With the NBA playoffs starting Saturday, we are sure to see a bunch of new NBA inspired tees. To celebrate the Lakers return to the Playoffs, The Forest Lab have released one of the hottest Kobe Bryant tees to date called “Ony The Kings Have Rings.”  A member of the fabled Los Angeles Lakers, #24 has proven time and time again that HE is the man who can get the job done. Sure, he makes what he does on the court look easy but when the basketball stops bouncing there are few who can hold their finger high in the air and declare themselves number one – even if that finger is broken and bandaged! Kobe Bryant rules and reigns over the NBA because “Only Kings Have Rings.” This limited edition tee is available now at Tradition. Phone Orders are available (805)497-4717… Tell them Vapors sent you!

Peep the back of the tee after the jump.

Courtesy espn.com/nba

Gotta love it when Nike iD brings out the fun.

Mike Epps vs DJ AM in Horse. Featured kicks.. .Entourage Air Force 1s,  Air Yeezys and the Zoom Kobe IV iD. (from: Freshnessmag)

How you get down wit’ da bawss of all bawsses, Brandon Brubaker?

Game recognize game. We got to rappin’ and that’s how it happen.

Hold on… Was that girl I broke ya futon wit’ really two-fiddy?

A picture’s worth 300-plus words, right?

Wha’s ya three favorite shoes of all time?

I don’t know about all-time, but right now it’s Chucks, Rick Owens’ zip-ups, and the Lanvin in black.

Know what? I ain’t never seen a crew uh shoe designers… Y’all da new Outsiders?

Yup… Stay gold, Clyde, stay gold.

What do you think makes a dope shoe? Is it the parts, the whole, the colorways?
Design, color and materials. There’re a lot more details that go into a dope shoe. The names involved are definitely an important thing.

What’s your favorite shoe you’ve had a hand in designing?
Cons ERX300.

With Chucks, Vans Eras, and Dunks we’ve seen one shoe from the past reinterpreted a hundred different ways. Do you think this trend is about to be over, or do you think it’ll stick around?

I think they will always flip details off of classics. Let’s just say they’re not pushing the envelope.

Are you a fan of collabos, artist or brand or whatever? Or do you think it’s becoming played?

At this time I’m kind of over Lame X Lame.

Does a designer need to push his own personal style or be true to the brand’s style?

Designers should definitely have their own personal style. They should be true to a certain extent, but always put their touch on things. I developed my style through experience and hard work. Boob [Josh Brubaker]—living with him influenced me when I was in school because he was on some other shit by the time I got in the game. Thanks, homie!

Current shoe design is pretty obviously stuck in retro mode. Do you think design was better before, or is this just a trend playing itself out?
People need to step their game up.

In ten words or less, describe the adidas Kobe shoe designed by Audi.
Better yet, imagine getting posterized by those things. OUCHHH!

Where do you see design going from here?
Sky’s the limit.

Why a sneaker blog?

I love sneakers. That is what it really comes down to. I have been buying and appreciating sneakers for decades and I felt that I could create a site for people who shared my passion. When I first started KATC over two years ago, there was really nothing like it. There were plenty of sites that dabbled in sneakers but nothing that was dedicated to sneakers and sneaker culture and dedicated to bringing the reader an in-depth look at not only the physical sneaker, but the people, places, and events behind the products as well.

Did you ever imagine the site would blow up? Was that the plan, or did it just happen?

I still don’t feel like KATC has blown up. I feel like there is a lot more that I could do and I have a lot more planned. My original plan was to take KATC to the top and to make it a mainstay in sneaker culture. I feel that I’ve done that, but I have a lot more to go.

Are you making a living off the blog?

For the most part, yes. KATC has opened other moneymaking opportunities for me, but KATC is still my main source of income.

What were you doing before?

I worked in interactive advertising as a media planner, and then I worked at an urban marketing and advertising agency as a senior account exec planning campaigns for a lot of Fortune 500 companies.

What’s the most rewarding part?

