rooftop legends

LEGENDS ON THE IRONLAK BLOG

2010-06-13T11:36:00.001-07:00

Check us out on the Ironlak blog:

http://blog.ironlak.com/2010/06/rooftop-legends-
event-nyc-2010.html

SKUF (YKK)

2010-06-07T11:46:00.000-07:00

SKUF's presence in the NYC and international graffiti scene
can't be ignored. Having gone all-city several times at
different levels his name is one of a handful synonymous
with bombing, and continues to be even after his last city
wide spree in 2005, following which he stopped.
Growing up in Bushwick, Brooklyn, graffiti and its parallel
elements were all around him. With an older brother 10 years
his senior heavily into break dancing SKUF was constantly
fed hip hop culture surrounded by his brothers friends.
His involvement wasn't something he chose but something
he naturally grew into. The art and colors were what intrigued
him and once he was able to put it all together in his head he
knew he wanted to get up, even as an 8 year old he saw names
like O.E 13, P13 and wanted to be as big and famous as they
were. The lure of escaping his reality, attention other writers
were getting and his brother demystifying what bombing was
fed his appetite for what he called 'killing the street.' SKUF was
an active writer from the late 80's, bombing in Junior high all
throughout his neighborhood he built a solid local presence.
It was 1991 that his cousin STAK (TFP) gave him his name,
and the city-wide onslaught began.

When talking about his cousin and how his work influenced
him you begin to decipher even though he was bombing,
and pretty focused on the vandalism side of graffiti
the encouragement to be creative played a big role in the
development of his style. "STAK has one of the illest hand-
styles in graffiti history, he's extremely underrated. He always
encouraged the whole YKK crew to be creative. They would
all compete against each other and try and come up with new
styles. Creativity is what made us who we are."

Holding such a strong place in the scene for so many years it
is clear that graffiti was the catalyst for much of SKUF's life
experience. When I asked him what some of the good ones
were he was adamant that 'good' can mean different things at
various stages of your life. "What was fun was going out,
breaking the rules, getting up, living lawlessly. Living in a world
where everyday rules do not apply. That escape alone was fun.
Racking paint, getting up, the beefs, the wars. All of that at the
time was living and it was fun at the time." All this wasn't without
consequence and he contrasts these tales with the bad ones that
came with it. Getting incarcerated, getting cut, but the worst
of it all was having his friend (alias VE) die right in front of him
bombing late at night in a rough neighborhood, over graff. It is
absolutely true, as SKUF says, that people die over stupider
things. Given the list of what can go wrong when you're doing
graffiti: getting hit by a train, in fights, shot, electrocuted,
falling off roofs.... Now as a father it's this list that brings him
to the realization he doesn't want his son following in some
of the footsteps that he covered the city with in younger years.
Instead, he feels that kids should be channeling their energy,
embracing the creative elements and finding a way to extract
the negative side of graffiti culture without losing the positive.
He laughs when he remembers the old guys in Bushwick that
would tell him he was wasting him time writing, and even
though he may be echoing some of their words the fact is that
if it's SKUF saying it to kids it's a little different. He himself
says he didn't truly realize he was creative until gallery owner,
Hugo Martinez brought it to his attention. It was around this
time he stopped bombing and began doing shows, traveling,
being able to paint and although not living off it, at least paying
some bills. Slowly but surely he realized Martinez was right,
he was creative, and graffiti was his medium.

Having lived through first hand what someones belief in your
ability, and helping you to trust in that SKUF knows what a little
encouragement can do. As a youth he had nothing like this,
he was in and out of jail and as he says "I learnt to be a gladiator
instead of a scholar," he believes that if kids could become
scholars instead we'd be living in a different community. His ideas
on helping to cultivate the youth in New York are apparent,
"It takes a village to raise a child, NYC is my village."
SKUF stopped by the New Design High School a few months
back and it was pretty clear it was a huge deal to the kids to have
a big writer stop by and just give them some time. He answered
all their questions, and the respect they had for the fact he was
nothing but real with them was clear as day.

