Hoodlum "Champagne & Pain" Tour

Went on this Hoodlum Trip last week. It was pretty dope. Wasn't as productive as I would have liked it to be, but that's typical Hoodlum fashion...Party first....skate last. I managed to sneak in some skating in between the hijinx.

and so it starts...

Collabo!

Never have I been asked to do any kind of collaboration with a person's artwork. Not ever. Most of my friends, or at least the one's I hang out with, aren't very artistic at all. They might spray paint a rap lyric or two on their board, but I doubt that's really considered being artistic. Clever, but not very artistic.



Out of the blue, I get a text from my homie Angel. Super random. Truth be told, I don't know him more than his talents on a board. But I was quick to discover his flick with his paint brushes is just as good as he's got with his feet. A character within his own realm..I'm sure he's gonna help create something nothing short of amazing.

2nd Banana..

Sean Smith. Fun guy to be around. He stresses over the stupidest stuff imaginable. But that's what makes him a character you don't mind being around. Alot of talent mixed with creativity, makes him fun to watch on a board. That's my dog.

Deckhead....

Well, I had NO idea what I was gonna paint until the last minute. I just wasn't motivated. Inspired? Nope. Nothing of the sort. I was gonna paint something like I normally paint...but even I was sick of that. I guess when you paint or do something a certain way all the time, you just get sick of seeing it. But you have to step back and realize that just because YOU have seen it all the time...others haven't.

One night I just started painting. I told myself to start putting colors down and it's just gonna come to me. It's weird, but it seemed to take shape instantly. At first glance, it probably doesn't look like much of anything more than some colors on a board.

But for me, and whom this board was made for it means alot more.

You see, not too long ago, a very close friend....excuse me, lemme rephrase that. A close family member of mine was forced to give up something very close to him...His dog. For someone who's been through what he's been through family-wise, you have to hold onto practically anything and everything you've got that's special to you. For him, it was "Joshie" his dog.

Joshie was something the city of Baltimore, just wasn't ready for...a total menace. He left his mark on 16 people, and that played a pivotal role in his demise. Things grew grim for Joshie and he was given a sentence that no animal would ever be ready for. Baltimore, as rough of a city as it may be...had had enough.

Devastated, this person managed to keep it together. Baltimore made him say goodbye. Truth be told, if it were me, I would still be a wreck. That takes a strong individual. Strength not too many possess, including myself. He had to let go.

Knowing this person, I could see how much this dog meant to him. And alot of times, words can't always say the right things. I figured I could do a little better than the, "Hey man, I'm sorry." Because I know just how it feels to lose...

So this board is dedicated to him. The 9 dogs represent the fact that not only cats have 9 lives. And from the stories I've heard, he's cashed in every single one of them. Gone, but not forgotten, Joshie will always be remembered...and for the 16 people he's bitten..they'll never forget.





Remembered forever...

RIP Joshie...