"Freedom For All, Expression For Everyone".

Support the fellow Philadelphia brand; FOE Company, on the release of their new line of t-shirts by purchasing your favorite! If you like typography with a little bit of pop color, they have that.....as well as interesting illustrative pieces too. FREERUNNERS (last image below) being my personal favorite, there's a little something for everybody, so we all WIN. Each of these products are available HERE.

• Varsity Jackets & Cardigans by 10Deep & Mishka
• Outerwear by 10Deep & Amongst Friends
• Bottoms & Denim by GPPR, Mishka, & Publish
• Snapbacks, Fitteds, and Beanies by Rocksmith, 10Deep, & Mishka

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.

I previewed this awesome new line a couple of months back, and now the Kittens are back with more super gnarly awesomeness. This time around they produced a few cut & sew garments with actual screenprinted designs as well. I like the playful edgyness of the whole collection, especially the typographic-based tees which I feel embody the brand. What really sets off some of the pieces are the ethnic prints. They're not the run-of-the-mill, typical prints either. It adds another intricate level to the collection as a whole. If u like the pieces, check out the website HERE and also take a look at the new lookbook below.

Haus Of Belle NYC: Armed & Ready Spring/Summer Mixtape - DOWNLOAD

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)

This afternoon, we here at AnmlHse are here to showcase a bunch of oh-my-goodness from the cool kids over at SWRV. They're a Philadelphia based collective of timeless vintage thrill-seekers, actively hunting and hand-picking classic pieces from around the globe. You could pretty much imagine that their website is "a library full of ill vintage - that is SWRV", ill vintage that you can purchase of course. Follow this brand, and get to know a bit about founders Suzi Analogue & Jamerson Morris, and new addition to the team, Brandon "BZ" Johnson. Knowing them personally I can say they represent pure self-expression to the fullest, swag to the max.

Photo Courtesy: BZ (Mind Of Cool Rumors)

They have some of the most gnarly pieces this side of the U.S. that you would probably never be able to find on your own. Currently available are staple brands such as MCM, Nike and Polo but you can also find retro sneakers from Reebok and even L.A. Gears! Follow them on Tumblr too, superdope updates. You can also follow them on Twitter. Suzi (@SuziAnalog), Jamerson (@Waversun), BZ (@MINDOFBZ).

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SWRV co-founder, Suzi Analogue, is also a dope ass musician! Download her latest project, NNXTAPE, HERE. Def do your research, SWRV is a creative bunch of artists doing their thing on the style & music front..

Happy birthday to the only non-drinking, non-smoking Jamaican that I know!

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Happy birthday to the only non-drinking, non-smoking Jamaican that I know!

]]> http://anmlhse.com/blog/2010/12/04/happy-birthday-da-owl-carter-ddotcarter/feed 2 http://anmlhse.com/blog/2010/11/30/tommyup-the-pyt-krispy-kreme-burger-available-now http://anmlhse.com/blog/2010/11/30/tommyup-the-pyt-krispy-kreme-burger-available-now#comments Tue, 30 Nov 2010 23:12:58 +0000 PandaReemy http://www.anmlhse.com/?p=15038

PYT always has something to offer each week with their Burger Of The Week Specials, and each week I am amazed. This Krispy Kreme Burger is the talk of Twitter today. So much that TommyUp is a Trending Topic  in Philly. Now, I'm definitely not bold enough to try this weeks edition, but I will say that I'm thoroughly surprised this is actually on the menu! It's a double cheeseburger with bacon covered chocolate in the middle and the bun is a glazed Krispy Kreme donut! This burger reminds me of The Luther Burger from The Boondocks, which is why I think the idea is so dope. Follow TommyUp on Twitter to see what the staff at PYT comes up with next. I'm sure everyone will find something on the menu that they like. By the way, the Lobster Truffle Burger and the Chicken & Waffle Burger are my two favorites!

PYT (The Piazza)

1050 N. Hancock Street

Philadelphia, PA 19123

(215) 964-9009

Shoutout to @CindeeTL @GoFresco @TheSteffAbstrac @MiggFam @Supa_FedUp @BackPackNY and everyone else who got their AnmlHse Stickers this past weekend. My oh my how quickly our fellow ANMLS started vandalizing their laptops, stop signs and school lockers! Here's just a few pictures random followers Tweeted us this weekend. Also, stay tuned for our next GIVEAWAY in the near future ;O) in the meantime keep sending those twitpics!!

