Thursday, December 31, 2009

ROCKED OUT DENIM JACKETS


THE 80s! some thing i love the most of the 80s was the style we didnt have your sean johns, or even ecko . we just had what we had from silky bvd's name belts and name plates shell top addidas with fat laces. cazel glasses and kangols str8 legged lees . with a fox tail hanging off the side. but we also had graffed out gear there were the shirt kings rockin the best arbrushed shirts out but denim lee jackets were the best here are some i found .


By now you know Bad luxury is saturated in the lifestyles of counter culture, and the arts that go along with those cultures, whether it be the music, fashions, or art. These were denim jackets worn in the 80's by BBOYS, Fitti' writers and people who were deeply rooted in the hip hop movement at the time. These jackets were hand painted with acrylic or paint markers. To me they are amazing, and a pure sense of individualism of self expression, mixed with fashion and art. In this day in age it would be rare to see someone walking around with A piece of artwork they made on their clothing, which makes little sense to me in the fact that we will pay top dollar to buy clothing with logos of big companies plastered on them, and in an essence you are promoting that brand for free, while getting nothing back from them at all, but a false reality of social status, but during this time period it was a mere staple to wear hand decorated and self promotional clothing. And for many who wrote Fitti' or were in different breakdancing crews, deejays, and mcees it was a personal advertisement of how dope you were or what crew you rolled with for anyone who saw it. This was A time before corporate money sank their claws into hip hop and made it into a consumer market. At it's roots it was a culture that derived from little to nothing and people used what little they had in their surroundings to create a new music, dance moves, and art

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

KET !!!




www.supportKET.org

Alain Ket Maridueña is a publisher, writer, Hip Hop historian, activist and graffiti artist from New York City. He was charged in New York City courts (Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan) on counts of felony criminal mischief, possession of graffiti tools, and X., all relating to a search performed on his home in New York City in late 2006.
Alain grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York. From a young age, he fell in love with Hip Hop culture and the graffiti art movement, During his college days at New York University, he founded STRESS, a publication dedicated to celebrating urban communities, Hip Hop culture and educating youth about their rights. This magazine went on to have international distribution and being translated into Spanish language as well. Alain created a program with Riker's Island prison to donate magazines to inmates and to take Hip Hop musicians to perform at the prison system in order to reduce violence and connect them with the outside world. He was also one of the founders of Black August, a collective made up of Stress magazine staff and The Malcolm X Grassroots movement, in order to raise money and support for political prisoners and exchange music and ideas with youth in countries with emerging Hip Hop scenes like Cuba. Most recently he was a founder of Complex magazine along with Marc Ecko, and started a publishing imprint, From Here to Fame, to preserve Hip Hop's rich history and to provide an imprint for marginalized writers and artists. He also has served as a consult to Ecko Unlimited on both their apparel and video game businesses, MTV, Lugz, Vibe magazine, PepsiCo, Timberland, Azzure Denim, and many other brands.
Alain Maridueña's arrest had come in the context of a growing anti-graffiti sentiment in city government due to the growing gentrification of New York City and as part of the Mayor Bloomberg's quality of life push, one started by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Alain's arrest appears to be politically motivated attack for his involvement with Marc Ecko and Ecko's successful lawsuits against the city of New York in order to hold a graffiti event and repealing a spray paint sales ban to 18 year olds. Many consider the charges against Alain excessive.
As we already stated, we will continue to support Alain completely. He and his family have been through an extremely difficult time and are financially strained.
Alain's court cases are ongoing and his family and friends will be raising funds to pay his legal defense, setting up public events to educate people about the incarceration of artists, and providing financial, logistical, and legal support to Alain throughout his proceedings.
Please keep in mind that our fight is just beginning. We need your help and support in order to fight the outrageous prosecution.
On behalf of Alain, we thank you for your continued support.


