November 2020 – Page 2

November 22, 2020November 22, 2020

We The South!

The time has come “NBA2TAMPABAY”, the Toronto Raptors are unable to start the 2020 NBA season in their home city of Toronto due to COVID 19 restrictions, choosing Tampa Bay as their host city.

With other cities like Buffalo, Louisville, and Rochester, all in the running the Raptors organization and the NBA decided to choose Amalie Arena and Tampa Bay. I feel the adjacent location of the Tampa Bay Area with other NBA markets made this a no brainer for the league. A born rivalry between the new Tampa Bay Raptors and the magic and heat with definitely add excitement to the upcoming season.

Amalie Arena is the perfect place for NBA basketball.

The hornets wore “Oklahoma City” jerseys during their season in OKC.

I am hopeful Tampa Bay will be in a similar situation Oklahoma City was before they got the Thunder. Due to Hurricane Katrina the at the time New Orleans Hornets had to play their home games in OKC which at the time did not have an NBA franchise. A few years later the Seattle SuperSonics would relocate to OKC becoming the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Fred Vanvleet and Kyle Lowry are two of the Raptors biggest stars.

At this time it is unclear if fans will be allowed to attend games, but either way fans in the Tampa Bay Area have a new sports team to cheer for. The Raptors won the NBA championship two seasons ago so their team is still pretty solid. This a huge step forward in Tampa Bay’s NBA chances in the future, the community should be excited to embrace the team as our own. Thunder Alley is starting to look a lot like Jurassic Park!

November 17, 2020November 17, 2020

Babushka’s In The Burg.

Fresh of the goon affiliated “Don’t Be A Hero” drop the Balaclava Boys are back this time it’s “Babushka’s Big Break” release.

Balaclava Boys X Bottem Ville “No Face Mask” collab.

The Ski Mask Creatives have been in the lab recently dropping both “Propaganda Packs”. Pack 1 ties in the “Don’t Be A Hero” drop where Balaclava Boys and BTMVLE collaborated on a legendary “No Face Mask” release, which is accompanied by the short visuals “Rendezvous” and “Rapport” the first of a three part series.

The focus is all on Babushka for Pack 2. With the dope “Babushka’s Big Break” image in sticker form.

Dope floral design on the pocket of “Babushka’s Big Break” tee.

“Babushka’s Big Break” is now available on balaclavaboys.com for $35 with stickers included. Personally I am going to be picking up the combo pack featuring both “Babushka’s Big Break” and “Don’t Be A Hero” releases, plus five stickers and a keychain. This drop is definitely taking over the winter setting up Balaclava Boys for “Propaganda Pack 3”.

November 15, 2020November 15, 2020

Sky Zhone Achieved.

Putting their stamp on the St.Pete Hip-Hop movement with “Sky Zhone”, the entire Zhudaru1963 Collective is ready to dominate the rest of the year with a flood of new singles.

First out the gate is fellow Tampa Bay Sports fanatic Acoupstix with his single “Easy Dubs” featuring the man himself Zhudaru1963. This track has one of those cool Sunday driving down Central Ave with the windows low type of vibes. The chill Boom Bap beat allows Acoupstix to add his St.Pete swagger to the track, that’ll have you saying “Easy Dubs” all day.

The kid got flow man. To hold fans over until “Strange Noise” drops, Heyeyella comes with a crazy flow on his single “Peace”. Off rips Heyeyella hits you with a barrage of witty bars, but as the track goes on it becomes something more like an anthem type track, when I found myself chanting “I need some peace”. I am definitely looking forward to what “Strange Noise” will bring if Heyeyella is already going this hard on the single.

Steer anthem of the summer “Poppin” by Mackey Emannuel and Zhudaru1963

This one right here man is the street hit of the winter. Mackey Emannuel and Zhudaru1963 bring the best of both worlds on “poppin”. Mackey brings that sing songy element with bars like “Even though we in the jungle you won’t tame zhu”. Zhudaru1963 brings one of the hardest verses I’ve heard all year with one of my favorite lines being “The mirror ain’t your friend you did it to yourself.” All this is surrounded by the synth hi hat heavy beat has no choice but to be one of my top tracks of the year. I been doing the Zhudaru “poppin” dance all week when it comes on my playlist.

