Upscenities!

BLESSINGS, IT'S NEVER ENOUGH

UPs95 — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:53:00 GMT

"Be thankful for what you have you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never have enough..."

In the superfast hydrolics of a world we live in today, it's real easy to get swept up in the wants and needs that arent necessarly linar to the simplity of "just being". With information comes power and with power comes the abuse of said power. The idea of abusing your blessings because of the power of want might seem far fetched, but even the man with the pot full of gold can end up blindly mistake his gleem for copper. Everyone is gulity of this mistake to a degree, stopping every once in a while just to give thanks can push your further along then loathing a situation rich with lessons. You'll always won't have something, you'll always will have something. We'll always have each other.

STAY COOL, STAY SILENT

UPs95 — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 01:32:00 GMT

The dog days of summers turn fellow NYers into hissing cats....in heat. I've always said that NYers are the most resilent, loathing, optimist, piss-imistic homosapiens to ever grace God's oily earth. When it's winter we complain about the bitter cold till our chap lips crack. In the spring when it rains quite often we build arks of hate for the cleansing of our dirty sidewalks. So it's quite natural that during this heatwave, the Twitters and Facebook of the world and even good ole elevator talk is focused on how horrible we have it weather wise.

Here's the thing....

We are happy maybe 3 months out of a 12 month calender year, and that's being modest. It's real easy to complain when you have 24 hour bodega access, transportation to nearly everywhere and openbar.com (yes you can freely drown your sorrows on any given night....for free.) That doesn't make it any easier to listen, miserable metropolitanities of the greatest city in the world. I all think we can deal with this in silence, I mean we all love our great kitchen right? You know how the saying goes....stay cool.

BLOGGER'S BLOCK

UPs95 — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 14:36:00 GMT

Most recently (not even sure you can call half of 2010....Recent.), i've been struggling with a bit of "bloggers block". The long days, longer nights of this fair city has not left me with a lack of inspiration to write about....But just the time and energy to actually put fingers to board. I've always said that If it didn't hit me like a bolt of lighting, it wouldn't be written. Speaking with the homie Josh Madden yesterday very much was the push I needed to just express with a sense of purpose like yesteryear. In the city of know-it-all's, having two ears listening to one mouth can get ten fingers to type thousands of thoughts. I think short and sweet (pause) is the trick cause I've been known to type thesis like blogs. While they had purpose us humans these days attention span are zero to none, short blurbs are the wave (no tumblr). Before I make and break my rule all in the same sentence, check out the Josh's blog at www.joshmadden.com. Good looks on the kind words.

THE FUTURE

UPs95 — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:21:00 GMT

"The future is always beginning now"....-Mark Strand

Image captured by Kamikaze K.I.L.L

JOSE PERDOMO - A LIFE SUPREME

UPs95 — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:01:00 GMT

When we say Upscene is a "community", we're not just speaking of the individuals who wear our gear but also the artist who collaborate to create the "walking pieces of art" that is clothing. Our mission have always been to not only expose the public to our shared vision but to give a platform to these artist to do what they do best.

Meet Jose Perdemo, an artist/photog from the "galaxy of queens", after being introduced by a mutually talented person the synergy between us could not be denied. The result was The War From Within, more specifically "It Was Written" an aerial view of NYC where history (or conspiracy) was recorded. We sat down and spoke to Jose about his inspirations, our collaboration and what the future holds for this homegrown talent.

1. Tell us a little about yourself, who you are and what you represent?

I'm Jose Perdomo, aka Spanish Jose, a first generation Colombian American from the lovely borough of Queens. I represent the open mind, the compassionate mind, the inquisitive mind, the silly mind and most of all, the loving mind. I also create stuff.

2. We know you're from "The Galaxy of Queens", how does your borough as well as New York City as a whole influence your work?

