Where did Planking come from? Who started it? Why are people doing it? These are questions that's been plaguing me for the last 3 days. I haven't gotten any sleep over it, truthfully. Well all I know is that after sneaking a coule of beers into seeing Transformers 3 last night, we decided on coaxing Brian The Dogg (everyone's favorite ANML), into participating in the latest craze. Planking.

Planking on the bike rack of a South Philly bus. Don't try this at home. Can you see me and @_itscrazy in the background? Haha and then he decided on planking on top of a phone booth.

And then the unexplainable happens. Fellow ANML @NolitaZita laughed so hard at all the planking going on that she had to take a shit. Twice. Once inside a shopping cart. No, not really. But that's what it looks like, right?

Second time's a charm.

I love my friends.

Download PandaRadio Volume 2 HERE

As promised, here I present to you PandaRadio Volume 2! Not only is this about the great, new, and most often underground music that I surround myself with, but also the art to represent the brand. Each mixtape cover has cool, edgy, AnmlHse art that mostly describes the mind of PandaReemy. S/O to the artwork by ALFIE and colorwork by Keith Squirrell. S/O to the animated model Sandy B. too! This one came out great! Download the wallpaper HERE.

Now onto the mixtape, you can expect the same greatness as the last PandaRadio (which you can still downlaod HERE). Like it says labeled above, this mixtape features a bunch of artists, some more known than others, but of course equally as inspirational. I've been listening to the playlist all month, and so should you. Download PandaRadio Volume 2, HERE, and enjoy it as much as I have! Spread the word :O)

I never did a music post quite like this before, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to start now. And so it goes, as we here at AnmlHse are trying to do special Articles a little more frequently, I decided what a better way to end the year then to showcase a couple of our personal favorite Hip-Hop artists. All unique in their own sonically driven style, and all from different walks of life but with one common goal as I see it, which would be self expression. Every single one of these artists are an individual, which is seemingly hard to do these days with all the carbon copies you have to sift thru. These artists are either underground, or on their way to the mainstream with their seminal portfolio of work. Definitely take a look at each of these artists on your spare time. Like them, love them or even hate them, but most of all respect them and their craft because individually each artist is definitely destined for greatness.

Theo Martins: If ur an avid reader of the AnmlHse blog u know about the homie Theo, but if not we're here to tell u a bit about the kid. As far as I can remember, Theo has been a good friend of the AnmlHse brand, it's almost as if our careers rise to initial-internet fame go hand-in-hand. There was projects such as The Birth and You Can't Do That On Television but my personal favorite was Channel Surfin'. Dude's so cool he even did a couple of audio drops for Volume 1 of AnmlHse's BYOB Mixtape. Lyrically he dips in and out of metaphors easily, without compromising his flow or character. When describing Theo, I always tell them that he's "the hip-hop artist for everyone". Check out his Remix of Kanye's Power, which is SUPER DOPE!

Notable Mention: Power Dance Remix (video)

Tyler, The Creator: Hmmm, I don't even know where to start with this artist. But I will start off by saying that Tyler & the Odd Future movement has to be my favorite musical entities of 2010. His classic debut mixtape, Bastard, dropped last Christmas and it's been a wild year for this 19 year old rapper/producer. Everything about the kid is DIY, carefree, independant, raw, edgy but also very honest & true. That's key when describing who he is and what he represents. A lot of people enjoy the freedom of uncensorship, he abuses it with a nail-driven baseball bat and shoves the middle finger to whoever disagrees. Not only does he have the internut buzz'n, but industry heads and music journalists are already watching this kids every move. A lot of people claim "Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (OFWGKTA) is the new Wu-Tang, but I'd like to simply say these cats are the new Big Deal and 2011 will be the start of something truly GREAT and refreshingly unexpected.

Notable Mention: Bastard (mixtape)

Jesse Boykins III: Quite possibly the greatest upcoming R&B/Soul artist in the nation, Jesse Boykins is also a great performer and a really humble dude. He was recently the only unsigned artist nominated for a 2010 Soul Train Award. His collabs with Theophilus London are always amazing and his Remix of Kanye's Runaway and Cover of Andre 3000's Prototype are addictive tracks that anyone will fall in love with at first listen. According to him, he's bringing back the Romantic Movement, so don't be surprised if he's the next "Trey Songz" all over the radio getting the ladies panties wet. If you want to get a feel for the JB3 vibe, check out his video for Amorous and Pantyhose. Instant classics.

