American comedian Dave Chappelle makes his long-awaited return to the comedy circuit this year. The Funny or Die Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival Tour will feature the renowned funnyman along with fellow comedic peers Flight of the Concords, Al Madrigal, Brody Stevens, Chris D’Elia, Demetri Martin, Hannibal Buress, Jim Jefferies, John Mulaney, and Kristen Schaal. The tour kicks off this fall and will make stops all over the United States including Austin, Pittsburgh, Camden, Denver, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, Detroit, and more. Tickets go on sale this Friday. Welcome back Dave!

Following the recent debut of his This Is My Planet mixtape, New Jersey MC Kevin Poptart blesses his fans with new visuals. "What It Is" showcases the introspective artist in his own world, both figuratively and literally, as he ponders the meaning of 17-year-old subject matter. Check out Poptart's album stream and project here.

Italian-born motorcycle company, Vespa, celebrates its 70-year history by teaming up with French creative agency NOMOON to draft up a visual retrospective. The result is an animated piece that highlights the company's models and designs (including a brief stint with automobiles) from as far back as 1943 to today.

Music mogul and entrepreneur extraordinaire Jay-Z gets to add another corporate notch to his belt with his latest Samsung deal. The multi-million dollar MC just revealed to the world that his forthcoming album Magna Carta The Holy Grail will be made available exclusively early to Samsung Galaxy device users thanks to a 5 million dollar purchase that the company made. Apparently, Mr. Carter wasn't too shy about the deal since his official Twitter account went on to jokingly proclaim the deal's "philosophical" nature. Humble brag of the year if you ask us.

Italy's share of the Mediterranean Sea takes the spotlight in a new film about its local surf culture. Shot in 35mm, 16mm, and Super 8 film, director Luca Merli's Peninsula offers a sublime look into the magic and appeal that attracts a unique band of Italian wave riders. Be forewarned, however, this  is the kind of scenery that will make even the most conditioned of 9-to-5 folk consider walking out of that cubicle in the pursuit of oceanic bliss. As it should be!

The dog food champions at Purina have teamed up with creative agency Publicis Bogota to present a rather interesting campaign about dog nutrition. The result is a series of humorous (or serious, depending on your perspective) photos that depict dogs as actual trashcans. Its message is "stop treating your dog like a trashcan". If you love your four-legged friend you'll listen and feed them the right stuff, not leftovers.

When Australian filmmaker Benjamin Dowie signed up to spend an entire summer working in Uganda, Africa he knew exactly what he was doing by placing himself among such a magnificent landscape and community of people. The resourceful director made his time working for an NGO even more memorable by deciding to film during his travels and daily encounters. The result is a magical edit full of beautiful countryside and elegant locals. Enjoy!

French graphic designer Alizée Lafon decided to toy with a few iconic films by creating a series of "Movie Hipster Kit" illustrations. Her goal was to present cult classics like Pulp Fiction and The Big Lebowski with just the use of illustrated items from the film or franchise. We think she illustrates his points rather well. Check out the entire kit gallery here.

Presenting Jonah, a 17-minute short film that depicts the story of a young local swallowed by one huge fish. This isn't an adaptation of the classic Bible tale, obviously. Instead, director Kibwe Tavares sought to tell the story from the retro/future perspective of Africa's Zanzibar coast. Utilizing special effects and superb cinematography the film gives viewers a dreamlike account of the fish legend as it occurs to the adventurer/camera thief.

California's Odd Future group teamed up with legendary skateboard shoe brand Vans (Vans Syndicate) for a special "Wolf Gang" edition of the Old Skool shoe. The collaboration was a no-brainier for the brand considering how loyal the popular group has been to their core skateboarding footwear. The series includes 4 color ways (black, royal, tan, red) of the shoe with Odd Future embroidery featured on the tongue and rear of the shoes and gum soles. Available now at all Vans Syndicate-approved skate shops.

