We had the good fortune of connecting with Oscar Bautista and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Oscar, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?

I am south-central, born and raised, and to no surprise that’s been a major influence, and what I do, and who I am. I grew up there through the early 90s and lived through what I consider a reconstruction of that area.

For too long I walked by burned down lots from the riots, so this idea of building community has always been in the forefront of my mind.

With the work I do in audio production or event production I always try to keep my community in mind in order to better represent those voices that I feel were snuffed out or over looked.

I want people to know that south-central isn’t what they see on the news or in the movies. There is a vibrant, beautiful community of people who represent the reality of what the city has to offer. If I can highlight that by creating a space to enlighten the arts, then I know I’ve done my job

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I feel like what I do, creatively, is something that anyone can honestly do, especially with the advent of so many online and digital tools.

What I can say about what I do differently is that I am not chasing a self-serving goal to set me a part from everyone else even with the music I create or the projects that I contribute to. What adds to this is all the collaborative efforts made by amazing individuals I’ve gotten to know and support. They all have the common ambition of making not only Los Angeles, but this world just a little bit better.

Along that route, I have experienced a lot of self-doubt and a lot of negative feedback about what I’m doing and I feel that in the end that’s all just been more fuel to the fire.

When I see myself now compared to who I was even just last year and I can say that all those obstacles were just put there to teach me to accept who I really am.

Even if you don’t identify with the things that I do, I work very hard to make sure that people know that it was I, who did it. My brand, my aesthetic is undeniably me.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

You’d need more than a week to really experience what LA has to offer I feel like you could spend a whole month and so maybe only explore a fraction of what one neighborhood has to give.

If you would like some advice on how to experience the city though, I would say start as east as Boyle Heights to really soak up the culture that’s there and has existed for decades, and then each day slowly move west until you find yourself an amazing bar or restaurant somewhere in Santa Monica or Venice.

I don’t want to name any places because I like the fact that they’re low-key but I would advise anyone that really wants to enjoy the city to set aside whatever first impression they had been given  and really walk around to explore the different cultures neighborhoods and people that make up this beautiful town.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

The first person that comes to mind is my sister Diana, who unfortunately passed last year.

Her connection to music, arts and bringing people together was a major motivation into what I do. She was a shining example of not only our family and how crazy we can be but of enjoying the world around you too its fullest.

Along with her, I’d like to dedicate a lot of what I do to the amazing people around me who have shown me nothing but kindness and support in my endeavors to lift those around me.

I wish I could name every single one of those people, but then this would be a whole other article.

Website: https://ffm.bio/ruto?fbclid=PAAaaTX2ChE4e-JuvOkeppK_mz430H7Skh6_HCn3ODLOkSpQMoqdYaJtRMMmc

Instagram: @rude.toe

Image Credits
Irving Santiago IG:@ no.1shoots

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.