Converse continues its mission to support independent music. The latest unsigned band to be profiled as part of Converse Rubber Tracks’ short film series is the Brooklyn-based trio Jumpers. In their “Oh, Hello” segment, drummer Tim McCoy, bassist Turner Stough and singer/guitarist Mary Page discuss how the three came together and why it’s great to be a band in a big city with a thriving music scene (they cite a sense of community and the ever-present inspiration to become better musicians). The accompanying “Track of the Week” clip provides a behind the scenes look at the recording of Jumpers’ infectious song “Fireworks.” Check out both videos following the click.

While the name Michael Miller might not immediately ring any bells, the man has quietly moved through the hip hop world for the past 25 years cataloging the culture through his lens. His impressive portfolio includes a campaign for Stussy as well as over hundreds of album covers, with his work leaning West Coast what with Miller being an LA native. Cracking open his vault, his inaugural show West Coast Hip Hop, A History In Pictures consisted a collection of 43 black and white pieces that have never been seen by the public before. The imagery therein conjures the sinister scenes of Los Angeles’ lower class, capturing the likes of Ice Cube and Tupac as they rose through the ranks to become global icons. Follow us after the jump for a photo recap of the recent show that went down at Known Gallery. via Juxtapoz

The British singer, M.I.A., is no stranger to controversy; in fact, she recently stole the headlines at the Super Bowl halftime show, which involved a certain finger. Perhaps one of her most talked-about music videos was Born Free, produced by French director Romain Gavras. M.I.A. has teamed up with Gavras again on her latest music video for Bad Girls, which was shot on location in Morocco. Although this video is much more light hearted than the previous, it is still filled with the kind of high energy and grit that Gavras is known for. BMWs and Alfa Romeos perform high-speed stunts, and the fearless M.I.A. even sits comfortably on a BMW driving on two wheels. Watch the visually spectacular music video after the jump in high definition.

The one who brought that signature guitar riff to Velvet Revolver and Guns N’ Roses, including the opening to “Sweet Child o’ Mine”, electric guitar wunderkind Slash has been on a tear since embarking on a solo career in 2008. As the new album’s release date, a follow-up to the 2010 self-titled album, draws near, the metal/rock legend opened his studio and recording sessions to Ray-Ban‘s Never Hide Films for an unique perspective on the process of music making. Episode 1 of a multi-part documentary short, Ray-Ban Never Hide Films presents Slash In The Studio.

Photo by Wire Image

Hidden beneath the hype and hysteria from last night’s Super Bowl Halftime Show was something unique. No, it wasn’t M.I.A.’s inexplicable action when she flipped the bird and lip-synched the F-Bomb during her routine. Nor was it Madonna‘s subdued performance (in comparison to her Blond Ambition World Tour). Instead, it was right underneath everyone’s nose, when SkyBlu of LMFAO stepped onto the stage. Beneath the electro-pop sensation’s wild mane was the most expensive Beats by Dr. Dre headphones to date. Crafted with help from Graff Diamonds, one of the world’s foremost precious gems dealers, Beats by Dr. Dre placed over 114 carats of diamonds on the headphones. Because of the volatility of precious gems and metals pricing, the collaborators could only estimate the total price around “a million dollars,” give or take a few hundred thousand here or there.

Ever the renaissance man, it can be a bit hard to keep track of all the different projects Pharrell Williams is working on at any given time. From his traditional role of producing bangers for hip hop’s elite to making waves with his various fashion endeavors, the man is branching out now to scoring the Oscars along with Hans Zimmer and the set up of his new Billionaire Girls Club line. GQ sat down with Williams recently for a brief Q&A, chopping it up about his Academy Awards involvement, the influence of his personal style, and more. Hit up GQ for the full interview with the Billionaire Boys Club leader now.

