But back in 1996 Mr West was just a kid trying to make a name for himself in the production game. Below, thanks to the folks at DDotOmen we have some rare footage of Kanye onstage with friend Phenom rapping over a sample of ODB’s ‘Brooklyn Zoo’.

You can check out the footage below and for more info hit up DDotOmen.

[via. Complex]

I had a quick chat with Lee this afternoon to find out more about his work and influences.

How’d you end up in the world of stop motion?
It was a bit of an accident, I’ve always had a general interest in it for most of my life but didn’t really indulge in the art until after film school when I was getting desperate to get into making films Independently. When you’ve got no funding, it’s hard to rely on friends and so I became more involved with stop motion as a means to get a video made.

The production values are relatively high in your pieces, you got a big budget?
About 75% of my projects don’t have any budgets, the other 25% you can argue whether it’s actually a budget or not. Most of the time my films are made completely out of clay and cardboard with a touch of greenscreen here and there.

You have a constant horror theme running through your work, is that your major film influence?
I grew up on horror and had a strong desire to be a horror film director all the way through my teens up until now even but I do a lot more comedy because that’s what people want from me but the principles of the horror genre are usually found in my videos because it’s what I’ve studied and feel comfortable with.

Is clay your full time gig?
For the moment it is, I really have no desire to be a claymation king like Nick Park or Will Vinton and that’s evident in my videos. Real animators have told me that they see the lack of skill in my animation and it’s true in a sense but never the less I try hard because it’s what I’m paid to do but ‘le passion’ is not there. One day I hope to work with actors and torture people for real.

Which classic movie are you attacking next?
I like to keep this stuff secret, I’ve got some real juicy stuff up my sleeves. If people liked the Pingu crossover, then, they’ve not seen anything yet! In a couple of weeks I’ve got a 60″ version of Hostel going up on my youtube channel and later on a 60″ version of Taxi Driver.

You can check out the extended version below and for more info on Lee’s claymation cult horrors take a visit to leehardcastle.com.

Marshall’s On The Road series has just launched season 2. The series follows Tim Harrington of Le Savy Fav as he travels through America meeting the unsung heroes of Rock n’ Roll. The most recent episode has Tim meeting ‘The Mangler’ a legendary roadie for the Rolling Stones after spending the first couple of episodes meeting the oldest roadie in the world, a visit to The Black Angels new festival Austin Psychfest and chatting with Pyro Pete, a man hell bent on almost blowing peoples faces off…not to mention his own.

You can check out the series over at vice.com and find out more at marshallheadphones.com. You can check out the first few episodes below.

Pyro Pete

Austin Psychfest

Oldest Roadie

Made By Hand is a project from Keith “keef” Ehrlich – a graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York City and winner of Dusty awards. It celebrates the people who create things by hand — sustainably and with a love for their craft.

Through a series of video’s he aims to explore the people who support the value of the handmade and share the belief that the things we collect, consume, use, and share are part of who we are as individuals.

In the just published second episode, writer turned knife maker Joel Bukiewicz of Cut Brooklyn talks about the human element of craft, and the potential for a skill to mature into an art.

You can check out the second video in the series below and find out more about the project at thisismadebyhand.com and keef.tv

Billed as the event which will establish Croatia as the new Ibiza and prime European, summer party location, Hideout Festival has just announced the beginnings of its line-up for 2012 complete with new stages, new parties and a host of huge dance acts to be enjoyed. In association with some of the biggest names in UK and European house, dubstep and drum and bass (including Crosstown Rebels, Resident Advisor, Wax:On, Metropolis, Chibuku and Drop the Mustard), the festival looks certain to be one of the biggest events of  the year for electronic and dance music. A range of fantastic venues, from the island of Pag to forest and boat parties and Zcre Beach, and fantastic music awaits any attendees of Hideout this year but with last year’s event selling out very quickly, make sure you get your tickets early!

