Transcript
Speaker: I think I was just trying to really find my way, you know, when, uh, as you could tell, talked to a lot of people, but I was talking to, so, um, I was talking to my friend, Vanessa's son the other day and he asked me something similarly.
Speaker: And, uh, for, for me, I didn't know what I was going to do with myself. So I thought I was going to be a high school history teacher. Really? Yes. I went to Queensborough Community College. Okay. And I was super into ah socialist and communist literature. Right.
Speaker: Then I read like the the the bio of Che Guevara and then I started reading Lasada and you know just a lot of like Black Panther literature. and um Then I started getting more deeper into Latin American history.
Speaker: And then I kind of had like my own like enlightenment moment. I was just like, how am I supposed to teach lies to kids? Like, I'm not going to teach American history. It's I know the truth. right You know what i mean? Like, ah you know, it's and that became the like, what am I going to do with myself?
Speaker: And then at the New York and because I started expressing interest in taking pictures, Bonafide and this other dude, Reels, stole a camera at the New York and they're like, here, going to start taking pictures. It was a Pentax K1000. Wow. Yeah. And that that then that happened. And I was like, OK, I'm going to go to art school.
Speaker: I want to graduate Queensborough. I got, ah you know, like and now i I'm like, once I set my mind on something, it's on. yeah You know what saying? Like, I'm kind of like obsessive, like OCD in that way, you know, driven, man. Yeah. Yeah. you're dr yeah Yeah. So like,
Speaker: What's good everyone. Welcome back to my first kicks the podcast where I use sneakers as a through line to get to know my guests this week. I am joined by the legend, the man behind awake New York, Angelo Bakke.
Speaker: Thank you. Come on, man. yeah This is legend. that That's a huge shoes. No pun intended. Come on, man. phil i I've been following you for a very long time without knowing I was following you. And so it's like the these past couple years and the the I guess the I wouldn't say the rise, but it's definitely the cannonball shot out of ah New York City has been Awake New York. Wow.
Speaker: I mean, there's a lot of great brands coming out of New York right now, so thank you. no yeah But also, before we get into our our spiel, i just want to apologize, man. You didn't have to it around here. I pride myself, you know, no, I want this on record, man. Like, I pride myself on being a man of my word. that's so I remember I got a short story for you. yeah So many years ago...
Speaker: um I was having conversation with my boy Aishin. He writes Bizarre. And he's one of my oldest friends. And um I'm pretty sure fronted on something. You know, this is like 15 years ago or so.
Speaker: And um he just looked at me. He was like, yo, B, be a man of your word. And he walked away from me. But ever since then, like that resonated with me. And I was just like, yo, I need to be a man of my word, man. So i I pride myself on being a man of my word, keeping my word. and and And when I make a commitment to see it through. So yeah, man, like it it kept bumming me out that I kept having to reschedule with you. And even today, i was just like, was talking to my wife. but i'm like I was like, dude, I rescheduled on this guy so many times. i was like, I'm really, I don't know if I got it in me today. i was like, she's like, just do it. I was like, you're right. and that's just I'm going to show up and get it done.
Speaker: I mean, I appreciate you. I know like, you know, schedules is crazy and you got a a shoe coming out. So it's just like, you know, you're doing a ton as much as possible to get the eyes on everything yeah and doing as much as you can to get the word out. So it's just like, I totally understand. And, you know, I don't, like, for me, you know, it's a huge honor for for you to sit across from me because I just think you represent a lot of what I have always been into. And you, like, you have spoken to me for years. And so for, I was going to, I would make this happen. If you were like, yo, I got to reschedule. I'd be like, it's fine. Next week, what do you know, I would have still made it happen. Thank you for your patience. But also, you know, thank you for your support because you steady been coming to the shop now for three, like, I feel like the full three years. So,
Speaker: you're one of the familiar faces that you know uh i'm not saying it because i'm here that i'm i it brings me joy when i see you at the store you know like yeahre yeah your your presence right is why i opened up the store you know like i feel like this where we're at today what has brought us to this interview today um started with the idea of opening up that store and really building a space where you know specifically local people you know and to even get more specific people that look like us yeah have a space that feel comfortable and it feels welcoming right now which uh they're far and few you know in in downtown like below fourteenth street so yeah man thanks for your support too come on uh regardless i'll be there i'll be there till whenever. you know i i try to go as much as possible too because I think the, you know even in Merrill's in Victory Light, you know he talked about how like the place, how Awake feels like a place you wanna just come to. yeah you know It's super inviting, but then it's just like, you know you walk in, it it just feels like somebody's apartment where you just see the tags on the wall, you know you got the the sofa, everybody watching stuff, you get to talk to everybody and everybody at the store is so nice that it's like, yeah, it's inviting. So it's just like, I i i remember, like, because I used to do the loops in Soho all the time when I'd walk to DQM, you know, North, Recon. Like, I'd do the whole the whole shebang. The stroll. yeah Yeah. And my favorite was always DQM because they would, it was always a conversation to be had there, right? Like, North and Recon was cool, but I didn't know anybody name basis. But I knew everybody at DQM.
Speaker: but those Tough stories, by the way. yeah Those were those were those are like definitely trial by fire yeah kind of stories. DQM was definitely more light lighthearted because Dave was there. And Dave, shout out to Dave. um Guest 100. Yeah. yeah you know yeah like The actual, like he's the Dave in Dave's Quality Meats.
Speaker: Was... Yeah, Dave is ah is a throwback of what New York used to be and also like what what it meant to be a store owner and a shopkeep. You know, it's a very, it's a lost art.
Speaker: yeah You know, like those stores that you shut out, even like the like the prickly characters, like even that's a lost art. You know what I mean? Like there was still a finesse, like if you're going to be an asshole, there's a nice way to be an asshole. You know, like you just not being an asshole for the sake of being an asshole nowadays, you know, like.
Speaker: those dudes kind of earned their rights to be assholes, you know? Not to justify anybody's shitty behavior. But, like, when you think about that time, it was like, yeah, like, those dudes was putting in pain in the streets, you know? like And, like, really, like, working hard to get, like, new stuff in the store, and, you know, i don't know, it was a very interesting time, like, downtown. Everybody, you know, like, I think...
Speaker: I think a whole book should be written about that time period. Agreed, yeah. like I would say like maybe like 01 to like 06. You know, um of like ah like all the stories of what what went down during that time period. I mean, yeah, like even just even just thinking about like walking into Reed Space and, you know, like it was this cultural archive. and And even with like people that weren't, you know, so i would guess, customer service forward. Like it was always, it it did create this thing of like curiosity, like, all right, how do I get them to talk to me without them being like, you don't know this? Like that, that I feel like now we're definitely in this realm of like,
Speaker: I don't know. People don't know as much as I feel like they should sometimes. You're about the customer or the Customers, for sure. Okay. Yeah. I think both, to be honest, man. you know And that's what I that's what i meant like about earning a right. you know you know you know i always There used to be this video store that used to go to on the Upper West Side when I lived up there. it was like on 105th and Broadway. And like, they were all, you could tell they were all so well, like they were just knowledgeable on film. yeah And I was like, hetrified to ask them for like a recommendation. i thought they were going to shit on me. You know, so like, at least there was like some level of of knowledge yeah and information that obviously they were trying to hoard. You know, that you wanted, I wanted some kind of like accessibility to, you know, so like it goes both ways, man. Like, you know, i yeah like I said, like, um,
Speaker: But I also believe that, you know, we're just not we're not in that time period anymore of like of being like an unsavory character working in the store. You know, like it's ah it's it's not easy getting people to come to the store in the sense of like, why would you want to leave your house? Yeah.
Speaker: Period. You know, especially post pandemic. For sure. And a yeah, if online shopping is your way of going, you're like, yeah, why would I need to go? like I can just get whatever I want online. so i always tell that to my to my ah my guys that work at the store and the girls. always remind them like when you see somebody come in, like you know you saying hello, like that's like almost like saying thank you. like They don't have to come here. Yeah. You know what i'm saying? Like, they could go anywhere. They could go to other stores. Like, they don't have to come to the awake store. Yeah. So, the fact that they make an effort just to walk through the door, like, be nice, be courteous. So, what you said, you know, like, that's that's intentional. Yeah. that's ah
Speaker: That's coming straight from me. Yeah. The head honcho. Yeah, it's man. It's definitely, yeah. I mean, i i I'm big on the customers. Well, the way that customer service now is, I mean, I think people are so used to like resale stores of like their customer service. Interesting. What are resale customer service? I think it's more of like, it's like a, do you have this like immediately, you know, where it's like people aren't because I do this and I do this a lot. To be honest, I, I look first before I go, Hey, do you have this? People, as soon as they walk into a resale store, they just go, hey, do you have a Space Jam size, you know, seven? And, you know, it's like, find this for me. No, you don't have it. i'm I'm leaving. Okay. You know, it's very like instant gratification. Interesting. So I think that translates into, you know, people's shopping experiences now. And so that's not...
Speaker: I don't think that's conducive to create a conversation. Yeah, yeah know you're not wrong. You're not wrong. I'm spoiled. I just jump on StockX. I'm just like, if I really want something yeah and I know I can't get it at a store or whatever, or like, yeah, I just jump on StockX real quick and I'll just buy it. i have mean, i haven't I don't shop on StockX. I still do the legwork. Oh, you do? Yeah. I got these from from your store. Oh, dope. I hope you've been enjoying this week's episode with Angelo Bakke. And of course, if you are enjoying this episode, do not forget to like subscribe and or leave a comment on youtube and if you're listening to this on apple or spotify leave five-star review and write a review i will read it at the end of an episode and of course i have a patreon patreon dot com slash my first kicks I have one tier, $5 tier. You get an extra episode.
