The 5th Element’s Mission Emcee, Bboy, DJ, and Graffiti Arts. These are the four elements that compose Hip Hop culture. Many would argue that fashion is not a significant element of Hip Hop, but when placed in comparison with any other culture, you will see the appearance of its people is what distinguishes them. Fashion IS the 5th Element. We, as a collective of Fashion Enthusiasts, are here to provide you with an online magazine that bridges the connection of Fashion in Hip Hop.
Our Common Thread Established 2010
THE CONTENTS MC // Phonte // 1 DJ // LA Clique // 11 Graffiti // James Haunt // 25 B-Boy // Ronnie // 39 Fashion // Greg Selkoe & Karmaloop // 61
Downtime with
PHONTE COLEMAN
One balmy evening at The 5th Element headquarters, I hastily dump all my things on my desk, settle in and organize my notes. Looking at the clock, I see I only have a few minutes before the interview was set to begin. Powering up my MacBook, I anticipate interviewing Mr. Phonte Coleman, who was at home in Raleigh, North Carolina over 2,500 miles away. The multi-faceted artist, who got his start with the underground rap group Little Brother, and who is currently the frontman of Grammy-nominated jazz/r&b group Foreign Exchange, had been extremely busy promoting his debut solo album, Charity Starts At Home. To be able to sit down and converse with the musician in his downtime was definitely a rare opportunity I could not afford to miss. In this impromptu interview, Phonte speaks candidly about his relationship with hip hop, his reconciliation with an old friend, his taste in fashion, hip hop beef, and exciting news for the near future. All this while having many laughs throughout the Q&A.
“...Twenty-one years old, I used to slang verses But ten years later, I am not the same person / Whole new perspective, not the same purpose And sometimes I have to question if I even want it...
6pm. Here we go.
I asked the musician what pushed him to pick the solo rap project back up, and he credits a huge part of that to his once estranged friend and Little Brother alumnus, 9th Wonder. At the top of the year last year, Fatin “10” Horton, a music producer and mutual friend of both artists, set up a meeting for the two to resolve their issues once and for all. Phonte explains, “Fatin called me on New Year’s Eve and was like, “Yo, Tay, 9th wants to rap to you. Are you willing to?’ Im like yeah, alright cool. He [9th Wonder] came to my crib and me and him sat and we talked for hours, and just kinda got everything straightened out. That was really what lead to it. It just came from a place of wanting to get right as friends and as men--it really didnt have nothing to do with music. When we first started out, he met Phonte and I met Patrick,
Charity Starts At Home is the North Carolina artist’s first solo record. Highly anticipated since rumors of the project rose a few years ago, Charity was released in September of 2011. As much of a relief it was to finally cop THE Phonte solo rap album, it was that much more of a surprise that it was even completed. In April 2010, Little Brother’s Leftback album was released. At that point, Phonte was two albums and one Grammy nomination deep with Foreign Exchange. Little Brother fans were made aware that Leftback would be the very last album for the LB before officially disbanding. On the track “Tigallo For Dolo”, Phonte seemed to compose a virtual swan song to his rap career altogether.
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...Like I was the chosen one for flowing I’m done, the rap game’s no country for old men...” Arrivederci. After a short stint of shows with Rapper Big Pooh to promote the album, Phonte spent the rest of the summer and fall towards completing Foreign Exchange’s third album, Authenticity. Though Phonte was praised for the unique sound, smooth vocals and incredible songs created by he and FE’s other star, Nicolay, fans were convinced the rapper had turned into a full-time balladeer and songwriter. Hip Hop music might have lost one of its best emcees with Phonte, and for quite a while, Phonte himself believed it to.
you know. The whole Tigallo and 9th Wonder--that shit didnt come til years after.” The renewed friendship between the two musical geniuses was an inspiration to Phonte. “I didn’t really have an interest in doing a solo record. It kinda took time for me to just wrap my head around doing it, but, with me and 9th patching things up, that definitely was a catalyst. He kinda brought me back into hip hop.” Phonte is featured on 9th Wonder’s latest effort The Wonder Year, and in turn, the super producer created 4 tracks for Charity Starts At Home. One of which, “Not Here Anymore” was one of the earlier leaks off of CSAH. In it, Tay cleverly rhymes about the motivation from 9th Wonder in finding that love for hip hop again.
“...yes, young Tigga spit Amazon flame, watch 9th re-kindle it / ‘cause iPad verses with the wisdom of my innocence lost two brothers, two peas in a pod / two comeback seasons apart take it back to when I be in the park / to rhyme till I couldn’t see in the dark...” The story behind the title Charity Starts At Home is a reflective one. “It was just something that kinda served as a mission statement, or a mantra of sorts. Something you repeat just to remind yourself of whats important. This was really the first time in my career that I really had done something for myself. Everything that I had done up until this point had always been in service of another name or another brand--be it Little Brother, Foreign Exchange, Zo! and Tigallo, whatever--there had never been anything I had done just for me, under my name. It’s really hard to go from a group setting, to going solo. Just because you’re always so used to organizing other people, motivating
“ This was really the
first time in my career that I really had done something for myself. Everything that I had done up until this point had always been in service of another name or another brand…”
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other people. But then once that stops, then you have to figure out how to motivate yourself. That was the meaning of the title, just, for the first time in my life, doing something for me.” Tigallo the rapper versus Phonte the crooner as one-half of The Foreign Exchange contrasts widely. One would wonder if the fan base changes with the music. He gives it a second before answering, “To some degree it has. There is more of a female presence at FE shows. I just think that the music speaks to different people and we kinda meet people on a different level...its just a different demographic, but it’s not, like, female pandering, so you can be ‘a man’ and still listen to the shit. It be a lot of guys at our shows. They bring their girls with them, you know, they feel like they can relate, cuz its a man who they can relate to, singing songs about love. it’s not, you know, fuckin’...a nigga pouring honey on his chest. Haha. I’m not going to no fucking show to watch that!” Needless to say, I had to ex5
cuse myself from the interview for a second to laugh my ass off. Though pouring honey down his chest is not part of Phonte’s forte, many of the entertainer’s fans consider him a sex symbol. I asked what he thought of this and he humbly replied, “It’s cool, I guess, I mean...” he chuckles, “I really just want to be known for the music. I’m happy that, you know, women find me attractive, but, I was born with this. I had to work to be a good musician--give me credit for some shit i had to work for! Haha. So, nah, It’s cool... I try to give hope to the men of husk.” Yes, ‘the men of husk’. I immediately thought that that would make for an incredible calendar. Haha. Here at The 5th Element Magazine, we believe the element of fashion is a huge part of Hip Hop culture. We want to know how this cool, charismatic individual describes personal style. Tay describes it to be “very simple, very classic. i dont really get into trends and stuff. i
just tend to stick with stuff that will be around forever...so thats definitely me.” Phonte is an incredible entertainer, who puts on a show that is definitely a must-see. The experience itself is an indescribable one, so in the meantime, let’s talk about the rapper’s on-stage steeze. This is how he describes his ideal outfit if he was to rock a summertime music festival. Imagining the scenario, he answered, “Well, I feel like you cant go wrong with just a simple pair of jeans. I like black, kinda, straight leg denim jeans. You know, like, back in the day, my mom used to buy me the Lee’s and shit, and I asked to buy my shit from the husky section. I used hate wearing them, cuz they was all hard and shit, they used to be all stiff. They make that noise when you walk and shit, but I never knew that it was gonna come back! It came back and I’m like, niggas like rocking these now? I used to HATE this shit! But, yeah...” After a good laugh, Phonte continues on to to say that, for footwear, he’d probably be wearing some comfortable skate
shoes. Some of his favorite skate brands are Osiris and Supra. To accessorize, he would probably rock the black Pittsburg fitted with the gold P on it or an NC fitted, and to complete his outfit, “a New Tigallo t-shirt, nigga. You know what it is.” Enough said. During this interview, we went on several tangents. Though it may not make for a very cohesive article, I had to include this little bit on the supposed beef with fellow rapper, Drake. While I was preparing for this chat with Phonte, I was listening to some Pandora and “Don’t You Got A Man” by Drake and Phonte came on. The two ended up collaborating on a few songs before Drake got signed. He had put out two studio albums since then, neither of which Phonte was asked to feature on. Some fans took this as a diss to Phonte, and rumors rose speculating a kind of “beef” between the two rappers. I asked what his thoughts are on the rapper now and if there is any truth to the supposed beef that they have with one another. Sincerely, he answered, “To me, he is someone I have a tremendous amount of respect for...it’s really hard for artists in this era, in this internet era, to have a career. He is one of the few that i think will have that...A lot of ppl they try to create beef with me and him and stuff with me not being on the album or whatever, but I got nothing but love for that dude. He always showed me love, he always bigs me up in interviews and, you know, he always let people know that I was a big influence on him...I’ve told him, the few times that we had conversation, i was like, ‘look man, i really appreciate that.’ I wish him all the best.”
