Michael Jordan – Rise of the Jumpman

 

The following originally appeared in HYPEBEAST Magazine Issue 7: The Legacy Issue. It’s available now at select retailers globally and the HYPEBEAST Store. 

The chance to meet a personal hero is a rare one. Being able to then work closely with and to even call that person a friend is simply incredible. For Jason Mayden, this dream became a reality as the Chicago native and Stanford graduate applied for an internship with Nike, and eventually became Senior Global Design Director for Jordan Brand. There he sat with his hero, Michael Jordan as they worked on designing a signature shoe worthy of His Airness. Starting off as an avid fan to then working on projects like the Doernbecher Freestyle and Air Jordan 2009, Jason knows first hand what Jordan Brand culture is all about and what it means to the people who have embraced it. Currently serving as a d.Fellow and Lecturer for Stanford’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design aka the d.School, Jason helps to inspire the next generation to follow their dreams, much like MJ did before him. This is why we felt that Jason’s interpretation of the rise of the Michael Jordan and the Jumpman fits best with telling the story of a true legacy. Palms sweating, heart pounding, shaking uncontrollably from the excitement that had built over the past 27 years, it was finally my moment, it was finally MY opportunity to begin the process of designing the signature product of one of the greatest athletes of our time and that athlete was none other than Michael Jeffrey Jordan aka Air Jordan. To understand the vast array of emotions that overwhelmed me in 2008, we must first examine the man behind the brand. 

The Man 

The year was 1988 and Chicago had become the center of the universe during the NBA All-Star weekend. During what is now referred to as “The Decade of Indulgence,” Michael represented a different and contrarian view to opulence. He was immensely respected for his keen eye for style, deeply loved for his ability to effortlessly transform the illusive concept of “cool” into a commodity but more importantly, he was highly regarded for embodying an undying sense of optimism. Ultimately he expanded our limited concept of human potential with every effortless stride on the 94×50-foot wooden stage where he would perform dazzling feats of athletic heroism. Moreover, he carried with him the blessing and burden of being “our” hero. He represented the hopes and dreams of every young boy and girl in the city of Chicago during a time when there were limited examples of excellence beyond the corner. Michael encapsulated the hopes and dreams of America at a time when the now infamous Jordan, last name Belfort, embodied the ideals of a subset of America that focused on greed and self-indulgence. Michael transcended race, wealth and regionalism. And as such, Chicago excitedly and reluctantly sent our champion to do battle with the likes of Dominique Wilkins and Clyde Drexler, two of MJ’s greatest foes, because we knew that he would no longer be ours. We knew that his brilliance was too great to not be shared with the world. We knew that we were all witnesses to the transcendence of Michael from a man to a phenomenon; a phenomenon that would be best represented by the product adorned with his likeness, the Air Jordan. Like all great heroes throughout history, Michael would be faced with adversity, moments of self-doubt and tremendous personal and professional failure. However, despite the complexity of celebrity and the high expectations of a demanding city, Michael, much like Perseus the winged foot hero of Greek mythology, would rise above his most villainous opposition by conquering a moment in time with one amazing display of unbridled human potential.

Martin Lawrence: ‘All I Wanted Was to Right the Ship’

 

The comedian and actor talks to Dave Itzkoff about returning to television and good health — and letting his daughters in on his past. 

Your new FX series, “Partners,” stars you and Kelsey Grammer as mismatched lawyers working together. Had you ever met him before this project? I first met Kelsey at a Christmas dinner over at Tim Allen’s house. We just met in passing and said hello. I had no idea we would ever work together, because we’re more of an odd couple. I never saw us together. 

Have you found that television has changed since the ’90s, when you were making “Martin”? Well, yeah, the demands are greater now. It’s not as easy to get on TV. Just to get ratings, it’s very hard. The paychecks are not the same anymore. 

Do you think that “Martin” helped create opportunities for other black performers to get shows? Maybe. I don’t know that it’s gotten better. I think we’re in a hole right now, and so whoever is working — black or white or whatever — there are many more people that ain’t working, that just don’t have a job, that are struggling, that are just trying to get their hustle on. 

