2.28.2009

Fly Season: Adidas Munchen X Crooked Tongues




You know we always showcase nothin' but the exclusive and rare on AA. So we definitely gotta throw these Adidas kicks up, for the serious collectors out there. Make sure you find a way to get these in the stash.

When adidas gave the go-ahead to proceed with a themed Oktoberfest collaboration, CT's collective minds instinctively headed to the Cities Series for the München - a late '70's indoor training shoe design, that originally carried the vast PU cup sole akin to the mighty Trimm Trab. And while photographic evidence indicates the München may have had a brief career as a volleyball shoe of choice, like many of its contemporaries, cult status in the UK beckoned as a oft-envied piece of terrace, pub and casual wear in the early '80s. Given the Munich location of the famed booze-based festival it was a no-brainer, amplifying the undisputed connoisseur pub shoe status on UK shores back to its namesake and the granddaddy of all beer events. Seeing as it's a shoe we've loved in dual-tone texture mixes before, we wanted to give it some similar elements, and in the knowledge that some conceptual pieces get lost in heavy-handed storytelling, in a nutshell; we saw images of some lederhosen, noted the unexpected mixes of colour amid the well-known traditional elements, decided it looked unexpectedly fresh and set about working it into the shoe.

Trying to make our mark without sullying the basic appeal, the soft tan leather and suede upper is complimented by red suede stripes, a forest green canvas heel tab, solitary gold eyelet, and darker brown suede lining. Beyond the colourway, materials are integral without making it too busy - conscious of its relevance to a particularly discerning consumer we were keen not to diminish the original appeal while making our mark. The gold Crooked lettering and trefoil on the heel, and embroidered tongue and footbed branding completes a collaborative classic for the Winter months.

Released on 26.09.08 exclusively through Crooked Tongues, and retailing at 60gbp, the adidas/Crooked Tongues 'Oktoberfest' München is limited to just 300 pairs. - Sneaker Freaker

Get yours!

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2.25.2009

The Cool: Miles Davis


If you know me, you know what's up with how I feel about Miles Davis.

So it's only right (and probably predictable), that we salute this musical legend. What was cool about Miles, was that he never compromised who he was, to please anybody, especially his so-called critics. This was a cat who came from a family who were considerably wealthy, yet-he still decided to give his early life to learning how to play the blues. He was passionate for the right reasons, and he didn't bite his tongue, whether he was right or wrong.

There was an integrity in Miles Davis, that we really don't see in music anymore. He was definitely a proud man, but he wasn't against changing with the times or learning somethin' new. I personally own pretty much every piece of music he's released, or that's been released in his name. If you're a music lover, Jazz should feel more natural to you, than any other genre. It's history for your ear, and when you know the music's TRUE history, you can really appreciate what this music does to you.

What Miles did, not only for music and Jazz, but for other musician's careers, was incredible. And we should always support the efforts of legends like Miles Davis, as if those old albums just dropped today. Do yourself a favor and run out and cop his autobiography for a more detailed look at the man. It's called Miles, and it's one of the best and most educational reads, in regard to music, you'll probably ever peep. We salute the man, and you should too.

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Fly Season: Supra X Death Wish Pack



GEAH! I always liked what I saw when it came to Supras, and these new joints are kinda tight too. They have a basic throwback quality that I think would rock pretty aight in the summer, if you know what you're doin'.

Supra delves deep into skate culture, bringing alternative heads such as Chad Muska and Jim Greco onboard to help with design. Collaborating with Jim Greco and his sponsored skate company Deathwish (most of Supra’s riders are also sponsored by the brand), the L.A. skate giant are about to launch the Deathwish pack utilising Jim Greco’s signature Suprano Hi silhouette and the stark Diablo Lo. Perhaps the stand-out of the pack goes to the red Suprano High which as Greco states 'was influenced by the brotha from the mental institution in Nightmare on Elm Street 4, because he had some Red Hightops on' The pack is set to drop next week at all good Supra retailers. - Sneaker Freaker

Kinda aight? Holla..

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2.23.2009

Put On: Jay Electronica


I first heard Jay Electronica's music a couple years back, when Just Blaze played his track "So What You Sayin'" on Shade45. I was like an instant fan, 'cause the track was just ridiculous! It was produced by the late-great Dilla, and Jay was just spittin' the most potent bars I'd heard in awhile.

