I am still on a music high from this past weekend’s “Made in America” Festival in downtown LA’s beautiful Grand Park.
My favorite acts were deep house DJ’s Cut Snake, Classixx, Trap artist Yellow Claw, Kanye West, and Steve Aoki to name a few. Definitely spent most of my time at the James Dean stage dancing all over the place.
The best highlight for me was simply the company I was with. Nothing can beat the amazing vibes when you are with the right mix of people. S/O to Mitchel Dumlao, the LA Street Art Gallery Fam and the rest of the friends who were able to join the festivities, you all know who you are.
Props to Jayz for pulling off such a major music festival in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. I really enjoyed the fact that I did not need to travel to the boonies to attend.
Seattle hands down has one of the most gorgeous summers and if you have not experienced it during this time it is an absolute must! It is the perfect blend of nature meets the city. Sure it has a lot of overcast, rain, and drizzles during the other seasons but I’m not too bothered being that I grew up in all four seasons back in the east coast.
It was a solid trip one week trip filled more with Fam time with a sprinkle of outings. There was a lot of peeps I wanted to see but I unfortunately had limited time. Regardless, I was able to reunite fresh from our recent Redbull, Vegas trip with my Seattle partner in crime Mikeskee aka the Young Prince of Seattle…YUP. The dude is always on the hustle and he got some super exciting, projects in the works that I am sure you will all see come to light in the near future.
S/O to Mikeskee, Denise, and Spencer for taking care of the kid.
I am bummed that I will miss the Bumbershoot music festival this weekend that I could have got hooked up to (UGHH) but the upcoming weekend in LA is looking quite exciting actually. So until next time Seatte and for sure I need to get out to Portland once and for all to complete traveling around the Northwest.
Seattle will always have a special place in my heart. I had the pleasure of living here for a summer plus a few months back in 2008 and did some pretty rad things such as Claws Out Seattle + Northwest. Who knows, maybe I will end up there sometime in the future.
Enjoy and share! There are a ton of beautiful photos in this post.
Landing in Seahawk territory
Seattle in the distance
Balcony view
Art installation | Olympic Park
Space Needle
Beer Festival | Seattle Center
Thai Ginger | Pacific Center
Catching w/ Papa
Falcons + Hoodboi @ Q Nightclub
Dance party | Q Nightclub
Mikeskee aka Mikeboi
Olympic Sculpture Park
SAM
The needle and the eagle
Waterfront
The eagle
The Armory
Fish Tacos | Blue Watergrill
Bumbershoot flyer
Tulalip Casino’s buffet
Tulalip buffet
Armory + Needle
Momma taking her first Uber in a Benz
Prince of Seattle | The Scotch Pine
Mikeskee self caught in the act
Old school
Random menu
Crab nachos | Some Random Bar
Echo | Olympic Sculture Park
Just rocks
95 Slide | Capitol crazy Hill
The trio | Mikeskee, Denise, me
The trio looking fabulous | 95 Slide
Club QFC grocery store
Island hopping
Tillicum Village
Welcomed w/ fresh clams | Tillicum Island
Fire roasted salmon
Buffet
Traditional Native show
Father and Son bonding | Tillicum Island
Nature | Tillicum
Broken branch
Sunset
Great wheel seaside view
Back to Seattle
IaMmE memories on the fridge
Redbull Soapbox Derby
Soapbox madness
Redbull properties
The races begin
Hidden cafe in Pike Place
Bubble Gum Wall
Mikeskee + Orca + Nicole girl
Fresh Clarks w/ a little Seattle flavor
Came here alot
Poke | Ohana
Spencer! Ohana Sushi Chef
Collections cafe | Chihuly Gardens
Collection’s Cafe
Collection’s Berry salad | Chihuly
Amazing exhibit
Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly
Electric Forest
Love
Holy garden model selfie
Mother and son bonding
Seahawk stadium
The Lil Woody’s mac and cheese burger I wish I ate
Another epic Redbull BCONE adventure is in the books. This was my second one after the World Finals in New York City in 2009 and after experiencing this in Sin City I totally support Redbull throwing more national events in this adult playground. Let’s start this post off with a recap video from Redbull of the North American Finals.
