TOOFLY NYC

THE DREAM TEAM IS BACK!

Saturday March 6th, 2010

TOOFLY / YOUNITY ARTS booth & slide show presentation at:
Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen
Saturday March 6th. 2-5PM
Hostos Center for Arts and Culture.
450 Grand Concourse (at 149th St.) Bronx.
FREE! and open to all ages.

www.mhhk.org

Back from a fantastic 3 day graffiti urban arts workshop in Brooklyn with the Young Women’s Leadership School. The girls did an amazing job this week. They got a rare opportunity to learn the art and design of doing letters, and characters. There’s nothing more fun than learning about line, shape, and color when your rocking out your name in bubble or straight letter style. Many kids in our community live around graffiti and street art. This was a great opportunity to teach them something from their own block they can relate to! With a few markers, brushes, and paint the kids not only pieced their names they also collaborated on a large canvas mural that will be installed in their school. The message of choice to represent their winter camp: “ENERGY UP!” A conscious daily choice to get their health in check, and help fight teenage obesity 1 day at a time. Shout out to Big City Walls for teaming me up with Young Womens Leadership, and the Energyup.org program this year;) THANK YOU!!! Till next time…

Pilot marker outlines all by themselves! I was proud:)

Great job ladies! Keeping it fun, clean, and graphic…

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Just finished watching the Garbage Warrior documentary and I’m so inspired!!! Michael Reynolds is my HERO. This finally makes all these radical ideas, and feelings I’ve had all these years make sense…

What do beer cans, car tires and water bottles have in common? Not much unless you’re renegade architect Michael Reynolds, in which case they are tools of choice for producing thermal mass and energy-independent housing. For 30 years New Mexico-based Reynolds and his green disciples have devoted their time to advancing the art of “Earthship Biotecture” by building self-sufficient, off-the-grid communities where design and function converge in eco-harmony. However, these experimental structures that defy state standards create conflict between Reynolds and the authorities, who are backed by big business. Frustrated by antiquated legislation, Reynolds lobbies for the right to create a sustainable living test site. While politicians hum and ha, Mother Nature strikes, leaving communities devastated by tsunamis and hurricanes. Reynolds and his crew seize the opportunity to lend their pioneering skills to those who need it most. Shot over three years and in four countries, Garbage Warrior is a timely portrait of a determined visionary, a hero of the 21st century.

Earthship n. 1. passive solar home made of natural and recycled materials 2. thermal mass construction for temperature stabilization. 3. renewable energy & integrated water systems make the Earthship an off-grid home with little to no utility bills.

Biotecture n. 1. the profession of designing buildings and environments with consideration for their sustainability. 2. A combination of biology and architecture.

wow guys, words can not describe how DOPE last night was. YOU HAD TO BE THERE!!! Turnout was amazing, the energy, the people, the art, the space OMG, I don’t know where to begin + I’m up way to early posting these pics, I’ve only had a few hours of sleep;( I’m gonna let the flicks do the talking. Sending a special special THANK YOU to all my peoples, friends, supporters, team, family, and everyone who came thru to share this  experience with all of us. STAY FRESH, and SPREAD LOVE…

WOMEN ROCK.

Ken! Thanks for coming, I was so happy to see you w/ the fam;)

2nd fl GALLERY…

Photo by Martha Cooper www.12oprophet.com

Jen One, and Abeni in front of my latest joint! Abeni thanks you for all your hard work on helping document YOUNITY!!!

FROZEN. I needed to re-name it…

ACB, always with us…

Amazing turn out both floors were packed!

peeps! Yvey & Jess thanks for all your help with the art sales!

Rokafella and Marthalicia beautiful souls…

Love it when kids stare at art…wonder what they wonder?

GOODWOODNYC always a hit!

PIECE BY NIZ. B-GIRLZ ASIA1, LADY CHAMP, AND AIKO. Sold to Martha Cooper;)

My sisters piece. INKS >>> handcarved mad work!

Laura Meyers, Sofia Maldonado, Lichiban…

Handmande book + Photos by Stephanie Land

Nani Chacon wood purses…Sold to Marlon;)

Martha Cooper

More flicks of art coming soon…

JAMES TOP, thanks for the interview:)

Shout out to FRESTHETIC who helped sponsor us on the sticker vinyl!;) Thanks Mikey, and Randy!

