SO GANGSTA. THIS KID IS AWESOME.
MEXICALI IS AWESOME!
The first time I visited Mexicali was about last year . Tina was going down alone since Abraham had gone down a day ahead of her. Since they've gotten married, Alex and I have come down quite a few times. We have family there now and it's important for Isabella to see her family as she grows up. I love it there. The rhythm of life is much slower. Much more simple.
Abraham Valenzuela is my sister's husband and the father of my niece Isabella. He grew up in a suburban town about 2 hrs away from San Diego called Mexicali.
Mexicali is a charming town. In a lot of ways it reminds me of the Philippines. I forget sometimes that we're in another country because it's so close.
This is Abraham's father and Bella's grandfather Isaias. He owns a family style restaurant called La Casa De Tutuli run by 2 of Abraham's brothers.
Sofia is Bella's first cousin. Patty (Sofia's mother) is Abraham's sister.
The food at the restaurant is amazing. Everything is freshly made and in some cases there is no such thing as ready made.
This is Abraham's mother, Bella's grandmother. When we're in Mexicali it feels like Abraham's mom and dad just take off where my mom and dad left off in San Diego. Bella never cries, I think there's something familiar about their touch.
Winter is really the only time I come to visit. Mexicali is a desert town. It can get relatively cold this time of year but it's insanely hot most of the year. In the summer it is not uncommon for it to reach 120 degrees.
Xelha (pronounced Chell-Hah) is Marta's daughter. Marta is one of Abraham's younger sisters.
Alan is the youngest sibling of Abraham's brothers and sisters. He helps around at the restaurant as a waiter or whatever they need.
Abraham, Hera and Jorge Valenzuela.
Pre-party shot. We went out this night for Marta's 24th birthday.
Apple juice is so good.
Jack and coke is usually not my thing. I'm more of a vodka dude. So I had some of that, some beer and a few shots.
sister sister.
brother brother.
Alex and Marta.
That's Danni's dude in the middle.
Tina is an awesome sister.
Jorge is the eldest of the Valenzuela brothers. Even though he knows no English and I don't know a lot of Spanish we try to talk all the time.
Mob shot.
Marta and her hot friends.
ALDIS HODGE STARS IN LEVERAGE (on TNT)!
WE WANT TO SAY THANK YOU to our good friend, actor Aldis Hodge and Nadine Haders for using Jon Phenom clothing for wardrobe in Leverage. The big premiere is on TNT this Sunday. Aldis has been real busy shooting and now doing press for Leverage.
Last we saw Aldis was at our birthday party in Hollywood. We've been missing his brother (also an actor) Edwin Hodge who has been shooting a production as well in Columbia.
I look forward to the series beginning on Sunday. PLs peep it or tivo it if you have a chance. He's also in a WAMU commercial that has been airing lately.
SHOUT OUT TO FLORIDO!
I work a lot at a Coffee Bean in Mira Mesa. I ran into Flo before I left for Puerto Rico and again when I came in after the trip. Besides DJing, Flo has worked sales for great companies like Alphanumerics and worked on the retail end for boutiques like 5 and a Dime and UNIV.
FROM HOT TO COLD NOW...
The flight was rather quick. 3 hours from PR to JFK Airport. It was good to feel the cold again. Despite growing up in sunny San Diego I love the Winter in New York.
We took the long way in to the the city from Howard Beach to the A train to the 4-5 train. It's usually 1 hour to an hour and a half. I typically use the subway to the city unless I need to be there.
Drum roll please ......my plain & train book this entire trip has been The Janson Directive by Robert Ludlum. Anyone into action movies, this is a good one. It's in the same genre of Bourne Identity. I'm blazing through this one.
Jr and I linked up with Dawn once we got settled in. I met Dawn on my visit a few weeks ago. She is a model, a rep for the champagne beer Kasteel Cru and an all around wonderful girl.
She took us out to quite a few nice lounge bars around the city. It was good catching up with her.
A new day in New York and it's unbelievable to be in such wheather after being on a humid island scratching mosquito bites.
The city is quite different as the seasons change. I love that people are out more in the summer but my favorite time is now before any snowfall.
You know I had to connect with my dude L. This man is one of my closest friends, really my rock out there. We talked shop talk for a bit and talked about family.
Speaking of which, this is a recent flick of L and his 2 beautiful kids. Young B-boy and B-girl shot.
