British illustrator David Brownings has used nothing more than colored construction paper, glue, and an X-Acto knife to create beautiful paper replicas of Nike sneakers. The amount of detail that went into making these shoes is really quite amazing. From far away, these definitely look like the real deal. I love ‘em.

End of the year lists are one thing that I always look forward to seeing each December, during that special period of time between the magic and nostalgia of Christmas and the drunken debauchery of New Year’s Eve. We here at Jetcomx wanted to put together a special list; not just a list of best artists or best songs. We wanted to highlight the best, most interesting, and creative music videos from the year 2008. After intense scrutiny and deliberation, the crew and I have finally thrown together our version of the 10 Best Music Videos of 2008. Enjoy!

10. M83 – “Kim & Jessie”

This playful and somewhat nostalgic music video of “Kim & Jessie,” directed by Eva Husson, reminds us of a happier time when there wasn’t a care in the world. It reminds us of a time when one could just roller skate all day in a ballerina outfit and custom Nike Dunk roller skates. It reminds us of our youth – in a flirtatiously lesbian sort of way.

9. Vampire Weekend – “Oxford Comma”

The boys from Columbia University have come up with a music video featuring rolling farmlands, kids playing cowboys and indians, and white suits. It is interesting to note that filmed this music video in one long shot. This was actually the 17th take that they did.

8. Santogold – “L.E.S. Artistes”

Although no actual blood or gore is shown in this music video of “L.E.S. Artistes,” the violence depicted in it is still somewhat disturbing. Santi White’s emotionless disposition is equally as disheartening. Neither of these things take away from the creativity that is shown in this music video, though. Santi White singing on a stallion, anyone? Green sausages used as entrails? Watermelons being smashed in Gallagher-esque fashion?

7. Weezer – “Pork and Beans”

Released on YouTube back in May, the music video for “Pork and Beans” quickly became one of the site’s most watched music videos. Returning to collect 15 more minutes of fame are many internet celebrities including the Numa Numa guy, Afro Ninja, the “Leave Britney Alone” guy, Tay Zonday, Chris Crocker, Miss Teen South Carolina, and Dramatic Prarie Dog. Pretty awesome, if you ask me.

6. Radiohead – “House of Cards”

This is one of the most unique music videos that we’ve ever seen. The boys of Radiohead decided to create a music video in which no cameras or lights were used. The process that they used is somewhat complex. I’ll let Google explain it:

…two technologies were used to capture 3D images: Geometric Informatics and Velodyne LIDAR. Geometric Informatics scanning systems produce structured light to capture 3D images at close proximity, while a Velodyne Lidar system that uses multiple lasers is used to capture large environments such as landscapes. In this video, 64 lasers rotating and shooting in a 360 degree radius 900 times per minute produced all the exterior scenes.

The outcome sort of looks like what happens when you stick your face into one of those metal pin novelty things from Spencers.

5. Lykke Li – “I’m Good, I’m Gone”

Lykke Li’s music video for “I’m Good, I’m Gone” is pretty straightforward. There is no CGI, there are no green screens, and there is no editing. It’s just a live performance of the song. But this is what makes it a totally kickass music video. That, and the fact that Lykke Li uses a freaking bullhorn.

4. The BPA (ft. David Byrne & Dizzee Rascal) – “Toe Jam”

The music video for “Toe Jam” is so damn off the wall that it’s not even funny. Wood paneling, 70′s shag carpeting, and naked people make up the entirety of this video. Don’t worry though, there is no actual nudity thanks to many strategically placed black bars.

3. MGMT – “Time to Pretend”

After watching MGMT’s “Time to Pretend” music video, all I have to say is that these guys take a ton of acid. This is the weirdest music video on the list, by far. It can’t even be adequately put into words. Just take a look.

2. Kraak n’ Smack – “Squeeze Me”

Who doesn’t love a good flip book? I remember trying to make my own as a kid, but it never turned out well. The guys of Kraak n’ Smack take the flip book concept to a whole new level by making it the focus of a music video. The music video basically follows a day in the life of one guy. This is an example of a simple concept made great by amazing execution.

1. Justice – “Stress”

…And so there was one. It was difficult selecting the number one music video of 2008, but after looking at every other music video, this was the logical choice. The music video for Justice’s “Stress” doesn’t feel like a music video at all. It defintely feels like a scene from say a pre-Slumdog Millionaire Danny Boyle film. The violence and brazenness of the French street gang in this video is truly terrifying. Justice’s music only heightens that feeling. At the end of the video, the gang turns violent on their own cameramen. They also use a molitov cocktail to destroy the sedan that they carjacked.