Oh shit…TONE! OMG can’t wait to see your flicks, your skillz are amazing!!!

I LOVE FLICKS!

Photo by TONE
The lovely DJ ELLE, blessed us with her selection! Got the breakers to boogie…Shout out to DJ Laylo who we missed so much! but helped us lock down the turntables. Thanks kid!

This had to be the icing on the cake. Ya’ll had to be there to experience the energy in the room, it was so gooooooood!

I love breakers…

ROKAFELLA came thru w/ the breakers crew thank yoooooouuuuuuu sweets!!!

What! Jen One doesn’t play…Love her style.

I get so happy to see all of ya!!!

Dopeness…

GOOD TIMES!!!

Shana and Diana, luv you guys!!! Thanks for all your help;)

My mighty suspect brothas…

Shout out to Emilie from Caprise Magazine, and Samia Grand Pierre from Highsnobette for all your help:)

AFTER PARTY TIME!!!  LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…

Jenevieve, Cece, Erin, Lichiban, and Marthalicia wall installation downstairs. THANK YOU! Photo by Martha Cooper

After party at SUTRA NYC who always has our back. See ya at the FRESHER closing party!!! Details coming soon…
BEHIND THE SCENES FLICKS

B-Girl Be 2009 Block Party included Mainstage Performances, MCs, Spoken Word, DJs, Dance, Live Mural Painting, Film, Food and an Art Marketplace! Featuring local, national and international artists including aerosol artists Motel7 (Capetown) and Toofly (NYC); MC Eternia with Chesney Snow (Canada), DJ Chela (NYC); spoken word poet Tish Jones; Akira Johnson; Bloody Black Eyes; Ill Chemistry; Black Pearl; and the Twin Cities All-Stars: Katana, Maria Isa, Indigo, Desdamona, performing onstage together for the first time in twin cities hip-hop history!

FINITO! Got my piece done early so I can rock my style’n photography skillz. Here are some of my favorites….

Fall back now you don’t know me!

MC BIG TARA is a B-girl and MC with the Anomolies Crew, Fox Force 5, Shoten Zenjin and the House of HOWL. Born and raised in the Lower Eastside of NYC, she was influenced by the dance and music culture of her neighborhood. She has graced many stages across the country including the Apollo, BB Kings, Lincoln Center and the Manhattan Center and has worked with the Roots, Erykah Badu and LL Cool J to name a few. After receiving a public service award from the New School University, she decided to dedicate her time to helping non-profit organizations further serve marginalized youth. She has been working in community outreach for over 10 years and believes it is crucial to help guide our youth to live absolutely happy and productive lives.

LOVE YOU BIG TARA!!!

These girls were FLY! Their outfits wen’t great with the shoot;) YEAH BABY!!!

WLR…

Amanda Lopez, was also getting her shots in for THE GIRLS GOT KICKS! Photoshoot…

Amy Campion

Little Minniapolis Girls…

My new STEEZ was a hit…

MOTEL 7 ( Capetown ) Welcome!!! I thought I was fast, this girl went all out…

PROPS!

AM going high…

and stencil’n it up…

B-GIRL AIKO! See ya soon in SF;)

AIKO (Aiko Shirakawa) started street dancing at the age of 11 in the parks of San Jose, CA, and performed by the age of 15 with her group, Quick Style, opening up for Ice T in 1983. This began a long list of performances for Quick Style, who opened for many major bands and singers in the Bay Area of California. In 1995 Aiko began to teach street styles to youth in San Jose at the local youth centers and still does to this day. Aiko has been teaching after school programs for the past 7 years for YMCA and Catholic Charities. Over the past 16 years of teaching street dance to the youth, she has been writing a curriculum to add to her classes so that her students can embrace the history of hip-hop and how it can be better than what the media has portrayed it to be. Aiko has taught street styles everywhere in the States, including B-Girl Be 2007 in Minneapolis, MN; Street Science 2008 in Holland; and the film documentary release of All the Ladies Say in New York, NY in 2009 (she is one of the leading Ladies in the film). “Hip-Hop has been there for me and has saved my life; I will be here for Hip-Hop for the rest of mine.” —Aiko

It’s not easy triple threating it, You gotta have a heart, you gotta be original, and you gotta have style! We’re about to set it off…WATCH OUT!

