There are four pillars of hiphop culture: Graffiti ("Writing"), "B-Boying" (Breakdancing), "DJ-ing" and lastly "M.C.-ing" (Rapping). In this issue we will focus on the street art known as graffiti writing.

New York, known as the birthplace for hiphop culture, also produced graffiti writing. It seems to make perfect sense considering the city's cultural diversity. Immigrants from every part of the globe have for decades converged on the Big Apple, hoping for a new and more prosperous life. However, what they have found is a burgeoning population, a lack of resources and many unrealized dreams. Despair and poverty has bred discontent, especially among the young, who often full of rebellion, yearn to belong.

Long ago, gang involvement became a common hobby, in part to answer that need. One way gangs marked their territory or "turf" was to write their names or "tags" on the walls of their respective neighborhoods. This served as both an invitation and a warning. Gangs in Philly, Baltimore and other large "steel and concrete" cities also adopted this form of artistic vandalism. But, New York has brought forth some of the most innovative graffiti artists ever.

Writer Kilian Tobin notes in his story "A Modern Perspective On Graffiti," that the practice has a long history. In Roman times soldiers would write on the walls of the cities they conquered and cave men would mark on walls in some detail. Today, graffiti has evolved from mere scribbling on walls to grand and expansive "pieces." In New York, a sub-culture has been formed and fused with the hiphop lifestyle.

Hugo Martinez, founder of the Martinez Gallery that focuses on street art, noticed the "writing" boom in the early 70s. Young, inexperienced writers ("Toys") would follow and emulate the elder writers ("Masters"). They would design elaborate lettering schemes using their vivid imaginations and various tools of the trade such as: Krylon paint spray and permanent markers. Writers assumed catchy and unique aliases. TAKI 183, a New York writer, even received coverage in a 1971 {New York Times} article. Before long writers were "bombing" (saturating walls with their tags). This of course, led to protests from various building owners and residents.

But writers had a greater legacy in mind. The train yards were a scribe's dream. In the late 70s, graffiti on the city's transit system was as frequent as on the marked walls of the city. The trains of New York attained legendary status based on the striking letters and colors that adorned the sides of their massive cars. As writers became bolder, police involvement escalated. However they couldn't seem to stop them. The writers developed a system where speed and a sharp eye mattered most.

Graffiti writing and hiphop share an allegiance in many ways. Hiphop was born in the parks of the Bronx in the late 70s where youth of different ethnic backgrounds shared in their disdain for the straight-laced normalcy of those who could not relate to them. Graffiti artists also needed this type of society to survive. These angst-filled teens and young adults, grappling with impending adulthood and social expectations, eventually found each other. To the outside world they were deviants and misfits, but in this peer group they were equals.

The graffiti bug eventually spread from street vandalism and drifted into mainstream culture ending up on clothing, advertising and in art exhibits. This "street art" is now part of our popular culture. Even in DC we have our own group of talented writers such as the infamous "Cool" Disco Dan and the F.F.C. Crew. Graffiti is no longer an "underground" art form. It, and all the other elements that make up hiphop, continues to flourish even as the new millennium unfolds.

To comment on this or any article by D.L. Chandler email confluence@metroconnection.info.