FLYIN' COLORS/PATCHES AS A B-BOY/ROCKER/UP-ROCKER

THE TRUTH ABOUT FLYIN' COLORS/PATCHES AS A B-BOY, B-GIRL, ROCKER/UP-ROCKER, ETC.


WRITTEN BY JORGE FABEL PABON...

PEACE,

FIRST OFF, INDIGENOUS PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ROCKIN' THEIR OWN FEATHERS, COLORS, TATTOOS, REGALIA SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TRIBES. THE WEST COAST MADE WEARING PATCHES ON A VEST POPULAR BUT DEFINITELY NOT THE CONCEPT OF COLORS IN GENERAL. RESEARCH: EARLY GANGS OF NEW YORK: PLUG UGLIES, DEAD RABBITS, CHICHESTERS GANGS, ON UP TO THE 1950'S GANGS LIKE THE VICEROYS, DRAGONS, IMPERIAL KNIGHTS, ETC. IN CHICAGO: LATIN KINGS, VICELORDS, BLACK P-STONE RANGERS, THE GAYLORDS, ETC. THE POINT IS THAT THE ORIGINS & CONCEPT OF REPPIN' "COLORS" CAN'T BE CLAIMED ONLY BY THE WEST COAST. ACTUALLY, GOOGLE "QUEENSBORO MC (EST. 1910)" AND CHECK OUT WHEN THIS NYC MOTORCYCLE CLUB STARTED, AS WELL AS, "YONKERS M.C.-N.Y. (EST. 1903)" I'M NOT SURE WHEN THEY STARTED FLYIN' COLORS BUT THEY CLAIM TO BE AROUND FOR ALMOST ONE HUNDRED YEARS! HOWEVER, THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE WEST COAST M.Cs MADE THE DRESS CODE POPULAR, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE OF THE HOLLYWOOD FILMS AND MOST CLUBS WILL AGREE WITH THIS FACT.

WITH THAT SAID, LET'S GET BACK INTO THE TOPIC OF DANCERS FLYIN' TOP & BOTTOM ROCKERS WITH A CENTER PATCH. WITHOUT A DOUBT, IT WAS N.Y.C THAT SET THIS OFF! NOT ONLY DID WE ADAPT THE M.C. DRESS CODE, WE TOOK IT TO ANOTHER LEVEL IN THE WAY WE ADORNED & HOOKED UP OUR COLORS. SINCE MOST OF THE COLORS BACK IN THE DAY WERE HAND MADE, WE ADDED SNEAKER LACES DOWN THE SIDES TO MAKE UP FOR THE RAWHIDE ON LEATHER VESTS, LITTLE BELLS, RACCOON & FOX TAILS, FUR COLLARS, AS WELL AS AN ASSORTMENTS OF TRIMMINGS AND "DOO-DADS". WE MADE THE WHOLE "OUTLAW" STYLE FUNKY. GANGS LIKE: SAVAGE SAMURAIS, RENIGADES OF HARLEM, DEVILS REBELS, FILTHY MAD DOGS, MAJESTICS, THE DUKES, ETC. BROUGHT A WHOLE NEW FLAVOR TO THE LIFESTYLE OF THE "OUTLAW" IDENTITY. QUITE OFTEN, THESE INNER CITY YOUTH WERE DISENFRANCHISED AND ECONOMICALLY CHALLENGED SO YES, THEY DID FLY COLORS WITH SNEAKERS IF THEY COULDN'T AFFORD BOOTS. THE ESTABLISHED MOTORCYCLE CLUB MEMBERS WERE USUALLY OLDER AND ENFORCED THE STRICTLY BOOTS RULE.

BECAUSE I FELT PERSONALLY & PARTIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING BACK THE TRADITION OF THE TOP & BOTTOM ROCKERS WITH A CENTER PATCH TO THE HIP HOP DANCE SCENE, I MADE IT MY BUSINESS TO PULL BOTH KING UPROCK & ALIEN NESS, (AS WELL AS OTHER DANCERS WHO ARE THINKING OF DOING THE SAME), ASIDE AND EXPRESSED MY CONCERNS ABOUT THEIR DANCERS WHO FLY THREE SEPARATE PATCHES. I FELT THAT THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR SCHOOLIN' THEIR MEMBERS ABOUT THE DRESS CODE AND HOW IT COULD AFFECT THEIR LIVES. I DO HANG OUT WITH WELL ESTABLISHED MOTORCYCLE CLUBS AND STREET COMMANDOS AND KNOW HOW SOME OF THEM FEEL ABOUT PEOPLE MOCKING OR FAKIN' THE FUNK WITH ROCKERS & A CENTER PATCH.THE TRUTH IS THAT AT TIMES THERE IS BEEF BETWEEN THE "BIKER BOYS" BIKERS WHO RIDE JAPANESE MADE RACING MOTORCYCLES AND THE BIKERS WHO RIDE "HOGS", THOSE WHO RIDE HARLEY DAVIDSON, INDIANS, OR TRIUMPHS. SOMETIMES THE BEEF STEMS FROM THE FACT THAT THE "BIKER BOYS" WEAR THREE SEPARATE PATCHES AND THE TRADITIONAL "OUTLAW" BIKERS AINT FEELIN' THEM. AS A RESULT, SOME OF THE "BIKER BOYS" HAVE CHANGED THEIR PATCHES AND CONNECTED ALL THREE, MAKING ONE SOLID PATCH. IN ESSENCE, THIS IS LIKE A "LOOP HOLE" OR ALTERNATIVE THAT MIGHT ALLEVIATE POTENTIAL BEEF. THE SECOND YOU PUT ON A SET OF COLORS THAT HAVE THREE SEPARATE PATCHES, YOU HAVE ENTERED THE WORLD OF THE OUTLAW BIKERS WHETHER YOU LIKE IT/KNOW IT, OR NOT. OUTLAW BIKERS HAVE THEIR OWN SET OF RULES AND MAY NOT GIVE A RAT'S ASS IF YOU TRY TO EXPLAIN YOURSELF AS A DANCER. YOU MIGHT HAVE TO PAY THE PRICE. IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW, NOW YOU KNOW!I CHOSE TO MAKE A SET OF RSC & UZN PATCHES BEFORE ANYONE ON THIS BOARD DID. I DID IT BECAUSE I GREW UP AROUND THE SAVAGE SAMURAIS AND ALWAYS WANTED TO FLY PATCHES. SHORTLY AFTER I MADE THESE COLORS, JOEY JUICE (ORIGINAL WARLORD OF SAVAGE SAMURAIS) AND I WERE GOING TO BRING THE CLUB BACK OUT. WE MADE PATCHES AND WOUND UP HANGING THEM UP SINCE I WAS TOO BUSY WITH MY DOCUMENTARIES AND COULDN'T COMMIT 100%. JOEY WENT ON TO BECOME AN OFFICER WITH THE CHING-A-LING NOMADS MC AND I INHERITED THE SAVAGE SAMURAIS, WHICH I MIGHT BRING BACK OUT SOME DAY. I FLY COLORS WITH A CLEAR OVERSTANDING OF THE POTENTIAL DANGER. THAT IS MY CHOICE. IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT?

PHOTO BY EROL GURIAN 2009