This is without a doubt my favorite cut off the Common album. Lily Allen does her thing on the hook, and the production is smooth and effective. The video is pretty dope, too. Check it out, and be sure to cop Finding Forever if you haven’t already. It’s a classic!Spotted at Concrete Loop and Real Talk NY.

Before we start off on a rant, we want to provide the following disclaimer:

We love Kanye. We support Kanye. We’re excited for Graduation.

However, there comes a time in every blogger’s life when they’re forced to admit that something they had high hopes for, in reality, turned out to be wack.

Case in point: Kanye’s new single, “Homecoming”. The production overrides Kanye’s voice, which, in this case, could actually be a good thing. The lyrics aren’t necessarily on point, and Chris Martin’s vocals aren’t too impressive. P.S. What’s up with Martin’s yodeling and random shout-outs to Lake Michigan? Could have sworn he’s from the UK…

Listen: Kanye West- “Graduation (Feat. Chris Martin)”

What’s going on? I’m Sam and am new to the Killed That team. I’ll be on here giving you an inside look at stores, restaurants, products, clothes, trends, and new labels.

Here’s who’s Killing That this month in Fashion/Style:

Logos can be cool, despite all the bad buzz they receive in the fashion world. Kanye, Diddy, and Eve can make logos look hot–but more often than not, you’ll be associated with wannabes carrying fakes from Canal St., regardless of whether your bag or accessory is the real thing.

One brand, however, has brought logos back from fashion purgatory: Goyard.

Goyard was founded in 1853 in Paris. Currently, Goyard is sold in fewer than fifteen locations worldwide, including two freestanding boutiques in Paris and San Francisco, Bergdorf Goodman, select Barneys New York locations and after its current expansion, the Toronto Bloor Holt Renfrew. (courtesy of Wikipedia).

Why you need it: Goyard’s signature print, as shown above, is less recognizable than Louis Vuitton, but suggests an insider knowledge of what’s hot before it hits the masses.

Expect to pay: $500 and up for wallets, $1,000 and up for bags. Mens and Womens.
For more info: log onto Goyard’s web site.

Alright, so I’ll admit it… I’m a little swamped over here. I need some help maintaining this site!

If you’re interested in writing for an innovative, forward-thinking, and exclusive blog, please contact us at killedthat@gmail.com! Please send us some writing samples and let us know what you’re interested in blogging about. Possible topics include: gossip, music, movies, sports, cars, gaming, technology, and fashion. Not a writer? That’s cool; we’re looking for photographers and promoters as well!

Be sure to pass this opportunity on to friends and family!

Welcome to the first edition of NEED TO COP! This is the first of many album reviews to come on Killed That.

I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I wasn’t able to listen to Talib Kweli’s new album, Ear Drum, until just now. It’s been an extremely stressful week filled with applications (shout-outs to COLLEGE!), work (what’s going on Def Jam?), and reading a terrible book. Well I’m finally here and ready to share my excitement for this amazingly well-put-together album. Ear Drum has to be the freshest hip-hop album to come out this year.

I’ve never been one of those “Hip Hop Is Dead” advocates, but after hearing nothing but “A Bay Bay” and “Crank That Soulja Boy” this entire summer, I was starting to worry this genre had lost all its creativity.

Well, not to fear, ladies and gents. Ear Drum is without a doubt Kweli’s best. He sounds free at last, and the album just shines. Guest producers will.i.am and Kanye West bring smooth production to the table, and collaborators Justin Timberlake, Norah Jones, KRS, and Jean Grae add even more flavor.

Ear Drum will definitely give Kweli the mainstream attention he deserves. I’m not a huge fan of “Hot Thing,” his current song on the radio (It sounds like an attempt at selling out), but the video is extremely creative, and a lot of people have been digging it.

You’re going to need to get the entire album for the full Ear Drum experience; it flows really well from start to finish. But I understand some of us are on tight budgets, so in that case, I’d recommend “Hostile Gospel, Pt. 1,” “Soon The New Day (Feat. Norah Jones),” “Country Cousins (Feat. UGK)” and “Give ‘Em Hell (Feat. Coi Mattison & Lyfe Jennings)”.

Album Rating: A-

Oh, and you thought we weren’t going to hook you up with an audio exclusive?

Listen: The Nature (Feat. Justin Timberlake)

LG, the company behind the Chocolate Phone, is set to unleash a sexy new cell phone in the UK dubbed the “Viewty“. The Viewty, or KU990, features a beautiful touch screen interface and a five-megapixel camera (amazing considering most phones these days are shipped with a 1.3 or 2.0 megapixel lens). And get this: you can upload the videos you take directly to Youtube.

The camera on the back comes with a Schneider Kreuznach lens, autofocus and manual focus, image stabilization and LED photo light, and can shoot video at up to 120 frames per second.

While we haven’t received any more technical specs on the phone, we’ve been told that the device will debut on the UK’s 3 network. Pricing TBA.

Kanye West recently chopped it up with Mark Ecko, founder of the Ecko Unltd. clothing company, about his highly anticipated forthcoming clothing line, Pastelle. The interview was recently published in Complex Magazine. Check out an excerpt of what ‘Ye had to say:

M: Talk to me about your clothing line, Pastelle. We’ve had countless conversations about it, you’ve talked about your aspiration to get in this industry and be taken seriously. What’s going on with Pastelle today, why is it taking so long?
K: Just getting the right designs. It’s a gift and a curse. You’ve got all eyes on you, so if you deliver something great, it’s gonna get held as, “Oh, it’s supposed to be great.” And even if it’s good or it’s OK or something, it’s gonna get bashed. There were phases where I could just do the bear on a Polo and it would’ve made $100 million. At a certain point. But I always say I was a designer before I was a rapper, and I really wanted to get into design. So then, trying to start designing and goin’ with my girl down to the fashion district and stuff, and looking at fabrics and stuff like that, I’m like, “Oh, shit. This is real.” I’ve learned so much about materials and fabrics and applications and sequence and shiny fabrics and fits and all type of shit.

M: So when are you gonna do it? You didn’t answer my question.
K: Yeah, we’ll have stuff in stores by November.

M: OK, good for you.
K: You and I both know that I’ve had deals on the table. I was gonna put something in someone’s hands, but just with my music, with my videos, and anything I do, that’s like jail, for someone else to be able to push the button on you. Nothing beats the freedom of saying, “No, I don’t want to do that. Yes, I do want to do this.”

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m excited as hell for this line. I know it’s going to be extremely creative… I’m just wondering whether or not it lives up to his current style standards (he rocks YSL, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton, not Old Navy or American Eagle).

Another KilledThat.com exclusive…

I’m really excited about Johnta Austin’s forthcoming solo LP. The man has already written music for major players in the music industry (including Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige). What’s going to be interesting is seeing how he separates himself from the other singer/songwriters currently out there, namely Ne-Yo and Sean Garrett. I’m really digging this new track by Johnta, called “The One That Got Away”. It’s a lot more creative than his first single, “Video,” featuring Unk. Johnta Austin’s new album, Ocean Drive, hits stores this fall. Stay tuned for updates.

Listen: Johnta Austin- “The One That Got Away”

EDIT: Hold up. Fast forward to 4:05. Is that Khaled and Jeezy trafficking iPhones in brown paper bags. Why, yes they are! Please tell me Apple did not pay money for that.