Speaker: You get more insight, and inside, get a chance to really tap in with the community around the podcast. So, Please sign up for Patreon, patreon.com slash myfirstkicks. All the money goes right back into the podcast and helps me pay for everything that you see here and watch all of it.
Speaker: It helps me pay for everything. So sign up for the Patreon, but let's jump back right into the episode. so So, yeah, that's the but I might as well pivot into the question. So you're here to answer the question that ask everybody each week. And that question is, what's your first kick? What's that first pair sneakers you absolutely needed to have?
Speaker: ah So the first pair of shoes that I really needed to have, I didn't get, which were Black Cement Jordan 3s. um I've mentioned this before, but like it was, I'm pretty sure it 1988, and there used to be this TV show, Video Music Box. Yeah, shout out Ralph McDaniels. Ralph McDaniels, right? And um so I used to run home every day after school to catch 3.30 to 4.30. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: And um I'm pretty sure it was the first time I saw the My Philosophy video. And KRS Rowan put his foot on like the bumper of like a Jeep. And I just saw like the Blacksmith. I was just like, what I didn't know what that was. I was what is that? Because I'm pretty sure at that time, i was probably rocking like kangaroos. Shout out kangaroos, man. Just some real corny shit. you know And that was the first time i was just like...
Speaker: Cause I remember seeing Run DMC when I was a kid and I was like, oh, I need a pair of Adidas. And we went to like the local sneaker store on Liberty Ave. I went with my dad. i remember it was like the one and only time my father ever took me s sneaker shopping.
Speaker: And like, I was like, yo, want those. And the shopkeeper was like, those are 50 bucks. My dad was like, nah, it's not happening. It's like, yeah. And I remember like went all the way, because there used to be like the hierarchy, like the price hierarchy. Right, yeah, all the way up. Yeah, so like the Bobos down here all the way to like, back then $50 was premium. $50 was like top of the top. My dad was like, hell no, you're not getting that.
Speaker: ah And then fast forward to like 88. Same thing. Shout out to Bob's Sneaker Corner. that used to be our sneaker store. They had everything in there. And um yeah, literally like the Jordan 3s are up here. And I have yet to find the shoe that my mother actually got me. But it was like...
Speaker: a watered down version of the 3. It had cement on it, yeah but it was probably like $100 cheaper. And that's what I got instead. I need to see that. Because I didn't even know they did that back in the day. They did. They did a diluted version of the 3s and it was not the So then fast forward to 89, 90, like I begged my mother. remember watching the Air Revolution commercial, and it was like a big deal because they used like a Beatles song for the commercial, and was like a big thing. But like once again, like I saw those, and I was like,
Speaker: yeah i need talks like I was like, I'm pretty sure i got like an A and in everything. And and i just I promised my mother be like the best version of myself if she would get me the Air Revolution. They were $100. Like that was a big, huge. Those were fire. And they had it was like the skinny strap on the top, right? It was the rubber strap on the It was the navy with the white and red. You couldn't tell me. oh my Nothing. Nothing.
Speaker: i walked into I walked into class. I remember that year. we must have been doing good. go like There was definitely some really broke years in my house. yeah But like that 1989, 1990, I guess my mother maybe got a Christmas bonus, but she got me a a triple fat goose jacket with a belt, which I begged her. wow We went to the Coliseum to get. And then i remember getting the Revolutions. like I was just like...
Speaker: Yeah, my mother hooked it up that year, man. Like, that was the one year. Shout out mom. Yeah, shout out mom dudes, man. But I remember, like, that, like, that walking into school the next day and probably being like, yeah, you got the Ravoloshes.
Speaker: That is sick, man. Yeah. You went to, you grew up in Jamaica? i grew up in Richmond Hill. Richmond Hill. Yes, that's right. Richmond Hill. ye That, it well, I don't was it a predominantly West Indian area? It became in the late 80s. So when, in the early 80s, it was still a mix of, like,
Speaker: Puerto Ricans that moved from East New York yeah that like got their first house. yeah They ended up in Richmond Hill. like From City Line. like So there was East New York City Line and they end up in Richmond Hill. We had some old school Irish and Jewish cats that still lived in the neighborhood before the white flight. In the late 80s, they all went to Long Island. yeah yeah And then I would say like 88, 89, around that time period, like it was like a massive influx.
Speaker: of Guyanese and Trinidadian. Yeah, yeah my block my block was like, oh yeah, all my all my childhood friends, my childhood best friends were either Trinidadian or Guyanese. And then there was like a random like Colombian family, and yeah you know, random Peruvian family. yeah So Puerto Rican, you know, but for the most part, like, um yeah, my my block was always predominantly West Indian or Pakistani also. Yeah, like what those cultures is mixing, with especially with yours. In your household, I mean, you recently dropped that Ecuadorian ah the jersey, right? Yeah, the football kit. Yeah. So it's just like, how do you how did you mix the the the culture inspirations? The cultural inspiration. um
Speaker: i mean, we're all passionate people. Yeah. it' very We're all expressive people, you know what I mean? that That's what I always say. so like that um And also the family values transcend. yeah you know so My father wasn't around growing up, but you best believe like all my friends' dads, especially their Trinidadian dads, kept their eye on me. so like i couldn't They definitely had the green light to box me upside my head you know if I was i've always doing something wrong. you know i'm saying so like The block raised you. the but Yeah, the block did, man. Like, shout out to Miss Dali, you know, Mr. Muhammad, you know, like the people that, that ah you know, really made sure that we were on the we werere on the right path. But, um you know, when I think of, like, late 80s, early 90s, it was the um kind of, like...
Speaker: dance hall movement. yeah right So you got your you know Shaba, Super Cat, Yellow Man. you know like yeah That really was like a thing. And then every time my friends would come back from Trinidad, they would bring all the mixtapes with them. So I remember there's one called like chinese laundry like it was like all like yeah there was these crazy mixtapes they would bring back from Trinidad.
Speaker: um and But this is like where it gets interesting. like The beauty of Queens, you know like my sister, who's six years older than me, was a club kid. ah So she was huge on freestyle yeah and house music and then, of course, hip-hop. And then I was being raised on hip-hop. And then you got...
Speaker: The dance hall. yeah And then also Soca. A lot of people don't talk about Soca. A lot of people do not talk about Soca. They do not talk about But Soca was huge, man. There's certain songs that I hear and I feel like- You know get transported back? oh Yeah. If I randomly hear cent, five cent, ten cent, dollar, I'm just like dollar, dollar. Once again, that's the beauty. I think the difference between Queens and other boroughs is only in this little pocket.
Speaker: And then you got my mother's music, which is like boleros and cumbia and salsa and merengue. So it's like... I feel musically very spoiled. Yeah, because you're getting the world. You're getting literally the world. And you're just hearing the world everywhere you know about it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So then even...
Speaker: Like the Hilfiger collab that we did for F1. We did this like three-quarter zip that was mesh. yeah but And that was like straight and inspired from like my friends' uncles that would come up for the summer. yeah And like that would be the fit. Like they would have like the boot like kind of Hilfiger knit. You know what I'm talking about? With like the little shorts and the loafers. yeah And like some kind of thick like Cuban link chain. You know what I'm saying? That's what I'm saying. Like people always like. um that so That's a pure Trinidadian fit. So like super like yeah super Trini Cooley you know like I've been nuur a Trini dad so I know You know right so yeah and then I always get asked like when I'm starting to work on a project you're like oh so how do you work like what's your mood board I'm just like it's in here like yeah it's in my brain I just have these like years of reference in my head like certain people so all the characters I've met yeah and certain things that they might have had on you know i also have like muses in my head that I have like people that I'll always reference yeah like Would they wear that? You know, like is that- Interesting. You know? Yeah. You'd be like, you know.
Speaker: well Well, one, I wanted to ask you this, because we grew up in this area. You ever had a shark bake? No. that's the though I'm so confused by it. I'm a fan. I'm a fan. Shout out to Trin City. Yeah. Yo, the rotis there are crazy. They're dope. Oh my God. Shout out to Trin City, man. And the doubles there insane. The doubles are official there.
Speaker: Last time my wife came back, because my wife is, her father's from Ghana, her mother's ah British. Mm-hmm. They don't have, so they have like Jamaican neighborhoods. yeah They don't have like West Indian neighborhoods. Right. yeah So like even taking her to Richmond Hill for the first time, she was like, yo, we don't have anything like this in London. know her mind would have been like, oh my God. Yeah. So I took her like straight off the plane to get some curry goat and rice and peas and all that stuff. She was like, I didn't know. You know, like just like being able to put her on. I got to ask you this then now.
Speaker: Oxtail or curry goat? Oxtail or would say curry goat. Really? Yeah, because we eat Ecuadorians eat curry. Right, right. So we have dish called seco de chivo, which is basically like, is is goat stew. Yeah. So I'm used to like kind of the weird gamey texture of goat. Whereas like, ah we don't really eat oxtail like that. I'm pretty you sure there's gonna be some Ecuadorians in the comments. In the comments like, shut the fuck up. We eat oxtail. I didn't grow up eating oxtail like that. We would soup. Right, yeah. oxtail soup, caldo. um But we wouldn't, like, I don't, we don't have a specific, like, ax that I know of an oxtail dish. So I definitely, I only say goat because I'm used to eating seco lechivo growing up. And so that's my go-to. Next time I go to Roosevelt, I'm go definitely going to get You go to pull up the rules and hit me up, man. I got spots for you. I've been, little by little, like, tapping into almost, like, every Ecuadorian joint trying to find the my favorite one. Yeah, I went to... oh No, there was something... There was a blue truck. at y collano Yeah, that's what... I was trying to say it. yeah whiteleno That was really good. they have they have us They have a brick and mortar that's really good.
