You see the faces. I’m sure you know the history. But this year’s Hoop It Up in Toronto at the end of July was about people coming together. It was about streetball as a close-knit community rather than a bunch of arguing brats. I have been to every Toronto Hoop It Up this decade, and I honestly have to say this one was right up there for me. 1st or 2nd (2005 was crazy, no matter how you look at it), but 2009 might be the most fun I have had at the tournament. Just because. Im not gonna go into too much detail here because Ghost did a great job recapping everything on his blog, and if you read that and download the 700 or so pics below, well then you basically have heard and seen just about everything that happened through out the weekend.
C-Stan bringin '88 back
As for the site, I would like to thank everyone that has supported and contributed since we kicked things off in April (seems like a long time already). You may have been wondering where the updates are at. First of all, I would like to apologize, and second I would like to assure you that the site will be back. From the end of June I have spent a good deal of time out of town/country and had various work and personal responsibilities and as a result I had to put this site on the back burner. But I plan to relaunch in September with some fresh ideas so please don’t write The No Look off just yet. I think this underground streetball scene is an amazing story and a lot of it has yet to be told and I’m confident that The No Look will be the one to tell it.
watching these 2 freestyle together was like seeing Tupac and Biggie on the same stage
A few "moves" courtesy of T-Mill
A doubles freestyle by Ghost and Mad Skillz, coached by C-Stan. Imagine the possibilities.
At the end of the day, its all about family...and championships.
When Ghost hit me up last night and told me he had a new clip with T-Mill I thought he was lying. But this is the real deal. This was recorded and mixed all on Thursday night. No, Dime is still not coming back, but this does prove one thing: once you’re infected, streetball stays with you forever.
Story:
This is Motion Sickness freestyle from the Election. Although Im sure this footage has appeared on the net somewhere, it was never officially released. This is Flipsyde’s edit. In my opinion, this is one of the best “produced” freestyles I have ever seen. The camera work is simply amazing. Shouts out to Motion Sickness who always does everything with style, and Flipsyde for bringing that professionalism every time out.
Highlights from the Dyckman Streetball League in 2004. What a great atmosphere. The ref was crowd surfing. The court rushes. Its all there. Here’s hoping we can take it back there this summer. If your out there hooping, make sure the camera is rolling and leave it all out there.
This makes so much sense right now. Not to get all preachy, but think about it like this: if you are a streetballer, you want fans. You want people to acknowledge what you are doing, and give you feedback. But how can they do that if they only get one 2 minute video every few weeks? The internet is ruled by content and from the biggest A-list celebrities, right down to the smallest celebrity wanna be’s, people are producing an astonishing amount of content. Is it all high quality? Of course not. But it allows the viewers to feel involved, to feel like they know what’s going on. This is where underground streetball is failing right now. People want to know what is going on, but we are stuck in this old fashioned pattern of “dropping clips”. Maybe once a month, maybe once every three months, in some cases maybe 1 or 2 a year. How can anybody follow that and stay interested?
Well AJ and the Manic crew have figured it out. This is exactly the issue they are addressing with their blog. People now have something to follow. You may love them, you may hate them, but either way, you’re not left wondering what they are up to, or what’s happened since their last “clip”. So, congratulations to the Manic for getting it.
I also have to give a quick shout out to Ghost, because Ghost TV has the same sort of idea.
For the rest of the streetball community, understand this: there is a story to be told here. There is a story about what you do. The problem is YOU have to be the one telling it. If not you, then no one else will and the story will remain untold. I think that would be a shame because its a good story, and all of us obviously have a love for this culture. So once again, Im challenging everyone to get out there and create, produce and let the world know about it.
Congratulations to The Manic
Follow the progress of the Illmanic Mixtape at the blog here.
Today was such a beautiful day and all I could think about was being at the courts. The crew, couple of cameras, your outdoor kicks, just see what happens, you know how it goes. It got me thinking about some of my favorite moments from my previous streetball experience. Watching Motion Sickness freestyle was one of the dopest things ever. The fluidity and style this kid had when he did his thing was incredible. Anyways, Im sure some of y’all have seen this clip and its mad short but its still one of my favorites. Big shout out to Flipsyde who edited this, whatever you did on the court he would make it that much better in post-production. Anyways, Enjoy!
