Graffiti writer Alski, one of the first in Los Angeles
Alski throw-up at the Rapid Transit District (RTD is now Metro) bus alley near 6th Street and Wilton, 1985.
Alski, is considered to be one of the earliest Los Angeles graffiti writers during a time when tagging was a foreign word. He was born in the Bronx, New York from Puerto Rican parents and moved to Los Angeles in early 1980s . His first tags went up in Los Angeles in 1983 when there were very few taggers. He was consider the most prolific writer in Los Angeles history until a writer named Chaka hit the scene in the late 1980s. Other writers known during the early 1980s included, Davism (later became Miner), Jazz, Geo, Skept, Soon and Legit.
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I understand that tagging was part of the whole hip hop evolution, but tagging was and continues to be a nuisance in cities. How can be combat this issue?
yo you a fool ass Ni66ah if you think you was hitting LA before SoonOne you got the nerve to call Soon and legit bus stop taggers please Ni66ah I’m soon mother fin One and I was the first real graffiti writer in LA period pleease Ni66ah I saw when you came out Ni66ah and you said Miner before Soon you Ni66ahs are sick as f. you know no can’t fin get away with that ish , and no we not dead Ni66ah so you can’t deny the the fact ! And if you want to hit me up Ni66ah iamsoonone@yahoo.com and you use to be my man lil Ni66ah I guess with age your mind go’s to.
I hardly see it as a nuisance, in some cases it actually does more to beautify the city than the city govt does, in other cases its “toy” graf heads with no sks just funking everything up.
In any case I think this new plan to go after graffiti writers and “Taggers” is lame and will only turn to these people harboring more resentment towards law enforcement.
I’ve known plenty of graf heads from plenty of graf crews who, without the love for the artform and their ability to express it, would have easily been lured into gang life. Some of whom I know personally with older brothers in gangs and the thing that kept them from joining was, yep, graffiti and the culture surrounding it in LA/OC(Underground hip hop, breaking, djing, etc).
If you want to “combat” the issue how about do like Venice did, or Santa Ana does, and sanction places where graffiti artists can LEGALLY paint in your city, it’s done wonders for both of the aforementioned cities in the way of “combating” illegal graffiti. I mean, sure, you’re always gonna have those heads going for fame trying to “Get up” anywhere and everywhere but at least, if you had somewhere safe they could paint, they’d have some sense of accomplishment and pride in their work on a much larger scale, which could do wonders for their self esteem and potential careers in arts, and thats what we need for their generation.
peace
UR MOMS DNT LOVE U
im with youu on that one !
In some sort of sense I think It is a form of lifestyle. Its more like looking for something to be accepted by your friends. . Its a rush pumping trill to get away with crime and famous for it. I my self in younger days consider my self a tagger, mobber, bombmer what ever best explains it. How ever I dont take pride in that but its something that has long stayed within me for some wrong reason. I still catch my self reading graffitti off the walls. Not to mention tagging on paper like when I am bored at work. So I dont hate the taggers but I hate our crime.
It is certainly a youth thing. One uses various avenues to release their energies, and to be known among their peers. Peers is a thing that drives youths to do things, may it be in a good way or not. It is important in these times that we are aware of the youth and the things they need to build a better self esteem. If they are not getting what they need at home, from parents, father, mothers. etc. they will reach out and act out. Tagging is a way to release these stresses, but we can improve our teens and lead them to other things that EMPOWER them. Got to love the kids. Crime is wrong and there is a price to pay, when caught. Teach them well.
its not a youth thing, u got old ass men in their 30’s like Saber, Atlas, and all them jotos from TKO and CBS scribbling on the walls, these fers are tooooooooooo old to be tagging, get a fen job!!!
f TAGGERS I HOPE THEY ALL GET SMOKED
YOUS A GANGMEMBER THATS ANY BETTER TO EACH THERE OWN ESE
KEEP ON MOBBING YEAH. WBL CRUSH 1NE
f POLICES TAGGING IS THE BEST THERE IS
F#@K the police they cnt stop us!!!!
yea i know your RIGHT on that!!
F#@K ALSKI
Tagging is ridiculous. ANY idiot can write his name on the wall. Self
promoting the individual is the same senseless philosophy this
country was built on, manifest destiny. The perpetuation and sustenance
of the ‘rugged individual’ neglects the power of community and glorifies
the empty achievements of the individual. If you’re going to write something,
write something with meaning and substance. Anything besides glorifying
an individual accomplishment. Graffiti is a true artform that involves
storytelling and purposeful recognition of the human condition. Life and
death.
the police can’t stop us!!!
TEARING DOWN SOCIETY
THA DEATH SQUAD
THE DANK SMOKERS
THESE DEADLY STYLES
f TAGGERS. GET CAUGHT WRITIN N THE HOOD THEY GET SMOKED! SS F13*BST BIG KASPER.
HALF YO VARRIO IS TAGGERS…QUE NO
VDSKrew
Vandals Dont Sleep
Virus Dont Stop
Vandals Destroying Streets
f a hood rat.
Any idiot can write his name on the wall, I guess that’s how most people see graffiti. There’s a whole world to graf, we recognize each other when we see our work on the streets. We point at it like a way of life, you point at it like riff raff. Stay home.
Yo Alski you know you was not writing graffiti before me son think before you start telling Ni66ah
as that please you put miner and them Ni66ahs in front of soon Ni66ah you know the deal I was out rocking LA way before you and all your boys the truth is I was the first Ni66ah to get down in LA point blank tags ,burners,throw ups the whole nine yards and you was my man now you talking that crazy ish. Ni66ah you foul for that one , 26 years have gone buy and Ni66ahs still standing on lies any Ni66ah.dat want the truth about the begining of LA graffiti the style that Ni66ahs first saw on wild style,style wars , I was gettin it in before that ish came out hit me up at iamsoonone@yahoo.com ill tell you the the real deal neal 100 !!!
