Rome’s New Ride

POSTED BY ALEX IN THE INFLUENCE | THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2011 SKIP TO THE COMMENTS (0)

Rome of SUBLIME came by the office today to hang before heading out on tour in Latin America, Europe and then back home to tour with 311.

Check out the new whip… freshly painted matte black. You better believe that sucker’s fully loaded, including a train horn… ears… still ringing.

Rome’s New Ride / Blog / etnies – Action Sports Footwear and Apparel.

Chrysler announces partnership with Dr. Dre on 4/20

Matt Hardigree — The good Dr. Dre maydrive Ferraris, but when it comes to keeping those heads ringing he’s sticking with his partner Eminem and tuning sound systems for Chrysler. Ding ding dong.

Chrysler announced today that anyone who purchases a Chrysler 300S is getting the “Beats by Dr. Dre” experience. What does that actually mean? See if you can parse this bit of press release speak:

Instead of the traditional approach to automotive sound entrusting lab coat-adorned engineers as the arbiters of musical taste, Beats By Dr. Dre founders Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine worked side-by-side with the engineering team at Chrysler to design and tune the 10-speaker audio system. The resulting audio experience offers a polished and refined professional-grade studio sound that only long-time music experts like Dr. Dre, a legendary producer and artist and Iovine, an acclaimed producer and chairman of Interscope Geffen-A&M Records could achieve.

It sounds like Dre isn’t sitting in his garage making speakers for Chryslers, instead he’s helping fine-tune the algorithms for the equalizer and aiding with the setup of the speakers the car comes with already.

Some of the 300′s buyers will enjoy this feature while the rest of the demographic will just assume Dr. Dre is an audiologist. Happy 4/20 everyone!

Chrysler announces partnership with Dr. Dre on 4/20.

Their mission is simple. Make fly stickers and gear, lower everything, drink beer, and spread the hate. It’s what the game’s been missing.

LowLifeStyle is new to the game. But they’ve been here all along. While there’s alot of new fashionable words to call it, stance is not a trend. It’s what we’ve always done.

Together this collective represents our culture – and aims to share it with you along the way. Stickers. Gear. Stories. And pictures of the dopest sh*t we see.

Cheers.

Low Life Style x Junk Styles | car + culture collective.

RUReppin is officially on facebook! Check us out by clicking here. RUR FaceBook

Spread the word and tell all your friends! The web launch is coming soon.  Create & Connect!

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KOOL HERC PRODUCTIONS
P.O. BOX 20472
HUNTINGTON STATION , NY 11746

or you can wire you donation internationally via paypal to this address:

cindycampbell1@aol.com (his sister)

His sister is taking care of everything. Press release is coming later today. He’s now home ok, but he’s in need of surgery which you can help him pay it. I’ll post if there are any more updates. Hip Hop is so beautiful… Thanks to everyone for the love… Kool Herc is a trending topic!

Uploaded with ImageShack.usDJ Premier Blog » Blog Archive » Update: Donations To Kool Herc via Paypal now available.

By dienhart at 2011-01-28

By dienhart at 2011-01-28

By dienhart at 2011-01-28If Apple Designed DJ Gear It Would Look Exactly Like This.

Size Does Matter
“My radio, believe me, I like it loud
I’m the man with a box that can rock the crowd”
- LL Cool J (rapper / actor)

Back in 1985 when LL Cool J released his debut album, Radio, and the hit single “I Can’t Live Without My Radio,” street culture in the U.S. was alive with the sound of what was colloquially termed the boombox or the ghetto blaster, depending on where you were from. The cover of LL’s album reiterated the prominence of his hit single by depicting a close-up of a JVC RC-M90, one of the biggest and best-performing radio cassette players of the day. I collect boomboxes and have found a hobby bordering on obsession, learning as much as I can about them as well as playing with them and using them in my everyday life. I have a personal bias toward JVC, but this is simply because in my youth JVC was the best brand available in my community, and I still feel a strong connection to many of their products. But please do not misunderstand; there are many radios and many brands that are excellent.

