San Francisco Art Music Style Fashion Culture - Jungle Life

One of hip hop's fastest rising stars, Emilio Rojas, sat down with the KarmaloopTV crew to talk about his style on the mic and in the streets, working with DJ Green Lantern and much more. Click the image above to hear from Emilio in his own words, and cop your own copy of new mixtape, The Natural, by clicking the images below. Our dude is about to blow the fuck up, so give him a listen now and brag to all of your friends that you heard it first. And to all of our Boston and Cambridge heads, save the date; Rojas swings through The Hub to rock The Middle East Upstairs on November 29th. Cure those post-Turkey Day Black Friday blues with Emilio and all of us here at Karmaloop.

Yeah, yeah, yeah... you love TITS, we love TITS... everyone loves TITS.

So, lets just not even talk about it. Let us all just relax and focus our collective gaze towards this set of absolutely gorgeous TITS and go bouncing into the night on a perky note.

The Wifey in a Box Tee

The Umbrella Tee

The Twice as Nice Tee

The Wet Tee

The Smoke Tee

... and because ladies love TITS, too...

The Wifey's World Tee

The Inked Tee

It was last year's best-selling jacket - spring or winter, leather or otherwise - by a long-shot. Selling out all sizes within just a few hours on the initial drop and even quicker each time we re-stocked, LRG's Lamb of God Leather Jacket was a sensation in and of itself last winter. The Lifted Ones, wisely, decided to bring it back like boomerrangs, herpes and dub tracks just a bit earlier this year with a late-fall release just in time for the big chill.

Featuring the same cut as last year's gem, The Revenge of Lamb of God Leather Jacket highlights a few new tweaks, additions, subtractions and, for all of you maintaining your pickup from a year ago, new colorways for a new year. Check out some flicks and more details below.

The first, most noticeable difference from last year's joint: fewer, but more pronounced pockets. Last year's piece featured two zip chest pockets rather than the singular pocket at the left on the updated version, and while the original Lamb of God had similar button-closure waist pockets, the stitching and detail pops right off of the Revenge. Liking the slimmer, more sleek look to the jacket with just one chest pocket these days, and the blatant, raised seams, stitching and detail is killin' it. Stoked to see the shoulder epaulettes made it through the final revisions giving the jacket a clean, militaristic aesthetic.

Last year's Lamb of God Jacket in Red: notice the bulkier cuffs, hem and collar; waist pockets visable only by the button-flaps; dual zip chest pockets look (don't hate us) too Thriller-era Michael Jackson.

For our no-frills, fuck-thrills pals, check out The Grass Roots Leather, also new for 2009 through the New Year. The Grass Roots model presents the same cut as The Revenge of Lamb of Gods joint with a full-zip closure and snap-button welt pockets at the waist, minus the epaulette, stitching and button-up madness. Still a jacket so dope it should be sold in grams, and depending on the black, blue or tan colorway, $75 or $130 less, respectfully (fuckin' recession).

Hung up for chest pockets and a slightly roomier cut? Go for the Gusto - literally. The Gusto 47 Leather Jacket features a denim jacket aesthetic with LRG's butter-soft dead-animal skin build. Like the other leather pieces, the signature acetate satin lining gives each an added level of swank.

p.s. The Gusto 47 in red is a beast.

LRG did again just how they've been doing it for Karmaloop over the years - a massive drop of epic proportions. Click the banner below to check it out.

Starting way back in 1999, the Lifted Research Group has always been a "support group for the independent and underground culture." Through this limited edition tee shirt series, LRG has put the spotlight on two of the most talented and prolific young graffiti artists in the world; Pose from Chicago, Illinois and Augor out of Los Angeles, California. These super-exclusive tees are available only at Karmaloop for a very limited time and once they're gone, they're gone - don't call us crying in a week 'cuz we'll say "we told you so."

The excitement surrounding this drop has been enormous, and now that Kanye West is showing love on his blog, we figure it's time to let the proverbial cat out of the bag and welcome Karmaloop newcomer Urbanears into the spotlight.

The sleek Scandanavian collective at Urbanears goes beyond superior sound quality and promotes a deeper connection to color, form and people while allowing the freedom to transcend individuality and unify the sound experience. With an already solid reputation in functionality, Urbanears takes pride in creating headphones that fit everyday life, providing an ideal listening device for anyone with a cache of solid tunes and the desire to make (and hear) the most of them.

Go to the jump to learn more about Urbanears' three distinct models and the sizes, styles, designs and functions that further enhance what many of us hold so dear - our music.

