Latino Barber Culture Uncut: Manny Blendz on Hustle, Clients & Craft

Latino barber culture, real hustle, and the craft behind every fade. 💈🔥

In this episode of The Global Latin Factor Podcast, we sit down with Manny Blendz (aka Screw Da Barber / @blessed_myhustle)—a Latino professional barber who turned cutting hair into a real career, a brand, and a whole vibe.

Manny shares how he found his lane in barber life, built loyal clients through consistency and service, and why his motto is

“I don’t just cut hair, I give you a vibe that can’t be touched.”

We talk about Latino barber culture, shop energy, house calls, after-hours cuts, social media, and what it really takes to stand out in the barber game today.

If you’re into barber stories, Latino hustle, men’s grooming, and entrepreneurship, this conversation is for you.

📝 Full transcript available with quotable moments you can share with your crew or your clients.

 If this episode brought you value, follow the show, share it with another barber or hustler, and leave a review so more people can discover powerful Latino stories.

Interested in collaborating or sponsoring an episode?
Email us at info@thegloballatinfactor.com

Transcript

Welcome, welcome you and all to another episode of the Global Latin Factor podcast where we talk about Latino everything. I'm your host Chrisine Valentine. Thank you so much for being here. Make sure you subscribe to the channel right now. Why you have nothing to lose and so much to gain like this amazing story about many. He is a barber here in locally in the DFW, but he has been a pioneer in Cancun barbing scene for many years before he touched down. Not only that, but he touched elbows and rubbed elbows with so many amazing people. And you're going to hear all about it right here in the episode. And now to the episode. [Music] Manny Manny Blends aka Screw the Barberella. How you doing? Hey, good. We doing good, man. How you doing? Taking it back to screw the barber, huh? Back in the days. Thank you so much for being here uh and taking the time to talk to us. You know, I seen a few things on your social media. I thought it were pretty neat and I'm like, man, I want to talk to him, share a little bit of his story. But before we do that, we're going to start with a segment that I like to call Archile. If you have not subscribed to the channel so you can check out all these amazing content, stories, interviews, amazing life-changing stories that could possibly change your life today, this is the time right now. So go subscribe to the global land factor. Saso, are you ready? I'm ready. Tacos or tortas. Tacos. Tacos or tortas? Tortas. Tortas. All righty. Corn tortilla, flour tortillas. Uh, corn tortilla. Gordaso busas. Gordaso. Deavor. What flavor? I gotta go with tamarindo. Tamarindo. Heck yeah. That's one of the top top ones. Hamo. Tamarindo. Ham. Are you team salsa verde or team salsa roa? Salsa roa. Menudo or po. Valentina. Tabasco. Cholula or tapato hot sauce? Valentina. Your favorite favorite ever ever dish the Cancun. Which one would that be? I got to go with coinita lecho. Coinita lecho. Nice. And what is your favorite place for you to tell everybody from Kita? You got to try this dish. What could it be? It's the same one or something different. Yeah, I recommend the Guccinita. It's something different that any other part of Mexico don't have, you know. Yeah, absolutely. When you want to celebrate, let's say you got your week went well or you have something to celebrate, you want to dance on kumbia salsa bachata kia kumbia. When you hear the word Latino, Latina, what is the first things that come to mind to you? Hispanics, Latinos all over Latin America very much. True. That do you mind if they call you Latino? Do you care if they say Latino to you? Do you prefer Mexico? What do you like? I don't mind. I see myself as Latino, but more like a meento. Okay, let's get started with a little bit of your story. So, you originally from Cancun Tanaro, correct? Uh, no, actually I was born in San Louis. You were born in San Potosi, but you were raised in uh Cancun. I was raised here in Dallas. I came here to the United States when I was 6 years old. 6 years old. So you don't even remember anything with San Louis at all whatsoever? I don't I don't I don't Okay. What is your earlier? Was it in the cliff where you were raised or what area in Dallas? Pleasant Grove. Mosquito area. Mosqu area. Okay. So what do you remember growing up as far as school and everything else for you, man? just growing up it was it was it was different than nowadays definitely you know but um just hanging out with the boys and playing sports in the streets every day you know you don't really see that that much nowadays you know it's it's different for sure was that uh any peak of interest for you to get into the hair industry become a barber at all whatsoever or was there something else that happened that made you want to take that path? Um, actually I never thought about being a barber before until I went to go live to Mexico for my second time that I went to Mexico. I stayed out there for 10 years and um, pretty much I didn't have no other choice but picking up the Clippers and I I really started uh learning and watching uh, one of my old barbers that used to come in Mexico. Cool. and his brothers um actually they were here in Dallas and they taught him how to cut hair and um just looking at him cutting that's how I started learning and so just just visually we're looking at him and kind of sort of see what he was doing and kind of sort of grasp it. Yes. Wow. Okay. So there's different ways to either become a barber here in the states. You either go to barber school or become an apprentice. What was your path when you decided to say, "Okay, let me go ahead and start doing the barber thing now." [Music] For me, it was it was different. In Mexico, they don't need you to go to barber school to get you to start working as a barber. Nice. They don't the the barber license don't exist over there either. So, wow. It's it's different. It's just I started cutting at my my friend's shop and actually I started in San Louis for the my first my first year in Mexico. I was in San Re living out there and my and my friend is the one that just pretty much just brought me into the bar barber industry, you know. Yeah. And once I moved to Cancun, that's when I decided to take the next step on it. And I got to work with one of the biggest franchises all over Mexico was called Walls Barber Shop. Wow. Nice. Um, actually right now the owner, he don't have he don't have the shops anymore cuz for the issue that he got kidnapped. Oh wow. He got kidnapped. So he had to close all his shops out there in Cancun and and Merida and and all over the Republic of Mexico. And um so from there I just started decided to keep going and um um was that at the time when you were there that that happened to him or was that after the fact? Actually that happened I want to say like seven or eight years after I started working with him and um he made me the the train the trainer for all the franchises. Yeah. So he used to send me to every city out there in Mexico when he saw a franchise to Vera Cruz or Walara Montter uh because he sold more than 35 franchises in Mexico. Oh wow. So he used to send me to each one of them and I used to train the barbers how to cut hair. I used to train uh the receptionist how to receive the people and everything. And then from there I used to teach uh the owners how to administrate the barber