Category Archives: Hip-Hop
On the Streetz of Hawaii
Ja Rule and Ashanti. Aloha Tower Marketplace. Honolulu, Hawaii. 10/22/22
The Kicks and The Fashion
My friend and I got to the gig very early, so was able to check out the Kicks and Clothes. For the Kicks, Lots of Air Jordan 1’s, Yeezy’s, Converse, and a new brand for me-FAUX. On the clothing end, many T-shirts, both retro and with fun sayings on them, mega ripped jeans and a somewhat newer trend-The White Jean.
Let’s take a look at some of the Kicks and Clothes from the Ja Rule x Ashanti Concert on 10/22/22.
AJ1, Yeezy’s, Foamposite and some blk & wht coordinates
The White Jean Craze
KIcks on Feet and One in the Pocket
Not quite sure what was happening here, 2 shoes on feet and 1 extra shoe for the left side pocket. Hmmm…Interesting
And Here is the new brand for me-FAUX. They had some very nice glowing 3m on them
Ja Rule
The Concert
Ja Rule and Ashanti sang separately and together. Doing all of their hits. I personally liked Ja Rule Feat. Fat Joe and Jadakiss with New York, New York.
Ashanti
Before Ashanti sang her big solo hit she told a story. And it was a story I knew oh so very well. Ashanti talked about being in Hawaii 20 years ago. She was at a Meet and Greet that I organized at Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park (Now Wet n Wild Hawaii). It was a rather hot day, we did a very intimate Meet and Greet. We took pictures and fed our listeners and Ashanti and her crew to some delectable Hawaii plate lunches. It was a memorable moment for me, our listeners, Kai & Knute, our on-air personalities and Ashanti. It was really cool to hear her tell the story at the 10/22/22 concert.
And of course I liked the Ja Rule Feat. Ashanti with Always on Time after all these years, still knew all the words.
Thanks to Kona and Ray Jr. for the nice area to watch the concert. Side stage, very nice, very VIP. And Mahalo to @justkimo for the great pix and videos of the night.
Extra Videos for your viewing enjoyment. Live from Aloha Tower Marketplace on 10/222/22
See you on the Streetz…blog!
Dapper Dan Is Everywhere
Dapper Dan’s the 2019 Man!
Over the last 5 week’s (May-June 2019) I’ve seen and heard about as much about Dapper Dan as I did back in the 90’s. He was on Project Runway, in a song on When they See Us, and GQ did a nice write up about him. I don’t know who his publicist is, whoever it is, knows what they are doing & does it well! He’s everywhere.
The video below sums up his BIO. Watch this historically rich Video to see his career from the beginning til Now:
Back in the day Dapper Dan made custom outfits for the Hip-Hop community, mostly in NYC. He used designer labels. Blew the logos up Big. Or painted the designs on leather to make custom Street wear. His favorites were Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Fendi. He always dressed impeccable with major Swagger. His clothes were worn by many super-stars including: LL Cool J, the Fat Boys, Salt-N-Pepa, Jam Master J, Mike Tyson, KRS-One, Floyd Mayweather and Big Daddy Kane.
Here are the places I’ve been seeing Dapper Dan as of lately:
May 5, 2019: Dapper Dan in GQ. Click here for article.
May 16, 2019: Dapper Dan on Bravo’s Project Runway. This came out late April. I spotted it on May 16.
June 15, 2019: When They See Us-4 part TV show on Netflix (June 2019) . Heard the Jay-Z song, U Don’t See Us “Wear a G on my chest, I don’t need Dapper Dan, this Ain’t a sewn outfit, holmes, holmes is about it”
Additional News on Dapper Dan, I found when looking for the Jay-Z Song’s title:
In 2017, Dapper Dan and Gucci partnered for a line of men’s wear. In 2018, they opened a new atelier on Lenox Avenue in partnership with Gucci, Dapper Dan of Harlem, the first luxury house fashion store in Harlem. Everything came full circle. From doing Knock Offs/Knock Ups to really working with Gucci. Congrats to Dapper Dan!