Fast forward to 2009, and the homie is still one of my favorite current MC's. He's carved his own lane, and his approach lyrically, is definitely on some next level sh*t. So we had to send a quick respect shout out to the homie Jay Elect', for keepin' it straight 100 with his music.

I'm looking' for that album in the near future. Hit us, my dude! Until then, y'all might wanna get up on some of his older material, via his mixtape Style Wars. This is a straight classic, with enough heat on it, to hold you over until the "retail" abum drops. Support these artists!!

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2.18.2009

Fly Season: Nike AF-1 X Clot



These joints are the Nike AF1X Clot's. They're fresh as hell, so we wanted y'all to peep these right quick. They're goin' for about $2,800 retail.

They come in a special "Chinese Candy Box" package. The Clot design team explains: “We need to remember to never judge simply by what you see.” The highlight peel-off double-layer design feature was created to inspire people to seek beyond the superficial, to search for what lies within.

Traditionally, Lunar New Year celebrations include offering sweets and other edible treats from a red lacquer box to ensure a “sweet” year. Honoring this custom, the Nike Clot Air Force 1 packaging is a hexagonal red box with a partitioned tray layer, to hold shoe accessories, and matching lid. The box’s exterior is adorned with Clot graphics in black.

Nike’s 1World AF1 Project is a partnership project between Nike Sportswear and 18 influential style makers from around the world. Each illustrious participant was invited to design his own Air Force 1, showcasing their trademark style and individuality. Since June 2008, the 18 shoes have been — and still will be — selectively released in limited numbers, available only in the city where the guest designer is from. The 1World AF1s released so far have been designed by Rasheed Wallace (Philadelphia), Pedro Winter (Paris), Gore Texer (Tokyo), Kaws (New York), Questlove (Philadelphia), Daisuke Matsuzaka (Tokyo), Ladainian Tomlinson (San Diego), Hajime Tachibana (Tokyo), Krink (New York) and Michael Lau (Hong Kong). - Credit: Sneakerfreaker

Cop if you can, 'cause you probably won't see another soul in these kicks.

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2.17.2009

Cop This Album: Chris Cornell - Scream


It's not out yet, but on March 10th, you really need to head out and cop this album from Chris Cornell. It's called Scream, and it's entirely produced by Timbaland. I had the chance to hear the album, and it's a banger from front to back.

They say the legendary Rick Rubin hooked this pair up, to work on the album. Which was supposed to be in an effort to remix tracks from Chris' Carry On album, from 2007. You might know Chris from either Audioslave or Soundgarden. This time though, the vibe is a lil' less Rock and more R&B-driven, but it works. So definitely try to support this project when it drops. It's a hot one, folks!

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2.13.2009

G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra



I won't front, when I first heard about them doin' a live-action G.I. Joe movie, I was hatin' crazy. But that's what normally happens when you're a purist. And I lived by G.I. Joe as a kid (I still own my old figures, lol), so I was lil' skeptical about them doin' a movie. The classic animated movie is STILL one of my favorites, so I didn't want to see another film that might tarnish that legacy for me.

But then I saw the official trailer, and it's lookin' like it could really be a hot flick. So if you're like us, and you grew up with a bowl of cereal in front of you while you watched those old episodes of G.I. Joe religiously, then head out on 8/7 and support this film. Not for nothin', those classic eps are also on DVD now. I have mine, go out and cop yours too!

BTW, respect to Hasbro.

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Ariel Meredith



We always like to make predictions at The Academy. So this one's all about Ariel Meredith.

Let's just say we believe she'll be the next big thing in the modeling world, we love so much. She's a fan of Nina Simone, so that's a few points scored there. She's from Louisiana, 22, and our "rookie of the year", pretty much. Respect to Ford Models for signing her.

And we also have to send some love over to Sports Illustrated for havin' her in the new Swimsuit issue. It's only a matter of time before more people catch on, as we have. Do the knowledge, and be chill.

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Fly Season: CornerStore Hero




T-shirts are always an easy, but expressive way to keep your freshness poppin' when the weather's decent. Just like kicks, I collect and rock what I think I won't see anybody else in. And with a lot of the t-shirts I've copped from CornerStore Hero, I'm feelin' like I won't see mad people with a shirt I have from them. Their style is inspired by 1950's street wear. And that's what's hot about the line. It's fresh, but with a throwback appeal.

