Diversity Stripped

It looks like everybody wants to jump on the race bandwagon next month...and from the looks of this cover I definitely wanna jump this guy's bones. The French gay lifestyle magazine, PREF, is devoting their upcoming September issue to the topic of social diversity and acceptance within France's borders. What better way to bring up this topic than to put one of New York's HOTTEST latin model's, Nelson Nieves, right smack dab on the cover, in the NUDE...YAES!

*Side Lipton: Aren't his tattoo's HOT???*

The issue doesn't come out till September 4th (in France) and I can't read/speak French but I'm definitely intruiged...and not just because Nelson is deliciously sexy and I've been on his jock for years now. I'm sincerely intruiged by the idea of social diversity in France...really, I am!

If you wanna know more about PREF magazine or pre-order your copy of next month's issue then check out their website
http://www.prefmag.com/

The Beauties of the THRILLER!!!

It has finally arrived. i-D magazine's highly anticipated editorial featuring Sessilee Lopez, Chanel Iman, Arlenis Sosa Peña and Jourdan Dunn has hit the internet and it's every bit of FIERCENESS that I thought it would be. The editorial, "Thriller," takes subtle inspiration in both style and title from the classic Michael Jackson song about zombies, ghouls and goblins and creates a shadowy world of mood and fashion as shot by photographer, Emma Summerton. Set to both black & white and color images "Thriller" casts these four models as dark, brooding creatures on the gritty downtown streets of the U.K.

*Those shoes are sooo impractically SICKENING!!!*

It's gritty. It's edgy. It's AMAZING. By far the best editorial I've seen this month and just like its namesake, it's sure to be a classic.


Thriller - Music Video
Uploaded by dreadcentral. - Check out other Film & TV videos.
*Side Lipton ~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL!!*

To see the full editorial and read i-D's article about the struggles and triumphs of these 4 ethnic models click the links below.
SOURCE 1
SOURCE 2

Aaliyah Haughton

To put it simply, I love Aaliyah. To me she was the definition of progressive R&B cool. She was the girl who could roll with the boys and sag her Tommy jeans with the hardest of 'em but still be as sweet and alluring as the coolest downtown breeze. She didn't have the biggest voice...or the biggest breasts, she didn't write or produce and for some she shied away from the limelight a little too much. But what she did have (a "street but sweet" soprano, aslick and seductive dance style, beauty for days and an ever present air of dark mystery), she worked.

I think it was that dark air of mystery and affinity for atypical sounds/styles that hooked me about her. I remember in her last article for Vibe magazine she explained that, at times, she favored seclusion and mystery, like a vampire. As she put it, "I have black out shades in my apartment. I push a button, it's totally dark. I think I'm a bit of a vampire in real life, and there are times when I just want to be by myself. I wanna be alone."

That strange need for escape and reflection is probably what fueled her need to defy the typical sound of R&B and create genre bending music for her last 2 albums, One In A Million and her greatest work, Aaliyah (Both classics in their own right). She and her creative team (Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Bud'da, Static, Keybeats and many more) revolutionized the sound of R&B and pushed it into a futuristic, hip-hop, electronica sound that still resonates throughout today's era of music (Just look at artists like Ciara, Brandy, The Dream, Keri Hilson, etc.)

Aaliyah was a pioneer who's understated influence continually inspires me. She's one of my faves and I miss the possibility of hearing what her music could have become. But I LOVE the funky electric baby girl blues that she left behind...Rest in Peace, Baby Girl.

I've told you my story but to see some of Aaliyah's close friends tell you their stories of their time with Aaliyah check out this FREE download of FADER magazine's tribute issue to Aaliyah

FADER Magazine #54

P.Y.T. for i-D Mag

British fashion magazine, i-D, has chosen the world's top 4 black models (Chanel Iman, Sessilee Lopez, Jourdan Dunn, and Arlenis Sosa Peña) to grace their September "Pretty Young Things" issue. The cover, which was inspired by 80's era of B-Boy Hip-Hop, R&B girl groups and loud make-up, was shot by the amazing Emma Summerton and styled by Edward Enninful.

