Hip-Hop has a new way to express itself and this
vehicle comes in the form of a new comic book called the Blokhedz.
The comic book chronicles a teenage rapper named
Blak who hopes to save his home from malevolent forces and also learn to manage
his mystical power over words. The book is the creative vision of twins Mark
and Mike Davis and published by the Los Angeles-based Street Legends Ink.
Nicole Duncan Smith, producer and marketing exec
of the comic, said that this Hip-Hop strip will appeal to readers similar to
the way the cultures other elements have swept the nation.
“I love any vehicle that gives young and
creative Black people a voice. The Davis brothers have created a universe within
[the fictitious] Empire City, through the Blokhedz characters that speaks to
the core of the Hip-Hop community,” she told AllHipHop.com.
Continuing Smith said, “Blokhedz, visually
through the book and eventually through animation, evokes the same feeling.
It’s intoxicating and rugged. Just like an ill rhyme. Blokhedz is to the
comic book industry what Run DMC was to Hip Hop: The commencement of a revolution.”
Through a statement, Street Legends Ink stated
that the comic will inadvertently appeal to people from all walks of life.
“Though Blokhedz uses rap lyrics to chronicle
Blak’s evolution and dance with the dark side, it is not just a Hip-Hop
story. Its theme is universal. Without true faith in your abilities, you can’t
help yourself, let alone mankind,” the statement revealed.
Concurring Co-creator Mike Davis said, “Blokhedz
is a story about love, loss, and life. It’s about the decisions that effect
your life and following your dream. Hip Hop is vital to the story’s essence
because it’s our language — not just blacks and Latinos, but youth as a whole.
When we’re bombarded by exploitive, over-saturated versions of the media’s
definition of hip hop, it’s imperative to re-instill a sense of integrity,
authenticity, creativity, and quality in this art form that mainlines into the
soul.”
The original vision by the Davis brothers was
developed further by Brandon Schultz, who originally planned for Blokhedz to
be a feature film.
“We have always seen it as an animated feature
film,” said Schultz, a writer for the book. “Blokhedz as a comic book
came at Mark’s insistence. He was already doing sequential art in the form
of storyboards, so a comic book was the logical extension.”
But the characters have already leapt off the
pages in the form of action figures. The first character to be converted to
a toy is Vulture, the villain of the Blokhedz.
The Davis brothers are hardly new to the entertainment
field. Through their art, they have worked with artists like Lisa "Left
Eye" Lopez, The Source, Killarmy, R. Kelly and others.
Blokhedz is distributed by Diamond Select and
is available in major comic books stores throughout the country and online.
The first issue is sold out, but the second is currently on shelves.
For more information, go to www.blokhedz.tv.
