CRUZ x Versatile Vigilante INTERVIEW: Toronto Graffiti History, Southside Ink, Tattoos & Much More

Graffiti & Tattoo Legend CRUZ sits down for a super in-depth conversation with Uncle Vinny. CRUZ discusses how he became involved in Graffiti while growing up in Toronto, differences from Graffiti culture in the 90s compared to today, Toronto Graffiti history, becoming a tattoo artist, owning Southside Ink in Toronto, and much more. Shoutout to CRUZ for sharing his incredible story. Keep Up With CRUZ @SCS.TO @ACSTUDIOX WWW.SOUTHSIDEINKTORONTO.COM Southside Ink - 2834 Lake Shore Blvd W, Etobicoke, ON M8V 1H7 Click the Below Links to Keep Up With New Versatile Vigilante content: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/VersatileVigilante/ Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/versatilevigilante Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/podcast/6rbWSYZP9asHUv431qHZfK/overview Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/versatile-vigilante/id1384221180?mt=2 SmartURL: https://smarturl.it/versatilevigilante 0:00 - Welcome Cruz @acstudiox 1:10 - Growing Up in Parkdale; Doing Graffiti 2:40 - Does Toronto Have Its Own Graffiti Style? 4:40 - Competition While Doing Graffito 5:20 - WallNoize; Street Art vs. Graffiti 6:30 - "No Rules in Graffiti" 7:40 - Graffiti Is a Visual Battle 9:40 - Violence In Graffiti Culture in 90s 12:00 - Graffiti Becoming Mainstream 13:30 - Egos in Toronto Scene 15:10 - Rebellious Side of Graffiti 17:00 - Importance of Experience & Criticism 18:00 - Learning in Art 19:20 - Shoutout The Toronto Graffiti Legends 20:00 - Knowing Your History 22:15 - Story of Wallnoize; Having 95 Artists Participate 25:40 - The Work Needs To Be Up To Par 26:30 - Feeding Off Another As An Artist 27:40 - How Did Cruz Get Involved With Tattoos? 29:40 - Building Relationships With Clients 30:40 - Creativity With Tattoos 31:50 - SouthSide Ink Tattoo Shop in Toronto 32:30 - Etobicoke Lakeshore Vibe; Taking Over Alleys 34:40 - Creating A Community Hub With Studio 35:30 - All About Respect & Providing to Community 38:50 - Respecting Your OGs 39:30 - Need To Be Hungry 40:00 - Loves & Challenges of Being a Business Owner? 45:00 - Need For A Strong Work Ethic 47:00 - Loving To Create 48:00 - Helping Tattoo Clients Heal 49:00 - Story of DMX Mural On Lakeshore 51:30 - What Is Cruz Listening To? 52:30 - Faded Off The "Island Diaz" 53:00 - Rules For Clients During Tattoo Sessions 54:00 - How Does An Apprentice Make It Into SouthSide Ink? 55:40 - Go Visit Southside Ink - 2834 Lake Shore Blvd W 56:40 - Go Follow @SCS.TO & @ACSTUDIOX 57:10 - Shoutout Cruz & Jessie