To start, where are you from and what do you write?
Straight out my mother’s womb, but shortly before that I resided in my father’s nuts (rent free)! I write on stuff with sprays! They call me the man with 1000 names! AC, ACraw etc… Acroe is the most recent one along with Alwais and Breel.
When did you start to write and how did you get into the game?
I started when I was a little youth around the age of 12-13 during my heavy metal/punk rock “anarchy rules everything around me” phase! 1998-1999.
What was your local scene like when you were starting out? Who were you writing with at that stage?
There was no actual scene. It was all on my head, really. I wasn’t doing anything serious at that age, just writing shit on the walls in my town, from anarchy symbols to hip hop band logos like Public Enemy, Naughty by Nature, and Onyx! Ish like that!
So how did you transition from that into writing more seriously? You mention in your Handstyler interview that you focused on tags from the start – that it was the foundation of everything – how did the shift from band names to handstyles occur?
Well, I moved to New Jersey in 99 and on the way from the airport to the projects I saw a lot of graffiti on the highways and realized that people were writing their own names and not just random shirt. So, when I got to highschool at the age of 14 I started writing on everything and making new friends through that, and that’s how shit took off and got serious.
When did YAK get started?
YAK started out as just a thing I wrote with my homies because haters love to snitch and it stands for “you already know” so if we ever had to go to a judge with vandalism charges it’s no secret! Haha, fuck the law though.
Any writers impressing you at the moment?
I really just try to impress myself, first and foremost, but I guess anyone who’s active, travels, and gets it in. I love seeing stuff from my homies in Cali, I love the spots they pick to rock.
Who have you been writing with recently?
I’ve been painting with crew mostly and also good homies. They know who they be! But, when I travel, I get it in with cats from all over the globe! Instagram helped me link with some dope folk!
Who influenced you and your style development?
In terms of influence, I guess everything I was exposed to shaped my style. Development never stops in graffiti so to me there are no limits. I really love NYC style throw ups, Cali style burners, and the European/American train scenes. But to name a few influential names – the OG Jerry Gant from Newark, Score BRX, Loser, Dzel, Distort, Ntel AIDS, Rime MSK, Scope KOMA, Snow QM8, and Kopye BAMC – all had a great impact on my style and perception of the craft in general.
Who else has been putting in work in New Jersey?
Just like any other place, New Jersey goes through waves of graff. A lot of young writers been going ham and old school writers are also coming back out. Always good to see an old head still get it in! New generation need to practice on paper more before picking up a can – that’s just my personal opinion.
Any final words?
Stay up! Stay true! Bang your set because you ain’t shit without your home boys! And it don’t stop! Que mas?
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Interview by Luke Beirne
Photo Credit: Nolan Price and others