shop as well. Oh nice. So when you said take the next step uh was that somebody you saw a post or something that's to made you want to go apply for him or did he go come find you? No, actually one of my old friends that I used to go to school with out here in um in Dallas in Mosquite um he was already out there in Cancun and he told me he like, "Bro, come out here." You're like, "It's better future for uh for us than we know English out here in Cancun. He tried to put me into the call center in uh thing, but it wasn't my thing. I lasted I ain't going to lie to you. I probably even went like one day and I told him, "No, bro. I got take me to a barber shop where I know what I know what I'm doing, you know. So, straight up the first day you went to the call center, he tried to can't I'm pretty sure they make decent money. It's like, nah, nah, I couldn't I couldn't be on the phone sitting down trying to make sales and all that. I was like, no, this ain't my thing, bro. So, right after, remember that day, right after uh the call center after work, he's like, "Look, I know two barbers in that they pretty big out here in Cancun. One of them had a small shop. It was only like two chairs. M and the second one he's like this one of the biggest shops right now. It was in the hood part of Cancun. So when I went and uh go ask him for a job and I saw that he he looked white. My my homeboy, the owner, he he looked white. His name is Oscar Wallace. And um he talked to me in English. So in my head in my first thing like oh this this guy is white. You know what I'm saying? But he wasn't. He was here. So, so y'all click really good. I made a good connection and made a good report cuz we both talk English and we we came from uh from here for the states, you know, cuz he used to live out out here in Florida before he went to back to Mexico. And um from after that, he told me, "Look, I don't got no space at this barber shop. I got full chairs in here, but give me a month and um I'mma open a brand new barber shop in the entrance of the hotel some." Oh, wow. So, I was like, "Okay." I like, "All right, I wait." I really, honestly, I never thought I was going to get a call back from him, you know. Yeah. I was like, "Man, he probably lying to me, you know." Did he see you cut at all or anything? Uh, he as he made me cut him that first day when I went to the barber shop. He like, "Come on, cut me." And I was like, "Okay, I ain't going to lie to you. I got a little bit nervous." You know what I'm saying? Yeah, of course. I was walking to something new to me. You know what I'm saying? But um everything everything turned out good though. It really like the cut. He liked the cut and he told me, "Yeah, bro. Like I need you in my team." So in the meanwhile, while I was waiting for him to call me, I said, "I'm going to go try myself in the hotel zone and try to go sell I don't know if you ever been to Cancun, but in the streets they this guy selling braces for the for the clubs and all that." Yeah. Things like that. So I got into that, you know, and then little by little I started knowing many people right there like the security guards and stuff like that. And um they were asking me, "Hey bro, you know how to cut hair, right?" Like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah." Right there in the hotel some bro in the strip where all the people walk a lot of times in like with the tour offices and all this, they used to tell me, "Hey, I'm get a chair and cut me right there." And I used to cut people right there. Boom, boom, boom. Right on the street right there. Yeah. Ching the street, bro. Cutting hair. Boom boom boom. And everybody used to like, "Hey, you be cutting hair gay." Y'all the meto and everything. Um, they used to come, they used to come to me. The owners of the restaurants, they used to come to me. Nobody ever said nothing to you. Nobody said, "What are you doing here? Why are you in the street cutting here?" None of that. Wow. The same the same people that worked in the hotel some is the ones that told me, "Come cut us over here. Cut." That's dope. So I started like that and then I got I got a night job as a security at uh one of the clubs called Mandala and um it was everything was going good but in uh when they found out that I talk English cuz I was getting tips bro I'm telling you like the tips from people from like I was I was I was taking care of VIP one and VIP uh two where the the DJ boots at. Got you. And there will be people paying those VIPs. They cost a lot of money and they cost you like more than $2,000, $3,000 just to get a VIP. They're like rich people or celebrities. Yeah, celebrities. Rich people. Any interesting ones you run into that you can recall at that time? Man, it was there was a lot of people, bro. It's just it a lot of a lot of NBA players NBA players. um football players and um artists like that. I never really ran into them like that in the in the in the clubs, but um I got lucky enough and to be able to get the connect to go cut artist out there too. So, so they realized you knew English and that's kind of sort of opened the door for that to me. Yeah, that opened the door for me. But for the SA security, it closed the doors for me because these people, they they be like, "Hey, can you take my girl to the restroom, hold it by the hand, and don't let nobody touch her." Every time the their their girl used to go to the restroom, they used to give me a $100 tip. God. So imagine the girl got to go to the to the to the restroom. Five, five, five, six times. Five, six times. I walked out from there for like $800, $900 in one night just in tips. Plus your pay for the security. Plus my pay. Yeah. Wow. And then other securities, they started seeing it. They're like, "What are you doing, bro? Like, are you sending drugs out here or something?" I like, "No, I'm not sending drugs, man. Like, y'all can check me." And I mean, I don't know if I can say this, but it got to the point where they had to take me to the back of the club and they strip me down. Yeah. They strip me down. They told me Yeah. to check me. And they took out my money that night. That night. And they let me without nothing. Not even from my from my trip back to the to my house for the bus. So I was like, man, I was like, they left you on tantu. They let you keep your clothes. No, they let you let me keep my clothes. Okay, cool. Cool. Like, damn. At least let me keep my clothes. You took my money already. So they saw that like you were coming up. You know, money was coming good cuz you happened to speak English and you were taking care of the VIPs and they didn't like that. Yeah, he got me. That ended. Yep. But that gave you an opening for celebrities for you to cut them, right? That's nice. So, what were you cutting them at at that time? Or was it the others? How long was getting ready to be open? The like maybe like two weeks later after I got fired from being in security at the club, um the guy, the owner, he called me and he's like, "Hey, the shop is going to be ready uh in a few days." Uh come through Saturday. He told me, "Come through on a Monday and and let's let's get started." Nice. And um man, I ain't going to lie to you. I I started cutting people from all over the world. From London, from um Australia, you know, just all that English too, right? Yeah. Just all people all over the world, you know, and that kind of make me learn how to handle all type of hair hairstyles, right? Um different people, you know, because I was cutting like African-American