We took a walk a few blocks over to say peace to the man, the legend Dennis Murphy. You know him from marketing in fashion or marketing from music.
On Dennis' desk was a slew of hip hop magazines including the freshmen issue of XXL. Low and behold, Blu was in there. I met Blu when I was working with his label Sound In Color a while back. He's one of the illest rappers I've ever met and believe he's on his way to big things.
This is Park Slope which is a fairly affluent neighborhood out here in BK. There's a lot of brickstone homes. I remember traveling to the east coast and not being able to tell the difference from the bouroghs and the city. Now it's clear as day and night to me.
I had breakfast with my good friend Jasmine. This is her actual hood so I was happy to see her stomping grounds. Jas produced the HayFamShow.com episode of Retro Kidz with me. She' a hustler out here for sure. Catch a set from her when you're in the city as she is also a dope DJ.
Brooklyn was half way to the JFK airport so I had a pleasant train ride back. Jet Blue has a brand new terminal that looks like a modern shopping mall. I'm going back to Cali y'all.
PUERTO RICO FOR 4, NYC FOR 1
Okay, so here's the deal. Junior and I have been planning to return to Puerto Rico just to relax for months and months and months. We've pushed back the trip 3 times and it is finally time.
We actually arrived Thursday and not Viernes but we loose over 5 hours and a lot of sleep on the flight. Jr and I met at JFK in New York then took the 3 hour flight over to the island.
Junior is half Puerto Rican and half Filippino so we always hang with his family when we're in PR. Fajardo is sort of like a suburb, which I enjoy just as much as the city. Life is slower here like any island burb.
Jr's Abuelos are awesome. This is maybe my 4th trip back in the last 2 years so I feel like their my abuelos as well. His grandfather is absolutely hilarious and his grandmother is very warm and caring. They feel like my family in the Philippines.
HIGHLIGHT of the trip always, is abuelas cooking. Red beans and rice, plantains, casaba and hearty sauces. I wish I could describe it. Jr and I basically starve ourselves on the flight because we know her cooking is at the end of the flight.
Fajardo is right at the northwest coast of PR and visitors and locals from the entire island come to this port to have a getaway by ferry to Culebra Island or Vieques Island.
Kevin and Angelica here were our tour guides. Angelica and Jr are cousins through his mother. She always etches time out to party with us when we're around.
The ferry rate is $3 US dollars. There's actually a lot of people who live on the island and commute using the ferry that runs back and forth rather frequently.
The views were amazing on the water. For some time in the middle of the trip all you see is water straight to sky in the horizon. It made me think of my father who was a sailor in the Navy for over 30 yrs. On some tour of duties he was living on the water for months at a time.
The port on the other side had a lot going on. It reminded me of a port in the Philippines. PR itself is the Island so when you arrive at a considerably smaller one you can feel a difference in lifestyle.
There are taxi vans that take you to the beaches or your hotel when you get to the port. There's constant activity so it feels like a shuffle trying to find where to go. Once you get on the taxi the views remind me of Hawaii.
The beach was right out of a movie. Seriously. White sand and warm water.
The surrounding beach area curved around us for miles. There was maybe 5 other people total on the beach that we could see. It was about 85 degrees with humidity so I jumped right in the water. It was crazy to be in such a tropical place in the middle of November.
This is probably one of the best moments of the year in this peaceful place.
The next day we checked out the mall and hung out with Hennessy in the afternoon. Luquillo is the next town over, slightly closer to San Juan.
Hennessey is Elena's (Jr's cousins) daughter. The last time I saw her she was so much smaller. She's incredibly bright for her age and very hyper active. I was perticularly impressed with her english.
Luquillo beach is rad. Not quite as nice as Vieques but still much warmer than any beach in San Diego.
Being an artist myself, I appreciated Hennessey's work immensely.
Later we hung out with Elena and her husband Diego. Elena is one of Puerto Rico's most accomplished cyclist. She has been competing professionally for years and is constantly preparing for races all around the world.
FOR MY FRIEND AMY
Before I left for Puerto Rico, I had coffee with my friend Tina here. She's the sister of a good friend Amy Sanborn. Amy was a model and aspiring actress in Los Angeles. Sadly, I found out that Amy passed unexpectedly in September. Though I will miss her and I'm glad to have a new friend in her sister Tina.
"WE CAN CHANGE."
