All supporters of Hip Hip music are well aware of what’s become of the genre. There are rappers out there who have staked their claim as superior MC’s without offering the product to back it up. Some of these self proclaimed greats might enter the game with a street buzz achieved from the mixtape circuit, a hot single, or endorsements from already well know artists, but one thing is missing once these artists establish themselves—–improvement. Why don’t we hold these rappers accountable for their lack of advancement of their skills? The usual experience has been once an MC enters the game and is successful, they lose their hunger and drive for progress. Obviously there are many factors involved in keeping an artist from reaching the pinnacle of their talents, especially when it comes to rap music and the conditions pushing most artists into the business. But should we just accept those circumstances and give these MCs a pass, or should we expect more from the people representing the genre of music we love?

Hip Hop has become a lucrative venture , and due to its global popularity, there are those who enter the the business with the intention of eventually getting a large pay day. The majority of the MCs in that category don’t have much talent, but might’ve come up with a catchy chorus or a popular theme that will surely thrive in the current market. In that instance, what would be the reason driving someone to improve upon their craft? They’ve already achieved what they set out to do, got paid, and will continue to milk the same formula that got them there until it is no longer appealing to consumers. I can’t get upset with anyone who climbed out of the gutter to the top of the mountain and decided to relax until they fell off. I can’t blame these artists for taking advantage of a fatal flaw in the Hip Hop genre, it is a money driven business that values currency over substance. What bothers me is those rappers that have potential to be great and make no effort to live up to it. There are those who start their careers with albums or mixtapes that leave the listeners yearning for more, but sadly fans are usually disappointed when the second and third efforts are no different or even worse than the first.

In all aspects of life we’re always looking for ways to improve things; the whole cell phone craze for example is the epitome of our efforts to enhance what we use on a regular basis. The same values apply to other forms of technology, school, work, and sports. We should place the same accountability on these rappers. MCs who made a name for themselves shouldn’t be able to just continue to get by off reputation. We should demand a product that’s worth the $15 cost of the cds we spend our money on. Granted a lot of music is illegally downloaded nowadays which might contribute to the lack of motivation of the artists, but people still buy albums and rappers are a lot more marketable than they were in the past due to the overwhelming use of the Internet. We want to to expect more from our favorite MCs so everyone can continue to be provided with good music. I don’t want to be the one to judge, I have plenty of my own shortcomings that I need to address. I could never know how it feels to go from broke to rich in a matter of months and how I would react afterwards. What I do know is that I have integrity and I am always looking to get better at what I do. I want to see these young and up and coming artists passionate about their music so they can live in eternity in the minds of  listeners no matter how much time has passed. There are many timeless classics that I listened to over a decade ago that I still bump today. Current MCs should want to create that same longevity and they could continue to make money of their creations. If these rappers don’t make any effort elevate themselves and their music, a couple years from now they’ll be right back where they started without a second chance forthcoming.

M. Motif

Peck the Town Crier is a good ol friend of ours at hoodiepeople.com. Check out their new music video UNDERWEAR. It’s a funky jam with a super funny video. Hope you enjoy it!

www.peckthetowncrier.com

Tags: hoodiepeople.com, peck the town crier, underwear

Last week’s episode of Lost centered around the most intriguing character in the show—John Locke/Smokie. The “flashes sideways” focused on Locke’s life in the parallel universe and displayed a much less turbulent reality than what Locke had faced before originally landing on the island. Although Locke seems just as angry and frustrated with the world as he was previously, there are some good things present in this universe that weren’t around previously. Locke’s relationship with Helen Norwood is the most noticeable difference between the original time and this new one; he seems a lot happier in this situation than he was before. Back on the island, Smokie, who is now made itself in Locke’s image, leads Sawyer to an unknown place on the island claiming he has answers to to all of Sawyer’s questions, including why he was brought to the island. Once the two arrive at the scene of the cave, one of the island mysteries is uncovered and we learn a little more why everyone was brought to the mysterious destination.

