A discussion of New Jersey culture and the revival of Jersey club with Killa Kherk Cobain a.k.a. Unicorn.
Ever since New Jersey’s The Sugarhill Gang released the first-ever rap song to chart on Billboard, New Jersey’s hip-hop scene has never stopped buzzing. Jersey’s hip-hop scene is back on the rise, and not only from mainstream artists like SZA and Coi Leray. The re-emerging Jersey club scene is blazing its way back into pop culture, led by key players Cookie Kawaii, DJ JayHood, DJ Telly Tellz, DJ Lil Man, and other New Jersey creatives.
This month, Sloppy Vinyl will be hosting a podcast discussing the revival of Jersey club, with key members of the Jersey club community. This week, Sloppy Vinyl crew hosted Killa Kherk Cobain a.k.a Unicorn, a Newark-based Jersey club artist, to share his thoughts about the state of Jersey club.
Stay tuned for our upcoming talk-back on YouTube with Jersey club’s newest artists and tastemakers of the culture.
Sloppy Vinyl releases new YouTube series, “Sloppy’s Most Wanted,” showcasing New Jersey talent.
In the first episode, artist Tinkaa G performs her latest single, “STUPID” and answers racy and funny questions throughout the video. “Sloppy’s Most Wanted” gives rising New Jersey acts the chance to shine on the Sloppy Vinyl platform. “Sloppy’s Most Wanted” not only gives listeners a preview of up-and-coming talent and their music, but also lets audiences see artists be silly, raw, and simply be themselves. “Sloppy’s Most Wanted” drops episodes every Sunday at 12 AM.
Catch the latest episode of “Sloppy’s Most Wanted” down below!
Behind every blazing force in any music scene is a powerhouse of a team. Often overlooked, the New Jersey music and entertainment scene has consistently given the music industry its “next-up” sound. Sloppy Vinyl, media and entertainment company, is making an impact in the New Jersey area by helping creatives pursue their dreams.
Based in Clifton and Bloomfield, New Jersey, Sloppy Vinyl, has been helping creatives reach their goals and expand their brand since the company’s start. An artist management and media company, Sloppy Vinyl provides artist marketing consultations, podcasting, music video production, studio sessions and engineering, and merchandising for their potential clients and artists. Sloppy Vinyl is dedicated to helping every member of their community grow and develop.
Sloppy Vinyl artist and entrepreneur, OnlyJahmez, helped create Sloppy Vinyl as a solution to a problem – the lack of artist development services in the music industry. OnlyJahmez shared, “When I was coming up as an artist in South Jersey, I noticed there was no blueprint. There was no visible finish line. Sloppy Vinyl was started to fill that void. To truly guide creatives, brands and deserving talent down a road of true organic success.”
Ran by young creatives and entrepreneurs from New Jersey, Sloppy Vinyl has made its presence known within the Tristate area. With a growing roster of talent and new opportunities for touring, Sloppy Vinyl is taking their brand and their company to the next level.
What differentiates Sloppy Vinyl from other media companies in the area is their dedication to helping artists thrive in every aspect – in their writing, performances, social media presence, and in their brand awareness.
Outside of artist development, Sloppy Vinyl also hosts podcasts, interviews, and YouTube content to connect with New Jersey artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs for Sloppy Vinyl’s growing audience. Segments such as Garden State Hip-Hop Hour hosted by ItsRichZ, and The Nice & Frank Podcast hosted by Nice and Frank, are two YouTube shows that Sloppy Vinyl runs for interviews and comedic content.
Artist development is a key component of the music industry and can make or break any upcoming artist. Sloppy Vinyl is dedicated to helping new creatives meet their goals, giving them the resources they need to succeed.
Follow Sloppy Vinyl on social media and stay tuned for upcoming events!
I had the honor to attend Fueled by Culture Presents POWERSHIFT, a book launch event where author, entrepreneur, and star of ABC’s Shark Tank Daymond John talk about his journey creating his clothing brand and how those struggles inspired him to write his latest book. Before the show began, I had the pleasure of meeting other influencers and self-made entrepreneurs who were also looking for advice on how to persevere and grow their companies. The atmosphere was welcoming, and you could tell that everyone here was ready to learn from a man that was able to find success and willing to share his knowledge.
SVA Theatre NYC/ Photo by R.Martin
As the event began, Daymond John sat down to discuss the story behind his largest enterprise FUBU, his clothing line centered around American Hip Hop apparel. Daymond Johnsaw a market, not by advertising to the hip hop artists themselves, but by advertising to the people around the artist such as bodyguards. The idea was simple, to have everyone around an artist wear the same gear so that the artist would start to see the appeal and begin to wear the apparel himself. The shirts were advertised as double XL, as it was the style of the time, this allowed FUBU to reach two markets, the regular artist who wore larger shirts, and the more heavyset individual, tackling both markets at the same time is what allowed the brand to grow.
