Being a young black male in Canada I often suffered an identity crisis within the culture I lived. I grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood and went to school with again, the said above. Always feeling like the outcast but tried to fit in as best as I could. When I discovered hip hop I embraced it, this was my music. I began hanging around alot of other blacks and soon even among my own, I still felt like an outcast. I wasn't Jamaican , Dominican or from an island. I am a Canadian through and through. Me, my parents, my grandparents and so on. Descendants of slaves? yes. Underground railroad? probably. But black nonetheless. As the hip hop genre progressed and I emersed myself in the culture, I began to feel uncomfortable with the street gear that everyone else wore. I felt like I was part of a herd and I consider myself to be the lone sheep in the field.
At A Glance Author gbad Contact browning690@hotmail.com IAM gbad When N/A Artist young guy Studio Wylde Tattoo Location Hamilton Ontario Some years go by and I was going out with a girl who was a dancer. Not tap dancer, just leave it as dancer. She was getting her naval pierced and I was like "Your doing what?". She explained that she was getting her "belly button" done I was in disbelief. How on earth do you get that done? I had to see this for myself, being the curious type of guy that I am. She asked me if I wanted to come and see it for myself. Hell to the yeah. We entered the shop and I was amazed, as I had never been in a tattoo parlour before. A total newbie. I was expecting big burly biker types who would stare at me with K signs in their eyes but lo and behold was I ever wrong. Just a couple of twentysomethings all tatted and stuff. I saw them pull out a needle and they got her prepped to stick this sucker in her gut. I thought how cool is this? A new beginning in my life had started.
I found a magazine in the newspaper shop called Savage. I fell in love immediately. I came upon my ideal kind of ladies. Pierced, poked and proud. I've always been partial to a female with an attitude and these girls definitely showcased that. I had to have this done. How better to show that I'm not a member of a herd, but the shepherd than to get pierced.
Now what do I get done? hmmm... ponders. Why not the eyebrow. I had pinched it and it seemed it would hurt the least. I had gone to the shop that the now former girlfriend had gotten her done at but it took me 3 days by phone and 2 stolen lunch breaks to get a hold of them and when I did I was impressed with their attitudes. So I walked out and decided to try a new place. I called a place called Wylde Tattoo and I asked my questions, I was impressed immensely by their courtesy on the phone and friendliness. I hadn't been treated like that from bigger conglomerated companies, so I surely wasn't expecting such a demeanor from a tattoo shop.
Scared, but determined I walked down to the shop and met the man who I had talked to on the phone. An older tattooed man who greeted me with the same amount of friendliness he had displayed over the phone. Again life had proved , not to judge a book by its cover. I told him want I wanted and he had me fill out the form and I waited. Nervous as hell I sat there and watched as others came in and out of the place and readied myself for the upcoming event. A young guy came out and I was a little apprehensive considering the age but upon speaking with him I soon relaxed, realizing this "kid" new what he was doing. He clamped me, marked me and poked me. Virgin no more and it didn't even hurt. I looked into the mirror he held before me and was in love.
This was the coolest thing ever. I felt like a rebel. No brother I knew had this done. Now not only was my music different but now I had a new look. I could create a whole new persona. It was almost as if the Grandad was reborn, re-invented. A Renaissance if you will. Friends stared and of course asked if it hurt but weren't surprised per se by my actions because knowing me they know I walk my own path as they had heard my ramblings a million times before. This would be the beginning a beautiful friendship, the holes and I. When people say getting pierced or tattooed is addicting they are telling the truth. I was hooked and was never gonna seek treatment.