Game Changer

When a high IQ is paired with the savvy street smarts of a kingpin, the streets get turned upside down.

Thomas Richard is what some would call a genius. Born and raised in Inglewood, California, Thomas grew up in a Blood neighborhood and was somewhat fascinated by the gang lifestyle. His first cousin, Blast, was deeply involved with the Crenshaw Mafia Gangster Bloods and made sure that Thomas would never partake in that life. Thomas accepted that, but deep in his heart, he still felt he was a Blood.

Now, Thomas works for a high-tech computer company and uses his high intelligence to excel at his job. While playing a slot machine app on his phone one day, he figures out a way to be able to rig slot machines to give out the maximum payout. After he tests his theory and becomes an instant millionaire, Thomas’s life changes instantly. Buying expensive jewels for his fiance and taking care of his family, he has more money than he can deal with.

Keeping the secret of his get-rich-quick scheme is driving him crazy, and he decides to tell Blast—a mistake that turns his world inside out. Money, cars, lowriders, and the best of everything money can buy will lead to blackmail and eventually murder, all because Thomas can’t keep a secret.

Raised in Inglewood, California, Clifford "Spud" Johnson had numerous encounters with drugs, mayhem, and ultimately, the California Youth Authority. These experiences gave Clifford a template of street life. The hustle of welfare-dependent families sculpted by the day to day hood life that he experienced provides the imagery he displays in his work.