We have already told you that 21 year-old Perrion is one of the dopest emcees coming out of the city right now. With his smooth flow and his authentic Harlem bravado there is no doubt this cat will be all over the place in a year or so. I was able to kick it with him and his manager Andrew “Roo” Rivera to speak about the past, present, and future for the up and coming rapper.

Interview by Brian Padilla

Photos by WayUpTheBlock & Kinnison Cyrus

JGM: Tell me a little bit about your upbringing?

P: I was born in Washington Heights Presbyterian Hospital and I was raised in Harlem.

Roo: Rest in peace Malcolm X.

P: Yeah that’s where Malcolm X died, right across the street.

JGM: Where in Harlem did you stay at?

P: West side 151st street. It’s kinda up the block from Rucker Park. Right where they shot the “Bout It Bout It Pt.3’” video.

JGM: Shit felt like forever ago. I know your brother Preview kind of got you into hip-hop. Did he just push Ready to Die and the Wu on you? How did your love for music come about?

 P: Actually it was my uncle. My uncle lived with us when we we were in jersey for a little bit. We slept in the same room and he would always play mad Wu-Tang, Redman, Jay-Z, all the classic 90′s shit. He used to rap too. He did a show at his high school back in the day. It was pretty cool – he had box braids and shit. So my brother started rapping and I would beatbox. Eventually I started writing. I was like 8.

JGM: Damn that’s pretty early to start writing. I know you got signed to Universal…

P: Haha,  I got signed to Universal at like 13 or 14.

JGM: How did that happen?

P: Well it actually happened because my brother had a name for battling people around Harlem.

Roo: Tell him the Cory Gunz story.

P: Oh shit yeah. My brother battled Cory Gunz once.

Roo: His line was “if I see your grandma I’ma punch the ol’ bitch in the face” or something like that.

JGM: That’s crazy. So Universal what’s going on?

P: My brother made a name for himself battling and shit and our barber had a couple of connects because he cut hair for Diddy, Noreaga, and mad other people in the music industry. He put us on with this dude named Ron Migichin who actually passed away God bless his soul. He took us to the Universal office and we made a little demo tape. They heard it and they fucked with it.

JGM: It was just that simple? Kind of seems fast.

P: It was overwhelming for me at a young age. We went on tour. We went to L.A to do an O’ryan video shoot. We we’re in his first video “Take it Slow.” Remember that dude?

JGM: Yeah of course Omarion’s little brother. Did you like fucking with Universal or are you happy that didn’t pan out?

P: I mean I’m glad it didn’t stick. I would have grown up to be a little shithead.

JGM: What do you mean?

P: I probably just would been mad cocky. I wouldn’t have finished school. I probably would have ended up like Bow Wow – washed up.

JGM:  How did you start writing though?

P: The first time I started writing again I couldn’t sleep and I was just like I’m gonna write a verse. It came out tight and I was like I gotta start writing again. I worked at this little chicken spot, saved up mad bread, and just built a studio in my room.

JGM: What’s going on with school and your parents through all of this?

P:  Haha I was fucking up. I was smoking mad weed just not giving a fuck. I would skate with my homies all day come home and just blast music real loud in my room. Wake up in the morning do it again. When I graduated High School I didn’t have a job so I was just making mad beats. Then I started working at the chicken spot and got some cash.

My mom always knew I wanted to do music and shit so she supported it. Whether its rapping or playing drums I’ve always been into music its my thing ya’know. She had that feeling that it was gonna work out so she didn’t really trip that much. My pops used to shit on me sometimes. He would tell me straight up you need to find a back-up plan.

JGM: I know Roo got you back up to NYC to start working. How did y’all get to working together?

P: Well I wanted to come back. I’m the one who asked him to be my manager. Me and Roo didn’t like each other before. We were youngns’. It was like sophomore year in high school and we dated the same girl. It was stupid.

Roo: It’s not like it gets us tight. It’s just when you think about it in the grand scheme of things we could have just both did what we had to do and been out. I ended up dating the bitch for two and half years and it ended terribly. I could have been Perry’s friend and I would have been Tyler, the Creator by now. We could have been making moves much sooner.

