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Sure Shot - ILL hip hop toy collectables

man am i excited today. cause today i have the scoop on a lot of sites with this one. 

my good friend, and a sort of business mentor, Tramp Daly came to visit me recently. as always, Tramp is always working, so it came as no surprise that he had new projects in the works. i really didnt expect this tho.

for those of you who have been on World Star, you've probably seen the videos to the animated show "Gangster Chronicles". well, this is the guy that put that together. along with another ill looking show to come along this year called "The Sure Shot". but before i get into all that, i gots to tell you about my man.

for all you that remember the glory days of The Source magazine, you will no doubt remember the comic strip, 'A View From Da Underground'. Tramp and his partners Haze and CEE67, a graffiti legend from North Philly/The Bronx, known collectively as C-Traze Studios, was responsible for that. CEE, also known as Carlito Rodriguez, went on to become the editor-in-chief of the mag. these dudes have been movers in the cause of presentation of the core of the hip hop experience in a responsible and tasteful way for many, many years. these are not the typical culture vultures this industry is littered with. 

now, many of you may remember the animated show on MTV called "Station Zero". well, my man Tramp and crew were also responsible for that. at its height the show averaged  2 million viewers PER DAY. the character KARAZ was actually named after a well respected graffiti writer from North Philly. these are the types of guys who never forget their homeboys, or their roots. thats why the many properties these guys have been at the helm  of have done well over the years. its immediately apparent that these guys understand the core of the culture because they come from it. and i can attest to it because CEE was a major influence on me, and i have worked for Tramp on a number of occassions on different projects (see video below). these guys are the real deal. make no mistake, shows like "The Boondocks" have this crew's DNA all in them.

so when i saw the toy line curreently being offered, i was FLOORED. for all of you that may be familiar with the toy collecting field, it is BIG money. Star Wars, Simpsons, KISS, all of these brands bring in big money in trade and maintain a highly collectable value for years. and for those of you that know hip hop toys, these are bound to be highly collectable in years to come. even if the shows only do a few seasons, these will be even be more collectable because of the guys involved. they are part of the shaping the look and feel of hip hop culture. now, keep in mind, my man's resume includes production on MTV. that means (and i don't wanna give nothin away) that these series could appear on a major network soon. or even a major web portal may pick them up. all of these things can only increase the value of the figures later on. 

now the quality of the toys are what make them special. they feel real solid and the sheepskin coats have a really fine texture. even the hair is textured in fine detail. the glasses are removable, as well as the hat, to give the figures a customized appearance. everything about the construction is quality.

the packaging also got me very excited when i saw it. it has scenes from the classic comic strip "A View From The Underground" printed on the box in varying sequence. the boxes are made from a heavy duty cardboard and are solid and weighted and should last for years to come. the printing on the box is well done with vibrant colors. everything about the packaging screams 'premium product' before you even reach the toys in the inside. trust me when i say, this is a well done, well thought out quality product.

now here's the real ill part. right now in store like Goliath NYC are now carrying these toys at a price point of $125. but for the bboycult.com readers, i have them today for only $85 USD. you will not beat that price unless you know Tramp yourself.

