MotherGreen & H.K.M.

G-Speak (Gesture Technology)

2008-11-20T09:10:00.006-05:00

g-speak overview 1828121108 from john underkoffler on Vimeo.

People this is real life right here. You can't help but think what else is possible and what else is already in the works. It was just a preview of what's to come along with man's imagination and his science. Just think how this was in developement for some time in order to bring to you the cool little nuances of the Apple IPhone and the IPod touch screen. We are truly in the 21st century and it just shows that all that we imagine can and will happen when science fiction becomes the blueprints for technology. The first video is a demo of how the technology actually works. The others are based off of the reports CNN & CBS did on this gesture technology.

Corporate Cannibal

2008-11-20T08:05:00.005-05:00

Grace Jones releases a new album and of course her video to introduce it is amazing. I can't help but say that this woman does not care what the main stream does and seems to always try new things even if it is at times too out of the ordinary. Look at her all the roles she has played in movies but the funniest to me was her role as Strangé in movie Boomerang with Eddie Murphy. As an artist you've gotta respect what she does because it is unique to her. So peep the video below and enjoy the visuals.

We In There!

2008-11-16T16:36:00.006-05:00

So you're in NYC on Wed. night, Nov 19th and want a piece of the action. The place to get that piece is Manhattan's premier underground concert location the Knitting Factory. On this particular night three of hip hop's under the radar bangers will be performing live. Blitz the Ambassador hailing from Ghana with his brand of head nod hip hop. My boy Che Grand reppin Brooklyn with some real sick songs. Then last but not least Amanda Diva known on TV(MTV2), radio(SIRIUS), and stage(DEF Poetry) the triple threat. This is NOT your lil cousin's rap. These artists have integrity regarding their craft, thus you see MotherGreen & H.K.M gracing the flyer. Individuals of like mind and being must support one another. Use this event as a call to all those in the Tri State Area who are about making a statement. Come out and rep with MotherGreen and Hip Hop's Killer MCs for a wild time. We are probably gonna give away some shirts to a couple of lucky cats in the audience. I'll be doing a book signing in the back of books I didn't write plus interviewing for interns (I need someone to type my blog entries). I'm gonna pre-rate this event on the Brownsville rating system and give it a two piece with a biscuit and Drank. (High Honors)

So for those of you who plan to come through shout MotherGreen at the door. You'll get a reduced lunch ticket so your entry will only be 7 bucks. Leave a comment to this entry so we can see who's coming through.

Oh what's that? You're not knowing about Che Grizzly? Peep Game

Blitz who? Ambassador of what?

Amanda (damn she fine) Diva?

Sleep on the ground to not fall off the bed.

2008-11-06T11:18:00.009-05:00

In these tough economic times everyone is looking for a way to save a buck or two (c) 1 800 Collect. Food is going up in price. Events are getting more expensive. Unemployment hit a five year peak of 6.1% in September of this year. Plus the Wire is off the air, so you don't REALLY need HBO now do you? So I've come to talk to you about ways you can save some money and still live your life. Being that I grew up in the Projects of Brownsville I know what it's like to struggle. Both my parents worked, so I didn't have to drink sugar water or eat mayonnaise sandwiches. However that doesn't mean there wasn't Kool Aid in my house nor does it mean I didn't wear hand me down clothes from my family and neighbors. While I'm not exactly eating Govt. cheese these days I'm not raking in the doe (do the uptown bounce) either. To maintain a healthy lifestyle I live way below my means. Can't pay an overdraft fee when you don't spend much. Now onto the tips. (Please note this might not be the healthiest diet but you'll eat.) Meal Tips

1. Keep a steady supply of peanut butter and jelly in the crib. The ability to make a PB&J at the drop of a hat has saved me in many occasions. Bread is getting real expensive these days too. Keep this in mind when your shopping and think about getting that 12 grain bread. Are you really too good for Home Pride now? You don't have to go back to that 99 cent bread but save a buck yo.

