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A pair of tabi socks.

Woman in early Showa-period clothing wearing tabi; note the red cloth thong between the big toe and other toes.

Tabi (足袋^?) are traditional Japanese socks. Ankle-high and with a separation between the big toe and other toes, they are worn by both men and women with zori, geta, and other traditional thonged footwear. Tabi are also essential with traditional clothing—kimono and other wafuku as well as being worn by samurai in the feudal era. The most common colour is white, and white tabi are worn in formal situations such as at tea ceremonies. Men sometimes wear blue or black tabi for travelling. Patterned and coloured tabi are also available and are worn most often by women, though they are gaining popularity among men as well.

In contrast to socks that, when pulled on, fit the foot snugly because of their elastic weave, tabi are sewn from cloth cut to form. They are open at the back so they can be slipped on and have a row of fasteners along the opening so they can be closed.

Jika-tabi[link]

Antique Japanese (samurai) armoured tabi

Construction workers, farmers and gardeners, rickshaw-pullers, and other workmen often wear a type of tabi called jika-tabi (地下足袋, tabi that contact the ground^?). Made of heavier, tougher material and often having rubber soles, jika-tabi resemble boots and are outer footwear rather than socks. Like other tabi, jika-tabi are toe-divided so they can be worn with slip-on thonged footwear. Shōjirō Ishibashi, the founder of major tire company Bridgestone Corporation, is credited with their innovation.

Though slowly being replaced by steel-toed rigid-sole construction shoes in some industries, many workers prefer them for the softness of their soles. This gives wearers tactile contact with the ground and lets them use their feet more agilely than rigid-soled shoes allow: for instance, people who traverse girders on construction sites like to know what is under their feet, and craft practitioners such as carpenters and gardeners additionally use their feet as if they were an extra pair of hands, for example to hold objects in place.

Modern versions[link]

Nowadays, tabi socks—socks with a separation between the big toe and its neighbor to allow wear with thonged footwear—are also available. This reflects the number of people who still prefer to wear zori and geta, especially during Japan's hot, humid summers.

A related item are toe socks, which have five separate compartments; these are called ５本指の靴下 (gohon yubi no kutsushita^?) (five-toe socks) in Japanese.

v t e Japanese clothing Traditional clothing Kiahan (kyahan) Fundoshi Furisode Jinbei Jūnihitoe Kimono Hakama Samue Tomesode Yukata Uwagi Happi Sokutai Shitagi Hachimaki Belt/Sash Obi (sash) Uwa-obi Footwear Tabi Zōri Waraji Jika-tabi Geta Uwabaki Loose Socks

v t e Hosiery Lower leg Bobby socks Bootee Knee highs Leg warmer Loose socks Socks Tabi Toe socks Crew sock Dress socks Anklet Low cut Full leg Fully fashioned stockings Hold-ups Leggings Legskin Pantyhose Stocking Tights Historical Boothose · Hose Brands Aerie Aristoc Frederick's of Hollywood Gerbe Gilly Hicks Hanes HanesBrands Jockey International L'eggs Levante No Nonsense Pretty Polly Spanx Victoria's Secret VienneMilano Wolford

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Tabiabuè Bonney, (born in Lomé, Togo, West Africa,^[1] better known as Tabi Bonney). Part of Indie label Organized Rhyme and son of afro-funk superstar, Itadi Bonney, Tabi achieved recognition in the Washington, DC Metro area with his radio singles "The Pocket" and "Doin It" featuring Raheem DeVaughn. Tabi also has his own clothing line by the name of "Bonney Runway". Aside from music and design, Tabi Bonney directs and produces many music videos for famous artist including friend and fellow DMV resident Wale (rapper).

Early career[link]

Tabi and fellow rapper Haziq Ali combined efforts to form the group Organized Rhyme.^[1] This eventually led to performing as the opening act for the likes of Outkast, LL Cool J, and Cam'ron. He also worked with Carter to create the underground album "Bonney & Carter".

Discography[link]

A Fly Guy's Theme[link]

Dope[link]

Fresh[link]

Source:^[2]

videos and songs

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} VH1.com
2. ^ ughh.com

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Natsumi Kiyoura (清浦夏実, Kiyoura Natsumi^?, born July 4, 1990^[1]) is a Japanese actress and singer from Chiba.^[2] She is represented by the talent agency Oscar Promotion. Her music records have been released under Flying Dog.

