I am almost 24. Maybe I am overly self-aware but I find this a weird age to be. I am really young to older people and pretty old to younger people.

One of the ways I often am reminded of my age is when I talk about my love for late 80s/early 90s rap music. For some reason not known to me, I can only talk this with people my age or older. Anyone younger seems to have missed what I think was arguably the height of rap and hip/hop.

Well, I can’t let any person who wears Handsome clothing be so ignorant so below I will post some of my favorite songs as struggling young white kid growing up in the suburbs.

First is the song that has been my ring tone for 5 years now. I end up quoting this song more than any other in my regular conversations. This is just plain funky. (FUN FACT: Arrested Development totally had a super old dude in the group that didn’t really do anything but play things like the bongos and dance around. Worst hypeman ever).

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Download: Arrested Development – Tennessee

I’m pretty sure the only reason I ever listened to this next song was because my brother made a mixtape (with an actual TAPE!) with this on and I saw that it was by someone named Paperboy. At this time I was pretty much obsessed with playing Paperboy on my gameboy so naturally I was intrigued. What followed was my first ever love affair with a rap song. (FUN FACT: This was the first time I heard the word “whore”).

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Download: Paperboy – Ditty

Next up is the well known Young MC. It’s guaranteed you know his hit “Bust A Move” but what’s sad that most people ONLY know that song. Stone Cold Rhymin, his first CD, is one of the greatest rap albums of all time so go buy it if you don’t have it. I used to listen to this song all the time while playing F-Zero. (FUN FACT: This was the first time I heard the word “hooker”).

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Download: Young MC – I Come Off

Last, is The Pharcyde. Melancholy contemplative rap music is great but this song proves you don’t have to create a soul-less & oppressive album like Kanye’s 808’s & Heartbreak to get the point across. A lot of current artists can learn from this song. (FUN FACT: I don’t have a fun fact for this one because it’s 7 AM).

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Download: The Pharcyde – Runnin’

(P.S. I’m sorry if you thought this post was about Vanilla Ice… I really am)

Japanese brand Nitraid has dropped a couple of serious pieces today. The first is the “Masked Beauty” T-Shirt pictured above, which is super dope. It’s available in a few colourways if you want something a little more colourful than the black. Below is the second piece, which is a phenomenal two finger ring. The Line Stone Two Finger Arch Ring features the Nitraid logo in Rhinestones. You can grab both at Ark. Yes please.

On the real, Damien Hirst kind of looks like and dresses like a really boring older man. Nevertheless, his art speaks for him and says otherwise. Hirst’s career retrospective exhibit “Requium” debuted at the Pinchuk Art Center in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev. It features over 100 pieces created between 1998-2008. Largely compiled from a private collection, now the world has a chance to see Hirst’s signature formaldehyde animals and spin paintings.

Just want to give all the loyal Handsome readers a heads up… I haven’t been posting a lot of songs because I am hording them for myself as I have a new mix coming out.

‘Why a new DJ mix now when you haven’t done it for months?’, you may ask. Well Handsome Clothing Co. has a big announcement coming up and I thought I would release both at the same time as a little gift to everybody who has been supporting us. It’s really appreciated, thank you.

In the meantime I will give you a great song off Tiga’s brand new album (it came out yesterday so go buy it if you haven’t already). Tiga is one of those artists that really changed what modern electronic music sounds like, and with his second LP ‘Ciao!’, he continues to create songs that blur the line between radio pop music and what’s going on in the clubs. Also, he is Canadian, which makes him a little more special to all of us at Handsome.

Below is Tiga’s cell phone influenced and Soulwax produced song “Beep-Beep-Beep” that I’ve been playing on repeat all morning.

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Download: Tiga – Beep-Beep-Beep

De La Soul’s latest effort is in collaboration with the Nike+ Original Run program. Nike’s idea behind this is to get renowned artists to make 45 minute mixes with motivating runners in mind. Previous Original Run mixes have been created by Aesop Rock and DJ A-Trak. The last project, “Are You In?”  is a set completed by De La Soul and is available on iTunes.

