Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
MORE THAN A MYTH
We just got our new Pirelli Calander for the Tattoo Shop!
Getting this feels almost as good as rolling on a fresh set of Pirelli Tires.
Monday, April 25, 2011
UDE COLLECTION
Thanks to Dennis over at UDE for always keeping my pieces fresh and executing my designs with flawless craftsman ship..
Sunday, April 24, 2011
SOUL SUNDAY
Joe Bataan (also spelled Bataán) (born 1942[citation needed] in Spanish Harlem, New York City) is an African American and Filipino]]-American Latin R&B musician from New York. He was born Bataan Nitollano and grew up in the 103rd St. and Lexington Ave. part of East Harlem where he briefly led the Dragons, a local Puerto Rican street gang, before being sent to the Coxsackie Correctional Facility to serve time for a stolen car charge.
Upon his release in 1965, he turned his attention to music and formed his first band, Joe Bataan and the Latin Swingers. Bataan was influenced by two musical styles: the Latin boogaloo and African American doo-wop. Though Bataan was neither the first nor only artist to combine doo-wop-style singing with Latin rhythms, his talent for it drew the attention of Fania Records. After signing with them in 1966, Bataan released "Gypsy Woman," in 1967. (The title track is a Latin dance cover of "Gypsy Woman" by The Impressions.) He would, in full, release eight original titles for Fania which included the gold-selling "Riot!". These Fania albums often mixed energetic Latin dance songs, sung in Spanish, with slower, English-language soul ballads sung by Bataan himself. As a vocalist, Bataan's fame in the Latin music scene at the time was only rivaled by Ralfi Pagan and Harvey Averne.
Disagreements over money with Fania head Jerry Masucci led Bataan to eventually leave the label. While still signed to Fania however, Bataan secretly started Ghetto Records, a Latin music label which got its initial funding from a local gangster, George Febo. Bataan produced several albums for other artists, including Papo Felix, Paul Ortiz and Eddie Lebron.
In 1973, he helped coin the phrase "salsoul," lending its name to his first post-Fania album. Along with the Cayre brothers, he co-founded Salsoul label, though later sold out his interest. He recorded three albums for Salsoul and several singles, including "Rap-O Clap-O," from 1979 which became an early hip hop hit. After his 1981 album, "Bataan II," he retired from music-making to spend more time with his family and ended up working as a youth counselor in one of the reformatories he himself had spent time in as a teenager. In 2005, Bataan broke his long hiatus with the release of "Call My Name," a well-received album recorded for Spain's Vampisoul label.
Bataan is also the father of Asia Nitollano, winner of the Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll
In the 2006 video game, Driver Parallel Lines, Joe Bataan's song Subway Joe was included in the soundtrack.
In early 2009, Joe Bataan was featured in the Kenzo Digital-produced "beat cinematic" City of God's Son. Bataan was featured as the narrator of the story, paying the part of an older Nas reflecting upon his youth in the street with cohorts Jay-Z, Ghostface Killah, Biggie and Raekwon.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
SOUL SUNDAY
Originally formed as The Lovemen, the trio - Jasper "Jabbo" Phillips, Harold "Scotty" Scott and Deljuan "Del" Calvin - met in the mid-1960s, when they were in junior high school,[1] along with Larry Dodson, future lead singer of The Bar-Kays. First signed to Stax Records in 1970, and later to Epic Records (a subsidiary of CBS), the band released four albums, Lovemen, 1974's Love Maze, Because We Love You, and 1972's Dedicated To The One I Love. Their catalog was later re-released on CD,[2][3][4] along with a greatest hits compilation entitled, The Best of the Temprees.[5] The trio's last hit was 1976's "I Found Love On A Disco Floor".[6]
The band reunited in the 1990s. Lead singer Jasper "Jabbo" Phillips died on February 21, 2001.[1] The Temprees' rendition of "Dedicated To The One I Love" was one of 50 songs featured in the double album box set, Stax 50th Anniversary Celebration in 2007.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
ART IN THE STREETS
Here is just a preview... Come by and check out the four pieces I painted just for this show.
APRIL 17–AUGUST 8, 2011 / THE GEFFEN CONTEMPORARY AT MOCA
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Check it out HERE!!
Transcript
Raul Campos: It’s Raul Campos from KCRW and I’m here with L.A.-based graffiti and tattoo artist Mr. Cartoon. He’s inked some of the biggest names in music and his art will be part of the first major museum survey of street art at MOCA. Today, we’re going to be playing excerpts of tunes that have inspired him over the years as part of KCRW’s Guest DJ Project. Cartoon, welcome man. How are you?
Mr. Cartoon: I’m good. Good to be here – grateful.
RC: You’re born and raised here in L.A., right?
MC: That’s right.
RC: I’m gonna guess that you’ve gone to parties and heard this tune quite a bit.
MC: A lot of people might associate this song, those listening to this station, to some type of club. You know – garage type of music. This is “White Horse” by Laid Back.
But in LA, it was in the hood. We all thought it was a bunch of black guys with afros and elevator shoes that drove big Cadillacs. Gangsters, you know what I mean, singing this song. And we found out it was two Swedish guys. [Laughs] I didn’t find that till later man, until computers came out. This song really influenced the street a lot – the low riders. You put this song on right now and you get fired up.
I have a picture with my hair long in the back and a pompadour in the front. The girl with the teased hair to the ceiling with Aquanet and a hickey on her net at the La Casa in downtown L.A. [Laughs] I still have a ’88 Nissan truck with a lifted bed and hydraulics and daytons and a big cell phone in it. Even my wife – she’s ten years younger than me – she can remember through her mother and father.
RC: So does she give you a hard time about the music?