SKUF's involvement with Rooftop Legends seems to be a meeting
of two like minds. He gives Jesse Pais (NDHS Dean, alias EV)
some serious credit for what he has created with Rooftop Legends
and the energy he has put in. Both he and Jesse are trying to find
the best ways to execute their ideals: embracing the positive aspects
of graffiti, and eradicating the negative without losing the rawness
and passion that are intrinsic to the core of this movement.
SKUF describes what is being done with RTL as a study of this
movement, giving people a place to express themselves and seeing
what can be done to further it. What he is helping to do for the
broader understanding of the art-form and its surrounding culture
is not much different from how he is breaking it down for his son
Pharaoh. At 3 years old he is intrigued with what he sees on the city
walls, and SKUF is faced with the task of explaining what's good
and what's bad. It's not entirely similar with the world outside of
graffiti, people are interested but need those who care and understand
it to bring to their attention that there are different parts. Vandalism
is one but there is a huge proportion that is not. It's this which people
like SKUF, Jesse and all that are involved with Rooftop Legends are
trying to bring to the surface. SKUF as a father, and Jesse as a Dean
are in the position to show the next generation that they can push
this medium to a whole new level. This is something that speaks to
so many, both locally and internationally. Allowing you to be heard
with your own voice, own style and in your own way. That alone is a
huge thing to teach the youth and sets them up with a confidence in
their ability that they'll carry with them into a creatively enriched
future. It's no doubt a huge task, but safe to say that they are already
well underway.

SKUF wanted to give thanks to his wife Naisha who he calls the
worlds greatest mother. And son Pharaoh, 'without him, life's not
worth living.' We'd like to say thanks for his passion and involvement
with Rooftop Legends.

*WORDS & IMAGE: S.LESTER

PRIZ (TS5) & SUEIE (CAC) - FINISHED

2010-06-01T07:57:00.001-07:00

ARAB BY DOC (TC5) FINISHED

2010-05-28T09:54:00.001-07:00

CLARK (FLY-ID) FINISHED

2010-05-28T09:53:00.001-07:00

A conversation with WANE TC5 / COD SPOTLIGHTING THE PAST...

2010-05-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

Born in London WANE and his family moved to the Edenwald
section of the Bronx when he was 6 years old. He was introduced
to graffiti living only one block from the elevated #2 train and 7
stops from the end of the #2 line yard. Instantly the color and
energy of the artwork that was scrawled all over the city at the time
drew him in. He didn't know exactly what it was or who was doing
it, but he knew he wanted to be a part of it. Being so close to where
these ingenious artworks were created if there was a train that
caught his attention he'd wait on platform until it passed by again
so he could really soak it all in. After studying this visual language
that was all around he began to understand the bright colors,
shapes with letters and how to read it. Soon after he began to
recognize the names and start figuring how it was done he and his
older brother started writing. While most kids were in to sports,
WANE found himself looking to hip-hop, punk, freestyle and
graffiti. At this time they had a neighborhood crew and club house
(the Players) and all these things were part of it, everyone wanted
to have a tag or write but it was when they saw it on the trains
they realized it was serious.

Once he was old enough to ride the subway he started document
by taking pictures. At that time kids would take their pads and
pens after school and stand on the platforms, scribbling out what
they saw on the trains trying to emulate styles. WANE breaks it
down like this "Back then you had to do it traditionally, if you
didn't do a train you didn't get respect." In the beginning he says
it was scary, you’d hear the stories of police beating up writers,
rival crews robbing you for your spray paint and people getting
electrocuted on the third rail. It seemed like you had to be super
tough to do it. When you started writing you had to build heart,
get down with the crews and once accepted by a crew you would
learn to steal can's, tag, do throw up letters and wild-styles.
Getting chased and hiding in the dark waiting for the cops to leave
was all part of writing. As a writer/artist in NYC all these things
had to be accomplished as well getting your name up hundreds
and hundreds of times, but to get fame and be remembered
“you had to be good, really good.” Looking back WANE says it
took years to understand what it took to do it right, "...when I
look back at the writers that were older than me, I would never
forget them, because when they did it, they all did it without
having someone to show them. They pioneered this new art
form and created an entire renaissance doing so. That's one
of the main reasons principles you have to remember.
Every ‘ism,’ every arrow and letter form."

Since his first live experience of painting a subway he was
hooked, "that was it, it never ended, I always wanted to paint."
The city in the 80s was still showing remnants of the 1970s
writers and you didn't go over it as there was a heavy level of
respect. In the early nineties WANE made the transition from
trains to walls, and since then he has never stopped painting.
He has travelled the world, most recently to Brazil, documenting
it along the way. "Nowadays people know you have to document
your work, they know the brands (of paint), what types of caps for
what cans, it took years to understand." All of this was learned
during these formative years so the following generations could
survive the art using and building their knowledge. Now with the
dominance of the internet, you can see pretty much everything that’s
going on. Back then you had to be out there to see it.