i put together some other things from the company so that you can see what all of this belongs to. its a well thought out inititive by people who are building quality brands. check it out for yourself...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WiLDSEED COMMUNICATIONS ......... Press Release ..... KIDROBOT TO HOST UNVEILING OF COLLECTIBLE HIP-HOP TOYS- Veteran Graffiti Artist, Illustrator, Animator Pays Unique Tribute To Rap's Golden Age - (New York, NY - May 21, 2012) Star Light Studios in association withKidRobot NYC are pleased to announce the official launch of a fresh new line of collectible hip-hop toys at KidRobot's flagship gallery and retail store next month. The brainchild of veteran graffiti artist, Joseph "Tramp" Daly, the toys are actually a small part of Daly and Star Light partner Ishmael "Ish" Ford-Bey's larger vision of bringing authentic hip-hop culture to the animation world.  Older hip-hop fans may remember Tramp's work featured in early editions of The Source, where he illustrated and wrote the first ever hip-hop comic strip, A View From Da Unda'Ground, which ran in the magazine from 1989-1995. Tramp went on to create, write and produce the first animated hip-hop sitcom for MTV. The show Station Zerolaunched during the music channel's now defunct Hip-Hop Week in Spring 1999 and was an immediate hit, drawing an impressive average of 2 million viewers daily.  These days, Tramp and Ish have been focused on the development and production of two brand new animation properties: The Sure Shot, which pays homage to hip-hop's Golden Era, and The Adventures of the Untouchables, a sort of hip-hop X-Men, which recently debuted online at WorldStarHipHop and garnered over 5 million hits. The first set of toys from the pair's forthcoming line is based on the prototypical characters culled from these shows. Representing The Sure Shot, party rocker "Prince Barry D" is an '80s throwback collectible vinyl toy who rocks a Playboy chain, nameplate belt, removable Cazal-type glasses, a sheepskin coat and hat to match. He is the first toy in a series that will feature 7 different B-Boy crew members. Contrarily,"Boss Man Ish" reps the more modern day hip-hopper and is the fearless leader of the urban action hero crew, The Untouchables. All of the toys will come with a collectible t-shirt that showcases additional characters from the Star Light arsenal. This project has been a long time coming," says Tramp. "I've been drawing and creating stories and loving hip-hop ever since I was a kid. The toy line is a natural progression in my ongoing evolution as an artist." Ish adds, "Star Light Studios is always moving, creating something new and exciting, just like hip-hop. Stay tuned. This is just the beginning." Star Light Studios' collectible hip-hop toys launch party will take place at KidRobot NYC (118 Prince St.) on Thursday June 14th from 5-8pm. For more information, to RSVP or to speak with Tramp and Ish, please contact WiLDSEED Communications. CHECK OUT THE NEW PROPERTIES BY STAR LIGHT STUDIOS

this is pretty much the resume. im sure you'll notice a few things that you remember.

this is the show that the toys are made from.

this is The Gangster Chronicles series.

this is a wall i did for a live action show that they had in production called "The Badlands". this was nearly a half a city block long. 

  SURE SHOT TOY BLUE COAT $85.00 USD

  SURE SHOT TOY BROWN COAT $85.00 USD

this is a portion of the packaging, complete with scenes  and characters from the classic comic strip, "A View From The Underground"

some even come with actual reprints of the comic strip itself

side view of packaging. 

  

GANGSTER CHRONICLES GREEN COAT $85 USD

                                               

GANGSTER CHRONICLES RED COAT $85 USD

beautiful display packaging in order to show them off, but keep them in mint condition. all  toys come packaged like this.

beautifully printed and constructed packaging.

please allow 3-5 days for order processing

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1982 (Statik Selektah and Termanology) "Up All Nite" *the flyest song i've heard in a minute!*

no joke... this is really the flyest song i've heard in a minute. i think the song or lyrics that really caught me out there was the baw Columbo Black that my man Lex Boogie put me up on. that shit was ill. this is FLY. where the feeling is like i am, not i wanna be. like how Pac's 'I Get Around' was.  i can see this  heavy on MTV 2 for the summer. i can see girls really liking this.


its got the right feel. it feels like the 90s, but with a feeling like it can rock right now. when i heard it i had no choice but to put it in rotation along with a couple of other really hot joints (shout out my man D-Sleuth). its goin down. and give me a shout if u think its as fly as i do. 

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Atticus "Poltergeist"

this is a joint i caught in the inbox. i liked it. im learning more about video from my resident expert, Didi Littlejohn, so it caught me on some points. let me know what u feel about it...

