Max and Ari, the duo behind Oakland Surf Club, have quietly turned OSC into one of the Bay’s most eclectic retail destinations, curating everything from gear and boards, to vinyl and fine art–all while balancing a budding business with a new marriage and a brand new baby girl.
Every once in a while, just when we’re getting a little jaded by the Gap commercials and romantic comedies, Common comes back with something too real to deny. A reminder of sorts, to put things in perspective, and reaffirm just what makes him so dope as an artist. A lot of the time, they come [...]
Big Sean really, really wanted to grow up to be a famous rapper. Even for the starry-eyed ethos that characterizes Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Music roster, Sean’s constant references to past, present and future dreams can seem a bit excessive. Luckily for him, he’s surrounded himself with heavy hitters, and his talents as a rapper are actually [...]
If there’s a theme to this collection of tracks, it’s that I’ve been sleeping. The tone here should probably be a little apologetic, even. For one, I wasn’t all that impressed with Big Sean until recently. But with the handful of tracks I’ve heard from the album so far, it looks like dude actually has [...]
The “Yonkers” comparison is pretty much inevitable, so I might as well get it out of the way. “Yonkers” this is not. The visceral yet abstract imagery and the purposeful black and white minimalism of Tyler’s direction are replaced instead with bigger-budget, straightforward storytelling, courtesy of industry giant Anthony Mandler. To Mandler’s credit though, he’s [...]
Gil Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011) [Audio clip: view full post to listen] Download: Gil Scott-Heron – “Beginnings” Last year, I had to privilege of seeing what would be Gil Scott-Heron’s final performance in Los Angeles, at the El Rey. Gil was 61, but a lifetime of hard living made him appear [...]
So summer’s settling in, and as usual, the soundtrack is falling into place. If for whatever reason, you still listen to the radio, you’ll notice a monster of a summer anthem from Wayne, Drake and Ross, and for official purposes only, DJ Khaled. Aside from that, other highlights include some serious grown man soul from [...]
Let’s not sell Drizzy short just because he’s a household name now. Yes, we all watched it go from bandwagon to blockbuster status. And yes, folks who go through that transition don’t always do it gracefully. But in Drake’s case, the dude has had a musical vision since day one. Aside from the unforgettable hooks, [...]
You get to book three artists for three sets, dead or alive. Who would they be? Robert Palmer, Bradley Nowell, Devin The Dude, D’Angelo, and JJ Cale guest appearing with the original Motown Funk Brothers in an all-night engagement, covering the majority of the Stax Catalog. Surprise guests to be coerced from the audience to [...]
The other day, I heard Tyler say something to the effect that with Goblin, he just made a record he wanted to listen to, and that, to paraphrase, everything else was just icing on the cake. Given the rapid ascent of Tyler and OFWGKTA over the past few months, Goblin is destined to be a [...]
