Sunday, December 20, 2009

CIRCA 1999-2001


It has been 10 years since Jordan Brand began retroing older Jordan models. During 1999-2001, Jordan Brand retroed alot of popular models. I wasn't able to get all of them during this time, but I did get my hands on a few. I decided to share my kicks from this timeframe and tell the story on how I got them.

Air Jordan IV 1999


I can remember during winter '98 when I first heard the Air Jordan IV's would be rereleased in May '99, I got so happy. I've loved that shoe since '89 when I first saw it. I purchased the Air Jordan IV's in May 1999 from Foot Locker. The following month, I purchased the white/cement IV's also. These aren't my original pair I purchased. My original pair along with the white/cement one's, were stolen a few months after I bought them. I bought these again last year only to have the sole crumble on me after 1 wear. This shoe is my favorite of all of the Jordan sneakers. I've been in love with this sneaker since the 5th grade. I recall visiting Atlanta in the summer of '99 wearing these. So many people approached me asking 'Yo, where'd you get those?! I haven't seen them in 10 years'. Mind you, these were the days before the boom of sneaker sites, boutiques, or the term "sneaker heads".

Air Jordan V 1999/2000



I'm unsure on the EXACT month in '99/'00 when these were released. However, I do remember making minimum wage and being in college when they were retroed. When I got a better paying job in summer '00, I finally copped the red/black V's on sale at Foot Locker for $99.99 . Back then, I hated Jordan's that weren't the original colorway. If it didn't have Nike Air on the back heel, I didn't want it. I passed on all the Retro+ pairs of the V's except the Laney edition. Truthfully, the only reason why I bought them is because I got them for $49.99. Yes, $49.99 from Foot Locker in December '00!!!! This model was so easy to come across. If I would have know within 5-9 years later that these would go for $300+, I would have bought more.

Air Jordan VI 2000



I ordered these from Eastbay in September '00. This was when you could call Eastbay and pre-order your shoes. When these were finally delivered to me, the mailman left them on my door step! Luckily, I was home to get them before someone walked away with my package. I wore these up until this summer when the sole began to crumble on me.


Air Jordan XI 2000


Here we have the infamous 'Space Jam' Jordan XI's. These were released in December 2000. Around this time, Jordan's were released on week days. If I'm correct, Wednesday to be exact. I couldn't get off of work to get these so I paid someone to get them for me. I paid my man Jaykwon Allah $30.00 to get these for me while I was at work. We had a game plan devised with locations that were selling them. The plan was to purchase them, give me a call once he got them, & drop them off in my apartment. I never got that phone call while I was at work and I was unable to reach him all day. I was nervous. I thought to myself what if he didn't get them. Finally, I got home later that evening. I opened up the door to my apartment and there they were. On the kitchen table nice and shiny. My man! Jahkwon Allah came through. Unlike the pair that come out next week for $175.00, these were $124.99!!!! With tax, it was somewhere around $131.

Air Jordan III 2001


The Jordan 3 are one my favorite pairs of shoes. I've liked this shoe since 1988. I didn't get these until September '02. Almost a year later after they were retroed. I was upset that I missed out on the black/red Jordan III's that dropped July '01. I was also upset that I missed out on these when they were retroed in October '01. I was in Navy boot camp during that time. When I moved to Virginia in September '02, a neighbor of mine had these on. I asked him what size did he wear. He said size 10. Lucky for me, that's my size. He also said he would sell them to me for $65.00!!!!!! I bought them on the spot, no questions asked. He even offered to sell me the cool gray Jordan XI's for an extra $65.00. I declined. Boy was I stupid.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

For All My Lo-Life's



For all my Lo-Life's ,Lo-Head's, & Lo lovers check out the new album by Rack-Lo, "Rap Or Robbery". If you're a 'so called' Lo-Head and you never heard of Rack-Lo, you need to stop and do some research about this guy. Click the link below to listen to & buy his music on his website. Cop that 'Rap Or Robbery' album asap !!!! Plus, peep his amazing Polo collection on the site.

Rack-Lo website link

ALSO, if you're in NYC or the tri-state area, come out for this


Love & Loyalty two L's up!!!!

Friday, December 4, 2009

To All The Girls...RE-CAP



In case you weren't able to attend, here are some pics from my 'To All The Girls...' gallery opening. This show was held at The Aticc Boutique in New London, CT. Special TThanKs to the Aticc's own Christan & Denny for allowing me the opportunity to display my work. Big up to M. Elana for the pics. This collection only has a total of 6 paintings. If you're interested in purchasing any of the 6, contact me.


"Oh Nikki" 36"x48" acrylic


"People Instinctive Low End Midnight Movement" 36"x48" acrylic


untitled (1 of 3) 24"x36" acrylic


untitled (2 of 3) 24"x36" acrylic


untitled (3 of 3) 24"x36 acrylic


"Children's Story" 36"x48" acrylic


Can you find Michael Jackson (HINT-Off The Wall MJ)?





