Imagine the pulsating energy of city streets transformed into an artist's canvas, the spray can his brush, and anonymity his shield. That's the world renowned graffiti artist Stem introduces us to as he peels back the veil on the golden age of street culture. With a nod to the past, we traverse the evolution of graffiti from clandestine scribbles to the bold murals that now color urban landscapes worldwide. Stem's narrative not only celebrates the influential figures who shaped his artistry but also sparks a wave of nostalgia for the classic arcade games and the echoes of breakdancing battles that defined a generation.
Step into a realm where the underground meets the mainstream, where the anonymity once crucial for a graffiti artist becomes a choice rather than a necessity. We delve into the heart of graffiti subculture, unpacking the essence of camaraderie and rivalry that fuels the fire of this vibrant community. Stem shares tales of crews like YNN and the delicate dance between legality and creative expression. Join us as we reconnect with childhood through the flickering screens of Atari and Nintendo, and find out how these experiences left an indelible mark on the artists and the art they create.
Finally, we shift gears, venturing into the sentimental world of comic book collecting, where the worth of a collection transcends monetary value. Stem recounts the near loss of his precious compilation, a close call that many avid collectors can empathize with. As we close this chapter, we reveal how you can follow Stem's continuing legacy and why his story resonates so deeply with fans of art, culture, and the tales that bind us. Tune in for an episode that's as much about the vibrant strokes of graffiti as it is about the personal histories we all strive to safeguard.
Imagine the pulsating energy of city streets transformed into an artist's canvas, the spray can his brush, and anonymity his shield. That's the world renowned graffiti artist Stem introduces us to as he peels back the veil on the golden age of street culture. With a nod to the past, we traverse the evolution of graffiti from clandestine scribbles to the bold murals that now color urban landscapes worldwide. Stem's narrative not only celebrates the influential figures who shaped his artistry but also sparks a wave of nostalgia for the classic arcade games and the echoes of breakdancing battles that defined a generation.
Step into a realm where the underground meets the mainstream, where the anonymity once crucial for a graffiti artist becomes a choice rather than a necessity. We delve into the heart of graffiti subculture, unpacking the essence of camaraderie and rivalry that fuels the fire of this vibrant community. Stem shares tales of crews like YNN and the delicate dance between legality and creative expression. Join us as we reconnect with childhood through the flickering screens of Atari and Nintendo, and find out how these experiences left an indelible mark on the artists and the art they create.
Finally, we shift gears, venturing into the sentimental world of comic book collecting, where the worth of a collection transcends monetary value. Stem recounts the near loss of his precious compilation, a close call that many avid collectors can empathize with. As we close this chapter, we reveal how you can follow Stem's continuing legacy and why his story resonates so deeply with fans of art, culture, and the tales that bind us. Tune in for an episode that's as much about the vibrant strokes of graffiti as it is about the personal histories we all strive to safeguard.
Welcome to the your Opinion Doesn't Matter podcast. My name is Lamont, the host. I'm here with a special guest, special guest, mr Incognito. You know, I couldn't say his real name, I couldn't get the guy to budge, to take the poosh-ice-ty off my guy for over 35, 40 years, my guy's stem. What's the word's the word between what's going on.
Speaker 2:Man chilling, chilling yeah, man, yeah.
Speaker 1:So tell me, so tell me about your, your travels man being. I know you, you know you came up with me and the homies. Yeah, you know, I'm saying you was around during the time, like when um graffiti was at his height yes karate was at his height, yeah break dancing was at his height.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we lived through, we lived through. We was there when that shit was in the beginning and I just held on to that shit, yeah and then okay.
Speaker 1:So now let me tell you about my guest.
Speaker 2:See before he was teenagers before he's teenager.
Speaker 1:His name is stem. He's a. He's a well-known graffiti artist throughout the um, you know the tri-state.
Speaker 2:Probably even further now, right, more than that man I'm like, I'm known in. I mean, when I sell my artwork I sold to people in Russia, france, germany, spain Thankfully not because of the internet, probably because of the graffiti magazines I've done in the past. Then later on I did some graffiti videos and then later on, when I got towards the internet, a lot of new kids that never heard of me they got to hear about me. But through the OGs they know about me because it's like the graffiti community is small. When you do something or even if somebody dies, like it spreads. You know, spreads quick. People spread word of mouth number one and number two when you're really good. That's when stuff about you begin to spread.
