Survival Of The Fittest . . . .Done

Well after my very short time space between finishing being busy at work and competing in 'The Men's Health Survival Of The Fittest Race' I had about 2 weeks to fit in as much training as possible for an event I only knew the distance of.

I was we'll aware the race distance was going to be 10km and this is a distance that I run most evenings, as its not too long but perfect to keep my stamina and fitness levels up. The problem I had was, how do i train for 21 obstacles I didn't have a clue about? Well the only thing I could think to do was, jump over stuff, pull myself up even higher things and try to lift anything heavy, adding to my strength.

Like I've said before I do keep pretty fit but I've never competed before so this was totally new to me and I didn't know what to expect.

I arrived at the beautiful Battersea Power Station (where the race was held) 2 hours before my race time, I was to start my race at 1pm and I was in wave 17 of 27, each wave was a group of 300 people that all started together like sardines in a tin, barging our way through the start of the course. The race started with 3 hay bale stacks to hurdle over each one higher than the next followed by monkey bars,steps and walls to climb. After this we ran a wet and muddy track out of the Power Station grounds around 3km to Battersea Park to its athletics track, where we did a lap over some hurdles. After a further 3km running back into the Power Station grounds, (we did have to stop at a busy road and wait for the pedestrian crossing to signal us across, which was a little annoying when your trying to do a good race time) we were bombarded with climbing, hurdling with sand bags/cones and metal beer kegs, jumping through windowless cars, through skips full of mud/ice and mushy wood chips, diving through thick mud and water trenches all whilst being hosed by men with fireman hoses.

Once you'd completed all these energy sapping obstacles the finish line could only be crossed by leaping over a 8ft wall, which isn't easy when your nakered!! But like many others before and after me I made it over and was so relieved to have finished the race. My only concern now was how quick I did it. Before I had started I thought with the lack of training and what I'd seen a friend complete it in, I thought 1 hour and 30 minutes would be a good time for me. So to find my time I had to go to the official time tent and to my surprise I smashed it in 53 minutes and 15 seconds. With 40 minutes being the fastest time, I was we'll chuffed only being 13 minutes longer.

It was an excellent event which I will do again next year and with a free sports top to run in, a great goodie bag and my finishing medal I couldn't complain.

 

 

 

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A Dedication

I don't know about you but being a red blooded man, I can't help but appreciate the female form and find myself googling my favourite Hollywood stars, music artists, athletes and models, basically just hot girls!

It's normal right!? I don't hide it from my wife and I damn sure won't be dating any of them so what's it matter!!!!!

Even though like most couple's we always have a "what if" person! You know what that is right?! Its the green card you give your partner for them to be with one famous person of their choice if they ever happen in a million years to meet and have the opportunity to kiss/sleep with. My wife's happens to be (like many other women at the moment I'm sure) Harry Styles from One Direction. A little bit on the young side I think but he does like an older chick so I think it gives her hope ha!

But that got me thinking "who would my, what if girl be?". And after a lot of thought and more googling obviously (any excuse) I couldn't think of one that stands above the rest. So instead I'm just gonna share them all with you and just say that this is my dedication to the Hottest women in the world!! Maybe it'll help me decide cuz I'm sure that the day I get to use my green card will come up (yeah right)!!!!.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I still can't make up my mind 😉.

 

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Holy Water Shines Up Nice

If you love that west coast Hip-Hop you gotta check out The Game's new hot track 'Holy Water'!!! Seriously I love this track, the beat is serious and Game's deep vocals just make you wanna recline and sip something!!
If the rest of his new album 'Jesus Piece' (which is out in December) is as banging as this, the Rap game is in trouble!!!!!
Go check out the video.

Am I In The Village People? No It's For Charity!!!

It's that time of year again when us men become one with our inner manly side, our slightly camp side, our love for 80's style, basically we become Tom Selleck for the month of November and why do we do this? For a damn good cause that's what!!!

