Style Finesse Class

The Elements NYC: Five Pillars of Hip-Hop

Go bombing and burning with BG 183, Nicer and the rest of the Bronx’s notorious Tats Cru for a firsthand look at the most colorful corner of hip-hop’s foundation.

Let’s learn to live with (good) graffiti

Kurt Iveson

A teenager was sentenced this week to three months in prison for tagging a cafe in Hyde Park with a felt pen, marking a new low in the long and futile war on graffiti.

Many people find tagging ugly and annoying, and it can be costly to remove. But is it appropriate to imprison someone for three months (at a cost of more than $20,000 to the taxpayer) for writing one non-offensive word on a wall (at a removal cost of $200 to the property owner)?

Graffiti has always been with us. But new forms of graffiti associated with hip-hop culture – including tags and murals (or “pieces”) – began appearing in Sydney in the 1980s. Since then, governments of all persuasions have waged a war on graffiti. They have established specialist police squads. They have deployed rapid removal teams to paint the town brown. They have erected countless kilometres of barbed wire and thousands of surveillance cameras. They have legislated harsher penalties for graffiti offenders. They have sought to make spray-paint less accessible. They have even censored graffiti magazines and computer games. The objective? Zero tolerance.

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Steve Powers aka Espo interview @ THE GLOB

Steve Powers is a legendary east coast hustler, a word smith , he plays a major role in the art of getting over when he was younger, now he is a father and a fine artist with a style like no other, he is very good on snapping on people and has a big hand with fingers like sausages , know for his looks with clothing and a very high flat top  do.

The 7-11 at 64th and Lebanon ave, Overbrook Philadelphia 1984,
I’m boosting mallo-cups and that’s a soft pretzel in me gob

Graffiti L.A. Author Steve Grody Interview Part 2

from http://www.graffhead.com/

part 1 here

All pictures below are from Steve Grody’s “Graffiti” archive.

9. Given your long-term connection with Graffiti writers, do you think there is a common trait that makes a person drawn to Graffiti?
Well, a rebellious streak is certainly required, determination, and creativity. On the other hand, there is no shortage of veteran writers that wonder if the new generation is just doing it out of faddishness and whether they have the commitment to do anything past a couple of arrests.

MSK Production 2003