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<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3706010832/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://finals.bandcamp.com/album/finals-friends-rumored-to-be-among-the-best">Finals + Friends: Rumored To Be Among The Best by finals</a></iframe>

FINALS.BLOG (2020-present) presents “Rumored To Be Among The Best” by Finals + Friends, a compilation of original exclusives by friends of the blog, out June 5, 2025. The single is out now on bandcamp, [soundcloud](https://soundcloud.com/friendsfinals/finals-friends-stas-thee-boss) and [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hcR-C4DCiU), "Pretty Boy In Spring Colors" by Stas THEE Boss. 

Curated by Finals, the comp is 11 tracks of unique/elite music from the American underground. 

Thank you to the artists for the music. Thank you Suspence for the idea. And thank you Suspence and Gabe Weisbuch for the cover art.

Questions or comments? Hit rumoredtobeamongthebest@gmail.com

Liner notes:

**Suspence - BEAT 19**

Longtime Seattle-based DJ and producer Suspence came up with the name “Finals,” and contributed half our 2020 mag which we dropped when the blog launched. While musically active in PNW clubs and in rap groups for decades, he has recorded only one (1) mix, a masterful edition of KEXP’s Midnight in a Perfect World, and has almost no solo music out.

**Khris P - HUNNA ROUND prod Gary**

Originally from St. Louis and now living in Tacoma, WA, Khris P first came to my attention as a producer and rapper in the now broken-up Tacoma group ILLFIGHTYOU in the early 2010s. Lately he has been focused on rapping. I produced an EP with Khris and his IFY bandmate, Glenn, in 2022, called GIMME INDIE ROCK, and since then, Khris has been crazy prolific, dropping six albums largely produced by a local enigma known only as Gary. 

**Stas THEE Boss - Pretty Boy In Spring Colors** 

Stasia Irons does it all. She’s a producer, rapper, singer, organizer, writer, recently a movie scorer (dream hampton’s It Was All a Dream), and an all-time performer going back to the mid-2000s. Currently based in Portland, OR, you might know her from her involvement in the Black Constellation crew, her DJ collective Sway & Swoon, her party Latifah, or from the now defunct group THEESatisfaction.

**10.4 Rog - grownups** 

Hailing from Renton, WA, and now located in Los Angeles, the producer, multi instrumentalist, and video director 10.4 Rog has built a cult following for his Dilla-esque rap and R&B production, differentiating himself from everyone else in that lane with his superior feel, and skills as a piano player. 

**Laron - dance dance!** 

Brooklyn producer Laron is mind-blowingly good at a full range of styles, with a discography including albums with very different MCs Jay Critch and Jadasea, credits on projects by MIKE and maassai, and beat tapes that call to mind the experimentalism of artists like Madlib, and Laron’s close friend and collaborator Tony Seltzer. 

**zayALLCAPS - popshuvit!**

Producer, rapper, singer, and indie label entrepreneur zayALLCAPS makes songs about love, anxiety, manic episodes, being validated by the homies, and striving for excellence, from his adopted hometown of LA. We love the Sacramento area native’s creative chord progressions, camouflaged samples, distinct “newstalgia,” and writing from the heart.

**Tomu DJ and YoungLove Erix - no service (demo)** 

The Bay Area’s own Tomu DJ produces all types of  music for the club or the headphone, both solo and with other producers (like kimdollars1), as well as with vocalists who might talk or rap on the track (like YoungLove Erix). She also makes sublime R&B club edits, organizes the West Oakland Music Festival, and is an adventurous DJ in an open-format style, sometimes with a reckless disregard for what’s deemed cool or tasteful. She makes that shit work.

**kimdollars1 - the ecstasy of communication** 

After Finals interviewed West Manhattan born, Austin, TX based producer kimdollars1 aka DJ kimila a few years ago, she started writing and contributing DJ mixes to the Finals universe, flexing her deep knowledge of rap, and gaining skills as an interviewer. We are grateful to publish her work and remain massive fans of her beats and mixes. 

**Dear Nora - sinaloan restaurant (Finals remix)**

Dear Nora, the morphing solo and group project led by songwriter, guitarist, and singer Katy Davidson, perfected PNW indie rock around the turn of the millennium. Now splitting time between the California desert and Brooklyn, their guitar music has grown more elegant, and more gently transportive.

**fish narc and Winston Hightower - odd save - snip**

fish narc is a living bridge between 2010s DIY spaces and soundcloud rap, whose musical arc has gone from hyper-aware PNW rock to producing for Lil Peep (RIP) and now back again to his roots as a guitar player, singer, and bandleader. Winston Hightower is his label mate on K Records, aka the label Kurt Cobain had tatted.

**Matson - Tele**

I made this short instrumental with my Telecaster during the height of COVID quarantine times, which is when we launched Finals. Listening back reminds me that end times can also be beginning times, and especially when we are scared about the future it can be therapeutic to sit down and try to calm yourself by creating something. I am struck by how this song reflects none of the stress and anxiety that overwhelmed me when I made it. 