Now here are my personal trip highlights (brought to life in the photo gallery below):
DAY 1
Red Velvet pancakes for breakfast, Freeze of the day shoot w/ RJ from Supercr3w, checking out the downtown Vegas wall art, helping the STANCE crew w/ their video shoots (Daniel Zhu, Anderson Ko), meeting Kendama World Champion Dave Mateo, and Jabbawockee Dave Mateo, Hanging out at DoKnock’s house (Supercr3w / Jabbawockeez), being scared to jump down a rooftop, walking up and down the strip, eating pizza, meeting Ms Minnesota aka Emily
DAY 2
Being hooligans w/ all the out of town friends at the Palazzo Pool (Kenski, Anderson, Emily, Daniel, MN Joe, El Nino, Ladieone, etc), Azzure dayclub chillen, getting complimentary tickets to the Jabbawockeez show, Drais LV Night Club w/ the Redbull LA + LV Team
DAY 3
Reunited w/ my partner in crime Michael Huang aka Mikeskee, finally meeting Miss Lee, Wynn Buffet gluttony, chillen w/ the homie but now LA Local JoRawk, Watching on stage the Redbull BCONE World Finals, pondering whether Gravity would take the crown while being dressed head to toe in Monster Energy Gear, watching hometown bboys Toyz and Isaiah repping that Maryland/DC flavor, seeing a ton of familiar faces such as MexOne, checking out the craziness at MGM’s Beachers Madhouse, taking a limo to megaclub XS
DAY 4
Experiencing the brand new Drais Daytime Beach Club, Samba Sushi, hanging w/ a bachelorette party, vibing out at Insert Coins Video Game Lounge + Bar w/ all the dancers, (Lancer, Nasty Ray, RJ, Eranetik), checking out all the life sized games at Gold Spike, Sapphire admiring
DAY 5
Having lunch and good conversation at the Grand Lux restaurant w/ Cros1 and the gang, sleeping through the horrible Vegas traffic back to LA, In N Out Burger, chillen at Bonar Lounge with my BeMoreMedia fam
Freeze of the day Shoot w/ Rockadile | Fremont
Red Velvet Pancakes
Baby Stacks
freeze of the day
Stance entourage
Crockadile art
Liars, Heisenberg & Pinnochio
Zoe Ziegler
Rooftop shoot on DoKnock’s house
Dave Mateo | Kendama World Champion
Kenski mimicking RJ
MJ
DoKnock’s MJ Collection
DoKnock and Rockadile, one of my favorite photos
Super Cheers #PBR
DoKnock’s backyard
Palazzo Suite
Venetian
poolside with Miss Minnessota
Enjoying the view
Venetian Canals
Redbull Promo on the strip
Pizza alley way
Anderson Ko from Stance
Mr Nufsed himself
Margaritas
Sneaking in a photo of the Jabbawockee Show
Polaroids from Emily
Drais Las Vegas
Drais disco ball
Shots with Tony Montana
Catching some ZZz’s
Wynn Buffet
The crew, JoRawk, Jeromeksee, Kenski, Mikeskee,
LA friends, Celeste
Mike Murda holding it down at Beacher’s Madhouse
Good ole XS
SWAY as the BCONE host
Supercr3w
Victor from The Squadron takes the crown, Paris bound
Beacher’s Madness
Circus Club
Limo riding
Drais LV Beach Club
Buffet Treats
More Treats
Feeling like I’m in in Venice
Brooklyn Bowl Official
The stage is set
Blueberry vodka redbull smoothie
Hotel view
Drais
packed
Booty
Samba Sushi
Fremont
Best potatoes ever
Insert Coins Video Game Bar
Chili dawgs
Gold Spike
Gold Spike
Daniel Zhu being polked by Miss Lee
Hitting the slots before we leave
Some of my favorite battles of the night:
Quick reflection:
This trip was such a blast especially since I have not roadtripped to a major breakin’ competition in awhile. It is nice to re-visit one’s roots, see familiar faces, and just vibe out with a culture that I was heavily involved in for a good 12 years of my life. It was definitely through dance where my passion for working with talent, marketing, and event producing came to fruition…I am always forever grateful for what it has provided me. Furthermore, it is great to see the dance much more organized and being showcased on such great platforms. Of course people will have their opinions on how it is showcased, but one thing is for sure is that it’s spreading like wildfire to the youth which is a definite positive regardless. Also not going to lie, the trip definitely sparked me to want to train for a few battles again…we shall see 🙂
