I’m pretty sure it’s Neptune ruling my sign as a Pisces, that is responsible for my love for magic. When I go to Vegas, besides seeing my friends/family, eating, and the Magic Trade shows…I actually really look forward to actual magic. Whether it be by show at one of the casinos, or one of the cool little magic shops like Houdini’s or the other one at Stratosphere. I usually cop a trick or two, amaze myself, maybe a few others, but ultimately leave it to the real magicians to blow my mind.

Last March I attended a magic show called “Strange Things” at the Mishka, 350 Broadway shop. Matt Holtzclaw and Prakash Puru left a crowd of us stupefied with the tricks and bizarre things they performed. With our magician friend, Kevin Nicholas frequenting the shop and bending our minds back and forth, I was excited for the opportunity to bring the element of magic into our Extra Butter world. So as you already have seen in the video we posted last week, we are bringing Kevin Nicholas and his “Magic Madness” to Extra Butter live – this Friday, May 18th 2012 at 9:30pm!!

Anyone attending will be in for a very intimate and unique experience, sure to screw with your world. We ask that everyone please arrive on time, and log onto our facebook event page and let us know you’ll be there for the madness!

-Cinematic

I’ll keep this really simple. If you’re from or live on Long Island and don’t know the Cop Shop, you are missing out on a significant part of hip-hop history. From 2000 to 2009, this was the premiere spot for getting the very best of the real…REAL hip hop. All your vinyl, cd needs were met along with goodies galore whenever you’d shop there. Eddie of the Cop Shop, is practically a legend. People that come by Extra Butter tend to comment on the hip-hop pouring through our speakers, which leads to great conversations. 10 times out of 10, people not only mention their love for the Cop Shop, but also it’s owner – Eddie. Eddie was the soul of the cop shop, running things in a professional and genuine manner that everyone always mentions how much they appreciate, and for me…something I always looked up to and admired.

And as if you even needed more, the Cop Shop put on FREE shows regularly…on Long Island, bringing you the true legends of hip-hop from the old school to the underground. Repeat – free shows regularly on Long Island, brought to you by the Cop Shop. I used to love going to the shop and breaking my neck to look at all the signed posters, album covers, and other promo gear Eddie had signed by hip-hop’s greats.

The reunion show is this Saturday May 19th, 2012. The flyer below has the all-star line-up and as always, you can bet your hip hop dollar that there will be other goodies in-store as well. Be sure to log onto the Cop Shop Reunion’s Facebook page for more info!

-Cinematic

We’ve got a great clientele here at the shop…the best! Through the years we’ve had the pleasure of engaging in awesome conversations about food, movies, Dexter, sports, and of course kicks. But we’ve also been lucky enough to receive our fair share of gifts – donuts, strawberry coolatas, Darryl Strawberry signed baseballs, giant pears, plush toys from Space Jam, and more. Perhaps the strangest, or maybe most frustrating gifts, come from our friend Kevin Nicholas. Kevin comes by from time to time and does magic tricks and illusions that leave us stunned, perplexed, pissed off, and in endless wonder of how the !#&# did he do that!?!?!

Peep the video below that Christian shot over time during Kevin’s visits here to get a little taste of what he’s got up his sleeve. And as the end of the video suggests – mark your calendars – Friday, May 18th – and be prepared for some magic madness!!

-Cinematic

I may not know much about architecture (hell, I only read The Fountainhead once), but I do know good music when I hear it. And Architect Music, the first release from Oceanside local phenom TK of the Con Template creative collective, is as sturdy of a foundation that anybody can ask for.

By this time in hip-hop’s history, pretty much every topic has been covered lyrically. But TK starts where most rappers end. A working man, steady on his grind, positivity is often hard to come by. Yet he never ceases to push the hard work, no bullshit ethic that even took A Tribe Called Quest years to master. Sprinkle in some funky word play, clever analogies about architecture, and some of the smoothest jazz based beats around, pop it in the studio for a few days and you’ve got a recipe that landed it self on repeat on my iTunes.

The album isn’t legendary, but the best part about it is that it doesn’t pretend to be. With lines like “I really did it/if I wrote it or I say it”, it’s clear that TK is a down to earth, creative rapper. It’s only with personas like that does real magic happen, and this album is certainly a step (more like huge leap) in the right direction for the word smith who’s striving for greatness. I may be a Long Island hip-hop snob, but this guy is getting in on the ground floor to what looks like a stellar and long lasting career. Be on the lookout for more from the Con Template crew….

