David: Alysha Nett

Alysha Nett (My New Favorite Model)

Since I have known about my acceptance into NYU I haven't been on top of keeping up with TKFV as much as I used to, so I want to apologize for that. Things have been very very very hectic lately in terms of getting things off and running the minute I hit the city next year so it has brought me away from here for a bit. So in the meantime I am going to try as hard as I can to continue to post on this blog because I know you frequent readers are probably wondering where everything went!

To start here's a few pictures of my new favorite model, Alysha Nett. She has one of the dopest looks I have ever seen... Plus I love girls with tattoos. Check them out below:

http://alyshanett.com/

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David: Sarah Kjelleren's Latest Photo Shoot With Amy Douglas

Sarah Kjelleren

It's been awhile since I've featured Sarah Kjelleren on the site, which many of you may remember through the "Sarah Kjellereon Photo of the Week" posts. I've decided to do without that post now because Sarah is constantly coming out with something new that a photo a week just doesn't cut it. Before I get started on this post I'd like to give her a huge congratulations for getting into the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC, which means both of us will be sharing the city together! It's going to be a crazy four years that's for sure.

Anyway Sarah's recent photo shoot was with the very beautiful, Amy Douglas. Below is a quick summary that Sarah wrote for the post:

"I met Amy a free months ago after asking her through Facebook if she was interested in modeling. We did a small shoot at a local party and became good friends. On a recent trip to Burlington Vermont, we were staying at my house and had some great ideas for a shoot when exploring my yard. Styling the shoot I decided on a vintage nude colored slip with lace that was previously owned by my grandmother. Amy wore the shoes that she brought with her and we used two vintage mink fur jackets. The temperature dropped fast as it became dark out, but we continued shooting to get the final shots. I was extremely excited about shooting Amy and she did a fantastic time especially for her second shoot. Without previous experience with modeling Amy continued to amaze me with her natural talent for working in front if the camera."

Amy Douglas (click the photo to enlarge)

Here's what Amy had to say about the shoot:

"This shoot was a chilling one, literally. Even the cold Vermont air couldn't hold Sarah Kjelleren back from taking fabulous pictures. She made me feel warm, comfortable and beautiful in her vintage styled dress and variety of lovely fur coats. I love being photographed by Sarah because she is not only an extremely talented young lady but she's the coolest, craziest, most down to earth friend anyone could ask for. Her unique style and eye for eccentric and eloquent beauty are portrayed in all of her photos and this shoot is no exception."

Amy Douglas (click the photo to enlarge)

http://sarahkjelleren.com

Flickr

To get in touch with Sarah Kjelleren you can reach her at sarahkjelleren@gmail.com

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David: The Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music at New York University!

Last Friday on my way down to NYC I heard back from my dream school and top choice, NYU! I was accepted into the Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music with 30 or so other students. In the fall I will be going in as a freshmen in the Producer Entrepreneur program. This really is everything that I've hoped for over the past few months and I'm extremely excited to be in. For those that don't know much about the program it is a professional business and artistic training toward a BFA degree for aspiring creative entrepreneurs in the music industry. People like Lady Gaga have been in this program and producers like Swizz Beatz come to teach and mentor students at the school. So glad this is all becoming true. I've already been talking to my future classmates and the range of musical influences, favorite artists, and personal musical talent is across the board. Being able to create with talented people who make and perform music in a different genre than my own is going to be amazing. I definitely can't wait for this year to start... So if there are any high school teachers of mine reading this post... I'm sorry in advance if I drift off a little bit. My mind is elsewhere at the moment.

Below are some pictures of the studios at Clive:

I'M IN COLLEGE!!!

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David: Rage! The Surprise Kid Cudi NYC Performance!

Gabriel Acevedo of the ninGa tuRdels sent this over to me after I met up with him at the Bape store last week in New York City. Below is the surprise Kid Cudi NYC show in celebration of his new album and the release of his very own exclusive T-Shirt in collaboration with Japanese brand A Bathing Ape.



