Daily Archives: May 5, 2012

NY Post Receives Backlash For Racist Column On Jay-Z’s Brooklyn Nets

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fb8fd netslogo NY Post Receives Backlash For Racist Column On Jay Zs Brooklyn Nets

By Carter Maness

Jay-Z might only own 1.5 percent of the newly-minted Brooklyn Nets, but his influence over their new branding caused a New York Post columnist to unveil some controversial racist comments yesterday (May 4). In his “Equal Time” column for the conservative paper, writer Phil Mushnick was reviewing the recently-unveiled Brooklyn Nets logo and saw the black-and-white colors in racial terms.

“Why the Brooklyn Nets when they can be the New York N—-s,” he wrote. “The cheerleaders could be the Brooklyn B—hes or Hoes. Team logo? A 9 mm with hollow-tip shell casings strewn beneath. Wanna be Jay-Z hip? Then go all the way!”

Ouch. Mushnick’s self-proclaimed satire quickly earned Internet firestorm status as outraged fans flooded the paper with calls for his termination. Throughout the controversy, the columnist has remained defiant, though.

“I don’t call black men the N-word; I don’t regard young women as b—- and whores; I don’t glorify the use of assault weapons and drugs,” he told Bob’s Blitz later in the day. “Jay-Z, on the other hand… Is he the only NBA owner allowed to call black men n—-rs?”

“A good portion of my columns, the last 30 years, has been devoted to identification and condemnation of increased incivility and social desensitization as marketing strategy within sports and all forms of entertainment,” he later told New York Magazine. “I see it as no different and I plan to continue to argue against the negative racial and ethnic stereotyping and the promotion of mindless violence, especially to the young and most vulnerable.”

Yes, because that’s definitely what he was doing.

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Adam Yauch Dead: MCA Remembered In Beastie Boys Videos

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By Gil Kaufman

The Beastie Boys were infamous for their off-the-wall music videos. Adam Yauch, one third of the legendary trio, died on Friday (May 4) but a look back at their impressive catalog finds his legacy very much alive.

From the frat-boy fun of 1986′s “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)” video to what will likely be their final clip, a 2011 all-star clip to promote the Hot Sauce Committee Part Two single “Make Some Noise” and the “Fight for Your Right Revisited” film, the B-Boys not only had fun, they made sure we did too.

With the passing of Adam Yauch (a.k.a. MCA) on Friday (May 4) at age 47 following a three-year battle with cancer, MTV News takes a look back at some of the trio’s most beloved clips, as well as the ones directed by Yauch under his Swedish pseudonym, Nathaniel Hornblower.

“(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)”
This is the one that launched MCA, Ad-Rock and Mike D to global stardom. The party anthem was accompanied by a very literal video in which, well, the fellas throw a crazy party and trash the joint.

“No Sleep Till Brooklyn”
Young, wild and free, the Boys lampoon heavy-metal knuckleheads after a cheesy club promoter turns them away when they show up with their “instruments” (i.e. scratch-ready records). Wearing metal wigs and Poison-worthy spandex, they soon strip down to their streetwise uniforms and start raising some hell and engaging in the kinds of shenanigans they became infamous for when they hit the road with Madonna on their first major tour. It’s silly and amateurish, but then again, so were they at that time.

“Hey Ladies”
In one of the first of many clips in which the trio would slip into a number of alternate personas, this video from Paul’s Boutique had it all: sushi chefs, eight-track tapes, disco dancing, human clocks, cowbells, pimp suits, a mariachi band, fake mustaches and goatees, scuba diving, Afro wigs, “Saturday Night Fever” homages, a “Free James Brown” subliminal message, a 1970s Vincent Van Gogh and the original appearance of booty pads.

“So What Cha Want”
They weren’t all high-concept. Yauch was behind the lens for this 1992 mind-tripper, which simply tracked the three MCs as they flexed and rapped their way through a forest tricked out with negative-image special effects intercut with ominous nature footage.

“Sabotage”
The ne plus ultra of Beastie videos, this ’70s cop-show spoof directed by pal Spike Jonze is one of the funniest and most creative clips in music-video history. Action-packed and simultaneously utterly ridiculous, the mini-movie finds the Boys cruising the streets of San Francisco in a late model sedan while chasing the bad buys in an increasingly ridiculous series of wigs, mustaches and costumes. Yauch appears as the dapper Sir Stewart Wallace, as well as Nathan Wind playing Cochese.

“Intergalactic”
Filmed by Hornblower, this classic spoof of Japanese monster movies from 1998′s Hello Nasty is again awash in absurd costumes as Yauch makes popping, locking killer robots look expensively cheap. Between shots of the haz-mat-suit-wearing MCs posing and rapping in Tokyo subway stations and streets into a fish-eye lens, we see their scientific alter egos trying to save their giant robot from getting short-circuited by a sea creature.

“Body Movin’ “
Yauch/Hornblower went highbrow with the video for this Hello Nasty single, which was inspired by the beloved cult 1968 Italian cat-burglar caper “Danger Diabolik.” Once again, Yauch dressed himself and his partners-in-crime in absurd outfits and had them act out everything from laughable sword fights (complete with a bloody Yauch beheading) to catapult escapes, helicopter vs. car chase scenes and midair parachute wrestling matches.

“Ch-Check It Out”
Not as well known, this kinetic Hornblower clip from 2004 is another mix of aggressive into-the-camera rapping, with bits of everything from “Star Trek” homages, swamp airboat chases, to the Boys in old-lady drag throwing fish across the avenue at their male counterparts.