Upcoming:
A book – Dapper Dan Made in Harlem: A Memoir is available for pre-order on Amazon. And a movie of the memoir is planned. See you on the Streetz!
Wiz Khalifa Blazing in the 808 State
Wiz Khalifa Live in Concert-Tuesday September 22, 2015 Neal Blaisdell Arena. Honolulu, Hawaii
I know Ya’ll got some things Ya’ll wanna be out there. Life’s a race, you gotta keep your pace. You heard..Unh. Wiz Khalifa 9/22/15
After socializing on the concourse for about an hour, we went in to the Blaisdell, found a perfect middle section seat and the concert began. Wiz sang, rapped, told us some nice words about life and danced groovingly through a fun and festive show. Complete with a band, DJ, custom backdrop and some sweet lazer lights in Blue, Green, and Red.
I had a fun night and would recommend seeing Wiz if he comes to your town. He’s very happy on stage, is genuinely appreciative of life, has a positive vibe and puts on a solid SHOW!
Dressed to Thrill and Chill
Wiz wore all white including his shirt, pants, kicks and circular Man from U.N.K.L.E inspired specs. About half way through the show he took off his shirt so we could see his many tats. He’s pretty skinny and could barely keep his pants from slipping off. Wiz definitely had fun on stage and it was cool to watch him move and groove to his tunes. The chill part was the air all up in the Blaisdell Arena. Wow! or Whoa! I left a bit light-headed and couldn’t sleep until 3:30 am. Maybe it was just the adrenaline or the antibiotics I was on.
Nice Compliments to the Crowd prior to I work Hard
This was one of my favorite in between songs talk to the crowd moment. Before singing about how hard most of us work, Wiz told us all we were WINNERS! I appreciate everyone for being here tonight. You spent your money on Gas, You spent your money on a ticket (Yes I did), You take the time to be here. You deserve to be here, You deserve to FkN Win! Don’t let anyone tell you different, you’re a WINNER. Front or back of the show, all my WINNERS all up in this B**tch.
I do for sure work hard and it was nice of him to acknowledge us. Nice to be noticed. Another time in the show he spotted many of the people all decked out in Pirates Snapbacks, Jordan Jerseys, Sexy T’s and other hot Swag in the audience. He made people feel special which was very nice of him. I think he’s really a smart guy after watching this show and man he didn’t miss a beat or a word. At least I never noticed it. Very crisp, cool, and totally on it!
Some Brand New Tunes, Power of the Performer and the End of the Show
Near the end of the evening before the finale of See You Again, Wiz played a few brand new tracks including a tune entitled No Social Media. I couldn’t believe the power of his influence on everyone. From going from almost every third person taking pictures with their phone to just 3 visible people on the floor. He persuaded almost EVERYONE to stop their electronics and just enjoy life. The words of the new tune went something like this: Don’t be on your phone, I’m starting to get upset, I don’t care about how many likes you get, you ain’t sh*T without the internet.
Me, I snap my pix quick, take a few vids so I can remember what to blog about. Other than that I like to enjoy the moment and groove to the tunes without abstractions. That’s what I believe at every show I go to. My favorite tune of the night was The Thrill (of it), the song that nabs a piece of the Empire of the Sun song Walking on a Dream. It’s just really groovy and somehow I knew almost all the words. And you can’t go wrong with See You Again. Even after hearing it all Summer long, it still sounded great in person.
The Show ended with everyone swaying their arms back and forth to See You Again, song made famous during the end portion of Furious 7. A very fun, festive, Tuesday night had by all in Honolulu, Hawaii. See you on the Streetz.
On the HI and High Streetz
Blood Orange Featuring Skepta-High Street
check out this new video from Blood Orange Ft. Skepta with High Street. It’s courtesy of SSENSE-1 of my 5 favorite on-line shopping stores. My other 4 favorites are: Barneys, Mr. Porter, H&M and ASOS.