Man On The Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager available now!

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David: Barbara Kruger x Whitney Museum (Video)

One of my favorite artists, Barbara Kruger, currently has an instillation at the soon to be Whitney Museum in downtown New York City. Kruger sticks to her roots by showcasing black and white word images visible from the ground and high line levels of the city. Check out the video below for a closer look:



"I work with pictures and words because they have the ability to determine who we are and who we aren't"

- Barbara Kruger

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David: KAWS Video Interview from Mexico

KAWS, one of my favorite artists, has recently been collaborating Dos Equis and it has become one of the most talked about partnerships in recent months. KAWS’ who rarely gives video interviews has given this 2 part interview while the New York based artist visits Mexico City for the launch of his exclusive Beer packaging. Check them out below:

Part 1:


Part 2:

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David: Gourmet Presents Quattro Skate in Philadelphia, LA, & NYC (Parts 1-3)

Below are parts one through three of shoe company, Gourmet's presentation of the Quattro Skate shoe (a part of the Fall 2010 collection). Seen in the videos below are pro skateboarders showing off the shoe in three big cities across the United States. Check it out below:



For Fall 2010, Gourmet, purveyors of high-end footwear for the regular guy, introduce the Quattro Skate. A shoe for the skateboarder looking for something a little better.

The piece features a night in the life of Philadelphia's own, Jimmy Gorecki.



For Fall 2010, Gourmet, purveyors of high-end footwear for the regular guy, introduce the Quattro Skate. A shoe for the skateboarder looking for something a little better.

This 2nd piece features a quick wall ride in LA, once again, by Philadelphia's own Jimmy Gorecki.



In the final installment of the 3 part series. Gourmet, Jimmy Gorecki, and Chris Mulhern bring the Quattro Skate to NYC. Featuring the Quattro Skate in white full-grain leather/suede, paired with the ice sole.

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David: Rock the Bells NYC (Recap)

Like I promised here is the recap to Rock the Bells NYC. This was my forth year in a row and once again it was another great experience. I didn't get to see everyone, but from everyone that I did see I was very impressed with every performance.

Slick Rick

Slick Rick was actually my very first concert that I ever attended in my life and it took place at Higher Ground in South Burlington, Vermont. He wasn't the craziest performance of the whole concert and his stage presence isn't the greatest, but for a hip hop head like myself none of that mattered. Slick Rick's style and history in rap itself was enough for me to enjoy his set of his debut album, The Adventures of Slick Rick, which was released back in 1988. Who else can rap like they're having a conversation with you and sound so dope at the same time? Plus he was accompanied by DJ Premier, one of hip hops greatest DJs.

Big Sean

This was the first time I had seen Big Sean. He performed on the smaller stage and wasn't a main act for the concert, but he was definitely one of the people I wanted to see the most. He performed most of his leaked singles off of his newly released, Finally Famous Volume 3 mixtape, and made use of the whole stage and interacted with the crowd. Overall it was a good performance.

Rakim

I saw Rakim for the first time at Rock the Bells New York City back in 2007 so I knew a little what to expect. He was performing Paid in Full, another debut album released by Eric B. & Rakim. His performance was okay stage presence wise, but it was good to just chill out, relax, and listen to one of hip hop's most famous albums of all time.

Shortly after KRS-One hopped on stage and performed, Criminal Minded. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures from his performance, but without a doubt he's one of my favorites. He was one of the hosts last year and I also saw him perform at Higher Ground in South Burlington, Vermont, a few years ago. Everything KRS says makes you think and respect hip hop so much more. One of the reasons why he's called, "The Teacha."Another good performance.

Brother Ali

This was actually my first time seeing Brother Ali even though he seems to be at Higher Ground in South Burlington, Vermont, every year. I've never been a huge fan of his music, but I did enjoy his performance on the second stage. His stage presence and interaction with the crowd was good and he also gave some nice shout outs to everyone performing on the main stage which I liked.

