TDK - Life On Record - Nas

This is dope, tapes were a way of life. TDK was ubiquitous in those days, as a brand of choice, but also in graffiti where I grew up near the 23rd street yards. Those yards were the center of Oakland's graffiti culture and inevitably someone, usually Dream, would hold court and tell stories and we'd end up listening and laughing rather than painting. Dope to hear Nas look back on the days when cassettes were the method of capturing and sharing music. Nas and TDK better hope the RIAA isn't listening.

-wm.

Welcome Home AKIL!

First and foremost, massive love and hellllla respect to everyone for supporting Dream Day 2010. I wanted to tell this story when Dream Day was happening, but kept it tight in lieu of legal repurcussions.  Now that this tough situation is resolved,  I'm more than happy and proud to tell you EXACTLY where your hard earned and heartfelt $upport went. . Now that Akil is home where he belongs, Lil John, Dreams brother, thought it would be good to let yall know.

Akil's mother, Nikki Sellers, moved with Akil to Wisconsin to be with her family as soon as she found out that she had breast cancer and she didn't have long to live. Tragically, when she passed, Nikki's  father and mother wanted to keep Akil and raise him, contrary to Nikki's wishes and as stated in her will. Akil who was held against his wishes, wanted desperately to come home and cried every night to Lil John, who has raised him with Nikki ever since Dream was murdered. A custody battle ensued, and legal fees amassed (and still a ways to go). Akil only 10 years old, had lost both parents, and was being held against his will in Wisconsin, away from his family and all he knows. By the time I heard, Dream Day planning was already in motion, and the pressure was on to make Dream Day amazing and raise money the family needs. The money raised from Dream Day 2010 went DIRECTLY to paying the lawyer who got the case thrown out, and Akil was brought home in a few days after Dream Day! I'm really proud to be a part of the community of people who tweeted, facebooked, commented, blogged, attended and dropped money in the milkcrate and made Dream Day a success. You've transformed a tragedy into a good and beautiful deed. Your support brought a kid who had been through more than his share, home to this community who will continue to raise and support him... in his mother and fathers honor.
Thank You.
The Dream Kontinues....
-Willie Maze aka Marty Aranaydo.


Extra huge thanks to:  The New Parish fam, Dj Apollo, Dj Sake One, Dj ShortKut, Dj Platurn, Dj Qbert, Dj Myke One, Fresh Analog Music Experience (F.A.M.E.), The Bangerz (Cutso & Squareweezy), Equipto, Bored Stiff, Mike Marshall, Big G of the 808 Band, TDK dudes for the art, Estria, Bam, Gilad of Live Venu,  Namane, Sele Nadel-Hayes, Oakland City Council Woman Nancy Nadel, and the thousands more who supported...

Catch some of the performances and goodness courtesy of LiveVenu.com (THANKS GILAD!)

The City of Oakland honors "DREAM DAY"

Lookout world, this may be a first.  The City of Oakland has officially proclaimed February 17th, 2010 "DREAM DAY" in honor of outlaw artist and rebel graffiti writer Mike "Dream" Francisco. Its HELLA official... gold leaf proclamation states:

CITY OF OAKLAND
City Council Proclamation

PROCLAMATION HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF MICHAEL “DREAM” FRANCISCO
WHEREAS, it is my privilege and pleasure to recognize the life and contributions of Michael “Dream” Francisco; and

WHEREAS, DREAM was born on August 15, 1969 in Vallejo, California to parents Irene Francisco-Ancheta and Sergio G. Francisco and raised with brothers John Francisco, Kenny Ancheta, and Dexter Francisco and step-father Sonny Ancheta; and

WHEREAS, DREAM was an Oakland artist, writer, father, and community member who pioneered the art form of “graffiti” on the West Coast; and

WHEREAS, DREAM used the power of his art to convey messages to the greater society, connecting and raising the sights of a broad community voice, unifying people from vastly different backgrounds, and taking a stand against nuclear proliferation, police violence, colonialism, cigarette companies for unfairly targeting communities of color; and

WHEREAS, beginning in 1983, DREAM became recognized as one of the Bay Area’s stylistic innovators, organizing and participating in gallery installations such as “No Justice, No Peace – Word from the underground” (1993) and “Amerikan Terrorism – Shadows on the Global Street” (1995), globally-recognized murals including the 1993 memorial mural for Plan Bee, which spoke out against gun violence, and collaborations with Oakland and Bay Area musicians featured in music videos and on album covers; and

WHEREAS, DREAM challenged young people and his peers to determine their own pathways in life, through revolutionary literacy, pride in culture and history, respect for the family, conscious living, and lifelong learning; and

WHEREAS, DREAM took great pride in his Pinoy roots, and embraced other cultures by building bridges between the Black and Asian/Pacific Islander communities in Oakland and throughout the Bay Area; and

WHEREAS, DREAM earned the 1995 Precita Eyes Youth Mural Arts Award and 2001 Best of the Bay Award for Visual Arts; and

WHEREAS, DREAM gave lectures on graffiti to students at the University of California at Berkeley, Laney College, and the Eastside Arts Alliance and was featured in numerous films and documentaries, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s production Roots, Rhymes + Rage: The Hip-Hop Story; and