JGM: Tell me a little bit about your next bum CIRCUIT BREAKER. That’s when you started adding electro to your music.

P: My boy Dookie put me on to chill wave. We’d go skate, smoke buds, and just chill blasting it in the car. I was like what the fuck is this shit it’s tight as fuck. I told him I was like yo I’m gonna make a mixtape to this. When I came out to NYC he hit me up on Facebook and it sparked in me right there. I knew I had to do this mixtape. I was already up on a couple of the artist like Bibio and Neon Indian so I was like I’m gonna rap to all the shit that I’m listening to.

JGM:  So then you do your most recent album “FROM PARIS WITH LOVE” with Myth Syzer.

P: Yeah the first track he sent me was “Gettin It.” I recorded it and sent it back in the same day. After that he was like I love this shit and sent me 30 beats. I was up until 4 A.M. writing that night.

JGM: You got BLACK DAVE  on there too. That’s one of my favorites.

P: That’s the fucking homie.

Roo: He’s like the east coast Based God. Black Dave’s the biggest personality. You can’t take him too seriously he just raps because he likes it. He’ll be skating first, but he just raps because it’s funny to him.

JGM: He really is the east coast Based God – very interesting character. Now that you’re getting more attention as far as blogs, videos, shows, all that type of shit how are you handling thirsty niggas?

P: I don’t. I just chill. I just smoke, skate, and really try not to pay any mind to it. Haters on twitter though.

JGM: People are coming at you on twitter?

P: Yes! All the fucking time yo.

Roo: Na its one kid. I’m not going to say his name because I don’t want to give him attention. Now his man started to do it because I think they realized that Perry is getting attention so they think that if they fuck with him get retweeted or whatever they’re gonna get more followers. I’m like yo my nigga you a bird.

P: It’s crazy though people that we used to chill with six months ago who stopped hitting us up are coming out now. Now you wanna hit me up cus’ we’re chilllin with A$AP Rocky – then you wanna hit a nigga up.

Roo: It’s dudes too. Niggas are worse than bitches. “Oh can i get a song with Perrion?” “Yo can you send this shit to Perry?”

JGM: So you just gotta brush dudes off basically. I assume you’re not working with anyone right now then.

P: I did a track with Bryant Dope. We’re about to do some more shit in the future cus’ he’s the homie – cool as fuck. About to do a track with Joey Bada$$ too. Probably gonna fuck with Wiki. Actually Wiki’s producer is the reason I have everything. He hooked me up with Professor Logic who did all the beats.

Roo: So shout out to Rat King for hooking it up!

 P: He was sort of like a mentor as far as setting everything up. Told me what to get for a studio and what not. He’s cool as fuck.

JGM: So you’re making beats for rocky?

P: Yeah. Hopefully I’ll get on his next album LongLiveA$ap.

JGM: I hope you do too man that would be tight. What’s it been like since the SPIN top 5 Best Artist back in February?

P: That was nuts. I was so hyped when that happened. My twitter followers shot up a shit load after that. I actually have a really really really dope interview coming up. It’s a surprise.

JGM: Haha okay I will be sure to keep an eye out for that. Where are you at a year from now?

P: A year from now? I want to have enough money to live in my own place, a nice little hooptie ride, be in Cali maybe.

Roo: Fuck that I’m trying to have a hooptie for my cousin.

P: Haha. I’ll be straight with that.

Roo: I mean a year ago we made a plan and we surpassed it so a year from now I want to be making bread. We want to be at the point that any artist wants to be. It’s not going to be a Jay-Z or Kanye level but I want it to be big for Perry. He deserves it. He’s nicer then a lot of these niggas. That’s not a diss- they just rap for different people.

JGM: Y’all are going to make it soon and I’m real excited.

Roo: A year from now we can do the follow up interview in Vegas.

JGM: I’m in.

It has, and always will be our duty to acquaint you with “the new.” Since day one we have been featuring creative up-and-coming artists who we feel will have a strong enough influence to leave an imprint on the entertainment industry for years to come. Today we want you to get familiar with a young female artist that hails from Florida by way of New York. Meet Kilo Kish. She has an easeful tone that can soothe the worst of days and an angelic-like appearance that’s impossible not to love. If she’s not busy with school, creating new designs, or at her 9-5, she is most likely dabbling with her music, trying to perfect her artistry.

