Lucila Lotti

Is creativity a genetic likelihood? Look at Paul and Stella McCartney, Ronald & Sophie Dahl, Rosa and Margherita Missoni. In Lucila Lotti’s case, genetics definitely played a part in her creative upbringing. Her father, Jorge Lotti began his tailoring shop in Buenos Aires in 1920 and grew the business to become a major presence in the South American garment industry until the 90’s, when it closed. Lucila, the youngest of the family grew up amongst this love of detail, fine fabrics and quality craftsmanship.

Lucila began her own business focusing on shoes made from patent leather, suede, satin and vinyl in homage to her mother who always wore heels and lipstick when leaving the home. Opening her own boutique in the creative, bohemian hub of Palermo in Buenos Aires, Lucila is amongst fine company. Given this sense of history and creative disposition, it is no surprise that Lucila’s debut collection came to the attention of Patricia Field and Sex & The City. Her bright, bold shapes and ability to mix colour and silhouette in a brave, fashionable style will no doubt continue to inspire more international press.   – Kate Vandermeer

TCHr

Look inside any of the best-dressed list wardrobes and you’ll find a mix of key designer looks, carefully selected vintage and some stand out one off pieces that have stood the test of time.  The kind of pieces that you reach for over and over as you know that no matter how tired you are, how old the rest of your outfit feels, you’ll be happy with the overall look as long as you are wearing that piece.

Well, TCHr has 2 pieces that will be the missing jigsaw piece to your wardrobe puzzle. For the ladies, a stylish, printed silk tunic dress that could be worn easily in winter with tights and a trench or in spring with heels and a statement necklace. At $750, it’s an investment that will bring you plenty of return in your wardrobe. (Sizes 0 +1 only)

HUMöR

With a penchant for comical quirky knitted prints, bold graphic tees and unique pant silhouettes, the look is fresh, irreverent and could be described as a slightly more toned down version of singer MIA’s personal style.  Loud, brash with a kaleidoscope of texture, these clothes make statements and are not for the faint-hearted wall flower!  It seems that the consumer is embracing the brand as well, with key stores like Size?, American Retro and Choices stocking the brand and fashion website OKI NI selling out online.  Having expanded the range to include accessories and footwear,  HUMöR is about to be stocked in Topman in Oxford Circus, it’s a matter of time before this brand takes it to the next level.  – Kate Vandermeer

New Blackberry/iPhone clutch

If you carry a Blackberry, iPod or iPhone, do you have to look like you have no style at all? Cute accessory bags are fine for weekend hiking trips, just like boring “business like” cases are fine for, well, boring people, but for the power lunch with the merger guys or cocktails in high places, you’ll want this bag made of gold python-print Italian leather.

Chanel Perspex briefcase

This week in Paris, Karl Lagerfeld presented a poised, elegant and mostly black take on power suiting for Chanel that included this fantastically witty take on the working gal’s briefcase. We hope that it’s not just a prop for the catwalk. We’re sure someone out there could pull it off in the real world. It’s highly functional, after all. – Laura Demasi – via Fashionation

E-mail: cutdachecktv@gmail.com

50 is funny, but Jay is witty. Jay-Z is not to be toyed with. If he fuckin’ responds, if he feels like you’re really pissing him off and he responds, he’s gonna fuck you up! He would fuck me up, I’m just glad he didn’t fuckin’ respond, so I didn’t have to go dig in my fuckin’ bag and try to fuck him up.

Jay-Z answers Beanie Sigel from la rue du hiphop on Vimeo.

Is it my imagination or is the silicone gel from her butt injections sliding down the back of her left thigh??

A 30 something year old LA resident Alexsandra Wright (above) has filed a paternity suit claiming Beyonce and Solange’s daddy Mathew Knowles is HER baby’s daddy. And nope–the woman aint Mama Tina. According to TMZ:

We’ve learned Alexsandra Wright filed the case in L.A. County Superior Court. Wright lives in L.A. — she works in the name-branding business. We’re told she’s in her late 30s.

Wright, who is 6-months pregnant, filed the case last week, alleges Knowles is the father. Sources say Wright is repped by Neal Hersh, who is currently repping Lamar Odom in the prenup negotiations with Khloe Kardashian.
Quiet as kept, there have been rumors for a few years now that Tina–his wife of almost 30 years–and Mathew are separated, but not divorced. And there’s been rumors that Papa Knowles is indeed a Rolling Stone. So this paternity claim isn’t all that surprising. But still. Aint this some ish? I guaran-damn-tee you Tina’s got her bedazzler gun and wig glue on deck if either of them try to jump extra

crazy though…

MaMa Tina aint playing with y’all…

Will it last?

I’m sure by now everyone knows what Kanye did however you may not have noticed that Kanye issued an apology on his blog…then took it down.