Speaker: And that's like more down, right? Yeah. the The brick and mortar is superior to the truck. But I do like the truck. I've taken i've taken a few people. Yeah. And the sad part because of all the ICE raids. Right. Warren Street where they're usually all on. It's dead now. Nah, it is. Yeah. They're not out there anymore. It's it's fucked up, man. Sucks, man. ah Yo.
Speaker: If you see Ice, tell everyone. Fuck you Ice. Fuck Ice, bro. Get that shit out of here. Jumping in once again to remind everyone that I have merch. I have t-shirts for sale. $40 plus shipping. Hit me up in the DMs. My DMs are open.
Speaker: Hit me up. $40 plus shipping. Or hit me up on the email at info at myfirstkicks.com. You'll see it right here in the bottom left. Help your boy out.
Speaker: I'm trying to sell this box of t-shirts so I can create new merch and it all depends on y'all. So i help your boy out. I have a box of t-shirts. They all look like this. They have this front hit right here. And then we also have a back hit right here. It's a re reminiscent of the Nike sneaker boxes that we all love and have within our collection. Unless you you put your sneakers in plastic boxes but if that's the case then you should really really cop one of these shirts because it'll still play on that reminiscent uh sticker that you see on the sneaker boxes before you throw them away but let's jump back into the episode um but i definitely want to know like so queens is raising you right and 1000 so like how did how did graffiti come into your life It's a great question. yeah So a lot of, you know, i was just recently talking to, who was I talking to about? oh i I got to befriend Reese yeah at this Yankee dinner I was at. It was well it was for cause. We were on the field. yeah And I got to sit next to Reese. And Reese is one one of the writers that I grew up admiring. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: And I was like, I never really met him before. I was like, hey, you know, just myself. And was like, because also I hate those kind of dinners because you always end up in like really weird conversations. Like forced because like, oh shit, I'm about to sit next to this person for two hours. I'm have to talk to them about something. And it's always bad. Like, oh, so the weather, right? Yo, the Knicks. They did their thing, right? They killed it, right? Five, right? So I looked at him, like, yo, do you mind asked you a bunch of graffiti nerd questions? He was like, I would love that. And it was just literally a whole hour, and then, and then, and then. So what I was talking to Reese about is from 88 to 92, when there's that transition, when trains started dying out, everything started going to highways, and that hasn't been documented. So the reason why I bring that up is my grandmother from my mother's side is in Washington Heights. She still has her apartment. thought you about say, grandmother from my father's side is prey. And I've been like, what? So then every Sunday we would hit the road and do the family house visits. So we would visit both of my grandmothers. And my other grandmother was on Elder on the 6th train. So we literally like coming from Queens, hitting the highway, going to the Bronx, like all highway missions and just seeing everybody that was getting up. So then like I vaguely remember trains, you know, they were, I never, don't remember like seeing any masterpieces or anything like that as a kid, I'd be lying. I did see it at the point where they were just getting bombed, stuff like that. So that always interested me. And then my sister's first real boyfriend was a graffiti writer. He wrote B.E.W., and his crew was TPC. And after that, it was on. Because...
Speaker: If they were 16, I would have been 10. So like, his name is Richie. So Richie was 16, and in my mind, I thought he was like 30. Yeah. Because he had a car, he had a gun. What? He went highway bombing. I'm pretty sure he sold weed. Uh-huh. I remember one time he showed up to the house, and they had robbed some weed dealers, and they shot up. They hit his car with a shotgun. So he had like buck shots on the stage, like explain to me. And I was just like, I was just like, yo, this is the coolest guy. Like, yeah, everybody was afraid of him. Everybody knew him in the Navy. He was like that guy. Like, you don't want Richie showing up to the block. You know what I mean?
Speaker: So i was just like, I want to write graffiti. You know, I like after seeing him, like, he like I was just like, because that was my archetype. Right. Yeah. At 10 years old. Your role model. You know what I'm saying? I was just like,
Speaker: You know, now when I think back, was like, that was not normal. And then all his friends were built like that too. So it wasn't like he was the one tough one out of his crew. Like they were all built like that. They were all crazy. They were like, they all held down Liberty at liberty and Left First. They'd be like 20 deep.
Speaker: And I remember him bringing me out one night to hang out. I was just like, yo. was like, yo. It's like, I don't know. It just like flipped the switch. Like that obsession. Yeah, that's hard. Yeah, now you're part of a family. Like, you're thinking, like, yo, I'm down. Yeah, because that'd be like, because my sister's name Ingrid. They'd be like, oh, that's Ingrid's little brother. So when I would see them in the neighborhood, they'd be like, yo, yo, what up, what up, what up? first time feeling like that, like street juice, it was just like, shit.
Speaker: And to me, it was all because of graffiti. So was like, yo. And back then, like, they single-handedly would, like, take on TMR and all, like, rival neighborhoods. Wow, yeah. Yeah, so, like, that's when started learning about beef and highway beefs and this and this and that. So, it was interesting, man. That's, like, so, like, that that's the when the obsession first started. You know, like, yo, I write this. yeah People are not like, yo, I'm up right here. i mean, the the whole process. I mean, when I got into Graph, it was high school.
Speaker: Well, start doing graph was high school. okay Well, I was into graph for a very long time. yeah And ah it was like, the one thing that like in Queens, you definitely see a lot more writers on the street. Like ah like there's so many billboards back then, like when I grew up in the nineties, grew up in Corona. So like, I would see like, you know, I don't know, randomly see a neck face like in the middle of flushing. Like, I'm like, what is this? Like, what is this? I'm not a big fan, but like, I was like, what is this? and um And then like, you know, you start seeing like, once you start taking the trains and I used to get so obsessed with ah Rev's diary. Oh yeah. In the the trains, the tunnels. like Yeah.
Speaker: that was That was sick. But then i found um Robots Will Kill was like my favorite website to go to. Okay. And that's where ah a lot of the lot of people just take pictures and start posting stuff up and just be like, oh, you can search who's ever tagged. And it really like ended up getting me into this big funnel of like just really falling in love with Graff because of like like, you know, i started watching like Crush Groove and going real way back and seeing all of that. But it also just like.
Speaker: like just the way it was part of New York City was something that I always loved. No matter how much the city fought against it, it was like this anti-established thing and being against like, yo, fuck the fuck the man. i must still you know Everybody should know my name or like, i'm ah this is my art. like Y'all should see it. like How did that like did that, did you get some of that from from you know pursuing or seeing graffiti?
Speaker: um No, I just think it's a rite of passage. yeah I think actually I'm always talking. I think I bring the mic closer. Oh, I think it's a rite of passage. yeah um i was actually talking to my wife about this because we we have our son who's two years old right now.
Speaker: And, you know, I just like if you're a native New Yorker born and raised at some point, you should have had a tag. yeah And you should have been, you you should have practiced your tag. No matter how toy or how good, you know, but ah first of all, air everybody starts off as a toy. gotta be. But the point is that anybody like, is like, and I don't, by the way, for the record, I don't have like 16 bars of anything. I just feel like a tag one rap.
Speaker: You gotta know to play handball. You gotta know how to play stickball. And you have one Wu-Tang story. Everybody has to have one. A Wu-Tang story. You gotta at least have walked the train tracks once. remember I used to cut across Rockaway Boulevard because I didn't want to go down and back around. I used to just walk on the tracks. My wife thinks that's crazy.
Speaker: um i yeah I just think it's like i feel like all my friends had tags yeah growing growing up you know it's just like some take it more serious than others right you know yeah I think at a certain age most friends kind of outgrow it and they're like I'm good you know I got a job I don't do that anymore and then you have the other friends that are like in it Like they're like, you know, boosting, you know, multi-state boosting, you know, racking and, you know beef and this and this and that. So it's like, yeah, like I, I, I was, I never was, you know, I was always close enough, but never like fully vested. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. I was like, I used to go to scrap yard. Yeah. RIP Scrapyard. RIP, yeah. you've never been Scrapyard, it was so, like, that that store was so funny because people will always be like, yo, there's a van parked outside. That's Vandal Squad. They're taking a picture of you. And I'll be like, no, there's not. like But there was always myths behind that store. Yeah, yeah. I used to love going there and just watching fights. was like, my favorite. Yeah. That was such a like showdown place. like I remember... i don't and I don't even know what they wrote, man. But this dude was like, yo, you went over me on the F line.
Speaker: and And I'm pretty sure it was like some Brooklyn beef. It was in F Queens. yeah And the dude just kept denying it. And he was hiding behind the dude from... Because back then it was called Soho Zat. So he was like hiding behind the guy. Yeah.
Speaker: And then finally, like, the dude turned around. I was, like, trying to, like, beef with him. And he was like, I did it for fame. Like, he sucker punched the guy. And he he'd even, like, he'd even flinch. He just looked at him and he just started wailing on her. Like, whoa. That was, like, me and my cousin were like, oh, shit. Like, always. That was kind of like, normal. Like, seeing that kind of stuff at Soho Down and Under. Like, that was, like, the norm.