Notable Mention: B4 The Night Is Thru (single)

Yelawolf: I've talked to a lot of people lately and they say that they never heard of Yelawolf before that kick-ass cipher at the BET awards. I was surprised because he's an artist I've been following for awhile now.  I first noticed him on Twitter, thru my homeboy Telli from Ninjasonik with the cosign and then noticed him in a video with Hollywood Holt during some coverage of last years SXSW music festival. Later on I downloaded Trunk Muzik and it was undoubtedly apparent that this dude was a PROBLEM! Lyrically, his content is dirty urban white trash hipster rap but it's also so very honest and seemingly super cool. His flow is what sets him apart from most rappers these days, and his cadence on any beat is unique and fresh among all the laid back stoner rappers of right now. He's someone to look out for if you like that authentic down south music with a little hipster twist to it. The dude can rap his ass off, I suggest you check him out.

Notable Mention: Trunk Muzik (mixtape)

Rye Rye: Baltimore's very own, she's representing heavy with authentic electro-dance-rave music. It's no surprise that her style is very reminiscent of M.I.A.'s, the person who signed her as the first artist under her wing. Rye Rye is unique because she brings the whole Baltimore Club Rap style to a whole other level with grimey, hard-hitting, booty bass, headbangers with the likes of Diplo, The Neptunes and M.I.A. at her side blessing her with collabs & features. She's also an amazing performer from what I hear (SXSW 2010) and I know that 2011 will be a crazy year for her as she expands musically. We'll see what she has in store when her album drops in the 1st Quarter of 2011.

Notable Mentions: Bang (Nayce Remix) feat. M.I.A. (single)

Theophilus London: Here's another artist who we've been blessed enough to work with from his humble electro-hop beginnings, blossoming into a well rounded soulful artist. Always true to himself, you never know what to expect next. His music is sure to keep you on the tip of your toes, as well as dancing. We had him come to our 1st Anniversary Party and perform a couple of songs and the dance floor was crazy! People didn't even know his songs but they loved it! He has the ability to evoke a wide range of emotions in his music, and it's evident that classic cool and edgy romance is a big inspiration to this artist. In 2011 we will see the release of his first studio album, as well as mind-blowing collaborations with many mainstream artists. You'll love this artist as much as he loves, love.

Notable Mention: Oops x Lindsay Lohans Private Party (video)

Gilbere Forte: If there was one artist on this list that is the epitome of grind, I'd have to say Gilbere would be exactly THAT. Synonymous with focus, Gilbere is a friend of the AnmlHse brand that knows who he is, what he's capable of and what he wants his music to represent. He's another artist that always stays outside the box, and would rather observe and report from his own point of view. One day he'll rap over indie-electro vibes and then onto some next hardcore rap beats all the way to classic hip-hop cuts. His vision is as strong as his team, Raak & DeNiro, and you'll be seeing lots from Gilbere Forte in 2011.

Notable Mention: 87 Dreams (mixtape)

Melo-X: Also known as Melo Mustafa, he's the epitome of a modern day renaissance man. Being Melo-X is like being NYC's da Vinci. The ultimate DJ/Producer/Rapper/Photographer is quite a handful of talents, and Melo is quite adept at every craft he delves into. He's been in the game for years, responsible for being the creator of Sway's infamous "Electric Punanny" weekly party with famed Roxy Cottontail. He also is a frequent collaborator with other NYC greats Jesse Boykins, Mickey Factz & Ninjasonik. I met him thru the Royal Underground street legend, Quan Luv (ALIEN NYC) and later realized he's more than just a DJ, he's actually a superdope Producer & Rapper. Recently, he dropped his new album/ep titled; More Merch, which is a continuation of his previous project Rise Of The Merch. These last 2 projects showcase his lyrical talents more than ever. Entirely a religiuous believer in DIY, anything crafted by Melo-X himself is worth taking a deeper look into.

