Things done Changed

Will Castro’s take on how the whole car game has
moved forward.

Twenty years ago, you were the king of the streets with a set of 16-inch Hammers and some tint on a 190E…then the video killed the so-so car star. Hip-hop took car customizing to a new level, and Will Castro was there to watch it grow, making his pockets grow in the process. Listen to what the man’s got to say, take notes then open ya own shop.

RIDES You started out detailing cars, and now you have a massive shop, a TV show [Unique Whips on SPEED Channel] and a clientele that reads like a VIP guest list. What’s the magic formula for Unique? Twenty years ago if you wanted a baller-level car, you had to go one place for rims, another for paint, another for a stereo…on and on. It was annoying. I wondered why nobody was doing it all at one location. I knew the idea was too good not to be successful.

You think it was the one-stop-shop concept that helped full-blown builds take off? Definitely, but the music video is really what did it for us in this industry. Once rappers started making hooked-up cars prominent in their shoots, everybody wanted their ride customized. It wasn’t just for the rich and famous anymore.

True, a tricked-out car has in essence become an element of hip-hop, hasn’t it? Absolutely! We are hip-hop…cars are hip-hop. I mean when a ride you’ve built gets in a video and then is recognized on the streets just as easily as the artist, you see how powerful a force that personalization becomes.

Are you tired of hearing people say “Pimp my ride!” [laughs] Nah. That’s West Coast Custom’s thing—that’s what made them famous. Both our shops really blew up at the same time. We took different routes to get where we are today, but it’s been good for both of us.

What’s your take on the latest wave of shop-based reality shows? The TV exposure has been phenomenal for us, and for the industry too. People get to see how things operate as a business and that it’s still work. It also shows newcomers what you gotta do to be successful. There’s a lot of money that can be made in this business, and I think teaching others how to do it is good for everybody involved.

willie g.

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