Kid Arcade

Such a rush to talk with the one and only Kid Arcade about his explosive creative journey, from a “destructive, creative little kid” taking apart VCRs and Walkmans in South LA all the way to becoming a breaking legend, tattoo artist, painter & much loved pillar of the VeVe community!

We learn how a doodle got the police called on him & taught him the power of art, how skipping school led to dancing for money on Venice Beach at just 14 & how a shampoo bottle filled with house paint became his very first spray can. He shares stories of dancing 16 hours a day between Venice & Hollywood, travelling the world to compete & tattooing a ten hour Virgin Mary on his own leg the day after his very first tattoo!

Kid Arcade speaks movingly about mentoring the next generation, including B-Boy Casper & the much missed Cameron Boyce, who inspired Kid Arcade's mission to paint every dancer in the community while they can still see it. We discuss Velvet Neon, why everything he makes is by hand, why live streaming beats editing & how a Steamboat Willie drop got him hooked on VeVe.

He finishes by planning the most incredible VeVe event, with Salvador Dalí co-hosting, Walt Disney sketching & James Brown in the building!!!

This interview was recorded in February, 2025

Find out more about Kid Arcade here: https://x.com/thekidarcade