Remembering Mike "DREAM" Francisco

DREAM is the most iconic graffiti artist to ever come out of Oakland, and when he was murdered 11 years ago today, it left a huge whole in the Bay Area's artistic community. The Pinoy graffiti artist is a local legend, and a quick google image search will reveal exactly why. But for the uninitiated, talking to some OGs can help flesh out the particulars. Check out Estria and BAS-1 sharing their thoughts on DREAM and read this dope interview Complex Mag did with his one-time protege Marty Aranaydo last year as well. 

The throw-ups you'll see over at Complex will demonstrate his artistic ability, the piece above reveals his investment in the culture and the 1993 video interview below will show you his gregarious East Oakland personality. RIP DREAM.

Video: Catching Up with iLL-Literacy

For the uninitiated, iLL-Literacy is a creative cadre of artist activists who fuse funk, hip-hop, spoken word, campus organizing and viral know-how to challenge the status quo. They explain below:

For us, that means rethinking how music is produced and distributed, how a live show is performed and experienced, and how creativity is used in the classroom and beyond. The result over the last five years of touring and teaching has been iLL-Literacy’s campaign to unleash Imagination. We make music, perform and collaborate with students and faculty across the country to build a culture of innovation.

This means that Dahlak, DRZZL and N.i.C. do a lot of traveling, philosophizing, advising and music making. In fact, they are currently living in Puerto Rico while they record their album iB4the1. Below, is a taste of what they've released from the project so far, but that doesn't begin to scratch the surface of all they represent and do. Click the jump for a poem by Dahlak, a trailer to their new album and an intro to their "Imagination Rationale." If you're a bit intrigued by this eclectic trio, you should be!

iB4the1.1 by iLL-Literacy

Dopeness in DeFremery: National Estria Graffiti Battle Finals

Back in October we had the pleasure of seeing some really great graffiti artists at work at the Life is Living Festival. It was wonderful for lovers of hip-hop culture who vow to never let you forget the four elements, crusaders who make sure you recognize this as art, and gawking newbies alike. Armed with canvas, paint, and undeniable talent, folks gave their take on the word "Grow." Between the kids at the skate park, the graffiti battle, and live performances, I was on a high like no other. My Town is dope. So were the artists. So is this video. Enjoy.

Props to iLL-Literacy.

Painting The Town Red: Homage to Oakland Graffiti

I don't have too much to say regarding this dope gallery of Oakland graffiti, except that I give major props to both the legends and the newbies painting The Town red. Whether these pieces are bursting with bravado, paying homage or offering social commentary, the medium they employ is the perfect fusion of the urban and the urbane. Just remember that the new waves of Art Murmur events aren't the only incarnations of local art–this city has been a living canvas for generations now. Respect it.

3rd Annual Jingletown Holiday Art Walk

12/5 Reception: 6-8pm. Gallery 4:20. Peterson Street, Oakland

12/6-7 Art Walk: 11am-5:30pm. http://www.jingletown.org

Head down and support your local Oakland artists this weekend and get a little holiday shopping done. My folks went down there last night and said they had a great time. So take a stroll, see a bit of The Town you probably don't frequent, appreciate some fresh art and meet some koo peoples.

Via the Jingletown website:

This holiday open studio will highlight the work of over 25 artists who live and/or work in the area known as Jingletown, which is situated between the Park and Fruitvale Street bridges bordered by the estuary separating Oakland from the island of Alameda.

Photo by Jingletown's Hamish Reid. See his postcards here

And if you don't know your Oakland history, here is a brief break down of Jingletown's roots:

Jingletown got its name from Portuguese cannery workers whose earnings would “jingle” in their pockets at the end of the day as they walked home from the factories in the area. As time went on the neighborhood went into disuse, but in the early 1980’s artists realized the potential and converted many of the neglected warehouses into functioning live/work spaces. It is now a thriving artist community and one of the fastest growing arts districts in the Bay Area.