Miami Graffiti

December 2007
1) What do you write and what crews do you represent?

Ease & Faz - Inkheads, The Fantastic Partners, ATKM, ATBO

2) Where did you get your tag? Any special meaning behind it?

I got my name Ease in Cutler Ridge, Miami, Florida back in 1983. The name came via my brother Faz, and our best friend, Jes 1 (Miami's Top Writers Crew)

3) When did you start writing and what were some of your early influences?

The year I started writing was 1983 and I was introduced by Jes 1 and Faz, but also the neighboring areas of South Miami with writers such as Name 189, Glove, Raze, Ask, Mace, Even1er, Near, Note 202, Ake Love, Mes 1, Lazone and Papo, Try 1, Seaf, Mero, Micro, Rener and Icey & Scam.

4) What was your favorite Penit/Wall and why?

My favorite Penit is the all time classic Hall of Fame Fontainebleau Penit. As far as walls go, my favorite is what was known as The Wall of Fame on Coral Way near 97th Ave. It was where my crew D.O.M was united with M.O.B, to paint the wall for the first time with classic writers such as: Jes 1 MTW, Hec MOB, Nore 9 DOM, Even DOM, Ease DOMOB, Junior AIM, Cae DOM. The day we painted that wall was fresh, I remember crews from all around Miami coming by to chill and there was even some gangs coming by to start fights.. ha ha. The police came to make some arrests and were harrassing us looking through our black books. This was going on in 1987.

5) Is there any crazy story that sticks out in your mind from days at that Penit/Wall??

I was just thinking about the way people would meet at the Penit for the first time. Writers never knew who you'd run into inside there. It was risky business walking in. Gangs would be in there sometimes, writers would meet to battle by painting and even settle beef by having a one on one fight. You'd call it throwin' hands back then.

I remember The Spanish Emperors being there one day having a meeting. Chip from Chicago and Micro from ATKM, who was a gangster with his brother Meen, but both had really nice piecing styles. Crime was there from DOM crew who was S.W. leader for the Emperors, my brother and I were there also with PAZ from 7UP crew. Maybe Zee, Even, Jes, Ovee and Seel were there too. It was classic, there must have been hundreds of people in there that day chillin on the rooftop. Some people were initiated to the gang and walked the line. Then I remember we all started a cap fight. There were thousands of colored caps from the cans all over the floor (not the small caps to spray with, but the tops you know). So we'd have huge fights throwing them at each other all running around in the Penit. It was mad fun, but dangerous too because you could easily fall in a hole or down the stairs.

6) Name a Miami writers work that you respect a lot (thats not in your crew/associated crews) and why?

One of the Miami writers I respect is Seam V05, because of painting some amazing walls during the 1980s that were instrumental to the Miami zone's colors and lettering style.

7) Any good stories about a time you got chased or busted?

Got chased when I was nine years old painting a truck in 1983. There was a guy with a gun who shot a few rounds in the air and we booked out. The cops came and we saw the guy get arrested from behind some bushes we were hiding in.. The guy was drunk and kept yelling at the cops.

8) Whats the biggest problem with Toys nowadays?

Toys have always been toys now or back in the days. What makes a person a toy is not that they are beginners, a toy is someone who shows no respect for older writers and for the culture in general.

9) InkHeads is definitely one of the most notable crews to be associated with Miami, some stories or background about how it started and the early days?

InkHeads really started in the Bronx with Edec. He had been living in Miami For a long time and went back to NYC to finish high school and was there painting a lot with UW crew. But, he started his own crew that was concentrating on using mainly ink to get up. He had a few guys like Rash, Nate and Rave with him. He moved back to Miami in 1991 and we were already good friends and he saw I had been bomin' Miami Beach with markers and shoe polish so he asked me if I wanted to get down with this name " Inkheads "... I said yes and then we went bomin'. In Miami the first people were Edec, Cer and myself ( Ease ). My brother Faz, Shie, Rage, were there too. The crew was put together of writers from different crews and with prior history from all the early days of the 80s. We painted a lot in those days with Abomb, Dash, Seam from Vo5, Dekay from FA, Junior from AIM, Sar from Alive Five, Even from DOM, mad people were part of our family and style.

10) What do you think of the Graf Scene in South Florida and Where do you think its headed?

This interview took me a long time to do so now I have a different perspective than last year. I see some good things going on in the Miami of today which has grown tremendously. Ultimately I have to say I am disconnected from the current flow of how writers operate in Miami today. I can tell you how the 1980s and 90s were, and it was an integral part of shaping the city in more than just writing. Its a whole new game now though, some new Writers claim fame in the internet.. I can't judge that, but its just a different time. Where is the scene is headed ??? Being that I have seen the intelligence of writers in Miami, I would say that there will be a crew to come out again from young writers that will re-introduce the grass roots of the old school in combination with their own style of today.

Much love to all the writers. Peace !

Ease & Faz ( Brothers Back to Back ! ) Inkheads !