MR. GO HARD

Once again, Im back from a hiatus. For those who know me, know I like to vanish for awhile and for the ones who dont, I pop in and out, but I always come back with a good story or two. Life moves a fast past and sometimes for me, I just cant keep up. Even being from NYC where I live my life 1 NY minute to the next at such a fast pass the rest of the world has a hard time keeping up. Even I fall behind in the rat race we call life, but some times you have to take a time out to reflect. With everyday that goes past, The Old New York I once knew is becoming further away in my rear view as I move further on down the road. Dear old friends are gone by death who are New York legends who will NEVER be forgotten. But life goes on with or with out us.

As I sit idle with time on my hands away from home during the week for work, it leaves me with the voices in my head, yeah we all have em. Im not nuts, ok may be a little, but you have to be some what crazy to get through life and understand what its about and with that said let me get right to it.

Recently I/us have lost a very IMPORTANT person and I say us because he was loved by so many people and has played a BIG part in shaping the 90's as to what it was growing up in NYC. As a young kid with no home to go to, I would go to w.4th street and meet up with all the RFC heads. I felt safe and I had others to break night with. The one thing I didnt know was that I was about to take the lessons learned in the street by my mother to the next level. Now I was no dummy in the streets being that I have been in them since Im 9 years old coming from a mom who smoked crack, shot dope, popped pills and the list goes on. I was about to learn from my peers what they had learned in the street and in return teach what I knew. We were all seasoned vets by the age of 13 which I cant even fathom when I think about the things we were doing then. We were all out there in these streets hustling along side the grown men and we were just as bad as them as well. Talk slick and niggas buck 50 ya face real quick. That was not me & Im not even gonna front like it was, but I was there went shit went down and threw joints too.

May my brother ARK BUTTA'S 911 rest in peace. The first to set it off and last to run. Becoming friends, rather family with him, I never knew it would be a blessing. Through him I have grown stronger by watching his actions. ARK was a man of his word and fearless. I never met anyone like him to the extent that he was. I dont think he was ever afraid a day in his life and thats the truth. He had the talk and the walk of a Old New Yorker like no other. ARK could back down 20, 30 niggas and this is no lie. Those who knew him know Im not lying. Yo, they dont call him Mr. Go Hard for know reason. He went harder then anyone I knew. You would be in a club and he would rack bottles, yes more then 1 from behind the bar. Then ARK would son the Mexicans who worked in there to bring ice, juice and glasses so we could pop them bottles in the club. Mean while ARK had 3, 4 stacks in his pocket. Its just what he did.

So through my brother ARK, I learned a lot. Especially how not to be afraid and stand up for my self no matter the situation. ARK you are deeply missed, but far from forgotten. There are too many of us around to let your name die. ARK you have made your mark on life and have carved an unforgotten legacy out of life with your orange box cutter. I know your in a better place roaming free, but by being selfish, I and many others wish you were still here even if you are running everyone over in your wheel chair. Hold it down up there for us along side Harold, Sedi and the others we have lost.

Time is too short, dont let it pass you by because it will. Let the ones you know and love, know that you love them before its too late. If you knew ARK, you know he would want you to go harder then ever in your life and thats in a good way, as his sister would put it. Forget about him in the streets and what he has done. He has inspired friends to get their G.E.D. and so many other good things to become better people. So remember him by going hard and sharing the stories you may have. It should not have taken his death to make me write again, But when one door closes, another opens. Trying times and adversity is what makes you a stronger person as long as you push through and believe. So in the words of ARK BUTTA'S... "GO HARD".

P.S. the Picture is not mine. It does ARK justice so Im using it. Props to the person who did it.

Good Ol Fashion NYC Fun

Living in the New York we live in today, there are not many consistencies left from the New York I love. How ever there are a few things that are still consistent and graffiti would be one of those things. Graffiti to me is one way Old New Yorkers still exist, kinda like "if your going to move me out then im not going w out a fight" attitude and thats what I love about it. I can remember in 85 moving back to NYC from L.I. and man it was an eye opener & a half. It was a sensory overload with the music I was hearing and the graffiti I was seeing. I knew nothing about it, but I knew that this was what I wanted to be apart of.

Growing up on the UWS, the first writers I met was

Kel 1st & Mare 139. It was cool because at the time I had no clue who they were. I was 10 and I had know clue what I was about to get my self into. Then I met this crazy white boy who was about 15. He was trouble from the start, but he let me roll with em and thats all I cared about. Life was fucked up with a moms always fucked up on dope and so this became my escape. So I rolled with this kid Chooch 156. Through him I met most of the 156 crew and kicked it with a few of them. Omni 156 has always been one of my favorites of all time. By the way even a true writer is a fan of some before him. Any ways, graffiti is not the same to everyone who is involved. For me it was always about going on the mission, going places and seeing things that you are not normally privileged. Through the years I have seen a lot change. When I was growing up, Your graffiti career would end by the time you finished high school, Now graffiti has become a grown mans game. Its kind ill to see where are priorities lie at the age of 35 and some niggas that still kill it are older.

