Good morning guys! Here I am
today with Ton from Hood Vlogs.
We’re in South Central – Ton’s
neighborhood, right? That’s where
I’ve been living, we’re at
74th and Hoover, 74th and
Fig in South Central, Los
Angeles. So we’re going to get
into this neighborhood, the
surrounding neighborhoods. If
you’re like me, you probably
know nothing about this part of
Los Angeles, other than a few
clips from TV. Today we’re
going to cruise around with the
goal of getting a better understanding,
meeting some people and just
showing you what it’s like.
Right now, we’re in Imperial Courts
Projects, it’s a very big
housing project in Watts.
Like Juan, but instead of Juan –
Bwuan. Bwuan. Yeah, that’s my music
name. Spend my whole life over
here. It’s Watts, California.
What’s going on with the
cameras? Ha, neighborhood watch. Is
that working? It’s another one..
Of course! Those are ran by LAPD,
Los Angeles Police Department.
What do you guys think of those
guys over here? Or no comment?
You know these guys? Yeah, I
know everybody around here.
Do you think they want to talk,
say anything? I mean you know,
sometimes it’s… it’s the ghetto.
We can walk past. We can swing
to him. I don’t want to say
nothing, but you know… Let’s
walk. You can walk by, yeah.
How you doing bro? How
y’all doing? What up with it?
Donnie. Peter. Donnie. What’s up
y’all. You know is this… is
this guy the mayor around here
or what? He’s the man right
here. He’s the man, the mayor.
Are you okay with being on
camera? You can do whatever you want.
I’m just rolling on Bwuan here. Yeah, it’s my
people. It’s the next interview
right here. How’s his music?
How’s his music? Great.
We’re just waiting on the world
to hear it. That’s all, we’re
waiting on… We’re waiting on
what? The world, we’re
waiting on the world to hear it. They’re
coming! They’re coming. Yeah.
It’s going to inspire us? For
you, what’s it going to make me,
is it going to make me drive
more aggressive? Am I going to
be chilling out on the beach?
What am I doing with your music? Y’all just
might as well, get y’all some
3D glasses and look at the
ceiling, because it’s going to
take you to a drive or where
I’m from right here up in Watts.
You get to see it coming
straight at you. Yeah. So when
you listen to my music,
you’re going to feel me, you’re
going to feel what I’ve been
through. You’re going
to feel what I’ve seen. That’s
what it is. That’s where my
music going to take you.
You make music, Blocco? I do
music and you know the reason
behind me doing the music is
more so behind, like just
having like a voice, and be
able to tell our story over
here, because we just get
so much overlooked when it
comes to just that particular
chart, like that kind of music
and everything. Yeah. It’s like…
like damn! What about us?
So now I had figured out my
craft, Jayden figured out his
story and we’re able to tell
our story, not just Watts’ story,
but the Imperial Courts story, so
you know, we always get
like… we get unheard and
unnoticed. So now it is our
time. You get looked out for
From the homies to the whole world.
You have and like you just
gotta be strong over here too.
I don’t want to make it sound…
because if you’re weak around
here, like the weak… they don’t
last? Nah, they going to chew on
you, they going to chew on the
weak, they going to chew on you
around here. There’s a lot that
they’re going to chew on you.
You guys have been good friends
since day one? Hell yeah! We’re
like real brothers. That’s
cool. Three of you or are there
more of you? There’s more of
us. There’s a lot of us
There’s a lot of us. It’s dope. Yeah, that
is our mamas used to be out
here, our daddies used to be out
here. We already got our circle
once we go to school and
this is like LA, it’s Watts,
Cali. So they got their circle
when they go to school too. So
that’s how it starts, it starts in
elementary. We went to Great
Street Elementary, like you know
and we the pj’s, you got the tan
lines. So now it start right
here, we don’t get along with
the lines so we are elementary
already… We gotta tell y’all, we’re
the Opps over here, we the Opps.
Opps? Opps. We’re the
opposition, we the enemies, we
the enemies for all these people. All the
surrounding neighborhoods? Our
enemy right here when you go
out, the next block right here
as soon as you go right here,
you got Compton, right? So
you’re like what, it is… It’s
like two or three blocks, you
got Compton up the street,
those are enemies right there.
