there is an attitude and persona that comes from moving to New York. It isn’t for everyone. Jose is definitely one of the few that will stay around no matter what the city throws at him. Me and the midwest boy linked up through work as bartenders. With similarities on the come up in the service industry and to now working behind the bar together. I walked a few blocks over to touch base with my guy. I got to see what’s new in the closet and how he’s making sure to keep fit in this new world of ours.
WHAT’S YOUR MORNING ROUTINE
Since quarantine I’ve been getting up and doing yoga and home body weight work outs to start the day. Then after it’s breakfast time. Usually a frittata of some kind and then mad immune boosting vitamins courtesy of my shorty.
WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO WORK AT
I’ve been craving to be outside so the living room is where we stay. It definitely exudes the most sunlight and we have a lot of plants so it helps keep the energy grounded. Guaranteed to help with the yoga practice.
WHAT ARE YOU WEARING
I’ve gone a little hard with Nike lab and repping my fellow Chicano Willy Chavarria.
WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING, LISTENING TO OR READING
I’ve taken this time to fall deeper into my culture and specifically my indigenous roots and ancestry, so I’ve been reading books on Aztec and Mayan culture. Also picked back up “Black Skin, White Masks” by Franz Fanon. As for television I’ve jumped back into the Sopranos. Also that Disney plus password got floated to me so I’ve been getting lost in that.
WHAT’S YOUR GO TO MEAL
I’ve been doing a lot of frittatas for breakfast. Lunch has usually been slices of bread and goat cheese. I’ve been baking a lot. Dinner it’s either a Mexican Soup of some kind or I’m making some kind of pasta.
WHAT HAVE YOU BOUGHT ONLINE
Custom Nike AirMax 90. They are deep red with pink bottoms.
Though New York is at a stand still during these difficult times. This city still has a pulse. I catch up with my boy Nehemiah and see how he’s marking the days on his calendar. From working on material for his sketches to baking up some sweet treats. I Chopped it up with the man who stays at the bar with me till the lights are up and see what’s on his mind and what’s in the stove.
WHAT’S YOUR MORNING ROUTINE
I wake up at noon and get out of bed around 2pm. Cry for a little bit. Drink some water. Then have a bowl of cereal while my girlfriend does her workout/yoga. The rest of the day is pretty much just writer’s block from 3-6pm. Dinner. Dishes from 9-11. And then I practice tweeting (@thugtweeds) in front of the TV until I pass out.
WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO WORK AT
My nigga i’m not working! Besides my living room or bedroom? Sometimes I like to work on the subway snuggled between a homeless person and an essential worker on the brink of suicide. I love to check emails in the bathroom but we only have one bathroom between the two of us so I’m only ever in there for an hour at a time.
WHAT ARE YOU WEARING
Literally right now, nothing. But when I’m outside I put on pants and maybe a hoodie. I rotate between three hoodies (black, tie dye, beige).
WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING, LISTENING TO OR READING
King of the Hill. I never watched it as a kid because I didn’t understand that it was actually the best show on television. It feels like I’m watching home movies wrapped in a blanket of nostalgia and surrounded by all my childhood friends and family. I feel like I’m from Texas when I watch it. Like I was born in a Whataburger. I am the Black Bobby Hill. My family, God bless them, are mostly conservative (not quite Rednecks but def Redneck adjacent at times), and I always wanted to be in NYC. So here I am, fulfilling my dream as a comedian and salesman of propane and propane accessories.
WHAT’S YOUR GO TO MEAL
My girlfriend is Chinese and I’m Ethiopian so we keep it pretty interesting in the kitchen. I also bake a lot (for fun – but I make edibles for sale if you’re interested) and I post sometimes on IG @blackhandsbakery.
WHAT HAVE YOU BOUGHT ONLINE
I’m currently unemployed as far as NY State is concerned so the only thing I’ve purchased in quarantine is a usb microphone in case anyone wants me to record something. Setting up a little d.i.y. recording booth so we can get this *bread you feel me. (*unemployment insurance).
Relating to someone from your hometown is unlike anything you can run into. Being from New York City its even more rare nowadays to vibe with an A-alike. New Yorkers know each other without saying much. I’d say we’ve even done the same dumb shit here and there. Kelvin and I linked up through the service industry. Being that he’s that guy if you need certain spirits. He’s from uptop (thats uptown) The Bx to be exact. So I checked on how the “Sucio Sommelier” is spending his days and showed me how he whips up his margaritas in the crib.