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Finals and Friends: Rumored To Be Among The Best, Liner Notes

Dom P 

Dope interview dope spot dope interviewer 


Finals 

![photo-output.JPEG](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/photo_output_c6ea4a681c.JPEG)

*All photos by Atoosa Moinzadeh*

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You maybe know Goya Gumbani from his [NTS Radio show](https://www.nts.live/artists/105610-goya-gumbani) running for the past 4-5 years, or maybe you know him from the many fashion brands’ lookbooks he’s modeled for. Or maybe he’s in your creative constellation in Brooklyn or London, his dual homes.  

If you don’t know him, now’s the perfect time to get familiar, with his proper debut album Warlord of the Weejuns having just dropped on Ghostly, a 2025 continuation of the jazz rap of the ‘90s that was swirling when he was a kid. After years of one-off songs, guest features, and collaborating on joint projects with other artists, this is his own vision of smooth, Negroni-sipping, loafer-wearing hip-hop. 

We chatted at CWW Radio Shop record store/event space in Crown Heights about his new album, which features a cast of friends, like Ya Ya Bey, Joe Armon-Jones, Swarvy, lojii, Franky Bones, and hella others, and also about loafers and how they affect they way you move through the world, and the concept of embodying one's art. 

--

**I was just saying, we’re at a bar right now, and you’re drinking liquor. Can you think of a few times alcohol shows up on the album?**

Aight. Yeah. On “Lizards/Dancing With the Devil,” one of the lines is like “I need the elixir, and a mixer, and a twist of fruit.” 

**You got a skit in there where they’re talking about “top shelf” something or other.** 

Negroni. They’re talking about Negroni. That’s my drink. I’m in my 30s now, i’m not drinking for sport, I’m drinking for leisure at the end of a crazy day or week. And I like something that you’re not gonna drink mad quick. With each sip, it hits a little different than the last one. Powerful drink. Not for the faint hearted. 

**Congrats on the album, we’re talking on album release day. It’s a very collaborative album, although the spotlight is on you and it’s your proper debut. How many people was the core group who worked on the album?**

There was a lot of collaborations on the album. When I was starting, I was like it’s my first one on Ghostly, I was like if i could ever do anything I wanted, I could do it now. But then I started to realize, there was no connection between me and some of these people I wanted to work with. There was no musical connection. I feel like, with music, you meet artists that understand that we serve music. And then you meet artists where, this is about me, or about something that’s not really about the music. So, when I started I was like I wanna work with all these people, but I wasn’t getting the love for the music. 

**You had some missed connections?**

It was more like, now wasn’t the time. They had their vision and I had mine. But I wanted people who really cared about making something that would stand the test of time, and be as motivational and inspirational in 100 years as it is now. And the first few people I reached out, that wasn’t really their vibe. It was more like, this is my fee, to even think about this. And I was like, bruh, I don’t even know you. I wanna sit down with you for six hours, and like…

**It was too industry.** 

It was quite industry. So I went with the type of collaboration I did because of the sense of community around me. I worked with the people who really fucked with me. I was like, I wanna work with you but I’m directing this whole thing, and they were like we wanna get on board. We wanna help you get your vision out. We wanna lend our creative vision to yours. In a way that’s about more than streaming, or plays, but more like us serving the music. 

**It sounds to me like you went looking for something, and then when it didn’t work out, you let it come to you. Is that true?**

Yeah. I let it come to me. And I looked more inwards than outwards. I was like, I’m really grateful for what’s going on around me. When you’re in a world, it’s sometimes difficult to appreciate it. You go looking far and wide, and it’s right on your doorstep.

**Would you say everyone on the album is the homie?**

Every single person. We’ve all sat for 8 hours, made music, ate food, and watched YouTube, and Netflix, and Tubi…

**Not Tubi.** 

Or I could go as far back as Limewire. 

**Did you come to everyone with a vision?**

What I did was, I got into this practice. I got this from D’Angelo, where he would go to the studio and listen to music and watch videos. 

**Oh like with Questlove, watching Prince videos.** 

Exactly, the Prince shit. So I was going to mad people’s houses and studios and the first thing we would talk about is, have you heard this? What you been listening to? I would be like, this is the vibe. I was playing people, Brown Sugar, Voodoo, LIke Water for Chocolate, the Last Poets’ first album, Gil Scott Heron and Brian Jackson’s album, and Miles Davis – Miles Ahead, On the Corner, Shades of Blue and Sketches of Spain. Before I would start the session that’s what we would listen to. 

![Screen Shot 2025-03-31 at 7.02.44 AM.png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/Screen_Shot_2025_03_31_at_7_02_44_AM_6cd43ae6b1.png)

**Was it like a test? Like if you fuck with this music, you’re worthy?**

No, because they knew all that music. They already made jazz, and love hip-hop, and love reggae. And there was a lot of understanding of music – I’m kind of new to that. 

