Part 1 of an oral history recorded for the Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project on February 23, 2022 with STAFF 161, a true pioneer of the graffiti arts movement in The Bronx, and the founder of the first Bronx graffiti crew, The Ebony Dukes Graffiti Club. In this oral history, STAFF 161 describes his time growing up in Harlem, Staten Island, and the South Bronx of the 1960s and 1970s and how the Bronx context especially shaped his and others' approach to graffiti during this time period.
The interviewers are Dr. Steven Payne, librarian and archivist at The Bronx County Historical Society, and Kurt Boone, prolific documentarian of urban culture for the past 40 years. The Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project is a project of The Bronx County Archives at The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library. This oral history is brought to you through the contribution of Stephen DeSimone, CEO/President of DeSimone Consulting Engineers.