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nostalgic Category: Life
THERE ARE SO MANY INTER-CONNECTING STORIES BEHIND THIS WHOLE CERTIFIED THING. 1ST IS THE ACTUAL STORY OF HOW THE NAME CAME TO BE IN THE 1ST PLACE....
WHEN I WAS FACED WITH THE REALITY OF TRYING TO FIND A CAREER FOR MYSELF AS AN EX-FELON WITH LITTLE JOB EXPERIENCE, A PERSON STEPPED IN AT A TIME WHEN MY LAZY DECISION MAKING WAS LEADING ME DOWN THE WRONG PATH AGAIN... AND FROM THAT I DECIDED THAT I WOULD GO ALL IN AND START MY OWN BUSINESS, ANY BUSINESS. I HAD NO BUSINESS PLAN, NO BUSINESS SKILLS, I WAS A KID. ALL I KNEW WAS THAT I WANTED TO BE LOOKED AT IN A POSITIVE WAY FOR THE THINGS I DO IN THE WORLD INSTEAD OF BEING LOOKED DOWN UPON OR FEARED FOR ALL THE NEGATIVITY I WAS KNOWN FOR BRINGING INTO IT.
SO I HAD THE RECIPE... NEED FOR CHANGE, THE INPIRATION, SUPPORT, I WAS HUNGRY, AND THE ATTITUDE THAT I NEEDED TO SUCCEED AS A YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR. THE THING THAT MATTERED MOST TO ME WAS BECOMING A ROLE MODEL TO MY NEPHEWS AND NIECES... AND EVENTUALLY TO YOUNG KIDS IN THE COMMUNITY WHO MAY HAVE BEEN LIKE ME AND LOOKED UP TO THE WRONG TYPES OF PEOPLE FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS.
SO I HAD A JOB AT THIS POINT. I WAS DRIVING A DUMP TRUCK (picture me rollin...) AND ALL OF THE MONEY I WAS EARNING AS A CDL DRIVER WAS BEING SAVED TO BANKROLL MY IDEA OF OPENING A BUSINESS. LONG STORY SHORT I SAVED ENOUGH TO WEAR I FELT COMFORTABLE AND BEGAN PLANNING. NOW THIS IS SOMETHING NOT MANY PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THE INNER CIRCLE KNOW BUT I STARTED OUT WANTING TO OPEN A CELL PHONE AND ACCESSORY STORE... AND THE CLOTHES WOULD JUST KIND OF BE SPRINKLED IN LIGHTLY. SO MY FATHER AND I ARE BRAINSTORMING ABOUT NAMES, AND IT TOOK ABOUT 5 MINUTES (Its in our blood!) I SAID THE NAME CERTIFIED CELLULAR AND HE CALLED IT.... SAID THAT CERTIFIED HAD TO BE IT. BUT ABOUT A WEEK LATER I DECIDED THAT BY CALLING IT CERTIFIED CELLULAR I WAS NARROWING THE POSSIBILITIES FOR GROWTH. SO I WENT BACK AND DECIDED THAT BY JUST CALLING IT CERTIFIED CUSTOMS I COULD BASICALLY TURN IT INTO ANYTHING, AND DO EVERYTHING. STAY TUNED FOR THAT PART.... HAHA.
I HAD AN OLD FRIEND OF MINE ASK ME WHY THE WORD CERTIFIED.... WE SAT AND TALKED FOR HALF AN HOUR ABOUT HOW DOPE THE WORD CERTIFIED IS. AND ITS FUNNY TO THINK OF IT BUT THE REASON I CHOSE THE WORD WAS BECAUSE IN HIGH SCHOOL I LEARNED HOW TO WELD AND BECAME A CERTIFIED WELDER.... THAT'S IT! THE WHOLE THING CAME FROM THAT. AND NOW IT REALLY SEEMS LIKE THERE IS NO OTHER WORD IN THE DICTIONARY WITH SO MUCH FIRE BEHIND IT. TO ME THE WORD CERTIFIED IS ONE OF THE MOST MEANINGFUL AND POWERFUL WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.... YOU CAN CALL ME BIASED BUT ITS ALSO MY FAVORITE. IT CAN IMMEDIATELY TURN ANYTHING QUESTIONABLE INTO CREDIBLE. LIKE IF YOU MEET A DUDE THAT SAYS HE'S A HUSTLER, PUT THE WORD CERTIFIED IN FRONT OF IT AND IT INSTANTLY GAINS A BIT OF ROYALTY... SOME CRED.
