EAST NEW YORK NEW LOTS BROOKLYN
DONDI, DURO, KIST
I HAVE BEEN ASK
COUNTLESS TIMES FOR AN INTERVIEW TO TALK ABOUT MY PARTNER DONDI, MY REPLY HAVE
ALWAYS BEEN NO!
WAIT UNTIL YOU READ MY BOOK! BUT UNTIL THEN! HERE IS A SNEAK PREVIEW.
MANY YEARS BEFORE WE WAS EVEN WRITING PARTNERS DONDI AND I GROW UP
TOGETHER IN THE EAST NEW YORK SECTION OF BROOKLYN IN THE YEAR 1974, AT THE TIME
EAST NEW YORK WAS ALL ABOUT GANGS AND CRIME, WE FIRST MET AND BECAME FRIENDS IN
THE HANDBALL COURT, WELL NOT REALLY A HANDBALL COURT, BUT TO US IT WAS, IT WAS
BEHIND THE MAXWELL HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS.
DON AND I WAS REALLY GOOD HANDBALL PARTNERS, IT WAS A SMALL WALL BEHIND THE
SCHOOL, AND YOU HAD TO BE QUICK TO PLAY, CAUSE THE BALL CAME AT YOU LIKE A
ROCKET, ANYWAY WE TEAM UP ONE SUMMER AND WE WAS UNSTOPPABLE, AT AROUND THAT TIME
WE HAD MADE UP OUR OWN GANG, CAUSE OF ALL THE OTHER GANGS IN EAST NEW YORK THAT
SUMMER. WE DIDN'T GET TO HANG OUT MUCH CAUSE OF ALL THE OTHER GANGS, EVERY TIME
THEY PASS BY THEY PICK A FIGHT WITH ONE OF US OR OUR FRIENDS, SO THAT SUMMER WE
MADE UP OUR OWN GANG, THERE WASN'T TO MANY PEOPLE IN IT, BUT WE HELD IT DOWN
FOR A WHILE, THAT WAS OUR BEGINNING OF STREET LIFE, WE LEARN ALL ABOUT THE INS
AND OUTS OF STREETS LIFE, I WAS ALREADY A WRITER IF I CAN CALL MYSELF ONE,
CAUSE I KNEW A LOT ABOUT WRITING, I USE TO TAG UP EVERYDAY ON MY WAY TO SCHOOL,
IT WAS CALL MOTION TAGGING, TAGGING UP THEM DAYS, ON MY WAY TO SCHOOL WAS THE
THING TO DO. ONE SUMMER I STATED TO SEE THIS TAG AROUND A LOT, I KNEW THE NAME
FROM SEEING IT IN THE TRAINS, BUT I WAS LIKE WOW THIS GUYS MUST LIVE AROUND HERE
OR WHAT NOT, LITTLE THAT I KNEW THAT I HAD ALREADY KNEW WHO THEY WAS BY FACE
BUT NOT FROM WRITING, JUST FROM PLAYING HANDBALL! WOW TO ME IT WAS REALLY BIG
CAUSE IT WAS A MEMBER OF THE TOP CREW. THEY HAD EVERYTHING ON THE LOCK DOWN,
AND THE EX-VANDALS TOO, IN ALL THAT TIME IT WAS EDWIN AND RANDY, SIDTHEKID AND
DIKETOP, WE WAS ALREADY FRIENDS SO THAT MADE IT MUCH MORE EASY FOR ME TO BE
DOWN, BACK THEN IF YOU WASN'T A KING OR YOU DIDN'T GET UP A LOT THEN IT WAS HARD
TO MEET WRITERS CAUSE YOU HAD TO PROVE YOURSELF BEFORE YOU CAN EVEN HANG OUT
WITH THEM, WELL THAT SUMMER WHILE COMING BACK FROM RACKING UP AT A STRAUS STORE
ON ATLANTIC AVE, WE HEADED TO THE BACK OF THE YARD BEHIND MAXWELL, AND I WAS
ALL HYPED UP CAUSE IT WAS MY FIRST TIME THAT I EVER HAD WENT RACKING UP FOR
PAINT. SO I HAD RACKED UP TWO CANS, WHEN WE GOT BACK WE STARTED BOMBING UP THE
SCHOOL WHEN DON CAME IN AND ASK IK IF HE COULD GET A TAG, IK SAID SURE AND DON
TOOK A NACO ONE TAG, WE WAS LIKE WOW THAT'S YOU, BUT DIKE KNEW THE REAL NACO AND
TOLD HIM THAT HE WASN'T THE ORIGINAL, THAT'S IT FOR NOW CAUSE I DON'T WANT TO
GIVE TOO MUCH AWAY, BUT LIKE THEY SAID, THE REST IS HISTORY!