MEET JASON HERRICK
I met with Jason at his office in downtown San Diego when I got back from NYC. Jason is one of the most sincere and goal oriented persons I've ever met. He has a compelling story in creating his company, Fortune 421 with no prior knowledge of fashion. Also, a respected promoter, Fortune events have rocked San Diego, Los Angeles, Miami and Las Vegas.
NEW YORK IS GETTING COLD
I had 2 big meetings this trip for some apparel consulting. Men's streetwear is a funny industry. Everyone wants to start a clothing line which is good and bad for me. Since I can nurture a clothing line from A to Z. I've been able to pull some meetings with a lot of great people in music, film and professional sports.
The bad thing is pulling meetings with cats who aren't really serious or want to own a clothing line for the wrong reasons. Either way, I love what I do and it keeps me back and forth from Cali to New York.
I honestly wished I could've stayed a bit longer. After spending the whole summer in New York working on various projects I do miss it and I'm sure by the time I return it will be quite cold.
My plane & train book this trip is 3 Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin. A NY Times Bestseller, this book is an amazing read. After barely surviving a mountain climb Greg dedicated his life to opening schools for education in some of the most impoverished areas in Pakistan.
Just like on planes I have trouble sleeping on trains as well but alwaya get a lot of reading done.
The hotel was a ways back from Manhattan so we were on a late late train back.
Later in the night we got coffee at Sugar to warm us up. When I left Cali it was actually hot still so I love the fact that it was chilly outside.
Junior and I happen to be in the city at the same time so we got together with Dawn for an evening of drinks. Dawn is model and a rep for Kasteel Cru.
Shalin here is a director. Chances are you've seen his work before. He currently resides in Los Angeles.
There are too many good things I can say about Jasmine. She's one of the hardest working girls in NY. She's host, a dj and a producer.
I actually planned my trip around attending one of Va$hties joints, 1992. Wouldn't you know it happens to be the 2nd year anniversary.
I was able to connect with my boy Jay Ju. He's on Canal St. but right on the edge of LES. Jay is a talented comic book artist. Peep his story David & Goliath. He's in talks right now to bring it to an animated series. My boy John over here is a multi talented designer and editor.
These 2 are on my list for favorite people on this Earth. Marvin is always on my blog when I'm in NY because he always holds me down when I'm in NY. Marvin is a teacher like Alex and this beautiful lady is not a model (although she should be one) she is also a middle school teacher in Brooklyn.
BIG SHOUT to THE MESSANGERS!
These brothers (Treeson + Pablito) are The Messangers. I connected with them and their manager Brandon earlier this week for a listening session. These cats are getting set to work with a number of artists you've heard of.
Acrylick presents Son of Ran: Incoming Message Sampler. Pls go to The Messangers
myspace and download this joint for a taste of what's to come from these brothers.
NEW HAY FAM! THE RETRO KIDS!
THX for BIRTHDAY LOVE. THX COLLIN & RASHIDA!
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO WISED US WELL ON OUR BIRTHDAY. We celebrated in Hollywood with family friend Collin Robinson who turned 21 early in the week. The night went something like this....
This is Collin Robinson and Rashida Robinson and I don't know why this is the first time we're blogging them. Rashida and Collin are good friends of ours. Rashida is an actress here in LA and Collin is a scholarship athlete for USC.
Collin is a killer guard. If you follow college basketball you probably know Collin. He did play at Cornell but has returned to USC.
Mr. Kim, who increasingly has an impossible schedule, was able to come out that night. you already know his life and Evilmonito. he is also the editor for 944 (Los Angeles).
Chris here is Collins roomate also attending USC. This beautiful girl is Alicia, Collin & Rashida's cousin.
The homeboy Phil (rep for the brand Ludwig) was able to come out. We were pleased to see Jeff (Executive/Move Maker for the company Boost Mobile). Korean brother: Mr. Kim.
Fam of our fam.
Claire is rad.
Mark Aquino is a childhood friend. Actually, he was in the first dance we were ever apart of in middle school. Mark's always been ahead of the curve for fashion + music since we were kids. For a long time he managed Union, one of LA's original street boutiques. He currently rocks with taschen.
B-boy Birthday Boys.
Coolest couple of the evening was Mario & Orli.
Aldis was representing for himself & his brother Edwin. They're both actors. Edwin is shooting in a movie Columbia and Aldis is currently shooting 'Leverage' which is to be a new series on TNT. Gene, another childhood friend is the Artistic Director for multiple brands at Mighty Fine.
