Desmond Rhodes / Archive notes
Sources & credits
The record behind the riding.
This archive brings together surviving BMX publisher coverage, original creator credits, magazine indexes and recovered Internet Archive pages. It is a documented selection—not a complete inventory of every ride, clip, event or social post.
How to read the timeline
- Publication and upload dates are labelled separately from event dates and original film years.
- All Day is shown as 2005–06 because historical sources disagree. The exact first AM:PM appearance remains unresolved.
- March 2006 is supported by the Ride BMX issue catalog and cover. The March 4, 2015 TCU interview date comes from the recovered original page.
- The last confirmed milestone in this research is the 2025 Banks jam coverage. No new 2026 milestone or current sponsor roster has been established.
- Original pages and archived players may move or disappear. A retained publisher credit is not a guarantee that its external player still works.
Research index
| Date and basis | Milestone / qualification | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 · Original film | Livin’ in Exile — with Nigel Sylvester Original film: 2005. BMX Union’s linked archival repost was published January 9, 2022. | Original publisher feature ↗ |
| Mid-2000s · Release year uncertain | Animal’s All Day — NYC section Sources differ between 2005 and 2006; DIG labels the film 2006. Animal’s April 2013 upload is a reissue, not the original film date. | Animal’s NYC section ↗ DIG’s film date ↗ |
| March 2006 · Issue 118 | The Ride BMX cover Some later accounts loosely place his breakout around 2004. The dated issue is the stronger evidence for this cover’s publication. Stair counts differ between sources and are omitted here. | Issue catalog ↗ Cover scan ↗ |
| September–October 2006 · Issue 20 | Cream BMX — New York City lifestyle Verified from a historical contents catalog; a complete scan of the interior feature was not reviewed. | Cream issue catalog ↗ |
| December 15, 2006 · Surviving publication | The early Blackman interview The surviving page is dated December 15. An earlier version is mentioned in historical indexing but was not independently recovered. | Original interview ↗ Preserved snapshot ↗ |
| Late 2006–early 2007 · Release window | Flipside — New York meets Greenville The film catalog preserves a December 2006 announcement and reviews and retail coverage in early 2007. Film sponsors are not treated as his personal sponsors. | Ride film archive ↗ |
| December 6, 2008 · Trailer coverage | Props Megatour 8 — The Come Up crew The announcement survives, but its Freecaster Flash trailer no longer works in modern browsers. The original publisher also lists the film in its Megatour collection. | Contemporary FATBMX announcement ↗ Publisher’s film collection ↗ |
| January 6, 2009 · Published | Megatour 8 in photographs | Ride UK photo feature ↗ |
| Documented by December 29, 2009 | The AM:PM connection This establishes an appearance by 2009. The exact title, original release date and date of his first AM:PM footage remain unresolved. | Contemporary DVD review ↗ 2015 interview ↗ |
| June 9, 2011 · Published | Bulldog Bikes / Urban Ink shoot The shoot is documented. His exact placement in the printed issue was not independently checked. | Bulldog’s original post ↗ |
| June 28, 2011 · Publisher report | HoodHappy in the New York scene This is evidence of the HoodHappy identity by 2011, not a verified brand founding date. | Bulldog Bikes photo report ↗ |
| February 23, 2012 · Published | Hood Happy — Blackman Clips | BMX Union feature ↗ |
| October 4, 2013 · Published | Instagram Slam 12 | Original BMX Union feature ↗ |
| October 14, 2013 · Released | Asphalt NYC — The King of NYC Streets Original film: 2013. The original YouTube upload is now private. The linked third-party Rutube mirror was uploaded March 9, 2025; its uploader is not the original filmmaker. | Watch public archival mirror ↗ Original publisher’s surviving index ↗ |
| January 28, 2014 · Published | ENTREE LS — Misunderstood The original Vimeo video returned 404 during research. The feature and its publication date were recovered from an Internet Archive snapshot. | Recovered BMX Union feature ↗ |
| March 4, 2015 · Original publication | The Come Up — the long conversation The original March 4 date was recovered from Wayback. March 11, shown on a podcast mirror, is a later distribution date. | Watch the interview ↗ Original page via Wayback ↗ |
| March 23, 2015 · Published | Peep Game — Point n Shoot | DIG feature and credits ↗ |
| December 2, 2015 · Published | Hood Happy Promo | DIG feature ↗ |
| January–June 2016 · SoundCloud uploads | The HoodHappy music tapes | Original artist / release ↗ |
| February 17, 2016 · Published | The Instagram compilation | BMX Union feature ↗ |
| March 12, 2016 · Published | Billy Perry — Daily Cruise 8 BMX Union coverage is March 12; DIG’s related post followed on March 14. | BMX Union feature ↗ |
| February 4, 2017 · Released | King of NYC Streets — Part 2 | Original HoodHappyNYC film ↗ DIG feature ↗ |
| May 1, 2017 · Published | The Trip — Trip Tape B-sides This is a credited appearance in a group film, not evidence of an individual sponsorship contract. | BMX Union feature and credits ↗ |