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Ran Out Of Choices?

i was reading on XXL.com that Jimmy Henchman is starting his trial for drug charges. they allege main man sent crazy keys thru his mailing system for the record companies. i dont wanna comment on none of that. cause if main man didnt do it, good for him. and if he did, well, lets leave that to the courtroom.


what i am gonna address is the fact that even in this high tech age, dudes are still selling drugs. in this digital world, drug dealing is like, so analog. i mean, most of my homies on the street right now got they eyes on the pills. the pills makin em rich too. and the penalties aint really like the drug game either. cause i mean, if u get caught out there with a key of crack, you automatically qualify for a life sentence. for ONE. why would you continue to hustle like that??


i mean, at least Willie D got caught out there with a shit load of cell phones. thats more space age than still moving substances. i mean think of all of the many things that exist now a days to make money, even if you were still lookin to do crime, that will not land you in jail forever and has a crazy come up ratio much greater than the drug trade. stop lyin rapper. the drug game is dead.


the weed man is like a friend to most and its understood that he wont get insanely rich. so the weed man is tolerated. shit, it should be legal anyway. but to their credit, law enforcement dont enforce as stiff a penalty for the weed man, even of they get caught out there with a shit load. so if ur gonna do it, why not asses the consequences as well? aside from the fact that i love my daughter and would never leave her for a jail bid like i did to my son,  it just doesnt make sense business wise. the risk is too great. what, yall stuck for ideas?


now, look at how the whiteboys hustle. they get pinched on ponzi schemes after taking like 900 MILLION from a set of suckers. and they do it all the time. a million here, a million there, to go sit at one of those federal institutions with no gates that they can go home on furlough from. im not encouragin nobody to break the law, but dam. if ur gonna do it, why not do it til u satisfied?


i mean to choose to make money thru violence and the hard uphill struggle that being a success in the drug trade entails is really sort of psychotic. naw seriously...why would anyone choose to put themselves in a situation where the outcome is possibly dying unless there was some real issues with that person? if someone played in traffic on the highway, you'd look at them like they lost their mind. how is it any different livin in a world where the same threat of death that is just as random? think about it, dudes really think that there is something cool about being locked away. ?????? away from women, away from their mothers, children and all access to living a decent and respectable life. there must be an illness to accept this as a part of life that is necessary rather than a life where there is the absence of confusion. and i aint sayin this from some self righteous space. i been there. and i have since treated my self of this disease.


the more i dig into this legal legit thing, and ive spent the better half of the last 10 years starting businesses and having successes only to arrive at the point where the people ive worked with have sabotaged that success in one form or another. but even still, i see the potential for making bread on this side of the fence as infinitely greater, because there is no limitation on how much i can stack. in that illegal life, when u make money, u are always challenged with the idea of where to put it. how do i justify this? who's looking? in this legal life, there is way more bread up for grabs. it is literally all of the money in the world at stake. 


so i say, get legal money. its workin for Jay and 50. and look at how 50 do it. he actually has members of THE NYPD AS THE PEOPLE WHO PROTECT HIM EVERYDAY. him, Boo Boo, a drug dealer from Queens. if that aint gangsta, i dont know what is. and if u are really too far gone in your illness to treat it, then at least find a new way to abuse yourself. 


now air it out...

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Bean Bean

im a single father. it has turned out to be the single most rewarding thing i have ever done. especially for a guy like me.

as a young man, my vanity in my stringy hair and the amount of money i used to make on the street kept me in an arrogant place. i stood a girl up for her senior prom. i made a girl buy me an MPC drum machine ($1800) and i never so much as kissed her. i even, at my worst, made a girl stand in the corner when she said she's do anything for us to stay together.

my mother never saw any of that from me. there was times she wouldnt see me for months because i would never let her see any of my illegal dealings. my mother never even saw me smoke a cigarette. i have never respected a female as much as she. that is, until the day my daughter was born.

when my mother passed, i was plannin on doin somethin real dirty to a person that did me real dirty. but when she passed, noting seemed to matter. that thing that kept me rooted, or at the very least embarrassed to go off the deep end was gone. or so i thought. because i recognize that same power in my daughter. she looks at me with absolute acceptance and forgiveness and only hopes that i make her smile again. she has taught me a meaning of love that is not only selfless, but self sustaining. you see, im not willing to die for her today. im willing to die for her right NOW.

