GKAE

Top three ghettos, in order.
Detroit above all. Philly and Camden get the silver medal. Only bulking them together ’cause they’re close to each other. Baltimore is a mess. I have yet to see New Orleans post-Katrina though, so that might take one of those out—just not Detroit: Best / Worst American City, 2010.

Top three Geto Boys, in order.
Bushwick Bill is a man I can relate to, being short and all. Willie D got that delivery. Scarface is prolly the most proficient rapper, though.

What’s the most cans you have ever body-racked?
Without a jacket, in early-’90s baggy clothes: four in the front waistband, two in the back, one in each pocket (four total), one in each sock (two total), one in each armpit (two total). If I was wearing a big jacket, maybe five extra. So 15 to 20 on my body. Makes it a little hard to walk, though.


List the first of each that you  owned. Be honest.
Record: Michael Jackson, Thriller
Tape: Fat Boys, The Fat Boys Are Back
CD: EPMD, Strictly Business
Ringtone: Project Pat, “Raised In The Projects”

Worst drug you ever tried?
Mini Thins. Some cheap gas-station upper. I think it’s mostly caffeine. But if you take like 20, it fucks you up. Shit made me mega sick, though. Dry heaving and shit. I think coke is kinda wack, too.

Where were you during the 1992 LA Riots?
I got stuck in South Central ’cause they stopped running the buses ’cause they were getting attacked. I was with this Black crew I used to chill with called CHB. We just drank a bunch of cheap liquor that we got for free. I didn’t loot or nothing ’cause I was more concerned with survival, and being White I definitely felt hunted. Video and pictures don’t give you an idea of how much shit got burnt down. Everything got got.


What would someone who doesn’t know you be surprised to find out about you?
My boner veers to the left.

How many burpees could you do at a time at your peak?
Two hundred at a time. Three hundred a day. Plus 500 to 800 regular push-ups. It’s been a while, though. I could maybe do 15 push-ups right now.

What are your top five American Accents colors?
Raspberry, Summer Squash, Terra Cotta, Colonial Red, Wildflower Blue.

Have ever undergone a psych evaluation?
Numerous ones.

Puddle of Mudd or Nickelback?
Matchbox 20.


Do you have any “work-related” wounds from your years of doing hip-hop? (Think SABER’s gorged-stomach thing.)
I have asthma, amongst other health issues, which I attribute to spraying. Been cut a few times with razor wire. No super crazy scars, though. Not yet, at least.

Ever try pruno?
I have done drank gallons of that sweet wine. It’s only served at fine, confined locations. You gotta be an upstanding member of the State. MEMBERS ONLY. It tastes like rotting fruit and rubbing alcohol, which ain’t too far off of what it actually is. If you’re lucky, it can make you feel like you took a lil’ acid as well.

Any undisclosed secrets that your parents, guardian, or group-home director never discovered during your most reckless years?
Naw, I probably got caught for everything once.

Name five inspirational things. 
My friends, my kid, places that are fucked up, weed, the Lakers.
Graffiti-related?
MSK.

Ever been told you resemble anyone, famous or otherwise?
REYES said I look like a young Martin Scorsese.


Most courageous / gnarliest spot you ever painted?
That spot in Seattle / Bellevue was pretty gnarly. Been running for 13 years now. A train crossed the trestle when I was up there and I thought it was over.

I did the front of a freeway sign in Boyle Heights on acid once. I was about 16...17. I wanted to do huge fills from my feet to as high as I could reach, but I only had stock caps, and I tried to fill in solid. I was up there for a minute. I was really tripping out and thought every car that passed was a Buick Regal with some Cholo driver. And then I thought there was an earthquake. In retrospect the sign was probably just shaking from the 18-wheelers, but at the time it almost made me jump off. I think the spot ran a day.

Is a prosthetic appendage a deal breaker on a super- or even mildly hot shawty?
I don’t discriminate. No color lines.

Any other professions you think you may have excelled at in life, other than being a writer?
No.

Least favorite American city or neighborhood you’ve visited?
Las Vegas. Man was not meant to populate the desert.


Bike you’re pushing most frequently these days?
Old Fuji touring bike with upright bars and a big front basket and rear rack. It’s kinda like a truck. I don’t drive, so it’s gotta be able to do everything: get groceries, go painting, get me around. It’s not too flashy, but it’s a good bike and I can lock it anywhere. Almost.

If you were conjoined to any one person in the world, past or present, who would it be? 
Can I be joined to two? I need a bodyguard and someone to holler at the ladies. So let’s say Arnold and Keith Sweat.

Favorite surface to paint on?
Metal. Duh.

What are some potential tag names that are still floating around out there that have yet to be made famous?
I’m working on SWAJO. I doubt anyone has written it. It means, “Smoking Weed And Jacking Off.” Or SWAJOE, just add “Every day.”

What motivates you to write on stuff, and what do you hope people will remember about you 20 years from now?
Not sure the real reason I still write on shit. I like the way it looks and I like doing it, but obviously it’s more than that. Years of therapy have not led to any answers.

As for 20 years from now, I hope people remember what I’ve painted and hopefully it’s affected them, for better or worse. As well, I hope people remember me for my contributions to the MSK crew.