Trinity sold like HOTCAKES!

The new team: MAMA made it! wooohoooo…

SHEVA + RUKUS + RUST

Shout out to CHICAGO who was in the house! Repping hard every year…

Well behaved women seldom make history! >>> Well said!

Shout out to T-Rose! Our wonderful host for the week. Made us some protein shakes, drove us up in the PLAY DATE Cadillac, and overall blessed us with mad love. Thank you T!!!

mmmm dinner time. The chicken curry was slamming! Time to rest, and get some energy for the DeCipher jam…

Photo by B-FRESH >>> More at: CITY PAGES

DJ CHELA on the 1 & 2’s

DeCipher This showcases the very essence of hip-hop dance: the ability to freestyle in the cipher. The 2009 B-Girl Be Block Party After Party with DJs and live drumming as locally and nationally recognized female hip-hop dancers take their turn in the cipher sharing their specific skills and raw energy!

Jen One was killing it! Be a part of instant creation as improvisational elements come together with some of the most talented female breakers, poppers and hip-hop freestyle dancers in the country.

Featuring Aiko, MimotheGreat and Venus Fly Trap Crew; with performances by AnnieUp, B-Girl monArc, Yonci Peaceful Jameson, Alissa Paris, Amy Sackett, Sarah Savengseuksa, B-Girl Seoul Assassin, Kim Sorenson, and Ti-en-T, and Legend ROKAFELLA!

Always inspiring to see these women rock and keep it alive. Budget cuts suck, especially when the organizers that gave life to the HEART & SOUL of B-Girl Be are not longer on board;( You can feel, and see the “DIFFERENCE”. Regardless of some minor mishaps, at the end of the day our community has to keep events like this alive. There’s a new generation that still needs platforms like this to represent, and come together to exchange new ideas. Money or no money true activists will continue to hold it down. I was happy to see some new talent brewing. Electro Funky Flowz baby! I’m diggn’ it!!! We missed our crews from the past B-Girl Be’s specially MELISSA, MARTHA COOPER, NIKA, ARUNA, VENDETTA, ASIA1, LADY CHAMP, MARTHA DIAZ, FAITH47, LADY PINK, QA, FEVER, SHIRO, SILOETTE, and PHEM9. We rocked it ONE LAST TIME, but It wasn’t the same without ya!!! To all the new folks who came thru to represent PROPS! Our hommie Big Tara did great! Motel7, Annie Up, PANDORA wow you blew me away w/ your skillz! DJ Chela, Eternia, Lori from Female Sneaker Fiend, Amanda Lopez w/ the Photo skillz, and many many more…I gotta get folks names right. Shout out to the ladies who had our back during the trip; MELISSA for organizing all the DOPE ladies to represent! AUTUMN for hooking us up w/ the goodies, and T-ROSE for being a wonderful host! THANK YOUUUUUU

Heading to paint in Minniapolis! See ya’ll there…

INTERMEDIA ARTS MORE INFORMATION BELOW>>>

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Yesterday’s Younity Art & Designer MARKIT was a sunny successs!!! From dope handmade goods, fresh artwork, designer T’s, to the valiadas and hot dogs on the grill by Father Tom and the parish crew. Our peeps came through and showed maaaaaaad LOVE! Dj Jedi, and Dj Disco Wiz killed it on the 1 & 2’s playing the best in Hip Hops classics and Freestyle. Bboyz, and BGirlz would of loved it. Ya def up in the mix next time without a doubt. Can’t wait!!! Got lot’s more stuff planned for Markit#2 The Lady of Sorrows parish is down for us, that’s why I love COMMUNITY. Real recognize real;) Bringing together fresh creative talent to our hoods one summer at a time. Look out for the HOLIDAY MARKET in the works for December. Thanks again everybody!!! * Especially Freddy & my Momz who came to town, & helped us make folding tables, paint rings, stuff little pillows, and pack the tiny smartcar w/ all our shit. Gotta LUV family, they’re down for you no matter what. Have a safe trip back to Florida!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT! >>>

Goodies for all…

My new Trinity rings were a success! I gotta make more they sold out;)

Thanks for the LUV GFC Peeps!