Speaker 2:Right and that's slowly how you become, like you know, legendary for what you do and stuff like that.
Speaker 1:Right, right, right, right right. I remember I guess your passion started when we was in, like I think it was 235. Yeah, I remember we was in class 235, enix. You used to do, you used to do little drawings, you and this other guy, another guy named Mark Clark.
Speaker 2:Yeah, mark Clark Stuart yeah, yeah, yeah, y'all was doing that's when I used to draw from Marvel Universe, I used to draw that, I used to draw that. I used to draw like. I used to draw a lot of cars too. I remember I used to draw the A-Team. I used to draw like the Bionic man, like the Dukes of Hazzard, before the flag became taboo.
Speaker 1:Right, right Before the Confederate flag.
Speaker 2:I used to draw cars always jumping in the air, because that was the thing back then.
Speaker 1:For some reason, Getting the used to draw cars always jumping in the air, because that was the thing back then, for some reason, getting the cars that just jumped in the air or catching them like that. So so tell me some um. So, as we fast forward now, you being a? Um, a well-known artist, I remember, I remember, um a couple years back, like probably like 10 years ago, I go into a gym to go play ball um, me and my homies gonna play ball, big, big gym, and in the back I see you. I see you doing the artwork, but you didn't have that on. Tell me, tell people about the mystique with you and your um, the mask and everything like, if like, say who would be the person who'd be pursuing you for your, um, your dangerous deeds, which is graffiti?
Speaker 2:well, well, first of all, it's like. The thing with the mask is is that I do a lot of illegal stuff. I hit a lot of trains, federal things you know what I'm saying and sometimes it's not just the mask for that. Sometimes you have jealous people and haters. They might be like oh, that's this dude or whatever. Let me send this over here, because it's like ain't nothing more, ain't nothing worse than a graffiti writer that's not talented as you, that you don't deal with, that hates on you the most and that will do certain things to you, just so people could know who you are. Oh right, it's more. It's more than just cops Most graffiti writers, sometimes some of them.
Speaker 2:They're just like females. They love talking, gossiping. They always talk about 6ix9ine does this, but they gossip more than anybody else. They have private rooms where they talk shit about people and these are the people that really don't really go as hard as people like me and other writers out there. That's really going hard.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying?
Speaker 2:Right right, Because I've been at this for like damn near, like probably 40 years hard straight, you know.
Speaker 1:Who was the first ones I saw around the way? It was Hash Trim.
Speaker 2:Trim and Port the whole TNC. That's how I got into that shit watching.
Speaker 1:What TNC stand for Well before it was.
Speaker 2:Taxi, Niggas Kazells and after that Taking Niggas Clout, the new crew, yeah, and I think it was Trim. Trim was the prez and Hash rest in peace. He was the vice prez.
Speaker 2:And I remember I used to chill by Hash House, which is over there by Church Avenue, and I remember I used to chill with his brother and Hash came out one night and this was like, I think, 9.30 in the night. He came out with a can, looked around and called a throw-up and did that shit less than three seconds. When I seen that shit I was like, oh shit, I said this right here I can't wait to get to this level, bro. And I wasn't really at that level, I was still like neighborhood. As I got a little bit older, I started getting out of the neighborhood and I started going to other different neighborhoods over and over again.
Speaker 1:So the places that you what you hit, buildings trains Right I mean, I saw your work for us trains. Let the people know the places that you actually, they can actually see your artwork. I will be putting it up as well, but different locations.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's like different locations, it's just like it's mostly abandoned places, scrap yards, train yards I can't really disclose because I have everybody and their moms going over there, freights and yeah, and anytime I have a can on me, wherever I'm at, I'll catch a tag. I don't really bomb hard like I used to. I might like in past years to come I might come back, but I mostly focus on peace and mostly because I'm like I like I get to display more talent into drawing something and drawing like backgrounds and stuff like that, because I'm not a graffiti writer where I just throw my name up. It's like I do whole backgrounds, feed it right away. I just throw my name up. It's like I do whole backgrounds and then if I'm not doing backgrounds or letters, people could contact me. I do portraits like somebody passed away. People call me. I do their face up on the wall like I'm professional at this I just don't do that.
Speaker 2:I go, I do comic books, I do everything bro everything right right right. Graph was just a way for me to not just show people in school or people in high school that I'm dope. Graph was a way for me to show people in each borough until it became showing half of the world that I'm dope and what I do.
