"Kings of Bling"

Big jewelry has always been an identifying mark of hip-hop culture, and don't expect it change anytime soon. Yet, with or with out hip-hop, believe me brothas would still be rocking their jewel bedazzled watches, gold chains, and medallions with the same unapologetic fervor. Many poor black people have always searched for solace in material things, be it jewelry, clothes, cars, or whatever could bring some temporary measure of dignity and self respect, especially in the face of poverty and racism. Eventually it just became something synonymous with our lifestyle.

Before rappers, it was bootleggers, number runners, pimps and drug dealers. Anybody who could get their hands on some real paper were trying to floss and look good- anything to feel better about themselves, even if it came at great cost. But it wasn't only poor blacks from the inner cities, it also included jazz musicians, preachers with their big Cadillacs, and even black professionals who sought what dignity they could buy through the social acceptance of elite universities, private clubs, and societies.

Nonetheless, all these things have served as emblems of prestige and prosperity for black people during times when many of our due liberties seemed to still eluded us. Now for better or worse it's just an everyday part of black culture, thus hip-hop culture. And in the spirit of competition, it's has always been a constant battle to one up the next cat.

Clae


Are they shoes are sneakers? I don't know, and who cares? One thing is for certain...they're OFFICIAL! In 2001 Clae launched its never-before seen hybrid collection that delivered the comfort of a sneaker, while maintaining the uncompromising style of classic footwear. The result- A new definition of casual.





Morgenthal Federics


You gota keep at least one pair of stunna shades in the arsonal. Looks like Versace has some comp!

Lola Falana


Vintage Beauty!


Manfred

Hand tailored italian silk ties produced in boutique quantities by Manfred.



Highlights From Paul Smith's 2008 Women's Spring Collection





More "Purplow"




I discovered a real jewel when I stumbled across this company. Tell me these ankle boots aren't "Gangsta".

"collective ego" Women's Shoe Series 2.0




Gucci high heel platform sandal with 4" heel. Sexy!

HarlemPhotoBlog.com

Welcome to Harlem World

Harlem has always been America's capital of black art and culture. Candice Hoeflinger's website HarlemPhotoBlog.com is visual document of this historic neighborhood. If you haven't had the opprotunity to visit Harlem, her website is the next best thing. You can see more of her work at candicehoeflinger.com.



















Das Culture


I love German cars, but until I get 7 series paper, German bicycles will suffice.

Purplow


Get your grown man on with these joints from South Korean label Purplow.

A MUST SEE: "KILLER OF SHEEP"



"If Killer of Sheep were an Italian film from 1953, we would have every scene memorized." — MICHAEL TOLKIN, SCREENWRITER

"Killer of Sheep caught the lives of the children with a fidelity to how kids really do fight, play, and cry — and how they can sometimes be cruel simply because they're so scared." — ROGER EBERT

"What the Italian neorealists accomplished in the years after World War II... Burnett— a one-man African-American New Wave—achieved with [Killer of Sheep]: he gave a culture, a people, a nation new images of themselves." — NELSON KIM, SENSES OF CINEMA

Killer of Sheep examines the black Los Angeles ghetto of Watts in the mid-1970s through the eyes of Stan, a sensitive dreamer who is growing detached and numb from the psychic toll of working at a slaughterhouse.

















Frustrated by money problems, he finds respite in moments of simple beauty: the warmth of a coffee cup against his cheek, slow dancing with his wife in the living room, holding his daughter. The film offers no solutions; it merely presents life — sometimes hauntingly bleak, sometimes filled with transcendent joy and gentle humor. Killer of Sheep is definitely a must see!
























Photographer: Thierry Le Goues

"Black Is Beautiful"