Museum of Graffiti, the world’s first Museum dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of graffiti art, is announcing today the opening of its first pop-up ever in Austin, Texas from March 10 to March 28. Taking over the space at 809 E 6th Street, the Austin pop-up will be home to an exhibition entitled “The Art of Hip Hop,” that will celebrate the 50 year anniversary of Hip Hop by presenting the works of the photographers, album cover artists, logo designers, and graffiti artists who are responsible for the visual identity of the genre.
To celebrate the opening, the Museum will open its back patio from Friday, March 10 to Sunday, March 12 to host three incredible days of concerts, live graffiti art demonstrations, a Champion apparel customization lab, merchandise drops, and panel discussions inside the Mi Campo Artists Lounge. The Museum’s renowned gift shop will also be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Guests can expect to see the work of famed photographers Janette Beckman, Mike Miller, Henry Chalfant, Matt Doyle, Lisa Leone, Joe Conzo, and Daniel Hastings, alongside Hip Hop album covers designed by Cey Adams, Eric Haze, Slick, Kaws, and more. Visitors can also expect to see works by other graffiti legends like Ces, Doze Green, Kaves, Fab 5 Freddy, Rammellzee, Dr. Daks, Shiro, Ras Terms. Original graffiti paintings on canvas and sculptures from the past 50 years will also be available for purchase within the exhibit.
Hip-hop artist Tyga has a long history of being romantically linked to high-profile female celebrities, but his newest rumored romantic interest, pop star Avril Lavigne, has caught many people by surprise.
Rumors started swirling when the two were spotted dining at Nobu together with friends and hugging outside the restaurant on Saturday night before leaving together. (TMZ caught pictures, which can be seen here.)
While one source told People, “Avril and Tyga are genuinely friends and nothing more,” other sources claim that the two are dating.
The news might come as a shock to many, including Lavigne’s (reportedly ex) fiance, singer-songwriter Mod Sun. While some sources say that the two called off their engagement earlier this month, others say that Mod Sun was unaware that the pair were over.
Both parties have their own celebrity-filled dating rosters. Tyga shares a child with ex Blac Chyna and also dated Kylie Jenner for four years. He has also been linked to Iggy Azealia, Kiely Williams, and several models and “influencers.” Lavigne actually dated Brody Jenner, who is the stepbrother of Kylie Jenner, Tyga’s ex. In 2013, Lavigne married Chad Kroeger of Nickelback before divorcing two years later and moving on to Phillip Sarofim, the son of Texan billionaire Fayez Sarofim before dating Pete Jonas in 2020 and then finally, Mod Sun.
Neither has publicly commented on the rumors with Tyga promoting his upcoming Las Vegas residency and Lavigne promoting her new music on Instagram.
Many narratives have a protagonist and antagonist which often makes for a great story. St. John’s Polo Posse: Gave Rise To A Nation combines both to share a hard-hitting untold story about an influential moment in time. Author/Clothing Designer El Gara Gayn, gives us the comprehensive and raw story of how one of the most notable boosting crews formed in NYC in 1986. The explosive book details their contributions to music & urban fashion as we know it today.
Beginning with six original founders of St. John’s Polo Posse, only one, G Lyte, is still alive living in Brooklyn, NY. The other members were either deported to the Caribbean, in prison or passed away. Just kids at the time, most who grew up in inner city neighborhoods survived on instinct. They either succumbed to poverty or became drug addicts or drug dealers. The St. John’s Polo Posse chose the latter and by the time stories of NYC boosting culture were being told, they were in prison unable to tell their stories.
El Gara Gayn is a Haitian-American savant who has conquered the odds across multiple happenings – from thrice death to prison and ultimately escaping the spectrum of a capitalistic system. He has established a system of self healing with an aim to guide youth subjected to similar circumstances, while he continues to push his intellectual prowess within the fashion industry and divinely ethereal worlds.
Up until now many have only heard about the Lo Life project and its founders, who ran in the same circle as St. John’s Polo Posse later. However, there were many crews before them, including: St. Johns Polo Posse, Izod Posse, Shower Posse and many more. El Gara Gayn sheds a little light on many crews in his book, but focuses on his crew’s story. Did you know that in 1986 boosting/shoplifting was actually called g’ing? These are some of the details that have been lost in translation, but El Gara Gayn’s book takes us through a very vivid time warp and reads as an uncut tale of a complex culture of urban Robin Hood like proportions.
