Reebok and Rock the Bells interview classic artists about their classic albums. Lauryn is seen here talking about the much loved Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Check it out below.

I just got an iPad 2 a few months ago and I am a) hoping that Apple will hold it right there a damn minute before releasing an iPad 3  and b) I’m constantly searching for add-ons and trinkets to enhance my iPad. I found a few pretty cool things and I wanted to share my must-haves with you.

1) Speaker for iPad

I don’t know if it’s just me, but I have the hardest time watching my movies and listening to my music without headphones. It’s true that I may need a bit of auditory assistance and this Logitech Speaker system fits the mold! Literally.

2) Alesis iO dock

Aspiring musician? Karaoke star? Serious songstress? All of the above? You’ll love this piece of recording equipment. You don’t need extra cables and such to record studio-quality music. Perfect for singers, instrumentalists, and producers alike. This universal docking station works for both iPad 1 and 2. Sweet!

3) Hanfree iPad Stand

Check out my flat-screened TV, errr…iPad. This is one of my favorite iPad stands (and the largest I’ve ever seen!) I have the Netflix app installed and so I can prop my baby up on this and watch every single season of House in utter comfort. Ah…bliss!

4) BRUDAcase

I’m not sure why my mother still thinks its okay to look over my shoulder while I’m typing an email or watching a video on my iPad. She seems to think that because she’s self-proclaimed “technologically-impaired” that her looking over my should is just mere interest in this electronic contraption and not what I’m actually doing on it. NO! She’s being nosy! And now this BRUDAcase will help to eradicate pleasing and satisfying the nosiness in some people. This privacy protection case has two angles, one for viewing and one for typing. It’s made out of wood that comes in either cherry or maple. This case also helps to reduce the glare so that others around you cannot see what you are doing.

5) SpinWorks2

Two words: ROAD TRIP!

6) Etch-a-Sketch

It’s a toy! But wait- it also protects your iPad AND your screen. Disclaimer: You cannot actually etch an actual sketch, but at least you’ll look really cool.

http://www.getaheadcase.com/

7) There’s nothing like a good book.

Hallow books have always been used to hide things. Liquor, cash, love letters from your hot college boyfriends that you would never want you husband to find. Why not hide your iPad as well?

http://fosfor.com/the-bookbook-ipad-case

8 ) iPad in the Pool

Waterproof case? Check. Swimming Pool? Check. Pina Colada with a pineapple wedge? Check. I don’t think you’ll need much else.

9) IT’S A WORK OF ART!

How could I not end the list without a case that makes your iPad a work of art? I just had to.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/scott/steampunk-ipad

I am a tad bit partial to Eric Roberson, and not just because he is a Howard University Alum like myself, but because he is a graduate of the FINE ARTS DEPARTMENT of Howard University….like myself. So if he comes out with a new song that I love, then I have ABSOLUTELY no choice but to tell you about it. Have a listen. I think it’s pretty nice. And I’m not just saying that because we both went to “The Real HU”.

Eric Roberson – Picture Perfect feat. Phonte

I love installations. There’s a certain urgency to see the art because it’s not guaranteed to be there for all of eternity. I also love art that uses trash in a beautiful, clean way. Check out this installation of watercoolers commissioned by  Metal, a U.K.-based company that fosters artistic endeavors.

the Waving Wall of Chalkwell was created by holdUP and BLOO NATION. Comprised of over 1,200 19-liter water cooler bottles, it illustrates the amount of water used in the production of certain products.

I love photoblogs. I love TV. So naturally I love photoblogs dedicated to TV. This photographer’s tumblr features quotes from the Amy Poehler hit show “Parks and Recreation”on NBC. The photographs in this tumblr pairs nicely with the dry, sarcastic lines that makes this show so successful. Check it out. And then laugh. Now.

http://hipsterparksandrec.tumblr.com/

Attention fashion fanatics! Oak Street Design is offering Michigan Avenue Fashion Tours in Chicago, IL. For $35 you can embark on a 2 hour tour that includes shopping and lunch! They start at 10:00 am every Tuesday.

“The Michigan Avenue Fashion Tour steps off this summer as the ultimate fashion experience for Michigan Avenue visitors and shoppers. Experience the glamour and excitement of the avenue with a tour that starts at the Drake Hotel and winds its way down the famous avenue to The Terrace Rooftop, Bar and Restaurant, at the Conrad Chicago Hotel.”

and tickets can be purchased at http://michiganavenuefashiontour.eventbrite.com/

I love to bike on the lakefront. No other city than my hometown Chicago has the very best lakefront for biking. Ask anyone who has been here, homegrown or transplanted, and they will tell you with a resounding “YES!” that Chicago’s lakefront bike path is the absolute best. I always see the Lance-wannabees whiz past me as I casually pump my pedals in leisure. They probably think that I’m just in their way and I’m so uncool. Even if this is true, I bet that they’d find me cool if I were biking one of these. Greencycle 2, designed by Paulus Maringka, is a environmentally sustainable bicycle that uses bamboo as a renewable source. It even has an attachment for the purposes of a wheel barrow which will allow it’s user to employ it’s bike to go grocery shopping before hopping in a fuel-burning car. I honestly don’t know if this will hit the American markets anytime soon, but if anyone sees this in your local bike shop please do me a big favor and let me know!

~MCB

Independent record stores or iTunes? Transformed Maybach or Not-A-Scratch Maybach? $400K for each concert or a pennypinching concert? A store in So-Ho for just one album or no store at all? Decisions, decisions, decisions. Apparently Jay-Z and Kanye have no problem making them swiftly and deftly. They’ve open a gold-wrapped store in New York’s SoHo solely for the purpose of selling their latest album ‘Watch the Throne”. The store sells a special edition of the album, houses the Maybach used in the “Otis” video (directed by Spike Jonze), and plays the video on a loop throughout the entire space.

Genius marketing or just another way to let all of us know how rich and fabulous they are?  You decide.

In honor of their 40th anniversary, The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture, presents the first ever Soul Train exhibit! Located at 72 E. Randolph, the exhibit features rare photographs of performers! And it wouldn’t be complete without Friday Grooves which happen every Friday until Sept. 2 from 6-8!

Choreographer Todrick Hall created a flash mob piece to be performed inside of a Target to Beyonce’s End of Time. As a dancer, I’m not sure if I feel the choreography is impressive in terms of ingenuity and degrees of difficulty. Additionally, it feels more like a GLEE performance than a true spontaneous flash mob. How-SUM-ever, I do love the fact that they added the kids into the mix. Gotta love the kids (even if I could have done without the sorority-style stepping) What do you think?