You Ever Heard This......



Goodie MOB featuring Esthero- The World I Know. I haven't met many people that have heard this track before. Let's go back to 1998, I first heard this song by coincidence. This song was on the soundtrack to a movie called SLAM featuring the multi talented poet/actor Saul Williams. Originally, I bought this cassette(lol) only because Black Rob's- I Dare You was on the soundtrack. I always loved the production Organized Noise did on this track, so smooth. Esthero's voice goes so well with it too. Here's a bonus for you guys, this version is the remix. The original version is on Esthero's 1998 'Breathe From Another' debut album. The original version is a lot slower and doesn't feature Goodie MOB.

Original version

Sunday, November 15, 2009

To All The Girls... preview


Here's a preview of what will be featured at my gallery opening 'To All The Girls..' . The show will be at the aticc boutique in New London, CT November 21,2009. The painting above is done with acrylic on canvas, 2ft x 3ft. Hope to see you there.

Monday, November 9, 2009

WOW!!!!



When I saw this album cover, I burst into laughter. Slam Dunk'n Hoes........WOW. This is one of the wackest album covers & titles I've ever seen. I wonder whose idea it was to name the album Slam Dunk'n Hoes. Why would you want to slam dunk hoes? It appears the guy on the cover 'slam dunk'n' is a pimp? Or a hustler? Or a basketball player before a press conference? Or maybe he's a pimphustlerballerplayer. I can imagine how the design process for this album went. I'm sure it went something like this, 'hey dog, I wanna be dunkin' a hoe on my album cover, like Shaq. I want these hoes to know how I be ballin' in da game'. The look on this guys face is so nonchalant. His expression says "this is what I do, DAILY". As for the 'hoe' that he's ' dunk'n ', she's probably saying 'Oh my God! I got dunk'd'. This album cover is sad but so funny. Oh yeah, his outfit is wack too. Two thumbs down.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

NEW TTK GALLERY OPENING.

November 21,2009. New London, CT
More info to come.

Monday, October 26, 2009

ANOTHER PAIR?!!!?!!!

FAKE!!!!!

I googled 'TTK sneakers' this weekend just to see what would come up. After scrolling through a few pics, I came across another FAKE pair of TTK's. I bet there's a factory somewhere overseas, that makes TTK's in multiple sizes lol. I need to find where it's at & take a tour. The pair that's bootlegged this time, is a pair I did personally for myself. I customized this particular pair on Dec. 31, 2007. Below is a pic of the real pair and me wearing them.

REAL

TTK vs. TTK jr. 7-4-08

Friday, October 23, 2009

LAKE PLACID, NOT THE MOVIE.




Peep these new Polo winter pieces. I'm really digging the white Lake Placid hoody pullover. It's only $165.00 also! Click the link below to www.polo.com ,and check out the rest of the collection.
Polo New Arrivals

Thursday, October 22, 2009

CALLING ALL ARTIST!!!!

If you're in the VA/DC/Maryland area, you should swing by or get involved with this event listed below.







.

Monday, October 19, 2009

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THIS?

Nas has so many great unreleased songs that never make the final cut of his albums. The Lost Tapes album is prime example. I first heard this song in the fall of 2000 on a mixtape. I was in amazement when I first heard it. I don't believe there's an official name for this song, but everyone calls it 'Summer Cookout'. Nas & Nature paint the perfect picture of a summer cookout. This song makes me miss the days growing up in Jacksonville. LES killed the Gladys Knight & the Pips sample! I stumbled across the Gladys Knight record one day when I was diggin' in the crates. The Gladys Knight version is beautiful & the Nas version is just as good, just on another level.



Sunday, October 18, 2009

DYNAMITE!!! DYNAMITE!!!


Black Dynamite is a movie I've been following since I first saw the trailer/previews for it in late 2008. Since I was a kid, I've been a huge fan of '70's Blaxploitation films. Black Dynamite is filmed as if it really came out during the '70's. This movie takes cue from a lot of the classic films from the era. This movie had me in tears from beginning to end. If you're a fan of '70's Blaxploitation you will truly appreciate this film. Even if you're not, go see it anyway. If you're in NYC or nearby, it's playing on 19th street & Broadway.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

TTK in The Source magazine!!!!!





In case you didn't know, I'm featured in the current issue of The Source(pg.19). Go out & cop it if you don't have it yet. The Source interviewed me back in June & the article is finally out. I went out last weekend, & apparently, the streets were talking about me being in the current issue. TThanKs to M.Elana Photography for the pics and TThanKs to all for the supporTTK!!!

WHY I BECAME A FAN.