For anyone with a knowledge of the fashion industry's continuing history of racism this is a landmark cover. Most black models find it EXTREMELY difficult to land magazine covers, especially during September when fashion magazines publish their biggest issues (Editors think black models can't sell to a broad audience...HA!). These girls served it (Work Chanel!) and they're definitely giving me something to look forward to in the coming weeks. Be sure to check your local newstands and pick up a copy of the "Pretty Young Things" issue when it hits a news stand near you. Until then let's jam to some Michael Jackson

Pretty young things, repeat after me

say Na Na Na (Na Na Na)

Na Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na)

Chad White & Kerry Degman Sell Me...SEX???

Honestly...I don't know WHAT these guys are selling me beyond SEX. But that's okay because I like SEX....I REALLY like SEX....I wish I was actually having SEX...*le sigh*.....SEX?

See if you can actually pay attention to the clothes these guys are "allegedly" modeling.





Joe Lally (the photographer) & Kithe Brewster (fashion editor) you are some wickedly lucky bastards.

For even STEAMIER shots from this editorial from Contributing Editor click the link below
SOURCE

This Is Why I LOVE LaFayette!!!

This is a clip of the character, LaFayette Reynolds, from HBO's True Blood. If you don't watch it then THIS is what you're missing out on. FIX YOUR LIFE!



YAES! YAES! YAES! YAES! YAES!

A Bazaar Stroll Down Sesame Street.

Moving on from Chanel Iman's jazzy editorial, Harper's Bazaar also printed an editorial inspired by America's favorite kids program, Sesame Street. I could just paste the pic's and simply talk about models Sessilee Lopez & Tao Okamoto, or the designers. But that would just be boring considering that the editorial is less fierce and more so ripe and ready for some comical commentary/Slaying. Let the random and bitchy comments begin.


YAES Diane Von Furstenberg!! Hail the original big yellow QUEEN herself. You betta WERK that purple eye shadow and cerulean eye liner, gurl!!

....Furry leopard print muppet vaginas comes to mind...yes...leopard print vaginas....

Why does it look like lil Ms. Abby Cadabby is sprinkling relaxer dust on Sessilee's hair?? Betch you betta leave her wind blown, hot pressed, brown gel having but still dry looking, Dominican bush alone!! There's NOTHING wrong with her strong black/latina hair!!...and you betta SERVE with that pose Ms. Vera!!

God I love gay puppet couples!! They have such a beautiful adopted Cambodian rubber duckie. Look, they even brought their "Will" and "Jack" along PLUS their 2 "Grace's"...Seriously though that kimono Sessilee has on is DOPE!




Either Grover is plotting his imminent suicide or he's sad cuz he's a size 6 and that bitch stole his dream dress. "Sorry. We only carry sizes 1, 3 and 5. You could try Sears." *flashes fake smile*

"Hahaha...this 'pole' tickles"... ;-] You betta show Ms. Herrera how to work a pole, boo!! While you're at it fix her make-up cuz her hairline (lace-front?) is looking a tad bit pronounced. UGH! Those dresses, and that schaul and belt are SICKENING!

Cookie Monster is sooo going on a cookie binge after this. Ya'll know he's got a problem. That fool's about as SICK as those boots.

Look at that "chester" stare De La Renta's got going on...Oh yeah he's gonna "steal" Sessilee and Oscar's just the type of sick puppet bastard to watch from the side line with old packets of mustard and syrup to help him "work" it out....HOT!

Chanel Iman's Got The Jazz w/Arlenis Sosa Peña

This month Chanel Iman provides a double dose of Jazz era inspired editorials in both Harper's Bazaar and MM Italy. Her spread in MM Italy, "All That Jazz," (shot by Alexi Lubomirski) is simple and playful but it's more VH1 jazz light than mood shifting, body grabbing JAZZ. In it Iman is every bit cute, child-like and airy. The fashions are nice and the mood is fun but what's missing is depth and power.





Where Iman and fer fellow model cohort, Arlenis Sosa Peña, find the real rhythm and feel of jazz is behind the lense of famed photographer, Peter Lindbergh. His Harper's Bazaar editorial, "Fashion...And All That Jazz," best capture's that 1940's era of music. Lindbergh uses some of Harlem's famous jazz spots such as the Lenox Lounge and the Cotton Club as a backdrop as both Iman and Peña provide beautiful portraits of the women of that era. Displaying her ability to meld herself into seemingly any character Iman channels the late Billie Holiday and eerily resembles the chanteuse in a few of the frames. Peña reminds me of many a young female jazz fans of that era. Young, sweet and sultry.

