BLOCK ROCKERS VOL. 3

Block Rockers is photographer James Hartley's ongoing portrait series of New Yorkers seen on the street, playing music through their boomboxes and outdoor speakers. When the portraits are made, the song they're playing is noted, and later mixed with field recordings made around the city. The images, songs and recordings combine to create a visual mixtape of the city. More here.

STATE YOUR BIZ

State Your Biz, Volume 1: Select business cards from the Marvin Gardens archive featuring the likes of Stussy, Triple 5 Soul, PNB Nation, Supreme and more.

(Via Storage Based)

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How Cam’ron Built a Sports-Media Mini Empire With It Is What It Is

The pugnacious Harlem rap legend now hosts the most unfiltered hour of commentary in sports with his onetime arch-rival, Mase. But even as he trolls harder than ever - yes, that’s football correspondent O.J. Simpson - Killa Cam is slowly embracing a surprising new philosophy: Love and friendship conquers all. (GQ)

How ‘Mellow Grime’ Edits Are Pushing UK Music Forward

For nearly a decade, grime’s vast musical tapestry has been reimagined by a host of beatmakers determined to test the capabilities of the genre. From the soulful to the hard-hitting, this growing subsection of the sound - known as mellow grime - incorporates everything from R&B to drill in its makeup, and has seemingly ramped up in the last couple of years, serving to give those old enough to remember grime’s classics another way of appreciating them, while introducing it to new ears. (TRENCH)

Jawnino Is Embracing the Chaos

South London MC Jawnino's low-slung rhymes and heady, experimental productions are pushing grime to thrilling new places. (Crack)

In Conversation: Mike Bingham of Spiritual Cramp

After six years, Spiritual Cramp made a deceptively complex debut album worthy of the wait. Mike Bingham has been working on himself for at least as long. It turns out he's deceptively complex, too. (Anti-Matter)

Live Forever: Oasis’s Definitely Maybe, 30 Years On

The Manchester band released their debut album in 1994 and changed the course of music history forever. Writer Jon Savage, who saw them perform four times that year, remembers a pivotal moment in British pop, culture and politics. (Esquire)

How Cassettes and Tape-Trading Shaped Hip-Hop’s Early Years

These tapes and the underground, tape-trading economy played a vital role in documenting and spreading the music nationwide. (Spin)

What Was The Village Voice?

The Freaks Came Out to Write is an oral history of America’s most important alternative weekly. (NYT)

Room Service by Michael McGregor

A study of elegance, decadence, and travel, the snapshot drawings featured in Michael McGregor’s new book Room Service capture and preserve the small, fleeting moments cherished during travel. (Juxtapoz)

Herb Sundays 103 & 104: IDEA

Angela Hill and David Owen of London's book and curio empire, IDEA, come forth with a serious haul. (Herb Sundays)

Jenkem Mix 137: Citi Bike Boyz

Complete with a curated tracklist denoting what time of the week listening should occur. (Jenkem)

HANA VU - CARE

RAPPER'S DELUXE

Organised chronologically from the 1970s to present day, Rapper's Deluxe offers a visual and cultural analysis of how hip hop has changed the world. Through photographs, art, advertisements, books, magazines, album covers, film stills and more, Rapper’s Deluxe is a highly curated collection of America's hip hop culture. 

Read more about the book here.

A GRAND DON'T COME FOR FREE

Mike Skinner photographed by Ewen Spencer for The Streets album A Grand Don't Come For Free, 2004.

JAWNINO - IT'S COLD OUT

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The College Dropout Turns 20 (Stereogum) 

Why Was The Grey Album Such a Big Deal 20 Years Ago?

The headline "Underground Rap Producer Remixes The Beatles" might get 40 retweets in 2024. Why would we be interested in hearing a guy whose only claim to fame was a Jemini album chop up samples of the canonical greatest band of all time? We have AI for that! But 20 years ago it was a daring, bold proposition, especially when combined with some acappellas from Jay-Z's recently-released "final" album. (Inbox Infinity)

Conversations: Jean Dawson in LA

Jean is a super inspiring person in my life & consistently makes me want to work harder. We always joke that most interviews musicians get to do follow a very cookie-cutter line of questioning like “How do you like tour?” or “what’s it like working with xyz artist?” so, before the show we sat down to do our own interview - hopefully to give a different perspective and opportunity to get to know Jean Dawson as a person a little better. 