After interrupting Taylor Swift at the MTV VMA’s for best female video for “You Belong With Me,” besting Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”, Kanye wrote this:

“I’M SOOOOO SORRY TO TAYLOR SWIFT AND HER FANS AND HER MOM. I SPOKE TO HER MOTHER RIGHT AFTER AND SHE SAID THE SAME THING MY MOTHER WOULD’VE SAID. SHE IS VERY TALENTED! I LIKE THE LYRICS ABOUT BEING A CHEERLEADER AND SHE’S IN THE BLEACHERS! …………………… I’M IN THE WRONG FOR GOING ON STAGE AND TAKING AWAY FROM HER MOMENT!…………….. BEYONCE’S VIDEO WAS THE BEST OF THIS DECADE!!!! I’M SORRY TO MY FANS IF I LET YOU GUYS DOWN!!!! I’M SORRY TO MY FRIENDS AT MTV. I WILL APOLOGIZE TO TAYLOR 2MRW.”

You know, I was just thinking the other day, we haven’t had a WALL OF TEXT post from Prodigy or Kanye lately, guess I should have seen this one coming. Anyway, at this point, apart from the excessive O’s in the first line, Kanye’s apology DOES seem sincere. However…

“WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD!!!! EVERYBODY WANNA BOOOOO ME BUT I’M A FAN OF REAL POP CULTURE!!! NO DISRESPECT BUT WE WATCHIN’ THE SHOW AT THE CRIB RIGHT NOW CAUSE … WELL YOU KNOW!!!! I’M STILL HAPPY FOR TAYLOR!!!! BOOOYAAAWWWW!!!! YOU ARE VERY VERY TALENTED!!! I GAVE MY AWARDS TO OUTKAST WHEN THEY DESERVED IT OVER ME… THAT’S WHAT IT IS!!!!!!! I’M NOT CRAZY YALL, I’M JUST REAL. SORRY FOR THAT!!! I REALLY FEEL BAD FOR TAYLOR AND I’M SINCERELY SORRY!!! MUCH RESPECT!!!!!”

Saying “welcome to the real world” is like saying, “This is what you should get used to in the music business” which isn’t true as before Kanye’s shenanigans, only the late Ol Dirty Bastard had done something of this nature and grabbed headlines like this.

Cosby’s Facebook page:

I agree with President Carter that racism is playing a role in recent outbursts against President Obama. During President Obama’s speech on the status of health care reform, some members of congress engaged in a public display of disrespect. While one Representative hurled the now infamous “you lie” insult at the President, others made their lack of interest known by exhibiting rude behavior such as deliberately yawning and sending text messages ….

Various polls prior to the election indicated that between five and ten percent of Americans would never vote for an African American president. That number, of course, only includes those who actually admitted to their prejudice. How many others harbored such feelings but did not respond honestly when asked the question? And how many people oppose Obama’s plan because the President is African American?
In “Birth of a Nation,” D.W. Griffith used white actors in black face to portray black legislators as having low intelligence and acting like fools. Today, we have a band of real life congressional fools seemingly bent on blocking any meaningful reform of the health care system. But if we allow even one American to die simply because he or she cannot afford treatment, we are creating a shameful scenario that could aptly be called “Death of a Nation.”

Legendary R&B singer Gladys Knight had some harsh words for the genre of Hip-Hop in a recent interview.

Knight is making the press rounds promoting her role as church elder named “Wilma” in Tyler Perry’s latest movie I Can Do Bad All By Myself, while she prepares for an October tour of Europe.

In addition to the high profile role in Perry’s latest hit movie, Knight is revered around the world for hits like “Midnight Train to Georgia,” “Neither One Of Us” and “Heard It Through The Grapevine.”

During an interview with BlackNews.com, Knight said that Hip-Hop had created opportunities for young artists, but the slammed the genre of music, claiming it had set back African-Americans as a race.

“It’s been bad, in my opinion, as far as the quality of the music and the stories that they tell. It’s one thing to be raw about your history, but they took it to another level and it became vulgar,” Knight said.

To read more, click here.

Source: AllHipHip.com

Syvelle was born on Dec. 23  in Memphis Tenn.  L’john was raised by his grandparents from the age of 3 weeks, because his mother and father split and at that time she didn’t have the means to raise two kids, so she took his sister and moved to Washington, D.C. to live with her sisters. In the meantime “mama” (his grandmother) took on the role as mother. One day while visiting his father he heard a song, it was “I Just Called to Say I love You, by Stevie Wonder and that’s when the spark was ignited. Later on L’john moved to uptown Wash.,D.C and attended middle and Jr. High school. Over the next couple of years L’john had his share of bad and good, from losing close realatives and friends, court cases and other issues that stem from growing up in the hood, to eventually graduate from Duke Ellington School of The Arts. In 1992 L’john performed at the world famous Apollo Theatre and won consecutive episodes with a group called Yunek. Presently, L’john sings lead with the group, Atlantic Starr…(Secret Lovers, Am I Dreaming, Always, Lets Get Closer, Masterpiece etc.) and also sings with a band called ,”Backyard.” The winners of four catogories at the 2006 go-go awards in Washington,D.C. L’john has performed on the same ticket with artist such as, Busta Rymes, Rah Digga, Scarface, Keith Sweat, The O’jays, Zap, Babs Bunny,bun b, rich boy, Donell Jones, Monifah, Outcast, Jeffery Osborne, Jesse Powell, Jaheim, Kenny Rogers, T.I, Boyz 11 Men, Wyclef Jean, Omarion, 112, and Jagged Edge just to name a few. Not only does he sing but he also produce, write and arrange music. He has an Independant Label called Yunek Entertainment (unique) with a host of talent waiting to grace the world.

