R.I.F. Chairman Fred Hampton & Mark Clark

This is the eve of the night on which the Chicago Police Department, through J. Edgar Hoover's/FBI endorsed COINTELPRO, that Deputy Chairman Fred Hampton Sr. and Defense Captain Mark Clark were ambushed and assassinated while they slept; Chairman Fred in bed with his pregnant wife. This year marks the 40th Anniversary of "The Murder On Monroe".

These men were two YOUNG courageous members of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense. They embodied the character and personality that is so lacking in the youth of our black communities today. They were men devoted to their families and to the pursuit of freedom and justice. Instead of promoting and exploiting the ignorance and troubles that we endure, they fought to create unity around these common issues that were affecting us across the country. They created the free breakfast and health screening for our children. While Chicago sought to lock up (or kill) the street's Lords, Stones and Disciples, Fred and Mark along with the BPP sought to organize, politicize and unify them through various community outreach and development programs.

Being a threat to the government's COINTELPRO politics that were designed to destabilize, discredit and destroy black leaders, and to "...prevent the rise of a Black Messiah...", it was obvious that they had to be killed.

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I was introduced to Chairman Fred Jr. about 7 years ago through a mutual friend I had been doing artwork for. I was very familiar with Chairman Fred Sr.'s story prior to this meeting, so it was nothing less than a pleasure to be able to shake hands and build with his son over dinner.

Later in the year, while in Chicago for a family reunion, I had to convinced my cousin to take me through his "opposing neighborhood". If you know the slightest bit about Chicago, if you represent a 6, you're usually not chillin' somewhere where 5's are being repped...lol. But he took me and it would be my first official meeting with Chairman Fred Jr. and his mother, "Mama" Akua Njeri. Here we discussed me playing a role in their National Revolutionary Day, a yearly memorial for the "Murder On Monroe". This would be the beginning of a 7 year working relationship with the family providing creative support in the form of flyer design.

I also had my younger cousin with me, and it was a beautiful thing b/c he wasn't familiar with the legacy of Fred Hampton. Surely I had drilled him on the Black Panther Party and the general importance of that movement, but as I met with Mama and Fred Jr., The Assassination Of Fred Hampton played in the background for my cousin to consume. He had now become one of what should be MANY young black men who have been enlightened by these fearless soldiers.

I think if OUR media and music focused on the likes of the REAL GHETTO SOLDIERS, the ones who fight (and not conform to) the system by any means necessary, the current and future leaders in our communities would be just as courageous and fearless. They would be more responsible brothers, fathers, uncles, cousins. Instead of the next Jay Z, we really need the reincarnation of the spirit that ran through the blood of Chair Fred Hampton and Deputy Mark Clark. The amazing fact is that Fred was a young 21 years old, Mark 22, when they were murdered. What they accomplished at that age is something divine to me...

But until that spirit rises, Rest In Freedom gentlemen. I'm sad to say that as a community we've gone backwards from what you sacrificed your lives for, but I am also proud to say that it definitely was not in vane. Not all of us have been consumed and programmed by the world society that seeks to destroy us as it sought to destroy you.

"You can kill the revolutionary, but you can't kill the revolution."
- Chairman Fred Hampton, August 30, 1948 – December 4, 1969






"You know who it is, you know what it is...peace out."

PROJECT: MC BREED MEMORIAL PARTY

If you're somewhere around 28 and up, and were submerged in all things hip-hop back in the late 80's and early 90's, then MC BREED wouldn't be a name foreign to your eardrum. "Big Baller" Eric Breed was most familiar for his chart breaking, "Ain't No Future In Yo' Frontin'", but had a discography that played soundtrack to many of our growing up experiences.

So a few weeks ago, as i was sitting in the studio working on a project for my homie Wayniac, i noticed a photo of him and Breed on his computer. i proceeded to tell him how I grew up listening to Breed, and so he began to talk about the birthday/memorial celebration he was helping his Breed's wife Tasha put together. Knowing that this is the season of the Gemini, i mentioned to Wayniac something about that being his reason for being so dope, since i myself am a Gemini...and pretty dope! So Wayniac mentions that Breed's birthday was June 12th, same day as mine. i found that to be quite interesting and a little more than coincidence, so i told Wayniac that i'd like to do the flyer for the event. He was sure to let me know there was no budget to pay for designing the flyer, but i let him know that the money didn't matter. i felt it would be a good deed for an artist i respected and whose music i grew up on.




