HHHL -- pt. 20

[Eye]

Well, here we go. Part 20 of the HHHL, but here are the first 19 teams:

N.W.A

P$C

Stones Throw Records

Onyx

Black Eyed Peas

Flipsyde

Dipset

Jurassic 5

Mike Jones AND NEW VERSION

Swishahouse Records

A Tribe Called Quest

De La Soul

Wu-Tang Clan

DMX

Hieroglyphics

Gang Starr

Clipse

Cash Money Records

Public Enemy

So I've been layin' low for a while. Just hangin' back, letting life play out. I always have ideas and always need to just get 'em down on paper or the computer. Well, I think with this team, it was worth it. I really like how team # 20 came out for the Hip Hop Hockey League.

So, who is the team? I'll tell ya. The team you will see is the Black Jays. Well, the Black Jays are a Canadian hip hop movement and an independent record label. The founders of the Black Jays are Kardinall Offishall (Jason Harrow) and Solitair (Sheldon Pitt). Yes, they are named after the MLB team based in Toronto, the Blue Jays. Expect a few Blue Jays references on the unis, aight. The Black Jays are based in Toronto, Ontario, but have recently became an international movement: Black Jays International.

First and foremost, the colors. Well, yes the Black Jays use the Blue Jays color palette: black, blue, graphite, and silver. And yes, there is a substantial difference between the graphite and silver, which you will be able to notice in the uniforms.

The home uniform: Well, the home uniform is black (just like the Blue Jays alternate) and features the Black Jays logo on the sweater. We also have the Blue Jays primary logo as the shoulder patch, and have a blue/white/silver/white/blue striping pattern on the sleeves, torso, and socks. Numbers are white, trimmed in silver and blue, and names are white trimmed in blue. Sleeve numbers are white trimmed in black and blue. Oh yeah, forgot to mention this, the number and name fonts on all uniforms are the Blue Jays. Domes, gloves, collar, and socks are black, and pants are graphite with a white/blue/white stripe down the sides. Not much else to say on the homes. Harrow is on the back and is number 93 because in 1993 he started to go by his current name, Kardinal Offishal.

The away uniforms: As much as the home and alt. home say Blue Jays, these say Blue Jays even more. Blue Jays home wordmark across the front, blue/white/black/white/blue striping pattern, black yoke, with the new alternate T logo as the shoulder patch. This alternate T logo is featured on the Blue Jays alternate cap logo, and I thought fit more since the "J" in "Jays already featured the bird head. Names are graphite trimmed in blue, and numbers are graphite trimmed in blue and silver. Sleeve numbers are white trimmed in blue and silver. Collar, gloves, and pants are the same, while domes and socks are white. Sky as in Nina Sky is on the back and their number is 44 because their debut album, "NIna Sky" went to # 44 on the charts.

The home alternate uniform: Well, this uniform features the Black Jays logo, and is now graphite. It is similar to the primary home, just with different colors and striping. I'll start with the same stuff. Domes are black (yes I know the Blue Jays used to wear graphite caps, I'd know, I have one. But they ditched those and now wear black caps full time, so that is why the helmets are black), gloves are black, pants are still the same, and socks are graphite, featuring the black/white/blue/white/black striping pattern that is on this uniform. Collars are graphite, and the Blue Jays primary logo is the shoulder patch. Names are white trimmed in black, and numbers are blue trimmed in black and white. Sleeve numbers are white trimmed in black and graphite. Pitt is on the back, for Sheldon Pitt aka Solitair, and he is number 35 because his production on Choclair, another Canadian rapper's album, "Ice Cold" went gold in 35 days.

I REALLY like these Black Jays uniforms. Everything is so crisp and pops out so nicely. Even though I based the Black Jays uniforms off of the Blue Jays, I did change a few things. The black uniforms have white numbers as opposed to the Blue Jays' graphite numerals. The graphite uniform was actually scrapped by the Blue Jays just before the 2004 season, but I chose to use it. Blue was not in the Blue Jays' graphite unis (in fact, graphite was the only color on those uniforms), and the numbers and colors are totally different on the Black Jays graphites. I just love this set and think it is incredible. Definitely one of my best Hip Hop Hockey League uniforms ever, no, definitely one of my best uniforms ever, and I hope that others like it.

As usual, I draw all my own letters and numbers. No copy and past ever. C & C as usual, thanks.Here we go Black Jays, here we go.

EDIT: Just realized that on the away uniform, the Jays wordmark is slightly too far to the left. Oh well, just imagine that it is centered because on the other two uniforms, the Black Jays logo is. I can't believe I forgot to center it. I don't know if I will center the one that I will potentially put into my photobucket account, but the one I put on my website I will.

