Homage to a King

We could go one listing songs that touched everyone of us for a lifetime. There will never be any one like Michael. RIP.

Things that make you say hmmm...

Russian Gas company Gazprom completed a deal with Nigeria's state owned NNPC. The gave birth to a new firm, and called it NIGAZ. Smh.

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A Fallen Angel

We bid farewell to Farrah Fawcett, a woman who played a role in women's rights and empowerment, through her movie roles. Rest in Peace.

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No words needed.

Real Gems

Through pop culture most have learned that it's "hard out there for a pimp." But what about a confused 13 year old girl? When I saw the documentary "Very Young Girls" it helped open my eyes to the very real tragedy of child prostitution in America. In the doc, we hear confessional style interviews from the girls that managed to live through the turmoil. Some have been able to move on with their lives in a positive way and others continued to be brainwashed by their pimps.

In the forefront of the film is GEMS. GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services) is a NYC based organization that mentors survivors of sexual exploitation and educates the masses through training programs. We see members of GEMS try to intercept runaways of the program across state lines, take elation in the recovery process of girls, and shed tears when ones fall prey to bad decisions.This documentary is truly one to watch and learn from. Check out the trailer:



To learn more about GEMS or to set up a screening of the doc click here

Happy Monday!

We know how you feel.

Happy Father's Day!

I found it funny.

Smart Girls Have More Fun

Amy Poehler--of SNL, Baby Mama, and Parks & Recreation--has created an internet show for young girls that "celebrates extraordinary individuals who are changing the world by being themselves." These individuals all just happen to be girls, and the little girl in me wishes Smart Girls At The Party was around when I was growing up (maybe then I wouldn't have looked up to Erica Kane so much).

Check it out here:

http://www.onnetworks.com/videos/smart-girls-at-the-party

The F Word and Yogurt

Who says that feminism can't be funny? Each week on Target Women, Sarah Haskins pokes fun at what the ad industry thinks women do best -- consume. Popular topics of women interest in commercials like laundry, fiber, cooking for large families, and planning big weddings all get pummeled by Haskins' hilarious and witty commentary.

Check out one of the show's classic episodes on yogurt below:



Target Women airs each week on Current TV as a part of Infomania. Click here for more videos.

Get up, Stand up

Last Friday marked the kick off of Arise Africa Fashion Week in Jo'burg. It is the first of an annual fashion week, that will bring African designers to the forefront of...well the fashion. Arise magazine (Nigeria, holler!) took New York by storm for the fall fashion week, and now they're bringing it home with a world class fashion week with African Fashion International. Gone are the days of dashikis and animal print representing African fashion.
Click here for more photos.

xoxo Nos

More J. Cole (What can I say, its his week) and Shyvonne!!!

If you missed it last summer, here's your chance to catch 2 NODIR favorites. J. Cole (we've been bigging him up all week) and our very own Shyvonne, will be performing at Let's Just Eat Cheese's Boss Lady's bday soiree. Join us tonight at Sway, for a night guaranteed to leave you stumbling out the door.

Where: Sway
305 Spring St
New York, NY 10013

When: Tonight, Wednesday, June 17th
10pm-4am

Stay Off the Dunes

What does hipster beach wear look like? Impractical. With tightly rolled up white jeans and patterned capes in abundance, last Sunday, Todd P put one of his signature unamplified shows at Fort Tilden in Rockaway. In eight hours, the show hosted 50 of some of the most innovative bands in indie music urging some of the coolest Brooklynites to make a trip to Queens. Amongst the bands were Mika Miko(sadly, minus the phone), Ponytail, The Strange Boys, and Rockaway natives, The Forms, pictured above.

For more photos check out photographer Katie Honan's flickr

The Good

We celebrated with NODIR Vet/ Roc Nation signee, J. Cole, at his mixtape release party last night, where we copped a copy, and I haven't been able to hit pause since. Download The Warm Up, and get infected.

Think Different

Here's the trailer for Afghan Star, a documentary based on the Afghani version of American Idol. The movie follows candidates on the show, faced with adversity as they break the rules dictated by social conventions of the country (singing and dancing is illegal). Afghan Star, gives viewers a real look at Afghanistan, and how Afghan Star is a manner of rebelling against conservative attitudes in the country. The documentary drops June 26th, please endorse this movie.

xoxo Nos

Chicks we respect

This week on Gotti's Way 2, Deb headed over to Gayle King's radio show, to discuss the state of her relationship with Irv. Following the show, she sat down with Irv to talk about their "ex-kinda" status, which lead to an altercation. At about 16:50 (VH1 get a cropping system), the boss bitch in Deb comes out. I like her.

xoxo Nos

Think Different

Another reason we love Family Guy. Read more on this subject.

xoxo Nos

Give & Take: The ULTIMATE clothing swap!!

Yesterday's swap was pretty wild, chicks came through with suitcases to lug they new threads home! Shouts to White Box for hosting us, Juan almost killed me over chicks stepping on the coal installations. Big ups to our friends over at Disney for hooking us up with some freebies.


The end result!

Join us July 13th for the next one. Same time, same place.

xoxo Nos

The Good

J. Cole - Simba (Directed by BBGUN) from bbgun on Vimeo.

J.Cole- Simba

Here goes NODIR veteran J. Cole video for Simba, its safe to say he's blowing the *bleep* up. Styled by our very own Kach!

Think Different

Pictured here: Soft blimp bus, and soft cars.


Meet Mitchell Joachim: Founder of Terreform ONE, a non-profit philantropic design collaborative that integrates ecological principles in the urban environment. Armed with a PHD from MIT, Joachim is out to change the face of Architecture as we know it. Working to create a greener, smarter and softer Urban. Joachim has designed several new concepts for transportation, housing, even gym facilites. His version of the bus of the future, is a harness wielding blimp, resembling a jellyfish that scoops passengers up on their morning commute. As for housing, his plan is to have everyone living in treehouses, and not just the kind you planned on building as a kid. The Fab Tree Hab, would basically be grown inside trees that are molded into shape by scaffolds, allowing the inhabitants to grow vegetation on their home, literally. Just imagine: " Welcome to my tree." That sounds pretty bossy.

Read all about it.

The Good

PRESSURE COOKER: Movie Trailer - The best bloopers are a click away

On the other side of the tracks, are the kids from Pressure Cooker. Watched this last night, and I laughed, cried, and applauded with the kids from Frankford High. Great movie, check it out.

The Real Gossip Girls and Queens of NY

Bravo aired its special preview of NY Prep the other day...here are my comments:

How old are these kids?

What team does PC play for, does he know?

PC says "Let's act like we don't give a shit about celebrities that'll make us even cooler."

Can we call social services on the parents?

I already feel bad for the token the middle class girl.

They did a pretty good job of recreating almost all the story lines from GG; the acting on GG is better.

Chances are i'll be watching this show, I'm sure the WTF moments will be well worth it.

And finally, we must prevent these kids from being our future... By wit not violence.

xoxo nos

Cause I'm African

CNN will be premiering Black in America 2 in July, as a part of the documentary, they will be covering what it means to be African in america, a subject that the mainstream rarely discusses. Its interesting because there are several degrees of being African in the US, that a lot of people aren't aware of. From the the just landed immigrant with an incomprehensible accent, to the fully integrated kid who only hears his native tongue at home, each of these experiences come with a struggle. CNN has asked African's living in America to send in their IReports, the results? An insight on the different degrees of Africanism in the US.
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Xoxo Nos "Cause I'm Nigerian" Def!

And Another one...

See you guys this Sunday!!!