If you look at the writing on the wall, you will see EASY tags, Now thats a blast from the past. This man and his crew changed the whole street bombing game for ever. Now all of a sudden outta no where EASY has taken over one more time. Seeing them EASY tags really floats my boat for the simple fact that it takes me back to the 80's and man do I love that time frame.

Over all the whole graffiti game has changed in a lot of ways, but never the less its still here and it is not going anywhere anytime soon. People even come from out of town just to paint NYC. Graffiti is definitely a staple of New York and has played a major part in shaping Old New Yorkers lives in many ways. As for me it will always be apart of my life in some shape or form. Its an addiction that cant be shaken for some.

As much as I love this shit, there is a lot of shit that I do hate about it. The respect of things and the aspect of it all is not the same. I use to love to go racking for all my shit because thats what you had to do to get supplies. This means fat caps and all that and that was part of the whole fun of it. There was no ordering that shit online like you do now or special made paint just for graffiti. You had to be crafty son, it was a trade just like a shoe repairman or a locksmith and if you was gonna succeed in this game then you had to learn & be good at it. This was all the fun for me, every thing you did leading up to your actual mission. Although it has changed, I am very happy it is still here. Its the one thing you will never get ride of. Keep bomb'n then streets son!

An Old New York Event

Recently I have met someone that I grew up with in my life through his music. That would be G-BO THE PRO! One thing thats Old New York is mix tapes & its something that has played a big part in shaping the 80's & 90's. My favorite mix tape by far is Dj Rei Double R & G-BO The Pro, but there are many more that has done there thing as well.

If you know about this era, then you know what the 80's/90's music means to an Old New Yorker. For me, its like the bible. Its the music that has shaped me into a strong man and to be able to make it through rough times & places.

So you know this show is going to be a treat & half, right!. As a Old New Yorker this shit is a MUST SEE, theres no better way to revisit them days then a show like this. Let them take you down memory lane and make it feel like back in the day one more time. Peace ...Old New York.

No Longer A Place But An Emotion

See the Old New York that you always here me talk about is gone, but a lot of Old New Yorkers are still here even though are beloved city is dead & gone. So now Old New York has become an emotion, a state of mind now more then ever. Ya know whats crazy? As I am sitting here writing this, Im watching Iron Mikes show on Animal Planet about flying Pigeons. Now I do not know where it started, but I do know thats some Old New York shit. I just wanted to watch it because it was about Iron Mike, but I got a nice surprise. The show is chocked full of Old New Yorkers & their attitudes. I fucking love it. So for that BIG SHOUT OUT TO IRON MIKE! As I was saying, You fuckers have taken the Old New York away, but you cant take the Old New Yorker away from the person. We just LOVE this place way too much plus I think its a DNA trait too. An Old New Yorker has a way like no other. The walk is one of a kind along with the talk & attitude, we own that shit and dont forget the sarcasm on top of it all. An Old New Yorker does not have to be a person that is born here, Shit most of us come from all over the world. It is NOT a life style, but a way of life and most important, its something thats in your heart and drives you in your life. This is not something you can imitate or fake jacks with kid. You could lose your life behind it. That how real this shit is. People think we are rude, mean, assholes, and heartless. Yes this is true, but to a point. See, we do not have the time to be nice to everyone that comes along. If we did this, it would put us in a place to be vulnerable to the ones who deceive and scam. There is a place and time for everything & when it comes down to it, we always help out our fellow New Yorkers. Us as Old New Yorkers have some of the biggest hearts you will ever find. This comes from the things in are lives that has made us an Old New Yorker. Some of the things that has made me an Old New Yorker would be first off my Blood being that my mother & father are Old New Yorkers, Hard Core in the street New Yorkers. My mother has taught me a lot of bad things first hand, but to educate me on the streets and to steer me away from all of that. Then comes the broke down foster care system (Little Flower) that I was placed in at the age of 4 where I beat, starved, locked in the closet for days and a lot of other bad shit to go along with it. All except sexual abuse thank God. The public school system has given me a chance to socialize with my peers and a chance to build with others and learn about my culture. For others who are not from here, there trip to NYC to follow there dreams and make something for their families & them selves brings a long road of obstacles to over come. Not being able to speak English and maybe having to live in the street when they first arrive here in NYC, but many push through and accomplish what they set out to do with hard work & dedication and because it was possible back then (up into till the late 90s). It takes a certain kind of person to become a New Yorker. One that is strong willed and determined no matter what. These days New Yorkers are definitely not made the same. We have become a breed of people that are cut from a fine clothe that is no longer available and are population is growing smaller. The rules of NYC have changed from what they were when I was growing up which in return has restricted us from being New Yorkers. Its like taking an animal out of the wild and placing it in a Zoo to live now. You lose your edge and your senses become not as sharp. The ability to shoot a fare one is gone and this was crucial. When you were able to duke it out, it did a number of things. First off at the end there was not a loser because you got the respect for standing up for your self also most of the time now that beef is dead. It also allowed us to straighten out others that stepped out of line. As long as it was kept to the fists, the Boys did not get involved. Just so you know. You will never be a New Yorker, because you moved here to use my city as a status symbol or because you thought Sex & the city was how it really was. You may have taken over the city and changed it around, but you will never be a TRUE NEW YORKER! Its just not how it works. The kind of time, trials & tribulations you need to put in is just not there for most for you to go through so that you can fully understand my city. Now there are some that do get passes, but thats only because some one has brought them in and let them be down by law! So for the rest of you trying, just coat hanger your self, call it quits and go home because I or we as Old New Yorkers dont want you here. Those who do want you here can leave with you as well. Fuck a non New Yorker, I could care less about how you feel so put that in ya crack pipe and smoke it bitch!

