The Top Hip Hop Clothing Designers

By Julian Kwandez

Urban clothing is more than big baggy jeans, oversized shirts, and fitted caps. It now includes a wide variety of styles and colors that is fashionable the world over. Its evolution from the city streets to the foremost fashion shows is evidence that the style is a major force in the top designer circles. Today just about anyone can wear designer urban clothing and look great. Just like the music that spread to international levels, the urban style is just as popular. Here are some of the top hip hop clothing brands.

Apple Bottom Jeans is adored by celebrities around the world including Oprah, Alicia Keys, and Ciara. Apple Bottoms is a full clothing line for women that include jeans, skirts, shorts, shirts, and even jackets. The company caters to fashion savvy women of all sizes and shapes. Every woman knows that being fashionable is not easy when you have curves. The slogan of Apple Bottoms is that the clothes should fit the women and not the women the clothes. Hip hop star Nelly created this brand and his team of designers fashioned the perfect fit for most body shapes.

Kimora Lee continues to take fashion to new heights. Her lavish designs are sought after by top celebrities which includes Lil Kim and Alicia Keys. Kimora has placed Baby Phat as the worlds top brand for female designer clothing. The company has become a phenomenon in style and fashion with women all over the world. Kimora's experience as a top fashion model and her fashion style put Baby Phat at the head of urban designs. The brands sexy clothing line is both eye-catching and glamorous and includes outerwear, handbags, shoes, lingerie, jewelry, and a signature fragrance.

Beyonce Knowles has conquered the entertainment industry with her chart topping R&B hits, and her compelling movie roles. Her next conquest will certainly be the fashion industry. The House of Dereon line has been very successful in the urban market. The concept was inspired by the women in her family, namely her grandmother Agnes Dereon.

The creative force behind the Ecko clothing brand is Marc Ecko. He is one of the pioneers of the global urban lifestyle brand. Marc Ecko parlayed his graffiti art into a small business while still in college. His handmade T-shirts landed on the backs of some top celebrities. The company soon expanded into the hip-hop, extreme-sport, and designer-fashion markets and also began producing footwear, leather goods, gloves, outerwear, underwear, bags, and a women's collection. Ecko launched his line of sophisticated urban menswear, Marc Ecko Cut & Sew, in 2004, which is distinguished by its knitwear, attentive tailoring, and dressier fabrics. Mark Ecko states he had a rich education around graphic design and illustration, even though it was kind of a street education. Today, he considers himself less of a traditional designer like Giorgio Armani or Calvin Klein and more of a curator.

LRG (Lifted Research Group) is a company that has been successful because the founders listened to their passions instead of their pockets. The company, founded by Jonas Bevacqua and Robert Wright, represents the common love of music and fashion. Celebrities such as Chris Brown, T.I., and Kanye West are known to dig this fashion line. The company is positioning its women's line, Luxirie, between urban brand Baby Phat and designer label Marc Jacobs. LRG offers a clothing line dedicated to setting the standard in production, and attention to detail. Every seasons the company demonstrates its ability be original and go beyond expectations.

Created by Jay-Z, Rocawear clothing quickly became the brand for street savvy consumers. Rocawear maintains a focus of providing clever innovation in fabrication and design to its consumers. The company diversifyed from young mens wear to womens, juniors, childrens, infants and accessories. Rocawear continues to define and advance urban cultural trends while remaining a true reflection of urban lifestyle.

Sean John Clothing has grown to an international empire for P. Diddy. His signature collection includes sportswear, underwear, outerwear, tailored suits, boys clothing, fragrances, accessories, women's wear, and eyewear. The reason for Sean John perpetual success is because it is committed to the quality and design of its products. With a collection of businesses spanning music, apparel, marketing, advertising, dining, nightlife and philanthropy, Sean Diddy Combs has become one of the countrys most honored and successful entrepreneurs. - 23812

About the Author:

Want the best in Designer Urban Clothing at discount prices? Buy from the most popular online shop where you can get designer clothes for men, women, teens & kids. For the best resource for hip hop clothes just visit ultimate hip hop gear

Gibson Les Paul Standard Review - Should You Buy It?

