Montreality from Canada, recently sat down with ASAP Rocky and the ASAP Mob to talk about their backgrounds, school, the debut album, tour stories, what they spent their first paychecks on and a lot more. Check out the interview here below.
Recently GQ passed by Pharrell’s studio in Miami and sat down with the musician to talk about his upcoming projects – being a consultant for the Oscars, working with shoe designer Mark McNairy, releasing his book ‘Places & Spaces I’ve Been’. They also touch on the upcoming Billionaire Girls Club line and him working on ‘Glory’, the song that Jay-Z dedicated to his daughter.
“GQ: On Rick Ross’ Rich Forever mixtape you rap, “Black boy scoring his life/ I’m scoring the Oscars.” How excited are you for this opportunity—especially since you’re still essentially a music nerd from Virginia who made it big.
Pharrell: I’m just very thankful. And I say that a lot because that’s the most important message. I answer questions the best I can. But most of the answers usually feel the same. And that’s just me being very appreciative of the opportunity, because, like you said, I’m from Virginia Beach, VA. I’m glad that I can exhibit what we can do.
GQ: Academy rules won’t allow you to say what your current favorites are, but what are some of your choice Hans Zimmer-scored movies? He’s done plenty and won an Oscar for The Lion King.
Pharrell: The Dark Knight music was genius! I mean, Gladiator was great. Pirates [of the Caribbean] was great. But Dark Knight? That was, like, a whole different level of…
GQ: Film music?
Pharrell: Yeah!
GQ: Tell me about your upcoming travel book, Places & Spaces I’ve Been.
Pharrell: It’s just things and people that have moved me and inspired me around the world and that I am also honored to know.
GQ: You’re working on a new line of boots, right?
Pharrell: Yeah. We’re working on some boots for BBC [Billionaire Boys Club]. But I can’t really talk about it.
GQ: Well, speaking of BBC, you’re releasing a women’s line soon, BGC, right?
Pharrell: Yup! And it’s crazy!”
German interview magazine The Talks chatted with Thierry Guetta aka Mr. Brainwash and as usual managed to dig deep. Check out a snippet from the interview here below.
“Mr. Brainwash, are you an art piece by Banksy?
What’s an art piece? Maybe I am. If you think about it, why not? I’m real; I am who I am. I’m continuing. What you see now is mine, Banksy has nothing to do with it. I’m here, it’s me. My life is my life; nobody’s going to take that from me. His life is his life. I mean, we have a connection, we have something that connected us for a movie, but life goes on.
Do you introduce yourself as Mr. Brainwash or Thierry Guetta?
Both names are the same – Mr. Brainwash a.k.a. Thierry Guetta. People know me as both names. It’s the same person.
What is the most important thing you’ve learned from Bansky?
If I learned anything from him, it would be passion. You know, two people meet each other and they connect. That’s why there is a movie about it because there was a connection from him to me and me to him. There is this connection that made something.
Were you ever tempted to tell people who he really is? A lot of people are interested in that and would pay a lot of money.
I don’t get bought out. I’m a real person with real trust and that’s how it is. You don’t need to know; it’s not going to make a difference if you know. It’s just going to serve a little problem in your head but it doesn’t make a difference.”
New year, new episodes coming to Highsnobiety TV. We open the season with an exciting one.
Highsnobiety stopped by the Golf Wang pop up shop on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles for a visit with store manager Lucas Vercetti,, Tyler, The Creator, Legohead and others. We were given a quick run through of the stockroom which included Golf Wang T-shirts, hats, hoodies and decks. What transpired after was one of the wildest, most spontaneous on camera interviews of recent memory.
Noirfancy hooks up with Union Los Angeles owner Chris Gibbs to talk about his history, background, his starting in the industry and much more. The interview from That’s Not Me Bro is very long and a bit all over the place, yet we cannot remember many interviews with the man that go so far back. Gibbs talks about interviewing with James Jebbia from Supreme, starting to work at Union New York, becoming a buyer and finally taking over many years later Union Los Angeles. They touch on Erik Brunetti and FUCT. Gibbs tells a great story about how Banksy tried to sell t-shirts to Union New York in 1998/99. He speaks about skateboarding, getting to know Supreme, Bape, Stussy and other brands. It is just a great in-depth piece that you should definitely check out. A nice ride through some of the history of streetwear and much, much more. Sit back, listen and learn.
