ComplexCon 2017

I had the pleasure of attending the 2nd annual ComplexCon event held at the Long Beach Convention Center this past weekend.  This was my first time going to this so I had no idea what to expect.  I looked online to see all the brands that were listed to be there, looked at people listed to be on the different panels, researched the food trucks that were slated to be there, backed by “First We Feast”, and lastly curated a schedule in line with all the things I wanted to do that weekend.


I attended the expo on both days and neither day disappointed.  I will admit on Saturday I was a bit overwhelmed.  There were over 150+ brands there, a number of panels I wanted to attend but start times overlapped of course to keep the crowds regulated, food trucks near the main and back entrance towards the arena, and a ton of exclusive releases just for this event.  The highlight for me on that Saturday was attending the “We in Here: Injecting the Culture into Hollywood” panel with Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler.  Both spoke about their individual journey taken in the film industry, how their involvement in the industry has paved the way for other successful projects and key takeaways on following your dreams and creating your own path/way to what is that you want and are passionate about.  After this panel, I saw tons of people just walking around like myself and being a part of “the culture”; whatever this means right lol.  I mean celebrity sightings went on for days.  G-Eazy casually walked through the crowd and stopped occasionally for pics, Andre 3000 relaxed in the center of an art exhibit and hand drew a portrait of a fan, Pharrell strolled through and admired a few art exhibitions, Jaden Smith signaled his entourage to his booth after a great live performance on the Pigeons & Planes stage, Superduper Kyle had a dance off with his dad in his booth, Big Sean walked to Puma to show off a recent sneaker collab, Gary Vee dropped free gems to people seeking advice on their own ventures and Virgil Abloh personally customized an Air Jordan 1 , instantly creating a 1 of 1 on the spot. I mean what more could you ask for.


I just knew Sunday would be more chill and sightings would be few but boy was I wrong.  Sunday may have been equally as eventful.  The highlight of Sunday in my opinion was the iamOTHER #begreat party hosted by Pharrell.  Up and coming artists opened the show and later the audience was surprised with guests such as Kap G, 2chainz, Ty Dolla $ign, Wiz Khalifa, Lil Uzi Vert and Migos.  The schedule did say surprise guests but whoa I didn’t expect anything of this magnitude.  I decided Sunday would be catered to picking up a few items since most things were designed and sold only here at this event.  PUMA was celebrating their 50th anniversary and released some dope kicks; specifically, a gray suede pair with a floral design.  Unfortunately, those weren’t for sale until 2018 and were only being displayed to heighten the anxiety for people like myself.  I did snag a tee from Wish Atlanta that I’d been eyeing for 2 consecutive days; the shirt lists all of the zones of Atlanta.  Definitely wanted to support the home team. Overall, Complexcon exceeded my expectations.  I left inspired and excited to be a part of an event designed to blend people of all over with similar interests and like minds.  I will definitely be back next year to partake in these festivities and I can’t wait to see how it evolves over the years. Fantastic job Complex!  Checkout my gallery below.

 

 

Powamekka Cafe

imageWhat happens when Tupac envisions his own restaurant and leaves the blueprint for the concept?  Sweet Chick, nestled in the Lower Eastside of Manhattan, brings this idea to life 20 years later and becomes Powamekka Cafe for you to enjoy over a 3-day stint.  It was time for yet another much needed catch up and I’m so happy she suggested going to this.

The cafe was filled with pictures of Tupac from childhood to adulthood, portraits of what I took to be some of his musical influences and even newly designed restroom signs for the “playaz” and “divaz”.  Handwritten notes from Tupac about the restaurant concept, infamous quotes from the artist himself and never seen before poetry also lined the walls of this pop-up cafe.  Classic songs from Tupac flowed throughout and definitely made you feel his presence.  Although I knew this was not going to happen, it felt like at any given moment Tupac was going to appear surprisingly and thank the patrons for stopping by and supporting his vision. That’s just how much the ambiance made you feel his presence even in his absence.

The menu was made up of the artists’ favorite meals so for my entree I went with the meatloaf.  This wasn’t just ordinary meatloaf; it actually was made with duck and short rib.  The dish also came with mashed potatoes and a creamy mushroom sauce.  Delicious is an understatement for this one.  I cannot recall what was in my mixed drink but I definitely picked it solely based on the name “Queen of Cali”.  Overall I was very happy with my experience at this Tupac inspired restaurant and Sweet Chick did a phenomenal job of executing the concept that was laid out for Powamekka Cafe.  Enjoy the pics below.

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Feeling like Pablo

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Last weekend while doing some much unneeded shopping in the Soho, I decided to stop in the DASH store.  For those of you who may not know, the DASH store was founded by Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian.  They often have some cute pieces so I figured hey, why not.  It must have been my lucky day because I notice this bright royal blue tee with writing that looks oh so similar to that of the “I Feel Like Pablo” tee that circulated during the Season 3 fashion show hosted by Kanye West.  It is the Pablo tee!!  The associates eagerly said ” Grab something now if you want it.  We posted this to instagram about an hour ago and not many things are left”.  To go back just a bit for you guys, Kanye West held a pop up in the Soho about a month ago and the line was just way too long to even remotely think about getting merch unless you camped out the night before or just woke up and immediately went to stand in line around sunrise.  Without a question, I grabbed the only medium size left and left with an unexpected treat for the weekend.  Soho adventures never disappoint and I’m glad I decided to stop in.

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