NOW THE LOGO STORY HAS SOME FUNNY TIE INS AS WELL. I STARTED OUT DOING COPYRIGHT SIGNS ON EACH PAIR OF CERTIFIED KICKZ I COMPLETED. THEN IT BECAME A SIGNATURE. I WOULD PUT THE COPYRIGHT SYMBOL, EXCLAMATION POINTS FOR THE LETTER "i" and THE NUMBER 3 INSTEAD OF AN "e" JUST FOR A LIL EXTRA SWAGG. BUT AT THIS POINT I WAS DOING SO MANY SHOES A WEEK THAT I WANTED TO BRAND SOMETHING... SO THAT YOU COULD RECOGNIZE WHAT IT WAS JUST LIKE YOU WOULD RECOGNIZE THE MCDONALDS ARCHES. SO I BEGAN TO USE THE COPYRIGHT SYMBOL AND BEING A GRAFFITTI ARTIST I'VE ALWAYS BEEN PARTIAL TO CALLING MYSELF KING AND USING A CROWN ON TOP OF MY NAME. SO IT WAS ACCIDENTALLY BORN. I WOULD USE A TINY PAINT BRUSH TO BRAND EACH PAIR OF CERTIFIED KICKZ AT THE END WITH THE WORD CERTIFIED ON THE HEEL ALWAYS USING THE LOGO AS THE C.
MY GOOD FRIEND JOHNNY A.K.A. SINE UNO IN MY OPINION IS STILL THE BEST GRAPHIC DESIGNER FOR THE TYPE OF WORK I NEEDED WAS WORKING HEAVY WITH ME AT THE TIME. WE ALL SAT DOWN IN MY OFFICE ONE NIGHT AND PUT IT DOWN OFFICIALLY. HE BASICALLY CREATED ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE LOGOS I'VE EVER SEEN USING PHOTOSHOP AND ILLUSTRATOR IN A SMALL OFFICE IN THE WESTSIDE OF DENVER. AND AN ICON WAS BORN THAT NIGHT. EVERYBODY THAT WAS THERE THAT NITE LOVED IT. THERE WAS SOME OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS IN THE ROOM AT THE TIME AND FAMILY... WE ALL AGREED THAT THIS WAS IT.
SO I CALLED MY TATTOO ARTIST "MIER" TOLD HIM I WAS GONNA EMAIL HIM THE LOGO WE CREATED AND I WANTED IT TATOOED ON MY FOREARM THE NEXT DAY. SO IT WAS WRITTEN IN BLOOD FROM THAT DAY FORWARD.... IT STILL SURPRISES ME WHEN I COUNT HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE THIS LOGO TATTOOED ON THEM. I THINK TODAY AS I WRITE THIS IN MID FEBRUARY 2008 THERE IS OVER 40 PEOPLE WHO HAVE IT. AND A GOOD PORTION HAVE IT MORE THEN ONCE.
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE CERTIFIED.... WELL TO ME BEING CERTIFIED IS BASICALLY BEING ALIVE. THERE ARE THINGS THAT COME INTO YOUR LIFE TO CHANGE IT FOR THE BETTER.... AND THEN THERE ARE THINGS LIKE THIS, FOR EXAMPLE THAT DON'T COME INTO YOUR LIFE, IT BECOMES YOUR LIFE. I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING AND MY MORNING BREATH IS CERTIFIED! AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO CAN NOW RELATE TO THAT. ANY TIME THAT I HEAR THE WORD CERTIFIED I FEEL IT IN MY SOUL. ANYTIME SOMEONE SAYS IT IN A SONG I FEEL IT IN MY HEART. WHEN I READ IT SOMEWHERE COMPLETELY UNRELATED TO US I FEEL IT PUMPING THRU MY VEINS. IT IS SO MUCH MORE THEN A CLOTHING LINE, SO MUCH MORE THEN A STREETWEAR BOUTIQUE. SO MUCH BIGGER THEN ONE MAN.... ITS BECOMES A PART OF YOU. IT IS YOU. I MAY BE THE CREATOR OF THIS BUT WITHOUT THE PEOPLE I HAVE BEHIND ME, THE PEOPLE THAT SUPPORT ME, THE ONES ENCOURAGING ME, TELLING ME THAT I'M GONNA PUT IT DOWN FOR THE STATE.... THAT'S WHAT MAKES ME CERTIFIED.
