Twelve Ounce Prophet

Twelve Ounce Prophet will always be known for their high quality publications they produced in the 1990's into early 2000. I remember saying "holy shiiit" the first time I flipped through the pages. See, during those times they were the benchmark of all graff magazines and one could tell by the layout and design that there was a great amount of time and attention to detail laid out right in front of you. Well known artists such as Cody Hudson, Barry Mcgee and Cope were contributing their skills and flair as well as many well known others. Their connections in the art world were becoming more and more legit and then all of a sudden, they stopped the press and discontinued their wonderful creation and started doing mail-order, selling all types of graff supplies, accessories, clothes and videos. They also launched their website www.12ozprophet.com which is the hub for anything graff related on the internet, with their forums and blogs.

These days Allen Benedikt, creator of 12oz, runs AKA Studios in downtown NYC which is primarily used for photo shoots and events. 12oz also just launched their new webstore this week which has been closed for a few months, maybe even years. He's also been releasing a few graff related books, but unfortunately no more of that sweet, colorful publication that everybody knew and loved. Long live the Prophet!

1986 NYC Messenger Article

The bicycle messenger is a dying breed. Well, not necessarily but it's surely nothing like it used to be. During a time when there was no internet, fax machines or cell phones, the bike messenger reigned supreme. There was no speedier way to get something delivered. The messenger business was huge back in that time, with thousands of riders each day delivering millions of packages and hundreds of messenger companies dispatching calls all day throughout the city. But with all the technology invented since those days, there is no need for messengers anymore however, some companies still use them as there are always going to be tangible items that can't be faxed, scanned or emailed. Today, there are barely fifty messenger companies in the big apple, with very few riders, but they're still out there!

Check out these high quality scans from a 1986 edition of New York Magazine regarding NYC bike messengers. Crazy how they literally used to own the streets. Click on each page for a high resolution scan.







Scans courtesy of Sasha E.

Red Dead Redemption

Red Dead Redemption is the long awaited follow up to Read Dead Revolver both produced by Rockstar Games, creators of legendary titles such as Grand Theft Auto and Midnight Club. Production for this game took Rockstar over 6 years, and after title changes, setbacks on release dates, and just straight-up long delays, the game has finally arrived as of yesterday.

It takes place in the great western American frontier during 1911. John Marston is an ex-criminal and was part of a tightly knit crime organization during his younger outlaw days. Marston settles down and raises a family and leaves the outlaw way of life for another time. During a time when there was lawlessness all across the land, the Federal Government was trying to implement their ways and new laws. The only person they knew that could do justice for them was John Marston, since he himself was a pure outlaw and former member of one of the largest posse's in the west. John is reformed now and does not want any part in helping the fed's, until they kidnap his wife and children. Marston is sent across the plains to help bring the rule of the new law. He must kill and capture all of his former gang members and leader or his family will pay the ultimate price.

The game play is just like Grand Theft Auto, which means you can roam anywhere, interact with anything, and take on other smaller missions. You can go shopping, hunting, gambling, drinking, barter shit, etc. It's supposedly the most advanced game yet, as far as open world environment titles go.

I picked up my copy yesterday but still haven't had a chance to try it out. I was just glad to have it already after all these years. View the official game trailer below, and for screen shots, more videos and other interesting stuff, visit the official website here.

Artists On Their Bicycles Calendar

I know this is a bit dated, but I was emailed this last week from a friend. It's a calendar titled 'Artists On Their Bicycles: New York' which was produced by the Swiss Institute in NYC and was created for Art Basel in Miami last December. It features twelve of New York's most notable artists & photographers showing some bicycle love. It contains the great Ryan Mcginley, David Byrne, Amy Granat, Terry Richardson and eight other movers and shakers live & direct from the big apple. To view the rest of the calendar click here.

Rick Rubin: In The Studio

If I can comeback to this life as anyone it would probably be none other than legendary music producer extraordinaire Rick Rubin. Ok, maybe not physically, but definitely mentally! See, lately I've been reading his book 'In The Studio' and it's quite amazing to see what this man has achieved in his lifetime without even having a single idea what it is to work a studio mixing board. His only job as a producer, in his own words, is to "find out whats good about [a band] and help bring it out". His production discography is a who's who in the music industry and after being honored seven Grammy's, his talents are very much sought after to this day. This book chronicles his meteoric rise, from his early days as DJ Double R in the early 80's, founding and running Def Jam Records alongside Russell Simmons from an NYU dorm room, discovering and producing the Beastie Boys and LL Cool J, to his transition in the early 90's into a successful independent record executive, signing and producing the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash, System Of A Down, Tom Petty, Neil Diamond, Slayer, Weezer, Danzig, among others, to his role as the most influential producer of all time (currently as the co-head of Columbia Records), and his continued successes with rock/metal supergroups Audioslave, Linkin Park, Slipknot and most recently Metallica.