Circa 95, officially yours;) LUV YA! Pete, Rephstar, Patty Dukes, TF > Flick by Joe Conzo

DJ Jedi is the man!!! Hooked it up with the whole set up, the schoolyard was jammin. Big huggggggz to you for all your support hommie. See you soon for those METHODS catalogs.

INKS had some new goodies this year…NEON zebra print tank top styles, and houndstooth fabric pins so cute. Little NYC pillows sold out!

JUNKPRINTS > Check out that huge ass duffle. WHAT! this girl is NO JOKE. She’s is all about about it and we LOVE IT! Check her our soon on People Magazine. Congrats hommie!

GOODWOODNYC baby! Yeo Kerri’s new stuff is looking SICK!!! See for yourselves…

UNBELIVEABLE, there ain’t nobody on her steez, she is def ORIGINAL. Love it Kerri keep up the DOPENESS.

awwwwww it was so cute to see Psalmz from TWEAPONZ come through w/ his wifey and newborn baby boy. Your such a GREAT TALENTED DADDY!!! All the best to you and your fam;)

Destroy & Rebuild Collective > These fellas are all so talented. I can’t get enough. Shout out to 2esae, ski, and avone. Looking fwd to the collabo it’s gonna be illlllllll. Be sure to check out their set up up in Soho on prince near the apple store. They’re work is TOP NOTCH. I need my REVS & COST piece ya still got it?

624713 Collective > Grimy Patterns/graff + prints Art, T’s and much more. This crew is doing their thing, you can also visit their setup in soho. Lookout for Jenevieve713 in the FRESHER show OCT 3rd!

DOPE! I love art, especially when it’s from NY…

DJ DISCO WIZ came through to drop the skilllllllz. I think if there was a linoleum around i might have just thrown down even though I can’t break the music was so goooood. Thanks so much for sharing your time Wiz! Look out for his AWESOME book and bookstores worldwide IT’S JUST BEGUN. This is a LEGEND right here supporting YOUNITY;) Thank u!!!

TOUGH LOVE NYC cupcakes! too bad I don’t have a sweet tooth these look YUMMY!

STEPHANIE LAND > Photographs + Stationary. This lady’s images are so peaceful I love looking at them. I can’t wait to see her handmade Journal for the FRESHER exhibit!

FRESTHETIC > Our crew without a doubt! Repping amazing artists on T’s wood, and print. Check out their shop on 560 Grand St in Willy B, Brooklyn.

AM > Art, Knits, Pillows, Art and more! I’m in LOVE with your momz crochet earrings I want 3 more colors kid!

Sohnup> HIP HOPE FOR HEALING. Check out the organic steez…

Mina Suarez > Vintage purses, I’m so bummed I didn’t get the little wallet I liked. I was going broke shopping;(

La Araucana by Norma Bravo > Vee’s momma making some beautiful handmade knitted scarves, hats, and sweaters. Time to get cozy soon!

Ivette Urbanez > Handcrafted Dresses, Purses, and Silkscreened T’s. I love this pic!

Mr Tony Peralta chillin’ making plans for the next market. Joe Conzo was diggn’ it. Dimélo y que lo qué primo…

Thank you Father TOM!!!

Younity sporting the goods, new T’s gonna go up online soooon. Shout out to Yvey for hooking it up w/ father TOM on this dope schoolyard location. Especially helping to organize the DJ’s. Your a TROOPER kid! LUV YA;) Big hugz and kisses to miss Shana Louallen for holding down the Younity booth with her cuz and giving folks some Tarot Card readings. Your on the next FLYER!

Oh shit! Look who came thru to show the ladies love. Artists legend, graff head, b-boy, DOZE GREEN. It was great to see you!

Kicking off FRESHER 09 like no other baby! THIS IS HOW IT SHOULD BE DONE…yeah yeah OCTOBER 3rd >>> Lower East Side…

See you guys again soon THANK YOUUUUUUUUU!!!

Rain caused us to shift the date folks. New DATE 9.5.09 Lot’s of Sunshine next weekend;)

YOUNITY PRESENTS: RE-FRESH THE STREETS!