WANE had some pretty cool things to say about Rooftop Legends,
"I think RTL is a great space for writers and street artists because
in NYC with the Police and all the new development in the city over
the past ten years there are very few legal places to paint.
It's phenomenal that EV (Jesse Pais - RTL's curator & NDHS Dean)
who's a writer and a part of the culture, saw the space and took the
time and energy to make it happen." He insists that although so many
of these artists are doing their own thing it is essential they have these
spaces to keep painting. He also adds that it's events like this that
continue to push the appreciation of the art-form within the
community. For years, he says, the politicians were telling everybody
that graffiti wasn't art. They only focused on the idea of people going
over each other and the negative aspects as being the core of what the
graffiti movement was. It is the bringing together of artists from all
over the world, inspiring each other, and just wanting to paint and
express themselves that makes graffiti what it is. WANE insists that
"Rooftop Legends is a place that gives graffiti art that outlet and helps
preserve it, come see for yourself! Peace & Blessing, Wane One aka
the risk taker.”

Words and image: S.LESTER

PRIZ (TS5) & SUEIE (CAC)

2010-05-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

Priz & Sueie were up painting yesterday, we'll have
snaps of their finished pieces soon. Here are some of
the process to tie you over....

TATU XMEN / SIEN (FINISHED)

2010-05-15T06:01:00.000-07:00

NEW PIECES: PART (TDS) & CLARK IN PROCESS

2010-05-11T11:57:00.000-07:00

TATS CRU & DMOTE

2010-05-10T20:11:00.001-07:00

* TATS CRU mural photographed by BIO (TATS)

VIRUS & SPOT

2010-05-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

SLAVE / VINS & SIRE / TATU XMEN & SIEN (UNFINISHED)

2010-05-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

KEO / DASH / OIL (RIP)

2010-05-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

MR KNOWS / CYCLE / PURE & NOAH (EV BY PURE)

2010-05-10T19:48:00.000-07:00

CERN (YMI) / VIZIE / RIMX (EL CORO) & NDHS STUDENTS / STAY / TECK

2010-05-10T19:38:00.000-07:00

DIL / TEAM / MONE / DEMER / SPAR

2010-05-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

READY SET

2010-05-10T18:37:00.000-07:00

A big thanks goes out to Ready Set, Brooklyn for donating
and delivering a 4x8 canvas that got some good use by some
of the artists that were in, and attended the show.

TOOFLY / SKUF / SWET / CEY / LELO

2010-05-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

RIMX (EL CORO) / AYE / SP ONE / SERIF / CERS

2010-05-10T17:23:00.000-07:00

A PLUS AKA ENUE / FLOW / MUCH BY CASE2 / TACK FBA / NIC 707 / PESU / PART

2010-05-10T11:15:00.000-07:00

YOSHI / CECE / BEN ROJAS AKA BORISH (TRUST YOUR STRUGGLE)

2010-05-10T11:12:00.001-07:00

JAES / ARIES BY JABSTER / MICKEY / BOUNCE

2010-05-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

IRONLAK

2010-05-10T11:07:00.000-07:00

A big thank you goes out to Ironlak for sending
us a bunch of paint! Much appreciated.

TRIXTER / EV/ 2RAW / PFUNK BY SMITH / DIL / SPAR

2010-05-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

STAK & REAS / BREAK

2010-05-10T10:53:00.001-07:00

ROOFTOP LEGENDS 2010 - SHOW RECAP

2010-05-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

So after much preparation, hours of painting, organizing
and planning the 2010 Rooftop Legends show happened
this weekend and was a massive success. With a seriously
amazing selection of artists who had pieces in the show,
live painting - including some of the students who nailed
it with their piece! DJ ENUFF set the soundtrack and an
awesome crowd brought some damn good vibes to the
afternoon.

Massive thank you's go out to all who attended, the artists for
their time, passion and hard work, DJ ENUFF & every single
person that helped in any way shape or form.

We'll be posting a re-cap of the lead up to the show and the
finished pieces, there will be more to come as well as more
artist interviews so keep checking the blog for updates.

Thanks - Rooftop Legends.

