Damien Hirst, a great modern artist and avid art collector, arguably one of my favorite out of the current cultural icons, is celebrating the opening of his new installation at London's Other Criteria. The premiere features 30 new works from Hirst and a few limited edition signed pieces as well. Check it out if you're in Londontown tomorrow (October 8th).

On Your Mark, produced by Beat Maker Beat, is a simple precursor I created late one night after a day of sessions to shoot to homies, associates, blogs, and fans to let them know what to expect from the upcoming project. It got a lot of love off top so I'm excited to see what the reaction to the project is gonna be, since this is just the tip of the iceberg. Stay tuned!

And I was just telling myself earlier today that I needed a new pair of yellow kicks. Supreme x Vans collaborate again for a new pack of Old Skools & Half Cabs that are pretty dope. The Half Cab will feature suede/canvas uppers with leather insoles and the Old Skool will feature suede uppers with leather insoles. Dropping online October 8th. Yum.

"just to give it power I was lookin' for an outlet / had to make my own since I really couldn't find that / but value of true art is hidden in the process" - vibe's alive

I suppose Chicago in 2016 was more important at the time than a 16 year old Chicagoan. Derrion Albert would have been 22 years old around the time the Olympic Games would take over the city of Chicago, supposedly joining the corners of one of the most segregated cities in the world through the welcoming of every nation participating into our "welcoming confines". Every real Chicagoan, from Wrigleyville to Calumet City, K-Town to the Low End, knows that it's a tall feat for us to get along with each other already, let alone millions of tourists envisioning a town totally different than the one they'd be stepping into for an Olympic Games. The grievances and issues Chicago faces are not the caliber which would be easily dealt with in a mere 6 years. Rather, a lifetime of struggle and resistance has existed in Chicago, with little ground gained since the years of the Civil Rights movement. People move to our city and stay in their comfort corner, with the majority never daring to go south of Roosevelt. Equally, the born-and-bred Chicagoan is one that rarely goes North of Roosevelt, unless it's for work purposes or to inquire within City offices. When such a rift exists between Chicago itself, how could the members of the Chicago Olympic Committee actually go through with making this pitch to the IOC? How, with teenagers dying every day in the streets -- not just through gang violence, but senseless acts like the one that took away the life of Derrion Albert -- could they actively say that the world would be safe here?

Derrion's story is no rarity here; rather, it simply came with visual evidence of a struggle that persists daily in our community. But how can we expect that to get through to the powers that be if we fail to confront it HERE, at HOME, where WE are? I could ramble on & on with criticisms about Mayor Daley and his practices in the past, but honestly none of that matters as much as this does to me. Lives are being lost. It's due to a lack of education, a lack of diversity, a lack of options. Simply put, if they knew better they'd do better. But the location of Derrion's beating is a clear indication of the troubles we face. Schools are supposed to be the safe haven for kids from the negative influences they may face in their neighborhoods. The mere fact that this happened at an institution of learning makes the future more ominous than ever for our youth. With broken homes, layoffs, failing schools, and a learning discrepancy between communities as wide as the hope that was obviously present to even THINK we would get the Olympics here in Chicago -- we've got a lot of work to do. And I see scary things on the horizon...

I recently made a stop at my old high school to check on the current status of things. I'll be the first to admit that I was a child of privilege when it came to education - the thought of dropping out or not going to college was never even an option for us. My grandmother was a schoolteacher for many years, my three uncles all surgeons and corporate types respectively, and my mother & father as studious of people as there ever were. My father, an Islamic Imam, a Ph.D in Religion, and a writer, while my mother, a M.D., M.B.A., and a Masters in Public Health from Harvard. Sufficient to say, school was cool for us. While I walked the hallways of my old school I ran into one of my favorite teachers, Mr. Weil, who was always one of those instructors who were as cool as a teacher could possibly be at the time. My class was a rowdy one, always getting into something crazy, pushing the boundaries as individuals while still being incredibly intelligent. As I spoke to him about the differences between my class and the classes that currently attended, he spoke to the belief that the personality had diminished since classes like mine had graduated. The kids were more into pop culture than ever, the internet had taken hold of most of their daily lives, resulting in what he felt to be a lack of personality, push-back, challenge of authority, and an all-around excitement. In few words he pretty much told me he was bored. The kids did their homework, did what they were told, and went about their business.

