Morning Video: Lebron James "Rise (What Should I Do?)" by Nike

Nike doesn't make good commercials - they make great ones. And this one featuring Lebron James is one of the best they've EVER done. It's spot on and very affective. It's Lebron playing the villain and owning it. It's him saying, "I'm going to be who I want to be and I don't care what you think." I absolutely love it. Sure, there's subtle shots at Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley, but Lebron is doing one of the things that makes leaders great - not doing what's popular and being his own man. If he did what everybody else - the people outside his inner circle - wanted him to he'd be a follower. And being a follower isn't bad if you follow diligently, but why follow when you're in a position to lead? You can't. And Lebron won't.

My Jacket of Dreams: The Shawl Collar Dinner Jacket

In many ways the Shawl Collar Dinner Jacket is what I aspire to be. It’s elegant, sophisticated, luxurious, and most of all, it’s so grown up. For about a year now, the shawl collar blazer has been on my “to buy” list. Really, it should be on my “you better buy that shit once you’ve made it” list, but can you blame me? I mean, look at it. When you wear one it says something. It’s a statement all its own. It’s the classic “you can’t tell me nothing” jacket.

Most recently, the jacket has caught my interest because Kanye West rocked it in his movie Runaway, which aired last Saturday. While he is my number one inspiration when it comes to anything creative, the jacket stays on my mind like a beanie in the winter time.

The jacket dates back to the 1860’s, when Henry Pool & Co. designed a short smoking jacket for the Prince of Wales to wear to informal dinner parties as an alternative to white tie dress. It didn’t receive the name “dinner jacket” until 1888.

While many are two-button versions, my favorite is the one-button design. The one shown (above and below) is the Band of Outsiders Shawl Collar Dinner Jacket said to be priced at $1,824. It’s hand tailored, made with natural cotton canvas, and features front flap pockets, back side vents, and functional buttons at the wrist. I love how you can dress up the jacket or dress it down. Ideally, I want one like the Band of Outsiders version here, and one in light gray with a black shawl collar. I’ll own them one day. Then, when I walk by people will fantasize and think, “Damn, that boy made it.”

Can A Brotha Get A Phoenix? (Or just Kanye and Miss Ebanks)

Kanye West's long talked about 35-minute short-movie “Runaway” (below) premiered on MTV, MTV2, and BET Saturday night. In the movie a phoenix (played by model Selita Ebanks) falls to earth, crashing Kanye’s car. He, then, takes her to his home, falls in love with her, and tries to help her adapt to this world in hopes she’ll be accepted by humans, but she is not. It features nine songs off Kanye’s upcoming album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, to be released November 22. While the film was packed with creative, awe-inspiring scenes featuring lively colors, interesting shots, and amazing cinematography, the one thing you couldn’t take your eyes off of was model Ms. Ebanks.

Basically naked with feathers covering her privates and wings on her back, Ebanks looks like a bird – a sexy bird. She doesn’t speak much but she doesn’t have to. She stole the movie just by standing there. According to my twitter feed, I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t take my eyes off her. In case you missed it, peep the photos of Ebanks and you’ll see what I mean. If all birds looked like this, I’d house an aviary.

I also posted this for Men's Health magazine blog "The Cache" here.

Tommy Hilfiger "Icon Collection"

Tommy Hilfiger is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his label by launching his Icon Collection this month. The dope paintings you see were made by Marcos Zavros for the occasion. The 25 limited edition pieces are every bit of classic-driven preppy All-American sportswear with a modern twist. The inspiration comes from true American icons is blended into every piece of fabric from the James Dean-inspired leather jacket to the Jim Morrison-inspired leather jeans. Tommy also features traditional button-downs, denim shirts, and shawl cardigans. The collection is currently available at all Hilfiger retail stores and online at usa.tommy.com

Morning Video: G.O.O.D. Music BET Hip-Hop Awards Cypher

Incase you missed last night's BET Hip Hop Awards, different groups of rappers entered the cypher (a crew of rappers rapping in a room, basically) and all went hard. There were five in all featuring the star veterans like Kanye West, Common, Raekwon, Rev Run, and Ice Cube as well as up and comers like Big Sean, Wiz Khalifa, Tyga, Yelawolf, and Diggy and JoJo Simmons (Rev Run's kids). All of them were dope, but my favorite was (you guessed it) Kanye's G.O.O.D. Music cypher featuring Kanye, Common, Pusha T, Big Sean, and CyHi Da Prynce. Kanye spit first and last killing it with his signature introspective, boastful, and thoughtful flow, but the most surprising came from Big Sean. He flowed with such ease and he looked like a true pro ready for the flashing lights. I got excited. After you see this, you will, too. Run it back!


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Morning Video: Jay Pharoah Spoofs Will Smith & Denzel Washington

Never heard of Jay Pharoah? Well, it's time for you take notice. The 22-year-old Virginia native became the latest addition to the Saturday Night Live cast on September 25, making him the first African-American addition since 2003, when Keenan Thompson arrived. He's made a name for himself by impersonating celebrities like Jay-Z, Drake, President Obama, Will Smith, Denzel Washington, and others. Below, I've posted my favorite video of his when he impersonates Will Smith and Denzel Washington. It's a spoof of a behind the scenes look at why a movie between them never happened. If you don't laugh at this, you might be dead. Enjoy.

Morning Video: J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League on the Making of "Aston Martin Music"

The J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League is a group of producers you must know if you're into hip-hop. But, just in case you're not they consist of three producers (Erik "Rook" Ortiz, Kevin "Colione" Crowe, Kenny "Barto" Bartolomei) based in Tampa, FL. They took home a Grammy for Best R&B Album in 2007 for their work on Mary J. Blige's album "The Breakthrough". They've also crafted hits for Lil' Wayne, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Drake, and Fabolous among many others. This video shows their work on Rick Ross's summer banger "Aston Martin Music" featuring Drake and Chrisette Michele. The track was quite possibly the single of the summer. See how it all went down.

Let The Story Begin - Aston Martin Music from Decatur Dan on Vimeo.

Song of the Day: Chris Brown f/ Drake, T.I., Kanye West, Fabolous, & Andre 3000 - "Dueces"

Breezy recruits some of the hottest in the game and drops the remix of the year.

My Favorite Magazine Covers: October

I bought 3 copies.



Gaga and Marc Jacobs cover V


Complex dope double-cover features Kid Cudi and Nicki Minaj


My favorite, ummm, actress covers Playboy


Elle 25th Anniversary cover. My favorite is the Amanda Seyfried cover

Morning Muse: Beyonce's Fall 2010 Dereon Ads

"Wow, is that Beyonce?" They were the first words out of my mouth as I flipped through this Fall's issue of V Magazine. My mouth dropped. The baddest chick in the game just got badder. Sporting outfits and fake tattoos from her Fall 2010 Ads for her clothing line Dereon, Beyonce poses and stares daringly looking sexier than (or at least as sexy) we've ever seen her. Enjoy the pics.

Morning Video: Eminem f/ Lil' Wayne - "No Love"

The moment I first heard this track in my SUV I just shook my head with the beat knowing it was going to be a hit. Lil’ Wayne’s verse is slow, but thorough, and it’s done so well it’s quite possibly one of my favorite verses of his (I always have the words “No love lost, no love found” in my head). Dude even appears in the video, which is just a bad-ass, surprising moment if you ask me. Eminem spits hot fire all over this song just like he does on the rest of his album Recovery. I like how the video is dark and more toned down than ostentatious and the storyline is pretty cool. Bottom line, bullies suck.