Speaker 1:So question, question, your skills as far as drawing a lot of people who's like drawers that I know. They are good with their hands. They can actually do tattoos Right. Have you ever got into that?
Speaker 2:Nah, my boy Echo, Echo, he's also YNN, my boy Echo YNN, nwc, dbc, he does tattoos. He always tried to get me into it but it's like my lifestyle be so busy I could never get a chance to do it. You think you could? Yeah, because I think basically to me. I watch a lot of tattoo videos. It's like tracing, yeah, and I don't trace. I know how to draw Like I'm a real artist. Most tattoo artists, some of them, don't even know how to draw. They just trace like I'm a real artist. Most tattoo artists, some of them, don't even know how to draw it. It is trace, that's all. That's all you're doing, right? So if I know how to draw and I'm tracing something, my skills provided with whatever I'm tracing up, my skills plus what I'm tracing will probably make it look more than what it is, you know okay that's that arm, I know I just have to have a steady hand, cuz the needle moves a lot and it's like, oh yeah, that's something that's something.
Speaker 1:I just have to have a steady hand, because the needle moves a lot and it's like poking and stuff like that.
Speaker 2:That's something I would try to get to do also, because it's like I've done acrylic, I do airbrush, watercolors, gouache, I did all types of medias, a little bit of oil, I mean that's like the next step.
Speaker 1:So what do you see yourself like? What is the goal? What is your plan? Like, I mean, like you've been doing it for so long. Well, my plan is just a question before you answer. Are there at a time when there's people who's usually like incognito, like you? I know a lot of those guys.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a lot.
Speaker 1:Do they ever come out years later and say hey, this was me, yeah, years later, as they get old, they come out, then they come out. Then the cops throw the cuffs on them.
Speaker 2:Nah, it depends, man. They have to have a reason. Either they stop writing or they're good now and they're making money now so they could come out. They don't really care and they're not really about the street graffiti, life like that, no more. So they're just out there. You understand? Right, right, right. So it's like I haven't got to where I need to get to yet. So until then, this is still me and this is what I got to do, you know what I'm saying, but I don't want to be working at a job and somebody be like.
Speaker 2:I just seen your video, man. You see your lock over there. You should try cleaning it out You're fired, Right right.
Speaker 1:So yeah, you mentioned your crew was YNN Right? What does that stand for?
Speaker 2:YNN it stands for your Neighborhood's Next.
Speaker 1:Your Neighborhood's Next Right.
Speaker 2:And I made that crew Years ago. Years ago, matter of fact, I made it with Beams. Years ago. Years ago, matter of fact, I made it with Beams Beams. You probably know.
Speaker 1:Beams, beams Low, my guy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I'm also Low Life 2. And you know, I know your cousin, of course, prance big up to Prance, yeah, beams. I used to bond with Beams like early 80s. Before he wrote Beams he used to write Eclipse, oh word, yeah, and wrote beams. He used to write eclipse, oh yeah. And we used to.
Speaker 1:We used to catch tags on key food when it was where right it was.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, we used to pack bags in there and then we used to catch tags like around mad early we was um, I didn't know he was a graffiti artist.
Speaker 1:I knew I used to see beams around the way yeah the name but I didn't know he was on it like that. He knew how to. He knew how to um.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because you do major, major stuff well, you don't do the stuff I do. He's more like a bomber and he bombs with dink. Okay, right, so his beam is beams dink and I met, I met um dink through beams and I used to see dink a lot of times when I used to be at, uh, winthrop junior high school, but I never knew it was him and that's also another legend. Dink been like bombing forever, you know, um, we also got some shit on rite aid right now if you pass by there and you check inside of the parking lot, um, but yeah, um y'all still team up and team up.
Speaker 2:No, not really because it's like I kind of like. Like I said, I bombed once in the blue moon, but let's keep in contact with Dink from here and there. I can say that Beams was my first bombing partner in that neighborhood, in Church Avenue, and all of that was inspired by TNC. It was Trini Trim, benna, benji Paulistic. Yeah, I was inspired by that Porter. You remember Porter Right?
Speaker 1:there from 42nd Street. Yeah, my guy, my guy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, all of them Shit, that shit was way before Cab, that shit was way before everything bro.