I KNOW THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL READ THIS. AND I'M SURE YOU SAT DOWN TO READ THIS WITH ALL YOUR PRE-CONCEIVED BS AND OPINIONS ALREADY FORMED ABOUT ME AS A MAN, ABOUT MY PAST, ABOUT WHO YOU MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE HEARD I AM.... BUT TO ANYONE WHO HAS READ THIS I HOPE THAT YOU FEEL A LIL MORE CONNECTED TO IT NOW. THAT YOU GAINED A BIT OF UNDERSTANDING ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE CERTIFIED.... AND IF I MADE YOU READ THIS BEFORE GETTING THE LOGO TATOOED ON YOU.... THEN BY ALL MEANS LET ME KNOW YOURSELF WHAT YOU THINK. I LIVE AND DIE FOR THIS LOGO... I AM CERTIFIED BECAUSE WITHOUT IT I AM NOBODY. CERTIFIED IS MY CONTRIBUTION TO THE WORLD, MY WAY OF LEAVING SOME SORT OF LEGACY BEHIND. OR TO BE LOOKED UP TO BY PEOPLE FOR CHOOSING A DIFFERENT WAY OF CHASING MONEY. ITS ABOUT PRIDE, FAMILY, LOVE, CHANGE, AND CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT. THAT'S WHAT BEING CERTIFIED IS
ARE YOU CERTIFIED???
AND TO THE ENTIRE CERTIFIED FAMILY... I WANT YOUR COMMENTS. SO TAKE ANOTHER FEW MINUTES AND PUT DOWN WHAT IT MEANS BEING CERTIFIED.... PUT IT IN YOUR WORDS WHY YOUR DOWN FOR THIS. WHAT BEING CERTIFIED IS TO YOU.
BTW.... STANDBY FLIGHTS FROM LAS VEGAS MAY CAUSE EXTREME FRUSTRATION AND LONG LONG BLOGS HAHA.
IF YOUR CERTIFIED.... YOU ALREADY KNOW I GOT LOVE.
WERE A MILE HIGHER.... AND A MILE FLYER!
King Yeyo
CERTIFIED CUSTOMS
120 S. BROADWAY
DENVER, CO. 80209
720 366 6925
WHEN I WAS FACED WITH THE REALITY OF TRYING TO FIND A CAREER FOR MYSELF AS AN EX-FELON WITH LITTLE JOB EXPERIENCE, A PERSON STEPPED IN AT A TIME WHEN MY LAZY DECISION MAKING WAS LEADING ME DOWN THE WRONG PATH AGAIN... AND FROM THAT I DECIDED THAT I WOULD GO ALL IN AND START MY OWN BUSINESS, ANY BUSINESS. I HAD NO BUSINESS PLAN, NO BUSINESS SKILLS, I WAS A KID. ALL I KNEW WAS THAT I WANTED TO BE LOOKED AT IN A POSITIVE WAY FOR THE THINGS I DO IN THE WORLD INSTEAD OF BEING LOOKED DOWN UPON OR FEARED FOR ALL THE NEGATIVITY I WAS KNOWN FOR BRINGING INTO IT.
SO I HAD THE RECIPE... NEED FOR CHANGE, THE INPIRATION, SUPPORT, I WAS HUNGRY, AND THE ATTITUDE THAT I NEEDED TO SUCCEED AS A YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR. THE THING THAT MATTERED MOST TO ME WAS BECOMING A ROLE MODEL TO MY NEPHEWS AND NIECES... AND EVENTUALLY TO YOUNG KIDS IN THE COMMUNITY WHO MAY HAVE BEEN LIKE ME AND LOOKED UP TO THE WRONG TYPES OF PEOPLE FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS.