I believe Kayo Da Beast is dropping a single real soon “Bout It” with Mackey Emanuel that sounds like a club banger. If you are in need of studio time, a recording session is $40 hr, also pick up the dope merch Zhudaru just dropped.The store is located at 3500 5th Ave N Unit A.

November 10, 2020November 10, 2020

1 Of 1’s Are For The GOATS.

Building off inspiration from their sold out “Trapicana” release, Jit Camp and BTMVLE have collaborated on “Trapicana Field” long sleeve to commemorate the historic 2020 Rays Baseball season.

The OG “Trapicana” tee shirt from BTMVLE.

In part one of their “Stadium Series” Collection, Jit Camp and BTMVLE put all of St.Pete into this one, with every detail representing the city.

The Rays blue and yellow color hits represent the current colors of the team. The purple and black camo design of the shirt is a call back to the OG “Devil Rays” color scheme we all know and love. Locals have so many great memories at the Trop, and for many it has been a staple of the city for our entire lives, this shirt is an ode to that.

BTMVLE’s “Dunce Cap Kid” logo in the Rays color way.

The St.Pete Pelican Flag in the Rays color way.

The BTMVLE “Dunce Cap Kid” adds to the local ties theme by being a St.Pete owned brand and business, putting out small batches of dope product for their consumers. The Rays often use the Pelican or St.Pete flag on some of their gear, further adding to the St.Pete aesthetic.

Each 1 of 1 piece is personalized for each client.

At the moment 1 of 1’s like this will probably cost you around $150, so you better bring the bag. The 1 of 1 experience is worth it though, BTMVLE collaborates with you on what exactly your vision is to put out the best product possible. Be on the look out for future Jit Camp X BTMVLE drops in the near future.

November 9, 2020

Culture Reconstructed.

Building momentum off their previous tee shirt chapters like “Sick Fucks” “Blow Me”, Vulgar Culture is delivering their most seductive chapter to date with “WMCXXX” or “Weapons Of Mass Creation” on 11/12.

Each piece in the chapter tells a specific story unique to each creator on the project. Some steer towards a more sexual vibe, were as others have a more trippy, “higher level” aesthetic to them. The mustard and pinkish color way of the six tees fits the earthy/sexual tone of this chapter.

The “WMCXXX” Chapter is definitely not to be slept on. I feel this is a very special beginning of what it is to come from the Vulgar Culture brand with numerous chapters in the cultural reconstruction left to be told.

November 8, 2020

Give Me The Green Light: On The Rocks.

This week Green Light Cinema was able to get their hands on the “Apple TV Exclusive” film “On The Rocks”, yet again teaming together director Sofia Coppola and actor Bill Murray since 2003s “Lost In Translation”.

“Lost In Translation” is one of the classic “Dramedy” films of the mid 2000s.

In “On The Rocks” Sofia Coppola takes a step back in a stylistic aspect but is still able to deliver one of the best “Dramedies” in the last few years. Bill Murray was spot on in this film, delivering one of this best performances in years, yet again playing a father figure type role. Rashida Jones holds her own, sticking with Murray’s deadpan style. Marlon Wayans plays Jones’s husband in the film, who sort of works as a macguffin or plot device to get the story going.

One could say the film is about a father and daughter trying to uncover a possible cheating husband, but as “On The Rocks” goes on it becomes about the relationship between Bill Murray and Rashida Jones.

Fans of Coppola’s work might not dig this one or feel it’s a lighter entry in her cannon compared to “Virgin Suicides” and “Marie Antoinette” but still definitely worth watching. Grade: 4/5

Next week Green Light will be showing the highly anticipated film “Ammonite” starring Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet.

November 6, 2020

Best Bao Buns In The Bay Area!

Fresh of their Tampa Bay Times “Best Food Truck” award, the Shiso Crispy food truck has not slowed down one bit dropping some of the best specials to date.

