Tuff City Tattoos, Bronx (My hip hop summer pt.4)

After a couple of days break from pounding the concrete I ventured uptown to the Bronx on the B train to see the Tuff City Styles tattoo (and graffiti) store.

I first came to Fordham Road in the late 80s. I still have the Triple Fat Goose down jacket I bought here. As you walk from the subway to Tuff City Styles you'll experience the bustle and hustle of this area. On the corner is Footaction USA with its selection of sneakers. If you wander around the corner you'll find this 40 foot mural complete with a Kanye West-looking character ;)

When I got to Tuff City Styles the graffiti influences run high - from the huge mural outside, to the canvas gallery and MTA subway train cars that are the tattooing booths! It's an amazing sight. I think it's run by CES, Yes2 and MED who painted at the "All-City Blackbook Show" a couple of days earlier.

Eastcoast/Westcoast Whilst visiting I spotted a familiar face from the L.A. graffiti scene. "Frame" was visiting New York this weekend and was painting a wall in the Bronx with a Japanese graffiti artist.

Frame, Los Angeles

My library I got myself a little bit of hip hop history. A graffiti book dedicated to Quik, Seen and CES with a foreword by Zephyr (of Wild Style fame.) It's translated for the Japanese market by DJ Honda.