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GRAFFITI TO AN OLD MAN

The first real sight of graffiti to me was 'STYLE WARS' back in the early 80s...on PBS for that matter. I remember my mother and I being in awe of it all. Perhaps for my mother, it was the fact she had lived in NYC for a brief stint (I was 2-3 years old, so I don't count it) and knew the dangers of NYC's subway system. For me, it represented what every kid with even a slight inkling of "art" wants to do...decorate every surface with cartoons and elaborate letters that mean something to that kid. Fast-forward to 1990. I was in a juvenile correctional facility (NOT a jail or daycare, but a prison) and we were watching videos on The Box when Ice Cube's 'Who's The Mack' came on. Anybody familiar with the video knows there is a mural painted by 'Slick'. To say the video inspired me would be a misdemeanor to say the least. Don't get me wrong, the graffiti I had been introduced to was always looked upon with admiration, but Slick's skill had blown me away...so much so that I got in trouble during art because I tried to spray paint my name on the wall in our prison's shop-class spray room. Thankfully, Mr. Woodsen (my art/shop-class teacher in Cuyahoga Hills juvi-prison) has seen something in me and directed me to another inmate (who we will call SLOPE) who was a full blown Graffiti Artist. He schooled me in the fine art of Blackbooks, Throw Ups and Pieces. For the next 8 months all I did was make Valentines, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and birthday cards in Graffiti style in trade of snacks. The stay in Cuyahoga Hills Juvenile Correctional Facility (ChJCF for short) also lead to a friendship with one of the Correctional Officers, who as a going away present, got permission for for Slope, O, Dre and I to do a wall on our exercise yard. T also got Slope to do me a graffiti hat, which not only had my name, but a very hilarious caricature of me...in jail stripes and a ball and chain! I was released on the December 17th, 1990 and on that long drive back to Cincinnati all I could think about, besides fast food and cigarettes was graffiti. I never saw anything of real substance outside of our being lost on St. Clair, which I saw one of Slope's pieces, tags and a few burners. When I returned to Cincinnati, I got lost in the shuffle of Rap/Hip-Hop, Punk, Noise and Metal and all the partying that comes with it. I tried my hand a few times at graffiti on a pal's halfpipe, and of course bathroom/road sign tags. Around 1992 I ran into Henry Chalfant's and Martha Cooper's Spray Can Art & Subway Art books...it was like reuniting with an old friend. It got me started again in my quest to have another hand at trying the art-crime known as Graffiti. At this time (1993-1995) my pal "JAPH" and I were consumed with Graffiti, Skateboarding, Hip-Hop & Punk Rock. Some might say the aforementioned cultures are incompatible, but to two "kids" who came from impoverished backgrounds (we both came from the same public housing aka PROJECTS) the idealism behind artists like KRS1, Pubic Enemy, Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat etc etc were and are interchangeable. Skateboarding in the city allowed us not only to view the city in a different format, it also brought us closer to other city kids (by this time I was living in the burbs) spots to paint at and of course new friends. Punk music gave us understanding to our feeling of disenfranchisement, it also allowed us insight into dealing with depression... something that later killed JEPH. Hip-Hop brought us news from other cities, brought about valuable cultural insight as well as a love for Polo rugby shirts, fresh sneakers and the 5 elements of the Hip-Hop cypher. Hip-Hop also showed me that you can leave home at 16, hustle to stay alive and to understand that to the Government of the United States we are all N*****S. Poverty, like Death has no color boundaries. Graffiti showed us that art isn't limited to academia, stuffy galleries full of rich people who appreciate the status symbol (AKA keeping up with the Jones') of art or what THEY* decree as art. Around 1995, I moved to the up-town area of Cincinnati along with my best friends (Darrell, Lil John and JEPH). It was during this time that I started seeing the TSC crew's graffiti around town. Imagine if you will, coping a 20 bag of herb, two Phillie blunts and walking in one of the "bad" areas of town, listening to Wu-Tang, Redman, EpMd and Gravediggaz and spotting for the first time a real mural replete with 3D, Wild Style and Block Buster letters. The mural (which still stands in an alley-way between Hamer Street and Back Street) which has JASER, DRANE, SEAR & MERZ became my personal 'Mecca'. For nearly 3 years I smoked my daily "B4WERK" blunts at the basketball court which faced the Mural. I must have broken the pieces so much that I started seeing how they did the background, the usage of texture and even the colors used (mostly Rust-Oleum with a little Krylon). At this point I was still a 'Toy' and must have bitten MERZ's style in my blackbook to the point that when I showed my old blackbook to SEAR, he laughed and said "You're not the only Graff-Head to bite him, but you're the closest to appropriating him!" It took me nearly 5 years and two graffiti related arrests to do any graffiti worth a damn. At this juncture I'd dare say I can do alright, but I'm more of a chronicler and watcher...but my recent move to Denver has me wanting to get back into writing again. So before I ramble on more like the old white fart that I am, I shall bring this to a stop. I'd like to give a huge shout-out to MEDUSA, Slope, Big T, Sear, Merz, Five, Sagent, Jaser, Digits, SEZ, TA-Crew and the various unsung graffiti artists who inspired me one way or another. MEDUSA, you're one of the dopest gals and I can never thank you enough for your kind words and awesome style sense. PS, JEPH you're sorely missed by your homies and family, and I hope you're in Heaven doing insane end-to-end burners while kicking it with ODB, Tupac, J Dilla, Scott La Rock and Biggie Smalls. *THEY: Rich, college educated white people who feel entitled to say what is or isn't art.

#Graffiti #Old White Man Nostalgia #TSC Crew #TA Crew #DRANE #FIVE #SEAR #MERZ #SAGENT #SEZ #DIGITS #WAR #Hip-Hop #Punk Rock #Skateboarding #Art #MEDUSA THE GORGON

Annual TA BBQ - Saturday

This Saturday is the annual TA BBQ in Montreal's Angrignon Park, 1-10PM.

If you happen to be in the area and want to support, come on over and buy a hot dog or ten! This year's edition is featuring DJs/MCs Flow, Orion Revolution, DJ Nemesis and DJ Devious, with performances by Todd Smith, Justice and more. Food will be available for a small donation (hot dogs, drinks, baked goods, etc.). Also, Kai's Kuisine will have Caribbean/West Indian food for sale.

TA crew is a Montreal-based hip hop collective that was established in 1992. Originally a graffiti crew, it eventually expanded to include DJs, breakers, MCs, and all-around hip hop culture participants with a mission to encourage the artistic development of its family members, both individually and collectively.