XOMI .

WHEN YOU LOOK AT PUERTO RICOS GRAFF SCENE ITS BASICLY LIKE ANY WHERE ELSE . COPIED NAMES . STUPID BEEFS , EGOS, AND STREET DOMINATING CREWS . THERES ALWAYS ONE OR 2 WRITERS THAT STAND ABOVE TTHE REST BE IT IN STYLE PERSONALITY OR EVEN SKILLS . XOMI IS ONE OF THE ONES THAT TRUELY STANDS HIS GROUND ABOVE THE REST XOMI HAS BEEN IN THE GAME FOR A MIN AND HAS GIVEN PUERTO RICO A BIG PIECE OF HIS STYLE . ONE OF THE COOLEST AND FUNNIEST PEOPLE IVE BEEN AROUND IN YEARS . FOR NOW HES PUT THE GRAFF GAME ON HOLD TO TATTOO AND TO ATTEND BUSINESS. I FINALLY CAUGHT UP WITH HIM AND THIS IS WHAT HE HAD TO SAY.

YOU HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A WHILE NOW WHY THE NAME XOMI

-the name is a long story but to make it short its because of my grandad that pasted away years ago and he suffered from a couple of sicknesses and one of them was forgetting about everything lol he always called me by somi cause he forgtot my name so i remember the good old days with him and i remember it and got the name but i just make a simple adjust with the X cause i saw it was a hard letter to work with in graff so i got the challlenge

HOW LONG HAVE YOU ROCKIN WALLS-
since january 2 of 2006

WHAT CREWS DO YOU REP -bna

I HAVE SEEN YOUR GROWTH IN STYLE ITS TRUELY UNIQUE WHO AND WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR INSPIRATION IN YOUR STYLES I CANT PINPIONT ANYONE

well my inspiration in the begining not that got his style but the first person that told me yo! lets paint i know you have it was shet he toke me to my first wall and iintroduce me to the beauty of graff and from there i start sketching a lot making different styles learning and making combos with the letters and years later i got into the candy fliping lol, and inspiration of every graffwriter i saw in the streets making me want to get better and better until now! like blen167 that always got faith on me and support me not only in the graff game in tattos to.

I OVER HEARD YOU HOLD PUERTO RICOS LONGEST PIECE RECORD HOW LONG WAS THE PIECE AND HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO PAINT-

shit that was a 70ft wall piece of pure freestyle wildstyle ..i was just bored and like at 4.45 am if im not incorrect i decide to bomb a wall that was near my hood and bombed it but i was so chill there and relax that i decide to rock a bigger piece that i though lol so it took me 2 days cause the cops pass by and though that it was legal and from there the owner of the house liked it and now its mine lol

I REALLY NEED YOU TELL TELL PEOPLE WHAT YOU CALL YOUR STYLE WHEN YOU USE MAD COLORS HAHAHAH
-first i always paint freestyle i cant i just cant do a sketch on a wall i always do everything freestyle i just improvise well i just paint with lots and lots off scraps cause im a cheap artist no money just scraps and lots of colors so i got this homie that was always loving the colors and she baptized my style candy fliping lol like a trip between xtasy and acid lol cause all the colors and i love to mix it with flourecent colors yeiii!

WHAT DO YOU SEE IN PUERTO RICOS GRAFFITI SCENE

-a lot of talent really a lot of people here have much talent and i have traveled to paint in prand they have the sickest styles but like graffiti scene i think people are more getting it into the competitive side of things i think they have to concentrate in their art and thats it dont use graff as a competition just do what you love and thats it! but in general im not to happy with pr graff to much drama for a small island!

TRUE THAT !! TO MUCH DRAMA !!

YOU HAD A HUGE BOOM BOMBING WHAT HAPPENED THAT YOU SLOWED DOWN-

its all about bombing.it all started by bombing i got my name up like that after that is that i got more concentrate into pieces but yea i am taking it easy cause personal shit i have to take care first but bombing is graff i love it

WILL THEY BE A COME BACK ?
-jejeje im not dead im sleeping for a while

YOU LEFT THE ISLAND TO ROCK IN CALIFORNIA WITH TUNA HOW WAS THAT EXPIERIENCE . BEING THE FIRST TIME OUT OF THE ISLAND .-

it was a great experience like an artist and personal all by my self in a total diferent world i got my good days and i got my bad days i learn how to hustle to survive and i learn in that trip who really are your friends and who use u for who you are ! i specially want to thanks tuna my brother from another mother for acepting this fucking puerto rican like a brother and all his family! i left for i while im thinking ON going back!