Oh its like that you trying to stop the truth from getting out you know you was not out on the streets of LA before SoonOne my bother so k the bullish .you said Soon andLegit was bus stop taggers please I was writing before Legit and Legit was writing before you my brother so how the you put Miner in the same sentence as Soon stop think about it ,you said Soon and legit was bus stop taggers ,you must be sick,
Yo Soon One, the mutha fu who wrote this never said Alski was the first writer, point blank, plus, the author mentions your fing name, so whats your problem???????? HATER!!!
I remember seeing Alski everywhere, plus Miner was up too. You sound like a hater that is pissed that no one remembers you. i remember you though, but why r u pissing on another brother’s name? Go kick rocks.
Yo Geo man I could never be a hater I’m that Ni66ah I oniy speak the truth I a Legend it sound like you a d#$k rider. I think I know who you are a nobody HA,HA ,HA ,Suckeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrr
Soon, you are definitely a graffiti legend in LA, but this post does not lie about you or lie about Alski. I am 38 years old and I remember seeing both Alski and Soon, Dont understand your anger in this post if this is really Soon.
Also there were Chicano writers like Chazz that predate both of yall in LA.
the reason why you dont get the props u desire…is because your a lame…no personality…straight up…ur ish mediocre at best…sssssissssssyyy
Yo what up Alski you damn well no you was not writing graffiti in LA before Soon so pump your break’s kid you no the deal I no you getting older but you aint for get the fact’s please my brother !!!
taggers are gangbang drop outs, they are too .P to blast some 1 and put in work so instead, they wanna scribble on walls cuz they got no balls to put in work for their hoods.
f taggers, fen lames scribbling on the walls like kids. u got 30 year olds scribbling on walls. all taggers are lame come to the Sick Side and we will show u how the taggers get treated
HOLD UP WE REP THE THE SOUTH ALSO AND WE DONT NEED A VARRIO TO CO-SIGN FOR US, IN THE YARD WE ALL THE SAME EXEPT I THINK WE HAVE MORE HART, SUR UP!
To all graft artist and taggbangerz keep tha movement live all gangstahz that hate fk u it ain’t like yo hoods neva been blasted on a wall so all that about fk a scribler fk you and to crew KmA bomber
Kizz My Azz
f GANG MEMBERS! Nothing but chick ass fools like that punk chick Big Kakasper… f fartgetas, puto! I don’t gang bang, ese… I walk the main yard and still rep the Sur Side… I don’t need a gang to do my thing… I am a man, puto… I’ll get down with any of your puto homeboys – one on one – the way God intended… mothefer can’t handle life’s adversity on his own and needs other putos like him to help him out… What are you going to to in the pinta, puto? The same vatos from your varrio will stick u for f’ing up the program and crossing the line, puto… I don’t need anybody to watch my back.. Where I stroll, I control… run and tell that homeboy – ha!
props to you SOON, i remember seeing him before Alski or any other writer back in tha day, Soon had it way before and was a big influence for me, from his tags to wild style pieces, venice beach c.1983… Wat Up SOONONE! good to see your still in tha game , hope yu do a BIG comeback and tell your story to all the young heads coming up! Shout to an ORIGINAL KING.
Thank’s bro glad you know the truth hope all is well !!!
RISKY told me soon was absolutly”THE KING” of l.a. writers and THE FIRST
i’ll take his word for it
f those chickes soon you dont have to explain ish
SOON was probably doing it since 1982 in LA, and the first pure artist in LA, but ALSKI put tagging on the map, bar none. I would see his hit-up from Long Beach to Hollywood to the Valley and up & down Wilshire. Both these guys have their roots in New York.
Graffiitii was the ish back in the day..when u had go battle it out on was now its all smart….moths ferssss had to f it up when tagbanging came along……….
Chaz is LA’s graffiti godfather.
he goes back to the 1970s
Youn forgot the mention SEVERE and RISK, we were out there tagging and piecing with SOON and LEGIT and JKOOL! Before the Pan Pacific !
I WAS THE FIRST WRITER IN LOS ANGELES ME & SOON ONE YOU GOT TO BE ON DRUG lollipopSUCKER I WAS THERE WHEN YOU FIRST HIT THE STREET WE BEEN UP CREEP WANTED WRITERS -A.R.T LEGIT 175 1980
I WAS THE FIRST WIRTER IN LOS ANGELES,CA ME & SOONONE PLEASE STOP WE BEEN UP LEGIT WAS UP IN 1980 TRUE STORY WORD ON THE STREET WE WAS DEAD ,A BUNCH OF HATER,WOW I WAS THERE WHEN YOU FIRST CAME UP ,I HAD MUCH LOVE 4 YOU ,BUT WHEN YOU LIE , THAT A CRIME,RISK TOO I WALK HIM THREW THIS ish,HIS WAS A CAMERA KID BACK THEN ,THEN HE WANTS TO WRITE HE WAS TAGGING SURF ,A STUDENT BACK THEN ALSKI WAS UP CRAZY,BUT WE CAME FIRST,PEEP THE HEADLINE ONE OF THE FIRST LA WRITERS(WOW)
legit was out in 1980 alski came way later he was up ,but legit & soon been up
legit was the first writer in los angeles-1980
alski you know me i am shock to hear this,i was there first,that risky guy i use too like but he turn out to be a liar ,the nerve of that guy,(wow) culture biter ,i use to hold his hand threw my block ,you crazy,the gangster would have jacked that mad times if it wasnt for me,lets get the records straight .this you boy BIG LEGIT 175 ,AND MY BOOK IS COMING OUT 2015