I totally dig the English Accent in this Vid. Enjoy!
See you on the HI and High Streetz. If you live or are visiting Oahu, Please stop by my friends Lucky Charm Cats Children’s book launch this Saturday July 12, 2014. The special invitation is shown below, just print it out or screen shoot this page and I’ll see you there. Free food, music, drinks and more!
Dance, RUN, Jump!
ID Presents the A-Z’s of DANCE
I found this video on Kitt Noir’s Blog. Check out these dance moves! Looks like they remembered everything. Do you see any great moves they forgot to include?
DJ Amen and Don Benjamin at the JUMP
See you Thursday Thru Sunday on the Streetz of Chicago. If you’re on Oahu, Don’t miss DJ Amen and one of America’s Next Top Model’s Don Benjamin this Friday May 23rd at the Jump at Vice. Go Chicago Blackhawks-See you in about 32 hours.
The Guys with the Pearl Necklace
TrendCity or NotReally?
The latest trend in Men’s Jewelry is the Pearl necklace rocked by both Mega-Man of the Moment Pharrell and the longest standing Main Man of Hip-Hop Jay-Z. What do you think of this trend? Rock or Not?
I like pearls, especially the black opalescent Tahitian Pearls and some of the other pearls that change with the light. They are really dope when the light hits them and they completely change color. I say R-O-C-K.
Check out Jay-Z’s kicks, they look to me to be the He Got Game Kicks that Jesus Shuttlesworth/Ray Allen wore and were the most spotted Retro Jordan’s in NYC by Streetzblog in December 2013. I may need to get a pair of those. They keep popping up and being seen by me way too much.
Well, this is a hard one to admit, but I rocked some Pearls 17 years ago. I wore them to a family dinner in the suburbs of Chicago. I thought they looked real solid and something a Rock Star would wear. They were a strand of Greyish Black Pearls with a nice Silver chain. I seriously thought they looked very stylish. But, man I got teased right and left that night. I doubt I can find them now, but I did really have a nice lookin’ Pearl necklace. I think I nabbed it from my sister..LOL.
And if it means anything, I’ve been wearing a small dark pearl earring and an opalescent Pearl earring in by left ear since November 2013. My Diamond is still in my right ear. I’d like to take credit for the new trend or no trend. But, let’s give the props to Pharrell and Jay-Z.
This is not a commercial, but if you would like to get some Pearl earings or a necklace, Check out Na Hoku Jewelry at Ala Moana Center and make sure you ask for my favorite friendly store Sales Associate, SallyAnne. I always get my charms for my mom from her and I bought my two Pearl earrings from her too. It’s not nearly as fun as seeing her in person, but you can check them out on-line if you live outside of Oahu.
What do you think of the Pearls on guys Look? LMK. See you this weekend at the Harlem Globetrotters, University of Hawaii, and of course..either at the new H&M in Waikiki or Ala Moana Shopping Center.
*This trend was spotted and tipped off to me by my friend Rolanda.
Hot Stars in the City
The Streetzblog Hawaii Designs Series chats with CityStars Apparel…Where Everyone Deserves to be a Star!
For this edition of Hawaii Designs, We sat down with CityStars Apparel’s, Romeo Valentine after this year’s Honolulu Festival Gala. Where we feasted on Delicious Delicacies from Ruth Chris Steak House, Morimoto Waikiki, Roy’s Hawaii Kai and Honolulu Coffee Company. Prior to the Jump event with DJ HED at Vice Nightclub. The picture below is from the Honolulu Festival’s Friendship Gala in front of one of the World’s largest Aloha Shirts.
1. So, you recently celebrated your one year Anniversary, Has everything gone as you expected?
In our first year we’ve experienced a lot of turbulence but through it all it helps us grow. Without the turbulence we wouldn’t be able to overcome our fear of flying and reaching for the stars.