Murs & 9th Wonder

I saw Murs last year at Rock the Bells NYC, but this was my first time seeing 9th Wonder DJ and also rap for one song on "Asian Girl." Most of the songs performed were off of, Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition and Fornever. I've always been a big Murs fan so every song he performed I knew and could sing along to. Also both Murs and 9th's presence on stage was great and there overall performance was a good one.

Ms. Lauryn Hill

I've heard a lot of bad things said about Lauryn Hill's performance, but honestly she was one of my favorites. Minus the sound crew screwing up a bit I loved her and her band. She was singlehandedly the reason why I bought tickets for this years concert. Also I was hoping Wyclef Jean and Pras would make an appearance on stage to reunite the Fugees, but unfortunately that didn't happen. Probably would have been tough especially for Wyclef to show up with his election for Presidency in Haiti (though he was recently rejected a few days ago by Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council because he did not meet the residency requirement of having lived in Haiti for five years before the Nov. 28 election).
In other news though Lauryn Hill was amazing to me and is also a major influential person in my life so without a doubt I enjoyed her performance. She also brought out short cameos on stage to say hello to the crowd from Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, Swizz Beatz, Chris Rock, Jerry Wonder, & John Legend, who all attended as fans to support Ms. Lauryn Hill herself.

Wiz Khalifa

This was my first time seeing Wiz Khalifa. He was the main act on the second stage and also the biggest crowd drawer for that stage. If you're a Vermonter like myself you know how much Wiz is played in young peoples households, iPods, and cars (myself being one of them). So pretty much every song he performed I knew and was singing along to. Most definitely my favorite performance on the second stage and most definitely the most weed influenced performance as well. Unfortunately it was cut short for me right as he performed my favorite song, "Ink My Whole Body," because A Tribe Called Quest was starting on the main stage.

A Tribe Called Quest joined on stage with Busta Rhymes & Swizz Beatz

This was my second time seeing A Tribe Called Quest, the first time being at the 2008 Rock the Bells (probably my all time favorite year). Tribe probably was my favorite performance for the whole night performing mostly songs from, Midnight Marauders. They jumped around a bit as well and brought out people like Swizz Beatz and Busta Rhymes (see photo above). In my mind their stage presence and interaction with the crowd was the best for the whole concert.

Wu-Tang Clan (all original members with Boy Jones, ODB's first born son)

I've lost count how many times I've seen Wu-Tang Clan, but it's always rare when you get all their original members and ODB's first born son Boy Jones. Their stage presence isn't that great except for Method Man and Redman, but otherwise Wu-Tang always has a huge response from the Rock the Bells crowd. Another great performance from the night.

Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg was the final act to the night and was also the first time I had ever seen him perform live. His stage presence isn't that amazing, but it was a good performance with the addition of funny cut scenes on the big screen behind him and also a few of the things he had to say on the mic. Doggystyle is also one of my favorite albums of all time so I was rapping along and jamming to a lot of his songs. Snoop was also accompanied with Daz Dillinger and Kurupt from, Tha Dogg Pound, and The Lady of Rage so it added to an even better show.

Vader the Villin & Will Kiendl

And that is my recap to Rock the Bells NYC. Special thanks to Will Kiendl & Vader the Villin for coming along on the trip as well!

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David: Rock the Bells NYC

This marks my fourth year in a row going to the Rock the Bells concerts and every year so far has left me more and more impressed. I've seen acts from Rage Against the Machine, Pharcyde, and Nas & Damian Marley. This year what sold me on going again was Lauryn Hill, someone who I've admired a lot over the years from my journey within music. So we'll see how this year goes.

Concert starts in just a few more hours so I'll leave it at this, but I'll be back with a recap soon. Rock the Bells NYC! For those that have been before you know it's worth it. Peace to TKFV for the day!

