Artist Interview with Kamoe

Where are you from and what do you write?

I write KAMOE, Sometimes I don’t rock the “E” but yeah, I was born in NYC, Then lived in Long Island, NY. Or “Strong Island”! As it’s also known.

When did you first get into graff how was it introduced to you?

In NY graffiti is so prevalent that you get a tag name by like age 11, but to take it seriously and bomb..I got into that type of graffiti about 2002 I got into it big time after meeting some members of DFM crew. I saw the black books and then when we went out to parties it was like they didn’t give a shit. When the parties broke , it was on, watching them hit spots and tag shit was wild, I wanted to be that free. I never got obsessed with the “make my mark” kinda thinking I got into the rush...

How did you pick your name, does it have special meaning to you?

I picked KAMOE because I caught a case in NY and moving to Oakland California, I wanted to change my name. Five letter names and I also love names that are spelled incorrectly but sound right. The letter K always appealed to me. Seemed like a comic book name or something...

Who have been some of your biggest influences over the course of your graffiti career?

My biggest influences would be:

NSITE taught me structure, importance of history and how to push a cart.

MERES  cbs let me develope my pieces at 5pointz in L.I.C. NY

BAER Btr taught me to go big

ENSUE osd crew,  taught me about style

KAVA , tfn crew, taught me to not take it so seriously...

 

Have you dabbled in any other types of art or mainly graffiti?

 

I have always been into drawing and to me tattooing is an art form or craft, so doing that as well keeps me super fucken busy.

Have you had any especially crazy adventures doing graffiti?

One night I was out in West Oakland California, out with a bunch of heads, mobbin, drinking, druggin, smokin. Trying to kill time a bit until traffic died down a bit. We were rolling about 6-8 deep and was trying to get some tags in , and just getting no where. So bout 1am I’m like fuck it, I’m tipsy, and tell everybody I’m out, to catch some solo shit. I’m doin my thing up San Pablo Ave, and just decided it was time to do a big ass fill on a hot block. I get into complete “FTW” mode and just camp out on this hot spot. It s busy as fuck I’m getting honked at, hookers and hood fools all that shits goin on and I’m about to be done with this Big ass black fill white outline, putting the date on this mothefucker and I’m getting lit up blue and red lights, “drop the fucken can!” So now I’m getting the full Red Carpet treatment, knee to the back of the neck, cheekbone mashed into the sidewalk. I get put in handcuffs. Then I’m getting searched, dumping cans on the sidewalk out of my bag. ‘yelling at me 

“look at this shit!” “What the fuck are you doing with your life 28 years old, and fucking up in the streets. Putting this garbage on hard working people’s property”

He’s going on and on, I just zone out and start thinking about going to Santa Rita County Jail, and all the fun I’m about to have (sarcasm, I fucken hate Rita). 

I’m just head down with cuffs on bumming hard, when something happens that’s never happened before. 

He takes the fucken cuffs off!

And then he’s saying “Your going to write an apology letter, Right now! Write to this honest mans business that you just fucked up!”

So I’m swaying a bit from the nights fun, writing this apology as they dictate it to me word for word. 

Then he goes “Put your phone number down so he can call you down here to repaint the business.”

I can’t remember my new number, and write down a bunk number, he calls it, not a real number, 

“What the fuck, giving me a fake number, you piece of shit!” He barks at me.

Partner grabs my phone off the hood and says, “we'll hear it ring” “Don’t fuck with us.”

He tries to open it but the battery is dead, he then says “put your real number down any way!”

The officers forcefully drag me to the mailbox attached to the door, “Put the letter in”, so I do.

Then they say, “Grab your shit and get over here!”

Then they pull me over to the dumpster and tell me to dump the paint cans. So I do.

Then they say "Run home now!, and stay the the fuck out of the west!”

