Influential purveyors of limited-edition toys and clothing since 2002, Kidrobot spread its range a little further with last week’s opening of a brand new store at Mockingbird Station. The roomate and I made the trek there last Thursday for the kickoff, which was highlighted by the appearance of pervasive designer Huck Gee. Though the event was set to launch at 6:00, well over half of the 200 elusive Golden Ticket Dunnys the store was handing out were already spoken for by 3. We were numbers 125 and 126.

Above is an edit that Gonzo did. There you’ll see some views of the store. See if you can check the carpet in the place, it was off the chain. Many of our Twitter friends were in the house, including @rondostar (whose sweet photos from the day can be found here), @ashleyestrello, @taylorrea,@rachcreative, @fishr (who managed to mention an erection THREE times during a short interview), @grfwks, @infored, and @nirowho. I even made a new friend in @britcrit, who was just ahead of us in the line.

In case you’re wondering, no I did not get my Golden Ticket Dunny signed. I instead opted to get my Hydrocodone prescription bottle blessed with Huck Gee’s autograph, while Gonzo got some British money tagged up.

Dallas mistress of soul Erykah Badu even came through for a bit to show her love for the Kidrobot movement. Even though we all had to brave the Texas heat, there were smiles all around that day. If you haven’t made your way to the Kidrobot store at Mockingbird Station yet, do it now.

View on Flickr

So this is what we do down in Dallas, Tejas. It really is a shame that there seems to be such little quality footage of our local hip-hop scene, so I had to pounce on it when I heard my roommate @Gonz2thaL shot some Dallas footage. This video comes from the freestyle battle that capped of the most recent edition of Poor Vida‘s Sunday Sessions at The Green Elephant. For those not in the know, the Poor Vida crew hosts a pair of monthly hip-hop events, on the first Sunday as well as the third Saturday of the month. The main goal for these shows is to give local performers an outlet for their art, so if you think you may be the next big thing out of Dallas a la Astronautalis or Damaged Good$ this may be your shot. More importantly, you very well may end up in this space, featured by yours truly. And now to the battle! Six emcees did combat on Sunday night for a pair of tickets to tomorrow’s Summer Jam, featuring Bun B, Slim Thug, Paul Wall, Trae, Big Tuck, and more. Do you think that YOU should have been the one rockin’ a free entry to the Summer Jam tomorrow? Well here’s your chance. Hit up Poor Vida for your very own opportunity to get up. Enjoy the battle. Big ups to judges Rob Viktum, Fishr-Pryce, Jackie (who has the excellent Myspace vanity URL “ilovehiphop”) and some guy who I do not know (sorry, dude). Do you think the right guy won? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Round 1

Bobby Fischer v. Cainam Suge v. MC Astro — Astro does battle with a female poet. Suge comes with the rapid-fire acapella. Must be seen! Lord Oasis-75 v. Flotation

Round 2

Flotation v. Bobby Fischer v. MC Astro

Final Round

Bobby Fischer v. MC Astro

So apparently some knight left this in my parking lot yesterday and what kind of a friend would I be if I did not share some of the chivalrous swashbuckling of the pen that this man has used to seduce what must be thousands of beautiful maidens? The last time I submitted something to Found Magazine, I don’t think it ever made it public and the world would be done a disservice if that story were replicated. So go on, young knights-in-training, and use this missive as a lesson for how we can all be just a little bit better at attracting the fairer sex. Hell, if you’re lucky, you may even be able to get Sir Schell to mentor you–if he has time to return your letter that is. And for all you ladies: remember, “Fine Bitchs Only 4 Pen Pal,” so don’t even try and front.

For those of you that were looking forward to The Paper Chase show this Saturday at Rubber Gloves in Denton, I’m sorry but I have a classic good news/bad news scenario for you. Paper Chase front man John Congleton has lost his voice and will not be able to perform. The good news? Astronautalis will be replacing them on the bill, which also includes Sarah Jaffe and The Boom Boom Box. The soiree will also mark the 27th birthday for Astronautalis, so the affair should prove to be a raucous one. It’s this type of impromptu eclecticism that won Denton “Best Music Scene” for 2008 according to Paste Magazine.  Happy Birthday Andy! (and get well soon Mr. Congleton!)

Lineup:

10PM –  The Boom Boom Box

11PM – Astronautalis

Midnight – Sarah Jaffe

$8

at The Rubber Glove Rehearsal Studio

411 E. Sycamore

Denton, TX 76205

So you know who passed away on November 22? Flint, MI rapper MC Breed died yesterday in his sleep after complications he had been having with his kidneys.  On September 5, Breed collapsed while playing pickup basketball and was hospitalized and placed on life support when his kidneys failed. R.I.P. Breed, and remember, there ain’t no future in your frontin’.

***UPDATE***

So I was watching video again and am I completely stupid that I just now realized the the the video for “Ain’t No Future in Yo’ Frontin’” was shot in Dallas? This makes my initially innocent reference to JFK somehow have more relevance, right?

Need the proof? Around the 1:24 mark, when the lady in the tight black dress is dancing in front of the city, you can clearly make out the dinstinctive keyhole in the Chase Bank Tower. Also, to further the remembrance of those whose service is sadly no longer our privelige, keep a look out around the 2:13 mark, where the gone-but-not-forgotten Good Latimer Tunnel bares it’s tell-tale “1930″ marking that can be seen here. I cannot believe that I just noticed this.

Now normally, I’d liken the day after Thanksgiving as one of the few dates on the calendar where venturing into the retail world is about as much fun as sleeping face-down in the Trinity River. But this morning I came across a Black Friday sale that has me interested. Those familiar with this site will know that I am quite the sneaker enthusiast, and one of my favorite boutiques in Dallas, aDiKt, will be having a huge sale on hoodies, sneakers, caps and tees with prices slashed by as much as 80%. And be sure not to miss the $20 shoe sale (what?). Sale will go down Friday and Saturday, 11am until 10pm at aDikt, 3839 McKinney Ave Ste 140, Dallas 75204. Get there early, the freshest of the fresh won’t last long!

If you’ve been involved with the Dallas underground hip-hop scene for a while you probably have heard of Mes the Jive Turkey.  After building steam here in D/FW, Mes scored a bit of a nationwide buzz by landing such high profile gigs such as the Vans Warped Tour. Nowadays the Jive Turkey can be found residing in the Los Angeles area, where thankfully he continues to create music. Here’s a brand new track from Mes, fresh for the holidays and produced by Picnic Tyme. It’s called “November Blast,” appropriate for the cold snap we’ve had in Dallas lately.  Dig the timely GN’R sample, too. Visit Mes at FresherThan, run by him and his lady friend Mae.

mp3: November Blast (produced by PicnicTyme)

[audio http://thenperiod.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/mes-november-blast.mp3]

I dare you to find me a single person who has actually sat and listened to A Tribe Called Quest who can say in earnest that the hip-hip trio is not on point. Infectious. That’s the word I’d use to describe Tribe and their most visible member since the trio’s breakup: Q-Tip. Tonight Q-Tip, along with Chicago’s The Cool Kids, will be playing at the Dallas House of Blues and it is sure to be a lively affair. And just announced yesterday for all you late-night birds, Tip will be spinning a DJ set at Suite. Here’s the map. The after-party is 21+ and will go until 2 AM.