This edition of Off The Wall features one of the next generation’s trendsetters and one of Bushwick’s last authentic writers
Sitting in Paradise Plus NYC graffiti and skate shop in Bushwick, Brooklyn is unlike any other regular retail establishment of its kind. 257 Varet Street appears to be a fancy vintage shop like the rest of the gentrified Bushwick, except one peak in the window will draw you in if the store’s mural across the street doesn’t do that first.
If you’re a customer of the skate/art persuasion, then this place is for you. If you’re a graff critic looking for who’s killing the streets of the Rotten Apple, then the storage room in the back of Paradise Plus is what you have to find.
The Source.com managed to gain access to the smoke filled room in the back where, ZEXOR, second generation writer of the WTO crew, was chillaxing with the owner of PPNYC and Zexor’s graff crew. Check out the first part of this interview with one of Bushwick’s last real vandals, building on his battle with “street artists”, his techniques and of course living up to his father’s legacy. Also, Check out some of the 24 year old Brooklynite’s art below, which is also on display at Paradise Plus NYC from now through July.
TheSource.com: OK, you rep the WTO click. We Takin’ Over. How long has that crew been killing the streets around the five boroughs?
ZEXOR: As far as I know, my father started it in 1986, but that’s as far as I know. I’ve been holding it down since 2009.
TheSource.com: You’re only 24, so your dad passed away when you were really young. Tell me what you know from what you’ve been told about your father, ASP?
ZEXOR: As far as ASP goes for graffiti, he was more of a terrorizer. People was afraid of him. Especially in Bushwick with the name he created for himself. He robbed a couple of people, cut a few people, did a lot of time…he was well respected. He threw one famous graffiti artist off a roof, then befriended the dude.
TheSource.com: So in what ways are you following in his footsteps?
ZEXOR: I’m trying to make my own footsteps to be honest. What he has done is way more different than what I’m trying to do. He created an entire graffiti scene in Buffalo, so as far as that goes, he was a pioneer. I could never be what he was. He started a whole scene for writers like LIONS, ATACK, HERT and other writers from Buffalo.
TheSource.com: Tell me about your ongoing battle with Bushwick Collectives.
ZEXOR: It’s not just Bushwick Collectives. It’s an ongoing battle with gentrification in my neighborhood. The whole point of them moving into this neighborhood was them grabbing culture. It’s not just Bushwick Collectives. It’s Morgan Walls, JMZ Walls…all these people are not from out here. These people would never step foot in Bushwick.
Come check out TheSource.com next week for Part 2 of the exclusive ZEXOR “Off The Wall” interview!
-Sha Be Allah(@KingPenStatus)