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Burberry Slim Epaulet Jacket

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Burberry Slim Epaulet Jacket

Burberry Slim Epaulet Jacket

Burberry has created a sophisticated slim fit jacket for any occasion. This blazer ($1,095) is made of cotton and features epaulets, horsehair on the interior, notched lapels, flap and welt pockets, multiple buttons on the cuffs, and finishes with a two-button closure. Where would you rock this jacket? Another look below.

Burberry Slim Epaulet Jacket

  • May 5, 2012  |  Author:
    CGitonga  |  Credit: 

    Photos: Burberry.com

     |  Tags: ,

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Rick Owens Light and Loud Volume Knit Sweaters

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Rick Owens Light and Loud Volume Knit Sweaters

8f162 Rick Owen Volume Knit Sweaters c1 Rick Owens Light and Loud Volume Knit Sweaters

Rick Owens always has daring apparel, but now they have introduced something a little subtler. The Loud Volume Knit Sweater ($758) is sleeveless and features thick horizontal lines down the middle, while the Light Volume Sweater ($1,019) has long sleeves and has thin horizontal lines down the center. Both sweaters are made out of cotton and finish with a ribbed collar. What do you think? More pics below.

8f162 Rick Owen Volume Knit Sweaters c2 Rick Owens Light and Loud Volume Knit Sweaters8f162 Rick Owen Volume Knit Sweaters c3 Rick Owens Light and Loud Volume Knit Sweaters

  • May 5, 2012  |  Author:
    CGitonga  |  Credit: 

    Photos: oki-ni.com

     |  Tags: ,

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Tibetan Freedom Concert Part Of Adam Yauch’s Legacy

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The news of Adam Yauch‘s untimely death on Friday continues to reverberate throughout the world and especially the music industry. From the multitude of reactions and expressions of sympathy from celebrities to the emotionally charged words from fans, Yauch’s death has many in mourning.

MTV News took to the airwaves to express our appreciation for the influential artist with the one-hour special “Adam Yauch: Remembering a Beastie Boy,” during which we reflected on the legendary MC’s career and the indelible mark he made on music as a whole, as well as on society.

One of the more poignant aspects of the 60-minute tribute was a look back at Yauch’s involvement in founding the Tibetan Freedom Concert, the first of which drew influential acts like the Smashing Pumpkins, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rage Against the Machine and raised $800,000 to help support Tibetan social-justice causes.

MTV News once spoke to Yauch about why he chose to get involved in promoting awareness for social issues.

“Whatever involvement I’m able to put in it, it definitely makes me feel good to be able to help with that,” Yauch said about the Tibetan Freedom Concert. “It’s really everyone working together. It’s all the artists who put in their time and all the people who come down to the show that actually care about it, people involved in putting it on.

“One thing Buddhism teaches is the only thing that brings us lasting happiness, that really makes us happy, is when we do things to benefit other people,” he explained. “Trying to make money, buy cool sneakers, those things don’t lead to any lasting happiness.”

Yauch said what made him happiest was being able to use his fame in a positive way.

“When you do things to benefit people from a pure place in your heart, that’s a feeling that lasts no matter what happens,” he said. “It’s given some meaning to me to be famous and be able to make music if I can use that attention to help other people — that gives some meaning to that.”

Share your memories of Adam on Twitter using the hashtag #RIPMCA.

Madonna And Mix Master Mike Remember Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch’s Legacy

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To his fans Adam “MCA” Yauch was a musical genus, who along with Mike D. and Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys, progressively changed the landscape of popular music, seamlessly mixing hip-hop, punk and Rock and Roll. To those that were lucky enough to call him friend, he was all of that, plus more.

“The Beastie Boys were one of a kind! And so was Adam! They were all an important part of my musical history. And integral to the musical revolution that was happening at the time,” mega-star Madonna said in statement obtained by MTV News after Yauch passed away on Friday (May 4) after a long battle with cancer. “I’m very sad to hear about Adam’s passing. G*D bless him and his family.”

Madge included the Beasties as an opening act on her 1985 The Virgin Tour. Madonna had already established herself as a formidable pop act with her first two LPs and the Beasties were just getting started. Their iconic debut album License To Ill wouldn’t come until a year later.

Mix Master Mike didn’t start out a Beastie, but his legacy before his work with the Boys is well documented. A world champion turntabilist, Mike got the call to work with the Beastie Boys on their 1998 Grammy Award winning album Hello Nasty and has been rocking with the trio ever since. He too was hit particularly hard after Yauch’s death.

“The music world has lost an Icon and i lost a brother. I give thanks to Adam Yauch for allowing me to be apart of the Beastie legacy. I am so honored to have graced the stage with my idols for 15 historic years,” he said in a statement issued to MTV News. “Thank U for your friendship and thank you for picking me to be your DJ. forever I will hold you close to my heart. My Condolences go out to the Yauch family.”

There were a number of tributes on Friday night. During Coldplay‘s concert at Hollywood Bowl last night, Chris Martin and company performed a slowed down, piano-laden rendition of of the Beastie Boys‘ anthemic “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party).”

The Red Hot Chili Peppers also paid their respects during their show at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Friday. “We’re playing this show tonight for Adam Yauch,” RHCP frontman Anthony Kiedis said to the crowd as reported by Rolling Stone.

Yauch didn’t just inspire musicians, last night during their home baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks the entire New York Mets team paid tribute to the fallen Brooklynite by playing the Beastie’s music as they each walked up to the plate.

How do you plan to honor Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch’? Tell us in the comments!