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I am from the Bronx county of New York City.  I started writing graffiti in 1976. I use to live next door to next to legendary NOC 167. He taught me everything there was to know about the

  before it was torn down.  I saw graffiti on the trains but I was too young to understand what it

 
In my early years I had a mass of idols:  JEE II, BLADE, LEE, BOO II and MITCH 77, I remember when I first met MITCH, he was the man on the 4 line. I was in the lay up when him and his boys rolled up. It was MAX 183, TEX 183, BOO 2 and the rest of the TCA crew ( THE CRAZY

 that shit. . On my way to and from school all I saw was   “JEE2” and “Oi” as well as “TO” and “JESTER.” They had it on lock!   I used to travel the subway with my mom until I started taking the

I first started writing BANG II, but I had a really funny way of writing the letter “G,” so I eliminated it.  After my mother found out I was writing  “BAN II,” because it was all over the building we lived in, including the elevators, I wrote DELI 167. I came up with that name because I use to work as

away names, just for writers to say " who the fuck is that? Most pieces I did on the outsides of the trains were Mostly DELI pieces, because the letters for me were allot easier for me to do

I really can’t recall whom I went with to hit trains at the first lay up I’ve been to, but I think it was with NOC167. We went to the CC tunnel located under the building we lived in, at 174th Street Grand Concourse in the Bronx. I use to tell NOC " Yo, I got some cans, What's up? But he always told Not now let do it next week. So time would fly by, and that nigga was still in his crib chilling. I'd be like you its getting late, are we still going to the lay ups?! I got tired waiting for that dude and got me a key made for the IRT's, and went bombing by my self. I rode up to the lay   up and hawked shit out to see if it was cool, then POW, I did my thing. I had to get my props! To think of it, that’s almost 30 years ago!  I met FUZZ ONE around that time. Chief rocker FUZZ ONE showed me how to rack

 REBELS, TPA, TNT, TDS, NCB, BMB - (  BY MYSELF BOMBING, my own personal crew )  TKA and TC5- BLADE put me in that crew him self.  I put up all the crews from the Bronx and Brooklyn because we all had to get to each other through Manhattan.

I worked hard to stay real and true to myself and I devoted my time to planning before I realized that enough was enough.  I went on mission after mission to the yard to study the lines and its schedules.  I played the 4 yard so much that I got sick of going there.  The D yard was a little different because

The original staff of the OTB Group, which stood for ( OUT TO BOMB or ONLY THE BEST ) It was founded by NIC 707 then later handed down  to NOC 167, then he given to me. the original heads back then were:  FRITOS, NOC 167, SMILY 149, MAX 183, KONE 79, FUZZ ONE, BOO 2, MITCH 77, 2FAMOUS, DISCO 92 (aka MED 167) COSE, BEO, KEL 139, MARE 139, SPANK,

  ABROAD. I bombed with many writers, but I have to say FUZZ ONE and MITCH 77 are the two that I bombed with the most.  Otherwise, I went alone!  I took King of the insides of “4” line with RAM 1.  He was too small to piece. I did head over to Queens to hit the E's and F's ding dongs with CEY CITY and SCOP. I have also been to the city hall lay up's the J-yard and the M-yard.
Raid getaways were a bitch.  One time at the Gunhill lay up I got busy on a “top to bottom” piece with POLO TGB.  There were cops by the gate watching us put up our work.  These cops knew quite

 guys throw down your markers and the rest of your Graffiti shit on the ground. " and we did, but he couldn't take us in or lock us up , because it wasn't doing wrong nor were we committing  any crime. I

   me! LOL!  I almost got pinched in the “D” yard too.  That was the closest a cop had ever gotten to grabbing me.  He had lunged at me and his hand just nicked me.  I got out of there after that.  The two toys (less known graffiti writers) that were already there when I arrived, started to follow me and ask me stupid questions.  I couldn’t shake these two toys off.  I dusted them and they got busted. 

    

The inside “killa” I was, I knew I had to surpass them all. BOO 2, JEE2 (aka JAMES TOP) and DEAN BYB. I had 40-something quarts of ink.  Who was going to stop me! TEAN TMT AND KADE TMT, FUZZ ONE, K56, SKEME, DONDI, LOVIN 2 (aka AERON).  All of those dudes got busy in the insides of the train. If there’s anyone who can tell it real – I can.  I 'd walk in to the "D" with 20 pints of flomaster ink, 2 pilots markers, 2 uni wide markers, 2 Niji markers, 2 Magnum 44's all flooded

40 cans of paint.  My boys and I had this spot in queens where we’d know this dude’s lunch schedule.   We would stake him out from across the street and wait for him to clock out for lunch and stroll out of the place, then we would go in and get busy.  I went in there with two empty shopping

nothing about that.  The funny thing about all of this was that four years earlier I had worked in an art supply store.  It had paint, markers, ink and all that stuff.  I didn’t write at the time, but imagine if I did.  And even though I didn’t write, I still racked from there.  I just couldn’t help myself. 

That era of bombing was hard, but a buff  (cleaning of trains) came and it made it a little easier.  I remember the first time they started placing fences around the yards and how I had to cut a hole or two in the gate with bolt cutters.  And I also remember the guard dogs they kept in the yards.  But the dogs were taken out because the union opposed having the dogs there due to the safety of the transit workers.  As a writer, I had respect for other people’s work.  The only time I’d write over someone’s work was when I had no choice.  I’d walk through the yards and bypass their work knowing I could not go over it. When I had to, I would completely paint over someone’s work so it couldn’t be seen

  said I could start putting up the TMT crew. TMT was one of the elite writing groups highly recognized at the time.  But I was still loyal to the OTB crew.  I ran into FED2 at the writer’s bench, and came up to him and confronted him!  And before he could answer, I punched him in the mouth.  TEAN had a fight with KEL 139 (aka KEL 1st).  TEAN was kicking and screaming.  In this game you had to fight for your reputation. But now we’re all cool - TEAN, KADE, FED 2 and myself. [If you read this FED, my apologies my brother.  Nothing personal, but it was business and we were young.]

I could bomb all those trains in my own backyard. I stopped writing because I started making money and riding motorcycles.  Bombing trains was something I could not do forever.  I could get back in the game on any given day.  I already made a name for myself.  I guess you grow out of it eventually.  But you know how the old saying goes - Once a Writer, always a writer! I show up at the art show events and show love to the upcoming cats and dogs. The fun and trying times I went through just to get the name up - I don’t regret any of it.  Not one bit!  Giving it all up wasn’t the easiest thing to do.

In closing:  Through the “BAN2” and “DELI 167” era I started out a small fry but through hard work ended up a big fish. I went into yards and worked strong and hard and left dirty and smelly - the ride was one that I would cherish forever.  I gained all the friends of who’s who in the graffiti game and I didn’t let the fame go to my head.  Sure there were conflicts to deal with at times and it did get out of hand such as brothers and sisters who got into fights over writing.  That was crazy. We all represent one nation - the graffiti nation! To all the fallen comrades – may you all Rest In Peace, may God Bless you and Amen.