Graffiti "Graphic Scenes, Spray Fiends and Millionaires

Reading the Vibe article on Graffiti gave me a different outlook on the bombers/writers! In 1976 Philadelphia was known the earthquake in wait that would grow to rattle the world three times over graffiti. There methods and madness is what makes them different from any other bombers. These bombers had a marketing plan which was to stretch the tallest, tag the highest, most interesting and most dangerous. To hit the most economic spots and the places with maximum eye gain. But one thing that I learned that there is a difference between a writer and one who tags. One who "tags' confines in scribble to notebooks, sketch pads, playground slides, public rest rooms and back stair cases. One who "writes" is a dreamer, a fire starter, a president, a king, an athlete, his universe is forever and his canvas is infinite, his actions become history. He lives by his homemade, supermarket ink-juiced pen. He dies for his word, for he knows that written expression will always have the final say so. This revolution has different meanings to differnt writers, but for the most part rebellion and self-determination are at the core of this art. I think that's deep and looking at it from a writers point of view means alot because it's a form of expression. The writers are trying to tell the world or that neighborhood something and that can be anything. So to express yourself through graffiti is interesting to me because I never looked at it that way. As I been in this Hip-Hop studies class Professor Dru has opened my eyes to alot of new things within the Hip-Hop culture!

Baby Phat

Growing up a Middle Eastern child in Washington, DC in a predominatley African American culture, I adopted alot of norms that were not from my culture. For one, the style of dressing that I admired was not the traditional dressing from Jordan. As I became a teenager and attended Cardozo High School my style evolved into what I have come to learn as a part of the hip-hop culture.
My most admired clothing was "Baby Phat" which was initially started by Russell Simmons Phat Farm as an extention clothing line by his ex-wife Kimora Lee Simmons. My style of dressing became a culture shock to my family, for they viewed the type of wear as being African American inspired. However it was, but it was what I come to know as my SWAG. When I first started this class I was totally blind to the hip-hop culture and I thought I had no affiliation. But little to know the clothing that I wore, was inspired from the hip-hop culture. Hip-hop has become so globalized that aspects of the culture has been embraced by many cultures.

I ran across this online which I thought was interesting since we have been talking about graffiti in class. New apartments on Georgia Ave and New Hampshire gets tagged with Graffiti....

Graffiti has to be seen as a form of expression, (including the stuff pictured here) it's quite uninteresting to see on a new apartment building. This distinguishes it from outright vandalism and other forms of property crime. This is not to excuse or protect that graffiti should be put anywhere but the distinction should infrom efforts to prevent or redirect of the impulse. Why do teenagers choose such an antisocial means of bringing these thoughts into the open? Why don't they just rant and rave on message boards and blogs?

How do you listen to music?

HOW DO YOU LISTEN TO MUSIC FLY SKY?

Well for me I think the most music I listen to is children's songs all day while teaching my pre-schoolers. But of course when listening to music lyrics is what stands out the most for me and how that song flows. Being introduced to my Hip-Hop studies class I'm trying to learn and open my mind to something new that of course I've heard of but really know nothing about. For exmaple when we talked about the lyrical analysis in class by Common's "I Used to Lover H.E.R" I had no idea what he was talking about. But when we discussed it in class of course it made a little more sense to me.