Indochine's Top Shelf

Tabria Reviews Kid Cudi's "Incudi"

05/14/13 06:07 PM Filed in: Video Vixens

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Kid Cudi's third studio album takes listeners on a dark, psychedelic journey through the artist's psyche. Cudi is known for pushing the envelope with his music and aims to reinvent himself after each release. He took complete control of this album by essentially writing and producing the entire project, which is a feat unbeknownst to most rap/hip-hop artists. 

While Indicud hasn't won Cudi any new fans amongst critics, it certainly has warranted him respect. The focal point of this album is whether Cudi can create an entire musical project by himself. Hence, you have extended instrumentals and tracks where he may take the backseat in lyrics and focus on production. This is most apparent when he collaborates with rhymeslayer Kendrick Lamar on "Solo Dolo Part II". While Lamar brings consistent lyrical fire ("Eternity, no such thing as time will tell / Infirmary, burn like magnetic combustion / Bad credit with me, and paramedics are hustling"), Cudi produces rather uninspiring lyrics ("Searching all day in the streets for DMT / Don't sip it, though -- it couldn't answer / Drip, drip all day -- bumping' MGMT, homie"). Granted, it is difficult to hang with the likes of a superior wordsmith, such as Lamar, but Cudi could have given us a bit more substance.

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One of the albums best moments comes from the lead single, "Just What I Am", which is reminiscent of various Cudi throwbacks of quirky stoner jams. King Chip delivers a solid sixteen, and the hazed party beat helps masks Cudi's deficiencies on the mic. Juxtapose this against "Unfuckwitable," and listeners can understand why the album is such a bumpy experience. A grimy beat with amateur guitar playing collides with the deliberately un-melodic singing. Cudi's got passion, but when he's calling out "Woahhhhhh!", he's terribly tone deaf, and I can't push play fast enough.

"Young Lady" is cut from the same cloth as "Erase Me," but achieves the "rock 'n' rap" feel Cudi is known for. To those who cannot stand the wailing (me), it will infuriate. This distribution is followed fairly evenly throughout the rest of the record: "Red Eye" is a melodic gem, "Solo Dolo Part II" is a love/hate affair, and the hook on "Girls" should have never happened--actually the entire song could have been cut. Too $hort is damn near 50--definitely too old for all that; however, there are solid features from Lamar, A$AP Rocky, the RZA, and King Chip which makes for a strong guest list that oftentimes masks Cudi's deficiencies. 

Though Indicud isn't the best we've received from Kid Cudi, it definitely shows that he's trying to cultivate and hone is sound. We have to reward him for his boldness because there are since great moments on the album. Though this wasn't a personal favorite, I can appreciate the fact that Cudi was trying to create an original, fresh, and unique album without the creative constraints of a label.


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Candice - The Latest "Me In My Place" Beaut

04/20/13 05:10 PM Filed in: Video Vixens
“I would love for my bank account to match the size of my rump. I’d literally be the happiest girl in NYC.” - Candice

Sheesh! With a backside like that, a sizable bank account can’t be too far behind. When Me In My Place hits one out of the park, which really just means him choosing a curvy model, he really hits one out. Candice is a WIN-ner. Be sure to check back in at MIMP, as Candice’s set is not quite over yet, so there’s more goodness to come.

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New Beauty Magazine for Women of Color

04/18/13 03:33 PM Filed in: Video Vixens
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I saw Jones Magazine for the first time today and was immediately struck by the cover. It reminded me of the old days of Essence magazine and great beauties like Lana Ogilvie. Simply put: the magazine is classy and pretty. When I opened it up, I was equally impressed by the layout, design, and photography by Juan Carlos Algarin. It seems to be at the same level as Allure magazine, but with articles, editorials, and advertisements specifically targeting women of color. You don’t see too much of that out there, so it’s a nice addition to the somewhat homogenous group of beauty magazines currently on the stands.

You may be asking: what does this matter to us, Indo, we like urban models? Well, so do I, but this is where it all starts. If you don’t have a solid foundation of what commercial black beauty represents to build advertising around, the super sub niches like urban glamour don’t stand a chance.

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Indosplace Flashback - Bria Myles

04/07/13 01:23 PM Filed in: Video Vixens
This one stands out as one of our better efforts… (damn you Google trends!)
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Google Trends Shows the Demise of Urban Modeling

04/02/13 11:49 PM Filed in: Video Vixens
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Google Trends, Google’s powerful forecasting tool for marketers, clearly illustrates the demise of urban modeling. There is hardly any term associated with the genre that is trending upward these days. With a score of 100 representing the ultimate search popularity of a term, consider this:

• In May 2004 Melyssa Ford scored a 100; in January 2013 she was a mere nine;

• In July 2005 KING magazine scored a 100; in January 2013 it was 14;

• In July 2004 Smooth magazine scored a 100; in February 2013 it was a four; and

• In October 2009 Rosa Acosta scored a 100; in March 2013 she was a 33

Even the term “urban modeling” has consistently trended downward, at 100 in February 2004 is now at 35. These numbers don’t represent sudden spikes and downfalls. Rather, as the charts indicate, these numbers represent a free fall over the last decade. Not that we’re learning anything here we don’t already know. It’s just a confirmation.