travel this year for Phonte, but a definite life long dream has just come true for Phonte. On Friday April 6th, the emcee and 9th Wonder played to a sold out crowd at The Bassline all the way out in Johannesburg, South Africa. This interview was conducted before the big trip. I asked what his feelings are about the big date and Tay reflects, “This will be my first time ever going to Africa, period. I’m just really happy to go...Like, I cant explain it. I’ve always wanted to go. I think its important, for all black people, if you have the means to go, to try to get over there. Its gonna be a real special experience. I’m gonna try to document it as much as i can...show it to my kids. Then one day I’ll be able to take them, and we can all go together. I’m really excited about it.” It is apparent that Hip Hop lives in every country on the globe. South African fans of the two artists definitely made their presence known every time the show was mentioned on social networking sites. Phonte attests,“They be ready. I mean, every time I tweet about it, like, immediately i get a bunch of
motherfuckers with a like, a bunch of vowels in their name hittin’ me back and shit! Haha. I’m like, okay, these people in South Africa. They ready. They goin’ in.” I look up and see that over an hour has passed. I had such a great time and shared so many laughs with the emcee, that it was no wonder I lost track of time. Before concluding the interview, I had to ask Phonte if he was planning on doing anymore solo albums since Charity was so well received. “I will probably do more solo albums, but, i just kinda wanna see what else, where else it takes me. A big part about doing CSAH, once it was done, it just felt like a bucket list kind of thing. It felt like, ok, I made my rap album, that’s over, now what’s next? So, it’s just like, alright I did that. I need a new challenge. What’s next now? Like, I’m a play the fuckin’ ukelele, nigga. Haha. That’s my next shit.” Be sure to visit www.theforeignexchangemusic.com to get your copy of Charity Starts At Home, all of The Foreign Exchange albums, and of course, your very own New Tigallo t-shirt!
The near future promises a lot of exciting trips for the artist. There may be quite a bit of international 6
KIXXIE SIETE With my iphone’s LED shining through the mist, we walk into a near silent, dimly lit neighborhood in Long Beach, Ca. The destination: the home studio of budding hip hop producer, Richlee, to meet up with a versatile young emcee by the name of Kixxie Siete. In an attempt to detect any hint of music floating through the still air, we stay quiet and move slowly. After several minutes of shuffling about in uncertain direction, we see a silhouette in the darkness, standing tall, just a few yards away. Eyes adjust. Yep. It’s Kix. With a warm greeting from the man of the hour, we are lead into R Producions studio and say our cordial hellos to Richlee and Kixxie’s manager, The Kaptain. Taking a seat on the couch in the center of the studio, we admire the Crooks and Castles posters, Madlib album flyers, and other music and fashion related decor 7
occupying its walls. Kix slides his chair in front of the keyboard, we set up our camera to capture the interview, and Richlee takes a seat in his most comfortable space in the studio--in front of his computer monitor. Young gifted emcee and Yacht Klub representer, Kixxie Siete is making waves and going viral through the power of the internet. Making his Youtube debut just a few of years ago, this hometown boy from Hawthorne, Ca. is learning what it’s like to be in the spotlight, and seeing how it feels to experience the global reach his music provides him. Harboring all of his music online, the internet and all of it’s social networking sites provides a platform for Kix’s music to stand on, and to be shared. The rapper was inspired to take on his craft at the age of 11. Primarily inspired by Eminem and his Slim Shady LP, Kixxie discovered his deep interest rapping. Keeping this new found
passion personal, young Kixxie was able to develop his talents while many of his closest friends had no idea he was a master in the making. After many years of development, he went public with his talents by uploading videos via his webcam. The new rapper pays homage and respect by rapping over and citing classic hip hop beats from timeless producers like DJ Premier and Alchemist. We talk a bit about the Youtube cyphers that catalyzed his popularity. He reflects, “Richlee got me in his “Here We Go Y’all” cypher in 2010...I kicked it off and called out some rappers who called out some rappers--Andy Milonakis, Jin, Dumbfounded...It was good for the Youtube rap community.” He then continues by talking about his series of short videos, “Enter The Swaggin’”, as well as “16 in 15” that also garnered him a huge amount of fans. Siete’s “Enter the Swaggin’” is a
3 part video series which was a spin off of Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon. In the installments, he shows his diversity in the styles of ‘snake’, tiger’, and ‘monkey’. “16 in 15 Minutes”, is a series of work where the rapper writes one verse in 15 minutes. Kix explains that these videos are not only for entertainment, but that they are actually tools he uses to grow as an artist. In his words, “[16 in15] is probably one of my most difficult challenges that I display on Youtube... I was a very slow writer, but I’ve been conditioning myself. Sharpening my blade, so to speak.” The confident, yet humble artist admits that he is still working on ‘studio personality’. He’s persistent about getting his writing structure and delivery down, growing to be as professional and as efficient as one can be in the booth. The R Productions studio was still buzzing from the work the duo was putting in that evening. Before 8
the interview took place, Kixxie and Richlee were busy working on what Kix would describe as a very special project. The rapper and producer both have their respective fan bases, and both parties have been longing for an official album from the emcee, rapping over R Productions beats. Kixxie expounds, “This has been long overdue. Me and Rich got together in 2010 and we dropped a handful of things. Most that were [Richlee’s] production have been very successful on Youtube...We were supposed to come out with something, about 2 years in the making, an EP entitled VII.” Always striving for nothing short than his personal best, Kixxie reveals that he and Rich are working meticulously to make sure VII will be well worth the wait. That detailed, methodical approach, combined with both individuals’ busy schedules, leave the album’s release date tentative, but, not to worry! Kix promises several leaks from the album, as well as his first mix tape, to be released before the album’s completion. For some of us who don’t fair well when waiting for a very promising album to be released, this will definitely hold us down. Although the rapper’s business mindedness can seem a bit intense, he possesses an extremely chill vibe, which reflects noticeably 9
