RA the Rugged Man is having a freestyle contest, and is upping the ante to all involved by posting this video of teenager A-F-R-O rapping off the cuff for the camera. Little is know about A-F-R-O (All Flows Reach Out) other than the following: he&#8217;s 17, from Bellflower, considers himself an old-school MC, and says…

17 Year Old Jamal “A-F-R-O” Gutierrez from Bellflower can Freestyle

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<p>One of L.A. TACO&#8217;s co-founders, Hadley Tomicki is a writer and editor on food, travel, and culture whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine, UrbanDaddy, High Times, and many other places.</p>


Hadley Tomicki

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Food

Support These Tacos, Burritos, And Tattoos That Give Back To Immigrants

What To Eat This Weekend: An ‘Adobada Pizza,’ Eid Mubarak Mocktails, Jerk Chicken, and a New Ukrainian Smokehouse

<p>Professional punk and Editor-In-Chief for James Beard Award-winning L.A. TACO. Associate Producer for JBA-winning Las Crónicas Del Taco. Former restaurant scout for Jonathan Gold. Co-author of &#8220;Oaxaca: Home Cooking From the Heart of Mexico (2019, Abrams) and &#8220;Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling&#8221; (2023, Abrams).</p>


Javier Cabral

Bellflower

Bellflower’s New Sonoran Taquería Has Everything, Rivaling L.A.’s Best

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Headlines: Threatened Bellflower Mural With Snoop, Kobe, and Other L.A. Icons Gets Over 7,000 Signatures of Support

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Headlines: New Sonoran Taquería in SELA Burglarized for Second Time in a Month

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Celebrating the Taco Lifestyle in Los Angeles, CA

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The 54 Best Mexican Restaurants In L.A., Ranked

<p>Lexis-Olivier Ray is an award-winning staff investigative reporter for L.A. TACO known for holding powerful people in Los Angeles accountable and his reporting on Los Angeles culture. As well as an artist and filmmaker. In 2022, the Society of Professional Journalists&#8217; Los Angeles chapter named Ray one of their &#8220;distinguished journalists.&#8221; In 2023, Ray won a second place Anthem Award in their Health Innovation category for a texting service geared towards the unhoused community and service providers that he launched in 2021 with L.A. TACO and Subtext. Ray was a 2020 USC Center For Health Journalism (CHJ) Data Fellow. As well as a 2022 CHJ Impact Fellow. As a freelancer, Ray has contributed to the L.A. Times, Men&#8217;s Health Magazine, KCET and SFGATE.</p>


Lexis-Olivier Ray

He Was Murdered Over a Pack of Swisher Sweets

<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Blending her time in the kitchen as a line cook with her passion for storytelling, Lauren Bethke writes about community, inclusivity and the city she loves the most—Los Angeles.</span></p>


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Lauren Bethke

<p><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif">Emilio Valdez is a street-level photographer with a special interest in documenting the ever-changing neighborhoods of Central and East Los Angeles</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif">. His work focuses on bringing the past and present discrimination of marginalized people of color to light.</span></p>


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People

‘Hentai Bingo,’ $300 Worn Panties for Sale, and Furries Powered One Horny Weekend In El Monte’s Adult Anime Convention

<div>Ivan Ehlers is an Ecuadorian-American cartoonist and writer. He is a regular contributor to <i>The New Yorker</i>, <i>MAD Magazine</i> and the <i>Los Angeles Times</i>.</div>
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<div>IG: <a id="m_-8957504711371111195plusReplyChip-0" class="gmail_plusreply"></a>@ivan_ehlers</div>


Ivan Ehlers

Featured

Sunday Taquitos #34: Coup Season

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<p dir="ltr">Jake Hook is a local food historian in Los Angeles. They run the Diner Preservation Society, dedicated to highlighting the city&#8217;s traditional food culture. Follow him on Instagram at @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/dinertheory/">DinerTheory</a>.</p>
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Jake Hook

Opinion

Brick-and-Mortar Restaurants Need to Stop Blaming Street Vendors

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These Wok-Fired Asada Tacos Are Available For Five Days Only, Starting Tonight

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Spot Check! Brisket Pupusas in NELA, A ‘Western Mole Smashburger’ in DTLA, and a ‘Pancake Brunch Cart’ in the SGV