Kish started to develop her musical ability when she started living with her roommate, Smash Simmons, and manager Justin Scott. They formed a small collective called the KKK (Kool Kats Klub) that is made up of 3 members, rapper Smash Simmons and producer Mell Masters and Kish. Throughout the years Kish has made friends in the industry who, like her, were also on the come-up. Those friends include artists such as Vince Staples, A$AP Rocky, The Super 3 and The Internet. She has made appearances on numerous singles that gravitated ears to her unique voice and nonchalant flow. From said appearances she’s garnered quite a fan base, all of whom are eagerly anticipating her debut EP entitled Home School. We met up with Kish to talk about her origins, taste in music, and upcoming project. Get acquainted with the soul behind the voice. Enjoy.

Words by Logan Jean

Photos by Awol Erizku

When it comes building a brand and creating a fan base, marketing and execution play key roles in helping you get your brand off the ground. In the world of street wear it’s very competitive and risky to start a clothing brand, especially during a time when the demand for street wear isn’t that high. Everyday there is a kid in the world somewhere who is inspired with big dreams to start a clothing company. Today there are few brands on the map that are controlled by young individuals with sights on making it big. MMVIII is a Japanese inspired brand out of Canada headlined by a young designer by the name of Shun Kinoshita, he started his brand as a teen in high school. He has faced legal issues, helped with disaster reliefs and has done collaborations with some big names in the music industry. In this interview he let’s us know what it’s like starting up and trying to make it big.

Words by Logan Jean

JGM: Why the name MMVIII and what does it mean?

Shun: MMVIII is the year 2008. It was a significant year for me since it was the year when I started to take it more seriously; GOLD MMVIII was launched in 2008. I used to run 3 other brands before MMVIII.

JGM: We understand that GOLD MMVIII was your brand name before MMVIII. Can you fill us in on what happened?

Shun: Unfortunately GOLD MMVIII had to be shut down due to legal issues. It was pretty sad to see my brand go, GOLD MMVIII was my baby! It’s hard to see something you put a lot of effort and time into just disappear like that…I was definitely upset for a while. It was a brand that progressed to something more than just clothes, I was able to meet and make cool connections I would’ve never been able to without it.

JGM: Did the name change affect your sales, designs or motivation?

Shun: It definitely affected the sales at first, even though MMVIII was launched only 2 months after GOLD MMVIII had to be shut down. It was the first time I’ve felt the momentum of business; once you’re on a wave, you definitely don’t wanna fall behind. I was motivated enough to start a new brand, but it was hard for the first couple of months when it just felt like I was putting in a lot of effort but wasn’t getting much back. I took it as a good experience though, not a lot of people get into legal issues when you’re that young.

JGM: What inspired you to design clothes?

Shun: It all started when I was 16, when my friend Neil (@lil_nill) and I were getting blog-famous for mashing music. We used to mash electro/house with rap acapellas, and surprisingly we were getting a lot of love on the Internet, haha. And yea, one day I designed a shirt for it, 12 shirts.

JGM: Your line is famous for limited edition clothing collabs, which is your favorite and why?

Shun: I like all of them. As for clothing, I’ve collaborated with a boutique Complex (@C_o_m_p_l_e_x) from Victoria/Vancouver, also artists Mike G (@MikeGKTA), Jaykin (@jay_kin) and Brandun DeShay (@brandunXdeshay). Collab with Complex was special because it was my first collab, and they also sold out quickly; first collab with Mike G sold out in a couple hours, saw it on eBay for $99.99; collab with Jaykin was never released because the brand had to be shut down right before the drop which sucked; and it was nice to see the 2^nd collaboration with Mike G and Brook Bobbins on Hypebeast.

JGM: Who else would you like to work with?