By R. S. Rasnick

Along with the Fender Stratocaster, the Gibson Les Paul is synonymous with rock & roll and blues guitar. Although the shape and thick, chunky sound have remained steadfast throughout the years, the details, from pickup selection to neck design, have been modified to reflect Gibson's long-term desire to innovate.

The last major round of alterations made to the Les Paul Standard come about in 2008. Some of the changes have received positive critiques while others have not. We'll take a look at the particulars and let you decide for yourself.

There are numerous revisions to note, including a TonePros locking bridge and tailpiece, chambered body, Neutrik locking output jack, asymmetrical neck, Bourns pots, Grover Locking Tuners, Dunlop Strap Locks, and a Plek'd setup. Possibly the most apparent change, if you're even remotely familiar with Les Pauls, is that the new Standard is much lighter, likely due to the chambered body.

We were mildly afraid that the chambered body would have a negative effect on the tone, but, fortunately, it didn't happen. The trademark Les Paul sustain was here in all its glory, as was the characteristic thick, meaty tone. We were glad, though, that the instrument was a bit lighter. If you've played with a Les Paul strung over your shoulder, you know what we mean.

We were pleased to see some of the hardware upgrades, especially the TonePros bridge and tailpiece. Similarly, the Plek'd setup resulted in a real playable and superb sounding instrument literally out of the box.

Granted, a minor truss rod adjustment was required, but that's ordinarily the case when you get a guitar via UPS. Out of the box, the Les Paul was pretty much gig-ready, a testimony to both the Plek'd setup as well as the TonePros hardware.

We were also very impressed with the finish, which was a flamed Heritage Cherry Sunburst. Try as we could, we found no problems in the fit or finish. While a matter of personal taste, we're also glad they chose to omit the pickguard, but it is included should you want to install it.

We were fascinated when we found that Gibson built this series using an asymmetrical neck profile; however, we have to say that we're glad they did. The profile boasts a thicker bass side and a thinner treble side.

Another way to look at it is as a hybrid of the 50's and 60's style neck. In addition to the enhanced neck profile, the fretwork was wonderful, especially for a mass-production instrument.

It's hard for us not to think of a Les Paul without thinking of the sound of a Les Paul cranked through a Marshall, so we ran the Gibson through a reissue Marshall JCM800 half-stack. We liked what we found, though you do need to know that the chambered body gives the guitar something of a ES-335 sound when cranked. Think old Clapton.

The Burstbucker pickups seemed to be a pretty good fit, since they are aggressive and dark by nature. There are certainly some textbook Les Paul tones to be found here, though the chambered body/Burstbucker combination has its own particular flavor. To each his own. We liked them.

We have to say, though, that there were a few things we just didn't care for. Gibson chose to include Neutrik locking input jacks, for example. Some folks love them, but we're not fans. Still, the Neutrik jacks are high quality, so we appreciate that at least.

Even less enjoyable are the volume and tone control pots, which are PCB mounted. It seems handy at first, since the jack, selector switch, pots, and pickups are all connected to the main PCB board. But it could really slow down the effortless act of changing a pot or pickup. No thanks.

Still, these concerns are minor. Overall, the new Gibson Les Paul Standard is a wonderful guitar in many ways, and we sense the spirit of classic Les Pauls here. Gibson also now makes a "Les Paul Traditional" that might appeal to folks who want a more orthodox Les Paul. Obviously, Gibson has something for everyone in their Les Paul series. - 23812

About the Author:

If you are shopping for the absolute lowest price on a used or new Gibson Les Paul Standard, then you must visit Ray's Guitar Shop, which offers the best prices on all new and used guitars. It doesn't matter if you're shopping for a Fender Telecaster, an Epiphone Casino, or a PRS Custom 22, Ray's Guitar Shop has what you're looking for!

A Guide To Projectors

By Lee Sparks

There are many reasons for buying digital projectors including cost per image area. A projector enables the viewer to have a vast image size, however there are a few limitations which can effect the image quality. Things to compare when buying a digital projector are brightness, resolution and contrasrt ratio. There are many different types of projector available and finding one that best suits you is not always easy.