JVC, or the Victor Company of Japan, launched itself into the portable radio cassette player/ recorder market in the late seventies when it released the amazing RC-550. Dubbed “El Diablo” by the Latino community, this giant monobox was devilish. It had a single 10-inch woofer, a 4-inch mid-range, and a 2-inch tweeter, separate bass and treble controls, and a big strong handle as well as a shoulder strap. It had roll bars on the sides that extended forward to protect the speakers, and even had shortwave bands as well. This unit was built for the streets and signaled a change in the mindset of portable design. Although not a stereo player, this unit was BIG!

JVC followed up the success of the RC-550 with another great radio destined to become the classic model for most designs: the RC-M70. This radio was a stereo player, with four speakers, two 6-inch woofers, and two 2-inch horn tweeters. All the slide controls and buttons were on top, including a click-down music search function and a loudness button. A great sounding (40 watts of power), cool-looking unit, it had tremendous build construction (a JVC trait) and great bass response at a time when bass heavy music, funk, and R & B were merging their flavors to begin the rap / hip-hop movement. This radio also had a special seat belt–styled click-in shoulder strap and a special carry bag as well.

JVC was not done yet, as they introduced their top of the line RC-M90, the radio that inspired the LL Cool J song. This was it: 8-inch woofers, 3-inch tweeters, a full-logic two-motor cassette deck (meaning computer chip–controlled as opposed to mechanical buttons), eight radio bands, a more sophisticated LED-lit music search, and huge dimensions, 26-inch x 14-inch. This was perhaps the best-performing, loudest radio of its time. It also had Super ARNS (Dolby B) noise
reduction to further refine its sound, as Dolby was all the rage. The unit also had an optional wired remote control with a 16-foot cord to enable long-distance (somewhat anyway) manipulation of the cassette deck.

While JVC made some great boomboxes, they were certainly not alone. Panasonic, Sharp, Fisher, Aiwa, and Toshiba also made valuable contributions both stylistically and technologically as these portable players flooded the market.

In terms of design innovation, one needs to look no further than the Panasonic RX-7200, a beautiful single-decked, logic-controlled player that boasted both a stylistic variant (the upside down design whereby the radio tuner was located along the bottom portion of the unit) and a technological innovation (a digital tuner for the radio with a green LED readout). Sized between the M70 and the M90, it also had wood-paneled sides and could be purchased with a matching record stand that the 7200 could be mounted on to create an unbroken wood panel-this was not a radio for the streets, but a radio for a posh study or library, a beautiful combination of high technology and organic warmth.

Aiwa released several beautiful units, but perhaps the best one was the CS-880. Medium-sized (22-inch long), it had its single cassette deck thrust up in the left-hand corner, and in the middle had a 7-inch passive radiator designed to enhance the sound coming from the twin 5-inch woofers and 2-inch tweeters. The Aiwa had an amazing tape deck: This unit boasted wow and flutter on par with high-end home cassette players, which resulted in amazingly clear sound. Great build quality, elegant, compact design, and amazing sonic performance, Aiwa made a name for themselves as smaller, high-quality players. This was again a unit that seemed more at home in a home; portable yes, but not for the street.

