I love my job! Especially when I get to work with artist that I’m actually a fan of…

This is a CD cover design I created for my friend 4ize, for his “Illuminated Animal” project. Loved working on this cuz it didn’t feel like work. We came up with the concept without even trying. Then the photographer (Mike Moore of Studio8) captured exactly what I had envisioned. I think we got the picture we needed like by the forth shot. Above all that 4ize is the truth, a real down to earth dude with allot of outterspace ideas.

Also check out 4ize’s video! “Classic Example” featuring Senor Kaos. Which was shot, edited, & produced by Studio8. Look for more 4ize/EricNine collaborations in the near future.

Every so often, it is brought to our attention that there is an event or a place we need to be that we just can’t pass up. Last night happened to be one of those events. Vintage-sponsored artist Wordsmith was invited by the club promoter at Eden’s Lounge to throw a 30th birthday bash. Shaun B, myself, and my lovely wife headed down and enjoyed ourselves out for a night on the town. It also gave us an opportunity to network a little. Among others, we hooked up with Whitefolkz, a local rapper who just received the title of best hip hop artist of the year in the DMV. We also had a chance to catch up with our new friend, Baltimore hip hop artist P-Shellz, whose single “Fingaz Down (The Hack Anthem)” impressed a lot of people and won him the best hip hop song of the year, named by Baltimore City Paper. Of course, Shaun B brought shirts and used the opportunity to promote the label as well. The night ended with a bang when Shaun B’s car wound up missing. After paying a hefty towing fee for parking on a private lot (we only realized later), we got home in one piece.

We’ve got a number of events coming up in the next couple of months and we’re taking the DMV by force! So keep reading here to find out where we’ll pop up next.

Othello is one of those artists that might be off the radar to some but to the conscious heads who find lyricism at the top of their “props list” O is right there with the best of them. For those not in the know, Othello is 1/3 of super crew Lightheaded along side Ohmega Watts (Ubiquity) and Braille. The video above is a teaser from a solo effort with DJ Vajra and a hot beat complimenting O’s quick paced word play. I think what I like most about the video is it shows him as he really is and that being a regular guy on a regular grind out of his house speaking honestly about what he’s looking to achieve and makes it personal. A relevancy that most hip-hop artists especially in the underground can relate to. “…reflect what it means to put records out that will out live me” I hear that. Great line!

Wordsmith’s latest single “Hook-Up Hotline” is a demonstration of the Baltimore emcee’s lyrical versatility. A mainstay in the underground, Wordsmith continues to break new ground, this time launching into commercial hip hop radio with his a steamy single. It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you like a nice dance beat, a fast lyrical throw down, and a pumping baseline, it’s all there for the taking. The single will also appear on Wordsmith’s new album “Vintage Material” with a scheduled drop date of March 30, 2010. But you can get the song by downloading it here.

The Rhythmic Studies and Music Intelligence Agency has assigned their best two agents DJ Kemit & DJ Rasta Root on an extremely dangerous mission, operation Aural Flex.  The objective is to travel the globe collecting and transmitting the most infamous international sounds. In the past, many have tried to culminate a true world view through sound but have failed. Dj Kemit and Dj Rasta Root are the world’s last hope for an authentic International experience translated through music. Only with the combination of their distinctive styles and skill set can this mission be accomplished. Join DJ Kemit & DJ Rasta Root and myself (the visual narrator) as we travel the world every month @ Aural Flex. This post will self-destruct…

This past Saturday 1.16.10 Aural Flex went down @ 595 North Ave. In Atlanta. Great turn-out, inspiring music, interesting people, and incredibly strong drinks. A guaranteed good time.

I’m really feeling good about this year. I was recently hired by two of Atlanta’s most respected DJ’s: DJ Rasta Root & DJ Kemit to help brand their new monthly event Aural Flex : Music for the World Traveler. We’re really going to be pushing the envelope on this one.  So stay tuned!!

ps. Check out DJ Rasta Root rocking the Vintage Limited – David vs. Goliath t-shirt while spinning at the event. If you don’t have one GET ONE! They’re Limited Edition!

And for all my fellow VISUAL THINKERS a quick look at my process

Super-producer Timbaland whisked through Baltimore last night like a streak of lightning for a quick performance at Ram’s Head Live in the Power Plant complex. While I didn’t personally attend, radio personality Kelson from Baltimore’s 92Q was on hand and furiously updating his Twitter/Facebook accounts as the action was going down. What I learned from Kelson was the following:

1. Timbaland has a touch of an attitude (no elaboration, but something must have happened on stage).
2. Timbaland’s brother opened for him (Was Timbaland only performing to help out his brother’s career? Inquiring minds want to know).
3. Timbaland was using Auto-Tune during the performance (This has become a taboo practice ever since Jay-Z starting calling out the industry on it).

On a positive note, Timbaland was improvising and creating beats on stage, something Kelson implied he had never seen. What’s next for Baltimore? Stay tuned…

It’s no secret that when it comes to getting the facts straight, pop culture is one big sloppy mess. The information highway has no speed limit, and because of this, information often runs unchecked, unfiltered, and collides with just about any and all things sacred.

Take religion for example. When pop culture celebrities pontificate on the evils of religion or weigh in with little or no regard for the latest in scholarship or even with an eye to the historical circumstances of their opinions, they invite more confusion than calm.

Hip hop artists are not immune to this drive. Whether they are Christian or Muslim, the raw theological claims that come out in some songs simply cannot do the issues they are representing proper justice in the space of 16 bars.