hair, too, you know? Yeah. Like everybody got different type of hair. And that's one thing a lot of barbers u don't see that you got to know all these type of hairstyles the the the hair type of Yeah. the the type of hair the clients have. Yeah. It's always going to be different and it's always going to be a different technique to fade or to cut them. You know any uh anyone got they got really super difficult for you as far as the hair? No. You fig figure it out pretty quickly. I figur it out. I mean the first I well yeah the the major thing that I was having a problem with was having doing shear uh shear cuts with the with the shear. So but after the years I started taking um classes with famous barbers from out here from the United States not only here from the United States I I took a class with um with one of the best barbers in the world like sheer work and he's from London they call him Jo La Monaka. Oh wa monarcha. Yeah, Joan Monaka and um he he was he was a real good barber and uh doing shield work. He's from uh he's from the UK. So I learned from him and uh I got the chance to learn from a lot of other barbers from all over the United States in the world. So you're always looking to improve your craft is how can you get better on it? So always is that something that you feel like again your friend got into got you into it then you started doing you kind of sort of fell in love with it you would say? Yes. Absolutely. It's art. So it's for me just to see the people like, "Oh man, like you got me looking good. You got me looking like a whole different person." You know, it makes me feel good cuz it's for me it's it's art. Like barbering art is art for me, you know. You had a you have a particular tag on your Instagram that you have. Can you remind me what it says? Said it's not just a hair. I don't cut hair is what? Yeah. I just don't cut hair. I give you a vibe that you can't be touched. Yeah. Is that is that what is that what you're shooting for whenever you uh get somebody in the chair? Oh, yeah. And they give you uh like, "Hey, let me let me get this." Yeah. Yeah. I always shoot to that, you know, always trying to make my customers feel feel good and and great about themselves, you know, after the haircut, you know. Yeah. As soon as uh you start cutting and you start working with the gentleman, how how um long after that did he say, "Okay, now I need you to do something else because you're kind of good." Well, um, after I mean a lot of a lot of my customers that I have, I mean, they they always happy with the results that I give them, you know, even if they tell me, "Hey, change it up. Let's do something different, you know, like." And I I would say I'm I'm able to study their their head, their hairstyle, and give them recommendations and tell them, "Look, this is going to look right on you, or do your beard like this, cuz you won't look too catchton or with big cheeks." You know what I'm saying? Like, so it's it's just depending on on the customer, you know? pitches. So, so the customers were giving good feedback to the gentleman that owned all the chain of barbs and that's how he decided to move you around or be became the trainer or how that happened? Well, that was his uh second barber shop, right, that he had opened and um whenever he sold his first franchise, he sold it for somebody that put the franchise in Merida, Yugatan. So, he had to leave and he told me, "You know what, Manny? you gonna take over, you gonna be a manager. I said, "Okay." And I ain't gonna lie to you, it was hard for me because a lot of the barbers, I had grow uh relationship with them as a friendship. And now for me to be their boss, it was different, though, cuz I had like had I had to tell my my my employees, I be like, "Look, bro, you you're doing this wrong." Like you you can't be smoking outside and come back in and smelling like you like smoke, you know? So whenever they said, "Bro, what you used to do? What you talking about?" Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. And I was like, and I'll be like, "Man, bro, I like I used to tell my boy, the owner, I like, boy." I like, "Bro, I like I don't know how to tell this uh this guy." You know what I'm saying? It's it's hard for me cuz he's my he's my homeboy, you know? We we go clubbing together, you know? I mean, we do everything together. And yeah, and he's like, "Well, you just got to do what you got to do." I like, "All right." So after that, that's when he started selling his third and fourth franchises. Um he's like he's like, "Hey man, you know what? I'm going to need you to start helping me out with this cuz I can't do them myself. It's it's too much, right?" And I was like, "Yeah, what you need me to do?" So he made me uh the trainer for the franchise and he he sent me to u mueres kosome ver chapas me Mexico City laara montter I that's some of the place some other places you know what I'm saying that's a lot way more than that and um after that that's all I used to do when I used to come back in Cancun that's when uh I I I had the chance to cut my loyal clients that were away from me and like and that was like every month or every two months that I used to come for like a week to Cancun and then I had to leave again. Wow. So after after that, you know, he just he told me he like take over that, bro. And um and we're just going to keep opening more franchises. All right. What was the name of the chain if you want me asking? Walls Barber Shop. Walls Barberhop. Yes, sir. So, how many you said seven, eight years, right? Somewhere around that time frame. So, after that, you kind of sort of get news that certain things happened. Then he can't maintain the shops anymore because obviously he's not around, right? Yeah. He Yeah, he's not around. And then everything just started getting a little bit off him and there was nobody else that was running the shop, his wife, family, nobody else was. Oh, he had his brother with him with working with him and um his wife, but his wife was uh doing um lashes. So, she was busy on her stuff, you know. She was more busier doing her thing than being in the shops, you know. And then um after that, I remember I was in Mexico City. I was he sent me to Mexico City to go train out there. And uh I get a call like 6:00 in the morning and he and they uh his brother calls me. He's like, "Hey bro, like I need you not to come back to Cancun cuz Oscar just got kidnapped." And I was like, "Oh, man." Like for real? Like so what you want me to do? Like stay out there as long as you can cuz pretty much a lot of people saw that I was his like right hand for him, you know? So I was I would do I know a lot of the business that he was doing and people was like if you come back to Cancun you probably be in danger as well. So uh I decided to stay in Mexico City for for um like a year a year and a half I think. And after that you're working at the shop running the shop to Yeah. Okay. I was I was running one of the shops out there. And then after that because when after he got kidnapped um he he got to escape the from the people. Oh wow. And um he decided to come back to to United States. So he lost everything in Mexico, right? And um he came back to United States and I was like what am I doing here? I mean my family is out there too, you know. and I decided to come back to to United States and this is I think if I'm not wrong it's 5 years ago. Okay. So about 2020 or so you decided to come to the states and uh are you already have something in mind set up here