One of my friends from high school asked me last week if I was interested in doing a photo shoot for her hip hop artist friend. Besides the photos I took of my musician roommate for fun and practice earlier this year, I haven't done any other music-related shoots. That being said, I was pretty excited to not only photograph Inverse Hip Hop today, but also getting to know the two guys that make up the group: Tunji and Toby. After two hours of shooting around Echo Park and Downtown Los Angeles, it brings me great pleasure to let you know that Tunji and Toby are both high-class, very sincere, and professional guys.

I had a chance to ask them a few questions about their work, i.e. what their music is about, how long they've been together, what plans they have for 2008, etc. I don't know much (more like anything) about the hip hop world, but after listening to some of their tracks, I highly encourage you to check them out. Inverse says their music is "honest, real, and about personal, growing up issues" we all have to deal with. I definitely got that feeling after listening to the lyrics of their songs. So check out their songs and read up on their blog when you have a chance. Enjoy the photos!

Thanks guys for trusting me with the camera today. I hope you enjoyed these photos and find good use for them. Perhaps we can work again together in the near future. Good luck with your music journey!

Buck players perform their pre-game dance during the starting line-up:

Fan Patrol member Glenn pumps up the crowd:

Desmond Mason goes up for two:

Tim Thomas and 20 year-old sensation from China Yi Jianlian went at each other all night:

Aaron Williams dunks over Andrew Bogut:

Bogut attempts a right-hand hook over Kaman:

Mobley tries to drive around Charlie Bell:

Michael Redd passes to one of his teammates:

Dan Dickau makes a lay-up over the long arms of Charlie Villanueva:

This is what I see from where I sit :).

Yi tries to dunk on CK:

Maggette soars high over former teammate Bobby Simmons for the rebound:

Thomas shoots a jumper over a Bogut-Williams double team:

Now Williams shoots one over a Kaman-Dickau double team:

Yi drives baseline but Thomas tries to prevent him from going to the hole:

Two emerging centers battle for the rebound:

Dickau has trouble staying in front of Williams:

Mobley looks to get through a tough Bucks double team:

Former Clipper Simmons barely gets by one on Mobley:

Some of you might remember Anton from the interview I did about him several weeks ago. Anton is a college student from Bulgaria who is one of the most dedicated Clippers fans I've ever met. He took the time to send me over some of his Clippers fan work via DHL Express mail about two weeks ago. I can't say I'm a very emotional person but the feeling I got when I opened the package and looked at all the amazing things he made and sent to me was beyond phenomenal. It was definitely the best thing I've ever gotten in the mail and I know I'll cherish it all for a very long time. I'd like to share with you all what he sent me.

Anton pretty much worked night and day to get his Clippers stuff to me and even sent it via DHL Express!

The letter Anton wrote to me; Dena is the Clippers' website manager and Elie (Seckbach) is an Israeli news reporter for the NBA and one of the funniest guys on the mic, aka "The Embedded NBA Correspondant". I will try and show off Anton's work to them but I'd like to keep them all afterwards :).

The Maggette All-Star t-shirt he made for me; with this shirt, guess how many Maggette All-Star shirts we have in this world now? My guess would be...one.

A closer look at Anton's drawing skills:

I requested he also make me a long-sleeve Maggette shirt that I could possibly sport at Clippers games:

Hey Anton, I think CM looks a little pale here ;).

The Bulgarian basketball magazine, RAP Basket, made its way to the city of angels, Los Angeles:

Inside of Rap Basket:

Check out Anton's killer artwork here. That's right folks, let's all vote CM into the All-Star game in New Orleans!

Sweet! Another All-Star drawing by Anton. This and the previous one are going up in my room.

Anton also sent me several postcards from Bulgaria, check them out!

Last but certainly not least, here's the blue folder with a myriad of the Clippers-related articles Anton has collected over his many years as a diehard fan:

This is what I like to call DEDICATION! Simply amazing...

I think I feel a few tears building up in my eyes :(. It's quite emotional to just look at all the hard work a loyal fan has put into, especially one that's all the way from the other side of the world.

Anton, you made my two decade stint as a Clippers fan all worth it, thank you so much for taking the time to make and send me all these memorable gifts. I sincerely mean that from the bottom of my heart.

What I admire so much about someone like Anton isn't really his love for the Clippers and Corey Maggette, but his dedication and passion about something he truly loves and cares about, which are two very important qualities I look for in people. The reality is CM will most likely not make the All-Star team this season and the Clippers will not be a very good team anytime soon; but the fact that there's a fan like Anton in this world means more to me than either of those two things. It's truly a privilege to be the honorary fan of one Anton Toncheff from Bulgaria. Hopefully we'll be cheering the Clippers to a championship together at Staples Center in the near future!