I'm sure you all know about Movember now but if you don't, it's a charity that raises awareness for men's health, specifically prostate and testicular cancer. To do this men around the world donate their top lips to grow a very dashing moustache and everyone else generously donates their cash to them for growing it . . . Simple!

I did it last year and believe me if your not an everyday Mo wearer, after a couple of weeks your counting down the days to shave it off but its all good fun and for a great cause. I'm not doing it this year as i did it last year but a few friends are and they'd love for you to sponsor them so please click on a link below search their name and donate on the excellent Movember site!!!

www.uk.movember.co.uk

 

 

 

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Back and on a Fitness Mission for Matchday!!!

Wow, it's really felt like forever since I've been away from here.
This years busy season at work just went on and on and I haven't even had time to text friends never mind write blog posts for strangers to read.
Finally I've got my life back and I've got a lot to catch up on, both writing and reading what you guys have been blogging too!!!!

Well what better thing to start on than whats gonna be happening to me in just a fortnights time.

Back in April I stumbled across an article in my Men's Health magazine about a race that they put together each year called the 'Survival Of The Fittest' and being a guy who loves keeping fit and testing myself I thought "I'll have abit of that"!! With the event I chose being held on the 17th of November, I thought that's plenty of time to train especially as I run most nights, play football and general take care of myself anyway.
But as I stated earlier my 'busy season' at work dragged on a little longer than expected this year, giving me about 3 weeks to work my arse off trying to get my fitness back and beyond ready for this physical test of endurance. . . Oh shit!!!
As much as I love abit of pain through hard work I personally find it hard doing this on my own and do like abit of help, help being in the form of sports nutrition products (protein, for feeding and aiding in my recovery after exercise and an isotonic energy drink for before and during to give me the extra boost I need).
There are so many on the market now days and without trying them all, (which would take an awfully long time and cost a damn fortune) I've always gone by word of mouth, who's doing good deals and my most popular way of choosing, which company has the best flavours!!
For a few years now I've always used Maximuscle as they have always provided great tasting products that work, my favourites being their Promax meal and Promax diet bars and the Promax protein tubs. www.maximuscle.com
I still use their products frequently especially the protein bars as they are a great quick fix of good protein after a footy match or workout but I have strayed away from the powdered protein and have started using what I would say are my new favourite mix shakes . . . JstJodie!!!
The Jodie Marsh line of sport nutrition products are awesome with by far the best flavours but the best product in her line is the fat burners that everyone seems to be using 'SEMTEX'.
It's hard not checking my Twitter timeline without someone mentioning they have joined the #SemtexArmy and are fastly noticing their weight loss!
And let's be honest it's no lie, I lost half a stone in 2weeks when I took the little pills nicknamed 'Gold Dust'! So if your looking for great tasting products that work then hit up this web link and start buying!!  www.jstjodie.com

When it comes to a isotonic sports drink I've never been to fussy, as the many different brands I've tried have all done their job in my opinion, but i'd rather have something with next to no sweeteners etc in as it defeats the object.
Recently my wife happened to mention my love for exercise/sports and my blog to one of her customers, who has a shared interest in sports and sports nutrition and has started his own company who sell powdered isotonic solutions called Matchday.
To my delight he very kindly gave me a tub to try out and see what I thought and hopefully gain himself another customer aswell as some word of mouth custom.
I've been using the product for 2 weeks now before exercise and during longer periods of exercise where extra energy is needed. I can say it is a great isotonic drink, it definatly has aided my energy levels, it has a great taste and is free of artificial sweetners (crap you don't need) which is great!!! So needless to say i shall be going back for more and at the low price of £19.99 a tub, why wouldn't I!!
To see more on this product and their recovery solutions too, visit www.thematchday.co.uk  or hit up @TheMatchDay and @WHUTheGoalMouth on twitter but please don't be put off by the fact he's a Westham fan he's still a good guy.

Well with the help of my sports nutritional products and my determination im sure i'll be back fit enough to take on the 'Survival Of The Fittest' course. I shall keep you all posted on how it goes.

www.mhsurvival.co.uk incase you wanna check out the event.