**It’s a very live band-y album. Who’s performing on Tuesday in New York?**

This kid Buzz on drums, Clint on piano, and a bass player named Evan, played a lot of stuff with Ya Ya Bey. All New York people. Evan is from Queens, Clint and Buzz live in Brooklyn. 

**What iterations have you done on stage?**

I’ve done three piece band, four piece band, five piece band. I’ve done me and a DJ. And me solo, me, and SP, and a Kaos pad. Kind of an artistic thing. A little more than a rap show. With this album, I knew I wanted to do more of a band thing. And I wanted to go outside the box, and make it from scratch. And any band, I wanted them to be able to musically read it, and also feel the groove. 

**So when you play in London, will you play with the people you wrote it with?**

Some of them, there’s a guy who helped me weave it together. Franky Bones. He produced the second song, the second to last song, and the song right in the middle. So when you listen to those three songs, the same chord progression runs through all of them. “Beautiful BLACK,” “Uptown Mami Skit,” and “Mind, Body, Spirit” with Seafood Sam. 

**“Uptown Mami Skit” she’s like what the fuck is a Weejun?**

She’s from uptown, ha ha. Shout out Liz. 

**They wear loafers in Harlem though.** 

They do, they do. Her pops got loafers, I’ll tell you that much. 

**How crazy is that, you named your album after a loafer. Are you wearing them right now?**

I am indeed, I would be so off-brand if I wasn’t. 

**Are those Gucci?**

No Maharishi with GH Bass, army camo embossed. Under the right light, it’s a movie. 

**Is it a corporate sponsorship?**

Hell no.

**That’s so much free press. **

I mean, fuck them. Ha ha. But the Weejun, is pretty much the penny loafer.

**They invented it?**

Nah they didn’t invent it. The Weejun was called the Weejun on some, it was like a fisherman’s shoe. A Norwegian fisherman’s shoe. The guy who cleaned the boats would wear like, a moccasin. And they (GH Bass) spoke to some guy and were like, can you turn it into a leather version? For like college n&&&as? It was like for n&&&as who went to Yale. It was made out of rubber before. It was a rubber loafer. It was super comfortable. 

**They should retro the rubber loafer and put you as the creative director.** 

I’m about to do my own loafer soon. I’m gonna make one loafer. And kind of wrap up this whole album. At like the end. One of my homies got a loafer brand, they’re called Horatio, [Horatio London](https://www.horatio-london.com/). And they kind of put me onto loafers. The first pair of loafers they gave me, I’m trying to do a version of that, it’s a croc skin horsebit. 

**So you can’t put the penny in it.** 

You can’t put the penny in it, but they made these versions with the leather strap and then the buckle over it. But we’ll see. It’s probably dropping in summertime, at the end of this album campaign. 

**You gotta drop at the end of summer, for back to school. Back to college.** 

Facts!

**I used to want to be a shoe designer when I was a kid. Did you ever go to fashion school?**

No, but one of my ex ex ex ex girlfriends was a shoe designer and she put me onto how a shoe is made. It’s not easy. It’s a lot of moving parts. She lowkey put me on. She was making shoes when I was just getting into loafers. I was like, this is crazy. She does music shit now. But she was making shoes from scratch. So I learned about lasts, the thing that shapes the shoe, everything. She’s a don for that. She had amazing taste in shoes. I mean, her sneaker game was trash, no disrespect. But she could make a good women’s shoe. And she made a few loafers, too. 

**Are you from Flatbush?**

I’m from Canarsie. 

**And how old are you?**

Thirty-four. 

**So you grew up mostly in the ‘90s. What’s like a classic Brooklyn shoe to you?**

Those Nike boots. Goadome. 

**They’re hard. And they speak to the fact that in New York, you’re often urban hiking. The loafer, on the other hand, screams to me “indoor spaces.”**

Yeah, or like, I’m reckless. I do the most in my loafers. I do the extra shit. At a festival for four days camping. 

**Do you have special calluses on your foot?**

No. I have every type of loafer, for one. The hiking type, the lug sole, the Vibram sole. But nah I just, I wear good socks…I believe in good socks. And never really rushing, bro. Any time I fuck my feet up in loafers, it’s because I’m running crazy, OD running.

**Do you think the loafer changes the speed you move through life?**

You just move a little more like, light. Light on your feet, but elegantly cruising. 

**People say in New York your coat is your car. But I think your shoes are your car. To the point where you move fast or slow, navigating the room, or the way you pivot when you turn a corner, whether it’s a loose ass Timberland, or a svelte loafer…you’re gonna take up space a lot differently in your environment. That’s what I like about style. How it’s about your vibe. I think fashion is for the birds, but style is eternal, and how you live with it. Fashion is for the birds, it’s fatbphobic, and antiblack, and wasteful, and run by white men.**   

Facts. When I think of fashion, I think of like, style is for leaders. Fashion is for those that don’t care that much and kind of go with the flow.