[DDET (Urbanears)]

Plattan

"We designed Plattan to be the perfect classic headphone, utilizing innovative functions and performance with today's technology. It is a full-size headphone allowing for rich, secluded sound. You can fold it down to the size of your fist for maximum mobility. Plattan also comes with a "Zound Plug," allowing for a friend to plug in and enjoy your music."

Tanto

"The Tanto is designed for maximum mobility without the compromise of performance. It's our tribute to the 80's revolution in mobile music, updated with the latest technology. The Tanto is made for everyday use, to be taken along wherever you go, like a good friend."

Medis

"Medis is your new favorite music experience. With a sleek and minimal design and the functionality of its larger siblings (Plattan and Tanto) but the obvious benefits of an in-ear. The revolution, however, is the "EarClick" patent which anchors the ear-piece securely in place with perfect comfort and lets it stay in place."

Specifications

Zound Plug: "Experiences are best shared. The Zound Plug is actually not a plug, but rather a socket that allows your friend to plug into your earcap and listen to the same thing as you are listening to."

EarClick: "The EarClick is the result of years of development and simply an ergonomic revolution of in-ear headphones. The construction is based on secuting the position in the outer ear at two opposing points. The advantages of this is primarily a far more ergonomic and comfortable fit that stays in place. The construction also rests at a smalldistance from the ear canal rather than covering it up which may leasd to losses of balance for a significant portion of humanity. The EarClick also comes with seveninterchangable pads guaranteeing a custom fit for any ear. In short, try it and you will never use anything else."

Plug Extensions: "All Urbanears products come with two extra cable extensions. We supply these simply because there are no standards out there. Our default plaug is a two way construction compatible with a majority of all devices. The four contact point extension is specifically designed for Nokia devices allowing for you to fully utilize the microphone and remote. The remote other extension is a neautral stereo plug that is preferable with sources such as stereos, computers, music players and other one-way communication devices. The standard plug is fully functional without the neautral extension in many cases but older products may read information differently and this extension is for those cases."

In short, those of you into in-ear headphones are going to tweak - the earbud system featured on the Medis is like nothing else as far as holding them in place and keeping a balanced sound; the Plattan stereo headphones feature secluded and ridiculously clear volume, sound and thumping bass (112dB, 20kHz); while the Tanto joints are, aesthetically, for you throwback kids - and still bump almost as loud as the in-ear and stereo models.

Some dig the minimalist style to the Urbanears pieces, but the innovations are where it's at with these cats: the aforementioned earbud system, iPod/Blackberry compatible mics on each model, 14 different colorways and nothing over $60 - huge upgrade if you're still using standard iPod headphones.

Click here to see more colorways, photos and details at Urbanear's web site, and stay tuned for the November release date.

[/DDET]

Fuck yeah, our dudes are everywhere right now! We caught J. Cole showing his ®S.O.P. swagger yesterday with The People's Choice New Era fitted, and today we have Naledge of Kidz in the Hall presenting The Life Line Jacket at last month's CMJ Music Marathon in New York City. Be sure to check out our Chicago brethren at RubyHornet.com - Karmaloop features a Look of the Week and the site is absolutely filled with crazy features, interviews, music from editor-in-chief DJ RTC & pals, The Key to Naledge blog, and much, much more.

The Life Line Jacket

Roc Nation representer J. Cole was seen on the MuchOnDemand television show (Canadialand's answer to MTV or some shit) reppin' ®Society Original Products' The People's Choice New Era fitted at the 3:20 mark. Cop yours here at Karmaloop, and stay tuned for an ®S.O.P. surprise next week. In the meantime, click the image above to check out the interview - this dude is next, we swear.

The TK Society Sneaker in Black Suede

Built specifically for Supra pro rider Terry Kennedy, The TK Society Sneaker in Black Suede is as smooth and burly as the man's style on the skate decks. Featuring suede side, instep, toe and tongue panels with a perforated suede heel panel, that alone screams "don't fucking wreck me." Not to worry, friends - with a background steeped in birthing the gnarliest street skaters to ever tear concrete apart, the super-tough TK joints can take a slaying and still keep it's swagger (hate that word, but whatever).

