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BLADE
: This top-to-bottom whole-car was done in 1977.
This was during the
time of the Son of Sam (David Berkowitz) killings in the Bronx, which
frightened many. July, 1976 - August,
1977, in New York City was terrorized by the Son of Sam. He shot and
killed 6
people, 5 of them whom were young women and wounded 7 others. He struck at young couples
in "Lover's Lanes". Since the Son of Sam, used a .44-caliber revolver,
he was called the
"44-caliber killer." (Note: the written message in my
piece). He
was also known to target women with long hair, which forced many women
around the city to have there hair cut, or pinned up before leaving their
homes. I remember David Berkowitz, wrote a letter to
police that read: Let me haunt you with
these words: "I'll be back! I'll be back! To be interpreted as bang, bang,
bang, bang, bang!! Ugh!!" David Berkowitz claimed , voices were ordering him
to kill. I was still bombing the trains heavy that year and did this piece
as a reflection of the Son of Sam killings. (In the 1970's, many writers painted about
things that where the sign of those times.)
Click here to see the
new book by BLADE.1, King Of Kings
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CLYDE
This rare signature Top-to-Bottom was done by CLYDE. CLYDE was more
famous for his single hit, than his pieces (but when he did pieces,
most of
them resembled his tags). CLYDED was a very respected subway killer in the
early 1970's, but what he was even more famous for, was being the City-wide
king of the buses. At the time, buses were just as popular as the subways.
CLYDE scratches his name in a glass window on a number 7 train, in
2003.
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RIP 1 (aka
LIONEL 168)
Early writer LIONEL 168 aka RIP 1 was a very respected and very feared
writer in the 1970's . RIFF 170
- I remember doing a piece in the 3
yard along with STAN 153 and the 3 yard boys in Manhattan. I finished doing
a CRUNCH car, which had two spray cans on each side crashing the letters
together. That car was the best car ever done in the 3 yard.
When I
left the 3 yard, I was "talking a lot of smack" (bragging), just letting those dudes know
that I burned them. That was just something you did in those days, as
a way of friendly competition. Those guys got out of hand, by spitting on the back of my jacket, as
I walked in front of the group. When I looked over to STAN for help, being
that we
both went there together, he did nothing and stood quiet. Upon my
return to
the Bronx, I told LIONEL 168 what happened to me by the 3 yard. The next day me, LIONEL
(who was the size of a pro wrestler) and a
few other Bronx writers showed up in Manhattan, to meet with the 3 yard boys. When
we arrived, LIONEL threatened to beat down every single member of the grou.
There must have been ten of them standing there and all said nothing.
They all refused to fight, and that was the end of that. After that
incidence I never spoke with STAN 153 again.
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Top-to-bottom done on the J line in the mid 1970's. HE 3, was the king of
the J- line from 1976- 977 who produced his share of Top-to-Bottoms.
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BAD 700 aka SPEC 1
SPEC 1 was a very effective subway writer, in the early 1970's. In
this photo, SPEC used the undercover name BAD 700.
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BOT 707
BOT did Top-to-Bottoms with many different writers throughout the
years. BOT was a very effective subway writer in the 1970's who had very
good style.
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~~ TUFF STUFF
~~
Done
on an IRT train by SKEME and SEEN TC-5 in 1982
CEM 2 's biggest years as a writer took place around late 1983
to early 1985. He joined forces with T-KID and the T.A.T./TNB CREW, which
turned out to be the best work of that era.
SADE.TCM: I knew CEM 2, since 1979 when he was writing under the name
"DUCE". In my opinion, he was over looked in history. CEM
pulled out so much work and didn't need to ride on any other writers coat tails
to do it. In the beginning, when he was out there making a name for himself, the
dude was bombing hard with his partner at the time, "BACK TC-5" (which is
another cat (guy) who gets no love out there.
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MACKIE
Top-to-Bottom done on the IRT's in the late 1970's. MACKIE was a
member of the writing group RTW on the Broadway line, along with his
writing partners ZEPHYR, VANDAL and RASTA. MACKIE also went under
the name HYPER.
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LACE
LACE was very effective on the 6 and RR subway lines, in the 1980's.
He partnered up with such writers as the original SASH, CAYA, BIND and RD.
This Top-to-Bottom was done on a RR train, in 1985.
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DONDI CIA
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SIE. RTW
SIE 1 was an original member of the RTW crew on the Broadway
line, in the late 1970's and early 1980's. BILROCK
later took the RTW CREW all city and passed the group over to NE
aka MIN 1. He started a new chapter of RTW, in
Brooklyn.
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MIN. RTW
Top-to-Bottom wild styles is what Min 1 was very famous for, in the mid
1980's. MIN and KEL joined artistic forces and later pulled off some
of the best work seen on the Brooklyn lines, in the 1980's.
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BIG 279 (aka SOE - X MEN)
SOE was a writer who took on so many names, and got up, with
almost all of the names (following in the foot steps of FUZZ ONE).
Some of his most famous names were MEE, SAMPLE, LINK2, BIG 279 and so many
more. Most of SOE's work was found on the number 7 line from 1982 -
1984.
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SAK was a writer with very good style and displayed most of
his work on the number 1 train, in the mid 1980's. In the 1980's, the
Broadway lines were subway lines that had some of the best art, running in
the city. Writers came from all parts of the city to do some of their
best work on the Broadway number 1 line. Many writers referred to it
as the "FAME LINE".
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Next ....
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To a Subway Outlaw, the
Top- to-Bottom writings were about dominance. It was how he/she could take over a line with the biggest and
the best, as well as the most work that could 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 stylish Top- to-Bottoms, as well as
with quick
letter styles. His most amazing production was writing a Top- to-Bottom on the
out side of a train with CLIFF 159, and one inside of the train. That truly
blew many writers minds when they saw it! 