And even at your level, you’re feeling that? Can’t you just go take your fortune and live in the Hills? I mean, if I had to just live in an apartment and, you know, drive a dune buggy, that would get me by. I don’t have to live in the Hills. 

Given your history — you’ve been hospitalized for exhaustion and dehydration, you were in a three-day coma in 1999 — did FX want a clean bill of health before hiring you? They didn’t require that. They see me in every meeting. I was a standing bill of health. I run on a treadmill. I do weights. I get exercise at least three times a week. I play basketball at least two times a week. 

 When do you find time to make a show? When they call, I’m there. 

In your stand-up comedy film “Runteldat,” you tell a story of being confronted by the police while under the influence of a powerful substance you call “ooh-wee.” Do you ever regret being that candid about your life? No, I don’t. I want my daughters to hear that story. I want every kid in the world to hear that story, so they know they have choices and not to make the same choices that I made. I have no problem with telling the truth. 

There’s a lot of very blunt sex talk in your stand-up as well. Are you comfortable letting your daughters see that too? I let my oldest watch it. I don’t let my two other daughters watch it. My oldest just watched my first stand-up film, “You So Crazy,” the other night. 

What did she think? She loved it. She said: “Daddy, I couldn’t believe it. Wow.” I told her, “I wanted you to see it because you have a boyfriend now, you’re getting ready to start college and these are things that you need to arm yourself for this world.” Daddy tells it like it is: rough and raw. 

Have you made an effort to take it easier in recent years? It was good for me to pull back and just not be so hard on myself and not think the world is out to get me. To grow up from that, it’s like a weight off my shoulder. 

Did you really feel that the world was opposed to you, even when you were that successful? You do, when things don’t go your way, when you see the stress of the world, the hatefulness of the world, the meanness. To see it from that level, I was like, Man, this is not what I thought it was. 

What helped you reach a more positive frame of mind? Going through the coma and getting arrested and things like that. Troubles that I had never gotten in before. That changed my life. All I wanted was to right the ship. But when you’re young growing up, you think you got it all figured out. 

 In “Runteldat,” you say, in effect, that people should ride life until the wheels fall off. Do you still feel that way today? Yes, I do. Live life to its fullest, to its grandest, and ride it until the wheels fall off, man. You only get one. 

Even in spite of everything you’ve been through? I feel that way even more now after what I’ve been through.

source here.

sarah the boss

Sarah colette's favorite instagrams to follow for style.com

 

http://www.style.com/stylemap/2014/07/25/sarah-andelman-best-instagram-accounts/

charlamagne said..

you can chase your dreams, as long as you're dealing with your reality.

Crème Caramel

 

Sexual impulse is put under a retro-filtered microscope in Canada’s short, Crème Caramel. Giving the popular pudding top billing, the Barcelona director collective depict a portrait of desire for the latest in NOWNESS’ weekly series #DefineBeauty. Having shot music videos for Scissor Sisters and Phoenix, Canada’s Nicolás Méndez, Lope Serrano, Oscar Romagosa and Alba Barneda deconstructed the sensual yet somehow irreverent features of the female form. “When you are obsessed with someone, it’s not just with that someone—it’s with the shape of the hips, the color of the nipples, or the shade of her hair when she comes out of the shower,” says Serrano of their inspiration. “We were thinking of a metaphor that represents the heterosexual male view of the female body: something sweet, tender and beautiful—a crème caramel.” The directors captured the trembling dessert—which they insist is an aphrodisiac—alongside hyper-stylized visual motifs that include kaleidoscopic illustrations and 1970s records. While Serrano crafted the drawings featured in the short, a chance encounter with French band La Femme as he listened to the studio stereo resulted in the climactic soundtrack, “La Femme Ressort.” “When you’re making work based on visions of a woman’s body, you cannot lose your own desire, which is instinctively sexual,” says Serrano, who also cites Godard’s chapter for the 1969 multi-director feature Love and Anger as a reference. “But we’re not insisting on the simply erotic notion, it’s also anatomical: a wonderful succession of details.”

