Spring, 2002

When El-P was in Los Angeles promoting his now-classic solo debut album, Fantastic Damage, I was in the middle of a customizing trucker cap session.

Making one for El made sense since that was a Def Jux fashion staple in the early 2000’s. During his in-store set at Amoeba Records in Hollywood I passed along the custom cap. He seemed humbled and in that moment a seed germinated.

The following night at the El Rey Theatre on Wilshire, that seed flowered as El-P halted his performance 3/4 of the way through to grab said cap, set it on his dome like a crown, gave a shout-out to yours truly (and the rest of the cheering Los Angeles crowd) then proceeded to rip through the last quarter of the show.

I was not personally looking for anything in return for my action, just a fan wishing to share my work, so that act as way more than I expected. Many thanks and much respect to El and his fellow Def Jukies.