These emcees don’t release your stereotypical rap lyrics, cluttered with cash, crack and other cacophony, no.  They are true lyricists.  Artists brought up around other artists, striving to make a change, while simultaneously supporting others trying to do the same.

They represent creation at its highest form: collaboration.  Tree City (General P., Cheeks, Clavius Crates, and DJ Cataclysmic) planted its roots a few years back at the Neutral Zone, a local establishment giving young students alternative means of expression.   They have shared the stage with such artists as Blueprint, Phat Kat, Buff1, Brother Ali, Bronze Nazareth, United States of Mind, as well as local heavyweights One Be Lo, The Macpodz and My Dear Disco.

The group has been making music for about 5 years now and is hoping that in the near future the city of Ann Arbor will have more music venues supporting the local scene.

The hip hop community in Ann Arbor is tight-knit and thriving, which drives these artists to continue to develop their craft, says Kyle Hunter, aka General P., of Tree City.

“It’s a constantly evolving scene that forces anyone in it to evolve with it,” he explains.

This support system is the necessary fuel that keeps many groups together, and happy.  Without it, many find it difficult to realize their true potential and actualize their true profits.

“It keeps you wanting to improve your music and keep up on the business end of things as well,” says Jordan, aka The Friar, of Masons Motif.

“There are so many talented artists doing their thing around here that you need to either swim or sink.  It’s not even so much about competing as it is bringing something people haven’t heard before.”

And if you haven’t heard before, check out Tree City and Masons Motif alongside Tru Klassick, Versatai, London Homicide and DJ Zu as Prhyme Rhyme Boss headlines the “For the City” Ace Deuce Hip Hop night on Wednesday, December 1^st at The Blind Pig in Ann Arbor.

Organized by Handmade Detroit, the DUCF will feature over 70 independent crafters and artists in the historic Fillmore Detroit on Saturday, December 4th from 10am – 7pm and Sunday, December 5th from 11am – 6pm.

Get your holiday shopping on and support local handmade work.  Expect everything from clothing and jewelry to artwork, magazines, posters, crafts, stationary and more from some of the area’s best creative talent.

Our friends at Perfect Laughter and LMNOP will be participating, among many others.

We will also have a booth set up with t-shirts, illustrations and more.  Come by and say hi.  The first 25 people that come to our booth each day and mention this post will receive a free t-shirt!

See all of the Vendors and details on the DUCF website.

Over 60 different bands from Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Detroit and Chicago will perform over 4 days.

Some of our personal favorites include: The Satin Peaches, Jehovah’s Witness Protection Program, Anna Ash, Jeff Pianki, Prussia, Computer Perfection, The High Strung, and Misty Lyn & the Big Beautiful.

Venue: Woodruff’s | 36 E. Cross St | Ypsilanti (Depot Town) MI 48198
Dates: Thu Dec. 30th, 2010 – Sun. Jan. 2nd, 2011
Doors @ 3PM each day
Music until 2AM + Late Night Dance Party on NYE
$7/night or $25 for 4 Day Wristband

Full Schedule here.

All Proceeds Go To 826michigan’s Programming in Washtenaw County.
826michigan is a nonprofit writing and tutoring center serving approximately 2,000 local students at their downtown Ann Arbor location as well as at numerous classrooms, community centers and elsewhere. Their free programs are based on the understanding that writing is important for every child, and that one-on-one attention is key to building academic skills and confidence in the classroom and beyond.

Well, you’re wrong…and right.

The world’s largest social media conference definitely exceeded expectations.  The Convention Center itself is huge, almost 1.7 million square feet!  And BlogWorld used basically the whole facility. The Exhibitor space featured vendors from industries such as Social Media Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Content Aggregation, Mobile Technology, Blogging Platforms, and Online Video.  Not to mention the open bar and delicious catered food!

We attended many conference sessions, though I wished we would’ve been able to attend more.  Many presentations overlapped with each other so it was tough to decide.  I had thought that I could listen to the first half of one, and then run over and catch the latter half of another.. but once I was sitting in a session, it was too tough to leave!

Friday:

Music and Entertainment: I’m Nothing Without My Fans
panel: Asher Roth (@asherroth) and D.A. Wallach (@DAChesterFrench) from Star Trak Record‘s Chester French, Patrick O’Keefe and Wayne Sutton.

Friday morning we listened to a great panel discuss how artists and performers build meaningful relationships with their fans through social media, and how all industries can succeed using their strategies.  There were many topics they touched upon, including exclusivity, that people like to feel special, that you as a content creator need to provide the content that fans want, and the fact that your readers are always (whether consciously or not) looking for authenticity.  It was a great opportunity to hear the perspectives of the artists themselves.  One quote I particularly enjoyed, speaking of social networks, was to “embrace the lack of control of these environments; the spontaneity.”