in the Dallas area or what area? Actually, it's crazy crazy story cuz my little brother I left uh here in Dallas when I was 20 21 and my little brother he was maybe on his 12 years old. I think he was like around 12 and um so when I I was when he turned 18 he surprised me with one time he called me he like hey bro he like I'm going to go to Mexico and go I'm going to go visit you. I was like yeah bro come through like I want to see you. You know what I'm saying? It's been a long time. Mhm. And he surprised me with him being a barber, too. Oh, wow. So, my little brother, he's a barber, too. You know, here in Dallas. Nice. So, uh when I came back to to Dallas, he told me, he like, "Bro, I got a job for you, like right there at the shop where I'm at." And I was like, "Okay." And as soon as the I got here, let's say I got here tonight. The next morning, I was already up 10. He was like, "Let's go to the shop. Let's go work." And that's how I started from right there. Okay. So, not to get nobody in trouble, but how you maneuver whenever you don't have like here is a little different than Mexico. So, how do you without getting uh giving too much information now? How do you maneuver that part wherever you're you do it as an apprentice under somebody that kind of sort of don't need the uh certification yet or how does that go? Um, at first somebody gave me the chance to cut like or without a license, but uh now um I'm I'm certified. I have my license now. Nice. And um I don't have I don't have to have a problem with that. So, uh but at first, yeah, he somebody that the owner of that shop gave me gave me the chance to work there and cuz pretty much he was risking it himself cuz they can get fined too, you know. Yeah. as as I can I can get fine, they can he can get fine, too. Absolutely. So, I mean, I appreciate him giving him me giving me the the opportunity to work at the shop and start my clientele, building my clientele in that in that area, which was over there in Michigan and Sele. Yeah. So, sometimes people are very particular with their barbers. Sometimes it's a relationship of your especially some some gentleman like I have the same lady barber and she'll know with somebody else. Yeah. Yeah. check like where was it? I haven't seen you in two weeks. Where'd you go? Like I don't even know where I look look gone. What you mean? Yeah. So, uh you started as soon as you start cutting is is the clientele starts coming up really soon. Did you see their work? They see your work. They see you like good. You have some techniques. Yeah. Um a lot of the barbers my my type of cutting hair now is doing shield work, doing a lot of blade work. Uh, it's not it's not it's not too I don't want to talk mess about the barbers out here or nothing. Got you. But a lot of them they just work with simple haircuts with tapers and a ball fade or a low fade, you know, and those are some of the basic cuts you would say. Yeah, basic cuts that somebody can do this is easy. Mhm. But scissors to line up the beards and everything to shade techniques to line up the beard toos. It's different. It's different. Yeah, it's different. Yeah. How'd you get your name? Um, M man Manny Blends. When did that come about? Cuz you used to have a different name. Well, screw the barberh actually came from from my childhood because they used to call me screw ever since I was like 17 because of my voice. They said, "Hey, bro, you something you sound slow." Like I was like, "Do I?" And that name just stayed with me the whole time, you know? And that's the same name I used in Mexico. Everybody knew as screw the barber. Like what what's does screw mean? tornado like torno barbar tor they just clown on me because they're like hey torno hey tornado and I like but when ever since I came um I got I got back here to Dallas gota um I started with that name as well but eventually I just wanted to be like I need to sound professional you know I need to sound professional and uh my girlfriend was like you got to change your name I was like sounds a little bit too hood. Yeah, a little bit too hood. I mean, a lot it sounds like a little bit like people going to be like scared to book with you cuz you're like what the [ __ ] is screw you know? Um so ever since my my name my real name is Manuel. So it's Manny is short for Manuel, you know. And everybody's like, well, my girls like just use Manny, you know I like Manny. And I at that second I was like, Manny Blends. I was like, I'mma use Manny Bl. So I'mma change it up. And I I changed it up. And And now I found out there's like two, three other barbers here. And dad is named Manny Blends, too. Was that before you or later on? I think I think you like one or two is was after me, but there might be like one of them that you had it first and me, you know. What makes you distinct for them as far as of course the technique, of course the things that you do, but I know there's some of the things that you focus on too is the social media part too because you put some videos together are very neat. Yeah, I I like to do a lot of content, you know, do a lot of videos and um I got the chance to like for example group of feed and when they come here to Dallas, I'm their official barber. Really? I got the person to contact in my phone. So, group of feed, you're the actual official contact. Edwin, uh AB, um they come directly to you. Yeah, they come directly to me every time. Every time they in Dallas, they hit me up and um they were like, "We need you to come cut our hair." And don't give out Barbo extra and I always take my brother with me because my brother's a good barber, too. Awesome. He's a good barber. And um we got to cut the whole staff. So, yeah. So, when they come to Dallas to you're the official. Yeah. That's neat. How did that come about? Who found you or who told them about you? Well, actually in Mexico, um I'm I'm a well-known barber in Mexico in the barber industry, you know, and a lot of the top barbers out there that cut a lot of celebrities that know me. Uh so they know you here now. Yeah. They know they know I'm in Dallas now. They hit me up like like two years ago. I had one of the barbers that could be cutting the soccer team, Chibas Alahara. Mhm. And um I think Mexico came to play here like I don't I can't remember exactly what team, but two years ago that he called me. He like, "Hey, um one of the needs don't haircut like you go cut them please." And I was like, "Yeah, of course, bro. I got you." You know what I'm saying? Um I have I know the barbers for El Fantasma Pesluma Jache. Um the barber for uh group of me Tijuana that's one of my homeboys too. Um he sent me a group of feed me out here. Nice. So I got I got a lot of connection with people out there in Mexico that help me and they send me celebrities out here whenever in the end Dallas and in need of a haircut. Nice. That's awesome. How did that feel to to know that even the work you did in Mexico was paying off even here in the the Dallas area? Man, it actually it's crazy. It's crazy because I never thought it was going to pay off like that. I really thought I was going to have a hard time to grow as a barber here in Dallas, but um it opened a lot of doors for me and u I got the chance to meet a lot of people, big people out there in Mexico, too, you know. Nice. And here in the United States, I'm barely getting started. So, well, it's I know it's been 5 years and but I still feel like I'm getting started as uh building up my my clientele and my my barber fame in the industry, you