More than a two years after its initial presence on the global media stage, Egypt's revolution continues to echo and resonate around the world. Though mostly the physical uprising made its way into headlines and social media, there were also many artists whose contemporary intellectual and sociopolitical work continued to fuel and ignite change behind the scenes. Walls of Freedom is a project dedicated to exploring the broader context of the revolution and showcasing the work of 50 photographers 30 artists and 20 authors in a full color 240 page hardcover book format. Supporters wishing to snag their own copy of revolutionary history can help fund the project by logging on to their Indiegogo page and donating to the cause.

Los Angeles-based Mexican/American skateboard wizard Paul Rodriguez presents the 7th incarnation of his signature "P. Rod" skate shoe. This year's set up features a three-quarter Nike Lunarlon midsol, seamless inner booty and the heel-lock collar making for a stronger, lighter and definitely more comfortable shoe. Check out the out-of-the-way GIFS (see them in motion here) that highlight the striking black/red colorway release. These drop in early July.

The photography of Greek shutterbug George Christakis is the kind of work that inspires movies. No seriously, it's the kind of surreal landscapes and juxtaposing that makes the sober (or tempoarily lifted) viewer much more prone to imagine the immense possibilities of an infinite universe. Whether abstract airplane bodies or minute human figures, the work challenges our normal scope of news office comprehension. Trust us, you'll thank him later.

Mention the South Bronx (New York City) to anyone and we're pretty certain that they'll conjure up two images--Hip Hop or poverty. Now while both aren't necessarily inaccurate, they're also not representative of the huge skateboard culture that exists among the brown and black local youth. Take the annual Battle For The Bronx competition, for example. While it may not be on the mainstream media, the yearly event, hosted by Indigenous Skateboards, brings out hundreds of skateboarders to compete in a day full of riding and comradery. Here is a visual recap of the 2013 gathering:

America's NBA Finals mean the world to so many sports enthusiasts. The epic games embody a profound spirit of comradery and competition that have inspired intense moments in the past. This year as the 2013 Finals get ready to spark the league hired London artist Richard Swarbrick to animate a passionate short commemorating the highlights of yesteryear's legendary player highlights like Michael Jordan and Julius Irving's athleticism and Larry Bird and Isaiah Thomas' celebratory enthusiasm.

The Bad Brains were hands-down one of the most influential Hardcore/Punk groups of all time. Equally, It's frontman, Paul "HR" Hudson, was one of the most spontaneous and electric band leaders of all time. But something happened to the fierce musician along the way. In between the fame, the music and his livelihood, the man known as Human Rights became "lost" to his audience. The following is a trailer to an upcoming documentary about that story. Fans can help kickstart it by donating to its page.

While surfing in waters just below the Arctic Circle may not exactly be the most practical of spots to catch waves, Nixon alongside Reef and Monster Energy recently held a competition of chilling proportions! The 2013 Nixon Surf Challenge brought surfers out to Iceland for an exclusive (and cold) opportunity to ride one of the world's more unique waves. Watch as riders Vincent Duvignac, Chippa Wilson and William Aliotti braved the extreme elements to catch their share of tricks and air in the following recap.

What if someone was able to transport an HD camera back in time and capture the past in breathtaking color and clarity? While the idea may not be physically possible, it is an accurate metaphor for describing what the Romano Archives has done to some recently salvaged footage of New York City in 1939. Thanks to the magic of technology viewers can watch the following archival footage in stunning HD color and quality. The scene brings back the past in a way that black and white photo or film never could, as if you can imagine walking right alongside the pedestrians of that past era. See for yourself!

Given the terrible state of New York City's public education system--where many high schools, if not most, operate below the average standards--it's really quite refreshing to come across independent programs and initiatives that break the stereotype. Take Harlem's (Manhattan) A. Philip Randolph Campus High School, for instance. Their CCPI (Career and College Preparatory Institute) program was recently feature in an MSNBC short highlighting the great strides that their unique work is doing for enrolled students. This includes expanding their participation in the arts and setting them on a path to four-year colleges and universities.

What started off as a mock film trailer for a school project about Instagram has now snowballed into the real thing for university student Paul Tellefsen. His endeavor has resulted in a 25-minute long short about the social media photograph platform and how its digital means has brought together a communities in a very analog way. Check out Instagram Is and explore the depth of the Instagram phenomenon.

