With the glut of “designer toys” cluttering shelves and display cases and floating around the interweb, it has naturally become a bit more difficult for designers and artists to distinguish themselves from the plastic masses. Difficult, but not impossible.

Enter The Mirf.

No, it’s not a blaxploitation-era Kung Fu flick about a housing project super who’s visited in the night by a mystical cockroach—the body of which houses the spirit of an ancient Wu Shu master—who then blesses said super with near invincibility and the fighting skills of the 12 most powerful Shaolin monks of antiquity, thus allowing him to clean up the streets and kick some Vice Lord ass, ending their reign of terror, getting the girl and generally saving the day and all that jazz.

Though that would make a pretty dope flick, The Mirf’s got little to do with the stuff of Kung Fu legend. The brainchild of 1134NYC’s graffiti duo Mint and Serf and NYC’s art toy house Thunderdog Studios, the Mirf is truly the first of its kind: a graffiti-inspired, wall-mountable soft-vinyl toy. Available in four different colorways (with 200 pieces of each), the Mirf’s creators consider the piece more of a sculpture than a toy. Getting bump from design and graffiti world luminaries such as HAZE, Claw Money and Carlo McCormick, as a bonus the limited edition piece comes in so fresh and so clean packaging which features a slide out box, silver foil and a two-sided, flocked blister tray.

And to bleed off the steam that’s been building since hype over this paradigm-shifting piece of soft-vinyl deliciousness first buzzed about the Lower East Side a month ago, 1134NYC, Thunderdog Studios, Rogue Status and Vapors Magazine are putting their power rings together to drop the Mirf bomb in dual Left Coast launch events tonight and Thursday night. New York hip-hop trio Team Facelift will be holding it down at both events. With that said, expect lots of nudity (thank you Fat Jew), more than a few Jewish girls from Long Island, a tangerine bathrobe or two and possibly even some drunken, passionate Mirf chants (most likely in the nude). You know you love it.

Here you have it…Biz’s Halloween Beat Of The Day, from Kidrobot’s super-superb Nick Jr. show “Yo Gabba Gabba“. This clip begs the question, can you ever really get enough Biz? OK maybe if you cloned him a thousand times, then cloned each of those clones a thousand times, I’m almost positive you’d get sick of dude beat-boxing at all hours of the night eventually.But let’s be realistic; that technology is like three or four years away, so yeah, there’s your answer. And I can hear him now, that destroyer of all things, that perpetual Man-Bastard, Rufus. I can see the scenario perfectly, in the theater of my mind. Rufus shouting across the way, perched atop his birdshit-stained stoop: “Yo Kasai, it’s spring time kid! Shit is like mad primaveral right now!” Oh Rufus, I’m well aware. I know, I’m mad late on this one. But if you ask me, the Gregorian calender’s a bunch of mularkey anyway. Besides, the way I get down, every day’s Halloween, ya heard? Now I just need a bat-hat like Biz’s and I’m in like Flynn.That and plastic surgery to make me look like the Count from Sesame Street. Yeah. I’m super serial.

Damn. Damn. Damn. Sure, there’s a shitload of nonsense on YouTube. In its short lifespan, we’ve all come to realize that. But every once in a while, a shimmering ray of hope descends from the HyperText Heavens and blesses with the goodness. And yeah, this would be one of those moments. A slender and youthful Biz Markie (of Cold Chillin’ fame) sharing the stage in NYC with the inimitable Roxanne Shante, circa 1986. And if you can get past the fuzzy, dookie-roped nostalgia of the whole thing, maybe you’ll tune into young Ms. Shante’s brief rumination on the cultural and socioeconomic shitshow that was/is the crack epidemic.

Yeah, that’s right. Lest you forget that the “Big Mama” has a Ph.D. in psychology from Cornell (and now has her own practice in Queens). Payback From Wayback!

If you’ve been hitting the mp3 blogs or clubbing at least semi-regularly as of late, you’ve no doubt caught wind of a trend in hip-hop that is progressing with varying degrees of success. Rappers and their producers are doing a bit of paradigm shifting for once, laying vocals over, of all things, electronic tracks (think techno, trance and dnb in particular).

If you want to be technical about it, the game’s been keen on thugstep, “trance-hop” (the term coined by XXL), etc. for a little over a year now. Usually featuring jacked-up BPMs, the songs are more ‘95 Love Parade than 125th and Lenox.