RTL 2010 - IT'S ON TODAY RAIN OR SHINE!

2010-05-08T05:29:00.000-07:00

After months of painting, hours and hours put in by
some amazing and dedicated artists the show is on
today. Make sure you get down to the New Design
High School between 3pm - 8pm today, Saturday
May 8th. The show will be happening rain or shine-
the morning rain is done and the sun is out so don't
let some a.m showers deter you!

DJ ENUFF will be live from 3pm, the full show flier
is posted here on the blog so scroll down for the
address & event info.

See you there!

TOOFLY

2010-05-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

RTL: You got into graff in the 90's, how do you think that shaped your style and experience with the culture, rather than getting into it today?

TOOFLY: I think because I grew up in the early 90's I had a lot of special experiences that helped shape the roots and essence of my work. There was an integral emphasis on our own style with the way we talked, dressed, and the music we listened to. Hip Hop was thriving in content, lyrical skills, and beats. Our "golden era" was DOPE! It had more of a "rougher" type attitude less "pop" and flashy and packaged like it is today. I feel like now you can buy or just copy style. Back then skill and talent came from you, and personal experience. Street bombing was at it's peek too, there were writers like Nato, Bruz, Muse, Sabe, Skuf, Revs & Cost and others hitting roofs and neighborhoods across the five boroughs. It was classic, gritty, and graphic. I loved it, I think the only color I saw back then was on polo gear. I knew then like I know now that I wanted to be the female reflection and representation of the time. There was just way too many guys doing it back then and not enough women. I saw and felt the imbalance.

RTL: How do you come up with your pieces? What gets you inspired to create them?

TOOFLY: I like to get my ideas rolling by my looking at a collection of images that inspire me. Everything from fashion photography, graphic design, and most recently indigenous and nature stuff. I also throw on some of my favorite love tunes, and mellow music to help me zone out. The creative energy that builds up during this process then just flows out of me and I'm able to put all my ideas and feelings into a piece.

RTL: You and partner Alice Mizrachi founded 'Younity' - a female urban arts collective, can you give us a little background and insight into what it's all about?

TOOFLY: For a while now maybe since 2003 I have been rounding up women who were down to get busy and paint at various hip hop and graffiti events. I found a lot of the time there was a low representation of women and I found myself outnumbered and having to deal with too much testosterone. It wasn't welcoming, so I set out to change that a bit. I felt strongly for women to represent their skills in these male dominated arenas but most importantly a place where they can feel respected and return year after year to paint and enhance their skills. I like to credit Lady Pink for helping us get the ball started back in 2002 at the Graffiti Hall of Fame. That was the beginning of our little movement so to speak. Friendships got started and the ones who were down to keep it positive and civil stuck around. In 2006 I met Alice aka AM who was passionate about taking her painting to the next level and begin to paint large walls. As soon as an opportunity came up the rest was history. That same year we attended the annual females in Hip Hop event called B-GIRL BE and on our way back to NY Younity was born. Our first project called "CROSSOVER" was an exhibition to showcase the creative works and talents of our friends with skills in graffiti, painting, photography, and handcrafts. I had finally met someone who didn't just talk about it, but was down to put the work in. Younity has since grown from being an art exhibition of 30 women, to a full on international 100+ collective with a team of dope women and youth. We are committed to empower women and girls, through art exhibitions, collaborative street murals, youth workshops, artist markets, and panel discussions. For more info about Younity you can check s out at: www.theyounity.com

RTL: You studied at SVA, how do you think this influenced your graff, and how do you think your graff roots influenced your approach to art school?

TOOFLY: At SVA I got the opportunity to learn how to use the computer and work with various design programs. Discovering this not only allowed me to master the art of self representation but it also empowered me to create anything I wanted digitally that would secure my future when it came to a steady paycheck. I got an early insight into the power of the Internet at the time too. My mom dished out what she could to get my first computer in 97 and I watched the graffiti culture and the world grow in consciousness before my eyes. The possibilities to help your work travel to other places just like the trains did back in the 80's was at your finger tips. You were able to connect with people, provide design services, get a business started, and just have a kind of freedom and tools to help shape the world you wanted around you. I feel without my graffiti background I would have been easily influenced by what they think is happening out in the career culture. I feel most of it hasn't even been created yet, because it's you who's gonna flip the script for what will in turn be what everyone calls your "career". I like to call it my life instead.