Speaker 1:Yeah, damn, damn, we go back. That was the beginning, damn, when Angie was open yeah. Angie, she's still there struggling. That was um. That was like the the the untapped time of of history.
Speaker 2:Graffiti, hip-hop, um break dancing yeah, that was like everything was, everything was in sync, because that's what it was in school like when we used to go to school. Everybody was popping, breakdancing Right. The only thing we knew about was it was Run DMC Sparky D versus the Playgirls.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Roxanne Shantay. Roxanne Shantay, roxanne.
Speaker 1:Shantay, utfo, utfo. But I'm remembering when they used to have parties around the way. I'd never seen you there.
Speaker 2:You used to have parties around the way I never seen you there. You used to come with us, nah, because I was always on my graffiti shit late night the time y'all was going out to go to these parties. Either me and Beam would be bombing or I'd be bombing by myself At 15?, 15, 16?. Yeah, because I started bombing, I started writing graffiti, like around when I was 12 years old, like like around 12, 11.
Speaker 1:Cause? Yeah, that's probably around the time when you was partying Right Also Friday.
Speaker 2:Saturday night we'd be partying, yeah, and I'd be doing my graffiti stuff and after I'm done I'd go in the house because I was. My mom was strict, so I was kind of barred. You know that. Oh, okay, I used to sneak out to get out. Sometimes I'd in the house. Um, I used to borrow games from uh clinton, um, jermaine's brother, jermaine. I used to borrow games from him because him used to get a game in one day, turn the shit over in one day, yeah. And I used to be like yo, let me borrow that game, I'll let you hold this.
Speaker 2:And it was yeah, it's around that time oh, okay, okay and we was in the house a lot back then too, because that's when Nintendo came out.
Speaker 1:Atari, Sega, but you was rocking what you had.
Speaker 2:I had me. I had an Atari. I remember my father bought me my first Atari, I think in 1980, 82. I can't remember, but he bought it from Sears, okay, and it was $100.
Speaker 1:That's when, $100 was a lot of money. Oh yeah, that is a lot, so definitely a lot, yeah he bought that shit for me and brought it to me.
Speaker 2:I thought I was the illest gift in the world I was like yo, no graphics is better than this.
Speaker 1:Right, right and there was how many bits was that? That's not 64. One of them was a commodore 64, I think 8. 8-bit. I had Atari. I had Atari 2. What was the top game? If you remember Atari, what was your top game? What was the top game back then?
Speaker 2:The top game was when it first came out. I think it was Pac-Man and Space Invaders, nah, and Mission Control or something. How about Maze, craze, maze?
Speaker 1:Craze, okay, maze Craze, maze Craze, okay, maze Craze. Pac-man, pac-man, pac-man. Didn't really come out for Atari right away, like that, but when?
Speaker 2:I don't know, but when I got my Atari it came as a gift set. It came with Pac-Man and Combat.
Speaker 1:Oh, Combat was the journey. Yeah, Combat was definitely the journey. I know those times was crazy and the thing about it it's like the graphics was so elementary but we didn't know. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Because we never knew technology was going to go that far.
Speaker 1:Right, right, because being a kid and actually hooking up something to your TV and your TV looks different, that was crazy to me Because actually, what we did, how we came up, everybody in our household probably well, everybody in our household probably well in my household started with a black and white TV.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then color, and then this, and then that. The first TV I had was a black and white Zenith. Yeah, I don't know if you remember Zenith. Yeah, I do, of course. Right, I had a Zenith and the first thing I used to see was Mission Impossible and I used to watch it so much. I used to try to guess what colors they're really wearing, right, and everything was black and white. And then later on, when the color tv came out, I remember it was like 232 dollars, which was a lot of money back then yeah, color tv came out. Then we was all watching that.
Speaker 1:yeah, we was antenna broke.
Speaker 2:I remember the antenna had broke one day. I forgot it was me or my father broke it. And then my father was like, so intelligent he saw the antenna was broken, he took the top off of the antenna Not to say he the first one that created it and put foil on top. Nah, he went in a closet, got a hanger and bent it and put the hanger inside of it and these two things when you move it.
Speaker 2:The tv started showing good, nice. My father was a carpenter, he was a mason, he was good with his hands. Nice, nice. That's why I think my skill came from, because he was an artist as well right, that's what's up, that's what's up, that's what's up.
Speaker 1:yeah, I mean, um, back then was everything was new, everything was new, everything was new. We came into a time and then fashion everything was new Son.