2. Become a French Fry Master. When I was in college I stayed with a cheap bag of potatoes and a gang of vegetable oil. If you're really strapped keep pre-used grease in a can on the back of the stove. Keep the skin on to add some fiber in your diet. I season my fries with pepper and seasoning salt before the fry. If you got some old bay (which you should not because your trying to save) you can get those fries really popping.

3. Become a friend of water. No you don't need that Nantucket Nectar. Nah you'll be ok if you don't have your Sprite today. Water is free and plentiful. You're supposed to be drinking it anyway so act healthy while being frugal. Like the great Homer Simpson said "water water all around LET'S HAVE A DRINK!"

Now for a full explanation of all things survival lets peep the God Ghostface.

What Will You Wear On The Eve Of History

2008-11-03T12:03:00.008-05:00

Approximately two years ago when Presidential candidate Barack Obama embarked on his path towards the white house a call to arms was issued. Senator Obama repeatedly let the general public know that the element for change in this country/world was in their hands. Change is not something that comes from the top down but from the bottom up. Change your habits and you can change your culture.

With that in mind I have been going back and forth with the support of this senator hailing from Chicago (my 2nd favorite city). Walking the streets of NYC I see people with Obama buttons, T-shirts, hats, short sets and condoms (ok not the last two but you get the point). Men, women and children, old and young all rocking the newest Obama shirt or hat. This over saturation has rubbed me the wrong way even though I recognize folks have to go hard to make sure their candidate gets elected. I honestly think it’s more fashion for fashion sake and less a reflection of ones political desires. I mean NY is a democrat state when it comes to national elections. It’s not even close here. So wearing that stuff is like preaching to the choir. It’s like wearing red in Inglewood, CA. The ultimate thing is a lot of these shirts are CORNY. People are not using much imagination to get their expression out to the world. One positive thing is Obama has already stimulated the economy, by providing a new line of income for the neighborhood hustle man.

Pushing that aside, I’m happy to see something my great grandparents never got to see and something their grandparents couldn’t imagine come to fruition (the campaign not the win). I am taking my 7 year old nephew with me to the polls Nov. 4th in Brownsville, Brooklyn so he can share a part of this history. There have been points where I got teary eyed. If Inshallah at the end of this thing there is a Black President I will be there in DC doing it way B.I.G. for the inauguration. I've had thoughts of rocking a black suit with a sharp tie into work on the 5th if Senator Obama takes the "Win the G" contest. Fashion has played an interesting role in this election, from Palin's $150,000 wardrobe to Michelle Obama's TV spot outfits. Lets dress for success on the 4th. And more importantly lets change our habits to be successful in our present and future endeavors.

Here’s a video of one Philly rapper giving his views on the election and I must say it moved me a lil bit.

The views expressed in this writing are those of Dashaun and Dashaun alone and may not reflect those of this blog or MotherGreen as a company.

Slicker than your ABC's in 3D

2008-10-30T07:44:00.002-04:00

Typography is something that a lot of artists lost intertest in. Seeing books like this keeps hope alive and thanks to Bluster passing this onto me, it automatically gets my nose open and makes me want to design. You can just imagine that projects like this take a lot of time but are also a lot of fun to create. This is a book from Marion Bataille published by Roaring Book Press.

Still Cool Like Dat?

2008-10-27T22:11:00.008-04:00

Peep the video in case you forgot...

