The history behind the Jordan brand

Early in 1984, Nike was a struggling shoe company. The running shoe phenomenon that has fueled their sales in previous years was slowly dying and they needed a way to revitalize and reinvent themselves in order to appeal to another segment of the market. At the same time, rookie player Michael Jordan was already endorsing several products, but Nike hoped that his appeal would generate sales. Jordan, though, had other ideas. He had always preferred Adidas or the Converse shoes endorsed by North Carolina Coach, Dean Smith, and hoped to sign on with either company. Converse, with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson on board as spokesmen, were not interested in offering a better deal than Nike, and Adidas wasn't interested at all at the time; perhaps due to Kathe Dassler's death the same year. While Jordan, himself, did not initially see the significance of Nike's offer, his agent, David Falk, saw a golden opportunity in Nike's offer to create a new line of shoes called "Air Jordans." and urged him to give Nike a chance.



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Nudie Jeans

Nudie is the ”naked truth about denim”. Denim has the ability to age beautifully – formed by its user into a second skin, naked and personal. The longer it lives the more character it gets. The indigo is a living colour that fades and gives the denim its character. The more you wear your jeans the more beautiful they get. Jeans are more than just a piece of clothing.


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Money On Demand : Aric Jones

Dont forget to download this song and follow aric jones on twitter @Adotjones38

ROGER THAT" - YOUNG MONEY NEW MUSIC VIDEO (BEHIND THE SCENES)

Tyga & Chris Brown - I'm So Raw (In Studio Performance)

The history of the Levi 501

Levi Strauss is popularly credited with inventing jeans, but jeans and denim originate much earlier, in Europe. The term "jeans" may well be derived from "Genoese", a blue fustian fabric worn by Italian sailors. It was imported into Britain during the 16th century, and fustian is referred to in English literature by Thomas Hardy (in The Mayor of Casterbridge) and Charles Dickens (in The Pickwick Papers).

Denim may be an English abbreviation of Serge de Nîmes, a French twill weave cloth made from a mixture of wool and silk, and by the 19th century in England a denim fabric was being manufactured with a white warp and a navy weft. At around the same time, American weavers were making hard wearing denim-type fabric to satisfy a home market, replacing the original yarns with locally produced cotton.

A native German, Levi Strauss was already a successful trader when in 1873 he and a tailor named Jacob Davis patented a method by which the weak points of work pants – such as pocket corners and the base of the fly – could be reinforced by metal rivets. Soon, Levi Strauss & Co. was selling the innovative new pants to all types of working men, assigning to the product the number 501. The patent went into the public domain in about 1891 and other garment manufacturers began to imitate the original riveted clothing.

After designing that six figure watch last year, we already know that anything with Kobe Bryant’s name attached to it is gonna be EXPENSIVE A$$ SH*T! Well Nike has a new Kobe Bryant x Aston Martin Hyperdunk coming out that starts at $700 a pair. Pop the hood to see the shoe, and the jump Kobe made that inspired it.

Jordan release dates

MARCH
20 - Retro 6 - White/Black

APRIL
? - Spiz'ike - White/Aqua/Cement
17 - Retro 6 - "Pistons"

MAY
? - Retro 6 - "Lakers"
? - Retro 2 - White/Black/Red
? - Spiz'ike - Blk/White/Infrared

JUNE
? - Retro 6 - White/Red
? - Retro 9 - White/UNC
? - AJ 2010 - Black/Red
? - Spiz'ike - "Grapes"
? - Spiz'ike - Black/Red

JULY
? - Retro 9 - Black 3M

AUGUST
? - Retro 2 - UNC/Black
? - Retro 9 - White/Black

SEPTEMBER
? - Retro 9 - Black/Red




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Going Green?

In an effort to do it's share of work towards a greener environment. G- shock introduces 3 new models aim at utilizing renewable energy and recycled packaging. The asking price is $110 not bad.

















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What u think

Releasing this weekend Jordan spizike black/varsity red- cement grey they are going for $175



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Transformer Nikes

Nike Basketball has collaborated with Hasbro’s Transformers II movie to release a pack of three shoes that will feature various logos from the Transformers. The first shoe from the pack is inspired by Bumblebee, the Yellow Transformer who protects Sam Witwicky in the new Transformers II: Revenge of the Fallen movie. The best part about this Nike Basketball x Transformers II Pack is that not only do the shoe’s come with various Transformers logos on them but the shoeboxes that the shoe’s come in. The shoe boxes were designed to look similar to the boxes that the Hasbro Transformers toys come in. Each box features images of the Transformer the shoe was inspired by as well as some of the Transformer’s features. Look for the Nike Basketball x Transformers II Pack to hit the Footlocker House of Hoops in the upcoming weeks.

tattoo of the day

Hip Hop Saviors: Real Rap Is Back

Its been lots of talks lately of  how hip hop is dying with major artist like Lil wayne and T.I being incarcerated, And also riseing star rapper Gucci Mane in jail as well. But in my eyes real rap is back with rappers like Wale,Drake, kid cudi, Big sean, Wiz khalifa, and etc. These are the type of artist bringing real hip hop back on the scene and new styles to the game with versatility like young moneys Drake who doubles as a singer as well.

