Archive for June, 2011

Throwback Thursday: To Live & Die in LA

Thursday, June 16th, 2011

Today’s blog is brought to us by Cashmere Crew’s own, James Koo, and his experience at the Spring Gathering Concert this past weekend.

I’ll admit I was late on 2Pac, but in a way I think there’s something good about appreciating his music after gaining the intellectual capacity to put it in context. You know what it was? I didn’t understand West Coast rap until I moved here, which is when it finally made sense to me.

Today’s #ThrowbackThursday post is 2Pac’s (or is it Makeveli I should be crediting, I still get confused) ““To Live & Die in LA,” and I’ll try my best to share the scope of this song’s meaning to me. I moved to California on a poorly-calculated whim nearly a month before the economy crashed about three years ago. In turn, the job market shriveled up (as did my savings) and I only survived thanks to the help of a friend that took me in until I landed my first job as a video game tester. It was definitely one of the hardest times of my life, but also a period of serious personal growth. One thing I thought about every day gazing out the window of our South Central apartment: What does it take to live in LA? Will I die in LA?

But it wasn’t all bad. I fell in love with West Coast music. If you’re not from around here, there’s something about the combination of weather, palm tree-lined streets, sunsets, and hearing 2Pac on KDAY that’s more than the sum of its parts. There’s something magical in realizing that everything good and bad about this city seems perfectly captured in the music that was created here.  The cadence of the rhythm, 2Pac’s delivery, the obese bass lines—this music could only have been birthed in California. If I had gotten the memo, I would have shown up to this party earlier.

To all our Atlanta fam, Mike Epps and Afeni Shakur are hosting the “2Pac 40th Birthday Celebration” tonight at the Atlanta Symphony Hall. Erykah Badu, Roy Ayers, Bun B, and others will be performing, with proceeds benefiting the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation for the Arts. For more information, visit 16thofjune.com

Rest in Peace, Tupac Amaru Shakur. As a musician involved in the New West movement, I’d like to celebrate your life.

1994 2Pac Shooter Comes Forward

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011

A day before Tupac Shukar’s 40th Birthday celebration, Dextar Isaac came forward to admit his role in the 1994 shooting of  the rap star, inside Manhattan’s Quad Studios. Allegedly he was paid $2,500 dollars by James “Jimmy Henchman” Rosemond.

Isaac, currently serving life in prison for murder, robbery and other offenses, confessed to his involvement in the November 30th, 1994 robbery of Tupac Shakur to AllHipHop.com, after Jimmy Henchman identified him in a statement, relating to Henchman’s indictment for dealing numerous kilos of cocaine.

“I want to apologize to his family [Tupac Shakur] and for the mistake I did for that sucker [Jimmy Henchman],” Dexter Isaac told AllHipHop.com from prison. “I am trying to clean it up to give [Tupac and Biggie's] mothers some closure.”

Henchman, who is currently on the run from Federal officials, claimed that Dexter Isaac, along with other incarcerated inmates were cooperating with the government in an investigation of his alleged drug dealing activities.

Head over to AllHipHop.com to read the confession letter and further details.

Cashmere Event Recap: Spring Gathering 2011

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

Today’s blog is brought to us by Cashmere Crew’s own, DJ Willie Shakes, and his experience at the Spring Gathering Concert this past weekend.

One thing I’ve discovered about Cali that I didn’t know before, was the amount of outdoor festivals and concerts that take place. This weekend, I was lucky enough to attend another one, the “Spring Gathering” held 65 miles outside of Los Angeles in San Bernardino.

After a lengthy process to secure my “credentials,”I realized a few things after I finally stepped into the venue. First, I had the same access that everyone else had, and secondly, if I was really going to have a good time, I had to get backstage where the real action would be.

If it wasn’t for my charm and Queenie, (head of security) who busted her butt to make sure I got on stage during the DPG’s set, I would’ve been confined to the festival grounds the entire event. Backstage, I bumped into some pretty notable celebrities, including Paul Wall, Michael Rapaport, DJ Babu, and B Real.

Unfortunately, my “all-access” privileges lasted up until the point that Big Snoop arrived. That’s a scene to behold, as 10-15 security guards frantically scramble to get some semblance of order when the “Boss Dogg”  walks through the backstage area.