HOWS THE CALI SCENE?-

shit is nice i saw lots of style meet a lot of artist i got to a lot of events i was invited in a couple of graff shows and body paint i have a great time!! and the scene is diferent from here theres a lot of drama 2 and a lot of cool people !

BESIDES GRAFFITI I HEARD YOU WERE INTO MOTO CROSS ALSO AND SNOW BOARDING . THE MOTOCROSS I CAN SEE BUT SNOW BOARDING IN PR !!

HAHAHA-naaa fool motocross that was when i was young i love that shit! i still want to go and do some freestyles but i just dont have money for that right now jejeje thats exspensive and snowboard i just want to do it and im going now in february but i had never see snow !how the fuck im going to be into that jejeje

AWSOME TRUELY . HOW DID YOU MAKE THE CHANGE FROM WALL TO SKIN.
IVE SEN YOUR WORK AND ITS AMAZING

-well in thats im just begining and its something that i love! really love its going a permanent art in the skin! like my canvaces forever in someone! what a better way to get up by that jejej,, into graff i have to thanks blen167 cause he was the one that told me you should do it and i made a design for a homie a graff that say his last name and blen supose to tatt it and he told me yo! why dont you doit you made de design already and i laugh jejeje i didnt ever grab a tattoo machine and blen told me i trust you you can so i said fuck it lets doit and my homie was cool with it so ... and when i start doing it blen the fucker jejeje leave me alone cause he was going to drink with his homies and left me alone jejejjeje i got so nervous but everything came out good! and since then i love it!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TATTOOING-

well i had being tattoing for 2 years and a half but for me is less cause i start and for like 2 years i tatt like 1 time every 3 months so for me i wasnt like tattoing just doing it some times now in the finalls of 2009 im tattoing almost everyday so im getting the practice

IT SEEMS YOU HAVE BEEN DOING IT FOR YEARS WHERE ARE YOU TATTOOING ?

im in all stars tattoo ceiba and psychodelic tattoo carolina and i have a private studio in my apartment

WHAT ARE THE PLANS FOR THE FUTURE IN TATTOOING AND GRAFFITI-

graffiti lots of new stuff and crazy shit! jeje and tattooing .... you will see by the name im just starting!

SHOUT OUTS !
-everywriters in the world everyone is doing there thing !! i dont say names cause if i leave one they start bitching lol but everyone that support me and my art thanks and there more to come! thanks blen for the interview
freestyle candyfliping all day!!!

PUERTO RICO LO HACE MEJOR!!

www.bnacrew.blogspot.com

BNA CREWS BLOG WAS MADE TO SHOW EVERY ONE THE MANY STYLES AND CREW MEMBERS AROUND THE GLOBE IN THE CREW . WE HAVE MANY MEMBERS REPING AND WE ARE TRUELY A FAMILY AT WORK . DURING THE PAST YEARS YES WE HAVE MET WE ARE NOT A INTERNET CREW . BUT A BUNCH OF FRIENDS ROCKIN WALLS

INDIE 184 ( KD, 156, fc)

INDIE184 is one of todays most active female graffiti writers hailing from Washington Heights, NYC.

Growing up all over NYC she began to participate in the graffiti culture in 2001.

Determined to express herself to the
world through art, she taught herself how to sew, paint and produce graphic design. She is known for her simple playful
feminine graffiti style lettering.

You can find her graffiti pieces from the South Bronx to Berlin. Indie's graffiti was featured
the record breaking Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto IV video game.

Her current endeavors include directing her street
wear brand Kweenz Destroy and producing graphic design work

MAD C, COPE, INDIE

INDIE to all to me shes la jefa(the boss) . i met indie 3 years ago here in puerto rico . big boss man cope called up and said she wanted to paint . and it was hooked up quick . i cant say any thing bad about any female writer ive ever met really but indie is the coolest ! thanks jefa for always being cool with the crew here in pr good luck god bless ! valla jefa!!! arroz con gandules!!

www.kweenzdestroy.com
www.indie184.com

MR WIGGLES

Mr Wiggles is a South Bronx Puerto Rican born raised on HIP HOP since the early 70's. Learned all his HIP HOP crafts in the harsh streets of the Bronx.

WRITING (graffiti) ROCKIN (vertical style dance done by many Latinos in the 70's) BREAKIN/BBOYIN (involves Top Rock, Footwork and Freezes) MCin (what is now known as RAP) POPPIN (dance style created in Fresno CA. by BOOGALOO SAM) LOCKIN (dance style created in LA made popular by Rerun on TV show What's happening) BEAT MAKER (HIP HOP music producer) Wiggles is a proud member of four major forces in HIP HOP and Funk Styles culture "Rock Steady Crew", "TC5" world famous writing crew (graffiti), the "Electric Boogaloos" and "Zulu Nation". Mr Wiggles started his career as a dancer by battling throughout the tuff streets of New York city, and eventually throughout the world. Wiggles built his reputation as a battler, and eventually took his skills to major stages all around the world including Europe, South America, Asia, Middle East, Canada, and on the great stages of Broadway. Wiggles has also been credited with two important movies that helped established HIP HOP "Beat Street" and "Wild Style".

