1000 WORDS: WHAT WE DON'T SEE

"I grew up on the crime side, the New York Times side/ Stayin' alive was no jive

Had secondhands, Mom's bounced on old man/ So then we moved to Shaolin land

A young youth, yo, rockin' the gold tooth,'Lo goose/ Only way I begin the G off was drug loot" - Raekwon

The opening lines to an iconic record always felt like the opening scene to a movie. The lyrics, the beat, and the vibe of the record instantly places you in a realm of nostalgia. For a record released in 1993, it captured the essence of rap music... what it sounded like, what it looked like, and more importantly, what it felt like... And if you ever saw the video, you'll know exactly what I mean. And that is what sparked the idea for this photo-shoot... to use an empty movie theater as the backdrop to the Classic Black Troubled Youth Socks.

We are huge movie fans.. fans of classic movies that portrayed our lives and lifestyle(s). Movies that told our stories.. And that made me realize, I never got to experience some of the greatest movies of our culture in theaters for the first time... Like a Juice, Above The Rim, or Belly... not A Love Jones, or Poetic Justice.. Boyz In The Hood, or Menace... All of these iconic movies came out at a time when I was too young to go see it in theaters. I will never get to see my man Birdy walk in the gym with orange leva on for the first time.. or watch Ricky get caught lacking (RIICCKKKY!!!!). lol. I'll never get to experience the feeling of sitting in a theater, watching yourself, your culture, your language.... your neighborhood on a big screen for the first time. It may not mean much nowadays, but the excitement of going to catch a flick was an event itself.

Fast forward... I'm scrolling through people stories on IG one day, when a friend of mine posted a friend of hers. So being nosey, I clicked the name and went to her page. She was perfect! Perfect for the movie theater idea I've been sitting on for weeks... I sent Ky a message instantly... "I need her for a shoot" ... she hits me back not too long after like "when?".. "whenever she can"... and like always, Ky comes through "I asked her, she said Yes, but she has some things to do and would let me know a date".. Bet.

Days later, I sent Laci (model in the photos) a message.. we spoke briefly and set a date for the 18th... Leading up to the day, we discussed small details of the shoot. Ky already told her my idea of the movie theater and she was onboard. I wanted to keep it simple with her outfit.. Shorts because it's summer time and I also needed to display the socks. A Troubled Youth hoodie because we all know the theater can get a little cold and some fly kicks.

We agreed to meet at the movie theater around 8:30... But I had to get there a little earlier to buy the tickets because I wanted to wait until the last minute to see which movie would be the emptiest.. (I think I bought tickets to the Minions or something)... Laci arrives on time. She hops in the car, we exchange Hello's and I thank her for her time... She switched out her kicks.. She had some fly Saint Laurent kicks that went perfect with the socks but I thought it went against the concept of comfort of going to the movies...

We go in, grab a large popcorn and drink to add detail to the shoot... but she doesn't drink soda. She wanted apple juice. lol. (if you look close, in some of the photos, you'll see it). So I had the soda. As we were leaving the concession stand, Laci went to the bathroom to change into the hoodie and I noticed a movie just ended and people were leaving out...

What's more empty than a theater, once the movies ends?... I snapped a couple pictures as we waited for everyone to spill out and then we went in and got to work... The setup was perfect. It was unclean, popcorn on the floor, gum under the seats, cups left in the cupholders... But there was one thing missing that would've added to the nostalgia of the shoot...McDonalds. A McDonalds burger and fries... come on, who didn't sneak food into a theater? Imagine this same shoot with that yellow rapper and red box...

I know you don't think I'm going to type 1000 words, right? Lol.. The 1000 Words article is in reference to that old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words". This article will explain the meaning, idea(s), or influences behind each photoshoot. I prefer to do things with purpose, significance.. Doing a random shoot, at a random location, holds no value.. Everything that I do.. will be done, with intent. Since the development of Troubled Youth, it has been my idea to use my own life's experiences as the backdrop for the imagery in my shoots. Each shoot has an element or reference to my life, whether past or present, the association is relevant.