Back in 1993 jazz groves were the sound of the day in hip hop. One group that helped pushed that movement was a trio from the tri state with a real smooth sound. No I'm not talking about the Fugees I'm talking about those Brooklynites Doodlebug, Butterfly and Ladybug aka Digable Planets. Now let me preface this blog entry by admitting I've never heard a Digable Planets album in it's entirety. I've always liked their stuff and have been a lil partial to their material being that they use teachings of the 5 Percenters(my people) in their music. Their breakout hit Rebirth of Slick made them international superstars for a minute. However their second album was not received as well with the sales to reflect that. After being gone for a while and releasing solo projects the group was back together performing in their home of NYC at BB Kings Bar and Grill on Forty Deuce. The kid was on the set with the great photographer Shino Covant (she provided the pics in this entry). Digable put on a very nice show and had a good amount of energy. Doodlebug's family was in the house (he shouted out to his mom dukes). Butterfly went through some of his solo Cherrywine material which did not sound bad at all. The group was backed on stage by a DJ who's name escapes me as well as the congo drummer from San Diego (shout out to Pokez). The crowd was pretty thick once the group got on stage. Ladybug wasn't AS cute as I remember back when I was in high school but still a looker. Doodlebug still holds what I always felt as the leadership role of the group. When they did 9th Wonder the crowd went crazy. Those drums still knock. They ended the show on Rebirth of Slick and really used those horns to bring the crowd home. After a round of cheers Digable came back out for an encore and announced a new studio album to arrive in the near future. That show has me now at least interested in hearing what they have to say. Those kind of abstract lyrics with dope grooves are non existent in this day and time. Oh and they all can still flow, so yeah they're still cool like dat. Words provided by DashaunWorld Inc. Photos provided by Shino Covant

Freedom Calls

2008-10-27T07:13:00.005-04:00

Freedom Calls

Roughs

Sye examining the face

Me working on the daggers

Almost completed

Our work here is done

With the elections coming up just around the corner we decided to link up and put together a "V for Vendetta" inspired wall. Just so you know that working with Sye he is an early rise & shine type of dude!! We were just experimenting a bit and doing faces with realistic shade values which is not my thing but with Sye's help we were able to pull it off. Tried to switch up the flow of a letter so in my eyes is looks a bit strange. None the less I am pleased with the overall outcome of the wall. Time to start brainstorming on a few other concepts for mini productions.

Blackout Music

2008-10-26T16:07:00.006-04:00

Every once in a while I feel like I was born just about 20 yrs too late. Especially when it comes to music. As much as I love a lot of the stuff that I am hearing now, I have been slowly stumbling upon super funky dopealicious music from years gone by. The latest installment of BLACKOUT MUSIC to reach my Itunes library is Vitamin C by the group Can. This shit is so nervous I don't even know what to say. The videos are live footage of Can performing Vitamin C as well as some dude really blacking out in a supermarket. I tried to told you "BLACK OUT MUSIC"

Hellz-MG-Get Free Collabo

2008-10-20T07:29:00.003-04:00

"I'm so flossy, bitch get off me"

This was a project that Blust and I worked on some time back. It is all done in pen and ink.We worked on 3 different graphics that have this same feel. One for Hellz-Bellz, In4mation and of course one for MG. The Hellz is the first to drop followed up by the In4mation graphic and then the Mothergreen due out next year.

Cereal Wall

2008-10-19T22:36:00.006-04:00

Boo Berry

Franken Berry

Sugar Bear

Full Line as follows: Vins, Kemts, Serge, Serve, Joey TDS, Dose and Neo

Serve is a beast for this wall. Knowing how fast he paints is ridiculous!!! Just the thought of him pulling off his piece and doing all the characters at wall is another story. That just takes a lot of work. I unfortunately got there a bit later than everyone else but it was cool, just need to make sure there's always someone around to help out with color schemes.

Wolves Like Us

2008-10-17T16:40:00.012-04:00

Tunde Adebimpe laying it down

Get Down w/the Down
Fon Lin of Dragons of Zynth

By now you've probably heard of TV On The Radio. If you're 1 step ahead you know that the version of "Satellite" from their Live Session Itunes Ep is super funky fresh. If you're 2 steps ahead you agree that "Return to Cookie Mountain" is the best album of 2006. If you're 3 steps ahead then you've put "Love Dog" on repeat on you ipod/iphone and never got bored of listening. If you've been touched by the hand of God then you were at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple on Thursday night to bare witness to their last night of a 3 day stint in BK. After a eye opening performance by Dragons Of Zynth (keep your eyes out for them) TV On The Radio spun a dirtywhirlwind of songs from their catalogue which kept the crowd jumping and screaming for the length of the show. (Side Note: Drink water, not beer if you plan to sing along all night. My voice is still hoarse.) Peace