in his style and sense of fashion. Kixxie sports a pair of dark washed denim jeans, a black Dirty beanie, and a gray Dime A Dozen crew neck during the interview. Always finding ways to represent his city, Siete explains The Dirty is actually a skatepark in Hawthorne, a local hang out spot that the rapper and his friends would often frequent. The brand is sold exclusively at JJ’s skate shop in town. Dime A Dozen is a fresh new t-shirt company out of Gardena, Ca. that is a consistent contributor to Kixxie’s current wardrobe. Growing up, though, he was not the most stylish kid on the block. “I was the baby of the family,” the emcee reflects, “so I’m a victim of hand-me-downs. Weird ass hand-me-downs...Thousands of Payless Shoes, thousands of weird brands.” With those days far behind him, the emcee is now able to shape his own fashion identity. With a skater sensibility and an affinity for neutral colors, Kixxie’s fashion signature sits at the top of his head. “I rock beanies a lot. Like, from my early videos, that was my thing. My ‘look’ will definitely be the Kixxie Beanie. Tyga and them made the snap-back theirs. I wanna make the beanie my thing. Followers would tweet me pictures with their beanies like, ‘I’m on my Kixxie swag today.’” With an international reach as far
as Australia and Taiwan, there is no telling the places his music will take him. His song “Future Of Music” hit the radio air waves in countries such as Malaysia and Spain as well. As exciting as it is to have fans in foreign lands, the artist truly longs for a following closer to home. He reveals, “It wasnt until last year where I heard one of my supporters say it was played in Chicago. I was finally waiting for it to hit statewide, instead of to different countries, ‘cause this is where I wanna make it, you know?” With this goal in mind, it is certain that the potential for great success is sky high. We asked Kixxie what he would want people who don’t know about his music to know about him and this is what he said: “I like to stay mysterious to them...I like the word of mouth, you know. I’ll let the fans who know me spread the word. I’d love for [my fans] to like me so much that they’d just want to share my music. It’s always better to hear someone else say how good someone is... For the people that don’t know me, I’d like to tell them my music is not for everybody. You sit and think and you listen to my music. My music is not anything to dance to. I’ll tell them that right now. I’m not for the faint of heart. I’m for the hip hop heads. The hardcores...That’s what it is. That’s what I’d like to tell them.” The 5th Element would love to spread the word. Trust us when we say you don’t want to miss anything this star on the rise has coming up next. Indulge your eardrums with all things Kixxie Siete and be sure to stay connected by visiting the following sites! www.argonautix.com www.youtube.com/kixisafob www.youtube.com/argusproject www.twitter.com/kixxiesiete
GET LIKE ME: LONG HEELS, RED BOTTOMS
3. No doubt the heavily adorned suspenders are extravagant, no doubt, but you can achieve the same effect with some rhinestone suspenders from Frederick’s of Hollywood for about $50. The EMI/Slip-N-Slide rapper is looking like a million bucks in her new video “Long Heels Red Bottoms.” The Miami ambassador pays homage to her favorite luxury shoe designer, Christian Louboutin, with this catchy club hit. Trina sports several very swanky looks in this vid, but, of course, anything associated with those iconic red bottomed pumps is anything but cheap. Not to worry, ladies. We’re gonna break down one of these looks and provide an outfit a little less scary to your checking account. In this classy, timeless look, Trina accomplishes a happy medium between business and glamour.
This beautifully simplistic look consists of 4 important pieces: 1. You can find a very affordable cotton v-neck tank top similar to the one seen here, for as little as just $8.99 at stores like Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe. 2. The skinny black slacks Trina sports are classy, sassy and versatile. You can add a similar pair to your wardrobe by dropping by any major department store with great finds from $40.
4. Let’s get down to the bottom of things. Now, unless you have a cool $6,400 just lying around, the breath-taking Christian Louboutin Daffodile Strass encrusted in handplaced Swarovski crystals will never see your feet. The Aurora Boreale CL’s are an incredibly difficult pump to duplicate, but you can create the same feel for a fraction OF a fraction of the cost. Online shopping is your friend with this one. Websites like Etsy.com provide boundless vendors supplying some very chic styles at an incredibly low price. The example below is posted up listed for $100. (At the time the article was written) It’s not a Louboutin, but I’ll take it!
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LA
SOCIAL EVOLUTION OF
CLIQUE
The 5th Element Magazine caught up with the creative duo behind LA Clique, a lifestyle clothing company based in the City of Angels. Coming from the nightlife scene, Elias and Luther knew how the masses like to party. As DJ’s they experienced some of the best of what LA has to offer. In the cutthroat business of fashion you need to appeal to your market and know how to stand out above the rest. Read on to see how these two were able to do just that. The 5th Element: Describe your DJ history. Luther: I started when I was 16, working on my craft and wanting to be a club DJ. Played at house parties trying to get into the club scene. In 2008, I hooked up with Elias to attack the club game together. Elias: Similar story: started at 16, did some parties, and moved on to clubs. After a few months of that I became a promoter. 5th: When and where did you guys start the brand? L: LA Clique started back in 2008. The brand back then was more of 13
an events and model management company. Fashion was something we wanted to tackle eventually so about two years ago we decided to get serious about it. The brand segued into fashion and we loved it so much that everything else sort of just fell off. 5th: Explain the philosophy and background of LA Clique. L: Main idea behind the brand came from the club scene and the social life in Los Angeles. From different kinds of people and different walks of life, we noticed there were people that were not represented in the media. And not everyone wants to subscribe to one label. So with LA Clique we wanted to unite everybody by their own individuality through our clothing. The LA Clique idea is that social group of the entire city where everybody can be their own person and that life in Los Angeles is what unites us. 5th: What sets you apart from the upcoming brands today? E: We didn’t want to focus on mainly just street-wear, or indiewear, or skate-wear. We wanted to tackle it all. We see ourselves as a
broad brand and make clothes for both men and women. Representing all types of cultures and demographics is what keeps us different from everyone else. L: With every LA Clique piece we have the consumer in mind at all times. Staying to the theme of making pieces that are comfortable, good quality, and that you can dress up or down to your own style. 5th: Describe your personal styles. Has hip-hop culture influenced you in any way? L: For one, I have to be comfortable; and the other is that I’m kind of anti-trendy. I’m not going to jump on a trend just because someone else is doing it. I incorporate the trends here and there and make it work. I try to tie in a unique piece that not everyone would rock. Growing up I listened to hip-hop and it influenced my style. What I see today in hip-hop music and style is that people are doing their own thing. There isn’t necessarily a “hip-hop look” anymore. You don’t need a specific brand, you can just do your own thing. E: My style is mixed; anywhere
“So with LA Clique we wanted to unite everybody by their own individuality through our clothing.”