GQ sits down with Toronto MC Drake to talk girls, “Take Care,” the sweaters (!) and more. Some choice excerpts follow:
GQ: You announced the title of this album, Take Care, with us back in December. What does it mean?
Drake: No one has actually asked me that yet. I came up with the name when I was on a bus in Birmingham, England, going to a show. “Take Care” is this thing we use in passing conversation to dismiss bullshit like, “Oh, you couldn’t make it on time? Oh, take care, take care.” We’ve always used that and then I really took so much care making this album. I knew I was going to go home and take longer than six months, I knew that I was literally going to take care of making this project and be attentive, be clear, be immersed in it. “Take Care” worked.
GQ: On to something a little lighter. We’re GQ, so we have to ask: What’s up with the sweaters?
Drake: [laughs] Now, this I have been asked about several times.
GQ: Do you have a favorite?
Drake: Yes, I do. It’s a toss-up between three sweaters. I’d say one would be obviously the OVO Owl Sweater. I can wear it repetitively and no one calls me out on it. I have a cashmere Hermes sweater that I love. Lastly, any of my Missoni sweaters. I don’t give a fuck what anybody says about my Missoni sweaters! Fuck you, if you don’t like my sweater! [Editor's note: A middle-aged couple sitting next to us sharply turn their heads.] It’s funny because people only talk about me and sweaters because I don’t give them anything else to talk about. I live in Canada, so any dirt I do you’ll never see because we don’t have the paparazzi up there! It’s the stupidest thing, man, but I’ll embrace it. Hopefully Missoni hollers at me and we get a sweater line popping!
GQ: People talk a lot of shit, anything you wish they’d stop saying?
Drake: That’s tough. I wish that we lived in a time and a generation where people would stop viewing my honesty as overly emotional. People always act like I spend my life crying in a dark room. I don’t, I’m good. I’m a man. I want to be remembered as an artist that gave you a piece of me, as opposed to some surface bullshit. I don’t think people realize that we die, we leave here, and either they forget about you or remember you. And how they remember you is up to you. I just want to be remembered as a poet that was open and honest because I wake up every morning and I’m me.
Known for his singles “Peso” and “Purple Swag,” young Harlem rapper ASAP Rocky is scheduled to be the next big thing, securing a spot on Drake’s “Club Paradise Tour,” and releasing his first mixtape LIVELOVEA$AP someday soon. Read below to learn more.
A$AP Rocky is… that pretty muthafucka, that’s who he is. He’s the dude that has New York on his back, has hip-hop on his back for that matter. He’s that new up and coming freshman that everybody show’s so much love to. He’s the god of true love and, you know, there’s only a few that hate him. He’s that gold teeth, french braid, Rick Owen wearing muthafucka that the hoes love too. Laughs.
Being born & raised in Harlem, New York… made me the man who I am today. It help me be diverse, especially with the whole fashion influence, you know, downtown and shit like that. It helped me to appreciate different cultures.
After having presented earlier this week an interview with Verbal, about his new partnership with Reebok Classics, we of course also had to follow up with Swizz Beatz at the Tokyo launch of the Reebok Reethym Of Lite campaign. The news of him joining Reebok came as a big surprise, but after having talked to him, it makes all much more sense. He likes a challenge and is continuously involved in creative partnerships these days. After having worked with Louboutin and Audemars Piquet he moves onto Reebok and Lotus this year.
What exactly is his involvement? Does he see himself as a designer? What will we be seeing from Reebok and Swizz in the coming months? All that and more you can read about in the interview here below.
Highsnobiety: How did this creative partnership between you and Reebok come up. How did you two collaborating even become a topic?