RTL: How did you get involved with Rooftop Legends and what are your thoughts on the event and the school?

TOOFLY: I was invited by the Friends We Love youth team rock a little artist video for their workshop. When I arrived at the rooftop I was in awe. This place is dope! I had been wanting to meet the organizers behind this place for a while now. When I finished the video with the youth team I was introduced to principal Scott, who put me in touch with the dean that runs this place - Jesse Pais. He was mad cool and gave me the green light to rock a wall and have it take part in their upcoming event ROOFTOP LEGENDS. Shout out to the New Design H.S., Principal Scott, and Jesse for hooking this up. More schools should take notice, this place is AMAZING!!!

RTL: Thanks!

ROOFTOP LEGENDS MAY 8TH, 2010 -- EVENT INFO

2010-05-02T08:12:00.000-07:00

Here's the flier for the show. Spread the word and help us
pack it out. See you next weekend!

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE FLIER

ALMOST THERE....

2010-05-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

A bunch of artists took advantage of yesterday's perfect weather
to cover more of the roof. With a week to go their pulling out all
the stops to make this years show the illest.

For more information on this years event check see the flier we'll be
posting up here today.

JESSE PAIS

2010-04-27T11:13:00.000-07:00

The Rooftop Legends event began in 2007 and is the
brainchild of the schools Dean, and graffiti artist,
Jesse Pais. Realizing the need to preserve graffiti art
and provide a space to paint, the event continues to
bring together some of the most prolific artists from
the cultures formative years and today. The reasons
Jesse had for bringing this to the roof of the New
Design High School are bigger than a love for the art,
having worked with kids since he was 17-18 years old
his passion to make these students not just want to go
to school, but be proud of it, is the main factor.
He works from a place where he wants the students to
be saying, "Your school might be corny, but mine's not
for this reason." Most of the artists I've chatted to on the
roof all echoed the same sentiment, they wish they'd gone
to a school like this, Jesse included. Fact is, much of the
visual culture we see every single day has been informed
or influenced by the graffiti movement in one way or another,
given that a vast majority of the artists who grew up writing
and painting are now designers or creative directors.
Regardless of what they do now they have all carried their
passion for this art-form and where they've come from and
it's shaped them into who they are today as adults. This is
absolutely not to say that graffiti art should hold value in
the community as a catalyst for a job or money because it's
the rawness and the drive to do it for the love that makes it
what it is. However, it definitely says something about holding
dear where you've come from and what really matters to you
and channelling it into making you a stronger individual.
Most of these artists have come from similar backgrounds to
the kids at New Design, it's because of this the kids can relate
to them and vice versa. The students have respect for Pais not
because they're supposed to, but because they recognize the
history he has come from.

Having been involved in the seminal years of graffiti it's massively
important to Jesse play a role in preserving it. With Rooftop
Legends he's trying to show you the very best of a culture that he
feels shouldn't die and remove some of the stigma attached to it.
"The word graffiti scares a certain population of people," the aim
he says is "to have someone who doesn't think anything of graffiti,
or has a bad opinion, and change that." The general association
when the broader community outside of the culture think of
graffiti they think of vandalism. There is no doubt this is part of
what graffiti is and where it has come but graffiti ART is what is
happening on the roof of the school and it's as legitimate an art-
form as anything you'd see housed within the four walls of a gallery,
Jesse feels "It's as pure an art-form as there can be, generated by
inner-city kids and that's something that shouldn't be shunned."
It's a known fact that society in general loves to fixate on the negative,
and stereotypes are a hard thing to shake but Rooftop Legends
definitely can open peoples eyes in a positive way. The aim is for
education and appreciation, although this was initially just aimed
at the kids it's pretty obvious that the show has the ability to school
the broader community. This is a culture so deeply rooted in this
city that has spread across the globe and is arguably the biggest
artistic movement we've ever seen.

Jesse is pretty quick to acknowledge the Rooftop Legends show
would not be possible without the artists who have donated their
time, energy and supplies over the past 4 years. Without this love
of the craft the culture would not be what it is, seeing all the old
school and new school artists in the lead up to the show sharing
stories, paint, advice and the energy that is being generated you
can see why he saw this as something that could benefit the students
of New Design. There's no doubt he will always play a part in graffiti
and its preservation but he's quick to add he now only paints on the roof.

