Speaking of B-Days

Its Mine today!! So I'm One foot in One foot out today!

The Kenny Burns Show pt 2

When it comes to personal branding Kenny Burns has managed to out do himself one more time. This time it was for his annual over the top traveling B-day celebration that will take place in my hometown---Miami.

I received the invite last night and It was a "KB Special". It came in a box that was branded Kenny Burns x Belvedere. I assumed it was a mini bottle of "Belvie." But, for KB, that would've been too simple. So I opened it up and boom. A Kenny Burns Bobblehead with the following quote inscribed at the base. "I'm here to inspire the world...Even you celebrities."-KB




This is the type of branding usually reserved for major corporations and celebs, yet again somehow KB has used his gifts to turn himself into his own Brand.

Here's a look at the save the date video. Do your thang hommie.

Favela Funky-- Battle: Vinyl War

Four years, three painstakingly-detailed sets, 28 sassy characters, a head-shaking 10,000 photos later and Terpins Greco, the 40-member Brazilian team responsible for producing Battle: The Vinyl War, is finally seeing the juicy fruits of their labor. This month and next their stop-motion animation will be shown on Brazil's Cartoon Network channel in a four-part weekly series.

The shorts, which clock in at a brief five minutes each, follow the story of a vinyl shakedown between two DJs set in the favelas of São Paulo. Though all fictional, it's the classic story of the established versus the newcomer. DJ Black Jahmantha, a man who needs no introduction, faces DJ Air, a new up-and-comer, while DJ Thiade oversees the battle. Staying true to real life scenes found in Brazilian street and hip-hop culture, famous underground hip-hop DJs King and Cia were recruited to be the voices and music behind the main characters and Thiade got to cameo as himself.

via coolhunting

Mzoli's Meat, Cape Town South Africa

Mzoli's Meat is cool hood spot, located in the township of Gugulethu, southeast of Cape Town. It has transcended its core butcher shop business to become a global tourist must see...

Mzoli's is a butchery, which doubles up as a very popular restaurant. But a restaurant with a difference - and soon we discovered it to be the ultimate social networking, user-generated business outside of Wikipedia

You start off in the butchery - choosing from a vast selection of meat cuts, Your meat is handed to you in a huge enamel bowl (secret marinate optional), which you take to the braai kings at the back of the shop for a good grilling.
Head out to the 'restaurant' section of the shop, around the corner and take a seat.

The first thing you'll soon notice is that there are no waitron staff. If you want drinks - you have to go to the house next to number 4 across the road.
You'll probably be offered a seat at the game of cards already underway and a Jack on the rocks, but if you're focussed on your mission - you'll get the beer you're after in the fridge in the kitchen
Bread (good with the marinade) can be bought at the spaza shop on the corner.

The idea is that Mzoli's supplies the meat (and a wet cloth if you're looking suitably messy) and leaves the rest to the neighbourhood business community to supply. Even the music is courtesy of restaurant goer's parked cars.

The place was packed by 2pm, with loads of people waiting for tables throughout the rest of the afternoon.


Via cherryflava

When Rehab Goes Pop

This is how you know the dope game has crossed all the way over...

via makethelogobigger

New World Order 2: Disney Crank That

The Walt Disney Company has prospered by keeping an extra-tight leash on its animated critters. Publish a comic book depicting Mickey Mouse as a sadomasochistic smoker, as a group of underground cartoonists did in the 1970s, and prepare for a not-so-magical encounter with copyright lawyers.

So why is Disney tolerating YouTube videos that turn Bambi, Simba and Winnie the Pooh into rap stars? YouTube users started posting the videos, set to “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” by the rapper Soulja Boy, about five months ago.

The postings (called mash-ups), are made by editing together snippets of animated movies and TV shows. The finished products look like music videos in which the cartoon characters do the singing. As “Crank That” climbed the music charts over the summer — the song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this month — the videos started gaining in popularity and users edited together versions using characters owned by other big media companies. A version using clips taken from Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” has been viewed more than seven million times.

Ny Times

The Boondocks Back October 8!

The second season of Aaron McGruder’s series, The Boondocks will premiere Monday, Oct. 8 at 11:30 p.m. (ET/ PT) on Adult Swim, Cartoon Network’s late-night sister network showcasing animation and live action for adults. Fifteen new episodes of the Peabody Award-winning series from Sony Pictures Television are set to air through January 2008.

