Kobe Doin' Work: A Spike Lee Joint on DVD

Kobe Doin' Work: A Spike Lee Joint

I recently got a review copy of Kobe Doin' Work: A Spike Lee Joint and it was kind of an eye opener to see Coach Bryant at work. This flick should be pretty interesting for Kobe watchers and wannabe coaches alike cause this guy coaches his teammates on the court, on the bench and in the locker room. At one point, during his voiceover narration, he even says he didn't realize how much he talked on the court!

But during this game, a major pre-Playoffs encounter with the San Antonio Spurs, Spike Lee had 30 or so cameras following Kobe the entire time, even when the action was elsewhere. It works pretty well and Spike's crew got locker room access which is where you see Kobe talking more than Phil Jackson!

This scenario could not have happened while Shaq was on the team and I, for one, do not miss the Mountain of Nonsense. Let Kobe be Kobe!

ESPN: Spike Lee on Kobe Doin' Work

Rakim x Zoo York: Seventh Seal Skateboard Deck

Rakim + Zoo York + Dean Nicastro = Skateboard Deck

RAKIM COLLABORATION WITH ZOO YORK:

"This classic, limited edition skateboard deck features graphics designed by Rakim, Zoo York and NYC artist Dean Nicastro and will come packaged with the new The Seventh Seal CD. It will be available to collectors and fans in December 2009 at select retail outlets, www.zooyork.com, www.rakim.com, and through online promotions guided by the Cornerstone team."

Official Sites: Zoo York ~ Rakim

Available on iTunes: Rakim

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Rakim: The Seventh Seal Album Cover Variations

Extended Nike Skateboarding Commercial: Today Was a Good Day f/Ice Cube

Nike SB - Today Was a Good Day - Extended Version

"Extended version of the Nike SB commercial 'Today was a Good Day' with Kobe and Koston" and Mr. Cube!

Via Blacklisted.

Update:

Today Was a Good Day

Here's a shorter version.

Dude looks like that guy in Entourage, Ice Cube's rolling through, so where's Turtle?

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Criss Angel Mindfreak: Ice Cube Promo

52 Blocks Martial Arts System Gaining Legitimacy

52 Blocks a Martial Art from the Streets

The NY Times has a piece on 52 Blocks, an approach to martial arts associated, in part, with prison fighting, and speaks to some of the teachers.

They also did a video piece that's remixed above that I found on the FarisiDaniel YouTube channel that I've been following since I ran across it along with the 52 Blocks Knuckle Game blog.

There's a lot on YouTube including 52 BLOCKS INFO and cainmarko1.

Interesting stuff. It reminds me of a cross between boxing and Wing Chun and is apparently designed for working in a limited space. There are also training methods involving working on chin up bars and the like that make it easy to keep an eye on who's coming up on you, for example, in a prison yard or sketchy city park.

Nike Fate Commercial f/LaDainian Tomlinson & Troy Polamalu

Fate f/LaDainian Tomlinson & Troy Polamalu

Nice concept for this Nike Leave Nothing campaign commercial titled Fate featuring NFL stars LaDainian Tomlinson and Troy Polamalu.

Awful Announcing digs it and so do I.  Especially the "destruction of the coffee table" moment!

Video via illusive.

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Ladainian Tomlinson Nike Commercial, Music by TIMZ

Adam Yauch: Gunnin' For That #1 Spot DVD/Soundtrack

Gunnin' For That #1 Spot DVD

Adam Yauch's basketball documentary, Gunnin' For That #1 Spot is due October 21st in a two disc set that includes the soundtrack:

"On the corner of 155th and Frederick Douglas Boulevard in Harlem lies Rucker Park...On September 1, 2006, the top 24 high school basketball players in the nation stepped out on this court...to compete in the first annual Elite 24 all-star game. GUNNIN FOR THAT #1 SPOT follows eight of these players as they prepare to showcase their skills at the most legendary playground in the world."

"Features a Platinum Level Soundtrack Presented in 5.1 SRD with tracks by Jay-Z, Ludacris, Kool and the Gang, Nas, M.I.A, The Meters, The Beastie Boys, The Staple Singers, Public Enemy and more."

Official Site: Gunnin' For That #1 Spot
Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Oscilloscope Pictures: Adam Yauch's New Film Division

Lil Mama's Shawty Get Loose Promo for SEC Tournament

Lil Mama's Shawty Get Loose featuring Chris Brown and T-Pain is mobilized for a promo trailer on behalf of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament.

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony Honor Black [Base]Ballers w/Negro Leagues Anthem

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony opened up the ears of Bob Kendrick, marketing director for the Negro League's Baseball Museum, with The Negro Leagues Anthem.

