Cae Green

Nike releases two iterations of the Air Force Max 2013 among them the "Toro Bravo," commemorating the twentieth anniversary since Michael Jordan and Bulls faced off against Charles Barkley and the Suns in the NBA finals. Both models share a sleek-looking smooth synthetic upper with Velcro strap over the laces and a large over-sized tongue carrying the Air Max designation. Available in red/black and "Grape" purple with white and emerald green colorways, the two models are available now for pre-order over at Wish.

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In his own words, Coltrane Curtis is "an entrepreneur, a husband and a dad," but that seems to be modesty speaking. In actuality, Coltrane Curtis is a self-made man, a former influential VJ on MTV, and mastermind behind the idea engineering group Team Epiphany. Despite all these accomplishments though, Curtis doesn't seem concerned with flossing his wealth. Instead, he maintains an apartment in TriBeCa with his son and wife, most of which holds rare, custom goods celebrating his family. Freunde von Freunden has an interesting feature on Curtis that takes viewers through his TriBeCa high-rise apartment, which explores the elements behind the creative genius.

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Building upon its extensive line of collaborative sneaker releases, Italian retailer Slam Jam realigns with Converse to present the First String Jack Purcell. Built with premium materials to offer a comfortable, yet durable summer model, this joint effort features a dark navy water-repellent canvas upper as well as a flexible white rubber sole and red accents. Special details include a medial side snap closure and embroidered tongues that read “Summer” “Journey” on the right and left sneaker respectively. Expect this Slam X Converse release to appear at select retailers on May 31.

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New York website ANIMAL has been an ardent supporter of Married to the Mob in its recent court battles against Supreme regarding a $10 million lawsuit. To help further the cause, the site releases a parody of Supreme's ever iconic "Box Logo" with a "Su me" logo flip. The T-shirt will be given away for free via Klughaus Gallery who have also been advocates of free speech and artists. Below are details on how to pick one up:

Our friends at Klughaus Gallery, who also understand how important it is to support free speech and artists, have graciously agreed to let their pop-up space be a pick-up point for the tees. Just drop in and ask for one. (Only one per customer please) Check out their current exhibit PALINGENESIS while you’re there. You can find them at 154 Stanton Street (corner of Suffolk Street) from 12-8PM daily.

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Last week marked the release of Hypebeast's latest foray into the offline world with a collaborative pack of PUMA Blaze of Glorys inspired by an important cultural institution in Hong Kong, dim sum. Dubbed "The Dim Sum Project," the inspirations were based on har gao (shrimp dumpling) and siu mai (pork dumpling) which are two dishes often served together. From a design perspective, the Blaze of Glory LTWT has established itself as a performance-ready variation of the original Blaze of Glory and with the theme of Har Gao, it was best defined by a translucent upper over a tiger camo pattern beneath -- a symbol to the har gao's translucent wrapper. The Blaze of Glory OG Siu Mai on the other hand is a minimal affair that embodied high quality materials and finishes through a monochromatic upper inspired by the siu mai's vibrant yellow wrapper. An event to mark the launch took place at JUICE Causeway Bay and would entail a full-on thematic display of the shoes, a dissected presentation of each respective shoe, the screening of a short video, and of course plenty of dim sum.

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The venerable deejay lends his signature touch to Justin Timberlake’s top-selling album.

DOWNLOAD: OG Ron C & Justin Timberlake – The 20/20 Purple Experience (Chopped Not Slopped) (Mixtape)
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Photo by Erez Avissar

Earlier this week, Mountain Dew pulled an ad spot directed by Tyler, the Creator, which scholar Dr. Boyce Watkins called "arguably the most racist commercial in history." In the clip, a battered woman attempted to identify her attacker from a police line-up comprised of young black men (played by members of Odd Future and Trash Talk) and a talking goat (Felicia the Goat, a character voiced by Tyler). Mountain Dew's parent company, PepsiCo, apologized for the ad, and Odd Future's manager, Christian Clancy, defended it in a blog post.

Now, in an interview with Billboard, Tyler has-- thoughtfully, and at length-- given his side of the story, discussing Dr. Watkins' criticisms, and outlining the intentions behind his commercial.

I look at it from his perspective. He's an older black man. It's a generation gap. He's older than me. So the things that he had to experience with racism and stereotypes and being a black man in this country, is different from mine. I grew up in a generation where there's white kids listening to rap and black kids playing hockey, breaking the norms and everything. He comes from a whole different state of mind when he sees that stuff. He probably was getting f---ed with by white people when he was my age. So for him to always have to break the [stereotype] of being a "black thug" when he was growing up, and for him to see that in a commercial, it probably hurts him.

But he has to realize that it's a different generation now. He's way older than me; he's old enough to be my father. So I totally get why he would think that, but I also don't understand why in life are you trying to point out the negatives. It's a young black man who got out of the ‘hood and made something of himself, who's now working with big, white-owned corporations. Not even in front of the camera acting silly, but directing it. I'm trying to be one of the directors. But instead of looking at the positivity from that, he's trying to boycott Mountain Dew. Now that he's doing that, not only is it messing up opportunities for me, but also maybe opportunities for another young black male who maybe looks up to me and wants to do that in the future. It's ludicrous.

Tyler also discussed the need for context in humor, how this won't affect his art and brand relationships going forward, and what the ad was meant to show. ("It was just a goat who liked Mountain Dew. He wanted more.") 

