SPEAKER_02 1:45

Good afternoon, everyone. This is DJ Ann What with the Hilltop Glove Podcast. We are live and in effect today. Again, we're still out here at I'm gonna keep messing the name up, Bradley Community Center and Park in beautiful Gastonia, North Carolina. We're out here at this excellent event with the Honeycomb Experience with our friend and former guest of the show, Reasons Brown. But one of the things that we wanted to do today was make sure that we had a chance to reach out and talk to some of the vendors or some of the people that are making this event possible, contributors, and et cetera. Well, one of these folks is actually an artist. This artist has been Reasons told us we need to speak with him. He said that he was actually the gentleman that's responsible for some of this excellent gear that they had to have out here. We actually already put some of this stuff up on IG Live. We took a little nice little spread uh shot of the spread that is available for you if you come out here today to pick up some of this gear or later on. And if I could at this moment, I would like for him to introduce himself to our audience so that they can know who he is. And of course, have a couple of questions for him about why he's out here today, um, what his influences are when it comes to art and why he wanted to become an artist. Uh so first things first, if you could just introduce yourself to our audience, let them know who you are and where you're from.

SPEAKER_00 2:59

Raleigh Major, I stand Rock Hill from uh, you know, been all over the East Coast. You know, uh the brand is Black Boom. Uh I mean, I mean, it's a story, man. You know, where are you originally from? I'm from Brooklyn, originally.

SPEAKER_01 3:13

I heard it. I didn't want to just pull it out like that, but yeah, yeah, you're from Brooklyn.

SPEAKER_00 3:16

How did you make it down here? Oh man, this is I mean, you know, I got family in Charleston. I lived in Charleston, went to high school, middle school in Charleston.

SPEAKER_02 3:23

Where at?

SPEAKER_00 3:24

Uh Mount Pleasant.

SPEAKER_02 3:25

Stop the front door, for real. Yo, all right. So I just I came up from Charleston. I've been in Charleston for like last yeah, second yeah, went to school down there, everything. In Wando, yeah, I went to Wando. Be quiet, all right. I know exactly what you're talking about, because of course we got family down there, lots of family in the PD area as well. So matter of fact, our folks originally from the Charleston area went to Plantersville. So that region, I understand, and that's why our folks are they live in New Haven. Okay. So think about it, that's where we were born. We're from New Haven. Connecticut down, yeah. Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that makes sense. So I understand that that travel, I know what you mean. All up and down the East Coast. Oh, yeah, yeah. It's yeah, yeah. Yeah, you know that that cycle works. Everybody up there is from down. Exactly. That's how I try to tell people, preach. So could you tell our audience how you got into art, specifically the medium that you're in right now?

SPEAKER_00 4:08

Okay, I mean, I used to draw a little bit when I was younger, never really took it seriously. I was actually taking a class for IT work, and I needed an elective, so you know, I wanted to kind of test to see if I still cared about it. Yeah, you know, in a more organized fashion. So I took a drawing class in uh 2015, and it kind of been, you know, kind of been evolving ever since, like trying to figure out my little, you know, where I fit in the whole thing.

SPEAKER_02 4:36

Have you looked at any have you been in any galleries or any artists? No, no, no, no. So this is all right, because all right, so we have a cousin, Neil, talented artist when it comes to drawing, realistic everything with a person, kind of like yourself, taught by himself, does it out of his own want and feel for the spirit of art? Right. Why do you do your art? What does it do for you that other things don't?

SPEAKER_00 5:02

Well, okay, so so the brain is black boom, it's born out of necessity. Ah, you know, that's kind of you know, and it kind of is, you know, it's that. Yeah, like you know, uh, uh, you know, uh, you know, I feel like there was a lack of thought, uh-huh, you know, people kind of trying trying to do the same shit. So, you know, I kind of, you know, it was kind of born on me, you know, wanting certain t-shirts and I couldn't find them.

SPEAKER_02 5:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:31

So I ended up starting to make my own stuff, and you know, people see it, and as the ideas come, build up your, you know, you know, pretty much it. Yeah, pretty much trying to do stuff that nobody else is doing.

SPEAKER_02 5:44

No, I'm paying attention to some of the stuff that you got. Oh no, I gotta get something. Because you got you got you got the Alan Ovis and Slam magazine cover. You got you got look, like you have cultural, you have culturally significant events on the shirt, right? But it's not that they're just up there, it's how they're up there. You're painting this. Oh, you're peeping. Okay, yeah, peeping the game, bro. Yeah. So could you explain to artists, because of course they can't see it. Could you explain them how what how you use the medium of paint and how you put that onto shirts? Because just the process, if you can explain that, because of course you don't just paint directly onto the shirt. Could you explain how you do that?

