School Supplies: Lee Shock

-I finally got around to buying the Spike Lee x Casio G-Shock watch we mentioned a while back, as Spike is my man and I need to start getting to class on time next quarter. Spike produced a short to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the watch, which appeared in his underrated 1995 movie Clockers (his second best after Do The Right Thing, in my opinion). The video (below) isn't terribly original and the production values aren't great, but it's got some nice shots of NYC and will still probably get better reviews than Miracle at St. Anna.
more

Music Theory: Crooklyn Dodgers

-Originally formed to record songs for various Spike Lee joints, the Crooklyn Dodgers may be the best rap supergroup in history. The group is essentially a collective of Brooklyn hip hop's best oral historians, from the legendary Buckshot to Mighty Mos Def. The group first recorded a song for Lee's semi-autobiographical Crooklyn, with a lineup featuring Buckshot alongside Masta Ace and Special Ed, and a video featuring Brooklyn legends Michael Jordan and Mike Tyson (below).

-The group's reincarnation came with 1995's Return of the Crooklyn Dodgers (below), which was produced by DJ Premier for Lee's Clockers. Their new lineup featured Jeru the Damaja, Chubb Rock, and O.C. Though it is often overshadowed by the success of Do the Right Thing, Clockers is arguably Lee's best film.

-In 2007, DJ Premier passed the torch to 9th Wonder, who recruited Mos Def and Jean Grey to record a song for his album The Dream Merchant, Vol. 2. They continued the group's legacy with another politically charged Brooklyn anthem, and paid tribute to the borough that has produced an insane amount of rap legends, including Jay-Z, Biggie Smalls, and even 2Pac. Thus, the Dodgers' constant evolution is a fitting homage to the reigning rap capital.
*The above shirt available at MooseShirts more

School Supplies: Be Like Spike

-Spike Lee is easily the most recognizable filmmaker in the country, mostly because of his ability to stay in the spotlight (or just courtside) at all times. Whether he's acting with MJ or feuding with everyone from Reggie Miller to Clint Eastwood, Spike has never had any trouble marketing himself. That said, the new Jordan Spizikes are the coolest Spike/Mike collabo since the Mars Blackmon ads, New Era recently dropped a Lee-designed Yankees hat, and Casio is set to release a Spike Lee G-Shock watch in the coming months. Unfortunately, these are all about as rare as a positive review of Spike's latest movie. more

PoliSci: Barackawear

-All this RNC business is getting pretty sketchy, so I thought I would take a moment to up Barack during these trying times. In the stylistic spirit of this site, we decided to examine the sartorial connotations of the looming election. We have been seeing a huge number of Obama tees lately, so we thought we would save you some time by handpicking the steeziest ones.
-The most common Barack tees seem to be the ones sold on his website. The designs are generally simple and straightforward, but there are a few gems (like the face tee below). Proceeds go directly to the campaign, so it's money well spent.


-Sons of Liberty have a bunch of Obama tees out, most of them based around clever wordplay and Michael J. Fox.

-KarmaLoop has a few choices for the ladies as well, from Sons of Liberty and Rocksmith.

-The video below features CA All-Star Spike Lee at the Democratic National Convention. His Obama shirt is easily the illest one we've seen. UNDRCRWN has once again outdone themselves with this apt parody of Nike's controversial Hyperdunk ads. As Spike so eloquently put it, "This is Barack Obama takin' John McCain to the hole." Now let's hope he can finish.
more

Dress Code: Down With OPP

-As you can tell, we've been intent on hyping the streetwear scene over the past few months. The word 'streetwear' is pretty loosely defined, and in our opinion that is one of its major strengths. In a world full of Stroke clones and militant emo kids, it is refreshing to see a group of small companies competing to see who can make the most original gear and kids competing to see who can find it first. The only problem lies in the fact that these companies rarely make anything but tees and hoodies.
-One People Project is a self proclaimed "blue-collar" clothing company. They're no Carhartt, but since their jeans are under $100 I guess we'll give it to them. What sets the San Diego company apart is their status as a full on cut & sew clothing line. Rather than build their entire company around screened logo tees, OPP's catalog has evolved to include such unique items as cardigans and flannel shorts.
-Despite their diverse catalog, I was initially drawn to One People Project because of a pretty simple tee shirt. One of my favorite movie characters of all time is Radio Raheem from Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing. I have been looking for a Raheem tee for years, and it just so happens that One People Project makes one (see below). That's one of the reasons I'm feelin this streetwear shit so much: people design shirts that feature stuff I actually like instead of random monograms.
more

Dress Code: Clear the Streets Out

Most streetwear brands start innocently enough. Some enterprising kid snags a pirated copy of Photoshop and his parents' plastic, throws an ironic pop culture icon or some HUGE BLOCK LETTERS on a shirt and hits the streets to promote. This is a time tested method through which some of our best young designers find an audience (remember Jack Black's biography of Stussy in Orange County?). The problem is, even Cobain's 'Corporate Magazines Still Suck' shirt ended up on the cover of Rolling Stone. Example: LRG's eco-hood designs were fresh before Zumiez turned them into the new Element. Since Rob and Big, 'limited release' Rogue Status tees are showing up on everyone and their bodyguard. Why are these companies getting stale? It all lies in the age-old belief that a brand name alone can keep you steezin'.
Here at CA, one of our core beliefs is that if it's not your style, then it's not style at all. The best streetwear companies are those that remain a source of creative designs that strike personal chords with customers. Last week, I ran across a particularly ill shirt from Akomplice:
I had never heard of the brand, but it caught my eye since I've been down with Spike and Scottie for as long as I remember. Their catalog revealed a few more gems, including shirts dedicated to the two baddest men of all time: Keyser Soze and Spud Webb.
Our advice is, dig deeper. Instead of going to the mall, hit up Goods or Laced Up in Seattle, or Locust in Bellingham. Like Plato said, "Know Thyself. And for fuck's sake stop buying shirts with cartoon characters on them. That shit is played." more

Intro to Cinema: A Spike Lee/You Joint

According to FilmDrunk, Spike Lee is jumping on the pomo bandwagon. Mars Blackmon himself recently hooked up with Nokia to make a movie filmed exclusively with cell phones. All the footage will be submitted by everyday folks according to online assignments.
Much like Do The Right Thing's archetypal Radio Raheem, we at Class Act are caught in the struggle between love and hate. We love the idea of making filmmaking accessible to everyone, but we are not quite sure about the grainy footage and corporate tie-ins. Stay tuned. more