Tatted Up: Lloyd Banks

Kickin it to the max: Nike Air Griffey Max 1 Then To Now

All four pairs of Nike Air Griffey Max 1s that retroed last year were met with huge commercial success. The Fresh Water colourway was so popular, we saw a bunch of other Nike Classics in the same palette. Now look, Fresh Water is a 10 in terms of colourway quality, but this right here might go down as second to only the OG Black/Teal joints from ‘96.the grey/teal AGM1 actually looks more like an electric blue when compared to the significantly-greener OG shade, but that’s what happens when you’re somewhere in between blue and green. The teal and grey pair was set to release on febuary 20 but has been pushed back 6 more weeks

Mixtape Madness:Cassidy - Apply Pressure 2

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Aric Jones: Lemon Swag

Lil' Wayne.. Rolling Stone

For a decade, Lil Wayne has been hip-hop’s great unstoppable force, a 24-hour-a-day recording machine without an off button. But on February 9th, Lil Wayne will have to stop — for 12 months, when he reports to prison to serve a sentence for gun possession stemming from a 2007 arrest in New York City. Rolling Stone stays up all night with Weezy as he prepares to get locked down in our new issue, which is on sale at newsstands today. Lil Wayne’s World: look back at the rapper’s rise in photos. “I don’t like to stop,” Wayne tells RS‘ Chris Norris. “I believe you stop when you die.” So in the weeks before he reports to Rikers Island, Wayne is keeping busy — recording tracks bound for Tha Carter IV (the album Cash Money staffers call “C4″ because it’ll be the bomb), shooting videos with his Young Money protégés, spending time with his growing family, and deliberately not asking anyone for advice about life on the inside. “This is Lil Wayne going to jail. Nobody I can talk to can tell me what that’s like,” he says. “I just say I’m looking forward to it.” While Weezy’s away, his label is relocating to New York to be near him, and his manager Cortez Bryant is exploring ways to keep Wayne in his fans’ minds for the duration — from jailhouse Twitter accounts to endorsements. “I’ll have an iPod, and I”ll make sure they keep sending me beats,” Lil Wayne says. Tha Carter IV — which Norris is told features tougher, faster beats — is scheduled to arrive shortly after he gets out.

Lemon Swag...Download Now!

Upper Echelon 101's own blogger A. Jones (me) new track "Lemon Swag." Spittin' over Gucci's "Lemonade" beat. Download it now by clicking on the title of this post. After you listen, post a comment for feedback. It's a movement!

Lil Wayne To Be Sentenced Today

Lil Wayne, easily the hardest-working MC in hip-hop, will have his career come to a screeching halt when a Manhattan judge formally sentences the rapper to a one-year prison term Tuesday February 9. Wayne  is expected to serve eight to 10 months, assuming good behavior.The incident dates back to July 2007, when police pulled over Wayne's tour bus at around 11:30 p.m. on the night of his show at the New York's Beacon Theatre. They arrested the rapper for criminal possession of a weapon and another man on the bus for criminal possession of marijuana.

Black History of the day:Alfred L. Cralle

Alfred L. Calle was an African American male that was born in Virginia. Later on in life he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He became a business man. In 1897 he invented a cooking utensils that we know best. " THE ICE CREAM SCOOPER."

Kid Cudi X Karmaloop TV

Nudie Jeans: Jean Jackets

nudie jeans  has just recently released the nudie jean jacket for spring 2010. If your looking for a nice jean jacket for this upcoming spring u cant go wrong with the nudie jacket, and the jacket also fits to your arm and body shape just like the nudie jeans.

Mixtape Madness:Curren$y - Smokee Robinson

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Air Jordan VI – Oreo Colorway

Jordan Brand is preparing to release the Air Jordan 6’s in a “Oreo” colorway which is good news for those of you who missed out on the Black/Varsity Red 6’s that just dropped. The Black/White colorway and speckled detailing reminds me of the Air Jordan Motor Sports shoes that were released this past weekend.

Black Mamba Watch

Swiss watchmaker Nubeo and basketball star Kobe Bryant teamed up to create the Black Mamba collection. Unveiled today at BaselWorld 2009, the Nubeo Black Mamba is a limited-edition line of high-tech sport watches with a unique personality. this new creation reminds me of a more detailed vesion of the g-shock watch

The Super Saints

The Saints were widely viewed as an underdog heading into the Super Bowl due to their inexperience playing on the big stage. However, a bodacious coaching staff ignored conventional wisdom and used a series of radical moves to level the playing field, and capture a victory that few would have imagined at halftime. With the great play of super bowl mvp quarterback drew brees lead the saints to the first ever superbowl championship in franchise history, leading the way with a recordig tieing 32 completions.