I lived in East Oakland at the time so I just walked a few blocks to a dealers house I knew. Yelled up to him, and before I knew it I was smokin blunts and drinking 40oz to the sunrise.  Next day got a piece of tape and fished the letter out of the mailbox and grabbed the cans out of the dumpster. I still have that letter to this date.

Have you seen the graffiti scene change a lot over the years?

Social media seems to be the biggest change in graffiti that I have noticed. Styles get posted and bitten within minutes. I loved when magazines would drop and you would spend hours Visually digesting each and every page. Mags are obsolete now, and kids want something new to look at every 20 min. Now kids want fame and to be “relevant’’ takes up all their time. 

The pure essence of graffiti is the same, to me, it’s all about having a can in your hand, catch that tag and let the rest fade away...

Do you have any upcoming projects or anyone that you want to give a shout-out to?

I want to shout out.

NSITE

MERES. CBS

ENSUE. OSD

AWOKE. BTR

KAVA. TFN

SUENOS. TFN

UDON. LORDS CREW

ENERO. LORDS CREW

WIRE. LD 640

GRIEF. 640

ABOUT. 640

LOGO. 640

RENEK. LORDS CREW

VOICE. SWS

ROAR. CBS

ELET

SENSE 3

REKN. PI 

TORSO. TFN

Make sure to check out us out on @Derp_Taggz for new flicks everyday and keep visiting the blog for interviews, product reviews and all things graffiti. Thanks!

Artist Interview With Pase 1

 

1. Where are you from and what do you write?

 

I am from Berkeley and I write Pase 1. I represent Kick The Dog, Free Stye Champs, Under Cover Artist, Writerz Of Doom, The Perfect Crime and Newest Crime Wave crews. 

 

2. How old were you when you picked your name, does it have any special meaning for you?

 

 I have written Pase since about 1986-87 at about the age of 16. I have gone by many names Whip1, Kombat, Roam, Pase and Visa in that order, plus a lot of side names. Pase was originally a side name but I was busted for the name Roam so I went with Pase. Not only was I known to actually pace but also I relate it to the name Roam, the meaning of the movement. Visa was a name I used primarily for bus bombing in the late 80’s and a side name I wrote into the 90’s. The names I choose were primarily for the letters and different meanings. 

 

3. How has the graffiti scene evolved since you first started painting? 

 

I’ve seen a lot of what I would call evolution and devolution of the art form, for better and worse. While some writers have stuck to letter structure and evolving the true art form, others either do not know what that means or have not cared to learn. Writing has moved from completely illegal to a legal wall hobby, not to sound like a snob but there was a time when these types of things were not allowed in the Graff game, you had to come correct or catch the wrath of seasoned writers.

This does not pertain to Writing alone but all of the elements of Hip Hop, and what we do is Hip Hop. That’s another change from what I came from, it was all Hip Hop related, nowadays there are all types of spray can artists who don’t know the history of what writing came from. That’s an issue, I know things change but if it is to be referred to as Writing there are certain rules that must be adhered to.

Also, now with the internet there are no more regional styles, people pick and choose from a hodge podge of styles, biting and chewing from what they like along the way. My crew for example all originates from a Berkeley funk style, at the same time all having our own individual styles. But it is referred to as a Berkeley style, that’s what I mean by regional.

 

 

4. How has your own style evolved over the years? Is there any particular style you prefer? 

 

I prefer a NYC based style of Graffiti, while I respect the time and effort put into experimental graffiti and can techniques, without a good presentation and understanding of letter form it is not what I would consider true Graffiti.

 

Without a good handstyle you might as well start over. There are levels to this game and nowadays it seems like writers jump in at the finish line instead of the start line. Letter form and connections that actually flow and have meaning is what I am talking about, it’s like writing Kanji, there is a foundation that does not change.

 

My own style started off as cholo style, mixed with a martial arts influence from my right-hand man Razer 1. We started off in the East Bay boogaloo era and moved to graffiti in the early 80’s, about 83. We were literally the first local writers in Berkeley, and at that time there were writers from the East Coast who were tagging and piecing in Berkeley and we linked up with them, us being in our early teens and them 21 or over. That’s where I got a lot of my influence. My style has remained based in a NYC funk style.

