The Kings of Prince and Crosby continue to hustle in Donald Trump's world

This story was originally published in February 2019 on Jotmagsb.com

“Get your paintings, $20 each, everything hand-painted,” sung graffiti artists Luie Morales and Brian, attempting to lure in wide-eyed tourists. “See anything you like?” They didn’t look — or sound — like the type of guys to sing jingles for their unnamed street business. Brian, who refused to share his last name out of fear that the police — which he calls “the vandal squad” — would find him, is known on the streets as “Street Evil Vandal,” for chrissake. But Timberlands scuffed, skin dark, beards scruffy, and heads protected by beanies, the pair earn their daily bread by standing on the cold corner of Prince and Crosby Street in Soho for hours, attempting to swoon tourists into purchasing their colorful paintings, which are done on subway maps. After standing with them for a few hours, it was clear that Morales and Brian were local celebrities — nay, the Kings of Prince and Crosby — whose art has gone home with international tourists, Jaden Smith, and even some Yankees players (a big deal for Brian, a “die-hard fan” who stayed warm in a faded Yankees bomber jacket). Passersby lusted over their paintings, some in Noo Yawk English and others in pristine French. A few even stopped to greet them with handshakes and pats on their backs. Committed graffiti artists and lifelong friends who look more like brothers, Morales and Brian have been painting on and off the streets for 30 years, and that’s the only hint the 40-something-year-olds were willing to share about their ages. "No face, no case." The artists declined to get their pictures taken, but permitted photos of their work for the purposes of the story. Meanwhile, over at the White House, President Trump would probably scoff. He isn’t exactly known for being a fan of arts and culture, despite having grown up in New York City. Novelist David Eggers has even gone as far as calling Trump the first president in American history who “is almost completely devoid of culture,” a claim that these Soho artists would agree with. The President, in his 2018 and 2019 budget plans, even proposed to eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), two independent government organizations that offer support and funding for the arts and humanities, respectively. That makes Trump the first president to publicly suggest doing so since the agencies were established in 1965. Congress ultimately passed a spending bill that saw a modest $3 million funding increase for both endowments, but the lack of initial support from the President, among his other political values, has left a sour taste on these Prince Street artists’ chapped lips. And to retaliate, Morales’ and Brian’s only line of defense is an honest tough guy act, the kind that could only be learned on New York City streets. “Fuck Trump,” Brian said, insisting that went on the record. “I’m an artist, I do what I want.” That seems to be his motto, and he really lives by it. That’s why Morales and Brian have decided to use the President’s comments as an opportunity to capitalize with a cash-only business instead. They’ve since joined other artists in protest by including anti-Trump pieces in their makeshift street art gallery. Their favorite piece had already been sold that day. It was one of Morales’s paintings, a yellow light bulb with the phrase, “Think before you do it,” around it — a direct message to Trump. One that he would probably never see, but an important one nonetheless. “Don’t be stupid and mess up the whole country,” Morales explained, pointing a stubby brown finger at the air, as if it were the President’s chest. “The world could blow up tomorrow with Donald Trump running his shit. Who knows what’s going to happen tomorrow? He could probably enforce martial law pretty soon if he wanted to.” Brian’s latest creation is a painting of Trump in the form of the poop emoji. That one’s pretty self-explanatory. Their do-what-we-want attitude doesn’t stop at politics, though. In fact, it can be a valuable tool in this business, which comes with the occasional spontaneous harassment from street people, including the managers of local businesses and some customers. In these last two years, the Lower East Side natives have felt like it’s been them and their no-name business against the world. Not even their off-tune musical sales pitches could deflect harassment from the building’s landlady, who occasionally calls the cops on them for selling art on the premises without permission, or the Supreme store manager from around the corner, who’s annoyed that the artists occasionally use the company’s logo on some paintings. The Supreme store manager chose not to comment, and a representative for the building owner, 568 Broadway Property LLC, did not respond to interview attempts. The pair has no intentions to change location, and no plans to stop using the Supreme logo. And in a country that grows more divided by the day, the stubborn artists predict the odds for a smooth-sailing business will not be in their favor. While standing with them, it became clear that on these streets, money is not so easy to come by, and nowadays, neither is respect. “I want that one, I want that one, I want that one, and I want that one,” a pasty RayBan-wearing lady named Lisa Smith, who lived down the block, dictated as she pointed out which paintings she wanted her husband to buy her. Brian and Morales stopped mid-conversation to tend to her. Brian’s smug grin turned into a customer service smile, as Morales’s furrowed eyebrows fell soft. They peeled each of the desired paintings from the wall, but apparently not carefully enough. “Easy with the fucking tape. You’re ripping them,” Smith squawked. “Now that they’re ripped — you’re trying to sell these to me for 20 bucks, you’re going to give them to me for 10.” The artists gave up the tough guy acts for a few minutes for the sake of the sale. It was worth it for a $100 profit in five minutes, though. They even threw in a business card and a free painting, despite the lip. “She’s spending money, so we’ll put up with her,” Morales said after she left. His original facial expression returned as he counted the crumpled bills, a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. “When they spend money, they’re right. Just give me my money and they could go fuck themselves for all I care.” The day before, the pair said they made no money at all. It doesn’t help that the job provides no steady income, no health insurance, and no right to sell their paintings there. Plus, who knows what today’s political atmosphere will bring them? But that’s the least of this dynamic duo’s worries. Besides, they say the job, which comes with interacting with different characters everyday, is worth it because more than anything else, it’s fun. “I ain’t worried about nothing,” Brian assured, puffing a cigarette Morales offered him. “I’m dealing with today, I don’t know what’s going on tomorrow.”