KET well what can i say i met ket in 1989 1990 in soho down under in nyc i still lived in nyc at the time and there was rumored that there was a vhs tape out showing bombers rockin that at the time was crazy . there was only a hand full of videos out (style wars , beat street, ) so we had to get it . the store didnt sell much stuff maybe a flod out igt times that looked like a subway map or other things . i walked in got the video and a cool dude with ny flow said those magic words only known to the graff fraternity "WHAT YOU WRITE" i told him my name said whats up and thats it . later during the years i took a trip back to nyc after moving to puerto rico and stopped by a news stand and saw a magazine not comon to my eyes stress magazine .at the time and to me still is one of the best magazines out . i always admired ket for his style and that he was always ongoing threw the years . he has always been a supporter of the hip hop culture and great sponcer to puerto ricos graff events . to many he is not a legend but has done legendary things . by taking graff a step up from what it was back in the 70s 80s and 90s . thank yyou ket for every thing good luck ache y bendiciones
Blen 167

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Jose Parla



when i started writing the first thing that was taught to me was hand style . with out it you were not a complete writer . i usally complain about writers in puerto rico lacking in handstyle but what can i say kids just dont listen in a reserch i did 6 years ago i stumbled upon jose parla . when i saw his paintings i was amazed on how his canvases were so similar to walls i saw on a daily . the same ruggedness of walls and deteriation . truely amazing . as i searched more and more i found out he is a artist i looked at from before ease one from the miami ink heads . years later i went to a exibition he had in puerto rico and learned he lived here and later moved to miami in 1985. now he resides in new york and is taking the art world by storm . congradulations ease much respects .
Avenida de Rosas

"Nuyoricans: Puerto Ricans In New Yoork"


Documentary: 56 min

This documentary was created for "Thirteen, WNET New York"

Nuyoricans: Puerto Ricans In New Yoork celebrates the history, culture and contributions of a unique and vibrant community. At once both American citizens and migrants fram a Caribbean Island, Puerto Ricans in New York belong to two worlds. The word "Nuyorican," itself, expresses this colorful combination of New York ans Puearto Rican culture. Part of Thirteen's ethnic American series, the film chronicles the history of Puerto Ricans in New York, taking us on a tour of several of their neighborhoods, from El Barrio uptown and Loisaida downtown to the South Bronx. It also treats us to a rich exploration of their art, music and poetry as well as their achievements in education, politics, sports and business. From bilingual education to the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, from "arroz con gadules" to Salsa in Central Park, this film salutes the Nuyorican experience.
Skjalg Molvær was Producer and Editor.

Sofia Maldonado



Sofia Maldonado could be called a Third World Street Artist. But then again, that would only describe part of her aesthetic and intellectual oeuvre. A brilliant and original muralist she also finesses canvas, paper, disposed of skateboards, and Third World (a.k.a. Global South) toys made in China. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, but residing in Brooklyn since 2006ish, she’s on the fence about returning home to the tropics post receipt of an MFA from Pratt University in 2008. Her fusion of Puerto Rico’s real and imagined identities of US Territory, Commonwealth and independent nation, coupled with a colorful and active imagination of her own, creates artwork that is indirectly potent and visually appetizing. In her images of girls, from reggaeton dancers, streetwalkers to fashionistas, she subverts and exaggerates female identity beyond what is seen in magazines, or on the corner, by adding her signature whimsical touch.

Sofia’s goal to create a voice that represents Puerto Rico through graffiti and murals that are both female and a testament to an organic tropical style, has played out on walls and interiors throughout her native country. Some of her new work involves found objects that she uses to discuss the development of Puerto Rico as an independent nation. By using a traditional toy that generations of Puerto Ricans on the island have played with, trompos (seen below left), as canvases for her contemporary graffiti influenced style, she provides two-fold commentary on the trendy toy culture of global “cool kids” (i.e. Kid Robot) and the question of Puerto Rican independence and homegrown industry. Her latest trompos project, Playing With The History of A Colony, on view at Art Basel Miami (Scope Miami) with Magnan Emrich, addresses the imposed identity of former colonies and memory.


my honest opinion is i love her artwork . i really love her work BUT theres a title that i dont accept that she has been given graffiti artist . there been alot of bad blood between us because of the title graffiti artist . but i cant deny she is a very talented artist and deserves all the fame and glory she is getting . much respects to you sofia god bless and good luck!!

