Jay and Jordan: This Means War

I was watching a Yankee game the other night, in which the umpire clearly called a low pitch to A-Rod a strike. A-Rod didn't say anything, but commentator Paul O'Neil pointed out how A-Rod used his body language to make it clear without saying a word that he thought the umps call was bogus. It's the same thing in the world of hip-hop. You have your "Ether" moments when we witness one man use words to publically eviscerate another man, and then you have your more subtle messages that fly under the radar for all except for a handful watching closely.

In this Rocawear ad, witness Jay's footwear. I can't speak for past ads, but even though Dame Dash and Jay have gone their separate ways, there is still a business connection between Rocawear and Pro-Keds. I'm not gonna say what Dash said when I asked him what he thought about Jay selling Rocawear and how he thought it would affect his company (gotta save that for the article), but I'm thinking this image of Jay rockin some sickalicious Jordans says a lot:


^^I got my Jordans on and they look like real sneakers

Note: And on an altogether different note, what kind of message is Jay sending Adidas/Reebok, with whom, as far as I know, he hasn't officially ended his shoe deal. Or maybe he has.

Source of image: Bossip.com

Dame Dash

I interviewed him yesterday. The focus was on Pro-Keds, but we chatted about a LOT of stuff, including his old partner, Jay-Z. Naturally, I'm not gonna talk about details. Those get saved for the story I'm writing. But I will say that he was an interesting interview. There's that fog of fame that surrounds him, plus the fact that he talks about a million miles/hour. But what was cool was that he had NO editor. He really just said what he thought. I've interviewed LOTS of people and it's very rare that people speak like that and those who have had a lot less at stake than Dame does. Never once did he say something (and trust me he said some pretty controversial stuff) and then follow with the typical, "Don't write that." or "That was off the record." Still, while he was open, it was tough to get linear answers out of him and I think that's cause he just think like that.

p.s. As I'm typing this, I'm watching Beyonce as she narrates the many videos she made for her bonus tracks for VH1. Ya know, I don't always feel her, but damn, the music and the videos cannot be denied. And I love how close she is with her Moms. For real, this woman's talent and drive is pretty incredible.

Damon Dash: White Sneakers and Ascots Are OUT

Dame recently did an interview in which he proclaimed,“White sneakers have started to fizzle out, which is weird to me because I’ve always loved white Nikes." You're not alone, sweetie. Two of your ex-OG buddies--Russell, Jay-Z, can't give up the all-white Uptowns either--though at least Jay seems to be trying to make the change.

Dame gave the interview in an effort to hype his ever-lagging Pro-Ked sneaker line, which appear to be modeled after, shocker of shockers, Air Force Ones!

Here's another quote from the infamous Harlemite:

“When I was younger, I always thought about how I would design sneakers,” he says. “And I had some ideas for Nike and adidas, but it took too long to execute them. So I thought that if I could find a brand that would allow me to be as creative as I wanted to be, that represented the ideals and rules that I live by, I would buy it.”

The reality is, Dame felt he could make more money if he had his own deal. As well, Nike doesn't make a shoe unless they can tie it back to some form of performance and that doesn't include a former partnership with a rap artist. And based on Adidas's recent announcements that it would like to end Reebok's whole series of rap-artist shoes, I don't think there's much of an opportunity with the three stripes either.

Timelessness is important to Dash, who looks beyond urban brands to Ralph Lauren and Coco Chanel for inspiration. With wife Roy’s help, he hopes to make shoes that transcend the urban market. “She gives me a whole other layer, and I don’t make a move without her,” he says. “If I can make a sneaker that resonates with the urban buyer and can also resonate with a high level of fashion, I’ll be happy.”

Oh yeah, those Pro-Keds look TOTALLY influenced by Ralph and Coco. They're not urban at all!