Speaker: Um... Yeah, i'm im i'm miss I miss Soho the way it used to be, man. Soho was really fun as a Soho was super fun. Like, how did you end up there? Like, how did you find your way there? Like, who told you, like, we you got we got to go hit up Soho?
Speaker: I was my sister. Yeah, yeah I was my sister. um Because, you know, being from, like, a such a strict, like, immigrant family, wherever my sister went, had to go. ah So like shout out to my mom being strict. um So like and back to 88, like, you know, my my sister started going to fashion industries high school, I believe.
Speaker: And um so she she made downtown friends. So she would bring me to like, you know, stars like Unique Boutique and Canal Gine Company. yeah And ah basically I was you know, 10 years old, posted up on Broadway, hanging out my sister. You know what i mean? So, like, I was like, right, when the time comes, when it's my turn, yeah this is where I'm going to end up. Which was, like, you know, basically, like, two years later. yeah You know, i started, me and my boy, Moda, we started sneaking on the A train from Lefferts to West 4th. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: and we would walk around you know what mean and like with like literally no money we would just walk around all day and like try to get home before our parents got home but yeah that's how i ended up man and i always also remember the jungle brothers i'll house you video which i'm pretty sure was shot like on Broadway around that area. it was like, I matched the two. I was like, wait, my sister's taking me here and it looks like the Jungle Brothers video. I'm like, I need to come back. Like, this shit looks ill, you know? And that was it. That was another thing that once just it switched in my head, like, I didn't... I didn't want to just stay stuck on the block. Like, a lot of my friends never left the block and they never went downtown. It was just like...
Speaker: Yo, why you gotta to be gay for it? Like, why are you going downtown for it? And it's like, yo, like what? Like it has nothing to do with like, it's like, it's fun. There's yeah so much stuff going on down there. Like, nah, I ain't doing that. You know, like it was just crazy, like closed mentality. I mean, I mean, shout out to your sister because she definitely opened up your world. A lot. Yeah. A lot. Yeah. but And every time I tell her she's just like, nah,
Speaker: like she's never She doesn't ever want to Like, whatever. Yeah, just because it's so not her life now. yeah My sister, yeah, she's, bless her, but she's definitely not cool anymore. At one point, she was. she was my sister was the illest, yo. I mean, look, the one thing that about Soho, too, especially like during that the younger time, you got to see it evolve into what it ended up being like this hot spot. Like, Early on, even because like, I mean, ah my only reference points is like when I started visiting because, yes, my mom never took me out of Queens ever. So by the time I was able to take the train, it was the first time I ever witnessed like Soho. And it was in already in its heyday at that point. So like, you know, early on of like the sneaker stores back then and like early on Canal Street, like like that.
Speaker: Like, how did you what were you able to see during that time? That was like especially like inspirational, too. Oh man, um what was I able to see at that time? I think, you know, to take it a few steps back, like the difference between then and now is like back then you had to seek your people. yeah So places like Soho is that. so down under a scrapyard were very important. yeah Because if not, how do you meet other graffiti writers? right like Especially ones that out of borough.
Speaker: right So it's not just like neighborhood people. um i would say also like is I'm not gonna find unfortunately in Richmond Hill like the dude or the girl that likes Cypress Hill graffiti but then also Trackhole Quest you know like just all these kind of intros Keith Haring you know like who am I gonna talk to about all these things in 1992 you know what I'm saying like you're you're kind of a social outcast for like those things. You're like weird too. You're weird. yeah You know, like, and then also for me, like being into like, you know, ah you know, early eighties, Brit pop music, like the Smiths and cure. So like add that on top, you know, um
Speaker: Like what? Like people are just like, don't know. Explaining that? You're you listen to that white music? Yeah, why listen to white boy music? So then, so it's like, I gotta go downtown and seek my people. and And that's exactly what happened. You know, like I would say a big part is Stretch and Bobbito. Yeah, shout out Stretch and Bobbito. yeah shout out to stretch stretch out uh shout out to bob you know like that became kind of a connector because then bob would host um which mccall all that or i forgot what was the name of the night on friday nights um not at the new york weekend at the newreka new york weekend yeah at the new york so yeah so and then yeah yeah he would um i forgot the name of the night but uh
Speaker: Rocky LaMontagne was the promoter for the evening. But I remember, but once again, my boy Bizarre, who I love dearly, um he hit me up one day. and He's like, yo they're doing the benefit for this guy in Inflow 9. And this was like 94. So i was like 16. He like, you want to go? And I'm like,
Speaker: fuck it let's go yeah you know i was like let's go and then that's once again it's just like i went there and i'm meeting older people and people that are also like that rock low that write graffiti or their mcs that's where i met chris gibbs because chris was working with my friend bazaar at radio city music hall they were ushers wow so the first time met chris was like 95 96 way before any like sneaker st street wear It was just on some real hip hop. Yeah. Miggity, miggity, wiggity, wiggity. Like, you know, like the five elements of hip hop, you know, like that kind of shit. then that turns into like going to the Rocksteady reunions. And then now you got into b-boying, you know, so it's like that, you know. You got into b-boying? I got into b-boying. I can't do anything anymore. was going to say, like, let's see a top rock. No, the top rock is still good. The top rock is there. But any floor rock or up rocking, that's not happening.
Speaker: But yeah, I got into b-boying, then the graffiti, and you know, ah hanging out the New Eureka, and then I got down with TCK in 95.
Speaker: And then yeah, TCK is a big part of of my kind of development um creatively. yeah And also venturing into different parts of the city. So like like my best friend at the time, Bonafide,
Speaker: lived on the BD 175th and Grand Concourse. ah Then I met Vaz that was managing footwork. yeah He had a car, so that was huge. yeah and Then could whip around. yeah you know i basically became his wingman.
Speaker: Yeah, our boy Smirk lived in, whatchamacallit, Brownsville. So like we ended up in Brownsville in the L pits with him. you know So it's like all these things. My boy Siege from Washington Heights, shout out Siege and VS. And then Siege introduced us to Mista and the KGK ass kids. you know So it's like, it just, you know, like that's literally through graffiti, it became like one big degree graffiti. Right, yeah. Of like how everything started growing for me. And really, it went from like just my life being very...
Speaker: Queens, into like being like a voyeur of downtown and not being really a participant. yeah And then once I started going to the New Eureka more, what's the word, like consistently yeah and making friends there. And it's like, okay, cool. Like I made friends with like Pumpkinhead and Moose. Yo, rest in peace, PH. Yeah, rest in peace, PH. That's my dog, man. Yeah, like so then i met I met the people from making records and I was taking pictures of at the time. So now I'm doing like,
Speaker: I took photos for Stress Magazine. Wow. Yeah. And The Source. And, you know, i was just always hustling. Like, how can i how can I put myself in the right place to get the opportunity to basically get put on? Right. Yeah. What, like, I guess, how how did you find that, like, that one, like, How did you find the inspiration or the the motivation to really like get into that? Like, is it is it from seeing everybody else really part of this culture or is it just like, you know, just absorbing it so much that you were just like, I need to add value to this?
Speaker: That's a great question. um I think I was just trying to really find my way. you know when ah ah but as you can tell, talk i talked to a lot of people. but i was talking so um I was talking to my friend Vanessa's son the other day, and he asked me something similarly.
Speaker: and ah for For me, i didn't know what I was going to do with myself. so I thought I was going to be a high school history teacher. really yes i went to queensville community college okay and i was super into ah socialist and communist literature right then i read like the the the the bio of che govera and then i started reading like asada and you know just a lot of like black panther literature and um Then I started getting more deeper into Latin American history, and then I kinda had like my own like enlightenment moment. I was just like, how am I supposed to teach lies to kids? like I'm not gonna teach American history. it's
Speaker: I know the truth, right you know what I mean? like ah you know And that became the, like what am I gonna do with myself? And then at the New York weekend, because I started expressing interest in taking pictures, Bonafide and this other dude, Reels, stole a camera at the New York weekend. And they're like, here, going to start taking pictures. It was a Pentax K1000. Wow. Yeah. And that that then that happened. and I was like, okay, I'm going to go to art school.
Speaker: I wanted graduate Queensborough. got out you know like and now i i'm like Once I set my mind on something, it's on. yeah you know im saying like I'm kind of like obsessive, like OCD in that way. you know Driven, man. yeah it's yeah You're driven. I literally had... you know a you know so What I was sharing with my friend's son the other day was experiencing my first bout with depression at 18 and not knowing what that was.
Speaker: Like that inability of being able to get out of bed and you don't know why you don't want to eat and you're just infinitely sad. And, you know, like when you're a teenager, you think that's just the norm. You know, like I, you know, being emotional and, you know, but also like being Latino and like growing up on the block, like who do you talk to about stuff like this? So when I like, thank God for my friends, like my graffiti friends, I was able to get out of that, you know, um how they, how they help you out of it ah Like inviting me, that's continuously, you know, I'm also didn't tell them. Like wasn't like, you feel to depressed, like I'm sad. i just Like what are you a fucking pussy? You know, like, you know, for context, this was like 1997. You should definitely do this now. Yeah, yes please express yourself. That's dope. I love the fact that, you know, like like now this generation, you have many ways and many outlets for help to discuss, you know, whatever it is that you're feeling or going through.
Speaker: And, you know, even talking to this young man who's 15, you know, going into sophomore year high school, he looked at me, he's like, you dealt with depression? i was like, yeah. And like and it allowed him to now talk to me about it, you know, which is like dope. because I told him, I was like, I didn't have anybody to talk to. I couldn't call one of my uncles, one my tios to be like,
Speaker: I'm depressed about what? You got food, you got clothes, you know, like you're lucky. You got an easy life. What are you doing? Yeah, we had no shoes. It always goes to like, we had no shoes and no food. And it's like, oh, shit. We had to eat gooey. Yeah. It was like, man.