CREATIVE HEIGHTS

2008-10-14T11:43:00.007-04:00

Crystal Clarity and Fly Lady Di Flexing their brush stroke

Crowd Shot

Crystal Clarity once again

Clarity's piece

Cactuz Tree....?13 (Wheat Bread Life Crew) reppin

Ichiban pieces (left) & Jen One pieces (right)

Deitrich (creative heights fam), standing by a callabo piece by Ibrahim, Yaqut and Fly Lady Di

Close up of Lady Di working

another group shot of Cactuz Tree...?13 doing their thing

Kris showing some of her works

Dashaun and Sara

Minna and Maryjane Brooklyn

So unless you've been living under a rock here in NY you know there's an artistic explosion going on. Specifically in the borough of Brooklyn there is evidence all over of resident artists making their presence known. Nowhere is this more apparent than the artist co-op known as Creative Heights (770 ST MARKS Ave.) On this past Saturday 10/11 painters, musicians, poets and other artists of all types converged on one block in Crown Heights, Brooklyn to celebrate expression. Now Creative Heights is a converted apartment building which is home to some of the illest painters, singers, rappers, photographers and other artisans in the city. Saturday was the opening for the in house studio. Now what studio opening would be complete without food, beverage and art to adorn the walls. All of the above was in effect on this beautiful day (you know the kid had his bike out). The day was filled with performances mixed with everything from rocking out singers like Cactuz Tree and his band to groups like Investigative Reports with the Afro Punk crew repping on the scene as well(Creative Heights is home to members of the band Game Rebellion). This event put together by Ms. Sara Hart pulled together the usual suspects of the Brooklyn Arts scene (cats like Michael July, The CDTBK crew, Concept, Richard Louissaint...etc) A beautiful mural was painted by two of the most beautiful artists in the city Fly Lady Di and Crystal Clarity (see pics). My good friend Kris had some very nice pieces hanging in the gallery as well. All in all this was a great launch for another positive movement in the community. Take some time and go down to St. Marks bet. New York and Nostrand for an fine art experience right up the block.

DOWNTOWN CALLING

2008-10-12T21:48:00.008-04:00

Now, when we say "A TESTAMENT TO THE NEW YORK OF YESTERDAY", this is what the F*** we are talking about. The wealth of history compiled into this documentary is simply astonishing. Digging in the vaults of NY youth culture, circa late 70's early 80's, "FOUNDATIONS" which is now named "Downtown Calling" the ultimate history lesson. We will surely post the date & time of next screening so you folks can catch it live and in the flesh. STOP, LOOK & LISTEN.

Super Fame City Bros.

2008-10-05T00:11:00.009-04:00

the beginning stages

this background was no joke!!!

time to start to working on the pieces

adding some final touches

Sye x Vins - Fame City

It's been a minute since I've painted and it felt great!! You don't realize how much you miss doing something until you do it again. I had the opportunity to rock this small 2 man production with Sye. For the time that we put into this wall I just got to laugh, we both were happy with the turn around time.

Start Your Engines

2008-09-30T22:56:00.005-04:00

pulling up to the starting line always gotta talk shit before taking off the course of course Mr. Fun Boy himself Pulling up next to race

vvvrrrrroooooommmmmmmm

oh, oh, my turn, my turn

they post your top speed on the big screen (I beat O's top speed but don't tell no one shhhhh)

The kids posted up

O with the future

2 beauties

the crew

young guns right here

there was a salute here for O but it doesnt look like that because of the person taking pics....never again homey!!!

see it just looks like I drank alone but if I did I would salute O for sure!!!!

O giving a pep talk

Just and O

"no pictures please!!"