know. Got you. So, I mean eventually I'm I got plans to keep growing and meeting more people like celebrities uh uh basketball players, football players, you know. Uh not not too long ago, maybe like last year, I cut one of the New York Giants football players as well. And um I just want to keep growing, man. Yeah. I seen you uh had a picture with Lennox Lewis. I don't know if it had anything to do with Barbing, but I know you took a picture together. Well, he actually, this is a crazy story for that one fight of Mike Tyson and Jake Paul at the AT&T. Yeah. I used to work right next to the AT&T. There was a barber shop right there. Mhm. Um I used to work right next to it and um one day Lennox walks walks into the shop with his son just randomly. Randomly him and his son and um at first Do you recognize him? I I I didn't recognize him at first, but one of my um partners right there at the barber shop, another barber, he's like he was old he's old school. He's really old school. And um he came up to me like, "Hey bro, you know who that is?" I like now who is it? And um he was the one that approached him and tell him he like you Lennox Lewis, right? And he was like he looked him up. He like, "Yo, why?" And I was just like, "Oh man, like it it is him, huh?" Without the hair is a little older than me. Yeah, he's older. So, I I got lucky that I had one of I had a pair of my boxing gloves in in my truck and I was like I told Homeboy like, "Hey, I'm going to go get my boxing gloves." I'm go get my boxing gloves and I told I'm I'mma try to get him to sign it. And um at first we were having a conversation about uh Canelo. As a matter of fact, me and Lennox, we were having a conversation about uh Canelo being the best Mexican bar, I mean uh boxer. And um so he was like he's a good boxer man. He's a good boxer. I ain't going to lie. But it like he he he always went for Benas better. Yeah. So I was like oh man I like because the reason that we started talking I had a Canelo frame in my station. Oh okay. So I had one of his canvas right there and it had it had a picture Canelo and I'm a big Canelo fan. So he that's why he started talking to me about Canelo. And then that's when I told him, I said, I took a I took the chance. And I said, "Hey, um, are you able to sign me the glove?" And he like, "You got a glove with you?" I like, "Yeah, I got some gloves with me." And he was like, "Okay, bring it." And then he told his son, he's like, "Hey, bring the uh" He had like little posters of his uh picture. Oh, nice. And he started signing it for all the barbers. That's dope. So he went in there to get his haircut for this kid. Yeah. Him. And well, he was doing his beard. Oh, gotcha. Yeah, he did his beard. That was the only thing he did. Did you ended up doing the beard? Uh, not my my homeboy, the OG. That was like he because I didn't recognize him and I was actually waiting for an appointment. So, I that's why I couldn't take him in. If not, if I if I had my my chair free, I would have took him too, you know. That's awesome. Yeah. You uh what other celebrity that people might recognize that you might uh cut their hair or here in the DFW that might people recognize? Um, Baby Young. There's a rapper called Baby Young from White Chapel. I think he's from West Chapel, North Dallas. Um, who else? Maybe not from here. From Dallas, but there's a Mexican rappers called Hera Heris. Yeah. Yep. Alan. Um, Santa Fe clan. You official barber. So, you just had to happen to cut their hair. Uh, I cut their hair like two, three times in like in Mexico. They used to call me and Oh, nice. Cuz um before me being a barber um I used to be in music. I used to rap. Oh, really? Yeah. So, in Mexico? Uh at first I started here. What were you What you go by? Uh DTown Screw. DTown Screw. Dtown Screw. Yeah. So, you were Dtown Screw before you ended up in Mexico. Yeah. So, you were doing music here. Heavy. Um I was Yeah. Pretty. I was recording with um a big artist from Houston called Rob G. Um, I have two songs with um, MB Riders. I got songs with MB Riders and um, from there I went to Mexico and I used to see out there. It surprised me because the rap they listen to over there is is like old school rap hip-hop, you know, like 80s, 90s, 90s like um Crime Off or you know Wuang Clan and Oh shoot, even older. So did you try to pick up the career over there when you were in Mexico? I tried to I tried to and um was it harder over there or not? You just actually that's the first when I first moved to Mexico that's the first thing that opened the doors for me out there cuz um Hera Eis took me into his crew and uh he made me part of his crew and he one one of his first albums he has a song with me on on that album. The same name Dtown Screw or they come they they put me at Screw Makis. Screw screws. Yeah. Nice. and um he gave me the chance and I said, "Okay." But honestly, there was no money in there, you know. I couldn't leave out of being a rap artist, you know. So, I was like, I got to try something else. That's when I got into the barberh shop. Did you uh were you rapping in Spanish or in English? Uh both. Yeah. You were doing mixing it up. Yeah. And they like your flow. Yeah. They like my flow. So, they were like, "Hey, let's we want to make you tap our our one of the members in the crew." I was like, "Okay, you're cool." How How long did that run go for? Man, that went for like I want to say for like a half a year or a little bit more. I got to open uh I I got to perform in front of like 2,000 people. Nice. In a baseball stadium, open up for Sean and a lot of um famous rep uh rap artists out there in Mexico. Yeah. So, you were in it. You were in it big time. Yeah. So, but just the money and the touring just wasn't enough. Yeah. It wasn't It wasn't enough for me, you know. So um after I went on tour, it was only like a three uh three city tour that I went after in Mexico with uh Ha and Alan. After that I decided to move to Cancun and after I moved to Cancun I I left all behind you know I left it behind and um I I started to proceed my barber career out there. So they still hit you up afterwards for knowing them too for the cutting? for the cutting. They still call me like I just seen that um as a matter of fact they're having a concert out here uh next year. Oh, dope. Yeah. And um you know I mean if they still call me you know mean I'm pretty sure they don't get you cut over there. I got you. I got you. You know that's dope. Okay. So around here are you uh you had a particular because right here you rent the space and everything else. So you recently moved to a different place right? You were previously a different location. Yeah. Now you're going to be cutting off a new location. Do you want to give us the details on that? Yeah. Well, I barely moved to a new location which is in Jefferson Boulevard and it's right between um Bishop Arts and Sank if I'm not if I'm not wrong. And um I'm at I'm at I'm at locations. It's going to be it's it's it's a barber supply and a beauty supply, but there's only going to be two barbers there, which is me and one of my friends that I made in Mexico, as a matter of fact. Wow. So, um me and him met out there cuz uh we were judges for a barber battle out there. Tell me about those battles. Uh so, you were judging because of all the work you were doing because you're well known. Uh, for whatever reason I thought you were competing with who were you actually the judge and then there's different I mean I didn't realize how crazy they are. They got categories for