So you’re sandwiched between
the enemies? Yeah, no, we ain’t
sandwich though, but we’re
between them. We got a
lot of opposition. We got a lot of…
there’s a lot of people that don’t like us.
Alright, well… How do you…
Do they come over here,
you go over there? How does it
work? That’s how it go. That’s
how the streets go, both ways it
goes. Both ways, got you.
Right here we got Shoe Box Money.
Shoe Box Money. Yeah. It’s
Shoe Box Money, you’re putting
money in bankroll. Yeah. And then
the front print right there too. Okay, but
you make this? Absolutely. This is
your business? This is my
business, my clothing line that I
designed. I designed it, I drew that.
When this sh*t is Sacks and Neimans and all that,
we taxing! We taxing, $500 a sweater
and all that, to all them
flies. You’re betting serious money
here, how much did you get there?
I’m going to show, you know, we’re getting
**** out here. My boy get this
on camera. We’re shooting
hundreds right now. **** you
**** What about the $100?
What about the $100? You want to
bet some too now? Nah, I’ll lose.
I’ll bust your ****.
I’m smart enough to not lose that.
Oh, that’s good, my boy. Take care, guys.
Take care, man. I don’t want
to be in the streets forever.
I got kids, you know, I got goals.
I can’t pursue that right here
up in the streets, you never
know what might happen. They
f*ck around and force my hand
around here. You don’t feel
safe? I don’t feel safe nowhere.
Man, I don’t feel safe nowhere.
How often is the shootings
been happening here, you said
it’s been cracking? Yeah, it’s
been cracking and that’s the
reason why I was saying… like
you know, I don’t feel safe
nowhere because I’ve been
around here my whole life, like
I was just telling y’all,
somebody can walk in right here,
from off that street down these
corners and start shooting, but
they don’t make me that nervous
because they shoot from way
down there and they shoot from
way down there. How often?
Probably like every other week
around here. But as far as LA…
Because we got projects,
it’s different when they come
shoot at the projects, there are all
the other gangs around LA,
that’s just neighborhoods and
blocks. How is it different at
the projects? Would you want to
come up in here and jump out
right here and shoot? No. It’s
like you know… you got people
all right there, you got people
all right there. Nobody want to
get stuck up in here. Right.
Yeah. There’s not an
easy way out. Yeah. So that’s
why I said they’ll shoot from
like right there, but literally
from right there. They’re
standing on the street from
right there. They’ll shoot or
they’ll come right here and
they’ll shoot. That’s the
only way they shoot.
They don’t really shoot up in
here. This is your office? Yeah,
it’s my office. Hey, you gotta
put your order in, text me the
size and the color you need.
Yeah. You ready to get
your beanie. Yes, twenty-five,
here you go. You might as well
get the whole suit man. Oh,
yeah, it matches.
It’s the whole… How much? $25.
$25? Come on. I gotta be a bean right
now… Because this me, and look
it’s me. I’ve been drawing
since I was four. Yeah, you got
a lot going on here, music and
a clothing line. Look you’ll
find it weird because I grew up
around here, right? But when I
started drawing, I’m pretty
into Amy, I started drawing.
Oh, it’s a Amy drawing. Okay.
Look. this is a large right
here. What’s this mean,
like what’s the symbolism here?
What’s the story? It’s just a
character that I doodle that I
figured it’d be kind of
attractive, popping to the eyes.
Females are going to be like: “Oh,
it’s cute!”, – you know. I don’t
know too much of about
marketing, but I know that much
more, so we can’t walk past this.
More women buying or men buying?
Both. I got women’s stuff too.
You guys are all in with the
cash app, huh? Oh. yeah, you
know? Okay. Oh, you ain’t know?
Uncle Joe dropped them
stimies. Uncle Joe dropped
them stimies. Does he dropped the
second round yet? Yes he did!
Third round! Third round? Third
round. This is… Alright, this is
the second for me. He gave me
$1,400 for this funky
a*s. You’re going to send
Joe a mask? Yeah, I’ll send Joe a mask!
Who’s on your necklace
here? This is mom’s right here.
I sshe live. Yeah, nah… No, she’s
alive in me, that’s why I was so fast
To say “yeah”. Do you see her in
anything? Do you see in like
trees or birds or anything?
