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Tagging
The first form of graffiti in New York was known as tagging. In the late 1960s, boys like Taki 183 started writing their names in the subway, on doors, and other public places. Soon their names could be found all over the city. In 1971, Taki 183 even made the New York Times and became the first famous graffiti writer in the city. -
New styles
From 1971 to 1974, writers started using spray cans and making throw ups. Throw ups are quickly done bubble letters or very simple pieces using only two colors. The next thing was called scale. Writers began to write their tags in larger scale. Writers also began to compete on skill, and many new styles were born. In the late 70s, murals began to appear around the city. Writers organized in crews, and by the summer of 1980, competition between crews had reached fever pitch. You had to be down wi -
The buff
In 1972, the mayor of New York City declared war on graffiti. The New York authorities started what is known as "the buff" - a major effort to clean the city of graffiti. The years 1980 to 1985 stands out as a particularly tough time for writers. The buff had made it harder to find a location to write and the laws against graffiti became tougher. On top of that new writers - toys - started destroying other writer's work to make room for their own writing. Crews got tighter and tougher trying to -
Spraying galleries
In an effort to control the writers, the New York authorities offer legal walls called spraying galleries like 5 Pointz in Queens. However, writers also find new ways of getting around the buff in public places. On Staten Island, lamp posts are being plastered with preprinted stickers. In another part of the city, windows are being tagged with an acid-based cream that etches itself into the glass. Graffiti has been around since the beginning of time. And I don't think there is any kind of chem -
Competition between crews
The subway system provided an off tha hook line of communication between writers throughout the city. Crews began to compete on who could put their mark on most places in the city. Slapping all city became common and writers needed new ways of standing out. Graffiti took a turn for quality over quantity. Writers had to enhance their tags and make graffiti of more artistic quality, also known as burners.