Shun: ASAP Rocky. I was exchanging emails with the ASAP crew before Rocky signed that $3 million contract. It was crazy to know they knew about my brand, and they asked to send gear for the whole crew. Same goes for Curren$y, I still met him at his show up here, he asked for a box full of gear big enough that he could live in, haha. As for artists, I would like to work with Pac Div. I’ve always been a big fan. I exchange emails and tweets with them now, and I also send them gear, but I would like to do a collab

I also want to do a collab with other brands, particularly ILLAMERICA and Death Precision Inc. Kobi (DPI) and I have been exchanging emails. I still haven’t gotten the chance to talk to Mike Waxx, though.

JGM: What influence does music have on your clothes?

Shun: I love rap. I listen to all different kinds of music though. But yea, I think it influences the whole vibe of the brand. I don’t listen to Drake though, haha.

JGM: What’s it like getting your clothes out to people in different regions in the world coming from Canada?

Shun : It’s super cool. Thinking there are people all over North America, Europe, Asia, Australia are wearing MMVIII…I couldn’t ask for anything better. I appreciate every customer and I try to do my best at getting back to emails, tweets, etc. Some people don’t understand that up here in Canada everything is more expensive compared to the US, so is the shipping cost, and we use Canadian dollars, not US dollars. T-shirts up here cost around $35-40, a lot of people don’t know that. I’ve made the MMVIII shirts $25-30 to match the US prices though.

JGM:  Do you see your MMVIII as one of the top up coming brands in Canada or in the U.S.?

Shun: Well I design what I think is cool, and I don’t care what other brands are doing. For a brand that’s run by a single university student who barely has time for anything but studies, I think my brand is damn good. But I do this because it’s fun, I’m a 3^rd year commerce student and I’ll be going for a job after I graduate. This is a passion project that I love doing, but you can’t really compare brands that people are doing as their career. If this project were my job, it would be a completely different story.

JGM: You made our top 10 brands to look out for in 2012 list, what can we expect this year?

Shun: Doing what I’ve been doing, but always improving my designs and concepts. I’m appreciative that people like what I create; I want to keep going forward for the dedicated MMVIII fans! Look out for sneak peeks that I will be posting up. Thank you all.

We attended Community 54‘s special instore sales event that featured an appearance from the style mogul Taz Arnold and his clothing brand TI$A. The store front was super packed with TI$A fans anxious to get there hands on the new items, available in store were new snapback hats, sweatshirts, and plenty of accessories. Midway through the event, the Community 54 courtyard filled up with people waiting for Taz’s appearance. Finally he came through, dipped in a vintage MCM leather trench, fresh vintage shades and gold YSL pins galore. Fans and cameras rushed the man of the hour with questions, greets and autograph requests, we just so happened to sneak an interview in amongst all of the chaos. We spoke briefly about his opinion on east coast and west coast style, his music, and of course the Dr Romanelli collaboration. Enjoy!

Shot and edited by Zo Magic & Ruben V of Jungle Gym Magazine

We recently caught up with the young innovative emcee BrandUN DeShay from Chi-Town at South Paw in Brooklyn where he performed at Barrel House Bklyn’s “Locals Only” show. His “All Day DeShay” mixtape just dropped and he is making crazy waves throughout the net and on the street. As well as being a rapper, he has produced a lot of hits for artists like Casey Veggies, Dom Kennedy, Curren$y and much more. We talked to him about his mixtape, production, his relationship with Odd Future, and his plans for 2012. Check out the video below where we go live with BrandUN DeShay.

Shot & edited by Ruben Villalta for Jungle Gym Magazine

Photo by Jeff

Recently Justin West, Ryan Cronin and Johnny Taylor Collaborated in a “Atomic Vision” art Exhibit at the Tria Gallery, Chelsea NYC. Jungle Gym Magazine got chance to talk with well respected pop artist Justin West about the newest work he’s exhibited. Jay West style of work is incredible, putting expressiveness of abstract, surrealism, and stylistic rendering of graphic illustration into his pieces. In this interview he talks about what influenced him as an artist and what is going to happen next in his career.