Notable Mention: More Merch (mixtape)

Tu Phace: If you're in the Philadelphia area then you either know, or know about this guy right here. Tu Phace is easily one of the dopest personalities Philadelphia has to offer. Creative, easygoing and stylish to match, this guy is the perfect indie/hip-hop artist. He's also the host of famed Silk City's Thursday night party, "Mo' Money No Problems", with collaborative DJ Sammy Slice. Mike Taylor, as I know him, is a frequent traveler to California and his style & lyrics represent that. His laid back, but complex flows are always inviting and his singing is actually quite pleasing as well. Keep an eye out for this guys debut album, the anticipation is crazy!

Notable Mention: Searchin' For Summer (video)

Trouble Andrew: This guy is responsible for, quite possibly my favorite mixtape of the year (besides Kush & OJ of course). Notorious for his pro snowboarding career and being engaged to Santogold, he's equally as lucky to be so talented with producing and song structure. His energy on tracks and musical connects is crazy! I mean, he brought Lil Jon & Spank Rock on the same track for a epic punk-rap/crunk/hipster collabo! Definitely more for the punk hipster partygoers with his high volume, bass addictive tracks that'll have you chugg'n shots and dagger'n random chicks in a dusty divebar. I'm definitely on the lookout for some more music, and I feel like he'll be make'n big moves in 2011 with even bigger artists.

Notable Mention: Trouble Gang Volume 1 (mixtape)

Asaad: Before I say anything about dudes musical ability I wanna say first and foremost how much I respect him. I consider him one of my peers on the Philly scene and a cool kid to always randomly chat with. Respect the dudes grind because 9/10 he's in the studio working on some new material. One time on Ustream I remember him mentioning that he had over 40 songs for a project with no more than 16 songs on it. That's work! Considering the dude is younger than me, it's always great to see the younger kids with talent actually doing something to make a difference and inspire everyone. He's had quite a bit of buzz for over a year now, and everyone always anticipates his next single or promo video because he's an interesting character. Intellect is deep and introspective, but yet also still glazed on the surface is a bit of street smarts you would find in the older OG's in the game. Seems to me that he has the game figured out and he's finding his niche at the moment. I predict with his next release, NO.19, he will have Philly on lock as far as the young MC's go. Bet on that.

Notable Mention: Flowers (mixtape)

Here I proudly present to you, BYOB Volume 2, a Mixtape Series created by the good folks here at AnmlHse along with the good homie DJ Philly Will. Click the photo for a wallpaper of the special BYOB cover illustration and click HERE to download the full mixtape. Let us know what you think, it's been a pleasure to compile great songs from new and upcoming artists in the scene. Also, if you're an artist you can email me (panda@anmlhse.com) BYOB submissions for Volume 3 & 4 dropping Winter 2011 and so on. Thanks to everyone for the support and enjoy!

Tracklist

Around this time every year for the past three years marks a historical day for hip hop and music in Philadelphia. The Legendary Roots Picnic...that’s right, only three years in and it’s that legendary. Aside from enjoying about 20 major artists perform in one place for only $50, you’re able to enjoy the presence of thousands of people while getting a tan. The price is definitely unbeatable as well as the experience. I was able to catch acts by Jay Electronica, Mayer Hawthorne, DJ Jazzy Jeff, THE LEGENDARY ROOTS, John Legend, and 1/1000th of the Wu-Tang Clan!!! We missed performances by Money Making Jam Boys, The Clipse, and Vampire Weekend.

Here’s Briana, one of the few friends I ran into before my disappearing act to backstage. Visit Philly were kind enough to hook me up with an extra ticket, a media pass, and access to their tent with all you can eat and drink. I ran into Nikki in the tent. I’ve been running into her a lot lately and our conversations don’t go pass these famous cookies she makes that I keep hearing about. Maybe after I try it I can finally compliment her on my favorite track off of Lupe’s The Cool. Asaad was well on his way to causing trouble backstage. Phsh was DJing for the Money Making Jam Boys set. If you’re unfamiliar with the name, from what I hear it consists of Black Thought, Dice Raw, STS, Truck North, & P.O.R.N. I thought about stealing this and my possibilities of getting away with it. The Vitamin Water set up. Don’t let Thought’s tough rhymes fool you…he’s a kind man at heart. Dice Raw and P Crack Cocaine! I met this guy shooting for The Source. He was telling me that he wished more people did illustrations over images. I told him “what a coincidence, because we did something just like that last year.” No introduction needed. If you haven't checked out Mel D Cole’s shots of the picnic yet, go ahead and do yourself a favor. DJ Diamond Kuts, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Amanda Diva Cory from Babylon Cartel and his fam. Gianni Lee from Babylon Cartel shows off his girly taco meat. Go hard or go home G. Since we in Philly…I’ll give you a Rocky shoutout. AAAAAAAAdriaaaaannn!!! Harrison makes an appearance. Jay Electronica is a BEAST if you didn’t already know. Rochelle was my backstage partner. She kept me from jumping into the crowd. Amanda Diva takes a break from her hosting duties. Early signs of Wu-Tang chants. Jazzy Jeff goes on for 10 seconds before his turntables die on him :(. Mayer Hawthorne just got added to my iTunes rotation. Everyone’s favorite uncle, Ron, shows up to the party. Deniro handles Anigma Entertainment aka #TeamAnigma aka look out for Gilbere Forte’s 87 Dreams because it’s a problem. Hustlers. I don’t think anyone has seen Questlove all day until the performance. John Legend makes an appearance. Wu-Tang Clan in the building!!! Here are the other 997 members of the clan. I think I’m going to frame this one.