I'm busy but I'll be posting again soon!!!

I don't get much time to myself from July through to early October because it's the busy period at work, where I can be putting in upto 100+ hours a week.
So the things I love to do, do get pushed abit to the side, blogging being one of those things.
But I'll be back on it ASAP and when I do I'll be posting new blog's on tattooing, the new sports supplements I've been using from 'JST Jodie' and a trail batch of 'Matchday' isotonic I was kindly given to try out.
I'll be talking about my up and coming challenges including, 'Mens health survival of the fittest' and the 'Tough Mudder' courses aswell as the 'Brighton Marathon'.
Plus some new clothes purchases I shall be making and of course what great new music I've been listening too.
Hope you check them out, peace.

Less Is More (bow tie).

Going out for an occasion that requires a smarter look, i.e cuffs and a collar, can be such a drag.
For people like myself who's job entails getting messy, dressing up for the night (or day) is something I love doing, but even sometime's getting out a suit and tie feels so mundane, so formal, just . . . Boring.
I'm not a fan of traditional top and tails wedding attire and this was something I made sure I wasn't going to wear on my wedding day (which I will add, was an amazing day).
I don't understand why people waste money on hiring a typical outfit that has no originality to you as a person, surely you want your own style or ideas you love to represent you on your special day?
Not everyone has the money to have a tailored suit, but there are plenty of off the peg suits you can go for. I opted for a grey two piece with black trimming, a throw back to the 1950's teddy boy style, with a skinny black tie all from Zara, which I loved.

But in the evening I wanted to be more comfortable when I'll be talking to my guests and spending a huge ammount of time making shapes and sweating it out on the dance floor (which I did, i looked like Lee Evans during his live shows).
Obviously changing your whole outfit is a hassle and also means you'd have to hide away your other new garms somewhere (on a hanger aswell as you don't want it creased) which can cause a problem.
You need to make the changes small, yet affective and that's easily done.
I made 4 changes which totally re-vamped my outfit:
1 - I ditched my jacket and rolled up my sleeves to add a more casual feel.
2 - I replaced my skinny tie with a bow tie, which also added a more relaxed feel about my outfit and a more fun look about it too.
3 - I put on my clear lensed fashion glasses, which transformed the look of my face, so with the other two steps, completely redesigned the whole top part of my outfit.
And lastly, 4 - I changed out of my shoes and put on my all black Converse high tops, which still look smart enough to wear to an evening event as they are classic black and don't stand out too much and also if your gonna be on your feet all night, (especially dancing) they are more comfortable on your feet.
These small steps gave me a whole new look and I was able to keep the bow tie and glasses in my inside pocket all day and the shoes hidden under a table so there was no need to carry around a hefty bag with a whole change of clothes somewhere, which is so easy.

You need not just use these items as a change to an evening from day event either. Like I said before the whole suit and tie thing can be a bit boring and you might wanna switch it up, which I did to a friends wedding reception the other night.


In this picture I went for the bowtie and glasses again, with a blue shirt, navy chinos (which I rolled up to add a summer casual look) and my boat shoes.

I was the only guy there who still had a smart evening event outfit on, but with a casual twist to it (everyone else who tries to relax abit ended up looking scruffy with their shirt hanging out and a bulge in their pocket from the tie they'd taken off).


Less is more and we all know men like things to be made easier for us, we're to busy watching the end of the game to have to start getting ready too early. The only down side is you gotta sit around a little longer waiting for her to get ready, trust me, cuz I always am!!!!

Here are some more awesome bow tie designs which I love.

The skull design one is by Alexander McQueen and the other two are from ASOS.

Whether plain or patterned , spotted or striped you can find so many cool designs that will liven up your evening attire.

Even the stars love a good bow tie, Outkasts Big Boi even wrote a song about them.

Busting Rhymes for Free.