WHEREAS, DREAM’s murder on February 17, 2000 was Oakland’s twelfth homicide that year and sparked a renewed focus on anti-gun violence in the Oakland community; and 

WHEREAS, DREAM, the TDK “The Dream Continues” crew honors DREAM’s life and work in the forthcoming book “The Title of My Book Reads: Advanced Vandalism”; and

WHEREAS, DREAM’s fiancé, Nicole Sellers lost her battle with breast cancer this year, their larger community has re-pledged their commitment to support Dream’s brother John in caring for their son; and

WHEREAS, DREAM’s son, Akil Francisco, continues as an artist and future community leader in father’s legacy, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the City of Oakland recognizes the great contributions of the arts and community that DREAM brought to Oakland and encourages all to join us in declaring and celebrating February 17, 2010 MICAEL “DREAM” FRANCISCO DAY.

Nancy J. Nadel
Councilmember, District 3

Wow.

 

Vogue and I got it framed and we presented it to Dream's Brothers and Neice at the Dream Day throwdown! 

In recognition of the occasion, the TDK CrewFamilyMassive are continuously creating art for the entire 24 hours of Feb. 17th, 2010.  Check back for updates, images and video... I hear it started exactly as the time went from 11:59 to 12 midnight!

For your listening pleasure, DJ SakeOne CFD, during the first few hours of Dream Day busted this dope soundtrack for the 24 hour celebration!  All tunes are TDK associated/inspired... Thanks Sake!

SakeOne - "Tha' Dream Kontinues" Mix
free download: CLICK HERE

DREAM DAY 1O: Honoring the Life & Legacy of Mike "Dream" Francisco

"Dream Day" Celebrating the life and legacy of Mike "Dream" Francisco
February 5th, 2010

@ The New Parish
579 18th St. @ San Pablo Ave

Oakland, California
Art Reception  5pm-9pm, All Ages, Free
Showtime 9pm-2am, $10 (dontations accepted) All Ages (with parent)

Art exhibition by TDK crew + more

Music by DJs: Apollo, ShortKut, Sake One, Fuze, Myke One, Platurn, Namane, and Willie Maze. Live drums by:  Big G of the 808 Band

Performances by:  Equipto, F.A.M.E. and The Bangerz.

The Bay Area's best DJs and Artists have assembled to pay tribute to life and legacy of Oakland's beloved Graffiti King and Bay Area legend, Mike "DREAM" Francisco. Recognized worldwide as a style master, Dream's graffiti established the visual aesthetic of Oakland's Hip Hop culture, and put The Town on the map in what is now the fastest growing art movement in human history.

This event marks ten years since Dream was tragically murdered in a robbery on February 17, 2000. All DJs, Performers, and organizers will be donating their skills to benefit Akil Francisco, Dream's only son (now 10 years old) who also just lost his mother to breast cancer in January.

 

Mike Dream’s use of a temporary and renegade art form created a lasting legacy of radical education, social justice, speaking truth, and creative self expression. His life and work continue to inspire thousands and bring pride to his community. The TDK crew is also proud to announce the forthcoming book on Dream's art and life: “The Title of My Book Reads: Advanced Vandalism.”  

If you are unable to attend and want to support, please make checks out to:  The Dream Trust Fund, or Akil Francisco.
Checks can be  mailed to:

Irene Francisco-Ancheta
427 Central Ave.
Alameda, CA 94501

Thank you,
-TDK CrewFamilyMassive

Estria Graffiti Battle 2009 (Update)

Vogue TDK ?CREW 2009 Estria Graffiti Battle National Champion

Congratulations to Vogue TDK/?Crew on winning the 3rd Annual Estria Graffiti Battle! (Katch of Hawaii took 2nd)! Last Saturday, 20 graff writers from across the country came out to Lil' Bobby Hutton Park, aka Defermery Park in West Oakland to paint for the National finals of this now annual community event. The graff battle is a part of the Life is Living festival which featured Dj Sake One, performances by Kev Choice, Pharoah Monch, The Mighty 4 B-Boy Battle, and Town Park Skatejam. Yeah, it was a zoo!
Each writer was given 13 cans (Montana 94) to paint an 8'X8' canvas stretched on wooden cubes strewn across the park which was packed with community people on a really good vibe. Writers were given the word "Grow" to freestyle, manifiest, and inspire the community that's watching and interacting during the 5 hour time limit to complete work (it was tough for people like me who are from Oakland, stopping every 30 seconds to hit up a kids blackbook or give pounds and hugs to the fam). Every painter went went super hard this year, making this year's throwdown one for the books!

Since I didn't get to leave the confines of my cube, I'm glad my patna Scott LaRockwell did a bang-up job documenting the day, CHECK IT OUT. Some good shots in the SF Weekley blog too.

Refa TNS's piece was extra dope!

Big thanks to Estria/Bamuthi/Crew and all the volunteers for bringing it all together! This has quickly become my favorite annual community event! Stay up!

Lower Haight! (Updated)

Listen to this on repeat till your ears bleed....