215 Magazine hand-selected a core group of 50 influential people within the Philadelphia area for the Vitamin Water bike tow to the Roots Picnic. In essence, it was the free agent summit. Although the full list wasn’t able to come out, I was very privileged to be able to connect with the batch that was able to enjoy the ride. This post should do at least 1 of 3 things: bring Vitamin Water an increase in revenue, annoy the crap out of you with subliminal ads, or get me a year supply of that purple stuff. Edwin’s is a full-time foursquare addict, but when he is not doing that…he is the mayor of Uristocrat. When Set Free isn’t blogging, he’s out on productive mode. Tayyib, the orchestrator…needs no introduction. Plain ol’ Gravy does the PBR thing and jumped the fence by repping a healthier beverage. I wonder what the higher ups have to say to that. Sabina was riding with us too :). Snoopy was riding on a flat the whole day…he’s what we call the weakest link. Noah is working on our power moves, right? Catz out the bag. I need one of these. Or one of those. Sheldon runs local online shop AUF Philadelphia that carries a lot of brands, including ours. Ask anybody around and they’ll let you know that Thursdays at Silk City for DJ Sammy Slice’s Mo Money No Problems is the place to be. Water Ice FTW! Leah runs Phrequency when she’s not being a sister of a friend of a girlfriend of my friend. I’d give this photographer a link, but she doesn’t have a site. But one thing is for certain, is that Rochelle seems to have more connects than I do without one :(. We made a quick pit stop at the Fresh Melt Water shop. Look at Edwin about to have a heat stroke…haha. Had to do it to them Jazzy. PBR keg FTW!!! You know what they say about drinking and biking…nothing! Ok that’s a lie, it’s against the law to drink and bike. Now you know...because knowledge is power! Joey from Fresh Melt Water told me a while ago that he frequents this here blog daily, although I don’t think anyone in their right mind should. Andrew of Fresh Melt Water plays the cool guy. ...See. Selina Carrera’s flow is stoopid. Emphasis on the misspelling. Next stop…The Roots Picnic.

First Fridays are no strangers to us as we have made plenty of journeys to Philadelphia's Old City in the past couple of years. This past Friday, McJawn and Phrequency presented the Made In America art show at the Trust Gallery with a portion of the sales going to a fund for Sabina Rose. The show featured a mixture of 40+ artists with pieces ranging from wood carvings to bottle cap art to traditional paintings. This was my favorite piece of the show for the simple fact that I wrote his name down...Alex Passapera. It carried the style of a traditional painting but showed plenty of elements to characterized itself into Neo-Pop. I found it pretty nifty that not only did the females have squid heads, but also male body parts. At first glance, it reminded me of Botticelli's Birth of Venus but with slimmer bodies and what I would think to be a total opposite title ... 'Death of Sheep'. Along the way to Brave New World comic book shop, we stumbled into carnival-like festivities and artist alleys. The art gallery at the comic book shop attracts their avid followers every month, with this month's pieces being mostly themed around popular culture characters. The Ren and Stimpy piece was my favorite. Although the piece itse'f is a print, it reminded of a time when I was fascinated with collecting limited edition animation cels. Rocko's Modern life fits somewhere in my top 10 Nickelodeon cartoons of all time...and I'm sticking with it. Before it got too late we made our way to the Speak Easy Art Show presented by 215tayyib and Questlove. The show feature a few local artist like Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, El Toro, and FlyGirrl. El Toro strike again. Later I ran into some friends from Sweettooth Specialtees who set up some pieces outside of the galleries.

