An Oral History of Early Graffiti in New York City

Explore a collection of oral histories and tags by graffiti writers in New York City from the late 1960s through early 1980s, with a focus on The Bronx, marking 50 years of hip hop

Oral History with ROCKY 184 (Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project) (2022-05-24) by ROCKY 184 (narrator), Boone, Kurt (interviewer), and Payne, Steven (interviewer)The Bronx County Historical Society

1. Oral History with ROCKY 184

Oral history with ROCKY 184, an early graffiti writer involved in the Writer's Corner in Washington Heights in the late 1960s. TAKI 183 and other early New York City graff writers were also involved in this scene.

Tag from ROCKY 184 (2022) by ROCKY 184The Bronx County Historical Society

2. Tag by ROCKY 184

Tag written by ROCKY 184 and donated to The Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project, 2022.

Oral History with STAFF 161, Part 1 (Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project) (2022-02-23) by STAFF 161 (narrator), Payne, Steven (interviewer), and Boone, Kurt (interviewer)The Bronx County Historical Society

3. Oral History with STAFF 161, Part 1

Oral history with STAFF 161, founder of The Ebony Dukes, the first graffiti crew in The Bronx, made up of writers from Hewitt Place who got their start in the late 1960s/early 1970s.

Tag from STAFF 161 (2022) by STAFF 161The Bronx County Historical Society

4. Tag by STAFF 161

Tag written by STAFF 161 and donated to The Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project, 2022.

Oral History with TOPAZ 1 (Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project) (2023-04-27) by TOPAZ 1 (narrator), BUTCH 2 (interviewer), Crespo, Pastor, Jr. (interviewer), and Payne, Steven (interviewer)The Bronx County Historical Society

5. Oral History with TOPAZ 1

Oral history with TOPAZ 1, member of The Ebony Dukes, the first graffiti crew in The Bronx, made up of writers from Hewitt Place who got their start in the late 1960s/early 1970s.

Tag from TOPAZ 1 (2023) by TOPAZ 1The Bronx County Historical Society

6. Tag by TOPAZ 1

Tag written by TOPAZ 1 and donated to The Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project, 2023.

Oral History with RIFF 170 (Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project) (2023-04-25) by RIFF 170 (narrator), BUTCH 2 (interviewer), and Crespo, Pastor, Jr. (interviewer)The Bronx County Historical Society

7. Oral History with RIFF 170

Oral history with RIFF 170, legendary member of INDS, one of the first graffiti crews in The Bronx and very influential in developing lettering style. The crew was most prolific during the early and mid 1970s.

RIFF170 Sticker (2023) by RIFF170The Bronx County Historical Society

8. Sticker by RIFF 170

Sticker of tag produced by RIFF 170 and donated to The Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project, 2023.

Oral History with BUTCH 2 TFP (Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project) (2022-01-18) by BUTCH 2 (narrator), Boone, Kurt (interviewer), and Payne, Steven (interviewer)The Bronx County Historical Society

9. Oral History with BUTCH2

Oral history with BUTCH 2, member of The Fantastic Partners and one of the most influential and revered pioneers of style from The Bronx. BUTCH 2 got his start in the early 1970s and is active again today.

Tag from BUTCH2 (2022) by BUTCH2 (TFP)The Bronx County Historical Society

10. Tag by BUTCH 2

Tag written by BUTCH 2 and donated to The Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project, 2022.

Oral History with T-KID 170 (Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project) (2022-08-15) by T-KID 170 (narrator), Payne, Steven (interviewer), and Boone, Kurt (interviewer)The Bronx County Historical Society

11. Oral History with TKID

Oral history with the TERRIBLE TKID, infamous and globally famous graffiti writer from The Bronx. TKID started writing in 1974 and quickly became a master of style. He is also known as the only writer to challenge CAP MPC to a fight, at the famous Fashion Moda in The Bronx.

Tag from T-KID 170 (2022) by T-KID 170The Bronx County Historical Society

12. Tag by TKID

Tag written by TKID and donated to The Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project, 2022.

Oral History with SLAVE (Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project) (2022-02-09) by SLAVE (narrator), Boone, Kurt (interviewer), and Payne, Steven (interviewer)The Bronx County Historical Society

13. Oral History with SLAVE

Oral history with SLAVE of The Fabulous 5ive, the first graffiti crew to paint an entire ten-car subway train, with DOC, LEE, MONO, and SLAVE playing a part in this monumental event.

Tag from SLAVE (2022) by SLAVEThe Bronx County Historical Society

14. Tag by SLAVE

Tag written by SLAVE and donated to The Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project, 2022.

Oral History with REE (Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project) (2023-04-06) by REE (narrator), BUTCH 2 (interviewer), and Crespo, Pastor, Jr. (interviewer)The Bronx County Historical Society

15. Oral History with REE

Oral history with REE 2, a member of Mad Transit Artists, a graffiti crew that formed in the Tremont section of The Bronx and was most active from 1976 to 1980. REE's top-to-bottom subway pieces rivaled those of LEE and other top-notch writers of his day.

Tag from REE (2023) by REEThe Bronx County Historical Society

16. Tag by REE

Tag written by REE and donated to The Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project, 2023.

Oral History with BOM5 (Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project) (2023-04-13) by BOM5 (narrator), BUTCH 2 (interviewer), and Crespo, Pastor, Jr. (interviewer)The Bronx County Historical Society

17. Oral History with BOM5

Oral history with BOM5, founder of the Mad Writers a.k.a. the Most Wanted Crew, which started around 1978.

Tag from BOM 5 (2023) by BOM 5The Bronx County Historical Society

18. Tag by BOM 5

Tag written by BOM 5 and donated to The Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project, 2023.

Oral History with NAK143 (Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project) (2023-04-12) by NAK143/NAC143 (narrator), BUTCH 2 (interviewer), and Crespo, Pastor, Jr. (interviewer)The Bronx County Historical Society

19. Oral History with NAK

Oral history with NAK143/NAC143, a member of Crazy Young Artists and active from around 1978 until 1982. NAK went on to become an innovator in custom baseball hat design and was involved in a precedent-setting lawsuit against NYC protecting graffiti as a form of free speech.

Tag from NAK 143 (2023) by NAK 143The Bronx County Historical Society

20. Tag by NAK 143

Tag written by NAK 143 and donated to The Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project, 2023.

Oral History with BG 183 (Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project) (2022-03-01) by BG 183 (narrator), Boone, Kurt (interviewer), and Payne, Steven (interviewer)The Bronx County Historical Society

21. Oral History with BG183

Oral history with BG183, member of the globally famous Tats Cru, which formed in the early 1980s in The Bronx. Its members, including BG183, went on to become pioneers of street art murals and are still worldwide leaders in this field today.

Tag from BG 183 (2022) by BG 183The Bronx County Historical Society

22. Tag by BG 183

Tag written by BG 183 and donated to The Bronx Aerosol Arts Documentary Project, 2022.

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The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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