The cave that Sawyer is lead to indeed contains some serious answers. Within it, the names of all the inhabitants that have been on the island are written all over the walls; some are crossed out to represent those that have died while others are aligned next to “The Numbers” that have been so prevalent in the show. These are the same numbers that Hurley used to win the lottery, were on the door of the “Hatch’, entered in the computer at the “Swan” and were supposedly created as an equation to prevent the end of the world. The reappearance of the numbers,  4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42, mark a pivotal moment in the series. In the cave, which Smokie claims belongs to Jacob, reveals that Jacob in fact assigned 6 names to the numbers: 4- Locke, 8 – Reyes, 15 – Ford, 16 – Jarrah, 23 – Shephard, 42- Kwon. An episode earlier in the series shows that Jacob touched those 6 individuals at different moments in their life times. These characters now are in place to play a very important roles leading up to the conclusion of the series. Smokie explains to Sawyer that Jacob had made a list of these names as recruits  to stay and protect the island and urges Sawyer to leave. He then goes on to convince Sawyer that the island doesn’t need protecting, but is he telling the truth? On the way to the cave Sawyer encounters Richard who is terrified for his life. He warns Sawyer not to trust the new Locke and that he trying to kill him and everyone on the island. If we are to believe what Richard is saying and we know the capabilities of Smokie, why are we to believe that Smokie is telling Sawyer the truth?

Its unclear if the cave truly belongs to Jacob, it very well could belong to Smokie and he is using it lure Sawyer to his side. The whole existence of the numbers are still shrouded in mystery, we still don’t know how Jacob uses the numbers and if he is aware of all their other uses. If Jacob is trying  to recruit protectors of the island, then it might be tied in with the fate of the world. As it stands now, it looks as if these six names might be the saviors of the island and maybe humanity.

M. Motif

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Hip Hop has become a fictitious braggadocios bravado driven excuse for music. Once the corporate vultures recognized the benefits of exploiting young impoverished artists, the integrity of the music suffered miserably. But fans of the culture should not fret, because beneath the ashes there are still some artists that evoke passion, hunger, and truth within one of the  most popular genres on the planet. Freddie Gibbs is one of those rare MCs that is believable, knowledgeable and eager to spread his thoughts with pure Hip Hop. “The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs” isn’t a mixtape that’s gonna blow listeners away with content; it doesn’t contain anything that hasn’t been done before, but then again that’s not really what a mixtape is for. What Gibbs did was show that he can master the current landscape of Hip Hop while adding his own elements to the game that place him far above the average watered down rapper.

The mixtape starts off with Just Blaze produced ”GI Pride”, an ode to Gibbs’ hometown: Gary, Indiana. He paints a concrete picture of his city with descriptions of the everyday grind and the struggle of growing up in a poverty-stricken community with lines like “Before you muthafuckas bother me, just take a look at this economy, because economically we at the bottom.” This was a great track to kick off the mixtape and introduce the world to his sound and what molded him. In spite of the traps such as drugs, prison and guns put in place to halt his success, he still managed to rise above it and bring listeners his story. The next track that really stands out is “Never Ending Cycle”, here Gibbs questions himself in the chorus “When will I ever wake up?” over smooth production. Gibbs recognizes the conditions that  surround him that provoke violence and murder, but he also places the responsibility of change on himself with lyrics like “But I got out the streets to do this shit for a livin, as rappers we should pay attention to the message we sendin’.” No matter how bad things appear in the system meant to destroy, the onus remains on the individual to better the situation. 

“The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs” has songs for all fans of Hip Hop to nod their heads too; from the hardest gangstas in the mood for that hood music to cats just looking for some music to ride to. “What it B Like” produced by Polow da Don is one that can get the whole club crackin as Gibbs spits over Polow’s trademark base lines questioning people from all walks of life “What it B like?” Gibbs tells a couple of stories on the mixtape that contain a definitive beginning, middle and end in “Queen (Luv u to Death)”, a tale about a chick who seems like the perfect woman but later turns out to be a conniving thief, and “Close Your Eyes” which is a story about his experiences from childhood to adulthood. This mixtape can appeal to any advocate of Hip Hop and good music; Gibbs shows a rare tenacity on the mic that has been missing in the commercialized state of rap music. Will Freddie Gibbs stay true to himself once to spotlight shines on him? Will his music remain the same once the major record labels come calling with promises to take him to the next level while trying to change the very essence of his sound?  Only Freddie Gibbs knows the answers to those questions, but what I do know is that I just listened to the whole mixtape for the third time while writing this and I didn’t hear an ounce of conformity in him.

Now that we have settled into 2010, it feels like a good time to let everyone know what we have been up to at hoodiepoeple.com.  Here is a quick background to get you caught up, we launched hoodiepeople.com in Nov 2008, our team has grown to four (+3 contractors), there are 44 great brands from all different style categories on the site.  hp is based the San Francisco Bay Area and have a small office in Petaluma and a photo studio in Pt. Richmond.  Since day one all the people you see on hoodiepeople.com modeling hoodies are friends and FoF, and the team grew up together in Marin County and later worked together in software sales, where the idea for the biz was born.