Chery Ann was able to come out as well. She is an actress here in Los Angeles.
NEW 944 (LA) with RICKEY KIM
My Korean brother Mr. Rickey Kim is currently the Managing Editor for the Los Angeles issue of 944 Magaine. They just dropped a killer issue with Common on the cover.
DJ WHOs BIRTHDAY at BELO!
I djayed the opening set for my good friend Dj Who at Belo for his 27th birthday in downtown San Diego.
Dj Who was recently featured in The List Mag.
ANOTHER AGENDA in SAN DIEGO
Okay, short stay in Los Angeles from Vegas and here we are at Agenda.
You know who you are.
Downtown San Diego is beautiful. Rickey Kim and I use to run around these streets in 2001. It's changed so dramatically since then.
Steve here holds down Avenue in OC. He is my Japanese connect. We're working on a plan to bring Jon Phenom & HayFamShow.com out there in a big way.
Andrew was literally shipping orders when I walked in to Agenda. Exact-Science is a staple brand in the industry with some of the best graphic tees around.
I've known Isaiah since he repped west coast for LRG. He's since picked up the sales for Hot Air and OC's own Orisue.
James Arizumi is the muthaf*ckin' man. He designs the wonderful footwear at Nike SB.
Peter Benedicto is all over the place. He has designed for an array of brands and is currently in LA flying the flag for Puma.
This kid Jayson Valencia represents a kind of purity. A genuine love for the game. I think that's why I appreciate his line JSLV Corps. This dude has freelanced his graphics for years and decided to launch his own venture. I feel they're def gonna be a brand to look for.
Javier is my dude I met in NY from mutual homies at the *^%$ Network aka the Boardroom. If you don't know about it, don't worry about it. Jav, reps Prohibit to the fullest.
Shout out to the homeboy Mike Akira at 686, doin' big thangs with Levi's. Almost snow season y'all. You should cop some 686 for the slopes.
Johan of 3 Sixteen and Arnold of Grey One y'all.
My new 3 amigos. Phil here is just moved to Los Angeles from Long Island. He was at all the shows reppin' Ludwig. Monique and Paulo are both from east as well, Maryland and DC. Monique is on her way to San Fran for school. Enjoyed rappin' out with the crew.
Dennis is a hard working dude. He reps a few quality brands. This show he brought a particular line I was feeling. My boy rocked a few fresh tees for the show. Line's called Gatsby.
Professional skater Willy Santos was in the building with Ollie Neglario (left) and younger brother Jr Santos (right). Jr and Ollie help run Willy's Workshop.
Original Dungeon Crew in the place! Ray been my boy since day one. He's a talented and accomplished footwear designer.
Daymon aka D Money reppin' Money.
3 of a kind! Seriously, have not seen Cara in years. Weird to not see her in NY. Although we both grew up in PQ (North part of San Diego) I think both of us are city folk at heart. I met Ivy through her. Ivy & Cheryl work for the tradeshow that is Magic.
One of SD's illest, Gaslamp Killer was in the building as well.
Had dinner with Isaiah & One Son while Dj Fresh One played a dinner set at Confidential
It was an occasion to have Victor aka One Son out in SD. He now lives in Downtown Long Beach with his girl and his son, Noble. I've known Kelly here for quite a while she is a dope bartender & artist.
Nice parting shot. Kelly is hot.
VIVA LAS PROJECT and MAGIC.
I road back to LA with Chase and Drew and low and behold who is sitting in the back seat? Steve Lobel. If you really think you’ll remember his name shouted out in multiple rap songs. This dude started with Jam Master Jay way back in the day. He is a juggernaut in the music industry.He runs A-2-Z Entertainment. He currently manages an artist by the name of Sean Kingston.
Also met BJ and his beautiful wife. I had heard of BJ before I met him. He was the former Marketing Director at Rp55. He is currently the Creative Director Jamaica’s largest Advertising Firm, Prisim Communications and he currently resides in Jamaica.
Caught up with the mirror image, better half, super twin: Alex. Always love hearing my twin brothers feedback. He’s the backbone of all our ventures. He just started a new school year teaching 7th grade english in Burbank.
We’re talking Magic and Project. The team will be at Agenda in sunny San Diego.
