Our nerdier readers will already know what Woot! is, but for those who don’t, Woot! is a website which features one random product each day at a substantial discount. Could be an Xbox, could be a Roomba, or it could be a toy monkey.
Their spinoff Shirt.Woot is the same idea, but with user submitted shirt designs. Today’s design is titled “The Original B-Boy” and features Bowser carrying a boombox and sporting some knock off Chucks.
What makes it worth mentioning is the write up underneath the product (Woot! has become known for their sarcastic product descriptions). It’s a pretty great indictment of the current state of “urban dance movies” that have been flooding the market, taking on such themes as sex, diversity, and even “Twilighters.” They know this shirt is a gimmicky attempt to capture that demographic, and they’re ok with that.
If that sounds good to you, you’d better hurry. The shirt is only on sale for one day.
EDIT: Credit points out that Alex from Motion Disorderz is the designer of the shirt. I wonder if my title still holds true considering that an actual b-boy designed it? Funny how a little context can change things.
In case you don’t catch the reference, the show Power Rangers was about a group of multicultural high school kids who were given dinosaur powers by a giant floating head. There was also a robot who was prone to yelling, “Aye-yi-yi-yi-yi!”
Anyway, aside from the aforementioned dinosaurs, each member was also assigned a color. And, despite the fact that it was a total giveaway of their secret identities, each ranger would wear almost nothing but that color, even in everyday life.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with matching colors, but there’s also such a thing as understatement and subtlety.
Why are there more and more b-boys (myself included) who insist on dressing like we’ve been dipped in a tub of paint? Is it really that exciting to have everything — including your laces, belt, and underwear — match?
I don’t even really like Nikes that much. But the legacy (and comfort!) of the already-legendary Huaraches — combined with something-or-another that gives it the “dance” label and a clean redesign? Sign me up.
I’m even willing to forgive the fact that Zappos describes them by saying, “Let ‘em bite your moves, your style and even your kicks—but no one’s going to be able to rock these Nike® Huarache Dance Low sneakers like you princess!” Wait, what? Still fresh!
(Not one hundred Spock dollars–this was just the best image I found in my Google image search)
Chances are you or someone you know is the proud owner of some Biggest & Baddest gear (and I bet it’s this). Mex, owner of Biggest & Baddest and The Bboy Spot announced a contest today to award one winner a $100 gift certificate to their online store. Here’s the scoop:
TheBboySpot.com has officially blown our minds. They’ve just put up a blog post which features a product that will stay in the minds of b-boys and b-girls for years to come: the b-boy condom.
They’re made by One Condoms and feature a b-boy on the package with the phrase “power move.”
I really don’t know what else to say, so visit TheBboySpot.com’s blog to read just how they came across this majestic product of pop culture.
If you’re not familiar with Heelys, the first two definitions from Urban Dictionary do a pretty good job of covering the spectrum of possible definitions:
1. Sport shoes that have wheels housed in the heel that allow you to walk, run, and roll at any given moment.
I enjoy riding Heelys.
2. Pathetic attempt at an extreme sport, only little kids buy them to look cool to their friends, and for kids who gave up every extreme sport they tried.
If your seen in a skatepark with heelys chances are you’ll be beaten the shit out of
What’s the deal with Pro-Keds? What about with Adidas Superstars? How do I keep my [insert material type here] sneakers clean? How do I match my sneakers to my outfit? Is it true that keeping your shoes clean is part of b-boying?
Ken Swift goes above and beyond by exhaustively answering the most trivial of these questions and more in this four-part (!) interview from reptank. No detail is overlooked, from the importance of light-colored midsole to improve footwork visibility to advice on keeping stitching and laces fresh. He even talks about using cologne to keep your Adidas stripes shiny. (Consider this fair warning that the average person will find this inexplicably boring, but I watched it all in one sitting.)
The interview itself is nothing too fancy, but there’s definitely something endearing about informal knowledge-dropping sessions like these. Factor in the fact that Ken Swift is still rocking floors, and it shouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone that he’d be a shoo-in on our list of the top b-boys of the 2000s.
Looking to blow your new holiday cash on some new b-boy paraphernalia? No? You’re still broke? Well, me too. But here’s my list* anyway. A b-boy can dream, right?
10. Godkee’s “Rock Creek Park” shirt (shown above): Well, it turns out that not only does Nasty Ray know every hip-hop-related dance style ever, but he also has good taste when it comes to clothing design. Clean, understated monochromatic type and subtle bird silhouettes set this apart from a sea of schizophrenic designs with every color and old school hip-hop reference possible. It’s the details that count. Click here for our previous coverage and here for the Godkee site.
After looking at all the entries with us, Barry, the owner of CypherStyles.com, told us that he couldn’t live with the guilt of letting some of these guys continue to go bald all because they wanted better headspins. So we’re going to be giving one Headspin Hat to everyone who entered (you can see them above).
Entrants: check your e-mails for instructions on how to claim your prize. Check your spam folder if you haven’t received it yet.
For some b-boys, it’s a badge of honor; for others, it’s the reason you never see them without a hat on. Either way, the “headspin bald spot” is no joke. Even Amy Winehouse is a recent victim.
So during the process of reviewing the Headspin Hat with Triple Padding from CypherStyles.com, owner Barry Rabkin told us that he’d be willing to donate one of the beanies to some needy b-boy. He suggested we hold a contest where our readers send us photos of their bald spot, and so that’s exactly what we’re doing.
Send your photo to bald-contest@morethanastance.com and we’ll select the b-boy or b-girl who we determine has the most pathetic bald spot. The winner will receiver one Triple Thick Headspin Beanie from CypherStyles.com and a bagful of our pity.
EDIT: Contest is now closed. We will announce the winners on Christmas Day!
I gotta say that I’m fairly impressed American Eagle didn’t just throw a picture of an awful looking freeze on this shirt, but my suspicion of big companies makes me assume that they are ripping off this style of artwork from somewhere.
In all honesty it seems to be a pretty unique attempt, but still not something I’d buy.
We’ve always let you know when to get your hands on cheap Pro-Keds, and thanks to a tip from Harold we’re letting you know that you States-side readers can get your hands on them for just $10.35. Click above to go to the sale page.
Also don’t miss our Cypherside Chat with Poe One. It might just blow your mind. Here’s one of my personal favorite quotes:
“Style is an approach. It’s not anything else. They’re trying to say a style guy is a footwork guy. I’ve seen footwork guys with no style.”
My hatred for b-boy silhouettes–especially those in air freezes–is no secret. So this “Breaker” tee from Mixer Friendly should be a no-brainer.
But upon closer analysis, I realized that silhouettes have been used to make an b-boy houndstooth pattern. Seriously? This is ridiculous! My mind has been officially blown.
Godkee comes through with some really clean, really exclusive b-boy-themed shirts and sweatshirts.
How exclusive? There are said to be only 12 of each item, ranging in price from $20 to $30. How clean? Take a look at the details in the design after the jump.