Monday, December 28, 2009

SANTIAGO AKA RICE AND BEANZ





Santiagos work caught my eye 3 years ago on myspace. his work is amazing . he contacted me on myspace to drop by and see the new work and for sure i was amazed . im only posting 3 fotos of his collection for more work drop by his page www.riceandbeanz.net

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Fernando Mora



Born in san juan puerto rico october 15 1978 fernando quickly found himself drawing comic book heros and comics at the age of 6 his parents enrolled him in art school where he got the oppertunity to learn under the wing of renowned artist andres bueso

www.artofmora.com

Leading Puerto Rican artist Rafael Tufiño,


Goyita" (1953), one of Rafael Tufiño's best-known works.


Tufiño, whose prolific work includes paintings, drawings, prints and posters, died at a San Juan hospital.

The loss resonated deeply in New York, where Tufiño - known as "The People's Painter" was born and lived as an adult.

"He was a legend of our time," said New York-based artist Miguel Luciano. "He really represents el corazón de Puerto Rico [the heart of Puerto Rico]."

In 2003, Tufiño received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Arts Club in Gramercy Park - the first Puerto Rican to receive such distinction.

That same year, El Museo del Barrio in New York showcased a wide-ranging retrospective on 65 years of his work.

Among his best-known works are the paintings "El cortador de caña," (Cane Cutter) and "La Goyita," which depicted the island's impoverished rural class.

Born in Brooklyn in 1922, Tufiño was raised in Puerto Rico and then went on to live in Mexico and back in New York.

"He was very influential," said Marcos Dimas, 63, founding member of the East Harlem-based non-profit arts organization Taller Boricua, which Tufiño helped create in 1970.

Dimas, who has known him for 49 years, said "El Tefo" - as his friends would call him - transmitted his "technical skills and artistic accomplishments" to younger artists.

"Also, he was a link between New York Puerto Ricans and the artists from the island," he added.

Dimas says in the '60s they lived and worked on a building at 110th St. and Madison Ave., across the street from where the Puerto Rican nationalist group Young Lords was based.

"We did a lot of the poster work for the movement of the Young Lords," he said.

"Tufiño's emphasis was on using art as an education and advocacy tool to promote self identity."

Many years later, the artist would also inspire the much younger Luciano, 36, who was born in Puerto Rico but grew up in the U.S.

"My Puerto Rican art history, I had to learn on my own," Luciano said. "And his carteles [Posters] from the 50s, his paintings … these where the ways that I connected with that history."

Luciano added, "He also represents the back and forth and the experience of Puerto Ricans in both places."

Tufiño, who was married twice, is survived by five adult children.



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/latino/2008/03/14/2008-03-14_leading_puerto_rican_artist_rafael_tufio.html#ixzz0SPKjNqJm

Saturday, December 26, 2009

New York Ricans from the Hip Hop Zone by Raquel Z. Rivera


New York Ricans from the Hip Hop Zone is the first book to explore the Puerto Rican dimension of hip-hop. This volume explores the history of hip-hop music from the standpoint of the New York Puerto Rican community, which has been instrumental in its development.

New York Puerto Ricans have been an integral part of hip hop culture since the very beginning: from 1970s pioneers like Rock Steady Crew's Jo-Jo, to recent rap mega-stars Big Punisher and Angie Martinez. Yet, Puerto Rican participation and contributions to hip hop is frequently downplayed, if not completely ignored. When their presence has been acknowledged, it is usually misinterpreted as a defection from Puerto Rican culture and identity into the African American camp. But, Rivera argues nothing could be further from the truth. Through hip-hop, Puerto Ricans have simply stretched the boundaries of Puerto Ricanness and latinidad.