**So true. Fashion is for people with “taste” but actually the people with the least taste who are the biggest partakers. I might edit this out, but I’m doing an event here Sunday, and the homie invited the other homie to come out, and he was like “nah, I don’t really like DJ sets, I like the algorithm.” And here we are at a record store, and some people, who ostensibly are people of taste, would never even come here.** 

There’s people that like, don’t really care about going and seeking out some shit. They just like, OK this is what’s current, I need to be in this mindframe. And there’s people who are like, fuck that. 


![goya5.JPEG](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/goya5_d33872d44c.JPEG)

**And step outside the trend cycle, and to a degree the marketplace.** 

The box. That’s kind of what the album…it’s some shit I walk with anyway. It’s what I stand for. But when I was making it, I wasn’t thinking about connecting with any group of people. It’s beautiful that it does, and a reminder of what art can do, among people. When you put everything into it honestly and wholeheartedly, it can connect with the next individual. 

**I feel the stronger you express yourself, the more contagious your product is. And you express yourself through style, and music, and curation – overused word, and so is creative direction, but you do that. And compared to a lot of musicians, it’s in you. I can tell that, from how you made the album with friends, you can’t fake that, you made those friends based on your personality. You’re coming from a place of like, genuineness, consistently. You weren’t a different guy when we shot your photo for this interview. Same guy.** 

Right, you gotta get into character. Nah. It’s really am embodiment of self. 

**You should be so grateful for that, because a lot of people don’t have a personality.** 

Ha ha. Facts. And knowing all the people on the album, when I step back, I feel really grateful. We have a genuine relationship that’s not even musical…it’s like, what do you wanna eat? Are you hungry? Or speaking on some deeper shit. The music is the canvas, for after that, it’s an energy that you get from the people you admire and care for. 

**I want my daughter to have this quality. Putting out a vibe and people just want to get down with you. That’s dope. It’s probably what makes you have friends, in the place you were born, and in London, who helped you make your album. You have a quality that is prosocial. And I feel like America is so antisocial. So you gotta celebrate when people are open to what could happen between us, you know…maybe something good. Do you think you’re optimistic, as a person?****

I lead with positivity. I’m open-minded. And if you do that, you’ll always grow. 

**A lot of people don’t want to grow, though.** 

More the understanding of what growth is, gets misconstrued. It’s not always linear. 

**Maybe people do want to grow. Attitudes are changing around mental health. Maybe people want to turn inward and be learners.** 

Now is a different time. It’s easy to be antisocial, and a recluse. When I was growing up, you couldn’t really be that. There was no computer in your house. When I grew up Playstation 1 came out. Prior to that it was about mingling, outside. The computer was the family computer, playing solitaire. You weren’t really there. You wanted to be outside. I used to fiend for going outside. When I was grounded, I couldn’t go outside. You can’t do that, now. It’s not a punishment if the kid has everything they want in their bedroom. I’m gonna go on Discord. 

**Yo, I wanted so ask you. Do you listen to Digable Planets, Camp Lo, or Guru’s Jazzmatazz?** 

Yeah, I listened to Jazzmatazz a lot during the early makings of the album. Camp Lo I’ve been listening to all my life. Had no choice. Digable Planets, I love Digable Planets. Ladybug Mecca did a song with Pink Siifu, and I called him like how did you get her on this song? I was like bruh…

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**He’s similar to you, in that it’s in him. He’s musically like putting everything into it. Like you’re getting to know him by listening.** 

Me and him are from the same cloth. And same era, in terms of, we’re baby Miles Davises. And his shit is like, so many different bags. And it’s all still an extension of him. I really admire him, that’s my brother, he’s boundless. There’s no box you can fit him in. He redefines himself, constantly. It’s a weird concept, as an artist, that you can only do what you’re known for. I feel like art is more expression than it’s about giving people what they want.

--

*At this point the event space started blasting music, but it was a good place to end anyway. Thanks Goya!*

The Goya Gumbani Interview

Mano

The GENG PTP Interview

![New Project (65).png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/New_Project_65_84a9da5e04.png)

The strong homie Lei has been published in NY Mag, been a guest on SHOWStudio, and for his day job writes his ass off for Complex (any time you see a banging style article there it was either Aria Hughes or Mike Destefano or Lei who did it). When I told him Finals was doing NY-focused year-end lists, he came through with his year in gear. Thanks Lei, you went crazy!

--

*Peace Andrew, Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak to all the beautiful people that follow Finals! You asked me to make a little “Best of NY” list and I’m not going to lie, it was kind of hard figuring out what to do. I decided that I was going to lean into my fashion bullshit for this one. So let’s see what happens!* 

*However, you might have encouraged me to do a nice little round-up of my favorite graffiti flicks of the year, follow my [substack](https://crooknyc.substack.com/) for more ;)* 

![Screen Shot 2023-12-24 at 9.15.12 AM.png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/Screen_Shot_2023_12_24_at_9_15_12_AM_1efa3a5931.png)

**The Best Piece I Copped From A NYC Brand**
As one can imagine, I cop a lot of gear throughout the year. Personally, the best drop I picked up this year were some raw denim Born X Raised Levi’s 501s– [Rest in Peace, Spanto](https://twitter.com/Lei_Takanashi/status/1702057441406451891). But I wanted to take this opportunity with Finals to reflect on the many local NYC brands I love.