To listen to and download “Architect Music” visit the link here or clicking the image above.

-Sklov

I recently did some traveling and while I can be pretty restless on flights, I do enjoy going into a deeper listening mode when it comes music that needs a closer listen than play it receives at the shop during the regular hustle & bustle of the day. One of only 2 albums I listened to a ton of times during my travel was the latest project by my man OGM, whom you should all be familiar with as it was only about 5 months ago when we had the pleasure of having a release party for OGM’s “Kool Kidz of Kolor” release.

A quick little quip about me – with movies obviously being a big part of my life, over the years I’ve found certain characters on screen have stuck with me and play some weird part in my day to day doings. Those characters…are usually the villains. From the likes of Hannibal Lecter – Silence of the Lambs, Jason – Friday the 13th series, Annies Wilkes – Misery, and Elijah Price – Unbreakable, there’s an undeniable energy to their pain and emotions that tell a transcend the movie’s plot lines, and feel eerily familiar. Likely the BEST movie villain of all time – Star Wars’ Darth Vader, is the inspiration or alter-ego shall I say for OGM’s darker side – Darth Vador. It is under this guise that he brings us his latest efforts entitled NO Faces: Neon Black. And to introduce you to the evil Darth Vador…I now introduce you to Sklov, our friend from First Dose Music, here to give you his take on NO Faces: Neon Black!

-Cinematic

Fun names can bring in listeners, but it’s rare that an artist’s name reflects their music. Reptar does not make music that a fictional green monster would listen to, The Punch Brothers aren’t blood related, and I’m still not sure if I’m pronouncing Sigur Ros correctly so I can’t really say how that relates. But goddamn this is exactly what Darth Vader would listen to while rolling through New Jersey in the Death Star.

However this is DarthVADOR, aka OGM. The New Jersey native/Jersey Klan captain dropped a free, 20 track release on April 16th, though I swear OGM pulled a Marty McFly because some of this could’ve been released on April 16th, 10 years from now. The beats and raps on tracks like “Bitten by a Zombie” are more bass heavy than anything I’ve heard since the speakers in my Jeep blew out, and the flow is a breath of fresh air. But at the same time it’s as if J. Dilla was resurrected and brought back some doo-wop records and hid them in colored eggs last Sunday, because the OGM found them and put them on “Face the Moon”. Brownie points for the Cortex sample on track 20.

NO Faces: Neon Black, an album perfectly named, screams “maturity” only by being subtle about it. On the other hand there’s more talk about girls and weed than you’d hear in the high school locker room, so there’s room for every fan on OGM’s twitter page.

So check it out here (http://koolkidzofkolor.bandcamp.com/album/nofaces-neon-black), or come by the store and take a listen because this’ll be on repeat for a while.

-Sklov

Here’s a Sweeet sale for footwear orders on the webstore, excluding Nike, Jordan, and TOMS. The code is “kicksdeals” and it expires 4/22/12 at 11:59 pm ET.

Click HERE for more info, or feel free to reach us at: #516-632-5150 / extrabutterny@gmail.com

-Amy

One day I was at Gamestop down the block a while back, the fellows there were talking about the shop to a local that has never been. They asked him “how come you’ve never been down to Extra Butter?! It’s right down the street..”, to which he replied – “I don’t know, because…that store is like…mad hip hop”. And funny enough, I’ve actually heard that term used to describe our shop a couple of other times as well.

The new season has brought about a lot of good music lately – and while we’re looking back on a year filled with heavy listening and show going to the likes of SBTRKT, Mayer Hawthorne, Little Dragon, Crystal Castles, The XX, Bill Withers, and Boney M…we’ve decided to own up to that “hip hop” adjective commonly used to describe us and share some of the boom bap we’ve been feeling recently. Another side note – someone once came in to purchase a pair of sneakers and when entering their name into the computer, he insisted his name was “Boomp Boomp BAP”…dope!

So yeah, we’re gonna start things off with “Food for Thought” by Mike Baker the Bike Maker, whom we had the pleasure of having in-store for a performance earlier this year. This dude is as smooth as they get, and his albums have been like a running soundtrack here as of late. I’m also posting the audio for “Every Freakin’” as well…just cause!

Speaking of smooth, our friends with the jazzy sounds over at PseudoSlang have been putting out some new music lately, and even better – are on a little East Coast tour from 4/7 to 5/8, including a re-visit to Jeremy’s Ale House in Freeport on April, 20th. Check out “Motion” below and “Rhymes4DaysAnd”, and be excited for new PseudoSlang to come!

