So as I mentioned in my very first post and also the subtitle to this very blog, I will be posting sketches every now and again whenever I have the time and whenever I think the sketch is good enough to present to the public. But what is a good black book without seeing the cover? Blackbooks in general are known for having very eccentric designs or even collages of different throwups, stickers, and other graffiti oriented objects on top. Anyways, I think the cover of a black book not only represents the artist but it is a little prologue to what you are about to see and get into. It represents the culture and all the vibes associated with graffiti. That being said, I would like to give you guys a brief history of how I started doing graffiti in the first place.
Growing up just 30 minutes outside of New York City, graffiti has always been around no matter where I looked. Whether it was looking outside the NJ Transit train and seeing all the graffiti pass me by or when I would take trips up to NYC to visit my family I was always staring and was constantly intrigued by this renegade style art form. It had a certain style/funk to it that no other art obtained. I've been to museums and seen traditional fine arts in the city but let's face it, that shit is fucking boring and it's all the same. Portraits of old assholes constantly shrugging at you is definitely not cool and honestly it is quite creepy with all do respect. Graffiti moved me in a way because it was unlike anything I have ever seen in my life. Their was an entire underground culture attached to it and in reality, Graffiti is a way of life much like Hardcore is. In fact they both coincide hand in hand.
Every time I would come back home from looking at all this great graffiti, I would immediately start drawing and researching what this culture was about. It wasn't until about 7th grade that I embraced this culture with full force and started writing everyday. I started researching what "getting up" really meant, who were "kings" of the trade and that I would remain a "toy" until I proved myself worthy of at least intermediate styles. I would post drawings and paintings of mine as the years went on in forums all over the Internet. I would attend the writer's bench up in Newark every couple of weeks. I did whatever I had to do to be the best in my town. But being in a town where only 4 other people did graffiti, there wasn't that much competition for me as there was in the entire state of New Jersey and let's face it, New Jersey heads KNOW how to get up and that's a fact.
I spent around 6-7 years constantly writing/tagging day in and day out. I would get up extra early before my walk to school and tag everything in my path. I had a blast doing it because it was like illegal art but it was compelling and it moved me all at the same time. I joined the Navy when I was 18 years old which lead to my graffiti writing into a screeching halt. My friends down here in Orlando have inspired me enough to get back into it whenever I have free time and some of it has even been used for album covers/logos for Trustatement.com, which is going to be a HUGE Hip Hop movement in the very near future. Thank you guys for inspiring me to continue with my artwork. After this cover has been posted, I will post more sketches as they are done. Thank you all!