Tattoo of the Day

The T.O.T.D. goes to Steve-O. This is by far one of the wackiest, yet nicest tattoos I've seen. It's a picture of himself! Now if you are not familiar with Steve-O, he's the main stuntman for the popular show and movie "Jackass." So now that you know that, you can understand why he got this piece of art...he just doesn't give a f***!

Waka Flocka explains the incident

for those who thought waka flocka was dead he's alive, and the video above explains the accident

Kickin it Back In The Day

check the photo out and just look on both jordan and pippens feet thats what you will see. Jordans has on the flu game retro 12's and Pippen has on the red and black retro Pippens during the 1997 NBA finals.

Party Boyz - Flex

It's a new dance song out called the "Flex." It comes from a group down in Texas called the Party Boyz. The song is catchy and the dance is pretty simple. I'm really feelin' it so you know what that means...I'll be flexin' a lot now! HIDDEM WIT DA FLEX!

Tattoos of the Day

The T.O.T.D. goes to Wayne. Obviously we see why, his body's marked up lil the subway in Harlem. His tats are covering everything from his torso, to his arms, to his back, to his face. They all appear to mean something. My favorite one is the M.O.B. on his chest. Want to know why? Because thats the motto! MONEY OVER BITCHES!

jordan 6 motorsports

Each year Michael Jordan Motor sports creates a truly unique colorway for the bike and kicks – and this year they are connected at an even deeper level. From the base colorway to the signature design elements – the kicks and bike were created to work as one. All white color scheme with emphasis on the elephant print design marks Year 6 for Jordan Suzuki.

Music Spotlight: B.o.B. (feat. J. Cole) - Gladiators

This song is off of B.o.B.'s mixtape that was released yesterday, entitled "May 25th." The song is serious and everyone should take a listen. It's simple, just click the title of the blog post and you'll be led to the song. After you enjoy this track, make sure you download all of B.o.B.'s new mixtape, it's nice.

Rewriting the History Books

Well folks, Kobe did it last night. He dropped 44 points to surpass the great Jerry West as the Lakers franchise all time leading scorer. He now has 25,208 points in his career, placing him at the 14th slot of all time leading scorers in the history of the NBA. On the downside, the Lakers did take a loss in his performance to the Memphis Grizzles. (Click the title for more info and highlights).

Tattoos of the Day

The T.O.T.D. goes to Los Angeles Lakers guard, Shannon Brown. Unlike many NBA players we see, Brown includes lots of color in his body art and it works! Probably of his skin color. But all in all, they look great. The green is perfect and accents all of the other tattoos catching the eye of anybody looking. I don't have a favorite with him because I just think that they all "work!" Don't take my word for it though, you can see for yourself that these tats are splendid!

Tattoo of the Day

The T.O.T.D. goes to the wild boy, Steve-O! This is by far one of the wackiest, yet best tattoos I've seen. It's a picture of himself on his back. It's outrageous but a true work of art. In case you didn't know, Steve-O is famous for his ridiculous stunts in JACKASS. Now you can understand why he has this tattoo...he really just doesn't give a f***.

Black History Poineer: Huey Percy Newton

was co-founder and leader of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, an African-American organization established to promote Black Power, civil rights and self-defense.While at Merritt College, Newton had become actively involved in politics in the Bay Area. He joined the Afro-American Association, became a prominent member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Beta Tau chapter, and played a role in getting the first black history course adopted as part of the college's curriculum. He read the works of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Frantz Fanon, Malcolm X, Mao Zedong, and Che Guevara. It was during his time at Merritt College that Newton, along with Bobby Seale, organized the Black Panther Party for Self Defense in October 1966. Seale assumed the role of Chairman, while Newton became Minister of Defense.Newton was accused of murdering Oakland police officer John Frey.Charged with murdering Frey, Newton was convicted in September 1968 of voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 2–15 years in prison. In May 1970, the California Appellate Court reversed the conviction and ordered a new trial. After two subsequent mistrials, the State of California dropped the case.On August 22, 1989, Newton was fatally shot on the 1400 block of 9th street in West Oakland by a 24-year-old Black Guerilla Family member, Tyrone Robinson.

Lil Wayne, Drake, Travis Barker & Eminem Perform "Drop The World" Performance

Featured Sneaks:Nike Air Pippen I Retro White/Black/Silver

this Summer Nike will release the white Air Pippen I retro. These pictures don’t do them much justice since they have a white background, but if you remember the original drop, you already know what to expect.You’ll have to be patient if you want the retro’s because they won’t release until May 7th. They will be available at Footlocker and other Nike retailers for $160.