I’ll take two examples, the first being Rakim’s new song “Holy Are You” on his latest album The Seventh Seal. At one point in the song, Rakim, a known Muslim, boldly declares that Jesus didn’t walk on water and that this is a “parable.” That’s all well and good if you know what a parable is and how it is supposed to function rhetorically. I don’t want to question if Jesus’ walking on water “did” or “did not” happen as an actual event. Rather, by looking at how the walking on water account appears within the gospel will clue us in to its rhetorical use. That is, depending upon how it’s communicated will tell us a lot about how it should be interpreted.

In the gospels when Jesus is said to have walked on water, most scholars agree it happens as part of the narrative (the same way the gospel tells us Jesus journeyed into Jerusalem for Passover or Jesus was tried before the Sanhedrin). On the other hand, the prescriptive way in which Jesus uses parables is always within the context of when the narrative moves from a third person to first person speaker (namely when Jesus himself is telling a story within the larger gospel story). Is Jesus saying he walked on water? No. The incident is reported by the writer of the gospel as an event in Jesus’ life and not put in the mouth of Jesus as the speaker. By understanding then that the writer of the gospel intended this event to be interpreted as a life-event, we are now free to continue to the next part of the question: is it true? But this is a question that can’t be settled simply by a rhetoric device and demands a response in faith. Nevertheless, the conclusion is clear: Rakim is wrong in calling this a parable in the life of Jesus. It doesn’t function in that manner.

My second example comes from a more personal experience. I was recently verbally attacked by a very pushy and quite frankly insolent Christian Fundamentalist who insisted that Jay-Z’s lyrics on “Empire State of Mind” were blatantly anti-Christian and if I were going to defend them on any level, I was ridiculous. Not really the most “Christian” way to start off a conversation.

Looking at the song in context and not merely peeling back two verses, I pointed out that throughout the song Jay-Z is warning that the lure of the big city is enough to destroy any person (spiritual vitality being a part of that person). When Jay-Z spits “life begins where the church ends,” it is important not to read into this use of “life” the same meaning that a master writer like Paul had in mind when he uses it figurative of Christ’s “life-giving” gift of salvation. Neither is it fair to accuse Jay-Z of reversing the meaning by appropriating those terms for unbelievers. Why? Because Shawn Carter is not a trained theologian. Prior to that, Jay-Z says “if Jesus can’t save you…” Well, of course the Christian would want to confess that Jesus can save anybody and would find the suggestion (if this was what Jay-Z was saying) offensive. But Jay-Z is not calling Jesus impotent and unable to save. Instead, he is saying “if you don’t want Jesus than this is the kind of life you can live in New York.” No, it’s not a message of salvation. It’s not even a message encouraging you to live this way. Jay-Z is simply stating a fact, not making a recommendation. When I heard those lines a couple more times, it harkened me back to the prophets of the Old Testament warning against the pleasures of sinful living by explaining how the spiritual life suffers as a result. No, I’m not comparing Jay-Z to a prophet. He is a rapper.

My point in writing this blog is whether the artist is Christian, Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist most of the time they are not speaking as trained theologians. They are laymen. You wouldn’t go to the McDonald’s drive thru window to get your tooth fixed. You would see a dentist. So why go to a rapper to get your theology? The muddy waters of serious theological study get even muddier when they flow downstream to the general public who unskillfully tries to make aggrandizing declarations about their beliefs, usually on bigger stages and at the expense of precision.

“Krylon Tears” is a story of a girl’s poetry coming to life.

This illustration was inspired by a conversation Shaun and I had a while back. Don’t really remember how it started but it ended up in my sketch book.

After sharing this sketch with a few close friends I decided it was worth executing for real. So I redrew the idea allot larger n with much more detail. First in pencil then went over it in ink. After some basic water coloring, scanning all the pieces, then allot of photoshopping I came up with this… Limited print of 500 get’em while you can.

More photo’s in detail of the actual shirt are right here in our store.

Wordsmith’s newest single “Hook up Hotline” is currently in rotation at select radio stations across the United States. Nu Revolution Entertainment is also preparing the release of the video for the song. It’s on the cutting room floor and should be ready shortly. So be on the look out.

But here at Vintage Limited, we thought we’d give you a taste of his spiritual side as well. This new joint is called Leap of Faith off the International Odyssey Mix Tape, and it’s available for free download through the link below. The hook and the beat are addictive, and as usual Wordsmith provides fire on the microphone. Tell us what you think.

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Shaun B, Wordsmith, and myself finally coordinated our schedules and were able to head out together to one of the swankiest and trendiest spots in Baltimore: Red Maple.

In the minds of the Baltimore elite, Red Maple is a hot spot for fusion cuisine. But during the week, they host a hip hop party called “Always Dope” sponsored by local boutiquer PedX. This was my first opportunity to meet Pedx owner Garth and check out the spot. I was pleased on both accounts. The DJs played a great set of classic hip hop, house, techno. They even had a few emcees jump on the mic and rock the crowd. Garth himself is an even-minded promoter with a drive for success. For such a small and intimate venue, pulling in 60 people on a week night is quite an accomplishment. And they do it weekly.

Wordsmith will actually be performing at Red Maple – Always Dope on February 2nd. So clear your schedule and come out and support the Baltimore hip hop community!

On another note, I visited PedX at their shop location on Aliceanna Street in Bmore a few weeks back. If you get the opportunity, visit these guys, support them, and tell them Vintage Limited sent you. I found stuff in the shop that was priced under what the actual labels price their stuff for on their own websites. And if you’re into street fashion like we are, they have a fantastic selection for the brand conscious.