Fueled by Culture Presents POWERSHIFT/ Photo by R.Martin
It wasn’t all smooth sailing asDaymond would explain, “I needed to turn my house into a factory, I sold everything, my mom moved out, I rented out the rooms, and had to sleep on the floor. I did all this so that the rest of the house could be turned into a factory to print out shirts.” He also never left his job in Red Lobster to maintain a constant financial flow. Not only that, but with the help of other Red Lobster employees, he was able to network and move his merchandise.
Daymond John, also reflected on the current world and how social media is the largest platform to start influencing. “The danger of social media,” Daymondexplained, “social media is not about how many followers you have, but what you bring to the table before you approach anyone.” Basically, you must have a brand for yourself before you can call yourself an influencer.
He also talked about the power of negotiation, and the essential rules to be able to get the most out of negotiating. Daymond John explained when he partnered with Samsung to expand his FUBU brand; he needed to convince Samsung to maintain the same price for his product, despite Samsung wanting to lower the costs to compete with other brands. Daymond John explained, “the rule of negotiation is to figure out what is in the best interest of both parties.”
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Overall, Fueled by Culture Presents POWERSHIFT, was an empowering look at the mind of Daymond John, a man who managed to work hard and find success. Not by luck, but by educating himself and understanding that you need to create a brand for yourself. Even after all the struggles, you will be able to POWERSHIFT into greater success.
Kendrick Lamar has revealed he has a new project in the works, but it’s not what most fans were expecting. While most of us were hoping for a new album, Lamar has instead shared with us a teaser for his new company pgLang, with frequent collaborator Dave Free.
The Compton rapper made the announcement with a series of post as well as with a 4 minute visual mission statement. The short film is written and directed by Free and stars Lamar, Baby Keem, Yara Shahidi, and Jorja Smith, and features new music from Baby Keem, Florence Welch, and Kamasi Washington. “When you are identified with something your are not, it always leads to suffering and unhappiness,” a distorted voice tells us.
Upon visiting their website, we continue to learn that pgLang is a “service company,” specializing in music, film, television, art, books, and podcasts. Their mission is to deliver “stories that speak to many nations, many races, and many ages.” PgLang is a company comprised of writers, singers, directors, musicians, and producers that are breaking formats when building ideas to make them real.
“We embrace the idea of anarchy and challenges that make us stronger,” the statement continues “pgLang is focused on using our experiences, and nurturing our many collaborators, to build stories that are equally accessible and engaging and then fitting them within the best media.”
That is all Lamar has provided us with so far, but Free further explained that “in this overstimulated time, we are focused on cultivating raw expression from grassroots partnerships.”
Last week, Kim Kardashian announced the launch of her new shapewear brand, “Kimono”. The term is identical to a traditional Japanese dress, with the only difference being the capitalization of the “k”. Understandably, many criticized Kim for tasteless cultural appropriation, including Kyoto mayor Daisaku Kadokawa who asked Kim to not trademark the name.
Originally, Kim said that she understood the concerns, but would stand by her idea. Now it looks like Kim is rethinking that.
In a few tweets, Kim said that she wouldn’t use the name. “Being an entrepreneur and my own boss has been one of the most rewarding challenges I’ve been blessed with in my life,” she wrote. “What’s made it possible for me after all of these years has been the direct line of communication with my fans and the public. I am always listening, learning and growing – I so appreciate the passion and varied perspectives that people bring to me. When I announced the name of my shapewear line, I did so with the best intentions in mind.”
Being an entrepreneur and my own boss has been one of the most rewarding challenges I’ve been blessed with in my life. What’s made it possible for me after all of these years has been the direct line of communication with my fans and the public. pic.twitter.com/IB5cto7Mlj
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) July 1, 2019
I am always listening, learning and growing – I so appreciate the passion and varied perspectives that people bring to me. When I announced the name of my shapewear line, I did so with the best intentions in mind.
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) July 1, 2019
“My brands and products are built with inclusivity and diversity at their core and after careful thought and consideration, I will be launching my Solutionwear brand under a new name,” she continued. “I will be in touch soon. Thank you for your understanding and support always.”
My brands and products are built with inclusivity and diversity at their core and after careful thought and consideration, I will be launching my Solutionwear brand under a new name. I will be in touch soon. Thank you for your understanding and support always.
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) July 1, 2019
It’s nice to see Kim make the change to avoid cultural insensitivity, but a lot of damage I think has already been done. I’m not too familiar with Japanese culture but even I managed to spot the similarity, dare I say uniformity, of the name to the dress. Kimonos are pretty famous and I’m sure Kim or someone in her team were aware of that before, and still decided to keep it.
![[Fashion] Kim Kardashian to change the name of her brand, “Kimono”](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/kimono.jpeg?resize=275%2C183&ssl=1)