toys ~ bboy cult -hip hop, sneaks, and beats

man am i excited today. cause today i have the scoop on a lot of sites with this one.

my good friend, and a sort of business mentor, Tramp Daly came to visit me recently. as always, Tramp is always working, so it came as no surprise that he had new projects in the works. i really didnt expect this tho.

for those of you who have been on World Star, you've probably seen the videos to the animated show "Gangster Chronicles". well, this is the guy that put that together. along with another ill looking show to come along this year called "The Sure Shot". but before i get into all that, i gots to tell you about my man.

for all you that remember the glory days of The Source magazine, you will no doubt remember the comic strip, 'A View From Da Underground'. Tramp and his partners Haze and CEE67, a graffiti legend from North Philly/The Bronx, known collectively as C-Traze Studios, was responsible for that. CEE, also known as Carlito Rodriguez, went on to become the editor-in-chief of the mag. these dudes have been movers in the cause of presentation of the core of the hip hop experience in a responsible and tasteful way for many, many years. these are not the typical culture vultures this industry is littered with.

now, many of you may remember the animated show on MTV called "Station Zero". well, my man Tramp and crew were also responsible for that. at its height the show averaged 2 million viewers PER DAY. the character KARAZ was actually named after a well respected graffiti writer from North Philly. these are the types of guys who never forget their homeboys, or their roots. thats why the many properties these guys have been at the helm of have done well over the years. its immediately apparent that these guys understand the core of the culture because they come from it. and i can attest to it because CEE was a major influence on me, and i have worked for Tramp on a number of occassions on different projects (see video below). these guys are the real deal. make no mistake, shows like "The Boondocks" have this crew's DNA all in them.

so when i saw the toy line curreently being offered, i was FLOORED. for all of you that may be familiar with the toy collecting field, it is BIG money. Star Wars, Simpsons, KISS, all of these brands bring in big money in trade and maintain a highly collectable value for years. and for those of you that know hip hop toys, these are bound to be highly collectable in years to come. even if the shows only do a few seasons, these will be even be more collectable because of the guys involved. they are part of the shaping the look and feel of hip hop culture. now, keep in mind, my man's resume includes production on MTV. that means (and i don't wanna give nothin away) that these series could appear on a major network soon. or even a major web portal may pick them up. all of these things can only increase the value of the figures later on.

now the quality of the toys are what make them special. they feel real solid and the sheepskin coats have a really fine texture. even the hair is textured in fine detail. the glasses are removable, as well as the hat, to give the figures a customized appearance. everything about the construction is quality.

the packaging also got me very excited when i saw it. it has scenes from the classic comic strip "A View From The Underground" printed on the box in varying sequence. the boxes are made from a heavy duty cardboard and are solid and weighted and should last for years to come. the printing on the box is well done with vibrant colors. everything about the packaging screams 'premium product' before you even reach the toys in the inside. trust me when i say, this is a well done, well thought out quality product.

now here's the real ill part. right now in store like Goliath NYC are now carrying these toys at a price point of $125. but for the bboycult.com readers, i have them today for only $85 USD. you will not beat that price unless you know Tramp yourself.

i put together some other things from the company so that you can see what all of this belongs to. its a well thought out inititive by people who are building quality brands. check it out for yourself...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WiLDSEED COMMUNICATIONS

.........
	Press Release	.....

KIDROBOT TO HOST UNVEILING OF COLLECTIBLE HIP-HOP TOYS- Veteran Graffiti Artist, Illustrator, Animator Pays Unique Tribute To Rap's Golden Age -

(New York, NY - May 21, 2012) Star Light Studios in association withKidRobot NYC are pleased to announce the official launch of a fresh new line of collectible hip-hop toys at KidRobot's flagship gallery and retail store next month. The brainchild of veteran graffiti artist, Joseph "Tramp" Daly, the toys are actually a small part of Daly and Star Light partner Ishmael "Ish" Ford-Bey's larger vision of bringing authentic hip-hop culture to the animation world.

Older hip-hop fans may remember Tramp's work featured in early editions of The Source, where he illustrated and wrote the first ever hip-hop comic strip, A View From Da Unda'Ground, which ran in the magazine from 1989-1995. Tramp went on to create, write and produce the first animated hip-hop sitcom for MTV. The show Station Zerolaunched during the music channel's now defunct Hip-Hop Week in Spring 1999 and was an immediate hit, drawing an impressive average of 2 million viewers daily.

These days, Tramp and Ish have been focused on the development and production of two brand new animation properties: The Sure Shot, which pays homage to hip-hop's Golden Era, and The Adventures of the Untouchables, a sort of hip-hop X-Men, which recently debuted online at WorldStarHipHop and garnered over 5 million hits. The first set of toys from the pair's forthcoming line is based on the prototypical characters culled from these shows.
Representing The Sure Shot, party rocker "Prince Barry D" is an '80s throwback collectible vinyl toy who rocks a Playboy chain, nameplate belt, removable Cazal-type glasses, a sheepskin coat and hat to match. He is the first toy in a series that will feature 7 different B-Boy crew members. Contrarily,"Boss Man Ish" reps the more modern day hip-hopper and is the fearless leader of the urban action hero crew, The Untouchables. All of the toys will come with a collectible t-shirt that showcases additional characters from the Star Light arsenal.

This project has been a long time coming," says Tramp. "I've been drawing and creating stories and loving hip-hop ever since I was a kid. The toy line is a natural progression in my ongoing evolution as an artist." Ish adds, "Star Light Studios is always moving, creating something new and exciting, just like hip-hop. Stay tuned. This is just the beginning."

Star Light Studios' collectible hip-hop toys launch party will take place at KidRobot NYC (118 Prince St.) on Thursday June 14th from 5-8pm. For more information, to RSVP or to speak with Tramp and Ish, please contact WiLDSEED Communications.