Interview By Zo Magic

         Tees are just shirts if they don’t have an underlying meaning, and today we’re at a crossroad between brands and failed attempts at public relation careers. Often, creators get so caught up in making friends and fans in this industry that they forget the authenticity of the concept of garnering respect for being real and representing for what it’s all about. At this point people run out of options and don’t believe that this is a way of representing them anymore, and then what’s the purpose of these designs and names? But when times like this occur and interest is lost, you gain a reason to have hope in this. The UNICO 1990 is a great reason, a brand started in NYC isn’t going to disappoint by trying to be cool for the cameras. Jungle Gym Magazine sat down to talk to Elvin Roman, owner and head designer of The UNICO 1990 about his start up to being one of the future street-wear lifestyle brands to make a big impact in the industry that they are in.

Words by Frederick T. Smith

JGM: For those who don’t know, what does The UNICO 1990 stand for ?

E. Roman: “The Unico” means “The only one”.  I chose to use a Spanish word for the simple fact that I was born and raised in Puerto Rico and the “1990″ stands for the year I was born. There was a lot of wild shit going on in the USA during that era like the Dream Team, some of the realest to ever touch the mic in Hip Hop died throughout those years. N*ggas getting robbed in NYC over Polo pieces, and Puerto Rican boxers like Tito Trinidad whopping n*ggas asses and shit.  Anyways to me the 90′s were the shit man, the 90′s mean a lot to me. That’s why it’s “The Unico 1990″ and fuck the rest.

JGM: How did the brand come about?

E. Roman: When I was in PR as a kid I always wanted to make my own clothing line and be apart of this industry.  It was hard due to the fact that I didn’t speak English when I first got to the US.  I was just hustling and spending all my money on what I liked and what I felt I needed. After a while I got sick of spending money on gear, so I was like fuck this shit I’m going to make my own brand based on my life as inspiration, and turning my ideas into designs. The only thing that I really own in this world, is my life and ideas.

JGM: Do you consider yourselves a lifestyle or street-wear brand?

E. Roman: Well lets just say that my lifestyle has become apart of street-wear and street-wear has become apart of my lifestyle. Like I said before I use events in my life to inspire my designs. For example our latest t-shirt “The Unico Young-Gunz”, I created “The Unico Young-Gunz” because that is what the family is about. Just a bunch “Young-Gunz” doing their things, helping each other out, and trying to stay away from what we used to do in the streets.

JGM: Is there a method to the cool font text based prints?

E. Roman: Hell yea, first I have to smoke lots of good weed so I could concentrate because I’m too hyper.  I chill with The UNICO family and make moves in the day time, and sketch a whole bunch of different shit at night. Then I put the drawings on a computer and send them to one of my homies. From there he fucks with the programs he uses and digitizes the designs.

JGM: How do you feel about the culture of street fashion today?

E. Roman: I feel that street fashion today is wack as fuck but is getting better day by day. To me it’s funny that people only want to rock Bape, BBC, Original Fake, and Supreme due to the hype. Then again, there are real n*ggs making real dope gear like NA from “DEADLINE”, Debo from “DANG!”, my homeboy Jesus from “MOTA NY”, “AM after midnight” and Jalil from “APPEAL”.  Personally I think these brands are going to take over the streets in the near future and when that happens street fashion will finally be reunited with “culture” again.

JGM:  Who inspires you and if you had the chance would you work with them?

E. Roman: Like I said before I use my own life as inspiration. There is nothing better than the struggle and the fucked up shit I’ve been through to get to where I am today. Honestly I could care less about working with other people, but if it happens it happens. Now on the other hand working with big time companies like NIKE, Reebok, and or Fila would be dope.

JGM: What are some future moves that we can expect from The UNICO?

E. Roman: The family stay making moves, never not making moves. There is a lot of dope stuff coming soon, but I’d rather just let my actions speak for themselves, but we are currently in the middle of making a collabo t-shirt with this brand from Brooklyn “MOTA NY“. The shirts will be released at the MOTA NY store during The Unico 1990 X MOTA NY event. We definitely are going to show our supporters and non believers how we get shit poppin.

