PREVIEW - THE MELANITES #3

We finally got copies of THE MELANITES #3 in stock in the GhettoManga store.  After seeing the cover art by Caanan White, a few people are asking for a peek at the interior art,  so here you go.  

Check out some sample pages by Ariyibi “Pitch” Toluwalase. 

ART PARTY ROAD SHOW - Fair Park Caricatures

I forgot to share these Art Party pics from last week!

Hey fam, I forgot to share these Art Party pics from the store opening I worked in Fair Park last week! They hired me for face painting, but no one was into it.   But my sign also offered Caricatures, and once people started getting them, I stayed busy the whole time!

133art Reaches Its Funding Goal

With less than 36 hours left, the Kickstarter campaign for 133art's Season Pass has reached its funding goal!

VIDEO - Super Hero Club Talks TITAN

Stephanie Williams is back with an episode of the Amazon Prime YouTube series Superhero Club. This time, they're focused on Titan, the stone-covered powerhouse from Invincible.

Now Streaming - WAKANDA FOREVER

February 2023 is here, and what better way to kick off Black History Month than with some quality Black Fantasy.  Disney+ is getting in on the act by releasing the Award-Winning Marvel banger Black Panther: Wakanda Forever onto it its streaming service.

Now Playing - Irreplaceable by JustMe & Cas Metah f/Cappadona and D1

Well, it's February.  So whether you like it or not, it's the season of mushy stuff.  JustMe & Cas Metah gave in to the mighty pink juggernaut with this jam Irreplaceable, longside Cappadona and D1 (with additional vocals from Noelle Rose).

133 Art Is Gearing Up For A BIG Year

Another new Character Design - Baphomet

I created an opportunity for fans to become a character in my client's comic.  Here's another of the designs.

New Character Design - CATRIARCH

Hey fam, have you ever wanted to be a superhero or villain? I created an opportunity for fans to become a character in my client's comic... 

Now Playing at GhettoManga HQ - BROLY by Napoleon Da Legend

This song has been ringing in my head all day.

#ThrowbackThursday - Cannibal Ox's IRON GALAXY, Rap Avatar Sticker

"You were a stillborn baby Mommy didn't want you, but you were still born Boy Meets World. Of course his pops is gone What you figure, that chalky outline on the ground is a father figure?" -Vast Aire

The YODfather cometh

"It's all about being greater

If you can handle being called  a fool now, 

you might be seen as a genius later"

-Your Old Droog

3 Words - ANIME CHEETAH TEE

I could not resist copping this ANIME CHEETAH TEE from Goodboy Noah's online store after watching this You're The Apple Of My Pie video...

Preview- THE MELANITES #3

As the days remaining on the Kickstarter for THE MELANITES: SLAY DAY enters single digits, here's a first look at the fully lettered pages for the opening sequence.

GhettoManga Weekly Digest - Go Hard

Samax collabs with ROB VIK. The Melanites: SLAY DAY Kickstarter reaches its goal. Now what? Homeboy Sand Goes Hard, New SOL MESSIAH album, and more

CONTENTS Samax Amen collabs with Rob Viktum The Melanites: SLAY DAY Kickstarter reaches its goal. What's next? Homeboy Sandman Goes Hard New DJ SOL MESSIAH album featuring Sa-Roc, KXNG Crooked, Mc Evidence, Planet Asia GCM, Cambatta, Murs, Aesop Rock, etc   And more!

I Can't Stop Listening To WU WEI by I9ON

"Persistence is key 

Wisdom a degree 

When you know who you are 

You move effortlessly..." 

-I9ON

I got my hands on I9ON's new 7-track record Wu Wei recently, and haven't been able to get away from it.

Happy 70th Birthday to Pee Wee Herman!

I just did the math... Pee-Wee Herman (his momma named him Paul Reubens) turned 70 YEARS OLD today, August 27, 2022. 

Let's celebrate with my favorite clip from his iconic film Pee-Wee's Big Adventure below:

"I'm a king. I'm dipped in God's black complexion...

Survival of the fittest is the natural selection..."

By now you might already know that Black Thought and Dangermouse are dropping a collabo album CHEAT CODES in August.  Maybe you've already seen this video for the new single Aquamarine too.  But I just saw it a few minutes ago, so now I'm sharing it with you.

Wait... Is there a YOD / Madlib album brewing?

Man... When I saw this YouTube vid on Twitter from Your Old Droog featuring MADLIB, my wheels started turning...