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“ The LA Clique idea is that…life in Los Angeles is what unites us.”
from indie, to street, to skate. I just wear it all, mix and match. Whatever makes me feel good and comfortable, I’m all about that. Hip-hop culture has definitely influenced my style but throughout the years I’ve met a lot of people that have introduced me to other music cultures. 5th: Who have you collaborated with? And who do you want to collaborate with in the future? E: [Over] the past few years we have been busy working with a lot of musicians. We’re really tied into the entertainment business because of our background. We would love to one day collaborate with brands that we look up to like Obey and Hellz Bellz. L: We collaborate a lot with up and coming artists, working on their talents and projects. We 17
just dropped a few pieces with Lil Debbie. She came on as a guest designer and gave us her creative input and a piece of her style.
going to be bigger than what we are doing now. I don’t know where we’re going to be but I know it’s going to be big.
5th: How do you see LA Clique in the near future?
Shout outs:
L: I’m excited to see LA Clique come out with more pieces, larger collections, and more deliveries. And get even more involved with our consumers. It is a lifestyle brand and we want to reach our consumers outside of LA. Basically, what we are doing now but bigger. E: We wanted to remain exclusive but, just like everyone else, we’re all about growth. You will definitely see it in a lot more boutiques outside of the US. Sooner or later we want to use the brand name outside of fashion. LA Clique, overall, represents the lifestyle and it’s
LA Clique: Shout out to our fans and consumers, to our whole LA Clique team who help us with designing and events. Shout out to The 5th Element, and everyone who has been involved with us since day one, from the musicians, the DJ’s, event coordinators, promoters. And of course, our family for supporting us. Find more information and shop their collection at www.LACLIQUECO.com and follow them on twitter @laclique_
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EARGASM Ditch those flimsy earbud headphones, your music playlist deserves better. Here is our list of which headphones should be on your ears right now.
WeSC x Bing Bang Headphones
House of Marley “Stir It Up”
Exclusive collaboration with the jewelry company from NYC. Premium headphones, gold plated, and box set includes matching bracelet.
Made with natural materials, over-theear design for extended comfort, and a fabric cord that reduces tangles and cuts down static for clearer sound.
Available at karmaloop.com, urbanoutfitters.com, and at wesc.com
Available at www.thehouseofmarley.com
Sol Republic
Urban Ears “Plattan Black Quilted”
Chambers by RZA and WeSC
Interchangeable on-ear headphones, v8 Sound Engine speakers, 3-button remote and microphone. Headband also available in red and white.
Comfortable material over the headband and ear section, tangle resistant cord, and collapsible design.
Premium headphones feature music/ video playback buttons, lights that “move to the beat of the music”, multiconnector to make music sharing easier, and Active Noise Cancellation.
Available at www.solrepublic.com and bestbuy.com
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Available at www.urbanears.com
Available at wesc.com/chambers
BACKSPIN With the throwback fashion styles slowly resurfacing and making their presence known to the world once more, everyone is looking to these classics to inspire their look. Hip-hop styles have remained a classic but no one can deny that it has gone through some changes throughout the decades. In this piece we focus on the 90s, which has been considered to be a golden era of hip-hop. The 90’s saw bright patterns, wild graphics, graffiti fonts, sports jerseys, snap back hats, layers of accessories, and the rise of sneakerheads. One of the most influential hip-hop names in this era was DJ Jazzy Jeff. While most people will associate him simply as “Jazz” from the hit show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, he will forever be one of the most celebrated DJ’s that continues to entertain the older fans and impress the newer fans. The duo group DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince went on to make some big hits in the 90’s and Jazz got the attention of the world as a certified hit maker. Although the show focused on Will Smith’s character, viewers also got to know Jazz and his fashion styles, adding to one of the reasons this show was so popular back then. Just like today, people back then were copying the styles they saw on their favorite TV characters. They wanted¬ to buy the brands they were flashing and what kicks they were rocking. Check out these throwback pictures of DJ Jazzy Jeff and see how many of these styles do you think will be making a comeback.
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THE KNOCKSTUDY PROGRAM : FADE IN Focusing on young talents and the future of music programs in general, “Fade-In” was created to inform our readers of the many institutions that provide a creative outlet for today’s youth. With growing economic downfalls and budget cuts made to the art programs in schools, it is now important more than ever to give students a chance to explore their music and artistic abilities. We start here in the Los Angeles area where Knockstudy resides. A program designed to give high school kids a hands-on experience in the fundamentals of DJing, music production and also provide film and writing workshops. Development Director, Daniel Lee, gave us an insight into the program with his own words. We hope this will inspire everyone to pursue a dream they might have, whether big or small, and give music classes the recognition and enthusiasm they deserve. What is the story behind the Knockstudy program? The idea came about by my brother, Brian Lee, and myself in 2009, 23
but Knockstudy was kind of gestating in our minds for years. A lot of it had to do with how we grew up. Our parents separated when we were both really young, so hip-hop and music, in general, was sort of this early place of refuge. It was the whole, ‘struggling single mother’ story. I’m Korean American, and I felt like not a lot of people could relate to my story. But then there was music, and I felt like there was always a song that I could really relate to, be it happy, sad, mad, whatever—there was always a song for the situation. And that’s what DJing is all about, connecting people through music by matching the right songs to the right situations. Songs like Outkast- “Get Up, Get Out” and Xzibit – “Foundation”, those songs really shaped and inspired me early on. I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, and really got into DJing and music production in high school. While I would be DJing or working on beats, I would see people very close to me get caught up with the wrong crowd and saw how destructive that all was. I think music and having my older brother as a mentor, really helped me to focus on what I wanted for myself
and my family. It was a combination of all those things that really inspired me to try to do something positive in the community later on. My brother had just launched a collective of artists (DJs, rappers, singers, etc.) called Knocksteady, and during a car ride home, we started talking about a free DJ and music production program for high school kids in LA. That was the beginning. The idea was there and now we just needed to execute. At the time, I was working at an investment bank in San Francisco, and I decided to quit in order to jump-start this idea. I moved back down to LA and connected with DJ Zo, Dumbfoundead, the Bresee Community center, and just started to build from there. I remember Zo and I sitting in this cramped room, trying to figure everything out. It was all only ideas back then. In terms of obstacles, we didn’t have any funding, so everything needed to be based on volunteer efforts and donations. That definitely made things more challenging. We’ve been running Knockstudy for the past two years and it’s been
amazing. I live in Washington, DC now, but we have an amazing team in LA. Deeana Garcia is really the nuts and bolts of our operations now. We couldn’t do half of the things we do now, if it weren’t for her. Obviously, DJ Zo is an amazing DJ, and also just a great guy. He actually taught DJ classes at a local middle school in LA, so that was huge in setting up our DJ curriculum and working with the students. Ultimately, my goal is for Knockstudy to be a place where kids can learn tangible skills as well as life skills that can help them achieve their dreams. A lot of what we do is about providing kids access to positive outlets/mentors that they might not have, otherwise. Being a DJ helped me a lot throughout my life. It was always there for me, and it’s a blessing to be able to share that with others. Who are some of your instructors and how did you find them? Some of our instructors include DJ Zo (DJ and production), Intuition (MC writing), EOM and Duke Westlake (music production), and Andrew Kurchinski and Casey Chan (film production). We all know each other through the Knocksteady network. What classes do you offer and how are they structured? We offer classes in the form of short two-hour workshops during the fall, winter, and spring. These workshops will usually pop up sporadically, depending on people’s schedules. Our main program right now is our summer DJ and music production program. It’s structured as a 6-week intensive program that meets three times a week (usually from 3-5pm). The classes run for two hours. The first hour is usually lecture based in which different DJ and music production concepts
are explained. The second hour is run more like a lab, where kids get hands-on experience on the various music equipment. Where can people find more information? Make sure to check out our website www.knockstudy.org and “Like” us at www.facebook.com/knock-
study. The best way to contact us is through email at applications@ knockstudy.org. In terms of physical location, our classes are held at the Bresee Community Center at 184 S. Bimini Pl., Los Angeles, CA 90004. At some point, we’d like to upload our lessons digitally, so we can teach kids regardless of their geographic location.