Murdoc Niccals, the seedy member of Gorillaz made a surprising announcement this morning on the band’s upcoming collaboration with CONVERSE. Sounded like a broadcast from a pirate radio station, Murdoc went on length about the start of the Chuck Taylor All Star project. What was originally a commemoration for the world’s most famous virtual band’s 10th anniversary quickly became a full-on creative session, which encompass four different designs and a special Gorillaz produces Three Artists, One Song campaign. With the collaboration’s release date of February 23rd fast approaching, expect Murdoc and the rest of his cohorts will be making more impromptu statements in the near future. Meanwhile, hear the full transmission from Murdoc Niccals at the link below.

Release Date: February 23rd, 2012 (Thursday)

New York-based photographer/filmmaker 13th Witness, aka Timothy McGurr, was in Australia to ostensibly direct a music video for local band Gold Fields on their song “Holy No.” A teaser video had hinted at the intricacies of the project, and now a newly released behind-the-scenes featurette reveals multiple creative layers unfolding over a couple of day’ shooting in Melbourne, as well as the band’s hometown of Ballarat. In addition to the making-of video, the documentary footage doubles as a video lookbook for New Balance Australia‘s heritage lifestyle collection, which also features looks from Sydney clothing label Vanishing Elephant. Check out the video following the click.

To raise fund for his own charitable organization, Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund, and the New York chapter of United Way, Jay-Z will be hosting an intimate concert at New York City’s iconic Carnegie Hall on February 7th. First as a resident in Brookly’s Marcy public housing project, then as a upcoming hip-hop artist, entrepreneur, mogul, and more recently, a husband and father, the concert is a reflection of Jay-Z’s life and time as a New Yorker. It is also a testament to the age old saying “if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere”. Tickets for the concert are on sale now at Carnegie Hall’s online box office. As expected, the demands have already overwhelmed the event space’s website. However, you can also enter to win 2 free tickets by simply “like” Carnegie Hall’s Facebook page.

Photography: Tommy Ton/Jak & Jill

Clothed in luxurious python skin with a layer of lambskin as under brim for good measure, the customized New Era snapback by STRAPBACKS have garnered much acclaims. And that was even before Jay-Z fashioned it throughout his “Watch The Throne” tour with Kanye West. Now, the same premium construct can be your as STRAPBACKS releases 10 of these special edition. Hand crafted and all genuine down to the gold buckle leather strap, each retails for $300 US and available for a limited time only via STRAPBACKS online store.

With yesterday’s Federal indictment against online file sharing giant MEGAUPLOAD came with an odd bit of news, that the hip-hop mogul Swizz Beatz was the company’s CEO. Though not one of the accused and certainly not labeled as a member of what the Feds called “criminal enterprise” in the indictment, Beatz’ own publicist mentioned he was the CEO of MEGAUPLOAD. The confusing revelation certainly drew more interest in what was already a controversial case against an equally controversial organization. Clarification came today as MEGAUPLOAD’s attorney stated that Beatz, whose real name is Kasseem Dean, was never part of MEGAUPLOAD. In his statement regarding his client, attorney Ira Rothken told news site VentureBeat “To my knowledge, Swizz Beatz was never involved in any meaningful way.” He also added “He was negotiating to become the CEO, but it was never official.”  Meanwhile, the hacker collective known as Anonymous launched a Denial of Service attack on U.S. Department of Justice’s website as a protest against the indictment.  via: VentureBeat

Box logo devotees that they are, the gang from OFWGKTA certainly understand the value of the collabo tee and the limited overseas drop. Their pop-up shop out in LA for instance has some in-store only items, but perhaps the pinnacle of hard to get goods from Odd Future is this set of recently released Tyler, the Creator designed t-shirts. An apparent result of their recent jaunt through Oceania, the quartet is available exclusively at Qubic in New Zealand. The front features two cats umm….embracing, with the words “Two Dudes” underneath in the signature cooper black font that we’ve seen permeate through Odd Future’s visual presence. Stick with us for a look at all four colorways that are available and hit up Qubic’s online spot to get one for yourself.