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R.I.P. PAGE NEXT
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THE TOP-TO-BOTTOM **************************************************************************************************** A writer could just burn, with a Top-to-Bottom, as seen here with the famous FLINT 707 candy cane piece done in the early to mid 1970's. This piece blew many writers away and even forced few into retirement. The true originator of the Top-to-Bottom is hard to pin point; some say JAPAN 1 started it, and others say SUPER KOOL 223. By 1973, spotting a Top-to-Bottom running became a normal event that most writers saw. In the beginning, the first Top-to-Bottoms did not take up the entire subway car, but mainly half of its length. HUNDO 1 took this idea to a new level by painting extra large thick letters that took up the whole train. Many Top-to-Bottoms consisted of bubble letter styles, straight letters, western letters and block letters. Many out side tags were becoming a thing of the past. Many writers started doing larger more elaborate letters just to keep two steps a head of the rest. To a Subway Outlaw the Top-to-Bottom writings were about dominance, and how he/she could take over a line with the biggest and the best, as well as the most work that would hit the public the next day. TRACY 168 took this honor for being a total package on what a subway writer should be. He took over the lines with style Top-to-Bottoms, as well as with quick letter styles. TRACY 168's most amazing production was writing a Top-to-Bottom on the outside of a train with CLIFF 159, and one in the inside of the train, that truly blew many writers minds when they saw it.
Writers like SUPER STRUT who had a very
long name, would execute a Top-to-Bottom with their whole name. Writers like LEE . |
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BOY 5 a.k.a. NOC 167 This Top-to-Bottom was part of a BOY 5 and 2WILD, done by NOC 167 and FUZZONE. This car was done while NOC was at his peak as an artist. He was one of the most stylistic writers of his era. NOC 167 influenced writers on style, letters and pure paint control.
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2WILD a.k.a. FUZZONE This sort of wild style, Top-to-Bottom says it all.... "2WILD". FUZZONE started at a very young age and developed quickly. He painted with some of the best writers of the 1970's and 1980's. FUZZONE made a come back in the early 1990's, to let all know.... "he is still it"! |
BUTCH 2
OF
The Fantastic Partners
BLADE: This photo shows, how great of an artist BUTCH was. This Top-to-Bottom was done in early 1976, which blew away much of the work that was done during that time. Many did not know that BUTCH 2 also wrote with us (THE CRAZY FIVE), and was a true member of the group. He later introduced CASE 2 to the world of writing, and the two started an awesome partnership.
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MITCH 77 was the former artistic king of the # 4 line. MITCH produced many Top-to-Bottom whole-cars on his part of the IRT # 4 division. His classic roof-top in the Bronx across from Yankee stadium, remained untouched for 16 years, before a new toy writer went over it, unknowingly. |
KID 56 a.k.a. K56 was the leader of the TKA CREW, and younger brother of writing lengend FDT 56. KID 56's crew consisted of KEL, FACT a.k.a. DR PEPPER, MOTHER 56 a.k.a. M56 and MAX 183. These writers held a heavy presence on the IRT's. KID 56 later moved to Jamaica, Queens, where he joined forces with former Bronx writer, FUZZONE and groups like TPA and PIC. Together they took over the Queens, IRT number 7 line, as well as the IND's and BMT's. |
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MIN ruled the BMT's with Top-to-Bottoms in the early to mid 1980's, along with his group RTW and the WOW crew. It was amazing how many Top-to-Bottoms they had running within one year.
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BIO of the writing group, THE TAT CREW, TAT and TNB held a heavy presence on the # 2 and # 5 train lines.
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PSYCHEDELIC WILD STYLE
of the THE FABULOUS FIVE took off where FLINT 707 left off, and did some of
the most memorable Top-to-Bottoms of his era. BLADE, an all time king of the 2's
and 5's, was considered by many, to be one of the all time kings of
the whole car Top-to-Bottoms. SEEN UA pulled off dozens of Top-to-Bottoms in
the early 1980's and took over, where BLADE left off. A writer truly over looked
was MIN 1 a.k.a. NE, who pulled off the most colorful Top-to-Bottoms, with KEL and
the RTW-WOW crew, on the BMT's. One of MIN's biggest products was a
Top-To-Bottom wild
style done for SHY 147 (R.I.P.), which ran on the RR train in the mid 80's.
DONDI's
work was always a pleasure to be seen .... as it was neat, clean, large and colorful letters
that looked like they belonged on a subway car. The following are a few photos of our
favorites:
