and want more of this guy in my life. I would NEVER pay $42.00 for ONE candle. I’m just not balling like that. However, I would gladly accept this gift from someone else. It’s pretty and it smells like citrus too!
3. Dam-Funk’s Toeachizown (5LP) & Bonus 45: Dam-Funk has been nicknamed Los Angeles’ “Ambassador of Boogie Funk” for a good reason! His music is funk-tastic and spectacular! He recently released his debut album entitled, Toeachizown and a video to his single “Mirrors”. The album is currently available on a double-disc CD, but the 5LP box vinyl is what will make my heart sing! The set comes with five songs which are not on the CD version. You can pre-order the vinyl box set at Stones Throw Records, but it won’t ship out until early January. That’s perfectly fine by me. I’ll accept tracking numbers. Dam-Funk is so cool. He also has some of the best hair that I’ve ever seen on a guy before!
4. Boxing Kitten “Tina” Skirt in Orange: Boxing Kitten designer Maya Lake uses a combination of bold prints and flawless patterns to create one of a kind pieces. Her line is full of ethnic and elegant clothing that speak to my soul and fit my style perfectly. When I first gazed at the “Tina” skirt in orange for $69.00, I was tempted to hit the “add to cart” button immediately. However, a little bird appeared and told me to hold off because I just might get this awesome little skirt for Christmas. Okay, maybe I made the “little bird” part of the story up, but I’m hoping the rest of the story will be true! I’d love this Christmas.
5. Give Love on Christmas Day: The thing that I’d like the most for Christmas is for everyone to stop rushing, stressing, and freighting over material things and count their blessings. Christmas to me has always been about love and family. I lost my father to cancer just two months ago and the holidays are proving to be especially tough. I’d give up every single possession that I own if it meant that I could just see him just one more day, but I know that’s not possible. Christmas is joyous for so many different reasons, but many people get sad and depressed at this time also. Giving the gift of your time, warm thoughts, and love during this season might just be all that someone needs. The Jackson 5 was right. There really is no greater gift than love.
One of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving is Macy’s Blue Sky Gallery, in which artists works are brought to life in the form of Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons. Last year, “Rabbit” by Jeff Koons was a highlight and this year to commemorate Keith Haring’s 50th Birthday, his work was shown in the “Blue Sky Gallery.” The Keith Haring balloon is based on an ink on paper drawing, Untitled (Figure with Heart), 1987. I really liked seeing Haring’s work flying through the air, larger than life.
Back when I was working on Cybelle, circa 2004, an artist got in touch with us to let us know about these paintings of sneakers he was doing. I thought they were cool, and next thing I knew, Dave White was everywhere. He was the official sneakerhead painter and his paintings of his favorite kicks could be seen everywhere from gallery walls to Sneaker Pimps exhibitions. It’s wonderful to see how far he’s come with painting what he loves.
In his newest works, Dave White is showing us a different side, a side that loves comic books. His latest pieces Superheroes and Villains are large scale oil paintings portraying characters including Wonder Woman, Superman, Bat Man, Bat Girl, The Hulk, Captain America and Spiderman. Despite his change in subject, you can still see Dave White’s signature style shine through with drips, splats and texture. My favorite, of course, is Wonder Woman. I’ve been a fan of hers since I was about four and still remember spinning around to undergo my superhero transformation!
Some of Dave White’s pieces from Superheroes and Villains can be currently viewed at a show called Amerikanische Kunst & Pop Art in Frankfurt, Germany through October 15th. His work will be hanging alongside masters such as Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, Jeff Koons and Andy Warhol! If you can’t make it to Frankfurt check out the gallery site and I’ve got more photos for you after the jump.