Lil Wayne feat. Pharrell- Yes

This wall is wall 2 of the 2walls in 2days run. It was hella fun to paint with yall! The last 2 posts were directly from my sidekick, so apologies for the low rez (no pun intended) and lack of context. These are from the first day of painting, like Buder TMF/189says "it's like a party painting at this spot." So he came back and lit it up! I'll repost with the final shot with saucy megapixels...

This is Lil' Mohammed in front of my piece. His pops owns the store. This dude is a G, he just stood and watched us paint and guarded our gear/paint so the sketchy Haight St. types couldn't violate. I rocked a pager code with my "MT" since Buder repped 189 crew.

Buder has been painting O'looney's liquor store on Haight and Steiner in the SFC for years through the homies at Lower Hater who are across the street from the sto'. I've rocked with him on this wall a couple of times, but unfortunately wasn't able to come back the second and third nights in which a magical unicorn pegasus appeared my little pony steez. He also hit up the homies in Lower on the wall which I thought was a hot idea since the whole hood comes thru to say hey and spread love. Check back for the shot of the wall!

Big up to Mohammed and lil' Mohammed for holdin' us down!
-wm

TAX DOLLARS KILL, TDK Crew (1995)

The Tax Dollars Kill production was a great moment in Oakland/Bay Area graffiti. The concept came from the TDK brothers Mike Dream and Spie in 1995. That's Dream in the photo. Whenever Spie and Dream connected on a wall, you could be sure that the message would be strong and the styles would be fierce. The Tax Dollars Kill production represents what writing graffiti is all about for me... blasting the truth and calling out the oppressors. In style!

Unfortunately our government continues to prove that the words still stand (although the mural is gone). Thoughts and prayers for the loss of life in Gaza. Long live a free Palestine! Get your ass in the streets!

TDK: The Dream Khronicles

"THIS IS IIIIIIIIIT! THIS IS IIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTT!"
-IZ the Wiz, Style Wars, (Tony Silver, 1983, 70 minutes, color/b&w, 16mm)

If you haven't seen Style Wars, you should as soon as humanly possible. Back in the day, we usta have to dig like fuck just to find a VHS copy all fuzzy from being a 8th generation copy... nevertheless an integral part of a young writer's development... yall know.

Subway Theme from Wild Style
Start this track and click play on the video!

Big up to the TDK CrewFamilyMassive... The pieces as they appear in the video are KING 157, DYL by Dylska, JASE, STASH, MEUT, GYRO, AMEND, SPIE, DONE, VOGUE, KRASH, MERX and PAK by Spie. The "OAKLAND WALL OF FAME" is by Krash with background by Done (dope! and easier to see in person).

The overall theme of the Oakland contribution to the wall, "THE DREAM KHRONICLES" is a dedication to the TDK brothers in the spirit world. KURL, PAK ONE, PLAN BEE 11-5, Mike DREAM TDK who all called 23rd St. yard home and BURNED this wall with the some of the dopest styles west of the Mississippi. The Background is all renderings of photos from Mike Dream's flick box throughout the lifetime of the 23rd St. Yard(they came out HELLA fresh)... The pieces rocked are a testament to the style and heart put into a culture we made in an ignored corner of a ghetto you know the name of.

I wouldn't trade my time in that yard for anything. In a world gone mad, nothing means as much as the alliances we choose.


T.D.K. The DREAM Khronicles from Willie Maze on Vimeo.

THE DREAM KONTINUESThe future of TDK... Sir Jahar, Prince Akil(Dream's son), and Princess Bella B at Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival 2007.

Oakland Wall of Fame Update

Beat Street/B-Boy Interlude- The Roots

Meut One TDK, Soul TDK, portrait by Amend TDK

Dream's Tattoos of fallen brothers PakOne TDK and PlanBee 11-5 By Spie TDK

J Dilla- Anti-Amerikkkan Graffiti

Vogue TDK reps an original style... wholly shit.

PakOne R.I.P. by Spie TDK, TMC, FC, IRIE POSSE

Chino BYI rep'n NYC!

Original style innovators, Mark Bode character, Stan 153

Young buck Daz flexes on the Meeting of Styles section of the wall.

Tall homies are the last to Rock, we gotta sew the backgrounds together and it's a wrap! Apologies to those not featured, promise I'll get you up, the shadows were too much for my sidekick... booooo.

More from Oakland's Wall of Fame. Stay tuned for a massive post once it's all said and done... Shit is lookin DOPE. The wall is almost a QUARTER MILE long with many of the Nation's freshest writers rocking styles in memory of Mike "Dream" Francisco, Oakland's favorite son and style master who was tragically murdered in February of 2000. The wall is a tribute by his comrades that helped Mike put Oakland/Bay Area Graffiti on the map. Keep an eye out for the opening party throwdown coming soon!

Ps... the banner image for this blog is a pic of one of my old pieces the day before painting began on this huge project. The wall was so caked with hundreds of burners that it was falling off in huge beautiful chips that had to be pressure washed off and primed. Big up to young Kufu 2!
-wm.

Oakland Wall of Fame!

Coming soon from the TDK champs! Wall featuring crews/artists from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Oakland (of course) and more!