El Gara Gayn Founder FKA G Lyte
Check out our sit-down interview with El Gara Gayn and CLICK HERE to read St. John’s Polo Posse: Gave Rise To A Nation.
What is St. John’s Polo Posse and who is responsible for the idea behind the concept?
Three of the six original members of St. John’s Polo Posse lived in newly built buildings on the block (1284 and 1288 aka The New Buildings), while the others were already living in the area (The Old Buildings). The hood used to call us The New Building Kids. Ironically, when a new building is built, the blueprint calls for the first stone to be laid in the north east corner – the corner stone. As we started to seek our own truths as youths, we proved to be the foundation for St. John’s and Troy ave. Through our journeys, The New Building Kids set a pact to define themselves as something greater, we first came up with Ralphie’s Boyz but it didn’t really fit. Then we tried Polo Boyz and that didn’t fit either. We ended up agreeing to Polo Posse; G Lyte, Miz-Lo and G Life). Then G Lyte had a grand vision to rally The Old Building Kids, with that Bullfrog, Baby Bull and Franky Boo joined – established in 1986 that’s who officially makes up St. John’s Polo Posse.
In the book you mention G Lyte a lot and in this interview you speak of G Lyte. Who is he?
G Lyte is me. Back then that is what everyone called me the G stood for Greg which was my birth name.
Throughout your book, St. Johns’ Polo Posse: Gave Rise To A Nation, you speak about very specific events and memories that only a person who was there could know about. What’s one of the most important events that occurred back then?
The 80’s was the crack era, so it’s kind of hard to forget anything from then a lot of us were going through trauma and didn’t realize it; crack cocaine was ripping through our culture and families. So these lads: G Lyte, Miz-Lo and G Life had been affected directly by the krack era which is an unforgettable time. I have a part 2 coming in this series. I declare that time as the age of The Kracking (a mashup between Crack and The Kraken, an infamous sea monster from The Clash of The Titans). We in fact were not the only kids g’ing (boosting), but at that time we started to notice the effects that crack was causing and we made a conscious effort to not succumb to the drug and also confronted this gap inside our culture of shoplifting. We codified ourselves with rituals to combat this onslaught and we fought against those in the neighborhood that wanted to allow The Kracking to conquer them – if you wanted to smoke crack, you could not boost with us. We donned uniforms and codes of ethics, these were our unwritten rules:
-Must wear Ralph Lauren, head to toe
-Leaders had to boost the most exclusive and expensive badges, flags and crowns that Ralph Lauren had
-If one member didn’t have one, we all had to pitch in and get him or her right
-No heavy drug use, which included crack, cocaine and heroin. Weed was cool.
-You had to bathe, groom and wear clean clothes
-Never herb (bully) your peers
-Never give our boosting location to any other group
What was understood never had to be said, we all moved with ethics
What events do you feel cemented St. Johns Polo Posse history?
I mean in current times, I’d say the way that other branches pushed the culture that we created. Most don’t know but as most of our members died or started their prison passages, these new branches ran with the general ideal in 1988 without giving us our just due. If we are talking about the early 80’s, then I have to say when drug lords started copying our style and the girls that were attracted to them praised the Polo Posse instead. We had such an impact in Crown Heights that we would get on the mutha train (4 train at Utica and Eastern Parkway) and adults would actually honor us with shoutouts when we walk through the train on our way to G aka boost.
What events do you feel kept you locked out of street fashion history?
A branch without its root is bound to fall. The way I look at it is like this: what we did was inked on people’s hearts and souls. My name might not be prominent but the movement itself is a mere shadow of what we set off. Like Jay-Z said best, “there’s only so long fake thugs can pretend” – my clothing line El Gara Gayn will show who really always had it and never lost it when it comes to creativity and fashion sense.
It’s recorded that The Lo Life’s started in 1988, they’re being documented as the originators along with Ralphies Kids. But you’re claiming Polo Posse started in 1986 and earlier. Why did you wait until now to tell your story?