SPEAKER_00 6:24

That was like trial and error, man. Um, when I first decided to start, you know, I had to do my little research and you know, got the heat press stuff and you know, the whole conversion from paint on a canvas to the shirt, you know, it's a trial and everything.

SPEAKER_02 6:41

So it is directly, you're really converting your paint from canvas into the digital, yeah. That that was the whole trial and ever, which technique worked for what I'm trying to do.

SPEAKER_00 6:50

You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_02 6:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 6:51

So, you know, going through people, getting, you know, uh tips and you know, a little information on the way and just kind of moving it. So, you know, I still ain't really there, but you know, I kind of figured out what I want to do.

SPEAKER_02 7:03

You figured something out. Yeah, I mean, you caught my eye, and I'm gonna tell you, we see, we see, we talked to so many different artists and etc. Business folk, entrepreneurs that are out here making their own labels and imprint. I'm gonna tell you like this your stuff's on par, if not better, than some of the stuff I've seen. Wow, not even not even trying to blow smoke up your body. I appreciate that straight up, man. Like it's that good, it looks that good. Like I said, if you wouldn't have told me that this was a trial and error thing and you haven't perfected it, I wouldn't be able to tell. I wouldn't be able to tell. How many years have you? So, all right, so you say you start this in 2015? Yeah, the whole drawing thing.

SPEAKER_00 7:36

Okay, then it was, you know, uh, I don't know, man. I don't really know how I got into painting and all that, but it just kind of happened. I had some paint and I painted some shit, and I was like, I kind of like the process, you know, the therapy in it. I was about to say it felt good for the soul, yeah, yeah. That whole thing because because it goes back to you know, doing stuff that I don't see that I would want, yeah. So, you know, just trying to get better at it, you know. You know, you have that part, then the part of the you know, perspective. Yeah, that's a whole nother thing. Like, you ain't lying, yeah. It should all be seen, man.

SPEAKER_02 8:11

Yeah, like you don't see this stuff, the stuff that you have on your shirts, and that's one thing that caught me when you had to say how we were setting them up over here, and we were taking this stuff, and I'm looking at it, right? I'm like, this person done read some books I done seen, they done been in some wavelengths I've seen, but this on this is not normal stuff. I'm like, who is this guy? Let me, I gotta speak with him. Speak when that's what he pointed me out. He's he's like, he's over there. You gotta make sure you get him. I'm like, all right we're gonna pull him over here to talk to him. That's dope. And so I gotta ask, have you been to Reason's gallery?

SPEAKER_00 8:39

Yeah, I actually I was I happened to be at the mall getting a battery for a watch. And they happened to be in there, but it wasn't open. Yeah, so it's like I saw movement, so I had to look through the windows, I saw people and I saw artwork on the wall, and I was like, shit, and I saw black people, yeah. Like, shit, yeah, so I knocked and we introduced whatever, and that was it. Everything's like, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:02

So how did he get you out here today?

SPEAKER_00 9:04

We've been working together, man. You know, he he he's he's open to not just open but receptive to ideas. You know, you throw ideas to people and they don't necessarily use it, yep, or you know, whatever that shit is, you know, pride if it doesn't if it doesn't meet their selfish needs, even if it does, that's what's crazy, and they still won't, yeah. It's like you know, pride and ego and shit. Yeah, he don't seem to have that. Like we talk and bounce ideas and he just run on.

SPEAKER_02 9:34

I keep hearing that over and they keep telling, yeah, he doesn't the ego is not getting in his brain.

SPEAKER_00 9:39

It's he's genuine. I don't like you know, you know, I don't, you know, I don't mind saying that, obviously, but yeah, I don't I don't want to speak for him. That's just what I see, you know what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_02 9:49

I mean, that's your truth. Yeah, that's why that's why I have you saying that today, because I'm trying to figure out like how are all these people from different areas contacting and get in contact with him to do something like this.

SPEAKER_01 9:58

I'm like, what where do they do that at?

SPEAKER_02 10:00

Right? Because we don't normally see that. And so that's one of the most interesting things. Like, even with us, when you ask us to come, we're gonna be down here, don't need no pay, I don't need no money for it, none of that. I'm gonna be here. Why could you do that?

SPEAKER_00 10:13

Right, yeah. I see the yes, right, yes, and it's like, you know, like that's a part of the trial and error too, meeting people and offering up certain ideas or you know, just trying to help. No, seriously, people, you know, whatever. But I don't seem to get that from him. He got I see him as he already knows where he's trying to go. Now it's about how do I get to it. Exactly. And when he get out, he get ideas, he implemented in his own thing and it all kind of works.