Peter Lee is a multi-tasker. He was out here for Project for his brand House of Cassette while in NY I know he’s preparing for a show during fashion week. The party to be at on Wednesday was Hudson Jeans at Tryst in the Wynn. Tony is the PR & branding director for Hudson.
Barmak is a vet in the industry. Scifen is one of those brands that have been steady for years and years. We had a great conversation on the state-of-the-industry.
Pel is the man. And yes, he poses like this for blog flicks. He has a blog of his own called pelnyc.com
Life works in circles. I met Mariana at my sisters wedding a while ago. She was working in LA for a creative agency then. I ran into her at the Nylon Magazine lounge. Turns out she moved to NYC and took a marketing position with Nylon. Welcome to NYC, Mariana.
Bumped into the homegirl Candice at the food court. She got love on that last issue of Vapors Mag. She manages dope DJ’s like DJ Hoppa and Tina T.
This is my new friend Michelle Kenner. It turns out Michelle is going to school in San Diego.
Ida Kay Khabazian knows everybody. Probably the most sophisticated lady I’ve met in the industry. She just moved to NYC to work PR with multiple clients and will be moving back to Cali to work the lifestyle branch of DC Shoes. The other beautiful girl here, Sarah is works PR for Caro Marketing in Los Angeles.
Chasen (of Little Hill) is a light drinker heavy smoker. He is a hustler and a connector. But most of all he is friendly.
Will Gilliard is crazy funny. He can also probably beat you down. He played running back for UConn a few years ago. Also, a friendly person.
Fam of my fam: Denni Murphy (Marketing for RP55), Mel ( former Marketing & Rep for Akademics) and L (rep for a ton of brands including Fabulous’ line Rich Young).
Ashley is a charming girl. Former Triple 5 Soul rep, she now reps Keep footwear on the east coast.
L really wanted you to see the lining of this Engedi Chang jacket.
These are 2 of the powers that be at Engedi Chang. Larry and Lawrence are both exceptional designers. I’ve been able to get sneak previews of the line since they’re on the same floor as the Brothers Brook on 38th st. I actually met Lawrence a long time ago in Brooklyn when he was still working for Ecko Unlimited.
Definitely bringing the heat with their collection. Engedi Chang came with really innovative design. You’re gonna want to look out for ’em.
This is Jon Phenom’s starting O line. Huttinot & Gilliard.
Daniel Park is a talented artist. He does graphic design, illustration, painting, web design and flash. He and Danny are part of the movement that is F*RA (Future Rockstars of America.)
Talented designer Timber was drinking a green tea something at Project.
Shout out Chris Natalio the Marketing for Crooks. Laced me early with wristband for the party at the Hefner suite.
Dude, my camera is slowly dying. This party was ridiculous, probably because EPMD performed and Dj Neil Armstrong was providing the vibe.
I rolled hard with these 2 amigos this tradeshow. Andrew Son (former Marketing Director at Infiniti) and Chasen ‘One take’ Jones (former Marketing Director at azzure) have a ladies lingerie brand called Little Hill. You might have seen the brand at Metro Park.'
My main dude George is a crazy dope graphic artist. He is the Art Director at Osiris, Demographica Agency and the founder of the online boutique Get the Butcher.
Rahan is one of my San Jose connects. He’s a freelance apparel designer all over the Bay. Def looking to build with this dude in the future.
My brother actually went to college with Tu here. She’s now helping run things with Cheryl at The Other Duck.
San Diego knows Dj Hektik. I use to host for Hek in the club during his DJ sets when I was 18. Always good to see this dude. Just seeing him reminds me of Golden Era hip hop.
Dayla is one of the best west coast juniors reps I know. She’s repped brands like Luxirie and Fox in the past. The first time I met her I hit on her at Magic and it turned out we had a lot of mutual friends.
I met Dennis Yu years ago when he was repping Indigo Red. He now runs his own agency named Natural Selelction.
Karim has known me for the longest. We worked together on a brand owned by the same guys who own Fubu and Coogi. He currently runs the brand Known Unknowns.
Brandon here is a friend I met through designer Jeff Lazaro. He recently launched his own venture One Man Stand.
Rock la familia.
Catzie is my Philly connect. She does fashion editorial at 215 Mag, writes for Dorkmag.com and is part of the spoken word duo Yellow Rage.
Day one mob shot.
Dude, my camera is totally dying. Luckily you already know Nima and the gang at Digital Gravel.
