by BBG

In the early 1980s, Mayor Koch, enraged about graffiti, began buffing the city's colorful, painted trains. In the end, he may have succeeded, but not before Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant captured the magnificent tidal wave of graffiti in their pioneering documentary, Style Wars. The film is seen around the world as an important footnote in hip hop culture and New York City history. Today, that history, too, is threatened. The original footage is damaged and fading. A new kind of buffing is taking place - a "celluloid buff" - that threatens to eradicate the record of the first brave and indomitable writers who took the world by storm.

...Public Art Films is currently on a fund-raising mission to restore the original print, and to create a new high definition master which will preserve the record of the first painted trains to its original vivid colors. We're inviting you to take part in this historic enterprise.

...Twenty five years after its initial release there is still a strong, global demand for the film. In an effort to keep up with this demand we must be able to offer the film in the the most up-to-date formats. We are embarking on a project to restore STYLE WARS and bring it up to the highest technical standards available today in order to create a High Definition edition of the film. We will be transferring the original 16 mm negative into full HD 1080p while cleaning and restoring the film during the process. The HD master will be better, sharper and more brilliant than the original. From it we can strike new prints, author new DVDs and participate in the digital economy.

You can help by donating to the Style Wars restoration fund, to help keep this film alive. Stream the entire thing below; its an excellent snapshot of the early days of hip hop.

Meanwhile, Style Wars 2 is on the way:

It is a completely original film that makes intelligent and extremely funny references to our nearly 30-year-old film, but in contemporary situations. They use clever dialogue and audio quotes from Style Wars to establish the context. In ironic, and often hilarious scenes they engage the varios elements of the film's narrative, such as the conflict with authorities, the cross-out wars and the emergence of graffiti in the art world, in surprising ways.... The film that Amos Angeles and Veli Silver are engaged in making is a refreshing departure from those efforts. It is exceptional and I am more than glad to support them in their efforts and eager to see the finished product."

Check out all of Style Wars, and the trailer for Style Wars 2 below.

Continue reading "help Style Wars become HD, watch the trailer for Style Wars 2"

by BBG

Rammellzee (or RAMMSLLZSS, pronounced "Ram: Ell: Zee", born 1960 in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York), was a graffiti writer, performance artist, rap/hip-hop musician and sculptor from New York....

Discovered by a larger audience through the 1982 cult movie Wild Style by Charlie Ahearn, his fame in graffiti circles was established when he painted New York subway trains with Dondi, OU3, and Ink 76, and doctor Revolt. Rammellzee was also a member of the Death Comet Crew, with Stewart Albright and Michael Diekmann. In 1988, he and his band Gettovetts recorded the album "Missionaries Moving." In 2003, Rammellzee performed at the Knitting Factory in New York with the newly reformed Death Comet Crew; subsequently, Troubleman Unlimited re-released recordings made by DCC between 1982 and 1984; additionally, their single for "Exterior St." was featured on the compilation, Anti-NY, with contemporaries, Ike Yard, Sexual Harassment, and Vivian Goldmann, among others. In 2004, he released his debut album Bi-Conicals of the Rammellzee, produced by Gomma Records. Rammellzee also performed at Knitting Factory with guitarist Buckethead several times.

R.I.P. to a true pioneer of hip hop and street art in general. Long Live Rammellzee! A few videos are below...

Continue reading "Rammellzee, RIP "

BOSTON -- A street artist famous for his red, white and blue "Hope" posters of President Obama has been arrested on warrants accusing him of tagging property with graffiti, police said Saturday.

Shepard Fairey was arrested Friday night on his way to the Institute of Contemporary Art for a kickoff event for his first solo exhibition, called "Supply and Demand."

Two warrants were issued for Fairey on Jan. 24 after police determined he'd tagged property in two locations with graffiti based on the Andre the Giant street art campaign from his early career, Officer James Kenneally said. One of the locations was the railroad trestle by the landmark Boston University bridge over the Charles River, police said.

Fairey, 38, of Los Angeles, is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Brighton District Court, said Jake Wark, a spokesman for the Suffolk District Attorney. Wark said Fairey would also be arraigned on a default warrant related to a separate graffiti case in the Roxbury section of Boston. [Huffington Post]

This comes less than a week after the Associated Press sent their lawyers after Shepard for Obama-image copyright infringement.

This not the first time Shepard has been arrested - not even close. That's one of many subjects he talks about in his interview with Henry Rollins that you can watch in the videos below...

Continue reading "Shepard Fairey arrested in Boston on the way to his opening"