Hmmm...This Must Be Deep

Drake - Duppy Freestyle by octobersveryown https://ift.tt/2GR5K8E

Today's my nephew Raekwon's 21st birthday. Stopped by the homie @yedifresh's new studio to chop it up while he paints. (at The Greenwich Arts Council) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5_lFJLHMd6/?igshid=1xbviavgsmm51

Just added new hoodie colorways to the @TheCultureRef Etsy Shop for the Vincent Van Gogh french terry lightweight hoodies. I think the red contrasts really good with the print. Purple looks dope...and the Oatmeal I was previously the only one with this color for myself. Just made it available as an option in the shop. The painting of Van Gogh I used is "The Irises" it's one of the last paintings he painted, while he was a patient in an asylum, just one year before he died at age 37. #VincentVanGogh #GoghHard #VanGogh #ArtHistory #artsyfartsy #Curator #Impressionist #museum #wearableart #TheCultureRef #floralprint #ArtMajor #artmeetsfashion #EtsyShop (at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B58i2HLnL33/?igshid=11c6a3r7q61mw

"I think I have to send you a reminder...here it is" #Motivation #StayFocused #NotToSelf #LogOff #SocialMediaDetox #ReadBooksNotComments #MotivationalQuotes https://www.instagram.com/p/B5vbwNFH3k4/?igshid=tkz0j71ll746

Made a new hoodie design from the iconic painting "The Great Wave Off Kanagawa" by Japanese artist Hokusai. Made it in the colorway of the Jordan 1 "Fearless Blue The Great". Came out dope!!! Interesting fact about this painting, Hokusai painted this in 1831, the same year Nat Turner had his slave rebellion!!! This hoodie as well as many other items are on sale on my Etsy Shop @thecultureref, plus buy any two items and get 20% off your order. #TheGreatWaveOffKanagawa #TheGreatWave #Hokusai #JapaneseArt #ArtHistory #MountFuji #Artreference #HoodieSeason #Streetwear #Jordan1 #Sneakermatch #Bluethegreat #EtsyShop #EtsyBlack #NatTurner #BlackOwnedBusiness #TheCultureRef https://www.instagram.com/p/B5l1taKH6jh/?igshid=9bo3p9ps3mgr

After the Yasiin Bey exhibition @brooklynmuseum we went to see the amazing exhibition by photographer and street artist @JR. Featured is this nearly life size mural where he shot over a thousand New Yorkers and interviewed all of them about living in NY. @Flutana and I listened to a few. Out of over 1,000 people in this portrait, Nicole selected two random people...the second one happened to be my boy @alanmildor!!!! Someone she's never met and never seen before!! So crazy!! What's funny is just two weeks ago we were supposed to meet Alan at the @leequinones exhibition at @james_fuentes_llc gallery but he couldn't make it. Funny how life is....Definitely recommend this exhibition...JR's work is really fascinating. Especially if you like stories of real people. #JRChronicles #BrooklynMuseum #Photography #StreetArtist #NYCstories #IGotaStoryToTell #AlanMildor #Coincidence #Serendipity #Omens #FollowYourBliss (at Brooklyn Museum) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5TSUDqndA-/?igshid=1sm08e93wt2gh

Went to hear the new Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) album "Negus" in which he presented it as an immersive experience you can only listen to at the exhibition at Brooklyn Museum. I won't spoil it, but I will say it was well worth it and something to experience for yourself. I think it raises some great questions about the value of music and the capacity in which music is to be consumed. The artwork in the space was very fitting in the context of the overall statement being made. Very heavy stuff. A lot of references to Ethiopia and Eritrea...Negus is an Ethiopian term. It first came to my consciousness through Peter Tosh in one of my favorite songs of his "Igziabeher"..which makes sense since Rasta's praised Haile Selassie. Negus means king. Definitely a lot of questions raised about language and how it's used. @Flutana and I had an hour long conversation about what we experienced including the power of perception and different interpretations of The Bible. EXTREMELY thought provoking stuff...you just have to be open to receive it. #YasiinBey #Negus #MosDef #BrooklynMuseum #PeterTosh (at Brooklyn Museum) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5Rl9LPnT2A/?igshid=1dnxxin9p1y4f

One of my customers, an educator, sent me this photo of her wearing the James Baldwin sweatshirt she bought from my Etsy Shop @TheCultureRef. She wore it to a reading and Q&A with writer Ta-Nehisi Coates for his new novel, which is on Oprah's book club list. Ta-Nehisi has always been vocal about how huge an influence Baldwin has had on him as a writer and a thinker. In fact his book "Between The World and Me" was directly inspired by Baldwin's "The Fire Next Time". Always great to see where in the world these shirts are going. You can get the sweatshirt and other items on The Culture Ref Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheCultureRef #JamesBaldwin #TaNehisiCoates #InspirationalQuotes #EtsyShop (at Harlem, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5Q8dziHFtN/?igshid=1fibqysgpfut5