Alot of Hip-Hop artists in a run up to a new album wanna get themselves back out in the public eye. Whether its guest features on other artists tracks, club appearances or blowing up on twitter. Whatever way they do it, you can't get better than releasing FREE music for the fans.
On Tuesday 21st August, Busta Rhymes, as a warm up to his official debut album on the YMCMB roster (his 9th studio album) is dropping a full free album titled 'Year Of The Dragon'.
It's a 14 track album including the hot track 'King Tut' featuring the new artists in his Conglomerate squad 'Reek Da Villian' and 'J-Doe'.

Busta has been at the top of his game since he burst on the scene in the early 90's. His live shows are so energetic just like his music videos, I've been lucky to see him a few times, recently at the Palms Memorial Weekend Pool Party where he was supposed to just MC the party but he treated us all to a half hour set of classics.
He's such an exciting artist to watch.
Personally i think he's done his best work when bringing out a new label debut album.
So needless to say I'm looking forward to this.
To download this album get onto google play this Tuesday and kop that shit and check his twitter banter @BusaBusss.

Van the Man

What's better than having Wayne Rooney, the premier leagues 2nd top scorer of the 2011/12 season (27 goals) as your main goal threat going into the new season? Try the leagues top scorer of 30 goals Robin Van Persie!!
As a Manchester United fan, much as any other fan, you admire the other class players that play in the league and imagine what they would do for your team.
With the way RVP held Arsenal together last season with his ability to score from anywhere and from nothing, I don't think a football fan in the world couldn't admire such class.
When he publicly announced he wasn't going to extend his contract, the first thing I thought was ''he'll be in a Man City shirt next season'', but how wrong I was!!!
It just shows that it's not all about the money, (even though he's still gonna be well paid) Robin wanted to come to a club with great history, a family based club, with one of the greatest managers of all time.
Personally I can't wait to see what RVP and Rooney will do this season.
Plus with the back up of Welbeck and Hernandez, like Sir Alex has said himself, it's the most exciting and best strike force out there since our treble winning '99 season!
Let's hope our new number 20 can help bring home the 20th top flight title.

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Only the 'Elite' to Compete

With the new football season underway I always like to kick it off with a new pair of boots!!
Mostly for the same reasons as I like putting on some fresh trainers, they make me feel good, so if I'm feeling good and I got my mind right I'm surely gonna play some better football?! (well thats the idea, my team mates might not agree).
There has been alot of science and technology going into football boots now days, we've come along way from the plain black leather boots that were big and heavy and for a fashion conscience guy like me, ugly to look at!!
Boots now days seem to get brighter with each new design and with more colour variations than a bag of skittles!
I personally love this but its not for everyones taste, you still get some old school players who like to comment with phrases such as "with boots like that u better be fucking good"!
But more importantly ( I can't believe I'm gonna say this ) it's not all about the blue, red, bright pink and green colours of the boots, it's also about  - the technology.
Sports companies are putting alot of money into creating the perfect boots for every type of player, whether you're a midfield maestro, a speedy winger or a prolific striker, there is a boot out there designed to help you improve your game play.
My favourite sneaker brand, Nike, are one of the main creators of the techno heavy modern day football boots so this post is gonna be all about them as personally they are my 'go to' boots and why wouldn't they be, they're the best!!

The main and most popular of the Nike football boots (going by what I see the professionals and standard league players, such as myself) players are wearing are in a group branded as 'The Elite Series' or as seen in Euro 2012 with new colours 'The Clash Collection'

This consists of 4 different styles-
CTR360's
Mercurial
Tiempo
And the T-90's.
Each pair are aimed at the style, position and type of footballer you are. For every pair there are the different options of studs including soft ground, firm ground, artificial grass and standard astro turf grips, (I prefer to have a pair of each, you gotta look after your feet and adapting to the different grounds is crucial to keeping injury free).
On top of the stud styles each type of boot has varied prices based on the boot just looking like the style you've brought (this being cheapest) and the boot having all the technology (being the most expensive), I'm gonna talk about each boot as the full high tech versions though. Also from experience paying that higher price DOES mean the boots will last longer, ''you get what you pay for''.