Queens is the world represented in 110 sq miles of land. Her culture is endless! I'm happy to say I was a sponge for all my time out here. She taught me a lot. The same can always be said for all the other beautiful ladies of NYC (Man,BK,SI & BX)

3. Your site alifesupreme.com has be receiving some great buzz, how did you go about the process of starting the site.

I was in Florida for the last year for a little sabbatical and to help out some family out there. The experience was eye opening to say the least. I made my way back to NYC in March and as soon I got back my eyes were seeing all these crazy opportunities for pictures! I used to do photography back in 2000-2003 but the camera broke. I left my photography in the dust since. Upon my return I saw all these images but didn't have a camera! Luckily my good friend William Yan had a Lumix LX3 he was willing to sell and the rest is a New York moment. I needed an outlet and Wordpress is a great tool, my laptop still works and my imagination is running wild.

4. Where do you see the direction of your work/site heading in the near future?

I always thought of A Life Supreme as a simple way to show my creations. I like to dabble with ideas and the best way to express them whether it be a painting, a t-shirt, a sculpture, a couture piece, a skit, a poem , a photograph and it goes on and on. My work always try's to show the nicer side of things, the angles, colors and experiences that people usually overlook for the various reasons of life. Sometimes my work is comical, sometimes sarcastic, sometimes abstract, sometimes subtle, sometimes clever, sometimes serious, sometimes beautiful but always thoughtful and limitless. They will always be available to you in one sense or another. Some will be for sale, others will be available for inspiration. In the end it's all love and a life supreme...

5. Tell the reader a bit on how your collaboration with us here at Upscene came about?

A beautiful lady by the name LaLa Lopez happens to be a mutual friend of ours and she thought that my flavor and Upscene's movement would work well. Me and Mr. Mckenzie from Upscene got to speaking and it was all good and all creation from there. The results are dope as hell!

6. "It Was Written" is a very strong photograph that can be interpret in many different ways. What's the history behind the piece?

I took that pic back in 2002 at the top of the Empire State Building with an old Sony Digicam that is no longer with us. The downtown view was looking a bit empty and I thought it would be whimsical/spectacular to place the basic pen and pencil in the space of our lost twins. One of my finest moments I suppose. You know how happy I am to see it on a tee!? Its stupid fresh!

7. Lastly finish this sentence, "New Yorkers Stay Up cause....."

New Yorkers Stay Up Cause They Never Look Down.

P.S. My history is at www.unavidasuprema.com. My pulse is at www.alifesupreme.com

P.S.S Shout outs to my Upscene family and friends and loved ones for the love and support!

P.S.S.S. Enjoy your day New Yorkers!

WOW HAS IT BEEN A YEAR ALREADY? GONNA BE A HOT SUMMER!

UPs95 — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 23:04:00 GMT

UPSCENE S/S 2010 COLLECTION : THE WAR FROM WITHIN

UPs95 — Tue, 25 May 2010 22:23:00 GMT

For your viewing pleasure here's a look at our S/S 2010 Collection entitled "The War From Within." This go around we equip the streets for battle with 6 graphics tees in several different colorways along with 2 military inspired snapbacks. The inspiration of this season was birthed from the idea that all "external wars" begin with unresolved "internal wars". Images were captured by Kamikaze K.i.L.L and feature guest Creative Control's own The Heirs. The collection can be found online at upscenenyc.com as well select retailers this week.

UPSCENE LOOKBOOK PREVIEW

UPs95 — Wed, 19 May 2010 16:48:00 GMT

Be on the lookout for Upscene S/S 10 Collection : The War From Within Lookbook featuring Creative Control's own The Heirs. Images captured by Kamikaze K.i.L.L. Going to war this week.

UPSCENE HAPS

UPs95 — Wed, 05 May 2010 17:36:00 GMT

Hey ladies and gents, want to start off by humbly saying sorry for my extended vacation but I'm back on the grind now. Secondly, if you don't know about the new things brewing for Upscene, your about to find out!

