Ian Kenneth Bird Photographs Iconic T-shirt Designs from Mid-1980s to Now /  by Alex Young

T-shirts are at the core of every streetwear label, they execute the ethos of the brand and a reflection of society with subtleties and bold graphics all the while remaining understated thanks to the garment's casual style.

Ian Kenneth Bird, a skateboarder and photographer from London, along with British lifestyle shop The Goodhood Store are engrossed with influential T-shirt designs from the era before the internet: mid-1980s to 1999. They presented an in-store exhibition, now complete, called, "TSHIRTTHEN," which illustrated how graphic tees captured different trends and cultures. A book also chronicled the development of graphic tees then and now. Co-founder of GoodHood, Kyle Stewart says, "The T-shirt's ease of production has made it a vehicle for many different subcultural movements and I became fascinated with the period just before the internet-- it's like a forgotten land where art, bands and fashion don't exist unless they've been transferred to the digital age."

Bird photographed original T-shirts from labels like FUCT and Supreme for their ability to grasp icons of the era and mold them into unique messages representative of each brand. Shirts older than the models wearing them prove how timeless elements of streetwear are. Enjoy the visuals by Ian Kenneth Bird for "TSHIRTTHEN".

Source: It's Nice That

Player, Coach, GM, Lebron /  by Maxwell Young

The dude has an entire organization and city on his back. 

Illustration by Alexander Wells

Illustration by Alexander Wells

Whether you are a Lebron lover or hater, it is hard to ignore what he was able to accomplish at the end of last season.  Heading into the NBA finals, James was depleted of a roster that normally featured a rotation of 3 all-stars, missing Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love to injury.  23 still made it interesting, though, winning two games in a row, playing inspiring basketball averaging 35 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists all while forcing himself into the Finals MVP conversation despite the losing effort. 

Lebron James can do it all and not just on the court.  Peel back the curtain and you'll see how many hats King James wore throughout the 2014-2015 season as he returned to Cleveland as a matured, battle-tested ruler of the league.  Lebron has been to the NBA Finals five times in a row, but last year wasn't the expected breeze that he had flowing through the South Beach palm trees; the Cavs struggled mightily going 20-20 through their first 40 games.  While we saw a team trying to find its identity and chemistry amongst battling personalities, there was Lebron orchestrating virtually every action to ensure his team's success.  

Kings travel with an entourage and in Lebron's is Brian Windhorst and Dave McMenamin.  The former was a beat writer for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2003 to 2008 before being scooped up by ESPN to follow Lebron James on his new path to Miami in 2010, while McMenamin covers everything Cavs and everything Lebron, like if Jared Cunningham will don his entire collection of Lebrons.  With the help of illustrator Alexander Wells, the two have chronicled how Lebron James has begun to construct his new empire in Cleveland, revealing stories of players-only meetings to James pulling himself from the lineup minutes before tip-off.  Read an excerpt from the article below and head over to ESPN for a riveting narrative.

On Dec. 30, suffering through knee and back pain that has hampered him on the court for weeks, James unilaterally makes the call to sit. Says Windhorst on the B.S. Report: "LeBron just decided, 'I'm not gonna play.' Like, at the last minute, he told them, 'I'm not playing.' Didn't even come out to the bench, just sat in the back, didn't come out." The Cavs are stunned, but they acquiesce to the decision and agree to two weeks' rest.

'Well Sounds. Swell Sound...this is not a turnup. /  by Maxwell Young

But don't let that stop your groove.

Illustration by Ryan Call

Illustration by Ryan Call

Fraternity Dodgeball Tournament Strenghtens Brotherhood /  by Alex Young

Photo by Alex Young

Photo by Alex Young

"Why would I ever join a fraternity?" This question is asked often among GDIs, "God Damn Independents" or people not in Greek Life, and is greeted with a myriad of reasons that support joining the fraternal organizations by their members. Among the philanthropic and social explanations, none is convincing enough to reverse the ostracism Greek Life causes, except when brothers mention the athletic activities. I am among the GDI population and did not understand the benefit of joining a fraternity until I visited an InTheRough staffer's frat house for their annual dodgeball tournament.

I entered the house's basement to find 20 brothers with a bunch of colorful, rubber playground balls tossing them against the wall or at each other to warm their arms. A basement which once had beer pong tables, chairs and couches was now empty and taped off to create a playing field. The white walls, part-hexagonal shape and concrete floor made the room look like a rink, the brothers sitting on the countertops and lining the walls were the audience banging on the glass.

Photo by Alex Young

Photo by Alex Young

Each team had two members who could use a total of three balls to get the other team out. Games began with one ball on each side and one in the middle teams could retrieve once play started. Round Robin competition kicked off the night, as each team got acclimated to the environment. Teammates strategized when to take their kill shots and timing on their throws, most people were eliminated trying to reach the free ball, one step too quickly or too close and pang there is a ball to the leg. If a foot crossed over the taped lines the player was shamefully out.

I participated in striking my opponents out and cheering wildly when the particularly athletic brothers were thrown out by the kids more interested in protecting the environment or who threw a ball like they were doing the breaststroke. They would turn and look at my host, also screaming cheers, and myself proud to deliver in a trying, competitive moment. Anytime the games broke down to one-on-one, especially in the tournament's elimination round, yells of comradery filled the room and when somebody made that clutch play everybody rushed the floor to celebrate with the victors.

Losing even came with a surprising pleasant feel. I remember I was caught in a one-on-one situation in the first round of elimination. I dodged my opponent's attempt to get me out, but the ball I threw in return sailed on me and he caught it, I was out and my team spectated for the rest of the night. The guy who caught my ball clenched his fists and screamed until he was red in the face, I ran towards him and we chest bumped each other in his moment of triumph.

The tournament MVP, appropriately named Harley after the workhorse motorcycle, wowed onlookers as he dodged ball after ball and seemed to get everybody out without ever leaving the game himself. While his team won the championship he was not met without a challenge. One player, who appeared irrelevant, caught Harley's rocket at the last second on his shoulder, mimicking one of the pretty boys who also caught the MVP out. Each time anybody's competitive spirit was met with adversity or failure they responded in an overwhelmingly supportive manner to the entire group. After all it was just a game.

I left the dodgeball tournament with the smiles and praises passed around the basement that night. I appreciated that the brothers relished in each other's companionship and rivalry, in that house they put their differences to the side and interacted on a common ground that included everybody and strengthened bonds.

Chance The Rapper featuring Saba - Angels /  by Alex Young

Chance The Rapper's soulful, positive and formidable style is back. With a sound similar to "Juke Juke" and "Juice," Chance entertains us with a new song titled, "Angels". The track was announced and performed live last night on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert featuring Saba, Lido, Peter Cottontale, Nate Fox and Donnie Trumpet for The Social Experiment. On Colbert, Chance dropped a tidbit of information to radio station Hot 97 that he was making music with the comedian and host that will drop "soon." For now, enjoy "Angels" by Chance The Rapper below and download it for free on iTunes.