MC: She loves it. She’s right there with me. That’s why I married her, man. I found a woman that was not only out of my league looks wise, but she dug the same type of music. When I tell my partners, ‘Hey homes, you’re looking for Mrs. Perfect.’ I go, ‘You ain’t perfect, you’re ugly, man. You better jump on that girl.’ But, she has good musical tastes – her mother collects 45s and all the oldies.
RC: Nice. Laid Back is the artist, “White Horse” is the tune, and lets check it out. Mr. Cartoon is just selecting the tunes here at KCRW.com.
RC: You next choice, we’re switching over to some classic rock. Led Zeppelin. How did this band enter your life?
MC: In the early 90s, when I started muraling cars at the Lifestyle Car Club in East L.A., Boyle Heights area, I had these images about East L.A. and low-riding. It was a bunch of old convicts with big handlebar mustaches, hair combed back, tattoos and multiple felonies. I show up to the parking lot and these guys are listening to Pink Floyd, man. They’re listening to Hendrix and Zeppelin, and all the cars are themed after these classic rock songs. There was a Pink Floyd car that was a pink Lincoln.
These guys were in car clubs in the ‘70s and never left – they just lived in the ghetto. So I had to be educated about it. That stuff really impacted my life – all that classic rock. So, if you see our car club and you see our low riders at a car show, you’ll hear nothing but Zeppelin playing.
They’d basically lock us up in the garage. They’d paint a car – the fumes from the lacquer paint and they’d be playing this music.
RC: I’m going to stop you real quick – you’re starting to talk cars. Talk about things like muraling a car and all that stuff.
MC: Doing a mural is actually tattooing the car. After the car is painted – preferably with a candy paint job -- I will put an image that reflects the owner’s personality. A lot of the time they just let me go – it’s a fantasy type of thing. I will mural this fantasy mural with a woman with her hair down to her calves, sharpie eyebrows, big lips, a wizard in the sky and he’s zapping down money. It’s a real Southern California thing.
RC: Well lets check it out, Led Zeppelin, “Since I’ve Been Loving You,” here on KCRW.com with our guest DJ Mr. Cartoon.
RC: Our guest DJ is Mr. Cartoon and we’re just going to go in the complete opposite world with some hip-hop, if you want to even call them that.
MC: The next song is Cypress Hill, “Real Estate.” I know every member of Cypress Hill owns a whole Led Zeppelin collection, and is influenced. Cypress Hill grew up in the same area as me – I grew up in the Harbor area, they grew up in the South Gate area. I eventually ended up doing album covers, stage design and tour merchandise for them.
MC: These guys, when they did that song, they really made their own type of sound and you can really feel it. You can feel that you’re in a Regal with primer spots and bullet holes in it driving down the street. You experience this stuff. You don’t even have to be a big rap fan to appreciate this song. Cypress Hill affected my life and I know everyone from my generation. It was like one of “us” made it.
RC: Well, I think you’ve all made it. And it’s family, its music, its work, its life, and it gives you something to aspire too.
MC: Thank you. It’s something that you do because you absolutely love it.
I’m an artist out of pure love. If I don’t draw, I get kinda nauseous in my stomach. Now it’s more of a business now – I went from homeboy to homeowner. But I gotta keep my head in the street because of the artwork I do. I have to stay 18 years old in my head. I just try and stay current as far as artwork goes. But this music really does influence you.
RC: That was Cypress Hill doing “Real Estate.” Mr. Cartoon is in the house, he’s our guest DJ right here at KCRW. Raul Campos your host. Introduce this next song…
MC: It’s by the Train Robbers, and the name of the song is “Tricky Dick.” The song was made in the ‘60s, and Nixon was a sicko and got caught. And everyone pretty much calls someone that is a liar a “tricky dick.” So this song is pretty negative for an oldie for that time.
RC: Yeah, because normally everything is about love, and hanging with your “baby.”
MC: ‘I’ll be your fool, I’ll die for you.’ This one’s like, ‘You know what? You haven’t made it yet, slow down. Kick back, pump your breaks.’ It tripped me out – this negative oldie. I liked it.
MC: This music influenced my life. Oldies are a big part of the way I draw. When I build cars, I have a car for different eras of the oldies. When your sitting in a car that was made in the ‘60s and you’re listening to that music, it just puts you in the whole frame.
RC: It’s “Tricky Dick” by the Train Robbers here on KCRW.com. Our guest DJ is Mr. Cartoon. This is going to be our final selection – by the Soul Generation, “Million Dollars.” Why this one?
MC: Soul Generation is out of control. They are one of the groups that just never really made it big. They were out at the same time as the Delphonics and Temptations. They were just on a smaller label and there songs were just for more the hardcore – more for the street.
If you listen to the song, this is kind of the opposite of the Train Robbers. Talking about ‘if I had a million dollars, I’d give it all away for you.’ It kind of goes back to a relationship where you gotta put all that stuff to the side and it’s just you and your babe until the hubcaps fall out.
RC: ‘Till the hubcaps fall out.’ “Million Dollars” by Soul Generation right here selected by Mr. Cartoon here on KCRW.com.
So Cartoon, I see you want to do a little roll call. Get that smooth DJ voice going – let’s hear it.
MC: That’s right. [DJ voice] This is your Senor Love Daddy Mr. C-Toons – its roll call y’all. The Temp Breeze, The Dynamic Superiors, The Whatnots, Soul Generation, War, The Escorts, Train Robbers, Malo and The Midnighters. Thanks for making our days just a little brighter. [Laughs]
RC: Love it. Cartoon thanks so much for coming through. This is a huge honor and a great pleasure to just chit-chat and talk about music. Thank you for coming through man.
MC: Grateful to be here.
RC: So for a complete track listing and to find these songs, go online to KCRW.com/GuestDJProject.