Philadelphia is a city rich with different cultures, some very distinct and well known, more-so than others. When it comes to the Philly bike culture, I'd say I became aware of it 2-3 years ago. This was a little before the "fixed gear" craze began and everyone you knew was riding kamikaze style between cars and Septa buses on Broad Street. But when it comes to the culture in general, it's not often that you find a collective of artistic individuals put the spotlight onto it in such an original and creative way. Hipster City Cycle is taking it back to my own personal original obsession from my youth and mixing it in a modern pop-culture style, highly addictive kick ass retro side-scrolling video games. Luckily, I got to sit down with Alex and the Hipster City Cycle gang to tell us a bit more about the project. Click the tab below to read the full interview. Enjoy!

1. Okay so I'm going to use the 1st question as sort of an introduction. What is your name, a little about yourself and help to describe what Hipster City Cycle is exactly?

• My name is Alex Alsup. I'm 25, I'm from Jersey. This is the second iPhone game I've worked on -- I worked on another in Hanoi, Vietnam while I was living there in 2009.. When I was heading back from Vietnam at the end of 2009, Michael Highland and I, who are old friends from high school, started talking about this bicycle racing game set in Philadelphia that he was working on and he asked me to come onboard. I also have a tattoo of the Wu Tang "W" on my right shoulder. These are all the important things about me.

• Hipster City Cycle is an homage to Philadelphia. The original three guys that started work on the game - Michael Highland, Kevin Jenkins, and Keith McKnight - all went to college there while I came in later. Someone told me that, recently, Philly was named the least fashionable city in America, so I guess this is how we're celebrating/refuting that achievement because I imagine there was some stiff competition from Boston for that distinction.

• I was in Vietnam at the game's inception, but my understanding is that Michael and Kevin wanted to do a tap-to-run style game with a runner headed at a finish line. Something really simple. I think they saw that a lot of those kinds of games were around and thought, well, we're in Philly, there are lots of bikes, let's go with that. The idea to set the game in Philly was the first thought and I think the biking and biking mechanics came later. It was an interesting move and makes it a really cool game to work with because most iPhone games are just released to the world. The idea of marketing and really focusing a game on a single market is novel, I think, as far as an iPhone game goes. Also it gives us the possibility, if we're fortunate enough and the game does well enough, to take this sucker to other hipstery cities. Like Houston.

• The main characters:

• Michael Highland (as described by Alex Alsup): Michael is the William MacArthur of HCC. Y'know, he's on the phone with Washington chewing out the president, he's in a bunker calling in artillery strikes, and, when it gets hairy, he comes out to the front line strapped with a bandolier, carrying a fifty-cal, and smeared in pig blood and lays down covering fire.

• Alex Alsup: My calendar and responsibilities are like Rick Ross': http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dcit5V3HxJs/Sf59z6f2S0I/AAAAAAAAAHQ/PNGuOsVIZY0/s1600/image064.jpg

• Keith Mcnight: Keith painstakingly draws the graphics, including the characters, backgrounds, vehicles, and menus. Keith can do amazing things with pixels and once he started showing us the characters and backdrops that would later become the actual game, we got really excited about how heavily we could tie the game experience to the Philly experience. After a few more months of development, reaching a point where we could actually see things coming together to a playable/entertaining experience, Michael brought in Bucky/Patrick to do some chiptune soundtracks for the levels as well as the sound effects. His tracks fit perfectly with the retro feel we were after. Al was also brought into the group to brainstorm back story and bring our newfound hero Binky McKee as well as help us do some marketing. He's done a pretty amazing job in connecting us to people and businesses throughout the city.

• Kevin Jenkins: Michael and I began batting around ideas for a game over two years ago. Ideas ranged from absurdity -- a karate chop game that would produce humorous sounds ranked by chop ferocity -- to more classic things like a sprinting race game. We decided to go with the sprinting game which later became a biking game after about a year of learning how to create and design a game for the iphone. I think we just thought hipsters and bikes went well together and since everyone's got an opinion about hipsters, yet no one claims to be one, they are a great talking point between game and player. It added the possibility for humor and storyline, something critical to make the game more than just a button mashing experience. Michael brought Keith (McKnight) in to work on the art for the game around this time and we had the idea of actually making the game represent Philly.