For O Doggs Bday he wanted to do something different and for the grown kid in us all. So he found Velocity 17 which is a big kids race park. I've seen it once before but never had the opportunity to race but on this day it all changed. We all showed up at random times but there was still a good wait. It is best when you go with a large group so everyone can race together against each other. They do how ever have rules of safety to obey since the carts go around 50-60 mph (that is for those who do have a drivers license) but not all carts go that fast. Some go around 40 mph for those who do not have a license but non the less it's still a lot of fun. At the end of the day for those of you that know O, know that this place is something he would have created himself for certain. Maybe a few minor tweaks like the carts would all be German engineering. Oh and they also had virtual racing with Formula 1 cars and Lambo's.

Bon Voyage

2008-09-29T21:43:00.005-04:00

Bar 41 is where it all happens

Brit's get moody if they don't get their drinks flowing quickly

aahhh yes, very refreshing

The camera person tries to take candid pictures of the Hyena without being noticed but then it's too late....

the Hyena makes his move

Gemma appears to be upset because she has no one to blame her chocolate breaks on anymore....now the whole M&M pack is yours!!

the book comes out and the hands come to life

yummm, sliders

a more, better look at what the hands create

the 3 amigas (they look all quiet but they are actually the loudest of the entire group..hehe)

Oye, Señor Bobbay "Fuse" Green, come here...

lemme tell ju a lil secret

mira the screw face, he no like no body

and to think this was during the middle of the day lunch and we're acting like we're in a club chillin!!!

Yes, Von I will have another one please!!!!

more people going to town on the drinks

Mahdi and Just talking

Big O doggs in the house

I wonder why Fuse has that smile on his face

ahhh and the truth is about to be revealed

We knew it, he is a very busy man doing work for all the other major brands and now branching out from denim into doing home settings.......we knew it all along Jamel

Guilty, guilty and more guilty... just look at him. he has nothing to say for himself

I really have no clue what these 2 were discussing but I think it has something to do with an animal or something....

Mahdi checking out to see what goes on

the true meaning of liquid lunch...and you know what follows next

MG SALUTE!!!

and even Carol had a shot!!! Wow I feel special!!!

Just chillin with Tanesse

People came through to show love!!

holding up the universal sign for his name..La La Lamonticus OHreallious

sunglasses indoors..hmmm how much did she drink???

Many thanks to all the people who showed up at my going away luncheon and a special thanks to our very own "little Miss Sunshine" Jen Sosa for taking these wonderful shots as always!! I know I am a bit late with this one but I have to say I really had a great time and seeing how many people showed up to say goodbye definitely marked a special place for me. To leave the Roc as I did was not just leaving a job but leaving a great group of people. Looking forward to our paths crossing in the near future!!!

BLACKLISTED

2008-09-14T22:58:00.004-04:00

Sunday is my day.......for watching TV that is. Chill on my mom's couch, take advantage of premium cable, and have a beer. For those that do not know, I'm pretty much into all sorts of flicks/TV shows and such but have found myself watching more than a few documentaries as of late. While fiddling around w/HBO ON DEMAND I came across BLACKLIST. Now this is pretty damn official. For 90 minutes, I was captivated by the people they chose to speak with. Each and every speaker has a beautifully unique story and those who have been around prior to and after the days of segregation really have something to say. To listen to Colin Powell speak on what it means to be Black in the military when he was young is amazing. Also, do not pass up on the Chris Rock trailer, trust me on that. So I pass this on to you, Blacklist . Black or not, look into it, if you have not already. I am sure you will be inspired by the lives of these people and find similarities within your own. Peace.

Illustrator Maestro

2008-09-04T07:45:00.002-04:00

Yukio Miyamoto is by far one of the illest out! When I was shown his site it got my nose open. Just at the thought that these types of renditions take time and a person has to have patience and dedication to complete art like this. Not saying that this is for everyone but man if you have the skills to pull this off then we salute you!! Here's a excerpt from the site and check out more of Yukio Miyamoto's work.