Lo Life isn’t the same as Polo Posse! Lo Life and Ralphie’s Kids both claim the same year, 1988. There was a drawing on St. John’s and Utica that had the Ralphie’s Kids dated in 1988 and that’s cool but Polo Posse was in 1986. That year is when we officially became Polo Posse, made RL a uniform, and had our most successful mia (mission), October of 1986 to be exact. The Mets were playing in the World Series and all of the Herman’s and Macy’s (Kings Plaza) employees were more focused on the game than worrying about a couple of kids g’ing. G Lyte and Miz Lo went bonkers in those stores. On the way home, G Lyte had to go to Flatbush, so he took the 2 train and saw a group of guys calling themselves the Izod Posse. At that moment, Polo Posse was officially born. G Lyte stood up to them and let them know that he repped Polo Posse. The Polo Posse wasn’t for everyone, just because you wore Ralph Lauren didn’t mean you were a member and still doesn’t. Whereas, Lo Life is a loose group with no rules or order – you just wear Ralph Lauren and get a seat at the table. Also, at that time G Lyte and Franky Boo were together every day from late 85-88. It would make sense that Ralphie’s Kids was in 1988 because we didn’t see or hear of them before then. The main reason that I dropped the book now is because it’s a vehicle to use to reach our youth and elders at this very moment of the haves and have nots, it’d like the 80’s again in 2023.
Why do you think Lo Lifes never mentioned St. Johns Polo Posse or any forefather that gave rise to the street fashion nation of boosters before them?
I mean that’s ironic because they always use Franky Boo’s name and flash his pictures. Franky Boo told them on a interview with Ralph Lo and Darky Dark from Politics As Usual YouTube show that before Lo Life or Ralphie’s Kids it was the Polo Boys! As I said earlier a lot of us started getting involved in activities aside from g’ing and we either went to prison or died. Aside from myself, Franky has been in and out of prison for sometime. In fact, he’s currently serving a prison bid. Before I started writing the book and developing the El Gara Gayn (clothing line) we reconnected, so once I started writing it I let him know that I wanted him to have the opportunity to tell his story and be a part of the clothing line. Franky isn’t just a name or photo. He’s a real person who really had an impact on a culture and neighborhood. He’s also one of my good friends and we share childhood memories, not just g’ing. In the St. John’s Polo Posse” Gave Rise To A Nation” book, he has a transcript interview and might even be a part of a larger story in a book as part of the series that I am putting out. He also has a hoodie as part of El Gara Gayn’s Kookie Monstaz series. We all have interesting and very important stories that play a part as the origin story to a very interesting urban movement, albeit all of the Lo Life clout.
Other than St. John’s Polo Posse being the originator of the street fashion culture, what distinguishes it from Lo Lifes?
Polo Posse has always been about exclusivity of self, not just exclusive Ralph Lauren wears. We were experts in the art of g’ing, and we had a decorum about our swag! We didn’t wear just anything, we didn’t sell our exclusive Ralph Lauren apparel. Our apparel was our weapon to fight the demons of that era. We deem ourselves as saviors, not just thieves that were fronting to look preppy! I guess if I knew what I know now, I was sort of like a creative director not a petty thief because what we wore truly dictated what rappers and drug dealers at that time would wear.
Did rappers inspire style or did St. John’s Polo Posse inspire the style that rappers began to be known for?
That’s a fact, rappers didn’t inspire us in the 80’s, as far as fashion was concerned. Don’t get me wrong, rap music was inspiring. But to us we didn’t like their choice of clothing style. For instance what would I look like wearing Lee’s in 84 or 85? Or even adidas? That was wack in that time period in our hood. At this time I was in IS 390 and we had a song that we sang to the Tears For Fear track “Shout”: “Shout Shout, Lee’s are played out. These are the jeans we can do without, take em off!”, then we would snatch the Lee patch off your jeans. This is something that the culture doesn’t really talk much about, because they weren’t really wearing the shit that was lit they were more than likely a part of the wack Lee’s wearing crews or simply they wasn’t there! To be legit you had to have Guess or A.J.’s Denim, and either Bally’s, Etonics, Ocean Pacific, Power or Patrick Sneakers – if you had these, you had the butters at the time. Sheepskins and leather goose were wack in 85, if you want to keep it live! The coats at this juncture were Polo Goose, Pacific Trail, CB, Profile Gortex and of course Gerry-G and you better not have come on the Johns with a Triple Fat Goose or you might not make it off the block alive! Just joking, we would just cut your Triple Fat Goose Up, because it was wack to us.
