In anticipation of this year’s street ball season, I was reminiscing about some of the highlights I captured last year, and I couldn’t think of a better song to set the mood. I’m sure y’all remember the Golden Era of Hip Hop, when the hottest tape was purple and the NY still had a lock on Hip Hop.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMhAs6qOdD0]
Here is a piece from my gal pal Miss Jaime Burnell… She shared some pics and thoughts regarding a recent trip that she made to Shanghai, China.
Enjoy,
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If Beijing is the “traditional†face of China,
Epic and culture soaked, tied to the cultural line
Shanghai is the little sister, respectful of family traditions
But mindful of its place in the new world,
And ready to jack up the pace to get there.
She respects her parents but she also wants a tattoo and a nose ring.
If anything defines Shanghai it’s the clash of old and new, 
Jostling for a presence and influence.
Glowing Red lanterns against a backdrop of high rises which obscure the stars,
Paper wrapped sweets in the trash with Starbucks containers,
Shopping for Chinese new year fireworks,
The Shamen’s new year predictions,
And Nokia’s latest cell phone creation.
Dynamic and edgy, moving forward and still looking back,
the best image of Shanghai is Mao, bold and dominating,
Looking over the river to the Pudong side as the skyscrapers
and industry engulf the skyline.
~JB
Harlem Children Zone’s Executive Director, Geoffrey Canada, is a celebrity within the nonprofit world. He has brought international recognition to the Harlem-based, Harlem-focused youth group that serves a 60-block area and 10,000 kids.
His vision is very simple: to save children. He has made a promise to the parents who live in the “zone”:
“If your child comes to this school, we will guarantee that we will get your child into college. We will be with you with your child from the moment they enter our school till the moment they graduate from college.”
He has raised a lot of money to try to do that – more than $100,000,000. The budget of the Harlem Children’s Zone is $36 million a year — and growing. Only a third of it comes from the government; the rest comes from private donations. Last year he received two $25 million donations. That’s phenomenal for a local community group.
All that money made it possible for Canada to open his own charter school in a new $42 million building. It’s called “The Promise Academy.” Canada understands the importance of public relations, community outreach and dynamic fundraising. He’s a great leader and inspiration.
.
I love Geoffrey Canada!
~Denise Gomes
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NYC can be a bit chaotic especially if you’re a work-a-holic hitmaker. If you have money to burn, take a note from Kanye West. Dezeen Magazine has some great pictures of Kanye’s new NYC apartment which is being designed by Claudio Silverstrin. The apartment is minimalism at it’s best and truly serene. I guess when you’re in such high demand you need your personal space to be a refuge. HGTV addicts eat your heart out.
Check out some pics of the apt…
Dezeen Magazine shows you around Kanye’s NYC APT
~Kofi
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Note:
Thx for the Kofi! Here is some more info about Kofi Annan. ~ YG
Kofi Annan is the designer behind Annansi Clothing Co., a socially conscious African-inspired streetwear company. Since 2004, Annansi Clothing Co. has been creating contemporary designs which combine images of African people, places, and culture with a metropolitan street style. Kofi is also the editor of Annansi Chronicles, an African style and culture blog.
People are always asking me about cameras… So, I reached out to my boy Simon Frederick in Lisboa, Portugal (a.k.a Lisbon) for advice and recommendations. Simon is a Jedi Master in my Foto Crew & a wonderful photographer. Visit his website if you want to see his work:
Check out what Simon had to say….
~Enjoy,
YG
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Young Global,
I know you are a Nikon Fiend but my loyalty is to what equipment does what for me.
Eos350
Eos 400DÂ Â Â Â 
EOS 30D
I think that right now on the SLR front at entry level you can’t go wrong with Canon.
Great colors, resolution and sharpness. Not to mention excellent prices.
If SLR’s are not your thing and you want a point and shoot. I have shot an Erykah Badu concert with this camera and there was no difference in quality between this and an SLR.
Ricoh Caplio R5
Caplio R5 features 7.24 million pixels, 2.5″ high angle LCD screen and a 7.1x optical wide zoom lens (28–200 mm in 35 mm camera format). Combining the Caplio R5’s Ricoh-original CCD-shift vibration correction method and brand new image processing engine greatly expands the range of shooting in low light areas producing high quality images at even higher ISO settings with low noise.
Peace,
Simon