Speaker: So, yeah. um I don't know what the question was. yeah But... Oh, yeah, yeah. So, like, yeah. So, that that was... Once I found my inspiration in wanting to... You know, and also, like, because all my friends and rife were very extremely talented in their own way, that I wanted to be just as dope.
Speaker: Like, my friend Bonafide, at the time, to me, was, like, the illest poet. yeah You know, like, Vaz was, like, an amazing DJ, and he started making beats, and he was, like... bombing with gas crew and I was just like, damn, Vaz is coming up too. He's ill. And my boy Aishin was like, you know, really also getting into, you know, DJing and reggae music. So i was just like, yo, well my boys are kind of leveling up. Like, I need to, I need to figure out too. Like, I know i could be dope. You know, like, so yeah. It's very important to have especially for the listeners, it's very important to have people that are around you that are also pursuing their thing. Yeah. Because it does help you get into like, I got to do it. and Not in terms of just like the, like, I'm all'm not doing enough type of thing. yeah But it does, like their opportunities and if they're friends, they will invite you and be like, hey, check this out. And it will open up a new world for you. And you'd be like, oh, let me try that. And then as you keep trying things, it does help you create carve your own path.
Speaker: So it's like, that was dope. I mean, for you to do that, especially at like a young age, some people just still trying do that now and to be like in their 30s. Yeah. Yeah. And I think also, you know, the good thing about like being in a crew is, you know, at the time they all, we all supported one another, you know what saying? So it was like, cause you, you want your, you want your crew member to be just as strong as you. Right. Yeah. You know, so even like, you know, like, oh, yo, just came with a new style. They'd be like, that shit sucks. Like, now that hairstyle is trash, bro. Nah, dude, that ain't it. Yo, I got this new throw, yo. Check out this thing. They'd be like, nah, that ain't it, yo. Or my favorite one's like, yo, can you do that on a wall? They'd be like, maybe. You know, like, nah, that shit don't look like you. You can't do that shit on a wall. Man, I mean, that's wild. So, like, you know, Awakes on Orchard Street, I definitely wanted to talk about, like, the growth of Orchard Street because, like, the one thing –
Speaker: For me, I've always stuck around Soho and I found the Bowery. Well, they call it the Bowery now. Oh, yes. Later in life. um ah Like, what was it in the earlier days of like, you know, finding that or Orchard Street and like discovering it and like When I was a kid? Or when, ah well, Orchard Street was kind of like, well, also, so there's two Orchard Streets, right?
Speaker: There's north of Delancey, south of Delancey. So north of Delancey, you had A Life, Reed Space. um You still had some cool kind of leftover eighty s leather stores that had the bombers and all that stuff, which was kind of cool. um You also had the bars over at Max Fish. or Yeah, Baby Jupiter. remember I used to go to. had They had the, whatchamacallit, they had the baby character from a charles ah a Charles on the front.
Speaker: um and then you had south yeah of delancey which back then i think the only thing down there was the dj honda store like occasionally i'd be sent on an errand because i like i did a lot of internships like at the source and game records so they'd be like yo go to dj honda's so it was like no man's land over there yeah on orchard street i'm pretty sure he was on orchard street below delancey um So yeah, that was kind of like no man's land. you There was no reason to go below Delancey. You what I'm saying? South of Delancey. Everything was kind of, you kept it on this side of Delancey, north of Delancey. So like, you know, that started happening, you know, like this kind of like, you know, Dime Square and like the explosion of you know, people coming down to Orchard Street and it becoming a thing. That's like literally the last 10 years. Yeah. Oh, yeah okay. Yeah. Because like, I mean,
Speaker: Yeah, I would say read space. And I mean, I had, ah i have a big obsession with Orchard Street, the brand, um, cause like, shout out Greg. Yeah. Shout out Greg. But like, yeah, they're front and video, right? was a front. me Yeah.
Speaker: And, ah well, is and it was also, cause I had scrams on and I talked to him about that. Uh, the sempre fresco. this sempreresco That's like my, my grail. If I ever get a, a lot of money, that's going be, Ari.
Speaker: Ari did the Siempre Fresco. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so shout out Ari. Yeah. OG, man. Yeah. ah So like that was my my like my range of Orchard Street. But like, you know, you're talking about the last 10 years and, you know, the the rise of it now.
Speaker: Like we're seeing, i spend a lot of time there now, you know, lambs, you your store, ah go to extra butter also. um And so every time somebody asks me, where should they go? I tell them go to Orchard Street. But like, how has it been evolving since then?
Speaker: Isn't that sad though? yeah it's kind of sad yeah that's like the one last you know back then you know like 20 30 years you'd be like go here go there go there you know i saying like you could refer like eight different pockets of downtown to go to yeah and that's what always say like for me like orchard street is like the last frontier like it's the last spot of weird creative skater art you know fashion girl know what I mean fashion guy like it's all like that used to all of downtown yeah like some people it's hard for them to like understand that they don't really understand it yeah like yo it used to be like literally from 14th to canal yeah
Speaker: 6th Avenue to like maybe Avenue 8 you know what saying like that was like the just box of like just creatives like creatives the world is your oyster you know what saying like do what you want with it you know like punk clubs hip hop things this thing that thing skating you know and now it's just like one strip yeah yeah and it as it spits you on dime square it's like fuck man like what happened yeah I don't yeah it sucks cause now you're making me think about it too because like I don't, yeah it's like, i when I look at the way that New York is, in terms of just like being a creative, it really is like, how do you, we can't expand past that because I feel like it just stops. Like, it's just like, there's no, everything else is residential buildings or like everything else is like big business. And I feel like what's the little bit of like old New York or like the way I grew up, is like this tenement museum area. Like it's just like this one museum that is probably like the size of of then ah a small apartment somewhere is part of now what's left of sneaker and streetwear culture. Yeah.
Speaker: Like that's, it's, that's the press. Now you're making me sad. I'm sorry. I don't mean, I mean, I'm good for me. Like business has been great. You know, like ever since all these articles have been coming up, like it, it definitely has an impact on foot traffic and people coming down to the block.
Speaker: Um, But yeah, I mean, thank God. You know, also got we got in there before the explosion. right You know what saying? Like, ah good for us. You know, bad for the original tenants that were around us that got pushed out. You know, that's something that I've witnessed. yeah You know, like um like all the landlords got hit once we moved in. And they they started seeing the attention we were getting. That was with scaffolding. That was with no scaffolding. no yeah You know what I'm saying? With scaffolding, we were still, you know, rocking out on the block and getting people to pull up. So it really, unfortunately,
Speaker: brought attention to all the other businesses that were there before us. And as you see now, like on our block, when we first moved in, it was K&M, which is a camera store. yeah And you had Kobo that's been there. I think they got in maybe a year or two before us.
Speaker: um And I think that's it. yeah on our on our strip yeah not before people get crazy in the comments like yo fucking Scar im like dude fucking know Bodhi's been like yes yes they life yeah but we're talking about specifically between Hester and Grant like that strip was was not popping yet you know so like the other side yeah Sandy Liang shout out to Sandy Liang and Bodhi like they and Scar's like that was they were holding that down and also um the spot that sells ah Oh Manhattan yeah man So like that that side, heavy. You got some heavy hitters over there. So like we were the first ones to kind of expand it. right And now, yeah, man.
Speaker: yeah You got Karthik and Cotton, all these like businesses around us. there's ah I went into it. It was like a pickle and bookstore. it's like pick They've been there too. yeah They've been on the block for a while, but they expanded. yeah They took over. They got like an ah like a vintage one next door. It's crazy. You go in there, you're like, whoa.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That area is definitely like, yeah, it's like it's a cultural hub now. And I definitely wish that like more people will take the risk as as we go you know towards, like you know the i think that we're we're getting into a creative boom I would say in terms of just like people are really trying new things, um you know, even with just like West Side Gun doing his his his ah blind tell stuff like or, you know, Salehi starring his, ah you know, Osmos.
Speaker: I mean, Osmos. Sponge. I was saying that the name of the shoe. But it's ah I think people are still, like especially with your your store and the way you have created um a curated selection of like introducing graffiti, hip-hop, and stuff that we're were raised on, especially like ah like my millennial self, especially with the State Your Name.
Speaker: um that was I'm so mad that I didn't get that shirt, but that is like... one of the pivotal pivotal like gra graffiti movies I've ever seen in my entire life. um You know, Scuff is in denial that state your name is disgenerate, like you're gen, like Gen Z and millennial. Really? Yeah, that that it's you guys' videograph. He's like, no.
Speaker: I'm like, yeah yeah. Like when we were talking about it, right? Because he was like, yo, I'm coming up on 20 years. was like, well, you know, how can I support you? Also, like, shout out to Scuff YKK because we met through Mista. I don't know Scuff. I don't know Scuff, 90 Scuff. I don't know early 2000 Scuff.
Speaker: when people were literally running from him. I met this version, like yeah educated thug, you know, just like he's happy to be a dad, yeah he has his job, super nice, like, you know, I know i know thesis scuff. And I was like, dude, like, yo, make a, tea you know, like, this is a, it's a big deal. know, it's a big deal. You know, like when I talk to like the younger, because I've had a few writers work for me.