Wiggles is still learning his crafts till this day, and will remain a true student of the culture till the day he dies. Wiggles is also a VH1 HIP HOP HONORS honoree, and was recently a special guest performer on Dancing With The Stars. Wiggles is married to his beautiful wife Zoraya Clemente, and has 6 incredible children, Unico, Alexandra, Talib, Ammar, Atiya, and Zamaria (I know that's allot of kids but he is Puerto Rican so what did you expect).

Mr Wiggles is now working on a new clothing line called "BRIGANTE" with his current business partner. You will be hearing allot from this company in the near future.

GRAFFITI AND HIP HOP IN CUBA (HAVANA)

Hip hop music arrived in Cuba via radio and TV broadcasts from Miami. During the 1980s hip hop culture in Cuba was mainly centred around breakdancing. But by the 1990s, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the onset of the Special Period, young "raperos" were seeking ways to express their frustrations.

Initially hip hop was viewed with suspicion, not just by the government, but by many in the community as well. With raperos emulating US rappers' aggressive posturing and lyrical content, hip hop was seen as just another cultural invasion from the US, bringing with it the violence and problems of the ghettos

The importation and the birth of Cuban rap could be debatable, but many argue that the importation of U.S rap and its influence was brought from Miami. Rap hit Cuba approximately quarter century ago but it was not imported to Cuba until 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union. However it existed among young moneros, who had a tremendous oral ability and linguistic creativity. At the beginning of establishing Rap in Cuba rap like rock was perceived as a foreign import and while it was never forbidden, neither was it promoted or encouraged” The Cuban government changed its perceptions about hip-hop during 1999 when it declared it as an authentic expression of Cuban Culture. In addition the government formed the Agencia Cubana de Rap (The Cuban Rap Agency) that provides state-run record label and hip-hop magazine, and began supporting the annual Cuban Hip Hop festival. Cuban rappers injected a renovating energy into Cuban music that was taken from hip hop culture. Rap in Cuba began to emerge precisely during the gangsta rap period in the United States which included artists like 2Pac, Notorious B.I.G, Ice-T, Snoop Dogg and many more influential gangster rappers.

Gradually this began to change as raperos began to express their own reality and make use of traditional Cuban culture. One sentiment expressed involved how Cuban politics were not keeping pace with social reality. All Cubans are discouraged from visiting government-designated 'tourist zones,' such as the fancy restaurants and night clubs in Old Havana, and police will ask most who show up there for ID. But statistics show that the police arrest Afrocubans all over the island more often than Whites. Many Afrocubans say the government assumes Blacks are more likely to be involved in criminal activity. This exclusion from night life led to the importance of house parties where raperos were able to establish their own "underground" hip hop scene. The financial constraints of tourist geared night clubs that only accept dollars or venues that cost up to the equivalent of a standard monthly Cuban salary for entry also aided in the significance of house parties in the Cuban hip hop scene

The small, underground gatherings or house parties were referred to as bonches. The bonches were for the true hip-hop fans who were into the less accessible rap in Cuba. "These bonches can be considered the seeds of today's Cuban rap community." As bonches gained popularity, they became too large for private homes, so aspiring DJ Adalberto Jimenez found a public space in Havana, which he called La Mona. The venue did charge a small fee, but it stayed more of a social than commercial club, remaining loyal to the underground scene. Many moneros were interested in creating their own rap, but lack of equipment prevented the formation of professional Cuban hip hop groups until the establishment of the Havana Hip Hop Festival.

In 1995, a group of rappers organized a Hip-hop festival. The annual Hip Hop festival consisted of 50 Cuban and 12 foreign groups: Mos Def and The Roots have supported the event as well as many others. As Hip-hop became more popular, it reached the youth of Cuba and many other countries. As a result, several thousand people globally have attended the festival in previous years.

graffiti in cuba is hardly ever seen there is no sales of aerosol paint so the only murals seen are from writers who vist the island .









thanks to queens and neon for the fotos click on images for better view. in the future ill post more from the colection.