Getting back to the street, we have to include one of the biggest and most famous radios of the early eighties, the Conion C-100F from Coney-Onkyo. This was a beast! Thirty-one inches long and 16-inches tall, it had all the street cred one could imagine, as well as some design innovations. It had two cassette decks, but instead of making them tandem, they were stacked on top of each other with the top deck a horizontal slot for the tape to slide in through a spring-loaded door. It had three pairs of speakers, two 8-inch woofers, two 4-inch mid-ranges, and two 2-inch tweeters-a full range of sound production. With two analog VU meters, and LED meters as well, it was designed not just to catch eyes, but to hold them hostage! As if this were not enough, in case its size, loudness, and killer “bling” looks overcame your morals, it had an incredibly loud motion-alarm feature that, when set, went off if someone moved the radio. Despite the political incorrectness of the term, this was a ghetto blaster, a consummate example of its time, and was featured in several films, including Beat Street and Breakin’. Fisher also got into the game, but a bit late. Their contribution was the massive PH-492, over 30 inches long and 15 inches tall. This unit had two very significant innovations: One, it had detachable speakers so they could be placed farther apart to get true stereophonic sound. The speakers had individual cases so they could resonate with better acoustics, having their own cabinets. The other important feature that Fisher brought to the industry was a 5-band equalizer to further refine sound to the individual taste. With an EQ, it essentially had a pre-amp and enclosed speakers, so the Fishers were great-sounding, large, heavy units that reeked of quality.

Fisher also made a very unusual unit called the SK-300, a cassette deck with detachable speakers and a removable synthesizer keyboard! You could adjust all aspects of your synth sound- pitch, tone, and length of notes. You could change the sound so it could emulate almost any instrument as well. You could also use the onboard beats to provide a backdrop while you play the keyboard over top, and record the whole arrangement using the cassette deck! Other companies made keyboard synthesizers as well. Not surprisingly, Casio made the KX-101, and Sharp made the GF-990 with a double deck and a pop-out “music processor.”

Sharp was again a leader in both design and innovation with the VZ-2000, a massive, heavy, unique player that had a single cassette deck, radio, and a dual-stylus linear tracking turntable. This unit allowed one to play BOTH sides of the record without turning the record over, essentially an auto reverse feature, but with a record! Sharp also had the famous GF-777, a giant 4-inch-woofer and 2-inch-tweeter monster with twin decks in the upper left corner and removable speaker grilles.

The other innovation was that the main woofers had individual bass controls as well as a general bass control and a loudness button. The GF-9696 was a beautiful looker that had individual bass controls as well, but also had pitch control to adjust for different tapes.

Toshiba also produced a monster very similar to the GF-777 called the WX-1 Bombeat RT-S983. This unit had a very unusual configuration for detachable speakers, dual decks, woofers, tweeters, and passive radiators similar to the one in the Aiwa. This is perhaps the heaviest radio in existence, also with pitch control and a bass booster system, great looks, and a great name: Bombeat! Toshiba again showed their innovation with another model, the RT-S933, which had one of the most significant technical and design innovations: a built-in wireless remote control that ejected from the unit with the push of a button.

Other companies also weighed in, and perhaps the most famous boombox of its time was made so by director Spike Lee. Do the Right Thing was a seminal film about the boiling cauldron of race issues in the U.S. embodied by the microcosm of Bed-Stuy, a Brooklyn neighborhood. The object that sparked the riot on the hottest day of the summer was the giant boombox belonging to Radio Raheem. He strutted the streets, conquering all those he met with his ultimate weapon-a volume button. The radio he used to slay all comers was a Promax J-1 Super Jumbo, a monster with a ten-band EQ and three pairs of speakers including 8-inch woofers. In reality, the cheaper build quality of this radio was less than impressive, but its black case and crazy light display certainly won it points for style.

As portable radio tastes changed, so did their design. JVC was back in the driver’s seat with the multipiece PC, or portable component, systems. The PC-5 divided into five pieces with a separate radio, tape deck, and amplifier. This radio was promoted by the Harlem Globetrotters. JVC followed up with another superb “executive” component system, the PC-55/550. These units were portable, but in actuality they were meant to be separated and used at home as high quality mini stereos. The PC-55/550 had many special features: Dolby B and C, a five-band EQ, speakers with ceramic woofers, wooden speaker cases for better quality sound, and, most innovatively, an illuminated LCD panel display that showed the many functions and options of the unit. Although ever so slightly bass-shy, this multicomponent unit sounded wonderful for all sorts of music, and had one of the best tape decks ever constructed in a portable.