Speaker: that are much younger yeah and like that's the shit that they studied you what i'm saying like so i don't think it's a coincidence that like like this gen z native new yorker is leaning back towards like an early 90s hairstyle or something that feels reminiscent of anything that you might have seen right in state training that yeah that movie is especially the ja part it's the best man it's i was calling it for the was calling it for years man yeah yeah man that video but yeah it's the same way that we used to quote videograph yeah know like videograph is ah is a pivotal that needs to be put both these movies need to be put in i still i still watch video my wife once again will walk in randomly late at night and i'm watching like a videograph on youtube she's like what are you watching i'm like
Speaker: You don't understand yeah You weren't there for that Yeah like the J Street bombing From Videograph Or the cat Doing the Whatchamacallit The layup Yeah there's so many Like iconic Videograph moments I love Or the ghost yard With Ghost and Bruise You have to go back now Oh like it's an instant like yeah being propelled back to like 1991 like i'm just i feel like a kid again watching that man the cat that cat that cat scene was fire he talked so much so much yeah he talked so much fucking toys street by your trains yo
Speaker: um I mean, you know, you got the sixes on. yeah theyre They're beautiful. Thank you. And definitely want to just spotlight on them real quick. You know, the the two colors, the the pink and the blue. And i think the one thing I want to say to you, especially on here, is I think that both the sixes and the fives really basically will validate you if you are fly.
Speaker: If you're not fly, you don't know how to put these shits on. They're not for you. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. They're not for you. And I feel like it's such a New York shoe. Yeah. Both them. But these are these these are insane.
Speaker: um And I love the discourse of like... people being like i don't know if i like it i don't know if i don't because then it really shows like all right who's really looking at this shoe to really accentuate and figure out like yo i'm really want to do something with this you know like that is such like getting fly is such a lost art in terms of just like you know the sneaker culture that what do you and what do you credit that to why do you think it's a lost art of getting fly
Speaker: I want to I just I blame the internet mostly because of ah get ready with me videos and like. Get ready. Yeah. The OOT out on the day. Yeah. I feel like once the algorithm like because even if you like one video, it's your whole entire algorithm becomes it. Yeah. And it's like you lose.
Speaker: You become what you consume. So if you're continuing continuously consuming somebody else's idea of what a fly fit is, you won't take chances on your own ah to try to find your own fly fit.
Speaker: I think that's a great take, man. um I agree with that. And I also similar that just the kind of riff off of that idea. um This the art of individuality. yeah Right.
Speaker: um I think also people don't like to be challenged yeah anymore. So, and then I think there's, so then there's almost like, there's like ah ah so that's where the split happens, right? Where it's like, they find it challenging. So then it equates to whack. Right.
Speaker: Instead of like, maybe it's not for me. Mm-hmm. If it's not for you, doesn't mean that it's whack. No. But then that's when we get into, like, opinions. Mm-hmm. Right? I think there's a lot of opinions, but there isn't an evolved taste level to go with the opinion. Yeah.
Speaker: And I feel like that's the time that we're in right now, where we have a lot of, like, floating head videos. Mm-hmm. you know, like that's becoming the like, I have an opinion. yeah You know, but it's just like, well, what is your wardrobe look like? Right.
Speaker: What do your fits look like? Right. Like who, who said that you're the, what's your resume? Yeah. What's your resume that what, you know, what validates you to say that this thing is not good.
Speaker: which I'm down for right totally down for that conversation know what saying because I also want to know if shit is whack right you know like because whack is whack yeah and I'm not saying that these are not whack because I designed them like they're not like you're bugging so that's why it's hard for me sometimes like I feel like live in bizarre world so it's like I'll see like a monochromatic shoe that's another person will design like yo this is the illest yeah I ever seen you know and then i like i put my shoe and it's like that's just as wack yo like i can't yo it's doing too much like what like what are we talking about what world do we live in yeah what are we talking about when say like for example like uh the sean witherspoon yeah right like was like 18 corduroy colors on it but that's like a grail that everybody wants like that's not that's way more complicated than this shit. So like, what are we talking about? Like, is it because you don't think there's resale value in this? Is it because you don't have the outfit in your closet to wear this? Like, is it a confidence thing? Like, what is it? know what saying? And I think people are not ready. Most are not ready to have that conversation because then easily turns into like, yo, fuck you. Yeah. Or the worst one is like Yo shut up Unk It's like Yeah you can't just tell me Shut up Unk Or old head Because I don't agree with you You know what I'm saying Like that's why There's conversation Yeah That's what discourse is Exactly Right Like I'm here to have the conversation Because once again Fly is fly Because I come across For example like Shout out Bobo and Rivers Yeah Way younger than me They could Easily both be my kids They're fly They fly as hell
Speaker: they have their own They have their own individuality. you know saying For me, like that's the kid that I worry about. like If I show this to Bo and he's like, and that ain't it. I'd be like, okay you'll scrap it. We need to start all over again. you know so Or Vivers too. like i I trust the two of them. yeah like those are the you know like That's who I want to get validation from.
Speaker: Exactly. That's a, I think, cause I wanted to really touch on this before we jump, before we get on the air. Let's go, let's get into it, let's get into it. Real quick. You want me to pay your overage? I got you, man. Let's keep it going. I got the corporate, the women buy I got you. It's a good month, by the way. This is yeah yeah this is the month to be, you know, to spread the love. You know what I'm saying? But like, the one thing I call out all the time as well is ah people don't know how to debate anymore. It's like the, like the the reason why I say that is because when it comes to discourse, it is devolved into fuck you then because there is no way of having a ah kind of like, oh, I have this rebuttal. All I fire off this rebuttal. Oh, Now I don't have another rebuttal to come back to your rebuttal. So we can't continue this conversation to kind of meet in the middle somewhere. yeah It's always, no, I got to get the last word. yeah And sometimes I think now, especially now, people just want to talk so that they can be heard, but never want to hear if somebody's hearing from them.
Speaker: usually off the du car I I 1000 agree with that. And I think also people have extreme extreme selective hearing nowadays, um which not to bring up complex. But when I did that complex interview like a month ago and and I said that how to make it a miracle whack. Everybody was just like, fuck you. It's the greatest show ever. But it's like, yo, two things could be right. Exactly, yeah, yeah.
Speaker: I could believe that the show was whack. You could believe that the show was the greatest thing since, you know, sliced bread. Cool, we could both coexist. It's totally fine. I'm not telling that you don't have a right to think that that show was good. If that's what inspired you, that's what... got you out of your mom's basement from middle America. And you got jeans. Yeah, to start your denim company and move to the big city. Sick, you know what I'm saying? But don't you ask me why? The conversation wasn't long enough to really dig into the why. I was there, you want me to do? I worked in a store where we did stuff. We made shit, you know I'm saying? We really hustled, running up and down from the garment district and this and this and that.
Speaker: um And then also, I forgot what was the other soundbite that everybody was, was oh, the whole Asics thing. The Asics thing. Yeah, the Asics thing. It was just like, they're like, what about Ronnie? Ronnie did so much. I'm like, I never said Ronnie didn't. know yeah Ronnie definitely put Asics on his back and made them relevant for the time period that he did it, yeah which is Jaw Light 3 and Retro's. What was talking about is Tech Running, right yeah which nobody heard. I said it and nobody heard it. They're fuck you. Oh, this is the guy that you know created A6. I didn't say that. I just said in 2019, when we did the Cayenne 360, it was a risk for me for it to be my first shoe, my first collaborative shoe, that wasn't like something easy. like like i didn't I didn't have an opportunity to make a Jordan 1 or an Air Force 1. or some kind of Nike or Jordan retro or an Adidas retro, like a Shelltoe, something that you know is like- Universal. It's universal. we can move 500 pairs easily. yeah Like, no, this was Kayano 360. You know, it was a hybrid for them. right They even questioned it. They're like, you sure?
Speaker: But the reason why I did it was i was just coming off of hanging out in Paris a lot. And all I kept seeing was like these young like Parisian kids in track suits, ASIC runners, bootleg Gucci caps and the little side purse. To me like that was the illest look in 2014, 2015. Like that was forever mood board, right? ah So i was just like, nah I want to I'm going to take a chance on this.
Speaker: Nobody was doing that. So like we sold out in that shoe. It made the hype these 10 top shoes for the year. Asics was hype. They're like, oh my god, nobody's even giving a fuck about these shoes. Thank you.
Speaker: Then I did the 14, the Kiano 14. Once again, nobody was wearing Kiano 14s in the street. Yes, Kiko made one. Did anybody wear it? No, it's the truth. Nobody fucked with it. And then people get upset because then you got these Kiko stans. They're like, fuck you, Kiko created this. And it's like, cool. I didn't shit on Kiko. I didn't say anything anything. Yo, respect to him. yeah But the fact is that my friends, right, were when I was talking about influence, my friends, right, the, you know, the Tremains and the Ronells and people like that, right, ah Chris Gibbs, they were not wearing Asics. No, yeah.
Speaker: But they wore the AB14s, right? That's the influence now. They got it, and then they... Then it trickled down. And then it trickled down, right? real influence is. Yes, right? And then another thing that people don't talk about is the program that I did for them called The Collective, which is where i brought Tremaine, rest in peace, Banto, Rennell, and Jess from Procell. That was the first Tremaine shoe ever. That wasn't No Vacancy or Denim. It was Tremaine Emory.
Speaker: Sponto didn't get to put his shoe out for obvious reasons. You know what I'm saying? Ronell sold out in her shoe. She did a 14. Now she has a big contract with Adidas. Where did that start? So like, what are we talking about? about Like, that's the shit that like, what where are we, live like, what reality do we live in? But because that, at that, what, that was like 20...