WHAT’S YOUR MORNING ROUTINE
In the beginning of all of this it was difficult to wrap my head around the new normal, I would wake up at like 10 and 11am. I think I was also a little depressed so I was low on energy. After a few weeks I got my gusto back now I get up around 7am get a stretch in and run Prospect Park. It’s about 6 miles and really sets me up for the rest of the day.
WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO WORK AT
Wifey and I have an art studio at the Cribbo. It’s a blessing and we feel really fortunate to have that work space. She will typically have her conferences there and work on art projects, I will fuck around in there as well. It’s at the corner of the apartment so there a lot of light and good vibes.
WHAT ARE YOU WEARING
Joggers, cotton, Satin! Lol I’m in Willy Chavarria gear most days, his clothing is oversized on the body so it just feels so good.
WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING, LISTENING TO OR READING
I’ve never seen Sopranos so I just got on that, shout out to J. Gandolfini. I’m reading “Men Explain Things To Me”by Rebecca Solnit, great book all dudes should get into.
WHAT’S YOUR GO TO MEAL
Raos Arrabbiata sauce with pasta. Best jar sauce on the market hands down. I can eat that shit ALL DAY. It’s just too easy when I’m not in the mood to peel Plátanos lol.
WHAT HAVE YOU BOUGHT ONLINE
I love A company called Perico LTD, check em out. They make anti gentrification gear, uptown pride gear so I support the movement. They recently re-released their “Stay out of Uptown” Hoodie so I just copped that to Stunt on these colonizer cabrones. Now I need to get the Kicks!
If there was a definitive road I can re call to how I have my own podcast today. My good friend Than was definitely one of the instruments to that road. We knew each other from a bar I worked at and where he dj’d Thursday nights. The relationship built on the love for beats and just music. He eventually asked me to rock my own segment at Montez Press one summer. Which lead to me sitting down with Sahra Van Nguyen and birthing Chop Up Radio. I caught up with the man and see how he’s keeping it lock’d. (literally)
WHAT’S YOUR MORNING ROUTINE
Last 30 days – wake up at 730/8a make coffee/ small breakfast, check SM, cut (20)1 min vids for Instagram, Post on SM, shower by 11:30 or 12pm. I am either about to go for a run or yoga followed by lunch. should be done by 2 or 2:30 I have an hour or 2 of “free time,” where I choose 1 task to catch up on life stuff (bills, laundry etc), work, set up releases, go through music for the nights set, catch up on news, connect with family etc. By 5pm it’s either start dinner if I’m cooking or think about what’s for dinner. 5:30p-6:30p I am finalizing what I’m going to DJ for my 7-10pm stream and update the total amount that we’ve raised the night before. Play the stream and the day usually ends at 10pm and I am in By 11p 11:30p.
WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO WORK AT
Right now the studio is in the living room because I wanted to do this 30 days of DJing during quarantine, so it’s the living room.
WHAT ARE YOU WEARING
Right now, Nike Running Joggers, AirMax 90’s, T shirt, Montez Press sweatshirt, Apple Watch, Moscow glasses and Nike Running 5 panel. Usually I wear Uniqlo jeans, T-shirt and a hopeless sweatshirt with a denim jacket.
WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING, LISTENING TO OR READING
I started Seinfeld during this NYC shutdown cause I’ve never seen it before. I’m listening to a lot old mixtapes that I’ve downloaded in the past that is currently streaming on Twitch right now. I set it up so that I don’t have to figure out what I want to listen to, I just turn that on and listen. I am reading a lot of news and science, but also music business books.
WHAT’S YOUR GO TO MEAL
Recently vegan since October 2019 so I’ve been cooking a lot. Nachos, chili, stir fry’s, rice, but mainly rice and a veg stir fry.
WHAT HAVE YOU BOUGHT ONLINE
Other than house hold items, my last purchase was motor oil for the motorcycle and Phone Holder for streaming.
