Daft Punk x Random Access Memory

The long wait is finally over. The 4th studio album from Daft Punk is now here. I'm not usually a fan of Daft Punk and most electronic music but after hearing snippets of RAM over the past few months, along with the "Get Lucky" single, I'm beginning to change my mind. RAM is the usual upbeat, poppy music but RAM is a little more conservative than their previous albums. Today, I was finally able to hear the whole thing and it's great. Definitely worth a buy or at least a stern listening to.

Buy 'Random Access Memory' here.

Nike Roshe Run "Tie Dye"

The Nike Roshe Run is starting to take over the sneaker game as one of the next sensations. With the surface of them a few months ago, and now with their availability to be customized  via. Nike ID, everyone has been contributing to the hype. As of lately, running shoes have been incorporated more into peoples attire and style as a way to expand; some successful, most not. With the summer approaching, Nike and other Running Shoe brands have been designing a lot of their signature shoes with tie-dye color schemes. The Roshe Run is the newest to join this club. These are the most subtle, yet well done, tie-dye runners that I've seen over the last few months. Nice job, Nike.

Lupe Fiasco x Animal Pharm

Nike KD 6 "Weatherman" (Sample)

It's about that time where the NBA Finals begin to approach and the season slowly comes to an end. You know what that means right? NIKE BASKETBALL SAMPLES! So far, we've seen different samples of the Nike Lebron 11 surfacing all over the internet and sneaker sites. We have also seen other samples of the Nike KD 6 as well but now we have a glance of the "Weatherman" sample. The KD 4 "Weatherman" was one of the most popular shoes by Kevin Durant over the last couple of years. This sample takes the same designs, (doppler radar waves and jet-streams), and adds it to a new silhouette. It looks like Nike is going back to the low cut of the sneaker like it was on the KD 4; but this time around, it looks like they've made the Air unit and midsole more .... noticeable. I can only imagine what the Kobe 9's are going to look like.

New Balance 996 "RevLite"

The New Balance 996 model is probably one of my favorites next to the 998 and the 1300. The silhouette and shape is phenomenal and the color customization options you can have for this model is unreal. In an attempt to connect running tech with lifestyle shoes, NB, a little while ago, took the 574 and put some RevLite in it. RevLite is one of the main technologies in all of the New Balance running shoes; namely the 890 and 1400. But this time around, instead of changing the entire shoe to make the whole shoe RevLite inspired like the 574 was, they're only putting the RevLite tech in the midsole along with the ENCAP with these 996's. I work for New Balance as well, this will be a truly great shoe. Expect these to release some time during the Fall of 2013.

Kanye West 'Yeezus' Album Info.

Kanye has been causing quite a wave of relevance lately. From plastering holograms of his face on random buildings across the globe performing his new single "New Slaves" to Kim Kardashian instagraming a possible new Yeezy 2, Kanye has been the center of attention. Since the epic "June 18th" tweet he posted about a month ago, people have been speculating as to what he was referring to. Now that we are approaching the date, it's becoming more and more obvious that it's the release of his album. Either that or that new Yeezy 2 in Kim K's instagram photo. Kanye's album cover has been officiated and it's ..... unique like it always is. June 18th has not technically been proclaimed as the authentic release date, but it's pretty safe to say that it is. Oh, by the way, J. Cole's "Born Sinner" releases on June 18th as well; should be very interesting to say the least.

WE ARE BACK.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Due to my hours increasing at New Balance as of lately for the upcoming Boston Marathon, Spring Season, and classes this semester, I have decided to take a hiatus from blogging on here. I've been finding myself overwhelmed with all types of work and I don't want to post half-hearted posts; I want to have free time to write the most intellectual and insightful posts I can here to be fair to the people who follow this blog. Until further notice, (most likely the early summer), do not expect constant feed from this blog. Follow my tumblr at mackleroy.tumblr.com to keep up with my sneaker related posts and follow me on twitter @_DeeRAW to keep up with spontaneous sneaker related news. My apologies again, and thank you for your patience.

Bodega (Spring/Summer 2013 Lookbook)

Bodega, a Boston-based fashion and footwear boutique, is back with a new line of clothing for the Spring/Summer 2013 season(s). The collection features a lot of symmetric and unusual patterns and a high use of neutral and muted colors; the collection also shows us an early look at their upcoming collaboration with Vans. The collection is now available via. their online web shop and will also be available at other befriended retailers within weeks.

Nike SB March 2013 Collection

We have some exciting news for Nike Skateboarding fans. We've found a preview of the March 2013 SB collection that will be releasing in various forms throughout the month. This collection features many models such as the Stefan Janoski, Nike Dunk, and SB Blazer. A lot of new colorways but also some that we've seen in the past. Expect these to pop up in many Nike SB retailers as the upcoming days and weeks pass.

Air Jordan 4 "Green Glow"

JB has been experimenting a lot with the Retro 4 lately. Taking the well known Jordan silhouette and testing arrays of colors and set schemes on them, mix-matching trying to find the magic. One result of it is a predominantly red suede 4 that will be releasing later on this year. Now, yet only a sample for now, is another recent test of their using grey and green as their main colors. Using dark grey, cement grey, and light green, this retro has been dubbed the "Green Glow" 4's. Rumor has it that they will be releasing in October for $160 but we'll let you guys know the confirmation once we get the word.

Stussy (Spring/Summer 2013 Lookbook) by Kenneth Cappello

Stussy now presents their new men's Spring 2013 lookbook by Kenneth Cappello. The new campaign reflects an older era of the monumental coastal city of Venice, California illustrated by Cappello’s unique style of photography. Styled by Tom Guinness, the photos present an deep look at the collection worn by some bros' skating the Venice streets. Stussy Spring 2013 is now available on Stussy.com and at all chapter stores.

