Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Eminem Scores 2010’s Best Sales Debut With “Recovery”


Eminem’s new album Recovery will claim the top spot on the Billboard 200 albums charts selling 741,000 units according to Nielsen Soundscan. This number also signifies the largest sales week for a single album since October 2008, when AC/DC’s Black Ice debuted with 784,000 in its first week. Recovery is Em’s sixth straight No. 1 debut — and sixth overall chart-topper on the Billboard 200. Only exception marked his Slim Shady LP debut, which bowed and peaked at No. 2 in 1999. Among hip-hop acts with the most No. 1 albums, only Jay-Z has earned more, with 11.

The album striked also convincing numbers in digital sale, as downloads made up 255,000 of its first week. That’s the second-biggest digital week for an album in history. Only Coldplay’s Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends notched a larger frame, when it debuted with 288,000 downloads in the summer of 2008.

Eminem’s collaboration with Rihanna, “Love The Way You Lie” also left an impressive mark on the digital charts. Read the rest after the jump.

Lauryn Hill Breaks Silence On Her 11-Year Absence


Celebrated for her work with the Fugees and her classic solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, the Grammy-winning hip-hop/R&B artist has barely been seen since 1999. Ms. Hill, now 35, finally explained her mysterious absence to National Public Radio’s Zoe Chace, who scored a interview with the artist following a rare performance in Santa Rosa, California.

Why did she stop recording?

There were a number of different reasons. But partly, the support system that I needed was not necessarily in place. There were things about myself, personal-growth things, that I had to go through in order to feel like it was worth it.

The former Fugees-member also took aim at the music industry, suggesting it didn’t nurture its artists with enough care or patience:

Oftentimes, the machine can overlook the need to take care of the people who produce the sounds that have a lot to do with the health and well-being of society…And it’s important that people be given the time that they need to go through, to grow, so that the consciousness level of the general public is properly affected.

Villa in Andalucia by McLean Quinlan Architects

The design strategy for this new build villa was to create a building that would exploit the spectacular landscape, while creating an exemplary building for the 21st century.
The site occupies a panoramic south west facing sweep of embankment, with impressive views to the Mediterranean, Rock of Gibraltar and Serranía de Ronda.








The building has seven bedroom suites for the family and their guests in three linked pavilions separated by pools of water, gardens and stone terraces.
Landscaping was key to the concept for this dramatic site and the combination of visual, solar and centrifugal influences inherent in the landscape created a natural orientation for the building – as a series of parallel surfaces on a NE/SW axis. These layers defined both shade and space from which to enjoy the Andalucian sunlight, providing tantalising glimpses of the view beyond and shaping tranquil spaces for the inhabitants.
The effect of shadow and water in an Islamic garden was both a practical and metaphoric influence on the design of the whole building – helping to temper the immediate microclimate while quietly referencing the historical context.

Panerai PAM339 Radiomir Composite Marina Militaire 8 Watch



If this year has been good to you, then shell out the big bucks for the newest from Panerai. The PAM339 Radiomir Composite Marina Militaire 8 is done in a vintage theme, coming with a deep brown strap and even darker brown face. With an overall rustic appearance, the watch gives us a perfect balance between new and old. Done as a limited release, the watch retails for 15k. via DTouch

The 25 Best Sneakers of 2010 (So Far)


Ask anyone about sneakers in 2009, and you get a rather wet napkin-y response: “Ehhhh. There were Kanye’s releases and the Space Jams, and then a bunch of ‘nice’ sneakers that came out.” The new year has been quite the opposite, with high-quality heat drops and good spacing between releases. From the debut of Converse First String to great Jordan VIs to the Air Max Attack Pack, the theme of 2010 has been more about good shoes than limited 50-pair releases. We took a close look at the blogs and a lot of the actual sneakers that were released BEFORE July 2010 to come up with the straight-up 25 that we can co-sign with authority. Check it out HERE.

PHARRELL TALKS KIDULT.COM

GREEN DART


Here is NASA’s new concept jet in collaboration with Lockheed Martin. Looks like an interesting design but if it gets green lighted you won’t get to see it until 2035!

Lanvin Patent Leather & Suede Hi Top Sneakers




Lanvin offers a new brown tone patent leather and suede hi-top for SS10. Details include a matte leather toe cap, tan patent leather trim at the laces and iridescent bronze leather around the ankles. A flat rubber sole in grey and white completes the look. Now in stock at Browns.

Kaws x Medicom Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket – A Detailed Look

After we broke the news on the upcoming Kaws x Medicom Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket toys, showcased at the artist’s first museum exhibition, we can inform you today that it looks like these will actually be coming to life.

“Upon closer inspection we noticed it was Pinocchio reworked in a style that only KAWS could do. Next to it was a museum info card: “Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket, 2010 – Produced by Medicom Toy, Copyright Disney”.

The million dollar question was… when or IF it will be released? The answer is a definitive YES. We just confirmed that Medicom is currently in the process of production and this figure is slated to be released (soon hopefully) in 2010 barring any production issues. This will be released as a package with Pinocchio & Jiminy Cricket together.”






Givenchy Men’s Spring/Summer 2011

Givenchy Men's S/S 2011 from Purple Magazine on Vimeo.