When Rick was with Def Jam, he was the only (and first) white person associated with hip-hop, which was quite unusual for that time. But after releasing rap music's first number one album "Licensed to Ill" by the Beastie Boys, his work started to gain credibility and respect from all circles and angles. Rick also started his own label Def American, later known as American Recordings, to cover other genres he was experimenting with. Most of the original, real hip-hop & rap music died back in the late 80's to early 90's and Rick wanted to work with rock & heavy metal acts but Russell did not want to release that type of sound and was striving to keep Def Jam strictly hip-hop. Rick was really interested in other forms of music and formed Def American to release artists such as Danzig, Slayer, System Of A Down, The Jesus & Mary Chain and various others, with much success. With all these accomplishments it makes you wonder how one single person can make so many moves.

Whats interesting is the way Rick goes about working with his artists. If he doesn't have a feel for potential in the music firsthand, he will look the other way. He also likes to connect with his clients on a real personal level, "I have to really like them as people first and foremost". However, once he agrees to record an album with a band or artist his accommodations are unlike any other. Rick has various recording studios throughout Los Angeles which he lets his clients take over for the duration of the recording to make it more suitable and comforting for them. And by recording studios I mean huge estates such as the famous "Mansion" which is supposedly haunted and was where classic albums such as Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" and Linkin Park's "Minutes to Midnight" were produced. His projects are definitely unique in every aspect, from start to finish.

We should all know by now that when ever you see the seal of approval that is "Produced By: Rick Rubin" to never, ever pass it up. If your a true music fan you will definitely find this book a good read. I'm sure you can find a good copy on eBay, if not get it here. Check out some shots below, starting with the infamous Mansion.

Supreme Book

Each year, Supreme puts out a small book showcasing their year in fashion, collaborations, photography and most of all, the progression of the brand as a whole and it's general direction. This year marks sixteen years since Supreme opened it's doors at the original Lafayette locale, where it remains today. To commemorate this, they have released a 304 page hardcover book featuring sixteen years of product, people, and photography. Below is a short description from Supreme.

"Supreme will be releasing a Monograph of it's sixteen year history. Published by Rizzoli, this book is a visual history of the brand that includes an introduction by Glenn O'Brien, an essay by Aaron Bondaroff and an interview between Kaws and James Jebbia. The book surveys many of the brand's products over the years including projects with Jeff Koons, Richard Prince, Futura 2000, Damien Hirst, Public Enemy and Lou Reed, among others. The book also includes a product index from Supreme's archive."

It's being released today at all Supreme locations as well as the web-store. You can also order it here. Check below for a few previews.

Cog x Empire

Cog Magazine's latest issue has a preview of the upcoming movie about NYC messenger/track bike culture titled 'Empire', which I posted a short video of previously on here. It's good to finally hear something about this film as I've been feverishly awaiting it's debut. Check out some great shots from the making of Empire below, and peep the rest on Cog Mag's website here.

The Young And The Banging

Been hearing about the making of this book for quite sometime now. Glad it's finally dropping! It's basically a book featuring NYC's finest, and I don't mean the po-po's. Everyone from photographers to skaters to fashion designers to graffiti artists. It's a sure-fire riot of a book! Read below for more info.

Once you start living downtown, it can begin to feel like a big kids high school. It's like never never land, a place where one can stay young forever. The taxis begin to feel like the school buses. The restaurants are like our cafeterias. The bars and clubs are like our school dances and the streets are like our high school hallways!

But if downtown NYC were really a high school, what would it look like and who would the school body be?

Inspired by both the traditional American high school yearbook and Ezra Petronio's book "Bold and Beautiful" of Self Service, THE YOUNG AND THE BANGING is a downtown NYC yearbook that provides a look at almost 200 new faces of todays creative youth through polaroid photography.

A first of its kind, co-created by 15 girls or as PURPLE magazine calls them, "A fascinating NEW GENERATION born into the realms of fashion, art and success." The contributors include local favorites Tracy Antonopoulos, Sage Grazer, Rachel Smith, Philippa Price, Nicole Saldana, Louise Erhard, Laura Gerster, Katia Hakko, Kate Brien, Kathy Lo, Julia Tepper, Dana Veraldi, Carly Mark, Anna Skladmann and Amanda Merten.

We invited them to partner as co-creators to make the book through artistic collaboration. They were asked to highlight the young and creative people around them through Polaroid photography to act as their class photo and given spreads in the book to design in a way that best represented the lifestyle and creativity of those people.

-Heron Preston

Order it here