MEMORIES: OPX/MJ & Friends (The 2020s)

Entering into yet another decade, many people around the world were starting to ambitiously dub it as "The Roaring Twenties" in hopes that it would be just as prosporous and bustling with new energy as it was 100 years prior during the 1920s, but fate had something quite different in mind: A global pandemic.

During this period, the streets were often bare, toilet paper and hand sanitizer was just as valuable as money, if not moreso, and society as a whole was began to question whether what they had been doing up to this point was even important/purposeful enough to possibly be wiped out in this pandemic manner.

MJ's co-creators of the time included local comic, Jackie Brown, David Jean/DJ Daywalker, Patrick "DJ MP5" Jackson, Mason "Jenova" Harris, Matt Triola, Steven "J Rodamus Prime" Smith, Nikita Strickland, Jamie Huey, ex-Magic City Siren-turned-vocalist and Nola Bombshell dancer, Kimberly Strange, and longtime colleague, Felipe' Santiago, a.k.a. Adeejaycalledphlip, who became his closest friend until the Summer of 2021, when Felipe' suddenly fell sick and passed away from stage 4 metastatic Pancreatic Cancer within just 2 short weeks of finding out the shocking news.

They say "when God closes a door, He opens a window". The pandemic, now recessing had scattered many formerly close friends and family to the wind. Whereas they used to readily meet up in town at the drop of a reunion flyer, now barely made efforts to venture outdoors, still in at least subconscious fear of "superspreader" crowds. MJ felt increasingly disconnected from his usual community until a new era eventually began bringing new love, and a whole new community of friends and family still peppered with the Loved Ones of old.

Among them are the familiar likes of former emcee-now-DJ Supreme & rapping counterpart, Shaheed: The Scholar Warrior and the Soul Child Records family, mate and socialite, Tracy"Star" Thrasher, the Vulcan Hash House Harriers, artists Yogi Dada, Fayth Hope, the Stuart family of Offbeat mobile eatery, The DeBoers & the gang at Ghost Train Brewing Company, MJ's latest DJ protege', Lexi Kwak and numerous others.

This era brings about the evolved fruition of MJ's fantastic STARSHIP Creative universe, complete with origins, timelines, stylish Darling brand apparel, art/decor/illustration, amazing visual concept art and original musical scoring and elaboration.

Stay tuned to the vibe because there's plenty more in store!

Photo highlights from that decade.