High School

Story Willie G. Photography Tony Harmer

Back in ’99, New Orleans’ bling kings, the Cash Money Records crew, were daydreaming about fitting 30s on a private plane. Less than a decade later, a lot has changed. Candy is the new black, 22s are the new 17s and gator is the new leather. The South is once again rising up—and that ain’t no daydream. If you rep the Dirty, hi-risers are probably nothing new to you—you may have even turned the page by now to peep the goodies. But if the terms ‘Donk’, ‘Box’ and ‘Bubble’ make you scratch your temple, it’s time for a crash course in ridin’ high. Pay attention, ‘cause if you think we’re just hitting you with a book of jacked-up lowriders, you’ve got a lot to learn.

SUSPENSION
“Most of these projects require a full, custom-fabricated frame to sit right. Some people think it’s as simple as adding air shocks—that’s just not the case.” Adam Wolfe, Owner and Operator, Dreamworks Motorsports, Roxboro, NC

For you cats born in the mid-to-late ’70s, the sight of a skyscraping Box Chevy probably brings you back to the Saturday morning mayhem of monster truckers Bigfoot and Gravedigger—as it should. Early hi-rise owners often used conventional lift kits for the sole purpose of fitting 24s under the fender with “no rub, no scrub.” But as the race for bigger, better and taller heats up faster than a South Beach sidewalk, builders have turned to truck components and custom-fabricated frames to achieve a stance that can only be compared to that of a monster truck. And in a game where everyone aspires to command the center Yao Ming style, many of the parts and procedures used are guarded more closely than Dick Cheney’s location.

PAINT
“When it comes to setting your finish apart from the next guy’s, there’s no limit…from candy, to designer print, to 24K gold leaf…it’s all game, as long as it’s original.”
Lance Ponting, Co-owner, East Coast Ryders Street Life DVDs

If you haven’t already figured it out, Donks, Boxes and Bubbles aren’t about blending in. Standing tall on a custom frame and 26-inch spinners is almost sacrilege if you’re still rockin’ dull OEM paint. Like H-Town slabs, it’s all about candy—the wetter, the better. Properly done, a finished job will leave you resisting the temptation to lick the door-frame before climbing inside. It’s also not uncommon to see classic style elements such as a checkered race flag-flame combo adorning the body panels. As the genre continues to grow and evolve, drivers have also taken to ‘themed’ exterior paint—ranging from Louis Vuitton print to the likeness of certain undersea pineapple-dwelling fella.

WHEELS
“Size is still king, but it goes deeper. It’s easy to swap 24s for 25s or 26s—the key is to go bigger with style and a level of individuality.”
Darius Billings, Marketing Director, Davin Wheels

Double-XL rims are, arguably, what have truly elevated the Donk phenomenon to its larger-than-life status. The turn of the millennium found New York rappers embracing and boasting over 20s for their high-end European whips, but Southern players quickly learned that fitting dubs under a classic Impala or Caprice ain’t no thang. On some applications they even looked small. The solution? Go bigger. In a scene where “who’s the flyest” is often “who’s the highest”, wheel manufacturers are racing to keep up with demand. 24s and 26s are now commonplace, while the current record to beat is 28. Rumor has it that Asanti is close to releasing its 30s, but it’s unclear whether plus-size tire makers like Kuhmo and Hankook will follow in the footsteps of Trojan-Enz and cater to such a limited market.

INTERIOR
“The style ain’t nothing new down here, but the attention to detail
is definitely on the rise.” Tony/“T-Flow” Owner, Down South Chevys, Atlanta, GA

It may take some effort to climb up into a seven-foot-plus Donk, but once you make it inside, expect to find all the comforts of your crib—and then some. Like a little shorty up in his tree house, these plush, tricked-out interiors make drivers and their passengers feel like they’re on top of the world. Usually wrapped in elegant designer fabric or exotic skins like ostrich, the seats in a hi-rise cradle their occupants, inviting them to partake of the creature comforts typical to the make and model. Unlike a traditional lowrider, it’s not unusual to find TV screens, game consoles and earth-shattering sound systems in these rides. Like any other aspect of the culture, detail is key here—with builders going as far as replacing stock dial gauges with more modern, digital-display dashboards.

ENGINE
“There are a lot of guys trying to be part of this who do half-assed jobs… full interiors with no wheels, or paint and wheels, but no engine. Don’t bring your car out until it’s done, and ready to run.”
Karl Krantz, Elegance Car Club, Miami, FL

The hi-rise scene has little tolerance for half-steppers—the “put up, or shut up” attitude reigns supreme here. So leaving a powerplant stock just because it’s hidden under a candy-coated hood is out of the question. Besides, harnessing more horses is more than just a floss factor, as it takes considerably more juice to turn a 28 than a factory 16. Chevy small-blocks (350, 383) tend to be the engines of choice, and move these sleds along with a modest
4-600hp. Some V8 applications have been known to produce over 700hp. “All show, no go” is not a phrase that applies here, but it doesn’t mean that cosmetics fall by the wayside. When more heads peep your engine from underneath than on top, it has to gleam from all angles like VVS diamonds.

STANCE
“It doesn’t matter how large or rare a set of wheels is, if your car’s stance doesn’t accentuate them.”
Robbie Casselman, Mr. Scrape Custom Car Shop, Sumter, SC

Riding more than 30 inches off the ground will get you noticed—it kinda goes without saying. That’s why hi-rise owners do more than just dump money into their creations, they put their personality into them as well. Towering over just about everything on the road, drivers convey to the world their style and character—and, like it or not, you can’t help but notice. While most Boxes and Bubbles sit evenly front and rear, many Donks take a slightly different stance, dropping the back end lower—as if to make the car snub its nose at everything down below. It’s that confidence, maybe even borderline arrogance, that makes you respect them, even if you don’t quite understand what’s going on.