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW, BUT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO READ
MORE ABOUT THE REAL STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO'S YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE IN THIS PAGE.
AND STAY TUNE TO THE NEVER ENDING RIDE FROM NYC ONTO HISTORY AND THE WORLD OF
THE CIA TOP CREW.
"EXPRESSION OF
OPPRESSION"
A VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO MARTHA COOPER FOR THESE HISTORICAL PHOTOS
CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE TO HEAVEN REST IN PEACE MY BROTHER CIAKINGS TOP.
DONDI GETTING READY TO PAINT A ZORO OF WILD STYLE
"REST IN PEACE"
EAST NEW YORK NEW LOTS BROOKLYN 2
DURO, SHY, MIN
THE PHOTOS THAT YOUR ABOUT TO SEE HERE IN THIS PAGE ARE VERY SPECIAL TO ME. NOT BECAUSE OF THE MANY BOOKS AND MAGAZINES OR THE HISTORY BEHIND THESE PHOTOS, THOUGHT OUT THE YEARS. BUT ONLY BECAUSE OF MY BROTHER SHY 147, YOU SEE I FIRST MET SHY IN 1980, AT THE SAM ESSES GRAFFITI WORK SHOP, THERE WE WERE WRITERS FROM ALL OVER THE CITY, WE WAS INVITED TO PAINT SOME CANVASES BY FUTURA 2000 AND ZEPHYR, I REMEMBER DONDI PICKING ME UP AND HEADING TO KIST AND RASTA'S HOUSE TO PICK THEM UP, AERON ALSO LIVED AROUND KIST WAY SO WE SENT KIST TO PICK HIM UP, BY THE TIME KIST GOT BACK THERE WERE LIKE 8 OF US, KID 56 AND DR PEPPER WE'RE ON THEIR WAY, WE PICK THEM UP AT THE TRAIN STATION, AT THAT TIME WE HAD SOME BEEF WITH RTW CAUSE OF RASTA RTW AND RASTA CIA THEY WAS WRITING THE SAME NAMES, SO A LITTLE WAR HAD BROKEN OUT, ANYWAY BY THE TIME WE LEFT , THERE WAS 15 OF US, THE WHOLE CREW, KEL WAS GOING TO MEET US THERE TOO AND HE TOLD US THAT HE HAD A COUPLE OF WRITERS FROM AROUND HIS WAY TO PICK UP THAT HE WILL MEET US THERE, WHEN WE FINALLY GOT TO THE PLACE WE WAS 15 DEEP.