David Correy

Deborah Bond

Roy Hargrove

Almighty Emperor Sound

L.J.

Yahzarah

Backyard Band

Rare Essence

TCB

UCB

What? Band

In an industry dominated by solo artists, D.C.’s premiere Hip-hop group, Likeblood (aka Eric “Yung E” Mann; Andre “Dre Strong” Strong; Mbea “Mbea Da 1” Bassil), takes the new-age mantra, “more for your money,” and makes it a reality. With a trifecta of voices that are unique in both perspective and sound, Likeblood emerges onto the scene to remind music lovers and Hip-hop heads alike, just how special a cohesive group of emcees can be. Being from Washington, D.C., automatically raises the stakes for any emcee. The original “Murder Capital” ranks 8th in America’s urban markets, is the nation’s #1 most watched political center, and is the birthplace of Go-go, a musical subculture which has influenced Hip-Hop since its nascence nearly 30 years ago. Even with all of this in hand, the true voice of D.C. Hip-Hop has yet to be defined, and for Likeblood, establishing that voice has always been paramount. As a true personification of the rarely-seen culture of the nation’s capital, which has been ingrained in the group since their youth growing up on the streets of D.C., Likeblood genuinely brings a new sound and experience to the Hip-Hop game.

Download Likeblood

Forever remix feat. Drake

F*# wit me feat. Rock Mickey and Wood Harris

Run This Town (clean)

True to their name (“Likeblood” represents “like family”), Likeblood started off as a full regime of comrades, even crossing intra-city boundaries to fill its ranks. But as everyday life soldiered on, the group found itself scaling back to the current trio (ironically, the three original members) to officially push their product. In early 2006, the group signed a record deal with indie powerhouse, Soblu Music Group, who cast the group alongside Wood Harris (“Next Day Air,” “Paid in Full,” “The Wire”) and Clifton Powell (“Norbit,” “Ray,” “Next Friday”) in the company’s debut feature film, “Jazz in the Diamond District.” In addition to acting in the film, Likeblood was heavily involved in creating the music and solidified a spot on the film’s soundtrack, which was produced by D.C.’s own super-producer, Chucky Thompson (Notorious BIG/Mary J Blige)

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>In March 2009, after the release of Mbea Da 1 (previously incarcerated), they dropped their first single from the film’s soundtrack, “Red Carpet,” featuring their label mate, Chris. The video garnered them enormous visibility, premiering as the “New Joint of the Day” on BET’s, “106 & Park,” and getting airplay on MTV Jams, Music Choice, Fuse, VH1.com and BET.com. In addition to the video exposure, the song peaked at 89^th on the Urban Mainstream Billboard chart, putting the group, their music and their story on the industry’s radar. “The video debuted on BET and the single got a lot of radio support across the country. I think that really put us on the map and now it’s up to us to continue to delivering great music to our fans. We have a lot of great records on the way,” says Yung E.

Following the success of “Red Carpet,” Likeblood headed to the studio to begin working on their debut LP, “#dabiness” (slated for release in 2010). The album speaks on the groups journey breaking into the music industry, and includes the pound sign (“#”) before the title to brand it as a Twitter “trending top,” which has proven to be an important element of one’s success in the music business (i.e. “dabiness”). Drawing on past experiences, which include features in Hip-Hop Weekly and Urb Magazine’s, “Next 1000 to Blow,” being invited to perform on the National Mall and in Canada, and opening up for artists such as LeToya Luckett, Rich Girl, Ace Hood, New Boyz, Dorrough, Bobby V, Rich Boy, Lil Scrappy and Bun B, Likeblood gives listeners a taste of the path that they have traveled so far and what it has taken for them to make it in “#dabiness.”

In October 2009 the group went to mixshow with the first album single, “Money Over Here,” featuring Bobby V. Co-Produced by Atlanta production team, The Council (Fabolous/Lil Wayne), along with Soblu Music Group’s newest signee, Maurice “Mo Digga” Randolph, “Money Over Here” is setting itself up to be the “work hard, play hard” anthem of the winter. Already garnering respect from DJ’s across the world, Likeblood has been steadily expanding their fan base and familiarizing the industry, both nationally and internationally, with the Likeblood brand. “The music game, especially now, isn’t about a quick fix. It’s about quality and consistency…that is really our focus right now,” says Dre Strong. “We just want to prove that we can stand with the best and make classic albums. The only way we can do that is to put in the work and just keep grindin’,” says Mbea Da 1. That quote encapsulates the message of “Money Over Here,” which speaks to the continuous grind needed to create and maintain success; a grind that Likeblood knows very well.

>Look out for Likeblood to give you more for your money, next Spring, with their debut album, “#dabiness.”

Diamond District

Garvey (Chosen One)

Likeblood

Lyriciss

Philade

Kingpen Slim

Ra the MC

Super Nike Nando

Tabi Bonney

Tarica June