FashionIndie » hip hop

Jay-Z & Beyonce’s Baby Arrived!

Samantha Lim — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 10:09:19 +0000

Beyonce checked into Lenox Hill Hospital on NYC’s upper east side late Friday night (they supposedly rented the entire hospital floor for $1.3 Million!) and at 2AM this Sunday morning January 8, she has officially given birth to her and Jay-Z‘s daughter Blue Ivy Carter. Checked into the hospital under the name Ingrid Jackson, the couple went through large measures to ensure that the labor was a private affair. They covered up security cameras with tape, took away employees cell phones when entering the floor, and had security guards checking the perimeter. The color blue is Jay-Z’s favorite and the roman numeral supposedly has a special meaning to Beyonce, hence the name Ivy. The hip-hop royal has already gotten twitter love from Auntie Rihanna, Uncle Russel Simmons, and one social media savvy vixen who has already jumped the gun on taking over the Blue Ivy Carter twitter handle, feeding us funny quips and clever RT’s. Judging by the time at which we are posting this and the list of twitter topics at the moment (Aunty Gaga, Uncle Kanye, Godmother Nicki to name a few) we are sure to see a LOT of the new baby Blue Ivy. Congrats!

New Music: Bang Bang – Phlo Finister

Alex Kazemi — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:26:06 +0000

Finally! Phlo Finister’s anticipated viral video “Bang Bang” finally dropped!

If you haven’t seen it yet, it is a gritty clip of the 20 year old serenading the streets of East London with a fuse of two important classics, that were meant to meet each-other at some point.

Download the MP3 to “Bang, Bang” below:

Phlo is signed to 3QTR & Charlie Walk. Her debut mixtape Crown Gold drops this fall.

You better get on it now, you’ll be hearing a lot about her soon.

Follow Phlo on Twitter : @PhloFinister

Follow Phlo on Tumblr: http://phlolove.tumblr.com

Beyonce Werqing Her Baby Bump on Harper’s Bazaar

Samantha Lim — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:14:06 +0000

Sasha Beyonce Fierce graces the November cover of Harper’s Bazaar and she. is. werqing. it. (Thanks to our fave Terry Richardson, of course). With hair bigger than her baby bump will ever be, she dishes about her pregnancy, motherhood, marriage, her hip hop hubbie king Jay-Z, and more. And although we are fully aware how those photoshopped Barbie twigs could never be her real thighs, we’ve at least got the best real quotes and behind the scenes pics right here…

On pregnancy and motherhood: “It was important to me that I gave myself time to focus on becoming the woman I want to be, building my empire, my relationship, and my self-worth, before I became a mother,” she says. “Now God has blessed us with the ultimate.”

On her husband, Jay-Z: “We have been together since I was 20 years old. We took our time and developed an unbreakable friendship before we got married. I admire his ability to inspire others. To me, Jay represents the American dream. Jay’s music has helped define our generation. All that he has overcome and worked to achieve gives millions hope that they can become whatever they want to be. I respect him so much; he is a great man and a great artist.”

Out Of This World: Kanye West & Jay-Z “Watch The Throne” Planetarium Listening Party

Samantha Lim — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:45:12 +0000

Get your catcher’s mitt out, because we are about to drop a lot of names: Jay-Z. Kanye West. Beyonce. Solange. Kelly Rowland. Lyor Cohen. Tory Burch. Vanessa Simmons. Angela Simmons. Forest Whitaker. Q Tip. Busta Rhymes. AJ Calloway. John Legend. Jada Pinkett-Smith. The list goes on. All these A-Listers gathered last night in NYC with about 80 other guests (including yours truly for FashionIndie) at the Hayden Planetarium in the Museum of Natural History for an uber-private listening and outer space star show of the duo’s hotly anticipated Watch the Throne album.
Jay-Z told us that it has taken them 9 months and 3 incarnations to get to the point the album is now, and he referenced how he and Kanye West really “pushed each other” to get it to this level. A slight reference to the rumored physical altercation they supposedly got into earlier that day? Maybe. Rumors that we are possibly insinuating? Definitely. As for the music? Lots of soulful sampling, heavy, heavy bass, and their standard references to taking over the world, shooting above the stars, and having way more money than all of us (Memorable note: “Black card, black tie, black opulence.”). They even dabble in dubstep towards the end, which was well received by the models and club kids in attendance. The album is set to drop in the early Fall, but tickets are already on pre-sale (presale code WTT) for their tour dates, so we suggest you get on that now if you want to witness one of the greatest hip hop duos of our generation.

