There’s an article about my Ghetto Frida billboard/mural up at Mission Loc@l. I had a great time being interview by reporter Kate Kilpatrick. As it turns out she was the editor of Black Like Me a column run in the Philadelphia Weekly written by one of my heroes, Jayson Musson.
The recent press for Ghetto Frida’s Mission Memories has made me think a lot about the boundaries that exist between my public and private selves. Last night, after a long day of doing graphic work I decided to make one of my infamous lip-sync videos set to Private’s Secret Lover (Starsmith Remix). These lip-sync videos are the kind of personal media that I only usually post on facebook. At the moment I’ve been stuck trying to define what the boundaries are between my various online representations. Recently, I’ve had really interesting conversations with friends who have had to rethink their online expressions because of career and familial expectations. I’m beginning to feel the same pressures…But tonight I’m saying FUCK IT and kicking out the jams.
Secret Lover (Starsmith Remix) by Private
Peace,
Rio
Graphic Art, Tortillas, Comics, and Troublemaking 
Dang Rio! my stomach hurts from laughing!
word. kick out the jams.
I understand where you’re coming from. The boundaries get blurry all the time. I’ve been busted by my blog waaaay too many times. I have my relationships separated in various ways and its kinda weird when they intersect. I just remind myself that I have many facets to my being–I’m a Pisces, yo–and they are all me. And I have to keep it real. I try to be the same person whether I’m hanging out with family, peeps that know me from way back, church friends, artist friends, online friends. What you see is what you get.
Oh, and when all else fails, I use that privacy setting on fb. I’ve got a group called “Nosey Familia” and another group for women I work with, who look might look down their nose at me cuz I’m ghetto fab. Now they can’t see my status updates or wall posts. Booyahkahhhh.
Yes! Negotiating how much we reveal of our ghetto flava to the public can be tricky. I still need to set up lists and such on facebook.
read Starsmiths interview in Isue 29 of Who’s Jack http://www.whos-jack.co.uk