Recently, one of the Polo Posse founders, G Life passed away. How has this affected the movement?
Damn, the first and true Goya bean. In this day and age I guess that’s politically incorrect, but back when we were kids, being called Goya bean was like a medal of honor and although we lived and ran in a circle of blended races with many hispanics – G Life was the only Goya bean because hoods was kind of segregated like Black Americans, Black Carribeans and Hispanics didn’t vibe together. We were all really close with G Life, so it hurt like hell when we I got the news about his passing! No holds barred, he was the flyest booster of all times too – this is an NYC booster fact. G Life and Miz Lo was the catalyst to all the next generation that became Lo Life, I was in prison for that wave but G Life and Miz Lo accepted these people who just ran with the narrative and didn’t include them in on any monetaries. His wings keep getting longer every time I think of him and what he did for the culture and those that rep it til this day.
Franky Boo, he is a prominent and consistent figure in the Lo Life and boosting culture. What is your affiliation with him?
Franky Boo and G Lyte, actually. Those two were special on St. John’s and Troy Ave, period! We would war and then be friends the next minute and dare anyone to try and oppose our United stance! Word, Franky Boo used to pick me up at 7:30 am every day! Quiet as kept they even jux Dj Scratch back in the day during one of those early morning runs – word! These two still have the hood under pressure, #FreeFrankyBoo
Your clothing line El Gara Gayn, how was it inspired by your Polo Posse movement?
EL’GARA-GAYN is a holy name that was given to me by the great spirit and St. John’s was the beginning of our holy pilgrimage in life. There is so much to take from this that it constantly inspires new designs every day. Like our P’Roses & P’Skullz hoodie collection – a true Rose that grew out from the concrete jungle of Crown Heights Brooklyn.
What does El Gara Gayn mean to fashion?
Let me give you this jewel then, of the 12 jewels, clothing is one. In order to make a hood fit you must contour measurements. The word GAYN, means holy form. So all our pieces stem from a holy but humble origin within our life’s struggles. This is what we share with the world – Fashion For The Soul.
As Ice-T accepted his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last Friday, he addressed one aspect of being a star that does not seem to bother him: critics.
The 65-year-old hip-hop artist and actor, who accepted the star alongside his wife Coco and seven-year-old daughter Chanel, discussed cancel culture, addressing how people have been trying to cancel him since the beginning of his career, over four decades ago.
In an interview with Fox News, Ice-T said that people had “been trying to cancel me for 40 years… I’m difficult to cancel,” before continuing to explain that “I’ve already let everybody know all my flaws, all my vices and people rock with it.”
He also addressed online trolls and critics, saying that he turns the negative energy from critics into motivation, sharing his personal philosophy of “when someone tells me you can’t do it, that means I got to do it.” He referred to criticism as fuel, stating that “I eat haters for food.”
In December, the Grammy-winning artist shared an inspirational quote that read: “Everyone is going to hate you anyway…so you might as well give them a reason” with a post that said “Christmas is over.. My advice is you go into 2023 with THIS attitude if you want to WIN.”
Ice-T was joined by several celebrities, including Law and Order: SVU costar Mariska Hargitay, as he accepted his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Kanye West has had enough of the paparazzi. Instead of being engaged in altercations that could cause an issue for him, Ye is going to the police.
TMZ spotted Ye headed into the L.A. County Sherriff’s West Hollywood Station on Tuesday, letting the officers know that he got into an altercation with members of the paparazzi.
Ye reportedly asked members of the paparazzi to stop filming him and his family on Tuesday, with the interaction nearly becoming physical. Instead, Ye went to the police. Now, an investigation is underway into the incident.