The company is 100% independently owned, we started with less than $5,000 of inventory and five brands and have only taken a few small investments from friends and family.  In 2010 we are going to be out raising some money for the company and hopefully will be able to tap into the new SBA loan programs and connect with a great angel investor.  While 2009 was an extremely challenging year for any business and especially rough on retail, we were small enough to weather the slim months (Feb-July) and aggressive enough to keep building our selection of brands and styles, and firmly establish the website in key search results on google to really blow out the 4th quarter and end the year with great growth.  Overall 2009 was an amazing first year for the company and we are extremely excited about really crushing it in 2010 and beyond.

Tomorrow we are heading the the huge Magic Apparel trade show in Las Vegas, which will be the 4th time we have gone.  This year marks a big change as we are mainly meeting with current brands to do our big fall buy. We will def be walking the floor to scout out fresh new brands, but in years past our main mission was to get out and meet lots of new brands.  Fall 2010 will be our biggest ever with major new brands, new categories, and an amazing exclusive launch Hitting the trade shows is a great way to see the whole macro industry and all the cool niches in one place.

I’ll be doing a few more of these posts to look at a few of the main areas of the business, what we are up to, and how we do it at hp.  Let me know in the comments or email me at hasan@hoodiepeople.com if you have any questions, ideas, or suggestions.

Tags: company news, hoodie company, hoodie people update, hoodiepeople, hoodiepeople.com, startup, startup company

There weren’t too many new developments in last weeks’ episode of Lost. Akin to the earlier episodes of the series, one primary character was chosen as the focal point of the plot. Kate’s story within the dual realities was in the spotlight while Sayid’s bewildering resurrection functioned as the back story. The interesting aspect of the parallel universe created by the hydrogen bomb explosion is in connections between the characters that seemed to survive the shift in the different realities. The current turmoil on the island as a result of Jacob’s death is still shrouded in mystery, but some details emerged to shed some light. This episode weaved Sayid’s reawakening, Claire’s whereabouts and Kate’s search for her together while exhibiting how everything is all related.

Kate and Claire became extremely close after Kate was present during the birth of Aaron on the island; the same bond is persistent when their paths cross for the first time off the island. Claire doesn’t actually end up giving birth this time around, but Kate is there for her when she is going into labor and offers her advice for the important decision Claire is wrestling with over giving the baby up for adoption. There are other elements from the alternate reality that appear to still show a conjunction between the two worlds. In the first episode it was the appearance and quick disappearance of Desmond and the vanishing of Jack’s father, this episode the connection was conjured when Claire frantically yelled Aaron’s name and explained later she didn’t know where the name came from. Back on the island Kate admits to Sawyer her true reasons for returning—-to find Claire. The episode displayed the surviving bond between the two women that crossed over in during “flashes sideways” and brought it back to Kate’s mission on the island as well as a connection to Sayid’s reawakening.

While Jin and Kate are away from the temple, Jack is still trying to figure out Dogen and Lennon’s true intentions in regards to Sayid. I posed the question in my last post about Sayid’s identity once resurrected, that suspicion was shared by Dogen and Lennon as they subjected Sayid to a series of torturous ‘tests’ and later attempted to poison him. Jack questions the contents of a pill emant for Sayid and swallows it in an effort to force an explanation. When Dogen removes the Pill from Jack’s mouth, he reveals the it as poison and clarifies his reasons for trying to kill Sayid. Dogen claims that the darkness that he believes possessed Sayid is the same that has taken over Jack’s sister. The “darkness” that Dogen speaks of can only be the power of the Smoke Monster. That would explain why Claire has appeared as an apparition to Kate and others on the island since the Smoke Monster is able to take on the forms of others. In the typical cliff hanger fashion that has become synonymous with Lost, Claire returns at the very end of the episode to rescue Jin from some of the temple guards. The links between Claire’s disappearance and Sayid’s return to the world of the living are prevalent, but what remains to be seen is if Claire or Sayid are truly vessels of the Smoke Monster.

Mansa Motif

Tags: lost, lost update, love final season

Mavaricks 2010

check out the official Mavaricks Gear Shop (some awesome hoodies)

good luck and happy returns to all the brave surfers riding the big waves today.

