Casp One - Graffiti Artist Interview

December 2008

Interview with Casp One, a graffiti artist from the Queens in New York who represents the TDK Crew amongst many others.

Graffiti piece by Casp One

How old are you?

25.

Where are you based?

Queens, New York!

How long have you been painting / writing?

Since I was like 8 years old.

How did you get into graffiti and what made you start painting?

I was 8 and I had just moved to New York from Orange, New Jersey. When I started school I was scared but the school had a two handball walls and every weekend these kids would come and do these crazy burners! I remember the first time I saw it on a Monday morning and I was like "Wow, I have to do that!!!" so I started copying their names and crews.

As time went on and my dad found out that I was doing graffiti all over the school, my house and my homework! He put this newspaper in my face and said "You want to do graffiti? Well I think you should read this…", it was about this kid called "Ve One" that got shot in Brooklyn and died because he was doing graffiti on a drug dealers block. It was messed up for him but it didnt stop me, I loved it too much to stop!! One day I was on lunch time at school, playing with my friends on the handball court and I saw one of the sickest burners I have ever seen by this guy called Lune. It must of used about 9 colors to make this crazy burner, plus he had used his hands to make a pattern in his letters! This guy came out of nowhere and started taking pictures of the burner so I went up to him and asked him "Did you do that?" and he said "Yeah!". I ran and got my notebook and showed him something I done and he said "Wow, that's pretty good but I need you to do me a favor", I ask waht and he said "Don't ever stop! You got something going for you! Just don't stop!". I was 8 years old when he told me that, I'm 25 now and haven't stoped and I'll never stop!

Where did you paint your first piece?

There's this spot we called 'the nursing home' and that's the spot where we could go, take our time and not worry about cops but now they got cameras and the cops are always there. I don't care, I have my 23 burner pics from that same wall.

How would you describe your style?

I don't really have a style, I name my own styles:

'The Rist Style' where you're not using your fingers to write but you use your wrist.
'The Ghost Style' where you make your outline come in hard, fade away, then come back and then fade away again but you can still read it.
'The Magic Style' where I will tell someone to draw 7 or 10 lines on paper then I use those lines to say there names less then 5 minutes, it's like a magic trick I guess!

How did you choose the name Casp One?

I needed a tag of 4 letters so I asked my mom what my favorite show was when I was a baby and she said Casper The Friendly Ghost! Ok! I'll just drop the 'er' then! LOL!

Do you write with any crews and if so which ones?

TDK
WC
14RDERS
FTR
ATK
ZULU NATION SHADOW
CLAN17
DGC
NYT
WDD
TCS
DWS
KAC
DFM
QV
BS
WOTS CREW
H20
RT
NOG

Graffiti piece by Casp One

What are you feelings on the graffiti scene in New York at present?

It's not like it used to be! It was more fun back in the early 90's, nobody cared back then! Now it's just like "Not nine colors, no, no, no can't do that no more! Look the cops are right there! Lets use two colors… black and white. I'm not going to jail tonight!". It's like what my boy Jerms told me and this is so true… everybody in New York wants to be superman or a cop because they have the power of a cell phone… oh wait… hold up… is that kid spraying on that gate? This is bullshit… I'm calling the police! And they will come! I think now it's not that the new up coming kids are toys, it's just that they don't really have the time to even get that rush to do something nice because everywhere you turn there's a cop car. In my world there's no such thing as toys, just kids that want that fame anyway they can.

I think now it's not that the new up coming kids are toys, it's just that they don't really have the time to even get that rush to do something nice because everywhere you turn there's a cop car.
Casp One

Has graffiti become a full-time career for you now and if so was it a long journey to get to this stage?

Yeah! Back in 2003 my friend told me to go this spot where they do t-shirts and hats, so I went and showed them my black book, got hired the next day and I'm still with them now! I think soon my own line of shirt designs will be coming out based on New York streets and everyday New York life!

What do you see as your greatest achievement to date?

My own business, as in screen printing, my own line, my own store and to be able to teach these up coming kids the history of graffiti and the wrongs and rights of the art.

There is a very fine line between those who see graffiti as art and those who see it as vandalism, what are your views on this?

Well, you have put yourself in their shoes because if I'm going to work my ass off for 50 years just to buy a little stupid house and then some kid puts his tag on my fence then I'm going to find him then kill him! That's why I try to tell kids today that if you wanna hit up something then make sure it's owned by a company that has money or somewhere that's owned by the government or the city. 75% of the people here in New York that work their stupid little jobs and struggle to get what they want, if you go and destroy their stuff they will come and destroy you!

Do you prefer doing legal or illegal pieces?

It works both ways… illegal is so fun from start to finish, legal is only fun when your done with it!

Have you ever 'felt the long arm of the law' because of your art?

Yeah, coming outside and there's 5 phone company vans parked out front. One week later I'm jail, it happens!

Do you try to keep your identity anonymous where possible?

No, it's to late, everybody knows who I am now! LOL!