Honestly, i think it's a decent job to serve the purpose. Tasha (Breed's wife) however, was very appreciative. She even pointing out various details in the design she liked that i took for granted. Nevertheless, i'm glad i had the opportunity to work this out for her, and for all the fans who will come out Thursday, June 11th to pay homage to the late great MC Eric Breed.







"You know who it is, you know what it is...peace out."

PROJECT: "(LOVE) NO MORE"

I worked up this sketch last night and fine tuned it today. I'm gonna work on this and try to knock it out over the weekend. I need a break and breath of fresh air from work and deadlines. Shit is wreckin' my brain!



The title is "(Love) No More" and it will be a 30x24 acrylic painting on canvas. I haven't done any letters in ages so to re-tap my graffiti roots I went in on this. "(Love) No More" is somewhat of a prequel to another piece I've been working on, "Love's Destruction" which is a little more complex. I wanted to have fun with the next painting since my "I Pledge Allegiance..." piece was so intense, so I'll enjoy the simplicity of freakin' these letters.

Progression photo updates when I have photo progression updates!

"You know who it is, you know what it is...peace out."

"I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE..."

I had planned on utilizing my blog to go in depth about much of the art and design stuff I'll be working on, and just recently I've gotten a few inquiries about the meaning of my submission for the City Of Ink's "ENOUGH IZ ENOUGH!: Artists United Against Police Brutality" Art Exhibit this pass Friday. So here we go with progression photos and details! Enjoy!



"I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE" was inspired by a powerful photo from a series my homegirl TT Coles is working on. It was a Monday, a few days before the show and I hadn't locked in on a concept yet. I've been dwelling on pieces like this for 17 years! (since Rodney King and the L.A. Uprising) And as usual, there's so much to say in regards to the topic, so I wasn't clear on what stance or position to take with my piece. So, browsing Facebook, I noticed a new album uploaded by TT and one of the photos stood out instantly! Not only did the photo stand out, but the title and concept was there with it. So I called up TT and asked her for the images she had for that particular reference shot and she promptly emailed me what I needed to get started.

So after seeing the photo, the title came to mind. Even still, I wasn't sure on all i was going to try to say in such a short period of time. It was late Monday night and I had to have the piece done in a couple days. I tried to keep it simple, but my mind wouldn't allow for it. So I just went with the flow. And as I began to draw, create and paint, the message was further revealed to me. "I Pledge Allegiance" would be a tribute to the victims of police brutality, and give honor to those who have become political prisoners or lost their lives fighting in this struggle.





So the sista represents the foundation of the Black community. She is the mother of all of this we know as civilization. She represents Africa, the beginning. Her hand over her heart is her pledging allegiance to her community, those who've struggled and died, and to the continuation of this struggle. She's wearing a halo because she is a souljah sent by God to properly guide His children during these oppressive times. I'm also VERY big on angels (i have 5 of them tatted on me with more to go!). I think that some humans are God's earthly angels, me and my crew being a few of them. But in my depiction of angels, the one's with halos represent 360 degrees of perfection. She is the closest thing to God. Her war paint is obvious, the red is for the blood shed, the green is for our land, and the black is for the Almighty people. TT shot the photo this way, but it was very relevant in my concept b/c a phrase from an old Sista Souljah song played in my head, "We are at WAR! Black man where is your army!?!"






I incorporated the names of key people, some of which included: Fred Hampton, Sekou Odinga, Dr. Mutulu Shakur, Assata Shakur, Amadou Diallo, Abner Louima, Michael Pipkens, Katheryn Johnston, Rodney King, Adolph Grimes, Malice Green, Oscar Grant, Eleanor Bumpers, Bunchy Carter, Sean Bell, The Black Panther Party, B.L.A. (Black Liberation Army) and countless others. These names were placed on the piece for two reasons. Reason #1 has been stated above, reason #2 is because during the African Libation ceremony, names of the ancestors are spoken to call on their spirits and energy for guidance. This ritual is more familiar in the hood when brothas and sistas "pour out a little liquor" for a dead homie. This was/is rooted in African culture. So for my piece, I wanted to invoke the spiritual energies of those dead and alive to speak through my piece.

The burning buildings represent the ENOUGH IZ ENOUGH! They represent us being tired of talkin' and walkin'. They represent rebellion. This verse stuck in my mind as I painted this part:

"...we ain't talkin' no mo', we ain't squashin' shit wit po-po, and we ain't marchin' in the middle of the goddamn street 'cause Martin got smoked, niggas ready for war..."