SO I HAD A JOB AT THIS POINT. I WAS DRIVING A DUMP TRUCK (picture me rollin...) AND ALL OF THE MONEY I WAS EARNING AS A CDL DRIVER WAS BEING SAVED TO BANKROLL MY IDEA OF OPENING A BUSINESS. LONG STORY SHORT I SAVED ENOUGH TO WEAR I FELT COMFORTABLE AND BEGAN PLANNING. NOW THIS IS SOMETHING NOT MANY PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THE INNER CIRCLE KNOW BUT I STARTED OUT WANTING TO OPEN A CELL PHONE AND ACCESSORY STORE... AND THE CLOTHES WOULD JUST KIND OF BE SPRINKLED IN LIGHTLY. SO MY FATHER AND I ARE BRAINSTORMING ABOUT NAMES, AND IT TOOK ABOUT 5 MINUTES (Its in our blood!) I SAID THE NAME CERTIFIED CELLULAR AND HE CALLED IT.... SAID THAT CERTIFIED HAD TO BE IT. BUT ABOUT A WEEK LATER I DECIDED THAT BY CALLING IT CERTIFIED CELLULAR I WAS NARROWING THE POSSIBILITIES FOR GROWTH. SO I WENT BACK AND DECIDED THAT BY JUST CALLING IT CERTIFIED CUSTOMS I COULD BASICALLY TURN IT INTO ANYTHING, AND DO EVERYTHING. STAY TUNED FOR THAT PART.... HAHA.
I HAD AN OLD FRIEND OF MINE ASK ME WHY THE WORD CERTIFIED.... WE SAT AND TALKED FOR HALF AN HOUR ABOUT HOW DOPE THE WORD CERTIFIED IS. AND ITS FUNNY TO THINK OF IT BUT THE REASON I CHOSE THE WORD WAS BECAUSE IN HIGH SCHOOL I LEARNED HOW TO WELD AND BECAME A CERTIFIED WELDER.... THAT'S IT! THE WHOLE THING CAME FROM THAT. AND NOW IT REALLY SEEMS LIKE THERE IS NO OTHER WORD IN THE DICTIONARY WITH SO MUCH FIRE BEHIND IT. TO ME THE WORD CERTIFIED IS ONE OF THE MOST MEANINGFUL AND POWERFUL WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.... YOU CAN CALL ME BIASED BUT ITS ALSO MY FAVORITE. IT CAN IMMEDIATELY TURN ANYTHING QUESTIONABLE INTO CREDIBLE. LIKE IF YOU MEET A DUDE THAT SAYS HE'S A HUSTLER, PUT THE WORD CERTIFIED IN FRONT OF IT AND IT INSTANTLY GAINS A BIT OF ROYALTY... SOME CRED.
NOW THE LOGO STORY HAS SOME FUNNY TIE INS AS WELL. I STARTED OUT DOING COPYRIGHT SIGNS ON EACH PAIR OF CERTIFIED KICKZ I COMPLETED. THEN IT BECAME A SIGNATURE. I WOULD PUT THE COPYRIGHT SYMBOL, EXCLAMATION POINTS FOR THE LETTER "i" and THE NUMBER 3 INSTEAD OF AN "e" JUST FOR A LIL EXTRA SWAGG. BUT AT THIS POINT I WAS DOING SO MANY SHOES A WEEK THAT I WANTED TO BRAND SOMETHING... SO THAT YOU COULD RECOGNIZE WHAT IT WAS JUST LIKE YOU WOULD RECOGNIZE THE MCDONALDS ARCHES. SO I BEGAN TO USE THE COPYRIGHT SYMBOL AND BEING A GRAFFITTI ARTIST I'VE ALWAYS BEEN PARTIAL TO CALLING MYSELF KING AND USING A CROWN ON TOP OF MY NAME. SO IT WAS ACCIDENTALLY BORN. I WOULD USE A TINY PAINT BRUSH TO BRAND EACH PAIR OF CERTIFIED KICKZ AT THE END WITH THE WORD CERTIFIED ON THE HEEL ALWAYS USING THE LOGO AS THE C.
MY GOOD FRIEND JOHNNY A.K.A. SINE UNO IN MY OPINION IS STILL THE BEST GRAPHIC DESIGNER FOR THE TYPE OF WORK I NEEDED WAS WORKING HEAVY WITH ME AT THE TIME. WE ALL SAT DOWN IN MY OFFICE ONE NIGHT AND PUT IT DOWN OFFICIALLY. HE BASICALLY CREATED ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE LOGOS I'VE EVER SEEN USING PHOTOSHOP AND ILLUSTRATOR IN A SMALL OFFICE IN THE WESTSIDE OF DENVER. AND AN ICON WAS BORN THAT NIGHT. EVERYBODY THAT WAS THERE THAT NITE LOVED IT. THERE WAS SOME OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS IN THE ROOM AT THE TIME AND FAMILY... WE ALL AGREED THAT THIS WAS IT.
