We Out Here Magazine strives to keep you all up to date with what’s going on in the hip-hop community. We keep a steady stream of new music coming in and we let you know what shows/events are coming up in your area and give recaps when they’re done. But it isn’t enough. The people want more. I just know it.
So, as the people-pleaser that I am, I decided to go ahead and give you what you really want….the scoop. Sure, new music and shows are great, but what else does everyone have going on? What’s the word on the street? Who done what and why? Having a little extra information on your favorite artist and keeping up with local buzz is a great way to be nosey stay informed. And knowing more about the cool kids around town is, well, pretty cool.
With that said, let me hip you all to a developing story involving a designer we introduced you all to a few weeks ago and rising hip-hop star Casey Veggies……
About 3 1/2 years ago, local artist, Jay Jankans came up with an idea that later became his RO.BO brand. Along with the help of D’Angelo Raines, he created designs that have been used on buttons, tees, tanks, sweatshirts and more. The logo and name have all been trademarked as well.
When creating the brand, Jay said, “The name took some time….to me it had to have meaning. I didn’t want a name that didn’t mean anything.” Thus, he chose RO.BO which means Real Outcast Become Original. With that kind of meaning attached to his brand, you can imagine his surprise when this picture surfaced of Casey Veggies wearing a hat with a design almost identical to the RO.BO mouth used on much of Jay’s gear.
We’re not quite sure who made the hat shown above. It looks like it may be a product of BLVD Supply with the small palm tree logo on the side. But it may also be from one of the many other lines Casey Veggies rocks/supports/collaborates with. One thing for sure, it’s not RO.BO.
So what’s next? RO.BO designer is still doing research to find out who produced the hat with the eerily similar logo. He may or may not follow through with legal action once he determines who’s responsible for the artistic “theft.” In the mean time, he may just send Casey Veggies an authentic RO.BO hat to rock instead of the alleged knock-off.
But the questions I pose to you all is, do you think this is a case of stolen creativity or just wild coincidence? I mean, it’s not a far-fetched concept that one brand would swipe the design from another. It happens. But what are the chances that some unknown brand swiped an idea from a local brand that’s just getting out into the public?
I’m not a good decision maker, so I’ll leave the assumptions up to you folks.
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