Yes, there are a lot of New York City brands out. To be honest, many of them are hella corny—like what the fuck is a Bushwick Yacht Club? And with all due respect, I’ll stick to Polo before you catch me lining up for you know what. I’m not going to waste any words on any of the NY labels we all know about already. I’ll say that Awake is my favorite mainstream one at the moment though—who else got a JA throw inside their store? 

![Screen Shot 2023-12-24 at 8.44.23 AM.png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/Screen_Shot_2023_12_24_at_8_44_23_AM_81be4cd799.png)

So let me run through my many local cops this year. When it comes to home goods, I own a decent amount of stuff from [Blue Bodega](https://www.bluebodeganyc.com/) at the moment. It’s a label that creates art editions informed by New York culture but particularly speaks towards graffiti—which is a common thread when it comes to the brands I love. A lot of Blue Bodega’s products give me a [Subware](https://www.complex.com/style/a/lei-takanashi/subware-stash-nyc-streetwear-supreme-collaboration-interview) vibe. It also reminds me of a time when art-toys used to be [closely intertwined with graffiti](https://www.kidrobot.com/blogs/news/graffiti-toy-trucks-by-tyo-toys). This water-barrier piece they made with the Uptown killa [SKAM](https://www.instagram.com/undetected.ny/) is just genius and I got to give them props for creating my favorite home decor pick-up this year. 

![Screen Shot 2023-12-24 at 8.45.34 AM.png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/Screen_Shot_2023_12_24_at_8_45_34_AM_b2b975f6e4.png)

Another local I gotta show some love for is [SHA](https://www.instagram.com/333.333.333zzz/). He stays posted up at [All City Legends](https://allcitylegends.com/), wielding that airbrush like a magic wand, conjuring up tees that would make Phade’s head spin.

![Screen Shot 2023-12-24 at 8.46.58 AM.png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/Screen_Shot_2023_12_24_at_8_46_58_AM_e6e6dc9d76.png)

Also shouts out to the [Chadie](https://www.instagram.com/chadieonline/) boys in Queens, for this screen printed beauty blessed by the hands of CNONE.

![Screen Shot 2023-12-24 at 8.48.18 AM.png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/Screen_Shot_2023_12_24_at_8_48_18_AM_7143d8b419.png)

But really, if I’m going to wax poetic about any pick ups from a NYC-based label. I'm giving a well-deserved shoutout to this hoodie I copped from [Brigade](https://www.instagram.com/brigadeusa/?hl=en). I remember I first saw this joint on Papo 2oo4 when he [opened](https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=hhkwnZQpoSOV3m5y&v=5cm5t36CUMo&feature=youtu.be) for this YL x Starker show in Brooklyn. 

*Swish!* Any Polo head knows how fly the OG K-Swiss hoodie is—peep [*Wreckin Shop*](https://youtu.be/zUAuCQN-AJI?si=daJvWNXKnMKtjy3U&t=542) if you don’t know what I’m talking about. But respectfully, Brigade made the new school version of that shit and this hoodie is not just quality. It’s **cozy**! I’m not gassing it at all. Let’s break down the science by what I mean by “quality” and “cozy”. 

A Supreme hoodie is **quality**. You put that shit on and you already know that cotton spun differently because it feels like a weighted blanket. The only qualms I have about Preme’s shit is that it’s OD stiff. I think they intentionally do that so it literally feels like a statement. Like “I’m wearing a Supreme hoodie, the fuck you talking about?!” 

 But really, most of us prefer sitting on the other end of the hoodie spectrum, which is “**cozy**.” You know, hoodies that are actually just soft and comfortable to wear for serious lounging. So when it comes to cozy, my vintage Polo Bear hoodies feel like the creme de la creme. But with all due respect, they don’t feel like “quality” simply because of its age—the [Dick Tahsin graphics](https://www.grailed.com/drycleanonly/polo-bear-designer-dick-tahsin) are minty though and that’s what counts. This Brigade hoodie is the perfect marriage between the quality of a new Supreme hoodie and the coziness of a vintage Polo hoodie. I was flabbergasted when I first put it on and it has been my go-to since. Good shit [Aaron](https://www.instagram.com/enduringthewaves/?hl=en), you did that. 

**The Best Merch I Copped** 
One, I don’t ever really go see live music anymore unless I’m really feeling it. Two, I don’t ever cop merch unless it hits crazy. I was fortunate enough to find both at the only two live music experiences I went to this year.