Only time I’ve seen her
was like around the year she
passed, and she passed 2019.
I’ve seen her in 2 dreams like since
she had passed, but around that
time. But now, since then… You
guys were close? Yeah.
That was my mom. The mothers are the backbones
would you say? Yeah. Of
course, the mother is always a
backbone who gotta carry us to
9 months right, gotta give
credit when you do, I love all
women. You married.? Mmm Mmm. Got
a lady? Yeah. She nice? She
love me. You got kids? Yeah.
I got children. I got
four little girls… What’s up?
Four little girls? I said I got four
little girls? I got three
little girls and one son, my
partners with me. Are they
here? No. I did break
break dancing back in the day.
I’m older than you. I’m older
than you bro, but check it out.
Check it out. My instructor
said that come back with a
street name tomorrow, and I grew
up on Pease Road. I didn’t know
what that meant, so I’m like
I’m Peter Pease, as an
Pisses, and everyone kicked the
sh*t out of me, man.
Hey, baby how you doing?
Alright. It’s like it’s own
city out here? Yeah. Well,
this right here is just like
it’s own village, like you know…
I say more like it’s own
village, like we got our own
tribe. You know? A lot of people
look at us and they say, oh
gangbangers. Hey, how y’all
doing? Hey baby. Hey, you know
they look at us and they think
oh gangbangers, gang members,
they want to do this,
they want to do that, but not
necessarily that. It get bad,
man. You know over your
shoulder and stuff. So it feels…
And stuff like this. What’s that from?
Dog? He got shot.
Ah, man. Yeah. Jesus. It’s
people. The only thing is just
that it’s gangs behind us, so
it’s the same situation that
other people might have, but it’s gangs.
Like at first when gangs started, it
was as protection from the
police and everything, for
example, like Chris it’s
community Revolution in
progress, so everything
started off as that, but then
as it grew, it started like the
violence and everything came.
We got some people that feel
like a family member got killed,
and they don’t want to leave
that alone. So it’s not more
about “I’m wearing blue” or “I’m
wearing red” or “I’m wearing
purple”. At the end
of the day that’s the… that’s
the main source of it, but it’s
more like… behind all of it
it’s just a lot of pain, and a
lot of people are hurting and
really just don’t know no
better, like I ain’t got no
guidance. So what would you
have to say, if you had one
message, you know, to the world,
to the Internet? What would you
want to put out there?
My message is something like… you
know, your life is yours,
and whatever you fill up in
your heart, you gotta push that.
No matter how you grew up,
and no matter how your past was,
no matter how your parents
might want you to… you know you
can’t try to make everybody
happy or you can’t feel
sorry for yourself and always
blame something, just gotta pick
up and live life. My message
for everybody is to live life.
That’s what we’re here for,
right? Yeah. They can try to
say a whole bunch of nonsense
that they can’t prove and say
all these different this and
for that, the only thing I can
say is we’re here to live life.
Enjoy your loved ones, because
you can’t control the negatives, and
stuff you can’t control all
that coming, but you can
control how life… that’s what I
love about life: you can
never control how stuff start,
but you can control how it end.
Yeah. So just live it up, man.
Keep a smile on your face, be
positive. That’s it for real.
Dude, you’re great. Man,
I appreciate it. No, thank you.
I just saw a video of the
shootout. It’s not far from
where we are right now. So broad
day light? Yeah. It’s a nice property,
you know, nice houses, nice cars.
someone smashed their window
twice. You sure you want to
park here? Yeah, that’s fine.
Alright. Here we are with Beezy.
It’s Beezy. Yeah, a friend
of mine. His baby mother having
an altercation with him, they
wouldn’t have words right, she
came over here bashed his
window and with a bat. Was he in
there? Nah. You see she made a
couple of attempts right here
to bust and bust right here.
She didn’t swing hard enough
there, but she got in the
front. kind of scrape the window,
so she went back to the front.
What’s the story of the
neighborhood? We’re in Watts
right here, right? Yeah this
Watts, 117th Street in Corrosion
Avenue, but main stories around
here is like… I say the biggest
one would be my brother
shooting the police in the face,
that would be like the biggest
story around here. Your brother
shot the policeman in the face?