2. And you brought in big time DJ Carisma? How did you hook that up? Have you brought anyone else to Hawaii?
DJ Carisma is a friend of mine that I’ve met a few times she came out here but really linked up the time she came out here with Honey Cocaine for the Chris Brown concert. DJ Carisma fits perfect in our genre and what we are about, so it was great to have such a humble but successful person to bring in for our one-year anniversary along with Abby De La Rosa.
We have brought in other acts before such as YG, New Boyz, Tyga, DMX, DJ Drama, Glasses Malone, DJ Hed, and more. We also plan to bring a lot more fun shows and events in the future featuring some national acts. And for Spring Break 2014 we brought in San Fran’s DJ Amen.
3. Are you a clothing company or like an all around lifestyle brand?
Both. We live this lifestyle in the night life to the music to the dancing we like to keep it fresh. We want everyone to feel like a star when they rock the gear.
4. What are your goals in 2-3 years with CSA?
Our plan is to take this dream we have and make it reality. When we do that we want to take everyone who supported and was their to contribute and help us when we struggled with us to the top. CSA wouldn’t be without the hard work and dedication everyone puts in.
5. The name of your brand is so perfect, it seems to fit so many different things that you do, from the designs to the shows. How did you come up with CityStars Apparel? And what does it mean to you?
The name didn’t come over night but when things come to you they just happen. It fit perfectly with my lifestyle. I was in the clubs every night, promoting, partying, rockin’ the mic and in the day I was at the radio station (Power 104.3). It all sounds like fun which it is, but hard work so the city represents the hard work and the stars represents you being better than just normal. You are a CITY STAR.
6. Who creates and designs your shirts and hats?
Our main designers are Ryan “Dj First Class” Garo and I (Romeo Valentine). Along with Gary Dymally and Monica putting ideas together to help contribute and Ka’aina Nahale working hard on hand drawings that he comes up with or ideas we have that he can bring to life.
7. What type of software do you use to design everything?
Everything we do is in Photoshop. As well as drawings on a piece of paper which we transfer and redraw in Photoshop.
8. What has been your biggest seller? And why do you think it did so well?
Our biggest seller to date has been the Louie Stars design we released in early 2013. I believe it was the best seller because the design pattern was catchy and our customers at the time liked the how long the design was on the shirt and of course our floral snapbacks are in high demand.
9. You recently made football shirts? How did you pick the teams you chose? Which was the biggest seller/hottest colorway?
We chose the 5 teams which had the best following in the state we are in which is Hawaii. Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Oakland, Dallas and New England. The best had to have been San Francisco and Oakland.
10. And where were the Chicago Shirts?
We actually made a Chicago Design but it didn’t make the cut along with the Packers.
11. How did you come up with the idea for the football shirts?
We grew up watching football. It was cool to represent your team in the club without having to worry about dress codes of jerseys.
12. I really like the purple and orange Galaxy lanyards? They are very intricate? How many hours did it take to design and then produce them?
The lanyards where quick it was the design of the galaxy pattern that took a while. If you look closely there are small City Stars logo’s inside of the galaxy. We also have Hats with the same pattern.
14. How do you get the word out? I know I see you on Instagram a lot? Which social mediums do you use?
It’s all word of mouth and Social Media. We also do photo shoots and update our look books. Right now we are on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram.
15. Do you think you could have had the same success with your brand 2 years ago before the social Media explosion?
That’s a tough question. I do believe us coming out when we did was perfect timing to really make a statement and get to the next level.
16. Where do you see Social Media going in the future? Are you on any newer mediums? Any cutting edge social media sites you would recommend to an up and coming designer?
Social media is a rollercoaster, by that I mean which social network will be on top and with that being said when the next social network comes out we are going to have to jump all over that social network. We are willing to take that challenge to go to the top and keep rising. Right now though Instagram is where it’s at.
17. For the just getting going designers our there, what is the perfect size for an instagram photo? How bout the length of a FB or instagram video?