SO I CALLED MY TATTOO ARTIST "MIER" TOLD HIM I WAS GONNA EMAIL HIM THE LOGO WE CREATED AND I WANTED IT TATOOED ON MY FOREARM THE NEXT DAY. SO IT WAS WRITTEN IN BLOOD FROM THAT DAY FORWARD.... IT STILL SURPRISES ME WHEN I COUNT HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE THIS LOGO TATTOOED ON THEM. I THINK TODAY AS I WRITE THIS IN MID FEBRUARY 2008 THERE IS OVER 40 PEOPLE WHO HAVE IT. AND A GOOD PORTION HAVE IT MORE THEN ONCE.
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE CERTIFIED.... WELL TO ME BEING CERTIFIED IS BASICALLY BEING ALIVE. THERE ARE THINGS THAT COME INTO YOUR LIFE TO CHANGE IT FOR THE BETTER.... AND THEN THERE ARE THINGS LIKE THIS, FOR EXAMPLE THAT DON'T COME INTO YOUR LIFE, IT BECOMES YOUR LIFE. I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING AND MY MORNING BREATH IS CERTIFIED! AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO CAN NOW RELATE TO THAT. ANY TIME THAT I HEAR THE WORD CERTIFIED I FEEL IT IN MY SOUL. ANYTIME SOMEONE SAYS IT IN A SONG I FEEL IT IN MY HEART. WHEN I READ IT SOMEWHERE COMPLETELY UNRELATED TO US I FEEL IT PUMPING THRU MY VEINS. IT IS SO MUCH MORE THEN A CLOTHING LINE, SO MUCH MORE THEN A STREETWEAR BOUTIQUE. SO MUCH BIGGER THEN ONE MAN.... ITS BECOMES A PART OF YOU. IT IS YOU. I MAY BE THE CREATOR OF THIS BUT WITHOUT THE PEOPLE I HAVE BEHIND ME, THE PEOPLE THAT SUPPORT ME, THE ONES ENCOURAGING ME, TELLING ME THAT I'M GONNA PUT IT DOWN FOR THE STATE.... THAT'S WHAT MAKES ME CERTIFIED.
I KNOW THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL READ THIS. AND I'M SURE YOU SAT DOWN TO READ THIS WITH ALL YOUR PRE-CONCEIVED BS AND OPINIONS ALREADY FORMED ABOUT ME AS A MAN, ABOUT MY PAST, ABOUT WHO YOU MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE HEARD I AM.... BUT TO ANYONE WHO HAS READ THIS I HOPE THAT YOU FEEL A LIL MORE CONNECTED TO IT NOW. THAT YOU GAINED A BIT OF UNDERSTANDING ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE CERTIFIED.... AND IF I MADE YOU READ THIS BEFORE GETTING THE LOGO TATOOED ON YOU.... THEN BY ALL MEANS LET ME KNOW YOURSELF WHAT YOU THINK. I LIVE AND DIE FOR THIS LOGO... I AM CERTIFIED BECAUSE WITHOUT IT I AM NOBODY. CERTIFIED IS MY CONTRIBUTION TO THE WORLD, MY WAY OF LEAVING SOME SORT OF LEGACY BEHIND. OR TO BE LOOKED UP TO BY PEOPLE FOR CHOOSING A DIFFERENT WAY OF CHASING MONEY. ITS ABOUT PRIDE, FAMILY, LOVE, CHANGE, AND CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT. THAT'S WHAT BEING CERTIFIED IS
ARE YOU CERTIFIED???
AND TO THE ENTIRE CERTIFIED FAMILY... I WANT YOUR COMMENTS. SO TAKE ANOTHER FEW MINUTES AND PUT DOWN WHAT IT MEANS BEING CERTIFIED.... PUT IT IN YOUR WORDS WHY YOUR DOWN FOR THIS. WHAT BEING CERTIFIED IS TO YOU.
BTW.... STANDBY FLIGHTS FROM LAS VEGAS MAY CAUSE EXTREME FRUSTRATION AND LONG LONG BLOGS HAHA.
IF YOUR CERTIFIED.... YOU ALREADY KNOW I GOT LOVE.
WERE A MILE HIGHER.... AND A MILE FLYER!
King Yeyo
CERTIFIED CUSTOMS
120 S. BROADWAY
DENVER, CO. 80209
720 366 6925
Posts
Well put KY. Bold move to put it all out there.
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