SPEAKER_02 10:40

You know, he kind of reminds me of, he kind of reminds me of of uh of the RISA, like an AR, like you know, you're right, yeah, you're right. And he'll make it you make it happen, right? I do have to ask you this. I had two more questions I'm gonna ask you because I want to hold you all day. Um, but my first question is what do you have upcoming? And I always like to do this shameless plug, upcoming, or things that people should know about when it comes to you and your art, and how can they get in contact with you? I'm trying to wow, that's a great question.

SPEAKER_00 11:10

I'm gonna do a show, man. I never did a show like like a closed gallery show, not necessarily that, like a pop-up, but gallery type you know, because it's like the clothes, it's the artwork, yeah. You know, there's the vibe or whatever. You know, it's like trying to bridge the gap, you know, trying to, you know, we do a lot of judging and shit, but we don't necessarily try to, you know, I just see a lot of shit towards the younger generation that I feel like it's unnecessary. We gotta correct it. Yeah, like we ain't fucking responsible.

SPEAKER_02 11:41

Say it, you know what I'm saying? Say it, whatever case is. No, no, no, I agree with you. I know exactly what you're talking about, man. Don't be ashamed about it.

SPEAKER_00 11:46

You know, so it's like we gotta do our part to speak to them in their language.

SPEAKER_02 11:51

We have to, I agree. We might have to do something. Yeah, we have to. I was telling my brother the other day, sometimes I feel bad because it's like we gave the younger generation a loaded gun, but we didn't give them no direction. Yeah, so now they're shooting each other. That's kind of our fault.

SPEAKER_00 12:06

And while they're shooting at each other, instead of grabbing them and taking the gun, we what are you doing?

SPEAKER_01 12:12

Yeah, yeah, no, you gotta correct them first. You can't just start nah, it don't work like that. Yeah, it don't work like that. You gave me the gun, motherfucker.

SPEAKER_02 12:21

Exactly, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 12:21

Like I told my brother now.

SPEAKER_02 12:23

We walk away from it. Yes, yes, it's like the youth is out here, right? They're doing things to be different just for the sake of being different because yes, and we ain't we'd be gonna be like bad parents.

SPEAKER_00 12:34

We give them the wrong attention, yep, yep. We coddle them and then we set them off, and you know, now we wanna, you know, uh you know, we want to come and judge responsibility, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:46

We can't do that, like we like we wasn't here before them. Yep, we set the whole playground up for them. So we I always I always agree. I'm gonna agree with you on that. And uh also we gotta do this before we before we stop this interview. But let people know how they can find you on social and the internet. I got an Instagram, I'm working on a website, man. Okay, whatever.

SPEAKER_00 13:08

Put on Blackboom B-O-A-C-K dot B-O-O-M, Instagram. Yeah, we can get down there finding.

SPEAKER_02 13:15

How can they get some of the threads though? Oh man, DM me. All right, that's all we need to know, as long as they know how to do it. Because, like I said, we went ahead and took pictures of everything, right?

SPEAKER_01 13:24

How can I get that shirt? How can I get that hoodie? So I want to make sure they can get it too.

SPEAKER_00 13:29

Excellent, yeah. We we're working, you know, perfect. You know, I just I'll just do it, man. You know, all the time. Hey, how y'all doing? How you doing? You know, stuff accumulate, then you start putting it together. It's like, yo, that shit is kind of dope, you know, grow from it.

SPEAKER_02 13:42

Question Do you do do you do orders? Well, like uh like specific sizes? Oh, yeah, yeah. Okay, because I'm gonna bother you because there's something over I see over there that I can't fit my one and my size. Yeah, absolutely. All right, my G. We do one-on-ones, you know, we got stuff coming. Excellent. Well, I'm not gonna hold any more yet, so I want you to get here and enjoy it. Man, I appreciate you sitting down with us, especially because I know there's all this stuff going on. I want to make sure people can move, but I'm gonna go ahead and sign off. This is DJ and Wet with the Hill Top Club Podcast. We're out here with Malik Major Black Boom. Excellent, excellent. And we are at the Hill the Honeycomb Experience event back to school bash. Man, they're doing a bunch of giveaways. They have vendors out here. We got folks out here balling, we got obstacle courses, they got food, drink, and et cetera. We have stuff for the kids and stuff for the grown ups. So anybody who wants to come out today, please believe me, it's a great time. But other than that, like I always like to say, peace and love, man. Tell somebody next to you that you love them. We'll see you on the next one. Peace.