Skip to Content
Art

Remember Your Roots w/ @Rootcheck Vol. 2 ~ Koos Cafe – The 90’s Gateway to LA for OC Writers

1:23 PM PST on December 18, 2013

koos2

Rootcheck Vol. 2 @ LA TACO
Vintage Koo's Cafe - OCxLA

If you were painting in the LA/OC area in the mid 90's, you probably remember Koo's Cafe. For OC writers, Koo's was the place to be considering there wasn't as much culture in Orange County as there was in LA. Hence the exodus of writers that CAME from OC, that have now infiltrated LA. At Koo's OC heads could end up meeting and even painting with their favorite LA writers randomly. Koo's stood out as a middle ground, where Los Angeles and Orange County merged in a beefless fashion. In those days people still had ciphers, you could stroll through Koos on any given day and find someone like DJ Babu cutting for a circle of 10 kids.

In those days, passion was high, money was low - and "street art" was not a term all were familiar with.  There weren't many legal walls in Orange County back then. When LA heads came down to paint legally their first stop was usually Koo's. This way, Los Angeles styles migrated into Orange County. Hell, there was once talk of a super city, combining the two counties. The same way LA style migrated on to Orange County walls, OC writers migrated into LA. At first there wasn't much love for people who ranked on their city, in time it became so redundant it was almost unnoticable.

It took a lot for the dudes from OC to work their way into the system of LA graffiti, depending who they were. To get any sort of fame in LA, OC cats had to do twice the work of most residents. Many lost sight of their roots once dedicating their lives to trying to make it in Hollywood.To those left behind, Remember Your Roots dedicates these vintage views of Koo's in the Mid 90's.

Find shadows of Koo's @KCETartbound on Twitter.
Follow @rootcheck for more glimpses of the past.

Czer UCA WGS (as Cesr) @ Koo's mid 90's. LA TACO
Czer UCA WGS (as Cesr) @ Koo's mid 90's.
Smurf / 12er - UTI production @ Koo's Cafe mid 90's.
Smurf / 12er - UTI production @ Koo's Cafe mid 90's.
Smurf / 12er - UTI production @ Koo's Cafe mid 90's.
Smurf / 12er - UTI production @ Koo's Cafe mid 90's.
Meex AUB / BTP @ Koo's - The man with the permission.
Meex AUB / BTP @ Koo's - Meex got permission for most anyone, a true OG.
Already a user?Log in

Thanks for reading!

Register to continue

Become a Member

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

Spot Check: Colombian Desgranados In Echo Park, Mexican Wine Festival At Mírate, and Perverted Waffles in DTLA

Plus, a party highlighting pan-African cuisine, a new Taiwanese cookbook by an awarded local from the San Gabriel Valley, and a Little Saigon food festival that starts tonight! Welcome back to Spot Check!

September 22, 2023

This 24-Year-Old Latina Mortician Beautifies the Dead and Influences the Living

Growing up in Arleta with a first-generation family from El Salvador, Berrios admits that her family only embraced her career choice two years ago, after she started to win awards like “Young Funeral Director of the Year.” The 24-year-old works as the licenced funeral director and embalmer at Hollywood Forever cemetery. As a young person born in peak Generation Z, she's documented her deathcare journey on TikTok and has accrued more than 43K followers on the platform. 

September 21, 2023

Meet ‘Carnitas Rogelio,’ The Family-Run Stand With The Best Michoacán-Style Carnitas O.C. Has to Offer

Michoacán-raised Rogelio Gonzalez slices the cuerito (the pig skin) in a checkered pattern to ensure a light crunch in each bite and utilizes every part of the pig, from the feet to the liver and intestines, which he binds together in a braid. 

September 20, 2023

‘The Office’ Star Rainn Wilson Brought Jerk Chicken Tacos to the Picket Lines Outside of Paramount Studios

In three hours, D's Tipsy Tacos and her team passed out “roughly 100 plates” of tacos, burritos, rice, beans, nachos, and quesadillas to striking screenwriters and actors.

September 19, 2023

Five Common Plants to Avoid When Creating Your Green Spaces in L.A.

Almost every time I visit a property with landscaping issues, the problem starts with bad design: the wrong plants in the wrong place. Here's advice from a third-generation L.A. landscaper and noted taco expert.

September 19, 2023
See all posts