Speaker 2:If it wasn't for the Japanese, we'd probably be still playing Atari For real.
Speaker 1:Would you do a like say they say hey, stem, I need you to come by and do like a display. Would you do it Like a gallery? I mean yeah.
Speaker 2:If I'm getting paid, I'm going to do it.
Speaker 1:If I'm getting paid, I'm going to do it. So why the mystique? Suppose the law is going to be after you.
Speaker 2:Nah, it wouldn't be like that because you mean you wouldn't show? Yeah, because this is mostly not for the law, this is mostly just for the ops or just jealous people, you understand? Oh, okay, that's what it is. But I've done not galleries. But I have my stuff in galleries where I show up, and sometimes I don't show up because sometimes how I look at it is I'm not like other graffiti artists that always want to show their face or be known to be popular. I don't care about you knowing who I am, I just want you to know that my shit is dope, yeah, and I'm a melanated person that gets busy.
Speaker 1:Nice, nice, nice, that's it.
Speaker 2:That's all you need to know. It's not about me. It's about what I do, what you like from me and what I could sell you. That's actually worth something. So later on, if you come into bad times, you could resell that shit. You understand, and I work so hard in the graph game. Whatever I'm doing and whatever you have for me, it will be worth something, because it's something from somebody who takes his word serious. Nice, nice, nice nice, nice.
Speaker 1:So now that's, that's dope man, you got a, you got history on a voa. Like you have a, you have like a trail of work.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm proud of you, man.
Speaker 2:Thank you, thank you for doing your thing.
Speaker 1:I'll be seeing. Oh, that's them. I'm proud of you, man, thank you. You've been doing your thing. You've been doing your thing. I've been seeing. Oh, that's Stem. I've been seeing him. I forgot where I was at one time and I seen your name. I said, oh shit, that's him on the train that's going by. Yeah, he bombs. If you see S-T-E-M on the train, that's Anyway.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir.
Speaker 1:Anyway, this is him right here. This is Infamous Stem. So let's get into something. What's going on today currently? Let's just talk about some current things. Like you know, like your boy Puffy, he's not your mans, but what you think is going on with him?
Speaker 2:With him. I don't know, man. I think just a lot of people are just trying to get a lot of money out of him now. Yeah, yeah, because they know that his ex he got like what? Three million just to like be quiet, right. Then all of a sudden people was like, yeah, he touched me in kindergarten, he did this. You know what I'm saying, right? So it was like to be honest with you. We all did bad stuff back in the days. Facts If we was to all become millionaires, mad people would be coming at us, mad people would be coming at us. So Mad people are coming at us. So it's like he's just going through all of that shit right now Because you know, yeah, he probably did do some bad stuff, but he's not the only one that's doing that.
Speaker 2:There's other people doing stuff like him, or probably even worse, but guess what? They're not in the limelight like him. So nobody's not fucking with him. He's in the limelight, and the only thing that I don't like his own people is trying to destroy him right, and these videos and all that, 50s definitely yeah because I'm saying like yo, how y'all going hard and this dude like that, and I'm like where was the videos when epstein was out there?
Speaker 2:you know what I'm saying? Yeah, I do him like that. Why are going hard on him like that? Let the lord take care of that shit. If he did do that, you understand, yeah, but it's like I agree yeah, because I'm like the way 50 is going at him. You think these niggas have beef for eternity, right? But when they've seen each other, they'll be like yo what up?
Speaker 1:yeah shit weird bro, the whole, that whole industry is weird.
Speaker 2:The whole industry, it is man, because a lot of weird stuff happens in that, because I guess when people get into a different society or when they make mad money, it's like all of a sudden they got so much money, it's like they become interested in doing weird shit. Now they do yeah.
Speaker 1:Wrestling alligators naked.
Speaker 2:Now having sex with females is played out now. So you want to do weird shit now or you want to like you're going to a secret society club where you got to get blood at the door and shit and give everybody a phone, Like what is that? You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:Right? Is that how it is with? When y'all go into a crew of graffiti people, y'all be having like some little secret shit. Do you know? Do you know a lot of these, um, famous graffiti guys? That be all over.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, you only could know them if you had a certain point in your life or a certain like skill set.
Speaker 1:Who's the most known to you Like. What would you compare your level to to the top guys in New York?
Speaker 2:Shit, I'd say, mostly like European writers.