the barbers. You got like your classical and you have things like that. How did that come about? How did they find you to like, hey, you want to be a judge for this? Well, they actually got me because they knew the people that knew me. They knew that I was one of the pioneers out there as a barber. You know, barber industry wasn't like that out there in Mexico. When I first got to Mexico, they were still old school barbers like back in the days that used to um sharpen their blades on navaj leather and um I still got the chance to go to a barber like that out there in Mexico. That's dope. And um so I was one of the first like I want to say I want to call it the urban barber. Mhm. Generations of type of haircuts, you know, they were doing like Got like ball fades and they were doing los Sanos all the designs and stuff. Mhm. So the people that that used to uh organize all those events, they knew me and they were like, we need the the pioneer, one of the pioneers on the barber industry from Mexico to be part of this. So they always used to hit me up and tell me, "Hey, we want you to come and judge for one of our battles," you know, and I was like, "Okay." And and that's how I got the chance to do that. That's dope, man. What does it feel like? Cuz it gets intense sometimes, right? To be judging just waiting to see like seeing the technique and everything. See, whenever you a judge, you got to judge everything like the type uh the way the work like the the hygiene as well. You know, they got to be clean. Barbers got to be clean. you can't have a you can't be competing have all your stuff all messy and looking all dirty you know so we qualify like to from um how clean you are so your um how you say it um your techniques that you have and um the art that you can do on a haircut because a lot of people nowadays they do the signs and then they color it with some like a certain color er and and I mean they they go extra on on the haircuts now on the barber battles. Yeah, of course. A lot of people they they they go crazy on those haircuts. I don't know if you ever seen them, but I've seen some of them. Yeah, for sure. Seen they paint their faces in some type of way and everything. Like I've seen a Sonic the Hedgehog design. I've seen freaking Thanos on one. I mean, they get crazy with it. Yeah, they get crazy with it. So, I mean, it's just it's it's it's something fun and it's a good experience to go through being a judge and and uh see how all these young barbers uh growing, you know? That's dope. So, how does it feel to you to be one of the pioneer judges to be there sitting down? Did he ever dawn on you like, "Oh, that's pretty cool. I'm like one of the pioneers and they have me here to judge these cuts of these individuals coming up." Yeah. I mean it it feel it feels good because um actually there was people that I never knew they knew about me. Wow. And they would come up to me like, "Hey, can we take a picture with you?" And and me as a barber, I was like, I always wanted to be a rapper. I always wanted to be a, you know what I'm saying, an artist. You know, but that didn't come through. But now this came through. And it's kind of the same thing because people wanted to take pictures with me, you know? People were asking me, "Hey, let's take a picture. Can I take a picture with you?" and and it it feels good, you know, just to be noticed and be recognized as one of the pioneers barbers from Mexico. That's dope. Do you have uh I know some people like to lay out their table a certain way and they always have it the same way laid out. Do you that type of individual or you don't like their layout of how they're going to cut like the way that they lay out their setup the table and things like that or not necessarily? Yeah. Um, I do depending on the type of hair cuz you uh I'mma do you know if it's something that I know that I'mma use mo more mostly the shears uh I got like four or five pairs of shears you know. Gotcha. And each each one of them you use them for a different thing. You don't use the same shear for everything. Like say if I want to texture the hair I use the shorter ones. Okay. If I'mma cut the top, you know, I I use some other type of scissors, you know, or use a thinning shears, too, like to give it texture or whatever, you know, it's just um I I have my own setup on on every every client is different. Gotcha. So, yeah, it's neat cuz again, to me, scissors are scissors, shears, or shears, they all look the same, but it's crazy how you're able to tell. And even when you're cutting, you can tell. Can you see the haircut before you even start? when they tell you kind of sort of see how it's going to be at the end. I I I can Yeah, I actually can. I I can when I see the client, I can I can imagine in my head, okay, this is how it's going to have to look and I got to make it as possible to make it to look as my imagination can see that that haircut to look, you know. So, when did that started happening for you that you were able to do it? Was it immediately earlier in your career or you took years? H probably took me like around five five years to start uh doing that type of like visualizing and making it true. Wow, that's neat. Okay, so do you have any plans here in the near future to have your own shop, your own chain? I mean, you have everything as far as running it to, you know, training to all that stuff, you know, here in the near future. Are you wanting to do something along those lines? Of course. Yeah. Yeah. One of my plan is um to open my own shop uh one day and um also have the chance to open a barber school. Yeah. And have some of the best uh professors or educators to teach this people that trying to come into this uh community and teach them the best we can. What frustrates you the most as far as let's I don't know if you ever had somebody that came in that somebody messed up the haircut and you have to fix it some way somehow. I don't know if it's fixable, but what frustrate you the most whenever you get to see somebody that comes see you to try to save their cut. Man, I had I had the so one time not too long ago. It's been a few months. Uh this kid came into the shop and uh he told me, "Can you fix my haircut?" And I was like and I looked at him. I said, "Damn." And he's like, "So my mom tried to cut it for me." Mom, leave it to the pros. I know they calling me is tough. But And then the bomb came in and she was like, "Can you please fix it?" I like cuz I was trying to not It's not It don't It's not as easy as it looks. I was like, "Yeah, it's not. It's like you got to you got to know and have a vision sometimes with the type of haircut you want to do. But um the type of hair, man, it's just sometimes the type of hair don't help a lot, you know? Yeah. Like some there's people that have that that little spiky ass hair that that you can't control. Like they say they want to comb it like to a certain side and you're like I rather tell my clients and be honest with them that look your type of hair is not going to help you. Like you got to you got to do something that's going to go with your type of hair you know like there's people that want to come into the side and it's not going to go to the side if your hair is not going to do that. So it's like yeah I mean it's the type of hair sometime it's like it stresses me out like oh man like so the type of hair not really necessarily the barbers were you able to save that kid's haircut oh yeah you able to and after that that time he he decided to get a perm the kid the