Photos by Alonzo Unico

Get familiar:

http://twitter.com/#!/TheUNICO1990
http://theunico1990.tumblr.com/

On a warm and sunny NYC summer day, we in the Big Apple felt the aftershocks of an earthquake that made its way up north all the way from Virginia. Many people were in awe and some buildings were evacuated. But those minor tremors didn’t stop us from our scheduled 3:30pm interview with Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire, who hadn’t even felt the aforementioned shakes from his residence in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

Standing 6 foot something he came in the office with good spirits, draped in a dashiki, a half-dozen necklaces draped across his chest, vintage ‘94 timberland boots and gold fronts in his grill. We jammed out to some music for a bit and spoke to him about his origins, music style and long-term goals. eXquire has been on our radar since the brink of summer and in our opinion may very well be viewed as a savior for NYC hip-hop. Everything about him embodies New York. His appearance is nostalgic to a degree nostalgic but his music carries a new type of NY sound that is gritty, raw, honest and relatable to today’s audience.

He has just released his debut offering, perhaps symbolically, on the same day that marked the 10^th anniversary of 9/11. The album, Lost In Translation, which was presented by Mishka, a clothing brand that similar to eXquire, has been acclaimed for brash presentation and refusal to dilute their aesthetic. That comparison should makes sense to anyone that knows eXquire mainly because with as much Georgi as he consumes, it’s probably damn near impossible to make anything watered down. Get familiar with the new Beast of the East in our video interview below and don’t forget the “Muthafuckin’,” without that it’s nothin’.

Words by Logan Jean

Interview by Logan Jean

Shot by Alonzo Alias & Edited by Ruben Villalta

Special Thanks: Nate Santos

“WHO SHOT YA,” is the famous line Biggie used to start off his 1995 rap classic. It’s also a website for actual shots, photography shots that is, from NYC lifestyle photographer Brook Bobbins. I met Brook for the first time this summer at the after-party for Fool’s Gold Records retail store opening (see above photo) We bumped heads there and exchanged contact info. I’ve heard his name around town before so I knew I had to check his work out just out of curiosity. The next day one of my friends told me that they’d spoken to Brook and recalled to me how he was on top of a glass table inside of the FG after-party trying to take a picture. He actually fell through the table and proceeded to walk away as if nothing had happened. I couldn’t help but laugh hysterically after imagining the incident in my head. I proceeded to peep his site that day for the event photos and took notice of all of the events, concerts, and individuals he has shot and became pretty fascinated with his work. Brook has snapped rare and crazy photos of some of mine and your favorite artists in hip hop ranging from Odd Future all the way to his most recent flicks of Kanye at the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival. You really have to appreciate this guy’s work and all of the places and people he has shot within a year’s time. That work ethic certainly requires some dedication. To even get close to some of the people that he has shot or to even get the caliber of shots that he’s taken puzzles me and intrigues me at the same time. I recently had a conversation with Brook where he answered a few questions about himself and decided to also share some of his favorite photos along with the stories behind them. Enjoy!

Words by Logan Jean

JGM: When did you start the “WHO-SHOT-YA” website?

BB: I started the Who-Shot-Ya website in August of 2010. Its about to go on it’s 1 year anniversary.

JGM: Where are you originally from and where did you grow up?

BB: I was born in Hackney, London and then moved with my mother to New Jersey in the 80′s. I spent a fair amount of my childhood in upstate New York. When I finished school I moved to Yonkers, NY and lived there from 2000-2005. I have been a Bronx resident for the past 7 years.

JGM: How long have you been shooting?

BB: I started shooting photos on disposable cameras when I started going to shows in the late 90′s, but I went digital about 3 years ago and went in full time covering events, concerts as well as random stuff in my city and along my travels.

Picture Taker, Fornicator, Alcohol Abuser, Drug Partaker. I love music and I love photography. Being able to approach the 2 simultaneously is a dream come true. I try to shoot an event so the viewer can re-live a moment in time and feel as if they were there in the room at that moment in time. I like to capture emotion as well as keep things as natural as possible. One of the biggest compliments I ever received was from an anonymous email that simply stated “I can smell the funk in those venues through your photos” That meant a lot to me.

You can find me getting drunk and shoving a camera in your face.

Brook’s favorite photos taken in NYC.

BB: In June of 2010 N.E.R.D. played a private show at Brooklyn Bowl. These photos mean a lot to me because it is the first gallery I ever put up on my website.