ALISM noc bna (arecibo puerto rico)

ALISM


ALISM was a big inspiration to the town of arecibo puerto rico many didnt understand he came from a tagging back round paid his dues in the ealy 80s doing insides in the trains of nyc . he moved to pr in the late 80s and rocked the town with tic tocs and throw ups . born and raised in brooklyn he came to the island with a bk hand style used today by many of the town . inspiring well known pr writers like NEL, BLEN, AND BIK, he is now state side with his family and yerning to come back to rock a wal with his old friends .

he was well know for his block busters and old school style of rockin walls

TEKNYC!

Born & Riased in Santurce, Puerto Rico until the age of 13 Joel "Teknyc" Martinez credits an early interest in Bboying to his older brother Willy, who in the mid 80's was one of the top bboys in Puerto Rico. Teknyc's 1st interest was Boxing, in 1993/1994 he won 2 Golden Gloves as an amateur boxer with a record of 16/0. In 1996 Teknyc joined a crew from Tampa F.L. Later they would become the world renowned Skill Methodz. Representing in the scene at most local jams in Florida as well as across the U.S. & overseas to Europe & Asia. In 2003 & 2009 Skill Methodz went on to win the U.K. Bboy Champs. Teknyc hopes to preserve the essence of Bboying by keepin the art form true to its essence while still innovating within the context of this defined art form.

Teknyc is also a Graff writer down with legendary Graffiti crews such as Kings Destroy, Incredible Bombing Masters "IBM", 156 All Stars, X-men & KAOS INC. He's also the creator/promoter of the infamous NYC based party "THE GO OFF" headlined by world renown DJ Skeme Richards of The Rock Steady Crew. Teknyc is the quintessential Bboy, a very rare breed these days. Check out some of his latest adventures in his blog

www.Teknyc.Blogspot.com

Anita “ Rokafella” Garcia

Artistic Director and Producer FCP

Hip-Hop dancer/choreographer Ana “Rokafella” Garcia was born in Spanish Harlem where she grew up with a strong Latin background. She participated in school recitals and community events. At the age of 16 she began going to clubs and started to do back up dancing for singers.

Her Hip-Hop dance style became her bread and butter when she began street performing with such crews such as The Transformers, The Breeze Team, and the New York City Float Committee. In ‘94 she ran into Kwikstep who urged her to audition for GhettOriginal- a Hip-Hop dance company. As a member, she became further exposed to the “old school” dance technique and history.

After experiencing international appreciation for Hip-Hop, she decided to offer classes back home to prevent it’s fading away. She has taught workshops at NYU, MIT, UMASS and Howard as well as neighborhood high schools and community centers. The non profit company she co founded with her husband, “Full Circle Prod”, serves the community with educational performances and mentorship programs.

Since the resurgence of breaking, locking and popping in the Hip-Hop mainstream, she’s been featured for her unique ability as a B girl in Fabolous’ “Holla back Youngin” and KRS One’s “Step into a World” rap and the Fox films “Brown Sugar”. She and her husband founded Full Circle Productions- a Hip-Hop collective of artists who understand the cultural value of these urban art forms. They presented “Soular Power’d” on Broadway’s New Victory Theater which received rave reviews, and was their Hip-Hop theater directorial debut.

Rokafella co-hosted an Internet radio show called 88 Hip-Hop, where she interviewed pioneers in her Hip-Hop History segment. In the past years she has been singing and rhyming with her band RPM, and had a supporting role in the independent film “On the Outs”. She wrote the introduction to Martha Cooper’s We B*Girls photo book and has been hired by the US Sate Department as a cultural envoy artist. She has judged breakin contests in Europe and South America , Puerto Rico and is producing on a docu/film about b girls. She believes Hip-hop was born to help urban youth get through the ups and downs of life with something to hold on to.

www.alltheladiessay.com
www.fullcirclesoul.com
www.myspace.com/larokasoul

BEX ( DEF CREW)

BEX ONE

BEX ONE IS ONE OF THE 90S SICKEST LETTER MASTERS . COMING FROM GUAYNABO PUERTO RICO BEX AND HIS PARTNER EKC FORMED DEF CREW DEF EVERLASTING FLAVORS . THEY CREATED SOME OF THE BEST PRODUCTION WALLS EVER . TODAY HE IS A GRAPHIC ARTIST LIVING IN RIO GRANDE PR WITH HIS FAMILY . AND STILL COMES OUT EVERY NOW AND THEN TO ROCK A WALL. IVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF ROCKIN WITH BOTH EKC AND BEX . COOL GUYS BUT BE QUIET TOGETHER THEY ARE 2 COMEDIANS . LOLOLOL DURING THE YEAR ILL POST SOME OF THERE OLDER WORK

BEX SKE 1993

BEX SKE 1992

BEX VIEJO SAN JUAN MUELLES

EKC, SKE, JAPHET(BEX) GUAYNABO PR