The story of graffiti is a pretty interesting story, but nothing we haven’t seen through other channels (see skateboarding for further proof of this theory). I think Style Wars may have been one of the first mainstream exposures of the illegal lifestyle of graff. Something as simple as writing your name on a wall can either put your ass into jail and get you butt-fucked by Bubba the Love Slave or grant you the utmost respect amongst your peers.

Fast forward to the millennium era. Now getting up is as cool as popping ping-pong balls out of your cooter. People with half a talent in this art form hardly feel the need to bomb trains or wait till 3am to get up on that sweat billboard that they just put up on 6th street with the half naked dude modeling that shitty underwear company.

Nowadays we have shows….legit ways to get your name exposed without the repercussions of getting your ass stomped by NYPD’s finest. Even though the culture is relatively still new (hip-hop culture spans only about a little over 30 years old), I think a lot of these older artists will tell you that they just don’t have the same mentality that they used to. They have careers to worry about and family to support….but regardless of it all, it is still cool to know that they can throw down with the best of them.

Probably my personal favorite. Something about an giant octopus with a spraycan.







Make sure to check out the show at the 1AM Gallery and to also check out the Estria Invitational Graffiti Battle in Oakland on October 10th.

And to cap the weekend off, did a quick shoot of some simple photos for Phil’s wedding.

The Velasco Family family in their entirety….Phil, Kana and their dog Haru.