User:City Underground
Shy One
Shy One was a graffiti artist from Marina, California. The name "Shy One" was
inspired by another graffiti artist named Shy 147. The name "Shy" started
when I went to Seaside High back in the old school. The name of Shy's
original crew was and still is called "True Islander Style". The True Islander
Style is a crew of graffiti artists that started in Marina, California. "Our crew is
based on hip hop elements, that we used to buy and read" says Shy One. "Our type of
style is based on "islander elements" and pretty much blends a type of hip hop way
of life, whether considered ghetto or first class "right down to our language"
says Shy One.
The TIS crew originally started as a few friends, hanging out. "Some of the
original members may have the left the group, but the crew is still alive today"
says Shy One. The crew originally started with the original members creating
block letters, writing TIS. The crew is not considered a type of gang
movement, although we practice hip hop elements. "Our first tag style was
block and old english style type tags". "This first style of graffiti for us would
be the foundation for our beginning culture".
As time went by, other crews and writers developed in the same city. Some
"beef" or "funk", considerd a type of hatred in hip hop slang occured. "Alot of
writers were involved in day and night fights" around the city. "Alot of early
gang elements developed in the city and a type of chaos ensued" states Shy
One. "For a few years after the fact of all this gang warfare occuring, alot of
graffiti disappeared." says Shy One. "The beginning of our crew was fun, but
the violence was really wack".
One of the more important parts of the crews history was "beef" with other
crews. One incident that occured was an argument from another graffti crew.
"Our members fell out with a rival group of freinds or bullies " says Shy One.
The crew ended up going on despite the death of another writer. "As kids you
never where walking around gets you, but when someone dies, this
somehow impacts your life either way". "The other crew who I didn't know too
much, came and talked to our crew". A member of a rival crew stated that the
guy who started the "funk" ended up dying of a drug overdose. "Whether this
was true or not I couldn't tell, but when his name was in the paper of a death
occuring it turned to be true". The rival crew ended up disbanding as we
continued on.
Early graffiti for our crew "started in the 90's and graffiti even existed before
then" says Shy One. "Alot of tags went on in my run of graffiti". In the end over
time I had about a solid one hundred tags and bombs, all over the Monterey
Bay area. "When my graffiti started getting a mention in Hip Hop culture it
occured around 3-4 years after the fact". says Shy One. "What started as a
few tags and throwups, ended up on me becoming a early pioneer of Hip Hop
graffiti culture". "I would like to mention that I still listen to rap music and wear
baggy pants even today". "Alot of hip hop people inside or outside of hip hop
took pictures of my art on walls and freights and everywhere else". "I would
like to thank all those who find rap music to be entertaining and more props to
those who liked Hip Hop." says Shy One.
Shy One CAS
The style of art I had on freights and around the city, was considered early
works of graffiti art. The name "CAS" or the "Cool Anime Style" was a artform
based on Hip Hop ideas and culture. "The "Cool Anime Style" was a type of
anime meets rap type thing". "I enjoyed watching anime and bombing, so why
not develop both into an artform". "The "CAS" style ended up in me getting
recognition as a writer and early pioneer in the graffiti hip hop culture around
the Monterey Bay". "Later revivals occured in hip hop culture around other
parts of California to get Hip Hop popular again" says Shy One. Peace to the
408 aka 831!'
"As the years flew by alot of graffiti was removed or just disappeared again"
says Shy One. "Early forms of tags and graf went to paper and alot of style
died out because of the "gangster music" or era. "A pretty big deal of violence
occured during these years, alot of the community considered Hip Hop to be
ending because of a type of insane mentality occuring in Hip Hop. "Alot of
rioting in the surronding areas and lootings gave Hip Hop, once again a bad
stereotype". "On a more positive note, a rap freestyle battle contest on the
radio included members of our crew rapping on the radio". "Things like this I
remember growing as a kid in the neighborhood". "This was our old school"
says Shy One.
Worldwide
"As time went on people take different paths in life" says Shy One. Graffiti
culture is around the world because of technology and the internet. "As a
decade went by, my graffiti was once again becoming known as a hip hop
element". "It felt good becoming a sort of pop culture element". says Shy
One. "Everyone from hip hop fans to rock and ravers and even the police
saved my art". "I never knew too much about culture until computers told me
things about it, but it felt wonderful." "One of the big misconceptions I would
take in graf culture was that I was a gangster". "For the record I was never
gay, was in a gang that hurt people for fun, or encouraged pedophilia". "To me japanese
cartoons were for fun and that was it". "I never enjoyed the rape side in the anime
artform and wished it would just stop for the record" says Shy One.
"As Hip Hop started to grow once again more hip hop type elements and
culture started to appear, graffiti got popular again" says Shy One. "The
artform started to get bigger and bigger everyday thanks to all the people
who loved it". The following scenes get props from Shy One personally : the
West Coast (US), the East Coast (US), Mexico, Japan and the Phillippines".
"Mainly these scenes were the ones that saved my art and remembered it".
"Props to all the places and other cities if you remembered the art". "I would
also like to thank all the writers I bombed and tagged with and still say wud up
to". Peace to all the people, crews and gangs for saving it".
Shy One today stands as a real writer in graffiti culture. "The other crews I
still remember are the Unorganized Expeditions Crew and the DANCE crew
(Dancing At Night Clowns Energy) says Shy One. "If you ever wondered
about taggers and writers, the following information is all true" says Shy One.
Peace 2 all people who say they write !
free art links: http://shyworld.weebly.com/index.html
Shy One wears Killafornia gear, a type of surf and hip hop gear clothing line. Shy also represents as
a member of TIS import racers. Hip Hop has really helped other people create their own unique styles
and poetry. Just look at Dr. Dre's headphones and you can see the impact all over the world.