 

5. Who have been some of your big inspirations or favorite graffiti writers?

 

Some of my favorite writers would be of course Dondi, Futura, Zephyr, and T kid. As far as local influences, back in the earliest days of writing in the East Bay the first East Coast writers to put it down in Berkeley were Kuba aka Cuba, Third World Artists and Raw Power Writers from Baltimore, Thorn from Altered Mind Artists and The Warped Style Writers. And the master of hand styles was a cat named Float AMA TWSW aka Yogurt / Solar from Manhattan, Rest In Power. Also have to mention Damon D Frost aka Rubberman from Berkeley but had stayed in NYC, a master of Boogaloo to this day. These writers were my first and biggest influence.

 

6. Do you have any memorable experiences or epic stories from your time doing graff?

 

It’s been a long and exciting career over 37 years, writing saved my life literally and I owe my life to Hip Hop in general. While I haven’t always been active it’s always been a place to call home. I know that sounds like a cliché but Hip Hop saved the lives of many people I know, we also a lot of good people along the way.

 

 

7. Have you dabbled in other art forms as well or mainly stuck to letters?

 

I have painted with acrylics and other mediums on canvas and I have a degree in Graphic Design.

 

8. What advice would you give young writers who have just started bombing?

 

I would say the number one rule is to know your history. As a writer it is your responsibility to know the history of writing and who the original writers were and respect their contributions. 

 

Start from the beginning, develop a handstyle, move on to throw ups and straight letters, once you’ve mastered these than move onto a wild style. Not the other way around, keep it true to these rules and real writers will respect it.

 

Don’t expect Writing to be easy and safe it’s a rough world and you will be tested, pay your dues and stay in your own lane.

 

I am a Hip-Hop Graffiti purist and while I can appreciate experimental and spray can art for the effort, I personally feel like if it’s not adhering to the rules of what we refer to as Graffiti then it shouldn’t be referred to as such.

 

9. What do you think of the recent surge in political graffiti?

 

Writing has always had a political side to it, writers like Lee from NYC painted a lot of trains with political agendas. As far as the recent surge, I appreciate it. It’s great to see writers like Kufue and Bukue painting a lot of political graffiti, and at the same time keeping it true to the art form. Political pieces and political productions can reach the hearts of everyday civilians and have a great impact, possibly making them think of issues they may not be aware of.

 

10. Do you have any shout outs you want to give or projects you want to plug?

 

I want to give a shout out to my crews and brothers out there who have stood by me over the years. Props to TMF TDK TMC GFC WCF TWS and all other affiliates. 

Rest In Power to all of our fallen soldiers.

Shout to @djangoconvery aka Razer 1 for the brotherhood, a true style master and a major influencer of generations of writers. Got to hit up my man @dopamine189 for pushing hard and maintaining a constant flow of dope beats and rhymes. Shout out to @eastbayarchive for working on a book project that represents the East Bay writing scene’s foundation. Shout out to my sun at @criminalelementrecords with the dope beats. Big ups to my brother @naconeflix and his latest project Monsters Ink with Rockness Monsta from Heltah Skeltah and his sun Xcluesiv. Shout out to @lexlevel for his upcoming clothing line and hopefully the return of his nightclub @wax_trippin soon. Shout to @dub_esquire for staying true to the game and dropping hit after hit. And finally a project I’m pushing, some clothing designs by myself for @grapelinethc with my man @papa_kurious . Also stay tuned for more clothing design and music from KTD and No Alibi. Check my pieces at @kontrolthedice .

That’s my crew we keep it real, keep pushing the real deal Hip Hop. Kick The Dog...

Make sure to follow Pase One on Instagram @paselarock and follow us @derp_taggz and be sure to keep up with our updates and blog posts for more dope Artist interviews as well as product reviews. Thanks for reading!