Tour Tales | Simone A. says DC Young Fly is an extremely prayerful man & all about his kids 24/7
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Simone A. left her home state of California for Atlanta, and before she knew it, was photographing ATL luminaries like Travis Porter. Since 2018, the West Coast native has captured it all — from pregnant Cardi B performing unhindered by the baby she was growing to her first encounter with “comedy groupies.”
“Some girl took her teeth out. She knocked them out and gave them to the ‘85 South’ boys,” Simone A. told REVOLT. “I didn’t know there were comedy groupies like there are music groupies. But this tour has shown me there are definitely comedy groupies.”
In this installment of “Tour Tales,” the burgeoning photographer explained how Travis Porter’s live show gave some concertgoers their Magic City moment, how DC Young Fly stays connected with his children on the road, and why her favorite shots to capture are of the fans. Read the exclusive below.
Your first experience with touring was with Travis Porter in 2018. How did you connect with them?
I got connected with Travis Porter through my best friend’s dad. I’m originally from California, and I moved to Atlanta and decided I wanted to shoot concerts. I was conversing with him, and he told me, “I’m friends with so and so and such and such,” and they were in charge of Travis. So, he linked me with them, and from then on, they wanted to work with me.
How much of their lifestyle did you see?
I saw a lot because I would be up at the studio often, and they would come and just be hanging out at the studio. They might be recording; they might not be recording. I saw a lot of their lives. I saw Ali and his daughter. At this point, I would do anything for them. There were three of them on stage, and I was shooting on a camera that I had to focus manually. So, it was hard trying to focus on three different dudes manually instead of being able to allow the camera to do the focusing.
How would you describe their shows?
It was a bit surprising that I was listening to Travis Porter in my college years, and then I was shooting with them while folks who are definitely a lot younger than me were still rocking with them how I was rocking with them back in the day. Their shows are always a good time. Everyone’s go-to song at their shows was “Bring It Back.”
They were also known to bring fans on stage.
Yeah, they were twerking, busting the splits, and showing support. The girls would get on stage and think they would have their Magic City strip club experience with the boys (laughs).
What moments do you enjoy capturing at a live show?
I like to do candids, so I love to get crowd shots to see how the crowd reacts to their favorite artists. To be there and see these folks really geek out, cry, and be super excited [to even] be there are honestly the moments I live for when I shoot.
You’ve photographed artists during special moments in their careers — like pregnant Cardi B at 2018 Birthday Bash. What effect did being with child have on her performance?
She didn’t miss a beat. If it weren’t for the fact she had a stomach, you wouldn’t have noticed anything. She was still out there. She was sitting in the back before the show, but she was Cardi when she came out on stage. She gave you Cardi, pregnant or not. She was cool backstage. She was really nice. She was taking photos with anyone who wanted to take photos. Usually, when I shoot folks and celebrities, I tend to just be a fly on the wall. I’m waiting to see if they need me. I have a couple of photos of her sitting back there just chilling.
Were there any other fly-on-the-wall experiences where you saw celebrities in a light that fans might not be privileged to witness?
I would say right now, touring with DC [Young Fly]. He’s always prayed up. We can all say we pray, but this man prays. It’s cool to see a young man like himself who’s been through what he’s been through still have the faith he has. He’s thankful for everything. It makes you sit there and evaluate what you pray for and are thankful for because it feels like you can do much more.
You have such emotive photos of Snoh Aalegra. What did you notice about how she likes to be shot?
She likes to be shot only on one side. We could only shoot her on her left side when I shot her. She set it up for us like that. It was, “This is the angle you got; this is what you have to work with.” She made it so when she laid on the floor, it was just her left side. She’s really calculated with her moves. An artist like 6LACK is one of my favorite people to shoot because his moves show he knows cameras are on him. He moves very gracefully.
What’s the most memorable live show you’ve captured?
It would have to be [Saturday], (Sept. 9). Some girl took her teeth out. She knocked them out and gave them to the “85 South” boys. She just popped them out. They had a comedy show [Saturday] in Mobile, Alabama. I didn’t know there were comedy groupies like there are music groupies. But this tour has shown me there are definitely comedy groupies (laughs). This girl in the crowd was saying something about DC, and then she just clanked the whole top row of her teeth out of her mouth. She wasn’t old; she was young. And then she put it back in, but they told her, “No, do that again, but do it sexy.” So, she did it again and gave it to them. They put it on a stool and paraded it on the stage.
The mother of DC’s children, Ms. Jacky Oh, recently passed away. How have you seen him embrace fatherhood on the road?
He is on the phone with his babies every 10 minutes, 24/7. He is very much involved.
What do you have coming up for the rest of 2023?
I have a tour run that I’m going on next week. It’s with an up-and-coming Florida artist named UFO Toon. He’s from Florida, but he lives in Atlanta. Besides that, I’m just working on my TV show I want to come out. Hopefully, I might end up on someone big… like a Drake or Beyoncé tour someday.
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