Swizz Beatz: The collaboration between me and Reebok started off because of a mutual friend. I was looking to do an endorsement to reach the younger culture. After Louboutin, I wanted to touch a younger audience. I went into a first meeting, where 5 people were sitting in front of me, writing down every word I was saying. I was like ‘Ok…’. It just went off from there and instead of an endorsement deal, I wanted to do something that I can stand behind and really have an impact on. I wanted to change the brand, be on the creative director side and have impact globally. I have to have the freedom to do that and be able to show results.
H: What is your personal history with the Reebok brand?
S: I am a fan of Pumps, Classics… Reebok was always one of the most comfortable sneakers you could wear. People started looking less at comfort, but we have that plus of being able to do both. That thinking was already re-introduced with the Zig and I want to re-introduce it on the lifestyle side.
Ronnie Fieg has made quite an impact in the New York City footwear scene and probably also beyond. We remember the first time he contacted us about his first collaboration. Working with David Z. in NYC, a mass shoe retailer, nobody really knew where to place him. Working hard and continuously producing strong collaborations with Asics, Converse, Merrell, Clarks, Red Wing, Ralph Lauren, Timberland and many others, his work started speaking for itself very quickly. The lines for his releases got longer and after years of hard work, the designer decided to take another route – to walk his own path. KITH NYC is his new retail concept, which will be opening its doors today in New York, at 11 am in Brooklyn, with a second location planned to Manhattan later in the season.
The Brooklyn location opens its doors today at 11 am at
Kith
233 Flatbush Ave
Brooklyn, Ny, 11217
We talked to Ronnie about his past and most importantly his future with Kith.
Hi Ronnie, you have come a long way these last couple of years. Why dont you give us a little recap?
It has been an interesting journey to say the least. In 2005, I worked on a Timberland collaboration for David Z and that was really all I needed to jump start my passion. Since then I’ve worked on over 100 collaborative footwear pieces. While working with great brands and talented individuals, I’ve learned a ton and managed to have fun with it all.
We still remember you shooting onto the sneaker/footwear scene a few years ago. Good taste and timing were on your side. We would say that you worked your way into this scene and simply convinced people out there with one strong release after the other. Would you agree with that?
To excel in this industry it’s vital to not only cater to the consumer but to actually be a consumer in the same genre. People say timing is everything and I agree with that statement to a certain extent but what I believe in most is producing quality goods and charging a fair price. I believe that is how I have built my following up until now, not over pricing because of how limited the product is or how much attention the collaboration is getting. Giving the people more than what they are paying for, that’s always been my motto. As far as having one strong release after another, that’s really the hardest part of my work. I am constantly trying to get better with each project and it becomes a battle trying to outdo myself every time but what’s life without challenges?
Everyone heard about him. Everyone knows about KIDULT and what he did for the first time to some of the most famous shop windows around the globe, from JC/DC, Agnès b, YSL, colette Paris to Supreme in New York City. If not, you must be living in another world… By tagging all over and instantly going everywhere on the web, he has made an image of himself. He has become someone famous for his actions. And he also reminds us what real graffiti is about : protest and express yourself in a creative way, even if for some people its vandalism… But who is KIDULT and what is his plan – only little is known for now. Here you will find answers to some of your questions. Enjoy.
Interview/Text : Guillaume Le Goff
Photography: KIDULT
I guess you can’t reveal your real identity. How would you introduce yourself ?
My identity: Kidult aka KID, I was born in Paris and I live in NYC. West 129th Street, New York 10027. I am the enfant terrible (terrible kid) who attacks in a legitimate, simple way, without limits, with a spraypaint extinguisher. “Every child is an artist; the problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” That quote from Pablo Picasso summarizes Kidult’s state of mind well. I try to remain a kid who paints his reality in a raw, carefree way. I aspire to maintain the creativity and honesty of a child in order to expose, simply and efficiently, an unsettling message. That is KIDULT !
Who is hiding behind Kidult ?
A vandal, a tagger, a writer. If graffiti is called “art” one of these days, then I would be an artist too.
