Alright so thanks for taking the time out to do this interview, can you give us a brief introduction of how you got to this point? When did you start, what crew do you rep and what’s the story behind the title “hufr365”?
No problem, thanks for having me. I write hufr, im from bos (bombing out society) and nbc (no body’s close) My introduction to graff came from the skateboarding culture. Music was also one of my first forms of creativity. I used to play in a band,We would play backyard gigs in all the different cities in la county. Thats also how i met some of the first dudes from bos krew… Like skofe, nitro and tekmo (rip). They were from south central la and i lived in long beach, so soon after me getting in the krew, we were allowed to start our own chapter in long beach with homies like beko, twigs, phoek and zroe.
Those are the times i most cherish, the adventures, the stories and all the ties to different cities inside los angeles county… At the time “all city” was very important to us… Honestly it still is to this day. Around 2004 i met the nbc’s, this was a crew in my area i really looked up to at the time. They were true innovators in the game… Doing huge rollers, painting behind billboards, doing crazy tags, and not just painting anything, being very strategic. They all had dope unique names like ak-47, punch, tank, drink, etc. So when they asked me to get in… I was like are y’all sure??? Lol. The rest is history. They put me down, and taught me a gang of shit. Just being around those dudes gave me a lot of inspiration and insight on the type of work ethic i needed moving forward.
Before reaching out to you I watched your “INCPTN” documentary on YouTube and I found you recalling your experiences of losing your friends as very moving so RIP to your friends. Can you explain a little bit about how that documentary came to be? It says it was released 4 years before putting on YouTube, was this for a specific outlet or something? What made you want to tell your story this way?
Thanks bro, rip to some real ones! At the time, the director (matt genesis) and i worked in the same art department. We always wanted to collab outside the brand we worked for. Eventually it happened. I felt it was a great way to tell you about my beginnings, that’s why i titled it “incptn” short for inception. There’s no specific reasoning for putting it out again, previously it was only on vimeo, and I just wanted it on youtube as well.I’m very grateful i had the opportunity to work with matt… Not only is he extremely talented, he’s a great person.Learning how to click with other creatives outside of graffiti was the tipping point for me.
What is your favorite documentary or book that covers the history or major players of graffiti and why?
Gtv graffiti television fr8 issue #8 (2000) changed my life. Fr fr. Just the content and overall structure, i’ve always been into american graffiti a bit more than international… So all the names and styles blew my mind at the time. Some of those dudes are still killing it and inspire me today, much respect.
In your Instagram I see that you have a lot of custom pieces available for purchase as well as that awesome “duckin five-oh” shirt, I’m curious if you ever see this as potentially being a full time business or do you think the idea of making a living at graffiti is missing the point of it?
It’s a side hussle. Honestly i think making a living off purely graffiti is kinda corny. But if your graff has value and a market for it, i see no wrong in getting paid for it. A lot of people truly deserve it. I’m in place right now where i just want to stay creating art in any medium and worry about monetizing it later.
Whenever I watch any videos or documentaries on graffiti I always get this Fight Club kind of vibe, not only is it anti mainstream and anti corporations but there is also the camaraderie between the guys that do this. To you what is it that draws you back to the scene after all the time it is that you have done graffiti?
The feeling it gives me. The creative control. The new stories. I learned a while back to stop giving a shit about the haters and toys, now a days i stay in my lane and just do whatever feels right to me. Just enjoying the process.
What kind of music do you listen to when you paint? Who is your favorite hip hop artist and why?
Honestly in the early days it was more heavy rock… Bands like charles bronson, spazz, deftones, and slayer. Then i got into hiphop like non-phixion, necro, mobb deep and notorious big. Now a days its a mix of both. My favorite hiphop artist is definitely the late great nipsey hussle (rip). What he did as an artist and a man can’t be matched. true visionary, from his work ethic to the music he blessed us with.I feel like he gave us a blue print to grind, but it’s up to us to get it done.
Rest in peace nip! The marathon continues.
For those out there that are hungry to improve at their craft but don’t know how to exactly what do you recommend? Is there any specific practice or exercise that you have discovered that has helped you over the years?
Work! Don’t be scared to fail. Learn from your losses and always push forward. The best practice i know of is just doing. I find when im in action working on projects, creativity comes natural… Its not forced. It’s like magic… 100.
When you were coming up who inspired you and taught you the ropes and who inspires you now? Who are the artists that are inspiring you now?
Phoek(rip), skofe, tank and drink taught me the most. For sure. From spots and techniques all the way to racking and stacking. Honestly my crews inspire me the most, till this day. But to step out of my circle, i’d say peeps like merch otr, buge bamc, savie otr, saut and herl krh, trav msk and versuz lts. Outside of graff im into artists like ed roth, robert crumb, and jim philips a lot of heavy illustrated work. Now a days some the of the artists inspiring are crimewave, futura, stephen vanasco, and the homie brek gaw nbc… His conceptual work is crazy.
Any shout outs you would like to give? where can people follow you?
Rest in peace king zroe. We out here going hard for you big bro. Also rest in peace tekmo, kiwie, tyco, phoek and glib. I’ve lost alot of homies to the streets, shits real as fuck. Cherish everyday above ground, practice gratitude, and own the day. @hufr365 on all platforms. Peace y’all.
Interview by Wesley Edwards