In January, Kanye West got in trouble with the law after a video surfaced of him grabbing a woman’s cellphone. The Ventura County Sheriff’s office confirmed that Ye is under investigation for alleged battery after a video surfaced of the artist taking the woman’s phone as she photographed him from inside her car and then throwing it into the street.
According to the Ventura County Star, Ventura County Sheriff’s deputies responded to an alleged battery incident involving celebrity Kanye West near the Sports Academy on Rancho Conejo Boulevard in Newbury Park late Friday afternoon, officials said. The incident was reported around 4:37 p.m. after a reported altercation between West and a woman, said sheriff’s Capt. William Hutton. Hutton said that no arrests have yet been made, but it is an ongoing active investigation.
In the video, Kanye can be heard saying something to the effect of “Y’all ain’t gonna run up on me like that. If I say stop”…”stop with your cameras.”
The woman says she was not running and responds by saying, “Kanye, you’re a celebrity.”
Ye then took the phone from her hands and threw it into the street before returning to his SUV and driving off before law enforcement arrived on the scene.
Today, global one-on-one breaking competition, Red Bull BC One, announces the historic 20th edition of the Red Bull BC One World Final will take place in Paris, France, on October 21 at Roland Garros. Following 60 qualifier events across 30 countries, the Red Bull BC One 2023 Paris World Final will see b-boys and b-girls from around the world battle against the best in breaking for the coveted World Champion title. Tickets are now available HERE.
Happening on October 21st, the largest, most prestigious breaking competition will bring together world-class b-girls and b-boys from all corners of the globe to perform their best power moves, top rocks, footwork, and more for a chance at the coveted World Champion title. Following 60 qualifier events held in 30 countries, the Red Bull BC One 2023 World Final will see country champions battling against the best in break to earn their spot in a final line-up of 16 b-boys and 16 b-girls. These breakers will enter an all-out, bracket-style tournament to be crowned Red Bull BC One World Champion.
Breaking boasts a rich history being an integral element of hip-hop, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. As hip-hop continues to progress, breaking is experiencing its own evolution, becoming a globally recognized sport, and transcending its Bronx origins to reach audiences worldwide. Across generations, thriving break communities have pushed the competitive street dance to new heights, shaping how break looks today while nurturing the culture that underpins it.
Last year’s Red Bull BC One World Final took place in New York, honoring the origins of break and hip-hop, with B-Boy Victor (USA) and B-Girl India (Netherlands) beating out the competition and reigning supreme. Both historic wins, B-Boy Victor took the title for his second time and B-Girl India dethroned 2021 Red Bull BC One World Champion, Logistx, to become the youngest b-girl ever to hold the Red Bull BC One title. Red Bull BC One All Star and Red Bull BC One 2022 World Champion, B-Boy Victor, has built a career as one the best breakers on the international scene over nearly two decades. He shares, “Over the next year, it will be important – now more than ever – to uplift breakers and communities that have transformed this artform into an official sport. While breaking has come a long way, we must honor the pioneers who started the craft.”
After presenting at this year’s Grammy Awards on Sunday night, Madonna was met with an influx of criticism regarding her appearance. In her latest Instagram post, discussing a close-up photo of her face that went viral online, the multi-award-winning singer protested that she was “caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny that permeates the world we live in.”
The photograph was captured while Madonna was introducing Kim Petras and Sam Smith’s performance of “Unholy.” In Madonna’s words it was a “history making moment,” adding: “Instead of focusing on what I said in my speech which was about giving thanks for the fearlessness of artists like Sam and Kim — many people chose to only talk about close-up photos of me taken with a long lens camera by a press photographer that would distort anyone’s face!”
Comments flooded in beneath Madonna’s post calling her scary, unrecognizable and denouncing her supposed “obsession with plastic surgery.” Still, the singer has never actually publicly addressed rumors of cosmetic enhancements. In response, Madonna clapped back saying that the internet realm, specifically Instagram, “refuses to celebrate women past the age of 45.”
Public opinion on appearance comes with the job, so this is certainly not Madonna’s first rodeo. However, this opens up a much deeper conversation on the unrealistic beauty standards perpetuated by social media platforms. Instagram showcases the highlight reel of user’s lives and the culture of the platform leaves little room for reality– even the natural aging process.