BEAMS (Spring/Summer 2013 Lookbook)

BEAMS has been around for a while and is well known for their recent collaborations. One of my favorites was the BEAMS x The North Face collaboration where they added purple NF logos to various North Face apparel. BEAMS has now released their lookbook for the Spring and Summer seasons of 2013. Here is a quick preview of it.

Kid Cudi x Immortal

Another single off the upcoming, INDICUD, album. Album is set to release in April. CUDDER!

Air Jordan 5 "Aqua"

Every now and then, a sneaker brand has some ideas that sound great when they're abstract and in speech but turn out to be BEYOND sub-par. Jordan Brand is definitely no stranger to bad ideas; like the year when they released nothing but packages where one pair was great and the other was below average. Or like when they produced a surplus of hybrid Jordans like the "Six Rings" and "Son Of Mars". With that being said, another mishap may be in the making. One of the most popular Jordan's ever are the Grape 5's and they will be releasing fairly soon. But now, JB has decided to make an inverse of them and call them "Aqua" 5's. Brilliant idea or another bombshell? You be the judge.

Air Jordan 5 "Laney" confirmed for 2013

I remember back in, what I believe was 2008, the biggest sneaker rumor of the year surfaced. The rumor was that Jordan Brand was going to release the Grape 5's and Laney 5's both together in a package in August of that year. Once the rumor got around, everybody began to plan on how they were going to obtain them once they dropped. But unfortunately, JB never released them. But now, good news has arrived. Not only are the Grapes being released soon, the Laney 5's are have now been confirmed for a "Holiday" release this year. "Holiday" in JB language usually means November so we'll just go with that. Photos are not from 2013.

Pusha T x Marcelo Burlon County Of Milan T-Shirt

G.O.O.D. Music's own, Pusha T, and one of my favorite designers, Marcelo Burlon, have teamed up and developed a new shirt. The shirt features a lot of similar graphics that Burlon has used on other pieces of his County Of Milan line and uses inspiration from the Year Of The Snake theme for 2013. Availability has not yet been determined but if we find anything out, we'll be the sure to let you guys know.

Reebok Shaq Attaq "Phoenix Suns"

Used on the Nike Air Force 180, then the Foamposite One, and now the Shaq Attaq, the "Phoenix Sun" color scheme is starting to become a very popular pattern that a lot of sneaker brands are using for their designs. Reebok is the latest to use to idea and they've decided to put it on the next Shaq Attaq release. This release will feature the Orange, Black, and Purple colors over a nubuck and leather base with the famous Reebok PUMP on the tongue. A release date has not been set.

Hit-Boy ft. Juicy J & Audio Push x TU

Santa Cruz Skateboards confirms that Jeremy Scott plagiarized Jim Phillips

Over the past week, rumors and turmoil have been boiling over the creative inspiration Jeremy Scott received to create his new Fall 2013 collection. A lot of the designs seemed very similar to the past Artwork of, legendary skateboarding artist, Jim Phillips. And now, according to Santa Cruz Skateboards, Jeremy Scott, famous for his sneaker designs in Adidas, has in fact stolen direct artwork pieces from Jim Phillips. A majority of the work stolen was from a book named "The Skateboard Art of Jim Phillips" (shown below).

Santa Cruz Skateboards released this statement on the matter:

Robert A. Denike, CEO and President, NHS, Inc./Santa Cruz Skateboards: “We had never heard of Jeremy Scott until it was brought to our attention. This is not a collaboration or under license, nor did we or the Phillips family approve the use of this artwork on his apparel designs in any way.
It’s obvious to us, the Phillips family, the fans of Jim Phillips Sr. and Jimbo Phillips, and fans of the brand Santa Cruz Skateboards, as well as many in the global skateboard and skate art community that there is clear and obvious infringement by Mr. Scott. We are discussing this with our legal team to determine our next steps.
These two artists and this brand are iconic. Any true fan of skateboarding will tell you how the Phillips artwork style, this brand and the activity of skateboarding has positively influenced their lives. It may just be artwork to Mr. Scott, to be used and thrown away by next season, but these artists and brand mean a lot to many people around the world. And by the looks of the outcry on social media, skateboarders and non-skater’s alike are angry to have two of their most favored artists and one of the original true skateboard brands violated in such a way.
I hope that Mr. Scott sees that his actions have hurt and affected many people, including the Phillips family, and that he has also severely damaged his own reputation. It is not too late for him to do the right thing, as an artist and creative person, and fix his error in judgement.”

This is too crazy. I always knew something was up with Jeremy Scott.

Frank Ocean x Eyes Like Sky

Air Jordan 16 "Cherrywood"

Over the years, the Air Jordan 16 has not been as popular as the usual 1 through 14 retros that cycle every 5 to 7 years; But this 'Cherrywood' 16 will be making a statement. In the past, out of all the Retro 16's, the 'Cherrywood' was the most popular 16 to ever release back in 2001. Rumor has it, these will possibly be retroing again here in 2013. We will keep you guys posted in terms of release info.

Thom Browne (Spring/Summer 2013 Collection)

Thom Browne is a famous fashion designer based out of New York. He's know mostly for his designing in dress shoes and oxfords. But this Spring/Summer collection will most definitely turn heads. On top of some more extreme color schemes for this oxfords, Thom Browne used an onslaught of eerie and unorthodox coloring for the ensembles. Look at this abstractly and don't be so quick to pass judgement. "There's poetry in everything if you look for it." - Jay-Z.