The big names on the bill for tech and deep house will doubtlessly be Richard Villalobos and Jamie Jones and Damian Lazarus from Crosstown Rebels who both appeared last year. Rising stars Julio Bashmore and Pearson Sound will add to the eclectic sound of the festival, as will a very special set from Four Tet & Caribou, as part of a host of artists drawing on their experiences from this year’s Warehouse Project where they have gained countless new fans. Electronic pioneers Erol Alkan and Brodinski appear with mixes that are guaranteed to keep the crowds guessing whilst drum and bass legends Hype, DJ Fresh and Andy C continue the diverse line-up alongside new Hospital Records superstars Camo & Krooked. Debut appearances at Hideout will also come from Skream, Artwork, Jack Beats and Skrillex to make this one of the most spectacular line-ups across Europe this summer.

Alongside this your £99 festival ticket will get you entrance to pre-parties (beginning on Tuesday 26nd June), the festival (Friday 29th June – Sunday 1st July) and a host of other huge parties hosted by Crosstown Rebels, London’s Mulletover and Drop the Mustard from Manchester.

You can check out a nice hightlight video from last years event below and for more info on Hideout Festival 2012 check out the website.

A little while ago we posted the trailer for the Palladium Boots/Vice produced mini doc on Pharrell exploring Tokyo – Tokyo Rising. It is now up in its entirety to watch online. Split into 5 parts the series explores Tokyo’s recovery after 3/11, its thriving art scenes and some of the most interesting architecture and hidden gems the city has to offer. While persistent challenges still lay ahead for the residents, the city’s creative class is hell-bent on making sure that their hometown thrives. Innovative and resilient, they are defining the future of Tokyo on their own terms.

All you need to do for more info is head to www.palladiumboots.co.uk and you can check out all the parts below.

Episode 1 – Pharrell’s return to Tokyo

Pharrell meets up with the rapper Verbal to discuss the effect of 3/11 on the people of Tokyo and shares his love with the city he calls his second home.

Episode 2 – Under and Above Ground

Pharrell continues his exploration of Tokyo with Trippple Nippples vocalist Yuka Uchida who takes him to the G-Cans Project, a hidden 6km underground cavern designed to fill up with water when the rivers flood during natural disasters.

Episode 3 – Art in Flux

Mitsu 3331 a place thats like a community centre for artists by artists, a platform to share different creativities from fashion to dance. Pharrell goes to see the art pieces inspired by 3/11 including a piece that is made up of documentation by the victims, not artists.

Episode 4 – The Remix Culture

We meet a variety of creatives who discuss the urge that the Japanese people had to become westernised after the war, but how this unique culture put their own spin on it especially after the 3/11 disaster. Pharrell discovers the amazing Kita-Kore, championing D-I-Y culture from a visually spectacular hub.

Episode 5 – Trippple Nippples Show

We watch the crazy and surreal Trippple Nippples show from The Trump room, decorated with flashing lights and covered in mirrors before hearing from all the contributors to the series and their conclusions on how Tokyo will move forward into the future.

Keira Rathbone has risen to fame over the last few years as that cooky girl who draws using vintage typewriters, but there is more to her art than a gimmick. Using the typewriter produces an extra layer to the image and gives it depth by clearly showing the working.

You can view a gallery of her work below and find out more from the Peter Breen produced Wolf & Badger video also below.

Via [Oddity Central]

ASOS (the website popular with both well dressed astute early to mid 20 somethings and misguided fashionista’s who think the more cumbersome an outfit is, the better) has just launched an excellent little series in conjunction with VBS looking at the worlds most talented from the world’s stylish cities, as seen from the streets they live & love.

The second installment has been the most intriguing so far, they met up with Jack Greer, an artist and designer living in New York City. Meeting Jack at his studio in Redhook, Brooklyn, he shows off his art, his style, and his favourite city haunts.

You can check out the mini-doc below and find out more at asos.com/urbantour

This is hands down incredible, both animator and actor have outdone themselves on so many levels.

2D Artistry and 3D animation combine to create the award winning new video from Transfer; Take Your Medicine. The single is taken from their forthcoming album Future Selves – an album packed with anthemic choruses, psychedelic guitars and skewed pop hooks.

You can grab the album September 19th from all good record stores, view the video below and find out more at transferband.com