South LA native is first woman inducted into Lowrider Hall of Fame
LOS ANGELES - The "First Lady of Lowriding" is from our own backyard.
To say that Tina Blanckenship-Early has been breaking through all her life would be an understatement. Dubbed the "First Lady" for being the first woman in her car club is fitting, considering she was accepted over twenty years ago.
But now, the woman who began installing car audio for her best friend’s dad's ’66 Chevy Impala many years ago is the first woman inducted into the National Lowrider Hall of Fame, the first female in the Super Natural Lowriders club in LA and the first named Woman of the Year by Lowrider Magazine.
You may have seen her baby blue 1966 Caprice known as "Game Killa" in the seminal "Straight Outta Compton" opening scene, or in music video for Tiffany Haddish’s "Come & Get Your Baby Daddy." Perhaps you’ve seen her cruising in her legendary 1961 Impala low rod, all chrome and blue bling, with images of First Lady Michele Obama on the rear hood. They are her vehicles, with just about every inch bearing Tina’s fingerprints.
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"We are no longer just pretty arm rests on these cars" she said, adding "we are building them from the ground up." She can prove it, too, and explained women have been involved in the generally male-dominated lowrider world for quite some time. But she has been doing it non-stop for over 20 years, which is one of the reasons Lowrider Magazine picked her for the award.
"Game Killa" went from a shell on wheels in 2003 to a rising star when she first bought it out in 2010. "My husband and I did probably 60% of the work on it," she explained. "Everything from fuel Ines and disc brakes to suspension, wiring all the electrical from headlights to taillights."
Riding in it, the first thing you notice (other than seemingly everyone in South LA waving at you while they are trying to snap selfies) is how smooth the ride is, thanks to a fuel injected V-8 from a 2001 Camaro.
But when it comes to hopping, the bouncing on wheels is so embedded in low riding, let’s just say you better have your seat belt on.
"You have to flow with it" suggested Tina, as my photographer tried to hang on to the camera and just about everything else from the back seat.
For me, let’s just say you may be seeing me on the Crenshaw strip, or even in Van Nuys on one of these cruising nights, as a passenger. I hear there’s a Ladies Lowrider Club Cruising Night coming up soon, and as Tina put it, "I may be the First Lady, but I know I won’t be the last."