Old Skool

Here at the P5 it isn't just about Punk and New Wave. While Punk Rock and New Wave was the big scene Downtown, Old Skool Rap and Graffiti culture was starting to emerge Uptown.

By the 1970s, poverty in New York City was rampant. The middle-class fled the area and the local black and Latino gangs began to grow in power. Hip-hop music originated in 1970s at block parties in The Bronx. Old school DJs would often sample disco and funk tracks such as "Good Times" by Chic.

In 1979, graffiti artist Lee Quinones and Fab 5 Freddy were given a gallery opening in Rome by art dealer Claudio Bruni. For many outside of New York, it was their first encounter with the art form. Fab 5 Freddy's friendship with Debbie Harry influenced Blondie's single "Rapture" (Chrysalis, 1981). And who can forget Malcolm McLaren's unlikely foray into hip hop in 1980, when he first met Afrika Bambaataa on the streets of Manhattan. Then later released the album "Duck Rock" in 1983 (too much of that snow white!).

STYLE WARS is regarded as the indispensable document of New York Street culture and subway graffiti art of the early '80s, It is a record of a golden age of youthful creativity that exploded into the world from a city in crisis. http://www.stylewars.com/

Watch the entire movie here or see the Videoload below.


Videoload: Style Wars, A Movie About Graffiti Kings sundasill on USTREAM. Hip-Hop/Rap (this link will stream the entire movie FREE on Ustream.tv)
Tip: Use Firefox, install the Video Download Helper add-in)

Check This Out: www.at149st.com - An extensive list of Old Skool NYC Graffiti Artists with pictures their bombs and tags.