When you consider the eighties and portable radio culture, I realize how different the world is today. The world of sharing music in parks and on city streets now resides in cyberspace as we share in anonymity online. The boombox that marked this change from public music “broadcasting” to private consumption was the JVC PC-100, a mini unit with a detachable headset. Now you could share your music in the public sphere, or keep it private by ejecting the cassette deck and plugging headphones into it. In many ways it is the ancestor of the Walkman of today, the consummate MP3 player: the iPod. Indeed, all the radios I have mentioned here were built with the ability to plug a portable media player into them, so you can easily plug your iPod into these radios and mix the digital age with the warmth of analogue amplification and sound. Today, when you think that the iPhone is the best thing to happen to music and communication ever, remember that twenty-five years ago playing your music was a public phenomenon. We blasted our favorite jams and drowned out the competition, or went to a party and rocked it with a few tapes, a big radio, and maybe even decks plugged into it. That was how we injected the public sphere with music and soul, back in the day.

Lyle Owerko is a photographer and filmmaker with a diverse roster of clients that include major brands, corporations and human rights groups. Known for his perception and knowledge of urban movements, his instinctively crafted visual images have found an indelible place in the lexicon of pop culture and journalism. In a morning that will stay with him forever, Lyle photographed the image that appeared on the cover of the Times Magazine September 11, 2001 issue. His current projects seek to bridge ethnic borders in a manner that documents cultural groups for the betterment of the human condition. Lyle was raised in Calgary, Canada, studied at the Pratt Institute in New York and currently resides in TriBeca with his girlfriend Shaundra and their dog Luna.

The Boombox Project – The Machines, The Music, and The Urban Underground is available from Amazon.com

How Boomboxes Changed the Streets Forever.

Rememeber TDK? They made the blank tapes you used for those mix tapes that creeped out all the ladies in highschool. Well they’re getting the brand back together, baby! With gear hot enough that it might even help you score.

The appropriately named 3-Speaker Boombox is a tasteful blend of early-80′s swagger and new-school ass-kickery. The center speaker is a dedicated subwoofer, while the two cones that flank it pump out the midrange. But check it: Those drivers are edge-driven, leaving the center sections open to accommodate a pair of sweet sweet tweeters that sing out the high-register with plenty of pluck. (Note: we haven’t tested this thing YET, but it sounded pretty decent.)

The Boombox will USB-slurp tracks right off your iPod, or happily accept a stereo minijack or a pair of RCA plugs. And if you’re feeling like a jam session, you can plug in an instrument via a quarter-inch jack and play along to whatever’s flowing through the other sources, mixing the level of your licks according to your skillz with an integrated level control. Solid.

But the best part: The backside bay built to house 12 D-cell batteries. For rocking the block. Just like the good old days.

Send an email to Joe Brown, the author of this post, at joe@gizmodo.com.

TDK 3-Speaker Boombox: Oh. Hell. Yes..

(TEASER) ILLAFORNIA STYLE Feat: NAYELLI Producer: Clayton William

FOR ALLL OF OUR SO. CAL FANS!!! WE’RE COMING!!! SEPT. 25TH, 2010!!!
WE’LL BE AT THE ASIAN GARDEN MALL IN O.C.!! & ON SEPT.26TH, 2010 WE’LL BE AT THE “ARMORY HIP HOP” IN SAN DIEGO!!!! WE WILL BE THER FROM 12 TO 6. AT BOTH LOCATIONS..
*9/25/10 – ASIAN GARDEN MALL (UPPER LEVEL)
9200 BOLSA AVE.
WESTMINSTER, CA. 92683
*9/26/10 – AMORY HIP HOP
803 F ST.
SAN DIEGO, CA 92101
COME THROUGH AND SUPPPOORTTT!!!!!

454 Life Entertainment.

“This Ain’t Nothing New”  Drew Deezy, Thai, Nump Trump Feat: Suryil

“I DON’T SEE NOTHING WRONG” DREW DEEZY & THAI FEAT: BOBBY V.