Yukio Miyamoto has been using and abusing Adobe Illustrator since the beginning of time (well, since the late '80s at least.). Professional Artist Yukio Miyamoto's artwork is showcased and sample throughout the book.Yukio's artwork has appeared in a number of books, from design books. Yukio has trained thousands of people in all areas of graphics for the Mac and win.

For the Love of BEER!!!

2008-09-03T09:38:00.004-04:00

This month holds one of the most important weeks in my calendar. "NY CRAFT BEER WEEK", From 9/12-9/21 you will be able to better acquaint yourself with NY's local breweries. Take part in anyone of the beer dinners, Cask Ale Festival or nine neighborhood bar crawls and discover new places to quench your thirst in areas you might just otherwise skip over. Do yourself a favor and stop by Huckleberry Bar in Willie-B as this is the place I am destined to eternally rest. Check the link, www.nycbeerweek.com plan your destination and Salute.

A Trip Past the Left Coast

2008-09-02T21:58:00.004-04:00

So after my 10 hour plus flight from NY by way of Chicago I land in Hawaii and the weather is BEAUTIFUL. I immediately drop off my bags and hit the local Wal Mart for the essentials. I copped a pair of sunglasses and flip flops (which I haven’t worn since I was maybe 5 yrs old). The beaches in Waikiki (where I stayed) had nice heavy populated beaches. This is where most of the hotels are as well as the main tourist shopping strip. One thing I learned is instead of bodegas Hawaii has the “ABC Store” This place is located in closer proximity to itself 10 times what Starbucks has accomplished. I got my postcards and souvenir coffee from there.

Thanks to my family on Okayplayer.com I had a list of restaurants and local clubs to check out. I went to a sushi spot called Sassabune and had the best sushi EVER! This salmon almost jumped back out of my mouth to say “do you realized how good I am?” This is a Sushi Nazi type of restaurant where the Chef tells you how to eat the sushi. It’s an insult to put soy sauce on certain sushi creations. What an experience.

I also went out dancing, or tried to go dancing on the club strip in Waikiki. The outcome of this adventure was very lukewarm. I guess most folks just don’t go clubbing in Waikiki. Almost everyone there is married (which they assumed my friend Lorraine and I were) and thus I guess they don’t dance no mo’. I was subjected to 18-20 year olds partying with folks my age. I felt like the old dude not at the club but at the prom. *shudders* Saturday night was a lil better because more folks near my age came out. I got to dance a lil bit and saw a Black man on the dance floor with no SOUL. (I mean he’s Black so he got soul but he got no SOUL).

Side note, Honolulu has become Japan annex and everything is Japanese influenced or accommodating. Even the cheesecake factory has a separate Japanese menu printed

So check out the beautiful pictures I took on the many different shores of Oahu as well as on top of Diamondhead Mountain. The view was breathtaking. I got a shot of some foreign beauties in there for good measure as well.

P.S. Don’t sleep on Macadamia Nut Ice Cream, it’s kinda serious. Also special shout out to Poke. Tasty

Peace
Dashaun

BMW Kinetic Car Sculpture

2008-08-26T18:23:00.002-04:00

What else is there to say about this. Passed onto me at work, so I'm passing it on to you. This sculpture is made up of 714 metallic globes. In order to see this sculpture you'd have to pay a visit to the BMW museum in Munich.

Street Wars, Assassins Creed

2008-08-25T12:42:00.010-04:00

StreetWars is a 3 week long, 24/7, water gun assassination tournament that has already taken place in New York City, Vancouver, Vienna, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, Chicago, Paris and is now coming back to New York City.

This was passed onto me and I was like, this is truly for those who are kids at heart!! It looks like a lot of fun but curious to have seen footage of it in the big apple. I'm sure it changes your outlook on things once you get into the game. Plus you can look at it as what better excuse to run around NY acting crazy, let's just hope Po Po doesn't get carried away!!