Yesterday afternoon, Dr. Watkins appeared to soften his criticisms, tweeting at Tyler: "studied your music, I have an altered perspective. Still could do without the ad, but I think you were well-intended. #respect" 

However as the day went on, Dr. Watkins didn't appear satisfied: Overnight he tweeted at great length about his ongoing discomfort with the situation. He said, "I'd support Tyler's right to get money from Mountain Dew. Just don't dew it on the backs of your people... you're smarter than that." He also posted a 22-minute video YouTube: "He is a brilliant dude, I will give him that until the day I die."

Following the official announcement of Ronnie Fieg and Kith's upcoming "The East Coast Project," Fieg and his New York-based establishment present the flagship of the project - "New York City" and "Miami Beach" editions of the ASICS Gel Lyte III. Taking inspiration from the NBA's Knicks, the "New York City" version of the plush runner sees an apropos combination of royal blue and orange and pairs pigskin suede with soft nubuck while the Dolphins-inspired "Miami Beach" edition boasts a predominately aqua upper of microperf nubuck and woven mesh as both orange and white provide contrasting accents throughout. Complete with multiple lace options and the perfect nod to both the Big Apple's concrete jungle and Miami's sandy beaches, both ECP editions of the Gel Lyte III will be available at the limited-time pop-up in Miami beginning May 2 before hitting Kith's Manhattan and Brooklyn flagships - as well as its online store - on May 10.

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British footwear retailer Footpatrol pays homage to the neighborhood it resides in with this "Only in Soho" Shadow 6000 collaboration with Saucony. The classic runner gets a striking bright blue suede wrapping inspired by the neon lights that illuminate the neighborhood with a top half in black suede representing the area's dark underbelly. Red 3M reflective highlights represent the seedier happenings of the red light district and a splattered white midsole nods to the grimy streets. The tongue features a mash-up of the Footpatrol gas mask logo and the Saucony Originals logo. The "Only in Soho" Shadow 6000 is set to release May 3 at Footpatrol.

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Jay-Z is really doing Hollywood these days. In addition to his heavy involvement in Baz Luhrmann's upcoming adaptation of The Great Gatsby, he's co-executive produced (along with Wyatt Cenac and Dream Hampton) a smaller indie film called An Oversimplification of Her Beauty. Directed by Terence Nance, the mixed animated/live action film "documents the relationship between Terence and a lovely young woman as it teeters on the divide between platonic and romantic." 

An Oversimplification of Her Beauty also fatures original new music from Flying Lotus, who's been doing quite a bit of film and television dabbling of his own lately. The film is out in select theaters this weekend-- watch the trailer below. 

Dear Wayward Employer,

I’m writing you this letter because I was perusing your website and saw a job that looked awesome. I read through the description and everything about the job was me. Then I read the “requirements and qualifications” and found myself flabbergasted and appalled. I’ve done everything you describe in the responsibilities, but some of your requirements are…umm, how can I say this? Ridiculous? Kobe bullshit? And this is why you’re single. 

I have five years of experience in this stuff, so I can talk ish and back it up. My problem? You’re asking candidates to have a Master’s and industry certifications, but you’re paying 35k. In the words of the graceful Sweet Brown…

I love — well, loved — your company and all, but this ain’t what my student loans are here for. This ain’t what my job search is here for. I’m supposed to be progressing professionally and financially. I don’t send money to my Capital One 360 (RIP ING) account so that I can take a job doing what I do well for less than I’ve ever done it. And I damn sure ain’t going back to school to get an extra degree just so you can pay me in monopoly money. F*ck. That.

Aight, so I just clicked another job on your site for giggles. An entry level customer service job to be specific. This sh*t is pitiful.

You’re requiring a Bachelor’s, experience with six technologies and a past life as a dragon. THIS IS AN ENTRY LEVEL CUSTOMER SERVICE JOB! If I was a college senior, I’d be tight right now. Tuition for telephones? Terrible. Just five years ago, this same job only required a high school diploma, a positive outlook, and a nice personality. But this mess you’re talking…

You’re lucky I’m at my computer.

You should read up on degree inflation and understand how much a part of the problem you are. Then again, you probably know this already and are ready to say “It’s a buyer’s market for employers thanks to the recession.”

Yes, we’re still coming out of a recession, but this foolishness you’re on will come back to bite you in the ass when things pick up. The person you get to take that 35k job will be gone with the wind as soon as the job market rebounds. Then you’ll spend the money you thought you saved trying to recruit and train his or her replacement. You’ll take a bigger loss than Ross… and I clearly don’t mean weight.

If and when I come back to your site, I’m sure I’ll see another ridiculous job posting. Maybe you’ll only be hiring janitors from ivy league schools, or secretaries with MBAs and five years of experience…for 30K. Eat 30K rocks.

Wayward employer, may you get stuck in a cabin in the woods with the ghost of recessions past. May you be slapped repeatedly by Dikembe Mutumbo, or covered in a thousand dirty diapers. I rebuke you, your insulting salary, and your ridiculous “requirements.”

Without Regards,

–

What  say you on this topic? Have you been on the job hunt? Are you seeing ridiculous job descriptions paying feeble monies? Any frustrating stories to share or questions you’d like answered? 

Original content from SBM. Click here to check out more from Slim Jackson.

Nike presents a look at a few of the upcoming Roshe Run's that will form part of the Spring/Summer 2013 model range. Sticking to the standard mesh construction, this latest selection of Roshe Run's offers up a couple tonal black colorways, a dark tonal navy colorway and two colorful offerings in Team Red and Blue Hero. The three tonal offerings mix things up with a geometric print tab running along the tongue and down the heel. The two more colorful options keep things relatively subdued with white Swoosh and sole unit. Look for all five colorways to make it to select Nike accounts soon.

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