(Reese Cooper)

SNAKE Q&A 022: Joint Custody

Smorgasbord Records business card, Bobby Liebling, Saarinen, Stimulators. (SNAKE)

Artists “Make LA Graffiti History” by Painting on Abandoned High-Rises

“Shit is a skyscraper playground,” said one artist who helped tag at least 27 stories of an unfinished luxury development. (Hyperallergic)

Remembrance, Loss, and Rhubarb at Gallerist Tony Cox’s New Playhouse

Tony Cox, the impresario behind the elusive Club Rhubarb, launches an ambitious satellite gallery that's just as hard to find (but worth it). (Artnet)

How a Book Publisher Started an Olive Oil Empire: An Interview With Theopilos Constantinou

Art books? Olive oil? An unlikely pairing done with creative precision. (sabukaru)

Skateboarding and Soccer With New York City’s Chinatown Soccer Club

Meet the club of skaters, artists and notable locals that have casually played soccer together for the last 20 years. (Jenkem)

Con Edison Banks: A History

The place we’ve come to call the Con Edison Banks is, as you may know, a famous skateboard spot located just outside the entrance to New York City's largest power plant facility at 31st St and 20th Ave in Astoria, Queens. (Village Psychic)

Five Favourite Parts With Ben Kadow

If you ever wondered what possesses someone to, say, 5050 the bench on the Houston median depicted above, or boardslide the knobbed rail on Forsyth Street while everyone else is hurling themselves down the stairs - you can rest assured that the answer is a crossroad between Anthony Pappalardo and Jason Byoun ;) (Quartersnacks)

The Drake's Revue: Christopher Fenimore

The photographer on life on the North Fork, a special watch and how he spends a day in NYC. (Drake's)

RENE RICARD 1979-1980

Rene Ricard 1979-1980 is the first collection of American poet and artist Rene Ricard’s poetry, first published by the Dia Art Foundation in 1979.

SPICE - 26 DOGS

Monday morning mood music.

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How Do You Make a Weed Empire? Sell It Like Streetwear

Berner, the San Francisco rapper, has built a legal-weed empire out of his black-market past - and blurred the lines between the two. (NYT)

How Turnstile Designed the Band's First-Ever Converse Sneaker Collaboration

The Baltimore hardcore heroes on their inimitable style and putting two stars on the legendary One Star shoe. (GQ)

Inside the Weird, Shady World of Click Farms

Jack Latham’s new photobook, Beggar’s Honey, is an unflinching look behind the curtain of the endless stream of content that dominates our lives. (Huck)

Can Everyone Be a Tastemaker?

The cult newsletter Perfectly Imperfect - known for tapping downtown scenesters, influencers and “it” girls for their personal recommendations - has a new platform where all can share their tastes. (NYT)

Bottom Line With Chris Black

Chris Black needs no introduction. As co-host of the popular podcast How Long Gone, partner at Public Announcement and brand consultant at Done to Death Projects, Chris is at the forefront of culture today. We sat down with him to talk about what he does, providing powerful experience, and the bottom line. (Acre)

My Internet: Brynn Wallner

The Dimepiece founder might lean into Linkedin this year and get rich. 

(Embedded)

Leo Fitzpatrick: 20 Year Issue

Leo did this interview and claimed that he visits an average of forty five galleries on a normal outing. (Monster Children)

Bandsplain’s Yasi Salek Will Always Be a Teen at Heart

Salek on her RHCP spiritual awakening, growing up with blink-182, and borrowing a pair of Courtney Love’s pajamas. (Alt Press) 

In Conversation: Ian Shelton of Militarie Gun

In life and in lyric, Ian Shelton is working on a version of self that balances truth and compassion. Making the process public, he explains, is a punk value. (Anti-Matter)

AM Radio: January 2024

The best new hardcore and community-made music, updated monthly for Anti-Matter. (Anti-Matter)

How New Order Embraced Ibiza’s Anything-Goes Energy on Technique

Released on 30th January 1989, New Order’s fifth album is a sun-flushed pinnacle of dance rock, directly inspired by the hedonistic energy of Ibiza’s burgeoning club scene of the time. 35 years on, with the help of the album’s engineer Michael Johnson, Ben Cardew reflects on its legacy, and its influence on the acid house era. (DJ Mag)

ROOM SERVICE

"Room Service compiles over 100 snapshot drawings on hotel stationary from around the world by artist Michael McGregor. The Los Angeles-based artist's vibrant, gestural drawings explore luxury, leisure and travel-capturing and preserving small moments while roaming."  

Available here.