J. Period, Skillz, Don Cannon- Design of a Decade Vol. 1 (The 90s)

I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been rockin with Skillz since 1994.  That’s right.  Almost 14 years.  Back when he was mad.  Who remembers the Nod Factor?

Anyway, for those of you that only know him for his annual rap-up of each year, get familiar.  Dude has been around for a while, so when he rhymes over these classic 90s beats, know that he is from that era, when hiphop was golden.  It’s a shame that he came around the same time as Jay, Big, Nas, Mobb Deep and others, because he simply got overlooked.  Anyway, I’m digging this mixtape and can’t wait for Vol. 2.

Download it from his blog here.

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N.E.R.D.- Everyone Nose

I’m not going to front…I like this joint.  There also is a remix featuring Pusha, Lupe, and Yeezy floating around on the net.

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A Day in the Life of Kobe Bryant (preview)

More info on the Spike Lee joint about Kobe coming next year on ABC and ESPN films.

And my dude is getting his endorsement game back on after the fiasco in Colorado.

Vitaminwater isn’t being shy about its association with Bryant. Today, they had an ad in the Los Angeles Times congratulating him and a billboard in Los Angeles is next.

Holding on to Bryant has been good for Nike

Sales of his shoes have been relatively successful, so much so that Bryant got his deal extended. and last month the company announced that Bryant was going to be the face of their Olympic basketball shoe, the Hyperdunk.

If Bryant can lead his Lakers to another championship, more blue chip brands could come calling. Word is that Wheaties inquired about putting Bryant on a special edition MVP box. Bryant’s other deals are with Upper Deck, which has been with him all along and Gameloft, which has a Bryant-endorsed cell phone game.

If Bryant gets more deals, many will say that corporate America found him to hard to resist given his play. But what people discount, as I witnessed at Nike last month, is that Bryant might be the most well spoken star in the NBA. That too has its merits.

True.

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