Gangster Doodles first caught our attention when this yung illustrator released a book with L.A.'s pioneering hip-hop label, Stones Throw. In the year that followed, G Doodle AKA Note Dogg AKA Marlon Sassy honed his craft, almost always using a humble post-it note to create vivid and expressive illustrations of hip hop's luminaries, tropes, and quotes. This talented artists has grown a legion of fans and admirers on Tumblr and Instagram, including the very subjects of his drawings. If you want to see his work in person, for the third year in a row he'll be a part of the famous Post-It Show at Giant Robot this Saturday night. We sent Marlon a grip of questions and he was kind enough to answer them below...
What was the first gangster doodle and what was your inspiration?
Tha Doggfather - Snoop Doggy Dogg..I was on a lunch break eating a sandwich at my desk while listening to this on my cassette player. I grabbed a stack of post-its and quickly scribbled the album cover and then coloured it in with black sharpie. The idea of creating/finishing a pic in under 5 minutes was very appealing...
Who is the most fun person to draw and why? Gotta go with Gucci Mane just cuz he's basically a living cartoon character. Plus his music is hard as fuck.
Where did you grow up, and where do you live now? If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Jacksontown, NB Canada. I currently live in Vancouver, BC. Hawaii.
Are there some specific moments you can chart to see how your doodles blew up? Its been a gradual thing. I've been posting new pics almost everyday for the past 3 years and along the way people just kinda started to take notice.
You've gotten a lot of praise from people like?uestlove, but do you have any famous haters? I was commissioned to make a doodle of a (semi-famous) female musician and she hated it so much, she asked if i could make her look prettier. I tried to adjust and correct the ugliness but no dice, I failed miserably. She might hate me.
Do you have an encyclopedic knowledge of rap, or do you sometimes need to consult the internets? My memory is fuckin terrible, god bless the internet.
What is your lucky number? 23
Complete this sentence: We're living in the golden age of _________. TV, too many good shows to name.
Are you homies with any of the other doodlers on Instagram/Tumblr? Nah not really, I try to keep my head down and just focus on the doodles. No time for socializing.
Why are you so good at drawing booties? Most people make them too fake or just bad, but yours have personality. Explicate. Explicate...Good fuckin word. As far as drawing booties I would say line quality and the colours i choose. Post-it's are naturally textured so it gives my doodles a warm feel plus using highlighters adds another layer of warmth that are key to the perfect booty pic.
How do you photograph your doodles? After I finish drawing, I scan the doodle into my computer and adjust as needed.
Is this interview too long? Not at all. All very solid questions.
Do you have a personal favorite doodle? One that you hate? Each new doodle i make is my current fav, I hate all my old ones.
Indica or Sativa? Indica
ATLiens or Aquemini? Aquemini
Young Thug or Future? Young Thug
Ali G or Borat?
Ali G
90's hiphop magazine style shoutouts go here: starter jackets, karl kani, wu-wear, lugz
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