The Ten Most Fashionable Artists In Hip Hop History

McArthur Joseph — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:34:34 +0000

To celebrate then end of our music month here are 10 trendsetters from the hip hop world.

1. Salt-N-Pepa
Now let’s talk about these ladies. You were not fly girl in the late 80′s and early 90′s if you didn’t model your style after Salt-N-Pepa. They completely revolutionized music by proving they were just as good as male MCs and could look damn good doing it. Not being afraid to embrace their sexuality, they paved the way for artist such as Nicki Minaj. (See below)

2. Outkast (Andre 3000)
Andre 3000 has 2 distinct styles: urban dandy & funk soul brother. He always look amazing regardless whatever he decides on. With a mix of his fashion sense and interesting flow he’s created some visually exciting videos.
3. Missy Elliot
Missy is all about a stunt and a show. Let’s be honest, that blowup jumpsuit was brilliant.

4. MC Hammer
I personally blame this man for the question that plagues me every day: Should I buy harem pants?

5. Nicki Minaj
Ms. Minaj is a modern day hip hop Barbie. She’s completely fearless when it comes to her appearance. (I can personally attest to that) She might be one of the only rappers who can wear a Dior haute couture dress and make it look bad ass and uber sexy.

6. Sean Combs (Diddy, P.Diddy, Puff Daddy)
Now whatever name he goes by the man still has unlimited swag. My favorite incarnation of this mogul was in his 90′s Puff Daddy phase when he was dancing around in shiny suits. (My mother refused to buy me one)

7. Run DMC
If anyone could make white Adidas and gold rope chains chic it would be these guys. Not only are they hip hop legends but they will always be considered fashion icons.

8. Kanye West
It would be blasphemy if I didn’t include Kanye in this post. (Wouldn’t want him pulling another VMA style incident) Kanye went from super preppy, to super dandy, and now mega fashionisto. Whether he’s wearing designer sneakers or womens blouses you will notice him.

9. Cee Lo Green
If you don’t like Cee Lo’s style then he will probably give a big ” Eff You.” His costumes are truly wild. How many guys do you know can dress up like a bird from the muppets and still look cool?

10. The Fresh Prince (Will Smith)
Modern pop culture might tell you that Jaden & Willow Smith are coolest kids in town. This is true but people must remember that being cool is in their DNA. Before Will Smith was their daddy he was rocking the mic with is dope Philly style.

Justin Timberlake + Jimmy Fallon Hip Hop Medley Video

The Fashion Web — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 20:11:54 +0000

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Justin Timberlake made his way into our comedic loving hearts a few years ago with “D!ck In a Box.” But, his most recent hip hop medley with Jimmy fallon last night- may have trumped the SNL vignette. With “The Roots” playing backup, the duo brought the audience to their…

LINK:http://www.karicruz.com/blog/2010/9/30/justin-timberlake-jimmy-fallon-hip-hop-medley-video.html

Cheasleauen

The Fashion Web — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 05:29:19 +0000

New raw bitch on the block, Cheasleauen pronounced Shass-Lowen is a 23-year-old rapper/ singer from Vegas who doesn’t have much room for error. It’s a fact that female artists are judged differently from their male peers. Cheasleauen knows that every time she steps into the studio, it’s to craft the …

LINK:http://www.hellyeahmag.com/blog/?p=7609

Sunday sesh with MASEO De La Soul

The Fashion Web — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 13:18:18 +0000

Link Love:Sunday sesh with MASEO De La Soul
What a beautiful Sunday arvo to head down to Brisbane’s superclub Cloudland to hear De La Soul’s Maseo play records. We arrived around 2.30 pm to catch the last hour of Gavin Boyd’s set, amazed to be hearing classic early 90s hip hop in such a swish open-air club. It gave us goosebumps- in a good way!
Then just as we finished scoffing our tasty duck springrolls Cloudland serves good value yummy tapas Maseo jumped on the 1s and 2s. It was still early in the day and the crowd wasn’t pissy enough to start a dance-off which clearly affected Maseo so he brought out the big guns. A Michael Jackson medley which of course got the mainly 30-something, mainly upper-class into it….I gots nothing against the King of Pop but after 3 or 4 songs I was craving some good ol’ hip hop again. If only me and Lani had boogied a lil’ earlier he might have kept the hip hop vibe alive. Then he played a few Prince tracks in a row, then Madonna, Rick James, some De La breaks like Hall & Oats and some 80s electro funk classics like ‘White Horse’.

