Graffiti Videos & Documentaries

Aerosol Warfare

Aerosol Warfare represents big Texas to the fullest. They feature bombing, freights, pieces and plenty of Bboying action. All of the tapes viewed were all that and then some. The filming quality is as good or better than many of the videos around the block. Issues 1 and 2 are now combined and feature an interview with POEM, Berzerk, DTS, Kex and more. Issue 3 has footage of Saint 1 NBK from Austin, Sake, Busy and Damit from Australia, Kuaze, International trains and walls, bombing, freights and Easy Rock & Asia RSC Bboying. Issue 4 has BBoy Summit footage, Q-Bert, RSC, Hex vs. Slick, Grave SCB from El Paso, Freights and bombing.

To order any issue send money order only for $23.50 payable to M. Figueroa to:

"Aerosol Warfare"
504 Normandy
PMB-247
Houston, TX 77015

Amsterdamage part 2

Straight from Amsterdam's "South Central" comes Amsterdamage with live action interviews from those writers who make a living terrorizing Amsterdam public transport.

All local crews represented. Amsterdamage part 2 was filmed in early 1996. 60 minutes, available on VHS PAL. Next to the Amsterdam subway footage is footage of the Local HOFs and yellow bananas. There are several more in the series.

Contact address; Hip Hop Mailorder, Neue Maastrichterstr. 11 50672 Koeln, Germany, email: HipHopMailorder@FromHereToFame. com

Bay Area Graffiti

If you want to see stuff coming out of one of the top scenes in the US, pick up this video. You see piece after piece after piece from different spots in the Bay Area, including the famed Psycho City in SF and the Oakland trax. There is a little bombing section for all of you hardcores out there.

To order Bay Area Graffiti see:

www.bayareagraffiti.com

Bomb!

This hour-long video features San Diego and LA walls and some hilarious interviews with the likes of P-Jay WCA, Teck, Risk, Phyzek, Zodak and CBS crew (Xpres, Mear, Anger, Azrock, Tenz). Production quality is outstanding and original--something that you don't always see in graffiti videos.

Citizen Art

Culture jamming by Cicada Corps of Artists. Ron English and other billboard subvertizers in action, plus guerrilla street theater. Highly entertaining.

Classic Hits Video

I haven't seen a copy of this video, but the ad says,

"This video will not only bring you back to the early 70's, but also make you want to go out and bomb!"

Make money order for $25.00 payable to:

L. Ingrassia
1214 W. Boston Post Road
Mamaroneck, NY 10543

COPE, Kings Destroy

I thought that the FX video was as good as this video crew was going to do, but then they had to go and bring out the Cope video. Cope is every writers' writer. You get it all here, throwups, tags, clean trains, scrap trains, productions. The highlight was probably Flavor Flav talking about how dope Cope is, "You know what I'm sayin'?!" KRS-One, Fat Joe and Rakim also let you know. This is an insider's view of the world of New York graffiti. If there were any doubts about the state of writing in New York City, Cope answers loudly. Produced by Abstract Video.

Forbidden Art

Once again, no review is available, but the ad says,

"FEATURING: New York's old school as well as today's new uprising artist. Over one hour of trains, walls, interviews with artists, plus live hardcore bombin' action."

Send $20.00 for US System and $30 for European System (US funds only) to:

Dave Novak
Box #244
106-B Nassau Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11222

Dealer inquiries call:
(917) 982-0690

FX the Video

It's about time a crew like FX gets spotlighted in a single video. The video acts more like a documentary than your standard graf video. The crew has a lot to say, so the interviews aren't as laughable as in most graf videos. Of course the art work is about the best the genre has ever offered, as these guys are probably the single most influential crew of the 90s. If you think FX is only about productions, you'll be happy to know there are clean trains and freights, as well. Produced by Abstract Video.

Graffiti TV

If you're looking for the real, I mean the really, real, pick up Graffiti TV straight outa Connecticut. Hold on while I take another swig of this 40 and pull from this blunt.