The most rewarding part is the love I get. When readers see me out they always come up to me to thank me and show me love. I get tons of emails telling us that we’re best site and thanking us for our hard work. That makes everything worth it.

How do you swoop the other sites?

No comment. Ask them.

What’s been the most popular post?

There’ve been a lot. Top posts were probably the real Dontrelle Willis Nike Dunk High and the Aqua Air Jordan 8.

What are your five favorite shoes?

Air Jordan 8, Nike Dunk, Nike Huarache Runner, Adidas Shelltoe High, Reebok Pump.

What’s your holy grail?

I wouldn’t personally say “holy grail,” but I’d like to get my hands on a pair of Kobe Bryant PE Air Jordan 8s.

Most overrated.

I wouldn’t say that there are many overrated silhouettes, but there are plenty of overrated colorways and collabs. It would take me a while to actually come up with the five worst—there are too many.

What attracts you to a particular shoe?

Most of my attraction is based on memory. I’ve been buying sneakers for years and I mostly buy what I loved when I was younger. I haven’t been really aesthetically attracted to a new silhouette in a long time. Outside of that, when it does come to a new silhouette, it’s all about performance and technology to me. I still play basketball so I’m always lookin’ for some new hoop kix.

The market seems to go for simple, classic, retro shoes at the moment. Do you think that’s just nostalgia, or was design better before?

I personally feel that design was better before. Back then brands were creating trends. I feel like brands are following trends nowadays, probably because they’re much more aware of them.

Do you own a pair of flip-flops?

Never.

Eric Lau is creating a new definition for the producer in today’s industry. With his first major release, New Territories, the British-born beat junkie is showing that he is on his way to the top.  Lau, though fairly new to the game, is definitely going to be one of those peeps you name-drop. Separated by gallons of ocean, I recently spoke with Lau about his newfound success, growing as a producer, and why there will never be another Dilla.

How is the music scene different in the UK compared to the States?

The UK is obviously a lot smaller so there are less supporters of music than in the US, especially for independent music. I feel the mentality is very different over in the UK, in terms of work ethic and competition. In the States you have so many more people competing that it makes people hustle and step up their game up more. Over in the UK there is a scene, however we are far less direct in our hustle. That’s just British people; we are more reserved and less hype, which can be a good or bad thing.

You have a lot of folks below the radar on the album; who would you like to work with in the future?

God willing, Jay Electronica—I really wanna help him save rap in some way. Muhsinah—she has such great energy, would love to be part of that. Erykah Badu—she has been setting such a great example for hip-hop and for me personally. I would love to shape something for her one day. Bilal. D’Angelo, Elzhi Eska, Heidi Vogal, Annabel. Fatima Szjerdene, Joy Silva.

You have a similar style to Dilla and Sa-Ra; have you ever worked with them in the past, or is it just a coincidence?

I haven’t worked with Sa-Ra yet but I’m definitely open…I feel that if you are to achieve greatness then you start out by looking at the best; Kobe Bryant I’m sure studied Michael Jordan’s game and took some elements, same with Magic Johnson. After a while he [Kobe] has come into his own and has his own signature style. The main fundamentals are there but his interpretation of a fade-away jump shot is obviously different to Jordan’s. I’m sure me and a lot of other producers would say Dilla set the bar. Once we master the fundamentals then maybe we can take things to a level near him. 

Dilla has recently gained a large following due to his untimely death.  In terms of success, Does Eric Lau want to be the Dilla of the UK?

There will never be another Dilla like there will never be another James Brown or Marvin Gaye. However, after James Brown, there was Prince and after Marvin there was D’Angelo. I am definitely inspired by what Dilla did. His music, the way he carried himself and his work ethic. So in terms of being the Dilla of the UK, I will never be. The one thing that I want to do is try and get a Dilla-like work ethic so I can become the best I can be. Same as Madlib, Pete Rock, Premier and 9th Wonder. I want to be doing that.

For more visit: http://www.myspace.com/ericlaumusic