After many long years of being a fan of YL and Starker, I finally committed to seeing them at Elsewhere this year. Naturally, I had to come correct for this show because anyone who collects Polo in NYC knows that [Starker is the real deal](http://highsnobiety.com/p/polo-ralph-lauren-new-york-collector/). So I backed out a red wool RL2000 ski bear knit and a little Cross Flags duffle bag I ain’t seen anyone else wear. Just to clear the air, I’m not trying to flex like I’m some Polo god or anything of the sort. I just got a real appreciation for true Lo hitters. The rest of the fit was pretty mid to keep it 100—just a regular red 2017 Nuptse jacket and some brick red Denim Tears Asics that I’m beating into the ground.

There’s a good reason why YL and Starker are muses for brands like Aime Leon Dore at this current moment. Their music and personas represent a sense of New York style that can’t be bought at Rogue Garments or any of those sad Dimes Square vintage clothing boutiques trying to move bummy CdG Homme sweaters for bread. Put it like this. When I listen to RRR, I feel like I’m wearing something like an OG Front Page shirt by [Julie Castillo](https://www.instagram.com/p/Crgho9ttXtO/?img_index=6). Their music has an air of authenticity that simply can’t be replicated, even though many respectfully try. 

You knew this was a YL and Starker function based on how many flavorful North Faces filled the room. Big shout out to my guy [Brarnold](https://www.instagram.com/brarnoldsvintage/), another true Lo collector based in Philly. Bro pulled up all the way from steaktown in a ‘92 America’s Cup jacket—he also [shot one of my favorite Starker videos to date](https://youtu.be/dgH9ndhQ1rM?si=mADRySUQiBbFgBpd). At the end of the show, I perused the merch and this Starker long sleeve naturally caught my eye. He later hit me in my DMs and put me on to the reference, [a mom and pop sneaker store chain](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1445770659/SPORTSLANE_NEW_tw_400x400.JPG) in Brooklyn. While I can show a flick of this long sleeve, I’d rather show this Starker spread put together by the good people at [*Living Proof New York*](https://livingproofnewyork.com/)—the greatest graffiti magazine/podcast out right now–that showcases Starker’s untouchable flyness.  

![Screen Shot 2023-12-24 at 8.56.02 AM.png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/Screen_Shot_2023_12_24_at_8_56_02_AM_8a31d09310.png)

While this was the hardest piece of merch I copped, I must say that a worthy contender is this T-shirt designed by Ain’t Wet for MIKE’s Young World 3. 

![youngworld3.jpeg](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/youngworld3_fd93f5b6ac.jpeg)

I love how I can pick up one of hundreds of graphic tees I own and just remember everything about the moment I picked it up. I ain’t going to delve too deep into how ill Young World 3 was  since anyone who follows music in New York City already knows what’s good with that. I will say though, it was a trip going from 454, to MIKE, to 2017 Jay Critch, and then closing out with a NoName show without spending a dime—I still gotta upload videos to my YouTube but some footage is [there](https://www.youtube.com/@CROOKNYC/videos). But word to [Ain’t Wet](https://www.instagram.com/aintwet/?hl=en), they snapped on the event poster and T-shirt, as they always do. I’m going to likely need that GTA-inspired [*Burning Desire*](https://store.10k.global/release/429846-mike-burning-desire-gta-t-shirt) tee before the year closes out. 

**The Best NYC Pop-up I Went To** 
New York Fashion Week is always stacked with activations, shows, and so many other events that it sometimes feels like a competition of what brand has the biggest marketing budget to spend. I’m not knocking fashion shows. What I’m saying is that so much goes on during NYFW that a lot of it truly feels soulless, bearing little to no connection to actual New Yorkers. Aside from Abrons Arts Center's excellent [‘Objects of Permanence’ exhibition](https://www.vogue.com/article/objects-of-permanence-abrons-art-center) by Mellany Sanchez, the one event that really stuck with me from NYFW this September was Primer Rebelde De America’s pop-up at Graceland New York.

![Screen Shot 2023-12-24 at 8.59.31 AM.png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/Screen_Shot_2023_12_24_at_8_59_31_AM_132e62d9f4.png)

I’ve been closely following Victor Vegas’ label all-year and have resonated with the fact that his clothes are saying something real. Each T-shirt, hoodie, and crewneck he’s dropped is telling a story about Indigenous people in the Americas. I love it when I could research a T-shirt graphic and actually learn something from it—like how this [tee](https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr08OPzOToL/?img_index=1) put me on to César Chávez and Dolores Huerta’s United Farm Workers of America. After the pop-up, [he shared at length](https://www.instagram.com/p/CxJOCbrukie/?hl=en&img_index=1) why he wanted to do it in his hometown of Ridgewood, Queens and I admire any designer who stands on their brand’s ethos like that. I ended up picking up this [“Broken Arrow”](https://www.learnanddestroy.com/product/broken-arrow) T-shirt he made in collaboration with Learn & Destroy—another dope NYC label by Ray Morales that’s also making some [tough AF clothing](https://www.instagram.com/learnanddestroy/?hl=en) locally. 