Words and portrait: S.LESTER

'EV-EVISM' piece from 2007 RTL Show, by Jesse Pais (EV)

TWO WEEKS TO GO.....

2010-04-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

With only two weeks to go till the 2010 Rooftop Legends
event the energy on the roof is something else. A bunch
of artists were up this weekend painting in the sun, and it
was pretty amazing seeing the old-school and new school
sharing paint, giving each other advice and just feeding of
the vibe which is inevitable when you get this many creative
people in the one spot.

The roof is shaping up and we'll be getting the fliers for the
show out this week. If you don't live in NYC, or just don't
happen to pick one up check back in here for all the info
on the 2010 Rooftop Legends event.

THREE WEEKS TO GO.....

2010-04-17T15:17:00.000-07:00

With three weeks till Rooftop Legends 2010 a bunch
of artists were up painting today. WOLF AOK, WANE COD,
TEAM GO CLUB, MONE RIS, & SIGNAL COD as well as
New Design High's art teacher, Ben Rojas.

With more big names to hit the roof over the next few weeks
keep checking in for updates.

CYCLE TC5

2010-04-12T10:48:00.001-07:00

Back in our first week of painting CYCLE TC5 was on the
roof. We took the chance to ask him a couple of questions
about his graff and this years piece for the Rooftop Legends show.

RTL: How did you get into graffiti, and how many years have

you been writing for?

CYCLE: I started seriously writing in 1989. I got into it from just

seeing it around in my environment, places I would hang out at

or go skateboarding at or along the train lines. This was the days

before the internet, you had to figure it out for yourself. I was always

into art since I was a little kid and graffiti looked like it was more fun

than High School art class.

RTL: Where are you from and how did you wind up in NYC?

CYCLE: I am from Connecticut originally. I grew up about an hour

or so from the city. The Metro North commuter trains came right to

where I lived so I was always taking the train down into the city since

I was a kid. Going to Mets games, going to record shops, skateboarding,

hanging out, etc. I have lived in Washington DC and San Francisco

as well for school but some how I always wind up back in NYC.

I guess so much of what I grew up with is based around this city it just

feels right being here.

RTL: You seem to be involved in a bunch of other creative areas -

was this all a direct progression for you?

CYCLE: I am not sure if "direct progression" is the right term,

it was more like a drunken stumble.

RTL: What can you tell us about this years piece for the Rooftop

Legends show?

CYCLE: It makes a sound like this....."Arrrghhhhhh"

RTL: Anything else you'd like to add - new projects, news etc?

CYCLE: New projects?....uh, I don't know....I guess falling down,

getting up, trying again kinda stuff.... making it up as I go along,

Something always seems to pop up. Just keep painting and looking

for a nice warm spot in the sunshine to lay down and daydream.

RTL: Thanks!

ENUE COD

2010-04-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

We've had ENUE COD up on the roof over the past
few weeks. We thought we'd ask him a few questions
and he was kind enough to answer 'em...

RTL: You started writing in the early nineties,
how have you seen things change in the graff / art
world since then?

ENUE: I think now, in general, graffiti and other
forms of art are definitely more of a marketable
commodity. It's not just graffiti, but most things
people do in general, from making music to dancing
around in your underwear in your bedroom. I think
our society kind of found a way to turn every facet of
life pretty much into some sort of revenue-generating
entity with the influence of the internet and the whole
"connected" generation. Everything you do can have a
potential audience now that the internet exists. That's
both cool, and sorta not cool.

When I became interested in doing graffiti, the aspiration
was basically...just to do graffiti. Go out, bug out and write
on stuff. And you kind of learned from what you saw first
hand. The pool of influence was more localized, and it was
more of a personal experience because to link up with
someone meant that you actually had to run into them,
get to know them enough to establish trust and so-forth.
If that person lived 3 towns away it was kind of a big deal.
Now it's common to be like... "Yo...I'm talkin to my dude in
Berlin in one window, and talking to another dude from
Australia in another window. I never actually met these dudes
in person, but they're cool." That's kinda crazy if you really
think about it, but it's the norm today.

I think graffiti can have the same debates as anything else
that's been developing over the past 20 or 30 years and has
changed dramatically with the adaptation of technology.
It's not just the graffiti world or art world that's changed
since the 90s, it's the world in general. Some things have
changed for the better, some things have changed for the
worse, but things are definitely different, and really the only
thing you can do is embrace the change and keep it moving.