The CTR 360's -

These boots are aimed at the midfield player that wants to control the games tempo. They made from Kanga-Lite synthetic material which is said to help give them a cushioning touch and durable to all the twists and turns a midfielder makes to find the perfect pass. They have 3D control pading and fins to help you hug onto the football, optimising receiving and passing accuracy. On top of that, the midfoot has a dimpled texture which also increases friction, also aiding to help control and touch. These boots are perfect for a midfielder and this is proven by them being the boots of choice for players like Andres Iniesta and Jack Wilshere.

The Mercurial's

These boots are built for speed, the boot choice for Christiano Ronaldo. Inspired by sprinters spikes the contoured design mirrors a foot shape for a snug fit and with the central stud layout they are ideal for fast acceleration and explosive speed. They are made from an ultra light Flywire technology designed by Nike with a carbon fibre sole. The ultra light weight of the boot also helps with speed as you hardly feel like you have anything on your feet. I play on the wing so these boots are the usual choice that i would go for, im not the fastest player so anything that can help me add more speed to my game is perfect.

The T-90's -

The strikers boot. These boots claim pinpoint accuracy with its 'Shot Shield' technology which is divided into its 'power' and 'swerve' zones. These zones are covered in shape correcting foam and fins which reduce in size offering you a great natural feel allowing you to know the power your putting through the ball when striking. The weapon of choice for Wayne Rooney and Fernando Torres.

Nike Tiempo -

These are probably the most basic of the Nike boot range, but they are known for their comfort and durability. They are also made with Nike's Kanga-Lite technology aiding you with a great feel for the ball and comfort while playing your game. Ronaldinho and Manchester United's Mexican goal machine Chicarito are fans of these, so they are also clearly a good choice for strikers but personally the no frills basic design of these boots are great for the no nonsense defenders in the world.

But for the fashion conscience people of the world or the guy that wants the next level, better than the rest kind of footwear i.e ME, then your gonna want these little beauties.

This year Nike has created the limited edition GS's.

http://www.nikebetterworld.com/nikegs

There is far too much to explain about these amazing boots so checking out the link will be alot easier but trust me its worth your while.

If you're looking for some new boots I hope this helped a little, if you wanna look the part and wear a boot that's worn and loved by footballers around the world I'd strongly recommend getting yourself some Nike's.
(*)Plus last week one of the worlds greatest and my favourite footballer Chritiano Ronaldo told me his Nike mercurials enhanced his whole game play, so if a player of his quality thinks that then it must be true!
(* I don't really know Ronaldo but I'm sure what I said is true!)

Happy footballing and when I've controlled the ball, turned you and crossed in a accurate ball to the striker,it's because of my Nike's ( and me of course).
 #gamechanger #mytimeisnow

Who's Bad?!

It's been 25 yrs since 'Bad' hit the shelves of music stores worldwide and next month it's back again bigger and better!! With bonus tracks and for the first time ever a bonus DVD of his wembley concert from the '88 Bad tour, it's a must have for the big fans of M.J as i am and I can't wait to get it!

On August 31st 1987 Michael Jackson released his much anticipated 3rd adult solo album . . . Bad.
With the worldwide success of Thriller which won 8 Grammy awards and was number 1 in every corner of the earth (with its now global sales of  between 65 - 110 million) everyone was waiting for what M.J was gonna do next and by god he didn't disapoint!

For me the Bad era (even though it's not my favourite Jackson album) is my favourite time period. In my opinion he was still "normal" and hadn't transformed into the strange guy with all the court dates and personal problems he ended up having. Bad was an era where his style and energy were at their peak!