The girls at Shiso make their Bao Buns fresh so that’s my go to for the most part. Having never tried soft shell crab before I gave those a shot. At first I thought it was going to be crunchy from the shell, after being fried the shell is unnoticeable putting all my fears at ease.

Black grouper Bao Buns we’re also being offered so I had to get an order of those. The purple cabbage and scallion topping really vibes with Gocujang sauce that appears on top of each order of buns.

If your not in the mood for buns the dirty rice is a very popular option, I would recommend topped with seared tuna or boneless bang bang wings. The Gyoza is also made fresh everyday. A handful of people surrounding the truck kept raving about the vegan breakfast sausage gyoza.

Don’t leave the truck without getting an order of Shisos new Japanese Doughnuts. Each order comes with a side of cinnamon cream cheese icing for your dipping pleasure. Stay up to date with what location the girls are at by following them on social media.

November 5, 2020

Bringing The Heat To St.Pete.

When you think of vintage clothing shops usually he Virginia and LA based shops “Round Two” come to mind. But over the past year St.Pete has been carving out its own vintage scene, with “Curated Heat” acting as the supplier.

The vintage shop located at 2456 Central Ave N, specializes in vintage clothing as well as other dope gems from the 80s,90s, and early 2000s. They also offer plenty of current hype for everyone looking for the latest drops. I have seen the Sean Wotherspoon Nike SB make an appearance at the shop, with the “Chunkie Dunkies”ranking as one of the top items in the store.

After seeing some of their posts on IG featuring a vintage Tampa Bay Lightning Starter Snapback hat I had to have it. It is really hard to find throwback Lightning gear since the team barely uses the throwback uniforms. With the “1 Year Anniversary” of the store event happening this Saturday I didn’t want to take my chances of missing out on the hat so I finally picked it up.

Don’t miss the “Curated Heat 1 Year Anniversary” this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. There will be tons of giveaways and great deals on items in the shop throughout the day. Those exclusive 1 Year Anniversary shirts will definitely be a dope item for those who get one. Congrats on 1 Year Guys!

November 4, 2020November 5, 2020

Anju Has A Home.

Anju Korean Gastrotruck brings some of the best Korean Street food the Bay Area has to offer. Usually the “K-Pops” and “Beef Bulgogi” can only be enjoyed wherever the Anju Truck is located until now.

During the week, Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Anju Korean Gastrotruck is open at their new brick and mortar location at 2827 16th St. N.

The “K-Pops” are my go to when I order from Anju.

I feel they can expand the menu a little bit more now to heighten the dine in experience, possibly pairing local beers with a special of the week or month.

The great location and always on point “K-pops” make the new Anju brick and mortar location a no brainer for late night to go orders. It’s cool to see a local food truck expand into stand alone location, bringing Korean Street Food to a different audience.

November 4, 2020November 5, 2020

Gourmet Comfort Food From Three Generations Food Truck.

Chef Melly and the rest of the “Three Generations Food Truck” are serving up comfort food but with a gourmet twist at 2830 22nd Ave South St.Pete from around 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Orders can be made at the window or via the website.

When I think comfort food usually my go to is wings and fries or shrimp and fries a menu stable at chains like “Salem’s”. What puts Chef Melly above the chains are her homemade recipes and gourmet flair adding Fried Lobster Tail and Truffles Lamb Chops to an already mouth watering breakfast and lunch menu. Who else is offering fresh Red Velvet Chicken and Waffles, French Toast, and homemade Gouda grits.

The Fried Conch, Shrimp, and Fries are my go to.

Lately I have been getting the fried conch, shrimp, and fries when I have time to hit the truck. The siracha aioli is the perfect dipping sauce, adding a spice to the conch. Everything is always extra crispy just how I like it.

What’s better than Fries loaded with crab meat!

If I have a little extra money to splurge, I get an order of the Crabby Fries. Basically an order of extra crispy fries loaded with crab meat and siracha aioli.

Is it strawberry or blueberry, maybe it’s both?

Don’t forget to add a cup of “mystery lemonade” with your order, usually mine is gone before I leave the parking lot.