Sub Pop Records, the legendary Seattle based record label first made famous back in the late eighties/early nineties for putting anti-fashion "grunge" acts on the music map, recently teamed up with Nike to launch the slick looking and pricey Sub Pop sneaker line: the Nike SB Blazer Elite Quickstrike -- Sub Pop Records. This high (street) fashion item is available on sites such as Sneaker.com, where the new Nike/Sub Pop collaborative design is described as "a new quickstrike SB. The shoe was made to go along with the Sub Pop Single Club 3.0’s first release “Gebel Barkal” b/w “(Version)” from the band OM. The record label is most known for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands. This is a great shoe for any SB or record collector. This is 100% deadstock and considered pure heat!"  

The site Kicks On Fire describes the new line this way: "This pair of Quickstrikes sport a combination suede / leather construction in a green, yellow, and grey color scheme. Other features include white and black accents, as well as a star on the ankle."  And the cost for a pair of these puppies? Anywhere from $140 to $180 + tax depending on where you purchase them, except if you buy them directly from Sub Pop you can get them for the considerably lower price of $90 a pair. Buy the cheaper priced ones directly from the record label by clickng here.  But as the hard-working Sub-Popper Teal Garrels informs me they have less than 300 pairs to offer for sale and that they come in US men's sizes 6 through 13. Teal adds his description on the street fashion footwear as such, "The shoes have their own catalogue number (SP780) which is proudly displayed on the back of the heel. The Singles Club logo (including July 2009- Limited Edition) graces the inside of the tongue while the Sub Pop logo can be found on the front as well as on the insole of the high top sneaker."

Raashan Amhad of Crown City Rockers fame, who today releases the new 13 track album The Push on OM Records, will celebrate the release of this fine debut solo of his with an in-store performance @ 6PM this evening (May 20th) at the San Francisco Amoeba Music.

If you can possibly make it I strongly recommend that you attend this free, all-ages show, as this emcee (and sometimes DJ and breaker) is not just an amazingly gifted hip-hop artist but also a truly great live performer -- someone who lives and breathes hip-hop and understands the true meaning of rocking the house, y'all.

In addition to his work with the Bay Area live hip-hop band Crown City Rockers (who had to change their original name from Mission because of the UK band The Mission) the ever prolific Raashan Amhad has collaborated with a ton of artists. I must have close to ten different records or CDs by other artists that he pops up on, including the DJ Zeph single "Floor Wax" (Wide Hive) and Zion I's Break A Dawn, and I know there are many more that he guests on. 

Personally what I always like about Raashan is how he maintains that old school, golden era hip-hop   vibe in his style while simultaneously somehow always managing to sound new and fresh. Yesterday I caught up with the busy artist to ask him some questions about how he accidentally got started as an emcee, the difference between SoCal and the Bay (two places he has lived in), and his new album, which was born out of a lot personal emotions, including the tragedy of his mother dying of cancer.