| 2017-05-09 · Official upload | Hood Happy / Peep Game — LA BMX Jam | Official HoodHappyNYC video ↗ |
| December 6, 2017 · Published | Follow The Leader — Fall/Winter The publisher credit establishes an appearance; it does not establish a personal sponsorship. | FTL’s original post ↗ |
| March 2, 2018 · Official music video | DROSE45 — FUCK EMM | Original artist / release ↗ |
| January 2, 2019 · SoundCloud uploads | Eight more SoundCloud tracks | Original artist / release ↗ |
| March 14, 2020 · Editorial date | Sesinko — Dunk Low Syracuse The gallery supplies the date and identifies Desmond. An editorial appearance is not a claim of Nike sponsorship. | Editorial photographs ↗ Dated gallery index ↗ |
| August 8, 2020 · EP release | Yamomz — the five-track EP | Original artist / release ↗ |
| August 23, 2020 · Event date | Bike Rides for Black Lives | Photographer’s event caption ↗ |
| February 11, 2023 · Official music video | DROSE45 — RAW Shit | Original artist / release ↗ |
| 2023 · Project year stated by the artist | WK/BMX — The Urban Dynamic The artist dates the Brooklyn work to 2023. The exact date of his retrospective public post is not established. | WK/BMX project film ↗ |
| January 8, 2024 · Published | Kanode Knows — episode 89 Published January 8, 2024; recorded December 31, 2023. Shoe-project comments describe plans at the recording date, not a confirmed product launch. Approximate chapters appear in the life-story section. | Watch the full conversation ↗ Podcast edition ↗ |
| 2024-10-25 · Official upload | Don of the Streets — Episode 1 | Official HoodHappyNYC video ↗ |
| July 27, 2025 · Coverage date | Back 2 Tha Banks Jam July 27 is the date of DIG’s coverage. The exact event day was not independently established. | DIG film and organizer credits ↗ |
Life story & HoodHappy
The life-story section draws on the full podcast edition of Bobby Kanode’s interview, published January 8, 2024 and recorded December 31, 2023. It paraphrases Rhodes’s recollections and separates plans from completed releases. Chapter times are approximate podcast-audio positions; the YouTube video may differ slightly.
- Full Kanode Knows #89 video ↗
- Official podcast feed ↗
- Public Instagram profile ↗ — the DROSE45, BMX, HoodHappy and bike-trap references come from the account’s public self-description. This is not a mirror or comprehensive review of its feed.
The footwear VIP list describes the purpose of this website’s signup service. It does not establish that a specific shoe mentioned in the older interview has launched or is available.
Music catalog & credits
The artist identity is corroborated by HoodHappyNYC’s video descriptions, its linked SoundCloud profile, track credits naming Desmond Rhodes, and the HOODHAPPY copyright on Yamomz. The catalog includes all 14 publicly listed SoundCloud tracks, the five-track 2020 EP, and two music videos on his official channel. Five EP songs also appear among the 2019 uploads; they are not counted as five additional compositions.
SoundCloud dates are upload dates. The GUTTA upload title credits Jae Lee while its description credits Supertouch; this conflict is retained in the research data. The FUCK EMM video title mentions 6ix9ine, but its credits do not establish a collaboration. The HOODHAPPYMUSIC playlist also contains a track by ZaytovenBeatz featuring Gucci Mane; that is not included as Desmond’s work. Private, deleted or unlisted recordings cannot be inventoried from the public catalog.
Original SoundCloud catalog ↗ · Yamomz EP ↗ · Official video channel ↗
Video availability
The Livin’ in Exile, Blackman Clips, Instagram Slam 12 and FTL films were recovered from their publishers’ embedded links. Asphalt NYC’s original YouTube upload is private; the site links a labelled third-party Rutube mirror. Trip Tape B-sides requires age verification on YouTube. Misunderstood’s Vimeo upload is unavailable, and the Megatour 8 announcement uses a retired Flash player; their surviving articles remain accessible. Metadata and player availability were checked, not every film watched in full.
Photography & film credits
- Hero film still: King of NYC Streets Part 2, David Svedosh / HoodHappy Productions and Dr. Zeus Productions; sourced through Viewing NYC. Original feature ↗
- Park still: David Svedosh’s King of NYC Streets Part 2, via DIG BMX.
- Back 2 Tha Banks artwork: Rob Dolecki / DIG BMX, 2025.
- Dunk Low Syracuse editorial photograph: Sesinko, 2020. Original editorial ↗
- Ride BMX cover: Rob Dolecki / Ride BMX US, March 2006, issue 118; scan from the 23mag historical index.
- Video thumbnails: the corresponding linked YouTube uploads; Asphalt NYC cover: the linked public Rutube mirror. Yamomz cover: Drose45 / HOODHAPPY, via Apple Music.
- Typography: Anton and DM Sans, distributed under the SIL Open Font License. License texts are included with the source package.
- The Brooklyn Bridge line illustration is an original site graphic. The HoodHappy collage is custom, AI-assisted site artwork, not a historical photograph or a reproduction of an existing official logo. It combines the Banks, 5Pointz, Brooklyn housing architecture and the Unisphere as an artistic collage.
Linked publications, stills and films retain their original ownership. Editorial inclusion does not imply endorsement, a sponsorship agreement, or ownership of those works.