Estevan Oriol and Mister Cartoon (née Mark Machado) are born and bred Angelenos – Oriol from West LA and Cartoon from San Pedro. They lived similar yet separate lives until 1992, when their paths collided and their ascension to hip-hop eminence began, explored in detail in the new Netflix documentary LA Originals. Growing up in south Los Angeles, Cartoon seamlessly transitioned between various creative endeavors. Discovering a preternatural skill for drawing at a young age, his parents – who owned a lithograph printing company – wholeheartedly supported his craft, emboldening him to pursue a career in art. What began with pen on paper soon evolved to spray paint on walls, airbrush on T-shirts and prints on paper before finally arriving at ink on skin. Meanwhile, in West LA, Oriol was living a parallel existence. The son of renowned activist, artist and photographer Eriberto Oriol, he was genetically predisposed to living the life of a creative. Though lowrider culture was his passion, he found work as a bouncer for a hip-hop club. It was there he became a friend to a clique of hip-hop pioneers which eventually led him to becoming a tour manager for Cypress Hill and House of Pain Nearing the eve of his launch into the rap touring world, his father gave him a gift that, unbeknown to Estevan at the time, would reroute the trajectory of his life. #estevan #estevanoriol #mrcartoon #netflix #laoriginals #subversecampaign