While I’m out there trying to get my hands on Palace t-shirts, Carhartt pants and other white-boy shit, a curious subculture has emerged in Bangkok that has seen many men taking to dressing up as Mexican gangsters and forming gangs – cholo clothes, tats, ese hair, bikes, bling and all.

Once decked out in all their gear, these dudes look pretty intense. Interestingly, however, beneath this intimidating facade and shared passion for the ‘gangster’ lifestyle lies a rather humbling mentality, free of violent tendencies and everything else that encompasses the stereotypical Mexican baller-image.

In fact, one of the interviewees featured in the video is a government bureaucrat by day, and a self-proclaimed Mexican gangster by night. Another gang member is a policeman by day. Another, a technician, who describes himself as being a “D-sixty gangster” by night.

Acting like less of a gang and more like a brotherhood, these guys don’t forge rivalries, fight amongst themselves or deal in illicit drugs. Rather, these dudes are a style conscious collective who relish both the company of each other and hip-hop in equal regard. It’s refreshingly heart-warming.

Look out for the solo Thai gangster rap at 2:44, entitled Fuck the Popo With Big Guns. 

[Via.]

More hip-hoppery 

Watch: Take a look at Nas’ hip hop fellowship at Harvard University 
Outkast, Jay Z, Snoop Dogg and more cover XXL’s ’40 Years of Hip Hop’ issue
Good Read: The Lessons of a Failed Hip Hop Publicist