"I don't even know how to apply for a job any more!"

If its been a while let me give you the benefit of my experience.

You'll have to pander to inexperienced or under qualified 'Recruitment Consultants' who are basically shiny suited sales guys more suited to Estate Agency or working in mobile phone shops. They'll call themselves specialists in your field but its because there is no regulation, they can call themselves whatever they want.

You'll find jobs you think you're perfect for on job boards but you won't get call backs, possibly because the job doesn't exist and the agency is just pulling in CVs for the future, possibly because the 'specialist' doesn't think you are correct for the role because they haven't actually talked to you and your missing a key word they are searching for from your CV.

If you're lucky enough to get an interview, you won't get the job because the company thinks 'we interviewed someone better' although they won't or can't say why.

And then you'll never hear from the 'recruitment consultant' again.

If you can, start your own company. - LeaderOfTheFree

'Fantastic Man' - A Film About William Onyeabor

Easily one of the best 30mins I've ever experienced on the internet. Great documentary investigating the Nigerian ogah - William Onyeabor. The original Nigerian dance music pioneer, a man who has been a shrouded in mystery and myth for over 40 years. Big props to the people over at Noisey/ Vice, always going that extra mile with their video content.

Jay Daniel – Karmatic Equations EP

 That first track, my gwoooosh! 

Forbes - America's Most Promising Companies: The Top 10

Forbes counts down the top ten most promising American companies on this year's list.

January 2014.

The Hollywood Reporter - The Actors: Full Uncensored Interview

Alan Arkin, Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, John Hawkes, Matt Damon, and Richard Gere join THR's news director Matt Belloni and executive editor Stephen Galloway for our actors roundtable.

Child of the 90s | Internet Explorer

Microsoft has released a new advert for Internet Explorer which might just make you cry - if you were born between 1984 and 1988, have a taste for nostalgia and turn the music up really loud.

The 'Child Of The 90s' ad takes a trip back through everything that was popular back in the land before iPods, including Pogs, bad haircuts and, well, Internet Explorer.

The point is that you grew up, and so did they. So switch from Chrome already.

But the effect for the right audience - including yours truly - is just to make you a bit weepy for a lost time when the internet made weird noises when connecting and Rage Against The Machine were still making albums.

http://winter2014.nikeinc.com/

Strongest website of 2013. http://winter2014.nikeinc.com/

Qatar: A tiny country asserts powerful influence

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_ZuXbOtBbo

My Philosophy: Dame Dash

The Internets went wild when a photo of Jay Z and Dame Dash together surfaced back in August. Reunited and it felt so good. Though the relationship between the former Roc-A-Fella partners went sour after years of rumored personal differences, Dame assures his bank account is what kept him from beefing. "Because people part ways in business doesn't mean they should be considered enemies. That's just some hype that the press sold," he tells VIBE. "Anytime I ran into Jay, it was what it was going to be. I made too much money to be mad at him." For the final installment of My Philosophy, Dame Dash also speaks on his loyalty to Cam'ron and Jim Jones and his strong belief in karma. "My thing is to make everyone around me rich, not to say be responsible for that, [but] because I'm always secure with the friends that I love are alright," Dame adds. "We used to live by that code called the Circle of Success." Watch him discuss the happiness of success and why he pays the bad press no mind above.

Monster looks to rebuild brand after loss of Beats

Monster looks to rebuild on its own after losing Beats by Dre

The audio cable company was in a coveted position as the decade began after launching what became the hottest headphones on the market, Beats by Dre. The audio devices had hip-hop/production legend Dr. Dre as a namesake and soon became synonymous with headphone chic. Celebrities like LeBron James, Diddy, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber launched their own signature Beats by Dre lines, and a host of other performers, athletes and entertainers became unofficial representatives as the most famous faces on the planet sported Beats on their ears.

But Beats Electronics ended its partnership with Monster last year. Even though Beats is still superhot, Monster CEO Noel Lee believes his San Francisco-based company has the proper pieces in place to regain its mojo.

http://news.yahoo.com/monster-looks-rebuild-brand-loss-175003975.html