Jazmine Sullivan is back with a banger! Two years after the release of her stunning debut album Fearless, which spawned the hits "Need U Bad," "Bust Your Windows," and "Lions, Tigers & Bears," the Philldelphia native is back with her new single "Holding U Down (Going In Circles)." The track, produced by Missy Elliott and her production partner Lamb, is a throwback to the hip-hop soul of Mary J. Blige's first few albums (the first few lines of the song are a direct reference to "Be Happy" off of Mary's My Life album). The track is based on the same sample as Nas' classic track "Affirmative Action," (off of 1996's It Was Written...),. Jazmine has one of the most powerful, distinctive voices in R&B today, and we're glad to have her back. If this track is anything to go by, her sophomore album may be another classic.
Jazmine Sullivan - Holding You Down by gguploads

COMME des GARCONS SHIRT 2011 Spring/Summer Collection

COMME des GARCONS’ more casual and easy to wear SHIRT collection was recently displayed. Focusing mostly on a light colored palette of colors, the brand’s penchant for panels and contrasting colors was out in full force through some largely abstract motifs.




Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Marina Bay Sands Hotel

The Marina Bay Sands is the world's most expensive hotel in Singapore, and with a world's largest outdoor pool at 55th storey.
"The infinity pool on the roof is in the 'SkyPark' which spans the three towers of the hotel. The platform itself is longer than the Eiffel tower laid down and is one of the largest of its kind in the world.
Infinity pools give the effect that the water extends to the horizon. In reality, the water spills over the edge into a catchment below, and is then pumped back into the pool. The pools have two circulation systems. The first functions like that of a regular pool, filtering and heating the water in the main pool. The second filters the water in the catch basin and returns it to the upper pool. "



Pusha T – Dearly Beloved


Gearing up for his solo debut, Pusha T of the Clipse has readied a brand new track for your listening pleasure. Entitled “Dearly Beloved”, the track has quite a story to tell.The extradition of a man the US authorities call “one of the world’s most dangerous narcotics kingpins” looks like the end of a violent story. But it may just be the beginning. Pusha T knows intimately, based on past circumstances of his own and those close to him, these dangers, – Dearly Beloved, Much respect Presi!
Pusha T - Dearly Beloved by Hypetrak

Lacoste Porcelain Polo Shirts by Li Xiaofeng

Lacoste invited Chinese porcelain artist Li Xiaofeng to create two different polos for their Holiday 2010 Collector’s Series. The first is a printed polo, created from photographs of blue and white porcelain shards with lotus and children designs from the Kangxi Period (1662 – 1772 AD) of the Qing Dynasty. The printed polo is limited to 20,000 pieces for both men and women and comes packaged in a silk pouch stamped with a red seal logo. The second, is an actual porcelain polo inspired by the early Ming Dynasty (1368 -1644 AD). The most expensive and most exclusive Lacoste polo to date, the piece took Xiaofeng three full months to paint, fire, fragment, shape, polish, and finally link together. The porcelain shirts are currently on display in France at the Musée des Arts et Métiers and will then head to Bejing in the Fall at Li Xiaofeng’s first one-man at the Red Gate Gallery.



Yves Saint Lauren Suede Desert Boots





Yves Saint Laurent’s beige suede and rubber sole desert boots are an ever-cool alternative to trainers. Nice and suble, the color is perfect for wearing right now and we really like the simple embossed YSL branding on the back or the ankle. Easy to translate across casual and a more formal attire, desert boots are becoming a must. And if you must, you must buy these, from here.

GUCCI – Introduce Children’s Collection | Babies + Boys + Girls


Certainly her lifestyle is not as flamboyant as her predecessor Tom Ford, but Frida Giannini, the current creative director of GUCCI, is as cogitative about the “needs and wants” of the market place, maybe even more so than Ford. Given that intuition, it is no surprise Giannini and the Italian fashion house announced its first ever children’s collection yesterday. Created to suit Toddlers, from 0 to 24 months, then onward to Boys and Girls, age 2 to 8 years old, the collection is not just a miniaturize version of the adult collection. Instead, there are several inclusion of designs exclusively made for it. What will be prominent are the GUCCI red-green tricolor band, its cross linked G monogram, and a new logo for the children’s collection – a GUCCI Teddy Bear. In Giannini’s long held tradition, GUCCI also utilized the collection’s introduction to announce a pledge of US$1 Million Dollars in support of UNICEF’s efforts worldwide. The GUCCI Children’s Collection will arrive in GUCCI boutiques worldwide during the Spring/Summer 2011 Season.

World Cup Nails At Minx


Came across this on the web, def. dope look!

Yeezy Season has Returned


Kanye West opened up the BET Awards with his new single “Power”, off the tentatively titled album Good Ass Job.Which we posted the clip of yesterday. Standing atop a volcano, Mr. West performed wearing two massive pieces of ancient Egyptian-inspired jewelry, namely a Horus chain (note: the image we found was titled “KanyeWestFuckinChain.jpg”) and a twin Pyramid ring.

Nike Auto Trainer – New Green/Purple Punch

The latest vulcanized (or autoclaved) shoe from Nike comes in the form of an Auto Trainer in a punchy Green and Purple color mix. “Despite the hybrid dna of the shoe, Nike has maintained a retro look to this shoe.” Now available at Wish.