Major S/O to Daniel Zhu for driving and taking care of us w/ Palazzo Room, Mikeskee for another Palazzo room, RJ aka Rockadile for the Jabbawockeez tickets, DoKnock’s hospitality at his crib, Ronnie for the stage side wristbands, Kenski and Anderson Ko for providing tons of jokes and laughter throughout the trip
When dope people who do cool things collab together, it usually turns into the best of times. That was the case this past weekend when 3 Pares…Mendzter aka AJ Mendoza, Shark Faicol, and I all just wanted to simply throw a daytime, summer party for fun. Neither one of us really had done one per say, but we knew we could pull something off. When AJ and I first checked out the venue…I immediately had flashes of an amazing party called “Might Get Weird” based out of Brooklyn, NY that Jazzwell, Josh Diorio, and I had attended over Memorial Day weekend 2013. I immediately knew it was going to be a hit.
It was a day of incredible music and incredible vibes. You could say it was our own little Do Over. We rocked from day until the night and we thank everyone for making it what it was. LONG LIVE THE LONGA BURGERS, LYCHEE SANGRIA, AND WHISKEY PEACH COCKTAILS! Good job AJ & Maddy.
For those who missed out, shame on you because you know how I do things but I’m sure we will be doing another shindig before the summer ends so I can forgive ya’ll there.
Major S/O to Mendzter, Maddy, Migz, Shark Faicol, and the rest of the team for being beasts with event planning and setup. S/O to all the others Chef Ray Dipasupil, Jazzwell, Doomz, BeMoreMedia (Luis & Anne), Jym Lyfes, Smiles Photo Booth, for helping contribute your sounds, supplies, and vibes to the event.
UNTIL NEXT TIME…
Mendzter
Pacman + Justroc
Shark Faicol + Jazzwell
Kat in the Hat, Ben, Justroc
Longa Burger
Chef Ray Ray
Pacman, Vicky, Marcus, Shark Faicol
Beer pong against the famous Sapphire
I.aM.mE Crew 4 life
DJs repping & chillen w/ owners
w/ lovelies
horse mascot
Doomz
Peace to a successful event
Here are some great mixes by the killer Sound Selectors that spun that day (not the live sets but I wish they were recorded thinking back on it). Everyone was on fire.
I would probably play these songs in an hour long set. I’ve been in a very housey mood lately thanks to that summer Cali sunshine! Think nonstop, dance your face off, groovy house music kind of party…just the way I like it. On some other news, might be planning a one-off, daytime party this summer with some cool folks too, I will keep all you posted 😉
Also since today is no ordinary day, we are going to start this list off proper with a tribute to the great MJ, a house remix of “Rock with You” and a “Billie Jean” remix to finish it off. #RIPMichaelJackson #5years #forevermissed
I meant to post this recap several weeks ago, but as we all know that thing called the life grind can sometimes delay things. The past two months starting back in April have been an exciting blur as a result of taking on a new gig as the Event Manager for the PTTOW! 2014 Summit. PTTOW! is an invite-only, member network and summit that brings together inspiring leaders from the world’s most innovative companies, along with cultural icons, to showcase game changing projects and fuel transformational media partnerships shaping today’s culture.
I have attended and been heavily involved in several events over the past 7 years and definitely can say this was one of the coolest and most unique opportunities that I have been apart of.