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James Haunt
Spray cans and alley cats
Growing up in the raw city of East LA, James Haunt has been an artistic rebel from a young age. Haunt’s craze for drawing was fueled by his older brother and evolved from paper to concrete. He has been bombing the train yards and walls since his early teens and his art has spread all around SoCal. After several run ins with the law, he took the nuisance of being handcuffed to take his creativity to the next level. The result is an up and coming clothing line self named James Haunt. Nowadays when he’s not doing walls, murals, or hustlin’ at trade shows, you can be sure he’s working on building his line to an epic level. You can find limited runs of his line at Tilly’s, Zumiez, and on his website at www.jameshaunt.com. We got the chance to stop by the gallery and trade a few words. How did you get started with the art of graffiti? Back in the day, my family moved from East Los Angeles to the Inland Empire and that’s where I first got into graffiti. My older brother and I used to get in trouble a lot and when we were grounded we just chilled and drew for hours on end. Our older cousin saw some of our work and decided to take us to train yards like the Belmont tunnel and some different yards out in El Monte and Pomona. We saw a lot of cool graffiti by like eight or nine years old but it wasn’t until junior high that I painted on the street and started writing. I started out bombing my name and the crew’s name with some other crazy down kids. There were probably like six of us that just went hard and put a name out for ourselves. This was in Pomona. Then I moved to San Bernardino and it was kind of like a culture shock being that it’s closer to the 27
beach while still kind of like a desert. It was weird living there at first but they had a dope graffiti scene. So I teamed up with a couple cats out there and just bombed. We just painted and bombed and didn’t care about a crew until one of our older boys was like ‘Dude you guys are like alley cats’. From that, we started a crew called Nine Lives of the Alley Cats; nine because there were nine of us. We eventually became like family and painted all over Cali; from the IE, to LA, OC, SD and SF. I ended up getting arrested a few times along with going to jail. Then in high school I started learning Photoshop, Illustrator and design and incorporated that into my art. It’s been an interesting relationship with graffiti, art, and the law. I notice in a lot of your art there is a consistency with happy faces, UFO’s and faces of women; is there a meaning behind those? Yeah, to me the happy faces represent why we do stuff that makes us happy, basically our pursuit of happiness. Originally, the happy face had a couple different versions but the one we ended up using is actually a mask over a face. That’s why you can see eyes and teeth. I started putting out stickers of them without knowing that it would become a brand or a t-shirt or anything like that. As far as the UFO, it’s something that I’ve always been into. It represents the supernatural and the mystery of all kinds of phenomenon that happen around the world. The UFO is a symbol of mystery and it’s the unknown that sparks my imagination and fuels my creativity. The girls basically represent our love for women. She represents no race, no nationality; just a pretty
girl that can be anyone’s girl of their dreams. So I just make her nice to look at. Visually pleasing I guess. Are there other artists or brands out there that inspire you? If so, who are they? Yeah, I mean just OG brands like Stüssy you know? They just paved the way for that movement and style of street wear. There are a lot of brands today that do some really cool stuff. I randomly bumped into the cats from Us Verses Them and they’re really cool. I really like their movement and what they’re doing. The 7th Letter dudes, I’m always seeing a lot of good products from those cats. There are a lot of different inspirational brands. I mean personally like stuff like Rugby by Ralph Lauren and the traditional Levis and other staple brands. So what would be your personal style? I would say mostly plain, pretty much utilitarian. I try not to be that noticeable. I mean I do wear design but I’m not big on too much color. Like a lot of the stuff I design and paint on walls, I use a lot of color. But most of the time the stuff I design I won’t wear. Mostly it’s not for me; it’s for the fans and for people who do like that look. How did you come about from writing on walls to designing graphic tees? Back in high school around ‘98, I took two years of regular art classes just because I liked to draw and figured that it was going to be an easy elective. After I took those intro class I became eligible for more design classes and that’s where I started learning Photoshop and Illustrator. That’s when I was like “Damn…I could make stencils
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“I really want it to be just readily available world wide. I want to have the brand grow into a full line.�
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taking the next step little by little and in the next couple years I really want it to be a full brand, more than just a line for graphic tees. Yeah hopefully people can vibe it enough to just want it. A lot of the youth these days don’t have many examples that you can make a career out of being an artist. How did you make that happen for yourself? I mean it really just takes being creative with the way you approach everything. You want to look at life as a math problem and make a formula for things that you want to happen. You always gotta have a plan. You gotta think about how can you build off your own notoriety and take it to the next level. Pretty much you have to take things step by step, but again it just comes back to being creative and aggressive. Also, if you want do something, it’s gotta be something you want to do every day.
and t shirts off this.” This was how I got into silk screening and making t-shirts. One of my first designs was a revolver that had a barrel that turned into a microphone and it was called Verbal Vandalism and like everyone bought that shirt and I was like “F**k that’s cool, I can see how it could be profitable.” So I started getting more into design and actually took some design classes out in Long Beach at this school called Brooks College which doesn’t exist anymore. When I was out there I learned more design stuff and did t-shirts, apparel paint, shoes, and clothing and started hitting heavy but still painted walls
at the time. Doing walls never stopped and hasn’t stopped. Where do you want to see your clothing line grow to in the next few years? Well damn, I’d like to see it grow to a readily available product. Because I always have friends that want a shirt but I don’t always have time to just drive out and drop off tees. I really want it to be just readily available world wide. I want to have the brand grow into a full line. We’ve started a little bit of cut and sew and hats and we’re in production with denim. We’re pretty much
I get excited whenever I see youngsters doing art and majoring in it - I always encourage that. I feel the same way when I see my friends doing their art. It makes me feel like I wanna push myself to do just step outta my comfort zone and try something bigger and something new. It makes me want to become more knowledgeable and become a more well rounded artist. Do you have any words of advice or shout outs? Stay tuned and stay updated on the website. We always have events like live paintings and murals; we’re always gonna be around. Just keep a lookout, show some love and we’ll come right back to you. That’s it! www.JamesHaunt.com
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POST APOCALYPTIC PARADISE CONCRETE CANVAS
Post Apocalyptic Paradise One day while driving on the 405 South, I caught a glimpse of what looked like a couple of hidden burners in a space that once catered to family fun. I put the area on the back burner of my mind because I thought there really couldn’t be anything interesting there except a couple bums living in the lot. But after a few weeks my curiosity urged me to find a way in there and see if there was anything worth snapping shots of. As a kid living in the South Bay this used to be the spot where I would spend the afternoons playing Initial D and Dance
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Dance Revolution. I remembered back in the day this was a lively site where kids would hang out and play games after school hours and on weekends. The arcades were the best in town and used to have a large variety of games from the newest Street Fighter, to classic pin ball machines, to its own miniature golf course. It wasn’t until I got to high school that the spot went out of business. The building’s structure was really old and the South Bay had a run in with harsh stormy weather for about two weeks straight. It didn’t withstand the rain and the roof collapsed forcing it to close for renovation. Unfortunately it stayed that way for years, and the palace
of fun eventually got fenced off and abandoned. Taking it back to present day, I figured to snoop around the area to get a closer look at the burner I saw off the freeway. After finding a cut between the fences I brushed aside two palm trees which revealed the long forgotten lot. The place now looks like a postapocalyptic paradise of art with pieces scattered everywhere and anywhere possible. Despite being abandoned this spot now has a different kind of liveliness, perhaps a more colorful one. Peep the pieces done by Axis, Same, Bems, Beat, and a handful of others.