This weekend I attended the infamous 40oz Bounce with some crazy Anmls and here's some of the dope flicks of everything that jumped off that day. We were pretty much the first ones there, even before the DJ at 1pm. We kicked back, met a couple of new cool kids and drank the free 40oz's they had on deck. My homegirls of the Black Kats had "Organic" brownies & cookies so you already know what the deal was with that. I also linked up with the coolest ninjah outchea, Chinelle, as well to chop it up about our future collab and on a dope project she's been doing called Duces II. Check that out when you guys have the chance. Uptown was definitely the move that day, it was warm as hell so all the girls came out either look'n scandalous or extra cute, FTW either way. The homies came out with their dogs, not a big fan of that idea haha but it was all good. The grill was cook'n as well, my homie Reni had that on lock which made the area EXTRA hot lol but the breeze from the Hudson River made it tolerable. I was pretty drunk by 7pm so we dipped out to get ready for the after parties that night. All in all, it was a real good time. Great vibes with all the cool kids, and DRAMA FREE. Success.

Shoutout to Carter, Khalid, Frank and Jamar and Eric for coming thru and snapping pictures of the day. It's not everyday that I get to kick it with my Philly peoples in NY. Also, shoutout to 40oz Van for another successful event, I heard they had a helicopter come to shut down the party! Hahaha that's epic. Check out the rest of the pics HERE (Eric GeeKids Cave) on facebook, tag your friends! Check out some of the pics below

Ohh yeah and FUCK YOU ERIC GEEKIDS CAVE for spelling the ANMLHSE tag wrong! SMDH!

Rest In Paradise: Sabina Rose O'Donnell.

It's still very difficult for me to actually acknowledge that you're gone. Known by many to be a petite girl with a giant heart, she was always sweet and always dancing whenever she wasn't working. I could never imagine a person such as her could die so violently, in the blink of an eye. But in the end, I think she would would be amazed how many people cared about her. How many people are supporting her family and sending her prayers. Philadelphia's reaction to your death is astounding, and a heartbreaking reality check. Death always finds a way to bring people together. I'd like to think it's because it makes us realize how fragile we really are. I wish we could've gotten closer but I cherish the fun times we had party'n and of course chill'n in The Piazza. You will be missed, kiddo.

There is a movement in Philly to bring her killer to justice. Tommy Up; Owner of the PYT Restaurant & Bar where she worked, has started a Sabina Rose O'Donnell Fund. If you would like to make a cash, check or paypal donation, e-mail him at pytphilly@gmail.com. Also, everyone is dedicating their parties to Sabina this week and giving all proceeds to the fund. So party on friends! This is how you can help out. Mo Money No Problems at Silk, Mojito (Dance For Sabina) at Octo, Locals Only at PYT and even The Roots Picnic will have tables set-up for donations. So come out this week, chill out with good folks and celebrate her life. Also, remember to be safe in these streets! Summer is here and ignorant monsters don't know how to act.

Read! Read! Read! New issue features the homie Quan Luv and co. with his new collective art group, Visions.18 among many others. You can view the magazine HERE at their website. Peep game!

So you guys should already know the deal! We're doing a Ticket Giveaway for the Nas & Damian Marley concert at the House Of Blues in Atlantic City for July 29th. The first person to comment on this blog wins 2 Tickets to see them that will be held at the "Will Call" counter the day of the show. Write your name, your email/twitter url on the comment box and I will contact you if you won. Comment quick! These contests go fast! And make sure to be on the lookout for more Ticket Giveaways in the upcoming weeks by checking the AnmlHse on Facebook.com/AnmlHse Twitter.com/AnmlHse or this very Blog!

By the way, we got another surprise Ticket Giveaway coming up next week. Stay tuned!

Last night I took a trip out to our FreshFest event at Silk City. It was a great blend of independent hip hop acts from the Philadelphia area. Surprisingly, it was a great crowd for a Tuesday night and Philly definitely showed love. Below are shots of Sela, The Paxtons, Has-Lo, and Legacy doing a grand job on stage.