Omar Cruz --> 
Posted 12/14/2006 by Geffen “I want to be the voice of L.A.,” says Latin lyrical assassin Omar Cruz, sitting inside a fortified warehouse just east of downtown. His black T-shirt sports a woman’s ass, a classic shot by Latino photographer Estevan Oriol: She’s got the word “West” tatted on one cheek and “Coast” on the other.
This is the compound that holds the infamous Mr. Cartoon’s tattoo shop, its walls lined with photos of his work for hip-hop artists Cypress Hill, Eminem, Method Man, Xzibit and 50 Cent, and actor Danny Trejo. Photographer Oriol also runs his Joker clothing line out of the warehouse. It’s a pop-cultural fortress out here, complete with a garage load of Al Capone gangster-style ranflas — classic cars from the ’30s. (The Los Angeles Gun Club is footsteps away for plenty of ammo to reload.)
Today, the 27-year-old Cruz is wearing jeans and a fresh pair of white Luxury kicks, and he’s spitting rhymes like a full clip — “Give birth to every lyric, every word I speak/I embody every rhythm, I’m the heartbeat of the street.” His forearm ink reads “Lyrical,” and the upper arm features a huge script-style “LA,” engraved with a woman’s face on one side and a sad clown on the other. Mr. Cartoon strikes again. » www.laweekly.com  Digg |  Del.icio.us |  Facebook | 
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