Think you know all there is to know about rapper Ice Cube? Well, think again. Before he was part of N.W.A. that gave raise to gangsta rap, before becoming an accomplished actor and tv-series producer, Ice Cube studied architectural drafting and had a deep appreciation for designs and arts. As an introduction to the celebrated history of Charles and Ray Eames, the hugely influential husband and wife design team, non-for-profit cultural collective known as Pacific Standard Time invited Ice Cube to the landmark Eames House in Los Angeles to talk about its prominence in today’s architectural world as well as similarities of it to rap.

Following last night’s special presentation at 21 Mercer in New York City, the newest Nike Sportswear Always On campaign is now available for viewing. Featuring Amar’e Stoudemire, the 6’11″ power forward/center for the New York Knicks. On the court, he’s the 2003 NBA Rookie of the Year and 6-time NBA All-Star. But off the court, he’s the Renaissance Man of the NBA, a polymath with multitude of interests and talents. Its also something captured quite accurately by this most recent Nike Sportswear Always On and the matter-of-fact lyrics by French Montana.

Partly a premiere event for Amar’e Stoudemire‘s new “Always On” short film but mostly just a bash on the return of the NBA season, Nike Sportswear 21 Mercer will host an one-of-the-kind celebration next Monday, December 19th. Billed as “Always On Live”, the event will see a series of musical talents like French Montana, Vado, Stalley, Jesse Boykins III, along with DJ Clark Kent, perform with live simulcast on Livestream over the web. Plus, four lucky viewers will also receive the sneaker shown above, a Nike Air Force 1 Bespoke – Always On Live Edition. Created specifically for event, the special Air Force 1 includes a premium blue camouflage leather, orange outsole, stitching, and white accents. All highlight Stoudemire’s affiliation with the New York Knicks.  To enter, simply submit a question for Stoudemire during the live broadcast Monday night, either on Livestream or through Twitter at @nikesportswear or @21_mercer. With that, you are automatically entered.  The four winners  will be announced at the end of the show.

Sneaker aficionados worldwide were agog at the initial images of the Nike LeBron 9 “Watch the Throne” when they surfaced online a month ago. As much as we claim to favor clean lines and classic styling, the incontrovertible truth is that many of us are drawn to the pomp and circumstance of flashy colors and ornate design. Perhaps the sensibility of excess espoused by Watch the Throne signals the swinging of the pendulum away from austerity toward extravagance — economic climate be damned — and explains the runaway success of H&M‘s collection with the house of Versace, a fashion label that was practically the ’90s avatar for conspicuous consumption. Yeezy, whose baroque-leaning sense of style heavily influenced Watch the Throne‘s album design, was recently spotted wearing a jacket from the line, and we can’t help observe the perfect footwear to finish the look would have been a pair of these special edition LeBron 9s. The rumor is there are only seven of these beauties in existence, one pair of which is now in the possession of rapper Big Sean, who’s currently opening for Kanye and Jay-Z on the Watch the Throne tour. Click through for more images that the rapper recently shared to a public still very much enraptured with these kicks. via: Big Sean’s Twitter

What’s in a name? Apparently quite a bit according to POP CHART LAB, who put together this 18″ x 24″ print which maps out rapper monikers via color coded semantic nodes. The categories, including wordplay, alphanumeric, physical attributes and a host of others, organize a huge range of MC’s over the span of the color coded print. Looking closely, you can pick out the nodes weighed down by a specific era in Hip-Hop, like the Lil section found in the upper right hand corner. Staying true to Rap’s roots, the posters are even printed in the mecca of NYC. Make sure you hit the jump for the up close shots, as the attention to detail here really is impressive. The Grand Taxonomy of Rap Names (version 1.5 with 15 additional names added in) is available for purchase now from POP CHART LAB.

“undun is the story of this kid who becomes criminal, but he wasn’t born criminal…”
So begins the eleventh album by The Roots, “UNDUN”, a modern rhapsody of urban blight and how a disfranchised generation need to do in order to survive. Only a few other bands that could, The Roots invoked emotions with a twist of nouveau hip hop, R&B, and poetic story telling through the eyes of Redford Stephens, the fictionalize protagonist of the album. In similar fashion, director Clifton Bell of GHETTONERD transcript the lyrics into black-&-white video timelines of Stephens’ life from 1990 to 1999, thus gives viewers a montage of a life worth saving from all the vices except its already too late… “UNDUN” by The Roots is now available for purchase.

Once the darling among catalog merchants, J. Crew started its expansion beyond the glossy pages with a series of brick & mortar storefronts in the late 1980s. The hope was to capitalize the already well known name to a new set of customer base, and it did just that. However, in the midst of this growth, the stores themselves became much like any other retail chain, with cookie-cutter designs and lackluster atmospheres. To transform each of them into more than just a storefront but a destination, the label’s new Creative Director at the time, Jenna Lyons, and Head of Men’s Design Frank Muytjens went back to the fundamentals. Both curtailed the usage of “one size fits all” and instead created a space most suitable for each location’s demographic, starting with the now iconic Liquor Shop in TriBeCa. Hear Lyons and Muytjens talk of re-designing the J. Crew’s Men’s Shops in their own words on this latest episode of Complex Cut & Show video series.

It’s no surprise when an avant garde fashion-related event in Tokyo pushes boundaries, and if it takes place at AIR, a Tokyo venue dedicated to psychedelia-inspired laser effects, things are sure to be on the cerebral side. Which was a perfect backdrop for NEXUSVII to celebrate the label’s 10th anniversary, which it did this past September. The just-released video captures the highlights of the light show, and a bit of the event itself, which featured a number of Tokyo’s music/nightlife personalities, including John Daly, Ryosuke, Ryo Murakami, DJ Maar, NAODIDDY, SONPUB, ITOOO, and VJ Kimgym. The video is a fitting mood piece for NEXUSVII; the label has done a solid job of producing staple pieces which have just enough idiosyncrasy to allude to a sometimes hard-to-define interpretation of otherwise basic garments. Check out the video after the jump for an 11 minute excursion into a psychedelic Tokyo nightlife event.

In celebrating his forthcoming album, “The Dreamer, The Believer”, Common is throwing poetic verses as part of YouTube Presents concert series. Though the performance is currently taking place at an undisclosed locations with an intimate set of friends and fans, you can take part still by view it Live Now via the link below. Afterwards, the hip-hp artist will sit down with moderator/hip-hop scribe Shaheem Reid for a Q&A session. In the meantime, “The Dreamer, The Believer” will be available starting December 20th.

The act of “gifting” is more than an art form, its downright scientific. And as with any other experiments, there are bound to be mistakes, unfortunately at the expense of your love ones. Thankfully, there is adidas Originals “Get The Gift” Holiday Campaign this season. Simply visit the special holiday app feature on adidas Originals Facebook page and surprise that hip-hop die hard or fashionista in your life via “Holiday Hook Up” with one of the kind video greeting card from Snoop Dogg or Jeremy Scott. Want to try out your knowledge on adidas kicks? Then click into “Hide & Seek” to put your skills to the test for the chance at a daily prize. Finally, for that utlimate holiday getaway, there is “Holiday Hunt”. Just visit any participating Originals storefronts and search for hidden clues to win. The prizes are VIP trips to see DJ Neil Armstrong in NYC or Kendrick Lamar in LA perform this month. For instructions and rules, just see the videos after the click and have a blast gifting this holiday season.