White sand soft like powder, water shimmering clear and blue, helmet diving, snorkeling, banana boat, chinese new year, epic restaurant, mesa, dan po, tiger shrimp, garlic and lemon lobster, fruit shake diet, jonah’s, longa burger, sunset massages, perfect weather, russians, beach walks, san miguel, sunset pathways, pearl of the pacific, station 1&2&3, juice, summer prawl, pub crawl, infinity pool, sand sculptures, tri-motorcyle, caticlan, propeller plane, how life should be, fire dancers, coral reefs, colorful fishes, paradise, milky’s dive center, seafood galore
*CLICK ON ANY PHOTOS TO OPEN UP THE SLIDESHOW FORMAT, SCROLL MOUSE OVER TO SEE CAPTION*
Propeller plane
Boracay airport
Motor Tricycle
Boating it over the island
Had to take one
Panoramic shot from the clear blue water
😛
Posing for the camera
Soaking in the sunset
Sailboat sunsets
Massages on the beach
Helmet diving
Almost in paradise
Choosing our seafood
Choosing our seafood
Tiger shrimp
Fish soup
Squid
Mango apple fruit shake
Hanging w/ the chief neogtiator
Out of a postcard
Strawberry banan fruit shake @ Jony’s
The infamous 15 shots @ Cocomangos
Obama!
Witnessed a boracay beach wedding
Up the coast
Sunset Pathways
Boracay hole
Virgin Mary shrine
Just rock
Feeling like the lion king
More sailboat sunsets
Fire dancers
Cool trees
Love my bangus
Tito DJ rocking funk and house music at some popular foreigner bar.
Boat transfer
Happy
Boat tour cruising
Snorkel Time
Looking for fishies
Manny Pacquiao’s beach resort
Onward bound take 1
Onward bound take 2
Our banana boat
The winning combo, Mango banana shake & longa burger @ Jonah’s
It truly is more fun in the Philippines and every trip back to the motherland always gets better each time. I’m breaking my trip into two parts: Manila & Boracay since I have a lot of content to share for both. I’ll be sharing a collection of words that describe my trip so I don’t bog you all down with too much text.
Also I will say a bold statement and say that this might be the best trip of 2014 already and the year has barely begun. I guess I’ll just be disappointed for the rest of the year LOL. Anyways, if you have not traveled to the Philippines yet, do yourself a big favor and get it done. The country has a lot of amazing things to offer but the people you will find out are the Philippine’s greatest asset 🙂
Thank you to everyone who made the trip memorable.
Indulging in gluttony, endless mall hopping, mall of asia, Hip Hop International Philippines, bangus, Mr. Choi, black market, chowking, tuna pandasal, salon de ning, peninsula hotel, fairmont hotel, Tha Project, greenbelt, edsa shangrila, eastwood, podium, spaholics, team elite, seafood island, Max’s chicken, sisig, crispy para, resorts world, buddha bar, bench, fix salon, kenny rogers roasters, massages all day every day, loading point, lola’s birthday, business class, ejercito, alodia, native doggies, sir justin, sir stepheeen, reflex
*CLICK ON ANY PHOTOS TO OPEN UP THE SLIDESHOW FORMAT, SCROLL MOUSE OVER TO SEE CAPTION*
On my ways | Bizness Class
Korea Asianna Lounge
United Club
Business Class @ Asianna Airlines
Hi
Foot room
Enjoying Battle of the Year
Best plane food
Noodles
Art Gallery next to the hotel
Hotel view featuring Chachi Gonzales billboard
SMX Convention Center
Tha Project Fam @ Hip Hop International Phillippines
Vip Tickets
Tha Project Reppin’
SM Mall of Asia aka MOA
Mall of Asia water views
Mall of Asia
Tribal still around
Massive ice rink at Mall of Asia
Love the Filipino customer service
The Truth
Desert @ Cafe 1711
Lacquered salmon @ Cafe 1711
Power Dinner in honor of my mi padre
Salmon Pizza
Cab view of Chachi Gonzales
Bon Chon
Green Hills Bizaar
Green Hills
Hotel dance studio
Skye Lounge in GBC / The Fort
Reunited with Katrina and Jonathan
Sky Lounge at the W
Gorgeous facade
Fancy dining @ Buddha Bar
Rooftop Lounge @ Buddha Bar
Reunited with Brian Marana, Bmore!