(New York, NY) – On August 9, 2009 from 1 p.m.-6 p.m. the women of YOUNITY Arts will host RE-FRESH THE STREETS!, a live street art production to kick off the festivities for the upcoming FRESHER Exhibit in the fall of 2009. A massive sixty-two feet long mural will be painted on an outdoor wall space. Additionally, the art is an effort to beautify the community with graffiti art and street styles that mirror the eco-friendly theme of the FRESHER Exhibit. The collaborative effort will be the artistic event of the summer, displaying the flagrant artistic talent of the female collective and participating artistic youth.

As seen in Marie Claire’s summer 2009 August Calendar, Sponsored by the Motorola Sweepstakes.

Sunday, August 9th 2009
1pm to 6pm.
South 5th Street & Bedford
Take L train to Bedford.

please visit: www.myspace.com/younityspace
www.theyounity.com

WOW lot’s to catch up on. NYC is just crazy in the summer lot’s of stuff going on….okay so we’ll set it off with my kids mural workshop that went down this past week…

BIG CITY WALLS – Younity + Toofly Street Art Mural Project with The Women’s Leadership school was a huge success! The workshop kicked off at our favorite summer spot THE SECRET GARDEN in Bushwick. Weather was loving us! For the past 3 days a group of 30+ young women got a chance to experience the stages of producing a collaborative aerosol mural project with a NATURE theme reflective of what we created at the Secret Garden. It was one of my first official street art mural projects with a large youth group and it went smooooooooth as pie. WHEW! I can def get the hang of this every summer, kids rock!!!

Day 1 – Introduction, Project Details, Concept, Sketches, and a walk through the Secret Garden for some inspiration. SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS BELOW >>>

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The Secret Garden. A YOUNITY + BIG CITY WALLS collaboration with female aerosol artists from NYC. Coming together to “RE-FRESH” the streets…

Rocking productions with 10+ artists is not always easy. Having a sketch helps. Not everything can go according to plan, but if you leave enough room to improvise you get pretty close…

THE SECRET GARDEN. J train to Gates ave. Corner of Linden and Broadway, Bushwick Brooklyn.

Great spot to chill, paint, play dominos, BBQ, and grow your own vegetables & fruits! There’s a farmers market every Wednesday if you want to check it out. Shout out to the folks who run this place and JOSEPH for keeping it beautiful for the community.

Big hug to Erotica for hooking us up with the ill grill meals! & for bringing by the whole fam. What else can be more fun than running around, playing hide and go seek, dancing, laughing, jumping, and climbing stuff?  WHAT FUN! they will remember for a long long time.

Day 1. Pieces were sketched in and set. On the hunt of colors necessary for Day-2 & 3 possibly 4..GREEN, GREEN, AND MORE GREEN!!!

THE COLOR GREEN. The color of nature, fertility, life. Grass green is the most restful color. Green symbolizes self-respect and well being. Green is the color of balance. It also means learning, growth and harmony.

GREEN ENERGY contains the powerful energies of nature, growth, desire to expand or increase. Balance and a sense of order are found in the color green. Change and transformation is necessary for growth, and so this ability to sustain changes is also a part of the energy of green.

In between the week I managed to squeeze in a Female Sneaker Fiend PHOTOSHOOT with Lori Lobenstein, and Amanda Lopez who flew in from San Francisco for the NYC June festivities. Now the IMAGES will live on FOREVER, and EVER, no matter what!

DAY 4.( I missed Day 2, and 3 ) I was crazed and unable to meet the team to help;( BUT I def made up for it on day 4.WHEW! I still feel I need another 2 days to be satisfied with it, that’s just my virgo talking. Still gonna go back and rock it some more, cuz I can go on for days…PLUS! Shiro is in town gotta get her on this wall…

Collabo between Lady K Fever and Toofly. Feeling RE-FRESHED yet? Flow like water and you’ll see what I mean.

Water unceasingly changes shapes and transforms itself. It is thus a model out of which everything can be born. It is also a source of purification. Purification for the individual beings but also for the whole of mankind. The Flood is a founding episode in numerous civilisations. Among Australia’s Aborigenes, a giant frog is said to have swallowed the Earth’s water to release it only when the other animals, dying with thirst, made it burst out laughing. The Flood in a re-creation of the world. One emerges from water in order to be reborn.

DIVA sweetest person ever!