Ordinarily, one would think that as a teacher this type of behavior would be heaven-sent, but it immediately presented itself as an ominous fate when I juxtaposed it with what was happening with kids of the same age, in the same city, just miles away from good old Morgan Park Academy. The education-deprived kids of the impoverished neighborhoods will one day meet the culturally-deprived kids of schools like mine, and I am not excited about the outcome. Streetsmarts versus Booksmarts results in the same tired rigmarole that has us where we stand right now; mentally segregated and internationally humiliated.

So what can we do? For one, we can always keep our eyes and ears focused on what needs doing RIGHT NOW. A perspective plan is nothing if you don't have your current affairs in order to chase that plan. Imagine how strong our bid for the Olympic games would have been if our schools were improved...if our city was invested in it's own development...if kids in impoverished neighborhoods were able to broaden their horizons and know that there was more to fight for in the world than a neighborhood that doesn't care whether they live or die. Imagine if kids like the ones that attend my high school now were hipped to how truly blessed they are, acknowledged their upper hand in the game of life, and used their education to bridge the gap between themselves and the less fortunate. I happen to think a lot of the ground can be made up by an infusion of influence from the age ranges ABOVE those most afflicted, i.e. you & me. We must do ALL we can to show these kids real life is more than the block they live on, or the internet, but it's communication, face-to-face work, activity, community, and the like. Maybe then we'll be able to convince the world that we're ready to open our doors to them.

I made a song about it, like to here it here it goes.


$

"but it all blends perfectly.../let the liquor tell it"-- Andre 3000, "Spottieottiedopalicious"

Sorry for the drought my people! I've been hard at work trying to decrease the gap between every aspect of life right now, merging it all together to form a seamless web of efficiency. There's been a few changes around here that I'd like to point out so we're all on the same page and you know what to expect henceforth from the kid. Here goes:

With all that said, let's get back to the dopeness! A lavish new coffee table book from Rizzoli titled Louis Vuitton: Art, Fashion and Architecture is a seductive anthology of the famed French fashion house's collaborations with an international group of elite artists, architects, designers, and photographers, including Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, David LaChapelle, Annie Leibovitz, Takashi Murakami (whose updated LV monogram is featured on the cover) Richard Prince and Stephen Sprouse. Beautiful images are interspersed with critical essays that examine and position Louis Vuitton's patronage, under the guidance of Artistic Director Marc Jacobs, during "one of the most fertile periods of contemporary art and design." The book is divided alphabetically so as to serve as a sort of encyclopedia of the many collaborations, commissions and sponsorships Vuitton, a cornerstone of the LVMH luxury goods empire, has engaged in over the years.

You can put in an order for this book right now over through my bookstore, Books Ink!

I had a period in writing where I figured that if I let up I would be letting my detesters and detractors win. Knowing that's the only way they actually COULD win, I used that motivation from then on to push myself to create, to write, to record my experience. I wrote a very descriptive verse over one of my new favorites, The Kickdrums' "Impatient" record that's featured on their Just A Game EP that recently dropped. The flavor was superb so I felt like I had to add my ingredients to it. Check out the lyrics:

Elevation is defined as the act of raising from a lower place, condition, or quality to a higher; -- said of material things, persons, the mind, the voice, etc.; as, the elevation of grain; elevation to a throne; elevation of mind, thoughts, or character. Simply put, Elevation is progress as an effect of persistence. Often times there's so much standing between a goal and yourself, that it almost seems impossible to reach, but with the understanding that every step forward is also a boost of energy, you can never lose! I wrote this song with that very though in mind - to diagnose the rise of new energy and the fall of the old. It's a beautiful thing when they're screaming your name but can you remain the same when the sceneries change?

I'm back again, kicking off Q2 with a new installment of heat and crack and dope and piff and illness. This one is appropriately title "The Most Interesting Man In The World", and the lyrics don't disappoint. Straight bravado on this one! The beat is made by Madlib and I fucks with it so you should too! Partake!