There's a million t-shirt spots in NYC, but one spot that always has pretty fresh t-shirts is Transit, down in The Village. They pretty much have a t-shirt for every kind of cat. And if you're lucky, you might be able to catch a few hot ones on sale.

Props to CSH for keepin' the t-shirt game on it's toes. We definitely support 'em, and you should too! Stay fly, folkers!!

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Dopeness: DJ Quik @ The Studio




Nobody loves Akai more than we do!!

So we had to show some love to DJ Quik, for rockin' with that new MPC 5000 from Akai, in this studio video. I still love the 3000 and the 2000XL. I don't know, I guess I'm just stuck with that classic feel that it used to have. A lot of cats feel the same way, but there's tons of dudes who now prefer to just bang it out with software too.

It's all about what feels right to you, and that's the beauty of it. But shoutout to the homie Quik, for the video and keepin' that MPC legacy alive as it should be.

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2.11.2009

YESSUR: We Told Y'all!!


A couple of weeks ago, us here at The Academy sent out a lil' love to one of our favorite models, Bar Refaeli. Turns out that the good people over at Sports Illustrated share that same love for her, as they decided yesterday, to make her the cover girl for this year's swimsuit issue.

Last year they had supermodel Marisa Miller, and year before that, they had Beyonce (what up, Bey'?). So let's just say that we think they're pretty on point with these covers, lol. Props to Bar, and respect to SI for what we expect to be another classic issue.

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Fly Season: Nike Dunk X: Coraline Promo


First I gotta yell right quick @ my people over at Nike. What up, Mook? What up, Joe?

Aight, now some kicks are just so creatively done, that you just HAVE to spotlight them. This is the new Dunk X: Coraline Promo Edition, for the film of the same name, Coraline. The flick dropped on the 6th of this month, and from what we hear, the shoe is limited to only 1,000 pairs.

Word is, the sole glows in the dark too, lol. The shoes themselves are also designed based on the film, so as you can see, they really went all out with these kicks. If you get lucky enough to get your hands on a pair of these joints, please holla at us and let us know how they're treatin' you.

Respect to Sneaker Freaker for puttin' us on to these joints too. Stay up..

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Classic Music: Funkorama




This is just another one of those classic joints right here.

I remember hearin' this track for the 1st time on Stretch & Bobbito's show (what up, y'all!) durin' the summer of that year. I had this on tape, and this was one of the tracks I ran over and over again. Red's one of Hip Hop's best MC's of all-time, period. So if you don't have his entire album collection, you should fix that immediately!

Nothin' like some classic Redman/Def Squad music to bump. Peace to Funk Doc, E-Dub, Keith and the whole Def Squad. What up, Rock'?

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The Cool: Steve McQueen


As usual, we continue to salute the very best in freshness and flyness throughout history. Today we want to show a lil' respect for Steve McQueen (Born 1930 - Died 1980). Now, this cat has always been a cool dude to watch in film, he had a lot of respect for Bruce Lee, even acting as a pallbearer at his funeral in 1973, so he scored wild points with us for that move.

Now with every cool cat, comes some suspect action. Word was, that he refused or "declined" as it was printed then, to march in 1963 for Civil Rights. Sources also said he was also "very patriotic and conservative" in his views. Now we know what that usually means, but his people denied every accusation that would indicate that he was "racist". His people said he "loved everyone", so we thought we'd show the cat some love and big up his career in film.

*if we end up hearin' otherwise, this salute will cease to exist.

Movie fans, you MUST peep Bullitt (1968) and The Getaway (1972). Those are straight Steve McQueen classics, but he's got way more.

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2.01.2009

Fly Season: Adidas JS Wings


I'm a madman sneakerhead, so if you're like me, then you HAVE to peep the new JS Wings for Adidas. You have to..

It really depends on how you like to rock your kicks, or whether you actually wear your limited editions or not. These kicks in particular beg you to rock them, but I would recommend that you just cop these and put them on ice for awhile. Respect to Adidas for really takin' this shoe next level, and wild props to Jeremy Scott, for the craziest design I've seen on kicks in years.

These joints don't drop until next month, but when they do, make sure to skip whatever line you're in, to get a quick pair, because they won't last, lol. Then rock 'em ONLY once, when you'll be seen by enough heads to collect enough groupies for the night, lol.

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