It's been a long time since any mash-ups have really caught the attention of our office let alone the music scene general. But scratch that and feast your ears on one of the most original remix concepts we've peeped in a minute. Presenting Mic Check 1234--producer and mash-up maven Max Tannone's avante body of Punk meets Hip Hop. What really pulls us in for the kill on this one is the complete thoughtfulness of the package--authentic (mainstream by this point in history) Punk anthems mixed with equally as renowned Hip Hop anthems. The result is the following:

While young skateboarding prodigies aren't necessarily anything new, Expedition Skateboards just struck oil with their latest 15-year-old recruits. Meet the Brunner Twins hailing from Southern California. We won't say much except for prepare to have your pupils dilate as you bare witness to two of the most stylish and gnarly teenagers you've probably ever seen hit the board. They're too young to go pro, but man can they rip like (if not better) than their adult counterparts!

New York-based artist and photographer Rä di Martino took a recent trip out to Tunisia where he wound up visiting the ruins of the set of one of the world's most renowned movie franchises, Star Wars. The desert setting for Episode 1's planet Tatooine (Anakin Skywalker's home planet) is still up and withstanding a small test of time. Rä snagged pictures of the setting to reveal the strange decay that actually makes the set appear as if it were really alive and part of the landscape at one time.

For this year's D11 Conference--a gathering of technological wonders held in --the wizards at Motorola presented a new password authentication technology in the form of a pill. Senior VP of Advanced Technology, Regina Dugan revealed what's being dubbed as vitamin authentication, a tiny pill that, once consumed, mixes with a person's stomach acid to to create an 18-bit field of energy that in turn grants them access to secured locations. Guess it'll be pretty hard to forget a password that's literally inside you. Crazy!

Eat your heart out X-Games.  Midwestern BMXer Tim Knoll takes the cake when it comes to freestyle riding. While other BMX athletes may be concerned with hopping down stairs or gliding on rails, Tim's flipping under basketball hoops and twirling around poles, all while meticulously maintaining control of his bike. We swear it's like BMX parkour. Someone get this kid a movie stuntman role or something please!

The popular bicycle sharing system used in cities in Europe, Asia, and North and South America that rents bikes to individuals on a short term basis has arrived to the New York City boroughs of Manhattan & Brooklyn. Citi Bike is a privately owned public bicycle sharing system that began 24/7 operation on Memorial Day with 6,000 bikes in over 300 different docking stations. It's the largest system of its kind in the United States.

The launch of the Citi Bike program is not without incident though as the program is currently only available to annual members and many of them have yet to receive access to the program. Also, On May 20th a long row of bike racks in front of a building on W 13th street blocked emergency workers from caring for a 92-year-old man in need of medical assistance. There have also been disputes with residents about the locations of some docking stations and allegations against the company that runs the bike sharing program (Alta Bike Share) about fair wages. There's even criticism about the fact that Citi’s name is prominently featured on the bikes. Citi Bike looks like a healthy alternative mode of transportation in some places, but for now it's unfortunately only accessible to a select group of New Yorkers (in Manhattan and Brooklyn). Time will tell whether the program will be a success and how quickly it can expand. Frankly, we think it should be judged on whether it served public or corporate interests, but what do we know?

Share your thoughts with us in our comments section.

Simpsons fans have a new reason to celebrate as Orlando Florida's Universal Studios prepares to unveil its latest addition to their Simpson's Ride. The innovative expansion will feature an actual Simpson's themed village complete with attractions pulled directly from the series. There'll be a Moe's Tavern, Duff Brewery, Krusty Burger, the Kwik-E-Mart and more. Check out the following the video highlighting the physical attractions slated to open up this summer.

Nike drops its yearly tribute to Puertorican culture via the Air Force 1's. Right around this time, before the annual Puertorican Day Parade in New York City (going down June 6th this year), fashionistas and Caribbean enthusiasts alike swarm to get a hold of the latest manifestation of the cult classic sneakers. This time around the design--probably one of the more progressive ones yet--features red baseball stitching, blue suede, and laser etching. Cap that off with a clear "ice" bottom and some blue design down at the sole and you've got a pair that could easily rep PR like OG Frankie Cutlass did back in the 90's. Puerto Rico. Hooooooo!