Wayne Sutton (SocialWayne.com, @waynesutton) is an entrepreneur, strategist, and producer with a passion for video blogging and social media.

Patrick O’Keefe (PatrickOKeefe.com, @iFroggy) is the founder of the iFroggy Network, a network of websites covering various interests.  He has been responsible for the cultivation of communities like phpBBHacks.com, KarateForums.com and PhotoshopForums.com.

What blogger wouldn’t want to be featured in a popular periodical or on the nightly news?  You can spend hour after hour chasing one subscriber at a time via Twitter or Facebook, or get the kind of coverage in mainstream media that will skyrocket your following in an instant.  Seasoned journalist Amy Parmenter took us inside the newsroom to better understand how decisions are made.  She explained why some blogs get coverage and others do not, what makes a press release stand out, and how to create buzz around your blog.  As an entrepreneur and now blogger, Amy is one of the few people who stands squarely where mainstream and new media meet.

The Exhibitor Showcase featured over 90 social media and technology companies and was topped off by an open bar and catered food service.  Some of the big names were Yahoo!, Blackberry, Blogger, Ford, iStockphoto, Marketwire, CoTweet, Pepsi, Plixi, radian6, Shuttershock, Social Media Club, Southwest Airlines, Rackspace, YouTube and Sony.

TED is an annual event where the top minds in the world share, connect and inspire.  TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design — three subjects that, collectively, shape our future.

Among the speakers, presentations, videos and networking, were great live performances from spoken word artists Jessica Care Moore and D Blair, DJ Primeminister, Invincible, and musical act Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

Speakers and presentations from TEDxDetroit 2010:

Erik Proulx
Founder of Please Feed the Animals and Creator of Lemonade and Lemonade: Detroit
Self-proclaimed former ad brat, Erik Proulx is the founder of Please Feed the Animals, a blog for aspiring entrepreneurs and the recently unemployed. He is also the director and producer of two documentaries, Lemonade and Lemonade: Detroit.

Geoff Horst
Chief Science Officer of Algal Scientific Corporation
Algal Scientific Corporation is a start-up company that formed as the result of a failed engine in Lake Erie. With a passion for natural waters and problem solving, Geoff works with Algal using algae to treat waste water.

Jessica Care Moore
Founder of Moore Black Press
Jessica is an internationally renowned poet, author and performer. She is the founder of Moore Black Press and the jess Care moore Foundation.

Paul Savage
CEO of Nextek Power Systems
Nextek Power Systems is a renewable energy pioneer, bringing renewable energy to everyday applications in Detroit and across the world.

Anuja Rajendra
Creator and CEO of BollyFit
Anuja is an accomplished dancer and innovative choreographer leading a wellness revolution throughout Michigan. BollyFit turns traditional views of exercise on its head, synthesizing fitness, fun and spirituality in a dynamic dance experience.

Jeff DeGraff
Clinical Professor and “Dean of Innovation” at The University Of Michigan Ross School of Business
Jeff’s “Innovatrium” in Ann Arbor is an idea lab where companies learn innovation practices via a see one, do one, teach one approach.

James R. Scapa
Chairman and CEO of Altair Engineering, Inc.
James is an engineer and entrepreneur whose vision and commitment to Michigan enables Altair to thrive in new markets and bring new industries to Michigan.

Bil Moore
Sales Stud at Strategic Products & Services
A Michigander since birth, Bil was raised by wolves and educated by life. He is a speaker, salesperson and technology lover.

Mary Lorene Carter
Co-Founder and Chief Inch Officer of LOVELAND
Mary is an artist and social entrepreneur in love with Detroit. Her current projects, LOVELAND and Imagination Station, focus on social ownership, alternative fun(d) raising, mixed reality experiences and community engagement.

Jerry Paffendorf
Co-Founder and Creative Director of LOVELAND
Artist, futurist and entrepreneur, Jerry moved to Detroit because his spider senses were tingling with the opportunity to weave a collective internet experience into the fabric of the city. He’s weaving now, working on LOVELAND and the Imagination Station.

Kami Pothukuchi
Director of SEED Wayne at Wayne State University
SEED Wayne helps students grow food, campus members buy from local farms and corner stores make fresh produce available in Detroit neighborhoods.

D Blair
An award winning Urban Folk, Afro-Punk, Poet, Singer, Songwriter on Repeatable Silence Records
Blair has toured the U.S., South Africa and Germany sharing the stage with Stevie Wonder, Michael Moore, Wilco & more. He is a National Poetry Slam champ and recipient of the Bent Mentor Award for Queer Writers.