For starters, The WFW snap backs are going crazy in the streets, we're already on our 2nd batch so if you were dragging your feet on the first drops make sure you get up on the next. upscenenyc.com or www.upscene.bigcartel.com/products is the place with a few select few at the store WEST NYC (www.westnyc.com)

The WFW Tees are days away from purchasing pleasure as we've been placing the finishing touches on the collection. The reactions thus far have been well received and can't wait to unveil. Will keep you guys posted as we develop.

Upscene will also be hosting The Almost Famous Showcase w/ DJ Booth at Le Poisson Rougue May 13th. We'll be in the place to be along with Upscene Fam NSR, Dash Speaks, Das Racsit, Blitz The Ambassadorr among others. Come through for some of the best hip hop NYC has to offer.

We've also been chilling a lot lately at the DD172 space in Tribecca which is ran by Dame Dash and house creative outlets such as Creative Control, Blu Roc and DD172 Art Gallery. The worlds couldn't be smaller as we just finished wrapping our Lookbook w/ Creative Controls own The Heirs . Look forward to some tatseful collaborations between us in the near future.

Besides that everything is everything, stay up!

Boogie

THE ALMOST FAMOUS SHOWCASE

UPs95 — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:14:00 GMT

AMC CULTURE CONVENTION

UPs95 — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 21:51:00 GMT

Last week, we had the pleasure of taking part of the AMC 2010 Culture Convention hosted by Young Successful Society and Quiet Riot?! Great event with many up and coming artist, clothing designers, recording artist and poets. One thing we've always take pride in is the ability to take part in community events such as this one that showcases the talents and dedication of New Yorkers. Looking forward to seeing these individuals grow in their craft.

MEET HARUKA

UPs95 — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 23:19:00 GMT

For the last 3 months, I myself have been traveling to many different cities. The one constant has been the amor our WFW Snappies have been getting. Meet Haruka, from Japan going to Art school in L.A and a HUGE NYC Fan! She had to snatch one up and I obliged like any good ambassador. Come check us anytime you're in our neck of the woods!

ARTIST PETER FUNCH

UPs95 — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 22:18:00 GMT

Interesting look into city life by Peter Funch, pretty cool how he can get all these like minded images into one shot.

Peep more of the controlled chaos HERE!

Courtesy of Peter Funch / V1 Gallery

IT WAS WRITTEN NYC

UPs95 — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:50:00 GMT

Here's a peak of our upcoming collaboration with artist / photographer Jose Perdermo. The piece, dubbed "It Was Written...", is is an artistic view of New York City heights in its truest form. Gracing tees along with the complete S 10' season next week. We're pretty hyped bout it all as it was a process in progression, you'll say the same thing I'm sure. War From Within, never sleep.

MEET UPSCENITIES NEWEST AND CRUDEST BLOGGER

Boogie — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 05:36:00 GMT

Introducing Upscenities newest blogger....

Okay. So this is fairly new to me. I've never written a blog before, or even had some sort of diary for that matter. However in the recent months that have passed, through the people I have come in contact with and the places I have been to, I have an inspiration that drives me to write. So I decided to fulfill that desire and create a blog where I can put my thoughts out there for the world to read and to satisfy my curiosity.

First off my name is Jason. Most of my friends know me as Boogie or Jay, but I've out grown the nicknames phase so call it how you see it. I'm the newest member to the Upscene team. I'm 23 years young and the main purpose for my contribution to this blog is to cover anybody and everything that consist of a hustle and a passion. New music we like? I'll cover you. Up and coming artist? I'll cover you. If you sell art that you make by putting paint on your ass checks and sticking it to a canvas, I'll cover you too (editors note PAUSE). I want the world to know about the different cultures that are inspired by the different clothing style, art forms and expressions that we assimilate with here in New York and elsewhere. Not everybody has a big mouth like me, so I figure, why not put it to good use! (editors note PAUSE).