The TUF Muska Skytop Sneaker in Black Gunny

Speaking of tough - or rather, TUF - The Skytops in Black Gunny are about as hard as three day-old steak but much tastier. Typical suede starts to show wear, tear and abrasion after roughly 25 to 40 days in the elements. Supra's TUF suede, however, goes through more than 200 estimated cycles before showing even a hint of scuffing (see the product description for more details). Waterproof and super breathable, TUF suede furthermore grabs on to griptape so well that you'll wonder how you ever skated another shoe brand. Our advice: don't. TUF'n up, bia.

The Vaider Sneaker in TUF Black Gunny

Now it's just a matter of personal taste - Skytop or Vaider? We wouldn't dare ask you to pick just one. It's tantamount to the boobies vs. booties debate; why chose one when you could have both?

The Jim Greco Thunder Sneaker in Black Canvas

Arguably the most comfortable shoe Supra has ever produced. Without any frills, embellishments or other distractions, The Thunder pro models are aesthetically polar opposites of namesake pro and Johnny Thunders understudy, Jim Greco. Don't get thrown off by the canvas if you're in the market for a sturdy, comfortable, durable shoe - with interior padding and reinforced detail in all of the right places, Greco's signatures are just as well suited tearing up Babylon or while you're out Looking for a Kiss later that night.

The Dixon Sneaker in Black Gum Canvas

Whoever said that black and brown should never be worn together deserves a slap in the face with The Dixon Sneaker's gum rubber soles. Seriously - hard enough so that the backwards Supra logo is a constant reminder of said fool's stupidity. Antwuan Dixon's signatures are fresh to death and tough enough to withstand twice the time our dude spent getting his face inked up. If you're looking for a low top sneaker to either skate senseless or keep your feet light when running from the beast, look no further - while not as TUF as the Skytop or Vaider high tops, Dixon's joints are no fuckin' joke. Shake Junt, son!

This is just a small sampling of the Supra Fall drop at Karmaloop - click the banner below to take a look at the rest of the styles, colorways and innovative tweaks to some old favorites, as well as a grip of new tees and hats:

Back in Black.

We look forward to the Triumvir line each season with near piss-ourselves excitement, and after getting the news that the III were going all-out cut & sew with their garments for the Fall and Holiday 2009 drop, anticipation was higher than coked-out astronauts.

Needless to say, we're not disappointed. For the new jacks, when a brand goes official with it's own cut & sew, for example, that means graphics are no longer printed on shitfit prefabricated tees, but rather manufactured to an original fit deemed perfect by the brand and it's customer's standards - same goes for hoodies, and to an even further extent when it comes down to denims, jackets, buttondowns and... well, damned near everything. The fits, unbelievably, stepped it up a notch and now more blatantly than ever present the true Triumvir vision for modern menswear - if you're a loyal Triumvir rocker then you know that's saying some shit. You also know by now that with every III line there is an epic behind it, and that every piece has it's own story from it's own source of inspiration, each more badass than the next.

The full collection is split between two different stories, Blind Faith and Hell is for Heroes, based the histories of Constantine the Great and Knights Hospitallers respectively, with inspiration provided by religion, politics, war, the BMW R75 motorcycle and the dystopian aesthetic of Mad Max and Japanese manga series Fist of the North Star. Typically the connection between all of the aforementioned would be met with a "what the fuck" screwface, but in the case of Triumvir it makes perfect sense. A continuation of the past few lines filled with historical references, the Fall and Holiday '09 hit elaborates on the connection between the direful plots of many post-apocalyptic and anime flicks where society, politics and religion (often the same monster) are rebuild through new technology, or in Triumvir's case, fashion.

Follow the jump to check out some of the gear and learn more behind Blind Faith, Triumvir's Fall line at Karmaloop, with words from Brand Director Brandon Cheng providing invaluable insight into each piece and the overall story.

Blind Faith - The Protagonist

The Constantine Jacket

“The [Roman] Civil War involving Constantine and his vision of Christ’s symbol happened circa 312 AD - the screen printed Roman numerals [in] army stencil type on the back (CCCXII) translates to 312 AD. I thought the 'Blind Faith' theme could be best translated onto a bomber-styled when I was researching World War II Air Force squadrons and saw a particular graphic on the side of a plane with [cartoon character Felix the Cat] holding a bomb on it – Felix also meaning “lucky” in Latin.

“The jacket is meant to be a fusion between a bomber jacket and a sportier baseball jacket with contrast sleeve ribbing details. The left chest patch, right shoulder patch and the screen print on the back are all very common placements seen on WWII tanker, deck, aviation-styled jackets in WWII worn by GI’s. Of course some were regulated government issued jackets and patches but not all - back in WWII it was very common for GI’s to find local tailors and /or artists to tailor, draw, paint or embroider special garments or graphics that are unique top their squads, camaraderie or needs.”