kid he came back he came back he got he got a perm that he bunny blame bad bunny for that so he got a perm yeah he got a perm and uh he changed the whole style so nothing else frustr frustrates you as far as the barber industry? I don't know how it is. I never been, but I kind of sort of see a little bit of moving around different things like that, but I don't know if you see any kind of trends that kind of like irks you a little bit and like I wish that because you know being the OG of Mexico doing it, being one of the pioneers to currently, do you see anything that are like I'm not feeling that at all whatsoever? Anything comes to mind? Um, no, not really. I mean, you don't knock the hustle. Yeah, that's pretty pretty much it, you know? It's just whatever comes. I mean, I I work with it, you know. Yeah. But for you, you just have a way of doing it things because you've been doing it for so long being one of the pioneers to how do you want it to run because that's just the way that you were taught, right? Yeah. That's pretty cool. What one of the most significant lessons that you learned doing like learning about barbing that you're like, "Oh man, this this took me far. me learning this took me far. Anything that comes to mind? Just pretty much learning from other barbers, you know, is what took me to uh to learn more and just be able to get the work done, you know. Yeah. So, you kind of sort of got to do a little bit of ego check to be able to be open to learn from others to help you grow. And that and that's what that's one one thing I always recommend to a lot of barbers to go out there and then learn from other barbers. And there's not a certain way to cut. You're going to learn from everybody. You can grab something from this barber. You can grab another thing from the other barber. And you can go to 10 seminars from 10 different barbers and you're going to pick something up from them. And you're going to create your own style of how how to cut, you know. Awesome. So, it's not it's not um I I say always to uh try to grow yourself. Leave that ego back behind and go out there and learn learn. You know what I'm saying? Just from other barbers. It's good. It's a good experience to see other people do work and and um and learn from them, you know. Do you still go out and do to different places and things like that to learn more? Oh yeah. Um actually last year um I got sponsored by this uh product brand and it's it was the first time a Mexican uh brand came to the barber expo here in Dallas which is the Barberhop connect expo. Um they do what's the name of that brand? Uh they they call it Cabon with a K. With a K. Cabon. That's cool. And what kind of products do they have? They have pomades, they have um the powder, they got shaving gel, after shaves, they had pretty much everything what a barber needs, you know. And they saw you, where did they saw you that they connected with you, wanted to work with you, have sponsor you specifically? Um, first cuz I was Mexican. Um, so Mexicano and the brand was straight from uh Guara. So they decided that okay so it's it's the first time we're gonna go out there to a barber expo and they contact me and they said hey we want you to come and represent our brand. What's that for the sink connects from Cancun or just saw you on Instagram or social media? Social media. Social media. Um, that's what they that's the way they find me to contact me and uh to to represent our brand here in here in the United States. That's dope. How do I feel whenever they said the paraki? Hey, I ain't going to lie to you though, but um when I first started barbering in in Cancun and cuz the owner, he he organized two uh two events. He brought he used to he was uh taking famous barbers from the United States to Mexico to do do seminars, you know? Yeah. And I was like, man, I like I want to I want to be like that one day. You know what I'm saying? I want to be in a barber expo and show my haircuts, show my work, my art, and represent a brand, you know? See, and I never and I always had the dream of coming to United States, back to United States and being part of a expo, a barber expo. and uh 2024 was the the year for me that I got to experience that. How did it feel to have a dream come true? You thought about do it one of these days and now it happened. Man, I ain't going to lie to you. It feel it feel real good. Um I was so excited. I remember um I was so excited that my girls, she noticed that I was like she like, "Oh, you man, you look real excited." and she she decided to get me a brand new set of clippers for just for that event. And I was like like, "Oh, that's what's up." You know, my my girl supported me, you know, in this and and it felt good, you know, for me it was like I was excited. I could I couldn't believe it, though. And um just to be able to work with other other uh barbers that I I always look up to, still look up to, you know, that if I see them in a seminar, I will still try to go learn from them. You know, it's a big deal in the social media, right? There's a lot of different people with different content all over the place, the world, London, you name it. They're they they're very known for their techniques and stuff and techniques. Yeah. Look at their stuff and see what can you learn from them, right? Yeah. Um, also in Mexico I got I got I got the opportunity to get sponsored by a brand of shears. Um, that was my last two years I was over there. They sponsored me and then I got sponsored by one of the uh another product brand from California and they they were trying to move their product in Mexico and they sponsor me out there too. Yeah. What are your thoughts on micropigmentation? And I know some barbers uh are implemented it or they started doing I had a lady from Fort Worth that started one of the pioneers in the field as well as microp pigmentating like tattooing that. What are your thoughts on that for you? I look actually um good thing you you touched that topic right there cuz when I was in Cancun I want to say maybe like around nine years ago. Mhm. 9 years ago, uh, the pioneers of the micro penitation from Canada were out there in Cancun and they contact me and they were like, "Hey, we want to show you something new to the barber industry." And I was like, "Okay." And they came to the shop and they gave me the chance to they they taught me how to do it and everything. and we were going to try to start doing it out there, but I didn't see the people that it was going to be like um something that was going to hit, you know? So, I kind of put it like put it to the side and I never kept on doing it. So, now that I come to to the United States, I see that out here a lot of people do it out here and and it's expensive. It's expensive to take the it's like a three-day uh training they do and it's like around $4,000 $5,000 just for a three-day training. Yeah. Micrognutation. So Erica is um Martinez is one of the ones that doesn't forward that runs her own shop and does everything like her own school and one of the ones I know. I know there's different ones, but she's traveled all the way to Asia to show showcase her work. Yeah, I see. It's super awesome, man. I seen that. Well, actually that um that person from Canada that one that taught me I seen I still follow them and I still keep in touch with them and uh I see they they travel to Dubai, they travel to London. Yeah. To different parts of the world to just to go teach that, you know. Cool. So I I am thinking about um proceeding that still right