This jazz concept may have seen the lenses of too many photographers in its time but both Iman and Peña handle it well and deliver a moody and stunning range of images.

















"All That Jazz"

"Fashion...And All That Jazz"

Last Offence = MY Hip-Hop

Being a HUGE music fan I come across artists and music that represent various facets of my personality all the time. But on occasion I come across certain artists that I feel represent ME and what I believe in. In a way they feel kindred to me and they inspire me. Rapper, Last Offence (Lasto), is the newest artist to be added to that list and he has quickly earned a place amongst my upper echelon of favorite artists.

This N.Y. emcee (by way of St. Louis, MO and recently L.A.) is part of the newer generation of openly gay rappers making a name for themselves in the hip-hop scene. Within the last year this former film-maker to be has released an EP, Run A Lap (a good head start for this new emcee), and more recently a mixtape, Not For Non-Profit , one of the best hip-hop recordings I've heard all year.

Not For Non-Profit is a melting pot of lyrical braggadocio, clever word-play, social commentary, revealing lyrics and sex.

When it comes to talk of sex Lasto both simmers and turns up the sexual heat with songs like "Wet Dream", "Back it On Up" and "On Top." The former is an exceptional blend of 90's hip-hop flavor and sexual come-on's that finds Lasto and fellow emcee, Nano Reyes, boasting that, "Any dream about me is a wet one." The song "Back It On Up" is a banging club track that has Lasto and his fans heading straight to the wild side of the dance floor as the Jay-Z sampled chorus instructs listeners to, "Back it on up/Back it, Back it on up/Back it on up like a U-Haul truck." However, on the latter track Lasto ditches his sexual commands, preferring instead to seduce over a softer middle-eastern inspired beat as he asks, "Why are you here?/You should be living in my bedroom...I Won't stop till I get up on top/Won't stop till I get up on top."

But lest anyone start to think that Lasto is a common whore he makes it abundantly clear that getting at him is no easy task. Over the synth flares, gun cocks and sirens of "Don't Go There" Lasto declares, "Yeah I'm into these nuts and ball sacks/That's common knowledge now/But I ain't no slut, ninja/Calm it down."

Besides being someone with a healthy sexual appetite Lasto is also a slick and witty emcee who's fully aware of his talent, and rightfully so. On the dirty-south inspired track "Fresh As I Wanna Be" Lasto comically boasts that, "I'm tight, tight, tight dawg/Like a gerbil's coochie." The song "They Don't Like Me" (Which seriously reminds me of The Karate Kid) finds Lasto cleverly professing his lyrical might on an even grander scale as he proclaims that, "Whatever god you believe in/You can believe in this fag."

Putting aside his own vanity Lasto also puts a lyrical mirror to the world around him and skillfully tackles a number of social issues affecting the gay community. On "Here & Now" Lasto blends observant and reflective lyrics with a blazingly powerful horn-driven beat as he sounds off on the effects of the Down Low; "The DL epidemic the way that it hit those black men/I feel I need to scream it out/Like fuck me from the back end."

Lasto dives even deeper into conscious waters on the anthem "Who We Are," covering topics such as Matthew Shepard, Harvey Milk and marriage equality. While the guitar driven beat may be a little too VH1 light for my tastes the lyrics are enough to carry the song as he asserts that "You will not treat me like you better no more/You will not treat me like a leper no more."

On one of the mixtape's most introspective tracks, "Not Whining," Lasto waxes poetic over Kanye West's "Say You Will" beat about his presence in the hip-hop world. In it he admits, "Ninja I'm not whining/The game don't want me/Won't pump me/No tender feelings/None of those warm fuzzies...the game don't love me." What would come to many as a crushing realization about the music industry's homophobia Lasto takes in stride and counters with an iron will and unstoppable sense of destiny; "But I've invested in this/See if you die and you just let your destiny sit/And you don't fulfill it/Fuck was you talking about, Willis? Why was you here for, homie? This is not a game." That type of strength and honesty is what makes both him and his lyrics so endearing and allows him to adeptly take Kanye's beat and create something equally as moving as the original, if not better.