The best of Graffiti TV 1, 2 and 3 have been combined to bring you the best of the best. It starts off with the bombing of a New Haven cop car - really, real. Then it shows a whole gang of New York, including some dope Bronx bombs. A little inside action and freight footage with Cope, mixed in with random racking and bombing keeps the middle going. Bronx walls come through right before some ill BBoy footage from Rock Steady Anniversary. Kez5 comes through with the illest moment ever put out on a graf tape by bombing a car in daylight on a busy NYC street. If you want to see some Cope, check the fat interview.

GTV #5 starts off with the ex-Westchester Zine and Mone (now Bronx Freight Kings, they let us know). Then you get broken off with some street knowledge thanks to Flight THE DEATH SQUAD. The Bronx is where it's at. Don't miss the beat breaks-coming straight from the 4-woofer boom box hooked up to a 1200 - once again - really real - I mean this box burns through a 12-pack of D batteries quicker than an official MTA lantern.

ALL PAYMENTS TO :
GTV
25A LIBERTY ST.
NEWHAVEN CT 06519

1-888-727-9GTV

Graffiti Verité

Graffiti Verité makes a very good attempt at documenting the Los Angeles graffiti culture, including an interview with old school LA gang writer Chaz (don't diss, he is one dope artist). There are interviews with 24 writers, including such pioneers as Toonz, Duke, Angst and Mear.

It does a good job of placing graffiti in its own context, away from its hip-hop brethren in breaking and rap. There are some omissions, though (which can be expected in any documentary that is only 45 minutes long), including a notable absence of Hex in the interviews.

Graffiti Verité is still not to be overlooked, as it does an excellent job of showing old school LA in a way that no other piece of documentation has (most notably Spray Can Art). Graffiti Verité does for LA what Style Wars did for New York and will take its place among the more notable sources of graffiti history.

GV2 is out now. While this video lacks the polish of the first edition, it still delivers interviews with more movers and shakers of the LA scene and great images of the inimitable LA styles. In particular, the interviews with Skill UTI and Chaz are quite good. Unfortunately a lot of time was spent on video images of flix, but the quality of the pieces makes up for the lack of immediacy.

Malicious Mischief

This video captures one of the most important and best periods of San Francisco writing. Done by insiders, it documents all aspects of the scene. It is hard to get a hold of, but well worth the search. The live bombing, piecing and interviews are all well shot and edited. Xylene sometimes has it.

Post Graffiti

(1984) 30-minute documentary about graffiti artists making the transition from the train to the art gallery. Featuring Lady Pink, Keith Haring, etc.

It's reportedly now available from artnewyork.org for about $35.

Railrelics

Here's what the producer had to say about the video:

Railrelics is a video magazine following the Artistik Train movement. Rail Relics an all freight video shows Train shots of hiballin outbounds to sitting car lay-ups at various locations threw out the midwest area. Hobo writings, and Colorful art pieces from coast to coast.

Repeat Offender

30 minutes of hip-hop from writers to MC's. I haven't peeped this one (hint, hint), but I know it's 30 minutes long and others give it good reviews.

Rolling Steel Part 3

Produced by Underground Video Productions Amsterdam.

A 60-minute tape that shows the Dutch long-distance trains (also known as "yellow Bananas") and Amsterdam subways in traffic. It took a team of 6 people 6 months to cover all running panels T2Bs and Wholecars that ran in the period of summer '94 until March 1995. Available on VHS PAL.

Contact address; Hip Hop Mailorder, Neue Maastrichterstr. 11 50672 Koeln, Germany, email: HipHopMailorder@FromHereToFame. com

Stations of the Elevated

1979, shot in the Bronx, 45 min long, and chock full of rare vintage graffiti, mostly Fabulous Five stuff; Lee and Slave mostly. There are no words, just an eerie, dope, sparse soundscape by Charles Mingus and his sextet. The film is a haunting look at rolling steel on the trains of NYC.

