#PSBPopCulture: Helping Hearts 5K for Jeremy Nelson – Sept. 15, 2016

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture

We lost our friend Jeremy Nelson back in January 2013. He would have been a junior at Buford High School this academic year. In his memory, his family created an annual 5K race in his honor. Held on a Saturday morning each fall, the race is well attended by family, friends and dedicated runners alike.

For readers who haven’t had a chance to participate in an event like this, I would encourage it. I am a firm believer that there is a unique appreciation and perspective about life that can only be derived by celebrating the memory of someone else’s.

There are too many familiar faces to name them all but I want to thank Jeremy’s family for organizing the event: Herb, Nan, Kristina and Jessica Nelson are extended family to me though not blood related. Truth be told, I spend more time with them in gyms on a yearly basis than I do my own extended blood relatives. Over the years, the family always looks out for me with a plate and a hug. Having them around makes celebrating Jeremy’s life each year that much more special.

PSBPCBC100Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

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#TeenLifeStyle: Senior Pictures – Sept. 14, 2016

In part because I’m finishing high school early, I decided to go the more nontraditional route for my senior pictures. Larry Rhinehart took my pictures and did a phenomenal job. I dragged Larry all throughout Atlanta to ensure that I would have the perfect senior pictures.

By: Alli Lhamon @allilhamonn

The first picture is on a nature trail in Sandy Springs. I chose to dress simple with the plain grey crop top and a simple black skirt for this venue. My top is from Pacsun and the skirt is from Nordstrom.

The first of many Photo creds: @larrywrhinehart

A photo posted by ALLI (@allilha) on

The second picture was taken on Krog Street, a street in Atlanta where graffiti is completely I took a more urban approach to my outfit to match the urban setting of the picture. The second outfit is a crop top as well from PacSun. I have to thank Anna Grace (Smathers) for loaning me the jeans.

Anotha one

A photo posted by ALLI (@allilha) on

Alli Bio PSBAlli Lhamon represents the next wave of PSBPopCulture.com. A fashion and music junkie, Lhamon has been on her game since Day One in 2000. She’s a genius in the classroom and might finish with more degrees than the rest of the team combined. You can follow her on Twitter @allilhamonn.

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#PSBPopCulture: Views From “The Lab”

I spend a lot of time in the office aka “The Lab.” For years, I’ve used music to motivate me and even posted quotes on my various timelines. In the spring of 2016, I started a daily routine of taking five to ten minutes a day to clean out my thoughts on paper so they’re there for me to look back at to see progress. Most of them are business related but all have a music subject theme based on what I’ve been playing that day.

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture

Sometimes the social takeaway is an original thought. Sometimes it’s a direct quote from an artist. This page will serve as the landing hub for what I decide to post off my Twitter account. Enjoy!

PSBPCBC100Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

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#FreshStyleFits: Fall ’16 Style Guide – Suits – Sept. 7, 2016

As each season passes, I’m more willing to adjusting my style with crisp looks that I takeaway from other people’s wardrobe. This fall and winter, that train of thought will extend to my suit collection.

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture

Devin Booker and Dwayne Wade are two people who caught my attention with their loafer, no sock look and a pant that stops right at the ankle. Now, I will admit that I’ve left multiple pair of my slacks still in my closet with my traditional cuff at the top of the loafer look. That said, I took some of my suits with a little more color as well as some linen pants and had them custom tailored to create that newer vibe. I’ve seen the look with and without the cuff at the bottom so I chose to stay with the cuff.

I’ve found that a Perry Ellis Slim Fit suit off the rack is a great and inexpensive way to start the look. It’s perfect once I get it tailored after the fact. Then it’s about finding the right accessories and loafers. I’ll leave that up to you.

Here’s a look at both my look as well as a look at Booker’s and Wade’s:

😏

A photo posted by Devin Booker (@dbook) on

Yep it's that time again. Wedding season!

A photo posted by dwyanewade (@dwyanewade) on

PSBPCBC100Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

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#iTunesSounds: Frank Ocean – “Blonde” – Sept. 7, 2016

Frank Ocean primed us for his latest release “Blonde” with a mixtape of sorts “Endless”. Both were Apple Music exclusive releases. Rather than break down Ocean’s whole catalog from the two, here’s my take on my favorite tracks from Blonde:

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture

“Pink + White”: This is my favorite song from start to finish of either release. It has a very “Sweet Life” feel from Ocean’s debut album, “Channel Orange.” I immediately messaged the biggest Ocean fan I know, Griffin Dempsey, with my excitement about this one.

“Solo”: Ocean’s voice carries this one with a simple yet catchy melody backing him up.

“Solo” (Reprise) feat. Andre 3000: Wow. 3 Stacks took 60 seconds and turned it into arguably the verse of the year so far complete with a quick dig at Drake. Not much to say outside of that.

“Futura Free”: The last track of the album is a little scattered but the jewels for me come between :30 to 1:45 and again between 2:55 to 4:25. The lines about Frank paying his fans in the first set and Jay-Z emailing Frank about acting his net worth in the second set are golden.

PSBPCBC100Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

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#EntertainmentPSB: Summer Sixteen Tour – Drake and Future – Sept. 6, 2016

Drake and Future handled their business on the Summer Sixteen Tour. I was able to catch both of the Atlanta shows as well as the Nashville stop. Here’s footage from the tour:

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture

Thanks to an inside connect, I had a chance to catch up with Future after the show. He’s killing the game right now on the stage with the hits and is a leader in the fashion / jewelry game as well. We chopped it up, talked about what’s next and of course, snapped a pic for the Gram.