By 5pm the crowd was gaining momentum but I was disturbed when Maseo took us on the most up-beat of his ‘journey’, with some fucked up dance music that I guess he knew most of the pinger poppin, white kids could relate to. Ugh.
Was enjoying his commentary on the mic with remarks like “yall remind me of Miami” or “I feel like I’m playing at someone’s Summer barbeque”. Yep, that’s Brisbane for you! If Sydney is NYC and Melbourne is Frisco, Brizzie is Miami!? Haha. Yall just jealous of our weather! You all know I’m strictly a NY state of mind. Haha.
Then he finally played what we were all waiting for, some classic De La off 3 feet high and rising and of course their big aussie album De La Soul… is dead.
He was enjoying himself so much he wouldn’t get off the decks and was still rockin’ the crowd when I left at half 6.
What a beautiful venue and an enjoyable afternoon had by all- with free entry and cool staff! Someone should start up a funk/ hip hop Sunday sesh on the regular now it’s Spring -for us cats who don’t partake in dance music. I’ll put my hand up to play!

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PARTNER: Don’t Call it a Comeback Just Yet: LL Cool J Says He’s In No Rush to Release a Post-Retirement Album

The Fashion Web — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:00:27 +0000

While there has been continued talks of a post-retirement album, Hip-Hop veteran LL Cool J has not set a exact time frame for his next album. During a recent interview with Extra, LL says that he refuses to allow pressure from fans and critics to dictate what type of music he makes. LL also says that he will not allow the commercialism in music today influence his own. “I’m starting to think about it and I am going to do it,” LL told Extra when asked about a possible musical comeback. “The key is for me is that when I do it, it has to be really important and it has to be something original. It can’t be me trying to sound like what’s acceptable because this is what is played on the radio today because that is so tired and boring and no one really cares about it…It has to be something with some substance and some depth…Until I can create that kind of record I’m not putting anything out. I don’t care how many years it takes.”
Image courtesy of sohh.com
LINK LOVE:Don’t Call it a Comeback Just Yet: LL Cool J Says He’s In No Rush to Release a Post-Retirement Album
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Rap Up Magazine

The Fashion Web — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 03:00:06 +0000

by Nyvia Weathersby I love working with Rap Up! Great leaders in hip hop and entertainment!
LINK LOVE:Rap Up Magazine

Rap Up Magazine

The Fashion Web — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 03:00:06 +0000

by Nyvia Weathersby I love working with Rap Up! Great leaders in hip hop and entertainment!
LINK LOVE:Rap Up Magazine

INTERVIEW: Damon Dash, Hip-Hop Mogul

Rebecca Alexander — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:37:37 +0000

Damon Dash is building a new collective in New York that is a far cry from the Roc-A-Fella days, the label he infamously co-founded in 1995 with Jay-Z and Kareem Biggs, an empire that would net him an estimated wealth close to $100 million. His split from Jay-Z, Roc-A-Fella, Roc-A-Wear, his ex-wife model and designer Rachel Roy and their own fashion company fortunes left Dash with a public beat down and the need to reinvent himself for 2010.
Read the interview on Dazed Digital

Fashion at a Troubled High School

Rebecca Alexander — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:04:19 +0000

Great story today from the NY Times: Parish Nation, a hip hop clothing line based in NYC donated their clothes and time to help troubled youth at Camden High School. For the students of this troubled high school, the fashion show was the rarest of the events, which turned their auditorium into somewhat of a runway. About 40 students were given the chance to participate in this rare event.
“Beneath it all was a more basic question, about the educational value of a fashion show. On the one hand, as one teacher put it, clothes are a bridge between street life and school life, two worlds teenagers toggle between. On the other, the fashion industry’s exclusivity and emphasis on looks might bruise feelings.”
Read the full story and watch the fashion show here.