Possibly the best out of the bunch is Pittsburgh-MC-on-the-come-up Wiz Khalifa’s “Say Yeah”, which samples Alice DeeJay’s 1999 trance smash “Better Off Alone”. More than club-ready, the track is versatile and polished enough to make you forget how corny the source material is/was (respect to producer Johnny Juliano for keeping it in the fairway). The video is kind of cute, too.

As far as his other tracks, Wiz has more in common with his Southern counterparts than his European ones, yet when he professes to being consumed with the typical rap obsessions (cars, keeping the rep up, women and the paper chase), it doesn’t come off as puerile materialism or mere womanizing, but rather the admissions of a driven artist looking to be rewarded for his hard work and talent.

A self-professed “youngin’ on his grind”, Khalifa, 19, seems mature beyond his years (and his finger-snap, bubblegum rap peers) and admits to loving what he does and taking pride in his work. Having been constantly on the move as a child, he says that it was his father who broadened his musical horizons and gave him the foundation and confidence to begin writing songs at a young age. If the young rapper is on his grind half as seriously as he claims to be, the kid may be one of Pittsburgh’s best hopes for getting out of the Illadelph hip-hop scene’s shadow.

The MySpace Jump-Off

It wasn’t too long ago that it was wholly uncool to be Black and on top of a skateboard. Resistance came in the form of everything: from being teased to the point where you couldn’t even bare to look at your deck, to getting your ass beaten by haters, and having your board smashed into a million pieces. Yet, thanks to the renaissance of the sport, its increasingly global nature, and the imagery put forth by semi-mainstream “skate-hop” rappers like Lupe Fiasco and The Pack, it’s now perfectly fine to throw down some heelflips in the ‘hood. Word.

Of course, as with any revolution, history most readily records the travails of those at the fore of the fight. Sure, the aforementioned factors have played a part in the change, but someone had to get out there and win some damn respect, yeah. This month, Montreal online lifestyle magazine What’s Really Good? aims to celebrate those Black skateboarders who pounded the pipes, parks, ramps and pavement to help change the dynamic of the sport and open doors for generations of skaters to come. Launched in collaboration with Montreal’s Series Skateboards, WRG?’s “Black History Month Project” involves education (a crossword featured on the site in which Black skate heroes serve as the puzzle’s answers) and goodies (packages including one of a limited run of 100 Series x WRG? skateboards/a limited edition Sharpie/a poster, one of which could be yours after you complete the puzzle).

Referencing old guard thrashers such as Ray Barbee, the late, great Harold Hunter and Kareem Campbell, the puzzle throws in a few new schoolers for good measure. And sure, Illadelph street wizard Stevie Williams had to endure being disrespected on the reg, and even being called a “trashy nigger”. But after getting his weight up (not his hate up), the “dirty ghetto kid” is a shining example of how far Blacks in skateboarding have come (i.e. spots in video games, a deal with Reebok and his own skateshop). WRG? founder Leslie Woods offers, “I hope that this project encourages everyone to learn more about black history and skateboarding. Black history is not only a black thing. It’s important for people to know, understand and discuss all cultures. It’s discussion and learning that will lead to acceptance and the end of racism”. Respeck.

And to wrap up the month, the deck in question will be featured alongside a collection of photos, paintings, multimedia and installations centered around skateboarding and black history. Featuring contributors from both the MTL and the international scene, it’s going down at Tokyo Night Club on February 28th. Do it to it, do it to it.

All the info can be found here. The puzzle is here, and you’re welcome for the pseudo-hints on the crossword tip, p.s.

After running shit at the Grammys, snatching up awards, hushing the “you’re speech is going over” music guy and such, Kanye-to-the has revealed a (partial?) list of tour dates for the upcoming Glow In The Dark Tour. Also make sure to check the new video for “Flashing Lights”… eery shit.