Major League Soccer recently announced a partnership between Manchester City FC and the New York Yankees to bring the league its 20th franchise, New York City FC. Manchester City FC will own the majority of the team while The Yankees own the rest. The team will start playing in 2015 and will be the first MLS team to play within the 5 boroughs. A 20,000+ seat stadium currently being planned for construction in Queens’ Flushing Meadows Park with a tentative plan to play in Yankee Stadium while the project is completed. Mayor Bloomberg has already thrown his support behind the plan saying that Flushing Meadows Park is “the best place for it for everybody.”

New York City FC and its stadium plans aren't without their opposition however as the Mets would have to agree to let the team use its parking facilities. Then there's also the local resident opposition to the plans on top of that. The idea of building a privately owned stadium on public parkland is controversial especially with no concrete plans on how to replace the lost space for the neighborhood. While the recent victories of the new Yankee Stadium (The Bronx) and the Barclay’s Center (Brooklyn) have shown that major influence from major franchises can indeed prevail over concerned citizens it'll definitely be curious to see how this new front will pan out.

This may be Earth but according to 17-year-old MC/production whiz (and República homie) Kevin Poptart this is his globe. The young New Jersey, USA visionary just finished putting his latest mixtape together for our listening pleasure. It's called This Is My Planet and it features 16 tracks of one-of-kind tunes highlighting his outer-planetary experience here with us. We like it and if it means that we have to get "abducted" for listening, we're down!

Filmmaker Gareth Pearson presents a short ode to the magical streets of New York City. Yeah, New York takes viewers on a visually sublime trip through the melting pot in slow motion. The result is unscripted gold that you can't help but admire. From the subways to the taxis, the buildings to the people, it's a truly unique experience.

No, your not hallucinating. What you're seeing is the long-exposure results of German photographer Jakob Wagner. In his Urban Zoom series the creative shutterbug has devised a way to create beautifully surreal photos of city backdrops with three-dimensional light trails. This must be what teleportation looks like in first-person!

Vehicle series XCAR reviews the return of Toyota's Supra. The vintage model is making its way back onto the racetrack after years of being discontinued. As the story goes, The Supra was originally modeled after the Celica back in 1978 then it made its own emergence into the automotive scene officially in 1986.

The Zoo York "bombers" recently paid a visit to the home of the Bronx Bombers, Yankee Stadium, to unleash skateboarding havoc. Watch as the crew, made up of Chaz Ortiz, Dave Willis and Brandon Westgate, gives itself a VIP tour to the premises while on their boards. So epic!

Post-Punk Rock music legends as comic book superheroes? Why not! I mean, surely the likes of icons such as Morrissey, Ian Curtis and Siouxee deserve their larger-than-life recognition, so why not have avante illustrator Billy Butcher do us the favor with his ode to our favorite rebels. Check out the entire gallery here.

Levi's, the brand synonymous with heritage and denim, has just released a video that highlights the history of their 501 jean. The short catalogues the inception of the original pants and their use and function throughout history by the general public and other facets of society ranging from railroad workers to punk rockers.

Athleticism is a high-yielding market if your one of America's best. Sports Illustrated reminds us by presenting their list of highest-earning American athletes, The Fortunate 50. Rounding out the top 5 include boxing's Floyd Mayweather, basketball wizards Lebron James and Kobe Bryant, football quarterback Drew Brees and golfer Tiger Woods. Peep the entire list here.

Designer Amanda Ghassaei has discovered a way to create wooden audio records. utilizing a 1200dpi laser she has been able to successfully replicate the grooves of vinyl records onto wooden pieces and actually play them back. Check out the following video to see how she does it.

The Videographer's Guide is a unique new series about the changing face of video production and content. A teaser for their second episode reveals a look into some of the ways emerging technology and apps have completely empowered independent brands and entities to shoot and edit their own video. Episode one on the relevance of modern music videos can be seen here.