Send check or money order for $18.95, payable to Rhapsody Films, to:

Rhapsody Films
P.O. Box 179
New York City, NY 10014 USA

(212) 243-0152

Sneak Attack

For info contact fr8hound@hotmail.com

This is the most freight graffiti you're likely to see on one tape. At 90 minutes, it's a marathon. Streaks, wholecars, rolling trains, it's all there, from the 4 corners of the US. A must-see for any railfan or benchaholic. It's overload; it's great. It has a little bit of other cool stuff like the Garbage Pail Kids rhyming like there's no tomorrow. Just get this. It would take weeks to tell you what all is on it.

Streets of Graffiti

For info send 1.00 or stamped envelope to:

Rodney Rodriguez/Video
P.O. Box 506
Bronx, NY 10451

Street Soldiers

Street Soldiers continues the tradition of the first two On The Go videos by showing a healthy dose of Philly graff mixed in with some nice turntablism and New York graffiti. It runs 45 minutes and features interviews with Pre, Espo and Braze. They promise more videos in the future, this reviewer hopes that's true!

Style Wars

Style Wars, by Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant, remains the definitive graffiti documentary. The director's cut has just been released.

US$34.95 retail in VHS.

True to the Game - Get the Message!

2 hours of analysis of graf in the UK. It features interviews with top writers, train footage, walls and *lots* of political commentary and observation.

More info can be had from:

True to the Game
c/o LUYC
64 Camberwell Road
London SE5 0EN
ENGLAND

Video Graf and Out To Bomb

Video Graf is the most popular and most famous of the graffiti videos. Carl Weston does a good job of covering action on both coasts, and has high production standards on his tapes.

Visual Grafix and Steel Injection

http://visualgrafix.co.uk

Visual Grafix Issues number 1 - 15 are available now through the website.

Steel Injection: Running time 55 mins. Featuring only London Subway action mainly from the early 90s, but a few bits from the late 80s are featured as well. It includes writers such as: Rate, Teach, Fiza, Shuto, Fume, Sham 59, Siege, Diet, Hash, Irish, Neat, Funk, Soup, Honky and many more. Also includes brief footage of London's only T-2-B whole subway (No Amount Of Buff Can Cleanse Our Souls) by Cherish and Karl. The tape is interspersed with clips from TV news shows about London train writing. I can find nothing to fault this video on, apart from the god awful sound track! Watch this one with "mute" on!

L.A. Hip Hop Video: Volume One

Included are interviews of musicians Cut Chemist, D.J. Kiluu, Rhettmatic, Key Kool; spray can artists Crime, Chaz, Prime, Duke; Raymond Roker and She of Urb Magazine; and founder of Radiotron Carmelo Alvarez.

Original music by Rhettmatic, Cut Chemist and Collage Ensemble Inc. Directed by spray can artist Gajin Fujita and Alan Nakagawa, director of Collage Ensemble Inc. Kris Kuramitsu provided production assistance and spray can artist Skept provided input and production assistance.

US$20
Checks can be made out to Collage Ensemble Inc. and sent to:

Collage Ensemble Inc.
1151 5th Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90019

While You Were Sleeping's Bedtime Stories

These guys must really like their lawyers and want to keep them well paid. This reviewer can't endorse much of this thing (I doubt they're looking for that, anyway), but it was an interesting piece of video. It's not exclusively a graffiti flick, but there is some graf in it, plus interviews with Cool "Disco" Dan and TKO crew out of Los Angeles.

While You Were Sleeping
P.O. Box 34843
Bethesda, MD 20827

Wild Style

Wild Style is one of the most important films ever made about graffiti and hip-hop in general. It stars Lee and Lady Pink, and has great footage of some of the old-school MCs and DJs flexin' their skills, something you don't get to see very often.

Wild Style is available in both US (NTSC) format for $29.95 + $3 postage and handling and European (PAL) format for $39.95 plus $8 S&H
Make checks or money order payable to:

Pow Wow Productions
17 Hubert St.
New York City, NY 10013 USA

Writers' Bench

A Sydney-based video that shows lots of train wreckage, live and otherwise; walls and so on. It's really pretty good and shows a lot of work you'd never get otherwise. Sydney has a lot of stuff going on but you just never hear about most of it, I guess. 80 minutes or so. [-Sonik]