Leaders of the Boston-area sneaker elite, Concepts, teamed up with Nike Sportswear and DJ Clark Kent, to serve a more than generous offering for the sole that is guaranteed to give sneaker heads something to be thankful for well after the holidays have ended.

The Black Friday Nike Air Force 1, personally designed by sneaker enthusiast DJ Clark Kent (not to be confused with a “collector”), has redefined and reintroduced the term “classic” in relation to this popular Nike style. The shoe is, as Clark Kent described at today’s Concepts drop, “a fly luxury shoe without the luxury price tag”. The sneaker’s details include black pony hair, lenticular material, black patent leather, and a rainbow candy sparkle sole. We’re willing to bet that Clark’s impressive 1,800 pairs of Air Force 1′s, which are part of his massive 2,200+ sneaker arsenal didn’t hurt the chances of his design making it into production.

The Black Friday Air Force 1 dropped today, November 28, 2008 at 3 retail locations (see below) in celebration of the most anticipated shopping day of the year, Black Friday. Jetcomx was present at the Concepts drop to catch it all first hand.

Clark Kent first stopped at 21 Mercer (NYC) before making his way to Boston to sign sneakers and discuss how much better he feels that the New York Giants are than the New England Patriots. A crowd of about 150 people stood outside of Concepts, some of whom had traveled from as far as California’s Bay area to purchase the shoe. The first person in line, who’d been waiting since yesterday, broken foot, wheel chair and all, was handed back his money and given his pair of Black Friday Air Force 1′s free of charge as a gift from Clark Kent and Concepts, for being so dedicated.

In addition to the new Air Force 1′s, the world renowned DJ and Producer has also put together a little something extra for those of who truly appreciate the classics; a 51 track mixtape, titled The Black Friday Massacre, featuring everything from A Tribe Called Quest, to The Delphonics. When asked about the thought process behind selecting the tracks for The Black Friday Massacre, Kent said,

“Black Friday is a feel good day. I wanted the tone of the CD to reflect that feel good vibe, so I picked songs that [when heard] can take you back to a time when hip-hop felt good. I couldn’t have created that vibe by using music that came out recently because the music that’s out right now isn’t timeless and has no identity. When you hear this mixtape, these songs that you can identify with, they’ll take you back and if you can’t identify with the songs, each will teach you something about what timeless hip-hop is.”

Listen to a sample:

In addition to the release on November 28th, the Black Friday Nike Air Force 1 will also be made available at retailers across the US on December 20th, 2008.

(Thank You to Tarek, Deon, Frank the Butcher and Jimmy of Concepts*)

Here is the shoe release schedule for Black Friday:

Nike Sportswear at 21 Mercer (4:00 AM)
21 Mercer Street
New York, NY
212-226-5433

Concepts (10:00 AM)
37 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA

Shoe Gallery (8:00 PM)
244 NE 1st Ave
Miami, FL

The Black Friday Air Force 1 with Rainbow Trim

The Black Friday Air Force 1

DJ Clark Kent at Concepts on Black Friday

DJ Clark Kent Signs Shoe Boxes

DJ Clark Kent Chats with Fellow Enthusiasts at Concepts

DJ Clark Kent Shakes the Hand of the First Person in Line

DJ Clark Kent Autographed Shoebox

The Crowd Outside of Concepts in Boston on Black Friday

The Crowd Outside of Concepts in Boston on Black Friday

Whenever someone wants a fly pair of sneakers, the default shoes everyone tends to look for are Nike Dunks. Dunks will always be stylish, but why not switch things up a bit and go for a fly pair of Nike Terminators? Compared to Dunks, the shape of the Terminator High Supremes is narrower and more fitted. The Terminators still have the typical oversized look of Nikes, but have a less bulky appearance than Dunks. The style makes me think of a riced out pair of Vans high tops.

The pair I have my eyes set on are the Nike Terminator High Supreme Snake Skin/ Silver / Navy. The metallic blue snakeskin leather treatment covers most of the shoe, so they can be a little flashy but that adds to the unique charm of the shoes. The Nike swoosh and the top back of the high tops are accented in a silver blue. These Terminators definitely demand the attention of any passerbys.

It’s been reported from NikeSB.org that the entire Spring 2009 Nike SB catalog has been leaked. This is greatnews for sneakerheads who have been anticipating this release. Included in these pictures is the brand new Low-Cut Zoom Air Veloce, as well as the P-Rod IIs, Blazers, Blazer Hybrids, and Dunk Highs, Lows & Mids. The hottest, though, definitely have to be the white canvas Mids. Check out the entire gallery after the jump.