![figuresofspeech.jpeg](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/figuresofspeech_866de51130.jpeg)

**The Craziest Street Rack Find** 
Man, I think I went to the ‘Figures of Speech’ exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum like five times. It kinda gave me the same therapeutic experience of walking through a good brick and mortar store—much love to 867 Madison Avenue.  While I certainly do wish that it was laid out in multiple sections of the museum like the original one at the MCA in Chicago, Antwuan Sargent’s rotunda of Abloh’s greatest works just hit like a perfect loop. Of course, like everyone else, I took a L on the Brooklyn AF1s. While I was walking by [Village Works](https://www.villageworksnyc.com/) on St. Marks this summer, I stopped by a random street rack and found this sitting there for just $50. It was an instant purchase and I couldn’t believe the vendor just found it at a thrift in Brooklyn.  

![Screen Shot 2023-12-24 at 9.04.13 AM.png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/Screen_Shot_2023_12_24_at_9_04_13_AM_f286b10a99.png)
*I ain't tryna flex my entire receipt*

**The Market Market Sale**  
I feel like most sample sales aren’t even worth talking about or going to in New York City. They always look hella mid on Tik-Tok and really are you saving THAT much money? I don’t know, I’m not a sample sale fiend by any means. But I would say from what I’ve seen on social media, it’s a lot of line waiting for deals on weak designer clothing that’s still breaking your wallet. 

But then, there’s Dover Street Market’s Market Market sale. This is really one of those things where if you weren't there, you smoked a crazy fat L. Chris Chance really documented how nuts this shit was for [MadeintheURL](https://madeintheurl.com/The-Great-Comme-Stimulus-Inside-the-sale-of-a-lifetime). Put it like this, if you went early, you could have been like one of my Grailed peeps and copped every embossed ERL puffer ever co-signed by a famous rapper. I won’t lie, it was hella weird shopping during one of the worst days of that Canadian wild fire smog, because you really feel dumb af for risking your health for some garments. 

But as someone who collects [graffiti artist collabs](https://www.instagram.com/p/B8aKfP_pXMa/), the sale blessed me like crazy. I came out of Market Market with a Futura x CDG Shirt zip-up, and legit, every colorway of a CDG Shirt x Supreme  top that was graced with [Earsnot](https://www.complex.com/style/a/lei-takanashi/irak-earsnot-kunle-f-martins-interview)’s handstyle. 

![dsny.jpeg](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/dsny_21194eb767.jpeg)

**The Hardest NYC Merch**

These days, between vintage clothing trends and Only NY having every New York City agency in a chokehold, super distinct merchandise from various NYC organizations feels tougher to find these days. For the record, I love Only NY’s collaborations in this realm and happily own that [trash can pen holder](https://onlyny.com/products/trash-can-pen-holder). But when Grailed sellers like 4GSeller are trying to sell a Bronx Science hoodie—that was released when I was there during the 2010s—[for $890](https://www.grailed.com/listings/51499603-vintage-vintage-bronx-science-nyc-bx-hoodie?g_aidx=Listing_production&g_aqid=a9ff81bb56b012270faa40ee1e2f4b6c), you know this market is getting nutty. While I have been trying to chill out on saved eBay searches this year, I’m always on the lookout for this type of gear. This piece by [Sebastien Meijias](https://www.instagram.com/minivanboy666/), a photographer and artist who actually works for the DSNY, just goes dumb. I personally feel like [vintage DSNY merch](https://www.instagram.com/p/B5k0cNtJAKv/?img_index=1) always hits. 

Lastly, here’s a playlist of music that made me feel as fly as Max B spitting bars out the whip in a B.B. belt. 

<iframe allow="autoplay *; encrypted-media *; fullscreen *; clipboard-write" frameborder="0" height="450" style="width:100%;max-width:660px;overflow:hidden;border-radius:10px;" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" src="https://embed.music.apple.com/us/playlist/lei-takanashi-finals-2023-best-of-nyc/pl.u-KVXBY7VTZozoK8"></iframe>

Best of 2023: Lei Takanashi’s NYC Buyer’s Guide

![finality_white.png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/finality_white_73512f9728.png)

Fall is here and I'm really dressing. Shorts and long sleeves baby. The combination of the gods. What are you wearing this fall? After splurging on an 18 East oxford the other day (if you call the store you can buy from the warehouse; they aren't online yet), I'm officially buying exactly zero shit this season. I have all the lightweight outerwear I need, and some Kiko Asics I mostly kept on ice since last xmas. I'm good. 

I think if there is any trend I am into this season, it's prep. Not that it represents a drastically different way for me to dress, but I will say that currently I have the capability and desire to wear a collared shirt every day of the week, which is fairly preppy to me. The oxford I recently bought was a double: I bought it in black and I have another identical one in pink. The rest of my rotation is a third oxford, two rugbies, and two Monitaly "Batman" shirts ([this size small on grailed is a steal at $64](https://www.grailed.com/listings/39848281-monitaly-monitaly-brown-batman-shirt-small?g_aidx=Listing_production&g_aqid=aff0495fc4dffe9898e9ec6ae1664c53)). They all look good with shorts and also with my colder weather rotation of baggy long pants. 