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LA VS. MURAL MORATORIUM Not too long ago, the City of Los Angeles proposed that murals are to be banned and removed at the tax payer’s expense, ultimately taking art away from the city. Small businesses have been threatened with huge fines from the city if they do not paint over their murals. It has even extended to authority threatening known muralists with jail time. The lawmaker’s argument to this is that unauthorized murals take away from advertising revenue in the city. These removals are not only depriving the public from free art, but are costing the city millions of dollars that could have been allocated to public education or fixing Los Angeles’ pot hole.
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The saddest part about this ban is the removal of iconic murals from the city, including the removal of the SABER piece in the LA River that was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “World’s Largest Graffiti”. The buff out of the mural has been rumored to cost the city an outrageous $1.2 million dollars of tax payers money. Photo 1 Shown to the right are more photos of a few murals that were removed due to the law.
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Photo 2 This included the removal of Retna’s mural on Fairfax across the street from The Hundreds. Photo 3 Retna was also hired for a mural project by Heal the Bay. Authorities took down the mural not too long after it was finished. 37
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In September of 2011, artist SaberOne in a collaborated effort with Shepard Fairey, Upper Playground, Twitter, and Juxtapoz magazine hired jets to paint the sky to bring awareness this censorship on free art here in Los Angeles. His point was to send a message to city hall about how absurd and wasteful the war on art is. #ArtIsNotACrime Check the video from Saber’s skywriting piece. http://youtu.be/2eD2YphmN0w Photos belong to SaberOne, LA Taco, Melrose and Fairfax, and Knowngallery respectively.
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B-BOY RONNIE
in Guam. Taking notice of the craft by watching his cousins practice, a spark took place. It was a few years later in the 90’s when he and his family were living in California that he had begun dancing himself. A large portion of his inspiration was because of his cousins, but the greatest inspiration was from his older brother, Rodolfo. Like any younger brother would like to be to an older one, Ronnie aspired to be just as good as Rodolfo. It wasn’t until their family’s move to Las Vegas, Nevada, that Rodolfo stopped dancing, though Ronnie continued as his network of extended bboy family grew. In addition to his association with Super Cr3w, Ronnie is noted as a founding member of the Full Force bboy crew and a part of Seven Commandoz. Always hard at work with his craft, it seems as if his life is devoted to breakdancing alone.
It has been more than a couple of years since I have been spontaneous and gone out just to go do something. I am more than happy I did because for the first time I really did jump into a world bigger than my own. A short business trip to Las Vegas landed me in a party scene at the Cosmopolitan hotel. A banging party and fresh clothing, the ballroom upstairs was brimming with energy and an aura clearly emanating hip hop. I was taken by surprise when I found out the party was hosted by Pharrell Williams and Karma Loop. Even more so when I saw one of my bboy idols from Super Cr3w, Bboy Ronnie. Known to his family as Ronnie Abaldonado and better known to others as Ronnie Boy, Bboy 41
Ronnie is lightyears ahead in breakdance experience than anyone that I know. In 2008, he earned the championship title on MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew as a member of Super Cr3w, and became an international prizewinner of the 2007 Red Bull BC One competition in Johannesburg, South Africa. However, this acclaim did not come without any hard work. In the years prior to the battle in Johannesburg, Ronnie Boy had attended all previous BC One competitions beginning in 2004 breezing pass qualifying rounds every time. Though his prowess is one to be reckoned with, everyone, inlcuding Ronnie, has to start somewhere. This Filipino bboy first laid eyes on breakdancing when he was living
In 2011, he toured with the Red Bull BC One All Stars, attended Braun Battle of the Year (B.O.T.Y.), and celebrated an anniversary with Full Force. Ronnie gives to the community in the same way he receives from it, judging bboy competitions, reaching out, and even sharing the stage with good friends, the Jabbawockeez. His love for breakdancing is apparent in his style. A balanced mixture of freezes, power and style to which he can attribute to the self-expression and creativity of hip hop. With his kind of passion and determination, it is no wonder why he is a champion. Although, breakdancing is not his only pasttime. If you’re lucky enough, you can catch him sketching a picture or two. He loves any outlet that allows him to be himself, a lesson anyone can stand to learn and one which I was happily reminded of.
Red Bull BC One Competition
INSPIRE YOUR DESIRE: BRUCE LEE Lee’s martial arts led to an array of cameos and films including Enter the Dragon, Big Boss, The Game of Death, and The Green Hornet, a series recently remade into a movie with Seth Rogan and Jay Chou. Lee was not only acclaimed for his prowess as an on-screen martial artist, but as a true to life martial arts master. He established a style of martial arts called “Jeet Kune Do” founded on the premise that the best actions in martial arts are the ones that are the most efficient for the body and, more importantly, the most natural. He continued to share his knowledge with legends like Danny Inosanto and Chuck Norris. Before his rise to stardom, Lee studied in the art of Wing Chun. A master of martial arts, eloquent philosopher, and just basically a good looking guy (so my father says), Bruce Lee is and always will be an iconic figure in the world of breakdancing. Much of the toprocks and attitude bboys bring to the dance floor can be attributed to this man, but even more so, his words and attitude on life can be held as life lessons inside and outside a bboy’s life. If you ever get the chance to, take the time to watch some old school Bruce Lee movies because you can definitely learn a thing or two. Footwork for a martial artist is a foundation in their ability to maneuver their way in and out of the range of battle. The same could be said for the bboy. The large cross-stepping toprock and the alternating shuffle are reminiscent of Bruce Lee’s trademark style and attitude. 45
Intelligent as he was talented, Bruce Lee was a philosopher by nature and proverbs regarding his view on living life. There has been no other like him in ways of martial arts and philosophy towards life so take the time to delve into the mind of the master and you too can become a master of your art as well. “Art is an expression of life and transcends both time and space. We must employ our own souls through art to give a new form and a new meaning to nature or the world.” “Simplicity is the shortest distance between two points.” “When one is not expressing himself, he is not free.” “Knowledge is fixed in time, whereas, knowing is continual. Knowledge comes from a source, from an accumulation, from a conclusion, while knowing is a movement.”