It’s hard to have numerous similarities amongst family let alone friends. My guy Cal is as genuine as they come. We’re both extra New York and proud owners of shiba inu’s. I met Cal thru my brother Westley who works for Article’s of Style. It’s hard to separate people that love sneakers, fashion and Kobe all in the same breath. You can add the appreciation for a good whiskey in there and its bound to get a bit loud. From being a dope person to having a great eye for photography. I reached out to my guy and see how he’s keeping slim and spending time with the fam.
WHAT’S YOUR MORNING ROUTINE
I have 2 alarms on my phone. One at 6:40am & 6:50am. I have to report to “work” for 7am (it’s annoying AF, but I try not to complain because some ppl don’t have a job to report to right now). I bullshit & talk to my co-workers via Skype until 8am then I start “work”.
WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO WORK AT
I set up shop on my couch right in front of the tv.
I really don’t have a go to meal. My wife wants to chef up for every meal (I’m not that much of a breakfast person, so it’s usually just coffee) But I snack a lot . Chips, fruit, candy and water like crazy.
WHAT HAVE YOU BOUGHT ONLINE
Rocky has allergies & is always scratching so I got him this:
Dope people rarely come together to feed off each other’s creative energies. I originally sat with Morgane last year at the studio. We discussed her streetwear label Press among many things. Linking up with DJ originally thru my brother. We built a friendship thru the common ground of all things fashion. I finally caught up with the stylish in house duo at their bushwick home. I got to see whats going through the sewing machine. Who’s cooking and what’s in the future.
WHAT’S YOUR MORNING ROUTINE
Mornings are interesting. I’ve always considered myself the opposite of a morning person, but since the lockdown; I get up at the same time every morning; 9:35am… It starts w/ coffee, as I believe most humans start this way. Load up the French Press, wash my face, and contemplate the action of doing my hair, its always the latter. We have this huge window in our design studio; the mornings are the best; as the natural light fills the room, I stare out and accept fate of another day in quarantine. “Cause like a crip said, I got too many blues for any more bad news” Gov. Cuomo, that’s my nigga right there! We try to watch his news conference every morning, he’s blunt, tells everyone what is going on, and adds his “dad” humor in there.
WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO WORK AT
My favorite spot to work is b/w the studio & this nook in the living room. The studio allows me to look out at everything happening in the neighborhood, like this reckless driver who crashed into 4 cars on the corner, or the undercover cops holding up two guys while they search for drugs or weapons. The nook is where I get deep into my thoughts, we have a leather butterfly chair and the arc lamp I ordered finally came in, it feels like the corner where you were sent to think about your actions. My record player is setup here, I can play some vinyl, or just put my headphones on and zone out.
WHAT ARE YOU WEARING
For full transparency, the first few weeks, I lounged around in sweats. I haven’t dressed up as much as I thought I would’ve, but after a few days I felt the need to look presentable. Morgane made this dope Denim kimono that I’ve been wearing around the hood; along w/ these Belgian loafers I wear everywhere. I’ve got these vintage achilles low common projects in blue suede, the seams are torn, dusty, but the level of comfort… unmatched.
WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING, LISTENING TO OR READING
Well, once you’ve re-watched The Office for the 13th time, you have to switch it up. Knocked out the Tiger King before it became every meme, a few docs; Wild Wild Country. The Innocence Project (good ones I recommend). We re-watch old movies for creative influence, and have made it a point to watch at least one disney movie every night. It’s a different experience watching them as an adult. Music is always playing in our apt; from the “Are & Be” playlist on spotify, to soul classics. As Im writing this, MBDTF is playing, one of my favorite albums!
WHAT’S YOUR GO TO MEAL
While we’ve been cooking everyday, it ranges from shrimp fettuccine w/ Vodka sauce, to an amazing Shepard’s Pie we are cooking tonight. For the record, I’m the Sous chef, so majority of the credit goes to Morgane. My go to snack… Kit-Kats… jumbo pack!!
WHAT HAVE YOU BOUGHT ONLINE
Home-Goods!!! All we buy is stuff for the house; planters, tv-stand, lights. While I hate waiting for packages, the process is intensified, as I cant just go out and buy it. I’ve seen some good sales online, but nothing I really love, I want more Baby Milo collab items. I scooped the Baby Milo x Naruto tote; I really like the DBZ & Jurassic park collabs. Those are on my list right now.
Chop Up Radio 