Speaker 1:What would you say, Like if it's a top 10 or top 20,? What number are you?
Speaker 2:In me Shit. I see myself as a as in New York I'll probably see myself as a nine and a half eight Top nine.
Speaker 1:No, if it's 20 people. If it's 20 people, 20 known artists in New York what number are you?
Speaker 2:Shit, I don't know. I'd rather let somebody else say that for me, man.
Speaker 1:I don't want to overrate myself, I'm just going to say that I'm up there. Top five.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you can say that I'm up there.
Speaker 1:Nice, nice, nice, nice, nice man.
Speaker 2:Anybody who know me. They know how I give it up up when it's time to hit the wall battle.
Speaker 1:They know oh okay, yeah, I say that without bragging, I'm up there do they have um like like my, like like prince, my boy prince, he's go. He goes with his talents for his dancing. You know he's in china right now, right like um. Do you ever get that type of experience to go like different countries? Because you know show your skills.
Speaker 2:Well, I have offers of people like that, but it's like it's hard for me to travel sometimes because I take care of my family, or basically I take care of my moms and stuff like that, and it's basically me just taking care of her. So it's like I had offers thrown at me for stuff like that. So it's like I had offers thrown at me for stuff like that. But I try to keep it more like. Instead of it being like international, I keep it more home based.
Speaker 1:More local.
Speaker 2:I would go to Philly if somebody called me out there to do stuff. Jersey, like, I just keep it, you know where it is at. Keeping it tri-state Right. If I ever get somebody where you know a chance where I could get somebody to help me take care of what I need to do, then I'll start doing that you know Okay, All right cool. I just like to let people know never get street art mixed with graffiti art. Those are two different things.
Speaker 1:What is the explain? What does that mean?
Speaker 2:the street art is something like more like the murals people drawing flowers and the only thing is, some of the people that do the street art they use spray paint and they try to get it. They get it mixed some people that don't know better they get it mixed up with us. It's like we could do that, but we're more gritty with the letters and stuff like that, because basically graffiti is more about letters. Well, let me not use the g word. Come, a boy riff would be mad. I use the g word. I say aerosol artists or more with letters, letter structure and stuff like that. Okay, then you have the street artists which do the murals and everything they do with spray paint. But you know they get respect too. But it's like, don't mix the two up don't mix the two up, but some.
Speaker 1:But can some of those street artists do graffiti too? More than likely, if they're good enough to do a mural, they could do it. They probably could do that, yeah they could.
Speaker 2:But most of this stuff. When they try to do graffiti, some of this stuff look like anti-graffiti. Okay, right, and me I'm not with the anti-graffiti stuff. I'm into real graph like letters looking dope so are you looking for sponsorship?
Speaker 1:um, what is? What is your end game like, where you? I want to see you, I really want to start seeing you do stuff for like real big commercials, like like sprite I know they be having having some big events and stuff like that.
Speaker 2:Well, I did something on the wall for Sprite like early 2000s, but it wasn't my connect, it was another Graffiti Artist Connect.
Speaker 1:So you did hand-in-hand with different companies.
Speaker 2:Yeah, or sometimes it's like when I do stuff with sometimes somebody else would have a connect and they'll put me on to do stuff with sometimes somebody else would have a connect and they'll put me on to do certain things, but they don't connect me with the connect.
Speaker 1:Oh, right, right right.
Speaker 2:Sometimes it just be like that, because what I notice as just being good in general this is not only with graffiti, this could be with podcasts, this could be at acting or whatever when you do certain things with certain people and they know that you are at a higher level than them, they'll never hook you up with the connect. They won't Because they afraid that then the connect will be like oh shit, I'm fucking with this dude. Your shit is much better. Matter of fact, let me call you in what's your prices? I think I could work with you, man. I like how your stuff look. Yeah, so that's the way of my life too, because I don't never get connect with the connect.
Speaker 1:But when I do connect with the connect.
Speaker 1:I make all the connections. You see. Now, that's the thing that I, that's the truth. That's a very true statement. Right, people like Dame Dash had a post. He says if you want to see people win, you help them. If you really want to see somebody win, you help them. Right, how much people is helping nowadays? People don't help. People don't help Because it could start with just even volunteering and helping kids. Right, people don't do it. No, people don't do it. No, people don't do it.