Kiyoura made her acting debut in 2003 on the tokusatsu TV series Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. In 2005, she became Sponichi Annex's third image girl (or "Anecco" as they call it).^[3] She debuted as a singer in 2007 with the single "Kaze Sagashi", theme song for the Sketch Book ~full color's~ anime series. She has since performed theme songs for other anime series, including Spice and Wolf, Sgt. Frog, Ristorante Paradiso, and Sasameki Koto. She released her first album Juukuiro in 2010.

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

Tsukue no Nakami (2007)^[4]

Television[link]

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (2003–2004) Kinpachi-sensei (7th series, 2004–2005)^[5]

Discography[link]

Singles[link]

"Kaze Sagashi" (Released October 24, 2007)

• TV anime Sketchbook ~full color's~ opening theme

"Tabi no Tochuu" (Released February 6, 2008)

• TV anime Spice and Wolf opening theme

"Bokura no Aikotoba" (Released July 23, 2008)

• TV anime Sgt. Frog ending theme and insert song

"Kanashii Hodo Aoku / Nijiiro Pocket" (Released October 21, 2009)

• TV anime Sasameki Koto opening and ending themes

"Hologram" (Released November 23, 2011)

• TV anime Phi Brain: Puzzle of God ending theme

Albums[link]

Juukuiro (Released February 24, 2010)

Other[link]

CM Yoko 2 (Yoko Kanno album; Released April 22, 2009)

• "Obento o Tabenagara" (2008 Hotto Motto CM song)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site at Oscar Promotion^{[dead link]} (Japanese)
• Official site at Flying Dog (Japanese)
• Official blog at Oricon (Japanese)

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David Willis, otherwise known as DJ Ski and Ski Beatz, is an American record producer mainly working in hip hop.

Biography[link]

Discovered by DJ Clark Kent,^[1] Ski was originally known as "MC Will-Ski". In the 1990s, he was a member of the group Original Flavor, the first group managed by future recording industry executive Damon Dash.^[2] In the mid-90s, Ski was working on duo Camp Lo's debut album Uptown Saturday Night when Dash called him in to work on the debut album of his own artist, Jay-Z. Jay's album, Reasonable Doubt, was released in 1996, marking Ski's first major production placement. Ski produced four tracks off the album, including the singles "Dead Presidents" and "Feelin' It".

After the critical success of Reasonable Doubt, Ski formed Roc-A-Blok Productions in affiliation with Jay and Dame's label, Roc-A-Fella Records, working with Camp Lo and Sporty Thievz. The producer crafted most of Camp Lo's debut, which dropped in 1997, and produced the Fat Joe single "John Blaze"; Ski continued to work with Jay-Z, on his second album In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 as well as non-solo albums and compilation projects, until 1998, when Jay released his third project Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life without beats from any of his former producers except for DJ Premier.

Though Roc-A-Blok Productions had since folded, Ski stayed somewhat active in music. Relocating to his home state of North Carolina for a break from New York City's fast-paced lifestyle, he continued producing for artists such as Nature, members of the New Jersey crew The Outsidaz, Lil' Kim, Foxy Brown, Ras Kass and Proof. The producer has continued to produce for Camp Lo, providing most of the production for their second album Let's Do it Again, as well as their third album, Black Hollywood.

Recently, Ski linked back up with Dame Dash, joining the entrepreneur's DD172 collective, subsequently nicknamed the 24-Hour Karate School. Since the foundation of the studio enclave, Ski has worked with Mos Def, Jay Electronica, Jean Grae and others; on April 30, 2010, he announced that he will be producing upcoming albums for Jean Grae, Joell Ortiz, Ras Kass and others, and will be producing all but three songs on the rapper Curren$y's 3rd album Pilot Talk ; these artists are also all featured on the producer's upcoming solo debut, entitled 24 Hour Karate School in honor of the collective.^[2]

Discography[link]

Ski Beatz production discography

Studio albums

• 24 Hour Karate School (2010)
• 24 Hour Karate School Presents: Twilight (2012)

Collaboration albums

• Embedded (with Locksmith) (2011)^[3]
• TBA (with Freddie Gibbs) (TBA 2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ski's on Myspace
• Ski Hip Hop Pow Interview
• Ski's's channel on YouTube
• Interview, HitQuarters Nov 08