Yeah. Over here? Yeah. Was he
shooting… like, what happened?
They like f*ck with us a lot, you
know, that they’ll come over
here, put guns in our face, take our
belongings or sometimes they
come plant stuff on it, like you
see it’s a field right there,
and you see how we just pulled
up, like say, for instance, the
police at times they’ll come
grab you, go way over there to
the field, find whatever, say,
they found drugs, guns or
whatever, and try to throw the
case on them. But my brother’s
is fed up with that, you feel
me? So… yeah. How is it right
now the neighborhood? Does it
feel unsafe? Does it always
feel unsafe or what’s the
story? I mean right now it’s
like… We’ve been having a lot of
raids. Raids? Yeah. It’s
majority of this area is kind
of Crips. You got the Bloods,
that’s over there, though. On
the other side of the road
there? Yeah, another side of the
tracks. What am I seeing here?
This is like gang right here.
You see where you’re in, the CV
that’s stands for Compton.
That’s a Mexican. But we
have the Mexican side that we
are like allies, so 817th Street.
So you’re allies with them?
Some of the Mexicans? This side
of the neighborhood is. Oh,
okay. Got it. Yeah, like
mainly in Watts every like
Watts Hood have a Mexican side
to it. So it’s like… it’s like a
pretty much they get along. It’s not
like black on Mexican beefing out here,
it’s Mexican on Mexican, black on black.
Oh, so it’s really not an
ethnic thing, it’s a… it’s a
gang thing? Yeah. So there’s
like black on black, and
Mexicans on Mexicans, but sometimes you’ll
have Mexican Hood get into it
with Black Hood, but
it’s not like they mainly focus
on that, they pretty much
separate. Like I don’t know if
you heard about how the
other mafias do, like the Italian
mafia, maybe kill each
other – that’s how it is with
the gangs. Crips and Crips beef, Bloods
and Bloods beef… Wait, wait, so there’s inner
rivalry in a gang fighting within the gang? Yeah.
We got ponies down there too. Ponies? No way!
Yeah, that’s how. You know
you’re in Watts, when you hear
roosters and all that stuff.
That’s how you know you’re in
Watts, you’re going to hear
that every morning. So yeah,
everyone does what they have to
do to survive, how about with
COVID is like? Like the last
year… It was a big help! It was
a help? Yeah. That was the
biggest help ever! Why? I mean,
because people that you see
normally never have money, ended
up with a monthly money, you
know. From the stimulus? From the
stimulus, from the EDD, from
everything, because it’s
unemployment, so everybody that
wasn’t getting money before,
because, like kind of explained
to me before, that people be
thinking out of state, that the
government just give us money.
No, only money the government give you is
probably like $200, and
that’s you gotta go through so
much stuff just to get that
$200 a month, but rent here I
say rent for this house.
probably like… $2,000 – $2,200.
$2,200? Yeah, $2,200 a month for like
half a 1 million dollars house?
Yeah. You’re born and raised
how has it changed here?
Changed a lot! Like say, For
instance, all these houses
you’re seeing used to be… Used
to be what? They used to be
black, and, you know, like
black owned, but they got
schemes and scams to get you
out of here. Like say, for
instance, you know back in like
the 80s and stuff like that
everybody was doing a lot of
drugs. So they catch you
and your house have drugs in
it, they’ll use that as a
reason to foreclosure your
house, you know and stuff like
that. So they’ll take your
house no matter how hard you
work, and what you did to get
them… If they found drugs in
your house? Yeah, they can take it.
Go ahead, bro.
So a lot of these were black,
now more Mexican, is that what
you’re saying? Yeah. Okay. What
were you saying about money?
It’s so messed up out here
because… say I get $100,000.
But I’ve got people that I’ve
been rocking with or I’ve been
hanging with since we was
younger and stuff, and I got a
group of them five. But then I
also have family members that
I’ve been with, you get what I’m
saying? These are just these
five – group of people that’s just
my friends, but then I got
family members, but I get $100,000.