Tags: mavaricks 2010, mavaricks surf competition, surf hooides

2nd Annual Hoodiepeople.com Hoodie Drive 2009

150 Golden Gate Ave, San Francisco

Clothing donations welcome at the door

Monday – Friday 8:30- 4:30pm

Free Clothing Program 415-241-2600

The 2nd Annual Hoodie Drive was another small victory for www.hoodipeople.com. We surpassed last year and showed up at St. Anthony’s with 100 warm pieces of clothing including items from our own closets. It was actually raining while unloading the hoodies and there were lots of homeless people, including women and small children, squeezing under store over hangings for shelter. Seeing families in the cold is no joke and showed us first hand how bad homelessness gets. When we got inside the worker behind the glass said, “Oh, wow. Those will be gone quick.” Experiences like these certainly make us want to do more and re-confirm why we do this each year. Our bin had hoodies, sweaters, jackets, and rain coats donated at hoodiepeople.com’s One Year Anniversary Party. We had donations from Triumph 4th Street in San Rafael, CA again this year too. Stay tuned for our 2010 3rd Annual Hoodie Drive, we plan on turning up it up a notch and colaborating with more businesses such as the One Warm Coat Drive seen in the video below.

1st Annual Hoodie Drive 94 hoodies and jackets

Tags: hoodie drive, hoodiepeople.com, hoodies, san francisco, st. anthony's foundation

The hit show that captivated viewers when a commercial jet crashed on a mysterious island is back for its final season. “Lost” has definitely left fans in a state of disarray trying to figure out the strange and esoteric occurrences on the island. The show started with a fairly standard premise: a group of people crash on an island and need to figure out how to get off, but as the series played out, the show turned out to be anything but typical. Time travel, smoke monsters, ghosts, and destiny have all been interwoven in the make up of “Lost” to create a intricate puzzle that seemingly takes a genius to solve. There are many open ended questions coming into the final season with ample theories all over the web and media attempting to provide answers. Over the course of the shows’ impending end, I will add my insight and conjectures over the enigma what we’ve come to know as “Lost”.  Beware, spoiler warning, if you missed the first episode of the season, don’t read any further.

Season 5 of “Lost” ended dramatically when John Locke’s possessed body encouraged Ben to murder Jacob in the present, and Juliette set of the hydrogen bomb in the 70s with the intention that the lives of those trapped on the island could return to normal. The looming question coming into season 6 was rather the explosion worked or not. What the explosion did was rip the fabric of time and create a parallel universe where on one hand, the survivors were still on the island in the present while on the other hand they were back on their plane unknowingly passing over the island buried deep beneath the sea. So what does it all mean?

Parallel Realities

The first thing to pay attention to are the subtle changes in the lives of the characters without ever landing on the island. Boone does not come back from Sydney with his sister, John Locke does indeed go on his long awaited walkabout, and Hurley actually has good luck after winning the lottery. Seemingly Jack’s plan to return to “life before the island” actually worked, but it’s not all positive. Jin and Sun’s relationship returned to its tumultuous beginnings, Charlie is arrested for attempting to commit suicide on the plane, and Kate is still in custody and will seemingly continue to be on the run. This new double reality allows a comparative analysis of the effects of the island for the oceanic passengers. It is another representation of the constant duality exhibited in all aspects of the show. The first few seasons gave insight to the characters through flashbacks, then flash-forwards displayed the affects of the island once the “Oceanic Six” made it off; now the back and forth between the different realities will provide closure for each character in an alternate setting. Jack and Kate can end up together on the island, and maybe Sawyer and Kate off the island, the possibilities are endless. There are also forces connecting the two realities as seen with the disappearance of Desmond, and Jack’s father from the plane.

Jacob and the Smoke Monster

Jacob and the nameless entity that takes possession of Locke’s body are classic models for the duality of good and evil. Jacob is seen as a well intentioned character who believes that humans are inherently good while his antagonist seems to think that all interactions between visitors to the island will end in chaos. No one really knows the extent of their power, but after revealing the nameless being as the smoke monster, there is more clarity in what the two might be capable of. With a better understanding of the supernatural abilities of the smoke monster, it can be assumed that the ghosts seen on the island are just incarnations conjured by this character. The smoke monster can only take the form of the bodies of the dead on the island. That’s why Jack’s father has been such a pivotal figure along with Claire, Boone, and later Charlie; the smoke monster was able to take the shape of those killed to manipulate the course of events on the island. So far Jacob has not shown the ability to shape shift, so one has to wonder if that was truly Jacob who advised Hurly to take Sayid to the temple to be revived. The process of healing was thought to be a failure with Sayid when he was submerged in the purification pool where it was assumed he drowned. When Sayid awoke at the very end of the episode the question remained—- was that was really Sayid, Jacob, or the smoke monster? More to come after episode two airs tomorrow.

Mansa Motif