With my backstage pass revoked, I made my way to the festival grounds to experience  the remainder of show. Cali is clearly loaded with talented performers that have to be seen in live setting. Collie Budz put on a hell of a performance and DPG performed like it was 1995. Not to mention,  the classic mash-up of Mix Master Mike and Travis Barker who opened up for the legendary Cypress Hill. But the headline performance by Snoop Dogg and the DPG was easily the show’s highlight, the Dogg and his crew ran through their catalog of West Coast hits.

Glad to see Cali showing such hospitality for this Milwaukee boy.

Far East Movement Takes Over Downtown LA

Monday, June 13th, 2011

Every second Thursday of each month, Downtown Los Angeles transforms into an art and music gallery that thrives with creativity and inspiration, known as the Downtown Art Walk.  Many big artists have been featured here, and, with over 40K attendees now taking the streets each month, you never know what you are going to see. This week, hundreds of lucky Angelinos were surprised with a spontaneous sidewalk performance from none other than Far East Movement.

Inspired by the works of famous Art Walk painter Robert Vargas, FM set up a wall mural outside of Billy’s Coffee Shop on 5th St. between Spring and Main.  Robert began painting the wall earlier in the day, and FM stopped by around 730pm to be the focused subjects of the piece.  After the mural was complete, the speakers, mics, keyboard, and DJ setup were rolled out of the alley to give the fans a surprise performance, right there on the street.  With hundreds of people now gathered, FM’s team, with the help of some of Los Angeles’ finest, got the crowd (and street) under control for the impromptu performance.

FM opened with their hit featuring Snoop Dogg, “If I Was You (OMG).”  Then, DJ Virman dropped the beat for “Girls on the Dance Floor”, and the crowd went crazy!  As the surrounding police came by to say one more song, they got in to their new single, “So What,” which is definitely going to be a radio hit.  Once they were done, the cops came in and shut it down, sending the masses on their way to enjoy the rest of the night.  For those ten minutes, the L.A. natives gave their hometown a celebration of art and a great show!

Far East Movement shows up to get started

DJ Virman is all set and ready to drop the beat

Hundreds of fans gather for the performance

FM takes the stage… aka the sidewalk

FM w/ artist Robert Vargas posing in front of the finished painting

Without a doubt, Far East Movement Loves LA!

Ice Loves Coco Premieres Sunday on E!

Saturday, June 11th, 2011

E!’s new series Ice Loves Coco takes viewers behind the hype and into the daily lives of entertainment legend Ice-T and his model/businesswoman wife Coco.

Ten years of marriage and Ice-T and Coco have remained inseparable, having spent only one day apart. This over-the-top celebrity couple will take fans on an adventurous ride during the season of Ice Loves Coco, premiering this Sunday, June 12th, at 10:30et/9:30ct only on E!

Read more of the official press release here, and check out the official trailer and Ice Advice below.

Trailer:

Ice Advice:

Cashmere x E3: Final Exam

Friday, June 10th, 2011

For the final day of E3, Cashmere’s very own visual department took a trip to the video gaming mecca in Downtown Los Angeles.  Just from the first walk-around, it was evident that motion sensor games (Wii U & Kinect) and 3-D games are the future of video gaming.  Many popular first person shooters like House of the Dead and Resistance received 3-D upgrades.  It’s definitely a bit interesting seeing a zombie jump in your face in 3-D.  We didn’t get to test any of the demos but Kinect had a huge lounge dedicated to its various games.

Konami made a splash with the new installment to their popular series Metal Gear Solid, but their largest line was  for their Glee Karaoke game.  Sequels were a big deal, with games like Gears of War 3, Silent Hill, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Resident Evil and many more.

Activision had the most engaging area by far.  A huge stage with large screens behind it, along with a stadium sound system, let it be known early they were going to pull out some big “guns.” The Transformers trailer for the upcoming game had some people walking away saying that it looked better than the movie trailers.  All of that was forgotten once the Call of Duty MW3 trailer made it’s 2:15pm debut.  Many visitors clamored onto the stage area as they thought curtains were coming down to obstruct viewing. Turns out these curtains didn’t drop far at all and were actually screens.  You had to be there to get the full effect, but let’s just say that a 360º viewing experience really enhanced the intensity of the trailer. All this excitement generated despite Activision not having a single gaming kiosk for attendees to get hand-ons playing time with these games –feel there’s a lesson to be learned there.