#NowPlayingAtGhettoMangaHQ RUFFIAN (Produced by Custom Made. f/ Mickey Factz, IAMGAWD and GRIFFEN)

I don't recall ever hearing of Filthē Records before today.  But when I peeped a snippet of this single Ruffian (from the Chicago-based label's upcoming compilation The Dirt Up Here: A Filthē Album)

on GRIFFEN's Instagram, I had to check it out...

Throwback Thursday: A Few Words About Paul Grist's MUDMAN Volume 1

I ran across this copy of MUDMAN Volume 1 by Paul Grist while going through stuff in storage.  Here's my thoughts about it.

#NowPlayingAtGhettoMangaHQ THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD by TankAndTheBangas

I fell in love with Tank (frontwoman of Tank and the Bangas) along with the rest of the world when the latest amazing band from NOLA appeared on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert Series in 2017.  Equally comfy rhyming or crooning, the tiny artist whose vocals and lyrics are as heavy as her name has only blossomed into a more and more impressive artist since then.  

Tank and the Bangas' new video There Goes The Neighborhood tackles one of the black community's most persistent specters with the cheerful melancholy I've come to expect from them.

Hey fam, you want 12 stickers for $25?

I'm still recovering from Fan Expo Dallas, and while I catch up on client work, I thought y'all might like some stickers!

S T I C K E R S

THE MELANITES #2 Kickstarter IS LIVE

As you may know, I'm Art Director/Assistant Project Manager on the indie comic The Melanites. They brought me in to make sure everything remains raw!

My first issue as AD, THE MELANITES #2, is now LIVE on
Kickstarter!

11 Years Later, I'm still Bumping This Underground Gem

"Lines tighter than a body builder's definition

with an undying will, my mother said I'd never listen"

I recite this quote (from the song PHOENIX by Napoleon Da Legend, produced by Crazy Al Cayne, off their 2011 album The Sugar Cayne Experiment Vol #1: Napoleon Da Legend) on a regular basis (especially when someone compliments my linework)...

Watch This Animated Video for the Calypso Song A BETTER TOMORROW

 Love afros, inspirational songs, anime-influenced cartoons, and black female superheroes?  Yeah, me too.  So I was excited to find out that the video for Terri Lyon's Calypso jawn A Better Tomorrow has been selected to five film festivals and is a finalist in two of them!  

Check out the video below: 

For Hip Hoppers Only

#NowPlayingAtGhettoMangaHQ

Hey fam,   Here's a quick blast about all the hip hop jawns that's in my headphones at the moment.

Heads Up! Mike Hawthorne's ALL CITY VOLUME 0 is ON SALE

Mike Hawthorne's beautiful hardcover art book ALL CITY VOLUME 0 is on sale for a limited time, so I recorded a video and what not.

"Can a Thug Be Born Again" by Corance Davis

On 2/2/19,  the creator and founder of B.A.T. Industries, Tyrone “Tyger” Moore messaged me with the idea for a one-page story explaining the philosophy of Born Again Thugs.

He had a vision for a story we could do right then that wouldn’t compromise the main story of the Melanites comic. It would be a one-page story about what Born Again Thugs stood for. 

That begs the question, what does Born Again Thugs stand for?

#NowPlayingAtGhettoMangaHQ MODUS OPERANDI by Napoleon Da Legend

People always ask me what I'm listening to, only to be disappointed that they never heard of the rhymers I eff wit.

One of the most prolific and high quality rhymers I know if is Napoleon Da Legend.  His new record Modus Operandi is just the latest in a long line of dope records from a true underground legend.

Work in Progress- SHADOWEYES FOR GOOD by Sophie Campbell

Everybody knows I'm a huge fan of Sophie Campbell, especially of her cute and gritty monster hero comic Shadoweyes.

Daily Sketch. Plus a contest.

Enjoy this doodle, and enter to win some prizes.

Hey there!  Here's my first Daily Sketch of the New Year!  If you want to have my new sketches emailed to your email inbox, subscribe here.

Between client work, seasonal blahs, and family issues, I haven't been keeping up my Daily Sketching like I wanted to. 

BUT!

I did draw something today!

35% off. No big deal.

Teepublic's running a sitewide sales where you get up to 35% off these items with my art.  Thought you'd wanna know.

There's a 35% Off sale on Teepublic right now.

#NowPlaying EGO by Guilty Simpson + Gensu Dean

This Friday, Guilty Simpson & Gensu Dean have a new album dropping on Mello Music Group called EGO, featuring Skyzoo, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Yarbrough, Black Milk, MarvWon, and more.

Listen to the lead singles after the jump.

It's October fam!

I drew this for a client celebrating their 10th anniversary.

Our Twitter peeps seem to REALLY like the story of these matching Cartoon Portraits, so check 'em out!