Summer '16 feat. Future [📷: @theshootrr] 👖: #EmbellishNYC 👕: #ArcticPremium 🎩: #MNML

A photo posted by BrandonClayPSB (@brandonclaypsb) on

PSBPCBC100Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

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#FreshStyleFits: Closing Ceremony Jordan 11’s – Sept. 6, 2016

Jordan dropped a gold colorway of their iconic Jordan 11 collection called the Closing Ceremony. Here’s my take:

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture

Jordan nailed this one bringing out a gold edition in timing with the end of the 2016 Rio Olympics. The Jordan 11 has become a staple for sneaker heads worldwide and this version gives them yet another opportunity to add diversity to their closet.

Only way to start celebrating my birthday… 👟: #ClosingCeremony #Jordan11 👻: BrandonClayPSB (follow on Snap)

A photo posted by BrandonClayPSB (@brandonclaypsb) on

PSBPCBC100Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

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#FreshStyleFits: adidas Ultra Boost Uncaged – August 12, 2016

Last month, adidas released a new version of their popular Ultra Boost shoe line called the Ultra Boost Uncaged. Here’s our take on whether adidas scored a hit or not:

By: Alli Lhamon @allilhamonn and Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture

Brandon: Between the Yeezy’s and the Boost Uncaged, adidas has quietly put together a very nice 12-month run. I have multiple pair of the new release including the my favorite, the triple red (see below). The white and black are both great everyday shoes and can be found on retail shelves still.

Alli: I already know I will be spending my next Peach State check on a pair for myself. They shoes have a clean look with multiple colors that I like. After seeing Brandon with his on, they are really a must have for my closet.

PSBBoostUncaged

Alli100Aug2016
Alli Lhamon represents the next wave of PSBPopCulture.com. A fashion and music junkie, Lhamon has been on her game since Day One in 2000. She’s a genius in the classroom and might finish with more degrees than the rest of the team combined. You can follow her on Twitter @allilhamonn.

PSBPCBC100Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

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#iTunesSounds: “Big Amount” – 2 Chainz feat. Drake – August 11, 2016

By: Jordan Davis @JDavisPSB and Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture

It seems every time that 2 Chainz and Drake team up, they deliver a classic track. From “All Me” to “No Lie,” the two stars rarely disappoint. They’ve done it again with “Big Amount” off of the “Daniel Son, Necklace Don” mixtape.

Jordan’s Take: I have to give another assist to my boy Dante Sawyer (@BuzzSawww) for the track. Before I listened to the entire song was the snippet where Drake states, “And I’ve never seen the inside of a Marriott or a Westin!” I immediately downloaded the song and listened to it. Usually Chainz and Drake gravitate toward the club banging type beats but this beat is significantly different. However the track is easily the best on the tape with decent bars from Chainz and Drake providing his usual heat.

Favorite Line:
“I was in Juvy, they gave me community.
I had to pick up some litter.
I want it easy, please do not tease me.
I wore my Yeezy’s to dinner”

Brandon’s Take: Drake and Chainz went in on this one. Drake brought the heat and forced Chainz to up his game in the process. The result was another smash hit.

Favorite Line:
“I got a big amount, I think I’m the biggest out.
You lit and can’t even put it out.”

LISTEN TO “BIG AMOUNT”:

Palmtree100Aug2016
Jordan Davis is a contributor to PSBPopCulture.com with a unique blend of #PSBPopCulture reviews. Davis has been rocking the latest trends since arriving here in 1995. He is currently a student at Kennesaw State, a Social Media Intern with PeachStateBasketball.com and is well on his way to being the youngest in charge sooner than later.

PSBPCBC100
Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

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#PSBPopCulture: 51,000 Hours and Counting – August 6, 2016

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture

As I enter my 15th season in the industry and 13th at the head of Peach State Basketball, Inc., my view on our success and reasons for it change by the year.

We just finished our busiest season of the calendar year. The month of July is a combination of four straight 100-hour work weeks for me as our team produces seven different team events certified by the NCAA. This allows college coaches from all over the country to attend and evaluate players for potential scholarship offers to play at the school or university. Our entire team spends thousands of hours trying to perfect our craft annually.

There is a lot of time to think about how life changes inside of a 400-hour workload during July each year. In 2016, I thought a lot about the best selling book, “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell. In it, Gladwell states that “ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness.”

***Disclaimer: Without question, there is a combination of inherent talent and continued expansion of skill training, development techniques that apply here as well.

I believe there is a truth to time on the job increasing the amount of situations seen and response time with accuracy improving as a result. I see that in the case of some of my colleagues in other facets of life as well: Branden Mayweather, Dain Pool, Sean “Sticks” Smith and Shun Williams. All of them are seeing increased success with each year that passes. I did simple math on my career to date to see where I stacked up right now in relation to Gladwell’s 10,000 hour theory. Here’s what I came up with:

14 years x 365 days (no vacations here since Day One) = 5,110 days

5,110 x 10 hours a day = 51,110 hours

Conclusion: If the 10,000 hour rule (with the applied disclaimer) makes you an expert in the field, 14 years worth of dedicated work in grassroots basketball marketing have helped shaped the current path for Peach State Basketball in a very noticeable way.

PSBPCMayDayBrandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

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