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Hope Yoders Self Portraits - Me In My Place

03/19/13 12:11 AM Filed in: Video Vixens
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This model, Hope Yoders, a 21-year-old photography student from Florida, caught my eye on Me In My Place. She reminds me a little of Mal Malloy, and when I read up on her, the similarities were even more apparent. From her self description:

I am short that’s all there is to it. I’m barely 5’2” and come from a family of hourglass shaped women with a tendency to put on weight on our bottoms and tummies. I’ve struggled with my own perceptions of my weight as well as outside pressure from society and within my own family.



Mal is around the same height and also comes from a family of pear-shaped women, on her mom’s side. Anyone remember her story of the seven year olds making fun of her butt from the David Boring review?

Anyway, I really like Hope - support her Kickstarter campaign here.

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Olivia Jensen Hair Tutorial

03/11/13 05:19 AM Filed in: Video Vixens
Olivia is considering her own beauty tips blog and we thought that even though this plays to a slightly different audience than the typical Indosplace crowd, some of you guys might still be a little interested in what's going on here too. Winking

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Carol Seleme's Take on Urban Modeling

02/27/13 02:00 AM Filed in: Video Vixens
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This is Carol Seleme’s artwork. Note the meticulous attention to detail – the extra head movement during “the pitch” in panel one, the look of drowsy arousal on the photographer’s face in the last panel… I’ve actually seen that baby oil spiel go down on a “professional” magazine shoot before.

Still, there’s more to it than this I think, e.g., why is it “art” when it’s a rail-thin Eurocentric model like Gisele, but taboo erotica when it’s a truly voluptuous model?


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New Bria Myles from SHOW

02/07/13 02:57 AM Filed in: Video Vixens
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And video (it’s hot)!

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Sobella Q. Repping AGT

01/28/13 11:44 PM Filed in: Video Vixens
Here we have the beautiful Sobella repping AGT for New York City.
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Carol Seleme Outtakes from "Wreck-It Ralph" Review

01/13/13 06:15 PM Filed in: Video Vixens
Click image below to be taken to video. Reach Carol Seleme on Twitter.

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Former Twiggy Ford Model Now Brickhouse - Lisa Visagie

01/05/13 12:47 AM Filed in: Video Vixens
I think Lisa’s story could be instructive to some aspiring models. Healthy is beautiful, but it’s also important to demand quality in your images. Note how discerning she was after leaving Ford and moving to a different agency that represented curvier models (between 3-4 minute mark). It would be nice to see this level of quality more often in urban/glamour modeling.

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How Can a Curvy Girl Try Glamour Modeling (without having regrets)?

01/02/13 01:20 AM Filed in: Video Vixens
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It still amazes me that the quantity and quality of curvy, aspiring models was greater 15 years ago than it is today. There are women I photographed when I first started doing this who are lawyers and successful actresses today. You don’t see that too much now. The internet has changed things for the worse. Just about anyone can appoint themselves a model and this has led to a decrease in the overall quality of candidates we see. Aspiring models with college degrees or good jobs don’t want to get lumped in with the cell phone yamps, so they stay away.

Further, any stigma attached to glamour modeling in general is even double for voluptuous women. People see it as more sexual (even though these women are generally not regarded as desirable in the mainstream; that’s the hypocrisy of it all), and therefore less reputable. Don’t believe me? Ask yourself this: where is the analog for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue for curvy women, or the renowned Victoria Secrets runway show?

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Hopefully this will change over time, but for now a curvy woman looking to do this has to proceed with caution. She has to make sure to distinguish herself. She will also want to take images she can defend should they arise in a sensitive context, like say, a corporate job or a future marriage prospect.

The answer to this is both simple and complex: find a good photographer that conveys what you want to portray. This is easier said than done because, while there are seemingly more photographers today than ever, there actually aren’t many good ones. An aspiring model has to have a discerning eye to differentiate a talented photographer from what Kimmi Kennedy refers to as “suitcase pimps.”

I can’t describe to you what makes one photograph higher quality than the next, but I can tell you that high quality photos involve: 1) professional hair and make up, 2) quality locations, 3) a stylist, and 4) time intensive retouching. Hint: Retouching that doesn’t look like retouching takes more time – anyone can apply a skin blur filter.

I recently came across a photographer who has done some of the best work I’ve seen with curvy models - Bradford Wilcox for Natural Model Management. I would suggest any woman looking to do this check them out. But still, you don’t see the range in terms of sexually racy photos that you do in the thinner girls portfolios. I am more interested in that intersection - the risqué with the Rubenesque (without becoming ribald).

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Alysha's New Blog - OurFixations.com

12/28/12 06:45 PM Filed in: Video Vixens
Our very own Alysha Young has a new blog devoted to beauty, style and celebrity: OurFixations.com. Check it out.

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Adella Pasos Reviews "Flight"

12/27/12 07:12 PM Filed in: Video Vixens
Check out Adella’s new review video for AllGoodThings.tv

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