THE BREAKDOWN Much of breakdancing to somebody who has never seen it before seems like a charismatic jamboree of excited movement. For someone more seasoned to breakdancing, moves are easily identified and placed into several categories. In my personal experience, it was hard for me to describe or recognize anything anyone did in breakdancing. At my first time spectating a bboy jam in Long Beach, I was awed by the acrobatics, flexibility, and sheer power of some of these athletes that we call Bboys or Bgirls. Even people unfamiliar with this genre of dance are able to recognize the spectacular moves of those spinning on their head or swinging around their legs around like gymnasts. As all information should be, we at the magazine would like to share a breakdown of how to identify the following moves that are seen on the floor: toprocks, footwork, freezes, and power moves. Sometimes neglected, toprocks are the most upright dance moves that we see in breakdancing. Toprocks can be described as a rhythmic movement of the whole body against the percussion of the music (and I say percussion in the loosest manner). While the drumbeat is imperative for a bgirl to catch a song’s rhythm, she is not limited to just that; she can access the melody of the song as well. Sometimes the bgirl jumps wide
and hard. Other times you can see a little bit of a salsa step mixed in and, if you’re lucky enough, you can find a martial arts master in the midst of the fray. Finishing up from a toprock, we can often see our bgirl progress from moving up to getting down. After a quick downrock we find her on the floor doing some footwork, which isn’t just about feet. Footwork can be even better described as “floorwork.” It’s almost as if the bgirl was using her body as a paintbrush and the floor is the canvas. Twists, turns, loops, and threads, footwork is nearly a paramount skill to have in breakdancing. You’ll hear things like 6-step, swipes, monkey shuffle, and coffee grinds. While the names of the moves change between the crowds, the magic it deploys onto the floor is the same – beautiful. Musicality lends itself not only to toprocks and footwork but also to freezes. The dynamic of freezes is unique in that they can be used back-to-back or at given moments. Freezes remind the audience that the pauses in the music are given thought as well. Have you ever listened to a song during its break and found that it built up so much energy that it deserved a physical action of its own? For many bgirls that is what the freeze represents: an extension of oneself far beyond the break. It embellishes any pause right when the moment happens. Don’t underestimate someone who
looks stuck in time because they’ll pay you back double when they start up again. Popular with the general public, power moves are flashy and larger than life. Gravity defying, neck breaking, and all-around amazing to watch, these dance moves are what come to mind when the general public thinks of breakdancing. Wrought from athletic influences, many of the moves, such as the flare and air flare, were inspired by gymnasts. There are other “power” type moves in breakdancing that would impress Cirque Du Soleil dancers. The greatest part about these power moves is that the same inertia and momentum can be used to string other power moves together in combination to create a combo. While there are other intricate moves found in breakdancing, the bgirl’s arsenal takes from toprocks, footwork, freezes, and power moves on a regular basis. These four areas are almost nothing without the dancer’s attitude, so in every move their personality is characterized by the dancer’s style. The essence and liveliness of breakdancing is given by that style. If you don’t have it yet, then go and figure out what best suits you because you’ll be the only one who has it – and it will be yours and yours alone. This above all else is what makes each and every bgirl unique.
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SWAGSENTIALS “Evolution through Experimentation� straight off the landing page of their website, Akomplice Clothing brands themselves with new, distinctive designs and concepts from their cut and sew pieces straight down to their accessories. We connected with Akomplice at the Agenda Trade Show in Long Beach, CA back in January and were instantly intrigued with what they had to offer. From UV Pattern and Color Changing Snapbacks to a new exclusive drop with Raekwon they are the epitome of SWAGSENTIALS. Check out the shots our photographer snapped at their booth and take some notes.
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TECHNOLOGIC Hex Spring ’12 encompasses all the features you want and need in tech accessories. From back packs, messenger bags, to cell phone cases they have it all. One of our top picks for backpacks and messenger bags come from their “Fleet” collection. Another favorite is the “Solo Wallet” case for your iPhone 4/4s. Hex also features some watch bands for your Nano. Our favorite is from the “Vision Metal” line. To “Protect your gadgets... And your style” visit Hex at www.shophex.com
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PEEP THIS: ROOTED MOVEMENT Who: Quest Studios and Rooted Movement What: Dance Studio/ Clothing Boutique Where: 11976 Artesia Blvd. Artesia, CA 90701 When: Hours vary due to class schedule Why: Where else can you go dance and learn from MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew Champions, Quest Crew, then go shopping around for some of your favorite street wear brands? Quick Tip: Quest Learning Center is a family owned and operated business based in Artesia, CA. Quest is also the home to MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew Champions, Quest Crew. Besides the dance studios, Quest also features a small clothing boutique called Rooted Movement. Rooted Movement carries brands such as 10 Deep, Rocksmith, and Sick Star. They also have some dope accessories from Incase, Meister, and G-Shock. Check out www. questlearningcenter.com for more information on classes and Rooted Movement.
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head to toe with GPPR
Khaki 3/4 length twill trousers “Davis”
Blue and white striped knit shirt with suede pocket “Gordie”
Polka dot short sleeve denim shirt “Jackson”
Shawl collard cardigan “Mondrian”
Khaki 3/4 length twill trousers “Davis”
Visit www.gppr.us
SPECIAL EDITION STYLE PROFILE:
PROJECT LAS VEGAS
ARTIST: NIKKO DATOR 55
ARTIST: ERIKA DAVID
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KARMALOOP
GREG SELKOE
STOP
CAN’T
WON’T
“Always grinding and never satisfied,” the perfect description for the man behind the Karmaloop empire, Greg Selkoe. With humble beginnings of setting up shop in his parents’ basement to now running a multi-million dollar company and owning several other successful businesses, this creative entrepreneur is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. I recently got the chance to chop it up with Greg and got his insight on his journey to success, what’s next for Karmaloop, and his personal style. I reviewed my notes and questions for the interview and tried to keep my cool as I waited in anticipation for the phone to ring. I am sure every young entrepreneur out there in the street wear and hip-hop industries knows how I was feeling. When the phone finally rings, I see Boston, MA’ in the caller ID and pick up to Greg’s assistant who is ready to patch me through to him. In my most professional voice I start off the conversation saying, “Hello, Mr. Selkoe. Thanks for taking the time to interview with me.” To which he replied “Call me Greg, please. The only time I get called Mr. Selkoe is in court or when I’m in trouble.” With the ice broken I breathe a sigh of relief and dive straight into the interview. We began by talking about the start of Karmaloop in the basement of his childhood home in the Jamaica 63
Plains neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. He stressed the importance of putting everything into the business and always staying hungry for success, stating “if you wake up in the morning one day and say ‘I made it!’ then you better watch and see how your business does...” He may be happy from all the success that has come his way but is never satisfied. He continues to strive and create competition for himself within the industry to help push himself to stay on top of the game.