Dates are as follows:
April 16 - Seattle, WA - Key Arena *#
April 18 - Sacramento, CA - ARCO Arena *#
April 19 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion *#
April 20 - San Diego, CA - San Diego Sports Arena *#
April 27 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center *#
May 1 - Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Center *#
May 2 - Woodlands, TX - Woodlands Pavilion *#
May 23 - Chicago, IL - United Center *#
May 24 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center *#
May 27 - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Credit Union Centre *#
May 29 - Edmonton, Rexall Place *#
May 30 - Calgary, Alberta - Pengrowth Saddledome *#
June 12 - Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo

** with Lupe Fiasco# with N.E.R.D., Rihanna
Courtesy of Pitchfork/Nicolas Hart

Celbridge, Ireland’s Bell X1, and their videoclip for “Flame”, serving the dual purpose of getting you in the mood for lovin’ and warming you up a bit should you be in the throes of Old Man Winter’s icy love grip. Lots of octave jumps, toasted marshmallows, pyrotechnics and a giant phone. And yeah, there’s shadow puppets. And whether you’re lovelorn or absolutely smitten, you gotta love fuckin’ shadow puppets. Especially these shadow puppets.

So whether you’re treating that special someone to a romantic dinner at some (overpriced) place that requires reservations (well) in advance or simply cozying up to some Skinemax and a bottle of wine, enjoy V-Day to the fullest and bask in the warm, loving, glowing glow of the cheesiest and most inexplicable holiday on the calendar. And remember, TRACE loves you to pieces, Valentine’s or not.

Over the years, a number of the environments I’ve found myself in for prolonged periods of time have seen North Face outerwear in such full force that the ubiquity became rather unnerving. Cultish, even. Yes, I can confess to spending years reviling the repugnant masses of the North Face Nation, all snug and smug and warm and shit. Even the slogan, “Never Stop Exploring”, raised my pressure significantly. Like any of those fucks was exploring anything other than a Starbucks menu.

That was, of course, until a good friend from Atlanta blessed me with The Truth: a red and yellow 1983 Gore-Tex North Face parka, in pristine condition. Shit would never be the same. Granted, I am indeed proud of The Truth, and often go out of my way in social situations to flex my vintage muscle on the contemporary crowd. And until now, I’d gone unchallenged by even the mightiest of suitors. Yet, much to my chagrin, the fine folks at Supreme are looking to come at me for the title and crash this bash, House Party style. “I smell pussssy”!

Dropping at the NYC and LA stores on Feb. 14th, Supreme’s newest take on the North Face Summit jacket is more than enough to get even a “Face-o-phobe” like me to drink the Kool-Aid. Blessing the children with two new colorways, the Supreme Summit features a hand-drawn skyline inspired by NYC (day and night). And as though the Supreme logo under the original North Face stitching wasn’t enough, the opposite arm features a near full-length “SUPREME” logo, on that “respect the name” tip. Never Stop Stuntin’.

Everything you need to know can be found here.

A man of many layers, Minneapolis-based graphic designer-cum-fine artist Greg Gossel is garnering attention for his mixed-media prints blending vintage comic, pulp and Pop Art aesthetics with affective American imagery (read: Uncle Sam, cowboys and pin-ups in distress.) “My work is about life, the struggle and the beauty,” Greg says in his artist’s statement. “I’m interested in process – building up a surface and layering a variety of mediums.” His work conveys his understanding of the complexity of modern life, as evinced by his juxtaposition of a racist caricature with an illustrated portrait of Martin Luther King, Jr. in his Heroes series. Fresh from his first solo show at San Francisco’s Gallery Three in December, he joined The Shooting Gallery’s group show at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, in January. And for the entirety of February, Gossel will fly solo on Boston’s DirtyPilot.com, in an online-only exhibition that will feature more than 20 pieces of the artist’s poignant works.
www.streetvalue-design.com

As if an Entertainer of the Year nod, releasing some of the illest Hip Hop videos of the last five years, and trouncing one Curtis Jackson in the SoundScan on 9/11 oh-seven weren’t enough, Kanye West, aka the Louis Viutton Don, aka Kanye-to-the, has announced his Glow In The Dark tour, replete with snazzy Daft Punkian poster (with the ill Star Wars font,) and an interstellar line-up that’s sure to peel some caps. Backing up ‘Ye will be fellow “Us Placers” N.E.R.D. and the Chi’s own Lupe Fiasco, as well as ‘hood heartbreaker Rihanna. No dates yet, but you know TRACE has got you on the update tip. Could this be the final phase in Kan’s master plan to hush up the naysayers and establish himself as the Alpha and the Omega of the game? Only time will tell young Padawan. Just get ready to strap up those glow-top Nikes and do it harder, better, faster, stronger.

via Kanye’s blog