Summer 1996, I became a Jay-Z fan. I heard verses & songs by him prior to that summer but I wasn't impressed. After a high school friend let me borrow Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt cd in August '96, I was hooked! When I heard track 2, "Politics As Usual" I was sold. I put it on repeat over & over lol. With that being said, that song & it's production is what drew me into Jay as an artist. The song was produced by Ski. The way he sampled "Hurry Up This Way Again" by The Stylistics,was just perfect. Here it is 13 years later & that song is still great to me.



Wednesday, September 30, 2009

NEW GHOSTFACE



First OB4CL2, now this 3 weeks later! The new Ghostface album, 'Ghostdini the Wizard of Poetry' dropped yesterday. If you haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, let me warn you, it's not your typical Ghost album. This is album has a more r&b feel to it but it's still DOPE. I've only listened to it once so far, but I like what I heard. True Ghost fans will respect his creativity & enjoy this. Peep track 8 'Guest House' with Fabolous.

Monday, September 28, 2009

NEW PAINTINGS!!!

During New York Fashion Week (9-16-09),I was asked to be apart of an event called 'Pop Is Dead' in SoHo. I was asked to paint something that showed how Hip-Hop culture is commercialiazed or something along those lines. My first idea was to paint Kanye. He's such a talented artist & a trendsetter. So much, that if he wore something ridiculous ,like a Rick James leather jacket with tassels or a Mr. T feather ear ring, people would probably go out and immitate it. Basically showing that people are influenced by media,television,internet, etc.


My second painting, was dedicated to how mainstream rap can be so fake/Hollywood. I chose to paint Rick Ross for this one. I painted him because he made a name for himself portraying to be the REAL Rick Ross. The REAL 'Freeway' Ricky Ross, made millions of dollars selling cocaine during the 1980's & is in prison today. Since he always raps about selling Coke, I figured I'd do a parody of his whole persona. ENJOY.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

GOING BACK TO SNOW BEACH...

Sometimes I wish I could go back in time & get all the good stuff I missed out on or couldn't afford growing up. Here's something I really wish I had. The Ralph Lauren Polo Snow Beach jacket. When the 'Can It Be All So Simple' video came out in summeer '94 & I saw Raekwon wearing the Snow Beach jacket, I said "ohhhh shit!!!". Flash forward 15 years later, I still don't have it,lol, but I still want it. Well, it's still out there, but @ a price of $2,000+!!!!!!




Thursday, September 17, 2009

iSkin and TTK Team Up for One-of-a-Kind Online Event!

MARK YOUR CALENDER PEOPLE: this Thursday (September 17) at 9pm EDT, iSkin will be teaming up with world renowned custom sneaker artist TTK . It’s a special online event that you don’t want to miss!

TTK has been customizing sneakers for the “Who’s Who” of NYC since 2004. And since iSkin is delivering a dose of cool, sexy, sophisticated style to the savvy citizens here at New York Fashion Week, we knew that connecting with TTK was a perfect fit – especially since we’re gearing up to launch our new line of artist-inspired digital accessory bags (code name: Artisan).

Thursday’s special event will be an online party, where visitors will be able to watch TTK in action. You’ll see art come alive in a way that you’ll never forget! And best of all, it’s an interactive session, which means you can ask TTK and iSkin questions and learn more about us. This kind of forum helps us get to know you better, and understand what you want to see from us in the future.

Here's the link:
iSkins x TTK online interview

Friday, September 4, 2009

FAKE TTK SNEAKERS ?! WHAT THE.....

While surfing the web, I came across bootleg versions of my work. Yes! Bootleg TTK's are out there for the AMAZING price of $79.99 or less!!!! I've ran into a guy a week ago that had on a fake pair of my Submerged Nostalgia .5 dunks(pictured below). For the record, every pair that I've ever done has been a hand painted 1 of 1 creation by me. So if you ever come across a website or someone, & they have various size's of TTK sneakers available.......yes, it's FAAAAKKKKKKEEEEE!!!! If it's too good to be true, then it probably is.

REAL

FAKE

REAL

FAKE

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

SONG OF THE DAY

Today I feel like taking it back to summer 1998, Ghostface Killah- "Cobra Cluth". This song was on the Wu-Tang presents The Swarm compilation. Truthfully, I didn't know there was a video for this song. When I purchased the Supreme Clientele c.d. ,the day it was released, it came with a Ghostface VHS tape(lol) with this video on it. With that being said, Cobra Clutch ladies & gents...

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Dr. Jays x Justice Hall interview

Peep this interview of my comrade Justice Hall @ drjays.com. I met Justice 3 years ago & we've been working together since then. He's an AMAZING designer & very innovative thinker. I respect his work alot. We're in the works of colaborating soon on something massive. Until then, peep the "Justice Hall Interview" link below, to read what he had to say about his designs.

Justice Hall Interview









Justice Hall & TTK on our way to New Orleans Feb. 2008
 
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