ITV Is Moving To Tumblr

That's right. This blogger is taking his talents to Tumblr, a simpler and more convenient platform for blogging.  This should allow for a cleaner layout and an increased volume of posts. Check it out at http://isthatvelvet.tumblr.com.

In Memoriam: Nathaniel "Nate Dogg" Hale

Here are two classics that would not have been if not for his voice:

Killer Mike feat. Big Boi & T.I. "Ready Set Go" (Remix)

I have a feeling we'll hear this coming from a lot of open car windows once open window weather gets here. Even the clean version is hard.

Killer Mike's upcoming album, PL3DGE, drops March 22.

Frank Ocean - Nostalgia, Ultra

Who knew that the Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All collective included a smooth-as-hell R&B singer/songwriter? Well it does, and his name is Frank Ocean. He dropped his impressive debut album on March 1, and you can download it from his Tumblr for free (scroll down and click on the album cover). I recommend that you do so immediately.

According to Pitchfork, Frank Ocean is a 23-year-old songwriter who has provided lyrics to Justin Bieber, John Legend, and Brandy. Despite his talent, he was ignored by his label, Island Def Jam, for a year before releasing his debut album himself and giving his label the full OFWGKTA "Fuck you!" treatment on Twitter (Pitchfork's full review has excerpts).

Island Def Jam sleeping on the album may have been be a blessing for Ocean and his audience. Lupe Fiasco's difficulties with getting Atlantic to support his artistic vision are well documented, and it's doubtful that a major label would see a place in today's R&B for lines like these from Ocean's "Novocain": "She said she wanna be a dentist really badly. She’s in school paying for tuition doin porn in The Valley... But girl I can’t feel my face. What are we smokin anyway? She said 'Don’t let the high go to waste. But can you taste a little taste of Novocain?'"

By releasing Nostalgia, Ultra himself, Ocean gets to say what he wants and listeners get quality, non-cheesy R&B. Hopefully, he'll be paid back for this free album with sales of his next one. Enjoy these samples:

Letterheady.com

Every once in a while, I stumble across something on the Internet that I know I'll be interested in from that moment on. Like The Sartorialist years ago and Tori Black more recently. Thanks to Letterheady.com (first spotted on my dude Quentin Smith's blog), I'm adding vintage letterhead to that list.

Letterheady is "an online homage to offline correspondence" featuring images of well-designed and interesting letterhead from the past. Not to get all American Psycho, but subtle variations in the font and color (or not so subtle, as in the examples below) of a person's letterhead do make a difference in how we perceive them. Browsing Letterheady, I can't help imagining what the people who used this letterhead were like at the time and what they may have written on those pages.

(Images via Letterheady. Click to enlarge.)

Carl Van Vechten, 1942

Harry “Hunk” Anderson, 1973

Trina Robbins, date unknown

Mirage Studios, 1985