MADGE def incorporated “THE SECRET” up in here! The key to our hearts “LOVE” and nothing else…

JES. Watch out for TOUGH LOVE NYC! Love these VENUS FLY TRAPS great color…

EROTICA. Yeo this WOMAN right here has got to be the ill#1 graffiti mom. She hella looked out for all of us and kept our bellies full. What a MOM! Got the whole fam in her piece too that’s LOVE. Blessing to you hommie and your beautiful family!

AM, K-STAR collabo. Damn AM wen’t mad high on this one what’s that 15feet? 20? word. K-STAR repping hard! Thanks for the beers ladies they were nice and cold kept us on a nice buzz while we worked;) Ya know how to party!

TADA!!! BIG CITY WALLS hooking us ladies up with wall permissions, paint donations/budgets, and urban arts workshops for youth in the community near you! We had a blast painting, BBQ’n, laughing, and taking maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad flicks. Thank you lady for bring’n us all together!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOD TIMES you can’t touch no matter how hard you try HA!

This year’s Afro Punk Festival was DOPE. The wall set-up was tight, and the artist line up was on point. Mad characters! Felt right at home…

Afro Punk Festival, JULY 4, 2009. Photo above by Jay Maldonado. Thanks Jay!!! Love the pic.

Early morning sketch…

12 noon…

Space was transformed into a pop-up skate park: Skaters, Half Pipes, Decks, Live Music, etc.

My boy Cekiz!!! Can’t wait to rock a wall together;)

Rimix loved his line work…

AM

SHAUN from Trust Your Struggle Collective. Thank you for all your hard work!

Crystal Clarity

Rob Focused

My hommie DJ Jasmine Solano came thru to rock some joints on the 1&2’s

New steez, on my warrior shit…

Good job TEAM!

Dope pic by: thashadow06

Shout out to RASU from coup d’etat crew for hooking us up all day! Thank You;)

YAY!!! Just got confirmed to do some LIVE PAINTING at this year’s AFRO PUNK FESTIVAL

AFRO PUNK FESTIVAL
JULY 4-6, 2009 ( Toofly, AM painting JULY 4th )
12noon-9pm
BAM Parking Lot (Corner of Lafayette and Flatbush)
Space is transformed into a pop-up skate park: Skaters, Half Pipes, Decks, Live Music, etc. DON’T MISS IT!!!

From 4 th -6 th July , it’s the turn of bands, skaters and BMX take over downtown Brooklyn. Check the event page for a full line-up plus more details on the Nike SB skate clinic and the $5000 worth of prizes on offer through two URBANX Battle For The Streets skate/BMX competitions. The festival closes out with a Block Party on July 12 th featuring more live music, djs, fashion, food and local artists.

The festival is the center of the global Afro-punk community and the definitive destination for audiences looking to experience true Afro-punk culture. Last year 30,000 people attended, and this year even more are expected, along with 40 bands, 24 films, a visual art exhibit and a custom built skate park where you can check out pro riders and skaters from around the country.

ALL THIS YEARS EVENTS ARE FREE so it will be first come first served.

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Took me a while to post these up sorry! I’m anal about pics. I needed to hunt and gather them from various sources since my 5th camera broke! Anyway…it’s been a hectic weekend guys. I’m still trying to catch up. Gonna take a SERIOUS SERIOUS SERIOUS break after this year is over, SERIOUS. The evening was a little somber as the world found out Michael Jackson had passed. We were all in shock, all we could do once the event came to a close was blast his music, wipe the tears, and dance the night away with everyone who lost a piece of their youth that night;(

Shout out to Martha Diaz, and the H2A team for caring, and putting this event together at NYU. Herstory one step at a time, as real women take it upon themselves to change the game, and represent! Folks out there look out for the FRESH, BOLD, & SO DEF book in the works, as well as the 1st women in HIP HOP Grant! H2A needs your help to raise funds and make this book, and grant happen in 2009. Every $1 counts!!! Special thanks to my YOUNITY partna’ in crime Alice Mizrachi, and Diana McClure for presenting Toofleezy with a special tribute piece for my graffiti art, work, and life. THANK YOU!!!

and now without further do…TOOFLY NYC / YOUNITY ARTS

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!!!
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