The New Era includes Wale and John Mayer

Interviewing Portable Payback recently I recall Marc 7 making a strong point that he was upset that Jurassic 5 had turned down an opportunity to work with the Dave Matthews Band a few years back. At first I was a little taken a back by the emphatic point Marc was making about working with a fluffy rock band who was known for making Caucasian girls swoon across our sketchy land. And then I realized that he wanted to work with them BECAUSE they had that effect on those girls heart rates. In other words, the color that matters is green. If you can ride the gravy train that is the coattails of an industry supported giant like DMB or in Wale’s case, John Mayer, than you hop on board with a smile on your face and a bib around your neck.

This new Wale track with John Mayer is not the only time these two have partaken in the same activity. Both of these musicians jumped on the New Era phenomenon of commissioning musician edition fitted caps. The Mayer fitted was straight wack, but the Wale one was pretty ill, having co-opted the Washington Nationals logo and all. Peep both fitteds after the jump, and for the record, I think Ped is still selling his Wale cap. The track will be on Wale’s Attention Deficit LP, slated for a November 10th, 2009 release.

Wale – Letter (Feat. John Mayer)(Prod. By Mark Ronson)

Filthy Fitted: Yankees ‘Cleen’ Cut 5950 w/ Flip-Down Back

Click on images to cop the hat

Welcome to the second edition of the Filthy Fitted series. This time we take a gander at a prototypical New Era Cap with an uncharacteristic flip, well, a flip-down to be specific. The New Era Yankees Cleen Cut 5950 cap has the unique feature of a flip-down lid of sorts. It’s practical usefulness is obvious, but does this pragmatic feature compromise the overall aesthetic value of a New Era lid? Vote on it ladies and gents, filthy good or filthy bad?

To be fair, if you live in a climate with mild winters, force yourself to add practicality points, because you just don’t understand what it’s like until you’ve thugged it out in the streets of any North Eastern Metropolis.

View the specs and vote in the poll after the jump.

Filthy Fitted: Vancouver Grizzlies: Rock N’ Jock X New Era

Alrighty then, brand new feature on ZIF, we’re calling it “Filthy Fitted.”(Not a fan of the alliteration? Deal with it! I played around with “Nasty Noggins”) Now the “fitted” part I hope needs no explanation, either you rock a fitted or a trucker, we rock fitted’s. “Filthy” however has an implied duality in this case. Here’s the wrap up line: Is the featured fitted cap “filthy” as in ‘a word originating in Seattle meaning dope or cool”, or “filthy” as in “disgustingly dirty; filled or smeared with offensive matter?”

Each post shall feature the hat in question, a brief write up about the headgear along with a link to purchase, and lastly, a poll where you can blow the proverbial whistle, and make the call.

Ah, now, the Vancouver Grizzlies are a marvelous example of what happens when you ignore cultural parochiality when starting sports franchises. Fact is the Grizzlies had a terrible owner in Michael Heisley, and the team really never had a shot to stay in Vancouver. Nevertheless, having attended school in British Columbia, I can tell you this, there were plenty of Grizzly fans at their games in GM Place, just none, and I mean none, outside of it. Funny fact, the Grizz were the first NBA team to have a website, back in 1995, Google it.

Peep the rear shot of the fitted and a video only a die-hard Grizzlies (Vancouver) can enjoy, after the jump.

Wale to Mixtapes is Like Japan to Japanese People

The old geezers behind the mahogany desks at the cob-webbed old record labels are surely dumbfounded by a few things regarding Wale:

The cooler-than-thou boutiques on Fairfax fall to their knees and jam as many $50 t-shirts into a bag as they can, while making their interns (what kind of retail store has interns) mop the saliva which pours from their mouths. AND HE DOESN’T EVEN HAVE AN ALBUM OUT YET.

He’s designed a highly sought-after New Era Cap (I’m selling one here). AND HE DOESN’T EVEN HAVE AN ALBUM OUT YET.

Wale is now dropping his 3rd free mixtape, yet he’s already graced magazine covers and feature stories in pubs like URB, XXL and The Fader. AND HE DOESN’T EVEN HAVE AN ALBUM OUT YET.

AND HE DOESN’T EVEN HAVE AN ALBUM OUT YET.

Here is mixtape part three, The Road to Attention: Deficit Mixtape with his fourth right around the corner.

Savannah Trading Post: Wale New Era

note: It’s funny how writing changes when you’re trying to sell something versus merely trying to inform your audience. When typing up this ad, I did several things I rarely do. The biggest violation of my integrity is the slew of the mellow-drama-in-a-can exclamation points!!! Furthermore, I apologize, but a lion’s gotta eat.

Zebra flank connoisseurs, I have come into possession of a limited edition Wale New Era cap!! The rapper/fashionista/ Blogger collaborated with influential music magazine URB to create this dope New Era cap, inspired by Wale’s hometown Washington Nationals.

This cap is full of details from the woven URB logo beneath the bill, to the shoe-lace letters, to the D.M.V. emblem on the back, representing his roots in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Only 100 of these caps were made. I’m looking to unload this one; it’s a 7 5/8 and in perfect, never-been-worn condition!!!

So shoot me an offer right here. I’m into the $$ idea but also open to barter. Holla!