The Maltese Flannel Buttondown in Yellow, The Maltese Flannel Burttondown in Red, The Maltese Chambray Buttondown

“In my opinion, Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman Emperor who made the Christian religion tolerable throughout the Roman Empire is the perfect candidate for what I call Blind Faith. It is said and still disputed that during the Civil Wars, Constantine was visited by Christ in a dream and later adorned the symbol of Christ (Chi-Rho or Labarum) upon his soldiers’ shields, standards and later, his own helmet.

“There were many versions of this story but the main points are in the following; Constantine won the Civil War, made Christianity tolerable, and united the West and the East. There is a legend that still lingers today, saying that Constantine himself did not convert to Christianity until on his deathbed. This makes scholars question if Constantine’s purpose was solely a political move, because he needed to keep his empire stable since the underground religion of Christianity had grown in popularity and believers since it was founded 300 years prior to his reign. No one will ever know the truth, but what has gone down in history and legend is that he was present on the battlefield adorning the symbol of Christ, fighting as God’s general, reuniting the Western and Eastern Roman Empire and giving tolerance to a once persecuted religion that has changed the course of humanity since his time… and for the reason I based my story of the protagonist within the Blind Faith collection.”

The Madonna Tee (top), The Blind Faith Tee (bottom)

The Duchess Tee (top), The No Means Yes Tee (bottom)

The Castor Selvedge Wash Jean (top), The Castor Selvedge Raw Jean (bottom)

This is just a quick sample of Triumvir's Fall goods now at Karmaloop - be sure to click the banner below to check out the rest, and stay tuned for the Hell is for Heroes Holiday '09 drop. Click here to check out the full look book and learn more about the line, the historical links and sneak peaks into what Triumvir has in store for all of us this winter.

From the home of The Warriors and The Cyclone, where dreams and the requiems from which they are composed are often shattered and unrealized, New York's Brooklyn dons Sneaktip come correct with that fix for the sneaker fiends worldwide each and every season.

Repping Coney Island heavy, the Sneaktip set takes over at Karmaloop this week with it's latest drop filled with tees, sweatshirts, outerwear, hats and more designed by sneakerheads, for the sneakerheads. It's in the name, afterall - amongst the cult of the sneaker (SNEAK) obesessed, always on the tip (TIP) to find the elusive diamond-in-the-rough or frozen filet mignon-rare sneaker release, these dudes learned long ago that copping the matching colorway is often next to impossible. However, where some make lemonade when life whips a lemon to the melon, Sneaktip made a brand to flawlessly bring those limited Jordans together with a fly track jacket, fresh tee or clean as fuck New Era.

This year's autumn drop features the first time in Sneaktip history that the brand offed the middlemen and went direct with it's own cut & sew, gaining complete control over the cuts, the fabrics, the prints and the fits. Needless to say, we're hella impressed and will be spending the rest of the night trying to findsome super-elusive limited editions to match up with just some of the gems from the newest collection:

The Crackle Hat in Gray

The Reversable Triple Proof Vest in Black

The Fight the Power Crew Sweatshirt in Black

The Sneaktip 718 Tee in Black

Stay tuned for more from the Sneaktip gang this week!

While you were sleeping, Mighty Healthy was raging.

If there's one thing our New York fam does better than produce the illest denims and outerwear as well as some of our favorite, in-your-face, bold tee graphics, it's that these cats can throw down and jam with the best of 'em. Check out some flicks provided by Mighty Healthy's Ray Mate and company from a recent banger at the Lower East Side's 105 Rivington spot:

Our dude Wil is just everywhere.

Click the banner below to check out the crazy new drop from the Mighty Mightys!

"Wally may have been our most troubled artist... I'm not suggesting any connection, but he may have been our most brilliant."

- EC Comics Publisher William Gaines

It could have been the constant headaches. Alcoholism, perhaps. Kidney failure, a stroke, the loss of vision in one eye... nevertheless, three self-inflicted gunshots in 1981 ended the life and career of heralded cartoonist, Wallace Wood.

Fast forward almost 30 years later and the art and influence that Wood left sketched into the minds of illustrators and cartoonists alike is unparalleled. The man inspired a generation of underground artists including luminaries Robert Crumb, Robert Williams and Art Spiegelman, left a major impact on graphically-charged movie posters, and now finds tribute in the world of street fashion.