OH!! This dude holds down Subscript on the East coast. Oh yeah, he's an expert on buns and baking.
I am a super huge fan of Rob & Big.
Adam is one of the nicest dudes I know. Destroy is his brand & Shop in Portland
And these are just 2 of his many pals!
Big shout to the SD familia Sleeping Giant Music. I rocked out with the fellas the weekend before the show. Dj Fresh One, Mr. Mikey Beats and Dj + promoter Kevin Brown.
NYC IS MY 2ND HOME.
Ahhhh, yes. It dawned on me these last 2 trips to NYC that I've been in the East Coast much more than LA this year. In any case this route has become as familiar as a bus stop to me.
Lately I've been living on the internet. It seem there's a ton of cats on facebook who never use myspace. Also, my boy put up on plurk and twitter. Result: I'm always on it 24/7.
On the plane I was catching up on my I Want toWork for Diddy reality fix. I love this show. Kind of a gangsta version of Donald Trumps the Apprentice.
I seem to always catch Ellen on the 5, 45 min flight to and from New York. Well, this and that show 10 Years Younger.
My homie whom I've known for years in San Diego Kimboy passed through. I was unfortuneately, in NY at the time but I wanted to shout this dude out. Talented photographer.
Marvin here went to high school with Alexander and I in SD. He now teaches middle school in Brooklyn. Alex and I stayed with him for a while at his spot in Grammercy.
Marvin rolls with some cool peoples. Both Tom and Ochs work in education as well. It was a pleasure to meet. I always have an instant respect for teachers because I know Alexander's experience as a teacher.
I gotta say the weather was great this stretch of July and August. We had a few days that were mad muggy but for the most this has been a dream summer for New York.
If you follow the blog at all you know 2 constant basics in my wardrobe are: 1. Orginal Adidas Shell toes with black fat laces and 2. Two black jelly bracelets on my right arm. So thank you Oliver Kann ( Int'l Trend Marketing Manager at Adidas) for sending a new pair of 8.5's! I do appreciate it, homie.
Finally got a chance to squeez a coffee with Micah! Last time we actually connected was many years ago in LA. Back then he worked for Napster. Micah has had an amazing career. He is currently working with both Rhapsody and Mtv.
I am typically taking meetings in the Fashion District in the city which is just a few blocks down from Time Square. When Micah and I headed back towards the office I could even cross the street because of the forming crowd.
These brothers are mad talented pls visit their myspace, add'em. If you ain't heard of Christian Rich pls get familiar. I had the pleasure of sitting in on a mtg where these two played a range of their music (both vocals and production). They dj too, pls catch'em when you can.
Steve here is the graphic designer at Brobot. As always, I homebase it here when I have down time. Brobot/TriggerHappy is def another sort of 2nd home office for me.
These 2 beautiful ladies are heavy hitters. Connie is the Product Manager at Brobot. Amy here is a music industry power player. She runs the music group Cookies & Milk with Keke Smith.
On a night of partying I ran into another bi-coastal meeting taker. Raymond Roker had an event with Urb Magazine out in the city. I actually took this flick form his facebook though cause I didn't have my camera at the spot. Also, the homie Jeff Staple was in this one.
Amazing photographer, supreme hustler, Fubz was out and about on one of my nights. Snagged this from his facebook flicks too.
D Murphy in the building! This man holds down NY and Hotlanta. He is currently the Marketing Director for RP55 which is repsponsible for brands like Shmack and Indigo Red.
While commuting in the city I read Russell Simmon's NY Times Bestseller, Do You. D-Murrphy had this on his desk at the Rp55 office. Highly recommend the book to anyone. Has a great forward by Donald Trump.
I was able to spend some time with my nephew Kevin in Bethpage, Long Island. I've mentioned it before but It's a quaint town 40 minutes from the city.
This is somewhere between a peace sign and a Wu-Tang throw up. Shout out Pumo who own's the most gangsta ride in all of Bethpage.
I've known Steve since the Bethpage block party last summer. He's Kev's best friend and is definately a good dude. I'm really happy with the crowd Kev surround s himself with. All good people.
Shout out to Keegan.
This is some of family on the east coast.
My cousin Gary's son and daughter are adorable. Tram is a firecracker and Kayla is so mature for her age. At times she is very motherly with her younger brother.
My 2 nieces Chello and Trish are one of my other cousins daughters. They have 3 brothers. I always try to visit them in Danbury, Conneticut when I can.
