OKP Style: Okayplayer x RockersNYC + Mel D. Cole = Legendary Rockers Redux Tee!
OKP Style: Okayplayer x RockersNYC + Mel D. Cole = Legendary Rockers Redux Tee!
Since Okayplayer first unveiled the Legendary Rockers tee back in 2005, paying tribute to The Roots in collaboration with designer Marcus Burrowes of Rockers NYC, it's been one our most popular items, an OKP signature piece. A decade on, with Okayplayer having just celebrated our 15th birthday and The Roots sitting on top of the world as the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (and a slightly different line-up of legendary instrumentalists) it felt like high time to revisit the classic design.
Accordingly, we reached out to equally-legendary photographer Mel D. Cole to help Marcus assemble a fresh version of the graphic with all new photos reflecting the current membership. Mel was the natural--perhaps the only real choice; not only on par with The Roots in the category of hardest-working, but such a steady documented of their musical adventures that he might be considered the 13th Root. The result is a little thing we call Legendary Rockers Redux and you can see the results before you. As Mel put it:
"Legendary band x legendary photos x legendary design! I am so happy, I'm currently doing the Milly Rock dance in celebration of this sick collaboration!" - Mel D. Cole
Burrowes also shared his thoughts on giving his design a 2015 reboot as he looked back on the impact The Roots have had on him in turn:
"What can I say, other than: it is an honor to work with this “legendary” band for the third time! [in addition to the original version of the Legendary Rockers tee, Marcus also designed a Roots tee with Questlove and Black Thought against the Philly skyline-ed.]. This time around, adding Mel D. Cole was even more special. 'cause all the photos came from one source. The first two Roots albums were an intricate part of my musical experience as a teenager. They really changed the way I viewed hip-hop and its potential at the time. That being said, at that time I never knew they would reach to this level of success! Glad to be a part of that." - Marcus Burrowes
Nuff said. Hit the link below to own a piece of the legend (and a piece of the rock).