This verse was from Krayzie Bone on Dead Prez's "Walk Like A Warrior" which was on heavy repeat as I painted.





To see the FINAL final version, make your way to City Of Ink Tattoo Shop and Art Gallery to see this and other fine pieces dealing with police brutality. If you're not in the city and would like to see the final, send me a nice comment and/or email and i might just send u a shot ;).


Overall, that's the concept and where I was coming from with this piece. And as always, I don't think it's finished. I'm the hardest critic of my own work. There's always something I think that needs to be done, corrected or fine tuned. I'm trying to learn to let it go since there's so much more to say about so many other things. Besides, the police just beat the shit out of a 15 year old girl. So I guess it's back to the drawing board huh?



"You know who it is, you know what it is...peace out."

PROJECT: miyabailey.com

This is one of those cool projects! I am in the process of designing a basic website for Master Tattoo Artist, Miya Bailey, co-founder of the infamous City Of Ink Tattoo Shop and Art Gallery. After I completed phase one of the City Of Ink site, Mr. Bailey decided that he wanted to create a more personal path to his world by establishing his own site. The site will be dedicated to keeping his fans and followers abreast on his personal projects like his book, solo art shows, etc.

This is just a screen shot of the work in progress. I will make another post when we're done.




"You know who it is, you know what it is...peace out."

PROJECT: Sekou Odinga

Sekou Odinga is a freedom fighter and political prisoner currently held in the United States super max prison ADX Florence located in Florence, CO. My generation is very familiar with his son Yafeu Fula, b.k.a. Yaki Khadafi, 2Pac's comrade and fellow member of the Outlawz. Check this out for a brief statement on the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement website about Sekou.

This came about as a referral by a good friend/big sister/client, Aiyisha over at Disturbing Tha Peace (Thanks Aiyisha!). I was instantly honored to be awarded the privilege to work on the project seeing as how I was familiar with his story as well as the stories of similar freedom fighters such as Dr. Mutulu Shakur, Jamil Al-Amin, Mumia Abu Jamal, Angela Davis, Malcolm X. These are the ones they don't want us to learn about. They'll teach us about how courageously some of their "heroes" fought for things like slavery (The Civil War), and against this concept of terrorism. Don't get it twisted, there were/are a lot of GOOD people fighting the GOOD fight, but at the same time, we are also taught about the ones who died just so we could stay slaves, or violently take over somebody's land or natural resources.

This is a work in progress, and the general layout for the site. I'll more than likely change/add a few things, but we're currently awaiting feedback on the layout and design from Sekou. I'll definitely keep you posted!




"You know who it is, you know what it is...peace out."

PROJECT: 382 Financial Group

382 Financial Group is a loyal client I've had for a couple years now. Ariaka came to me through a longtime client and friend, BJ who actually gave me my first big shot in Atlanta by providing me with a plethora of work from Patchwerk Recording Studios 12 years ago. I've come a long way since 1997 and have continued to provide creative services for Patchwerk and BJ's various ventures.

So 382 Tax & Accounting is helping you get your taxes together this year! Give Ariaka a call to have her work it out for YOU! Tell her you found her by visiting my blog and she'll show you some MAJOR love...by humbly thanking you for coming to support a Black business!




"You know who it is, you know what it is...peace out."

PROJECT: Artistic Sole

Artist Sole is my client and extended fam', Imani of D.C.'s infamous Pinz-N-Needlez Tattoo Shop. City Of Ink artists make this shop home when they're catering to clientele in the D.C./Baltimore area.

So Imani, a super dope tattoo artist (who I'm patiently waiting to ink me!), fits the mold of most artists. That would be having a foundation in art, but being all over the board with the application it. So her company, ARTISTIC SOLE, caters to her endeavors as a tattoo artist/fine artist/kicks customizer/hustla of creative skills.

I was given the honor of re-mixing her logo and creating male and female versions. The elements were pretty much all in place, I just had to tie it together by giving it some SOUL! Here's the before and after:





Thanks Imani for allowing me to provide you with some visual soul! And if you are in and around the D.C. area looking for some soulful tats be sure to take your ass to Pinz-N-Needlez and get that shit right the first time! ;)


"You know who it is, you know what it is...peace out."