Someone else you should be familiar with by now – Moruf, EB favorite, OS representative. I have the extreme pleasure of catching up with Moruf from time to time on the BBM or at the shop, and he’s someone I’m looking to have a banner year, and many banner years to come for that matter. He’s got a new video for this song “Jasmine”, posted below that wets our appetites for the next project that we’re all salivating for. And if you haven’t heard “Rest Well” yet…well then I think you’re slightly less fortunate than the rest. Here’s the link – “Rest Well”, because we love you as much as we love this song.

Fellow Jersey Klan native, Hoddy the Young Jedi is also set to bring his musical force back into the world with a project I believe that will be called “Organized Bull$hit”. Follow his twitter for his hilarity and other updates, but also check the “F Hot Pockets” video below which dropped over the weekend, to our buttery delight!

Last but not least, World’s Fair. Who’s name might need a changing soon as it  seems like they’re actually taking over the world these days. After successfully doing damage at SXSW, they’ve also had a recent buzz surge due to the Children of the Night half of the group with their release of “Queens… Revisted” – available for free download from our friends over at Mishka! COTN, along with the other members – Jeff Donna, Prince Samo, and Cody B. Ware are all mainstays in our music and video rotation going on at the shop, and we’re pumped to add another joint to the list with their brand new video for “Suspect”.

Hope you enjoyed, and we’ll try to take a break from all the kicks and clothing to do this a little more frequent, but until then – stay hip hop! Hahaha…

-Cinematic

With Spring in full swing, it’s probably against the law these days to leave the crib wearing some dirty kicks. Not to mention, last night at the all mighty classic -  All-American Burger, someone spilled their entire cup of ketchup onto those new Air Flows I was jumping around in in the photos a few posts below. Either way – Jason Markk is a must!

The ultimate sneaker cleaning product is always in-stock at the shop, but we brought in some re-enforcements while the weather calls for it, AND are introducing a few new items. We are now stocking a special Jason Markk Suede Brush that comes equipped with softer bristles for those that want to be extra delicate and careful with their suede/nubuck, cotton mesh, and even premium leather gems. The Premium Microfiber towel we received will also come in handy – a 12 x 12 soft towel that is non-abrasive, and snatches up the dirt the Jason Markk cleaning solution unearths. You can also throw it in the washer to freshen it up after the dirt beating it gets.

Russ’ Air Max 1′s needed a little touch up, which you can see below – and I’m pretty sure I’ll be spending my Easter fixing up those new Air Flows of mine.

For more info on cleaning suede, check out the Jason Markk vs. Suede post and check this video on how to clean kicks in general.

Jason Markk Premium Shoe Cleaner | How To from Jason Markk on Vimeo.

The Jason Markk 4.oz cleaning kit can be purchased through our webstore – here.

-Cinematic

I look at this pack of Vans below and immediately think – “What shorts WOULDN’T these go perfect with??”. This is the summer move right here. You cannot go wrong in any of these quad flavors – white, pink mist, pale banana, and powder blue.

These Authentics get the “California” treatment, which yes, is all laid back and chill…but what I meant was the premium execution. A fancy, brushed twill upper, brown suede laces, and that addictive cushion-y ortholite insole. You may not know it now, but this will be your go-to shoes for the summer…trust!

Click HERE for more images & info, or feel free to reach us at: #516-632-5150 / extrabutterny@gmail.com

-Cinematic

This is summer radness!! The Vans Authentic, already a staple summer shoe gets dipped in a colorful “speckle” treatment that stir up the best of summer activities in one’s mind. Personally, the bright colors of “blue turquoise” and “rouge red” pairs both send me back to a time playing “Skate or Die” and “T & C Surf Design” on the original Nintendo. Then going outside and not being able to do any of that stuff.

The speckle is also reminiscent of the static-like noise seen on one of the earlier Supreme x Vans collabs, only with this new offering of Authentics, the color choice strays from the primary and into the bright and eye-popping! The laces are speckled, the bottoms are off colored (for you to discover in person), and I love the contrasting colored Vans woven label that sits on the lateral side of the shoe. Tough choice of colors here, I’m assuming most will cop both – high 5′s for those of you that do!

Click HERE for more images & info, or feel free to reach us at: #516-632-5150 / extrabutterny@gmail.com

-Cinematic