* The different types of projectors include: * Home Theatre/ Cinema Projectors * LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) Projectors * Digital Projectors * Conference Room Projectors * Portable Multimedia Projectors

Home cinema/ theatre projectors are usually used to provide home entertainment and are used for many purposes including playing films and movies, DVDs, video games aswell as much more. Home cinema projectors usually use DLP (Digital Light Processing) to create a smooth high video performance, with little pixelation and high contrast ratios.

LCD projectors provide sharper, clearer images than many others. They create images by shining light through three small LCD panels which are exrtremely vibrant and sharp in colour. LCD projectors are commonly used for both home cinema entertainment aswell as presentations . To produce the best quality pictures they ideally need to be used in dimly lit rooms.

Digital projectors allow the user to use video files from their PC and makes internet viewing very effective. The two types of digital projectors available are LCD and DLP. One of the most important factors to look for is the amount of lumens, this refers to the quantity of different aspects of light that are available at any one time.

Conference Room Projectors are generally used to give reports or presentations in conference rooms mostly. They are ideal for presenting high detailed artwork, or medical presentations. They are used when high resolution graphics are necessary

Portable Multimedia Projectors are very light for ease of portability. These types of projectors are able to produce noise-free presentations with fairly accurate images.

When buying digital projectors the main keypoints to focus on are:

-Resolution- refers to the pixel density of the projected images, Projectors have two resolutions, the natural resolution and the maximum resolution. The natural resolution is the standard pixel size of the image. The maximum resolution is the maximum capability of the projector. Digital projectors should be able to accept resolutions of 800-600, 1024-768 or 1280-1024, however it is the natural resolution of the projector that is important. The higher the natural resolution of the projector the greater the colour density image.

-Lumens- refer to the brightness of the image. Simply put the higher the lumens the brighter the projection. They are usually lower for home theatre models than for office models. Screen size will affect how many lumens will be needed. If the contrast ratio is low however, your image will look washed out. Lumens typically range from less than a 1000- least expensive but low light output, needs to be used in a dark or dimlylight room. To 3000+ extremely bright and expensive. Anywhere between 1000-2000 would be sufficient for most tasks.

-Throw Distance- refers to the maximum amount of distance your projector can project. Most digital projectors will have a ample throw distance for most home and conference use. To find out what this is go to the projectors manufacturers website.

-Contrast Ratio- refers to the difference between the white level (light) and black level (dark). Digital projectors with the higher ratios will have the most well-defined pictures.

-Lamp Life- the average lamp life for digital projectors is between 1500 and 3000 hours.

It is also worth considering price, design, weight and extra features when buying digital projectors

Many popular brands include Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, Epson aswell as many others. - 23812

About the Author:

Lee Sparks offers projectors info and digital projectors info

NY Bar Brawl

By L.J. James

It was a quite day in a small Bar in upstate New York . The girl working behind the bar was young, she had just turned Eighteen and had only been bar tending a few weeks, this was her first time working alone. Everything was going fine with only two of the regulars in the back shooting pool it was nothing she could not handle she thought to herself.

Then the front door opened and in walked ten of the biggest men she had ever seen. They talked loudly and as they walked over to the far side of the bar, She got a look at the back of their jackets. She could easily see that the markings on them where all the same. The men ordered pitchers of beer and their talking only got louder as they drank more and talked about things she did not understand. Then the men went quite as the front door opened and in walked seven more large men, at first she thought these seven men where with the first Ten as they looked and dressed similar but as she looked at the markings on the backs of these new comers Jackets she could tell while they where similar the markings where different, By the way the two groups where looking at each other she guessed the difference must mean a lot to them.

The Seven men sat up toward the front of the bar and also ordered pitchers of beer. The young girl did her best to make sure both groups where kept happy, but it was just a matter of time and Beer! When one of the men from the first group called out to her, "Hey Honey don't worry about those guys, there losers! Come over here and hang with some real men." That was all it took, the fuse was lit. "Who you calling losers pal we are good enough to beat you any day of the week!" Yelled back a guy from the second group. "You may think your as good as us but you never will be!" Yelled back a man from the first group.