BB: On Governors Island in 2010 Rock The Bells made it’s inaugural appearance at the space. I shot this flick of The RZA back by Wu’s compound. It is quite possibly my favorite photo I’ve ever taken.

BB: In October of 2010 I got the opportunity to shoot a private M.I.A. show at Brooklyn Bowl. I’m a huge fan of Maya and the energy in the building was incredible. I loved this event.

BB: So On October 23rd of 2010, the day Kanye dropped the Runaway video I was at CMJ Fader Fort with A-Trak. At the time we were only acquaintances, but he let me know not to miss the Fool’s Gold party in BK. I headed over and sure enough, Ye came thru. It was really incredible. I love that his face is hidden in this image.

BB: In November of 2010 I got a call from my homie asking me to come down to Pier 54 in Manhattan to shoot a Heineken event. I was weary, he told me Nas was there and I was out the door before the phone call ended. Nas is one of my favorite artists of all time and to capture him and Pete Rock in this moment was epic for me.

BB: November 2010 at Webster Hall I shot one of those photos that grows legs and is literally plastered everywhere. This was Odd Futures first NYC show and also the first time Mos Def met them. You all know where it went from there. You can even see the homie Frank Ocean in the back.

BB: I always enjoy getting put onto new music. Especially when it’s as incredible as the music that Little Dragon is putting out. I was invited to spend some time with the band and really fell in love with everything about them. This is a double exposure of Yukimi shot in January of 2011 at Bowery Ballroom.

BB: So back to A-Trak, after CMJ we stayed in touch, and at this point I would consider him a friend. He always invites me out to anything Fools Gold related and their parties really are the most fun I have out shooting. I love this photo, it was taken in April of 2010 at Terminal 5 in Manhattan.

BB: This is a photo of Left Brain in the crowd at the Highline Ballroom in Manhattan. I love going around with Odd Future, we work great together. I fucking love this photo.

A wolf in sheep’s clothing, that’s a fitting way to describe Danny Brown. The Detroit bred artist has been increasingly solidifying his place as one of the rawest rappers you’ve ever heard of rockin’ skinny jeans. Sans the flamboyant wardrobe selections, listeners will surely find him to be one of the grittiest MCs out, period. The image of the hockey player-esque grill he sports (he lost his two front teeth in an accident) indicate the aforementioned traits.

Ignoring the presence of Brown’s unique look and sound is next to impossible, thanks in part to his blunt persona, but mostly due to a credible caliber of music that smells of spirited street aura. Danny Brown has been sticking to his guns on the indie circuit for some time now and nearly inked a seemingly well suited deal with the infamous machine that is 50 Cent‘s G-Unit Records. Of his dealings with the Southside Jamaica, Queens mogul, Brown says that 50 opted out of the deal because of the way he wore his pants; fitted. Remaining true to self, the eccentric D-Town native never faltered in his fashions for the money and kept it movin’ down rap’s runway with his head held high. Despite the deal’s downfall, he and almost boss 50 are still cool to this day.

Brown is currently being managed by 10 Deep‘s creative director, branding specialist, and NY socialite Emeka Obi. Since the two have linked up Brown’s arrival has been noticed by the music community in our neck of the woods (NYC) and beyond, resulting in Danny finally signing his name on the dotted line with co-founder DJ A-Trak’s creative music house, Fool’s Gold Records. The move officially made Danny the very first rap act to be signed to the respected niche label. Any fan privy to his projects including “The Hybrid” or “Detroit State Of Mind” wouldn’t expect the rapper to land on an imprint like A-Trak’s. But that’s probably why he’s dubbed himself “The Hybrid”, a stand out style of MCing with such little chance of categorization that his music now lives in a house for DJs and rockers.

Always intrigued by the unconventional, Jungle Gym approached Danny guerilla style at this month’s Fool’s Gold store opening in Brooklyn, NY where he broke down his style of music and attire along with running down a few of his personal influences. Press play to brush up on all of the above plus the tale of the missing two front teeth. Enjoy!

Words By Logan Jean

Photos By Kinnison Cyrus