Yeah. They going to
feel they’re entitled to X
amount of dollars, whatever
they put in their head. They
going to feel they’re entitled
to that much. So they’ll be
like, let’s just say, each
one of them like: “Oh, he could’ve
gave me $5,000. He could’ve gave
me $5,000”. That’s $25,000
that would come out of my
pocket, if I done that, you know
what I’m saying? But what about
the family members, and what
about you in the future? So if
you’re thinking for yourself,
and you put it to the side like
okay, I’m going to have to map
this out, because ain’t no one
telling when I will get another
$100,000. So you’re like,
okay, I’m going to have to do
this, and invest this and that,
invest this and that toward the
fact you can’t get them $5,000
each. But you give them a
$1,000, they’re going to feel
it’s not enough. So now they
going to feel in their mind:
“Okay. He gave all of us, what’s
next? So he still got $95,000.
They want more so
they go to robbing you, killing
you, hating on you, turn
everybody against you to the
fact that they want to rob you,
you know. It’d be like a lot of…
it’s a lot of hatred out here.
So it’s dangerous to make
a lot of money? It’s risky to
make money here? Risky to have
money and they’ll be here. So
the people that make
theirs success here, do they get
out or how does that work? The
majority of them run, some stay
and die, some, you know… I got
you. Some still hold it down or
some go to jail for happen to
defend their money. It’s like…
it’s really risky. It don’t
gotta be your homies. It could
be your family. It could be
anybody. A lot of people turn
against you, like, it’s a saying
that money don’t change you, money
change the people around you,
and it’s true. And then the
people that mostly hated you
are going to act like they was
your best friend, but these are
people that walked by you, you
ask for a ride – no, they can’t
give you no ride. But now they
act like they’re your best
friend. Then you got the
people that was your best
friend to feel like you’re not
giving them what they should
have, and now they become to
hate you. So it’s a swap.
So there’s like, in a way,
there’s a disincentive to do
well, because you’re going to
have… it’s going to be a
battle, right? It’s going to be
a battle, yeah. You’re going to
go above your peers? You’ll
never know who loyal to you
until you’re at your worst and
when you’re at your best. Yeah.
And there’s only two times you’ll
know who loyal to you.
That’s true. That’s universal. It is.
A competition of ice cream trucks coming at us.
They got Slushies… And this ice
cream truck passed the other
guy. Now he’s a little bit upset.
What is this? You got something
in a Fritos pack. Oh yeah,
chilli cheese Fritos. They put
chili and cheese on the Fritos,
cost like a dollar fifty. They
just cut the bag open and
fill it up? Yeah, we were raised on this.
Do you love horses? I do, I
don’t like them… like obsessed
with them, but I do like them,
and when I was six, my dream
was to have one and always
ride it. What grade are you
in? I’m in fourth grade. Okay.
Are you guys in school now or
no? No, they said in a few
months after all the teachers
get like their tests.
Are you missing school? No. No?
I do not like school. You like
horses? Yes. Got you. You can Zoom,
right? Online schooling? Yeah,
the only thing I do is a Zoom,
I don’t even pay attention. See,
Bloods and the Crips they only
become together when either
whites or Mexicans are trying
to jump up on us, then that’s
when the Bloods and Crips… Jump up on
you, what do you mean?
Like they’re trying to gang in.
No, like I’m talking about in jail.
Okay. Yeah, like on the streets,
it’s like pretty much…
it’s like a wildcard. You can
do whatever the sh*t you want
to on the street. Okay. Once
you get to jail, it’s politics,
you can’t do whatever you want to.
Now, everything you do will
be answered to, so you can go as
much as to… You don’t like this
person, you’re going to stab
this person. But now
once you make it over there,
the people that was your
friends on the streets, going to
end up having to do something
to you for what you did to that
person, even though they was
your enemy on the streets,
because once you’re in there,
that’s not your enemy, that’s
your homie. Now, once you get
back to the streets, you can do
whatever you want to, but you
end up… and you f*cking around and
end up back in there, and now
you have to be together. The
enemy of your enemy is your
friend. Yes. And that’s how it
works here? Yeah, and it’s like…
it’s bigger than you, so it
don’t matter if you think it,
it’s about what everybody
thinks. It’s about about what
all the Compton, and all of
Watts think. Then the money tree,
because I got my brother that
shot the police in the face. He
had 5 kids he left behind.