I thought I took a picture with just me and TrishRock. So let us improvise.
Art in the city is beautiful.
I ran into my friend Jesii at the airport. We actually ran into each other t the air train in Jamaca (Queens). She's an amazing tatto artist and hair stylist.
BEHIND-THE-SCENES at ELEVATOR ft. GOOD CHARLOTTE
My official behind-the-scenes at the video shoot for the Jr Sanchez single Elevator.
OUTAKES!! From my footage at the msic video.
VIDEO SHOOT for ELEVATOR ft. GOOD CHARLOTTE
Larry Fink at the Palms was gracious enough to book us for the HardWood Suite at the infamous Fantasy Towers.
The spot was huge. Words cannot describe how ballin' this joint was. So I won't try. Watch the video.
Associate Produce, Go-getter, Show Hoster, Party Killer and Show Stopper. Miss Anna Banana aka Jasmine Salmano held down the set like glue.
Two of my favorite people ever. Jr. Sanchez and Josh Madden.
The homie Brice was in attendance. You might remember this brother from Mantronix and Groove Theory.
Mr. Joel lead vocals Madden and Super-producer Sanchez.
AHhhh. Yes. The powers that be. President of Trigger Happy Aahmek Richards and Head of Production of TriggerHappy-Kareem Johnson.
Josh was there styling the talent. Paris was there supporting her dude Benji and making a quick cameo in the video.
What is a set without make-up? Kesha here is one of the best.
Domeega won the JP Video Set Awards for Best Extra. For me he really put 150% as a background artist in the club scene. You see him briefly in the final cut of the video.
This special couple here won the JP Video Set Awards for Best Kiss. Again that all important club scene. As the camera passed these 2 really made out for several takes. Nice.
They're both co-ordinating their travels with the Good Charlotte tour.
Friend Benji. Friend Paris.
Officially one of my new mentors and definitely an accomplished person I look up to Kareem Johnson. KJ has been producing music videos for over 12 years and before that he headed up lighting for great directors like Hype Williams.
You're probably a big fan if you get a tattoo like this.
I was stoked my friend Natalie was able to come visit me on set. We ended up placing her in quite a few shots.
Aahmek as aforementioned and the beautiful Chari (UFC) and Samantha (Frutition)
Definitely respect this man. Ham was the A.D. on the set and he definitely rocks the spot.
I always end up at the same spots with Dingo. Same friends. Same circles.
Big shout out to Brandon our DP on the shoot. He typically does a lot of feature film work so when I found out he was on the 1's and 2's for the video I had to shake this man's hand.
Shout out to the Johnson family in A-town.
Quick shout. Look who I saw in Vegas Magazine while waiting for my plane to set up.
I'm on book 2 from Maximum Ride and I'm honestly almost done with that too. James Patterson is the man. Because I live on planes and trains I must have a book with me at all times.
NIGHT BEFORE THE SHOOT.
Here is where it began. I flew in late Saturday afternoon. I had thought the shoot would be in August but because of scheduling conflicts it was going down now. Jr called while I was at Fashion Mall and I walked across the bridge to the Wynn.
This is the man and the reason we are in Sin City for this music video. Legendary DJ Junior Sanchez has produced a dope album on the Brobot label and Trigger Happy is shooting the singles for it!
View of the Las Vegas strip from Jr. Sanchez's room.
We actually went to Benji, Joel and Carey Hart's new club, Waste of Space in the Hardrock. It was good to see the twins. Been a minute. We then ended up at Blush at Va$htie's table.
My new friend Nikki.
My new friend Samantha of Fruition. Frutition is a dope shop in Vegas that has definitely established it's own vibe.
Mr. Gossip was in Paris and Benji's VIP area for a bit. Was real interesting to have a conversation with Perez Hilton. Real cool dude.
ISABELLA CHLOE VALENZUELA {my new niece}
On the Sunday afternoon before it happend we (my twin Alex, older sister Tina, Brother-in-law Abraham and younger brother Omar) went to the farmers market uptown.
My folks are awesome. They've been waiting for years for grandchildren so waiting in a hospital room was easy.
For Abraham to come into the delivery room he had to put this crazy suit on.
This shot was actually a few days after the birth but here she is.
Isabella Chloe Valenzuela. Born 06-29-2008 at 10:09pm. 6 lbs. 13 oz.
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