Controversial commentary surrounding the aesthetic of her looks is not foreign territory for Madonna. “I have never apologized for any of the creative choices I have made nor the way that I look or dress and I’m not going to start,” she wrote in the post. “I have been degraded by the media since the beginning of my career but I understand that this is all a test and I am happy to do the trailblazing so that all the women behind me can have an easier time in the years to come.”
It’s been a while since Will Smith has been on a stage at an awards show, but allegedly, he was scheduled to make a surprise appearance at the Grammy’s this past Sunday night. However, his comeback performance was derailed due to conflicts with filming Bad Boys 4.
In the weeks leading up to the Grammy’s, host Trevor Noah had hinted that there would be surprise guest appearances, but had kept quiet about specifics. However, Questlove, who produced a 10-minute 50th anniversary of hip-hop tribute performance for the ceremony, let one no-show surprise guest name slip on the red carpet.
Questlove told a Variety reporter that he was going to give the spoiler alert away. “Will Smith was a part of the festivities tonight, but they started shooting Bad Boys 4 this week. There were a lot of preliminary shots that he had to do, so we had to lose Will.”
The show did, however, go on without Smith. Missy Elliott, Run-DMC, LL Cool J, The Roots, Big Boi, Busta Rhymes, GloRilla, Rakim, Ice-T, Lil Baby, GloRilla, Lil Uzi Vert, and more showcased their talents in a commemorative tribute to the genre.
Before the performance, Dr. Dre was honored with the inaugural Dr. Dre Global Impact Award. He spoke about the impact that hip-hop had on him while saying that he was happy to be influencing the next generation of artists. The full performance can be seen below.
Questlove said that pulling off the show took a lot of hard work, telling the New York Times that “it was a lot of mountains to move to make this happen,” noting that Will Smith was not the only celebrity who couldn’t make it. Future and Lil’ Wayne also had toco cancel due to other commitments.
It’s been almost a year since Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars in March of 2022.
Today marks what would be the 28th birthday of a young man by the name of Trayvon Martin, that not only in the United States but the rest of the world came to know because he chose to defend himself against his assailant George Zimmerman and his life was taken as a result.
George Zimmerman claimed that he saw Trayvon leaving a store and that he looked suspicious, so he decided to follow him. After following him, a physical altercation transpired between the two of them and an unarmed Trayvon took a bullet to his chest and died on the scene. Trayvon died two weeks after his 17th birthday on February 26, 2012. As for Zimmerman, he received was a jury acquittal for second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in July 2013.
Trayvon didn’t get the chance to tell his parents goodbye, attend prom, or pretty much any of the things that are enjoyed by teenagers. His parents Sabrina Fulton and Tracy Martin have to live with the burden that their child did not receive any justice for what happened to him.
Almost nine years after his untimely death, Trayvon Martin’s legacy in the fight for human and civil rights for Black people in America is everlasting. His name still stands among the victims of gun violence by rogue police officers and overzealous citizens that came after him such as Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, Ahmaud Arbery, Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and countless others.
24 years ago on this date, a 23 year old Guinean immigrant named Amadou Diallo was murdered by four plain clothes NYPD police officers in his hallway after they unloaded 41 shots into Diallo in front of his Bronx apartment. The haphazard officers hit Diallo with only 19 shots; less than half of what was discharged from their weapons.
All four the officers involved were cleared of any wrongdoing after a mixed jury in the Empire State’s capital city acquitted the officers. Claiming the impossibility of a fair trial in NYC, an appellate court ordered that that the trial be switched to Albany. Amadou’s family filed federal and state charges of wrongful death and civil rights violations in 2001, which resulted in a $3 million dollar settlement from the city.
Interestingly enough, the Justice Department decided that Diallo’s civil rights were not violated.
Artists such as Immortal Technique and Wyclef Jean have referenced the tragedy in their songs, which became one of the most pivotal cases in the fight against police brutality.
Deaths at the hands of law enforcement such as George Floyd, Botham Jean, Eric Garner and Breonna Taylor will always be a reminder that the challenge of injustice against Black and Brown people must be confronted.
(@Media_FrenchRap) 