Then in what was a blur to our young barmaid a fight broke out between the two groups it was loud and she could hear glass and wood breaking all around her as the men cursed and screamed at each other. This young Girl was scared and she feared for her life.

Her fear abated a little when in the distance she heard sirens. The police are coming, she thought to herself as she hid behind the bar. The police arrived in force and they stormed in arresting the men and taking them away. When things got quite and all the men where taken away the young girl looked around the small bar. So much damage she thought to herself, She looked at one of the officers and asked how did you know to come here. We got a call that these two groups where both heading to this bar and we just knew, it happens all the time with these type of guys!!!

Epilogue: The next morning when the young barmaid awoke she walked down stairs to the kitchen where her father was reading the morning paper. Does it say anything about the fight in the bar yesterday she asked her father? Yes he said as he pointed to a small article in the back of the paper "Yankees and Mets fans Brawl it out in small town bar" the story went on to explain how all the men where given tickets for disorderly conduct and released. That's it she screamed at her father these men trash the bar, scare the hell out of me, They should all be in jail and all they get is Tickets!!! Calm down sweetheart her father said as he hugged her, The way your acting one would think it had been a bunch of rowdy Bikers in the bar yesterday! Those Guys would have been locked away, But it was only Sports fans!

Story By Your Bro L.J. James AmericanBikerX.com - 23812

About the Author:

LJ is a Member in the Mortal Skulls Motorcycle Club LJ Does a radio show about the Loyalty in Motorcycle Clubs

Green Bay Trounces Detroit

By Ross Everett

The Green Bay Packers didn't do a good job protecting their quarterback last Sunday, but against the lowly Detroit Lions it didn't really matter. Packers' QB Aaron Rodgers was sacked five times, but Green Bay used a big first half offensive outburst to coast to a 26-0 NFL victory over the Detroit Lions. Rodgers threw two first half touchdown passes which was complimented by four Mason Crosby field goals as Green Bay improved to 3-2 on the season. The Lions slumped to 1-5 with the loss.

NFL football betting enthusiasts who backed the Packers as -14 home dogs easily cashed their tickets with Green Bay's third pointspread cover in five games. Detroit slipped to 2-4 against the spread. The 26 points scored went UNDER the posted total of 48'.

In the victory, Packers' receiver Donald Driver passed Sterling Sharpe for first place on the franchise reception list. Sharpe finished his career with 596 receptions, Driver now has 602. After the game, he talked about the accomplishment:

"It couldn't it come in a better place -- at home in front of the fans I've played in front of for so many years. It feels good. Now I just have to wait on Sterling to call me and congratulate me."

Despite the convincing victory, cornerback Tramon Williams wasn't happy with the relatively narrow margin:

"It feels like a 50 to zero game, but we didn't quite get there. I felt we should've put more points on the board."

For the Lions, their quarterback woes continued. Backup Daunte Cullpepper injured his hamstring in the third quarter and was replaced by the Lions' third string quarterback Drew Stanton. Cullpepper is now listed as 'questionable' on the official NFL injury report. After the game, he talked about Detroit's lack of offense:

"It's very disappointing, very frustrating. It's embarrassing to me not to be able to move it on the field and get points on the board. We've got to figure out a way to do that, simple as that."

The Packers will play on the road this Sunday, heading to Cleveland to face the Browns. The game is currently off the board as linemakers try to get a handle on the personnel impact of the Browns' struggle with a flu bug making its way through the locker room. Green Bay will host the Minnesota Vikings the following Sunday followed by a trip to Tampa Bay on November 8. Detroit has a bye this weekend and will return to action as they host the St. Louis Rams on November 1. - 23812

About the Author:

Ross Everett is a consulting handicapper for Sports-1 Sportsbook as well as a widely published freelance sportswriter specializing in MMA, boxing and how to bet on NFL football. He is a well known authority on Internet sports betting, cigars and fencing. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a pet wallaby.