Posdnuos of De La Soul explains, “When we first heard about this project we were psyched on the challenge. We pride ourselves on being able to get bodies moving, so it was cool to do it with a specific goal in mind – giving runners the sonic fuel to clock some miles.”

It’s been a while for De La Soul so if you need a reminder of just how good they are, take things back and listen to Ego Trippin (Part Two).

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Download: De La Soul – Ego Trippin (Part Two)

If you’re looking for a new set of sunglasses for the upcoming summer, you may not have to look further than Super. They’re quality, very cool and their Summer 2009 line come in a large range of colourways. All their frames are hand made in Italy and feature Carl Zeiss lenses. Likely one of your best bets for something quality, something attention grabbing and something for less than $200. My personal favourite is the colourway above that looks suspiciously like Handsome’s snowflake motif.

Gorillaz have dropped their much anticipated documentary which will shed some light on their journey as a band. The movie is available in its entirety online at Babelgum.

“This incredible film, “Bananaz” removes the secretive, mucky walls of Gorillaz, the cartoon band created by artist Jamie Hewlett & musician Damon Albarn, smashing down all artificial barriers to reveal the full and filthy details behind this awe-inspiring band. Audiences see just what director Ceri Levy saw over seven years of mayhemical creative madness… a lot of it too graphic for mortal eyes to behold…Bananaz is Levy’s story of the partnership & community behind Gorillaz. He takes you into the studio and out onto the road with this virtual phenomenon, showing a part of Gorillaz never seen before – reality. As one radio interviewer puts it, “It’s a parallel universe – these guys aren’t in the band but they know the animated characters who are”. Bananaz is an honest, often hilarious account of the working relationship between Albarn & Hewlett, and the rise to success with Gorillaz – from the initial embryonic conception through to global domination. Also in focus are many of the conspirators & collaborators that came along for the ride, including Dennis Hopper, De la Soul, D12, Ibrahim Ferrer, Bootie Brown, Dangermouse & more. Contains strong language. WARNING: Some footage in this film includes a strobing effect, which may affect viewers with photo-sensitive epilepsy and other such conditions.”

This is the best remix I have heard in a long time. It helps that the original is great but Doorly really takes this to another level. This is pure dubstep. This is pure insanity.

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Dizzee Rascal & Armand Van Helden – Bonkers (Doorly Remix)

And check out the wild music video.

Here’s a video I found of DJ A-Trak who recently dropped his newest album “Infinite +1″.

5 Facts about DJ A-Trak:

1. He was the first DJ to win all three major DJ competitions (DMC, ITF, Vestax)
2. He was the first DJ to win 5 World Championships
3. He’s dating Kid Sister (check out Pro Nails!)
4. He and his brother (the lead singer of Chromeo) are Canadian
5. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince are sited as his introduction to turntablism

Lily Allen played The Sound Academy last night. The show started off with “Everyone’s at it”, which Lily came out to with her “jumper” hood over her head and the swagger of an MC as she dropped verses strutting back and forth on stage. She played songs primarily  from “It’s Not Me, It’s You”, her newest album with explanations prior to each song.

She played with classic rockstar self-destructive style, drinking and chain smoking in between song verses. At one point she took three consecutive hits from her puffer as she ran out of breath in between the cigarettes her roadies brought pre-lit for her. I started off thinking of how impressive her album-quality voice was, but by the end of the show I was practicing my “Lily you need to quite smoking because your voice is getting progressively worse” speech.

Her encore was exceptional as she came out to “Smile” and closed with a high energy medley of Kid Cudi’s Day-N-Nite and a phenomenal rendition of Britney’s “Womanizer”. Long live Lily.

Here’s two exceptional Lily tracks:

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Lily Allen – Alfie

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Lily Allen – Smile