Home uniform and logos:

Away uniform and home alternate:

[neo_prankster]

Gray pants in hockey?! Certainly not.

Besides that, this concept is awesome.

[tBBP]

I done just now got myself caught up on your lil' series here, and I'll have to go back and comment on the others when (if?) I get some time.

As far as what I see here...

SUSTAINMENTS/LIKES:

- Tying in the movement's locale to a, uh, local pro sports team. Some might call blasphemy on basically drafting one team's identity and making a fantasy concept out of it, but see, that's just it--it's a FANTASY concept. Plus, it wouldn't be the first time that type of thing as been done. Pay real close attention to the interior pages of the pullout liner notes of Lil' Flip's album You Gotta Feel Me. His area code "713" jersey? A customized effort based on the Houston Oilers colored jerseys.

- Uniform striping. that's always a plus.

- Nice use of the colors you had to work with.

IMPROVEMENTS/DISLIKES:

- Just a little TOO much gray. For a team whose name is a color (even though we know the conctext in which "black" is used here), it'd behoove you to acutally make that the dominant color for home (which you did) and road. For the 3rd/alt, i'd have gone with the blue as the base color, just to inject a lil' more "color" into the overall set.

- The primary logo for the home and 3rd/alt doesn't seem to match with the rest of the set at all. it's a 3-D image used on an otherwise 2-D plane, follow me here?

- Two different logos for home and away. For some reason, I've never liked that, but that's just me.

SUGGESTIONS:

- If you wish to use the Blue Jays' identity and craft that into the Black Jays' image, why not actually recolor the Jay black? I mean, we all already recognize that logo; recoloring it black would only tie in more to the team name (and make it a quite literal one at that.)

- If you wish to use the "BJ" cursive script logo, I'd rework it to where it still looks fresh and clean, but in 2-D, to fit in with everything else.

Other than all that...good work Raps!

[rev]

When are we going to see some Def Jux representation? Rhymesayers?

[eRay]

just coming through like usual to state my case.

i like this concept a lot, as I like Kardinal and hadn't even heard of the Black Jays. First off, they have a great name for these boards, people should get it. I like the way you used the colors and I like the striping, as well as the logo placement decisions. I like the BJ on the front, and i do think Bucco_B has a point about it being 3D on 2D, but that has never bothered me before, and it's their logo, so go for it. Also, I like the gray pants for some reason, but those with the alternate jersey might be a little too much. Either make the jersey blue, or make the pants black or something. I wish there was more graphite on the home and road jerseys to match the pants, but we can't win 'em all.

[Eye]

- If you wish to use the Blue Jays' identity and craft that into the Black Jays' image, why not actually recolor the Jay black? I mean, we all already recognize that logo; recoloring it black would only tie in more to the team name (and make it a quite literal one at that.)

- If you wish to use the "BJ" cursive script logo, I'd rework it to where it still looks fresh and clean, but in 2-D, to fit in with everything else.

I gotcha there, B. I actually did make the Blue Jay black very briefly, but then I was like, that is the Blue Jays logo and the Black Jays are named after the Blue Jays. I was on the fence from that point on. As for the "BJ" I get that. It would make sense. I may give that a shot. I'll plant myself on the cpu when I have more time and see what I can do.

Here is what the Blue Jay looks like if it were black. As you all can see, the color of the Jay's head is ever so slightly lighter from the outlines of the logo. This is to give a subtle, but necessary contrast when viewed up close.

I was really unsure whether to make the Jay black or not. I still am unsure. I might make the Jay black when I tweak these up a bit just to make them that much better, but I still am on the fence. I'll give it a try when I have time though.

just coming through like usual to state my case.

i like this concept a lot, as I like Kardinal and hadn't even heard of the Black Jays. First off, they have a great name for these boards, people should get it. I like the way you used the colors and I like the striping, as well as the logo placement decisions. I like the BJ on the front, and i do think Bucco_B has a point about it being 3D on 2D, but that has never bothered me before, and it's their logo, so go for it. Also, I like the gray pants for some reason, but those with the alternate jersey might be a little too much. Either make the jersey blue, or make the pants black or something. I wish there was more graphite on the home and road jerseys to match the pants, but we can't win 'em all.

Perhaps that is true on the alternate jersey about the graphite. The Blue Jays originally had a graphite alternate but scrapped it before the 2004 season. I think I might rework these and tweak them up just a bit. It may not be soon, but I will try and rework some of these.

[VC//]

A canadian hiphop movement that has a BJ for it's initials...is that what they'll be doing to the American hiphop dominance?

Cool jersey, but as for canadian hiphop...it's extremely brutal music. And i'm Canadian.