I met up with several members of the East Coast – and original – MSK crew while they were painting up in Inwood earlier this year. Among the writers I spoke to were: Kister, its current president; Dia One, MSK’s president back in the 80’s and its legendary former vice president, 2 New. (Note: pictured above is 2 New to the left of Dia One).
When was MSK first founded? And by whom?
It was founded in 1982 by MADE and WASE, along with a few other writers who attended IS 52 — right here in Inwood.
Which trains was MSK hitting back in the day?
Any one nearby – the 1 train, the A, the AA, the C, the CC, the RR and sometimes the D and B.
How were the original MSK crew members regarded back then?
All of us growing up in the Heights and here in Inwood had enormous respect for them. Everyone knew them and looked up to them.
Can you give us a sense of what it was like hitting the trains back then?
We followed a routine. Five or six of us would gather in a friend’s house. We’d design an outline. Then we’d rack the paint from a local hardware store. And once we had the paint, we’d pick a yard and sneak in.
And once you got into the yard?
We had to worry about gangs, dogs, cops and stepping on the 3rd rail. Success was getting out alive and taking a photo.
Do any particular memories stand out?
When three young MSK guys went to the 145th Street lay-ups and had their cans taken away by members of Jon One’s crew. We had to retaliate, and we ended up eventually beating the crap out of two of them. The drama only continued, and eventually Jon One left NYC for Paris.
As the train era ended in the late 80’s, what surfaces were MSK’s second and third generation hitting?
Mostly highways, rooftops and handball courts. And because we had to be fast, we mostly did bombs and throw-ups. We didn’t have time for pieces – except for occasional ones on handball courts.
Here you have members of all three generations of MSK working together – painting on a legal wall.
Yes, we do it because it’s fun. It’s our way of celebrating our culture.
And how does painting on a legal spot like this one differ from working illegally?
On a legal space like this, we can take our time and make as many changes as we want as we work. But when we paint on walls like these, we can’t get the adrenalin rush that comes with working illegally. It’s not the same — nowhere close! And we miss it!
Images
1. Dia One and 2 New against mural by Frankizm
2. Frankizm at work on tribute mural to 2 New
3. Dia One at work at night
4. Kron
5. Dia One — memorial wall first painted in 1992 and redone, at the family’s request, in 2013 — with Flite, Frankizm, Kister, Cel & Nest
Interview & photos by Lois Stavsky