New brand Woodwork has (legally - we swear) appropriated some of the more infamous, notorious works of Wood's twisted, pained brilliance for a line of killer tees, resulting in vaguely familiar, yet never-seen-before prints that you may spend more time staring at than actually wearing. Check 'em out:

The Wonka Tee (L); The Witzend Piggyback Tee (R).

The Creeps Tee (L); The Piggyback Tee (R).

The Dirty Executive Tee (L); The Bucky Ruckus Tee (R).

Stay tuned for more madness from Woodwork in the coming weeks and seasons; with a career that spanned nearly four decades, there is enough material produced by Wood to make up for all of those bullshit, embarrassing Ed Hardy and Von Dutch garments tucked into the back corner of your closet.

Special thanks to Karmaloop's Aimy Tsao for the bitchin' blog graphics!

Click the Woodwork banner below to check out more from Woodwork.

Our ninjas at RockSmith just released the Fall 2009 drop to much acclaim here at Karmaloop, and our folks were good enough to send over some flicks from the killer lookbook, featuring hip hop and streetwear luminaries M-1 (Dead Prez), Curren$y, Wiz Khalifa, X.O., Ninjasonik, Truck North, Pill, Theophilus London, DJ Iron Lyon, Memberz Only, Conroy Chan (24 Herbs), Law, Innate, Benji, Chris of CtotheJL as well as Karmaloop's own Dennis Todisco!

Check it:

This is an epic drop from RockSmith and we've got it all in stock and ready to go; be sure to click the banner below to get a closer look at the RockSmith madness we have for you here at Karmaloop.

The Antidote:

One part wonderfully demented producer;

One part beautifully sickening vocalist;

Equal parts aurally-pleasing, mind-bending sounds of Iggy and the Stooges and Crookers, Aphex Twin and Justice, Raymond Scott and Marcel Duchamp, Throbbing Gristle and Karlheinz Stockhausen, Zapp and Roger Troutman, Fela Kuti and assorted fresh sounds (preferably chopped, not diced).

Combine all parts in blender, mix on puree. Pour solution from blender into pot and boil. Remove from heat and and let chill. Draw cooled solution into syringe and inject into ears.

... wait, STOP! That's not the antidote, that's the sickness!

Too late? Okay, you'll be alright. Besides with sounds this sick, who wants to be healthy? The trip you're about to fuck with is 37 minutes of pure madness produced by Anthony Mills and Olle Cornéer, otherwise known as the Super Viral Brothers. Click the album cover above to give the mixtape a listen and download that shit immediately.

What's more, these crazy Swedes went and made one of the craziest, fucked-up music videos we've ever seen for the single Hot Chocolate + Polar Bear Rug. For real, we haven't been this tweaked out since we watched Eraserhead in a hot tub tripping balls with GG Allin back in junior high. Click the image below to check it out (and don't count on eating lunch today):

"... they sort of develop a taste for blood."

New York bosses Mighty Healthy just dropped a grip of new tees at Karmaloop featuring the good ol' bold, brash, killer graphics we've become accustomed to from these cats - and stay tuned throughout the weekend for the release of some killer buttondowns, hoodies, hats, and an extra special surprise come Monday mornin'...

Square Times indeed down there in the biggest damned tourist trap on earth. Our parents regale us with tales of horror, dread, debauchery and balls-to-the-wall fun from New York's 1970's heyday centered in The Square, we've read all about it in Please Kill Me and The Bronx is Burning, and some of our absolute favorite flicks are based there - Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, and the list goes on (with lots of DeNiro and Keitel appearances). At least our parents can relive past glories when they wake us up off of the front lawn while we're wearing The Square Times Tee, stained with last night's booze, blood and regrets.

Speaking of flicks, The Mother Tee takes one of our favorite moments from Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood - and not only immortalizes that shit, but highlights what we think every time we pass some poorly-dressed sucker on our way to the office, see Kanye West on TV or catch a glance of ourselves in the mirror... um, wait, what..?

Velvet Jones! Velvet fuckin' Jones! If you don't know who the god is, then you're copping your blackmarket goods from the wrong man, sucka! It looks like our dude Velvet and the Mightys have started a joint business venture to help all of you untalented, unaspiring musicians make it big. Join the Autotone Academy and sound like a star (or art least look like one, rocking The Autotune Tee).

Click the banner below to get a look at the rest of the pre-weekened tee drop, and stay tuned for next week when Mighty Healthy- whoops, almost spoiled the secret...