Girls Got Kicks

Been trying to get this book for a few months now. Last year, Female Sneaker Fiend founder, Lori Lobenstine decided to publish the awesome Girls Got Kicks photodocumentary book. It's not a coffee table book, this is the one you climb into bed with and develop the screwed-up face with each turn of the page. With photographs by Amanda Lopez, Lori - a legend in the game - rounded up some of the most passionate sisters whose kick game is unmatched. Some you may know - like Va$htie and Claw Money - and others you'll be meeting for the first time. Last year, I found out not one bookstore in the country has it in stock so I've been trying to buy it through my other connects. If you're not in South Africa and see it somewhere or find another way to get it, can you buy two? You know I'm good for it...

Yes, We're Back To This Topic

Not every girl is a sneakerhead. This is a fact. Just like not every guy knows the A-Z of kicks. However, it's no secret that here at theblagg, we frown on women who wear funny style shoes as a way of being "down." Ok, maybe frown is a mild term. Honestly, if you want to wear sneakers, then wear sneakers. If you want to wear high heels, then do that. But don't bastardise the sneaker for the sake of some elevated, pseudo-cool look. That's really how we feel. With that being said, we have to give it up to the Herstar for these Custom Crystal NBA heels. Now, The Ordinary Girl would not be caught dead in a pair but props are due. And here's why.



Some women like to feel involved in their man's passion. Like, for instance, his love for basketball. But they know that they don't have to sacrifice who they really are to fit in. They don't have to wear oversized jerseys and put away the make-up kit on Sunday because that's game night. But they do like to feel and look supportive. Some girls actually don't do this a relationship bonding excercise. They may just like the sport but can't be bothered to wear flats. They love the NBA like any other dude but don't feel they have to leave who they are in the bedroom once the players step onto the court. These Herstar heels allow them to do that. Forget wearing your heart on your sleeve. You can wear it on your shoes if you're a die-hard fan. The Ordinary Girl wouldn't do this but she gets it. What she still doesn't get is this:


 

And I love Beyonce too but hot-damn, why do these exist? Isabel Marant can miss me with all that. Can we agree that we're not ever condoning these wedge sneakers, ladies?

  Oh, you're just going to leave me standing here by myself, huh?
 
Ugh.

Zubz Performing at Back To The City

Zubz also took the stage at Back To The City 2012. His performance was The Ordinary Girl's favourite of the event...hands down. Peep him.



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Jean Grae Brings The Stage Down In Cape Town

Peep Jean Greasy bring the stage down at the Jazz Festival in Cape Town...literally. One of The Ordinary Girl's favourite rapper's performed some of her new material and here is one of the tracks below. theblaggTV whaaaaat?!?!?!? We shooting everybody!!!!!!

Hip Hop Confessions

Because few things are more important to The Ordinary Girl

Skillz presents: Hip-Hop Confessions ep. 9 -- Ladies First from Visually Inklined on Vimeo.

Ursula Rucker

When The Roots’ fourth album, Things Fall Apart, came out, The Ordinary Girl still believed in a lot of things. My fingers lingered over YMag articles. I carried MP3 compilations, which always, always listed some or other Aesop Rock album first, from school to home and back again frequently. I sat in on the recording sessions that saw my brother’s beats become the bed for budding rappers to lie on. Really now, straight from the dome in the booth? Ha. I’m just kidding guys, don’t be mad. Aaaaaaaanyway.

Everyone came to my house. It was like a mens hostel, except these rappers weren’t quite men yet. My brother’s room is where the computer stayed and the speakers were loud (even though my screechy voice was louder). So whenever I had a moment alone with the PC - which was rare - I would sit in my brother’s room. I’d listen to this Things Fall Apart album and watch the Media Player’s colourful lazer lines sprout from the centre of the screen with every thump of Thought’s rhymes. But my favourite bit of the album wasn’t even by a member of The Roots.

It was Ursula Rucker’s Return To Innocence Lost.

Rucker has often featured on The Roots' albums but this particular piece (all damn near 12 minutes of it) had a profound effect on me and especially in how I write today. I don’t know what Rucker’s words meant or mean to you, but I do know that they made me realise the world was a much bigger place than I thought it was then. And I didn’t even have to leave my brother’s room to find this out. Tracking down some footage of this beautiful woman performing Return To Innocence Lost is incredibly difficult, so shout out to Otis Groove for making this accessible. It’s obviously not exactly what you’ll hear on Things Fall Apart, but perhaps this will prompt you to go get this album if you don’t already own it.

Ursula Rucker return to innocence lost (prod by Otis Groove) from Otis Groove on Vimeo.

Happy Monday

The Ordinary Girl spent the weekend in Darling. My favourite thing about Rocking The Daisies? This tattoo. It just sums life up. My friend, Neo, took the picture on her Curvaceous so excuse the quality.

UPDATED: This is actually a Banksy piece. Amazing, right?

The Blaggining

theblagg was launched in 2009 as a street culture blog aimed at street culture junkies. It would highlight all street culture facets from trends to events but would have a strong emphasis on street culture footwear and Music.
Features would range from interviews to reviews of almost anything “street”. theblagg would profile the movers and shakers in these mean streets, be it musicians or sneakerhead who happen to be killing it at what they do.
theblagg was also going to showcase new and breaking out product, from new music to new sneakers. This was going to be the best source of Street Culture information out.
But then theblaggers decided they were too pompous-nose-in-the-air-don't-really-give-a-hoot to know what "the streets" are all about. Nevermind what they are watching. So theblagg had no launch at a colourful snoepie that sells overpriced sneakers. Nor did it have A-grade douches and pseudo-celebs endorsing it on LIVE. And that's right, you guessed it, theblagg did not become the next IT thing, or the one to study to become popular, or even the new black.
We are the old black. The original black. The black bloggers who write what they like as though they draw life from suckling on the felt tip tit of Bantu Biko's pen. We're black, waaaay black. And we blog. And our hotter than your mama's bra strap hybrid of who we are and what we do is aptly titled theblagg. Piss off - we think it's ahem, apt. Welcome to The Ordinary Girl and Dude's lookbook of the world.
Put your headphones on and bask in the foot funk.