West coast hip hop legends Cypress Hill continued the Haunted Hill Halloween tour at the Novo in Los Angeles with New York hip hop duo Onyx and Punk band Trash Talk. Talk about hardcore hip-hop, platinum group Onyx consisting of duo Fredo Star and Sticky Fingaz generated the raw New York style flavor everyone expected. Hits like "Shut ‘Em Down" sparked a mosh pit amongst the young crowd. Followed by the smash hit "Slam’" Gen X fans remembering a time when hip-hop was pure and uncut. Their energy level was unstoppable, Fredo and Fingaz made sure their fans were awake and not miss one beat. Now in their early 50’s, Starr and Sticky are not slowing down one bit. They recently released their newest album titled ‘Blood on da X’ which was a smash hit.
Hardcore punk band hailing from Sacramento, CA lit up the night with songs such as "The great escape" which is a cautionary tale of the side effects of excellent hardcore music. One of the crowd favorites, hyper young goers started another mosh pit which pushed people against the barricades. Singer Lee Spielman jumped over the barricades and instructed everyone to settle down. He waited about two minutes before playing "Worthless Nights," the whole crowd was in a roar, with their tongues out and waving their rock hand symbol. Trash talk is most certainly a punk rock band to look out for. Singer Lee Spielman, Spencer Pollard (bass guitar) and Garret Stevenson (guitar) are guys in the mission who has been taking over the hard rock punk scene for years.
Last but not least the undeniable legendary hip-hop group Cypress Hill graced the stage smoking blunts. Rapper B-real wearing a giant afro and rapper Sen dog sporting a bucket hat. Loyal fans of Cypress Hill wore merch with a marijuana leaf and a skull on it. "Hits from the Bong" started to play as the bass started the boom, you can feel the rumble through out the venue. Since it was Halloween weekend, the B-Real invited a few folks from the crowd on stage for a quick costume contest. Finishing off with the widely known hit "Insane in the Brain" produced by fellow member DJ Muggs is one of the songs that put Cypress Hill on the map. Overall it was a great night, everyone who attended Haunted Hill definitely got their moneys worth. Looking forward to seeing who Cypress Hill will bring to the stage next year.
It all started back in 2009, my brothers and I decided to move back to South Central, Los Angeles from the Inland Empire. Both my brothers attended music and film school in Hollywood. At the time I was working construction in Las Vegas for nearly one year, but I always knew I had a passion for photography, but didn’t know what or where to start shooting.
As soon as I finished working in Las Vegas, I saved up enough money to buy a Canon camera. A friend of mine who was a night club promoter at the time asked me to be a roaming photographer at his venue. I had little to no experience shooting anything or anyone, but I felt confident and plus I was a people person, so I knew both of those qualities would help me succeed in being a photographer. I was a club photographer for almost a year until I started meeting people and networking. Then eventually I met a club photographer who owned his own business shooting venues all over Southern California.
For the next five years, I was shooting many nightclubs in LA, OC, IE and the Valley, eventually booking my own gigs. I even shot at the RIO in Las Vegas on the weekends when I worked out there for three months. Additionally, I booked a local night club working Tuesday nights as a roaming photographer for almost three years. At the same time, I was shooting Tuesday nights at a radio station working for rapper Dub-C. So after working at the radio station, I would leave to shoot at the club at night…
But I always felt like I needed to do more and take it to the next level. I felt like I couldn’t possibly shoot night clubs forever. I eventually linked up with my brother who had been writing for Music Connection. And thus, I began shooting local concerts all over Los Angeles and nearby counties. I felt like this was my calling. Not only do I like shooting musicians I listen to, but occasionally, I get to meet them and network with people in the business as well. I love doing what I do, but I do not put all my eggs in one basket.
Aside from shooting clubs and concerts, I have organized photo shoots with models. I have shot many events including birthday parties, weddings, Quinceaneras and more. I feel as a photographer, I cannot stick to just one preference. I feel like I have to do it all and “NO” can’t be the answer. I believe my path may be difficult, but eventually, it will pay off.
