Take a look behind the scenes of what goes down at Magic/S.L.A.T.E. as the homies over at Crooks & Castles  preview their Spring 2012 Collection “A Decade Of Excellence”. Also the celebration for their 10 Year Anniversary for 2012.

Much success to you guys in the years moving forward!

“Eye On The Castle” Documentary from Crooks & Castles on Vimeo.

Nike Sportswear Releases Lamar Odom “Always On” Music Video with Track by Stalley, “Born To Win”

As apart of Nike Sportswear’s original video series, “Always On,” Nike has released an exclusive video featuring LA basketball star Lamar Odom and rapper Stalley today.  Stalley created original music accompanying the video, featuring Odom’s journey from his home in Los Angeles to his hometown turf in Queens, New York.  Reflecting a “day in the life,” this installment portrays a homecoming for Odom from walking down Jamaica Avenue and practice at Frederick B. Judge Park.  The video resonates on how deep his roots have shaped him to be “always on” by visiting various places that has helped develop his mentality and dedication to athleticism from his upbringing in NYC.

Included with this video is an original track from up-and-coming Ohio rapper Stalley called “Born To Win”, which was produced by J. Rawls.  Stalley is also a basketball player whom in high school decided to pursue music instead of a career as a pro-athlete. Understanding the heart of what drives an athlete, Stalley’s track flows cohesively with Odom’s laid-back, humble style creating a reflective atmosphere. Behind the scenes footage offers us a deeper look in to the minds of Stalley and Odom and the creative process involved in both outputs.

“Always On” is a Nike Sportswear campaign highlighting the lives of a variety of athletes, coupling them with exclusive music tracks to tell the diverse stories – on and off-court in and out of the studio, in all aspects of their daily lives.  For more information, visit www.nikesportswear.com.

Just got back from an incredible trip to Miami courtesy of Nike Basketball. Myself and a select bunch of editors were invited to the South Florida All Star Classic, Isiah Thomas’ charity game, to watch Team Wade vs Team Lebron. Since it was October I super excited about hitting the warm weather and beaches but to my dismay we landed in the midst of a tornado watch. Suffice it to say the water was off limits but that didn’t stop us from having a blast.

If you don’t know, Nike knows how to take care of you and this weekend did not disappoint. I can’t show you all of the pics but can at least tell you about some of the things we got to do. Friday night began with dinner at Nobu, easy cause it was in the hotel. After eating more than a normal person should we headed over to STK at the Hotel Gansevoort to meet up with the Nike Basketball crew. The spot was packed with NBA players (no I will not say who) and all of the eye candy you could imagine. After more than a few bottles were downed we headed over to Liv, the IT spot in Miami right now, and to my surprise, walked in to my good friend/client A-Trak on the turntables. Let’s just say the night ended late.

Saturday started with almost tropical storm level weather so we kept it low until our lunch at the SoHo House. All I have to say is white truffle pizza, insane. After lunch I went out to the beach to take some pictures during the tornado watch, was pretty intense. When I got back to my room, a pair of the Lebron 9 Cannon’s were waiting for me (Nice!).

We met in the lobby and headed out to FIU University for the game. Of course it was still pouring but that didn’t stop the fans from coming out as the arena was filled to capacity, and then some. Being that the NBA is in lockout this had to be the most All Star players in one game besides the actual NBA All-Star game. Once the players hit the floor for warm ups the arena came alive and you could tell the fans were ready for some basketball, including me! Also in attendance were Floyd Mayweather, Gabrielle Union, DJ Khaled and Mack Maine.

The game had tons of highlights and played out as most All-Star games would with steady action and a big push to win in the 4th quarter. The game actually went to overtime and if you don’t know who won, you can see the score pictures down below. After the game we headed back to South Beach for dinner at one of the better spots on the beach, Prime Italian. The spread ordered was fit for kings & queens, so good I can still taste it. We capped the night with a visit to Arkadia at the Fontainebleu Hotel. I made it back to the hotel just in time to throw my stuff into my bag and catch my 7am flight back to NYC.

I had a great time on this trip, thank you again to Nike Basketball for hosting with such hospitality, Lebron, Wade and the rest of the NBA players for an incredible game and making sure #BasketballNeverStops! Shout out to Brian & Tim at Nike and the others they brought down: George (Nice Kicks), John Gotty (Smoking Section), Adam (Slam), Jeff a/k/a Mr. Awkward (High Snobiety), Kelli (CelebTv), Brett (Pro Basketball Talk) and Ami (Cool Hunting).

“The Cannon” edition of the LEBRON 9 features a military-green theme which was inspired by Miami’s 2010-11 preseason camp at the military base in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.  Like last year’s LEBRON 8 “South Beach” shoe, the LEBRON 9 “Cannon” edition will first be released exclusively in Miami as a sign of appreciation and respect for LeBron’s South Florida fans and community.

The first shoe to combine Flywire and Hyperfuse technology, The LEBRON 9 focuses on functionality without sacrificing style.  Max Air 180 in the heel combines with Nike Zoom in the forefoot to give LeBron the cushioning he needs for quick response time. A midfoot harness and textile wings provide the stability, durability, and flexibility needed to lock LeBron in. The LEBRON 9 is strong but light, enabling him to be quick, powerful and explosive on the court.

Few days ago, our homies over at Orisue sent us a few things from their Fall 2011 line. Orisue continues to stay consistent with their approach in providing us all with great gear and superior quality.

Peep a few pics of what we got on our end, and make sure to go claim yours over at http://orisue.com/

This is probably one of the best Artist / Brand collabs done this year.

Limited Edition Fashawn Champagne Tee.

Dropping alongside our Fall Delivery 1 on the online store today is a special limited edition tee by Fresno, CA artist Fashawn. The graphic is inspired by Jeanette Beckman’s iconic photo of Slick Rick and a track off Fashawn’s latest mixtape Higher Learning 2 which has the lyric, “Still sippin’ champagne out of styrofoam cups . . .“.

Special thanks to the entire Orisue staff: Richard, Anita , Wally , and the homie Armando