Henry Balanon
Founder and iPhone Developer of Bickbot.com
Henry is the founder and lead iPhone applications developer at Bickbot.com. He is also a national speaker on mobile technologies.

Dianne Marsh
President of SRT Solutions
Dianne builds great software and promotes a company culture where great ideas persist and things that don’t work are learning experiences.

Paul Nielsen
Owner of Wunderground Magic, Inc.
Paul is the owner of Wunderground Magic, Inc. and works with transitional companies on software projects and business development.

Karl Gude
Infographics and Social Media Instructor at Michigan State University and Creator of GuideEye
Karl teaches information visualization for Michigan State University’s School of Journalism and is a consultant for news and government organizations.

Benjamin Bator
Founding Partner of Texts From Last Night
Ben is an author and founding partner of Texts From Last Night, one of the top 500 websites in the U.S. according to Quantcast.com. He is a college graduate, according to Michigan State, an aurthor, according to Penguin Books and a definite texter, according to himself.

Dan Gilbert
Founder of Quicken Loans and Bizdom U
Owner of Cleveland Cavs and Fathead
Dan Gilbert is the founder of the nation’s largest web lender: Quicken Loans. He just moved HQ/1700 of 4,000 team members to “WEBward Avenue” in Detroit. Dan is the owner of Cleveland Cavs and Fathead and the founder of Bizdom U.

Rick DeVos
Founding Partner of ArtPrize
Rick is a social entrepreneur and creator of ArtPrize, an experiment that was widely celebrated, reviled as heresy and made 200,000 people look at art.

Antonio “Shades” Agee
CEO of Shadesdet LLC
Tony is a world-famous artist, known for his graffiti, who believes making art is as much about projecting a defiant attitude as it is coming up with a clever composition.

Jocelyn Rainey
Owner of JRainey Gallery
Jocelyn is a sculptor, painter and owner of the JRainey Gallery. She is known for designs that consist of bright, cadmium colors and familiar shapes that create excitement.

Steve Kahn
Director of Wayne State University Center for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics
Steve is the director of the WSU Center for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics, a series of programs designed to produce success for Detroit students as they pursue their education from elementary and middle school through high school and college.

Stephen Clark
Interactive Anchor/Journalist at WXYZ-TV Channel 7
An old TV news dog learning new tricks, Stephen is leading the convergence of old and new media through the #backchannel on WXYZ TV. Stephen tries every day to find balance between the good and the bad.

Mark Lincoln Braun
Founder of Mr. B’s Joybox Express
Joybox Express is a custom trike that carries a 352 lb. piano, touring to raise awareness and funding for children’s access to arts and athletic programs.

DJ Prime Minister
DJ Prime Minister, a.k.a. “The Scratch Painter,” is an artist using his scratching to express his thoughts, feelings and perspectives on life.

Dixon’s Violin
Dixon’s Violin is one part concert violinist, one part digital effects master and one part shaman.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., started by Detroit natives Joshua Epstein and Daniel Zott, combines drum machines and samplers with quality songwriting to create music that is both interesting and danceable.

Mr. B’s Joybox Express
Joybox Express is a custom trike that carries a 352 lb. piano, touring to raise awareness and funding for children’s access to arts and athletic programs.

TEDxDetroit 2010 was produced by Charlie Wollborg, Nick DeNardis, Becks Davis, Hubert Sawyers III, Rob Parker, Kaitlin Slattery, Shelli Gutholm, Elena Wollborg, Becky Johns, Terry Bean, Derek Mehraban and a team of volunteers.

You can view hundreds of other interesting an engaging TEDtalks from extraordinary speakers like Al Gore, Jill Bolte Taylor, Seth Godin and Tony Robbins at TED.com

All of the artists at WLMF were electronic music producers in various capacities, emitting forms of downtempo, hip-hop, house, ambient, dubstep, techno and abstract beats.

It was a one-day, two-venue extravaganza, complete with crystal clear sound (thanks to audio and speaker sponsor JBL), stunning visual effects, and interactive live art exhibitions.  Freshtight Designs had a booth at The Old Miami where we sold t-shirts, illustrations, and posters.