The new season finds Huey, Riley and Granddad encountering a roster of characters, both new and familiar, in uproarious situations, including Granddad’s feud with Thugnificent, a world-renowned rapper who moves into the neighborhood; their friend Tom DuBois enlisting the counsel of A Pimp Named Slickback, when he fears losing his wife to R&B superstar Usher; the family’s day at the movies, where they go to see “Soul Plane 2;” Granddad’s attempt at online dating; and their experiences in taking in a family after Hurricane Katrina. Throughout the season, an eclectic mix of hip-hop artists, actors, comedians and media personalities will voice guest characters on the series, including Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, Ghostface Killah, Cee-lo, Lil Wayne, Donald Faison (Scrubs), Aisha Tyler (Balls of Fury), Kym Whitley (Reno 911!), Tichina Arnold (Everybody Hates Chris), Mo’Nique (The Parkers), Marion Ross (Happy Days), Tavis Smiley, Terry Crews (Everybody Hates Chris), Bill Duke (X-Men: The Last Stand) and Cedric the Entertainer (Talk to Me). Reprising their guest roles from last season are Mos Def, Xzibit, Charlie Murphy, MTV’s Sway and Katt Williams, among others.

WestSide Hustle

The 21st Century Hustle crew is on the Westcoast this week. It will be fast times, in the fast lane getting goals accomplished with my my LA fam!! So in the spirit of the West I'm going to leave you with a piece we did in the first 21st Century Hustle Magazine on how to get it done when you are doing business on the left coast. Enjoy.


7 Things to consider while on business in LA

1. Get UP!
When your body wakes up at 4 AM PST get up!!! This will give you time to check emails, prevent fires, work out and see the sunrise. You never want your problems to have a three hour head start.

2. Navigate
Anticipate every move that you need to make for the day, and plan accordingly. LA traffic is unmerciful to the wrong turn. My thing was to rent cars with navigation and give myself an hour between meetings, because in LA Everything is an hour away.
3. Prioritize
Once I have my geographical bearings, I would set up meetings in order of convenience. I like to get my harder sells and office meetings done early so towards the end of the day I can kick it with my more casual clients. This way I could enjoy Mr. Chow with my folk (What up Tubby!)

4. Think like a Local, Act like an Immigrant
You traveled from your home 3,000 miles across the land for one reason, to get this money--Act like it. Don’t be daunted by the shallowness of Hollywood. On the surface understand they like aesthetics, but be diligent in your work and grind. Most cats just look the part-out do them with work ethic.

5. Time
LA tends to be very laid back in pace (they invented the three hour lunch) so it is easy to be hypnotized by the palm trees and mojitos. However, this casual trance will prevent you from taking advantage off all the opportunities that exist with the amount of time you have. Therefore, keep things at a go getter’s pace. This will set you apart and bring some excitement to the game.

6. Get Some Friends
This is very important when you are on the West frequently. In order to maximize your time and efforts you have to become ingrained into the economic fabric of LA. So having a network of people that can constantly keep your name buzzing is a must.

7. Smell the Roses
Find the places that inspire you and
build or steal the time to visit those places, between or after meetings.

Keep Walking

"What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step."

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Anytime I set out to do something big. I run into obstacles, dead ends, opposition, & frustration. Sometimes I want to say forget it and move on to something else, but the inner hustle is always like "come on lets try it like this, call so & so, go get that what'chamacallit." then it points me in a new direction and all of a sudden we are back on course.

Just think of it like this, if you knew you had a million dollars waiting on you 1,000 miles away and the only way for you to get it was to walk. Would you go get it? Would you wear out those Jordans going to get i? Hell yeah. Its the same in any aspect of life. You want that Job you are going to do everything you can to get that job. Resume, letters, recommendations, 2-3 interviews, scouring the net on your current job 's computer....etc. You have to put that same resolve into building your dreams.

Yet, in doing so, hard times will come, but you just have to keep walking. And at some point you'll arrive.

New World Order 1: Quarterlife Will Air on MySpaceTV

What started as a pilot for ABC three years ago, and rejected has found a broadcast home on MyspaceTv.

Emmy-winning television show creators Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz are teaming up with MySpaceTV to distribute their new online series, "Quarterlife." The first "Webisode" will air on MySpaceTV November 11.

“When Emmy award-winning producers come to MySpaceTV you know this is reaching a whole new level,” said Chris DeWolfe, CEO of MySpace. “We’re proud to offer the creative community a blank canvas and open platform to express their vision.”

