HAVE A DOPE DAY

My Favorite art is the kind that makes me me question wtf am I looking at. Art that steals your attention is extremely powerful in my opinion. This is exactly what Jaqueline Valenzuela's art did to me the first time I was introduced to it. I couldn't "call it" meaning I didn't know exactly where it's origin was rooted in. Is it a graff writer? is it fine art? What's the story behind the person, I need to know what's going on before the painting, and how it all came to be. This episode is exactly that learning where and when the journey behind the art begins

HAVE A DOPE DAY.

The power of people truly inspiring one another is always amazing to me! In this episode, featuring Manuel Fernando Rios, I got a bit of extra special amazement because of who inspired him (Ricardo favela). The more I experience the impact the members of the Royal Chicano Air Force have on their students and the people around them, the less surprised I am when amazingly dope things happen as a result of their work in the community. They truly inspired a generation of teachers and leaders of all kinds. In 2023, Manuel is one of those leaders who carries on the legacy with work in the art community.

Thank you

                        -HAVE A DOPE DAY- 

I once herd about a dude (Leon Willis)that did so much graffiti in midtown Sacramento that the city made it a condition of his probation to not b allowed in midtown until his time was served. The sac Graff scene in the 90s was truly different from the Graff scene today. Once in a while I meet someone from that time period and get a bit more of the story . What really blows me away tho is what these people do with the love for graff and how they make something out of it.   This episode is about LEON WILLIS  who he is ,what he does and more importantly why he does it . I consider him a ture graffiti king not because he was a big time vandal  but because he never gave up on Graff no matter what the sacrifice was and after all that found a positive way to promote the culture in a new and exciting way to the next generation 

                         -HAVE A DOPE DAY -

When I meet special people i ask myself how did they get "here" aka what's their story? What lead them to This place and time in life and why did our paths cross right now? When this happens I slow down and take a second to try and get to know a bit about them and their intentions. This episode is the story of Jennah & Robert whitcanack founders and owner of The medium tattoo and gallery. Their journey begins as first time employees in a tattoo shop outside of Sacramento as young adults from two different "walks of life" he's a punk rock skater dude taking life one day at a time and she in college looking to build a successful future for herself... This is all I'm going to tell you for now because in the episode they do a great job of telling their story in their own words! 

After a High speed police chase in a  stolen car on meth it's safe to say My guest was really heading for Rock bottom fast and it's going to get worse before it gets better . Sad to say this is the case for most of us in the Graff game and the "rock bottom" is different for everyone and it's not always drugs that lead us to that point but in this case it definitely is. Personally I'm glad it went down the way it did for him because it really could and should have been worse. Fast forward one year and he is taking his recovery seriously and we're all proud of him for that! He's learning to live life with a positive mental attitude and is doing the hard work daily to b a better version of himself.  Recovery isn't easy but today with his friends and family and the guidance and tools provided from his  counselor  and the program he is in the future is looking bright for my friend! 

Thank you

                         -HAVE A DOPE DAY -

This is very special episode for me 🙏🏼 .  Justin and Kelly's story started July 4th 2004 . Just two kids in their 20s living life. "Life" gets real serious real fast for them and truly test the love and loyalty they have for one another. Fast forward almost 20 years later and it's easy to see that they have an even stronger love for one another that plays out in every aspect of their lives .  This love and loyalty is one of the reasons why they are successful business owners with the same rock solid team over a decade 👊🏼! (Got damn it nick!)  . I can't say enough good/ true things about Justin and Kelly and the rest of my kick ass work family that has put up with me and my "life" for a very very very long time! I'm extremely grateful and honored to have Justin and Kelly as friends and examples in life . Thank you guys again for all the extra stuff you do for the team at the shop, paid week off,trips to Tahoe, The gift for spouses in the trade ,the cash bonus at Christmas ! I'm excited to see what's next for all of us and The best part is we're just getting started !

You can't  talk about hip-hop culture in Sacramento California without mentioning the GETTA CLUE STORE . From 1992 to 2023 they have been providing the culture with the latest and greatest in street wear fashion and providing a space for the heads in the culture to thrive in  DJ's, Graff writer, b boys and MC's aka rappers all know that in Sacramento GETTA CLUE is the spot were hip-hop is alive and well. This episode is the story of the store from one of the  two founders. Scott Gilbert  & Justin Bilbao build this store from the ground up before street wear was even a thing! Before the internet and social media way way way back when phone's were plugged in to the wall and you had to answer it to see who was on the other line! 

Thank you

                        -HAVE A DOPE DAY -

I can describe Robin's work with a few emoji's 🤯🤤😳📸🦖🔥😍🥺😁😃 !!! I didn't give his work my attention ,his work stole my attention and I couldn't look away from it . I couldn't decide if it was digital or a painting this can't b photography,if it is it's all Photoshop Honestly I don't care what tools he used (photography)I just felt like it was a scene from my life . Then the questions start who, when,why,how, where can I see this in person? I had no idea what I was in for before I sat down with Robin Eagan 🙏🏼👊🏼. He doesn't pull any punches or sugar coat his past and I appreciate and respect him for that. This is his story in his own words.

Thank you

                      -HAVE A DOPE DAY -

One Saturday morning I was surfing on IG just seeing what's what . I came across a picture of the beginning stages of a huge mural. I instantly knew what the mural was and that was exciting but to b honest the thing that excited me most was WHERE it was !  Northgate Blvd hasn't changed much in 30 years so a huge mural of "Mexican dancer"(what I called it) was definitely something to b excited about. This is when I find out about BETH CONSETTA RUBEL . I learned what I could about her online and told myself I'd wait to see the mural in person when it's done . Fast forward a year and 15 days I'm sitting down with Beth talking about who she is as a person and professional and how  that mural came about. Beth is some that leads with respect and authenticity and truly understand the value of her "voice" as an artist . This is her story in her own words .

Thank you  

-                         -HAVE A DOPE DAY -

You ever meet someone and go ... Oh shit they "match" their graffiti. The look and energy of the person, feels like their graffiti and all the little things you thought were dope about their graff begin to make sense! That's what happened when I met ROAR ! Punk rock ,tattoo artist, husband,father and all around bad ass are all ROAR worthy hashtags. Dude had allot of game for us in this episode . Knowledge that took him a lifetime to get . He's proof that hard work and betting on yourself pays off . 

                      -HAVE A DOPE DAY-