Cashmere also got to see an exclusive sneak preview of the anticipated NBA 2K12. Though we can’t reveal many details, we can actually say that 2K still found a way to get better. Possibly the biggest  game to generate buzz worthy chatter is the super collaboration of Street Fighter vs. Tekken.  This is historical to gaming fans as it combines two popular fighting game franchises into one huge game.  Most of these big name games will retail before the end of the year.

Throwback Thursday: Notorious B.I.G. & Bone Thugs-N-Harmony – Notorious Thugs

Thursday, June 9th, 2011

Today’s Throwback Thursday selection, brought to you by Cashmere’s own, James:

This is one of my favorite songs of all time, from one of my favorite albums of all time, Notorious B.I.G.’s Diamond-certified Life After Death. I got the album in 7th grade at the same time I had bought Wu-Tang Forever, the first time I had ever spent my hard-earned money on CDs.

But I Digress. This song, though lazily-titled, is just an all-around classic. Bone  was absolutely killing it, having, two years prior, released the epic song, “Tha Crossroads.” While Biggie delivers one of my favorite opening rap verses  ever. I think it’s actually so good that the minute-plus-long intro helped prepare us mentally for the verbal badassery Biggie was about to unleash.

Remember when we actually critiqued rappers on things like lyrics, delivery, and cadence? The complexity and internal rhyming of Biggie’s verse plus his impeccable delivery is amazing. Then we have Bone come in with their eerie, macabre influenced verses. If this song were re-enacted by puppets, I think the villain from the SAW movies would be an excellent stand in rapping any of Bone’s verses.

Give a listen to this classic collab below NOW!

The League of Young…DJs?

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

Cashmere has been happy to play host at our new Playa Vista office to the Executive Director of the League of Young Voters Education Fund, Rob “Biko” Baker.

In town, studying for his BIG TEST (good luck), every so often Biko takes a break and transforms into a turntable maestro at our makeshift DJ booth. Biko’s been blessing the Cashmere office the past few days as our resident DJ, even taking requests.

Watching him work the 1′s and 2′s, you’d get the impression that he’s done this before. Quiet as kept, he actually has, spinning every Friday at ONE Night Club in Milwaukee, WI. Now, if we could just lock in a DJ name for him.

E3 2011 Kicks Off in Los Angeles

Tuesday, June 7th, 2011

For one week in June, the world of video gaming ascends onto Los Angeles to dominate pop culture. Names like Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft, converge on the Los Angeles Convention Center for the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo, E3.

Each year at E3, the gaming industry highlights new technology and releases that gamers, hardcore and casuals alike, will be going crazy for this holiday shopping season. Microsoft kicked off E3 yesterday with a press conference showcasing the hottest third party for their system, along with a new Xbox Live  integration for home use. Sony, on the other hand, pushed further in 3D gaming by unveiling a complete 3D gaming bundle that will include a 24-inch 3D television  and 3D glasses.

However, this morning Nintendo unveiled their much hyped,  touchscreen controller system, the Wii U. Promising more responsive motion sensing controls, Nintendo left those in attendance in awe at the possibilities of their new innovative gameplay.

E3 2010 is on-going at the Los Angeles Convention Center until Thursday.

Snoop Launches #BOOMSNOOP Contest

Monday, June 6th, 2011

Snoop Dogg’s teamed up with ooVoo to launch his #BOOMSNOOP contest where three fans will win a live video call with Snoop using ooVoo .

Since Snoop is one of the most Twitter-friendly celebrities, it isn’t a surprise that the contest is held on Twitter. After downloading the ooVoo iPhone app, contestants have to post this message to Snoop on Twitter: “#BOOMSNOOP @snoopdogg, I just downloaded @ooVoovideo for iPhone — http://bit.ly/boomsnoop.”

Three contestants will be randomly picked to receive a live, face-to-face ooVoo video call from the Boss Dogg. The contestants must dance or rap the first verse of Snoop’s new single “BOOM”, featuring T-Pain. Contest ends June 12th, 2011.

Get all the details directly from Snoop below. New Single “Boom” from the new album, Doggumentary, now available on iTunes.