Herskovitz and Zwick are the Emmy Award-winning co-creators of the TV series thirtysomething and My So-Called Life; they have also produced hit movies, such as Traffic and Blood Diamond.

http://quarterlife.com/

Fahamu Pecou: Arty Like A Rock Star

On Friday, I went to check out Atlanta Artist, Fahamu Pecou in his first NYC solo exhibit. I actually didn't know he was coming but I stumbled across them setting up the exhibit earlier in the week.I know they were bugging because I just bum rushed the exhibit as they were hanging the pieces and sipping Heineken (below).
My bad!! But I promised I'd come back for the opening on Friday.

The series that being shown now through October 6 is called "Born in Famous a satire on Pop Culture. However, by using himself as the "Art Celebrity" in all of the pieces, he also makes the statement that he too is "the shit!" I love it, he just did the Jedi Mind Trick on the world. By "observing" Pop culture obsessed with people who are famous for anything he in turn becomes famous for something. Great Plot.


SIDEBAR: Heineken needs to go ahead and do the deal with this cat!!

BORN inFAMOUS is the latest suite of paintings utilizing Pecou’s alter ego as “art celebrity”. These works consider and challenge art-world politics and issues of the black male body. Audacious, confrontational, and witty, the work appropriates the lexicons of celebrity, magazine, and fine art culture to facilitate conversations that allow the viewer to examine these traditionally separate worlds and see where they connect.

In BORN inFAMOUS, Pecou ups the ante with the swagger of a Blaxploitation anti-hero, battling a system that prides itself on tokenism and flavor-of-the-month icons. The paintings in this series cite the work and words of figures like Melvin Van Peebles and Andre 3000 (of the hip-hop group Outkast), whose ability to stay politically and socially current in their work make them relevant to a contemporary audience as they recalibrate their work and careers across genres and styles.

If you are in NYC Go See it!

September 7 - October 6
Lyons Wier • Ortt
171 7th Avenue, NYC 10011 212•242•6220
http://www.lyonswierortt.com

If you are not in NYC check him out here.
www.fahamupecouart.com
www.myspace.com/fahamu

10 Producers to Watch

Here's the full Variety list that we reported about earlier...

On the 10th anniversary of our 10 Producers to Watch list, Variety looks both forward and back. We present a new crop of producers showing great promise.

Click the links to read the stories.

Will Packer

Pablo Cruz

Doug Dey and Lynette Howell

Lee Eugene

Alexandra Milchan

Michael Roiff

Michael S. Ryan

Todd Traina

Simone Urdl and Jennifer Weiss

Orian Williams

Power Moves!!

This week Variety Magazine will announce its prestigious 10 Producers to Watch list. One of which is 21st Family, Will "Power" Packer from Rainforest Films. For those who know about this list, its a BIG Deal and for those who don't know Rainforest....They are too !! Consistently on the grind since '96, The Forest started off by shooting the extremely independent film Chocolate City, while they we're still at FAMU. With a slew of underground hits and box office successes under their belt they are poised for Hollywood longevity. Big time Congrats and much love!!! See ya at the Toronto Film Festival-Lets Get it!!

The HIT: Stomp the Yard $75 MILLY At the Box Office & #1 for 2weeks straight!


Its a celebration!! Will Packer with Stomp Star Columbus Short and Director Sylvain White

The Saviour: The Gospel took them to greater heights $17milly at the box office

The Catalyst: TROIS the underground classic! Fastest grossing African-American Indi Film. And still selling!



Below: More Underground Goodness

WSJ:Young Entreprenuers Face Bigger Challenges

Interesting advice I found on the net that may help if you are trying to get your business together...via Evan Carmichael Youngentrepreneur.com

The Wall Street Journal put out a story recently on how young entrepreneurs face greater challenges than their older counterparts when they are starting a new business.

The article mentions that with the success of YouTube and other dot come ventures, young entrepreneurs are flocking to get their own companies started but they are strapped for cash and often don’t have the financial stamina to succeed. According to one young entrepreneur they interviewed, “the most difficult challenge is convincing people that you’re savvy enough to do something even at a young age.”

They offer five suggestions for how young entrepreneurs can successfully pitch investors, partners, and customers to get them to believe in your idea and give you the money you need to succeed.

1. Be persistent - “Persistence does work,” says Ms. Darrah, 28, co-founder of Treesje, a handbag and accessory company in Los Angeles. “We wanted to be in Bloomingdales since the very beginning, but got the brush off for the first two years of business. They finally got back with us last year, and now our bags are in Bloomingdales.”

2. Partner up - For young entrepreneurs with no track record of success, the right connection can mean the difference between being in business or not. Unfortunately, most young entrepreneurs lack these all-important relationships. It can help to find a partner that does.