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David: Nike World Basketball Festival With the U.S.A. Basketball Team and Jay-Z

The Nike sponsored World Basketball Festival has descended upon New York. From a staged performance by Jay-Z at Radio City Music Hall, to kid-centric work-shops with top USA ballers, the World Basketball Festival is in full swing this weekend in NYC. The event culminates with a pair of games at Madison Square Garden, this Sunday 8/15. The U.S. National Team led by Kevin Durant will take on France, and China is pitted against Puerto Rico in a day time double header. Check out the video below where Nike explains the forethought and all elements entailed within the city wide event.

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Gray: It's All For The LOVE

Levi Maestro is best known for his online segment entitled “Maestro Knows.” Today Levi presents a special video one of the most elusive topics: Love. In this video entitled “It’s All For The LOVE,” Maestro interviews and films basketball players and enthusiasts throughout the New York boroughs of Harlem, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. This artistic tribute is timed perfectly for Nike’s inaugural World Basketball Festival that features special guests such as Nigel Sylvester. Check out this video by none other than Levi Maestro.


It's All For The LOVE from levi maestro on Vimeo.
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David: I'm Back!

Yeah, you probably didn't even know I was gone, but for the past couple days I have been in New York City with my good friend CJ Bowman checking out some of the trade shows that have been going on. So I'd like to say I'm officially back!

This was probably one of the craziest trips that I have been on and one of the most productive. For those that aren't familiar with what a trade show is, these were the upcoming 2011 seasons from over 400 featured clothing companies in the three shows we went to (Capsule, Agenda, and ENK). Each of these held different companies and a large amount of clothing. My favorite was probably Capsule, which was held in a 5 story building lined with companies from Naked & Famous to Ben Sherman (for a full list click here). There are still pictures to come from our trip, but I'd like to thank CJ Bowman, OKAY!! OKAY!!, Create Build Destroy, and Steez for a good trip. Hope all the TKFV followers have had a good couple days as well!

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Gray: New GoodWood

It seems like GoodWood is pushin out new pieces every day, but keeping it quality and exclusive. I copped the Jesus piece in blue and natural. Just came in this week! Check out the pics below, and to shop GoodWood click HERE.

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David: Maestro Knows x The Traveling IN4MANTS

Gotta love Maestro Knows. Everything this dude comes out with I look forward to. And once again he's back with another dope episode, this one taking place in NYC and Tokyo. This is the brief introduction Maestro gave us:

This piece was created to celebrate good people, a beautiful life, & significantly the 4th product release from IN4MATION for G-Shock. This video was shot primarily in NYC & TOKYO, showcasing some of the uniquenesses of traveling with friends.

So watch and enjoy below:

The Traveling IN4MANTS from levi maestro on Vimeo.

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David: IINFAMOUUSZ M.O.H.A.W.K.

This is my friend Brian... and yes that is his real hair. His nickname isn't the IINFAMOUUSZ M.O.H.A.W.K. for nothing lol. I met this dude three years ago on a cruise ship when he had a baby mohawk, and as you can see now it isn't so baby anymore. Whenever I come down to NYC I always give this dude a call. Never have so many strangers in my life approached us to take pictures or talk about his hair. And it's always the same questions... "How long did it take you to grow that?" and "What do you use to put that thing up?" So to answer everyone's questions before they ask him in person!.. 4 years and he uses hair spray. So people take notes if you want to grow a mohawk as dope as this dudes. YEZZIRRR

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David: Frendy Lemorin

Actor, blogger, model, entrepreneur, BAPE sales associate, & visionary. And to summarize that in four short words... Frendy is that dude! This guy has been a close friend of mine for awhile now ever since I met him at the Bape store in New York City a little over a year ago. And from then on everything has clicked. Always can count on this dude for a helping hand if I need it!

For those that don't know I used to intern for Frendy Lemorin back when he was on his *General-Made blog. And to tell the truth, without him I don't think I'd have all this blogging knowledge I do now lol. So thanks homie!

Be sure to check out his résumé here, his Twitter page here, and his Facebook fan page here!

If anyone wants to book Frendy Lemorin for a gig, modeling, or acting they can contact him at Frendylemorin@gmail.com or contact his manager Ingrid French at 1(646) 602-0653

Yerrrrr

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