It's funny, we were upstate the other weekend with a serious New York City Fashion Family, and at one point I noticed all of us were wearing collared shirts. Like, button downs. And none of us just "happened" to be dressing that way,  either: we were all super psyched on our collared shirts. They're indicative of one of the key touchpoints in menswear and womenswear right now, a shared prep moment. And I'm pro that, especially financially, because the prep wardrobe is something that looks good beat to shit and can be bought relatively cheaply on eBay. 

I did have to laugh, though, when I noticed all us discerning "individuals" wearing the same stuff. A lot of times clothes are marketed to us to enhance our "personal styles," as if we are all way out on some specific limb, headed into undiscovered territory, figuring ourselves out. We internalize that myth to degrees. Then one day you look around and your whole friend group is wearing the same thing and you have to laugh at the conformity. 

It's nothing new, of course, dressing like your cohort. Style tribes persist because style is social, and the personal style concept is mostly fake. We are generally choosing what to wear from what's already available in the marketplace, or choosing based on how we perceive that marketplace (which we might not be able to really participate in bc we are broke). And the marketplace is the domain of product marketing, where certain items are hammered into the front of our vision and we are tricked into desiring them. 

If I can interrogate my own taste in clothes for a microsecond, I think it somewhat involves dressing in drag as "normal man" in order to protect against some kind of gender anxiety. Also sort of leaning into my big and hairy body, in a way that works with what I already look like. Additionally I admit I dress a lot like my mom, a primary influence on my life, who basically has two clothes modes: Polo down, and wizard in flowing robes. Both of which appeal to me immensely. 

Anyway that's what's going on in Finals land fashion wise this season. It's on my mind because as I type this it's not just the beginning of the season when I really start dressing (or at least I think I do), it's also the beginning of fashion week, a time of year I have a seriously mixed relationship with as a fan and a critic. I'm very ambivalent about it. I over think it. Sometimes I write about it. This year I'm not.  

ANYWAY. Music. 

Fall wise, this is what I'm on. I edit this playlist weekly: 

<iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/5y59z0bz2oMeNWIlgowEPO?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe>

Fall is also a fine time to listen to guitar music, which I have been keeping a close-ish eye on this year: 

<iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/5Hpdxy2hglP9wFJ0iaJBgv?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe>

Additionally if you need more music to listen to, I have been building this since January (it includes some late December jams): 

<iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/6aklv9jdF97fBO07cnWOlG?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe>

And this:

<iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/2PkJPpusbyP7dThL7ZNS16?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe> 

And that's it. Sound off the in the comments, like & subscribe, peace & fucking.


Fall Fit Check & Playlists

![muchmerch.png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/muchmerch_394b46cedf.png)

Haven't done one of these in forever but I wanna start doing em again. Five things to buy from the world of merch, the area of fashion that most says "this is what I'm about." Just photos and links this time, supply your own commentary. 

![Screen Shot 2023-02-04 at 7.11.51 PM.png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/Screen_Shot_2023_02_04_at_7_11_51_PM_01c8e3a291.png)

[Ice Spice sweats](https://shop.icespicemusic.com/products/ice-spice-black-sweatpants)

![Screen Shot 2023-02-04 at 7.11.31 PM.png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/Screen_Shot_2023_02_04_at_7_11_31_PM_34736a15aa.png)

[Maggie Cheung hat](https://copycatvideopress.bigcartel.com/product/maggie-cheung-hat)

![Screen Shot 2023-02-04 at 7.11.15 PM.png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/Screen_Shot_2023_02_04_at_7_11_15_PM_43b96632e4.png)

[ESG sweatshirt](https://www.etsy.com/listing/1293345110/esg-fan-art-sweatshirt?click_key=4fc51cd0ed654430334ab3b8ffea22212a322342%3A1293345110&click_sum=18a21086&ref=shop_home_active_6&crt=1)

![Screen Shot 2023-02-04 at 7.11.04 PM.png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/Screen_Shot_2023_02_04_at_7_11_04_PM_ca0e5498f5.png)

[The Critic hat](https://www.alltimers.com/collections/hats/products/22fa01ap1103-mar)

![Screen Shot 2023-02-04 at 7.10.32 PM.png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/Screen_Shot_2023_02_04_at_7_10_32_PM_079ca49174.png)

![Screen Shot 2023-02-04 at 7.10.42 PM.png](https://finals.blog/api/uploads/Screen_Shot_2023_02_04_at_7_10_42_PM_5b8c563da8.png)

[Navy Blue letterman](https://navybluethetruest.com/collections/all) (hit the link and scroll)



Featured Post

Finals and Friends: Rumored To Be Among The Best, Liner Notes

Posts

The Goya Gumbani Interview

The GENG PTP Interview

Best of 2023: Lei Takanashi’s NYC Buyer’s Guide

Fall Fit Check & Playlists

Merch Roundup: Ice Spice, Maggie Cheung, ESG, The Critic, Navy Blue