AONES - WTO

 est. 1987

IG

 

Photo - Leaf & Wood
2020
 

Leaf & WoodWhat year do you consider that you started taking writing serious?

AONES - I started writing graffiti in '84 But didn’t start taking serious late '87 early '88. Then I move out the 5 boro for a few years, then came back in '93 and took it serious.

 

Photo - Leaf & Wood

LW - What’s your motto when you go out bombing?

AONES - I want to take over an area and destroy it.

 

2020

Photo - Leaf & Wood

LW I saw some window work on the domino factory that just looked super dope, looks like you went back a few times. A spot you liked to go to several times?

AONES - Good old Domino I been wanted to hit that rooftop when it was open but no way of hitting it at that time. That was one of my favorite rooftop to hit on the M/J/Z line. I had to go back a few times cause I was at war with some writer that took me out. So I went back to fix my simple styles letters. Simple style letters go over fillings but they didn’t see it like that.

 

 

LW Is cannabis a part of your creative process, before, during, or after?

AONES Sometimes cannabis is. I like to smoke it before I start. It relaxes me and opens me up.

 

Photo - Leaf & Wood

LW - Edibles weren’t really around at all when I was a teen in the 90’s. Now it seems to be one of the go to for older adults, do you mess with edibles?

AONES I do mess with Edibles here and their. But nothing better smoking a joint or pipe.

 

 

Photo - Leaf & Wood

LW - NYC is said to be the birthplace of modern graffiti, in your opinion, does it still influence the scene on a world scale?

AONESNYC Is the Mecca of graffiti and it will always be the Mecca of graffiti. This is where the first subway train had graffiti on it before it got global. If it wasn’t for NYC. I don’t think graffiti be where it is now.

 

Photo - Leaf & Wood

 

LW - Do you have any good smoking stories from back in the day?

AONESDam smoking stories. I just know between Madison Park my apartment and Forest Park. Sometimes be like 5 to 8 blunts going off at one time have a circle and blunts would keep going around and around and around. It would be like 10 of us in the circle.

 


LW - I get caught up in my mind on old projects I never got a chance to finish for whatever reason, you ever feel that way about any pieces in the past you didn’t get to finish because you had to dip out in the middle of it, or ran out of paint?

AONES - I alway had enough paint to finish what I was going to do. If I had to leave what I was doing. I always came back later or the next day to finish it. Just like the domino sugar factory when I did the side glass part. I say another 40 min and the sun would be coming up. So I had to come back the next day to finish it.

 


LW - What was the feeling of the graff community in the early 90’s compared to early 2000’s?

AONES - In the 90's you had writers that had style in their fillings. A lot of writers I see now don’t have style in their fills. Some of it I don’t know wtf it says or it’s just sloppy looking

 

LW - You’ve know a lot of writers over the past 3 decades, who was the best bombing partner you went out with, and what active writer right now would you go out with and destroy?

AONES - I bomb 💣with some of the great in the Graff game. Hands down ASP was my favorite partner. Love him like a brother. Miss him so much. I did a lot of bombs 💣 by myself.. I had some great bombs 💣 with VE , SN , AMUZE , GIZ , DESA and CS TFK.. The real TFK crew. As of right now since I'm bombing 💣 again I had great bombs with DAMU. As right now brother ZB PTP love bombin 💣with him. He reminds me of VE how he bombs 💣. It's all about placement and location. On spots. We think the same when we go out bombin 💣 together. Both of us have great spots to hit together. So right now Brother ZB is my bombin 💣 partner. I have so much respect for ZB what he complex in the Graff game. A true legend bomber he is...

 

 

Leaf & Wood - Now that you’ve been through it all, does it feel like upstate life is a bit of a more relaxing life, or does it come with the same grinds as living in the city?

AONESUpstate life is so beautiful and peaceful. No one on top of you, don’t have to worry about parking in the street and getting dam tickets. I am in peace up here. I could go in my back yard or my friends and shoot off my guns. Plus move up here to start a family, and give my daughter a better life.