Cocktail galore @ Buddha Bar
Buddha
Fancy Venue
Buddha Bar’s famous CD soundtracks
Buddha Bar Sushi sashimi platter
Lola’s 81st Birthday
Yellow Cab Pizza
Seafood Island North Shore
Hip hop / Trap at Black Market
Mojitos
Speakeasy @ Black Market
Line it up
Chill restaurant
Eastwood
Eastwood
Artsy Eastwood
Feasting @ Seafood Island
Seafood Island gluttony
Good times w/ Ejercito and Alodia Gosiengfiao | Best massage over at Spaholics
Sambo Kojin | A Japanese-Korean Buffet
Eric Ejercito’s trophy
Eric Ejercito’s collection, talented toy scultpor
Ballin Cafe
Yogurt!
Human 3D massage w/ a random tall white jew
Ronnie and Lean Rock chillen in a Manila department store
Beyonce imposter @ Folded & Hung
Kenny Rogers Roasters is still in the Philippines?1
Edsa Shangrila
Podium Top
Podium bottom
Jewelz!
Greenbelt appetizing
Greenbelt
Duck noodle soup @ Mr Choi’s Kitchen
Pretty much Crack of ketchup
Cute
Happy Birthday Lola
Cheer! Kiwi Beer
Max’s chicken
Hotel breakfast buffet
The vegas nightclub of Manila @ Resorts World
Haircut courtesy of Bench/Fix Salong
Edsa Shangrila
Never seen this trick
Seafood mango pizza @ Greenbelt
Resorts World
I want swings in my courtyard
Sexy lounge
Salon De Ning w/ Gaby and Reflex @ Peninsula Hotel
Whiskey time
Dancing to 70s 80s and the 90s musica
Haircut
Randomly watched this movie, looks cheesy but is amazing
Alot of you have experienced my outlandishness whether it was in my room, a sports bar, all over my social media, or maybe on your couch watching a Baltimore Ravens Football game. I assume that everyone thinks that I’m just an avid fan because I grew up in Baltimore before moving out here to Cali. Well there’s a bit more to it. The reason I’ve been emotionally attached to this team is because of #52 aka Ray Lewis, one of the greatest NFL Players and emotional leaders in the history of sports. I first learned about him during their first Super Bowl in the year 2000. Everyone in my neighborhood crowded into the streets and it was a celebration like none other. Since that year, #52 has definitely been an impactful, source of inspiration during my soccer career in high school, eventually into my newly found love in dance, and in my career aspirations.
I could go on for days about his accomplishments as a NFL Superstar but that’s not what makes him great. I am writing this post to share how infectious his leadership style is and how his ability to inspire the living hell out of those around him makes him legendary. He is the same guy that rekindled Michael Phelp’s career after he was burnt out to achieve all those Olympic golds. If your not familiar now, you definitely will be soon.
Till this day, the videos below still give me chills and wakes me up from those lazy, unproductive slumbers. I hope after watching some of the videos that you all take something from them as it applies to our every day lives and how we can reach our full potential in life.
Here is my inspiration to everyone for the 2014 New Year.
WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO DO TO LEAVE YOUR MARK?
Had the honor of meeting and speaking with Ray briefly at a Gatorade Event in Los Angeles
I have done quite alot of traveling the past year with my Rebel Industries clique but I must say Miami takes the cake for best trip of the year for me. That says alot especially since I thought SXSW in Austin was pretty epic. I could not have asked for a better ending to 2013 and I am definitely figuring out how to get back to Miami…maybe for Winter Music Conference?
Anyways, here are a collection of photos and videos for your enjoyment.
Lobby
Whip #1
Whip #2
1st night out
Beach balcony view
Yachts and Mansions
Favorite view
Media Noche sandwhich
Private pathway to the beach
Beach bum
Fontaine Bleau Resort
Rebel Industries Clique / Supreme Team
Mark Ronson Show @ Mansion
We with the DJ
Mark Ronson in the house
Quite the view above the DJ Booth
Aerialist
My director cheesing it w/ Mark Ronson.
EDM DJ Dude
Space After Hours completely packed at 5:30am. Party goes until 3pm.
JUSTROC 