now. And um I started taking a couple of classes for that already. Nice. Um, but I'm not really into it 100%. But I already got two, three customers lined up and be like, "Hey, you're going to be one of my first customers." You know, it's a good skill to have to go with the barber. Cuz that's how she started with barbing uh doing barber work and transfer over to this and now it's like no no cutting hair, just mostly teaching and doing it. Yeah. And uh has her own own thing. Again, I'm telling you, she travel all the way to Asia. And I was like super proud of her. Like it is neat to be able to see. No, it it's it's something that it's going to keep growing. I think so. Absolutely. You know, if you're really good in technique, you can't even tell like and I didn't realize how much cuz when we talk about hair, we're talking about doing good and everything. Some men will not take their hat off just because they're have hair missing. They won't they will miss important events like weddings, kinayeras because they can't wear their hat. Yeah. and stay home instead of going out in the world. And that gives them the little bit of confidence just like a good haircut to be out and about and moving. And it's crazy that it's like to us is like eh whatever. But but to them is like a life-changing deal. Yeah. That's pretty neat. All right, we're running short on time, but before I let you go, did you have any questions when you were driving over here? Like, man, I hope he asked me about this or I hope he he uh touches up on this. Anything that comes to mind to you? Um, no. pretty much touch every subject that I wanted to talk about. Awesome. Thank you so much. I appreciate your time, man. Again, I knew that you had some interesting stories because I seen a few things, but I everything that you we talked about is like amazing. Truly amazing. Remarkable. I hope he inspires other young barbers that look up to you, other individuals that are looking into getting into barber to go ahead and pull the trigger and start doing that. Before I let you go, touch up on all your social media. Where can people reach you at? Where can they at? um on Instagram. I'm there as bless my hustle. So it's bless_line myhustle and y'all can book with me through there or I have a booking link in in my in the same uh profile. Yeah. You're somewhat religious, right? You're you're very uh religious when it comes to uh certain saints and things like that. Yeah. Yeah. I I do. I'm I'm Catholic so I I believe a lot in Sano Lup. So is Sano sometime tied to the barbing or not? Not not really. No, he's not. Just in general. Yeah, just in general. Just it's something that I've always been believing on, you know. Amazing. All right. And uh I know you have a YouTube. You only posted a few, but uh it's a YouTube channel and Mini Blends. Yeah. Awesome. And then of course you're I don't know if you like to have people on your Facebook, but if people wanted to Facebook follow you as well. Yeah, they can follow me in any plans uh on Facebook. Um screw the barber. Screw the barber. I mean, whoever still decides to call me that, I mean, I'm fine with it, too, you know. Cool. Cool. Saludos. Any saludos you have? Reie Hente, anybody that uh you know, you helped you throughout your career or you know, just in general, familia, whoever you got shout out. Saludos. Well, I through my career, I do want to give a shout out to one of my major people that I I learned a lot from in this barber industry, which is Oscar Walls, the one um that I was working for in Mexico, and he actually just opened a shop in Miami. Nice. He is It's called Wall Studio. Awesome. Yeah, he opened a shop in Miami. So, shout out to Oscar. And um who else? All the barbers out there in Mexico that always keep in touch with me. Right. Cal Joeita [Music] Mexico City. He's my partner here in Dallas and we're at the new shop. We the only two barbers there and we trying to grow and he's a great barber as well. A big shout out to him, you know. He um shout out to all my family, all my friends out here, and I appreciate appreciate you having me here today, bro. Absolutely. But brother, I know we it's been almost like a year since I messaged you somewhere around that time. Like, I'm going to get to him. I'm going get to him. I had to get to him. Uh what is an important lesson that you learned doing the barber business you would tell somebody, your younger self, that would help somebody else out? What would that be? One thing that I do recommend is always to um try to learn everything that was coming new. you know this uh the trends they change often you know and like right now you know how they have their haircut get Edgar cut get cut all those it's a whole different new thing it's something new that I had to try to come into and apply yourself to that apply myself yeah because it's what the customer wants if you can't do it then they're going to go somewhere But again, I'm be honest with you, a lot of people out here, depending on the area you work at, a lot of people don't ask for the type of haircut that I used to do a lot over there in Mexico, you know. A lot of it's people's different, you know. So, of course, always grow and be humble, you know, just hustle and like like I always say, bless just bless the hustle. Bless the hustle. Bless the hustle. Uh usually throughout my day, sometimes uh during my day, my week, I say something along the lines uh that I heard from this yogi. I'm not immortal. I am mortal and I will die one day. Not to scare me or terrify me, but helps me hurry up and do do stuff with that. I wish you a very long prosperous life after everything said and done. What do you want people to think and feel about your life? I just want I just want people to see that um I came a long way in this barberh industry and that um there's a you know like I didn't think I was going to grow in this when I when I went to Mexico and I had to start a whole new life out there and I was like what am I going to do but just believe in yourself and you know just know that you can do you can make it you can do Absolutely. Do you think barbering, doing barber is your calling these days or you think you're still looking for that in particular? Um, I think it's my calling. Yeah. Awesome. Uh, Manny Bland, again, I know I had messaged you. I don't know how even we got connected. Either way, we were uh mutual friends on uh Facebook and then I seen some of the things that you were posting and I think I seen it might have been old video, but then you videos that you be posting all the time and things like that and I I didn't realize how much of a interesting story all the things that you you did in Mexico, all the things that you have to go through and of course some of the things we didn't touch up on, but still it's just amazing that uh things opened up for you because you kept hustling and working and now even getting here to be able to, you know, still showcase your work and people still calling you because they know the good work that you're done uh is amazing. Without a shadow of that, Manny Blland, you are a global land factor. Thank you for being here. Thank you, sir. This was another episode of the Global Land Factor podcast. Remember to subscribe to the channel while you have nothing to lose. This amazing story is only right here on the Global Land Factor. So, subscribe today and remember we are just like you. We are people. We are humans. We are the spice and flavor in this melting pot that we call the world. Till next time. [Music]