[Gallery not found] ]]> http://jetcomx.com/2008/07/12/leaked-pictures-of-the-nike-sb-kicks-spring-2009-line-up/feed/ 0 http://jetcomx.com/2008/07/11/street-art-third-world-edition-by-sharad-haksar/ http://jetcomx.com/2008/07/11/street-art-third-world-edition-by-sharad-haksar/#comments Fri, 11 Jul 2008 07:34:06 +0000 Andrew Boni http://jetcomx.com/?p=154

Street art is something that has always captured my interest for a whole host of reasons, the main being that it often brings to light injustice prevalent within society. Street artist Banksy is often known to point out blatant hypocrisy within British society with his provocative works of art. The portfolio of Chennai based photographer Sharad Haksar, though, brings the concept of street art to a whole new level.

Back in 2005, Haksar had various advertisements of famous Western brands painted in poor Indian cities and subsequently photographed them. I find that the photo with the Indian boy peeing on the wall to be the most interesting. It is so ironic how there is a huge ad for Nike, one of the biggest shoe manufacturers in the world, and the boy doesn’t even have a pair of shoes on. I’d like to believe that he is peeing on the wall in defiance of Nike and their exploitation of other third world nations.

Another photo features the ubiquitous Coca-Cola logo in front of a hand-powered water spigot. Here, Haksar wanted to point out the irony of widespread water shortages occuring in villages near Coke bottling plants. Later on, Haksar was threatened with a lawsuit from the soft drink giant to take down the ad, even though he had prior permission from them to put it up. Villagers eventually prevented one bottling plant from opening, holding protests on and off for nearly two years. This helped to showcase the growing animosity for Coke that is brewing in India. The locals simply want Coca-Cola to be responsible for the pollution and damage that they cause. Is that too much to ask?

The third photo features the IBM logo painted above some apples on a cart. The irony here is found in the rivalry between IBM and Apple. Clever.

So even though the Piet Mondrian edition of the Nike Dunk Low SB’s have been out for a while, I’m still in love with them. The simplicity of these Dunks is a characteristic that sets them apart from the herd. Following in the artistic style of Piet Mondrian, these Dunks make use of black, white, yellow, blue, and red in a very minimalistic style. In case you were wondering, Mondrian was a Dutch painter from the early 20th century who helped pioneer a movement known as neoplasticism. Specifically, his painting Composition with Yellow, Blue, and Red is what the shoes are modeled after.

Piet Mondrian is one of those artists who’s work often gets no respect. People think, “Oh, I could have painted that. It’s only black and white lines with some color.” Well, no, you couldn’t. Mondrian’s paintings were done at a time when painting landscapes and people was the norm. If you were around back then, you probably would have been churning butter or trying to not die of smallpox.

Today is the longest day of the year. It marks the beginning of summer. It also marks the release of the third installment of Nike’s Greatest Hits summer collection. With its bold safari pattern, the “Keep Rippin Stop Slippin” edition of Air Max Ones definitely sets itself apart from the crowd. Following in the footsteps of the Safari Air Force one, Nike designers decided to don this Air Max One with the same leopard print and supple leather.

The key difference between the two is that this shoe features faux pony hair. Totally cool. These kicks are available now at the Nike Members Only Store and online boutiques such as PROPER.

nike-kobe-bryant-hyperdunks

This video is about a month old, but still awesome nonetheless. It features Kobe Bryant putting on his black and yellow Nike Hyperdunks and leaping over a speeding Aston Martin. This video was released by Nike as part of its viral marketing campaign, and Kobe was in no real danger. Within days of its release, the Kobe Hyperdunk video was an enormous success that generated huge hype for the shoe.

[flv:/wp-content/video/kobe_hyperdunk.flv 460 345]

The Hyperdunk is Nike’s strongest and lightest basketball shoe in existence. This will be the official shoe for Team USA at the Beijing Olympic Games this summer. Every player for every sport will be issued a pair of these bad boys. Hot, right?

For the more frugal shoe collector, it’s often hard to find sneaks that don’t break the bank. Pairs of kicks can be $200, $300, $400 and up. Don’t worry. There’s hope. The Nike Dunk High Pro SB Money Cat editions, part of the lucky series, are sure to fit any college student’s budget. These sneakers come from the Maneki Neko “Money Cat” series. For the past few months we have seen the high cut and low cut versions of the “Money Cats”, but now a mid has been thrown into the mix. This is the first 3 Dunk set since the unforgettable “Three Bears” Nike SB Pack.

Each of these three Dunks take inspiration of colors from the famous Maneki Neko “Money Cat”, a common Japanese sculpture believed to give good luck to the owner. The shoes have inspirational phrases such as “Feeling Lucky?” and “Get that money!” on the tongue.

So, whether you’re a high-roller or just a medium-roller, you’re sure to turn some heads with any of these shoes this Spring.