Just made my 400th sale on ETSY!!! A woman just ordered this hoodie from my shop for her husband who's a producer as a part of her anniversary gift to him. Kind of huge and significant. I love hearing these stories from customers. I also got an order from a customer who made one of my t-shirts a part of their Halloween costume. Another customer of mine bought a James Baldwin sweatshirt last year and just bought the new Baldwin sweatshirt I made this year. Also..I think someone who works as a publicist for Netflix just bought one of my YNG BLK ENTR PRNR mugs!! It's kinda dope to be making things that's a real part of people's lives. If I had to nail what it is that I'm interested in doing with any of these designs I make is to give them a source of empowerment... a reference point for greatness and possibility. I feel like putting these types of messages out in the world really does have value and can be materialized. Something that I've been thinking about for a while, and I will make it into a shirt...is that the ability to inspire someone is a revolutionary act. What we say and do on a regular basis matters and can have very real results for someone else in the world. No matter how big or small. By the way...I rebranded my ETSY Shop "The Culture Ref". Short for The Culture Reference...I have a FB page, please Like it...and follow on IG and Twitter @TheCultureRef and of course the ETSY page: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheCultureRef If you read all the way down to here...you a G!! #RealGsMoveInSilenceLikeLasagna #TheCultureRef #Inspiration #JamesBaldwin #BlackEntrepreneur #MusicProducer #IGottaStoryToTell #INeedToWriteaNewsletter #EtsyShop https://www.instagram.com/p/B5HBNUuHagb/?igshid=138dnhtahxj24

Stopped by Henry Chalfant's exhibition @bronxmuseum yesterday. So many photos of the trains he shot over the years. One of the trains stood out to me "Stop The Bomb", I looked it up and pf course it's by @leequinones who's exhibition opening I just went to at @james_fuentes_llc #HenryChalfant #LeeQuinones #Graffiti #graffitiwriter #BronxMuseum #NYCSUBWAY #80s (at Bronx Museum of the Arts) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4vW-FWnhdV/?igshid=12vaup6p0hza0

Ran into these art LEGENDS!! Toxic, who I interviewed a few years ago at Art Basel about his friend and art peer Basquiat. In the middle is Al Diaz!!! If you don't know..Al Diaz and Basquiat together are "SAMO" #DoYourGoogles Toxic, Rammellzee and Basquiat are Hollywood Africans. So much history here!!! (at JAMES FUENTES LLC) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4i8kWLHyqT/?igshid=17tef6itgap1u

Lee Quiñones Opening night at James Fuentes Gallery. Love this... #detail #LeeQuinones (at JAMES FUENTES LLC) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4i7M_lHuOF/?igshid=1elt3nbcxju4z

I made a Biggie denim dad hat. The image of him with the Coogi sweater counting money embroidered. I think it looks kinda dope... Just added to my Etsy shop #linkinbio #Biggie #NotoriousBIG #BiggieSmalls #CoogiSweater #HipHop #EtsyFinds #90s #DenimHat #AcidWash (at Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4RE7J0nToo/?igshid=1w9kz2th3n5gk

Just added these James Baldwin and Nina Simone mugs to my Etsy shop. The Baldwin mug has accent colors, the handle and interior is all black. The quote reads "Our crown has been bought and paid for. All we have to do is wear it". #Linkinbio #JamesBaldwin #NinaSimone #bookstagram #BlackExcellence #BlackArtsMovement #EtsyShop https://www.instagram.com/p/B4LSyvYnFZc/?igshid=1i4n7aw9fanct

Just read that Kanye has a song feat Kenny G with The Clipse. Not to compare but (I'm totally comparing) @LupeFiasco had @terracemartin on Tetsuo and Youth and Kendrick had @kamasiwashington on To Pimp a Butterfly....... #TheresaDifference #KanyeThinksWhiteIsRight #WakeUpMrWest #JazzHistory #MilesDavis #KennyG #KanyeWest #LetMeGoBackToMindingMyBusiness https://www.instagram.com/p/B4DLHFxnZyK/?igshid=prs3fmekdwg9

#tbt About 7 years ago I got a chance to design the artwork for @pjmorton's first single feat Lil Wayne. In addition to being the keyboardist in Maroon 5, he's an extremely talented musician and solo artist. Earlier this year he won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance. Shortly after I designed the artwork here he did an NYC show and me and the homie @jon_geezus went to check it out. It was the first time I had seen New Orleans musicians bring the FUNK like only they can. He had a full band including a brass section. Amazing stuff. Much respect to all the musicians keeping live music alive and well. Thanks to @thefashiondr for the link up!! #PJMorton #LilWayne #Musicians #NewOrleans https://www.instagram.com/p/B4A0p_knqeE/?igshid=1fw8sthni5mgo

Made a version of the James Baldwin quote design in burgundy on a white tee and also a french terry crewneck sweatshirt. Baldwin x Da Vinci. Just added to my Etsy shop. Current sale buy two items get 20% off your order. Tag a Baldwin fan #JamesBaldwin #bookstagram #Baldwinite #BlackWriters #EtsyFinds #linkinbio #Burgundyandwhite #bookstores https://www.instagram.com/p/B3xXwl3HA4Y/?igshid=d1ajcaxgjq7m