RZA Presents: The Man With The Iron Fists

 So the RZA has been quietly working on his directorial debut for a while now and this trailer and poster are the first signs of what can be expected from his upcoming film. Teaming with Eli Roth (of Hostel fame) and Quentin Tarantino, its seems like the film has the potential to rank among the classics of the kill/gore/action movies in the genre. Glad to see some accomplished actors were attached to the project and not just RZA and his buddies. Hopefully, it will live up to the previews and fan the flame of the legend of Wu-Tang even more.

Fine Art Friday: June 29, 2012

THE KILLER 3D SKETCHBOOKS OF NAGAI HIDEYUKI

Japanese artist Nagai Hideyuki shows off his sketchbooks, where he creates a 3D effect using charcoal pencils and an eraser that is both simple and exciting. His style is illustrative and the subject matter seems random, but the special optical effects of his stacked sketchbooks can launch your imagination, especially as a graf writer. Check it out!

(via mymodernmet x juxtapoz)


ASHKAN HONARVAR : FACE 5 COLLECTION

Photographer Ashkan Honarvar has created this series called "Faces 5", where he has created a mutilated face and replaced the blood and injury with frosting, candy sprinkles, and what appears to be candy canes. Ashkan has had a long history of working with manipulation and mutilation, but this is the first time he has worked with dessert items to make his point.

As Western societies have grown more and more distant from actual war atrocities, perhaps a cake is the perfect symobolism of the abstract nature of war. They are graphic but the candy approach lessens the blow. However it is easy to imagine the gore of the scenes if they were taken from the battlefield.

(via juxtapoz)



LITTLE FRIENDS OF PRINTMAKING

An odd backstory for this one, but I went to school at the same time with the couple known as Little Friends of Printmaking. They continue to thrive in the Milwaukee (Wisconsin) art scene and turn out dynamic music venue posters and editions of prints for bands, movies, festivals and personal work. I am always impressed with the quality and range of the work, a mixture of textures, geometric shapes, and digital enhancements. Check out their website for a back catalog of their work and support the arts!

Video: REKS - Unlearn

I've been a long time supporter of REKS and am glad to see him being so hella productive over the last few years. Here is a new video for the song "Unlearn" to promote his upcoming album REBELutionary coming July 24, 2012.

The video is directed by Prime Cut Films. See if you can catch the neighborhood images of the same block that Dave Chappelle used as a back drop in the Block Party movie.

Video: Caine's Arcade

Check out this video of Caine Monroy, the 9 year old mini-Michel Gondry, hustling adults with imagination and creativity from his cardboard palace. You can donate to his college fund and read his story at cainesarcade.com.

While there is an element of what Teju Cole and many others refer to as the "White Savior Industrial Complex" to the back story of this video, the little kid at the heart of this story is admirable for literally making something out of nothing; a video game arcade from discarded cardboard boxes.

It can be inspiring to watch a little kid create his own environment from boxes and gadgets and the overwhelming response to his "college funds" is a testament to the power of the internet. However, it is always hard for me to digest a "feel good" story when it is treated as a spectacle. Watch for yourself and decide. Perhaps it will inspire you to give small kids garbage to play with instead of the latest Justin Bieber action figure....another more soul-damaging type of garbage.

"I deeply respect American sentimentality, the way one respects a wounded hippo. You must keep an eye on it, for you know it is deadly." ---Teju Cole


For more on Teju Cole, check out the NPR article on him here or his twitter @tejucole

Video: Large Professor - Key to The City

I am always glad to see some of the more talented OG's of the Golden Era still making music. Large Professor never tries to act like he is the most lyrical producer on the mic and he even lets instrumentals ride without him on his newest album Professor @ Large. 


The video above showcases one of the tracks off the new album. It may not be aimed at the current commercial radio, but for anybody who is into more mellow "grown man" content, you should check the album out. If he's good enough for ILLMATIC, he's good enough for you.

Video: House Shoes ft. Big Tone - "Time"

I'm glad to see House Shoes finally release some of his heat rocks on a CD and do it official with some videos. I remember checking for his little beat samples on Myspace years ago and wondering how I could get a copy without asking him directly. Now, all of those songs, plus instrumentals and other gems from the House Shoes collection are getting the exposure they deserve. If you liked any of the Beat Junkies releases by Babu and Vinroc, which is what this mostly reminds me of, you will like this. Hopefully, people will now know House Shoes for something other than shutting down Charles Hamilton's career and understand why he reps Dilla and the Detroit scene so hard. Good to see Big Tone getting some exposure as well.

Check out more at djhouseshoes.com

See if you recognize the same samples that Dilla flipped from Donuts "My people" and Fantastic Vol. 2 "Climax". Dopeness!