Not For Non-Profit succeeds in lyrics, diversity, production and wit. To put it simply, it's dope and to speak simply of Lasto, he IS hip-hop to me and his voice is worth being heard. I, and now hopefully all of my readers, impatiently await his full-length album, Rap's Misfit. Until then I bow in his honor, give him my personal stamp of approval and formally "ride his dick."

You can download both his EP and mixtape from his myspace page http://www.myspace.com/whoislastoffence

Check out a video of his show from this years Mondo Homo Festival in Atlanta with fellow emcee, TwiZza

Side Lipton ~ *That's me laughing and screaming "YAES!" after TwiZza cups his tidday.*

Still don't think he's dope? Well here's a video of Lasto in a freestyle word game with fellow emcees Medino Green and Rowdy Raz.


*Lasto comes in at 4:22*

Bry'Nt - Porn Star II: The Director's Cut

Bry'Nt's new mixtape Porn Star II: The Director's Cut has finally been released online. Here's just a taste of what Bry'Nt's giving you this go 'round.







Download the entire mixtape for free from his myspace and let the eargasms begin ;-]

http://www.myspace.com/bryntmusic

Eve - Me N My

Eve has leaked a new song titled "Me N My" from her upcoming album Flirt. On the track Eve abandons any typical hip-hop sound and instead decides to dive deep into the musical world of underground raves, techno/electronica and U.K. dubstep. The bass thumping Salaam Remi & Benga beat (which samples Benga's song "E-Trips") is filled with synth riffs, rattles, claps & flares reminiscent of the underground dance scene from The Matrix: Reloaded. Any club kid or rave junkie worth their weight in X-pills and pacifiers is at least going to wiggle their hips as Eve beckons "Just dance/Come on/Dance/Come on."

Besides attempting to incite a critical dance riot Eve also praises herself and her female friends with the chorus line, "Me and my bitches up in the club/Me and my bitches up in the club/Acting like we hot posin up for thugs." The praise becomes all too provocative when she begins to rap, "Never knew a bitch like you could dance/Never knew a bitch like you could dance/Dance/Come on!" It's all at once crude, unexpected and enticing...in a butch way.

Is the song a hit? Maybe. But it is an intruiging venture into the dance world for Eve and I'd love to see it put into video form. Check out the song below.


Eve - "Me N My"

Gracie Carvahlo: Brasilia's Grace

Continuing in my love/coverage of Brasilian models another of the country's star models is making waves in the fashion industry. Signed with Marilyn Models, 18 year old Gracie Carvahlo is already a top model in South America and is slowly making a name for herself here in the Northern hemisphere. She may not be booking as many blue chip jobs as her Brasilian counterpart, Raquel Zimmerman, but she's quietly booking gigs that most models would kill for. This Fall/Winter season the avian-like beauty's already booked campaigns for DKNY Jeans, Victoria's Secret and Kenneth Cole and shots for GAP, EXPRESS and BCBG Max Azria should be coming out soon.

Last year the girl was hailed as the next big thing out of Brasil after having walked in nearly every major designers show during Rio and São Paulo Fashion weeks. This past season she arrived in New York and Paris and walked for major designers like Stella McCartney, Kris Van Assche, Ralph Lauren, 3.1 Phillip Lim and her current employer BCBG Max Azria. Just this summer she walked for Diane Von Furstenberg and Jason Wu's Resort shows. This girl's clearly got next and Brasil's presence alive and well in the fashion world.

Chanel Iman & Jourdan Dunn VOGUE for the Young Gurls

These two look as cute as a fuckin' button together in this preview of their new editorial for next month's issue of Teen Vogue. I know this page of the editorial is dedicated to t-shirts but I love those short shorts and I DEFINITELY need to get my hands on those brazalete's (bracelets) for the new school year.

Lady GaGa Penetrates (Hee Hee) The High-Fashion World

Looking at these pictures from W magazines August issue it's clear that Lady GaGa's influence has begun to seep onto the pages of high-fashion magazines. Editor and stylist, Alex White, takes the GaGa aesthetic and melds it onto one of, if not THE, top models of the world, Raquel Zimmerman. Photographers Inez & Vinoodh capture the moody magic of this doppleganger as she gives her best GaGa chic inspired pouts and poses. "That's FASHION honey!" Check out the rest of the GaGa inspired editorial below.