Speaker 1:Out of all the friends I know, out of a bunch of friends I know I'm one of the only people that do it. I'm the only one. For like 15, 20 years, volunteering, helping kids, playing basketball, mentoring I got my nonprofit stuff like that. I got friends who do volunteer. You know what I mean, but it's not a constant thing that I would like to hear. Like, say, I see people on Facebook always reminiscing about something how good they was, or something like that and this or that. You know I built this house or I played this sport. When are you going to show it? I'm not saying you don't, but we don't see it. I don't see you with the kids. I don't see it, and then again I'll bring back to your point with the connect that people don't want to connect because they're going to know you're going to do much better with that connect.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're scared that they think you're going to take their spot.
Speaker 1:That's how it is it's I wouldn't care if somebody else blows up. I'd be like off of me, I wouldn't care, I wouldn't rub it in their face, but I'm happy for you, right? You know what I'm saying. It's like listen, you did it, thank me, thank me later. Thank me later or send a check in the mail, right?
Speaker 2:Another example there's this guy that used to follow me on um, facebook and instagram. He worked for marvel, right? Yeah, always used to comment on my stuff, always used to comment on my boy hop stuff, hops. Another guy, very talented, hops, dks down with my crew. Very Hops is dope with the comic books, always commented on our stuff.
Speaker 2:So I remember one day I inboxed him and he was like yeah, man, I love your stuff, yada, yada, yada, right. And I was like yeah, that's dope. I was like, yeah, if you like my stuff, why don't you hook me up? Then he was like nah, he was like why don't you hook me up? Then he was like no, he was like why don't you hook yourself up? Oh shit. And I was like you know what? Fuck this guy. And I unfollowed him. You know what I'm saying? Because my thing is why you keep telling me how dope my shit is why you keep asking me what I'm doing, like, what kind of pens I use, all of this shit. But you're working for marvel, but you're asking me how I'm doing it. Are you just ghost following me to get tips or to bite what I'm doing to get yourself closer?
Speaker 2:So by him saying that to me and I looked at it like I'm looking at him as being a brother or whatever. I was like you know what? Fuck this dude, I'm going to start doing my own shit and put my own shit out, because I sent shit to Marvel. I sent shit to Marvel, I send shit to DC. But you see, the thing about Marvel and DC that people don't know about because everybody be like yo, STEM, how come you don't work for these companies? You're dope as fuck. I'm like, yeah, I'm dope as fuck to you because y'all right graph, Y'all know me. Marvel and DC, they don't know me. So in order to get to know these dudes, it's like you got to send them a ton of stuff for them to realize you, until they get tired and be like all right, come in, Just like McFarlane. Mcfarlane had to send these dudes, I think, like 108 submissions. Who's McFarlane? Todd McFarlane is the one that created Spawn and he's the one that redrew Spider-Man and why Spider-Man is famous today? Because he reinvented it.
Speaker 1:The black Spider-Man or no?
Speaker 2:Nah, the regular Spider-Man.
Speaker 1:He just redid it, the one who did Spawn. He redid Spider-Man.
Speaker 2:Right Dope. He's the one that made the webbing and all of that, but I thought you would happened to those.
Speaker 1:Don't tell me you threw them shits away my brother just came to the house like probably like a year ago, confiscated it and you took all of them. Yeah, I'm good with it. I gave it to him. Oh man, yes, yeah, I'm good with it, I had, I had, I had two. I had two big white boxes remember the comic book boxes?
Speaker 2:yeah, I still got, still got it. You still got it. Yeah, I got almost like 600 to 700 comic books. Nice, I mean, if I try to go somewhere to sell them, they're going to jerk me so I just keep them Right, right, right.
Speaker 1:You ever go to that comic book spot over there by the junction. Yeah, bulletproof, I did the gate years ago. Oh, okay, okay, okay yeah, that's what's up, man. That's what's up man, yeah, man. So, yeah, man. So listen and wrapping up, what is it where people can um follow you, what you, you know? Okay?
Speaker 2:contact you. Uh, if y'all want to contact me, shit my name. You can contact me at instagram. This type is stem y n n and you can find me there and you see all my stuff. And you can judge for yourself who I am Once you see my shit. You never look back at anything else.
Speaker 1:Yes, you'll definitely be a fan of his man. I'm a fan and a friend man. I'm happy that you was here, yes sir, your opinion doesn't matter. Podcast man, episode 79, with my broski 79?.
Speaker 2:Damn.