I STILL REMEMBER SEEING THE LOOKS ON THE WRITERS FACES THAT WAS THERE, RIGHT AWAY, WE DEMANDED RESPECT JUST BY THE AMOUNT OF WRITERS IN OUR CREW, AS IT TURN OUT SHY, NAC, CRASH, COS, DAZE WHERE THE ONES THAT CAME WITH KEL, NOC WAS THERE, AND I REMEMBER NOC WAS LIKE DAMM DON YOUR WHOLE CREW IS HERE, WELL RIGHT AWAY SHY CAME OVER TO ME AND STARTED ASKING ME IF I WROTE, I GUESS HE ALREADY KNEW WHO I WAS FROM KEL, BUT HE ASK ME ANYWAY, I COULD TELL THAT HE LIKED ME RIGHT OFF THE BAT, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WAS SAID, BUT I TOLD SHY TO TELL HIS MAN DAZE, TO COOL THE FUCK DOWN, CAUSE I WAS GOING TO SMACK HIM. IT'S FUNNY CAUSE KIST AND I WAS THE SMALLEST ONE IN THE CREW, BUT I DIDN'T CARE BACK THEN I WAS ALWAYS THE LOUD MOUTH OF THE CREW, ANYWAY YOU WILL READ SOON WHY, I BECAME DURO AND WHAT THE NAME DID TO ME, BUT THAT'S ANOTHER STORY, I GUESS WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY IS THAT, IT WAS LIKE MAGIC, MEETING SHY, I ASK HIM TO COME WITH ME TO THE STORE AND RACK UP SOME BEERS, HE WAS LIKE GREAT LET'S GO, FROM THAT DAY ON I WAS LIKE HIS BIG LITTLE BROTHER CAUSE I WAS OLDER THEN HIM BUT SMALLER, ONE DAY HE TOOK ME AROUND THE BRONX AND SHOW ME SOME OF HIS PAINT RACKS, ON THE WAY TO HIS HOUSE HE STOP AND ASK MIN FOR A CAN TO TAKE A TAG ON THIS DOOR, SO I TOOK A DUROCIAMEN TAG AND HE TOOK A SHY147 ROCIA 1982 TO HICKY AND SKI, ON THIS WALL, WE KEEP WALKING TO HIS HOUSE, BUT HE KEPT LAUGHING ABOUT SOMETHING , I ASK HIM WHAT WAS SO FUNNY, BUT HE DIDN'T SAY, UNTIL WE GOT CLOSE TO HIS HOUSE, THAT'S WHEN HE TOLD US.
THAT'S WHERE WE TOOK THEM TAGS, WAS THE POLICE STATION OFFICE OF HICKY AND SKI, DAMN I WAS SO FUCKING MAD AT HIM, WHAT THE FUCK YOU SOME KIND OF INFORMER, RIGHT THEN, I REMEMBER WHAT MICKEY 129 AKA TOTOP HAD ALWAYS TOLD US ABOUT NOT TRUSTING ANY WRITERS, BUT SHY SAID, IT'S COOL BRO, THEY LIKE GRAFFITI, I KNOW THEM, I WAS LIKE YOU KNOW THEM, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SET ME UP BRO, HE TOLD ME NO DURO I WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO YOU, I WAS JUST HAVING SOME FUN WITH THESE PIGS, THEY KEEP COMING TO MY HOUSE TRYING TO BUST MY BALLS, SO I'M PAYING THEM BACK, AND I SAY TO SHY, FUCK DON'T YOU KNOW THEY WANT ME REALLY BAD, SO I TOLD HIM WHAT KIST COUSIN HAD TOLD KIST, ABOUT WHAT HICKY AND SKI, HAD TOLD HIM THAT THEY SAID THEY ARE GOING TO BREAK DURO AND DONDI HANDS, FOR KILLING THE INSIDES, DAMM NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT, THAT SHIT WAS MAD FUNNY, AFTER THAT DAY, I KNEW HOW HONEST SHY WAS WITH ME, AND HE NEVER DID CHANGE, HE HAD THE BIGGIES HEART, I CAN STILL CLOSE MY EYES AND SEE HIM LAUGHING AND I CAN STILL HEAR IT AT TIMES, BUT MOST OF ALL SHY LOVED HIS MOM, AND HIS FRIENDS, I HAVE SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT, BUT THAT'S WHAT MY LIFE HAVE BEEN, A LONG RIDE, ON THE NEVER ENDING BATTLE WITH MYSELF, FILL WITH PEOPLE AND PARTNERS.
SHYSTEROCIAMEN REST IN
PEACE MY ROCSTAR BROTHER RTW!
LOVE ALWAYS ROCSTARS