The secondary purpose of this blog is to record my daily thoughts about every and anything. If I see a something just pitiful, best believe I will be blogging. If I overhear an argument on the bus, you guys will be reading about it. Some blogs will be long and others will be short. However, freedom of speech was the best gift the founding fathers threw in my direction, might as well use that declaration. With that said, you guys can keep checking up on the blog everyday for new postings and interviews. I will also be posting links to the blogs updates via Facebook and Twitter. By the way, if you think having me interview you would be a great look for you or have a topic you feel should be heard about, let me know! Feel free to drop me a line at jay@upscenenyc.com and I'm always open for new ideas and suggestions! So guys welcome to my blog. Read, enjoy and always remember: Do or do not, there is no try.....

YONAS ON THE SET OF JUST ANOTHER DAY

UPs95 — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 04:15:00 GMT

Keeping things music heavy, the artist formally known as CAUSE but always known as YONAS had some word for the people live from the set of his new video Just Another Day. YONAS is going heavy on the video tip in the coming months, head up and eyes open. Peep game.

NSR IN JAMAICA (BUCK BUCK)

UPs95 — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 04:01:00 GMT

The homie NSR performed recently in Negril Live in the Jungle, such a good look for the kid. Concrete Jungle to the real deal. Peep the video.

NSR | City Life | Live at The Jungle | Negril, Jamaica | 2010 from Mackler Studios on Vimeo.

EVERYTHING IS IMPERMANENT

UPs95 — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:25:00 GMT

Rain, rain, rain....this after snow, snow and snow...and a nice sunny day or two in between.

You honestly gotta love the NYC weather how it teases you for a couple of days then throws a crappy day in there just to remind you that it's not all sweet. I've always said that you will never get a perfect mix of every season quite like we get here, that's more of a look on the bright side of things.

What's pretty ill is the light show I was awoken to at 5 am in the form of a fire breathing sewer that popped it's lid right near my place of rest. After calling the night due to weather conditions, I hear 5 consecutive BOOMS! echo throughout the buildings. My first reaction is always to run to the window like the busy body that I am, only to see inferno spewing from the ground.

Was a sight to behold to say the least, and after muttering an "awesome" I went soundly back to sleep as it had never happened. Woke up to NY1 giving the real deal behind the fire, caused by rain runoff. The best thing of the report was the reaction of the woman who's car was smashed by a flying manhole.

(laughs) "You know what? Everything's impermanent.".... (great outlook)

Click HERE! to check out the news report and video

Enjoy the rain cause everything is impermanent...

NO NEWS IS BAD NEWS

UPs95 — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:31:00 GMT

It's been real quiet on the Upscene front as of late as we've been in the bunkers developing our new drops. Quiet before the storm if you will, samples have started rolling off the delivery trucks into our hands. We can't wait for everyone to see what we have in store this spring/summer. Check out this mini peep of our newest snapbacks we've developed for all our vets who's been putting in work.

Upscene S/S 10 Mesh Snapbacks (1 of 2)

More on deck in the coming weeks...

HOW TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA (REVIEW)

UPs95 — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 04:50:00 GMT

Just finished checking out the first episode of How to Make it in America, and I gotta say it's actually pretty good. Being built as the "New York Entourage" might be some ginormous shoes to fill but it really does a great job of contrasting the actual "making it" in Hollywood to the "trying to make it" feel that is New York City. The main character Ben seems to be at a crossroads in his life, his success thus far have been through his past achievements in "making dope shirts" and his ability to get into the cities best parties. His girl friend Rachel left him a little while back for some rich d-bag and he's stuck folding jeans for "the man" at Barney's. He's a breath away from quiting and falling in line, when his friend Cam saves him from a miserable conforming death. Sounds like at least 5 of my friends if you switch around the sitch here and there. Being a native NYer its seems as they capture the essence of party hard, love hard, work hard all along with a coming to age story. HTMA is the journey while Entourage is the destination, and they always say getting there is half the fun. First episode is a go....we'll see how the rest come along. Click the link bellow for the first episode.

Lots of Dipset being played, noticed?

Click HERE!