3. Hire the connections - If a partner isn’t readily available, another option is to hire a professional that does. A business consultant, marketing expert or publicist can bring a Rolodex of contacts that a young entrepreneur might not have.

4. Stand out from the crowd - “I think the main problem was getting people to take me seriously since I was so young when I started,” says Tina Wells, who started Buzz Marketing Group, a youth-focused marketing-services company, at the age of 16. “Be willing to take risks in your work,” she says. “For instance, Buzz Marketing published a report that said that college students did not think downloading was illegal, and they were not going to stop. This got a lot of attention for us.”

5. Launch it anyway - “If you’re young and have a great idea for a company or product, you probably won’t get far in pitching an idea that is just on paper to a large company or investor,” says Carlos Barrionuevo, director of business development at NPR (National Public Radio). “Set a vision for what it could be, and do as much as you can on your own. Demonstrate some amount of success. Even if it’s in a small way, others can see where it’s going.”

What have you done to convince investors, partners, or customers to believe in you despite not having a track record behind you?

Evan Carmichael

Inc.Com: 26 Most Fascinating Entrpreneurs

Inc.com has a list of their 26 most fascinating entrepreneurs


# 16 is Warren Brown, Cake Love and Love Cafe
because only in America will someone quit a secure job as a lawyer to start a bakery


Four years ago, Warren Brown walked away from a job as a federal litigator to bake cakes. It all started on New Year's 1999 when Brown, an able cook, resolved to become an expert baker as well. After work, he began to whip up cakes. He found that baking provided release from the workaday stress.

Soon Brown fell into the habit of throwing dessert parties -- "Friends were jumping on the bed," they were so happy, he recalls. Their joy combined with his job dissatisfaction led Brown to take a leave of absence in 2000. He wanted to see if he could support himself as a baker. He subleased a small commercial kitchen and found customers mostly by word of mouth. This went well enough that he moved into a 600-square-foot storefront that he christened Cake Love. He funded the business with credit cards and then a $125,000 loan backed by the Small Business Administration. When Brown officially left his day job, Emily McCarthy, Brown's friend since college, says she wasn't shocked but did think it was brave. continue reading at inc.com

Guess who was #1

1. Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart Omnimedia
   because she took one for the team

haha!!

Hustle Alert:Complex Mag Looking For Model

Complex is looking for a cute and sexy lady willing to get her hair cut for an upcoming issue. You must:

1. Be willing to get a REAL haircut (you will have some say in the matter, but don't come in expecting to get just a trim)

2. Live in the NYC area

3. Submit 2 medium-resolution pictures of yourself to jacke@complex.com no later than WEDNESDAY, 8/29/07
- one photo from the waist up showing your hair (no ponytails, headbands, etc.)
- one full-length photo showing your body

4. Be available to come in to the Complex office on Thursday, August 30 if you are going to be considered for the shoot.

5. Be available on Friday, August 31st between 9am-12pm for the shoot.

World Is Back

After a brief renovation at their Lower Eastside Headquarters the Crew at WORLD NYC is Back with a new look and feel. For my NYC peeps come out tomorrow for the official re-launch party and catch some sweet deals on Exclusive and Limiteds!!

Ari Gold:The Extreme Hustla

Via Young Global

Here's a collection of some of Ari Gold's "moments." Jeremy Piven is a fool in this role!!

"You can have it, if you want to live in Agoura f@#!ing Hills, and go to group therapy. But if you want a Beverly Hills Mansion, and you want a country club membership, and you want nine weeks a year in a tuscan villa, then I'm going to need to take a call when it comes in at noon on a mother f#@%ing Wednesday."-Ari Gold

Quote of the Day:Kevin Costner

"I'm not the shrewdest in business. I'm more of a dreamer. A 'What if' person who feels failure is an underrated experience."-Kevin Costner, in yesterday's Ny Post

Cell Plane

There has been talk recently of airlines in parts of the world (JetBlue in America) allowing in-flight cell phone usage. cnet.com

For me I like the idea of disappearing over the clouds for a few hours. It's probably one of the few places I can just kick back and reflect knowing that I can't make any moves. That would be out of the window if they let calls through on the flight. I can only imagine noise that would be coming from the people sitting around yapping away. Arrrgggg!!!

What JetBlue is suggesting is allowing text messaging but not voice calls. Thats better for the peace and quiet but terrible for the disappearing act.

But The Economist reports that 80% of airline travelers said that they would approve of the use of cell phones in transit. via infight.com

What do you think?