RTL: It was through skateboarding you were introduced to
the graffiti world- do you think you would have found it otherwise?

ENUE: I was aware of graffiti before I was aware of skate-
boarding to some degree. I've always sort of been into drawing,
my dad used to dabble with tattooing and I was super into
Transformers and stuff as a kid but couldn't afford all the
dope ones so I'd draw my own. In 86 I saw some older kids at the
park trying suicide flips and head spins. I was in 1st grade and
got Run-DMC "Raising Hell" on cassette for my birthday.
I'd draw my little bubble letters. "Fresh" with a dude rocking
a moonwalk. Whenever we'd go into the city for a school trip or
if I was lucky..a baseball game, I always liked to look at the
highways for the graf but I didn't actually start my attempts at
writing graffiti till I was a little older, like 13 or 14. But I think
I would have been drawn to it at some point in my life, since I
was always fascinated with it, and had a bit of a love for mischief
as a kid.

RTL: There was a moment for you where you decided to focus
more on piecing not just tagging- what triggered that for you?

ENUE: I think piecing is what drew me in. Not really teched out
pieces, but the parking lot silvers and dope chunky simple styles
you'd see around Manhattan and along the Westside Highway
and BQE. Tags are essential to graffiti and are still pretty much
my favorite things to look at, but I got into trying to do simple
pieces and stuff like that. I wasn't old enough to see the NYC
Subway trains first hand but I did get to see a massive amount
of graffiti with style that the early 90s had. When I think of the
most personally influential pieces to me, most of it was done
within the early 90s era, or was featured in Subway or Spraycan Art.

RTL: You took a break from graffiti for a few years, what was the
main thing that brought you back to it? Did you ever really stop
or just kept it more low-key?

ENUE: When you let graffiti consume your life it can turn into
a major source of stress, but when you have to deal with real life
adult responsibilities like work and bills and all that good stuff,
graffiti can be a temporary escape from all that. I was kind of going
through some personal things after my dad passed away and basically
graffiti became my primary output again. I kind of stopped actively
painting for about 5 or 6 years but I always kept a blackbook and
doodled, I was just into some other forms of creative output as well.

RTL: You've done a bit of travel because of your graff - where have
you been and what were the best spots?

ENUE: Toronto and Montreal are fun for me because of the people
up there and the not-so-automatically-negative mindset when it
comes to painting on a wall with spraypaint. In NY, you could be
painting a McDonalds logo for Mayor Bloomberg, but if you're doing
it with spraypaint, you're automatically a potential criminal. I haven't
been to as many places as I'd like but everywhere I've been has been
cool because it's different then where I'm at. Doing a piece in a
completely non-english speaking country is kind of surreal. Taipei
was really cool. I hope I get to go to more places where I won't be
able to verbally communicate.

RTL: Anything you'd like to add....new projects, news, shout outs?

ENUE: Big ups to my COD, FC, XMEN, KAOS, NSF fambizzles.
Cop like 20 cases of Enrique's BONGGGG!!! from the new batch
of Ironlak colors because it pops like BONGGG!!!, and look out
for my album dropping December 33rd, 2022.

RTL: THANKS!!!

SECOND WEEK OF PAINTING.....

2010-04-11T18:47:00.000-07:00

So the second week of painting is done and dusted.
this week has seen artists like REAS, NOAH, STAK,
PURE and MICKEY grace the rooftop.

Here's a snap of mickey at work on her piece for the
show. Hailing from Amsterdam MICKEY has been
a kindergarten teacher, now a mother, and always
an artist. for more background on her you can check
her blog at:

http://www.micklarock.com/

There's also a pretty detailed section on her and her work
in the graffiti documentary BOMB IT, directed by John
Reiss - well worth checking out. For more info on
BOMB IT you can check it out on there site:

http://www.bombit-themovie.com/

JAES ONE

2010-04-10T07:02:00.001-07:00

Jaes One hit the roof last weekend. Here's a little bit more about
the artist....

RTL: How long have you been writing for? Where are you based?

J: I've been doing graffiti for about 16 yrs, and live in NYC.

RTL: How did you get into graffiti, and what has it lead to with
other creative ventures?

