Our objective on this last heavy day of shooting was Shoua’s narrative. Chris and I had our assertions coming into the interview, some ideas as to where he could be at mentally–his position as a B-Boy, an Uncle, a 1.5-generation Hmong-American, an individual. I had these notions that Shoua had been going through a kind of B-Boy withdrawal, placing him in some sort of B-Boy purgatory. Tulsa isn’t exactly a core space of Hip-Hop, and I didn’t know what the scene was like.

Shame on me for making some shortsighted assertions about this young man.

Not that Tulsa’s exploding—it’s still far removed from certain conditions that nurture Hip-Hop (i.e. access to safe spaces), but a way of life does exist. It’s been a matter of Shoua tapping into the resources and learning what he’s got to deal with. And when you don’t have resources, you up your drive, you up your motivation, passion. That’s what Chris, myself, and everyone around him has been privy too—and even if we can’t quite articulate what it is that keeps Shoua inspired, we can sure try to show everybody how’s he’s kept it together.

We interviewed Shoua at his current residence, the southern side of the Northern part of Tulsa, and through their experiences known to be the “ghetto” part of Tulsa. In the interview we learned that Shoua and his family were at considerable risk—bottom line, they were an open door away from getting shot… I’m not trying to romanticize his experience, but sh*t, I don’t know how I could survive that kind of stress.

But he does, they do.

The interview was successful; Shoua was able to get certain revelations, anecdotes—the stuff of quality documentary. Moments, thoughts, expression, and honesty on tape. The rest of the evening was spent in the company of his family, good eats, nourishing drink, and good spirits.

I know I left full.

Labels: interviews, oklahoma, production