this experience has turned the memory of my mother from being a saint into a demi-god, for she who bore the burden of caring and providing for three children on her own, to actually marrying a man that she didnt love just to bring stability into the lives of her children. see, its that selfless example had made me ice cold to the selfish desires of women over the years. but she grew to love him, as did i, up until the day he died. i like to say he aint the man who gave me my cheek bones. but he damn sure the one who gave me my backbone.

so imma stand strait when i say how much i respect the single mothers who take care of their children without any help from a man. i can finally say that i understand how strong you actually are. you are awesome. i have first hand knowledge of your power. and for the many men that i meet, that are just like me, who iron dresses and do hair, i salute with a supreme respect that manhood is NOT a right of gender.

my daughter is singlehandedly making me into a better person. i am becoming a man i respect. more than just a provider. but PRESENT. for my future she, you will encounter a man that is ready to be one. and i will be a good man to you and for you one day, simply because i want to be. because i have abused so many, just to learn how to treat you right.

thank you Serene. daddy loves you...

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Waves NLS Analog Summing In The Box!

ay man, this thing got me excited! when i saw it, i was like whoa. for all of you that do audio (and im sure thats plenty of you) you all have been in the center of the controversy of the analog vs digital debate. and if you do audio, you know that that divide is on a steady decline. it used to be a time when the feeling of depth and warmth that could only come from an analog processor, this was an easy debate to have. analog wins. but now a days, there are digital processors that have a lot of character and are go to tools for top mix engineers worldwide. one such processor that comes to mind is the Waves Renaissance Compressor, which  has found a lot of utility and a lot of praise for its ability to give the character of a top analog processor. so based on that, when i saw this , i had to share it with yall. 


this looks like the solution for the dilemma for those trying to reconcile the two worlds. the fact that it is modeled on some of the worlds most successful consoles is enough  to make me want to buy it. no scratch that. my experience with the quality of the Waves processors makes me want to purchase this. for all of us looking to make the best recordings, it really is about the tools. no scratch that... its about the taste of the engineer. i think anyone using this would have great taste. check it out.

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Old School Philly Graffiti

for those of you who may not be aware, Philadelphia is the birthplace of graffiti. if that shocks or amazes you, dont worry, i'll explain all of that later to you in a later post. but for right now, that needs to be said in ordder for you to realize why this video is so dope.


the guys in this video are not just fly by night writers. naw, these were dedicated respected adherents to the art of graffiti. and if you know anything about the Philly form of graffiti, it is highly stylized writing that exists in a competitive environment of who gets up the most in the hardest, most clever places. and these dudes did it for real. 


so for all my bboys, sit back and take a minute to get a glimpse into a golden era of hip hop in a place that is responsible for one of the largest components of hip hop. and if you dont think so, then it is definitely the FIRST component of hip hop. we was writin on walls almost 10 YEARS before Kool Herc. 


now air it out...

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Nike Montreal Racer

This is one big throwback to the seventies era. They are set to introduce vintage racing shoe from the previous month. It is also designed for the first ever athlete endorser of Nike with the waffle supported silhouette made out of premium suede and some nylon. It also has aged leather that works on the swoosh logos and the heel tab. It comes with a foam padded tongue too and a midsole that is yellowed to make it a lot more vintage.


these joints is mean. imagine with the faded out denims. you cant go wrong. camo shorts? please. i rocks wit these heavy. the green and yellow joints is murder.

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Vicki Anderson "Message From The Soul Sisters"

for those of you that know, music, you may know who this is. if not then i know you know the voice. for all of you that have heard songs like "Fake Ones" by Lil Kim have heard this song. of course, this record was produced by the true king, James Brown, who is really the father of a few music styles, directly or indirectly. i know that these people from back these times just had a whole 'nother kind of cool. so enjoy. and trust me, more content is on the way. and more consistently. ride wit us...

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