Greg prefers to sport a classic look. He likes to rock the newer brands no one has heard of yet (that is until they make their debut on Karmaloop) and keeps a few staple pieces in his wardrobe that he wears more frequently. These pieces consist of several sweaters, shirts and shoes. And with over 500 pairs, this sneaker head likes to build his outfits from the ground up depending on what he’s feeling like rocking at the moment.
You may never see Greg Selkoe in the same outfit or piece of clothWith Karmaloop Earning $130 ing more than twice. Instead of million in 2011, an amazing revbuilding an extensive closet for his enue jump of 81% from the previdynamic wardrobe, he prefers to ous year, it makes you wonder donate his clothes to charity. When how much more Greg can do. Two he shared this with me I realized words: Karmaloop TV. From its that the success of Karmalooop launch in 2008 to Pharrell Williams transcends beyond great marketjoining on as Creative Director ing and branding to the character in 2011, this online entity is now of the leader behind the pack. getting ready to re-launch a brand Greg’s humility and kindness have new site featuring a whole new look not only helped create an enjoyable for Karmaloop TV. Karmaloop TV work environment, but an efficient provides a diverse range of content company with over a decade in the in music, sports, culture and, of business. As a result, Karmaloop course, fashion. The unscripted now reigns as the top online refeel of the network and the content tailer for street wear. provided makes a great fit for the consumers of Karmaloop to enjoy For more information on Greg and and for you to “reclaim your tv.” the Karmaloop empire, please visit www.karmaloop.com and make My last sequence of questions sure to keep updated on all the pertained to his own personal style new things coming your way this and what key pieces he usually year. builds his outfits from. Even with an endless closet via Karmaloop,
“if you wake up in the morning one day and say ‘I made it!’ then you better watch and see how your business does...”
MEET THE
CREW
NINO LLANERA With an aesthetic sense of direction for creative media and culture, Nino has worked with media groups such as Bakitwhy.com and Worldofdance. com. He has also worked for fashion companies H&M and Gap Inc. On an off day you can catch Nino at your local coffee shop perusing the web for up and coming trends surfacing from the underground. What are 3 words that best describe your style? Clean, Street, Sophisticated When putting an outfit together what is your main/staple piece you use to make your outfit? I always start off building my outfit with which shirt I want to wear that day. Who is your favorite designer and or brand? My favorite brand is still and has always been LRG. I specifically like their CORE collection. What is your go to store for your styling needs? H&M
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MARC MANGAPIT Marc is your everyday LA dude, always on his grind and has dreams of becoming successful. A connoisseur of good food, music, and threads, he looks for upcoming trends that will be on everyones Twitter feed by tomorrow. Catch him at your local vintage shop or at the best burger joint in town. What are 3 words that best describe your style? Urban, trendy, layers. When putting an outfit together what is your main/staple piece you use to make your outfit? Depends on the pants, jeans, or shorts I will be wearing. Who is your favorite Designer and or Brand? Stussy, for all your everyday wear What is your go to store for your styling needs? H&M
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DANIEL DE ALDAY Jack of all trades, master of none. Daniel was never really a child of hip hop, but more of a nephew. Going into college expanded the boundaries of his world academically and culturally. In a short few words, his mind was blown away by the freedom of hip hop. After a few years of breakdancing, he’s reserved himself to sharing his knowledge for music and fashion for any of those who’ll listen. What are 3 words that best describe your style? Fit, Function, Fundamental. When putting an outfit together what is your main/staple piece you use to make your outfit? Beanie. Who is your favorite Designer and or Brand? Adidas, RVCA, and Paul Smith. What is your go to store for your styling needs? Adidas Online Store.
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YEWANDE NOAH Born and bred in the City of Angels, Yewande is a philanthropist at heart. She has worked with nonprofits such as Freedom & Fashion and Movember. In the future she aims to lead a professional public relations and event management company for cause-related organizations. What are 3 words that best describe your style? Organic, sophisticated, conscious. When putting an outfit together what is your main/staple piece you use to make your outfit? My Falling Whistle. Who is your favorite Designer and or Brand? Love Nail Tree. What is your go to store for your styling needs? MetroPark USA.
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LINDSEY LINAYAO A California girl with a universal interest in the arts, Lindsey has been in love with hip-hop since elementary school. Over years of cultural influence, she has developed a discerning ear and a sharp eye for everything good in music and fashion. Her artistic observations are expressed through her passion for journalism and the social medium. What are 3 words that best describe your style? Feminine, Casual, Fun. When putting an outfit together what is your main/staple piece you use to make your outfit? 75% of the time, I top off my outfit with a fitted, solid-colored cardigan. I’m on that Mr. Rogers tip more times than not. Who is your favorite Designer and or Brand? I like to shop at affordable, practical stores like Forever 21. What is your go to store for your styling needs? Urban Outfitters & Forever 21.
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ALVIN DHARMAWAN Alvin is a full time student majoring in Business. He is a long time streetwear and sneaker enthusiast long before the hype. When he’s not hitting the books, he’ll most likely be getting involved with community organizations, taking pictures, editing, or working on his car. What are 3 words that best describe your style? Street, Layers, Details. When putting an outfit together what is your main/staple piece you use to make your outfit? The shoes I wear reflect on my mood for the day, but outfit wise you can’t go wrong with a nice pair of denim and a good jacket. Who is your favorite Designer and or Brand? Jeff Staple. What is your go to store for your styling needs? PLNDR, H&M, and sample sales. These currently work with my budget.
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PHILLIP CENDANA Phillip has been drawing and designing since he was a kid. His ultimate goal is to launch his own clothing brand. When he’s not designing, he loves to travel around the world, eat or cook new types of food and learn the art of photography. He is a huge fan of anything related to basketball and the arts. Phillip’s passion for sneakers relates to his style and love for Nikes and Air Jordans. What are 3 words that best describe your style? Bold, Graphic, Clean. When putting an outfit together what is your main/staple piece you use to make your outfit? I start from bottom up. I usually make my outfits according to what type of sneakers I will be wearing that day. Who is your favorite Designer and or Brand? Croooks & Castles and Jeff Staple. What is your go to store for your styling needs? Attic, Karmaloop, Plundr.
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CREDIT MC // Lindsey Linayao DJ // Marc Mangapit BBoy // Daniel De Alday Graffiti // Alvin Dharmawan Fashion // Nino Llanera Design // Phillip Cendana SOURCES Technologic // www.hex.com Photos // www.braun.com Photos // www.turnitloosemovie.com Photos // www.supercr3w.com Photos // www.fullforcecrew.com Photos // www.redbullbconeallstar.com Photos // www.melbeckham.net Photos // www.bruceleefansite.com Photos // Alvin Dharmawan Photos // Stephen Chou Photos // Mari Nishimura Photos // Chris Charles Photos // DC Visions SPECIAL THANKS MC // Phonte DJ // LA Clique BBoy // Ronnie Graffiti // James Haunt Fashion // Rooted Movement Fashion // Greg Selkoe & Karmaloop Photos // Alvin Dharmawan Photos // Stephen Chou Photos // Mari Nishimura Photos // Chris Charles Photos // DC Visions SOCIAL NETWORKS Website // the5thelementmag.com Facebook // https://www.facebook.com/The5thElementMagazine Twitter // @the5thelmntmag Tumblr // http://the5thelementmag.tumblr.com Instagram // the5thelemntmag