Don't Sweat the Technique : GOLD GRILLZ

Tiger Flowers, first African American middleweight boxing champion.

In present day America gold teeth and hip hop culture go hand in hand. Have you ever wondered where this sense of style or status originated. Researching several versions of the origin of Gold Teeth I believe if not the originator the Etruscan women of Tuscany were among the first group to sport what we would now call grillz, golds, fronts or in South Florida "Walls". 

The Etruscans lived in Italy inhabiting what we now call the region of Tuscany—from around 800 BC to 200 BC. They would eventually be conquered by the Roman Empire and much of their history lie in researching tombs and graves. Archaeologists found documentation of around 20 sets of teeth woven with golden wire. The earliest of these artifacts date back to the seventh century BC.

Etruscan women were among the first group of people to wear gold teeth for status. "Certain high-status Etruscan women deliberately had their front teeth removed in order to be fitted with a gold band appliance holding a replacement, or reused, tooth" This was not considered medical so this procedure was never done by a dentist, it was always a goldsmith for adornment. 

It is safe to say that since 800 BC gold grills have been seen as symbol of wealth and prosperity. Hip Hop / popular culture have been paying homage subconsciously. Below are a few impressive grills paying homage to the BC status statement.

Jack Johnson, first African American heavyweight boxing champion.

Elderly woman from Turkmenistan.

Sean Carter aka Jay Z, music mogul and entrepreneur.

Elderly man from Tajikistan.

"LET THE COLTRANE PLAY..."

Do you even KNOLL bro?

Knolling is something I have been doing since I was a child, I always enjoyed symmetry and alignment. So in short I have been Knolling since the 80's. Knolling by definition is a process in which you arrange objects so that they are 90 degree angles from each other, then photographing them from above. Basically this a perfectionist dream come true! 

Knolling creates a very crisp aesthetic and symmetry that is pleasing to the eye. Most knolling sets objects on a solid background, which makes the individual object easily visible and allows the objects to "pop". Knolling is used in all types of genres including hardware, fashion and decor to name a few. So you can see knolling from your favorite blogger, mechanic and fashionista. Below you will see the steps to knolling a couple fun facts and some great "KNOLLING" visuals.

4 STEPS TO KNOLLING

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3 FUN FACTS ON KNOLLING

1. Knolling was created by Andrew Kromelow, a janitor at Frank Gehry's furniture fabrication shop.

2. Knolling eventually became popular through the work of Tom Sachs, an artist and sculptor who also worked with Gehry.

3. Sachs adopted the phrase "Always be knolling" (or ABK for short) as a motto for his work. By the late 80's, knolling had officially become a trend.

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KNOLL ON...

"LET THE COLTRANE PLAY..."

LAURIE : The Football Dandy

Laurie Cunningham may not be a household name in the US, but I am sure he was lead my way through Google's complex algorithm of my constant search for outstanding athletes, trendsetters and style tastemakers. Laurie Cunningham was the son of a Jamaican prize horse jockey hailing from the north side of London. 

The above image has popped up in my Pinterest numerous times and I just assumed it was a guy from the Sub-Saharan culture Sapeur Movement or Society of Tastemakers and Elegant People. To my astonishment this is Laurie Cunningham, the first black professional footballer to represent England at any level.

“At a time when institutionalised racism was rife throughout society it would have been easy for Laurie to fade into the background, but his passion for music and fashion ensured he stood out from the crowd...”

Cunningham was the first of a group of homegrown African - American pioneers who shook up the English football landscape in the 1970s and 80s. He achieved a total of six full international caps. The black players of this generation were required to tune out the constant disrespect of chants and unimaginable actions of having bananas hurled at them by fans. SALUTE TO MR. CUNNINGHAM for fighting through the noise to leave a legacy of Style and Grace.

Check out the below to see a 4 part documentary giving you a little more context on the legendary Laure Cunningham!

The Man behind the Air : "H"

 Howard "H" White was a hometown hero out of Hampton, Virginia. White was well known as a playground legend with handles that left defenders gasping for air and command of the court resembling General Custer. White was being recruited by the likes of North Carolina’s Dean Smith and Maryland’s Lefty Driesell, the former whom would help groom a young prospect later known as "Air" Jordan.

At Maryland, White dazzled onlookers just as he did in his hometown of Hampton, Va. White's hard work, was rewarded by having his nickname “H” placed on the back of his jersey instead of his last name. Not sure if this has ever been done in NCAA Hoops, but this made "H" a household name. Maryland had an NCAA Elite 8 appearance and was the NIT Champion in White’s last two years with the Terps.

"H" produced a short-lived NBA career due to injury, but this would just prove to show his impact on Basketball was imminent by any means. "H" would sign on as a Field Representative with Nike. During this tenure White developed a relationships with budding stars, one of them being a young man by the name of  Michael Jeffrey Jordan.

““I could not have made it through my fifteen-year career without Howard White.”

—MICHAEL JORDAN”

— https://www.beyondword.com/authors/Howard_H_White

"H" would lure Jordan to "The Swoosh" after watching his exploits in the college ranks. The attack plan was to get Jordan to drop the Converse sneaker and be a leading tastemaker of a sneaker phenomenon. In other words, Jordan was known for wearing only Converse sneakers while with Carolina, but Nike wanted him. The rest is history.

Jordan and White would eventually create Jordan Brand under Nike. Fast Forward to the present and "H" is now Vice President, Jordan Brand. As stated earlier Howard "H" White's impact on the game of Basketball was imminent. Instead of simply being known as a court General for the Terps, he is also know as the "Man Behind the Air", raising the Jordan brand to iconic status and laying a path for former student-athletes to pivot to create synergy between sports and corporate America.

The Original Jordan "Wings" logo paid homage to Mike's freakishly-long wingspan and ability to fly across the floor. The logo was created in 1985.

Thanks "H"