Fat Tony II

And for the second Fat Tony post of this week...

I linked up again with Fat Tony in late January of this year to shoot more portraits and less DJ action. This time, we met at a music studio on the southwest side of town. Sometimes he records there but more importantly, there was enough space to get a few different portrait options. I think he was only in town for the day before he had to fly somewhere else to do some more rap stuff. After the shoot, we rolled to the thrift shop where he copped an ill Dale Earnhardt tee. RIP Intimidator.

Fat Tony

The night was December 4th and I had been trying to link with Fat Tony, a Houston hip hop artist, to work on a photo project that would eventually be shelved. I got in touch via email and, long story short, he was down to be followed by me and my camera.

This particular night he was going to DJ at two different venues in the city after he finished his shift at Cactus Music. The first gig was at a super chill spot called MKT BAR connected to Phoenicia Specialty Foods in downtown Houston. It was just around happy hour so people were sipping beer, tasting appetizers and chatting with friends. The turn-up here was not real. But the relaxed environment did allow me to get in a few quick portraits.

The next gig was on the quiet, unassuming campus of Rice University where an underground dive called Willy's was scarcely populated with a few studious students. I thought to myself, "Self, is Fat Tony really gonna do a rowdy DJ set at this place?" The answer was yes. First of all, beers were like $2 or less and you could get a whole bottle of champagne (which Tony got a few) for $9. This was probably the cheapest place to get a beer in Houston outside of your own living room. The studious students stuck around a lot longer than I expected but soon, the books disappeared into bags and the turn-up became real. Fat Tony partied with all of his homeys, old and new, and kept it going until the very end when an undergrad/manager of Willy's told him he had to shut it down. Shut it down he did. Shout out to the homey Tony for bringing me along for the ride. More to come...

Roosh Williams - Unorthodox

I usually save my shout outs for the end of the post but shouts to the homey and Houston rapper, Roosh Williams. His album, Unorthodox, dropped today so mosey on over to iTunes and get that.

When I moved back to Houston, one of the first things I did was try to figure out which young H-Town artists were new and making it happen. I googled upon a couple of Complex articles on the subject both written by Houston's very own hip-hop scribe, Shea Serrano. On the list of "The 10 Best Houston Rap Mixtapes of 2013" was a fellow by the name of Roosh Williams and his project deja roo: Times Have Changed. Downloaded it. Jammed it.

Fast forward to a couple of months ago, I was contacted to work on a photo story doing artist spotlights on Houston rappers. Roosh was one of the people I reached out to. Even though the story kind of fell through (new management), I got to kick it with Roosh for a few days while he did various rapper things like shoot a video, wear a Sub-Zero costume, play basketball, eat fajitas and open for Wale. Unfortunately, I was unable to follow him into a classroom where he occasionally moonlit as a substitute teacher (seriously). Oh well, maybe next time.

OH! We did get to play a couple of games of 1-on-1 in which I am reluctant to say...I lost. He shot like 80% from 3 and I just didn't believe in his jumper. Still don't, actually. But go get Unorthodox and go watch the video he did with Houston rap gawd, Scarface. In the meantime, I'll work on a negotiation for a hoop re-match.

Wale x Houston x House Of Blues

Last Thursday, I ran into an old DC friend of mine who goes by the name of Wale Folarin at the House of Blues in Houston. By friend of mine, I mean we simultaneously lived in the same tri-state area at one time in our lives. And by ran into, I mean I took pictures of him while he performed for several hundred other people in attendance.

I've been periodically shooting portraits and documentary stuff of the homey and Houston rapper Roosh Williams for a story/spotlight that might not ever see the light of day. Roosh was one of the openers for Wale and a got a text from him a few hours before the show asking me if I wanted to shoot it. Well, why the hell not? Got to the venue, shot Roosh (killed it, so did he), and waited a couple hours while a bunch of other cats I've never heard of performed. To his credit, Folarin came out before 10pm, rocking the Fragment Jordan 1 and then the crowd. I only stayed for the 3 songs I could shoot then drove my old ass home.

Shout out to Audio Push, those two dudes are ENERGETIC!

DSTAR in Houston

I was so very fortunate to spend a good chunk of time in the greatest state of Texas last month. Initially for my brother-in-law's wedding in Austin (congrats Nate and Martha!) and then down to Houston to spend some time with the family. During that time, I photographed a kid who I've known for about 25+ years. An enterprising young hip hop artist by the name of DSTAR who also happens to be my cousin. We roamed the streets of Downtown Houston, mainly around the theater district, to make some promo images.

And if you're so inclined...have a listen to some of his heat. I am biased, but it is HEAT!

Shout out to H-Town.

Otis Griffin - Road Back to the Title: Slide Show Edition

A couple of months ago, I posted about a project I was working on with a boxer from Sacramento. His name is Otis Griffin and I photographed him training for his first fight in a series of five to get him back into title contention. You can see that original post here. I decided to re-visit and experiment with ProShow Gold, channeling my inner Ken Burns and here is the result.

As a side note, the song sound tracking  the slide show is a boxing-themed record that I recorded with my friends Jordan and Roger in college in 2004. So if you've never heard me rap...here is your chance!

Verbal Kombat

On a quest to shoot some hip hop related stuff out here in Sacramento, I stumbled on a real life battle. The event was called Verbal Kombat and it featured MCs from Sacramento, The Bay Area and Southern California. The MC battle is an interesting dynamic as each participant tries to verbally destroy the man (or woman) standing in front of them with the most vile and clever of rhyming insults. Then after its all over, they shake hands and hug. Teflon temperaments, I guess. Shout out to First Dirt who hosted the whole thing. Hopefully there will be many more in the future.