Check out the amazing lineup and make sure you’re there next year!
Eliot Lipp (Live | Brooklyn | Old Tacoma Records)
Kraddy (Live | San Francisco | Equinox)
Jimmy Edgar (Live | Berlin | Warp)
James T. Cotton (DJ Set | Ann Arbor | Ghostly International)
John Arnold (Live | Detroit | Ubiquity Records | Transmat Records)
Kevin Reynolds (Live | Detroit | Todhchai)
Kyle Hall (DJ Set | Detroit | Wild Oats | FXHE)
nospectacle (Live + Visual | Hamtramck | Windsor)
Green Meadows (Live | Detroit | Blank Artists)
Lord Scrummage (Live | Detroit)
Madis One (Live | Detroit | Blank Artists)
Kero (Live | Detroit | Detund)
AM Architect (Live | San Antonio | Exponential Records)
Aether (Live | San Antonio | Exponential Records)
Leo123 (Live | Chicago | Mush Records)
Perilelle (Live | Toronto | Exchange Bureau)
Mobil (Live | Detroit)
Intricate Dialect & Kadence (Live | Detroit/Ann Arbor | Abolitionists Projects)
Deadlines (DJ Set | Detroit | Void)

Visual art installations and presentations from artists:
Nivek Monet
Kero
Lindsay Jewell
Detronik
Broken City Lab

Art and Web Design by John Leonard:
www.cargocollective.com/johnleonard
www.coexsystem.blogspot.com

View Press from XLR8R |  View Photography by The RFW

To enter the ticket giveaway, become a fan of Freshtight Designs on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and leave a comment below explaining why we should pick you… it’s as easy as that!  Five winners will be chosen at random at 12:noon on 7/31 and we will see everyone Saturday at PhonoFest!

Also happening on Saturday is Freshtight Design’s featured artist, Jaclyn Schanes‘ first solo exhibition/performance called Show Pony, at the Re:View Contemporary Gallery in Detroit.  She is the epitome of “life as art” and “art as life” and has created everything herself from the soundtrack/score of the event to the watercolor paintings.  This is one exhibit you don’t want to miss.  One woman, two hours, a hundred layers of meaning.  Click here for more information.

At the center of the exhibit are approximately 35 small to medium watercolor self-portraits, which will be uniquely mounted and displayed in a strategic way as to facilitate performance by including the attendees into the experience. Schanes has recently embraced the often forgotten medium of watercolor, bringing both beauty and brutal directedness to her Neo-Expressionism influenced portraits, which will provide one layer of meaning in this two-hour art event.

“We are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. We are completing this event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line – a cure!”

Please make a donation, even $5 or $10, to support our team’s participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS’s mission.

Click here to visit the team’s homepage.

We’re flipping the scales so they weigh in favor of the artists… to represent ourselves, our culture and measure our own success.

Join us, every first Saturday of the month, as The Crofoot and Freshtight Designs combine forces and bring to you some of the most influential voices, minds and styles in the hip hop community.

Aug 7th
Detroit CYDI
Sidenotes
Almighty Dreadnaughtz
Stoopz ‘n Breeze
Of Mice and Musicians
live graffiti by SAM SRSLY

RSVP on Facebook for a chance to win free tickets

DJs, emcees, graffiti writers, breakdancers, artists, networking and more…

View Photos |  Contact us to get involved.

The conference will consist of presentations and panels showcasing different aspects of game production, graphic design, and digital media; portfolio reviews, and exhibitor space. Freshtight Designs will have an exhibitor space showcasing some of our latest work.

In 2009, there were over 400 people in attendance, but expect 2010 to be bigger and better. Attendees last year included industry professionals, creative professionals, faculty from local and national colleges and universities, as well as students.

Interfaces Conference | May 22, 2010 | 9am-5pm
Troy Community Center
3179 Livernois
Troy, MI 48083
View Map
www.iadtdetroit.com
(Discount tickets available for Students and Faculty)

This year’s speakers include:

Max Voelker – ZeeGee Games, Associate Producer
Brian Menze – Obsidian Entertainment, Senior Artist
Chris Arnold – Carbine Studios, Lead World Artist
Christian Allen – WB Games, Lead Game Designer
Greg Foertsch – Firaxis Games, Lead Artist
Adam Sparkes – Sparkes Photography
Rob Eckert – Ringside Creative Motion Designer
Dennis & Christina Jacobs – Perfect Laughter
Oliver Hoffman – Creative Director
Julie Lang – Campbell-Ewald, Design Director
Trevor Anulewicz – Vectorform, Creative & Experience Director
Peter D’Agosinto – DP & Company, Associate Creative Director

The Interfaces conference is built on student and professional needs in the area. Metro Detroit has a growing digital culture that is encouraging industry to start and grow here. The Michigan State tax incentives create a need for industry professionals and educators to update their skills, and students to prepare properly for a creative and digital career path.

We hope you can join us in this quest!

Sponsors: Garage Games, Cengage Learning, Pearson Publishing, and Target Direct Marketing!