Speaker: fuck I'm losing track over the top of like 2021 or whatever it's almost like it never happened now we're in 26 five years ago yeah it's like that never happened oh yeah the world was at a standstill yeah that that did that never happened that's a lie and it's like alright I guess I was like but I'm not gonna stop talking my shit you know and then fast forward a year or two later i designed from scratch the jaw NYC yes
Speaker: You couldn't find Asics and Foot Locker in 2019 or 2020. That shoe cracked. That next level of mass consumption. Yes, man. I've seen that everywhere. Everywhere. It trips me out. You know what I'm saying? And then I think for my young entrepreneurs, the biggest lesson I learned from that was not getting points on that shoe. Right. Yeah.
Speaker: I don't have royalties on that shoe. So like that's on me for not having that knowledge. Right. So if you're a young designer, you're a young collaborator and you're creating something from so from scratch, a new model for whatever company, make sure you get royalties, life royalties on that shoe.
Speaker: I don't. You know i saying? And then, you know, rightfully so, Asics has done a great job as like scrubbing my name off of that shoe. That is crazy because, yeah, this is the first time I knew and I've heard that you put that shoe together.
Speaker: And what's this podcast? That is crazy. Yeah. I designed that shoe from scratch. That is crazy, dude. Yeah. That was an awake project. I had West Side Gun show up. I you know i had what you want to call it, Raekwon perform at Dover Street Market for that launch. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: I do. Now you're saying it. And now I remember that. Yeah. i remember those. That wasn't that long ago. Yeah. You know what saying? That's like for them to successfully scrub you out of it is is insane. It's insane. Yeah. Yeah. But you know, but but like I said, right they're going to do what they got to do. Right.
Speaker: You know, i've moved on, obviously, you know what saying? Working with with Jordan, you know, so like, yeah, that's, you know, like if I did marketing or whatever for ASICS, I would probably do the same thing. Yeah. So no no beef or anything like that, cool.
Speaker: But at the same time, like I look at some of my peers, the work that they do, and the relation how they get treated by other past partners, I'm like, damn, man, like they get treated pretty well. You know what I'm Why why is it different for me? You know, so I'm like, and if I don't, you know, another lesson learned over the years is like, if I don't speak up for myself, then who will? You know, if I don't see. So and then, but then the internet is like, fuck you, you know, like you're delusional. And it's like, no, it's, it's, it's, it's what happened. Like, I don't, I can't, I'm not making that up. Yeah. I, I mean, just even, I mean, first of all, you you threw me for a loop because of the 1000% on that on, on, cause I'm like, God, now I'm like trying to think like, now I'm trying to like rack my brain of like, damn i wish i knew that but it's like you have to talk your shit and i've been battling myself about this as well because it's like who's gonna who can who can speak up for you night no one no one's gonna advocate for you that's the thing too it's just like so then there's the fine line of knowing when to talk about it and when to leave it alone because i don't it's not like i'm banging on a pot every day because then i feel like you start getting into like
Speaker: Kanye area of behavior, you know, and people be like, okay, guy, like, you gotta calm the fuck down. know I'm saying? So like when I am on a platform like there's this, it's talking about sneakers. Like, well, let's talk about it. Cause I don't want to, I also, i don't want to be dismissive of my own body of work. No, definitely not. and you know Like we just talked about before resume. You gotta have, you were, were just saying that like, you know, you're speaking your resume and and having that out there for people to really go back to and find is super important because it's like, yes, they have to put in the work to find it, but it's there and it's not it's not a stone that you just left unturned. Yeah. It's like, you know, I find i find funny when and when I'll meet somebody randomly and obviously they have an idea who I am and we'll start talking about like the sports and they're like, I didn't think you were into sports.
Speaker: And it's like, why wouldn't you think I'm in into sports? And then also like talking about sneakers, like I didn't think you'd be into sneakers. Like, why wouldn't I? yeah like what Like, that's such a crazy assumption to make about You like why wouldn't you think? You're a sophisticated man. yeah You're the other most interesting. I don't know if it's about sophisticated, but sometimes I think it's like an like underestimating yeah of, you know, the things that I'm interested in or the things that I'm passionate about. you know, it's like it's it's pretty broad. Yeah.
Speaker: I don't know. Yeah, that's... Why are they painting you in in that light then? Like... I think probably Instagram, what they see, you know, I think i think i think also... i think i think it's also hard to get a gauge of who I am unless you sit down and have a conversation with And by the time most people walk away, they're like, damn, you're not... like You're nice. I'm just like, yeah, i always get that. I'm like, i yeah. like i like i don't what What did you think? you know like I'm always going to be nice. Man, that's... ah Because, like yeah, the first time i ever met you, I was like, no, Angela's awesome. and i've never heard I've never heard anybody be like, why is he a dick or something like that? I've never heard that.
Speaker: Well, here's what the truth behind that is. Like, my whole run as Supreme, I was an asshole. So, i like, I was, you know, I was definitely on one during that time. But then, you know, through recovery and, you know, being a level of humility, being on my own, has definitely gotten me to where I'm at now and the way I carry myself with others and the way I treat people, you know, like... um Yeah, simple as like treat people the way you want to be treated. you know what I mean? Golden rule. Yeah, it's a golden rule. But you know, like I definitely am guilty of, you know, for um a stretch of time being a dick, you know, and I've worked really hard of rebranding. Rebranding? Yeah. rebranding and and being nicer you know what i mean like i just yeah i don't i don't benefit anything from yeah just yeah just being a dick like i it makes i sleep well at night yeah i i think like well the one word i always um associate with you in word association i guess is a community i think like you know even from you talking about joining crews and stuff like that or your work right now and how you're still you know involving people around you. I think what's really been prevalent, especially even with the six release or six, I don't know what you call that, like just giving it out or seeding or I don't know, gifting. it' what's a it's a It's a new way of seeding. I think seeding is constantly evolving. Yeah. you know what i mean so like um it's not as simple as like mail a box send it out to person x cool you know like post it post it and like the thing is like nobody's posting anything anymore most people are they open it up look at it that's cool yeah and then let like a pile this high stack up yeah and then they send it to the reseller you know the reseller shop or whatever you know what saying like
Speaker: ah So like, yeah, there has to be more intention. that's destins to that There has to be a different kind of intentionality behind it. And then also like me being my own gauge of like who really needs and wants to shoot. Because the truth is all my friends are spoiled. Like but within my inner circle of friends. So like, unless they're like, yo, I saw the sneak peek. Like, can I get a pair? Like, cool. If you hit me up and I'll feel like the days of me just sending out like 100 pairs of shoes to...
Speaker: Those days are over. yeah You what saying? Like, yeah, yeah. No, so I'd rather allocate, like, if I'm getting 100 pairs for seating, at least half of that is going to be, you know, 1v1 challenge or some kind of give back situation. You know, like, there you it's like i you want people to emotionally give a shit about. That's the that's the shit that I need more of. Yeah, you want you want to have the um the emotional, I'm always talking about like, how do I evoke emotion when like me and Hugo are talking, like how do we evoke emotion? how do we
Speaker: how do we have someone feel like they're on the journey with us? Even if it's through social media, like they're having fun on this journey with us, you know? And it's not just us giving to people that we deem are cool, you know what mean? Like even me giving the first shoe to Alele, you know what I mean? Like she did the first pink six, you know what saying? Like she did the millennial pink six. So to me, that's just like, I'm giving, literally giving her her flower. Like, yo, I'm not going act delusional and be like, nobody ever did a pink six. Nobody did, yo, I'm the illest, you know? It's like, yo, she's a G, you know? Like Alele's a G, you know? So being able, you know, to have the opportunity to invite her into the store, come sit down on the couch. She didn't know she was getting a pair. I was like, yo, let's chop it up because saw her at Family Style. was yo, please come by this week. And seeing her genuine reaction, like, you can't fake that. Like, same thing with Danny. Danny's like, yo. That dude, O-Blox, did the bike thing. I've been following him for like, because he hit me up when we dropped the fives. I didn't have any more to give him. And I was like, I'm going to work with you. was like, just sit tight. I kept my word. I hit him up. was like, yo.
Speaker: It's time to activate. yeah I'm down. that yeah That video was so fire. I love that. yeah So like all that stuff is just like lurking, and you know keeping tabs, and you know really trying to have more human connection with people. You know what I mean? like there's There's too much. um There's just a lot of noise happening right now. yeah especially with shoes. You know what I mean? like um I think the other one too, from the one that was cracking me up with the comments from that complex thing was when I talked about pink and how everybody, i already knew that everybody's gonna try and do their own pink version of something. yeah yeah And everybody's like, Fuck you. You didn't you didn't create. I didn't see it. Yeah, think't I didn't see it. Yeah, exactly. as like And i that's why I made sure to give him a shout out. Shout out to Killa. You know what I'm saying? But like the fact that we made that color hot. Yeah.
Speaker: For sneakers, for Jordan, for street wear. That's us. Yeah. You know what saying? So like whether it's the World Cup or any other pink shoes you've seen that came out this year, you could act like you weren't influenced by the Pink Fives. That's cool. You could act as if, but I know. Yeah.