This album boasted more hits than some artists can provide over a few albums, hits including the title track 'Bad' (which alone sold over 8 million copies) 'The way you make me feel', 'Man in the mirror', 'Smooth criminal', 'Liberian girl' and 'Dirty Diana'. Honestly I could name the whole album and you'd know the songs, it was start to finish classics!!!
And not only that, he backed them up with brilliant videos! Bad's full 18 minute version directed my Martin Scorsese, shows a student M.J going from posh school back to his home on the holidays in a tough city area, where his friends try peer preasure to get him to rob an old woman in the subway. The main "friend" being played by Hollywood actor Wesley Snipes.Once M.J realises its wrong the film bursts into the Bad song demonstrating Michael and his new gangs excellent dance moves around the underground station!
Then there was the 'Liberian girl' video which featured a whole cast of 80's Hollywood royalty including -Carl Weathers, Whoopi Goldberg, John Travolta, Steven Spielberg, Lou Ferringo, Dan Aykroyd, Quincy Jones plus many more. Showing even the stars loved the King of Pop.

But the main event was the 'Smooth Criminal' video, set in a early 1930's style club, with excellent dance routines and a cool breakdown section with acapella vocals, before bursting back with more signature M.J moves. But this was only a small part in the middle of a full hour movie he called 'Moonwalker'.
Staring himself as the hero and Joe Pesci as a drug lord trying to destroy the youth by getting them hooked on drugs, but obviously M.J saved the day with his dancing, and transforming into sports cars and a missile launching robot (just watch it, it'll make more sense).

Other great videos created included 'Speed Demon' where Michael escapes his screaming fans by dressing up as a Rabbit and tries to get away on a motor bike while under persuit (all characters including himself being made of plastcine). So just like the songs, all the videos were brilliant.

All in all Bad was a classic album from a man who amazingly only seemed to make classic albums.
Michaels legacy will always live on through his music and I'm sure he'll continue to get new fans till the end of time.

R.I.P Michael Joseph Jackson.

Fresh Music for the near future - part 1

Im always getting excited about new music thats on its way, checking sites like wikipedia (not always very accurate), Artists Twitter and Facebook pages and other various music web pages.
I've got a ridiculous eclectic music collection, stored on my PC, on CD, on MD and maxing out my various Apple storage devices. But no matter how much i love certain albums or individual songs, im always looking for what and when my favourites artists are gonna be dropping next!!!!!
Here's a little list of what albums im waiting on for the final half of 2012 (dates likely to change).
Busta Rhymes - Year of the dragon - august.
Redman - Muddy waters 2-Even muddier - No date.
2 Chainz - Based on a T.R.U. Story - august 14th.
Wiz Khalifa - O.N.I.F.C. - august 28th.
DMX - Undisputed - august 28th.
Slaughterhouse - welcome to : Our house - august 28th.
T.I - trouble man - september 4th.
G.O.O.D. Music - Cruel summer - september 4th.
Ne-Yo - R.E.D. - september 18th.
Kendrick Lemar - Good kid,mad city - october 2nd.
Rick Ross - God forgives, I don't - august.
Game - F.I.V.E. Fear Is Victorys Evolution - No date.
Lupe Fiasco - Food and Liquor 2 - september 25th.
Snoop Dogg - Snoop Lion Reincarnated - august.
Michael Jackson - Bad 25th anniversary - september 18th.
50 Cent - street king immortal - november.
And finally after what seems a lifetime and probably won't happen still - Dr Dre - Detox!!!!!!
If you know of any other music you think i'll be interested in thats coming out, let me know.
Peace.

Step In The Name Of Love

As long as I can remember I've had a healthy love for trainers (kicks-sneakers-foot candy, whatever you wanna call them).There's nothing like the feeling of gettin a fresh pair out of the box and putting them on.
They can turn a standard outfit into that something abit more special makin your whole get up look cooler and change your whole persona (I know when I put some fresh kicks on I feel fly as fuck!).
How many songs have u heard where if the whole song isn't about putting some fresh sneakers on, its been mentioned in there somewhere!?!?!

If you look around the cities/towns you live in, it's quite clear to see that high tops and plimsole styles are the big winners, obviously, cuz they look good and also with the huge serge in skinny jeans/chinos being worn, they tuck in the high tops and sit ontop of the plimsole nicely (with or without a turn up!).
My favourite brand is and has always been Nike, the colours, designs and styles are to me a cut above the rest plus they fit perfect - (Adidas for example are too narrow and squash my feet).
Also with Nike having an online iD option on some designs, you can choose your own colours on every part of the trainer and even add letters and selected logos, making them original and personel.

