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UGK Rapper Pimp C was found dead in a Hollywood hotel this morning. Details are sketchy, but for now LAPD is treating this as a homicide. In any case, this sucks. Pimp C was as trill as it gets and UGK was finally getting the props (and record sales) they deserved. Pour some out (or up) for a pimp and as he would say, "Smoke sumthin' beyatch."

Well, it's finally out! The movie Brooklyn Rules enjoyed a limited opening in New York and Los Angeles theaters this weekend, and has received favorable reviews from sources like Maxim and New York Magazine. Yes, it’s another “coming of age” story with a mob-run New York backdrop—but with only two episodes of The Sopranos left, I’ll take my mafia-inspired entertainment wherever I can get it. If you live in NY or LA, check out www.brooklynrulesmovie.com for show times and support this film, so hopefully it will get a nationwide release.

I know it may seem like a lot—but with two photographers on the trip, the photos rack up pretty fast. As mentioned in a previous blog, Craig Wetherby and I recently went to Japan to shoot a Kits feature for the magazine, and we took more pictures than a Japanese tourist at Disneyland. It was the usual inside peek at the local scene and SNOWBOARD style exploration of yet another dope spot. We did it big, touring the streets of Tokyo and traveling to the mountains of Nagano in search of our proverbial Animal Chin. Come along for the ride, with 40 photos from Craig [CW] and 100 of mine for entire the play-by-play.

The scenic mountains of Hakuba. [CW]

Underground Kingpin Craig Wetherby and I have been in Tokyo since last friday, hitting up all kinds of boutique openings, VIP nightclubs and famous Tokyo landmarks in search of Animal Chin. We're at least 12 hours ahead of the rest of the world, which explains why the Japenese are so advanced when it comes to techy gadgets like heated toilet seats. We're having a blast and have tons more bloggage to come, for now here's a little taste of the Far East.

I’m on award tour, with my mellow my man—going each and every place with my pen in my hand. Yeah, my version of Phife Diggy’s lyrics hold true for just about any snowboarder on the move, and no more for me than last weekend’s wild journey across the country. The plan was simple really: Fly to NYC on a Jet Blue red eye from Portland, meet up with Breck loc-turned-Brookyln Willy Berger Nate Abbott, and head up to Quebec City, Canada to check out Guillaume Brochu’s Stairmaster’s Rail Jam on Friday night before banging out a brand new Kits after the weekend. Well, Mother Nature had other plans in mind as a late season Nor’Easter pummeled the East Coast, crippling airports from Boston to Philadelphia. I has to get to Quebec…not necessarily for the contest (although I really wanted to check it out), but for the first Kits shoot of the season that I’d been planning for months.

The good peeps at www.whatsreallygoodmagazine.com have a download link to a dope Biggie mixtape called "Unbelievable" in honor of the 10 year (damn, has it really been that long!?!) anniversary of his death, March 9, 2007. The mixtape was mixed by Mick Boogie (of Little Brother/Justus League mixtape fame) and Terry Urban and features all types of ill isht. As if that wasn't enough, AOL Music launched a tribute site, R.I.P. B.I.G.: The Life and Rhymes of a Hip Hop Heavyweight. Go 'head, check it out...and R.I.P. Notorious B.I.G.

Before Tahoe got hit hard, it was our turn. Winter returned with a vengance to the NW bringing massive amounts of snowfall to places like Mt. Baker and Stevens Pass, while cold temps and low freezing levels have kept the snow light and dry. Mt. Hood got it pretty good too, and a combination of dental appointments, basketball games, concert tickets, the need for some new snow tires and just plain ol’ work kept me stuck in Portland the entire time. I wasn’t mad though, as days ripping around Meadows with Prosser and Stamps have been some of the best riding of the year. I haven’t even been stopping to shoot photos. Just having fun, snaking through the misty Meadows gullies and poppin' ollies left and right.

Portland's Sleep and L.A. underground kings The Visionaries are currently putting on the Save Darfur Tour, a series of benefit concerts to aid the people of Darfur, who are enduring a genocide at the hands of armed militias. The tour came though Portland last night, and was created to raise both money and awareness for the ongoing conflict. With good music going to a good cause, the show should not be missed. For more info about the tour, check out the Visionaries myspace page, and visit www.savedarfur.org to find out about more ways you can help.

Visionaries DJ and Beat Junkie OG DJ Rhettmatic letting the crowd know what's up.

As the Northwest got pounded with snow last weekend, I was down in SoCal visiting moms and pops for Turkey Day. I was kinda bummed because I was missing the first big snow of the year, but at least there was a good contest to check out. As you all know by now, the second annual Beanies and Bikini’s Rail Jam went down in sunny San Diego last Saturday. Since I lost my camera on the Aspen trip a few weeks ago, I’ve been debating on which new one to buy. This left me in a jam though—luckily Prosser came thru and let me borrow his lil’ Canon SD 10 for the trip. Well of course I forgot to get the charger from him, and sure enough the battery died soon after the contest and I wasn’t able to retrieve my photos from the weekend until now. So here it is: The Bikini Blog…better late than never!

Magoon is the steeziest.