J: Me and my friends got into graffiti via skateboard culture.
Skateboarding and graffiti have a lot in common such as:
expressing yourself stylistically, the rebellious natures of
both lifestyles, the desire to improve your skill sets and
explore your own creativity. I've always been interested in
visual forms of communication, art, and doing things my
own way. Right now I work mostly as an illustrator and
designer.

RTL: You're sponsored by IRONLAK, how did that come
about? What opportunities have come your way because of it?

J: To make a long story short, Wane COD introduced me and
Enue to some of the TMD (http://www.tmdcrew.com) guys,
they introduced us to Ironlak, and here we are.

We (the Ironlak USA team) have gotten to link up every few
months and do team walls in different cities. The Supervision
guys put together the videos. Huge shouts to them, check them
out at

www.WeAreSupervision.blogspot.com

I think the best thing Ironlak has made happen is helping connect
talented/like-minded people from all over the world to collaborate
together.

RTL: What are your thoughts on the ROOFTOP LEGENDS event?
Is this your first experience with the event?

J: This is my 4th time painting on the roof, I think its great.
I always say how cool it would have been to go to a school like this
that embraces kids creativity so much. I went to a really normal
school where me drawing all day was considered a problem.
If kids cant pay attention to school because they would rather draw,
they shouldn't be punished, they should be sent to art school to
explore their talents.

The graffiti / skatepark combination is really fresh. It helps
encourage kids to express themselves creatively, and on another
note: skateboarding is a real deal profession. If kids want to skate,
it should be encouraged just as much as any other sport.

RTL: Anything you want to add- new projects, news etc?

J: I'm pretty excited about some projects I have lined up this year
but I'm not at liberty to discuss them yet. 2009 was a blast, just more
painting and really looking forward to another year of doing it all
over again. So I Would just like to say thanks to everyone from
Ironlak, Levi (Ironlak) who In my opinion is responsible for a lot
of connecting the dots and facilitating good graffiti worldwide.
The Supervision guys in Chicago, Enue, Ali, Jee, EV, CiscoNYC,
Askew, Sirum, TMD Crew, Luke, Tues, Wane, Cope, Ovie, Rath,
Tkid, Keo, Cecs, Mare, Spot, Rime, Jick, Skinz, the guys at Tuff City,
Plaztikmag, Nostylgia, All of COD, KD, TNB, KMS, UPS, and all my
friends and family.

Thanks,
-JaesOne.

www.JasonBurnz.wordpress.com

www.JasonBurnz.com

RTL: THANKS!!

RTL 2010 - PAINTING UNDERWAY

2010-04-05T08:33:00.000-07:00

Painting for Rootop Legends 2010 has begun!
These are a couple of snaps from the last few days....

We'll be keeping you up-to-date with the shows progress
in anticipation of the MAY 8th show. There will also be
some artist interviews coming soon.

So far we've had DASH FC, CYCLE, ENUE, JAES, VIRUS,
KEO, SMITH, SPOT and MICKEY up on the roof.

ROOFTOP LEGENDS - BRIEF HISTORY

2010-04-05T06:57:00.000-07:00

The Rooftop Legends graffiti event began in 2007,
started and continued by the Dean of the New Design
High School, and graffiti artist, Jesse pais (EV).

Featuring artists from the cultures formative years
as well as prominent artists from today the schools
open rooftop space- occupying an entire city block,
becomes a living museum unlike anything else on
the island of Manhattan. Previous years have seen
writers and crews including: TATS CRU, REAS, TC5,
PART, CAN2, GHOST, CASE2, KAVES (LOB), REVOLT,
AOK (REAS, WOLF, NOAH), EWOK, TEAM (GO CLUB)
KEL, EZO, ZEPHYR, WANE, KEO, DOC AND EL CORO
to name a few. Artists come from across the globe,
hailing from NYC, Japan, Australia, Copenhagen, Sweden,
Norway, Amsterdam and the Czech Republic among others.

Serious thanks are due to all the artists that have played
a part in Rooftop Legends from 2007 to today, they have
donated their time, supplies and energy to make it possible.

New Design High School is located in the Lower East Side
of New York City. With the NYC skyline as the shows backdrop
this is something that cannot be replicated.

**Images above from the 2009 Rooftop Legends event artists
in order of appearance: KAVES (LOB), CYCLE (TC5), TRIXTER,
BATH 175 (DOC TC5), DOVES (TC5), TC5 /COD/ CAN2,
& 2009 show flyer featuring TATS CRU)