Another classic is Cons!! I love converse high tops and I can't see them ever goin out of fashion.Worn by the average joe and celebrities alike we can't seem to get enough of them. With brand new artwork and designs/prints coming thick and fast you can always be fairly original with them. Plus compared to most brands their pretty cheap at an average price of £40.

For all the die hard trainer fans tho' there is nothing like gettin your hands (or feet) on some limited edition kicks! But it's not always that easy or cheap.
My wife got me my prized pair of limited edition BBC Icecream diamond dollar sneakers (pair no# 0746 of 3000 ).
As worn by Pharrell in Snoop Doggs 'drop it like its hot' video (in another colour though).
I don't wear these that often though as I don't wanna ruin them as there worth round the £350 mark!
But that's the joy of havin alot of trainers you can switch it up and wear them sparingly so they always look like new after havin them for years.

I also managed to get 2 pairs of Adidas shell toes (the only adidas trainers i can wear luckily) from their 2005 35th anniversary limited collection. In this collection Adidas brought out 35 different styles of their classic shell toe design made famous by the likes of RUN DMC.

I managed to get a friend to queue for 3 hours at an Adidas retailers in Hong Kong to get me whatever pairs they could get hold off. I ended up getting the - NO#10 Lee Quinones and the - NO#30 Etched Black designs.

Obviously i like to look good (don't we all) but when it comes to what im gonna wear of a day or night, it usually starts from my foot wear up.
Will this outfit go with these shoes?..... No!! Then pick another outfit!!!
 
They always say u can judge a man by his foot wear, so my advice is keep them clean, stay in style and switch 'em up and you'll get noticed!!
Happy steppin'!!

Nas - The best rapper alive??

With 13 yrs in the game and his new album 'life is good' out now can Nas still bring it!?
With Big names like Jigga, Weezy, Kanye, Drake and Rick Ross dominating the hip hop game, is the queens bridge rap veteran still relevant?
Back in 1994 Nas released his debut album 'Illmatic' an album that inspired hip hop artists and artists of all genres alike. It's considered one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time but that came with a price. When you've made an album- a classic album- how can u top it?? Many would say he never has, so the gift he gave US has become HIS curse. But how many other artists have done this? I couldn't possibly name them all because there have been so many and with that, they've faded away out of the game, but not Nas, he's still bringing out albums (hes on his 10th solo effort) and listeners are still buying them so clearly he's doing somethin right to keep everyone's attention. Which is a great feat considering he hasn't sold out to popular demand (making dance inspired or radio friendly tracks) he's stuck to his hip hop roots and real rap fans appreciate that. Not saying that making those kind of tracks is a bad thing, Eminem and Jay-z for example have always kicked off the promo of their new albums with a radio friendly pop style track to much success. Nas may not get the single and ringtone sales but thats what i love about him.

It's hard to find a rap artist who's albums I always get excited about hearing and Nas does that for me. With the exception of kanyes 'my beautiful dark twisted fantasy' and Drizzys 'take care' LP I haven't felt the excitement and love for hip hop as I had in previous years (back in the early 90s).
With his latest offering 'life is good' my personal opinion is Nas is still a rap heavy weight and STILL my favourite rapper,the album has a massive jazz feel to it (thanks to his upbringing as his father was a jazz artist) as did 'Ilmatic' and you can tell he's enjoyin life and enjoying hip hop again (especially after stating before that 'hiphop is dead') . With more guest appearances than ever ('champion' on Nicki Minaj's LP, 'outro' on Weezys 'tha Carter 4' and 'mirage' on Chris Browns 'fortune' to name a few), he's clearly having fun with it and reaching out to new listeners.

In my opinion to have a career spanning 13 yrs and still be relevent and get people excited (even other rap artists) and most of all makin real hip hop he's definatly the greatest rapper alive.