• I think we're close to 500 pixelizations at this point. Zombie Michael Jackson and Hipster Adolf Hitler make appearances although neither were available for their photos in person. We also have philly dj legend, DJ Lee Jones, coming into pixelization soon and the Deadringer himself, RJD2. Tony Luke and Tony Luke's will soon be immortalized as pixels. We also recently met with the Eagles at their NovaCare practice facility and pixelized Eagle-man Dave Spadaro. And if Will Smith and/or Bill Cosby are reading this, you'd look better in pixels and my number is 609-731-2890.

• As Homer Simpson's German doppelganger says before attempting to choke Homer, "Zat arranged can be."

• Keith: Philadelphia is a great city with a lot of character, so capturing even a little part of it goes a long way to give the game an interesting setting. Is there really anything inspiring about hipsters? Biking is pretty much the best way to get around Philadelphia (even if good bike lanes aren't everywhere just yet), and it's hard not to notice how many bikes there are and how seriously some people take it. Some people just bike to get around, other people are really into using their bikes as fashion accessories, and other people are into cycling as a sport. When you put biking and Philadelphia together, there's a lot of material to work with, but we chose to focus on what best lent itself to a cartoony presentation.

• Keith: Rittenhouse Park, the Green Line Cafe, Pat's and Geno's, and 30th Street Station, to name a few. A pretty big handful of things that will look familiar but with different names!

• Keith: Yeah, we were thinking about New York. Here's the exclusive: it's going to be called HCC2: Special Hipsters Unit. It's going to be less about biking and more about solving crimes though. Just kidding. We've definitely got some more ideas up our sleeves for the future, but we're focused on Philadelphia at the moment.

• Keith: Drawing everything takes a really long time. It's also difficult to decide what to include and what to leave out. Sometimes it all seems necessary to really represent an area.

• Kevin: For me, I think the biggest obstacles have been learning the basics of game programming without any real formal training and keeping the whole project reasonably organized and functional. I've never really worked on a project of this scale with other people before. Managing resources and code (even with just one other coder) can be a lot more challenging and more thought has to go into the structure and organization of it all.

• The game should be released around the end of 2010 or the very beginning of 2011. It will be available in the App Store for Apple devices only at first (iPhone, iPod, iPad) but we're hoping to have it transferred over for Droid, as well, shortly after release.

• Keith: If they want it bad enough, we're not going to stop them from jailbreaking their phones and connecting them to a TV or whatever.

• There were discussions with the Philly PD for a minute about creating a Hipster City Cycle Vice Squad but those fell through due to irreconcilable differences.

• Keith: Release the game, make millions of dollars, and buy a new bike.

I'd like to thank Alex, Michael and the whole Hipster City Cycle crew for taking their time out for this interview. I hope you guys enjoyed it. To keep yourself updated with this game you can check out their website HipsterCityCycle and also go to their YouTube channel and watch how the game works. Hipster City Cycle will be available for download sometime in the next 2-3 months for iPhones and iPads alike. Thanks for reading felow anmls!

http://youtu.be/hkHAi4CSVcs

My oh my how time flies. It seems like only yesterday that we released our 1st major collection, which happened to be 2 and 1/2 years ago.  Peep this design that we released in that 1st collection specifically made for the wifeys.

Here's a random background wallpaper designed by the fellow anml, TheBoredKids. I'm not too sure if he wanted me to blog this design but fruck it, that just happened! Enjoy.

I wanted to take the time out and say kudos to Long Island's best, and my personal favorite Sneaker/Streetwear shop, Extra Butter. Everytime they get a new "delivery" of goods from the awesome brands they carry they always find a way to incorporate a dope photoshoot to showcase the pieces. The themes and execution is always on point and this time is no different. With one of my favorite brands, Mishka, they mixed their new line of clothes with zombie make-up and it came out looking great. Just in time for this months festivities, this just goes to show u the dedication and love they have for these brands and what we do as designers. Thanks for going the extra mile fellas! U can check the whole photoshoot out HERE.

Also, if u want to see a previous post they did a few months ago about your fellow Anmls, click this link HERE and check it out! Cool photoshop job that they did mixing real Anmls and our Winter Collection. Can't wait to preview the new stuff by the way, stay tuned!