New York Ricans from the Hip Hop Zone breaks with the common assumption that, in terms of cultural history and artistic expression, Puerto Ricans share more with "Latinos" than with black communities. Using hip hop culture as a focal point, Rivera draws parallels—past and present—between African Americans and Puerto Ricans by highlighting their shared New York City history and their both being part of the African Diaspora in the Americas

PRAISE FOR NEW YORK RICANS FROM THE HIP HOP ZONE
Raquel has done the unthinkable—she has triumphed in creating what hip hop DJs normally call a remix. She has remixed history and shed light on a valuable coexistence that is normally shunned by the media—namely, Boriquas represent. —BOBBITO GARCIA, DJ Cucumberslice

"Big Pun, Fat Joe, Angie Martinez, La Bruja and many other Puerto Rican rappers speak out here in full voice, and the result is the most authoritative and exciting account of the Nuyorican role in hip hop to date."
—JUAN FLORES, author of From Bomba to Hip Hop: Puerto Rican Culture and Latino Identity

"Raquel untangles this wildly woven fabric called hip hop and uncovers the unbreakable strands of Puerto Ricans that have been in all the elements of hip hop since day one. Clap your hands everybody!!!"
—CHARLIE CHASE, pioneering DJ and MC, Cold Crush Brothers

"It's about time that a book has come out showing the contribution Puerto Ricans have made to the hip hop movement."
—JAMEL SHABAZZ, photographer, Back in the Days

"A much-needed examination of New York Puerto Ricans' essential contributions to and continued vitality in the hip hop universe. Rivera's edgy mix of academic research and inner-circle interviews help redefine the way we look at urban street culture."
—ED MORALES, author, Living in Spanglish

"Smart and provocative, New York Ricans from the Hip Hop Zone is written with clarity and style by someone who knows both hip hop and Puerto Rican culture from the inside out. Not only a must read, it's a great read."
—DEBORAH PACINI HERNANDEZ, Tufts University

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Raquel Z. Rivera is a freelance journalist and has a Ph.D. in Sociology from the City University of New York Graduate Center.

Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, she has lived in New York City since 1994.

A freelance editor, translator and interpreter, her first love is writing. Her articles, stories and poetry have appeared in newspapers El Diario/La Prensa, Siempre and Hoy in New York, and El Nuevo Día, The San Juan Star and Claridad in Puerto Rico; and in magazines One World, Críticas, In the House and Stress.

Her academic work has been published in (University of Minnesota Press, 1997), Puerto Rican Jam: Essays on Puerto Rican Culture and PoliticsRevista de Ciencias Sociales (University of Puerto Rico, 1998), Mambo Montage: The Latinization of New York (Columbia University Press, 2001) and Latina/Latino Popular Culture (New York University Press, 2002).

SPOT KMS, KAOS INC, XTC, BK NYC!





TEN SEVENTEEN, PICALO, DADAISM, PUERTO RICO CLOTHING LINES




for years ive been surrounded by great graff writers but among them i also have some friends ith some local clothing lines . these guys have an amazing clothing but best of it all is that its str8 from puerto rico! they have broken threw the hardcore , metal , and underground hip hop scene. being worn by aritst like tego, red connection, and other artist . all designs are original and the companys are backed up by puerto ricos finest mcs and graff artist . all shirts are top of the line prints and great shirt quality. check them out on myspace or face book ! or if not just ring me up!!!

TSMC, DADALISM CREW, PICALO

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

EVAK OZ AND ZONER !


DIRECT FROM ROCHESTER AND PHILLY 3 OF MY BOYS AND FUAMILIA CAME DOWN TO ROCK A WALL. FOR THE TIME MACHINE SQUAD 20TH ANIVERSARY!!

BLEN AND RIPMAN . FOR TIME MACHINE SQUAD 20 YEAR ANIVERSARY!!



great day pretty hot . i loved the production it was a surprise to see my face i didnt kno what was coming down the hamburger was funny kinda spookie at first seeing that its says blen rip and i was an angel . but after that i think it was great anyway.

i loved my piece took me a while but i got it done

Friday, December 11, 2009

FUA PRODUCTION


THIS IS I THINK THE LAST OF 2009 . THIS WAS A COOL PRODUCTION . I DIDNT DO MUCH REO AND ZONER ROCKED IT . THE TOWN OF CIEBA LOVED THE WALL . THE MOSQUITO WAS A IDEA I HAD SAVED IN THE COMPUTER AND REO WAS ALL ABOUT IT . AND KILLED IT . BEING WITH REO WAS CRAZY HES A FUCKING GRAFFITI MACHINE FOR REAL THIS IS THE FIRST WEEK END AND THIS IS WHAT WAS DONE !

Monday, December 7, 2009