I mean no, my bad, 7
kids. I got the 5 kids, my
bad. Wow. He got 7 kids he
left behind, and I do for them
as I do for mine. Where are
they, where are the kids? They’re
with their moms out there, with
their moms and stuff, but I
make sure I do for them as I do
for mine. So that’s where this
come in by me saying: the
family tree, I put money into
it, so that’s what the money
tree and the family tree. Beezy, good
luck with everything, man. You
too. Just waiting for Ton, want to
mention that this is one
story today. We’re going
in talking to a few people,
Ton’s friends and just getting
their voices out on
camera. And by no means am I any
expert or really know what’s
going on in these
neighborhoods. I have no clue,
to be honest. But I want to
bring you guys in on the street
level, just to give a taste of
of what it’s like, you know, with
the people. What the people have
to say and whatnot. This place
to understand… I gotta say it
would take quite a bit of time.
Definitely not in a day or a
week, a month, even a year. Like
there’s a lot going on, there
are a lot of moving parts here,
so I want to make that very clear.
Ton, what’s this place? It’s a
famous restaurant, Hawkins.
It’s right across from the Nickerson
Gardens Housing project here.
It’s just a very famous here in Watts.
Ton seems to be like a
well-known man, and he’s all
over the internet as you’ll see
in his videos. Is it alright if you’re
on camera? Yeah. Okay. F*ck yeah!
Ton’s showing us the best
burger right now. Oh, yeah.
It’s Hawkins man, you know, just
across the street from the
projects, man. Hawkins, man. We’re
in Watts, California.
Watts, welcome to Watts,
California, man, you know what I’m saying?
We’re on Bloods’ side of the tracks, right?
Yeah man, we’re on that side.
You make music right?
That’s your big thing? Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, man, Gee Gee, man. You know
how to get it in, man. Make that
music gorilla for bread, you
know what I’m saying? Live in
California, you know,
what’s going on, you know what
I’m saying. It’s like a family
business right here. Yeah. This
is a family business owned by
a family, you know what I’m
saying? They’re their own boss. Hey,
how’s it… What’s the pandemic
done in your neighborhood? Is
it slow things down or not?
Well, you know. I can’t really,
you know… Hard to say? It’s hard
to say, you know, the pandemic
ain’t really slowed us down.
You know, it’s like people got
rich during the pandemic, you
know what I’m saying? Right.
It’s more like people got rich
during the pandemic, man. It’s
like… You’ve been doing… you’ve
been making your music the
whole time? Yeah, I just
dropped a new song, man. You
know… it’s called P**sy N****s,
man. Look it up, man. Gee Gee – P**sy
N****s, look that sh*t up. What’s
that about? Man! It’s about
p**sy n****s. I’m going to keep
grinding, man, you know, gorilla
for bread, come from the
bottom, you know what I’m
saying? We’re going to go to
the top, you know what I mean?
That’s how we’re trying to get
it, you know what I’m saying.
You work hard? You work
hard? Yeah, man. It’s like
probably the most… and I work
real hard with the music. What
inspires you to make music?
My city and my people, like, really,
you know, I got a lot of
support out here in the city.
You know what I’m saying? In and
out the community and sh*t, so
it’s like… that’s what keep me
going. You guys got a strong
community out here, yeah? Fair to say?
Hell yeah! He’s stronger than me.
He’s good? Yeah. We’re
going to leave your link below
too. Yeah, man,
drop the mother f**king link. We’re going
viral, man. Anything! Anything
from the menu is going to be
good. Alright, I’m in! Nice
meeting you. Thank you! Take care!
You too, man. Okay, fish taco
and chicken taco, please. It took
what, an hour? It’s like 45
minutes probably. But everyone
here says this is the… this
place is the bomb, is it cool If
I eat on your head? Alright.
Look at that. Oh yeah, good crispy
chicken, soft taco shell, simple
lettuce, tomatoes, cheese. Alright
guys. Thanks for coming along,
you gotta check out Ton’s Hood
Vlogs, I’ll leave the link
below, it’s awesome. He goes
into pretty much all the big
American cities and gets in
deep, way deeper than we got in
today. So check out his content,
and then I’ll have the other
guys’ content, music links below
in the description. Thanks,
Ton. Sure. Alright guys, check out
his channel. Thanks for coming
along. Until the next one.