Speaker: The people know. But once again, if I don't claim it and talk about it, then I just, all that hard work, I just handed, you know, I just yeah gave it away. You're just, ah or in quotes, being modest whatever. Nah Nah you gotta talk your shit Nah man not Not when it comes to this now no was No fucking way man um But we're towards the end of the podcast I got one last question For you um I want you to Think back to young Angelo And he's about to get Well Well he's he's looking at the At this at the Black Cement 3's Yeah um And now you're older you Behind your younger self What would you tell your younger self As he's pondering for that box Fuck man Uh
Speaker: You know what? That experience was the drive. So, you know, I don't think my eight-year-old, my 10-year-old self would understand, like, stay hungry.
Speaker: i was i was pretty chubby. would have taken that quite literally. was a chubby kid. Chill on the venue. Oh, my God, man. My mother stayed feeding me, boy. um that You know, like, I think, you know, for my 10, it was such a hard time being 10.
Speaker: um a lot was happening. You know, and not to get like, like all, you know, like morbid and sad, you know what I'm saying? Like just a lot was happening. Like, like my parents getting divorced, my sister started running away. Like it was just such a hard time. I would just tell him like, it's going to, it's going to be all right. Yeah. Like I got you, know what I'm saying? Like you're good. You know I'm saying? Like your time will come.
Speaker: You're going to get that and more. yeah You know what mean? and Like, so it's not going to happen right now, but trust me you're going to get a hundred times this in the future. Just sit tight, be patient. You're loved. You're protected. yeah I got you. That's beautiful, man. Let everybody know where to find you.
Speaker: 62 Orchard Street between Hesta and Grant. You'll you'll see me posted up out front or inside um at least two to three times a week. There's also Angelo Backe. That is the IG handle.
Speaker: And then Awake NY Clothing is the IG handle for the brand. ah But yeah, but for the most, I encourage you to come to the store and come kick it. I'm usually there too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm there once a week. We also have the Park Jam coming up on the 22nd of August. You want me to drop this? I'll ask you after. Yeah, you could drop them before. yeah, yeah. I mean, drop it whenever. I mean, I think it'd be better if you drop it before the shoes drop. Well, yeah, I was either going to be like, do want me to drop this on the 22nd?
Speaker: Or you want me, because it drops in the morning. No, that week. I think that week. So the 22nd is the Park Jam. The 23rd is the raffle. And 24th will be in store. I still haven't decided if I'm going to First Come, First Serve. Oh, you want it? To be honest, it's the way things...
Speaker: come together for Saturday with the first come first serve so that this Saturday is kind of the the beta to see if yeah everything's chill because also I love no drama you know I yeah i got i got some nosy ass neighbors on the block right now that are forever trying to break my balls and shit so like I'm trying to give no material whatchamacallit reasons to call the cops on me yeah because they fucking love calling the cops on orchard street man it's crazy yeah oh man uh you know where to find me who is house also on sold me all social medias follow the podcast my first kicks pod hit up the patreon patreon.com slash my first kicks only got one to your five dollar you get the you get the podcast a day early if you do that so okay how much you making off of do i what's the what's my percentage off of the that i'm not making i'm not making i'm still working on that So support the podcast because it gets me in the studio. um And ah yeah, hit me up.
Speaker: And I'm going to pass it to myself and do the outro. Peace. I hope you enjoyed this week's episode with Angelo Bakke. Man, i can't tell you how bad I wanted to sit down with Angelo, especially after seeing his run on a lot of the other podcasts that are coming out this week and you know and co coinciding with the release of the Sixes, the Bubblegum, and the Blueberry. It so dope that he wanted this to be part of you know his rollout. like
Speaker: I'm extremely honored. I remember, think like two years ago, i first met Angelo. And I was like, we'd really love to have you on my podcast. um And, you know, I just wanted to really tap in with the community that he's been building around New York. I didn't get to talk about this specifically, but I remember walking by because, you know, I shot we shot out Ari on the episode, but I didn't get to tell him this specific little nugget. But Ari is the reason why I hang out around the Bowery a lot or, you know, Lower East Side a lot because
Speaker: You know, three years ago, ah was kind of just trying to figure out how to get the name of the podcast out. And it's to more people who are around me when I, you know, as these events start popping up and, you know, i'd go to like Extra Butter and...
Speaker: Any place that would like have an event. And so before that, it was this moment where Ari sat down with me, former guest Ari. Make sure you you tap in and watch that episode. That episode needs way more love. I'm probably going to put it at the end of this in the end slate if you're watching this on YouTube. But Ari pulled me to the side, or we were having this long conversation about you know the history of LES and the Bowery, and he was like, you need to come to where the culture is now. And i didn't get to talk tell Angelo about this in the episode, but
Speaker: i spent I started spending more time you know making making sure that I was yeah around in the area. I'd go to Extra Butter. And then I found lambs. And then one day, and it's funny because I found lambs by accident. I was like, why is this place so popping? And it was like the middle of the night. And and then I was like, oh, snap, this is lambs. But then i was walking to Scars one day.
Speaker: three years ago, to two three years ago. And there was this store that just like, I just see mad people just inside. And I didn't know what it was. And there's no like signage out front. It just looked like, like a, like a old shutdown.
Speaker: Jewelry signage out front and or furniture for signage out front and later to come to find out that like I would end up being coming there for years to come. And ah the first time I met Angelo, i instantly was like, would really love to have you on the podcast and such. um But what really connected with me and him was the first park jam and and how I was like able to have like a ah dope conversation with him. But I think finding out more about him and how...
Speaker: I have been in, not directly, but indirectly inspired by him for so many years. And for him to, you know, so give me the chance to sit down and talk to him, I was, like, extremely honored because, like, what I...
Speaker: love about doing this is getting a chance to actually give people their flowers and getting to hear about their stories to where they're able to see you're you're able to see and i'm able to see how the flowers are being you know crafted basically uh the seeds are being planted and so His story history with New York City and, you know, I feel like we've only touched the cusp of this and then we fast forward all the way up to the sixes and, you know, some of his current, ah you know, viral clips, you would say.
Speaker: but I think what was so important was to show how much of New York City is inspiring him each and every day versus what we see on all these other podcasts where we're talking about or they're talking about.
Speaker: The inspiration behind the sixes or the inspiration to the shoe that is coming out, which make sure you cop. It's coming out this Sunday. and This is if you're listening to this this Friday, it's coming out this Sunday, August 23rd. Make sure you cop because them joints is fire. And if you're if you're listening to this on Friday, the day of the release. Saturday, there will be a park jam on August 22nd down in Seward Park. That's where they held the park jam last year. So make sure you attend. I will be there. i will make sure that I am there. And I will love to talk to anybody who's...
Speaker: Watch this episode. I would love to put a face to the name or a face to the listener. And so pull up, pull up. If you got into the end of this podcast and you watch this outro one, I appreciate really appreciate you, but let me tell you straight up face to face, pull up Saturday. I will be there anyway. Again, the chance to to talk to Angelo and really hear about his love for graffiti, his love for New York.
Speaker: Um, I'm extremely grateful because, you know, I'm hoping this is one of many conversations because we've only touched, you know, a cusp versus I want to hear more. And we didn't really touch on a lot of sneakers because I felt like this current run that he's on is going to really be sneaker heavy. So I wanted to kind of give everybody another like companion. So like if you're,
Speaker: watching you know i don't know complex style podcasts or you're watching um joe and jada or you're watching like you know i'm trying to figure out i'm trying to remember who else he's done who who else podcast he's been on but if you're you're you're on you're checking out those episodes please note to check out those episodes as well Because this one, I really focused on, you know, a lot of the things that made him. and and
Speaker: And that kind of led into... his idea for what the sixes should be, what style is currently, how he looks and and and sees things that we are currently, you know, seeing every day, basically on the Internet or basically around the city. And I think it's very important that he is able to have the space to say such things and also talk about what inspires him and the long road that he's traveled. So hope you enjoyed this episode.
Speaker: And you can get shouted out at the end of an episode by signing up for Patreon at patreon.com slash myfirstkicks. So let's do the shout outs. We're going to start off with Adam Butler. We've got Derek Hawkins. We've got Jordan Kaiser. We got Samia Grandpierre. We have Brett. We have M. Dot. We have Jesse Jesse G. We have AD Sneaks.
Speaker: We have Ross Adams. We have Adam Neustetter. And we have Plox. So if you want to become a patron, please sign up for Patreon. Patreon.com slash MyFirstKicks. It goes a very long way. and I'm trying to build out you know as much as I can and support around this podcast and get more eyes and ears. So please don't forget to share this with everybody and anybody that you think that may like this conversation.
Speaker: Also, I started a sub stack. Yes. Yes. I know. Oh, my God. I'm going to need to sign up for another sub stack. Look, I try to make a Patreon newsletter a thing. It didn't work.
Speaker: It doesn't look as neat as Substack. So I started my own Substack. This is more about me myself. You know, I was teasing making a YouTube video series and trying to get that going. But I felt like every time I was getting to the point of writing or writing.
Speaker: you know, creating the video, I would just come to like a standstill and not do it. So, Substack, it is. I'm making a Substack. I made a Substack. So, sign up for that. Whoishoss.substack.com I also have the the podcast linked on there. So, if you're listening from that page, leave a comment there.
Speaker: Share that because it all works to help out the podcast. I'm going to build that out as well and continuously write from my perspective, not necessarily about the podcast, but I will link out to episodes on there. So please check it out.
Speaker: I'm trying to be as insightful and thoughtful with those writings and musings. So check that out. And of course, if you are new or you are a returning listener, check out these two episodes here if you're listening to this on YouTube. And If you want to help out the podcast, subscribe, hit that button right in the middle.
Speaker: And of course, you know, always we say each week, wear your kicks. Peace.