For designers starting out using social media, it is important for the dimensions to be just right. When using Instagram the photo has to be a square. Making your photo 5 inches by 5 inches will show you exactly what viewers will see. Facebook videos can be longer than Instagram videos. When creating a video it depends on what type of message you are trying to get across, thus affecting the length. A 15 sec Instagram video and a 2 minute Facebook video are good lengths to keep viewers attention. We like to use Instagram to reach our fellow CityStars because of how quick and easy it is to use.
18. I know your clothing line is available on-line, do yo have your clothes in any stores in Hawaii?
CityStarsApparel.com and Hatsby in Pearlridge mall which we will expand soon once we are able to justify ourselves as a brand.
19. Any plans on having a brick and mortar store? Why do you think its important to have a brick and mortar store in the digital age?
Of course we would love to get a flagship store but at the moment that isn’t in our lane and we understand that which will make us work harder to a goal.
20. Do you personally shop more on-line or in person?
On-line is easier plus you can see the deals.
21. Ok, so we made it to question 21, now tell us about your latest release, the galaxy snapbacks, Where are they available? Are they a limited release?
Yes, only limited amount are being made in the 2 colors with 2 style ways each. Once they sell out there will be no more. (The Galaxy Snapbacks available now/4/3/14 at CityStarsApparel.com)
22. And after the Galaxy snapbacks without telling too much, what are your plans for the Spring/Summer line? And maybe you could let us know a little teaser about what to expect in the Fall 2014 or the Winter 2015 line?
Let’s just say his name is COMET.
23. Anything else you’d like to comment on?
We greatly appreciate everyone who supports us and is a part of our vision to take things to the next level so we can get to a point to put on shows for everyone without being over charged. We aren’t about ourselves we are about the people. We all work Hard. Everyone deserves to be a star. We also want to thank our good friends at Hawaii’s Finest for helping us out with so much.
Power Bash feat. Chris Brown-Show Times
Tonight’s the Big night for the 1st Annual Power Bash at the Waikiki Shell. On Thursday, Iggy Azalea and U.G.L.Y stopped by Power 104.3 for some interviews. Today, I have the approximate times that everyone will be hitting the stage. I always like to know ahead of time who is playing when so I can time my day out. So, figured you might want to know too. (These aren’t exact times, but pretty close) See you later tonight at Wet n Wild, then at the Power Bash.
- 5:30 pm: DJ SOURMILK
- 6:30 pm: AV
- 6:45 pm: U.G.L.Y
- 7:05 pm: GLASSES MALONE W/ HYPE MAN DJ QUIZ
- 7:25 pm: HONEY COCAINE
- 7:40 pm: HOK
- 7:50 pm: IGGY AZALEA
- 8:30 pm: CHRIS BROWN
Chris Brown in Hawaii!
Power 104.3 1st Annual PowerBash set for Friday August 23, 2013 at the Waikiki Shell
Streetzblog’s got the 411 on one of the biggest concert events of the Summer in Hawaii 2013. Chris Brown, Honey Cocaine and Glasses Malone are set to fly over to our island of Oahu in a few weeks for the 1st ever PowerBash. August 18, 2013 update: Chris Brown, Iggy Azalea (“Work”), Honey Cocaine ( One of Tyga’s Artists), Glasses Malone (YMCMB), DJ Sourmilk (World Famous Dj from Power 106 and the LA Laekers), HOK (LMFAO Choreographer/Dances in Chris Brown’s “Fine China” video), U.G.L.Y (Local boy AKA Braxton Olita/Signed by Chris Brown/Former drummer for Ashley Simpson).
Tickets for the PowerBash go on sale now at ticketmaster.com. For more information follow #powerbash on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. And check out @streetzpix on instagram for some backstage shots once the big night begins. Now, I gotta’ bust out my XBox Kinect to work on my dance moves to get ready for the BIG show. See you on the streetz or at the Show. And don’t forget to say “Hi” this Saturday July 20th at the Love Festival at Kakaako Park. I’ll be wearing my black Patent Leather Jump J75 Kicks with a special Love Fest Streetzblog shirt. See you soon!
Streetzblog.com 