He says their song shows they know what's up with both baseball and the Negro Leagues and it's giving him a great start on a planned hip hop cd "salute" to that history.

Via Street Knowledge Media.

Ladainian Tomlinson Nike Commercial, Music by TIMZ

Nike Commercial f/Ladainian Tomlinson

Here's one of the Ladainian Tomlinson Nike commercials, this one with music by TIMZ.

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Nike Fate Commercial f/LaDainian Tomlinson & Troy Polamalu

THE TRANSFORMERS: Marketing Romeo Miller & Demar DeRozan

Romeo & Demar Are THE TRANSFORMERS!!!

I was already surprised at how Romeo Miller and Demar DeRozan were being marketed with their initial signing event.

Today I received the above photo and the following tie-in to their senior year seasons:

Come witness the future - Romeo Miller and Demar DeRozan - a.k.a. "The Transformers" - up close and in person as they kick off their respective high schools' basketball seasons.

Who: Romeo Miller - "the next Allen Iverson"
What: Beverly High's first basketball game of the season
When: December 3, 2007; 7PM
Where : Beverly Hills High School Gym

Who: Demar DeRozan - the #1 high school player in the country; "the next Lebron James"
What : Compton vs. Bakersfield
When: December 10, 2007 8:30PM
Where: Ocean View High School

Romeo and Demar are headed to USC in 2008! Come see why they call them THE TRANSFORMERS. 

What do people think about this campaign billing these two young men as The Transformers?  I know a bunch of you out there know much more about this than do I so please share your thoughts.

Talib Kweli & Mos Def at Icer Air 2007

Talib Kweli at Icer Air 2007

Unless all you can see are first week sales, signs of hip hop's relevance to actual humans abound with marketing attached, for example at the Icer Air 2007 with Talib Kweli and Mos Def:

What started out a sketchy jump over a San Francisco intersection in 2005 and turned into an even sketchier jump over a 100-foot tall scaffolding in 2006 has finally evolved into a legitimate contest. As North America’s only stadium snowboarding event, the 2007 esurance Icer Air was an impressive display of what happens when you use the popularity of action sports and hip-hop to get corporate sponsors to kick down hundreds of thousands of dollars for a made-for-TV event that guarantees them countless marketing impressions and plenty of mass media coverage.

Sponsors included:
Title Partner esurance and a variety of other categories of sponsors including Crocs, Toyota, Playstation, Full Throttle Energy Drink, NOS Energy Drink, North Face, Chipotle, SF Weekly, Live 105, SPIN, Outside and a bunch more.

I'm just focusing on some of the bigger names.  The full list is pretty impressive and gives one a sense of how an extreme sports type event tied into a musical genre can create [or create the appearance] of a demographic that attracts the attention of all sorts of companies.

Providing a nice looking Sponsor page is also very smart.  Sponsors may not expect much more than a place in the list on a press release and a presence at the event but give them a simple online extra that looks good and they do appreciate it.  Some may even remember it but, if you keep it alive, you can just point it out on your next sales call and, if there's love to be had, there's a better chance you'll get some of it.

Official Site:
esurance ICER AIR 2007

Pics: VH1 Hip Hop Honors Celebrity Basketball Game

Real Talk NY has pics and video from today's VH1 Hip Hop Honors Celebrity Basketball Game.

[I'll check back on the video.]

Related Press Release:
VH1 Represented Hip Hop to the Fullest at the Fourth Annual 'VH1 Hip Hop Honors'

Marc Ecko Donates Barry Bonds' Home Run Ball

Barry Bonds' 756th home run ball is headed to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown but marked with an asterisk as per the people's demand!

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Tell Marc Ecko What to do With Barry Bonds Home Run Ball

Jay-Z's Rocawear Battles Izod & SouthPole for Meadowlands Arena Naming Rights

With Continental giving up naming rights to the Meadowlands arena now known as the Continental Airlines Arena, three fashion companies are competing for naming rights, Rocawear, Izod and SouthPole.

Continental is said to be pulling out due to the exit of the New Jersey Devils and the New Jersey Nets however the Arena is finally showing profit:
The authority had been losing money on the Devils, but with the hockey team gone and the venue hosting concerts by Bruce Springsteen, Van Halen and Andrea Bocelli, the facility is making its first operating profit since 1996.

SouthPole is said to have the highest bid at $2 million annually.  Continental has been paying $1.3 million a year.

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Izod Beats Rocawear for Stadium Naming Rights

Tell Marc Ecko What to do With Barry Bonds Home Run Ball

On Saturday Marc Ecko snagged Barry Bonds historical home run ball for $752,467 at a Sotheby's/SCP auction.

In a rather cool gesture Ecko is asking fans to decide what to do with this special ball.