That Old New York Shit

This one here is for the love of the Old New York & the ones that love this place as much me. There are a lot of things that are gone and a lot of shit that we as Old New Yorkers use to do that we just cant do anymore. As a kid, I always road in between cars with my Sony sports Walkman on blast pumping some Gbo The Pro mix tape or Doo Wop shit. From time to time you could catch me burning one down between cars with my people. I use to love & still do ride the back of the last car on the outside, but you just cant do that shit any more. Yo as kids, we use to do some dumb shit in the streets for fun and to just past the time. My man Marc & I got a hold of some epoxy shit and we was gluing the receivers to the pay phones down so we could watch people get jerked as they picked up the phone. Yo it was funny to us as kids, but what was more funnier then that was while we were in are process of gluing one phone on B'way and 74th it rang right after we hung it up. See now back in the days the pay phones use to ring back and the Bindi's in the news stand boxes use to use them shits as there personal phones. So as we were done doing are thing, the phone rang and the dude in the box came out to answer it. Now this is happening on a cool fall day so when the Bindi answered the phone, he must of not felt the glue on that shit. Plus he got a turban on with the chin strap and all that hair as well. While this is happening, my man and I are playing the corner like OH SHIT! Is this really going down? We stayed and watched. When he was done with the call, he was stuck to the phone and could not hang up. When we realized this we started to fuck with him by taking his candy like picking and choosing what we wanted. Mean while this dude is watching us as were taking his shit and we are laughing at him. Yo that was some crazy shit. Oh well! The stories go on & on. From Joy riding Yellow cabs uptown & back to cop trees and shit to throwing all kinds of shit off the roof or out the window of our buildings. My favorite shit was going to the Deuce to B'way Arcade to play video games and Play Land. Now that I think back, that was not the safest place for an 11 yr old to be at night. But when I was 11 I didnt have a care in the world and I went everywhere in NYC. You know whats crazy? Times now are more safe then the Old NYC days, but I think then it was safer for kids to be in the street then it is now. That shit bugs me out right there! As a kid we all hung out in the school yard. We spent our money on video games, nickle & dime candy and garbage pale kids. That was my shit, fuck'n Graffiti Pete son. One thing you couldnt do was ride your bike alone cause yo shit would get took. I know from all the bikes I got robbed for and all the dudes I robbed for there shit too. Times was rough then, but more comforting to me. Buying drugs out of abandoned buildings, shooting galleries, hookers on 11th & 12th ave and marching down avenues 10 to 15 deep just bombing the streets. Nigga's would be running like roaches to catch a spot on the gate just to cop a tag. Its all so crazy. If I wasnt there, I would think I was making it all up. True story. We really use to wild out in the streets as kids with pea shooters and wrist rockets braking shit and fucking people up as well. Yup, no bueno! But as kids we didnt have a care in the world. Yo how many of you made pea shooters out of ya moms hair rollers or cut up a quarter water? Dont lie! Or who knows about the Magic Dollar? We were crazy son like a 40 of Crazy Horse. Yeah meng! Those were the days. No doubt hopping the train was nothing to us, its how we got around or riding the back of the bus on the out side. As kids we lived a thrilling life with less consequences then kids now. With cell phones and cameras everywhere, you cant get away with shit anymore. Big bro be watching like a motha fucka! I miss seeing the girls jumping rope. What happen to that shit? I guess these young girls got too much titties & ass these days to jump rope. Anyways if you was there then you know what im talking about. Oh yeah, another thing I miss was if you was not from a hood, didnt know someone or had no biz there then you just didnt come around cause you got jacked or beat up. These days the hipsters walk by like they are taking a tour of the hood. SMFH! Well thats all for now my people! Stay up & stay strong.